RTHK: Belarus activist from diverted flight 'confesses'

Arrested Belarusian opposition blogger Roman Protasevich, who was on the diverted Ryanair flight, says he is cooperating and admitting to charges of organising protests in a video circulated by state TV channels on Monday.

The passenger flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted while in Belarusian airspace on Sunday over a supposed bomb threat, prompting a global outcry to Minsk's forced landing of the aircraft.

"I am in Detention Centre no 1 in Minsk. I can say that I have no health problems, including with my heart or any other organs," Protasevich said in the clip that appears to have been filmed on a phone camera.

The 26-year-old is wearing a black hoodie and sits behind a table in a non-descript room with a pack of cigarettes by his side.

He fidgets with his hands as he makes the statement and some dark markings are visible on his forehead.

"The attitude of employees towards me is as correct as possible and according to the law. I continue cooperating with investigators and am confessing to having organised mass unrest in the city of Minsk," he said.

Earlier, the Belarus Interior Ministry said Protasevich was being held in Minsk and dismissed unconfirmed reports he was admitted to hospital with a heart condition.

"The administration of the institution has not received any complaints about his health," the ministry said on its Telegram channel.

Together with co-founder Stepan Putilo, Protasevich until recently ran the Nexta telegram channels that helped mobilise protesters during the demonstrations that gripped ex-Soviet Belarus for months after a disputed election last August.

Protesters demanded the resignation of strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over two decades and in secured a landslide victory in an election his opponents say was rigged.

The authorities unleashed a violent crackdown on protesters, detaining thousands, many of whom reported torture and abuse in custody. Several people died in the unrest.

Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in the election, also appeared in a similar video published by state media, urging her supporters not to protest.

Her allies said the video was made under pressure and that Tikhanovskaya was threatened into recording it.

She soon fled to neighbouring EU member Lithuania.

"This is how Roman looks under physical and moral pressure," Tikhanovskaya said on Twitter on Monday, commenting on the video, and called for his "immediate" release.

Protasevich and Putilo - who both fled to Europe - were last year added to Belarus's list of "individuals involved in terrorist activity".

In Minsk, they face charges of causing mass unrest, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Huawei issued a statement on May 24 to reiterate that it will not build cars, saying this long-term strategy has been clear in 2018, and nothing has changed.



The company considers that the auto industry would love to see that Huawei helps automakers build future-oriented cars using its ICT (information and communications technology) capabilities, namely supplying carmakers with ICV (intelligent-connected vehicle)-related components, instead of making Huawei-branded cars.

Huawei said it has not invested in any carmakers yet, and will not make such investment, let alone controlling or participating in shares. In the future, any discussions about Huawei's car-building plan or equity participation in the auto manufacturing industry are all rumors and should not be trusted.

According to the statement, Huawei has chosen BAIC BJEV, Changan Auto, and GAC Group as its strategic partners, supporting them in developing their own sub-brands. The vehicles armed with Huawei's autonomous driving solution are allowed to bear the HI logo (standing for Huawei Inside) after being authorized by Huawei.

Speaking of the cooperation with SERES, an EV manufacturer of Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, Huawei said it is the supplier of the SERES SF5's electrified parts and HiCar cockpit components. Meanwhile, to help Huawei's authorized mobile phone retail stores survive the sales plunge of smart phones, the company is supporting some of them in selling this vehicle model, so as to gain revenue correspondingly.

A local media channel reported last week that Huawei is cementing the cooperation with Changan Auto, attempting to co-design and develop automotive semiconductors.

After being reached for comment, the Chongqing-based automaker said the collaboration with Huawei mainly focuses on the development of an all-new platform and the branding.
We are Brazilian producers who want to export wood pellets.

We can supply large volumes at good prices for a long-term relationship. We have already exported our products to Europe and America, so we are ready to negotiate terms with buyers.

We have an office in Houston, Texas.
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Denton, TX (76205)

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Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Crusoe Energy Systems plans to expand its Denver headquarters by up to 286 jobs in coming years, the company announced Tuesday.

Founded in 2018 by two Kent Denver graduates, Crusoe pioneered a cost-effective way to capture flaring and environmentally harmful emissions associated with oil and gas extraction, and convert those byproducts into electricity, according to a release.

Colorados Office of Economic Development and International Trade made the decision easier with up to $3.83 million in job growth incentive tax credits over the next eight years.

The City of Denvers Economic Development and Opportunity Office contributed $70,000 in tax credits as well.

Colorado is an excellent place to build a company, particularly one that draws on talent pools from the energy and technology industries, said Cully Cavness, president and co-founder of Crusoe.

Colorados talented workforce and continued support of environmentally oriented energy innovators were important factors in our decision to double down in Denver.

Company officials were also checking out Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota, but ultimately chose Colorado because of its proximity to existing operations that Crusoe services in several area basins. Its employment level stands at 58 currently, with 20 of those in-state.

The new jobs are expected to pay an average salary of $122,795 for positions such as operations, engineering, safety, environmental, accounting, finance, legal, human resources, technology, business development and sales/marketing.

The company has been riding a wave of success on its cleantech technology as it recently closed on $128 million Series B equity financing led by Valor Equity Partners and Lowercarbon Capital, DRW Venture Capital, Founders Fund, Bain Capital Ventures and others.

Company officials said theyd use the additional capital to implement low-cost computing infrastructure needed to support this cleantech technology at sites it services.

Companies like Crusoe Energy represent the forward-thinking environmental innovation that will help Colorado achieve our ambitious energy transition and economic goals, said Gov. Jared Polis in a statement.

These 280 high-quality jobs are a great example of the opportunities available when we unlock the power of clean energy technologies. We are proud to have this homegrown company continue to expand in Colorado.

The company currently has offices on the fourth floor of 1641 California St.
From now throughout the summer, police will be amping up enforcement of seat belt laws in Colorado and neighboring states as part of the State2State Buckle Up Campaign.

The campaign will last through August and in coordination with the national Click it or Ticket seat belt enforcement period beginning Monday and ending on June 6.

Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to prevent injury or death in a crash, said Darrell Lingk with the Colorado Department of Transportation. Dont risk your safety by removing your seat belt, even if you are a passenger.

In Colorado, seat belt use is currently at 86.3%  below the national average of 90%, according to CDOT.

Last year, 612 people, including pedestrians, were killed on Colorado roadways, while 365 people were killed in passenger vehicles. And 56% of them were unbuckled at the time of collision, according to CDOT.

Wearing seat belts reduced the risk of injury or death in a crash by 50%, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The State2State Buckle Up Campaign is centered around the summer as travelers from neighboring states begin to come to visit Colorado at increasing rates.

Whether a visitor or a resident, we want every occupant of a vehicle to be buckled up, said State Patrol Chief Matthew Packard. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the loss of life. So often, it could have been prevented.

From 2017 to 2020, there were 86 deaths on Colorado highways from people from another state not wearing seat belts.

Under Colorado law, seat belts are required for the driver and front passenger seats, and for children under the age of 16 in any seat. If the driver is under the age of 18, all passengers must wear seat belts regardless of their ages.

In addition to increased law enforcement, during the campaign, CDOT will also inform travelers about the importance of wearing seat belts on social media and via digital highway signs near state boarders.

Transportation and law enforcement agencies in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming are participating in the campaign to remind travelers to always wear seat belts.
Rafters and fishermen congregate at a boat landing on the Gunnison River on May 15, 2021. Credit: Dean Krakel
Togos regulator ARCEP has fined mobile operator Moov Togo XOF593 million (US$1.1 million) for serious and lasting breaches of its obligation to provide its electronic communications networks and services on a permanent and continuous basis.

Last week, ARCEP ordered Moov to attend a public hearing in order to explain the persistent outages that occurred on its network from June to September 2020 and March to April 2021.

ARCEP considered the initial outages to be serious enough to warrant the imposition of sanctions in November last year, with Moov accused of violating its terms of reference.

According to TeleGeography, Moov has sought to attribute the issues to prolonged power cuts by the CEET, as well as claiming that construction companies working with rival Togocom have accidentally cut its cables during their deployments.

However, ARCEP hit back that these justifications were insufficient given that Moov has purportedly invested XOF113 billion into improving its network quality.
The Sonatel group, the telecom operator in West Africa, has officially become the delegated manager of the Benin digital infrastructure company (SBIN).

According to media reports, the duopoly on the Beninese telecoms market maintained since 2017 by MTN and Moov is on the verge of shattering. With its expertise, the government expects Sonatel to exert pressure on its competitors similar to that of its various other African markets.

The Senegal National Telecommunications Corporation (Sonatel) said in a press release that it signed the agreement to manage state-owned SBIN (Societe Beninoise dInfrastructures Numeriques) on 21 May 2021.

Sekou Drame, Director General of Sonatel said he was honored by this choice made for Sonatel and affirmed the determination of his Group to implement the vision of the President of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Talon to "transform Benin into West Africa's digital services platform for accelerating growth and social inclusion. 

The agreement will enable the incumbent operator of Senegal to quickly operationalise the public telecoms company of Benin, giving it the means to offer competitive offers and services to consumers, businesses, and other telecom players.

Through delegated management, the Sonatel group indicates that it will support the SBIN by sharing technical and commercial skills and sharing experience in the development and implementation of a master plan, with the deployment of  a latest-generation mobile network, the launch of mobile and mobile money services and the strengthening of activities.

The investments planned for the next few years by the State of Benin will allow the populations to benefit from the expertise and dynamism of the Sonatel and Orange Groups in terms of innovation and development of the digital ecosystem.
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Moscow, ID (83843)

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
Two Democratic state House members are seeking their partys nomination for lieutenant governor  Erick Allen of Smyrna and Derrick Jackson of Tyrone.

Republican activist Jeanne Seaver of Savannah is the only other Republican who has declared for the race so far. Senate Majority Whip Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican, has said hes considering it. Sen. Burt Jones, a Jackson Republican, also has been looking at the race. Jones unsuccessfully challenged Miller for president pro tem in December.

Jones posted a picture of Trump, himself and Jones father on social media on May 3 at Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida raising speculation that Jones was seeking Trumps endorsement for office.

Miller said that last time I checked, Mar-a-Lago was not in my jurisdiction, but when it comes to Trump's support, I have no reason to expect him not to endorse me if he is going to endorse.

Miller said that as lieutenant governor, he would focus on education, transportation, infrastructure and agriculture.
Overcoming is something everybody has to do constantly in life, Fleming said.  Life is a battle; life is a struggle. By becoming better at overcoming the struggles we face in life, we can not only have better lives but more meaningful lives.

After the bombing Fleming wasnt sure what his future held, but he knew his military career was over. So, he climbed onto a stage before a crowd of about 3,000 people and told his story for the first time in 2007. Still in burn bandages, Fleming spoke for two minutes. Afterward, a young woman approached him and told him of the abuse she had experienced first as a child then as teen and then from an abusive boyfriend. She had attempted suicide. But, she told Fleming, if he could survive all he had been through, then she felt she could, too.

There are a million ways to get hurt, but we all speak a language called pain and thats where we relate to each other, Fleming said.

It was a turning point. Fleming found telling his story as a way to help himself and others heal.

My pain became purpose-driven at that point, he said.
Pratasevich had been charged in absentia with staging mass riots and fanning social hatred. Those carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, and some fear Pratasevich could face more serious charges, including some that carry the death penalty.

Colville, the U.N. human rights official, said Pratasevichs brief appearance on Belarus state TV was not reassuring, given the apparent bruising to his face, and the strong likelihood that his appearance was not voluntary and his confession to serious crimes was forced.

Pratasevichs 23-year-old Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who also was removed from the flight and detained, spoke in a video from custody shown on state TV. In it, she said she had been working as the editor of a Telegram channel that revealed personal data about Belarus security officers amid the protests. Her lawyers had said earlier in the day that she has been jailed for two months, pending an investigation.

The main opposition candidate in the last election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who left the country immediately after the vote under official pressure, said she urged the U.S. to move to suspend Belarus' membership in the ICAO and Interpol.
A farmer picks coffee berries in the central highlands province of Gia Lai. Photo by Shutterstock/Somchai_Stock.

Japanese beverage company Kirin Holdings is increasing support for coffee growers in Vietnam amid growing consumer demand for sustainable products.

The company aims to extend support to farms in 700 locations, double the current figure, by the end of the year, by training farmers in sustainable production methods to help them obtain certification from an international accreditation organization, according to a Nikkei report.

Kirin helps Vietnamese coffee growers get certification from U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Rainforest Alliance.

To be certified, farmers must refrain from using excessive amounts of agrochemicals and work to protect biodiversity.

Since last year, Kirin has supported 350 Vietnamese coffee farms, helping growers conserve water, protect rivers from pollution and introduce better cultivation methods for areas with low sunlight.

Vietnamese coffee represents about 30 percent of the ingredients used by Kirin in its products, such as canned coffee beverages.

One issue for the company has been fluctuating output among Vietnam's many small coffee growers.

By assisting these farmers, Kirin aims to improve the quality of its own products and ensure steady production.

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee bean producer after Brazil.

Vietnam exported $2.74 billion worth of coffee last year, down 4.2 percent from 2019, according to Vietnam Customs.

Total areas covered by coffee farming was estimated at 680,000 hectares last year, down 2 percent from 2019, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
US business chamber calls on Vietnam to ease quarantine, free up vaccines

A medical staff prepares to inject Covid-19 vaccine into a person in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa.

AmCham in Hanoi urged Vietnam on Monday to ease its lengthy quarantine period for vaccinated travelers and allow the private sector to help procure Covid-19 vaccines for their employees.

Vietnam effectively closed its borders to normal outside travel in March 2020, and has only allowed its citizens or foreign experts to enter the country provided they undergo three weeks of quarantine at a hotel or military-run center, even if they have been fully vaccinated.

"AmCham encourages authorities to implement less burdensome entry procedures for fully vaccinated business people, foreign experts and maybe even tourists," the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Hanoi executive director Adam Sitkoff said in a statement.

81 percent of AmCham Hanoi members would bring more people to Vietnam if the mandatory quarantine period was reduced from its current 21 days down to seven, the statement said, citing a survey.

Vietnam has received global praise for its success in containing Covid-19, thanks to a program of targeted mass testing, contact tracing, and a centralized quarantine system.

It has kept its virus tally to a low 5,308 cases, and reported 43 deaths.

But a new outbreak that has infected 2,254 people since late April has prompted calls for Vietnam's government to accelerate its vaccination program.

So far, around a million doses have been administered in Vietnam, although just 28,961 people have been fully vaccinated.

Vietnam has placed orders for more vaccines from several suppliers and received around 2.5 mln doses via the Covax sharing scheme. Officials have said they expect to receive more vaccines by the end of the year, but not enough to achieve community immunity.

Sitkoff told Reuters that many of AmCham Hanoi's members were willing to pay to get their workforce vaccinated, and that there were ongoing discussions with the Vietnamese government about how to do so.

"A greater sense of urgency is needed for authorities to formulate a program and timeline for this to happen," he said.

Vietnams health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For all of the students at the British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi), the university counsellor plays a key role in helping them understand and navigate the pathway to their university of choice. Taking the step from Sixth Form to university is an exciting challenge for students, but there are many big decisions that sit between these two milestones.

It is the role of the university counsellor to provide support and guidance to students so that these decisions are informed, manageable, and ultimately lead the students to securing a place at a university that suits their ambitions for the future.

Lori Fairbairn, BIS Hanois counsellor, explaining to parents and students how the IB Diploma Programme prepares them for university. Photo by BIS Hanoi.

A guidance for decision-making

At the very beginning of a student's journey to university, there should be a considered research and decision-making process. At this stage, university counsellors play an important role in guiding them and signposting important factors to consider when making their decision.

University ranking normally plays a leading role in the decision-making process for students. However, a number of criteria shape their university experience. Therefore, the counsellors role is to encourage students to not only focus on the ranking but also raise awareness of the diversity of choice available to them.

They also help students understand the locations of their potential universities and what it would be like to live and study there, helping them choose a location based on knowledge rather than assumption.

The global pandemic has affected students' choice of university and interrupting the study plans of many. Lori Fairbairn, BIS Hanoi's counsellor, advises students to be flexible in their thinking and adaptable in their goals.

As a counsellor, she keeps well informed of the universities' responses to Covid-19, and can help students change destinations, even at a very late date. This is extremely helpful for not only current Year 13 students but also past graduates, with whom she continues to work.

Understanding the application system

At BIS Hanoi, popular university destinations include anywhere from the U.K. and North America, to Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. This broad choice of universities requires students to navigate a variety of application systems for which the requirements and structure may vary significantly between countries.

As well as providing a new challenge to students, the application process is often unfamiliar to parents too. This is where the university counsellor plays a vital role in guiding students as well as parents. Their experience and knowledge of the international application processes equips them to successfully steer students through this system, ensuring they are prepared rather than overwhelmed by the challenge.

For instance, at BIS Hanoi, the school understands how difficult the South Korea application system can be for Sixth Form students and parents so they work directly with the school community to ensure the process is as open and transparent as possible.

Their South Korean liaison officer has been contacting all document review schools in South Korea to ensure they are up-to-date on best practice regarding applications and look forward to sharing this information with the community soon.

Making a stand out application

The written application process is only the first step in securing a place at a top university. At this stage and beyond, the counsellor is an ally for students and ensures they are prepared for each of the challenges presented.

From writing references and recommendation letters, providing feedback on applications, and holding practice interviews appropriate to the university and country in consideration, the counsellor helps every student put their best foot forward and have a clear understanding of what is required of them to produce a successful application.

"We are proud to say 83 percent of our graduates have been accepted to their first or second choice of university," said Fairbairn.

Sixth Form students at BIS Hanoi can choose their subjects from a wide range of IB courses available. Photo by BIS Hanoi.

Student wellbeing

BIS Hanoi recognizes their students have big ambitions and as a result, are often tasked with numerous challenges to focus on simultaneously.

In Year 13 particularly, students will juggle a variety of demands. In Term 1, IB students will have deadlines, the completion of their extended essay and completion of their Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) commitments. This is also when the majority of university applications take place, many of which are very time consuming - a typical application to a U.S. university takes 15-20 hours, for example.

The combination of workload and applying to university is the most demanding task students will have faced in the academic journey to date. Paying close attention to student wellbeing and their handling of these commitments is a top priority during this process.

Counsellor and Head of Sixth Form, Robert Airdrie, in conjunction with Sixth Form tutors provide multiple activities and sessions focused on student wellbeing. Mindfulness activities, yoga sessions, and sleep information sessions encourage students to relax their minds and help prepare them for the challenges they face.

In the second term of Year 13, they also turn their attention to ensuring students are ready and prepared for university life and discussing everything from cooking, finances and laundry to relationships, respect and consent.

This is also where they hope parents are also working with their children, ensuring they are modelling and encouraging health and wellness and preparing them for lifes future challenges.

The university counsellor takes a holistic view of everything students are juggling and helps them understand and prepare in advance for what the demands of university applications are, where these fall in the school year so they can time manage effectively, and provides support to them if they are struggling.

For more information on the Sixth Form School at BIS Hanoi, visit the school website.
The Australian government is funding a $7.3 mln program that seeks to help women and children in Vietnam live a life free of violence.

It would be implemented from June 2021 to July 2025, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a press release on Monday.

Organizers expect the program to promote laws and policies, increase resource allocation and strengthen coordination to prevent and respond to violence against women and children, in line with national and international standards and commitments.

They hope to see gender and social norm change promoted through communication, awareness raising, advocacy and community mobilization.

A women and her son leave hospital after being treated for Covid-19 in Binh Thuan Province, April 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Viet Quoc.

The program was envisaged after the successful implementation of Supporting Interventions to Eliminate Violence against Women and Children in Vietnam in the Covid-19 Emergency Context, between May 2020 and May 2021 also by UNFPA and its partners.

One of its key outcomes was that 832 survivors of violence received direct and full support from trained staff.

Protection services were provided through hotlines run by Anh Duong House, Peace House and CSAGA to more than 13,000 people.

Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA representative in Vietnam, said there is no way for Vietnam to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals without addressing the issue of violence against women and children.

Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Vietnam, said violence against women and children was a major societal problem prior to Covid-19, and countries need to understand that it costs them economic growth.

The 2019 National Study on Violence Against Women in Vietnam, which was supported by the Government of Australia and UNFPA, found that nearly two in three married women (almost 63 per cent) experienced one or more forms of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence and controlling behaviors by their husbands.

Besides, 4.4 percent of children faced sexual abuse.

The loss of productivity due to violence against women was estimated at 1.81 percent of GDP in 2018.
People gather to watch a "blood moon" eclipse in Melbourne on July 28, 2018. Photo by AFP/William West.

Observers in several parts of Vietnam will be able to see on Wednesday a total lunar eclipse as the moon draws closest to Earth.

The event, the only total lunar eclipse of 2021, has been dubbed "Super Flower Blood Moon" as the latter draws "super" close to Earth. During the total lunar eclipse, the moon will be on the opposite side of Earth from the sun and completely in the formers shadow, lending the lunar surface a deep, "blood" red shade.

"Flower" simply refers to the month of May.

Should the sky be clear, people in Vietnam will be able to start seeing part of this super, blood moon around 6 p.m.

According to NASA, the eclipse will start around 3:47 p.m. (Hanoi time).

The partial eclipse will start at 5:44 p.m., while the total eclipse commences at 6:11 p.m. before partially ending at 6:25 p.m. and completely by 7:25 p.m.

But the chance for sky gazers to enjoy the event in southern Vietnam is low since the region is experiencing its rainy season, with weather forecasts predicting rains and a cloudy sky throughout the week.
Medical workers handle samples for Covid-19 testing at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat Airport, May 6, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa.

The Ministry of Health recorded 100 more local Covid-19 cases in Hanoi, Da Nang, HCMC and three northern provinces Tuesday noon, raising the tally in the new wave to 2,506.

87 cases were recorded in Bac Giang, eight in Hanoi, two in Da Nang and one each in Thai Binh, HCMC and Dien Bien.

One case in Bac Giang made contact with a coronavirus patient, while the rest are associated with outbreaks at the province's Quang Chau, Van Trung and Dinh Tram industrial parks.

Two cases in Hanoi made contact with a coronavirus patient, while six others were associated with an outbreak at the T&T company.

All the cases in Da Nang, Thai Binh and Dien Bien are associated with existing coornavirus cases.

The case in HCMC is a 37-year-old daughter of a restaurateur, who was confirmed a Covid patient last week. Her two other children and a grandchild have also been tagged Covid patients, although the source of transmission of these cases have not been determined.

Vietnam's latest Covid wave has caused 2,506 cases in 30 cities and provinces since starting a month ago. The most severely hit are Bac Giang with 1,156 cases and its neighbor Bac Ninh with 507 cases.

Both provinces have several large-scale industrial parks which employ thousands of workers, some of which having become coronavirus hotspots.
Vietnam's new president calls for closer ties in 1st call to China's Xi

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 24, 2021 in Hanoi. Photo by Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnam and China have agreed to promote bilateral ties and expand cooperation in various fields.

In the first phone conversation Nguyen Xuan Phuc had with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping since taking over as Vietnams president, the two affirmed the importance of Vietnam-China relations to their foreign policy and hailed each others recent accomplishments, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

Phuc said Vietnam had successfully achieved the "twin goals" of economic development and epidemic control, and held elections to the National Assembly and People's Council for 2021-26 on Sunday.

But it still faces a number of difficulties and challenges, and hopes to benefit from cooperation with other countries, including China, he said.

He suggested a number of measures to foster relations between the two countries, such as strengthening cooperation for the prevention of Covid-19, improving the quality and efficiency of economic, trade and investment cooperation and promoting local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

He said the two countries should maintain maritime peace and stability and handle maritime issues in accordance with the law and based on international rules such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and continue to coordinate at multilateral forums.

Phuc invited Xi and other Chinese leaders to visit Vietnam.

Phuc, who was earlier the prime minister, became president in April after his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong stepped down.

Xi said he attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam and seeks to continue strengthening the friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries and further develop the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

He emphasized the importance of high-level exchanges and contacts, and in turn invited Party General Secretary Trong and Phuc to visit China.

He said the ministries, sectors and local authorities in the two countries should cooperate with each other for mutual benefit, and manage disagreements as well as strengthen cooperation on maritime issues.

He promised Chinas support for Vietnam at multilateral cooperation mechanisms and its fight against Covid.
Vu Ngoc Anh poses for a photo with the national flag after conquering Mount Fansipan in northern Vietnam, 2016. Photo courtesy of Vu Ngoc Anh.

A rare condition has broken Vu Ngoc Anhs bones more than 150 times, but his unbroken spirit has seen him climb mountains on his knees, literally.

Anh recalls reaching the foot of Dai Lanh lighthouse in the central province Phu Yen. In front of the wheelchair-bound man was a road clinging to the mountainside at the end of which were a set of steep stairs.

Undaunted, he got off his wheelchair, tied his usually unused knee protector over his jeans and began his ascent. After nearly one km of concrete road, he faces about 500 m of forest road and cliffs. His knees and hands burned with pain, but the thought of giving up did not strike him.

This happened seven years ago as he set out to conquer the Dai Lanh Cape, around 35 km from Tuy Hoa, the capital city of Phu Yen, to reach the "eastern pole," where the sun rises first in Vietnam.

The 34-year-old osteogenesis imperfecta patient was on a mission to conquer all four of Vietnam's poles and then the nation's highest peak, Fansipan.

After covering the 1.5 km distance to reach one of the poles, Anh could not move for days because his knees were badly injured.

Two months before his trip to the "east pole," he had been to the "south pole" at Ca Mau Cape in the Mekong Delta, which is also the easiest point to reach because he traveled by car and wheelchair.

More than a year later, he conquered the "north pole"  the Lung Cu flagpole in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang. His most recent trip was to the west pole at the A Pa Chai Village in the northern province of Dien Bien. He had to climb 500 stairs to the west pole and nearly 400 to the north pole.

Vu Ngoc Anh used his knee to conquer Lung Cu flagpole in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang in 2015. Photo courtesy of Vu Ngoc Anh.

His most challenging trip was to conquer Mount Fansipan in the resort town Sa Pa, considered the Roof of Indochina at a height of 3,143 meters (10,311 feet).

In 2011, he thought of climbing to the top of the mountain on his knees, a journey that could last up to seven days, but that proved unfeasible. In February 2016, after a cable car was put into operation taking tourists from Muong Hoa Valley to Fansipan, he was able to make his dream come true.

On his knees, Anh scaled the last 600 steps to conquer Fansipan. It took him an hour and 30 minutes, and the fabric tied for added protection to his knees tore in the effort. As he completed his climb, a prolonged cheer broke out and many people came up to congratulate him and shake his hands.

For each of his adventures, Anhs takes into consideration his fragile condition and aims to complete the journey when he is still healthy enough for the challenges. He packs light  just a few clothes, a phone and a camera.

And despite all the precautions he takes, he has had many close shaves, including his wheelchair sliding downhill, being robbed and being teased by drunks. After each trip, he learnt new lessons about protecting himself.

"It sounds contradictory that a person with limited mobility wants to go to many places, but these journeys are a way for me to challenge myself, and to fulfill my dream of going to places I've seen on TV in my childhood," Anh said.

Fractured existence

At eight months old, Anh broke a hand and a leg for the first time as he learned to walk. Even before the wound healed, the bone broke again in the same place. When he was taken to hospital, doctors diagnosed him with the brittle bone disease and calcium deficiency. Osteogenesis imperfecta, known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that mainly affect the bones due to a lack of collagen and connective tissue.

A life of having bones broken very often was not easy. It was in high school that his bones broke the most, snapping at the slightest impact.

"I remember the days of lying in bed with my limbs wrapped in bandages, feeling like a mummy."

By the time he became an adult, Anh had lost count of the times his bones broke, but it is well in excess of 150. At times, he would suffer fractures on both legs... and he gradually learned to cling and walk on his knees, but he needed someones support for most of his activities.

After he finished secondary school, he was given a wheelchair by a non-profit organization, but he didn't use it until grade 12 because he was embarrassed by the gossip that it would trigger. But he eventually got used to it.

While he longed to run and dance like other people, he had to settle for making friends with books, stories and television sets.

When he was 18, he passed the university entrance exam in Hanoi, but the thought that his father would have to work hard to follow him to the capital and take care of him made him change his mind. He sacrificed his university dream and applied for a vocational school instead, aiming to develop his passion for business and music. Later, he opened a mobile phone and laptop repair shop.

At 21, he asked his parents to let him move from his hometown Hai Phong to Hanoi. At first, they did not agree, but eventually gave in on the condition he would call home twice or three times a day and that his father would check up on him every few weeks.

A new life

The move was not easy, because Anh had to learn to take care of himself, but he was determined to be as independent as possible.

He lives in a rented house with his cousins, using the first floor as his small office, working as the manager of a company that ships goods from abroad.

He frequents nearby markets to buy food and prepares his own meals in the kitchen. The need to limit movements means he rarely eats out.

Many people think that patients with brittle bone disease have to lead very restricted lives, sitting in one place, Anh said. He does not allow the disease to limit him, doing everything, only not doing vigorous exercises to avoid bone fractures.

When he goes outside, he uses his wheelchair, pushing it evenly and carefully with both hands. He always chooses public transportation services like buses, where kind people help him.

At home, he moves around on his knees.

After having his bones broken many times, his legs are not able to support his heavy body, Anh said, explaining his excessive dependence on his knees. This also means joint pains when the weather changes, he added.

Future dreams

Vu Ngoc Anh, who suffers from brittle bones disease, climbs the last stairs on his knees to reach the peak of Mount Fansipan. Photo courtesy of Vu Ngoc Anh.

Anh said he work to develop the "Vietnam Glass Bones" fund, a non-profit he has founded to provide career guidance to people with osteogenesis imperfecta and other disabilities. Anh has written books about his life and journey with the rare disease, and contributes money from their sales to the fund.

He is also working on a program to donate 1,000 wheelchairs to those in need.

When the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, he also plans a project to play music as a DJ at popular tourist destinations, ensuring that he keeps pursuing his passion for music and traveling.

Anh has a passion and strong love for electronic dance music (EDM), inspired by musician Nguyen Hong Hai, one of the first producers of the genre in Vietnam. He plans to personally play EDM at popular tourist destinations like Quang Binh, the kingdom of caves, Sa Pa and Hoa Binh.

He also wants to make music videos to promote Vietnams tourism destinations internationally. He said that the EDM music he plays is very "trendy" and international in nature, combining modernity with Vietnamese characteristics.

"People say travel is to discover and experience new things but for me its simple: find a place to play my favorite music."
A boy receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on May 13, 2021. Photo by AFP.

The HCMC Department of Tourism has instructed travel companies to suspend "vaccine tours" to the U.S. until the end of the year.

At a meeting with the department on Monday, tour operators agreed to stop advertising the tour on social media and wait until early 2022 to see how the pandemic situation develops.

The department has stepped in after some travel companies launched coronavirus vaccine tours to the U.S. but with one-way tickets and without clear information about the return.

Since March last year the country has closed its borders to all except Vietnamese repatriates and foreign investors and experts.

Nguyen Quy Phuong, director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourisms tourism department, cautioned people about booking vaccine tours because of the one-way tickets on offer and vague information about the vaccination.

Travel agencies have been hit badly for more than a year now by the pandemic, and some were looking at vaccine tours to the U.S. as a means of revival.

Travel agencies in Thailand are selling vaccine tours to the U.S. while travelers from Mexico and Latin America are flying in to take advantage of one of the world's most successful vaccination campaigns.

While poor and low-income countries are struggling to secure vaccines due to a lack of supply, the U.S. has immunized 47 percent of its adult population after reportedly securing enough doses to vaccinate its entire population twice over.
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The United States endorsed, and joined those participating in, the Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online.
Second-grader Grayson Baldwin said he thought fifth-graders should be allowed to take their masks off, as well as other students.

Kids that have special needs need to breathe, but they cant because they have their mask on, Baldwin said.

Fifth-grader Addison Connelley echoed her classmates sentiments and observed that all the students mix throughout the day at lunch, recess and each others houses.

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Were around each other, so theres no point, Connelley said.

All of the students hoped that word of their protest would spread to everyone, such as local and state leaders, including the school board and the governor.

According to Strozzis mother, Michelle, her daughter came home when the new mandate was issued and she wanted to organize a protest. In support, Michelle called other parents and bought poster boards to make signs.

I told her I would help get the word out and let her speak her mind on what she sees as unfair, Michelle said. But she also told her daughter that those decisions were not from the school itself.
Legislators were still finalizing how to propose splitting the $500 million among the accounts.

In May 2020, the Edenville Dam failed during a steady rain, draining Wixom Lake and unleashing the Tittabawassee River, which then overwhelmed the Sanford Dam, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit.

Both Republicans and Democrats in the GOP-controlled Legislature will sponsor the measures.

It was heartbreaking to see the devastation facing so many people, especially when almost all of it could have been prevented if improvements to the local dams had been made to ensure they could handle the water levels, said Sen. Jim Stamas, a Midland Republican, who said the measures will help prevent future disasters in other communities.

In March, the state said the major portion of emergency work to restore the Tobacco River was completed. And this week, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said a reorganized dam safety unit will soon have the equivalent of five full-time staffers to oversee more than 1,000 state-regulated dams, double from when the two dams failed a year ago.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo confirmed Monday that he will run for governor of Nevada next year in an attempt to take on Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak.

The Republican said, Yes, I am, when asked by KRNV-TV in Reno on Monday whether he's running for governor.

He will first face North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, who announced his campaign last week, in a Republican primary.

Lombardo had already brought on advisors and a campaign chair for what was considered a likely run but had not made an announcement.

The sheriff was in Reno for a charity event related to Washoe County Sheriffs Office and said he was in northern Nevada so people can get to know him ahead of the statewide campaign.

I'm well known in the south but I've gotta be well-known in the north too, right?" the sheriff said.

Northern Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican, said last week that hes still weighing whether to run for governor and did not have a timeline for when he might make a decision.

Candidates declaration forms are not filed until early next year. But typically, they would start fundraising this year or earlier if they are planning a campaign.
BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Letters written by 100 renowned Chinese scientists when they applied to join the Communist Party of China (CPC) are now on display in the National Museum of China in Beijing.

The exhibition, which opened on Monday, tells the stories of the scientists answering the Party's call to build the country through science and technology.

The exhibition aims to show the spirit of the scientists through a large number of detailed historical photos and precious objects via multimedia devices.

[ Editor: WPY ]
Thanks to the recently unveiled census data from 2020, I've learned that I'm one of less than a million foreign residents who have spent the Covid year inside China. My assumption is that a lot more foreigners usually reside in China, when there are no travel and visa restrictions, but adding my being foreigner, I'm not just a fluent speaker, but also can read and write in Chinese. There is data indicating that more and more people in the West, in Asia, and in Africa are starting to learn Chinese, but I still consider myself a very small minority. Why did I start to learn Chinese, and how have I kept going all the way to my current level? This is my self-introduction:

My first interest in China dates back to my undergraduate time around 2005: I remember clearly the small park in my hometown in Switzerland, where a small group of Swiss made use of the good weather to practice Tai Ji outdoors. I had never seen anything like it, but instantly felt that this was healthy, beautiful, and just what I needed. I've started practicing soon after, including some Gong Fu lessons, but it doesn't end there. Majoring in economics, I had a certain feeling that China might be on a good trajectory just by looking at some numbers, even though very little was reported in local newspapers about China at the time. Still, it felt like something worth exploring further, though I had absolutely no idea, how. Another aspect of economics, besides giving learners a feeling for numbers, is the fact that it's extremely abstract and dry  especially in the early 2000's when behavioral economics was rare and the "homo economicus" was still the predominant model of neoclassic theory. Put it in layman's terms: it was insanely boring, sterile, and very far from how one instinctively felt that humans work in reality.

So, I decided I would want to learn something unrelated to statistics, something irrational, something inspiring. I have always felt comfortable learning languages, and as a Swiss had learned French and English in high school, besides German and Swiss German, plus some Spanish classes I had taken during an exchange year in Florida, USA. If I was going to learn another language it would have to be a challenge, and it would not be one of the Indo-Germanic language family. Given that I was a politically active youth in a diverse network of socialists, anarchists, communists and syndicalists, Chinese had yet another attraction: the largest remaining socialist country.

That's how I started to learn Chinese and I have never regretted it. Luckily I decided early on, I would rather learn slowly but thoroughly, taking the time to learn Chinese characters from the start. If you take away just one thing from this column, let it be this advice: If you learn Chinese, do make the effort to learn Chinese writing. It's the only way to get far, to go beyond daily small talk, to learn about Chinese culture, and it's simply beautiful, inspiring, amazing, and surprising, especially the moment when you go from deciphering single complicated characters, into feeling you start to read sentences, and suddenly it's like the text starts talking to you.

From learning Chinese to going to China, it took me about a year, and after graduation the moment finally came, when I took a ship from Japan to Shanghai, two days on the sea, realizing I hadn't even booked a hotel in Shanghai, having prepared really nothing except time and a positive spirit. I met a French female ship engineer and a Dutch volunteer who had helped reconstruct a ship like the one used by Magellan and joined on leg of its journey around the world, when it came to East Asia. They told me how internet coffee is spelled in Chinese, unbelievably this was before smartphones were common and going online meant going to smoky, often dark and dirty places where many Chinese went for spending whole nights on video games. I found a hostel, I stayed a few days in Shanghai, and was blown away by the size, the speed, the noise, and the beauty of the wide streets, super modern skyscrapers, blue skies with white clouds, and the red flag with yellow stars in front of it. I really fell in love with China at that moment, although I still knew almost nothing about this country.

I then took a green night train to the city of Kunming in the Southwestern province Yunnan, which was a 45h train ride, and in a mix of saving money and searching adventure, I chose to buy a hard seat ticket, rather than a sleeper carriage. During those 45h the lights were never turned off, people came and left, many were amazed and surprised at seeing a foreigner in this 4th class wagon, or seeing a foreigner at all. My one year of Chinese lessons didn't bring me very far, but it was enough for people to try to communicate with me. Deepest impressions are how the whole carriage would look at me, how one group taught me a version of the card game "bridge" to kill a few hours, how one can sleep with the head on the small table while sitting with glaring lights on, how they spat sunflower seed skins and cigarette buds on the floor (nowadays smoking is prohibited on all trains and strictly enforced, but it was a different world back then), how they would come with a broom every couple of hours to sweep the garbage out of the carriage, how a nose-flute player entered somewhere close to Kunming and I didn't know how much money to give him, with the whole carriage looking at me while he played a tune especially for me, and many other things. I've taken 2-3 more long-term train rides since, but this is definitely my most unforgettable train ride experience.

Harald Buchmann experiences the traditional way of making tofu in a remote farming village in China.(Photo provided to Guangming Online)

Skipping forward, I taught English in a small city in remote Northeast China, seeing farmers still using donkey drawn plows, visiting a farming village and their school as well. I've later spent a semester at the world famous Tsinghua University in 2012 to improve my high level Chinese (HSK6), I've started to read Chinese politics as well as ancient philosophy like Confucianism in original language, and I've learned a great lot about socialism of the 21st century, remembering clearly how the change of the Main Contradiction was announced in 2017, how I instantly knew this was a major change, and how it drove me to invest a lot of time reading up more on the latest political theory.

Besides politics and international relations, I'm a big fan of Chinese tea culture, visiting farming villages and tea farms, seeing how the policies affect the countryside and the lives of ordinary people, how it connects to the Belt and Road, and how various Chinese interpret what's happening in their country and how the West responds to it.

I often get accused of being a paid shill, troll, stooge or other insults, paid by the CPC to do propaganda, to which I have the following response: I'm a reflected, conscious, critically thinking, and deeply convinced supporter of the CPC without any payment. That doesn't mean I condone everything the CPC has ever done, or anyone acting in the name of the CPC is perfect. I haven't met any supporter of any political party in the world, who never criticized their favorite party, no matter how devout. The reason why I support this party, is because it is the one political organization which has during my lifetime reduced human poverty and suffering like no other organization in the history of mankind. It has a philosophy of peace, poverty reduction, environmental improvement, and economic development, which I would summarize in one word as: "sanity". There are constraints of the feasible, people are still poor and many problems aren't solved. But it is impressive to see the overall performance of this political institution, see its popularity, see its responsiveness to external changes and the overall changes of China.

Again, I'm not a religious follower of the CPC, nor is China paradise on earth, but I hope to tell some stories in the future, of what I'm seeing on the ground, of what people around me tell me, where they come from, how their parents grew up, and compare those to stories from India, Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. It's easy to take an upper middle-class family in California and say their lives are better than in a Chinese tier 3 city. I've interviewed a large number of truck drivers and spent a night in a truck, I've met many farmers, I've spoken with many uneducated workers, so I see China far beyond the white collar foreign-trained middle managers most expats get to see. My job also allows me to talk to white collar workers in Africa, the Middle East, and I've spent one semester of my masters in the Philippines, and did a project in India's Punjab region. So I do have some level of comparison when talking about China.

This is what I will share, because I feel it's the part of China which isn't shared enough in English speaking media. I will focus on how things connect: philosophy, culture, politics, tea, farmers, workers, the life of simple people and the world of international relations. I am happy to respond to comments and feedback during this journey.

(Contributed by Harald Simeon Buchmann, Swiss entrepreneur and political analyst, for Guangming Online)

[ Editor: GSY ]
A citizen receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, May 16, 2021.

As hesitancy slows vaccination drive in some Western countries, China's inoculation rates keep rocketing up, said a report published by CNN.

More than 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across China as of Sunday, the National Health Commission of the PRC said.

According to the report, the number is more than that in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany combined.

It's promising to see the worlds most populous country to turbocharge its vaccination rollout.

"Chinese authorities announced the first 100 million people had been vaccinated on March 27. After that, it took another 26 days to reach 200 million, and then 17 days to hit 300 million. Another 100 million doses were given in just nine days," said the report.

The latest 100 million-plus shots were administered in just 7 days, with a record 17.1 million doses put in Chinese people's arms on May 20.

Besides the increasing manufacturing capacity of the vaccines, great efforts were made to help accelerate the inoculation campaign in China.

A health worker measures the blood pressure for a resident before vaccination at a mobile COVID-19 vaccination site near Xidan business area in downtown Beijing, capital of China, April 7, 2021.

Store coupons on groceries and merchandise, mobile vaccination vehicles and the popularization of vaccine science...various types of support and incentives were given to encourage voluntary COVID-19 vaccinations in China, and ensure all people eligible for vaccination have access to it.

Gao Fu, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency that China aims to vaccinate 70 percent to 80 percent of its people between the end of this year and the middle of next year.

"China should take the lead in achieving herd immunity to contribute to the global battle against COVID-19," he was quoted as saying.

[ Editor: WXL ]
Villagers, in traditional ethnic costumes, sing and dance, to celebrate the seventh Cili Flower Appreciation, Tourism and Culture Festival at Chaxiang village in Longli county, Guizhou province, on Wednesday. [Photo by Long Yi/For chinadaily.com.cn]

The Chaxiang village in Longli county, Guizhou province, is celebrating the seventh Cili Flower Appreciation, Tourism and Culture Festival on Wednesday, while villagers, in traditional ethnic costumes, sing and dance.

The village has over 1,400 hectares of cili flowers which are currently in bloom. Wednesday is also a local traditional festival of several ethnic groups known as "Siyueba", which means April 8 in Chinese lunar calendar, when people celebrate the harvest and share food.

Villagers in Chaxiang once depended on logging for a living, but now the village has developed a fruit industry based on cili, to both protect environment and improve people's incomes. The annual average per capita net income of its roughly 700 residents has reached about 13,000 yuan ($2,020), according to the village.

Wang Jin contributed to this story.

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[ Editor: SRQ ]
The sanctions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) will be imposed against people involved in land fraud, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko said at the Ukraine 30. Land forum on Monday.

"Sanctions will be imposed through the NSDC sanctions mechanism, and through the appropriate preparation of all materials that are related to people who were engaged in land fraud, abused the right and accumulated huge land plots," he said.

"We must suspend all processes of unfair use, seizure and resale of land," the Agrarian Policy Minister said.

Leshchenko said that all branches of the law enforcement system are involved in resolving issues of illegal land acquisitions.

"We are ready to provide all the necessary information to establish justice. The theft of land has no statute of limitations," the minister said.

In his speech, as an example of the formation by a legal entity of a fairly large area of land plots through land plots of private farms under a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land, he cited the Svitanok agricultural company owned by former MP and wife of the former head of Kyiv Regional State Administration Tetiana Zasukha. According to the minister, this land bank consists of 461 plots on 419 hectares near Fastiv (Kyiv region).

"[The land area], which can be absolutely freely bought, sold, and which is absolutely in the legal turnover, because during 20 years of the formation of land policy, officials have formed mechanisms when millions of Ukrainians do not have the right to dispose of their land, but it is possible to obtain 2 hectares through free privatization and to form land tracts. There are thousands of such tracts in Ukraine," Leshchenko said.

According to him, there are landowners in Ukraine with dozens of thousands of hectares.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and co-chair of Alliance 90/the Greens party Robert Habeck, who is visiting Ukraine, discussed the negative impact of the Nord Stream 2 geopolitical project on security and stability in Europe.

"What worries us most is that Nord Stream 2 poses multiple security challenges. There is no doubt that if construction is completed, Russia will use this project as a tool to advance its geopolitical interests, including in the context of the Normandy format efforts and in the Trilateral Contact Group. And it is not only about the threat to the security of Ukraine, but the whole of Europe," the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry quoted Kuleba as saying on Tuesday.

He also said that international partners should step up their efforts to oppose the completion of the construction of Nord Stream 2.

In turn, Habeck expressed solidarity of the Union 90/Greens party with Ukraine on this issue. The German politician said that his political force is aware of the risks of Nord Stream 2 for Germany and Europe as a whole and opposes its implementation.

The interlocutors discussed separately the security situation in the zone of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.

As indicated in the message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kuleba sad that the withdrawal by Russia of a certain number of troops from the border with Ukraine partially reduced the level of tension, but did not lead to de-escalation.

"The ongoing shelling of Ukrainian positions from the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions confirms that the threat of further aggressive actions by Russia remains," the minister said.

In this context, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine told Habeck about the efforts being made by the Ukrainian side to promote a political and diplomatic settlement. He stressed the importance of close cooperation between Ukraine, Germany and France in order to force Russia to fulfill its obligations under the Normandy format.
In connection with the situation in Belarus, Ukraine is ready to provide states and private companies with its airspace for reorganizing air routes, the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine said, with reference to minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

"The events in Belarus have become an international precedent. Our priority is the safety of passengers and aviation. The primary task is the prompt organization of all events in strict accordance with international and national legislation. Ukraine is ready, on its part, to provide maximum support to states and private companies in the process of restructuring routes through our airspace," Kubrakov said.

As reported, Ukraine stops air traffic with Belarus from May 26. The corresponding decision was made at a government meeting on May 25.

Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Ukrainian government to prepare a decision on the termination of flights between Ukraine and Belarus in connection with the events that took place at Minsk airport on May 23.
Law enforcers have sent an indictment to the court against former head of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Tupytsky, who is accused of crimes against justice (Part 2 of Article 384 and Article 386 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) press service said on Tuesday.

"An indictment has been sent to Podilsky District Court of Kyiv against former head of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the facts of committing criminal offenses against justice (Part 2 of Article 384 and Article 386 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the PGO said.

As it became known to Interfax-Ukraine, the speech in the message of the prosecutor's office refers to former head of the Constitutional Court Oleksandr Tupytsky.

"The investigation established that in October 2018, the accused, out of mercenary motives and in the interests of the former head of the Supreme Economic Court of Ukraine, wanted by law enforcement agencies, bribed a witness, with the aim of making him refuse to testify or provide deliberately false testimony in criminal proceedings, which is associated with the illegal seizure of property assets of OJSC Zuyevsky Energy Mechanical Plant, the PGO said.

The PGO said that within 2018-2019, Tupytsky repeatedly provided the investigator of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine in the same proceeding with deliberately false testimony, combined with the artificial creation of evidence of defense for a particularly serious crime.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an urgent bill on the foundations of national resistance, as well as a bill on increasing the number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in connection with the adoption of the law on the foundations of national resistance.

According to the website of the Ukrainian parliament, the president is the initiator of relevant bills No. 5557 and No. 5558.

The texts of the documents are not yet available.
Kharkiv Regional Administrative Court sustained the claim of acting the head of the local prosecutor's office No. 1 on recognizing as illegal and invalid the decision of the city council, which gave the Russian language the status of a regional language in the city.

"In order to recognize as illegal and invalid from February 28, 2018 decision of the Kharkiv City Council on the implementation of the provisions of the law of Ukraine on the foundations of national language policy in the city of Kharkiv No. 788/12 dated August 20, 2012," according to the decision of judge Anastasia Moroko, released on the site of the unified state register of court decisions.

As indicated in the reasoning part of the document, on February 28, 2018, the Constitutional Court recognized the norms of the law on the foundations of national language policy as inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, in pursuance of which the relevant decision of Kharkiv City Council was adopted.

After the decision of the court in force, its operative part on the recognition of the normative legal act as illegal and invalid must be immediately published by the City Council in the same publication in which it was officially promulgated.

An appeal against the decision of the District Administrative Court can be filed within 30 days from the date of its full text (May 20).

The court decision comes into legal force upon the expiration of the time limit for filing an appeal by all participants in the case, if the appeal has not been filed.

In the case of filing an appeal, the decision, if it is not canceled, comes into legal force upon the return of the appeal, refusal to open or close the appeal proceedings, or the adoption of a decision by the court of appeal based on the results of the appeal review.
Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Schmid will visit Ukraine on May 26-30, this will be her first visit to the country since her appointment.

As part of her visit to Ukraine, Schmid will make a trip to the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where she will get acquainted with the local security policy and humanitarian situation and the conditions of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said on Tuesday.

On May 26, Schmid and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will hold talks, the key topic of which will be strengthening the OSCE's role in monitoring the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of our country. "They will pay special attention to the activities of the OSCE SMM in Ukraine and increasing the effectiveness of the implementation of its mandate, which covers the entire territory of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," the message says.

At 18:00 on May 26, Kuleba and Schmid will hold a joint press conference, which will be broadcast online.
Kyiv, May 25, 2021.

On May 22, Ukrainian MPs, representatives of the Inter-Factional Union "Clean Energy - Healthy Environment" - Pushkarenko Arseniy, Perebiynis Maxim, Pashkovsky Maxim, Kabachenko Vladimir, Drabovsky Anatoly, Kunaev Artyom, Grishchenko Tetyana, Savrasov Maxim and Goncharenko Alexey - and investors in renewable energy in Ukraine participated in the first educational and professional trip to the Dniester wind farm of Elementum Energy, a VR Capital subsidiary. The visit took place within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation with Inter-Factional Union "Clean Energy - Healthy Environment" and was co-organized by leading industry associations: EUEA/European-Ukrainian Energy Agency, Ukrainian Renewable Energy Association, and Ukrainian Wind Energy Association.

The main purpose of the trip was to unite key players in the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) sector - investors, industry associations, and MPs of Ukraine, raise awareness of MPs, discuss the current state of the RES sector in Ukraine, and address such key domestic issues as non-compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding and Law 810, existing debts to RES producers, systemic restrictions and the possible introduction of excise tax the amount of which could vary between 3,2% and up to 40%.

The members of the associations together with the representatives of the Parliament visited the first stage of the Dniester WPP of Elementum Energy with a capacity of 40 MW and the solar photovoltaic power plant of TIU Canada with a capacity of 13 MW.

The first stage of the Dniester wind farm (40 MW) was put into operation on May 1, 2021. The construction of the second phase of the wind farm (60 MW) has now begun and will be launched in the first half of 2022.

The Dniester wind farm, with a total capacity of 100 MW, will produce 360 million kWh per year, which is enough to provide electricity for 180,000 households during the year. The use of this green energy will prevent the release of the equivalent of 280,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The construction of the first phase began in March 2020, with the support of the American investor VR Capital, shortly after the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was implemented in strict compliance with all anti-epidemiological requirements, and, despite the quarantine restrictions, was implemented on time and within budget.

Alexandr Podprugin, COO Elementum Energy said: "Elementum Energy and VR Capital are confident that renewable energy is the future and we believe in the undeniable environmental, economic, and social benefits of such sources. We are doing everything possible to establish a multilateral dialogue, and we hope that very soon the authorities and communities will be able to independently and fully assess the benefits of green energy. I want to thank every member of the Inter-Factional Union, associations, and investors who are working on expanding and developing the RES market in Ukraine."

Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the Board of UWEA: "We, as the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association, try to support comprehensive cooperation with public authorities, especially with the representatives of the legislative branch of government. Our task is to ensure interaction between our investors and parliamentarians. We want to thank VR Capital and Elementum Energy for the invitation and the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of RES in practice. Communication and constructive dialogue will help us come up with a joint solution to overcome the crisis in the market and build a clear position on the further development of RES in Ukraine."
They stressed that Vietnam ensured democracy, security and safety for the political event.

The Lao news agency (KPL) reported on May 24 that more than 60 million Vietnamese voters across the country on May 23 casted their ballots to elect qualified representatives to represent the Vietnamese people in the NA.

It emphasised that this was a great festival and an important opportunity for the entire Vietnamese people to exercise their citizen right, obligation and responsibility.

In its article published on the same day, The Pasaxon - the newspaper of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, highlighted the success of the general elections.

According to the newspaper, over 69 million Vietnamese voters across the country on May 23 exercised their citizen right and duty to elect deputies to the 15th NA and People's Councils at all levels.

Vietnam recorded a high rate of turnout in the elections with nearly 98.43 percent, it said, noting that this demonstrates the high responsibility and confidence of the Vietnamese voters towards the event.
A worker collects a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) swab sample from a woman before a news conference of GSMA's CEO (Photo : REUTERS/Nacho Doce)

Next month's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is shaping up as an early test of how quickly the global business events industry will bounce back from the pandemic, with a range of hi-tech solutions being rolled out to try to keep visitors safe.



The normally annual event - which was cancelled last year - is one of the world's biggest industry conferences, typically attracting around 100,000 attendees as telecoms companies show off their latest products and executives meet to do deals.



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While organisers will offer online access for people who want to stay away, they are hoping to welcome thousands of attendees from across the world, including from countries where the pandemic is still raging.



There will be regular rapid COVID-19 tests, a digital badge that will give access to the venue, and a contact-tracing app if there are any infections.



Live monitoring of the site will allow organisers to regulate the number of people in any given area, while attendees will have to wear face masks and keep to one-way routes.



"We feel now is the time to resurface again and to do a comeback show, while knowing that it's not going to be the same type of show as before, but it's at least a start," said Mats Granryd, director general of telecom carriers association GSMA, which organises the MWC.



The Spanish government is on board. It has agreed to special arrangements to allow attendees from countries where travel restrictions are still in force. Spain itself reported 33 COVID-19 deaths on Friday, the lowest figure since August.



But holding the event remains a gamble for the GSMA. Major companies including Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung won't be attending in-person, and attendance is expected to be less than half the 100,000 of a normal year.



"Talking to people in the industry, there is a real desire to get back to physical events, but it is all about timing," said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. "We'll find out in coming weeks whether the GSMA has made the correct decision."



Cancellation of last year's event was a big blow for the GSMA and forced it to lay off about 40% of its employees. Sub-par attendance, or another cancellation, would mean more pain.



A successful show, on the other hand, could offer a model for other event organisers looking to get their businesses back on track.



FACE-TO-FACE



The GSMA decided in mid-January to go ahead with the MWC in Barcelona, with a rescheduled February event in Shanghai as a warm-up.



"Shanghai was in a way a test bed. Is it possible to have a big show with face masks, with social distancing, with testing beforehand? It was, and we had zero cases," Granryd said.



"It was really after Shanghai, I think, we felt confident that we are able to pull it off."



About 25,000 people attended MWC Shanghai this year and more than 100,000 watched presentations online. That was one of the GSMA's first hybrid events, with online and in-person access.



The MWC's online platform will be integrated with Microsoft products, allowing attendees to connect in video conference meeting rooms.



But sometimes there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings, Granryd said.



"We can build trust to some extent over virtual meetings, but not if it's a deal worth billions, then you need to sit down and look each other in the eye, and that is the reason why we feel confident that this will be something," he said.



GRABBING THE LIMELIGHT



While some worry the absence of big names will reduce the conference's appeal, smaller companies are looking to grab the limelight. Over 400 startups will exhibit their latest products at the MWC.



"This is an unique opportunity for the smaller vendors to rise up and get their message out and maybe become a big vendor in the future," said Danielle Royston, founder of cloud consultancy firm TelcoDR.



Royston scooped up one of the biggest exhibition stands, measuring 6,000 square metres, after Ericsson pulled out.



TelcoDR, which got the stand at a reduced rate but still paid millions of dollars, will have 30 startups which it advises and/or invests in showcasing their products at the booth.



"This is your chance as a small vendor," she said. "We go back to the old way, next year."


The morning sun rises behind the Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to let a Missouri death row inmate with significant health problems pursue his effort to face execution by firing squad instead of lethal injection for his conviction in a 1994 triple homicide.



The justices, with the three liberals on the nine-member conservative-majority court dissenting, turned away the appeal brought by Ernest Johnson, who has epilepsy prompted by a brain tumor and further damage to his brain caused by a surgical procedure.



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Johnson, sentenced to death for three murders he committed during a gas station robbery, said that execution by lethal injection would cause significant pain in violation of the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment. He sought death by firing squad instead on the grounds it would be less painful.



"Missouri is now free to execute Johnson in a manner that, at this stage of the litigation, we must assume will be akin to torture given his unique medical condition," liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.



Missouri has not authorized firing squads as a form of execution but Johnson's lawyers pointed to other states that have used it.



Johnson had sought in 2016 to be executed via lethal gas but he changed approach after the Supreme Court ruled in a similar 2019 case against another Missouri inmate, Russell Bucklew. The Supreme Court in Bucklew's case said Missouri was not required to use lethal gas, even though it was authorized under state law, in part because there was no evidence it was less painful than lethal injection.



Bucklew was executed via lethal injection later that year.



The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled that Johnson's case was governed by the Supreme Court ruling in Bucklew's case and refused to allow Johnson to pursue firing squad as an alternative method of execution.



Sotomayor, joined by fellow liberal Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, said that Johnson should have been allowed to pursue his claim, noting that in the Bucklew ruling the court said that an alternative method of execution does not have to be authorized in the state where it is sought.



The death penalty, which is authorized in 27 states and under federal law, remains a controversial issue in the United States even as public support for it has declined since the 1990s, according to opinion polls. The number of U.S. executions and the number of people sentenced to death have both declined in recent years. Many other rich nations have stopped using the death penalty.



Missouri is one of a handful of states that carry out the bulk of executions.


A screen displays the company logo for Uber Technologies Inc. on the day of it's IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo)

Uber Technologies Inc and rival Lyft Inc on Monday launched COVID-19 vaccine ride programs in partnership with the White House, offering Americans free rides or discounts for their trips to and from a vaccination site.



Customers who have booked a vaccine appointment can request a ride through the Uber app and either incur no charges if the trip costs less than $25, or receive a $25 discount for their journey, the company said.



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With two of the three COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States requiring two separate shots, Uber would pay a maximum of $100 per passenger under the program. A company spokesman said Uber does not have an estimate for the number of vaccine rides it expects to provide.



Lyft said it would provide a $15 discount for one round trip, for a total discount of $30 per passenger.



Drivers will receive the full payment for the trip, the companies said.



U.S. President Joe Biden two weeks ago announced the partnership with Uber and its rival Lyft Inc in an effort to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates at a time when U.S. demand for vaccines has declined.



Many states are offering incentives, from free food and drinks to a chance at winning a lottery, in order to get more Americans to roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 shot.



Biden has set a target of getting 70% of U.S. adults inoculated by July 4 so the country can be safely reopened for celebrations and small Independence Day holiday gatherings. As of Sunday, 49% of Americans have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



For Uber and Lyft, the vaccine efforts also come as the companies seek to have drivers and riders return to the road and recover revenue lost during the pandemic.


U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testifies before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President (Photo : REUTERS/Loren Elliott)

Gordon Sondland, the former U.S. ambassador who testified against President Donald Trump during his first impeachment, sued former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the federal government on Monday seeking $1.8 million in legal fees.



Sondland, in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, accused Pompeo of not covering his legal expenses as promised after the ambassador told lawmakers about Trump's interactions with Ukraine in 2019, ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.



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Sondland, who had served as the American ambassador to the European Union, in the lawsuit said he was fired on Feb. 7, 2020, after appearing before a House panel on Oct. 17 and Nov. 20, 2019, for "simply for telling the truth."



"For all his troubles, Ambassador Sondland learned that testifying truthfully and candidly before Congress as cameras roll was in fact a fireable offense in Pompeo's Department of State," the lawsuit said.



The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives impeached the Republican former president in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress arising from Trump's request that year that Ukraine investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden and Biden's son Hunter. The Senate, led by Trump's fellow Republicans, voted to acquit Trump in February 2020. Biden defeated Trump in last year's election.



During the impeachment investigation, Sondland told Congress "everyone was in the loop" regarding Trump administration efforts to pressure Ukraine.



"Was there a quid pro quo? ... Yes," Sondland told lawmakers, using a Latin term meaning a favor for a favor.



Pompeo later said he never saw Sondland's testimony in advance.



A spokesperson for Pompeo called the lawsuit "ludicrous."



"Mr. Pompeo is confident the court will see it the same way," the spokesperson said in an emailed comment.



Sondland, a Seattle-based businessman who had donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration committee, was appointed by the former president as the ambassador to the EU. Trump later distanced himself from Sondland.



In the lawsuit, Sondland said he was told in 2019 that government lawyers would not be provided for him but that Pompeo "assured" him that "the State Department would reimburse him for all of his legal costs" when House lawmakers initially sought his testimony.



"After Pompeo learned what Ambassador Sondland's testimony was before Congress during the 2019 Impeachment Inquiry - words that were entirely candid and truthful (but uncomfortable to the Trump Administration) - Pompeo reneged on his promise" in a "willful breach of the October 2019 agreement" to pay his costs, the lawsuit added.



The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.


The Google logo is seen on on the company's European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, (Photo : REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)

Russia's communications watchdog on Monday gave Google 24 hours to delete what it called prohibited content or be fined and said Moscow could eventually slow down the company's traffic in the country.



Russia has already placed a punitive slowdown on U.S. social network Twitter for not deleting banned content, part of a push by Moscow to rein in Western tech giants and beef up what it calls its internet "sovereignty".



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The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said it had sent more than 26,000 calls to Google to remove illegal information, including videos containing information on drugs or violence and material from what it called extremist organisations.



Google will be fined between 800,000 roubles and 4 million roubles ($10,800-$54,000) if it does not restrict access to the banned information, Roskomnadzor said.



A repeat offence would be punishable by a fine of up to 10% of the company's total annual revenue, it said.



Google Russia did not respond to a request for comment about the watchdog's deadline.



Roskomnadzor also accused Google of censorship for allegedly restricting YouTube access to Russian media outlets, including RT and Sputnik.



"This censorship of Russian media and the targeted support for illegal protest activity actually speak to the political colouring of Google's activities in Russia," Roskomnadzor said.



Google's Russian arm last week lodged an appeal against a Moscow court order obliging it to unblock the YouTube account of a Christian Orthodox news channel owned by a Russian businessman who is under U.S. and EU financial sanctions.



Moscow court documents also showed on Monday that Google was suing Roskomnadzor over the demands it remove banned content.



Roskomnadzor said the lawsuit concerned 12 YouTube links to "unlawful content" which involved encouraging minors to join unsanctioned protests in January, when people across Russia took to the streets to support jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.



Navalny and his allies have used YouTube widely to air graft allegations against senior Russian officials and to organise their opposition activities.



The YouTube channel of the staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin has close to 6.5 million subscribers.



Google filed its lawsuit on April 23, documents from Moscow's Arbitration Court showed, but it was only accepted on May 11 after some administrative issues had been ironed out. A hearing is scheduled for July 14.



Google Russia declined to comment on the lawsuit.



($1 = 73.7620 roubles)


A child skips to school at PS 361 on the first day of a return to class during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic (Photo : REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest U.S. public school districts, on Monday announced plans to fully reopen schools, part of a parent-led nationwide trend amid a sustained decline in COVID-19 infections and rise in vaccinations.



"It's time for everyone to come back, it's time for us all to be together, time to do things the way they were meant to be done," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news briefing.



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The city's 1.1 million public school students have adopted different learning practices so far this year. Some have split their time between school and home, while others are still being taught full time by "remote learning". Neither of those options will be offered as of September, de Blasio said.



In Los Angeles County, all students in elementary, middle and high schools - more than 600,000 pupils - would be allowed to attend class full time, said district superintendent Austin Beutner. However, students and some teachers would have the option to remain at home, he said.



"We expect the vast majority of students, teachers and staff to be at school every day but recognize that we must provide the online opportunity for those who need it," Beutner said.



United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing most teachers in the district, has resisted fully reopening schools until additional health and safety measures are in place.



New York and Los Angeles join New Jersey and several other states reopening schools as officials make progress tackling the spread of the coronavirus.



Nationwide, the number of new infections fell to a seven-day average of 22,877 on Sunday, the lowest since June and less than one-tenth of its post-holiday peak of more than 250,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



Nearly half of the U.S. population has had at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the CDC. In New York, 52% of residents have had at least one shot, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.



The pace of vaccinations has been trailing off to a seven-day average of about 1.7 million doses a day, according to the CDC data, from its April peak of about 3.3 million.



BALLGAMES AND BROADWAY



The decline in infections has prompted political leaders to offer an array of incentives, such as free tickets to ballgames and lotteries, including New York State's $5 million "Vax & Scratch" game.



De Blasio on Monday upped the state's ante by adding weekly drawings of prizes, including Broadway shows, hotel packages and one-year gym memberships for residents who get vaccinated at city-run sites through early July.



He also announced that late-night comedian Stephen Colbert will resume taping "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in front of a live, vaccinated New York audience on June 14.



Given the declining number of new COVID-19 cases, de Blasio said he expected the CDC to relax its current guidelines that require students to maintain social distancing of 3 feet (1 meter) before the start of the next school year.



New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy last week said his state's indoor mask mandate would be lifted starting May 28 and restrictions on outdoor gatherings would end on June 4.



The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this month approved the Pfizer Inc coronavirus vaccine for children as young as 12 years old, and Moderna Inc said it planned to seek approval of its vaccine for children, as well.


Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the opening session of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, (Photo : REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo)

Myanmar's state television on Monday aired pictures of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since a military coup nearly four months ago, showing her first in-person court appearance since her arrest.



MRTV in its nightly news bulletin showed Suu Kyi, 75, in the dock sitting upright with her hands in her lap and wearing a surgical mask.



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Beside her was ousted President Win Myint and another defendant, former Naypyitaw mayor Myo Aung, as two police officers stood behind them.



Suu Kyi looked in good health during a 30-minute meeting with her legal team, but said she had no access to newspapers in detention and was only partially aware of what was happening outside, her legal team head, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters.



"This image breaks my heart," said one Twitter user identified as Nay Win Aung, in one of a series of similar posts reacting to the pictures of Suu Kyi in court.



Another user, Su Mon Hlaing, said: "I love Mother Aung San Suu Kyi, we stand with our leaders, we want our country back."



Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, for decades the figurehead of Myanmar's struggle for democracy, is among more than 4,000 people arrested since the Feb. 1 coup.



The latest include an American journalist Danny Fenster, 37, who was detained on Monday as he tried to board a flight out of Myanmar, his news organisation said.



Suu Kyi is being prosecuted in cases in two courts, for offences that range from illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law, punishable by 14 years in prison. The military has also accused her of taking bribes.



Myanmar has been in chaos since the army took power on Feb 1, with daily protests, marches and strikes nationwide against the junta, which has struggled to impose order as opposition against it grows.



It has responded with lethal force, killing more than 800 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.



Suu Kyi "wished people good health" in her meeting with her lawyers and also made a reference to her National League for Democracy (NLD) party that could be dissolved soon.



"Our party grew out of the people so it will exist as long as people support it", Khin Maung Zaw quoted Suu Kyi as saying.



The presiding judge adjourned the session until June 7, the lawyer said.



Myanmar's junta-appointed election commission will dissolve the NLD on the grounds that its victory in a November election was secured by fraud, media reported on Friday, quoting a commissioner, who threatened action against "traitors".



The accusations had been dismissed by the former election commission.



LIMITED INFORMATION



Suu Kyi said the only information she received from outside was when police asked her opinion on some matters, said Khin Maung Zaw. She refused to respond because she was unaware of the full situation, he said.



In his first interview with foreign media since the coup, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing had also said Suu Kyi was in good health.



Min Aung Hlaing also told Hong Kong-based Chinese language broadcaster Phoenix Television that about 300 people had been killed in the unrest, including 47 police.



The military is fighting on a growing number of fronts, against established ethnic minority armies, and rag-tag local militias formed in the past few weeks, many armed with rudimentary rifles and home-made weapons.



Fighting has intensified in eastern Myanmar in recent days near the border of Southern Shan and Kayah states, with thousands fleeing their homes and dozens of security forces and local fighters killed, according to residents and media reports.



Local people and activists estimated at least 10,000 people had fled their homes in Kayah, bordering Thailand, after the latest violence.



"They fled into nearby forests or nearby villages where their relatives live. We don't have an organised group to help," said an activist, who asked not be identified.



Other residents said there was an immediate need for humanitarian aid including food, shelter and medicine, with pregnant women, children and the elderly among the displaced.



On Monday, a resident in Loikaw said shooting could still be heard and several military planes landed at an air base, after tanks and helicopters were patrolling the area a day earlier.



On the northwestern side of Myanmar, bordering India, 12 police officers in the Chin State town of Kanpetlet had switched sides on Saturday to join the fight against the coup, Myanmar Now quoted the local militia, the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), as saying.



Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing played down the risk of violence spiralling into a bigger conflict.



"I don't think there will be a civil war," he told Phoenix in the May 20 interview.


Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei attends a panel discussion at the company headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China (Photo : REUTERS/Aly Song)

Founder of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Ren Zhengfei has called on the company's staff to "dare to lead the world" in software as the company seeks growth beyond the hardware operations that U.S. sanctions have crippled.



The internal memo seen by Reuters is the clearest evidence yet of the company's direction as it responds to the immense pressure sanctions have placed on the handset business that was at its core.



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Ren said in the memo the company was focusing on software because future development in the field is fundamentally "outside of U.S. control and we will have greater independence and autonomy".



As it will be hard for Huawei to produce advanced hardware in the short term, it should focus on building software ecosystems, such as its HarmonyOS operating system, its cloud AI system Mindspore, and other IT products, the note said.



Former U.S. president Donald Trump put Huawei on an export blacklist in 2019 and barred it from accessing critical U.S.-origin technology, impeding its ability to design its own chips and source components from outside vendors.



U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has given no indication it will reverse Trump's sanctions.



The blacklist also barred Google from providing technical support to new Huawei phone models and access to Google Mobile Services, the bundle of developer services upon which most Android apps are based.



Huawei's 2020 annual report did not break down how much of its 891.4 billion yuan ($138.70 billion) revenue was from its software.



OPEN SOURCE APPROACH



Ren's note also said the software push would depend on finding the right business model and that the company should adopt an open source approach, calling on staff to "absorb nutrients" through open source communities.



He said the company's Welink business communication platform had relied on traditional software licensing, which was unsuited to cloud computing and inferior to a rival product from tech giant Alibaba.



Given the difficulty of working in the United States, Ren's note said the company should strengthen its position at home and build up its territory with a view to possibly excluding the United States.



"Once we dominate Europe, the Asia Pacific and Africa, if U.S. standards don't match ours, and we can't enter the U.S., then the U.S. can't enter our territory," it said.



Ren's note confirms a direction implied by previous announcements from the company that hinted at a shift away from handset hardware.



Rotating chairman Eric Xu in April said the company would invest more than $1 billion this year in its intelligent driving business.



It is also expanding its smart car partnership with state-owned Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd to include the design and development of auto-use semiconductors, sources told Reuters earlier this month.



Apart from the pressure of sanctions, Huawei is known for its gruelling work culture and the note recommended the software teams should hire psychology professionals to help young recruits who might find the company emotionally challenging.



"Now some young people have high IQs, but their EQ might be low, and their mentality is not mature, and it's easy for them to get sick," Ren said.



($1 = 6.4270 Chinese yuan renminbi)


Ex-journalist Safronov charged with treason to stay detained until July

 Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court

17:49 25/05/2021

MOSCOW, May 25 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court on Tuesday upheld a lower courts decision to extend detention of ex-newspaper journalist Ivan Safronov charged with treason until July 7, RAPSI was told in the courts press service.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said that Safronov had been charged over his activities as advisor to a head of the state corporation Roscosmos but not for his journalistic work. Allegedly, he transferred information to officers of one of the European intelligence bodies, Putin added.

Safronov was apprehended and detained in early July 2020. After his arrest, the Roscosmos press service said the case was not connected with the work in the company. Treason charges were brought against him on July 13.

Investigators claim Safronov has transmitted secret military information to the Czech intelligence services which, as it known, are linked to the U.S. security agencies. The defendant pleads not guilty.

The former reporter of Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers was appointed as advisor of Dmitry Rogozin in May 2020 after a scandal related to the publication of an explosive article about possible resignation of the Federation Council head Valentina Matviyenko.




Emirates warns Boeing it will refuse 777x jets if they don't meet commitments

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, (Photo : REUTERS/Abdel Hadi Ramahi/File Photo)

The head of Emirates airline, one of Boeing's biggest customers, has warned the U.S. planemaker that it would refuse delivery of 777x jets if they fall short of contractual performance commitments.



In an interview broadcast on Monday, President Tim Clark said he had not received any performance details of the jet's engines so far even though test flights began in 2020.



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The influential industry veteran has raised concerns that Boeing had a recent history of over-promising on performance of new jets, including the in service 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner.



"We will not accept an aeroplane unless it is performing 100% to contract," Clark told aviation consultant John Strickland in a pre-recorded online interview for Dubai's Arabian Travel Market trade show.



"Unless it is doing what they said it would do and contracted, we will not take that aeroplane."



Boeing declined comment. Engine maker GE could not immediately be reached for comment.



State-owned Emirates is one of the world's biggest long-haul airlines, with a fleet of around 140 Boeing 777-300s and 115 Airbus A380s.



It has ordered 126 777x and 30 787s worth over $50 billion at list prices with the U.S. planemaker.



Boeing has been developing the widebody jet, a new version of its popular 777 series, with the goal of releasing it in late 2023, three years later than planned.



Emirates, who was supposed to receive its first last July, doubts it will start receiving the jets until 2024 though Boeing had told them it would come in the back end of 2023, Clark said.



"There are issues on that airplane. I'm not altogether clear as to when we're going to get them."



He said the delays meant Emirates, a launch customer of the new jet, over the next three years had no visibility on how it would replace its current 777-300s with the new 777x jets.



Clark repeated recent criticisms that Boeing needed to undertake a cultural and governance change following the production of the flawed 737 MAX, which was suspended worldwide for nearly two years following two fatal crashes.



He said he recently told Boeing to only start commercially producing a new aircraft once it had been fully tested and certified.


A mob of supporters of then-U.S. President Donald Trump climb through a window they broke as they storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., (Photo : REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo)

Two moderate U.S. Senate Democrats known for independent streaks on Tuesday urged Republicans to support a bipartisan probe of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, after one in six House Republicans broke with their leadership and backed a bill.



Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema urged Republicans to work with them to reach agreement on a bill to investigate the events leading up to and on Jan. 6, when President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building, where Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden's November election victory, leaving five dead.



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Some 35 House Republicans https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-set-vote-commission-probe-deadly-jan-6-capitol-attack-2021-05-19 joined Democrats last week in voting to pass the bill that would create a bipartisan commission modeled on the one Congress passed following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.



That, however, was an easier achievement in the House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a 219-211 majority. The Senate is divided 50-50 between the parties and requires 60 votes to pass most legislation, meaning that under current rules 10 Republican votes would be needed to pass the measure.



"A bipartisan commission to investigate the events of that day has passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote," Manchin and Sinema said in a joint statement. "We implore our Senate Republican colleagues to work with us to find a path forward."



Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Senate Republicans have spoken out against the House bill, saying that ongoing probes by two Senate committees are sufficient investigation.



Republicans are concerned that the commission will keep public attention on Trump and his continued false claims that his election defeat was the result of fraud, which could hurt them in the 2022 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.



Some Republicans have begun to downplay the violence of Jan. 6, when rioters smashed windows, fought with police and sent lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence scrambling for safety. For instance, Representative Andrew Clyde, who was photographed on Jan. 6 helping to barricade the House chamber door against attackers, has since compared the mob to "a normal tourist visit."



Just three of the seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump of inciting insurrection in his January impeachment trial have so far come out in favor of the idea.



Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters on Tuesday, "I'm going to support it," the day after Senator Mitt Romney also voiced support.



Another Republican, Senator Susan Collins, has said she favors a commission but favors amending the House-passed bill to ensure bipartisan staffing.



Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the Senate will take up the bill, but has not yet set a date for it. Republican refusal could re-ignite Democrats' debate about whether to at least temporarily suspend the 60-vote filibuster rule and pass the measure with just a simple majority vote.


The path to national elections in Libya in December is far from as smooth as international stakeholders would like. Among the most crucial hurdles are the 2021 national budget, the constitutional principles that will serve as the basis for the elections, the electoral laws required to conduct the polls, and the unification of the military and security establishments that will be in charge of ensuring the balloting process.

As the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) headed by Abdel-Hamid Al-Dabaiba awaits the countrys House of Representatives (HoR) to approve the budget, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is preparing to debate the text of constitutional provisions on the elections drafted by the Houses Legal Committee.

Meanwhile, the east-west bifurcation of military and security forces persists, which, combined with the continued presence of foreign military forces and mercenaries on Libyan territory, means that the current stability is still fragile.

Lawmakers in the HoR session in Tobruk on Monday were unable to proceed to a vote on the budget bill due to so-far insurmountable differences between three camps. One insists that the House should only vote on the section pertaining to civil-servant salaries without adopting a provision that might restrict government allocations and spending to improve public services.

A second camp opposes a vote on the bill until after key posts in sovereign offices are filled, a route that would throw the interim Libyan roadmap off schedule and intensify tensions between the political forces and especially between the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) and the HoR.

The third camp wants to return the bill to the government so as to give each of Libyas three regions of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan the opportunity to submit proposals reflecting their particular needs. Critics hold that this risks reigniting divisions that had just begun to mend with the creation of the new executive.

If the House does not approve the budget, the necessary funding stipulated by the Supreme National Elections Commission (SNEC) will not be available for the elections that Libyans are looking forward to in December.

Meanwhile, the LPDF convened for a two-day virtual meeting on Wednesday and Thursday to finalise the proposed constitutional basis for the parliamentary and presidential elections to be held on 24 December. The proposal had been drafted by the LPDF Legal Committee during its meeting in Tunis from 7- 9 April and refined during subsequent consultations facilitated by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

The LPDF needs to resolve outstanding differences over the constitutional basis before it is submitted to the HoR for ratification. Once that is done, lawmakers will proceed to draft the specific laws governing the December elections. The hope is that they will finish this task before July.

The LPDF Committee also submitted a proposal to defer the referendum on the Libyan constitution until after the parliamentary elections so that the newly elected legislature can draft the law governing the referendum. Under the draft constitution, parliaments will sit for a four-year term or until a new executive authority is elected, whichever comes first.

Some pending differences concern the presidential elections. The main bone of contention is whether the president should be elected by direct popular vote or indirectly by the next HoR. The members of the Legal Committee, unable to resolve that issue, agreed to refer it to the LPDF plenary, according to the text released by UNSMIL.

But even before this is done, there is still significant opposition to the LPDF process itself, with many arguing that the draft constitution adopted by a Constituent Assembly nearly four years ago should be put to a referendum.

On Sunday, 109 Libyan figures, including four HoR members, seven HCS members and 28 individuals who had served on the Constituent Assembly, issued a statement describing the constitutional basis proposal drafted by the LPDF Legal Committee as wrong in the light of the already existing constitutional bill approved on 29 July 2017 by a body that was elected in a democratic and constitutionally legitimate manner.

Conducting a referendum on that bill is the sole and shortest legitimate means to bringing an end to the interim phases, they stressed, adding their rejection of foreign dictates and outside intervention in the affairs of Libyan sovereign bodies and of the politicisation of the Supreme National Elections Commission.

The statement is a reaction to a joint statement released by the US, UK, French, Italian and German embassies in Libya earlier this month calling on the relevant Libyan authorities and institutions, including the GNU and House of Representatives, to facilitate the 24 December 2021 elections and agree the constitutional and legal basis for these elections by 1 July 2021.

The statement stressed that now is not the time for any disruptive changes in the relevant bodies which enable that preparation to take place within the timescale set out by UN Security Council Resolution 2570.

Both the HoR and the HCS rejected what they termed an intervention in domestic affairs that does not serve the desired national consensus. This unified stance between the Tobruk-based parliament and its long-term adversary the Tripoli-based High Council of State was unprecedented.

In addition, in what seemed to be further collective resistance to Western pressures, the HCS announced that it has now approved the constitutional referendum law that the HoR had drafted and submitted to the Supreme National Elections Commission over a year ago. The HCS asked the SNEC to proceed with the referendum process in accordance with the law the HoR had already submitted, HCS member Omar Boushah said on Monday.

According to the HoR constitutional referendum law, the draft constitution must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast in all three regions of Libya. In the event that it fails to obtain the required majority in one or more regions, the bill must be returned to the Constituent Assembly for revision. This would most likely mean that the elections could not be held on schedule.

The HCS previously opposed the HoRs referendum law in September 2018. At that time, it objected that it had not been consulted on it. It also opposed the division of the country into three main electoral constituencies instead of 13, as had been the case with the elections to the General National Congress and the House of Representatives.

Chair of the Supreme National Elections Commission Emadeddin Al-Sayeh has added his voice to the debate. In a television interview last week, he expressed his surprise at the change of heart of the HCS, which had obstructed the referendum on the constitution two years ago.

He said that calls for a referendum were a ploy to delay the scheduled elections and charged that certain countries, which he did not name, were working with their allies inside Libya to obstruct the process in order to safeguard their interests.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 27 May, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A Giza criminal sentenced five people to prison on Monday for the kidnap and rape of 17-year-old Egyptian Tiktoker Aya Abdel-Aziz, who is commonly known as Menna Abdel-Aziz.

The court sentenced Bassam Reda Saber to 11 years in prison and a fine of EGP 14,000 for kidnapping, sexual assault, rape, theft and drug possession.

The court also sentenced Mazen Ibrahim to nine years in prison and an EGP 14,000 fine, and Shaimaa Shaker to eight years in prison and an EGP 10,000 fine.

Defendant Fatima Shaker was sentenced to four years and an EGP 10,000 fine, while the fifth defendant was sentenced three years in prison.

The court acquitted the owner of the hotel where the crime took place.

In July 2020, the public prosecution referred six people to criminal court on charges including kidnapping and sexually assaulting the 17-year-old TikToker.

The story of Abdel-Aziz was made public when she revealed in a live Instagram video in May that one of her friends had raped, beaten, and injured her, and pleaded for help from the government.

In February 2021, the economic court sentenced Mazen Ibrahim and Shaimaa Shaker to two years in prison with labour for posting videos involving the rape of the underage Egyptian TikToker on social media in May.

Ibrahim and Shaker appeared online in live videos on Facebook and Instagram defending themselves and sharing videos of the victim being sexually assaulted online.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Monday the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and Libya in a telephone call with US President Joe Biden, the Egyptian presidency said.

According to the Egyptian presidency, Biden and El-Sisi discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and ways to revive the peace process after the recent developments, as well as stabilising the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions, which was brokered by Egypt with US support.

The two presidents also discussed the international effort to reconstruct Gaza and the humanitarian aid it needs.

President Biden said his country is ready to coordinate efforts with all international partners to support the Palestinian Authority and reconstruct Gaza.

Biden also expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian efforts in securing the ceasefire, adding that he is looking forward to continuing coordinating and consultation on this matter.

The Egyptian president also spoke about the latest developments concerning the GERD, where he welcomed the continuing US efforts in this issue.

El-Sisi affirmed Egypts stance on protecting its water rights through reaching a fair and binding legal agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan that includes clear terms and rules for the filling and operation of the GERD.

President Biden said that Washington completely understands the extreme importance of such an issue to the Egyptian people, indicating that more efforts will be exerted to ensure the water security of Egypt.

The two presidents agreed to boost diplomatic efforts in the upcoming period to reach an agreement that protects the water and development rights of all parties.

They also discussed the latest situation in Libya and the importance of restoring the stability of the Libyan state and its institutions as well as the upcoming elections by the end of the year.

The US president praised the Egyptian efforts in Libya which support the political process. Biden and El-Sisi also spoke about Iraq and the latest developments there.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations between the United States and Egypt and ways to boost those relations.

They also discussed the issue of human rights, with the two leaders agreeing that the US and Egypt will be committed to joining a transparent dialogue concerning human rights.

The Egyptian president praised the strength of Egyptian-US strategic relations, adding that Egypt has continued to boost these relations within a framework of mutual interest and respect, the Egyptian presidency said.

President Biden said his administration looks forward to boosting bilateral relations in all fields, especially given Egypts pivotal role regionally and internationally and its role in supporting security and stability in the Middle East.

This is the second call between El-Sisi and Biden in a less than a week. The first was on Thursday following the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza, which Egypt brokered.

Following the telephone call, President El-Sisi issued a small statement on his social media account, where he said their conversation was characterized by understanding, honesty and transparency in all the issues that concern the two countries and the region.

The Egyptian president also said that President Biden has an insightful vision and distinguished experience characterised by realism regarding all files, including the file of bilateral relations.

El-Sisi added that Biden, with his sophistication and experience, is able to find radical solutions to all problems and challenges around the world and in the region.

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Health Minister Hala Zayed said Egypt and China are cooperating to localise the manufacture of coronavirus vaccines in Egypt to meet the needs of the region.

Speaking at a video conference meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO) general assembly on Monday, the minister reiterated that such cooperation aims to make Egypt a leading hub to cover both local and regional vaccine needs.

Zayed thanked all participants in the meeting, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom and WHO officials, for their efforts to help countries counter the coronavirus outbreak.

The minister also underscored the need to learn lessons from the pandemic, continue to provide better basic health services for all categories of people, and support investments in health sectors.

Egypt's vaccine maker VACSERA has started manufacturing the first batch of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, as per a deal inked in April with the Chinese side.

A shipment carrying raw materials for the vaccine, which can produce 2 million doses, arrived in Egypt on Friday.

VACSERA is planning to manufacture over 40 million Chinese vaccine doses by the end of 2021

Egypt also plans to locally manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine at VACSERAs factories in 6 October City.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is to hold a session of talks on Tuesday in Cairo with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, the first such meeting after a three-year-plus Egyptian boycott on Doha ended earler this year.

The two sides are set to discuss cooperation relations between both countries, as well as other regional and international issues of common interest.

Diplomatic relations between Cairo and Doha were resumed in January on the heels of signing the Al-Ula reconciliation agreement.

The agreement was signed between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, on one side, and Qatar, on the other side.

The Al-Ula agreement ended a diplomatic and travel boycott by the Arab Quartet  Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain  on Doha since June 2017.

Shoukry and bin Jassim previously in Cairo but on the sidelines of the League of Arab States meeting in March.

On Friday, Shoukry said steps to implement the agreement is going well and indicators in this regard are all positive.

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Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said on Monday that work is underway to legalise the status of 5,000 registered garbage collectors.

Addressing the House of Representatives' Human Rights Committee, Fouad said her ministry coordinated with the Ministry of Manpower to license garbage collectors to practice the profession and provide them with social insurance.

The minister pointed out that garbage came first in terms of complaints received by the ministry, followed by sanitation services.

She pointed out that her ministry managed to solve the issue of burning rice straw using proper means in cooperation with farmers.

Egypt relies in garbage collection and recycling on a system that combines traditional garbage collectors (Zabaleen) and a modern network of sanitation companies.

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US Special Envoy for Libya Richard Norland said on Monday Egypt has played a significant role in empowering the political process in Libya, noting that all security problems in the North African country can be addressed should a government be formed there.

In an interview with Extra News channel, Norland said that Egypt and the US have common interests regarding the stability of Libya, noting that Cairo also has security interests and concerns and we understand that."

Those concerns can be dealt with via the presence of a stable government in Libya, the removal of foreign forces from the country, and by helping it regain control over its territories, he added.

To that end, Norland said the US will provide support in line with the Libyan desire to expel foreign fighters from the country.

The US envoy noted that he has held important meetings with Egyptian officials, as well as with Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh.

During his meeting with Saleh, he said they discussed the constitutional and legal grounds for the upcoming elections next December.

Egypt has been pushing for a political settlement in Libya for years, calling for a ceasefire, a complete disarming of militias, an end to foreign intervention in the country, as well as a fair distribution of wealth between various regions in the country.

In February, a new Libyan unified interim executive authority comprising four leaders was chosen, with the assistance of a United Nations-mediated process, to guide the oil-rich country through to national elections in December.

Mohamd Menfi was chosen to head a three-member Presidential Council and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was named interim prime minister.

Backed by the Libyan parliament, the interim government assumed power in March after almost a decade of turmoil since the ouster and killing of its leader Muammar Gaddafi on the back of the 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

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The Ethiopian foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Addis Ababa is committed to implement the second phase of the filling of the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as planned during the rainy season which starts in July, Al-Arabiya reported.

Ethiopia's most recent announcement comes despite continued objections from Egypt and Sudan, the two downstream countries, to unilateral decisions from Addis Ababa on the filling and operation of the GERD in the absence of a legally binding agreement between the three countries.

The Ethiopian foreign ministry stressed that Ethiopia adheres to the African Union (AU) sponsored GERD negotiations and is expecting an invitation for the three countries to resume the talks on the outstanding issues.

Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly warned that Ethiopia's decision to proceed with the second filling of the dam seriously threatens the water interests of the two downstream countries.

Earlier this month, Egypt stressed that Addis Ababa's decision on the second filling reflects both Ethiopias "ill intentions in resolving the dispute as well as its continued attempts to undermine mediators role to reach a deal.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi raised the issue in a recent phone call with US President Joe Biden, where he welcomed continuing US efforts in this issue.

Biden said that Washington completely understands the extreme importance of such an issue to the Egyptian people, indicating that more efforts will be exerted to ensure the water security of Egypt.

AU-sponsored talks between the three countries over the last year and a half failed to produce an agreement due to Ethiopian intrasigence. Ethiopia also rejected a Sudanese proposal to include international mediators in the efforts to resolve the dispute.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on May 25, 2021

2021/05/25

CCTV: At the Security Council's open debate via VTC on improving the safety and security of peacekeepers held early in the morning of May 25, Beijing time, members of the Security Council unanimously adopted the presidential statement put forward by the Chinese side. Could you tell us a bit more about China's role in this open debate as the rotating president of the Security Council in May?

Zhao Lijian: With China's facilitating efforts, the UN Security Council adopted through consensus the China-drafted presidential statement on the safety and security of peacekeepers, making further requirements on having regular and institutional Security Council deliberations on the issue of the safety and security of peacekeepers, ensuring COVID-19 vaccination for peacekeepers, and using new technologies to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers. This presidential statement has become another guideline for the safety and security of peacekeepers.

United Nations peacekeeping operations represent an important means for the maintenance of international peace and security. At present, the security risks faced by peacekeepers have increased significantly. As the UNSC rotating president, China, together with other UNSC members, developed targeted and pragmatic measures on the outstanding security challenges facing peacekeepers, and formulated a presidential statement, which reflects the new consensus of the Security Council on safeguarding the safety and security of peacekeepers under the new circumstances.

As a permanent member of the Security Council, the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members, and the chair of the Group of Friends on the Safety and Security of peacekeepers, China will continue to work with all parties to better safeguard the safety and security of peacekeepers, and better bring into play the important role of peacekeeping operations in maintaining international peace and security.

Bloomberg: The US has advised Americans to avoid travel to Japan due to coronavirus concerns. Do you have any comment on this? Is China considering issuing such a travel warning for Japan?

Zhao Lijian: With the grave situation of COVID-19 around the world at present, China advises citizens to avoid unnecessary cross-border travel for the sake of their health and safety.

On your second question, I don't have any information to offer at the moment.

Beijing Daily: In response to a question on whether Moscow and Beijing would strike an alliance against the United States in an interview on May 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "both our Chinese partners and we are satisfied with the existing format of cooperation. It allows us to resolve any, even the most difficult issues, in a bilateral dialogue, effectively uphold our interests in multilateral associations and coordinate our approaches in the world arena. By working together, Russia and China are exerting a positive, stabilising influence on the global and regional situation...Russia-China relations are at the highest point in their history largely because the existing model of bilateral ties is superior to some extent to the level of interstate cooperation of the unions formed during the Cold War." Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We appreciate Foreign Minister Lavrov's positive remarks. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era has grown as solid as a rock through thick and thin. China-Russia relations have withstood the test of changing international landscape and become the stabilizing force for the world today because the two sides always adhere to the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting at any third party, always respect each other's core interests and accommodate respective reasonable concerns, always shoulder our responsibility, uphold justice and firmly maintain the UN-centered international system and international order based on international law. China stands ready to work with Russia and the international community to continue to support and practice true multilateralism, make international relations more democratic, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation among countries, and inject new impetus and stabilizing elements to world peace and development.

Global Times: When giving a briefing on the outcomes of ROK President Moon Jae-in's recent visit to the US, ROK Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook said that the economic issues contained in the ROK-US leaders' joint statement do not exclude any specific country. He said that China is ROK's largest export market and an important economic partner, and ROK enterprises will continue to invest in China. The ROK government will deepen its economic cooperation with major trading partners including China and the US. What's your comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: We have taken note of Minister Moon Sung-wook's remarks. China and the ROK are close neighbors and important cooperative partners. In the era of globalization, the industrial, supply and value chains of the two countries are deeply integrated. It is in the common interests of the two sides to carry out investment and trade cooperation following the laws of market economy and free trade rules. China welcomes ROK enterprises to continuously play an important role in strengthening China-ROK economic and trade cooperation and promoting the development of bilateral relations.

China Daily: At a press conference on May 24, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the extension of a temporary technical understanding for IAEA's verification and monitoring activities in Iran until June 24. What is China's comment? What impact will this have on the ongoing Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna? How does China view the prospect of the talks and what role is China playing in the talks?

Zhao Lijian: China welcomes the extension of the technical understanding between Iran and the IAEA, and hopes that the understanding can be faithfully implemented. China believes that this reflects Iran's political will to produce results at talks on reviving the JCPOA, and has gained valuable time for the negotiations. At present, important substantive progress has been made in the Iranian nuclear talks, but there are still some differences. China hopes that all parties concerned will act with greater sense of urgency, make a political decision without delay and push for an early breakthrough in the negotiations.

As an important JCPOA party, China has been actively promoting a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, and has done a lot of work to bring JCPOA back on track with the aim of maintaining the international nuclear non-proliferation system as well as peace and stability in the Middle East. Being committed to a political settlement, China has guided all JCPOA parties to earnestly implement the consensus reached at the foreign ministers' meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue last December and initiated negotiations on the resumption of compliance by the US and Iran. We urged the US to reflect on its withdrawal from the agreement, and lift all relevant sanctions against Iran. We also urged Iran to resume its full implementation of the agreement on this basis. China has been playing a mediating role to bridge the differences between the parties by putting forward the "China solution". As a result, the negotiations have produced positive results. China has fulfilled its commitment, overcome various difficulties, and made Iran's Arak heavy water reactor renovation project a highlight in the implementation of JCPOA. China has firmly safeguarded its legitimate rights and interests, and has been working to push the US side to completely lift all illegal unilateral sanctions against Iran, China and other third parties. China has been committed to maintaining regional peace and stability, advocated the establishment of a multilateral dialogue platform in the Gulf region to resolve the security concerns of all parties through equal-footed consultation under the precondition of upholding JCPOA.

As the Chinese saying goes, the last leg of a journey just marks the halfway point. China hopes that all parties can proceed from the long-term and overall interest, give full play to their political wisdom, resolve the outstanding issues with a flexible and pragmatic attitude, and reach a final plan for the resumption of compliance by the US and Iran at an early date to get JCPOA back on track. China will continue to make unremitting efforts to promote this diplomatic process while firmly safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests.

China News Service: President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday. What's the significance of this conversation to party and state relations between the two sides?

Zhao Lijian: During the telephone conversation yesterday, President Xi Jinping and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc held in-depth exchanges on party and state relations between the two sides.

President Xi said that as the CPC is about to celebrate its centenary, China is embarking on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and Viet Nam is forging ahead towards its two centenary goals. The two sides should view and steer party and state relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective to make sure they are moving forward in the right direction.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc extended warm congratulations on the upcoming centenary of the CPC and applauded how China, under the strong leadership of the CPC with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core, secured victory on three fronts, namely, epidemic response, economic recovery and poverty eradication. He congratulated China on its tremendous transformation from standing up to becoming prosperous and strong, and wished China greater success in realizing its second centenary goal.

I would like to stress that socialist China and Viet Nam, friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, enjoy a traditional friendship featuring comradeship, brotherhood and shared ideals. In recent years, party and state relations between the two sides have maintained a sound momentum of growth. This telephone conversation serves to guide the development of relations in the period to come. China attaches high importance to relations with Viet Nam and stands ready to work with it to enrich and update our comprehensive strategic cooperation, build a bilateral community with a shared future with strategic connotations, and inject new impetus into our party and state relations as well as the socialist cause.

Shenzhen TV: According to reports, the Solomon Islands has started administering Sinopharm vaccine jabs provided by China as assistance. Do you have more information on that?

Zhao Lijian: On May 21, the Solomon Islands held a ceremony to mark the beginning of inoculation with China-assisted vaccine shots. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga and several Cabinet ministers attended the event. In remarks delivered at the ceremony, Prime Minister Sogavare thanked President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for the vaccine assistance and said that his government has great confidence in the vaccine's safety and effectiveness and has planned a rollout in all provinces. Deputy Prime Minister Maelanga was the first to receive a jab on site.

The Solomon Islands is the first Pacific island country to start nationwide rollout of a China-made vaccine. This embodies China's concrete efforts to honor its pledge of making vaccines a global public good in the Pacific island region and to advance the building of a global community of health for all. It also reflects the sound momentum of all-round development in China-Solomon Islands ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations in September 2019. It will surely help the Solomon Islands safeguard people's life and health and defeat the epidemic.

Bloomberg: New Zealand's foreign affairs minister said that exporters from the country should be preparing for any potential deterioration in the trade relationship with China by diversifying into other markets. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on these remarks?

Zhao Lijian: China and New Zealand are each other's important cooperation partners. The considerable progress in China-New Zealand relations is achieved on the premise that the two sides have long been committed to mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win results. We hope New Zealand can carry forward the spirit of "striving to be the first" and the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, work with China toward the same direction, make the pie of cooperation bigger, rise above external distractions, and jointly advance China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Paper: We noted that experts held talks about Japan's discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) last week. Experts believed that the Japanese government isn't being a responsible member of the international community when it claims the contaminated water is safe without providing the world with specific and scientifically verified information about that water. South Korean netizens made the call to stop Japan from dumping the nuclear contaminated water into the sea, which can cause cancer for the generations to come. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We noted relevant reports. Tens years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, we haven't seen any effective measures taken by the Japanese side to stop the sustained hazards to neighboring ecology and environment caused by nuclear contaminated water. And what comes now is Japan's unilateral erroneous decision to dump nuclear contaminated water into the sea. We haven't seen any lessons learned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), but only reports that TEPCO has a poor record of sloppy and chaotic management, information concealment, delayed disclosure and data-tampering. The Japanese side has failed its people and lost the trust of the international community on the handling of Fukushima nuclear accident time and again, so we have every reason to question whether the so-called safe disposal means is reasonable or scientific and the information and data authentic and reliable or not.

Japan's dangerous decision out of its selfish calculation will endanger the generations to come and the global ecology. If the Japanese side can't understand this, the international community will help it to get this point. If it still plays dumb and feigns innocence, the international community will never allow it. We hope the Japanese side will clearly understand its due responsibility and obligation on the issue of the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, return to the right track of negotiating with stakeholders and relevant international organizations, and avoid wanton release into the ocean.

AFP: There is a constitutional crisis in Samoa islands. Yesterday, the Prime Minister-elect was barred from entering the parliament while her predecessor has refused to relinquish the power. What's China's position on this issue? Which China considers as the legitimate prime minister of this country?

Zhao Lijian: China and Samoa enjoy good relations. Committed to the principle of non-interference in others' internal affairs, we believe that Samoa has the capability and the wisdom to properly handle its domestic affairs.

AFP: European countries have begun banning flights of Belarus after a commercial flight was forced to land to arrest an opposition activist over the weekend. Will Chinese airlines follow the move? Are Belarus aircraft still allowed to fly over China?

Zhao Lijian: We noticed relevant reports. The facts about the relevant incident is not yet clear. Before getting to the bottom of facts and truth, relevant sides should exercise restraint and avoid an escalation of the situation.
The Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers on Tuesday affirmed the need to implement further measures to enhance the positive progress the bilateral relations have seen in the wake of a reconciliation agreement Egypt and Gulf countries signed with Qatar in January.

Qatars Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani led a delegation on a visit to Cairo, during which he met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

During their meeting, the two top diplomats affirmed the importance of working to benefit from the big economic and investment opportunities available in both countries, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry read.

This step should be taken in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and their brotherly peoples, the statement read.

The discussions also addressed the means to boost mechanisms of joint Arab action in the face of the challenges the region is facing.

The ministers also discussed the stances of the two countries regarding the regional issues, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue.

Egypt, along with Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, signed Al-Ula reconciliation agreement with Qatar in January, ending a rift with Doha, which lasted over three years.

Following the agreement, Egypt and Qatar formed a joint committee to follow up on the implementation of its clauses.

Earlier this month, Shoukry said the full implementation of the Al-Ula agreement will pave the way for further restoration of normal relations between Cairo and Doha.

The ministrys Tuesday statement said the relevant legal committee as well as the Egyptian-Qatari committee concluded this morning a new round of meetings.

The delegations from both countries continued to discuss the outstanding issues and agreed to hold the meetings for the two committees periodically until all these issues are resolved, the statement said.

The Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers previously met in Cairo in March on the sidelines of the League of Arab States meeting.

On Friday, Shoukry told local media steps to implement the agreement are going well and indicators in this regard are all positive.

Egypt has fulfilled all its commitments under the agreement and Qatar has also fulfilled some of these commitments, Shoukry said, noting that Egypt will make sure all commitments on all sides are fulfilled.

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Egypts President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been invited to visit Doha in a message from Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Egyptian Presidency said on Tuesday, as the two countries are working on mending their relations.

Qatari Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdel Rahman Al-Thani delivered the message in a meeting with the Egyptian president, according to a presidential statement.

This is the first visit by Qatars top diplomat to Cairo since Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, cut relations with Qatar in 2017, before the quartet reached a reconciliation agreement with Doha in early 2021.

The Qatari foreign minister expressed his appreciation of Egypt's strategic role under the leadership of President El-Sisi in protecting the Arab national security and defending the Arab nations causes as well as Egypts efforts in enforcing security, stability and development in the region.

For his part, President El-Sisi asked the top Qatari diplomat to convey his greetings to Emir Tamim, welcoming the latest developments in the path of Egyptian-Qatari relations.

The president also said he was looking forward to achieving progress in different fields of the bilateral relations in a way that serves best the goals and interests of the two countries as well as protecting the Arab national security.

He asserted Egypt's keenness on achieving cooperation and supporting Arab solidarity as a strategic approach in its policies within the framework of mutual respect, joint interest, and good intentions.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to intensify the joint consultation and coordination between Egypt and Qatar, including mutual visits by senior officials in the upcoming period to boost the bilateral ties as well as joint Arab action in order to achieve development and peace and protect the Arab national security.

Tuesday's meeting was attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel as well as head of Qatari state security apparatus Abdullah Al-Khalifi.

The Qatari foreign minister arrived in Cairo on Monday for a two-day visit as part of a regional tour. He held earlier talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The Qatari foreign minister has already visited Khartoum and Tripoli before his stop in Cairo, where he discussed the latest developments in both countries.

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Al-Azhar said on Tuesday that attempts to judaize Jerusalem violate the international laws and norms.

The attempts to judaize Jerusalem is considered a violation to the international laws, agreements and norms that prohibit and criminalize any change to the nature of the land, people and identity in the occupied territory, said the Al Azhar in a statement.

Al-Azhar added the attempts to judaize Jerusalem had no legal legitimacy and contradict with the historical facts that stood with the Arab identity of the city that was built by the Arab Jebusites from 60 centuries ago.

The Zionists who depend on the western imperialistic forces in their attempt to judaize Jerusalem are actually jeopardizing with the future of Jews themselves and are crossing red lines for the Islamic nation, which is actually quarter of the world population, The Egyptian Sunni Islamic institution said adding that the Islamic nation was capable of restoring its stolen rights.

On its official page on social media, Al-Azhar media center launched a campaign in Arabic and English, refuting false claims promoted by the Israeli occupation, especially after the recent incidents witnessed by Sheikh Jarrah district.

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The draft laws were referred to parliament some months ago and they were up for discussion and voting in the House, Gibali said.

"But, I got a message from Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli informing me of the cabinet's decision to withdraw the ten draft laws," he added.

Among the bills is an amendment to the 139/1981 education law, which was aimed to change the Thanawyya Amma (high school) certificate to be three years instead of one, and open the door for students to pass electronic exams.

The amendment was rejected by the Senate  Egypt's consultative upper house parliament  when they were put up for a vote last April. Senators said the new system is not suitable for Egyptian families because it puts them under huge psychological, nervous and financial pressure over three years.

Nabil Dibis, head of the Senate's Education Committee, said the committee members recommend that a one-year system be adopted, and that students study just six subjects, three in the first term and three in the second.

Dibis added that the proposed Thanawyya Amma also violates the constitution because it contravenes the constitutional principle of free education.

Minister of Education Tarek Shawki deplored the Senate's rejection, accusing its members of standing against reform of Egypt's education systems.

The new Thanawyya Amma bill also faced rejection when it was referred to the House of Representatives. lawmakers said any reform of the education system should be introduced gradually and over stages and without radical changes which might be painful for Egyptian families.

Speaker Gibali indicated that the list of draft laws that will be withdrawn also include three bills amending the 66/1973 law on traffic regulations; one on amending the 155/2002 law on export promotion; one on regulating natural reserves; a bill on cleanliness rules; one on promoting vehicle manufacturing and feeding industries; one on radio and wireless devices' fees; and one on fishing and regulation of fish farms.

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Satirist Shady Abu Zeid was released from prison and returned home on Tuesday after serving six months in prison for the 2016-video he made in which he insulted police personnel, according to judicial sources.

His sister Rola Abu Zeid posted a photo of him at his house with his family Tuesday evening.

In 2016, Abu Zeid sparked public outrage after releasing a video showing him and young actor Ahmed Malek handing balloons made of inflated condoms to police officers in Tahrir Square during the fifth anniversary of the uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Abu Zeid was arrested at his house in May 2018 over charges of spreading false news and joining an outlawed group.

Abu Zeid is a comedian and video blogger who produced the satirical news show The Rich Content, which he released on YouTube and Facebook from mid-2015 until his arrest in 2018. He was also a correspondent for the popular satirical television programme Abla Fahita on the CBC TV station.

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Egyptian and Russian prosecutors agreed on a continued judicial cooperation to reach the truth over the deadly Russian passenger plane crash in Sinai in 2015.

A statement by the Egyptian prosecutor generals office on Tuesday said Egyptian prosecutors tasked with investigating the crash received their Russia counterparts to exchange data on investigations by both sides.

The statement said top prosecutor Hamada Al-Sawy stressed during talks with the Russian prosecution team on the importance of continued judicial cooperation and an exchange of data related to the investigations.

He underscored the necessity of mulling possible scenarios behind the crash impartially to reach the truth.

Tuesdays meeting comes nearly a month after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to resume direct flights between Russia and Egypt's Red Sea airports.

These airports include Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, which are key hotspots in Egypts tourism industry.

Russia suspended direct flights to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, as well as other Egyptian airports, following the crash of a Russian flight in Sinai in October of 2015 that killed all 224 people on board.

Egypt has repeatedly dismissed in the past years preliminary investigative reports that the plane was downed by a bomb; which is a finding strongly supported by Russia.

Russias flight suspension to Red Sea cities has taken a heavy toll on Egypts tourism industry  a key source of hard currency  since Russian visitors were major contributors to the tourism market in the country prior to 2015.

Since 2015, Egyptian authorities have upgraded all safety and security measures at all of the country's airports.

As a result of Egyptian efforts, Russia resumed flights to Cairo International Airport in April 2018, ending a 30-month suspension, but did not resume flights to Egypt's Red Sea destinations.

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But last Tuesday, owner Samir al-Mansour watched in disbelief as the bookshop and publishing house he had poured his life into went up in smoke.

"Forty years of my life were obliterated in less than a second," said the man in his 50s, a cigarette between his fingers, staring at a mound of concrete, paper and squashed plastic chairs.

"There are 100,000 books under this rubble," he said.

At around 5:00 am on Tuesday, Mansour was at home watching television when the channel reported the Israeli air force was about to hit the building housing his bookshop.

Mansour rushed over, but came to a dead stop some 200 metres (220 yards) away from the building, just in time to see a missile obliterate his life's work.

The latest deadly clashes lasted 11 days and saw Israel launch air strikes in response to a rocket barrage by Hamas, which rules Gaza, and other Islamist groups.

"I have nothing to do with an armed group, a political faction," Mansour told AFP.

"It's an attack on culture."

'Never happened before'

Mansour started working in his father's bookshop in the 1980s, when he was just 14 years old, then took over in 2000 and soon branched out into publishing.

As rescue workers continue to look for bodies and survivors in the rubble after the military conflict, Mansour was mourning all that he has lost.

Buried in the rubble were copies of Islamic religious texts, children's picture books and a copy of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov".

Israeli strikes on Gaza since May 10 have killed 248 Palestinians, including 66 children, and have wounded over 1,900 people, the Gaza health ministry says.

Rockets and other fire from Gaza have claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian, and two Thai nationals, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel have been wounded.

There is controversy about how many of those killed in Gaza were combatants, and how many were civilians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's bombing campaign had killed "more than 200 terrorists" in Gaza.

Mansour said he had lived through two Palestinian uprisings and three Gaza wars.

"But this had never happened, my bookshop was never destroyed," he said.

His son-in-law Montasser Saleh had arrived in Gaza from Norway to visit the family just before the conflict started, and was with him when his life was turned upside down.

"We were at home, watching television," Saleh said.

'More than a bookshop'

He recounted how on the TV channel Al Jazeera "they said there had been a warning shot on the building containing the bookshop".

He too said they immediately rushed over to the building.

"Samir wanted to go and grab some papers, his computer, but he was too scared to go in and be hit by a missile, so we stayed outside," he said.

Mosaab Abu Toha, a poet and the founder of the Edward Said library started after the Gaza war in 2014, said the Gaza Strip had lost "one of its main cultural resources".

"Mansour was more than a bookshop," he said. "It was a publishing house publishing Gaza writers.

"The books were printed in Egypt -- some to come back to Gaza, but others to stay there and be circulated around the Arab world.

"It was a way to lift the siege on Gaza through literature," he said of the blockade on the Palestinian territory in place since 2007.

For Gaza readers, the publishing house had printed around 1,000 copies of the works of local authors such as Ghareeb Askalani or Yusri al-Ghoul.

Mansour is not the only book or stationery shop destroyed in the latest Israeli bombing campaign.

Nearby Iqraa was also levelled, and the Al-Nahda stationery and bookshop was reduced to a pile of pulverised cinderblocks.

In front of what remains of Al-Nahda, a poster assured loyal customers it would re-open soon.

"Ideas do not die," it read.
Five people were found choked to death on toxic fumes from the eruption of eastern DR Congo's Nyiragongo volcano on Monday, as strong aftershocks rocked the city of Goma.

The deaths bring to 20 the number killed since Africa's most active volcano erupted on Saturday, spewing red-hot molten lava that engulfed houses in its wake.

'We have just discovered five dead people,' civil society leader Mambo Kawaya told AFP, saying that they were 'asphyxiated by the gas' as they tried to cross the cooling lava some 13 kilometres (eight miles) north of Goma.

A sixth person is in a 'critical state with trouble breathing and has been taken to hospital,' Kawaya said.

Goma, a city of some 1.5 million people in the shadow of the volcano, was on edge as violent aftershocks continued through the night and into Monday morning.

'They're multiplying and they come at any moment,' one resident told AFP, describing the aftershocks as 'very worrying'.

'The night was long there is fear in our stomachs,' she said.

Tens of thousands of residents had fled the city in panic around 7,000 of them to neighbouring Rwanda when Nyiragongo began erupting on Saturday evening.

Along with the five people found dead on Monday, at least 15 people have died, although most were not killed directly by the eruption.

Authorities said nine people died in accidents during the rush to evacuate, while four prisoners were killed while trying to escape in the melee. Two people were found burned to death.

Officials said 17 villages on the city's fringes had suffered major damage.

Schools shut, electricity cut

While the river of lava stopped at the edge of Goma and many residents have now returned, each aftershock brought anxious residents back out onto the streets on Monday.

'We just had a big aftershock I'm scared to stay in my office,' said a resident who gave her name only as Deborah, an employee at an international organisation, reached by telephone.

'I'm wondering if I should stay or go home. The electricity has cut out,' she said.

Schools are still shut with pupils told to stay at home, although businesses and petrol stations were open again.

Nyiragongo's last major eruption, in 2002, claimed around 100 lives.

Hundreds homeless

By Monday the blackish solidified lava was still hot and smoking, with dozens of people turning out to inspect it or even walk on it, despite the risk of inhaling toxic fumes.

The volcano appeared calm on the horizon, with the usual smoke rising from its crater.

A government delegation including seven ministers arrived from Kinshasa early Monday, while President Felix Tshisekedi has cut short a European tour to supervise the aid operation.

Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani said upon his arrival in Goma that the delegation was set to organise support for people made homeless after the eruption after 'assessing the state of affairs'.

Hundreds of people spent Monday night in the street after the lava destroyed their homes.

Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya warned Sunday that the prices of food and other essentials are set to rise in Goma as the eruption has cut off several hundred metres of the road to Butembo, the region's main trade route.

After taking part in a UN reconnaissance flight over Nyiragongo, volcanologist Kasereka Mahinda said it was uncertain why the aftershocks were continuing and whether the volcano's burst of activity was finished.

'Because of the fog we were unable to see the inside of the crater,' said Mahinda, the scientific director of the Goma Volcanology Observatory.

'If there is lava in the crater, the fracturing caused by the movement of the earth would represent new activity,' he said.

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Ethiopia on Monday denounced visa restrictions imposed by the United States over the war in Tigray, saying they could prompt Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government to reassess the bilateral relationship.

On Sunday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the restrictions would apply to Ethiopian and Eritrean officials accused of fuelling the six-month-old conflict, saying those involved had "taken no meaningful steps to end hostilities."

Blinken also announced "wide-ranging" restrictions on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia, while noting that the US would continue humanitarian aid in areas such as health, food and education.

In a response Monday, Ethiopia's foreign ministry described the move as "unfortunate", "misguided" and "regrettable".

"If such a resolve to meddle in our internal affairs and (undermine) the century-old bilateral ties continues unabated, the government... will be forced to reassess its relationship with the United States, which might have implications beyond our bilateral relationship," the statement said.

The Tigray conflict erupted in early November when Abiy sent troops to detain and disarm leaders of the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

Abiy said the move came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps.

Though he vowed the conflict would be brief, fighting continues more than six months later, and world leaders are warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.

Eritrean troops, who teamed up with the Ethiopian military, have been implicated in multiple massacres and other atrocities during the Tigray conflict, allegations that Asmara denies.

Security forces from Ethiopia's Amhara region, which borders Tigray to the south, have also moved in to secure and annex territory -- a process Blinken has previously described as "ethnic cleansing".

In addition to Ethiopian and Eritrean officials, Blinken said Sunday the visa restrictions could apply to "Amhara regional and irregular forces and members of the TPLF".

Monday's response from Ethiopia reiterated its stated commitment to investigate human rights abuses and claimed the government had "provided full and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to operate in all parts of the region."

The UN, though, says access remains "unpredictable" and that aid groups face "increased obstacles to access populations in need."

The foreign ministry also stressed that Ethiopia will not negotiate with the TPLF, which dominated national politics for nearly three decades but was officially labelled a terrorist organisation earlier this month.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers rounded up around 200 displaced civilians during a violent nighttime raid on camps in Ethiopia's war-hit Tigray region, Amnesty International and witnesses told AFP Tuesday.

It is the largest known operation targeting sprawling displacement camps in the Tigray town of Shire, and comes nearly two months since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed Eritrean troops would leave Tigray.

The soldiers worked together Monday night to detain more than 100 civilians at the Tsehaye camp and at least 76 at a second camp known as Adiwonfito, beating them and snatching their phones before forcing them onto trucks, Amnesty researcher Fisseha Tekle said.

The victims were mostly men -- some of them teenagers and at least one in his 70s -- and they have been taken to an area known as Guna on the outskirts of Shire, he said.

The displaced population in Shire mostly comes from farming families forced out of western Tigray, where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said "ethnic cleansing" is unfolding.

"From the sources I spoke to, they were farmers in the west before they were displaced. There is no way they were special forces, special police or Tigray militias. It's a kind of mass arrest without any grounds," Fisseha said.

A witness at Adiwonfito who escaped the roundup told AFP that while individual detentions have occurred in the past, this is the first time soldiers have carried out mass arrests.

Those left behind "are crying and scared so they have fled the camps," said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Tewodros Aregai, interim head of Tigray's Northwestern Zone, told AFP the arrests were spurred by reports that anti-government forces had infiltrated the camps.

"There was a rumour that some forces joined the [displaced] from outside and they have a plan to do something within three days. The security officials from the Ethiopian defence forces have got this information," he said.

Screening operations are underway and nine civilians had been released as of Tuesday night, he said.

"We are trying to solve the problem... I hope it will be resolved in a short period of time," he said.

- Visa restrictions -

Abiy sent troops into Tigray last November to detain and disarm leaders of the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

He said the move came in response to attacks on federal army camps.

Though he vowed the war would be brief, more than six months later fighting continues, reports of atrocities are proliferating and world leaders are warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.

On Sunday Blinken announced visa and aid restrictions targeting Ethiopian and Eritrean officials.

Ethiopia denounced the move as "unfortunate" and "misguided" on Monday, and Eritrea followed suit Tuesday, saying it was "dismayed".

Fisseha told AFP Tuesday he had spoken to multiple witnesses in Shire who said soldiers cried out "Let's see if the US will save you" as they beat displaced civilians and took them into custody Monday night.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Notice for 2021 China-Africa Video and Photo Competition

2021/05/25

I. Introduction of the Competition

In order to enhance mutual understanding between Chinese and African people and to tell the stories of China-Africa cooperation and affinity between our peoples, the 2021 China-Africa Video and Photo Competition, jointly sponsored by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and China International Publishing Group (CIPG), was officially launched on May 21.

With the theme of "Friendship in Focus, Together for Future", the competition collects videos and photos from Chinese and African people and institutions. The winning works will be displayed at the award ceremony and promoted through mainstream media in China and Africa.

II. Entry Specifications

Video Group:

1. Entries are divided into two categories.

Micro videos: 30 seconds to 1 minute;

Short videos: 1 minute to 5 minutes

2. The works should reflect real people and events and convey positive energy.

3. Micro videos can be shot in either horizontal or vertical format. Short videos are preferred in horizontal format.

4. The video format should be high-definition MP4; the aspect ratio should be 16:9 or 9:16; the file size should not exceed 400MB; the video should be clean without corner labels, watermarks or logos.

Photo (Collection) Group:

1. The photo works should be clear, without corner labels, watermarks or logos; landscape mode is preferred.

2. Computer synthesis processing is not allowed, but the relevant software can be used to adjust the size and color of the picture.

3. The resolution should be no less than 300dpi.

4. Each collection of works is limited to 6 photos.

Other Requirements:

1. The content of the entries should be positive and must not involve pornography, violence, religious and racial discrimination and should not be placed in advertisements.

2. Video works should be accompanied by subtitles in Chinese, English or French. Works with bilingual subtitles will be given preference. Photo works should be submitted together with a description of the work in Chinese, English or French.

III. Entry Submission

Method 1:

Submit the relevant works to the registration email address contacts@chinafrica.cn, with "Country - Entrant's Name - Work Name" in the email title, and attach the entry form (need to download). The video works that meet the requirements can also be uploaded to a network drive and the link and password of the network drive can be sent by email. Baidu Netdisk is recommended in China and Google Drive is recommended in other countries.

Method 2:

African micro video participants can upload their works through the topic page in Vskit platform with hashtag #2021ChinaAfricaVideo&PhotoCompetition.

IV. Schedule of the Competition

May 21, 2021: Launch of the Competition

May 21  July 20, 2021: Collection of Works

August 1  August 20, 2021: Online voting and expert evaluation of shortlisted works

Early September 2021: Awards Ceremony

V. Dissemination of Works

Outstanding works will be promoted on the following platforms (not limited to):

1. Displayed at the award ceremony of the 2021 China-Africa Video and Photo Competition.

2. Promoted by Chinese embassy in Sierra Leone; released on the domestic and international media platforms under CIPG.

3. Broadcast by authoritative partners in China and Africa

4. Released on platforms such as Yangshipin, Vskit and Scooper.

VI. Award Setting

The competition will select 90 finalists from the collected works. Based on the results of expert review and online voting, the awards will be as follows:

1. One special prize for video group (including micro videos and short videos) and one special prize for photo group (collection), with a prize of RMB 10,000;

2. Micro video, short video, photo (collection) group: 2 first prize winners (6 in total), with a prize of 5,000 yuan each; 4 second prize winners (12 in total), with a prize of 3,000 yuan each; 6 third prize winners (18 in total), with a prize of 1,000 yuan each;

3. There will be one prize for the Highest Popularity Award, one for the Best Editing Award, one for the Best Creativity Award and one for the Best Visual Effect Award, with a prize of 2,000 yuan each.

4. For the relevant participating groups or organizations, there will be 10 awards for the organization of the event, with a prize of 2,000 yuan each.

5. There will be 50 Friendship Award winners from other shortlisted works, who will receive certificates and prizes.

VII. Copyright

1. The submitted works must be created by the participating people (organizations) and have full copyright.

2. If any dispute arises with regard to copyright, trademark right, reputation right and any other legal rights and interests related to the work, the consequences and losses shall be borne by the people (organizations) submitting the entry.

3. The right of dissemination, exhibition, and publication of the submitted works belongs to the organizing committee of the competition. The organizer and relevant units have the right to promote, display and publicize the submitted works. The organizer will indicate the name of the entrant and other relevant information when using the submitted works. The people (organizations) submitting the entry agree to transfer the intellectual property rights of their works (except the right of attribution) to the organizer when they submit their works.

4. The final right of interpretation of this competition belongs to China International Publish Group.

VIII. Selection Rules

The award-winning works of the competition shall be decided by the opinions of a jury and online voting. The jury is composed of the competition organizers, senior figures, experts and scholars, etc., and is responsible for the evaluation of the entries.

IX. Contact

Telephone: 010-68995807

Email: likzh@chinafrica.cn

For more information, please go to the official website of the competition:

http://www.chinafrica.cn/2021_CHINA_AFRICA_VIDEO_AND_PHOTO_COMPETITION/
Mali's former coup leader Assimi Goita took control of the West African country again Tuesday after firing the president and prime minister of the transitional government, a move France decried as a coup d'etat.

While Goita pledged to go ahead with holding new elections in 2022 as previously promised, his display of force casts doubt on whether the vote will go ahead without significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president last August.

The move also raised concerns that the new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control Mali's long-running Islamic insurgency. The United Nations now spends some $1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali and France's military has spent eight years trying to stabilize its former colony amid the ongoing threat.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the government takeover as a ``coup d'etat'' and warned of repercussions.

``We are prepared to take targeted sanctions on the protagonists,'' he said in a tweet.

The EU also warned that it was ``ready to consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition.''

The military's announcement on the state broadcaster Tuesday came a day after President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested by soldiers and brought to the military headquarters in Kati, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) outside the capital. Both men remained in detention Tuesday and there was no immediate word about their conditions.

Their arrests prompted an outcry by the international community, which put out a strongly worded statement warning Mali's military leaders that their actions could undermine global support for the country. That joint statement made by the African Union, United Nations, the E.U., France and the U.S. among others called for the immediate release of the president and prime minister.

The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which also endorsed the statement, said on Tuesday afternoon that it was sending a delegation to Bamako as the political crisis escalated. The regional body previously threatened the junta with sanctions if it did not install a civilian president and prime minister, and shorten the transitional period to 18 months.

The new government announced on Monday had left out two men who were prominent junta members: Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara. About an hour after the new Cabinet was named, the military rounded up the president and prime minister.

Goita, who led the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has served as Mali's vice president in the transitional government formed last September. He has held that position despite initial calls from the international community for an entirely civilian-led transition.

In announcing the removal of the civilian president and prime minister of the transitional government, the military also said that it would be relieving others from their duties including ``everyone implicated in the situation.''

Still, the military insisted: ``The transition is following its normal course and elections will be held as anticipated in 2022.'' Following international pressure last year the junta had promised to organize that vote by next February, 18 months after the coup d'etat shook the country.

The overthrow of democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came amid mounting military casualties in the fight against Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

The extremists first took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by the former colonial power France pushed extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremist rebels, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.

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An endless list of activists, bloggers, artists and even politicians on social media have been recently comparing Israels artillery and aerial offensive on the Gazans and the crackdown  which Israeli settlers have been involved in  with apartheid in South Africa.

The aim is to convince the international community to consider boycotting Israel.

Yes its good that @IlhanMN is talking about Israel's crimes. But it's not enough. It's too incremental. Let's see these progressives using their massive platforms to call on Americans to support BDS, just like people boycotted South Africa. If not now, when?, Ali Abunimah  a Palestinian blogger  tweeted on Monday.

Mariam Barghouthi, a writer and researcher, also tweeted on Monday that Israel is employing economic violence against Palestinians and designating the most absurd amounts of bail like $7,400 for being at a protest. Theyre not only punishing Palestinians but using legal violence so Palestinians sustain their apartheid.

As a matter of fact, this perception has been circulating on social media since Israels offensive on the coastal enclave began on 10 May. For example, Mark Ruffalo  an American actor and producer  said that Israel should face sanctions.

1,500 Palestinians face expulsion in #Jerusalem. 200 protesters have been injured. 9 children have been killed. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its black people - its time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #SheikhJarrah, Ruffalo wrote on Twitter one day after Israel began to bombard Gaza.
A Tunisian naval boat on Monday rescued 100 migrants, including eight infants, from an inflatable vessel that was attempting an illicit Mediterranean crossing to Europe, the defence ministry said.

The vessel had set off "at dawn from the Libyan coast (carrying) 82 men, 10 women and eight babies", but it was intercepted by a Tunisian navy patrol boat off Zarzis, the ministry said in a statement.

"They were in danger, the engine on the boat had broken down," ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri told AFP.

All the migrants were from sub-Saharan African nations, the ministry said.

Those on board were taken to a Tunisian maritime base at Sfax.

Tunisia is a key departure point for migrants attempting the dangerous crossing from the North African coast to Europe.

Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said last week a hotline would be established between Rome and Tunis to counter irregular migration, amid a spike in arrivals at Italy's Lampedusa island.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a Middle East visit in Israel on Tuesday, hoping to bolster its ceasefire with Gazas ruling Hamas and help speed humanitarian aid to the devastated Palestinian enclave.

In tandem with Blinken's mission, Israeli authorities said they were allowing fuel, medicine and food earmarked for Gaza's private sector to enter the territory for the first time since 11 days of cross-border hostilities started on May 10.

Blinken was also due to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Cairo and Amman, with the United States harbouring "every hope and expectation" the ceasefire would continue to hold, a senior State Department official said.

"Our primary focus is on maintaining the ceasefire, getting the assistance to the people who need it," said the official, who spoke on Monday on the condition of anonymity. Egypt brokered the truce, in coordination with the United States.

But the official suggested it was too early for wider peace talks between Israel, in political flux after four inconclusive elections in two years, and the Palestinians, divided by enmity between Hamas and Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.

U.S. President Joe Biden has said a two-state solution was the only answer to resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and pledged a major package with other countries to help rebuild Gaza. Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations collapsed in 2014.

Blinken's agenda included talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Abbas. Blinken is due to remain in the region through Thursday.

The right-wing Netanyahu, who usually avoids using the term "Palestinian state", had been largely in lockstep with Democrat Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who cut off U.S. aid to the Palestinians and promoted a peace plan that envisaged Israel holding onto most of its settlements in the West Bank.

Hamas, which is regarded by some in the West as a terrorist group and opposes any Palestinian peace efforts with Israel, began cross-border rocket attacks on May 10, drawing Israeli air strikes.

The hostilities were set off in part by Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and clashes with Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

At least 253 people were killed in Gaza and more than 1,900 wounded, health authorities said, during the heaviest Israeli-Palestinian fighting in years.

The Israeli military put the death toll in Israel at 13, with hundreds treated for injuries after rocket salvoes caused panic and sent people as far away as Tel Aviv rushing into shelters.

Hundreds of commercial buildings, residential towers and private houses across the Gaza Strip, where 2 million people live, were damaged or destroyed by the time the ceasefire was announced.

Palestinian officials put reconstruction costs at tens of millions of dollars in Gaza. Israel has blockaded the territory since 2007, in what Palestinians condemn as collective punishment.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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An Israeli defence official said Monday aid to rebuild the conflict-battered Gaza Strip must bypass its Islamist rulers Hamas, and instead flow through an international "mechanism" to reach people directly.

Israel has enforced a blockade on impoverished Gaza since 2007, when Hamas seized control of the crowded enclave.

Israel argues the measures are necessary to isolate Hamas, considered a terrorist organisation by most Western countries.

The official -- who was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter -- said the aid must be managed to rehabilitate Gaza "without posing a threat to Israel".

The official, who spoke a day before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the region, said aid deliveries would have to involve the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which has worked with Hamas in the past to deliver donations to Gaza.

US President Joe Biden said in a statement that part of Blinken's trip would include working on "the coordinated international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza in a way that benefits the people there and not Hamas".

Israel pounded Gaza for 11 days with air strikes and artillery, while Hamas fired more than 4,000 rockets from the enclave, before a ceasefire last Friday.

Israeli strikes ravaged Gaza's infrastructure, as well as made at least 6,000 people homeless, the UN's humanitarian agency says.

Up to 800,000 are without access to clean water in the coastal enclave.

Egypt has pledged $500 million to support rebuilding, while the UN said it has released $18.5 million for humanitarian aid in Gaza

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The European Union issued a statement on Monday regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.

EU welcome the ceasefire which should end the violence said the joint statement signed by the EU leaders in late Monday.

The European Union will continue to work with the international partners to resume a political process. The European Union reaffirms its firm commitment to the two-states solution, the statement added.

EU foreign ministers failed to issue the statement last week due to Hungarian opposition.

The Hungarian PM Victor Orban maintains strong loyalty to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions in the strip was brokered by Egypt late last week, ending 11 days of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rocket fire against Israeli cities.

The Israeli airstrikes killed more than 240 people in Gaza, including 66 children, and left 1,910 people injured, according to Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Palestinian rockets killed 12 people in Israel.

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Related Blinken begins Middle East mission to bolster Gaza ceasefire

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that Israel's response would be "very powerful" if Hamas violated the truce that ended 11 days of conflict with the Gaza militants.

"If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful," the Israeli premier said, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was in Jerusalem as part of US efforts to consolidate the ceasefire.

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A Palestinian man was shot and killed on Tuesday by undercover Israeli forces near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

Pictures circulating online appeared to show the man bloodied and lying in the street.

The Israeli army referred questions to the Border Police, which did not respond to requests for comment.

Undercover Israeli forces, known as Mista'arvim, entered Umm Al Sharayet neighborhood, where they shot and killed a young man identified as Ahmad Jamil Fahd, and left him to bleed to death, according to WAFA.

The Mista'arvim forces were carrying out arrests in the area.

The killing of Fahd came several hours following the killing of a 17-year-old teen by Israeli police near the French Hill colonial settlement in Jerusalem.

On Monday, an Israeli soldier and a settler were stabbed and wounded in east Jerusalem before police shot and killed the assailant in what they described as a terrorist attack.

Israel has killed at least 30 Palestinians in the West Bank since Palestinians started protesting against Israeli aggression in East Jerusalem and the deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Israel continued to raid homes at night across the West Bank, arresting 18 more Palestinans on Monday, according to WAFA.

Israel has arrested hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and in Israeli cities since the clashes started.

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken promised on Tuesday continued close consultation with Israel about any potential US return to a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

After talks with Blinken in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped Washington would not sign back on to the deal, and that "whatever happens, Israel will always retain the right to defend itself" against any Iranian nuclear threat.

Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, which denies its nuclear programme is aimed at producing weapons, have been under way in Vienna.

Blinken, on a Middle East mission to try to shore up last week's ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, said the United States would continue to strengthen its "long-standing partnership" with Israel. read more

That, he told reporters, with Netanyahu at his side, "includes consulting closely with Israel as we did today on the ongoing negotiations in Vienna around a potential return to the Iran nuclear agreement".

To Israeli acclaim, US President Joe Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal, deeming it too advantageous for Tehran, and reimposed US sanctions.

The Biden administration has since sought to assuage Israel which sees a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat.

On Sunday, Blinken said the United States has not seen yet whether Iran will move to comply with its nuclear commitments in order to have sanctions removed even as the talks have shown progress. read more

Israeli teams have held discussions in Washington with US counterparts over the potential revival of the deal.

"I hope that the United States will not go back to the old JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) because we believe that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy," Netanyahu said.

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Iraq's top court stripped lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity Tuesday, a step that could lead to prosecutions for corruption in one of the world's most graft-ridden countries.

Lawmakers had long enjoyed immunity preventing their arrest or prosecution without agreement from parliament -- a rule that allowed parties to make deals to delay such cases.

But on Tuesday, the supreme court revoked previous rulings requiring such parliamentary approval "in all cases against House of Representatives members, whether crimes, misdemeanours or wrongdoing".

The only exceptions would be in cases where arrest warrants are issued over "crimes with no witnesses".

In all other cases, "members of parliament have no immunity and legal measures may be taken against them directly" when they are accused of crimes.

The top court, charged with interpreting Iraq's post-2003 constitution, had previously granted parliamentarians sweeping immunity with few exceptions.

But dozens of lawmakers stand accused of graft and extortion, in cases that could now move forward.

"Courts may now rule on corruption cases" that would previously have required a green light from parliament, the court said in Tuesday's ruling.

Iraq has suffered from decades of corruption both before and after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

It ranks 21st from bottom in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

Tuesday's ruling comes two days after President Barham Saleh presented a draft law to parliament to fight corruption, recover stolen funds and hold perpetrators to account.

Saleh said $150 billion from oil had been smuggled out of the country since Saddam was ousted, calling graft "pervasive practice that has plagued our great nation".

Endemic corruption was one of the drivers of protests that shook Iraq from October 2019 to June 2020.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday that the U.S. would reopen its consulate in Jerusalem _ a move that restores ties with Palestinians that had been downgraded by the Trump administration.

The consulate long served as an autonomous office in charge of diplomatic relations with the Palestinians. But former U.S. President Donald Trump downgraded its operations and placed them under the authority of his ambassador to Israel when he moved the embassy to Jerusalem.

Trump's move infuriated the Palestinians, who view east Jerusalem as occupied territory and the capital of their future state.

Blinken did not give a precise date for reopening the consulate. He announced the step after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

``As I told the president, I'm here to underscore the commitment of the United States to rebuilding the relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people, a relationship built on mutual respect and also a shared conviction that Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of security, freedom opportunity and dignity,'' he said.

Blinken is in the region to help shore up the cease-fire adopted last week that ended a devastating 11-day Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip, killing more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory.

He promised to ``rally international support'' to help Gaza in the wake of Israel's offensive. He later announced nearly $40 million in aid to the Palestinians, including $5.5 million in emergency assistance for Gaza. That brings total U.S. assistance to the Palestinians under the Biden administration to over $360 million after the Trump administration had cut off nearly all assistance to them.

Blinken has promised that any assistance will be kept out of the hands of Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist and which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization.

The U.S. is trying to bolster Abbas, who was sidelined by recent events, in his rivalry with Hamas and on the international stage. Abbas heads the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank but whose forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power there in 2007.

Abbas is still seen internationally as the representative of the Palestinian people and a key partner in the long-defunct peace process.

The truce that ended Israel's offensive on Gaza on Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the underlying issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something Blinken acknowledged after meeting earlier in the day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

``We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges. And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild,'' he said.

The top U.S. diplomat faces the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and Israel's crackdown on Palestinians in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The Biden administration initially hoped to avoid being drawn into the intractable conflict and to focus instead on other foreign policy priorities before the violence broke out.

Israel's offensive on Gaza followed weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site revered by Muslims that has seen several outbreaks of Israel's crackdown on Palestinians over the years. The protests were directed at Israel's policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Israeli settlers.

The truce remains tenuous since tensions are still high in Jerusalem and the fate of the Palestinian families is not yet resolved.

The evictions were put on hold just before Israel's campaign on Gaza began. Police briefly clashed with protesters at Al-Aqsa on Friday, hours after the cease-fire went into effect.

Then, early Tuesday, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by undercover Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to the Wafa news agency. Pictures circulating online appeared to show the man bloodied and lying in the street. The Israeli army referred questions to the Border Police, which did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years. He faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without forcibly halting rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Hamas.

In his remarks after meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu hardly mentioned the Palestinians. He warned of a ``very powerful'' response if Hamas breaks the cease-fire.

Netanyahu spoke of ``building economic growth'' in the occupied West Bank but said there will be no peace until the Palestinians recognize Israel as a ``Jewish state.'' The Palestinians have long objected to that language, saying it undermines the rights of Israel's own Palestinian minority.

Blinken will also visit neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which have acted as mediators in the conflict. Egypt succeeded in brokering the Gaza truce after the Biden administration pressed Israel to wind down its offensive.

The administration had been roundly criticized for its perceived hands-off initial response to Israel's deadly campaign and crackdown on the Palestinians, including from Democratic allies in Congress who demanded it take a tougher line on Israel. Biden repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israel's right to defend itself from rocket attacks from Gaza.

The administration has defended its response by saying it engaged in intense, but quiet, high-level diplomacy to support a cease-fire.

Blinken has said the time is not right for an immediate resumption in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but that steps could be taken to repair the damage from Israeli airstrikes, which destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged infrastructure in Gaza.

The narrow coastal territory, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since Hamas seized power. The Palestinians and human rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Hundreds of Iraqis were repatriated Tuesday from a Kurdish-run camp in northeast Syria in the first such round of departures, two officials with the Kurdish administration told AFP.

"On Tuesday 94 Iraqi families, or 381 people, left the Al-Hol camp, under Iraqi army escort," said a Kurdish administration official on condition of anonymity.

The transfer came as part of an agreement between the Iraqi government and the multinational coalition battling the Islamic State group, he said.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Iraqi government.

The families "will be transferred to a camp in Iraqi territory," the official added without specifying its location.

He said the departures mark the "first wave" of Iraqi families to leave the Al-Hol camp which is home to more than 60,000 people, including relatives of IS fighters.

Iraqis make up nearly half of Al-Hol's total population, according to the United Nations.

"The families, escorted by the Iraqi army, left the camp and are now heading for the Iraqi border," a security official at the camp told AFP, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear if and when a second transfer would take place.

In February, Kurdish forces handed over 100 suspected Iraqi jihadists to Baghdad, according to an Iraqi security source.

Some 1,600 Iraqis suspected of having fought for IS were still being held by Kurdish forces, according to a UN report published in early February.

Since the fall of IS's self-styled "caliphate" in March 2019, Syria's Kurds have repeatedly urged the international community to repatriate foreign nationals held in northeast Syria.

But these calls have largely fallen on deaf ears with only some, mostly children, allowed to return so far.

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A demonstrator was killed and more than a dozen other people were injured in clashes as thousands protested in the Iraqi capital Tuesday to demand justice over a wave of deadly attacks on pro-democracy activists and journalists.

Medics and police said 13 demonstrators were injured when police fired tear gas to disperse them, while five policemen were hurt by projectiles thrown at them during the operation.

Mohammad Baker from the southern town of Diwaniya died in Al-Kindi hospital from a gunshot wound in the neck, a medical source said.

Waving portraits of victims, gunned down with silencers by unknown assailants, the demonstrators converged on the Iraqi capital's main squares including Tahrir, as police were deployed in force.

"Revolution against the parties," they chanted.

"Who killed me?" banners read.

Since the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein in the US-led invasion of 2003, political parties have controlled life in Iraq and corruption has plagued state institutions.

Many in the crowds travelled from the southern cities of Karbala, Najaf and Nassiriya, where several of the killings occurred.

Anti-government campaigner Ihab al-Wazni was killed in the Shia Muslim holy city of Karbala on May 9, a day before prominent journalist Ahmed Hassan was also shot in southern Iraq. He remains in a coma after undergoing brain surgery.

Killings, attempted murders and abductions have targeted more than 70 activists since a protest movement erupted against government corruption and incompetence in 2019.

Authorities have consistently failed to publicly identify or charge the perpetrators of the killings, which have not been claimed.

However, activists have repeatedly blamed Iran-linked armed groups that wield considerable influence in Iraq.

Elections have been set for October in response to a central demand of the protest movement.

But "anyone who runs in the elections as a free candidate not attached to a political party will be killed", 25-year-old demonstrator Hussein predicted grimly.

"These polls only aim to recycle the corrupt garbage."

President Barham Saleh said Sunday that $150 billion of stolen oil money had been smuggled out of Iraq since Saddam was ousted.

After Wazni's murder, a movement born out of the anti-government protests called Al-Beit Al-Watani -- the National Bloc -- said it would boycott the elections.

Since then, 17 groups have joined the call for a boycott.

Another protester in Baghdad, Mohammed, 22, played up a common distrust. "People have infiltrated the demonstration to take photos of us and kill activists once we leave," he said.

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The UN Human Rights Council will consider launching a broad, international investigation into abuses in Israel's latest campaign on Gaza Strip and also into "systematic" abuses, according to a proposal tabled Tuesday.

The draft resolution will be discussed during a special session of the council Thursday, requested amid 11 days of Isral's military offensive on Gaza this month.

The text, presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, calls for the UN top rights body to "urgently establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry... in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel."

The investigators, the text said, should probe "all alleged violations and abuses" of international law linked to Israel's crackdown on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem that was followed by its campaign on Gaza.

Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of bombarding the coastal enclave from May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says.

Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.

But the draft text goes far beyond the most recent Israeli campaign, also calling for investigators to probe "underlying root causes of recurrent tensions and instability, including systematic discrimination and repression based on group identity".

The investigation should focus on establishing facts and gather evidence and other material that could be used in legal proceedings, and as far as possible should identify perpetrators to ensure they are held accountable, it said.

"Long-standing and systemic impunity for international law violations has thwarted justice, created a protection crisis and undermined all efforts to achieve a just and peaceful solution," the draft text said.

It remains unclear whether there will be enough support at the Human Rights Council to pass the resolution.

Twenty of the council's 47 members were among the 66 countries that backed holding Thursday's special session, which was requested by Pakistan and the Palestinian authority.

The rights council holds three regular sessions each year, but can hold special sessions if at least a third of members support the idea.

Thursday will mark the 30th extraordinary meeting of the United Nations' top rights body since its creation 15 years ago, and it will be the ninth focused on Israel.

When the special session was announced last week, Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's ambassador in Geneva, urged member states to oppose it.

"The convening of yet another special session by the Human Rights Council targeting Israel is testament to the clear anti-Israeli agenda of this body," she said on Twitter.

Israel is in fact the only country that is systematically discussed at every regular council session, with a dedicated special agenda item.

That Agenda Item 7 was one of the main reasons that the United States under former president Donald Trump decided to leave the council.

His successor Joe Biden has returned the United States to the fold as an observer, with an eye on membership, but his administration remains deeply critical of the council's "disproportionate focus on Israel".

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Jordan's foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Israeli ambassador in protest at Israel's detention of two Jordanians arrested after allegedly crossing into the country with knives.

The ministry said it wanted to "convey a strongly worded protest message pertaining to the detention of two Jordanians in Israel", and to demand their release.

On May 16, Israel announced the arrest of two Jordanians for allegedly crossing the border from the kingdom on their way to Jerusalem, and carrying knives.

The ministry "stressed the need to allow the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv to visit the two nationals as soon as possible, to assess their situation and to provide the necessary support for them in accordance with relevant international laws," it added.

Around half of Jordan's 10 million-strong population is of Palestinian origin, including some 2.2 million refugees registered with the United Nations.

Throughout Israel's 11-day campaign on Gaza Strip, demonstrations were held almost daily in Jordan in solidarity with the Palestinians, including demands for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who landed in Israel on Tuesday, is due to visit Egypt and Jordan, which both have peace treaties with Israel, as part of a Middle East tour.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Air France, Finnair and Singapore Airlines became the latest carriers to suspend flights over Belarus on Tuesday after Minsk forced a jet to land to arrest a dissident.

The announcements came a day after European Union leaders urged EU-based airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and banned the country's airlines from the 27-nation block.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko sparked international outrage by dispatching a fighter jet Sunday to intercept a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying wanted reporter Roman Protasevich, 26, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega.

Air France said in a statement it had "taken note" of the conclusions of Monday's EU summit and had suspended flights over Belarus "until further notice".

Planes already in the air will have their flight plans modified, the French company said.

Singapore Airlines was also rerouting flights "that are bound for Europe to avoid the Belarusian airspace" and would continue to "closely monitor the situation", a spokesperson said.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority," a spokesperson told AFP.

Finnair said the next flight that will be affected by its decision to reroute planes is one that was heading to the Turkish coastal town of Gazipasa on Wednesday.

Scandinavian airline SAS, Germany's Lufthansa and Latvia-based regional airline Air Baltic made similar announcements on Monday.

Britain also issued instructions for British aircraft to avoid Belarusian airspace while Ukraine decided to halt direct flights between the two countries and over Belarus.

Western leaders have accused Belarusian authorities of essentially hijacking a European plane, while Minsk claimed it had reacted to secure the flight after receiving a bomb threat.

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Related More airlines suspend flights in Belarus airspace

The Kremlin said Tuesday it regrets Europe's plans to cut air links with ex-Soviet Belarus and avoid its airspace after the diversion of a Ryanair flight carrying an opposition activist.

The aircraft travelling from Athens to Vilnius landed in the Belarus capital Minsk after a supposed bomb threat.

The incident caused a global outcry, with EU-based carriers cutting air links with Belarus and European leaders warning of fresh sanctions.

"We can only express regret. It is very expensive for any company to fly around the territory of a rather large country located in the centre of Europe," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"In the end these recommendations will cost the passengers of the planes, who will be in the air for an extra half-hour or hour," he said.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and his allies are already under European and US sanctions for the handling of protests that gripped the country after a disputed presidential vote in August 2020.

Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, who was aboard the diverted Ryanair flight, was arrested at Minsk airport and authorities say he is being held in a pre-trial detention centre.

His girlfriend Sofia Sapega, a Russian national who was with him on the flight, was also detained.

Peskov said he "hopes that in the near future" she will be released.

"Unfortunately, our citizens are being detained in different parts of the world. We always provide legal assistance," he said.

Protasevich, 26, fled to Europe in 2019 from where he co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, a key Belarus opposition media that helped mobilise protesters.

In Belarus he faces charges of organising mass unrest, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

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The International Finance Corporation - a member of World Bank Group - has delivered a $45 million debt-finance package to UK-based Integrated Diagnostics Holdings (IDH), a consumer healthcare company with operations in Egypt; Jordan; Sudan and Nigeria, the IDH announced on Tuesday.

The eight-year loan will be used to finance IDHs growth plans across new and existing markets as well as help expand access to high-quality diagnostic services in high growth emerging markets, in addition to its current presence in Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria and Sudan, as according to the company.

More specifically, the company is seeking value-accretive acquisition opportunities in African, Middle Eastern and South Asian markets, where its business model is well-suited to capitalise on healthcare and consumer trends similar to those prevailing in its existing markets.

Moreover, the financing package will also be utilised in expanding IDHs medical services and test portfolio, with a special focus on testing for COVID-19 in Egypt and Jordan as both countries continue to battle through the pandemic, all while growing IDHs branch network to improve accessibility and reach.

Such a new debt financing agreement allows IDH to deliver on its strategic objective of expanding access to high quality, affordable healthcare and diagnostic services in new and existing markets, while also delivering on IFCs goal of promoting economically, socially and environmentally sustainable private investment," said IDHs CEO Hend El-Sherbiny.

"This new agreement further strengthens our [already] existing long-term strategic cooperation that began with our co-investment in Nigeria, where we have jointly deployed millions of dollars to bring best-in-class medical diagnostic practices and technology to Africas most populous country. [All] through this new debt financing agreement," said El-Sherbiny.

With support from IFC, IDH is also aiming at becoming the first healthcare provider, in the Middle East and Africa, to obtain IFCs EDGE Gender Equality Certification by creating optimal workplaces for women and men.

IDH is already a founding signatory to IFCs 'Ethical Principles in Healthcare', which promote ethical practices across the international private healthcare delivery system.

IFCs financing package is part of its strategy to help private health providers in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia meet the soaring demand of healthcare as well as support governments in their goal of reaching 'Universal Health Coverage'.

Regionally, Egypt contributed last year the largest share of IDHs consolidated revenue at 81.8 percent, according to the companys financial results for 2020.

On Wednesday, Egypts Stock Exchange (EGX) welcomed IDH, listed in London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the code IDHC, with a trading of EGP 600 million shares of the company in the Egyptian market.

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British companies and UK Export Finance (UKEF) are committed to contribute to the development of the Egyptian railway system so that it becomes more sustainable and efficient, British Ambassador to Egypt Geoffrey Adams said on Tuesday.

Adams met with Egypts Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir during which they discussed current and future cooperation, including railway, electric traction and subway system projects.

Adams said the UK is also developing the new monorail system in Cairo, noting that such projects create job opportunities for Egyptian and British people.

These projects also offer clean and more environmentally-friendly transportation, which are essential to achieve climate-related goals.

A consortium led by Bombardier Transportation, which is now part of Alstom, confirmed a deal with the Egyptian government in January to build two new monorails in Cairo.

The agreement is the result of government financing from UKEF worth 1.7 billion ($2.4 billion). The UK says such financing is its largest ever provided for an overseas infrastructure project.

During the meeting, El-Wazir and Adams affirmed that the two trains will be delivered to Egypt in September.

They also discussed a UKEF-funded agreement to export 50 new locomotives to Egypt and develop 50 others. The agreement was concluded between the Egyptian National Railways and the US-based Progress Rail Locomotives in 2018.

El-Wazir and Adams discussed the willingness of Hitachi Rail STS, through its branch in the UK, to manufacture and export 200 sleeper railcars to Egypt.

Adams also affirmed that the US Bechtel Corporation, through its UK branch, will provide the Egyptian transport ministry with technical and financial support during the first week of July to support Cairo metros sixth line.

El-Wazir said last month as many as 153 projects are currently being implemented to modernise the country's railway system, 27 of which are included in the ministry's budget for the coming fiscal year.

This comes at a total cost of EGP 132 billion (nearly $8.2 billion), according to El-Wazir.

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The World Bank has provided developing countries with $83 billion in climate financing over the past five years and it intends to increase this amount over the next five years with an additional $50 billion to accelerate climate action for the sake of reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to the President of the World Bank David Malpass.

Malpass made his comments during the Innovate 4 Climate (I4C) conference that kicked off on Tuesday and concludes on Thursday.

I4C, hosted by the World Bank Group, is an annual global conference on climate finance, climate investment and climate markets, attracting leaders focused on transformative and innovative action on climate change.

Launched in 2017, I4C is designed to bring together thought leaders interested in linking climate innovation with investment opportunities, transforming dialogue into action.

Malpass noted that the World Bank is the largest developer of climate action financing, particularly those headed to the developing countries, adding that the bank provides $100 billion annually for sustainable development.

He also said that World Bank dedicates 45 percent of its finances for adaptation to climate change.

Addressing the climate change issue, developing countries need to adopt carbon pricing mechanism that allows the governments to impose taxes and fees on projects that are not yet decarbonising, according to Malpass.

He explained that such an instrument is a win-win process for the governments that encourages businesspersons to reduce the use of carbon-based fuels, while benefiting the states budgets by increasing revenues.

Meanwhile, the CEO of USA-based BlackRock  a multinational investment management corporation Larry Fink said that the goal of reaching carbon-neutral climate by 2050 will be impossible unless the whole globe and international financial institutions establish a unified action plan.

He added that public sector cannot carry out the climate action efforts alone, asserting the need to partner with the private sector to provide investment.

He also urged policy makers to adopt smart climate solutions to accelerate climate action.

In the same vein, the director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stressed that reaching an agreement on carbon pricing mechanisms will make the action easier, especially for the developing countries and low-income economies.

She noted the WTO is consulting with its members about the instruments and tools that could be used to further adoption of carbon pricing mechanisms.

On his side, the International Monetary Funds (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang said that adopting carbon pricing must be complemented by increasing green investments to avoid any kind of disruptions.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Guy Ryder said that climate action is expected to create about 24 million new jobs, while causing other jobs to vanish.

In this respect, Ryder urged the governments, especially in the developing countries and low-income economies, to set up public programmes while implementing the transition towards a green economy.

The conference was punctuated with the launch of the World Banks annual report, State and Trends of Carbon Pricing, which showed that there are 64 carbon pricing instruments in operation globally with an increase of six instruments compared to 2020, which had 58 carbon taxes and emission trading systems (ETSs) in operation.

It also said that 21.4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are covered by carbon pricing instruments in operation, representing a significant increase to 2020, when only 15.1 percent were covered.

In 2020, carbon pricing instruments generated $53 billion in revenue, which is an increase of around $8 billion compared to 2019, largely due to the increase in the EU allowance price, according to the report.

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Zoho has extended its technology platform to government bodies, hospitals and NGOs in India providing Covid relief, in order to help them streamline and manage their operations more efficiently. The company has also set up a dedicated helpline and a team to assist those who want to utilise Zohos platform to build a customised solution. These solutions can help them be better prepared for future challenges as well.

As part of this initiative, Zoho has worked with a few NGOs as well as government departments, including Tamil Nadu State Covid War Room, to develop tech solutions for managing their relief work. The company has also urged other technology providers to offer their expertise in helping frontline workers.

Based on the requirement of the organisation or individuals, Zohos dedicated team can build customised solutions using any of the companys 50+ apps, which will be made available for free for this purpose. Some of the areas where Zoho can provide assistance include:

Fund collection: Zoho Checkout can be used to accept online payments or donations and send receipts to the donors. Zoho Invoice can be used to accept offline donations, send receipts, track billable expenses and raise invoices.

Zoho Checkout can be used to accept online payments or donations and send receipts to the donors. Zoho Invoice can be used to accept offline donations, send receipts, track billable expenses and raise invoices. Inventory management: Zoho Inventory can be used to track the inventory of PPE kits, medical supplies, etc., and provide alerts when restocking is required. NGOs can connect to multiple selling channels, shippers, and track the delivery.

Zoho Inventory can be used to track the inventory of PPE kits, medical supplies, etc., and provide alerts when restocking is required. NGOs can connect to multiple selling channels, shippers, and track the delivery. Volunteer and contact management: Zoho CRM can be used to capture donor, volunteer, or patient details, and get real-time visibility into the operation.

Zoho CRM can be used to capture donor, volunteer, or patient details, and get real-time visibility into the operation. Data collection: Zoho Forms can be used to create web forms for collecting and managing registrations, payments, subscriptions, requests and contact forms.

Zoho Forms can be used to create web forms for collecting and managing registrations, payments, subscriptions, requests and contact forms. Helpdesk and IVR solutions: Zoho Desk can help in addressing public issues and requests through a robust multichannel ticketing system, and deliver contextual service in real time.

Zoho Desk can help in addressing public issues and requests through a robust multichannel ticketing system, and deliver contextual service in real time. Live chat and chatbots: Zoho SalesIQ can help provide immediate virtual assistance through live chat, automate routine tasks, and resolve queries with chatbots.

Zoho SalesIQ can help provide immediate virtual assistance through live chat, automate routine tasks, and resolve queries with chatbots. Social media response management: Zoho Social can help users publish unlimited outreach campaigns on social media, respond to people, and monitor SOS messages.

Zoho Social can help users publish unlimited outreach campaigns on social media, respond to people, and monitor SOS messages. Video conferencing: Zoho Meeting can help doctors provide clinical services to people online, while other users can conduct training webinars, or hold conference calls with volunteers and other stakeholders.

Zoho Meeting can help doctors provide clinical services to people online, while other users can conduct training webinars, or hold conference calls with volunteers and other stakeholders. Data reporting and analysis: Zoho Analytics can help users transform large amounts of medical, financial, and operational data into actionable insights.

Zoho Analytics can help users transform large amounts of medical, financial, and operational data into actionable insights. Custom low-code applications: For custom needs, apps can be easily created on Zohos low-code platform, Zoho Creator.

We have been working with Zoho to create a solution for us, using Zoho CRM, to streamline our efforts to combat Covid. Zohos app is being used by volunteers at the Tamil Nadu Covid War Room to address Covid-related requests and issues coming in through the 104 helpline. When people require hospitalisation, the volunteers use the app to find the nearest hospital where a bed is available and issue a token that can be used to get the bed. The app is also being used to manage requests for oxygen, medicines and food. Even burial and cremation requests, and grief counselling is being managed using the app. Its being deployed in phases to our 50,000 volunteers. Based on the requirement, we will scale the operation to 2 lakh volunteers. The use of technology will help us in quickly responding to patients needing critical care, efficiently managing and allocating available resources, and monitoring the situation closely as we will have real-time visibility into the operation, said Dr Viduthalai Virumbi B, Health Officer, Tamil Nadu State Covid War Room.

Covid Citizens is a community-driven collective which verifies and crowd-sources pan-India information on critical Covid resources such as medicines, oxygen cylinders, beds, blood tests, meal services, plasma, ambulances, and more. Zoho supports Covid Citizens through their tool for social media outreach, said Utkarsh Roy, Co-Founder, IntroBot, and Core Team Member of Covid Citizens.

A group of volunteers from multiple NGOs had gotten together to help a patient in Chennai find a hospital bed. The team was using Google Sheets and WhatsApp to run their operations. This was proving to be difficult and also had issues with duplication of effort. This is when we decided to build an application to streamline the entire process. We were able to quickly build and launch the app using Zoho Creator in 48 hours. We also found Zoho Creator easy to use. Today, more than 120 volunteers are helping 100+ patients find hospital beds everyday using the system, said Shyam Sundar Nagarajan, Founder, GoFloaters.
Worlds talk Japanese Pilot Shinji Maeda will visit the most remarkable touristic and archaeological cities in Egypt to spread his message Nothing is impossible and then continue his trip to Sudan.

Shinji Maeda who calls himself a one-eyed pilot, departed for his around-the-world flight on 1st May with a mission to inspire people with his message, Nothing is impossible.

Under the slogan Challenging the difficulties, Sphinx International Airport received, a couple of days ago, the Japanese Pilot Shinji Maeda, who has lost sight in his right eye due to a car accident, but insisted on completing his studies in aviation. He obtained a flight license from the University of Arizona in the United States, and then decided to travel around the world with his plane in a two-month-long daunting task to send a message to the world on the necessity to stick to one's dream, regardless of any difficulties.

The administration of Sphinx Airport received Shinji, who arrived from Athens. Pilot Mohamed Manar, the Minister of Civil Aviation, laid instructions to provide all the necessary facilities and licenses to the Japanese pilot in order to finish all his procedures easily, in addition to instructing public relations to present him with souvenirs.

Shinji will visit the most important touristic and archaeological cities in Egypt, namely El Gouna and Aswan, before he continues his trip to Sudan.

It is worth noting that the Japanese pilots journey began from the United States through Canada, Iceland, France, Norway, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, India, Thailand and the Philippines, this trip will take about 130 hours and he will return to the United States again early next July.

Shinji is the founder and president of the Aero Zypangu Project, a 501c3 non-profit organisation he founded with his supporters. Its mission is to provide opportunities and experiences that inspire hope, strength and joy in people with disabilities; in youngsters and in their families through aviation activities. Through his motivational lectures and discovery flight lessons, Shinji delivers his message, Nothing is impossible, through his own life experiences.

As a child, Shinji loved looking up at the sky from his fathers farmland, thinking about becoming a pilot. After graduating from junior high school, he left his parents home to attend Japan Aviation High School in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo. From there, he was admitted to the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the College of Science and Technology, Nihon University. As he was striving towards his dream, he experienced a major setback in his first year of college. He was hit by a car on the street and lost sight in his right eye.

Short link:


There is a growing recognition that the ceasefire brokered by Egypt between Hamas and Tel Aviv  and backed by the United States, Europe and the international community  should be the trigger to resume the long stalled peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

If no serious effort is exerted to restart peace talks, the latest truce will be just one more pause in the Palestinians seven-decade struggle to affirm their legitimate right to self determination and have their own independent state free of Israeli occupation.

Israels continuing occupation of Palestinian territories captured in 1967, and the racist nature of such occupation, is the mother of all Palestinian pain. Many had hoped that the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accords between the two sides would end a long chapter of occupation, wars, blood and hate. However, such hopes quickly evaporated.

What actually started in 1993 was a new round of endless negotiations that only gave Israel the chance to tighten its control over occupied Palestinian territories and systematically build more illegal settlements, making the target of a Palestinian state impossible to achieve.

The political turmoil that rocked the region in 2011 following popular revolts in several Arab countries was not good news for Palestinians. Israel saw a golden opportunity in the civil wars that broke out in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq, as well as the instability in Egypt, to argue that the Palestinian cause was not the central cause of conflict in the Middle East, as Arab countries have argued for years. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was ignored, as well as Palestinian suffering, confiscation of land and daily humiliation passing through heavily fortified Israeli checkpoints.

At the same time, Israel, while physically absent from the Gaza Strip, continued to suffocate the overpopulated region where over two million Palestinians live in an open jail. Indeed, the world intervened in the last two wars Israel launched against Gaza in 2008 and 2014, but reaching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians was not even an item on the international agenda.

Former US president Donald Trumps extreme bias for Israel, and his total disregard of international law and Security Council resolutions affirming that all Palestinian territories captured by Israel in 1967, including East Jerusalem, were occupied territories, further dimmed any hope that Palestinians were close to restoring any of their legitimate rights.

With a new administration in the White House, staffed by senior officials who have a long experience in the Middle East, perhaps there is some hope that the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks could be back on track. The widespread protests in many Arab and world countries, including the United States and Europe, calling for an end to Israels latest aggression on Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank confirmed that international public opinion was more aware that Palestinians have legitimate rights that must be met.

Hardly hours after the ceasefire took effect early on Friday, clashes broke out again at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli occupation troops. Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, whom Israel attempted to forcibly evict from their homes, sparking the latest round of confrontation between Israel and Palestine, remain steadfast as ever in their refusal to leave. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank also clashed with the Israeli army stationed at the checkpoints and close to illegal settlements.

Meanwhile, Gaza not only needs a complete overhaul to restore the massive damage caused by the latest round of indiscriminate shelling of buildings, power and water stations and even hospitals, its people also need jobs and free movement, which they didnt enjoy for many years.

All such Palestinian suffering is the key reason behind the repeated outbreak of wars between the two sides. After successfully reaching the ceasefire late last week, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi was quick to point out that what is needed now is even more difficult effort to restore peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The two phone conversations that took place between Al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden shortly after the announcement of the end of hostilities concentrated not just on the much needed rebuilding effort in Gaza, but also on the means to restart diplomatic efforts to reach the ultimate goal of a two-state solution: Palestine and Israel. During their second phone call on Monday, both Al-Sisi and Biden affirmed the strategic ties between the two countries, and agreed to work together on restoring stability, not just in Palestine, but also in Libya, Syria and Iraq. Biden also expressed understanding for Egypts concerns over the building of the Resurrection Dam in Ethiopia, and expressed willingness to mediate between the two sides.

Egypt did lead the Arab and international effort in starting the process of rebuilding Gaza by announcing that it would donate $500 million for this purpose. Yet it stressed that pouring money into Gaza and occupied Palestinian territories was not in itself enough, and that diplomatic and political efforts must start at the same moment to avoid a renewed cycle of the endless war caused mainly by Israels illegal occupation of Palestine.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 27 May, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Cautious rapprochement: Qatari foreign minister in Cairo to discuss Gaza



Dina Ezzat, Wednesday 26 May 2021





Qatari Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdel-Rahman Al-Thani arrived in Cairo on Tuesday on his first exclusively bilateral visit following a four-year diplomatic standoff.



Al-Thani visited Cairo for the first time in March this year to participate in an Arab foreign ministers meeting at the headquarters of the Arab League, and during his trip he met with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri for talks which Egyptian diplomats described at the time as thorough and candid.



In June 2017, Egypt joined the Emiratis, Saudis, and Bahrainis in imposing a boycott on Qatar to retaliate what the four aligned capitals characterised as Dohas destructive regional policies, its intervention in their internal affairs, and support of terrorist groups.



In January this year, during a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Saudi city of Al-Ula, which Shoukri attended, a process of reconciliation was launched. The consensus among Arab and Western diplomats said that the GCC reconciliation had become inevitable following the November 2020 election of Joe Biden as US president.



A few days after the GCC summit, Qatari Minister of Finance Ali bin Sherif Al-Amadi arrived in Cairo for a brief visit. He took part in the inauguration of a hotel owned by a Qatari company alongside his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Maait and the then US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.



In the months that followed Shoukri made a few cautiously positive statements on Egyptian-Qatari relations. Egypt, he said, is willing to pursue closer relations with Qatar on the basis of mutual respect of national sovereignty and national interests.



Ending tit-for-tat media attacks was bilaterally agreed during the Shoukri-Thani talks in March and according to concerned Egyptian officials both Cairo and Doha have honoured the deal.



In a significant shift in the Egyptian position towards Qatari-owned and operated Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez briefed the broadcaster on Egypts diplomatic and security mediation to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.



According to Egyptian government sources, Cairo and Doha coordinated with both Hamas and Israel to help secure the ceasefire. The same officials said last weeks cooperation was not the first time that the two countries had cooperated over Gaza. Even during the years of boycott Cairo worked with Doha to improve the humanitarian situation in the Strip.



Egypt is working with regional and international partners to consolidate the ceasefire and launch a reconstruction plan for the devastated Strip which has sustained enormous damage to its infrastructure during the Israeli aggressions of 2008, 2012, 2014, and this year. Qatar is a key donor to the Hamas government which has been running Gaza since 2016.



Egypts change in posture towards Qatar has been mirrored by Cairos changing attitude towards Dohas strongest regional ally, Ankara.



Earlier this month a Turkish delegation arrived in Egypt for talks, the first significant sign of a thaw since relations soured in the summer of 2013.



Any rapprochement, however, remains cautious and conditional. As with Qatar, Egypt and Turkey agreed to end reciprocal media attacks. Egypt also demanded the suspension of attacks on its regime by Egyptian fugitives who fled to Turkey in 2013. The demands, Egyptian officials say, were promptly accommodated, leading to this months meeting between the deputy foreign ministers of the two countries. A ministerial meeting is being considered for the summer.



Despite the thaw in relations with both Ankara and Doha, an upgrade of diplomatic representation  downgraded, respectively, in 2013 and 2017  is unlikely to be immediate.



In the summer Cairo will be announcing new ambassadorial postings and according to an informed Foreign Ministry source neither Qatar nor Turkey are on the list. I am not saying it will not happen. I am saying that so far it might not happen. It all depends on political developments before the nominations are announced, he said.



*A version of this article appears in print in the 27 May, 2021 edition ofAl-Ahram Weekly







https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/412908.aspx
KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2021 - 23:58 | All, disasteralert, Japan

Japan plans to make a final decision Friday on whether to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency that is set to end in Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures early next week, a senior government official said Tuesday, amid a surge in coronavirus cases just two months before the opening of the Olympics in the capital.

The move comes as infection numbers in Japan's latest coronavirus wave have yet to fall significantly, leaving the medical system under considerable strain. A number of prefectures have either requested or are moving toward requesting that the central government extend the emergency.

People head to a newly opened mass coronavirus vaccination center in Tokyo's Otemachi business area on May 24, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Earlier in the day, health minister Norihisa Tamura said at a news conference, "Keeping an eye on extending the state of emergency, we will make a final decision by taking into account experts' evaluations."

The current state of emergency is set to expire Monday in the nine prefectures, also including Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Hiroshima and Okayama.

The government is considering setting a new end date of June 20, the same as for Okinawa which was placed under the emergency on Sunday as the 10th and most recent addition, or June 13, according to sources familiar with government discussions.

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said it is up to the central government to decide how long the emergency would be extended but that doing so for a "short period of time would be insufficient."

The Osaka prefectural government decided Tuesday to request that the central government extend the emergency as its hospital bed occupancy rate for serious COVID-19 patients remains above 80 percent. It is expected to jointly ask for an extended emergency with neighboring Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures.

Fukuoka Gov. Seitaro Hattori said he has requested that the central government maintain the state of emergency, while the governors of Aichi, Kyoto, Hyogo and Okayama prefectures have also suggested an extension is inevitable.

Tokyo is also considering making a similar request, a source familiar with the matter said.

Tamura said the number of new infections has been declining in Japan overall, but there are some areas in which the situation is worsening.

The government will assess whether the infection situation has improved from Stage 4, the worst on its four-level scale, to Stage 3 and whether it may be closing in on Stage 2, before making the decision on the state of emergency, he said.

Japan's third state of emergency took effect in Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto on April 25 and was already extended once from the initial end date of May 11.

The emergency was expanded to Aichi and Fukuoka, then Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima, and finally Okinawa.

Japan's vaccine rollout has been slow compared with other developed nations, with just about 2 percent of the country's population having received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

In a bid to accelerate the rollout, the government opened mass inoculation centers on Monday in the capital and Osaka.

On Tuesday, the government announced it will boost financial incentives for clinics to administer vaccines and consider allowing paramedics and clinical laboratory technicians to give shots.

Under the program, the government will increase the payments of 2,070 yen ($19) that clinics currently receive for every dose of COVID-19 vaccine they administer to 5,070 yen for facilities that give 150 or more shots per week over a span of four weeks.

Hospitals and clinics that administer 50 or more doses per day will receive 100,000 yen daily.
KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2021 - 20:55 | All, World, Japan

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday his country will remove its remaining import restrictions on food from Fukushima Prefecture imposed in the wake of the 2011 nuclear disaster, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

Suga welcomed the decision during a 20-minute phone call with Lee, as the leaders also affirmed cooperation in ensuring the fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries, the ministry said.

Singapore is among 54 countries and regions that placed restrictions on farm and fishery imports from Japan following the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi complex. The list has gradually thinned to 15, and many of those remaining have eased measures in steps.

In January 2020, Singapore lifted its ban on food imports from some municipalities in the northeastern Japan prefecture on condition that the shipments include certification of place of origin and checks for radioactive cesium.

Suga and Lee agreed to work together to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including by stepping up economic and defense cooperation, the ministry said.
KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2021 - 15:35 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The Japanese government said Tuesday it will extend the quarantine period for travelers who have recently been to India and five other South Asian countries from six days to 10 days amid growing concerns over the India variant of the coronavirus.

The government also said it will newly impose a three-day quarantine period on travelers who have been to Kazakhstan and Tunisia, with a coronavirus test on the final day.

The 10-day quarantine, which also applies to Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is set to take effect Friday.

Travelers who have been to any of these South Asian areas within 14 days of arriving in Japan will be required to stay in a designated facility for the mandatory 10 days, during which they will be tested for the coronavirus three times.

As Japan has already banned the entry of foreign nationals, including those with resident status, who have been to the six countries within the past two weeks, except under special circumstances, the measure primarily effects Japanese citizens.

"There is a strong feeling of unease among the Japanese people regarding coronavirus variants, so we have decided to further tighten border controls in order to protect their health and lives," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference.
KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2021 - 13:54 | All, Japan

Yahoo Japan Corp. said Tuesday it will sell a subsidiary that offers foreign exchange margin trading services to industry leader GMO Financial Holdings Inc. for 28.8 billion yen ($265 million), ending its involvement in the highly competitive space.

Yahoo Japan is expected to complete the sale of all its shares in YJFX Inc. in September. YJFX will be renamed Gaika ex byGMO Inc., according to GMO, an industry leader by volume in retail foreign exchange margin trading.

Internet and e-commerce giant Yahoo Japan, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Z Holdings Corp., plans to focus its resources on growth areas such as the PayPay smartphone cashless payment service.

Competition has been heating up among providers of retail foreign exchange margin trading with fees being slashed as they attempt to woo customers.

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KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2021 - 16:30 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The Japanese government will boost financial incentives for clinics to administer COVID-19 vaccines and consider expanding the pool of medical professionals allowed to give the shots to paramedics and clinical laboratory technicians, its top spokesman said Tuesday.

The move comes as the country rushes to ramp up its sluggish inoculation program and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga mulls extending the state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas with just two months until the Tokyo Olympics.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference the government will increase the payments of 2,070 yen ($19) that clinics currently receive for every dose of COVID-19 vaccine they administer to 4,070 yen for facilities that give 100 or more shots per week over a span of four weeks, and to 5,070 yen for those that give 150 or more shots.

Clinics and hospitals that administer 50 or more doses per day will receive 100,000 yen per day and be further compensated for dispatching doctors and nurses to other medical facilities that are understaffed.

Suga, who has suffered a drop in public support amid dissatisfaction with his pandemic response, decided on the measures after meeting with members of his Cabinet including health minister Norihisa Tamura and vaccine czar Taro Kono in the morning.

Japan launched its inoculation drive in February starting with health care workers and later expanding to people aged 65 and older, but the effort has been held up by a dearth of doctors and nurses to administer shots.

Just over 5 percent of the country's population of 126 million has received at least one dose, while only about 2 percent are fully vaccinated.

Paramedics and clinical laboratory technicians join dentists on the list of medical professionals who could be authorized to give shots.

Kato said 40,000 of the 64,000 certified paramedics in the country are firefighters and 66,000 of the 200,000 licensed as clinical laboratory technicians already work at medical facilities, but added they should not join the inoculation effort at the expense of their normal duties.

Pharmacists, who Kono had previously suggested could also be called upon, and radiological technologists will play supporting roles such as monitoring people who have received shots for side effects, Kato said.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in a sea-plane from Sabarmati river in the Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country on Tuesday.

His return journey would also be by the same sea-plane.

"Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a sea-plane will land on the Sabarmati river. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back," Modi announced at a poll rally.

"Our party had planned my road show tomorrow. However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the sea-plane," Modi said.

"We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these sea-planes," Modi said.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said this is for the first time in the history of the country that a sea-plane will land on a water body and that will be the Sabarmati river.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel in the plane from here to Dharoi. He will visit Ambaji temple and come back from Dharoi to Sabarmati in the same plane," Rupani said.

#WATCH LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane https://t.co/eaTMyfEEzf  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017
New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a report from India's consul general in Chicago about an attack on a 30-year old Indian national in the US city.

Mohammad Akbar was seriously injured after he was shot in his right cheek by an unidentified assailant, according to media reports. "I have asked for a report from our Consul General in Chicago," Swaraj tweeted.

Mohammad Akbar was seriously wounded in the shooting on December 6 in the Albany Park neighbourhood in Chicago, according to reports and information provided by his family.

He was shot in the cheek and taken in serious condition to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police in Chicago said.

Akbar, who hails from Hyderabad, is studying for his postgraduate degree in computer systems networking and telecommunications at DeVry University in the US city, his family said.

In another tweet, Swaraj said she had sought details from the Uttar Pradesh government on reports that a number of foreign tourists were beaten up in Mirzapur.

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- BYD announced its 1 millionth new energy vehicle (NEV) rolled off the production line on May 19, representing a significant milestone in the automaker's 13-year NEV development history.



BYD Han EV; photo credit: BYD



The automaker said BYD will sell its passenger vehicles (PVs) to Europe in the future. The first model will be the BYD Tang EV, which is expected for delivery to consumers in Norway in the third quarter this year.

BYD currently has nearly 20 NEV models for sale, including sedans and SUVs in terms of car body types, and BEVs (battery electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) regarding powertrain solutions. Prices of BYDs vehicles range from 80,000 yuan ($12,440) to 350,000 yuan ($54,420).

The first NEV model of BYD is the F3DM that was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008 and went on sale in December 2008 with a price of 149,800 yuan ($23,290). It is also the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) model. It uses BYDs dual-mode powertrain that combines a 50kW 1.0-liter gasoline engine, a 25kW generator, and a 50kW traction motor, and can be switched between EV and HEV modes.

In full-electric vehicle area, BYD launched the e6 for taxi service first about eleven years ago.



BYD Tang EV; photo credit: BYD



In recent two years, BYD rolled out quite a few NEV models of the Dynasty and the e series. To move upscale, the company released such models as the Tang DM/EV and the Han DM/EV, which are priced above 250,000 yuan ($38,870).

For the first four months of 2021, BYD sold 78,414 new energy passenger vehicles, posting a year-over-year hike of 132.01%. Of those, 54,713 units were BEVs, representing 94.87% growth from a year earlier.

As of April 2021, BYD had produced over 990,000 NEVs in total.
Dubai has registered 25,455 real estate transactions worth AED92 billion ($25.04 billion) from January to April, thus achieving an increase of 51 per cent in terms of the number of transactions and 72 per cent in terms of their value compared to the same period in 2020.

According to the real estate bulletin issued by Dubai Land Department (DLD), the emirate's real estate sector showed robustness and an ability to adapt to various circumstances and developments.

The bulletin revealed that the real estate sector in the emirate will continue to attract more real estate investors, thanks to its strong infrastructure and attractive investment opportunities.

A total of 8,749 new investors entered the market in the first four months representing 65 per cent of the total number of real estate investors registered in that period, with a growth of 54 per cent compared to the same period in 2020.

According to the DLD report, the total value of real estate investments during the four-month period reached AED36 billion, up 44 per cent compared to last year.

The top five investor hotspots for villa sales were Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid followed by Palm Jumeirah, Wadi Al Safa 5, Wadi Al Safa 7, and Al Yelayiss 2. For apartment sales, Dubai Marina, Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, Business Bay, and Al Thanyah Fifth topped the most favourite list, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi:

Since last few days, News Nation, News State, and UC News are providing important information about the basic rights that are provided to the citizens of the country.

However, it is regrettable that even after 70 years of independence, a large part of the population is not aware of their rights.

Unfortunately, it is also true that those who are aware of their rights hardly get any justice. Hence it is imperative that we talk about human rights.

How did human rights get into existence?

The UN General Assembly had recognized Human Rights declaration on 10th December 1948. It was also decided to observe December 10 as Human Rights Day every year. In India though, the safeguard of human rights was already into the picture even before it was discussed at the UN General Assembly.

Different Articles of the Constitution bestowed on states of the Republic of India to uphold human rights.

The courts were given the power under Articles 32 and 226 of the Constitution to protect the human rights.

The Constitution empowered the states to enact laws for safeguarding the Human Rights.

It was in 1993 that a law related to Human Rights came into being under which National Human Rights Commission was set up as a free and strong entity. Along with, Human Rights Commissions were set up at state levels.

There is no doubt that India has a much better Human Rights record compared to many countries in the world including its neighbours but the existing figures are disappointing.

If we take a look at figures from the year 2013 to 2016 then we will observe that more than 3 lakh 30 thousand cases of Human Rights violation were registered. Which means that on an average more than 300 cases were reported every day.

On the Human Rights Index Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Bihar fare the worst.

There have also been claims of solving 3 lakh 11 thousand cases.

Over the past three years, including the months beginning this year, the National Human Rights Commission recommended the financial help of Rs. 28 crore 80 lakh in 1347 cases, disciplinary action in 98 cases while the prosecution was recommended in 6 cases.

But this does not justify the number of cases registered against which financial relief, disciplinary action, and prosecution were carried out.

The figures are disappointing.

What kind of Human Rights?

More than three crore cases are pending in the country and millions of Indians await justice. The police which is considered protector are themselves facing a lot many allegations of Human Rights violations.

In the past 10 years, 5.5 crore people have spiralled down the poverty line only because of expensive treatments and medicines. Nearly 15 thousand people every day!

Things are so bad that every third poor citizen of the world is an Indian.

A big section of the population is suffering from poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition and other basic needs.

Of course, in the past 70 years, things have improved on many fronts, but still, there is a long way to go.
New Delhi:

India and Russia are likely to sign a contract soon on sale of Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system, a senior Russian official said, describing discussions on the deal to be at a "very profound stage".

Presently discussions are going on the exact number of S 400 Triumf air defence systems that will be bought by India, according to Viktor N Kladov, director for international cooperation and regional policy of Rostec, a state-owned Russian defence and industrial group.

Asked when will the contract be signed, Kladov said, "As soon as they prepare the contract it will be signed...I cannot give you the time as I don't know but anytime in future because the two teams are working very hard".

"It is being discussed and it is still at a very profound stage. Technical details are being discussed. The two teams are working very hard on negotiations. It is a very sophisticated system, lots of technical details are to be looked into.

"It also includes pricing, training, transfer of technologies, setting up of command and control centers. Even if we supply it now you can't use it as it will take two years to train your personnel only then you can use it," Kladov told PTI.

India had announced in October last year a deal on the Triumf air defence systems from Russia, worth over USD 5 billion and collaborate in making four state-of-the-art frigates besides setting up a joint production facility for making Kamov helicopters.

The deals were announced following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit held in Goa last year.

The S-400 Triumf long-range air defence missile system has the capability to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

India and Russia have been in talks for over a year for the purchase of at least five systems of S-400 that will be a game changer in the region. It is capable of firing three types of missiles, creating a layered defence, and simultaneously engaging 36 targets.

While talking about the India-Russia joint venture contract for production of 200 Kamov 226T helicopters for the Indian armed forces, Kladov said he is hopeful that Russia would start supplying helicopters by the end of 2018, if the contract is signed in the beginning of 2018.

"I hope you (India) start receiving the first batch of helicopters by the end of 2018, if the contract is signed in January-February of 2018. But if the contract is signed at the end of 2018, then you will receive it in 2019. People are asking us when the contract will be signed but it is no longer our business, it is the business of the joint venture team. It is the joint venture team which is looking into it, which is largely controlled by the Indian side," Kladov said.

CEO of Russian Helicopters Andrey Boginisky earlier this month had said the contract for 200 KAMOV 226T is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2018.

Kladov also said that Rostec will participate in the tender exercise of 111 helicopters for the Indian navy and is "hopeful" of winning it.

While speaking on the civil helicopter sector in India, Kladov said the Indian civil helicopter market "is underestimated even as the demand is huge...We have several helicopters to offer for the civil helicopter sector".

He said Russia will start producing MI-17A2 civil helicopters next year and will target the Indian civil helicopter market. Kladov said Russia is willing to cooperate with India in order to develop single engine fighter aircraft with India.

"Russia don't produce single engine fighter aircraft. We have only twin engine aircraft to offer. But if India chooses to develop its own aircraft and if India is looking for an international cooperation to design such an aircraft we are willing to cooperate," he said.

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New Delhi:

Flipkart on Tuesday announced that it will be hosting the New Pinch Days from December 15and December 17. The bonanza offer comes a day after the Big Shopping Days sale ended.



The freedom sale will offer customers with lucrative discounts on various items like mobile phones including Google Pixel 2, Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G6, and more, laptops, television sets, headphones, tablets, digital camera, power banks, among others.



The E-Commerce giant has also teased an "offer of the year" on Samsung On Nxt 64GB. Besides the deals, the customers will be provided with no-cost EMI options and exchange offers.



Also, HDFC bank debit and credit card users will be getting an additional 10 percent discount on the purchases.



Sale on Mobile Phones and Electronic gadgets:



As the Flipkart's New Pinch Days sale is scheduled to start at 12 am IST on December 15, expect limited quantities of Pixel 2. It is said that Lenovo K8 Plus will be available at Rs. 8,999, down from Rs. 10,999, while Oppo F3 Plus will cost Rs. 17,990 (MRP Rs. 22,990).



Similarly you can grab Honor 9i and Moto X4 4GB RAM at Rs. 17,999 and Rs. 20,999. Moto Z2 Play will be available at Rs. 24,999 (MRP Rs. 27,999) in the sale, Mi MIX 2 at Rs. 32,999 (MRP Rs. 35,999), LG G6 at Rs. 31,990 (MRP Rs. 36,990), and LG V20 at Rs. 24,990 (MRP Rs. 60,000). Samsung Galaxy S7 will be available for purchase at Rs. 24,990 in the Flipkart sale (MRP Rs. 46,000).



However, other offers, deals, and discounts is expected to be revealed in the coming days.



Other electronic appliances such as mobile accessories, laptops, and headphones will receive up to 80 percent of discount.



Apart from this, TVs and home appliances will also get 80 percent discount in addition to exchange offers and no-cost EMIs. Deals and offers on categories such as home appliances, consumer durables, fashion, home & furniture, beauty, sports, books and toys will also be available.



The Big Billion sale commenced on December 7 midnight and which continued till Dec 9 midnight. The Big Billion sale offered lucrative discounts on several products across various categories including the smartphone and tablet section as well.



Flipkart also offered great deals on budget, mid-range as well as budget phone segments. Flipkart is offering massive discounts on iPhones 6s, iPhone 7 and the latest iPhone 8.
New Delhi :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh over a dinner meeting with Pakistani diplomats were unacceptable, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said here today.

The prime minister had insinuated that Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in the Gujarat polls. The former premier responded by saying Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" and asked him to apologise to the nation.

"What Modiji has said about former PM Manmohan Singh is not acceptable," Gandhi said at a press conference here today, the final day of campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He said the prime minister had refrained from speaking on corruption during the campaign in his home state.

Modi, Gandhi added, had remained silent on allegations against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah and the alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"PM Modiji has not spoken a word about corruption. He is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal," he said.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

Also read| Gujarat polls: Modi rides seaplane, offers prayers at Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha

"Mandir jana mana hai kya (Am I not allowed to visit temple)? I have asked for the well-being of the people of Gujarat during my temple visits," Gandhi said, when asked the reason behind his frequent temple visits in the poll-bound state.

Taking a jibe at Modi over his sea-plane ride from the Sabarmati River here to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district, Gandhi said it was a distraction from the main issues of Gujarat.

The Congress leader also said he was confident that his party would win the elections in the state.

Also read| Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks of Pakistan, China but not Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi

"We are confident that Congress will win in Gujarat," Gandhi said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi had sought to suggest that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state.

He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar's house over dinner on December 6. This was a day before Aiyar's "neech" jibe against Modi that led to his suspension from the party.

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Moscow:

President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria during a surprise visit to the war-torn country.

Russia first intervened in the conflict in 2015, staging air strikes in support of its ally Damascus targeting both the Islamic State group and other jihadists as well as rebels fighting government troops.

I order the defence minister and the chief of general staff to start withdrawing the Russian group of troops to their permanent bases, Putin said in a televised speech as he visited Russias Hmeimim airbase in Syria.

I have taken a decision: a significant part of the Russian troop contingent located in Syria is returning home to Russia.

Putin, who was welcomed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said the troops had helped the Syrian army crush the most battle-ready group of international terrorists, apparently referring to the Islamic State group.

Our homeland thanks you, my friends, Putin said. Have a safe trip. I thank you for your service.

Putin and Assad were pictured smiling and shaking hands. Putin made the stopover at the base in Latakia province, a regime stronghold, on his way to Egypt where he arrived later today.

Putin said last month that efforts to end the war were entering a new stage as the focus shifted from military intervention to political reform.

More than 340,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against Assads rule that sparked a brutal crackdown.

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Bengaluru:

On Monday evening IG western range of Karnataka Hemant Nimbalakar released the forensic report of the death of 18-year-old Paresh Mesta of Honnavar.



The 3-page forensic report gives answers to 19 questions which were asked by the investigation officer of this case. The report says "neither is there any evidence of injuries over the body due to weapons, nor any evidence of hot water or chemical being poured on the body was found. The report further says the tattoo on the arm of Paresh's body was intact and colour of body has changed due to putrefaction". The forensic investigation was done by doctors of Kasturba Medical College Manipal.



On December 9, a senior leader of Karnataka BJP and member of parliament Shoba Karandalaje had blamed Popular Front Of India (PFI) for Paresh's death. Shoba said, Colour of Paresh's body has turned black. It looks like boiling oil was put on his face. He had a tattoo on arm, flesh of that part has been ripped off. Those who killed Paresh have connections with PFI and the government is trying to protect them."



However, police have not clarified the real cause of death. While talking to News Nation, Hemant Nimbalkar, IG western range said, "We are waiting for the viscera report. With the help of that report, we can ascertain the cause of death. We had to release the forensic report because some people were trying to create law and order situation by circulating fake information and we will take strict action against those who are circulating this fake information."



On Monday late evening, police arrested one person by name Timmappa Parameshvar Nayak, aged 43 years, PE teacher in a private school, residing at Hiregutti, Kumta for spreading false rumours through WhatsApp with respect to the death of Paresh Mesta.



Paresh Mesta was a fisherman who would also participate in the religious functions in the local temple as a drummer.



Meanwhile, BJP leaders will be taking out a protest march on Tuesday in Bengaluru from Vidhan Soudha to Raj Bhawan and submit a memorandum to Governor regarding the death of Paresh.
New Delhi:

A Kerala Sessions Court on Tuesday found the accused labourer, guilty in 30-year-old Jisha rape and murder case which was in focus during the campaign for the Kerala Assembly elections last year.

Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had on December 6 completed the hearing in the case and pronounced the judgement today.

Muhammed Ameerul Islam, a migrant labourer from Assam and the lone accused in the case, has been charged with brutally raping and murdering the 30-year old woman, a law student, at nearby Perumbavoor on April 28, 2016.

He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules.

As many as 100 witnesses were examined during the trial which commenced in April last. The prosecution has described it as a rarest of rare case.

Islam, who had left Perumbavoor soon after allegedly committing the crime, was arrested from Kancheepuram in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, 50 days after the gruesome incident.

Jisha, a Dalit woman, who hailed from a poor family, was raped and brutally assaulted using sharp-edged weapons before being murdered at her house.

The incident was in focus during the state assembly polls campaign last year with political parties attacking the then Congress-led UDF regime for tardy progress in the probe and failure to nab culprits.

The LDF government, after assuming power on May 25 last year, changed the investigation team and entrusted the probe to ADGP B Sandhya in its first cabinet meeting itself.

More than 100 police personnel had questioned over 1,500 people. Finger prints of over 5,000 people were also examined by the SIT personnel who went through over 20 lakh telephonic conversations before reaching Islam.

Police have said a blood stained footwear found from a canal near the victims house was one of the key evidence in identifying the culprit.

(With PTI Inputs)

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New Delhi :

Ruling out an apology by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday charged former prime minister Manmohan Singh with defying the stated national policy on terror by meeting Pakistani diplomats and demanded to know the context, relevance and necessity of such a meet.

He termed the dinner meeting at suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence as "political misadventure" and said the main opposition party is expected to follow the national line that terror and talks cannot go hand in hand.

Addressing a press conference hours after Singh demanded an apology from Modi for setting a "dangerous precedent" by alleging "innuendos and falsehoods" about the meeting, Jaitley said the Congress must explain the context of the meeting.

"It is surprising that for a misadventure that the Congress party indulged in, to which some of its senior leaders became a party, they should expect the Prime Minister of India to apologise for it," he said.

India's national position on talks with Pakistan is well known and all responsible groups in India, including the main opposition party, are expected to honour that, Jaitley asserted.

Stating that this was not the first time that such "misadventures" have taken place, he referred to the Sharm el-Sheikh declaration after Indo-Pak talks "when Baluchistan issue was allowed to enter the text of the agreement and the condition precedent for a dialogue that Pakistan territory should not be used for terrorism was done away with".

He said the Congress and its leadership should come out with detailed facts on what transpired in the meeting and what was its necessity under the present circumstances.

Jaitley said that till yesterday the Congress was denying the meeting and "today instead of accepting this as a misadventure, they try to blame those who are raising this issue".

Asked if the leaders present at the meeting should be tried for treason, he said it is a political misadventure and "it has a political cost".

Asked about Singh's statement that Gujarat elections, as stated by Prime Minister, was not discussed at the dinner, Jaitley said the party must explain the context, relevance and necessity of such a meet.

On Aiyar, he said the suspended Congress leader "has always had an inconsistent position" and maintained "a parallel line of dialogue", "underplayed Pakistan's role in instigating terrorism in India and they continue to engage with them".

"But that responsible section of the Congress party should have become privy to that engagement is indeed worrisome. It's admittedly as I said, a complete misadventure for very senior people in India's public life to have done what some of the senior Congress leaders did.

"And having done that, to expect the Prime Minister of India to apologise for having flagged the issue is indeed beyond comprehension," he wondered.

He said the main Opposition party is expected to follow the national policy, which states that terror and talks cannot go hand in hand.

"Is (the) main opposition party not part of the State?" he asked.

Jaitley said that if anyone defies the national line, he should be prepared to answer questions.

Also read| FRDI bill will protect the rights of depositors: Arun Jaitley



He wanted the former prime minister to explain what transpired at the meeting and went on to defend his government's track record of fighting terror, saying no government in the past has a track record this government has in fighting terrorism.

In response to Singh's demand for apology, Jaitley further said people who have violated the national policy of talks and terror not going hand in hand should apologise.

On Singh's comment that remarks by Modi at a public rally had demeaned the office of the Prime Minister, Jaitley said debate never demeans any office.

"When you have meeting of such kind, you should be prepared that questions will be asked," he said. "If anyone of us defies a national line which is inconsistent with India's line, we should be prepared to answer questions."

Also read| Congress' Gujarat manifesto 'financially impossible': Arun Jaitley



The finance minister also said: "(The) misadventure is a political misadventure and it has political fallout."

He also claimed that the BJP is comfortably winning in Gujarat.

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Washington :

US President Donald Trump has asked Congress to enact immigration reforms to protect the American people, a day after a blast triggered by an ISIS- inspired Bangladeshi-origin man near a metro station in New York City left four persons injured.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device yesterday prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America's largest bus terminal, police said.

"...(The) attempted mass murder attack in New York City -- the second terror attack in New York in the last two months -- once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people," Trump said.

The suspect reportedly came to the US from Bangladesh some seven years ago on a family visa.

"First and foremost... America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country.The terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Trump said.

He added that the suspect had entered the country through "extended-family chain migration," a system the president is seeking to end that allows families to sponsor relatives to come to the United States.

Also Read: Americans on Moon? Donald Trump directs NASA to prepare for future Mars trip

Trump said his executive action to restrict the entry of certain nationals from eight countries, which the Supreme Court recently allowed to take effect, is just one step forward in "securing" the immigration system.

"Congress must end chain migration," he said, listing a slew of measures to improve and secure the immigration system.

"The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America's security and economy has long been clear.I am determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first," Trump said.

Trump said those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases.

America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror, he said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the attack underscored the need for Congress to work with the president on immigration reforms that enhance the national security and public safety.

"We must protect our borders, we must ensure that individuals entering our country are not coming to do harm to our people, and we must move to a merit-based system of immigration," she said.

"Additionally, this attack comes as our coalition continues to make great gains against ISIS. Still, there is more work to be done on the ground in the shrinking ISIS- controlled areas, and the president's plan to annihilate ISIS is moving forward," Sanders said.

She called for destroying the "evil ideology" that is behind ISIS and attacks like the one in New York on Monday.

Also Read: Japan to host joint missile tracking drill amid North Korea threat

"The president has successfully rallied the world behind this cause, and we will not stop until it is accomplished," she asserted.

Noting that the president's policy has called for an end to chain migration and if that had been in place, that would have prevented the individual (from Bangaldesh) from coming to the United States, she said Trump is aggressively going to continue to push forth responsible immigration reform.

"And any chain migration would certainly be a part of that process," she said.

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New Delhi:

As campaigning for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections ended on Tuesday, newly elected Congress President Rahul Gandhi claimed his party shall return to power as there is Jabardast (massive) undercurrent against BJP in the state.

BJP, on the other hand, looked a little insecure in its bastion for the first time in last 22 years. However, the party said it will win over 150 seats.

But, the narrative emerged in Gujarat is that there was a discontent among BJPs otherwise traditionally strong trading community over GST and demonetisation.

And this was the reason PM Modi could not seek votes in the name of GST and demonetisation, what he claims his biggest reforms.

However, the same trading community, especially in urban Gujarat, would be the biggest obstacle for Congress to remove as they are the loyalists of BJP and "Narendra Bhai".

The Congress President-elect, while talking about the undercurrent against BJP, was hoping to ride on the discontent among the farmers over mutted cotton and groundnut prices and among traders facing slowdown in their business activities due to GST and demonetisation.

Farmers can change the equation in Congress's way as the party was not too far behind BJP in Rural Gujarat in 2012 elections.

Suggested Read | Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017: Muslim voters fear The Devil might transfer their votes to wrong candidates

What 2012 Assembly Election Data Shows

Despite the favourable-looking political conditions in the state, the road to dislodge BJP in its stronghold Gujarat would be a herculean task for Rahul Gandhi to travel.

In 2012 Assembly elections, BJP won 52 seats in Urban Gujarat while Congress could only manage to win 6 constituencies.

When it comes to Rural Gujarat, the grand-old party winning 55 seats as compared to BJPs 63 produced a neck-to neck fight.

So, as per this analysis, if the Congress wants to gain substantial ground in Gujarat, it has to make inroads into the BJPs loyal urban vote base.

Also Read | 'Shame on you', Sharad Pawar tells PM Modi for remarks against Manmohan

The Rural and Urban Voter Mindset

According to a pre-poll survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS-ABP News, BJP is way ahead of Congress in Urban Central Gujarat and Urban Saurashtra regions.

In Urban Central Gujarat, 35 per cent people intended to vote for the saffron party while only 20 per cent said they will vote for the Congress.

The Modi factor was quite visible in Urban Saurashtra as well where 46 per cent people said they will vote for BJP while only 30 per cent extended their support to Congress.

However, the Congress seems to be giving a tough fight to BJP in Urban North Gujarat where 41 per cent people were in favour of voting for Congress as opposed to BJPs 51 per cent.

But in the Patidar dominated Urban South Gujarat region, Congress may be able to severely dent BJPs vote share. 43 per cent people in this region said they will vote for the Congress while only 36 per cent favoured the ruling party.

According to the poll, Congress seems to have gone past the BJP when it comes to the rural areas. In Rural Central Gujarat, 47 per cent people said they will vote for the grand-old party while 56 per cent in Rural North Gujarat and 49 per cent in Rural Saurashtra gave preference to Congress over BJP.

In Rural South Guajarat, BJP, with 44 per cent votes was slightly ahead of Congresss 42 per cent.

Though, the Congress stands in a much more comfortable position in Rural Gujarat, it will have to improve its average victory margin (votes per seat) which stood at 14,456 votes in the 2012 Gujarat Assembly elections.

With Congress enjoying the bigger cushion in rural areas, the upheaval task ahead would be denting through BJPs loyal urban vote bank and increase the victory margin to win the high-stake Gujarat elections.
Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), a unit of Dubai Land Department (DLD), has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad Esco), in bid to achieve a number of common and related goals - most prominently reducing the total service charge for unit owners in freehold properties - in addition to the long-term benefit for a period not exceeding 99 years, and enhancing transparency in customer service for the cooling services billing system.

The MoC with Etihad Esco would help achieve a qualitative leap in the field of energy efficiency and other relevant fields, remarked Marwan bin Ghalita, the CEO of Rera, after signing the deal with Waleed Salman, Executive VP of Business Development and Excellence at Dewa, and Vice Chairman of Etihad Esco.

The MoC also included co-operation in paying the cooling services on time; invoicing the energy bills (electricity and air conditioning) for the units and areas of shared spaces in the projects within the real estate invoices issued by Dewa; installing, maintaining and reading energy meters through Etihad Esco and making payments directly to Dewa; and exploring the possibility of implementing energy efficiency solutions in the building that could help reduce energy costs.

"We will work together to achieve it in the best way. We will work to continuously develop partnerships that would contribute to strengthening the infrastructure of the real estate sector in its various fields and trends," he stated.

Salman said Etihad Esco looked forward to this partnership with Rera to achieve the specified results and goals. "Under this deal, Etihad Esco was committed to conducting a feasibility study, coordinating field visits, establishing and proposing an invoice form, and developing a project financing model."

Mohammed Khalifa bin Hammad, Senior Director at Rera, said: "We are committed to providing 10 buildings to implement the pilot project, with all the necessary data for the buildings included in the pilot project that Etihad Esco may request."

"This is in addition to providing the necessary support and coordination with all relevant parties, including central cooling service providers, and jointly owned properties to perform services related to the MoC, in addition to organising the framework by issuing a policy that regulates the work that enforces and approves the business model and obligates all concerned parties," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
New York :

The Bangladeshi-origin suspect, who triggered a blast at a metro station in New York City, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, officials have said.

Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body, police said.

The device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, Americas largest bus terminal, injuring four persons and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the metropolis, officials said.

He has pledged allegiance to the ISIS terror group and told investigators that his planed terrorist attack in New York was mainly because of the recent Israeli actions in Gaza, officials said as per multiple media reports.

Ullah, who came to the US some seven years ago from Bangladesh, was apprehended yesterday with wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body.

He sustained injuries when the explosive devise tied to his body detonated prematurely at a New York metro station during the morning rush hour.

Three others were injured in the attempted terrorist attack at about 7.20 AM.

The Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton said Ullah is now a lawful permanent resident. He came to the US in 2011 on an F43 family immigrant visa, which is granted to children of American citizens siblings.

He lives in Brooklyn and is of Bangladeshi descent. According to Taxi and Limousine Commission, Ullah held a

Taxi and Limousine Commission license from March 2012 to March 2015. His license was not renewed after that.

Ullah told investigative officers that he made the explosive devise at his work place, which as per some media reports was an electric company.

Even though Ullah pledged allegiance to ISIS, law enforcement officials said as of now there is no known linkage between him and the terrorist outfit.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the device was a low intensity explosive device.

According to The New York Times, he chose the location of subway because of its Christmas-themed posters, recalling strikes in Europe against Christmas markets, and set off his bomb in retaliation for US airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and elsewhere, several law enforcement officials said.

Ullah told investigators that he was inspired by propaganda from the Islamic State terror group, according to law enforcement officials, The Washington Post reported.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the attempted terrorist attack by an immigrant is a failure of logic and sound policy not to adopt a merit-based immigration system.

The President has asked Congress to work with him on ending the diversity lottery and chain migration. He has proposed switching to a merit-based system of immigration similar to the Canadian and Australian systems.

That means welcoming the best and the brightest and turning away not only terrorists but gang members, fraudsters, drunk drivers and child abusers. Such a merit-based system would make us safer and welcome individuals who would be best able to assimilate and flourish in our country, he said.

The 20-year-old son of the sister of a US citizen should not get priority to come to this country ahead of someone who is high-skilled, well educated, has learned English and is likely to assimilate and flourish here, Sessions added.

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Tharad :

President-elect of the Congress Rahul Gandhi today took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talking about Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Japan in the Gujarat elections but avoiding speaking about his home state. Gandhi also questioned Modi's 'silence' on the company promoted by BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah whose turnover was claimed to have shot up manifold after the BJP came to power at the Centre. Gandhi, who was declared elected as Congress president today, said Modi was frequently shifting his campaign plank in Gujarat. He said, first it was the Narmada water, but after farmers started saying it has not reached their fields, Modi changed tack and began speaking about OBC issues. When that also did not find favour with people, he went for development issues "but people punctured it", he said. "Now, Modiji speaks about Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and Japan. Modiji, this is the election about the future of Gujarat. Please say something about Gujarat also," he told a well-attended rally in Tharad in Banaskantha district. Gandhi was apparently targeting the prime minister over his yesterday's suggestion that Pakistan was trying to influence the Gujarat Assembly polls and that some current and former officials of that country had met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence a day before Aiyar's 'neech' remark against him. The Congress leader said, in the last couple of days, the prime minister devoted half his speech to Congress-bashing. "On one hand he is claiming that he has finished the Congress party in India, and on the other, he devotes half of his time to Congress. The other half of his speech is devoted to Narendra Modiji himself," the 47-year-old leader said. "Modiji please devote two-three minutes of your speech to (talking about) the future of Gujarat," he said. He questioned Modi's silence on corruption, as he targeted him over the alleged exponential rise in the turnover of a company owned by Amit Shah's son. "You listen to his entire speech, corruption is totally missing from it. Jay Amit Shah's company converted Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in three months but the chowkidar is silent, not a word is coming out of his mouth." "Narendra Modiji fears Amit Shah, that is the reason he is not saying a word about Jay Shah," he claimed. Gandhi reaffirmed his promise that the Congress, if voted to power in Gujarat, will waive farm loans within 10 days. He claimed the NDA government waived Rs 1.30 lakh crore loans of 10 richest people in the country. He said when farmers also ask for a loan waiver, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and the prime minister say it is not their policy. "Why the loans of farmers are not waived," Gandhi asked, and in the next breath gave the reply "as they do not fly in planes, they do not have big cars, and they do not have suit worth Rs 15 lakh." Gandhi again alleged there was corruption in the Nano deal between the Gujarat government and the Tatas. "The Congress allocated Rs 35,000 crore to MNREGA, while the BJP government gave Rs 33,000 crore to the Tata Nano factory. The water from Narmada went to that factory. The factory gets electricity for 24 hours even when you get it only at night," he alleged. The Congress leader claimed land in villages in and around Mundra were given to the Adani group at the rate of Re 1 per square metre, which the latter sold back to the government at Rs 3,000 for every square metre. Also read| BJP has turned leaders like Patel into 'product': Rahul Gandhi

Assailing the government over demonetisation and the GST, he said half the money of common people was "looted" by the note ban and the rest by the "Gabbar Singh Tax". Addressing a rally in Savli town in Vadodara district, Gandhi also attacked the prime minister on Rafale fighter jet deal. He said the Congress wanted to bring petrol and diesel under the purview of GST to "prevent excessive profiteering," but the PM refused to accept the demand "because he wanted to benefit his friends who own oil refining companies". Asking Modi to simplify the GST and shun "rhetoric", Gandhi said the time has come to "correct the 'one nation- seven tax' regime, which gives draconian powers to taxmen". He said the Central government should support the SME and the informal sectors to create jobs and "not unleash taxmen on them". Gandhi said the textiles sector, which is the second biggest generator of jobs, is "yearning for correcting the distorted GST structure". Also read: Rahul Gandhi says Congress respects chair of Prime Minister

"Water is not available for irrigation in Gujarat...OBCs are also angry with the BJP. The saffron party's claim that Gujarat is a model state has failed to convince the common people," he said. Referring to Rafale fighter jet deal, Gandhi said, "Modi went to France for signing this deal to benefit his industrialist friend having a huge debt of Rs 45,000 crores on his head. This industrialist does not know anything about war. aircraft and has no experience in making fighter planes."
New Delhi:

The politics in Gujarat has taken another turn with PM Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh crossing swords over formers allegations that Congress is conspiring with Pakistan to prevent BJP from winning election in his home state.

Reacting to Modis remark, former PM launched counter attack against his successor and said, fearing eminent defeat in Gujarat, PM is making false innuendoes.

On Tuesday, both Modi and newly elected Congress President Rahul Gandhi are expected to take the fight even further when they address number of rallies on the last day of election campaign ahead of the second round of voting.

After being denied the permission to hold a road show in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane.

He shall also visit Ambaji temple and offer prayers.

#Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, shortly pic.twitter.com/GWjrVO5Sgz  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi will hold his first presser after being elected as Congress President in Ahmedabad today at 1 PM.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday also fired his 14th at PM Modi as part of his "one-question-a-day" series, and asked him to explain why Dalits were ignored under 22 years of BJP rule.

The voting for the first phase of assembly polls in Gujarat was held on December 9 and the second round of voting will be held on December 14.
Meghalaya:

The annual Nongkrem Dance Festival was celebrated at Meghalaya's Smit amid fanfare and gaiety with young Khasi men and women swaying to traditional folk music to appease goddess Ka Blei Synshar, in the hope of a rich bumper harvest.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, in his message to the people on the occasion, said the festival has been forging bonds of friendship and compassion among the local people.

"May this festival continue to preserve our cultural roots and create strong bonds of friendship and compassion so as to achieve our shared objective of lasting peace, communal harmony and progress," he said.

The king of Hima Khyrim kingdom, Balajied Syiem, along with the high priest performed the Pomblang ceremony, where a goat was sacrificed to appease the god of Shillong peak, Lei Shyllong, and also the ancestors and ancestress of the ruling clan.

The religious part of the festival preceded yesterday's dance performances.

Young maidens, decked up in exotic costumes and jewellery, matched steps to the changing beats of drums and haunting tunes of the tangmuri (pipes).

Attired in their traditional regalia, young men also took to the dancing arena to perform in front of the Ling Sad (thatched palace). They held swords and white Yak hair whisks in their hands.

A colourful fair, featuring local handicrafts and delicacies, was also organised here on this occasion.

The Nongkrem Dance has always attracted tourists, both domestic and foreign.

Hima Khyrim has always been a bastion of Khasi culture, Balajied Syiem said on this occasion.

"The rituals and the dance performances have remained the same all these years," he said.
Bengaluru:

As elections are near in Karnataka, political parties are getting ready in the state with their strategies. But in-between noted Human Rights activist and businesswoman from Hyderabad Dr Nowhera Shaik launched her newly formed political party "All India Mahila Empowerment Party (AIMEP)" in Bengaluru.



Central Election Commission has recognised AIMEP as a national political party and allotted "Diamond" as an election symbol. Nowhera says her party aims at empowering Indian women irrespective of caste, creed, religious affiliations, and domicile region.



Karnataka is going to Assembly Elections in April 2018 and Nowhera is going to start her political journey with these elections.



Nowhera said, "My party will contest in the next Karnataka Assembly Elections scheduled to be held in April 2018. My party will contest all the 224 seats in the state."



Nowhera had participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad last month in which Ivanka Trump was the main speaker. Nowhera says she was impressed with the way Ivanka Trump spoke about women empowerment and how she works for this.



How much support Nowhera Shaik's All India Mahila Empowerment Party gets in Karnataka remains to be seen and will decide the future of the party.
Bangalore: The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) in Karnataka on Tuesday found 11 liquefied oxygen tankers (Liquefied oxygen tanker), two cm trailers with liquefied oxygen and 1,200 oxygen cylinders by Indian Navy ship INS Shardul. These devices have been delivered by the Indian Community Support Group in Kuwait. The consignment was received by members of the Indian Red Cross Society, which was attended by Mangaluru Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar, ADGP Pratap Reddy and Tattar Rakshak (Karnataka) Command S B Venkatesh.

Meanwhile, corona relief flight took off from Delhi airport today amid the crisis of corona epidemic in the country. This was the 100th flight in 29 days, flying to India today with corona relief material. Delhi's airport is emerging as a hub for 'management and distribution' of relief materials.

New Delhi Airport has handled 1750 Metric Tonnes of relief material coming from more than 36 countries. Delhi's airport handled the operation of the world's largest aircraft Antonov-124, C-130 Globemaster. Not only that, a logistics facility - 'JEEVODAY Warehouse' was also built for storage and distribution of corona relief materials.

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South Korean automaker has now officially changed its name in the country. The company Kia on Monday said changed its name to Kia India from Kia Motors earlier.

The change of name has recently seen much in the market as it has slowly become the part of company's new brand identity. It symbolises to become an enterprise that invests in and produces more than just vehicles. It can offer a long-range of sustainable mobility solutions, it said. The brand has removed the word 'Motors' from its earlier name after ratification by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and will now function under the corporate identity of Kia India Pvt Ltd. The company has changed its logo and name at its Anantapur manufacturing facility. Earlier this year, Kia had unveiled its new corporate logo and global brand slogan. The Kia India will niw6 signify its transformation and all-new brand purpose. The new logo was unveiled in Incheon, South Korea.

Kia made its debut in India as Kia Motor India in 2019 and Seltos was its first product at that time. Seltos became a successful car for Kia and the company came up with the Carnival MPV.

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LONDON: Anti-Pakistan sentiments is fuelling anger among the locals in Afghanistan and its nationals living abroad, as killings of innocent people in various incidents in Afghanistan have been blamed on terror infiltration from across the Pakistan border. The protest turned aggressive and violent after some of the protesters attacked the building by pelting stones and throwing water bottles at the Pakistan High Commission premises.

Expressing their increasing anger against Pakistan, a group of Afghan protesters on Monday staged a demonstration outside the Pakistani High Commission building in London, carrying banners and raising anti-Pakistan slogans. Footages of the protest, which went viral on social media, showed protesters throwing objects at the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) premises.

The Pakistan High Commission, taking notice of the incident, has lodged a complaint with the UK government, asking it to take strict action against the culprits, who damaged the building of the high commission.

Pakistan has also reminded the UK government of the protest in 2019, when an ethnic group had vandalized the commission's building. However, no action was taken against the culprits. It is believed that the protest was led by a group called 'The Watan', which had also called for a protest on Sunday outside the Pakistani High Commission in London. The protest was about the killings in Afghanistan, blame for which has been put on Pakistan.

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The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved on Friday a USD 125 million financing to support Senegal to improve the competitiveness of selected value chains, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) capabilities, and private sector investment in the country.

According to Amadou Hott, Minister of the Economy, Planning & Cooperation, this project aims at supporting Senegal's resilient economic recovery from COVID-19 by operationalizing the Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) agenda. Senegal has recently faced several challenges brought by the COVID crisis. In this context, this project supports the creation of more and better jobs by improving private sector's competitiveness and productivity, access to long term finance and investment, and more sustainable infrastructure", said Nathan Belete, World Bank Country Director for Senegal.

The Senegalese economy has been impacted by COVID-19 through several channels. According to Meriem Ait Ali Slimane, Laurent Gonnet, World Bank Project Task Team Leaders, "to stimulate economic recovery and build back better, it will be important to strengthen the competitiveness of key sectors, with a focus on exports, improve MSMEs productivity and technology adoption, and introduce performant financing mechanisms such as partial credit guarantees and public-private equity funds."

The Senegal JET project will support increased exports, and MSMEs' productivity and technology Adoption. The project will have a particular focus on access to finance, in the form of loan guarantees and equity, with targets for women-led businesses.

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Malar Sada Musahar, a resident of Rampur in Saptari of southeastern Nepal, never had a stable job. He did whatever came his way. From ploughing fields to carrying loads, he did what he had to do to secure food for himself and his wife.

Life was hard, but it took a turn for the worse when the country went on a lockdown on March 24, 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19.

For the first month, he and his wife were doing alright, but as days passed, they started to worry as food started running out. By May 16, they ran out of food. To do something about it, Musahar left his house with a shovel and an umbrella. He was weak as he had not had a proper meal since May 12. But, he had to work.

As he was working on an empty stomach, Musahar collapsed due to exhaustion. His health got bad during the day, but as his family did not have money, he was not taken to a hospital.

He breathed his last on May 17, 2020. With Musahars children all stuck in India due to the lockdown, his wife, desperate to perform his final rites, had to borrow money from her neighbours to do so.

This is just one example of daily wage workers from marginalised communities in Nepal suffering due to the lockdown. Dying due to hunger has always been prevalent in Nepal but ever since the pandemic started, it has escalated, in particular in the southeastern plains of the country covered in Province 2. The state mechanisms have failed to address their needs.

Pains of the pandemic

On September 9, 2020, Santan Majhi, 30, from Belwa, Birgunj, died after he drank poison because he spent all his money drinking alcohol. He was taken to a hospital, but it was too late. The Majhi family were so short of cash that they did not even have money to pay the hospital. But, with the help of an NGO, the hospital waived the fee.

On August 21, 2020, Bigul Paswan died due to hunger as he lost all his daily jobs. Initially, he used to visit shops to ask for food, but soon that stopped.

These people from the marginalised community have had it really hard. These communities, which do not have lands or any other privilege, have been overlooked by the government, especially, during the pandemic. Most of them who depend on small jobs on a daily basis have had to suffer a fate similar to that of Muasahar, Majhi and Paswan.

The people from marginalised communities have received no aid from the government.

The situation in Province 2 seems worse and examples like these are available in various villages across the province.

The role of the provincial and local governments to help these communities has also been limited. They are yet to even provide basic aid to the families who have lost people due to hunger in the past year.

Even though there has not been detailed research about the impact of Covid-19 on marginalised communities, recently, there have been a few organisations studying how it impacted them.

One such organisation is the Samata Foundation. The study came to the conclusion that there had not been enough financial programmes to aid the Dalit and other marginalised communities. The study also concluded that there had not been enough aid programmes by the government to help these communities nor did these communities have access to basic health care.

In its survey, the foundation took a sample of 1,500 people. Out of those, 45 per cent said they became jobless during the pandemic. Around 18 per cent of them said that they felt that they were discriminated against during aid distribution for belonging to a marginalised community.

Chairperson of the foundation, Pradip Praiyar, says the main problem the people from marginalised community face during the lockdowns is lack of food stock.

Most dont have the opportunity to earn good money. Whatever job they have, they lose it due to everything being shut, says Pariyar. Weve even heard about people committing suicide because they think that dying is easier than trying to survive.

Pariyar says that marginalised communities, Dalits, single women, the marginalised and underprivileged should be prioritised. But, as these communities do not have the political reach, it makes it incredibly hard for all the communities to get government-provided aid.

Currently, these people are facing discrimination even at isolation centres and hospitals, he says.

He says that all levels of the government should be bringing out policies to favour these communities, especially during these times.

Women at the receiving end

Out of the 447 rape cases in Nepal, 196 of them occurred in Province 2 in the past year.

In Nepal, on average, seven women get raped every day. Out of the seven, three are women and girls from marginalised communities, says a report made public by Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO). The report, which studies incident reports from 61 districts over seven provinces, says that violent activities against Dalit women had increased since the country went on lockdown. Apart from that, they also face domestic violence, eve-teasing and sexual harassment on a daily basis.

In the past year, 447 Dalit women have been raped in the country. Seven were murdered after they were raped. But, according to the Nepal Police Headquarters, only 61 of these incidents were reported. The other incidents were settled in reconciliation after pressure from the community.

Four Dalit women, accused of being witches, were humiliated as well in the past year. The Province 2 Police Office says the province has the biggest amount of sexual harassment cases in the country. Out of the 447 rape cases, 196 occurred in Province 2. But, the police say that only 49 incidents were reported to the police, of which due criminal procedure was followed on 37. The remaining 12 were settled in reconciliation in the presence of local politicians and police.

Ashok Darnal, a journalist and activist who was a part of FEDOs research, says that the privileged, instead of helping, have resorted to humiliate the Dalit community.

They think these people are servants they always have. They do not want to uplift people from these communities, says Darnal. What they do is occasionally feed them meat, drink alcohol with them and eye their daughters. These people are disgusting.

Avoidance and denial of justice

In order to keep tabs on incidents, the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) has started a website that collects data of various incidents which have happened in the country including gender-based violence. Between January 2020 and January 20201, there have been 66 harassment incidents. Most of these cases have happened to Dalit women.

The website also has a report that when a Dalit man went to a mayor in Dhanusha to ask for aid, the mayors men beat him up.

Activist Panchu Majhi Musahar says the Dalit communities are never looked after by the government. He says that people often eye women in these community to harass and rape them.

These incidents increased a lot during the lockdown, says Panchu Majhi. The culprits hardly face any legal actions due to their privileges and get away with anything. So, they do it again.

Bhola Paswan, an activist and journalist, says that he has heard about all type of incidents against marginalised communities. He says Province 2, where there are a lot of people from these communities, face a tough time getting through the pandemic.

People have starved to death. Many died because they did not get a bed at a hospital. Add sexual harassment and rape to the list. But nothing is done to stop all this, says Paswan.

Dalit activists say for marginalised communities, starvation, harassment and rape are as dangerous as the coronavirus as they also claim a lot of lives.

Human rights worker Dhana Kumari Sunar says that due to the government and authorities turning a blind eye to many incidents, these marginalised communities have been subject to violence. She says that whenever there are disasters, violence against women from the marginalised community increase.

Everyone knows these incidents happen, but no one cares: not the government, not the courts, not the politicians, she says. With their financial and social situation weak, the upper-class people feel they can do anything to them.

Greater dangers than Covid-19

Dalit activists say for marginalised communities, starvation, harassment and rape are as dangerous as the coronavirus as they have taken a lot of lives.

For example, Raju Sada, a 16-year-old boy from Hansapur municipality of Dhanusha, died on a hospital floor after he failed to receive due treatment. He was on the floor for hours, but no one batted an eye.

After his death, the provincial government gave his family Rs 500,000 as aid. Nepals constitution has listed 32 basic human rights applicable to all Nepali citizens including Dalits. But, the rights are limited to paper when it comes to Dalits.

The provisions of fundamental rights ensured by the constitution have been thrown awaySlogans such as Prosperous Nepal: Happy Nepali have not affected Dalits and marginalised communities in any way, says Darnal.

Paswan accuses the government of not doing anything to help these people disregarding their basic human rights.

If you look at it from their perspective, the state is non-existent during this pandemic, he says.

Province 2, like other parts of the country, has been on lockdown since April end, this year also. Nila Ram from the FEDO Parsa says that people are worried about dying due to starvation more than they are scared of dying due to Covid-19.

Last year, the local government had helped out with some aid. This year, there has been no help from all levels of the government. People are really worried, says Nila Ram.
Besix, a leading Belgian infrastructure group with a major presence in the Middle East, has appointed Pierre Sironval as its new Deputy CEO with immediate effect replacing Rik Vandenberghe, who will take on an advisory role and continue to sit on the company's board.

A civil engineer architect, Sironval has worked for Besix Group since the beginning of his career in 1995. He has carried out outstanding projects on three continents before being appointed Head of Besix Group in the Middle East in 2011, then COO for all the group's activities worldwide in 2018.

Lauding the appointment, Johan Beerlandt, the board's executive chairman, said: "Sironval has spent his entire career within Besix Group, has risen through the ranks and is an outstanding example of our corporate culture of excellence."

"His great human and professional qualities, as demonstrated when he was head of our Middle East subsidiary and then as COO, will make him an excellent CEO," he stated.

Beerlandt also commended Vandenberghe for all his efforts in taking the company to greater heights.

Vandenberghe, who succeeded him as the CEO in 2017 had successfully managed the transition. "In particular, he has brought more rigour to all the company's processes," he stated.

"Vandenberghe, together with the entire group management, will help to ensure a smooth transition in the coming months and will maintain specific responsibilities as advisor," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Kathmandu, May 25

Nepal has established diplomatic relations with The Gambia, a country in West Africa.

With this, the number of countries diplomatically connected to Nepal has reached 170, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Of late, the government has also prioritised establishing ties with small and distant countries also.

Nepals Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Amrit Kumar Rai, signed an agreement in this regard with his Gambian counterpart Lang Yabou, in New York, on Monday. Accordingly, the UN has also been informed of the establishment of the links.

Both Nepal and The Gambia are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

The African country had obtained the United Nations membership in 1965.
Workforce

Lawmakers push State Department to act on harassment, discrimination

The State Department needs to take action on sexual harassment and assault among its workforce, lawmakers say.

Thirty-five lawmakers, led by Reps Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use his authority to implement parts of a bill from the last Congress in a May 25 letter.

"We write to voice concerns about long-standing issues of sexual harassment and assault at the Department and to urge you to use executive authority," they wrote. "For years, civil service and foreign service officers have spoken out about misconduct, including sexual harassment and assault, and a lack of accountability for misconduct at the Department."

The lawmakers pointed to an investigation done by the Inspector General at the State Department that found that sexual harassment is likely under-reported in the agency. Multiple agency offices have jurisdiction in the area, and there is a lack of guidance on the process and poor coordination among them, the report found.

Blinken should implement parts of the bill, known as the State Harassment and Assault Prevention and Eradication Act, or SHAPE Act, under his own authority as secretary, the lawmakers wrote.

The members called on Blinken to develop a comprehensive policy on harassment, discrimination and sexual assault for the department, pursue a "robust" definition of harassment and timeliness standards for how complaints are investigated, as well as guidance on the responsibilities of offices.

They also encouraged him to survey feds, conduct a review the discipline the agency has used since 2018 on cases and collect more data on previous years and moving forward.

Blinken created the first ever chief diversity and inclusion officer position in the agency. In April, he appointed former Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanely to the position, which reports directly to him.

Before moving into this position, Winstanley herself had talked openly about sexual harassment and assault at the agency. During a hearing before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on March 25, 2021, Winstanley said that the SHAPE Act had some "strong recommendations" in it.

She also recommended that the agency establish a 24-hour hotline for victims to receive support.

"It is really important, first of all, to get support to those who have been victims of this behavior. It's very difficult when you're out in the field. You do very much feel alone," she said.

Winstanley also emphasized the need for the agency to pursue rapid accountability for perpetrators to change a perception among the workforce that the issue wouldn't be dealt with.

"It's one of the greatest challenges that I've heard about repeatedly in my career," she said.
Cybersecurity

DHS to issue new pipeline security regulations after Colonial attack

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to issue new regulations for pipeline security following the ransomware attack that disrupted Colonial Pipeline's operations for more than a week earlier this month.

"The Biden Administration is taking further action to better secure our nation's critical infrastructure. TSA, in close collaboration with CISA, is coordinating with companies in the pipeline sector to ensure they are taking all necessary steps to increase their resilience to cyber threats and secure their systems. We will release additional details in the days ahead," a DHS spokesperson told FCW on Tuesday.

The Washington Post first reported the agency would issue security directives as early as this week which would require pipeline companies report cyber incidents to federal authorities. Although Colonial Pipeline worked with the FBI following Darkside's ransomware attack, lawmakers have taken issue with the company's level of engagement with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

CISA's acting chief Brandon Wales testified at a recent hearing he does not believe the company would have contacted his agency at all if the FBI had not acted an intermediary.

The ransomware attack has also triggered a flurry of legislation about the Transportation Security Administration's authority to set rules around pipeline security as well as re-igniting debates on whether companies should be allowed to pay ransoms. The latter question is certain to come up when Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount testifies to lawmakers in June. Blount confirmed in a recent interview his company paid a $4.4 million ransom after Darkside compromised its business systems.

Shortly after the Washington Post published its story, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement the new directive is a step in "the right direction." He also hinted that his committee will not allow TSA to yield jurisdiction over pipeline security to other government agencies.

"While Congress will continue its oversight of TSA's pipeline security efforts, TSA -- with its 20 years of experience -- will remain the federal entity responsible for pipeline security with the authorities to mandate security requirements," Thompson said.

The notion that other government entities, such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, should take responsibility for pipeline security has been advocated both by lawmakers and other officials outside of DHS. Any legislative moves to make changes is certain to find resistance with Thompson and other members of his committee keen to maintain their own jurisdiction.
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - 1246779 B.C. Ltd. ("779" or the "Company") and Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company ("WAC&G") are pleased to announce that they have entered into an arm's length non-binding letter of intent dated April 12, 2021 (the "Letter of Intent") in respect of a proposed business combination (the "Proposed Transaction") that would result in the reverse takeover of 779 by WAC&G and the listing of the resulting entity (the "Resulting Issuer") on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, WAC&G will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer, which will hold all of the assets and continue the business of WAC&G.

About WAC&G

WAC&G was incorporated under the laws of the State of Alaska and currently has approximately 2,361 share of common stock (the "WAC&G Shares") issued and outstanding and outstanding options to acquire an additional 222 WAC&G Shares. It is anticipated that WAC&G will complete a non-brokered private placement prior to completion of the Proposed Private Placement (the "Pre-RTO Financing") in May, 2021 of approximately 606 WAC&G Shares, at a price of C$5,714.29 (US$4,500) per WAC&G Share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$3,462,857.14 (US$2,727,000), based upon a foreign exchange ratio of 0.7875 US dollars for every Canadian dollar. Following the completion of the Pre-RTO Financing, it is anticipated that WAC&G will have approximately 3,189 WAC&G Shares issued and outstanding on a fully diluted basis.

WAC&G owns the rights in and to the assets and claims in the Illinois Creek Project (the "Project") which is comprised of the Illinois Creek claim block, the Round Top claim block and the Honker claim block, totaling 222 State of Alaska mining claims and covering 35,520 acres (14,374 ha), or 55.5 square miles. The Project is 100% owned by WAC&G.

Story continues

BD Resource Consulting, Inc. has prepared a technical report in respect of the Project dated effective January 15, 2021, which report is compliant with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the "NI 43-101 Report").

About the Project

The Illinois Creek claim block is one of three properties controlled by WAC&G in the Illinois Creek mining district located in western Alaska near the Yukon River. WAC&G is a private exploration company registered in Alaska and, since 2010, it has been exploring and advancing its interests in the district. Exploration of the properties began in the early 1980's by Anaconda Minerals Co., then by Echo Bay, USMS/Dakota Mining and NovaGold. The Illinois Creek Mine was permitted by USMX in 1996 and started production as a run-of-mine heap leach open pit mine in 1997. It closed soon after due to low gold prices and was reclaimed in 2002.

Illinois Creek is an advanced stage project with drilling, geophysical and geochemical surveys by several past operators. Extensive drilling, at total of 578 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes, at the Illinois Creek Property has targeted the oxidized gossans and, to a far lesser extent, the Waterpump Creek carbonate replacement deposit (CRD) and Last Hurrah CRD. Only minimal exploration has targeted the remainder of the Property, and the potential to find additional mineralized zones is considered by WAC&G to be very good.

Table 6.7 from the 43-101 Report summarizes the mineral resource delineation and exploration drill campaigns on the Property between 1980 and 2006 conducted by the previous operators of the Property.

Drill Campaigns 1980-2006 at Illinois Creek

Company Years # Core

Holes # RC

Holes Core

(m) RC

(m) Total

(m) Anaconda 1980-1984 73 18 10,132.7 2,266.1 12,398.8 Goldmor 1988-1990 1 87 16.8 2,914.0 2,930.8 NPMC 1991-1992 42 0 3,089.4 0.0 3,089.4 Echo Bay 1993 0 166 0.0 18,739.5 18,739.5 USMX 1994-1995 65 78 4,657.9 5,054.3 9,712.2 Viceroy 1999 0 23 0.0 731.6 731.6 ARG 2002 5 0 215.3 0.0 215.3 NovaGold 2005-2006 20 0 2,746.8 0.0 2,746.8 Total 206 372 20,858.9 29,705.5 50,564.4



The 43-101 Report indicates the following:

Mineral Resource Estimate for Combined

In-Situ and Leach Pad Mineral Resources

Class Tonnes

(M) Average Grade Contained Metal AuEq

(g/t) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Cu

(%) AuEq

(koz) Au

(koz) Ag

(Moz) Cu

(Mlbs) Indicated 8.7 1.33 0.90 34.4 0.21 373 253 9.6 40 Inferred 3.3 1.44 0.99 36.2 0.21 152 104 3.8 15



In-Situ Mineral resources are stated as contained within a pit shell developed using a metal prices of US$1,600/oz Au and US$20/oz Ag, mining costs of US$2.50/t, processing costs of US$10/t, G&A cost of US$4.00/t, 92% metallurgical recovery Au, 65% metallurgical recovery Ag and an average pit slope of 45 degrees. The cut-off grade for resources considered amenable to open pit extraction methods is 0.35 g/t AuEq. It is assumed that the entire volume of the material on the leach pad will be processed and therefore, no selectivity is possible, and the Leach Pad Mineral Resources are presented at a zero-cut-off grade.

The technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Bruce Davis, BD Resource Consulting, Inc., Larkspur, Colorado and Robert Sim, SIM Geological Inc., Vancouver, B.C. and Jack DiMarchi, Core Geoscience and Deepak Mulhotra, Pro Solve LLC, Denver , Colorado., two of the authors of the NI 43-101 Technical Report prepared in respect of the Project by BD Resource Consulting, Inc. and dated effective January 15, 2021 (the "NI 43-101 Report"), and each a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the "QPs"). Such QPs have no beneficial interest in WAC&G or the Project and are not insiders, associates, or affiliates of WAC&G. The results of the Technical Report were not dependent on any prior agreements concerning the conclusions of the Technical Report, and there are no undisclosed understandings concerning future business dealings between WAC&G and the QPs. The authors of the Technical Report were paid a fee for their work in accordance with normal professional consulting practices. The Technical Report noted that Piek Exploration had conducted two 5% data verification checks of the assay and collar databases. In both instances, only two errors in the assay values were encountered and those appeared to be transcription errors. The QPs randomly selected the sample data from 15 drill holes, representing about 4% of the data using in the estimate of in-situ mineral resources. The grades in these holes were compared to those contained in the certified assay certificates provided by the laboratories. In this suite of 818 individual samples, there were four errors found in the gold data and three errors in the silver data. These results are similar to those achieved during previous database audits. The sample data from an additional four drill holes from the leach pad area were randomly selected, and the assay results were compared to the values contained in the assay certificates. There were no errors identified. The QPs believe the database meets industry standards for data quality and data integrity and that sample preparation, security, and analytical procedures are adequate to support a mineral resource estimation.

Summary of Proposed Transaction and Concurrent Financing

Transaction Structure

The Letter of Intent provides that 779 and WAC&G will negotiate and enter into a definitive agreement in respect of the Proposed Transaction (the "Definitive Agreement") as soon as possible. The Proposed Transaction is expected to be completed by way of a merger of WAC&G and a wholly-owned subsidiary of 779 ("SubCo"), pursuant to a Plan of Merger in accordance with the Alaska Corporations Code, or such other alternative structure to be determined, having regard to relevant tax, securities and other factors, which will result in WAC&G becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of 779.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, 779 will amend and restate its Notice of Articles (the "Article Amendment") to create two classes of shares, common shares of 779 (the "779 Common Shares") and proportional voting shares of 779 ("779 Proportional Voting Shares"), which will convertible subject to certain conditions, into 779 Common Shares on the basis of approximately one hundred (100) 779 Common Shares for each 779 Proportional Voting Share (depending on their status as U.S. residents). The shareholders of WAC&G will receive either 779 Common Shares or 779 Proportional Voting Shares in exchange for their WAC&G Shares, resulting in a reverse takeover of 779 by WAC&G. Entering into of the Definitive Agreement is conditional upon 779 and WAC&G each being satisfied with the results of full financial, business, legal, environmental, labour and other due diligence investigations in respect of the other party.

For the purposes of the Proposed Transaction, each outstanding share of WAC&G held by a non-US resident shall be exchanged for approximately ten thousand (10,000) 779 Common Shares and each outstanding share of WAC&G held by a US resident shall be exchanged for approximately one hundred (100) 779 Proportional Voting Shares. In addition, all outstanding WAC&G options will be exchanged for options of 779 on the basis of approximately ten thousand (10,000) options of 779 for each WAC&G option.

Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, 779 shall consolidate, as required, the 3,075,000 779 Shares which will be outstanding at that point in time (the "779 Consolidation") based upon a ratio to be determined immediately prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction so that the current holders of 779 Shares shall hold, in the aggregate, such number of 779 Common Shares that, when multiplied by the offering price of the Concurrent Financing (as defined below), are equal to no less than C$1,132,500 (the "779 Share Value"). In the event that the offering price of the Concurrent Financing is greater than $0.75 per share, then the 779 Share Value shall be increased proportionately. In addition, in connection with the Proposed Transaction, 779 will change its name to "Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company" or such other name as may be determined by 779 and WAC&G.

Certain common shares of the Resulting Issuer to be issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction are expected to be subject to restrictions on resale or escrow under the policies of the Exchange, including the securities to be issued to "Principals" (as defined under Exchange policies), which will subject to the escrow requirements of the Exchange.

The Proposed Transaction is subject to, among other things, the negotiation and execution of the Definitive Agreement, each of 779 and WAC&G being satisfied with the results of its due diligence review of the other party, completion of the Concurrent Financing for aggregate gross proceeds of not less than C$2,000,000 and that such Concurrent Financing meets the listing requirements of the Exchange, WAC&G owning all of the rights and interests in and to the Project, the Resulting Issuer meeting the requirements of the Exchange for a Tier 1 mining issuer and the Exchange issuing conditional acceptance, such only to customary conditions of closing, for the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares, that the Resulting Issuer will be a "foreign private issuer" under US securities laws, and each of the parties obtaining all necessary board, shareholder and regulatory approvals, including the conditional approval of the Exchange, and other standard closing conditions. The Proposed Transaction will be subject to the approval of the 779 shareholders, which 779 anticipates it will obtain by way of unanimous written consent resolutions. The terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction may change based on 779's due diligence (which will be limited as the 779 intends to rely upon the due diligence conducted by the Exchange and the agents involved with the Concurrent Financing) and the receipt of tax, corporate and securities law advice for both 779 and WAC&G.

On completion of the Proposed Transaction, the Resulting Issuer is expected to qualify as a Tier 1 mining issuer on the Exchange.

Concurrent Financing

779 intends to complete a non-brokered private placement offering (the "Concurrent Financing")of subscription receipt (the "Subscription Receipts") for aggregate gross proceeds of not less than C$2,000,000 at an offering price to be determined. In connection with the completion of the Proposed Transaction, each Subscription Receipt shall automatically convert, with no further action on behalf of the holder, into a Resulting Issuer Share. The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be placed into escrow and released to the Resulting Issuer, subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions including that all conditions precedent to the closing of the Proposed Transaction shall be satisfied or waived.

WAC&G intends to use the net proceeds of the Concurrent Financing to fund the exploration of the Project, pay for expenses of the Concurrent Financing and Proposed Transaction, and for general working capital purposes.

The securities to be offered in the Proposed Transaction and Concurrent Financing have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Rule 902(k) of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States, absent registration or applicable exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Proposed Directors and Officers

It is anticipated that all of the current directors and officers of 779 will resign from their respective positions with 779 in connection with the closing of the Proposed Transaction. The board and management of the Resulting Issuer shall be comprised of five (5) WAC&G nominees, and is expected to include a board comprised of Christopher Marrs, Gregory Anderson, Nathan Brewer, Kevin Nishi and David Smallhouse. Management is expected to include Christopher Marrs as Chief Executive Officer, Alex Tong as Chief Financial Officer, Catalin KiloFliski as Corporate Development Officer and Joe Piekenbrock as Chief Exploration Officer. The following are brief descriptions of the currently proposed directors and officers of the Resulting Issuer:

Christopher Marrs, Proposed Chief Executive Officer and Director

Mr. Marrs has served as the Corporation's President since its inception in 2010 and has more than 40 years' experience as an Economic Geologist. Mr. Marrs was a project geologist for Anaconda, based in Anchorage, Alaska and managed the Illinois Creek and Round Top Projects in the 1980's along with numerous other projects throughout Alaska. Mr. Marrs was also previously a consulting geologist for Noranda Mining and LAC Minerals in Sonora Mexico. Mr. Marrs has a B.S. in Geology and a M.S. in Economic and Structural Geology from the University of Arizona and is a member of the Society of Economic Geologists, Alaska Miners Association and Arizona Geological Society. Mr. Marrs has also served on the University of Arizona Geoscience Department Advisory Board since 2005.

Nathan Brewer, Proposed Director

Mr. Brewer has more than 40 years' experience as an exploration geologist. He has worked for several major mining companies in over 20 countries worldwide including Anaconda, Echo Bay, Lac Minerals, Barrick, Homestake and Gold Fields. His career started in Alaska (including 3 years as the Project Manager at Illinois Creek). Before retiring in 2018 from Gold Fields, he was Senior Vice President, Global Greenfields Exploration. During his career he lead two important South American projects from grass roots discovery through resource delineation, PEA, and Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility stages. Both of these deposits have since become profitable mines. Mr. Brewer holds a BA in Geology from UC Santa Barbara and is a Certified Professional Geologist. He is the current President of the Denver Regional Exploration Geologists' Society (DREGS).

David Smallhouse, Proposed Director

Mr. Smallhouse is a fifth generation Tucsonan, graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics and holds a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona. Mr. Smallhouse is currently Managing Partner of Miramar Ventures, LLC, a firm involved in agribusiness, real estate, private equity and venture capital investments. Miramar Ventures is also an active investor in angel and early stage ventures. Its portfolio includes bio-life sciences, drug development, software, clean tech, and medical device companies, many with close ties to the University of Arizona and/or the Desert Angels of Southern Arizona. Additionally, he is a partner in Arch Partners, LLC, an active seed venture investment company, a Tucson board member of BBVA Compass Bank, Playability Toys, Dependable Health Services. and I.Me.Mine Digital. Current Civic Activities include; Trustee of Salpointe Catholic High School, Director of the University of Arizona's Tech Launch Arizona, Board Member of the National Law Center for Inter American Trade, Executive Board Member of Sun Corridor, Inc., Board Member of Start Up Tucson, Board Member of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and a Member of the Eller College National Board of Advisors.

Gregory Anderson, Proposed Director

Mr. Anderson is an attorney whose practice focuses on business organization, strategy and commercial transactions. Mr. Anderson received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, his J.D. from the University of Arizona and has had his own law practice since 1984. Mr. Anderson is also manager of a family office which invests in real estate, startups and early-stage ventures.

Kevin Nishi, Proposed Director

Mr. Nishi is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University. He has held several director positions with exploration stage mining companies. Mr. Nishi is a partner with Smythe LLP working with several public companies listed on the TSX and TSX Venture exchanges in Canada and in the United States.

Alex Tong, Proposed Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Tong is a Chartered Professional Accountant with extensive senior management experience in the mining industry, prior to serving as Chief Financial Officer of several publicly traded companies, he was Director of Finance at Lucara Diamond Corp. Mr. Tong also held senior finance roles at development resource public companies Energy Metals and NovaGold, where Mr Tong was responsible for achieving operational performance, leading mergers and acquisitions and being involved with various financing initiatives.

Alex is currently co-founder of Calibre Capital Corp., a full-service merchant bank providing financial services, leading stock exchange listings and managing all aspects of businesses for its clients to achieve commercial success.

Catalin Kilofliski, Proposed Corporate Development Officer

Mr. Kilofliski is Former CEO of Canarc Resources, Director of Business Development with Aurcana Corp., Director Business Development for Selwyn Resources and Director Corporate Development for Tudor Gold with over 25 years of senior leadership roles, including business development, capital raising, company building, marketing, communications, corporate governance and sustainability in Canada, US, Mexico, Europe and Asia. He has extensive expertise in mining and capital markets. Most recently he was instrumental in growing TSX.V listed Tudor Gold Corp from $30 million to over $500 million in market cap. with over 25 years of senior company management

Joe Piekenbrock, Proposed Chief Exploration Officer

Mr. Piekenbrock brings over 35 years of experience to the mining exploration and development industry where he has managed all aspects of exploration from grassroots discovery through feasibility. From 2003 to 2011, he served as Vice President, Exploration, for NovaGold Resources and more recently served as Senior Vice President of Exploration for NovaCopper. He had extensive experience throughout Latin America while working for Placer Dome and was one of the founding members of Brett Resources. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the Cominco Alaska exploration team responsible for the discovery of the Whistler Cu deposit, the Sleitat Sn deposit, the Shotgun Au deposit and the giant Pebble Cu/Au deposit. After joining the Nova group of companies in 2003, he was instrumental in leading a series of major discoveries including the Donlin Creek Au deposit, the Bornite Cu and the Galore Creek Cu/Au porphyry deposit in Alaska and British Columbia. He was awarded the Thayer Lindsley medal for International Discovery in 2009 for his role in the discovery of the Donlin Creek deposit and the Colin Spence award for International Discovery in 2015 for his contributions to the discovery of South Reef deposit at Bornite. Mr. Piekenbrock holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology from the University of Colorado, and a Master of Science degree in economic geology from the University of Arizona.

Principals or Insiders of the Resulting Issuer

In addition to the forgoing proposed directors and officers, the following are the person that are expected to qualify as Principals and Insiders (as those terms are defined in the Exchange policy) of the Resulting Issuer:

Joan Marrs Anticipated to hold in excess of 10% of the Resulting Issuer Shares

Selected Financial Information

The following table sets out selected financial information with respect to WAC&G as at the dates noted. The selected financial information is derived from WAC&G's audited consolidated financial statements for the periods described and denominated in US dollars.

As at

December 31, 2018

(audited) As at

December 31, 2019

(audited) As at December 31, 2020

(unaudited) Total assets 6,722,731 8,032,159 8,890,425 Total liabilities 113,059 24,700 185,712 Shareholders' equity 6,609,672 8,007,159 8,704,713 Revenues 0 0 0 Net Profits / Losses (87,276) (158,063) (165,131)

Further financial information will be included in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction.

Exchange Matters and Sponsorship

As at the date hereof, neither the 779 Shares nor the WAC&G Shares are listed on any stock exchange. A condition to completion of the Proposed Transaction is the conditional approval for the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on the Exchange. A listing application in respect of the Resulting Issuer Shares, which will include further details of the Proposed Transaction, will be filed on 779's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com provided the Exchange's conditional approval of the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares has been obtained. There can be no assurance that the Exchange will grant such conditional approval or that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. The Proposed Transaction is not a "Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transactions" (within the meaning of Exchange policies).

768 intends to apply to the TSXV for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements for the Transactions based upon the Private Placement and/or other exemptions available in TSXV policies.

Sponsorship of a reverse take-over transaction is required by the Exchange unless exempt in accordance with Exchange policies. WAC&G intends to apply for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements based upon the Pre-RTO Private Placement and the Concurrent Financing and/or other exemptions available in the Exchange policies. There is no assurance that WAC&G will ultimately obtain an exemption from sponsorship.

Additional Information

Additional information concerning the Proposed Transaction, 779, WAC&G and the Resulting Issuer will be provided in subsequent news releases and in 779's listing application to be filed in connection with the Proposed Transaction, which will be available under 779's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

About 779

779 is a company formed pursuant to the laws of British Columbia and is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. 779 currently has issued and outstanding 3,000,000 779 Shares and 75,000 incentive stock options to acquire 75,000 779 Shares at a price of $0.10 per share which options shall be exercised prior to completion of the Proposed Transaction.

For further information:

1246779 B.C. Ltd.

James Ward, Director

Phone: (416) 897-2359

Email: james@wardfinancial.ca

Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company

Kit Marrs, President

Email: kit@wacg.rocks

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and obtaining all required shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.

The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

All information contained in this news release with respect to 779, WAC&G, and the Resulting Issuer was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and 779 and its directors and officers have relied on WAC&G for any information concerning such party.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would" , "might " or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction, the Pre-RTO Private Placement, the Concurrent Financing, the 779 Consolidation, the exchange ratios for the WAC&G Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction, the anticipated term of the 779 Proportional Voting Shares, the business and operations of 779, WAC&G and the Resulting Issuer, go-forward directors and management of the Resulting Issuer, the use of proceeds from the Concurrent Financing, the trading of the Resulting Issuer Shares, and the receipt of director, shareholder and regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder, court or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, 779 and WAC&G assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. The terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction may change based on 779's due diligence (which will be limited as the 779 intends to rely upon the due diligence conducted by the agents in connection with the Concurrent Financing) and the receipt of tax, corporate and securities law advice for both 779 and WAC&G. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85178
Crypto exchanges and miners in China are grappling with the aftermath of last Fridays notice from the State Council, which calls for a crackdown on crypto trading and mining in the country. Here are some of the results of the warning.

Mining

Chinese miners have been scrambling to look for overseas sites to host their mining machines following the State Councils warning that it may crack down on crypto mining due to environmental concerns.

I have been having conversations all weekend, starting since last Friday, with Chinese miners looking to co-locate in the U.S., said Ethan Vera, chief operating officer at Seattle-based mining firm Luxor. All the Chinese miners that I know are reaching out, they are getting pricing and quotes.

Related: This Isnt the Start of OPEC: New Bitcoin Mining Council Just Wants to Promote Greener Practices, Member Says

While the Chinese authorities have yet to release any concrete plans to enforce the crackdown, some major crypto mining companies are already taking steps in response to the warning.

Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has shuttered its miner hosting services in mainland China. Crypto mining pool BTC.TOP suspended its operations in China and HashCow said it will stop buying new rigs.

I think the consensus right now is there are too many uncertainties to tell if this is actually going to take place or not, Vera said. But there is for sure the risk of it.

If China enforces the crackdown, the migration to hosting sites abroad could be costly and take a lot of time.

Related: Of Course China Is Anti-Bitcoin: Look What Happened to Jack Ma

There is not much idle capacity in major mining hubs such as North America and Kazakhstan, Vera said. He estimated the idle capacity in the U.S. is less than 30 megawatts in the entire country at the moment. To put the number in perspective, that is less than 1% of the hash power required to support all the mining machines that are currently in China, according to Vera.

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Chinese miners cannot move to these overseas sites and start mining right away. It would take between 60 and 90 days for a mining farm to build out another 10 or 20 megawatts, Vera said, noting the base rate for these hosting sites would be very high. So after moving it could take up to half a year before all that hashrate comes back online.

In the long run, crypto mining will continue to exist in China but will shift from industrial-size data centers to home miners or small or medium-sized miners, Zhuoer Jiang, CEO of BTC.TOP said on Twitter.

Jiang noted in his tweet that miner makers such as Bitmain would sell most of their machines abroad as the regulations on big-scale mining operations are getting tougher.

Exchanges pull back

Huobi, a major crypto exchange that provides trading services for Chinese investors, has scaled back its offerings following the State Councils notice.

While Huobis spot trading remains largely unaffected, it has suspended futures contracts, exchange-traded products (ETP) and certain other leveraged investment products.

The move indicates that the Chinese authorities are trying to prevent more capital from flowing into a more volatile market with high systemic risks, Jason Wu, CEO of crypto lending platform DeFiner. If you look at what exact services have been suspended on Huobi, they are among the most risky trading activities.

Leveraged investment products, including ETPs, on crypto exchanges let investors amplify their profits by giving them up to 100 times the amount of cryptocurrencies they actually have on hand. But when prices in the crypto assets that are collateralized decrease, these investors need to put in more as collateral. Their assets will be liquidated if they can not add enough to the collateral.

Financial stability is one of the top priorities for Chinese regulators, and they might not want to see more people investing in such a volatile market.

Compared to the crackdowns in 2013 and 2017, crypto trading in general has become much more leveraged given the boom in financial derivative products in crypto and decentralized finance (DeFi).

The rise of more sophisticated structured financial products on centralized exchanges and lending protocols in DeFi has made it easier to do leveraged trading, Wu said.

OKEx, which is another major exchange for Chinese investors, had planned to suspend transactions between its platform token OKB and Chinas local fiat currency renminbi. The exchange later aborted the plan due to customer concerns. The tokens price fell as low as 70% after they announced the suspension.

This is a less-noticeable move given the low volume of transactions for OKB. But such transactions have a significant legal risk for exchanges.

Platform tokens can be regarded as a form of illegal fundraising, Wu said. Imagine a centralized trading platform is a company, the platform token in nature is similar to its stocks.

Some exchanges would require the users to hold their platform tokens in exchange for discounted transaction fees and other premium services.

State medias rant

The Economic Information Daily, a state newspaper that covers Chinese securities, published an article on Monday giving more details on why the Chinese government is intensifying the crackdown on crypto mining and trading businesses.

Cryptos biggest risks include more interest from average Chinese investors, financial risks associated with high leverage, security concerns with crypto trading platforms and compliance issues related to money laundering and illegal fundraising, the newspaper said.

As for the crackdown on mining, the media outlet said it is mainly due to environmental concerns. However, the newspapers characterization of data centers that are used as crypto mining sites indicates the discrepancy in the local and central governments stance on crypto mining.

Bitcoin mining activities tend to be in the disguise of data centers so that the miners can trick local governments into supporting such projects and waste a lot of electricity, the newspaper said. But many local governments are aware of large-scale mining operations, some of which even put forward preferential policies for bitcoin miners.

A few counties in Sichuan province of South China, which is a major mining hub, have set up hydropower consumption parks, where many large bitcoin mining companies run their operations. Bitcoin mining operations have existed in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang for several years.

Local governments more permissive attitude towards crypto mining may be due to its pursuit of higher tax revenues, while the central government prioritizes environmental protection.

Compared to the crackdown notice on Tuesday from three financial industry associations, the warning from the State Council, which is a higher-level government body, will deter more people from operating crypto trading or mining businesses, the newspaper said.

Related Stories
MONTREAL, May 25, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Accessa, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association quebecoise des pharmaciens proprietaires du Quebec (AQPP), will begin to carry out its mission through patient support program services. The purpose of this program is to offer further services to Quebecers struggling with health issues which require specialty medication. Accessa announced today the onset of a collaboration with the multinational Sandoz, a Boucherville-based division of Novartis, and its new role as a province-wide intermediary with regards to patient support services for the Hyrimoz product. This is the first significant collaboration since Accessa's inception in 2019.

Logo: Accessa (CNW Group/Accessa)

Patients suffering from various types of arthritis and gastrointestinal disorders, including Crohn's disease, among other illnesses, will be provided with personalized assistance in-pharmacy with regards to dispensing this medication and monitoring the patient's therapy, as well as any training they may require to administer the treatment. This first agreement with a pharmaceutical company demonstrates the key role Quebec owner-pharmacists play in the patient support program sector.

As such, patients will be able to benefit from a support program at their pharmacy, as their pharmacist will now monitor their therapy whether related to a specialty medication or other types of medication. In this way, pharmacists, best suited to assess interactions between different types of medication and among the most accessible health professionals, will be able to provide better patient management in close collaboration with prescribing physicians.

Sandoz Canada is very familiar with the uniqueness of Quebec's community pharmacy model and places great importance on patient choice and the role of pharmacies. This first partnership came to be quite naturally. "We strongly believe that patients should be able to choose where they purchase their biosimilars and specialty generic medication; patients are always at the forefront of our work," declares Michel Robidoux, President and General Manager at Sandoz Canada.

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Logical evolution

Accessa's arrival in patient support programs provides pharmacists with the opportunity to further develop the role they play in their patients' lives, thus benefiting Quebec's healthcare system. The increase of clinical services offered by pharmacists in recent years and the exceptional participation of community pharmacies across Quebec throughout the historic COVID-19 vaccination campaign are great examples of the prominent role pharmacists play, not only in front-line care but within the entire healthcare ecosystem. Giving patients this new avenue is part of a movement toward increased management of patients and their therapy by pharmacists.

"We can now realize Accessa's mission thanks to this first agreement with Sandoz. A better use of pharmacists in the realm of patient support programs is the next logical step as their role evolves, especially given the increasing number of treatments requiring complex medication. The real winners will obviously be Quebec patients as they will be able to count on their pharmacist's support at all times, a contributing factor to their treatment's success," declared Accessa's President Jean Bourcier.

This agreement is but a first step for Accessa; discussions with several other drug manufacturers are ongoing so as to develop partnerships that will provide patients with more specialized support for various types of therapies.

About Accessa

Accessa is a company wholly owned by the Association quebecoise des pharmaciens proprietaires (AQPP). Created in 2019, Accessa helps build and manage a new generation of patient support programs. Its main goal is to support patients struggling with health issues which require complex treatments and medications to ensure a successful therapy. By relying on a large network of highly qualified community pharmacists in different regions, Accessa allows people across Quebec to benefit from a one-of-a-kind flexible patient support program.

https://www.accessa.ca/en/

About Sandoz

Sandoz International GmbH is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars and a subsidiary of Swiss multinational Novartis.

Sandoz Canada is a pioneer and a leader in its field, a trustworthy supplier of over 65 million high-quality generic and biosimilar drug prescriptions each year, which has been building on experience and global capabilities to develop, market and distribute its products for many decades. Sandoz launched its first biosimilar on the European market in 2006, and on the Canadian market in 2009.

https://www.sandoz.ca/en

* Hyrimoz is a registered trademark and is used under license by Sandoz Canada.

SOURCE Accessa

Cision

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SHANGHAI and HARTFORD, Conn., May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene", SEHK: 6996.HK), a leading innovative biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing global first-in-class and/or best-in-class therapeutics in hematology and oncology, today announced the appointment of Ms. Kathryn Gregory as Vice President and Head of Corporate Business Development, reporting to Mr. John F. Chin, Chief Business Officer of Antengene. In this role, Kathryn will be responsible for leading external business development including in/out-licensing, co-development/commercialization, mergers and acquisitions, and other collaboration agreements supporting Antengene's objectives.

Ms. Kathryn Gregory

Kathryn has over 25 years of executive leadership experience in the global biopharmaceutical industry. She has extensive experience in international business development including corporate strategy, negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, alliance management; and operational experience in marketing, strategic sourcing and procurement. Prior to joining Antengene, Kathryn was the Chief Business Officer at Aileron Therapeutics. During her tenure, she led negotiations for regional partnerships in Europe and Asia for anti-cancer and chemoprotection programs and developed key relationships with large pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Previously, she was the President of KG BioPharma Consulting LLC, a strategic advisory company, where she assisted biopharma companies in a range of corporate strategy and business development activities. Prior to her consulting career, Kathryn was the Co-Founder, CEO and CBO of Seneb BioSciences.

Adopting a R&D strategy that leverages both in-house discovery and in-licensing, Antengene has in the four years since its establishment, built a pipeline of thirteen drug candidates with first-in-class or best-in-class potentials, covering the three therapeutic areas of oncology, autoimmune diseases, and viral infections. Just this month, Antengene entered into an agreement with Calithera Biosciences, Inc. to in-license a potent and highly selective inhibitor of CD73 (ATG-037).

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Dr. Jay Mei, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Antengene, said: "Leveraging our combinatory and complimentary global business development strategy, proven capabilities in clinical and translational development, and efficient execution and operation, Antengene is presently in rapid transition from clinical-stage to commercial-stage, and has established extensive presence in the APAC region. In the past four years, we built a pipeline of thirteen drug candidates, obtained fifteen clinical trial approvals, and submitted New Drug Applications in five APAC markets. Kathryn is an exceptional leadership talent in the biopharmaceutical industry. I am confident that under her leadership, we will be able to further expand our pipeline, and soon make our novel therapeutics available to patients in the APAC region and around the world."

"Antengene has built a robust and highly innovative pipeline of thirteen drug assets mostly focused on oncology. Now we are preparing for the commercialization of selinexor across Asia Pacific markets as we expect to see regulatory approvals in Q4 of this year and Q1 of next year. I am very happy that Kathryn has joined our team. I believe her experience will make significant contributions to our business development initiatives," said Mr. John F. Chin, Chief Business Officer of Antengene.

"I am very excited to join Antengene's team of high caliber scientists and international management executives who have a wealth of experience developing and commercializing cancer medicines globally. I look forward to contributing to the rapid growth of the company by building strategic partnerships for additional first in-class/best in-class innovative assets," said Ms. Kathryn Gregory.

Kathryn received an M.B.A. degree from Pepperdine University and a B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Antengene

Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene", SEHK: 6996.HK) is a leading clinical-stage R&D driven biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative medicines for oncology and other life-threatening diseases. Antengene aims to provide the most advanced anti-cancer drugs to patients in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world. Since its establishment in 2017, Antengene has built a broad and expanding pipeline of clinical and pre-clinical stage assets through partnerships as well as in-house drug discovery, and obtained 15 investigational new drug (IND) approvals and submitted 5 new drug applications (NDA) in multiple markets in Asia Pacific. Antengene's vision is to "Treat Patients Beyond Borders". Antengene is focused on and committed to addressing significant unmet medical needs by discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class/best-in-class therapeutics. For more information, please visit: www.antengene.com.

Forward-looking statements

The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions may alter in light of future development.

Cision

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SOURCE Antengene Corporation Limited
MONTREAL, May 25, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Auxico Resources Canada Inc. (CSE: AUAG) is pleased to announce that it has signed a joint venture agreement ("JV" or "Agreement") with Impact Global Solutions Inc. ("IGS") for the processing of tantalum ores that may also contain niobium, iridium and other minerals.

Auxico Resources Canada Inc. (CNW Group/Auxico Resources Canada Inc.)

Under the terms of the Agreement, Auxico will provide ores to IGS and bear all of the transportation costs for delivery to the IGS facility located in Delson, Quebec, just south of Montreal. Auxico will also provide the working capital necessary to launch this joint venture, including the financing of equipment and infrastructure, all of which will be located at the Delson facility. In return, IGS will provide the location for the JV operations in Delson, as well as the metallurgical and processing expertise.

Auxico had previously signed a technology and licensing agreement with Central America Nickel ("CAN") for the use of CAN's proprietary technology for the extraction of metals, call the Ultrasound Assisted Extraction ("UAEx") process. Through Auxico, IGS will have access to UAEx for the processing of ores.

As per the Agreement, Auxico will retain 80% of the net profits of the JV, and IGS will retain the remaining 20%. Net profits are defined as total earnings from the JV less all expenses (including depreciation and taxes), as well as a 2% royalty payable to CAN for the use of the UAEx process.

On April 19 and 20, 2021, the Company issued news releases concerning agreements that it had signed with parties in Bolivia and Ivory Coast, respectively, for the export of high-grade tantalum ores. These samples also had significant grades of niobium and iridium. (Please consult these news releases on SEDAR or on the Company's website.)

Auxico will send ore from Bolivia and Ivory Coast to IGS for metallurgical analysis.

About Auxico Resources Canada Inc.

Auxico Resources Canada Inc. ("Auxico") is a Canadian company that was founded in 2014 and based in Montreal. Auxico is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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About Impact Global Solutions Inc.

Impact Global Solutions is a private company based in Delson, Quebec, that provides consulting, metallurgical testing and analytical services to the mining industry. IGS specializes in the processing and extraction of metals.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 signed   signed  Pierre Gauthier Mark Billings CEO, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. President, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. pg@auxicoresources.com mb@auxicoresources.com Cell: +1 514 299 0881 Cell: +1 514 296 1641

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

SOURCE Auxico Resources Canada Inc.

Cision

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BC venture backed companies raised $1.20 billion, equaling to the total VC raised by Ontario and Quebec companies combined ($1.24 billion)

Dapper Labs' US $304 million financing is Canada's largest VC financing all time

BC cleantech and advanced agri-tech companies raised $277 million, representing 71% of All Canadian cleantech and advanced agri-tech disbursements

US investors invested $1.51 billion, accounting for 54% of the total disbursements

Investors from US, Germany, BVI, Hong Kong, and UK rounded up the top five foreign funding sources, together accounting for 67% of the total disbursements

US Private VC, US Corporate VC, US Hedge Fund, Canadian VC and Foreign Corporate VC ranked as the top five leading investor types

US Private VC invested $626 million; 2.5 times of the total invested by Canadian Private VC

Dentons Canada LLP led all VC law firms with 17 VC deals

All dollar ($) figures in Canadian dollar unless otherwise noted.

TORONTO, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadian venture capital started 2021 with a blast, raising $2.78 billion from 192 financings in first quarter (Q1) of 2021, according to the Canadian Venture Capital Report released today by CPE Analytics, a division of CPE Media & Data Company.

Logo: CPE Analytics, a division of CPE Media & Data Company (CNW Group/CPE Media Inc.)

Both the number of financings and the total amount are historically high.

Q1 2021 is all about British Columbia from an investment destination perspective and about US investment from an investment source point of view.

Q1 2021 British Columbia Venture Capital Disbursements

BC led all Canadian provinces in venture capital disbursements in Q1 2021, raising $1.20 billion from 57 financings.

Vancouver's Dapper Labs led all financings with the blockbuster US $304.4 million financing. Dapper Labs financing is the largest Canadian venture capital deal all time (for clarification - Verafin's $515 million financing in 2019 is a combination of PE recap/VC secondary and senior debt financing).

BC ICT, Biotech and Life Sciences companies raised $453 million and $424 million, representing 33% and 60% of the Canadian total disbursements.

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It is important to note that cleantech investment alone in Q1 stood at just under 10% of the total, BC cleantech, advanced agri-tech/agri-food companies have been quietly leading all Canadian companies, raised $277 million or 78% of the total disbursements by all Canadian cleantech and agri-tech companies in Q1 2021.

Q1 2021 US Investments in Canadian Venture-backed Companies

Investors from 33 countries or regions invested in Canadian companies in Q1, 2021. US investors led with $1,510 million, contributing 54% of total amount raised by Canadian companies.

US Private VC, US Corporate VC and US Hedge Fund invested $626 million, $283 million and $276 million respectively, together accounting for 43% of the total disbursements.

US investors play a dominant role in Ontario, Quebec, BC and Atlantic Canada in Q1 2021, accounting for 61%, 56%, 55% and 50% of total provincial disbursements respectively. Prairie is the only region raised less than 50% of total capital from US investors.

"The Q1 2021 data reveal the astonishing dominance of US and foreign funds in the Canadian venture capital market place. On the one hand, this feature is testament to the vibrancy of the technology sector in Canada that is evident in both private and public capital markets. On the other hand, this data is likely to reinforce the concerns of those who have expressed fears that Canada may be continuing to export its future business champions as the leading market share of US funds at the growth stage seems to now encompass multiple stages of venture investing. As well, the robust investing volume in Q 1 masks ongoing weakness in the cleantech sector - which may be a priority for public authorities but is clearly not one for the private sector venture industry as a whole in Canada," Commented Richard Remillard, President of Remillard Consulting Group (RCG).

Q1 2021 Canadian Venture Capital Disbursement Highlights

Companies from 40 Canadian cities secured venture capital funding. Vancouver was the only $1 billion plus city, securing $1,058 million.

Top 11 cities with $30 million or more VC funding, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, Burnaby, Halifax, Winnipeg, Kitchener, Surrey, and Victoria, collectively raised $2,629 million or 94% of the total disbursements.

ICT companies raised $1,393 million or 50% of total amount; Biotech companies received $711 million or 26% of total amount; Cleantech companies raised $255 million or 9% of the total amount.

Series A, B, C financings raised $484 million, $295 million and $399 million respectively.

Companies with less than 50 employees raised $1,614 million or 58% of the total disbursements.

Q1 2020 Canadian VC Funding Source Highlights

US investors invested $1,510 million (54%), Canadian investors contributed $764 million (28%), and investors from 32 other countries/regions contributed $509 million (18%).

Top 10 funding foreign countries/regions: US, Germany, BVI, Hong Kong, UK, Singapore, Chile, Australia, Netherlands, Japan.

Top 10 Individual investor types: US Private VC, US Corporate VC, US Hedge Fund, Canadia Private VC, Foreign Corporate VC, Canadian Angel Investor, US Angel Investor, Foreign Family Office, Canadian Government, Foreign Private VC.

Q1 2021 US and Foreign Investment Regional Breakdowns

All regions with exception of The Prairies raised over half of the capital from US and foreign investors.

The Prairies raised 42% of the total capital from US and foreign investors.

BC attracted the highest share of US and foreign investments with 80% of total raised.

Q1 2021 Fundraising by Canadian VC Firms

18 VC funds raised $1,152 million.

Q1 2021 Top VC Law Firms

Top five active VC law firms: Dentons Canada LLP, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, LaBarge Weinstein LLP, Torys LLP.

Full summary report can be downloaded from financings.ca website: https://www.financings.ca/reports/

Remillard Consulting Group (RCG)

Remillard Consulting Group (RCG) is a uniqe, Ottawa-based, bilingual consulting firm specializing in providing private sector, government & trade association clients with creative, research-grounded solutions to business issues and public policies involving the Canadian financial services industry. For more information: rremillard@bellnet.ca

https://remillardconsulting.com/

CPE Analytics

CPE Analytics is Canada's leading all financing intelligence provider. We provide comprehensive and unbiased information and unmatched insights and intelligence on public financings, private financings, initial public offerings (IPOs), M&As, professional investment firm fundraising activities.

CPE Analytics is the data analytics division of CPE Media & Data Company. More Info: https://cpeanalytics.ca, https://financings.ca

CPE Media & Data Company

Founded by Canada's most experienced private capital and financing research experts, CPE Media & Data Company is Canada's leading all financing news and intelligence provider. More information: https://cpecompany.ca/

SOURCE CPE Media Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2021/25/c8060.html
Omans Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion have signed a cooperation programme with the Turkish Gebze Organized Industrial Zone (GOSB).



The Turkish delegation visit to the Sultanate is organised by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by the investment promotion sector, in cooperation with Opaz, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



The visit aims to explore ways of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries and to meet with officials from a number of authorities concerned.



During the visit, an initial agreement was signed for an investment project to replicate a model for the Gebze Organized Industrial Zone (GOSB) in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad). The key joint investment sectors include mining, petrochemicals, food and logistics. This joint investment project will be an activation model for the Turkish Industrial Zone in Duqm.



The Cooperation Programme was signed by Eng. Ahmed bin Hassan al-Dheeb, Deputy Chairman of Opaz, Asila Salim al-Samsami, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Investment Promotion, and Fahit Yildirim, Chairman of Turkish Gebze Organized Industrial Zone.



Signing the Programme reflects Opaz efforts, in cooperation with the Ministry, to attract various investments to the Special Economic Zone at Duqm. The Turkish delegation will explore the potential opportunities in Duqm to attract the Turkish companies. Opaz is fully prepared to provide all facilities to these companies, which could easily access the regional and African markets through the Port of Duqm. As well, there are lands designated for gas-dependent projects as the gas pipeline project to Duqm is already completed and Duqm Refinery Project is on the way to complete too, stressed the Deputy Chairman of Opaz.



He also affirmed that Opaz welcomes Turkish investors in various sectors to make the most of the resources available in Sezad and any other zones related to Opaz.



On the other hand, Asila Salim al-Samsami pointed out: In light of the interest in developing trade relations between the Sultanate and the Republic of Turkey, different ways of strengthening trade cooperation between the two countries in various spheres were discussed in the meeting. Likewise, the delegation expressed high interest to form real partnerships in the targeted sectors, so the delegation will visit a number of bodies concerned during their stay in the Sultanate.



Al-Samsami explained that the Ministry is determined to continue achieving its vision and mission, reflecting the objectives of Oman Vision 2040. This confirms the Ministrys ongoing endeavour to efficiently market the national economys components. The major objective of the investments is to develop Omani exports and stimulate attracting investments from free zones in various sectors, thanks to the complementary efforts and cooperation of the Omani Embassy in Turkey and other authorities concerned, she said.



According to the Cooperation Programme, the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones will allocate a land in the Medium Industries Zone at Sezad, so that the Turkish Gebze Organized Industrial Zone, as an investment developer, will promote the zone to companies operating in its industrial zone.



During the meeting, held at Opaz, the bilateral relations between the two countries were reviewed and the investment environment and opportunities and incentives offered by Opaz to investors were presented as well. Moreover, the delegation was also briefed on the most promising sectors that the Sultanate focuses on, infrastructure projects and economic projects that are relied upon during the coming era to attract foreign capitals.




May 25 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Dylann Roof, the white supremacist who killed nine Black people at a South Carolina church in 2015, argued on Tuesday in court to overturn his conviction and sentence because he was not competent to stand trial and represent himself.

Attorneys for Roof pressed their case during an appeals court hearing on Tuesday, squaring off with U.S. government lawyers trying to uphold his conviction on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes, and subsequent death sentence.

Federal public defenders representing Roof launched the appeal in early 2020. They argued that Roof suffered from schizophrenia spectrum disorder and other mental problems and "believed his sentence didn't matter because white nationalists would free him from prison after an impending race war."

Ann O'Connell Adams, a U.S. Justice Department lawyer, told a panel of three judges that Roof did not act irrationally in representing himself and had shown that he understood the risk that he could face the death penalty if found guilty.

In December 2016, a jury found Roof guilty of 33 federal charges for the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in June 2015. The same jury sentenced him to death in January 2017.

Roof dismissed his defense attorneys just before trial and represented himself during jury selection. At the last minute he reinstated his lawyers for the guilt phase but represented himself again for the penalty phase. (reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
ST. PAUL, Minn., May 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ecolab Inc. President and CEO Christophe Beck will address financial analysts virtually at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference on Tuesday, June 1. Ecolab will offer a webcast of Mr. Becks presentation. Details for the webcast are as follows:

TIME: 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time DATE: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 DURATION: Approximately 30 minutes LOCATION: www.ecolab.com/investor ARCHIVE: A replay of the webcast will be available through June 22, 2021.

To access the webcast, visit the News and Events section of Ecolabs Investor website at www.ecolab.com/investor and click on the webcast details.

About Ecolab

A trusted partner at nearly three million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. With annual sales of $12 billion and more than 44,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions, data-driven insights and personalized service to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. www.ecolab.com

Follow us on LinkedIn @Ecolab, Twitter @Ecolab, Instagram @Ecolab_Inc and Facebook @Ecolab.

Investor Contacts:

Michael Monahan

+1 651 250 2809

Nate Brochmann

+1 651 250 3837

Andrew Hedberg

+1 651 250 2185

May 24, 2021

(ECL-C)




BEIJING (Reuters) - China's market regulator has begun an investigation into suspected anti-competitive practices by KE Holdings, the country's biggest housing broker whose top backer is Tencent Holdings, two people who know of the matter said.

The investigation is the latest into China's big so-called "platform" companies that match sellers and buyers, several of which have been accused by regulators of exploiting consumers.

KE Holdings, which operates housing platforms Lianjia and Beike in China, was warned last month by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), along with dozens of internet companies, against any abuse of market dominance and told to conduct self-inspections.

SAMR has been formally investigating in recent weeks whether KE Holdings forces real estate developers to list housing information only on its platforms, including Lianjia and Beike, a tactic known as "choose one from two", the people said, declining to be named because the information is not public.

The investigation has not been publicly announced. It is not known when it will be wrapped up or what it could entail for KE Holdings.

KE Holdings declined to comment to Reuters but in a later statement on its Chinese social media accounts Beike denied that "SAMR had opened a case against Beike".

SAMR did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

KE's New York-listed shares fell as much as nearly 10% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, after the Reuters report.

Graphic: KE Holdings shares - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/qzjpqbbjevx/image-1621913862223.png

Last month, SAMR hit Alibaba Group with a record $2.8 billion fine after finding that the e-commerce giant had been preventing its merchants from using other online e-commerce platforms since 2015.

Tencent itself is in the firing line, with SAMR preparing to levy a fine of at least $1.5 billion on the gaming and social media behemoth, Reuters reported in April. SAMR also announced an investigation last month into Tencent-backed food delivery giant Meituan.

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SAMR has stationed inspectors since late April in 17 companies that operate platforms, including KE Holdings, to enhance the efficiency of antitrust inspections, one of the sources said.

KE Holdings, which also counts SoftBank Group Corp among its major backers, launched Lianjia, formerly known as Beijing Homelink Real Estate Brokerage, 20 years ago.

It grew into one of China's largest bricks-and-mortar property agents and later set up Beike as a separate online housing platform matching buyers and sellers, renters and landlords, as well as providing home finance.

It listed in New York in August, and after sharp gains last year the shares are down 15% so far in 2021. Still, it has a market value of about $62 billion.

On top of the antitrust probe, KE Holdings faces uncertainty following the death last week of its 50-year-old founder and chairman, Zuo Hui, due to an illness. Co-founder Peng Yongdong was appointed chairman this week.

Its biggest revenue sources are from existing home and new home transactions, with market shares of 26% and 35%, respectively, of gross transaction volume in 2020, according to TF Securities, a relatively high proportion in China's fragmented housing market. KE Holdings posted stellar first quarter financial results last week, with net revenue up 191% on the year, bolstered byChina's robust property market that quickly rebounded last yearfrom the coronavirus crisis.

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang, Cheng Leng and Tony Munroe in Beijing; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Louise Heavens)
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Ebang International Holdings Inc. ("Ebang" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: EBON) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company's securities between June 26, 2020 and April 5, 2021, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before June 7, 2021.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Ebang directed the proceeds of its public offerings into low yield, long-term bonds and to related parties instead of developing its operations and infrastructure. The Company inflated its declining sales through schemes such as selling defective units. The Company's prior attempts to go public in Hong Kong failed due to allegations of embezzlement and inflating sales figures. The Company's purported cryptocurrency exchange was actually the purchase of an out-of-the-box crypto solution. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Ebang, investors suffered damages.

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Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.,

www.schallfirm.com

Office: 310-301-3335

info@schallfirm.com

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/648933/FINAL-DEADLINE-IMMINENT-The-Schall-Law-Firm-Reminds-Investors-of-a-Class-Action-Lawsuit-Against-Ebang-International-Holdings-Inc-and-Encourages-Investors-with-Losses-in-Excess-of-100000-to-Contact-the-Firm




SAN CLEMENTE CA, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Global WholeHealth Partners Corp (OTC: GWHP) and AAJ has created the best line of products for the Philippines and the surrounding countries. Both companies realize that the ability to carry FDA GMP products assembled in the Philippines will make Global WholeHealth Philippines extremely competitive in the marketplace in the Philippines and other Pacific Rim countries.

The products that are planned on being sold in the Philippines are the COVID Antigen, COVID Antibody, Dengue Fever, TB, Malaria, and Influenza A & B.

Coronavirus Cases: 1,184,706 Deaths: 19,983

Dengue Fever cases; 42 584

In 2019, the Philippines had the highest TB incidence in Asia with 554 cases per 100,000 people, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. Approximately, 74 Filipinos die of TB every day and are among the top 10 causes of death in the country.

https://doh.gov.ph/press-release/DECLINE-IN-REPORTED-TB-CASES-AN-EFFECT-OF-THE-PANDEMIC-DOH#:~:text=Using%20a%20projection%20modeling%20based,commitment%20by%20almost%20300%2C000%20cases.

Dengue outbreaks are occurring in many countries of the world in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/areaswithrisk/around-the-world.html

In 2021, and as of week 16, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported 273 495 suspected, probable, and confirmed dengue cases and 65 associated deaths, in the Americas region. The five countries reporting the most cases are: Brazil (204 373), Peru (14 601), Nicaragua (12 444), Colombia (9 767), Paraguay (9 229). All four dengue virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4) are currently circulating in the Americas, which increases the risk of severe cases. The figures for each country of the Americas can be found on the PAHO Health Information Platform

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/dengue-monthly

Global WholeHealth Partners Corp. (OTC: GWHP) offers one of the largest line of COVID 19 tests. Globals WholeHealth Partners Corp (OTC: GWHP) states that the Antibody IgG/IgM tests that they offer is capable of detecting all the current identified SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The strains identified in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), and Brazil (P.1) strain contains multiple mutations, most reflected in the S gene, which encodes the spike protein, Global understands the need to be ahead of the virus to conquer the virus. Now, with the vaccine, Global is offering one of the largest lines of products to fight this virus.

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Global understands that this is a war on COVID 19 and we are expanding our line of products to be able to fight. With a facility in the Philippines, Global will be able to fight the COVID War better by taking the fight to some of the regions of the world which have not been serviced.

Global WholeHealth Partners recognizes that there is a crucial need for faster testing and faster results when it comes to fighting the COVID. Global WholeHealth Partners knows that the quicker the test results can be reviewed by a Front-Line Healthcare Worker, the quicker we can stop the spread of this disease.

With results in minutes versus hours or days with other diagnostic kits, the more lives that can be saved with the only FDA authorized COVID-19 POC serology Point of Care Test. With the new fingerstick test, healthcare providers can prick a patients finger and get results in minutes without having to wait for venous blood. Global WholeHealth Partners will be able to distribute these tests to more urgent cares, hospitals, and  to help curb the spread of CoViD19 SARS2.

As a third surge of the coronavirus threatens much of the United States, public health experts across the country say there still arent enough tests available to keep the virus under control. With the continual mutation of the virus, Global is keeping up with demand and keeping up with the continual changes of the virus in the R & D of the tests.

Global Wholehealth Partners Corp. provides cutting edge technology using In-vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Real-Time PCR Machines for detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies in human serum, plasma, or whole blood. It has led the fight against vector borne terminal diseases such as Ebola, ZIKA, Dengue, Malaria, Influenza and Tuberculosis, Corona Viruses, and among other vector borne diseases. The company was founded on March 7, 2013, and is headquartered in San Clemente, CA.

GWHP develops, manufactures, and markets in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for OTC, or consumer-use as well as professional rapid diagnostic point-of-care (POC) test kits for hospitals, physicians offices, and medical clinics in the US and abroad. Notably, Global offers 56 products FDA approved and many are Approved for OTC use, and 9 POC products approved by the FDA.

The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time.

Media Contact:

Name: Charles Strongo

CEO, Global WholeHealth Partners Corp.

Email: Sales@gwhpcorp.com

www.gwhpcorp.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements. Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, (ii) negative clinical trial results or lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device industry from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, (vi) product malfunctions, (vii) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on subcontractors for assistance, (viii) insufficient or inadequate reimbursement by governmental and other third party payers for our products, (ix) our efforts to successfully obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system in both the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, (xi) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, (xii) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain and (xiii) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.




(Bloomberg) -- Police visited Twitter Inc.s empty offices in India on Monday following the companys Friday decision to label multiple tweets from accounts linked to the countrys ruling party as manipulated media.

The unexpected visit happened late Monday after Twitter labeled multiple tweets for violating its synthetic and manipulated media policy, a person familiar with the matter confirmed. The policy forbids users from sharing things that deceptively promote synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm.

Twitters offices globally have been shut since March 2020, with only Sydney presently open. It is not immediately clear why the police undertook the action.

The tweets from various Bharatiya Janata Party-linked accounts posted a document they alleged was from Indias rival Congress party, specifying failures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his handling of the coronavirus. Congress has complained publicly that the document was forged and the social media company labeled a handful of the tweets promoting it as manipulated media.

Congress has filed the complaint. Police have the right to inquire about it, said R.P. Singh, a BJP spokesman, on Tuesday. Twitter has also marked the tweet as manipulated media. Now Twitter must show the proof.

Among the tweets that were labeled was one from BJP spokesman Sambit Patra, which angered members of the countrys leading political party who felt Twitter acted inappropriately. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment.

Congress politicians decried the ruling partys actions.

BJPs dictatorial behavior will not last, the people of India will not be silenced, the truth will not be silenced, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said in a tweet. Delhi police searching Twitter India offices to cover up for BJPs fraud, prove how afraid they of their lies being revealed.

Twitter last month removed or restricted access to more than 50 posts at the behest of the Indian government, including tweets that criticized its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The company has also previously applied its manipulated media policy to U.S. politicians, including former president Donald Trump.

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The social media giant permanently suspended more than 500 accounts and blocked access to hundreds of others in India earlier this year during farm protests, acceding to a government order to limit misinformation and inflammatory content.

(Updates with additional details from first paragraph)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
ADELAIDE, Australia, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IVF Life Group, a leading group of IVF clinics across Spain, UK, and Germany, will be among the first in Europe to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to non-invasively assess embryos to determine their genetic integrity. The AI product Life Whisperer, developed by global healthcare company Presagen, uses images of embryos to assess their quality to assist with embryo selection, and ultimately improve IVF outcomes for patients.

Currently, PGT-A genetic testing is one of the most used techniques that requires careful removal of three to five cells from an embryo to analyse its genetic integrity. As the procedure is still not available in some countries, and is quite invasive, Life Whisperer and its AI technology can also assist with this assessment.

Life Whisperer Genetics, which this month received CE Mark in Europe, requires only standard camera images of embryos to assess their genetic integrity. In a US study simulating 91,500 individual patient embryo cohorts, Life Whisperer Genetics ranked the genetically normal (euploid) embryo top in 82% of the patient cohorts. Furthermore, in 96% of the cohorts Life Whisperer Genetics ranked the at least one genetically normal embryo in the top two embryos.

Presagen's first product Life Whisperer Viability assesses the same images of embryos to determine their likelihood of leading to a pregnancy, and is already in use in IVF clinics globally.

Founder & President of IVF Life Group, Dr. Jon Aizpurua said "For the next two months, IVF Life will offer all patients, at no additional cost, the use of both Life Whisperer Genetics and Life Whisperer Viability. Although patients may still elect to use PGT-A testing, Life Whisperer offers an important pre-screen to help us select the best embryos for further genetic testing, transfer, or freezing."

Presagen CEO, Dr Michelle Perugini said "We are excited to be working with IVF Life to enable patients across Europe to access the latest AI technology to help improve their chances of a healthy pregnancy, whilst reducing treatment costs."

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Life Whisperer is already authorised for sale in the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, Thailand, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Cision

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SOURCE Presagen
Reuters

The U.S. government on Friday said it would not disburse approved pandemic relief funds to more than 2,900 small businesses owned by women, veterans and disadvantaged people to comply with an injunction issued by a federal court in Texas. The program, part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, has provided more than $27 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to more than 100,000 restaurants, but some aid has been frozen in the wake of lawsuits brought by white restaurant owners in Tennessee and Texas who alleged discrimination. Administration officials said they would continue to fight to maintain the program.
In the news release, NetDocuments to Accelerate Growth with Strategic Investment from Warburg Pincus, issued 25-May-2021 by NetDocuments over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that the ninth paragraph was omitted inadvertently, and should read "William Blair & Company LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to NetDocuments." The complete, corrected release follows:

NetDocuments to Accelerate Growth with Strategic Investment from Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus to join Cove Hill as a Partner in Backing the Leading Secure Cloud Platform for Legal Professionals

SALT LAKE CITY, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NetDocuments, the leading secure cloud-based content services and productivity platform for law firms, corporate legal teams, and compliance departments, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to receive a significant investment from Warburg Pincus, a leading global growth investor, along with existing investor Cove Hill Partners, L.P. ("Cove Hill"). Warburg Pincus is acquiring Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.'s ("Clearlake") interest in NetDocuments.

NetDocuments (PRNewsfoto/NetDocuments)

Warburg Pincus' investment alongside Cove Hill will support the Company's continued rapid growth and innovation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

For more than two decades, NetDocuments has delivered innovation through its world-class content services and productivity platform. NetDocuments is used by over 3,150 professional services firms and corporate legal departments and recently announced unprecedented growth in Q1 2021, continuing its record setting sales momentum. The Company will continue to be led by Chief Executive Officer, Josh Baxter, and the rest of the current management team.

"The partnership with Warburg Pincus provides tremendous potential to not only strengthen existing customer relationships but tap into new opportunities and markets to become the foundational software for legal professionals," stated Josh Baxter, NetDocuments CEO. "We are excited to work with Warburg Pincus and Cove Hill on the Company's next phase of growth and would like to thank Clearlake for their close partnership with our team and for their strategic insight over the years."

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"NetDocuments effectively serves as the platform of productivity for the legal community and is uniquely grounded in its commitment to customer service. The Company's strong track record, paired with a talented leadership team, has positioned it well for the accelerating shift to cloud," said Andrew Park, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. "We look forward to partnering with Josh, the team at NetDocuments and Cove Hill to bring the Company to its next chapter of growth," added Alex Stratoudakis, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus.

"Cove Hill is excited to welcome Warburg Pincus as investors in the Company. We are thrilled to partner with them and the strong management team at NetDocuments to drive growth over the long term," said Jane Levy Vance, Principal at Cove Hill.

"We have greatly enjoyed our successful partnership with NetDocuments over the past four years, as the Company has grown into a leading SaaS platform for the legal industry," said Prashant Mehrotra, a Partner at Clearlake. "Over that time, NetDocuments has executed on a strategy to rapidly expand its product portfolio through organic R&D investments and extend its go-to-market reach by bolstering the Company's sales and marketing leadership and resources. We thank the Cove Hill team for a successful collaboration, and we wish the NetDocuments team every success for the future."

Baxter concluded: "This is about capitalizing on the momentum of the business and our reputation as the cloud platform for content and productivity. With a strong focus on growth and global reach, Warburg Pincus represents a great new partner. The investment will accelerate us both organically as well as through M&A, domestically and internationally. With the continued support of Cove Hill, we have an exciting future ahead of us."

William Blair & Company LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to NetDocuments.

For more information about NetDocuments, please click here.

About NetDocuments

Founded in 1999, with more than 3,150+ enterprise customers worldwide, NetDocuments is the legal industry's most trusted cloud-based content services and productivity platform. Complete with state-of-the-art built-in security, compliance, and governance solutions, NetDocuments offers document management, email management and collaboration technology complete with disaster recovery, enterprise search, and matter centricity features. For more information about NetDocuments, please click here.

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $60 billion in private equity assets under management. Warburg Pincus has invested more than $22 billion in technology companies since inception and is one of the most active growth investors in enterprise technology and cloud-based platforms. Notable technology investments include, BEA Systems, Nuance Communications, CrowdStrike, Avalara, Modernizing Medicine, and Clearwater Analytics in the U.S., eSentire and Assent Compliance in Canada, Ziggo in the Netherlands, Network International in EMEA, and Bharti Telecom in India. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 19 private equity funds, which have invested more than $90 billion in over 930 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com.

About Cove Hill Partners

Cove Hill Partners is a long-term oriented private equity firm focused on partnering with outstanding management teams to build market-leading technology and consumer companies. The Boston-based firm currently manages long-duration funds with over $2.5 billion of commitments from its investors and founders. The firm was founded in 2017 by seasoned private equity investors to invest their personal capital alongside a small group of like-minded investors. Cove Hill has an innovative structure that provides the flexibility to enable a patient, concentrated, and value-add approach in a small portfolio of long-term investments. More information about Cove Hill Partners can be found at www.covehillpartners.com.

About Clearlake Capital

Founded in 2006, Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake currently has approximately $35 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

Media contacts:

NetDocuments:

Jobst Elster

Envision Agency

+1 850-459-4947

elster@envisionagency.com

Warburg Pincus:

Sarah McGrath Bloom

Warburg Pincus

+1 212-878-6378

Sarah.Bloom@warburgpincus.com

Cove Hill:

Lara Moskowitz

Cove Hill Partners

+1 857-245-6060

lm@covehillpartners.com

Clearlake Capital:

Jennifer Hurson

Lambert & Co.

+1 845-507-0571

jhurson@lambert.com

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SOURCE NetDocuments
Pro Video News: Panasonic announces its newest LUMIX mirrorless camera, the DC-GH5 II, and teases a GH6 to be released later in the year.

NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- B&H is excited to announce the release of the newest iteration in Panasonic's popular LUMIX GH5 linethe GH5M2 camera. This mirrorless camera boasts such hallmarks as 10-bit 4K60P video, simultaneous internal recording and HDMI output, and greatly enhanced autofocus capabilities.

Announcing the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II and GH6 Mirrorless Cameras

But wait, there's morePanasonic has also revealed that an upcoming GH6 model will be released later in the year. Based around a new engine and sensor, the GH6 will deliver up to both 10-bit 4K120 and unlimited 10-bit 5.8K60 video recording. And the company is also releasing a Panasonic Leica DG 25-50mm f/1.7 lens to complement its Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7.

GH5 II Introduction

In addition to the features mentioned above, upgraded functions include Wi-Fi livestreaming with just the camera and your smartphone, much smoother image stabilization (IS), and the inclusion of V-Log with the GH5M2 for easier integration with S1H/S footage. Thanks to a new antireflective coating on its 20.3MP sensor, the GH5M2 also offers improved flare suppression perfect for high-contrast settings.

GH5M2 vs. GH5 Comparison

Not only does the GH5M2 offer improved frame rates like 10-bit 4K60 and DCI 4K variable frame rates, it comes with the V-Log L curve option for cine-like color grading in post. The GH5M2 capabilities include both the newer, cine-like D2 and V2 looks plus the L, Classic Neo, and L Monochrome S options. All of these make for easier matching with footage recorded with other V-Log cameras. The GH5M2 uses the same 20.3MP CMOS sensor as the GH5, but it's been updated by the addition of a new coating that suppresses flares and moire effects.

Based around the same durable, weather-sealed, magnesium alloy body as its predecessor, the GH5M2 is available as a body only and in a kit with a 12-60mm zoom. It inherits the same dual SDXC card slots, full-size HDMI and USB ports and accessory compatibility, including use with the DMW-XLR1 mic adapter, the DMW-BGGH5 battery grip, and the DMW-SHGR1 tripod grip. The ability to power the camera and charge the batteries via its USB-C port are new to the GHM2, as is compatibility with the same DMW-BLK22 battery used with the S5 camera. You can still use your existing DMW-BLF19 batteries with the GH5M2 but note that you cannot charge the newer batteries on the older chargers.

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Revved-Up Autofocusing

Individual operators and fast-paced action shooters will be very pleased with the GH5M2's vastly improved autofocusing functions that are similar to those of the S1 camera. Now in addition to the GH5's Face and Eye tracking, the GH5M2 offers Head, Body, and Animal modes with better tracking and recognition even when your subjects are smaller or off-center relative to your frame with Panasonic, promising AF reactions up to twice as fast in a 50% smaller frame compared to the GH5.

Versatile Streaming

Simply pair the GH5M2 with the LUMIX Sync app and a Wi-Fi connection (even your phone's hotspot) for easy streaming to popular social media platforms. This combo offers 720p or 1080p60 at bit rates up to 8Mb/s while RTMP streaming is available up to 16 Mb/s over a LAN. Another option is to use LUMIX Tethering with your MacOS or Windows desktop for up to 1080p30 streaming.

Better Stabilization

You know you love shooting mirrorless when you're running and gunning, so you'll really appreciate the GH5M2's improved in-camera stabilization for those dynamic shots. Based on the algorithm developed for the S1H, this IS enables up to a 6.5-stop shutter speed compensation and is especially handy for panning shots.

Brighter Monitor

With a 150% brighter screen than the GH5 and improved color rendition, the GH5M2's LCD monitor is easy to view, especially outdoors. This higher-resolution, 3" touchscreen monitor also offers selectable aspect ratios and a RED indicator for improved viewing.

Upgraded Warranty

With the introduction of the GH5M2, Panasonic has upgraded the standard LPS Red Warranty (3-year) to the Platinum warranty at no cost. At the Platinum level, Panasonic customers get 3 years of service, plus a discount on out-of-warranty service, and even loaner gear while your camera is being repaired in select situations, plus additional benefits. The standard minimum equipment ownership requirements have been waived as well to qualify for the Platinum level of service.

More to Come

Upcoming GH5M2 updates will include the ability to create composite images in Live View, a USB tethering option for livestreaming, and wired RTP/RTSP IP streaming for stable imaging and audio up to 4K 60p/50p H.265. LUMIX G/LEICA DG lens-related updates for the GH5M2 will incorporate the ability to choose linear or nonlinear focus ring settings with adjustable 90 to 360 sensitivity in 30 increments.

New 25-50mm f/1.7 Zoom Lens

Adding to Panasonic's G Series lens lineup is the new Leica DG 25-50mm f/1.7 lens. Together with the existing Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 lens, the two lenses cover a range of 10 to 50mm (20 to 100mm in 35mm equivalent), providing you with short wide-angle zooms that feature a common aperture, as well as optical and physical characteristics that fit easily into your current workflow.

About B&H Photo Video

As the world's largest source of photography, video, and audio equipment, as well as computers, drones, and home and portable entertainment, B&H is known worldwide for its attentive, knowledgeable sales force and excellent customer service, including fast, reliable shipping. B&H has been satisfying customers worldwide for over 45 years.

Visitors to the website can access a variety of educational videos and enlightening articles. The B&H YouTube Channel has an unmatched wealth of educational content. Our entertaining and informative videos feature product overviews from our in-house specialists. You can view the B&H Event Space presentations from many of the world's foremost experts and interviews with some of technology's most dynamic personalities. Tap into this exciting resource by subscribing to the B&H YouTube Channel here. In addition to videos, the B&H Explora blog presents new product announcements, gear reviews, helpful guides, and tech news written by product experts and industry professionals, as well as our award-winning podcasts.

When you're in Manhattan, take a tour of the B&H Photo SuperStore, located at 420 Ninth Avenue. The techno-carousel spins all year round at the counters and kiosks at B&H. With hundreds of products on display, the B&H Photo SuperStore is the place to test-drive and compare all the latest gear.

Contact Information

212-239-7500

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Panasonic Lumix GH5 II Mirrorless Podcasting Camera (PRNewsfoto/B&H Photo)

Panasonic Lumix GH5 II Camera (PRNewsfoto/B&H Photo)

B&H Photo Logo (PRNewsfoto/B&H Photo)

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SOURCE B&H Photo
The Secretariat of the Arab Ministerial Council of Electricity (AMCE), an offshoot of the Arab League's Energy Department, has honoured the Saudi Energy Efficiency Centre (SEEC) for its High Efficiency Air Conditioners (HEAC) Initiative. HEAC had won the first place in this year's Arab Energy Efficiency Day Competition.

During a virtual awards ceremony, SEEC President Nasser Al-Ghamdi said that winning the award is a motivation for the centre to achieve more successes, adding that the HEAC initiative was launched in 2018 as part of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme (NIDLP), one of the realisation programmes of the Saudi Vision 2030, with the aim of boosting household energy efficiency and encouraging national industries, an SPA report said.

Al-Ghamdi explained that the use of HEAC achieved energy surplus of more than 40% compared with the old air conditioners used by most of the Saudi households, adding that all the air conditioners manufactured under the initiative are of the 'green level' with an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 13%.

He also said that the number of beneficiaries from the initiative has exceeded 100,000, with a discount of SR900 ($240) on each of the high-efficiency Saudi manufactured air conditioners which can be bought online. -- TradeArabia News Service
TORONTO, May 6, 2021 /CNW/ - TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank") will release its second quarter financial results and host an earnings conference call on Thursday, May 27, 2021.

Financial results will be issued in a press release at approximately 6:30 a.m. ET. The call will be available live via TD's website at 1:30 p.m. ET and is expected to last approximately 60 minutes. The call and audio webcast will feature presentations by TD executives on the Bank's financial results for the second quarter, followed by a question-and-answer period with analysts.

The presentation material referenced during the call will be available on the TD website at www.td.com/investor on May 27, 2021 by approximately 1:30 p.m. ET. A listen-only telephone line will be available at 416-641-6150 or 1-866-696-5894 (toll free) and the passcode is 2727354#.

The audio webcast will be archived at www.td.com/investor. Replay of the teleconference will be available from 5:00 p.m. ET on May 27, 2021, until 11:59 p.m. ET on June 11, 2021 by calling 905-694-9451 or 1-800-408-3053 (toll free) and the passcode is 7300743#.

The presentations may contain forward-looking statements including statements regarding the business and anticipated financial performance of the Bank. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements. Therefore, forward-looking statements should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on them.

About TD Bank Group

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the fifth largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 26 million customers in three key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Retail, including TD Canada Trust, TD Auto Finance Canada, TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in The Charles Schwab Corporation; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 14 million active online and mobile customers. TD had CDN$1.7 trillion in assets on January 31, 2021. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

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SOURCE TD Bank Group

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High Times

Introducing Red Label and Black Label Cannabis

Introducing Red Label and Black Label Cannabis

Initial $1.25m (CA) order was > 60% sold through within 2 weeks



Pre-orders exceed 10% of some retailers total inventory, paying homage to a brand entrenched in the fabric of Michigans cannabis culture

MRA Reports Michigans April Cannabis Sales of US $154 Million, Putting the Current Annualized Run-rate Market at US $1.85 Billion



TORONTO, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB and OTCQX: RWBYF) (RWB or the Company) is pleased to announce a successful launch of the High Timesi branded THC products at 23 dispensaries (provisioning centers) throughout the majority of Michiganii.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/258fbe53-6c78-41b3-8a74-783e1276e13b

Brad Rogers, Chairman & CEO Commented: Watching our brand strategy play out and begin to dominate in an ever increasingly crowded and commoditized market has been very rewarding. Delivering top shelf product that stands behind and supports one of the most recognizable brands with such a storied past is truly an honor and our customers have been overwhelmingly positive to it, Rogers continued, theres no better brand to end cannabis prohibition with than High Times and RWB is in the perfect markets to leverage that incredible equity to the best customers.

SKU Sales Inventory & Reception:

Phase 1 of the official launch included packaged flower and Prerolls in the following formats: 3.5g Black Label Flower; 3.5g Red Label Flower; 1g Black Label Single Prerolls; 1g Red Label Single Prerolls; 2.5g Black Label 5-pack; 2.5g Red Label 5-pack

Wholesale customers, licensed Provisioning Centers, (aka dispensaries) initial purchasing habits were marked by strong demand represented by large orders relative to current overall inventory (>10%) and reported increased consumer foot traffic.

In addition to the well-received THC products, the company saw high demand, and sales, of High Times branded swag, a profitable marketing feature which enhances brand visibility and loyalty. This first swag drop was a limited run of niche pieces and will be expanded in the coming weeks and months alongside the product line expansion.

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Sales Insights & Forward Planning:

After only 2 weeks, the overall sell through rate for all wholesale customers exceeded 60% and customers reported the products as a great value.

Starting in June, the second line of the brand which is to include vapes, concentrates and edibles will be launched and made available to an expanded wholesale network of dispensaries. The company is also planning to build excitement through more limited drops and collaborations, which were used to kick off the brand over the last several months, to much fanfare.

Statewide Coverage as of Q2 2021:

Through a network of trusted, top-tier revenue-producing retailers throughout the State, which spans all metropolitan economic areas, Red White & Bloom, through its licensed partner, has effectively launched the High times THC branded products to all corners of Michigan cannabis culture.

It is the Companys strategic plan to see the High Times branded THC products at the highest-trafficked most influential stores in the State and in-fill the remaining locations once full cultivation capacity comes online as RWBs investee commissions several new larger-scale cultivation facilities through 2021.

The dispensaries included in the initial drop include:

5 and Dime Detroit (PC-000205) (MEDICAL ONLY)

Motown Meds Detroit (PC-000259) (MEDICAL ONLY)

Shake and Bake Detroit (PC-000226) (MEDICAL ONLY)

House of Dank 8 Mile Detroit (PC-000178) (MEDICAL ONLY)

House of Dank Fort Street, Detroit (PC-000220) (MEDICAL ONLY)

House of Dank - BEL-AIR (PC-000180) (MEDICAL ONLY)

House of Dank Gratiot, Detroit (PC-000496) (MEDICAL ONLY)

House of Dank Livernois, Detroit (PC-000314) (MEDICAL ONLY)

Breeze Hazel Park (AU-R-000188)

HOD *** New Location*****

Exclusive Ann Arbor (PC-000064) (AU-R-000100)

H.O.D. YPSILANTI f/k/a VITALITY (PC-000088) (AU-R-000264)

House of Dank Traverse City (PC-000422) (MEDICAL ONLY)

Exclusive Kalamazoo (AU-R-000289) (PC-000292)

Exclusive Grand Rapids (PC-000568) (AU-R-000370)

Remedii Battle Creek (AU-R-000193)(PC-000232)

Elite Wellness Mount Morris (AU-R-000103) and Med

Elite Wellness Jackson (Adult use)

Remedii Morenci (AU-R-000130) (Pc-000260)

Remedii Vassar (AU-R-000194) (PC-000267)

Remedii Roots Bay City (AU-R-000143)(PC-000261)

DOA (Dank on Arrival) Bay City (AU-R-000145)(PC-000249)

Elite Wellness Bay City (rec and med)

About Red White & Bloom Brands Inc.

The Company is positioning itself to be one of the top three multi-state cannabis operators active in the U.S. legal cannabis and hemp sector. RWB is predominantly focusing its investments on the major US markets, including Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Arizona and California with respect to cannabis, and the US and internationally for hemp-based CBD products.

For more information about Red White & Bloom Brands Inc., please contact:

Tyler Troup, Managing Director

Circadian Group IR

IR@RedWhiteBloom.com

Visit us on the web: www.RedWhiteBloom.com

Follow us on social media:

Twitter: @rwbbrands

Facebook: @redwhitebloombrands

Instagram: @redwhitebloombrands

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.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Companys current expectations. When used in this press release, the words estimate, project, belief, anticipate, intend, expect, plan, predict, may or should and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. There is no assurance that these transactions will yield results in line with management expectations. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: risks associated with the implementation of the Companys business plan and matters relating thereto, risks associated with the cannabis industry, competition, regulatory change, the need for additional financing, reliance on key personnel, market size, and the volatility of the Companys common share price and volume. Forward-looking statements are made based on managements beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

There are a number of important factors that could cause the Companys actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to the Companys proposed business, such as failure of the business strategy and government regulation; risks related to the Companys operations, such as additional financing requirements and access to capital, reliance on key and qualified personnel, insurance, competition, intellectual property and reliable supply chains; risks related to the Company and its business generally; risks related to regulatory approvals. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Companys forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed a certain progression, which may not be realized. It has also assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

_______________________________________________________________________________

i RWB owns the exclusive commercialization and marketing rights to the High Times brand (retail dispensaries, branded THC products and branded delivery) in Michigan, Illinois and Florida.

ii RWB has sublicensed its exclusive rights to the High Times brand to its Michigan Investee, PharmaCo.




SAMPO PLC STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 25 May 2021 at 5:45 pm





Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 5 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)

Sampo plc (business code 0142213-3) has received a disclosure under Chapter 9, Section 5 of the Securities Markets Act, according to which the total number of Sampo A shares (ISIN: FI009003305) and voting rights attached to them owned directly, indirectly or through financial instruments by BlackRock, Inc. (USA tax ID 32-0174421) and its funds increased on 24 May 2021 above five (5) per cent of Sampo plcs total shares and voting rights.

In addition, the disclosure obligation arose due to the number of Sampo A shares owned directly or indirectly by BlackRock, Inc. and its funds increasing above 5 per cent.

Sampo's share capital comprises 555,351,850 shares, of which 554,151,850 are A shares and 1,200,000 are B shares. Each A share entitles its holder to one (1) vote and each B share to five (5) votes. Thus, the total number of votes is 560,151,850.

Total positions of BlackRock, Inc and its funds subject to the notification:

% of shares and voting rights (total of A) % of shares and voting rights through financial instruments (total of B) Total of both in % (A+B) Resulting situation on the date on which threshold was crossed or reached 5.02% shares



4.97% voting rights 0.05% shares



0.05% voting rights 5.07% shares



5.03% voting rights Positions of previous notification (if applicable) Below 5% shares



Below 5% voting rights Below 5% shares



Below 5% voting rights Below 5% shares



Below 5% voting rights

Notified details of the resulting situation on the date on which the threshold was crossed:

A: Shares and voting rights:

Class/type of shares

ISIN code Number of shares and voting rights % of shares and voting rights Direct

(SMA 9:5) Indirect

(SMA 9:6 and 9:7) Direct

(SMA 9:5) Indirect

(SMA 9:6 and 9:7) FI0009003305 27,866,367 shares



27,866,367 voting rights 5.02% shares



4.97% voting rights SUBTOTAL A 27,866,367 shares



27,866,367 voting rights 5.02% shares



4.97% voting rights

B: Financial instruments according to SMA 9:6a:

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Type of financial

instrument Expiration date Exercise/

Conversion Period Physical or

cash settlement Number of shares

and voting rights % of shares and

voting rights American Depository Receipt (US79588J1025) N/A N/A Physical 268,489 shares



268,489 voting rights 0.05% shares



0.05% voting rights Securities Lent N/A N/A Physical 15,000 shares



15,000 voting rights 0.00% shares

0.00% voting rights CFD N/A N/A Cash 953 shares



953 voting rights 0.00% shares



0.00% voting rights SUBTOTAL B 284,442 shares



284,442 voting rights 0.05% shares



0.05% voting rights





SAMPO PLC

Jarmo Salonen

Head of Investor Relations and Group Communications

tel. +358 10 516 0030

Distribution:

Nasdaq Helsinki

London stock exchange

The principal media

Financial Supervisory Authority

www.sampo.com




Are These Trending Tech Stocks A Buy Right Now?

Like it or not, it has been a tough year for tech stocks in the stock market. Evidently, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite continues to lag behind the broader market year-to-date. While some of the biggest tech players are trading below their pandemic-fueled record highs, some investors would see opportunity. In fact, with most major tech companies being household brands, newer investors may be wondering how to get into stocks as well. Could buying tech stocks on the dip be the current play now?

Well, on one hand, institutional investors still seem bullish on the emerging fields in tech. According to Kim Arthur, CEO of Main Management, an ETF-focused investing firm, thematic tech holdings remain strong overall. In short, thematic tech accounts for upcoming sectors in the tech industry such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, and 3D printing. On the other hand, investors also appear optimistic about conventional tech stocks as well. Namely, Citi (NYSE: C) analyst Jim Suva recently upgraded HP (NYSE: HPQ) to a buy on rising demands for personal computers.

By and large, the long-term merits of investing in the tech industry appear to be holding firm. This would be the case given the constant innovation seen in companies like Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). Having said all that, here are four tech stocks making waves in the stock market today.

Best Tech Stocks To Watch Before June 2021

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc.

Virgin Galactic is a tech company that specializes in spaceflight. The company strives to be the worlds first commercial spaceline and vertically integrated aerospace company. In essence, it is currently developing and operating a new generation of space vehicles to open space for everyone. Virgin Galactic has hundreds of dedicated and passionate professionals. SPCE stock closed Mondays trading session up an impressive 27.74% at $26.89 a share.

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tech stocks to buy (SPCE stock)

Investors seem to be responding to the company completing its first human spaceflight from Spaceport America, New Mexico. VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership VMS Eve and had reached space at an altitude of 55.45 miles before gliding smoothly back to a runway landing at Spaceport America.

In detail, it had fulfilled a number of test objectives during the flight. This includes carrying revenue-generating scientific research experiments for NASA and testing the spaceships upgraded horizontal stabilizers and flight controls. This would be a huge milestone for the company as it could really make commercial spaceflight a reality. With that in mind, will you consider buying SPCE stock?

[Read More] Best Stocks To Buy Now? 4 Blockchain Stocks To Know

Palantir Technologies Inc.

Palantir is a software company that specializes in big data analytics and security. The company helps institutions utilize the data they have to make the best decisions on safety, stability, and prosperity. Its software is built to let organizations integrate their data, decisions, and operations into one platform. As of Mondays closing bell PLTR stock is trading up a modest 2.29% at $21.22 per share. ET. Earlier in the month, the company reported its first-quarter financials for 2021.

best tech stocks (PLTR stock)

Diving in, total revenue for the quarter grew by 49% year-over-year to $341 million. Impressively, U.S. commercial revenue and government revenue grew by 72% and 83% year-over-year. Cash flow from operations was $117 million, up by $404 million compared to a year earlier. Given the momentum, the company expects its second-quarter 2021 revenue to be $360 million, representing year-over-year growth of 43%.

Last month, Palantir announced that it has renewed a strategic partnership with Ringier AG to provide Ringier with software to further its digital transformation and accelerate its shift to a digital-first global media company. With so many exciting developments surrounding the company, will you add PLTR stock to your portfolio?

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Apple Inc.

Apple is a multinational tech company that is headquartered in Cupertino, California. The company is the brains behind its premium brand of consumer electronics such as the iPhone and Apple Watch. It also sells a range of related software and services and third-party digital content and applications. Ranging from streaming services to a wide range of tech products, the company is one of the most valuable tech companies globally and has strong brand loyalty. AAPL stock currently trades at $127.10 as of Mondays closing bell.

best tech stocks (AAPL stock)

In late April, the company announced its second-quarter financials for its fiscal 2021. Firstly, it posted a March quarter record revenue of $89.6 billion, up by 54% year-over-year. A whopping $72.6 billion came from net sales of its Apple products.

It also posted quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.40. The company reports record revenue in each of its geographic segments and strong double-digit growth in its product categories. Given the impressive financials, will you consider AAPL stock as a top tech stock to buy?

[Read More] Best Copper Mining Stocks To Buy In 2021? 4 To Watch This Week

BlackBerry Inc.

Last but not least, we have Canada-based software company, BlackBerry. For some context, the companys portfolio mainly focuses on enterprise software and Internet-of-things services. According to BlackBerry, the company provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments globally. In terms of scale, it secures over 500 million endpoints across its client network, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to do so. Given its leading position in the cybersecurity industry, BB stock would be a hot tech stock to watch now. Could this mean it has more room to grow moving forward?

communication stocks to buy now (BB stock)

If anything, the company has been and continues to keep busy on the operational front. Last week, BlackBerry unveiled significant expansions to its cybersecurity portfolio, these are Optics 3.0 and BlackBerry Gateway. Firstly, Optics 3.0 is the companys next-generation cloud-based endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution.

Next, Gateway is BlackBerrys first AI-powered Zero Trust Network Access product. According to VP of Product Engineering, Billy Ho, these two expansions work to create a comprehensive end-to-end approach to cybersecurity. With cybercrimes on the rise, BlackBerry seems to be expanding into a field where demand is greater than ever. Would this make BB stock a buy for you?
A man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl three different times on the same day was ordered Monday to serve 30 years in prison.

Cory Deon Coates, 44, of Culpeper, was sentenced in Stafford County Circuit Court to 80 years, with 50 years suspended. He was previously convicted of four counts of aggravated sexual battery.

Judge Victoria Willis sentence exceeded the recommended state sentencing guidelines, which called for a maximum active sentence of 20 years in prison.

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According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Philip Chichester, the attacks Coates was convicted of took place on Jan. 20, 2020, at a residence in Stafford.

The girl, who was 15 at the time, told police that Coates entered her bedroom that afternoon and took her pants off. He continued the sexual assault even after the girl told him to stop.

Following the attack, Coates pinned the girl against a wall and warned her to never again tell him no. He then sexually assaulted her two more times that day, court records state, once on a couch and again in her bedroom.

After the girls mother found the girl pale and shaking in her bedroom, the child told her what had happened. The child reported that the abuse had been ongoing periodically for about three years.
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On May 28, 1941, headlines report that the Nazis have gained the upper hand on the island of Crete in Greece and are closing in on the Suez Canal. Britain has met in open combat with France, which is collaborating with Germany.

And this is the scene in Virginias Caroline County:

One passes fields of waving grain, blooming orchards, corn that is just above the surface of the sun-baked earth, newly clipped lawns, and fully expects to see people at work in the fields or sitting on the huge porches of the stately homes that were built by their forefathers years ago, but there is not a human being to be seen, not even a cow nor a dog, The Free LanceStar reported at the time.

The Army was scheduled to move in in four days to occupy part of the 70,000 acres of prime farmland the government had just acquired for the purpose of creating a training ground, soon to be named Fort A.P. Hill. More than half of the families in the section north of U.S. 301 had already moved, with 200 more planning to leave in the next few days. There were about 50100 families, though, who had not found a place to live and would move into prefabricated units near Milford or Corbin. The materials for these homes had yet to arrive.
THE BEST HE CAN

Its like Buckner to share the credit, said Michelle Clarke, the office manager at Prime Care, where Buckner works as an employee of Lab Corps.

Everybody loves him, she said. Hes very friendly, down to earth.

Her sisters stepson died of cystic fibrosis when he was 21, and the first time Buckner was in the office and coughed, Clarke immediately recognized it as that cough that CFers have.

When she heard about the show, she started volunteering along with other members of her family. This years event was held May 1 at Spotswood Baptist Church and drew more than 400 vehicles.

Its growing so fast, Clarke said. I think people who already like car shows love the idea and that 100 percent of the proceeds go to a great cause, and its put on by somebody who has the disease that hes trying to raise money for. The word has spread so fast, there easily has to be more than 2,000 people there.

Buckners mother, Kelly, wonders if the event, which provides him a chance to share his story, is his purpose in life. That and being able to draw blood so efficiently because, as he said, nobody wants to get stuck and feel like theyre having a giant rod in their arm.
Moreover, federal agricultural payments have historically benefited the largest farms and white farmers at the expense of socially disadvantaged ones. A carbon bank could easily follow the same patterns, and even promote further farmland consolidation. And organic farmers and others who have already invested in regenerative practices could be left out of this carbon bank.

We cannot allow the corporate giants that prop up unsustainable farming systems to profit from false climate solutions. Farmers need support to transition to organic and regenerative farming systems. Programs to do so already exist, although they are oversubscribed and underfunded. This is where we should boost funding, not on letting companies pay to pollute.

During his confirmation hearings, critics of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack (who held the same position under President Barack Obama) noted the grim reality of his record: increased industry consolidation, the explosive growth of mega-polluting factory farms and racial discrimination. Vilsack promised to learn from the past and chart a new course.

If he really means it, then he should reject phony market schemes like carbon banks, and work to promote policies that will encourage healthy farms, healthy soil and meaningful climate action.

Amanda Starbuck is the senior food researcher and policy analyst at the national advocacy organization Food & Water Watch. This column was produced for The Progressive magazine and distributed by the Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
TO SOME, Virginias Freedom of Information Act must seem more like the Freedom to Gouge Act.

The Virginia Mercury recently told the story of a woman who used FOIA to get Prince William County Public Schools to give her access to video footage of her autistic daughter being dragged off a school bus. The school system originally wanted $8,800 for that service, then knocked it down to a mere $2,500.

Stories like that abound, which is why Del. Danica Roem is introducing legislation that would greatly reduce the sometimes-excessive fees. Requests requiring no more than two hours of staff time would be free, and limits would be placed on more detailed requests.

Whether from a lack of staffing, resistance to sharing information or some other reason, Virginians have faced far too many roadblocks in their quest for information that has been legally theirs for more than half a century.

Congress enacted the federal Freedom of Information Act in 1967. It was not a favorite of the White House. President Lyndon Johnson had misgivings about it, but signed it into law anyhow, amid much public interest in what exactly was going on in Vietnam. When the Privacy Act of 1974 (in the wake of Watergate) strengthened FOIA into more or less what we have today, President Gerald Ford vetoed it, but Congress overrode his veto.
The Dubai Police General Command has added to its fleet of luxury patrol cars, the first SUV from Genesis brand, GV80 2021, from the exclusive distributor of Genesis in the UAE Juma Al Majid Est.

Brigadier Dr Mohammad Al Razooqi, Director of Transport and Rescue at Dubai Police praised the close co-operation with Juma Al Majid Establishment, one of the UAE's leading automobile companies.

He emphasised that Dubai Police has always sought adding the most efficient, flexible and latest models of vehicles to its fleet to deal with various situations, as well as to enhance the mechanisms of policing work and achieve the goals of Dubai Police of maintaining the security and safety of Dubai.

Bang Sun Jeong, Vice President, Head of Genesis Middle East and Africa Operation, said: "we are proud to work in harmony with the Dubai Police General Command in order to support its policing work and maintaining the safety and security of all citizens, residents and visitors in Dubai".

Suliman ALZaben, Director of Genesis UAE, said: "We take pride in partnering with Dubai Police in various initiatives that aim at spreading awareness among all segments of society on traffic safety". "We hope that the high-tech Genesis GV80 contributes to facilitate Dubai Police's operations and provide various services to the public," he added.

The GV80 is the first SUV powered by a standard turbocharged four-cylinder or a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V-6 engine; rear-wheel drive will be standard and all-wheel drive will be optional. The brand-new 2021 Genesis GV80 makes a noteworthy splash in the luxury midsize SUV class.-- TradeArabia News Service
Jones pleaded guilty three days later in order to apply to the Dodge County Adult Drug Court, but during his screening, Deputy Dodge County Attorney Emily Beamis said he tested positive for meth, amphetamines and THC.

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At his screening, he then absconded from probation, leaving the office, hanging up on the drug court supervisor, she said. The defendant continued to lie about multiple things being with the drug court team, he lied about where he was living, he lied about where he was working.

Beamis also said since his PSI was ordered, Jones was arrested and is facing new charges in Lancaster County. He also has active warrants out of Iowa.

Jones attorney said his client acknowledged he had a problem and needed treatment, something he could receive while in prison.

Im ashamed of what Ive done, Jones told Judge Geoffrey Hall. I want to apologize to you and the courtroom.

Hall said Jones was handed his opportunity with drug court on a silver platter.

All you had to do was follow through, but you got there and you took off and basically disrespected them to the extent that now youre facing penitentiary time, he said.
Afghan officials say local commandos have released 41 people from a Taliban prison in the countrys western province of Herat.

Jilani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor, told RFE/RL on May 25 that 19 members of the Afghan security forces were among those freed during the overnight operation in the Pashtun Zarghon district.

Seven prison guards were killed during the operation, Farhad said, adding there were no casualties among government forces.

The Special Operations Corps of the Afghan National Army said in a statement that weapons were seized and six motorcycles belonging to the Taliban were destroyed.

The Taliban did not immediately comment on the operation.

Late on May 23, Afghan officials said eight people were freed from a Taliban prison in the northern province of Baghlan.

Fighting has continued across Afghanistan as the withdrawal of international troops proceeds.

The planned pullout of foreign troops by September 11 after two decades has raised concerns of over the fate of the government in Kabul in the face of continued violence by Taliban militants that control large swaths of the country.

With reporting by dpa and TOLOnews
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It's crunch time at the General Assembly, with many bills to go. As usual, Colorado Politics is on top of the need-to-know news in the bustling statehouse. You can read about the first few months of legislature's doings in this link, and below you'll find the latest updates of the final months:
Samaco, the premium car dealer in Saudi for Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and Volkswagen launched the Customer Experience innovation with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ThingLogix Solutions.



Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies becoming imperative for businesses to maintain a competitive edge. It is claimed that, by 2035, AI will have the power to increase productivity by 40% or more, said Abdulla Attas, Samaco GM of IT, Business & Digital Transformation.



Businesses are greatly relying on AI for automating business functions across customer service, sales, and marketing verticals. According to Accenture reports, 50% of consumers no longer care if they are dealing with humans or AI-enabled assistants. It allows businesses to provide better prompt assistance at various touchpoints of the customer journey.



By deploying chatbots for customer service, Samaco can meet the topmost customer expectation i.e., getting 247 support. Real time customer engagement increases their satisfaction rate. Thus, a customer service chatbot delivers a superior experience.



Samaco chose AI chatbots as an integral part of customer service for several reasons, the biggest being time saving. Since chatbots answer simple questions quickly, the services and support team have more time to tackle more complex queries which will improve the organizational performance and productivity in addition to customer satisfaction and happiness.



Bots will help Samaco save operational costs and improve response time that enhances customer service.



AWS offers a broad set of machine-learning services and supporting cloud infrastructure, putting machine learning in the hands of every developer, data scientist and expert practitioner. Named a leader in Gartner's Cloud AI Developer services' Magic Quadrant, AWS is helping tens of thousands of customers accelerate their machine learning journey with the help of AWS partner ThingLogix in this domain.  TradeArabia News Service
Residents will have one of their final chances to comment on the new El Paso County Master Plan, expected to guide local development over the next 20 to 30 years, during the county Planning Commission's final adoption hearing scheduled for the plan on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
Documents and secret recordings revealed employees at a large child migrant facility admitted to the "filthy" conditions and lack of basic necessities for the migrant children detained there.

"If you took a poll, probably about 98% of the federal workers here would say it's appalling," a federal employee assigned to the facility told Reason. "Everybody tries in their own way to quietly disobey and get things done, but it can be difficult."

Over 4,500 migrant children and teenagers are being held at Fort Bliss, a Texas military base hosting migrant children in large tents that lack basic necessities for the children there, according to the report.

The shelter, which largely houses teenage boys, is supposed to be a temporary holding facility while the migrants wait to be reunited with family members or other contacts in the United States. But many of the teenagers have been stuck at the facility for a month or more as the government battles to staff the facility with enough people to care for the migrants.

The Fort Bliss facility is just one of an "opaque network of some 200 facilities" hosting "tens of thousands of asylum-seeking children" created by the Biden administration to house children after they are released from Customs and Border Protection detention centers.

About 750 federal employees and contractors work at the facility, with one federal employee telling Reason that staff members there act as "babysitters and clerks" at the sprawling tent camp.

Employees said basic equipment, such as lice kits, is in short supply, while secret recordings revealed trainers for the workers acknowledged how stressed the facility is.

"I'm not going to lie, we've got people dropping like flies because it's just not something that they're used to," a trainer said in the recording. "This facility is growing so fast, and we are getting kids on a daily basis. We don't have enough staff to maintain."

The trainer also discussed the dirty conditions inside the tents, which house up to 1,000 migrant teenagers.

"I've been into one dorm, one time, and I was like, 'Yeah, I'm not going back there,'" the trainer said. "They're filthy. They're dirty. There's food on the floor. There's wet spots all over the place. The beds are dirty. I don't know what's going on or who's responsible for ensuring that the dorms need to be clean, but we all need to be responsible for telling the minors to clean up after themselves."

The trainer also admitted that staff members have been caught having inappropriate contact with some of the minors.

"We have already caught staff with minors inappropriately," the trainer said. "Is that OK with you guys? I hope not. We have also caught minors with minors, which is, you know  we've got teenagers in this shelter. What's happening with teenagers? Hormones, raging out of control. It's important that we maintain safety and vigilance. Be vigilant. Stop what is happening. If you don't watch these kids, and you're not the one who is going to step in, who's going to? Be that person to stand up for the minors because that's what we're here for."

"Some of the incidents and complaints we're getting also is that we've got minors who are requesting medical due to not feeling well, and staff members are telling them, 'There's nothing wrong with you, go back to your bed,'" the trainer said. "These are legitimate complaints, and it is my duty to let you know what is going on, because if you know who these people are, you need to report them."

Another recording of a town-hall-style meeting led by Dr. Joseph Hutter, a commander in the U.S. Public Health Service, also detailed more incidents of minors being denied medical care.

"One of our volunteers was working with a child who was coughing up blood," a staffer told Hutter. "She went to her tent and said we need to deal with this, and they said, 'Well, we're going to send them to lunch or dinner.' Then, they checked with medical, and they said it was a three-and-a-half-hour wait to see anybody."

"No one else says 'no,'" Hutter responded. "No one else says, 'After lunch.' You let the tent nurse know. Nobody slows down or denies medical care, and if the medical tent is backed up, they can call on reserves. That shouldn't happen."

Employees also detailed how the facility is failing to provide basics such as a change of clothes and underwear.

"Many of the boys and girls have not been given underwear, particularly ones who've been in COVID isolation," a federal employee said. "After they come out, they're issued new clothes, but no underwear. And very often, it's only one set of clothes, so no clothes to change into and no underwear. When we have asked about it  and I personally escorted some kids to tents to ask how come they can't get underwear  the answer is, well, the contractor is supposed to provide that."

The lack of accountability didn't sit well with one federal worker.

"There is no underwear shortage here in El Paso," the employee said. "I've checked at Walmart and Target. Anybody with a credit card could go and get all of this. And the answer is, everything is being monitored because we don't want there to be waste. The irony is just so rich. With the salaries they're paying us, and rental cars, hotels, per diems, and 72 hours a week  it's just mind-boggling."

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Despite the situation at the facility, the New York Times reported that the Biden administration plans to expand it to host 10,000 children, more than doubling its current size. The shelter is also not open to the public or press due to its location on a military base, with one federal employee saying that leaders at the camp stress its secrecy to employees.

"Secrecy is demanded at a level that might be called for if we were designing the next generation of nuclear subs, and there is absolutely no reason for it," a federal employee said. "One can understand the need to protect the identities of individual children and not allow them to be photographed. But there is no excuse for any of the other secrecy surrounding the operation."

Original Location: Secret recordings reveal 'appalling' conditions of tent camps hosting thousands of migrant children: Report
How to win

If you've been vaccinated, you don't need to do anything else; the state will pull winners from its internal immunization system. The contest is only open to those 18 and older, and you need to be vaccinated by June 30 at the latest to be eligible for the final drawing on July 7.
A franchisee for Whataburger, the popular Texas-based hamburger chain, plans a new Whataburger restaurant east of Powers and Dublin boulevards on Colorado Springs northeast side. The franchisee also plans a Whataburger east of Interstate 25 and InterQuest Parkway in the InterQuest Marketplace development; another location is being eyed east of Powers and Constitution Avenue.
Doherty graduates toss their hats in celebration during the class of 2021 Commencement ceremony at Garry Berry Stadium in Colorado Springs last week.
The Saudi pavilion at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 was buzzing with business deals and development announcements, evidence of the strength and confidence in Saudis growing tourism industry as the sector makes efforts to rebuild and recover globally.

Saudi Arabia is driving a new model of tourism for the 21st century, said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority. This years ATM demonstrated the recognition by major global travel industry players of the tremendous opportunities our dynamic and growing tourism industry offers.

More than 20 Saudi partners converged at the Saudi exhibitor stand, which witnessed over 890 meetings and a flurry of deals between the countrys leading travel companies and international tourism partners, showcasing the fast-expanding offering of one of the worlds newest leisure travel destinations.

Announcements made on the Saudi pavilion at this years ATM included:

 Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and Indias leading online travel agency Travel Boutique Online (TBO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop destination knowledge of Saudi through new, innovative programs on the TBO Academy platform, reaching 90,000 agents globally and targeting 25,000 visitors by 2022;

 STA and Hotelbeds, the worlds leading bed bank, signed a joint marketing agreement to drive awareness of Saudi Arabia as a unique, exciting destination amongst the Hotelbeds B2B network, comprising more than 180,000 travel agents;

 A strategic partnership between regional travel services company Seera Group and online booking platform Klook, in the creation of a one-stop digital booking platform for Saudi tourism providers;

 IHG Hotels & Resorts signing of a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with RIVA Development Company to open at least seven hotels in Saudi across IHGs portfolio of brands;

 Saudia, Saudis national flag carrier, and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, launch a new reciprocal loyalty agreement, allowing loyalty program members to earn and redeem miles on flights across both networks;

 Ajlan & Bros Holding and Desert Adventures Tourism announced partnership to establish a full service DMC in Saudi Arabia;

 Summer Packages launched for AlUla, one of Saudis premier nature, culture and heritage destinations;

 Several expansion projects by hotel operator and developer Dur Hospitality, including the Crowne Plaza Riyadh Palace Hotel and the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel; and

 The launch of GoZahid Destination Management, the dedicated DMC brand of Zahid Travel, one of Saudis first travel agencies.

Partnerships with the worlds major tourism players are transforming Saudi Arabias great ambition as a leisure tourism destination into reality, so we were thrilled to see so much positive movement at ATM."

We thank ATMs organisers for the opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabias iconic places, profound experiences and unparalleled hospitality to the region and the world, said Hamidaddin.

The activity at the show mirrored the impressive growth of Saudis tourism ecosystem. The number of local destination management companies (DMCs) expanded from 17 in the summer of 2019 to 72 today.

MSC Cruises will launch two Red Sea itineraries in the fall with Saudi home ports, and major hotel brands including Marriott Worldwide, Hilton International, and Accor Group will join IHG in expanding their footprint in Saudi Arabia. - TradeArabia News Service
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Yet, Americas two-party system strongly incentivizes trying to keep politicos and their voters in the fold. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who a few months ago said he was done with Trump, recently put the GOP situation succinctly: If you look at a political analysis, theres no way this party is going to stay together without President Trump and his supporters. There is no construct where the party can be successful without him.

Moreover, there is a brute sociological fact: Issues that resonate with a slice of the electorate, even if they offend the majority, tend to get picked up by one party or the other. In the 1990s, the GOP sidelined Patrick Buchanan and his America First platform, which featured criticism of excessive immigration, minorities and free trade. Trump campaigned on these very same themes, which neither party wanted to champion.

This is why, as Sundquist observed, [s]ince the founding of the Republic, except for a few brief intervals, the American political system has been based on competition between two major parties. (Which is to say nothing of the various policies that entrench the two-party system.)
Weve asked before: When did Democrats  specifically the House Democratic leadership, since both measures passed the Senate with bipartisan support  become so aggressively opposed to better schools, particularly in rural and central-city Virginia, the two places that have the most difficulty funding school construction?

We have often pointed out that once it was liberal Democrat from Northern Virginia  Francis Pickens Miller in 1949  who campaigned for governor on a platform of state aid for school construction. He lost but came close enough to winning the Democratic nomination that the conservative Democrats who ran the General Assembly then felt spooked into providing $75 million for new schools, which set off a wave of school construction across the state in the 1950s. That example  while instructive  is also so far in the past that it may no longer seem relevant, so heres a more recent one. In 1998  the last cycle in which Democrats had any control of the House of Delegates until the current term  it was Democrats who made state funding for school construction their signature issue. More notably, it was Democrats from Northern Virginia who were often the most vocal in support.

We ask again: What happened?
In addition to changing the buildings name, Wake Forest said it plans to put up a memorial affirming the humanity and dignity of those previously not remembered or honored in Wake Forests antebellum history, according to the universitys announcement from two weeks ago.

+2 Wake Forest's decision to rename a campus building affects another N.C. university Wingate University learned that it is named for the former Wake Forest president and slaveowner whose name will be removed from a Wake Forest building.

Ever since Wake Forest announced the name change  on May 7, the 161st anniversary of the auction  Black alums have been talking and texting among themselves and on a private Facebook page. The general consensus seems to be that Wake Forest needs to pick another name  maybe a prominent Black graduate of the university or perhaps a notable Black person from Winston-Salems history.

The enslaved persons auctioned off by the college should be acknowledged in some way, said Kwamine Gilyard, a 1992 graduate whos now a school administrator in South Carolina. But she believes a building name is meant to be an honor  a way to celebrate someone who played an important role in the universitys history.

I dont think (that date is) an appropriate name for a building ... Gilyard said. Its a date to be remembered. Its not a date to celebrate.

Cydney Meadows, a 2020 Wake Forest graduate whos now in law school, added: Naming a building after a slave auction date is not the best way to honor Black people.
Under the plan, the agency would continue subsidizing the costs of becoming a citizen to make sure the process is available to as many people as possible. The administration recognizes that the cost of fees can be a barrier so "other fee-paying applicants and petitioners will continue to subsidize this policy decision to ensure full cost recovery, the document reads.

Asked about the status of the proposal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it's reviewing policies and practices.

Under the Biden Administration, the agency has made considerable strides in reallocating our resources and priorities to fulfill this mission and address challenges like the ones caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," spokesman Joe Sowers said in a statement Tuesday. "Ultimately, USCIS is committed to administering our nations legal immigration system in a way that empowers immigrants to pursue citizenship and the privileges that accompany it.

Immigration attorneys called the proposed changes a welcomed shift after the Trump administration.
The bill is similar to laws in more than a dozen other states, although federal courts have mostly blocked states from enforcing the measures.

The other bill would prohibit an abortion on the basis of a Down syndrome diagnosis. Wolf vetoed something identical in 2019, and such laws have, in past years, been blocked by federal courts in every state where it was challenged.

However, former President Donald Trumps judicial appointments have begun to change that, and court rulings already have allowed enforcement of the laws in Missouri, Tennessee and Ohio.

Pennsylvania law allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy for any reason except to select a gender, with exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.

In the House Judiciary Committee, Republicans passed a bill to allow people to carry a loaded firearm openly or concealed, without a permit, and revived legislation to make it easier for people or gun-rights organizations to sue municipalities over firearms ordinances that are stricter than state law.
NAGS HEAD  A large object seen floating Sunday in North Carolinas Bogue Inlet turned out to be a black bear, and it was very much alive.

Robert Sawyers, of Swansboro, says he was out fishing with a friend when they spotted something odd in the choppy water and decided to investigate.

When we first saw it, we thought it was a log or something floating in the water, but the closer we got, we decided it was some type of animal, Sawyers told McClatchy News.

My buddy thought at first it may be a wild hog, but when we passed discovered it was a bear. It was crazy. We had just run out (to) the inlet looking for bait to fish for cobia. It was really rough at that time, so we were coming back through the inlet to go to calmer waters.

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He shared photos and video on Facebook, noting: Well, heres something you dont see every day.

The sighting happened in the passage between Emerald Isle and Hammocks Beach State Park (also known as Bear Island), which is southwest of the Outer Banks. Waters off the coast were rough and prone to dangerous rip currents at the time, due to a tropical storm in the Atlantic.
Today marks the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, obstructing his breath as he begged for his life. A jury of 12 found Floyds killer guilty of one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of manslaughter on April 20. He awaits sentencing and has appealed his convictions. Three other officers involved are awaiting trial.

Floyds killing sparked protests by millions of people across the country and around the world  and in North Carolina communities  objecting to police brutality aimed at Black people. Protesters chanted, Say his name and his final words, I cant breathe and silently but profoundly commemorated his last minutes of life while lying on the ground with their hands behind their backs.

Floyds death is known around the world because it was captured on camera  video filmed by bystanders  and then spread on social media, leading to public demand that his killer be held to account. Subsequently, police body-camera footage confirmed what bystanders saw.

If not for that recent phenomenon  phone cameras  his killer might never have been brought to justice.
Saudi Arabias Ministry of Tourism has appointed Gloria Guevera Manzo, most recently CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), to the position of Chief Special Advisor to Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Minister of Tourism.

As a special advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Manzo will draw on more than 25 years of public and private tourism sector experience to help facilitate international collaborations, develop human capital and contribute to the delivery of the Kingdoms ambitious, large-scale tourism investments under Vision 2030.

Ahmed Al Khateeb welcomed the appointment, saying: Saudi Arabias tourism industry has incredible potential and is already supporting economic growth and job creation across the Kingdom, in line with Vision 2030 and the leadership of HM King Salman and HRH the Crown Prince."

We have a strong national heritage and thousands of unique stories to be told. Gloria brings international expertise and a tremendous global network from her time representing the global tourism and travel sector as the CEO of WTTC and direct experience with evolving a nascent tourism industry from her time as Secretary of Tourism in Mexico, that will help us as our large-scale investment in tourism moves to the next level.

Gloria Guevara Manzo said: I want to be part of the transformation and make the vision of Saudi Arabia as a leading tourism destination a reality. Tourism is the most promising sector in Saudi Arabia; this has been evident since 2019 when the Kingdom first opened for international visitors and became the fastest growing and best performer in Travel and Tourism on a global scale."

In 2020, the Saudi leadership has done an incredible job managing the Covid-19 crisis and building its domestic tourism while continuing to advocate for global industry alignment and the recovery, and I am confident that my many years of expertise can help accelerate the next phase of development, she continued.

Over 50 per cent of the global travel and tourism workforce is female and Saudi Arabia is rapidly scaling up the inclusion of women, so I also hope my appointment will serve to empower more Saudi women to pursue careers in tourism, aspire towards leadership positions, and fulfil Vision 2030s female empowerment goals, Manzo added.

Saudi Arabia has achieved accelerated progress in a nascent industry; taking a leading role in the revival of the tourism sector after Covid-19 through its G20 presidency, which achieved a joint pledge from participating nations to collaborate on developing sustainable, authentic tourism experiences; issuing more than 400,000 tourism visas in the first six months since the launch of its new tourist visa system in September 2019 and launching a SAR400 billion tourism fund and a SAR2 billion Tourism Partners program.

The Ministry of Tourism is spearheading the sectors development towards the Vision 2030 goals of increasing tourisms contribution to GDP from 3 per cent to more than 10 per cent, creating an additional one million jobs for Saudi nationals and increasing visitor numbers to 100 million by 2030. - TradeArabia News Service
Selma Stories

Trip to Yosemite serves as reminder to 'look up, y'all'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has no plans to require prison employees to get COVID vaccines as a condition of employment. Here a condemned inmate is escorted by a guard back to his cell at San Quentin State Prison in this 2016 file photo.
Helena's annual Celebration of Excellence brought some of the area's best and brightest students and educators together Monday night.

Each year, the Helena Education Foundation recognizes students for their excellence in academics, endeavors in a particular subject area, leadership or triumph over adversity. They're then asked to identify educators who made the most significant impact on them during their academic journey. Both groups are then honored at the HEF's Celebration of Excellence.

This year, the HEF honored 71 pairs of distinguished students and educators during a get-together at Memorial Park. Gathering in smaller groups over a period of four hours, the students and educators picked up gifts and commemorative items, took photos and celebrated with family and friends.

Since its inception in 2003, the Celebration of Excellence banquet, along with an Independent Record insert that includes profiles of the students and their moving tributes to their distinguished educators, gives the community an opportunity to share in and honor these students achievements and their imminent graduation.
There are a lot of pieces for the adaptive management program that still need to be developed, but that will become the tool rather than variances to make sure water quality is being maintained, Stephens said.

EPA petition

Upper Missouri Waterkeepers petition asks the EPA to disapprove Montanas shift to narrative water quality standards and to impose new numeric standards that comply with federal law. Numeric standards are science-based and proven to be effective while narrative standards are ambiguous and adaptive management plans fail to protect the states surface waters, the petition contends.

Alsentzer maintains that final authority to approve or deny a states standards of compliance with the Clean Water Act is clearly vested with the EPA. While other states may have narrative standards, once a state has moved to numeric standards, a state Legislature cannot unilaterally reverse that decision and remain in compliance, he said.

Once you adopt numeric criteria, which is a far more robust investigation  once that is adopted and EPA approved you cant essentially ignore that body of data, Alsentzer said.
The Lincoln Fire Chief says there was never any ill intent with some memes he shared on social media and has apologized. On his personal Facebook page on Tuesday, Bob Dunovsky shared a meme, including one that suggested Trump supporters would shoot looters.
Millikin University will make two lots available for those gathering to see the funeral procession of Champaign police Officer Chris Oberheim, who died in a shooting last week.
The infrastructure spending largely relies on revenue from the motor fuel tax  which was increased on July 1, as it will every year forthcoming under the new state law  among other driving-related fees.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Angelina Jolie criticized a judge who is deciding on child custody in her divorce with Brad Pitt, saying in a court filing that the judge refused to allow their children to testify.

Jolie, who has sought to disqualify Judge John Ouderkirk from the divorce case, said in the filing Monday that he declined to hear evidence she says is relevant to the children's safety and well-being before issuing a tentative ruling. The documents don't elaborate on what that evidence may be.

Judge Ouderkirk denied Ms. Jolie a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the childrens health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case, according to the filing in Californias Second District Court of Appeal.

The actress also said the judge has failed to adequately consider a section of the California courts code, which says it is detrimental to the best interest of the child if custody is awarded to a person with a history of domestic violence. Her filing did not give details about what it was referring to, but her lawyers submitted a document under seal in March that purportedly offers additional information.

Jolie sought a divorce in 2016, days after a disagreement broke out on private flight ferrying the actors and their children from France to Los Angeles. Pitt was accused of being abusive toward his then-15-year-old son during the flight, but investigations by child welfare officials and the FBI were closed with no charges being filed against the actor. Jolie's attorney said at the time that she sought a divorce for the health of the family.

Her new filing says the judge has refused to hear the minor teenagers input as to their experiences, needs, or wishes as to their custody fate, citing a California code that says a child 14 or over should be allowed to testify if they want to.

Three of Jolie and Pitt's six children are teenagers, 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, and 14-year-old Shiloh. The oldest, Maddox, is 19 and not subject to the custody decision. They also have 12-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox.

In response to Jolie's filing, Pitt's attorneys said, Ouderkirk has conducted an extensive proceeding over the past six months in a thorough, fair manner and reached a tentative ruling and order after hearing from experts and percipient witnesses.

Pitt's filing said the judge found Jolie's testimony lacked credibility in many important areas, and the existing custody order between the parties must be modified, per Mr. Pitts request, in the best interests of the children.

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It says Jolies objections and further delays in reaching an arrangement would work grave harm upon the children, who will be further denied permanence and stability.

Its not clear what the current custody arrangement is because the court seals most files. When the divorce process began, Pitt sought joint custody and Jolie sought primary physical custody  meaning the children would live more than half the time with her. But changes have been made that have not been made public.

Peter Harvey, a lawyer for Jolie who is close to the case but not directly involved, said the actress supports joint custody but the situation is complicated and he cant go into detail because the court proceedings are under seal.

Divorce lawyers for both sides declined to comment on the new filings.

Harvey told The Associated Press that Jolie's family struggles have prompted her to take a more active role in changing the laws approach to custody issues.

Ms. Jolie has been working privately for four and a half years to both heal her family and to fight for improvements to the system to ensure that other families do not experience what hers has endured, said Harvey, a former attorney general of New Jersey who has been working with Jolie on policy issues.

Jolie has sought to disqualify Ouderkirk, a private judge she and Pitt chose to maintain their privacy, arguing that he has an improper business relationship with one of Pitt's attorneys.

She said in Mondays filing that if the tentative custody decision is made final by Ouderkirk, she will appeal it.

Jolie, 45, and Pitt, 57, were among Hollywood's most prominent couples for 12 years. They had been married for two years when Jolie filed for divorce. They were declared divorced in April 2019, after their lawyers asked for a judgment that allowed a married couple to be declared single while other issues remained, including finances and child custody.



Gecker reported from San Francisco.

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

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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, has announced the departure of Gloria Guevara after four years leading the global tourism body.

The former Tourism Secretary of Mexico, Guevara, who joined WTTC in August 2017, has led WTTC and its Members through a transformational agenda over the past years, including the sectors significant impact from the Covid-19 pandemic. Guevara was the strong voice in leading the global Travel & Tourism sector through its the most difficult year in history and has helped unite the sector and define the path for the recovery.

WTTC is delighted to announce the appointment of International Airlines Group (IAG) Executive Committee Member, Julia Simpson, as its President & CEO, effective August 15.

Simpson brings extensive experience of the Travel & Tourism sector, having served on the boards of British Airways, Iberia and most recently as Chief of Staff at International Airlines Group. She previously worked at senior levels in the UK Government including advisor for the UK Prime Minister.

Carnival Corporation President and CEO, Arnold Donald, who was recently appointed as Chair of WTTC, paid tribute to Gloria Guevara and welcomed Julia Simpson to her new role.

Donald said: I would like to first thank Gloria for her dedication and commitment to WTTC, especially in these difficult times. Her contributions have been immeasurable, from helping to unite the sector as it manages and recovers from the pandemic, to providing a clear voice and direction for the safe restart of international travel. And I and the entire executive committee are grateful for Glorias continued help through this transition and her support to WTTC."

"I am delighted to welcome Julia Simpson, an exceptional leader with experience both in the private sector and in government, to help guide WTTC at this critical juncture of the Travel & Tourism sector. I look forward to working with Julia in my role as Chair, to continue building on WTTCs many successful initiatives.

Gloria Guevara said: It is with a heavy heart that I leave WTTC. I am very proud to have led this diverse and talented team and to have worked with so many amazing industry leaders, who are WTTCs Members, and built strong relationships with government heads of tourism around the world."

I leave WTTC after completing my mandate, in a stronger position as the voice of the private sector and the leader of the global agenda. I know that under Julias solid leadership, WTTC will continue to build on this legacy and lead it into its next chapter, championing the entire global Travel & Tourism sector to its recovery.

Julia Simpson said It will be a great privilege to lead WTTC as it emerges from the worst crisis in our history. Travel & Tourism plays a critical role to our economies across the globe, accounting for 330m jobs in 2019. In many communities it is the backbone of family run businesses that have been left devastated."

"The Travel & Tourism sector has shown real leadership in reopening the world safely and securely; and I look forward to shaping and driving the sectors ambitious agenda to achieve long-term sustainable and inclusive growth. - TradeArabia News Service
At least two people, one of them a teenager, were fatally shot on the West Side between late Monday and early Tuesday and several others were struck by gunfire, including an 86-year-old woman shot while watering her lawn, according to Chicago police.

About 9:05 p.m., police were called to the 500 block of South Oakley Boulevard in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood for a report of a shooting. Two 17-year-old boys had been standing on a sidewalk when someone in a silver BMW shot at them, police said. One of the teens was hit in the chest and he was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m. The other teen was struck in the right shoulder and he also was taken to Stroger, where he had been listed in fair condition.

The teen who died was identified as Keyshawn Williams, of the 2900 block of West Harrison Street, according to the medical examiners office.

A 31-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl also were shot as they sat in a vehicle in Lawndale about 2:10 a.m. in the 4700 block of West Arthington Street, police said. A man they didnt know fired multiple shots toward the vehicle, striking the man seven times in the head, according to police. He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital, officials said. Information on his identity had not been released as of Tuesday morning.

The teen girl suffered one gunshot wound to the right leg and she was taken to Stroger Hospital where her condition was stabilized, police said.

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Earlier, about 9:45 p.m., police said an 86-year-old woman was shot once in the foot as she stood outside watering her lawn in the 4300 block of West Monroe Street in West Garfield Park.

Authorities said a person inside a dark-colored Dodge Charger had shot the woman, who was not the intended target. Two nearby vehicles also were shot.

The woman declined medical treatment, according to police.

Another 17-year-old boy also was shot around 1:45 a.m., according to police. He walked in to Rush University Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his right leg and left knee, police said, but he would not provide details about how he was shot.

Among other shootings, earlier Monday, a 28-year-old man was shot during a carjacking, police said. The man was in the 4700 block of West 64th Street in Wet Lawn and had just finished changing a flat tire on his friends Nissan Altima when a man in a ski mask tried to wrest the keys from the man, police said.

The man was able to knock the gun away from the carjacker during a physical fight, but the carjacker recovered the gun and shot the man once in the head. The man was in critical condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to authorities.

No arrests had been made.

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SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois Senate on Tuesday passed measures decriminalizing the transmission of HIV and requiring public high schools to teach media literacy.

Both measures have already passed the House and will need only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law.

House Bill 1063 would eliminate existing criminal statutes that penalize HIV transmission as a Class 2 felony. If Pritzker signs the bill, Illinois would join 11 other states that do not have laws criminalizing the transmission of HIV, including Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

HB 1063 also would repeal existing laws allowing law enforcement or states attorneys to access a persons HIV status. Under current criminal law, a person who transmits HIV to another person can be charged with criminal transmission of HIV.

Current law prohibits the forced disclosure of a persons HIV status but provides exceptions for law enforcement officials or states attorneys to subpoena or petition for the HIV status of criminal defendants.

The Illinois HIV Action Alliance, which lobbied for the bill, praised its passage.

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The truth is HIV criminalization never improved safety or public health in Illinois  in instead, it has only caused suffering to people living with HIV, their families, and their communities. It has promoted stigma and discrimination, and it has discouraged testing, treatment, and disclosure for decades, the group wrote in a written statement Tuesday.

Sen. Robert Peters, a Chicago Democrat, sponsored the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Carol Ammons, an Urbana Democrat, was lead sponsor in the House.

It passed out of the Senate by a vote of 37-17 on Tuesday, and passed from the House last month by a vote of 99-9. It will head to the governor for his signature.

The Senate also joined the House in passing House Bill 234, which would require public high schools in the state to offer instruction in how to understand and evaluate news and social media as part of their computer literacy courses.

Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, sponsored the bill in the Senate.

The requirement would begin in the 2022-2023 school year and would include instruction on accessing information across various platforms; analyzing and evaluating media messages; creating their own media messages; and social responsibility and civics.

There was no debate on the measure Tuesday as it passed 42-15. It passed the House on April 20 on a 68-44 vote.

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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The government leaders of Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic held intensive talks Tuesday in an attempt to solve a years-long dispute that resurfaced recently over a Polish coal mine .

The Czech government says the brown coal Turow mine, located in southwestern Poland, near the Czech and German borders, is draining groundwater from communities and causing other environmental harm to Czech citizens.

It took the case to the top European Union court, which last week issued a temporary injunction ordering Poland to immediately halt coal extraction at the site pending the court's full ruling.

But Polish authorities are defying the order, saying they cannot close the mine because doing so would lead to power cuts for millions of Poles, suspend the operation of industrial plants and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. The mine directly fuels a power plant that produces up to 7% of Poland's energy.

The dispute underlines coal's potential as an irritant in relations among EU nations as the bloc seeks to reach an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Poland has made some progress toward developing green energy and closing coal mines, but the process has been slow and hampered by the country's historic dependence on coal to heat homes and power industry.

The Polish government recently extended the license for extraction of coal at Turow until 2044. Czech officials say Poland did that without consulting them or without assessing the environmental impact, a claim the Polish government denies.

The Polish decision to keep extracting beyond 2030 also means that the region around Turow will lose out on its share of the EU's multibillion-euro Just Transition fund, aimed at supporting communities which transition from coal to green energy.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis discussed the Turow issue during an EU summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, and other officials from their governments were negotiating elsewhere.

Theres no deal done yet (with the Polish side), but I expect to have it soon, Babis said Tuesday.

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He insisted that, even then, the lawsuit will not be withdrawn, as hoped for by Poland.

Speaking at Turow, Poland's minister for state assets, Jacek Sasin, said Tuesday that a framework for an agreement has been worked out to address Pragues concerns and to secure joint funds for local environmental needs.

Media reports said Poland would invest some 45 million euros ($56 million) into environmental protection there and speed up construction of a drainage screen.

Sasin stressed there was no talk of closing operations at Turow mine, arguing that carrying out the EU court's order would be a disastrous blow for Poland's energy, for Poland's economy.

Some critics in Poland said the government has not done enough over the years to alleviate Prague's concerns about the mine and to prevent the Czechs from seeking the EU courts injunction.

Meanwhile, Turow miners held a protest Tuesday against the Czech complaint and the court injunction. They drove in dozens of cars with national flags and Hands Off Turow stickers on a road leading to the Czech and German borders to slow down traffic.

Poland argues it is not being treated fairly because the Czech Republic and Germany operate a number of lignite mines close to Poland's borders without facing conflicts.

Some 48% of Poland's energy comes from hard black coal and 17% from softer and more polluting lignite, or brown coal. Another 25% comes from various renewable sources and biofuels, and 10% comes from gas and other sources.



Karel Janicek in Prague contributed reporting.

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

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The Hamas terrorist group ruling the Gaza Strip is finally doing what it could always have done, namely ceasing fire on Israel, meaning that Israel is ceasing fire, too. If Hamas had never started sending thousands of rockets to light Israels skies, there would not have been an 11-day war, hundreds would not have been killed, infrastructure would not have been smashed and there would be more hope in the world.

But then, the Palestinians have been playing this game for decades even as people have said Israel should not shoot back because, for one thing, Israel now has whats called the Iron Dome, a protective system that takes out thousands of the Gaza Strips rockets with thousands of its own. Critics have then growled that Israel kills more civilians than Hamas and doesnt need to. It would in fact be insane for Israel to just fold its hands and wait for the worst to pass.

An inhumane terrorist trick, after all, is to use civilians as a shield, to launch weapons from schools, for instance, so as to thwart return damage to the launching mechanisms. Failing to destroy those mechanisms has a price, and is Israel supposed to just yawn when a 5-year-old Israeli boy gets killed in his aunts apartment? Applaud as living conditions are devastated by shrapnel? Shrug its shoulders when a block of homes is destroyed?

Egypt arranged this peace agreement that may or may not last, and congratulations. But meanwhile Israels critics should understand that Palestinians do not recognize Israel as a nation, and that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader of this stretch of land between Israel and Egypt  25 miles long and 6 miles wide  once made it clear that, in his mind, the issue is not whether Israel will be wiped out. The issue is when that will happen.

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There have been Israeli-Palestinian wars aplenty, and Hamas is not without allies, such as Iran, which helps supply weapons as part of its ambitions to conquer the whole Middle East, murdering the innocent with its usual enthusiasm.

President Barack Obamas nuclear deal with Iran made its conquest of others more likely and President Donald Trump not only took the deal apart but helped initiate the Abraham Accords through which Israel began to fashion closer relationships with Arab countries. President Joe Biden has sought to reinstitute and reshape the nuclear deal, and Iran is slaving away to enrich uranium sufficiently to make nuclear weapons.

After World War II, Israel was lucky to have a good, strong Western friend, namely Britain, which worked with the United Nations to strengthen Israels hold in the Middle East and facilitate expansion as immigrants poured in from all over owing to anti-Semitic torture, including the Holocaust.

A war ensued as Arabs tried to hold back this idea and Israel was able to keep land it had been granted as well as take some land granted to the Arabs. There have been other wars, all kinds of negotiations, varied agreements and no end to terrorism. Its not as if Israel has never taken wrong steps, but a chief objective has been self-defense and preservation of what is seen as a sacred land while its chief enemies have often been evil, totalitarian dictators mistreating their own people.

Israel has established alliances with Egypt and Jordan and lately with other Arab nations understanding that Iran is their enemy and Israel a valuable trade partner with needed military muscle. A major Trump step was recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, something Obama once endorsed and apparently forgot. Israel is important to the Middle Easts future, the United States is important to Israels future and we should be careful not to open the door and let wisdom walk away.

Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Email speaktojay@aol.com.

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Strange things have been happening in the Republican Party. Our understanding of them might be served by a brief review of the traditional meanings of the terms conservative and liberal.

The story of American politics has always been about the tension among citizens with different opinions about how big the federal government should be. Founders such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams were on strong-central-government side of this tug of war; Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were on the states-rights side. Their adherents coalesced into parties.

As much as the founders detested the idea of political parties, in retrospect they were probably, on the one hand, not such a bad idea and, on the other, inevitable.

This has always worked to the advantage of conservatives. Every politician wants to run on a platform of small government and low taxes. Few politicians have the courage to run on a platform of big government and high taxes. And even fewer have the naivete to run on no government and no taxes at one extreme or communism at the other.

Thus American politics is about finding the sweet spot that everyone can, more or less, live with. Terms like high taxes and low taxes are meaningless to the point of irrelevance. Nearly everyone recognizes that the definition of a society includes the notion that citizens have to contribute something toward the common enterprise. How we view taxation is a question of how much we get back from what we put in.

Full disclosure: I tend to side with Hamilton and Adams. I believe that some things are done best by government and that some things can be done only by a strong central government. The quintessential example is the abolition of slavery, which required the most extravagant employment of federal power.

But who knows how long segregation and legalized discrimination against minorities and women would have persisted if strong federal action had not forced all states to provide for every citizen the rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution?

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Further, we tend to undervalue the benefits that we derive from government, both local and federal. Im a strong believer in a powerful national military. Im glad that I can have reasonable confidence that the food I buy at the grocery store wont make me sick. I like to be able to arrive in practically any town in the nation and drink the tap water with confidence.

I like the fact that if my house catches fire, Ive already paid taxes that will ensure that someone will come and put it out. And even though I have no children of my own, I dont mind paying taxes so that yours can go to a public school.

Am I overpaying or underpaying in taxes for all of this? If youre a liberal, you might agree that the cost is reasonable. If youre a conservative, you might think its overpriced. Politics is about finding the middle ground. Its a question of balance. Liberals need conservatives just as much as conservatives need liberals.

But this traditional narrative has little to do with whats currently happening in the Republican Party. The conservatives who take this traditional view are overwhelmed by the conservatives who have abused the beguiling message of low taxes and small government.

Even this is disingenuous. The upstarts in the Republican Party have little regard for fiscal responsibility (the Trump tax cuts), and they are happy to use big government when it serves their purposes (abolishing the constitutional right of reproductive choice).

Further, they have perfected the politics of grievance and complaint. The Republican representatives who last week refused to honor House rules regarding mask-wearing appear to believe that theyre striking a blow for freedom comparable to Rosa Parks stand.

But Jefferson and Madison would be appalled by their petulant, election-denying, cultish deviancy, which falls far outside traditional political discourse.

This is unfortunate. Their perversity is threatening to eliminate the sort of rational conservative force that is essential to the health of the nation. Once they destroy it, we may never get it back.

John M. Crisp, an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Email jcrispcolumns@gmail.com.

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When I look at the condition of Decatur Public School District #61, my mind goes back to Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey in the late 1980s.

Eastside High School student population declined like DPS student population has declined. DPS has closed schools and has over 800 students in one building designed for 300 students.

Students at both Eastside High in the 1980s and DPS today cannot pass basic skills tests. Students at both Eastside High in the 1980s and DPS today are out of control and the teachers do not control their classroom.

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Eventually, Eastside High hired a new principal, Joe Clark. Two years ago, DPS hired a new assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, Jeff Dase. Both Joe Clark and Jeff Dase made radical changes instituting programs that improve student spirit and performance measures for students as well as teachers.

At both schools, the parents, the teachers, and administration reacted strongly to the new changes. At Eastside High, parents, teachers and administration wanted the principal ousted. At DPS the Board of Education wants to look for a retired superintendent. Because of language in the pension contract, the retired superintendent will work two days a week. Who will do the work of superintendent the other three days of the week?

Mr. Dase is currently doing the work of two assistant superintendents as well as work of the superintendent. The superintendent has taken another job. Past practice dictates the assistant superintendent is seated as interim superintendent then superintendent. Past practice sets a precedence. Since Mr. Dase already has the qualifications and the experience, why not promote him to superintendent?

Julia Maddox, Decatur

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Were all bad at something. I struggled with math growing up. Even today, Ill wake up in the middle of the night, heart a-flutter in a fetal position after dreaming that I forgot to study for an algebra test.

At least Im not alone being bad at something. Politicians offer good company. Republicans, for example used to be good at humor, sometimes by accident:

Is our children learning? George W. Bush

Im pleased to announce that Ive signed legislation outlawing the Soviet Union. The bombing begins in five minutes. Ronald Reagan

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"Its wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago. Dan Quayle

Bush knew he wasnt considered the smartest man in the room, but he good naturedly laughed at himself with us. And I dont remember him complaining after being mocked on Saturday Night Live. Can the same be said about Donald Trump?

Conservatives have certainly mastered talk radio, but something is missing: the Reagan wit that coaxed a chuckle even from the staunchest Democrats, and Bushs willingness to be the butt of a joke. Reading Dan Quayle quotes make me feel better about being a C student in school.

The blooper reel is now trained on Joe Biden, and thats fine. Humor should make us feel good regardless of which political party is targeted. If we can find common ground laughing instead of slinging the nearest insult, better yet.

Jim Newton, Itasca

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The 2021 Billboard Music Awards, which celebrate the chart-topping music and artists of the year, will take place Sunday.

Read below for more details on the night.

Where to watch:

The awards will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC.

The host

Nick Jonas, who is recovering from a bike accident, will host the show.

The awards

Going into the event, The Weeknd leads among finalists with nods in 16 categories. Winners are based on "audio and video streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, and social engagement," throughout the year as tracked by Billboard.

Performances:

BTS, Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, DJ Khaled, H.E.R., Migos, Duran Duran, and The Weeknd are just some of the artists scheduled to perform.
Israeli Jews looked at the riots and saw dark visions of the past. Yoav Gallant, a highly decorated general and current Minister of Education, spoke for many when he said that his parents had not come from the ghettos of Eastern Europe and Morocco to face pogroms. He may have meant it as a call to arms, but it sounded instead like a panic attack  and panic is something that Hamas, like any terrorist organization, wants to encourage.

The idea that 1.7 million Arab Israelis are about to start an armed revolt is fanciful, but one Israels enemies find worth cultivating. Ismael Haniyeh, the exiled Hamas chief, sent a message of revolutionary solidarity to the Arabs of 48 (the Hamas term for those who remained in the country after the establishment of Israel.) We saw what happened in Lod, the Triangle and the Galilee, he said, hailing the rioters as Al-Aqsas defenders.

Historically, most Israeli Arabs have not supported Hamas, at least not openly. For better and for worse, Israel is their country. In wartime they have been, if not patriotic, at least publicly neutral. This has been rewarded by increased trust and new avenues to upward mobility and inclusion.

The riots upset this trust. For the first time in years, the Shin Bet, Israels internal security agency, has been given a leading role in keeping law and order.
Abortion has contributed to the caustic environment in which we now live. People kill each other nightly on the streets of major cities. Buildings are burned and riots are becoming increasingly normal behavior. A Wall Street Journal story predicts we face a summer of unrest.

This disrespect for human life, law, order and morality has extended to pressure at the other end of life with assisted suicide laws in some states and, as we have seen with COVID-19, a lack of concern about the elderly in nursing homes.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks the number of abortions in the U.S., more than 62 million abortions have been performed since 1973. Guttmacher acknowledges the figure may be lower than the actual number. Black women have experienced induced abortions at a rate nearly four times that of white women for at least three decades. One might think that if black lives matter, the weakest and most vulnerable would matter most. Think of the potential of these lost lives.

While the number of abortions has been in decline in recent years for several reasons, including the free services of crisis pregnancy centers, which work to dissuade women from getting an abortion, (Planned Parenthood charges for the procedure), any lost innocent life is one too many.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On May 22, Gotion High-Tech, a leading automotive lithium-ion power battery supplier in China, celebrated the foundation stone-laying ceremony for its lithium-ion battery project in Yichun, Jiangxi province, which is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2022.

Photo credit: Gotion High-Tech



Guoxuan Holdings Group Co.,Ltd., a related firm of Gotion High-Tech, entered into a strategic partnership with the People's Government of Yichun on February 28. Under the agreement, Guoxuan Holdings will invest 11.5 billion yuan ($1.786 billion) into a new energy industrial project in Yichun Economic & Technological Development Zone. The project encompasses such businesses as the exploitation of mine resources, the extraction of lithium carbonate, the R&D and manufacturing of lithium batteries, as well as the development of energy storage system.

According to the planning, the Yichun-based project will be built in two phases, which are set to be operational at the end of 2022 and 2025 respectively, and is expected to generate production value of around 20 billion yuan ($3.106 billion) per year.

To support the operation of the new project, Gotion High-Tech last month founded a wholly-owned subsidiary, named Jiangxi Guoxuan New Energy Technology Co.,Ltd. (Jiangxi Guoxuan), with its own funds. The company announced on May 7 it had complete the commerce registration and obtained the business license for Jiangxi Guoxuan, which will launch several subsidiaries in Yichun to carry out the aforementioned businesses included in the project.

Gotion High-Tech achieved annual revenue of 6.724 billion yuan (around $1.04 billion) for 2020, up 35.6% from the previous year. Of those, 6.277 billion yuan ($974.932 million) were contributed by the power lithium battery business arm, representing a year-on-year growth of 45.27%. Annual net profit attributable to the parent reached 150 million yuan (around $23.1 million), soaring 192.02% year over year, the largest increase since the firm was listed.
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has announced that the state will bear the expenses of treating residents and GCC citizens who need to be hospitalized after testing positive for Covid-19 during their institutional quarantine upon arrival in the Kingdom, said a report.

For those who arrive on a visitor visa, the treatment expenses will be covered by the insurance company, said a report in Saudi Gazette.

GACA issued on Monday a guideline for travellers who are not Saudi citizens and those from exempted groups who are not immunized, and those coming from countries from which entry has not been suspended.

The guideline explains that all passengers who test positive for Covid-19 will undergo isolation in the institutional quarantine for a period of 10-14 days.

According to the guideline, all air carriers must announce on their websites that the Saudi government requires institutional quarantine for those who plan to visit the country and must, also, obtain medical insurance to cover their treatment of Covid-19.

Violators of isolation instructions or quarantine shall be punished with a fine of SR200,000 ($53,258.9) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or both, and in the event of a repeat violation the penalty shall be doubled, the report said.

Non-Saudi violators will be deported from the Kingdom and banned from entering indefinitely after the execution of the punishment against the individual.

The institutional quarantine shall be in the city of arrival.

Travellers who intend to visit Saudi Arabia should have medical insurance that covers Covid-19 treatment costs in outpatient clinics, emergencies, and hospitals; including institutional quarantine for a period of up to 14 days. Residents and GCC citizens are excluded from obtaining insurance, it said.

Passengers who do not meet the requirements shall be sent back to the destination from where they had departed, and the air carrier shall bear the costs.

The status of the immune and non-immune travelers shall be verified by air carriers at the departure airport.

The air carrier will provide a variety of options to choose from for institutional quarantine that suits all segments for those coming to Saudi Arabia.

Upon arrival, passengers are required to show a proof of vaccination with one of the flowing vaccines  two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca, two doses of Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnsons.

Vaccine certificates are required to be certified by official health authorities from the country that provided the vaccination for incoming passengers, and the duration between receiving the last dose (the second dose of a two-dose vaccine or the first dose of a single-dose vaccine) should not be less than 14 days before traveling to Saudi Arabia. Vaccine certificates may be verified upon arrival at the checkpoints of the Kingdom, the report said.

Travellers must carry their vaccine certificates at all times during their stay in the Kingdom (or proof of health status through applications and accredited programs in the Kingdom). Failure to comply with these regulations will subject the travellers to legal liabilities in addition to being banned from entry to the Kingdom.
The Warren County Sheriffs Office said in a social media post that it was contacted by Capitol Police on Monday regarding a suspicious package delivered to Paul's home in Bowling Green.

The package was taken to the Bowling Green Fire Department and a preliminary analysis identified the substance as non-toxic, the sheriff's office said. It did not identify the substance.

The substance and package will undergo further analysis, the sheriff's office said.

Paul's wife, Kelley, tweeted that she got the death threat letter and called the FBI.

This kind of violent threat is fomented against Rand daily, she tweeted.

Paul, an ally of former President Donald Trump, has been outspoken during the coronavirus pandemic, saying that masks should no longer be necessary after vaccination. Paul tested positive for the virus in 2020. He recently said he wont be getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but added that he might change his mind if people who previously contracted the disease are getting reinfected at a greater rate than those who are vaccinated.

Paul is running for a third term in next year's elections.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian lawmakers on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that bars members of groups designated as extremist from running for public office, a measure intended to prevent allies of opposition leader Alexei Navalny from seeking parliament seats.

The Kremlin-controlled lower house, the State Duma, quickly endorsed the bill in a crucial second reading. After three readings, it would need to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law.

Lawmakers are considering the bill while Moscow prosecutors have moved to designate Navalnys Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his regional offices as extremist groups. Navalny and his allies have denounced the proceedings as a move to stifle critical voices before September's parliamentary election.

Navalny's regional headquarters, as his team called them, have been instrumental in implementing the Smart Voting strategy  a project designed to promote candidates who are most likely to defeat those from the Kremlins dominant United Russia party in various elections.

The new bill that received the tentative approval Tuesday is widely seen as part of Kremlin efforts to keep any Navalny associates and allies from September's ballot.
" " Demonstrators denouncing systemic racism in law enforcement and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer gather at a press conference in Brooklyn, New York City, calling for the passing of bills to increase police accountability throughout New York state on June 4, 2020. Scott Heins/Getty Images

In the early 2000s, two economic researchers conducted a simple yet revealing experiment. They submitted nearly 5,000 fictitious resumes to "help wanted" ads posted in Chicago and Boston newspapers. The jobs were for entry-level positions in sales, administrative support, clerical and customer service.

The resumes were all nearly identical  same levels of education, work experience, etc.  except for one difference: Half of the job applicants were given stereotypically Black names like Lakisha and Jamal, while the other half were given "whiter-sounding" names like Emily and Greg.

The result? Resumes with white-sounding names received 50 percent more callbacks for interviews than resumes with Black names. In a separate experiment, even white job applicants with criminal records received more callbacks (17 percent) for the same jobs than Black applicants with no criminal record (14 percent).

So, what exactly is going on here? Is it that the hiring managers at hundreds of different companies were all avowed racists or card-carrying white supremacists? Not likely. In the case of the second experiment, in which white and Black job applicants applied in person, the researchers wrote that "few interactions between our testers and employers revealed signs of racial animus or hostility toward minority applicants."

The employers were not outwardly racist, yet the outcomes differed significantly across racial lines. Studies like these and others shine light on what's called "systemic racism," a type of baked-in racial bias that overwhelmingly benefits white Americans while disadvantaging Americans of color.

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Racism Is the 'Smog' We All Breathe

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum is author of the best-selling book "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" and president emerita of Spelman College. Tatum believes that one of the first steps toward understanding systemic racism is to shed some of the fear, shame and defensiveness around the word "racist." She compares racist ideas and race-based prejudices to smoggy air in a big city.

"Whether you're white or a person of color, you've been exposed to smog; the smog of stereotypes, of misinformation, of biases and missing history," says Tatum. "All of that has been part of your socialization and it influences how you think about yourself and other people, whether you acknowledge it or not."

There's a tendency, especially among whites, to deny that systemic racism exists, because to accept that as truth feels akin to admitting that they are racist. Like the hiring managers in the employment study, most people would be devastated if someone labeled them as "racists."

"I think we should desensitize people to 'the R word,' as I like to say, because if you live in a smoggy place, you're going to be a smog breather," says Tatum. "That doesn't mean that you're a bad person; it's the only air available. It seems unrealistic to expect that you have not been infected by all the stuff you've been breathing in over the course of your lifetime."

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Systemic Racism in the U.S.A.

Tatum believes there should be a clear distinction between what she calls "individual racism"  the negative attitudes, assumptions and stereotypes that one person might project onto another  and how racism functions in society.

Racism in America is more than simple prejudice. It is "a system of advantage based on race," as sociologist David Wellman wrote in his book "Portraits of White Racism."

"If we understand racism as not just individual attitudes or individual behaviors, but as a collection of policies and practices that systematically advantage white people over people of color, then we can think of racism as 'a system of advantage based on race,'" says Tatum. "Does the United States have a system of advantage based on race? It does."

The term "systemic racism," also known as "institutional racism," has been around since the 1960s, to describe a phenomenon that is much older. In their 1967 book "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation," Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton wrote the following, as cited by The Conversation:

"When a black family moves into a home in a white neighborhood and is stoned, burned or routed out, they are victims of an overt act of individual racism which most people will condemn. But it is institutional racism that keeps black people locked in dilapidated slum tenements, subject to the daily prey of exploitative slumlords, merchants, loan sharks and discriminatory real estate agents. The society either pretends it does not know of this latter situation, or is in fact incapable of doing anything meaningful about it."

The term came into broad usage after George Floyd's killing by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020. In an NPR interview from July 2020, Ijeoma Oluo, author of "So You Want To Talk About Race," explained why.

"What shocked many people, especially white people, was seeing four cops participate in this killing. It wasn't one bad apple acting against a Black person. It was one man taking the life of a Black man and three other officers of various races helping. These cops felt confident enough in their actions to work together in the murder of a Black man in front of cameras, in front of live bystanders. And that's when you say there's something bigger here."

The employment bias experiments we mentioned earlier are just one example of how the same system unfairly benefits whites over people of color. The disadvantages faced by people of color add up quickly and are passed on from generation to generation:

" " Interim Chancellor for District of Columbia Public Schools Amanda Alexander, right, sits in on a pre-K classroom at Wheatley Education Campus on May 8, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Studies have shown that in preschool, Black kids are 3.6 times more likely to be sent home for behavioral issues than white kids. Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

It's important to recognize that for every disadvantage faced by people of color, there is an equal and opposite advantage afforded to white people. The built-in advantage that whites enjoy in school, the workplace, when applying for a loan or getting pulled over by the police is collectively known as "white privilege."

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Dismantling Systemic Racism

In her book, Tatum compares systemic racism to the moving walkway at an airport. When we're born, we're dropped onto that moving walkway and carried along by it. Even if we recognize the system is rigged, nothing will change if we stand still. If we're passive or silent, the walkway will just keep pushing us all forward and keep generating the same unfair and unequal outcomes based on race.

"It's only when you're intentionally taking action and walking in the opposite direction that you actually can begin to interrupt the process," says Tatum. "That kind of active, intentional behavior is what we might describe as anti-racist behavior."

What does it look like to be an anti-racist? On a practical level, Tatum says that it starts with collecting data. If you suspect that your workplace can improve the fairness of its hiring process, then collect data on the number of applicants of color who are called back for interviews compared to white applicants. If you're concerned that children of color at your child's elementary school are disciplined at higher rates than white kids, then ask the school for figures on suspensions and expulsions.

One of the arguments evoked against the term "systemic racism" by conservative critics is that it implies that any difference between say, the performance level of Black and white children in school must be ascribed to racism, when there could be other things to consider as well. But this is where data comes into play.

"How do you know there's differential treatment until you look at your data?" says Tatum. "And any time we find disparities between racial outcomes, we should be asking the question, what about this system is creating this disparity? Often, we're taught to think it's the individual's fault that they're not being successful, as opposed to asking, what's going on in the system that might be contributing to the disparities?"

It can feel overwhelming to combat something as pervasive as systemic racism, but Tatum says everyone can start with their own sphere of influence. Everybody has some kind of influence in the lives of others. At work, at school, as a parent or a child. On a personal level, there are conversations we can all have, and things we can all do, big and small, that will chip away at racist systems. It starts by opening our minds and hearts to the existence of systemic racism, and then opening our mouths to call it out when we see it.

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Now That's Cool Are you ready to have honest discussions about race, but don't know where to start? Try this conversation guide from the National Day of Racial Healing.
Business advisers will be trained to detect financial stress in owners of small businesses. Photo: Shutterstock

A Queensland-based startup has teamed up with Deakin University to deliver mental health training to help 5,000 business advisors recognise when a client might be in distress.

The Counting on U program, run by Mentally Well Workplaces and Deakin University, in partnership with Beyond Blue, WorkSafe Victoria and other finance organisations, will deliver mental health first aid and relationship building training to thousands of accountants and businesses advisors.

With funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the organisations will be rolling out the program this year and next.

Tina Winchester, the director of mental health at Mentally Well Workplaces and Counting on U coordinator, said the training will help businesses advisors to better recognise when a client might be in financial or mental health distress.

We are thrilled to work with Deakin Business School and other partner organisations to provide this essential mental health training, Winchester said.

The Counting on U program provides relationship building training to help financial services professionals grow their already solid relationships with SME clients and through the Blended Online Mental Health First Aid Course for financial services professionals, teaches participants signs that could be present in a person they are working with who may be experiencing financial distress.

The organisations said the program would be a vital step forward for recognising how important mental health training is for business owners and employees around Australia.

Getting started

Mentally Well Workplaces was launched in 2018 when the four co-founders from the Career Development Centre joined forces.

The startup launched the first version of its evidence-based Workplace Mental Health in 2018 as part of a trial with select clients.

The program was then expanded, with the company offering custom courses to tens of thousands of employees in the UK, US, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Italy.

Mentally Well Workplaces now offers a full suite of holistic mental health services and products.

The startups mental health induction program offers training to improve awareness of mental health illnesses and to educate employers and employees on the impact to wellbeing.

The new partnership with Deakin University has been backed with a $2.238 million investment from the federal government, facilitating an expansion of the mental health training program to a further 4,000 accountants.

It involves the delivery of professional development across the sector for the participating trusted business advisors to better support the needs of SME owners, recognising that they are in a unique position to do so.

The course would normally cost up to $337 but is being offered for free as a result of the government funding.

Last year, a survey revealed that the majority of people think technology can help to address the devastating impact on mental health the COVID-19 pandemic has had.

More than 80 per cent of respondents to the survey said that technology like artificial intelligence can support their mental health better than humans in some ways, especially through automation and not having to disclose certain issues to people.

Also last year, Advance Queensland and River City Labs partnered to launch the Mental Health for Founders service, helping to match founders with an objective healthcare professional who can also provide tools to help entrepreneurs continue their startup journey.
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Algiers [Algeria], May 25 (ANI/Sputnik): The Algerian government has announced that it would gradually resume international air traffic starting from June 1, reopening its borders for the first time since March 2020, when they were closed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Flight resumption will be in stages. As part of the first stage, the country will allow three airports -- in Algiers, Oran and Constantine -- to operate international flights. In particular, there will be two weekly flights to Paris and one weekly flight each to Marseille, Istanbul, Barcelona and Tunisia, the prime minister's office said in a press release.

All arrivals will need to have a boarding pass and a negative PCR test taken within 36 hours prior to the departure, as well as fill out a health questionnaire and pay in advance for mandatory quarantine and tests.

The five-day mandatory quarantine will be undergone in one of the specially designated hotels under medical supervision. If a COVID-19 test comes back positive at the end of the quarantine, the individual concerned will have to spend five more days in isolation.

The north African country resumed domestic fights back in December 2020. (ANI/Sputnik)
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New Delhi [India], May 25 (ANI): A consignment of 10.20 Metric Tonnes MT of value-added products of organically certified gluten-free jackfruit powder and retort packed jackfruit cubes were exported to Germany from Bengaluru on Tuesday via sea route.

The jackfruit has been processed in the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) assisted packhouse owned by Phalada Agro Research Foundations (PARF), Bengaluru.

"APEDA registered PARF represents a group of 1500 farmers with a wide coverage of around 12,000 acres farms. These farmers grow medicinal and aromatic herbs, coconut, jackfruit, mango puree products, spices and Coffee," an official statement said.

"Under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), organic products are grown under a system of agriculture without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with an environmentally and socially responsible approach," it said.

APEDA is currently implementing the NPOP, which involves the accreditation of certification bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing etc.

"Madhya Pradesh has covered largest area under organic certification followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh. In 2020-21, the total volume of organic products export was 8.88 lakh metric tonne and the export realisation was around Rs 7,078 crores (1040 million USD)," it added. (ANI)
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Kathmandu [Nepal], May 25 (ANI): The latest ordinance to amend the Nepali Citizenship Act, introduced by the President of Nepal Bidya Bhandari, indeed marks a historical phase in Nepali politics and induces a sense of achievement among the madhesis.

The essence and relevance of the ordinance has however been lost in the intricate web of political cross currents the country has witnessed in the last few days. The ordinance marks the end of a long struggle by the madhesis on at least one of the several core issues regarding the grant of citizenship to large number of madhesis who are born in Nepal and have a right to citizenship.

The present ordinance is likely to favourably benefit more than 5 lakh people who have been waiting on the sidelines for such a law. There would be a peter down effect on successive generations as well. With the citizenship ordinance being issued, within the madhesi community, there is a feeling of relief with some hope of the possibility of redressal of some of their other demands as well, even though the latest outcome was a result of a political tussle at the centre.

Generations of madhesis have struggled over the years drawing the attention of successive rulers - from the monarchs to the political leaders, who promised delivery on the citizenship issue, but to no avail. Leaders in Kathmandu have played with the sentiments of the Madhesis exploiting their desperation to have their demands addressed while at the same time hyping nationalist sentiments in a manner so as to shrink the space for the madhesis to achieve their objectives.

In the eyes of the Kathmandu elite, the madhesis have been traditionally viewed with suspicion and considered as an extension of India. Moreover, with the narrative of "Anti Indianism being Nepali nationalism" forming the backbone of nationalist sentiments from times immemorial, the madhesi demands remained unaddressed as successive generations of politicians exploited the madhesis to bind the country together on a nationalist agenda.

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The reign of King Mahendra Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev from 1955 to 1972, for instance, witnessed a form of Nepali nationalism that hinged on building a strong hill (pahadi) mentality bringing to together pahadi culture, traditions and values at the cost of the other ethnic groups and minorities.

This was aimed at segregating the madhesis and the other minorities from the rest of the population. Land owning laws were implemented during this phase which clearly discriminated against the madhesis as hordes of hill people, including those from North Bengal, were brought into the Terai region for settling down, thus cutting into the madhesi population. Hope for some respite among the madhesis in the form of an inclusive constitution that would address their problems also lost steam with successive constitutions failing to address their issues in spite of promises made to the contrary.

There is a belief among the madhesis that in spite of bitter differences between the communists and the democrats (Nepali Congress), when it comes to the madhesi demands, all political parties hold a unanimous view or rather the pahadis come together. It is for this reason that in spite of different parties coming to power from time to time, none of them have been able to deliver on the madhesi issues.

Frustrated at the lack of support from various governments, the madhesis have also held protests over the years to draw the attention of the government in Kathmandu but without any success. The first sign of political activism by the madhesis came to notice in 1959 when a party called the Terai Congress contested the country's first national elections but lost miserably.

Thereafter, in the 1990s, a former Nepali Congress leader named Gajendra Narayan Singh formed the Sadbhavana Party to advocate for Madhesi rights. But it was not until 2007 that the Madhes movement really gained force with months of street protests held in 2007 and 2008, against the political indifference to their plight. The 2015 hold up of supplies from India for several months, which eventually created deep-rooted anti-India sentiments in Nepal, was also a result of a constitution that failed to address the Madhesi demands.

Meanwhile, to ward off negative sentiments, the madhesi leaders have done their bit in being recognized and seen as Nepali first and madhesis later when it comes to critical national security issues. For instance, in June 2020 all madhesi leaders eagerly participated in the constitutional amendment voting introducing the new map of Nepal.

The entire madhesi leadership unanimously supported the new map, siding with the nation sending out a clear signal that for them the nation came first. JSPN leader Rajendra Mahato in fact made a fiery speech drawing the attention of all Nepalis to the decision by madhesi leaders to support the map issue, inspite of the fact that the madhesi demands remained unaddressed.

Among the political parties, it was the RJP - an amalgamation of six madhesi parties which has lately come forward pushing the madhesi demands, besides the Samajwadi party. Unfortunately, the caste-based politics that dominates the madhes has made it difficult for madhesi political parties to remain consolidated on madhesi issues.

In this backdrop, the determination with which leader of the JSPN, Mahant Thakur has been pursuing the objective of getting through the citizenship issue and setting up of a task force for undertaking constitutional amendment, is a clear indication of his eagerness to address these issues while he continues to dominate the madhesi political space. For Mahant Thakur personally, it has been a long journey from the days when the madhesis were looked down with utter disgust and hatred by the pahadis to a stage in 2018 when being the senior-most parliamentarian, he was accorded the honour of opening the first session of the Parliament under the Oli government.

He has seen the days when madhesis travelling to Kathmandu were required to carry a long folded document of identity which was more like a passport, without which they were not allowed entry into the capital. Those were times when the madhesis were looked down upon with locals in Kathmandu referring to them as "dhotiwalas" or using other derogatory terminologies. Stories abound of how application for jobs by qualified madhesis were rejected outrightly and how special favours were shown to pahadis as against madhesis in selection processes.

It is thus indeed a sense of deja vu that has overwhelmed Mahant Thakur, Rajendra Mahato and the others with the citizenship ordinance coming into force as this amounts to history being made. They are not concerned about who delivers justice as long as it serves the purpose of the madhesis.

The celebrations that marked the citizenship ordinance in the madhes goes to show the tremendous positive narrative it has created in the Terai region. The gesture is also indicative of the will and desire of the government to address other similar issues associated with various marginalized communities such as the Janjatis, Tharus, Gurungs, Limbus etc. With the task force likely to be set up for constitutional amendment by the Oli government, a second step would be achieved in the madhesis' endeavour to strive for their demands.

While all the leaders who have today come together to oppose PM Oli feel that the latter has delivered on the citizenship issue as part of a political compromise, the fact remains that all of them had the opportunity to address the madhesi issues, including the citizenship issue, at some point or the other, but refrained from doing so for fear of being branded anti-national.

In that sense, political analysts feel that credit should be given to PM Oli for mustering the courage to overlook all concerns to deliver on the citizenship issue. It is he who can possibly deliver on the other madhesi demands as well after calibrating domestic sentiments. The support extended by Mahant Thakur and Rajendra Mahato to PM Oli has undoubtedly produced positive dividends for both sides. (ANI)
Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali (File Photo)

Kathmandu [Nepal], May 25 (ANI): Nepal has urged United States to "accord due priority" to it on vaccines that the US plans to distribute among developing countries.

In a telephonic conversation with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday, Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali conveyed gratitude on behalf of the country for the generous COVID-related cooperation by the US, which helped scale up the Nepal's capacity to address the pandemic, reported The Himalayan Times.

Commending the US leadership in garnering collaborative response against the global pandemic, Gyawali requested the US deputy secretary of state to accord due priority to Nepal in the course of its intended distribution of surplus vaccine doses among developing nations.

Deputy Secretary Sherman assured that the new US Administration would continue to extend cooperation in Nepal's socioeconomic sector, including the recent battle against the pandemic.

While expressing satisfaction over the overall state of Nepal-US relations, the two sides agreed to enhance bilateral and multilateral engagements in their mutual interests, reported The Himalayan Times.

They also agreed to accelerate economic partnerships in view of the uphill task of post-COVID recovery, it reported further.

US announced recently that it will donate 80 million US vaccines - the 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines previously announced and at least an additional 20 million doses of US authorized vaccines by the end of June. President Joe Biden said this commitment is part of leading an international and coordinated vaccination effort to respond to Covid-19 around the world.

Meanwhile, the telephone call between Gyawali and Sherman also discussed various matters concerning Nepal-US relations, cooperation in the context of the coronavirus and common international agendas.

Nepal has reported 7,220 new cases of coronavirus infection from across the country. With this, the nationwide coronavirus infection count has climbed to 520,461, on Monday, as per the Health Ministry. (ANI)
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will extend the gap between the first and second doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to 16 weeks, in an effort to inoculate more people faster, a senior health official said on Monday.

The plan follows a similar decision by Spain to stretch the gap between two AstraZeneca doses to 16 weeks, which is beyond the 12 weeks maximum interval approved by the European Medicines Agency. A 16-week interval has not been tested in human trials.

Thailand's change, from a 10-week gap previously, comes ahead of the planned start of a mass immunisation campaign from June, for which AstraZeneca's vaccine will be the main one used.

"This is to increase the number of people who get vaccinated," Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary of the health ministry, told Reuters, adding it would help create herd immunity faster.

Thailand has since the start of April been grappling to contain a third wave of coronavirus infections, with its latest outbreak accounting for about 80% of its total 132,213 cases and 806 deaths.

Thailand will focus on administering the first of two AstraZeneca doses between June and September, Kiattiphum said.

It previously said it aimed to vaccinate 70% of its population by September to achieve herd immunity.

The national vaccine strategy relies almost entirely on AstraZeneca vaccines, the majority of which it said would be produced by a local firm owned by the country's king.

Authorities said the first six million of 61 million doses are expected to be available in June.

Thailand has so far administered at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 1.94 million people, including healthcare and frontline workers, using AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Martin Petty)
RALEIGH  Credit Karma, a personal finance technology company, will add 600 new jobs in Mecklenburg County, Gov. Roy Cooper has announced. The company will invest more than $13 million to expand its Charlotte presence with a new high-tech engineering hub.

We are thrilled to have Credit Karma establish their East Coast headquarters in our state, said Cooper. North Carolina is the ideal place for technology companies to do business, thanks to our tech-savvy talent, resilient economy and great quality of life.

Credit Karma is a consumer technology platform best known for providing more than four billion free credit scores to consumers. The company has since grown into a go-to destination for more than 110 million members globally for everything related to their financial goals, including identity monitoring, applying for credit cards, shopping for loans (car, home and personal), savings accounts and now checking accounts both offered through banking partner, MVB Bank Inc., Member FDIC. This latest expansion will create an East Coast engineering hub for software development and programming functions for new products and services throughout the world.
Harold Goodwin, WTMs Responsible Tourism Advisor, will moderate two important panel debates this week during the virtual element of Arabian Travel Market  ATM Virtual.

He will bring together top hoteliers, industry consultants, travel experts and technology specialists to help set the agenda for responsible tourism issues in the coming years.

The Middle East regions largest travel and tourism showcase, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), continues this week (May 24-26) with the ATM Virtual event.

Those who were unable to attend the in-person ATM at the Dubai World Trade Centre last week will be able to participate this week in webinars, live conference sessions and destination briefings.

The responsible tourism sessions moderated by Goodwin will be of interest to industry professionals around the world.

The first one is called Responsible Hospitality in a Perfect Storm and takes place at 16:30 (Dubai time, 13:30 UK time) on May 25.

The second debate is called Responsible Technology for Travel & Tourism and takes place on May 26 at 11:30 Dubai, 08:30 UK.

Commenting on the first event, Goodwin said: With Covid-19, climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing inequality, the new normal will be a challenging trading environment for business and leisure travel."

We have brought together leading thinkers and practitioners to share their ideas about how hotels manage risk and trade profitably over the next decade."

Properties being built now will be operating in a very different environment in the 2030s; the decisions we make now will determine the assets we work with in the future.

His panel guests will be Eric Ricaurte, Founder and Chief Executive of hospitality consultancy Greenview; Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications at Radisson Hotel Group; Dimitris Manikis, President for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA) at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Madhu Rajesh, Chief Executive at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance; and Rana Al Oran, Director of People and Culture at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.

For the second debate, Goodwin hopes his panellists will help professionals in the sector to understand the bewildering range of tech solutions.

We have chosen speakers who can look behind the brochures and the sales pitch to share what they have learnt about what works, said Goodwin.

He will speak to Andrea Nicholas, Chief Executive at certification scheme Green Tourism; Chris Warren, Founder and Chief Executive at the sustainability consultancy My Green Butler; Keith Bradley, Managing Partner at video platform Globally Great; Dina Storey, Head of Sustainability at Expo 2020 Dubai; and Claire Whitely, Senior Sustainability Manager at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.

For industry professionals who want to explore more about responsible tourism, there is a rich programme of on-demand interviews at ATM Virtual.

These include interviews with Dina Storey from Dubai Expo and Stefanie Schachtschabel from Gobally Great.

There is more about technology in the Sustainability Pavilion and interviews about Seafuel making hydrogen fuel from seawater using sustainable electricity.

All sessions will be available on demand at the ATM Virtual platform until June 9 2021 and from that, will be available on WTM Global Hub. - TradeArabia News Service
VentureCrowds partnership with Uniseed will allow investors to see university research ventures on VentureCrowds platform. The partnership is also an opportunity for them to back Australian technology and innovation.

VentureCrowd partners with Uniseed to secure funding for promising technology Australian companies built on excellent home-grown research. The Australian-first partnership will see university research ventures available for individual investment on VentureCrowds platform.

Backed by the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Uniseed enables the higher education sector to commercialise research and technology to solve major industry challenges for global impact.

Steve Maarbani (pictured), VentureCrowd CEO, says the partnership is an opportunity for wholesale investors to back Australian innovation, alongside venture capital firms.

Uniseed is an industry leader in enhancing and advancing the commercialisation of publicly-funded research, and this collaboration provides an opportunity for investors to support companies that are solving pain-points, Maarbani says.

We are thrilled to be the first equity crowdfunding platform in Australia to support the commercialisation of university research in this way, and look forward to profiling Uniseed companies on the VentureCrowd website, as we work to democratise early-stage research investment, he adds.

Dr Peter Devine, Uniseed CEO, says the VentureCrowd support would provide greater community engagement and commercialisation of valuable intellectual property and research.

Uniseed bridges universities and investors by providing companies with valuable seed funding in the early stages of development, and subsequent follow-on investment. We are delighted to partner with VentureCrowd and engage with the wider investor community to back home-grown, cutting edge innovation, Dr Devine says.

The first UniSeed deal to go live on the VentureCrowd site is for digital health company Cardihab. Cardihab is aiming to raise $2 million in Series A funding, in order to support channel expansion, ramp up enterprise sales, paid clinical trials and user acquisition of the platform.

The company was spun out of the CSIRO in 2016 and current shareholders include Uniseed, Artesian Capital Management, Qld Cardiovascular Group, Stoic Venture Capital, and CSIRO.
MATTOON  The city Planning Commission is scheduled Tuesday to consider the Mattoon school district's request for a special use permit for developing a career training center in the former Consolidated Communications' building downtown.

The commission also will consider a proposal to subdivide space in front of the Cross County Mall for the development of a Dunkin's doughnut and coffee shop there. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in City Hall, 208 N. 19th St.

Regarding the former Consolidated property, the Mattoon school board voted on April 13 to purchase this six-story building at 121 S. 17th St. for use as a Regional Innovation Center that would provide career training programs for area high school students.

The district is now seeking a permit to operate a special use, categorized as a vocational and trade school, in this service commercial district-zoned property. The parking standards for such use is one space for every employee and one space for every three students.

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In its permit request, the district reported that the maximum number of employees present will be 15 and the maximum number of students present will be 180. The district reported that available parking includes 52 spaces on the former Consolidated property, 21 spaces across the street at the district's unit office, and public spaces along adjacent streets.

Consolidated has reported that its corporate headquarters has moved from the downtown building to its facility at 2116 S. 17th St. in Mattoon.

Regarding the Dunkin' location, a franchiser announced plans in March to construct one of these doughnut and coffee shops this year on recently cleared property that had previously been the site of a Taco Bell. Mattoon's Taco Bell relocated in summer 2019 to 105 Swords Drive into a newly constructed building closer to Interstate 57.

City Code Enforcement Official Matt Frederick said the commission will consider a request that the plat for the overall Cross County Mall property be modified so that the Dunkin' can be constructed at the former Taco Bell site at the front of the mall's parking lot. Mattoon based Rural King owns the mall property.

Recommendations made by the commission are forwarded onto the Mattoon City Council for final consideration.

In other matters, Frederick said the commission will have a discussion at Tuesday's meeting with representatives from Truth & Grace Fellowship about how to best accommodate parking at its church in a remodeled warehouse at 1304 Lake Land Boulevard. He said the church has recently purchased the former Connor Co. warehouse next door.

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CHICAGO  When Eulalia Andres Pedro finally reunited with her parents in the United States after making the journey from Guatemala through Mexico with a group of other minors seeking asylum, she and her brother Francisco didnt recognize them.

She was 12 and her brother was 14, and it had been more than 10 years since they had seen their mother and father, who migrated to southern Illinois from a rural Indigenous town in Guatemala. The siblings made their way north in 2015, running away from violence and hoping to reunite with their parents.

We had to shed tears, at the reunion, Eulalia Andres Pedro said in Spanish. It was worth all the pain and fear I felt.

Thousands of young people like the Andres Pedro siblings, most from Central American countries, are migrating alone to the U.S.-Mexican border.

After a steep drop during the height of the pandemic, the number of unaccompanied minors at the southern border this year has reached numbers not seen since at least 2014. Since December, nearly 500 children have been placed under temporary care at Chicago-area shelters, most of them from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

In the Chicago area, agencies and community organization serving asylum-seekers are welcoming some of the children at local shelters, as federal agencies rush to transfer them from Border Patrol cells to temporary housing, said David Sinski, executive director of Heartland Human Care Services. For 20 years, his group has operated shelters under a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to care for migrant children who arrive at the border unaccompanied.

Gaining asylum in the U.S. is rare, according to data from Syracuse University. Of 449 people seeking asylum between October and April in Chicago immigration court, 167 were granted asylum. That percentage  37.2%  is in line with previous years.

Since December the number of unaccompanied minors transferred to five Chicago shelters to await reunification with family or placement with a sponsor, has first doubled, then tripled, said Dawnya Underwood, the deputy director of safety programs at Heartland Alliance, the umbrella organization Sinskis group is part of.

About four children arrive each day, similar to the last large influx of migrant children in 2014.

The Heartland Alliance and other shelters under contract with Health and Human Services also help find people to work with the children on their legal cases and help find the right place to house them long-term. The children remain in the shelters for an average of about three weeks, Underwood said.

Though Heartland hasnt filled all its 359 beds at Chicago shelters, Sinski expects an increased need for beds as the number of asylum-seeking immigrants at the border continues to soar.

As those numbers grow, advocates are calling for more permanent trauma-informed shelters to house the children as they wait for placement and begin their asylum cases. Others argue that allowing the children to enter the United States to reunite with their families will encourage more to come and say the children could clog up the courts with asylum claims.

But the asylum-seekers are fleeing their native countries, running away from ongoing violence, natural disasters and poverty worsened by the coronavirus, said Daysi J. Funes, the executive director of Centro Romero, which provides legal services and resources for Central American immigrants in the Chicago area.

Andres Pedro and her brother are faces of the children who continue to risk their lives to reunite with family in the United States, said their lawyer Ximena Rivera, a staff attorney with the Immigration Project, which provides legal services to low-income immigrant communities in Illinois.

Theyre also an example of the inefficient immigration system in the United States, Rivera said.

Though the siblings entered the United States under the same circumstances in 2015 and filed the same case for asylum, only Eulalia Andrews Pedro was granted asylum in 2018. In 2019 she was granted legal permanent residency.

Her brothers asylum case is still pending.

It was a difficult for her parents to allow their children to migrate on foot to reach the Mexico border.

But we had no other option, said Eulalia Andres Pedro. Things were getting worse in our town, we couldnt take it anymore.

The siblings said they spent a few nights in a border patrol facility before being taken to a shelter in Michigan, where they lived for over a month before her parents drove to pick them up.

To respond to those in Andres Pedros situation today, HHS has opened 17 emergency shelters across the country, but none in Illinois.

Funes said advocates expect that as immigrants are apprehended and processed at the border, more migrant children and adults will arrive in Chicago. Centro Romero and other service providers are getting ready to serve them and help them attain the legal help they need to fight their case to stay in this country, she said.

Sinski said that the sudden influx is also a result of borders being closed during the height of the pandemic. Since President Joe Biden took office, the border has opened up slowly, with federal officials granting humanitarian exceptions to those who are considered the most vulnerable.

The number of unaccompanied minors who came in contact with U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the U.S.-Mexico border skyrocketed in the spring, with 19,960 children encountered in March and 17,171 in April. In 2019, the average number of children encountered monthly was 6,400.

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The number of children released to sponsors in Illinois also appears to be up, with 255 children statewide and 145 in Cook County between October 2020 and March 2021, according to the latest data from HHS. That total is already above the total of 211 for the 2020 fiscal year, when the border was closed because of the pandemic.

Though most immigrants are immediately expelled, those who are granted a humanitarian exception, mostly unaccompanied children, are allowed to stay in the U.S. while pursuing asylum claims.

The process takes anywhere from two to 10 years and because they lack the proper legal representation, most dont win their asylum cases, let alone a chance to permanently stay in the United States, Funes said.

Some of them age out of the system and remain living in the United States illegally, others are deported.

Rivera said she believes that the delay in Francisco Andres Pedros case stems from a clerical error that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has taken a long time to correct. Its keeping Francisco from reaching his potential in this country.

If her brother is forced out the country and her family is separated again, I would be broken, said Eulalia Andres Pedro.

In the United States shes gotten the chance to attend school and live peacefully, she said. Her family now lives in the Champaign-Urbana area because her parents felt safe there and jobs were available, she said.

Shell be graduating from Champaign Central High School on Monday.

Meanwhile, a new shelter to provide temporary housing for unaccompanied minors opened this spring in Urbana, operated by Cunningham Childrens Home with a contract with the federal Office of Refuge Resettlement. It was in the works before the surge, said Ginger Mills, the director of advancement at Cunningham Childrens Home, in an email.

As the group works to help the Andres Pedros family, the Immigration Project, in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, launched a new program in May to help detained children at the new shelter in Urbana, said Alvarez, the executive director. Theres a thriving Guatemalan immigrant community in the Urbana area, she said.

The program ensures that children have an attorney to provide legal defense during removal proceedings. Many unaccompanied child migrants cannot afford a paid attorney and they are not provided a defense counsel under U.S. law, Alvarez said. According to data analyzed by the Vera Institute, children with legal help were able to stay in the U.S. 70% of the time, compared to just 9% for children without representation.

Having an attorney appears to have made a difference for Maryori Urbina-Contreras.

In 2014, Urbina-Contreras made the dangerous journey from Honduras to the U.S.-Mexico border at 13, alone and with only $20, to find her mother, without telling anyone before she left.

Urbina-Contreras mother, Tania Contreras, who left Honduras when Urbina-Contreras was 8 months old, ending up in Waukegan, said she never intended to have any of her children migrate to meet her in Waukegan.

I cant explain the anguish I felt when I didnt know anything about her for weeks, Contreras said, crying.

Urbina-Contreras finally reached the border about four weeks after she left Honduras, and thats when a U.S. immigration officer finally reached Tania Contreras and the mother reunited with her daughter after the minor spent some weeks in a shelter in Texas, the two recalled.

All I wanted to do was meet my mother, hug her and I wanted to run away from the fear in my hometown, Urbina-Contreras said recently. I understand the fear and desperation that the children that continue to come are feeling, we are willing to risk it all.

Out of the seven asylum cases that Helt took in 2014, only two have been resolved, he said. After a four-year legal battle, Maryori Urbina-Contreras was granted asylum when she told her immigration judge her dream was to become a nurse.

Its been painful, Tania said, who still lives in the country without legal authorization. Another one of her sons is still in Honduras.

As she trained for the profession, Urbina-Contreras became a licensed certified nursing assistant and has been a front line worker during the pandemic. In April, Urbina-Contreras, now 20, was granted permanent residency.

When I think of Maryori, I think of other children in the past few weeks who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border fleeing the same conditions in Honduras  1,900 miles? said her attorney Christopher Helt, describing what she went through.

What does it take for a child to do that? Its the will to survive, Helt said.

But many more children are being faced with the situation that confronted Urbina-Contreras.

We believe no child should be detained and were hoping that with legal service we can help them to get reunited with their families and that they still have a chance to face an immigration process, said Alvarez.

The opening of the shelter and the collaboration to aid the child and teen migrants came at a time of need, Alvarez said.

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Raku can seat about 150 people. But about half of the that is in the brand-new patio  built in what was once Zaxbys drive-thru lane  that features accordion-style glass doors that can be opened or closed. The patio area also has a large new fireplace so it can be used during the winter.

The owner kept the old drive-thru window on the other side and plans to use it. Customers will be able to order online and come for pickup, or use such delivery services as DoorDash.

Medvedev is waiting for final approval on ABC permits, and plans to sell local draft beer, wine and cocktails.

Medvedev said she always offers the best seafood she can find. She said she sources her seafood from all over, but she likes to seek out local produce and other foods whenever possible. And, she said, Raku does not use MSG.

My goal is to have healthy Asian food, she said.

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"When students know you care, they care for you, ONeal said. Thats who John Augustine is.

On Tuesday, ONeal called Augustine a gentle man with a calm demeanor.

TJMS was his life. To him, teaching was magical. To him, watching a student learn was magical. To him, this life was magical. His life was the true example of human kindness, and that example should be what we all strive to achieve. While we will all miss him, we stand in awe of the legacy of lives he touched, he said. Mr. Augustines light will live on in all of us.

Tricia McManus, the superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, said she is thankful for teachers such as Augustine.

By all accounts, he was an incredible teacher who loved nothing more than seeing his students grow and learn. I know our district, especially Jefferson Middle School, will miss his compassion and love for teaching and learning, she said.

Paul Augustine said his brother, a science teacher, used such things as marshmallow guns and trebuchets, a type of catapult most associated with medieval warfare, to teach kids.

He also built a greenhouse outside his pod at the school. ONeal said that will be his legacy.
As a teenager, John Augustine was determined to walk on his hands for 50 yards faster than anyone in the world.

In pursuit of that Guinness World Record, he walked on his hands for a mile every day for a month, a routine that took about five hours. Though Augustine finished five seconds shy of the record, his brother Paul never forgot his doggedness.

Augustine is flashing that same grit as he battles an aggressive form of cancer that has taken him from his beloved classroom at Jefferson Middle School.

On Monday, some of his colleagues, and a few students, showed up at his house in Lewisville to throw their support behind him.

Reclining in a lawn chair in his front yard, his wife, JoAnne, and Paul, on either side, Augustine took it all in  the balloons, the smiles, the posters and the dozens of pinwheels signed by students that lined the road and sidewalk.

Though weakened and not feeling well on a brutally hot day, Augustine managed just a few words, but they were the most important words of all.

I love you, he said.

We love you back, the teachers and administrators answered.
Arnita Miles, community activist and former Winston-Salem police officer, accused Tonya McDaniel, a Forsyth County commissioner, of misappropriating about $47,000 in grant money meant for the Winston-Salem NAACP and pocketing it into a personal bank account. No criminal charges have been filed. Blueprint NC, a nonprofit, said it gave the grant money based on an application made on behalf of the local NAACP, but the past president of the chapter said he was never aware that a grant request had been made and he never saw any of that money come through the Winston-Salem NAACP.
Today marks the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, obstructing his breath as he begged for his life. A jury of 12 found Floyds killer guilty of one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of manslaughter on April 20. He awaits sentencing and has appealed his convictions. Three other officers involved are awaiting trial.

Floyds murder sparked protests by millions of people across the country and around the world  and in North Carolina communities  objecting to police brutality aimed at Black people. Protesters chanted, Say his name and his final words, I cant breathe and silently but profoundly commemorated his last minutes of life while lying on the ground with their hands behind their backs.

Floyds death is known around the world because it was captured on camera  video filmed by bystanders  and then spread on social media, leading to public demand that his killer be held to account. Subsequently, police body-camera footage confirmed what bystanders saw.

If not for that recent phenomenon  phone cameras  his killer might never have been brought to justice.
The financial well-being of our customers is important to us and we recognize how these additional costs can impact a family budget, said Kevin Jarosz, vice president of Nebraska operations for Black Hill Energy. Spreading the cost over the course of three years will result in a lessened impact to customers bills.

The winter weather that hit the state in February sent temperatures plunging to all-time record lows across the region and sent natural gas prices soaring from Feb. 13-18.

In Lincoln, overnight temperatures dipped below zero on 11 consecutive days, capped by a minus 31-degree reading Feb. 16 that is the coldest temperature ever recorded in Lincoln in February.

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The freezing temperatures extended to the Gulf Coast and demand caused unprecedented disruptions to the power grid, as well as rocking the natural gas market.

Black Hills said it paid spot market prices for natural gas as high as $381 per dekatherm. That compared with prices of about $3 per dekatherm earlier in February.

The nearly $80 million Black Hills spent over less than a week on gas to serve its more than 300,000 Nebraska customers was more than six times the previous highest amount it had spent for the entire month of February.
Govt-and-politics

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Ricketts halts extra pandemic unemployment benefits

GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star John Albin (right), commissioner of the Department of Labor, speaks as Gov. Pete Ricketts listens during a news conference Monday announcing the state's decision to discontinue enhanced unemployment benefits. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star Gov. Pete Ricketts speaks about Reconnect Nebraska during a press conference Monday at the Capitol. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star First Lady Susanne Shore speaks about her "Nebraska Reflects" initiative during a news conference Monday at the Capitol. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star First Lady Susanne Shore speaks as Gov. Pete Ricketts listens during a press conference Monday at the Capitol. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star Gov. Pete Ricketts speaks during the last COVID-19 update Monday at the Capitol. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star John Ricks, executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission (left) speaks about Nebraska Passport as Gov. Pete Ricketts listens during a press conference Monday at the Capitol. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star John Ricks, executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission (left) speaks about the Nebraska Passport as Gov. Pete Ricketts listens during a press conference Monday.

Hailing "a return to normalcy," Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday announced the end of a range of COVID-19 restrictions, withdrew the state from the enhanced federal pandemic unemployment insurance program and declared an end to his ongoing coronavirus briefings.

But Ricketts continued to encourage Nebraskans to get COVID-19 vaccinations, noting that they can save lives and prevent hospitalization.

His decision to end the extra $300 in weekly coronavirus unemployment benefits June 19 will place Nebraska in company with about two dozen other states.

Answering a question at his news conference, the governor said he believes the extra benefit acts as "a disincentive for some people to go back to work."

Ricketts canceled a number of previous COVID-19 executive orders and all directed health measures while urging Nebraskans to make their own personal decisions about whether to continue to wear a mask.

A new executive order will prohibit masks from being mandated in state government code agency office buildings. Under that order, state employees who have been working remotely because of the pandemic will return to in-person work arrangements.

"We're in a position that we can return to normal," the governor said, after pointing to the lowest coronavirus hospitalization number since the state began recording those numbers 15 months ago. That figure as of Monday morning was 73.

"Nebraskans have sacrificed," Ricketts said, "and we've been successful."

And now, he said, "it's time to reconnect with people and places."

Susanne Shore, the state's First Lady, urged people to be reflective now and tell their stories about how other Nebraskans helped them through the COVID-19 challenge while chronicling the story of the impact of the pandemic for future generations.

Her "Nebraska Reflects" initiative will provide an online platform at neimpact.org/reflects.

Volunteer opportunities for Nebraskans who want to be of assistance are posted online at nevolunteers.com.

Nebraska Tourism Commission Executive Director John Ricks urged Nebraskans to reengage in tourism opportunities throughout the state as part of a Reconnect Nebraska program.

"There's a pent-up demand to travel again," he said.

With declining participation in the TestNebraska program as coronavirus figures recede, Ricketts said the state is "looking to wind that down" when the COVID-19 testing contract expires in July.

"I encourage Nebraskans to reengage with the relationships and activities that have been disrupted by the coronavirus," the governor said as he called for a return to normalcy.

"Whether it's your place of worship, recreation or volunteerism, reflect on how you can reconnect with the people you love and the organizations you've served over the years."

Why are so many jobs going unfilled in Lincoln? Enhanced unemployment benefits may be a factor, but there are a number of other issues playing as much, if not more, of a role in keeping people out of the workforce, experts say.

Unemployment benefits for immigrant workers gets support in Nebraska Legislature Senators advanced a bill that would allow immigrants, who are in the country legally and paying into the state's unemployment insurance pool, to receive unemployment benefits.

Nebraska lawmakers confirm Ricketts' picks for Environmental Trust Board, but not without a fight State Sen. John Cavanaugh led an attempt to reject the appointees, saying the board is not following an "objective" system for awarding grants.

5 charts that show how the economy is doing in Lincoln and Nebraska
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, was nominated in the Best use of Audio Branding and Best Brand Experience categories at the Transform Awards in Dubai, a global event that recognises excellence and rewards innovation in branding.

Created in partnership with leading sonic branding agency, Sixieme Son, Etihad is the first airline in the Middle East to develop a robust sonic identity. It expands across the full suite of the airlines internal and external touchpoints to deliver a consistent experience and drive brand recognition.

Amina Taher, Vice President Brand, Marketing & Sponsorships, Etihad Airways, said: Etihads brand promise is to bring the world to Abu Dhabi. Inspired by the UAE capital, the launch of our sonic identity is an expression of not just our home, but our culture. It is an eclectic mix of Emirati and international instrumentation and arrangements, played by musicians based in the UAE and around the world."

Our guests and stakeholders will hear dozens of bespoke music tracks which have been built from a single sonic DNA when on board our aircraft, in our lounges, at events, when calling our contact centre, on the radio, and across our branded content.

The airlines sonic identity was composed by adding layers of instruments that overlap and respond to each other; a technique inspired by Al Sadu, a traditional form of weaving in the UAE. Traditional Arabic instruments with both organic and electronic textures were blended to create a unique melody that is culturally Emirati, while elegantly modern.

Laurent Cochini, Managing Director, Sixieme Son, said: The tailormade sonic experience will create positive brand memories. Etihad really understands the power of sound and how it can enrich the conversation with its guests. A first for both Etihad and Sixieme Son, we are delighted to be shortlisted for the Transform Awards. Working with the Etihad team has been mutually enriching and were truly grateful they worked with us to challenge industry norms.

To create the music,18 musicians came together in the UAE and France to record Etihads sonic identity. The musicians used a wide variety of local Arabic instruments the ney, kanoon, oriental percussion and oud, while also highlighting more modern sounds from the acoustic and electric guitar, keyboard, piano, bass, drums, violin, cello and synthesiser. - TradeArabia News Service
Materials have been at the forefront of technological advances since the Stone Age.

Early humans depended on rocks able to be shaped into hammers or axes to make tools that made tasks easier, said Christian Binek, a professor of physics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Rocket forward thousands of years to the Information Age, and the materials inside a tiny semiconductor connect a human to the world in the fraction of a second.

The director of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience says the next leap forward is through quantum materials, which could change fields such as information technology, national security, medicine and banking.

Advances in how quantum materials are developed and implemented may one day lead to the realization of a quantum computer, potentially able to process exponentially more data than traditional computers.

Through a five-year, $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research  better known as EPSCoR  a total of 20 researchers and educators will work to push the field of quantum materials forward.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Angelina Jolie criticized a judge who is deciding on child custody in her divorce with Brad Pitt, saying in a court filing that the judge refused to allow their children to testify.

Jolie, who has sought to disqualify Judge John Ouderkirk from the divorce case, said in the filing Monday that he declined to hear evidence she says is relevant to the children's safety and well-being before issuing a tentative ruling. The documents don't elaborate on what that evidence may be.

Judge Ouderkirk denied Ms. Jolie a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the childrens health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case, according to the filing in Californias Second District Court of Appeal.

The actress also said the judge has failed to adequately consider a section of the California courts code, which says it is detrimental to the best interest of the child if custody is awarded to a person with a history of domestic violence. Her filing did not give details about what it was referring to, but her lawyers submitted a document under seal in March that purportedly offers additional information.
Michelle Huntington was on her way home from work, sitting in the drive-thru line at the Burger King in Semmes, Alabama, on April 25, when she saw a post about a lost cat on Facebook.

The cat, a 2-year-old orange and white tabby named Mitsi, disappeared in the middle of a trip from Florida to Casper when she wiggled out of her harness in a Days Inn parking lot  right across the street from the Burger King.

Huntington ordered some extra chicken tenders and a hamburger patty and headed over.

I just started walking around, looking for her, calling for her, shining my flashlight looking for her beady eyes under a bush or something, Huntington said. After several hours, I couldnt find her so I had to go home.

But Huntington came back the next day. And the day after that. A group of dedicated volunteers who had never met Mitsis owners quickly came together after her story spread on Facebook in the Mobile area. One of the owners grandchildren, living in Colorado, formed a group called Operation: Get Mitsi Home, and nearly 100 people from Mobile, Semmes and beyond joined hoping to help out.

They bought food, treats and live traps. They coordinated day and night shifts to search the area, calling Mitsis name and trying to lure her with scraps of her owners clothes. They chased leads from people in a nearby trailer court who occasionally caught a glimpse of her orange fur.

Almost three weeks after Mitsi went missing, she was found.

But there was still the matter of getting her home.

***

Norm and Alice Shamion  well, mostly Norm  didnt plan on getting a cat. Alice is 84, Norm is 90, and theyve been married for 66 years. They didnt need anyone else in the house.

But when a litter of kittens showed up at their church in Florida, even Norm couldnt resist. They took Mitsi home, and in no time he was training her to hop into his lap for treats. Alice said Mitsi adores him.

While the Shamions were waiting for her to come home on Wednesday, Norm checked her setup one more time. Food and treats ready in a box in the guest bedroom. A bed for her, clean and warm. Theyre planning to put a cushion in the big bay window at the front of the house, so Mitsi has a place to look out. Her scratchy play structure was already set up in the living room, where Norm and Alice were waiting patiently for the reunion.

Once everyone leaves, Im going to give her a can of tuna, Norm said with a grin. Shell love that.

The pair made the move from Florida to Casper to be closer to family living here. But theyre no strangers to the state  they lived in Saratoga for 18 years and then Sundance while Norm was in the logging business.

The Shamions flew to Casper, and their son-in-law, Rich Hepner, was tasked with driving a U-Haul with the couples stuff  and Mitsi  up. The morning of April 25, Hepner tied Mitsis harness to a car door, heard some meows and turned to see her running off towards the woods behind the Days Inn.

Hepner looked for her for more than 3 1/2 hours, he said. But eventually, he had to leave.

I did a lot of crying, Alice said.

But the Shamions grandson, Derik Hepner, wasnt ready to accept that she was gone. He posted on Facebook, getting onto a local Mobile lost and found pets page before starting Operation: Get Mitsi Home. (Now, the groups name has been changed to Mission Completed! Mitsi is headed to WY!)

My grandma, you know, that cat is kind of her world, Hepner said. Facebook was the only place I knew to turn because we dont know anybody in that area at all.

The group grew and grew, full of people eager to lend hours and days of their time to looking for Mitsi. Huntington imagined how shed feel if it were her grandparents missing a beloved pet, and couldnt bring herself to give up.

Volunteers put up posters with Mitsis picture, offering a $200 reward. Live traps put out with cat food caught three other strays and a couple opossums. A trail camera installed in the woods captured an armadillo and a peacock, whose noises sounded frustratingly like a cats meow to the volunteers.

Huntington said she and others in the search party would sit in the Days Inn parking lot after setting the traps, discussing strategy and coordinating shifts but also filling each other in on their lives.

On Monday, the volunteers in Alabama are gathering for a celebratory barbecue in Mobile. As a way to say thank you, Derik started a fundraiser on Facebook aiming to raise $500 for the local animal shelter. As of Friday, it had raised more than $700.

These people didnt know each other, Hepner said. And from what I understand, theyve made lifelong friendships.

***

On Sunday morning, Huntington was running late.

Shed been up for 40 hours over the weekend before crashing on Saturday night. She got up on Sunday, made some more flyers and posters and went to check the traps in the woods behind the Days Inn.

I got a phone call from Michelle, and she was hysterical, Hepner said.

There, in one of the traps, was Mitsi. She was skinnier than before, had some scratches on her face and matted fur, but it was her. She sent pictures to Hepner, who forwarded them to his grandparents.

They were ecstatic, Hepner said. They finally got to see the pictures and say, Yes, thats her.

So Mitsi hit the road again.

Huntington took the cat to her veterinarian on Monday, then set her up with a crate, litter box and food for the road. She handed her off to another volunteer from the group, who drove the first leg of the journey from Semmes to Gulfport, Mississippi.

There, Mitsi was handed off to Paula Wharton, who drove more than an hour from her home in Covington, Louisiana to lend a ride. She said that something about the Shamions story tugged at her heartstrings.

I wanted to help, but Im four hours away from Mobile, Wharton said. So I told Derik, right off, Im willing to drive her to Wyoming. Somebody just has to find her and Ill be on standby to take her.

Wharton lived in Wyoming  Casper, Laramie and Sheridan  for years, and said she wouldnt mind making a trip back to visit friends here. She had even lost a cat herself, for two weeks, while living in Wyoming. But the Shamions granddaughter, Nichole Osborne, has in-laws in Summit, Mississippi, so she, her husband and their baby decided to make the trip. Twenty-six hours after leaving Casper, they surprised her husbands family in Summit and picked up Mitsi from Wharton.

By the time they pulled up in front of the Shamions new Casper home on Wednesday afternoon (after another trip to the vet), Osborne and her husband were exhausted. But not too exhausted to livestream the reunion, at the volunteers request.

***

Norm met Mitsi at the door, careful to shut it tight behind the family members streaming in for the reunion. She was skinny, he commented, and you could feel her bones under her fur. According to the vet, she had lost two of her seven pounds while lost. She had a purple bandage on one of her front legs, from an IV at the vet.

Oh, my kitty, my kitty, Alice said as Mitsi was placed in her lap. My kitty.

Mitsi was tired and subdued a little by a calming collar shed worn on the trip, but didnt waste time making herself at home. She rubbed against Norms leg, ate some food from his hand and found the scratching post immediately.

After a few minutes, she hopped up onto the couch, curled up and fell asleep.

Alice moved from her rocking chair by the window to sit next to her on the couch. Together, they rested.

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Troopers arrested a 25-year-old Los Angeles woman early Tuesday morning after a high-speed chase on Interstate 80 in central Nebraska.

Ingrid Baires-Duran, driving with three children in the back seat of her Chrysler sedan, reached speeds of 115 mph during the pursuit, according to a Nebraska State Patrol news release.

Troopers arrested Baires-Duran on suspicion of willful reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, child abuse/endangerment and traffic violations.

According to the release, the patrol received a report of the vehicle traveling at high speeds westbound on I-80 at about 3:30 a.m.

A trooper attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Baires-Duran accelerated, the patrol said.

She exited at the Grand Island/Hastings interchange and stopped at a gas station, where troopers discovered the three children in the car. She was taken to the Hamilton County Jail, while the children were taken into protective care.

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HOLDREGE  A Holdrege man charged in shootings that killed two men and seriously injured another will undergo a fourth mental evaluation.

A judge Monday approved a motion by prosecutors seeking the psychiatric evaluation of 48-year-old Manuel Gomez. The motion followed Gomezs April filing indicating he intends to rely on an insanity defense at trial.

Authorities have said Gomez shot and killed 65-year-old Raymond Burton and 54-year-old David Rogers in February 2019 at the Sunrise View Apartments in Holdrege. Prosecutors say he also shot and wounded his attorney at the time, Doyle Morse, at Morse's home.

Gomez was found mentally unfit to stand trial in August 2019 following his second evaluation. In April 2020, he was deemed restored to competency and ordered to stand trial.

Gomez has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault, three counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being an habitual criminal.

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After being introduced, LR159 went to the Legislatures Referencing Committee, which assigns it to a committee based upon subject matter, and was referenced to the Executive Board.

Bills and resolutions have a seven-day notice before a hearing, under the Legislatures rules, meaning the only time that would have been available for the Executive Board to hold a hearing would have been between 8-9 a.m. Thursday.

No hearings can be scheduled after the Legislature adjourns sine die, which it plans to do Thursday, according to the schedule set by Speaker Mike Hilgers.

Blood said she was willing to meet any criteria set in order to have the resolution heard this year, but was told it wasn't possible with the time left.

Hughes, who also sits on the Natural Resources Committee, which advanced a bill (LB507) introduced in response to AltEn, said he is very concerned about the issue and understands the frustration felt by those living near the now-idle ethanol plant.

I did not feel an hour was sufficient time to give the people of Mead and Saunders County the attention they deserve on this issue, and I certainly didnt want to cut them short, Hughes said.
Ricketts said he is more focused on policies that "help people get to work and increase their income," an outcome that he said would be more beneficial to them.

Any policy that might spur some people to "reduce income to qualify (for benefits) is the opposite of what we want to do," he said.

Ricketts answered questions about his vetoes immediately following a celebratory signing ceremony outside the Governor's Residence for legislation that will grant a state income tax exemption for military retirement benefits.

Later, the governor issued formal veto statements.

"We should remove any incentives that would slow reopening, regrowth, reemployment and reconnecting," his LB108 veto stated.

In his LB306 veto, Ricketts said he would commit to using a temporary federal funding increase to provide additional weatherization assistance to Nebraskans whose incomes fall between 130% and 150% of the federal poverty level before returning the eligibility to the 130% level.

The military retirement bill (LB387), sponsored by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon at the request of the governor, will reduce state revenue by $5.3 million during the first year, rising to nearly $13 million in fiscal 2022-23.
"Achieving the green level on the risk dial is a major milestone for our entire community." -- Pat Lopez, Lincoln-Lancaster County health director, announcing that that mask mandate would expire at the end of the day May 20.

The sooner we can get it cleaned up, the better. If that means we have to let them run their digesters and other things to get the water and other stuff out there, weve got to do it. -- Bill Thorson, chairman of the Mead Village Board, on a planning commission recommendation to suspend AltEn's permit to manufacture ethanol but allow the company to use equipment and machinery to continue cleaning up contaminants.

"We need to be comfortable with people wearing masks. That might be something new that goes on for a long time." -- Dr. Eric Avery, president of the Lancaster County Medical Society, discussing one of the long-term effects of COVID precautions.

I think it says Lincoln is open to leaders of all colors and stripes, and I think it does turn a corner in a way. What matters most is our ability to serve the community, no matter who we are. -- Tom Beckius, newly elected Lincoln City Council member, on what it says about the city that there are three openly gay members serving on the council.
While Nebraskans with gubernatorial ambitions emerge, as a registered independent, my ideal candidate must possess these attributes:

* Given that the preamble to our nations Constitution states, To form a more perfect union," I want a governor who is not a typical GOP governor with no agenda other than to sabotage the current federal administration and instead supports our nations leaders, regardless of party affiliation, to achieve the more perfect union."

* I want a governor who chooses, as Rep. Liz Cheney states, truth and fidelity to the Constitution," not some narcissistic sociopath.

* I want a governor who touts a state tax system that promotes income equality.

* I want a governor who is genuine and welcomes transparency, accountability and the media.

* I want a governor who understands how household, business and government spending creates jobs, healthy capitalism and a healthy middle class. Tax cuts generally create greed, treasury stock purchases, oligopolistic behavior and golden parachutes.

* I want a governor who promotes academic freedom at the elementary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels.
Most of those children are already considered poor performance, Mosby said, adding that summer school options would help them improve.

The NAACP demanded that Julian Thomas and Knapp Elementary. They also demanded more transportation options for those who didnt live within walking distance of the schools. Although the advocates didnt get everything they wanted, summer offerings from the school district are being expanded.

The community brought up some concerns. We heard those concerns, Rosalie Daca, RUSD chief academic officer, said in an interview Tuesday.

RUSD leaders said that, following the calls for change from the NAACP and others, they began looking for options to increase access to summer learning. But it wasnt until the United Way came forward with its offer for support that this plan came together.

Our staff are stepping up to take on additional work  its really a joint effort, said Haigh, who added that the funding for the programming is coming from a grant.

Were just so very thankful to the United Way for stepping forward, Tapp said. Thats what makes this community so strong  The community is wrapping their arms around our students.
Help India!



This is the fourth and final part of the TCN Ground Report series on the poor educational scenario in rural Assam where Muslims make the majority share of the population. In Assams Darrang districts Dalgaon Education Block, which administer the schools in the Muslim majority region, high teacher-student ratio or Pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) is ailing the education system with a high PTR of 35.8:1 in I to VI standards (primary school) and a 49:1 in VII to VIII standards (upper primary school). The high PTR and poor learning mechanisms is leading to dropouts and resulting in child marriage as well as creating early-age migrant labourers.

Part I, Part II, and Part III of the series can be read here, here and here.

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ASSAM  Although the Right to Education Act (RTE) 2009 ensures free and compulsory education in India, nearly 32 million students between the age group 6 to 14 years dropped out of school during 2017 and 2018 as per the National Sample Survey Organizations household survey. The critical status of education got from bad to worse in 2020 following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic as per the Annual School Education Report (ASER) which said that 9.2 per cent of children of the country between the same age group did not enroll in schools in rural India.

Such a massive surge in dropouts is of critical concern for India, as youth make up 34 per cent of the 1.03 billion population of the country.

While the country faces an uphill task to improve its education sector, the dropout rate in the north-eastern state of Assam was particularly high during 2017-18 with a 10.1 per cent dropout rate in the primary section (I to V) and 33.7 per cent in the secondary section (IX to X).

However, the ASER 2020 report reflected that out-of-school children in Assam reduced to 1.2 per cent of total children in the state between 6 to 14 years, but dropouts remain a major challenge in vulnerable districts like Darrang.

The region, coupled with various problems like cultural practices, poverty, and very high illiteracy rate, needs specific and multi-stakeholder intervention to tackle the problem of school dropout especially between VI to VIII standards. During this period children are in a crucial learning stage, Fakkaruddin Ali who leads Saikshik Jagaran Manch, a collective of more than 150 volunteers who are working to get the dropped-out children back to schools, told TwoCircles.net.

Feeling the need for urgent intervention as several children from the region were either becoming child brides or child labourers after dropping out of school  the local teachers, activists and educated youths formed this network to provide various assistance to the children.

When the first nationwide Covid-19 lockdown put millions of children out of schools, the collective took the responsibility of monitoring the vulnerable children, especially girls.

Fakkaruddin said students from the region remain largely slow learners, defined as a category of students who are not good in their studies. As the region is dependent on agriculture, slow learners from poor families join the workforce to help their parents or migrate along with the family to earn as the parents see no future in education.

Boys, who fail in IX or leave school between VI to VII become agricultural labour or migrant labourers and girls are generally married off. If their learning needs are taken care of, we think many of the child marriage and child labour cases will be addressed itself, he said.

The collective reach out to the people of the village to map out the educational status of each village they intervene in. The volunteers divide the village into small clusters to specifically identify the cases of slow learners, not-going-to-school children and children working with their parents. Once identified, the team engages with the parents so that they allow the volunteers to provide remedial assistance to children.

In each village, we find 10 to 12 cases of dropouts. Of these, most boys are child labourers and also we find child marriage cases. These families are very poor and they need assurance that their children will be provided with necessary learning assistance, said Mazida Bhanu from No 1/2 Baruajhar village who leads the women wing of the volunteers network.

The group provides special remedial learning classes to the students who are slow learners. For children who have dropped out, they employ traditional methods of visiting door-to-door to get back children to schools, and organizing participatory plays involving children and singing poems and songs.

Shah Alam, another volunteer from the collective told TwoCircles.net, Our parents told us that teachers earlier used to roam around from house to house and asked the families to send their child to schools. We are carrying out that traditional practice in such modern times.

After forming the collective two years ago, the volunteers have reached out to more than 1000 children, mostly primary and upper primary school children who require remedial classes.

In eight remedial class centres called Jagaran Pathsalas such children are given classes so that they can perform well in school and eventually continue education.

Till now we have re-enrolled 38 students who dropped out of school in various classes according to their learning ability and age. Certainly, they have been rescued from child labour for now, said Abu Khair, an activist and a member of the volunteer collective.

He further said that individual learning care is necessary to stop dropouts in Muslim regions to tackle the issues of child marriage and child labour cases.

To tackle this, we need more teachers in our region, he said, adding As the second wave of Coronavirus is devastating India, a higher number of dropouts are inevitable. As concerned citizens, everyone should be vigilant so that child marriage and child migration for labour does not occur.
Schnell and his wife own a bakery and coffee shop, Windsor Breads, that he said has been doing well. When he ran the numbers, it made more financial sense for him to quit teaching and work at the bakery full time.

I know numbers, and the numbers tell you this is just the wrong field to stay in right now. he said. I can do better running my own business, with less stress, than I can trying to teach. And the number of people that Ive talked to that have said, Yeah, if I had a similar deal Id be out of teaching, too, is quite high.

Next generation?

Several other teachers in his district are leaving this year, too. In Mukwonago, Graham knows of three other teachers who are retiring after this year. As a mentor to younger teachers, though, she said shes hopeful that the stresses of pandemic teaching wont drive as many out as some have feared.

Most of the young teachers Ive talked to are still looking ahead, and theyre looking at this as a blip year, they arent saying, I quit, she said.

Webber, likewise, is relatively optimistic about the teachers who remain.
Kapenga gave little indication which of Evers economic development programs, if any, hed like to see funded through the state budget, but said that Republicans do support expanding broadband.

He said unemployment bonuses and federal stimulus checks are preventing many people from coming back to work, a notion Democrats deny.

Theyre throwing 90,000 Wisconsinites under the bus who need access to health care, and they are thumbing their nose to $1 billion that rightfully belongs here in Wisconsin, said Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-West Point.

Kapenga said Republicans continue to oppose Medicaid expansion because Wisconsinites under the poverty level are already covered, and they fear the federal government will reduce the amount of Medicaid reimbursement funds over time.

Theres going to be a reckoning with all this spending, Kapenga said. It has to be paid back. Its really a ploy to try to get states to get to pull into the system, they want to suck them into the system, and then over time, its a win for the federal government because they reduce their reimbursement rates and they start saving money.
Marsys Law gives us some direction in a very complicated justice system to hopefully protect victims a little better, Schauf said.

What has changed for prosecutors is the amount of work and short deadlines they have to manage information and ensure the victims are notified. Albrecht said victim witness coordinators now only have hours to identify and contact the alleged victim in a case to ensure they are notified of the bail hearing scheduled the same day the DAs office receives a police report. And in a department already straining under caseload looking to the state budget to ensure it can maintain its staffing levels in the face of losing funding, Albrecht said there are now added redactions to case files that need to be done.

Its not an exaggeration to say that processing our discovery has gone from a quick trip to the photocopier to a full-time job, Albrecht said. Sadly no budgetary support accompanied this change in the law, so our support staff have been asked to shoulder a pretty significant additional responsibility.

The amendment had been criticized before its passage by defense attorneys and law officials because of the potential to infringe upon the rights of the accused and could allow for businesses to take on the title of victim, which would allow it to refuse requests for information and interviews.
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

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Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Mostly clear this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mostly clear this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
HOLDREGE  A Holdrege man accused of killing two men and seriously injuring his lawyer will undergo a fourth mental evaluation.

On Monday in Phelps County District Court, Judge Stephen Illingworth approved the Nebraska Attorneys Office request for Manuel Gomez, 48, of Holdrege to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to inquire into Gomezs mental status at the time of the alleged offenses.

In April, Gomez filed a motion for his intention to rely upon the insanity defense.

Gomez is accused of killing Raymond Burton, 65, and David Rogers, 54, and seriously injuring Doyle Morse, 64, on Feb. 21, 2019, at their individual residences in Holdrege.

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Gomez previously underwent a competency evaluation in May 2019, but special prosecutor Jason Bergevin of the state Attorney Generals office and Phelps County Attorney Michael Henry asked that Gomez have a second evaluation after citing what they called ambiguities and inconsistencies in the initial evaluation.

Gomez was deemed unfit to stand trial in August 2019, and Judge Terri Harder committed him to the Lincoln Regional Center for treatment.
Federal funding for conversion of U.S. 275 into a four-lane expressway between Norfolk and Wisner heads the list of three projects proposed by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry for designated federal community project funding.

Fortenberry has requested $83 million in designated federal funding for the vital link in the Nebraska Department of Transportation's ongoing construction of a long-awaited expressway connecting Norfolk with Fremont.

Congress recently approved the new community project system to replace what used to be described as congressional earmarking.

The earlier system was abused by a few members and abandoned for a decade after it was turned into a political weapon in 2011.

Other projects on Fortenberry's list are $40 million in federal funding for expansion of agricultural research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to include creation of a national center for resilient and regenerative precision agriculture and $750,000 for the Arbor Day Foundation's community forestry program.
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This action has serious consequences for Mali and the region as a whole," Dujarric said, expressing the U.N.'s hope that the ECOWAS delegation will play an important role in putting the transition back on track.

The new government announced on Monday had left out two men who were prominent junta members: Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara. About an hour after the new Cabinet was named, the military rounded up the president and prime minister.

Goita, who led the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has served as Mali's vice president in the transitional government formed last September. He has held that position despite initial calls from the international community for an entirely civilian-led transition.

In announcing the removal of the civilian president and prime minister of the transitional government, the military also said that it would be relieving others from their duties including everyone implicated in the situation.

Still, the military insisted: The transition is following its normal course and elections will be held as anticipated in 2022. Following international pressure last year the junta had promised to organize that vote by next February, 18 months after the coup detat shook the country.
For the first time, the US government will issue an extraordinary unclassified report detailing what it knows about UFOs.
The following is the full statement from the Diocese of La Crosse, sent Monday afternoon after the Tribune published a story on the bishop's request. You can read the story here:

"Fr. James Altman has recently made public the request from Bishop William Patrick Callahan that he resign his office of pastor of Saint James the Less Parish in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, as well as his intent to decline the request. As a result, the Diocese of La Crosse will respond in accordance to the canonical process as needed for the removal of a priest from his office as pastor.

"During the past year, concerns have been expressed related to the ministry of Fr. James Altman, a priest in the Diocese of La Crosse. Bishop Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse, and canonical representatives have worked to fraternally and privately address those concerns. The process has been pastoral and administrative with a desire toward a just resolution among all parties.

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I would love to see this be bipartisan at the end of the day, Kind said during his remarks, adding that he was also focused on how to pay for it, which the administration says could fully come from the Made in America Tax plan, which largely raises corporate tax rates.

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Kind said that the timing of the bill couldnt be better, noting that during his more than two decades in Congress, passing an infrastructure bill has become a sort-of running joke.

Im hearing from folks right now that are tired of that. They want to see progress, they know weve got infrastructure to repair, they know that its good paying jobs that will come from it. I think the moment is on us right now coming out of the coronavirus, the pandemic, to do something big for the American people, he said.

Kind also mentioned the impact the bill would have on Americas place on the global market.
Vileta said he asked Iowa City police officer Pamela Romero to question Rivera because she is fluent in Spanish, even though she had little interrogation experience.

He said he opted not to have Romero translate his questions for Bahena Rivera because doing so would make for a choppy and frustrating discussion, and had Romero continue the interview because Bahena Rivera seemed comfortable speaking with her.

Vileta said he and an FBI agent tried to manage the 11-hour interview by taking frequent breaks so they could be briefed on Bahena Riveras statements, but that it was difficult.

On cross-examination, Vileta recounted looking into Mollie Tibbetts boyfriend and other men who came under scrutiny for various reasons before Bahena Rivera came on their radar. That included a reserve deputy who lived on the property adjacent to where Tibbetts body was found, Vileta said.

Tipsters told police that the man had a torture room in his basement and had previously harmed women and children, Vileta acknowledged. Investigators went to the mans house, did not find such a room and never formally interviewed him, he said.
An Iowa County man who told investigators that he killed his mother and dog because he was "hearing evil voices" has been charged with homicide.

Sean Pickett, 21, told police that about a day before the killings a few weeks ago, he "woke up with evil inside," according to a criminal complaint filed in the Iowa County Circuit Court Monday.

"I was hearing evil voices. I was hearing evil voices," Pickett told an investigator. "The evil in my head said I had to kill my mom and Chico in order to go to peace. In order to find rest."

Pickett said he "blacked out" and thought he was "possessed," but that he believes he killed his mother, Susan Pickett, and his pet pit bull, Chico, with a metal bar and a knife, according to the complaint.

Sean Pickett has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and mistreatment of animals for the killings, which happened sometime between May 9 and May 10 in the village of Avoca. Pickett is in the Iowa County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.

According to the complaint:

Pickett called 911 just before 4:40 p.m. on May 10 saying his mom and dog were dead at their home.
What feels significantly different now is that were not just doing political organizing, turnout, education, she said. It feels like its really going to another place... our psyches, our souls, our spirits.

Anderson spends his time these days trying to make change happen by working to restore the citys Rondo neighborhood, where he grew up, a community ripped in half by the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960s. For Anderson, it was all the more painful because he and others saw Rondo as a respite from a hostile and oftentimes racist world.

What made Rondo so unique was that it provided a haven where it was kept to an absolute minimum, Anderson said. It was a nurturing place where people were called mister instead of boy, he said, where children heard stories from their elders in the barber or beauty shops that prepared them for the racism of the world outside.

Thompson and other Black state lawmakers elected after Floyd's death don't see today's Minnesota as such a haven. They have only to look at the fate of police accountability legislation, which stalled out this year amid Republican opposition.
The last several weeks have been difficult for me and my family, Ali wrote in a resignation letter dated Monday and published by KARE-11. The vitriol from some and the infusion of partisan politics by many has made my job difficult to pursue justice.

Ali wrote he prays for healing and for the dissipation of partisan platforms.

We must return to thoughtful discourse that unites, not impulsive, irrational talking points that divide, he wrote. "Until then, there will be no justice or peace.

Orput had said publicly that he believed manslaughter was the appropriate charge. Ellison said Friday that a review of the evidence and the charges against Potter is underway, but he did not indicate whether murder charges would be filed.

Orputs office had been handling the Potter case under an agreement signed last year in which metro-area prosecutors said they would take each others cases in which someone dies after an officer uses force. Orput gave the case back to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, then Ellison took it at Freeman's request.
Theyve had their puppies 24/7, he said. Theyre very worried about what happens when they go back to work.

Allyn Huston said he didnt spent a lot of time with his Shih Tzu Emma when he was working in the front office of a West Loop hotel. That changed in March 2020, when he was laid off in the early days of the pandemic.

Huston and Emma hung out together and took more walks. He has been a near-constant presence for half the 3-year-old dogs life. She helped me, said Huston, 48, of Lawndale. I wasnt as stressed.

On Thursday, the hotel called Huston back to work, starting in early June. Hes mulling what that will mean for Emma, whether he should hire a dog walker, and how confused shell be at the start of the day.

She sees me putting on my clothes, she assumes were going, he said. Its definitely going to be an adjustment period.
The Four Seasons Family of Companies on Monday announced a $30 million expansion of its Ephrata area distribution center.

The project will enlarge its facility at 400 Wabash Road by more than 50%, adding space needed to handle the companies consistent double-digit increases in revenue over the past several years.

Scheduled for completion next spring, the project will expand the 250,000-square-foot complex in East Cocalico Township by 131,000 square feet, said President and CEO Jason Hollinger.

The Four Seasons companies include its original business, Four Seasons Produce, a wholesale distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables to independent supermarkets, natural food stores, food co-ops, e-commerce companies and other professional buyers.

The expansion, Hollinger said, allows for growth, noting that rising demand for its produce has been even stronger during the pandemic. Thats because the retailers it serves have seen their sales surge as consumers eat more meals at home.

As part of the energy-efficient expansion, Four Seasons will gain more multi-temperature cold storage rooms, more ripening rooms for bananas and avocados and 39 more dock doors, to join the existing 39.

The additional capacity also will create what Hollinger described as a side benefit.

Instead of having to do all of their receiving during the daytime and all of their shipping at nighttime, the Four Seasons companies will have enough dock doors to do some shipping at daytime  the shift most workers prefer  while they simultaneously do their receiving.

That should make it easier for Four Seasons to attract and retain workers for the shipping work, Hollinger explained, at a time when employers in the county are competing intensely for new hires.

If recruiting is such a hard thing, we can raise wages along with everyone else. We can increase benefits. We can do all that. But something we can do differently, outside of those normal things, is to bring more work to the daytime, he said.

Hollinger said the Four Seasons companies have no fixed number of new hires they want to add to their aggregate of 850 employees.

Were hiring now and will continue to hire, he said. We will bring business on, as we are able to staff appropriately.

Competitive edge

Though the ability to change the time of day the companies do their shipping work is an innovative way to address the countys labor shortage, the Four Seasons companies are competing in typical fashion too.

Last year, for instance, the Four Seasons companies spent more than $1 million in appreciation pay bonuses to employees.

This month, the Four Seasons companies gave all of their front-line employees raises ranging from 50 cents an hour to $2, lifting the companies minimum pay to $13 an hour, the rate for a packing employee.

Front-line jobs also include order selection, receiving, inventory, quality control and truck drivers.

The companies also changed their shift differential from 7% of an employees wage to a much more substantial $3 per hour.

That means, for instance, an order-selection worker now starts at $18 an hour. If the employee works evenings, triggering the shift differential, and hits incentives worth as much as $6 hour, the employee can earn up to $27 an hour, Hollinger said.

All told, the Four Seasons companies estimate these increases together will cost them $3.4 million annually.

Also eye-catching is the recent start of $3,000 sign-on bonuses for new hires in the jobs of packing, order selection, facilities sanitation and truck drivers.

Lisa Riggs, president of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, a nonprofit that helps companies stay healthy and grow, said the Four Seasons companies project demonstrates their strength and agility as they meet the growing demands of customers.

The project also underscores the value of Lancaster Countys proximity to major East Coast markets at a time when the thirst of consumers and companies for certain commodities is requiring more, better and faster from many employers.

The Four Seasons Family of Companies dates to 1976, when Hollingers father David founded Four Seasons Produce, which now serves customers from Vermont to North Carolina.

Four Seasons Produce is a full-service wholesale distributor of organic, local, and conventional fruits and vegetables, plus organic meats, eggs, dairy and beverages.

Other Four Seasons companies include: Sunrise Logistics, a third-party logistics and freight solutions-provider business that helps grower-shippers and producers get their products to market; Earth Source, an importing business; and Sunrise Transport, a fleet of over 120 refrigerated trucks and tractor-trailers that fills warehouse and direct-to-store orders.
One of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in Lancaster County is leaving the historic building where it was founded.

The Stockyard Inn was sold earlier this month for $3.65 million to a developer whose plans for the 4.6-acre property at the edge of Lancaster city dont include operating a restaurant.

As the redevelopment plans are being finalized, the Stockyard Inn at 1147 Lititz Pike is being leased by its longtime operators, who plan to continue it for as long as eight months while they wind down their 69-year-old business, and make plans to reopen elsewhere.

We have retained all our other assets, including our trade name and liquor license. After our leasehold here ends, it is our intent and desire to re-open one day in a new more sustainable form, which likely will involve a smaller physical platform, read a statement from the Fournaris family, which has owned and operated The Stockyard Inn since 1952.

Issued by James T. Fournaris, the familys statement referenced the coronavirus pandemic, current staffing challenges, succession issues and the size of the restaurant as reasons for the change.

Our restaurant facility and site are quite frankly much too big and require far too much maintenance and re-investment, let alone in a COVID-impacted world, the familys statement said.

The Stockyard Inn is currently open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Reservations are required.

Remaking a city gateway

The property at the southeast corner of Lititz Pike and Marshall Avenue was bought May 12 by an investment group led by Ben Lesher, president and founder of SDL Devco LLC, which is developing Stadium Row, a 104-unit apartment complex less than a mile away in the 800 block of North Prince Street.

My partners and I were initially attracted this is property because of its prime location as a gateway into the City of Lancaster and its proximity to the Amtrak train station and Stauffer Park. We are currently in the process of finalizing our plans for redevelopment and look forward to sharing them with the public when they are ready, Lesher said.

Lesher said the investors are carefully and creatively considering what to do with the two-story building, which has more than 10,000 square feet of space.

We understand that this is an iconic place for many in the area. We hope to respect the history of the site and creatively imagine what smart urban growth looks like, he said. While we are considering a mixture of uses, we are primarily planning to build off the success of our nearby Stadium Row apartment development, and provide additional sorely needed housing to the community.

A Lancaster dining institution

The original, four-room stone farmhouse at the site is believed to have been built in 1750, with major additions in 1850 and 1922.The property's most famous owner, James Buchanan, bought it in 1856, just before he became president. He sold it to the Pennsylvania Railroad eight years later.

In 1895, the Lancaster Stockyards was founded on adjacent farmland and the farmhouse was converted to an inn that served the visiting cattlemen at what would become the largest stockyards east of Chicago.

James Fournaris purchased the Stockyard Inn in 1952 and the restaurant evolved into an upscale steakhouse that lasted as a Lancaster dining institution long after the adjacent stockyards had gone quiet.

As late as 1994, the stockyards auctioned 70,000 head of cattle, but the trade died after the largest dealer, Dunlap & Sons, closed in 1999.

The Fournaris family says the recent sale and their subsequent leasing of the property will allow for an orderly transition that will give them time to organize, sell and move memorabilia as well as honor outstanding gift certificates.

We know how important the Stockyard Inn has been to our loyal customers and the broader community. Since 1952 when James Fournaris bought the Stockyard Inn, it has been our familys pleasure over three generations to serve some of this nations absolutely finest families and customers, the familys statement said.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The government leaders of Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic held intensive talks Tuesday in an attempt to solve a years-long dispute that resurfaced recently over a Polish coal mine .

The Czech government says the brown coal Turow mine, located in southwestern Poland, near the Czech and German borders, is draining groundwater from communities and causing other environmental harm to Czech citizens.

It took the case to the top European Union court, which last week issued a temporary injunction ordering Poland to immediately halt coal extraction at the site pending the court's full ruling.

But Polish authorities are defying the order, saying they cannot close the mine because doing so would lead to power cuts for millions of Poles, suspend the operation of industrial plants and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. The mine directly fuels a power plant that produces up to 7% of Poland's energy.

The dispute underlines coal's potential as an irritant in relations among EU nations as the bloc seeks to reach an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Poland has made some progress toward developing green energy and closing coal mines, but the process has been slow and hampered by the country's historic dependence on coal to heat homes and power industry.

The Polish government recently extended the license for extraction of coal at Turow until 2044. Czech officials say Poland did that without consulting them or without assessing the environmental impact, a claim the Polish government denies.

The Polish decision to keep extracting beyond 2030 also means that the region around Turow will lose out on its share of the EU's multibillion-euro Just Transition fund, aimed at supporting communities which transition from coal to green energy.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis discussed the Turow issue during an EU summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, and other officials from their governments were negotiating elsewhere.

Theres no deal done yet (with the Polish side), but I expect to have it soon, Babis said Tuesday.

He insisted that, even then, the lawsuit will not be withdrawn, as hoped for by Poland.

Speaking at Turow, Poland's minister for state assets, Jacek Sasin, said Tuesday that a framework for an agreement has been worked out to address Pragues concerns and to secure joint funds for local environmental needs.

Media reports said Poland would invest some 45 million euros ($56 million) into environmental protection there and speed up construction of a drainage screen.

Sasin stressed there was no talk of closing operations at Turow mine, arguing that carrying out the EU court's order would be a disastrous blow for Poland's energy, for Poland's economy.

Some critics in Poland said the government has not done enough over the years to alleviate Prague's concerns about the mine and to prevent the Czechs from seeking the EU courts injunction.

Meanwhile, Turow miners held a protest Tuesday against the Czech complaint and the court injunction. They drove in dozens of cars with national flags and Hands Off Turow stickers on a road leading to the Czech and German borders to slow down traffic.

Poland argues it is not being treated fairly because the Czech Republic and Germany operate a number of lignite mines close to Poland's borders without facing conflicts.

Some 48% of Poland's energy comes from hard black coal and 17% from softer and more polluting lignite, or brown coal. Another 25% comes from various renewable sources and biofuels, and 10% comes from gas and other sources.



Karel Janicek in Prague contributed reporting.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka has received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine donated by China as the Indian Ocean island nation faces severe shortage of vaccines amid a recent rise in infections.

The vaccine stock that arrived early Wednesday is the second donation from China, following a shipment of 600,000 doses in March.

Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of vaccine after the producer in neighboring India failed to provide the promised Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine stocks. The government on Tuesday agreed to buy 14 million doses of Sinopharm from China.

The current vaccination program is focused on Sri Lankas Western province, which includes the capital of Colombo and its suburbs. It is where the majority of the countrys coronavirus cases have been.

Sri Lanka so far has reported 167,172 coronavirus cases and 1,243 deaths from COVID-19.



MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 Mascots, prizes rally students to get vaccinated at US schools

 Moderna says its COVID-19 shot works in kids as young as 12

 Japan says US travel warning for virus wont hurt Olympians

 Volunteers in One Good Thing keep on giving a year later

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine



HONOLULU  Hawaii is no longer requiring people to wear face masks outdoors as the number of coronavirus cases drops and more people get vaccinated.

Gov. David Ige said Tuesday that he will maintain a requirement that people wear masks indoors, whether or not someone is vaccinated. He also says he will encourage people who are in large groups outdoors to continue to wear masks.

Ige says that starting June 1, he will allow ocean sports competitions like surfing contests and canoe paddling races to take place.

The governor says 57% of Hawaiis residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine while just under half the population has been fully vaccinated.



PORTLAND, Ore.  For the first time in months, restaurants in Oregons most populous county  home to Portland  will open for 50% capacity for indoor dining after meeting vaccination goals.

Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that half of Oregons counties, including Multnomah County, will move to the lower risk level Thursday.

This category allows a significant reduction in pandemic restrictions  allowing 50% capacity for indoor dinging, theaters, gyms and other indoor entertainment spaces. It also expands indoor gatherings to 10 people and retail store capacity to 75%.

Currently, more than half of Oregons eligible population who are 16 or older have received at least a first dose of coronavirus vaccine.



UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations humanitarian chief says that despite last years U.N. call for global cease-fires to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, many conflicts never stopped, including in Syria, Yemen and Congo and new ones erupted.

Mark Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that this has made it more difficult to control the spread of the coronavirus and care for infected people in many countries. He cites multiple reports of atrocities against civilians caught in conflicts during the pandemic.

Lowcock says insecurity, sanctions, counter-terrorism measures and administrative hurdles are hindering humanitarian operations. And he says the pandemic has made aid deliveries worse because of suspended flights, border closures, quarantine measures and lockdowns.



HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BATON ROUGE, La.  Gov. John Bel Edwards is scrapping nearly every remaining coronavirus restriction in Louisiana and lifting the statewide requirement that students must wear a mask in the classroom and at school events.

The Democratic governor announced Tuesday that hell keep the statewide public health emergency declaration in place. But Louisiana will have almost none of the rules governing businesses and behavior over the last 15 months of the pandemic.

Edwards cited the wide availability of the coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana.

Masks still will be required on public transit, in health care facilities and in prisons. Schools, businesses and local government officials can decide if they want to mandate masks.



WAILUKU, Hawaii  Police in Hawaii say an Oregon woman was arrested last week because she violated travel quarantine rules meant to protect the islands from the spread of coronavirus.

Maui police say 36-year-old Kelsey Newcomer didnt have a negative COVID-19 test from an approved facility when she arrived on a flight from Seattle. Police say she also didnt have approved lodging where she could complete at 10-day mandatory quarantine.

She was taken to a police station and later agreed to leave the island of Maui and return to Oregon. Travelers to Hawaii must comply with the states pre-travel testing program, even those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

She couldnt immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.



HARTFORD, Conn.  A judge has upheld Connecticuts requirement that children wear masks in schools, rejecting a challenge by some parents who say mask wearing can be harmful and education officials exceeded their authority.

A Superior Court judge in Hartford released his ruling Monday in response to a lawsuit filed by the CT Freedom Alliance and several parents and their children. The decision affirms the legitimacy of mask requirements in schools this academic year but does not give guidance for the next school year.

The CT Freedom Alliance says it will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying they can cause students distress and falsely claiming they are not useful despite assurances from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts that masks help prevent spread of the coronavirus.



DENVER  Colorado will have a weekly lottery for five residents to win $1 million to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday that the state is setting aside $5 million of federal coronavirus relief funds that would have gone toward vaccine advertising for five residents to win $1 million each. The drawings will take place every week starting June 4 until July 7.

Every resident who has been vaccinated by the end of May will be entered in the first drawing. In order to be eligible for the drawing, residents need to be at least 18 years old and have received at least one dose of the approved coronavirus vaccines.



LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas will be giving lottery tickets and gift certificates for hunting and fishing licenses to people who get the coronavirus vaccine.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says $20 scratch-off lottery tickets or $20 Game and Fish gift certificates will be offered to residents who get the first dose of the vaccine starting Tuesday.

The incentives will be available starting June 1 at local health units or special events around the state.

Arkansas has had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and Tuesdays announcement follows efforts in other states to offer incentives.



WASHINGTON  White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt says we need to get to the bottom of the origins of the pandemic pathogen and the World Health Organization and China need to do more to provide definitive answers for the global community.

The precise origin of the virus remains undetermined and speculation has reigned about whether it jumped from animals to humans or whether it could have escaped from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan, the city that saw the first outbreak.

We need a completely transparent process from China, Slavitt said at Tuesdays coronavirus task force briefing. Full assistance from the WHO is needed, and we dont have that now.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said many of us feel like it was a natural occurrence, but we dont know 100% and it is imperative to investigate.



MEXICO CITY  San Diego County and private businesses have donated 10,000 coronavirus vaccines to vaccinate workers at U.S.-owned border assembly plants in Tijuana.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard says the program is aimed at helping equalize vaccination rates at closely connected points along the U.S.-Mexico border.

This is the first cross-border agreement we have had. This is surely going to grow a lot, Ebrard said. We plan to replicate this all along the border.

The vaccines are being administered by medical personnel from the University of California, San Diego, at the San Ysidro border crossing. The program started Monday with about 150 to 200 shots administered per hour.

Mexico has had a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, and has received only about 34.2 million doses for a population of 126 million. Since most vaccines require two doses, Mexico has only vaccinated about 15% of its population so far.



ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland held its first of 40 consecutive $40,000 lottery drawings on Tuesday for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one of several states using lottery prizes to encourage people to get inoculated.

The Maryland Lottery says the first winner lives in Baltimore County. There will be 39 more drawings for $40,000 in the $2 million total promotion, which ends with a $400,000 drawing prize on July 4.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 68.3% of Maryland adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Larry Hogan is hoping to reach 70% by Memorial Day.

Marylands statewide COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped below 2% for the first time during the pandemic. The state is reporting 160 new confirmed cases, the lowest number since March 26, 2020. Hospitalizations from the virus reached a seven-month low with 442, the lowest level since Oct. 19.



ATLANTA  Gov. Brian Kemp says public agencies in Georgia cant require people to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Republican governor issued an executive order Tuesday banning vaccine passports and saying state immunization records cant be shared with any private company aiming to create such a record.

A number of Republican-led states have moved to ban vaccine passports, even though they are not in widespread use in the U.S. Kemps order mostly doesnt apply to private businesses.

Spokesperson Cody Hall says the move wont ban prisons, mental hospitals or juvenile justice facilities from asking whether inmates or patients have been vaccinated.

The order doesnt ban the state from including an entry for COVID-19 vaccines on the standard immunization record for children entering childcare or school. The forms dont currently have an entry.

The University System of Georgia already announced it wont mandate vaccines for students or staff.



SAN DIEGO  A growing number of U.S. public schools are using mascots, food trucks and prize giveaways to encourage students to get vaccinated before summer vacation.

The massive effort to create a pep-rally atmosphere comes only weeks after the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine was approved for younger adolescents ages 12 to 15. Administrators want to get as many shots in students arms as possible and hope it will pave the way to return to regular classes in the fall.

So far, about 14% of the nations 15 million kids ages 12 to 15 have received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 7.5 million teens ages 16 to 17, that number goes up to 34%, and about 22% have had both shots, according to the latest figures released Monday. The doses are scheduled about three weeks apart.



TOKYO  Tokyo officials were quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan will have an impact on Olympians.

Japan is determined to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to open on July 23. The U.S. cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan. Most metro areas in Japan are under a state of emergency .

Those areas are expected to remain so through mid-June because rising COVID-19 cases are putting pressure on the countrys medical care systems. That causes concern about how the country could cope with the arrival of tens of thousands of Olympic participants if its hospitals remain stressed and so few of its population vaccinated.

About 2% of people in Japan have been vaccinated. No international fans are allowed at the Tokyo Olympics.



NEW YORK  U.S. health officials say coronavirus cases in fully vaccinated people remain rare.

The CDC on Tuesday issued a report on these breakthrough cases through the end of April, when 101 million Americans were fully vaccinated. Of those, about 10,300 breakthrough infections were reported  thats about 1 infection in every 10,000 fully vaccinated people, based on the available data.

Nearly two-thirds were women, and the median age of all cases was 58. About 25% of the infections involved people who didnt have symptoms. About 10% were hospitalized and about 2% died.

The report is based on voluntary reporting by 46 states and territories and isnt considered a complete tally of all breakthrough infections that may have occurred. Health officials say no vaccine is perfect and infections were expected in some vaccinated people.
A York County woman has died after her vehicle was struck by a train in York County over the weekend, according to a report by WGAL.

Gerri Hill, 53, of Newberry Township, died at a hospital on Sunday morning, according to the report.

Hill's vehicle was struck by a Norfolk Southern freight train at a railroad crossing in the 1200 block of West Cly Road in Newberry Township, west of Falmouth across the Susquehanna River, just before 6:30 a.m., WGAL said.

The trains crew was uninjured in the incident, according to the report.

West Cly Road was shut down between Reeser Hill Road and River Drive for more than four hours, WGAL said in a previous report.

The collision is being investigated by Newberry Township police and Nortfolk Southern, according to the report.

The 107-car train was headed to Conway, Pennsylvania, when the crash occurred.
Lancaster County leaders say they are intent on replacing the vendor they hired last year to print and send thousands of mail-in ballots to voters -- a move prompted by several errors the printer made that wound up requiring a time-consuming hand count of 12,000 primary election ballots that began Friday and stretched into Monday.

County Commissioner Ray DAgostino said the county will reopen the mail balloting contract for bid in the next few weeks, and the county is working with its solicitor on how it can hold the current vendor accountable for its errors.

But why was the county paying an out-of-state company to print thousands of ballots? And what background did that company have in the complex business of producing mail-in voting materials?

The company hired to print the ballots is based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and was known as Michigan Election Resources until just Friday, when it changed its name to Plerus. Many of Pennsylvania's largest counties outsourced to about a dozen companies that serve the niche election mail market throughout the country to meet the massive new demands set by mail-in voting.

Privately owned, it has between 11 and 50 employees and was responsible for printing 3.5 million ballots for last Novembers election, according to the companys website. It sells a range of election and voting-related materials, from I Voted stickers to voter ID cards to various forms used by election officials. An online directory of businesses said the Michigan Election Resources was founded in 1998.

A review of pages from the companys website saved on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, suggests it was entirely focused on serving clients in Michigan in at least its early years in operation. A page captured by the archive in 2004 describes the company as provid(ing) ballot printing, election supplies, and voting equipment to Counties, Cities, Townships, Villages, School Districts, Community Colleges and District Libraries in Michigan. MER works closely with the State of Michigan, Bureau of Elections to ensure all ballot styles, election forms and supplies are in compliance with state and legislative directives.

The companys owner is Jeff Karns, and its CEO is Matt Sandretto. Sandretto did not respond to multiple calls from LNP|LancasterOnline on Friday or Monday.

In a March 2021 contract proposal to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections, Sandretto wrote that the company had never had a contract terminated with a governmental entity.

In that same proposal, Sandretto highlighted multiple ballot printing errors across the country caused by other vendors doing the same type of work, including an error in Allegheny County that impacted more than 28,000 voters. That proposal also listed Lancaster Countys deputy chief clerk Diane Skilling, as well as elections officials in counties in Illinois and Wisconsin, as references for its work.

According to the proposal, Plerus human review process is designed to catch errors like those affecting Lancasters ballots. In addition to cameras scanning each piece of election mail to confirm the barcodes match the voter database records, a member of Plerus quality assurance team checks the mail by hand each hour during production.

Since insertion occurs in sequence, spot checks will catch programming errors, according to the Delaware County proposal. The company ultimately succeeded in landing the countys business.

At least two other counties, Allegheny and Delaware, contracted with Plerus to print and distribute its mail ballots for last Tuesdays election.

There is little information online about Plerus or Michigan Election Resources. Few news stories mention the company. One story from October 2018 mentions that ballots sent from Plerus were going out later than expected to voters in one Michigan county, though no other issue was reported.

The company was also featured in a The New York Times Magazine photo essay last October. Employees at the Kalamazoo printing plant are shown rolling 1,000-pound blank rolls of paper into printers, with each roll destined to be sliced into more than 20,000 ballots. After the ballots are printed, the mail ballots get put into another machine to be folded and inserted into envelopes with the other election materials, with a small hose blowing air to open up the envelopes.

States role

Lancaster County contracted with Plerus last August, as demand for mail-in ballots had already ballooned for the preceding June primary and was expected to be even bigger for the November general election. That was the result of two factors -- a 2019 law creating, for the first time, a no-excuse mail-in ballot option for all voters, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which drove many voters to seek alternatives to voting in-person on Election Day.

Prior to an election, each county is required by the state Department of State to conduct a logistics and accuracy test on its ballots. Lancaster County completed this test and found none of the errors that were detected after voters started receiving ballots, said Christa Miller, the chief clerk of the county Board of Elections.

While Pennsylvania counties are limited to buying voting machines approved by the Department of State, no such restriction is placed on vendors like Plerus that print ballots for counties.

Counties inform the Department of State when they sign with a mail vendor, though the department does not vet them, according to a December 2020 letter to state Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, from former Secretary Kathy Boockvar.

After former President Donald Trump lost the November election, many Republicans claimed widespread fraud benefited Democratic candidate Joe Biden. In the months since, Republican lawmakers across the country have attacked mail-in balloting as particularly vulnerable to fraud and a less-than-ideal way to conduct elections.

This was not a problem of our making, DAgostino said of the ballot errors in the May primary. This is a combination of the way Act 77 is . and at the same time, vendors need to make sure that their quality control process, regardless of time frames, are up to snuff; that theyre on par with what we need to do.

Act 77 is the 2019 law that made widespread mail-in voting possible. On Friday, county Commissioner Josh Parsons said in-person voting is the most secure way to conduct elections and called on the Legislature to update the state election law to rein in mail voting. That same day, state Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Mount Joy, said he was introducing a bill to repeal the no-excuse ballot rules included in Act 77.

Whats next

As the countys solicitor and director of purchasing determine if there are any other remedies aside from terminating the contract with Plerus, Sandretto told DAgostino that the county would not be required to pay for at least a portion of the primary election mail-in ballot costs. DAgostino said it was a start at making up for the errors.

The contract with Michigan Election Resources totaled $74,160 for the general election. This contract made MER responsible for printing, stuffing and mailing ballot packets to voters from its facility. The first contract stretched through September 2020 through December 2020, and three optional one-year extensions.

DAgostino said Monday he was unable to discuss the details of the contract until it reviews with its legal and purchasing teams. LNP|LancasterOnline has submitted an open records request for the Plerus contract with Lancaster County.
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Every May, state legislators and other public officials are required to file reports detailing, among other items, whether they received pricey gifts, transportation, or hospitality from lobbyists, businesses, nonprofit groups, or others with a stake in government.

Some years, those reports have revealed lawmakers accepting everything from overseas trips to free entry to black-tie galas on someone elses dime.

But for many lawmakers, 2020 was a banner year for staying home  and eschewing people bearing gifts, at least according to their limited disclosure forms.

Public filings with the State Ethics Commission show that, with some exceptions, Pennsylvanias 253 lawmakers did not report receiving anything of great value last year as the pandemic raged, forcing lockdowns and restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings.

The few gifts of note came largely before the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Pennsylvania in early March. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R., Centre), for instance, reported receiving just over $8,500 to attend conferences, including $3,828 from the Pennsylvania Bar Association to go to its mid-year meeting in the Bahamas in late January.

Still, the push to ban elected officials from accepting gifts and other perks continues in the state legislature, despite the fact that past efforts have largely been met with indifference and near-total inaction.

Pennsylvania is in the minority of states with no limit on the size or number of gifts elected officials can accept  the only requirement is disclosure.

Even that has its limits: In their statements of financial interest filed with the State Ethics Commission each May, they need only disclose gifts worth $250 or more, and transportation and hospitality worth $650 or more.

Often, elected officials provide few details about a gift other than its worth and who paid for it  and sometimes, its hard to even discern that much from their reports.

Over the past decade, state lawmakers have introduced bills calling for various types of bans. Many times, the legislation didnt even get a hearing. A key state House committee did advance a measure to prohibit lawmakers from accepting cash and limit other types of gifts in 2019, but the full chamber never took a vote.

The gift-ban issue gained traction and urgency after a 2014 scandal that revealed some House members had accepted envelopes stuffed with cash from an undercover informant posing as a lobbyist for law enforcement.

Both chambers at the time clamored to change their rules to prohibit cash gifts, though that fervor dulled, and the issue got pushed to the legislative back-burner.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, signed an order when he took office in 2015 to ban members of the executive branch from accepting gifts and once again urged lawmakers to do the same as part of his 2021 budget plan.

Activists with MarchOnHarrisburg plan to put public pressure on Corman next month to bring a gift ban up for a vote. The grassroots group has pushed for a ban for years through some unusual means, including raining down dollars labeled bribe on lawmakers in the House chamber.

Rabbi Michael Pollack, executive director of MarchOnHarrisburg, said GOP leadership in the state House has committed to supporting a gift ban.

A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R., Centre) did not directly address the question, but said by email the lawmaker has always been supportive of bringing more accountability and transparency to elected and other government officials. We are currently examining and reviewing various options to advance those goals legislatively this session.

In the state Senate, Majority Leader Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) is a co-sponsor of a bill that would ban cash gifts and prevent lawmakers from taking anything of value from those seeking to influence official action.

That leaves Corman, Pollack said, who has faced scrutiny for his ties to lobbyists.

Jason Thompson, a spokesperson for Corman, did not respond to Spotlight PAs questions about whether the senator supports gift ban legislation. Thompson recently told the Capital-Star he could not comment on a gift ban but added Corman supported efforts to ban lawmakers from receiving gifts of cash and gift cards in years past.

For Pollack, the issue is simple: As long as legislators can accept cash and other gifts, they will be beholden to those with money and power. Those without means will remain unheard.

Ive never met anyone outside the state Capitol who thinks this is controversial, Pollack said.

Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA contributed to this report.

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THE ISSUE

State Rep. David Zimmerman, a Republican from East Earl Township, has proposed House Bill 958, a bill hes called the Immunization Freedom Act. Recently approved by the Pennsylvania House Health Committee, the bill would require pediatricians to continue to provide care to children whose parents insist on alternative vaccination schedules as long as the children receive at least one vaccine each calendar year. Pediatricians who dont follow the bills mandates would be subject to administrative penalties.

Consider the source is an excellent piece of advice. So, for some context about the immunization bill proposed by Rep. Zimmerman, lets revisit some of his history as an elected official.

In November, Zimmerman was among the lawmakers who took the side of those pushing baseless claims about the presidential election and sought to undermine the legitimacy of the Pennsylvania vote.

In 2018, Zimmerman was the lone member of the Lancaster County state House delegation to vote against legislation that was aimed at curbing domestic abusers access to firearms.

That same year, Zimmerman was found by the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission to have used his previous position as an East Earl Township supervisor to advance a land deal in which he and his brother had a financial stake.

Also in 2018, we learned that Zimmerman and his wife failed to follow East Earl Township ordinances when they rented out a suite in their home on Airbnb, and failed to pay county hotel room rental tax and excise taxes.

And because 2018 apparently was a banner year for the state lawmaker, its also when he proposed legislation that would have legalized ownership of sugar gliders and hedgehogs as pets in Pennsylvania.

Hedgehogs are prickly, noisy creatures that squeal, hiss, click, scream and grunt; sugar gliders are smelly, tiny, big-eyed marsupials with a tendency to bite.

Apparently not content with wanting children to own pets that could bite them and prick them with their sharp quills, Zimmerman now wants to endanger their health by undermining childhood vaccination.

Heed the experts

We checked Zimmermans bio on the state General Assembly website and noted that his background is in agribusiness, not medicine. And yet hes proposing legislation that would dictate how pediatricians  trained in the medical care of children  would administer immunizations.

Maybe there ought to be a law against lawmakers proposing laws on matters they know nothing about.

Elizabeth Imboden, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician and a member of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is chair of pediatrics at WellSpan York Hospital and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Drexel University and Penn State College of Medicine.

So Dr. Imboden knows quite a lot about childhood immunization. And in a column published in the Sunday LNP | LancasterOnline Perspective section, Imboden wrote that House Bill 958, if passed, would force health care practitioners to practice outside of the accepted standards of care. It would discourage science-based vaccine education delivered by medical professionals. And it would label providers who stand firm in their commitment to evidence-based medicine as unprofessional. 

For the record, Imboden has been a pediatrician for more than 20 years  roughly three times as long as Zimmerman has been a state lawmaker.

On the subject of childhood vaccination, Pennsylvanians should heed what she says  not the representative from East Earl Township.

Most effective tool

As Imboden put it, The prevention of disease through use of immunizations has been the triumph of modern medicine. In fact, vaccines are the most effective tool we have against childhood disease.

Imboden noted that the spread of disinformation about vaccines has led some parents to be hesitant, or even resistant, to getting their children vaccinated. Questioning childhood vaccination schedules is part of this.

She pointed out what vaccines are most effectively given when is not opinion, or whimsy, and cannot be subject to arbitrary changes. The decisions on vaccine schedules and timing are based on decades of evidence, and seek to target the most susceptible individuals at their most vulnerable stages of life. The schedule has been crafted over years to maximize the benefit and minimize potential harms.

The rigorously studied immunization schedules are endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Any potential deviation from the standard schedule should only be considered through careful, shared decision-making, not as a mandate, Imboden wrote.

And she made this important point:  Alternative schedules have not been proven to be effective. Immunity may not be achieved. Parents need to know this.

Dangerous bill

Vaccines have proven to be safe and lifesaving. But anti-vaccination forces seek to plant seeds of doubt about immunization on social media by encouraging parents to question the immunization schedules. Its an insidious step toward full-blown vaccination resistance.

In a recent article, WITF health reporter Brett Sholtis paraphrased a Pittsburgh pediatrician who said that legislation like Zimmermans is part of a larger ecosystem of misinformation. People post false things online. Others believe them. Eventually, they bring their concerns to politicians.

But politicians, like all of us, should sort out legitimate concerns from unfounded ones.

According to the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the doctors Sholtis interviewed, almost every sentence in the bill is based on misinformation. Those doctors expressed concern to Sholtis that lawmakers like Zimmerman are giving voice to anti-science ideas that affect what happens in their exam rooms.

Zimmermans proposed bill would prohibit doctors from charging parents for time spent discussing the merits of getting their child immunized and would prevent insurers from financially incentivizing pediatric clinics to follow CDC guidelines, Sholtis reported.

It also would ban pediatricians from limiting the hours when they see the children of non-immunization-compliant parents in order to keep those children away from at-risk patients, he noted. If the bill were made into law, a doctor who failed to follow the rules could be brought up before a medical board for unprofessional conduct. 

So, to be clear, Zimmermans bill would force pediatricians to see children who arent immunized against infectious childhood diseases during the same hours as children with cancer or otherwise compromised immune systems or infants too young to be vaccinated  potentially imperiling those vulnerable children. It would allow a pediatrician to set up a separate waiting room for children on alternative immunization schedules, but what if a pediatricians office doesnt have the space? And why, if Zimmerman is certain that alternative vaccination schedules are perfectly safe, did he allow for such separation?

His proposed bill is absurd. And dangerous.

And, sad to say, par for the course for Rep. Zimmerman.

He has dubbed his bill the Immunization Freedom Act, but it only would give vaccine-preventable infectious diseases more freedom to spread and cause needless harm.

Physicians and other licensed medical practitioners are the best sources of truth when it comes to immunizations, Dr. Imboden wrote. Not Google, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. And not legislators.

The pediatrician issued this plea to lawmakers: Dont let this legislation impede us from our No. 1 priority  keeping all children healthy and safe.

We join Dr. Imboden in asking members of the state Legislature to ensure that House Bill 958 is quashed like the harmful virus it is.
Myanmars ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has made her first in-person court appearance since the government was overthrown by the military. Suu Kyi has been in detention since being arrested by the military during its February 1 takeover.

One of her lawyers, Min Min Soe, told The Associated Press that Suu Kyi was able to meet with her defense team for about 30 minutes before Mondays court hearing in the capital, Naypyitaw.

The lawyers also met with Win Myint, the former president of the government that Suu Kyi served in as state counselor.

Suu Kyis earlier court appearances were carried out through video link. Before Monday, she was not permitted to meet in person with any of her lawyers.

The head of her legal team, Khin Maung Zaw, said Suu Kyi appeared to be in good health. She told her lawyers that she has had no access to newspapers during her detention and was only partly aware of what was happening outside.

The hearing dealt with administrative matters related to six charges Suu Kyi faces. She was first charged with illegally importing communications equipment called walkie-talkies. Military officials used that charge to detain her. She also faces charges of violating coronavirus restrictions and spreading information that could cause public unrest.

The most serious charge Suu Kyi faces is violating the countrys Official Secrets Act, which carries a penalty of up to 14 years in prison. That charge is being dealt with by a separate court.

Suu Kyis supporters say the charges and court process are politically driven and aim to discredit her and legitimize the militarys seizure of power. If found guilty of any charges, she could be banned from running in the next election. The military leadership has promised to hold an election within one or two years of its takeover.

Suu Kyi is always confident in herself, and she is confident in her cause and confident in the people, Khin Maung Zaw said. He added that the former leader had wished people good health.

Min Min Soe said Suu Kyi wanted to tell Myanmars people that her National League for Democracy (NLD) party will stand by them. "Since the NLD was founded for the people, the NLD will exist as long as the people exist, Min Min Soe quoted Suu Kyi as saying. The comments appeared to be aimed at threats by the military government to dissolve the party.

The military has made numerous arrests and 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 4,000 people have been detained in connection with protests.

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.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

counselor  n. a person trained to listen to people and give them advice

access  n. the right or ability to approach, enter or use

legitimize  v. to make something legal or acceptable

confident  adj. being sure of your abilities or having trust in people, plans or the future

quote  v. to repeat the works someone else has said or written

dissolve  v. to formally end something


Young people in Britain do not think the country should keep the monarchy, a new survey shows. They now favor an elected head of state.

In the survey by YouGov, 41 percent of those aged 18 to 24 thought there should be an elected head of state. Thirty-one percent said they wanted a king or queen.

That is a reversal from just two years ago, when 46 percent favored the monarchy and 26 percent wanted it gone.

The current British monarchy dates back to William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. For centuries before that, however, royal families ruled many kingdoms across England, Scotland and Wales.

Among all British people, the survey had better news for Queen Elizabeth and the royal family. Overall, 61 percent supported the monarchy, while 24 percent thought there should be an elected head of state.

The last few months have been especially difficult for the royal family. In April, Elizabeths husband Prince Philip died at age 99. And in March, there was the interview by the queens grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan with television star Oprah Winfrey. In the widely watched interview, the couple said the royal family did not provide them with emotional or financial support and were asked by family members about the skin color of their unborn child. The two officially left the monarchy in early 2020.

The monarchy is not likely to end as long as Queen Elizabeth remains head of the royal family. But, there is concern among the royals about decreasing support among younger Britons.

Among 4,870 adults in the survey aged 25-49, 53 percent supported keeping the monarchy. That is down 5 percent from a 2019 survey, while support for an elected head of state was up 4 percent. Among those over 65, 81 percent supported the monarchy, nearly the same number as two years ago.

Past surveys have shown that younger generations also hold more favorable feelings toward Harry and Meghan.

Im Jill Robbins.

Michael Holden reported this story for Reuters. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

_________________________________________________

Words in This Story

monarchy  n. a country that is ruled by a monarch (such as a king or queen)

survey  n. an examination of peoples opinions or behavior made by asking people questions

reverse  v. to change (something) to an opposite state or condition

couple  v. two people who are married or who have a romantic or sexual relationship
Kevin Spacey is getting back in front of the camera.

The disgraced actor, who has been on the sidelines after dozens of men accused him of sexual assault spanning decades, has been cast in an Italian crime drama, according to ABC News.

Spacey will play a detective investigating a man wrongfully accused of sexually abusing children in "L'uomo Che Disegno Dio," or "The Man Who Drew God."

"I'm very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film," director Franco Nero told ABC News. "I consider him a great actor and I can't wait to start the movie."

Nero's wife, Vanessa Redgrave, will reportedly have a role in the movie as well.

Spacey was booted from his starring role in Netflix's "House of Cards" in late 2017 after the first round of accusations, beginning with "Star Trek: Discovery" star Anthony Rapp, who was 14 at the time of the alleged assault. He was also erased from Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World" and replaced by Christopher Plummer, who was nominated for an Oscar for the role.

He has, however, popped up occasionally with bizarre Christmas videos, sometimes in his "House of Cards" character. Last year's included advice for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts.
Kimberly OHara is the youngest of five children in her family. That made it difficult to stand out, especially with three older sisters.

She did find one way of being unique: trying out for and being selected as a member of the Lebanon Strawberry Festival Court.

None of them had applied to be Strawberry princesses so it was a way to do something on my own that wasnt just following what my sisters had done, OHara said.

It is proving to be an excellent decision, even in a year when the courts schedule has been limited and there will once again not be a full festival during the first week of June.

I am enjoying it immensely, OHara said, adding that the relationships on the court may be the single best part of the experience. I am friends with all of them and that makes it more special.

One of the key roles of the court is to create interest in the festival and its traditions among future potential participants. The court was able to visit Lebanons Boys & Girls Club and had a great time, OHara said.

It was really neat to see the kids, especially the younger kids, they just lit up when they got to talk to the princesses. That was such a neat experience, OHara said.
Oregon, the first state to conduct all elections by mail, would join the ranks of states accepting ballots postmarked by election day under a bill that has cleared the Oregon House.

House Bill 3291 was approved on a 39-21 vote Monday and goes to the Senate.

The bill would align Oregon with 17 states  including Washington, California and Nevada  that allow ballots to count if they are postmarked by election day. Four other states count ballots if they are postmarked the day before the election. Oregon is among the states that have required ballots to be in the hands of county elections offices by the close of election day.

Under the bill, ballots would have to arrive in county elections offices no later than seven days after the election if they are to count. States that allow election-day postmarks range widely from three to 20 days.

Rep. Dan Rayfield, a Democrat from Corvallis and the bill's floor manager, said about 150 voters in Marion County cast ballots in last year's general election, but they did not count because they were received after election day.

He said the concept of election-day postmarks has been on the table for two decades, going back to when Republicans were the majority party in the House.
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When it comes to cases of adding insult to injury, the story of Helen Wong ranks among the worst.
The Lompoc City Council on Thursday began its initial review of the 2021-23 budget, although community members did not receive an update on the proposed allocation of federal COVID-19 relief funds due to an unexpected change in rules and regulations.

"The (Department of the Treasury) says we can only spend it in certain categories," City Manager Jim Throop explained to the council at the special meeting Thursday. "The issue is that there is a number of different rules and regulations that weren't there when we first put the survey out."

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden signed into law this year, are part of a national $1.9 trillion package intended to help soften the economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lompoc qualified for $13.19 million in community improvement funds, and according to Throop, has until 2023 to utilize them after receiving a payout in two lump sums.

American Rescue Plan Act Additional information on the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319

Residents were invited to weigh in on the topic of spending via an online survey between late April and mid-May. They were asked to select areas they deemed to be the greatest priority, including the city's police and fire departments, public works, library, and parks and recreation. Nearly 800 participants took the survey, according to Throop.

Due to the change in regulations, Throop suggested the council delay the discussion until June so staff can carefully review the more-than-150-page document. He said the city could get audited in the future and if the federal funds are not spent as outlined, the city would be required to pay back the funds.

Throop said funds cannot be used to pay down the city's high pension debt or certain infrastructure, among other limitations.

Mayor Jenelle Osborne agreed to delay the discussion until June 2 or 3, based on availability of personnel and resources. A date for the special meeting will be solidified in the coming days.

"I know this was supposed to be a combined presentation but because of all of the new rules we learned just last week, and because of some of those rules impacting our 'wish list' put together ahead of knowing these rules," Osborne explained, " and since we have a June 3 meeting proposed, my proposal is that we set aside the ARPA discussion until that event so we can finish providing any budget direction."

Other business

 The head of each city department reported on results from the last budget cycle and provided a budget analysis with goals and needs for the upcoming budget cycle.

 Dean Albro, management services director, presented a preliminary overview of the city's 2021-23 budget and gave council members a report for their review and approval.

 A second budget session is slated for June 2 or 3, possibly concurrent to a follow-up rescue plan special meeting.

 A hearing and adoption session for the 2021-23 budget is scheduled for June 15.
CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Dear Editor: Wisconsin is the only state that allows hunters to use unleashed packs of radio collared hounds to pursue wolves. Hounds chase the quarry to exhaustion or until they turn and fight. The use of hounds in the February wolf hunt was one of the reasons that the quota was exceeded so quickly  188 of the wolves reported killed were taken with the use of hounds.

Hounds are allowed in our national forest 365 days a year. Many times the hounds will also pursue non-target animals such as deer, small mammals and birds. When the hounds go into the wolf caution areas and harass the wolves, fights occur as the wolves try to protect their pups. Sometimes hounds are killed, and hound hunters are then compensated $2,500 by the state. The hunters are paid for mistreating their hounds by putting them in harm's way.

Hounds are also used on bears. The hunters bait the bears with junk food, the hounds chase and tree the bear, the hunter shoots the bear. Often cubs are left orphaned to starve as the hunter misidentified the gender of the bear.

For many years the special-interest hunting groups have had much influence over our wildlife management policy. Legislation such as Act 169 mandated a wolf hunt and created the rules of the hunt, including the use of hounds. Act 346 makes it illegal to photograph or record a hunter.
Engines roared to life as the event that kicks off the summer in Wisconsin Dells got underway for its first day Saturday.

By noon, around 1,000 classic cars were parked in the parking lot of Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park. A line had started since 6 a.m. for car enthusiasts to register their classic car to display at the event, said Jenifer Dobbs, festival and events manager for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau.

The parking lot was also full of spectators, a vast majority of them not wearing masks, walking around to see the line of hot rides on display. It was a much different scene than six months ago when Automotion was moved to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The weather was sunny with temperatures in the 70s rather than the rainy weather seen in the fall. Nicer weather usually attracts more people to the event.

We didnt have the turnout we were hoping for (last year), and prior to that we had three good years of rain so we are so lucky and so happy today to bring everybody to the show, Dobbs said.
Today is Monday, May 24, 2021. Let's get caught up.

These headlines are in the news this morning: Shootings at a N.J. house party and a S.C. concert left 3 dead and 2 dozen injured over the weekend; Drake, Pink, The Weeknd steal Billboards show; and Phil Mickelson becomes the oldest major champion at 50.

Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more.

TOP STORIES

3 killed, 2 dozen injured in 2 weekend shootings in US

A family house party in South Jersey turned into a crime scene where at least two people were fatally shot and 12 others were wounded, state police said.

Authorities arrived at the house in Fairfield Township, about an hour outside of Philadelphia, late Saturday night. A resident who runs a local anti-violence organization said he was called out to assist families at the 90s-themed party. John Fuqua, of Life Worth Living, said guests who attended the party were of all ages.
Muhlbauer, the former vice chair of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview with The Associated Press that bringing more rural Americans back to the Democratic Party will require not just someone who speaks to them, but also someone who can tie economic and environmental policy together with authority.

Farmers, at the end of the day, watch the bottom dollar," Muhlbauer said. When you can create conservation as a commodity, they'll jump on board because it's best for them to enhance their farm, and that ripples through rural Iowa."

Grassley, a longtime farmer, co-owns 750 acres (3 square kilometers) of corn and soybean farmland in northeast Iowa. He has long campaigned as an Iowa farmer.

And yet, as Democrats have tried to connect with rural Iowans, Tom Vilsack was the last rural Democrat elected statewide. In 1998, the then-state senator from Mount Pleasant was elected to his first term as governor. He was reelected four years later.

Since then, Democrats mainly from Des Moines but also smaller metros have fallen short. Last year, Democrat Theresa Greenfield, a Des Moines developer with a family farm background, lost her challenge to Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. In 2016, Democrat Patty Judge, a former state agriculture secretary, lost to Grassley.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan Republicans on Tuesday advanced a bill that would prohibit state and local health officials from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for children under age 18.

The concept is not under consideration in the state. But GOP senators said they want to be proactive.

While they might not be mandating something, they're certainly creating a scenario where mandates are being pushed. I just wanted to ensure that that wasn't going to happen in this space. Parents should be allowed to make the decision on this, Sen. Lana Theis, of Brighton, said of her legislation that would prevent the use of a state or local emergency order to require coronavirus vaccines for minors. It won Senate approval on a 20-16 party-line vote and was sent to the Republican-controlled House.

Democrats called the bill needless and noted that if the COVID-19 vaccine were added to the list of immunizations children need to attend school, the state allows for exemptions.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen a key diplomatic outreach office to the Palestinians and pledged nearly $40 million in new aid  reversing key policies of the Trump administration as he moved to bolster the embattled Palestinian government in the West Bank.

On his first official visit to the region, Blinken met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders with the immediate aim of shoring up last week's cease-fire that ended 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. He vowed to rally international support for the effort while also promising to ensure that none of the aid would reach Hamas.

Blinken repeatedly alluded to the underlying issues of the decades-old conflict and expressed empathy for both sides, but he showed little interest in launching another U.S. push for lasting peace, perhaps because previous efforts by past administrations have all failed. Instead, he expressed hope for creating a better environment that might one day yield peace talks.

Despite these modest aims, Blinken made clear that President Joe Biden will pursue a more even-handed approach to the region than former President Donald Trump, who sided overwhelmingly with Israel in virtually every area of disagreement with the Palestinians.
The University of Wisconsin System has said it wont make vaccination mandatory at any of its campuses because none of the current COVID-19 vaccines have received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

I think that those that are in the blue states are not following the law, interim System President Tommy Thompson told The New York Times in a story published Saturday. All those individuals that have mandated it are really on thin ice.

Even if the vaccines get final approval from the FDA, Thompson has said it would be unfair to prevent people with religious, medical or political reasons for not getting the vaccine from going to college. Instead, the System is incentivizing students getting vaccinated by exempting them from COVID-19 testing.
The mayor said racial equity and social justice should be at the forefront of everything we do in the 2022 budget and that managers should consider how reducing the citys impact on the environment could also save money.

Agencies are being told not to account for costs related to absorbing much of the town of Madison in November 2022, because those will be part of the mayors proposed budget.

Federal relief

The $47.2 million that the city will be receiving as part of the federal American Rescue Plan, or ARP, should help make the citys budget situation less dire, but doesnt solve all the problems. The funding can go toward costs  including making up for revenue losses  from March 3 through Dec. 31, 2024.

Areas the money can go to include containing and mitigating COVID-19, mental health needs, bonuses for public-facing employees who have been responding to the pandemic, and addressing negative economic impacts, such as the losses seen in the tourism and hospitality sector, Schmiedicke said.

The federal relief money cant be put into the citys rainy day fund or used to pay off the citys debt, Schmiedicke said.

Challenges ahead
The Biden administrations decision to begin sharing U.S.-authorized COVID-19 vaccines with the rest of the world is welcome news. Now coronavirus czar Jeff Zients, who will lead U.S. efforts to fight the pandemic abroad, must swiftly craft a global vaccine strategy thats as focused, ambitious and effective as the one thats worked so well domestically.

Those who ask whether the U.S. ought to assume this burden should remember two things.

First, progress at home will count for less if the pandemic rages unchecked abroad. Americans might be vulnerable to new variants. Trillions in output will be lost if trade and travel continue to be disrupted. And as the global death toll mounts, instability and resentment of the United States and other rich countries will grow.

Second, the United States is uniquely qualified to lead the effort. It could soon have hundreds of millions of excess vaccine doses. It has the most influence with several of the key vaccine developers, and the most diplomatic clout. Having worked on the ground for years to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, it has expertise and longstanding relationships with public health officials in developing nations. More recently, it has begun to learn how to cope with vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
Local

alert top story

Grim western fire season starts much drier than record 2020

AP Photo/Noah Berger, File In this Sept. 9, 2020, file photo, flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. Jae C. Hong FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2020, file photo, Herman Termeer, 54, stands on the roof of his home as the Blue Ridge Fire burns along the hillside in Chino Hills, Calif. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Benjamin Roe In this photo provided by the USDA Forest Service is a branch of a dying juniper tree at the Prescott National Forest in Arizona on April 8, 2021. Anywhere from 5% to 30% of juniper trees at this forest are dead because of a devastating drought and fire officials say dead juniper trees are highly flammable, almost like having gasoline out there. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. (Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP) Benjamin Roe This photo provided by the USDA Forest Service shows how most juniper trees are alive but there are areas with a bright yellow appearance that show they are dying from drought in the Prescott National Forest in Arizona on April 8, 2021. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. (Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP) Benjamin Roe This photo provided by the USDA Forest Service shows the different stages of dying juniper trees at the Prescott National Forest in Arizona on April 8, 2021. The juniper tress are dying from drought and that increases fire risk. As bad as last year's record-shattering fire season was, the U.S. West starts this year's fire season in even worse condition. (Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP) Benjamin Roe This photo provided by the USDA Forest Service shows a dying juniper tree at the Prescott National Forest in Arizona on April 8, 2021. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. (Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP) Emily Alvarenga FILE - In this April 28, 2021, file photo, a firefighter prepares to battle the North Fire from a backyard on Via Patina in Santa Clarita, Calif. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. (Emily Alvarenga/The Santa Clarita Valley Signal via AP) Kent Porter FILE - In this April 21, 2021, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a news conference in the parched basin of Lake Mendocino in Ukiah, Calif., where he announced he would proclaim a drought emergency for Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it's starting far drier than 2020's record-breaking fire year. In late March, less than one-third of California was suffering extreme or exceptional drought. Now it's more than 73%, according to the National Drought Monitor, which is based on precipitation, temperature, soil moisture and streamflow measurements. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP)

As bad as last years record-shattering fire season was, the western U.S. starts this years in even worse shape.

The soil in the West is record dry for this time of year. In much of the region, plants that fuel fires are also the driest scientists have seen. The vegetation is primed to ignite, especially in the Southwest where dead juniper trees are full of flammable needles.

Its like having gasoline out there, said Brian Steinhardt, forest fire zone manager for Prescott and Coconino national forests in Arizona.

A climate change-fueled megadrought of more than 20 years is making conditions that lead to fire even more dangerous, scientists said. Rainfall in the Rockies and farther west was the second lowest on record in April, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It means that the dice are loaded toward a lot of forest fire this year, said Park Williams, a UCLA climate and fire scientist, who calculated that soil in the western half of the nation is the driest it has been since 1895. This summer were going into fire season with drier fuels than we were at this time last year.

In addition, the western drought is deepening week by week.

In late March, less than one-third of California was suffering extreme or exceptional drought. Now more than 73% is, according to the National Drought Monitor, which is based on precipitation, temperature, soil moisture and streamflow measurements. A year ago, heading into the record-smashing 2020 fire year when more than 4% of California burned, just 3% of the state was in extreme or exceptional drought.

But the outlook is worse elsewhere.

I think the Southwest is really primed for a bad fire season, University of Utah fire scientist Phil Dennison said. Thats because last years normal monsoon season, which brings much of the years rainfall, never showed up.

A year ago, none of Arizona, Nevada and Utah was in extreme or exceptional drought, but now more than 90% of Utah, 86% of Arizona and 75% of Nevada is in those highest drought categories, according to the drought monitor. New Mexico jumped from 4% extreme or exceptional drought a year ago to more than 77% now.

UCLA meteorologist Daniel Swain, who also works for the National Center for Atmospheric Research and The Nature Conservancy, said key factors going into fire season are soil and plant wetness.

So is soil moisture very low? Is vegetation extremely dry? Absolutely, yes. Unequivocally, yes. Pretty much everywhere in California and the Southwest, Swain said. So that box is checked big time in a way that is going to massively increase the potential background flammability ... given a spark, given extreme weather conditions.

This doesnt necessarily ensure the 2021 fire season will be worse than 2020. Last year more than 15,800 square miles (40,960 square kilometers) of the United States burned, an area about the size of Maryland and Delaware combined. Several scientists said last years fires were stoked not just by hot, dry conditions, but by unusual situations that made a bad year horrific:

Two intense heat waves  one that nearly set a record for hottest temperature on Earth in Death Valley  set the stage, and a freak California lightning barrage provided lots of spark.

The lightning outbreak was the type that has happened only a few times in history and is unlikely to occur two years in a row, Swain said.

Maybe it wont be the hottest summer, he said, adding. Im really grasping at straws here. All we have going for us is dumb luck.

When the scientists see extremely dry or dying trees, they get even more worried.

In Arizona, junipers are succumbing to the 20-year drought and its two-year intensification, said Joel McMillin, a forest health zone leader for the U.S. Forest Service there. Officials havent done a precise count but anecdotally the die-off is 5% to 30% with some patches up to 60%.

Until the dead needles drop to the ground, which takes a year or so, the fire hazard increases, fire manager Steinhardt said. So you have something thats highly flammable and its ... 20-, 30-, 40-foot tall and every single one of those needles on there now becomes an ember that can be launched.

This is probably one of the driest and potentially most challenging situations Ive been in, said the veteran of 32 fire seasons.

In California, normally drought-tolerant blue oaks are dying around the San Francisco Bay Area, said Scott Stephens, a fire science professor at the University of California, Berkeley. They dont have access to water. Soil moisture is so low. When you start to see blue oak dying, that gets your attention.

Human-caused climate change and decades of fire suppression that increases fuel loads are aggravating fire conditions across the West, scientists said.

Global warming has contributed to the megadrought and is making plants more prone to burning.

Normally a good part of the suns energy removes water from plants and soil, but when they are already dry, that energy instead makes the air hotter, which creates a feedback loop, Swain said.

And drier conditions lead to beetle infestations that further weaken and kill trees, said University of Utahs Dennison.

For decades, U.S. firefighting agencies have tried to put out fires as quickly as possible, and thats usually worked, UCLAs Williams said. But the practice resulted in the buildup of dense trees, brush and other potential fire fuels.

Fire is escaping our control increasingly frequently, he said. And some of the reason for that might be because of increasing density of fuels. But we also see that these fires are escaping our control during record-breaking heat waves  and its the warmest, driest years when we have the hardest time controlling fires.
ELKO, Nevada  Anyone who has made the 116-mile trip between Jackpot and Elko knows it can be a long drive, especially if you failed to make a pit stop beforehand.

A Mountain Home woman was booked May 15 on a felony bribery charge after wanting to be let out of a patrol car that she eventually urinated in, according to an Elko County Sheriffs deputy report.

The deputy was called to a Jackpot casino near the Idaho-Nevada border that Saturday morning on a report that Amanda Stewart, 32, and her husband had been asked to leave but refused.

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They agreed to leave but then got into an argument, and the deputy said Stewart started yelling at him so he placed her in handcuffs and escorted her to his patrol vehicle. He said he gave her another chance to leave the casinos property but she refused to say if she would, and she resisted being searched.

On the drive to the county jail, the deputy said Stewart repeatedly removed her seat belt and kept complaining about needing to pee. At one point she allegedly offered the deputy $1,000 to pull over and let her out.

The deputy said he told her several times to hold it and that he was not allowed to stop. At some point she intentionally urinated on the floor of the patrol unit, according to the deputy.
Boise State later moved the UF 200 course to an online format during the investigation.

In the report, investigators said they interviewed about 30 students, Boise State President Marlene Tromp and multiple UF 200 instructors, among others.

No students who participated in the investigation reported that they were ever forced to apologize for the color of their skin, the report concluded. Nor did any student report being personally singled out for their skin color or being subjected to taunts, name-calling, or other degrading behavior from an instructor or other students based on their skin color, beliefs or ideas.

Investigators said they set up a dedicated email account, where students could report concerns anonymously. The invitations went out to 2,820 students  the number of students who took UF classes in fall 2020 or spring 2021.

After several failed attempts, investigators said they finally spoke to the unnamed complainant at the center of the controversy. This non-student reported seeing a video showing a UF 200 student forced to apologize for being white or enjoying white privilege, while classmates taunted the student.

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Not conservative enough, in McGeachins view. And not nearly compassionate enough in the governors handling of the coronavirus pandemic. She, too, sees brighter days ahead  with Little out of office.

Idahoans have witnessed some serious, egregious actions over this past year. We saw repeated attacks on our constitutional, republican form of government, she said during her announcement.

Last year, the governor declared that some of your businesses and your employees were not essential. I am here to tell you that every life is essential and every job is essential, she said. I refuse to stand by and allow these abuses to go unchallenged. That would be a disservice to our state and a violation of my sworn oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Idaho.

McGeachin, an avid supporter of former President Trump, says simply put, the status quo has got to go. Lobbying groups and special interests exercise too far much power in Boise. Cronyism will have no place in a McGeachin administration.
The state board carries the sole authority to decide the names of Virginias community colleges, and they are expecting us to recommend a new name, and if we do not recommend a new name, then they will select one according to its new policy, Copenhaver said.

The question is not whether the name should be changed, but the question is, How do we go about selecting a new name, and what should it be? Godwin said.

Having the name changed is a done deal. Theres nothing we can do. I hope the community understands that, Copenhaver said.

The state board is the only entity that can name or rename a community college, but it gave community colleges the opportunity to suggest their potential new names.

There is no system for public input, but Im sure that once we have our first meeting, well come up with a plan to have public input, just like we did with everything weve done, Copenhaver said.

There were suggestions last fall to change the name to Foothills Community College or Regional Valley Community College.
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
A new review has found China has made remarkable gains in reducing the number of women who die during childbirth and boosting child survival rates over the past 70 years. Credit: Rui Xu

China has made remarkable gains in reducing the number of women who die during childbirth and boosting child survival rates over the past 70 years, according to new review.

The Lancet report brought together China's health research institutions alongside its international colleagues from Australia, the UK and the US to review the country's progress in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition since 1949.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Professor George Patton, one of the international researchers, said over the past 70 years China had made a remarkable transition from where the survival of women and children was the priority to one where children and adolescents now have similar health profiles to young Australians.

"This progress has been driven by rapid socioeconomic development and reducing poverty, the country's capacity for top-down leadership such as the reorganization of social health insurance and systematic public health planning," he said.

"China population policy over the past seven decades, including its previously one-child policy, has profoundly affected its age structure. But its growing focus on the health of children and young people reflects a need to invest in its next generation. This is something that we will increasingly see in other countries across the region including Australia."

The study found rapid reductions in the maternal death ratio from about 1500 cases per 100,000 births in 1949 to 17.8 cases per 100,000 births in 2019. The infant death rate has lowered from about 200 cases per 1000 births in 1949 to 5.6 cases per 1000 births in 2019.

Professor Patton said in some aspects China was a model for what other low- and middle-income countries could achieve.

"Some elements of China's success such as good quality antenatal and postnatal care, scaling up of childhood vaccination and delivering a good health education in schools are relevant almost everywhere," he said. "But it's questionable how successful China's strategies might be in countries with different cultural norms and political systems."

However, the report also found a series of emerging or neglected conditions in China that now required a greater focus including infertility, advanced maternal age, stillbirth, child protection, mental health, and sexual and gender-based violence, as well as emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Professor Patton said several barriers remained in addressing maternal depression and child and adolescent mental health.

"Mental health problems are still poorly understood and stigmatized in China," he said. "Pregnant women are reluctant to seek help and mental health problems among children and adolescents are neglected. There is also a shortage of health service providers including child psychiatrists and counselors, especially in rural areas where the mental health problems of children left-behind by parents migrating to the cities for work are considerable."

Professor Patton said maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health would continue to be vital for the healthy development of the next generation in China.

"The next 10 years will be crucial for China's goal of universal health coverage, particularly in addressing disparities and inequities in marginalized and disadvantaged communities," he said.

Explore further Prospective parents' mental health linked to premature births

More information: Jie Qiao et al, A Lancet Commission on 70 years of women's reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health in China, The Lancet (2021). Journal information: The Lancet Jie Qiao et al, A Lancet Commission on 70 years of women's reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health in China,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32708-2
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Beth Drolet, chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is motivated by the stories of the pain and disfigurement that some of her patients experience.

She treats patients with vascular anomalies, which are the result of abnormal blood and lymphatic vessel development, and sometimes come with accompanying overgrowth of the bones and soft tissues. Over time, patients with these anomalies can suffer from pain and loss of function due to multiple factors, including blood clots, bleeding, and progressive growth of blood vessels.

Despite advances in gene discovery, treatment remains mainly procedural via surgery and other invasive procedures. Relief from these treatments is most often temporary.

Drolet is trying to change that by driving forward an early phase clinical study to offer more lasting help to her patients and others like them. The multi-site trial at UWMadison is in its first phase and is testing a personalized topical medication in the form of a gel as a way to treat vascular anomalies.

"This trial is really the epitome of precision medicine," Drolet says. "We evaluate each patient before they enter the trial to determine which gene is mutated within their malformation. Once we have that data, we use a drug developed to target the specific pathway that the mutated gene has altered."

The topical gel, called VT30 Topical Gel, allows Drolet and other trial researchers to deliver the drug directly to the affected tissue through the patient's skin, which also limits exposure of the medication to healthy tissue.

"Delivering the right drug to the right patient and administering it precisely to the tissues that need the medication will increase efficacy while reducing the risk of unanticipated side effects-precision medicine," Drolet says.

The phase 1/2 study has enrolled patients who have venous, lymphatic, and venolymphatic malformations, which are tumor-like lesions combined both venous and lymphatic vessel structures. The study is evaluating the safety of the drug and how well patients tolerate its use.

The majority of these vascular malformations are driven by mutations in genes that govern the formation of vessels, called PIK3CA and TEK, resulting in overactivation of pathways involved in their development.

Drolet says the idea to create a medication to treat vascular abnormalities actually came to her in a dream. And now, it's taken off.

"We had a 16 -institution network to discover which genes cause vascular anomalies and once we and others found the genes, industry became interested in repurposing cancer medications for treatment of this rare disease," Drolet explains. "This is the first trial in the world delivering targeted gene therapy in a cream for vascular anomalies. It is transformational."

Early on, Drolet worked with a drug company, BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. and its affiliate Venthera, to engage patient organizations and national experts for their help gathering input on clinical trial design and drug delivery design. The company is focused on developing new treatment options for patients with rare vascular anomalies.

"It's a big deal," says Drolet, who has served as a consultant for Venthera and on its medical advisory board.

Sara King, a school teacher in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, agrees.

She met Drolet when Drolet was at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, serving as the Medical Director of Birthmarks and Vascular Anomalies (where she also established the Birthmarks and Vascular Anomalies Center).

When the doctor joined UWMadison in 2019, King followed her for treatments.

King has Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, which carries three characteristic features: a red birthmark called a port-wine stain, abnormal soft tissue and bone growth, and vein malformations. It is a rare, genetic disorder apparent at birth that affects about 70,000 people in the United States.

But King wasn't diagnosed right away. In fact, she recalls: "When I was born, the doctors told my parents that my birthmark would be gone by the time I turned three or four years old."

Few knew at the time that her birthmark, which extends from her hip to her big toe on her left foot, was the hallmark of a rare disease. Forty-four-years later, the birthmark has not gone away.

King didn't even get her Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome diagnosis until she experienced a blood clot during her third pregnancy.

In addition to making her more prone to clots, the syndrome causes varicose veins and another condition called arteriovenous malformation, both of which King says are very painful. She wears a compression wrap on her leg to help with the pain and has tried many treatments, including vein stripping, to remove varicose veins; sclerotherapy, used to shrink blood vessels; and stent placement, to help with blood flow.

Last December, she learned about the clinical trial and, after an evaluation, was invited to participate. The study is broadly focused on patients with mutations associated with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome and of another syndrome marked by vascular abnormalities, called PHACE, which affects fewer than 5,000 people in the United States.

King's treatment in the trial has targeted a 10-by-10 centimeter area of her birthmark. She applies the gel once a day. As part of phase 1, King started with a low dose of the medication, and after two weeks, she returned to the clinic. There, researchers used a special camera to photograph and measure any changes in redness and volume in the treated area of her birthmark. She was sent home to start on an increased dose for another two weeks.

King has recently completed the first phase and is interested in continuing onto phase 2 of the trial, which involves a 12-week randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled treatment focused on the safety and efficacy of the topical medication.

Though it's a nationwide study, UWMadison and UW Health have been efficient in enrolling the trial's first patient and currently have the most patients enrolled. This is due in part to another study Drolet runs at UW that receives vascular specimens from 16 sites around the world. With about 300 patients enrolled in that study, she can look at that list and pinpoint patients who might have the mutations the gel is targeting.

"The patients are amazing," says Drolet. "They want to help science and help people to feel better."

King's motivation to join this, her first clinical trial, is multi-fold.

"Of course, there is the potential for personal benefit," King says. "But also, this is cutting-edge and I'm excited to be one of the first people in the world to try this treatment. These doctors are top in their field and it is exciting to have them caring for me."

King adds that having a rare condition can be isolating.

"It helps me to know that there are other people who I connect with through a study like this, people from around the country," she says. "I'm also a teacher and it's fulfilling to know that as a middle-aged woman, I could possibly do something that could impact children and their families. Some of the things that I have faced because of my condition have been scary and painful and if I can alleviate that for someone else, that feels really good."

For Drolet, the experience has similarly been profound.

"I didn't imagine how emotional it would be to see the first patient apply the drug," Drolet says. "I have been talking to some of my patients about the potential for this type of treatment for over five years  It's a dream come true."

More information: For more information about the trial, which is still recruiting patients, visit: clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04409145.
Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

The United States and other countries called Tuesday for a more in-depth investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic's origins, after an international mission to China earlier this year proved inconclusive.

Addressing the World Health Organization's main annual meeting of member states, representatives from several countries stressed the continued need to solve the mystery of how COVID-19 first began spreading among humans.

"We underscore the importance of a robust comprehensive and expert-led inquiry into the origins of COVID-19," US representative Jeremy Konyndyk told the World Health Assembly (WHA).

The European Union, Australia and Japan were among others to call for more progress on the investigation, while the British representative urged for any probe to be "timely, expert-driven and grounded in robust science".

Determining how the virus that causes COVID-19 began spreading is seen as vital to preventing future pandemics.

But a long-delayed report by the team of international experts sent to Wuhan and their Chinese counterparts drew no firm conclusions on the origins of the pandemic.

Instead, they ranked a number of hypotheses according to how likely they believed they were.

The report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while it said a theory involving the virus leaking from a laboratory was "extremely unlikely".

After the report was released, however, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted all theories remained on the table.

'Science-based'

The investigation and report have also faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply.

China has always flatly rejected that theory, which was a US favorite under former president Donald Trump.

While not suggesting that a lab leak was necessarily the source, a number of prominent international scientists have said a deeper, more scientific look at the theory was needed.

There have been complaints that the very terms of the investigation, negotiated with Beijing and approved at last year's WHA, said the task was to identify the "zoonotic"or animalsource of the virus.

There had been calls for the ongoing WHA to decide the next stages in the probe, and to redefine its focus.

US Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra backed the call for new terms of reference.

"Phase two of the COVID origins study must be launched with terms of reference that are transparent, science-based, and give international experts the independence to fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak," he told the assembly.

But amid diplomatic sensitivities, their agenda contains no resolutions on the way forward.

"The purpose of the inquiry is not to assign blame, but to be grounded in science, to find the origin of the virus and the outbreaks, and to help us all prevent future global catastrophes from happening," Konyndyk insisted.

Mulling pandemic treaty

The WHA, set to run until June 1, is meanwhile mulling other steps to rein in the pandemic, which has killed more than 3.4 million people, and dramatic reforms needed to help avert future COVID-like crises.

On Tuesday, three separate independent panels that have investigated different aspects of the global pandemic response, presented their findings to the member states.

Among the recommendations was boosting WHO's independence, and handing it the power to travel to investigate serious health threats and sound the alarm about risks without waiting for the green light from the countries concerned.

Backers argue that with such powers, the WHO would not have taken more than a year to send international experts to investigate COVID's origins.

But that proposal, which faced significant pushback from countries wary of encroachment on their sovereignty, is not mentioned in WHA draft resolutions up for adoption this week.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Fewer than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases are now being reported daily in the United States, with deaths as low as they have been since last June.

Infection and death rates are dropping dramatically as nearly 50 percent of Americans have now received at least one vaccine shot, The New York Times reported.

"I think by June, we're probably going to be at one infection per 100,000 people per day, which is a very low level," Scott Gottlieb, M.D., former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Sunday on "Face the Nation." At the moment, that rate is now eight cases per 100,000, down from 22 during the most recent peak in mid-April, The Times reported.

The United States is reporting about 25,700 new COVID-19 cases daily, a 39 percent decrease from two weeks ago, according to a Times database. Deaths are down 14 percent over the same period, to an average of 578 per day.

But although 39 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated, rates vary widely, with New England leading the way and much of the South lagging behind. In five of the six New England states, more than 60 percent of residents are at least partly vaccinated, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, vaccination rates are all below 40 percent in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Mississippi, at 33 percent, is at the bottom of the list, The Times said.

At the same time, testing rates have fallen around the country, fueling concern that cases could be undercounted in places with high positivity rates, like Miami. And the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the longer the virus has to spread, mutate, and possibly change enough to evade vaccines.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: The New York Times Article

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
The illustration depicts two peptide drugs to target SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein uses the ACE2 receptor (pink funnel) to bind to and invade cells. With the first peptide drug (purple balls), the virus latches onto the cloaking peptides (purple balls, which protect ACE2), which they mistake for ACE2 receptor on human cells - preventing infection. If the virus finds its way into cells, the second peptide-drug (green balls) can block how the virus hijacks inside of those cells, significantly stopping viral replication. It also boosts the immune systems ability to recognize the virus. Credit: Madeleine Kersting Flynn - QIMR Berghofer

Scientists from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland have developed two new drugs to both prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and also treat people who have been exposed to the virus so they do not develop severe disease.

The peptide-based drugs are now being tested in hamsters at France's pre-clinical and clinical research facility, IDMIT, with promising early results showing they are not toxic and have few side effects. The drugs are also stable and can be stored at room temperaturewhich would make them easy to distribute.

The study findings have been published overnight in the prestigious journal Nature Cell Discovery.

The two early intervention drugs target how human cells respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, instead of the virus itself.

The first peptide-based drug would be given pre-exposure to the virus and help boost the efficacy of vaccines, while the second drug would stop the spread of the virus in already infected cells.

The discovery of the peptide-based drugs was made possible after the researchers uncovered a previously unknown mode of entry that SARS-CoV-2 exploits to invade cells and cause COVID-19 disease.

Laboratory tests show the first peptide-based drug reduces infection by cloaking the ACE2 receptor protein on human cells. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein uses the ACE2 receptor to bind to and invade cells.

The virus then latches onto the cloaking peptides, which they mistake for human cellspreventing infection.

The lab tests have also shown that if the virus finds its way into cells, the second peptide-drug can block how the virus hijacks the host cell and replicates. It also boosts the immune system's ability to recognise the virus.

Senior researcher and head of QIMR Berghofer's Gene Regulation and Translational Medicine Group, Professor Sudha Rao, said they were able to develop the drugs after discovering that some people have a chemical tag which acts like a padlock on the ACE2 receptor.

"The tag can either keep the receptor locked or opencontrolling infection. This means people who have the 'padlock-like' tag on their ACE2 receptors will be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and those without the tag are more vulnerable to infection," Professor Rao said.

"Our drugs stop the tag from being removed and also protect the untagged ACE2 receptors from being infected."

The researchers also discovered that if the virus invaded the cells it would unlock the tag from the insideallowing more efficient virus replication.

"Our new peptide-based drugs can keep the padlock closed and prevent infection taking hold," Professor Rao said.

"These are the first drugs we are aware of that can operate on dual fronts. We hope, if the clinical trials are successful, that the first drug could be given as a therapy alongside vaccination to prevent the virus binding to cells and taking hold, while the second peptide could be used to stop the virus replicating in already-infected patients."

The research was conducted on COVID-19 patient blood and human cells.

Professor Nabila Seddiki, who is testing the drugs at IDMIT in France, said the development of new drugs was an exciting step in the fight against COVID-19.

"Many of the drugs being developed around the world to treat COVID-19 are targeted at people with severe disease. However, these peptide-based drugs are aimed at preventing infection in the first place, and at reducing the severity of the disease before it really takes hold," Professor Seddiki said.

"These drugs could also be very important because they may provide the protection we need for emerging variants and be used to protect the small group of people who cannot be vaccinated."

Professor Rao said the collaboration with IDMIT was vital to the study's progress.

"IDMIT are world leaders in clinical trials and, particularly, tests of potential COVID-19 drugs. They have access to the latest emerging strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which ensures testing of our potential drugs occurs on relevant strains of the virus," Professor Rao said.

"We are very grateful to Professor Seddiki and her team for providing their expertise and resources to run the pre-clinical trials, and we're hopeful these trials will progress well."

The Queensland Minister for Health, Yvette D'Ath said the State Government was proud to have helped fund Professor Rao's research.

"Just over a year ago we knew very little about this disease and it's amazing that Queensland researchers have been able to develop these potential new drugs in such a short time," Ms D'Ath said.

"All Queenslanders can be proud of Professor Rao and her team's hard work and commitment to finding new weapons against this pandemic disease that continues to destroy lives around the world."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: Wen Juan Tu et al, Targeting novel LSD1-dependent ACE2 demethylation domains inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, Cell Discovery (2021). Wen Juan Tu et al, Targeting novel LSD1-dependent ACE2 demethylation domains inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41421-021-00279-w

Provided by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
The EU plans to launch its Digital Covid Certificate on July 1.

EU leaders on Tuesday welcomed the introduction of a bloc-wide COVID-19 pass that they hope will unlock a tourist surge this summer.

The 27 member states want the EU Digital COVID Certificate, to be launched July 1, to turn the page on coronavirus restrictions that have crimped Europeans' cherished freedom of movement.

Coupled with a separate plan to let in fully vaccinated travellers from countries outside the EU, to be defined by the middle of June, Europe believes its vital tourist industry could claw back some of the losses racked up since the start of the pandemic.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told a media conference after the summit that more than 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses will have been delivered by the end of this week, rising to 400 million next month.

"If we continue like this, we have confidence that we will be able to safely reopen our societies," she said, adding the EU was on track to meet its goal of fully inoculating 70 percent of adults by late July.

"Progressively, we should return to the ability to move freely throughout the European Union," European Council President Charles Michel said.

EU countries and the European Parliament struck agreement last week on the legislation to come into force mid-June for the COVID certificate. Von der Leyen said all the technological infrastructure would be ready by June 1.

The leaders of Greece, Spain and Croatia, whose economies strongly rely on tourist spending, were particularly effusive about the common document.

They all had wipe-out summer seasons last year, but are already starting to welcome back foreign travellers, ignoring Brussels' plea to coordinate at an EU level.

The certificate will show the bearer's vaccination status, or whether they have immunity from a Covid infection they have recovered from, or the result of a Covid test.

QR code verification

Luxembourg's prime minister, Xavier Bettel, pointed out that a scannable QR code on the certificates will stymie the "hugely copied" PDF files of test results or vaccinations that some people were using to cross borders.

The EU's COVID certificate will show the bearer's vaccination status, or whether they have immunity from a COVID infection they have recovered from, or the result of a COVID test.

Conscious that the EU has procured up to 4.4 billion vaccine doses over the next two yearsfar more than it needs for its population of 450 millionleaders have rallied to a pledge made at a G20 summit in Rome last Friday to share 100 million doses to countries in need by the end of this year.

Denmark and Sweden each promised three million doses from their stocks at the summit. Germany, Italy and France had already pledged higher amounts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she also pushed leaders to agree a mechanism to "react quickly and cohesively" if worrying new coronavirus variants popped up.

The Brussels gathering of EU leaders on Tuesday also looked at ways to share out the burden on battling climate change, to meet the target of cutting emissions by 55 percent over the rest of this decade.

Von der Leyen's commission has been tasked with mapping out the next stepsincluding potentially unpopular ones such as slapping carbon taxes on cars and buildings.

The first day of the summit on Monday was overshadowed by Belarus, which sits just outside the EU's eastern borders, forcing down a Ryanair passenger plane the day before to arrest an opposition journalist and his companion who were on board.

EU leaders unanimously blasted the action and moved to cut Belarus out of European airspace as part of a package of sanctions that will be developed further.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Less than 20 percent of people in Hong Kong have so far chosen to have the coronavirus vaccine, despite plentiful supplies.

Hong Kong may soon have to throw away millions of coronavirus vaccine doses because they are approaching their expiry date and not enough people have signed up for the jabs, an official warned Tuesday.

Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world fortunate enough to have secured more than enough doses to inoculate its entire population of 7.5 million people.

But swirling distrust of the government as it stamps out dissentcombined with online misinformation and a lack of urgency in the comparatively virus-free cityhas led to entrenched vaccine hesitancy and a dismal inoculation drive.

On Tuesday a member of the government's vaccine task force warned that Hong Kongers "only have a three-month window" before the city's first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines go out of date.

"The vaccines all have expiry dates," Thomas Tsang, a former controller of the Centre for Health Protection, told RTHK radio.

"They cannot be used after the expiry date and the community vaccination centres for BioNTech will, according to present plans, cease operating after September."

Tsang said it was "just not right" that Hong Kong was sitting on an unused pile of doses while the rest of the world "is scrambling for vaccines".

And he warned new doses were unlikely to be delivered.

"What we have is probably all we have for the rest of the year," he said.

Graphic showing the changing trend in people willing to accept a coronavirus vaccine in selected countries, according to the latest figures from YouGov polls.

Hong Kong bought 7.5 million doses each of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and China's Sinovac.

The latter has yet to be approved by the World Health Organization but was fast-tracked for use by city health regulators.

It also pre-ordered 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca jabs but scrapped that deal earlier in the year, with authorities saying they planned to use the money for second-generation vaccines next year.

Medical worker resistance

So far just 19 percent of the population has received one dose of either vaccine, while 14 percent has received two doses.

Hesitancy is common even among the city's medical workers. Earlier this month, the city's Hospital Authority revealed only a third of its staff had taken the opportunity to be vaccinated.

On Tuesday, authorities announced the first major expansion of the vaccine programme to non-residents. Some 40,000 Chinese mainlanders with travel permits as well as some 13,000 refugee claimants will now be eligible.

There are currently millions of unused Pfizer-BioNTech shots, which must be stored at ultra-low temperatures and have a six-month shelf life.

A total of 3,263,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have been shipped to Hong Kong so far but only 1,231,600 have been administered.

Long quarantine measures and economically painful social distancing rules have kept infections in Hong Kong low.

Hong Kong's vaccine hesitancy comes as many nearby countries are scrambling to secure enough doses as the coronavirus wreaks havoc.

In recent weeks, some Hong Kong politicians have suggested the city could look to send unused vaccines overseas if take-up does not improve.

Public trust in the Hong Kong government has been at historic lows since Beijing and local authorities cracked down on dissent to end huge and often violent democracy protests that broke out in 2019.

Officials have also struggled to come up with incentives to encourage vaccination in a city where long quarantine measures and economically painful social distancing rules have kept infections low.

Instead officials have largely put the onus on businesses to push employees into vaccinating.

Earlier this year the government announced HK$5,000 ($640) spending vouchers for all residents as a way to boost the economy.

Some critics suggested the government should either link those vouchers to vaccination certificatesor provide further cash handouts for the inoculated.

However on Tuesday city leader Carrie Lam rejected that suggestion.

"To offer cash or something physical to encourage vaccination shouldn't be done by the government and may even cause the opposite effect," she said.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
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In his Ph.D. study, Toni Luokkala investigated the soft tissue injuries related to elbow collateral ligaments and distal biceps tendon tears.

The elbow is the second most commonly dislocated joint after the glenohumeral joint. The extent of soft tissue injuries has an effect on the choice of treatment, rehabilitation and prognosis. Instability of the elbow is considered to be a symptom of looseness or laxity which may cause the elbow to slide or pop out of place either partially or completely in certain upper limb positions or under a certain load. However, the injury mechanism, related soft tissue injury pattern, and the role of the soft tissue structures in acute dislocation or chronic instability are based on limited data.

Distal biceps tendon tears (DBTTs) cause pain, bruising and swelling in the acute phase, followed by the loss of elbow flexion and forearm supination force, which may significantly impair daily living and work capacity.

In the first part of the study, Luokkala investigated the distribution of soft tissue injuries seen after acute simple elbow dislocations and investigated the contribution of posterolateral elbow ligamentous and capsular structures to posterior radial head stability on simulated posterior draw in a cadaver model.

The second part of the study investigated the demographics, prodromal symptoms and complications of 234 consecutive acute and chronic DBTT cases operated in a single center within a seven-year period. Also evaluated was the sensitivity of the distal biceps hook test in diagnostics of the injury and its ability to predict the need for tendon graft reconstruction.

Luokkala's dissertation shows that no single mechanism explains simple elbow dislocations, and that instead of one universal underlying injury pattern, different grades of soft tissue injury exist. Contrary to the existing theory, the most severe injuries may more commonly be located on the medial side of the joint. The study also shows that a specific type of posterolateral side instability occurs after an experimental lesion. These findings prompt reconsideration of the theoretical models of injury patterns and methods of assessment of acute injuries.

In addition, this study shows that DBTTs mainly occur in middle- aged men and elite athletes. LABCN neurapraxia is the most common complication after repair. Long delay to surgery and subsequent need for a graft does not seem to be a significant risk factor for a complication. Furthermore, in 10% of cases, prodromal symptoms are present and may be a warning sign of a rupture. The sensitivity of the hook test was 80% in this sample, and thus distinctly different from the 100% described by the test developers. This study shows that a negative test does not exclude DBTT and that further imaging is required in cases of doubt. However, the hook test remains a useful clinical test in suspected DBTT, as it may be used in counseling patients on the risk of graft reconstruction in delayed cases.

The doctoral dissertation of Toni Luokkala, Licentiate of Medicine, titled "Soft tissue injuires around the elbow," will be examined at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Explore further Risk factors identified for elbow and shoulder injuries in professional baseball pitchers

More information: Public examination online (in Finnish): Public examination online (in Finnish): www.uef.fi/fi/tapahtuma/ll-ton  -laaketiede-verkossa
A medical staff wearing a face mask walks outside a vaccination center in Kepong on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Malaysia unexpectedly imposed a one-month lockdown through June 7, spooked by a sharp rise in cases, more-infectious variants and weak public compliance with health measures. Credit: AP Photo/Vincent Thian

A worsening coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia has sparked alarm and is spilling over into neighboring Thailand, which recently discovered a more infectious variant in its south believed to have come from Malaysia.

Malaysia has experienced a rapid climb in new cases since April that has strained its hospitals and prompted the government to impose a near lockdown until June 7.

But infections have not abated, with a record 7,289 new cases reported Tuesday, pushing the country's tally to 525,889a five-fold increase since the start of the year. Deaths have spiked to more than 2,300. It is the third worst-hit country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines.

Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah warned Tuesday that the country has to "prepare for the worst" amid signs that new cases could spike further.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob expressed concern Tuesday that the number of infected children has grown eight-fold to 64,046 so far this year, from just over 8,000 at the end of last year. Two-thirds are under 12, including 6,290 babies under 18 months old, he said.

The government has shut all schools, prohibited dining in restaurants and banned social activities and inter-state travel, but has resisted calls for a full lockdown because of fears it would cause an economic catastrophe.

Airline employees sit after receiving the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be sure of no side effects at the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Instead, restrictions were tightened Tuesday with more people made to work from home, business operating hours shortened and consumers allowed to shop at malls for only two hours. The capacity and frequency of public transport have also been cut by half, causing longer lines and bigger crowds at bus and train stations.

Malaysia aims to vaccine 80% of its population by next year and has ramped up its inoculation program, with nearly 2.5 million of its 33 million people having received at least one dose of vaccine. Still, officials are worried about the rapid spread of the virus, especially clusters involving new variants originating in South Africa and India.

The outbreak has spilled into Thailand, which has locked down several southern villages along the Malaysian border after identifying infections involving the South African variant that is thought to be more contagious. It was believed to have been spread by an infected person who crossed the border from Malaysia.

Health workers administer shots of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for airline employees at Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Thailand has also seen a recent surge, with confirmed cases rising to 135,439, including 832 deaths. It will begin its national vaccination campaign on June 7 and hopes to vaccinate 70% of the estimated 70 million people living in the country by the end of the year. It has administered 2.91 million doses so far, using vaccines from AstraZeneca and China's Sinovac.

Health officials have called on the government to quickly diversify its vaccine procurement. Only four vaccines have so far been authorized for use in Thailand and only two have been administered: AstraZeneca and Sinovac. The AstraZeneca vaccine is to be locally manufactured and play a key role in the inoculation effort.

Airline employees rest after receiving the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be sure there are not any side effects at the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Critics of Thailand's handling of the crisis say local business interests played a role in delaying and limiting vaccination efforts.

Food and Drugs Administration Secretary-General Paisarn Dankum said the government will consider later this week whether to approve a vaccine made by China's Sinopharm.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new report summarizes the findings from a national survey of frontline health care workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that many reported unsafe working conditions and retaliation for voicing their concerns to employers. The survey, launched in May 2020 by staff and student researchers at the George Washington University, provides a snapshot of the experiences of frontline health care workers providing care for millions of Americans during the pandemic.

"This survey gives a voice to US health care workers who have been on the frontlines of COVID-19," David Michaels, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the George Washington University and former administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said. "Health care workers have valuable first-hand knowledge about this pandemic and this report offers recommendations that could help keep the U.S. on a steady course now and in the future."

There are more than 18 million health care workers in the U.S. and those on the frontlines of the pandemic have much to say about what should be done to prevent future exposures to the virus and other issues. The GW researchers developed an online survey to better understand the experiences of health care workers, including questions about working conditions and safety related concerns.

About 1,200 health care workers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia took the survey and the GW researchers analyzed the data collected during a two-month period from the beginning of May 2020 until the end of June 2020.

The following concerns were repeatedly mentioned in survey responses:

Frustration with unsafe working conditions, especially failed access to adequate personal protective equipment.

Instances of retaliation and at times bullying for voicing their safety concerns to employers.

Perceptions that employers prioritized hospital profits over worker safety and created an unhealthy work environment where workers felt devalued and threatened.

Many of the survey respondents were nurses and the majority worked in a hospital setting. For safety concerns, many health care workers mentioned the lack of personal protective equipment during the early days of the pandemic. Respondents also said they lived with the fear of losing their job if they voiced their concerns and they also expressed frustration with constantly changing employer and national guidelines.

"The responses to the survey contain important insights that cannot be gleaned from statistics alone," Nathan L. McCray, a lead author of the report, said. "Workers voiced a range of experiences during the first few months of pandemic, including those that were positive and others that were excruciating." McCray worked on the report while a research associate at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health.

For example, some workers reported that their employer had taken steps to provide them with the protective equipment they needed to stay safe while others described being devalued or treated as disposable. Still others said they were afraid of getting sick or bringing the virus home to vulnerable family members.

"This survey was anonymous and health care workers said they appreciated having a safe space to share their concerns," Brenda M. Trejo Rosas, a research associate and doctoral student at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, as well as lead author, said. "Our report exposes the impact of power dynamics in the work environment."

The survey also asked frontline workers for solutions to some of the problems they described in the survey. Health care workers stressed the need for improved communication and worker protection policies based on scientific evidence.

They also recommended that the federal government step up and increase the national stockpile of personal protective equipment. Such a stockpile would help the nation better prepare for the next wave of this pandemic or a future pandemic, they said.

In addition, the health care workers who participated in the survey called for employers to treat them with respect and asked for labor rights such as time off, mental health care and zero tolerance for bullying or retaliation.

Authors of the report include McCray, Trejo Rosas, Shamet Qejvani, Shateara Hall, Bani Bhattacharya, Laura M. Neumann and Ans Irfanall of whom worked on the survey as part of the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Multiple Milken Institute School of Public Health students also assisted with the qualitative coding and promotion of the survey.

Michaels and Melissa Perry, a professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, provided guidance in producing the report. The McElhattan Foundation and the Institute for New Economic Thinking provided financial support for the survey and the report.
Figure 1: Nox3 expressing cells in the organ of Corti inside the inner ear cochlea and accompanying diagram (cross-section parallel to the modiolus): The top image is a cross-section of the organ of Corti from a 12-month-old mouse (homozygous Nox3-Cre+/+;tdTomato) and the bottom image is an illustration of this. Red fluorescent proteins (tdTomato), in other words Nox3, are expressed in the outer and inner hair cells, as well as in various types of supporting cells (inner and outer phalangeal cells, outer pillar cells, and Claudius cells). Credit: Kobe University

Professor Ueyama Takehiko (Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University) and the inner ear research group (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine) have identified the cell types in the inner ear cochlea responsible for the production of superoxide (Nox3-expressing cells). They achieved this by using genetically modified mice that they developed. The researchers discovered that these superoxide-producing cells increase in number in response to aging, noise damage, and ototoxic drugs, thus causing age-related, noise-induced and drug-induced hearing loss. In addition, they were able to suppress the onset of these three types of acquired hearing loss in genetically modified mice with no Nox3 expression (Nox3 knockout).

These results are expected to contribute towards the development of the world's first drug-based treatment for hearing loss. Future treatments could involve removing reactive oxygen species from the cochlea, suppressing their production, or the development of Nox3 inhibitors.

These research results were published in the Journal of Neuroscience on April 12, 2021.

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of sensorineural impairment. Around 5% of the global population have some kind of hearing impairment; however, there are still no established treatments, particularly pharmacological interventions, for these conditions.

It is said that hearing loss related to aging occurs in between 25%-40% of adults over 65, and there are around 10 million people with this condition in Japan alone. Noise-induced hearing loss is still one of the most common aftereffects experienced by former soldiers; however, they are not the only people who develop this impairment. According to a statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, around 50% of young people aged 12-35 (1.1 billion people) are at risk of suffering from noise-induced hearing loss in the future due to overexposure to high noise levels resulting from the popularization of portable media players, such as smartphones. There is also drug-induced hearing loss, which can occur as a side effect of taking medications such as antibiotics, anticancer drugs, diuretics, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Consequently, the number of people with hearing loss is increasing in modern society, and developing treatments for this has become a pressing issue.

Superoxide, a kind of reactive oxygen species, produced by NADPH oxidases (Noxs) contribute towards the development of different types of sensorineural hearing loss. Among the seven types of Noxs found in humans, Nox3, which is specifically expressed in the inner ear, has been reported to be the origin of superoxide. However, the cell types in the inner ear cochlea that express Nox3 was not known, and it was not understood when nor how Nox3 is expressed. The mechanism by which it causes hearing loss was also unclear.

Figure 2: Nox3 expressing cells in the organ of Corti (image orthogonal to the modiolus): Reconstructed computer image of layered cross-sections of the organ of Corti vertical to the modiolus from a 2-month-old mouse (homozygous Nox3-Cre+/+;tdTomato). The presence of red fluorescent proteins (tdTomato) indicates that Nox3 is expressed in the outer hair cells (indicated by asterisks (*)) and in various supporting cells (Inner phalangeal cells, inner pillar cells outer pillar cells). Credit: Kobe University

This research group has created many mouse models using gene manipulation in order to investigate the causes of hearing loss in patients and develop treatments for them. For this experiment, they developed a mouse model (Nox3-Cre;tdTomato), in which red fluorescent light-emitting proteins (tdTomato) would be expressed in the Nox3-expressing cells, and a Nox3 knockout mouse line (Nox3-KO), in which Nox-3 is unable to be expressed. Using these mice, they were able to identify the Nox3-expressing cells in the inner ear cochlea (which is responsible for hearing), in other words the cells responsible for producing superoxide (Figures 1 and 2). Furthermore, they also revealed that Nox3 plays an important role in the onset of all of the following major types of acquired hearing loss: age-related hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss and drug-induced hearing loss (Figure 3).

First, the researchers used the mice with red fluorescent tdTomato proteins in Nox3-expressing cells, and a fluorescence microscope to track the temporal expression of red fluorescence in the cells of the mice after birth. They discovered increased red fluorescence in the following cells inside the cochlea (which is responsible for hearing): hair cells, various types of supporting cells (that provide anatomical support to hair cells) and spiral ganglion neurons (the first afferent neuron for hearing connected to hair cells) (Figures 1 and 2).

Of the two types of hair cell inside the inner ear; outer hair cells are more vulnerable to various outside stimuli than the inner hair cells. A loss of outer hair cells is a known manifestation in many cases of hearing impairment. The research team investigated this in detail using two different types of genetically modified mice: mice that retained the Nox3-mediated ability to produce superoxide (heterozygous Nox3-Cre+/-;tdTomato) and mice with this ability removed (homozygous Nox3-Cre+/+;tdTomato). In the first group of mice, which retained the ability to produce superoxide, the inner hair cells emitted red fluorescence from tdTomato protein (in other words, they expressed Nox3). However, Nox3 was not observed in the outer ear cells, regardless of aging, noise, or cisplatin inducement (cisplatin is a well-known anticancer agent that has hearing loss as a side effect). Using the latter group of mice (that were unable to produce superoxide), the researchers found that the number of cells expressing fluorescent tdTomato protein (in other words, cells that originally had the ability to express Nox3) increased in response to aging, noise, and drug inducement. From these results, they determined that Nox3-expressing (i.e. superoxide producing) outer hair cells are poisoned by superoxide and die (apoptosis). In addition, the researchers revealed that loss of outer hair cells could also result from superoxide produced by surrounding supporting cells expressing Nox3, even if the outer hair cell didn't express Nox3 itself.

The team used Nox3-KO mice to investigate the effects of Nox3 on age-related, noise-induced and drug-induced hearing loss, and found that it was easier to suppress both the onset and degree of all these types of hearing loss in Nox3-KO mice than in wild-type mice. They also found that they could suppress age-related and drug-induced hearing loss to a greater degree than noise-induced hearing loss.

Additionally, the researchers discovered that cisplatin-induced increases in Nox3-expressing cells and the subsequent onset of drug-induced hearing loss were weaker in older mice. This result corresponds with clinical data showing that cisplatin-induced hearing loss is more frequent in children under 15 years old.

This research identified the cells in the inner ear cochlea that express Nox3 (in other words, the origin of superoxide in the cochlea) and discovered that induced Nox3 expression causes outer hair cell apoptosis (loss/death) resulting in hearing loss (aging, noise, and drug related). Consequently, the researchers revealed that inhibiting Nox3's expression or function could provide a promising approach for preventing the onset of acquired hearing loss.

Figure 3: Outer hair cell apoptosis (loss) caused by superoxide originating from Nox3, and the hearing loss onset mechanism: Nox3 expression is not found in the cochleae of juvenile mice (top section of the diagram). The number of Nox3-expressing cells (outer hair cells and supporting cells) increase at the basal turn of the cochlea as a result of aging, exposure to noise, and ototoxic drugs (such as the anticancer agent cisplatin) (middle section). Superoxide causes outer hair cell apoptosis (loss/death), which results in hearing loss (bottom section). This is either caused by superoxide originating from Nox3 expression in the hair cells themselves, or by superoxide originating from surrounding supporting cells expressing Nox3. Note: this is a diagram of Figure 2. Credit: Kobe University

Further Developments

Hearing loss is the most common sensorineural impairment and is only expected to increase in the future; however, there is a need to develop pharmacological interventions for these conditions. This research has revealed that superoxide produced by Nox3 in the inner ear cochlea causes the apoptosis (loss/death) of outer hair cells, which causes at least the following types of acquired hearing loss: age-related, noise-induced, and drug-induced. The results also show that there is a possibility of preventing the onset of the major types of acquired hearing loss by inhibiting Nox3 expression and function in the cochlea. Fortunately, if such a Nox3 inhibitor were to be developed, its side effects on the rest of the body are likely to be mild because Nox3 has been reported to be specifically expressed in the inner ear.

As for genetic sensorineural hearing loss, progress is being made in developing treatments for each specific disorder separately. However, there are far fewer patients with genetic hearing loss compared to those with acquired hearing loss.

If a pharmacological treatment method were to be developed for the abovementioned three main types of acquired hearing impairment, it would not only be the first drug-based treatment for hearing loss in the world, but could also aid the development of such treatments for genetic hearing loss as well.

The results of this study represent a breakthrough in the development of drugs to treat hearing loss and will be of great benefit to society.

Explore further New study finds genetic predisposition for noise-induced hearing loss

More information: Hiroaki Mohri et al, Nox3-derived superoxide in cochleae induces sensorineural hearing loss Mechanisms of Nox3-dependent hearing loss, The Journal of Neuroscience (2021). Journal information: Journal of Neuroscience Hiroaki Mohri et al, Nox3-derived superoxide in cochleae induces sensorineural hearing loss Mechanisms of Nox3-dependent hearing loss,(2021). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2672-20.2021
Dysregulation of the PI3K/Hippo signaling pathways is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis, and the resulting overproduction of CTGF is a new therapeutic target for chronic pancreatitis. Credit: Osaka University

Chronic inflammation of the pancreas is a debilitating disease with poorly understood causative factors. Now, researchers at Osaka University have identified the disturbed molecular pathways and revealed the underlying mechanisms that may inform an effective and much-needed therapeutic strategy.

The pancreas is an important organ with a dual role in digestion and the production of various hormones including insulin and glucagon that fine-tune blood sugar levels.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized by inflammation of the gland causing shrinkage, replacement of glandular elements with fibrous tissue (fibrosis) and loss of function. Patients suffer abdominal symptoms, poor digestion and consequent nutritional disorders. They can also develop diabetes mellitus and, in some cases, even pancreatic cancer. The roles of alcohol abuse and digestive enzyme gene mutations in triggering CP are known, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

The research team's suspicions fell on two molecular channels of cellular communication, called the PI3K and the Hippo signaling pathways, that have been implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer. Takeshi Tamura, co-first author, explains the research strategy: "In experimental mouse models of CP, we showed that the expression of two molecular components of the PI3K and Hippo signaling pathways, PTEN and SAV1, is decreased in the pancreatic tissues. Additionally, we generated mice that lack pancreas-specific genes for these two molecules and observed that they spontaneously developed CP."

The role of the PI3K/Hippo pathway in chronic pancreatitis. Mice lacking PTEN/SAV1 spontaneously develop chronic pancreatitis with inflammation, fibrosis and atrophy of the pancreas. Credit: Osaka University

Co-first author Takahiro Kodama elaborates: "In laboratory experiments, we were able to establish the pivotal role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) in the development of CP. Inhibition of PTEN and SAV1 increases CTGF which, in turn, induces a pathological transformation of glandular cell types called acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM). It also activates pancreatic stellate cells and macrophages, both of which promote fibrosis in CP."

These are hallmarks of chronic inflammation in the pancreas with a potential to trigger carcinogenesis. Furthermore, the researchers were able to show that CTGF inhibition in animal models alleviated the inflammation, fibrosis and ADM formation of CP, and they could confirm these experimental findings by analysis of human pancreatic tissue.

Treatment of chronic pancreatitis by targeting CTGF.A) Chronic pancreatitis developed in PTEN/SAV1-deficient mice is alleviated by CTGF deficiency. B) Drug-induced chronic pancreatitis is alleviated by CTGF neutralizing antibodies. Credit: Osaka University

These findings elaborate the molecular mechanisms that underpin the development and progression of chronic inflammation in the pancreas, suggesting that CTGF may be a fruitful new therapeutic target in the quest for effective therapy against chronic pancreatitis.

Explore further Mysterious tuft cells found to play role in pancreatitis

More information: "Dysregulation of PI3K and Hippo signaling pathways wynergistically induces chronic pancreatitis via CTGF upregulation" Journal of Clinical Investigation, doi.org/10.1172/JCI143414 Journal information: Journal of Clinical Investigation "Dysregulation of PI3K and Hippo signaling pathways wynergistically induces chronic pancreatitis via CTGF upregulation"
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A small case series of patients who received one dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine found that vaccination was not associated with worsening symptoms or quality of life in patients with persisting symptoms after acute COVID-19. These findings may help to assuage vaccine hesitancy in patients with persistent symptoms. A case report is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, United Kingdom, studied 163 patients from a single U.K. hospital to describe quality of life and symptoms after vaccination in a series of patients with persistent symptoms eight months after hospitalization with COVID-19. Prior to vaccination, the patients reported a total of 159 symptoms across organ systems, including fatigue (75%), breathlessness (61%), and insomnia (53%). In addition, quality of life was markedly reduced from the norm.

All participants were reassessed at approximately one month after receiving the vaccine, and quality-of-life questionnaires and review of symptoms were repeated, with specific questions on whether symptoms had improved, stayed the same, or worsened. Participants were only asked to confirm vaccination status after symptom assessment to minimize bias due to a perceived association between the assessment and vaccination. They were subsequently asked about adverse effects temporally related to the vaccine.

Among the 44 participants who had received one dose of vaccine, 82% reported at least one persistent symptom. Among the 159 symptoms reported before vaccination, 23.2% had improved, 5.6% had worsened, and 71.1% had stayed the same. There was no significant worsening in quality-of-life metrics before versus after vaccination. No difference in any outcome measure was identified between the two different vaccines.

According to the researchers, these observations are important because they may provide reassurance to the increasing number of persons experiencing persistent symptoms after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection that receipt of a messenger RNA or adenoviral vector vaccine is not associated with a decrease in quality of life or worsening of symptoms.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: David T. Arnold et al, Symptoms After COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients With Persistent Symptoms After Acute Infection: A Case Series, Annals of Internal Medicine (2021). Journal information: Annals of Internal Medicine David T. Arnold et al, Symptoms After COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients With Persistent Symptoms After Acute Infection: A Case Series,(2021). DOI: 10.7326/M21-1976

Provided by Annals of Internal Medicine
At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Dorothy Farris organized "Cocktails and Conversation," a weekly hourlong Zoom session with a group of old friends. Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. quickly became a cherished part of their routines.

They talked about everything from where to find toilet paper and disinfectant wipes to what everyone was reading or streaming. For their July 30 call, they planned to talk about something they realized they'd never discussed: how they'd met their husbands.

Trading tales and laughs, the chat ran uncharacteristically long. It was well after their usual stopping point when it was finally Farris' turn to share how she'd met her husband, Bill.

But as she went to speak, Farris froze.

"I thought it was just a Zoom freeze," Pam Barclay said. "But when she talked it was gibberish. She slumped to one side and I thought, 'Oh, my God, she's had a stroke.'"

As Farris tried making sense of what was happening, she realized she couldn't move her right arm. Her right leg suddenly felt like it had fallen asleep. She tried getting up anyway. And collapsed.

Watching on Zoom, the group split up crucial duties: Barclay had Farris' address in Palos Verdes Estates, California, so she called 911. Rita Plantamura had Bill's phone number, so she called him. Miki Jordan stayed on Zoom, trying to calm Farris and let her know help was on the way.

Valerie Ryan missed the call that day, but they alerted her. She in turn arranged for prayer groups through their church and drove to the hospital to wait with Bill.

Rescue workers had to scale a locked wrought iron gate to get into the house. They got Farris to a nearby comprehensive stroke center in time for doctors to quickly diagnose the problem.

Farris had an ischemic stroke, the kind caused by a blood clot in her brain. Within two hours of Farris arriving at the hospital, doctors had surgically removed the clot, restoring normal blood flow.

"I woke up Friday morning feeling fine," she said.

Looking back, the 69-year-old said the day had been normal. She'd walked 3 miles and didn't notice any unusual symptoms.

She also considers the events that saved her life to be "divine intervention." All previous Zoom calls had ended promptly at 6 p.m., so it was just happenstance that she was still online when the stroke hit. Plantamura only had Bill's number because he'd counseled her on a recent car purchase.

"How many people have their friend's spouse's number?" Farris said. "Everything went like clockwork."

The friends now all have each other's emergency contact info. They've also gladly shared their story with local and national media, hoping to raise awareness about stroke symptoms and the importance of seeking immediate help. Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of serious disability for adults.

"Remember F.A.S.T.," Farris said, referring to the acronym that if you experience or see face drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulties, it's time to call 911. "That T part, time, is just critical. Every minute counts. Call 911 and don't worry about feeling embarrassed if it could be a false alarm."

Farris has no residual effects from her stroke. Doctors credit that to the quick actions of her friends.

She wore a heart monitor for the next month, which led to a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can dramatically increase the risk of stroke. A few years before, she'd been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic cardiac disorder that can increase stroke risk.

The first Thursday after her stroke, Farris again hosted "Cocktails and Conversation."

"We had a very tearful session," she said. "How do you thank people for saving your life?"

Explore further Mayo Clinic Minute: Think FAST to recognize a stroke

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5 million fund aimed at artisan, micro and small food businesses

Funding will help artisan, micro and small food businesses to respond to challenges posed by Brexit and COVID-19

LEADER programme a key plank of Our Rural Future

Small food businesses are today (Tuesday, May 25th) being encouraged to apply for funding under the LEADER Food Initiative  a 5 million investment aimed at assisting businesses to deal with the challenges posed by Brexit and COVID-19.

The final call for applications was made by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett.

The funding will help artisan, micro and small food businesses to respond to challenges posed by Brexit and COVID-19, while also supporting diversification in agriculture.

In December 2020, Ministers Humphreys, McConalogue and Hackett announced the extension of the LEADER Food Initiative into 2021.

As part of that announcement, the maximum rate of aid available to projects involving economic activity was increased from 50% to 75% for project applications received on or after 1st April 2021.

Announcing the final call for applications, all three Ministers urged small food businesses to submit their applications.

Minister Humphreys said:

I recently launched the Transitional LEADER Programme for 2021 and 2022, underpinned by 70 million in funding. Today, I am delighted to announce the final call for applications under LEADER Food Initiative.

Our Rural Future, the Governments ambitious new policy for the development of Rural Ireland, outlined the importance of the Agri-food sector for our country. This initiative is a key part of the Governments plans for our agriculture community - support artisan, micro and small food businesses, new or existing to develop their businesses.

Minister Humphreys continued:

Some 116 projects have been approved by the various Local Action Groups (LAGSs) to date. Since the launch of this programme in 2018, my Department and I have seen the really positive impact the LEADER Food Initiative funding can have on supporting local enterprises to expand and develop.

Supporting local enterprises and employment is a key focus of Our Rural Future. I would encourage local enterprises, who may qualify for this funding, to contact their Local Development Company to avail of this funding and support as we move into a post pandemic economy.

Along with Minister McConalogue and Minister Hackett, I will continue to drive forward with implementing the commitments in Our Rural Future as we strive to support our Agri-Food sector.

Commenting on the development, Minister McConalogue said:

I am happy to announce that the final tranche of the 15m funding allocated by my Department for the LEADER Food Initiative is now being made available for this final call for applications for artisan, micro and small food enterprises engaged in the agri-food sector. Following on from my announcement last year on extending the measure into 2021, I am pleased that applicants with eligible projects under this call can be eligible for consideration for the increased maximum funding limit now increased from 50% to 75%. The 5m funding now made available will help support farmers and food enterprises to develop premium, sustainable outlets for their products on the Irish market.

Minister Mc Conalogue added:

I hope that the increased maximum rates of aid will encourage these food businesses, who have shown great resilience during the past year, to apply for this funding support."

Minister Hackett continued:

"It is so important to help connect small food producers to the consumer. Thats why I am pleased that this funding is made available under the LEADER Food Initiative. The support will help local food enterprises to access advisory, investment and marketing support for those who wish to diversify into new products and to build efficient, sustainable routes to market that help connect small food producers to the consumer."

Contact details for all Local Action Groups and their Implementing Partners (Local Development Companies) can be located here:

ENDS

Contact:

The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office

076-1006843 / 087-1734633

Press.office@drcd.gov.ie

Notes to editor:

LEADER is a rural development programme co-funded by the EU which operates a locally-led, bottom-up, approach to meeting the needs of local communities and businesses. The programme supports private enterprises and community groups in rural areas. LEADER forms part of Irelands multi-annual Rural Development Programme which is co-financed by the EU and is part of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

The LEADER programme is delivered by 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) in 28 sub-regional areas. These groups are partnerships of public and private entities from a defined geographical area.

The LEADER Food Initiative was allocated 15 million as part of Irelands Rural Development Programme and was launched in May 2018 to support the further development of food and beverage businesses throughout rural Ireland.

The LEADER Food Initiative has been open since May 2018 and 116 projects to the total value of circa 10 million, including permitted Animation and Administration costs, have been approved to date. Some projects funded under the initiative are in Appendix I.

The funding covers inter alia the renovation and extension of production facilities, the purchasing of processing equipment, as well as supporting participants in the artisan food and beverage sector in areas such as market development, competitiveness, and innovation.

The initiative is managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development, with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The maximum amount of funding available is 200,000 per project and funding will be provided for both capital investment and softer supports related to analysis and development or training. This includes support for collaborative proposals where food businesses jointly address common processing and marketing challenges.

Appendix 1- Example of projects funded under the LFI
"You know, we can look back in a time and history where people were told to wear a gold star. And they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany," Greene said on the podcast. "This is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about."

After her remarks sparked a firestorm of online criticism, Greene leaned in to the comparison further.

On Tuesday, she tweeted out a news story about a grocery store chain that plans to allow vaccinated employees to go maskless. Those who do would have a logo on their nametags indicating they had been vaccinated.

"Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear a gold star," Greene tweeted.

Pelosi, who previously suggested that Greene could face an ethics inquiry, called her comments "so beyond reprehensible" that they should have "no place in our country." Democratic Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider proposed censuring Greene.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Greene's comments one of her "frequent outbursts that are absolutely outrageous and reprehensible." Still, he said any disciplinary action against her would have to come from the House.
Maui police say 36-year-old Kelsey Newcomer didnt have a negative COVID-19 test from an approved facility when she arrived on a flight from Seattle. Police say she also didnt have approved lodging where she could complete at 10-day mandatory quarantine.

She was taken to a police station and later agreed to leave the island of Maui and return to Oregon. Travelers to Hawaii must comply with the states pre-travel testing program, even those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

She couldnt immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.



HARTFORD, Conn.  A judge has upheld Connecticuts requirement that children wear masks in schools, rejecting a challenge by some parents who say mask wearing can be harmful and education officials exceeded their authority.

A Superior Court judge in Hartford released his ruling Monday in response to a lawsuit filed by the CT Freedom Alliance and several parents and their children. The decision affirms the legitimacy of mask requirements in schools this academic year but does not give guidance for the next school year.
However, the ban will not apply to those engaged in essential services such as health, food supply and power sector and those seeking medical treatment while others are banned from leaving their houses.

The fresh restrictions were imposed as the islands key medical associations cautioned that the infection is rampant across the country and that the actual number in the community is more than three times the number detected.

According to the latest statistics of the health ministry, Sri Lanka has 161,242 positive cases with 1178 fatalities.

Doctors have predicted that the number of patients could rapidly rise in the next two weeks because of the last months celebrations and shopping by the people to mark the traditional new year.

Sri Lanka has halted public transport, banned public gatherings, parties, weddings and closed schools and universities.



SAN FRANCISCO  The ride hailing companies Uber and Lyft have started providing free transportation to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites in the United States.

Uber said Monday that it will provide four rides valued at up to $25 each through July 4 while Lyft has said that it is offering two rides of up to $15 each.
Its wearing out the Navy, the crews, their personnel, their families, said Matt Caris, a defense analyst at Avascent, a consulting firm in Washington, who said investments are needed in sailors, maintenance and new ships.

The Navy has acknowledged problems in the shipbuilding programs, while having success in others, including submarines.

But aging ships  60% of todays fleet was commissioned in 2001 or before  has caused maintenance and operation costs to grow at a time when the Navy wants to spend on new ships and research. It would take 4.1% in annual funding growth to boost the fleet to 355 ships within about a decade while meeting other obligations including investments in shipyards, Gilday said.

Speaking at Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works on a recent afternoon, Gilday insisted things are getting better. The length of time that ships were delayed has declined by 80% at public shipyards and 60% at private yards compared to where things were 18 months ago, Gilday said.

And even those ships that suffered delays and cost overruns hold potential. The stealthy Zumwalt destroyer built at Bath Iron Works will be the first naval vessel equipped with hypersonic missiles, he said.

Im not saying that were satisfied with where we are, Gilday said. What I will say is that I think that certainly the trends are headed in the right direction.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Investigators are searching for two people in connection to an assault of a Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council member in Billings.

Silver Little Eagle, the youngest person ever elected to the council, was hospitalized following an assault at a downtown hotel May 16. Billings Police were called to the scene by a family member of Little Eagle. A second man, a 31-year-old from Lame Deer, was also found to have been assaulted at the same time and place as Little Eagle, according to a press release from the Billings Police Lt. Brandon Wooley.

Authorities are looking for a 25-year-old woman from St. Xavier, and a 27-year-old from an unknown town for questioning. As of Tuesday, no arrests had been made by Billings police, nor charges filed in Yellowstone County in connection with either reported assault.

There is believed to be a partner family member association between the 31-year-old male and the 27-year-old female person of interest. Further, it is believed there is some type of association between all parties involved and the crime is not believed to be a random act of violence between unknown parties, Wooley said in the statement published Tuesday.
He tweeted: If wed had the right preparations + competent people in charge, we wd probably have avoided lockdown1, (asterisk)definitely(asterisk) no need for lockdowns 2&3.

The government denies Cummings allegations. The prime ministers spokesman, Max Blain, said herd immunity from infection has never been government policy.

Cummings critics are not surprised he is causing a fuss. The self-styled political disruptor has long expressed contempt for the civil service, many politicians and much of the media.

He was one of the architects of the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, credited with coining the powerfully simple slogan Take back control. He also hired a firm linked to Cambridge Analytica, which detractors say unleashed the poison of data-harvesting and social-media manipulation into the British political bloodstream.

When Johnson, co-leader of the Brexit leave campaign, became prime minister in 2019, Cummings was appointed his top aide, a powerful post that saw him dubbed Boriss brain. He slouched around Downing St. in sweatpants and T-shirts and spoke of his desire to radically reconfigure government. He irked many politicians, who grumbled about unelected advisers wielding undue influence.
Specifically, lawyers:

 are officers of the legal system and public citizens having special responsibility for the quality of justice;

 in their conduct, should conform to the requirements of the law, in professional service to clients;

 should use the laws procedures only for legitimate purposes and not to harass or intimidate others;

 should demonstrate respect for the legal system and for those who serve it, including judges, other lawyers and public officials;

 have a duty, when necessary, to challenge the rectitude of official action, but also a duty to uphold legal process;

 should further the publics understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system because legal institutions in a constitutional democracy depend on popular participation and support to maintain their authority;

 as officers of the court, have a duty to engender trust in the profession and the rule of law. Trust in the integrity of the system and those who operate it is a basic necessity of the rule of law.
During my campaign for the legislature in 2020, I worked hard to extend the tenure of a Democratic governor in Montana. And yet, when Gov. Greg Gianforte was elected, I was cautiously hopeful about his drive towards economic recovery across the state as we navigate out of the pandemic. Gianfortes plan to get Montana back to business guided Republicans efforts during the session, who passed sweeping regressive legislation cutting taxes for the wealthy, exempting capital gains tax, and creating tax credits for large corporations.

Though I disagree on the governors approach  prioritizing the wealthiest Montanans and out-of-state corporations to lift up our communities  I was committed to spending the session on policy solutions for economic development. I focused in on the child care crisis across Montana and the impact a lack of affordable, accessible child care has on our economy and workforce.
RALEIGH  North Carolina Forest Service officials urge the public to postpone any outdoor burning through early June. During the next two weeks as warmer, drier weather patterns continue across the state, fire danger will be high, and in some cases, extreme.

As our state continues to dry out and heat up, we need every North Carolinian to be mindful of fire danger and the increased risk of wildfire due to this warm, dry weather, said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. Check local ordinances and alerts so that you remain aware of any local and state burning restrictions that are in effect or that may become effective in the coming days.

More wildfires have occurred in North Carolina during 2021 than in all of 2020.
Our ultimate objective is the truth. What is the truth of this election? Favorito said in an interview. Dont tell us what the results are and then hide it from us and pretend we have to accept whatever you tell us.

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said in a statement: It is outrageous that Fulton County continues to be a target of those who cannot accept the results from last years election. The votes have been counted multiple times, including a hand recount, and no evidence of fraud has been found.

Both sides are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss how to review the mail ballots. Favorito said Jovan Pulitzer, an inventor and key figure in the pro-Trump movement to overturn the 2020 election, may be one of the people he consults for the ballot examination.

Pulitzer had pushed unsuccessfully for a statewide audit of Georgia's election results, even after two recounts by the Republican secretary of state confirmed that Biden won the state. That finding infuriated Trump, who has slammed both Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp.
A push to get more residents of Butte-Silver Bow County vaccinated for COVID-19 is continuing on multiple fronts this week, including vaccination clinics big and small and details of a $500,000 vaccine sweepstakes campaign.

A pop-up vaccination clinic will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Town Pump at Elizabeth Warren and Harrison avenues. Those ages 12 and older are welcome, with all three vaccine models available.

A mass vaccination clinic will be held from 2 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8, at the Butte Civic Center, with those ages 12 and older welcome  all three vaccination models will be available at this clinic as well.

Registration is available at https://www.butteciviccenter.com or at 406-497-5008. Walk-ins are also welcomed. The clinic will also feature second shots, and for that, people are asked to come at the same time they received their first shot.

On Thursday, details and rules for the upcoming $500,000 vaccine incentive campaign will be announced at 10 a.m. at the Copper Lounge of the Student Union at Montana Tech. Two $10,000 weekly awards and three $5,000 weekly awards will be presented over 15 weeks this summer and early fall. Those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be eligible.
Still, its clear that those in custody in the Yellowstone County jail arent rushing to line up for the shot.

The risk of transmission is higher indoors, in large groups and with people close together for more than 15 minutes at a time, said Pat Zellar, communications coordinator for RiverStone Health, the countys public health department.

All those risk factors are present in the jail population, Zellar said. Thats why the CDC still recommends that everyone wear masks in correctional facilities, even if they are fully immunized.

The county only provides masks to inmates when they leave their units for court appearances, meals or other reasons. Capt. Roger Bodine, the jail commander, said a small metal plate inside the stitching of the basic surgical masks the jail has in stock could be used as a weapon. He also cited potential security risks with not being able to quickly identify inmates and cost as reasons for not mandating masks around the clock.

For staff, the jail requires they wear a mask only when patting down an inmate or entering a unit where someone has tested positive. He said theres no routine reason for staff to come within 6 feet of inmates.
Thank you is simply not enough to describe our gratitude for the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department and other first responders for their incredible work May 7 controlling the devastating fire in Uptown Butte.

The firefighters put their skills to work and contained the fire, minimizing damage to surrounding property.

Understandably, onlookers gathered and watched in disbelief as our beloved M&M was destroyed. The first responders and firefighters respectful professionalism kept those watching at the scene safe.

NorthWestern Energy employees are back at work this week in the Butte General Office thanks to those firefighters and first responders.

As we all move forwarded and offer support to the property owners and businesses impacted, and mourn the loss of a piece of our collective history, the appreciation for the emergency responders who keep us safe is another reminder of why it is a privilege to be a part of this community.

Danny Kaluza, NorthWestern Energy director support service

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I realized at that moment that being optimistic does not mean everything is perfect. Its not. It does mean Ive decided to focus on the good outcomes rather than bad and to allow my mind and body to conspire together to help create a better reality. I believe optimism and a positive mindset are essential components to my healing process, but so is accuracy in describing my symptoms, positive or not.

Admitting I didnt feel well wasnt a failure to be positive. In fact, not accurately deciding the current condition of my health could create an extremely negative outcome.

Im learning that the smart thing to do is adjust myself to the reality and truth of my health instead of trying to make the truth of my condition something that its not. As minor as it is and as simple as it sounds, I was unable to admit I wasnt OK. It also doesnt mean Im giving into a negative diagnosis. Im still fighting with the attitude and belief Im going to beat this cancer and I am. It just means my doctors need accurate information so they can help me win this battle.

This column began while I was lying in a hospital bed but is ending with me at home and back to my normal routine. Im feeling much better and looking positively forward to my day.
Dear Editor,

May 28 marks the 103rd anniversary of establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). As world's first predominantly Muslim secular parliamentary democracy, ADR stretched from Caucasus mountains in the north to the Araxes river in the south, from Caspian Sea in the east through Karabakh region in the middle, to Nakhchivan region in the western end, totaling some 44,000 sq. mi. It existed for 23 months until it was occupied by Bolshevik Russia.

All ethnic and religious groups, including Christians, Jews and Muslims, had sizable representation in ADR's parliament. ADR was recognized by other democratic nations, including the U.S.

In Paris Peace Conference, President Wilson met with Azerbaijani delegation led by ADR's Foreign Minister Topchubashov, remarking later: "Well, one day there came in a very dignified and interesting group of gentlemen who were from Azerbaijan. ... I did find this out immediately: that I was talking to men who talked the same language that I did in respect of ideas, in respect of conceptions of liberty, in respect of conceptions of right and justice." On January 12, 1920, the Allied Supreme Council extended de facto recognition to Azerbaijan within the aforementioned boundaries.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Protests over mass layoffs and Oman's poor economy spread Tuesday to cities across the sultanate, underscoring the financial challenge ahead for this nation a decade on from its Arab Spring protests.

Oman already faced economic trouble with tens of billions of dollars of outstanding debts and trouble finding enough work for its young people. Then came the coronavirus pandemic and repeated lockdowns that followed, further depressing growth in this nation of 4.5 million people on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

It is, I think, such a huge challenge. Its not even about the government being incapable of solving things, said Cinzia Bianco, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations who studies Oman. Its just the challenges are huge and theres a global crisis going on so there isn't much else they can do right now.

The demonstrations Tuesday appeared largely peaceful in videos posted to social media and images shared by activists. Sohar, a city some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Muscat, remained a flashpoint as it was during the Arab Spring.
Vodafone Group Plcs plans to expand in Ethiopia have been complicated by the U.S. state development agencys decision to pause investments in the country, according to people familiar with the matter.

A group including the U.K.s Vodafone, Safaricom Ltd. and Vodacom Group Ltd. were awarded a new mobile-phone license by the Ethiopian government on Saturday, and had agreed to take a $500 million loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to help with acquisition and development costs.

That part of the financing has been thrown into doubt over U.S. economic sanctions against Ethiopia to end violence in the northern Tigray region, a conflict which has killed thousands of people and displaced many more. The state group is awaiting direction from the Joe Biden administration about how it should react in the longer term, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isnt public.

Should that cash be permanently withdrawn by the DFC, the telecom companies will have to source the cash elsewhere and at greater cost, the people said. However, theres no indication the license award is in jeopardy, they said, and the group expects to start services in 2022.

Vodafone declined to comment, while Vodacom and Safaricom didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. The DFC didnt respond to emails seeking comment.

The U.S. decision may also affects funding from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to the country, people familiar with the matter said earlier.

Ethiopias award of a new telecom license paves the way to open the market of more than 110 million people to international investors for the first time, a key part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds economic strategy. The group pledged to invest $8.5 billion in their network over the next 10 years, including the $850 million license fee. Other partners include the CDC Group, the U.K. equivalent of the DFC, and Sumitomo Corp.

The license has been awarded for an initial period of 15 years. Nairobi-based Safaricom, East Africas biggest company, owns a majority stake in the consortium.

Another partnership led by MTN Group Ltd., Vodacoms Johannesburg rival, and the Silk Road Fund, a Chinese state investment group, was turned down after bidding $600 million. Ethiopia still intends to sell two licenses, and said it will invite a new round of offers from international carriers after some policy adjustments.

The government is also looking to sell a minority stake in Ethio Telecom, the state monopoly.

Now read: Vodacom CEO reveals requirement for uncapped mobile data
Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko has raised concerns over the unintended consequences of BEE procurement policies that penalise Telkom for buying locally manufactured fibre cables rather than importing it.

Maseko said Telkom is one of the largest buyers of fibre in South Africa and explained that it buys its fibre from a company in Brits called CBI.

CBI manufactures the cable locally, employs about 900 people, and is a Level 4 BEE contributor. BEE scores range from Level 1 to Level 8. There is also a ninth BEE category  non-compliant.

Maseko said that while it would be better if CBI were a Level 1 BEE contributor, it is creating a problem for South Africa when government punishes companies like Telkom for buying from local manufacturers with a Level 4 BEE rating.

The BEE regulations also make it easy for an importer to set up shop in Durban with two employees and get a Level 1 BEE score.

[By supporting an importer over local manufacturing] we are then contributing in de-industrialising the country, while helping to industrialise whichever country we are importing from, he said.

Maseko said that he met with the powers-that-be, as part of larger discussions around Operation Vulindlela, to explain that they were disincentivising businesses from supporting South Africas local manufacturing sector.

Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury which aims to resuscitate economic growth and streamline policy implementation in South Africa.

According to Maseko, it is important that Operation Vulindlela not only be used to stimulate investment, but also build and nurture the manufacturing capacity that South Africa always had over the last 3040 years.

Sipho Maseko interview
Bitcoin held gains Tuesday after Elon Musks effort to bolster the tokens green credentials stoked a rally, extending a bout of marked volatility in the wake of last weeks crypto rout.

The largest digital currency was little changed at $38,800 as of 7:35 a.m. in London, following a 16% overnight jump. The wider Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index and tokens including Ether were steady.

Musk took to Twitter to signal support for an apparent effort by Bitcoin miners to make their operations more environmentally friendly. The billionaire has roiled the tokens price this month, triggering a selloff by criticizing its energy profile and suspending Bitcoin payments to Tesla Inc. Heightened regulatory rhetoric on cryptocurrencies from China also pressured the sector.

If the market continues to see wild swings based on Elon Musk tweets, its going to be a big set back for this asset class, said Matt Maley, chief market strategist for Miller Tabak + Co. The fact that it sees such wild swings to the tweets from one person takes away the legitimacy of the asset class.

Pledges to make the industry more green have picked up since Musks criticisms. Several miners joined the Crypto Climate Accord, a private-sector initiative to decarbonize the crypto industry by 2030.

Musk and Michael Saylor, another long-time Bitcoin booster, tweeted Monday that they had held a call with major North American miners, including Michael Novogratzs Galaxy Digital and publicly traded Hut 8 Mining Corp., to discuss energy usage transparency.

Saylor said the group agreed to form the Bitcoin Mining Council to standardize energy reporting.

Musk and Saylors initiative to make Bitcoin greener bodes well for ESG narrative and institutional adoption, David Grider, strategist at Fundstrat Global Advisors LLC, wrote in a note.

At the same time, it will take years for many of the largest miners to recalibrate where they source their energy.

Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2021

Bitcoins heavy use of power fired by polluting fossil fuels is a long-standing problem. Miners use hundreds of computers that run around the clock to verify Bitcoin transactions in exchange for new coins.

Despite that, Musk in February plowed $1.5 billion of Teslas corporate cash into the token and said the electric-vehicle maker would accept it as payment for vehicles, before rescinding the latter decision earlier in May.

While the billionaire has since said he strongly believes in cryptocurrencies as long as they dont drive a massive increase in fossil fuel use, digital tokens are still nursing losses from his spate of comments.

The market value of more than 7,000 coins tracked by CoinGecko is down more than $800 billion from a May peak of some $2.6 trillion. Bitcoin is about $25,000 off its mid-April record.

A measure of implied volatility on Bitcoin comparable to the U.S. equity markets VIX indicator sits at 129, higher than the stock version has ever reached in 30 years.

Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard noted at the Consensus conference, one of the crypto industrys biggest gatherings, that a big issue for central banks with regard to a digital currency is the impact on the financial system.

The conference runs for most of this week and features some well-known crypto bulls, who are expected to hype the industry, potentially causing more turbulence in prices.
New marketing products from MyBroadband make it easy to reach IT and telecoms executives in South Africa and deliver a targeted message to them.

These online marketing tools were designed in response to the rapidly-changing working world, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Working-from-home has become the norm, Zoom and Microsoft Teams have replaced face-to-face meetings, and webinars are a substitute for physical events.

These changes require a new approach to marketing  as traditional mediums like print, radio, billboards, and conference sponsorships have become inefficient.

Online marketing

Using the latest online marketing tools, MyBroadband has designed products which allow companies to reach highly-targeted audiences.

This makes it possible for a company to zone in on a single demographic  like CIOs or IT managers  and deliver a targeted message to them.

The results from these campaigns are excellent, and they produce exceptional engagement rates and more than double the ROI when compared to traditional marketing channels.

The most effective campaigns used a combination of elements, including sponsored articles, social media promotions, newsletters, and banner ads.

For more information about these new marketing tools, visit: MyBroadbands advertising page
Facebook reneged on a commitment to appear before the Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies this week because, at the time, it was the only company that confirmed its attendance.

Without more industry players and other key stakeholders present, we believed the Roundtable would not meet the objectives that were outlined to us, hence we requested that the Roundtable be postponed to a later date, said Kojo Boakye, the Facebook public policy director for Africa.

We believe as a Tech Industry, it is important that we collectively come together to outline how we support elections and ensure election integrity in light of the local Government Elections taking place later this year, Boakye stated.

The Roundtable with the Parliamentary Committee was meant to do just that.

Facebook initially agreed to meet with South Africas Parliament over concerns around misinformation and disinformation before the 2021 local elections.

Former Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Phumzile Van Damme said at the time that the meeting was requested by the DA.

The reason for inviting Facebook was to establish what steps the tech giant would be taking to tackle harmful misinformation, particularly in light of the upcoming elections.

Facebook often tailors plans for countries ahead of elections to guard against harmful misinformation, Van Damme said. We would like to see the same done for South Africa.

In September 2020, the social media company implemented measures which it said were intended to help secure the integrity of the US elections by encouraging voting, connecting people with authoritative information, and reducing the risks of post-election confusion.

These included updates related to misinformation, COVID-19 and voter suppression, and a ban on new electoral, political, or social issue ads.

Facebook is also in hot water with South Africas Information Regulator, which has challenged the tech giant on the implementation of a new privacy policy for WhatsApp.

The Information Regulator contends that the Protection of Personal Information Act of South Africa is similar to the data privacy laws of the European Union, and that WhatsApp should therefore offer South Africans the same privacy protections as it affords users in Europe.

The chairperson of the Information Regulator, Pansy Tlakula, recently called on the South African government to help the regulator in its engagements with Facebook.

We are fighting a giant, Tlakula told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee.

They cannot willy-nilly abuse the personal information of users, she stated.

Tlakula proposed that the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services join forces with the Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies to ask questions of Facebook relating to the WhatsApp privacy policy changes.

With Facebook pulling out of its meeting with the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, it is unclear whether the tech giant will give feedback on any of the South African governments questions.

However, Facebook has stated that it is open to rescheduling the meeting.

Our commitment to participating in a roundtable is well documented, said Boakye.

He said that Facebook remains committed to engaging with national governments, and has clearly indicated to the committee that it welcomes ongoing dialogue, and a meeting at a later date.

Facebook has teams and technology in place to protect the integrity of elections in South Africa, across Africa and around the world. We devote extensive resources to reducing the spread of misinformation and fighting election interference on our platforms, Boakye said.

It is interesting to note that when Van Damme announced that Facebook has pulled out of appearing at the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Meeting, she also revealed that Google had committed to attending the meeting.

MyBroadband asked Facebook whether Googles confirmation that it will attend the meeting changes its stance, but the company declined to comment further.

Google did not respond to requests for comment.
Aleksandr Zhukov once boasted he was the King of fraud in a 2014 text message to an associate.

A jury in Brooklyn, New York, is set to begin deliberating today whether the Russian national is actually guilty of that crime.

According to federal prosecutors, Zhukov, 41, was the ringleader of an online scam that used 1,900 servers to create fake web traffic at media sites including the New York Times that led companies like Pepsi Co. to pay inflated advertising rates.

But Zhukov, who took the stand in his own defense during his three-week trial, claims he never misled anyone and thought he was only giving advertising companies what they wanted  a way to cheaply, if artificially, boost site traffic.

There was nothing to conceal, Zhukov testified. Why to lie to them if we have bot traffic? Why to lie, try to sell it as human if its bot? We were making business. We are not making scam or fraud.

The case against Zhukov, who was arrested in Bulgaria in 2018 and extradited to New York the following year, is one of the first of its kind to go to trial and an example of how U.S. law enforcement is expanding its reach against alleged cybercriminals around the world.

Since Zhukov doesnt dispute creating fake traffic, only whether it was illegal, it also offers a rare glimpse at how sophisticated spoofing campaigns generate fake page views but real profits.

Rented Servers

According to prosecutors, Zhukov and co-conspirators in Russian and Kazakhstan essentially corrupted the complex ecosystem of online advertising by using rented servers in Dallas and Amsterdam to circumvent fraud protections and simulate the online activity of millions of people viewing online ads. Those advertisers were then duped into paying for the fake views.

Zhukov, who is facing money-laundering and conspiracy charges along with fraud, personally made more than $7 million, which prosecutors say he funneled into offshore bank accounts around the world. Two other men charged with him have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Five others remain at large.

He was the boss, he knew what was going on in his own business, he was intimately involved in the planning and execution of this scheme each and every aspect, Assistant U.S. Attorney Artie McConnell said in his closing arguments Monday. His chats tell you that hes not acting in good faith. Hes telling you hes guilty.

But Zhukov, who took the stand late last week, told jurors he supplied a necessary and cheap service to companies that act as advertising middlemen and bought his service to boost traffic and online rankings.

Legal Way

Zhukov, who said he launched a business in 2014 purchasing hardware and IP addresses to create large amounts of artificial human traffic, acknowledged that cybercriminals often used similar techniques to maliciously infect computers.

I thought that I can do same things but in legal way, Zhukov said, and for that I need to buy computers, to create my software, to buy IP addresses, combine it together and sell it as a ready product.

He claimed he sold web traffic without criminal intent, believing his middlemen customers would sell it to other ad networks. He said he never misled customers that he was selling page views by real people.

In his closing arguments Monday, Zhukovs lawyer, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, compared his client to a businessman selling water to a grocer, who then uses it to water down the milk he sells.

You dont go after the water seller in that analogy, Margulis-Ohnuma said. Its the person whos claiming that its real who is the fraudster.

The defense lawyer said his client had been joking when he called himself the King of fraud, noting that in the same message Zhukov also made clear he believed he was committing no crime.

We have a great server bot that works with low-quality traffic, Zhukov wrote. Advertisers know it. No cheating, no scam.
The Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee (MAC) has warned that stricter lockdown measures are needed as a third wave is looming.

News24 reported that the MAC has raised concerns that large gatherings are contributing to the increase in cases in recent weeks.

South Africa has seen a steady increase in Covid-19 cases, with the Free State, Northern Cape, Gauteng, and North West experiencing the start of third waves.

The increase in coronavirus cases started a month ago, when the average daily positives per week was at 1,170.

In May Covid-19 infections increased rapidly, with the average daily positive cases per week increasing to 3,487.

Professor Adrian Puren from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases said many provinces are experiencing a rapid increase in cases.

Puren said some areas are already in the midst of a third wave or have not properly exited a second wave.

Amidst the rise in cases, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will meet today to consider limits on large gatherings and an earlier curfew.

According to the News24 report, South Africa could soon be moving to an adjusted level 2 of the lockdown.

This does not come as a surprise. Many experts, including Marc Mendelson, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Cape Town, has called for limits on large gatherings.

Mendelson said South Africa needs to put stricter lockdown measures in place, especially around indoor and mass gatherings, to limit the spread of Covid-19.

He said indoor and mass gatherings are linked to super-spreader events, which South Africa should guard against.

Mendelson called on the government to immediately ban mass gatherings and limit indoor gatherings, including at churches, casinos, and other indoor areas.

Professor Alex van den Heever from the Wits School of Governance also said limiting mass gatherings was the right thing to do.

Winter periods make it difficult to contain the virus, which means that even with restrictions it is challenging to avoid another wave.

If South Africa can address gatherings, however, it will reduce the possibility of a severe third wave.

Daily case trends per province

Average daily positives per week

Now read: Stricter lockdown rules in South Africa suggested as third wave hits
Create defensible space around your home, but never mow after 10 a.m.  you could make things much, much worse.

That was one of the practical tips offered at a virtual emergency preparedness town hall meeting held May 19 by the City of St. Helena.

With fire season starting earlier and ending later than ever, due largely to climate change, its imperative for St. Helenans to mow their weeds down to no more than 4 inches tall by the June 1 weed abatement deadline, said Fire Chief John Sorensen.

However, dont mow after 10 a.m., he said, because a spark from a blade striking a rock could start a fire during low humidity. In fact, thats exactly what started a quarter-acre fire in Deer Park a few hours before the meeting, Sorensen said.

St. Helena property owners have been very receptive to the citys weed abatement requests this year, Sorensen said. Firefighters have driven around town leaving door hangers as reminders to people who still have work to do.

Homeowners should also clear their gutters of leaves, pine needles and other debris to minimize the risk of ignition from flying embers, Sorensen said.
In response to the May 20 Star article St. Helenans Protest Fractional Homeownerships:" PACA$O paints us as fighting diversity versus salvaging housing from the incursions of tourism. Don't they believe that people who live here deserve a small portion where we can raise families without the intrusions of tourism?

Pacasos spokesperson accused those opposed to their scheme of making derogatory comments against ... owners, trespassed on ... properties, and attempted to intimidate buyers. This image of exclusively white residents protesting against a business that opens the door for more diversity in the community is disconcerting.

No. Youre wrong. Whats disconcerting is Pacasos continued unsubstantiated attacks on the motivations and activities of the community. North Bay valleys have admittedly not benefited from a truly diverse population and the difficulty in changing that is huge because of the ridiculous rise in housing prices, including those caused by Paca$o. They do everyone a disservice by manipulating the issue.
Lara, who came to Napa at the request of the Farm Bureau, said he was talking with numerous insurers in the state. His staff wants to ensure the ability to find affordable coverage for businesses, he said, and is seeking to secure discounts for wineries and other businesses that implement proper fire risk mitigation work.

Whats happening to you is happening on the homeowner side of insurance, too, Lara told the small crowd Monday. Many of you have talked to your insurance companies, and theyll tell you  do this, or do that. You invest thousands of dollars in mitigation, and then you still get dropped.

The walls behind him at Castello di Amorosa were still visibly scorched, damaged by the Glass Fire last fall. The winery has not been able to secure property insurance for this year, said Tom Davies, president of V. Sattui Winery.

Other attendees echoed Hannigans initial question: was there anything to be done for the North Bays uninsured wineries ahead of harvest?

With fire season so imminent, the answer is likely no, the Farm Bureaus Klobas said.
Another constituency that can help Newsom is the powerful public employee unions, who could spend big to fight the recall. Most state worker unions agreed to a 9% pay cut last year when state officials feared a more broad-based recession at the start of the pandemic. Newsoms plan ends the pay cut for some unions, but others are currently negotiating over it.

In his presentation, Newsom thanked state employees for taking the pay cut last year so the state didnt have to slash services for needy Californians, and said: You were there for us last year, were going to be there for you.

But hes also going back to early campaign promises and pre-pandemic priorities

California Republican Party chairperson Jessica Millan Patterson dubbed the governors events this week his Recall Response Tour, and said, protecting his position drives all of Gavin Newsoms decisions.

Its true that hes highlighted some issues that those who want to throw him out of office have hammered on, such as blight, homelessness, and business closures.
PG&E announced Monday that it has agreed to sale terms for its San Francisco headquarters, opting to move to the edge of Lake Merritt in Oakland.

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PG&E agreed to sell its headquarters complex, including 77 Beale St. and 245 Market St., for $800 million to Delaware-based Hines Atlas US LP. The utility has been headquartered in San Francisco for more than a century.

The deal must still be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. It would net PG&E roughly $400 million, according to the utility, which has proposed to the CPUC to return the profit to customers by offsetting future utility rates over a five-year period.

"This sale and relocation will achieve cost savings that directly help reduce customer bills," PG&E Corp. CEO Patti Poppe said in a statement. "At the same time, it will give us an efficient and effective Bay Area workspace as we focus on delivering for all of the communities we serve."

PG&E is expected to move into its new headquarters in the 28-story Kaiser Center at 300 Lakeside Drive in Oakland, with an expectation that the move will lower the utility's costs in the long term.
If politicians wanted to kill rooftop solar energy production in California, they could not find a better vehicle than a proposed new law known as Assembly Bill 1139.

This is a brainchild of Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego, previously best known for authoring AB 5, another destructive bill she pushed into law in 2019 only to see her legislative colleagues a year later rescind many of its onerous provisions. AB 5 was despised especially by folks it was supposed to help.

The newest Gonzalez project is  like AB 5  a wolf in sheeps clothing. Where AB 5 originally required companies using contract workers to convert them to regular employees who could then be unionized, AB 1139 purports to stabilize conditions for California residents installing solar panels atop their homes.

AB 5 caused or threatened to cause an end to the jobs of thousands of Californians, from freelance writers to court reporters to musicians. Similarly, AB 1139 would likely stifle rooftop solar installations around the state, home to about half of all such projects nationally.

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Here are four things AB 1139 would do in the name of bettering home-based solar power:
The Times went on to report that Providence is set up as a nonprofit, which generally means they dont have to pay federal taxes on their billions of dollars of income.

In 2018, Providence paid its Chief Executive, Ron Hochman, MD, more than $10 million. Dr. Hochman took a pay cut in 2020, but according to another New York Times article, his salary is less than 20% of his total compensation.

I wrote to Steven Buck, Executive Director of Communications at Providence, asking for a comment on the information reported in these articles. He never responded to my email.

Providences financial stability is not in jeopardy. Providence had already built up deep financial reserves to help them weather the COVID-19 storm.

The workers are right. There is no justification for any layoffs. Providence is lying to us when they tell us that the pandemic justifies these layoffs. The fairy tale is that COVID-19 justifies these layoffs, but the reality is that Providence spends much of its money, making money rather than on its employees, enabling them to better serve our community.
NATO Secretary-General affirms willingness for cooperation with Russia

Armenia Special Investigation Service charges political party member for giving electoral bribe

Armenia Central Electoral Commission grants motion to launch criminal prosecution against MP candidate

"I Have the Honor" bloc member: Coronavirus and 'nikolavirus' (Nikol Pashinyan) are both lethal

Greek PM: Greece willing to back positive EU agenda for Turkey

Russia Deputy FM, France Ambassador discuss settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

CoE: We are engaged in a dialogue to develop a set of confidence-building measures between Armenia, Azerbaijan

Armenia 3rd President states when country's security system began to collapse

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff ex-deputy chief on acting PM's statement on his "National Hero" title

Armenia Arevik National Park director dismissed for being a friend of Meghri mayor

Reuters: Erdogan's summit with Biden clouded by bitter disputes

Armenia acting MOD receives Head of ICRC Delegation

Gagik Tsarukyan: Armenia needs to develop the economy by using resources of country and people

Gagik Tsarukyan: Russia is Armenia's main ally, and this can't be altered

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijanis try to carry out engineering works in Kut border section, Armenian side counters

Armenia 1st President's nephew and his son involved in brawl in Yerevan

Snap elections online voting starts, Azerbaijan continues 'trial' of Armenian POWs, Jun 11 digest

Armenian former high-tech industry minister, member of ruling party on June 9 brawl in Yerevan

Robert Kocharyan: If Armenia wants a peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict, it needs to give Azerbaijan hope

Armenia acting PM: During campaign meetings hundreds of mothers thanked me for signing Nov. 9 document

Citizens are demanded to applaud Armenia acting PM

Armenia ruling party lawmaker, MP candidate: Civil Contracts election promises are continuation of 2018 promises

Armenia villager to Nikol Pashinyan: Yard of Turk's house is in front of our military post

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party assures that it's not expecting ministerial positions

Robert Kocharyan: "Armenia" bloc will restore and deepen country's ties with allies

Czech Rep. parliament committee calls on Azerbaijan to release all Armenian captives immediately

"Armenia" bloc member Armen Gevorgyan holds meetings with diplomatic corps and international organizations

Dollar still dropping in Armenia

Azerbaijan announces names of 26 Armenian servicemen it intends to "put on trial"

Armenian publishing house to print 66,925,000 ballots for upcoming snap parliamentary elections

"Armenia" bloc member: There are reports that over 10 police buses escorted acting PM yesterday

Gallup: "Armenia" bloc records slightly higher indicator than ruling party

Armenia acting PM has been obligated to publicly apologize to Khachatryan family

"Armenia" bloc: Robert Kocharyan and ARF-D resolved crisis that Levon Ter-Petrosyan created in 1998

Intellectual Armenia Party to support "Armenia" bloc in snap parliamentary elections

Armenia ruling party MP's powers terminated

Brawl takes place during Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party's campaign meeting, case launched

Armenia acting premier: We also have enclave under Azerbaijan rule

Holy Etchmiadzin: We express regret for unwise, inappropriate statements of acting PM

"I have the honor" bloc member: Armenia acting PM has instructed his voters to go to polls by afternoon

Prosperous Armenia Party MP: Enemy does not divide Armenians into "blacks" and "whites"

Bright Armenia Party leader: Acting premier will not be able to get 60% of votes

Armenia acting PM: There are people in media who are more like "killers" than journalists

Ex-President Kocharyan: 2009-2018 I did not agree with Armenia authorities on many issues

Armenia has new millionaires

Armenia President visits Russia embassy, meets with ambassador

Artsakh search continues Friday for remains of Armenian soldiers killed in war

Armenia ruling party election offices heads being paid by provincial halls?

Armenia emergency ministry preparing for a new cooperation with USAID

US, Turkey top defense officials discuss regional issues

95 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

G7 leaders pledge to share 1bn doses of coronavirus vaccine with world

Armenia snap parliamentary elections online voting starts

Trump tells Biden to give Putin his warmest regards

Newspaper: Pashinyan is both Armenia acting PM and not

Newspaper: Why is Armenia arms dealer released from custody?

National Geographic officially announces 5th ocean

Armenia MP candidate is detained

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 10 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
YEREVAN.  Past daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: As it is known, RA third President Serzh Sargsyan had announced that he will no longer hold high state positions, as he has completed his service in a high state position before Armenia and the Armenian people. By that logic, he does not top the list of the "I have honor" bloc [in the snap parliamentary elections on June 20]. At the same time, the third president had noted that he will actively participate in political processes, including electoral.

According to Past newspapers information, Serzh Sargsyan is already intensively engaged in the work of the election [campaign] headquarters of the bloc. In particular, according to our sources, there is a real commotion these days at the [former ruling] RPA [party] central office, where the party leader receives many people ().

Moreover, we have information that in addition to office work, Serzh Sargsyan has started paying provincial visits. In particular, according to our reliable information, he was in the provinces last weekend.

Our sources convey that he will be in active visits, as well as consultations and meetings throughout the pre-election period. They say many of them may not be covered.
The Foreign Ministry of Armenia on Tuesday released a statement on Azerbaijans criminal prosecution of Armenian POWs. The statement reads as follows:

We strongly condemn the official Bakus criminal prosecution against Lyudvik Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan, who were captured during the recent aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh. Under the international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, the latters are considered prisoners of war and should have been immediately released after the end of hostilities. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has filed sham criminal cases against them, thus openly violating both the norms of international humanitarian law and its obligations under the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020.

Despite numerous calls of the international community, Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian prisoners of war as political hostages, and continues the policy of torture and psychological pressure on them.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan has not yet prosecuted those who have committed atrocities and inhuman treatment towards Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians, including killings, despite the fact that the perpetrators themselves documented their crimes and made them public.

The official Baku blatantly neglects the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on providing information on Armenian servicemen and civilians held in Azerbaijani captivity. As a result, on March 9, 2021 in accordance with Article 39, paragraph 2 of the Rules of Court, the European Court of Human Rights decided to notify the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of its interim measures against Azerbaijan.

The Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held hostage in Azerbaijan, regardless of the circumstances of their captivity, must immediately be released and repatriated without any preconditions.
YEREVAN.  The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a EUR 1.3 million contribution from the European Union (EU) to provide cash assistance across Armenia for people affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] conflict. Armenian News- NEWS.am has learned about this from the UN Office.

This assistance will complement existing national efforts undertaken by the Government of Armenia and its partners to support people affected by the conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said: The EUs emergency aid is delivered in line with the humanitarian principles and helps civilians affected by the hostilities and their host population. Many displaced people find themselves in a difficult situation, which is further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Through cash assistance, our partner WFP helps the most vulnerable pay for the things they need most urgently, including food. WFPs recent Food Security Assessment concluded that many people across the country are in need of humanitarian assistance.

We highly appreciate this generous and timely contribution that will help us alleviate the suffering of conflict-affected people and help them put food on the table and secure other basic needs, said WFP Representative and Country Director in Armenia Jelena Milesovic. The European Union is a key partner to WFP in Armenia and across the world.

WFP has developed a designated feedback mechanism for people benefiting from its assistance in Armenia, allowing them to communicate directly, effectively and safely with WFP. By calling the helpline at 096 120 400, or emailing [email protected], people can send feedback, requests or complaints related to the cash assistance. This allows WFP to adapt and adjust its response as necessary, determine increased needs & gaps, and resolve concerns.
All surveys, as far as I know, are telephonic, which are accepted in the world. But this is usually credible in countries where there is no such internal polarization, and the society is a society with high internal confidence. Second President Robert Kocharyan, who heads the Armenia bloc ahead of the snap parliamentary elections on June 20, stated this at Tuesdays press conference of the leaders of this bloc, when asked how they will win these elections if acting PM Nikol Pashinyan and his political team still have a high popularity rating.

"How do you imagine now when a person is fired for one 'like' [on social media], pressure is started to be put on his relatives? There is a large mass [of people in Armenia] who do not want to express their opinion because they believe they will be under pressure. I have no doubt that those conducting the surveys are doing their job in good faith. But the situation in the country is such that I have serious doubts," Kocharyan said.

He added: "Second, we are not saying that today's acting [PM] has no [popularity] rating. But we are also sure that it is not possible to be re-elected Prime Minister having 25-30% in the parliament if there are no other [political] forces with you that are ready to cooperate with you. The list of participants in the elections does not yet show any force that is from the same field, ready to cooperate with traitors, and which can enter the parliament. Therefore, the situation is quite clear that even if that 30% is not managed to be worn down all the way to 15-20% before the elections, this political force will not be able to form a government and establish oversight over the executive [branch of] power [in Armenia]; this is obvious. But we will do everything; we will wear it [the aforesaid popularity rating] down to the root!"
I do not want to comment on the statements of the First President. I have been the President of the Republic of Armenia for 10 years, and there was no proposal from the Co-Chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] which Azerbaijan would accept and Armenia would reject. Second President Robert Kocharyan, who heads the Armenia bloc ahead of the snap parliamentary elections on June 20, stated this at Tuesdays press conference of the leaders of this bloc, referring to First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan's statement that the "key" to the settlement of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict is in Russia's hands.

"We were saying that we have reservations to all the proposals made during those 10 years, but in principle we are ready to discuss those proposals. Azerbaijan was categorically rejecting those proposals; this is the best answer to such conclusions of the First President," Kocharyan added.

Asked where the "key" to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict lies, the second President said that this is not an issue whose solution key can be found in one place. "This is a very primitive comment, it does not happen like that, it just does not happen. There are parties to the conflict, there are parties involved, there is a trilateral co-chairmanship, and there is Russia. It is obvious that Russia is one of the key countries and has a key role in these processes, especially in terms of recent events. But to think that the key [to resolve this conflict] is put in one place is excessive simplicity that does not correspond to reality.
Newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Montenegro to Armenia Dragica Ponorac (seat in Kyiv) today presented her Letters of Credence to President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian.

As reported the Staff of the President of Armenia, the newly appointed Ambassador said Armenia and Montenegro have traditionally friendly ties and she will make maximum efforts to further strengthen those relations and advance the Armenia-Montenegro agenda.

President Sarkissian congratulated Ambassador Ponorac and conveyed his greetings to President of Montenegro Milo Jukanovic, whose planned official visit to Armenia was postponed due to the coronavirus.

The parties exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation and indicated tourism and high technology as the primary directions for cooperation for which there is great potential.

President Sarkissian touched upon the challenges facing Armenia in the wake of the war and the urgent humanitarian issues and particularly underscored the need for the speedy return of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians who are illegally kept and deprived of liberty by Azerbaijan. He also touched upon Azerbaijans encroachments on the borders and territorial integrity of Armenia and mentioned that the latter looks forward to more active and addressable response of international partners and the international community to these issues.
The United States is seeking to increase its military presence in Greece in part because of doubts about Turkey's reliability, writes Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

According to the sources of the publication, the possibility of expanding the deployment of American troops is being considered, as relations between Greece and Turkey continue to deteriorate. Diminishing confidence in Turkey's credibility as an ally under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also seen as a factor in the US decision to expand its presence in Greece.

In recent years, the US military has strengthened its presence in Greece and expanded cooperation with its Greek counterparts. The United States has already deployed its forces at a naval base in Souda Bay, as well as in Crete, Alexandroupolis, Larissa, and Stefanovikeio. With four more bases planned to be added, Greece has given Washington 22 options to choose from.

The United States has several military bases in Turkey, including Incirlik Air Base. Turkish politicians regularly threaten to expel the US military from these bases amid disagreements, including after US President Joe Biden's recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Other controversies include Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system and US support for Syrian Kurdish rebels, whom Ankara considers terrorists.

It is planned that Greece and Turkey will begin a new round of negotiations, the aim of which is to try to resolve some differences.

At the heart of the feud between the two neighbors lies Turkey's claims to waters, which Greece and Cyprus claim, in the eastern Mediterranean, which is believed to contain large deposits of natural gas. Greece and Turkey also have long-standing disagreements over maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 25.05.21:

'Armenia' blog members, headed by Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan, held a press conference on Tuesday ahead of snap parliamentary elections scheduled for June 20.

During the press conference, Kocharyan spoke about the delimitation process in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

According to him, 'at the moment, delimitation may create some problems in the negotiation process over Nagorno-Karabakh.'

"The hurriedness which the Azerbaijani side is showing is connected with this very issue. This delimitation will have an impact on the negotiation process on the Karabakh issue. In general, there is no need to be too afraid of delimitation; it's just that its a quite problematic issue now," Kocharyan noted.

Kocharyan also noted that Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures.

"As long as they [the Azerbaijanis] have expectations of additional concessions from Armenia on some issues, they will create hotbeds of such tension; will exert pressure to achieve their goals," he noted.

The press conference was also attended by the leader of the opposition Reviving Armenia Party, former governor of Syunik Province Vahe Hakobyan.

He spoke about the Armenian-Azerbaijani border issues, noting that Azerbaijani troops advanced along the length of the border two days.

According to him, the situation in Syunik Province remains stable and tense

A fixed-term serviceman has committed suicide at one of Armenias military units.

The news was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

At around 5:45 pm on Monday, conscript Mkrtich Hovhannisyan shot himself in the head with the rifle registered to him at a military unit of Armenia and sustained a fatal gunshot wound.

A criminal case has opened into this incident and on charges of negligently causing a serviceman to commit suicide.

The Azerbaijani authorities continue the course towards the systematic extermination of the Armenian heritage of the occupied Shushi.

The Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan at a plenary session discussed and adopted in the first reading the draft law 'On the city of Shusha - the cultural capital of Azerbaijan."

The bill provides for such issues as the creation of the State Reserve of the city in Shushi and a special fund associated with it.

In accordance with the document, on the territory of the city, preference will be given to environmentally friendly modes of transport.

The seismological network of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of Armenia on Tuesday recorded a magnitude-4.6 earthquake in Georgia.

The seismic activity was felt also in the Lori and Tavush provinces of Armeniawith a magnitude of 2 to 3.

As of Tuesday morning, 157 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 222,139.

Also, six more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 4,400 cases.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 259, the total respective number so far is 211,634.
The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona has recently added two new aircraft to their world-class collection of aircraft and historical aeronautica, a former U.S. Navy Northrop F-5E Tiger II (Bu.741564) and a ex-US Army Short C-23B+ Sherpa (94-0310). The Tiger II is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, but until recently it had been on display at the sadly-now-shuttered Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum near MCAS Miramar in San Diego, California.

This particular airframe rolled off Northrops production line in Hawthorne, California during the early 1970s, originally intended for the South Vietnam Air Force. However, South Vietnam collapsed before delivery could take place, so the U.S. Air Force took the Tiger instead, assigning her the serial number 74-01564. She joined the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada during 1976 when that unit upgraded their aggressor aircraft from the types older sibling, the T-38A Talon.

Since the F-5E closely resembled the MiG-21 in both size and performance, it proved a useful airframe in Dissimilar Air Combat Training through which US Air Force pilots learned how best to defeat the Soviet fighter if they came up against the type in the battle space. Elements of the 57th FWW merged into the 64th Aggressor Squadron during the latter 1970s, and at some point, 74-01564 became the Commanding Officers personal aircraft.

Like the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy also had an aggressor program, and they acquired some of the Air Force Tiger IIs, one of these being 74-01564. The F-5E, now with a Bureau Number (741564), moved to VFA-127 at NAS Fallon in Nevada. The unit provided adversarial training for other naval squadrons until its disestablishment in March, 1996. VFC-13 Saints then acquired the Tiger II. The Saints, also based at NAS Fallon, took on the Red Air role when the Naval Fighter Weapons School (aka TOPGUN) relocated to that air station. While the Navy sent Bu.741564 to Northrops facility in St.Augustine, Florida for overhaul in 2007, they ended up deciding to retire the tired airframe, realizing that it made more economic sense to employ the low-time, upgraded ex-Swiss Air Force F-5Ns which theyd acquired the previous year. The airframe eventually moved over to the National Naval Aviation Museums inventory, and they sent her out on loan to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, ironically located beside MCAS Miramar, the former home of TOPGUN.

Pimas newly-acquired Short Sherpa had been in storage in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, just across the street from the museum, until her recent move. As Pimas Brad Elliott told us regarding the airframes history, While the data block on the aircraft says C-23C, the Army told us that it is not a C, but a B+. It was originally built as a Short 360 commuter aircraft. Between 1993  1997 it flew with Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Simmons Airlines in the U.S. and Air Labrador and Pacific Costal Airlines in Canada. In 1998 it was modified by Short into a Sherpa for the U.S. Army. At this time, we dont know much about its service with the Army. Looking at pictures, it spent some time in Europe. Based on the remains of the logo on the aircraft, it was assigned to the Multinational Force and Observers, a peace keeping force in the Sinai Peninsula overseeing the Egyptian and Israeli peace treaty. That appeared to be its last assignment around 2013.

For more information about the Pima Air and Space Museum visit www.pimaair.org
Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, an aggressor, and this country has turned Armenophobia into state propaganda. This is what secretary of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Arman Abovyan said during the hour of statements in parliament today. According to him, both the opposition and the incumbent authorities have stated this several times.

Yes, the Azerbaijanis are terrorists, and Azerbaijan is a terrorist state. Question: Is Armenia trying to delineate borders and organize demilitarization with a terrorist state? How is it fundamentally possible to lead and organize negotiations or be diplomatic with such countries? This is a wrong policy. I am certain that Armenia needs to use all possible means to inform its international partners about Azerbaijan being a terrorist state. There are no Azerbaijani territories in Armenia. On the contrary, Armenian lands are still in Azerbaijan, Abovyan said.
A criminal case has been launched in regard to the fact that the enemy has trespassed the state border of the Republic of Armenia and breached the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and in regard to the murder of a serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. This is what Advisor to the Prosecutor General of Armenia Gor Abrahamyan wrote on his Facebook page, providing details about the murder of the Armenian serviceman today.

On May 25, 2021 at around 2:20 a group of armed servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, organized by their commanders, without permission, trespassed the protected state border of Armenia in the border section of the Verin Shorzha settlement located in the administrative territory of Vardenis town of Gegharkunik Province of Armenia and, with the intention to breach the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, made calls for violence against the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia protecting that sector, demanded to not show resistance and vacate the territory.

During a dispute, the Azerbaijanis deliberately opened fire at the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia, as a result of which contractual serviceman of a military unit of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, Junior Sergeant Khurshudyan, 32, received a firearm injury in the abdomen area and was transferred to the garrison hospital in Gegharkunik Province where his biological death was recorded.

The Military Prosecutors Office of the garrison of Sevan has launched a criminal case in regard to actions of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan aimed at delivering a part of the territory of Armenia to another state by trespassing the state border of Armenia and using force, as well as in regard to the deliberate murder of a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

P.S.: The Ministry of Defense of Armenia today reported that at around 1 p.m. fixed-term serviceman, Private M. Hovhannisyan was found with a lethal firearm injury in the head area at a military unit located in the northeastern sector of Armenia.

In regard to this painful incident, I deem it necessary to inform that, in the current phase, a report is being prepared, and all urgent and necessary actions are being taken.

The incident didnt take place in Gegharkunik Province, as the presses presented. I ask not to spread misinformation, Abrahamyan wrote.
by Shafique Khokhar

Arif Masih, 32, was beaten, kidnapped, poisoned and then abandoned on the street. Although there are complaints and witnesses, the police have not arrested the perpetrators. In protest, Arif's parents deposit his body amid rush hour traffic asking for solidarity. Baba Intizar Gill: We urgently need to protect religious minorities and give them full citizenship.

Gojra (AsiaNews) - Arif Masih, 32, was killed by a group of Muslims for trying to defend his sister from the harassment of two young Muslims. Days earlier, the two young men had dragged the girl into the street and stripped her naked. Faced with police and the government inertia, his parents exposed the body of their son in the street, asking for solidarity and justice from passers-by.

Arif Masih is the son of Saleem Masih, and resided in the Chak 370 village of Tariqabad (Gojra, Punjab). According to his brother, Rizwan Masih, events began on 20 May. Their sister, Rehana Bibi, 18, had gone to the bazaar to buy some milk. Returning home, two young men, Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Majid, began to harass her. The girl tried to escape and took refuge in the house. The two broke into the house and got into a fight with Arif. The two young men also took the girl and dragged her to the bazaar, tore off her clothes and mocked her.

District policeman Toba Tek Singh Rana Umar Farooq ordered them to file a complaint. Arif therefore drew up the complaint (first information report # 506/2021) against Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Majid, citing article 354-A which punishes "anyone who assaults or uses criminal force against a woman and tears her clothes, and in those conditions exhibits her to the public ". The complaint was filed on the same 20 May, but no one was arrested.

Since then, the accused began to threaten Arif with the worst consequences if he failed to drop the complaint.

According to several witnesses, on May 23, both perpetrators went to Arif's home and attacked him. They loaded him onto their motorcycle and then beat and poisoned him, throwing him on the street. Local people informed the family that their son was lifeless in the middle of the road. In critical condition, Arif was first taken to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Gojra; after first aid, he was transferred to Allied Hospital in Faisalabad. But due to his injuries and the poison, he died.

Yesterday May 24, in protest, the family took Arif's body and exhibited it in Samundri Road (Faisalabad), stopping the vehicles and demanding justice from the Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Bazdar; from the inspector general of Punjab Inam Ghani and from regional police officer Raja Rifat Mukhtar.

Human rights activist Baba Intizar Gill, who is president of the Aqliyat-e-tahafuz party, condemned the incident and is also demanding justice for the family.

The government - he said - must take prompt action against the guilty and protect the rights of minorities, considering them full citizens. These incidents against religious minorities are not new in our nation, but unfortunately the government never takes firm steps against the culprits. It is sad to see that up to now, none of the perpetrators have been arrested.
The opposition Bright Armenia Party urges the Government of the Republic of Armenia to immediately address the UN Security Council on the ground of aggression on the part of Azerbaijan and the threat to international peace and security in violation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents the full text of the political partys statement.

Taking into consideration the fact that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have not left the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia by breaching the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and using arms since May 12, 2021;

Taking into consideration the fact that de facto Azerbaijan has violated and continues to violate the fundamental Principles (jus cogens) enshrined in Article 2 of the UN Charter;

Taking into consideration the fact that Azerbaijan not only continues to keep a part of the territory of the Republic of Armenia seized, but is also inciting an armed conflict, as a result of which servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia were either killed or injured today, on May 25, 2021;

Based on Article 34 of the UN Charter, according to which the UN Security Council may investigate any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security;

Based on part 1 of Article 35 of the UN Charter, according to which Any Member of the United Nations may bring any dispute, or any situation of the nature referred to in Article 34, to the attention of the Security Council or of the General Assembly;

Based on Chapter VII of the UN Charter, particularly Article 39, according to which The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security;

We urge the Government of the Republic of Armenia, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to immediately address the UN Security Council on the ground of aggression on the part of Azerbaijan and the threat to international peace and security in violation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.

This statement is open for all political forces to sign.
His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians today received newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Armenia Fukushima Masanori at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as reported the press divan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

During the meeting, His Holiness conveyed his kind wishes to the Ambassador, wished him success, attached importance to the close cooperation between Armenia and Japan and, with satisfaction, recorded the partnership between the Mother See and the Embassy of Japan.

In his turn, the newly appointed Ambassador assured the Supreme Patriarch that he will do his best to further strengthen the relations between the two peoples. Attaching importance to the existing relations between the two countries, the Ambassador stated that the Japanese government must continue to provide humanitarian aid to Armenia.

During the conversation, the parties touched upon the hostilities unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the devastating consequences of the war and the existing challenges, as well as the need for the international communitys response.

The Catholicos of All Armenians attached special importance to speaking the truth to prevent such disasters and emphasized that silence may cause the repetition of such crimes. He also expressed gratitude for the support that Japan has been providing to Armenia during these difficult times.
We strongly condemn the blatant armed encroachment against the sovereign territory of Armenia - the UN member state, which is a violation of the norms of international law. This is stated in the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia which reads as follows:

"On May 25, Armenian serviceman, junior sergeant Gevorg Khurshudyan was fatally wounded by the fire of the armed units of Azerbaijan in the direction of the Upper Shorzha of Gegharkunik region of the Republic of Armenia.

We strongly condemn the blatant armed encroachment against the sovereign territory of Armenia - the UN member state, which is a violation of the norms of international law.

Despite calls from the international community, Azerbaijan refuses to withdraw its armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia, by further escalating the situation and undermining regional security and stability. The hostilities carried out by Azerbaijan in the sovereign territory of Armenia give the right to the Republic of Armenia to undertake the necessary and adequate steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to ensure the security of its population.

Its noteworthy that Azerbaijan tries to cover up these illegal military activities in the territory of Armenia by disseminating disinformation. The Armenian side is ready to engage in an international investigation to find out all the circumstances of this fatal incident."
Reuters Videos

The wife of Mexican drug lord El Chapo on Thursday pleaded guilty in federal court for her role in helping her husband run the Sinaloa cartel of smugglers. Clad in a green jumpsuit and wearing a white face mask, Emma Coronel Aispuro, appeared for a court hearing in Washington, D.C., where she pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to distribute illegal drugs, conspiring to launder money and conspiring to assist the Sinaloa drug cartel. As part of her plea agreement, the 31-year-old former beauty queen also admitted to conspiring to helping her husband escape from a Mexican prison in 2015 when he dug a mile-long tunnel from his cell. In early 2019, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is 64, was convicted in a high-profile Brooklyn trial of masterminding a multibillion-dollar drug enterprise. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, and locked up in the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.Coronel, a dual U.S.-Mexico citizen, married Guzman in 2007 at the age of 18. The couple has twin daughters. Coronel could face up to life in prison for the drug distribution charge alone.The other two counts against her carry maximum prison terms of 20 years and 10 years, respectively.A tentative sentencing date was set by the judge for mid-September.
Only 19% received the first dose; 14% the second. The city has 15 million doses available for 7.5 million inhabitants. Residents do not trust the authorities and perceive a low risk of infection. Carrie Lam: No public incentives to get vaccinated.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies)  Hong Kong authorities risk having to dispose of millions of doses of the vaccine against Covid-19, announced an official from the city's pandemic task force explaining that about 2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine will expire in September and will not be used at the current vaccination rate.

The population does want to get vaccinated, and this also applies to a large part of the medical staff. The reasons are his distrust of a government that represses dissent, the perception of being faced with a low risk of contagion and the disinformation circulating on the web.

Hong Kong has purchased 7.5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNtech and as many of the Chinese Sinovac, which has yet to receive approval from the World Health Organization. Currently only 19% of the population (out of a total of 7.5 million people) have received the first dose, and 14% the second.

Faced with the shortage of vaccines in other countries, the city executive is evaluating the possibility of sending the doses at risk of expiry abroad. However, some observers are calling for measures to encourage citizens to get vaccinated. One of these is to link the granting of economic aid to the presentation of a vaccination certificate: to revive consumption, the government has allocated a voucher worth HK $ 5,000 ( 526) to residents.

However, chief executive Carrie Lam ruled out public incentives to entice citizens to get vaccinated. Lam said today private organizations and businesses could spur the vaccination campaign by offering their employees cash gifts or prizes.
littlehenrabi / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Many of us are eager to travel again as the pandemic starts to get under control around the U.S. and in many parts of the world, but since it's been a while, we may be a little bit rusty when it comes to how to effectively book trips and get around on a budget.

Show Support: Don't Miss Out on Nominating Your Favorite Small Business To Be Featured on GOBankingRates -- Ends May 31

Before taking your next long-awaited vacation, be sure you're aware of these mistakes that can blow your budget while traveling.

Last updated: May 25, 2021

Uber-ride-share

Assuming Rideshares Are Your Cheapest Option for Getting Around

Depending on your destination, rideshares may or may not be the most cost-effective way to get around.

"Just because theres rideshare in a city doesnt mean its actually available or cheap," said Alex Miller, founder and CEO of the travel site UpgradedPoints.com. "Many cities have few Ubers or Lyfts, and when they are available, theres a significant surge in pricing, making these ride options very expensive."

Modern Money Etiquette: Who To Tip When Youre Traveling

Man working at home with laptop computer.

Not Canceling a Reservation on Time

If your travel plans change, you should cancel any existing reservations ASAP to avoid losing any deposits.

"Not canceling a reservation on time can cost you penalties," Miller said. "Ive seen many travelers need to cancel for one reason or another at the last minute, only to realize theyre beyond the cancellation period."

Be Aware: The Hidden Costs of Traveling To Hawaii and Other Popular Destinations During COVID-19

stack of multicolored credit cards on black background.

Using a Credit Card That Charges Foreign Transaction Fees

Some credit cards charge foreign transaction fees, which means you'll end up paying more than you need to every time you swipe your card when traveling abroad.

"Foreign transaction fees can really add up, and if youre not careful with what credit card you use, you could end up with hundreds of dollars of fees in a single trip," Miller said.

Story continues

Tips: How To Budget and Plan for a Vacation in 2021

travel

Exchanging Money at a Currency Exchange Kiosk

The currency exchange kiosks you see at the airport and around popular tourist destinations abroad typically don't offer the best exchange rates.

"Exchanging money at a typical currency exchange kiosk is very expensive, and theres always a surcharge or commission to the exchange shop," Miller said. "If you withdraw money from an ATM, youll pay the market exchange rate without any additional mark up. Couple this with a debit card that doesnt charge any withdrawal fees at ATMs, and youve got a great way to withdraw international currency."

Check Out: 10 COVID-Safe Locations To Visit Across the US

hotel room.

Using a Credit Card To Book Certain Hotels

"Some foreign hotels charge surcharges for paying by credit card," Miller said. "Not looking at how your room is billed can cost you a lot when checking out."

Be Prepared: How Your Hotel Stay Will Be Different When Traveling Post-Pandemic

African American woman using a laptop in her living room

Waiting for Airline Tickets To Go on Sale

Airlines will occasionally have sales and promotions, but these are rare and hard to predict.

"Not booking early enough because travelers are waiting for a sale to come out is a big mistake," said Dianne Hall, founder of GoWalkabout Travel Ltd. "Just because a seat sale came out the year before does not mean it will again the following year. By waiting, they can then miss out on the cheapest tickets for the flight and find themselves paying top dollar if they have no flexibility."

Important: Peak Season vs. Off-Season Travel: What Are the Differences in Costs?

Everyday Vacation Expenses You're Forgetting About, Luggage beside parked car outside hotel

Staying at a Hotel That Charges for Overnight Parking

Many hotels will allow you to self-park for free, but others will charge you overnight parking fees -- and these can be hefty.

"One travel planning mistake people commonly make is not checking to see if their hotel charges a daily parking fee," said Monica Fish, founder of the trip planning site Planner at Heart. "For example, if you stay for a week at the Wyndham National Harbor right outside of Washington, D.C., youll be on the hook for $140 for parking as the hotel charges $20 a night. If youre traveling to Hawaii this summer, you might experience some parking sticker shock on top of high rental car prices. The Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki charges a budget-busting $49 a night for parking. When comparing hotel prices, make sure to account for any parking fees for your stay!"

Helpful: How To Save Money on Rental Cars for Your Upcoming Trip

luggage-microchips-checked-baggage

Not Factoring in Other Hidden Fees

In addition to parking fees, you should also account for baggage fees when booking flights and resort fees when booking hotels.

"One of the biggest mistakes a person can make when booking a vacation is not reading the fine print," said Jennifer Jenema, a travel advisor with Passport and Duffel Bag Travel Co. in St. Petersburg, Florida. "Oftentimes there will be hidden fees that are not included in the published price. Baggage fees, parking costs and resort fees can really add up, making what you thought was a great deal more expensive in the end. Its so important to make sure you understand what is and is not included in the price before you can determine if its the best decision. Just because something seems cheaper does not mean that its a better value."

Travel Prep: 10 Financial To-Dos Before Going on a Trip

Travel insurance policy document with paperwork and technology.

Not Getting Travel Insurance

Although travel insurance will cost you extra money upfront, it may end up saving you big time.

"One of the common mistakes for travelers is not getting travel insurance to account for unexpected incidents," said Rax Suen, a travel writer at Nomads Unveiled. "I have had my room broken into while overseas before and had a bunch of my valuables and electronics, including my laptop, stolen. While I still suffered some financial losses, the travel insurance helped to offset some of the costs. It is always good to have some form of insurance protection, especially if you are traveling with expensive gear."

However, be sure to read the fine print before making your selection.

"Some travel insurance providers might advertise worldwide or regional coverage, but when you take a closer look at what's offered, the destination or type of activities you do may not be covered," said Chantae Reden, travel writer at TheSaltSirens.com. "If an accident, injury or mishap arises, you might be forced to pay out of pocket. For example, say a traveler takes out a policy that at first glance covers Southeast Asia. They then go on a trip to East Timor, a country not covered by the policy, and require medical attention. The medical treatment might not be covered, as East Timor was listed in the fine print of not being covered by the 'Southeast Asia' policy."

In this case, you'll have paid extra money for nothing.

Check Out: 13 Insider Secrets From Travel Agents That Will Save You Money

friends-traveling

Traveling With Someone Who Has a Bigger Budget

Choose your travel companions wisely, or it can end up blowing your budget.

"It's hard traveling with friends, but it's even more difficult when you have two different budgets," said Alison Watta, creator and owner of ExplorationSolo.com. "If you're traveling on a hostel/ food truck budget and your friend has money for hotels and fine dining, things can get tricky. Even if everyone agrees on the plan, the person with the larger budget will often try to upgrade. Bit by bit, you may find yourself agreeing to more expensive restaurants and additional outings. If you choose to still travel with your friend, always be firm with your budget and be comfortable saying 'no.'"

Modern Money Etiquette: How To Split Costs When Vacationing Together

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Overstaying Your Visa

Some countries require a travel visa to enter, and there are usually limits to the length of your stay with this type of visa.

"You should be careful when you are staying close to the allowed number of days on your visa," said Maarten Cox, founder of the travel planning site Gecko Routes. "Overstays are often very expensive and minutes can make a difference. If your issued visa is for 30 days and your flight back home leaves at midnight, this still counts for one day. If that happens in a country like Indonesia, you'll have to pay 1.000.000 IDR ($70) per extra day you overstayed in the country."

Find Out: How Eco-Friendly Travel Can Save You Money in 2021

Sign of a waiting taxi.

Taking Airport Taxis When Abroad

In the U.S., taxi fares are regulated, but this is not the case in every country.

"If you arrive in a new country, taxi drivers will be waiting in queues to bring you to your hotel," Cox said. "When traveling to Asia, I see taxi drivers charging up to five times as much as the normal fare. My advice is to always check in advance what the regular taxi fares are or use a taxi app."

And when you are quoted a price, make sure you are clear about what it includes.

"For example, clarify that the rate is for both people and all luggage, not per person or luggage is extra," said James Ian, a travel expert and blogger at Travel Collecting.

Read: Why Now Is the Time To Spend Money on a COVID-19-Safe Getaway

Businessman withdrawing money from ATM.

Withdrawing 'With Conversion' at Foreign ATMs

"When you withdraw cash in another currency, make sure to always select 'without conversion,'" Cox said. "ATMs can charge 10-15% extra conversion fees. No matter how 'low' the fee is, it will in all cases be higher than your own card would have charged you."

If your bank has branches abroad, this is your best bet for withdrawing funds without having to pay a foreign bank's ATM conversion fees.

Americans Are Ready To Travel Again: Heres How Much They Plan To Spend on Vacations This Year

Close up of a man sitting in a car and receiving car keys from person

Waiting Until the Last Minute To Book Your Rental Car

You'll end up paying more for your rental car if you book shortly before your trip -- or worse, upon arrival.

"I looked at domestic bookings by lead time and trip duration and found that the optimum time to book is 31 to 40 days prior to your trip departure," said Kelly Soderlund, senior director of communications at the corporate travel and expense management company TripActions.

Find Out: Are Workcations the New Vacations?

couple drinking at all inclusive resort vacation

Booking the All-Inclusive Option When You Won't Actually Use It

If you book an all-inclusive resort and plan to stay on the hotel's property the whole time, this can be a good deal. However, if you plan to explore the area while on your trip, you'll be prepaying for meals you may not even eat.

"Most people make this mistake in excitement without even realizing that theyre not going to stay in the hotel all day," said Eva Lerma, co-founder of MyTravelTripod. Plus, "street food costs a lot less" than hotel meals.

Find Out: How Much It Costs To Visit These Isolated Locations

international-shopping

Going Shopping Early on in the Trip

"It is normal to go shopping during your trip, but doing it early in your trip is a huge mistake," Lerma said. "If you overspend early in the trip, youll mess with your budget, causing problems for you later."

Check Out: What Are Cruises Going To Look Like in the Future?

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Trying To Cram in Too Many Activities or Destinations

"People have overly ambitious ideas for how many places they want to see," said Charlie Neville, marketing manager at JayWay Travel Inc.

In addition to this being exhausting, the more places you have on your itinerary, the more your trip will end up costing.

"Every extra city involves extra costs, whether it's taxis to and from train stations, or the cost of a train, bus or plane ticket," Neville said.

Tips: What Travel Agents Say About Planning for Trips in 2021 and Beyond

Three female friends sitting down at a table in a rooftop restaurant.

Eating Out for Every Meal

"The biggest hidden travel cost is meals," said Elizabeth Avery, founder of Solo Trekker 4 U and SoloTravelPricingTracker.net. "I always visit a mini-mart or full-service grocery store when I arrive at my destination. Even fast food can be pricey, besides not being healthy."

While it's fine to spend some of your travel budget on dining out, preparing some of your own meals or choosing affordable grab-and-go options will help you to stay within your budget.

Helpful: 40 Pandemic Airport Secrets Only Insiders Know

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Not Comparison Shopping for Flights

You may have a preferred airline, but you should look into all your options to make sure you are getting the best deal available.

"Through in-depth flight search and comparison, you can prevent booking a costly ticket by either opting for budget airlines, patching flights by airline hopping, booking months ahead of trip date, or even clearing browser cache and cookies before booking," said Yulia Saf, blogger at Miss Tourist.

See: 60 Things To Do in America at Least Once in Your Life

Young traveler woman walking through the stalls in Chinatown district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Booking Trips During International Holidays

Just as domestic flights and hotel prices tend to be higher around American holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, trips can be more expensive during international holidays.

"Make sure you check the public holidays of the countries you are visiting," said Hayley Crane, business development manager at the trip planning and tour booking site Door2Tour.com. For example, "trying to find a hotel in China during Chinese New Year or National Day can be very expensive, and finding [transportation] can be difficult."

Find Out: How Much to Tip When Traveling to These 25 Countries

woman putting money in savings bank

Not Taking Advantage of Discounts You Are Eligible For

Don't leave free money on the table!

"A costly mistake would be to not check for special travel discounts through organizations and credit cards," said Kathy McCabe, travel expert and host of the "Dream of Italy" series on PBS. "AARP, AAA, military, professional organizations, alumni groups, the corporation you work and many other groups have negotiated special discounts for members. So be sure to check before you make your travel plans."

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 21 Mistakes That Can Blow Your Budget While Traveling
PRAGUE (AP)  The Czech Republic on Tuesday lost its fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic struck last year.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the current office-holder Petr Arenberger called him in Brussels, where Babis is attending a summit of European Union leaders to announce his resignation.

Arenberger, the director of Pragues University Hospital Vinohrady, was only sworn in by President Milos Zeman on April 7.

He has been recently under fire from the media due to alleged irregularities in his tax returns. He declared he owned more assets and had a higher income after he became a government minister than in the preceding years.

It also emerged that he was renting one of his undeclared properties to the university hospital. That deal was signed before he was appointed its director.

Babis said Arenberger and his family were under pressure and that's the main reason for the resignation, Babis said.

Babis said he planned to reappoint Adam Vojtech, who was health minister when the pandemic hit the country in March 2020, to the post.

Arenberger took office after his predecessor, Jan Blatny, was fired over his handling of the pandemic, including imposing strict conditions for the use of experimental drugs to treat COVID-19 patients and refusal to accept Russias Sputnik V vaccine, which has not been approved the European Unions drug regulator.

Blatny had taken over the job on Oct. 29 to replace epidemiologist Roman Prymula, who was dismissed after he was photographed visiting a restaurant that should have been closed as part of the countrys restrictive measures.

Prymula had replaced Vojtech in the post on Sept. 21, to enable a different approach to the pandemic amid surging infections.

Infections are falling in the Czech Republic. The day-to-day tally of new cases dropped to 695 on Monday, down from almost 17,000 in early March.

The nation of 10.7 million has registered almost 1.7 million confirmed cases, with over 30,000 deaths.

Story continues

___

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

The United Kingdom didnt think much about particles or waves or quantum nonsense when it blew up Helgoland in 1947. It only knew that there were thousands of tons of World War II armaments to dispose of and the little island in the North Sea made a perfect place. The explosion was the largest non-nuclear blast of its time, and it came just 22 years after a much smaller, quieter detonation took place on the same islandwhen a young German physicist named Werner Heisenberg completed the equations that provided humanitys first glimpse into the hallucinatory world of quantum physics. Close to a century later, that early revelation is being explained with uncanny insight and lyrical grace by best-selling author and theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, in his latest book, aptly named Helgoland. Rovelli explores such head-spinning notions as the reason observing an event determines its outcome, why time doesnt really exist, and how it feels to devote your life to a science that even Albert Einstein described as witchery.

You write that you never would have been a physicist except that when you were registering for college classes, the line at the physics desk was shortest. Is that really the way you picked the discipline that would define your life?

Not entirely. I had a restless youth; I did not even want to go to the university. I wanted to take my backpack and go wandering around the world. But what happened is that I had a little Italian motorbike and I lent it to a friend, and the police stopped him and found some marijuana, some hashish. My lawyer said it was not a good moment to leave the country, so I enrolled in school. I was fascinated by large questions about philosophy, but when I started studying physics I really fell in love with it, and I also discovered, to my surprise, that it was good at it. My friends would ask me, Can you understand these things and can you explain them? And I said, Well, actually, I do understand them.

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That would put you in unique company. You quote no less a physicist than the late Richard Feynman as saying that nobody understands quantum physics and yet you also write that quantum has never been wrong. How can you reconcile those two ideas?

Quantum physics is a fantastic machine that allows us to predict whats going to happen in physical systems when they interact with something else. But if we take it as a description of what happens when a system is not interacting, it forces us to make implausible statements. A particle opens up and becomes a wave that spreads and goes through two holes at the same time and Schrodingers cat is alive and also dead. Quantum theory lets you say, Well I put this ingredient in and that could come out. But if you look for an actual description of what goes on in the world, it doesnt seem to make sense.

Does quantum science have any respect for linear time as we think of it, with a beginning, middle, end?

From Einsteins relativity we know that our common notion of time is an approximation. Its not bad, its just not good for thinking about galaxies and atomsits only good for thinking about our daily life. There is a quantum strangeness to time so the interval between two events can mean a quantum superposition of two times taking place at once. The best way is to forget about the idea that there is a spatial time at all.

Do you ever find it frustrating to be working in a field that even Albert Einstein described as an idea of real witchery?

Let me put it this way: Some people went into science because they were attracted by the idea that they could know something with a high degree of certainty. I was attracted by science for the opposite reason. Im fascinated by what we dont know beyond this boundary, this side of the hill. I find that the burning core of science.

You point out that it drives you a little bit crazy the way people misuse the term quantum. If you could sit the world down and explain to them in a few sentences what quantum is, what would you say?

Quantum physics can be summarized by three discoveries. One is that things dont happen according to exact equations, but only to the probability of them happening. The second is discreteness: for instance, we think of light as a continuous wave, but if we look in detail, its actually photons. Quantum is like pointillisma world made up of little dots. And the third, the controversial one, is that all objects have properties only insofar as they relate to other objects.

One of the most head snapping ideas of quantum mechanics is that we affect the outcome of an experiment by observing it. But why does the universe care if were watching or not?

I think that this is the key confusion about quantum. Theres actually nothing special about me as an observer. The quantum system has properties only with respect to some system interacting with it. I happen to be a human being who takes notes of what I see. But it doesnt matter that I have a subjective experience. Im just a physical system like anything else.

You have said that you like to smell books before you buy them. How come?

I have an emotional relation with books and I need the paper to be nice. There was a biography of Schrodinger which I disliked, but I didnt know why. And then I realized that the book had a bad smell. It was used, and it probably belonged to somebody who smoked.

In one of the more charming observations in your book, you say that as a quantum physicist you are really a simple mechanic. What did you mean by that?

Im not the person who thinks that science is a fundamental explanation of everything. As a scientist, especially one who looks at one side of things, I should not make the mistake of thinking that thats the overall picture. And so Im a little mechanic. I think scientists should be humble and not think theyre the masters of todays knowledge.
South African investigators said on Tuesday they have opened a probe into alleged plundering of the country's funds to fight Covid-19 by two close associates of the health minister.

A local media outlet alleged Tahera Mather, a former spokeswoman for Zweli Mkhize, and Naadhira Mitha, his ex-personal assistant, pocketed millions from the health ministry's budget using a front company.

AFP was unable to contact either woman or their representatives for comment.

Digital Vibes was awarded a 150 million rand (about $11 million) contract to carry out communications functions for the ministry.

Of that, around 90 million rand was channelled to entities set up by Mather and Mitha, as well as to Mathers immediate family and other suspect third parties, according to Daily Maverick. Neither woman was registered as a director of Digital Vibes, the report said.

The health ministry on Monday called on the media and the public to give it more time after the investigation had "unveiled some glaring irregularities that will certainly have to be responded to".

The evolving scandal adds to previous revelations that billions of rand meant to fund South Africa's coronavirus response plan have gone to politically connected companies. As public outrage grows, investigators have opened probes into dozens of firms.

Digital Vibes was contracted by the health department to, among other things, work on the department's public communications on Covid-19 since March 2020.

The allegations suggest that the procurement process between Digital Vibes and the department "was not entered into in a fair manner," a spokesman for South Africa's Special Investigating Unit told AFP.

"We are investigating that process," Kaizer Kganyago said, adding that this particular inquiry was at an advanced stage and might be concluded by the end of June.

The health ministry pledged to make the final report public in a timely fashion.

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Mkhize has spearheaded the country's campaign against the Covid-19 pandemic, serving as health minister since 2018.

Investigators first revealed in February that around $17 million in coronavirus funds was syphoned off last year through corruption, fraud and inflated prices for protective gear supplied to government hospitals and departments.

At the time, Mkhize, a close ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa, vowed to limit opportunities for fraud -- particularly around "contractual issues" in the health department.

South Africa is Africa's worst virus-hit country, recording more than 1.6 million infections and almost 56,000 deaths.

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By Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney on Tuesday argued that prosecutors should consider additional charges of sexual violence for a man accused of atrocities including rape, torture and murder during the 2003-2004 conflict in Darfur.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is holding hearings on whether to confirm 31 charges against Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, who prosecutors say was responsible for atrocities as senior leader of thousands of pro-government "Janjaweed" fighters in Sudan.

On Monday, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said evidence showed Abd-Al-Rahman was a commander known as Ali Kushayb who led attacks on villages and was implicated in more than 300 murders and raids that forced 40,000 civilians from their homes.

Defence lawyers argue Abd-Al-Rahman, who surrendered in June 2020, is not Ali Kushayb.

"I hope that this hearing will mark a turning point in the history of Darfur, and that a trial in this case is only the beginning of a reckoning that the victims deserve," said Clooney, appearing as a representative for victims, speaking by video link.

Abd-Al-Rahman, the first suspect to appear at the court in a case linked to Darfur, has not yet entered a plea. Defence lawyer Cyril Laucci said he intends to contest the ICC's jurisdiction, which was granted by a United Nations referral.

Clooney said the charges against Abd-Al-Rahman should be confirmed, and questioned whether they should not also have included additional charges for violence against women, and for genocide.

ICC confirmation of charges hearings are held to consider whether there is enough evidence against a suspect to proceed to trial. Judges have not set a date for that decision.

Darfur's conflict began in 2003 when mostly non-Arab groups rebelled against the government in Khartoum, which mobilised mostly Arab militias to crush the revolt.

Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir was deposed in 2019 and is in prison in Khartoum.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Giles Elgood)
An internal petition signed by 640 Amazon tech and corporate employees is asking the company to raise its emissions goals and address the disproportionate environmental harms its logistics empire leaves on Black, Latino, Indigenous and immigrant neighborhoods where its warehouses are often concentrated.

The petition was organized by the influential employee group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, many of whose members receive stock with their positions, after Amazon persuaded the Securities and Exchange Commission to bar including a proposal from the group at the companys shareholder meeting Wednesday. Amazon is the second largest employer in the country, with over 1 million workers, including Whole Foods employees and its vast fulfillment and delivery workers.

As employees, we are alarmed that Amazon's pollution is disproportionately concentrated in communities of color, reads the petition, which was obtained by NBC News. We want to be proud of where we work. A company that lives up to its statements about racial equity and closes the racial equity gaps in its operations is a critical part of that.

The group is also asking Amazon to offer detailed research about how its logistics and delivery operations pose disproportionate environmental and health hazards for communities of color and to prioritize those communities in its emissions reduction strategy. Amazon is committed to neutralizing its carbon emissions by 2040, but the group is asking the company to raise its goal to zero emissions by 2030, when climate science estimates have determined that global warming could lead to the irreversible loss of fragile ecosystems.

We are committed to finding innovative solutions to reduce emissions and are transforming our transportation network with investments that help us deliver packages more sustainably to support the communities where we operate, said Brad Glasser, an Amazon spokesperson. As part of this work, we co-founded the Climate Pledge  a commitment to be net-zero carbon across our business operations 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

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IMAGE: The Spheres at Amazon headquarters in Seattle (David Ryder / Getty Images)

The Amazon employee climate group submitted its shareholder proposal because the employees were awarded stock as part of their compensation. Amazon employees first used their stock to present their concerns about the companys climate impact to their fellow shareholders in 2019. While their proposals didnt pass, it was the first time workers in the technology industry used their position as owners of company stock to urge their employer to change its business practices.

Dangerous air

Climate change advocates and policymakers have raised concerns about the pollution created by the thousands of diesel trucks, airplanes and vans Amazon uses to transport orders through its vast network of warehouses to fulfill its two-day delivery promise. About 80 percent of those warehouses are in ZIP codes with higher populations of Black, Latino and Indigenous people compared to neighboring ZIP codes in the same metropolitan areas, according to the Amazon employee groups research with data collected by the logistics consulting firm MWPVL International.

As online shopping increased with the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, communities such as Southern Californias Inland Empire have borne the brunt of the environmental impact from increased pollution, the People's Collective for Environmental Justice said in a report last month. The group found that the increase in warehouses in the area correlated with an overall rise in poor air quality and subsequent health problems, including asthma, bronchitis and cancer, that hit communities of color the hardest. Amazon is the largest employer in the region, with 19 facilities.

Yet, the company is expanding its operations in the Inland Empire with an enormous logistics hub at the San Bernardino airport. The 700,000-square-foot facility is expected to bring 26 additional flights and 500 truck trips a day, which an environmental assessment by the airport authority found would collectively emit 1 ton of air pollution daily. Although the assessment ultimately found that the hub would meet federal requirements, Xavier Becerra, the state attorney general, sued the Federal Aviation Administration and the airport authority last year alleging that the project is unlawful and that it will cause significant harm to local air quality. The city of San Bernardino is 65 percent Latino, according to the census.

IMAGE: Amazon Air Regional Air Hub at San Bernardino International Airport (Watchara Phomicinda / Orange County Register via ZUMA)

Glasser, the Amazon spokesperson, said the company is installing 10 solar rooftops in the Inland Empire and investing in large-scale renewable energy projects to move its operations to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the companys goals.

The 640 Amazon workers who signed the petition are also asking the company to deploy its electric vehicles in areas most affected by the pollution its delivery operations create. An electric delivery truck in a Seattle suburb doesnt help a kid developing asthma living and going to school near a major shipping center, like in the Inland Empire, Selene Xenia, an engineering manager at Amazon who is part of the employee climate group, said in an interview.

Some of Amazons new electric vehicles are scheduled to be tested in Los Angeles for the first time this year.

Stock options

The Amazon employee climate group helped usher in a wave of climate activism at some of the countrys most recognizable technology companies. Thousands of workers at companies such as Google, Twitter and Microsoft joined Amazon employees in walking out of their offices in 2019 to press their employers to do more to tackle climate change.

Shareholder proposals related to climate change began proliferating in the U.S. in 2014, according to Institutional Shareholder Services, an international corporate governance and investor advisory firm. Last year, shareholders passed five climate-related proposals at companies such as DollarTree, J.B. Hunt Transport, Phillips 66 and Chevron.

Maximilian Horster, managing director and head of climate solutions at Institutional Shareholder Services, said all companies need to make an environmental agenda a bigger priority.

When you look at the magnitude of climate change, 10 or so companies' adopting a resolution is not enough, he said. Shareholder resolutions are part of the solution. But they are not the only one, because there are only so many resolutions out there.

IMAGE: Amazon employees rally in Seattle (Jason Redmond / AFP - Getty Images file)

Still, Amazon employee climate activism has caught the attention of company executives. Tim Bray, a former vice president at Amazon who resigned last year, citing a culture of toxicity, signed on to a petition from the group in 2019 calling on the company to reduce its carbon footprint and cut its ties to the oil and gas industry. Amazon also fired two of the climate groups core organizers last year, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, citing violations of company policy that prohibits employees from commenting publicly about its business. The National Labor Relations Board determined last month that their firings were illegal.

Amazon says it disagrees with the labor boards ruling. We support every employees right to criticize their employers working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against our internal policies, all of which are lawful, said Glasser, the Amazon spokesperson.

A day before the Amazon Employees for Climate Justices organized walkout in 2019, CEO Jeff Bezos announced plans to deploy a fleet of electric vans by 2024 and the companys goal of going carbon neutral by 2040. Employees still walked out, because their demands called for stronger action. The company denies that its climate pledge was made in response to the employees' demands.

I believe that tech workers have a responsibility to speak up about these issues and push their employer, said Xenia, the Amazon employee. Amazon would not exist without its employees. We are its greatest asset.

It is not always easy to get leadership to respond or acknowledge quickly. But the more we speak up, the more it is clear that we are heard and things do change.
The Pennsylvania-based IT company that was in charge of running the hand recount of Maricopa County, Airzona, ballots is no longer involved in the audit.

The contract with Wake TSI ended May 14, the original completion date for the hand count, and the company chose not to renew its contract, according to Randy Pullen, an audit spokesperson and former state GOP chair.

"They were done," he said. "They didn't want to come back."

Wake TSI was the subcontractor that developed and oversaw the procedures for recounting the county's nearly 2.1 million ballots, working under Cyber Ninjas, the state Senate's main contractor performing the overall audit of the county's general election results.

The audit was on break from May 14 until Monday, as graduations took place in the coliseum.

Pullen said that Scottsdale-based technology company StratTech Solutions took over Monday running the hand count, using Wake's procedures.

The company has been involved in the audit since the beginning, Pullen said, including helping set up the technology for the hand count procedures. It's unclear whether the company, which specializes in cybersecurity and other internet technology, has any election or auditing experience.

More: 2020 ballots in Arizona's largest county have been under scrutiny. Here's what to know

More: Fact check: No evidence election audit in Maricopa County has found widespread election fraud

The switch in contractors is the most significant change yet in the unconventional audit, which has seen numerous changes since it began April 23.

Ryan Macias, former acting director of testing and certification at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, who has observed the audit for the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, said Tuesday that this represents the continuation of the mismanagement and constant change which we have been observing since the beginning."

But Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said the company had completed the obligations under its contract and she was informed last week it would not be returning.

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They finished up with their contract, so they dont need to be there anymore, she said.

Of the auditors, Wake TSI had the most experience in hand counts

Senate Republicans had touted Wake TSI's election experience when announcing an incomplete list of contractors that would conduct the audit, saying that its employees performed a 2020 election hand count in Fulton County, Pennsylvania. The Arizona Mirror reported last week that the firm conducted that audit at the request of a state senator who has been a prominent advocate of the Stop the Steal movement.

Cyber Ninjas' original statement of work said that Wake TSI would be "leading all ballot hand-counting processes."

When Doug Logan, Cyber Ninjas' CEO, was questioned about his company's lack of experience in election audits, he said his company was involved in election audits in Michigan and Georgia, but he also emphasized that Cyber Ninjas was just the "coordinating firm" of other companies that had experience in their areas.

More: Fact check: False claim from Trump about Maricopa County election database

When Logan's bias was questioned, after it was discovered that he had touted unfounded claims of election fraud on social media, he emphasized the importance of hiring Wake TSI, which he trusted to create a ballot counting process that was "beyond reproach."

"To me," he said in that statement, "the most important element was the hand-counting, because if that was done right and transparently, it alone could restore some confidence in our election."

The Senate's liaison to the audit, Ken Bennett, told a pool reporter on May 7 that the company would "probably have two to 300 people that are under their employ or volunteers."

Many of the same people are now working under StratTech, Pullen said.

Gene Kern, the co-founder of Wake TSI who was helping manage the hand count, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Reach the reporter at jen.fifield@azcentral.com or at 602-444-8763. Follow her on Twitter @JenAFifield.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona recount tech firm backs out of hand count
(Fixes typo in headline, no changes to text)

By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's second largest city Melbourne reinstated COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday as authorities scrambled to find the missing link in a fresh outbreak, prompting New Zealand to pause a "travel bubble" with the state of Victoria.

Amid worries the cluster, which has grown to nine cases in two days, could spark a major outbreak, Victoria imposed social restrictions and made face masks mandatory in hotels, restaurants, and other indoor venues from 6 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Tuesday until June 4.

The latest outbreak ends Victoria's run of zero cases for nearly three months and saw New Zealand suspend quarantine-free travel with the state and the neighbouring state of South Australia impose travel restrictions.

Australia has avoided the high COVID-19 numbers seen in many developed countries by closing its international borders in the early stages of the pandemic and with lockdowns. It has reported just over 30,000 cases and 910 deaths.

Thousands of people in Melbourne have been ordered to self isolate and undergo COVID-19 tests with health alerts issued for several sites, including one of the largest shopping centres in the country.

One of the cases had a high viral load while he visited some venues prompting authorities to warn Melbourne's five million residents to brace for more positive cases in the next few days.

Authorities urged Victorians to get vaccinated.

"There are right now millions of Victorians that are eligible to be vaccinated. They shouldn't wait for tomorrow, they shouldn't wait for next week. They should move now and get vaccinated," James Merlino, Victoria state's acting premier, told reporters in Melbourne.

Victoria was the hardest-hit state during a second wave late last year, accounting for about 70% of total cases and 90% of deaths in Australia. The state, the country's second most populous, only controlled the outbreak after one of the world's longest and strictest lockdowns.

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Five new locally acquired cases were reported in Victoria on Tuesday, a day after four infections were recorded in Melbourne.

All cases belong to one extended family across different households and could be traced back to the variant found in an overseas traveller who returned to Melbourne early this month after completing quarantine in the city of Adelaide.

Authorities, however, said they could not yet find how the latest cases contracted the virus from the overseas traveller.

New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the 'travel bubble' with Victoria has been suspended for three days from Tuesday evening.

"New Zealand officials have assessed that the most cautious option is to pause the travel bubble with Victoria as there are still several unknowns with the outbreak," Hipkins said.

Melbourne's fresh outbreak comes as Australian authorities try to ramp up a sluggish national vaccination drive with health experts worried many people were delaying getting inoculated because of the country's success in effectively eliminating the virus.

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Michael Perry)
Capitol Hill police and the FBI are investigating a package containing white powder that arrived at the home of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) from an anonymous sender on Monday.

I take these threats immensely seriously, Paul tweeted in a short statement, adding that he has been a repeated target of violence.

The package was in a large envelope and had white powder inside, Paul senior advisor Sergio Gor told Politico, which first reported the package.

The FBIs Louisville office is working with the Warren County Sheriffs Office by providing forensic and technical support for this investigation, agency spokesman Tim Beam told The Courier Journal of Louisville.

Paul was the first U.S. senator to be diagnosed with COVID-19 and has been criticized over the course of the pandemic for comments on vaccines, masks and the origin of the virus, The Courier Journal noted.

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A US defense spokesman said Tuesday that the Pentagon was still trying to connect with Chinese military chiefs amid reports that Beijing was rejecting calls on protocol issues.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been rebuffed three times in attempted calls to Chinese counterparts, according to a Financial Times report that has not been denied.

China's government-allied Global Times newspaper reported that while China is open to bilateral military discussions, Austin had tried to connect with Xu Qiliang, the powerful vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Chinese Communist Party organ which oversees the military, rather than just with the country's Minister of Defense, Wei Fenghe.

Austin's approach of trying to see Xu, who is close to President Xi Jinping, was "an unprofessional and unfriendly act of disregarding diplomatic protocol and international common practice," wrote the Global Times, which often echos official views.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Austin has not connected with China's top military officials.

"We certainly desire to have a dialogue with our counterparts in Beijing, and we're still working our way through exactly what that's going to look like and how that's going to transpire," he said Tuesday.

The Pentagon has been open about the desire to have top-level bilateral discussions with China amid a rise in tensions between the two sides.

Washington has kept up a strong military presence in the region, especially with naval deployments, to make clear its rejection of Beijing's claim on disputed territories in the South China Sea, its threat to retake US ally Taiwan by force, and its expanded military presence beyond East Asia.

China meanwhile sees the regular passage of US ships through the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits as threats to its sovereignty, and its dealings with Taiwan as a strictly domestic issue.

China's frequent air force patrols into Taiwan's regional airspace, and the United States' continuing supplies of advanced defense equipment to Taiwan, has raised worries that the island could become a flashpoint between the two superpowers.

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Relations between the two sides' militaries have ebbed sharply since former US Defense Secretary James Mattis visited Beijing for talks on opening better channels of communication in June 2018.

Those discussions did not bear fruit, and Mattis' successor Mark Esper was unable to set up a meeting with his counterpart last year.

Austin and Wei were expected to have an opportunity for informal talks in early June at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit, but the event was cancelled last week due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns.

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USD175,600 donated to overseas Vietnamese in Covid-19 fight

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee has granted VND4.05 billion (USD175,600) to help the overseas Vietnamese community in the fight against Covid-19.



The donation was handed over to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday in Hanoi.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee has granted VND4.05 billion to help the overseas Vietnamese community in the fight against Covid-19.





At the event, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Truong Thi Ngoc Anh said that the financial support is aimed to help Vietnamese people in Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Cambodia amid difficulties caused by Covid-19. This has shown great unity of Vietnamese people.



Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Minh Khoi, who is also Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, noted that the ministry will early distribute the money to Vietnamese people in these four countries through the embassies.



According to Khoi, overseas Vietnamese have raised nearly VND80 billion and sent home goods in support of pandemic and flood response efforts.

To date, around 500 flights have been conducted to repatriate some 130,000 Vietnamese citizens abroad amid the pandemic. More such flights will operate in June.
Director general Grossi confirms that the next deadline will expire on 24 June. A "buffer measure" to avoid "flying blind". Iranian ambassador: "Seize the extra opportunity provided" by Tehran for the lifting of sanctions. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: very significant progress from Vienna.

Vienna (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iran extended the temporary agreement with the chiefs of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday by "at least a month", giving the green light to "surveillance and verification activities "On nuclear plants in the Islamic Republic. According to reports from the director general of the UN body Rafael Grossi, the new deadline is expected to expire on 24 June.

Tehran has given its consent to the extension so as not to hinder the final phase of the negotiations underway in Vienna on the 2015 nuclear agreement, with the full return of the United States and the - at least partial - lifting of the sanctions.

The IAEA director general explains that the agreement serves to fill a void and "avert talks in the dark" with the Iranian counterpart. While welcoming the opening of Tehran, Grossi however acknowledged that the situation is not favourable. "The temporary understanding is a sort of stop-gap measure. It is to avoid flying completely blind," he said.

Recently, Tehran progressively violated the terms of the pact by easing restrictions on nuclear activities. The first steps in this direction date back to 2019, in response to the May 2018 withdrawal by the then US President Donald Trump from the JCPOA and the reintroduction of the toughest sanctions in history, causing a collapse of the Iranian economy.

The temporary agreement will expire on June 24, a few days before the presidential elections to close the era of moderate Hassan Rouhani (who will not be able to stand as a candidate having finished his second term) and lead a conservative to power. A change destined to also affect the timing, methods and possible results of the ongoing nuclear talks.

In February, the Islamic Republic announced the interruption of the application of the IAEA protocol, which allows access to suspicious sites and the vision of surveillance cameras. However, the parties then finalized a "temporary technical pact" lasting three months.

Announcing the extension, Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Kazem Gharibabadi said world powers should "seize the extra opportunity provided by Iran in good faith for the complete lifting of sanctions." Yesterday the Iranian Foreign Ministry spoke of "very significant progress" in the Vienna talks, which could lead to "results" if "a political decision is taken in Washington".
A West Virginia man was brutally beaten and forced to live in a dog cage, until an anonymous tip led police to his rescue.

According to Beckley police, a concerned citizen came into the department on Saturday and told them a man was being held against his will at a home in the town. He was being kept in a cage and appeared to have been beaten severely, the tipster said.

Roughly three hours later, Beckley police went to the address, along with a Raleigh County Sheriffs Office Special Response Team.

Authorities raided the house and found the victim, who was observed to be badly injured, suffering from multiple lacerations, contusions, and a significant injury to an upper extremity, Beckley police said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police arrested 32-year-old Joshua Aaron Lafferty on charges of kidnapping, malicious wounding, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Lafferty has been jailed without bond.

Police said the kidnapping was drug-related.

According to court documents, two other men were in the home with Lafferty, and can be heard taunting the victim in a video shared with police, WVNS reported.

Later at the hospital, the victim told authorities Lafferty was demanding money from him, and at one point beat him with a shovel.

Police are searching for the other two men, the station reported.

More charges are expected to be brought as the investigation continues, police said.

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(Bloomberg) -- Top Biden administration officials on Tuesday unveiled their plan to get the first-ever wind farms floating off the California coast, despite longstanding Pentagon concerns that turbines would complicate military training exercises in the region.

Under the new agreement, the administration is targeting potential wind leasing that could power 1.6 million homes, including in a 399-square-mile (1033-square-kilometer) area northwest of Morro Bay, capable of supporting 3 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity.

The Interior Department also is advancing plans for potential wind leases in waters off Humboldt County, with the capacity to generate 1.6 gigawatts of power. Under the deal, the Defense and Interior Departments are promising to collaborate so the region can support military exercises and renewable energy development.

White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said the breakthrough will set the stage for the long-term development of clean energy and the growth of a brand new made-in-America industry that takes advantage of a world-class offshore wind resource near California.

The pact sets the stage for a potential government sale of wind leases near the northern and central California coast as soon as mid-2022, following additional environmental analysis and public consultation.

The area is a top target for renewable energy development. Waters off the U.S. West Coast beckon developers with steady, strong evening winds that could generate nearly a terawatt of electricity and help satisfy a California goal to rely on only carbon-free energy by 2045. Offshore wind development in U.S. Pacific waters also could help meet President Joe Bidens goal of getting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity installed by the end of the decade.

Yet, technological and political challenges have slowed wind development in the region. The continental shelf plunges fast and deep off the U.S. West Coast, making it impossible to install conventional turbines into the sea floor and compelling the use of more expensive floating structures instead.

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Offshore wind projects in the targeted area about 17 to 40-miles off northern San Luis Obispo County could link up with existing electric infrastructure, funneling power from the turbines to a decommissioned power plant at Morro Bay.

Military officials have long objected to renewable development in some of the most promising West Coast waters, which are also used for testing and training operations. Tuesdays breakthrough comes after nearly two years of negotiations by a working group representing key federal agencies, the Defense Department and the California Energy Commission. The effort to broker a compromise was spurred on by California Democratic Representatives Salud Carbajal and Jimmy Panetta.

The Defense Department is committed to working across the U.S. government to find solutions that support renewable energy in a manner compatible with essential military operations, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said in a news release Tuesday.

The federal government has already sold wind leases along the shallower East Coast, but no commercial leases have been offered in U.S. Pacific waters.

Several renewable developers have signaled interest in the region. Magellan Wind, Orsted North America Inc. and Equinor ASA are part of a coalition pushing for offshore wind development near California. Castle Wind LLC, a partnership of Trident Winds Inc. and EnBW North America, has proposed a 1,000-megawatt floating offshore wind farm near Morro Bay.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the effort was critical to meeting the states clean energy goals. The announcement represents the innovative approach we need for a clean energy economy that protects the coasts, fisheries, marine life, and tribal and cultural resources we value so much as Californians, Newsom said in the release.

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US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will hold their first summit next month in Geneva, both sides said Tuesday, though no breakthrough is expected in the fraught relationship.

The meeting in the wealthy Swiss city -- home to many UN organizations and location of a historic 1985 summit between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan -- will be on June 16.

"The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the US-Russia relationship," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

The Kremlin confirmed the summit details and said in a statement that Putin and Biden would be discussing "issues of strategic stability," as well as "resolving regional conflicts" and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Biden, making his first international trip as president, will go to Geneva immediately after separate summits with his key Western allies in the G7, NATO and the European Union.

The face-to-face meeting with the Kremlin leader comes amid levels of tension not seen for years, with Washington now dialling back its ambitions to little more than establishing a relationship in which both sides understand each other and can work together in specific areas.

Unlike in 2009, when Biden was vice president and then president Barack Obama's administration declared a diplomatic "reset" with Putin's government, expectations going into the summit this time are far lower.

A high-profile encounter will suit Putin at a time when he faces a largely hostile West, but Biden's decision to meet should not be taken as a mark of approval, say White House officials.

"We don't regard the meeting with the Russian president as a reward," Psaki said.

Since taking office, Biden has imposed new sanctions against Moscow over what US authorities say was the Russian role in the massive Solar Winds cyber attack and repeated meddling in the 2020 presidential election.

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In addition, Washington has harshly criticized Moscow for the near-death poisoning and subsequent imprisonment of one of the last open opponents to Putin, Alexei Navalny.

Tensions are also high over Ukraine, where Russia already controls swaths of territory and recently massed troops on the border in a new show of force.

Yet another focus is on Russian-dominated Belarus, which caused an uproar this week after authorities forced an airliner passing overhead to land, then arrested an opponent to President Alexander Lukashenko who had been aboard.

And where Biden told an interviewer that he agreed with the description of Putin as a "killer," the Russian government has formally declared the United States to be an "unfriendly" country.

- Moves to ease tension -

The open recriminations are a long way from the often puzzling relationship between Putin and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.

The Geneva summit will come almost three years after Trump famously sided with the Kremlin leader over the US intelligence agencies on the question of whether Moscow interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.

However, both sides are working to calm the waters ahead of the Geneva summit, with the White House emphasizing hopes for working alongside Russia on well-defined strategic issues like nuclear weapons control and the Iran nuclear negotiations.

To prepare the ground, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and veteran Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met last week in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after the Blinken-Lavrov meeting that repairing ties "will not be easy" but he saw "a positive signal."

Moscow welcomed a US decision to waive sanctions that had been holding up completion of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline -- a major energy supply route from Russia to Europe that US officials worry will make the EU overdependent on the Russians.

Officials say that given the worrying state of US-Russian relations, little change is likely any time soon. This leaves Washington with only the option of clarifying where each side stands at the presidential level, thereby hoping to prevent more dangerous escalations.

"This is how diplomacy works. We don't meet with people only when we agree," Psaki said.

"The president of the United States is not afraid to stand up to our adversaries and use a moment of in-person diplomacy to convey areas where he has concern and look for areas of opportunity to work together," she said.

"We're not suggesting that at the end of this, that it's going to be easy breezy from here.

sms/st
By Ali Sawafta and Jeffrey Heller

RAMALLAH, West Bank/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on a Middle East mission on Tuesday that Washington would provide new aid to help rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to bolster a ceasefire between its Islamist Hamas rulers and Israel.

Hoping to reverse a move taken by former President Donald Trump that angered Palestinians, Blinken said the United States would advance the process of reopening its Jerusalem consulate that had served as its diplomatic channel to the Palestinians.

Speaking alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Blinken said the United States would provide an additional $75 million in development and economic aid to the Palestinians in 2021, $5.5 million in immediate disaster relief for Gaza and $32 million to the U.N. Palestinian aid agency based there.

"We know that to prevent a return to violence we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges," he said. "And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild."

Blinken reiterated that Washington intended to ensure that Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organisation, did not benefit from the humanitarian aid - a potentially difficult task in an enclave over which it has a strong grip.

He said if aid were distributed correctly it could actually undermine Hamas as the group "thrives on despair, on misery, on desperation, on a lack of opportunity".

At a press conference later in the day, Blinken also warned against actions by Israel or the Palestinians that risk inciting tensions or ultimately undermine the two-state solution to which he said Washington was still committed.

Such actions, he said, included Israeli settlement activity in occupied territory Palestinians seek for a state, possible Israeli evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, and incitement to militant violence on the Palestinian side.

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The ceasefire, brokered by Egypt and coordinated with the United States, began on Friday after 11 days of the worst fighting between Palestinian militants and Israel in years.

Hundreds of Israeli air strikes killed at least 254 people in Gaza and injured over 1,900, Palestinian medics said, and destroyed or damaged commercial buildings, residential towers and private houses across the tiny coastal enclave.

The Israeli military put Israel's death toll at 13, with hundreds injured as rocket salvoes by Hamas and other Palestinian militants in Gaza caused panic and sent people as far away as Tel Aviv rushing into shelters.

BLINKEN MEETS ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN LEADERS

Blinken began his regional visit in Jerusalem, where he held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader, speaking to reporters with the top U.S. diplomat at his side, threatened a "very powerful response" if Hamas renewed cross-border rocket strikes.

Blinken will be in the region through Thursday, and will also travel to Egypt and Jordan.

In tandem with his visit, Israel allowed fuel, medicine and food earmarked for Gaza's private sector to enter the territory for the first time since the hostilities erupted on May 10.

Blinken said reopening the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem would be "an important way for our country to engage with and provide support to the Palestinian people". He declined to provide a timeline for the reopening.

The Trump administration merged the consulate with the U.S. Embassy in Israel in 2019, two years after recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Those moves broke with long-standing U.S. policy and infuriated Palestinians, who seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Israel deems all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector it captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move not recognised internationally, as its undivided capital.

Biden has no plans to reverse the embassy relocation but has acted in the early months of his presidency to repair relations with Palestinians. In April, Biden restored hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian aid cut by Trump.

ABBAS LAUDS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION STANCE

Speaking alongside Blinken, Abbas thanked the Biden administration "for its commitment to the two-state solution (and maintaining) the status quo on the Haram al-Sharif" (Noble Sanctuary), a Jerusalem compound holy to Muslims and Jews that contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

Abbas also voiced gratitude for what he called American support "for the preservation of (Palestinian) residents of ... Sheikh Jarrah," an East Jerusalem neighbourhood where potential evictions of Palestinian families helped spark the Israel-Gaza fighting.

Negotiations between Israel and Abbas's Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the West Bank, collapsed in 2014. While Biden has said a two-state solution is the only solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, U.S. officials have suggested it was too early for wider peace talks.

Israel is in political flux after four inconclusive elections in two years, and the Palestinians are divided by enmity between Hamas and Abbas.

"Leaders on both sides will need to chart a better course," Blinken said, "starting by making real improvements in the lives of people in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank."

In Gaza, Palestinian officials estimated reconstruction costs at tens of millions of dollars. Israel has blockaded the territory since 2007, in what Palestinians condemn as collective punishment. Egypt also maintains restrictions on its border with Gaza. Both countries cite security concerns for the measures.

(Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu and Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
WBZ TV's Lisa Gresci reports.

Video Transcript

- Bomb threat shutting down a local airport. Lisa Gresci live in Manchester, New Hampshire with all the overnight details, Lisa.

LISA GRESCI: Kate, that bomb threat was called in here to the Manchester Boston Regional Airport. And it caused the main terminal to be evacuated. Airport officials say the call came in late last night just after 11. Airport operators immediately closed the main terminal and evacuated everyone inside.

It was mostly employees at the time. One American Airlines flight and a Southwest flight both landed at the airport. They were held at the gate until police finished their search and gave the all-clear.

The airport says nothing was ever found. And the ordeal was over within an hour and a half. This is all under investigation. All gates, though, are now open. Reporting live from Manchester, Lisa Gresci, WBZ this morning.
This year has seen hacking-for-ransom groups carry out a spate of high-profile attacks on businesses as varied as fuel supplier Colonial, laptop maker Acer and Irish and US health services. The latest company to divulge a ransomware-fueled data breach is audio equipment manufacturer Bose, according to cybersecurity site Bleeping Computer. In a notification letter filed with New Hampshire's Office of the Attorney General, Bose said that it "experienced a sophisticated cyber-incident that resulted in the deployment of malware/ransomware across" its "environment."

Breaking down its handling of the breach, Bose said it first detected the attack on March 7th and immediately began working to "contain" it with the help of technical staff and security experts. It added that it has since safely restored its systems. On April 29th, the company discovered that the perpetrator of the attack may have accessed a small number of internal spreadsheets containing information on current and former employees. The files included the workers' names, social security numbers, and compensation info.

Bose added that its forensics evidence indicates that the "threat actor interacted with a limited set of folders." But, it admitted that it had no way to confirm whether any of the data was stolen. The company has employed experts to monitor the Dark Web for signs of "leaked" information. As of now, Bose said it had not received "any indication" that the exposed data has been "unlawfully disseminated, sold, or otherwise disclosed." The company told Bleeping Computer that it did not make a ransom payment.

To mitigate against future attacks, Bose said it is bolstering safeguards across its systems, including enhanced malware and ransomware protections on endpoints. It's also conducting a detailed forensic examination on its impacted servers, blocking malicious files used in the attack and changing passwords and access keys for all service accounts.

The Bose data breach is the latest wake-up call for businesses. It serves as another reminder that criminal hackers are increasingly taking advantage of the upheaval to corporate working practices caused by the pandemic. As more businesses embrace hybrid work models, where staff split their time between the home and the office, weak security systems will likely continue to come under attack.
Diane Abbott, who is Britains first Black female MP, faced criticism over a tweet following the shooting of a prominent Black Lives Matter activist in London.

Sasha Johnson was left in critical condition after she was shot in the head early Sunday. The Guardian reported that Londons Metropolitan Police Department has insisted she was not specifically targeted. But her Taking the Initiative Party said she had received "numerous death threats" related to her activism before the shooting.

Abbott took to Twitter to condemn the shooting and said "nobody should have to potentially pay with their life because they stood up for racial justice. #BlackLivesMatter."

Critics called the tweet divisive.

Abbott discussed the tweet during an interview on the British channel LBC. Iain Dale, the host, questioned the tweet and asked her if she "inflamed racial divides" by posting the message without doing her homework.

She pointed to the alleged threats against Johnson and posts online.

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"No. I think it is so wrong to accuse people of color, who raise issues in relation to race, of somehow inflaming feelings," she said.

The Guardian reported that Johnson may have been shot by mistake during a gathering at a south London home at about 3 a.m. Authorities are reportedly scanning CCTV from around the area in hopes for a break in the case.
If you need more proof that the luxury sector is enjoying a vigorous rebound, look no further than to LVMHs Bernard Arnault. The French conglomerates chairman briefly eclipsed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to become the worlds richest man.

On Monday, Arnaults net worth reached an eye-popping $186.3 billion. This rocketed him to a cool $3 million above Bezos, who has consistently been ranked as the worlds wealthiest individual since 2017.

More from Robb Report

LVMHs shares, which have soared around 20 percent since the start of 2021, rose 2.7 percent during early session trading on Monday to put its market cap at $320 billion. This elevated Arnaults personal stake by more than $600 million.

Market fluctuation quickly boosted Bezos back to the top spot with a hefty fortune of $189.4 billion, according to the real-time Forbes billionaire tracker. Third spot, meanwhile, belongs to Elon Musk, who is worth $151.9 billion as of writing.

Arnaults accent can be accredited to the robust gains LVMH has made even in the midst of a global pandemic. The conglomerates houses, such as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, have shown enduring appeal throughout this unprecedented time. As a result, the 72-year-olds net worth, which was a $76 billion in March 2020, has risen more than $110 billion over the past 14 months.

The boom comes shortly after LVMH posted its impressive first-quarter revenues, which exceeded those achieved even before the wrath of Covid-19. The French behemoth netted roughly $16.7 billion (14 billion) in the first three months of 202132 percent more than the same period in 2020thanks to surging sales in the US and Asia, as well as a strong performance in the fashion and leather goods category.

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Luxury rival Kering has enjoyed similar, pandemic-defying success. The group, which oversees the likes of Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gucci, has experienced lofty gains throughout the past year or so. Subsequently, the net worth of leader Francois Pinault has grown from $27 billion to $55.1 billion since March 2020.

Similarly, the two brothers that now helm Chanel, Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer, have doubled their wealth since last year and are now worth $35 billion.

Looks like 2021 is indeed the year of luxury.

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by Francis Khoo Thwe

Danny Fenster was detained at Yangon airport before he could fly home for a visit to the United States. Some 34 journalists are still held by the military. Fierce fighting is pitting rebels against Myanmars military in Kachin State. The UN Assembly is set to vote a resolution calling for an arms sales embargo against country.

Yangon (AsiaNews)  Myanmars security authorities arrested a US journalist yesterday as he was set to fly out of Myanmars former capital, the Frontier Myanmar news magazine and website twitted.

Danny Fenster, the publications editor-in-chief, was detained at Yangon International Airport. He wanted to go back to the United States to see his family.

Frontier Myanmar noted that it was not aware of the reasons behind his arrest and has called for his immediate release.

Since it carried out a coup on 1 February, Myanmars ruling military junta has increasingly targeted journalists and reporters.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Myanmar ranks 140th out of 180 countries in Freedom of Information in 2021.

At least 34 journalists and photographers are still in military custody, this according to monitoring group Reporting ASEAN.

The countrys Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) are cracking down on foreign reporters to dissuade their local colleagues from covering the repression of the civil disobedience movement.

Fenster, 37, was taken to the infamous Insein prison, where many political prisoners are held.

Japanese reporter Yuki Kitazumi also spent some time in the facility. Back in Japan after his release last week, he said that political prisoners told him about the torture they endured, such as caning and sleep deprivation.

According to a group that monitors developments in Myanmar, since the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government, the military has killed 824 people and jailed another 4,301.

Meanwhile, intense fighting continues between the military and rebel groups in Chin and Kayah States, as well as the Kachin Independence Army.

Yesterday's artillery fire in the Tarwar Kone and Kone Law areas prompted hundreds of residents to leave their homes.

The UN General Assembly also announced that in coming days it will vote on a resolution to impose a total arms sale embargo against Myanmar.

The vote was postponed last week under pressure from China and Russia. The measure must be approved by the Security Council, where Beijing and Moscow have a veto power.
EXCLUSIVE: All of this lack of economic inclusion, its giving a pathway to the other issues in our community, Allen tells theGrio.

Byron Allens $10 billion lawsuit against McDonalds is one of accountability and the desire to create economic inclusion for the Black community.

The media mogul  whose Entertainment Studios is the parent company of theGrio  put the fast-food giant on notice recently by filing suit for alleged racial discrimination. The CEO exclusively spoke with theGrios White House correspondent and D.C. Bureau Chief April Ryan about the necessity of pursuing his claims.

Black America accepting less than by corporations, Allen said, is a civil rights issue that can no longer be deferred.

(Credit: Getty Images)

Read More: Byron Allen sues McDonalds for $10 billion alleging racial discrimination

Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther Kings widow, expressed that we as Black people will have four major challenges in this country. Number one, end slavery. Number two, end Jim Crow. Number three, achieve civil rights, and number four, the real reason they killed my Martin  achieve economic inclusion, Allen tells theGrio.

Allen referenced the Civil Rights Act of 1866 enacted for newly freed slaves to emphasize his point.

This is the very first that was put on the books almost 160 years ago. It was put on the books to address economic inclusion for the newly freed slaves. That is the very first one. And here we are almost 160 years later and we still havent achieved economic inclusion, he continued.

And that is the greatest trade deficit in America, the trade deficit between white corporate America and Black America. And we have to close that gap to have real civil rights in America. This is the biggest pressing civil rights issue in America. All of this lack of economic inclusion, its giving a pathway to the other issues in our community.

Media mogul Byron Allen (Photo by Getty Images)

The businessman does not mince words about the practices of McDonalds who have come under scrutiny by their own employees who have filed their own racial discrimination suit against the firm. TheGrio reported in February that the franchise with the famous golden arches was sued for allegedly relegating its Black owners to the toughest neighborhoods.

Story continues

We are suffering from economic genocide. We are suffering from economic exclusion. We have to close that gap and what Ive said to Corporate America [is] you have to do business with Black America in a meaningful way and you just cant look at us like we are a Negro problem and how little can I throw these Negroes so they shut up, go away and I can get back to my white privileged life, Allen declared.

Byron Allen has been at the forefront of taking these companies to task with various lawsuits, including his battle with Comcast that reached the Supreme Court. He pushed back against the notion that his motives were rooted in anything other than holding the powerful to account.

Read More: Byron Allen push leads to IPG Mediabrands committing at least 5% to Black-owned media

The only time that America wants to use the word Black is when theyre talking about a suspect. When its time to talk about money and its time to talk about economic inclusion and it involves Black people, then all of a sudden they start saying, terrorists, extortionists. Where is the extortion? You brought my Black [people] from Africa to build the most powerful, wealthiest nation in the world. Thats the extortion.

Allen further highlighted the open letter signed by himself, Earl Butch Graves Jr. (President & CEO  Black Enterprise), Roland Martin (CEO, Nu Vision Media, Inc), Munson Steed (CEO of Rolling Out), Todd F. Brown PMP (Founder, Urban Edge Networks HBCU League Pass), and Junior Bridgeman of Ebony Media. It was directed to McDonalds President and CEO Chris Kempczinski and demanded that the corporation stop discriminating against Black-owned media. According to Allens lawsuit, the budget for McDonalds is $1.6 Billion.

However, Black outlets only receive a paltry $5 million in advertising dollars despite McDonalds using the Black community for cultural influence.

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

This isnt just about Byron Allen. This is about everybody, he maintained.

The Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group made it clear that it was time to come off the plantation. What is OK with somebody spending way over a billion a year advertising and Negroes get damn near zero. What is OK about that, Black America?

He reminded the community of their lineage and deserved their equal share.

Youre not a charity, you are kings and queens and literally royalty rolls through your blood. But yet you are still acting like its OK to treat me like nothing. That doesnt work, Black America. If were gonna change our condition, were going to get a calculator and were going to know the numbers and were going to hold white Corporate America accountable. Thats what weve never done.

Allen took pride in his place in history as the first Negro to come along in over 400 years and sue Corporate America for now at this point over $50 billion.

Whos next? Ryan posed to the mogul.

Everybody whos not doing business with Black America, he responded.

theGrios Stephanie Guerilus contributed to this report

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post Byron Allen on McDonalds lawsuit: Black people built wealthiest nation and thats the extortion appeared first on TheGrio.
Secondary school pupils swear face masks in classrooms during the COVID pandemic. Getty Images)

Calls for face masks in schools to return have escalated as fears grow over sky-high COVID cases in Indian variant hotspots like Bolton.

The B1.617.2 variant, which is thought to affect children more, has seen a sharp rise in several areas of England.

This has prompted calls for secondary school pupils to wear face masks in classrooms again after the government removed the mandate earlier this month.

Professor Christina Pagel, director of University College London's Clinical Operational Research Unit, warned on Tuesday that the current measures in schools are not enough to protect against the risk of the virus.

Read: Government slammed for 'seriously worrying' Indian variant report released days late - and during Eurovision on a Saturday night

In a long Twitter thread, Pagel said lateral flow device tests - now the governments main mitigation in secondary school - are "not really being done.

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She also highlighted how cases in secondary school-age children in Bolton are sky high, with over 1% of 10-14 year-olds testing positive last week and the week before.

Where cases are high in the community, schools are at risk of outbreaks," she said. "Particularly with this new variant, which is likely more transmissible."

Pagel then called an "improvement to mitigations" having tweeted two days earlier that the government should be reintroducing masks in schools.

Meanwhile, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham announced on Tuesday that a formal request had been made to the government to allow schools discretionary power to reintroduce face coverings.

He told a press conference: "We are being told by the Department for Education at a national level that there can be no deviation from the national position on schools vis-a-vis the roadmap - where it is being said now that schools should not enforce or require the wearing of face coverings within school.

Watch: Labour: Government advice 'appalling' in Indian variant hit areas

Story continues

"Now, not just in Bolton, but certainly in Bolton, there are schools there and across Greater Manchester that obviously are looking at the local situation and wanting to apply local discretion as to the situation within their school, within their community, and that is entirely understandable and right in our view."

Other scientists have also criticised the removal of mitigations in schools as well as Public Health England's failure to publish school data on the mutant strain in both its May 13 and May 22 report.

Dr Zubana Hague, a member of Independent Sage, cited data from the reports findings showing vaccines are just 33% effective against the Indian variant after one dose. "That leaves 60% of adults and all children still at risk," she said.

She wrote on Twitter: "Boris Johnson said he sees no current signs of having to 'deviate' from plans to scrap the last lockdown curbs yet both he and PHE were fully aware of all this alarming data.

An electronic notice board in Bolton town centre, one of the areas of the UK where the Covid variant first identified in India is spreading fastest. (PA)

They are also holding back important data on number & extent of school outbreaks re: #B16172, she added.

And of all the action the govt could have taken immediately after May 17 reopening to curb the *rapid spread* of #B16172 India variant, the easiest/most politically-feasible thing to do would have been to RETAIN #facemasks in secondary schools. But instead, they scrapped it."

Deepti Gurdasani, a senior lecturer at Queen Marys University London, also tweeted that the PHE report looked "seriously worrying" and criticised the fact it contained no data on schools.

She said: "It's bizarre we're continuing re-opening and removing school mitigations as we see exponential growth in many parts of England."

It comes as the government has been accused of creating confusion by changing its COVID guidance for those living in eight areas of England worst affected by the Indian variant without any widespread announcement.

People queuing for COVID vaccinations at the ESSA academy in Bolton.(PA)

People have been told to avoid non-essential travel into and out of the areas, which include Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen.

Theyve also been told to keep two metres apart and meet outside rather than indoors wherever possible.

Meanwhile, the latest Department of Education data shows a 33% increase in the number of school pupils testing positive for COVID on May 20 compared to the week before.

There were 18,000 pupils who were absent from school because they suspected they had COVID-19, - up from 17,000 on May 12, and 4,000 were off after testing positive - up from 3,000.

The data also suggests that 82,000 pupils were out of class and self-isolating on Thursday last week due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus, compared to 65,000 the previous week.

Read more:

Dont be scared of over-reacting to Indian coronavirus variant, SAGE scientists warn government

What you can and can't do under current lockdown rules

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders union NAHT, said: There is growing concern about the spread of the Indian variant in schools. The Government must make the data they hold on this public without further delay.

Schools need transparency about the levels of infection around the country so they can make sure they have the right measures in place for their local area.

The Government must be proactive to ensure that transmission in schools, particularly in relation to the new variant, is not allowed to proceed unchecked.

Yahoo has contacted the Department of Education for comment.

Watch: COVID-19: Councils say travel not prohibited after meeting government officials over local lockdown fears
The Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena is closed Tuesday after a two-vehicle crash sent a car careening through the glass storefront.

Video Transcript

- You might know where this Cheesecake Factory is exactly.

Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena was closed today after a vehicle crashed into the building. This picture shows the vehicle after it went through the window of the restaurant. This is Colorado and Fair Oaks-- very heavily trafficked and popular.

Firefighters say one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Crews are evaluating the building now to see if it is [? stable. ?]
CarMax (KMX) closed the most recent trading day at $113.37, moving -0.45% from the previous trading session. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.21%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the used car dealership chain had lost 13.35% over the past month. This has lagged the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 2.93% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.59% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from KMX as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, KMX is projected to report earnings of $1.60 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 595.65%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $6.03 billion, up 86.73% from the prior-year quarter.

KMX's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $5.84 per share and revenue of $22.67 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +29.2% and +19.61%, respectively.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for KMX. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.64% higher. KMX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note KMX's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 19.5. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 19.11.

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Investors should also note that KMX has a PEG ratio of 1.29 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.49 as of yesterday's close.

The Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 87, which puts it in the top 35% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks. Com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.



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A Chester County man accused of four murders in South Carolina and Missouri along with other shootings in both states will remain in jail after two judges denied bail Tuesday in court.

Tyler Donnet Terry, 26, made his first appearance at the Chester County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon, a day after he was caught by law enforcement officials in rural Chester County near Interstate 77. His arrest came after a six-day manhunt.

Terry is respectively charged in South Carolina and Missouri with two counts of murder. He also is charged in South Carolina with 11 attempted murder charges, and other weapons violations and burglary crimes related to a shooting spree that ran from May 2 through May 18.

Chester County Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Garis and Chester City Judge Theodore Wilder Jr. each denied Terry bond on the 18 combined charges.

There has been some flight in this case so bond on all charges is denied, Garis said.

Terry made no comments in court except to tell Garis that he understood the proceedings. Garis said he wanted to make sure Terry understood the charges against him.

Chester county and city charges

Terry is charged in Chester County with the murder of Eugene Simpson, husband of Terrys co-defendant, Adrienne Simpson. Eugene Simpson was found May 19 fatally shot in a field. Adrienne Simpson, 34, of Myrtle Beach, also is charged with murder in her husbands death.

Simpson, jailed since a chase with sheriffs deputies on May 18, did not appear in court Tuesday. She has had her initial appearances in court, officials aid. Her lawyer, Geoff Dunn, was in court Tuesday but did not speak and declined comment afterward.

Terry faces attempted murder charges in Chester County related to shots fired at deputies in the police chase, which also involved Simpson. There also are charges against Terry related to May 2 shootings at a Taco Bell and a home on Ehrlich Street.

One of the May 2 victims at Ehrlich Street, Jeremy Robinson, said in court Tuesday to the judge that he forgave Terry. Robinson was shot but survived, prosecutors said.

Story continues

I forgive him for what he did to me, and may God have mercy on his soul, Robinson said.

Terry also faces charges of burglary from the Ehrlich Street shooting and several charges of weapons violations from all three shootings in the county and city, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald.

Manhunt gets national attention

The manhunt for Terry went from a regional incident in both Carolinas to gain national attention after his alleged involvement in Missouri murders came to light.

More than 300 police officers from Chester and York counties, South Carolina state police, and federal agents were involved in the manhunt. Federal agents from the ATF captured Terry Monday around 10 a.m. in a rural Chester County field near Interstate 77. He was scratched and thirsty and his clothes were torn but was otherwise unhurt, Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey said.

Dorsey, who Tuesdays court hearing, said Terry should not get a bond.

My opinion, he should never see the light of day, Dorsey said in an impromptu news conference after court.

Dorsey said police want justice for the victims and the community who were terrorized. Police found a gun near Terry when he was caught and two guns in the chase vehicle from May 18.

This is why the police do this. We protect the people who cant protect themselves, Dorsey said.

Sixth Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman said after court in a news conference the Chester County cases will be handled first, but no timetable is set for trial.

Chase, manhunt, other crimes

Chester deputies tried to stop the car Simpson was driving, with Terry as the passenger, after it was seen outside a Bojangles near I-77.

Terry allegedly shot at three Chester deputies during the chase. Deputies returned fire. No one was hurt in the exchange. The car crashed and Terry escaped on foot.

Terry also is charged with two Chester city shootings and killing a man named Thomas Hardin in the city of York, court records show.

Terry has not yet appeared in York County court on the York murder charge. Simpson is charged as an accessory in that killing.

Missouri charges

Terry and Simpson face two counts of murder and other charges from three shootings in Missouri on May 15, police and prosecutors in St. Louis County, Mo., said late Monday.

Seventy-one-year-old Barbara Goodkin and 58-year-old Dr. Sergei Zacharev were fatally shot in unrelated incidents about an hour apart, said Wesley Bell, prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County. Zacharev was robbed, Bell said in a news conference Monday night.

Goodkins husband was shot at, but a cellphone in his shirt pocket deflected a bullet and saved his life, Bell said.

In an incident minutes before the shooting of the Goodkins, Terry and Simpson are charged with a road rage shooting on I-170 in St. Louis County where a car was shot multiple times, Bell said. That driver was not hurt, Bell said.

In Missouri, Terry and Simpson each are charged with two counts of murder and 13 other charges, according to prosecutors and court records.

Terrys criminal record

Terry was convicted in April in Myrtle Beach municipal court on a charge of domestic violence against Simpson and given a time-served sentence, South Carolina court records show.

He was free on $20,000 bail at that time from a June 2020 arrest and charge in Chester County related to domestic violence against Simpson, according to police and court records. That case remains pending.

Terry also is on probation in North Carolina from previous convictions, officials said.
Chip and Joanna Gaines in 2017. Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Chip Gaines' sister Shannon Braun is running for a school board position in Colleyville, Texas.

Braun has spoken out against critical race theory as part of her platform.

The Gaineses reportedly donated $1,000 to her campaign.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Chip and Joanna Gaines reportedly donated $1,000 to a politician who supports banning critical race theory education in Texas public schools.

Chip Gaines' sister, Shannon Braun, is running for the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (GCISD) school board in Colleyville, Texas.

According to her website, Braun's platform intends to provide "kids the education they deserve" - which she doesn't believe includes critical race theory.

Critical race theory looks at racism systematically, examining how generations of racism and inequality still impact society today.

"It's an approach to grappling with a history of white supremacy that rejects the belief that what's in the past is in the past, and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it," a lawyer and founder of critical race theory Kimberle Crenshaw told CNN.

To critical race theorists, racism is not something that happened in the past tense, but an experience people of color deal with every day, while white people continue to benefit from an imbalanced system.

Protesters hold signs that says, "Black Lives Matter" a painted portraits of George Floyd with the Pan-African colors of Red, Black and Green behind them as they walk with thousands of protesters from Cadman Plaza to take part in the peaceful protest across the Brooklyn Bridge. Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images

Critical race theory is not currently part of the GCISD's curriculum, as The Dallas Morning News reported, though a growing number of conservatives claim Texas school districts have plans to implement it.

Texas legislators are considering passing a bill that would make it more difficult for teachers to educate their students about racism, while deaths caused by domestic extremists who have racist ideologies are on the rise.

The bill would prevent teachers from participating in training that "presents any form of race or sex stereotyping or blame" and from talking to their students about "widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs," as The Dallas Morning News reported.

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In addition, students would not be able to get school or extra credit for political activism.

As the Dallas Observer reported, Braun has said critical race theory is "the single most divisive threat" to education.

Chip and Joanna Gaines donated $1,000 to Braun's campaign, as reported by The Dallas Morning News. The outlet also reported that Chip Gaines' parents donated $2,000 to the campaign.

The Gaineses' endorsement was previously listed on Braun's campaign website, but that section of her site is no longer live.

Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines attend the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Cocktails at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2019 in New York City. Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Braun will compete against incumbent Mindy McClure in a run-off on June 5.

Texas isn't the only state to push anti-critical race theory legislation in recent months. Oklahoma passed a similar bill at the beginning of May, and legislation has been proposed in Louisiana that would bar teachers from teaching race or sex as systematic.

On May 20, Georgia's governor Brian Kemp wrote a letter asking the Georgia State Board of Education "to take immediate steps to ensure that Critical Race Theory and its dangerous ideology do not take root in our state standards or curriculum."

And on Tuesday, Tennessee's governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law that forbids educators from teaching that "an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously."

As the AP reported, opposers of the new law fear it will make teachers avoid the topic of race or racism altogether.

The Gaineses and Braun did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are meeting with family members of George Floyd today as the U.S. marks one year since his murder. This comes as Congress struggles to pass significant police reform legislation. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the Floyd family, joins CBSN to discuss.

Video Transcript

ANNE-MARIE GREEN: President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will soon meet with the family members of George Floyd as the country marks one year since his murder. His killing sparked a global movement against police brutality while the US faced a reckoning over systemic racism and civil rights. And this comes as Congress misses a crucial deadline today to pass significant police reform legislation. Earlier on "CBSN AM," I spoke with Democratic Senator Cory Booker about his ongoing efforts in negotiations.

CORY BOOKER: One of the things that I think Tim and I are working to do is affirm our shared values. And I have now been talking from civil rights organizations to police leadership around this country, even union leadership. And when you start with the core shared American values, things like transparency, things like accountability, things like simple facts that if someone breaks the law or violates someone's constitutional rights, they are not above the law. There should be real consequences. And so we are building a bill around accountability, transparency, consequences, and banning practices like chokeholds and others that we know are not a part of a 21st century policing effort in this country.

ANNE-MARIE GREEN: So for more on this, I want to bring in civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the Floyd family in court. And he's with me now from Washington. Sadly, you've also represented a number of other families who have lost loved ones after police interactions. And I want to get into the Justice in Policing Act. But first, I just want to talk to you not as an attorney, but as Ben.

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You know, this past year we've seen a bit of a revolution in the way we talk about policing in this country, a civil rights revolution, in a way, that started in Minneapolis, but we saw it sort of sweep across the globe. Who would have thought that people in other countries would be demanding justice for George Floyd, would be holding up signs that say Black Lives Matter? I'm wondering about just your general thoughts as you reflect on the last year. Have you seen significant change in this country? Do you think there's something different about this country over the past year?

BEN CRUMP: Well, Anne-Marie, thank you for always covering these matters, because you do reflect not only as a civil rights attorney, but as a parent of Black children who you know are going to have to grow up and face this world where you have this systematic racism and discrimination that meets them every time they walk out the front door. And I think about George Floyd and how that video that has been watched more than any torture video by American police on an American citizen ever in the history has galvanized people not only all across cities in America, but, as you correctly state, it galvanized people all around the world saying until we get justice for George Floyd none of us can breathe.

And so I think about the progress that we have made, and it has been significant. But there is so much more we have to do. You know, you think about Daunte Wright who, while we were at the Chauvin trial, 10 miles away he gets killed. He's another unarmed Black man to add to this long, long list that continues to grow.

I mean, it seems like every week, Anne-Marie. And so that's why we have to get this Justice in Policing Act passed so we can hopefully prevent some of these unnecessary, unjustifiable, and unconstitutional killings of Black people so we won't be choked out anymore, so they won't keep shooting us in the back. I don't know, Anne-Marie, I don't know what it is about a Black man running away from the police that is so dangerous to these white police in America.

They don't shoot white men in the back, but it's almost like a cliche how they shoot Black men in the back. And I'm not talking about a long time ago. I'm talking about in 2020 we saw Anthony McClain in Pasadena, California, Jacob Blake Jr. in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Treyford Pellerin in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, these young kids in Los Angeles County, Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, Georgia. The list just keeps going on and on, Andre Hill in Columbus, Ohio. And these are all in 2020.

ANNE-MARIE GREEN: I think you make such a great point. It's almost like there were sort of parallel universes at times. Like sometimes I think about that, that we have this really intense conversation about changes that need to be made when it comes to policing in this country, reimagining public safety. So the conversation has gone beyond just policing.

But you know-- but how do we keep our citizens safe, all of them, Black, white, mentally ill, homeless, all of them? And then while this conversate-- and it's a diverse conversation, all races are involved in this and on the same page. And while this is happening, we're still covering these heartbreaking stories of Black men and women being killed.

You're-- in a year like this, Ben Crump, you're not supposed to acquire new clients. You're not supposed to because there is supposed to be so much attention on policing that everyone is minding their Ps and Qs, as they say. Does at time-- does it feel like that to you sometimes that there are sort of parallel paths happening in this country and I wonder if those paths will ever cross?

BEN CRUMP: Well, certainly, I do think there are two Americas when it comes to justice, one for Black America and one for white America. And we see this continuously. This is not a new phenomenon when we think about the impediments to getting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed, which would be the first meaningful police reform on the federal level in America in over 57 years.

And so, Anne-Marie, we always hear the obstacles or the opponents saying, well, Blue Lives Matter. What about police lives and all this stuff? And you know, that seems very hypocritical to a lot of us who watched the white nationalists on January 6, 2021, attack the United States Capitol and attack police officers and kill police officers.

But they're not saying Blue Lives Matter there. Is it just Blue Lives Matter when it's a killing of a Black person and they are trying to justify the unjustifiable act? And so we have to always speak truth to power. And on this one year commemoration after George Floyd was killed, that's really where we need to speak truth to power.

We need to pass this bill to give the respect that George Floyd's legacy deserves. I mean, I don't know if there will ever to be a video that is that tragic, I mean, just a man begging for his life and the police keeping his knee on his neck for not-- not one minute, not two minutes, not three minutes, not four minutes, not five minutes, not six minutes, not seven minutes, not eight minutes, but nine minutes.

And the reason I do that, Anne-Marie, is I want people to understand how evil this was. And so our white brothers and sisters, they-- they can't fathom somebody doing this to another human being. But we as Black people watch that video and we say, but by the grace of God that could have been me.

And that's never my white brothers and sisters, my white law partners. They can't even fathom somebody doing that to them. And so this is our moment. We cannot squander this moment to get meaningful police reform in America because we can't go another 50 years.

ANNE-MARIE GREEN: Well, speaking of the moment and speaking of-- speaking truth to power, today George Fuller's family, along with you, will be meeting with the president, President Biden. He has asked that this day be a deadline for the Justice in Policing Act, something that he could sign. It's not going to happen.

And I don't know if the deadline-- how much the deadline really means. You want to get it done right. But what is the message that the Floyd family and you will be leaving with the president today?

BEN CRUMP: That George Floyd's blood will be on this legislation, that Breonna Taylor's blood will be on this legislation, that Anthony McClain, his blood, Andrew Brown in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Ronald Greene, Terence Crutcher, you know, Botham Jean, their blood will be on this legislation. So it has to be meaningful, and we have to have everybody continue to make this a priority.

I am a little concerned with the Senate going on vacation for three weeks that we don't want to lose the momentum, the progress that we've made, because we know America has a short memory. And they have become scientific at sweeping Black deaths under the rug. And so we have to make sure that we don't let the issue die.

You asked me earlier about progress. I do think one of the significant things in America is that we got to the point where we were finally ready to have this conversation on a racial reckoning in America, one that we have long ignored. And so we're having that conversation.

And that is part of George Floyd's legacy. However, we know talk is cheap. Your actions speak much louder than your words will ever do. And so the message to the president and the members of Congress, especially the United States Senate, is let's not just talk the talk, let's walk the walk.

ANNE-MARIE GREEN: Attorney Ben Crump, you mentioned all those names, and I just kept on thinking about all the other families that are suffering without the benefit and the burden of the national spotlight and the names that we don't know yet, the names that I am bound to be talking about in the next month or-- or few weeks. Really appreciate you spending some time with us today. Attorney Ben Crump, thank you.

BEN CRUMP: Thank you, Anne-Marie, and I pray for your family and your children. It's about all our children.

ANNE-MARIE GREEN: Thank you.
Samir Mansour bookshop

Samir Mansour spent years scrimping for his bookshop and educational centre in Gaza City. Today, it's a pile of rubble.

The Mansour Library was levelled by an Israeli airstrike on May 18, at the height of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which ended with an uneasy ceasefire last Friday.

"I saw by accident on TV that the bookshop was being targeted," Mr Mansour told The Telegraph. "I came running, saw the rocket hit, and it collapsed in front of my eyes."

The 53-year-old, whose dream was to sell English-language and Arabic books to Gazans, hopes to rebuild the shop as soon as he can. But he estimates that the costs will be around $700,000 (500,000).

The bookshop is just one of hundreds of buildings destroyed by the conflict in Gaza, which cost the lives of nearly 250 Palestinians, including 66 children. Thirteen Israelis were also killed, including a young boy.

After the bombing, Mr Mansour attached a poster to what remains of the shop, which reads: "Books are the source of knowledge and forming an identity." A few paperbacks could be seen half-buried in the rubble, including a wrestling memoir called "The Underdog" by Joshua Davis.

"I am doing my best to rebuild, and I am hoping that it will be better than before," Mr Mansour said. "And I'm hoping someone will give me financial aid to rebuild."

al-Nahda library - Emmanuel Dunand / AFP

Mr Mansour may be in luck. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian president, has pledged $500m (300m) to help rebuild Gaza, while US President Joe Biden has also offered financial support, though he has not yet provided an exact figure.

"I believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely, and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy," Mr Biden said in a recent speech, which signalled that his administration would seek to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

"My administration will continue our quiet and relentless diplomacy toward that end."

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The legal charity Reprieve has also launched its own crowd-funded campaign to rebuild the shop, urging people to "donate generously and help Palestinians get books back."

The overall cost of restoring Gaza's damaged schools, hospitals, mosques and apartment blocks is expected to run up a bill of several billion dollars.

Meanwhile the United Emirates, which last year signed a normalisation treaty with Israel, has said it is ready to arrange peace talks between Israel and Hamas.

Egypt, which brokered the ceasefire, says it is staying in close contact with Israeli officials, as well as Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza.

However, the conflict has already had a devastating impact on Gazan children, who according to aid workers will suffer from mental trauma for many years to come.

"Many are shaking non-stop, and are suffering from sleep deprivation, nausea, and severe distress, said Luma Tarazi, a mental health adviser at Save the Children.

Because of overstimulation of the nervous system, their bodies cannot calm down... they will remain distressed. We expect that this emotional toll will prevent them from playing, relaxing and focusing in school.

At the height of the conflict last week, it emerged that 11 children who were killed by Israeli air strikes and artillery had already been receiving trauma therapy from the Norwegian Refugee Council, in the wake of previous violence in Gaza.

Among them was Lina Iyad Sharir, 15, Hala Hussein al-Rifi, 13, Zaid Mohammad Telbani, four, and Tala Ayman Abu al-Auf, 13.

During a visit to the Shifa hospital in Gaza, the Telegraph spoke to one doctor whose team recently had to amputate the leg of a seven-year-old boy.

He was an innocent child, seven years old," said Dr Abdullah Mohsen, 29. "This case is really affecting us, we will never forget it."

Additional reporting by Siham Shamalakh
A group of just over 100 supporters gathered outside Tuesday morning at Michael M. Byrne Elementary School, where clerk Judy Mahoney is approaching her final day of employment.

CPS, shame on you, said Desiree Alonzo, Byrnes Local School Council chair. We need to do better; we need to be better.

Mahoney, a Chicago Public Schools employee for close to 30 years, was left paralyzed in 2017 when a drunken driver hit her car. Mahoney worked as a clerk at Whittier Elementary School in Pilsen at the time, but that building wasnt wheelchair accessible.

CPS told me, Ms. Mahoney, you may want to apply at other schools,  Mahoney said. I thought, Why would I need to apply? I have a job. I just cant get in there. 

She did apply for other jobs, and two days before she was scheduled to return to work after the car crash, CPS told her shed been hired as a clerk at Byrne, an elementary school on a quiet, leafy block in Garfield Ridge.

But the job was temporary. After June 2021, Mahoney was told, the position would no longer be funded.

Mahoney said she was just happy to be returning to work. She didnt focus on the temporary part.

________

Columns are opinion content that reflect the views of the writers.

________

The only thing I retain from my previous life is my ability to work, Mahoney said. Everything else I do different. The way I get dressed, the way I drive, the way I get into bed, the way I shower. The only thing that remains the same is my ability to work.

Shes been working at Byrne since 2018, but after June 22, shes out of a job.

She said she has pleaded with CPS and the administrators at Byrne to extend her position, but theyve told her theres no money in the budget. Shes one of two clerks at Byrne, and the school will function with just one clerk going forward.

Three years ago, the district created and funded an additional clerk position at Byrne Elementary to support this employee during a difficult time, CPS press secretary James Gherardi said in a written statement May 11. Like hundreds of schools, Byrne Elementary is wheelchair accessible, and could meet her needs. Recently, the employee was asked to begin applying for vacant clerk positions at other wheelchair accessible schools, with the districts support. The district remains fully committed to continuing to work with the employee to find a new position at another school that meets her needs. Any suggestion the district has been unsupportive of this employee is uninformed.

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CPS officials have been sending Mahoney lists of clerk positions that are scheduled to be vacant for the next school year. Many of the schools with openings arent wheelchair accessible. Besides, Mahoney said, she doesnt want to schlep to interviews and wait for calls back and change schools again.

I had a permanent, secure position, she said. Thats been taken away from me because of your lack of access, not because I cant perform my job.

The Chicago Teachers Union launched a petition on Mahoneys behalf and helped organize Tuesdays rally. Teachers and staff from Whittier and Byrne attended the rally, as did Mahoneys friends and family members. Her daughter and sisters wiped away tears as they spoke.

I feel so devastated to see my sister going through this, said Ema Pineda, who also worked as a clerk at Whittier before retiring. I see her struggle. Its not only physically, but mentally. Shes not asking for any pity. Shes asking for what she deserves.

Alonzo emphasized the value of having Mahoney in such a visible job, especially for students of differing abilities.

Ms. Mahoney serves as an inspiration to all of our students and most importantly our diverse learners, Alonzo said. Ms. Mahoney is a real-life example to these kids that a disability doesnt hold you back, doesnt mean that you dont have the ability.

Charles Rakis, whose wife works as a teacher at Byrne, said its disingenuous for CPS to talk about the merits of diversity and then fail to properly accommodate disabled students and staff.

You hear it all the time  at least I do: Youre such an inspiration! Youre such an inspiration!  said Rakis, who uses a wheelchair after a car accident left him paralyzed when he was 18. But on a daily basis, these kids need to see that type of inspiration. If CPS is out here screaming, Diversity, diversity diversity, this is another example of that. Dont say it and not mean it.

At the start of the 2019-2020 school year, 295 CPS school buildings, out of 642 total, were accessible to students and staff with mobility disabilities, according to an August 2020 report by Access Living, a disability rights advocacy group. The majority of accessible schools are high schools, Access Living found, and a significant number of CPS schools, mostly charter and option schools, are not rated for accessibility.

If Judys accident had occurred while working in an accessible school, she would not be facing joblessness today, the CTU petition reads. Judy is only 49 years old and still has years of excellent service and a powerful positive example of resilience and determination to offer to our students. Like every school clerk, shes an anchor in her school community who has proven that she can do her job effectively from her wheelchair.

Mahoney said she was grateful for the support of the crowd, but she was hoping a rally wouldnt be necessary.

I didnt want it to get to this point, she said. But its my life at stake. My livelihood. I have no way out. Im exhausted. Im drained. I have no more.

It shouldnt have gotten to this point. The folks at CPS, tasked as they are with shaping and modeling for the future problem-solvers of the world, should have come up with a more humane, sustainable solution from the beginning. Theyve still got time.

Please allow Ms. Mahoney to stay at Byrne, Alonzo said, addressing any CPS leaders who might be listening. Not only for her, but for our entire school. And for the shining example of hope she provides to all of us.

Join the Heidi Stevens Balancing Act Facebook group, where she continues the conversation around her columns and hosts occasional live chats.

hstevens@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @heidistevens13
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The two evangelizers, celebrated yesterday, used a "Christian alphabet" to unite different peoples, overcoming the prejudice between "Greeks" and "barbarians". President Vladimir Putin Best sends best wishes to Patriarch Kirill.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Yesterday May 24, the Russian Church celebrated the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the "Teachers of the Slavs". The feast is also recognized in Russia as a civil holiday, "Day of Slavic writing and culture", at the origin of the literary tradition of all peoples who, like the Russians, use the "Cyrillic" alphabet.

The Macedonian apostles were sent from Constantinople 1158 years ago. In 863, they composed the first holy books (Bible and Missal) in the new language, known to them in their native Thessaloniki, and also obtained the blessing of Pope Adrian II in Rome, to whom they had brought the relics of Pope Clement I as a gift in 869, which they miraculously found in Crimea.

In 1980, Pope John Paul II proclaimed them co-patrons of Europe, together with Saint Benedict; the remains of Cyril rest in the basilica of San Clemente in Rome, where he died, while Methodius is buried in Velehrad in Moravia, the place of origin of the Slavic mission.

On the occasion of the feast, the Russian Orthodox Church confers a prestigious award dedicated to the two holy brothers, and it is also an opportunity to congratulate the patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev), who assumed this name at the age of 22, entering the monastery in 1969.

President Putin, who shares with the patriarch the age-old name of Vladimir, the baptizer of the Russians sent greetings to the Patriarch on his name day. The first to receive the award was the poet and translator Musin Lazurja, a native of Abkhazia, the Caucasian region that the Russians contend with Georgia.

Lazurja himself explained that "the meaning of this holiday is the perception of the word and thought of different peoples in accordance with the Russian language, as the famous Russian critic and philosopher Vissarion Belinsky said:"the translations into the Russian language are themselves expressions of Russian literature, and so the Cyrillic translations into Paleo-Slavic from Greek and Latin founded the common Slavic culture. The poet thus affirms the "cultural mission" of the Slavs and of the Russians in particular: "how many peoples, including those of the Caucasus, have been able to understand the laws of the creation of the world thanks to the Christian alphabet, and to the mentality handed down in it! ".

Andrej Ubogij, a surgeon in the emergency room of Kaluga, was a second recipient of the award and in turn recalled that "the ancient Greeks and Romans considered their language an expression of perfection, and all other peoples were barbarians , that is, unable to express themselves only Cyril and Methodius, knowing so many languages, were able to overcome this prejudice, so today we celebrate the friendship between peoples.

Another illustrious winner was Vladislav Bakhrevskij, author of historical novels on the most important figures in Russian history. For Bakhrevsky, "Cyril and Methodius marked the beginning of the autonomy of the Slavs among other peoples, and no one can give more to their descendants".

This year, Patriarch Kirill did not celebrate the solemnity of the two saints in the cathedral of Christ the Saviour, still remaining confined to the residence of Peredelkino due to the resurgence of the pandemic, and to avoid exposing the faithful to further risks.

The liturgy was held in his private chapel dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky, another historical figure in the Russian tradition of unification of peoples. Kirill nevertheless received a visit from the president of the National Assembly of South Korea, Park Byeong-seug, who officially invited him to visit his country, where the Russian Church carries out an intense missionary activity.
By Alicja Ptak and Matthias Williams

WARSAW (Reuters) - In an elegant apartment building in central Warsaw flying a red and white flag from its first floor balcony, a symbol of the Belarusian opposition, remnants of the anti-government media in Belarus are shrugging off a new wave of death threats.

Less than a year ago, Roman Protasevich, a 26-year-old blogger and opponent of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko, was sitting in the same office helping live stream anti-government protests around 300 miles (480 km) to the east which he hoped would topple Lukashenko.

His former colleagues recall how they all worked 24/7, slept on mattresses, and believed that Lukashenko's days were numbered.

On Sunday, a plane carrying Protasevich flying over Belarus en route to nearby Lithuania was forced to land in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, with the help of a false bomb threat and a MiG-29 fighter jet. Protasevich was arrested and is in a Minsk jail.

Protasevich's former colleagues at Warsaw-based Nexta, an anti-Lukashenko news outlet which reaches its more than 1 million subscribers on the Telegram messaging app, are anxious.

Outside their office perched on collapsible chairs, two Polish policemen keep watch.

"...After the incident with Roman's plane, we began to receive hundreds, already more than a thousand different threats," Stsiapan Putsila, Nexta's founder, told Reuters in an interview.

"(Threats) that they will shoot us, that our office will be blown up. Of course, this is worrying," he said, sitting in a large gaming chair that he said was used by Protasevich.

Putsila said the threats came in the form of anonymous emails and private social media messages.

"We're used to it because they have been trying to strangle us. For some years we've been one of the Telegram channel/news outlets which is inconvenient for the regime which cannot be blocked," he said.

Putsila said he and his team took security measures which they could not discuss publicly. His staff had been followed, he said, and people had tried to break into the office.

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Police in Warsaw did not reply to a written request about the threats Putsila said Nexta staff had received. Lukashenko's press service could not be reached for comment and a spokesman for the Belarusian Investigative Committee, which investigates major crimes, did not respond to written questions from Reuters.

Inside Belarus, what is left of the opposition-minded media says it is being squeezed too.

Earlier on Tuesday, the popular news website TUT.BY reported that four of its employees had gone missing.

The last message from one of its reporters, Alya Burkovskaya, said a man was trying to get into her apartment in the guise of an electrician. Another, Anastasia Prudnikova, was arrested shortly after returning from maternity leave. They were all later freed.

TUT.BY said security forces detained 14 other members of its staff, including Marina Zolotova, its editor-in-chief, last week and blocked access to its website, in a tax evasion case that TUT.BY says is fabricated.

The State Control Committee, to which the financial investigation department reports, said a criminal case against unnamed staff had been opened over suspected tax evasion.

TUT.BY has sought to sidestep the crackdown by continuing to post news on its Telegram messenger feed.

Branding them a menace to society, Lukashenko's government has stripped many news organisations of their accreditation. Opposition-leaning journalists say they have faced raids, arrest, imprisonment or been forced to relocate abroad.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists says 477 journalists were detained in 2020.

Lukashenko had tolerated some opposition-minded and foreign media until mass protests erupted following a presidential election last August that his opponents say was rigged to keep him in power.

Lukashenko denies electoral fraud. He has accused the media of doing everything to "destroy people's trust in the state" and the government has accused some journalists of helping to orchestrate protests.

The state news agency BelTA has published comments on its website in support of the government's measures against journalists. On May 18, it quoted political scientist Alexander Shpakovsky's comments accusing TUT.BY of spreading falsehoods.

Television footage has shown journalists covering protests being hauled into a police van. Police have at times accused journalists of coordinating protests and of inciting what they call mass riots.

Those who still dare to do such work wear an extra pair of underwear or socks in case they are detained, say some Belarusian journalists still working there.

The authorities say they are battling foreign-backed terrorists and plotters intent on revolution and regime change.

"There has never been such a peak in repressions against journalists ... and freedom of speech in general in the entire history of Belarus," said Barys Haretski, deputy head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

"Over the past year, we have recorded 62 acts of violence against journalists - these are beatings by security officials during detentions and in isolation wards, and three cases when security officials fired at journalists with rubber bullets," Haretski said.

A day after Protasevich's arrest, the government introduced new measures to regulate media activities, including a blanket ban on covering protests or publishing opinion polls without prior authorisation from the government.

"Lukashenko destroys the press because it is a mirror in which the monstrous essence of the regime is reflected," exiled opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Tuesday.

Kirill Voloshin, the TUT.BY co-founder, said none of its 250 employees had quit since the crackdown and advertisers had stayed loyal.

"Even if one person remains, he will work. Even if everyone is taken away, we are sure that others will come to the place of those who are taken away," he said.

(Reporting by Alicja Ptak in Warsaw and Matthias Williams in London; Additional reporting by Tom Balmforth, Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber, Alan Charlish, Anna Koper and Maria Vasilyeva; Writing by Matthias Williams and Andrew Osborn; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Howard Goller)
It appears one member of a family in Ohio County killed three others and then himself, according to Kentucky State Police.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the deaths resulted from murder-suicide, but it appears thats what happened, said trooper Corey King.

On Monday, state police released the name of the fourth person who died in the May 19 shootings.

That person was Calvin Leisure III, 38, of Beaver Dam.

The others who died were his father, Calvin Leisure Jr., 66; his sister, Nora J. Owings, 44; and his nephew, Hunter L. Owings, 20.

Calvin Leisure III is suspected of shooting the other three, police said.

Police found three bodies outside a house in the McHenry community of Ohio County when they investigated a report of shootings.

A building near the house was on fire when police arrived. After the Beaver Dam Fire Department put out the blaze, a fourth body, that of Calvin Leisure III, was found in the rubble.

Calvin Leisure Jr., Nora Owings and Hunter Owings died as a result of gunshot wounds, police confirmed.

The fire made it difficult to determine if Calvin Leisure III was shot, King said.

King said police had not yet figured out what led to the shootings.

We may never know on the why, he said.

Calvin Leisure Jr., a farmer, was a U.S. Air Force and National Guard veteran from the Vietnam era, according to his obituary.

His daughter, Nora Owings, had worked at a factory and her son, Hunter Owings, was a farmer, according to their obituaries.

Calvin Leisure III was a U.S. Army veteran and a former emergency medical technician, his obituary said.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Dave Muhlbauer, an Iowa farmer and a former county supervisor, on Monday became the first Democrat to announce he is running for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's seat.

In a campaign video that shows farm scenes and small towns, Muhlbauer says onetime rural Democrats just feel like Democrats are leaving rural areas high and dry. He portrays himself as vested in the future of struggling rural America as a fifth-generation farmer.

It's who me and my family are, and that drives me to want to make Iowa the best it can be for everybody, he says in the video.

Muhlbauer's candidacy marks a shift in strategy for Democrats, who havent won a Senate or governor's race in Iowa in more than a decade. While Republicans in the state frequently put forth rural candidates, Democrats in recent years have tended to choose people from more urban backgrounds. The move also comes months after Republican Donald Trump carried the onetime presidential battleground of Iowa for a second time by posting larger vote totals and winning margins in the states vast rural tracts.

Grassley, a powerful seven-term senator, is 87 and has said he will announce whether he plans to run again by autumn. At 37 and a half century younger, Muhlbauer provides a stark generational contrast, though he has little name recognition statewide.

Muhlbauer, the former vice chair of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview with The Associated Press that bringing more rural Americans back to the Democratic Party will require not just someone who speaks to them, but also someone who can tie economic and environmental policy together with authority.

Farmers, at the end of the day, watch the bottom dollar," Muhlbauer said. When you can create conservation as a commodity, they'll jump on board because it's best for them to enhance their farm, and that ripples through rural Iowa."

Grassley, a longtime farmer, co-owns 750 acres (3 square kilometers) of corn and soybean farmland in northeast Iowa. He has long campaigned as an Iowa farmer.

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And yet, as Democrats have tried to connect with rural Iowans, Tom Vilsack was the last rural Democrat elected statewide. In 1998, the then-state senator from Mount Pleasant was elected to his first term as governor. He was reelected four years later.

Since then, Democrats mainly from Des Moines but also smaller metros have fallen short. Last year, Democrat Theresa Greenfield, a Des Moines developer with a family farm background, lost her challenge to Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. In 2016, Democrat Patty Judge, a former state agriculture secretary, lost to Grassley.

Whether it works or not, hes going to be able to talk about farming in a way that is going to connect with rural Iowa," John Norris, a former Democratic candidate for governor and rural policy expert, said of Muhlbauer. You cant keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, thinking youre just going to win it in the suburbs.

Despite his relative anonymity, Muhlbauer is the scion of a rural Democratic political family  his father and grandfather are former state legislators.

His profile caught the attention of top-shelf national Democratic operatives. The video released Monday was produced by The Win Company, led by Bill Hyers.

Hyers, who has worked for decades with President Joe Biden's campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon, made the memorable fall presidential campaign ad featuring scenes of empty chairs representing Americans who had died from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diane Abbott tweeted following the shooting of Sasha Johnson: 'Nobody should have to potentially pay with their life because they stood up for racial justice.' (PA)

Labour MP Diane Abbott has denied "inflaming racial divides" with a tweet suggesting activist Sasha Johnson was shot because she stood up for racial justice.

Johnson, a prominent equal rights campaigner including with Black Lives Matter, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of Sunday after being shot in the head in Peckham, south-east London. She is said to have successfully undergone surgery.

On Monday morning, Abbott tweeted: Black activist #SashaJohnson in hospital in critical condition after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. Nobody should have to potentially pay with their life because they stood up for racial justice.

Abbott, appearing on an LBC debate show later, was accused of posting the tweet having "not done her homework".

However, there have been varying accounts of the shooting.

Sasha Johnson at a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Trafalgar Square, London, last year. The mother-of-three was shot in the head during the early hours of Sunday. (Victoria Jones/PA)

Officials from the Taking The Initiative Party, which Johnson is a member of, said on Sunday that it happened following numerous death threats.

On Monday morning, Imarn Ayton, a friend of Johnson, told the BBC that Johnson was the unintended victim of a gangland attack.

And on Tuesday morning, the Metropolitan Police said there is "nothing to suggest Sasha was the victim of a targeted attack" and that it's "not aware" of death threats.

Abbott, appearing on LBCs Cross Question programme on Monday night, was asked by presenter Iain Dale if she inflamed racial divides by tweeting something when you havent done your homework.

Abbott denied this, saying: No. You didnt see the commentary on this woman being shot in the head. There was huge amount of concern about it, not just online, but in the papers and the media.

Watch: 'Nothing to suggest Sasha was the victim of a targeted attack,' Met says

She is a Black activist, she was shot in the head, and people were concerned as to why.

"If you raise issues of race and you are accused of inflaming tensions, that doesnt really get us anywhere fast.

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This woman is a mother. She had a bullet in the head. We need to take that seriously, not try and divide people who mention it.

Dale countered that if it was an accidental shooting, plainly linking it to racial justice [is] creating a division when you don't know that's true".

Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, responded: No. I think it is so wrong to accuse people of colour who raise issues in relation to race of somehow inflaming feelings.

"We dont know, actually, whether it was a gangland [shooting]. It may have been that she randomly took a bullet. But we dont know for certain.

Exactly, Dale replied, which is why you shouldnt have tweeted what you did.

Abbott repeated: Yes, but when you accuse people of colour of inflaming feelings because you raise issues about race, that doesnt take us anywhere.

On Tuesday morning, the Metropolitan Police said it does not believe the shooting was a targeted attack.

Commander Alison Heydari said: From our inquiries so far, we have established that Sasha had been at a party at a house on Consort Road in Peckham early on Sunday morning.

Around 3am a group of four black males dressed in dark coloured clothing entered the garden of the property and discharged a firearm. They had left the scene before officers arrived.

Read more:

Black equal-rights activist was shot when group of men opened fire at party

Sasha Johnson: Political party questions police claim there were no credible death threats

We are aware of Sashas involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK and I understand the concern this will cause to some communities  however I wish to stress that at this time there is nothing to suggest Sasha was the victim of a targeted attack.

We are also not aware of any reports of threats made against her prior to this incident.

The Taking The Initiative Party later questioned this, asking: "How have the police come to this conclusion without being able to speak to Sasha regarding the death threats and investigate?"

On Monday night, a group gathered around the bandstand in Ruskin Park, Denmark Hill, to hold a vigil for Johnson close to the hospital where she is being treated.

Watch: Daily politics briefing: 25 May
Dominic Cummings will give long-awaited evidence about the government's COVID response on Wednesday. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

It's not often a House of Commons select committee meeting is one of the biggest political events of the year.

But it's also not often the person giving evidence is Dominic Cummings.

At 9.30am on Wednesday, Boris Johnson's controversial former aide is to give evidence about the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cummings has hinted there will be explosive revelations. So, will Johnson be watching through his fingers? Or will it not actually be that bad for the prime minister?

Here, Yahoo News UK explains everything you need to know ahead of Cummings's committee appearance.

Why is Cummings relevant?

Cummings was Johnsons chief adviser between July 2019 and November last year, when he famously marched out of Number 10 holding a big box.

Backed by Johnson, the controversial aide had exerted huge control over the governments agenda and was considered more powerful than most elected ministers.

Watch: Dominic Cummings leaves Downing Street in November

However, the pair reportedly fell out amid a Downing Street power struggle, prompting Cummingss exit.

At first, there appeared to be a truce, but the fallout has become increasingly bitter in the past two months.

As a result, there is huge interest in what Cummings will say during his appearance before a joint meeting of the Commons health and social care and science and technology committees on Wednesday.

What will the committees ask Cummings?

A press release issued last week read: "The prime ministers former chief adviser Dominic Cummings will face questions on decisions taken, during his time working in government, to deal with the threat of COVID-19.

"MPs are expected to focus on decision-making in the early months of the pandemic; the level of scientific evidence available to the government; its border policy; and the effectiveness of its public health messaging and communications.

Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson pictured in Downing Street in September 2019. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

"The timing of lockdowns and other restrictions, procurement processes, and decisions about community testing and contact tracing are among other issues expected to be addressed."

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It has been reported the hearing could last four hours.

Is this Cummings's first appearance since leaving Downing Street?

No. Cummings was quizzed by MPs at the science and technology committee on 17 March.

The purpose of that meeting was for him to give evidence on the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) that he was seen as being the architect of.

However, Cummings also used it to fire his first shots at the government over its handling of the pandemic.

Dominic Cummings gives evidence at a science and technology commitee meeting in March. (PA)

He said responsibility for the coronavirus vaccine programme was removed from Matt Hancocks smoking ruin Department of Health due to the absolute total disaster of its initial response to the pandemic.

He added MPs need to take a very, very hard look at what the government got wrong during its handling of the COVID outbreak.

The following day, it was announced Cummings had agreed to give further evidence about COVID on 26 May.

What has been happening since then?

Hostility.

On 22 April, Downing Street officials briefed against Cummings, blaming him for the leaking of Johnsons text messages to billionaire Sir James Dyson in which the PM promised the entrepreneur he would fix a tax issue for Dyson staff working to develop ventilators at the height of the coronavirus crisis last year.

Cummings hit back a day later, denying the claims and also sharing Johnson's "possibly illegal" plans "to have donors secretly pay for the renovation" of his Downing Street flat. The Electoral Commission is now investigating the Conservative Party.

Since then, Cummings has been increasingly active on his Twitter account, focusing on what he sees as Downing Street's COVID mismanagement in a hint of what will come at Wednesday's committee hearing.

In a blitz of posts over the past week, Cummings has:

blamed government secrecy over its COVID response for the catastrophe in spring last year

suggested vaccines could have been in use in the summer if greater risks were taken. The UK was the first country in the world to administer a jab, in December last year, and the rollout is considered one of the few successful aspects of its coronavirus response

claimed he has the "only copy of a crucial historical document from COVID decision-making". He later deleted this tweet

claimed all three lockdowns could have been avoided if the "right preparations" had been made, with "competent people in charge"

reiterated his claim that herd immunity, the idea enough people can become resistant to a disease through exposure to it, was an initial government tactic. This has been denied by home secretary Priti Patel, energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan and UK Health Security Agency chief executive Dr Jenny Harries. Yet in March last year, government Behavioural Insights Team leader Dr David Halpern and government chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance openly talked about herd immunity as a strategy

How damaging could Cummings's committee appearance be for Boris Johnson?

Clearly, its impossible to say without knowing what Cummings is going to tell the committee, or what documents he is going to share.

On a basic level, though, its questionable how much damage Cummings can really inflict on the PM, given his influential role as his chief adviser during the outbreak.

There's also his standing among the public.

He may have masterminded the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, as well as Johnsons commanding victory in the 2019 general election, but most people know him as the guy who drove to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight.

Cummings made that admission during an extraordinary Downing Street press conference, one year ago on Tuesday, in which he attempted to justify his lockdown trip from London to the North East.

Dominic Cummings at the bizarre press conference in the Downing Street rose garden. (Jonathan Brady/pool)

Twelve months on, the Cummings scandal still appears to resonate with people. Amid Johnsons own scandal surrounding the flat refurbishment, YouGov asked 2,835 Britons on 26 April who they were more inclined to believe.

While 46% said neither, 22% chose Johnson. Only 16% chose Cummings.

Johnson, on the other hand, has repeatedly evaded the consequences of political scandal during his career. The flat renovation row  which had been accelerated by Cummings's claims  is the latest example of this.

Since then, Johnson has celebrated an extraordinary by-election win in Hartlepool, while YouGov's monthly approval rating tracker had him on 48% on 10 May... his highest score since his ratings were damaged by news of Cummings's lockdown trip.

Watch: Dominic Cummings refuses to comment on Boris Johnson (from 19 May)
The Duchess of Cambridge wears stylish yet comfortable ensemble for Scottish royal engagements. (Getty Images)

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have upped the ante on their recent visit to Scotland, as their schedule has been packed with royal engagements.

On 25 May the royal couple opened a new hospital, The Balfour, in Kirkwall, Orkney, before they made their way to Stormness.

Later in the day, after an outfit change for the Duchess, the pair visited the European Marine Energy Centre, where they spoke with staff and school children, as well as sailors and watched a tidal machine in full flow.

After heading out wearing camel shades earlier in the day, Kate went for a more relaxed look in the afternoon.

The Duchess of Cambridge spoke to sailors after being taken to see a tidal machine as she visited the European Marine Energy Centre with Prince William on day five of their week long visit to Scotland. (Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge's pie-crust shirt could be seen underneath her jumper. (Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge spoke to school children as they visited the European Marine Energy Centre during their royal tour of Scotland, which saw the duchess wear a Brora blouse, denim jeans, See By Chloe boots and a weatherproof jacket from Seeland. (Getty Images)

She opted for a pair of dark denim figure hugging skinny jeans, which she paired by See By Chloe low-heeled boots, and the Woodcock Advanced Jacket from Seeland.

Under the jacket, she wore a smart-casual polka dot printed blouse with a ruffle neck from Brora, which reminded us of the late Princess Diana's eighties style.

Buy it: Dobby Cotton Blouse | 119 from Brora

Also available at John Lewis & Partners

Dobby Cotton Blouse

It was reminsicent of the soft blush prink ruffle blouse the Princess of Wales wore when she visited the Department of Health and Social Security in London back in 1982.

Kate's Dobby Cotton Blouse (which is also available to buy from John Lewis) is a charming design, as it has pie crust collar - a lightly ruffled neckline - and frilled cuffs.

It has a button fastening, long sleeves, and is made from a soft poly-cotton mix.

The Princess of Wales wore a ruffle neck blouse when she visited the Department of Health and Social Security in Elephant and Castle, London, on 3 December 1982. (PA)

The polka dot print blouse is available in UK dress sizes 8 to 16, and retails for 119 from Brora.

This is not the first time the Duchess of Cambridge, 39, has turned to Brora for a royal engagement.

Cast your mind back to December 2020, for the three-day Royal Train Tour, which saw the Duke and Duchess journey from London Euston, to Scotland and Manchester. Kate wore a Troy x Brora Fair Isle jumper.

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And it seems the frilled collar trend is here to stay too, as the mother-of-three has layered jumpers over shirts for a string of recent outings, and in her anniversary tribute to Prince William.

We have found a selection of affordable alternatives so you can emulate the royal look.

5 affordable high street alternatives

Lauderdale Cotton Frill Jumper | 85 from Boden

Cotton Crew Neck Frill Detail Sweatshirt | 25 from Marks and Spencer

TEAGGAN Frill detail mockable jumper | 119 from Ted Baker

Frill Detail Black Knitted Jumper | 15 (Was 49.50) from Oliver Bonas

Frill Neck And Cuff Jumper | 25 (Was 49) from Oasis

Watch: Yahoo! Style UK recreate the Duchess of Cambridges style transformation over the years
Photograph: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images

Day after day they flock to the emerald green house on Estevez Street, seeking news of loved ones who have vanished without a trace.

They say there are lots in there, maybe 40, said Jessenia Elizabeth Francia, a 38-year-old housewife who had travelled 20 miles to reach the heavily guarded building under a punishing midday sun.

Francia had come to Chalchuapa, a small town in western El Salvador, in search of her son, Luis Fernando, who disappeared seven years ago at the age of 16. I just want to find at least his bones so I can bury them and find peace, she said, clutching a cellphone showing a photograph of her missing child and the words: I have faith.

Others sought daughters or wives, Central American women feared to have fallen prey to the houses proprietor, the former police officer and alleged serial killer Hugo Ernesto Osorio Chavez, who is feared to have buried his victims inside.

Related: El Salvador: dozens of bodies found at ex-cops house investigated as femicides

She was 24, said Candelaria Carranza Castro, a silver-haired mother whose daughter went missing in July 2015 and who was among those to visit the house on Monday. Whatever has happened I want to find her.

The mass grave at No 11 Estevez Street was discovered on the night of 7 May after neighbours called police having heard the cries of a young woman. By the time police arrived more than an hour later she and her mother were dead  reportedly bludgeoned to death with an iron tube by Osorio, who confessed to the crimes. While taking the 51-year-old into custody, police stumbled across the half-buried bodies of two men in the houses patio and, when they started digging, found more corpses below in a series of pits.

Authorities have yet to announce the precise number of bodies buried inside but the excavators still probing its foundations believe there could be as many as 40, and no fewer than 15.

Officials say they believe most of the victims are young women who Osorio lured home by reportedly promising to help them find work in Mexico. At least three were young children aged two, seven and nine. Nine other suspects have been arrested, among them people traffickers and other former members of the police and military, fueling suspicions Osorio also used his clandestine cemetery to dispose of other peoples victims.

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We never expected something like this of him, said Arnoldo Gonzalez, a 40-year-old neighbour, as the searching families continued to arrive outside Osorios one-storey abode in a village on Chalchuapas rural outskirts.

Related: 'Police never turned up': El Salvador's devastating epidemic of femicide | Jo Griffin

He was always on his motorbike and seemed really easy-going, really normal. Sometimes hed tell us he worked as a private detective or a bodyguard but we never suspected anything because hed been a policeman before, said Gonzalez, one of the only locals who dared offer his thoughts.

The case has sent shock waves through El Salvador and cast a spotlight on the femicide emergency raging across Latin America, from Argentina to Mexico, where 4,000 women were killed in 2019 alone.

El Salvador has long been considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, a reality that forces many to flee north to seek shelter in the United States. Last year, 541 women disappeared in the country with a population of 6.7 million, according to Ormusa (the Organisation of Salvadorian Women for Peace).

The serial killer of women in Chalchuapa is not an isolated incident, said the feminist and social activist Morena Herrera.

It is an incident rooted in two factors: societys permissiveness towards violence against women and institutional complicity. El Salvadors institutions care very little about the lives of women  and Im not just talking about the police, Herrera added.

Since taking office two years ago El Salvadors populist president, Nayib Bukele, has claimed credit for a dramatic drop in the countrys murder rate, with the average number of daily killings falling from nine to three. But questions have been raised over whether that reduction was the result of the governments hardline security push or in fact a secret deal cut with Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), El Salvadors largest criminal gang.

Last year the Salvadorian news group El Faro published a cache of leaked documents it claimed showed government officials had convinced jailed gang bosses to pacify the countrys notoriously mean streets and offer political support in exchange for better treatment. Others point out that while El Salvadors murder rate has fallen, the number of disappearances is on the rise in a country where thousands disappeared during the 19791992 civil war.

The mass grave has further undermined claims from 39-year-old Bukele  whose increasingly authoritarian comportment is causing international alarm  that El Salvador is getting safer. Authorities  apparently unsettled by the outcry over what local newspapers are calling the slaughter of Chalchuapa  have sought to portray the killings as the freakish actions of a deranged psychopath, although the arrests of former members of the security forces seemed to undercut that narrative.

Thanks to the swift action of our officers and investigators, he will spend at least 100 years in prison, El Salvadors social media-savvy president tweeted last Friday, vowing Osorio would never again enjoy direct sunlight.

Earlier in the day the attorney general, Rodolfo Delgado, had attacked the medias morbid reporting while the security minister, Gustavo Villatoro, criticised malicious journalists using the case to draw broader conclusions about the security situation in the Central American country and the increase in disappearances.

A man is seen near the house of former police officer Hugo Ernesto Osorio in Chalchuapa, El Salvador, last week. Photograph: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images

For families of El Salvadors missing the discovery has provided a tiny ray of hope that at least there may be some answers for those looking for missing relatives. One security officer guarding the crime scene said up to 15 people were arriving each day in search of answers and remains. On Friday the Guardian met six families who had come to Chalchuapa, about 50 miles north-west of the capital, San Salvador, hoping their loved ones might finally be located.

As she sat in the shade of a tree near Osorios sealed-off compound, Francia remembered how, on 30 August 2014, she had sent her son out to buy lunch in Ahuachapan, a town 30 minutes west of Chalchuapa. He went off and I never saw him again, she said, describing her tireless quest to track him down.

Related: Our country is not a safe place: why Salvadorans will still head for the US

We looked for him in hospitals, we looked for him in morgues, we looked everywhere  but it was all in vain, Francia said, as white-clad excavators emerged from the property lugging wheelbarrows full of earth.

Carranza said she had been shown of a photo album of personal effects found in the house in case they belonged to her daughter, Arely Aracely Antillon. Ive seen clothes, shoes, jewellery, said the woman who remembered perfectly what her child was wearing when she disappeared. But theres nothing of hers in there, nothing at all.

Perhaps theyll find something later, you never know, her sister, who had accompanied her to the house, said in comfort.

Carranza, who was cradling a portrait of the child she had not seen for six years, replied: Perhaps.
European Union leaders on Monday agreed to impose new economic sanctions against Belarus, after the country's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko forced a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk on Sunday so authorities could arrest Roman Protasevich, a dissident journalist on board.

Already, there are sanctions in place against Lukashenko and other top officials in response to the violent crackdown on protesters last year during Belarus' disputed presidential election. Protasevich is the co-founder and former editor of the NEXTA Telegram channel, one of the few opposition outlets still in existence following the demonstrations. Protasevich has been living in Lithuania, and was accused of inciting hatred and mass disorder; he faces 12 years in prison if convicted.

In addition to sanctions, the EU leaders want planes to steer clear of Belarusian airspace and ban Belarus' national airline from flying over or into any EU territories. Lukashenko's move was "the test of the West," Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told The Washington Post on Monday. "But it was also a show of force and confidence to his own people and the opposition: 'Look, I can come and get you anyway.' This is an inter-European flight, from Athens to Vilnius, with a European company performing the flight, with a person who is under European protection because he is an opposition activist. This is a direct attack against Europe."

Lithuanian authorities are working to determine whether anyone else  like Russia  was involved in forcing the plane to divert to Minsk, and want to know the whereabouts of three passengers who got off the plane at the airport but didn't get back on. "This was a major operation," a senior European official told the Post. "These were skilled professionals, skilled guys on board."

A video appeared on Telegram Monday evening featuring Protasevich delivering what was seemingly a coerced message, with the journalist saying he was being treated "as correctly as possible" and cooperated by giving "confessional testimony about the fact of organizing mass riots in the city of Minsk."

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This proposal to invite Taiwan was excluded from this years agenda despite the request from Taiwans allies. The Vatican was not one of them. Pakistan backed China in its opposition. The island is now grappling with a surge of the pandemic.

Taipei (AsiaNews)  Taiwan has been excluded from the World Health Organisation Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO), for the fifth year in a row.

The WHA got underway virtually yesterday until 1 June. Bhutan, which chairs the assembly this year, decided to leave the proposal to invite Taiwan to join the body as an observer off this years agenda.

China is against Taiwans participation in international organisations and fora, claiming that the island is a rebel province that must be reconquered.

Taiwan was expelled from WHO in 1972 after the People's Republic of China took its seat at the United Nations in 1971.

Since then, Taiwan held observer status from 2009 to 2016 when it was ruled by the pro-Beijing Kuomintang party and President Ma Ying-jeou.

In recent days, 13 of the 15 states that still have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan have appealed for its inclusion in the assembly. The exceptions are Paraguay and the Vatican. The Holy See has observer status in the organisation.

The United States, the European Union and other Western countries also support Taipei's participation.

Yesterday, Nauru and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) spoke up for Taiwan, whilst China and Pakistan voiced their opposition.

Islamabad is a partner in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (the so-called New Silk Road) and gets most of its weapons from its northern neighbour.

In the meantime, Taiwan is facing a new surge in the COVID-19 pandemic. Until recently it had effectively contained the problem, despite the absence of direct relations with WHO.

However, since mid-May, the number of cases now averages 500 daily, which has raised concerns in the Taiwanese public. For this reason, local authorities have reintroduced preventive measures that had been lifted months ago.
A 58-year-old man accused of speeding in a 1965 convertible on a North Carolina highway told the police officer who pulled him over that he was a federal agent on the job, prosecutors said.

In this car? the cop replied, according to body camera footage cited in court filings.

Following multiple conversations about the veracity of his claims, Allen David Reinemund, of Holly Springs, was arrested and charged with impersonating an officer. On Friday, prosecutors said, he was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine.

Playing cops and robbers is a game best left to kids, because impersonating a special agent is a serious crime that has even more serious consequences, Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez said in a news release announcing the sentence.

Martinez oversees Homeland Security Investigations in North Carolina  the same agency for which Reinemund claimed to work.

A subsequent investigation into Reinemunds past showed he was a former police officer. But public records indicated he was fired after less than six months on the job for untruthful statements. Reinemund was charged in a criminal complaint in October and pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating an officer in February, court filings show.

A defense attorney representing him did not immediately respond to McClatchy News request for comment on Monday.

According to an affidavit accompanying the complaint, Reinemund was pulled over by a trooper with the State Highway Patrol on March 9, 2020, just before 3 p.m. He was driving a 1965 Shelby Cobra convertible and going 80 mph in a 50 mph zone on U.S. Highway 401 in Fuquay-Varina.

The troopers body camera captured their exchange.

In the footage reviewed by investigators, Reinemund told the trooper he was on the job with HSI, according to the affidavit. When the trooper questioned whether he was on duty while driving the classic car, Reinemund back-tracked and said he was not.

The trooper checked his license and asked for some identification that showed Reinemund worked for HSI. At that point, court filings state, Reinemund handed him a badge.

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As the conversation continued, Reinemund claimed to have worked in law enforcement in New Jersey and Arizona before joining the Department of Homeland Security. The trooper again asked for his credentials  an ID, phone number or the name of a supervisor to call.

I have had people impersonate, the trooper said in the body camera footage, according to court filings. That is why I am trying to figure it out right now.

Switching gears, Reinemund then told him he was a contractor for HSI.

No, I know exactly what I told you. And, I dont deny it, he said in reference to his claims of working for HSI. I mean, I should have phrased it a little differently as a contractor.

The trooper subsequently accused him of lying and Reinemund was arrested. He repeated his claims of once working in law enforcement once he was taken to the Wake County Detention Center, prosecutors said.

I wanted to get out of a ticket, but I havent had a ticket, I am 58 years old and I havent had a ticket my entire life, he reportedly said during the exchange.

Six months later, prosecutors said, Reinemund sent a picture to the Wake County District Attorneys Office showing a ballistic vest, a Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent badge and a hat with the agencys name on it in an attempt to get the charges dropped.

The photograph prompted Homeland Security to investigate and a search warrant was carried out at Reinemunds house. Prosecutors said investigators confiscated a badge, ballistic vest and other law enforcement gear during the search.

An HSI agent assigned to the case also said in the affidavit that he had never heard of Reinemund and cross-checked his name with the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, which also had no record of his employment.

The agent said he then searched Reinemund on the internet and discovered he had been Brady listed, meaning his name was in a police database flagging him for credibility issues. The Phoenix Police Department later confirmed Reinemund had worked as an officer from July 2002 to December 2002 but was terminated for Oral and Untruthful Statements.

A news article from 2003 also showed Reinemund was previously arrested on charges he impersonated a cop after he got pulled over for erratic driving, the agent said.

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Authorities in Massachusetts say a defrocked priest was responsible for the death of a child in a cold case from 1972  but the suspect died last week before he could be arrested.

In a press release, Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni announced that the death of Danny Croteau, a 13-year-old boy from Springfield whose body was found floating in a river in 1972, was caused by his then-priest, Richard Lavigne, who pleaded guilty to child molestation in 1992 and was defrocked in 2003.

Richard Lavigne (Scott Maguire / AP file)

The district attorney said that Lavigne granted hours of recorded interviews with state investigators over the past few months in what ended up being the final weeks of his life. He died on Friday at the age of 80.

In the 11 hours of interviews over five dates in 2021, Lavigne never admitted to killing Croteau, but he admitted being with him on the night of his death and later seeing his body floating face-down in the Chicopee River.

"During all of the interviews, Lavigne refused to specifically admit that he killed Danny Croteau, and at times, was cagey and evasive, continuing his long-running attempts to mislead and distract investigators," Gulluni said.

In one clip played Monday by Gulluni at a press conference, according to NBC News Boston, the defrocked priest says, "I just remember being heartbroken when I saw his body going down the river knowing I was responsible for giving him a good shove."

"He made several statements to indicate that he was the last person to see Danny Croteau alive, that he brought him to the riverbank on April 14, 1972, that he physically assaulted him there, and after leaving Danny there and returning a short time later, that he saw Danny floating face down in the river," Gulluni said.

Lavigne was asked days before his death, "What did you do with the object after you hit him?" He told the investigator he "tossed it in the water," the DA said.

Decades of direct and circumstantial evidence already tied Lavigne to Croteau and to the scene of the crime, according to Gulluni.

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Carl and Bunny Croteau stand in front of a portrait of their murdered son, Danny, in their Springfield, Mass. home on Feb. 26, 2008. (Jessica Hill / AP file)

The priest led Croteau's family parish and had personal relationships with many altar boys, several of whom later accused him of long-term sexual abuse, Gulluni said.

The victims were altar boys like Danny Croteau and recalled the priest using alcohol and chewing gum to loosen the kids' inhibitions.

One of Lavigne's molestation victims recalled Danny Croteau, during a camping trip the boys took with the priest in 1968, saying to Lavigne, "I'll tell!" The priest turned extremely serious after the fact, according to the witness.

When Croteau's body was found on April 15, 1972, he had a blood alcohol level that would make him legally drunk and both his stomach and pocket were full of chewing gum.

While DNA testing was inconclusive, Croteau's and Lavigne's blood types were both tied to the scene of the crime.

Croteau's brother recalled a telephone call two days after Danny's death, from a voice that sounded like Lavigne's, apologizing for killing their brother.

Lavigne also possessed a letter  which investigators obtained in 2004 after learning of it from a separate investigation of a different clergy member  that referenced "a young boy along the Chicopee River," where Danny was killed.

The district attorney outlined several recent statements by Lavigne's molestation victims who claimed the ex-priest had a violent temper and "made you feel guilty" for the sexual abuse he perpetrated.

Gulluni said he had authorized investigators to present the evidence to a magistrate judge in order to obtain an arrest warrant for Lavigne on Friday, but then learned he had already died the same day.

Based on the accumulation of evidence, and in particular those admissions, as a prosecutor I believe that I was fulfilling my ethical duties by moving toward the charge of murder against Richard Lavigne  and I believe we could prove it, Gulluni said on Monday. He said the case was now officially closed.

Gulluni said he made the announcement for Croteau's parents, Carl and Bernice, who died awaiting justice for their son's murder.
By Stephanie van den Berg

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -A U.N. tribunal set up to prosecute those behind the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has run out of funding amid Lebanon's economic and political crisis, threatening plans for future trials, people involved in the process said.

Closing the tribunal would dash the hopes of families of victims in the Hariri murder and other attacks, but also those demanding that a U.N. tribunal bring to justice those responsible for the Beirut port blast last August that killed 200 and injured 6,500.

Last year the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon, located outside of The Hague, convicted former Hezbollah member Salim Jamil Ayyash for the bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others.

Ayyash was sentenced in absentia to five life terms in prison, while three alleged accomplices were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.. Both sides have appealed.

The court had been scheduled to start a second trial on June 16 against Ayyash, who is accused of another assassination and attacks against Lebanese politicians in 2004 and 2005 in the run-up to the Hariri bombing.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said he was aware of the court's financial problems.

"The Secretary-General continues to urge member states and the international community for voluntary contributions in order to secure the funds required to support the independent judicial proceedings that remain before the tribunal," U.N. Deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

The funding shortfall comes as Lebanon faces its worst turmoil since Hariris assassination. The country is deeply polarized between supporters of Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah and its allies and supporters of Hariris son, prime minister designate Saad al-Hariri, who declined to comment.

FINANCES "VERY CONCERNING"

"If you abort the tribunal, if you abort this case, you are giving a free gift to the perpetrators and to those who do not want justice to take place," Nidal Jurdi, a lawyer for the victims in the second case, told Reuters.

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Scrapping a new trial would not only harm victims who waited 17 years for the case to come to court, but would undermine accountability for crimes in Lebanon in general, Jurdi said, adding that a letter had been sent to the U.N. expressing concern.

It would be "a disappointment for the victims of the connected cases and the victims of Lebanon", he said, appealing for international funding.

"Lebanon needs full accountability," he said.

Created by a 2007 U.N. Security Council resolution and opened in 2009, the tribunal's budget last year was 55 million euros ($67 million) with Lebanon footing 49% of the bill and foreign donors and the U.N. members making up the rest.

"The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is in a very concerning financial position," court spokeswoman Wajed Ramadan told Reuters. "No decision has yet been taken on judicial proceedings and there are intense fundraising efforts going on to find a solution," she added.

The U.N. extended the mandate of the tribunal from March 1, 2021, for two years or sooner if the remaining cases were completed or funding ran out.

Guterres warned in February that due to the financial crisis in Lebanon, the governments contribution was uncertain and warned the court may not be able to continue its work after the first quarter of 2021.

The 2021 budget had been trimmed by nearly 40 percent, forcing job cuts at the court, but the Lebanese government has still been unable to pay its share, according to U.N. documents.

Guterres requested an appropriation of about $25 million from the U.N. General Assembly for 2021. The General Assembly approved $15.5 million in March.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Samia Nakhoul and Laila Bassam in Beirut; Editing by Anthony Deutsch and Nick Macfie)
John Cena is an actor and WWE wrestler. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

John Cena faced criticism in China after referring to Taiwan as a country in an interview for "F9."

In a Weibo video shared Tuesday, Cena said he "made a mistake" and apologized in Mandarin.

Calling Taiwan a sovereign nation is deemed "offensive" by many people in China, per NYT.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

John Cena, an actor and professional wrestler, expressed his "love and respect" for China after generating backlash among Chinese fans for referring to Taiwan as a country.

The criticism began following the 44-year-old's recent interview with Taiwanese broadcast TV channel TVBS to promote "F9," the latest film in the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

Speaking in Mandarin, a language Cena has studied for years, he reportedly said in the interview that Taiwan is "the first country that can watch 'F9.'"

Taiwan is an autonomous democratic island physically separated from China by the Taiwan Strait. Though Taiwan has been independently ruled since the end of the Chinese Civil War, Beijing considers the island to be a renegade province that remains part of the country's territory. Taiwan, however, views itself as an independent state with its own leaders, military force, and constitution.

As The New York Times' reporter Daniel Victor states, calling Taiwan a sovereign nation, as Cena did during his interview with TVBS, is deemed "offensive" by many people in China.

The actor, who plays Dom Toretto's long-lost brother in "F9," apologized for his "mistake" on Tuesday in a video he released on Weibo, a social-media platform that is popular in China.

"I made a mistake. I must say now that, very very very importantly, I love and respect China and Chinese people," Cena said in Mandarin, according to Bloomberg, though the WWE star did not specifically mention Taiwan or get into the details of his earlier comment in the apology video.

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According to CNN, Cena's video has garnered over 7,000 responses on Weibo.

Some expressed gratitude that Cena released the statement, pointing to his Mandarin proficiency and time spent in China as signs that he supports the country.

"Looking at his previous interviews, I can feel that he really likes China," one user wrote, according to CNN. "He said the wrong thing and paid the price. He is different from other foreign actors who dare not respond or have different political opinions."

Others, however, remained unconvinced of the actor's stance on the situation and felt the apology should have leaned further into politics.

"Please say 'Taiwan is part of China' in Chinese, otherwise we will not accept," a commenter said, according to the New York Times.

Another user wrote, "I don't understand why the Chinese people should be so tolerant to him, who has a vague political stance while profiting from Chinese people."

Representatives for Cena didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Vin Diesel and Cena in "F9." Universal

Last year China became Hollywood's biggest international market, with its $1.99 billion in yearly earnings surpassing North America's $1.94 billion.

Insider reporter Travis Clark writes that research firm Ampere Analysis "expects China to remain the No. 1 market in the world indefinitely," especially as US theaters make a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chinese box office demonstrated its power during "F9's" opening weekend in the country. The ninth film in the popular franchise grossed $163 million internationally, with $136 million coming from Chinese theaters, according to Deadline. The movie doesn't open in the US until June 25.

Aside from "F9," no Hollywood movie has earned more than $100 million in its opening weekend in China since 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," proving blockbusters' potential in the region as the US theatrical market inches back to normalcy.

Cena is a professional wrestler. AP Images

In the past, Western and Chinese celebrities across industries have found themselves in hot water for speaking out against the Chinese government.

Most recently, in April, Chloe Zhao's historic wins at the Oscars were silenced on Chinese social media in apparent retaliation against the filmmaker's criticisms about the country in 2013, Insider's Lauren Frias previously reported.

"South Park," a satirical cartoon, was also wiped from the internet in China after it released a 2019 episode titled "Band in China," which mocked Hollywood's tendency to mold content to ensure it can still air in China amid the country's censorship rules.

Read the original article on Insider
The claim: Employers, businesses and the government cant mandate COVID-19 vaccines until theyve been evaluated for two years

As millions of Americans continue to get vaccinated against COVID-19, some employers, colleges and businesses are weighing whether to make vaccination mandatory. A widely shared claim on social media says those measures are against the law.

An Instagram post published May 10 says Americans have the right to refuse coronavirus vaccine mandates.

Under Emergency Use Authorization, no employer, biz, or govt can make the #COVID19vaccine mandatory until its evaluated in 2 yrs, says text in the post, which is a screenshot of an April 1 tweet.

As evidence, the tweet cites 21 US Code SS 360bbb-3, a federal law that has to do with authorization for medical products for use in emergencies. Instagram posts mentioning that law have received thousands of interactions over the past month, according to CrowdTangle, a social media insights tool.

The law cited in the posts has to do with emergency use authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The law says nothing about a required two-year evaluation period for vaccines approved for emergency use. While there is a legal gray area for mandating vaccines authorized for emergency use, businesses, employers and state governments generally have the power to require vaccination, experts say.

Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine won't jeopardize your life insurance coverage

There is no legal basis for what is being claimed, said Ana Santos Rutschman, an assistant professor at Saint Louis University who specializes in food and drug law, in an email.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram and Twitter users who shared the claim for comment.

What the law does

The law cited in the social media posts is a section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that has to do with emergency use authorizations. It does not explicitly limit the ability of private businesses or state governments to require COVID-19 vaccination.

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The law spells out how the secretary of Health and Human Services  whose department oversees the FDA  may authorize a drug, device, or biological product for use in an emergency, as designated by the HHS, Defense, or Homeland Security secretaries. All three coronavirus vaccines in the United States were approved by the FDA for emergency use, meaning they are technically not approved products, but the agency has permitted their use to prevent the spread of the coronavirus amid the ongoing public health emergency.

Nouf Albarakati, left, comforts her son Manaf Albarakati, 14, before he receives a COVID-19 vaccine from registered nurse Alicia Jimenez at a vaccination clinic in King of Prussia, Pa.

The law says nothing about a required two-year evaluation period before states and businesses can require vaccination. That figure may stem from clinical trial protocol for the coronavirus vaccines.

Pfizer and Moderna have both said they will monitor participants from their clinical trials for two years after their second dose. The FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research is also monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines that have been distributed to the public.

That process is not related to vaccination mandates, which 21 U.S. Code  360bbb3 does not mention.

Fact check: No, COVID-19 vaccine isn't transmitted to others via contact

"The statute says nothing directed at employers or universities," said Tony Yang, executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University, in an email. "Instead, it addresses the actions of federal officials, such as the HHS secretary and the president  not private actors."

Businesses, employers, states can require vaccination

States and businesses generally have the right to require vaccines, legal experts say. But there are exemptions for people with disabilities and for people with religious, medical or philosophical objections. Meanwhile, some states have explicitly prohibited COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Some state vaccination mandates are already on the books. For example, all 50 states have laws that require certain vaccinations for students to attend school, with some exemptions for medical, religious and philosophical reasons. To date, no states have mandated COVID-19 vaccination  but legal experts and public health officials say they could, in theory.

Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine makers did not halt animal tests, and there were no widespread animal deaths

The FDA does not mandate vaccinations, said FDA press officer Alison Hunt in an email to USA TODAY. Whether a state, local government, or employer, for example, may require or mandate COVID-19 vaccination is a matter of state or other applicable law.

In guidance published Dec. 16, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said employers can set a requirement that an individual shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of individuals in the workplace. This can include vaccine requirements.

"This is a legal gray area, but there are few to no legal barriers to employers or schools requiring vaccines being distributed under EUAs," Yang said.

The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 offer some exemptions for employees with disabilities and sincerely held religious beliefs, respectively. In those instances, an employer must show that an unvaccinated employee would pose a direct threat due to a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation, according to the EEOC. Employees that dont receive a required vaccine eventually can be fired.

Businesses are generally free to require that customers show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, sometimes known as a vaccine passport. Legal experts have likened the requirement to a no shirt, no shoes, no service policy.

Fact check: Fact check: Ohio doctor who joked about shots didn't die from COVID-19 vaccine

However, lawmakers in more than 40 states have introduced legislation  often backed by vaccine skeptics and advanced by Republicans  prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Some measures prevent businesses from asking customers for proof of vaccination. The largest number of bills seek to prevent employers from requiring COVID-19 vaccines, USA TODAY has previously reported.

Legal gray area for EUA vaccines

Social media users say one provision of 21 U.S. Code  360bbb3 limits the ability of states, employers and businesses to require vaccines that were approved for emergency use. Legal experts say it's a gray area, but there's nothing on the books that would specifically prohibit those mandates.

One section of 21 U.S. Code  360bbb3 tells the HHS secretary to inform people of "the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks."

The key phrase in that provision: "the option to accept or refuse." By saying that, the law appears to suggest that requiring people to get vaccines approved for emergency use would be prohibited.

"Federal law treats EUA vaccines more like investigational new drugs when it comes to insisting on consent, and in different ways that complicate public and private efforts to mandate usage," said Lars Noah, a law professor at the University of Florida, in an email.

But that interpretation of the law isn't as certain as social media posts make it seem.

More: New CDC guidelines say vaccinated Americans can now ditch the masks, with a few exceptions

The law is "definitely untested," partially because it's only been around since 2004, said Margaret Foster Riley, a law professor at the University of Virginia, in an email. The FDA also issued relatively few EUAs prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The reality is that, because we have never had a mandate for a vaccine under an EUA, we are waiting for a court to weigh in on the debate about whether there is something about EUAs that should change the way we have been applying the law, Rutschman said. But there is nothing in the law itself to limit the ability of the government and employers to mandate vaccination."

Fact check: Blank packaging insert in J&J vaccine is on purpose, company says

Other food and drug law experts shared similar views with USA TODAY.

"I think it's only gray in that a court hasn't actually said an EUA makes no difference," said Katharine Van Tassel, a visiting law professor at Case Western University. "That's the only reason why it's gray. It's not because there's anything different about the laws."

Our rating: Partly false

The claim that employers, businesses and the government cant mandate COVID-19 vaccines until theyve been evaluated for two years is PARTLY FALSE, based on our research. A section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act cited on social media does not contain such a provision. Businesses, employers and states generally have a right to require proof of vaccination, with some exemptions for people with disabilities and people with religious, medical or philosophical objections. Some states have explicitly prohibited businesses and employers from requiring COVID-19 vaccination. There is a legal gray area for requiring vaccines approved for emergency use versus those that are FDA-approved, although legal experts say there is no explicit distinction in the law.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Federal law doesn't prohibit COVID-19 vaccine mandates
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  In a cramped house with mice in the kitchen and music booming from cars outside, Keldy Mabel Gonzales Brebe lays bare her three-year journey from Honduras to the United States and all that lies ahead to adapt to life as an immigrant.

She fled the Central American nation with her family and a price on her head to seek asylum at the U.S. border. Instead, U.S. officials separated her from her children, jailed and deported her under President Trumps zero-tolerance policy to prosecute adults entering the country illegally. While the boys were allowed to live with relatives in Philadelphia, their mother struggled to join them from Mexico.

Keldy missed celebrating birthdays and holidays together. She watched from afar as her teenagers filled out and grew facial hair.

There were times I thought I would never see them again, she said.

Three years later, America has jettisoned many of Trumps hardline immigration policies.

Keldy was one of four parents who returned to the United States during the first week of May with temporary legal status to join their children in what Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said was just the beginning of a broader effort to reunify families separated during Trumps presidency  more than 5,500 children. Her familys ups and downs illustrate what many parents and children encounter as they try to make up for lost time.

Keldy counts her blessings to be together as a family, free from death threats in Honduras and the pain of separation.

Yet now they face new difficulties. Keldys son, Mino, dropped out of school to help pay rent on the house that six of them share. Keldy sleeps on the living room sofa. She wants to get a job, but is caring for her 7-year-old autistic niece and an unsteady 75-year-old mother, along with cooking and cleaning for the family. She sees drug use on the streets of the Kensington section of Philadelphia where they live.

I hear gunshots sometimes. With my sister, when we run a quick errand, I look around to see whether someone was killed, Keldy said. La Ceiba, where I grew up, was like that."

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____

Honduras, a mountainous nation located between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, is beautiful but broken, Keldy says.

She and her family lived on the north Caribbean shore, in a tourist area. Her husband was a guide, taking American tourists to a region of tropical rainforest, pine savannah and marsh called La Mosquitia, or whitewater rafting on the Cangrejal River.

Keldy described herself as middle-class housewife. She would cook for the tourists on the expeditions.

Drug trafficking gangs controlled some areas and required payments from businesses and people for protection. For those who didnt pay, the penalty was death.

Hit men killed one of her brothers in 2006, she said. He was a bus driver.

He had no money. The owner of the bus was the one who was supposed to pay, not him. He was just the bus driver. But they killed him, she said.

In 2011, her family and other families decided to try to buy some parcels of land to live on and grow crops. Gangs, however, did not agree with the purchase and threatened one her brothers, then killed him after he reported the threats to authorities. He was one of four siblings killed by gangs.

Keldy testified in open court against the killers. She received numerous threats and was told there was a price on her head.

The whole family fled to Mexico in 2013 but were deported by the Mexican government right away.

Back in Honduras, they fled to a rural mountainous area called El Naranjo in attempt to hide from the gangs. But in 2017, neighbors told her there were people asking about her schedule: When did she usually leave the house and when did she usually get back? The fear returned, and the family left for the United States.

She crossed the border with her youngest son Erick, now 17, and her middle child Mino, now 19, in the fall of 2017.

The family planned to apply for asylum, so Keldy flagged down a Border Patrol cruiser in the New Mexico desert. She and her sons were taken together to a cell in a detention center in Deming, New Mexico, 35 miles north of the border. They thought theyd be released at some point, and would meet up with her oldest son, who crossed the same day in Arizona, and other family in Philadelphia.

But unknown to them, President Trump had imposed extraordinary measures to limit asylum, criminally prosecuting everyone who entered the United States illegally from Mexico and resulting in the separation of thousands of children from their parents. The government was unable to reunify them after criminal cases ended because its tracking systems failed to link parents to their children.

Less than two days after the family had arrived in the U.S., Keldy was handcuffed and separated from the boys.

I felt helpless, like there was nothing I could do. And then I blamed myself because I brought my kids to uncertainty, into a situation in which they were taken from me, they were taken from my arms and I couldnt do anything, she said.

The kids were frightened to be separated from their mother.

"We started crying, my brother and I, because we were left alone in there. And it was very cold. They only gave us a small blanket, recalled Erick, who was 13 then. His brother Mino was 15.

The boys were moved to a shelter for minors.

Mino, who wears glasses and smiles often, said he did not want to do anything at the time, just cry. He felt lost at the shelter, with the other unaccompanied minors.

They did not feel what I was going through because they had come alone. They did not come with their mother. They did not feel the pain I felt when I was separated from her, he said.

The children were both soon released, and family members paid for their flight to Philadelphia. Their older brother, Alex, now 21, eventually became the legal guardian of his brothers and cared for them while they went to school, working construction.

But Keldy was not released. She was kept in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Paso, Texas, for a year and a half and then deported to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in January 2019.

She immediately traveled back north and settled in Tapachula, Ascension and then Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, waiting for a chance to enter the United States.

In Mexico, Keldy got by with money sent to her by her kids, her sisters and her husband, who crossed the border five years ago and lives in Texas. She video chatted with her boys, and remembers with pain of missing graduations and other big moments: This January, Erick did not want to come out of his room on his 17th birthday.

He felt alone, Keldy said. I wasnt there.

Online learning during the pandemic was a problem for both boys, who say they no longer understand classes. Mino dropped out in December. They say they can read English but they dont speak it.

In Ciudad Juarez, Keldy walked each morning toward the border, where she could see the bridges heading toward El Paso, Texas, and prayed.

Known to others as la pastora, she delivered sermons and benedictions to other migrants and at migrant shelters, listening to others who were in pain, like her.

I would tell others in my prayers to believe, to never doubt, answers were going to come to our lives, she said.

___

The answer shed been waiting for arrived last month. Linda Corchado, director of legal services at the non-profit Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, contacted her: Bidens task force was working to reunite families separated at the border. Keldy needed to get passport photos.

Corchado had been trying obtain a humanitarian parole for Keldy, and finally found success.

I realized then these were the final steps the attorney was doing to get me in, she said. Later she told me I would probably enter on May 4 at 8 am. I kept asking God for it to be true.

It was.

She entered on May 4, with Corchado, through the Bridge of The Americas.

The Honduran mother took a plane to Dallas and then another one to Philadelphia. While flying, all she thought about were the first words she would tell her kids.

They ended up being I love you. Those are the words I wanted to tell my kids, that I loved them, she said.

A video shows the family reunion on May 4 in the Philadelphia home of a niece, with Keldy crying while her kids hug her. Hola mi amor, amor mio (Hello my love, my love), the video shows her saying, her face buried in the arms of her sons.

They are together, yet life still isnt easy.

Since her arrival, the Honduran mother has been inside the home, cleaning and cooking. When she speaks there is relief but also anxiety in her voice. She wonders about the sturdiness of the house, the stairs that feel unstable.

She doesnt venture out much. Opioid use has taken root in Kensington, which has been singled out, nationwide, as an example of the effects of underinvestment, crime and drug use.

She misses small-town life south of the border; the close buildings of Kensington make her feel trapped.

Keldy is thinking about finding a job, but she worries about leaving her mother, who forgot she was cooking the other day until there was fire in the stove. Keldy burned her hand putting it out, leaving marks on her skin.

I dont know what I am going to do. I would like to work but who is going to take care of my mother and Dana? she said of the niece she adopted as a baby.

Las Americas has connected them to mental health specialists who will speak online with Keldy and her sons to help them cope with the trauma of separation.

Corchado, the attorney, said Keldy has been granted humanitarian parole for three years but she hopes the Task Force puts her on a pathway for citizenship before that. She is also trying to make sure she is all right.

We dont just want the door open for Keldy. We want her to be successful in the United States, Corchado said. She shouldnt be sleeping on a couch after all the horrible experiences she went through."

But for Keldy, its enough, now, to be with her children. She knows that's more than many of her fellow migrants have.

Everyday I pray to God for other mothers to be able to come in. They cry for their kids, she said. They ask me do you know anything new? and I tell them to have patience. And I tell them they will succeed.
The family of George Floyd will meet with President Joe Biden and congressional lawmakers on Tuesday  exactly one year after he was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, which sparked nationwide civil rights protests and made police reform a national priority.

Ben Crump, the family's attorney, confirmed the visit to NBC News on Monday.

The family will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Tuesday morning in Washington before their scheduled White House meeting with Biden. Then the family will meet with several senators from both parties, but Crump declined to identify the lawmakers.

Philonise Floyd raises his fist as he leaves the Hennepin County Government Center with Keeta Floyd and Attorney Ben Crump on April 5, 2021 in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images file)

Sens. Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, and Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., have been the lead negotiators on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bill aims to end certain police techniques, including chokeholds and carotid holds, two forms of potentially deadly force.

Such practices would be banned at the federal level, and funding for local and state police agencies would be conditioned on those agencies outlawing them. The bill also seeks to improve police training and invest in community programs designed to improve policing and promote equitable new policies, among other measures.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty in April of second- and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter for causing Floyd's death, a verdict that could send him to prison for the rest of his life when he is sentenced on June 25.

Biden called for Congress to pass the bill by the anniversary of Floyd's death this past April in his first joint address to Congress. Biden said the legislation would help restore trust between communities and law enforcement and give meaning to the words of Floyd's daughter, who Biden said told him, "Daddy changed the world."

However, lawmakers are poised to miss the deadline as both parties haggle over certain provisions of the bill, which passed the Democratic-led House in March but has yet to receive a vote in the Senate, where at least 10 Republicans are needed for passage because of the chamber's 60-vote filibuster rule.

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"While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal," Booker, Scott and Bass said in a joint statement on Monday.

Scott also told reporters on Monday that a deal was near. He said negotiators had good, good progress over the weekend and that we can see the end of the tunnel. Scott declined to say if he will meet with the Floyd family.

"We still have a lot of work to do," Booker said. "But the great thing about this bill is that everybody wants to get something really meaningful done and I was grateful for the amount of work that we got done.

Crump said Monday that he views the White House visit as an opportunity to pay proper respect" to Floyd with Biden, "who has been in continuous communication with the family. Crump said he hopes the visit will keep momentum going toward the passage of the sweeping policing reform bill bearing Floyd's name.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/Mississippi Department of Archives and History

This month marks the 60th anniversary of a group of determined Americans challenging segregated transportation in the United States, and enduring vicious attacks and even firebombing along the way.

The infamous Freedom Riders of the 1960sthe late Congressman John Lewis among themwere seeking to expose the failure, especially in the Deep South, to adhere to Supreme Court decisions barring segregation on transit and other public accommodation. Its clear now, after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act, that their actions were largely successful.

But even if mobs of literal Ku Klux Klan members and other angry white people flagrantly advocating for Jim Crow might seem like a nightmare from the history books, the events of the past year have shown forces of racism to be just as potent as ever.

Theyre sometimes just a bit more subtle.

DMX Was a Casualty in Americas War on Black Men

Hundreds of bills have been introduced this year alone in dozens of states to restrict voting access. In March, Georgia passed a bill that includes ID requirements and limits the number of ballot boxes, making voting much more difficult. In the Atlanta area, where the population is high and people of color are well-represented, the number of ballot boxes was slated to drop by about 80 percent (from 38 to eight) under the new law. Along with lower numbers of boxes, some have been delegated to certain locations and may have time restrictions, which means that they could be inaccessible for people depending on their working hours.

Earlier in May, Ohio lawmakers announced that they, too, wanted to lessen the number of ballot drop-boxes and shorten the window for voting. Florida has also looked into limiting voter access, among other states doing the same.

All of these measures appear designed, despite their authors protests to the contrary, to disproportionately target people of color for a modern version of disenfranchisement.

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And, of course, actual, state-sanctioned violence is still very much a threat to Black people and their allies in modern America. Much of it comes from police: One year ago today, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was murdered by a white cop in Minneapolis after allegedly using a counterfeit bill. That his killercaught on video, and widely witnessed committing the crimehas been tried and convicted should not be read as some arbiter of major reform in America.

Still, like the Freedom Rides, the George Floyd protests of the summer of 2020 woke the nation up to the reality of racialized police brutality. And similar to the physical aggression that Freedom Riders faced, Black Lives Matter protesters have pointed to a slew of incidents of aggressive police responseand even, in one case, an off-duty judge allegedly targeting them with his caras signs of a lingering, albeit lower-key, Jim Crow mentality.

One activist who helped organize the 1960s Freedom Rides, Bob Zellner, has no qualms about drawing a line between the two struggles. He calls Floyds murder a modern-day lynching.

Freedom is a constant struggle, Zellner, who is white, told The Daily Beast. We have to constantly be working on it. A part of it is educating ourselves and to educate the public.

To that end, the 60th anniversary of the original Freedom Rides has been commemorated by the filmmakers of Son of the South, a movie based on events of the early Civil Rights Movement and Zellners autobiography, The Wrong Side of the Murder Creek, and hosted at the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.

Zellner argues that modern activists must be radical in order to get their point across and ensure racial and social progresseven as signs of resistance, including from many Democrats, crop up to aggressive demands from the left.

The reaction of a lot of progressives to Black Lives Matter is, Youre just too radical. Youre harming the cause by talking about defunding the police, Well, thats what the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1959/60 was as it began to be organized, Zellner told The Daily Beast. Very few people remember that Martin Luther King Jr. was vilified by even prestigious members of the civil rights community. SNCC and Dr. King had very low public approval at the time they were doing that. We had a tremendous uphill battle, and we were considered just much too radical to be effective. Black Lives Matter has that same situation now.

Over the past week, the Freedom Rides Museum, located at the site of Montgomerys historic Greyhound bus depot, hosted a series of speakers, activists, and presentations. A restored vintage Greyhound bus was on site and open to attendees, and a commemorative ceremony was held for Freedom Riders Dr. Catherine Burks-Brooks, Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., and Dr. Ernest Rip Patton.

The Rides officially began on May 4, 1961, for a bus journey from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans. The group consisted of Black and white activists who were organized by the Congress on Racial Equality. On the morning of May 20, 1961, things went from scary to worse: Without any protection from local law enforcement, who were supposed to escort the bus into Montgomery, Alabama, Riders were brutally attacked by the Ku Klux Klan. Lewis was among those savagely attacked.

This event ultimately helped the movement gain national attention. President John F. Kennedys administration sent federal marshals to Montgomery in an attempt to lessen tensions and to protect the Freedom Riders from further violence.

Had it not been for the Freedom Riders pushing the Kennedy administration five months into the presidency in early 1961, said Dorothy Walker, the site director of the Freedom Rides Museum, a part of the Alabama Historical Commission, the administration may not have gotten involved in the Civil Rights Movement as early in their term as they did.

But learning from history isnt enough. Its important now, as ever, for Americans to be active in claiming and owning their rightseven when the bright lights of a particularly galvanizing protest cause may fade.

What we need to be sure to institutionalize is the right to protest, the right to organize, and the right to demonstrate, Zellner said. A lot of states now are anticipating that battle and are outlawing and criminalizing petitioning the government. And thats in the Constitution.

But they dont care, he added of protest foes. Theyre going to do whatever they have the power to do. Our job is to take the power away from them and bring real democracy to our country.

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WASHINGTON  With questions persisting about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top science adviser to the Biden administration, defended having previously helped fund research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a Chinese laboratory where some believe the pathogen known as SARS-CoV-2 originated sometime in 2019, possibly as the result of an accident.

You gotta go where the action is, Fauci explained on Tuesday, as he faced questions about the increasingly popular lab-origin theory from Republicans during testimony before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

The action, in this case, was SARS-CoV-1, a coronavirus that originated in bats in the Chinese province of Guangdong in 2002 and then jumped to humans. A total of 8,096 people around the world would become infected with the disease known as SARS, the first pandemic of the 21st century, not to mention the first of a globalized human civilization where ease of travel between densely populated urban centers presented a severe challenge for epidemiologists.

Dr. Anthony Fauci attending a House Appropriations subcommittee meeting on Tuesday. (via House.gov)

It would have been almost a dereliction of our duty if we didnt study this, Fauci said on Tuesday, meaning that cooperation with Chinese authorities was necessary. You dont want to study bats in Fairfax County, [Va.,] to find out what the animal-human interface is that might lead to a jumping of species. He was alluding to the fact that viruses often originate in areas where the human population pushes into what had previously been wilderness.

At the time of the SARS outbreak, Fauci was head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (he retains that position to this day). NIH Director Francis Collins testified on Tuesday as well. They both defended the NIH funding of a not-for-profit organization called EcoHealth Alliance, which has worked closely with the Wuhan Institute of Virology to gain understanding about how coronaviruses emerge from bats.

Story continues

In April 2020, the Trump administration suspended a $3.7 million grant to EcoHealth Alliance that involved work on coronaviruses. Later, in August, EcoHealth received $7.5 million from the federal government to study infectious diseases as part of a network of a dozen institutions.

By then, the Wuhan Institute of Virology had become the focus of conspiracy theories and legitimate questions alike. (The two can be difficult to distinguish, given the rampant level of misinformation on the internet.)

Security personnel outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

In his testimony on Tuesday, Fauci described NIH funding of coronavirus research in China as a modest collaboration with very respectable Chinese scientists who were world experts.

Nevertheless, there remains some concern that by funding EcoHealth, the U.S. government could have unwittingly supported gain-of-function work at the Wuhan lab. That work involves making a virus more potent or transmittable to study its behavior under different conditions. EcoHealth president Peter Daszak dismissed such allegations, calling them a good conspiracy theory in a recent interview with Kaiser Health News.

Daszak said he believes the virus emerged at a wildlife market in Wuhan, a hypothesis that has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, but critics say there is little merit to those conclusions. Proponents of the lab-origin theory have, paradoxically, seemingly gained more adherents as their loudest ally  former President Donald Trump  has receded from public view.

Collins, the NIH director, said on Tuesday that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not approved by NIH to do gain-of-function research through funds channeled from Washington via the EcoHealth Alliance. We are, of course, not aware of other sources of funds or other activities they might have undertaken outside of what our approved grant allowed.

Fauci was more blunt. That categorically was not done, he said of gain-of-function research having allegedly been conducted in Wuhan. Earlier this month, Fauci sparred with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., over the issue. The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology," Fauci said at the time.

Dr. Anthony Fauci. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Still, a growing number of scientists say that, at the very least, more thorough investigations are needed. Questions of culpability aside, they want to know if an accident occurred, and, if so, what could be done to bolster biosecurity and communication.

Earlier this month, a group of 18 scientists called for a more intensive investigation of the origin of the coronavirus. Theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover both remain viable, they wrote, noting that in the 313-page WHO report on the origins of the pandemic, only four pages were devoted to the laboratory hypothesis.

That letter was the clearest sign yet that questions about how and where the coronavirus emerged can no longer be dismissed as the stuff of paranoid ideation.

That much was made clear yet again later on Tuesday afternoon, when Fauci faced questions about the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 at a briefing of the White House coronavirus response team.

Many of us feel that it is more likely that this is a natural occurrence, Fauci said, though he admitted there was no way to definitively confirm the zoonotic hypothesis just yet. And since this is a question that keeps being asked, we feel strongly, all of us, that we should continue with the investigation.

Andy Slavitt, another top adviser on the pandemic, said it was a critical priority for the Biden administration to discover the origins of the coronavirus. He called on China not to impede any future investigation.

We need to get to the bottom of this, Slavitt said.

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May 25Hawaii's dreams of cashing in on the first Olympic surfing competition and seeing a quicker Japan tourism rebound were "blown out " again Monday when U.S. health officials and the State Department warned Americans against travel to Japan.

"Travelers should avoid all travel to Japan, " the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new COVID-19 update. "Because of the current situation in Japan even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan."

The State Department's warning, which followed the CDC alert, was more blunt. "Do not travel to Japan due to COVID-19, " it said in the announcement, which raised the department's travel alert from Level 3Reconsider travelto Level 4Do not travel. The previous alert was issued April 21.

The twin alerts, which were motivated by a surge of coronavirus cases in Japan, come as Japan is preparing to host the Olympics in two months. They do not directly affect travel to Hawaii from Japanese visitors. However, they create more uncertainty about when Hawaii's largest international market will return.

In 2019 the Hawaii Tourism Authority reported that more than 1.5 million visitors from Japan visited Hawaii and contributed nearly $2.2 billion in visitor spending. Last year COVID caused arrivals by air from Japan to plummet more than 81 % to 297, 243, and HTA did not have enough data to calculate spending.

The state's tourism economy will not make a full recovery until Japan tourism comes back, especially on Oahu, where international arrivals made up about 46 % of the pre-pandemic market.

The alerts don't ban U.S. citizens from visiting the country, but they could have an impact on insurance rates for travelers and might factor into decisions by Olympic athletes and spectators on whether to compete in or attend the Games, which are due to start in July.

Story continues

Japan already had made a decision not to allow international spectators at the games. It's unclear whether Japan's coronavirus worries will drop domestic attendance, which could exacerbate Japan's economic challenges.

Any shocks to Japan's economy would be felt in Hawaii, especially on Oahu, where international arrivals made up about 46 % of pre-pandemic tourism.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee said it still anticipates that American athletes will be able to safely compete at the Tokyo Games.

"We feel confident that the current mitigation practices in place for athletes and staff by both the USOPC and the Tokyo Organizing Committee, coupled with the testing before travel, on arrival in Japan, and during Games time, will allow for safe participation of Team USA athletes this summer, " the committee said Monday in a statement.

Even so, the high hopes that Hawaii tourism and government officials once had for riding the wave of publicity surrounding the first Olympic surfing competition have dampened.

Hawaii officials started working on marketing partnerships back in in 2016 when surfing was elevated to an Olympic sport. HTA announced a $100, 000 partnership with the World Surf League in 2019 on the same day that local surfer John John Florence qualified for a spot on the U.S. men's Olympic surfing team. The news only added to the jubilation that had emerged earlier in the month when local surfer Carissa Moore had secured a spot on the U.S. women's Olympic surfing team.

News of the warnings prompted state Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Aliamanu ), who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, to advise HTA President and CEO John De Fries to curb Japan marketing.

"It's another nail in the coffin, " Wakai said. "Since October they have wasted $1.6 million on Hawaii Tourism Japan. I told them not to waste any more of their precious marketing dollars until the market rebounds in the fall."

The warning, but more so the heightened cases in Japan, could postpone the anticipated recovery of the Japan market in Hawaii. Throughout the pandemic Hawaii has seen travel demand ebb and flow along with coronavirus fears and government regulations.

Another unknown is what impact U.S. warnings might have on the Japanese government's own travel policies, which are so strict that they already have interfered with recovery of Japan tourism in Hawaii.

Hawaii's efforts to form a travel bubble with Japan fizzled earlier in the pandemic as the U.S. struggled to manage its COVID infections. Hawaii government leaders announced in July that the state was on an exclusive list of 12 countries and regions that Japanese leaders were considering for the resumption of safe international travel.

The state added Japan to its Safe Travels program in November, but restrictions in Japan have kept arrivals low. The Japanese government still requires proof of a negative PCR test for all entry into Japan. Additionally, it requires a 14-day quarantine for all returning travelerseven Japanese nationals.

Only 2, 910 visitors from Japan visited Hawaii during the first quarter, a 99 % drop from the first quarter of 2020, which was only partially affected by coronavirus.

Eric Takahata, managing director of Hawaii Tourism Japan, said he doesn't expect the latest U.S. travel advisories to have much impact on the Japan market, which already had experienced challenges in Hawaii.

"This won't affect our outlook ; it's for Americans traveling to Japan, " Takahata said. "When you look at it from a Japanese perspective, there's no change. They are willing to do Safe Travels in the current format, but it's the travel restrictions, mainly the 14-day quarantine on the backside, that are a deterrent."

Takahata said Japanese tourism isn't expected to start returning to Hawaii until the fourth quarter, when infections decrease and vaccinations increase.

"We expect arrivals to be more than now, but how much we still don't know, " he said.

Takahata said HTJ has reduced staff to nine from 15 and is on a fixed-cost budget. But marketing dollars will need to be spent starting by July if the state hopes to realize the anticipated fall gains, he said.

Hawaii companies with Japan tourism interests previously had appealed to HTA's standing marketing committee not to make further cuts to its Japan marketing budget, which already had dropped to $4.5 million from $9 million.

Some of Hawaii's outlook for Japan tourism will ride on how well the Olympics go and how well Japan manages this latest surge.

Japan earlier Monday mobilized military doctors and nurses to give shots to older adults in two major cities, as the government tried desperately to accelerate its vaccination rollout and curb coronavirus infections before it hosts the Olympics. That move came amid growing calls for the Games to be canceled.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is determined to hold the Olympics in Tokyo beginning July 23, after a one-year delay, and has made an ambitious pledge to finish vaccinating the country's 36 million seniors by the end of July.

Japan has recorded just over 12, 000 COVID-19 deathsgood by global standards but poor in Asiabut Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas are under a state of emergency until Monday that is likely to be extended.

There is fear of new variants spreading, with only a tiny percentage of the Japaneseestimated at 2 % to 4 %vaccinated.------The Associated Press contributed to this story.
by Peter Tran

Vietnam has sent two shipments of aid with ventilators, oxygen generators, cylinders and protective masks worth US$ 1.5 million. The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has led the way in raising funds and collecting material. Indias ambassador to Vietnam is grateful.

Hanoi (AsiaNews)  Vietnam is facing its fourth COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, but appears again able to contain the spread of the virus and prevent a surge of infections and deaths.

As a result, the Vietnamese government and Vietnamese Buddhist associations have come to India's aid, which is struggling to cope with a full scale emergency and a healthcare system on the verge of collapse.

The Vietnamese Embassy in India donated 109 ventilators and 50 oxygen generators for the most serious cases, delivered last Friday at Indira Gandhi International Airport to local authorities.

In the coming days, a second shipment should arrive with 100 ventilators, 275 oxygen generators, 1,300 oxygen cylinders and 50,000 protective masks. In this case, the Indian Navy is set to deliver the material from Ho Chi Minh City to Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

The total value of the aid is .5 million and is entrusted to the Indian Red Cross through the Vietnamese Buddhist Church and the India-Vietnam Friendship Association.

The Buddhist Church is one of the most active organisations. It donated medical supplies in a ceremony held on 12 May to support India in its fight against COVID-19.

Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu, permanent vice chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), said that the material was collected thanks to the generosity of Buddhist monks, nuns, and lay people, including Vietnamese students and former students to India.

He also noted that he was confident that soon India and Vietnam will be able to put the health emergency behind them, which he bluntly calls the disaster of the century.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma stressed that his country is facing a huge domestic challenge and is grateful to the Buddhist Sangha for donating medical supplies to meet immediate needs.

This, he added, is a sign of humanity and friendship that confirms the strategic relationship between the two countries.

For his part, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung confirmed that The COVID-19 pandemic is breaking out for the fourth time in Vietnam.

With respect to India, he said that he was confident that with the great capacity of its pharmaceutical and medical industry, with persistent efforts, the country and the Indian people will soon overcome current challenges and restore its socio-economic development.
The family of the 6-year-old boy who was killed in an apparent road rage incident on a Southern California freeway last week is offering a reward for information leading to the shooters arrest.

Video Transcript

JENNIFER MCGRAW: A memorial is growing along the 55 Freeway with notes of love and support for the family who lost a six-year-old boy. It's been an extremely emotional weekend. Distraught and heartbroken, his mother begging for help in finding his killer on "Good Morning America."

JOANNA CLOONAN: He was beautiful, and he was kind, and he was precious. And you killed him for no reason. And I want to find them, and I want there to be justice to be served for my son.

JENNIFER MCGRAW: She says a driver cut her off on the freeway, the passenger of that vehicle pulling out a gun and began shooting. Aiden was hit and killed in the backseat.

OFFICER FLORENTINO OLIVERA: Losing a six-year-old boy, it hit home for a lot of officers, especially the two that went to the scene and were the first ones on scene. And any time it involves a small child, it's very difficult.

JENNIFER MCGRAW: Officer Florentino Olivera says the hunt is on to catch the man responsible and asking for the public's help.

OFFICER FLORENTINO OLIVERA: Our investigators have been working all weekend, 24/7 nonstop. This is a top priority for us. But we've been receiving lots of calls, so that's been very, very helpful.

JENNIFER MCGRAW: Police are looking for a female driver and a male shooter driving in a white sedan, possibly a Jetta Volkswagen. If you have any information or possibly dashcam from Friday morning on Highway 55, you're urged to call CHP. And again, it's a $50,000 reward. Here in Irvine, Jennifer McGraw, KTLA 5 News.
Gianna Floyd leads a say his name chant outside the White House after members of George Floyd met with President Biden and Vice President Harris (Bloomberg/YouTube)

George Floyds daughter Gianna led a chant of Say his name. George Floyd, outside the White House on Tuesday, after members of the Floyd family met with president Biden and vice-president Harris on the one-year anniversary of Mr Floyds murder at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Earlier in the the day, George Floyds brother Philonise, who met with Congressional leaders throughout the day, called on Washington to answer the calls for reform that have come from millions across the country since 25 May, 2020.

"We need meaningful legislation," Mr Floyd said. "We need Joe Biden, we need the Senate to get this taken care of.

Previously, the president had called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by the anniversary of his death.

The bill, which would create a national registry of police misconduct, ban racial and religious profiling, and overhaul the qualified immunity standard that keeps many officers from being sued, has already passed the House multiple times.

It remains stuck in the 50-50 split Senate, where 10 Republicans would need to support the bill to break the logjam, but both sides havent been able to find a compromise on qualified immunity.

Read More

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Members of George Floyds family on Tuesday will meet with lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), on the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, CNN and NBC News report.

Why it matters: The meeting comes amid negotiations on a police reform bill named after Floyd that the House passed in March. The legislation has stalled in the Senate due to Republican opposition to certain provisions, including curbing qualified immunity for police officers.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Context: Rep. Bass is the lead House negotiator in talks over the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Members of Floyd's family are also meeting with President Biden on Tuesday.

The big picture: Congress is set to miss Bidens self-imposed May 25 deadline for passing police reform legislation because of the negotiations, which have continued for weeks.

Some Senate Republicans have backed a competing police reform plan developed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

Go deeper: Chauvin verdicts reduce pressure for police reform

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On the one-year anniversary of George Floyds murder in Minneapolis, his family met with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House on Tuesday and expressed optimism that a sweeping police reform bill named after him will eventually become law.

Floyds family, including his three brothers and his daughter, Gianna, joined Biden and Harris at the Oval Office to discuss Floyds legacy and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the House last summer but remains stalled in the Senate amid negotiations about the scope of the bill.

Gianna Floyd, the daughter of George Floyd, leads the chant "Say his name" with other members of the Floyd family after they met with President Biden at the White House on Tuesday. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Floyds family, said the meeting lasted more than an hour, according to a report from pooled press. Floyds brother Philonise said it was a great meeting.

"I know the president was very personal, because he got to know this family over the years, Crump said, and he wanted to check on them today of all days to see how they were doing. To reiterate that they are still doing everything to make sure that his legacy is respected, and that involves us going to meet with senators to continue to press forward for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that he says he is ready to sign any day.

While speaking with reporters at the White House after the meeting, Floyds daughter, Gianna, raised her small fist and said, "Say his name, along with her family, according to reporters at the scene.

The meeting comes almost a month after Biden urged Congress to pass the legislation by the one-year anniversary of Floyds killing. According to Crump, the president said Tuesday that he doesnt want to sign a bill that doesnt have substance and meaning. So he is going to be patient to make sure its the right bill, not a rushed bill.

This is an American issue. This isnt a police issue or a civil rights issue, Crump said.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. Then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck until he was asphyxiated. Chauvin was convicted in April of murder and manslaughter in Floyds death and will be sentenced in June.

Story continues

Biden at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters on Monday. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

The bill that passed the House would, among other things, eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement, making it easier for people to sue law enforcement for constitutional violations in civil court. It would also ban chokeholds and carotid holds  potentially lethal uses of force  at the federal level, and it would promote the same in local and state police departments by conditioning federal funding on whether those agencies forbid the practice.

Crump said the family would meet with Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to garner bipartisan support for the bill, per the pool report. Earlier this month, Scott said on CBS that hes hopeful both sides can find common ground.

In a statement Tuesday, Biden said negotiations on the bill are ongoing.

I have strongly supported the legislation that passed the House, the statement said, and I appreciate the good-faith efforts from Democrats and Republicans to pass a meaningful bill out of the Senate. Its my hope they will get a bill to my desk quickly.

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Tourists should stay away from sharp-toothed creatures at the Grand Canyon  especially squirrels, park officials said.

Grand Canyon National Park officials issued a warning Monday about the parks squirrel population ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

Enjoy squirrels from a safe distance, park officials said. Their sharp teeth crack nuts  and cut fingers.

During past busy weekends, squirrels have sent at least 30 tourists to seek medical care for their bloodied fingers, officials said.

Tourists should stay at least 50 feet away from small mammals like squirrels at the Grand Canyon, according to the National Park Service.

Although they may appear harmless and even curious about you, those little rock squirrels cause the most injuries to visitors, the National Park Service said. Thats partly why harassing or feeding any kind of wildlife, no matter how small or familiar, is illegal in all national parks.

Rock squirrels are usually about 20 inches long with tails the size of about half their bodies, according to the National Park Service. Theyre grayish-brown and they live in boulders, rocks and trees.

Even though rock squirrels could cause more injuries to tourists than any other animal at the park, humans are also a threat to the squirrels. Park visitors should never feed squirrels within the Grand Canyon.

Human food is hard for rock squirrels to digest, and feeding them has led to several squirrel fatalities, the National Park Service said. These squirrels have been known to get into backpacks, lunch pails, and trash cans, and to steal food right out of visitors hands.

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Former President Donald Trump. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Manhattan DA has convened a grand jury in his Trump investigation, The Washington Post reported.

The development marks an aggressive new phase in DA Cyrus Vance Jr.'s years-long criminal inquiry.

The Post said the grand jury would meet three times a week for six months.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has convened a grand jury as his office investigates whether the Trump Organization violated state law, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The grand jury will meet three days a week for six months and consider evidence not just in the Trump investigation but also in other matters, according to The Post.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is conducting a wide-ranging inquiry into the Trump Organization's and former President Donald Trump's finances, court records show. One major point of examination is whether the Trump Organization broke state tax laws by keeping two sets of books - one for favorable tax and loan rates, and the other to pay little in taxes.

Tuesday's development marks an aggressive new phase in Vance's years-long investigation, which legal experts suspect is nearing its end stages.

Earlier this year, Vance's office scored a major victory when the Supreme Court cleared the way for it to obtain eight years of Trump's closely held tax returns. Legal experts also said in March that Vance would likely want to make charging decisions before his retirement at the end of the year.

Previous court filings suggested the investigation was sparked by testimony from Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen that the Trump Organization facilitated a hush-money payment to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 US election - which could also be a violation of state tax laws. Prosecutors are also scrutinizing senior Trump Organization executives like Allen Weisselberg, the company's longtime chief financial officer.

Story continues

Earlier this month, Politico reported that officials in Florida, where Trump resides, were putting together "contingency plans" in the event that he faced a criminal indictment from New York.

Vance's investigation and a separate inquiry by the New York attorney general's office both appear to be weighing on Trump's mind. Last week, he released a 909-word statement skewering Vance and the state's attorney general, Tish James, and accusing them of political persecution.

The statement came after a spokesperson from James' office told CNN that her investigation, which started as a civil inquiry, had taken on a criminal component and that the attorney general was working with the Manhattan DA on the matter.

"After prosecutorial efforts the likes of which nobody has ever seen before, they failed to stop me in Washington, so they turned it over to New York to do their dirty work," Trump said in his statement, adding: "If these prosecutors focused on real issues, crime would be obliterated, and New York would be great and free again!"

Cohen, meanwhile, said he believed the former president may ultimately be the one to flip on everyone around him.

"I think Donald Trump is going to flip on all of them, including his children," he told MSNBC's Joy Reid. "I really believe that Donald Trump cares for only himself, and he realizes that his goose is cooked."

Read the original article on Business Insider
When two IHOP workers stepped outside for a smoke break around noon Tuesday, masked gunmen jumped out of a stolen car and opened fire, Louisiana police said.

One of the employees died at a nearby hospital, and the other is in stable condition, Baton Rouge police said, according to WBRZ.

The shooters sped away from the scene and are still at large.

Authorities found the car they were driving within a few miles of the restaurant, abandoned and engulfed in flames, the station reported. It had been reported stolen earlier in a nearby parish.

A manhunt is underway and the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics help finding the two suspects. They covered their faces with red and white bandanas, WAFB reported, and one wore red pants.

Investigators have not identified a motive for the shooting as of Tuesday afternoon.

Workers at the strip mall by the IHOP told The Advocate they could see and hear the gunfire, and described customers and employees huddling together behind cover.

I thought I was gonna die. We all did, Tabatha Sanchez, who works at an eyeglasses store, said. It was panicked and chaotic. My heart is still beating from it.

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Wells Fargo also is offering Harbor Bank access to a dedicated team that will work with it on financial, technological and product development strategies. It also will make its nationwide ATM network available with no fees to Harbor Bank customers and to customers of each of the other banks.
May 25Hamilton County ninth grader wins national art competition

Faith Daan, a freshman at Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts, won the 9-12 grade category of the 2021 ESS Art Contest with a piece titled 'Young Chaos."

The contest's theme, "What would it be like to go to school for superheroes?" drew 850 submissions nationwide across grades K-12. Daan and CCA each received $500 as part of the award.

"The Visual Arts Department is very proud of Faith Daan's artistic accomplishments this year," said CCA art teacher Justin Black in a statement. "Faith has been a role model of excellence for her peers during this tumultuous year, and this national recognition speaks to her unwavering pursuit of authentic expression and creative risk-taking."

Whitfield County student named presidential scholar at Georgia State University Honors College

Elle Shirah of Southeast Whitfield County High School is one of seven incoming first-year students awarded the presidential scholarship by Georgia State University's Honors College.

The scholarship covers the costs of tuition, fees and housing for four years at about $32,000 per year, along with resources such as a yearly living stipend and research application opportunities.

"I'm proud to welcome these scholars to Georgia State and the Honors College," said interim Dean Sarah Cook in a statement. "They represent not only academic excellence but also commitment to leadership, exploration of today's most pressing questions and using their talents to make our city and our world a better place."

Shirah and six other recipients were chosen from 47 finalists and 449 prospective students who applied.

Hamilton County Collegiate High School at Chattanooga State student wins 'Best of Show' category in photography showcase

Vraj Patel, a student at Hamilton County Collegiate High School at Chattanooga State, won the Best of Show category at the 2021 Youth Photography Showcase with the image "Citrus Splash." The award recognizes the entry with the highest cumulative score among the three judges.

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The competition, sponsored by the Photographic Society of Chattanooga, included six categories: architecture, color choice, monochrome choice, people and/or animals, photojournalism and scapes. This year, 58 students from 13 Chattanooga-area high schools submitted 256 entries to the competition.

Entries were judged by Kathleen Greeson, Braam Oberholster and Mickey Rountree, and a full list of winners is available on the Photographic Society of Chattanooga's website.

Cleveland State Community College drops mask requirement for those who are fully vaccinated

Cleveland State Community College said Sunday it will not require masks for fully vaccinated individuals in accordance with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance adopted by the Tennessee Board of Regents.

"In an effort to keep our students, employees and guests safe Cleveland State has continued to follow CDC and State of Tennessee guidance during the pandemic." said president Bill Seymour in a statement. "While those who have been vaccinated may opt not to wear a mask on our campus, we strongly encourage non-vaccinated individuals to wear a mask indoors until further guidance is provided."

As a result of the decision, the school will hold more classes face to face this fall.

Contact Anika Chaturvedi at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.
You probably heard about Idahos anti-initiatives law, one of the most controversial and unpopular pieces of legislation in recent Idaho history.

Sam Sandmire

The anti-initiatives law, enacted five weeks ago by our governor and legislature, makes it virtually impossible for grassroots campaigns to place an initiative on the Idaho ballot. It gives Idaho the most restrictive signature-gathering rules in the nation, requiring campaigns to collect signatures from 6% of registered voters in each of Idahos 35 districts  up from the 18 districts previously required.

From the time the proposal was first announced, it was deeply unpopular with Idaho voters. As the bill made its way through the legislature, public hearings attracted record-breaking numbers of people to testify in opposition.

An online petition calling on Gov. Brad Little to veto the bill received 16,000 signatures, including names from over 200 towns and all 44 of Idahos counties. Of the thousands and thousands of people who called the governors office about the bill, over 97% were opposed and asked for the governors veto.

Despite the fact that the bill was deeply unpopular, nearly every Republican legislator supported it. Just 2 out of 28 Republican senators and just 6 out of 57 Republican House members voted against the bill.

All of this was anticipated. Ever since 2018 when the vast majority of Idaho voters approved the Medicaid expansion initiative, Republican leaders have tried to restrict the process so that no initiative like Medicaid expansion ever happens again. It was no surprise that Republican leaders were determined to enact the new anti-initiatives law.

But last weekend, we learned Republican leaders had taken their assault on initiative rights to a new extreme. After learning that their new law would be challenged in the Idaho Supreme Court, Republican leaders decided to use Idaho tax dollars to defend it.

This use of our tax dollars is wasteful and completely unnecessary. Its the job of Idahos Attorney General to provide legal defense for state laws. This is a taxpayer-funded process that is already in place, and the office of the Attorney General has already begun its defense of the anti-initiatives law.

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But Republican legislators are determined to attack the initiative process with every resource at their disposal. Earlier this month, they tapped the Legislative Legal Defense Fund  paid for by taxpayers  to hire one of the most expensive law firms in the state.

A report by the Idaho Press revealed that Republican leaders are paying attorneys a rate of $470 per hour. This means that for just 80 hours of work, the legislatures lead attorney will be paid $37,600  far more than many Idaho taxpayers earn in a year.

It is no longer surprising to see Republican leaders attack our initiative rights. Were accustomed to that by now. But even by their own standards, it is shocking to see our legislative leaders use our own tax dollars to fund their attack on our rights.

Maybe House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder thought they could hide the fact that theyre paying an outside attorney $470 an hour. After all, it took a public records request to reveal this information.

Now that theyve been caught, Republican legislators should show the people of Idaho some respect and end their involvement in the court case immediately. If theyre going to attack our constitutional rights, they should pay for it with their own money  not ours.

Sam Sandmire is a volunteer organizer for Reclaim Idaho, the grassroots group that spearheaded the citizen ballot initiative to expand Medicaid in Idaho.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianas governor is traveling to Israel in the wake of the cease-fire to the 11-day war between Israel and Gazas militant Hamas rulers.

Gov. Eric Holcombs office announced Tuesday morning he would be in Israel Tuesday and Wednesday at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Republican governor cited business and cultural ties between Indiana and Israel for making the trip.

I stand in support of Israel and look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue forging an even stronger Israel-Indiana bond, Holcomb said in a statement. When I was invited, I did not hesitate to make this trip to meet in Israel during such an hour of need.

The governors trip comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Israel, the West Bank, Jordan and Egypt to an attempt to secure the Gaza peace.

Holcomb previously traveled as governor to Israel in 2018 for economic development meetings. The governors office says Holcomb will return to Indiana on Thursday and that the trip is being paid for by Imagine Indiana Inc., a nonprofit group whose directors include his 2016 and 2020 campaign managers.
By Kate Lamb and Fanny Potkin

(Reuters) - Indonesian anti-corruption activists have suffered a surge of digital attacks, from the hacking of messaging accounts to the sabotage of a Zoom conference with pornography, and they say they fear they are being targeted for speaking out.

A spotlight was thrown on Indonesia's fight against corruption this month with the sacking of 75 officials from the anti-graft agency, which some campaign groups said appeared to be a bid to undermine their work.

The sackings, ostensibly over the officials' performances in a civil service exam, were later commuted to suspensions.

The non-governmental group Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said its members had faced digital harassment since May 17, when the messaging accounts on WhatsApp of six of its members became inaccessible as they were taking part in a video conference discussing the dismissals.

An unidentified hacker also streamed a porn film into the video conference, the group said.

ICW said in a statement it suspected that "parties against the strengthening of anti-corruption efforts" were behind the attack and urged law enforcement to investigate.

ICW did not say which specific groups it thought could be responsible.

ICW coordinator Adnan Topan Husodo told Reuters attempts to take over his and other accounts on WhatsApp and Telegram had continued in recent days.

Several former investigators from the KPK anti-corruption agency said they had faced similar attacks.

WhatsApp, Zoom, and Telegram did not immediately answer requests for comment.

An official in President Joko Widodo's office said it was a police matter. Police in the capital, Jakarta, declined to comment.

Campaigners say the state anti-corruption agency has become weaker under this president's administration but his office denies that.

The complaints of digital harassment follow similar cases last year involving activists and students in online seminars discussing human rights issues in the easternmost region of West Papua, where a low-level separatist insurgency has simmered for decades.

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Some journalists have also been subjected to similar harassment.

Damar Juniarto, executive director of the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), said his group had recorded 147 instances of digital attacks in Indonesia last year, a sharp increase from previous years.

(Additional reporting by Agustinus Beo da Costa, Editing by Matthew Tostevin, Robert Birsel)
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran's election watchdog has approved the candidacy of hardline judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi in next month's presidential election, state TV said on Tuesday, while disqualifying some of his main rivals including former parliament speaker Ali Larijani.

The move is likely to boost the prospects of Raisi, a close ally of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But it may further dent the clerical rulers' hopes of a high turnout in the June 18 vote, amid rising discontent over an economy crippled by U.S. sanctions.

As well as Larijani, a moderate conservative, the hardline-led Guardian Council barred populist former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and pragmatist First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, an ally of the outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani.

Rouhani and his moderate allies have blamed most of Iran's economic woes on U.S. sanctions and given top priority to talks aimed at reviving Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which former U.S. president Donald Trump quit.

Conservative and hardline allies of Khamenei have placed the responsibility squarely on the government, and insisted that Washington cannot be trusted to fulfil any accord.

The Council approved just seven candidates out of 40 who met its basic criteria - in turn a small fraction of the 600 who had registered.

They included former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, a conservative; former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezaei, a frequent presidential candidate; and current Central Bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, a low-profile moderate.

In a statement carried by local media, Rouhani's ally Jahangiri said: "The disqualification of many qualified people (is) a serious threat to public participation and fair competition among political tendencies, especially reformists."

Even Raisi appeared to object to the large number of disqualifications.

"Since yesterday evening, when I was informed of the results, ... I have made contacts and I am holding consultations to make the election scene more competitive and participatory," Raisi said on Twitter.

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Larijani, who had voiced support for the nuclear deal and talks to revive it, accepted the Council's ruling, tweeting: "Now that the election process has been conducted in this way, I have done my duty before God and my dear nation."

In a speech in parliament carried by local media, lawmaker Ahmad Alirezabeigi blasted Ahmadinejad's disqualification and said security forces had surrounded the populist leader's home, even though he had urged his supporters to remain calm.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
(Bloomberg) -- World powers started their fifth round of negotiations to revive a landmark agreement that will reinstate caps on Irans nuclear program in exchange for the countrys return to oil markets and the global economy.

The talks in Vienna are being closely watched by energy traders trying to measure when the Persian Gulf nation -- which holds the worlds fourth biggest oil and second biggest natural gas reserves -- could resume exports. Irans President Hassan Rouhani won backing from his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday, with the two leaders agreeing to deepen trade and energy links once a return to the 2015 accord is finalized.

Were optimistic that differences over some small details and operational affairs will be resolved in the not so distant days ahead, Ali Rabiei, spokesman for the Iranian government, said Tuesday in Tehran. U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley struck a more cautious note before departing for the talks that are in their seventh week.

European diplomats originally sought to seal a return to the accord last week, however, the extension of a key monitoring pact between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran won an additional month to negotiate. After former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal three years ago and unilaterally reimposed sanctions, Iran began to add nuclear capacities beyond those allowed under the agreement.

This is an important outcome for China and the European Union, Beijings Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday during a discussion at a Munich Security Conference event. We are working hard to uphold this agreement and the authority of the UN Security Council resolution and stability in the Middle East.

But at a meeting in Jerusalem with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Washington not to rejoin the accord.

We believe that that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy, Netanyahu said. Blinken said the U.S. serious about ensuring Israels security and pledged to keep the government apprised of developments in the negotiations with Iran.

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Irans top nuclear official, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Monday that his country has more than 90 kilograms (198 pounds) of uranium enriched to 20% and 2.5 kilograms of material enriched to 60% purity, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Since the U.S. withdrew from the deal, Iran has increased its stockpile of material that could be used for a weapon more than 15-fold

Diplomats are still wrangling over U.S. sanctions and Irans advanced enrichment technologies, according to officials involved in the talks who asked not to be identified in line with diplomatic rules. Some Iranian entities are sanctioned under multiple U.S. enforcement mechanisms, requiring diplomats to parse sanctions lists and review each case on an individual basis, the people said.

(Updates with start of latest round of talks in Vienna.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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BAGHDAD (AP)  Clashes between security forces and protesters left one person dead and over a dozen injured Tuesday after hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad to protest a rise in targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists.

Violence erupted near Tahrir Square in the early evening following a largely peaceful demonstration. Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse the crowds and demonstrators hurled stones at riot police, witnesses and Iraqi security officials said.

One protester was shot and died in a hospital and over a dozen were injured, a security official and the semi-official High Commission for Human Rights said.

The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The shooting began after security forces first used tear gas to disperse the crowds. The demonstrators responded by throwing stones, and on some occasions bricks at police, according to an Associated Press videographer on the scene.

Earlier, demonstrators gathered in the square amid heavy security, among them protesters from southern provinces including Dhi Qar and Karbala. Tensions there have mounted in recent weeks over the increasingly frequent targeted killings.

Todays protests took place because the weak government did not keep its promises to bring the murderers to justice, said activist Kamal Jaban at Tahrir Square.

Many waved Iraqi flags and raised portraits of Ehab Wazni, a prominent activist assassinated in Karbala, among three targeted killings this month alone. Protesters had given the government two weeks to hold his killers responsible.

The government did not deliver, we had to march, said Jaban.

The High Commission for Human Rights reported nearly 35 activists have been killed in Iraq since an anti-government protest movement swept Iraq in October 2019. There have been nearly 82 attempted killings since them.

In the last year alone, 15 Iraqis were killed and there were 30 attempted killings recorded by the commission, said spokesman Ali al-Bayati.

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Protesters expressed outrage that despite launching several investigations into the killings, Iraqi authorities have not named any perpetrators. They widely believe the killers to be linked to Iran-backed militia groups and that the government is powerless and unwilling to identify them.

Impunity comes from the failure of state institutions to bring the perpetrators to account, said al-Bayati. This gives them the green light to continue.

Many expect the killings to continue as Iraq plans to hold early elections in October, which had been a key demand of anti-government protesters.

Now, some of those same protesters are calling for the elections to be canceled as the death toll from targeted killings rises, saying they have no faith in the current system.

We will not delay the elections if we get fair and safe chances to participate in them, said Jaban. We will boycott the elections unless there are positive changes.

A recent Human Rights Watch report raised concerns that without justice the killings could prevent Iraqis from participating in the election.

If the authorities are not able to take urgent steps to stop these extrajudicial killings the palpable climate of fear they have created will severely limit the ability of Iraqis who have been calling for change to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, wrote senior researcher Belkis Wille.

Heavy security deployments were seen in central Baghdad ahead of the Tuesday protest.

Iraqi security forces arrested four infiltrators near Tahrir Square in the morning, according to an Iraqi military statement. The individuals were reportedly carrying weapons and sought to incite violence.

Tens of thousands of protesters, most of them Iraqi youth, took to the streets in October 2019 to decry corruption, poor services and unemployment. Demonstrators camped out in Tahrir Square for months.

But the movement petered out by February last year owing to the governments heavy handed response and the coronavirus pandemic. Over 500 people died because security forces used live ammunition and tear canisters to disperse crowds.

Though protests have waned, targeted assassinations against civil society groups and outspoken activists continue to create a climate of fear. Many activists have left Baghdad to seek refuge in the Kurdish-controlled northern region, or sought asylum in Turkey.

___

Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj in Baghdad contributed.
By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -A group of Israeli media outlets have called for "decisive action" from Facebook and Twitter against rising online threats and incitement to violence against journalists.

Israel's 14 top TV stations, newspapers, radio stations and news websites said in emailed letters from their lawyer, which were seen by Reuters, that threats and hate speech had risen in recent weeks, particularly during the 11-day conflict with Palestinian militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

"These media groups ... all share a sense of urgency regarding the level of danger posed by these tweets and posts and the need for all concerned to take a decisive action in this matter," Noga Rubinstein wrote.

Facebook said on Tuesday it had established a special operations centre this month to respond to content posted on its platform about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as misinformation, hate speech and calls for violence about the conflict circulated on social media platforms.

The centre includes Hebrew and Arabic speakers to respond to activity across its platform in real time and encouraged users to report any harmful content.

"We don't want anyone to feel threatened or harassed on our apps," a spokesman for Facebook said, adding: "While we allow criticism of public figures, such as journalists, we don't allow people to threaten or harass them, and we remove this content whenever we become aware of it."

Twitter said it supports journalists and enforces a clear policy banning people from issuing violent threats against others, alongside policies on abusive behaviour and hateful conduct.

"Where we identify clear violations, we will take robust enforcement action. This work is constantly evolving as new challenges emerge and we recognize we have to work hard to stay ahead of those who intend to undermine the public conversation," a Twitter spokesperson added.

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The letters highlight tweets and posts calling for physical harm to Israeli journalists and labelling them as traitors or enemies of the state in a way that encourages or justifies violent action against them.

In some cases, the incitement resulted in deliberate attacks on reporters while reporting, the letters alleged.

Rubinstein wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his Twitter counterpart Jack Dorsey demanding that they monitor posts and tweets and "take appropriate and decisive steps to remove the posts, and do whatever else is necessary in order to prevent the incitement from spreading and intensifying."

In a statement, the media outlets cited the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol as evidence that incitement to violence on social media can lead to physical violence and death.

"We are certain that Facebook and Twitter would prefer to take reasonable measures now in order to prevent further violence, rather than do nothing and allow for incitement to escalate and lead to physical harm," Rubinstein wrote.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer;Editing by Alexander Smith)
Iron Dome interceptors, left, rise toward rockets fired from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, May 14, 2021. Anas Baba/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's Iron Dome repelled thousands of rockets and even drones during recent fighting.

The air-defense system also accidentally shot down an Israeli military drone.

The Israel Defense Forces told Israeli media the friendly-fire incident is under investigation.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Israel's Iron Dome accidentally shot down an Israeli military drone during recent fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces told local media.

"As part of the round of fighting in Gaza and as part of the defense of the country's skies, an IDF Skylark drone was hit by Iron Dome," an IDF spokesperson told Haaretz, adding that the incident is under investigation.

Watch: Fireballs in the sky as Israel's Iron Dome shoots down rockets from Gaza. We decoded how it works.

Skylark drones are small unmanned aerial vehicles built by Elbit Systems, an Israel-based international defense firm, and used by the IDF Artillery Corps' "Sky Rider" unit for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Haaretz reported that the IDF is "worried" about the friendly-fire incident because it calls into question whether the IDF is able "to conduct a long period of fighting without harming its own forces." It is unclear to what extent this is a concern.

During a recent 11-day conflict involving an intense exchange of fire between the IDF and Palestinian militants in Gaza, Israel's Iron Dome faced thousands of rockets, as well as enemy drones, the latter being a first for the system.

Iron Dome intercepts rockets launched from Gaza over Ashkelon, Israel, May 12, 2021. Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israel's Iron Dome is a short-range air-defense system designed to intercept rockets, artillery, and mortars. The system has been in use since 2011 and is in place to reduce casualties from rocket attacks against Israeli cities.

The system was designed and developed by the Israeli defense companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries with US support. It is a part of a larger tiered defense system that includes other critical assets like the Arrow and Patriot batteries.

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The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced in March the completion of upgrades to Iron Dome that would allow it to defend against a much more varied collection of aerial threats that Israel might battle in future conflicts.

During the upgrade process, the defense system was tested against a variety of threats that include rockets, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles, the Associated Press previously reported. Iron Dome had not yet engaged a drone in combat though.

Iron Dome intercepts a rocket launched from Gaza, May 11, 2021. Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

The recent fighting began on May 10 as Hamas began launching Qassem rockets at Israeli cities after a period of heightened tensions and local clashes. During the conflict, the IDF repeatedly praised Iron Dome for its effectiveness.

The system is said to have intercepted 90% of incoming rockets, significantly reducing Israeli losses. Thirteen people, including two children, died in Israel from rockets that made it through. Palestinian deaths, as Israel retaliated with airstrikes, were much higher.

The Times of Israel, which also reported the accidental downing of an Israeli drone, said that the Israeli military conducted around 1,500 airstrikes in Gaza during the conflict. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 243 Palestinians were killed, including several dozen children, with roughly 2,000 wounded. The deceased included both combatants and civilians.

The horrific conflict, some of the worst fighting in years, concluded last Friday with a ceasefire agreement.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Watch: Owner of a Gaza high-rise digs through the remains of his building after it's destroyed by Israel
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Tuesday that Russian authorities had launched three new criminal probes against him in a move his allies fear could keep him behind bars for many more years.

President Vladimir Putin's leading opponent at home is serving two-and-a-half years in a penal colony outside Moscow on old fraud charges he says are politically motivated.

"My influential criminal syndicate is growing," Navalny quipped in a new post on Instagram.

"I am a genius and a puppet master of the criminal underworld," the 44-year-old said.

Citing investigators, he said the three new probes were all of "high priority" and had more than 20 investigators working on them.

The launch of new probes against him could lead to more prison time for Navalny, his allies said.

"Putin has decided to keep Navalny in prison for life," aide Maria Pevchikh tweeted. "It's more convenient for him that way."

Citing a senior representative of Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, Navalny said he was accused of insulting judge Vera Akimova.

Akimova presided over the defamation case that saw the opposition politician convicted of insulting a World War II veteran in February.

During the hearings, Navalny mocked Akimova and she threatened to remove Navalny from the courtroom.

Navalny said the second case related to allegations he had stolen donations to his Anti-Corruption Foundation.

- Intensifying crackdown -

The Investigative Committee said in late December it had gathered evidence sufficient to open a fraud case against Navalny, accusing him of personally spending more than 356 million rubles ($4.8 million) in donations.

Navalny said he was also accused of creating a non-commercial organisation, and encouraging Russians not to perform "their civic duties", charges he said were related to his publication of an investigation into Putin's alleged wealth.

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In January, Navalny released a probe into a Black Sea palace that Russian tycoons allegedly built for Putin. The video has racked up more than 116 million views on YouTube. Putin denies the palace is his.

Navalny was arrested in January upon returning from Germany after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning attack he says was orchestrated by the Kremlin, which denies the allegation.

Navalny announced the new charges against him as pressure was building on the opposition ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

Next month a court will hear whether to add Navalny's network of regional offices and his Anti-Corruption Foundation to a list of "terrorist and extremist" organisations.

Navalny's network has disbanded to shield its members and supporters from possible prosecution. Most of his top allies have since been placed under house arrest or left the country.

In another move targeting his supporters, Russia's lower house of parliament this month approved legislation in a first reading that would ban members of "extremist" organisations from becoming lawmakers.

On Tuesday, lawmakers approved the bill in a key second reading.

Ahead of the key court hearing next month, Russia's financial monitoring service Rosfinmonitoring added Navalny's political network to its database of terrorist and extremist organisations.

as/jbr/jv
According to the police, when Kahl arrived at the station in his SUV, he hit a parked car, then lined his vehicle up with the front doors, hopped the curb and rammed the vehicle through the building. The doors were not reinforced, Terry said, and nobody was in the lobby at the time of the incident.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  A Vietnam veteran charged with bringing 11 molotov cocktails and other weapons to Washington on the day of the U.S. Capitol riot had driven around the area a month prior, kept lists of officials and tried to find Republican Sen. Ted Cruz to discuss election fraud, a judge wrote in a court document.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Monday ordered that 71-year-old Lonnie Coffman of Falkville, Alabama, should remain jailed until his trial on firearms charges. The federal judge cited Coffmans training at a Texas militia camp, his large stockpile of weaponry and actions, before and during the Jan. 6 insurrection, in the decision to deny him release.

This evidence of lists of political officials and public figures, Mr. Coffmans access to significant weaponry and his demonstrated ability to travel to Washington, D.C., raises serious concerns about Mr. Coffmans intentions and the danger he presents to the community, Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

Manuel J. Retureta, a defense lawyer representing Coffman, declined to comment about the case.

The FBI in 2014 identified Coffman as a participant at Camp Lonestar, a reported gathering place for Texas militia groups and had information about two other militia groups, the judge wrote. Coffman had kept lists of officials at his home with disparaging descriptions such as ex Dem. Senator, traitor and radical Dem. Senator.

The court order said GPS from Coffmans truck indicated he had visited Washington at the end of 2020 and driven around the Capitol and attempted to contact Cruz about his concerns over purported election fraud by both calling his office and looking for his home.

A Cruz staff member told police that Coffman did not seem threatening but had seemed unbalanced or not 100% there, according to the judges order.

Police on Jan. 6 found Coffmans truck in Washington packed with eleven mason jars containing a flammable liquid, several loaded guns, a crossbow with bolts; several machetes; camouflage smoke devices; and a stun gun, according to the order.

Coffman was arrested the evening of Jan. 6 when law enforcement officers discovered the weapons in his truck after authorities swept the area following the discovery of pipe bombs near two buildings. Prosecutors said Coffman left his truck in the morning during that day of chaos and rioting and was arrested when he returned to the vehicle in the evening.

Coffman is an Army veteran who served two tours during the Vietnam War. According to family members, he dealt with depression and often spoke about the difficulty he had dealing with the experiences from the war, the court document said. A family member said Coffman became a hermit after he separated from his wife, according to the court document.
You could say Justin Sun likes attention. But not necessarily in the way you might think.

The founder of Tron  a low-fee network designed to facilitate peer-to-peer sharing of digital content  recognizes the value of celebrity attention in the crypto space. Sun made his comments at Consensus 2021, CoinDesks annual conference that assembles experts and influencers from the crypto industry, global finance and more.

Every celebrity, when they get into crypto, will become controversial, he told CoinDesks Muyao Shen in an interview. This is inevitable. The only difference I think here is how we use this kind of influence or controversy to bring crypto to mass adoption.

Related: Chinas CBDC Could Give Beijing Leeway for Economic Retaliation, Says National Security Expert

Today, I am grateful for Elon Musk bringing a lot of people into crypto, bringing all the media and the big companies attention to crypto.

Suns comments about Musk were in response to a question about whether Sun felt the crypto community still considered him a bad boy. Sun appeared quite willing to have that mantle taken up by Musk, saying he was amused that a meme declaring Elon Musk Is Going to Be the Next Justin Sun got over 1,000 likes.

Sun is no stranger to controversy, and neither is Musk. The Tesla CEO has recently taken heat from the global crypto community for his announcement that Tesla would stop accepting bitcoin payments because of the cryptocurrencys energy footprint, which left many blaming him for a 40% sell-off in the crypto markets.

Despite his gratitude, Sun did boast that the Tron blockchain hosts more transaction volume than PayPal, Musks former company.

Related: BT, Trance Trailblazer, Unveils 24-Hour Crypto Artwork

Our daily transaction volume is around, like, $10 billion. Even [for] PayPal, this number is around $2 billion. So we are doing five times [that].

Although his focus remains on Tron, Sun acknowledged the value of increasing density in the crypto space.

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I believe the competition in the industry breeds perfection. So we need different blockchains to compete with each other. We have to generate ideas and find out basically the right path for the industry.

Related Stories
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that any suggestion Russia was somehow involved in the forced landing of a commercial flight in Belarus to detain a dissident journalist was not worth responding to and fuelled by anti-Russian sentiment.

Belarus on Sunday scrambled a warplane to escort a Ryanair passenger jet carrying Protasevich, a journalist critical of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in an act denounced by Western powers as "state piracy".

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Monday that while the situation was unclear, it was difficult to believe that Russia was not involved, at least by acquiescence, in the jet incident.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea of Russian involvement out of hand.

He said anti-Russian sentiment meant that Moscow was accused of anything and everything these days and that its critics had let their hatred of Russia blind their own analysis.

Peskov added that Moscow hoped that Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen detained along with Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich after their flight was diverted to Minsk, would soon be released provided she had not broken any laws.

Aside from Protasevich and Sapega, three other passengers left the plane at Minsk on Sunday. Initial assertions, without evidence, from a Belarusian activist that the three passengers had been Russian passport holders turned out to be false.

One Lithuanian official told Reuters that the three passengers who disembarked at Minsk included two Belarusian citizens and one Greek citizen.

Belarusian state TV on Monday broadcast interviews with the trio.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
An airplane taxis past a gate at the new West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on May 24, 2021. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

A $1.7-billion expansion project at Los Angeles International Airport was officially unveiled Monday by local officials who expressed optimism that the facility will soon help serve a resurgence of travel demand after the yearlong pandemic slump.

The new facility, named West Gates and billed as an expansion of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, holds 15 gates. Travelers access it from a preexisting part of the Bradley terminal by heading west through a 1,000-foot-long tunnel that burrows under two taxiways.

A traveler walks through the passenger tunnel at Los Angeles International Airport's new West Gates facility. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press )

The project broke ground in 2017, when international travel was surging, particularly with big-spending visitors from China. At the time, the airport was the second-busiest in the nation and was considered the West Coast gateway to the United States. The airport served more than 84 million domestic and international travelers that year, according to LAX records.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions imposed on international trips pushed demand for air travel into a slump. Last year, LAX served only 29 million travelers.

Several airlines began using the new facility about three weeks ago. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hosted a grand reopening ceremony Monday to unveil the project to news outlets, city officials and local community leaders.

After the ceremony, Garcetti said he is hopeful that travel demand will rebound enough to justify the construction. Domestic travel at the airport recently has been at about 55% of pre-pandemic levels, with international tourism at about 30%, according to airport data.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks at a ceremony to officially unveil the new LAX facility. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press )

"If the last couple of months are any indicator, we are going to be gangbusters soon," he said. "I think people have saved money, they're stir-crazy from staying at home, and they want to see family and friends and seek new experiences."

Justin Erbacci, chief executive of Los Angeles World Airports, said he hopes the airport reaches 70% of pre-pandemic levels in the next few months.

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The West Gates facility was built to help increase the airport's capacity and reduce the crowding of travelers that was common before the pandemic. Two of the gates will serve the largest commercial aircraft, such as the Boeing 747-8 and the Airbus A380.

Garcetti said he has suggested adding three new terminals, two for passengers and one for cargo. The extra terminals and the ongoing modernization effort at LAX, he said, would help serve what he hopes will be an increase in visitors to Los Angeles while easing the airport's notorious traffic and congestion problems.

The West Gates facility, part of a multiyear, $15-billion modernization of the airport, was initially expected to be completed in 2019. The modernization effort includes the Bradley terminal's $2.1-billion remodel and expansion completed nearly eight years ago. It also includes plans for a people mover that will connect the airport terminals to the region's rail system and to a centralized rental car facility. The entire effort is expected to be completed by 2023.

The 750,000-square foot West Gates facility includes boarding areas that use facial-recognition technology to identify passengers and a new checked-bag storage and processing system. The new gates serve Air Tahiti, Allegiant, El Al, Frontier, Sun Country, Viva and Volaris airlines, with several more carriers expected to be added in June.

A nearly three-story-tall glass chandelier hangs from the middle of the new concourse, adorned with LED lights that can be programmed to change colors and strobe on and off in various sequences.

Passengers wait for their flights at LAX's West Gates facility. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

The $261-million baggage storage and processing system moves luggage between the main part of the Bradley terminal and the West Gates facility through a tunnel. Luggage is placed in yellow bins that have embedded radio frequency transmitters and are sorted by robotic arms and moved along conveyor belts and rollers to help ensure the luggage doesn't get lost. The system can store as many as 2,400 bags for several hours before the luggage needs to be loaded into a departing plane. In the rest of the airport, tags with bar codes are used to keep track of luggage, but such tags can get damaged or come loose.

San Francisco International Airport is the only other airport in the country that uses such radio-frequency technology for the luggage process, airport officials said.

The West Gates facility also features a ramp tower, where airport employees can monitor and guide airplanes moving from the gates to the runways. The tower will also serve as a backup to the air traffic control tower operated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Philippine Airlines has protested LAX's plan to have the airline's future flights use the new gates, saying the distance between the facility and the preexisting part of the Bradley terminal is too long for many of the airline's elderly passengers.

The airline issued an advisory to its passengers, apologizing for the "inconvenience of the airport's decision" and noting that the carrier "appealed urgently to the airport authority to reconsider."

LAX officials said that the connecting tunnel features moving walkways, escalators and elevators and that passengers who need assistance can request an electric cart to use in the tunnel.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The multi-hyphenate talent has a lot in common with her Master of None character, Denise

In the four years since Lena Waithe made history as the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for Master of None in 2017, weve seen quite a bit from the Chicago-bred creative.

Read More: Lena Waithe announces new record label with Def Jam

Her Showtime series, The Chi, is in its fourth season and she made quite an impact when she wrote her first feature film, Queen & Slim, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith in 2019. Shes also executive produced TV series like Boomerang and created Twenties on BET. She also lent her name to titles like Them on Amazon Prime, all while continuing to pursue acting gigs in films like Ready Player One and Bad Hair.

In the new season of Master of None: Moments in Love, viewers get to see Lena Waithe and her character, Denise, like they never have before. Waithe co-wrote the season with Aziz Ansari, but this time she stars in the five-episode offering alongside Naomi Ackie, who plays her wife, Alicia.

Lena Waithe attends Amazon Studios Them Drive-in Special Screening on April 8, 2021 in Compton, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Amazon Studios)

theGrio caught up with the muti-hyphenate talent to discuss her approach to this project and why it has taken so long to see a story like this being told onscreen.

Even though she has been a voice for the queer community since she burst onto the screen and even centered much of her work on representing the LGBTQ+ experience, Waithe has never seemed as vulnerable as an actor or as a writer as she does in the scenes she tackles this season.

To add visibility is just the bare minimum. What I really want for queer, Black stories specifically is for them to be imperfect; is for them to be human; and for them to be light, dark, sad and happy. All the things that relationships are, which are not foreign to straight relationships, Waithe tells theGrio.

We go through the same things. And also, sometimes we have hurdles that straight relationships dont face. And so we also want to make sure that was clear as well, she says. I definitely stretched myself as an actor in ways that I never have before or never had to.

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For those who also follow Waithes personal life, its hard not to wonder how much of the story may have been inspired by her own short-lived marriage to Alana Mayo. Waithe assures us that she created much of this content years ago, and considering the series has been on a four-year hiatus, the math makes sense.

The thing about this season is, I wrote it like almost two or three years ago. We wrote it a while ago, so I hadnt experienced a lot of the things I was writing.

Lena Waithe attends Twenties Premiere Event LA at Paramount Pictures on March 2, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET)

Even without being pulled from her own marriage, the resulting story is strikingly relatable and a bit voyeuristic, with both women bringing an authenticity that challenges assumptions about what Black, lesbian marriage looks like and illuminates the often unspoken hardships faced by queer couples.

Sometimes hospitals dont have the right language to always use with couples when theyre coming in trying to conceive, she explains. There are a lot of things in this that I have not necessarily experienced or gone through, but I can absolutely relate to this as a human being and understanding what its like to be in your 30s, to be queer, to be Black.

One of the issues explored in Moments in Love is just how far behind the medical system is when it comes to LGBTQ+ couples pursuing fertility treatments. To think that a lack of inclusive language in health insurance codes can stand between a lesbian couple getting their treatments covered the same way a straight couple can be is shocking and likely just the tip of the inequitable iceberg.

I hope that people will be educated and want to go do their own research in terms of how hospitals can be more inclusive and can change their language. I really would hope that thats something that comes out of this, she adds.

Waithe has experienced tons of success in her relatively short career, but it hasnt all been rainbows and butterflies. She has found herself at the center of several controversies surrounding her projects and ones shes attached to, has received criticism for some of her own work.

Having been born in the 80s, I did not get to be my queer self as a child, as an adolescent, even in college because I was still living with my mom, Waithe said. So it wasnt until my twenties that I was able to really explore my sexuality and be more comfortable in it. And it wasnt until my thirties that I had my first real significant relationship.

Not to make any excuses for myself, but Im starting at a deficit, Waithe added. Im learning as I go. And I think that is something I really wanted to put into Denise in that I wasnt afraid to make her not likable. I wasnt afraid to make her a villain at times, because sometimes you are the villain in your own story. Sometimes you have to be before you can become a hero. And so and I think thats what I really wanted to use.

In that sense, Waithe and Denise are kindred spirits, indeed.

It was important for the character to grow up with me as well. I dont want to just keep doing the same things and going to restaurants and being silly. Denise has grown up. Shes married in upstate New York. Now shes got a book. And theres so many pressures that come with being a queer, Black woman, she says.

Read More: 5 things to watch this weekend no matter your mood

Youre talking to two communities that you have to be a credit to. I love what Hattie McDaniel said in her Oscars speech I hope to always be a credit to my race. Not only am I sort of pressured with being a credit to my race, but also being a credit to the community. So that can be two things, but also at the same time, I also just want to be an artist. I also just want to fall down and be a human being, but I dont have that luxury.

Check out the full interview above.

Master of None: Moments in Love is streaming now on Netflix.

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TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post Lena Waithe on the many pressures of being a queer, Black woman appeared first on TheGrio.
Six months after a ceasefire ended the most recent civil war, the UN and U.S. have been expressing a rare sentiment: optimism about events in Libya.

The state of play: Libya achieved an unexpected breakthrough in March by forming a national unity government that was recognized by all the major players from opposing sides of the barricades.

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Now all the country has to do is expel a medley of foreign fighters, unify its financial and military institutions, decide on a system of government, grapple with 10 years of on-and-off civil war (and four decades of dictatorship before that), and hold elections  all by the end of the year.

There's also the "elephant in the room," notes Mohammed Ali Abdallah, special envoy to the U.S. for Libyas Government of National Unity. Khalifa Haftar, the rogue general who attempted to overthrow the Tripoli government, remains a force in eastern Libya.

Haftar's offensive was repulsed last year when Turkey intervened on behalf of the Tripoli government.

What he's saying: In an interview with Axios, Abdallah acknowledged that Libya's recent history is littered with transitional governments that overstayed their mandates while failing to deliver. But he insists that this time is different.

"People are starting to realize that, you know what, those who were part of the [Muammar Gaddafi] regime or those who were part of the revolution, people who are from the East or from the West, people who were supporting a military takeover versus those who were holding onto the democratic process  the rivalries and the polarization are starting to blur."

The leaders of the transitional government  Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and Presidential Council chairman Mohamed al-Menfi  are intent on delivering elections because they know their political prospects will collapse if they don't, Abdallah contends.

Yes, but: A recent report from the International Crisis Group notes that Dbeibah was accused of buying votes to get his job and reportedly wants to keep it for at least two years.

Still, the report notes, "The seamless power transfer  with no armed group mobilizing to prevent it and no foreign power trying to obstruct it  is historic for a country awash with militias and where foreign meddling has become the norm.

The regional winds have been helpful, including recent reconciliations between Haftar backers Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the one hand and Turkey and Qatar on the other.

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Most promising, Abdallah says, is the dialogue between Egypt (another Haftar backer) and Turkey, both of which will have big roles to play in stabilizing Libya. The transitional government has even proposed a trilateral summit in Libya, he says.

That leaves just one major external player that "actually benefits from an ongoing crisis in Libya," Abdallah says: Russia, whose interests are represented by mercenaries from the Wagner Group.

Moscow has indicated that the mercenaries will withdraw if Russia is awarded infrastructure or mining projects or, most controversially, is allowed to establish a permanent military presence, Abdallah claims.

Moscow hasn't made that request explicit but has long wanted a base on the southern shore of the Mediterranean and is trying to prey on Libya's "vulnerability," Abdallah claims.

Like the UAE, Abdallah says, Russia has lost confidence in Haftar but continues to view him as a "bargaining chip."

Abdallah takes a very different tone when it comes to Turkey.

Ankara has a "legitimate military presence thats helping us as a country," he says.

Between the lines: The UN and Libya's own foreign minister have called on all foreign fighters to leave Libya. Abdallah says the militias Turkey brought into the country should leave, but Turkey's troops are a special case.

There is one country that should intervene more strongly in Libya, Abdallah says: the U.S.

Driving the news: The Biden administration last week dispatched acting Assistant Secretary of State Joey Hood to Tripoli alongside Richard Norland, President Biden's special envoy to Libya, in a show of support for the unity government.

Dbeibah (right) shakes hands with Norland while Hood (C) looks on. Photo: AFP via Getty

The transitional government wants the Biden administration to pressure the UAE and others to stop meddling in Libya while helping Libya develop its institutions and prepare for the elections.

Abdallah notes that many senior officials in the Biden administration witnessed Libya's collapse while serving in Barack Obama's administration. Some may see an opportunity to make a wrong a right," he says.

What to watch: Abdallah concedes that there are major constitutional and security gaps to be filled before an election can be held, and he even acknowledges that it might become impossible to hold a vote in December, as planned.

But he contends that active U.S. involvement could make the difference.

'The U.S. has a chance to turn a very bleak story into a very positive story, and I think the U.S. could use a few success stories in the region right now.

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International community fails to speed up government formation in Lebanon, even with the economy in meltdown.

Video Transcript

ZEINA KHODR: Pizza Hut is the latest international chain to shut down its operations, as Lebanon's politicians fail to halt the economic collapse. They are the same ones blamed for making the country the third most indebted in the world.

ABU ABBASS: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

INTERPRETER: They are thieves and crooks. It's a mafia state. They stole everything.

ZEINA KHODR: The consequences of decades of mismanagement and corruption are evident. In some intersections, traffic lights don't work. The infrastructure is crumbling.

ALI BABHDADI: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

INTERPRETER: In the first place, there is no state. So how can there be traffic lights?

ZEINA KHODR: In other streets, manhole covers are missing. Authorities who can't afford to replace them, say soaring poverty is why people steal them. For many, it's a daily struggle in a country that imports almost everything.

The quality of life for the people of Lebanon is changing. There is a shortage of fuel, for instance, and the central bank's foreign reserves are running low to keep prices affordable.

There's also a problem getting medicines.

HUDA: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

INTERPRETER: Sometimes we can't find an alternative drug, so you have to wait for someone coming from abroad. But medicine can't wait.

- [SPEAKING ARABIC]

INTERPRETER: It's not just medicine. Finding milk for children is just as hard.

KARAM SAFWAN: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

INTERPRETER: There's no humiliation worse than this, and people say the situation will get worse. We are suffocating.

ZEINA KHODR: Public hospitals, long underfunded and neglected, are now at the forefront of health care, as more people lose their jobs and private insurance.

HUSSEIN KATAYA: The company provided for medical supplies for the hospital. They paying the billing. Needs a bill and to pay by dollars. That is not available in our hospital because we are a governmental hospital.

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ZEINA KHODR: A lack of hard currency in a country close to bankruptcy is also affecting the army, which is now actually receiving donations from various nations to help feed its soldiers, whose salaries have been cut by 80%.

CHARBEL WEHBE: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

INTERPRETER: The budget is the same, but the currency has devalued. Most of what soldiers require is imported, including food. So this affects their morale and nutrition.

ZEINA KHODR: Daily power cuts, which have been part of life for years, are worsening as cash for fuel imports run out. Lebanon is increasingly being described as a failed state. Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera, Beirut.
Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell were charged Tuesday with murdering her two kids, who were last seen in September 2019.

Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan were 7 and 16 respectively when they disappeared.

Daybell was also indicted on a charge of first-degree murder and insurance fraud in the death of his then-wife Tammy Daybell.

Daybell is a self-published author who has written more than two dozen books about near-death and doomsday events, and multiple people close to Vallow have raised red flags about her bizarre doomsday beliefs and mental state.

Indictments released Tuesday said the couple did endorse and espouse religious beliefs for the purpose of encouraging and/or justifying the homicides of Tylee, Joshua and Tammy Daybell.

During Daybell's first court appearance Wednesday, he was informed of the charges he faces and potential sentences. His arraignment is scheduled for June 9.

Vallow also appeared in court Wednesday, but Judge Faren Eddins said the hearing would be postponed at the request of Vallow's attorney based on "information provided to the court." He didn't elaborate or set a new date.

Attorneys for Vallow and Daybell did not immediately return a request for comment. If convicted, they could face life in prison or the death penalty. Prosecutors in Idaho have 60 days to decide whether they will pursue the death penalty.

"Local, state and federal law enforcement professionals and local and state prosecutors have worked tirelessly for nearly a year and a half to gather the facts and evidence necessary to bring forward charges on behalf of Tylee, JJ and Tammy," Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake said in a statement Tuesday.

"Due to the ongoing safety restrictions imposed by the courts during the pandemic, we just recently were given permission to present information to the Grand Jury for their review. They deliberated and determined there is probable cause to believe that the Daybells willfully and knowingly conspired to commit several crimes that led to the death of three innocent people."

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Tylee was last seen on Sept. 8, 2019. Police were able to find a photo from that day of Tylee on a trip with Vallow, Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, and Joshua to Yellowstone National Park, according to authorities.

Joshua, who had special needs, was last seen alive on Sept. 23, 2019 at Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg. When police went to Vallow's home to conduct a welfare check at the prompting of his grandmother in November, Joshua was nowhere to be found.

Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. (Freemont County Sheriff's Office)

But Vallow and Daybell had never reported the children missing and did not cooperate with investigators before they fled the state, Rexburg police said.

They were found in Hawaii in January 2020, at which point authorities gave Vallow until the end of the month to "physically produce her children." She did not, and was charged with two counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children.

In June 2020, Daybell was taken into custody after the remains of Vallows children were found on his property.

Daybell had previously been charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence and two felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence. He pleaded not guilty to these charges.

Vallow had previously been charged with misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court. She pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Daybell and Vallow married weeks after Daybell's first wife, Tammy Daybell was found dead in her home in October. She was 49.

Tammy Daybell's death was initially ruled as natural but has since been classified as suspicious, and her remains were exhumed so an autopsy could be conducted. An autopsy was completed in February of this year, and her death was ruled a homicide, the indictments released Tuesday said.

Prosecutors said that Daybell and Vallow had exchanged text messages saying they believed that Tammy was "in limbo" and "possessed by a spirit named Viola" before she was killed.

Vallow's fourth husband, Charles Vallow, also died in 2019. He was shot to death by Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, in July during a confrontation in Chandler, Arizona. Cox claimed self-defense. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner in Arizona ruled the death a homicide.

Vallow and Cox were questioned by police but not charged.

Cox died in December of an apparent blood clot in his lung, The Associated Press reported. He was named by prosecutors Tuesday as a co-conspirator in the murders of Joshua, Tylee and Tammy Daybell.

Chad Daybell, left, sits with his defense attorney John Prior during his preliminary hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on August 4, 2020. (John Roark / Post Register via AP pool file)

Before Charles Vallow died, he filed for divorce, claiming in documents that his wife believed she was reincarnated and was a god sent to lead people during the second coming of Christ in July 2020, and she told her husband that if he got in her way, she would kill him.

Vallow's third husband and Tylee's father, Joseph Ryan, also expressed "real and serious concerns" in court documents in the midst of their divorce and custody battle. The documents said Vallow was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after she told social workers that death would be an option before giving Tylee to her father, Mr. Joseph Ryan, even for a visit.

Ryan died of an apparent heart attack in 2018. An online obituary said Ryan was 59.
Joshua

The mother of two missing children found buried in an Idaho backyard has been charged with their murder, as was her new husband, prosecutors announced.

Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell were indicted on first-degree murder for the deaths of children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, as well as Mr Daybells first wife Tammy Daybell.

Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood announced multiple charges nearly one year after the childrens bodies were discovered.
Police said at the time that theyd arrested 11 people connected to the crew and that the charges could have an impact on the violence in that area. At least five people were fatally shot in that neighborhood in 2018, according to the Baltimore Sun homicide tracking map.
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty

Hello, I am a rational Jewish person. I like to think so anyway.

But then I learned from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) that its appropriate to equate COVID-19 restrictions with the Holocaust because any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies.

Its true, I dont like what happened in Nazi Germany. Innocent children gassed to death in gas chambers and experimented on by Nazi doctorsI dont like that. So am I wrong to like preventing people from spreading a fatal disease to others, especially children? That is certainly an interesting question. So I got to thinking:

I thought of the seven members of my grandparents families who were rounded up by the Einsatzgruppen in present-day Lithuania, marched to the edge of their village, and shot on the edges of mass graves that they themselves had dug.

How different was their experience, really, from having to wear a mask in order to stop the spread of a disease? Maybe Greene has a point.

Meghan McCain Makes Marjorie Taylor Greenes Holocaust Remarks About Ilhan Omar, Chaos Ensues

Then I thought about how the Nazis regarded people like me as parasitic vermin, spreading disease among the Volk and poisoning Germany with our filth.

How different is that, really, from accurately regarding unvaccinated people as capable of spreading a lethal and mutating airborne virus?

True, one plague was completely imaginary, the product of a fevered antisemitic imagination that led to the deaths of six million people, while the other is an actual disease that exists. But why quibble with details?

As it happens, MTGs comments about rational Jewish people were, themselves, a doubling-down of earlier comments analogizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosis mask rules with Nazi Germany. You know, she said, we can look back in a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star and they were definitely treated as second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany. And this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about.

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In Nazi Germany, Jews were stripped of citizenship, forced to live in overcrowded ghettos, and eventually shipped off to concentration and death camps, even though they posed no harm to anyone. Likewise, in the United States, Greene has to wear a mask inside of the House of Representatives, of which she is a member, because she refuses to receive a safe vaccine that can prevent the spread of a deadly illness that disrupted our entire society, and which is presently ravaging several others.

As a rational Jewish person (and rabbi!), I can certainly see the parallel.

Fortunately, Marjorie Taylor Greene understands what its like to be persecuted. When Phoenix news reporter Bianca Buono asked MTG if she understood that some people might be offended by her comparison, she countered, Do you understand how people feel about being forced to wear masks, or being forced to take a vaccine, or even being forced to say whether theyve taken it or not? These are just things that shouldnt be happening in America. This is a free country.

The Sickening History of Marjorie Taylor Greenes Hometown

Thats right! If I have contracted a deadly airborne disease and want to transmit it to you in a closed room where I yell a lot, that is my right! Im just exercising my freedom!

After all, in Nazi Germany, Nazi doctors performed horrifying medical experiments on innocent children. Now, all people like MTG want is the right to infect innocent children (and many people those children come into contact with) with a serious disease by walking around without a shot that would prevent it.

So, no, Im not at all offended by Greene comparing having to wear a mask to my great-grandparents starving naked in the snow, desperately clinging to their children as they were shot dead by their own former neighbors. That totally makes sense.

Im especially not offended because of the recent rise in antisemitic violence. What better time to point out these persuasive parallels to the Holocaust than a time at which the Holocaust feels so painfully fresh?

In fact, maybe MTG should join up with the fringe of the Anti-Israel movement. They say Israel is like Nazi Germany, she says Nancy Pelosis House is like Nazi Germany.

Theres only one thing that this rational Jewish person cant quite understand: Republican party leaders are usually so diligent. They quash any deviation from the party line, as when Liz Cheney had the temerity to agree with every state election board in the country, the Department of Justice, and numerous exhaustive media investigations that the presidential election wasnt actually stolen.

House Republicans even voted unanimously, back in 2019, to rebuke Rep. Steve King for asking White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilizationhow did that language become offensive? He was removed from his committee assignments, and essentially became a persona non grata in the party.

And yet, when it comes to Greene, Republicans including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy voted to keep her on her committees. On Tuesday, McCarthy put out a statement scolding Greene, and saying her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust to wearing masks is appalling but hes not doing anything yet past issuing a statement.

Why? If her analogies to the Holocaust are beyond the pale of respectable discourse in 2021, is he going to take any action or just move on?

Im so confused. To this rational Jewish person, it seems almost irrational.

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Mark Ruffalo, "Avengers" star, is fielding both praise and heat over a tweet about Israel. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Mark Ruffalo apologized in a tweet Monday night for suggesting on social media that Israel was committing "genocide" during the 11 days of recent fighting between Israelis and Hamas.

The "Avengers" actor, whose social media are effectively a livestream of progressive causes with work-related notices sprinkled in, didn't get specific as to which posts he was talking about. But he appeared to be concerned about rising rates of antisemitic attacks and vandalism.

"I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing 'genocide,'" Ruffalo wrote.

"It's not accurate, it's inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad," he continued. "Now is the time to avoid hyperbole."



Responses to his tweet ran the gamut, but included multiple posts from supporters of Israel and of the Palestinians either thanking him or expressing deep disappointment in his change of heart. "Who got to you?," one Twitter user asked, questioning Ruffalo's mention of Hamas rather than Palestinians in describing the two sides of the battle.

As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate right here at home, said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, in a statement issued last week, right before a cease-fire agreement was struck.

We are tracking acts of harassment, vandalism and violence as well as a torrent of online abuse. Its happening around the world  from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like New York and in small towns, and across every social media platform.

The recent fighting in Israel left more than 250 people dead, most of them Palestinian, according to the Associated Press.

Ruffalo retweeted a note from "Frozen" star Josh Gad on Sunday in which the latter actor said, "It never stops breaking my heart how easily antisemitism comes to so many. And how difficult it seemingly is for people to speak out a against it. I will stand up against bigotry of all kind from Islamiphobia to racism. Wish others would do the same when it comes to anti-Semitism."

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On Saturday, Ruffalo tagged a tweet to Jack Dorsey urging the Twitter founder to fight antisemitism and anti-Muslim propaganda on the social media platform, echoing a tweet sent to Dorsey by actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who wanted the hashtag #HitlerWasRight taken down.

But Ruffalo has also tweeted support in recent weeks for a petition that calls on Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to put sanctions in place against Israel, which the petition accused of committing apartheid against Palestinians.

"1500 Palestinians face expulsion in #Jerusalem. 200 protesters have been injured. 9 children have been killed. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its black people - its time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #SheikhJarrah," Ruffalo wrote May 11, tweeting a link to the petition.

He followed up four days later with a similar tweet, saying, "Over 30 children killed. Mothers dead. Hundreds injured. We are on the brink of a full-scale war. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its Black people - its time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #GazaUnderAttack."

Both those tweets remained live as of Tuesday morning. And Ruffalo also tweeted last week, "'Equality, human rights, and prosperity for all from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.' The fight for equality happening here in the USA should be the guiding principle of our values in the Middle East and for our allies abroad."

The phrase "from the river to the sea" is often used as a rallying cry by those who would establish a Palestinian state in place of Israel, according to Jewish advocacy organization the American Jewish Committee.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The highest chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has delivered a blow to anti-surveillance campaigners in Europe by failing to find that bulk interception of digital comms is inherently incompatible with human rights law -- which enshrines individual rights to privacy and freedom of expression.

However today's Grand Chamber judgement underscores the need for such intrusive intelligence powers to be operated with what the judges describe as "end-to-end safeguards".

Governments in Europe that fail to do so are opening such laws up to further legal challenge under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Grand Chamber ruling also confirms that the UK's historic surveillance regime -- under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (aka RIPA) -- was unlawful because it lacked the necessary safeguards.

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Per the court, 'end-to-end' safeguards means that bulk intercept powers need to involve assessments at each stage of the process of the necessity and proportionality of the measures being taken; that bulk interception should be subject to independent authorisation at the outset, when the object and scope of the operation are being defined; and that the operation should be subject to supervision and independent 'ex post facto' review.

The Grand Chamber judgement identified a number of deficiencies with the bulk regime operated in the UK at the time of RIPA -- including that bulk interception had been authorised by the Secretary of State, rather than by a body independent of the executive; categories of search terms defining the kinds of communications that would become liable for examination had not been included in the application for a warrant; and search terms linked to an individual (e.g. specific identifiers such as an email address) had not been subject to prior internal authorisation.

The court also found that the UK's bulk intercept regime had breached Article 10 (freedom of expression) because it had not contained sufficient protections for confidential journalistic material.

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While the regime used for obtaining comms data from communication service providers was found to have violated Articles 8 (right to privacy and family life/comms) and 10 "as it had not been in accordance with the law".

However, the court held that the regime by which the UK could request intelligence from foreign governments and/or intelligence agencies had had sufficient safeguards in place to protect against abuse and to ensure that UK authorities had not used such requests as a means of circumventing their duties under domestic law and the Convention.

"The Court considered that, owing to the multitude of threats States face in modern society, operating a bulk interception regime did not in and of itself violate the Convention," it added in a press release.

The RIPA regime has since replaced by the UK's Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) -- which put bulk intercept powers explicitly into law (albeit with claimed layers of oversight).

The IPA has also been subject to a number of human rights challenges -- and in 2018 the government was ordered by the UK High Court to revise parts of the law which had been found to be incompatible with human rights law.

Today's Grand Chamber judgement relates specifically to RIPA and to a number of legal challenges brought against the UK's mass surveillance regime by journalists and privacy and digital rights campaigners in the wake of the 2013 mass surveillance revelations by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden which the ECHR heard simultaneously.

In a similar ruling back in 2018 the lower Chamber found some aspects of the UK's regime violated human rights law -- with a majority vote then finding that its bulk interception regime had violated Article 8 because there was insufficient oversight (such as of selectors and filtering; and of search and selection of intercepted communications for examination; as well as inadequate safeguards governing the selection of related comms data).

Human rights campaigners followed up by requesting and securing a referral to the Grand Chamber -- which has now handed down its view.

It unanimously found there had been a violation of Article 8 in respect of the regime for obtaining communications data from communication service providers.

But by 12 votes to 5 it ruled there had been no violation of Article 8 in respect of the UKs regime for requesting intercepted material from foreign governments and intelligence agencies.

In another unanimous vote the Grand Chamber found there had been a violation of Article 10, concerning both the bulk interception regime and the regime for obtaining communications data from comms service providers.

But, again, by 12 votes to 5 it ruled there had been no violation of Article 10 in respect of the regime for requesting intercepted material from foreign governments and intelligence agencies.

Responding to the judgement in a statement, the privacy rights group Big Brother Watch -- which was one of the parties involved in the challenges -- said the judgement "confirms definitively that the UKs bulk interception practices were unlawful for decades", thereby vindicating Snowden's whistleblowing.

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The organization also highlighted a dissenting opinion from Judge Pinto de Alburquerque, who wrote that:

Admitting non-targeted bulk interception involves a fundamental change in how we view crime prevention and investigation and intelligence gathering in Europe, from targeting a suspect who can be identified to treating everyone as a potential suspect, whose data must be stored, analysed and profiled () a society built upon such foundations is more akin to a police state than to a democratic society. This would be the opposite of what the founding fathers wanted for Europe when they signed the Convention in 1950.

In further remarks on the judgement, Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, added: "Mass surveillance damages democracies under the cloak of defending them, and we welcome the Courts acknowledgement of this. As one judge put it, we are at great risk of living in an electronic 'Big Brother' in Europe. We welcome the judgment that the UKs surveillance regime was unlawful, but the missed opportunity for the Court to prescribe clearer limitations and safeguards mean that risk is current and real."

"We will continue our work to protect privacy, from parliament to the courts, until intrusive mass surveillance practices are ended," she added.

Privacy International -- another party to the case -- sought to put a more positive spin on the outcome, saying the Grand Chamber goes further than the ECHR's 2018 ruling by "providing for new and stronger safeguards, adding a new requirement of prior independent or judicial authorisation for bulk interception".

"Authorisation must be meaningful, rigorous and check for proper 'end-to-end safeguards'," it added in a statement.

Also commenting publicly, the Open Rights Group's executive director, Jim Killock, said: The court has shown that the UK Governments legal framework was weak and inadequate when we took them to court with Big Brother Watch and Constanze Kurz in 2013. The court has set out clear criteria for assessing future bulk interception regimes, but we believe these will need to be developed into harder red lines in future judgments, if bulk interception is not to be abused."

As the court sets out, bulk interception powers are a great power, secretive in nature, and hard to keep in check. We are far from confident that todays bulk interception is sufficiently safeguarded, while the technical capacities continue to deepen. GCHQ continues to share technology platforms and raw data with the US," Killock went on to say, couching the judgment as "an important step on a long journey".
As he flirts with a U.S. Senate run, Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith Monday met with former President Donald Trump in New York.

A GOP source familiar with meeting sent The Star a photo of the southeastern Missouri congressman outside Trump Tower, the Manhattan high-rise which served as Trumps residence and business headquarters before his election as president in 2016.

The source said meeting covered the Missouri Senate race and opposition to President Joe Bidens agenda.

Josh Siegel, Smiths campaign manager, confirmed that the meeting took place Monday.

Siegel offered few details about the content of Smiths conversation with Trump, but he said that the congressman continues to weigh entering the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.

Smiths meeting with Trump comes just weeks after the congressman held a fundraiser at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where the former president now resides.

Months after leaving office, Trump still refuses to accept his electoral loss to Biden and has continued to promote baseless conspiracy theories.

Smith, who represents the most Republican-leaning district in the state, was one of five House Republicans from Missouri to vote to overturn the election in January and would not explicitly affirm the legitimacy of Bidens election when asked by The Star earlier this month.

His meeting with the former president comes roughly a week after St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey, known for brandishing a firearm at protesters last year, entered the race on a Trump-aligned platform.

Other Republican candidates in the race, former Gov. Eric Greitens and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, have also made overt appeals for Trumps support in the primary.
A Texas mother was killed in an ambush shooting after she loaded her children into a vehicle for school, police say.

The 28-year-old San Antonio mom was about to leave her apartment Monday morning when she was fatally shot in front of her three kids, ages 2, 6 and 10, KTSA reported.

The womans estranged husband was taken into custody at a nearby home shortly afterward, the news outlet reported.

Police had not announced charges against him nor the identity of the woman as of Monday evening.

What we have here this morning is an absolute tragedy, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said, according to KSAT.

When officers arrived at the scene, the mother was found killed in the drivers seat and her children were in the back seat, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

McManus said the estranged husband has been arrested multiple times since 2018, when his wife obtained a protective order that is intended to keep him from contacting her, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The police chief said the man was free on bond on a charge of violating the protective order at the time of the shooting, the newspaper reported.

I cant express the outrage that something like this could happen after our involvement with this individual so many times, McManus said, according to WOAI. It is clearly written on the wall in front of you and yet again, here we are.

Explosion kills man making bombs to pay off lawn mower purchase, Ohio sheriff says
Air France, Finnair and Singapore Airlines became the latest carriers to suspend flights over Belarus on Tuesday after Minsk forced a jet to land to arrest a dissident.

The announcements came a day after European Union leaders urged EU-based airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and banned the country's airlines from the 27-nation block.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko sparked international outrage by dispatching a fighter jet Sunday to intercept a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying wanted reporter Roman Protasevich, 26, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega.

Air France said in a statement it had "taken note" of the conclusions of Monday's EU summit and had suspended flights over Belarus "until further notice".

Planes already in the air will have their flight plans modified, the French company said.

Singapore Airlines was also rerouting flights "that are bound for Europe to avoid the Belarusian airspace" and would continue to "closely monitor the situation", a spokesperson said.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority," a spokesperson told AFP.

Finnair said the next flight that will be affected by its decision to reroute planes is one that was heading to the Turkish coastal town of Gazipasa on Wednesday.

Scandinavian airline SAS, Germany's Lufthansa and Latvia-based regional airline Air Baltic made similar announcements on Monday.

Britain also issued instructions for British aircraft to avoid Belarusian airspace while Ukraine decided to halt direct flights between the two countries and over Belarus.

Western leaders have accused Belarusian authorities of essentially hijacking a European plane, while Minsk claimed it had reacted to secure the flight after receiving a bomb threat.

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Todays announcement of science scores from the 2019 round of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides more evidence for two ugly trends in the test often referred to as the nations report card.

As with other results from the past few years  including assessments in social studies last year and the core subjects of math and English in 2019  scores for all age groups are either flat or down from 2015, the last time the test was given. And declines in performance are largely driven by students achieving at the lowest levels.

Related: Twelfth-Grade NAEP Scores Offer More Bad News for Reading, Stagnation in Math

On the 2015 exam, younger students posted general improvements in physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences. Erika Shugart, executive director of the National Science Teaching Association, told The 74 in an interview that things looked like they were headed in a positive direction at that time.

What we see now is either a leveling off or a decline, Shugart added. I cant speak to whats going on there, other than its not in a good place.

All told, eighth- and 12th-graders both achieved the same average scores as similarly aged students did in 2015. Fourth-graders saw a three-point drop in average scores, from 154 in 2015 to 151 in 2019. The performance of both fourth- and eighth-graders this year was slightly higher than that of the same age groups in 2009, but high school seniors scores stayed the same.

But those averages conceal much wider ranges of variation. In virtually every combination of the three age groups and three science domains, students at the lowest performance levels (i.e., those scoring at the 10th and 25th percentiles) experienced more pronounced downturns. This was particularly true for test takers in the fourth grade: While those scoring in the 50th percentile or above generally held their ground compared with fourth-graders in 2015  and often performed significantly better than fourth-graders in 2009  those falling below that benchmark saw decreases of as much as six and eight points compared with 2015.

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Officials from the National Center for Education Statistics, the federal agency charged with administering NAEP, said on a call Monday with reporters that the diverging results among children at different performance levels mirrored trends seen both on recent NAEP releases and other assessments, such as the international PISA exam.

While cautioning that the phenomenon was under ongoing study, and offering no empirical argument, NCES Commissioner James Woodworth remarked that success on such tests generally hinges on reading comprehension, and that pervasive literacy struggles among lower-performing students could lie at the root of the stagnant scores.

Reading is a critical skill thats needed to improve on all subjects across the board, Woodworth said. That is a critical part of this that could be  were working on ideas here, but could be  part of the cause of this split were seeing across all these subjects and all these different assessments.

Data gleaned from survey responses provided more fodder for inquiry, as students and teachers gave relatively detailed descriptions of how much class time was devoted to science. In particular, nearly 80 percent of fourth-grade teachers reported that they spent four hours or less on science instruction per week. Thirty-nine percent of eighth-grade teachers said they spent no time or very little time on life science, while 30 percent said the same for earth and space sciences. Among 12th-graders, 43 percent said they were not presently enrolled in a science course (the same percentage as in 2015, and less than the 47 percent who said the same in 2009).

Recent research has shown that the amount of class time devoted to instruction may play a significant role in how science is taught. A study published last year by University of Vermont professor Tammy Kolbe found that teachers who spent five hours or more each week on science were dramatically more likely to incorporate forms of inquiry-based learning, a pedagogical method that encourages hands-on and collaborative approaches like group activities and discussions of engineering problems. Inquiry-based learning is recommended as a best practice by the Next Generation Science Standards, which were conceived and adopted by dozens of states over the last decade as a way of improving K-12 instruction.

Shugart said her organization advises districts to teach at least five hours of science each week, and that they use approaches like inquiry-based learning. Such practices are necessary to provide a firm grounding for students in the elementary grades, she argued.

A lot of students are not being taught science in that manner. If we arent teaching students [for] enough time, and were not teaching students in the ways that we know are the best ways for them to learn science, how do we expect these scores to change? she asked.

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Prior to the Gun Trace Task Force case, the case of King and Murray was one of the highest-profile Baltimore police corruption cases. The officers, who were assigned to the BPDs public housing drug unit, were called out in the Stop Snitching underground video, with a man on the tape saying the officers looked out for certain drug dealers. A man they shook down went to the FBI, and authorities launched an investigation that found the officers were detaining and robbing drug dealers.
By Matt Scuffham

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley's efforts to improve the diversity of its workforce and senior management have not proceeded as quickly as Chief Executive James Gorman would have liked, he said in prepared testimony posted on Tuesday.

Wall Street bank chiefs are expected to face tough questions in U.S. Congress on hot-button social and economic issues when they appear before House and Senate committees on Wednesday.

Ahead of the hearing, Morgan Stanley was asked to assess its successes and failures recruiting a diverse workforce generally and at the senior executive level specifically.

"I acknowledge that progress in this area has been slow for us and we can and should do better," Gorman said. "The events of 2020 focused all of us in a way we had not been before and this was the ultimate call to action to make meaningful change."

Morgan Stanley faced criticism from some advocacy groups last week following a reshuffle of senior management which positioned four white men as potential successors to Gorman, who has run the bank since 2010.

Achieving greater diversity remains a key priority for Morgan Stanley, Gorman said.

"Every senior manager is required to have a succession plan for his or her senior team members, and part of that plan must include developing a diverse candidate pipeline," he said.

Other Wall Street banks also used their prepared testimony to detail efforts to increase the diversity of their workforce and provide more services to minority communities.

The banking industry cannot ignore the role it played in the past in contributing to "systemic inequities," said Citigroup Inc chief Jane Fraser.

The Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees will hear from the chief executives of JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley on Wednesday and Thursday.

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
The NBAs social justice coalition urged lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Bill on Monday night in a strong statement released on the eve of Floyds death.

The coalition  which was formed in November after a season where activism and social justice issues were at the forefront of the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World  called on senators to pass the sweeping legislation to honor the memory of Mr. Floyd, who was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last year.

Almost exactly one year ago, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, their statement read, in part. Like millions around the world, NBA players, coaches, governors, officials and staff throughout our organization were outraged to see the horrifying and unlawful actions of the officer who pinned Mr. Floyds neck to the ground under his knee for nine minutes. Mr. Floyds death added new fuel to the protests, marches, and urgent calls for racial justice and reform locally and nationally.

Today, as this painful anniversary approaches, we have an opportunity to honor the memory of Mr. Floyd and others who have been victims of police brutality in this country by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Systemic problems demand systemic solutions. And, because police actions are governed by a diverse array of state laws and local policies, the Floyd Act takes unprecedented strides toward consistency  reforming at a federal level the practices that failed its namesake.

The coalition includes five players  Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Sterling Brown, Donovan Mitchell and Karl-Anthony Towns  two coaches  Lloyd Pierce and Doc Rivers  several team chairmen and team owners, commissioner Adam Silver, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts.

George Floyd Act unlikely to pass by deadline

The House of Representatives passed the Floyd Act in March, which would bring sweeping policing change across the country.

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The bill, among other things, would change qualified immunity for police officers and make it easier to prosecute them, impose new restrictions on the use of deadly force and ban no-knock warrants, according to The New York Times.

Law enforcement unions and groups, per the report, have strongly opposed the bill and the Trump administration threatened to veto it while Donald Trump was in office.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, however, isnt likely to pass in its current form. It made it through the House largely on party lines, and would need 60 votes to pass in the split Senate. President Joe Biden has vocally supported the bill and called on Congress to pass it by the anniversary of Floyds death, which is Tuesday.

Though it is facing an uphill battle, the league and the coalition still felt compelled to speak out.

As members of the NBA family, we will continue to use our influence to support common-sense policy reform in our communities across the nation so that equal justice is afforded to all," the coalition said.

More from Yahoo Sports:
A game night snub ended with a man shooting up a couples home, Georgia authorities say.

Cody Demmitt is accused of firing multiple rounds into a neighbors home after he was denied entry to their party Saturday night, according to Cobb County police.

Demmitt is now wanted on charges of aggravated assault.

Officers arrived at the Marietta home around 11:30 p.m. and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his shoulder, police said. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to be OK.

A neighbor at the party told WSB-TV that Demmitt was asked to leave because he wasnt invited to the couples game night. Demmitt returned a short time later and opened fire.

I heard the shotgun re-cock and blast again, a neighbor told the news station. At that point, I went to check on my family. I told them, go in the furthest room in the back.

Demmitt fled before officers arrived, authorities said.

Anyone with information on Demmitts whereabouts is asked to call Cobb County Police at 770-499-3945.

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False claims that COVID-19 vaccination status somehow threatens life insurance benefits in the event a policyholder dies are re-emerging across popular social media platforms.

A recent Instagram post said, my friends aunt recently died from the COVID vaccine. She was denied her life insurance because ... she willingly took an EXPERIMENTAL vaccine.

Instagram placed a false information label on the post, which has amassed several comments with people supporting the claim, since its publication about four days ago  an all-too-familiar scene found on other social media platforms and one that caused life insurance companies and state regulators to issue statements debunking the claim in March.

The fact is that life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim. Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them, Paul Graham, senior vice president of policy development at the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), said in a March 12 statement.

Policyholders should rest assured that nothing has changed in the claims-paying process as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations, Graham continued.

Its important to note the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. are not experimental. They all went through standard safety testing in thousands of people before being authorized for use in the general population.

W. Bruce Vogel, an associate professor in the Division of Health Outcomes and Implementation Science at the University of Florida, told the Associated Press that getting a COVID-19 vaccine would help limit any life insurance premium increases related to the disease.

However, only if the vaccine itself increased mortality would you expect it to increase life insurance premiums, and there is no evidence of that so far, Vogel told the outlet in March.

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Otherwise, payments as usual are made regardless of the reason someone died, experts say.

The COVID vaccine does not impact life insurance costs for coverage already in place. For new coverage, and not just related to COVID, companies consider health factors as information is available and in accordance with regulations that govern the industry, Jan Graeber, ACLIs senior health actuary, told USA Today. As experience with COVID grows, there may be near-term impacts to consider, including with the vaccine and new virus strains and consumer behavior to mitigate risk. There may also be long-term impacts to consider as more information is gathered about COVID.

John Hancock, among many other life insurance companies, released a statement in an effort to quash false claims regarding policies and coronavirus vaccines.

Our underwriting assessment of an applicants insurability is not impacted by the vaccination status of the individual, the company said in March when the first round of incorrect social media posts gained attention. The company added that its application for life insurance doesnt ask people if theyve been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Should such information present itself in the underwriting evidence received in connection with an application, the information would not be a factor in the risk classification process, the company said.

States have also issued their own statements to debunk false claims.

The Texas Department of Insurance said getting a COVID-19 vaccination doesnt affect your ability to collect on a life insurance policy. Baseless social media posts claim getting vaccinated threatens life insurance benefits because the vaccines are experimental. Thats not true. Experimental drugs havent been approved by a government agency.

Why heart condition seen in few young people after COVID vaccine is no cause for alarm

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The state of Ohio and the U.S. Census Bureau asked a judge on Tuesday to place on hold their court fight over when data used for redrawing congressional and legislative districts will be released.

As part of a settlement agreement, the Census Bureau promised to release the redistricting data no later than Aug. 16  a date it had previously picked for releasing the numbers in an older format. The bureau also agreed to provide Ohio with twice-monthly updates on its progress toward meeting that deadline.

Ohio will drop its lawsuit against the statistical agency once the redistricting data is released on that date, according to the agreement.

Ohio sued the Commerce Secretary earlier this year after the Census Bureau said it would be unable to meet a legal deadline to release the redistricting data to the states by March 31 because of delays caused by the pandemic. The bureau said in February that the data would be available in an older format in mid-August and in a more user-friendly format by the end of September. A federal judge dismissed Ohios case and the state appealed, saying the delay threatened its ability to meet redistricting deadlines approved by voters and set in its state constitution.

Last week, an appellate panel said Ohio had standing to sue the Census Bureau and sent the case back to the lower court to come up with a solution.

This administration tried to drag its feet and bog this down in court, but Ohio always had the law on its side and now the federal government has finally agreed, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. Its time to cough up the data.

Ohios constitution requires, for the first time, an independent commission to finish redrawing legislative districts by Sept. 1. It sets a Sept. 30 deadline for the states General Assembly to complete a new map of congressional districts.

A similar lawsuit was filed by the state of Alabama, with the added twist that the Cotton States case also challenges the Census Bureaus use of a statistical method to protect peoples privacy. Alabama and other critics claim it will result in inaccurate numbers. A three-judge panel could issue a decision any day.

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The method called differential privacy adds mathematical noise, or intentional errors, to the data to obscure any given individuals identity while still providing statistically valid information.

After the redistricting data is released in August and September, the Census Bureau also plans to release other data sets derived from the 2020 census, including tables on housing, family relationships in households and the age and sex of household members in areas as small as neighborhood blocks.

A scientific advisory committee to the Census Bureau on Tuesday recommended that the statistical agency delay releasing these other data sets not used for redistricting in order to spend more time testing and assessing the risks of using the privacy technique.

The Census Bureau is making final decisions next month on how differential privacy will be implemented.

Taking the time to bake the cake is important, Allison Plyer, chair of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee said during a virtual meeting.

___

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
Made's showroom in Soho, London. Photo: Made

London's IPO boom continues as furniture store Made.com looks to be the latest to announce plans to float on the stock exchange, with the aim of raising 100m ($141m). It is expected to be valued at around 1bn.

Made believes its e-commerce platform can benefit from the shift to online shopping, and as more consumers look to spruce up their living spaces, with more working from home.

It wants to use the funds to develop growth in existing markets, improve customer service, scale its homeware range and give the group increased working capital flexibility.

The business is fast growing and we have demonstrated the capacity of our brand and customer proposition to travel well," said CEO Philippe Chainieux.

Around half of our sales are outside of the UK and we are aiming to be the leading home destination in Europe for the digital native, he added.

The upmarket furniture store was co-founded by high-profile tech entrepreneur Brent Hoberman, who also c-founded Lastminute.com.

Publishing financial data for the first time, Made said gross sales for the year ended 31 December 2020 were 315m, while net revenue was 247m.

Made sells its products across the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands via its online platform.

Read more: IPO boom powers London Stock Exchange to best first quarter in 15 years

In the three months ended 31 March, about 48% of gross sales were generated from customers in Europe and the rest from the UK.

It said it launches nine new collections on average every week, partnering with over 150 established and up-and-coming designers and artists.

It believes it has a large, active and loyal customer base, with around 1.2 million active customers.

The company's business model is centred around a flexible asset-light supply chain, vertically integrated across all functions and processes, covering the entire product lifecycle from product development and sourcing through to shipping, warehousing and home delivery.

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It said the global furniture and homeware market for both online and offline is currently estimated at 504bn, of which 151bn is attributable to Europe.

The homeware and furnishings category is well-positioned for growth given rising penetration rates and high forecasted growth, making it one of the most attractive sectors with significant potential in the retail space, Made said.

It added it is well-positioned to take advantage of the structural tailwinds driving the online furniture and homeware market, including sector consolidation, increasing focus on sustainability, working from home, and millennials entering their core home formation years.

Made is the latest big name that will IPO this year. Notable floats of the past few months include Dr Martens (DOCS.L), Moonpig (MOON.L), review website Trustpilot (TRST.L) and Deliveroo (ROO.L).

Timing is everything for an IPO and Made.com is launching onto the market aiming to capitalise on the accelerated shift to e-commerce and the high demand for home makeovers witnessed over the pandemic," Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, told Yahoo Finance.

"E-commerce sites in particular are seizing the moment, with The Hut Group the first out of the traps in London with a hugely successful IPO in August 2020. Moonpigs positioning as an e-commerce platform rather than an online card retailer helped its shares fly as it launched onto the market at the beginning of February."

However, she pointed to recent data from the Office for National Statistics that show spending on "delayable goods like furniture has waned a little since the big spending spurt in April."

There is also plenty of rivals in the online furniture space, with Dunelm and DFS likely to continue to be tough competition," she said.

WATCH: What are SPACs?
Bullock said he was also unhappy with a March committee hearing to discuss the bill, chaired by Middleton. During that meeting, Dorsey was barred from introducing an amendment (he later introduced it before the full council) and Middleton interrupted him repeatedly as he attempted to speak against the legislation. Bullock said he declined to introduce his own amendments during that meeting.
George Floyd Square in Minneapolis. Reuters

One person was shot at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

Tuesday is the first anniversary of George Floyd's murder, and people were gathered at the site.

The person shot was treated for an injury that appeared not to be life-threatening, police said.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Gunfire broke out at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on Tuesday, the first anniversary of Floyd's death, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Police Department said.

Police responded to the 3800 block of Elliott Avenue South - a pedestrian square that marks the scene where Floyd was killed a year ago - on a report of the sound of shots fired. Police learned from witnesses that a suspect was seen fleeing the area in a car at a high rate of speed, said John Elder, an MPD spokesperson.

Soon after, a person arrived at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital with a gunshot wound. The victim has been transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. The injury didn't appear life-threatening, Elder said.

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The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher tweeted that it was "unclear" what exactly happened, but that unknown gunmen fired into the square, and local patrol shot back.

She said people on the scene had been given the "all clear."

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, knelt on his neck for nine minutes during an arrest. Chauvin has since been convicted of his murder.

Read the original article on Insider
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Pfizer is in talks with the Indian government over supplies of its COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. drugmaker said on Tuesday, as New Delhi scrambles to bridge shortfalls, having pledged to fast-track approvals for overseas vaccines.

"Pfizer remains committed to continuing our engagement with the government of India towards making the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine available for use in the country," a spokeswoman told Reuters in an e-mailed statement.

Last week, Reuters reported Pfizer was in talks with the government to defuse tension over supplies.

(Reporting by Neha Arora; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
A 20-year-old man is under arrest and charged in connection to back-to-back attacks against Jewish victims in Brooklyn last weekend.

Video Transcript

- The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating whether two anti-Semitic attacks in Brooklyn are connected. The first happened in Borough Park last night. Three men yelled threats at worshipers outside a synagogue and damaged a car.

- Later someone beat up two teenagers in Kensington. Today the mayor had tough words for the attackers.

- Eyewitness News reporter Naveen Dhaliwal is in Borough Park this evening. Naveen.

NAVEEN DHALIWAL: Yeah, Sandra, police say the two attacks were 45 minutes apart and less than a mile apart. And now, investigators are trying to figure out if they were done by the same suspects. Police surrounded the Agudath Israel of 16th Avenue around 7 o'clock last night, after investigators say another bias attack on the Jewish community. This after three men in a car began yelling at a group of Jewish men heading to the synagogue for prayer.

SIMCHA EICHENSTEIN: Yelled at them, free Palestine, kill all the Jews.

NAVEEN DHALIWAL: As the victims ran into the building and locked the door, that's when police say the two suspects got out of the car and began to bang on that door. And that's not all.

SIMCHA EICHENSTEIN: Out of frustration, they walked over to a vehicle parked right in front and broke the mirror of the vehicle.

NAVEEN DHALIWAL: Then just 45 minutes later after that first assault, investigators say two men approached a 17- and an 18-year-old on Ocean Parkway. The suspects physically assaulted both teenagers, punching them in the head, and putting them in a choke-hold.

BILL DE BLASIO: Anyone who perpetrates an act of hatred will be found. They will be prosecuted. They will suffer the consequences.

NAVEEN DHALIWAL: Now, detectives are searching for these suspects who they say are involved in that first attack that's causing a lot of concern.

SIMCHA EICHENSTEIN: Never did I believe that in my lifetime I will hear people telling me I'm afraid to walk the streets of Borough Park, Brooklyn.

NAVEEN DHALIWAL: Yeah, you can just imagine the concern that is on the streets now and those neighbors here. Those two teenagers from that second attack ran into the 66 precinct, and that's where EMS crews treated them. Now, we're hearing thankfully they have minor injuries. And tonight again, police are hoping someone will recognize those suspects from the pictures we're putting out. Live in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Naveen Dhaliwal, Channel 7 Eyewitness News.
May 24EAU CLAIRE  An Eau Claire man is accused of threatening to kill the police officer who arrested him for drunken driving, authorities say. It was the man's eighth drunken driving arrest.

Roderick J. Morrison Jr., 58, 2918 Leslie Lane, was charged in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of eighth-offense drunken driving and threat to a law enforcement officer. Morrison is free on a $3,000 signature bond, which requires him to maintain absolute sobriety.

Morrison returns to court June 8 for a preliminary hearing.

According to the criminal complaint:

An Eau Claire police officer was sent to a gas station on Eddy Lane at 4 p.m. May 12 for a traffic complaint. An employee said a man, later identified as Morrison, appeared to be intoxicated when he attempted to buy cigarettes. Morrison then left the store and drove away in his Toyota Corolla.

The officer found the vehicle 40 minutes later at Riverview Park. The officer spoke with Morrison, whose eyes were glassy, his movements slow. Morrison's speech was slurred and there was an odor of intoxicants on his breath. There was also an open beer can lying on the ground next to the driver's door of Morrison's vehicle.

Morrison refused to perform field sobriety tests. The officer arrested Morrison for drunken driving. A second officer then found two empty beer cans on the front passenger seat of Morrison's vehicle.

Morrison got angry with the first officer. Morrison threatened the officer's life by saying he was going to get his friends to look for him and kill him. Morrison made further comments that if he was not handcuffed, he would fight the officer and it would end badly for him.

Morrison was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire for a blood draw.

Morrison was previously convicted of drunken driving in August 1994 in Eau Claire County, in September 1994 in St. Croix County, and in September 1999, October 1999, February 2002, April 2002 and May 2010 in Chippewa County.

If convicted of both charges, Morrison could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Searchers exit helicopter after locating Harry Burleigh.

A fisherman was found alive 17 nights after being reported missing in Oregons wilderness.

Harry Burleigh, 69, was reported missing May 7, after he didn't return home from a camping trip in the Toketee area of the Umpqua National Forest, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Rescue teams located his vehicle at a trail that leads into Twin Lakes on May 8, but did not find him.

Police believe Burleigh, who lives in Roseburg, attempted to go fishing before heading home.

His wife, Stacy, posted updates about the search for her husband in a public group on Facebook, and said 40 volunteers from several counties volunteered on May 10 in the rescue mission.

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Officials continued to search for him to no avail, when, on May 16, they found a makeshift shelter and his tackle box.

They left him a note and lighter and told him to make a fire and they would be back in to get him tomorrow, Stacy wrote on Facebook.

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Another week passed with no sign of Burleigh. Then, rescuers found another makeshift shelter on May 23. They called out to Burleigh and he responded. He was found walking and complaining of minor pain, but was in stable condition, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

A helicopter transported him to a hospital for an evaluation. His wife posted she had spoken with him that evening and he was coherent and emotional. She thanked everyone for their prayers and said she would be with him soon:

"The best of news, Harry was found alive today ... this is pretty miraculous!"

Douglas County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Brad ODell said in a press release on Sunday that Burleigh had been reunited with his family.

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missing man found alive after 17 nights in Oregon forest: 'miraculous'
Tyler Terry is offered water during his arrest in South Carolina on Monday, May 24, 2021. (Chester County Sheriff's Office via AP)

A suspect wanted for at least four murders was found while hiding in the woods in South Carolina after being on the run for a week.

Tyler Terry, 26, went on the run last Monday, 17 May. He was taken into custody on 24 May following a manhunt lasting seven days. Law enforcement said Mr Terrys ability to evade capture was due to his homelessness and willingness to stay in the woods for prolonged periods of time, according to WBTV.

Accused of multiple murders, Mr Terry is under suspicion for at least two killings in South Carolina and another two in St Louis, Missouri.

The wife of victim Eugene Simpson, Adrienne Simpson, is also in custody in connection to the murders.

Fox 2 Now reported that Ms Simpson was Mr Terrys girlfriend.

When Mr Terry arrived at the Chester County command centre in northern South Carolina, he was covered in bug bites and his clothes were torn. He was dehydrated and exhausted following his Monday arrest.

He will now be quarantined at the Chester County jail, and will be charged in South Carolina first. Investigators say the manhunt started after Mr Terry discharged his weapon at Chester County deputies.

Law enforcement pulled people and resources from 15 cities, towns, agencies, and counties to work day and night to find the suspect. Around 300 people took part in the manhunt, WBTV reported.

The criminal investigation that was set aside to focus on Mr Terrys capture will now take centre stage. WBTV reported that Mr Terry was taken to hospital after being examined by emergency personnel.

Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey told Fox 2 Now after the capture: He spoke very well. You know, obviously, he was tired and thirsty and I spoke to him and asked if he was OK and he was all cut up, he has bug bites, his clothes are torn. Hes exhausted.

Sheriff Dorsey said hundreds of officers camped out for days without seeing their families in the area where Mr Terry was captured.

Think about these cops who put in so much for people they dont even know, he said.

Story continues

Law enforcement knew that Mr Terry was armed because days before his arrest, hed been spotted on surveillance video taking a loaded gun from a vehicle.

He was homeless at some periods of his life. At certain periods, he would live in the woods, up to a month at a time, Sheriff Dorsey told Fox 2 Now.

The outlet reported that Mr Terry, along with Ms Simpson, allegedly murdered trans woman Thomas Hardin, who once had a relationship with Mr Terry, on 2 May.

The two suspects reportedly drove to St Louis on 15 May, where Barbara Goodkin and Dr Sergei Zacharev were murdered.

South Carolina authorities found the body of Ms Simpons husband Eugene Simpson on 20 May. Mr Simpson is also thought to have been killed by Mr Terry.

Police believed they had Mr Terry surrounded by 23 May and warned residents in the nearby area via Twitter to secure firearms, lock your doors and report suspicious activity around any trash can or barn.

We had confidence that he was in our bubble and he was. He was in our bubble the whole time, Sheriff Dorsey said.

St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has announced 14 criminal charges against Mr Terry and Ms Simpson.

Mr Bell said Barbara Goodkins husband was also shot on 15 May but survived because of his cellphone in his chest pocket.

The prosecutor also told Fox 2 Now that Mr Terry allegedly also fired 10 shots at a fellow driver on an interstate, hitting the car three times but without causing injury to the driver.

Mr Bell said the charges in South Carolina are so serious that its unlikely that the suspects will be extradited to Missouri in the near future, if at all.
Govt to curb commodity price speculation

China Daily) 09:16, May 25, 2021

Photo taken on Dec. 22, 2020 shows a thermal coal yard of Huanghua Port in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Wang Min)

China will take more steps to curb commodity price speculation and keep prices stable, showing zero tolerance for illegal activities, according to the country's top economic regulator.

The National Development and Reform Commission, together with other four central departments, held a meeting on Sunday on the rapid commodity price gains this year, warning key enterprises in the bulk commodity sector to maintain normal market order.

The talks came after Premier Li Keqiang chaired the State Council's Executive Meeting on Wednesday, calling for careful analysis of reasons for the recent spate of rapid commodity prices increases and adopting measures in a targeted and holistic approach to ensure the supply of commodities and keep their prices stable.

The NDRC meeting said the recent price rally in commodities is driven partly by the transmission of global price rise and overspeculation has also pushed up the prices. Key industrial metal enterprises are required to promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries and keep the industrial ecology healthy.

The meeting said regulators would closely monitor the commodity price changes and strengthen regulation of both futures and spot markets. They will also crack down on market violations such as monopolies in commodities markets and the spread of false information and hoarding.

The message caused domestic commodity prices to plunge on Monday, with the main futures contract for iron ore dropping more than 5 percent and rebar decreasing nearly 4 percent. The shares of iron and steel-related companies traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen also dipped 1.73 percent on Monday, according to Shanghai-based information provider Wind Info.

Zhou Maohua, an analyst at China Everbright Bank's financial market department said, "The government is actively formulating and deploying policies to ensure supply and price stability of industrial raw materials, which will help stabilize the market and enterprises' expectations."

Zhou said while the rise in commodity prices has led to an increase in production costs for Chinese companies in some mid-and downstream industries, it has had limited effect on the prices of consumer goods.

"However, the government still needs to take steps to keep commodity prices stable. More efforts are needed to increase effective market supply, crack down on market violations and increase fiscal and financial support for some badly hit companies with bigger potential."

This round of price increases is the result of multiple factors, especially excessive market speculation, experts said. The government's latest talks with key enterprises demonstrated its determination to rein in market irregularities and keep commodity prices stable.

Tao Jin, deputy director of the macroeconomic research center of the Suning Institute of Finance, said the government's continued efforts to keep prices stable will encourage raw materials enterprises in upstream industries to increase production.

"More effort should be made to increase domestic supplies and encourage cooperation between Chinese industrial metals enterprise and overseas entities," Tao said.

Wu Chaoming, chief economist at Chasing Securities, said this round of commodity price increases may reach a high in the third quarter, and then the price will fluctuate at a high level.

To better cope with the situation, enterprises should take measures such as increasing support for technological innovation, reducing the use of raw materials, enabling more efficient use of materials and encouraging the use of alternative materials, Wu added.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Travel & Outdoors



Summer 'Sailstice' 2021 at Marina Riviera Nayarit



Celebrate Summer Solstice/Sailstice with a fun Umbrella Downwinder Regatta through Marina Riviera Nayarit on Saturday, June 19, for a chance to win prizes from Marine manufacturers & La Cruz de Huanacaxtle businesses. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico - The summer solstice has been celebrated for centuries, with all sorts of traditions growing up around the event. In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice is usually celebrated on the 21st of June, but this year in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico, it will be celebrated on Saturday, June 19 with an Umbrella Downwind Regatta through Marina Riviera Nayarit.



Latitude 38 magazine will host the 2021 Summer Sailstice with boaters registered mostly in the US. This is a fun competition to get folks out on the water with creative ideas to win boat accessories from Marine manufacturers.



The fleet from Marina La Cruz came in 3rd place in 2019! We will once again give it our best shot with anyone who would like to get on a paddle board, kayak or dinghy using only an umbrella for propulsion, and be a part of this wind-filled drag race through Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz.



To participate in the Umbrella Downwind Regatta, meet at the The Poolside Deli (located on lower floor of La Peska Restaurant) at 12:00 pm to sign up (for FREE!) for the umbrella race, which is open to all ages, but you must provide your own paddle board, kayak, dinghy and umbrella.





Summer Sailstice 2021 Umbrella Downwind Regatta

DETAILS:

Date: June 19, 2021

Time: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location: Marina Riviera Nayarit - At la Cruz / Poolside Deli (located on lower floor of La Peska Restaurant)

Cost: Free Registration!



REQUIREMENTS:

No engines allowed

Vessels must be under 16'

No dagger boards / keels

Vessels with rudder - NO paddles allowed

Paddles can only be used for steering



NOTES:

Must provide your own paddle board, kayak, dinghy and umbrella.

We will have some paddle boards available for rent during the event.

Prizes will be given out from local sponsors in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle during the event.

Please follow all safety & health protocols - masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing.



This fun-filled day is open to the public, and we encourage families to participate. Even if it's just to cheer on the competitors.



For more information, contact the Marina Riviera Nayarit Public Relations Director, Katrina Liana, at 329-295-5526. - The summer solstice has been celebrated for centuries, with all sorts of traditions growing up around the event. In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice is usually celebrated on the 21st of June, but this year in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico, it will be celebrated on Saturday, June 19 with an Umbrella Downwind Regatta through Marina Riviera Nayarit.magazine will host the 2021 Summer Sailstice with boaters registered mostly in the US. This is a fun competition to get folks out on the water with creative ideas to win boat accessories from Marine manufacturers.The fleet from Marina La Cruz came in 3rd place in 2019! We will once again give it our best shot with anyone who would like to get on a paddle board, kayak or dinghy using only an umbrella for propulsion, and be a part of this wind-filled drag race through Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz.To participate in the Umbrella Downwind Regatta, meet at the The Poolside Deli (located on lower floor of La Peska Restaurant) at 12:00 pm to sign up (for FREE!) for the umbrella race, which is open to all ages, but you must provide your own paddle board, kayak, dinghy and umbrella.Date: June 19, 2021Time: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pmLocation: Marina Riviera Nayarit - At la Cruz / Poolside Deli (located on lower floor of La Peska Restaurant)Cost: Free Registration!No engines allowedVessels must be under 16'No dagger boards / keelsVessels with rudder - NO paddles allowedPaddles can only be used for steeringMust provide your own paddle board, kayak, dinghy and umbrella.We will have some paddle boards available for rent during the event.Prizes will be given out from local sponsors in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle during the event.Please follow all safety & health protocols - masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing.This fun-filled day is open to the public, and we encourage families to participate. Even if it's just to cheer on the competitors.For more information, contact the Marina Riviera Nayarit Public Relations Director, Katrina Liana, at 329-295-5526.



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A significant scientific discovery was uncovered in the Mokelumne River watershed in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Greg Francek, a ranger for East Bay Municipal Utility District, explained how he found fossils from millions of years ago last summer when he was surveying the valley.

I looked around the area further and I discovered a second tree, Francek said in an EBMUD statement released Thursday. And then a third and so on. After finding dozens of trees I realized that what I was looking at was the remains of a petrified forest.

Petrified wood comes from plant material that was protected from decay when it was buried in sediment; it then turned to stone when groundwater flowed through the sediment.

Francek then found fossilized bone from an unknown vertebrae animal in the forest.

It really was a right place at the right time, type of thing, Francek said, according to KTXL. When I found the bones, I knew they were bones, but what I didnt realize at that moment was I was actually looking at the bones of great beasts that had once roamed this landscape, millions of years before.

Francek sought out paleontology and geology experts, who have made even more discoveries in the area.

Those fossil discoveries include elephant-like mastodons, prehistoric 400-pound salmon with spiked teeth, camel, a three-toed horse, tortoise and a pig-like mammal called tapir.

The bones are believed to be from the Miocene era, which was from 23.8 million to 5.3 million years ago. Around 1.4 million residents of the San Francisco Bay area get their water from the the Mokelumne River watershed and EBMUD has managed 28,000 acres of land in the watershed for about 100 years.

12th dead whale washes up on beach in the San Francisco Bay this year

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Troopers held up Ronald Greene before paramedics arrived on May 10, 2019, outside of Monroe, Louisiana. This image was taken from video captured by the body-worn camera of Louisiana State Police state trooper Dakota DeMoss. Louisiana State Police via AP

The ranking officer present when Ronald Greene was killed lied about his bodycam footage, AP said.

The report added that for two years, the officer said he had no footage of the incident.

Greene's death is the subject of a federal civil-rights investigation.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The ranking Louisiana State Police officer at the scene of Ronald Greene's deadly arrest in 2019 appeared to try to cover up the incident, denying the existence of his body-camera footage from the night for two years, a new report from the Associated Press said.

AP reviewed state police documents, which it said showed that Lt. John Clary told internal investigators that he did not possess body-camera footage of the event and that Greene was a threat when officers handcuffed him.

"Upon continued administrative review of the incident, personnel discovered three videos utilized in the internal affairs investigation were not part of the evidence submitted to District Attorney Belton with the original case report," Captain Nick Manale of Louisiana State Police told Insider in a statement.

"This evidence was used in the disciplinary procedures for Trooper York and previously had been submitted to federal investigators," Manale said. "It was again provided to federal investigators and to the District Attorney's Office as a supplemental report. Internal reviews are currently ongoing to determine why those videos were not identified during the original criminal investigation."

The AP published 46 minutes of body-camera footage from the officers who arrested Greene, which showed scenes of the officers using a Taser on Greene and hitting and dragging him as he said repeatedly, "I'm sorry," and that he was "scared."

Police initially said that Greene died in a car crash. They later said he died on the way to the hospital.

After the AP published that footage, Louisiana State Police released nine body-camera videos on Friday night.

Story continues

Greene's death is now the subject of a federal civil-rights investigation.

Louisiana officials did not act to investigate the officers for two years, and police opened an investigation 474 days after Greene died in custody.

"Louisiana State Police had every intention, as we do for all public records request to release all required evidence and information, as appropriate, at the right time," Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis said last week. "And any suggestion otherwise is categorically false."

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement that he "strongly supported" the release of all of the footage, adding that he found the footage "disturbing" and "difficult to watch."

Read the original article on Insider
TOKYO (AP)  An international rights group on Tuesday urged Japan to change a law that it says puts abusive and outdated burdens on transgender people seeking to have their gender change legally recognized, including sterilization surgery and a psychiatric diagnosis.

The report by New York-based Human Rights Watch said such requirements are inhumane, unnecessary and discriminatory.

Tokyo officials should embrace public opinion and local-level policies and update the law to reflect current medical and legal perspectives, Kanae Doi, the group's Japan director, said in a statement.

The report comes as activists in Japan push for the passage of an equality act, which would remove such barriers as well as legalize same-sex marriage. The legislation faces resistance from conservative members of Prime Minister Yoshihide Sugas ruling party.

The Japanese public has slowly shown increased support and awareness of sexual diversity, but there are still a lack of legal protections for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Pressure to conform still forces LGBTQ people in Japan to hide their sexual identities out of fear of discrimination at school, work and even from their families.

The current law dating to 2004 has several requirements for a transgender person to have their gender change legally recorded in official documents, including being older than 20, unmarried and not having any children under the age of 20. Most burdensome, activists say, is the requirement that they also must remove their reproductive organs or have reproductive organs that don't function.

Human Rights Watch said these requirements contradict Japan's international human rights obligations and are opposed by the World Health Organization and other medical organizations.

The group said the medical requirements are especially problematic and are based on an outdated notion that a transgender identity is a mental disorder. The required surgery forces transgender people to undergo lengthy, invasive and irreversible medical procedures" to get legally recognized, it said.

Hiroyuki Taniguchi, a law professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, said the law is designed to force transgender people into the existing legal system rather than ensuring them to live according to their own gender identity.

More than 9,600 people in Japan have legally changed gender since 2004 including about 950 in 2019, according to the latest available Justice Ministry data.
Samsung may have only released the Galaxy Chromebook 2 in March, but it's already discounting the laptop. You can grab the Galaxy Chromebook 2 with an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for only $450 directly at Samsung, and that's $100 off its normal price. If you bump up to the model with a Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, you'll pay only $500 and save $200 on its normal price. It's worth noting that there's no trade-in necessary to get these discounts, unlike most deals you'll find direct from Samsung.

Buy Galaxy Chromebook 2 at Samsung starting at $450

The original Galaxy Chromebook was a high-end machine that, looking back, was probably overkill. Samsung realized that and brought the laptop back down to earth with the changes it made in the Galaxy Chromebook 2. The design is mostly the same, but Samsung removed the built-in stylus and the fingerprint sensor from the laptop entirely. While those were nice perks, they're not necessary to make a solid Chromebook. Samsung also removed the 4K display and instead used a 1080p QLED panel on the Chromebook 2 which, while being a downgrade, looks impressive nonetheless.

The best processor you'll find on the this laptop is the 10th-gen Intel Core i3. It's not as powerful as the Core i5 in the original, but it still does a good job completing standard Chromebook-friendly tasks like handling dozens of open Chrome tabs. And we appreciated its long battery life  the Galaxy Chromebook 2 lasted nearly 12 hours in our testing, so it should carry you through your work day easily.

Overall, Samsung edited its original machine down to the better, more practical Galaxy Chromebook 2. It may still be on the expensive side for a Chrome OS laptop, but its solid performance, attractive design and above-average display are worth the extra money  especially for those that plan on using this laptop as their daily driver.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  San Diego County and private businesses have donated 10,000 coronavirus vaccine doses for workers at U.S.-owned border assembly plants in Tijuana known as maquiladoras, Mexicos top diplomat said Tuesday.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the program is aimed at helping equalize vaccination rates at closely connected points along the U.S.-Mexico border.

This is the first cross-border agreement we have had. This is surely going to grow a lot, Ebrard said. We plan to replicate this all along the border.

The purpose is to try to equalize vaccination rates along the northern border, above all in the cities that have a high degree of interconnection, like San Diego and Tijuana, he said.

The vaccines are being administered by medical personnel from the University of California, San Diego, at the San Ysidro border crossing. The program started Monday with about 150 to 200 shots administered per hour, and will cover workers at six plants over the space of seven days.

Mexico has had a shortage of coronavirus vaccines, and so far has received only about 34.2 million doses for a population of 126 million. Since most vaccines require two doses, Mexico has only vaccinated about 15% of its population so far.

Maquiladora workers have complained they are particularly vulnerable because they claim the economically vital plants were slow to shut down during virus surges, and because in many cases they have to work in closed spaces or ride company buses to work.

Plant operators say they have taken measures to help employees avoid infection, including changing work spaces and shifts.

Luis Manuel Hernandez Gonzalez, president of the Index maquiladora industry council, said, Now with the application of vaccines for workers, we can begin reactivating in a much safer way.
The South Carolina Supreme Court for the first time heard arguments to do away with a controversial 2000 state law protecting some of the states most controversial monuments and statutes, 21 years after lawmakers passed the law as a compromise to remove the Confederate flag from atop the State House.

At the urging of the Republican attorney general, the states high court took up a lawsuit challenging the law filed by three Black South Carolinians, including Jennifer Pinckney, the widow of the late state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who was murdered with eight others by a white supremacist during a Bible study at a Charleston church in 2015.

The oral arguments occurred the same day Tuesday as a court hearing started for that white supremacist, Dylann Roof, who is appealing his federal death sentence, and one year after George Floyd, a Black Minnesota man, died in police custody, sparking outrage across the nation including in South Carolina, where protesters again called for monuments protected by the Heritage Act to be removed from the public eye. Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who knelt on Floyds neck for several minutes before he died, was convicted last month of murdering Floyd.

The five Supreme Court justices took turns Tuesday picking the law apart, questioning whether a two-thirds vote requirement to alter or change a protected monument, memorial or statute was constitutional and asking why the specific wars and groups of people singled out for protection were chosen over others. They also spent time debating whether a provision in the legislation that would uphold the Legislatures power even if the court found the vote threshold unconstitutional could itself withstand a constitutional test.

If this lawsuit had been filed in the fall of 2000, I dont think anybody would raise the question of ripeness. Wed simply be talking about whether or not the General Assembly can enact an unconstitutional statute, said Associate Justice John Cannon Few. They cant. And when they do, its ripe.

Story continues

The justices made no decision in a hearing that lasted about an hour.

The heart of the lawsuit filed by Pinckney, Columbia City Councilman Howard Duvall and former state lawmaker Kay Patterson questions the legality of the Legislatures two-thirds super majority vote rule to change or remove and alter memorials, statutes and monuments since it unlawfully binds future state legislatures.

An attorney representing the plaintiffs said Pinckneys interest focused on a memorial and statue honoring her late husband in Marion County, a dedication expected this summer, and for Patterson, it was his own legacy marker in Round O, his birthplace. Duvalls interest, meanwhile, centered on his role as an elected official and the consequences of changing monuments at the city level.

That two-thirds vote, a hurdle hard to clear in the Legislature, makes it impossible for local governments and difficult for the state to alter, move or remove memorials, statues and monuments honoring the Confederacy and other wars as well as other public structures and places named for historical figures, including African Americans and Native Americans.

In a non-binding opinion last year, Attorney General Alan Wilsons office wrote the two-thirds vote threshold is likely unconstitutional but said the Legislature is allowed to make changes to historic memorials, monuments and statues.

Clemson and Winthrop universities, both public schools, have asked lawmakers to revisit the Heritage Act so that it can remove the name of renowned racist Ben Pitchfork Tillman from its buildings. Those changes will require legislative approval, unlike in another example, when the city of Charleston removed its large John C. Calhoun statue from Marion Square. The statue was on private property and wasnt subject to the Heritage Act, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.

This was a legislative compromise. The Acts main purpose was protection by preventing the current and future legislatures from making changes without a super majority requirement. Its why its in each section of the subsequent sections of the Act. And its because the Legislatures intent cannot be achieved without it, its what makes it essential, Columbia attorney Matthew Richardson, representing Duvall, Patterson and Pinckney with state Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, told the court Tuesday.

Put in simpler terms, Richardson said, without the super majority requirement, there is no legislative compromise and there is no Heritage Act of 2000, and I dont think thats in dispute.

Nearly every measure in the 2000 law was up for debate inside the courtroom Tuesday.

But the justices focused much of the time on the two-thirds threshold and whether the remaining law could be upheld if removed.

And the Senates position is that the two-thirds requirement is constitutional, correct? Associate Justice Few asked attorney Kenneth Moffitt, the Senates assistant clerk, who was representing the Senate in the courtroom.

Yes, Moffitt responded.

Then, Few said, what legal principle do we look to as to where to draw the line, because if two-thirds is proper, why not make it 80%? Why not make it 90 or 100%, and well just elevate the statute far beyond what the Constitution would ever require?

The justices also questioned the Legislatures intent when it wrote the law and asked why in the Heritage Act the General Assembly only decided to cover certain wars, African Americans and Native Americans but not Hispanic or Jewish Americans, for instance.

I want you to explain to me why Jewish Americans would not be included, Hispanic Americans would not be included, Asian Americans would not be included. Why would they (not) be included in this, and if theyre not included, is this a legal, constitutional class? Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty asked Columbia attorney Jim Gilliam, representing House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington.

Gilliam told the court he was not standing to suggest either of those classes had no heritage.

But, he said, When we look at the classifications, what we have to ask ourselves is, ... is there a plausible reason why the General Assembly wanted to protect monuments to African Americans and Native Americans and not include others? And the answer is yes, you know, its not to minimize any other ethnic group, but the challenges that African Americans and Native Americans have faced in the state are just different.

The two groups, Gilliam said, were enslaved in this state. They have contributed to our states history in a remarkable way. And what you see with the Heritage Act is you see a constitutional desire to protect groups that have historically been vulnerable.

The court on Tuesday also remarked on the plaintiffs request to dismiss Republican Gov. Henry McMaster from the complaint, keeping Republicans Senate President Harvey Peeler, of Cherokee County, and House Speaker Jay Lucas.

On behalf of McMaster, senior counsel Grayson Lambert told the court the governor believes he should not be a party to the courts decision, but added, to the extent the governor is being dismissed, the governor does want to make clear that he believes the speaker and President Peeler are correct in their interpretation.

If the governor is dismissed, Beatty responded, he has nothing to say about this.
Supporters of President Donald Trump scale the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

If bad faith were a religion, it would perfectly describe the piousness of the Republican leadership's approach to creating a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

House Democrats offered multiple concessions to Republican negotiators picked by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. But after former President Donald Trump gave the thumbs down last Tuesday night, McCarthy not only opposed the proposal but had his team working to get Republican members to turn against it. Even Rep. Greg Pence  brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, the man some in the Jan. 6 mob wanted to hang  voted no. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell went from undecided to no after Trumps kibosh.

Trump is still running the GOP

For the baldest political reasons, it makes sense for Republicans to oppose a Jan. 6 commission. No rational human being would argue that the attack would have happened had Trump not called his fans and followers to a rally and then sent them to the Capitol. And Trump is still running the Republican Party. Dont believe me? Ask Liz Cheney.

While there have been arrests and indictments of hundreds suspected of actually breaching the Capitol in order to disrupt the orderly finalizing of Trumps defeat, the ex-president has suffered no consequences for launching the most direct attack on democracy in American history. And he receives taxpayer subsidies for his family and businesses.

Meanwhile, huge questions remain about the insurrection. These include why the Pentagon delayed sending out the National Guard even as the entire nation was watching the Capitol being breached on television and what contact Trumps closest allies had had with groups like the Proud Boys, who apparently plotted and executed the incursion.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outside the White House on May 12, 2021, in Washington.

Americans still have no real sense of the scope or the Trump White House role in an attack that should burned into the American mind as firmly as 9/11, because it was that scale of a shock to the system, as once-staunch Republican George F. Will said. We need a 9/11-type commission so, at the very least, the multi-year efforts of Trump and his allies to undermine our elections are written in the history of Jan. 6.

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Instead, Republicans are not only giving Trump encouragement to plot another assault on our Constitution, theyre engaged in a national voting suppression effort to make sure that if he runs in 2024, he can take power again  whether he wins the election or not. And as part of this effort, some Republicans have been trying to exonerate those involved in the Jan. 6 attack as tourists or peaceful patriots. A majority of Republicans now claim to believe the attack was led by left-wing protesters trying to make Trump look bad. Seems like the kind of thing youd want to investigate!

Mark your calendar: January 6, 2025 could be the date American democracy dies

If the Republican Senate minority filibusters the creation of the Jan. 6 commission, theyre joining Trumps insurrection, right on the floor of the U.S. Senate. And if they do that, Senate Republicans will have effectively forced the Democratic majority to choose between democracy and an arcane Senate rule designed to undermine democracy.

Donald Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

That choice should be easy.

The Big Lie that fed that Jan. 6 attack has metastasized since insurgents who carried Confederate flags and wore a shirt that said Camp Auschwitz invaded the temple of our freedom and smeared feces on its wall. Its now a crusade that simultaneously salves Trumps seething ego and supercharges the GOPs decades-old effort to maintain political power by limiting access to the ballot.

A circuit court judge, ruling on a North Carolina law in 2016, described it as targeting African Americans with almost surgical precision" to "impose cures for problems that did not exist." Add other Democratic-leaning voters to the mix and that's the Republican strategy in a nutshell.

Save democracy, not the filibuster

The Big Lie is not just a lie; its a cookbook. And the recipes are all about fileting anything that represents fair elections anywhere that Republicans cant or dont want to compete.

The filibuster and minority rule it enforces on the American people are making sure the Big Lie prospers, just as it did for slavery and segregation before it. The filibuster will likely prevent an up or down vote on H.R. 1, the Democrats' sweeping election reform bill, or any fix to the Voting Rights Act, which has been gutted since 2013.

Investigations into Trump: Two new reasons Trump should worry about the New York legal investigations. A lot.

One of the fiercest defenders of the filibuster on the Democratic side, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, says he's disheartened by GOP plans to filibuster the commission and as of last week was still hoping for "10 good solid patriots" among the 50 Republicans in the Senate  the number the chamber's 50 Democrats need to stop a filibuster and move to a vote.

If 10 Republicans cant support a commission to investigate a violent mob that invaded their own workplace and wanted to lynch their own vice president, theres no reason to invite them to participate in democracy, let alone have the power to cinch it in a vise.

The word filibuster never appears in our Constitution. Our founding document does say senators are "bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution," and thus our country and the rule of law. If Republicans break that oath, Democrats must break the filibuster. Forever.

Jason Sattler, a writer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a member of USA TODAYs Board of Contributors and host of "The GOTMFV Show" podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @LOLGOP

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: Kill the Senate filibuster, not the January 6 Capitol riot commission
By Abdi Sheikh

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's political leaders have reached an agreement that will pave way for elections, its foreign affairs minister said on Tuesday, ending months of deadlock that at times turned violent.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's term expired in February, but wrangling over elections meant a new group of lawmakers was not selected in December to choose a new president.

To resolve the deadlock, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble met with the presidents of five regions to address their concerns over the election's conduct.

"We have now reached an agreement that will lead Somalia to free and fair elections. Going forward Somalia needs to have a predictable transition based on elections that is inclusive, credible, free and fair," Abdirizak Mohamed said during a U.N. meeting on Somalia.

"This is a challenge and opportunity which the Somali people, government and partners must capitalise to ensure sustainable development and country."

Foreign Minister Mohamed said among the sticking points resolved was the formation of an election committee, whose absence had prevented the election of new legislators in December.

In April, the lower house of parliament voted to extend the president's four-year term by another two years. The Senate rejected the move, provoking a political crisis.

The political crisis had raised fears that al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents could exploit a security vacuum if state forces split along clan lines and turn on each other.

In late April, troops opposed to President Mohamed's extension of term in office briefly seized key points in the capital, raising fears of a complete disintegration of the national army along clan lines.

The soldiers have since returned to their barracks.

The foreign minister said a more comprehensive statement was due to be given on Thursday.

(Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
PV Real Estate



Mexico Home Financing: Understanding the Fideicomiso



If you have any questions or concerns about how the Fideicomiso works with home loans in Mexico, or simply need someone to walk you through the process, CONTACT US, we're here to make sure you get what you need! Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - When it comes to home financing in Mexico, the Fideicomiso is something that tends to come up often, so we've decided to share a little about what it is and how it works:



In 1917, when Mexico was going through low economic times, it was written in the constitution that no non-Mexican could own property within 100 kilometers of any Mexican border, or within 50 kilometers of any Mexican coastline. These lands became known as the "Restricted Zones".



However, as the economy recovered and foreign investment became of interest in these areas, instead of changing the constitution, Mexico issued what is called the Fideicomiso, which is an agreement between the foreign buyer and a Mexican bank, essentially, a trust.



There are many financial institutions, both multinational and national, to choose from to hold the trust. There is usually an initial fee for drawing up the Trust Agreement, and an annual fee based on property value.



The property is not an asset of the bank regardless of the fact that they hold the title and act as the trustee. The buyer is named as first beneficiary and has every legal right with the property as any owner would; they have full right to occupy, rent, or modify the property as they see fit.



The trusts are set up for renewable 50-year periods, and second beneficiaries can be named in order to ensure automatic inheritance. So essentially, all the bank is doing is acting on behalf of the buyer in order to allow them to possess property in the "Restricted Zone".



If you have any questions or concerns on which institution is best for you, how the Fideicomiso works with home loans in Mexico, or simply need someone to walk you through the process, here at MEXLend we are happy to help. Don't hesitate to



MEXLend can provide home loans in Mexico from properties all over the country. We are extremely efficient in making sure that we find exactly what you're looking for in a second or retirement home, and we're committed to accompanying you through the purchasing process, including



Are you looking to purchase a home, vacation or investment property in Mexico? To discover which one of the many mortgage loan options that MEXLend offers is right for you, visit MexLend.com or MexLend.com.mx, call (322) 222-7377 in Vallarta, toll-free at 1.800.3.Mi.Casa in Mexico or (917) 779-9061 from the US or Canada.



To learn more about MEXLend, click HERE. - When it comes to home financing in Mexico, the Fideicomiso is something that tends to come up often, so we've decided to share a little about what it is and how it works:In 1917, when Mexico was going through low economic times, it was written in the constitution that no non-Mexican could own property within 100 kilometers of any Mexican border, or within 50 kilometers of any Mexican coastline. These lands became known as the "Restricted Zones".However, as the economy recovered and foreign investment became of interest in these areas, instead of changing the constitution, Mexico issued what is called the Fideicomiso, which is an agreement between the foreign buyer and a Mexican bank, essentially, a trust.There are many financial institutions, both multinational and national, to choose from to hold the trust. There is usually an initial fee for drawing up the Trust Agreement, and an annual fee based on property value.The property is not an asset of the bank regardless of the fact that they hold the title and act as the trustee. The buyer is named as first beneficiary and has every legal right with the property as any owner would; they have full right to occupy, rent, or modify the property as they see fit.The trusts are set up for renewable 50-year periods, and second beneficiaries can be named in order to ensure automatic inheritance. So essentially, all the bank is doing is acting on behalf of the buyer in order to allow them to possess property in the "Restricted Zone".If you have any questions or concerns on which institution is best for you, how the Fideicomiso works with home loans in Mexico, or simply need someone to walk you through the process, here at MEXLend we are happy to help. Don't hesitate to CONTACT US, we're here to make sure you get what you need!MEXLend can provide home loans in Mexico from properties all over the country. We are extremely efficient in making sure that we find exactly what you're looking for in a second or retirement home, and we're committed to accompanying you through the purchasing process, including securing home loans, Escrow services, and insurance.



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A Southwest Airlines flight attendant was assaulted by a passenger over the weekend and lost two teeth, according to a letter the flight attendants union sent to the airline's CEO Monday in an appeal for more safeguards as travel rebounds.

"This past weekend, one of our flight attendants was seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth,'' Lyn Montgomery, president of TWU Local 556 said in the letter. "Unfortunately, this is just one of many occurrences. I write to you today because we cannot tolerate our beloved cohearts being abused in such a manner, and because I am asking for your help and leadership in ending these travesties.''

The union said there were 477 passenger-misconduct incidents on Southwest between April 8 and May 15.

"This unprecedented number of incidents has reached an intolerable level, with passenger noncompliance events also becoming more aggressive in nature,'' Montgomery said.

A Southwest Airlines pilot outside one of the airplane's Boeing 737s.

Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz confirmed that a passenger physically assaulted a flight attendant when Southwest Flight 700 from Sacramento to San Diego, California, landed Sunday morning.

"The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing,'' Mainz said via email in response to questions from USA TODAY. "Law enforcement officials were requested to meet the flight upon arrival, and the passenger was taken into custody. We do not condone or tolerate verbal or physical abuse of our flight crews, who are responsible for the safety of our passengers. ''

The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department late Tuesday identified the passenger as 28-year-old Vyvianna Quinonez and said she was charged with battery causing serious bodily injury, a felony.

In a statement, the department said it received a call at 8:55 a.m. Sunday about a "disturbance'' on an inbound Southwest flight. Police officers met the aircraft at the gate.

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"According to witnesses, an altercation between a passenger and a flight attendant had taken place during the flight. During the altercation, the passenger struck the flight attendant, causing serious injuries,'' the statement said.

Paramedics from the San Diego Fire Department transported the unnamed flight attendant to Scripps Memorial Hospital and arrested Quinonez. She was booked into Las Colinas Detention Facility, a detention center for women. Online records do not show her as a current inmate.

In its letter to Southwest's CEO, the TWU said it was seeking several safeguards from Southwest to prevent further incidents.

"Todays traveling environment requires a new level of firmness in both tone and direction to ensure proper control in the cabin of our aircraft as the attitudes and behaviors of the flying public have, unfortunately, declined,'' Montgomery said in the letter.

She said Southwest flight attendants are doing everything they can to ensure compliance with mask rules and other inflight policies but need the support of management when they call out passengers' unruly behavior: "Oftentimes, appropriate actions to maintain a safe environment have been misconstrued as being unkind or inhospitable. As alcohol sales are added back into this already volatile environment, you can surely understand our concern.''

In the letter, the union proposes that Southwest:

 Better inform passengers that misbehaving could land them on Southwest's restricted travelers list and result in potential fines, criminal charges and possible imprisonment: "The flying public needs to understand that egregious behavior will result in being banned from flying with Southwest Airlines.''

 Be consistent in policies: "No passenger should be removed from one flight only to be permitted to board the very next Southwest Airlines flight after a noncompliance incident. We ask that you take a strong stance to ensure that unruly passengers are not welcome to travel with us. Period. Full stop.''

 Demand the U.S. government increase the number of federal air marshals on flights and request that they "get involved and take action'' when crew members are threatened.

The FAA has taken notice of a spike in passengers behaving badly, adopting a zero-tolerance policy in January and extending it in March so it's in place throughout the pandemic.

Since Jan. 1, the agency said it had received approximately 2,500 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal face mask mandate.

The agency has proposed hundreds of thousands of fines, including $258,250 in May.

Mask dispute turns ugly on Delta: Passenger strikes flight attendant, faces $27,500 fine

Mask fights and BYOB breaches: FAA proposes $64,500 in fines against five unruly passengers

Airlines have added travelers to internal do-not-fly lists, but Southwest hasn't released figures on how many passengers it has put on the list this year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Southwest flight attendant "seriously assaulted'' by passenger: union
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will receive nearly 94 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech between December 2021 and June 2023 as part of a European Union purchase, the government spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Maria Jesus Montero said the total was equivalent to twice the target population in Spain, where around 8.1 million people have already received a full course of vaccines.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Nathan Allen, editing by Andrei Khalip)
Sen. Ted Cruz. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Cruz shared a video comparing Russian and US army recruitment ads, and called the US Army "emasculated."

An expert on far-right disinformation has traced the meme to pro-Russian, far-right networks.

Conservatives have long shared material originating from far-right networks to attack liberals.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

A video shared by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz last week to attack the US military for being "woke" and "emasculated" originated from pro-Russian, anti-American far-right social media networks, experts on extremist propaganda have told Insider.

The video, which had been initially uploaded to TikTok, sought to unfavorably compare a US military recruitment ad to a Russian army one. The US Army clip featured an animation telling of a female corporal's life, while the Russian ad used masculine tropes, featuring fighter jets and shirtless men doing pushups.

"Holy crap," Cruz wrote in his retweet of the video. "Perhaps a woke, emasculated army is not the best idea"

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Alexander Reid Ross, a fellow at the UK's Centre for the Analysis of the Radical Right who specializes in mapping the spread far-right propaganda, told Insider that he had monitored the meme as it spread from pro-Russian and far-right networks to Cruz's Twitter feed over the course of a week.

The case illustrates the route far-right propaganda can take from fringe pro-Kremlin and white supremacist networks, into mainstream Republican platforms.

From Kremlin ally to 4chan to Ted Cruz's Twitter

Here is the timeline for the spread of the video, according to Ross' analysis:

The earliest comparison of the recruitment videos was in two May 13 tweets by Koskovics Zoltan, an analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights in Budapest. The center is linked to the far-right government of Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zoltan's first tweet linked to a Vimeo page showing the Russian recruitment ad, and the second tweet linked to a post by the journalist Alan MacLeod slamming the "super-woke" US Army video. MacLeod is a frequent critic of western media outlets' coverage of Kremlin policy. (In an email to Insider, MacLeod said that though he was a critic of western media coverage of Russia, he was anti-Kremlin.)

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Zoltan's tweets were cited on May 14 by the Russian far-right outlet Krasnaya Vesna and the American conservative blog Red State. Both posts mocked the comparison between the Russian and US armies.

Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right Proud Boys group, discussed the recruitment videos in his YouTube show on May 15.

The two videos were then posted and discussed in threads on 4chan, the messaging board that serves as a key online hub for the right.

On May 17, the Russian and US recruitment videos were stitched together and posted on TikTok as a single video.

From there, the video - in its slightly altered form - was shared widely in white-supremacist forums on Telegram, the encrypted messaging app that's become a haven for extremists ousted from mainstream platforms.

The first post featuring the TikTok on Telegram was shared by an account that posts "white nationalist and fascist content," Ross told Insider. The post had spread, Ross said, in forums popular with the US white supremacist National Justice Party, the white-nationalist Groypers group, and the Russian ultra-nationalist National Bolsheviks.

On May 18, the TikTok was uploaded to Twitter for the first time. Insider has seen the post, which has as of Tuesday been retweeted 1,000 times.

On May 19, Rando Quaaden, a Dutch account that has posted tweets in support of the European far-right Identitarian movement and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, tweeted the TikTok.

On May 19, Pardes Seleh, a Texas realtor who posts conservative content on Twitter, shared the video posted by Rando Quaaden.

And on May 20, Cruz retweeted Seleh.

Ross maintains that the version shared by Cruz made the leap onto Twitter from Telegram extremist networks. Rando Quaaden disputed this on Monday, calling it a "non-existent pipeline."

Story continues

Ross said that the core message of the video was that liberalism was making the US weak, in comparison with the strength of Putin's traditionalist Russia.

"The blunt impact of the meme, for fascists, is that the US's liberal system is seen globally as a joke, and cannot stand up to other Great Powers," he said.

"The US far right picks up on pro-Kremlin propaganda, because it agrees with efforts to undermine liberalism, even when they attack nonpartisan US institutions," Ross said.

"That Republicans ally with illiberal propaganda spread by foreign adversaries should give us pause with regards to their claims to putting 'America First.'"

Cruz's response

A spokesman for Cruz told Insider that the controversy over the source of the video was distracting from the more important issue of how "wokeness" is undermining the US military.

"Sen. Cruz shared a widely-circulated video that shows wokeness is undermining the seriousness and purpose of our military. But instead of discussing this very real problem, journalists are dusting off absurd Democrat talking points and claiming the real issue here is racism, Russian propaganda, or both. They're so invested in this liberal narrative they will destroy innocent people's lives to advance it," said the spokesman.

Cruz last week claimed to be enjoying the controversy caused by the video, tweeting: "I'm enjoying lefty blue checkmarks losing their minds over this tweet, dishonestly claiming that I'm "attacking the military."

In an apparent response to Insider's request for comment, Seleh tweeted a screenshot of Insider's message, saying: "These people have been trying to destroy my life for the past week because I shared a funny TikTok video that Ted Cruz retweeted. I don't even know how to answer this. Is TikTok considered a 'white supremacist forum'??"

'US conservatives ... have frequently promoted Russian propaganda'

Critics have long warned of the dangerous melding of mainstream Republican propaganda and memes, and disinformation from extremist movements and forums.

Alex Newhouse, an expert in far-right extremism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, backed Ross' assessment that the video was distributed widely among white supremacists on Telegram before being distributed on Twitter.

"US conservatives - especially those in the midst of the pro-Trump movement, and those outside the mainstream - have frequently promoted Russian propaganda through various channels," he told Insider.

Newhouse pointed to Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn's ties to Russian state TV network RT, and a segment on the far-right US network OANN last year on election fraud that was partly written by a former associate of the Russian state-news agency Sputnik.

Republicans have opposed measures in recent years to make the US military more inclusive, with Cruz in 2016 criticizing plans to allow servicewomen to serve in combat roles.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee is the latest state to ban teachers from teaching certain concepts of race and racism in public schools, where teachers risk losing valuable state funding if they violate the new measure.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a measure into law Monday after it attracted some of the most impassioned debates inside the GOP-controlled General Assembly this year. He signaled his support after it cleared the Legislature, arguing that students should learn the exceptionalism of our nation, not things that "inherently divide" people.

We need to make sure that our kids recognize that this country is moving toward a more perfect union, that we should teach the exceptionalism of our nation and how people can live together and work together to make a greater nation, and to not teach things that inherently divide or pit either Americans against Americans or people groups against people groups, Lee told reporters at the time.

The legislation, which was amended several times in the final days of the legislative session, takes effect July 1. Among other things, Tennessee's teachers can't instruct that an individual, by virtue of the individuals race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history is still permitted under the law, and limits on teacher speech wont apply when a teacher is responding to a students question or referring to a historic figure or group.

However, the penalty for a transgression is steep: The state education commissioner could withhold funds from any school found to be in violation.

While most of the majority-white GOP House and Senate caucuses supported the effort, Black Democratic lawmakers warned that it will make teachers fearful about telling students anything about how race and racism have shaped the nation's history.

Yet this year, ahead of the 2022 midterms, Republicans across the country have introduced proposals similar to Tennessee.

The proposals have been introduced in 16 states, with Idaho and Oklahoma enacting the laws this year. In Arkansas, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed a version that primarily focused on employee training to become law without his signature.

Republican lawmakers also passed bills about sexual education. Lee signed a requirement that school districts alert parents 30 days in advance of any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, and let them opt their student out. Lee also approved legislation allowing parents to view information about contraception included within a family life curriculum, and opt their children out of those lessons as well.
Tesla Model S

A court in Norway has fined Tesla after a software update issued in 2019 slowed down battery charging speeds and affected the number of miles some of its vehicles could travel between charges.

The case was brought by 30 customers, reports Norwegian news platform Nettavisen.

The fine amounts to 136,000 Norwegian Krone (11,500) for each complainant.

Tesla did not file a response, Nettavisen said, but it may now appeal.

The BBC has contacted Tesla for comment.

The change affected Tesla Model S vehicles made between 2013 and 2015. The battery involved has not been manufactured since 2016.

Despite being designed to "protect" the batteries, the update both reduced range, and affected battery charging speeds at Supercharger stations for some Tesla owners, the complainants argued.

One customer, David Rasmussen, told the website Electrek that the range on his Tesla Model S had dropped from 247 miles to 217 miles within five weeks of downloading the update.

In 2016, Tesla made out-of-court settlements with 126 customers in Norway who said their vehicles did not match up to the claims made by the firm in its marketing material, reported Reuters.
By Brad Brooks

LUBBOCK, Texas (Reuters) - A bill that would let Texans carry concealed handguns without any permit passed the state's legislature on Monday and headed to the desk of the governor who has promised to sign it.

When Governor Greg Abbott signs the measure into law, Texas will become the 21st state, and the most populous, in the United States to have some form of permitless concealed carry, according to the National Rifle Association.

Rep. Matt Schaefer, a Republican who authored the bill, which gun rights advocates call a "constitutional carry" law, had earlier called it the "strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history."

The bill protects "the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self-defense and the defense of their families," Schaefer wrote on Twitter.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican representing Texas, wrote on Twitter: "This is excellent news for law abiding-Second Amendment loving Texans."

The bill that passed includes compromises that address concerns of the law enforcement community, including getting rid of language that would have prevented a police officer from questioning a suspect based solely on the fact that they were carrying a gun.

Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group that works for tougher gun regulations across the U.S., blasted the bill.

"These representatives have abandoned their oaths of office to represent our interests," said Elizabeth Hanks, a volunteer for Moms Demand Action, the grassroots wing of Everytown, in a written statement.

"We're putting them on notice  we'll stop at nothing to make sure Texas voters know just how much danger these representatives have put them in," she added.

(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
A look at events in the troubled West African state of Mali after its transitional president and prime minister were detained by the military and then removed from office:

- August coup -

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is overthrown in a military coup on August 18, 2020, after months of protests sparked by perceived corruption and failure to quash jihadist violence in the former French colony.

The following day Colonel Assimi Goita emerges as the country's new military strongman.

The coup is roundly condemned by the international community and the West African economic bloc ECOWAS threatens Mali with sanctions.

- Junta stymied -

The junta bows to international pressure on September 12 and vows to allow full civilian rule within 18 months.

On September 21 former defence minister Bah Ndaw is made interim president with Colonel Goita as his vice president.

A fortnight later a government is formed with the military holding the key posts.

- Election dates set -

On April 15 the dates of presidential and parliamentary elections for a civilian transfer of power are set for February and March 2020.

- Government resigns -

With discontent with the military growing, the government of Prime Minister Moctar Ouane resigns on May 14. But he is put straight back in charge and tries to form a new more diverse government.

- New cabinet -

On Monday a new interim government is formed. While the military still holds many cabinet posts, two military leaders from the old junta are replaced at the key defence and police ministries.

- Army step in again -

Later that day President Ndaw and Prime Minister Ouane are arrested by army officers unhappy with the reshuffle.

The international community condemns their detention and demands their release.

On Tuesday Colonel Goita says he stripped the pair of their powers for trying to "sabotage" the transition. He says elections will be held in 2022.

- 'Unacceptable coup' -

French President Emmanuel Macron condemns an "unacceptable coup d'etat" and warns that the European Union could impose sanctions quickly.

Britain and Germany urge the "immediate" release of the two leaders, while France calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

ang-acm/jmy/gd
Slashed Philippine rice tariffs

Slashed Philippine rice tariffs an opportunity for Vietnamese exporters

The Philippiness move to lower tariffs on imported rice will open opportunities for Vietnam to maintain stable supply of the product for the country and help it stabilise the domestic market, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade has said.

In the first four months of this year, Vietnam shipped more than 715,000 tonnes of rice valued at some US$380 million to the Philippines, accounting for 36.27 per cent of total rice exports. Photo vov.vn

However, given fierce price competition with traditional rice exporters like Thailand and India, the ministry urged domestic firms to foster co-operation and connectivity with co-operatives and major farming households to minimise intermediate stages, thus cutting costs and enhancing competitiveness.

At the same time, exporters should study and observe regulations set by the Philippines, including those on customs declaration, the ministry said, noting that they should negotiate and sign contracts with only businesses that have been granted with the Sanitary Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPS-IC) by the Philippine Department of Agriculture.

They also need to keep updated on the market, as the tariff cut under the Philippine President's order can be changed anytime, and draw up plans to prevent business risks, while stepping up inspections and supervisions over rice quality to ensure the prestige of Vietnamese rice, the ministry suggested.

Earlier, in an executive order, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte cut the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates on rice to 35 per cent from 40 per cent for in-quota purchases and 50 per cent for out-quota volume for one year.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first four months of this year, Vietnam shipped more than 715,000 tonnes of rice valued at some US$380 million to the Philippines, accounting for 36.27 per cent of total rice exports.

Source: VNS
Top Democrats have floated the idea of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filing a restraining order against Marjorie Taylor Greene (REUTERS)

House Democratic leadership has considered the possibility of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filing a restraining order against Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene after the Republican verbally attacked the other lawmaker.

Top Democrats floated the idea of Ms Ocasio-Cortez seeking a restraining order, Politico reports, but have gone back and forth on the legality of the order.

It was noted by these lawmakers that the New York Democrat would likely have to file a restraining order on her own if she wanted one. But how it would work in prohibiting contact with Ms Greene remained unknown.

This discussion came after several heated incidents between the lawmakers where the Georgia Republican appeared to verbally accost her colleague from across the aisle.

One incident that took place earlier this month, and was first reported in The Washington Post, involved Ms Green running towards Ms Ocasio Cortez, who was apparently walking away from her, and repeatedly screaming Hey Alexandria!

You dont care about the American people, Ms Greene screamed, before falsely referring to activists and Black Lives Matter organisations as terrorists. Why do you support terrorists and antifa?

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who worked previously as a bartender in New York before being elected to Congress, responded by telling reporters that the Georgia Republican represented the kinds of people that I threw out of bars all the time.

For me, this isnt even about how I feel. Its that I refuse to allow young women, people of color, people who are standing up for what they believe, to see this kind of intimidation attempts by a person who supports white supremacists in our nations Capitol, she added.

More follows ...

Read More

CNN anchor sickened by Marjorie Taylor Greene's Holocaust comment

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reveals shes in therapy following attempted coup at Capitol

Hour-by-hour: Biden's behind-the-scenes push for cease-fire
Families whove enjoyed Mecklenburg Countys only public swimming beach on Memorial Day weekend in recent years got splashed with a bucket of ice cold water on Tuesday:

Due to a lifeguard shortage, the county-run Ramsey Creek Park beach on Lake Norman will remain closed until further notice, county Park and Recreation officials said. They called the closing temporary but didnt say how long that could mean.

Despite raising pay and recruiting throughout the year, the county has filled just 86 of 247 available lifeguard jobs, according to a county news release.

Charlotte-area beach lovers who want to stay local over the holiday weekend will have to do what they always did before the Ramsey Creek beach opened in Cornelius in 2016: Truck it up to the swimming beach at Lake Norman State Park in Troutman, nearly 40 miles from uptown via Interstate 77.

State park officials are 98% certain they have enough lifeguards to staff this weekend and through the summer, a woman who answered the phone at the park office told The Charlotte Observer.

The beach in Troutman will still stay open on the off-chance not enough lifeguards are hired, she said. It would just be swim at your own risk, she said.

With lifeguards on duty, admission will be $6 for adults and $4 for children.

The scene was far more bleak 20 miles to the south at the beach in the 43.7-acre Ramsey Creek Park on Tuesday, where a locked gate barred access.

Over the past five years, Mecklenburg Park and Rec established free training and learn-to-swim programs for would-be lifeguards.

The county also raised the minimum wage for lifeguards to $15 an hour, is offering $500 signing bonuses, and sent recruiters to CMS high schools and others in surrounding counties  still to little avail, officials said.

Swimming is never allowed in this area of Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius, NC. The area is near the public swimming beach that will remain closed due to a lifeguard shortage in summer 2021, Mecklenburg County officials said on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

Reaction to beach closing

County officials blamed everything from more part-time job choices to declining access to swim training for potential applicants.

Those explanations failed to appease some Lake Norman-area elected officials.

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Totally unacceptable, state Rep. John Bradford said Tuesday about the closure.

Meck County is flush with cash with federal money from the pandemic, the Cornelius Republican posted on Facebook in response to a WSOC-TV report about the beach closure. They are running well above the states mandated required reserves.

If there is a lifeguard shortage then pay more to recruit them, Bradford posted. Things have been closed long enough.

On Twitter, Huntersville town commissioner Stacy Phillips called the decision not cool.

Before Meck County tries to turn the convo to make it like LKN doesnt want this beach to open, Im gonna say this entire situation is complete BS ..., Phillips posted.

Phillips was referring to years-old complaints by residents near the park of noisy crowds, trespassers, litter and traffic jams.

This is the ONLY public access to swimming in LKN, Phillips posted  .... Hiring aint that hard in a niche market.

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Public swimming beach

The national lifeguard shortage is real, B.J. Fisher, spokesman for the Virginia-based American Lifeguard Association, told the Observer.

Tens of thousands of students from Eastern Europe help fill the U.S. lifeguard shortage each summer through the J1 foreign student visa program, Fisher said.

Because of the pandemic, theyre not coming this year, he said.

The students also helped fill shortages at the 309,000 public U.S. pools, he said.

Compounding the problem: Last year, we lost a whole group of U.S.-born teen lifeguards from being able to recertify, which is required every two years, Fisher said. They probably just left, he said.

And then we lost a group to come in as new candidates  we need 300,000 a year to come in as new  who dont necessarily take a job but got trained, he said.

And we lost a whole year of swimming lessons to teach kids how to swim, he said. So this is going to be a chain reaction for years to come.

Fisher suggested training more silver-haired swimmers to be lifeguards. If theyre swimming laps at your local pool or YMCA, they can be lifeguards, too, he said.

No excuse, resident says

Several Lake Norman-area residents on social media said they agreed with Phillips assessment about teens and lifeguarding jobs.

I find it hard to imagine some kids in between high school and college wouldnt want that job, Cassie Fambro of Huntersville said on Twitter.

A lifeguarding position is prime for HS/College kids, agreed a woman with the Twitter name Disgruntled Pelican.

Tonya Langhorne of Huntersville called the decision to close Ramsey Creek beach silly and short sighted.

Pay the lifeguard(s) and see increased spending in area businesses, Langhorne posted on Facebook.

Limited pool operations

Due to the lifeguard shortage, operations at Mecklenburg County pools will be limited, Park and Recreation officials said.

Starting on Saturday, these hours will be in effect:

Double Oaks Family Aquatic Center, 2014 Statesville Ave., Charlotte: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on opening day, Saturday, May 29; and Sunday, May 30; Monday, May 31; and Tuesday, June 1.

Beginning Saturday, June 5, Double Oaks will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays.

Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Memorial Day; 5:30 a.m.9:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, with main tank closed 1-4 pm; 11:30 a.m.9:30 p.m Tuesdays and Thursdays; 5:30 a.m.1:30 p.m. Fridays; 7:30 a.m.3:30 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays.

Cordelia Pool, 2100 N. Davidson St., Charlotte: Beginning Sunday, June 6, the pool will be open 11 a.m.7 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays.

To maintain social distancing, visitors can access the Double Oaks and Cordelia pools during these time slots: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. 1 1/2 hours of swimming and 30 minutes of cleaning will occur between entry times.

Admission is $2 per person. Tickets are available the same day as your visit, first-come, first-served.

Rays Splash Planet on North Sycamore Street remains closed. Stay safe and be well; we look forward to seeing you once we are able to safely reopen! its website says. The indoor splash park is a joint venture between the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools at Irwin Academic Center.
Travis Barker is opening up about the 2008 plane crash that nearly took his life. In an interview with Men's Health, the Blink-182 drummer discusses how he's the only living survivor from the traumatic event and the guilt that goes along with that.

"I was dark," Barker recalls, revealing he did three months of therapy to deal with posttraumatic stress disorder. "I couldn't walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didnt want to see it."

Best friends and collaborators DJ AM and Travis Barker at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, just days before the tragic accident. (Photo: Reuters)

Barker was flying from South Carolina to Los Angeles on Sept. 19, 2008, after playing a show. During takeoff, tires blew on the private plane he and five others were traveling on. The plane skidded across a highway, hit an embankment and burst into flames. Barker and his best friend, Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, were the only people who survived the crash as they were able to escape through an emergency exit despite the drummer being covered in flames. (Two pilots were killed along with two of Barker's close friends, assistant Chris Baker and security guard Charles Monroe Still Jr.) Goldstein, who formed TRV$DJAM with Barker in 2008, died one year later from a drug overdose.

"We were each other's therapists," Barker says, explaining that he and Goldstein had trouble finding support groups for survivors of plane crashes. "So it was just him and me. When he left, I was like, 'Oh, f***. I'm the only one in my club. It's just me.' And I find my ways to deal with it."

Barker suffered third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body. He was hospitalized for three months, undergoing 26 surgeries and multiple skin grafts. It caused the musician to address a problem head-on he was dealing with before the accident: an addiction to prescription drugs.

"People are always, like, 'Did you go to rehab?'" He shares. "And I [say], 'No, I was in a plane crash.' That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit."

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When Barker left the hospital, he flushed all the medications he had been sent home with down the toilet  "including stuff that I really needed"  and that was the end of it.

"There's a million things that could happen to me," he says. "I could die riding my skateboard. I could get in a car accident. I could get shot. Anything could happen. I could have a brain aneurysm and die. So why should I still be afraid of airplanes?"

Time and therapy have helped Barker deal with the trauma. He has a vegan CBD line, Barker Wellness Co. and he's in a red-hot relationship with Kourtney Kardashian.

"Its gotten better the further I get away from it," he says. "The closer I was to it, it felt like I was closer to the bad stuff than I am to the good stuff. I felt closer to the experience of trying to escape, [to] being in an accident and being burned, trying to grab my friends from a burning plane. That haunted me for a long time. And as long as I was closer to that than this good stuff, I was always thinking about that. Now its been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it."

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
File: Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on 26 November, 2020 (AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump has said he has very little doubt that Covid-19 came from a lab in Wuhan after a report claimed that three researchers at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology became so sick in November 2019 that they had to be hospitalised.

Speaking to Dan Bongino for a Fox Nation radio show on Monday, the former president said there was no need to use the word potential when talking about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic that has globally killed around 3.4 million people.

You said potential that it came from the lab. I think you can take the word potential out that it came from the lab, frankly, Mr Trump said, according to Washington Examiner.

He said: I think it came from the lab without the word potentialI have very little doubt  and I mean very, very little doubt that it came from a lab.

Mr Trump was responding to the hosts reference to a Wall Street Journal report that the virus was accidentally leaked from a Chinese lab, based on a US intelligence document which has reignited the virus origin debate.

The Trump administration and Republicans pushed the theory of the virus escaping Wuhan Institute of Virology throughout the pandemic.

The US published a "fact sheet" on 15 January, five days before Mr Trump left office, which said several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illnesses.

Trump had last year claimed to have seen evidence that the coronavirus originated from a medical laboratory in Wuhan, but did not provide details.

China has repeatedly rejected allegations of a virus leak. Its foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday that the report of three people at the Wuhan Institute of Virology falling ill is totally untrue.

He said: What is the real purpose for the US to continue to play up the so-called "lab leak theory"? Does it really care about the origin-tracing of the virus or just want to divert attention?

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The US and UK have called for a transparent probe into the pandemics origins. Responding to The WSJ report, Boris Johnsons spokesperson said the WHOs investigation into the origins of Sars-CoV-2 must be robust, transparent and independent.

Read More

John Oliver says Trump's legacy is a wave of politically outlandish candidates

Top Stories Digest

AP News Digest 3 a.m.
Buckle up and prepare for one wild social media ride.

Over the weekend, NBA player Malik Beasley publicly apologized to ex-wife Montana Yao after his short-lived romance with Larsa Pippen made headlines.

And while it's unclear if Montanathe mother of his 2-year-old son Makaiis ready to give him a second chance, one thing is certain: Larsa and Montana aren't about to bury the hatchet.

It all started on the morning of May 24 when Montana told the former Real Housewives of Miami star to "shut your trap."

"Both of you were wrong as hell but YOU ma'am had the nerve to talk all that s--t to me as if I was wrong?" Montana, who filed for divorce in December, continued. "You're embarrassing and woman to woman, you should probably tap out now cause you really going out bad."

Lo and behold, Larsa didn't stay quiet and decided to "clear up some of the misinformation" surrounding Malik. Spoiler alert: She didn't hold back.

They Dated? Surprising Star Couples

"Hey sweetie, I can spend the day going back and forth with you on the Internet, but woman to woman, I would never do that, especially over a man," Larsa began on an Instagram Story posted on May 24. "But here's some free press for you. 1. When I thought about him and how he treated your child, he's not the type of man I want around mine. Any man who would deny his child and then leave the mother penniless is not a real man. 2. He cried entirely too much. 3. He's cheap, but then again, you never saw any alimony, so you already know that."

Larsa Pippen, Malik Beasley

Larsa went on to offer some "womanly" advice for if and when Montana chooses to get involved in another relationship. "If you ever find another man who wants you for you and not all the free press I'm giving both of you, lock him down," she wrote. "Malik was a clout chaser who pursued me relentlessly before I even knew you existed. And I have the DM's but then again, he knows that."

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Less than two hours later, Montana fired back at Larsa's claims. "One day you claim you know about me, but we were separated,' the next it's you didn't know I existed at all," she wrote on social media. "Get your story straight luv. I was all over that man's page lmao or a simple google search or DM would have sufficed as well."

Montana continued, "I been in my bag wayyy before Malik and damn sure before you lmao. It's funny hearing you say anything about clout or press because aren't you the girl that can't let go of her husband last name cause that's the only clout you got to live on? And aren't YOU the only who called the paparazzi and sent all those pics to the blogs, posted, etc."

Malik Beasley, Wife Montana Yao

While Malik has stayed silent since his public apology on May 23, Larsa and Montana continue to speak up.

Larsa directed fans to her new OnlyFans account that was created to show women "they can be sexy and successful." From the sounds of things, Montana will not be subscribing.

"Now stfu and go work on getting those OF subscriptions up," she wrote on social media. "Wish you nothing but the best in your new career pursuit! Get that bread up!"
An image of the May 25, 1953, test-firing of an M65 atomic cannon. National Nuclear Security Administration

The US Army fired its atomic cannon for the first and last time 68 years ago.

The cannon, initially named "Able Annie," was later renamed "Atomic Annie."

During the May 25, 1953, test, the cannon fired a nuclear shell that unleashed a 15-kiloton blast.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The US Army successfully test-fired an atomic cannon exactly 68 years ago Tuesday. It was the first and only time the US military fired a nuclear weapon from one of the big cannons, according to the Army.

During the Cold War, the US military developed many ways to unleash nuclear destruction on an enemy, including a towed artillery piece built in the early 1950s that could fire a nuclear round packed with as much explosive power as the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima less than a decade earlier.

The Army's M65 280 mm Motorized Heavy Gun, the largest mobile artillery piece the US ever built, was based on Nazi Germany's Krupp K5 heavy railway gun, a devastating indirect-fire weapon Allied service members fighting in Italy during World War II named "Anzio Annie."

An M65 cannon. US Army

Weighing roughly 85 tons, the M65 cannon required two transporter trucks to move. In 1953, the US military moved two of these cannons by rail from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to a test site in Nevada, where crews used one to fire a nuclear shell in the sole live-fire test of the cannon's atomic capabilities.

On May 25, 1953, just a few months after an M65 cannon made a very public debut in the inaugural parade for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Army crews used a cannon named "Able Annie," one of only 20 M65 guns ever made, to fire a nuclear artillery shell.

The atomic cannon test, codenamed Grable, was the 10th in the Operation Upshot-Knothole nuclear weapons test series but the only one involving nuclear artillery. The cannon, which cost $800,000, performed as expected.

About 19 seconds after the shell was fired at 8:31 a.m., it exploded just under 8 miles away at a low-burst height of about 520 feet.

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"The shell that could wipe out an enemy division exploded on target with a roaring violence equal to 15,000 tons of TNT," a historical marker at Fort Sill says.

With that shot, "Able Annie" became "Atomic Annie." Though the name applies to one gun, it has been used to refer to M65 cannons in general.

The other M65 cannon that was present for the testing in Nevada but never fired was a backup cannon named "Sad Sack," a weapon that has had a rather uneventful history compared with Atomic Annie.

After the testing wrapped up, Sad Sack was supposed to be sent to an operational unit for overseas deployment while Atomic Annie was to return to Fort Sill, but during the transport process the two cannons were accidentally switched.

This error was not discovered for 10 years. Soldiers preparing the big cannon for an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Grable test at Fort Sill realized that the serial numbers did not match that of Atomic Annie, the whereabouts of which were unknown to most at the time.

An M65 cannon. US Army

When the Army tried to find Atomic Annie, which was briefly renamed "AWOL Annie" during the search, it was a bit of challenge because the atomic artillery pieces had been deployed across Europe and Asia, and their specific locations were classified to the point that only a limited number of people actually knew exactly where they were.

The legendary atomic cannon was eventually found in Germany and retrieved. It returned to Fort Sill in 1964, and Sad Sack was given to the Smithsonian, according to the Army.

Because of the rapid pace of nuclear-weapons development during the Cold War, the M65 cannons like Atomic Annie were obsolete within a decade of their initial fielding. The M65, which was fielded to deliver a devastating nuclear strike behind enemy lines, was withdrawn from service in 1963, just 10 years after the first and only shot.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The WHO has already co-authored on report on the Wuhan lab

The US health secretary has urged the World Health Organization to ensure the next phase of investigation into Covid-19's origins is "transparent".

Speaking to a ministerial-level WHO meeting, Xavier Becerra said international experts should be allowed to evaluate the source of coronavirus.

US media reports suggest growing evidence the virus could have emerged from a laboratory in China.

Covid-19 was first detected in 2019 in Wuhan, in central Hubei province.

Since then, more than 167 million cases and 3.4 million deaths have been reported worldwide.

In March this year, the WHO issued a report written jointly with Chinese scientists on the origins of Covid-19, saying the chances of it having started in a lab were "extremely unlikely". The WHO acknowledged further study was needed.

But questions have persisted and reports attributed to US intelligence sources say three members of the Wuhan Institute of Virology were admitted to hospital in November 2019, several weeks before China acknowledged the first case of the new disease in the community.

Beijing has angrily rejected the reports, repeatedly suggesting the virus may have come from a US laboratory instead.

Speaking to the WHO on Tuesday, US Secretary for Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra did not mention China by name. But he made it clear the US expected more rigour from the next stage of any investigation.

"The Covid-19 pandemic not only stole a year from our lives, it stole millions of lives," Mr Becerra said in an address to the World Health Assembly, a conference organised by the WHO.

He added: "Phase 2 of the Covid origins study must be launched with terms of reference that are transparent, science-based and give international experts the independence to fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak."

The White House said on Tuesday that it expected from the WHO an "expert-driven evaluation of the pandemic's origins that is free from interference or politicisation".

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Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and US President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, has maintained he believes the virus was passed from animals to humans, though he conceded this month he was no longer confident Covid-19 had developed naturally.

The lab leak claims were widely dismissed last year as a fringe conspiracy theory, after then-President Donald Trump said Covid-19 had originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Many US media outlets described such claims as debunked or false.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump sought to take credit in an emailed statement to the New York Post. "To me it was obvious from the beginning but I was badly criticised, as usual," he said. "Now they are all saying: 'He was right.'"
By Michelle Price and Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Wall Street bank chiefs will tout the role their institutions have played in getting the pandemic-hit U.S. economy back on track when they appear before Congress this week, but are likely to face tough questions on hot-button social and economic issues.

The Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees will hear from the chief executives of JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc, Wells Fargo & Co, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

In prepared testimony posted on Tuesday, the CEOs highlighted their banks' resilience during the pandemic and their efforts to support struggling clients. They also flagged their work on other priorities, including efforts to address climate change and structural racism.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said climate change is "one of the defining issues of our time," while Citigroup chief Jane Fraser said the banking industry cannot ignore the role it played in the past in contributing to "systemic inequities."

Wednesday's hearing is the first time the CEOs of the nation's largest banks will have testified before the Senate Banking Committee since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Democratic gains in the 2020 election handed control of that panel to Senator Sherrod Brown, a fierce Wall Street critic.

Brown said in an interview on Monday that banks' success steering through the pandemic was not enough.

"They did well, but they did well for themselves," he said. "Every time there's a crisis, banks seem to do better than the rest of the country."

While the hearings are unlikely to result in policy proposals, they are politically risky for the CEOs as scrutiny of their industry grows in Washington under Democratic leadership.

They are likely to be grilled on a raft of issues including economic inequality, fair lending, diversity, racial justice, climate change, cryptocurrencies and tax policies.

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"We expect these hearings to be disjointed and nebulous, but they will be must-watch television, nonetheless," Isaac Boltansky, a director at Compass Point Research & Trading, wrote in a note.

The banking industry's image has improved in Washington since the financial crisis more than a decade ago and big banks believe they have a good story to tell after getting $69 billion of COVID-19 aid into the hands of 850,000 struggling small businesses.

INDUSTRY WATERSHED

Wednesday will mark a watershed for the industry with Citigroup's Fraser, the first female CEO of a Wall Street bank, making her Capitol Hill debut.

She will appear alongside Dimon, Morgan Stanley's James Gorman, Well Fargo's Charles Scharf, Bank of America's Brian Moynihan and Goldman Sachs' David Solomon.

"Diversity, equity, inclusion  these banks have a great story to tell on these issues," said Richard Hunt, chief executive of the Consumer Bankers Association.

Still, the executives are likely to get heat from some lawmakers, particularly progressives who want them to do more to tackle wealth inequality, racial injustice and climate change.

The legislators are also likely to seek answers from the CEOs on evidence flagged by congressional reports that lenders discriminated against some borrowers when distributing pandemic aid, and whether Wall Street's wealthy pay enough taxes.

Republicans, on the other hand, are angry at what they see as Wall Street's liberal leanings and will likely criticize the CEOs for trying to drive social policies by curtailing credit for sectors such as gunmakers, private prisons and oil and gas.

"Banks influencing elements of social policy...presents a perilous political dynamic as attempts to placate the left will undoubtedly frustrate their historic allies on the right," wrote Boltansky.

(Reporting by Michelle Price and Pete Schroeder; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Search and rescue teams in western Washington state are searching for a man who went hiking alone in the mountains on Saturday and never returned, authorities said.

Thomas Simonseth, 66, of Mount Vernon, left for a day hike up the Hidden Lake Trail, about nine miles east of Marblemount, and was expected to be back by 7 p.m. that same day, the Skagit County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. No one has heard from Simonseth since he set off on Saturday morning.

LOS ANGELES HIKER FOUND BY A CREEK AFTER 5 DAYS LOST IN THE WILDERNESS

Simonseths wife, Rose, told Q13FOX that she was unable to sleep after her husband, a retired public school teacher, went missing.

"He was hiking alone, which he should have never done," she said. "Thats the hardest part."

After Simonseth failed to return Saturday, two of his friends with mountaineering experience hiked up to the area to look for him, the sheriffs office said. The pair spent the night in the hopes of resuming the search in the morning.

The sheriffs office launched an official search with the assistance of search and rescue groups from Skagit and other counties at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Day-long searches on Sunday and Monday both ended without locating Simonseth.

On Tuesday, multiple search and rescue teams returned to the mountain to conduct "a slow and methodical search" for the missing 66-year-old, the sheriffs office said in an update.

Officials said they were hopeful that the conditions would be clear enough to deploy a helicopter in the search effort.

The sheriffs office advised those wishing to help against going up the mountain to look for Simonseth.

"This is an active search with search and rescue teams from all over the area in a coordinated effort to locate Mr. Simonseth," the sheriffs office said.
Specialty grocer Earth Fare will open its sixth store in the Charlotte area next month. Its the final store  for now  that the retailer is looking to open in the region.

The 18,000-square-foot Davidson store will open at 8 a.m. June 9 at 261 Griffith St., in the former Healthy Home Market site, which closed four years ago.

The store layout will be different than other locations because of the up-fit, company spokeswoman Laurie Aker said.

Its about 5,000 square feet smaller than other Earth Fare locations but will include over 200 certified organic produce items and feature a hot bar, pizza station and pre-made salads to go, Aker said. There also will be a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating.

She said Earth Fare chose Davidson because it is a community that focuses on health and wellness and family.

Competition is heated and growing for grocery market share in Charlotte, with newcomers like Farmstead online-only grocer to Publix, Aldi and Lidl expansion plans.

Earth Fare will open in Davidson on June 9. Its the sixth store in the Charlotte market. Charlottes SouthPark store, shown, opened in October without a prior announcement to avoid crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earth Fares return

Earth Fare has opened five other Charlotte-area locations since August.

The Asheville-based company began reopening area stores after Hulsing Enterprises purchased the brand in spring last year. Earth Fare filed for bankruptcy in February 2020, closing its 55 stores in 10 states.

At that time, there were seven Charlotte-area stores. Other stores that have reopened are in Ballantyne, SouthPark, Concord, Fort Mill and Rock Hill. Two locations not reopening are at 14126 Steele Creek Road in Steele Creek and 14021 Boren St. in Huntersville.

Earth Fare made every effort to get its previous locations back. However, these two locations were purchased by other organizations, Aker said. We will be expanding just not in the Charlotte market right now.

Earth Fare, which specializes in organic foods, has opened 21 locations on the East Coast in eight states, with more openings planned in Florida, Virginia and Ohio.

While other local Earth Fare stores reopened quietly during the coronavirus pandemic, Aker said the Davidson opening will be a bigger event.

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Were definitely hoping to have a larger opening than our previous stores, she said.

Other grocery stores opening

Walmart remains No. 1 in market share in the Charlotte region, followed by Harris Teeter and then Food Lion, according to sales tracking firm Chain Store Guides latest report.

Several other grocers have laid plans to expand in Charlotte, too:

 Publix has plans to open at least five Charlotte locations. The Florida-based grocer this month signed a lease at Arboretum, at the southeast corner of Providence and Pineville-Matthews Roads.

Other stores planned are at North Creek Village at Sam Furr and Davidson Concord roads in Huntersville, 10 Tryon building on the northwest corner of Tryon and Ninth streets in uptown, at the corner of Sharon and Colony roads in South Park and a rezoning petition has been filed for a location at 11525 Carmel Commons.

 Food Lion, based in Salisbury, last month opened a store at 1620 Ashley Road in Charlotte. The company also acquired 62 Bi-Lo and Harveys Supermarkets in the Carolinas and Georgia last year and has begun reopening stores, including in York and Chester, S.C.

 Matthews-based Harris Teeter plans to open a store on Fort Mill Parkway in Fort Mill, S.C. The company reopened its 34,000-square-foot Park Road Shopping Center store in Charlotte in January after a year of renovations.

 Discount German grocer Lidl opened a store last month at 11225 S. Tryon St. in Steele Creek and is planning to open at least three more this year on South Boulevard, Carmel Commons and Mallard Creek Church Road. The latter is expected to open this summer.

 Aldi, another German low-cost grocer, recently opened stores in Cornelius, Rock Hill and Indian Land, S.C.

 Online-only grocer Farmstead last month expanded its free delivery service to North Carolina homes within an hours drive of its West Charlotte distribution hub. Charlotte was the Silicon Valley grocers first expansion out of the San Francisco area.
The Interior and Defense Departments have identified a region off the California coast that can support major offshore wind development that's consistent with military testing and training in the area, the White House said.

Why it matters: The Biden administration is looking to spur large-scale offshore wind development as part of its wider goal of decarbonizing U.S. power generation.

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Planned Atlantic Coast projects are much further along, but there are also strong wind resources off the West Coast that could generate large amounts of electricity.

Where it stands: Interior, working with Defense and California officials, have identified a roughly 400 square-mile area off California's central coast, northwest of Morro Bay, a White House summary notes.

The region can support up to 3 gigawatts of wind generating capacity, the White House said.

The administration is also looking to spur development in a separate coastal region in Northern California called the Humboldt Call Area.

"These initial areas for offshore wind development in the Pacific Ocean could bring up to 4.6 GW of clean energy to the grid, enough to power 1.6 million American homes," the White House said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on a call with reporters, said the state is backing offshore wind steps like funding to upgrade ports and steps to enable needed infrastructure.

He touted offshore wind as a way to help replace generation from the looming retirement of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in several years.

Catch up fast: The idea of wind energy development off California's coast is not new.

Large energy companies have previously expressed interest in projects there in recent years to the Interior Department.

Earlier this month the Interior Department approved Vineyard Wind, a project off the Massachusetts Coast that's slated to be the nation's first large-scale offshore wind facility.

In late March administration officials set a target of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind generating capacity operating in U.S. waters by 2030.

What they're saying: "Todays announcement reflects months of active engagement and dedication between partners who are committed to advancing a clean energy future," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

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Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said the Pentagon is "committed to working across the U.S. government" to support renewable energy in a way compatible with military operations.

The Defense Department is satisfied that theres not a tradeoff between the clean energy goals of this endeavor and our military readiness, said.

What we're watching: Getting projects from planning to construction and operation will be a multi-year endeavor.

Haaland, on a call with reporters, did not provide specifics on the timing of lease auctions. But she said: "This is a priority for us."

The White House noted that the deep Pacific Coast waters mean the efforts would bring deployment of floating offshore wind technology.

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President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16 for their first in-person summit, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The highly anticipated summit offers an early test of the Biden administration's goal of holding Russia accountable for its abuses while seeking a more "stable" and "predictable" relationship.

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The big picture: Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have soared in the first six months of the Biden presidency.

U.S. intelligence declassified a report on March 16 finding that Putin authorized election influence operations aimed at denigrating Biden's candidacy, supporting former President Trump, and undermining public confidence in the vote.

One day later, Biden said in an interview that he believes Putin is a "killer," prompting Moscow to recall its ambassador to the U.S.

The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Russia for election interference, the attempted poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the SolarWinds hack of federal agencies and the occupation of Crimea.

Russia has retaliated by expelling 10 U.S. diplomats and banning top U.S. officials from entering the country. Its massive military buildup on the eastern border of Ukraine drew warnings from the U.S. and its European allies.

Despite the tensions, both governments have expressed interest in cooperating on areas of mutual interest, like climate change and arms control.

Biden agreed to a five-year extension of the New START nuclear arms control pact as one of his first foreign policy moves after taking office, and Putin attended a virtual White House climate summit in April.

The Biden administration also waived sanctions on the corporate entity and Putin-allied CEO overseeing the construction of Nord Stream 2, allowing the Russian-owned pipeline to bypass Ukraine and deliver natural gas directly to Europe. The move has been rebuked on Capitol Hill as a geopolitical gift to Putin.

Timing: Ahead of meeting Putin, Biden will travel to the U.K. on June 11-13 for the G7 summit, followed by a trip to Brussels on June 14 for the NATO summit.

Story continues

Flashback: At a now-infamous summit in Helsinki in July 2018, Trump drew widespread condemnation by siding with Putin over his own intelligence community's assessment of Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

Go deeper: What key senators want from a Biden-Putin summit

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Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos via Elizabeth City Police Department/Facebook

Valerie Lindsey was protesting with a small crowd in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on Monday evening when a white sedan rolled up to an intersection partly blocked by activists enraged by the police killing of a local Black man.

Lindsey, who is Black, told The Daily Beast that the driver of that vehicle, 41-year-old Lisa Michelle OQuinn, rolled down her window and said that if members of the Elizabeth City Police Department, who were guarding the procession, were not present, the protesters would not be safe.

Lindsey added that, when she and two other protesters came closer to OQuinns car to confront her, OQuinn, who is white, uttered racial slurs, including the n-word. Two other witnesses to the incident confirmed that slurs were uttered.

She said it freely, Lindsey told The Daily Beast.

Gunfire Erupts at George Floyd Square as Mourners Gather for One-Year Anniversary

Then, police say, OQuinn drove her car into protesters, sending two of themincluding Lindseyto the hospital. The incident appeared to be just the latest instance of white reactionaries deliberately targeting racial-justice protesters, a brutal and grim hallmark of unrest in the George Floyd protest era.

And it came just hours before the anniversary of Floyds murder in Minneapolis.

I really feel like we were targeted, Deshawn Morris, 41, whose wife Michelle was the other protester allegedly struck by OQuinn, told The Daily Beast.

OQuinn was arrested on Monday and charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill by the use of a motor vehicle and one count of careless and reckless and one count of unsafe movement. She could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, and it was unclear if she was being represented by an attorney.

She has not been charged with a hate crime, though the Elizabeth City Police Department said in a press release that they would be investigating possible hate-crime charges. Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble, who has been the subject of protester ire for declining to press charges against the county Sheriffs deputies who shot and killed Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man, as he fled being served a warrant last month, did not respond to requests for comment.

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While police said OQuinn struck Lindsey and Michelle Morris, 42, witnesses told The Daily Beast that a third person, Joshua Grooten, was also hit by her car a short distance away.

Grooten, 27, said he often rides his bikes along the sides of planned protest routes to help keep cars from entering permitted processions. He said a police car was riding ahead of the procession on Monday and that an officer made sure OQuinn was completely stopped at an intersection before the protesters walked by chanting.

Grooten, who is white, said he heard OQuinn saying that without police, the group would not be safe, and saw the tense exchange between OQuinn, Lindsey, and others, though he could not hear it. He said that after OQuinn drove through Lindsey and Morris, he put his bike in her path to stop her and she hit the brakes just short of hitting him, slightly bending his bike. He said OQuinn told him to move after nearly hitting him, but said he only got out of the way when an Elizabeth City police officer asked him to do so.

Witnesses said they had no doubt about why the collision took place.

Thats premeditated, Deshawn Morris told The Daily Beast. There is no doubt about that at all. She meant to do exactly what she did.

He added that because OQuinn allegedly used slurs and drove her car toward Black protesters, he believed hate-crime charges would be fitting.

According to witnesses and videos from the scene viewed by The Daily Beast, after OQuinn hit Lindsey and Morris, an Elizabeth City police officer told protesters to move out of the way and let her through, angering them. They just wanted to let her go, Morris said. The Elizabeth City Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Grooten and other witnesses said that after OQuinn sped away, she was stopped quickly by another police vehicle and arrested.

According to the Elizabeth City Police Department, OQuinn was being held in the Albemarle District Jail with a bond set at $40,000. A spokesperson for the Albemarle District Jail told The Daily Beast that OQuinn was still incarcerated as of Tuesday evening.

Lindsey said she was treated in the hospital and released with no life-threatening injuries. Morris said his wife was also released from the hospital but was still in pain and sore on one side of her body.

Shes also shaken up mentally. She got hit by a car, he said.

Morris, who said he grew up with Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City and has been protesting since his death in April, said the incident would not deter protesters from continuing to take to the streets.

He added that although no charges had been filed against the officers who shot and killed Brownthe FBI was still conducting a civil rights probe into the caseprotesters werent even close to finished. And attacks like the one on Monday were not going to stop them.

We just dont have any faith at all in our top officials, he told The Daily Beast. We just need to put people in positions that are going to work for everybody.

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Before he was Kentuckys junior senator, Rand Paul was a practicing ophthalmologist. So when the doctor turned Republican lawmaker recently announced that he would not be getting vaccinated for COVID-19 because he already has natural immunity, some Americans may have assumed he was following the science.

He wasnt.

Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, Paul told radio host John Catsimatidis, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease and I have natural immunity.

Sen. Rand Paul at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal response to COVID-19 on May 11. (Jim Lo Scalzo/AFP via Getty Images)

In March 2020, Paul was the first U.S. senator to test positive for the coronavirus. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization both say prior infection is no reason to refuse vaccination.

Its very important for people who have had COVID-19 in any form to get the COVID-19 vaccine shots, explains Yahoo News Medical Contributor Dr. Kavita Patel, a primary care physician in Washington, D.C., who also serves as a health policy fellow at the Brookings Institution. One, it protects them as individuals from getting reinfected or infected with a new variant, which we know can happen. Two, it also helps us as a society get closer to that population or herd level of immunity where we just dont have any cases, or as close to zero as possible.

Paul is hardly alone in thinking a prior infection makes vaccination redundant. According to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month, 7 percent of unvaccinated U.S. adults say the fact they already had COVID-19 is the most important reason they havent gotten vaccinated yet. Thats the equivalent of more than 7 million people.

But 7 million Americans (and at least one physician-politician) can be mistaken  and so far, the science suggests they are.

The problem isnt so much, as Paul put it, that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick because they remain unvaccinated. Its clear that prior infection confers some degree of immunity.

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A person on a gurney is transported to Elmhurst Hospital Center on March 2 in New York City. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

The problem is that experts dont know exactly how much immunity prior infection confers, or how long that immunity lasts.

In some cases, immunity [from a COVID infection] doesnt even last six months, says Patel, citing studies that suggest people who experienced asymptomatic infections (like Paul) go on to lose their SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies more often and rapidly than symptomatic patients. Another recent study published in the Lancet, meanwhile, has suggested that age could be a factor as well, with prior infection giving those under the age of 65 years around 80 percent protection against reinfection versus just 47 percent for those over 65. Paul is 58.

Then there are virus variants to consider. [Researchers] take peoples blood who have been infected, and they take their antibodies and try to test them against [newer] variants, Patel continues. Sometimes it doesnt work, which means that even a previously infected person could still be susceptible to what we would call a second infection or a reinfection.

In contrast, researchers already know that immunity from the approved COVID-19 vaccines lasts longer than six months  likely between a year and several years. Study after study has also shown that the vaccines remain very effective against every concerning variant worldwide.

Unlike prior infection, explains Patel, these vaccines actually make your body produce antibodies that can attach to lots of different receptors on that [coronavirus] spike protein. That is important because as new variants that we dont even know about crop up, being able to have antibodies that can attack those spike proteins on a new variant is incredibly valuable.

Dr. Kavita Patel in Creve Coeur, Mo., in 2017. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Overall, more than 15 studies have shown that even a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine for people who already had the disease provides superior immune protection than natural immunity; some have even suggested that one dose for people with prior COVID offers stronger immunity than two doses for people who were never infected.

In other words, both infection and vaccination provide immunity. But right now researchers are certain that vaccination-induced immunity is both comprehensive and long-lasting for pretty much everyone who gets jabbed. They cant say the same about natural immunity. As a result, it is safer for previously infected individuals to get vaccinated (which carries no real risk) than to rely on natural immunity for long-term protection from COVID-19.

The same is true beyond the individual level as well. The latest data suggests that the COVID-19 vaccines not only reduce symptoms and serious illness but infection itself  which in turn drastically reduces transmission of the virus. If we had better tests to look at how much antibody I have [after] I had COVID-19, maybe we could compare the effects of vaccination and prior infection on viral spread, says Patel. But we dont. So again, getting vaccinated is a surer, safer way of breaking the ability of the virus to infect [other] people and ending the pandemic.

Even if you were infected, getting a vaccine doesnt just help you, explains Patel. It helps the people around you as well.

Whether this argument carries weight with Americans such as Rand Paul remains to be seen. In March of last year, Paul continued to go to work at the U.S. Capitol for six days after testing positive, potentially exposing his colleagues to the virus. And last week he justified his refusal to get vaccinated by mischaracterizing CDC recommendations as Orwellian diktats and trumpeting the same notions of personal freedom that inform his libertarian politics.

A health care worker prepares Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses at a clinic in Immokalee, Fla., on Thursday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In a free country, you would think people would honor the idea that each individual would get to make the medical decision, that it wouldnt be a Big Brother coming to tell me what I have to do, Paul said. Are they also going to tell me I cant have a cheeseburger for lunch? Are they going to tell me that I have to eat carrots only and cut my calories? All that would probably be good for me, but I dont think Big Brother ought to tell me to do it.

The difference, of course, is that cheeseburgers arent contagious.

____

Read more from Yahoo News:
I am excited to get to work this fall, Cline told the dozens gathered. I know each one of you recognize just how important this falls elections are because we have seen what the left, in just two short years of control in Richmond, has done, and we can stop it if we step up and remind people what the values of Amherst are. Those are the values we want to see represented down in Richmond.

Cline said the majority of Amherst voters want a secure border, oppose efforts to defund police and hold firm to pro-life, pro-gun rights values. Five months into his second term, Cline said each time he visits Amherst he is fired up to go back to Washington, D.C. and fight House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even harder.

Weve got of work to do up in Washington, D.C., because the swamp is back and it's back with a vengeance in the White House. Joe Biden has brought the swamp back with him, Cline said

Cline said President Biden is pushing a radical left agenda in contrast with the values and issues Amherst County residents hold dear.
Dungan said LPD still is developing details, such as a committee that would conduct further review of unresolved complaints or critical incidents including officer-involved shootings.

We want people to be on that committee who want to be on that committee and who will hold us accountable, but also understand what our officers go through, she said. So in order to be on that committee, theyre going to have to go through significant training to understand our policies, our procedures, Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, all that kind of stuff.

The Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights spells out the rights and privileges of officers while under investigation and in a few other circumstances.

Interest in the group surged over the summer, Dungan said, with upwards of 20 people attending its June meeting. But that interest waxes and wanes: the January 2021 meeting had nine participants, five of whom were police.

The advisory group will be discussing how to select members in the future, she added  some members have asked the department directly to join the group and others have joined through a pre-existing member.
ROANOKE - Students, faculty and staff at Virginias community colleges will not be required to be vaccinated to be on campus this fall, the state system announced Tuesday.

Glenn DuBois, the chancellor of Virginias Community Colleges, said the decision was made in consultation with the 23 community colleges. People who are fully vaccinated will not have to wear a mask while on campus, which is in accordance with the most recent guidance from the state and CDC.

DuBois said colleges are encouraging students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated, but the lack of residence halls and public health infrastructure at community colleges factored into the decision to not mandate coronavirus vaccines.

And given our colleges offerings of short-term training and credentialing programs, mandating proof of vaccination may create an impractical and unintended barrier to student enrollment, thus diminishing our ability to deliver our mission at this critical time, DuBois said in a statement.

With the fall semester nearing, institutions of higher learning are making decisions about whether to require people to be vaccinated to work or to learn at campuses.
The state of Ohio and the U.S. Census Bureau asked a judge on Tuesday to place on hold their court fight over when data used for redrawing congressional and legislative districts will be released.

As part of a settlement agreement, the Census Bureau promised to release the redistricting data no later than Aug. 16  a date it had previously picked for releasing the numbers in an older format. The bureau also agreed to provide Ohio with twice-monthly updates on its progress toward meeting that deadline.

Ohio will drop its lawsuit against the statistical agency once the redistricting data is released on that date, according to the agreement.

Ohio sued the Commerce Secretary earlier this year after the Census Bureau said it would be unable to meet a legal deadline to release the redistricting data to the states by March 31 because of delays caused by the pandemic. The bureau said in February that the data would be available in an older format in mid-August and in a more user-friendly format by the end of September. A federal judge dismissed Ohios case and the state appealed, saying the delay threatened its ability to meet redistricting deadlines approved by voters and set in its state constitution.
Exploring inside of Japan's coolest shrine. Embeded in the mountains about 2 hours south of Tokyo in an area with a long history, called Kamakura, there is a shrine that beats all others.

A place that gives off literally ALL of the ghibli vibes, and today... this is our destination. As we walk through the streets of Kamakura, welcome to our first full adventure here on Tokyo Lens Expore! - Tokyo Lens Explore

Shinjuku, the best area in Tokyo?

ONLY in JAPAN * GO - Jun 10

Where is the best location in Tokyo to stay, to visit, to eat? Many say its Shinjuku. Where is the best location in Tokyo to stay, to visit, to eat? Many say its Shinjuku.

U.S. government lowers Japan travel warning level

soranews24.com - Jun 10

Last month, the United States placed Japan on its list of Level-4 travel advisory countries, the highest possible ranking and one which carries a do not travel warning, due to the countrys coronavirus conditions. Just over two weeks later, though, Japan has now been removed from Level-4 status. Last month, the United States placed Japan on its list of Level-4 travel advisory countries, the highest possible ranking and one which carries a do not travel warning, due to the countrys coronavirus conditions. Just over two weeks later, though, Japan has now been removed from Level-4 status.

Temperatures soar across Japan

NHK - Jun 10

The mercury rose above 35 degrees Celsius for the first time in Japan this year on Wednesday as temperatures surged across wide areas of the country. The mercury rose above 35 degrees Celsius for the first time in Japan this year on Wednesday as temperatures surged across wide areas of the country.

Osaka ranked world's second most livable city, Tokyo fourth

Japan Times - Jun 09

The pandemic has shaken up the rankings of the worlds most livable cities, a study released Wednesday showed, with Osaka and Tokyo ranking in the top five and metropolises in Australia and New Zealand also leaping ahead of those in Europe. The pandemic has shaken up the rankings of the worlds most livable cities, a study released Wednesday showed, with Osaka and Tokyo ranking in the top five and metropolises in Australia and New Zealand also leaping ahead of those in Europe.

Imperial Household Agency reopens East Gardens

NHK - Jun 09

The Imperial Household Agency has reopened the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The site was closed for six months, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Imperial Household Agency has reopened the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The site was closed for six months, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japanese hotel transforms into airsoft survival games centre after Covid-19 closure

South China Morning Post - Jun 09

A capsule hotel in Yokohama, Japan has been transformed into an venue for airsoft survival games after going out of business during the coronavirus pandemic. With the premises still in good shape, the hotels owners partnered with an airsoft-themed bar to host the competitions. A capsule hotel in Yokohama, Japan has been transformed into an venue for airsoft survival games after going out of business during the coronavirus pandemic. With the premises still in good shape, the hotels owners partnered with an airsoft-themed bar to host the competitions.

Akihabaras empty buildings are on the rise

ONLY in JAPAN - Jun 07

Akihabara is a buzzing shopping hub famed for its electronics retailers, ranging from tiny stalls to vast department stores like Yodobashi Multimedia Akiba. Akihabara is a buzzing shopping hub famed for its electronics retailers, ranging from tiny stalls to vast department stores like Yodobashi Multimedia Akiba.

Climbing season opens for Mt. Ontake

NHK - Jun 07

Local officials in central Japan have prayed for the safety of trekkers on Mount Ontake as the climbing season opened for the area. The mountain erupted seven years ago, causing the country's deadliest volcanic disaster since World War Two. Local officials in central Japan have prayed for the safety of trekkers on Mount Ontake as the climbing season opened for the area. The mountain erupted seven years ago, causing the country's deadliest volcanic disaster since World War Two.

Japan's Most Dangerous Airplane | Nightmare at 10,000 Feet

Abroad in Japan - Jun 07

We fly over Japan's most active volcano, Sakurajima, before heading to the subtropical paradise of Yakushima island. But not all goes according to plan. Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands begins! We fly over Japan's most active volcano, Sakurajima, before heading to the subtropical paradise of Yakushima island. But not all goes according to plan. Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands begins!

Former prime ministers art on show at heritage site in Kyoto

Asahi - Jun 07

Morihiro Hosokawa, who served briefly as prime minister and devoted his retirement from politics to painting, on June 5 presented a series of his sliding screen ink work to a Buddhist temple here that has centuries-old links with his family. Morihiro Hosokawa, who served briefly as prime minister and devoted his retirement from politics to painting, on June 5 presented a series of his sliding screen ink work to a Buddhist temple here that has centuries-old links with his family.

First weekend after state of emergency extended

NHK - Jun 06

Japan has entered its first weekend since the coronavirus state of emergency was extended for nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka. Some facilities have reopened with anti-infection measures in place. Japan has entered its first weekend since the coronavirus state of emergency was extended for nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka. Some facilities have reopened with anti-infection measures in place.

This Is the Perfect Road Trip Meal

outsideonline.com - Jun 06

When it comes to eating on the road, there are a few schools of thought. Some pack pretzels, fruit, and lunch meats into a cooler with Tetris-like precision. Others prefer rolling the dice on roadside stands and gas station burritos. When it comes to eating on the road, there are a few schools of thought. Some pack pretzels, fruit, and lunch meats into a cooler with Tetris-like precision. Others prefer rolling the dice on roadside stands and gas station burritos.

Japan's Robot Hotel

VICE - Jun 04

Motherboard goes to Japan to visit the Henn-na Hotel, which is staffed almost entirely by robots. Our host Ben Ferguson meets some of our future android companions and talks to CEO Hideo Sawada about his vision to replace human workers with machines. Motherboard goes to Japan to visit the Henn-na Hotel, which is staffed almost entirely by robots. Our host Ben Ferguson meets some of our future android companions and talks to CEO Hideo Sawada about his vision to replace human workers with machines.

EU eases restrictions on nonessential travelers from Japan

Kyodo - Jun 04

The European Union said Thursday that it has added Japan to a small list of countries for which restrictions on nonessential travelers should be lifted. The European Union said Thursday that it has added Japan to a small list of countries for which restrictions on nonessential travelers should be lifted.

Tokyo nightlife bustles despite state of emergency

Japan Today - Jun 03

COVID-19 cases are still high and hospitals remain under strain despite a state of emergency as Japan on Thursday marks 50 days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics. COVID-19 cases are still high and hospitals remain under strain despite a state of emergency as Japan on Thursday marks 50 days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.
We have a hill to climb, she said, but we can climb it if we have a good focus.

Part of that climb may include countering some of the myths and misconceptions that have circulated about the vaccines. Here are some of the concerns local experts have heard and what theyre telling patients.

The vaccines were rushed through an expedited process that skipped some safety steps.

Any shortcuts in the development of the vaccines came not because steps were skipped but because vaccine-makers took many of the steps that are normally taken one after the other at the same time, said Dr. James Lawler, an executive director at the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security.

Normally, he said, a vaccine developer wouldnt start building a manufacturing facility until a vaccine candidate had gone through the entire testing process and received federal approval.

With COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the federal government and others funded the development of manufacturing capacity so production plants would be ready to go by the time the vaccines were ready.
Bahena Rivera remained largely expressionless throughout the day. He watched as the medical examiner discussed several photos showing the wounds to Tibbetts body, which had decomposed by the time it was recovered.

After identifying Bahena Rivera as a person of interest Aug. 16, Vileta said he had to find Spanish-speaking officers to question the Mexican national and other dairy farm workers, describing that four-day gap as a nervous time.

Vileta noted that the  political environment  for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. was hostile in 2018, and said he worried that Bahena Rivera or others might flee if they knew they were being sought for questioning. Thats why investigators took DNA samples from Hispanic workers at the farm, so they could be identified if they later disappeared, he said.

Vileta said he asked Iowa City police officer Pamela Romero to question Rivera because she is fluent in Spanish, even though she had little interrogation experience.
Thanks for nothing, Chris Cuomo.

The publics trust in traditional media is at an all-time low, with 56% of Americans agreeing with the statement that, Journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations, according to data reported by Axios.

It doesnt help that former President Donald Trump spent his campaign and time in office popularizing the term fake news and branding journalists the enemy of the people.

It doesnt help that social media has blurred the lines, almost to the point of erasure, between vetted, fact-checked information and the rantings of ill-informed ideologues.

And it doesnt help that 68% of Americans usually get their news from television, where many cable news hosts have abandoned all pretense of objectivity in favor of the sweet lure of ratings  ratings that are easier to achieve when you sow outrage and fear, rather than deliver insights and context.

Its within that landscape that Cuomo, the host of CNNs nightly show Cuomo Prime Time, joined strategy session phone calls with the staff of his older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to discuss the handling of sexual harassment allegations against the governor.
Indeed, its apparent that Statehouse Republicans do listen closely to their loudest constituents. Over and over since January, theyve served up what they said Iowans demanded:

Laws making it harder to vote, to appease believers in former President Donald Trumps lie that the presidential election was stolen.

A crackdown on protests, instead of addressing the racial justice inequities voiced by the protesters.

Limitations on curriculum that challenges conventional narratives about American and Iowa history, because such perspectives make people uncomfortable.

Declarations that public health takes a back seat to individuals choices when it comes to vaccination and masks.

In those cases and others, Republicans demonstrated responsiveness. But they could have aspired more toward leadership. By telling the truth about the election. By passing Reynolds proposal to ban racial profiling by law enforcement. By defining free speech to include discussion of shortcomings in our past. By acting with restraint rather than abandon in shedding COVID-19 precautions  even precautions that could protect kids mental health and learning.
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Police say the death of a man who fatally shot himself as he was being chased by officers in north Omaha will be investigated as an in-custody death.
Its likely Omaha and Lincoln would each get one of the maximum five inland port districts, Person said. It makes sense to explore the new bills possibilities for the rail park especially with Bailey Yard being right in our backyard..

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With the inland-port bill clearing the Legislature only last week, were trying to learn on the run on this thing, he added.

We have been given some resources, thanks to some work that Jeremy (Givens) did for people who are well versed in this, and were going to continue having those conversations.

Bruns asked Givens for Union Pacifics perspective on setting up the proposed rail park as an inland port district.

If something like this were to be put in place, how does this benefit or not benefit Bailey Yard? Bruns said.

Givens said there would definitely be a revenue benefit for the railroad.

We have a big benefit in grabbing the revenue that comes in from having something so easy for us to serve from an operations standpoint, Givens said.
"By educating Nebraskans about the steps they should take, Nebraskans did what they always do  they took care of their neighbors, they stepped up and did the right thing," he said.

People already are returning to normal activities. Mark Johnson, co-owner of restaurants in west Omaha and Lincolns Haymarket area, said business during Mothers Day week was the highest in 24 years. One customer in Lincoln even stood up in the middle of the dining room last weekend to proclaim how happy he was that mask mandates were ending.

People are ready to go out, Johnson said Monday. With the vaccinations and everything, they just feel safer. And I notice that people are just happier. It's great to see.

Ricketts billed his Monday press conference as his final update on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just after the state recorded its first case on March 6, 2020, the governor began holding daily media briefings detailing sometimes grim case counts and deaths and the latest, urgent steps to quell the spread of the highly contagious virus.

The state rolled out a free, drive-through testing program called Test Nebraska as Nebraskans searched for places to find out if they had the virus. Terms like quarantine and Zoom became commonplace.
Dublin, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Malaysia Air Purifiers Market, By Filter Type (HEPA + Activated Carbon, Prefilter + HEPA + Activated Carbon, Prefilter + HEPA, HEPA and Other Air Purifiers), By Sales Channel, By Company, By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Malaysian Air Purifiers Market was valued USD68.31 million in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at an impressive rate of 5.41% in the forecast period 2022-2026.

This can be attributed to the increasing prevalence of respiratory and allergy-related diseases. Air pollution is rising rapidly, especially in urban areas giving rise to a plethora of air borne diseases. Growing awareness regarding the benefits of installing air purifiers in the residential as well as commercial spaces is fueling the market growth for the forecast period.

High-end investments by the major market players for technological advancement of air purifiers to increase the air purifiers' efficiency and performance is fostering the demand for air purifiers in the market. Growing disposable income of the consumers and preference towards maintaining higher living standards is paving the way for the growth of air purifiers market. Rising adoption of air pollution equipment by consumers to purify the air for consumption and maintain consumers' health levels is influencing the market positively.

Additionally, the sudden outbreak and spread of pandemic COVID-19 has increased awareness among the consumers pertaining to air quality in order to save themselves from the spread of the virus. This in turn is expected to fuel the market growth in the forecast period. Several claims made by world health organizations, pointing out the degrading air quality and its serious implications over consumers' health are contributing to the preference shift of consumers towards air purifiers.



Based on sales channel, the market can be segmented into multi-brand stores, online and exclusive stores. Among these, online segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.93%. The rapid growth of this segment can be attributed to many factors, most recent being COVID-19 pandemic. The amount of people feeling safe to gather at a single place has dramatically reduced from thousands, to very few.

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As cities went under lockdown in 2020, people started avoiding public places, and went shopping only for essential items. According to statistics, the number of people shopping on the internet has risen drastically in recent years. The return policies and attractive discounts offered by online retailers are better than those of local stores. This has further fueled the growth of online channels in the market.

Major companies are developing advanced technologies and launching new services to stay competitive in the market. Other competitive strategies include mergers & acquisitions and new service developments.



The major players operating in the Malaysian Air Purifiers Market are

Sharp Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd

Philips Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Panasonic Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

CUCKOO International (MAL) Sdn. Bhd.

Coway (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

AMWAY (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Xiaomi - Mi Malaysia

Hitachi Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Berhad

Samsung Malaysia Electronics (SME) Sdn. Bhd.

Dyson Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Key Target Audience:

Air purifier manufacturing companies, distributors, suppliers

Market research and consulting firms

Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers

Organizations, forums and alliances related to air purifiers

Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2016-2019

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Period: 2022-2026

Report Scope:



Malaysia Air Purifiers Market, By Filter Type:

HEPA + Activated Carbon

Prefilter + HEPA + Activated Carbon

Prefilter + HEPA

HEPA

Other Air Purifiers

Malaysia Air Purifiers Market, By Sales Channel:

Multi-Branded Stores

Exclusive Stores

Online

Others

Malaysia Air Purifiers Market, By Region:

West Malaysia

East Malaysia

Key Topics Covered:



1. Air Purifiers: An Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Impact of COVID -19 on Malaysia Air Purifiers Market



4. Executive Summary



5. Voice of Customer



6. Malaysia Air Purifiers Market Outlook



7. Malaysia HEPA + Activated Carbon Air Purifiers Market Outlook



8. Malaysia Prefilter + HEPA Air Purifiers Market Outlook



9. Malaysia Prefilter + HEPA + Activated Carbon Air Purifiers Market Outlook



10. 10. Malaysia HEPA Air Purifiers Market Outlook



11. Demand & Supply Analysis



12. Market Dynamics



13. Market Trends & Developments



14. Policy & Regulatory Landscape



15. Import Export Analysis



16. Malaysia Economic Profile



17. Competitive Landscape

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gxe94c

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






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Few countries have profited from Chinas rise as Australia has over the past decades. The insatiable appetite for raw materials such as iron ore, coal, and natural gas, has fueled the economy since the early 1990s. Recently, political tensions between China and Australia have led to a vicious circle of deteriorating economic and political relations. The most recent development being Beijings willingness to reduce LNG imports from Australia.

The two countries, enjoy a high level of economic complementarity, on paper at least. The booming Chinese economy requires vast volumes of raw materials which Australian companies can produce for competitive prices. If it werent for the challenge of maintaining stable political relations, trade between the countries would be a textbook example of economic cooperation.

Canberra, however, has become wary of Beijings growing influence which it fears due to the authoritarian political system of the Asian country. The restrictive nature of the flow of information in the Chinese system and its failure to address the spread of the novel coronavirus on time was the reason for Canberra to call on an international investigation into the origins of the disease. Beijing was not amused by Australias assertiveness which it accused of doing President Trumps bidding and damaging the countries relations beyond repair.

Last year China retaliated by barring specific Australian products such as barley and wine. The list was later extended with coal which is a much more important export product. Chinese importers have been trying to replace coal from Australia with supplies from Indonesia and Russia. With limited success though. Related: Secret Meeting Between Saudi Arabia And Iran May Trigger Major Policy Change



For example, the price of Russian coal with an energy value of 5,500 kcal/kg is being sold at $115/tons in June. The same product can be sourced from Australia for just $55 according to commodity price reporting agency Argus. The significant price difference shows Chinas steadfastness when it comes to asserting its economic dominance in the region.

Recently, Beijing has found another tool with which it can assert its interests vis-a-vis Canberra. The Australian LNG sector has gone through a remarkable period of growth during the past decade. The rise in production even dethroned Qatar as the worlds largest producer. Again, as in the case with other commodities, China is the kingmaker.

In the period until 2022, a remarkable 95 percent of growth will come from Asia in general and China in particular. The business of LNG is such that high upfront investments and offtake contracts are usually necessary to reduce risks and ensure profitability for investors. Therefore, China is essential for the sector which repeatedly faces oversupply.

Despite the deteriorating political relations energy trade concerning natural gas has been on the rise. Chinese buyers are importing record volumes from producers in Australia.

However, a storm is brewing. Last week Beijing suspended a formal economic dialogue mechanism and issued a warning regarding the buying of new cargoes from Australia. Although the message was aimed towards two smaller second-tier importers who satisfy just 11 percent of China's total LNG demand, it unequivocally shows that more is to come. The remaining 90 percent of imports are carried out by large state-owned companies. Beijing could impose an all-out ban the moment it sees an opportunity to source sufficient volumes from competitors. Related: A Rare Moment Of Stability For Oil Prices

Energy relations with Russia, for example, are already of strategic value to Beijing. Chinas Silk Road Fund invested in the Novateks Yamal project in the far north. In addition, deals are already being signed for the future export of LNG from the yet-to-be-built Arctic-2 facility.

But the biggest challenge for Australias LNG sector comes from Qatar. Doha intends to increase production by 40 percent to 110 mtpa by 2026. The country is expected to announce another round of expansion this year to 126 mtpa by 2027. Therefore, in the long-term, there are multiple alternatives for Chinese importers.

While two decades ago western companies were at the forefront of the development of Qatars energy industry, Chinas importance has become overwhelming for producers as demand in the Asian country remains strong. Chinese CNOOCs CFO, for example, already declared that his company is very interested in Qatars gas projects.

These are bad signs for Australias LNG sector as political tensions wont subside any time soon. While the western world and Australia are recovering from their hang-over concerning economic relations with China, Beijing is also contemplating. This could lead to a reorientation of economic cooperation towards countries that are more friendly to Chinese interests and less vocal. Canberra is also not likely to budge. Therefore, expect Beijing to increase economic costs with Australia even as it hurts the Chinese economy to a certain degree.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

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The IEAs shocking call for no new oil and gas exploration on the path to net-zero emissions doesnt necessarily follow that demand through to its logical end game. A line-up of countries would descend into chaos, creating global instability that would itself threaten the climate by hindering a natural energy transition.

Lofty goals are, well, lofty. And more often than not, they are Western, for obvious reasons emanating from developed countries.

Outside of North America, the East Asian powerhouses and Western Europe ...

Saudi Arabia and UAE would fare well. Both have the means and will to diversify away from oil and embrace clean energy.

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman (MBS) has reinvented himself as a technocrat who is barely even interested in oil anymore, or conflict. Hes interested in his massive smart city, Neom, near the Red Sea: A hugely expensive and ambitious undertaking in new energy and tourism that he has dubbed a revolution in urban living. He is interested in creating a vast economy that is not dependent on oil--at all. In fact, the Kingdom just dumped its $1.2 billion in shares in Canadian oil giant Suncor. Instead, the Saudi wealth fund has picked up massive positions in the video game industry.

The UAE now claims that 70% of its economic activity comes from non-oil sectors.

Russia might not collapse under the weight of no new oil exploration, but its diversification away from oil and gas--which has long been used as geopolitical leverage--has been slow, at best.

Between 2010 and 2018, oil and gas production increased its share in the Russian economy from 34.3% to 38.9%, while non-oil production activity decreased its share from 53.2% to 50.7%, according to the Warsaw Institute, citing Rosstat data. At the same time, Putin is attempting to position Russia as a leader in climate change mitigation by focusing less on oil and more on natural gas, which it has latched onto (not without reason) as the bridge fuel to a cleaner future. Russias current LNG operations can ostensibly get it through the IEAs lofty goals, which will not be heeded at any rate.

Where the logic really breaks down most catastrophically is in Africa, where five of OPECs 13 member states are from. Theyre all massively dependent on oil.

One of the worst case scenarios is Angola.

At the end of last year, Angola was set for a promotion from the Least Developed Country (LCD) list. COVID-19 delayed that. Not only is Angola one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world, but its also been in recession for six years. When the pandemic stuck and took oil demand with it, Angola went into crisis mode. Now, its stuck in the LCD category until 2024, barring any further catastrophes.

Against that backdrop, Angolan oil production has been on the decline for five years, and the worst is yet to come. Five years ago, Angola was the top producer in Africa. Now, its oil production has plunged to a 15-year low, under 1.2 million bpd. Libya pumps more, and that says a lot. It was on the downward trend long before COVID, yet another nail in this coffin.

According to OPEC, oil contributes 50% of Angolas GDP and accounts for nearly 90% of its exports.

Now, Angola is hoping that new oil concessions will attract over $67 billion in investment. The IEAs net-zero recommendations dont fall in line with this--at all.

Then, we have Nigeria and Chad, two additional African locations that cant meet the IEAs criteria.

Nigeria had just started recovering from a 2017 recession when the pandemic-driven oil crisis hit. Oil accounts for 90% of Nigerias foreign exchange earnings and 60% of its revenue. Less ominous than Angola, oil accounts for about 9% of Nigerias GDP. Its now targeting a lot more deepwater drilling.

Across Africa, an end to oil exploration could lead to a heightened radical Islamic insurgency that would (and already has started to) spread across the region.

Mozambique, the location of French Total SAs now-delayed giant LNG project, is the starting point of a new Sahel in jihadist terms, and more (smart and not corrupt) development of resources is one way to loosen the grip of ISIS and its affiliates. Poverty and unrest makes for brilliant ISIS recruits. And it will be a transnational insurgency like weve never seen before.

The IEA isnt calling for an end to oil. Its calling for an end to new exploration. Thats why well leave Iraq out of this doom-and-gloom picture for now, even though it would crumble under the weight of zero oil and leave the entire region mired in worse conflict than ever. Iraq is not as much about new exploration as it is about enhancing existing production.

The only shorter-term silver lining is that an end to new oil and gas exploration might lead to higher oil prices, which could temporarily boost African economies and staunch unrest. After that, there is no indication that any of these economies are ready for an energy transition, and the IEA, of course, cant force it on them. If it did, they would crumble and we would see conflict just as brutal as climate change itself.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The Biden Administration plans to source the key metals for electric vehicles from allies outside America and focus on processing those materials in the United States, officials told Reuters in what could be a blow to U.S. miners and a move to appease environmentalists.

The U.S. Administration is keen to progress electrification and significantly increased use of EVs as part of its plans to curb emissions and fight climate change. However, in doing so, the Biden Administration is more likely to focus on job creation in the processing of the raw materials for EVs, rather than on sourcing those critical metals with more permits for mining in the United States, the Reuters sources with direct knowledge of the plans said.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden said he planned to replace the whole federal vehicle fleet with electric cars, creating one million jobs in the process. Jobs aside, we're talking about more than 600,000 cars that will be replaced with EVs.

The Biden Administration's proposed jobs plan envisages a $174 billion investment "to win the EV market" by enabling automakers to spur domestic supply chains "from raw materials to parts, retool factories to compete globally, and support American workers to make batteries and EVs."

Yet, China has built a strong position in the entire supply chain of critical minerals, from raw materials to processing those minerals into battery-ready components.

To reduce reliance on China for the energy transition and the climate agenda, the U.S. must either mine those minerals on home soil or source them from allies overseas. The sources of critical minerals could be countries like Canada, Australia, or Brazil.

"It's not that hard to dig a hole. What's hard is getting that stuff out and getting it to processing facilities. That's what the U.S. government is focused on," one of Reuters' sources said.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Iran may have some 69 million barrels of oil in floating storage waiting on tankers to travel to buyers when U.S. sanctions on its crude oil exports are removed, estimates from E.A. Gibson Shipbrokers cited by Bloomberg showed on Tuesday.

Citigroup also has a similar estimate on Irans floating storage. In a note on Monday, the bank said Iran could have around 65 million barrels of oil stored at sea, plus another 54 million barrels in storage onshore.

The United States and Iran have been holding indirect talks in Vienna since last month on possible ways for both countries to return to the so-called Iran nuclear deal. U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled a willingness to return to the nuclear deal, but only if Iran returns to full compliance in its nuclear activities. Iran, for its part, has said it would start complying with the nuclear deal only after the U.S. lifts the sanctions on Tehran.

The official meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), marking the beginning of the fifth round of the Vienna talks, is starting on Tuesday, May 25, Mikhail Ulyanov, who leads the Russian delegation at the talks, tweeted early on Tuesday, adding in a reply to a question that this could be the final round of talks.

In case an agreement is reached, and after the U.S. sanctions are lifted, Iran could deliver oil to major export markets, including India and China, within 10-20 days, Citigroup said in its Monday note, as carried by Bloomberg.

Yet, Irans floating crude will not be cleared overnight after a lifting of the U.S. sanctions, Gibson Shipbrokers head of research Richard Matthews told Bloomberg. The payment channels must also be cleared, as well as all other formalities before buyers regain confidence that they would be buying Iranian oil legitimately. Therefore, the clearing of Irans crude oil stash will likely take months with a gradual ramp-up of activity, Matthews told Bloomberg.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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OPEC has had to remind once again the laggards in compliance in the OPEC+ oil production deal to submit plans on how they will compensate for pumping above their respective quotas in recent months, sources at OPEC told Energy Intelligence this week.

There are 10 producers in the OPEC+ alliance who have overproduced beyond their allowances since the latest pact became effective on May 1 last year. Of those 10 producers, as many as seven have yet to submit plans to the OPEC Secretariat on how they plan to compensate for breaching their quotas, the sources told Energy Intelligence.

At the latest ministerial meeting of OPEC+, the ministers noted at the end of April that all countries pledged to achieve full conformity and make up for previous adjustment shortfalls during the extended compensation period, which runs through the end of September 2021, and stressed the importance of accelerating the market rebalancing efforts without delay.

The ministers, however, noted that some countries have yet to achieve the minimum expectation of 100% conformity and to compensate for overproduced volumes, OPEC said.

Among those laggards, Iraq, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon have submitted plans for compensation schedules, but Russia, Congo, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Sudan, and South Sudan have not, OPEC sources told Energy Intelligence.

As per estimates by Energy Intelligence, in the year after the OPEC+ pact was implemented, OPEC members overproduced by 120,000 barrels per day (bpd), while non-OPEC members produced just over 180,000 bpd over their combined quotas. Russia is estimated to be the OPEC+ producer that has overproduced the largest volume between May 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, pumping at 80,000 bpd above its quota on average for the year to end-April.

According to Energy Intelligences sources, Russia thinks that complying at around 95-96 percent is good enough. The other key member of the OPEC+ alliance, Saudi Arabia, has started to accept that the lack of full Russian compliance could be the price to pay for keeping Moscow firmly supporting and participating in the production cut deal.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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This is the age of wild predictions, for both commodities and cryptocurrencies, but with oil, at least here are some fundamentals to go by. For bitcoin, theres only sentiment  and whales.

No one, not even big banks, can seem to keep a lid on their headline-grabbing predictions in the age of too much data.

Last week, even as Bitcoin was on a fast-track losing streak, Ark Investment Management CEO Cathie Wood told Bloomberg TV that it would rise to $500,000. It was at $30,000 when she pulled out that crypto-crystal ball.



Bitcoin has shed 50% of its value recently, partly because of Elon Musk, the apparent God of Bitcoin, and partly because of news coming out of China and the US.



Last week, the Peoples Bank of China announced that financial services companies and payment services are being banned from pricing or conducting business in virtual currencies, citing zero protection for consumers should they incur any losses from crypto transactions.



But nothing moves Bitcoin like a Musk Tweet, and thats a lot to hedge a $500,000 prediction on.



Reacting to the Tesla CEOs criticism of Bitcoin and his reversal of an announcement that buyers could pay for a Tesla with the crypto, Wood seemed confident that solar energy would solve all the environmental problems. She also seemed optimistic that the US would approve a bitcoin ETF this year, precisely because of the correction.



Wood, however, needs bitcoin to bounce back. After all, shes on the board of the parent company of Swiss-based 21Shares, which has a crypto ETF product theyre trying to pass off to investors.

The bottom line: Take predictions with a grain of salt because more often than not, they are actually sales pitches.

Are Traders Mad About Oil, Too?

Not nearly as much as with bitcoin. Theres still some sobriety here.

Traders are eyeing a bullish summer for oil, and all predictive caution has been thrown to the wind, with analysts in many ways catching the crypto bug and brushing those tried-and-true fundamentals under the rug.

Fundamentals are boring. Sentiment is exciting, and spreads like wildfire on social media and among a new class of amateur traders.

In other words, $100 oil is in vogue.

As of just two weeks ago, traders were holding options to buy 20 million barrels of $100 oil over three months.

Speaking to CNBCs Trading Nation late last week, Piper Sandlers Craig Johnson noted that the energy sector was on track for 40% gains--its best quarter ever--and he could actually see a number that could be north of 100 in the next, say, six to ... 12 months from here.

Likewise, Laffer Tengler Investments Nancy Tengler says OPEC will keep production steady and we wont see any supply increase until October, so the price of oil can run pretty handily from here. Laffler Tengler is calling $80 oil for the summer.

Even Bank of America has said oil prices could spike over $100 per barrel.

In vogue or not, $100 oil certainly is not the consensus view.

Its still considered the mad view, even if the class of mad traders seems to be growing in size rather quickly.

Oil hasnt been $100 since 2014, and short-term fundamentals dont seem to support that price, even with American shale still showing some production restraint.

And perhaps, if everyone heeds (but they wont) the IEAs call to forego any new oil exploration in order to achieve net-zero emissions, oil would become precious enough to reach new heights  until it hits peak supply.

Right now, oil is flirting with $70. But $100 a barrel seems unlikely for a commodity that is just barely recovering from the pandemic.

Still, plenty of traders will be noting that Bank of America also predicted back in February that oil would again reach $70 in Q2 2021. It pretty much has, so the bank was spot on and that doesnt go unnoticed.

Related: Oil Rises On Bullish API Inventory Report



And in the case of oil, theres much more method to the madness, and a bit of math, as well: The EIAs March world oil consumption forecast is 96.7 million bpd, against supply of only 93.6 million bpd. That should push prices up, though from $70 to $100 is a bit of a stretch on these fundamentals alone.

And there are a million other things weighing on prices at the moment, from the spectre of a deluge of Iranian oil back on the market, to a continued pandemic and--horror of all horrors--another COVID-19 surge if variants arent brought under control. Thats all keeping international travel, and all important jet fuel, from recovering.

But its a mad world, and predictions have become a sloppy game. That said, if youre going to go mad, bet on $100 oil before $500,000 bitcoin, which has nothing except sentiment, sales pitches and thin air to support such a surge.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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The global push for clean power generation and increased electrification in transportation is creating a new world order in energy where new winners and losers may emerge.

If the world moves toward predominantly renewable energy sources, the influence of a small number of oil-producing petrostates concentrated in a conflict-prone region is set to wane. At the same time, new power players will emerge, analysts say. These will be the countries holding reserves of the key energy transition minerals or hosting sites for the production of batteries, solar panels, and such with interconnectors for export and import of electricity.

In a world described by the International Energy Agencys bombshell report from last weekin which it was explained that no new investment in oil and gas is needed, ever, if we are to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050the energy warfare and the war for resources could shift from large-scale conflicts about oil to potential conflicts about electricity supply, including via cyber warfare.

Cyberattacks On Electricity Grids Could Intensify

America just got a glimpse of what a cyberattack could do to its energy supply. Although no electricity grids were targeted in the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, the cyberattack on computer systems cut off supply of the main fossil-fuel product used in the United States as it stopped gasoline shipments to the Eastern Seaboard.

As the share of electricity in the global energy mix is set to grow exponentially in the coming decades, along with digitalization of operations and asset monitoring, the new threat to energy supply may not be a skirmish or a full-blown conflict near the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East. It could be state-sponsored cyberattacks on electricity grids, Amy Myers Jaffe, a research professor at Tufts Universitys Fletcher School, argues in an article in The Wall Street Journal.

The higher the digitalization and the adoption of the Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things in electricity grids and supply, the more chances hackersincluding such backed by governmentscould get to target parts of the networks, Myers Jaffe says.

To protect themselves against such threats, countries and companies may not only need to boost investment and defenses against cyber threats, but they may also need to show they are ready to retaliate if need be, Myers Jaffe notes.

Will The Energy Transition Lead To A More Peaceful World?

Some analysts argue that increased electrification and the rising share of renewable sources will lead to a more even distribution of energy resources as many countries either have wind or solar resources. This would compare to the current influential energy playersseveral oil producers in the Middle East, as well as Russia and Venezuela, which even today are managing global oil supply via the OPEC+ alliance to ensure market stability.

Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) published last year a review of the existing research on the geopolitical consequences of the energy transition.

We can distinguish between two camps: the renewed conflict camp and the reduced conflict camp. The first holds that renewables will not change the extent and frequency of energy conflicts and that they will just come in new forms. By contrast, people in the second camp think that renewable energy will increase energy independence and thereby reduce the level of conflict in the world, Senior Research Fellow Roman Vakulchuk says. Related: Secret Meeting Between Saudi Arabia And Iran May Trigger Major Policy Change

Increased renewable energy use is likely to lead to increased democratization of countries and could make the geopolitics of energy less conflictual, Vakulchuk and NUPI Research Professor Indra verland argue.

At any rate, the geopolitics of renewable energy will be much different from the geopolitics of oil and gas, where the key weapon is the importing countries fear of resource scarcity, they say.

Most analyses reviewed by NUPI conclude that big oil exporters will be especially hard hit in a new energy world order, and the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Nigeria could become stranded geopolitical assets.

Countries that have historically enjoyed geopolitical influence because they supply fossil fuels are likely to see a decline in their global reach and influence unless they can reinvent their economy for a new energy era, a 2019 report from The Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation, an independent initiative launched by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), concluded.

The Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar are highly exposed to changes in global energy influence, but they are also highly resilient with financial resources to reinvent themselves and adapt to the energy transition, the report said.

The question is, will those Middle Eastern oil and gas producers will move to reinvent themselves as fast as to willingly lose the still large geopolitical clout that comes from being the worlds major oil-exporting region.

Renewables Transition To Create New Energy Powerhouses

According to IRENAs report, No country has put itself in a better position to become the worlds renewable energy superpower than China.

China, the worlds single largest oil importer, has made early moves into solar panels production, extraction of the key metals of the energy transition, and battery-grade minerals production, also with a view to reduce its reliance on oil and gas imports.

China, as well as countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, which holds cobalt and copper resources, are set to increase their relevance in the supply chains. This fact is not sitting well with the United States as both the previous Trump Administration and the Biden Administration were and are working to reduce the risks in the supply chain for critical minerals.

The energy transition would shift the fear of resource scarcity away from the Strait of Hormuz and onto the resource holders of lithium, cobalt, copper, and nickel, as well as the security of electricity grids and interconnectors.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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A number of peculiar things have happened in the Middle East in the past few weeks involving the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, all with some sort of focus on Iran. To begin with, at the end of April, the U.Ss designated main man in Saudi Arabia - Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  stated very publically that he seeks a good and special relationship with IranWe do not want Irans situation to be difficult, on the contrary, we want Iran to grow and to push the region and the world towards prosperity.

Such sentiments are in direct contrast to what might be expected from the effective ruler of Saudi Arabia, the historical archenemy of which is Iran. Bin Salman has previously launched numerous tirades against Iran accusing it of being the prime mover of instability and terrorism across the region. Stranger still, though, is the fact that these comments followed a secret meeting in Baghdad between senior figures from the Saudi and Iranian regimes, brokered by Iraq Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi. These talks were subsequently confirmed by an Iraqi government official through various news services, although neither Riyadh nor Tehran formally acknowledged them.

The positive comments towards Iran from bin Salman came at around the same time as Saudi Arabias flagship oil and gas company, Aramco, let it be known that it is in the process of broadening and deepening its relationship with China, which is not only Irans chief sponsor via the 25-year deal signed back in 2019 but also the country most intent on replacing the U.S. as the key superpower in the Middle East.

In March, Aramcos chief executive officer, Amin Nasser, told the 2021 China Development Forum that: Ensuring the continuing security of Chinas energy needs remains our highest priority  not just for the next five years but for the next 50 and beyond. He added: To help China meet its innovation, modernisation, and sustainability goals, Aramcos Research Center in Beijing is already working with Chinese universities and companies in areas such as cleaner engine-fuel systems of the future, catalytic crude-to-chemicals technology, and focusing heavily on reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions. He concluded: As a new era begins, we look forward to contributing even more to Chinas economic development and common prosperity...Every step of the way we aim to be side-by-side with our Chinese partners, delivering these strategic, value-adding, parallel priorities. These statements clearly appear to align Saudi Arabia with Chinas multi-generational One Belt, One Road project that in real terms is a straightforward power grab of influence in the Middle East away from the U.S.

At least as apparently threatening to U.S. interests in the region  and around the world, given the massive hydrocarbons assets at stake in the Middle East  was the news that Aramco is weighing up whether to sell a one percent stake to a Chinese entity. As reported in OilPrice.com, such a sale would mark a decisive shift of power in the Middle East towards China and away from the U.S., further fracturing the already-strained 1945 core relationship agreement between Washington and Riyadh. For China, Saudi has long been a prime target of its overarching strategy to replace the U.S. not just as the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP by 2030 at the latest (it is already the worlds largest economy by purchasing power parity, the largest manufacturing economy, and the largest trading nation) but also as the major geopolitical power in many of the U.S.s key spheres of influence. Nonetheless, as exclusively highlighted in the OilPrice.com piece, Saudi Arabias ties with China are already a lot deeper than most people realise, with the most significant upgrading of this core relationship beginning with a series of high-levels meetings between senior Saudi and China officials in August and September 2017.

These included a meeting between King Salman and Chinese Vice Premier, Zhang Gaoli, in Jeddah during which Saudi first mentioned seriously that it was willing to consider funding itself partly in Chinese yuan, raising the possibility of closer financial ties between the two countries. Indeed, at these meetings it was also decided that Saudi Arabia and China planned to establish a US$20 billion investment fund on a fifty-fifty basis. The Jeddah meetings in August 2017 followed a landmark visit to China by Saudi Arabias King Salman in March of that year during which around US$65 billion of business deals were signed in sectors including oil refining, petrochemicals, light manufacturing and electronics.

So is Saudi Arabia about to fundamentally switch its alliance away from the U.S. and towards China? Certainly, the U.S. increasingly regards its current power struggle with China as a zero-sum game so will not be interested in participating in any nuanced diplomatic manoeuvrings that Saudi might be trying to play between the two sides. Recent statements from bin Salman stressing that although Saudi still regards the U.S. as a strategic partner he is not willing to accept any interference from Washington in its internal affairs were very poorly received in Washington, OilPrice.com understands from senior political sources there. However, bin Salman knows very well that there is a limit to how far he can push the U.S. without prompting a reiteration of the threat first overtly made by former U.S. President Donald Trump on 2 April 2020.

At that time, Saudi had been engaged for a month or so in yet another oil price war involving huge overproduction of crude aimed at crashing oil prices in order to destroy or at least significantly disable the U.S. shale oil industry. During the direct phone call from Trump to bin Salman it was made extremely clear that unless OPEC started cutting oil production Trump would be powerless to stop lawmakers from passing legislation to withdraw U.S. troops from the Kingdom. In addition, Trump said that the next time that the Saudis tried to destroy the U.S. shale sector it would be the end of the 1945 Agreement, with no further warning, and that U.S. military would be withdrawn immediately.

Given this, it may be instead that Saudi Arabias recent actions are entirely consistent with a new U.S. policy of seeking to keep its friends close but its enemies closer still. The withdrawal of the U.S. from the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or nuclear deal] in May 2018 only drove Iran further into the influence of China and Russia, taking Iraq with it, and all of the other countries in the region in which Iran has great influence, including Syria and Lebanon, and meant that Iran could do whatever it wanted without any surveillance from anyone else, a senior Iranian source close to the government in Tehran told OilPrice.com last week. [U.S. President, Joe] Bidens approach appears to be to re-engage with the JCPOA in some form [as was heralded in the last few days by Iran President Hassan Rouhani], so bringing Iran back into a relationship in which it can be monitored and to some degree managed, and by having Saudi Arabia encourage Iran towards a more conciliatory stance this has a better chance of being achieved, he added.

Perhaps the surest signs that this policy shift is occurring are twin announcements very recently that tie Iran in to the U.S.s sphere of influence, either through Saudi Arabia or the UAE (the key member in the U.S.-Israel-Arab states relationship normalisation strategy). The first was a statement in April from Irans sister state, Iraq, that it has decided to establish a joint US$6 billion with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to invest in various projects in Iraq.

A cornerstone of the agreement underpinning this investment will be: Cooperation in the fields of energy and renewable energy and activating and accelerating the joint action plan under the umbrella of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, with the need to continue cooperation and coordination within the scope of work of OPEC and OPEC+ in a way that guarantees the stability of the global oil markets. Less than two weeks later came news that a Saudi oil firm, with significant U.S. intelligence and logistical support  Delta Oil Company  is in talks to develop Iraqs highly strategic Akkas gas field, alongside U.S. oil services giant, Schlumberger. Previously eyed by Russia as a key element of a triangle of such sites strategically running across Iraq and into Syria, Akkas is not only situated in an area controlled by Iraqs Sunni minority but also is a vital component of Iraqs move to better optimise its own gas resources in order to minimise its dependence on Iran for gas and electricity supplies.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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The Biden Administration is looking to further its green agenda with two wind farms off the California coast. The wind farms would generate as much power as 1.6 million households would consume.

The projects would go a long way to fulfilling President Bidens wind power goals, which include doubling the amount of offshore wind production by the end of this decade.

The first proposed wind farm, near Californias Morro Bay, will support 3GW of offshore wind and will take up an area totaling 399 square miles.

The second proposed site, in Humboldt County (Humboldt Call Area) near the Oregon border, will support up to 1.6GW of offshore wind power.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that developing this wind power could be a game changer to achieving Californias clean energy goals, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Offshore wind installations are expected to drive a surge in copper demand, with each wind turbine requiring 63,000 pounds of the resource.

For every MW of generation capacity, wind power requires 8 tons of copper, according to the International Energy Agency. An increased emphasis on wind power may also create shortages of copper.

Combined, the IEA estimates that solar and wind will make up 80% of the global electric energy market by the end of this decade.

Governments worldwide are expected to offer a record of more than 30 gigawatts (GW) in tenders for offshore wind sites and capacity this year alone. For perspective, that is almost as much as the total existing UK wind capacity of 35 GW.

This latest development off the coast of California suggests that the United States will be taking its fair share of that total wind power pie.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Shell has struck a deal with its partner in the Deer Park refinery, Pemex, to sell the facility. The deal was instigated by Pemex, not Shell.

"Shell did not plan to market its interest in the Deer Park refinery; however, following an unsolicited offer from Pemex, we have reached an agreement to transfer our interest in the partnership to them," Shell's Downstream Director, Huibert Vigeveno, said in a press release.

The $596-million deal for the Houston, Texas, facility will give Mexico's state-owned oil and gas company full control over the 340,000-bpd facility and, according to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, help Mexico become self-sufficient in gasoline and diesel within the next two years.

"Today, we closed the operation to buy the Deer Park refinery in Houston, Texas owned by Shell. Now Pemex will have 100% of the shares. The most important thing is that in 2023, we will be self-sufficient in gasoline and diesel; there will be no increases in fuel prices," Lopez Obrador said in a tweet.

"In this way, we are going to stop buying fuel and gasoline abroad. Pemex is going to process all the crude oil it is going to convert into diesel into gasoline. We are going to be self-sufficient by 2023," the president added.

Shell, meanwhile, will retain control of a chemicals production facility at the site of the refinery.

At the same time, the supermajor is evaluating plans for another refinery, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The company had a suitor that offered $1.25 billion for the facility, but Shell rejected the bid. It was the second by that investor, American Clean Energy Refining, which earlier offered $1.75 billion for the refinery before Shell idled it last year.

"Despite an extensive marketing process, a viable buyer was not identified," a Shell spokesman said as quoted by Reuters. "Shell considers a wide range of qualifications and factors including a prospective buyer's ability and experience to operate complex manufacturing assets safely."

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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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.
Schaeffer said she told one her friends whom is an actress that she would write a play with her in mind.

It took me a couple of years to get everything flushed out but when I did, it really came together quickly, Schaeffer said.

Schaeffer plays a game of If Then when developing her plays.

For example, she will start with a scenario with two women and ask questions such as what type of business do they work at? If they work at an ad agency then what?

Eventually after asking and answering a lot of these questions, Schaeffer will come up with an entire show.

Schaeffer said she has the idea of what a show is going to be from the start.

If youre writing just a romcom, thats a different kind of comedy than when youre writing a farce, so when you start a farce, you have to go in with a farce in mind, theres no other way around it, Schaeffer said.

She said it is fun seeing how audiences react to particular parts of her plays.

I know most of the time where the good laughs are going down, the things that surprised me are the other laughs that Im not expecting, Schaeffer said.
According to the sworn affidavit of Omaha Police Detective Alexis Boults:

The 2-year-olds mother called police Dec. 17 to say that she was shuffling through her boyfriends phone when she came across a video from Dec. 14.

She recognized the background of the video as her storage unit near 129th Street and West Maple Road. Her heart raced as she saw the rest.

The video showed Coleman hanging her two year old daughter with a pink scarf, by her neck, from a shelving unit, causing her to become strangled, the detectives affidavit said. The victim hanged by the neck, losing the ability to breathe and losing consciousness.

The suspect (then) could be seen grabbing her roughly by the chest and lifting her with the ligature still tied to her neck to release pressure just enough to allow her to breathe, gasp, cry and gurgle, before dropping her in a hanging position, again, only to restart the previous cycle.

Boults wrote that the incident continued for five minutes.

A detective searching Colemans phone then found another video from a half-hour before.
Omahas indoor mask mandate expired nine months and two weeks after it was passed to help suppress the spread of the coronavirus.

The expiration Tuesday meant people in Omaha no longer were required to wear masks in most grocery stores, businesses, churches, schools, gyms, restaurants and bars, though establishments can still make individual policies on masking.

There was confusion Tuesday about when specifically the mandate ended. The Mayors Office said that it had expired one second after midnight Tuesday. But an extension of the mandate approved by the City Council in February listed 11:59 p.m. Tuesday as the sunset date  a difference of 24 hours.

In practice, it didnt matter, as many businesses and residents were eager Tuesday to abandon the mask mandate.

At one time, nearly two dozen Nebraska communities had local mask mandates, but it appeared that Omaha was the last municipality in the state to drop its mandate. Lincolns expired Thursday night.
BANGKOK (AP)  An American journalist working for a news magazine in Myanmar was detained Monday by the authorities there, his employers said.

Frontier Myanmar, which publishes in both English and Burmese and also online, said on Twitter that Danny Fenster, its managing editor, was detained at Yangon International Airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It said the magazine did not know why Fenster was detained and had not been able to contact him, but it understood that he had been taken to Insein Prison in Yangon, which over decades has housed thousands of political prisoners.

The junta that took power in February after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi has arrested about 80 journalists, roughly half of whom remain detained awaiting charges or trial. Fenster is the fourth foreign journalist to be detained, after Kamayut Media editor-in-chief and fellow U.S. citizen Nathan Maung, who is detained at Insein Prison, and freelancers Robert Bociaga of Poland and Yuki Kitazumi of Japan, who were expelled.

According to Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps a detailed tally of arrests and deaths since the military takeover, almost 4,300 people are in detention, including 95 who have already been sentenced.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Nashville's top prosecutor said Monday that he will not enforce a newly enacted law that requires businesses and government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multiperson bathrooms and other facilities associated with their gender identity.

I believe every person is welcome and valued in Nashville," Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk said in a statement. Enforcement of transphobic or homophobic laws is contrary to those values. My office will not promote hate.

Funk's office clarified that this refusal to enforce transphobic or homophobic laws specifically included the first-of-its kind measure signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee earlier this month.

The move, along with the flurry of other anti-transgender laws approved by Lee, has sparked alarm among LGBTQ advocates. Many have decried the latest measure as discriminatory and said the required signs are offensive and humiliating. The law will go into effect July 1.

However, questions have remained about how specifically it will be enforced.
Vileta noted that the political environment  for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. was hostile in 2018, and said he worried that Bahena Rivera or others might flee if they knew they were being sought for questioning. Thats why investigators took DNA samples from Hispanic workers at the farm, so they could be identified if they later disappeared, he said.

Vileta said he asked Iowa City Police Officer Pamela Romero to question Bahena Rivera because she is fluent in Spanish, even though she had little interrogation experience.

He said he opted not to have Romero translate his questions for Bahena Rivera because doing so would make for a choppy and frustrating discussion, and had Romero continue the interview because Bahena Rivera seemed comfortable speaking with her.

Vileta said that he and an FBI agent tried to manage the 11-hour interview by taking frequent breaks so they could be briefed on Bahena Riveras statements, but that it was difficult.
Explicitly making it easier to sue departments, rather than individual officers, could increase the number of cases that end with citizens getting compensated, Garrett said.

Getting compensation has gotten more difficult since the Supreme Court told judges in 2009 they no longer have to consider whether an officer violated a constitutional right when deciding if the officer gets qualified immunity. Instead, judges were told to look at whether the officer should have known the action violated the person's constitutional rights.

In practice, that means judges are looking at how other courts have ruled. Unless there is already a case with facts that match the situation before them, the officer could be given immunity.

For example, in 2019, a civil case was brought against an Atlanta-area officer after he shot and injured a 10-year-old boy while allegedly attempting to shoot a dog. The case was dismissed because the court couldn't find a similar case.

The situation means that victims and civil rights lawyers "regularly see cases that get dismissed where the judge says the individual's rights were violated but the officer is immune," Garrett said. "It's not a good use of anyone's time to be fighting over qualified immunity rather than the question of whether someone's civil rights have been violated."
There is much to celebrate in our community as we finish an unprecedented school year. Together as a community we made the sacrifices to get our kids back in school and to keep them there. Our children had experiences and opportunities. They grew academically and socially. All things considered, it was an outstanding year. In other parts of the country, there were different realities.

There is no doubt we need a summer break. Teachers, administrators and school support staff are worn out. The stress and strain of keeping schools open in the wake of the pandemic was a heavy lift, but well worth it. Our students, your children were worth fighting for.

At some point this summer, all attention will be turning to opening school, and there will be many questions. We need to know that our community carries a lot of responsibility in terms of how schools can open and stay free of disruption. Unfortunately, the pandemic did not end when the school year ended.

This summer we have an opportunity to take steps that will eliminate the disruption that occurred this last school year. And, it all depends on what steps parents and students take in the weeks ahead.
Gov. Pete Ricketts, to his credit, has long stressed the need for Nebraskans to get vaccinated. His continued push can be a major help in boosting the states vaccination rate.

Nebraskans can take pride that our state is home to some of our countrys most experienced and respected medical experts on the complex science of deadly viruses. Those specialists contribute in major ways to the national and global discussion on containing the COVID threat.

Getting the shot not only protects oneself  it also protects others from exposure to the disease. The vaccinations so far have helped our country begin to take steps toward needed herd immunity  but were not there yet. A significant portion of the population, here and nationally, remains either uncertain of vaccination or outright hostile to it.

But as Mark Rupp, chief of the infectious diseases division at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, has noted, If you have not been fully vaccinated, you are still part of the problem. You may be unwittingly infected, you may be shedding the virus, you may be spreading it to other people.
The Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG) honored Ghanas Greatest Entrepreneurs, Business and Corporate Executives who have distinguished themselves over the years last Saturday 22nd May, 2021.



The prestigious 11th Ghana Entrepreneur and Corporate Executive Awards is an initiative of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG). The 2021 event had some sponsors such as M&G Pharmaceuticals, McDan Foundation, Electrochem Ghana Ltd., JRA Cosmetics and Blowchem Industries.



The awards ceremony was held under the theme Promoting Entrepreneurship Excellence for Sustainable Economic Development in the Post-pandemic transformation. Award winners were honored through a live Virtual broadcast on TV3 Network, DSTV CH-279, StarTimes CH-503 and live streaming on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.



The Virtual Special Guests on the night were Kathleen Csaba, Canadian High Commissioner; Dr. Daniel Mckorley, Executive Group Chairman-McDan Group; H.E. Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Namibian High Commissioner; Sugandh Rajaran, Indian High Commissioner; Lim Jung-Taek, Korean Ambassador; and Ms. Grace Jeanet Mason, South African High Commissioner.



Mr. Charles Antwi-Boahen  Managing Director & CEO of Kab-Fam Ghana Limited was adjudged Outstanding Young Entrepreneur of The Year 2020 at the virtual Awards ceremony. Having had a significant and positive impact on society over the years as well as continuously building a legacy and still demonstrating Entrepreneurial and Corporate Leadership, Sustained Business Performance, Integrity, Corporate Vision and Innovation in the electronics and Home Appliances industry, organisers of the award ceremony honored the Managing Director & CEO of Kab-Fam Ghana Ltd.



Through the sterling leadership of Mr. Antwi-Boahen, KAB-FAM has risen steadily within a very short period of Six (6) years to become Ghanas Best Electronics and Home Appliances company with Twelve (12) branches and counting, winning several awards both locally and internationally.



Mr. Antwi-Boahen is a marketing and advertising luminary, one of the core reasons for the success of his businesses and a strong champion of data research and analytics. Aside KAB-FAM, Mr. Antwi-Boahen has interests in real estate, construction and automobile which has gainfully employed hundreds of Ghanaian men and women.



He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with Political Science (First Class Honours) from the University of Ghana and is married to Joycelyn Antwi-Boahen with two (2) adorable children.



A special interview with Mr. Antwi-Boahen after the event witnessed an exclusive thank you remarks to organisers of the event. He also seized the opportunity to challenge young entrepreneurs and business owners to execute their mandates diligently as good citizens, for one day, the good works will pay off.



He further added that, due to its good works in a space of six (6) years, Kab-Fam has received numerous nominations and won many international and local awards. Global Excellence Business Leader of the Year 2020 and International Business Achievers Award 2021, Awarded by Swiss School of Business and Management, Geneva (SSBM) are two of such notable international awards won by Kab-Fam Ghana Ltd and its CEO.



Mr. Charles Antwi-Boahen is a proud member of West Africa Nobles Forum Club 100 and KAB-FAM is yet again a nominee, Ghana International Products Awards (GIPA) slated for 25th June this year.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Member of Parliment for Sissala West Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Adams Sukparu has made a generous donation to the Hilla Limann Senior High School following a rain storm that destroyed some buildings and displaced a number of students. The donation worth over GHS 9,000 was made on 24th day of May, 2021 at a brief ceremony in the school.



On 23rd May, the town of Gwollu was hit hard by a rainstorm that destroyed several properties. The Hilla Liman SHS was not spared as students dormitories were ripped off, causing the destruction of books, food items and displacing a number of the students. Some classrooms, the administration block and other buildings in the school including staff bungalows were severely affected.



The Honorable MP had to cut short his Thank You Tour of the constituency at Fielmuo on Sunday to see firsthand the devastation the storm caused. After going through the campus and seeing the level of destruction, he was touched and decided to give a helping hand out of his meagre resources.



Addressing the students during the donation, Hon. Sukparu Adams noted that the kind gesture was an emergency measure to minimize the hardship and suffering of the students.



Some of the items donated included; two large bags of Gari, two large bags of sugar, twenty cartons of soap, eleven cartens (2,080 pieces) of Exercise books, one thousand (1,000) pieces of pens, and five cartons (120 boxes) of sanitary pads .



The District Director of Education who recieved the items on behalf of the school thanked the MP for putting his constituents especially students first. The items were handed over to the Assistant Headmistress of the school.



The students who were present were full of joy and expressed gratitude to the Hon Sukparu Adams by singing his praises amidst dancing.



The Member of Parliament after handing over the items, gave a word of advice to the students by asking them to take their studies seriously. He also remarked that at all material times, he would collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure the success of the school.



He then made a passionate appeal to all stakeholders to come to the aid of the school in these trying times.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Upper East Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Mr Francis Takyi-Koranteng, has bemoaned the increasing rate of pregnancy among girls between the ages of 10 and 19 in the region.



The region is currently placed seventh on the table of regions with the highest number of pregnancy among teenagers in 2020, with 6,533 cases.



Mr Takyi-Koranteng said pregnancy among teenagers and school dropout figures for the first quarter of 2021 exceeded that of 2020 by 14.5 per cent, saying this means a lot is wrong out there".



Mr Takyi-Koranteng made the revelation when he addressed a day's Review Meeting for 50 sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) advocates at Bolgatanga.



The participants were selected from six beneficiary districts  Builsa South, Kassena Nankana West, Bongo, Talensi, Nabdam and Bawku West Districts  in the region.



The meeting was organised by the NYA and the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council under the Government of Ghana and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Programme for 2018-2022 (CP7).



Awareness creation



Mr Takyi-Koranteng said as SRHR advocates, you should focus on sharing the knowledge you acquire on the interventions with your colleagues; collaborate with health workers and community leaders in your various localities to intensify information dissemination and provision of SRHR services to the adolescents.



He observed that even though most young girls saw formal education and skills training as the best bets to giving themselves a bright future, prevailing circumstances like poverty, love for material things, overhyping of nudity and sex-related materials on social media continued to make sex a normal thing among young people.



He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had also brought untold hardships upon many households as a result of restrictions and job losses among other issues, and that the end result of all these was that our future is in limbo".



It could get stagnant or elude us as teenage pregnancy, young single mother issues and unwarranted sex-related deaths are taking our world like harmattan fire," he further lamented.



He, therefore, proposed the formation of positive influence clubs to enhance awareness creation and information sharing among the adolescents and the SRHR advocates.



Alarming figures



A midwife at the Public Health Unit of the Bolgatanga Municipal Health Directorate, Miss Mary Azika, pointed out that figures showed that a lot more needed to be done in the beneficiary districts of the SRHR advocacy programmes.



She said during the first quarter of 2021, Bawku West District recorded 207 cases of teenage pregnancies, while the Talensi (162), Bongo (150), Kassena Nankana West (120), Builsa South (68), and Nabdam (63) added to the numbers.













Source: graphiconline.com









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The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) is mobilizing resources to resettle some 104 displaced persons at Onyinanumfo in the Ahafo-Ano South-West District of the Ashanti Region.



The affected residents, currently putting up in make-shift abodes in the community, were displaced when their houses got burnt after a fuel tanker caught fire in an accident on Monday, May 24.



Mr. Kwabena Nsenkyire, the Regional Coordinator of NADMO, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that majority of those affected had since been provided with mattresses and other relief items.



Three people, including a two-year-old boy, perished when the speeding fuel tanker, reportedly carrying diesel from Kumasi, which was to be off-loaded at Tepa, caught fire after hitting a parked sprinter bus on reaching a sharp curve at the said community.



The incident resulted in the injury of the five occupants of the bus, and had since been sent to the hospital for treatment, while the body of the deceased had also been deposited at the morgue for autopsy.



Divisional Officer (DO) III, Desmond Ackah, the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire service (GNFS), had told the GNA, that the driver in-charge of the tanker, identified only as Mohammed, and his mate, were burnt to death.



The intensity of the inferno, he said, was such that the GNFS had to call for additional fire tenders from the nearby districts and the Ahafo Region in order to bring the situation under control.



Mr Simon Boateng, the District NADMO Coordinator, in an interview, said the two-year-old boy, identified as Agya Owusu, was taking a nap in one of the houses at the farming community when the incident occurred.



Most of the houses, caught in the spreading fire, were demolished by the inferno, forcing the terrified residents to run for their lives, he told the GNA.

Source: GNA









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One person has been confirmed dead while three others are battling for their lives at various health facilities after they sustained injuries following disagreement over land between two communities.



The communities are Losumpe and Kejase, near Mpaha and within the Debre Traditional Area in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region on Sunday morning, May 23.



The deceased, identified by the police as Iddrisu Fuseini,48, is said to have sustained cuts on his chest while the three others, who sustained multiple machete wounds on their bodies and are currently on admission, are, Ibrahim Yakubu, 37, Alhassan Abubakari, 42, and Abaka Alhassan,49.



Calm restored



According to the Savannah Regional Police Command, calm has since been restored in the area following the deployment of military and police personnel from Buipe, the Central Gonja District capital, to the area.



The security forces deployed to the area have also intensified their foot patrols to ensure law and order and to prevent any possible reprisal attacks.



Incident



The Police said on May 23, at 7.30 a.m, the Debrewura Sulwu, the Paramount Chief of Debre Traditional Area, called the police at Mpaha to come to his palace to provide security for him and his elders to settle a land dispute between Losumpe and Kejasa communities because he was sensing danger.



The police said during the settlement of the issue, both parties became aggrieved and started insulting each other which resulted in a fight between them, with some getting injured. The injured were rushed to the Mpaha Health Centre and Family Life Clinic, Kigbirpe for treatment.



According to the police, they later visited the Mpaha Health Centre and saw the body of Fuseini with cuts on his chest and the three others with multiple cuts on their bodies on admission at the Mpaha Health Centre and Family Life Clinic respectively.



The police said efforts were underway to convey the body of the deceased to the Tamale Teaching Hospital for preservation and autopsy.







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A physically challenged man is appealing to the government and Ghanaians to intervene as his building has been demolished by a church at Dansoman. According to the victim, Benjamin Thompson, he was deformed after being involved in an accident some years ago.



After going through all the hustle and bustle just to have his arm fixed, Mr Thompson said no surgery could help him after visiting several hospitals in the country.



In order not to live in misery after his failed surgery, distraught Mr Thompson said he started saving money including what he had from the insurance company as a result of the accident.



After the accident, I tried all I could just to make sure I get my surgery done on my arms but after every surgery, doctors told me my broken arm cannot be done. It was a very painful moment for me because I wont be able to take care of my wife and kids in this condition, he narrated amidst tears. He told Kwesi Asempa on Adom FMs morning show Dwaso Nsem Tuesday that he managed to get a land to buy at GHC 450,000 after the accident.



On this land, he managed to put up a three-bedroom house with his insurance money while he starved his family just because he wanted to leave a legacy after his death.



Unfortunately, he travelled to Winneba on Saturday, May 23, 2021, to seek medical care only to be called and be informed his building had been demolished. Prior to the demolition, he explained some police officers and a man he did not know stormed the premises and asked that he comes to the police headquarters with them.



Though he did not know the men or the crime committed, he obliged and followed them. When we got to the regional head office, they started asking me how I acquired the land to build and I told them I built the house through my insurance money.



Some people even came to me to ask that I give them the land and I told them it was given to me rightfully and I refused and I made sure I had no qualms with anyone. So I kept my documents and everything, he said.



As though thats not enough, he said some officers from State housing called him to bring processing fee and he handed over documents to them and has since not heard from them.



Mr Thompson said he was heartbroken when he received the call on Saturday about the demolition which he had no knowledge of.



I was at Winneba when the call came that some pastors from Christ Apostolic Church and police officers in patrol car had stormed the building and started demolishing the building saying they want to build a church.

How can a church do this to me, a physically challenged man? I met about five police officers destroying my property and they never said anything to me as I watch my property destroyed. I even collapsed upon seeing that, he said.



Mr Thompson revealed no one has since told him anything about the matter, especially leaders of Christ Apostolic at Dansoman. He said they have been rendered homeless, a situation that has made them vow never to go to church until he dies.



Meanwhile, the production team has been trying to reach out to the Christ Apostolic Church for their side of the story but to no avail.



He, therefore, wants the government to come to his aid as he has nowhere to lay his head.



All well-meaning Ghanaians can also support the family through his MOMO number 0244371137.

Source: adomonline.com









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Three people, including a two-year old boy, perished when a speeding fuel tanker was involved in an accident at Onyinanumfo in the Ahafo-Ano South-West District of the Ashanti Region, on Monday, May 24.



The tanker, said to be carrying diesel from Kumasi, which was to be off-loaded at Tepa, reportedly caught fire after hitting a parked sprinter bus on reaching a sharp curve in that community.



Desmond Ackah, the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire service (GNFS), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that the driver in-charge of the tanker, identified only as Mohammed, and his mate, were burnt to death.



The three bodies had since been deposited at the morgue for autopsy, he confirmed.



Divisional Officer III Ackah said the five occupants of the bus, which was smashed by the tanker were also receiving treatment at the hospital.



About 10 houses, caught in the inferno were also razed.



Meanwhile, the Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr. Kwabena Nsenkyire, in interview with the GNA, said the Organization had sent some personnel to the affected community to assess the situation after being alerted to the incident at about 1700 hours.



They are mobilising relief items and finding makeshift homes for those rendered homeless.

Source: GNA









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Founder and leader of the National Liberation Congress (NLC), Stephen Atubiga, has described the Functional Executive Committee of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as 'irresponsible'.



Additionally, he has tagged the National Chairman of the opposition party, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo as the lousiest and most incompetent leader ever to lead the NDC.



Justifying his comments on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Stephen Atubiga accused the NDC National Chairman of allowing some young boys serving on the Functional Executive Committee to misconduct themselves without proper control when he was invited to appear before them.



I am saying that FEC is very irresponsible. When I appeared before FEC, the incompetent Ofosu-Ampofo, the lousiest National Chairman the NDC has ever had, the most greedy National Chairman the NDC has ever had and the most wicked and selfish National Chairman of the NDC that has ever existed....He chaired the FEC meeting and he has some young boys who have not achieved anything in life and they were speaking to me anyhow at the FEC meeting without allowing me to talk, and the Chairman could not control them to speak one at a time . . . the fact that they have been elected into certain positions in the party does not make them owners of the party, the party does not belong to their parents, he slammed.



He disclosed that before the death of former President Jerry John Rawlings, some of them had reported the conduct of the NDC National Chairman to the founder of the party for leading them away from the NDC's ideology.



To him, it is hypocritical for the likes of Mr. Ofosu Ampofo to seek to counsel foot soldiers of the party against using politics to amass wealth when they are living in mansions and driving luxurious and expensive cars.



We are in opposition but they are driving V8; if you are driving a brand new V8 2021 model, what moral right do you have to say that the NDC is not for the rich but for the poor? If that is the case, then they should not be driving V8, they should be walking barefoot. How much are their salaries to be driving V8 in opposition?, he slammed.



 . . the foot soldiers must know that they dont have any future in the party because they have carved this notion that the party is not for the rich but for the poor and yet some people are living like Arabian princes, driving V8 vehicles, he stressed.





Watch video below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, it may be recalled won a court case against outspoken Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, after the latter accused him of engaging in galamsey in 2018.



Kennedy Agyapong accused Mr. Baako and investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas of engaging in galamsey using a company called C & G Aleska Company Ltd.



Mr. Baako who was unhappy with the allegation sought legal redress and won.



In a ruling by an Accra High Court, Friday, June 26, 2020, Mr. Agyapong was given 30 days to retract and apologise to Kweku Baako three times on the platforms he used to defame the veteran journalist on; as well as GHS100,000 damages.



Many months down the line, another state actor has accused the veteran journalist of having a galamsey concession.



Kweku Baako who made this known during a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show, 'Kokrokoo' however, stopped short of mentioning the person's name.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Twifo Atti Morkwa in the Central Region, Mr David T Vondee, has pleaded not guilty to an alleged $2.4m land fraud.



It is the case of the prosecution that the MP took the money from a businessman with the agreement to sell him twenty acres of land at Frafraha in the Adentan Municipality, when he (MP) had no title to the land.



The MP pleaded not guilty to two counts of defrauding by false pretense and money laundering when he appeared before the Accra High Court today.



Following a bail application by his lawyer, Mr Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, the court admitted the MP to bail in the sum of GH2 million, with two sureties, both to be justified.



Hearing continues on June 30, this year for case management.









Source: graphiconline.com









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The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, says he holds no grudges against Sammy Gyamfi, the Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



He told Evans Mensah, host of JoyNews PM Express on Monday, that he is unfazed by the harsh criticism and allegations leveled against his Minority-led Caucus.



I have been National Youth Organiser of the party. I just didnt become a Minority Leader. I have been MP for Tamale South, a seat I hold strongly and dear, and I will continue to preserve and protect it for the NDC even if I decide to whistle out in the foreseen future.



I bear no grudge in my heart against any person, and I dont go to bed [with grudges]Youve heard people talk a lot about Harunathere have been some abuses and insultsmine is that time is a better and fairer judge, the Tamale South MP said.



Early this year, Sammy Gyamfi accused the Speaker and Minority MPs of brazenly defying the partys leadership and betrayed the collective good for their selfish interest, during the approval of President Akufo-Addos ministerial nominees.



Responding to that, Mr Iddrisu said, internal party wrangling and internal adversities should not affect the provision of leadership, and I am determined to provide whatever leadership I can.



The Minority Leader said that he considered attempts by some individuals to impugn his integrity for failing to ensure that some of the nominees the NDC party proposed not to be approved are carried out.



The Tamale South MP admitted that the Minority Caucus fell short of the expectations of, especially NDC loyalists but not the law in the approval of the ministerial nominees.



What I appreciated in my engagement with the grassroots party members which is one of the lessons that I have learned as Minority Leader is to tell you in the face, Haruna what we expected you to do even if you are losing; lose in honour and dignity.



When you have 137, and you go and get any number below that for the NDC followers, that is disappointing. It means that you are not able to hold together. I take responsibility for that, he indicated.



He further stated that history will be kind to him, at least for proposing and getting Alban Bagbin as Speaker in an evenly divided Parliament.



Mr Iddrisu, however, said the NDC Caucus is Parliament is united and focused on holding President Akufo-Addo to account to the people of Ghana.











Source: myjoyonline,com









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Senior Political Science Lecturer, Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, has charged Chiefs in mining areas not to permit any person to do galamsey in their communities.



There is an ongoing operation by a joint military team comprising Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Navy and Ghana Air Force dubbed "Operation Halt" targeting the persons in mining communities and destroying their equipment.



Currently, over 200 changfang machines and excavators have been destoryed.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Dr. Asah Asante supported the government's fight against galamsey but believed it will be successful when the Chiefs effectively play their role.



Dr. Asah Asante noted that if the Chiefs don't give their lands out, there will be no galamsey.



He therefore urged the Chiefs to be bold and do the right thing.

"The Chiefs must stamp their feet and let's know the lands indeed belong to them. So, they shouldn't permit any bad thing to happen on their lands and if they are involved too, they should desist from it immediately," he said.



Dr. Asah Asante also called on President Nana Akufo-Addo not to relent on his fight saying "say it. Do it. If they will vote against, let them".







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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An antibiotic (green), bound in the human-like yeast ribosome (gray), allows for synthesis of some proteins (represented in orange, purple, and blue) but not others (dark green). Credit: Maxim Svetlov/UIC

According to researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago, the antibiotics used to treat common bacterial infections, like pneumonia and sinusitis, may also be used to treat human diseases, like cancer. Theoretically, at least.

As outlined in a new Nature Communications study, the UIC College of Pharmacy team has shown in laboratory experiments that eukaryotic ribosomes can be modified to respond to antibiotics in the same way that prokaryotic ribosomes do.

Fungi, plants, and animalslike humansare eukaryotes; they are made up of cells that have a clearly defined nucleus. Bacteria, on the other hand, are prokaryotes. They are made up of cells, which do not have a nucleus and have a different structure, size and properties. The ribosomes of eukaryotic and procaryotic cells, which are responsible for the protein synthesis needed for cell growth and reproduction, are also different.

"Some antibiotics, used for treating bacterial infections, work in an interesting way. They bind to the ribosome of bacterial cells and very selectively inhibit protein synthesis. Some proteins are allowed to be made, but others are not," said Alexander Mankin, the Alexander Neyfakh Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at the UIC College of Pharmacy and senior author of the study. "Without these proteins being made, bacteria die."

When people use antibiotics to treat an infection, the cells of the patient are not affected because the drugs are not designed to bind to the differently shaped ribosomes of eukaryotic cells.

"Because there are many human diseases caused by the expression of unwanted proteinsthis is common in many types of cancer or neurodegenerative diseases, for examplewe wanted to know if it would be possible to use an antibiotic to stop a human cell from making the unwanted proteins, and only the unwanted proteins," Mankin said.

To answer this question, Mankin and study first author Maxim Svetlov, research assistant professor with the department of pharmaceutical sciences, looked to yeast, a eukaryote with cells similar to human cells.

The research team, which included partners from Germany and Switzerland, performed a "cool trick," Mankin said. "We engineered the yeast ribosome to be more bacteria-like."

Mankin and Svetlov's team used biochemistry and fine genetics to change one nucleotide of more than 7,000 in yeast ribosomal RNA, which was enough to make a macrolide antibiotica common class of antibiotics that works by binding to bacterial ribosomesact on the yeast ribosome. Using this yeast model, the researchers applied genomic profiling and high-resolution structural analysis to understand how every protein in the cell is synthesized and how the macrolide interacts with the yeast ribosome.

"Through this analysis, we understood that depending on a protein's specific genetic signaturethe presence of a 'good' or 'bad' sequencethe macrolide can stop its production on the eukaryotic ribosome or not," Mankin said. "This showed us, conceptually, that antibiotics can be used to selectively inhibit protein synthesis in human cells and used to treat human disorders caused by 'bad' proteins."

The experiments of the UIC researchers provide a staging ground for further studies. "Now that we know the concepts work, we can look for antibiotics that are capable of binding in the unmodified eukaryotic ribosomes and optimize them to inhibit only those proteins that are bad for a human," Mankin said.

More information: Maxim S. Svetlov et al, Context-specific action of macrolide antibiotics on the eukaryotic ribosome, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Maxim S. Svetlov et al, Context-specific action of macrolide antibiotics on the eukaryotic ribosome,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23068-1
Indexes for perceived roles and influences for European journalistsComments: Bertin graph with country means for perceived roles and influences. 18 countries, N = 10,254. Black categories are above-average for the variable. Credit: Nordicom Review (2021). DOI: 10.2478/nor-2021-0034

Swedish and Danish journalists describe their role as monitorial to a greater extent than journalists from other Nordic countries. Journalists from Norway and Iceland state they have the least experience of political influence and thus differ from Finnish journalists. This is shown by a new comparative study published by Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg.

In a new study, researchers examine the similarities and differences in Nordic journalists' perceptions of the role of journalists and different kinds of influence on journalistic work. They also compare the Nordic perceptions with journalists in the rest of Europe. The study is based on survey data from the Worlds of Journalism Study, which is the largest comparative journalism study ever conducted. The study covers 67 countries around the world, including all Nordic countries.

"We have directly comparable data from Nordic and European countries, which is rare. When we combine analysis of these data with our concept of journalistic style, we can present a more holistic and nuanced view of Nordic journalists' professional values and working conditions than previous studies", says Jari Valiverronen, researcher in journalism at Tampere University and one of the researchers behind the study.

Many similarities between Sweden and Denmark

Danish and Swedish journalists are generally the most similar in the study and are distinguished by a strong identification with the monitorial role of journalists.

"Danish and Swedish journalists consider to a greater extent their monitorial role in relation to, for example, politics to be important, but at the same time, they also emphasize the importance of objectivity", says Jan Fredrik Hovden, professor of media studies at the University of Bergen and the other researcher behind the study.

The main difference between the countries is the experience of external influences. The Swedes experience the strongest financial impact on their work, while the Danes feel they are most influenced by organizational factors, such as strong pressure from the newsrooms.

In a European context, journalists from the Nordic countries are relatively similar to each other, with comparatively low levels of perceived political and economic influence.

"The fact that the Nordic countries are relatively similar in a European comparison indicates that national media systems have a strong impact on journalists' professional roles and perceived influences. Within the Nordic region, on the other hand, there are clear differences, and several different journalistic styles emerge", says Valiverronen.

The most important differences within the Nordic region are related to journalists' relations to the political field, on one hand, and the strength of their perceived editorial autonomy and external influences, on the other. Norwegian and Icelandic journalists distance themselves to a greater extent from politics and have a more market-oriented style; this is especially true for Icelandic journalists. Finnish journalists, on the other hand, appear to be more oriented towards their local community, and also feel most strongly influenced by politics, compared with the other Nordic countries.

"Nordic journalists' conceptual roles and perceived influences. A European and inter-Nordic comparison," by Jan Fredrik Hovden and Jari Valiverronen, is published in the scientific journal Nordicom Review, issued by Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg.

Explore further Social journalists and social news media logic when social media is adopted in journalism

More information: Jan Fredrik Hovden et al, Nordic journalists' conceptual roles and perceived influences, Nordicom Review (2021). Jan Fredrik Hovden et al, Nordic journalists' conceptual roles and perceived influences,(2021). DOI: 10.2478/nor-2021-0034
More than 90 percent of the catch and release events produced information on the health of American Crocodile hatchlings. Credit: University of Florida

A study led by UF/IFAS scientists that focused on the threatened American Crocodile maps out the status of their population over the last 40 years in response to changes in the Florida Everglades. Key findings demonstrate that increased salinity in the water that crocodiles navigate influences their health, breeding behavior and ultimately, survival.

Considered a key wildlife indicator, the health of the American Crocodile will continue to tell us whether water restoration efforts that began in the late 1980s are benefitting crocodiles. Those restoration efforts began as part of a $14.8 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project to bring back more natural conditions in the Florida Everglades.

"Crocodiles may look burly and resilient, and we think of them as ancient dinosaurs, but they are vulnerable to changes in the environment, including human-caused changes to their natural ecosystem," said Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, a research biologist who works at the Croc Docs Laboratory at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

Briggs-Gonzalez is the lead author of American Crocodiles as restoration bioindicators in the Florida Everglades, a study published in PLOS ONE on May 19. The study relies on nearly 40 years of capture data and sheds light on how rising salinity levels in Florida Bay over time influences the population health of American Crocodiles.

"As designated bio-indicator species telling us how restoration efforts in the Everglades are performing, our results show that hypersaline conditions in the waterways they live, breed and navigate negatively affect how a crocodile is doing in its environment. Where a crocodile is captured matters to its overall body condition, how fast it can grow, and ultimately to its survival," said Briggs-Gonzalez.

For the study, UF/IFAS scientists conducted a long-term capture-recapture assessment on the South Florida population of American Crocodiles from 1978 to 2015. Through the study, researchers estimated the species' annual survival and evaluated efforts to restore more historic hydrologic conditions in South Florida.

Scientists studied an area spanning 341 miles, from Biscayne Bay west to Cape Sable. The study area included Northeast Florida Bay, Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Flamingo area in the Everglades National Park.

Scientists conducted 10,040 crocodile capture-and-release events. More than 90 percent of what they captured were hatchlings. To evaluate the status of American crocodiles in Florida, they measured growth, survival and body condition. The study used recorded salinity levels from nearby monitoring stations where crocodiles were in their natural habitats whether in freshwater estuaries, brackish waterways or in sea water along the coastal shoreline.

"Overall, there is a good sign of improvement, and they are doing better here than in other parts of the world in their range," said Briggs-Gonzalez. "However, with increased freshwater flow and lower salinity, we expect to see further improvement in crocodile growth, body condition and survival."

Among the study's critical findings is how American Crocodiles in South Florida showed signs of shifting their traditional nesting locations to avoid areas of high salinity. Scientists found there were areas of high salinity mostly concentrated in Northeast Florida Bay, where water has been diverted to accommodate development.

"Historically, crocodile nesting occurred in Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge and in Northeast Florida Bay within Everglades National Park with no known nesting in Cape Sable or Flamingo area until a canal was plugged in 1986 and the first nest was discovered the following morning," said Gonzalez-Briggs.

Since then, the majority of nesting in Everglades National Park has moved to Cape Sable and Flamingo areas. The study reports that nests in Northeast Florida Bay are increasing at a slower rate.

"High salinity is not good for wildlife, especially those that require freshwater," said Briggs-Gonzalez. "Now they have to endure salty water and crocodile babies need fresh water to survive. High salinity threatens a crocodile's growth and body condition too. It is a cascading effect that has an impact on all aspects of their lives."

Survival and growth of a crocodile are long-term measures, whereas body condition is a short-term measure. With continued monitoring by the Croc Docs, refreshed data will illustrate crocodile progress in the Everglades.

"Crocodiles show us that fresh water does matter," said Briggs-Gonzalez. "How much and when matters because it affects their survival. It's not just whether they are going to live or die, but how healthy will they be over their lifetime. By getting the water right in the Everglades, everything else will fall into place."

Explore further Everglades poised for a 'phenomenal' wading bird season with right water balance

More information: Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez et al, American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) as restoration bioindicators in the Florida Everglades, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez et al, American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) as restoration bioindicators in the Florida Everglades,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250510
Graphic representation of the precessing warp of the Milky Way disc. Credit: Gabriel Perez Diaz, SMM (IAC).

An investigation carried out by the astrophysicists of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) Zofia Chrobakova, a doctoral student at the IAC and the University of La Laguna (ULL), and Martin Lopez Corredoira, questions one of the most interesting findings about the dynamics of the Milky Way in recent years: the precession, or the wobble in the axis of rotation of the disc warp is incorrect. The results have just been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, which means that it is composed, among other components, of a disc of stars, gas and dust, in which the spiral arms are contained. At first, it was thought that the disc was completely flat, but for some decades now it is known that the outermost part of the disc is distorted into what is called a "warp": in one direction it is twisted upwards, and in the opposite direction downwards. The stars, the gas, and the dust are all warped, and so are not in the same plane as the extended inner part of the disc, and an axis perpendicular to the planes of the warp defines their rotation.

In 2020, an investigation announced the detection of the precession of the warp of the Milky Way disc, which means that the deformation in this outer region is not static, but that just like a spinning top the orientation of its axis is itself rotating with time. Furthermore, these researchers found that it was quicker than the theories predicted, a cycle every 600-700 million years, some three times the time it takes the Sun to travel once round the centre of the Galaxy.

Credit: Gabriel Perez Diaz, SMM (IAC)

Precession is not a phenomenon which occurs only in galaxies, it also happens to our planet. As well as its annual revolution around the Sun, and its rotation period of 24 hours, the axis of the Earth precesses, which implies that the celestial pole is not always close to the present pole star, but that (as an example) 14,000 years ago it was close to the star Vega.

Now, a new study by Zofia Chrobakova and Martin Lopez Corredoira has taken into account the variation of the amplitude of the warp with the ages of the stars. The study concludes that, using the warp of the old stars whose velocities have been measured, it is possible that the precession can disappear, or at least become slower than what is presently believed. To arrive at this result the researchers have used data from the Gaia Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), analysing the positions and velocities of hundreds of millions of stars in the outer disc.

"In previous studies it had not been noticed," explains Zofia Chrobakova, a predoctoral researcher at the IAC and the first author of the article, "that the stars which are a few tens of millions of years old, such as the Cepheids, have a much larger warp than that of the stars visible with the Gaia mission, which are thousands of millions of years old."

"This does not necessarily mean that the warp does not precess at all, it could do so, but much more slowly, and we are probably unable to measure this motion until we obtain better data," concludes Martin Lopez Corredoira, and IAC researcher and co-author of the article.

More information: Z. Chrobakova et al, A Case against a Significant Detection of Precession in the Galactic Warp, The Astrophysical Journal (2021). Journal information: Astrophysical Journal Z. Chrobakova et al, A Case against a Significant Detection of Precession in the Galactic Warp,(2021). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abf356
Once injected or swallowed, most drugs rely upon the movement of body fluids to find their way around the body. Some types of disease can be difficult to treat effectively in this way. Credit: jesse orrico / Unsplash

Tiny nano-sized robots and vehicles that can navigate through blood vessels to reach the site of a disease could be used to deliver drugs to tumors that are otherwise difficult to treat.

Once injected or swallowed, most drugs rely upon the movement of body fluids to find their way around the body. It means that some types of disease can be difficult to treat effectively in this way.

One aggressive type of brain tumor known as glioblastoma, for example, kills hundreds of thousands of people a year. But because it produces finger-like projections into a patient's brain tissue that damage the blood vessels around them, it is hard for drugs to reach the tumor site.

"If you inject particles into the body, they will follow the blood," said Professor Daniel Ahmed, who is currently leading the Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Instead, scientists are turning to nanodevicestiny robots and vehiclesto deliver drugs around the body in a controllable way. But first, they have to figure out how to drive them.

Nanoparticles are "10 times smaller than red blood cells, and if you use passive particles, there is no way to control them," says Prof. Ahmed.

To overcome this, he and his colleagues in the SONOBOTS project are using ultrasound to manipulate nanodevices that carry cancer-killing drugs. Ultrasound technology is typically used by doctors in medical imaging due to the way the high-frequency sound waves bounce off different parts of the body, which can be used to create an image.

Prof. Ahmed and his fellow scientists have shown, however, that they can guide an air bubble encased within a polymer shell and an imaging chemicalallowing it to be seenusing ultrasound. They call these tiny vehicles nanoswimmers because of their ability to move forward through a liquid. The sound waves push clusters of these nanoswimmers towards the vessel walls. This force, however, is not strong enough to affect the motion of red blood cells in the blood. Prof. Ahmed says he was inspired by how sperm travel: they stick to the vagina's stationary walls and use them to guide their forward movement. "We move (the nanoswimmers) to the wall and manipulate them," he said. This makes it easier to steer the nanoswimmers in the right direction through a blood vessel as they can follow the walls.

Nanoswimmers

This ability to finely control the nanoswimmers is necessary if the scientists want to get their drug-carrying nanovehicles to glioblastomas, which is the ultimate goal. The leaky blood vessels around these tumors mean that the nanoswimmers will have to be carefully navigated to the cancer cells. But once there, researchers can acoustically shake the swimmer so they release their drug payload into the tumor.

So far, the scientists have managed to manipulate and track their nanoswimmers in zebrafish embryos, but Prof. Ahmed said that they are eager to trial their technology in mice. "Zebrafish have a tiny brain, but their blood-brain barrier is not mature. We need to move to mice to understand leaky vasculature."

While there are numerous propulsion mechanisms that could be used to guide drug-carrying nanovehicles, such as chemicals, magnetic fields, or light, ultrasound is attractive for a number of reasons, said Prof. Ahmed. Ultrasound waves can penetrate deeply into the body but have been shown to be safe. It is routinely used to detect fetal heart beats in pregnant women, for example. The technology is also relatively inexpensive and can also be found in the majority of hospitals and clinics.

Precisely delivering drugs to specific locations in the body could help to tackle other common, but deadly diseases.

Professor Salvador Pane and Professor Josep Puigmarti-Luis, researchers in the ANGIE project, hope targeted drug delivery will allow doctors to treat a greater number of stroke patients more effectively. Ischaemic strokes, which occur when blood clots cut off the flow of blood in the brain, are a leading cause of death in the European Union, with more than 1.1 million people suffering strokes each year.

Stroke

The leading form of treatment for patients arriving in hospital after a stroke is with clot-busting drugs, but these are given as an injection and travel around the body before reaching the brain. These drugs also have many side-effects, ranging from nausea and low blood pressure to bleeding in the brain, and not everyone is able to take them.

If treatments could be directed to the location in a vein or artery where a clot is occurring, they could be cleared far more effectively.

"If we concentrate the amount needed at the clot, we will drastically reduce these side effects and we will be able to treat more patients and reduce side effects," said Prof. Pane, co-director of the Multi-Scale Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich and head of its chemistry laboratory.

In ANGIE, the researchers are creating tiny nanorobots that can do just this and deliver the drug directly onto the clot.

Unlike the nanoswimmers in SONOBOTs, the nanorobots being developed under ANGIE are more sophisticated in terms of how they can be controlled.

"The conventional mechanisms for swimming do not work on the nano-scaleif you try to do crawl (swimming stroke) and implement it at a nanoscale, it will not work," he said. To overcome this the team are using magnetic fields to control the nano-sized structures, which contain magnetic particles or films.

Prof. Pane likened them to a robotic arm on an industrial assembly line. While industrial robots use a computer-controlled arm to move a gripper at the end around, in the case of the ANGIE nanorobots, the 'arm' is the magnetic field that moves the magnetic nanorobots around. The nanorobots are made from biodegradable tiny iron-based polymer composite structures. Altering the shape and composition of these structures can change how they are controlled.

When the nanorobot reaches its targeta clot in the brain in the case of stroke patientsit then interacts with the clot to deliver its drug payload. Taken in its entirety, ANGIE can be considered a robotic system due to the level of control the magnetic field allows, according to the researchers.

Robots

"They really are robotsyou're able to control them, accelerate, stop, move them in all three directions," said Prof. Puigmarti-Luis, a chemist at the University of Barcelona in Spain. In principle, they can roll, corkscrew, and tumble.

While still in its first year, the ANGIE research team are currently developing the electromagnetic system, which comprises the nanorobots and the infrastructure needed to control these devices. To confirm that their technology works, they will 3D print a human vascular system based on real data, and map the optimal path for their nanorobots to reach a clot, Prof. Puigmarti-Luis says.

But if successful, using such nanorobots to deliver drugs to clots in stroke patients, for example, could be achieved with existing equipment in many major hospitals. "Magnetic fields are already used in hospitals for magnetic resonance imaging," added Prof. Pane.

Although their current aim is to find stroke-causing clots, the technology could be applied to many other diseases, says Prof. Pane. But they need to show that their technology works before they can trial it in people.

Nanodevices offer a promising way of targeting disease treatment, and something that SONOBOTS' Prof. Ahmed thinks will be a reality in the not-too-distant future.

"Initially, when we spoke to medical doctors about the ideas, they thought it was too science fiction," but as the study data grows, they are coming around, he said.

Explore further Toward nanorobots that swim through blood to deliver drugs
Lindsay Montgomery, GLOBE Solar Terminator Challenge participant, relished the unique opportunity this program provided her and her children. Credit: Lindsay Montgomery

Taking pictures of the clouds above is a popular pastime for photographers of all stripes. NASA Spring 2021 interns were invited to do it for science by participating in a data challenge to help solve the terminator problem.

What is the terminator problem? The solar terminator (or "twilight zone") is the line that separates the daylit side of a planet from the dark night side. From Earth's surface we can often see lovely sunrises and sunsets at the terminator. However, these same conditions pose some difficulties for cloud-observing satellites. In particular, the low-light conditions affect the satellite measurements in a way that makes them less sensitive to clouds at low altitudes near the ground, which complicates the algorithms used to detect clouds from satellite observations. Hence the terminator "problem."

The NASA GLOBE Clouds team at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia is working with NASA scientist Dr. Bill Smith who will mentor a summer intern. Together, they will use the GLOBE Cloud observations made by agency interns and citizen scientists to solve the terminator problem.

"A challenging objective for our team is to be able to derive cloud properties that are accurate and consistent at all times of day, which to some degree requires developing new and innovative methods that can improve upon our traditional approaches," Smith said. He and his team have been exploring the use of machine learning methods to address this problem and others.

"These new cloud analyses need to be validated to help quantify the level of improvement we are getting," said Dr. Cecilia Wang, a senior scientist at Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) who works closely with Smith on the Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) cloud analyses.

GLOBE, or Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, is sponsored by NASA and is a worldwide program that brings together students, teachers, scientists and citizens to promote science and learning about the environment. When citizen scientists submit a GLOBE observation of clouds, the Langley team, with the support of Smith's SatCORPS products, create a "satellite match" where you can see your observation compared to satellite measurements.

Interns were able to upload photos via the GLOBE Observer app, as well as provide reports about cloud and sky conditions. Together these provide a wealth of information about the terminator problem that is difficult to gather through means other than citizen science participants.

"Citizen scientists love to contribute data and get even more energized when they know exactly how their data will be used," said GLOBE Clouds principal investigator Jessica Taylor. "This is what makes the Solar Terminator Challenge so exciting. Having clouds observations during sunrise and sunset can help us better understand our satellite data."

The four lead contributors were Lindsay McCarthy from NASA's Johnson Space center, Rose Rizzi of Langley, Angela Cheng of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Nakeshia Diop at NASA headquarters. Their consistent observations will be used by a summer intern to work on algorithms for the terminator problem.

McCarthy, who interned remotely from Massachusetts, relished the unique opportunity this program provided her and her children.

"Participating in the GLOBE Solar Terminator Challenge was an incredible experience," she said. "The Spring 2021 intern challenge provided a beautiful bridge for my three elementary-aged children to participate as well. Daily data collection, that started with ice and snow and ended in sunshine and blooms, was a gift that engaged my family in beautiful and deeply impactful ways."

Families who would like to get involved can use the GLOBE Clouds Family Guide to learn more about clouds. There are many options to connect with cloud content and learn, observe, engage and create, all while having fun.

"Participating in this challenge was a fun way to dip my toes into citizen science while interning at NASA," Rizzi said. "As an intern, it was nice to know that my efforts were going to help a future intern analyze the data to further the knowledge of Earth science."

McCarthy said it was nothing short of joyous to have the occasion to look to the sky each morning and night."

"Learning about citizen science and making actual contributions together showed us all how we can collectively serve our world scientifically and wholeheartedly," she said.

Anyone who wants to dip their toes into citizen science can start with the GLOBE Observer app. To contribute to solving the terminator problem, follow the steps outlined in the GLOBE blog.

Explore further NASA invites you to become a citizen scientist during U.S. total solar eclipse
Xi eyes strategic China-Vietnam community with shared future

Xinhua) 08:17, May 25, 2021

Visitors pose for photos while attending the opening ceremony of the "Splendid Vietnam, Splendid China" photo exhibition at the Confucius Institute of Hanoi University in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Tao Jun)

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China stands ready to make active efforts with Vietnam to build the two countries into a community with a shared future that bears strategic significance.

He made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and asked the latter to convey his sincere greetings to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

China and Vietnam are linked by mountains and rivers, Xi said, pointing out that the traditional friendship of "camaraderie and brotherhood" is the common treasure of the two parties and countries and that good-neighborliness is the big picture of the development of relations between the two parties and countries.

The Communist Party of China is about to celebrate its centenary, China has embarked on a new journey of fully building a modern socialist country, and Vietnam is also striving to achieve its two centenary goals, Xi noted.

The two sides, he suggested, should view and grasp the relations between the two parties and countries from a strategic and long-term perspective and set the right direction for China-Vietnam relations to move forward.

The Chinese party and government firmly adhere to a friendly policy towards Vietnam, and appreciate that the new leadership of Vietnam continues to give top priority to relations with China in its foreign policy, Xi said.

He added that China is willing to work with Vietnam to stay true to the original aspiration of their traditional friendship, bear in mind the ideals and historical missions shared by the two sides, and continuously make their comprehensive strategic cooperation more relevant in the new era, so as to inject new impetus into the development of relations between the two parties and countries as well as their socialist causes.

Xi stressed that the two sides should continue to leverage the special advantages of their inter-party exchanges to deepen experience sharing on state governance.

They should give full play to the coordination role of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, and promote high-quality synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, he added.

Xi also called for concerted efforts to continuously expand bilateral trade, speed up infrastructure connection, and fully tap the cooperation potential of new business forms and new driving forces, so as to better serve the economic and social development of both countries.

The two sides, Xi added, should strengthen people-to-people exchanges, accelerate the implementation of China-aided projects for public well-being in Vietnam, and bring more results of their win-win cooperation to people in both countries.

They should also carry on the good tradition of unity and mutual support, join hands to effectively handle and control the COVID-19 pandemic, and substantively protect the people's lives and health, Xi said.

China, he said, stands ready to continue to provide as much assistance as its capacity allows for Vietnam's fight against the pandemic.

For his part, Phuc conveyed Trong's cordial greetings to Xi, and warmly congratulated the CPC on its upcoming centenary.

He said that under the strong leadership of the CPC with Xi at the core, China has overcome the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, and achieved victory in the three major battles of fighting the pandemic, restoring the economy and reducing poverty, and that the life of the Chinese people has never been as happy as it is today.

The Vietnamese side sincerely congratulates China on its successful great transformation from standing up to growing rich, and to becoming stronger, he said, adding that his country believes and wishes that China will accomplish even greater achievements on its journey towards the second centenary goal.

Noting that Vietnam and China are brothers and close neighbors, he said the Vietnamese side always supports the socialist China in growing stronger, firmly pursues an independent foreign policy, and will continue to staunchly promote its friendship with China.

Vietnam, he added, is ready to earnestly implement the high-level consensuses between the two countries, intensify political exchanges, strengthen solidarity and mutual trust, and deepen win-win cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, epidemic control, and youth and people-to-people exchanges, as well as at local levels.

That will help lift the relations between the two parties and countries to new heights, and contribute to regional peace and the development of the socialist cause, he said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Research News

Nanoparticle-based flu vaccine effective in preclinical trials

The vaccine platform, developed in the lab of UB faculty member Jonathan Lovell (above), is also being tested for a COVID-19 vaccine, and it's being studied as an HIV vaccine. Photo: Douglas Levere

By CORY NEALON

Typically, flu vaccines contain either deactivated microbes that cause influenza, or they are based on weakened forms of the disease. The vaccine were developing is a recombinant protein nanoparticle vaccine that stimulates a strong immune response. 

Typically, flu vaccines contain either deactivated microbes that cause influenza, or they are based on weakened forms of the disease. The vaccine were developing is a recombinant protein nanoparticle vaccine that stimulates a strong immune response, Lovell says.

The results are very encouraging, says the studys senior co-author, Jonathan Lovell, associate professor of biomedical engineering.

Use smaller doses, thereby increasing vaccine supplies, which can be critical given the unpredictable nature of influenza.

Take less time to produce large quantities because, unlike most seasonal flu vaccines, it is not created in embryonated chicken eggs.

Improve the effectiveness of seasonal flu vaccines, which typically work 40-60% of the time, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Described in a study published May 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the vaccine has the potential to:

An experimental flu vaccine consisting of billions of tiny spherical sacs that carry infection-fighting proteins throughout the body has proven effective in preclinical studies.

The circle-shaped objects in the image above are cobalt-porphyrin-phospholipid (CoPoP) nanoparticles decorated with flu proteins. Image: University at Buffalo.

Key to the vaccines success is a liposome Lovell and colleagues created called cobalt-porphyrin-phospholipid, or CoPoP.

These tiny spherical sacs, which are small enough to be considered nanoparticles, form the backbone of what is known in pharmaceutical parlance as a vaccine platform, which is any underlying technology used to develop multiple vaccines.

(While not part of this study, the platform is being utilized in clinical trials in South Korea as a COVID-19 vaccination candidate. This is a partnership between UB spinoff company POP Biotechnologies, co-founded by Lovell, and South Korean biotech company EuBiologics. POP Biotechnologies is also working with Scripps Research to study the platform in a possible HIV vaccine.)



Alone, these liposomes do not fight disease. But they possess a special talent. They spontaneously convert virus proteins that prompt immune responses into a more potent nanoparticle format.

This conversion is advantageous because the dissolved proteins attach to the surface of the liposomes, where the proteins enhance the immune systems response to disease, says senior co-author Matthew Miller, associate professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University.

In the study, the researchers introduced a group of proteins known as hemagglutinin to the CoPop liposomes. One particular hemagglutinin, known as trimeric H3 HA, triggered a strong immune response in mice.

The nanoparticles carry the trimeric H3 HA to the bodys immune cells, and they provoke those immune cells to respond more vigorously to the flu, says lead author Zachary Sia, a PhD candidate in Lovells lab.

In experiments involving flu virus strain H3N2, blood serum from vaccinated mice was injected into non-vaccinated mice. The injection provided protection against H3N2. In experiments with ferrets involving a more modern H3N2 strain, the vaccine reduced the amount of virus in the animals upper respiratory system.

Even with doses as low as 2 nanograms, the vaccine provided a similar level of protection that vaccines with doses typically measured in micrograms, or roughly 1,000 times more.

The dose-sparing effect is important because it means we could create many more doses using less materials says senior co-author Bruce Davidson, research associate professor of anesthesiology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. Simply put, CoPoP likely will provide greater immune protection with less hemagglutinin than current vaccines.

The vaccine platform is also versatile.

Researchers were able to simultaneously bind 10 recombinant proteins representing distinct influenza virus strains to generate a highly multivalent nanoparticle. A 5 nanogram dose in mice offered protection against the H5N1 flu strain, more commonly known as bird flu, a virus that epidemiologists say has the potential to trigger a pandemic.

Funding to support the study came from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award from the Government of Ontario, a Physicians Services Inc. Research Trainee Fellowship, and a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Additional support came from the Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System, the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research at McGill University, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Government of Quebec.

Lovell and co-author Wei-Chiao Huang hold interest in POP Biotechnologies.
In this Tuesday, July 28, 2020 file photo, Rey Gomez cools off in the spray from a fire hydrant in New York, as the city opened more than 300 fire hydrants with sprinkler caps to help residents cool off during a heat wave. According to a study published Tuesday, May 25, 2021 in Nature Communications, during the summer of 2017 in nearly all large urban areas, people of color are exposed to more extreme urban heat than white people. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

In nearly every major city in the U.S., people of color are exposed to more extreme urban heat than white people, a new study found.

Using government temperature and census data, researchers examined the distribution of heat islandsparts of cities with higher average temperatures than the surrounding areas. The study, published Tuesday in Nature Communications, found that during the summer of 2017 in nearly all large urban areas, the average non-white person lived in a census tract with higher heat island intensity.

Glenn Sheriff, a co-author of the study and environmental economics professor at Arizona State University, was surprised to find such pervasive disparities: It was seen in all but six of the country's 175 largest urban areas.

"I expected to see that people of color had a higher exposure to this heat island effect in maybe a majority of cities," Sheriff said. "But what we found was that something like 97% of the cities had these disparities."

The researchers used heat islands as a proxy for exposure to extreme heat. These places are usually landlocked and laden with concrete, with little to no grass, trees or bushes. Because of this, they typically attract and retain more heat than surrounding areas. With climate change warming the planet, heat islands have been an increasingly scrutinized by environmental scientists over the last decade.

"The physics behind the urban heat island means that the strongest temperature increases occur in the central parts of urban areas," said Ken Kunkel, a senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who was not involved with the study.

In this Wednesday, July 4, 2012 file photo, Dave Bailey, right, gulps water from a bottle while hanging inside of a tent on the sidewalk with his sons Daquan Bailey, 14, left, and Davandre Bailey, 17, while beating the heat on Fourth of July in Paterson, N.J. According to a study published Tuesday, May 25, 2021 in Nature Communications, during the summer of 2017 in nearly all large urban areas, people of color are exposed to more extreme urban heat than white people. Credit: AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File

People living in or near heat islands can experience hotter days, less nighttime cooling and higher air pollution than surrounding areas. Those conditions can contribute to heat-related deaths and illnesses such as stroke, respiratory difficulty, cramps and exhaustion, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition to finding disparities between people of color and whites, Sheriff and his colleagues also found that the average person of color is exposed to a higher heat island intensity than the average person living below poverty. This is the case even though only 10 percent of people of color lived below the poverty line in 2017.

This finding surprised Sheriff. As an economist, he said expected to find that more affluent people of color would have less exposure to heat islands than people with lower incomes.

"It suggests that there's some non-economic factor at play here," Sheriff said. "It's not purely that property values are pricing poor people out of (cooler) neighborhoods because the average person of color is not living in poverty."

That factor is race, according to Sacoby Wilson, an environmental health professor at the University of Maryland who was not part of the research team. He's researched pollution for decades and has found similar racial inequities in air pollution and water contamination.

Wilson said racism is an underlying driver of these disparities, leading to discriminatory housing policies and zoning laws, for example. Society can invest in planting trees, creating greenspace and tear down highways, he said, "but we've got to dismantle racism, man."

"Like people say you've got to plant more trees," he said. "Yes, that's part of it, but the root cause is racism."

More information: Disproportionate exposure to urban heat island intensity across major US cities, Nature Communications (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22799-5 Journal information: Nature Communications Disproportionate exposure to urban heat island intensity across major US cities,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22799-5

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: University of Florida

Florida Museum of Natural History scientists have found the first nest of Florida's extraordinarily rare blue calamintha bee and added a new location to its known range: Ocala National Forest. They also confirmed the insect feeds on a second, but highly endangered, host plant.

Researchers made the discoveries during their second field season tracking the obscure bee in Central Florida's sand pine scrub habitats. Their findings will help inform conservation and land management efforts and a federal assessment on whether the blue calamintha bee qualifies for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

"The ultimate goal is to keep this bee around for the foreseeable future," said Jaret Daniels, Florida Museum curator of Lepidoptera and the project's principal investigator. "Studying and understanding more about individual species is most impactful for us when it leads to steps for helping conserve the organism."

First described in 2011, the blue calamintha bee, Osmia calaminthae, was known from only four locations on Lake Wales Ridge until museum researcher Chase Kimmel documented new populations in 2020. Over the past two field seasons, Kimmel and field technician Clint Gibson have observed the bee at 11 new locations, including Ocala National Forest, giving scientists valuable insight into the species' potential range.

The bee's primary home, Lake Wales Ridge, is a 150-mile-long sandy spine running down the center of the state, the remnant of ancient islands in Florida's distant past. The region harbors plant and animal species found nowhere else, but ranks among the nation's fastest-disappearing ecosystems, with pockets of natural habitat surrounded by citrus groves and suburban neighborhoods.

Credit: Jerald Pinson

Using Archbold Biological Station as a home base, Kimmel and Gibson logged hundreds of hours surveying conservation lands, but recorded blue calamintha bees fewer than 100 times, many of which could have been the same individuals. When Kimmel marked individual bees to track their movements, he often saw them later in the same areaeven at the same shrub. DNA analysis will help reveal how genetically isolated the bee's populations may have become over time. Sequencing its genome may also provide insights into other species within the Osmia genus, including the blue orchard bee, which is an economically important pollinator in agriculture.

Kimmel said that while he gets "a little bummed" as he drives through the region, watching bulldozers overturn the ridge's fragile habitat, this year's field season also sounded a note of hope: The site at which the team confirmed the bee's second pollen host plant, false rosemary, is a former citrus grove now restored to pine scrub.

"Those kinds of stories where we can restore and promote habitat for this bee really gets us excited, knowing we've got examples where we can actually make a difference," he said. "It's not just that we're going to study the decline of this bee. There are things we can actually do."

The bee's common name comes from its main host plant Ashe's calamint, Calamintha ashei, itself a threatened species in the state. False rosemary, Conradina brevifolia, is even rarer, listed as endangered at both state and federal levels. Researchers learned the blue calamintha bee visits false rosemary earlier in the year, before Ashe's calamint is in bloom, leading to concerns about food availability if warming temperatures decouple the timing of the plant's blossoming from the bee's emergence in February.

The team also collected pollen samples from blue calamintha bees to determine whether they visit other plant species.

Ocala National Forest is 80 miles north of the bees previously known northernmost occurrence on Lake Wales Ridge. This has gotten us into a lot of other background research on how some of these ancient islands in Florida were potentially connected, Credit: Kimmel said.Florida Museum image by Chase Kimmel/Esri ArcMap 10.7

"It's a story of a really rare bee using a really rare series of plants," said Daniels, who is also a professor in the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department. "This bee could be closely tied to the pollination of these endangered plants."

The blue calamintha bee's underground nesting habits came as a surprise to the researchers, who expected it to use hollow stems or holes in dead trees, as many of its close relatives do. Given how few bees the team observed and how fast they fly, the discovery of the nest was "just kind of pure luck," Kimmel said.

Gibson was assessing a site with blooming false rosemary at Lake Wales Ridge when he happened to see a bee zip toward a small sedge and disappear into the root structure, leading him to a nest. He later found a second nest nearby, possibly made by the same bee as a way of spreading its resources and offspring, and researchers also located two nests at Ocala National Forest. Daniels said nesting within the sedge's root system might help stabilize the deep sugar sand that characterizes these ecosystems.

The revelation that the bee is a ground nester will help the team make recommendations to local land managers, as pine scrub ecosystems evolved under a rhythm of fire and undergo prescribed burns today. While the blue calamintha bee's brood chamber may be deep enough underground to withstand the heat of a burn, some areas are converted to firebreaks by overturning top soil, which might disturb bee nests. Ensuring burns happen in a mosaic pattern or on a rotational basis could also help preserve the food resources on which the bee relies, Kimmel said.

Last year's news that scientists had found the blue calamintha bee unexpectedly rocketed the insect to international celebrity status when many people were under COVID-19 lockdowns and spending more time outside. Kimmel and Daniels' inboxes flooded with reports of blue bee sightings. None thus far have been confirmed as the blue calamintha beeFlorida is also home to a number of more common blue bee speciesbut the researchers were bowled over by the amount of public interest in such a little-known insect.

Chase Kimmel surveys habitat for blue calamintha bees. Credit: University of Florida

"People tend to think what entomologists do is kind of strange, so it's exciting to see the public get excited about this," Kimmel said. "I can't deny that it was a bit overwhelming at times, but there was also a reassuring sense that what I'm doing and my passion in life for conserving, restoring and finding management practices that help organisms thrive has meaning. It feels good to have that support."

By mid-May, blue calamintha bees show the wear and tear of their springtime labor and, as many other bee species do, will eventually work themselves to death. For the rest of the year, all the action happens underground as eggs hatch and the larvae eat food reserves stored by the female bee before they emerge next year as adults. The research team hopes to be waiting for them.

Skeptics may ask whether all the hours tramping through pine scrub to see a handful of metallic blue bees are worth it. Daniels has a response.

"All species are important. Florida scrub is a highly endangered and declining habitat across the state, and ultimately, we don't know the role this bee plays in that system. We've learned a lot about it. What will we learn in the next decade? It's hard to be cavalier when you start thinking about losing species forever."

Bees observed in the research project were released unharmed.

Explore further Bee species rediscovered after scientists thought it may no longer exist
Credit: Mongta Studio/Shutterstock

The visible surface of the sun, or the photosphere, is around 6,000C. But a few thousand kilometers above ita small distance when we consider the size of the sunthe solar atmosphere, also called the corona, is hundreds of times hotter, reaching a million degrees celsius or higher.

This spike in temperature, despite the increased distance from the sun's main energy source, has been observed in most stars, and represents a fundamental puzzle that astrophysicists have mulled over for decades.

In 1942, the Swedish scientist Hannes Alfven proposed an explanation. He theorized that magnetized waves of plasma could carry huge amounts of energy along the sun's magnetic field from its interior to the corona, bypassing the photosphere before exploding with heat in the sun's upper atmosphere.

The theory had been tentatively acceptedbut we still needed proof, in the form of empirical observation, that these waves existed. Our recent study has finally achieved this, validating Alfven's 80 year-old theory and taking us a step closer to harnessing this high-energy phenomenon here on Earth.

Burning questions

The coronal heating problem has been established since the late 1930s, when the Swedish spectroscopist Bengt Edlen and the German astrophysicist Walter Grotrian first observed phenomena in the sun's corona that could only be present if its temperature was a few million degrees celsius.

This represents temperatures up to 1,000 times hotter than the photosphere beneath it, which is the surface of the sun that we can see from Earth. Estimating the photosphere's heat has always been relatively straightforward: we just need to measure the light that reaches us from the sun, and compare it to spectrum models that predict the temperature of the light's source.

The extreme heat of the Suns corona is one of the most vexing problems in astrophysics.

Over many decades of study, the photosphere's temperature has been consistently estimated at around 6,000C. Edlen and Grotrian's finding that the sun's corona is so much hotter than the photospheredespite being further from the sun's core, its ultimate source of energyhas led to much head scratching in the scientific community.

Scientists looked to the sun's properties to explain this disparity. The sun is composed almost entirely of plasma, which is highly ionized gas that carries an electrical charge. The movement of this plasma in the convection zonethe upper part of the solar interiorproduces huge electrical currents and strong magnetic fields.

These fields are then dragged up from the sun's interior by convection, and burble onto its visible surface in the form of dark sunspots, which are clusters of magnetic fields that can form a variety of magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere.

This is where Alfven's theory comes in. He reasoned that within the sun's magnetized plasma any bulk motions of electrically charged particles would disturb the magnetic field, creating waves that can carry huge amounts of energy along vast distancesfrom the sun's surface to its upper atmosphere. The heat travels along what are called solar magnetic flux tubes before bursting into the corona, producing its high temperature.

These magnetic plasma waves are now called Alfven waves, and their part in explaining coronal heating led to Alfven being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1970.

Observing Alfven waves

But there remained the problem of actually observing these waves. There's so much happening on the sun's surface and in its atmospherefrom phenomena many times larger than Earth to small changes below the resolution of our instrumentationthat direct observational evidence of Alfven waves in the photosphere has not been achieved before.

Sunspots are darker patches on the Suns surface. Credit: Siberian Art/Shutterstock

But recent advances in instrumentation have opened a new window through which we can examine solar physics. One such instrument is the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectropolarimeter (IBIS) for imaging spectroscopy, installed at the Dunn Solar Telescope in the US state of New Mexico. This instrument has allowed us to make far more detailed observations and measurements of the sun.

Combined with good viewing conditions, advanced computer simulations, and the efforts of an international team of scientists from seven research institutions, we used the IBIS to finally confirm, for the first time, the existence of Alfven waves in solar magnetic flux tubes.

New energy source

The direct discovery of Alfven waves in the solar photosphere is an important step towards exploiting their high energy potential here on Earth. They could help us research nuclear fusion, for instance, which is the process taking place inside the sun that involves small amounts of matter being converted into huge amounts of energy. Our current nuclear power stations use nuclear fission, which critics argue produces dangerous nuclear wasteespecially in the case of disasters including the one that took place in Fukushima in 2011.

Creating clean energy by replicating the nuclear fusion of the sun on Earth remains a huge challenge, because we'd still need to generate 100 million degrees celsius quickly for fusion to occur. Alfven waves could be one way of doing this. Our growing knowledge of the sun shows it's certainly possibleunder the right conditions.

We're also expecting more solar revelations soon, thanks to new, ground-breaking missions and instruments. The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter satellite is now in orbit around the sun, delivering images and taking measurements of the star's uncharted polar regions. Terrestrially, the unveiling of new, high-performance solar telescopes are also expected to enhance our observations of the sun from Earth.

With many secrets of the sun still to be discovered, including the properties of the sun's magnetic field, this is an exciting time for solar studies. Our detection of Alfven waves is just one contribution to a wider field that's looking to unlock the sun's remaining mysteries for practical applications on Earth.

Explore further Scientists catch exciting magnetic waves in action in the Sun's photosphere

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Penn State Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Micheal Eracleous at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tuscon, Arizona. Credit: Micheal Eracleous

At the center of most galaxies are black holes so massiveup to several billion times the mass of our sunthat they have earned the descriptor "supermassive." Compare this to your run-of-the-mill stellar-mass black hole, a measly 10 to 100 times our sun's mass. Understanding these supermassive black holes will help astronomers understand the origin and evolution of galaxies. One open question is whether they can form binaries.

Stellar-mass black holes form binary systems, two black holes orbiting each other, if they form from the collapse of a binary star system, or possibly when two black holes capture each other in their gravitational pull. They spiral in, eventually merging in an event so powerful that it sends a ripple through space and time known as a gravitational wave. A few years ago, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected gravitational waves from such an event for the first time.

Theoretically then, the merging of two galaxies could result in a binary black hole of the supermassive variety, but so far astronomers have not unequivocally detected one of these events. Penn State Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Michael Eracleous is in the forefront of the hunt.

"About ten years ago, several papers were published claiming to have detected binary supermassive black holes," he said. "I had done some work on binary supermassive black holes as a graduate student, so I felt compelled to embark on a project to gather a lot of data to be able to make a counterpoint to the claims of those papers. Once I got into it, I saw how connected it was to galaxy evolution."

"When I came to Penn State, I knew that the department was a perfect fit for the type of research that I do," he said. "I've made some great connections with my colleagues here, and now I know that if I'm ever stuck, all it takes is a cup of coffee and a conversation to clear things up."

So how do you look for something you've never seen?

"In much of astronomy, observation comes firstwe see something and that informs our theory," said Eracleous. "For binary supermassive black holes, theory is driving the observations. Until we find one, the questions are "Should they exist?" and "Should we look for them?" And the answer to both questions is definitely "Yes.'"

A major difference between supermassive black holes and stellar-mass black holes is gas. When stellar-mass black holes form after a star explodes in a supernova, most of the gas is driven away. But supermassive black holes are thought to carry gases with them. These gases emit light signals that can be detected by large telescopes equipped with spectrographs here on Earth, such as the 11-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET).

Eracleous explained that the gases are detected by the spectrograph as emission lines of a particular wavelength and they could hold the key to identifying a supermassive binary. As the black holes orbit one another, the emission lines from these gases shift due to the Doppler effect. The emission lines from one black hole are shifted to longer wavelengths, and those from the other are shifted to shorter wavelengths. So scientists expect two separate emission lines, one from each black hole.

"If we could follow the emission lines over the course of an orbit, we would see them crossing back and forth as the signals from each black hole shifted one way and then the other," said Eracleous.

Of course, the actual search is not that straightforward. Practicalities like limited availability of time on the large telescopes necessary to make these observations mean astronomers can't just watch and wait to see the telltale signs of a supermassive binary. But they don't need to. Instead, they identify candidates from an initial survey and make regular check-ins to see if the spectra from these candidates have changed as would be expected based on theoretical models.

"Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope to make these observations makes our life easier because we don't even need to go to the observatory to collect the data," said Eracleous. "The HET is operated by resident astronomers who make the observations and send us the data."

The process is slow, but Eracleous explained that once they find one binary supermassive black hole, the search should accelerate.

"The first confirmed binary supermassive black hole will be like the Rosetta Stone," he said. "It will tell us which of our models were right and which were wrong. It will allow us to refine our next searches and we should be able to find more."

Astronomers are already developing the technology for those next searches. Eracleous is involved in the planning for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). LISA is to LIGO what a supermassive black hole is to a stellar-mass black hole. Where LIGO consists of two four-kilometer-long lasers at right angles to each other, LISA's three spacecrafts will be connected by lasers that travel 2.5 million kilometers forming an equilateral triangle. LISA's scale and the fact that it is space based means that it can detect low-wavelength gravitational waves away from noise sources here on Earth.

"LISA will be tuned to find gravitational waves like those that would result from a supermassive black hole merger," said Eracleous.

For Eracleous, Penn State's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics has provided the supportive environment necessary for his search.

Explore further Testing Einstein's theory of gravity from the shadows and collisions of black holes
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Ecologist Rolf Peterson remembers driving remote stretches of road in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and seeing areas strewn with deer carcasses. But that changed after gray wolves arrived in the region from Canada and Minnesota.

"When wolves moved in during the 1990s and 2000s, the deer-vehicle collisions went way down," said the Michigan Tech researcher.

Recently, another team of scientists has gathered data about road collisions and wolf movements in Wisconsin to quantify how the arrival wolves there affected the frequency of deer-auto collisions. They found it created what scientists call "a landscape of fear."

"In a pretty short period of time, once wolves colonize a county, deer vehicle collisions go down about 24%," said Dominic Parker, a natural resources economist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and co-author of their new study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Both thinning of the deer population by wolves and behavior changes in fearful deer are factors in the drop-off, Parker said.

"When you have a major predator around, it impacts how the prey behave," he said. "Wolves use linear features of a landscape as travel corridors, like roads, pipelines and stream beds. Deer learn this and can adapt by staying away."

Gray wolves, among the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. But in other regions of the U.S., gray wolves have dispersed naturally; the population in the lower 48 states now totals about 5,500.

The new study said that the presence of wolves, maligned by ranchers whose livestock suffers predation, also can save money by indirectly reducing deer-vehicle collisions. In 2008, a study for the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated those crashes cost more than $8 billion annually.

"Most economic studies of wolves have been negative, focusing on livestock losses," said Dave Mech, a senior research scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Minnesota, who was not involved in the new study and praised it. "But wolves also reshape ecosystems in many ways, although that's hard to measure economically."

Some studies have looked at tourism revenue generated by wolf-watchers in Yellowstone, but that money doesn't flow directly to communities living alongside wolves, said Jennifer Raynor, a natural resources economist at Wesleyan University and a co-author of the new study.

"We wanted to look at other ways the wolves impacted the region," Raynor said. "These auto collisions are happening, or not happening, in rural areas, and so are livestock damages."

Michigan Tech's Peterson, who was not involved in the research, said, "If anything, the researchers underestimated the value of the deer-vehicle crashes. The deeper dimension of these collision costs can include large medical bills and, sometimes, human fatalities."

A 2016 study found that cougars decreased the number of deer-vehicle crashes in parts of the eastern U.S. by about 22%.

The wolf study "adds to growing awareness that scientists should consider both the costs and the benefits of having large carnivores on the landscape," said Adrian Treves, a University of Wisconsin conservation biologist not involved in the study.

Explore further Wolves prefer to feed on the wild side

More information: Jennifer L. Raynor et al, Wolves make roadways safer, generating large economic returns to predator conservation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jennifer L. Raynor et al, Wolves make roadways safer, generating large economic returns to predator conservation,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2023251118

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced that he believes all schools will be set to open for in-person learning in September.

We have to get back to school and on the current trajectory, there is no reason why we cant open schools statewide in September, he said in a briefing.

Our children lost so much as COVID struck our state. A year of socialization, a year of memories, and even more, Cuomo said in a follow-up news release. While teachers and school administrators did an incredible job pivoting to remote learning with virtually zero notice, theres no denying the discrimination students who did not have the right equipment faced.

Cuomo added that if COVID-19 numbers change, the state would revisit the decision.

Earlier in the day, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the roughly 1 million students in the district would return to in-person instruction with no remote option, the Associated Press reported.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said his members still had some safety concerns and added that a remote option may be necessary for a small group of students.

Free state park passes
For them to move forward and complete themselves, make themselves whole, they had to tell their stories, he said.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services completed its own review in February, concluding there was no credible evidence of child abuse or neglect by Pfleger. A spokesman said the agency cannot investigate allegations of abuse by an adult victim but focuses on whether children are currently at risk.

Attorneys for the accusers and Pfleger have previously acknowledged a police investigation of the abuse allegations. Illinois has no statute of limitations for filing charges in major sex crimes.

A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said its investigation is still open. A representative for Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said police have not presented any information for the office to review or determine if criminal charges are appropriate.

Pfleger was ordained in 1975 and assigned to St. Sabina Church, then became pastor six years later. He has been credited with reviving the parish. Dubbed Father Mike by parishioners, he is known nationally for his dramatic approach to activism aimed at chronic problems in the city, including defacement of alcohol and cigarette billboards and paying prostitutes to accept counseling.
Beginning Friday, certain travel-related quarantine requirements will end in the U.S. side of Akwesasne.

Employees and residents of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe will no longer have to quarantine when they travel beyond the 300-mile radius set up during the pandemic. The travel changes apply to asymptomatic individuals only. Health officials are still warning anyone with symptoms must quarantine and be tested as soon as they experience COVID-related symptoms.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is the U.S.-recognized council governing the southern, U.S. portion of Akwesasne Mohawk territory. The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is the Canada-recognized government north of the U.S.-Canada border.

The Emergency Operations Center also announced that 25-50 people will be allowed at outdoor gatherings. People attending gatherings are still advised to maintain safe distancing of at least 6 feet and when that is not possible people should wear face masks.

The EOC stated the changes are possible because of few cases of COVID-19, an increased vaccination rate and adherence to safe practices by individuals and businesses.
Until now. After months of scheduling and then rescheduling the discussion on whether to hear the state of Mississippis appeal of the 5th Circuits decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the court finally decided to accept it. The court said it would consider only one of the three questions Mississippi broached, but its enormously important: Does the Constitution bar all prohibitions on elective abortions prior to viability?

The case will probably be argued in the fall and decided some months later. In the meantime, Mississippis abortion cutoff cannot be enforced.

There are two ways for the court to go: gut Roe vs. Wade or reaffirm it. The Supreme Court should do the latter.

If the court lets states decide when a womans rights take a back seat to those of her fetus, that will all but obliterate Roe vs. Wade. States pass these laws to do just that. Legislators know the federal district and appellate courts will find the restrictions unconstitutional and, but they have hoped that one day the Supreme Court would give abortion opponents another chance.
Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input.
If you have tried to fix a friendship and do not feel that things can go back to the way they were pre-conflict, Denworth suggested considering whether you can stay friends in a more casual way. "I call it shuffling the furniture in your social life," Denworth said. "Not all friendships last a lifetime, and that's OK. Evolutionary biologists have found that high-quality bonds require three things: they are long-lasting, positive and cooperative. You need all three."

5. Follow the red flags

Sometimes a friendship suffers due to a miscommunication, and sometimes the problems run much deeper.

Franco encouraged people not to let a single issue break up a friendship, which is something she sees in her practice. "Conflict is an opening to recalibrate and improve a friendship, and it conveys mutual investment. Don't give up on friendships because one issue has arisen," Franco said.

But Franco did advise being aware of red flags. "If you take a step back from the friendship and notice that it's doing more harm than good; for example, your friend isn't rooting for your success, bullies you, is inconsiderate, or you feel drained or misunderstood by them ... it might be time to end instead of mend," Franco suggested.
North Wildwood man charged with attempted human trafficking of child A North Wildwood man was arrested Monday for attempting to meet an underage girl for sex, th

On Saturday, officers responded to the 2400 block of Formica Way for a report that Robert Catalano, 58, of Atlantic City, had attempted to lure a child to engage in sexual contact, Lt. Fair Kevin Fair said in a news release.

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The concerned citizens provided officers with screen shots and detailed information of communication between Catalano and an individual purporting to be a 14-year-old boy, Fair said.

Catalano is president of the nonprofit Recovery Force of Atlantic County. He was arrested and charged with luring/enticing a child by various means, Fair said. Catalano was sent to the county jail.

The Press reached out to Recovery Force of Atlantic County for comment on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the concerned citizens notified officers that Mark Bloodgood, 58, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, had engaged in messages with someone purporting to be a 15-year-old boy to participate in sexual activity, Fair said, again providing screenshots and detailed information to detectives.

Bloodgood was arrested and charged with luring/enticing a child by various means, Fair said. He was sent to the county jail.

The last arrest involved a Sewell, Gloucester County, man in Brigantine.
One year ago today, George Floyd was murdered, and the ensuing calls for justice following his death galvanized our nation. While some measure of justice was ultimately delivered for George Floyd and his family, it does not bring him, nor the many other victims of injustice, back. He, and they, should all be alive today, Murphy said. In New Jersey we have enacted new laws to require that body cameras be worn by members of law enforcement and for the Attorney General to independently investigate officer-involved deaths and to present evidence before a grand jury. We are updating use-of-force guidelines for the first time in a generation. And we support efforts to enhance transparency in making the disciplinary records of law enforcement public.
ATLANTIC CITY  A handful of the resorts casinos will host COVID-19 vaccination clinics over the next few weeks, the Casino Association of New Jersey and AtlantiCare announced Monday.

Vaccines will be available at Harrahs Resort and Resorts Casino Hotel on Saturday, June 5, and at Golden Nugget and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Sunday, June 6.

No appointments are needed, and vaccines are available to those ages 12 and older.

The Atlantic City casino industry remains focused on the health and safety of its employees, guests and fellow residents. These pop-up vaccination clinics provide our employees and their families another opportunity to get vaccinated on site at our casino properties, Terry Glebocki, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said in a prepared statement. Through this latest effort, we will continue to support Gov. Phil Murphys goal of vaccinating 4.7 million adults in New Jersey by the end of June.

Last weekend, clinics were held at Ballys Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, Caesars, Ocean Casino Resort and Tropicana Atlantic City.
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP)  A U.S. House candidate in Wyoming who disclosed that he impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18 scoffed at the idea of dropping out of the race and challenged any legislators who might make an issue of his past.

Thatd be great, state Sen. Anthony Bouchard said Monday of any possibility of censure by the Legislature. Do it. Bring it on.

Bouchard then refused to answer questions about the girl he married after she bore his son and who killed herself at age 20 in 1990, the year after they divorced.

Im not talking anymore about that, about this story, he told the Casper Star-Tribune at a news conference in Gillette hed scheduled hours earlier.

Bouchard is among at least eight Republicans running against Rep. Liz Cheney. He has been a state senator from Cheyenne since 2017 and previously was a gun rights activist.

Its unclear whether Bouchard will face repercussions in the Legislature, though one leader left open the possibility.
TRENTON  Masks will no longer be required and social distancing rules will end in New Jersey retail businesses and food and beverage establishments beginning Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer tourism season at the Jersey Shore.

Weve always targeted Memorial Day as when we had hoped wed be able to take our strongest steps on the path back to a fully open New Jersey, Murphy said.

Masks will still be required in health care settings, at schools and daycares, summer camps, long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, on public transportation and in public transportation hubs such as airports, as well as in some state offices including the Motor Vehicle Commission agencies, and at worksites not open to the general public.

In addition, Murphy said 6 feet of distancing will no longer be required for indoor and outdoor settings as of Friday  including casinos  and dance floors and bars can also fully reopen.

Lifting the mask mandate is not a license to be a knucklehead. Lifting the mask mandate is simply acknowledging how far weve come together and that, together, well cross the finish line, Murphy added.
Linwoods Hirsh Singh, a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, acknowledged Tuesday he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine or test to participate in a planned virtual debate on the New Jersey PBS station Wednesday night with his GOP opponent, former Assemblyman and businessman Jack Ciattarelli.

Im looking forward to having a family and having a lot of kids, 36-year-old Singh said Tuesday. I do not want to expose myself to an experimental vaccine that they dont know the long-term effects of for men and women.

NJ PBS spokesperson Debra Falk said a production team was scheduled to go to each candidates location.

For the protection of all involved, as we have with other events like this, we require COVID testing of our team members and those associated with the campaign planning to be present, she said in response to emailed questions.

The event was planned as virtual because NJ PBSs studio was undergoing renovation and could not be used, according to a statement on the NJ PBS web site.

An in-person debate with Ciattarelli at 7 p.m. Tuesday night from the studios of radio station 101.5 will go forward, however, with no vaccine or testing requirements, Singh said.

No Democratic opponent, but Murphy launches $5M ad campaign before June 8 primary Despite having no Democratic opponents on the ballot in the June 8 primary, look for televis
Pittman lifted the countys mask mandate along with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Saturday, May 15, but the few county buildings that have opened to the public still require masks inside for unvaccinated people. County senior centers require masks regardless of vaccination status. Private businesses have been given flexibility in how they implement masking policies. Masks are still required on public transit, in schools and in health care settings.
Regardless of whether you agree with his agenda or not, it is now clear that President Joe Biden does not merely want to tinker with the economy or with social welfare spending. He wants to go big.

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.

After presenting himself during last years campaign as a transition candidate to follow the volatile tenure of Donald J. Trump, Mr. Biden has since his inauguration positioned himself as a transformational president, Peter Baker wrote in The New York Times after Bidens April 28 speech to a joint session of Congress.

The succession of costly proposals amounts to a risky gamble that a country deeply polarized along ideological and cultural lines is ready for a more activist government and the sort of redistribution of wealth long sought by progressives, Baker continued.
MARCUS BAGWELL ARRESTED

The Georgia Gazette is reporting that former WCW star Marcus "Buff" Bagwell was arrested on 5/22 in Cobb County, GA.

Bagwell, 51, has been charged with a litany of offenses, including Bagwell was charged with eleven different misdemeanors including speeding, failure to yield when entering an intersection, giving false data to a law enforcement officer, hit and run (duty of driver to stop of return to scene of accident), following too closely, reckless driving, driving within a gore/median/emergency lane, driving under the influence of drugs, duty upon striking a fixed object, driving on the wrong side of the roadway and more.

Police records indicate he bonded out on 5/24.

Last year, Bagwell was hospitalized on Sunday 8/16/20 with what were described as "serious injuries" at the time by the Cobb County Police in Georgia following a traffic collision on Cumberland Parkway at 5:18 PM EST.

According to an announcement released on 8/18/20 by authorities seeking witnesses, Bagwell was driving a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe while driving West on Cumberland Boulevard towards Cumberland Parkway in Cobb County. The announcement states that Bagwell lost control as he followed a curve in the road, striking the center median and a metal fence inside the median, before driving towards oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the road. The car then hit the curb before colliding a "free-standing bathroom" next to a bus station.

Bagwell was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, GA with serious injuries. The announcement notes, "Investigators believe Bagwell was impaired by prescription medication during the collision."

It would appear his arrest on 5/21 is related to the August 2020 incident, but that is not 100% confirmed. PWInsider.com has reached out to the Cobb County Sheriff's office for clarity.

Bagwell had a long run with WCW from the early 1990s through the demise of the promotion in 2001. He performed for WWE very briefly in 2001. He last wrestled in March at an independent event in Georgia. In 2012, Bagwell was hospitalized with broken bones in his jaw, neck and face after flipping his jeep in Georgia when going into a seizure while driving.

The official statememt that was released by The Cobb County Sherrif's office in August 2020 read as follows:

Serious Injury Collision

August 18, 2020

The Cobb County Police Department Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Unit is investigating a serious injury traffic collision that occurred on Cumberland Boulevard east of Cumberland Parkway on Sunday, August 16, 2020, at 5:18 p.m.

According to investigators, a black 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling west on Cumberland Boulevard, approaching Cumberland Parkway when the driver lost control while negotiating a curve. The Chevrolet Tahoe collided with the center median and metal fence within the median before continuing west across the eastbound lanes. The Chevrolet Tahoe then collided with the curb before colliding into a free-standing bathroom at the Cobb County Transit (CCT) bus station.

The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe, 50-year-old Marcus Bagwell, was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries. Investigators believe Bagwell was impaired by prescription medication during the collision.

This collision remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information regarding this collision should contact investigators at 770-499-3987.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
CENA TRENDS AFTER APOLOGY TO CHINA, WWE MAIN EVENT HEADLINE BOUT

This week's episode of WWE Main Event will feature Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali in a Best of Three Falls match.

John Cena was trending overnight on Twitter after he took to Weibo, a social media platform in China, to apologize for referring to Taiwan as the first country to be able to see F9. Taiwan is self-governing but China's stance is that Taiwan is part of their country and can be reclaimed by force if needed, so Cena is apologizing so as not to offense the Chinese audience. That apology then led to a lot of criticism against him on social media for denying Taiwan is its own country. F9 has been a massive hit thus far in China.

John Cena apologized in Chinese on Sina Weibo after calling Taiwan a country during an interview promoting Fast & Furious 9 pic.twitter.com/dzRKIYgEzL  Joe Yizhou Xu (@JoeXu) May 24, 2021

Cena's apology, translated, according to the South China Morning Post - "Hi China, Im John Cena. Im in the middle of Fast & Furious 9 promotions. Im doing a lot of interviews. I made a mistake in one of my interviews, Everyone was asking me if I could use Chinese the staff [of the movie] gave me a lot of information, so there was a lot of interviews and information. I made one mistake. I have to say something very, very, important now. I love and respect China and Chinese people. Im very, very sorry about my mistake. I apologize, Im very sorry. You must understand that I really love, really respect China and the Chinese people. My apologies. See you."

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Familiarity and connections with the United States and its culture were also powerful positive influencers. People who had recently traveled to the United States or had a friend or family member there were far more likely to have a positive opinion of the U.S., while those with little or no association with the U.S. or its culture were more likely to hold anti-American sentiments.

Why, then, does the U.S. spend so much more money and effort on military tools and engagement? And how could we promote cultural, economic and educational ties  ties that ultimately feed into our local economies and businesses too? These are some questions the Biden administration should ask.

Second, our costly military commitments to treaty allies arent boosting our reputation. The United States has 55,000 troops stationed in Japan, 36,000 in Germany and 5,500 in Poland. These outposts might reassure our allies governments, but they do little to reassure the local public. When asked whether U.S. military involvement in their region promotes stability, citizens of Germany, Japan and Poland were unenthusiastic. Majorities in Germany and Japan either disagreed or had no opinion. U.S. military involvement was valued higher in Poland, but hardly by a landslide, with only 53.2% agreeing that it promoted stability.
Delta Air Lines will resume twice daily flights from Quad Cities International Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul beginning June 5.

The move comes after the airports strongest month since the beginning of the pandemic with more than 36,000 travelers, according to a news release from the airport.

We know some of our regional peers have lost Delta service entirely so the fact that Delta sees the value in continuing to serve the Quad Cities region is immensely important, said Benjamin Leischner, A.A.E., executive director. With service to Atlanta for connections along the East Coast and beyond, and Minneapolis for West Coast connections, Delta is making sure passengers have easy access to any global destination, and we appreciate their continued service here.

As the country emerges from the pandemic, airlines are reconsidering their networks, airport officials said. This opens possibilities for smaller airports like the Quad-Cities to pursue service not previously available.
 Allendale, Logan and Willard would be phased out and sold.

 Coolidge would be demolished.

The report also calls for the district to consider providing busing throughout the district for all students living a set distance from schools.

Prybil said the recommendations are meant to help guide future long-term decisions and potential land acquisitions. He said the committee prioritized creating multi-section elementary buildings because this approach allows for smaller class sizes, pooled resources, better teacher collaboration, and operational efficiencies.

Now that the committee has completed its in-depth study, the district hopes to provide information to the community and gain feedback from stakeholders. A summary of the committees plan is available on the districts website and community feedback nights are slated for fall 2021.

Waldron-Smith said it was essential families understood none of these recommendations would take place overnight.

Its very, very important to not panic and to ask questions, she said. And understand this isnt something that is happening in the next month, six months, next year or even the next two years, as far as we know.
A Davenport man who was supposed to turn himself in to the Scott County Jail on Oct. 22 after violating his probation on a third-degree burglary conviction is now facing an armed robbery charge after police say he used a BB gun to rob a person of a cell phone Monday.

Shallum Delane Davenport Jr., 30, is charged with one count of first-degree robbery. The charge is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a mandatory prison sentence of 25 years, 70%, or 17  years, of which must be served before parole can be granted.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police Officer Dustin Mooty, at 4:25 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of North Lincoln Avenue, the victim told police he had arranged to sell an iPhone X for $375 over social media.

Davenport showed what was believed to be a firearm and took the phone from the victim during a physical fight. The victim suffered minor injuries as a result of the altercation.

The victim and witnesses were able to identify a nearby house where Davenport was believed to have fled. Police found Davenport at the home and seized the stolen iPhone as well as a .177-caliber Glock BB gun. The BB gun, according to police, fires steel projectiles capable of causing serious injury.

Davenport was positively identified by the victim.
"That really bothers me. I really have a problem with that."

He pointed out that teachers and hourly employees have seen salary increases of "two cents to seven cents an hour."

Schneckloth said the cabinet salaries are "a direct result from the reorganization" of leadership and said all compensation must be equal.

Paustian cast the only no vote, and no other board members expressed concern about the pay increases.

Board president Dan Gosa said earlier Monday that, despite the new salaries, the district still is saving money. The savings comes from the elimination of at least three leadership positions. Two assistant superintendents and the director of special education resigned as part of the restructuring, he said.

The head of special education and early childhood, Sandy Schmitz, was making about $212,000

But Schmitz was one of the first district hires in many years to be offered a different compensation formula. District leaders previously were given their salaries, plus 9% in a retirement fund.

The 9% annuity no longer is being offered and was not extended to the new cabinet members, Gosa said.
"What has the city manager done to hold the chief accountable for the flawed leadership he showcased?" Brooks said. "Our police chief, by his actions, not his words stating it wasn't a protest, has stated that he is leading with an 'us against them' energy within our police department.

"I find this to be borderline an abuse of power and quite frankly, encouraging bully behavior."

First Ward resident Kelly Kruse said she was "really disappointed" when she heard about the police protest at the May 10 meeting.

"I think it's totally normal that an alderman would bring up, can we change the rules," Kruse said. "I don't think there was anything unprofessional about that. I would expect that.

"I was really disappointed to see the police reaction to that was to come and just stand there with their uniforms, their guns and tasers. I think it was unfortunate it was the day a couple people were to be sworn in. It was a silent 'we're here and we're watching you.' It's not a good look. To me, I didn't see it as a protest so much as a tantrum.

"If you can't handle it, maybe you should think about getting another job,"

Tim McGuire also spoke out in support of Parker.
The new superintendent will come just as $3 billion in federal aid will flow into Maryland school systems over the next several years to help schools pay for pandemic-related costs, including tutoring and other services students will need to catch up academically after a year of online learning. In addition, the new superintendent must navigate the implementation of historic education legislation that passed the Maryland General Assembly two years ago, called the Blueprint for Marylands Future and known as Kirwan.
"I just got my second dose," the 39-year-old said. "It's because of my mom - she has lung issues and is predisposed to all kinds of illness. So for me and my kids the vaccine was necessary."

Wilson said she would have chosen to get vaccinated even if her mother didn't have issues. And she said she knows plenty of people who have decided to either wait or forgo vaccination.

"I know people who are very against it -- and that's their decision," Wilson explained. "I know people who believe everything from the government is using the vaccine to implant microchips to people who want to wait and see if there are any other longer-term side effects."

Wilson said her husband chose to not vaccinate.

"Not yet," she said. "He doesn't believe in the microchips. He's the let's-see-if-you-grow-an-extra-arm guy."

Mason Allred is an 18-year-old senior at Moline High School who sat six feet from Wilson after his shot. He agreed with the idea people are split on COVID-19 vaccinations.

"All of my friends know a student who might have died after getting a vaccination a few years back. People worry about vaccines - especially for kids," Allred said. "I think people have concerns and they have to decide for themselves.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois Senate on Tuesday passed measures decriminalizing the transmission of HIV and requiring public high schools to teach media literacy.

Both measures have already passed the House and will need only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law.

House Bill 1063 would eliminate existing criminal statutes that penalize HIV transmission as a Class 2 felony. If Pritzker signs the bill, Illinois would join 11 other states that do not have laws criminalizing the transmission of HIV, including Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

HB 1063 also would repeal existing laws allowing law enforcement or states attorneys to access a persons HIV status. Under current criminal law, a person who transmits HIV to another person can be charged with criminal transmission of HIV.

Current law prohibits the forced disclosure of a persons HIV status but provides exceptions for law enforcement officials or states attorneys to subpoena or petition for the HIV status of criminal defendants.

The Illinois HIV Action Alliance, which lobbied for the bill, praised its passage.
After Kilbrides defeat in the November election, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed another Democrat, Justice Robert Carter, who will serve until November 2022, to fill the vacancy.

Carter has said he will not seek reelection when his two-year term ends. That means an election without incumbent candidates will determine which party controls the 3rd District seat.

Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said the 3rd and 2nd districts are the most likely targets for Democrats who are trying to keep a majority on the court.

Theyre arguing about partisan control of the Supreme Court, and trying to change the map to give the Democrats the best shot, given the way that the distribution of the population and the political demographics have changed since the last time we drew through them, he said in an interview.

Redfield said he expects lawsuits will be filed to challenge any new boundaries for the Illinois Supreme Court districts, although he said he cant predict the nature of such a challenge.
Reynolds called for $150 million a year for three years, so Duncan expects supporters of the broadband build-out to be back at the Legislature next year encouraging lawmakers to continue their investment.

Well need to devote another significant amount of money next year to keep this thing going because we're not done yet, Duncan said.

He anticipates there will be widespread interests in grants as internet providers respond to the demand for better service that skyrocketed over the past year as many Iowans were working and going to school from home.

Unfortunately, Duncan said, the build-out is being slowed by supply-chain disruptions that have hit many industries.

Theres a worker shortage, theres a supply shortage of chips, of fiber optics, and a lot of the devices and electronics that are needed to expand broadband, he said.

There is no shortage of interest in building out the infrastructure, so Duncan expects the state to get more grant proposals than $100 million will cover. In the neediest broadband areas, the grants will cover 75 percent of the project. The private investment requirement increases in areas where service is better.
Murphy was unavailable for an interview, but issued an email statement to Capitol News Illinois.

The Executive Appointments Committee follows a 60-session-day clock on all appointees, and well ensure no appointee is in danger of their time expiring before they are brought before the committee. We ask that everyone be patient during this process until the time is appropriate for these appointments to be considered, Murphy wrote.

The committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, but Senate Republicans noted none of the PRB appointees are scheduled to testify in that hearing, marking the 11th committee hearing since the appointments were first made.

Aside from urging Murphy to take up the four appointees before the end of session, Senate Republicans have filed their own legislation through an amendment to Senate Bill 1475.

SB 1475 would require members of the PRB to be confirmed by the Senate within 30 session days or 90 calendar days after the appointment, whichever occurs first. Failure to make a decision within this time period would result in a rejected appointment, according to a release.
For Banks, that included being involved with the Black Student Union and African American Academic Network, among other campus groups. He was also able to spend the summer as a paid researcher.

The plan calls on businesses to support the initiative through summer internship programs and better trauma-informed mental health resources in the workplace. The specific strategy aims to harness Black talent in the corporate labor market, said Tyronne Stoudemire of Hyatt Corp., a member of the working group.

I dont think we have five years to waste, Stoudemire said. We have about 18 months before we get this in place, so were driving this a lot faster because we just need the talent to be able to build jobs.

Britton Johnson finished his undergraduate degree this spring and will start a graduate program in the fall, both at Northern Illinois University. He works with Black Male Initiative, a retention program on campus that teaches Black males about being successful at NIU. The university is a pretty good school at committing to equity and hearing students concerns, said Johnson, 23, of West Pullman in Chicago.

Even at a school as diverse as Northern Illinois, Johnson said the reality is that Black men coming to Northern will face challenges.
Our country should take every possible step to protect all Americans from discrimination in every area of life. No door should be barred because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Our servicemembers sacrifice so much of themselves and their families and their bodies. They take on multiple deployments. They miss birthdays and holidays with their families. They risk their lives and health. As a mother and a veteran, I find it galling that those who have given so much could still be treated so poorly. They serve and fight overseas for the rights of everyone back home  and meanwhile, those theyre fighting for could legally turn them or their family members away.

Im a Christian in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and I was always raised that we should go forth in love in everything that we do. It's my founding principle  to lead with love for others. It informs my service, my family, and the way I want to treat others. Thats what passing LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections would help to foster. I hope that Sen. Ernst will lead with love and continue to do the right thing for our servicemembers and veterans  no matter who they are  and work to pass clear and comprehensive protections from anti-LGBTQ discrimination nationwide.

Christina Helferich-Polosky is a retired U.S. Army Major living in Davenport. She is the founder of the "Wounded Not Worthless" project.

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Hopefully, President Biden will make nuclear deals with Iran and North Korea. However, it is equally to be hoped that he does not repeat the fatal flaw of the first Iran deal: It imposed a waiting period for the inspection of suspected sites. This would have allowed them to move the materials for making a nuclear weapon, such as enriched uranium, to a second site during the waiting period for the first site; then, when the second site would come under suspicion, it would have a waiting period during which the material could be moved to a third site; and so on. (That is why a future president may cancel the deal again.)
A warning

Hopefully, President Biden will make nuclear deals with Iran and North Korea. However, it is equally to be hoped that he does not repeat the fatal flaw of the first Iran deal: It imposed a waiting period for the inspection of suspected sites. This would have allowed them to move the materials for making a nuclear weapon, such as enriched uranium, to a second site during the waiting period for the first site; then, when the second site would come under suspicion, it would have a waiting period during which the material could be moved to a third site; and so on. (That is why a future president may cancel the deal again.)

Alvin Blake

Davenport

Remember

On this Memorial Day, please pay homage and respect to the fallen military that served in our nations armed services and their supreme sacrifice of life in the cause of our nations freedom.

I am a former resident of the Quad-City area. I have many friends and relatives still in the Quad-Cities. I would like to write about my cousin, Ricky Almanza, of Moline. He served in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, and he died in military action in 1968.
It has been one goal after another leading up to his application to the Blue Angels and his acceptance. Now he is in his third and final year as a Blue Angel. Most Blue Angels have a two-year term, but due to COVID-19 and the transition to the new F/A-18 Super Hornet, Haley was able to stay on a third year.
USMS policy is that deputies don't need to share their vaccine status with the USMS or any third party, including judges, Mosteller and the two other defendants wrote in letters that Kornmann filed in the contempt case.

"Who is running the courts, judges or bureaucrats who themselves are sitting in their offices in the District of Columbia, totally not exposed to COVID problems in their work places?" Kornmann asked in his contempt filing. He also pointed to court precedent that has held up vaccine mandates in schools and entire towns.

South Dakota's five federal judges, who were all nominated by Democratic presidents, have created strict COVID-19 prevention policies. Some, including Kornmann and Chief Judge Roberto Lange, have shared strong views about prevention methods, including the vaccine.

"If any of you labor under such extreme views that the federal government is implanting a chip through this vaccine, then you should not work for the federal judiciary and need to find work elsewhere," Lange wrote in an April 1 email to South Dakota federal court workers. "I truly hope that none of you are so prideful and stubborn that this email steels your resolve not to be vaccinated. But if that is the case, then you have some soul searching to do this Easter season about whether you belong in a team setting such as we have here."
South Dakota's public universities shouldn't be teaching certain concepts of race and racism, Gov. Kristi Noem said Tuesday, in line with a nationwide GOP movement to keep critical race theory out of classrooms.

In a letter to the Board of Regents that oversees the state's six public universities, the Republican governor targeted critical race theory and the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project," describing them as misleading students into believing the country is evil or was founded upon evil.

Noem's letter  released on the anniversary of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis  comes amid a national reckoning on the influence of race and racism on policing and other realms of American life.

Conservatives across the country have decried critical race theory as an attempt to pit various racial groups against each other and teach that certain groups are responsible for past injustices. Others say the theory is simply a way to look at how race and racism have undoubtedly shaped the nation. The New York Times' 1619 project focuses on the legacy of slavery throughout the nation's founding and history.

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's campaign has formed a federal political action committee, indicating her growing fundraising prowess and national ambitions.

The Republican has insisted she is focused on getting reelected as governor next year, but her nationwide fundraising network has fueled speculation she could be eyeing a 2024 presidential bid.

Last week, her campaign registered a PAC called Noem Victory Fund with the Federal Elections Commission. The move means the PAC can distribute funds into elections beyond South Dakota as well as create a pot of money that could be put into a future campaign for federal office, campaign finance experts said.

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Given Noem's ascendant profile among conservatives, the federal PAC registration is a pretty strong signal that she probably has national aspirations, said Edwin Bender, the head of The National Institute on Money in State Politics.

The PAC's registration document says it's intended to collect fundraising contributions for a host of political organizations, including the re-election campaigns for Noem and Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, the South Dakota GOP, a new state PAC created by Noem's campaign chairman and a separate federal PAC linked to Noem that has remained mostly dormant while she has been governor.
Big Crow joined the Marines shortly after he turned 18 in 1966 and was deployed to Vietnam from January 1967 to November 1968. After he returned home, he went overseas again to Japan for 16 months before retiring from the service.

Serving in the military impacts veterans long after they leave. Big Crow was exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange while in the Marines, which caused further complications when he contracted COVID-19 recently.

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Parkhurst served from 1955-1978 in both the Army, where he served two tours as a medic, and then served another tour as a Corpsman in the Navy. He told Johnson a story about his return to the States after his service when he was jumped by a group of young people and physically assaulted for serving in Vietnam.

Parkhurst told Johnson he didnt feel like he should be honored for just doing his job, but Johnson said the bigger goal of these types of ceremonies are to mobilize young people to serve their country.
When the outcome is a foregone conclusion, then there is a better use for those funds, he said, adding that state resources shouldnt be used for personal attention.

Noem hired a Washington-area law firm, Consovoy McCarthy, best known for representing Trump in fending off efforts to investigate his financial records. Noem spokesman Ian Fury said the firm was chosen for its expertise." Its contract is capped at $150,000, with the state paying $600 an hour for partners and $450 an hour for associates, according to Fury. He said the legal costs of joining the multistate lawsuit over Biden's climate change order should be minimal.

Fury explained Noem filed the Rushmore lawsuit herself because she's the one who has pushed to return the fireworks celebration to Mount Rushmore. The administration has noted that the monument is a huge draw for the state's tourism industry, which is South Dakota's second-largest job provider.

Noem found an ally last year in then-President Trump, who cleared the way for fireworks at Rushmore despite longstanding concerns about fire danger. Trump joined Noem for a July 3 event that netted Noem pictures alongside the president, as well as a seat with him on Air Force One after the event.
Other candidates advocated for teaching civics and history lessons that do not shy away from the nations past mistakes.

Im tired of our state being last and catching up to the rest of the world when it comes to race consciousness and acknowledgement, Tatewin Means, Area 2 Board candidate, told the Journal last week. We cant skirt around the issue, and its everywhere. Its been everywhere for hundreds of years, and we wont see any improvement in employment rates or quality of life or in how many people are moving to Rapid City and choosing to live here until we can acknowledge that and reconcile the ugly truths with the past with the ugly truths of today.

Area 1 Board candidate Natalie Slack said it is unfair to withhold information from children or gloss over more unsavory aspects of history. She said with the Internet, children have access to a wealth of information right at their fingertips and not teaching certain aspects of history in school does not guarantee children wont find it on their own.

Being afraid of something just because it has words like critical or race or theory in it is sort of not doing a service to our kids who are willing to learn about these things and ask questions about them whether we present them to them or not, Slack said. We have to give kids these tools  as a mom, my number one goal is not to raise the smartest kids in the world, but the kids who can sit down across the table from someone whose background is nothing like theirs and learn something.

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You try to make this plan for your career and your education but in the back of your mind, its, why? I may not be here two years later. You dont know if youre preparing for your life here in America with your family or if you should start preparing to go back and enter a culture shock because youre returning to the country you were born in but not raised in, she said.

Dreamers have lived in the United States for most of their lives.

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It frankly is beyond the pale that some would suggest we should deport. Its certainly inhumane especially as these are folks that believe strongly in the American dream, Haggar said. Immigrants and Dreamers dont take away jobs, they actually create them. The labor force isnt a static thing, its dynamic. And as immigrants and Dreamers fill these jobs, they produce dollars that get spent and that expands the economy which creates jobs.

Benitez-Lopez tried to dispel some other stereotypes about immigrants and DACA recipients. She said they are not all criminals; in fact, she has to get her biometrics taken every time she reapplies for DACA status.
Hamilton resident Kerry Hanson is awarded the Volunteer of the Year 2021, by the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce.

In her generosity of time and effort, she has put together Adopt-A-Family, Adopt-A-Cop programs and works to fill needs in the Bitterroot Valley.

Hansen said she feels humbled and honored to be selected.

Hanson contributed to the third grade Adopt a Family program for many years while working at Daly Elementary School, then took over the program when she retired from teaching in 2014.

In my heart, I just couldnt let it go, Hanson said. It is so vital. It is more than an Angel Tree. Often, when I deliver to a family the entire back of my Denali XL is full. It is items for the family, grocery gift cards plus wants and needs for the kids. It is amazing. Last year I had a single mom who needed work on her house, my sponsor arranged for that to happen.

In August, Hanson reaches out to sponsors to confirm participation. Then by October, 30 there are 50 families are selected through a process that includes a personal interview. Hansen then begins collecting the items.
A lawsuit by the Governor against legislators to invalidate a law enacted over the Governors veto amounts to a demand for a super veto via the judiciary, the attorney generals court filing said. It is no small thing for one branch of government to drag another branch of government to account before the third branch of government. No constitutional provision secures to officials of any branch such extraordinary power.

Holcombs lawyers argued last week that Rokita was making absurd arguments that he alone has the legal authority to represent the state in court and can decide whether the new law is constitutional.

John Trimble, Holcombs lead lawyer with the Indianapolis firm Lewis Wagner, referred questions Tuesday to the governors office, which didnt immediately reply to a request for comment.

The governor and some legal experts maintain the state constitution doesn't allow the new process under which legislative leaders could call the General Assembly into what it calls an emergency session. The governors lawsuit argues that the Legislature is usurping a power given exclusively to the governor under the state constitution to call lawmakers into a special session.
Its an incredible honor that CarMax has been recognized by the Richmond Times-Dispatch as a top workplace for eight years in a row. Its especially meaningful to me not only because Richmond is our hometown, but because the award is a direct result of associate feedback, which is an important part of the CarMax culture, Bill Nash, CarMaxs CEO, said in a statement. Thank you to the Richmond Times-Dispatch for continuing to highlight all of the great workplaces in the region and for supporting our collective efforts of recruiting and retaining top talent in our community.
The EPA has its eye on a 60-acre area of the creek, which empties into the Patapsco River, that contains contaminants from arsenic to PCBs, which are insulating oils once used in electrical equipment that are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
What companies will receive the highest honors as Top Workplaces in the Richmond region?

The big reveal for the coveted top rankings will take place during a free online event at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

As part of the Richmond Times-Dispatchs eighth annual Top Workplaces program, 81 companies, government divisions or nonprofits initially were recognized in March.

The online video presentation will reveal the first-, second- and third-place rankings of businesses in each of four size categories of mega, large, midsize and small.

The virtual event also will spotlight special awards given to four local executives and 12 companies based on standout scores on specific areas.

A special section of The Times-Dispatch will be published on May 30 to highlight the 81 businesses, their rankings and the top companies in each size category, as well as the special awards.

Of the 81 companies named as Top Workplaces this year, five are in the mega category, eight are in the large category, 25 are in the midsize category, and 43 are in the small category.
Mark York, who was best known for his role as Billy Merchant in seasons one and two of "The Office," has died following an illness. He was 55.

York died last week at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio.

According to the New York Times, his death was confirmed by the Montgomery County, Ohio, coroners office. His family said in an obituary that he died after a brief and unexpected illness.

The Ohio-born actor headed to California, where he found himself playing small TV roles on popular shows such as "CSI: New York" and "Fighting Words." However, his most famous work came on the hit show "The Office."

Since 1988, Merchant used a wheelchair as he was a paraplegic. He advocated greater visibility onscreen for people with disabilities, the New York Times reported.

He did not act for many years and had been working as an inventor, acquiring two patents for his inventions.
Salary data provided by Tracy Paner, the citys chief public defender, shows that the average pay for city prosecutors is about $36,000 more than for the lawyers representing clients who are facing prosecution and cant afford legal counsel.

If youve got a prosecutor who has been practicing for 20 years going against a public defender for three years, thats obviously an inequity, Paner said in an interview. What what were hoping this will do is help us retain more attorneys for a longer period of time.

Paner said she is hopeful that the allocation will increase in subsequent budget years.

The Civilian Review Board Task Force, which the City Council voted to create last year summer with the goal of forming a panel that can investigate allegations of police misconduct, originally requested $600,000 in next years budget.

Eli Coston, co-chair of the task force, said $200,000 should be enough for the panel, as they do not expect the panel will be established until next March, during the final quarter of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

With plans to recommend the appointment of an executive director, several investigators and other support staff, however, Coston said the city will need to allocate about $1.2 million to it annually once it is firmly established.
John Tyler Community College could have a new name by July, eight months after a school task force recommended the Chesterfield County school change its title.

The college intends to submit a new name for approval by the State Board for Community Colleges by July, a school spokeswoman said.

The college has not yet submitted a new name, and it is unclear if leaders have settled on one.

Last week, the state board created a policy for how community colleges in the state should choose their names. They should reflect values of inclusive and accessible education, and they should have an emphasis on diversity, equity and opportunity, the board wrote in its policy. They should also be relevant to the students the colleges serve and the geography of their regions.

The board created a guideline so that discussions about college names were rooted in the needs of the college, not just the historical merits of a schools eponym, said Jeff Kraus, a spokesman for the Virginia Community College System.

They believed that was important not only for today but for any potential future board consideration, Kraus said.
One particular book wouldnt stay on the shelves long: A Kids Book About Racism, by Jelani Memory.

He said the national reckoning also came with additional exposure for Black-owned businesses, including his, and enough sales to stay afloat.

Throughout, he worried it would be a flash in the pan. Today, he says, books featuring Black protagonists and discussing race dont fly off the shelves like they used to. And some customers who came to support the store turned out to be one-time shoppers.

Still, he says, the attention brought to his Black-owned business continues to benefit Little Nomad.

The area of downtown where Little Nomad sits is growing in foot traffic compared to the scene when the shop reopened last fall.

All of the stores were boarded up. No one wanted to come to this area. There were folks who were scared to death to come downtown, Bryant said.

He was emphatic that the citys leadership during that time, specifically Mayor Levar Stoneys, didnt help area businesses.

He said the aggressive response to demonstrations by police and lack of clear communication from city leaders made Richmonds downtown appear like a war zone.
We just continued to stay open. Mostly just passing out water to protesters. We werent open in any sort of regular sense. We were selling pints out the door. We still had regulars coming for ice cream during the day.

In a very small and insignificant way, as an ice cream shop, that was the least we could do, stand with the community that supports us. That was part of being on Broad Street that night.

The violence may be gone, but racism and police brutality are still alive and well in Richmond. The mural on the side of the building was updated to depict scenes from the protest.

[Broad Streets] not the same. A lot of businesses have left. A lot couldnt withstand COVID, and the protests didnt help.

Neal Patel, partner in restaurants Sonora, Switch Pop-Up Bar and Nama at 11, 13 and 15 W. Broad St.

We had a front-row seat to protests. Were between City Hall and Lee. RPD is like a block away.

I remember standing outside as the crowd passed. They had just confronted the mayor on the steps of City Hall. It was really inspiring. You could feel the energy. You could tell something was going to happen  you could tell change is coming. It was something youve never seen in Richmond.
The only difference that we can see in this particular point in time is social media. The fact that that young lady [Darnella Frazier] happened to be in the right place at the right time. She happened to have her phone to record what was occurring. It couldnt be denied. Thats why the officer was charged and convicted. Thats the difference were seeing.

Regarding Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School, we believe that was more of a business decision than a social justice decision. The ability to attract teachers to Hanover has stalled because people dont want to come here, because of our history.

We hear people talk about tradition, The Hanover Way. Those dont equate to social justice. We want a new day for our children, my grandchildren.

So in Hanover we are looking for opportunities to partner with the School Board and the Sheriffs Office. We arent against police officers at all  were just against the bad ones that might be in the ranks. So we want to have a conversation about that.
These things happen often, but this was different. It was just so blatant. And everything was aligned in such a way that were was no way you could see it and be OK. It couldnt be swept under the rug. It was a crazy feeling, and it was hurtful. It was a lot.

We werent in town that Friday night when the protests [in Richmond] started. I was at the beach. We heard Richmond was going crazy. It just didnt seem real.

We got back the next day and were just chilling at home on Clay Street. We started to hear a crowd, so we decided to see what it was all about. We ended up at Marcus-David Peters Circle. People were speaking, and I just thought it was super cool.

I didnt think I was going to be down with it. Ive never really been one to protest. Im not like a revolutionary freedom fighter. I dont think of myself like that, but it just struck a chord in me.

We had the L.A. riots and so many different situations where there have been outbursts. Sometimes it seems to become normalized and, even as a Black person, I wonder, Whats the point?

But this time just felt different. I guess everyone has their session in the fight. I felt passionate, it was like, I have to do this.
The demonstrations in Richmond were sparked by the murder of George Floyd, but they forced the city to turn a mirror on itself. With that came renewed focus on Peters death, which took place almost exactly two years before.

Peters, a 24-year-old high school biology teacher, was fatally shot by Richmond police officer Michael Nyantakyi in May 2018, during what family members describe as an episode of excited delirium resulting from mental illness. Peters, naked and unarmed, had crashed his car into three other cars before exiting his vehicle on the side of Interstate 95/64. There, he was struck by oncoming traffic before charging at Nyantakyi while threatening to kill him.

After a warning, Nyantakyi deployed his Taser unsuccessfully, and then shot Peters twice in the abdomen. Peters died the next day.

A review of the case at the time found no wrongdoing by Nyantakyi. Richmond Commonwealths Attorney Colette McEachin, who took over the office in 2019, reviewed the details of the case again last November  at the prompting of protesters  but reached the same conclusion.

During a special session of the legislature months prior, lawmakers held up Peters case as an example of the need to reform the states emergency response.
Floyds murder might have been a revelation for white people  a point where they no longer could look away  but it was a weary continuum for Black Americans. At this juncture, demonstrators of all colors took to the streets in the name of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other victims of police or vigilante violence.

The battle lines are drawn. But lawyer-activist Bryan Stevenson of the Montgomery, Ala.-based Equal Justice Initiative says polarization is a beginning, not an end.

It is the process that leads to something, I think, necessary. And what Im hoping can come out of this is that we just have the courage to talk about things we havent talked about, he told the BBC.

We will never get to a more just place if we remain silent about the multiple ways in which we have tolerated racial bias and racial exclusion. It cannot just be the burden of Black people and brown people in this country to overcome racism and create equity and opportunity. It has to be everyones burden.

Floyds murder unmasked the depth of our national malady. Our reaction, like our response to the pandemic, cannot be sidetracked by impatience and dissembling.
Contained in these reports would be the identity of the person making the expenditures or the person exercising direction or control over the activities of that person, according to the bill. Groups would also have to report information such as the individual amounts and dates of each expenditure during the reporting period; to whom the money was paid; and specifically, indicate which candidate or ballot question the individual expense is related to and if it is in support or opposition.
While people across the country were grappling with a new threat to their lives last year, an old one was captured on video.

The footage of George Floyd, a Black man murdered by police, traveled swiftly around the country. The reaction - pain, rage, disgust - spilled into the streets.

In Richmond, thousands marched or gathered by the Lee Monument for 90 straight days to protest police violence and racism, undeterred by the growing risk of the pandemic.

They came out of fear, out of anger, out of love; they toppled Confederate monuments and pressed officials to topple other monuments to racism. In the past 12 months, streets have been renamed; criminal justice reforms passed; and promises made by elected officials that the work toward a more just society is just beginning.

Yet police responded to the protests with tear gas for those who confronted them - some protesters set fires and broke windows - and for those who were peacefully gathered with their hands up.

"Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction," read the headline on the initial Minneapolis police release about Floyds death on May 25, 2020. Those words weren't false, but they hid the truth. Details matter.

And in the months following his death, official accounts of the fallout here in Richmond were contradicted by eyewitness statements and video, the same community forces that surfaced the truth in Minneapolis and led to criminal convictions for his killer.

Many of the protesters' demands for police reform in Richmond - including defunding the police, dropping all charges against protesters and releasing the names of officers under investigation for use-of-force misconduct - have been unmet.

Mayor Levar Stoney apologized for his department's use of tear gas on peaceful protesters June 1. In a New York Times op-ed posted this past weekend that his political action committee later affixed to an email seeking donations, he said the gas was used unintentionally. His statement contradicts the video and the department's initial statement. And the tear gas didn't stop that night.

The city is forming a civilian review board to look at police misconduct, but the people in charge of the process have said the police chief won't take their calls.

The police department declined our request to talk about the past year, too.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch asked more than a dozen people - protesters, business owners and others who worked to make a difference - to share their experiences over the past year and consider what they learned, what's changed, and what hasn't.

Floyd one year later: On Monument Avenue, 'What is community? ... Is it the people that just show up?' In the words of Lawrence West is founder of BLM RVA, a community of activists who have occupied the grounds around the Lee statue daily since last summer. As told to the RTD.

Floyd one year later: Jowarnise painted Richmond's walls during protests. Now she looks back at the mental health toll The first of dozens of murals taking over Richmonds walls this past summer as part of an artist-led project to let silenced voices be heard w

Floyd one year later: Patricia Hunter-Jordan on Hanover school renamings, seeking equity for students of color Just two months after losing a legal challenge in federal court, the Hanover County NAACP and its supporters saw the county School Board vote 

Floyd one year later: Virginia's response to last summer's protests led Princess Blanding to run for office The place that became a home for the movement to protest police brutality in Richmond is named after her brother, Marcus-David Peters. So is a

Floyd one year later: Anthony Bryant, who closed his downtown shop Little Nomad all summer after COVID and protests It took more than a decade to get his kids clothing business off the ground. But when Anthony Bryants shop on Broad Street was threatened by 

Floyd one year later: Rasheeda Creighton on fighting for change at Maggie Walker Governor's School When the board of Maggie Walker Governors School in Richmond signed a pledge in June to be anti-racist in direct response to the killing of G

Floyd one year later: 'Broad Street never really recovered': Richmond business owners who watched the protests unfold May 29, 2020, was the first night of what would become more than 90 consecutive days of protests in Richmond in response to George Floyds kil

RELATED STORIES & PHOTOS

Timeline: How the first week of George Floyd protests unfolded in Richmond For more than a week, thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Richmond each night to call for change.

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At issue is a March 24, 2019, memo from the head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and another senior department official that was prepared for Barr to evaluate whether evidence in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation could support an obstruction of justice prosecution of the president. Barr has said he looked to that opinion in concluding that Trump did not illegally obstruct the Russia probe.

The Justice Department turned over other documents to CREW as part of the group's lawsuit, but declined to give it the memo. Government lawyers said they were entitled under public records law to withhold the memo because it reflected internal deliberations among lawyers before any formal decision had been reached.

But Jackson said those arguments were disingenuous because the memo was prepared for Barr at the same time as a separate Justice Department letter informing Congress and the public that Barr and other senior department leaders had concluded that Trump had not obstructed justice.

She said the memo could therefore not have been predecisional in nature if the Justice Department had already decided that there would be no obstruction case.
George Floyd, 46, who was Black, died one year ago today after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for about 9 1/2 minutes. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25.
MANASSAS  The road to restoration of semiconductor chip manufacturing in the United States  and potentially Henrico County  leads through the U.S. Senate.

Henrico already is working with state economic development officials to position the county to take advantage of opportunities created by the CHIPS for America Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., to create a multibillion-dollar federal investment in a domestic supply chain of semiconductor chips that are essential to a digitally driven, high-tech economy.

I think there is a real, real urgency, Warner said after touring the Micron Technology semiconductor plant here on Monday with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is co-sponsoring the legislation in a bipartisan push on an issue that both senators say is vital to national and economic security.

The legislation, pending in the Senate for a potential vote this week, would devote up to $39 billion for federal incentives to spur investments by private businesses, state and local governments to develop seven to 10 new semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the U.S. to cultivate a domestic supply of computer memory chips for automobiles and many other uses. The legislation would include $13 billion for research and development in the semiconductor industry.
Students, faculty and staff at Virginias community colleges will not be required to be vaccinated to be on campus this fall, the state system announced Tuesday.

Glenn DuBois, the chancellor of Virginias Community Colleges, said the decision was made in consultation with the 23 community colleges. People who are fully vaccinated will not have to wear a mask while on campus, which is in accordance with the most recent guidance from the state and CDC.

DuBois said that colleges are encouraging students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated, but the lack of residence halls and public health infrastructure at community colleges factored into the decision to not mandate coronavirus vaccines.

And given our colleges offerings of short-term training and credentialing programs, mandating proof of vaccination may create an impractical and unintended barrier to student enrollment, thus diminishing our ability to deliver our mission at this critical time, DuBois said in a statement.

With the fall semester nearing, institutions of higher learning are making decisions about whether to require people to be vaccinated to work or to learn at campuses.
We went down to the basement of the church so that the archaeologist could use the latest technology capable of penetrating the ground and determine whether there are bodies and, if so, whether were they are bodies of African Americans. I didnt even know that such technology existed.

Unfortunately, the dirt floor of the basement was so dense and compacted that even this technology was unable to penetrate the ground.

St. Pauls Episcopal Church, another predominately white congregation also located south of Broad Street, did far more than Second Presbyterian in trying to determine whether slaves constructed the church.

Members spent more than two or three years meticulously poring over public documents in museums and universities. No evidence was found. Still, like the Presbyterians, they have no doubt that slaves built the church.

Across the board, Richmond historians are of one mind that just about every building of any kind constructed in the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries was built with slave labor. If only we could document the truth and present evidence.

By far the best sources are memories of African Americans whose relatives were slaves and worked in Richmond. The charge now for the coalition is asking African Americans about any documents, including letters, that they might have kept over the generations or listening to their stories about their ancestors.
Alzheimers advocates lobby at U.S. Congress

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimers disease, including 150,000 in Virginia in addition to their 349,000 caregivers. As an Alzheimers advocate and a former caregiver for my mother, who died in 2011, it is my honor to represent them.

Without medical breakthroughs, the number of Americans struggling with Alzheimers is projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050  more than two times the current number. Compare this to decreases in some cancers and other serious diseases, and this trend is even more alarming. As a volunteer at the Alzheimers Association, I understand firsthand the impact this disease has on families across America.

This past week, I attended the 2021 Alzheimers Impact Movement Advocacy Forum. Held virtually this year, Alzheimers advocates from across the nation met with their congressional members and their staffs.

Others and myself met with U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, to explain why Congress must continue to prioritize legislative action against Alzheimers. Specifically, we urged them to:
DREAM Act offers

unique opportunity

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The U.S Senate needs to prioritize the DREAM Act (House Resolution 6). This bill would allow young adults brought to this country as children, called Dreamers, to stay here and become citizens if they abide by the rules.

For many such children, the U.S. is the only country they know. They have grown up in our neighborhoods, attended our schools and are friends with our children.

Some are unaware that they lack legal documentation until they try to obtain a drivers license or apply for college. Under the DREAM Act, these children would be able to pursue the American dream and attend school, work and/or serve in the military without fear of deportation.

This is one issue that voters on both sides of the aisle strongly support.

The DREAM Act will offer a helping hand to a small group of young people who came to this country under extenuating circumstances, have spent years contributing to their communities and know no other home. I am grateful to know that U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats of Virginia, support this legislation. I hope others will support this common-sense bill.
Students, faculty and staff at Virginias community colleges will not be required to be vaccinated to be on campus this fall, the state system announced Tuesday.

Glenn DuBois, the chancellor of Virginias Community Colleges, said the decision was made in consultation with the 23 community colleges, which includes Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke and New River Valley Community College in Dublin. People who are fully vaccinated will not have to wear a mask while on campus, which is in accordance with the most recent guidance from the state and CDC.

DuBois said that colleges are encouraging students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated, but the lack of residence halls and public health infrastructure at community colleges factored into the decision to not mandate coronavirus vaccines.

And given our colleges offerings of short-term training and credentialing programs, mandating proof of vaccination may create an impractical and unintended barrier to student enrollment, thus diminishing our ability to deliver our mission at this critical time, DuBois said in a statement.

With the fall semester nearing, institutions of higher learning are making decisions about whether to require people to be vaccinated to work or to learn at campuses.
Trump was impeached by the House but acquitted in February 2020 by the Senate.

Sondland was fired days after Trump's acquittal simply for telling the truth, according to the lawsuit. Since then, the complaint says, the government has bobbed and weaved in the face of every attempt by Sondland to be fully reimbursed for the legal expenses.

The suit says the unwillingness to cover Sondland's legal fees not only represented a breach of commitment and normal convention but was also especially problematic in this instance because the amount of preparation needed to comply with the subpoenas was staggering."

Ambassador Sondland retained a Washington, D.C. law firm well experienced in Congressional investigations that possessed the capacity to assist him, along with his long-time personal counsel, in preparation for his critically important testimony, the lawsuit states. Ambassador Sondland continued to rely on Pompeos individual promise, on behalf of himself and the Government, in seeking outside counsel and incurred nearly $1.8 million in attorneys fees and costs.

The lawsuit was first reported by The Washington Post.



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I wanted to take this opportunity as we come upon the anniversary of George Floyd to stand together as a community and say, This will not stand, Washington said. This is a nationwide conversation that we are having and we want to let Asian-Americans know here in Bowie, the county and Maryland that we stand with them.
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP)  A record-holding Sherpa climber halted his attempt to scale Mount Everest for a 26th time because of a bad dream but plans to try again next year.

Kami Rita already reached the summit of the world's highest mountain for a record 25th time earlier this month but stopped his most recent climb more than halfway to the top.

I was making (the 26th) attempt and had reached up to Camp Three but the weather turned bad and I had a really bad dream," Rita said on return to Kathmandu on a helicopter from the mountain on Tuesday.

The gods were telling me not to go and because I really believe in God, I decided to return," he said but would not elaborate on the dream.

Sherpas believe Everest to be a goddess and have a religious ceremony before stepping on the mountain to make their climbs.

Rita said he would certainly return next year to try to scale the peak a 26th time.

His wife, a few of his friends and government officials greeted him at the Kathmandu airport, but there was no celebratory parade like in the past because the capital is under lockdown due to spiking cases of coronavirus.
Marijuana has become a controversial subject, and it is drawing arguments and discussions among both politicians and people.

As there is a supportive group who are aiming the lights on the benefits of marijuana and attempting to draw a colorful and harmless picture of this natural plant, but the negative effects are overwhelming the positivity of it.

The dangerous side effects of marijuana are undeniable and supported by several medical studies. Legalizing marijuana does not reduce the risk and the effects on the community, nor is it the right path for criminal justice reform.

Therefore, the issue is the marijuana per se, not the legality or illegality of it. Legalizing marijuana is another addictive substance that would be offered to the public.

Marijuana is affecting the human health and brain and causes a long term illness. Medical studies have found many negative effects of marijuana. Based on ( National Institute on Drug Abuse) marijuana is the most common addictive drug after tobacco and alcohol among people. Furthermore, ( National Institute on Drug Abuse) has warned about the marijuana effects on the brain, short term, such as mood changing and memory impairment, and long term, which is the loss of an average of 8 IQ points in those people who begin using marijuana at an early age.
Last November, the mayor of Pittsburgh joined with seven other mayors in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky to make the case for a Marshall Plan for Middle America.

More specifically, Mayor Bill Peduto and his colleagues called for moving the Ohio Valley away from its dependence on fossil fuels and instead position it as a center for green energy. They touted a study from the University of Pittsburgh that said the region will probably lose 100,000 fossil fuel jobs as renewable energy gains greater market share  but that investing in green energy would create up to 410,000 jobs over the next decade.

We wrote favorably about this, pointing out that communities on this side of the mountains face the same situation as those on the Ohio Valley side  and theres no reason why we shouldnt be doing the same thing.

We have fossil fuel jobs that are going away. We have communities that need jobs, period. We have a major research university in Virginia Tech.

Why arent mayors and chairs of boards of supervisors here joining together  from Lynchburg to Lee County  to make the case for why this region should be the Silicon Valley of Green Energy? Or even just a Roanoke Valley and New River Valley and Clinch Valley and any other valley you want?
However, for many decades, the human resource factor here has only seen mediocre development, which could possibly take another fifteen to twenty years to improve in quality.

Human resource factor

Ho Chi Minh City is the most populous metropolis in the country, but compared to other big cities in Asia such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or Shanghai, the quality of population calibre is average. This means that Ho Chi Minh City may be densely populated but it is still not strong enough to become a knowledge city of international standards. The City is still mainly based on broad-based labor intensive industry, occupying large premises and using low-skilled labor and outdated technology, supported by large investment and low productivity, and dependent on outsourcing of raw material from other countries. If the population calibre is low, it is difficult for a City to develop quickly and sustainably.

A populous metropolis is made up of many different groups and communities, but not all groups play the same role in the development process. There are groups that play a lead role, there are groups who are motivators and supporters, and there are groups that are only dependents. The quality of the population in a large metropolis such as Ho Chi Minh City can be explained in a pyramid like graph as follows:

On the top of the pyramid is the Elite Group. Studies show that this group plays a lead role in society, and includes experts, senior leaders, and big businessmen. This group is not too large, but consists of smart and intelligent people who are experts in their fields, who orient, create trends, and influence and attract people to follow their model lifestyle. Any city with a large, strong, and united elitist class will always progress the fastest.

On the second rung of the pyramid comes the respond group. This group is quite large, plays a crucial role in the development process, and is the main driving force that also promotes the society and culture of the place. This segment is the middle class, is economically well off, educated, and very capable and talented. In developed societies, the middle class always makes up the majority, possibly upto 40% to 50% of the entire city population.

The last group at the bottom rung of the pyramid follows default social trends. This group is very large, has potential power if mobilized well, but is less active. These three groups all must focus towards improving in quality, which will then easily lead to a high consensus and success. The lessons of Singapore and European countries are living proof of such development and growth. However, among all the three groups, it is the elitist that is the most important and prominent in society.

Shortfalls and inadequacies

Looking from the outside and very objectively, Ho Chi Minh City does not have a strong group of intellectuals and experts, or a strong international research base in various fields. Many of its scientific research products are of poor quality and low applicability, with too few products commercialized domestically and having almost no influence outside its borders. Along with this, public officials serving the people lack professionalism, skills and the ability to communicate with foreign visitors.

In particular, Ho Chi Minh City lacks a good indepth advisory group. Survey results show that grassroots officials do not meet necessary requirements, with only 28% having university degrees. Among these, only 25% have been trained in urban areas; only 9% know a foreign language; and just 13.6% are proficient in office computing. Many cadre officers were transferred from either Women's Union, Civil Defence or Fatherland Front, and only five out of 58 officials in charge of the culture of 58 suburban communes are trained in culture in schools, while the rest are rotated back and forth from different positions.

According to a report by the Center for Forecasting Manpower Demand and Labor Market Information in Ho Chi Minh City, upto 28% of the labor force in Ho Chi Minh City has not been trained, and only 26% has received just preliminary training.

The business community in Ho Chi Minh City is small in size, and its influence is still weak and not of an international level. Ho Chi Minh City lacks economic giants such as Samsung, LG, and Honda. The business giants are mainly in the real estate sector, getting richer from difference in land rent, unfamiliar with market economy, and relying mainly on officials. These giants cannot guide society in terms of techniques, technology, organization, or image. If Ho Chi Minh City wants to have 500,000 businesses, it must have 50 to 100 leading people running both small and micro-enterprises.

Ho Chi Minh City lacks teams of modern industrial workers called blue-collar workers, in the true sense of the word. Workers here are just unskilled laborers with low education and living a poor economic life, while not forming a social class like in developed countries. Industrial products are also mainly outsourced to foreign countries, and handicraft products are monotonous with little innovation. This is reflected not only in production but also in areas such as literary and artistic products for tourism that are few and outdated, and poor in variety and design.

Change economic structure

Ho Chi Minh City needs to change its economic structure quickly and become an international center for finance, health and education services. Tourism must be of a high level, by training young educated people. The solution to restructuring the economic space is to reduce the labor force of medium and low-skilled workers or unskilled workers, and not develop low-level processing factories, but develop industrial parks, high-tech parks, software zones, and biotech zones. It is important to promote industrial development in the central and western provinces also so that workers do not have to move to Ho Chi Minh City.

Forming a class of residents that play a lead role in society, and attract high-quality talent and experts from all over the country and abroad, is an issue that Ho Chi Minh City needs to address with great urgency.

Asso.Prof. Nguyen Minh Hoa
A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the worlds crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo
" " In the quaint town of Tonnerre in the northeast of France, is the deep, ancient wellspring known as Fosse Dionne. So far, nobody has been able to determine its source. Herve CHAMPOLLION/Getty Images

It's possible there's a giant, deadly serpent hanging out at the bottom of Fosse Dionne spring in the Burgundy region of France. It's also possible there's not a serpent  it's a legend concocted by ancient inhabitants of the village of Tonnerre where the spring is located  but nobody's ever been able to get to the bottom of it because nobody's ever been able to get to the bottom of it.

Fosse Dionne is a karst spring (a karst is an irregular limestone region with sinkholes, underground streams and caverns, according to Merriam-Webster) that spews an average of 82 gallons (311 liters) of water every second, which is an unusually high discharge rate for this type of spring, but the velocity with which it shoots out of the ground varies from season to season. What you would be able to see of the spring if you visited Fosse Dionne, which translates to "divine pit," is a circular stone pool built in the 18th century, filled with jewel toned water: turquoise, amber and cerulean, colored by the minerals in the limestone caves from which the waters emerge. The opening of one of these caves is visible from the edge of the basin.

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Because humans have been using Fosse Dionne since before anybody was keeping track  for drinking, washing, cooking and bathing  there are stories and legends about the spring, some we know and some we don't. In the Middle Ages, it was thought there was a serpent that cruised around deep in the heart of Fosse Dionne, and some even thought it was the portal to another world. The spring features prominently in accounts of the miracles performed by the 7th-century monk St. Jean de Reome, who arrived in the area in the year 645 C.E. to clean up the spring, which was at the time an unusable swamp. The monk reportedly dug a basilisk  half rooster and half lizard  out of the spring and killed it, allowing people to regain the use of Fosse Dionne for drinking, washing, etc.

These days Fosse Dionne looks very civilized from the outside, in its stone basin surrounded by a lavoir, a communal washing place, built in the 18th century to protect washerwomen from the elements as they did their laundry in the spring. But below the surface of the water, the spring is just as wild as when St. Jean de Reome arrived to tame it.

The great mystery of the Fosse Dionne spring is where its water actually comes from. There's certainly a lot of water coursing out of it, and like other karst springs, the water emerges from a network of subterranean limestone caves. However, no diver has ever been able to find its source, and many of those who have tried haven't come back alive.

Nobody even attempted to plumb the depths of Fosse Dionne until 1974, when two divers undertook navigating the maze of chambers and narrow tunnels of the spring. Neither of those divers came back to tell what they had seen. In 1996 another diver attempted it, but he lost his life to the Fosse Dionne as well. For many years after, divers were prohibited from diving into the spring until 2019, when diver Pierre-Eric Deseigne undertook exploring 1,214 feet (370 meters) of passageways. Luckily he returned alive but didn't find the source of the spring  nor did he find another dimension or a monstrous serpent.

There's still time.

Now That's Interesting It's thought the Fosse Dionne is fed by both rainwater from the hills around Tonnerre and at least one underground river.
" " This panoramic photo of Vostok Station shows the layout of the camp, used by Russian, French and American scientists studying the lake and the deep coring possibilities of the Antarctic. NOAA/Getty Images

53 million years ago, Antarctica was a forested wilderness, a lush environment where palm trees took root. Now, more than 97 percent of the world's southernmost continent is covered by ice.

The magnificent ice sheet that blankets Antarctica holds 6.4 million cubic miles (27 million cubic kilometers) of frozen water. From top to bottom, it's over 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) thick in some places.

Our global sea level would rise by 190 feet (58 meters) if all that ice melted. As things presently stand, the frigid sheet conceals a hidden world.

More than 379 "subglacial lakes" are caught between Antarctic bedrock and the ice sheet. The lakes retain liquid water, despite the miles (or if you prefer, kilometers) of frozen H2O up above them. Scientists have learned they're often interconnected as well.

Lake Vostok is the biggest of the bunch. Roughly the size of North America's Lake Ontario, the buried landmark has inspired curiosity and controversy for decades.

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A Legacy of Exploration

On Jan. 27, 1820, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen  then a captain in the Russian Imperial Navy  made the first recorded sighting of the Antarctic continent. He'd been leading an expedition whose flagship was called "Vostok," the Russian word for "east."

The USSR later tipped its hat to the man. About 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from the geographic South Pole, there's a (very remote) research facility the Soviets built in 1957. In honor of Bellingshausen's adventure, it was named Vostok Station.

The name was well-chosen. Researchers divide the Antarctic Ice Sheet into three smaller parts. There's the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet and, last but not least, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Vostok Station sits on the last of these. Because (again) "Vostok" means "east," that makes perfect sense.

While reviewing seismic data that was gathered in the 1950s, Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa began to suspect there might be a huge liquid lake hiding under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, somewhere around Vostok Station.

Proof was a long time coming.

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Finding Lake Vostok

Scientists can use penetrating radar to measure an ice sheet's thickness. First, high-energy radio waves are sent through glaciers, ice sheets or ice caps. If any echoes bounce back, they might reveal important info about the frozen water's structural makeup.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, this technology started finding subglacial lakes across Antarctica. It turned out Kapitsa's hunch was right on the money.

A radio-echo survey, and measurements taken via satellite, eventually confirmed there's a giant lake buried near Vostok Station. The journal Nature announced this discovery on June 20, 1996.

More than 2 miles, or nearly 4 kilometers, of ice separate Lake Vostok (as it's come to be known) from the surface. Human hands have never touched it, but seismometers and ice-penetrating radar have given us a decent picture of the lake.

We know it's got an elongated shape. Even though Lake Vostok is around 155 miles (250 kilometers) in length, it's only 31 to 50 miles (50 to 80 kilometers) wide. There's both a northern and a southern basin. Experts say the lake is up to 2,600 feet (800 meters) deep at certain points. And it holds something like 1,300 cubic miles (5,400 cubic kilometers) of liquid water.

Furthermore, Lake Vostok has its very own island and may experience tides.

All this is quite interesting, but it begs a fundamental question. How can any lake  big or small  persist underneath an expanse of ice taller than any skyscraper without freezing solid?

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All Warmed Up

Subglacial lakes need sources of heat. Sometimes, the Earth itself may provide it.

Our planet releases geothermal energy. This heat can radiate upward and melt glacial ice that's made contact with bedrock. Liquid water then accumulates in valleys and other depressed areas on the rocky surface.

Weird as it might sound, some ice sheets provide heat, too. Ice will naturally melt under the right amount of pressure. And a really thick, really heavy ice sheet is going to put lots and lots of pressure on the water molecules at its base.

Lake Vostok's prehistoric origins are a little murky, but for the past 15 to 20 million years (or so), the lake's been covered by ice.

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The Search for Life in the Lake

Back in 1999, microbes were found inside ice samples collected just above Lake Vostok. The ice in question may have once been water from the lake's surface which  at some point  froze to the overhanging glacier.

A 2013 study discovered more than 3,000 "unique gene sequences" in subsurface ice associated with Lake Vostok. Nearly half of this genetic material was identifiable; around 94 percent came from bacteria. The authors said they'd also found evidence of more complex organisms, like fungi and small crustaceans.

Critics of the 2013 paper worried that the drilling tools used to gather these ice samples might have been contaminated. If true, the gene sequences collected near Lake Vostok might've actually came from foreign environments. However, lead author Scott Rogers has pushed back against these arguments.

On Feb. 5, 2012, Russian scientists penetrated Lake Vostok for the very first time after drilling through almost 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of ice. As fate would have it, Andrey Kapitsa had passed away less than one year prior.

Exploring Lake Vostok and other subglacial environments could teach us a thing or two about the possible living conditions on some faraway moons  like Jupiter's Europa or Enceladus of Saturn. Both worlds have liquid oceans underneath shells of ice, making them irresistible targets in humanity's search for extraterrestrial life.

Now That's Interesting The Antarctic Ice Sheet contains a whopping 70 percent of all the fresh water on planet Earth.
The building remains but has been significantly altered from the building that featured white siding and striped awnings.

The grandson and granddaughter of the original owner unveiled the marker. They are Frank Hough and Reba Hough Martin, children of Doc and Zealouise Hough.

Gandy said in 2016 he was approached for help when the city was contemplating condemning the building that had fallen in disrepair. Gandy said he was asked for a letter of support documenting the rich heritage of the building and its significance to the community, deeming it a historical site.

Gandy said Darlington County is No. 28 in the state for county land mass and No. 4 in the state for number of historical markers in the ground.

He said Darlington County takes its history seriously. Gandy said years of planning and work went into getting this marker.

Jannie Harriot (chairperson of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission) is tenacious, he said.

Gandy said she will not stop until she sees the marker in the ground.
Robinson said the vaccine outreach was the Christian thing to do for the community.

Helping people, encouraging people, being there for the masses of the people  thats what Jesus did, Robinson said. He reached out to the masses of the people. Jesus reached out to the people who were less served, and were trying to do that.

The more people get vaccinated, the better it is for the whole community, the more we can get back to what used to be normal and help the economy. People can go to work. People can go to school. People can go out and have fun.

Joe McCall, RN, the MUSC Health-Florence Medical Center director of business health, said when the vaccination push first started, there was huge demand and limited supply. Now there is huge supply but decreasing demand.

Were trying to do some community effort to try to get as many people vaccinated as possible, McCall said. Its all about herd inoculation. If one person gets it, maybe it will prevent someone from getting (COVID-19).

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Some of the customers came Tuesday of their own free will. Others came at the urging of family members who turned out with them for moral support.

One person cleared intake, but when he got to McCall, he was clammy.
For more than a year, The Associated Press has been bringing you One Good Thing  stories highlighting good deeds done by individuals to brighten others' days during trying times.

Usually, their stories don't end there. They keep volunteering their time, energy and resources to help people in need, even if their own lives were also turned upside down by a pandemic that has killed and sickened millions around the world. Sometimes they've received recognition for their service, or seen support and donations roll in as a result of the publicity.

Today we check in with several of those heroes and update their stories.



In February we brought you the story of Bonifaz Diaz. He biked in and around the Guatemalan highlands city of Quetzaltenango with his saddlebags filled with donated books to barter for an oatmeal-like cereal mix, Incaparina, that an NGO was using to feed nearly 400 children in need.
In outlining the goal for winning the Persian Gulf War against Saddam Hussein for invading and occupying Kuwait in 1991, Gen. Colin Powell, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, Our strategy to go after this army is very, very simple. First, were going to cut it off, and then were going to kill it.

The ceasefire announced last week between the terrorist organization Hamas and the state of Israel is the opposite of that strategy and solves nothing. As with previous ceasefires, it simply gives Hamas an opportunity to regroup and reload in time for the next assault, perhaps with even more sophisticated and deadly weapons supplied by Iran.

Some critics of Israel said that it did not respond proportionately to the Hamas attacks. Was proportionality a consideration after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor? President Truman ordered nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because Japan refused to surrender at the end of World War II. Did we respond proportionately to the threat from Nazi Germany when we carpet bombed German cities, especially Dresden?

Winston Churchill put it best when he stated the goal of Allied forces: What is our aim? Victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
Within four years, a quarter of the systems annual graduates  5,000 kids  will become involved in the criminal justice system.

Thousands of other angry, unloved and unskilled young adults each year end up homeless or are funneled into the sex trafficking business. And its estimated that half of the countrys homeless population has spent part of their lives in foster care.

Statistics say that foster children who are placed in five or more homes have a 90 percent chance of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. McKhia, who entered the system as a teenager, was in five homes in two years.

Most people have no idea how the foster care system works or understand the damage it can do to young children when they are separated from the parents.

At age 3 or 4, children have no way of knowing they are being abused. They can even confuse abuse with being loved.

When the county youth services people come and pull them out of their beds in the middle of the night, put them in the back of a car and take them to a strange home, they dont know whats going on.

They dont know that theyre being helped or protected. They just know theyve been taken away from everyone they love and everything they know.
 Former Deputy AG Phil Heymann makes full-throated pitch for Justice Department to address Rubashkin case | Main | Federal military execution seemingly on track for mass rapist/murderer 

December 28, 2016

Dylann Roof tells federal judge he does not plan to present any evidence at penalty phase of his capital trial

As reported in this new AP story, "Dylann Roof told a judge Wednesday he doesn't plan to call any witnesses or present evidence to ask a jury to spare his life for killing nine black worshippers at a Charleston church in a hate crime." Here is more:

But there also is mystery evidence that Roof is working hard to make sure the public never sees in his federal death penalty trial. Roof, who is acting as his own attorney in the penalty phase to prevent what he thinks would be further embarrassment to himself or his family, again was warned by U.S. Judge Richard Gergel at a hearing Wednesday that being his own lawyer was a bad idea. "That's your decision," Gergel told Roof. "I think that highlights my advice to you that you aren't served by being your own counsel." Gergel told Roof to talk to his grandfather, who is a lawyer, and other family members one last time. He told Roof he has until the start of the penalty phase Tuesday to change his mind and hire his high-powered, publicly funded defense team back. The same jurors who convicted Roof earlier this month on 33 counts including hate crimes and obstruction of religion will return next week to decide if he faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Roof spoke for less than 10 minutes of the 35-minute hearing Wednesday. He told Gergel he does plan an opening and closing statement. He then told the judge he objects to prosecutors' plans to present a photograph of evidence in the court's possession. Roof, Gergel and assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson all carefully tiptoed around saying what that evidence was. Gergel did say there was a hearing in which he decided it could be admitted in the penalty phase. Roof also wanted a jailhouse statement left out of the penalty phase and evidence that involved his mother. No specifics were given. Gergel told Roof to go back to jail and write a motion for him to consider. Roof's ankle chain clanked as he walked back to the defense table in his jail jumpsuit. Prosecutors also laid out their case. Most of the penalty phase will involve up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and the three people spared when Roof went into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015, sat through a 45-minute Bible study in the fellowship hall, then fired 77 shots as many of the worshippers hid under tables. Gergel, who complained during the guilt phase that prosecutors were repeating themselves at times with witnesses, said he will allow Richardson to call as many witnesses related to the victims as he wants. "The statute provides broad leeway for the victims to be heard, and I plan on honoring that," the judge said.... Gergel spent much of the hearing going over the format of the penalty phase with Roof, warning him several times he was likely doing himself no favors leaving his defense team as just advisers to file briefs. After saying he planned no witnesses, Roof told Gergel he was just answering the same question the judge had asked prosecutors. Gergel said that wasn't necessary. "Don't do them any favors," the judge said. "They aren't going to do you any."

December 28, 2016 at 04:13 PM | Permalink

Comments

Enjoy the execution, Doc.

Posted by: anon | Dec 28, 2016 6:07:01 PM

I do not enjoy the judge's attempt to generate lawyer time. Why are prosecution witnesses necessary? Is it necessary to show the jury that the murder of a loved one is painful, devastating, and life changing? Should it be required to be shown beyond a reasonable doubt? Why is this judge trying to get Roof get a real hearing going by rehiring his lawyers? Is this judge preventing reversible error, if yes, which? Or, is this judge wasting tax money in rent seeking?

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 28, 2016 9:27:11 PM

David,

I can sure we both can agree that we do not like what is happening here. However, it's important that we remember that a judge is to remain unbias, impartial, and neutral throughout a court proceeding. This judge is giving Dylan due process. The stakes are high in this case and we he wants to make sure that Dylan is very aware of that. This judge doesn't know what the jury is going to decide, but I believe he is doing a fair and just job buy reassuring Mr. Roof of his options and the possible consequences.

Posted by: Tracy Djuan Boyd | Dec 28, 2016 10:04:35 PM

Tracy. I understand judges' helping pro se criminal litigants conduct a fair trial. I understand protecting the verdict against reversible error. I support such assistance. I would even support urging the defendant to hire a good lawyer if the trial is going against the truth, if there were any doubt about his guilt. I even support the judge's giving the defendant legal advice about rules of evidence he may have never heard before, in a sense, assisting the defense to even the scale of justice.

In my comment, I strongly objected to the long parade of prosecution witnesses, attesting to the pain of the loss of their loved one. That is a waste of time because 1) it is obvious, and testimony adds no information; 2) the rules of evidence seek to prevent emotionally inflammatory testimony; 3) not even lawyer defense experts have ever nor will ever do this. If the witnesses are to testify about damage, then they should be cross-examined about the benefits to them of the death of their loved ones. Examples of benefit would be 1) inheritances; 2) the end of negative, conflictual relationships, including abuses by the murder victim; 3) the relief to the family of the exit of problematic person, a criminal, an addict, an untreated mental patient, emotional and financial relief. Such fairness mandated by the Fifth Amendment would turn the trial into a circus, and is better avoided by precluding victim impact statements.

I have argued, lawyer mitigating factors are really aggravating factors upended by lawyer denial of reality.

In this case, there was no question of fact. Then, not even false lawyer mitigating factors apply to the sentencing decision process.

The jury should have retired after about an hour, not the days or weeks. Their sentencing should be based on the convicted conduct, and on the character of the defendant.

In the rent, people take tax money collected at the point of a gun, and return nothing of value. If you can think of any benefit of factual value, I can be persuaded to be less negative about this judge. All I see here is a theater production, an expensive display false piety, for the benefit of the judge and of the lawyers, and not substantive probative value.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 29, 2016 12:09:22 AM

When I had originally heard that the defendant had let his lawyers defend him for part of the case, I had assumed it was the penalty phase as that's obviously the more important of the two. It seems that Mr. Roof is making a mistake if his goal is to not receive a death sentence. That being said, if there's any fault, it was the determination he was competent (and the lower standard of competency). After that, everyone has to respect his wishes. My guess is there's some mitigating evidence that reflects poorly on his family and he wishes to spare them embarrassment. That's his choice.

Posted by: Erik M | Dec 29, 2016 8:43:08 AM

The general assumption is that the best hope for him to avoid the death penalty is for him to be labeled unhinged even if he was judged competent. A comment suggests that the defense might reflect poorly on his family. Maybe. These things usually toss something about that in. But, seems to me, it is more about himself and perhaps to give him a platform. It's his choice though on fair trial grounds, it has issues to it. The trial, including the penalty phrase, generally has two skilled advocates going at it for a reason.

You'd think him avoiding the death penalty (twice given the feds want to get involved) is a long shot anyhow. But, some of the victims are against it and it is not out of the realm of possibility -- probably would help if a professional handled the penalty phrase there -- one or more jurors would agree.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 29, 2016 1:21:39 PM

My experience (11 cases at various stages from trial to federal habeas) is that there are four basic mitigation strategies in capital cases: 1) claim that the defendant deserves mercy because of his poor childhood; 2) claim that the defendant deserves mercy (or is less culpable) because of his mental issues; 3) claim that defendant is generally a good person with the murder representing a momentary aberration (i.e. that the defendant's good qualities outweigh the evil of this specific crime); and 4) claim some form of imperfect justification (i.e. that the victim was somebody who needed killing -- e.g., drug dealer, child molester, pimp, etc.) Which strategy is best depends upon the facts of the case (and many will combine the defendant's upbringing with mental health issues) and the likelihood of success for any of them depends upon the strength of the evidence in aggravation.

From what I have read in the papers, it seems most likely that the dispute between Roof and his counsels is between defense counsel wanting to focus on Roof's mental health and upbringing and Roof wanting to assert his belief that these killings were somehow justified. Given the basic facts of the murders -- multiple victims, killed while attending bible study, some of the victims being leaders of the community -- it seems like any defense strategy would face a serious uphill battle.

I suspect that the prosecution will not call all of the endorsed witnesses, but rather will play it by ear and make decisions on which witnesses to call as the penalty phase progresses. It's not unusual to over endorse just in case something happens and to allow for switching witnesses at the last second. Additionally, given that there is only one shot at getting the death penalty, the incentive is there to go for overkill rather than taking the risk of presenting too little.

Posted by: tmm | Dec 29, 2016 1:56:36 PM

I could also see the victims family wanting to speak and the prosecution wanting to honor that request. Otherwise, I tend to agree.

Posted by: Erik M | Dec 29, 2016 3:23:46 PM

David, nothing is "obvious" unless and until it is heard from the witness stand; the rules of evidence do not apply in sentencing hearings; and, everything else raised is neither coherent, nor has anything to do with a criminal trial under the American justice system. Finally, is that you, SC?



Posted by: Mark M. | Jan 1, 2017 4:19:38 AM

The jury should first, order him castrated so that there are no offspring. Second, life in prison with black prisoners. Third, tell him to shut the ukFay up.

Posted by: Liberty1st | Jan 1, 2017 7:13:46 PM

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December 2, 2016

Should I be more troubled by Dylann Storm Roof being allowed to defend himself at his federal capital trial?

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this intriguing commentary authored by Chandra Bozelko and headlined "Dylann Roof shouldnt be allowed to act as his own lawyer." Here are excerpts:

Dylann Roof, the avowed white supremacist accused of killing nine black parishioners at a historic Charleston, South Carolina church last year, is a 22-year-old man with a presumed history of drug use. He did not graduate from high school. He could be sentenced to death if a jury finds him guilty. And yet he is acting as his own lawyer to defend himself against 33 federal charges of murder and hate crimes. Roof is representing himself in court against the advice of the presiding judge, Richard Gergel. And by doing so, Roof will likely go the way of other self-represented defendants like Joan of Arc, Jesus, Socrates and Ted Bundy: hes probably going to be convicted and killed. But what many people dont understand is that the judge had no choice but to let Roof represent himself. Since the Supreme Court decided Faretta v. California in 1975, the right to represent oneself is absolute regardless of intellect or educational attainment. Requests to relinquish counsel must be honored out of that respect for the individual which is the lifeblood of the law. Because its likely to be little more than a spectacular suicide, the Roof trial should get us to admit that the lifeblood of the law has clots in it. Unprepared defendants shouldnt be allowed to represent themselves in capital trials; the Supreme Court precedent established in Faretta needs to be overturned or modified in a meaningful way. I wasnt as successful as Dylann Roof. In 2007, I tried to represent myself in a criminal trial but was denied, Princeton degree and two years of law school notwithstanding. The judge claimed that, because my request came after jury selection but before the start of the states evidence, it was a delay tactic and made my motion untimely. I hadnt asked for a continuance and was prepared to start right away. I had a lawyer forced upon me, one who admitted she hadnt read the police reports and went on to advise the jury that there was no reasonable doubt about my guilt. I ended up being convicted of ten felonies and four misdemeanors and sentenced to five years in prison for identity theft-related crimes, but without a lawyer I might have been sentenced to the maximum on every charge consecutively, which was 185 years in jail. I wasnt facing the death penalty and the judge assigned to my case still wouldnt let me represent myself. Scholars, judges and attorneys have long seen self-represented defendants as calves pulling their own leads to slaughter. Accordingly, theyve chipped away at Faretta with decisions like the one in my case. Courts look for ways to deny requests for self-representation because they know the unfairness that can ensue. Federal circuit courts are actually split on what constitutes a valid self-representation request. The Supreme Court itself curbed the Faretta right in 2008 in Indiana v. Edwards when it held that defendants can be competent to stand trial yet not competent to represent themselves. Whether self-representation would hurt every defendant who engaged in it is debatable. The limited evidence we have on the number of self-represented defendants who win is encouraging. But many of those successes come in cases where lethal injection isnt a possible penalty. Every self-represented person in a capital case has lost. And yet we still allow defendants like Dylann Roof to act as their own attorneys, despite their obvious inability to do so.... Saying that minimally educated or mentally ill criminal defendants who face lethal penalties must be free from government intrusion in the form of counsel is the same thing as saying suicide is part of individual liberty. While it may be true, it contradicts our countrys alleged respect for life. What is judicially permissible may not be moral.... Removing self-representation as a possibility in capital cases could and should be corrected for with some type of minimum standards for capital defenders.... This denigration of the right to effective assistance of counsel is what makes it easy to allow defendants like Dylann Roof to represent themselves. If appointed counsel wont do much better, why not let people exercise their rights under Faretta and get themselves killed? Especially when the trial will add glorious sound bites and scenes of an allegedly racist killer getting to cross-examine his African-American victims. In the name of individual liberties that weve already stopped protecting, we will watch Roofs slow, elaborate, taxpayer-funded self-harm unfold. The trial of the Charleston church shooter places us at a crossroads of Constitution and conscience. If we overturn Faretta v. California and prevent defendants in capital cases from defending themselves while providing them with qualified and paid counsel, we wont have to choose.

I am tempted to assail many contentions in this commentary, and yet I feel I must give it some respect because it was authored by someone who seemed to have been burned by his her own inability to serve as his her own attorney. I will just comment that I always look for principles of liberty and personal freedom to guide me when I think I might be "at a crossroads of Constitution and conscience." And principles of liberty and personal freedom lead me to the view that persons who are competent should generally be allowed to represent themselves when on trial for their lives or for any other interest.

A few of many prior related posts on prosecution of Dylann Storm Roof:

December 2, 2016 at 08:54 AM | Permalink

Comments

At the end of the day, I would probably agree with someone's right to defend themselves especially with the presence of stand by counsel. I say "probably" since I'm somewhat less firm about it than other things.

But, partially since provision in the Bill of Rights really shouldn't just be seen in a vacuum here, it is not a total simple call. An actual defense counsel is very useful to protect the overall sanctity of the trial and the safeguards of the Bill of Rights generally. So, e.g., if someone is ignorant of the law and doesn't know how to object, blatantly unfair results can occur by default. Also, the trial's truth finding aspects can be cited with some cynicism, but again, the whole idea is to have two actual lawyers there to have a sort of battle with the end result being some form of justice.

Finally, it will be harder for the witnesses to be questioned by an unhinged uninformed (if allegedly competent) defendant here.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 9:43:31 AM

I haven't followed the court proceedings closely and have no access to his confidential mental health information, so I can't comment on his particular choice or the district court's ruling. The law is clear, however, that competence to stand trial and competence to act as your own attorney are different, and the standard for competency for the second is higher. Particularly in a death case, I think the court should give real weight to the distinction and pause before letting any person represent themselves when death is on the table.

Posted by: defendergirl | Dec 2, 2016 9:53:14 AM

I also read analysis arguing that the judge in the case is applying the rules with too heavy of a hand and should let's say let the standby counsel be able to object in certain cases (unless Dylann Roof clearly opposes it) & that other judges handled it differently.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 10:35:13 AM

He did it. There's no doubt he did it, and he deserves to die for it. Who cares? This handwringing is just pathetic.

Posted by: federalist | Dec 2, 2016 10:35:32 AM

The author of this piece sounds like he had an amazing Faretta issue on appeal, if he's accurate about his trial.

And for the record, of COURSE people should have the right to represent themselves, if they're sane enough to manage it. It's an important right, and it exists to stop people from having incompetent or conflicted counsel foisted on them to prevent them from speaking their piece. That judges sometimes punish pro se defendants with consecutive sentences doesn't mean we should stop people from representing themselves--it just means we should be looking more closely at such trial taxes to ensure fair sentencing.

Posted by: Andrew Fleischman | Dec 2, 2016 11:03:02 AM



I got curious and looked up the opinion. It makes more sense now. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=137246112903201289&q=Chandra+Bozelko&hl=en&as_sdt=4,7#[8]

"The representation of counsel that the defendant "was willingor she's prepared to go forward pro se, if need be," is not precisely the same as a representation that the defendant would proceed without any delay or disruption and that none would occur during trial. The circumstances, of course, would be different had trial not begun."

Posted by: Andrew Fleischman | Dec 2, 2016 11:07:22 AM

"it exists to stop people from having incompetent or conflicted counsel foisted on them to prevent them from speaking their piece"

The defendants are likely to be less competent than even counsel so incompetent that even a conservative would find appeals on the point sound. If they merely want to "speak their piece," do that. Relying on the person to question/challenge jurors etc. isn't necessary for that, I gather. Basically, it seems Dylann Roof didn't want his counsel to put on a defense suggesting he is unhinged.

Anyway, even if he's obviously guilty, etc., one would think some might worry about the victims here, who now have to have him asking them questions. Colin Ferguson asking people in that train questions, I gather, was pretty hard, harder than if his counsel to. Or, if a rapist "obviously guilty" was asking his/her victim questions directly especially a child. And, how much harder it makes for the judge etc.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 11:10:59 AM

"Anyway, even if he's obviously guilty, etc., one would think some might worry about the victims here, who now have to have him asking them questions. Colin Ferguson asking people in that train questions, I gather, was pretty hard, harder than if his counsel to. Or, if a rapist "obviously guilty" was asking his/her victim questions directly especially a child. And, how much harder it makes for the judge etc."

Not relevant to the inquiry. If he gets to, he gets to, and those issues do not bear on the question. Stop handwringing and get on with it.

Posted by: federalist | Dec 2, 2016 12:26:39 PM

The constitutional right is "to have the assistance of counsel." The rules of professional conduct give the final say over most defense decisions to defense counsel. At least in my experience (both as a public defender and as a prosecutor), it is not unusual for defendant's and defense counsel to have different opinions on what the defense should be. If after receiving the advice of counsel on how the case should be defended, competent (in the Edwards sense) defendants decide that they do not want "assistance" that amounts to counsel overriding the defendant's wishes, then that seems to me to be part of the concept of "ordered liberty" that the Bill of Rights as a whole protects. While we all wish for a fairness and accuracy in legal proceeding, some values take higher priority. The issue is not whether counsel being foisted on defendant is competent (although that is a frequent complaint that those seeking to represent themselves make), the issue is whether a defendant has to surrender control of his case to a counsel when they disagree about how the case should be managed.

There is always the question of standby (i.e. ready to step-in), hybrid (shared responsibilities), and advisory counsel. But all of these variations are ways of cluttering up the fact that nobody in the legal system likes the fact that defendants have a right to represent themselves. Assuming that the judge dotted the i's and crossed the t's during the Faretta hearing (and appellate judges are prone to seize on the tiniest errors in those hearings), I am not "bothered" that Root gets to represent himself. I think that it's probably a dumb move that increases the likelihood that Root will not outlast the Trump Administration, but it's his right to cut his own throat in court.

Posted by: tmm | Dec 2, 2016 12:42:46 PM

He wants to represent himself so he can spew his racism. This is a trial that people really need to listen too. Let him talk about the sites on the internet he got his information from. AS a Blk Man, I want to hear this, you should too. it shows a Cancer growing in this country. Not saying this to be Racist, but White's need to listen very closely, this type of mindset is growing in this country. He is not Cutting his own Throat, this is what he believes. he told the Cop's he did it because of Racism. We minorities have been complaining about racism in courts, policing, education and how we are perceived. America needs to look at it's self because this country is getting more diverse everyday. Almost 1000 hate related incidents since the election of 2016, and there are more people like him in this country. People need to quit ignoring what's happening and pay some attention because this is going to get worse.

Posted by: Kevin Newbill | Dec 2, 2016 4:33:54 PM

The "assistance of counsel" -- and this was brought up during oral argument in Faretta -- doesn't suddenly mean ipse facto he himself can act like counsel here. It is not merely that he is waiving counsel. He is making decisions now a counsel makes.

He is not saying "judge, you decide" or something. That's a major concern even if "ordered liberty" gives him the right to act as his own counsel. That's why to me it's a tad harder than some here appear to be making it. federalist notes:

"Not relevant to the inquiry. If he gets to, he gets to, and those issues do not bear on the question. Stop handwringing and get on with it. "

The fact someone "gets to" do things doesn't mean there shouldn't be a concern about it. It's a major reason why we don't blithely accept certain things, like guys like this causing problems -- including to victims, which federalist repeatedly cites as an important concern -- by being their own counsel. Legal and something to worry about is not the same thing.

Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 8:15:16 PM

Defendergirl. The success of the pro se litigant in criminal court is better than your success rate, much better. You stink at your job. Any criminal off the street, uneducated, unhinged, and unpaid can do a better job than you kind can.

http://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=advocate

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 3, 2016 1:44:27 AM

Adherence to the constitutional protections enshrined in the Bill of Rights = "handwringing." It's good to be reminded that there are those who really think this way.

Posted by: Mark M. | Dec 3, 2016 8:49:05 AM

Professor Berman, the author of the commentary you reference, Chandra Bozelko, is a woman.

I think there should be a special rule at least for capital trials, in which the court can determine whether it is in a defendant's best interest to represent herself in capital trials. I think it could be fairly argued that a defendant who insists upon representing herself is either attempting to fail or uneducated about her ability to succeed/ the system she is working within. If the individual is attempting to fail, that is indicative of a suicidal intent. How can the adversarial system work if the defense counsel is ineffective and willing to lose?

The state wields great power in sentencing someone to death, and even lay-bystanders can see that Dylann Roof is "troubled." Surely the process by which this person's life could be ended, in our name, should have more dignity than the three ring circus it will be if Roof represents himself. If not for Roof's dignity, than for ours. Though I especially think this is true when considering liberty and personal dignity for Roof himself-- perhaps in the very short term, he will have the liberty of saying (some of) what he pleases in court. But in the long run, it seems clear that he will face the ultimate deprivation of his liberty and personal dignity.

Posted by: Law student | Dec 4, 2016 12:26:10 AM

Dear Student: I want you to learn about the Rent Seeking Theory. See the good Wikipedia review. The lawyer adds no value to the defense, indeed has an inferior performance to the pro se criminal litigant.

Stop being a rent seeker to generate lawyer jobs with false propaganda. Such propaganda violates the Rules of Conduct and the fiduciary responsibility of the lawyer to be candid about the benefit of representation.

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 4, 2016 12:49:40 PM

I have fixed my pronoun reference, law student, and thanks for reminding me I needed to do so. But speaking of pronouns, though, I think it is misguided to talk of a woman wanting to "represent herself in capital trials" because only about 5 of every 100 charged with capital crimes are women.

On substance, the point of the adversarial system is to serve defense interests, which is why defendants can waive so many of its features and plead guilty. If rather than plead guilty, if a defendant wants to just tank his own defense, so be it. I agree that Dylann Roof is "troubled," but the same can be said about most serious criminal defendants.

Meanwhile, what does it mean for a system to have "dignity" and whose choice is that. Is it dignified for Roof to have court decisions made by someone not of his choosing? (Make this personal: would you like some govt-appointed person completely in charge of picking what law school courses you take, what jobs you work and how you spend your salary? Would that feel dignified to you?)

And isn't it a given, whether forced to have representation by a govt-appointed lawyer or going on his own, that Roof "will face the ultimate deprivation of his liberty and personal dignity" via either an LWOP or death sentence?

Posted by: Doug B. | Dec 4, 2016 5:35:22 PM

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January 4, 2017

"Why Dylann Roof Has a Right to the Death Penalty" ... OR "Why Dylann Roof Representing Himself Is A Constitutional Tragedy"

The title of this post is the headline of this effective and timely new NBC News commentary authored by Andrew Cohen. Here are excerpts:

Dylann Roof has a constitutional right not to try to spare his own life.... In the end, despite the drama of a closed hearing in the middle of a capital trial, it likely wasn't a close call as a matter of law to allow Roof to continue to represent himself. The standard for "competency" in these circumstances is low, on purpose, to give defendants the chance to control their own fates. Roof has consistently shown he understands the nature of the proceedings against him. The truth is that Roof's decision not to present mitigating evidence seems entirely consistent with his racist beliefs and with his evident antipathy toward psychiatry and psychology. He wrote in the past that he is "morally opposed to psychology," calling it a "Jewish invention." Roof also appears to share the mentality of other notable murderers who for one reason or another eschewed a defense their lawyers would have chosen for them. For example, Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, rejected his attorneys' plans for an insanity defense on his behalf before accepting a plea deal that spared him the death penalty. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh gave up the rest of his appeals following his capital conviction and opted for an expedited execution, which took place at the federal death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana, on June 11, 2001. The Beltway Sniper, John Allen Muhammad, also sparred with his own lawyers in Virginia before he was convicted and sentenced to death. For all the hand-wringing over the constitutionality (and morality) of self-representation in a capital case, for all the arguments that every capital defendant should always present every non-frivolous defense at trial, the truth is that Roof has a constitutional right not to present a defense, to choose to increase the likelihood he'll get the death penalty instead of a life sentence without the possibility of parole. It is not necessarily a sign of mental illness, or mental instability, or mental incompetence, to take responsibility for one's murderous actions rather than blame them, in some fashion, on some sort of mental disease or defect. Some killers, like McVeigh, saw it as one final act of control over their lives. This may be why Roof on Wednesday in his first direct interaction with jurors chose not to beg for his life but rather to tell the panel: "There is nothing wrong with me psychologically." Nor is it necessarily a sign of mental incompetency to chose to want to die sooner, rather than later, after spending years in solitary confinement in a federal prison  which is where Roof will be headed no matter what his jury decides. If he doesn't want to save himself, in other words, or if he doesn't want the world ever to perceive him as having been mentally ill when he killed those innocent people inside that church, there is nothing his lawyers can do to save him so long as he's judged competent. Finally, a point that's been under-reported these past few days: Just because Roof won't put on any mitigating evidence doesn't guarantee he'll get the death penalty. All it would take for the jury to preclude a capital sentence for Roof is for one juror to decide that consigning the 22-year-old defendant to 50 or 60 or 70 years in ADX-Florence, the federal prison in Colorado that Roof soon will call home, is a punishment worse than a death penalty. That, too, is not an unreasonable position to take.

UPDATE : Not more than an hour after I posted the Andrew Cohen commentary above, I learned of this new Huffington Post commentary by lawprof Scott Sundby which has the headline I have added to the title of this post. Here are this piece's final two paragraphs:

The Supreme Court has justified the current death penalty regime on the premise that the jury will act as the conscience of the community. Jurors can only carry out this sacred function, however, if they hear all of the evidence, both for and against imposing a death sentence. Jurors often feel betrayed in cases when they later learn that a defense lawyers ineffectiveness meant they did not hear compelling evidence about a defendants mental illness or abusive childhood. And well they should. The justice system asked them to make a profoundly difficult moral and spiritual decision and then failed to give them the information that they needed to carry out their mandate. In Roofs case, the court may believe that its ruling furthers certain values, but it has missed a far more important constitutional principle: a death sentence should never be imposed unless we have complete confidence that the jurys decision is a reliable and knowing one based on all of the facts. With Dylann Roof representing himself, that outcome is simply impossible. We owe it to the jurors and to ourselves as the society for whom the jurors speak that they hear all about Roofs life before we ask them whether he should be sentenced to death.

January 4, 2017 at 04:34 PM | Permalink

Comments

We are all dying.

Posted by: anon4 | Jan 4, 2017 5:03:34 PM

"The Supreme Court has justified the current death penalty regime on the premise that the jury will act as the conscience of the community. Jurors can only carry out this sacred function, however, if they hear all of the evidence, both for and against imposing a death sentence."

Really? Could this just stop? First of all, and no one here will deny it, the decision about executing a guilty murderer is far less weighty than the guilt/innocence determination of the lowliest of misdemeanors. And good grief--the function is "sacred"? That's just stupid.

The decision to execute a guilty murderer just isn't that big a deal. The murderer deliberately took a life.



Posted by: federalist | Jan 4, 2017 5:35:54 PM

"Jurors can only carry out this sacred function, however, if they hear all of the evidence, both for and against imposing a death sentence."

They have heard all the evidence the defense wants to present.

"Jurors often feel betrayed in cases when they later learn that a defense lawyers ineffectiveness meant they did not hear compelling evidence about a defendants mental illness or abusive childhood."

That is a fair point but irrelevant because the defendant in this case is not mentally ill. Nor is the defense ineffective. So this jury will have no cause to feel betrayed in this case for those reasons.

"a death sentence should never be imposed unless we have complete confidence that the jurys decision is a reliable and knowing one based on all of the facts. With Dylann Roof representing himself, that outcome is simply impossible."

Why? Nothing in the article demonstrates this outcome is impossible. In fact, the logical conclusion is the opposite.

Posted by: Daniel | Jan 4, 2017 5:36:23 PM

I agree with the first writer. This Roof person is telling the jury he is not insane. He killed people out of racial hate. Is that insanity? I think not. Otherwise all of the Nuremberg defendants should have been not guilty by reason of insanity. All the Klansmen hanging the guy at the tree are not insane. Partially drunk maybe. They have a belief system that it is their right to go kill all the black people who they do not think are fit to walk the planet. This Roof guy needs to be listened to. The jury would be right to have him killed. There is no evidence he is insane.

Killing others is not insane. Many states have laws which allow a court and a jury to decide to kill a human. This is in violation of the Sixth Commandment. All these jurors may go to church on Sunday and not think they violated the Sixth Commandment if they order Roof killed. They think there is an exception to the Sixth Commandment. It is called: The Y'all Can Exception.

Posted by: Liberty1st | Jan 4, 2017 10:35:54 PM

Daniel:

"They have heard all the evidence the defense wants to present."

That's avoiding the argument, not addressing it. It may very well be that it's the correct thing to do, as the article suggests, to let a defendant choose the death penalty or let him defend his arguments solely on the basis of justification. But the argument you responded to is that the jury should hear the full arguments for and against the death penalty in the case. If the defense doesn't want to present that second argument, it's not the full argument. Think of it like the Supreme Court appointing an Amicus to defend a side of an issue neither side wants to defend. They do that routinely to make sure they reach the correct decision. Like I said, maybe the correct decision isn't the only important criteria here or maybe correctness should only be as the parties see it, but if you're going to reply to an argument, you should address its actual argument.

As for whether Mr. Roof is mentally ill, we have no evidence one way or the other, so I wouldn't be so confident he's not. He himself doesn't believe mental illness exists, which makes it difficult for him to agree to present any evidence, if it exists. He's competent to represent himself, which is far different from being mentally ill.

Posted by: Erik M | Jan 5, 2017 8:58:11 AM

I totally agree with you as every body has their rights and law is equal for everyone whether they politicians, government employee or any VIP, Law is equal for everyone

Posted by: Amanda Ruano | Jan 5, 2017 9:35:06 AM

Dylan Roof's closing argument in the penalty phase:

" I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my for my racist ideology, for my anti-semitism, and for the the Confederacy. Long live slavery, lynching, Auschwitz, and the Second Amendment right to kill whomever I wish, whenever I wish, wherever I wish! Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, rot in hell!"



Posted by: anon | Jan 5, 2017 11:47:06 AM

"But the argument you responded to is that the jury should hear the full arguments for and against the death penalty in the case."

There is no "full argument" that is separate from the legal argument. In other words, the full argument is legally speaking identical to the legal argument a competent defense freely chooses to make.

"As for whether Mr. Roof is mentally ill, we have no evidence one way or the other."

The judge held a competency hearing. He found Mr. Roof not mentally ill and therefore competent to defend himself. It therefore a malicious lie to say there is no evidence one way or the other when the court heard the evidence and found him competent.

Posted by: Daniel | Jan 5, 2017 12:18:31 PM

"He found Mr. Roof not mentally ill and therefore competent to defend himself."

It is unclear to me how terms are being used by the different sides here. A person can be competent to defend himself and have some sort of mental illness. There is a relatively low bar here -- he has to be not mentally ill ENOUGH to be able to do it. Also, I'm loathe to toss around "malicious" -- if the person is mistaken, fine -- many are, including in confused ways that are bothersome. But, "malicious" is step further.

Anyway, yes, Roof has a right to defend himself (at least under current law) and to choose a defense approach that invites the death penalty. He could stand mute after all while the state brings forth its case. I'm wary of him representing himself because there is more to it than this. The state prosecutes and here aims to execute him. Two competent advocates that understand the laws in place protects the system in place there. If the state is going to kill someone (and a jury hand them the authority to do so), I rather a better advocate than Mr. Roof. The update references concerns me as well.

Posted by: Joe | Jan 5, 2017 1:22:18 PM

A 16 year old daughter testified, she misses her murdered mother, would want to hug her just one more time. The jury wiped tears away.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 6, 2017 12:52:38 AM

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May 24, 2021

Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof to have appeal of his death sentence heard by (unusual) Fourth Circuit panel

As detailed in this website, candidate Joe Biden pledged to "Eliminate the death penalty" if elected. But many months into his presidency, it appears that Prez Biden's Department of Justice is continuing to actively defend the application of the death penalty in at least on high-profile case. Specifically, as detailed in this local article, tomorrow a Fourth Circuit panel will hear arguments on Dylann Roof's appeal of his conviction and death sentence with DOJ apparently seeking to defend that punishment. Here are the basics:

Defense lawyers will advance arguments Tuesday on up to 20 issues in the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond as to why Dylann Roof was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to the death penalty in 2017 after a weeks-long trial. They will ask the court to vacate both the conviction and the death penalty. Those arguments will be countered by a team of prosecution appellate lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice. They seek to uphold the conviction and sentence. Roof, 27, who grew up in Columbia, was sentenced to death in January 2017 by U.S. Judge Richard Gergel after a jury found him guilty of 18 death eligible federal hate-crimes and firearms charges. In a subsequent proceeding to determine sentence, the same jury ruled Roof deserved the death penalty. Judge Gergel then pronounced the sentence. Evidence at Roofs trial, which included his own writings and selfie photos and videos, portrayed him as a self-described white supremacist who wanted to start a race war by killing African-Americans. To implement his plan, Roof traveled to Charleston in June 2015, entered a prayer meeting at an African American church and executed nine Black churchgoers, including beloved Democratic state Sen. Clementa Pinckney. Multiple issues arising from convictions for hate crime, religious obstruction, and firearms offenses resulting in death and from imposition of death penalty will be considered, according to a description about the case on the Fourth Circuits web site. Roofs purported mental illness and inability to be his own lawyer  casting aside an active defense role by David Bruck, one of the nations most experienced death penalty lawyers  is a major feature of Roofs defense.... Though Roofs mental state was the subject of two competency hearings, and five experts found him delusionalfindings swiftly dismissed by the court, in its rush to move the case alongjurors never heard any of that evidence. Instead, prosecutors told them Roof was a calculated killer with no signs of mental illness. Given no reason to do otherwise, jurors sentenced Roof to death. Roofs crime was tragic, but this Court (the 4th Circuit) can have no confidence in the jurys verdict, the defense brief on the case says.... Prosecutors will argue that Judge Gergels rulings in both the guilt or innocence, as well as the penalty, phases of the trial were correct. (Judge Gergel) did not clearly err in finding Roof competent to stand trial. The finding was supported by expert testimony and was not arbitrary or unwarranted, the prosecutors brief said. Roofs right to self-representation was correctly defined and properly protected. No error occurred at the penalty phase, the prosecutors wrote. The death penalty was not plainly erroneous based on Roofs age or mental condition. Finally, Roofs convictions rest on sound legal and constitutional grounds.

Interestingly, though this appeal is technically being considered by the Fourth Circuit, no Fourth Circuit judge will actually be hearing the appeal. The press article explains:

The judges on the panel are Judge Duane Burton of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals; Kent Jordan of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals; and Senior Judge Ronald Gilman of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Usually, judges on a panel are chosen from the full 4th Circuit, which has 15 judges. However, 4th Circuit Judge Jay Richardson of Columbia was in the U.S. Attorneys Office in South Carolina in 2017 and the lead prosecutor on the Roof case.

I welcome reader comment on the (interesting?) metaphysical question of whether an appeal in the Fourth Circuit heard by no Fourth Circuit judges is really a Fourth Circuit appeal. (I also wonder if there will have to be an additional 12 judges appointed by designation in order to properly consider any en banc petition that might follow a ruling from this panel.)

A few of many prior related posts:

May 24, 2021 at 10:09 PM | Permalink

Comments

Quirky but still following 4CA precedent and all that.

Posted by: Joe | May 25, 2021 7:00:06 AM

An excellent point, Joe, that the parties and the judges on the panel will still focus particularly on Fourth Circuit precedents (although in some circuits en banc proceedings are often the means to reverse troublesome past precedents).

Posted by: Doug B. | May 25, 2021 7:29:48 AM

No one has ever explained how a Senior Circuit Judge from the 9th Circuit ended up sitting on my 3-Judge panel in the Fourth Circuit and writing the opinion for the Appeals Court. The record was large because we had a 17-day jury trial in Huntington, West Virginia. See, United States v. Bollin, et al., 264 F.3d 391 (4th Cir. 2001).

Posted by: Jim | May 25, 2021 9:05:39 AM

Weird question, why are all of the other judges on the Fourth Circuit recused? My experience is that normally only the judge with the conflict recuses.

I know that, when Judge Benton went from the Missouri Supreme Court to the Eighth Circuit, he recused on all of the Missouri habeas cases, but the other Eighth Circuit judges still sat on those cases.

Posted by: tmm | May 25, 2021 10:39:58 AM

tmm, it's not weird at all. I had the same question earlier, but it somehow got moderated into oblivion.

Also, it's interesting that Roof has counsel now. I note on PACER that he filed his own "supplemental brief" too in a pro se capacity.

Posted by: hardreaders | May 25, 2021 12:25:25 PM

This confusion suggests the usefulness of there being a public statement of why there are recusals.

==

Audio of the argument:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13iJKqfwiRQ

Posted by: Joe | May 25, 2021 2:00:07 PM

Reasons would be nice. Congress has power to require that for lower court judges.

In this case of circuit-wide recusal, it seems like CJ Roberts decides which out-of-circuit judges sit on the panel. He doesnt have to give reasons for his choices either 

Posted by: hardreaders | May 25, 2021 2:37:28 PM

The lead prosecutor at Roof's trial was Jay Richardson. Not long after that trial, he was confirmed as a judge on the Fourth Circuit. When Roof's appeal came up, all of the judges on the Fourth Circuit recused themselves because it would be inappropriate for them to judge a member of their bench. The panel for the argument (which lasted about three hours) consisted of three federal appeals court judges, each from a different circuit. The judges mentioned several times that they must consider the issues under Fourth Circuit precedent, not the precedent of their home circuits.

Posted by: mjb | May 25, 2021 4:46:46 PM

"When Roof's appeal came up, all of the judges on the Fourth Circuit recused themselves because it would be inappropriate for them to judge a member of their bench."

Prosecutors become judges & the cases they prosecuted at times come to the court they are on. If this rule is standard, it is curious why people here (including lawyers) are surprised.

Judges recuse regularly over the years because a case arises that touches upon their public service.

Maybe, e.g., as a member of the Justice Department they worked on something. Thurgood Marshall, e.g., was Solicitor General before he became a justice. Tom Clark was attorney general. And so on. Many state examples surely can be cited as well.

The concern here for a very sensitive case is not surprising really but it is not consistently applied this strictly.

Posted by: Joe | May 25, 2021 6:52:13 PM

A standard recusal rule for Judges is that they are to avoid even the possible appearance of impropriety, even if there is no actual impropriety. This would seem to explain why all of the sitting 4th circuit Judges recused themselves when this highest of high profile DEATH PENALTY cases came before the 4th Circuit on appeal. The defendant is someone that our Government intends to kill (execute), so the Judges never want anyone to question whether they might have been influenced by the new 4th Circuit Judge, Jay Richardson, who was the lead prosecutor in the Roof case in District Court. Let me add that virtually all Judges and their law clerks are much ore careful and give additional attention to death penalty cases (based on my personal conversations). They never want someone to receive the death penalty who has not received all possible consideration and Due Process of Law. As some so eloquently put it, "death is different".

Posted by: Jim Gormley | May 26, 2021 7:40:01 AM

Joe, the thing is that the rule is not standard. Appellate courts regular judge cases in which their colleagues played a role -- either as attorneys or as lower court judges. While the norm is that a judge recuses from any case in which they played a role, the other judges on the court usually do not.

For example, Judge Benton was the state Director of Revenue in Missouri before being appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court. At the time, there were multiple revenue cases pending in the Missouri Supreme Court. Judge Benton recused from all of those cases and a special judge sat in on those cases, but the remainder of the Missouri Supreme Court did not recuse even though they were effectively judging their colleague's decisions.

So it's not surprising that the attorney who handled the Roof case at trial recused. What is surprising is that the entire court recused.

Posted by: tmm | May 26, 2021 10:51:57 AM

Those three judges probably *are* the en banc 4th Circuit in this case

Posted by: Jason | May 27, 2021 5:39:43 PM

Yes, tmm, I didn't think the rule was standard though appreciate the extra details. The statements (including in another law blog where this came up) that imply that came off as too flippant. As Jim Gormley suggests, I think the special nature of the case is why they are being extra concerned here. It would make sense, as I noted, a clearer statement to avoid this confusion imho.

Posted by: Joe | May 30, 2021 6:10:57 PM

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TAIPEI (Reuters) - A surge in domestic COVID-19 cases in Taiwan after months of relative safety is intensifying pressure on the government to accept vaccines from China, as the island has vaccinated just 1% of the population with no immediate sign of new shots arriving.

The Chinese-claimed island and Beijing have repeatedly sparred over the pandemic since it began.

Taipei accuses Beijing of spreading fake news and preventing its full participation at the World Health Organization, while Beijing says Taipei is playing political games with its people's lives by refusing Chinese vaccines.

Taiwan has only received about 700,000 vaccine doses to date, all from AstraZeneca Plc, which are rapidly running out. It has millions more on order, including from Moderna Inc.

Over the weekend, Hung Hsiu-chu, a former head of Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), said the government should allow in Chinese vaccines as soon as possible, saying that they are internationally accepted and that Taiwan cannot wait.

"At this moment, lives are at stake, and we respectfully tell the Tsai government: the real enemy is the virus, not the mainland," she said, referring to President Tsai Ing-wen.

The KMT, always wary of being painted as pro-China, has not explicitly backed or rejected the idea, but has called on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) not to tar as Communist Party sympathisers those who are trying to obtain more vaccines.

Pressure is growing from industry too to address the issue, especially after China's Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd said on Saturday it was willing to provide Taiwan with BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccines.

A source familiar with the situation said major Apple Inc supplier Foxconn was exploring directly approaching Fosun for the shots to vaccinate its employees and their families, though the company had not formally started discussions with the Chinese firm or Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre.

Story continues

Fosun has 10 million shots that are expiring in August and is anxious to offload them, the source added. Fosun did not respond to requests for comment.

Foxconn, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, told Reuters that information on vaccines should come from the command centre.

"If we can do what we can to prevent the epidemic in Taiwan, then our company is willing to assist," it added.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said on Sunday that if companies wanted to buy vaccines they had to talk to his ministry.

Chen has said that China has not provided enough evidence that its vaccines are safe, and that most Taiwanese would not want to take them anyway. Chen has also said the law prohibiting the imports of any Chinese vaccine would need to be revised.

Beijing has called on Taiwan to cast aside political prejudices.

"Most Taiwanese compatriots are eagerly anticipating the use of mainland vaccines," China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement to Reuters, without offering evidence. "The pressing task is to remove artificial political obstacles on the island."

Taiwan's government has kept vaccine purchase details under close wraps, but has promised more are on the way.

Chen met virtually with his U.S. counterpart, Xavier Becerra, last week and discussed vaccines, but no announcements of any U.S. help have come yet, even after President Joe Biden said the country would release stocks to other parts of the world.

However, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the United States was trying to help speed up deliveries of the vaccines Taiwan has already ordered.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Taipei and Beijing newsrooms. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
The night before he returned to teach in-person last month, sixth grade science teacher Roger Lyons mind raced with concerns. Would he recognize any of the students he had taught all year through a screen? Would his schools internet be able to hold up under the weight of students logging in at home and in his classroom? How would he teach the students in front of him and those on the computer screens?
NEW YORK (AP)  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promised a return to normal next fall for the nation's largest public school system, announcing Monday that classrooms will open for in-person instruction in September with no remote option.
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"We have to have documentation that says each employee has received those funds, should we decide to do that. So the max on that is $13 per hour, which can be retro back to the beginning of COVID and up to $25,000 per worker," she said.

Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr said she would like to see some of the money go toward infrastructure that would support affordable housing, while Mayor Bob Scott said he thinks the Tyson Events Center should receive funding.

Spectra Venue Management, which oversees day-to-day operations at the city-owned Tyson and the independently owned Orpheum Theatre, is anticipating a budget shortfall of roughly $200,000. That's half of the shortfall that Spectra predicted in February.

"I guarantee you'd qualify. They shut everything down. We didn't play football. They didn't finish hockey," Scott said. "... Both fiscal years would've been impacted by COVID. How can you argue it wasn't?"

Fitch said the city has not yet received the first 50 percent of the American Rescue Plan Act funds, which were expected to be delivered by May 11. The city has until Dec. 31, 2024 to allocate the funds and an additional two years to spend them.

"We can take a tentative list to the council. But again, until we get further guidance, some of these things may not qualify once they decide to come out with more information," Fitch said.

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SIOUX CITY -- Masks will not be required for Saturday's graduation ceremonies for Sioux City's three public high schools.

"In accordance with the bill signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds on May 20, the Sioux City Community School District has lifted the mask and face covering requirements for all staff and students," the school district said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon. "Therefore, masks and/or face coverings will not be required for staff, students, or guests attending our commencement ceremonies.

"While the Sioux City Community School District is complying with the governors bill, we support all who choose to continue to wear masks or face coverings."

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In light of the relaxed COVID-related guidance, the district also is removing its previously announced ticket requirements for Saturday's ceremonies.

Over 900 graduates will be recognized during the three ceremonies Saturday at Tyson Events Center. The North ceremony starts at 11 a.m., followed by West at 2:30 p.m., and East at 6 p.m. Doors will open to ticket holders one hour before each ceremony.

A live stream of the event also will be offered. Visit each schools Facebook page to access the link or log onto the district website at www.siouxcityschools.com.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., proposed censuring Greene. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called on her to change her rhetoric and behavior if she intends to remain a Member of the House. Pelosi, who previously suggested that Greene could face an ethics inquiry, called her comments so beyond reprehensible that they should have no place in our country.

The furor is just the latest provocative chapter in the activist-turned-lawmaker's brief tenure in the House.

Earlier this month, Greene followed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., off the House floor, shouting that the Democrat supported terrorists and doesnt care about the American people. She also appeared in Facebook Live video filmed outside Ocasio-Cortezs office, taunting the congresswoman through the mail slot of a locked door to get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens.

Before her election, Greene supported Facebook posts that advocated violence against Democrats and the FBI. In one 2018 post, she speculated that lasers or blue beams of light controlled by a left-wing cabal tied to a powerful Jewish family could have been responsible for sparking California wildfires.

And in February 2019, Greene appeared in an online video filmed at the U.S. Capitol, arguing that two Muslim lawmakers werent really official members of Congress because they didnt take the oath of office on the Bible.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Members of George Floyds family, and others who lost loved ones to police encounters, joined activists and citizens in Minneapolis for a march that was one of several events planned nationwide to mark the one-year anniversary of Floyds death.
That bill has gone nowhere in the Senate, where the 50 Democrats will need support from at least 10 Republicans to overcome a bill-killing filibuster.

GOP lawmakers have preferred more modest changes.

Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump said Biden told them "he doesnt want to sign a bill that doesnt have substance and meaning.

So he is going to be patient, to make sure its the right bill, not a rushed bill, Crump said.

White House advisers say Biden and his team have been in frequent touch with Capitol Hill negotiators over the legislation, but they believe this is an issue in which a high-profile public campaign by the president may do more harm than good.

But some activists say theyd like to see the president be more outspoken in advocating for the bill.

President Biden has left it to members of Congress, and its in their hands right now. But the president will need to step up to make sure we get it across the finish line, said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project, a racial justice organization.
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.
ATLANTA (AP)  Six months after Donald Trump's loss, conspiracy theorists and Trump backers are continuing their push for repeated examinations of ballots and finding limited successes.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A judge has upheld Connecticut's requirement that children wear masks in schools, rejecting a challenge by some parents who said mask wearing can be harmful and education officials exceeded their authority.

The ruling released Monday affirms the legitimacy of mask requirements in schools this academic year but does not address any guidance on masks that may be issued for the next school year.

The state Department of Education has not yet decided whether to require mask in schools for the 2021-2022 year. Officials said they will be monitoring updated guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in making that determination.

The decision by Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher in Hartford upheld Gov. Ned Lamonts coronavirus-related emergency orders that granted the state Department of Education authority to require masks. Moukawsher cited decisions made earlier this year by the legislature and by the state Supreme Court upholding the governors right under the state constitution to issue emergency orders in response to COVID-19.

The ruling came in a lawsuit filed in August by the CT Freedom Alliance and several parents and their children that challenged the mask requirement.
WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus slams 'scandalous inequity' in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

CGTN) 08:43, May 25, 2021

Photo taken in Brussels, Belgium on May 24, 2021 shows the live stream of the 74th World Health Assembly held at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The COVID-19 pandemic is being perpetuated by a "scandalous inequity" in vaccine distribution ,according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). He was one of a raft of high-profile speakers to open the 74th World Health Assembly hosted virtually in Geneva.

The annual ministerial assembly has pandemic solutions and preventions high on its lengthy agenda for the coming week.

Alongside COVID-19, the group discussed issues from mental health, patient safety, non-communicable diseases to antimicrobial resistance and laboratory safety.

But the battleground will be the international vaccine program and victory will be judged by the extent of future international cooperation and funding.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
She listed all the changes the school system went through including going from virtual to hybrid learning as well as going from two days to four days of in-person learning. She also listed a few employee groups who stepped up, like custodians, maintenance workers, nurses and speech therapists. Herbert also recognized central office staff who were covering up to 70 to 80 classes a day when staffing in the school buildings was low.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The new president-elect of Californias largest state employee union said Tuesday that the influential organization wont back Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsoms effort to fend off a likely recall election this fall.

Richard Louis Brown said anger over union contract concessions last year during what proved to be an illusionary $54 billion state budget deficit helped fuel his victory over longtime Service Employees International Union Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker.

Brown said that anger extends to Newsom.

He is going to need support from public sector unions to help him fight his recall, Brown said in an interview with The Associated Press. "When I become president of Local 1000, he can look for somebody else to support him. He will not get any help from us. Hes on his own.

Brown's proposals will still have to win support from the union's board of directors, given the turnabout from its reliably Democratic stances. He will take the post June 30.

While Newsom has said he expects to restore last year's pay cuts topping 9% with the new fiscal year starting July 1, he would never have agreed to that if he wasnt under the threat of recall, Brown said.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A family-friendly street festival, musical performances and moments of silence were held Tuesday to honor George Floyd and mark the year since he died at the hands of Minneapolis police, a death captured on wrenching bystander video that galvanized the racial justice movement and continues to bring calls for change.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A pilot has died after an aircraft operated by a military contractor out of Nellis Air Force Base crashed in a nearby residential area, authorities in Las Vegas said Monday.

A statement attributed to base spokesman Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry confirmed the crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. Florida-based company Draken US owned the aircraft, and said in a statement that the pilot, whose name has not been released, had died and no one else was on board.

It's unclear whether there were injuries to people on the ground.

The plane crashed in a yard where a neighbor, Alex Reyes, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he heard a loud thump and then saw black smoke billowing from the home.

Neighbor Eugenia Brackeen told the newspaper she heard a boom so loud that she couldn't hear her television. She said her power went out for a short time.
The museum, however, contends that authorities conflated the two lintels with a third  which Brundage actually returned to Thailand in 1970 when he found out it may have been illegally removed from the country, according to Robert Mintz, deputy director of the Asian Art Museum.

The third lintel was never part of the San Francisco art collection, Mintz said, and museum officials say there's no evidence Brundage knew the other two lintels may have been stolen.

The Thai government had been trying to get the museum to return the other artifacts since 2016. The Los Angeles Times reported the mystery surrounding the lintels, and various attempts to return them to Thailand, in March.

Mintz said the curators are entrusted with artifacts held for the public and it was their responsibility to determine if any challenges to provenance are valid.

Mintz said the museum followed its bylaws  which stipulate certain steps must be taken  and did not seek to delay the return of the lintels.

We're very happy that the Thai lintels have officially returned, he said. The two lintels really are going to where they belong."
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP)  Police have arrested a man who they say yelled antisemitic remarks at a rabbi and dumped a bag of human feces in front of a South Florida synagogue.
Federal funding for conversion of U.S. 275 into a four-lane expressway between Norfolk and Wisner heads the list of three projects proposed by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry for designated federal community project funding.

Fortenberry has requested $83 million in designated federal funding for the vital link in the Nebraska Department of Transportation's ongoing construction of a long-awaited expressway connecting Norfolk with Fremont.

Congress recently approved the new community project system to replace what used to be described as congressional earmarking.

The earlier system was abused by a few members and abandoned for a decade after it was turned into a political weapon in 2011.

Other projects on Fortenberry's list are $40 million in federal funding for expansion of agricultural research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to include creation of a national center for resilient and regenerative precision agriculture and $750,000 for the Arbor Day Foundation's community forestry program.

The new process that allows members of Congress to designate federal funding for projects in their states or congressional districts "will be carefully monitored with safeguards so that funds are judiciously and ethically allocated," Fortenberry said.
We should not be exposing the states taxpayers for the mistakes that were made by the folks that were managing that fund for the OPS teachers," he said.

In 2016, Ricketts signed a bill shifting investment responsibility for the plan to the state. Koltermans bill would shift the remaining responsibilities, such as sending out monthly retirement checks.

OPS is the only school district in Nebraska, and one of only a handful nationally, that operates its own employee pension fund. An Omaha World-Herald investigation two years ago traced the shortfall largely to mismanagement and investment blunders by the funds district-appointed trustees.

Sponsors of two other measures also got word Monday that their priority bills were being vetoed.

One was LB108, passed on a 33-11 vote, which would allow more people to qualify for federally funded food assistance. The measure would raise income limits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to 165% of the federal poverty level, up from 130%, for two years.
He was unable to call in air support because of the close-quarters fighting, or evacuate the wounded. For hours, and under heavy fire, Hagemeister moved among the platoons defensive positions, treating soldiers and rallying the survivors.

At nightfall, a sniper took aim at him and several other members of his unit. Medics typically dont carry rifles, so Hagemeister grabbed one from a fallen soldier and shot the sniper. He also killed three other enemy soldiers who were silhouetted against a burning village as they tried to outflank him  and then took out a machine-gun nest, too.

Still pinned down, Hagemeister again braved heavy fire and ran to get help from another platoon. He led them back, then worked to evacuate the wounded.

Hagemeisters repeated heroic and selfless actions at the risk of his life saved the lives of many of his comrades and inspired their actions in repelling the enemy assault, his Medal of Honor citation said.

Hagemeister traveled to Washington to receive the medal  the nations highest award for military valor  from President Lyndon Johnson on May 14, 1968.
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James Goddard, with Nebraska Appleseed, warned that ending supports like unemployment will prolong the recovery for Nebraska families.

"Although we see improvements in the community spread of COVID, people are still struggling with paying rent, finding work and putting food on the table, he said.

Goddard added that "'a return to 'normalcy' is not good enough" and said more needs to be done to address inequities exposed by the pandemic.

But Jessica Shelburn, director of Americans for Prosperity-Nebraska, praised the governors decision.

"Steps taken today will get Nebraskans back into the workforce, meeting the needs of our businesses that have been struggling to fill positions," she said. "Nebraska is now on the right path to recovering stronger than before."

Ending unemployment wont be sufficient to fill available jobs, however. The Nebraska Department of Labor has nearly 40,000 available job postings on its website, while Labor Commissioner John Albin said there were 15,837 people on unemployment as of May 15.

Nebraska has participated in three pandemic-related unemployment programs. One provides jobless workers with a $300 weekly federal benefit on top of state unemployment checks.
Carroll County Health Department data shows 76 cases for last week after 90 the prior week and 138 the week before that. The last time Carroll had fewer cases than 76 was the week of Oct. 11, when 65 were reported. From that point, cases went steadily up until the county eclipsed 500 cases the first full week of January. From that point, case numbers dropped for seven weeks in a row before rising again past 200 cases for three straight weeks, including 226 the week of April 4.
Noem did not cite specific instances of anything currently being taught that she found objectionable. But she asked the Board of Regents to look into whether state funds were being used for such teachings on race and whether diversity offices had gone beyond the bounds of their original mission.

The Board of Regents did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Conservative lawmakers have worked in recent years to gain more control of the state's public universities and rein in what they see as a stifling of conservative thought on university campuses. The Board of Regents, along with the Legislature, is currently reviewing the administrative structure of the universities. A report on a possible restructuring is due in November.

Burrow said he did not anticipate any immediate changes to how history and race are taught at universities, casting Noem's letter as the latest episode in a long tradition of politicians attacking academia to score points with their base.

She seems to envision a version where the United States is always right," he said. "Thats just not what history demonstrates.

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She was unnerved. Its very unsettling, to know there's a stranger peering at you while youre trying to get a good nights sleep.

Rice called the Federal Aviation Administration, but didnt get much help, she said. She also called Lincoln police, lodging one of the two complaints the department has received about the Sheridan Boulevard drone.

Police are still investigating, Officer Luke Bonkiewicz said Thursday. He didnt want to talk specifically about the cases  We dont want to tip anyone off  but he would outline how the department has handled similar cases of suspicious drones.

They canvass the neighborhood, looking for victims, witnesses and suspects. They also return to the area at about the same time as the reported sightings to see if they can spot the drone or, better yet, the drone operator.

When we get reports of drones, obviously were not just going to be in the area; were going to be looking up, looking for lights.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc, amid fury over the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Belarus isolation deepened Tuesday as commercial jets avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and officials expressed concern for the welfare of an opposition journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a plane that was diverted to Minsk in what the West called a state-sponsored hijacking.
CAIRO (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a two-day Mideast mission on Wednesday, winning valuable diplomatic support and hundreds of millions of dollars of pledges from Arab allies as he moved to shore up the cease-fire that ended an 11-day war between Israel and the Gaza Strip's militant Hamas rulers.
"What else has to happen in this country?" he asked.

It is unfortunate that some are trying to erase the memory of that day.

We must not allow that to happen.

We must not because there were brave men and women charged with protecting the Capitol who were left without help. A new inspector general's report last week offered a critical look at the apparent missteps by the leadership of the Capitol Police, saying they had clearer advance notice of the threat than previously known.

There also are questions about the conversations that political leaders had among themselves as the riot was playing out.

Initially, the Democrats proposal was not fair. It did not include an even number of lawmakers from each of the parties. That has been remedied. The commission also would have subpoena power, but it would require representatives appointed by both parties to sign off.

For months, the subject of a commission has simmered. Perhaps it was a mistake not to establish it immediately after the terrible events of Jan. 6. In todays whirlwind news and political environment, its easy to push aside whats gone before  especially if those events are traumatic or politically risky.
The Duke of Edinburgh was a heaven-sent consort for Queen Elizabeth, according to a friend of the British monarch.

Lady Prudence Penn, who was the Queen Mothers lady-in-waiting, has heaped praise on the late Prince Philip - who died last month at the age of 99 - for being the perfect companion for the queen as he knew how to bring the best out of a woman.

Speaking to the July edition of Tatler magazine, Lady Penn said: "I loved the way he would boost the queens ego by telling her how lovely she looked on their way to an engagement.

He knew how to bring the best out of a woman, and I am sure his advice and encouragement to her were paramount in their relationship.

To my mind, the Duke of Edinburgh was a heaven-sent consort for Her Majesty in every way.

Lady Penn - who served as the Queen Mothers lady-in-waiting until her death in 2002 - also spoke about an incident when she broke her leg jumping off a wall, something which prompted the conscientious duke to return to the scene with her and offer some sage advice about her wall-jumping technique.
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.

Dear Care and Feeding,

My 14-year-old daughter posted on Snapchat a nude photo of two individuals, both young teens, half nude. It was not full-on frontal nudity but a sideview that she does not think is inappropriate. I deleted the app off of her phone and told her that we could discuss adding it back once we are closer together on our views of whats appropriate versus inappropriate for posting on social media. In general, my rules are fairly lax as far as her phone usage, but I do have some basic core rules, including no posting or reposting nudity in any way. My main concern here is childrens photography being posted and then reposted without permission, finding its way into child pornography. Ive explained to her our state laws as well as the federal offenses she may find herself in if she posts said pictures or shares them without the other persons permission. She thinks Im overreacting and ruining her life. I am holding strong on my stance of not letting her back on the app. She broke my trust, what can I do to help her earn it back before I push her to a point where she starts to hide stuff like this from me?

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Social Media Standoff

Dear Standoff,

You made a lot of great points here about the trouble you and your daughter could find yourselves in if these photos get into the wrong hands. The problem is that many kids her age couldnt care less about the logic behind posting half-naked photos online, because they want to do whatever it takes to be cool and fit in with others.

Of course its normal for teenagers to rebel against their parents, but not every 14-year-old girl is posting nudity on social media, so theres probably something else at play here. What is going on in her life that she believes this is a healthy way to get attention? Is she showing signs of depression? Is she doing well in school? Does she place a high value on receiving attention from boys due to her looks? Does she feel valued generally for things other than her looks? These are just a few questions you should ask, and if you dont feel comfortable doing it, seek the help of a therapist to do it for you. This is something that needs to be taken very seriously.

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In regard to the phone usage, she should demonstrate to you that she understands the gravity of her actions before you consider letting her online again. Only you can determine what would be satisfactory to you, but I think we all agree that eye-rolling and complaining how youre ruining her life dont qualify. You should continue to hold firm even if it takes weeks or months for it to sink in. With the help of a therapist, the lightbulb could come on much faster.

Once her phone privileges are back, you can feel comfortable knowing its pretty easy to monitor what she posts on social media as there are apps designed to do just that, like this one. You can be upfront and tell her that youre going to see everything she posts online through one of those apps, or you can keep that intel to yourself. I wouldnt judge or fault you either way, but you have every right to do whatever it takes to keep your childand other childrensafe.

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Help! How can I support Slate so I can keep reading all the advice from Dear Prudence, Care and Feeding, Ask a Teacher, and How to Do It? Answer: Join Slate Plus.

Dear Care and Feeding,

I live in Arizona, a state where it may soon become illegal, or at the very least extremely difficult, to have my kids learn about racism from their teachers. My twin daughters are 6 years old with blond hair and blue eyes, but my partner and I make sure we teach them about the importance of being anti-racist. The problem is we dont feel as if we can do enough if our school system wont support this type of education. What should we do? My partner thinks we should move to a more progressive state, but all of my family is here and Im hesitant to leave. I also dont want my kids to grow up being taught that racism isnt a big deal. Please help!

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Fighting Against Racism

Dear Fighting,

This makes my blood boil. Its not an opinion or a hot take to say that most (if not all) of the top human rights atrocities in American history were committed by white people. Genocide and slavery of people of color are definitely the top two on the list and now some lawmakers want teachers to ignore itor even worseoffer a both sides debate on it? Give me a break.

I get why these politicians are doing this, though. They believe in white supremacy, and its not good for the brand if kids learn the true history of this country as it was built on racism, hate, dehumanization, and violence against anyone who was not white. Do you know what keeps white supremacy alive? It isnt the KKK, bigoted police officers, or politiciansits good white people who do nothing. Once the kids are educated, theyll believe, Wow, that was awful. Im going to do my part to ensure everyone gets to live in an equitable and safe country. Guess what happens when a large enough population of white kids grow up to believe the aforementioned statement? White supremacy dies.

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Its simple: You hate what you fear, and you fear what you dont understand. If we teach our children to understand that people of color are humans worthy of compassion, respect, and dignityand that its absolutely shameful what people of color have gone through in history and continue to experience todayit would be very difficult for them to hate us. Sorry for the rant, but I believe it is necessary. I dont think you should move, because quite frankly, youll find racism and whitewashed education in even the most progressive areas of the country. Instead, I would focus on supplementing your kids knowledge at home. There are countless kid-friendly books and movies that will help your daughters understand how to be anti-racist. You might want to look into an anti-racism workshop for kids like the ones I run. Incredible avenues exist to help facilitate change, if you look for them.

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Dont run away from the problem. Instead use your voice and privilege to yell from the rooftops that no bill or law can prevent you and your kids from being as anti-racist as possible.

 If you missed Mondays Care and Feeding column, read it here.

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 Discuss this column in the Slate Parenting Facebook group!

Dear Care and Feeding,

My wife and I are exhausted and out of ideas. We live in an area where schools are still closed (and socialization with peers forbidden) due to the pandemic, so our children (almost 5 and almost 3) have both been home full time for a long, long while. Were also trying to work from home. I fully admit that Im not at my best right now, dad-wise. Our older child has developed a couple of quirks that are draining us to the point of breakage. First, she has developed a habit of confessing various (mainly imaginary) sins and misdeeds. Think along the lines of I think I scratched the wall. Every minute or so. All day long.

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The second quirk is that shes now calling us into her room after bedtime. Last night I was in there nine times over two hours. Once because she scratched her pillow, once because she needed me to tell her what my favorite flower is, etc. These call-ins are always delivered at high volume, and she will continue until one of us responds. (Dad! Dad! Daaad! at a yell.) Wed try to outlast her, but she shares a wall with her brother so that seems like a high-risk play. For illustrative purposes, she has interrupted me over a dozen times while I type this email. Its death by a thousand cuts. Were struggling. Any ideas for managing this/helping her manage it herself?

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Clenched-Jawed Canadian

Dear Clenched,

Shes playing you, my guy. I understand that youre being driven to the point of insanity, but this is like a game to her. It seems as if she enjoys getting a rise out of you, so the best thing you can do is nothing. I know you said that shell continue to scream until one of you checks on her, but thats when you calmly (without emotion) say that youre not coming back into her room after you say good night to her the first time. Before you exit the room, you need to tell her to get all of questions asked about flowers, the meaning of life, or whatever else, because once you shut the door, youre not coming back until the morning.

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Its similar to when youre sleep-training a baby. Theres a lot of crying and screaming at first, but if you stay strong and dont pick up the baby, shell fall asleep on her own. The same rule applies here. Once she realizes that she cant get a rise out of you emotionally or that you wont come to visit her in her room, shell have no choice but to fall asleep. I know your son will also have to deal with this for a night or two, but you all will be better off in the long run because of it.

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The key is the emotion behind it. If you show that youre exasperated, angry, or frustrated, she will feed on it and continue with her ways. If you are stone-faced and non-plussed, shell learn to stop. On the flip side, when she does something good, you need to shower her with praise, affection, and attention so shell know that if she wants attention, the best way to get it is by doing the right thing.

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Dear Care and Feeding,

My daughter is 4. I noticed that one of her friends at day care, who is also 4, arrives at day care sitting in the front seat of her dads car, seemingly without a car seat. Its possible shes sitting in a booster, but shes not a big kid, and Im pretty sure shes too small for a booster, and definitely too small for the front seat. But it would be really Karen-y to say something, right? On one hand, there are so many arcane car seat rules that no one ever sits you down and tells youlike who knows the weird rule about not wearing snowsuits in car seats if another parent doesnt tell you? And it would be so awful if I didnt say something and she was injured in a car accident. On the other hand, I cant think of a way to say something that doesnt sound incredibly presumptuous. The dad is really nice and we say hi and sometimes chat about the weather, but we dont have a relationship beyond that. If its relevant, Im white and theyre Japanese, so its possible there are also cultural issues at play.

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Car Seat Karen

Dear Car Seat Karen,

Im glad you said it instead of me, because this definitely qualifies as Karen-ish behavior. I highly recommend that you pass. Its presumptuous and you have no relationship with this guy, so youre going to end up looking like a jerk because you only know a fraction of the whole story. How would you react if a stranger gave you parenting advice? Exactly.

If you have a burning desire to put your cape on and save the day by putting your nose where it doesnt belong, then be my guest.

The world would be a much better place if people just minded their own business.

Doyin

More Advice From Slate

Im a single mother, sole parent to a 6-year-old son. From the time he was 3 months old to 9 months old, I worked 12-hour shifts in a hospital. Next month I will be starting a new job, working 12-hour night shifts in a hospital two hours away from our home. He seems prepared for me not being with him overnight sometimes and not seeing me for a couple days, but he recently asked for a phone of his own so we could exchange messages. My first thought was this was ludicroushes 6! But I think it could be a good way for us to connect while Im gone. Is this a terrible idea?
A year ago today, George Floyd was murdered precisely 263 steps from Marcia Howards house. Howard is a high school English teacheror, at least, she was. Now shes something else. An activist. A caretaker. But dont call her the mayor of George Floyd Square. I dont run nothing but my mouth, she told me.

Since Floyds death, instead of reporting to a classroom, Howard has been reporting to this square. Shes part of a volunteer security team that organized itself at the intersection of 38th and Chicago, where a steel fist sculpture has sprouted up in the middle of the road, right in front of CUP Foods, and traffic is closed off for a block in any direction.

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Over the past year, what started with an impromptu memorial has become a semi-permanent occupation. Howard and her neighbors have demands they want met before they open this intersection back up. Not everyone is happy with this situation, which hasnt stopped Howard from chronicling it all. Her TikTok has become a tragicomic newsreel, and shes cast herself as a happy-go-lucky and often foulmouthed reporter on the scene.

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On Tuesdays episode of What Next, I spoke to Marcia Howard to understand the fight over this one corner, and what it says about the fight for justice everywhere else. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mary Harris: When did you first move to the Minneapolis?

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Marcia Howard: I bought this house in 1998, when I was a fresh face 25-year-old high school teacher. I looked on a map and I circled three miles in circumference. I wanted to live within three miles of that school.

Because you were teaching at Roosevelt High School.

Yup. And I believe in community education and I wanted to be in community with the people that I taught. I wanted to bump into them at the corner store. I wanted to see their mom at church. But when I told my new co-workers that I was moving a block away from 38th and Chicago, they looked at me askance, and they said it might be a little sketchy. Now, Im from Arkansas. I didnt know what they meant, but I found out. As we moved the couch inBa-pa-pat. Im like, Whats going on? CUP Foods on the corner of 38th and Chicago was being raided by the feds and that was my introduction to the neighborhood in which I moved.

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CUP Foods, many people know it now because thats the place where George Floyd was before he was murdered.

Yep. But its the corner store. And so I can look upon that square from this window. This autonomous zone isnt just grandstanding or some vanity project. This is my neighborhood.

So were speaking to you because its the anniversary of George Floyds death. And Im wondering if you could just go back in time and introduce me to who you were a year ago. What were you doing and how thats changed over the last year?

I, like many other people, was dealing with the effects of COVID during that time, teaching on my front porch in some makeshift classroom for distance learning.

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But that day, it was Memorial Day. So there was no school. When we heard the hue and cry of a tragedy that occurred on the corner, I didnt even venture out that night. It wasnt until the next day when hundreds of people started parking on my block and walking toward the intersection that I went out there, still in my A-line skirt and kitten heels because I dressed for work, even though I was still on my front porch. And so I went out there to see what was what.

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And after being there that first week, after communing with my neighbors and coming up with chat loops in order to defend our street from the ever-present threat of outsiders coming in, the misinformation and disinformation about that. No, there were not Klansman in full regalia marching up Park Avenue. But yes, there were white boys on bikes trying to start fires. Yes, we were there, and we had to defend our block. And that kind of went into defending the square where hundreds, maybe thousands of people would stay in defiance of curfews overnight.

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You described yourself as having an A-line skirt and little kitten heels. But Ive seen pictures of you now, and you look pretty different than that. How did you go from an A-line skirt and kitten heels to wearing a GoPro on your chest?

I need you to understand I am a teacher, but Im also a retired United States Marine. I was a noncommissioned officer in the Marine Corps. And so I think for some reason, divine timing or just the privilege of proximity, I have the right skill set to do what Im doing now. No. 1, Ive taught half this neighborhood, so I know the brothers that are out there every night. And No. 2, I have situational awareness enough and a skill set thats uniquely suited for what it was that I was going to do next and what that was was to walk around the zone with all the visitors, all the protesters, all the people standing in solidarity, and I needed to be eyes out, I needed to watch for threats, I needed to respond when people needed help.

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When did you quit your job?

I didnt quit. I just didnt go back. I called my students, or went online, and I said, Be careful with each other, be socially distant. Finish The Color Purple, but you all have credit as of this moment. Man, that was a year ago. And then I had to tell my principal that I was taking a leave. And so I took all my sick days and took a long leave. Ive been teaching for 23 years. I had a lot of sick days.

Whats your daily schedule now?

Im a Black person in America trying to get liberty. What happens to us?  Marcia Howard

I actually did a TikTok about what I have to do to prepare to go outside, including just having hand sanitizer on me, a radio, and a GoPro. Then I go outside, and Im outside or Im sleep.

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That sounds endless, like youre always working. How does that not exhaust you?

Its not work. I have to stand on a corner at the age of 48 and say, My life matters, and I still got white people arguing with me. This isnt work. This is me trying to forge a world that I want my grandchildren to live in. This isnt work. This is the work, but it isnt work.

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In a way, I think people outside of this zone can understand the power of protest, the power of the rally of occupying city streets, knowing that that disruption, however minor or major it is, is disrupting the routine of the status quo. The person thats irritated that they cant get to where they are going in the normal route, that they have to adjust themselves in order to carry on their day. However irate they are, theyre thinking about why they have to do that, and thats the point.

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For the past year, the city of Minneapolis has said it plans to reopen George Floyd Square to traffic once more. But it keeps pushing the reopening deadline back, again and again. Part of the reason why is that officials are negotiating with activists. You have this list of demands24 of them in all. It includes big asks, like an end to qualified immunity for police officers. It also includes smaller, more localized requests: a two-year suspension of property tax increases for residents of the square, funding for a blood bank bus for a local medical team.

The city has said one of the reasons reopening the square is a priority for them is public safety. They claim that violent crime has increased by 66 percent in the neighborhood since the blockade went up. But you say thats a red herring, right? Violent crime has gone up all around the city, not just within George Floyd Square.

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That is now a national historic landmark, but what the city wants is the protest zone without the protesters demanding things. They want that fist without a fuss. They want to placate us instead of giving us justice. They want to give us a new name for the intersection. But Im telling you, that is not what weve been on a barricade for for 364 days. Weve been there for justice. They asked us to leave. We said no. They asked us why were staying. We said for justice. Then they asked us this question, which has kept us here for a year: What does justice look like? So we ran up and down the streets, in and out of the businesses, we asked the brothers on the cut. What does justice look like? What do you need? What do you want? What would make you thrive? And they gave us the answers, the residents, the businesses, and the brothers. And that is Justice Resolution 001.

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And the city and the county and the state and even the rank-and-file citizens have been working diligently to meet those demands. But in the meantime, in between time, the fist went from a wooden structure to steel. A greenhouse bloomed in the middle of an intersection. And people started looking at this space as the place where we hold the grief for folks that suffer injustice.

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And youre saying the space is your power.

Yeah. But not just the space. Its what it represents, and I need you to understand the city knows that, too. But what they want is to get it back. No muss, no fuss. And this is the problem. We said no justice, no street. Give us justice as it is prescribed by Justice Resolution 001, the 24 demands, and right now they want to take custody of this baby without doing what they need to do. You do not get to get this back without making redress.

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A good example of the disagreement between the city and the square is what happened with Dameon Chambers, who was killed in June of 2020. And the city often brings up his case to explain why they need the streets open again. They say someone was killed within George Floyd Square. Police werent able to get in. EMS was delayed. And this shows how the way these blocks are being run can be dangerous. What would you say to that?

The case of Dameon Murphy Ranks Chambers actually makes up No. 21, 22, 23 of the 24 demands, because, you know, that was on Juneteenth and this brother was shot three times in his vehicle by someone in his vehicle. And when the police showed up in full riot gear on June 19th, they are the ones that delayed EMS because of the ruckus that they caused in the way in which they were trying to rush into the zone. The argument that any Black person on Juneteenth would impede EMS from getting to a dying Black man is just ridiculous on its face, let alone by the fact that it was hundreds of witnesses. But it makes a really good propaganda spin, if they could say it was hordes of Black folks keeping out the authorities. But I need you to do a little bit of digging. Ask where did the investigation of this murder go. Ask what was put on his death certificate. Ask how many officers this case has been handed off to since then.

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The police arent making this argument, but I guess implicit in the citys repeated use of the case of Dameon Chambers is the idea that if police were in the neighborhood, it would be safer.

They were at Phelps Park a block away the entire time. They were already staged there. Their cars were right there. They were less than 80 yards away the entire time the party was going on. And funnily enough, they seem to always be right there when something pops off. Riddle me that.

Im telling you if we are doing something transformative, then were doing something worthy of interference and undermining. Black people taking over four city blocks for an entire year, is it worthy of interference by the CIA or the FBI or anybody else? You think they left us alone? Really? When you think about the history of civil rights and movements and you think about the lives lost, then youll understand why I went right on over to the cremation society and put down money for my urn. Because I didnt save any oxygen for the swim back to shore. I know what were doing is transformational, and I know that that is a threat to the system.

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And you worry about your own safety.

No, Im preparing for eventuality.

Thats dark.

Im a Black person in America trying to get liberty. What happens to us?

The city did do a survey asking residents what they wanted to happen as the intersection of 38th and Chicago.

A survey where people are cattle chuted to these options: open the square and this, open the square and this, open the square and this. Dont talk to me about that survey, please.

And you just dont think its legitimate if you didnt ask the right questions?

Thats precisely what I think.

I know you go to City Council meetings and you represent the square and one of the council members who represents the area, Andrea Jenkins, shes says she wants to open the streets back up again. What are your conversations like with her?

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Ill say this I truly dont believe they want to fully open it. I dont. But I dont think they can actually say that out loud, at least before this election cycle.

What does the city get from keeping it closed?

Right now, the city of Minneapolis is on the cusp of attempting to redeem itself, because Minnesota has now become the byword for abject police brutality. I live in a state that used to be known for Minnesota Nice and now the names Jamar Clark and Philando Castile and George Floyd and Daunte Wright sit in the mouths of people not just across the state, but across the country and around the world. But right now, if it keeps that fist, it can say now we are the Mecca for racial justice and healing. You get off a plane during your layover, and where do you want to see? You want to either see Mall of America, the cherry in the spoon, or George Floyd Square. The city knows what its sitting on now.

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So what youre talking about here is a kind of political chess, where the city, in your telling, creates a narrative that people want the streets opened, and they keep not doing it. And it allows them to have a moment where they say, Were going to give these people the square, but in a way, the square isnt what you want the square is a symbol for a list of other demands that you want. And so you worry that the city might give you the space when you want something more radical than that.

I dont worry about it because I have patience. Its not just sitting at a barricade and singing Kumbaya around a fire. We actually have working groups that are contacting congressmen and holding secret meetings with our elected officials in order to move the needle with qualified immunity. And were finding culturally competent mental health care workers in order to meet the other demand of integrated health that needs to get funded through this justice resolution.

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Frankly, if you all want to know when were going to leave, all you got to do is know that were moving at the pace of justice. The city knows precisely what we got. They know what weve negotiated. They know what we have settled for. Were not zealots. Were not unreasonable. These are negotiations. They asked us: What does justice look like? Those 24 demands, to a lot of people, arent even exhaustive enough.

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Are you going to run for anything?

No.

Why?

I am just a teacher. I am just a Black woman. I am just a protester. And that is why we could be here for a year, because I got to tell you and make this extremely clear to anybody who is listening to the sound of my voice. This is not a vanity project. This is not grandstanding for a leap into a new career. This is not anything for my ego.

They killed a man 263 steps from my front door, filmed by one of my former students, leading to the occupation of blocks surrounding my home. Trying to seek redress for injustices done to my people. I am here for the safety of this community and our pursuit of justice, and Im unwilling to trade one for the other. Thats all Im here for. They give us the demands, well give them the streets, and Ill bring my Black ass home.

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Braden, who was born and raised in Westminster and now resides in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, and artist Mike Malbrough produced the comic, which comes courtesy of American Mythology Productions. It will be available Wednesday at Gotham Comics in Westminster and Cards, Comics and Collectibles in Reisterstown, as well as online at groundbreakingcomics.com, Braden said.
The murder of George Floyd one year ago by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin once again exposed the gaping chasm between our Constitutions promises and the reality of policing in America. While the criminal conviction of Derek Chauvin by a Minneapolis jury provides some accountability for Floyds murder, our current system has done little to stanch the flood of police violence that took Floyds lifeand the lives of so many othersbecause the Supreme Court has repeatedly gutted one of our most important federal civil rights laws.

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Congress must begin the work of repairing our system of constitutional accountability by undoing the courts decimation of one key law. Known as Section 1983, the law allows individuals to go to court to redress violations of constitutional rights by state and local governments and their agents. The Supreme Court, though, over the years has eviscerated it by inventing doctrines found nowhere in the text or history of the law.

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In order to enforce the 14th Amendment, Section 1983 provides that [e]very person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State subjects any person to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in a court of law. Enacted in 1871 against the backdrop of horrific state and Ku Klux Klan violence aimed at undoing Reconstructions promises of racial justice, Section 1983 gave those victimized by official abuse of power a critically important tool to hold governments and their agents accountable in a court of law. The law aimed to stop state actors and others from killing, brutalizing, and terrorizing Black people with impunity.

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To this end, the text of Section 1983 does not recognize any immunities from accountability.

Congress made a conscious choice not to provide any official immunities because it sought to hold state officials accountable for violating constitutional rights, not to permit such officials to flout the law with impunity.

What is less well-known is that Congress explicitly rejected the idea that persons should be exempt from responsibility simply because they held a position of power. Congress modeled Section 1983s design of constitutional accountability on the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which contained criminal penalties against state officials that violated the laws prohibitions on racial discrimination. In debates over this precursor to Section 1983, the laws supporters insisted that official immunities are akin to the idea that the King can do no wrong and wrongfully places officials above the law. Section 1983 incorporated an identical remedial framework. Section 1983, like the 1866 Act, did not provide any immunities because Congress refused to place officials above the law.

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The Supreme Court has repeatedly insisted that the courts role in statutory interpretation is to enforce the plain meaning of the words chosen by Congress. But it has repeatedly ignored the text, context, and history of Section 1983, doing violence to the language chosen by Congress. By gutting Section 1983 through judicial fiat, the Supreme Court has let state and local governments and their agents violate our most cherished constitutional rights with impunity and left those victimized by abuse of power without any remedy.

In its cases interpretingor rather rewritingSection 1983, the Supreme Court has made the words clearly established and policy paramount. Lets start with clearly established. Under the judicially created doctrine of qualified immunity, a suit against a government officer must be dismissed unless the state or local officer violated clearly established constitutional rights. In practice, unless the plaintiff can point to a prior precedent with essentially identical facts, courts insist that the law is not clearly established. That means that much of the time, constitutional violations go unremedied and justice is denied to those victimized by abuse of power. Moreover, because a court can dismiss a case without ruling on whether the official violated the plaintiffs constitutional rights, the contours of constitutional rights may remain frozen in place, preventing rights from ever becoming clearly established and bolting the courthouse doors firmly shut to those aggrieved by official abuse of power.

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The word policy is equally important to the story of how the Supreme Court has gutted Section 1983. Employers in the private sector are liable for the legal wrongs committed by their employees and agents, but the Supreme Court has refused to apply this longstanding principle of accountability to municipalities. Instead, local governments, with few exceptions, cannot be held liable for constitutional violations committed by their officers and agents within the scope of their duties. As a result, one of the most powerful tools for systemic reformholding the government itself liableis off the table.

In the 1978 case of Monell v. Department of Social Services, the Supreme Court held in essence that a city can only be held liable if a municipal policy caused the constitutional deprivation. (A municipal custom will count as well, but the court has basically ignored that category entirely.) The policy requirement for local governmental liability, like qualified immunitys clearly established law requirement, is a dead end for accountability. The last time the Supreme Court held that a municipal policy caused a constitutional violation was in 1986, more than three decades ago.

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Read the text of Section 1983. You will not find clearly established or policy in the language enacted into law by Congress. The Supreme Court simply made these words up to allow the government and its agents to evade accountability. As Justice John Paul Stevens put it in denouncing the policy requirement for governmental liability, it is judicial legislation of the most blatant kind.

By creating a nearly insurmountable barrier to suing the officer who violated someones constitutional rights and the government that made the officers abuse of power possible, the Supreme Courts judicially-created doctrines operate synergistically to allow constitutional rights to be violated with impunity. Together they form a system of government unaccountability. As a result, the cycle of racialized policing and racial violence that took George Floyds life continues unchecked. And policing is just one small slice of the abuses Section 1983 concerns. By gutting Section 1983 in a myriad of ways, the court has sanctioned deprivations of free speech, allowed prosecutors to destroy innocent lives, and let abuse of power in prison flourish. Rather than giving full effect to a law designed to enforce the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court has gutted it to protect governments and their agents and legitimize violations of constitutional rights.

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Congress can change this. One year after the killing of George Floyd, Congress has the opportunity and the responsibility to begin repairing our system of constitutional accountability and to ensure that our most cherished constitutional guarantees do not exist merely on paper. The only way to fix the long line of immunity doctrines devised by the court is to end them and ensure that those victimized by the government can seek justice in the courts.

To understand more about how Minneapolis, particularly in the area now know as George Floyd Square, has changed in the year since Floyds murder, listen to this episode of What Next.
On May 13, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told Congress he would be taking action very quickly on immigrant detention centers. Within a week, he ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cut contracts with two detention centers that have been the targets of extended organizing and community-led shutdown campaigns.

At one of them, the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, more than 40 predominantly Black or Latina immigrant women came forward last fall with reports of unnecessary, invasive, and nonconsensual gynecological procedures following a whistleblower complaint, leading to investigations by the FBI, Justice Department, and Homeland Security inspectors office, as well as a lawsuit.

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Despite the successful campaign by Detention Watch Network and others to close the Georgia site, the operators of the Irwin County Detention Center are actually still in business. Indeed, the private prison corporation responsible for that scandal, LaSalle Corrections, is headquartered in Louisiana and continues to run six facilities that detain immigrants for ICE in the state. Those facilitiesall in remote locationsremain open, despite endemic medical neglect and lack of access to advocates, attorneys, and families. These facilities and others run directly by ICE in Louisiana are almost all included in the list of 39 detention centers that the ACLU has asked Mayorkas to shut down, as the government has continued to pay more than $1 million a day for empty beds across the country. Now new research offers further evidence of how immigrant detention has become punitive and why it must be curtailed.

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On Tuesday, our law clinic at Tulane Law School published a report, No End in Sight: Prolonged and Punitive Detention of Immigrants in Louisiana, looking at federal court litigation over a 10-year period filed by immigrants seeking release from detention in Louisiana. Because of the regular denials of release and hefty bond requirements, more immigrants have turned to seeking release from detention through filing writs of habeas corpus in the federal courts. These cases are based on claims of punitive or prolonged detention.

In the 499 habeas corpus cases filed, we uncovered troubling trends. First, we found that by the time that detained immigrants file a petition challenging the legality of their detention, they had typically already endured months or even years of confinement. On average, detained immigrants had been detained for nearly one year and one month at the time they filed a habeas petition, and the average habeas case took a further six months for resolution. We also found serious challenges for detained immigrants to access lawyers to represent them in their habeas cases, with 85 percent of detained immigrants filing habeas without counsel. Lastly, we found disturbing racial disparities, with Black immigrants disproportionately represented among immigrants filing for habeas. Black immigrants represented more than half of detained immigrants filing for habeas, while for comparison Black immigrants make up only 7.2 percent of noncitizens. Even though habeas petitions and the federal courts are supposed to be a safety valve for immigration detention that becomes unlawful, systemic delays and obstacles for detained immigrants are preventing habeas from serving as a check on indefinite and punitive detention, our report shows.

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The stakes of the national immigration detention debate are nowhere higher than in Louisiana. Although often overlooked in national coverage, Louisiana has more detained immigrants than any other state except Texas. This is despite having a much smaller total population than states like California and New York, and not being a border state like Arizona. Louisiana is a prime example of ICEs Southern strategy, expanding recent immigrant detention disproportionately in the Deep South, where bed space is often cheapest and challenges to accessing family, counsel, community organizations, and other services are often the most pronounced. In Louisiana, local sheriffs have jumped at the chance to hold immigrants on the heels of statewide criminal justice reform, filling their coffers with federal contracts that reimburse at almost triple the daily rate for state inmates.

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Under President Donald Trump, immigration detention ballooned to the largest numbers in history. For Louisiana, that meant that between 2018 and 2019 the state expanded from two major jails that held about 2,000 immigrants combined to 12 facilities with capacity to detain nearly 9,000 people. A recent Government Accountability Office report found that with the vast majority of new facilities opened, ICE failed to follow its own process and ignored local immigration enforcement input regarding safety issues, remote locations, histories of understaffing, and punitive conditions.

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Additionally, 2020 was the deadliest year for immigrants in detention for the past 15 years, even with a plummeting detention population due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As ACLU attorney Eunice Cho stated, Even before this crisis, detained people were unable to receive basic care and were held in a culture of fear, without any clear way to get out of detention. In a global pandemic, these conditionsovercrowding, unsanitary conditions, lack of access to medical care, staff who speak only Englishbecome especially deadly. This is not the kind of country we want to be.

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As law professors and immigration attorneys, we have seen the devastating impact of detention firsthand. This past year, we represented a Cuban asylum-seeker, Luis Nunez Saavedra, who had collapsed while in detention and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital. Doctors there diagnosed him with a heart condition and ordered an immediate examination by a cardiologist, but months passed, and ICE did nothing. Meanwhile, with COVID outbreaks at the facility, our client faced increased risk of death or serious harm with his untreated heart condition. Ultimately, after months of persistent advocacy from law students, ICE finally agreed to release him from custody.

Nunez Saavedras case is emblematic of systemic medical neglect and resistance to release throughout the agency. This approach has been particularly egregious in Louisiana, where in 2018 the ICE New Orleans field office denied 98.5 percent of requests for release. Even as ICE has begun to grant release to more immigrants, it has created new hurdles, like charging exorbitant bonds of between $10,000 and $30,000. Despite repeated federal court orders requiring ICE to consider the release of medically vulnerable detained immigrants, more than 1,700 have been detained in Louisiana since October of last year. This has led to multiple outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus in the detention facilities and in surrounding communities, leading the Washington Post to label ICE the superspreader agency.

The immigrant detention system has become a multibillion-dollar business that profits from mass and prolonged detention of immigrants. The historically low detention numbers right now present a pivotal opportunity for a new path forward. ICEs immigration detention system does not need to exist in its current state. President Joe Biden should shut down facilities that are wasting money and causing harm. And Louisiana facilities, expanded during the Trump era, should be among those first to close.
On Friday, conspiracy-minded freshman Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene set off a weekend of intense criticism by comparing vaccine passports to the yellow badges that Nazi Germany forced Jewish people to wear during the Holocaust. Tuesday, after reflecting on the seriousness of the matter, Greene repeated the comparison, then issued an impressively demented anti-apology about the whole thing.

Last week, during a discussion about whether House members should document their vaccination status before they take off their masks indoors, Greene told the Christian Broadcasting Network host David Brody we can look back in a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second-class citizensso much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany and this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about.*

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On Tuesday, Greene used her Twitter account to once again compare the administration of mass immunization to the administration of mass murder, saying, Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star.

Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star.



Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.https://t.co/6X6VNolcA7  Marjorie Taylor Greene  (@mtgreenee) May 25, 2021

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When people complained about that, Greene put out a florid statement denouncing the existence of the controversy, attacking Democrats as the real antisemites, and saying she was sorry some of my words make people uncomfortable. For good measure she threw in some material about critical race theory (pure racism), gender destruction, and, as one does when one is deeply concerned about antisemitism, globalism.

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Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean and director of global social action of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organization focused on Holocaust research and remembrance, says that Greenes nonapology misses the point.

We see misappropriations of Shoah symbols all over the place, Cooper says. Every time we have this kind of deflection and misappropriation it chips away at collective memory and the responsibilities we have.

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These kinds of manifestations have a very corrosive impact on collective memory, he added.

Despite her latest antisemitic outburst, Greene remains a member in good standing of the House Republican Conference. After days of pressure and Greene repeating remarks that he had initially failed to address, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy put out a statement, saying, Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling.

Rather than imposing any sort of accountability on Greene herself, McCarthys statement then pivoted to endorse one of Greenes key messages, dedicating a paragraph to the claim that anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Democrat Party and is completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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Then, having let his conference member off the hook, McCarthy concluded:

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Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.

The last time McCarthy and House Republicans condemned Greenes clearly antisemitic language was when it was revealed that she had endorsed a theory that wealthy Jewish bankers started a 2018 California wildfire by firing space lasers in order to line the pockets of other wealthy Jews. Shortly after that, McCarthy and all but 11 members of his conference voted against removing her from the House Education and Labor Committee.

Previous to that, Greene had promoted an antisemitic conspiracy video in which a narrator said an unholy alliance of leftists, capitalists, and Zionist supremacists has schemed to promote immigration and miscegenation, with the deliberate aim of breeding us out of existence in our own homelands.

Following McCarthys mealy-mouthed statement, Greene retweeted and then deleted a tweet calling McCarthy a moron and a feckless c**t.
On Sunday, a Ryanair flight headed from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania, took a sudden turn near the end of its trip and looped back to Minsk, Belarus, after being warned of a security threat. Belarusian authorities claimed, baselessly, that the redirect was necessary because of a bomb threat on board. This justification made little sense, given that Minsk was further away, but Belarus dispatched a fighter jet anyway to guide the plane back to the countrys capital. The real reason the flight was redirected, it turned out, was that it was carrying Roman Protasevich, a dissident Belarusian journalist, who was promptly arrested when the plane landed. The international community has described the incident as a state-sponsored hijacking, and the European Union has promised the country will face economic sanctions.

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The next day, the EU asked that its airlines route around the country and that its member nations revoke permits for the national Belarusian airline. Some European and Asian airlines have already committed to not flying over Belarus. To get a sense of what this situation means for international air travel, Slate spoke with Ian Petchenik, the director of communications for the flight tracking website Flightradar24, on Monday. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Molly Olmstead: Hows your day going? I imagine its been a busy time for those plugged into the airline industry.

Ian Petchenik: Its been a day. You know, the extremely-serious-international-incident-with-civil-aviation kind of day.

What did you think when you heard about the steps the EU was taking? Calling for EU-based airlines to stop flying over Belarus, but also trying to sort of start the process of banning the Belarusian airlines from flying over EU airspace?

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Diverting an international flight that is over your airspace on purpose for any reason is a serious act. And this seems to be not even with a veneer of false pretense. It is something that has repercussions around the world. And if not responded to, other states could view this as a possible method. And I think thats certainly something that the international community wants to not see happen.

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How big of a deal is this?

Its a huge deal. Theres very specific conventions in international law that relate to the operation of international air traffic. And this is really one of those things where its very clear that youre not supposed to do this. This could have ended so badly, beyond the current situation, which ended terribly. What happens if that pilot misinterprets what the Ryanair aircraft is doing? What happens if they cant communicate clearly? Theres so many things that could have gone wrong from 39,000 feet, when they met each other.

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Then, on top of all of that, what happens now, in a real situation, where there is possibly a bomb on a plane? Does the pilot believe the air traffic controller whos relaying that message? If there are all of a sudden fighter jets escorting the aircraft, is there a second thought there? One of the rules is if a fighter jet comes up on your wing, you should listen to that person, because if you are under threat, they have your safety in mind. So now do I second guess all that? Question if its false information about an emergency?

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The precedent that this set is terrible, and hopefully the reaction to this is informed by all of that.

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In the aviation industry, was there an expectation that the EU would do what it did?

The consensus coalesced around the EU doing something. This seems like it was an expected step, and one thats proportional. And this is something that they can do fairly quickly: issue an airworthiness directive. I think most airlines, given recent history, are going to mitigate risk on their own as much as possible, especially where passenger airlines are concerned.

So it was not surprising that airlines were talking about avoiding that airspace?

No, I think thats the most prudent course of action, as far as an airline is concerned. I mean, aviation is all about safety and risk mitigation. If you can be more safe by flying somewhere else, airlines are certainly going to do that.

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What do you think this means for the industry?

Long term, your guess right now is as good as mine. The immediate effect is that airlines send aircraft on less efficient routings to get to the destination. They burn more fuel, they spend more time in the air, and it costs more money. Its about 2,600 flights a week that pass through Belarus. Thats out of 75,000 commercial flights a day at this point in the pandemic. So were not talking about the huge numbers. This isnt a huge effect on commercial aviation. It has a larger impact on the environment. But as far as the diversion goes, the action itself has a huge effect on commercial aviation.

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And then the question becomes, for Belarus, what is the connectivity between the rest of the world? Where can their airliners fly? How does that affect their position in the world? But also how do you bring things into the country? If you are importing air cargo, where does that air cargo come from now, if its not coming from elsewhere in Europe?

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How much would this alter passenger trips, or lengthen them?

Probably no more than an hour to 90 minutes in the worst-case scenario. Belarus isnt a large country, and airlines certainly werent spending much time in their airspace to begin with. A north-south trip takes more time. So the Ryanair flight that was diverted, Athens to Vilniusthat takes a little more time than airlines that are traveling, say, from Germany or Poland or the Netherlands to places in Southeast Asia.

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What do you think it would take for airlines to feel safe flying over that airspace?

As far as passenger lines are concerned, I do not know. I mean, looking at the map, its kind of annoying, but its not like flying from San Francisco to New York and having to avoid every other part of the U.S. Its certainly not great as far as fuel burn, and environmental concerns, but its not a critical pass-through for flights.

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What else do you want people who maybe dont really know much about the airline industry to understand with all of this?

Theres been some criticism of the Ryanair crew. Their job is to get everybody safely on the ground. So the second guessing, I would have just kept flying to Lithuania or something like that is not really a line of reasoning I would go down, because the crew is trained to respond to what they believe to be a legitimate threat against the aircraft with standard procedures and protocols. Just in this case, it wasnt legitimate. And that gets us back to the precedent this sets. Or hopefully doesnt.
In Shel Silversteins classic childrens book The Giving Tree, the majestic tree gives and gives of herself to a demanding little boy, until she is nothing more than a stump for him to sit on. Its an apt metaphor for how the Supreme Court has allowed abortion opponents to hack away at Roe v. Wade for nearly 50 years. Now, the ultraconservative Supreme Courts review of a Mississippi abortion ban could provide the final whack.

The whittling away of Roe is not new. It began only a few years after Roe and was particularly pronounced in 1992 in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case Kathryn (Kitty) argued at the court. At the time, court watchers believed that Roe would be overturned, but Kitty and her legal team persuaded the Supreme Court that Roes core principles must be upheld. The Casey court preserved the vital viability line that ensured the right to choose an abortion until fetal viability (usually between 24 and 28 weeks), and thereafter when the pregnancy endangers a womans life or health. Yet the Casey court made a key concession to anti-abortion forces: It permitted legislators to construct fences that abortion patients had to climb over to receive care, so long as these obstacles did not constitute an undue burden.

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In the ensuing years, as the courts grew increasingly conservative, abortion services have been disappearing. For low-income women and disproportionately for women of color, teens, and those living in rural areas, the restrictions have made it almost impossible to obtain abortions and many other essential reproductive health care services.

The Supreme Courts recent decision to review the constitutionality of Mississippis law banning all abortion at 15 weeks, well before viability, places Roeand Caseydirectly on the chopping block. It would be naive to think the court could pass up this opportunity to prune Roe. In 1992, returning behind the curtain after hearing oral argument in Casey, five justices voted to overturn Roe and allow states to ban abortion. It was only a last-minute vote change by Justice Anthony Kennedy that prevented the court from taking that radical step. Today, six Supreme Court Justices are anti-abortion. Moreover, former President Donald Trumps appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett means that five ultraconservative justices no longer need to adopt a more moderate approach just to persuade Chief Justice John Roberts to join them in overturning existing protections.

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If the court permits the Mississippi law to take effect, states will be free to ban all or most abortions, and many of them are likely to do so. We estimate that as many as one-third of the states will immediately or soon thereafter ban abortions.

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It is too late to change the makeup of the Supreme Court to avoid the blow the court is likely to deliver. But its not too late to preserve, and even grow, reproductive freedom through other pathways. Influencing those in state legislatures and in Congress who will determine the next round of abortion laws is critical. Saving abortion rights from the ax requires those who value reproductive freedom to be politically active in many capacities. Voting in every electionnot just the presidential onesand all the way down ballot, including legislative and judicial candidates, is key. Before Election Day, abortion rights supporters need to visibly campaign for candidates who will champion these rights once elected. The top immediate priority must be to let Congress know that voting reforms are urgently needed to halt right-wing voter suppression and gerrymandered districts, so as to preserve the basic ability to vote anti-abortion politicians out of office.

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In coming months we are likely to see red states move to ban all or most abortions, as Texas did last week. If abortion supporters lack the votes to defeat these opportunistic attacks on our rights, lets be sure to make a big stink. Activists in Argentina and Poland held flamboyant protests this past year that sparked activism across their nations. Loud, creative protests will be important to draw national attention when states brazenly ban abortion in the run-up to the Supreme Court hearing the Mississippi case in the fall and for the foreseeable future.

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If you live in a blue state where there is an abortion rights majority, urge your legislators to be stalwarts preserving reproductive freedom, providing a welcome refuge for women forced to travel from hostile climes where rights have fallen. Massachusetts and Virginia are just two of the states that have recently passed omnibus laws providing statutory protections for abortion and repealing restrictions. The availability of safe and legal abortion in a patchwork of states can provide much needed shelter, particularly when combined with funding for travel, child care, and other related expenses. And if you live in a purple state, work to make it blue.

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Because nationwide protections are always better, dont forget Congress and the presidency. A Congress with an abortion rights majority can enact laws protecting abortion rights and providing greater access to health care and supportive services that are necessary for women to have the ability to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term.

We cannot allow vital, long-standing reproductive freedoms to twist and turn on the vagaries of legal decisions or the whims of Supreme Court justices. As the court whacks away at the Giving Tree, we need to be planting new forests to more boldly and broadly advance reproductive freedom as a basic constitutional, and human, right.
If theres one collective lesson gleaned from the COVID pandemic so far, it may be the shared difficulty of being isolated in ones own homewhether alone or with family members or roommates. The stresses of quarantine included crushing mundane routines, personal habits hypostatized, and all too familiar views (stove range, bathroom mirror, that solitary tree outside, changing while nothing changed). As Amanda Mull wrote in the Atlantic, after working from home for a year, her wallpaper has begun to yellow. When space closes in, humans tend not to thrive. It can drive us to the brink of craziness.

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Ive been thinking about this problem in relation to SpaceX and its rapid advancements throughout the pandemic, including the most recent successful launch and landing of its largest rocket, Starship. This was a prototype of the ship that Elon Musk intends to travel to the Moon, to Mars, and eventually beyond. In crew mode it will be able to carry up to 100 passengers. As Marina Koren reported for the Atlantic, Musk suddenly seems a lot closer to his goal of making humans a multiplanetary species. If there was something vaguely cathartic or even inspiring in Musks tenacious drive to perfect the SpaceX Starship, especially during the pandemic, it may have been the fantasy of more space, out there, beyond the constraints of Earth, which were felt so heavily in 2020.

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Yet theres a paradox lurking at the core of SpaceX.

Before SpaceX will take passengers to space, the company plans to offer Earth to Earth transportation. These would be ridiculously quick rides around the worldfor instance, London to New York in a half-hour. The idea is to launch the rocket with paying travelers above Earths atmosphere, then speed around the globe and land promptly at the destination. As the SpaceX website boasts, Imagine most journeys taking less than 30 minutes with access to anywhere in the world in an hour or less. (Of course, this anywhere in the world really means major urban centers with an appropriate landing pad and equipment to service the rocket, but well let the hyperbole slide.)

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If achieved at commercial scale, this would turn the airline industry upside downor at the very least, it would be a massive disruption for airlines that rely heavily on long-haul flights. No other airline or aircraft manufacturer is currently developing a similar mode of transit. A company called Boom recently made headlines for its attempt to bring back supersonic commercial flight, with a plane that is reminiscent of the Concorde, but for flyers on a budget. Yet SpaceXs Starship flights, if realized, would make supersonic feel like the slow train.

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The rationale for speeding up long flights, naturally, is that it is widely understood that people do not like to be in cramped airplane cabins for more than an hour. The less time, the better. The history of commercial aviation has been a race to shorten the time from origin to destination, and make more efficient all the steps in between. Still, there are some things that cant be fixed. No one likes a tarmac delay or a long flight involving an annoying seatmate or constant turbulence. Time stretches out and plays tricks on the mind, when youre sitting in an airplane.

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Here is where the paradox enters. The same Starship that promises faster air travel around our planeteliminating those pesky five-, 10-, or 15-hour flightsis also the aspirational repository for Musks would-be passengers to Mars. In other words, the Starship cabin is not ultimately intended for trips under an hour, but in fact for journeys of multiple months. If you think air rage is bad on a short hop from Las Vegas to San Diego, just wait until your seatmates are there beside you for weeks on end, in the black void of space. SpaceX describes the interior of these craft as including private cabins, large common areas, centralized storage, solar storm shelters and a viewing gallery. This makes it sound not so bad. Still, theres no getting around the blunt truth of containment over a long period of time. Those large common areas are likely to shrink the longer the trip takes.

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Then theres sleep. Between 2007 and 2011 the European Space Agency worked with Russia to simulate the conditions of a trip to Mars, particularly as a psychological isolation experiment. Called Mars500, the longest part of this study ran between 2010 and 2011, and revealed a significant degradation of the simulacral explorers sleep patterns. While on wide-body airliners, a business class cocoon seat can deliver comfort (and even luxury) during an overnight flight, such ergonomic palliatives wont be as easy for a yearlong journey. Space travel to Mars is supposed to be a bold and daring adventure. But what if it ends up feeling more like a superlong red-eye flight?

For years, Musk has compared his rockets to airliners, using the familiar sizes and thrust capacities of Boeing 737s and 747s as reference points for his future-bound ships. These comparisons circulate on social media, by way of making SpaceX craft both more graspable and more impressive. But the analogies are telling. As much as the goal is to reduce the time of feeling trapped inside a cramped cabin, the endgame is in fact more of this time. And lets be honest: A hab on Mars is not going to be a whole lot more spacious than the interior of the ship.

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If the dream of space travel involves new horizons and feelings of unbound freedomto explore, to discover, to spread humanitya nightmare lurks just around the corner of consciousness. There will be no real arrival on this fantasy trip: Its enclosures and pressurized chambers all the way down. When it comes to human space travel, the destination really is the journey. And the journey will be long, and claustrophobic. As far as quarantine goes, spacefaring may feel familiar to those who lived through the COVID pandemicand certain survival tactics may crossover.

Musk wants to send humans to Mars (and beyond) because he believes that the species is doomed on Earth, sooner or later. This bleak assessment belies two haunting presuppositions: The miserable masses will wither on a climate-scorched and ecologically damaged planet back home; meanwhile, the spacefaring select will find themselves in a whole new purgatory of cramped isolation, en route and wherever they land.

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The wish image of habitations on other planets is for simulated environments that feel as good asif not better thanour home planet. The reality is bound to be precarious and highly contingentno matter how awesome and intact space settlements might appear in artistic renderings. The motivation for spacefaring is, at least for Musk, premised on a desire to escape a planet in limbo; but the alternative is hardly a safe haven. This is the paradox of spacefaring: Its a lose-lose proposition.

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As anthropologist Lisa Messeri has found in her research on planetary scientists, ideas about inhabiting outer space can tend to revert back to making sense of our place on Earth. This isnt necessarily a bad thing; in fact, one of the arguments for space exploration is to improve life back home. Yet as SpaceX moves closer to sending humans beyond the space station, beyond the moon, its worth pausing to consider the real implications of these endeavors. Were already spacefaring, in a literal sense of the term. We know what it feels like to cram ourselves in tight vessels or rooms, and we dont generally like it. And as the pandemic gradually (hopefully) subsides, our interconnectedness as a species and entanglements with other lifeforms has been made vivid. The adventures and challenges of spacefaring are right before our eyes, the spinning ground on which were already standing.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Secret meeting of top state officials hints at a problem in the police

The most powerful officials in the state have met in a special room at the premises of the intelligence service.

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It was not about the ongoing investigation of criminal cases, say Slovakia's top constitutional officials. A group of the most powerful people in the state secretly met in the headquarters of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) at a time when the leadership of the National Criminal Agency and the SIS were falling apart following a series of arrests that also landed several oligarchs and judges in custody.

The meeting took place in a special room that cannot be intercepted. It was convened by PM Eduard Heger (OLaNO).

The participants included, according to the Dennik N daily, which first broke the story last week, the new SIS director Michal Alac (Sme Rodina nominee), President Zuzana Caputova, Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar (Sme Rodina), Justice Minister Maria Kolikova (Za Ludi), Interior Minister Roman Mikulec (OLaNO), General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka, Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipsic, Police Corps President Peter Kovarik, and head of the Interior Ministry's inspectorate Adrian Szabo.

Related article Police wanted to detain former criminal agency head. He is abroad Read more

Jan Mojzis, former head of the SIS department of analytics and former head of the National Security Bureau (NBU), says he does not recall such meetings as taking place in his time. He considers it rare even in global comparison.

"A serious situation must be at stake. I can imagine that such meetings may be taking place in Israel, where they are dealing with very basic security questions," Mojzis said.

Czech security analyst Andor Sandor, former head of the Czech military intelligence, confirmed the meeting as it was described is a rare event. The list of attendees suggests to him that the meeting was about a serious systemic problem in the police or in the SIS, even though the participants are keeping quiet about it in public.

"It is logical that the constitutional officials have not confirmed the information. It is the case of a lie that is not taken seriously," Sandor says.

Officially no threat confirmed

24. May 2021 at 8:08 | Roman Cuprik
He wants to officially step down on May 31.

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Agriculture Minister Jan Micovsky (OLaNO) announced during a press briefing that he will resign. He wants to officially step down on May 31.

His decision is linked to the appointment of the former chair of the Slovak Land Fund Gabriela Bartosova, who is currently in custody.

He considers the appointment of the chair of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) to be his failure, which is why he is resigning.

I, as a forester, have never wanted to enter politics, but I believed in Igor Matovic and his anti-corruption movement, Micovsky said at the press briefing, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

After clarifying the situation at SPF, I could have compromised myself with my anti-corruption principle and pretended not to be affected, but I did not. I'm resigning. I still need to finish one meeting at the ministry, then I will resign.

The minister said that he has not discussed his decision to resign with anyone and the decision is immutable.

What happened

On Friday, May 21, the prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office filed a motion with the Special Criminal Court in Pezinok to prosecute seven accused persons.

These people were arrested on May 19 in connection with corruption at the Slovak Land Fund within the Latifundista and Feudal police operations.

Among the accused is the general director of Slovak Land Fund Gabriela Bartosova, who was appointed to the function by Minister Micovsky.

Micovsky said that he was recommended to appoint Bartosova to the post by people from OLaNO.

They have presented her to me as an anti-corruption fighter who has already been there and left for the fight against corruption, Micovsky noted, adding that he relied on the advice of his colleagues.

The ministry accepted her abdication on Monday, but the government has yet to do it as well. According to the ministry, the fact that the law enforcement bodies also deal with the nominees of the current coalition confirms the openness and sincerity of the anti-corruption efforts of this government.

Name of new minister unknown for now

The OLaNO movement, which manages the ministry, did not say whether Micovsky will return to parliament as MP. Neither has any information about his potential replacement as minister been revealed. Micovsky said he recommended State Secretary Martin Fecko (OLaNO).

OLaNO thanked Micovsky for his work and added that the resignation of the minister is a demonstration of a diametrical difference between the current cabinet and previous cabinets under the management of Robert Fico and Peter Pellegrini.

According to the movement, the year of his work in the ministry was mainly marked by the fight against corruption and other "unfair practices, which for years made it difficult for honest farmers, food producers and foresters to work."

The Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK) respects and evaluates the minister's decision as a natural outcome of the huge number of accumulated and incorrectly solved problems that exist in the ministry.

Jan Micovsky came to the position of minister as an anti-corruption fighter with the White Crow award, the statement of the SPPK reads. That is why we appreciate the minister's step and understand it on the human level.

However, the chamber emphasised that after not getting money from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, after ongoing conflicts with Minister Budaj, after the general dissatisfaction of farmers and food producers with the ministrys decision, his resignation is the logical outcome.

The situation in the agri-food sector is dramatically critical. We are therefore ready to negotiate constructively with the new minister at any time," said Emil Macho, Chairman of the SPPK.

25. May 2021 at 9:37 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Vaccinate with Sputnik V or not? Slovakia's decision expected on Wedneday

Time is running out, the expiration of vaccines stored in Slovakia is approaching.

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Whether Slovakia will vaccinate with the Sputnik V vaccine will be decided at the May 26 government session.

Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky (OLaNO nominee) said at a discussion on Radio Expres that he will grant permission for vaccination if the majority of ministers will vote for vaccination.

State controllers will not decide on Sputnik V. They do not have enough data Read more

I support a European solution, he said. I see that there is group of people who only prefer this vaccine, so also taking into consideration the fact of increasing the vaccination rate percentage, we have to deal with this issue.

Minister added that the problem is incomplete data from the Russian side, but there should not be any doubts on the safety of vaccines.

Lengvarsky added that preparations of centres for possible vaccination with the Russian vaccine have already started.

Vaccines will expire in two months

The decision should be made as soon as possible, because half the first supply of vaccines meant for the first dose will expire in July, the Sme daily reported.

Juraj Kamaras, Chair of the Imuna Pharm company where Sputnik V vaccines have been stored since March 1 when brought to Slovakia, said that they are ready to start the distribution of vaccines to vaccination centres even tomorrow, like the distribution of other vaccines. Neither has he information about the roll-out of the Sputnik V vaccination in Slovakia.

Matovic fell into a trap carefully staged by Russia Read more

If Slovakia does not use the first 100,000 doses to expire in July, the other 100,000 stored in Sarisske Michalany will be good for nothing. Each dose of Sputnik is different and it cannot be replaced.

Moreover, not only the EU but several member states do not want to acknowledge vaccination with Sputnik V when travelling across the borders.

Sputnik V has not been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), unlike all other vaccines used in Slovakia. The Russian side still has not applied in EMA for the vaccine's registration, according to EMA.

25. May 2021 at 17:51 | Compiled by Spectator staff
According to a county news release announcing the resignation Monday night, the new department is critical to the development of the combination fire service in the county, and moving forward, internal staff will continue to investigate the best path as an extensive search for a new director begins.
In outlining the case to the jury, Danielle Larson, Scotts Bluff County deputy attorney, said that the liquor license laws that applied to Singhs case were just two basic rules: that alcohol had to be purchased from a wholesaler licensed in Nebraska and that taxes have to be paid on alcohol purchased in the state. With Singh purchasing alcohol outside of the state, taxes on alcohol would not have been paid in Nebraska.

His name, and his name alone is on the liquor license for the Avenue I store, Larson told the jury. Though he and his ex-wife, Carol, co-own the store in Torrington, she said he made a decision to benefit his business by purchasing alcohol from Wyoming. It was not a decision made by a low-level cashier or some other person involved in the business.

The alcohol purchased in Wyoming should have ended up in Torrington, and stayed in Torrington, she said.

Singh purchasing alcohol from outside the state put him at an unfair advantage over other competitors in the community, she said. He purchased alcohol for lower prices in Wyoming, then resold that alcohol in Nebraska for lower prices than the wholesalers were selling it to the businesses.
With the stroke of a pen, the president of the United States of America authorized, among other things, the imprisonment of about 112,000 American citizens and residents of this nation due to racial policies. These individuals were held in horse stables and in prisons behind barbed wire, not because they committed a crime. No, instead they were taken into custody because of their Japanese heritage.

+2 Japanese Americans arrival in the Valley Scottsbluff and the surrounding lands in the county have been home to Japanese American fami

The president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The date was Feb. 19, 1942. The country was now an active participant in World War II. Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor and had invaded the Philippines, controlled by the U.S. which possessed military bases there, among other locations throughout East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

Even prior to the issuance of Executive Order 9066 by President Roosevelt, other Japanese Americans were imprisoned by the United States of America. Within hours of the sinking of the USS Arizona in Hawaii, the federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) arrested more than 1,000 Americans of Japanese heritage.

One of those arrested was an Episcopal priest in North Platte. He was the only American arrested in Nebraska at the time by the FBI, according to The Episcopal Church.
For those people who have gotten the COVID vaccine  one of the really good examples or analogies that Ive heard  is that its kind of like a fire-proofed suit, Kate Tyner, a specialist with the Infection Control Assessment and Promotion Program (ICAP), said during Mondays Panhandle Public Health Districts weekly briefing. ICAP assists businesses, such as meatpacking plants and others, with following infection control guidelines. "For those of us who have the fire-proofed suit, or vaccinated, it has become safer for us to go restaurants, to go to bars, to go to public places. We dont have to do that, but if we want to, we are wearing our fire-proofed suit. For the people who have not had the vaccinate yet, the guidance is really still similar. They can still be infected with COVID.
LA VISTA, Neb. (AP)  The search for an autistic 11-year-old Nebraska boy who has been missing since last week continues to focus on a lake and surrounding park in the Omaha suburb of La Vista.

Over the weekend, authorities started lowering the lake at Walnut Creek Recreation Area by several feet to help searchers get a better view of what lies along the shore of the lake. Debris in the lake, including tires and tree limbs, has hindered the water search for Ryan Larsen as divers scoured the lake over the past several days.

La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said Monday that the search effort is focused on the northeast end of the lake because three different police dogs indicated that they detected a scent that may be linked to the missing boy.

Larsen has been missing since he walked out of his elementary school on May 17 during changes in morning classed in La Vista, which lies just southwest of Omaha. He was last seen on a business' security camera that afternoon. He has been without medication he takes for seizures since he disappeared.

The boy has a history of hiding from authorities and his family in the past but he has never been missing for several days before.
The injury to her left arm was so horrific, doctors still dont want her to push-off with the arm, put any pressure on the arm or put any weight on the arm. Her humerus broke, her elbow completely busted out and the ulna had four to six different breaks.

Shes rod, pinned, screwed, all the way up her left arm, Deanna said. So far, Sam can go all the way out and touch her head, but theres other things she cant do, like bring a bottle to her mouth to take a drink. The physical therapy hasnt started on her [left] arm yet.

Deanna said doctors expect Samantha will be back to her normal self by January.

She still needs to have the operation to repair the ligaments in her knee and will have to do annual checkups with her neurosurgeon to make sure none of the hardware has moved around.

Although the recovery process has been difficult for Samantha, she still found the time to continue her college classes at Eastern Wyoming College and was able to graduate with her associates degree on May 14.

She plans to be done with therapy and cleared to drive again on her own by the beginning of August. She will attend Chadron State College and wants to pursue a degree in education to become a middle school teacher.
Q. I thought Scottsbluff had a curfew, but Ive seen kids gathered in the parking lots of area businesses after midnight. Does Scottsbluff no longer enforce its curfew?

A. Scottsbluff does still have a curfew and yes its still enforced. Anyone under the age of 16 cannot be on any street, alley, vacant lot, or other public place after 10 p.m. unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody.

Since school is out and the weather is warming up, so another reminder for parents of juveniles is to be sure they are following the rules of their learners permit or provisional operators permit (POP).

Individuals who are issued a POP can only drive unsupervised between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight unless they are going to/from their residence, employment, or a school activity.

Outside of the exception, if a POP holder is driving between midnight and 6 a.m., they must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other adult who is at least 21. The adult must also have a current valid operators license.
I can't believe my eyes," she said on Twitter. To publish this racist disfiguration of Andrew Yang as a tourist, in NYC where I was born, where Andrew has lived for 25 years, where our boys were born, where 16% of us are Asian and anti-Asian hate is up 900%."

Yang, the former presidential candidate, is among the leading candidates in the Democratic primary for mayor. Voting ends on June 22.

Unlike most of the other leading contenders, he has never held a job in city government before and isn't part of the city's political establishment.

That status as an outsider has helped Yang among some voters, but he's also been the subject of criticism for his lack of experience, and for spending time at his family's house in the Hudson River Valley village of New Paltz, New York, after the pandemic struck, and for failing to vote in the city's last four mayoral elections.

Being a native New Yorker hasn't counted for much in recent city elections.

Huge numbers of voters in the city weren't born there. The most recent holders of the job, Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, grew up in the Boston area.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Pakistan is burdened with a lot more problems than neighboring India, most being self-inflicted. Pakistani military support and use of Islamic terrorism to gain more control of Pakistan has worked, but it also created a lot of unwelcome side effects. Trying to keep this Islamic terror tactic a secret eventually failed and now Pakistan is openly accused of behavior that justifies economic sanctions and sharp cuts in foreign aid from countries that believed or pretended to believe the lies for a long time. The Pakistani military adopted this policy over 40 years ago. By the 1990s it was widely known and acknowledged privately by most foreign intelligence agencies. Then came September 11, 2001 and Pakistan promised to change its Islamic terrorism policy. That was a lie, but one that worked for nearly a decade. Anti-military sentiment grew inside Pakistan, to the point where the military quietly took control of the current government without a military coup. Technically that control is an understanding but current elected officials believe that legislation to curb military power is no longer an option. The military now dictates what laws are passed. A recent example of that is a new law making any public criticism of the military a crime. While China and Russia could understand the need for such a law, because both already have them, most of the world saw this law as a clear sign that the Pakistani military was out of control and must be stopped. Worse, most Pakistani voters and politicians also agree that the new law is unacceptable. The senior military officers tell themselves that all this is being done to defend Pakistan and any attempt, internal or external, to diminish Pakistani military control of the government is an attack on Pakistan. There are no easy solutions to this sort of thing. The more difficult solutions usually include violence, even civil war.

The Pakistani military has its own foreign policy and that is undergoing changes. Pakistani military leaders support a change to how it has deals with the Afghan Taliban. Put simply, Pakistani generals no longer support the Taliban establishing a government that would control the entire country. Pakistan acknowledged the widespread anti-Pakistan and anti-Taliban sentiment in Afghanistan. These attitudes were present in the late 1990s, when the Pakistan military created and supported Taliban were still fighting to gain control of the entire country. That support continued until the present. But now the Pakistani generals recognize that their Taliban effort cannot take control of the Afghan government, but believe it has a realistic chance of becoming part of the Afghan government. That may optimistic because the Taliban obtains most of its income from the drug gangs which are hated by most Afghans and Pakistanis and all the local governments, except Pakistan, which pretends to care but actually cooperates (via the Pakistani military) with the drug gangs in return for large bribes.

The Pakistani military hopes the new Afghan policy will encourage the Americans to restore military aid. Pakistan needs this, because despite their new locally assembled  JF-17 jet fighter, Pakistan realizes its current fleet of F-16s is easier and cheaper to upgrade than the JF-17, which was a joint development with China that resulted in an expensive variant of early models of the American F-16. Upgrading the JF-17 to current F-16 standards is too expensive and risky. The F-16 already has lots of proven and affordable upgrades available, but only if the Americans are willing to provide this kind of military aid to a nation that supports Islamic terrorists.

Pakistani generals have also been holding unofficial negotiations with their Indian counterparts to discuss ending the decades of border violence against India and drop the Kashmir claims. The Indians are amenable but Pakistani generals and politicians realize that agreeing with this privately is one thing, doing so publicly can get you killed by the small minority of Pakistanis who have become fanatic supporters of the anti-India foreign policy the Pakistani generals created and backed for decades.

Some things can be changed. Pakistani Kashmir policy is becoming more expensive and dangerous to sustain. Until now the military solution involved more violence, but not enough to trigger another war with India. Pakistan has lost all its previous wars and no longer calls for another. Unofficial violence is another matter. Despite a 2003 border truce agreement, 2020 was a record year for Pakistani violations. There were 4,645 of them. That is more than ten a day. Pakistani military has broken the 2003 truce repeatedly whenever it needed to generate some news of Indian Aggression. India would nearly always fire back and that enabled Pakistan to claim that India fired first. Independent observers noted that it was always the Pakistanis who fired first.

Recently Indian has been making convincing threats of eliminating the problem by ignoring the Line Of Control and moving troops into Pakistani Kashmir and eliminating the Islamic terrorist bases Pakistan has long maintained there. Pakistan reminded India that both nations had nukes but India didnt flinch. Restoring the 2003 ceasefire is something Pakistan periodically accepts to avoid a nuclear war. According to India there have been 11,424 ceasefire violations since 2004 (when there was only one) and 40 percent were committed in 2020. The prospect of nuclear war no longer frightens India because the Pakistani military controls the nuclear weapons and is becoming more violent and unstable. Given the increasing number of border attacks, the Pakistani military is no longer just an internal Pakistani problem. As a result of this there was another ceasefire agreement this year. It went into effect February 24th. Pakistan violated it ten weeks later (May 3rd) but insisted this was an accident and would not be repeated.

The Indian Muddle

In contrast to the multiple crises hammering Pakistan, India is making steady progress in its reforms of the military, the economy and upgrading the national health infrastructure to better deal with future pandemics like covid19. Indian leaders mismanaged the national vaccine program and misjudged the ability of the virus to quickly spread through unvaccinated populations. In contrast to Pakistan, India does not try to hide and avoid fixing mistakes, but confronts them and finds solutions. This is something many Pakistani politicians privately admire but cannot comment or act on openly because the military has poisoned relations with India and made it illegal to criticize them for it. India learns from its mistakes; Pakistan tends to repeat them.

This pattern is not unique to Pakistan. Indias neighbor to the west, Burma (Myanmar) has been under a military government again since February and the popular resistance to this is making the Pakistani military and China, which backs the military in Burma as well, nervous. In both Pakistan and Burma, the military has acquired ownership of large portions of the economy, often with the help of China. Efforts to prosecute the military in both countries over these economic crimes is moving slowly towards reality. While the military leaders would face financial ruin and possible jail time, China would take a major hit in the economic credibility department. Chinese investment efforts are already causing more nations to back away from working with the Chinese.

May 21, 2021: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan province) a motorcycle bomb went off at a demonstration organized by a local religious leader to denounce Israel for defending itself against Palestinian rocket attacks. Six were killed and twelve were wounded. No one took credit for the attack but the Taliban and ISIL are known to carry out attacks like this against religious leaders who will not cooperate with a particular Islamic terror group's methods or objectives. This sort of fatal feuding has been common in Moslem majority countries for centuries. In Pakistan, religious disputes are not the only major cause of terror attacks. Baluchistan province is named after the Baluchi people, who are similar to the other ancient tribal groups in the region, like the Pushtun and Tajiks. The Baluchis are Moslem but they are fighting for independence or at least autonomy. Pakistan refuses to negotiate and the Baluchi attacks have continued for decades. Currently the violence is more intense. In April there were twenty attacks that killed one or more soldiers or others who supported the fight against Baluchi separatists. There were even more attacks that were not fatal. Some of the attacks are against foreigners working on government projects. This is a major problem when the victims are Chinese. Thats the main reason why the military has increased its efforts against the separatists.

May 9, 2021: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan province) Baluchi separatists were apparently responsible for two attacks on soldiers that left three dead and four wounded.

May 7, 2021: The Chinese military delivered the second of three batches of CanSino covid19 vaccine to the Pakistani military. This is the only instance of the Chinese military, which has its own sources for the vaccine, supplying a foreign military. The Pakistani government has a separate program to obtain and distribute vaccines to the general public and that process is taking longer. Pakistani troops and their families will all be vaccinated long before all Pakistanis have an opportunity to get the vaccine.

May 5, 2021: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan province) soldiers working on the new Afghan border fence were fired on from inside Afghanistan by about twenty Afghan tribesmen who opposed the fence. Four soldiers were killed and the Afghans fled back into Afghanistan. The fence is 75 percent complete and tribes on both sides of the border object to it and the Afghan government claims that in some areas the fence extends into Afghan territory. The 2,600-kilometer-long fence is costing Pakistan about half a billion dollars. The fence actually consists of two three-meter (ten foot) chain link fences topped with barbed wire and separated by a two-meter gap. Hundreds of new border posts, some of them the size of small forts, are being built to observe and patrol the fence. Fence construction began four years ago (mid-2017).

Further north, in the Pushtun tribal territories, a military patrol was ambushed by unidentified attackers, who fled after killing three soldiers.

April 29, 2021: Britain confirmed that at some point during its carrier task force deployment in the western Pacific and South China Sea it expects naval forces from the UAE, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Israel, India, Oman and South Korea, to participate in exercises with the task force.
The fire appears to have originated in between the walls of the building, and was discovered by employees, the fire marshals office reported. The fire took about an hour to control, according to the fire marshals office, and 60 firefighters responded. Nobody was injured. The restaurant sustained minimal damage to its contents and structure.
British model Stephanie Dubois died of thrombosis after vaccination with the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, The Sun reported.

The model died at the age of 39.

According to the publication, Dubois received the first dose of the vaccine on May 6 in Cyprus.

A week later after the vaccination, the woman was taken to a local hospital due to breathing issues. At that time, in her social networks, Dubois said that she had tremors all over her body and all joints tightened. She also suffered from constant headaches.

On May 19, Dubois was in a coma. Later, local media reported that the woman suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, which led to her death on May 22.

Health officials at the main government hospital in Cyprus in Nicosia said the model had no serious illnesses. They also noted that the causes of Dubois' death would be investigated by the European Medicines Agency.

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RALEIGH (AP)  State and federal officials are scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver gasoline in the Southeast U.S. after a hack of the nation's largest fuel pipeline led to panic-buying that contributed to more than 1,000 gas stations running out of fuel.

There is no gasoline shortage, according to government officials and energy analysts, but if the pipeline shutdown continues past the weekend, it could create broader fuel disruptions.

The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of what is consumed on the East Coast, was hit Friday with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of the nation's critical infrastructure.

The pipeline runs from the Gulf Coast to the New York metropolitan region, but states in the Southeast are more reliant on the pipeline for fuel. Other parts of the country have more sources to tap. For example, a substantial amount of fuel is delivered to states in the Northeast by massive tankers.

Keep scrolling for a gallery of photos of the panic-buying at gas stations in the Southeast US
Mikayla Taylor

School: Mark Morris High School

Age: 18

Hometown: Vancouver

Parents: Jon Taylor and Jodie Taylor

Plans: George Fox University pursing a bachelors in psychology and enrolled in honors

If you could talk to anyone, living or dead, who would it be? My grandmother

What would you order for your final meal? I like so many foods, but I would probably order chicken teriyaki with a caramel ribbon crunch Frappuccino on the side.

What is your secret talent? I have a knack for creative writing. I dont ever publish my work, I keep it to myself because I get a little bit shy, but I definitely have a talent.
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The department is raising around $20,000 for its next canine, which will be led by Officer Emilio Villagrana in a routine rotation of handlers.

McNew said funds will cover the cost of the dog, about two months of continual training and a kennel for the officers home.

Kelso's police dog aids in his first arrest, tracks Longview burglary suspect Kelsos new police dog Blue was only on the job a few days when he got the chance to show his training when he and his handler Sarah Brent res

Donations for the canine can be made in person at the Hudson Street station or by mail to P.O. Box 128, Longview, WA 98632.

Inseparable pair

For the past seven years, Libbey and Max have nearly been inseparable. During the day, Max patrolled the city on a padded mat in Libbeys car with a bowl of water. At night, he slept by Libbeys side at home.

He protected us by working for the city of Longview, Libbey said. Hes a pretty amazing dog.

When Max stumbled during a routine training last winter, Libbey took him to several veterinarians before receiving the cancer diagnosis. He is expected to live another seven months, Libbey said.

Today, Maxs medication helps him be his normal self, he said, as Libbeys three children, 10 to 19 years old, prepare to lose a piece of the family.
Everyone needs to understand that we hear you, but we are proceeding very, very cautiously," Commissioner Ron Williams said.

Arizona has also inspired calls by pro-Trump groups to push for their own pick to take over a post-election audit of a statehouse race in Windham, New Hampshire  home of former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

But the biggest new entry into the audit field is in Georgia's Fulton County, where a judge on Friday ruled that plaintiffs could inspect 147,000 mail ballots as part of their lawsuit alleging fraud in the most populous county in the state.

The lawsuit was spearheaded by Garland Favorito, a longtime skeptic of Georgia's voting systems who has embraced conspiracy theories about 9/11, Clinton-era scandals and Supreme Court justices. Favorito says he voted for Don Blankenship, the U.S. Constitution Party candidate for president, last year.

Our ultimate objective is the truth. What is the truth of this election? Favorito said in an interview. Dont tell us what the results are and then hide it from us and pretend we have to accept whatever you tell us.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran named seven candidates Tuesday for its June 18 presidential election, approving the candidacy of the hard-line cleric running the country's judiciary while barring a former parliament speaker allied to the country's current president.

The decision by Iran's Guardian Council puts judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, who ran against President Hassan Rouhani in 2017, in a dominant position for the upcoming vote. He's the most-known candidate of the seven hopefuls, with opinion polling previously showing his anti-corruption campaign drew Iranian support.

The announcement on state television didn't discuss the fact that former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, a conservative who allied with Rouhani in recent years, had been barred. Larijani had been positioning himself as a pragmatic candidate who would back Rouhani's signature 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. That accord is now in tatters as diplomats in Vienna try to negotiate a return of both Iran and the U.S. to the agreement.

Also barred was former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Rouhani's senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, a reformist. Ahmadinejad ignored a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2017 and registered, only to be rejected then as well by the Guardian Council.
Samsung Galaxy M32 is coming to India soon. Ahead of the official launch, Samsung has made the support page for the upcoming phone live. The Samsung Galaxy M32 support page does not reveal the specs of the phone but confirms the SM-M325F/DS model number.

Gizmochina (via Mysmartprice) points out that this is not the first time Samsung Galaxy M32 has made an early appearance on the web. Earlier this month, the phone was seen on the BIS database and Bluetooth SIG. It has also been spotted on the DEKRA certification site, which revealed the handset has a 6,000mAh battery. Just recently, it appeared on the Geekbench benchmarking site and Wi-Fi Alliance certification. The series of listings indicates the imminent launch of the phone.

As far as specifications go, Samsung Galaxy M32 will run on Android 11, and it will be powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 processor. It will also come with 6GB of RAM. As mentioned earlier, it will have a 6,000mAh battery.

According to rumours, Galaxy M32 will be a rebranded version of the Galaxy A32 except for a few minor changes.

Galaxy A32 comes with a smaller 5,000mAh battery. The handset, however, also comes with the MediaTek Helio G80 processor and 6GB of RAM. As for the rest of its specifications, Galaxy A32 comes with a 6.4-inch full HD+ Infinity-U sAMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It also features an in-screen fingerprint reader.

Bonus: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE

Samsung has launched a Fan Edition of the Galaxy Tab S7. The tablet comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and full HD video recording. It packs a 5-megapixel front camera. The Galaxy Tab S7 FE also houses a 10,090mAh battery that is said to last for up to 12 hours. On the software front, Galaxy Tab S7 FE runs Android 11-based One UI.

The device has a 12.4-inch LCD with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels. Under the hood of the tablet runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 1TB. Another model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is likely to launch soon.
A few hours after the latest cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger  a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip.

The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists in Gaza who confirmed their Whatsapp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists  working for Al Jazeera  confirmed their accounts had been restored.

The incident marks the latest puzzling move concerning WhatsApp's owner Facebook thats left Palestinian users or their allies bewildered as to why theyve been targeted by the company, or if indeed theyd been singled out for censorship at all.

Twelve of the 17 journalists contacted by the AP said they had been part of a WhatsApp group that disseminates information related to Hamas military operations. Hamas, which rules over the Gaza Strip, is viewed as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, where WhatsApp owner Facebook is headquartered.

It's unclear if the journalists were targeted because theyd been following that group's announcements on WhatsApp.

Hamas runs Gazas Health Ministry, which has a WhatsApp group followed by more than 80 people, many of them journalists. That group, for example, has not been blocked.

Hassan Slaieh, a freelance journalist in Gaza whose WhatsApp account is blocked, said he thinks his account might have been targeted because he was on a group called Hamas Media.

This has affected my work and my income because I lost conversations with sources and people, Slaieh said.

Also read: WhatsApp says it won't limit functionality for Indian users until Personal Data Protection law arrives

Al Jazeeras chief correspondent in Gaza, Wael al-Dahdouh, said his access to WhatsApp was blocked around dawn on Friday before it was reinstated Monday. He said journalists subscribe to Hamas groups only to get information needed to do journalistic work.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company bans accounts to comply with its policies to prevent harm as well as applicable law. The company said it has been in touch with media outlets over the last week about its practices. We will reinstate journalists if any were impacted, the company said.

Al Jazeera said that when it sought information regarding its four journalists in Gaza impacted by the blockage, they were told by Facebook that the company had blocked the numbers of groups based out of Gaza and consequently the cell phone numbers of Al Jazeera journalists were part of the groups they had blocked.

Among those affected by the WhatsApp blockage are two Agence France-Presse journalists. The Paris-based international news service told the AP it is working with WhatsApp to understand what the problem is and to restore their accounts.

The 11-day war caused widespread destruction across Gaza with 248 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, killed in the fighting. Israel says 12 people in Israel, including two children, also died.

It's not the first time journalists have been suddenly barred from WhatsApp. In 2019, a number of journalists in Gaza had their accounts blocked without explanation. The accounts of those working with international media organizations were restored after contacting the company.

Facebook and its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram were criticized this month for removing posts and deleting accounts by users posting about protests against efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalems Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It prompted an open letter signed by 30 organizations demanding to know why the posts had been removed.

The New York Times also reported that some 100 WhatsApp groups were used by Jewish extremists in Israel for the purpose of committing violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

WhatsApp said it does not have access to the contents of peoples personal chats, but that they ban accounts when information is reported they believe indicates a user may be involved in causing imminent harm. The company said it also responds to valid legal requests from law enforcement for the limited information available to us.

The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, or 7amleh, said in a report published this month that Facebook accepted 81% of requests made by Israels Cyber Unit to remove Palestinian content last year. It found that in 2020, Twitter suspended dozens of accounts of Palestinian users based on information from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Read more: Here's how Russia is censoring websites like Twitter without blocking them

Al-Dahdouh, the Al Jazeera correspondent, said although his account was restored, his past history of chats and messages was erased.

The groups and conversations were back, but content is erased, as if you are joining a new group or starting a new conversation, he said. I have lost information, images, numbers, messages and communications.

Al Jazeera said its journalists in Gaza had their WhatsApp accounts blocked by the host without prior notification.

Al Jazeera would like to strongly emphasize that its journalists will continue to use their WhatsApp accounts and other applications for newsgathering purposes and personal communication, the news network told the AP. At no time, have Al Jazeera journalists used their accounts for any means other than for personal or professional use.

The Qatar-based news network's office in Gaza was destroyed during the war by Israeli airstrikes that took down the high-rise residential and office tower, which also housed The Associated Press offices. Press freedom groups accused the military, which claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence, of trying to censor coverage of Israels offensive. The Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate.

Sada Social, a West Bank-based center tracking alleged violations against Palestinian content on social media, said it was collecting information on the number of Gaza-based journalists impacted by the latest WhatsApp decision.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The federal government plans to open California's coast to offshore wind development, the Biden administration announced Tuesday. The move could provide the state with a major source of renewable energy and cut its climate-warming emissions.

Under the plan, the administration would allow wind power projects to be built in a 399-square-mile area in federal waters off the coast of Central California northwest of Morro Bay. A second location west of Humboldt Bay has also been chosen as a possible area for future wind development. Officials estimate that the two areas combined could generate 4,600 megawatts of electricityenough to power 1.6 million homes.

The announcement comes amid a surge of interest in offshore wind power, which European countries have been using successfully for more than a decade, but which the United States has been slow to adopt. Despite wind energy's appealit produces no greenhouse gas emissions and has a minimal environmental footprintit hasn't made progress in California.

Both of the country's two existing wind farms are in the Atlantic Ocean, and plans for the nation's first commercial-scale wind development, which the administration recently approved, center on coastal waters off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Another dozen wind projects along the East Coast are under federal review.

Although there has been no shortage of interest from wind farm developers in sites along California's coastparticularly off the Central Coast and Humboldt Bayefforts have been stymied by regulatory obstacles, engineering challenges created by the Pacific Ocean floor's steep drop-off, and environmentalists' concerns about the impact the infrastructure could have on migratory birds, marine life and fisheries.

The Department of Defense has also pushed back on expanding offshore wind into California, warning that developments could interfere with the military's exercises and operations. But the department's top policy officials appear to have changed their position under Biden. On Tuesday, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, Colin Kahl, said the military had worked with the White House and California officials to find locations suitable for offshore wind development that wouldn't impede military activity.

"The Defense Department applauds this step and looks forward to continued coordination to address the climate crisis," Kahl said in a statement.

The administration's plans for the California coast are part of a broader effort to fight climate change by shifting the country's energy sources away from oil, gas and coal and toward cleaner technology like solar and wind energy.

The White House has set a goal of deploying 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Officials estimate that hitting this target could spur $12 billion in capital investments in projects on both coasts and employ more than 77,000 people in the offshore wind industry itself and in jobs that spring up around it. They envision bringing much of the industry's supply chain to the U.S. so that wind turbine components and the steel they're forged from are manufactured domestically.

In its first step toward that target, administration officials in March announced plans to greatly expand wind development off the East Coast. They chose an area between the New York and New Jersey coasts as a priority spot for new leasing, and both states committed to buy thousands of megawatts of new electricity if wind turbines are eventually installed there.

Tuesday's announcement means that the federal government will begin holding auctionsjust as it does when leasing public land and water to fossil fuel companies. Wind developers will bid on parcels, giving them the right to apply for permits to install turbines.

The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management oversees this process, which can take years to unfold as proposed projects undergo environmental review, and the bureau collects and responds to public comments. The first lease offering on the West Coast isn't expected until 2022.

Even if projects clear these hurdles, they're likely to face lawsuits and opposition campaigns from property owners along the coast, some of whom have expressed distaste at the prospect of wind turbines altering the area's iconic ocean views.

As for the engineering challenges, the California coast presents an interesting problem: Unlike the Atlantic coast, which is shallow enough to secure offshore wind infrastructure to the seafloor, the Pacific coastline is so deep that the only viable way to install offshore wind would be to build floating turbines that are tethered in place by cables to the ocean floor.

Floating offshore wind technology is still relatively new, but the industry has made significant progress in recent years. In 2017, a floating wind farm off the northeastern coast of Scotland demonstrated that it can be done.

Karen Douglas, a member of the California Energy Commission who has played a leading role in negotiations with the federal government, predicted it could be a decade before offshore wind farms start generating a significant amount of electricity. Any projects would need to undergo a thorough environmental review to study the potential consequences for fishing, shipping, marine life and views from the beach.

They would also need the blessing of numerous state agencies, including the California Coastal Commission and the California State Lands Commission. Officials from the California Ocean Protection Council, as well as California Department of Fish and Wildlife, have also been following the issue closelyfilling in data gaps and working to ensure that any offshore wind projects would be developed in an environmentally sensitive way.

"It becomes a balance of wanting things to move forward on a pace that we need them to move forward on given climate and given our goals, but also our commitment to do a really good job on the environmental side and on the public engagement side," Douglas said.

New spending proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month could help speed things up.

The governor's revised budget includes $20 million to boost offshore wind. The money would go toward environmental science positions at state agencies to analyze project proposals, public outreach and port upgrades at Humboldt Bay that could support the development of an offshore wind farm along the state's North Coast, among other priorities.

Building offshore wind farms would be a "game changer," Newsom said Tuesday.

The Central Coast is an especially valuable spot for offshore wind because developers could connect their projects to existing electrical grid infrastructure at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant near San Luis Obispo, which is scheduled to close in 2025. A shuttered gas plant in Morro Bay could also offer an ideal spot for a wind farm to connect to the grid and send electricity to Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area or other cities.

Energy experts say there's little question offshore wind will eventually be neededit's just a matter of how much, and how soon.

A report released by the California Energy Commission, the Public Utilities Commission and the Air Resources Board in March concluded that the cheapest path to 100% clean energy would involve building 10,000 megawatts of offshore windmore than four times as much power as the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant generates. And that figure may be an underestimate.

Explore further US approves its biggest offshore wind farm yet

2021 the Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
In this April 17, 2007 file photo, exhibitors work on laptop computers in front of an illuminated sign of the Google logo at the industrial fair Hannover Messe in Hanover, Germany. German regulators have launched an investigation into Google's position in the market, and how the search and advertising giant handles user data. Credit: AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File

German regulators have launched an investigation into Google's position in the market, and how the search engine and advertising giant handles user data.

The Federal Cartel Office, or Bundeskartellamt, said Tuesday that it has started proceedings against Google entities in Germany, Ireland and California based on new provisions in German competition law that apply to large digital companies. Similar probes were launched into the activities of Facebook and Amazon in recent months.

Google denied that its practices breach German competition rules.

Under provisions which came into force in January, the Federal Cartel Office can ban companies that are of "paramount significance for competition across markets" from engaging in practices deemed to be anti-competitive.

"Due to the large number of digital services offered by Google, such as the Google search engine, YouTube, Google Maps, the Android operating system or the Chrome browser, the company could be considered to be of paramount significance for competition across markets," the head of the regulatory body, Andreas Mundt, said in a statement.

A second probe will examine Google's data processing terms, which are often lengthy and difficult for users to understand.

"A key question in this context is whether consumers wishing to use Google's services have sufficient choice as to how Google will use their data," Mundt said.

The regulators said it would examine whether Google requires users to agree to the processing of their data if they want to use its services, "without giving them sufficient choice as to whether, how and for what purpose such data is processed."

The cartel office said it would also examine how the company's data processing policy affects information it obtains on users from third-party websites and apps.

Google said it would cooperate with the probe, but insisted that it gives consumers easy means to control how their information is used and that it limits the use of their personal data.

"People use Google because our services are helpful to them, not because they are forced to do so or because they can't find alternatives," said Google spokesman Ralf Bremer.

Explore further Germany opens antitrust probe into Amazon with tougher law

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Senior Deputy Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said that discarded smoking materials could not be discounted as a possible cause of the fire. Because sprinklers were not required by code on the exterior balcony, the fire was able to spread upward to the roof more easily.
An internal memo suggests Huawei will mount an all-out push in the software sector.

Chinese tech giant Huawei on Tuesday said it would launch a long-awaited new operating system for smartphones next week, part of an all-out push into the software industry aimed at weathering US sanctions and taking on Google's Android.

Huawei tipped the June 2 launch of its HarmonyOS platform in a short teaser on social media, just as an internal memo came to light in which company founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei outlined plans to go big in software.

The 76-year-old assured staff that "in the software domain, the US will have very little control over our future development, and we have much autonomy."

Huawei's plans are the latest signs of a radical transformation at the Shenzhen-based company, which is moving quickly into new product lines seen as less vulnerable to US pressure and a re-focus on its core domestic market.

Donald Trump in 2018 launched an aggressive US campaign to isolate Huawei when he was president, saying its networking equipment installed worldwide could be used by China's Communist Party for espionage or sabotage.

The world's largest maker of telecom networking gear was barred from the huge American market and cut off from global component supply chains. Access to Google's Android operating system was also forbidden, and Washington has pressured allies to ban or rip out Huawei gear from their telecom networks.

The Android curbs have threatened to torpedo Huawei's smartphone businessonce in the global top three along with Samsung and Appleforcing it to create HarmonyOS.

Analysts warn that creating a successful new mobile operating system is exceedingly difficult in a world where Android and iOS are firmly entrenched, and next Wednesday's launch will be watched closely by the tech world.

Huawei gave no further details on the launch other than the timing.

A move into software is prudent for Huawei, which remains years away from developing chips needed for its own devices, said Marc Einstein, Chief Analyst at IRT Corporation in Tokyo.

The timing is also good because the advent of 5G networks in years to come will radically change the tech landscape, offering major new opportunities in artificial intelligence, wired "smart cities", intelligent vehicles and other tech spheres.

"Some of these things are still very, very early days and there's no real gorilla in the market yet," said Einstein.

"So it does make sense to go in this direction."

'Ample resources'

Huawei had already announced in April that it would work with Chinese automakers to develop intelligent vehicles, after earlier unveiling moves into enterprise and cloud computing.

Saying "the best defence is a good offence", Ren's memo outlined an ambitious plan to develop software that "embraces the world".

"The company has ample resources to support you, so feel free to boldly invest materials and human resources during your work," he said.

But he admitted that the US moves to deprive Huawei of access to semiconductors meant that "objectively speaking, the only domain in which we can extend our roots deep is software".

The memo, provided to AFP by the company, summarised discussions in April between Ren and technical staff. It offered few specifics on what software products Huawei could pursue.

Huawei's mobile phone sales, along with overall revenue growth, have sagged since last year as the US sanctions began to bite.

The firm sold its Honor budget smartphone brand late last year as it shuffled its product mix, but has vowed to retain its flagship handset brand.

But Einstein warned that while Huawei's size and expertise will make it formidable, success is not assured.

It will need to compete against domestic tech giants such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, which have all pushed into software and cloud computing, and the US-imposed hurdles overseas could curb its appeal in foreign markets, he said.

China and Huawei fiercely reject the US security allegations, saying no evidence has ever been provided.

Explore further Huawei releases OS source code in push for own ecosystem

 2021 AFP
An aerial view of the US Cyber Command joint operations center on the NSA campus is seen on May 25, 2020, in Fort Meade, Maryland.

If the Pentagon's Cyber Command launches an online attack and nobody knows about it, does it deter anyone?

Many Americans are asking what the country's army of cyber warriors are doing after repeated attacks on US computer systems by Chinese, Russian and other hackers.

The answer may have been in the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade's subtle retweet on May 14 of a security firm's scoop that ransomware extortionist Darkside had been digitally shut down.

No one knows who took control of Darkside's servers, a week after the shady Russia-based hackers forced the closure of a major US oil pipeline, causing gasoline shortages across the Eastern US.

But suspicions are that the 10-year-old CyberCom may have stepped in, to punish Darkside and to signal the small army of ransomware providers operating out of Eastern Europe that they too are vulnerable.

Even as it remains quiet, CyberCom's role is hotly debated: is it to undertake strategic attacks during war, or to constantly joust online with adversaries' military and intelligence hackers, or to go after non-military hackers like Darkside, normally the purview of law enforcement?

Malware strike on Iran

The first sign that the US Defense Department was playing offense in the online world was in 2010 when it became known that a destructive, US and Israel-created computer worm Stuxnet had infected and damaged Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.

Cyberwarfare then was seen as a way of attacking or deterring enemies by wrecking their infrastructure with devastating malware strikes.

Since then, however, the US government and private business have been hit time and time again, by Chinese stealing government databases and corporate secrets, Russia hacking US elections, North Koreans stealing bitcoins, and ransomware operators extorting hundreds of millions of dollars from companies, hospitals, and local authorities.

But without any news about their exploits, it didn't seem like the Pentagon was either punishing or deterring attackers.

Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and commander of the US Cyber Command, speaks at a 2021 House Intelligence Committee hearing.

They are, General Paul Nakasone, CyberCom commander, told a recent Congressional hearing.

"When we see elements that are that are operating out of US, we try to impose the largest cost possible," he said.

"Imposing costs" meant exposing the hackers, or counterattacking, he said.

But he refused to give any examples of their work.

'Persistent engagement'

Jon Lindsay, a University of Toronto assistant professor who researches online military conflict, said the cyberwar strategy had shifted since Stuxnet.

At that time, "cyber was looked at as a digital weapon of mass destruction," something that could punish, or threaten to punish adversaries to deter their attacks.

"It was a very high level, presidentially controlled, covert action," to be used strategically and sparingly, Lindsay said.

Since then, it has become something else: an ongoing low-level fight that doesn't require top-level approval, called "persistent engagement," that does not focus on deterrence.

"It's very, very difficult, if not impossible, to deter adversarial activities in cyberspace. So what CyberCom needs to be able to do is be constantly engaged, constantly operating forward in the adversaries' networks," said Lindsay.

The Colonial Pipeline Houston Station: the FBI identified the group behind the hack of Colonial Pipeline as shadowy operation DarkSide.

Intelligence contest

That makes CyberCom more like ongoing intelligence operations, collecting information, blocking adversaries, and slightly escalating when the other side is seen to have gone too far.

Revealing what the Pentagon does could have deterrence value, according to Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, a senior information scientist at RAND Corp.

Some people, she said, believe that "if we never give concrete examples of, we went in, we did that, then no one's ever going to believe us."

But there is also a challenge of definitively attributing the source of an attack, especially when a state actor is suspected of being behind it.

But, she added, if there is certainty about an attacker's identity, going public with attribution "could potentially reveal something about our own capabilities."

In addition, boasting about CyberCom's exploits risks escalationforcing adversaries to retaliate to satisfy their own public.

"So I think you see people kind of erring on the side of caution," not announcing what they do, said Bodine-Baron.

Lindsay said the US and its main adversaries now treat cyber conflict as a way of avoiding escalation.

"There's something about cyber that makes people unwilling to escalate," he told AFP.

"What we're looking at is not military warfare, it's an intelligence contest."

"Intelligence contests go on in peacetime. They shape the possibilities for war, but they try to make war less likely," he said.

"Actually, there is there is no good example of cyber escalating something to a kinetic conflict," he said.

Explore further Servers of Colonial Pipeline hacker Darkside forced down: security firm

 2021 AFP
The two biggest Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce fundraisers of the year, Chamber Experience and Business & Bites, have been combined into one event for the first time. And it wont be the last.
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It is not clear what route Kahl took to the department building or how fast he was going, Terry said. When Kahl arrived, he hit a parked car, then lined his vehicle up with the doors, hopped the curb and rammed it through the building, he said. The doors are not reinforced.
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Bryan resident Scott Williams, who joined the walk with his wife, Crystal, and their friend Teresa Wilt of College Station, said they all have military experience and understand what it means to lose someone.

This is just something that we do to honor their memory and honor those who served, he said.

Kim Coates, a Carry the Load leg captain and Dallas firefighter, said the events promote a sense of community in each city.

Its a sense of purpose that I dont think you just get in everyday life, following your own desires and your own goals, she said. Its something thats bigger than yourself. Its just a very incredible feeling to be able to do that.

There are four Carry the Load relays across the country reminding people that Memorial Day means more than sales and barbecues, Golden said. The West Coast Relay started in Seattle and included stops in San Diego, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Odessa, Midland, San Antonio and Houston. The Brazos Valley stops are part of the groups journey north to Dallas, where all four relays will converge Memorial Day weekend.
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A search of Lucas pockets resulted in the finding of a glass pipe containing methamphetamine residue, as well as a small plastic baggie containing suspected meth.

While this was happening, (Lucas) had his wife on speaker phone on the roof of his car and he yelled to her, Im going to jail for possession.

The officer asked him what was in his pocket and Lucas said it was methamphetamine.

It was noted that Lucas is a lifetime registered sex offender and he is supposed to provide information about all the vehicles he owns or operates. The investigating officer said the vehicle Lucas was driving was not listed in his sex offender registration  and that he had been contacted by law enforcement before, while using that vehicle, on April 4, 2020, Oct. 8, 2020, and April 13, 2021  which is a violation of the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry Act.

It was also noted that Lucas was out on bond, at that time, for a sex offender registry violation and has a prior conviction for this same offense.

Sentencing was set for July 26.

Lucas attorney, David Michel, asked for a bond reduction for his client. He has small children and a job that he needs to get back to. We are asking for it to be reduced to $5,000, 10 percent.
Manhattan, KS (66502)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
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?

You voted:
She and her best friend, Nawal Adil, founded the service club Students Working to Effectively End Poverty, or SWEEP, in 2018. The club works on advocacy and fundraising to combat global issues such as water crises, poverty and homelessness. Members worked with the Los Angeles-based Thirst Project to raise money to ensure 45 people in a village in the African nation of Eswatini have clean drinking water.
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This philosophy of learning is based on rethinking or experience and building our own understanding of the world we live in, Lin said.

Think of it this way, Lin explains. We know 1+1=2 or that if you want to divide  by , you invert and multiply so after the calculations are completed, the answer is 2. The constructive perspective explains why these equations work this way.

Its a philosophy about how to help people better understand the math concept in a simple way instead of feeding them a formula and testing them. Teaching math isnt like training a robot. Were teaching human beings, Lin said. We want them to understand the reasoning behind a solution and how they got an answer so they can apply that reasoning to future problems in life. Its not just about earning a test score.

Perhaps surprisingly, he said, people often get excited about math once they get the hang of it with this philosophy. For instance, he said there hundreds of ways to prove the accuracy of the Pythagorean Theorem, the formula for determining the length of a side of a right triangle based on the lengths of the other two sides. But by using a simple hands-on activity, someone can discover a method of proving the theorem themselves, and they likely will never forget it.
No white person has ever been imprisoned for taking part in the massacre, and no Black survivor or descendant has been justly compensated for who and what they lost.

What happened in Tulsa wasnt just unique to Tulsa, said the Rev. Robert Turner, the pastor of Vernon AME Church. This happened all over the country. It was just that Tulsa was the largest. It damaged our community. And we havent rebounded since. I think its past time that justice be done to atone for that.

Some Black-owned businesses operate today at Greenwood and Archer avenues. But its indeed a shadow of what has been described in books and seen in century-old photographs of Greenwood in its heyday.

A $30 million history center and museum, Greenwood Rising, will honor the legacy of Black Wall Street with exhibits depicting the district before and after the massacre, according to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. But critics have said the museum falls far short of delivering justice or paying reparations to living survivors and their descendants.
"The letter alleges violating the open meetings law that could result in litigation," Walton said, adding he does not anticipate the prospect of litigation to hinder supervisors from going ahead with Tuesday's planned vote on an appointment.

Maxwell on Monday was critical of the secretive process used by Beck and Knobbe to fill the auditor vacancy, and said he will likely not vote Tuesday to appoint their unnamed candidate. Maxwell, however, did not rule out doing so in the future, after having time to "vet this person."

"I'm not saying I won't vote for this person eventually, but I can tell you I don't feel comfortable voting without knowing that it's a good candidate to put in there," Maxwell said. "The only way that I would is if I said, 'Oh! That's the person. I know this person. I know this person very well, and I do feel comfortable.' But that, I think, is pretty rare."

As for Croken's call for an investigation and the prospect of a lawsuit, "I welcome it," Maxwell said.

"Bring it on," he said. "I know I've got a winner. ... John Maxwell doesn't lie."

Knobbe last week told the Times "the public will certainly have a chance to weigh in" on the auditor appointment Tuesday.
The woman has a full sleeve tattoo on her right arm with the image of a praying angel with rosary beads on her upper arm, flowers on the middle of her arm and an angel on her lower arm. She has the word livestrong with a star tattooed on her stomach and an unidentified symbol on her upper back.
The past few years have been incredibly difficult for hog farmers like me. After more than two years of trade retaliation that limited our ability to compete effectively around the globe, the COVID pandemic unleashed unprecedented challenges for the entire food supply chain. Now, just as we are returning to normalcy, another looming disaster threatens my livelihood and the prosperity of many hog farmers like me if not quickly addressed. It will also erode industry competition by placing more market power in the hands of pork packing plant operators.

Recently, a federal court decision struck down a provision of the U.S. Department of Agricultures New Swine Inspection System (NSIS), which allows for pork processing facilities to operate at a faster rate. NSIS, initiated during the Clinton administration and evaluated at five pilot plants over 20 years, was approved for industry-wide adoption in 2019. Unless reversed by June 29, the federal court ruling will result in a 2.5 percent loss in pork packing plant capacity nationwide, and $82.3 million in reduced income for hog farmers, according to Dr. Dermot Hayes, an economist with Iowa State University.
We have some grant programs, and well be helping install internet around the state. The kind of things I look for are tactical details that we can use to make very precise changes.

If you all can give me tactical details, we might be able to get internet installed in specific homes in South Carolina and then provide that as a telehealth platform for behavioral health and other things. Im committed to the mission, he said.

TCCADA board member Dr. Tasha Louis-Nance is also coordinator of social emotional learning and behavioral support in the Orangeburg County School District. She said the BOBC2 is needed.

This is something weve wanted for a while. Were very excited that it is up and running and have wonderful people working with the Tri-County Commission. It is definitely needed. Weve had students that have actually admitted to being addicted to certain substances and how it impacted them mentally, Louis-Nance said.

Orangeburg County Library Director Anna Zacherl said the library is in the process of getting its own social workers on staff through a grant from the S.C. Office of Rural Health.
COLUMBIA  A South Carolina woman was convicted of shooting into her African American and Mexican neighbors homes while shouting racial epithets, prompting the sheriff on the case to say the state needs a hate crimes law.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told The State newspaper that such a law would have let the judge enhance the 20-year sentence given to Mandy Fortson after a jury on Friday found her guilty of attempted murder and other charges.

Prosecutors said Fortson went into her backyard in 2017 and shot at two of her neighbors homes  an apartment with an African American family and a house with a Mexican family  while children were inside both dwellings.

Authorities said Fortson, who is white, yelled racial epithets about African Americans and Mexicans while firing a nearly foot-long revolver.

An African American man was struck by the bullets in the wrist and the hip, 5th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson said. No one was physically injured in the other home, though the family's children remain traumatized, Gipson added.

During her trial, Fortson, a former county paramedic, denied shooting into the homes. Prosecutors said they never identified a motive for the crime despite the amount of evidence against Fortson.
Bell said Terry and Simpson also are charged in a previously unreported shooting. A motorist, whose name was not released, reported being shot at 10 times while he was driving on Highway 170 in the St. Louis area on May 15. Three bullets hit his car, but he was not injured.

Investigators are still trying to determine why the suspects were in the St. Louis area, Bell said.

Simpson, who had a black eye in her booking photo, was the victim when Terry was arrested on a first-degree criminal domestic violence charge a year ago. Terry hit his girlfriend so hard that she lost hearing in one ear and an eye swelled shut, according to an arrest warrant from Chester.

Police in Myrtle Beach also charged Terry with domestic violence after he hurt Simpsons hand and broke her phone in a March 31 argument, according to a police report.

Simpson's mother, who said she spoke with her after her arrest, said Terry was physically and mentally abusive and her daughter was scared of him but also loved him. The couple was together in Missouri and investigators are retracing their route as they traveled there from South Carolina to see if any other crimes were committed.
Job Title: Officer Disaster Preparedness, Health and Safety (Fresher Job Vacancies)

Organization: Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Ref. No: DSC 15/70/01 Vol.2

About US:

Kampala Capital City Authority is the legal entity, established by the Ugandan Parliament that is responsible for the operations of the capital city of Kampala in Uganda. It replaced the Kampala City Council.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: The incumbent will be responsible to the Supervisor Disaster Preparedness, Health and Safety for performing the following duties:-

Implementing the health and safety and disaster preparedness plan for the Authority in line with the guidelines from the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management Human Resource and Administration guidelines.

Collecting information on issues pertaining health and safety and disaster preparedness in accordance with the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management, Uganda Public Service Standing Orders, Human Resource and Administration guidelines.

Supporting staff in identification of issues on disaster preparedness, health and safety hazards connected to work and controls designed to protect against them in accordance to National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management, and Human Resource and Administration guidelines.

Preparing, maintaining and updating a data base on activities carried out in the Unit in accordance to Human Resource and Administration guidelines and Disaster Preparedness, Health and Safety guidelines.

Implementing the Health and Safety and Disaster preparedness systems and control measures in line with the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management and Human Resource and Administration guidelines.

Updating the Disaster Preparedness, Health and Safety logbook on incidents, checks undertaken, drills organized, and training activities conducted in accordance to Human Resource and Administration guidelines.

Conducting risk assessments in the various work situations in accordance to the Disaster Preparedness health and safety guidelines and Human Resource and Administration guidelines.

Any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The applicants for the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Officer Disaster Preparedness, Health and Safety jobs should be Ugandans holding Honours Bachelors Degrees in either Engineering, or Science, or Information Technology, or Finance and Accounting, with a bias in Risk Management, or Medicine, or Public Health from a recognized University or Institution`. Professional Qualification in Health and Safety will be an added advantage.

Applicants should have a minimum of two (2) years relevant working experience at Assistant Officer or Officer level in either managing risk or health and safety in Government or from a reputable organization.

Age: Above 25 years

How to Apply:

All candidates who wish to join Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) are encouraged to apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 7th June 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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Other members of Floyds family met in Washington with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who urged Congress to quickly pass a law in Floyds name that would bring changes to policing. A moment of silence to honor Floyd was also held in New York and a rally was held in Los Angeles. Globally, a rally took place in Germany and Floyds death was marked by U.S. embassies in Greece and Spain.
An official stamp in the passport that authorizes a person to travel to another country for work or study for a specific time period is known as a visa. It is, in fact, an authorizing document that gives the right to foreigners to enter or stay in the territory of the United Kingdom. It may be an official stamp that you receive in your passport or it may be a document given by the UK embassy or consulate.

All countries including the United Kingdom require a work permit visa for workers. Short-term and long-term work permit visas can be available to a person by the application. There are a lot of people who apply for UK visas due to many reasons. Most people apply for a visa to study, work, or to do any type of legal business. For tourism or for a short stay, most people apply for UK visas. The process of applying for a UK visa may differ. It depends on the type of visa that you are applying for.

This article tends to highlight the major procedure that should be undertaken to apply for UK visas and work permits. You will come to know about the major mistakes that should be avoided while applying for visas and work permits. Moreover, if you want to get reliable services of translation in visas and work permits, you must contact a well-known translation agency like Kings of Translation. So, do not wait any more, and lets take a start now!

Why do you need to apply for visas and work permits?

There are various types of UK visas that depend on the type of work you do or the length of your stay in the UK. Every visa type has several procedures and requirements. So, before applying for visas and work permits, you need to know the difference between its types. You need to know what procedure must be followed if you want to apply for permanent or temporary residence permits as well as self-employment visas. If you are from Switzerland or from EU countries, there is no need to apply for a UK visa. But if you are not from the EU, Switzerland, or EEA, you have to apply for a UK visa if you want to spend six months or more in the UK. At first, a temporary visa will be given to you but you can become a permanent resident of the UK after this period ends.

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To get a work visa, you need to have a valid passport or travel ID. Plus, the proof of English language proficiency with proof of your financial means is also necessary. Keep in mind that you cannot enter the country unless and until proper UK visa, as well as an entry clearance, has been issued to you.

Major mistakes you make when applying for visas and work permits

A UK visa has its own unique eligibility requirements. It requires supporting documents that you must have with you while applying for a visa. There are some major mistakes that you make when applying for visas and work permits. Most people apply too early or too late for the visa. Remember the timing of the application process depends on each category of visa. The total processing time for a UK visa may take up to three weeks so, it is better to apply for a visa at least three months before you intend to travel. In this way, the UK consulate will have enough time to process your visa. If you apply too late, you will find yourself running out of the time. And if you apply too early, it may lead to delays.

UK immigration law changes constantly. Hence, the application forms are also changing. Therefore, it is your responsibility to use the correct and up-to-date application form so there is no risk of making an invalid application.

Get reliable services of translation in visas and work permits from Kings of Translation

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HARARE, Jan. 26 (Xinhua)  The COVID-19-induced restrictions that have been imposed by countries around the world are constraining grain imports in Zimbabwe, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe Chairman Tafadzwa Musarara said Tuesday.

Many countries around the globe have imposed various restrictions to curb the spread of the pandemic, some of which include national lockdowns, travel restrictions and border closures.

Primarily, this is affecting our grain importation. For instance, the Botswana governments tough restrictions have made it impossible to transit maize via Botswana. This has consequently resulted in congestion at Beitbridge and slowing down of grain imports, Musarara was quoted as saying by the Herald newspaper.

He said a 6 pm to 6 am curfew in Zimbabwe had also slowed down the movement of grain deliveries countrywide.

Due to successive droughts in recent years, Zimbabwe has been forced to import maize and wheat to plug the deficit.

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However, Musarara said with the imminent bumper maize crop expected this year, the country is anticipated to stop maize imports once harvesting starts around April.

Zimbabwe requires 1.8 million tonnes of maize for both human and livestock consumption annually and is this year expecting to harvest 2.8 million tonnes, up from 1.1 million tonnes produced last year.

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NEW YORK (AP)  If there's one place where people could fear the coronavirus more than a vaccination needle, it's the Far Rockaway section of Queens: Nearly 460 residents of the seaside neighborhood have died of COVID-19.

That's one out of every 146 people who live there, making for one of New York City's highest death rates. And yet, no other place in the city has a lower percentage of vaccinated people.

As of Monday, only 29% of people living in Far Rockaways ZIP code, 11691, had received even one vaccine dose, according to data from the New York City Health Department. That compares to a rate of 49% citywide and nationally.

The situation in the community of around 67,000 people illustrates the challenges facing health officials in many places as they try to overcome hesitancy fueled by mistrust, misinformation and fear.

We have a good amount of people that still dont want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason, said Diana Catalan, a health clinic manager involved in the Far Rockaway inoculation effort whose father, a neighborhood resident, died of the virus in February.
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Hours later, Bouchard told the Star-Tribune that he impregnated the girl when she was 14 and he was 18.

So, bottom line, its a story when I was young, two teenagers, girl gets pregnant, he said in the Facebook Live video. Youve heard those stories before. She was a little younger than me, so its like the Romeo and Juliet story.

Bouchard told the Star-Tribune he legally married the girl when she was 15 and he was 19. He said he was never charged with a crime in connection with the relationship.

The Star-Tribune reached out to the Florida State Bar, Florida State University College of Law, the Florida attorney general, public defenders, current and former prosecutors, and multiple law firms, and none of them were able to offer substantial answers on Floridas laws concerning age of consent at the time.

On Friday, the U.K.s Daily Mail published the story that apparently prompted Bouchard to make the Facebook Live video. It cited an unnamed Republican operative who is in the Donald Trump faction of the party.
Im the Marjorie Taylor Greene of Wyoming because I want to get stuff done. Im tired of listening to people complain, Belinskey said when she first announced her candidacy.

Belinskey said Tuesday she does not believe that mask recommendations and the Holocaust are similar, but she stands by Greene.

Its her comment and she has every right to make it, Belinskey said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy issued a statement criticizing Greens comments.

Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling, the tweet read. Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.

But the full statement pivoted away from Greene.

At a time when the Jewish people face increased violence and threats, anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Democrat Party and is completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, McCarthys statement said.
Are we trending up or down?

The states 14-day average in confirmed cases is 60 per day. That number is up 15.1 from a month ago.

The states 14-day average in total cases is 73.9 per day. That number is up 15.1 from a month ago.

The states number of confirmed active cases is 255. That number is up 11 from a month ago.

The states number of total active cases is 462. That number is up 22 from a month ago.

Where are the cases coming from?

Laramie (223), Sweetwater (128) and Campbell (108) counties have had the most confirmed cases over the past 14 days.

Platte (3.8%), Sweetwater (3.0%) and Laramie (2.8%) counties have had the highest percentage of their confirmed cases come from the past 14 days.
Porter also addressed a rumor that Banner Health is only interested in sending Wyoming patients to its Colorado facilities, which he said couldnt be further from the truth.

The reason (Banner) bought it is to keep Wyoming patients in Wyoming, he said, reiterating one of his primary talking points since arriving in Casper.

Wyoming Medical Center is one of four Banner facilities in the state. The others are critical access hospitals in Torrington, Wheatland and Worland, each with just 25 beds.

Porter explained he wants to see the Casper hospital become a hub to receive patients needing more specialty care from the other Banner facilities as well as Wyomings other rural providers.

You can approach it one of two ways; you can compete, he said. That doesnt make friends. Our position is we want to partner with these hospitals.

That philosophy is already on display at the Wyoming Medical Center, Porter explained. When he arrived in Casper, the hospital turned away 20-30 patients from outside the county every month.

In his first few months, the hospital ramped up staff and developed a culture of yes to accept outside patients, Porter said.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The government leaders of Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic held intensive talks Tuesday in an attempt to solve a years-long dispute that resurfaced recently over a Polish coal mine .

The Czech government says the brown coal Turow mine, located in southwestern Poland, near the Czech and German borders, is draining groundwater from communities and causing other environmental harm to Czech citizens.

It took the case to the top European Union court, which last week issued a temporary injunction ordering Poland to immediately halt coal extraction at the site pending the court's full ruling.

But Polish authorities are defying the order, saying they cannot close the mine because doing so would lead to power cuts for millions of Poles, suspend the operation of industrial plants and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. The mine directly fuels a power plant that produces up to 7% of Poland's energy.

The dispute underlines coal's potential as an irritant in relations among EU nations as the bloc seeks to reach an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Poland has made some progress toward developing green energy and closing coal mines, but the process has been slow and hampered by the country's historic dependence on coal to heat homes and power industry.
FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert said yesterday that the proposal to increase the retirement age to 65 from the current age of 60 is under active consideration, but he said the Government has not made a firm decision on the matter as yet.
Countries need to foster synergy in restoring biodiversity

09:11, May 25, 2021 By He Yin ( People's Daily

May 22 marked this year's International Day for Biological Diversity. Themed "We're part of the solution," it called on the international society to work in solidarity and contribute wisdom and efforts to biodiversity conservation.

Photo taken on April 26, 2021, shows giant panda twin sisters at the Beijing Zoo. (People's Daily Online/Du Jianpo)

Biodiversity provides the very basis for the human race to survive and thrive, and serves as the root and lifeblood for building a shared future for all life on earth.

As the extinction of species quickens, the declining of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation are posing major threats on humankind's existence and development. As a result, human beings must protect biodiversity with even fiercer determination and actions and build a community of life for man and nature.

China has always made biodiversity protection an important part of ecological progress as well as a focal point for advancing high-quality growth. Biodiversity conservation has been gradually incorporated into various kinds of plans and programs in the country.

China has formulated and implemented the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2030) and rolled out more than 10 laws and regulations related to biodiversity.

By the end of 2018, China had identified 11,800 protected areas, which accounted for more than 18 percent of China's land mass, achieving ahead of schedule one of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, which calls for at least 17 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas to be conserved through well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures by 2020.

The increasing numbers of snow leopards in Sanjiangyuan on the Tibetan Plateau that contains the headwaters of the Yellow, Yangtze, and Mekong Rivers, the multiplication of giant pandas in Qinling Mountains, as well as the Taishan willows springing up in Taishan Mountain, all indicate the outstanding performance of China in biodiversity protection.

China has steadily advanced major projects for ecological protection and restoration. From 2009 to 2019, the country planted 70.39 million hectares of forests, the largest increase in forest resources among all countries during the period.

Photo taken on May 13, 2021, shows an aerial view of the picturesque Huanghai National Forest Park in east China's Jiangsu province. (People's Daily Online/Xu Congjun)

Through unremitting efforts, China has put into effective protection 90 percent of terrestrial ecosystem types and 85 percent of key wildlife populations.

Building a beautiful China has increasingly become a consensus among the Chinese people, and will also contribute to building a beautiful world of harmony among all beings on the planet.

As a major participant in, contributor to, and champion of world biodiversity conservation, China has involved itself deeply in international exchanges and cooperation in this field.

In September 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the UN Summit on Biodiversity, in which he made four proposals for turning the earth into a beautiful homeland for all creatures to live in harmony out of a sense of responsibility for the entire human civilization.

The Chinese leader stressed the concept of respecting nature, following its laws, and protecting it, and offered Chinese solutions and wisdom for man and nature living in harmony.

China has taken seriously its obligations under environment-related international treaties, established the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition with international partners, carried out exchanges and cooperation in environmental protection with over 100 countries, and implemented an array of cooperation projects for biodiversity conservation.

China's efforts and contributions have been acknowledged by the international community. Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, believes that China's stewardship in climate action and efforts to restore biodiversity will inject vitality into the global green agenda.

Staff members of a giant salamander rescue center in central China's Hunan province check the growth of a giant salamander, May 22, 2021. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yongbing)

The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is scheduled to be held in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province, under the theme of Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth in October this year.

The meeting will review and take a final decision on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, thus pointing the way to global biodiversity conservation.

As the host country of COP15, China is happy to share with all parties its experience of advancing biodiversity conservation and governance, jointly mapping out a blueprint for restoring biodiversity.

As an ancient Chinese philosopher said, "Heaven and earth were born at the same time I was, and the ten thousand things are one with me."

Global biodiversity conservation still has a long way to go, and countries share the same boat along the way. As long as they work in solidarity and foster a synergy in protecting biodiversity, they can build and enjoy a beautiful homeland for all creatures to live in harmony.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Until now, there has been secrecy and delays in investigating the circumstances that led to Greenes death. The investigation was not even opened until 474 days after his death! Further, law enforcement has provided the family with different versions as to how Greene died. Nevertheless, the medical examiner confirmed that Greene was deceased, beaten and bruised when he arrived at the hospital.
Spare a thought and/or prayer for frontline workers.

So croons Chris Garcia over emotional keys and heart-tugging strings on his new release Hear Their Prayer.

An ode to medical and protective personnel, Garcias tune calls for national appreciation and support for those risking their lives during this countrys deadliest surge in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moved by the sight of senior citizens waiting in long lines outside vaccination centres across the country, businessman Shane Mahabirsingh yesterday took it upon himself to provide comfort for them.

Mahabirsingh, owner of Bilda Boyz Construction in Gasparillo, visited three health centres in the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) distributing chairs, water and sanitising the elderly men and women standing in line.
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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.
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.
Vladimir: Let us make the most of it, before it is too late!

Waiting for Godot

One of my favourite works of literature is Samuel Becketts play, Waiting for Godot. Apart from the comedic moments, the play contains a cautionary tale about the dangers of waiting and the anxiety that comes along with it.
We are thrilled to make Concert Health part of our care team and bring behavioral health support directly to our patients, said Julia Strange, chief executive officer of Benson Hospital. We know the value of having healthcare close to home, and are committed to providing our patients with local access to high-quality, holistic care. Behavioral health is critical to overall health, and Concert Healths support helps us close the care gap. We look forward to providing exceptional care to the Benson community together.

The Concert Health option that is available for patients with depression or anxiety is an unbelievably valuable service that the clinics of Benson Hospital offer," said Nicklett Johnston, FNP B-C, DNP. To the patient in need, this service offers support and valuable insight to help the patient prepare to continue on with lifes difficulties. Everyone needs help or support at one time in their life and this service provides a specialist who deals with problems of anxiety and depression, and through the voices of my patients who have dealt with these problems concerning depression and anxiety, they are finding the counseling provided enables them to get to the next step of their anxiety and depression and start to heal. The Concert Health counseling helps the clinic in whole by providing a service that aids the patient in dealing with their depression and anxiety and leads us to take care of the patient more fully.
To-go cocktails, Flores said, allow restaurants to "continue to offer an experience consistent with the one our guests know and enjoy as well as help increase sales, employment and tax revenues," he said.

Flores says takeout spirits will help restaurants and "in the end, the ones who will be most happy will be the customers!"

Jaime Dickman, the chief operating officer of Tucson's Barrio Brewing, confirmed that to-go sales had gone up at the brewery during the pandemic. But, since they carry a Series 3 micro-brewer's liquor license, they've always seen a large amount of to-go alcohol sales.

Still, she was happy to hear about HB 2773's passage. If not for Barrio's benefit, for the benefit of others in the industry.

"We're really excited for other restaurants," she said. "We're really excited that other restaurants are able to forge through, post-COVID."

How the law works

Even with the passage of HB 2773, not every restaurant will be able to sell to-go cocktails or other packed spirits. First, in order to even purchase to-go alcohol from a restaurant, a customer will need to purchase food. And once a restaurant stops selling food, it must stop offering to-go drinks.
Ganslers first attempt at becoming governor in 2014 faced challenges. Just weeks after launching his campaign in 2013, The Baltimore Sun published a photograph of Gansler at the post-high school graduation party in Delaware earlier that year where there were signs of underage drinking. When Gansler stopped by to speak to his son, who was one of the teens at the party, red plastic cups were scattered about. Partygoers later confirmed to The Sun that they had been drinking.
PHOENIX  State lawmakers are moving to fund body cameras for Department of Public Safety officers  but only after restricting when people can get access to the footage.

Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees approved $6.9 million for purchase of the equipment. There also is cash for ongoing operation, including storage.

But the measure which now needs approval of both chambers also says that whats on the video can be released only if everyone on the video, excluding the officer, has provided consent or that their images cannot be identified.

Further, it permits the DPS to withhold all videos unless it determines there is an important public purpose for release. And that provision bothered Rep. Randall Friese, D-Tucson, who questioned allowing the state agency to make that decision, particularly when its own officers are involved.

There appears to be fairly broad support for the idea of body cameras. The idea is that it would provide an actual record of what had occurred versus what can often be disputed accounts by officers, witnesses and anyone who happens to claim to be the victim of police brutality.

But there is less consensus of how much of all the footage shot by all the officers should become public.
Cobb acknowledged that a lot of this has to do with how Hobbs chooses to defend  or not  state statutes being challenged in court.

She said there have been instances where Hobbs and Brnovich have started on the same page, defending the changes enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

And during the litigation, halfway through the litigation, shes decided to go the other direction from the AGs Office, from what theyve been helping her with, Cobb said. Then, on top of that, Hobbs is billing the state when she hires outside counsel to make those legal arguments.

And sometimes Hobbs actively opposed what Brnovich was arguing.

Thats the case with the challenge to the 2016 law on ballot harvesting where lawmakers voted to make it a felony for someone to take anyone elses filled-out ballot to a polling place.

Brnovich sought review by the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appellate court voided the law. But Hobbs urged the justices, who are still considering the matter, to uphold that ruling and void the statute.

Rep. Randall Friese, D-Tucson, pointed out that Hobbs, like Brnovich, is elected directly by voters.
Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is contemplating merging two parishes to help make one financially solvent and to allow the other to move into a bigger church.

Weisenburger released letters explaining his reasoning  describing it as a win-win situation  to parishioners of St. Frances Cabrini on Tucsons north side and Our Lady of La Vang in midtown. The letters were to be posted on the parishes websites.

The bishop said he expects to make a decision, possibly within several months, and declined an interview.

Under the proposed plan, the growing Our Lady of La Vang parish would move from 800 S. Tucson Blvd. to St. Frances Cabrini at 3201 E. Presidio Road.

In a May 20 letter to La Vang parishioners, the bishop says he met with St. Frances Cabrini parish leadership and that the weekend Mass attendance has been declining steadily, and they have not been able to pay their bills without going into savings, which are quickly being depleted. The parish has a rich and vibrant history, but they find themselves with large parishes around them and declining membership.
I would just say that all an affidavit is, is a very brief recitation of allegations, and that they're all allegations at this point," said Samsel's attorney, Christopher Scott. He is innocent unless proven guilty.

Samsel did not answer a phone call, and it was not possible to leave him a message Tuesday.

The Wellsville school district has banned Samsel from its property and events for a year.

There's no indication that Samsel might face disciplinary action from the House, which can censure or expel a member, and its top Republican leaders have said the courts must be allowed to work.

On Monday, Scott asked the magistrate not to release the affidavit, but the judge released a redacted version.

The sheriff's deputy said in the document that he asked the lawmaker why he had put his hands on the boy, and Samsel pointed to the ceiling. When the deputy asked Samsel whether God told him to do so, Samsel answered, Twice.

He stated he knew it was wrong and he shouldn't do it, he stated he did not want to do it, the affidavit said. He stated, The whole world is telling me not to do it, God said, Yes. Mark believes this was God's plan.
The official would not offer specifics as to what those tangible ways are, but already donor nations are being asked to look at potential new contributions to reconstruct damage done to civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

The official said one aim of Blinken's talks would be to try to reintegrate Fatah to some extent into a leadership role in Gaza, where it has been locked out of power since losing elections in 2006. The official said that could help create conditions for more stability.

The Biden administration had been taken to task for its early response to the violence, including from Democratic allies in Congress who were demanding it take a tougher line on Israel and its response to rocket attacks from Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.

The administration has defended its response by saying it engaged in intense, but quiet, high-level diplomacy to support a cease-fire, which was ultimately arranged last week after Egyptian mediation.

Blinken said Sunday that the behind-the-scenes effort led by Biden paid off, securing a truce after 11 days.
Janey applauded the judge's ruling in an emailed statement, saying she will inform White of "his rescheduled Zoom hearing.

It is time to move our City and the Boston Police Department forward, Janey said.

An investigative report released by the city said witnesses alleged that Whites ex-wife was subjected to physical and mental abuse. Among the allegations included in the report is that White burned her hair, put her face to a stove and threw a television at her.

A judge issued a restraining order against White in 1999, ordering him to stay away from his wife and children and surrender his service weapon, the Globe reported.

The city's report said White was also involved in what he described as a heated fisticuffs with a young woman in 1993. White admitted striking her with a full swing of his arm and open hand, but says he was acting in self-defense, the report said.

White denies abusing his ex-wife or ever threatening to shoot her. In an affidavit filed in court, White alleged that she was looking for a financial advantage in the divorce and she got it.

His lawyer said the report filled with what he described as hearsay" had damaged White's reputation.
NEW YORK (AP)  A rural New York man convicted of threatening the life of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota wont have to participate after all in a program in which hed hear stories about Muslim refugees, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the unusual special condition in the sentence for Patrick Carlineo was too vague to be appropriate because it might give too much authority to Probation Department officials to enforce the sentence.

In early March, Carlineo was freed after completing a one-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in late 2019 in Rochester federal court to threatening to kill the Democrat and a weapons charge.

Prosecutors said Carlineo called Omar's Washington office in March 2019, when a member of her staff recalled him calling her a terrorist and saying somebody ought to put a bullet in her skull. Authorities said Carlineo also threatened to do so.

His sentence required him to participate after his prison term in a program that would allow Carlineo to listen to stories about Muslim refugees or people who suffered from violence (for) being Muslim."
NEW YORK (AP)  An indictment against Steve Bannon was dismissed Tuesday over the objection of prosecutors who said it should stand despite ex-President Donald Trump's decision to pardon his former chief strategist.

The dismissal came in a written ruling by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, who called it the proper course.

The Manhattan jurist said it was not the practice of the region's federal courts to remove a defendant from a cases docket without resolving the indictment. And she noted that the pardon does not by itself render a defendant innocent of the alleged crime nor eliminate probable cause of guilt.

"To the contrary, from the countrys earliest days, courts, including the Supreme Court, have acknowledged that even if there is no formal admission of guilt, the issuance of a pardon may carr(y) an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it, she wrote, partially quoting a 1915 court ruling.

A spokesperson for prosecutors declined comment.

Bannons attorney, Robert Costello, said in an email: We are delighted that the Judge reached the right conclusion. Winning always beats the alternative. An unconditional pardon is final and it merits the finality of a dismissed indictment.
Equity benchmark indices were marginally higher during early hours on Tuesday with positive global cues as reopening of economies in western countries and encouraging data points towards a fast global recovery.

On the domestic front, investors were upbeat on the early lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions by several states.

At 10:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was up by 186 points or 0.37 per cent at 50,838 while the Nifty 50 surged by 67 points or 0.44 per cent to 15,264.

Sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were mixed with Nifty metal gaining by 2 per cent, FMCG by 0.9 per cent and auto by 0.8 per cent. But Nifty PSU bank and private bank were down by 0.8 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively.

Among stocks, JSW Steel was up by 3.5 per cent to Rs 705.50 per share, Tata Steel by 2.3 per cent and Hindalco by 1.9 per cent.

Mahindra & Mahindra advanced by 1.8 per cent, Tata Motors by 1.4 per cent, Asian Paints by 2.6 per cent, Titan by 2.3 per cent and Nestle India by 1.6 per cent.

However, HDFC Bank was down by 1.3 per cent at Rs 1,490 per share. Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank slipped marginally while public sector State Bank of India too was in the red by a thin margin.

Meanwhile, Asian shares climbed after a Wall Street rally overnight. MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan was up 1 per cent at a two-week high.

Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 0.6 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up by 1.05 per cent.

(ANI)

Also Read: Fuel prices hiked across metros, petrol crosses Rs 93 in Delhi
The court order said GPS from Coffmans truck indicated he had visited Washington at the end of 2020 and driven around the Capitol and attempted to contact Cruz about his concerns over purported election fraud by both calling his office and looking for his home.

A Cruz staff member told police that Coffman did not seem threatening but had seemed unbalanced or not 100% there, according to the judges order.

Police on Jan. 6 found Coffmans truck in Washington packed with eleven mason jars containing a flammable liquid, several loaded guns, a crossbow with bolts; several machetes; camouflage smoke devices; and a stun gun, according to the order.

Coffman was arrested the evening of Jan. 6 when law enforcement officers discovered the weapons in his truck after authorities swept the area following the discovery of pipe bombs near two buildings. Prosecutors said Coffman left his truck in the morning during that day of chaos and rioting and was arrested when he returned to the vehicle in the evening.

Coffman is an Army veteran who served two tours during the Vietnam War. According to family members, he dealt with depression and often spoke about the difficulty he had dealing with the experiences from the war, the court document said. A family member said Coffman became a hermit after he separated from his wife, according to the court document.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Steve Romines, a lawyer for McAtees family, said he wasn't surprised that prosecutors would not be seeking charges for officers or guard members involved in the shooting.

When private citizens are forced to act in self defense, they are charged and have to present that defense to a jury, Romines said in a statement to the AP. Cops are summarily exonerated without any proof ever being presented. Does anyone really doubt why it continues to happen?

Investigators determined last year that a Kentucky National Guard member fired the fatal bullet, based on shell casing analysis. But they were unable to determine which guard member fired the shot. In all, 19 rounds were fired by two guard members and two Louisville officers after McAtee fired the first of two shots, according to Wine.

The Guard was in the city to help enforce a curfew amid protests spurred by the deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota and Taylor, who was fatally shot by police on March 13, 2020.

Wine said McAtee knew about the 9 p.m. curfew. When officers arrived on the scene, one officer, Katie Crews, fired several pepper balls toward YaYa's where McAtee's niece was standing, according to Wine's statement. Officers were seen on surveillance video shooting pepper balls into the area where McAtee was cooking outdoors and inside his kitchen.
There are many challenges.

Depending on the state and even county, minors may be required to have a parent present to get the shot. Some parents may not be able to get away from work to do that. Others are unsure about allowing their kids to get a vaccine that only was approved for emergency use.

Protests have popped up outside schools offering the vaccine, discouraging kids who may already be nervous.

Mission Bay High School in San Diego provides an example of the mixed reaction among students.

I'm not getting it," said Tatum Merrill, 14, standing with friends outside a mobile vaccine clinic at the school. It was developed too fast and is kind of sketchy. And I feel like the number of COVID cases is dying down so if everybody else has it, there may not be a need for me to have it."

Her friend Brandon Cheeks, 15, said he wants the vaccine, but his mother is unsure. In the meantime, another 15-year-old, Laura Pilger, said she feels safer being back in school knowing that she and everyone she knows is vaccinated.
MIAMI (AP)  A former senior Bolivian official has been arrested for allegedly seeking at least $582,000 in kickbacks from a group of Florida-based businessmen accused of selling tear gas at inflated prices to the conservative government of former interim President Jeanine Anez.

Sergio Rodrigo Mendez was arrested May 21 in Naples, Florida, and charged with a single count of conspiring to commit money laundering, according to a previously unreported federal complaint out of Miami.

Three alleged co-conspirators, all of them dual Bolivian-American citizens, were also detained, including the owner of Florida-based supplier of police and military equipment and his father, who press accounts indicate was charged two decades ago in Bolivia with weapons smuggling.

Mendez served as the chief of staff to Arturo Murillo, who was interior minister in the Anez government that took power in November 2019 after President Evo Morales stepped down amid violent protests disputing his reelection to a fourth straight term.

As interior minister, Murillo led the deadly police response to pro-Morales protesters that was called a massacre by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He also brought charges against Morales and his allies for sedition and terrorism tied to the disturbances.
The Astronauts Memorial Foundation honors all those who sacrificed their lives for the U.S. space program even if they never reached space, like Challenger schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe and the test pilot killed in a 2014 Virgin Galactic crash. Also on the Space Mirror Memorial at NASAs Kennedy Space Center: X-15 and F-104 Air Force pilots who were part of a military space program that never got off the ground.

The astronaut debate has been around since the 1960s, according to Garriott. His late father, Owen Garriott, was among the first so-called scientist-astronauts hired by NASA; the test pilots in the office resented sharing the job title.

It might be necessary to retire the term altogether once hundreds if not thousands reach space, noted Fordham University history professor Asif Siddiqi, the author of several space books. Are we going to call each and every one of them astronauts?

Mullane, the three-time space shuttle flier, suggests using astronaut first class, second class, third class, "depending on what your involvement is, whether you pull out a wallet and write a check.

While a military-style pecking order might work, former NASA historian Roger Launius warned: This gets really complicated really quickly.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Ecologist Rolf Peterson remembers driving remote stretches of road in Michigans Upper Peninsula and seeing areas strewn with deer carcasses. But that changed after gray wolves arrived in the region from Canada and Minnesota.

When wolves moved in during the 1990s and 2000s, the deer-vehicle collisions went way down, said the Michigan Tech researcher.

Recently, another team of scientists has gathered data about road collisions and wolf movements in Wisconsin to quantify how the arrival wolves there affected the frequency of deer-auto collisions. They found it created what scientists call a landscape of fear."

In a pretty short period of time, once wolves colonize a county, deer vehicle collisions go down about 24%, said Dominic Parker, a natural resources economist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and co-author of their new study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Both thinning of the deer population by wolves and behavior changes in fearful deer are factors in the drop-off, Parker said.
David Lujan, director of the progressive-leaning Arizona Center for Economic Progress, said if thats going to happen the state should look at one-time rebates. He said the volatility of the economy  the state began the current fiscal year $1 billion in the hole  makes taking that much out of the revenue stream ill advised.

But for many Arizonans, the question will be who benefits.

Even gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin said that about 60% of the tax cut would flow to the bottom 95% of the taxpayers, meaning the top 5% will divide up the other 40%. And he claimed that the bottom 20% of taxpayers receive the same relative tax cut as the top 1%.

Karamargin, however, offered no supporting documentation.

You have our statement, he said when asked for figures to support his claim. Our statement speaks for itself.

By contrast, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, using data from the Department of Revenue, paints a different picture than Karamargin.

It figures the bottom 20% of taxpayers  those with incomes of less than $21,000 a year  will see a tax break of just $1. And for those in the second lowest 20%, meaning up to $40,000, ITEP figures a $7 tax cut.
The driver of a tractor-trailer was shot and killed by law officers Monday after a chase that led from Interstate 19 south to a Walmart parking lot in Nogales, officials said.

Officers from the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office and the Nogales Police Department fired at the driver in the Walmart parking lot and on nearby Grand Avenue, where the driver stopped, said Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway.

Hathaway confirmed the driver died after being shot, but he did not who the driver was or what caused the police pursuit. He said he also did not know whether the driver fired on the officers.

Eyewitnesses told the Nogales International that the semi-truck entered the parking lot driving recklessly at about 1:40 p.m. Police tried to stop the truck with a spike strip, the paper reported.

The Nogales Police Department said later in a statement that the scene was secured and there was no danger to the public.

At least eight law enforcement vehicles remained in the Walmart parking lot as of 5 p.m. Yellow police tape blocked off several nearby roads and the parking lot.

Due to both local law enforcement agencies being involved in the shooting, the Arizona Department of Public Safety is handling the investigation, Hathaway said.
Translocating wolves with this kill history is a threat to New Mexico livestock and is disingenuous to producers and other citizens, the group wrote in a letter to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Translocating wolves with this history to private lands will only increase the animosity between producers and the Fish and Wildlife Service over its management of the Mexican gray wolf program.

The proposal for letting the wolves go on the Ladder Ranch comes as federal managers try to boost genetic diversity among the wild population in New Mexico and Arizona.

Ranchers argue that theres nothing to keep the wolves from wandering to other parts of the Gila National Forest. They noted the previous conflicts happened about 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) from where the wolves would be released.

Officials with the Ladder Ranch welcome the plan, saying the offer to have wolves roaming the property was made years ago. Mike Phillips, director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund, has said the pair and their pups deserve a shot at trying to make a go of it in the wild.

The Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately say how long it would take for the agency to review the comments. Plans called for releasing the wolves next month.
Clay Center, KS (67432)

Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
OPINION: The Maricopa audit and the PRO act are the focus of discussion today, what are your thoughts about both of these? Join the discussion, submit a letter to the editor at tucson.com/letters.
Barrio Queen, a Mexican food concept known for its wide variety of street tacos, is set to open its eighth location  its first in Tucson  near the end of 2021 at the corner of Oracle and Ina roads in Oro Valley.
This place has got your goat.

"We were a little concerned about putting it on the menu," said Maria Hidalgo, owner of El Paso Mexican Bar & Grill, which opened earlier this month in the Farm Shopping Center, 5209 S. Sheridan Road.

El Paso Mexican Bar & Grill: Need to know Food: 3.5 stars  Service: 3 stars  Atmosphere: 3.5 stars

"Birria has become such a big thing recently, but most of the places use beef," she said. "There's nothing wrong about that, but the traditional meat for birria is goat, and we wanted to uphold that tradition. And it's turned out to be one of our most popular dishes."

The meat is slow-cooked on the bone with guijillo chilies and other seasonings for several hours, then shredded and mixed with a special red sauce for serving.

The result is meat that is quite tender, subtly seasoned and with a texture like a very fine-grained beef roast.

For those wanting birria in a slightly less adventurous form, El Paso Mexican Bar & Grill also offers birria-style beef tacos, stuffed with cheese and seared on the griddle.

These dishes just scratch the surface of El Paso's menu, which offers what Hidalgo described as "traditional dishes with a gourmet twist."

This is Hidalgo's first restaurant in the Tulsa area. She and her family moved here last year from Minnesota, where she worked in the business for 12 years.

"I have five sons, and there was so much turmoil and violence on that I knew it wasn't a good environment for them," she said. "We scouted a number of places in the area, in Broken Arrow and Sand Springs, before we decided this was the best place for us."

The location has gone through numerous transformations, most recently as BC Steakhouse. Hidalgo said the interior has been completely renovated, with new flooring and fixtures. One wall is adorned with a colorful mural by Tulsa artist Gabriel Rojas.

"Our booths were made specially for us in Mexico," Hidalgo said. "We also updated the patio area, which can be reserved for private events."

Hidalgo said she did a good deal of research in preparing to open El Paso, visiting most of the more upscale Mexican restaurants in the area.

"We try to keep abreast of what is going on in Mexican cuisine, because it is becoming more and more an important part of the culinary world," she said. "But we also don't want to mimic other people's menus. Yes, we have things like enchiladas and tacos and burritos, but we've been developing our recipes for a long time to make sure that we offer something different, that's unique to us."

One fairly unusual thing El Paso does is put molcajetes  vessels carved from volcanic rock that are traditionally used as tools for grinding spices or mashing ingredients into guacamole  to use as serving vessels.

One example is the Molcajete El Paso, in which thin slabs of grilled steak and chicken breast, shrimp, al pastor pork, grilled onions and nopales, or cactus, fill up and spill out of a large, heated molcajete. It is accompanied by the usual sides and garnishes, a choice of flour or corn tortillas, and two whole peppers  one jalapeno, one banana  that have been grilled.

It's the sort of dish that, when it passes by on the way to another table, prompts the question, "What the heck is THAT?" Presentation aside, it's a build-your-own fajita combo, although one does need to cut up the steak, chicken and nopales to fit them into the tortillas.

Hidalgo said the reason for using the molcajete is that it doesn't impart any flavor to the ingredients, the way that the metal skillets on which fajitas are usually served can.

The shrimp, steak and pork are cooked and seasoned well, and the nopale adds a grassy, citrusy aspect. The chicken, unfortunately, was overcooked to the point of chalkiness  a by-product of very thin pieces of white meat chicken that first are grilled, then continue to cook in the heat of the container.

My companion, on the other hand, thought the chicken in the chimichangas she ordered was excellent, but it was prepared in a different way. Her dish, called "La Changas," also included a shredded beef chimichanga, which she thought was under-seasoned.

Hidalgo said her food is not designed to be spicy; that is the purpose of those grilled peppers that come with each plate, so the diner can added however much heat he or she wants. Salsas that pack more heat than the bright tomato salsa that comes with the yellow and blue corn chips are also available.

At another visit we sampled the Jalisco Special, a carne asada and grilled chicken entree; the chicken again was overdone, although not to the same degree as in the molcajete dish, but the carne asada was excellent.

Of the appetizers sampled, the best was the shrimp tostada, lime-marinated shrimp with fresh pico de gallo and sliced avocado on a crisp tortilla. The street corn was a large bowl of corn kernels with a dollop of tangy mayo and scatterings of queso fresco and ground chili; the quantity of water in the bowl swiftly diluted the other flavors, leaving only corn in a watery sauce.

El Paso offers several vegetarian dishes, and has a full-service bar, with about a dozen signature margarita concoctions.

"I've a big fan of dragon fruit, so we've just come up with a dragon fruit margarita," Hidalgo said. "Even in our drinks menu, we try to do things that are unexpected, but still have good flavor."

Other 2021 restaurant reviews by James Watts

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In a rare move, the grand jury issued an interim report stating that while its criminal inquiry is still ongoing, it has already seen evidence that new safeguards and greater transparency requirements should be instituted by the Legislature before even more taxpayer dollars are allocated to Epic beginning with the new fiscal year on July 1.

Under Title 22 of our statutes, which deals with criminal procedure, Section 355, it says any attorney, grand juror, or anybody else involved  it lists stenographers, interpreters, etc.  may discuss matters before the multi-county grand jury only when so directed by the court. My question to you is, are you aware of any court order that allowed these matters to be released by the multi-county grand jury? Kannady said. The statute says specifically that all such persons shall be sworn to secrecy and shall be in contempt of court criminally if they reveal any other information which they are sworn to keep secret. I see that as a red flag and was curious whether you had similar concerns with this grand jury report in relation to this bill, since you mentioned it?
Chandler told police that when Neafus answered the door, Cleary pulled a handgun and pushed his way inside the home, demanding money or jewelry.

Both Chandler and Cleary blamed each other for the shooting. Chandler said he was upstairs at the residence when he heard gunshots from the basement, where Neafus was later found. She had been shot seven times.

A jury in 1992 found Chandler guilty of felony murder and gave him a life prison sentence.

A jury convicted Cleary of murdering Neafus and recommended the death penalty, and he was executed in 2004.

The filing of federal charges comes after Tulsa County District Judge Tracy Priddy filed an order May 17 vacating and dismissing Chandlers conviction and life sentence.

Chandlers is among hundreds of cases being retried in federal court following a series of U.S. Supreme Court and state court rulings that determined the state of Oklahoma did not have the jurisdiction to try criminal cases when an American Indian is a suspect or victim and the crime occurred within the historic reservation boundaries of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee and Seminole nations in Oklahoma.
This is a victory for thousands of Oklahoma schoolchildren being educated in public charter schools and more than 300 traditional school districts, said Hofmeister. The state is making available dedicated funding for our students and their schools with the passage of SB 229, which is a long-overdue measure to equalize building funds.

On Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced an event at the Capitol touting the sessions education-related legislation. The signing of SB 229 may have some part in that.

Mondays state school board decision to reverse itself is contingent on the governor signing SB 229 and Oklahoma Public Charter Schools Association dropping a 2017 lawsuit and all future legal claims against the board and the State Department of Education.

Titled the Redbud School Funding Act, SB 229 in its final form addresses a long-standing complaint of charter schools and, to a lesser extent, inequities in traditional public school districts building funds.

Charter schools are public schools under existing law but are not allowed access to their districts constitutional building fund.
If we allow businesses to decide what people have to do to their body to be employed or to be customers, we have to look at other things, said Roy, R-Deerfield. Theres no limit to what businesses could do to citizens who need a job, or a place to shop or to eat. We have to draw a line in the sand that people, their bodies, are autonomous.

Democrats argued that public health officials, not lawmakers, should decide which vaccines should be required for school enrollment and that businesses should be allowed to make decisions based on public safety.

Rep. Peter Schmidt, D-Dover, said he got many emails from opponents of vaccine passports, but that isnt on the table. And he pushed back on what he called a frequently expressed comparison between public health officials and Nazi Germany.

For Gods sake, this is a respiratory disease. If theres anything human beings need to do, it is to breath on a very, very frequent basis, he said. I believe that businesses have a right to protect themselves, their employees and the public.

Under the GOP-led amendment, businesses could not inquire about someones vaccine status or require employees to be vaccinated against the virus, with some exceptions for hospitals and long-term care facilities. It also would give the Legislature control over whether schools could require students to receive any future vaccines.

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It would be an economic development tool, he deadpanned. They could have an imPEACHment festival.

More seriously, some wonder about the wisdom of giving active politicians the ability to turn bridges and highways into campaign signs by naming them for themselves and constituents ahead of elections.

SB 624 was one of several loose ends the House worked to tie up as the sessions end approaches.

Oklahoma isnt the only state to push for a Trump highway. Lawmakers in Florida, West Virginia, Utah and Arizona have presented bills to name stretches of highways after the former president.

Also taken up was the long-running dispute over whether trailers are vehicles.

By a vote of 77-20, the House decided they are not.

This matters because, as vehicles, trailers generate about $12 million a year in sales tax revenue. As non-vehicles, theyre still subject to an excise tax but at a lower rate.

Truck dealers complain theyre losing sales, especially of the big long-haul units, because of the tax  which legislative leaders say was never supposed to apply to trailers in the first place.
The budget agreement includes a new film incentive in the form of a rebate capped at $30 million. Stitt signed the measure, Senate Bill 608, on Monday.

It also includes $42 million in incentives to expand broadband to underserved areas. Stitt also signed that measure on Monday.

State agencies saw an increase of 7.22% on average.

Common education saw a hike of $171.8 million to aid with class-size reductions and textbooks.

Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.

I think it is safe to say the Democrats in the state Legislature would have put forth a very different budget proposal, said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman.

One of the things that disappoints us the most is this budget stashes over $800 million, and that is money that should be invested in Oklahomans, especially when so many of them are still struggling from the effects of the pandemic, Virgin said.

She called the tax cuts short sighted, adding that they will lead the state back to where it was just a few years ago, when lawmakers had to raise taxes to increase education funding.
I'm furious with our state government and especially Gov. Kevin Stitt for refusing the federally funded $300 for 10 weeks for unemployed residents of our state.

According to reports, there are 90,000 unemployed people in Oklahoma and the state's last job fair had 3,600 jobs open.

I'm sure all of them were what Stitt calls "good-paying jobs," too  minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, slightly over $15,000 a year; except for waitress and busboy jobs and such, where minimum wage is usually just a dream.

We have six weeks though for businesses to produce 76,400 jobs: post positions, interview and hire.

I can't think why that would be any kind of a stretch. Heck, if each of those jobs pays about $10.50 an hour, nobody's losing anything.

Stitt's re-election campaign staff must be betting on that.

The attitude is that the jobless are too simple to realize that their actual lives are hanging on the hope that no bureaucrat will carelessly, thoughtlessly drop them from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission rolls for no reason whatsoever, on the wildest whim or the vague hope that politically they're doing the right thing.
Travel companies in Vietnam have agreed to halt the promotion and operation of 'vaccine tours' to the United States and will offer them again in early 2022.

As all firms operating such tours are based in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal Department of Tourism convened a meeting with them on Monday to discuss related issues in order to make sure customers interests are not affected.

At the gathering, the businesses said that they only introduced the tours to explore market demand.

After hearing recommendations from the tourism department, the travel companies agreed on removing all advertisements regarding such 'vaccine tours' until the end of this year.

They will consider running these tours again in early 2022.

In the meantime, they will closely monitor the pandemic situation and make careful preparations to ensure the terms of the contract between them and their customers.

Things that must be taken into consideration are the time of return flight tickets, health insurance for post-vaccinal side effects, and difficulties that customers face when they have to reschedule their flights.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism previously warned about the risks that such tours to the U.S. may pose if not organized carefully.

Conflicts between customers and businesses will break out if the formers interests are affected.

Most tours only include one-way tickets from Vietnam to the U.S., while plans for the return flights remain unclear, the tourism agency noted.

The complicated developments of the pandemic may affect the approval of entry into a country as well as restrict international flights, a representative of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism stated.

We do not support the operation of such tours given the current context, as it can be very risky for both customers and businesses.

Last week, Hong Ngoc Ha Travel Company, which is headquartered in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, advertised a 'vaccine tour' to the U.S. named VAC-cation.

Prices are promoted as starting at VND45 million (US$1,950), but the exact cost will depend on the length of a tourist's stay and the type of coronavirus vaccine.

The jabs developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna require a two-dose regimen with a 21-day interval, while Johnson & Johnsons vaccine needs only one shot, the representative explained.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chinese Party General Secretary and State President Xi Jinping affirmed the significance of the Vietnam-China relationship in each countrys foreign policy during their online talks on Monday.

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health confirmed 57 domestic COVID-19 cases on Tuesday morning, raising the countrys tally to 5,461, with 2,794 recoveries and 44 deaths.

-- Authorities in Hanoi have decided to shut down all dine-in services, barbershops, and hair salons from 12:00 pm on Tuesday following a spike in local COVID-19 infections.

-- Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City administration Nguyen Thanh Phong has advised residents above 60 years old to avoid going outside given the increasingly complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Society

-- The Peoples Court in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on Monday sentenced five men to a total of 24 years in prison for arranging for others to enter Vietnam illegally.

-- Police in the northern province of Hai Duong have initiated legal proceedings against a 32-year-old Vietnamese man for sneaking into Vietnam from Laos and spreading COVID-19 to many people.

-- Five people were brought to safety after a speedboat sank along a river section in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City on Monday evening.

-- Officers in the southern province of Dong Nai have launched an investigation into the death of a 45-year-old hiker after his body was found on Chua Chan Mountain on Monday.

-- The owner of a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank in Tay Ho District, Hanoi has been fined VND17.5 million (US$760) for allowing many customers to gather despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Business

-- Indonesian-based Gojek will launch car-hailing and e-payments in Vietnam this year, which Grab and Be Group, other strong names in the ride-hailing service market, have offered over the past couple of years, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

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Five men from Vietnams Mekong Delta have been sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison for helping nine people to illegally enter Vietnam from Cambodia, of whom four were later confirmed as COVID-19 patients.

The Peoples Court in An Giang Province on Monday conducted the trial of Phan Phi Hung, 42, Pham Thanh Hap, 26, Truong Chi Tai, 30, Trang Van Ut, 32, and Le Van Dinh, 31, who were all charged for organizing others' unlawful entry into Vietnam.

Hung was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Hap, Tai, and Ut each received a five-year jail term.

Dinh was condemned to two years behind bars.

According to the indictment, several suspects in Cambodia contacted Hung on December 23, 2020 and told him that a group of nine people would migrate from Cambodia to Vietnam on the following day.

Hung then informed Hap, Tai, Ut, and Dinh about the plan.

Ut was in charge of renting a seven-seater automobile, while Hap, Tai, and Dinh transported the border jumpers on the vehicle.

After arriving at Haps house, six of the nine border jumpers were brought to the Mekong Delta province of Long An and Ho Chi Minh City on the same vehicle.

Hungs group then helped the other three illegal migrants travel to the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau and Ho Chi Minh City.

Hung was paid VND6.5 million (US$282) on December 25.

He took VND1 million ($43) and gave Tai, Dinh, and Hap VND500,000 ($21) each, while Ut received VND4 million ($174).

The illegal entry was eventually discovered by local authorities as four of the nine border jumpers tested positive for the novel coronavirus and were confirmed as COVID-19 patients.

Hung, Hap, Tai, Ut, and Dinh were arrested on January 1.

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Officials in Hanois Tay Ho District have forced the shutdown of a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank and fined its owner VND17.5 million (US$760) for allowing many customers to gather despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The closure, ordered by Tay Ho chairman Nguyen Dinh Khuyen on Monday, will remain in place until further notice.

The cafe owner was fined VND17.5 million, according to Khuyen.

The punishment came after Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported on the same day on a crowd of visitors enjoying their Sunday at the aforementioned coffee shop without wearing face masks and ensuring the public distance for COVID-19 prevention and other safety measures as required by the Ministry of Health.

Both the service operator and visitors showed negligence in pandemic prevention and control at a time when Hanoi has recorded a high number of infections in recent days and had to lock down several apartment buildings, where locally-transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered.

The municipal authorities have banned gatherings of over ten people outside of offices, schools, and hospitals from May 11.

People gather in a large crowd at a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank in Tay Ho District, Hanoi, May 23, 2021. Photo: D.H. / Tuoi Tre

The management board of the Red River bank will be the first to take responsibility for letting the crowded gatherings happen on Sunday, before Tay Ho officials meet to discuss and review the violation, according to chairman Khuyen.

Hanoi has confirmed 308 community-based COVID-19 cases between April 27, when the first local infection in the current wave was detected, and Tuesday morning, according to the Ministry of Health.

Vietnam has registered 5,461 coronavirus patients, including 3,975 domestic cases, since the virus first emerged in the country on January 23, 2020, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Recoveries have reached 2,794 whereas 44 patients have died, most having suffered critical pre-existing health problems.

People gather in a large crowd at a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank in Tay Ho District, Hanoi, May 23, 2021. Photo: D.H. / Tuoi Tre

Visitors crowd a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank in Tay Ho District, Hanoi, May 23, 2021. Photo: D.H. / Tuoi Tre

People gather in a large crowd at a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank in Tay Ho District, Hanoi, May 23, 2021. Photo: D.H. / Tuoi Tre

Visitors crowd a coffee shop operating on the Red River bank in Tay Ho District, Hanoi, May 23, 2021. Photo: D.H. / Tuoi Tre

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In a recent statement, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health requires hospitals and health facilities at all levels to stop publicizing personal information and travel itineraries of COVID-19 infection cases.

Approved by Nguyen Dinh Anh, head of communications at the Ministry of Health, the official statement addresses the dissemination of coronavirus-related information sharing at hospital and healthcare facilities.

The ministry demanded that the identity, travel itinerary, and contact history of coronavirus-positive cases be kept private.

As an alternative, the public will receive updates about epidemiologically high-risk locations that were visited by COVID-19 patients so that others who also visited them can make informed choices to protect themselves and the community.

The document also requires clinics of all levels to provide comprehensive updates for the press, plus establishing clear communication channels on COVID-19 inoculation.

Since the pathogen emerged in Vietnam in early 2020, identification details, including names, phone numbers and addresses, plus the travel history of infected people were disclosed to the public on the basis of public health interest.

This proved a nuisance for the people involved, as several of them reportedly received public admonishments and even threats.

A patients right to privacy of personal information has already been stipulated in the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, the Ministry of Health pointed out.

Discussing the vaccination progress, the ministry stated that it is receiving up-to-date statistics on the number of jabs administered, but not the number of post-vaccination reactions.

The Southeast Asian country has administered over one million COVID-19 vaccine shots since it rolled out mass inoculation on March 8.

Vietnam has grappled with the pathogens re-emergence since April 27, with 2,406 community transmissions having been reported in 30 out of 63 provinces and cities.

Bac Giang has recorded 1,069 cases in this round, followed by Bac Ninh with 507 patients, Hanoi with 308, Da Nang with 152, and Vinh Phuc Province with 89.

Only seven cases have been confirmed in Ho Chi Minh City in this onslaught.

Vietnam has detected 5,461 cumulative cases, including 3,975 domestic infections, since the virus first emerged in the country on January 23, 2020, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Forty-four patients have died, most having suffered critical pre-existing health problems.

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Authorities in Bac Ninh City, the capital of the namesake northern Vietnamese province, on Tuesday morning implemented a nighttime curfew and other travel restrictions by establishing 115 checkpoints to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

People in Bac Ninh City are banned from going outside after 8:00 pm.

Only workers performing official duties, sending people to emergency wards, going to night shifts, or returning home from work, with relevant papers such as cards and certifications proving their purposes are allowed to travel in the evenings.

People are also urged to stay at home and only make necessary trips to buy food and medicine, to hospitals for emergency treatment, to workplaces which are factories, production facilities, or service establishments that produce and trade essential goods, or in other cases of emergency.

Households are requested to keep a distance from households, villages from villages, communes from communes, and wards from wards.

From 6:00 am on Tuesday, 115 checkpoints have been set up across the city to monitor peoples traveling for COVID-19 prevention and control.

Functional forces at the checkpoints will prevent people from virus-hit areas clarified in the Ministry of Healths list from entering Bac Ninh.

Those who have reasonable purposes to enter the city must be quarantined according to regulations.

The functional forces will also examine pandemic prevention and control measures on vehicles permitted to the city according to regulations.

Passengers transport activities by contract cars, ridesharing cars, and taxis are prohibited from going into the city.

Only vehicles carrying goods and agricultural products from virus-clear areas are allowed to enter the city.

Vehicles carrying goods and agricultural products from virus-hit areas can go through the checkpoints to the city with only one driver, who has no symptoms of coughing or fever, tested negative for the virus within the previous three days, and must return immediately after delivery instead of staying overnight in Bac Ninh City.

Workers traveling in personal vehicles must present an employee card issued by their employers, or a personal document with a portrait photo and an employment contract.

In order to avoid traffic congestion, vehicles that fail to prove their eligibility to pass through the checkpoints shall be rejected.

The measures took place from Tuesday and will remain in place until further direction from local authorities.

The new restrictions come as Bac Ninh Province is struggling with a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases together with northern Bac Giang Province.

Bac Ninh alone has recorded 507 local cases between April 27, when the first community-based infection in the current wave was detected, and Tuesday morning, according to the Ministry of Health.

The provincial authorities have implemented social distancing rules in seven out of its eight cities, towns, and districts, except for Gia Binh District.

Infections have spread to both industrial parks and in the community in the province as about 4,000 people hailing from Bac Ninh commute to Bac Giang, which is also a hub of industrial parks, for work every day.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long on Monday called for support for Bac Ninh and Bac Giang from other localities, saying that the number of infections in the two provinces is expected to continue to surge in the next few days.

Vietnam has registered 5,461 COVID-19 cases, including 3,975 domestic infections, since the virus first emerged in the country on January 23, 2020, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Recoveries have reached 2,794 whereas 44 patients have died, most having suffered critical pre-existing health problems.

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Hanoi authorities on Monday night temporarily shut down the Big C Thang Long supermarket for coronavirus-linked disinfection after the visit of a COVID-19 patient two days earlier.

In its document issued on Monday, the supermarket, part of a grocery store chain owned by Thailands retail giant Central Group, said it would temporarily close for disinfection to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and to follow the direction of local authorities.

Along with the closure for sterilization, health authorities also extracted the facilitys security cameras for tracking contact between the patient and others.

The establishment, which is located in Cau Giay District, coordinated with concerned agencies to trace the patients contacts at the supermarket, Ha said.

This image shows Big C Thang Longs notice that announces the supermarkets temporary closure for coronavirus disinfection and extends apologies to its customers for the suspension on May 24, 2021. Photo: Nguyen Doan / Tuoi Tre

Do Thi Thu Ha, director of the districts medical center, confirmed late Monday that a coronavirus patient came to the supermarket for shopping on May 22.

Once identified, all contacts of the patient will be notified and contacted for testing and quarantine, Ha said.

The local health authorities also rejected earlier rumors that Big C Thang Long will be shut down because of a COVID-19 case," saying it is untrue.

There is no closure of Big C Thang Long," Ha said.

"Tomorrow, the supermarket will still be open for normal operations.

"In the immediate future, we only need to extract the cameras to see who the patient has been in contact with so that the tracing process may take place quickly."

Ha also rejected the information spread on social media that an Indian man has vomited blood and fainted in the supermarket, declaring it a rumor.

A health worker is seen spraying chemicals to disinfect the front area of the Big C Thang Long in Cau Giay District, Hanoi on May 24, 2021. Photo: Nguyen Doan / Tuoi Tre

Amid the coronavirus spread in the city, Hanoi authorities have decided to shut down all dine-in services, barbershops, and hair salons from 12:00 pm on Tuesday.

At noon on Tuesday, the country confirmed 100 domestic COVID-19 cases, raising the countrys tally to 5,561, with 2,794 recoveries and 44 deaths.

Of the new infections, Bac Giang Province accounted for 87, Hanoi eight, Da Nang two, and one each in Thai Binh Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dien Bien Province.

To date, the Vietnamese capital has documented 585 cumulative patients, of whom 280 have recovered and five died, the health ministry reported.

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The Ministry of Health confirmed an all-time high of 444 domestic coronavirus infections in Vietnam on Tuesday, the vast majority recorded in a northern province home to industrial parks.

This number broke the daily record set on May 16, when 187 domestic cases were reported, according to the health ministrys data.

Bac Giang Province, situated in northern Vietnam, registered 375 of the latest cases, most found at or linked to industrial parks.

Twenty-eight infections were registered in Bac Ninh Province, which borders Bac Giang. Both provinces are industrial park hubs.

Hanoi logged 13 patients while Ho Chi Minh City detected one.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on Tuesday that 50,000 people in Bac Giang are at very high risk of infection.

The health ministry forecast that 3,000 people would be infected with the virus in Bac Giang, calling on the entire nation to help it and Bac Ninh fight the pathogen.

Quelling the virus here [in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh] means quelling it nationwide, Minister Long said.

Vietnam has battled the COVID-19 pathogens re-emergence since April 27, with 2,793 community transmissions having been reported in 30 out of 63 provinces and cities.

Bac Giang has recorded 1,399 cases in this fourth wave, followed by Bac Ninh with 533 patients, Hanoi with 328, Da Nang with 154, and Vinh Phuc Province with 89.

Only eight patients have been confirmed in Ho Chi Minh City in this bout.

Vietnam has detected 5,851 cumulative COVID-19 cases, including 4,362 domestic infections, since the virus emerged in the country on January 23, 2020, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Forty-four patients have died, most having suffered critical pre-existing health problems.

Vietnam has fought four virus waves so far, the latest being the worst.

The nation confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021.

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ABC has been given an extension of June 21 to surrender files related to its Exposed: Ghost Train Fire documentary to NSW Police.

The Australian reports State Coroner Teresa OSullivan and Premier Gladys Berejiklian have been putting pressure on police to indicate whether a fresh inquiry should be launched into the 1979 disaster, in which six children and a father lost their lives.

Ive got the coroner asking me, Does she need to hold a new inquest? Ive got the Premier asking me, Do we need a specially commissioned inquiry? NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said.

I need all of the information the ABC has to make a proper assessment on that, and I expect that will all be provided unedited.

In a statement ABC said, The ABC wants justice to be served for the victims of the 1979 Luna Park fire and their families, as investigative series Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire makes clear.

The ABC is cooperating fully with the NSW Coroner and NSW Police reviews regarding the fire. The ABC has not breached an order from the Coroner. Any suggestion otherwise is unfounded.

But it did note, The ABC is concerned to ensure that confidential sources in the Exposed investigation are protected.

The ABC is meeting with NSW Police to determine how best to proceed with production of remaining relevant material.

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Tonight on You Cant Ask That meet Families of Missing Persons.

When Bruce Morcombes 13-year-old son Daniel went missing from a bus stop in December 2003, it sparked the largest criminal investigation in Queenslands history. A fathers deepest pain was the nations biggest story. For eight years the Morcombes were engulfed in the all-consuming torture of the unknown.

There was one particular time where Denise and I were searching for Daniel in bushland and we thought we could see some freshly turned soil We didnt have any water, we didnt have a shovel, so we got a stick and started digging in the dirt as desperate people you could imagine would do. And we said, Were going round the twist here.

The Australian Federal Police estimate that roughly 38,000 Australians go missing each year. This is an episode about the family left behind.

Loren OKeefes brother Dan went missing in 2011, she turned to the media at the height of her anguish to make a public plea for help. That is one of those scenes that you see on telly and you are totally disconnected from. You feel for the people on the screen, but you never imagine that thats going to be you the disbelief that we were that family on that stage was just palpable.

The people youll meet in this episode are everyday Australians, whose lives were changed forever on the day a loved one disappeared. Eighty-six percent of people who go missing are found within the first week, a long-term missing person is someone who has been missing for more than three months. In Australia there are over 2,600 people listed as a long-term missing person, according to the National Missing Persons Coordination Network.

Loren reflects on how she changed during the five years her brother was missing. I think growing up I was always considered a really happy, positive bubbly person. Then Dan disappeared. Then I couldnt be like that. I couldnt be myself. It really messed with my identity.

Production credits: You Cant Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director and Producer: Kirk Docker, Series Producer: Josh Schmidt, ABC Executive Producer: Frances ORiordan and ABC Head of Entertainment: Nicholas Hayden.

9pm tonight on ABC.

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The University of Dayton provided sustainability expertise to the Vatican in the development of the Laudato Si' Action Platform to help track goals from Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical on the environment.

The online platform's soft launch is May 25, with a full launch in early October.

Matthew Worsham, UD energy efficiency and renewable energy manager, and Marianist Sister Leanne Jablonski who also serves as Hanley Sustainability Institute scholar for faith and the environment, were part of the universities working group for the Vatican's Dicastery Team for Promoting Integral Human Development Laudato Si' Action Platform. Rebecca Potter, director of UD's sustainability program and Hanley Sustainability Institute director of curriculum, was part of a dicastery universities team focused on ecological education.

The trio shared successes and challenges from UD's sustainability efforts and how some successes could be implemented on the online platform. Their input included teaching sustainability in the classroom and student experiential learning outside the classroom. They also advised on how facilities operations and the best way to share sustainability information within organizations.

The University attracted the attention of the Vatican group, in part, through the work of the Hanley Sustainability Institute and the UD Division of Facility Management and Planning with the Global Catholic Climate Movement sustainable facilities working group.

"We have been reaching out to relevant experts on campus and in the community to help answer the working groups' questions and help the Vatican build a library of resources and examples for other universities," Worsham said. "The Vatican has seven Laudato Si' goals for the environmental and human rights change it wants to see in the world, and the working groups help the Vatican apply its goals appropriately in those sectors. For example, one approach doesn't fit all. So we advised how to apply goals for higher education in the United States while others advised how to implement goals for schools of different sizes around the world."

The encyclical's goals include: work toward carbon neutrality; defend human life; engage in sustainable production, fair trade, ethical consumption and investments; reduce use of energy and resources; redesign education around integral ecology; recover a religious vision of God's creation; and emphasize community involvement and participatory action around creation care at all levels of society.

"Catholics have a critical mass to collectively address climate change, reduce economic poverty and achieve total sustainability through education, health care, environmental non-profits, parishes and religious congregations, such as our global Marianist Family, who are engaged in many of the sectors," said Jablonski, who directs the Marianist Environmental Education Center and has participated in the vowed religious international initiative, Sowing Hope for the Planet.

Potter said the invitation from the Vatican to contribute to these issues has been an honor for the University.

"It's been a privilege to contribute to the common good and, as the encyclical Laudato Si' asks, contribute ways to care for our common home. In working with other sustainability educators and advocates from universities across the globe, the sense of a shared vision is truly inspiring. There is tremendous energy, faith and hope in this effort," said Potter, who was instrumental in creating and now directs the University's bachelor's programs in sustainability. "These are valuable experiences we can bring to our students in the classroom, such as discussing and creating policy with a major international body or how others view and implement sustainability globally."

The University, which was the first U.S. Catholic college or university to divest from fossil fuels, has a gold rating in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Its STARS score ranks first in Ohio and fifth among U.S. Catholic colleges and universities. UD earned perfect or near-perfect marks for academic research; diversity and affordability; sustainability coordination and planning; purchasing; and innovation and leadership.

UD also is among the most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation, according to The Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition.

It is part of Second Nature's commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving carbon neutrality and to increase climate adaptation and resiliency to deal with a changing climate and resulting extremes. The University also is part of the Global Catholic Climate Movement and the U.N. Global Compact  the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative.

The University's sustainability education initiatives, many of them spurred by student leadership in and out of the classroom, received a boost in 2014 with a $12.5 million gift from the George and Amanda Hanley Foundation. The largest single gift in University history also established the Hanley Sustainability Institute.

I am so inspired by the creative leadership of UD students who embody Laudato Si' through their sustainability initiatives that call all of us to protect the planet, the poor and future generations," Jablonski said. We shared much of their work during this process, and this platform amplifies their impact toward Pope Francis' goal of carbon neutrality by 2030."

For interviews, contact Shawn Robinson, associate director of news and communications, at srobinson1@udayton.edu or 937-232-2907.
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer Awards ceremony, in Berlin (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The prices of several cryptocurrencies, which were soaring high in April, have plunged more than 40 per cent in the weeks since Tesla chief Elon Musk said the company would no longer accept bitcoin as payment, and now investors are pleading with the billionaire to stop tweeting about the digital currency.

Earlier this month, Musk jokingly called Dogecoin a hustle during his appearance on the late-night comedy show SNL. That, along with a series of events including Chinas crackdown on cryptocurrency transactions and mining, crashed the prices of several digital tokens further.

Do not pay attention to Elon Musks comments about anything in crypto at least over the longer term, William Quigley, Managing Director of Magnetic, a cryptocurrency investing firm, said in a recent interview on CNN Business.

Several investors point to Musks tweet as a tipping point in bitcoins biggest collapse of the year, which was peaking even as late as mid-April at close to $65,000.

Tesla until very recently was going to accept bitcoin as a payment. That alone told me he didnt really understand how to think about bitcoin, Quigley said.

He explained that while bitcoin had a good store value, and was very good for large cross border payments, it is not a substitute for normal transaction methods.

Please dont pay attention to what Elon Musk says about crypto because he is simply not an expert, Quigley said, adding that the Tesla chiefs tweets about Dogecoin were irresponsible.

I think for him it was more of a joke, but a lot of people, unfortunately, follow what he says. Maybe when it comes to energy efficient cars look at what he does, but ignore anything he says about bitcoin and crypto in general, he added.

Some investors even took to Twitter to express anger against Musks flip-flopping tweets on cryptocurrencies that have the power to move their prices so wildly.

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On Saturday, when Musk was asked on Twitter about his thoughts on people who were angry at him for his stance on cryptocurrencies, he replied that the true battle is between fiat & crypto. On balance, I support the latter.

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Following this tweet, some pundits urged a note of caution, requesting investors to do their own research on cryptocurrencies and come to their conclusions instead of worshiping Musk.

Portugal-based Heidi Chakos, who has invested in bitcoin since 2014 and accumulated over 44,000 followers on Twitter in the process, urged people to think for themselves before making decisions in the space.

Learn to think for yourselves and put your hard earned money into projects you actually think are deserving instead of investing in projects because a globalist puppet says they like it, Chakos tweeted.

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I feel bad for anyone who makes investment decisions based on the tweets of someone who is just trying to stay relevant and take advantage of his platform, she told the Wall Street Journal.

Megan Kaspar, managing director with Magnetic, told CNN Business that retail investors who are trying to make a quick buck from cryptocurrencies may buy Dogecoin just because Musk is pumping it.

I still dont understand what Musks perspective on dogecoin is and I dont think the world does either. Why does he think its valuable. Institutional investors are very thoughtful and are not buying dogecoin just because Musk is pumping it, she added.

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(CC/ kabochan.blog)

For a cryptocurrency originally conceived as a joke, a satire against bitcoin and the whole crazed online gold rush of the last decade, Dogecoin has had an absolutely extraordinary year.

In late January, its value skyrocketed by 800 per cent in 24 hours to $0.07 as Reddit users and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk roped it into the GameStop short squeeze battle to thwart Wall Street traders attempting to capitalise on the downfall of the beloved high street retailer.

Dogecoin continued to climb gradually throughout the spring, hitting $0.45 by mid-April, thanks in no small part to the cheerleading of eccentric self-styled celebrity investment gurus like Musk, Snoop Dogg and ex-Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, before hitting an all-time high of $0.72 on 5 May and registering a market capitalisation of $85.3bn.

>> Follow all the latest bitcoin updates with The Independents live coverage of the crypto market

At the time of writing, its worth about half of that, but honestly, who knows where this volatile proposition will go from here?

If you ask Musk, he will say theres no reason it cant become the future currency of Mars.

The coin was launched on 6 December 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, of IBM and Adobe respectively, who based their spoof of the cryptocraze on the dominant meme of the moment: a Shiba Ibu dog posing quizzically for the camera.

The photograph had blown up over the last three years, spreading across the web and pleasingly imagining the animals inner monologue, expressed in ungrammatical Comic Sans annotations (Wow such tempt), its face sometimes superimposed absurdly onto inanimate objects like Twinkies, stacks of Pringles or giant boulders.

The face that launched a thousand memesReddit

Accelerated by the popularity of the Shiba Confessions Tumblr started in June 2012, the meme would eventually become so widely known that even Republican congressman for Texas Steve Stockman was using it to lampoon his own partys state senator John Cornyn for being insufficiently right-wing (Wow support Obamacare funding) by the time Markus and Palmers coin was unveiled.

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Dogecoin would swiftly draw together a community that was originally dedicated to prank fundraising, making enough money to send a Jamaican bobsleigh team to the Sochi Winter Olympics and to sponsor Nascar driver Josh Wise, as well as bankrolling worthier initiatives like bringing water to drought-stricken communities in Kenya.

The picture on which all of this was centred turned out to have been first uploaded on 23 February 2010 by the dogs owner, Japanese nursery school teacher Atsuko Sato, who had started a blog eight months earlier to post regular updates about her pet, christened Kabosu for its face shaped like the round citrus fruit of the same name, whom she had adopted in November 2008 after the puppy mill the dog had been born into was shut down.

CC/ Kobachan.blog

Her blog, also featuring the familys cats Azalea, Ginkgo and Onigir lounging around their apartment in suburban Tokyo, is still running to this day and remains hugely popular.

Kabosu is not the only Shiba to appear in the meme though. Sometimes a photo of another dog named Suki, looking elegant in a fetching pink scarf and owned by San Francisco-based photographer Jonathan Fleming, appeared instead when a haughtier tone was needed.

Speaking to The Verge in 2013 at the height of the memes popularity, Sato described her reaction when she first became aware of how popular her faithful friend had become in the west.

I was taken aback. It felt very strange to see her face there. It was a Kabosu that I didnt know, she said.

To be honest, some pictures are strange for me, but its still funny! Im very impressed with their skills and taste. Around me, nobody knows about the doge meme. Maybe I dont understand memes very well, because Im living such an analogue life.

On why Kabosu in particular had proved to be so appealing to the online community, Sato suggested that her pet is very different from the typical temperament of Shiba. Shes very gentle and calm; she loves being photographed.

YouTube/ 

Shiba Inu are known as a highly energetic breed of traditional hunting dog in Japan, so the Dogecoin icon certainly appears to be an exception to the rule.

Kabosu was not loved when she was little, so I want to shower her with love as a member of my family, her owner said, explaining that she originally started her blog to raise awareness about the dubious ethics of commercial breeding operations like the one from which her pet and 19 other Shibas had sprung.

Rather cruelly, China Central Television ran a hoax story announcing the death of Kabosu on April Fools Day 2017, perhaps in the hope of causing a ripple in the cryptocurrency markets, but the truth is that the worlds most famous Shiba Inu is still alive and well at the grand old age of 15, presumably blissfully unaware of her improbable crypto celebrity.

Read More

Dogecoin: How did an iconic meme become the worlds richest mans favourite cryptocurrency?

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(ES)

The judge in the case of Fortnite-maker Epic vs Apple has heard closing arguments in an anti-trust case centring on Apples App Store business model.

Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers quizzed both sides attorneys for three hours about how far she could - and should - go to potentially change Apples charging model.

App makers and regulators around the world are watching the trial as Gonzalez Rogers decides whether it's reasonable for Apple to take such a large slice of commission while stopping the likes of Epic from using its own payments system instead.

Times nearly up: Russias communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, gave Google 24 hours to delete what it called prohibited content - or face a fine and further internet slowdowns.

The watchdog said they had sent more than 26,000 calls to Google to remove illegal information.

Indian police say officers visited Twitters offices in an investigation into the social media giants tagging of a post by the countrys ruling party as manipulated media.

New Delhi police says officers visited Twitters local office to serve notice it was being investigated, while the social network has yet to comment.

A blind man can now partially see with thanks to algae, Charlie Bit my Finger comes off Youtube and is now available in NFT form, and Floridas Governor Ron DeSantis is the first to sign a bill penalising tech firms that deplatform politicians. Plus, if youre triggered by the sound of chewing a supersensitised brain connection may be the reason why.

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You can find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts.
A coronavirus support officer is seen in Bolton, a hotspot for the Indian coronavirus variant (PA Wire)

Leaders in Indian variant hotspots have said local lockdowns are not in place after confusion over Government issued guidance to avoid non-essential travel out of eight areas in England.

Earlier a Cabinet minister told people dont travel to and from Hounslow and the seven other areas unless it is an essential journey - to stop the spread of the Covid-19 variant.

But a joint statement issued by directors of public health in Burnley, Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside on Tuesday said: Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: There are no local lockdowns.

In areas where the new Covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.

We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives.

The statement came amid confusion after the Government website carried extra guidelines which many interpreted as meaning the areas worst hit by the Indian variant were having stricter measures placed on them.

The Department of Health and Social Care later said guidance for the eight Covid-19 Indian variant hotspots is to be updated to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions.

A spokesperson said: "Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent."

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey earlier sought to argue new advice issued online had not come out of the blue despite there being no major announcement.

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She also faced a series of questions over whether it meant people should not go indoors in pubs and restaurants in the eight areas.

People are urged to avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.

It also advises people in the eight areas not to meet inside if possible, which conflicts with the most recent relaxation of lockdown rules.

Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, whose Brentford & Isleworth constituency includes parts of Hounslow borough questioned whether the Government had looked at a map.

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Ms Coffey argued that the new guidance was only formalising what was already happening at local level.

She told Sky News: When the Prime Minister talked about the issues of the Indian variant last week he said that we need to be extra cautious in certain areas.

We are in regular contact with the councils and communities in that area so this was just about more formalising, on the record, the guidance.

Pressed on why there was no official Government announcement, she added: We have been working in close contact. Im surprised to hear that people think this has sort of come out of the blue, it hasnt.

It also urges people in the eight areas not to meet inside, if possible, which conflicts with the most recent relaxation of lockdown rules and raises questions over whether people should be going indoors in pubs and restaurants.

Asked about this, Ms Coffey said: I dont believe we have changed any specific rules when it comes to hospitality.

It continues to be about being careful, about making sure that we still preserve in effect the two metre rule, the ventilation.

Im confident that our excellent hospitality industry will be taking a careful approach particularly in those communities because they want to make sure that we carry along the roadmap to recovery.

Pressed on whether it was OK to meet up indoors in the eight areas in a restaurant, she insisted: The guidance is clear, do you really need to go inside to meet other people. Of course, there will be situations where people do feel that is necessary.

She also suggested the new advice was unlikely to delay the final stage of easing lockdown on June 21.

City-wide policies needed in London

For London, the guidance is all the more surprising as restrictions have so far not been imposed at borough level, with health chiefs saying a city-wide policy was needed against coronavirus given how much people travel and socialise across the capital.

Surge testing for the B1.617.2 Indian variant has already been mobilised in Hounslow, as well as a number of other boroughs in the capital, and the vaccination programme is being sped up.

Ministers announced at the weekend that extra coronavirus PCR testing was to start in the coming days in targeted settings and postcodes within Harrow, Ealing, Hillingdon and Brent.

The new Government advice, for Hounslow and the seven other areas across England states: The new Covid-19 variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

In the areas listed...wherever possible, you should try to:

Meet outside rather than inside where possible.

Keep 2 metres apart from people that you dont live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you dont live with.

Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.

You should also:

Get tested twice a week for free and isolate if you are positive.

Continue to work from home if you can.

Get vaccinated when you are offered it, and encourage others to do so as well

It also advises people should get tested for Covid-19 by arranging to have a PCR test if they have symptoms of coronavirus, participate in surge testing in the local area, and get regular rapid tests if they do not have symptoms of coronavirus.

The Government was insisting the new guidance is not local lockdowns by stealth as the latest moves, which were not highlighted, were advice not legal restrictions.

However, the BBC reported that at least two of the councils were unaware of the new advice.

No information on it could easily be found on the Hounslow council website.

Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health, Blackburn with Darwen Council, tweeted: #Covid19aaTravel Advisory #localgovareas involved were not consulted with, warned of, notified about, or alerted to this guidance. I have asked to see the national risk assessment which supports this action - it has not been provided to us yet.

Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, said: I was not informed of this and I understand nor was anyone else in Bolton.

Im just gobsmacked. Theyre making such an important announcement and they dont even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents.

This is typical of this Governments incompetence.

Layla Moran, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said updating the guidance without a proper announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

Local people and public health leaders in these areas need urgent clarity from the Government. Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules, she said.

Newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin added the change could cause anxiety and confusion.

Ms Brabin said she would raise the matter urgently with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on Tuesday.

She tweeted: If Govt are concerned we need clear guidance and support not advice that could cause anxiety and confusion.

A Government spokesman said: Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.

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GCHQ intercepted bulk communications (PA Media)

The UK's GCHQ intelligence agency breached the right to privacy by intercepting and harvesting vast amounts of communications, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday.

The ruling comes after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that GCHQ and the NSA were intercepting vast amounts of communications from across the world.

The Government Communications Headquarters is the UKs cyber intelligence agency. It's website says it keeps the UK safe by "combining cutting-edge technology with technical ingenuity".

Human rights campaigners brought the case as they contended that so-called bulk interception was neither necessary nor proportionate, and that the system lacked clear definition and lacked judicial oversight.

The Government Communications Headquarters is the UKs cyber intelligence agencyPA Archive

The British government argued that bulk interception was critical for national security and had enabled it to uncover threats. Essentially, London argued that it had to harvest vast amounts of data to find threats.

The Strasbourg-based court ruled in a case known as "Big Brother Watch and Others v. the United Kingdom" that the United Kingdom had breached the right to respect for private and family life communications, and the right to freedom of expression with its bulk intercept regime.

The regime for obtaining communications data from service providers also violated human rights, the court said, though it said bulk interception in itself was not illegal.

"The court considered that, owing to the multitude of threats states face in modern society, operating a bulk interception regime did not in and of itself violate the Convention," the court said.

"However, such a regime had to be subject to 'end-to-end safeguards'," it said.

The court ruled that there had been no violation of rights by requests for intercepted material from foreign intelligence agencies.

A Home Office spokesperson said much of the legal framework that was the subject of the challenge has since been replaced.

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The UK has one of the most robust and transparent oversight regimes for the protection of personal data and privacy anywhere in the world he said.

This unprecedented transparency sets a new international benchmark for how the law can protect both privacy and security whilst continuing to respond dynamically to an evolving threat picture.

The 2016 Investigatory Powers Act has already replaced large parts of the 2000 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) that was the subject of this challenge. We note todays judgment.

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University of North Georgia (UNG) student Lani Chastain knows the thrill of winning a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). The junior pursuing a degree in physics also know the disappointment of losing it.

"I got one last year, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic," Chastain said.

This year, many colleges and universities organized their projects to be conducted virtually, hybrid or in-person with safety protocols to allow students to gain the experience and remain safe during the pandemic. Many UNG students applied and seven received REU or research-based projects, including Chastain, who gained entry into two programs.

The 21-year-old from Chickamauga, Georgia, was selected to join the second edition of the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Internship Program. It funds exceptional U.S. undergraduate students to complete an internship in Canada in summer 2021.

Chastain also won an international REU hosted by the University of Florida along with mentors from Monash University in Australia. The project will focus on gravitational physics and gravitational-wave astronomy for a period of nine to 10 weeks starting in June.

"I was so surprised that I got both of them," she said. "It was really comforting to know I had options. I wasn't limited to whichever one takes me like last year. I could pick this time."

Chastain chose the gravitational physics project with the University of Florida.

"I want to go into gravitation-wave astronomy because it's a new field. I think it's interesting to grow as a new physicist in a new field," she said. "And they can tailor the project to my skills and interest."

Six others will develop their skills and interests during other research-based programs this summer.

Bailey Bullard, a junior pursuing a degree in chemistry, will work on the production and testing of engineered biochar for the removal of phosphorus from stormwater runoff at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.

Rebecca Corley, a junior pursuing a degree in physics, will work on an astroparticle physics project at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The native of Athens, Georgia, will likely work with data collected at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.

Jared Oenick, a junior from Sharpsburg, Georgia, pursuing a degree in biology, will participate in a Kidney Undergraduate Research Experience (KURE). Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the eight-week summer research program gives students the opportunity to learn about advances in kidney research. Oenick will be mentored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham's renowned faculty and staff.

Suzanne Steel, a senior pursuing a degree in physics, will join a summer research program with the DESY national research center and particle accelerator facility in Hamburg, Germany to research high-energy particle physics. Her project will work with the DESY CMS group. Because of the pandemic, the 22-year-old from Alpharetta, Georgia, will participate in the program virtually.

Jacob Spurlock of Concord, Georgia, and Quinn Parker of Conyers, Georgia, received awards to participate as students in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) for 10 weeks this summer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Parker is a junior pursuing a degree in physics. Spurlock is a 2021 graduate with a degree in physics and has been accepted into graduate school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The VFP seeks to increase the research competitiveness of faculty and students at colleges and universities historically underrepresented in the research community. During the program, faculty and up to two students collaborate with DOE laboratory research staff on a research project.

Students interested in pursuing summer research opportunities or undergraduate research projects may contact the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities office at curca@ung.edu.
Washington seeks to limit Russian and Chinese influence in the region, contain Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, encourage Uzbekistans reform process under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and enlist the Central Asian states in fighting terrorism, The National Interest reports. Bidens foreign policy is likely to retain most of the features of the Trump administrations U.S. Strategy for Central Asia, released in February 2020.

The core policy objectives of the strategy are to support the sovereignty and independence of Central Asian states, reduce terrorist threats in the region, expand support for stability in Afghanistan, promote human rights and the rule of law, and encourage U.S. investment. Washington also seeks to limit Russian and Chinese influence in the region, contain Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), encourage Uzbekistans reform process under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and enlist the Central Asian states in fighting terrorism.

The U.S. State Department touts the C5+1 format initiated by former Secretary of State John Kerry in 2015 as a mechanism for deepening political, economic and military engagement with all five Central Asian states, one which provides them a counterweight to Russian and Chinese influence. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkens April C5+1 meeting with his Central Asian counterparts signaled Washingtons intention to remain a regional player following the September 11 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Advocates of continued engagement with Central Asia point to business opportunities, and the need to promote regional economic development and connectivity. Existing regional programsthe International Development Finance Corporation, the CASA 1000 electricity transmission project, and the Blue Dot Network infrastructure projectlook promising on paper, but these are modest proposals at best. Transparent investment processes that utilize market-oriented principles or public-private partnerships, and which bring together interested democracies such as India, Japan, and Australia, challenge Chinas predatory economic policies. The debt-trap pitfalls of Beijings BRI are becoming increasingly apparent to vulnerable lower and middle-income countries. Central Asias authoritarian leaders are cognizant of their vulnerable position, and all practice some form of multi-vector diplomacy maximizing their freedom of maneuver among the great powers.

The United States faces a difficult choice of either competing with China, Russia and Iran in Central Asia or retreating from the region and conceding influence. While no major changes in Central Asian policy have been apparent during the first months of the Biden administration, the new presidents willingness to confront Beijing and Moscow over human-rights issues and democracy could increase regional tensions. Moscow appears determined to preserve and expand its regional presence through the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and will likely continue to oppose an American presence barring a radical improvement in U.S.Russian relations. Beijing shares leadership of the SCO with Moscow, and like Russia seeks to reduce American influence along its Western border, but the Sino-Russian relationship in Central Asia is in many respects competitive. Russia has a military advantage in the region but cannot match the financial resources China is committing through the BRI, nor can the United States.

In this environment, the United States should reduce its military footprint in Central Asia. Re-establishing the military bases that operated out of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan after 9/11 does not appear to be a feasible option. Central Asians have long suspected that the U.S. desires a permanent military presence in the region; leaving Afghanistan simply to set up facilities in the former Soviet republics will erode American soft power. And yet fully disengaging would open the region to destabilizing influences from Islamic extremists and would concede even more influence to Russia and China.

While the United States does not have many good options in the region, it could choose to become an offshore balancer, relying on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India to assume more responsibility for regional stability. Of the larger regional states, Indias goals and interests align most closely with those of the United States, and Indiaas a key player in Washingtons Indo-Pacific strategyhas the potential to become more important to Washington as a major regional power in Central Asia.

India has a long history with Central Asia and is committed to expanding political and economic links. New Delhi is keenly interested in stabilizing Afghanistan, countering Pakistans influence in that war-torn country, and competing with Chinas BRI. Indias Connect Central Asia policy, targeted at economic development, security, and information and technology modernization, gained a new impetus under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since 2017 India has beentogether with Pakistana full member of the SCO. And in January 2019 the first India-Central Asia Dialogue forum was held at the foreign minister-level.

In Iran, Indian firms are developing the port at Chabahar, which provides access routes to Afghanistan that bypass Pakistan. Iran claims the port is not directed against Chinese or Pakistani interests, but its obviously competing with Pakistans port at Gwadar, a key link in Chinas BRI. Chabahar is the entryway to the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometer network of land and sea routes to connect India with Europe. India, Russia and Iran originated the INSTC in 2002; since then, eleven additional states in the region have joined what is clearly a transportation alternative to the BRI.

India also has a modest military footprint in Central Asia, with the small Farkhor airbase in southern Tajikistan. Over the past decade, the Indian military has conducted joint exercises with Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and has supplied equipment and provided training to Afghanistans armed forces. India cannot replace the United States or NATO forces in Afghanistan, but its support for the Ashraf Ghani government could help it resist advances by the Taliban and Islamic State.

The prospects for preserving American influence in Central Asia depend on formulating a successful exit strategy from Afghanistan. In Central Asia, the United States faces competition for influence from both Russia and China and has a dubious ally in Pakistan. On the positive side, the United States has an increasingly valuable security partner in India. New Delhi has an active Central Asia policy, a vested interest in stabilizing Afghanistan, and resists Chinese encroachment in the region. India is a key member of the Quad group of democracies, but it also maintains good relations with authoritarian Russia and Iran.

By working with India in Central Asia, the United States can improve the chances of stabilizing and integrating Afghanistan into the broader region. New Delhi is too protective of its sovereignty to bandwagon with the United States, but shared interests in Central Asia can provide the basis for a productive partnership. New Delhis close relations with Moscow and Tehran could be useful in containing Islamic extremism in Afghanistannone of these countries wants to see the return of a Taliban caliphate or Islamic State resurgence. The U.S. should think creatively about Indias potential as an intermediary, and not reflexively oppose Indian engagement with Russia and Iran.

Obviously, foreign policy has moved to the back burner as India struggles with a massive wave of coronavirus infections. The United States should do more to help India deal with the pandemic, and then remove certain obstacles to cooperation in Central Asia. The threat of applying Countering Americas Adversaries With Sanctions on Indias purchase of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems is counterproductive, and the Biden administration should grant a waiver. Secondary sanctions against India imposed by the Trump administration over oil imports from Iran should also be suspended, especially given attempts to revitalize the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. These measures would go a long way toward reducing Indian resentment of American diktat and would strengthen prospects for U.S.-Indian collaboration as America winds down its longest war.
Turkey on Monday signaled some good news regarding the exploration activities in the Black Sea, triggering prospects it could be announcing a new natural gas discovery, Daily Sabah reports. The countrys first drilling ship, Fatih, last year found 405 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the Tuna-1 well in the Sakarya gas field, located about 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) north of Turkeys Black Sea coast.

Let us wait for June for the update. The works will be completed in June, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez told the private broadcaster, A Haber. Sakarya gas field is quite large, Donmez said. It is a field we are hopeful about. New seismic data also confirm our hope ... We do not make statements until we are sure. These are big and important works. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week said the public should not be surprised if they announce a new natural gas find soon. We are getting good news, and with these, do not be surprised if you get news on an oil or natural gas (discovery) soon, Erdogan said.

Engineering studies are ongoing to bring the Black Sea gas ashore. Turkey is determined to connect the gas to the nations transmission system by 2023. The first gas flow from the field is expected in 2023, with an envisaged annual gas flow of 5-10 bcm. The field is expected to gradually increase to reach a production plateau of around 15 bcm as of 2025, which is sufficient to meet 30% of the nations annual gas demand.

The country earlier said it planned to complete the drilling of 40 production wells in the Sakarya gas field by 2028. Yet, Donmez said, There is no need to wait for so many wells to be drilled for initial production. After the first five to six, we can get it into production. By 2027-2028, we will have reached the maximum level of production, he added.

The reserve is expected to lessen the countrys dependence on Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan for energy imports. Turkey meets most of its natural gas needs through imports. The discovery is expected to significantly slash the import bill, which totals around $12 billion (TL 100.68 billion) annually.

The country imported 48.1 bcm of natural gas last year, marking a 6.5% increase compared to 2019 levels. The gas will be delivered to a facility in Filyos in northern Zonguldak province through an estimated 150-kilometer subsea pipeline that will be constructed. It will run from the field to the shore, where it will connect to the national gas grid.

Kanuni, the countrys third drilling ship that joined the fleet last year, earlier this month started to conduct deep-sea well tests at the Turkali-2 well, Donmez said. He noted that Fatih is preparing for new drillings to prepare the field for production and Kanuni will be responsible for opening the wells to production. The Turkali-2 well will be followed by the Turkali-1 and Tuna-1 wells. Fatih carried out drillings at all three wells and Kanuni will be performing completion works and testing the boreholes.

Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa seismic vessel also arrived in the Black Sea last month and anchored at the Port of Filyos where it underwent maintenance works. The vessel continues its 3D seismic studies in the Black Sea, Donmez noted. Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa is one of the two seismic vessels in the fleet along with Oruc Reis. Both have long been on duty conducting energy exploration activities in the Mediterranean. The drillship Yavuz has also been operating in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Drilling in Eastern Mediterranean

Elaborating on the exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, Donmez said the country may drill more boreholes in its search for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey has already opened eight boreholes in the region, Donmez said, adding that while there were signs of natural gas, there had been no economically significant discovery. Our experts are checking data after each drill with the seismic data obtained previously. We could have several more drills close to the ones (boreholes) where we see signs of gas, he added. Time will tell, but we are hopeful. We evaluate that there is a potential, the minister noted.

Three of the eight opened boreholes are in the areas where Turkey was granted licenses from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Donmez said. "The others are in the areas of our own continental shelf. Seismic studies are also continuing, Donmez noted. We have our own rights and interests in accordance with international maritime law, and we will make no compromise.

Turkey and Greece have been at odds over a number of decades-old issues, including the extent of their continental shelves, overflights in the Aegean Sea and the ethnically split island of Cyprus. Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims made by EU members Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the TRNC.
In recent years, a number of major world powers have stepped up their military uses of space. While the weaponization of space has long been a touchy subject, it seems that now the gloves are off. ero Time asks: could space be the next battlefield?

The weaponization of space

The debate over the militarization of space is not new. Think back to World War Two and the V2 rockets that Nazi Germany rained down upon Britain. These weapons were designed and co-developed by the German engineer (and future deputy administrator of NASA) Wernher von Braun, who later became known as the Father of Rocket Science. Once the war was over, the globes two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, spent huge amounts of money during the Cold War in a bid to deploy military technology in space.

But the race for space weaponization came to a somewhat premature end. In 1967, in the midst of the race to land on the moon, the Soviet Union, the US and the UK signed the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, known as the Outer Space Treaty.

That agreement, later ratified by 110 nations, prohibits the installation of nuclear weapons or any other form of weapon of mass destruction in Earths orbit, including stockpiling them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or in outer space.

That Treaty was at least partly responsible for keeping Earth's orbit free from any conflict for more than half a century. Its principles meant that space was accessible to all countries, without any national claim. Therefore, the use of space by the military was, at least on paper, limited to observation and communication applications. The military satellites launched during the past 50 years were, it was said, only intended to keep the peace.

With the International Space Station about to retire, one of the last areas of international space cooperation will come to an end. More than a symbol, it could also mark the beginning of an era when the hegemony of the West over space will be challenged. Russia has already announced that it will launch its own space station. And the competition is unlikely to limit itself to the scientific domain.

Meanwhile, a maneuver supposedly executed by Russia was recently denounced by France. Defense Minister Florence Parly claimed that, in 2017, the Luch satellite, also known as Olymp-K, attempted to spy on the Franco-Italian satellite Athena-Fidus. The latter provides high-speed and secure telecommunications services by satellite to the military forces and emergency services of both nations.

As Athena-Fidus continued to rotate quietly above the earth, a satellite approached it, up close, a little too close. So close that one would have really believed that it was trying to capture our communications, Parly said. Trying to listen to your neighbors is not just unfriendly, this is called an act of espionage. At the time, the French Air Force acknowledged having previously identified similar spacecraft approaching French military satellites in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

China, long left out of international space cooperation over fears of espionage, could be the next big military player in Earths orbit. In April 2021, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a report in which it warned of several weapons being developed by China capable of targeting the satellites of the US and their allies. Beijing is working to match or exceed US capabilities in space to gain the military, economic, and prestige benefits that Washington has accrued from space leadership, the report stated. Counterspace operations will be integral to potential military campaigns by the PLA [People's Liberation Army, Chinas military - ed. note], and China has counter-space weapons capabilities intended to target US and allied satellites.

The emergence of new doctrines

In July 2019, a year after the Olymp-K incident was made public, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a space command within the French Air Force, which would be known as the Air and Space Force. The new doctrine aims to protect Frances space assets against emerging threats.

That decision echoed a similar move across the Atlantic several months earlier. In February 2019, US President Donald Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 4, which established a Space Force as a sixth branch of the US Armed Forces. The directive cited the increasing space capabilities of its potential adversaries.

The two space forces launched their first joint space exercise, called AsterX, in March 2020. Among the situations studied was a satellite being approached for espionage. To counter such threats, France could acquire patrol satellites equipped with cameras and powerful lasers to keep overly curious spacecraft at bay. A prototype, called Yoda, should be launched by 2023.

Japan also created its own Space Operations Squadron in 2020. For now, the squadron consists of just 20 people, with a mission limited to ensuring that Japanese satellites are not damaged by space debris or meteorites. However, the Government plans to expand its workforce and operational scope in the coming years.

The creation of so-called Space Forces around the world raises the very real prospect of space becoming a new battlefield as global powers work to preserve their strategic interests. Its not quite Star Wars but it will only grow as both military and civilian sectors rely increasingly on satellites.
Azerbaijan on Tuesday relaxed its COVID-19 pandemic-related restriction after months, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - head of the Department for Economic Affairs and Policy of Innovative Development of the Presidential Administration Shahmar Movsumov said at a briefing of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers.

According to him, this step was taken due to the fact that recently there has been a positive trend in connection with the coronavirus pandemic in Azerbaijan.

First, the wearing of medical masks in the open air will be canceled in Azerbaijan since May 31. The operations of Baku Metro will be also allowed starting May 31, as well as bus service between the regions of Azerbaijan.

Large shopping centers will reopen in Azerbaijan from June 10.

Beaches will be opened in Azerbaijan from June 10. The beaches will be subject to the rules that were introduced last year.

The functioning of places of worship resumes in Azerbaijan from June 10. The work of these places will be allowed in accordance with certain restrictions and quarantine rules.

Gyms will reopen in Azerbaijan from June 10. Movsumov said that citizens with a COVID passport will be able to visit the gyms.

"In the future, persons with the COVID passports will be able to attend other venues - concerts, theaters, cinemas, weddings, and other celebrations," the official added.

Head of the Department of Prevention and Control of Diseases of the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) Yagut Garayeva said during the briefing that the COVID-19 cases have decreased to 3% in Azerbaijan in recent days.
EU leaders decided at the summit on Monday to bar Belarusian airlines from carrying out flights to EU airports and flying above the EU, also advising European carriers to suspend flights in the countrys airspace.

The summit "calls on all EU-based carriers to avoid overflight of Belarus; calls on the Council to adopt the necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by such airlines," according to the statement.

This decision does not enter into effect yet and needs to be approved by the Council at the level of ministers, TASS reported.
Turkey and Poland have signed a deal for the sale of Turkish-made combat drones, making Poland the first NATO and European Union member country to purchase Turkeys Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

The agreement was signed during Polish President Andrzej Dudas three-day visit to Turkey.

Under the deal, Poland is set to receive 24 armed drones, ground control stations and data terminals, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The first drone is expected to be delivered next year.

"We are one of the best countries regarding unmanned aerial vehicles," Erdogan said during a joint news conference. "We feel great pleasure in sharing our experience, capability and potential with our NATO ally, Poland."

"With the document that was just signed, Turkey will, for the first time in its history, be exporting UAVs to a country that is a member of NATO and the EU," The AP cited erdogan as saying.

Turkey previously sold drones to Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Qatar.
The talks between Secretary of Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Geneva were constructive despite disagreements, the Russian Security Council said in a statement on Monday.

"The negotiations were held in a constructive manner and helped to better understand each others positions despite the persisting differences," the statement reads.

According to the Security Council, a wide range of issues of mutual interests were discussed. "The sides paid priority attention to the issues of strategic stability. They expressed the confidence that mutually acceptable decisions can be worked out in a number of areas," TASS cited the statement as saying.

"The sides agreed that normalization of the Russian-US relations would not just meet the interests of the two countries but would also foster predictability and stabilization on the world arena," the statement adds.

"The meeting in Geneva on Monday has become an important stage in preparations for a possible summit between the two leaders, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden", Nikolai Patrushev reported.

The council underlined that the Russian-American consultations conducted by security officials logically followed the talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held on May 19.

This is the first meeting between Patrushev and Sullivan, they previously spoke on the phone several times. Such a conversation was last held on April 30, the two security officials then discussed the state and prospects of the bilateral relations and possibilities for the leaders summit.
Russia is officially resuming air service with Mexico, Iceland, Malta, Portugal, and Saudi Arabia starting Tuesday after flights were suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic last spring, according to a respective decision taken in the middle of May by the response center on prevention of delivery and spread of the novel coronavirus infection on Russian territory.

In particular, Russian air carriers have been allowed to perform two flights per week from Moscow to Reykjavik (Iceland) and Valletta (Malta), three flights  to Cancun (Mexico), Lisbon (Portugal), and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), as well as one flight per week to Jeddah from Grozny and Makhachkala. Consequently, foreign companies will be able to perform the same number of flights to Moscow and Grozny under the mutuality principle. Moreover, the response center has agreed on the expansion of the quota on flights to South Korea, Finland, and Japan from the Russian regions.

The resumption of air service with those countries is formal so far as only Azur Air has announced readiness to start flights to Mexico, with no Russian companies planning to open flights to other countries. The company has announced plans to open flights to Cancun twice per week starting May 29. The entry to Mexico is officially open, though travelers may be requested to have a COVID-19 medical check and put on lockdown if symptoms are identified.

S7 planned to restart flights to Iceland (prior to suspension of flights the airline was the only carrier flying to the country), but later it dropped the idea due to the obligatory lockdown for those arriving in Iceland, chair of S7 Airlines board of directors Tatyana Fileva told reporters earlier. The company suggests that such a condition may substantially affect the flight's uplift and thus make them commercially unprofitable.

To date, international flights from Russia have been resumed to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Venezuela, Greece, Germany, Singapore, Serbia, Ethiopia, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Finland, Japan, the Maldives, Cuba, and the Seychelles. Air service with Britain has been suspended again since December 2020 due to the worsening of the epidemiological situation, and with Tanzania and Turkey  since April 2021. Flights have been suspended until June 1, 2021.
Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) detained a supporter of the Islamic State terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia) who plotted to carry out a terrorist attack in the city of Norilsk during a parade celebrating Victory Day, the FSB said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The Federal Security Service thwarted a terrorist attack in the Krasnoyarsk Region. A Russian national siding with the ideas of the Islamic State international terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia, was taken into custody during an operation in the Stavropol Region on April 22. He intended to carry out a terrorist attack in Norilsk on May 9 by detonating an improvised explosive device in a public place," the statement reads.

Explosive substances and strike elements were found in a cache the man had set up in the basement of a home in Norilsk. "His communication means contain manuals for making explosive devices, as well as correspondence proving the terrorists attempts to incite several individuals to carry out an explosion in a column of troops marching in the Victory Day parade," TASS cited the FSB as saying.

The FSBs investigative department has opened a criminal case under Article 1.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (incitement to commit a terrorist attack) and Article 205.1.3 (abetting a terrorist attack).
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hold talks with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

"Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Maas discussed coordination on next steps to respond to events in Belarus and relief efforts in Gaza, as well as the importance of revitalizing the NATO Alliance through an ambitious NATO 2030 process," the statement reads.

The talks followed Sundays incident when a Ryanair flight en route from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land at Minsks airport after a reported bomb threat. The plane landed safely and no bomb was found on board. Roman Protasevich, one of the co-founders of the Nexta Telegram channel, which was recognized as extremist in Belarus, was among the passengers. Protasevich, currently living in Lithuania and wanted in Belarus, was detained after the airliner had landed in the Belarusian capital. The plane left Minsk and continued on to Vilnius late on Sunday.
Uzbekistan Airways will restart flights from Moscows Domodedovo Airport since June 15, the airlines press service says on Monday.

"Uzbekistan Airways will resume flights from Moscows Domodedovo Airport since June 15, 2021," TASS cited the press service as saying.

The decision to restart flights was driven by provision of comfort and service level improvement for passengers at flights of the Uzbekistans national carrier.

The partnership with the Domodedovo Airport will make possible to create comfortable conditions for dynamic development of tourism in Uzbekistan, the press service said.
Educators in Vietnam need to share resources, materials and experiences to enhance educational outcomes, said Do Van Dung, former rector of the HCMC University of Technology and Education.

Do Van Dung, former rector of the HCMC University of Technology and Education

What did your successor inherit when you retired?

Many rectors at public schools spend all the money at the end of their terms and the successors have to do everything from the very beginning. Some of them even face inherited debts.

But for me, the university with its thousands of officers and lecturers, and 26,000 students, is my second home. We still have VND300 billion in our fund, which makes my successor feel secure to run the school, and lecturers and officers to continue working.

However, the priceless thing I leave is the brand  the HCMC University of Technology and Education  with its outstanding training quality recognized by the whole society.

The school is now at a very high level thanks to educational philosophy: humanity, creativity, integration, continuous innovation, reform and sustainable development which we have been pursuing in the last 10 years.

The exam scores required by the HCMC University of Technology and Education from incoming students are the second highest among polytechnic schools, just after the HCMC University of Technology.

High-quality students, modern teaching methods, good lecturers, and good facilities all explain the increasingly improved quality of graduates. The graduates of our schools easily find good jobs.

We have more than 300 universities and more than 600 junior colleges in Vietnam, and at this moment, there are thousands of teachers that are giving lessons on the same topics. All teachers, including good and less good ones, and leading experts, have to prepare lesson plans. It is a big waste if they dont share their materials," Do Van Dung, former rector of the HCMC University of Technology and Education

Eight years ago, when I began my term as the school rector, the school still had debts. In the first years when we had to rely on the state budget, we had to save every dong. Later, thanks to autonomy, we made a breakthrough in resources.

The income of officers and lecturers has gradually improved. As the incomes of lecturers are high, we can retain and attract talented people.

We also make big investments in the school environment by building modern laboratories and practice workshops.

What is your contribution to this property?

The achievements created by collective efforts. We defined a philosophy and everyone agreed to follow the philosophy.

And I made contributions to the success. I called for support from businesses and sponsors because I believed that the support would help keep the tuition at the lowest possible level, which helps students a lot.

In 2020, despite Covid-19, we still received VND18 billion worth of equipment from businesses. In March 2021, we got another VND9 billion.

What was your biggest joy during the eight years of working as rector?

I feel satisfied as my efforts have been rewarded. The most joyful thing is that I can ensure a good income for lecturers, so that they can work with peace of mind.

The other thing that makes me feel happy is that graduates can find good jobs with high income. Of 26,000 students at the schools, many of them were from families with difficult conditions, but they found good jobs after graduation.

Do you have any regrets or worries?

I am an advocate for shared education. Sharing resources to practice thrift is a growing tendency in the world. E-hailing is also a kind of sharing economy.

In Vietnam, universities are still isolated castles, everyone for himself.

We have more than 300 universities and more than 600 junior colleges in Vietnam, and at this moment, there are thousands of teachers that are giving lessons on the same topics. All teachers, including good and less good ones, and leading experts, have to prepare lesson plans. It is a big waste if they dont share their materials.

I asked myself why we dont think of gathering the best lecturers from large universities to compile online lesson plans which can be shared among the community of lecturers.

Nowadays, with the development of digital technology, students from anywhere can turn on their computers to study theories. That is sharing learning materials and sharing teachers.

I thought about why my students have to travel 20 kilometers from District 5 to Thu Duc to study English, but not study at the HCMC University of Technology and Education, which is located in district 5, and why they travel from District 1 to Thu Duc, but not go to HCMC Economics University to study economics.

If universities cooperate with each other and recognize each others credits, students would be able to save two hours of traveling, thus saving time and money for themselves and for society.

What I am worried about is whether the philosophy of humaneness, i.e loving students like your own children, can continue. My students are still in difficult conditions, so we share difficulties with poor students. We offer air-conditioned bedrooms for students who dont have places to sleep. And we keep the tradition of older students helping new students.

You are well known as the rector whose speech sometimes "rubs" against other individuals. What do you say about this?

I think educators need to be honest and frank. My frankness has helped education development very much. A lot of problems have been settled.

Le Huyen

Five Vietnamese universities make World University Rankings A total of five local universities have been named among the global list of the worlds top 2,000 universities for the 2021 to 2022 edition, as released by the Center of World University Rankings (CWUR).
About 9,000 people in Nui Hieu village, Quang Chau commune, Viet Yen district of Bac Giang province are tested for Covid-19 on one evening.

If there is the contribution from organizations and individuals, Vietnam will have abundant financial resources to buy vaccines amid the fierce competition among countries.

This is a timely initiative of the Ministry of Finance because the fund will create a public-private partnership. In addition to the contributions of businesses and organizations, each citizen can contribute a part, or all, for his or her injection. Those who have better economic conditions can contribute more to the injections of others in need.

Despite the efforts of many people, there is still a long way to go to buy enough vaccines. Therefore, even though we have a new anti-Covid strategy of 5K message + vaccines, until there are enough vaccines, Vietnamese will still have to perform the 5K message. It is very necessary in addition to the Government's efforts to "decisively implement measures for rapid detection, zoning, timely isolation, rapid tracing, testing, screening, active treatment, to prevent the disease from spreading on a large scale.

In that context, there are interesting proposals. At the meeting of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on May 19, some members of the Steering Committee and experts said that some people thought that massive testing for SARS-CoV-2 should be encouraged, and some even suggested a "5K message + vaccine + testing" strategy instead of "5K + vaccine".

However, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that the policy of the Ministry of Health does not encourage people to have SARS-CoV-2 screening test because if the test results are negative, it will cause negligence in epidemic prevention. This is a confusing policy.

Notice No. 116/TB-VPCP of the Government Office on "Conclusion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Government meeting on Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control" emphasized the 5K message + vaccine; and screening test on a large scale (mobilize resources to increase testing capacity, ensuring fast, accurate and effective testing requirements).

The announcement also emphasized the role of the people: "In particular, the epidemic prevention and control task has attracted and mobilized the participation of a large number of people, gaining the trust and support of the overwhelming majority of the people."

The Prime Minister has affirmed that it is necessary to mobilize resources to increase testing capacity and promote the responsibility of the people in fighting the epidemic. So, is there a policy of not encouraging people to take a Covid test?

We have to admit the fact that the testing capacity in many places is still very modest. For example, Bac Giang province is the countrys epidemic epicenter at present, but the testing capacity is only 1,500 cases per day, too small compared to the population of 1. 8 million.

According to a report of the Ministry of Health, as of May 18, 3,324,043 Realtime RT-PCR tests had been done in the country, equivalent to 4,398,533 people tested.

Thus, the testing capacity of the health sector is far from the needs of nearly 100 million people. People spending their own money for testing can help generate revenue for health facilities so that they can quickly improve their testing capacity while protecting peoples health and the community.

In many countries, Covid test strips are sold in supermarkets, people can go to State health centers for free tests and many schools give free test strips to students.

The Ministry of Finance is encouraging people to contribute to an anti-Covid-19 fund. People are willing to contribute to anti-epidemic programs launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front, so why don't we encourage them to test themselves to protect themselves, their family and society? Why should we worry that this would cause people to act negligently in epidemic prevention?

[5K message: Khau trang (facemask)- (Khu khuan) disinfection- (Khoang cach) distance- (Khong tu tap) no gathering  (Khai bao y te) health declaration].

Tu Giang

'Safety belt' for the epidemic era Digital technology is an invisible wall that provides security to foster trade and tourism during the time of epidemic. This is a new trend that forces the service industry to accelerate digital transformation during a historic turning point.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien and Norways State Secretary Trine Danielsen on Friday signed a Letter of Intent on promoting trade, co-operation and investment in the marine aquaculture sector.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien (fourth, right) and Norways Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lchen (third, left) at the signing ceremony in Hanoi on Friday afternoon.  Photo courtesy of Norwegian Embassy

The move aims to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Norway (1971-2021) and to celebrate nearly four decades of bilateral co-operation between the two countries in the fisheries sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Tien said on the basis of the letter, Vietnam would facilitate and support managerial agencies, research institutes and businesses in their co-operation for the development of the marine aquaculture sector between the two countries.

Co-operation activities included sharing and assisting in law enforcement and technological reforms; building capacity and research co-operation; promoting trade and investment co-operation in the private sector; and encouraging exchanges of business visits on marine-aquaculture fairs exhibition, he said.

Norways Ambassador to Vietnam, Grete Lchen, said the signing ceremony was supposed to happen last year as part of an official visit by the Norwegian Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries to Vietnam, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sustainable and developed marine aquaculture industry was of great potential and thus it required technology, green and cost-effective solutions, she said.

The signing ceremony was another step to boost Norway-Vietnam co-operation in the sector, she said.

I believe Norway and Norwegian businesses are ready to co-operate and share," she said.

As well as the signing ceremony, a webinar on developing Vietnams marine aquaculture on an industrial scale took place on Friday.

The webinar offered a forum for stakeholders to exchange information and experience about key factors that decide the success of a marine aquaculture industry, which span from planning and policy-making including credit policies, governance, human resources, vocational training, green technologies and smart solutions to enable businesses to invest and contribute to make the industry profitable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

VNS

Norway firms to pour more money into Vietnam on condition of fair environment Many Norwegian companies said they are ready to invest in Vietnam as long as the Vietnamese government ensures a fair and equal investment environment.
Austins order on trial groupings, subject to Pitmans approval, states the case with Jane Does 1-10 should be tried first, followed by a trial involving only Jane Doe 11. A trial with Jane Does 12-15 would be third.

The University looks forward to learning more about what the issues will be at trial, as well as information regarding a potential trial schedule, Baylor spokesperson Lori Fogleman said.

Dunnam said he and Dunn are pleased the cases continue to move forward.

We think the courts ruling is logical and appropriate, Dunnam said.

Dunnam and Dunn argued the cases should be tried as they were filed, which Austins order supports.

Baylor alleged in its argument for separate trials the jury would be swayed against the Baptist university by the sheer force of the number of plaintiffs who are claiming Baylor wronged them, Austin wrote in his order.

Baylor also argued that a single trial would imply to the jury that the court approved the plaintiffs theory that the alleged assaults in fact are part of the same occurrence and that Baylor deliberately maintained a policy that sanctioned rape for 13 years, the order states.

Further, Baylors argument is based on the incorrect assumption that the case is focused on the plaintiffs assaults, when it instead is focused on Baylors actions, actions each plaintiff experienced and is able to testify about, Austin wrote in the order.

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Amongst those in attendance was Hector Sabido, Waco councilman and mayor pro tem. He said being part of the event showed Waco the collaborative efforts between the city government and the faith community, adding that the faith community is very trusted in Waco.

Victorian shared with the crowd her priorities for the department: providing equitable services to the community, increasing the number of positive interactions with the police, and creating a culture of procedural justice within the department.

Victorian asked for prayers to have a good spirit of discernment, for wisdom, for decision-making, and for a sense of unity.

There is a good quote that I really love that says A good leader takes people where they want to go but a great leader takes people where they dont necessarily want to go but where they ought to be, and there are some places we ought to be, Victorian said.

Chief Victorian said prayer and understanding is needed at this time as the career of law enforcement has been hit hard in recent years.

I am grateful that we are in a city that isnt talking about defunding the police but rather moving the police forward, Victorian said.
Food distribution event Thursday

The Central Texas Food Bank will host a food distribution event Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon at Waco ISD Stadium, 1401 S. New Road.

The organization is distributing free food to help those who are facing increased food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees will receive an assortment of food items which will vary, depending on available supplies. While food distributions are primarily designed as drive-thru events, no one in need of food will be turned away.

Anti-Asian hate crime awareness

The Community Race Relations Coalition will host a Zoom webinar from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday on anti-Asian hate crime awareness. The panel addressing the issue includes Sheryl Loeung, Jaja Chen, Kathy Cheng and Dr. Jonathan Tran.

To register, go to tinyurl.com/5uxjmunr. Call 717-7903 for more information.

YMCA blood pressure program
PHOENIX (AP)  A $12.8 billion spending plan for the coming budget year that slashes income taxes by 25% over three years and shields the wealthy from having to directly pay a new surcharge to boost education spending was introduced in the Arizona House on Monday.

The fate of the deal hammered out between Republican leaders of the House and Senate and GOP Gov. Doug Ducey was murky as some Republicans expressed concerns about various components of the budget and all Democrats were solidly opposed to the $1.5 billion per year income tax cut.

With just a one-vote margin in each chamber, one Republican member can sideline a deal. And several members have said they have concerns, some because of spending that goes against their conservative principles and others because of the tax cuts, which are permanent and come as the state still carries large amounts of debt from the Great Recession.

It's almost overwhelming, the amount of spending, Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita of Scottsdale said in an interview late last week. And its not sustainable.

While she has major concerns, Ugenti-Rita would not say she would oppose the budget if it were up for a vote.
Stores that have stuck around, like Central Camera, give customers things they cant get from big chains, like expert advice, services and specialty products, Arnold said. But e-commerce has grown even more during the pandemic. About 60% of all dollars spent on technology are spent online, up from 44% at the end of 2019, Arnold said.
The previously approved budget represented a $524,654 or 1.32% increase in overall district property taxes. The tax rate of about $14.21 per $1,000 of taxable value in that original budget was reduced to just under $13.85 per $1,000 of taxable value with Mondays action. The revised amount will reduce tax collections from the current year by $475,346 or 1.19%.

We wouldnt have decreased this if we didnt think it was sustainable, said board member Lyle Schmitt, also on the finance committee.

For a number of years now  at least 10  the board has attempted to be as efficient as possible with taxpayer money, he added, and its been a decade since Waterloo Schools collected less than it will in 2021-22. So, I think this is a clear message that we still want to encourage investment in Waterloo.

The reduction puts Waterloos tax rate below the $13.95 per $1,000 of taxable value approved by Cedar Falls Community Schools for the next fiscal year and near the bottom of the 15 Urban Education Network school districts, the largest in the state, according to information previously presented to the board.
In the Cedar Valley there are several watershed improvement projects for Dry Run Creek, Miller Creek, Black Hawk Creek and Middle Cedar, as well as research-focused initiatives at the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa that are monitoring bodies of water. Some efforts are voluntary like past community volunteer water monitoring events Balk has hosted, the Cedar Valley Water Watchers initiative and groups like the Izaak Walton League facilitating training sessions for citizens.

The Cedar Valleys most prominent recreational body of water is George Wyth Lake. Although Balk is not directly involved with monitoring the lake, he said there are organizations that analyze the water there and respond accordingly if results are outside accepted parameters, resulting in beach closures until levels are safe again.

Water bodies are dynamic, living and thriving systems. They are constantly changing based on so many factors including precipitation, temperature, aquatic biology, land use and more. It would be impossible to monitor every stream and lake for every potential water quality parameter all of the time. That is where developing a planned method for targeting potential areas of concern, identifying the local resources available and then forming partnerships to come together and help implement it all makes such a large task manageable, Balk said.

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Vileta said he and an FBI agent tried to manage the 11-hour interview by taking frequent breaks so they could be briefed on Bahena Riveras statements, but that it was difficult.

On cross-examination, Vileta recounted looking into Mollie Tibbetts boyfriend and other men who came under scrutiny for various reasons before Bahena Rivera came on their radar. That included a reserve deputy who lived on the property adjacent to where Tibbetts body was found, Vileta said.

Tipsters told police the man had a torture room in his basement and had previously harmed women and children, Vileta acknowledged. Investigators went to the mans house, did not find such a room and never formally interviewed him, he said.

Seeking to rebut suggestions that someone else could have been responsible for Tibbetts death, prosecutor Scott Brown raised his voice to a shout as he asked Vileta whether anyone else had confessed or been linked to the death of Tibbetts by blood evidence. Vileta said only Rivera.

That person is the man seated here to my right, would you agree? Brown said, pointing at Bahena Rivera.

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

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Ryanairs CEO Michael OLeary described the move as a case of state-sponsored hijacking  state-sponsored piracy.

WHY DID BELARUS DO IT?

To arrest Pratasevich, a 26-year-old activist and journalist who left Belarus in 2019 and faced charges there of inciting riots. He was a blogger and co-founder and editor of Nexta, a popular channel on the Telegram messaging app that was a key factor in organizing protests in Belarus after a presidential election in August 2020.

Lukashenko, who has run the nation of 9.3 million with an iron fist for over a quarter century, was declared the winner by landslide, but the opposition and some election workers say the vote was rigged. Months of protests followed, representing the strongest challenge to Lukashenko's rule since he took over in 1994 following the demise of the Soviet Union.

The Belarusian authorities have unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrations. More than 34,000 people have been arrested since August, including opposition activists, and thousands have been beaten and abused by police to try to stem the protests.
Remember the days when people were smoking in restaurants and other public places? It took a while for us to change our culture of smoking. We acted on evidence of harm, we changed an unhealthy cultural habit and we are better for it now.

We now know there is another cultural bad habit we need to kick: applying weed killers to kill the diversity of plants that grow in our yards. If you care for the health of your children, your pet, and your neighbors, then you need to know that common weed killers are associated with a range of serious, life-long health problems, especially in children. For example, we now know that pregnant women with weed killers in their blood have had children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The higher the level of exposure, the bigger the problem for children. We also know that weed killers run from your lawn after rain and pollute nearby streams.

A common lawn weed killer 2,4-D, is highly hazardous, hormonally active in people, associated with lymphoma (it was used in Vietnam with horrible health impacts on people), and highly polluting of nearby waters. Why would you want to do this to your backyard? To your own school, park or child care center?
Lubbock, TX (79423)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
Boston Globe / Getty Images

En espanol | It's been nearly two years since Biogen announced it would seek federal approval for its drug, aducanumab, to treat some people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. And by June 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will decide whether it plans to bring the medication to market.

The process hasnt been free from controversy, though. The fate of the drug suffered a serious blow back in November, when an FDA-convened panel of outside experts expressed concern over the data backing aducanumabs effectiveness. The FDA does not have to follow the recommendations of the advisory panel, but it typically does.

If approved, aducanumab would be the first new Alzheimer's treatment in 17 years and the only one that reduces cognitive decline by tackling an underlying cause of the disease, not just its symptoms. It works by targeting the buildup of toxic amyloid plaques, which disrupt cell function in the brain and are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Several other drugs have attempted to target amyloid, but none have succeeded yet.



"We've been waiting for a disease-modifying therapy; I've been waiting for it for decades, says Richard Isaacson, M.D., director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian.

Aducanumab is not a cure for Alzheimer's, experts stress, and if it's approved, it won't be available to everyone who has the disease. But its authorization would signify progress in a long pursuit to bring help to the more than 6 million older Americans suffering from the debilitating condition.

"[It] would be a victory for all of those individuals living with Alzheimer's and their families, says Joanne Pike, chief strategy officer of the Alzheimer's Association.

The bumpy, winding road toward approval

Aducanumab's development has been fraught with concerns and setbacks. Months before Biogen made the decision to seek FDA approval, the company went so far as to scrap its late-stage testing of the drug. Aducanumab's two identically designed clinical trials were both stopped in March 2019 because an early analysis showed the drug was unlikely to be effective.

However, hopes were resurrected when a subsequent analysis of a larger set of data from the trials, conducted after testing ended, found that in one study, participants who received high doses of aducanumab actually experienced improvements in memory, cognition and activities of daily living. Results from the other trial were less convincing, although Biogen says an analysis of a narrower set of data from that trial also found evidence of improvement among participants. The discrepancies in the data from the two trials are what the FDA advisory panel homed in on and expressed concern over in its Nov. 6, 2020, meeting.

Some experts suggest that since the two clinical trials showed divergent outcomes, a third trial is needed to prove that aducanumab would, in fact, improve the lives of patients suffering from the debilitating disease. The Alzheimers Association released a statement after the FDAs advisory committee meeting pointing out that an additional phase 3 trial would deny access to the drug for up to four years. A four-year delay is too long for too many  those who have the disease and their caregivers, Harry Johns, the organizations CEO said.

Safety is also top of mind. The drug, a monoclonal antibody, has been shown to cause small bleeds and swelling in the brain, which means if it's approved and used by patients, periodic MRI scans may be needed to monitor these side effects, explains Ronald Petersen, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, who also consults for Biogen.

"We have huge hope that it could work, and people need hope, says Sarah Lenz Lock, senior vice president for policy at AARP and executive director of the AARP-founded Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH). But it's really important for the FDA to play this very scientifically accurate. We're relying on the FDA to make a wise decision.

Questions on access and availability emerge

Beyond efficacy and safety, there are questions surrounding how easily patients will be able to access the drug if it is approved. Biogen's clinical trial population was made up of people who had mild cognitive impairment and people with mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. So if aducanumab gets the green light from the FDA, the drug will presumably be limited to patients who are in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease and who have evidence of amyloid in the brain.

But early diagnosis is tricky. For starters, there is no single test to determine whether someone has Alzheimer's disease. And most people aren't diagnosed by doctors until after signs of mental decline set in and brain damage has already occurred, which may be too late. Expensive brain scans and spinal taps can identify amyloid in the brain before severe symptoms start, but not everybody has access to amyloid scans, Isaacson points out. They're FDA-approved, but they're oftentimes hard to get and insurance may not cover the costs.

Less invasive blood tests that physicians can use to detect amyloid and other signs of Alzheimer's disease have proved promising in studies but are still at least a couple of years away from being widely available in doctors offices.
World Health Assembly rejects Taiwan-related proposal

Xinhua) 09:15, May 25, 2021

Photo taken in Brussels, Belgium on May 24, 2021 shows the live stream of the 74th World Health Assembly held at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

"We urge relevant countries to stop politicizing health issues and using Taiwan issues to interfere in China's internal affairs, and stop disturbing the proper order of the Assembly," said Chen Xu, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

GENEVA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Monday refused to include a proposal on Taiwan's participation in its agenda.

Chen Xu, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said in a statement at the meeting that the Chinese delegation firmly supported the recommendation by the General Committee of the 74th WHA to not include the Taiwan-related proposal in the agenda.

Noting that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Chen said: "The UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 provided the legal basis for WHO to abide by the one-China principle, and recognized Taiwan as part of China. The Taiwan-related proposal is in violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, runs against the WHO's Constitution and the WHA's Rules of Procedure, and is illegal and invalid."

The Taiwan region's participation in the WHA must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle and through cross-strait consultations, he stressed.

"The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the Taiwan region obstinately adhered to the separatist position of 'Taiwan independence' and refused to recognize that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and same China. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in WHA has ceased to exist," he said.

Photo taken on May 20, 2021 shows the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

According to Chen, based on the one-China principle, the Chinese central government has made appropriate arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the central government has sent 260 notifications on COVID-19 to the Taiwan region. Health experts in the Taiwan region have participated in 16 WHO technical activities. The WHO Secretariat briefed health experts in the Taiwan region several times on pandemic information.

"The so-called 'international epidemic prevention gap' does not exist, nor do experts of the Taiwan region lack channels and platforms to share response and control practices with others," he said.

The Chinese diplomat noted that the WHA has already reached a conclusion on the Taiwan-related issue. Certain countries' insistence on submitting a Taiwan-related proposal harmed the global anti-pandemic cooperation efforts and the common interest of the WHO member states.

"We urge relevant countries to stop politicizing health issues and using Taiwan issues to interfere in China's internal affairs, and stop disturbing the proper order of the Assembly," Chen said.

Before the assembly, more than 150 countries have, through diplomatic channels, and over 80 countries have, through sending letters to the WHO, expressed their adherence to the one-China principle and their opposition to Taiwan's participation in the WHA, according to Chen.

"Facts have repeatedly proved that making Taiwan-related proposals is unpopular," he told reporters after Monday's meeting, adding that any secessionist attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" is doomed to fail.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
CVS: Fully-vaccinated employees will not be required to wear face coverings ... except where state or local mandates for mask-wearing are still in effect. ... Employees who are not fully vaccinated are required to continue wearing face coverings. Also, employees in patient-facing roles must wear face coverings, including clinicians who work at MinuteClinic, Coram and Omnicare, as well as pharmacy staff who are administering vaccines. ... Customers who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear face coverings inside of our stores, unless it is mandated by state or local regulations. Customers who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue wearing face coverings. We also ask that patients receiving treatment from MinuteClinic, Coram or Omnicare continue to wear face coverings.
"We need to do a better job of making mental health services accessible for these groups, with culturally informed providers who speak the same language. It has to start with people feeling comfortable talking about their anxiety and depression and being able to express their thoughts to the right provider."

Daily life is disrupted to a greater degree

Increased anxiety and depression may not be the only extra challenge Hispanics face when dealing with aging, according to Andrea Ochoa Lopez, a doctoral student at the University of Houston. Her research has found that dementia alters the daily lives of Hispanics much more than it does the lives of Black or white patients. And that for Hispanics, activities of daily living  bathing, dressing, shopping and paying bills  may be a better measure of disease progression than tests of memory and thinking ability, which may be subject to cultural bias.

"Cognitive tests are helpful, she said. But they don't tell the whole story. The way people perform on these measures is influenced by other factors, like language, race and ethnicity.

In her research presented at this month's symposium, she used information collected by the long-running University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The study includes about 20,000 Americans who report their health information once a year; it's co-sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration.

Ochoa Lopez looked at cognitive and functional data on 500 HRS subjects with dementia, including both cognitive and daily functional scores, then compared the results among Hispanics, Blacks and non-Hispanic whites. After taking into account variables like age, sex and education, she found that Blacks and non-Hispanic whites had similar levels of physical impairment, while the Hispanic subjects had significantly worse function in measures like grasping objects, getting up and down, walking and dressing.

The explanation for these findings is probably complex  a reflection of both culture and the health disparities that continue to affect minority communities in the U.S., she said. Hispanic communities, in general, are at higher risk for cardiovascular conditions and diabetes, which both increase the risk of dementia and impair quality of life. They may also lack access to services that can help them keep functioning physically for a longer time as they deal with this disease, she added.

Aside from physical factors, sociocultural practices may play a role as well. Hispanic families are typically devoted to their elders and strongly believe in making their later years comfortable within the boundaries of the primary family.

"Some families want to start doing everything for their older members to try and remove some of the burdens and make their lives easier, said Ochoa Lopez. But there is research showing that when cognition is declining, older people actually do better when they stay active. And there is also still stigma. They may not want their elder family member to be seen as ill or mentally unstable."

More diverse studies are key to better treatments

The study opens avenues for much more research, Ochoa Lopez said. But ironically, researchers find it incredibly difficult to recruit minorities into dementia studies, meaning that most of what researchers know about dementia comes almost exclusively from white populations, which also tend to have better baseline health, higher education and better access to quality health care.

In fact, Latinos make up just 7.5 percent of research participants across 32 federally funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. This despite the fact that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in Latinos is at least 50 percent greater than among non-Latino whites, the University of Southern California and UsAgainstAlzheimer's report shows.

"Tackling this gap is not the responsibility of the community, Ochoa Lopez said. It's the responsibility of the researchers. If we work collaboratively and reciprocally with communities, we'll be able to earn their support. Then we can approach them from a place of humility to explain that we need their help to improve the research we use to serve them better."

A number of researchers are working to better understand Alzheimer's disease in Latinos. The team behind the Harvard Aging Brain Study, for example, which examines how dementia symptoms, thinking and brain imaging differ between non-Hispanic whites and Latinos, is actively recruiting more Latinos who are 65 to 80 years old and have no cognitive concerns. And the Boston Latino Aging Study, whose goal is to understand how memory changes as the Latino brain ages, is enrolling participants 55 and older who have normal memory and live in the greater Boston region.

There's also the New IDEAS study  a nationwide project looking for better ways to diagnose Alzheimer's disease using brain imaging  which is seeking to enroll at least 2,000 Black Americans and 2,000 Latinos.

"It's very important for the Latino community to understand, we can't do this without you, said Clara Vila-Castelar, a researcher and neuropsychologist at the Multicultural Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. We need your participation in order to diversify our research, to help ensure that the dementia treatments of the future are truly helpful to every patient who needs them."

The Alzheimer's Association's TrialMatch can connect individuals interested in clinical trial participation to relevant Alzheimer's and dementia trials in their area. The National Institute on Aging also has information on studies and community outreach for Latinos led by NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Centers.
This report reviews the international communitys experience with the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes, which has varied substantially across different countries. It focuses on the experiences of some countries that have had relatively few deaths in their residential care facilities: how they prepare for pandemics in general, how they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and how their long-term care infrastructure improved outcomes. It also covers international experts recommendations for improving how nursing homes and assisted living facilities respond to infectious disease. The report concludes that the relatively successful countries responses to the pandemic align with the expert recommendations.

Pre-Planning for Pandemics

Countries with lower COVID-19 rates in residential care settings tended to have mandatory prevention measures for nursing homes in place, along with strong community prevention measures and access to PPE. Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan had previous pandemic experiences, particularly with SARS in 2003, that motivated them to create emergency plans that they deployed early in response to COVID-19. Nursing homes were part of these plans and had immediate access to PPE. In addition, the countries had aggressive testing, contact tracing, and quarantining measures that their populations largely followed. About mid-way through 2020, Hong Kong and Taiwan reported no COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and Singapore and South Korea reported less than 20 each. All four countries had started their infection control measures by February 2020.

Infrastructure

Other countries were able to minimize COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes likely due to their infrastructure  physical and institutional. A report comparing the Canadian provinces of British Columbia (BC) and Ontario asserts that the differences in their nursing home COVID-19 death rates are due to BC having responded earlier and having had better coordination among the public health, hospital and LTSS (long term services and supports) sectors. As of September 2020, Ontario had 5,965 resident cases and 1,817 deaths in its nursing home population, whereas BC had 466 cases and 156 deaths. Ontarios facility resident infection rate was 7.6 percent, compared to 1.7 percent in BC. BC also put more resources into its LTSS system in terms of funding and care hours per resident  3.25 hours of care per day per resident versus 2.71 hours in Ontario. In terms of preventing transmission, only 24 percent of rooms in BC are shared, versus 63 percent in Ontario, and, BC restricted workers to one facility starting in March 2020, whereas Ontario waited until April.

The county of Denmark is also reviewed as a case study. It has fared better than many other European countries because of its better nursing home environments and better prepared staff.

Expert Guidance

The ideas that experts and researchers have about how to mitigate the impacts of pandemics converge in several themes, outlined below; the experiences of countries that had fewer COVID-19 deaths in their nursing homes confirm these ideas.

Planning and Rapid Response  Develop a national coordinating system that: can be immediately responsive to pandemics; is data driven; is on hand at facilities for immediate implementation; includes teams with geriatric expertise.

Infection Control and Quality Assurance  Ensure adequate pandemic monitoring in nursing homes and assisted living residences; share monitoring results with the health care sector; ensure adequate stockpiles of PPE; test everyone entering a facility and give them hands-on training about infection control; limit transfers from hospitals during pandemics.

Integration of Health and LTSS  Ensure that residents continue to receive essential prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliation services; upgrade clinical services in nursing homes; develop methods of treating LTSS residents in the primary, secondary (hospital/acute), and tertiary (specialist) care settings.

Scale Up Collaboration  Networks of facilities sharing evidence-based metrics to establish common improvement initiatives lead to better performance.

Prioritize Residents  Involve residents in decisions about visitors; help them socialize and connect with family using technologies; maintain and plan for palliative care plans and advanced care directives.

Workers  Secure sufficient staff and restrict staff to working in one facility (which can be incentivized with adequate wages); provide a living wage, benefits, stable employment; empower and mentor them; inform them about infection control and the pandemic; consider psychological support for staff.

Environmental Design to Reduce Virus Spread  Private rooms; outdoor spaces; designated spaces for community members to meet with residents; separate areas and staff for residents with symptoms; meals and break rooms for staff (to limit their exposure in the community).



Suggested citation: Reinhard, Susan C., and Jane A. Tilly. LTSS Choices: International Review of Innovations to Protect Nursing Home Residents from Infectious Diseases Such as COVID-19. Washington, DC: AARP Public Policy Institute, May 25, 2021. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00139.001


Advent - Baleen EP Award

Perth, May 25, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - BPH Energy Limited ( ASX:BPH ) is pleased to advise that after assessing proposals for Environmental Approvals for Baleen-1 its investee entity, Advent Energy Ltd, has appointed Xodus Group ("Xodus") under a lump sum contract to prepare the Environmental Plan for first submission to NOPSEMA.Xodus Group are a leading global energy environmental consultancy with a strong track record in the Australian offshore sector where they are subject matter experts in environmental impact assessment and regulatory approvals.Xodus's appointment was based on their high quality of engagement, willingness to provide a staged lump sum proposal, and recent experience by their Principal Consultant in working for NOPSEMA.PEP11 interests are:Advent Energy Ltd 85 %Bounty Oil and Gas NL ( ASX:BUY ) 15%To view tables and figures, please visit:About BPH Energy Limited

BPH Energy Limited (ASX:BPH) is an Australian Securities Exchange listed company developing biomedical research and technologies within Australian Universities and Hospital Institutes.

The company provides early stage funding, project management and commercialisation strategies for a direct collaboration, a spin out company or to secure a license.

BPH provides funding for commercial strategies for proof of concept, research and product development, whilst the institutional partner provides infrastructure and the core scientific expertise.

BPH currently partners with several academic institutions including The Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research and Swinburne University of Technology (SUT).


Sale Underwrites Significant Investment in the Amadeus Basin

Brisbane, May 25, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP ) ( FRA:C9J ) ( OTCMKTS:CNPTF ) is pleased to announce it has entered into a binding agreement with New Zealand Oil and Gas Limited ( ASX:NZO ) and Cue Energy Resources Limited ( ASX:CUE ) of which NZOG is a 50.04% shareholder, and certain of their respective wholly owned subsidiaries, (together, the "NZOG Entities") to sell 50% of Central's current working interest in its Amadeus Basin Producing Assets for total consideration valued at circa $85 million (the "Transaction").The assets being sold under the Transaction consist of 50% of Central's interests in its producing assets in the Northern Territory, namely, Mereenie Oil and Gas Field (OL 4/5) ("Mereenie"); Palm Valley Gas Field (OL3) ("Palm Valley"); and Dingo Gas Field (L7) ("Dingo") (the producing assets together, the "Sale Assets" or "Amadeus Basin Producing Assets").Highlights- The Transaction comprises a sale of a 50% interest in Central's share of the Sale Assets, with an effective date of 1 July 2020 in return for consideration comprising of:o an upfront cash payment of $29 million;o $40 million payment by way of "carried" funding for Central's share of near-term development, appraisal and exploration activities, including a committed two-well exploration programme at Palm Valley and Dingo to commence this year;o $23 million (Central's book value at the effective date) through an assumption by the NZOG Entities of obligations to supply up to 4.9 PJ of gas (50% interest acquired at the effective date) which has previously been paid for but not delivered under pre-sale or 'take-or-pay' arrangements; ando a completion adjustment for net cash flows generated between the effective date and the completion date.- The Transaction is expected to complete in Q3 2021 with consideration value to be circa $85m to Central at the expected completion date.- The Transaction is expected to result in an after-tax accounting profit net to Central of circa $35-$40 million on the sale.- The Transaction "carry" of $40 million net to Central covers payment of certain of Central's JV expenditure obligations for near-term development and growth activities across the Sale Assets with a total gross JV cost of $100 million, including two committed exploration wells (Palm Valley Deep and Dingo Deep, with options to complete these wells as producers from the existing production intervals) as well as two development wells currently progressing at Mereenie.- Central will repay $30 million of the Macquarie Bank loan facility in the completion quarter.Transaction Meets Strategic ObjectivesCentral will achieve the key objectives established for the transaction, including:o Value accretive pricing with a strong signal for the underlying value and quality of Central's Amadeus Basin Producing Assets;o Accelerates growth through a $40 million "carry" of near term exploration, appraisal and development, equating to approximately $100 million in gross JV investments;o Balance sheet improvement through debt repayments and transfer of other deferred gas supply liabilities, totalling circa $50 million, resulting in a significant reduction in Central's gearing and net debt;o Diversifies geological, exploration and development risk through a new joint venture;o Introduces aligned and capable joint venture partners with strong financial and technical capability to create future value from Mereenie, Palm Valley and Dingo;o Maintains Central's role as Operator for the Mereenie, Palm Valley and Dingo fields; ando Central retains its existing interests in significant growth opportunities not included in the Transaction, including: the Range Coal Seam Gas Project (50%), EP82 Dingo Satellite Area ("DSA") including the Orange-3 target (100%), EP115 including the Zevon multi-Tcf sub-salt target (100%), and EP112 including the Dukas multi-Tcf sub-salt target (30%).Transaction detailsUnder the binding sale and purchase agreement and other facilitating agreements, which are subject to certain conditions precedent being satisfied, the NZOG Entities will together acquire 50% of Central's current working interest in the Sale Assets ("Sale Assets Interest"). Central will remain Operator of the Sale Assets.The Sale Assets Interest acquired by the NZOG Entities will be held 70% by subsidiaries of NZOG and 30% by subsidiaries of Cue of which NZOG is a 50.04% shareholder. The Transaction is subject to customary completion adjustments and conditions precedent, including Central financier, gas sales customer and joint venture consents, regulatory and Foreign Investment Review Board approvals and NZOG obtaining ordinary shareholder resolution approval, noting its 69.9% shareholder O.G. Oil and Gas (Singapore) Pte. Ltd, has already confirmed it will vote in favour of the Transaction. Where the conditions precedent are not satisfied or waived by 15 August 2021 (or 30 days after this date if so elected), then relevant parties may terminate the sale and purchase agreement before completion.The Transaction's effective date is 1 July 2020, with total consideration at that date consisting of:- $29 million as an upfront payment;- $40 million as deferred cash payments allocated to fund Central's share of an agreed work programme for development and appraisal activities and a committed two-well Exploration Programme planned to commence this year, and certain other near-term development and appraisal activities;- $23 million (Central's book value at the effective date) through an assumption by the NZOG Entities of obligations to supply up to 4.9 PJ of gas (50% interest acquired at the effective date) which has previously been paid for but not delivered under pre-sale or 'take-or-pay' arrangements; and- a completion adjustment for net cash flows generated between the effective date and the completion date.It is expected that the Transaction will complete in Q3 2021 and the consideration value would be circa $85m to Central at the expected completion date, after adjusting for net cash flows generated, expected carried funding utilised and movement in liabilities associated with the Sale Assets between effective date and the expected completion date.In the quarter that the Transaction completes, Central will repay $30 million of the principal outstanding under the Macquarie loan facility, reducing the facility balance to $36.8 million (should completion occur in Q3 2021).The Exploration Programme to be funded under the Transaction consists of two committed prospects (Palm Valley Deep and Dingo Deep) which target 192 PJ of (unrisked) mean prospective gas resources (96 PJ net to Central after the Transaction). These are two highly prospective prospects which Central has been progressing throughout the sell-down process, targeting proven hydrocarbon-bearing formations which can be efficiently tied-in to existing and future infrastructure. Both exploration well designs will access production from the existing producing formation in the event that the deeper exploration target is not successful. Drilling has been pre-approved by Central and the NZOG Entities and is expected to commence in Q4 2021.The Transaction also comprises of the following elements:- NZOG Entities will have a right to consider purchasing an interest in the DSA which includes Orange-3 should Central ever seek to sell down a portion of its current 100% interest in order to allow NZOG Entities an opportunity to achieve an equalised working interest with Central across operating assets within the Amadeus Basin.- Central will manage marketing and administration of the NZOG Entities' gas produced from the Sale Assets under joint gas marketing arrangements.- Establishment of joint venture collective voting arrangements with the intention that Central, NZOG and Cue entities will remain aligned in relation to future voting at the joint venture operating committee level on issues regarding the Mereenie joint venture.- Stamp duty for the Transaction will be shared equally between Central and the NZOG Entities.After completion of the Transaction, Central's share of Proved and Probable (2P) reserves in the Amadeus Basin Producing Assets will be 75.6 PJ of gas and 0.485 mmbbl of oil at the 1 July 2020 effective date, with the Exploration Programme targeting 96 PJ of prospective gas resources (Central's share after the Transaction).Mereenie Joint Venture commercial arrangementThe Transaction will result in Central retaining the existing gas overlift balance at Mereenie and extending Central's existing three-year gas sale agreement with Macquarie Mereenie Pty Ltd ("MM") (Central's current joint venture partner at Mereenie), which expires on 31 December 2022, through a 2.4 PJ gas purchase agreement to be effective on 1 January 2023.Central's gas overlift balance at Mereenie will be gradually reduced to nil by mid-2026 at a rate consistent with the current arrangement of 2 TJ/d.CEO and Board CommentaryCentral's Board and Management believe the Transaction to be a major step in executing the Company's strategic objectives. The Transaction will underwrite further exploration and development in the Amadeus Basin and releases a portion of the inherent value in our operating assets, acquired only 6 years ago.Leon Devaney, Central's Managing Director and CEO said: "Having been so closely involved in the acquisition of our operating assets, I am now excited to see the value, created over what have been difficult market conditions, partially released. Not only are we paying down debt and reducing our liabilities, but our remaining interests will have significant near-term growth upside without funding from Central, with circa $100 million of JV investment in development, appraisal and exploration in our Amadeus Basin assets."Mr Devaney added: "I am also very excited to be working with NZOG and Cue to extract full value from our Amadeus Basin operating assets. NZOG, through their major shareholder the Ofer Global Group, has strong financial capacity and a similar approach to Central to maximise shareholder value and create growth from a strong operating foundation.""Emerging from the 2020 downturn, we set an aggressive growth strategy for the business, and with today's announcement we continue to deliver on that strategy. With our Range Pilot Program underway and FID targeted for 2022, significant development activities across our operating assets, and two significant exploration wells now funded for commencement in 2021, this is an exciting time for Central's shareholders".Andrew Jefferies, CEO of NZOG said "We have watched with admiration Central's growth in the Amadeus over the past few years, and see real alignment in terms of scale, culture, values and technical expertise, so I am pleased to combine our efforts to further develop these remarkable fields and provide additional gas into the burgeoning Australian market. Like us, Australia sees clean burning natural gas as the key to transitioning to the low carbon future."Matthew Boyall, CEO of Cue commented on the transaction, "Cue is excited to be entering into this transaction with Central, who have proven themselves to be strong operator of these fields, and looks forward to working together on the planned growth activities."To view full details, please visit:About Central Petroleum Limited

Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP) is a well-established, and emerging ASX-listed Australian oil and gas producer. In our short history, Central has grown to become the largest onshore gas producer in the Northern Territory (NT), supplying industrial customers and senior gas distributors in NT and the wider Australian east coast market.

Central is positioned to become a significant domestic energy supplier, with exploration and development plans across 180,000 km2 of tenements in Queensland and the Northern Territory, including some of Australia's largest known onshore conventional gas prospects. Central has also completed an MoU with Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) to progress the proposed Amadeus to Moomba Gas Pipeline to a Final Investment Decision.

We are also seeking to develop the Range gas project, a new gas field located among proven CSG fields in the Surat Basin, Queensland with 135 PJ (net to Central) of development-pending 2C contingent resource.


Exploring Possibility of a Dual Listing on LSE

Sydney, May 25, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - PYX Resources Limited ( NSX:PYX ) is pleased to announce that it is exploring a possible dual listing of the Company's ordinary shares on the Standard Segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange ("LSE") (the "LSE Listing").The exploration of available listing options is driven by PYX's increased interest and demand from family offices and institutional investors in Europe. A potential LSE Listing would make it easier for our existing shareholders to participate in the growth of the Company and its business, as well as enhancing the Company's share liquidity.PYX, has appointed VSA Capital Limited ("VSA"), a natural resource focused investment banking and broking firm as Financial Adviser and Broker in connection with the potential LSE Listing.Should the Company decided to proceed with the LSE Listing, subject to market conditions, the Company is considering undertaking an investor roadshow in the second half of 2021.Subject to the necessary approvals of the FCA and the LSE it is expected that, if progressed, any proposed LSE Listing would be completed, and PYX shares would commence trading on the LSE, in late 2021.PYX will retain its existing National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX) listing as the Company's primary listing.The Company will keep the market informed of progress on the LSE Listing.PYX's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Hasler, said: "PYX is going through some very exciting times, with increasing demand for premium zircon continuing to push zircon prices higher.The LSE is a leading destination for natural resources companies and has a strong network of brokers, analysts and institutional investors with a deep knowledge of the global mineral sands market.Admission of PYX's shares to the Standard Segment of the Official List and to trading on the Main Market of the LSE would provide a platform to significantly broaden the Company's investor base to include institutional and other investors, as well provide as access to a highly liquid market."About Pyx Resources Limited

PYX Resources Limited (NSX:PYX) is a global producer of premium zircon listed on the National Stock Exchange of Australia. The Company's flagship asset is the Mandiri mineral sands deposit, located in the alluvium sediment rich region of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Boasting the world's 5th largest producing deposit of zircon, PYX is a large-scale, near-surface open pit operation in production since 2015 and with exploration to date validating the presence of additional Valuable Heavy Minerals such as rutile, ilmenite among others within its mineral sands.


Commences Delivery of Gekko Plant to Kat Gap

Perth, May 25, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Classic Minerals Limited ( ASX:CLZ ) is pleased to announce yet another significant milestone with the recently assembled Gekko Gold Processing Plant, now being transported from Classic's industrial yard in Perth to the Kat Gap Gold Project.The 100% complete and commissioned Gekko Plant has a 30 tonne per hour (tph) capacity and is scalable to a Gekko Python size plant with a processing capacity of 250 tph. This custom modular plant engineered around structural elements that are easy to erect on-site and minimise civil and infrastructure costs.JT Metallurgical Services Pty Ltd (JTMS) undertook the testing and commissioning of the plant conducting such important services as generating a process flow diagram, process design criteria, mechanical equipment list, electrical load study and mass/water balance for the plant capable of achieving maximum gold recovery.The Chairman, John Lester said "The Gekko Plant has many features that make it amendable for the Kat Gap Gold mining operations and we believe that taking a modular approach to the plant is more cost efficient.The Classic Minerals team remain on track and continue to deliver on its promise to shareholders to meet key milestones in advancing the planned development of its 100% owned flagship Kat Gap Gold Project which lies 170km south of Southern Cross."To view photographs, please visit:About Classic Minerals Ltd

Classic Minerals Ltd (ASX:CLZ) is an exploration and development company focused on gold deposits in Western Australia's famous Goldfields region. In March 2017, Classic acquired the Forrestania Gold Project, with seven tenements stretching across 450km2. Strategically located in a very prospective region, the FGP is an underexplored package surrounded by multimillion ounce deposits such as Bounty (2Moz) and Yilgarn Star (1.5Moz).
He teaches a course on cannabis law at the University of Californias Hastings College of the Law, and one of the sessions deals with laws around likenesses of other products. Five or 10 years ago when cannabis was starting to take off, it was a joke to have something like Capn Punch, a cereal thats infused, Wykowski said. But the industry has matured, and the people who know what theyre doing no longer engage in that kind of conduct.
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The 'Beautiful Boy' actor lands the lead role in an upcoming Warner Bros. movie based on characters from Roald Dahl's popular children's book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

May 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Timothee Chalamet is set to indulge in tons of sweetness in his upcoming movie. The Oscar and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor has been officially cast in Warner Bros.' "Wonka", a musical centering on the world's most famous chocolatier.

The 25-year-old will star as the young Willy Wonka, a character created by Roald Dahl in his popular children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Plot details are still kept under wraps, but it has been reported that the prequel movie will "focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures prior to opening the world's most famous chocolate factory."

Representatives for Chalamet confirm to Variety that the actor will be singing and dancing in the movie, marking the first time he showcases such skills on screen. According to Deadline which first broke the casting news, the actor has been the top choice for some time, but scheduling was a hurdle that had to be overcome as training for those numbers is included in the prep for this film.

"Spider-Man: Far From Home" star Tom Holland was reported to be in contention for the role back in January, but Chalamet apparently has beaten other contenders for the Willy Wonka role. Ryan Gosling, Donald Glover and Ezra Miller were among other actors previously linked to the movie, which has been in development since 2016 after Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the character from the Dahl estate.

Paul King will direct from the screenplay he wrote with Simon Farnaby. David Heyman is producing via his Heyday Films. Luke Kelly is also producing, with Michael Siegel and Alexandra Derbyshire executive producing. Production is expected to begin in September, for a planned release on March 17, 2023.

Dahl's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" follows a poor boy named Charlie Bucket, who wins a golden ticket to tour the world-famous and heavily guarded chocolate factory run by Willy Wonka. The upcoming movie will mark the first time Charlie will not be featured in a film adaptation as it takes place before the chocolate factory opened.

Wonka was first portrayed by Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". Johnny Depp then embodied the quirky chocolatier in 2005's reboot "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" directed by Tim Burton, with Freddie Highmore starring as Charlie.

Chalamet has avoided tentpole pic over the years before taking on the lead role in upcoming "Dune" adaptation, which will also be released by Warner Bros. His other movies, Wes Anderson's comedic drama "The French Dispatch" and Adam McKay's star-studded disaster drama "Don't Look Up", are also set to come out this year, while he has been tapped to portray Bob Dylan in Searchlight's biopic "Going Electric".
Instagram/Harpo Productions Celebrity

After the Duke of Sussex dropped another bombshell on 'The Me You Can't See', the stylist and good friend of Meghan Markle shares a message that reads, 'speak out for what you believe in when you are ready.'

May 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jessica Mulroney may have some words to say regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. After the Duke of Sussex made another revelation related to the British royal family in his latest interview with Oprah Winfrey, the good friend of the Duchess of Sussex let out a cryptic post on social media.

The 41-year-old fashion stylist offered her message on Instagram Story on Saturday, May 22. It read, "Speak out for what you believe in when you are ready. No matter how loud the other voices are, yours is the only one that should matter."

Jessica Mulroney shared a cryptic post following Prince Harry's latest interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Jessica and Meghan have been close friends for a decade after meeting in Toronto. Although they were rumored to have been distanced following the former's tone-deaf "white privilege" remarks in June 2020, the Canadian native clarified in September that she and the former "Suits" star remain friends.

Jessica also showed support for Meghan in early March this year after the latter was accused of bullying. "I don't know that anyone has ever had to deal with the pressure, the politics and the press like this woman. In the face of it all, I have never seen her waver from kindness, empathy and love," she penned on Instagram alongside a picture of the two.

Jessica's May 22 post came shortly after Harry and Oprah's "The Me You Can't See" was premiered on Apple TV+. On the docuseries, Harry told Oprah that the royal family refused to help his wife when she was suicidal.

"I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect," the 36-year-old divulged. "We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling."

During the conversation, Harry also spilled the reason why Meghan did not take her own life. "The thing that stopped [Meghan] from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum," he explained. "And to be in a position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby."
Instagram Celebrity

Many are wondering what the 16-year-old son of the hip-hop couple has in his backpack, which he pulls out from his black car during a heated argument with an unidentified guy.

May 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - King Harris' recent argument with a stranger could've ended up nastier, should the word on the street be trusted. The son of T.I. and Tiny Harris a.k.a. Tameka Cottle was believed to be carrying a weapon during a public confrontation with a random guy.

In the clip that surfaced online on Sunday, May 23, the teen, whose full name is King C'Andre Harris, was at each other's throats with a shirtless guy allegedly at Atlantas Trap Museum. "What you wanna do? What you wanna do?" he confronted the unidentified guy, who appeared to have said disrespectful things to King.

The 16-year-old then walked to his black car. But instead of fleeing the premise and avoiding further confrontation, he picked up his back with spikes on it. He was seen about to open the bag as he was holding it while he continued confronting the stranger.

"What's up with you bro? What's up with you bro?" King said to the man, who has moved closer to King's car. "You came around me talkin' out his a** like he wanted to do something."

It's still unknown what caused the tense exchange between the two, but it seems that things didn't get physical during the argument.

People, however, couldn't help speculating what King might have had inside his bag that made him pull it out from his car. "Hold up what's in the bag," a suspicious person pointed out. Another curiously asked, "What was in that bag tho?"

"oh boy.....what's in the spikey book bag?" a third trolled King over his bag. Another alleged the son of the famous hip-hop couple, "Lil King Was Packin Something In That Backpack."

Some others went as far as assuming that King had a firearm in his bag and tried to warn everyone to stay away from him. "It's the glock in the purse for meeeee," one of them wrote.

"LMFAOOOOOOOOOO AYE BE CLEAAAAA DIS MY DADDY GUN AYE," another weighed in, while someone else jokingly trolled King, "What he got a water gun in that spikey back pack" Another person speculated, "It's something in that bag. [a toy gun emoji] He need not go out without security Bc had he reached for it. The Harris family wouldve had more trouble on their hands."
Instagram/WENN/Instagram/Brian To/FayesVision Celebrity

Bam claims he specifically calls out Johnny and Jeff Tremaine because they 'strung [him] along like a puppet' before he was axed from the upcoming 'Jackass 4'.

May 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Steve-O will not let Bam Margera say negative things about Johnny Knoxville and "Jackass" director. Upon learning that Johnny and Jeff Tremaine were publicly called out by the former professional skateboarder on social media, the comedian was quick to defend them.

On Sunday, May 23, Bam first shared an Instagram video of him ranting at Johnny and Jeff. "So, my family, 'Jackass', has betrayed me, abandoned me, rejected me," he argued. "Not all of them, I love all of them and they love me back, but specifically, Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville."

"So, I feel like my family has f**king done everything horrible to me, and made me jump through hoops and walk on eggshells, which is impossible," the stunt performer further raged. "And strung me along like a f**king puppet to get the $5 million I usually get when making a movie with them."

Bam's post has since caught Steve-O's attention. In the comment section, the latter penned, "Bam- the two people you're saying wronged you (Knoxville and Tremaine) are the same two people who organized the intervention which saved my life. Everyone bent over backwards to get you in the movie, and all you had to do was not get loaded. You've continued to get loaded, it's that simple."

Steve-O defended Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine after being slammed by Bam Margera.

Despite the anger, Bam shared good news with his fans, claiming he is getting himself the help he needs. "I am visiting a very special lady... She has helped celebrities like Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Steven Tyler, etc.," he said. "I'm in Florida. I'm safe and I'm getting phenomenal help with peace and f**king quiet with the green queen."

Bam was fired from "Jackass 4" after allegedly breaching his contract by not getting his addiction issues in check during production of the project. He was supposed to follow the orders of taking his medication, blowing into a breathalyzer, staying sober, seeing a psychologist and doing routine drug tests, but he failed to do so.
WENN/Phil Lewis Celebrity

While the Hulk depicter of MCU admits that the use of the term to condemn Israel's attack on Palestine was 'hyperbole,' others are disappointed in him as they think that 'the term genocide is fitting.'

May 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Mark Ruffalo has found himself catching heat over his latest tweet about the Israel-Palestine conflict. The actor, who has never held himself back in weighing in on social and political issues, has just toned down his criticism at Israel's attack on Palestine, but that only earned him criticism.

On Monday, May 24, the "Spotlight" star took to Twitter to share his thought after a moment of reflection. Regretting his use of the term "genocide" to describe Israel's attack in Gaza, he posted a statement of apology.

"I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing 'genocide'," so the 53-year-old wrote. Admitting that "it's not accurate, it's inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad," he implored, "Now is the time to avoid hyperbole."

However, many were disappointed in him as they believe that the "the term genocide is fitting" to describe the current situation. "no, you were right the first time - see this heat so of the attacks on Gaza, and it's such a shame that you've chosen to conflate criticism of the state of Israel's atrocities with anti-Semitism. It isn't and should never be used to justify racism. You are part of the problem," one person criticized Mark's tweet, stressing, "It is genocide, it is ethnic cleansing. Shame job. Spineless."

Mark Ruffalo landed in hot water after apologizing for suggesting Israel is committing 'genocide.'

Another wrote back to the "Avengers: Endgame" actor, "Hey, Mark. I love and respect your activism, but take it from a Jew, the term genocide is fitting since it is indeed the aim of Zionism to remove every Arab from the land, which has been done by ethnic cleansing and mass murders. Its really important to focus on the actual violence that Israel is doing to Palestinians, and not let ourselves be distracted. Thank you for being a decent human."

Another Twitter user reacted to Mark's post.

A third user commented, "you should tell the families of the 200+ murdered palestinians in gaza that were declared enemy combatants in the latest idf propaganda that their occupiers aren't actually committing ethnic cleansing when they 'mowed the lawn' last week."

Another criticized the actor.

It's unclear which tweet Mark referred to that he apologized for, but back in October 2020, he referred to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the division between the two as a "kind of apartheid" while speaking to television host Mehdi Hasan on his self-titled NBC program.

He accused the Israeli government of carrying out "asymmetrical warfare" against the Palestinian people, and tied in United States support for Israel as plainly aiding and abetting the separation and the "violence acted upon them."

Meanwhile, in March of this year, he tweeted in support of Palestine, "1500 Palestinians face expulsion in #Jerusalem. 200 protesters have been injured. 9 children have been killed. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its black people - it's time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #SheikhJarrah."
ANDERSON, Calif. - An Arizona felon was arrested with a firearm after an officer pulled him over for speeding in a construction area Monday, according to Anderson Police Department.

Officers conducted a traffic stop when Ernesto Garcia, 32, was driving about 80 mph in a 55 mph construction zone.

Garcia was conducted by police and officers found he had no drivers license or any other identification in possession.

Officers asked Garcia to get out of the vehicle and asked if he had any weapons on him. He said he had a firearm in his waistband.

Garcia was detained without incident.

The firearm was not registered to Garcia and had a threaded barrel and was loaded with live ammunition.

Officers searched the vehicle and found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Garica was arrested on multiple charges and booked into the Shasta County Jail.
To receive the maximum amount of additional pay, pilots must get their first dose of the vaccine by June 1 and schedule doses so they wont need to take sick leave. Pilots will not be disciplined if they choose not to get the vaccine, but they may have their pay and schedule adjusted if being unvaccinated affects where they can fly.
RED BLUFF, Calif. - Multiple bomb threats scares across Red Bluff on Monday prompted lockdown and searches of both the Tehama County Superior Courthouse and Red Bluff Union High School on Monday.

Police got a call from a Red Bluff hospital that told them they received a call about a bomb threat at both the county courthouse and Red Bluff High.

It didn't really feel real," said Kjersta Helser, a freshman at Red Bluff High School.

Helser described how the school day took a turn after the campus was placed on lockdown for a bomb threat.

"I wasn't especially nervous because I have been in a couple of lockdown situations, said Helser. But I remember other kids crying and things like that."

The school quickly notified parents about the threat and lockdown.

Our buses came back and we released our students who rode the buses, said Todd Brose, Superintendent of the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District. Our students who drove themselves we released them first to clear the lot and then those who are walkers we just confirmed with their parents on the phone for them to walk home."

The courthouse was also targeted in the threat and was searched.

"We're looking for anything that's out of place or out of the ordinary, said Captain Dave Kain, from the Tehama County Sheriffs Office. We are also looking at video surveillance both inside and outside so we can see if anyone accessed the facility inside or out without or knowledge."

A worker at the gas station just across from the courthouse also received a call about the threat at around 7:30 a.m.

"In the past, we have had these types of situations at the old courthouse so we have a really good protocol and plan in place, Kain told Action News Now.

It was a quick disruption, as the court carried on their regular work for the day without any major delays.

Brose described how the school was able to react quickly.

"Times like this we just choose to be safe and error on the side of caution, and go ahead and release our students, said Brose.

He plans for the school to be back in session Tuesday if they get the green light that it is safe to do so.

"They were responding fast, it wasn't like it was going to take us a ridiculously long time to get all the students out of danger, said Helser.

The Red Bluff Police Department was out at the high school all Monday morning investigating. The sheriff's office was responsible for checking the courthouse. Neither found anything suspicious.

Both departments are working together to find out who the call came from.
CHICO, Calif. - A man who was found guilty for the murder of a woman on the Chico State campus was found to be legally insane, according to the Butte County District Attorney.

30-year-old Samuel Johnson was found not guilty by the reason of insanity for the murder of 55-year-old Linda Blacksten on the Chico State campus.

Blackstens body was found on Oct. 30, 2018, around 5 a.m. on the south side of Kendall Hall in a pool of blood.

Witnesses said Blacksten was homeless and would sleep on campus occasionally.

On the night of the murder, police received a report around 1:18 a.m. of a man yelling at a female and threatening to kick her teeth in. Later, the caller said a verbal altercation took place at the area where Blackstens body was found.

Blacksten was killed by blunt force trauma and suffered fractures to her skull, vertebra, pelvis, and most of her ribs, according to an autopsy.

RELATED: Officials Identify Body Found on Chico State's Campus

Blackstens blood was found on Johnsons pants and shoes.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey said a not guilty by reason of insanity trial gets split into two phases, the guilt phase and the sanity phase.

On May 19, Johnson was found guilty of first-degree murder and on Monday was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Johnson is set for a placement hearing on June 23, 2021.

Johnson has been in custody since the murder and is being placed in a state mental hospital.

He faces a potential for a life sentence in the state hospital until doctors and a court determine he regained his sanity and will be safe to release.
CALIFORNIA  Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to spend $2 billion to battle wildfires.

Gov. Newsom announced Monday a proposal that would pay for firefighting equipment and gear including new airplanes and helicopters. Newsom said the money would also help pay for forest management and the creation of fire breaks.

We are doubling our historic wildfire budget from the $1 billion we proposed in January to now $2 billion proposal that was submitted to the legislature just last week, Newsom said.

His $2 billion plan must first be approved by the state legislature.
CHICO, Calif. - Chico neighbors are frustrated over the amount of trash left behind from Chico State graduation parties.

The aftermath of glass in the streets, burnt couches, and trash on the sidewalks from Chico State graduation parties have nearby neighbors upset.

"These kids don't really live here, said Chico resident Chad Prescott. They are only here for a little while so they don't really treat it as their own. they thrash the neighborhood pretty much.

Prescott has lived in his house near Chico State for over two years.

He said not only is the neighborhood filled with trash but it is also filled with broken glass and this is a big concern for Prescott.

"There is glass out on the sidewalk, said Prescott. Clean it up. People walk their dogs out on the street and we don't want our dogs getting hurt, which has already happened. So just have a little more respect."

People who were walking through the neighborhood near Hazel Street and 6th Street said they saw a couch being lit on fire around 3 a.m.

Chico fire said it responded to five calls Sunday night of couches being reported on fire.

"It delays our response to real emergencies, said Battalion Chief for Chico Fire Jim Lucanic. Someone could be having a heart attack down the street and now they have a got a two-minute delay because a few people threw a couple of drinks back and went and lit a couch on fire in the middle of the street.

Chico Fire Department said participating in this activity is dangerous for many reasons.

"They can get burn injuries, said Lucanic. It can get close to houses. Sometimes it is in dumpsters when they burn this furniture so it can be up against an apartment building. Typically, when they light these pieces of furniture on fire it is near homes and when people are sleeping."

Chico fire said last year it only responded to one couch fire and this year it responded to a total of nine couches being on fire over the past seven days.

Tuesday, public works will hold two drop dash events from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. where graduates can come and drop off household items or clothes to donate. This event will take place on the corner of 3rd Street and Orange Street.
Good morning, North State! Heres what you need to know to start your day on Tuesday, May 25.

Arizona felon arrested after traffic stop in Anderson

A felon from Arizona was arrested in Anderson with a loaded gun on Monday. Anderson police stopped the suspect, Ernesto Garcia, on Interstate 5 for speeding in a construction zone. Officers said they learned Garcia was a convicted felon, had a loaded gun with a threaded barrel which is considered an assault weapon, and found meth all during the traffic stop. Garcia was booked on drug and weapons charges.

As drought intensifies, California seeing more wildfires

A new climate study is shedding light on just how dry this summer will be. A recent UCLA study calculated the soil in the west, saying it is the driest it has been since 1895  125 years ago. Researchers said this is because of the lack of rain. Scientists and fire chiefs are now working together, asking Californians to keep defensible space around their homes, and take evacuation alerts seriously.

Authorities investigating 2 bomb threats in Red Bluff

Red Bluff police are working with the Tehama County Sheriffs Office to make an arrest for bomb threats that impacted Red Bluff High School and the county courthouse on Monday. The high school went into lockdown Monday morning and sent students home for the day. Officers searched the school and the courthouse but found nothing suspicious.

CAL FIRE Butte County hopes Board of Supervisors approve new training tower

The Butte County Supervisors could give more money to CAL FIRE. Funding is on the agenda for Tuesdays board meeting, that would allow CAL FIRE to purchase a training tower. CAL FIRE is asking supervisors to use money from the state and federally backed community cost-share fund.

BCPH announces COVID-19 death in young adult, reminds public to be cautious

Health officials are reminding the public that COVID-19 is still very serious and that we are not out of the woods just yet. A young adult in their 20s recently died from COVID-19 in Butte County, health officials announced on Monday. BCPH added it is not clear whether the person had underlying health conditions. However, health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated.

New COVID-19 vaccine clinic opening in Chico

A new vaccination clinic opens at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Chico. The clinic is giving the Pfizer shot on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in the Enloe Prompt Care parking lot on Cohasset Road. On Wednesday, the clinic will switch to Moderna. On Friday, you can get the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. People are encouraged to sign up for an appointment on MyTurn but walk-ups are available.
Accor, a global hospitality leader, is pleased to announce its Unveil the World campaign  a celebration of the return to travel, the approach of summer, and the joy of great hotel stays. With travel restrictions easing across many destinations worldwide, along with significant pent-up demand among travelers, the campaign is a signal of Accors confidence in the resurgence of travel, while reinforcing the companys growing focus on the leisure segment.

Our hotels and resorts are ready to welcome back guests and have successfully implemented our ALLSAFE hygiene and cleanliness protocols, which go beyond local and national requirements. This should help reassure travelers as our hotels are amongst the safest hubs for anyone resuming their leisure or business activities. Moreover, we are offering flexible rates and last-minute cancellation on All.com so that our guests can plan their holiday with a carefree spirit. Our Accor teams are working very hard to make sure we can deliver everyones vacation dreams this summer, said Patrick Mendes, Chief Commercial Officer at Accor responsible for Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Loyalty.

Unveil the World, which is being debuted via a short film inspiring travelers to rediscover the amazing places and experiences that add beauty, depth and meaning to their lives, will be launched through ALL - Accor Live Limitless, a lifestyle loyalty program that integrates rewards, services and experiences throughout the Accor portfolio of brands.

Steven Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer, Accor said: Over the past year, weve seen across social media how much everyone has missed traveling and getting to experience the things they love. People the world over have been through incredibly tough times, and it is our duty to inspire them with a renewed sense of energy, positivity, magic and reassurance. The world needs symbols of optimism to boost their morale and it is our sincere hope that people will soon get the chance to enjoy their much-deserved and delayed vacations.

The Inspirational Stars

American dancer and choreographer Lil Buck leads Accors new campaign as he unveils a hotel lobby, ready to welcome guests again. Lil Buck said: Were showing you in our own artistic way that youll be able to unveil and enjoy your world. This summer make sure you give yourself an opportunity to enjoy yourself, go fly, go somewhere you always wanted to go, go to your dream place because we never know when we will be stuck in the house again.

Also gracing the campaign is the eccentric and fascinating Dominique Mirambeau, famous French model of the 70s, muse of artists such as Salvador Dali, Moebius and Nicki de Saint-Phalle. Ms. Mirambeau said: We all have a place in our heart we sometimes travel to, to find comfort. Sometimes, it is also therapeutic to visit and enjoy it for real! I am glad and honored to convey this inspiring message and energy to people throughout the world.

The Desire to Travel

Accors research indicates that 65% of respondents worldwide are likely to plan a leisure trip in the coming months. Road trips, al fresco dining, cultural experiences, and city escapes are high on the priority lists of planned excursions  areas which Accors Unveil the World campaign will encourage with special offers, new loyalty benefits and booking flexibility.

Consumers are also looking for flexible pricing options, ease of booking online, and trusted health and safety protocols, which Accor hotels offer through the Groups ALLSAFE hygiene and cleanliness label.

Accor has worked hard to establish industry-leading practices in these areas, which our guests and loyalty members have expressed are a top priority as they make plans to get out and begin experiencing the world again, added Taylor. We cant wait to welcome guests back and provide them with confidence for their safety, the comforts of hospitality they crave, and the experiences they have dreamed of returning to once again.

FILM & CREATIVE  CAST & CREDITS:
Alcohol adspend in 12 key markets will grow by 5.3% in 2021, ahead of the 4.9% growth of the ad market as a whole, as brands recover from a much steeper drop in 2020, according to Zeniths Business Intelligence  Alcohol: Beer + Spirits report. Alcohol advertising will then grow roughly in line with the market, with 4%-5% annual growth in 2022 and 2023.

The pandemic has forced the alcohol brand experience to move online

Alcohol brands are often not permitted to directly encourage extra consumption. Alcohol consumption is in any case deeply embedded in the culture of each country, and is not subject to rapid change. Instead, brands have grown through a process of premiumisation  getting consumers to drink better instead of drinking more. This is something spirits brands have been more successful at than beer brands. The consumption of both beer and spirits remained essentially static between 2016 and 2019, according to Euromonitor International, but the value of beer sales grew by 3% a year, while spirit sales grew by 7%.

Key findings:

Alcohol adspend to rise from US$6.7bn in 2020 to US$7.7bn in 2023

Alcohol brands spend twice as much on television as the average brand, but will reduce their spending by 2.4% a year as audiences continue to shrink

Spirits brands have pivoted rapidly to owned online content, to help consumers replicate the brand experience  normally the main driver of sales growth  at home

Digital advertising to account for 30% of alcohol adspend in 2023, up from 21% in 2019

Premiumisation means persuading drinkers to trade up to higher-value products that provide better experiences, by building brand image and experience through mass-reach communication. Alcohol brands, therefore, rely heavily on television and out-of-home advertising, spending twice as much on television as the average brand and nearly four times as much on out-of-home. Alcohol brands devoted 49% of their budgets to television in 2020, compared to 24% for the average brand, and 19% to out-of-home advertising, compared to 5%. This tactic has become less effective as audiences shift to digital media, though, particularly the young consumersmost likely to visit a new bar and try out a new drink.

Alcohol brands have historically been slow to commit to digital advertising, devoting less than half as much of their budgets to it than the average brand in 2020. Thats changing rapidly now. The closure of hospitality venues meant that brands needed a new route to market. Breweries, distilleries, bars, and restaurants diversified into direct-to-consumer shipping and takeaway drinks, facilitated by e-commerce and advertised heavily on digital media, particularly social media. Alcohol brands increased their spending on digital media from 21% of budgets in 2019 to 24% in 2020. Seeking to create compelling brand experiences at home instead of at the bar, drinks companies invested in owned assets such as brand websites and educational content. Spirits brands were particularly prominent, using influencers and trade partners to teach consumers to mix their own cocktails, for example.

Spirit brands have surpassed beer brands in terms of sales value by offering more premium experiences and rituals around their product and serve, said Ben Lukawski, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Zenith. With the pandemic taking audiences away from the on-trade we have seen a greater emphasis on bringing these premium experiences in home through owned digital content.

Consumers are now much more aware of the available options for buying alcohol online, and alcohol brands now have distribution networks in place to supply them. Zenith expects brands to expand their digital advertising to support alcohol e-commerce even after pubs and restaurants are fully open, fuelling 9.2% annual growth in digital adspend between 2019 and 2023, when digital advertising will account for 30% of alcohol advertising budgets.

Zenith predicts alcohol brands will reduce their expenditure on television by 2.4% a year to 2023, compared to the 2019 baseline, as traditional broadcast audiences continue to shrink. Out-of-home advertising, by contrast, will grow by 1.1% a year, even taking into account the pandemic-induced reduction in foot and road traffic. Televisions declining reach makes out-of-homes ubiquity even more valuable.

Alcohol advertising to recover from 2020 decline by 2023

Alcohol advertising shrank nearly twice as fast as the overall ad market in 2020, falling by 11.6% compared to 6.4% of the market as a whole. Brand finances were squeezed by reductions in consumption volume, the average price per drink, and profit margins. With bars, pubs and restaurants closed, consumers drank less alcohol, and bought the drinks they did consume from shops where they cost less, with a much lower mark-up. Brands cut back their marketing sharply to protect their bottom lines, and their combined adspend fell from $7.6 billion in 2019 to $6.7 billion in 2020.

Brands are now bringing money back into the market as vaccine programmes have consumers socialising in person again, and the hospitality industry has begun to reopen. But the return to normality will be slow, and alcohol adspend will still be 8% below the 2019 level by the end of 2021, at $7.0 billion. Zenith does not expect alcohol advertising to exceed the pre-pandemic peak until 2023, when it will reach $7.7 billion.

Western Europe to enjoy fastest recovery after suffering steepest downturn

Zenith forecasts Spain, the UK, Germany and France to be the stand-out growth markets, with annual growth rates between 2020 and 2023 of 28%, 21%, 10% and 8%, respectively. Thats because these markets, where drinking in bars, pubs or restaurants is an engrained aspect of normal social life, suffered the steepest drops in spending when lockdowns were imposed. During 2020, alcohol advertising fell by 52% in Spain, 48% in the UK, 22% in Germany and 23% in France. Their rapid recovery will return them to roughly where they were in 2019 by 2023.

The alcohol industry has suffered more from the pandemic than most, and that was reflected in the steep drop in adspend last year, said Jonathan Barnard, Head of Forecasting, Zenith. The recovery wont be as dramatic as the downturn, but investment in digital communication will drive steady growth in alcohol advertising for the next few years.

The 12 markets included in this report are Australia, Canada, China,France, Germany, India, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, which between them account for 73% of total global adspend. It covers advertising of all types of beer and spirits in these markets.
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.

The Government, too, has come up with various schemes to support its Vocal for Local drive. A case in point is the recent Rs 1,000 crore Start-up India Seed Fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Start-up India International Summit 2021 held earlier this year.

Adgully is turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series  START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the Vocal for Local movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands and Apps.

After graduating from IIT-Kharagpur and ISB Hyderabad alum Chaitanya Nallan was running his company mGinger, an advertising platform. In 2011, he, along with Sangram Simha and Veerendra Shivhare, founded IncNut Digital, which operated two women-centric digital media platforms  Stylecraze.com and Momjunction.com. They used to promote a lot of skincare brands through these platforms and got feedback from customers. These feedbacks revealed that most women did not like the products that they were using.

On the personal front, Nallan noticed how his wifes skin changed and became ultra-sensitive during her pregnancy. He noticed his wifes patterns as well  she would buy a bunch of new stuff, and then throw a lot away.

Through IncNuts platforms, the team conducted in-depth surveys to understand womens issues with skincare products. After the results, they decided to talk to dermatologists to understand why most products did not work on customers. This led the company to build its customised skincare brand  SkinKraft.

In conversation with Adgully, Chaitanya Nallan, CEO & Co-founder, Incnut Digital, provides insights into the beauty care business during the pandemic times, why offering customised skincare & haircare products to customers is of utmost importance for brands, the increasing dependence on online shopping, leveraging digital and much more.

What need gap did you want to fulfil with your start-up? What is the core business proposition?

Whats more than a USP and acts as a differentiating factor is that it provides customised skincare products for its customers.

After visiting various dermatologists, we understood that a hair or skincare product has to be customised based on an individuals hair/ skin type. A generic product, mass produced by an FMCG company cannot be the most effective way to care for your skin. In fact, these products encourage trial and error, which in the long term leads to premature aging of the skin. Currently, we are catering to skin issues such as anti-ageing, skin pigmentation and acne as well as hair issues such as hair fall.

The concept of customisation is very new to the Indian landscape, specifically to consumers who have been bombarded for decades with the notion of one-size-fits-all. Our endeavour with SkinKraft is to break this notion as well as the vicious cycle of trial and error, which leads to unsatisfactory results and hence, frustration.

How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business?

Our media businesses operated two women-centric digital media platforms  Stylecraze.com and Momjunction.com. We used to promote a lot of skincare brands through these platforms and got feedback from customers. Most women did not like the products that they were using. Unaware of the reason behind such feedback, through IncNuts platform we conducted large in-depth surveys to understand womens issues with skincare products. After continuous discussions with dermatologists, the team zeroed in on the fact that no two people have the same skin and that skincare products needed to be customised. Women make up about 80% of our core target audience.

What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them?

SkinKraft was born out of two undeniable truths about the current skincare industry. First, women trying to find even basic skincare products are often caught in an unrewarding cycle of experimentation. Second, despite growing levels of frustration among their consumers, skincare brands continue to churn out generic formulations catering to the mass market. Skin type, skin issues, skin support systems, pigmentation levels, skin damage levels, hydration levels, and several other aspects make an individuals skin unique and have to be catered uniquely. So, a generic product, mass-produced by an FMCG company cannot be the most effective way to care for your skin. In fact, these products encourage trial-and-error skincare, which in the long term leads to premature aging of the skin. This led us to build our customised skincare brand  SkinKraft.

At SkinKraft, skincare starts with the customer. Through a holistic assessment of the customers skin, similar to a dermatologist assessment, we create a skin profile. A detailed analysis is given to the customer in which we explain the problem areas and also the ingredients required to manage their skin. Along with this, we recommend a customised skincare regimen that includes the ingredients corresponding to the specific requirements as outlined in the customers skin profile. SkinKraft has generated over a million skin profile records until now.

What were the clearances that you required for your venture from various authorities?

Drugs Control Administration (DCA) license , Telangana.

Funds/ finance is the prime issue for almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups?

While the government has various schemes and initiatives that have encouraged entrepreneurship, tax subsidies, rebates and low cost funding are always welcome.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi announced a Start-up India Seed Fund. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it?

This should give the guys, who have a great idea but no funding, the encouragement and the confidence to continue doing the hard work.

How is digital helping you further your business?

The ongoing pandemic has made people realise the importance of online shopping and customised skincare products. These factors have given an extra edge to the business in comparison to other traditional players. Being a pure E-commerce player has added 2x growth to the business during the pandemic year.

We see the brand to be the de-facto destination for customised products in haircare, skincare, and wellness for men and women. Every one in three women will opt for customised products by 2025 due to the confluence of three significant trends  mass Internet adoption enabling feedback loops and user input, AI-enabled understanding of ingredient effectiveness, and modern manufacturing technologies. The next 5-10 years will be phenomenal for beauty care companies.

What were your key learnings from 2020? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021?

The pandemic year has taught us the importance of being agile, nimble and fluid. When the first lockdown happened and everything was shut, we were able to change gears and reopen to operation within 10 days. Another important aspect is the diversification of distribution channels. The availability of the product needs to be multiple channels.

What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs?

Stay put on the crease and keep taking singles and good running between the wicket. And wait patiently for the loose ball/ opportunity to dispatch that to the boundary.
Social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram may face a ban in India if they do not comply with the new Intermediary Guidelines. These social media giants have been put on notice by the Centre with a warning about their failure to comply with a set of guidelines that come into effect in two days.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the rules in the gazette on February 25 and asked social media companies to comply within three months.

Barring Koo, none of the players including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram has complied with the new regulations. Meanwhile, Twitter said they keep their own fact-checkers that neither identifies nor reveal how the facts are being investigated. Also, Facebook aims to comply with the provisions but wants to have more discussion with the government to maintain freedom of speech.
WhatsApp will finally retain its functions for all the users in India, according to the media reports. This will be done till India's Personal Data Protection becomes the law.

Even if the users donot accept this policy, the tech company will send them a nudge to do the same which allows it to share data relating to business transactions with the third party companies.

The company also noted that it will comply with the provisions of PDP bill whenever it comes into effect.

According to the reports, the PDP bill contains provisions relating to purpose limitation of data collection which may make the latest WhatsApp policy unviable in the country.

Earlier the company had warned the users that they will delete the accounts who misuse the functions of the application.
As Chicago winds down the United Center and other mass vaccination sites, city health officials on Tuesday said they will shift focus to a hyperlocal inoculation campaign that includes dozens of pop-up events, vaccine incentives and home visits.

The United Center vaccination site on Monday ended its partnership with the federal government along with its walk-in appointments, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a news conference. The drive-thru option will remain open under city leadership until June 24.

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Meanwhile, Illinois is starting to see a consistent downward trend in new daily COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, state officials reported 808 new cases, the lowest daily total since March 15 and the third straight day with under 1,000 new cases.

Officials also said Tuesday that 65% of adults in the state have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is nearing President Joe Bidens goal of 70% of adults with one at least one shot by July 4.

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Do you have coronavirus questions? The Chicago Tribune will talk with the University of Chicago Medicines Dr. Allison Bartlett on Wednesday in a Facebook Live conversation about vaccines and children. Heres how to participate.

Heres whats happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area:

4:40 p.m.: United Airlines, whose CEO expressed support for mandatory vaccines, instead gives pilots incentives to get the shot

United Airlines will not require its pilots to get the COVID-19 vaccine, though it will give them an incentive to be vaccinated.

The Chicago-based airlines CEO, Scott Kirby, said earlier this year he wanted to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for Uniteds workforce, as long as other companies also made shots mandatory for employees.

Employers can require the COVID-19 vaccine, but employees can decline because of a disability or a sincerely held religious belief. Many companies have chosen to encourage vaccines, but keep them voluntary.

United pilots who provide proof they received the vaccine will get up to 13 hours added pay, the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents Uniteds pilots, said Monday.

Read more here. Lauren Zumbach

3:30 p.m.: As United Center, other sites wind down, Chicago shifting vaccination focus to local events

As Chicago winds down the United Center and other mass vaccination sites, city health officials on Tuesday said they will shift focus to a hyperlocal inoculation campaign that includes dozens of pop-up events, vaccine incentives and home visits.

The United Center vaccination site on Monday ended its partnership with the federal government along with its walk-in appointments, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a news conference. The drive-thru option will remain open under city leadership until June 24.

Because of waning demand, other mass vaccination centers in Chicago also will be packing up in the next few months, Arwady said. Chicagoans, however, will still have access to widely available vaccines, just in a different format, as officials adjust their efforts toward convincing more hesitant residents to get the shot, Arwady said.

This is really our natural progression when were thinking about COVID vaccination, Arwady said. You think about starting with mass vaccination or mass treatment and then eventually moving to smaller efforts. Thats how large vaccination efforts work.

Read more here. Alice Yin

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3 p.m.: Endless howls into the void: Chicagoans with family abroad in India during that countrys COVID woes watch and worry

The last time Neha Kaul Mehra was in her hometown of New Delhi was in October 2019 for Diwali.

She and her family decorated the house, cooked a feast and gave out gifts. A few months later, she and her parents, who are scientists, watched news coming out of Wuhan, China, anticipating the novel virus would impact whether they could see one another ahead of expected lockdowns.

Since then, a pandemic emerged, travel became impossible and she has not seen family members abroad for more than a year.

Adding to that heartbreak has been watching from afar as India faces a deadly COVID-19 wave. The countrys count of COVID-19 cases doubled in three months, even as officials believe the true number of cases and deaths to be higher than counted. The White House has pledged help to the country.

Its stressful trying to keep up with whats going on, trying to be helpful, Mehra said.

For the Andersonville resident, as for many in Chicago worried about family abroad, the situation has been wrenching.

Read more here. Alison Bowen

2:20 p.m.: Confused about mask rules? Heres what major grocery and retail chains require now.

With COVID-19-related mask restrictions being relaxed, retailers are announcing how they are handling the changes in guidance for their customers.

Chicago is following the state of Illinois guidance in allowing fully vaccinated people to go maskless in most settings, though public health officials want some businesses to keep their own requirements in place.

We continue to strongly advise, though not require, masking policies for all indoor settings in Chicago until COVID capacity restrictions are lifted, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said May 18.

To avoid confusion, Arwady said, all businesses are asked to post a sign informing customers what their mask policy will be so the public can choose whether to enter.

Here is a list of how several national and regional chains with Chicago-area stores are aligning with the latest CDC guidance.

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Tribune News Service and Chicago Tribune staff contributed.

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12:11 p.m.: 808 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest number in 2 months, and 17 deaths reported

Illinois public health officials on Tuesday reported 808 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 17 additional deaths. That brings the states totals to 1,377,249 cases and 22,650 deaths. It was the third consecutive day with reported cases under 1,000 and the lowest daily total since 782 cases on March 15.

There were 42,841 tests reported in the previous 24 hours and the seven-day statewide positivity rate as a percent of total test is 2.1%.

There were 49,402 doses of the vaccine administered Sunday and the seven-day rolling average of daily doses is 79,485. Officials said 65% of Illinois adults have received at least one vaccine dose and 49% of adults are fully vaccinated.

Chicago Tribune staff

10:18 a.m.: U-46 to set up online learning academy for students who are not vaccinated and have medical conditions

District U-46 School Board members approved plans Monday to create an online remote learning academy in the fall that will be open only to unvaccinated students who have approved medical conditions.

The decision comes in the wake of an Illinois State Board of Education resolution that calls for a complete return to in-person classes in the 2021-22 school year. The only exceptions would be for those children for whom COVID-19 could be health-threatening.

According to the resolution, all schools must resume fully in-person learning for all student attendance days, provided that ... remote instruction be made available for students who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and are under a quarantine order by a local public health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health.

U-46 board member Melissa Owens criticized the states move at Monday nights board meeting.

Where Im getting a little tripped up is the fact that we still will have a sizable population coming back on Aug. 16 that most likely will not have access to the vaccine, Owens said.

We have so many families that are multigenerational households where they have family members that may be at risk should a child come to school, especially a more-crowded condition, even though were going to try to live by social distance guidelines as much as possible, she said.

Read more here. Mike Danahey, Elgin Courier-News

7:40 a.m.: Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine effective in kids as young as 12, will seek FDA approval

Moderna said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S.

With global vaccine supplies still tight, much of the world is struggling to vaccinate adults in the quest to end the pandemic. But earlier this month, the U.S. and Canada authorized another vaccine  the shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech  to be used starting at age 12.

Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month.

The company studied more than 3,700 12- to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults, and the same kind of temporary side effects such as sore arms, headache and fatigue.

Read more here. Associated Press

6 a.m.: Illinois colleges are losing Black students. The pandemic has exacerbated enrollment struggles.

With Black student enrollment at Illinois colleges and universities in a steep decline, a new coalition of educators, business executives, politicians and students have unveiled their proposals for closing the equity gap between Black and white students in higher education.

The Equity Working Group for Black Student Access and Success in Illinois Higher Education released its action plan Monday, a framework to help understand root causes of educational disparity for Black students and to tackle issues such as college affordability, preparedness and support that helps keep students enrolled.

Recommendations from the group, which launched last summer, include anti-racist academic advising to increase student success, grants and need-based funding to make higher education more affordable and access to college credit courses and career exploration for high school students.

The number of Black students enrolled in Illinois college and universities  including public, private and for-profit  fell almost 30% between 2013 and 2018, with community colleges seeing a drop in Black enrollment of more than 33%, according to a 2020 equity study by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Overall enrollment dropped by about 16% during that time, with Black students making up a declining portion of the total student population during those years.

The pandemic has only exacerbated enrollment struggles as health and financial strain have kept students from attending school. But it has affected Black students in a more significant way than other groups, said Zaldwaynaka Z Scott, president of Chicago State University and co-chair of the working group.

Higher education is a game-changer for closing the wealth gap, Scott said. We have to be even more intentional about our strategies for engaging and supporting our minority communities in coming through the pandemic, particularly around higher education.

Read more here. Clare Proctor

Kane County program aims to help residents having trouble paying rent due to pandemic

Kane County, in partnership with the Illinois Rental Payment Program, is offering an emergency rental assistance program designed to help households in the county that are unable to pay rent due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing providers and landlords who have rental units in Kane County may initiate a joint application with their tenants through Monday, June 7, Kane County officials said in a press release Monday. Tenants will have until Monday, June 14, to complete their portion of a landlord-initiated application.

This is truly a win-win, Kane County Board Chairwoman Corinne Pierog said. Its a unique opportunity for tenants who have been adversely affected by the pandemic and need assistance with their rent, and its a way for landlords in Kane County to recoup some of the revenue lost during these difficult times.

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The program is a joint venture between Kane County and the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the states housing finance agency, according to the release.

Read more here.  Aurora Beacon-News staff

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Armasuisse

Bern, 25.05.2021 - Two research papers of the Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus DDPS will be presented at the international Conference for Cyber Conflict (CyCon) in Tallinn, Estonia from 25-28 May 2021. The projects will deal with two key topics of the CYD Campus: Cyber security in outer space and the use of artificial intelligence in the area of cyber defence.

As part of the competence sector Science and Technology of armasuisse, the Cyber-Defence Campus researches in the areas of cyber security and data science. These research activities resulted in two papers focusing on the key topics of cyber security in outer space and the use of artificial intelligence in cyber defence. These will be presented at the virtual NATO CyCon Conference in Tallinn, Estonia from 25-28 May 2021.

Project 1: Cyber security in outer space

For the first project, the CYD Campus analysed the cyber risks which could occur if different stakeholders use the same launch vehicles in order to transport their satellites into space. While rockets used to transport the hardware of an individual country or a handful of domestic organisations in the past, one individual launch vehicle can send satellites from dozens of foreign countries, for example, on a joint journey around the earth today.

This ridesharing practice can be attributed to the high costs of dispatching launch vehicles and the emergence of small, inexpensive satellites called CubeSats. The scientists of the CYD Campus argue that the participation of various stakeholders in a vehicle launch will increase the probability that a manipulated CubeSat will be infiltrated in order to deliberately sabotage the mission.

Using simulations, the researchers demonstrate that attackers have sufficient scope, despite the modest size of the CubeSats, to endanger the security-critical communication during the launch to a large extent. The CYD Campus thus makes clear that the existing launch security controls of launch vehicles exhibit potential vulnerabilities with regard to cyber security.

Project 2: Artificial intelligence in the area of Cyber Defence

In the second project, a concept will be presented to automate decision-making processes in cyber defence teams by using artificial intelligence (AI). Here, those challenges will be described which arise when IT systems are examined for vulnerabilities and protected from attacks using AI. The research paper represents an initial step in the direction of a complete integration of artificial intelligence in the decision-making process of a Cyber Operation Centre, which takes into account the increasing complexity and quantity of cyber attacks.

Cyber Conflict Conference in Tallinn

The CyCon will be held this year for the 13th time and due to the current situation, will take place virtually. It is the flagship conference of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) and addresses important current cyber issues. Each year, more than 600 decision makers as well as legal and technological experts from the public sector, academia and industry from almost 50 countries take part in the conference.

The CYD Campus was founded in 2019 as part of the DDPSs Cyber Defence plan of action and also serves the National Strategy for Protection Against Cyber Risks (NCS). The CYD Campus tasks include the early detection of developments in the cyber area, the development and testing of cyber technologies as well as the training of cyber specialists.

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+41 58 464 62 47

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Armasuisse

http://www.ar.admin.ch/



General Secretariat DDPS

https://www.vbs.admin.ch/



Defence

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KLEMME, Iowa  Wayne Neuberger would like to see some rain, but he isnt complaining about the planting conditions this spring in Hancock County.

I couldnt ask for better planting conditions, Neuberger says.

Just as important as the planting conditions was the fact that right after Neuberger finished planting, a front came through and dropped anywhere from a half inch to 2 inches of rain on fields in his area. That was a perfect top-off to a fast and easy planting season.

That was huge, he says of the May 3 rain. We really needed that.

In the USDAs May 3 weekly Crop Progress report, North Central Iowa was looking at topsoil moisture rated 14% very short, 48% short and 38% adequate with no surplus. Subsoil moisture was 7% very short, 52% short and 41% adequate.

Corn planted was at 87% and soybeans planted was at 65%.

Its not the first time in the past year that timely rains have helped farmers in this part of North Central Iowa. August and September rains last year helped keep the crop going through the harvest.

This is an area with good soil and traditionally high yields. It isnt unusual for a farm to have averaged 230 bushels of corn per acre and 60 or 70 bushels of beans per acre in the past few years, Neuberger says.

With planting out of the way, Neuberger has turned his attention to trying to get some spraying done. That has been a bit more challenging because of the windy conditions.

Still, he isnt complaining. The growing season is off to a good start in this part of the state and prices are also high.

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As Montana moves more into the heart of spring, it is hard to avoid the elephant in the room: drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 88 percent of Montana is dry or abnormally dry. Within that statistic, 28 percent of the state is at least considered D2 or higher. However, the week ending April 23 did bring some scattered showers across the state, which was greatly appreciated.

Wibaux County, located on the Montana/North Dakota border, is currently classified as D3. MSU Extension agent Danielle Harper has observed that producers in the county are hesitant to seed as they hold out for moisture.

Weve gotten tiny bits of moisture this past week, but other than that, we havent got much. In town you can tell the gutters ran, but the ground isnt even wet, she said on April 28.

Despite the mist of rain, soil moisture conditions across the state are still significantly lower than previous years. According to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, topsoil moisture conditions, for the week ending April 23, were 39 percent adequate-to-surplus, off from the previous week of 43 percent and drastically lower than lasts year report of 98 percent at this time. Subsoil moisture conditions tell a similar story at 36 percent adequate-to-surplus compared to 95 percent last year.

The Montana spring has been slow to warm up, as well. Several counties across the state still report temperatures dipping down to freezing or below at night. The cool temperatures have impacted the greening up of both winter wheat and rangelands.
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School zone speed devices could come to more Dougherty County schools

Alan Mauldin / Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin Dougherty County Commission members Russell Gray and Gloria Gaines engage in discussion on proposed speed detection devices for school zones during a Monday commission work session. Alan Mauldin / Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin Dougherty County Commission Chairman requested more information on school zone speed detection equipment during a Monday meeting.

ALBANY  The Dougherty County Commission is considering an eye in the sky, or at least mounted on a pole, to slow down the biggest speeders in school zones around campuses in unincorporated areas.

The city of Albany contracted with Red Speed USA last year to provide speed detectors and cameras that take a snapshot of auto tags, allowing for the ticketing of speeders.

In addition to the speed deterrent effect, the cameras also can monitor car tags for notifying police in Amber alert cases or when a sex offenders car is near a school campus, company representative Greg Parks told commissioners during a Monday work session.

These are designed to drastically improve safety in your school zones, he said. Georgia, unfortunately, ranks 36th out of 51  thats the 50 states and Puerto Rico  in terms of school safety.

Speeding is just a terrible problem. Thats a problem were trying to solve.

The cameras would provide information to issue tickets during hours when school is in session and would target drivers traveling at 11 miles or more over the posted speed limit in school zones, Parks said.

In locales where the cameras have been in place for a number of years, statistics show that they are effective in that 97 percent of drivers cited do not receive a second ticket, he said. In addition to the cameras, signage will be placed alerting drivers to the presence of the cameras.

State legislation that allows the use of the speed detection equipment calls for fine receipts to be allocated to public safety purposes, not the governmental entitys general fund.

If approved, 65 percent of fines collected would come back to the county, with Red Speed keeping 35 percent.

One potential objection, raised by Commissioner Russell Gray, is that there would be a cost associated with the extra volume of cases heard in Dougherty County State Court.

Parks said that some 98 percent of drivers cited pay the fine without contesting the ticket in court. The tickets issued through the system would draw a fine of $75 for an initial infraction and $125 for each additional ticket, much cheaper than the rate of about $300 for officer-initiated citations in school zones and would not place points on a drivers record.

Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas asked for additional information for the board to consider and further discussion at a later meeting

The initiative to consider the cameras came about based on residents complaints to commissioners.

Id like to hear from law enforcement, Cohilas said. Id like to hear a presentation at the next regular session so we can consider your recommendations on whether there are multiple options or not.
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Because of waning demand, other mass vaccination centers in Chicago also will be packing up in the next few months, Arwady said. Chicagoans, however, will still have access to widely available vaccines, just in a different format, as officials adjust their efforts toward convincing more hesitant residents to get the shot, Arwady said.
Italian buyout house Alto Partners has had "positive responses" from LPs in the pre-marketing phase for its next fund which will be in the market relatively soon, AltAssets can reveal.
Verandahs Independent Living frees residents from the responsibilities of cooking and maintaining the home and yard. Theyre free to enjoy life and take advantage of the many social activities offered at The Verandah  or stay put and enjoy their own company. Schedule a tour and research independent living communities before something happens. Dont forget to ask about amenities.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  When the Asian American Student Union at a Connecticut high school organized a Zoom call following the killing of six Asian women in Atlanta, senior Lily Feng thought maybe 10 or 15 classmates would attend. When she logged on, more than 50 people from her school were o
A critical Antarctic glacier is looking more vulnerable as satellite images show the ice shelf that blocks it from collapsing into the sea is breaking up much faster than before and spawning huge icebergs, a new study says.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  In the final minutes of their legislative session, Louisiana lawmakers agreed to change the way the state shops for voting systems, to include more public vetting and require an auditable paper trail, after two recent efforts to replace the states voting machines fai
In the British House of Commons on May 23, 1939, Winston Churchill explained the pledge of the Balfour Declaration of 1917. It was made to the Jewish people who through centuries of dispersion and persecution patiently awaited the hour of restoration to their ancestral home. He did not feel that Britain had accorded to the Arab race unfair treatment. He spoke of the great experiment, the historic dream, the magnificent work the Jewish settlers had done, making the desert bloom, starting thriving industries, founding a great city on the barren shore. So far from being persecuted, the Arabs had crowded into the country.

Churchill would be astounded on May 23, 2021, by the tensions between the State of Israel and Palestinians, and by the upsurge in anti-Semitism around the world by those glorifying the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

The national emblem of the State of Israel consists of olive branches surrounding a menorah. The symbol for the Israeli Defense Force is a sword wrapped by an olive branch inside a Star of David. The inference is clear: we seek peace, but we are prepared to defend against our enemies. The emblem of Hamas is two crossed swords in front of the Al Aqsa mosque, with two phrases, God is Great, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. The inference is a call for Jihad, and the creation of an Islamic state in all of Palestine, from the River to the Sea.

The emblems symbolize the clear and absolute distinction between Hamas which targets homes, businesses, and places of worship with rockets, and the State of Israel, which is 21% Arab by population, defending itself, with a policy of minimizing civilian casualties, from attack. The conclusion is clear. No peace is possible until Palestinians and other Arabs acknowledge the right of Israel to exist as an independent Jewish state.

This year, Jerusalem Day, the commemoration of Israels victory in the 1967 Six Day War, was marked by rockets fired into the Holy City. After eleven days of hostilities, the mutual and unconditional cease-fire took place on May 21. Hamas had fired more than 4000 rockets, suffered at least 240 dead, thousands of injured, and widespread damage of the Gaza Strip, while those rockets killed twelve Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that degrading the military power of Hamas had been an exceptional success. Hamas celebrated the euphoria of victory, a costly but clear victory claiming it had brought life in Israel to a standstill and had inflicted a heavy blow to the image of Israel around the world. Hundreds of masked Hamas fighters with assault rifles paraded in Gaza City.

Did anyone win? Israel destroyed the metro. the 250-mile system of underground tunnels leading into Israel, many of the missile launching sites, assassinated a number of senior military commanders, sank the fleet of small, unmanned submarines, used its impressive Iron Dome missile defense system, and damaged the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip. However, Hamas fired a number of missiles at Jerusalem, which ended debate in the Knesset. It claimed it had brought Israel to a standstill. It was able to incite Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel against each other, triggered anti-Israel violence in the West Bank, and boasted itself, not Fatah, was the savior of Jerusalem. Above all, it spread, directly and indirectly, the virus of anti-Semitism.

Hamas still has more than 8,000 rockets and several hundred rocket launchers. Hamas may be a terrorist organization, but it has a sophisticated military apparatus, with a considerable arsenal. The Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, proclaims that the fight against Israel will continue until the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem is liberated.

A number of factors are related to the Israel-Palestinian issue. One is the alarming announcement by Iran that it has unveiled a 1,250-mile-range bomb-carrying drone named Gaza in honor of those who stood against the invasion of the Zionists. Iran claims it can fly for up to 35 hours and can carry 13 bombs and 1,100 pounds of electronics equipment. It is not only a conventional military threat but also a possible delivery mechanism for nuclear weapons. Iran has been advising Hamas on its tactics and asserts that Israel has vulnerabilities because the Iron Dome system is vulnerable to large barrages of rocket fire. Hamas in fact was able to fire large barrages up to 135 rockets in five minutes.

A second factor is the rift in the U.S. Democratic party, both generational and political, indicating that support in Congress for Israel is no longer axiomatic. Except for Bernie Sanders, that support still exists among the partys older leaders -- Biden, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Steny Hoyer -- who said we must not allow extremists to promote a false narrative. But increasingly outspoken are younger members of Congress who are critical or hostile to Israel. Among them are the usual suspects, the Squad, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley. All are opposed to the U.S. sending military aid to Israel. They introduced a House Resolution on May 19, 2021, to oppose the sale of $735 million of American-made weapons to Israel. The resolution was endorsed by more than 70 organizations.

The shift is important. The U.S. younger generation is more sympathetic than their elders to the Palestinians. This is partly the result of the diversity of viewpoints in Congress: currently, 23% of the House and Senate are people of color or of Native American heritage: in 1945 it was 1%. In general, there is more sympathy for Palestinians among voters under 40 than those over 60. For younger voters, the presentation by the media and photos of images of destruction and deaths of Palestinians, published without context, is more potent than the memories of David Ben-Gurion or Golda Meir.

Even more significant is the refusal by the anti-Israeli brigade to acknowledge the impact of Palestinian propaganda on the upsurge in anti-Semitism. In both the U.S. and the UK, thousands of protestors have taken to the streets chanting anti-Semitic slogans, causing damage, and blocking traffic, some draped in Palestinian flags as they smash cars and burn Israeli flags.

In London, activists drove in convoys through Jewish areas in north London, shouting Fthe Jews, rape their daughters. Such convoys have also occurred in Manchester. A Chigwell, Essex, rabbi was assaulted near his synagogue. Attackers shouting Free Palestine have assaulted random Jews, and threats have been made against Jewish secondary school students, and synagogues, accompanied by extensive anti-Semitic content, especially on social media platforms.

The Community Security Trust indicated that there had been a fivefold increase in reports of anti-Semitic incidents with a total of 86 between May 8-May 17. In the U.S., Jewish people being attacked in cities across the country. Particularly scandalous was the caravan of cars in Los Angeles whose occupants threw bottles and shouted anti-Semitic epithets at Jewish diners outside a sushi restaurant.

The Hamas war succeeded in inflaming tensions between Arabs and Jews within the state of Israel, which over the past week has witnessed violence, burning of synagogues, cars, businesses, and even police stations. Once again, as in 1948, the very existence of Israel is being challenged. The Palestinians continue to cling to the Nakba, the catastrophe, as they term the creation of Israel. Fortunately for Israel, the Arab and Islamic states, except Iran and Syria, have not joined the anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic crusade.

The Biden administration must continue to support Israels right to self-defense against rocket attacks, and continue funding the Iron Dome system while seeking an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The U.S. should continue support for Israel in international organizations.

The world should recall the words of Churchill about the Jewish community in the Middle East: a historic dream, a great experiment.

Image: Hamas

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In the four years he was President, Donald Trump rebuilt the economy after the policy disasters of the Bush-Obama years, significantly curtailed illegal immigration, confronted and exposed the Chinese Communist Party, and with Operation Warp Speed conquered the China Coronavirus pandemic. While this list is impressive, his most significant long-term accomplishment may well place him in the pantheon of the American presidents that saved the nation: he fortuitously ripped open the floorboards and exposed the termites stealthily and relentlessly consuming the cultural, societal, and governmental foundation of the country.

During the later stages of the 2016 campaign and the four years of his presidency, Donald Trumps personal characteristics and the timing of his election caused the ruling elites and the Marxist-inspired American left to become enraged and, thus, to fully expose themselves. Their collective duplicity, their furtive alliance, and the magnitude of this mergers covert and disquieting progress in transforming the nation into a one-party socialist oligarchy is now on display for all to see.

In what is oftentimes referred to as Trump Derangement Syndrome, this anger mutated into a frenzied obsession to leave no stone unturned in forcing Trump to resign or, in the alternative, effectively neuter his presidency and by means of voter fraud, if necessary, ensure that he would not win re-election.

Donald Trump possessed a trait that the ruling elites ignored until it appeared he could actually win the presidency. Trump could not only relate to and empathize with the unwashed masses, but he also thought, acted and spoke like many of them. The possibility of having a man they perceived to be the composite of their stereotypes of average Americans occupying the White House infuriated the elites. Trump, to them, was a doppelganger for the dimwitted rednecks from the South, the unkempt factory workers from the Midwest, the ill-educated residents of urban ghettos, the unsophisticated farmers, and the vulgar over-the-road truck drivers.

Trump was also an existential threat to the American left and their decades-old blueprint for achieving political hegemony and transforming the nation into a socialist state. After the decades long infiltration of the bureaucracy and the education establishment that the ruling elites imperiously chose to ignore, and eight years of Obama, the left was convinced their ultimate goal was not only in reach but inevitable.

By 2018, 40% of all Americans had a favorable view of socialism, for the younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) it was 49%, Furthermore, 52% of this demographic preferred to live in a socialist country rather than a capitalist one. Shockingly, 30% had a favorable view of Marxism. Currently, 51% of those under 40 believe America is a racist nation with a long history of discrimination. The trend over the past two decades is an inexorable increase, particularly among the younger generations, in favoring socialism/communism over capitalism and viewing the United States as an unfair and racist nation that requires transformation.

Afraid of losing their power base and lifestyles, these trends motivated the ruling elites to tacitly merge with the Marxist-influenced American left in the expectation that the left would join in and defer to an oligarchy dominated by the ruling elites. Agreement on power-sharing is still tenuous but both parties were convinced that permanent left-wing hegemony was at hand and inevitable. That is, until Trumps election threatened the elites influence and the lefts ambitions.

Trump Derangement Syndrome fortuitously exposed what has been metastasizing beneath the surface for many years and is now spotlighted on center stage for all to see.

There is a two-tiered system of justice in the United States based on political affiliation or beliefs. The FBI, once the most respected arm of law enforcement in the country, is now an appendage of the Democrat party with the Department of Justice their de facto enforcer. They operate politically through maliciously investigating fictitious allegations (e.g. Trump-Russia collusion), stoking malevolent accusations (e.g. January 6th armed insurrection), and pursuing the harshest treatment possible against wrong-think transgressors while largely ignoring the anarchists who regurgitate right-think. The federal bureaucracy is a leftist-sympathizing power unto themselves that can willfully destroy a president or a common citizen and face no repercussions. By exploiting the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic as a vehicle to defeat Trump, the elected members of the Democrat party exposed themselves as petty and vindictive tyrants. They calculatingly curtailed individual freedoms, initiated unnecessary and devastating lockdowns, provoked unwarranted fear among the populace, destroyed the credibility of the government-based medical and science community, and brought the nation to the brink of economic chaos. The Democrat party in their pursuit of Trump has been self-exposed to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the radical American Left which flagrantly utilizes Nazi tactics to achieve their goals. The ruling elite/left cabal, determined to defeat Trump in 2020, pulled out all the stops including election fraud to accomplish their goal. As a result, there should no longer be speculation about election fraud on a grand scale. It exists. Further, this same cabal is now audaciously attempting to embed potential election fraud in every state and make certain someone unacceptable to them is never elected president. What was once referred to as the mainstream media can no longer claim to be impartial as they marched in lockstep denigrating Trump and vilifying his voters. They are the unabashed propaganda arm of the ruling elite/American left oligarchy, willingly disseminating fake news about the opposition and regurgitating the talking points given to them by their masters. The elites have acquiesced to their bedfellows, the left, accelerating their schedule for achieving political hegemony by willfully fomenting civil unrest. The main weapons in this scheme are the accusation of systemic racism and the advocacy of Critical Race Theory that mandates overt racial discrimination, the turning of a blind eye to virulent and growing anti-Semitism, and confrontational censorship of misinformation and unacceptable beliefs by utilizing social media, corporate and governmental extortion.

Over the past four months, the media has extensively trumpeted the autocratic policies of the Biden Administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress. -- policies which encompass and further expose all the above. Thus, the bulk of the citizenry cannot honestly claim to be ignorant or unaware of what is happening in the country as it should be evident to anyone with a modicum of awareness and intelligence not drowning in mindless fealty to the Democrat party or Marxist ideology.

It is no longer hyperbole to say that the future of the United States hangs by a thread. It is not the ravings of an unhinged right-wing fearmonger to say this nation is near the point of no return in its headlong dash toward a potentially violent societal and cultural upheaval.

The fault lies not with the radical American left, as they are small in number, but with the ruling class through their deliberate inaction, focus on self-aggrandizement, and willingness to ally with the left. It is these near-treasonous actions spanning many decades that have brought the United States to this point.

While the 2022 mid-term elections at the state, local, and federal levels are vital in stemming the tide and delaying what may be inevitable, the only solution is the eventual replacement of the current ruling class. This can be accomplished if Americans unify and use their economic clout to boycott those corporations and institutions, particularly universities, that promote socialism or hate-America policies.

The election of Donald Trump and Trump Derangement Syndrome presented America with one last chance to fully reopen the nation. It is now up to the citizenry to do so.

Photo credit: YouTube screengrab (cropped)

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Phony Tony Fauci has mastered the art of talking out of both sides of his mask, an art form composed of telling people what the speaker wants them to believe, regardless of veracity, out of one side of your face diaper while still claiming to be the ultimate bearer of objective scientific fact out of the other.

We all know of the eminent doctor's conflicting statements on masking. First, they were unnecessary, then mandatory. From photos, we can imagine wee Tony proclaiming: "Look at me. I wear three!" Now, although he has declared that the vaccinated need not fear infection either indoors or out, masking should be continued. According to Fauci, people are not reading the CDC guidelines with a critical enough eye. He states that even though the federal agency did proclaim the fully vaccinated "safe from infection in or out of doors," it did not specifically state that masks could be discarded. Indeed, he states that fear of going maskless is not irrational.

In a recent exchange with Sen. Rand Paul regarding U.S. funds being utilized for gain of function (read: weaponization) of viruses in Chinese labs such as the one in Wuhan, Fauci loudly declared, "With all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect." Days later, Fauci stated that the entire story of the virus development has not been revealed, and we should insist that all questions be investigated and answered. He further conceded that the U.S. may have contributed an "insignificant sum" to unrelated viral research in the Chinese labs. I hope that clears things up for Sen. Paul.

A troubling recent story about the media's health care darling concerns his interactions with the Catholic Church. Fauci, a strong proponent of abortion on demand for not just the U.S., but other nations at U.S. expense, ought to be anathema to Catholicism. Pope Francis, however, invited Fauci to address the Vatican health conference. At this conclave, he urged the Catholic clergy to use their pulpits to urge vaccinations for the "vax hesitant" among their congregations. Fauci accurately contends that if a message ("get vaccinated!") comes from a trusted source, it will have a greater impact. Undoubtedly, the source of this advice will not be mentioned during the deliverance of the "sacred" wisdom. One can almost imagine a future meeting of the pope and the doctor with the altar boysized Fauci tugging at the papal cassock and whispering, "Francis  about this abortion thing..."

It's time we consigned this pint-sized propagandist to the crossword section of the newspaper. Six-down clue: five-letter word for pompous "expert" who is wrong most of the time.

Image: Pixabay.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
The Biden administration is set to release three terrorists from the U.S.'s Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

Saifullah Paracha, a former al-Qaeda bagman and terror-plotter who met with Osama bin Laden in the fall of 2000, is one of the three to be released. Paracha also offered up his textile company for al-Qaeda's use. He suggested that al-Qaeda might use his company's containers to bring chemical agents like sarin gas  and other weapons of mass destruction  into the United States.

Uthman Abdul al-Rahim, from Yemen, is another GITMO detainee to be set free. He was a guard for Osama bin Laden and was part of the "55th Arab Brigade" at Tora Bora. Al-Rahim's brother is a member of al-Qaeda, and some of his buddies were responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole in October of 2000.

Abdul Rabbani is also scheduled to be granted freedom. Rabbani is a longtime friend of Khalid Sheik Mohamed, a fellow GITMO inmate and the principal architect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 innocent souls and injured more than 6,000 others. He is thought to have helped KSM plan the infamous attack  and probably one or more previous al-Qaeda acts.



Photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense.

That Biden would allow this is revolting in itself, but coupled with the fact that his administration is still detaining some American citizens who strolled through the Capitol building as part of a January 6 "riot," it is clear that America's current rulers despise Americans  or at least Trump-supporting Americans  more than they do foreign entities responsible for the worst attack on American soil in history. Moreover, some reports allege that the January 6 rioters still detained have been subjected to what is tantamount to torture.

Democrats have termed the riot an "insurrection," even though none of the alleged Trump-supporters were armed and the only person shot to death was a diminutive female Air Force veteran and Trump-supporter, Ashli Babbitt. Some Republicans have noted that this would be the worst example of an "insurrection" in history. Democrats have opined that the January 6 Capitol riot was equivalent to "another 9/11." This is the worst example of an analogy in American history, a heinous display of contempt for reality and the loss of innocent life, two traits tragically characteristic of today's far-left Democrats.

And yet, if those who took part in the January 6 riot are the equivalent of those who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, why is the Biden administration releasing those behind the 9/11 attacks but not those who participated in the riot of January 6?

In truth, this would be like letting Holocaust-planners and executioners go while still imprisoning citizens who walked through the Reichstag carrying banners saying, "Bring Back the Weimar Republic" and "Hitler Is Not My Fuhrer."

There is terror directed at the U.S. from numerous foreign entities. There are a handful of "right-wing" domestic terrorists. But the biggest and most existential threat to our way of life emanates from our own government  our supposedly duly elected leaders.

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To help those in India, many Illinois residents have been gathering donations to help buy things like oxygen. For Mehra, trying to help has been cathartic. She gathered friends who are savvy with policy and data analytics to coordinate help online. When it became apparent that the country was going to be wrestling with a bad wave of infections, she joined others trying to collect assistance for resources. Many are frustrated with the government as people are facing issues finding bottled oxygen, hospital beds or COVID-19 tests.
It is hardly a new phenomenon that the American left has over time become so radical that a vicious form of anti-Semitism has become its norm. The Democrat party could, once upon a time, be counted upon to firmly support Israel against its enemies here and abroad, but no more. The party now openly embraces proud anti-Semites like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and AOC.

Just the other day, Tlaib harangued Biden for thirty minutes on the tarmac at Detroit Airport. She supports the terrorist organization Hamas and was furious that Israel was so effectively defending itself. Biden praised her "passion" without a word of support for Israel. Biden had recently handed over $234,000,000 to the Palestinians, which they promptly used to attack Israel.

Iran was and is completely on board, using Hamas as its proxy. And even as twenty to thirty percent of their rockets fell on their own people, Hamas, as usual, using its civilian population as human shields, the Democrats still supported the terrorists. They even voted against sanctioning foreign entities that provided financial aid to Hamas! They voted against providing additional funding to Israel for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The despicable AOC and her Squad have introduced a resolution that would block arms sales to Israel. As any sentient person should know, there is no moral equivalency between Israel and Hamas. And as everyone should also know, the destruction of Israel is the essence of Hamas's charter.

Throughout the Hamas/Israel violence, Biden offered no support for Israel beyond his mild "Israel has a right to defend itself." In effect, he succumbed to Tlaib's shrieking pro-Palestinian rant. So, with the permission granted by default to anti-Semites everywhere, attacks on Jews are occurring everywhere.

In Los Angeles, outdoor diners were confronted by thugs shouting, "Where are the Jews?" and then proceeding to beat them up. A lone orthodox man was chased while walking to his synagogue in Los Angeles.

These incidents are happening across the nation, and Biden had yet to utter a word against them, until Monday. Too little, too late. He had spoken out about the attacks on Asians but not on Jews. He had bragged about his support among Muslim anti-Israel groups.

We all knew that Obama was an anti-Semite. It appears Biden shares his anti-Israel sentiment to the point of openly betraying the Jewish state. What a difference four months can make. President Trump was the best friend Israel ever had in the White House. Biden is the most dangerous enemy. That most members of his party in Congress are comfortable hanging Israel out to dry is horrifying.

As if his silence on the growing attacks on Jews here and in Europe were not dispiriting enough, Biden has hired a known advocate for Islamic terrorists, Hina Shamsi, into his administration to help "crackdown [sic] on extremism in the military." She and several others of her ilk join SecDef Lloyd Austin and his "hatchet man," Bishop Garrison. All of the above are determined to purge our military and all other institutions of "extremists," those who supported the presidency of Donald Trump, the man who rebuilt the military and restored common sense to our defense forces.

Trump's reforms are being undone with the speed and relish of an administration bent upon destroying this once great nation and Israel as fast as possible. Anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism have long gone hand in hand among our enemies. Now there can no longer be any doubt that anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism are shared pathologies among our own Democrat leaders with the president's blessing. Biden has always been a racist to the core of his being. He never openly spoke out against Obama's anti-Israel policies. Now we know why.

Congressman Lee Zeldin has observed:

I went through kindergarten through 12th grade, college, law school and four years of active duty in the U.S. Army and I never once experienced anti-Semitism - until I came to the U.S. House of Representatives.

We can be certain it was not coming from his Republican colleagues. That the Democrats in Congress have embraced AOC and her viciously anti-American pals tells the story. Not one Democrat has publicly challenged their pro-terrorist/anti-Israel blather. Can anyone blame them for thinking their party is in full agreement?

The Republican Party is chock-full of cowards, as we saw last week when 35 of them voted for the Jan. 6 commission, which is sure to be a partisan operation as phony as the Mueller faux investigation was. That they choose to defend Hamas over Israel tells us everything we need to know about who they are.

The Democrats may stick together and fight as a unit more than Republicans ever do, but their ranks are full of cowards, too. Their cowards are now proven anti-Semites, and anti-Semitism is a disease. It is the socialism of fools (August Bebel). The current resident of the White House is so afflicted. Let us hope America and Israel survive Biden's and his party's abject acquiescence, their thumbs up, their attempt to mainstream anti-Semitism.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.

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On Monday, after weeks of escalating violence against Jews across America, Joe Biden finally roused himself to issue a statement condemning anti-Semitism, although he couldn't bring himself to utter the word. Instead, it's a weak plea for "all of us" to step in and stop the "hate." However, when compared to Biden's fellow Democrats, it stands up well.

Dov Hikind, a former Democrat assemblyman in New York State, put together a scathing Twitter thread showing how pathetic "condemnations" of anti-Semitism from his fellow Democrats and other leftists really are.

In example after example, Hikind points out that the same Democrats who eventually, like Joe, said anti-Semitism is bad always coupled it with other bad things. This was invariably in strong contrast to their strident and repeated outrage over perceived Islamophobia or actual anti-Asian violence. I especially like his reference to the Hamas Congressional Congress, which is either "The Squad" or the Congressional Black Caucus, I'm not sure which:

THREAD: Why Leftist Condemnations of Antisemitism Are Practically Worthless.



Let's take a look back at how these condemnations of antisemitism have been handled by @TheDemocrats and what they reveal.



1. Those who get angry with "all lives matter" in response to BLM also say: pic.twitter.com/WXlxHfBcVi  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

But back in February when there was a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes, whaddya know, the condemnation was focused exclusively on anti-Asian hate. Nothing else.



Why the difference in approach?  pic.twitter.com/qCVGprRAb6  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

But back in February when there was a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes, whaddya know, the condemnation was focused exclusively on anti-Asian hate. Nothing else.



Why the difference in approach?  pic.twitter.com/qCVGprRAb6  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

.@BernieSanders also linked the "disturbing antisemitic attacks" to a "troubling rise in Islamophobia".



Yet, he was able to condemn "Islamophobia" exclusively on multiple occasions, but never once did he condemn antisemitism singularly.



Why? Why this constant linkage? pic.twitter.com/yKsagpBpdW  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

You'll notice that the Hamas Congressional Caucus also condemned antisemitism while equating it with Islamophobia as if we've actually seen a rise in both when in fact we've only witnessed a rise in violent antisemitism. pic.twitter.com/EC5EjRdbBS  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

So how does this work?



When the antisemitic attacks were committed by white supremacists, the squad not only condemned it but called out the source of the hatred: white supremacy pic.twitter.com/GmeJuuCb7f  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

But what about when anti-Jewish violence is committed by other minorities?



Then suddenly not only don't they name the source of hatred, but they broaden the condemnations against antisemitism to include ALL RACISM.



That's the equivalent of BLM telling you "ALL LIVES MATTER" pic.twitter.com/Eob7WoZcTW  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

And how about when it came to calling out Islamophobia on its own? Somehow that gets their exclusive attention rather than watering it down by adding "and all forms of racism." pic.twitter.com/86Od27mnJK  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

Worse yet, @ilhan once made as if Jews and Palestinians face the same hatred, but in so doing her goal was to deny the antisemitism that has deep roots in the Palestinian psyche thanks to decades of anti-Jewish conditioning. pic.twitter.com/1nuUqDCU3W  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

.@AOC who failed to call out antisemitism every single time it has peaked in her own city, called out those who spoke against antisemitism but not Islamophobia, though she did the very same, just the reverse! pic.twitter.com/MIo2YBBNNz  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

Check out this recent headline from the @nytimes. The implication is that the anti-Jewish pogroms we've witnessed over the past couple of weeks is a "conflict" thus implying "two sides" who just aren't getting along.



Except...only one side is attacking the other! pic.twitter.com/XZGnYlzT35  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

Unfortunately, this Leftist position that cannot deal with any antisemitism that isn't attributed to "white supremacists" is nothing new.



Remember back in March/2019 when @Ilhan was going to be censured for her antisemitic remarks? Remember when they watered down the resolution? pic.twitter.com/jt4RC7YJ8w  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

One response is that antisemitism and Islamophobia have both been rising. But according to the NYPD's Q1 report while there were 27 attacks against Jews, there was a grand total of 1 against Muslims. That disparity is even greater by now considering the last couple of weeks! pic.twitter.com/hWcSzd5vh9  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

If after a 2 weeks of violent global pogroms, especially in NYC, the same people who condemned anti-Asian and anti-Islamic hate crimes with singular focus cannot condemn anti-Jewish violence without invoking "All forms of racism," they may be in denial of their own antisemitism!  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

Bottom line: The Far-Left cannot get itself to condemn antisemitism without "All lives mattering" it when the perpetrators are blacks and Muslims bc suddenly antisemitism is borne of thin air and no ideology whatsoever!



So when you see their "condemnations" remember their BS!  Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 24, 2021

By the way, just for the sake of completion, heres Biden's flaccid condemnation, not of anti-Semitism, a scourge that's killed untold millions of Jews over the centuries, culminating in the Holocaust, but simply of "hate":

The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop. I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad  its up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.  President Biden (@POTUS) May 24, 2021

What a useless goober that man in the White House is.

The only problem I have with it is that Hikind constantly refers to the far left as if it's separate from the Democrat party. He's wrong.

What Hikind is describing is today's Democrat party, and it's been profoundly reconfigured from the Democrat party of just twenty years ago. Today's party is no longer a blue-collar, pro-American labor, generally pro-American, pro-Israel party. It is, instead, a purely Marxist organization that has embraced the anti-Semitism that has been inherent in communism since Marx himself and that saw both Stalin and Hitler slaughter Jews (although Stalin lacked Hitler's fervor).

Image: Whats under Ilhan Omars headscarf, from Right of Center by Broc Smith.

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Twenty-one-year-old Lucas Gerhard was arrested almost two years ago in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for sending an obvious joke to friends via a private Snapchat. Since then, he spent 83 days in jail, before being transferred to house arrest, where he is unable to go to school, leave the house, or use the internet. And this is all because he made a private joke about his legal AR-15. This is a heinous assault on his First and Second Amendment rights. Moreover, it takes place against a backdrop of leftist prosecutors and governors across America bending over backward to release violent criminals.

Lucas Gerhard, a former Eagle Scout, attended Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie, where he was working toward a degree in criminal justice with the goal of a career in law enforcement. LSSU is a fairly small school, just south of the Canadian border, with only 2,0002,500 students, many of whom are Canadian.

LSSU is something of an "aggie" college, with a large and respected criminal justice program. Still, as is the case for 99% of American colleges, it manages to have a "social justice and community activism" page as part of its campus life  although the link to that page is dead. One of LSSU's leftist students, a young woman, frequently argued with Lucas, so much so that he blocked her on social media.

In the summer of 2019, Lucas bought himself an AR-15, which he brought to campus with him. At the time, he promptly followed school rules, checking his gun and ammunition in with the LSSU safety office. At around the same time, Lucas sent a private Snapchat joke to friends, showing a picture of his kitted-out rifle, with the message, "Takin' this bad boy up, this outta [sic] make the snowflakes melt, aye?" As if it wasn't already clear that this was a joke, he added, "And I mean snowflakes as in snow."

Two leftist students saw that image on a friend's phone and took a picture of it. The young woman who fought with Lucas then used the Snapchat image to file a report with the police, claiming that Lucas was making threats.

When the police showed up, Lucas explained that he was just making a joke about people whose brains melted when they were faced with an opposing political ideology. Nevertheless, the police arrested him the next day and charged him with violating Michigan Penal Code 750.543, which governs making terrorist threats. Under the law, a person makes a terrorist threat if he "[t]hreatens to commit an act of terrorism and communicates the threat to any other person." The penalty calls for up to twenty years in prison plus as much as $20,000 in fines.

During the pre-trial hearing, the prosecutor claimed that Lucas had multiple "contacts" with the law, which was a lie by omission. While campus leftists frequently tried to sic the police on Lucas, he was invariably found innocent of the charge against him. One example was when he wore his OCSO cadet uniform while carrying an authorized bag of police training gear to a lecture he was giving  another "threat." There were no charges, nor were there charges when someone vandalized his car.

Even worse, during the pre-trial hearing, the prosecutor played a graphic video of the mosque shooting earlier that year in Christchurch, New Zealand. Faced with the prosecutor's "evidence," the court denied Lucas bond. Instead, he was sent to jail, where he spent 83 days, a problem for a Type I diabetic, before his father could bail him out. He's been under complete house arrest ever since, with a $500/month tether and no access to education or the internet.

Lucas's situation is so heinous that Jonathan Turley, the Democrat law professor who doesn't realize he's a conservative, was moved to write about the injustice. I read about the story at the Gateway Pundit, from which I've drawn the facts in this post. A Michigan Republican legislator unsuccessfully tried to change the law to add a reasonableness standard, one that distinguishes between legitimate threats and anything a snowflake whines about.

The Michigan Appellate Court has accepted an interlocutory appeal (that is, it's not waiting for a final judgment), which is a good sign. These are rarely granted in criminal cases.

So why am I writing about this case? Because every conservative needs to understand that, while we're still slack-jawed with disbelief and dismay about events in America in the last year, leftists at every level  the White House, Congress, statehouses, courts, prosecutors' offices, colleges, and dormitories  are engaged in all-out war.

If we are to avoid cultural, political, and constitutional defeat, we need to adopt their legal tactics: letter-writing campaigns, phone calls, non-violent protests...anything to raise the volume. While leftists currently hold the whip hand, we keep learning that they are, in fact, a minority because Americans don't like their values. It's time to make the powers that be across America hear that those who value the Constitution, the rule of law, and common sense are the real majority.

Image: Lucas Gerhard. GoFundMe page.

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The moment President Trump left the White House, Twitter banned Trump forever. Meanwhile, Twitter continues to be a congenial host for the genocidal rantings of Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei. To his credit  and to applause  Governor Ron DeSantis pointed out this double-standard. Upon reflection, though, given how irrational and ignorant Democrats are, it may not be a double-standard at all.

On January 8, President Trump's last day in office, Twitter banned him from ever appearing on Twitter again. Since this was a big deal, Twitter explained at length just how evil Trump really is:

After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them  specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter  we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open. However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement.

If you care, you can see how Twitter obsessed over every word Trump uttered to show that he incited an insurrection. We now know that all of that is wrong:

Nothing Trump said incited violence, for the fracas on Capitol Hill started while he was still speaking;

No one who entered the Capitol was armed;

There were provocateurs in the crowd who overrode Trump's insistence on peaceful conduct;

Trump's supporters did not kill anyone;

The only person who died was murdered by a Capitol Police officer; and

The people being held for months in solitary confinement are being charged at most with crimes such as trespassing (although new evidence about the officers letting people in may make even those charges false).

Even as Twitter insists that Trump must be silenced, it continues to provide a platform for Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei, who has almost one million followers. He used Twitter to call for a genocidal jihad against all the Jews in Israel. Keep in mind as you read his tweets that any variation of "free Palestine" means that Arabs will occupy a land "purified," as Khamenei says, of Jews:

My Mujahid brother, Mr. Ziad Nakhalah (assisted & made successful by God)

Salam Alaykum

I received your letter. The Palestinian brothers great, victorious Jihad pleased your friends across the world. Our hearts are w you in your fight & we pray for your continuous victories. 1/2  Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 24, 2021

My Mujahid brother, God's promise is true where He states, "God will certainly aid those who aid His cause," [22:40]. With Gods Grace, you will witness the ultimate victory by His Power and Will. 2/2

Your brother,

Sayyid Ali Khamenei#PalestineWillBeFree  Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 24, 2021

My Mujahid brother, Mr. Ziad Nakhalah (assisted & made successful by God)

Salam Alaykum

I received your letter. The Palestinian brothers great, victorious Jihad pleased your friends across the world. Our hearts are w you in your fight & we pray for your continuous victories. 1/2  Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 24, 2021

Your fight against oppression is a manifestation of the verse, "If you aid God's cause, He will aid you & strengthen your steps." By God's Power, you will be victorious &purify the #HolyLand from the contamination of the usurpers, God willing.2/2

Your brother,

Sayyid Ali Khamenei  Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 24, 2021

Now that is an incitement to violence...genocidal violence.

To DeSantis's credit, in the context of a new Florida law allowing Florida's residents to sue Big Tech platforms for monetary damages if they've been treated unfairly, he called out Twitter for its grotesque hypocrisy (and please enjoy the applause DeSantis got):

JUST IN - Florida Gov. DeSantis has just signed a bill into law that would allow everyday Floridians to sue Big Tech Platforms for monetary damages. pic.twitter.com/yeHYG9btEx  Disclose.tv  (@disclosetv) May 24, 2021

Bravo, Governor DeSantis! But do stop and consider that we may not be witnessing hypocrisy here. Democrats have brainwashed themselves so entirely that they are unmoved by the fact that Trump raised everybody's economic standing, presided over an era with no new wars, was Israel's best friend, and was bringing peace to the Middle East. They continue to believe that "Trump is worse than Hitler"  and if you're worse than Hitler, you must be silenced.

For Democrats, Khamenei is a victim of Western imperialism. Never mind that he rules over a sovereign nation, and he was also a victim of Trump's murderous rage because Trump killed Khamenei's best friend in the form of Qassem Soleimani. Never mind that the latter was a mass murderer. As a historic aside, what's ironic in all of this is that Khamenei's predecessors, Cyrus the Great and Darius of Persia (and Persia was the nation that preceded Muslim Iran) are Jewish heroes because they helped the Jews build the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The Western wall of that temple is central to Jerusalem's religious importance. Thus, Khamenei is ranting against the greatest period in his country's history, for the Persians were then the greatest nation in the ancient world.

The ignoramuses at Twitter know nothing about any of this. They're locked into the false syllogism that Trump is Hitler; Khamenei opposes Trump; and, therefore, Khamenei is a good guy who can stay on Twitter. We live in dangerously stupid times.

Image: Ron DeSantis at the bill signing. YouTube screen grab.

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An anonymous State Department employee leaked a document in which the State Department, headed by the feckless Anthony Blinken, has instructed all diplomatic and consular posts to support Black Lives Matter beginning on May 25. Rather than being written in the usual dry, turgid language we expect from such communications, this one is different. Its language is pure Marxism, and its hatred for America pours out of every word.

Jack Posobiec at Human Events reported that a State Department employee shared a copy of the order. It states in relevant part that May 25 (today) "marks one year since the brutal murder of George Floyd ..." It lauds the Black Lives Matter protests that "demand an end to systemic racism and police brutality." Accordingly, it's time for guidance.

The guidance shows that Anthony Blinken and his State Department truly despise the country they're representing. This language is entirely Marxist in tone and vocabulary, and it reveals a bone-deep contempt for America:

May 25 marks the one-year commemoration of George Floyd's murder. For 9 minutes and 29 seconds, the world saw firsthand how police officers brutally took the life of an unarmed Black man in the United States. These viral images ignited national and global Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and demonstrations. This tragedy joined a long line of Black men and women who have suffered at the hands of police brutality. These national and global protests sparked a movement to confront systems perpetuating deep-seated inequities rooted in colonialism and the oppression of racial, tribal, ethnic, and other minority communities.

In addition to the BLM movement, the order makes sure to laud Biden's executive orders, not just on race, but for helping "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex" people around the world.

In paragraph after paragraph, the document denigrates America's history, values, and people. Of note is the fact that it celebrates Black Lives Matter going all the way back to George Zimmerman's acquittal. In other words, it's meaningless to the Trotskyites at the State Department that, despite knowingly faked prosecution evidence, the jury still concluded that Zimmerman acted in self-defense because a drugged up Trayvon Martin was trying to beat him to death.

The order tells diplomatic personnel (emphasis mine) to use

the term "Black Lives Matter" in messaging content, speeches, and other diplomatic engagements with foreign audiences to advance racial equity and access to justice on May 25 and beyond. We encourage posts to focus on the need to eliminate systemic racism and its continued impact.

Embassies and consulates are encouraged to fly the BLM flag or to use banners, spotlights, and projections. They're also encouraged to "commemorate Juneteenth and lesser known racially motivated attacks such as the "Tulsa Race Massacre  the 100th anniversary of which will take place May 31  June 1, 2021." Additionally, the order suggests social media posts, conversations, experts, and more, all to focus on America's evil, systemic racism. In other words, American outposts and foreign soil are being instructed to revel in America's racial failures.

(You can view the entire State Department order here.)

But BLM is so much more than a reminder that America is a fundamentally evil country, one beyond redemption. It stands for a couple of other exciting Marxist principles. Although it deleted the offending page, BLM made clear that it wants to end the nuclear family. Just recently, it announced that it stands in "solidarity" with the "Palestinians"  i.e., members of Hamas in Gaza who were recently trying to slaughter Israeli civilians and whose charter calls for Jewish genocide.*

BLM also has as its central martyr George Floyd, a violent ex-con who had just emerged from the hospital for a fentanyl overdose, had tried to pass counterfeit money, had shoved fentanyl up his butt to increase the high, had also ingested pot and methamphetamines, and had violently resisted arrest. Despite the State Department's inflammatory language about American police officers and the kangaroo court in Minneapolis (a broken city), it's a virtual certainty that Floyd's abuse of his own body caused his diseased heart to stop. And that's the man our State Department is ordering embassy and consulates to celebrate.

As Deroy Murdock said during his appearance on Tucker Carlson last night, imagine if Trump or DeSantis, when in the White House, were to order American embassies and consulates to celebrate the NRA or the Right to Life movement. The left would be outraged.

Other nations are looking at us, and they're not stopping with laughter. You must know they're beginning to circle like vultures over a dying animal.

_________________________

*As a reminder, I will never again refer to Arabs living in the West Bank, Gaza, or Israel as Palestinians. Doing so confers on them an entirely false historical legitimacy. They are colonial occupiers trying to evict from the land a people who have the same genetic lineage, speak the same language, and worship the same God as their ancestors who lived in the country more than 4,000 years ago.

Image: Black Lives Matter protest in 2017 in Minneapolis on May Day (a communist holiday) by Tony Webster. CC BY 2.0.

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A year ago today, George Floyd, a petty thief with an extensive arrest record, allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit bill in a Minneapolis store. After the police were called to the scene, he resisted arrest, ultimately dying of cardiopulmonary arrest as police officer Derek Chauvin pinned his knee on Floyd's neck, galvanizing the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Meanwhile, over the past weekend, these blaring headlines on shootings of mostly Blacks contradicted the idea that Black lives matter.

Deadliest weekend of the year in Chicago: 12 killed, 42 wounded in shootings

At least six people, including two teens, shot in NYC overnight

In these incidents, and similar ones across the country, the overwhelming majority of the victims were black; the overwhelming majority of the perpetrators were...yes, black. And in St. Louis, which has a black female mayor, this headline blared:

St. Louis Homicide Rate Worst of Large U.S. Cities

Again, the victims and the murderers are disproportionately black.

This pattern is national. FBI statistics indicate that not only are blacks more likely to be crime or homicide victims, but the perpetrator is...no, not an evil white cop or a racist white, but...another black person.

Busy blaming everyone and everything for this dismal state of affairs, the Al Sharptons, the Jesse Jacksons don't confront this truth and deliver it to their followers, inspiring improvement. Why should they? Blaming others, refusing responsibility is much easier. And certainly more lucrative.

And so, as anniversary ceremonies commemorate Floyd's death and its destructive aftermath ironically, support for the BLM movement itself has decreased. The reasons are many but, certainly, the black-on-black crime rate and the cowardly failure of so-called black leaders to address the issue are factors.

Meanwhile, the innocents continue to suffer.

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The closest Mr. Bean came to killing the Queen was when he headbutted the head of the British Royal family. The Queen was hurt but survived, and Mr. Bean managed to slip away. But a hundred years ago, another Mr. Bean attempted on Queen Victorias life and suffered a different fate.

John William Bean was a real person, and unlike the delightful character played by Rowan Atkinson, the Victorian Mr.Bean was repulsive. Tuberculosis had devastated his spine leaving him hunched and dwarfed, no taller than four feet. His arms were atrophied and his hands were as small as those of a young child. He walked with a twisted gait, lurching his whole body in the direction of the conspicuous hump over his right shoulder. His face was marred by scars and his eyes sunk into the abyss of his head.

Bean was born in 1824 in Holborn, Middlesex, the son of John William, a jeweler and metalsmith. John William encouraged his son to join him as an apprentice, but Bean was not able to keep up due to his physical disabilities. Bean sought easier occupations, but his apprenticeships with a cheesemonger and at Her Majesty's Stationery Office also resulted in failures. Bean then began working for a news vendor. The job suited him. The hours were short and his employer even allowed him to read in the afternoon the papers he was selling.

One day, Bean came across a series of news article on Edward Oxford, who had tried to assassinate Queen Victoria. Edward was arrested and sent to the State Criminal Lunatic Asylum in Bethlem, where he stayed for 24 years, occupying himself with drawing, reading and learning to play the violin. He played chess and learned a variety of languages such as French, German, Italian, Greek and Latin. The more Bean read about Oxford and his apparent luxuries, the more he began to detest his own wretched existence. Slowly but surely, Bean began to form a plan.

Image credit: Library of Congress

A few weeks later, Bean sold off his meagre collection of books, including his Bible, and with the money, bought an old and rusty pocket flintlock from a neighbor. For three days he moved around Buckingham Palace, waiting for an opportunity to unload his pistol at the Queen. That opportunity came on 3 July 1842. Bean was on The Mall when Queen Victoria was passing on her way from Buckingham Palace to the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. Bean elbowed his way to the front of the crowd, drew his gun and fired at the Queen. However the gun misfired as it had been loaded with poor quality powder. The Queen hardly noticed, but Charles Edward Dassett, a shopboy in Beans fathers art-supply business, saw him and grabbed his wrist.

Dassett took Bean to two policemen, but neither of them would take custody of Bean because they insisted that there was not enough evidence that a crime had been committed. By the time Dasset managed to convince the cops, Bean had escaped. That afternoon, the London police launched a manhunt. Every hunchback who remotely matched the description of Bean was hauled to the police station for identification. Before long, Bean was caught.

Bean was initially charged with high treason but this was later reduced to a misdemeanour of assaulting the Queen, because the police believed that he was just attention seeking. They thought that if they lessened the charge, the newspapers would pay less attention to the case and that would put paid to any hopes of notoriety he may have had from the publics fascination with the crime of high treason. Bean claimed that he was tired of life and wished to be deported to Australia. The police gave him the opportunity to bail but he refused.

A trail was held where Bean was found guilty of misdemeanour and sentenced to 18 months of hard labor, the maximum allowed by law. Following the case, the Queen's husband Prince Albert felt that death penalty for treasonable acts which cause no harm were too harsh, and asked the Parliament to make a law to recognize minor treason offences that did not carry the death penalty. That wish was fulfilled with the passage of the Treason Act 1842.

Meanwhile Bean completed his sentence at the Millbank Prison, and when released became a newspaper seller and jeweller. Bean would get married twice and had a son called Samuel in 1849. He committed suicide in 1882 by consuming a large amount of opium. The note he left behind explained that he was an incumbrance to his wife and was only too glad to die.

References:

# Paul Thomas Murphy, Killing Queen Victoria, Salon

# Mike Wood, How Queen Victoria Survived 8 Assassination Attempts, History Collection

# Wikipedia




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Not many bills get through the gate in Legislatures regular session, but many are pending for next year
A: I concluded that the root cause analysis of the condition that Black people are in today is the intentional impoverishment of Black people. Everything that we see today are just symptoms of that problem. Until we solve that problem, its sort of like having cancer and saying Im going to put a Band-Aid on cancer. Weve got to rid ourselves of that cancer by being honest and being frank that those who benefited from things that were done in the past. They need to first all agree that it happened, and secondly, be a part of the solution to the problem. The reality is no matter how hard we work, no matter how much education we get, were not going to have equal financial footing with whites until something intentionally is done to bring us to that point  just like it was done to give us this deficit. How long were we enslaved? Almost 12 generations. We cannot ignore the importance of that relative to where we are now financially, and the only way for us to catch up is it has to be something done by the government; and that has to be a check for the difference between the wealth of whites and the wealth of Blacks. Reparations is not unprecedented. America gave $20,000 to 80,000 Japanese Americans who were interned for three years. And when slavery ended, America actually gave almost over 800 former slave owners reparations to the tune of $300 per slave.
(Image source from: timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Telangana in plans to extend Lockdown:- The Telangana government is working hard to bring the new cases to a control and prevent the further spread of coronavirus. The state imposed lockdown for a week and extended it till the end of this month. There are strong rumors all over that the lockdown will get extended till June 7th with just four hours of relaxation. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) will conduct a review meeting on May 28th after which the final call would be taken about the same. The Health Department of Telangana submitted a report to the Chief Minister recently and it sought an extension in the lockdown. The government has been imposing lockdown strictly after 10 AM till 6 AM in the morning.

The Health Department said that the lockdown brought down the new number of coronavirus cases and also prevented the spread. After the arrival of the second wave of coronavirus, the government of Telangana imposed night curfew from April 20th from 8 PM to 7 AM. Soon a complete lockdown with relaxations for four hours is imposed from May 12th which is extended till May 30th. The Health Department says that the number of positive cases came down significantly. The second dose of coronavirus vaccination program was halted in the state from May 15th after the vaccinations were unavailable. Now the drive resumes today and KCR instructed the officials to vaccinate all those who took their first dose in the government vaccination centres. Telangana Minister Harish Rao is personally monitoring the vaccination drive in the state.
(Image source from: indiatoday.in)

Major fire breaks out in HPCL Plant in Vizag:- A major fire broke out at the plant of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Visakhapatnam's Malkapuram in Andhra Pradesh this afternoon. The fire tenders rushed to the spot to bring the things to control. The experts from the Indian Navy also rushed to the spot to carry the rescue operations. The fire was brought to a control very soon and there were no casualties reported. The efforts to locate the six HPCL employees is currently on and all the employees are moved out from the premises on a safe note. The videos of the flames and smoke coming from the HPCL plant went viral all over.

The local administration authorities are investigating the matter and the officials said that the fire broke out due to a blast in the pipeline in the crude distillation unit (CDU) of the plant in HPCL. The plant is shut down after the accident and the things are brought to a control. "A fire incident occurred in one of the crude processing units of HPCLs Visakh Refinery today. Safety measures & firefighting was activated immediately. The fire has been extinguished. There is no casualty and no risk to the public. Other Refinery operations are normal", HPCL issued a statement.
Night shifts responsible for women's menstrual irregularity:- A new research and a study said that the night shifts are directly linked to the menstrual irregularity in women and there are high chances of developing endometriosis. The results are revealed during a study that is presented at the 23rd European Congress of Endocrinology (e-ECE 2021). The study said that there is a reduction in the expression for PER-2, CRY-1 and CLOCK genes and there is an increase in REV-ERBb in ectopic. There are no published studies about the same in the past. Endometriosis is a condition where the tissues to the lining of the womb will grow in other places like ovaries and fallopian tubes. Endometriosis has been impacting 10 percent of the total population of women and girls across the globe.

The symptoms of Endometriosis will vary from women to women and it causes lot of pain and can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages. The women working in night shifts are prone to the disruption of circadian rhythm which is directly associated with the menstrual irregularity. There are high chances of developing ovarian tumours and endometriosis. Dr Narjes Nasiri-Ansari, Dr Aggeliki Karapanagioti, Professor Eva Kassi from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece conducted the study on 27 patients who had confirmed ovarian endometriosis. It is advisable for the women to stay away from night shifts.
After years of development, Googles Fuchsia OS is finally making its debut on real devices. Earlier this month, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) had certified the first-generation Google Nest Hub with Fuchsia 1.0. The company has now confirmed that the 2018 smart display is receiving a new software update that changes its underlying operating system to Fuchsia. The Google Nest Hub (originally Google Home Hub) had launched with Linux-based Cast OS.

This update will not change any functionality of the device. Perhaps everything will remain as it is, except the underlying OS. Since the Nest Hub experience is built with Flutter, the overall user experience should remain the same as well. Flutter, which is an open-source UI software development kit, allows seamless cross-platform development for Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows, Fuchsia, and the web.

Fuchsia OS is now powering Googles original Nest Hub

Its unclear whether Google plans to seed Fuchsia OS to other Cast-powered devices anytime soon. Perhaps, since switching the operating system is not a simple update, the company is moving very cautiously with this rollout. Users in the Preview Program will reportedly receive this update first, with a broader availability following over the coming months. Most of the users likely wont even notice that they have been switched over to Fuchsia OS though, as the interface and experience wont change noticeably.

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Anyways, this is Googles first major step towards making Fuchsia OS available publicly. The company has been long working on this platform from scratch. This open-source platform is based on the Zircon kernel (formerly Magenta) and is capable of running on universal devices including car dash infotainment systems, IoT (internet of things) devices, smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

Back in 2019, Googles Hiroshi Lockheimer had suggested that the smart home may be the starting point for Fuchsia. The company has now done exactly that, replacing the Cast OS on its original smart display with the new platform. It could eventually come over to other Made by Google devices as well, or perhaps devices from other OEMs too.

In December last year, Google opened the doors for all developers to contribute to the Fuchsia project. Samsung recently chipped in with some contributions. The Korean company provided codes related to its Flash-Friendly File System (F2FS). It is an alternative system for managing the files on a storage device. Samsung and Google both already use F2FS in some of their recent smartphones. It now remains to be seen where Fuchsia OS goes from here on.
Samsung has announced the global availability of its Smart Monitor lineup launched in November last year. Initially limited to markets across the United States, Canada, and China, the worlds first do-it-all monitors that can also double up as a TV are now available globally and in even more sizes. The flagship Smart Monitor M7 (model M70A) now comes in a new larger 43-inch variant along with the existing 32-inch variant. The more affordable Smart Monitor M5 (M50A), meanwhile, is getting a smaller 24-inch variant on top of the existing 32-inch and 27-inch size variants. This model is also getting a white color variant while the Smart Monitor M7 still only comes in black.

Samsung expands its Smart Monitor lineup

Samsung says it designed the Smart Monitor for todays businesses, academia, and consumers working, learning, and staying entertained at home. The device offers an all-in-one solution with a vast range of connectivity options, built-in 10W stereo speakers, and integrated media and productivity apps including Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Apple TV, Microsoft 365 apps, and more.

The Smart Monitor M7 comes with a 4K display while the M5 offers a Full HD (FHD) resolution. Both models have a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle, 250 nits peak brightness, and HDR10 video playback capability. They run Tizen OS version 5.5 and also support Samsung DeX and Apple AirPlay 2.

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Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and three USB Type-A ports (two on M5). Additionally, the M7 also gets a USB Type-C port.

Samsung has priced the Smart Monitor M7 at $399 for the 32-inch variant. Pricing details of the new 43-inch variant are not known. The Smart Monitor M5, meanwhile, costs $199 for the new 24-inch variant. The older 32-inch and 27-inch variants are priced at $279 and $229 respectively.

Samsung Smart Monitor also gets new features

Samsung is also promising new and enhanced features with its expanded Smart Monitor lineup. The devices are picking support for Samsung TV Plus. It is an ad-supported free TV streaming service for the companys Smart TV users. It offers both live and on-demand content and access to over 150 channels. Theres also a new Universal Guide feature that will provide content recommendations from all major streaming services based on the users preferences and viewing patterns.

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Moreover, the Samsung Smart Monitor lineup is also picking support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It previously only featured Samsungs own Bixby voice assistant. The company has further promised to update the Remote Access feature to PC on Screen next month. This will enable simple connectivity between the monitor and external PCs.

Samsungs sustainability drive continues with its Smart Monitor lineup as well. The 43-inch Smart Monitor M7 will come with a solar-powered remote control made from recycled plastic. Remote controls for other models are also partially crafted from recycled plastic.
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(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 25 - Italian Premier Mario Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron had a bilateral meeting on Tuesday in Brussels, where they are taking part in the EU summit.

The two leaders discussed the management of migrant arrivals and the prospects for stabilization in Libya and central Africa with the help of reinforced French-Italian cooperation, sources said.

In view of the decisions the European Council will take on migration issues, Draghi and Macron agreed on the need for close and constant coordination between Rome and Paris in order for the European Union to have a more incisive role in Africa, the sources said. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 25 - Two fugitive drugs traffickers for the 'Ndrangheta mafia were arrested in Brazil on Tuesday, officials have said.

Rocco Morabito and Vincenzo Pasquino were on a list of most dangerous wanted people.

The operation that led to their arrest involved the Carabinieri police, the FBI, the USA's DEA and the Brazilian police, sources said. (ANSA).


On a deeper level (if you can go any deeper than bathroom breaks), this is an example of a well-meaning policy that has become outdated very fast and now needs to be nixed before a note is sung on Wacker Drive. There is no good reason to trim Verdi, for goodness sake, anymore than there is a need to induce the anxiety in audience members rushing to the bathroom to try and avoid missing some of the opera, and maybe falling over themselves in the return process. And what about the disruption when they all try and come back in the dark? Will the ushers all create a secondary performance looking like synchronous fireflies?
(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 25 - Italian Catholic Bishops Conference CEI on Tuesday appealed to the authorities to take action to stop migrant-boat disasters at sea.

CEI President Gualtiero Bassetti said the conference had taken care of the arrival of over 1,000 refugees from the Middle East and Africa, "showing that an alternative to illegal entries and deaths at sea is possible".

Opening the CEI assembly, Cardinal Bassetti said Italy's PNRR post-COVID Recovery Plan, which is set to be largely financed by EU grants and loans, was an "important opportunity for collective growth.

"This plan could become an opportunity to revive the country's economy, giving relief and aid to a society that is strained by the ongoing health emergency, which is having very serious effects on the socio-economic situation," he continued.

Bassetti also called for efforts to boost health and safety after a spate of fatal workplace accidents in Italy recently.

(ANSA).




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European Council president Charles Michel said Minsk was playing Russian roulette after a Ryanair flight was diverted and a prominent critic arrested in Belarus.

Journalist Roman Protasevich was on board a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday when it was forced to change course to head for the Belarussian capital after a reported bomb scare, escorted by a MiG fighter jet.

He was arrested and, in a video released by Belarusian authorities on Monday evening, appeared to admit he was involved in organising mass protests in Minsk last year.

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The European Union and the UK have issued new sanctions against Belarus in light of the incident, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps instructing the Civil Aviation Authority to request airlines avoid Belarusian air space to keep passengers safe.

He also suspended the operating permit for Belavia, the countrys state-owned airline, while EU leaders have called on member states to do similar.

Speaking in the early hours of Tuesday in Brussels, Mr Michel said the events were unacceptable, shocking and scandalous.

We will not tolerate that they play Russian roulette with the lives of innocent civilians, he added.

Mr Michel also called for the release of Mr Protasevich  a critic of Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko  and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega.

Mr Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the post was established in 1994 and won re-election for a sixth time in 2020 with 80% of the vote, in a ballot deemed neither free nor fair by the EU.

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European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the incident was a hijacking.

She said: This is an attack on democracy. This is an attack on freedom of expression.

And this is an attack on European sovereignty. And this outrageous behaviour needs a strong answer.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was very difficult to believe the seizure of Mr Protasevich from the flight could have taken place without at least the acquiescence of the authorities in Moscow.

He said that although the situation was not yet clear, the relationship between Minsk and Moscow suggested Russian leaders may have been aware of the plans in advance.

In the Commons on Monday, he said: Its very difficult to believe that this kind of action could have been taken without at least the acquiescence of the authorities in Moscow, but, as I say, its unclear as yet.

Speaking to reporters later, he was asked why he believed it could not have taken place without Russia being aware, and Mr Raab replied: Based on all the circumstances. But we dont know  it is just the proximity of the relationship between Minsk and Moscow.

Ryanair boss Michael OLeary said the incident was a state-sponsored hijacking and claimed agents from Russias KGB were on board the flight.

It was clear it appears that the intent of the Russian authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion. We believe there was also some KGB agents offloaded from the aircraft as well, he said.
A significant number of dentists are threatening to reduce their NHS commitment and expand their private work due to pressures imposed by the pandemic.

A new poll of dentists found that almost half (47%) said they were likely or extremely likely to reduce their NHS commitment.

Meanwhile 30% said they were minded to go fully private, according to a poll by the British Dental Association (BDA).

The BDA warned that dentists are facing severe pressure as a result of the pandemic, with almost half (47%) saying they are considering retiring early or may change career due to current pressures.

It has estimated that 30 million appointments have been lost due to the Covid-19 crisis.

It comes after a damning report by Healthwatch England, shared with the PA news agency, highlighted the struggles that patients face when trying to book an NHS dentist appointment.

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Some people have been told to wait for three years for an appointment while others are being removed from their practice lists for not making appointments sooner, according to the report.

Dental surgeries have reported that they have thousands of people on their waiting lists, while patients are unable to access care after ringing round numerous dental surgeries  even when they are in need of emergency care.

Meanwhile, people are being offered swift private care as an alternative at the same dental practice, with some patients reporting that they felt pressured to pay for private care, Healthwatch said.

New data from the BDA shines a spotlight on the current issues facing dentists.

Dentists have been ordered to return to reaching 60% of their pre-Covid activity levels but have said that they are currently unable to see patients in huge volumes because they are still bound by restrictions.

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Medics are required to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) for aerosol generating procedures and in dental practise a large proportion of treatments meet this threshold.

This means dentists are spending a significant amount of time putting on and taking off their protective equipment and extra time is allocated between appointments.

The BDA said that England remains the only UK nation where government has not committed to or embarked on exploratory work to provide capital funding for ventilation systems to enable practices to increase patient numbers.

Meanwhile, social distancing rules mean that waiting rooms are empty and dentists are unable to see patients as quickly as they would like.

The impact of the pandemic has had a large effect on NHS dentistry, with many saying that they will personally reduce their NHS offer.

The survey of 1,767 dentists in England found that 29% said it was extremely likely they would do this, and 18% said it was likely.

A third (35%) said it was likely their practice would reduce its commitment.

The BDA said that the high level of PPE mandated was having an impact on staff morale.

It has called on the Government to set out a clear route map for reform and relaxation of Covid restrictions placed upon dentists.

Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Associations General Dental Practice Committee said: The pandemic has wiped out access for millions and taken a hammer blow to the workforce, with many now looking for the exit.

Practices have managed to hit punitive targets, but at a terrible cost. Churning through appointments against the clock in heavy duty PPE now risks an exodus from this service.

Fixing NHS dentistry will be impossible if dentists are left unwilling to work in it. We need a clear road map that lifts restrictions, provides needed support to all practices and makes a decisive break with a broken contract.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: We are supporting the dental sector throughout this unprecedented pandemic and we continue to work closely with the NHS to increase access to high quality, affordable dental care as fast as possible, while protecting staff and patients.

All dental practices have been able to deliver the full range of face-to-face care since last summer, with over 600 practices providing additional support for urgent dental treatment.

We continue to support the most vulnerable with exemptions from dental charges and through the NHS low-income scheme. Nearly half of all dental treatments  over 17 million  were provided free of charge in 2019-20.
A DUP delegation says it has given Lord Frost a clear message that the Northern Ireland Protocol must go.

MPs Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Gavin Robinson along with Lord Dodds met with the Brexit Minister on Tuesday afternoon.

Sir Jeffrey said it was a direct and forthright exchange of views, adding that they highlighted the continuing harm to businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland as a direct consequence of the protocol.

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Our message was clear and unambiguous, the protocol must go and the Government should take further unilateral action to restore our provinces full and unfettered access to the United Kingdom internal market, Sir Jeffrey said.

Earlier outgoing DUP leader First Minister Arlene Foster accused the EU of having a tin ear to concerns about the Protocol.

She was speaking after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the protocol needs to be implemented.

A new raft of checks on goods at the ports of Belfast and Larne under the terms of the protocol have sparked anger among unionists and loyalists who feel Northern Ireland is being separated from the rest of the UK.

While talks are continuing between the EU and the UK Government to solve some of the issues linked to the protocol, outgoing DUP leader Mrs Foster and her successor Edwin Poots have insisted it must be scrapped.

Edwin Poots (Niall Carson/PA)

Sir Jeffrey said the DUP delegation challenged government to act over the protocol.

We made it clear that the Government must act carefully but decisively to restore the delicate balance of community relations in the coming days, he said.

The Government has a duty to step up to the mark and urgently reinstate our historic East-West trading relationships.

It must bring forward meaningful and sustainable proposals to replace the protocol, alleviate disruption facing businesses and in so doing restore in full the rights and benefits enjoyed by Northern Ireland citizens within the United Kingdom.

Following a visit to a school in Craigavon on Tuesday, Mrs Foster told the PA news agency the UK Government must act to ensure free movement of trade with Northern Ireland.

Responding to Mrs von der Leyens remarks, she said: I think it is hugely disappointing, in spite of everything that has happened, the fact that we are talking about cancer drugs being prevented from coming into Northern Ireland.

The fact that there are more checks from Great Britain into Northern Ireland than there are in Rotterdam; that still the European Union and the European Commission have had a tin ear to the concerns and the absolutely genuine concerns of the people in Northern Ireland.

I would urge our own Government to act in relation to this issue because the United Kingdom as a sovereign entity has a right to have trade moving freely between the different parts and therefore that has to take place.

Recent tensions in Northern Ireland are a result of Brexit itself rather than the protocol introduced after the UK left the EU, Ms von der Leyen said.

Ursula von der Leyen (PA)

She was speaking following the first day of the EU Council, the first such meeting since the introduction of the EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement at the beginning of May.

Ms von der Leyen said: The beginnings are not easy, tensions are being felt around the access, for example, of EU fishing boats, or tensions are without any doubt there around the implementation of the protocol of Northern Ireland.

And I think it is important to reiterate that the protocol is the only possible solution to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland while protecting the integrity of the European Unions single market.

If we see problems today we should not forget that they do not come from the protocol but they result from Brexit.

That is the reason why the problems are there.

Now, its our common duty with the United Kingdom to do whatever we can to reduce tensions in Northern Ireland and that is why we are exploring practical solutions to help to minimise the disruptions to the everyday life in Northern Ireland.
The European Union has joined the UK in new sanctions against Belarus as pressure mounts on Minsk over the arrest of a prominent critic in what has been called a state-sponsored hijack of a plane.

A special meeting of the EU Council was held on Monday evening, hours before an already-planned summit, with the 27 members states agreeing to ban Belarusian airlines from EU airspace and airports, and recommending EU airlines do not fly to the country.

It comes after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps instructed the Civil Aviation Authority to request airlines avoid Belarusian air space to keep passengers safe. He also suspended the operating permit for Belavia, the countrys state-owned airline.

Journalist Roman Protasevich was on board a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius when it was forced to change course to head for Minsk after a bomb scare, escorted by a MiG fighter jet.

He was arrested and in a video released by Belarusian authorities on Monday evening appeared to admit he was involved in organising mass protests in Minsk last year.

Seated at a table with his hands folded in front of him and speaking quickly, Mr Protasevich said he was in satisfactory health and his treatment in custody was maximally correct and according to law.

Roman Pratasevich was returning home to Vilnius (AP)

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was very difficult to believe the seizure of Mr Protasevich from the flight could have taken place without at least the acquiescence of the authorities in Moscow.

He said that although the situation was not yet clear, the relationship between Minsk and Moscow suggested Russian leaders may have been aware of the plans in advance.

In the Commons, he said: Its very difficult to believe that this kind of action could have been taken without at least the acquiescence of the authorities in Moscow, but, as I say, its unclear as yet.

Speaking to reporters later, he was asked why he believed it could not have taken place without Russia being aware, and Mr Raab replied: Based on all the circumstances. But we dont know  it is just the proximity of the relationship between Minsk and Moscow.

(PA Graphics)

Ryanair boss Michael OLeary said the incident was a state-sponsored hijacking and claimed agents from Russias KGB were on board the flight.

It was clear it appears that the intent of the Russian authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion. We believe there was also some KGB agents offloaded from the aircraft as well, he said.

In the EU, leaders also decided to sanction individual officials and called on the International Civil Aviation Organisation to start an investigation into what was seen as an unprecedented move, and what some have called state terrorism.

The bloc summoned Belaruss ambassador to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities and said in a statement the arrest was another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country.

It would also consider further targeted economic sanctions, a statement said.

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Mr Raab said he would also consider further sanctions against President Alexander Lukashenkos administration  including the suspension of energy pipelines in Belarus  and the countrys ambassador in London had been summoned for a dressing down.

The Foreign Secretary told MPs there were more than 100 passengers on the flight.

He called for the release of Mr Protasevich from the spurious charges he faces, adding: Mr Lukashenkos regime must be held to account for such reckless and dangerous behaviour.

He said the UK is working to explore every potential diplomatic option and is actively considering and co-ordinating with our allies on further sanctions on those responsible for this outlandish conduct.
The Government is under growing pressure to provide clarity on travel restrictions in eight areas of England worst affected by the Indian variant of coronavirus.

Guidance on the Governments website says the public should avoid travelling in and out of areas where the variant is growing fastest, including Bolton, Blackburn and Darwen, Kirklees and Leicester, unless it is essential.

The change to the guidance appears to have been made on Friday without an official announcement, prompting criticism from MPs.

Layla Moran, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said updating the guidance without a proper announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

Newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin added the change could cause anxiety and confusion.

The Manchester Evening News reported that public health officials in Bolton had not been informed of the change.

The guidance says travelling for work or education  if you cannot work or study from home  is considered essential travel.

(PA Graphics)

It covers the areas governed by Bedford Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Bolton Metropolitan Council and Burnley Borough Council.

Also included are Kirklees Council, Leicester City Council, the London Borough of Hounslow and North Tyneside Council.

Ms Brabin said she would be raising the matter urgently with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on Tuesday.

She tweeted: If Govt are concerned we need clear guidance and support not advice that could cause anxiety and confusion.

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Ms Moran said in a series of posts: This is a major change to policy that will have a huge impact on peoples lives.

Simply updating the Government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

Local people and public health leaders in these areas need urgent clarity from the Government. Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules.

It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic.

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A Government spokesman said: Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.

It is understood the guidance was introduced for Bolton on May 14, although it was not mentioned in an official announcement about beefed-up testing measures in the area published on the same date.

Other regions were included in the essential travel guidance as data from surge testing became available.
Pharmaceutical company Pfizers decision to choose Bristol as the location for its second centre of excellence for vaccine research is a real vote of confidence in the UK, the Health Secretary has said.

Matt Hancock was speaking at the launch of the Pfizer Centre of Excellence for Epidemiology of Vaccine-preventable Diseases, based at the University of Bristol, which is the first of its kind outside the US.

The centre will undertake research to support the design, development and use of next-generation vaccines.

Mr Hancock said: I see it as a real vote of confidence that this has been launched here in the UK.

As a Government, we care passionately about the life sciences and creating the right conditions for partnerships like this one to thrive, putting in place the investment, supporting the skills base, making sure for instance we get the right design for clinical trials.

Making sure that the UK offer in the life sciences is so good that it will be impossible not to invest and locate here in the UK.

Mr Hancock said he would be hosting health ministers from the G7 countries at Oxford University next week who, along with life science leaders, would be working together on the challenges ahead.

Matt Hancock arrives at the launch (Jacob King/PA)

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is that we must draw on all the talent and expertise out there in the fight against the virus, he said.

Following his speech, Mr Hancock said the launch of the new centre would also help ensure the UK was future-proofed against public health emergencies going forward.

While the Covid-19 vaccination programme continues to save thousands of lives across the UK, we have a duty as a Government to ensure the country is future-proofed in every possible way from future health threats, he said.

Mr Hancock did not take questions from reporters following the event.

Pfizer said it had invested an initial 4.6 million in the centre to conduct surveillance studies in hospitals and the community to identify and measure the burden of specific vaccine-preventable infectious diseases affecting adults, including the elderly, as well as children.

The centre will be led by Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the university as well as director of the Bristol Vaccine Centre and lead at Bristol UNCOVER (Bristol COVID Emergency Research Group).

Professor Hugh Brady, vice chancellor and president at the university, said: We are honoured to have been selected by Pfizer as one of its global vaccine centres of excellence.

Bristols expertise, collaborative links with two NHS trusts and other health partners make it uniquely placed for conducting world-leading vaccine research.

This partnership not only marks a major milestone for Bristols role in improving global public health, it also builds on our regions historic legacy in population health, public health and vaccine research.

Dr Luis Jodar, senior vaccine president and chief medical officer for vaccines at Pfizer, said the investment showed the pharmaceutical companys ongoing commitment to the UKs thriving life sciences sector.

Well-conducted clinical population-based epidemiological research studies in adults is a critical component to better understanding the role that direct and potentially indirect effects of vaccination may have in reducing the impact and consequences of infectious diseases  insights which are perhaps more valuable than ever against the backdrop of this terrible pandemic, he said.

Prof Finn said: Global research efforts are needed to help us better define and understand vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccine effectiveness.

I am immensely proud to be part of this new partnership at a time when it has never been more critical for industry and academia to work together to overcome the plight of infectious diseases.

The first of Pfizers centre of excellence sites was launched at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, in the US, in 2020.
ATLANTA (AP)  Six months after Donald Trump's loss, conspiracy theorists and Trump backers are continuing their push for repeated examinations of ballots and finding limited successes.

A Georgia judge last week awarded a group the chance to review mail ballots in a large Georgia county that includes Atlanta. Officials in a rural Michigan county have expressed interest in a review of their voting machines. A similar debate has caused sharp divisions in a New Hampshire town. In some cases, the efforts have been inspired by an audit of the votes in Arizona's Maricopa County, an elaborate exercise engineered by the GOP-led state Senate.

The efforts are unlikely to yield any new revelations about President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. The votes have been counted  and often recounted  and certified by local officials. Still, the lingering debate and legal wrangling have propelled suspicions and advanced debunked theories. And their sometimes misleading conclusions have been amplified by Trump, whose false allegations of election fraud sparked the push.

The profusion of audits alarms election experts, who note that the Arizona audit has set a troubling new precedent of third-party, partisan review of the ballots, long after elections are over.

This is bad enough to see it happen once, said Eddie Perez, an expert on voting systems at the OSET Institute, said of Arizona, but seeing it elsewhere in the country is dangerous for democracy.

The audits are serving a clear political purpose in firing up the Republican Partys base. At a rally outside Phoenix last week featuring GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, references to the Arizona audit drew much more enthusiastic applause than even immigration, normally the top hot-button issue on the right in the border state.

In a statement Monday night, Trump criticized Republican Party leaders for not doing more about what went on in November. He cited the ballot reviews underway and promised more to follow.

FILE - In this May 6, 2021 file photo, Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. For some conspiracy theorists, the 2020 election still hasnt ended. Trump supporters are pushing to re-examine ballots from November across the country, and finding success in swing states like Arizona and Georgia. Their efforts and sometimes misleading conclusions are being gleefully amplified by the former president. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool)

The Arizona audit has been cited as a template for the others, although each is distinct. In Arizona, the Republican-controlled state Senate subpoenaed more than 2 million ballots and voting machines from Arizona's most populous county, which includes Phoenix, and gave control of the review to a small cybersecurity firm whose founder, Doug Logan, had tweeted pro-Trump election conspiracies.

Logan has ties to the Michigan effort as well. In April, Logan and another cybersecurity expert involved in the Arizona audit, Ben Cotton, filed separate expert witness reports alleging security problems in voting machines in a lawsuit filed in rural Antrim County, Michigan, that sought to compel a statewide election audit there. That case was dismissed by a judge last week  one of more than 60 court losses for pro-Trump groups in lawsuits challenging the 2020 election.

But Logan's and Cotton's claims were used by a Michigan attorney to bolster the case for a forensic audit of voting machines in rural Cheboygan County, in northern Michigan, earlier this month.

If you dont have your vote counted as it was intended to count, we dont have a free country, attorney Stefanie Lambert, who had filed an appeal of the dismissal of a separate, unsuccessful lawsuit challenging Trump's loss in Michigan, told the Cheboygan County elections committee. She offered to provide auditors free of charge.

Arizona has also inspired calls by pro-Trump groups to push for their own pick to take over a post-election audit of a statehouse race in Windham, New Hampshire  home of former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

But the biggest new entry into the audit field is in Georgia's Fulton County, where a judge on Friday ruled that plaintiffs could inspect 147,000 mail ballots as part of their lawsuit alleging fraud in the most populous county in the state.

The lawsuit was spearheaded by Garland Favorito, a longtime skeptic of Georgia's voting systems who has embraced conspiracy theories about 9/11, Clinton-era scandal and Supreme Court justices. Favorito says he voted for Don Blankenship, the U.S. Constitution Party candidate, last year.

'No evidence of fraud has been found'

Our ultimate objective is the truth. What is the truth of this election? Favorito said in an interview. Dont tell us what the results are and then hide it from us and pretend we have to accept whatever you tell us.

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said in a statement: It is outrageous that Fulton County continues to be a target of those who cannot accept the results from last years election. The votes have been counted multiple times, including a hand recount, and no evidence of fraud has been found.

Both sides are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss how to review the mail ballots. Favorito said Jovan Pulitzer, an inventor and key figure in the pro-Trump movement to overturn the 2020 election, may be one of the people he consults for the ballot examination.

Pulitzer had pushed unsuccessfully for a statewide audit of Georgia's election results, even after two recounts by the Republican secretary of state confirmed that Biden won the state. That finding infuriated Trump, who has slammed both Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp.

Former state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Trump backer who is challenging Kemp in the GOP primary, held a news conference outside the state Capitol last week to hammer the governor for not commissioning a statewide audit. Theres a dead cat on the end of this line, and we just want to find out what it is, thats all," Jones said. "People have a right to know. What are you hiding?

That's the sort of sentiment that alarms Tammy Patrick, who used to oversee post-election audits in Maricopa County. Those examinations are essential, she argued, but must be done by election experts, not ideologically interested novices, and should be completed soon after voting.

In a healthy democracy, you have a an auditing process, you have legal recourse, and when that period is over, all the candidates who have won take over and you move on, said Patrick, an adviser at The Democracy Fund, adding that the people calling for audits clearly want only one result.

They are not going to be satisfied, Patrick said. This is just going to play out in perpetuity.
Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

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After our 2nd year of being in business, it did not take long to figure out that people absolutely love talking about health insurance! Kidding of course. However, for as much as people do not WANT to talk about it, the truth is that you MUST talk about it. Why? Read more
The Biden administration has signaled that the Justice Department will shift its focus to prioritize civil rights and policing reform after a tumultuous four years under President Donald Trump. In the past few weeks, the department has announced sweeping investigations into the police in Minneapolis and Louisville and brought federal civil rights charges against the officers involved in Floyds death, including Chauvin.
MILTON, Ga.  The Milton City Council may burn the midnight oil June 7 when it hears three use-permit requests for the Painted Horse, a working farm and Fulton Countys first farm winery located along Hopewell Road and Bethany Way.

At issue are requests by the company to continue holding events like kids birthday parties, church or corporate events, summer camps and weddings the Painted Horse contends it has been hosting for decades. Owner Pamela Jackson said these types of events have occurred since she bought the farm, well before the City of Milton was established, and she is questioning why her business is suddenly being required by the city to obtain permits.

She also said she thinks she is being singled out, claiming dozens of farms in Milton host agricultural-related events and are not being required to obtain permits.

The city disagrees with the Painted Horses claim its business has a legal non-conforming use under its zoning regulations, or the events are grandfathered because they were potentially permissible when the property was under the countys codes.

Nearby residents who have spoken against granting the permits, citing traffic, safety, noise and other issues, with some claiming the farm his now infringing into commercial territory.

The issue came to a head at the Planning Commissions April meeting, where nearly six hours of discussion resulted in the board recommending denial for two of the use-permit requests.

Defining allowable events

Jackson contends the three use permits deal with events on the farm outside the operations of the winery.

One permit is for agricultural related activities. It allows for certain events like childrens birthday parties or summer camps. The city cites the permit as related to childrens activities.

Ellen Smith, an attorney representing Jackson, said the citys codes allow for more uses not directly dealing with kids.

Another permit is for the Painted Horse to operate as a rural event facility, which includes, but is not limited to, events like weddings, private parties or corporate events. Though the citys permit allows later times, Jacksons request includes allowing live music until 10 p.m., with noise restrictions.

The third permit deals directly with a new initiative by the Painted Horse, its Uncorked concert series that began last year. To continue the series, the city is requiring the Painted Horse to apply for an indoor/outdoor festival or event permit.

These ticketed concert events have encountered the most resistance from residents.

City staff has recommended approval, with conditions, of the three permits. The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the agricultural activities permit, but voted 6-1, to recommend denial for the others, with Zach Middlebrooks opposed.

Owner: Events are no nuisance

Jackson, who has lived at the property for about 30 years, says her property is exemplary of the rural character the city touts. As other farms in the area continue to subdivide, Jackson says she has a commitment to preserving land and to operate her property as a farm instead of allowing some 18-home development.

But to keep her property viable, it is crucial to host events.

If Im going to keep this agricultural, I have to have a way of making money, she said.

She also said the events have been generally well received  reinforced by many who spoke in favor of them at the April Planning Commission meeting  and have not been a nuisance, though that point has been contended by several neighbors, specifically related to noise and traffic.

Jackson said the business has adhered to the citys noise ordinance, hires two off-duty officers to direct traffic on weekends and during other large events, and she has not received a citation for any violation in about 25 years of running the farm and events.

Jackson maintains that the events are in keeping with a farm.

We dont want to be a full-time events facility, she said. We do want to afford folks the opportunity to use our greenspace and property on a limited basis. We are looking to complement and supplement the farm winery use.

Jackson maintains that her business events are either grandfathered or a legal non-conforming use, she is seeking the permits to be a good neighbor.

That includes being a good neighbor to herself. Jackson said the Painted Horse only operates four days a week and shuts down the winery portion of the venue at 8 p.m. on weekends because she lives on the site.

City reacts to complaints

The city says during last summer and fall, it received various complaints regarding an increased number of visitors to the site, issues with off-premises parking and loud music coming from the property.

After it met with Jackson multiple times last year, the city moved to require the permits, opposing her stance that the events were grandfathered from Fulton County.

The city also consulted its attorney, Ken Jarrard, who concurs with city staffs analysis on the grandfathering issue.

Several nearby homeowners have spoke in opposition to the permit requests.

Many have expressed they take no issue with the winery, or some activities like kids birthday parties or horse riding lessons. But the ticketed concerts and other large events with amplified music have caused headaches, and some feel the farm is entering commercial-use territory.

This small, quaint winery that we were very excited about on the front end has evolved into a full-blown commercial business thats impacting everything we love about living in Milton, one resident told the Planning Commission.

Sara Rich told the Herald she lives about one-half mile from the Painted Horse. Starting last year, she said, she noticed traffic issues at the farm and could hear music well enough at her property to sing along.

When the winery first started, we thought it was so cool and a great use of the land, Rich said. We were totally in support of that.

However, Rich said she built her home in Milton for the peace and quiet the area offered, and the issues presented by large events at the Painted Horse are too much of a commercial use, and they are unfair to those who live nearby.

She is worried about the City Councils upcoming decision on the permits.

Its scary to think that all it takes is one too many favorable Council members to effect all of these neighbors, Rich said.

Mimi Sullivan also lives near Jacksons property, and shares those worries. Sullivan said after the Painted Horse was granted its farm winery permit by the state, the issues with traffic and noise began.

We live in a residential area, Sullivan said. We are deeply imbedded in the middle of residential area with farms and subdivisions, and its not an appropriate place for a concert venue with alcohol. I find it puzzling that [Jackson] says she is doing this to preserve rural integrity, but nothing about a concert, alcohol venue screams rural farm or rural integrity. Its really disruptive.

Sullivan, Rich and other neighbors are in favor of the agriculturally related activities permits, though.

Those are the kinds of things that have actually been occurring there for over 20 years, and I spoke in support of [that permit], Sullivan said.

Planning Commissioner Marty Luck said with the right regulations, the Painted Horse could be an asset to the city, but he thinks things are beginning to change, and the business could be transforming into something more commercial.

Jackson and her attorney, Smith, conceded the Uncorked concert series is perhaps a more intensive use than other events, but they have already opted to hold off on more concerts going beyond those scheduled through the end of this year. However, they still want to honor their contract, which is why they have requested the permit.

If the City Council chooses to deny the indoor/outdoor festival or event permit, Jackson said the Uncorked series will be forced to cancel its remaining scheduled events.

This isnt Matlidas

Jackson and Smith said they want clarification on what is allowable under the permits versus the actual events the Painted Horse wants to host.

While certain stipulations of the permits allow for extended operating hours or added uses, the company wants to keep operations to what they have historically been, plus the remaining Uncorked schedule.

Fears that there will be an amphitheater, or that the Painted Horse is setting up to be another Matildas concert venue, are unfounded, Smith said. While it is seeking the same permit afforded to Matildas, Smith said Painted Horses events fall in the same light covered under the permit.

This isnt Matildas, Smith said. We proposed additional limitations, and its a much smaller operation, and intentionally so, to maintain that agricultural character that Milton is and loves to be.

The Planning Commission meeting included a dizzying array of proposed limitations on the number of people allowed at certain times or for some events, but Smith fears that pinning down hard numbers is difficult on the Painted Horse because of the array of events held at the site. For instance, a birthday party could be taking place simultaneously with another small gathering, she said.

The next step, she said, is for her and Jackson to simplify and tell our story, and address the noise and traffic concerns of neighbors to let the company continue operating as it has.
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Youth nutrition

School is almost out for the summer but free meals for local kids will be in place
As we head into the last two weeks of spring term at Treasure Valley Community Col
St. Lukes

Patients in Fruitland, other rural hospitals now get the same specialized care as patients in the bigger cities
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Dr. Nebojsa Stefanovic and Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army General Milan Mojsilovic attended the handover of T-72MS tanks (in fact T-72B1MS White Eagle, according to Army Recognition's analysis) and BRDM-2MS armored reconnaissance cars from a donation from the Russian Federation to Serbia at the Mija Stanimirovic barracks in Nis, the Serbian Ministry of Defense reports on its website.

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Modernized T-72MS tanks donated by Russia to Serbia (Picture source: Serbian MoD)

The ceremony was also attended by the Secretary of State, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Nikolai Pankov and Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel General Alexander Fomin, as well as the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bocan-Kharchenko.



It is a donation of the Russian Federation to the Army of the Republic of Serbia in the value of about 75 million euros, which consists of 30 armored personnel carriers BRDM-2MS and 30 modernized T-72B1MS tanks, based on an agreement agreed in Sochi by two presidents Vucic and Putin. We are very grateful to the Russian Federation because this is a significant reinforcement for the Serbian Arm, said Minister Stefanovic, after the handover. He reminded that the first part of this donation was also shown in Nis in November: 11 T-72B1MS tanks and 10 armored personnel carriers. Today, when they are completed and when in fact two  the tank battalion and the BRDM-2MS battalion  are completed, we present these weapons, which will go to the Army, and which will significantly improve, as you could hear from General Mojsilovic, our operational capabilities - Minister Stefanovic pointed out.

Minister Stefanovic also expressed satisfaction with the fact that cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Serbia continues and develops at a good pace: Today, you will have the opportunity to see the cooperation of our special units at the Oresac range, where you will see their cooperation in the fight against terrorists. Russian paratroopers will inform the members of the 72nd Special Brigade about the final exercise, where they will show all the elements of their training and equipment.

Military-technical cooperation, which takes place in the best way on the basis of the agreement of our presidents, is very important and in itself creates a good and solid foundation for comprehensive cooperation between Russia and Serbia, said Russian Ambassador Bocan-Kharchenko, adding that military-technical and military cooperation between Serbia and Russia is taking place in accordance with international agreements and norms, and in favor of stability in the region.



BRDM-2MMS reconnaissance vehicles donated by Russia to Serbia (Picture source: Serbian MoD)
RTHK: 'Brake failed' in Italian cable car disaster

Investigators were on Monday probing the causes of a terrifying cable car crash in the Italian mountains that left 14 people dead and a young child fighting for his life.

The five-year-old boy, whose parents, grandparents and two-year-old sibling were killed in Sunday's accident, was hospitalised in a critical state, but there were hopes for his recovery.

"He is still under intensive care, intubated and sedated ... Tomorrow, doctors will slowly try to wake him up and are cautiously optimistic," said a spokesman for the Citta della Salute hospital in Turin.

The boy was the only survivor of Sunday's accident on the summit of the Mottarone mountain in the northwest region of Piedmont. A nine-year-old boy was also among the victims.

The cable car crashed to the ground after a cable broke, according to first reports, while several officials, including a member of the emergency services and a prosecutor probing the incident, said the security brake failed to function.

"There are various aspects of this affair that will certainly be clarified," Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini said after visiting Stresa, the town at the base of the cable car.

Prosecutors opened an investigation on Sunday into potential charges of involuntary manslaughter, while a government-commissioned inquiry by technical experts is also under way.

It was the first fatal incident involving a cable car in Italy since 1998, when a low-flying US military jet severed a cable at a ski resort, killing 20 people.

It came at the start of the country's much-anticipated reopening to tourists after coronavirus closures, and elicited condolences from around the world.

The fatal accident near the end of the 20-minute ride up the scenic mountain may have had a dual cause, according to the regional head of Italy's alpine rescue team, Matteo Gasparini.

"They are all suppositions, but I think there has been a double problem, the breakup of the cable and the non-working of the emergency brake," he told La Stampa daily.

"We don't know why it didn't activate, while in the downstream car it worked." (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
EU to cut air links with Belarus following Ryanair flight diversion incident

Xinhua) 09:28, May 25, 2021

Flags of the European Union fly outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

BRUSSELS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the European Union (EU) member states on Monday agreed to cut the bloc's air links with Belarus following Sunday's Ryanair flight diversion incident.

According to the conclusions of the special EU summit on Monday, the 27-member bloc strongly condemned the incident which endangered aviation safety and called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to urgently investigate "this unprecedented and unacceptable incident."

Leaders of the member states urged the European Council to adopt the necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines, prevent access to EU airports of Belarusian flights, and called on all EU-based carriers to avoid overflight of Belarus, according to the conclusions.

Irish airline Ryanair said in a statement on Sunday that its flight FR4978 from Athens to Vilnius was notified by Belarusian authorities of "a potential security threat on board" and was "instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk."

"Nothing untoward was found," it added. The flight later took off again and landed in the Lithuanian capital at 9:25 p.m. (1825 GMT) Sunday night after a seven-hour detour.

In an updated statement on Monday, Ryanair "condemns the unlawful actions of Belarusian authorities," calling it "an act of aviation piracy."

"This is now being dealt with by EU safety and security agencies & NATO. Ryanair is fully cooperating with them and we cannot comment further for security reasons," it informed.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site revered by Jews and Muslims that has seen several outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years. The protests were directed at Israels policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.
India is going the way of China, where the social media has to be in full compliance with the governments desire to control the messaging

Twitter has marked tweets by Bharatiya Janata Party figures, including its spokesman Sambit Patra, as manipulated media. The BJP leaders had publicised what it said was a Congress toolkit to defame India. But the fact checking website Alt News showed that this content that the BJP was showing was fake.

The BJP said on its letterhead that the All-India Congress Committee had distributed instructions to Congress workers, volunteers and supporters to use the term super spreader Kumbh, not comment on Eid gatherings, use dramatic pictures of funerals and dead bodies which is already being done by the foreign media. This turned out to be bogus and even the letterhead was forged, as Alt News quickly showed.

Twitter believed the fact-checking website, which is based in Ahmedabad, more than it did the Government of India, and branded the content fake. The BJP is upset and has sent another threatening note to Twitter saying that it should remove the manipulated media tag because the government was investigating the matter. The problem of course is that the government first defamed the Congress, then it got caught peddling a lie and now it claims it is checking its own claim  amplified by all its ministers through their official accounts  to see if it is true. That is why a small news operation has more credibility today than the government of the Republic of India.

Twitter has a transparency centre where it puts up the data on takedown and information requests. These are legal notices from the Government of India asking Twitter to either block an account, take down some content which the government does not like or reveal the identity of a particular user.

From January 2012 to June 2014, it rarely received requests from the Indian government except for one or two. In the second half of 2016 it received 151 requests. This doubled to 306 between January and June 2018. It doubled again to 662 between July and December 2019. Between January and June 2020, the latest period for which the data is available, the Narendra Modi government sent 2,367 requests, including those to reveal identities, those it wanted blocked and those whose content it did not like and wanted to be taken down.

The question is why is the government now sending thousands of requests to Twitter to comply? The answer is that the social media is reflecting a reality that the BJP does not want communicated. More people are saying things on the social media that are upsetting the government.

One way to deal with this would be to ignore it, which is what the various governments of India did in the past, which is why the number of takedown notices Twitter received were few. But if a government is sensitive to what is said about it, and sensitive to such an extent that it finds any criticism intolerable, then it will do what is going on in the India social media today.

Twitter is slightly different from Facebook and pretends to have more independence and pretends to be a guardian of free speech. Facebook is just a cutthroat corporate company that will go to bed with authoritarian governments and do whatever they want in terms of blocking users and content and promoting the governments material even if it incites violence. Twitter says that it stands for freedom of its users, that it is committed to the open exchange of information, and that it is why it publishes this transparency report from which the data above has been taken.

India is not the only democracy which makes such requests of Twitter. In the United States, the Secret Service which protects the President is obliged to assess every threat made against the President even if these are made casually. But this is not censorship of views. What is happening in India is that criticism of the government is not being allowed. And the deliberate vilification of the Opposition by the government is being pushed, and when it is caught it resists accountability.

India is going the way of China, where the social media has to be in full compliance with the governments desire to control the messaging and to carry out mass surveillance. It is nobodys case and certainly not mine that India was ever some haven of free speech before the Narendra Modi government. It was not. Few democracies have the full force of government backing the blocking of free speech of citizens as is the case in India. We have jail terms for free speech under laws like sedition, criminal defamation, criminal contempt and laws which criminalise things communicated in words or even without words. This has always been the case.

But the criticism of the government was not intolerable as it has become now. This government insists on only one narrative and is willing and enthusiastic about stopping the other side from expressing itself. And it is also, as the toolkit fiasco shows, willing to fabricate material to invalidate what anyone else says. This is what the Emergency must have been like, and those who lived through it might not be feeling very different nowadays.
The social media giant, however, said it continues to discuss a 'few of the issues which need more engagement' with the government

New Delhi: Facebook on Tuesday said it is working to implement operational processes and aims to comply with the provisions of the IT rules that come into effect from May 26.

The social media giant, however, said it continues to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government.

The comments assume significance as social media companies are facing the deadline of May 25 to comply with the new guidelines for digital platforms.

The new rules were announced in February which requires large social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to follow additional due diligence, including the appointment of a chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer.

IT Ministry sources said that appointment of a grievance officer would be a key requirement from day-one of rules coming into effect, given the importance of public interface for complaints, and need for an acknowledgement system for requests.

Non-compliance with rules would result in these social media companies losing their intermediary status that provides them exemptions from liabilities for any third-party information and data hosted by them.

In a statement on Tuesday, a Facebook spokesperson said: We aim to comply with the provisions of the IT rules and continue to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government. Pursuant to the IT rules, we are working to implement operational processes and improve efficiencies.

Facebook remains committed to people's ability to freely and safely express themselves on our platform, the spokesperson added.

The company, however, did not divulge additional details.

According to sources close to the development, provisions around voluntary verification, 24-hour timeline to remove content flagged for nudity etc and setting up a process and time bound grievance redressal mechanism has been put in place, while meeting requirements like generation of monthly compliance reports and appointment of chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer is underway.

On February 25, the government had announced tighter regulations for social media firms, requiring them to remove any content flagged by authorities within 36 hours and setting up a robust complaint redressal mechanism with an officer being based in the country.

The government had set 50 lakh registered users as the threshold for defining 'significant social media intermediary', meaning that large players like Twitter, Facebook and Google would have to comply with additional norms.

Announcing the guidelines in February, it had said the new rules take effect immediately, while significant social media providers (based on number of users) will get three months before they need to start complying.

The three-month time period meant compliance by May 25.

Last week, Koo had said it has complied with the requirements of the new rules and its Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and Community Guidelines now reflect the changes. Koo has close to 6 million (60 lakh) users, making it a major social media intermediary under the new guidelines.

Significant social media companies will also have to publish a monthly compliance report disclosing details of complaints received and action taken, as also details of contents removed proactively. They will also be required to have a physical contact address in India published on its website or mobile app, or both.

As per data cited by the government, India has 53 crore WhatsApp users, 44.8 crore YouTube users, 41 crore Facebook subscribers, 21 crore Instagram clients, while 1.75 crore account holders are on microblogging platform Twitter.

The new rules were introduced to make social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram - which have seen a phenomenal surge in usage over the past few years in India - more accountable and responsible for the content hosted on their platform.

Social media companies will have to take down posts depicting nudity or morphed photos within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.

Notably, the rules require significant social media intermediaries - providing services primarily in the nature of messaging - to enable identification of the "first originator" of the information that undermines sovereignty of India, security of the state, or public order.

The intermediary, however, will not be required to disclose the contents of any message. This could have major ramifications for players like Twitter and WhatsApp.

The rules also state that users who voluntarily want to verify their accounts should be given an appropriate mechanism to do so, and be accorded a visible mark of verification.

Users will have to be provided with a prior intimation and explanation when a significant social media intermediary removes content on its own. In such cases, users have to be provided an adequate and reasonable opportunity to dispute the action taken by the intermediary.
The Aspen Fringe Festivals many offerings will include a special dance performance from Samantha Altenau, On the Horizon, with choreography by Mark Caserta and music by Johann Johannsson. In this post-quarantine reinvention of a previously choreographed piece, Altenau will explore identity shifts and self-discovery as a journey of movement.
The class of 2021 graduated from Athens High School on Saturday, May 22 at Joe Burrow Stadium. Photos by Messenger Photographer John Halley.
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Paul has been outspoken during the coronavirus pandemic, saying that masks should no longer be necessary after vaccination. Paul tested positive for the virus in 2020. He recently said he wont be getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but added that he might change his mind if people who previously contracted the disease are getting reinfected at a greater rate than those who are vaccinated.
Although lighter than the Giulia Q4 Ti at 3,709 pounds versus 3,715 pounds (1,682 and 1,685 kilograms), the Japanese contender produced by Honda in Ohio isnt as potent as the Alfa Romeo . From 2.0 liters of displacement and a turbo, these cars develop 272 and 280 horsepower plus 280 and 306 pound-feet (380 and 415 Nm) of torque, respectively. The differences dont end here, though.Honda gifts the TLX with a 10-speed box for better fuel economy on the highway, but even though it features two more forward ratios, the Acura falls one mile per gallon short of the Alfa Romeos automatic. On the combined driving cycle, make that 25 versus 26 miles per gallon (9.4 versus 9.0 liters per 100 kilometers) if you drive steady and with a light right foot.As far as retail pricing is concerned, Acura has the upper hand at $44,250 compared to $45,000 for the Alfa Romeo, excluding destination charge and other goodies such as a fancier paint finish, adaptive dampers, and so forth. That said, care to guess which of them is faster on the quarter-mile?On a prepped surface, namely the Toronto Motorsports Park dragway in Cayuga, the TLX Type S launches harder off the line in normal mode. The Giulia Q4 Ti gains ground, and by the end of the run, it steals the win away from the Acura. The second attempt sees the Alfa Romeo launch better.Putting the transmission in Sport and turning off the traction control results in a win for the Italian sedan once again. Considering that Ferrari technical director Philippe Krief oversaw the Giorgio RWD vehicle architecture development, the four-cylinder Giulias performance is hardly surprising.As expected, the Alfa Romeo wins from a 50-kph (31-mph) roll as well.
According to the build-your-own tool , the Wagoneer Series II comes standard with 20-inch wheels, a wireless charging pad, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, active lane management, and three-row seating. The most noteworthy options include the Advanced All-Terrain Package with off-road wheels and the 10.25-inch front passenger display.Moving over to the Grand Wagoneer , the base trim is called Series I, and its nicely equipped right off the bat, which shouldn't surprise anyone since it starts from $87,590. Highlights consist of the Quadra-Lift air suspension with semi-active damping for a smooth ride, a 19-speaker audio system from McIntosh, heating and ventilation for the 24-way power seats, massage function, Nappa leather upholstery, a gloss-black roof, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and 12-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment.The Grand Wagoneer comes exclusively with four-wheel drive, and the powerplant of choice for every single trim is the 6.4-liter HEMI. The more affordable Wagoneer makes do with the 5.7-liter HEMI eTorque, which is mated to a TorqueFlite 8HP75 eight-speed automatic transmission.Shared with the Ram 1500 pickup truck, the mild-hybrid 5.7er is rated at 392 horsepower and 404 pound-feet (548 Nm) of torque. The all-motor 6.4er levels up to 471 horsepower and 455 pound-feet (617 Nm) of torque, which is adequate for a family-sized utility vehicle with luxurious touches.The most the competition has to offer is either a small-block V8 or a twin-turbo V6. Thanks to forced induction, the six-pot engine in the Lincoln Navigator has the upper hand in terms of torque, namely 510 pound-feet (692 Nm) as long as you fill er up with premium gasoline. The larger HEMI V8 mill also requires premium gasoline, according to the owners manual.Less expensive than both the Navigator and Cadillac Escalade, the all-new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are expected to arrive at dealers this summer. Codenamed WS, the full-sized twins are manufactured in Warren, Michigan, where Stellantis also produces the fourth-gen Ram 1500 Classic
The Indonesian metalwork gurus over at Balis AMS Garage are no strangers to the graceful art of motorcycle customization. This workshop is among the topmost enterprises in a nation where bespoke two-wheelers are becoming increasingly popular, so its fairly safe to say the AMS pros know what theyre doing. To be quite frank, weve nothing but love for these talented moto artists, which is why we feature their surreal undertakings whenever we get the chance.This, ladies and gents, is one such occasion. Given that its been a while since we last visited their portfolio, well examine how these gifted craftsmen have transformed an ordinary Harley-Davidson Street 500 into what they call Nagabanda, an alloy-clad masterpiece that looks as if it belongs in the pits of hell. Believe me when I say: each and every detail of this outlandish beast is mind-boggling. Milwaukee s predator houses a liquid-cooled Revolution-X V-twin mill within its mild steel tubular skeleton, with eight valves and a compression ratio of 10.5:1. The 494cc powerplant will bring about a peak torque output figure of 29.5 pound-feet (40 Nm) when the tachometer hits 3,750 spins per minute. A six-speed gearbox is tasked with routing this force to the rear seven-spoke cast aluminum wheel via a belt final drive.At the front, the framework is supported by 37-mm (1.45-in) telescopic forks, while the rear end rests on a pair of externally mounted tubular shock absorbers. Stopping power is summoned by a 300-mm (11.8-in) brake disc and a two-piston floating caliper up front, along with an identical setup on the opposite end. Now that weve reminded ourselves about the donors main specs and features, lets cut to the chase and analyze what AMS Garages Nagabanda is made of.After stripping the Street 500 naked of its stock bodywork, the crew went about modifying the rear end to level things out. As such, a one-off subframe has been fabricated from scratch by Indonesias experts. At the front end, you will find a set of girder-style forks with stainless-steel linkages and springs, as well as unique triple clamps and clip-on handlebars.The standard swingarm was deleted to make room for a repurposed unit transplanted from a Ducati Panigale. It is mated to a custom linkage system and a state-of-the-art Ohlins piggyback monoshock, which handles rear suspension duties without breaking a sweat. Furthermore, the Panigale also donated its gorgeous pair of wheels, and their rims have been enveloped in high-performance Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 tires.Well, this already sounds pretty exciting, but Nagabandas most striking feature is, without a doubt, that flawless aluminum attire adorning it from head to toe. Honestly, we find it difficult to recall the last time weve seen a custom outfit that looks this good. We find an ominous half-fairing taking pride of place up front, as well as a devilish belly pan and one sublime monocoque structure, which merges the fuel tank and tail to form a single unit.Additionally, the factory lighting items have been discarded in favor of aftermarket LED alternatives, such as a Daymaker Cyclops headlight, bar-end turn signals, and a minute taillight. AMS Garage 's finishing touch comes in the form of a tentacular stainless-steel exhaust system that looks downright brutal.
The tankers of the Boeing KC family operated by the Air Mobility Command (AMC) are anything but unseen this week, as they have descended upon the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Michigan for the Mobility Guardian 21 exercise Like most other exercises being conducted these days by the American military, this one too focuses on the Advanced Battle Management System ( ABMS ), the array of technologies that should allow different platforms and operators to talk to one another faster and better during missions.For this particular exercise, the Air Force brought together KC-135 Stratotankers, KC-10 Extenders and the KC-46 Pegasus  in the case of the Pegasus, this is the first time it is incorporated into a flagship AMC exercise.The Boeing Stratotanker, in service since 1956, is at the core of the American aerial refueling efforts. 396 of them are deployed with the AMC, and each can carry 150,000 pounds (68,039 kg) worth of transfer fuel.The Boeing KC-10 Extender was introduced in 1981 both as a refueling tanker, and as a transport that can carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The plane can move 75 people and 170,000 pounds (76,560 kg) of cargo for as much as 4,400 miles (7,040 km), without needing to fill up its tanks.The Pegasus is the newest in the fleet, and presently still in process of being tested. It is seen as the next generation aerial refueling support and comes with greater refueling and cargo capabilities than the Stratotanker.The Mobility Guardian 21 will wrap up at the end of the week.
As it seeks to replace the current Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) that serves its military needs, the countrys Department of Defence recently approved the purchase of over 200 Boxer vehicles manufactured by German defense contractor Rheinmetall Not many of them have been delivered yet, but the ones that were have already started being put through their paces by the local military. This month, though, and well into the next one, the first major deployment of Boxer vehicles is taking place during the Diamond Walk 2021 exercise at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Central Queensland.The Australian Army calls the deployment the largest exercise the vehicle has operated in since its introduction, and seeing the massive 88s move or fire their weapons kind of fits right in with that description.The Boxer is a fighting machine that can be converted to perform a variety of tasks. It has been on the market for about a decade, and the armed forces of several European countries already deploy it.For their specific needs, the Australians opted for something called combat reconnaissance vehicles. Their version is equipped with a Lance 30mm turret, one you can see in action in the video below. The turret contains all the hardware the vehicle needs to detect, characterize and track threats on the battlefield, but also a host of weapons, ranging from non-lethal to a guided anti- tank missile system.During the exercise Down Under, which runs until June 11, the Boxer vehicles are deployed alongside 7th Combat Brigade.
After Nissan, Suzuki, and Mitsubishi turned to production adjustments to deal with the lack of chips, Kia is now embracing a similar decision. The company has reportedly decided to suspend the operations at its plant in the United States for two days due to the same reason.Kias production facility in Georgia will therefore shut down on Thursday and Friday, marking the second time this year when the South Korean carmaker turns to such a decision in an attempt to deal with the lack of semiconductors. Kia also idled its U.S. factory for two days last month.Furthermore, the company temporarily halted the production at its plant in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, earlier this month as well, again waiting for chips to arrive from suppliers.The American plant is responsible for producing three different Kia models, namely the Sorento , the K5, and the Telluride. And needless to say, just like everybody else, Kia expects an impact on its annual output, as the global chip shortage is unlikely to come to an end too soon.Industry experts, including executives involved in the tech industry and therefore with direct connection to the largest foundries, have warned that the lack of semiconductors is expected to continue into 2022. Several industries, including the automotive sector, are expected to still struggle finding the necessary chips for approximately one more year.The good news is that more companies have expressed their interest in stepping into the chip manufacturing business, including Intel and Samsung. Intel, for example, is already working on setting up the production lines, with the company hoping it would begin making chips in approximately nine months.
The most powerful warship of the Russian Navy s Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva is equipped with no less than 16 P-1000 Vulkan missile launchers, with a 435 miles (700 km) strike range.Like all cruisers in her class, she was developed to provide protection against attacks launched from carrier ships. What were formerly known as the Soviet Rocket Cruisers represent a new class of ships built as part of Project 1164 that began during the Soviet era and was continued by modern Russia. After its major deployment at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria, in 2015, where it led Russias Mediterranean taskforce, the Moskva missile cruiser has participated in several military trainings this year.During the most recent air defense exercise, Moskvas crew had to conduct a reconnaissance mission in order to locate a detachment of enemy ships, and then simulate a missile attack against the targets. According to a Black Sea Fleet statement, cited by the Russian media, the warships were able to successfully detect the enemy ships and aircraft, and to initiate a simulated missile attack while also activating radio-electronic and visual camouflage systems. As a result, the targets were destroyed, without the warships having to go past their safe distance.The operations for the air defense exercise were carried out by the crew of the Moskva missile cruiser and that of the Admiral Grigorovich frigate.Commissioned in 2016, the Admiral Grigorovich frigate is another important ship of the Black Sea Fleet, built as part of Project 11356R/M. Designed to destroy surface ships, submarines and ground installations, this versatile frigate is equipped with 8 Kalibr-NK cruise missile launchers, which have a strike range of about 1,615 miles (2,600 km).
This past year, weve seen the printer, named Vulcan, make a structure during a U.S. Marine Corps exercise, a building large enough to house a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. And then came news of the company being funded by NASA to come up with a solution that would allow for the construction of a base on the Moon using locally sourced materials.The machine at the core of all this is an impressive piece of engineering. We're talking about the Vulcan, an 11.5-foot (3.5-meter) tall monster that spits layer upon layer of a substance called Lavacrete, a type of polymer concrete. It was designed to make walls as high as 8.5 feet (2.5 meters) and foundations as wide as 28 feet (8.5 meters).This week, ICON announced a new generation of the printer. Larger (9,500 lbs/4.3 metric tons) and faster than before, it is now capable of 3D printing homes and structures up to 3,000 square feet (279 square meters) in size.To prove the concept, ICON showed together with Lake Flato Architects the so-called House Zero, which may very well be the first home designed with 3D printing manufacturing in mind.It is currently under construction in East Austin, and it comes with three bedrooms, two baths, and an accessory dwelling unit. ICON does not say when the project will be completed.To date, there are about two dozen ICON 3D-printed homes in the U.S. and Mexico, the most completed by any construction tech company. Several other projects are in the works, including social housing, disaster relief housing, and market-rate housing.
AWD

Set to arrive at dealerships (at a yet to be determined date) alongside the larger GV80 sibling, the sport utility vehicle kicks off the proceeds at an MSRP of $41,000. The company promises a host of usual perks for a highbrow brand, such as standard all-wheel drive, a massive 14.5-inch HD display for the infotainment system, or a wide-ranging suite of driver assistance and safety features such as Highway Driving Assist.Hyundai's luxury arm also aims to hit the sweet spot for clients looking for additional pampering, as the ownership benefits also include things such as complimentary scheduled maintenance with Service Valet, Genesis Connected Services, map updates, and more for no less than three years after purchase (or 36,000 miles/58,000 km, whichever comes first).Reservations for the 2022 GV70 can be made after one considers the available options, which include two engines as well as a total of seven grades. The gasoline-powered 2.5-liter turbo engine (300 hp/311 lb-ft or 422 Nm) comes with the Standard trim, but it can also be had with the Select ($45k), Advanced ($49,150), and Sport Prestige ($52,750) grades.Meanwhile, the available GV70 3.5TStandard kicks off at $52,600 (excluding $1,045 freight for all prices) and brings under the hood a total of 375 horsepower and 391 lb-ft (530 Nm) of twist. Both engines are exclusively mated to an eight-speed automatic and the 3.5-liter turbo can also be had with the Sport Advanced (and additional $5k) or Sport Prestige (+$4,900) trim levels.
Lamborghinis, in particular, as one man from central Zimbabwe found out just recently. Mark is a 27-year-old man from Bindura, central Zimbabwe, and hes also a very religious man. The combination of both, with help from a complete lack of common sense, also made Mark nearly a dead man. That's because he decided to fast for 40 days and 40 nights straight, so hed get his dream Lamborghini , the Daily Star informs, citing local reports.A child as young as three will tell you this is not how things work. If you want a Lamborghini or any other car for that matter, and your parents arent loaded, you have to work for it, even if work means illicit stuff. Mark thought his faith test would somehow convince God to grant him the car, and it would be the only work hed have to do.The British publication says that an ex-girlfriend served as motivation in that she dumped him because he wasnt able to buy her the car. Other reports say that he wanted the car for himself. Whichever has it right, the bottom line is that Mark nearly died for a Lambo Determined to fast for 40 days, Mark went off into seclusion, removing himself from any and all temptations. To his luck, his friends found him after 33 days, when he was already in very bad shape. They rushed him to the hospital, and he is now expected to make a full recovery.He should at least have fasted for a job since he is unemployed, his church leader told the local media. Priorities.Still, Marks church rallied around him when they heard of the lengths he went to just so he could get that car, so they put together a fundraiser. They only got to a fifth of the amount needed for a Lambo , which they only found out how expensive it was later, so the decision was made that the money would be used toward covering his hospital bill. Again, priorities.
About 9:05 p.m., police were called to the 500 block of South Oakley Boulevard in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood for a report of a shooting. Two 17-year-old boys had been standing on a sidewalk when someone in a silver BMW shot at them, police said. One of the teens was hit in the chest and he was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m. The other teen was struck in the right shoulder and he also was taken to Stroger, where he had been listed in fair condition.
Chinese Communist Party leaders are pulling out all the stops to celebrate the party's founding 100 years ago.

The big picture: As China's geopolitical prominence is cemented abroad while authoritarian pressures grow at home, the CCP claims to have delivered the modernity and prosperity Chinese people have dreamed of for over a century.

What's happening: From elementary school essay competitions to patriotic films to an unending parade of speeches, banners and news headlines, China is in the midst of celebrating the CCP's 100-year anniversary.

Background: When the party was founded in July 1921, China was riven by feuding warlords, deeply mired in poverty, and powerless on the international stage.

By that time, a generation's worth of Chinese intellectuals had already dedicated their lives trying to reform and modernize China, proposing everything from enlightened imperial rule to a constitutional monarchy to a democratic republic.

The Republic of China was established in 1912, but its government was weak and largely unable to solve China's problems.

By contrast, the China of 2021 is an emerging superpower. Beijing has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, a nuclear arsenal and the world's second-largest economy.

The CCP continues to claim full credit for these accomplishments. But this isn't new: A well-known 1950s-era propaganda song popularized the slogan "Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China."

The centennial celebrations are "an opportunity to draw continuity across the party and across Chinese civilization," says Peter Mattis, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

"Especially since the 19th party congress in 2017, Xi Jinping has been talking about Chinese solutions and providing Chinese contributions to humanity. This is an opportunity to speak of a Chinese project, not just a party project  but they can say the party is the one who achieved this."

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Getty Images; Graphic: Shoshana Gordon, Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Details: Top party leaders, including Xi, are trying to further associate China's achievements over the past 40 years with the party, especially through emphasizing the realization of several specific goals laid out years ago.

In 2012, the same year Xi was selected as party secretary, the party began heavily promoting the "centenary goal" of achieving a "moderately well-off society" by 2021.

Related goals included eliminating poverty, building China's own space station and becoming an "Internet power."

Xi has often connected this centenary goal to the "Chinese dream," his signature slogan referring to achieving a modern, powerful and prosperous nation.

Between the lines: "Linking the two concepts means that there is effectively a deadline for achieving the Chinese dream. By 2021, the 'dream' must be at least partially complete," Diplomat editor Shannon Tiezzi wrote in 2015.

That explains, in part, the big push over the past few years to alleviate poverty  including initiatives for funding local infrastructure and incentives for businesses to invest in China's inland region as well as relocating some populations and forcibly putting others, including Uyghurs, to work.

In February, Xi declared the end of extreme poverty in China.

Earlier this month, China successfully launched a key part of its new space station into orbit and successfully landed a rover on Mars.

And its internet and fintech sectors are among the largest and most profitable in the world.

Yes, but: China's GDP per capita remains far below that of developed countries and hovers just under the global average of around $11,000. Access to high-quality health care and education is still out of reach for many.

For many Chinese people, especially ethnic and religious minorities, a succession of ideological crackdowns carried out by Xi and his hardline supporters has also cast a shadow over their futures.

The bottom line: The Chinese Communist Party has made it through a century of turbulence, and it's come out on the other side more powerful than ever.
The world's growing efforts to limit climate change will have far-reaching impacts for financial markets, and the groundwork for that push is being laid right now.

Why it matters: As more governments implement climate change regulations, trillions of dollars are going to flow towards clean energy and climate-friendly technologies, affecting significant portions of the global financial industry.

Related trend: Governments and the private sector are increasingly crafting policies to force better disclosure of how climate change creates risks for the financial sector.

What's happening: A White House executive order issued last week is aimed at launching or expanding efforts to stitch climate-related financial risks into regulation and supervision.

That was followed by an announcement from the Bank of England signaling that it would shift purchases it makes in financial markets toward companies doing the most to fight climate change.

The BOE's move is expected to be the start of a global effort by central banks to influence the financial services industry.

By the numbers: Major banks and asset managers are stepping up climate finance in response to both investor pressure and expanding market opportunities to commercialize increasingly competitive low-carbon products.

For instance last month JPMorgan Chase pledged to "finance and facilitate" $1 trillion worth of climate efforts over the next decade and Bank of America similarly set a target of $1 trillion in climate finance through 2030.

An International Energy Agency analysis last week suggests that to radically re-orient global energy systems on a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050 annual energy sector investment would have to "surge" to $5 trillion annually by 2030.

What we're hearing: "One of the things that were seeing is that the financial industry is organizing itself for net-zero [carbon emissions by 2050]," former Bank of England and Bank of Canada leader Mark Carney told Axios.

The big picture: Carney is a leading figure overseeing the transition from the financial industry's largely agnostic-about-climate past to its climate-priority future.

He's a United Nations special envoy on climate finance and an adviser on these topics to the government of the United Kingdom, which hosts a critical UN climate summit late this year in Glasgow, Scotland.

Carney's a key organizer of the recently launched Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a wide-ranging network of banks, asset managers, investors and insurers with 160-plus members that organizers say are responsible for over $70 trillion in assets.

And Carney told Axios there remain "a number of major institutions and geographies" he's hoping sign on ahead of the UN summit.

What it means: "What we are looking to do is make sure that the plumbing of the financial system is ready and supportive of this transition," said Carney, who is also head of ESG at Brookfield Asset Management.

That means both growing investment in clean technology, but also financial sector policies that urge polluting companies they finance and invest in to take tangible steps to get cleaner.

"We want a system where it makes sense to invest in or lend to a company that has high emissions today but is investing in order to get those emissions down," Carney added.

"We dont want binary system where its pure green or nothing."

The bottom line: "When society values a certain outcome  in this case addressing climate change, getting to net-zero, focusing on that, public policy is oriented in that way, consumers start to consume in a certain direction  that flips a risk into a huge opportunity," Carney said.
A new Axios-Ipsos poll on race relations one year after George Floyd's murder shows in stunning detail how there's no such thing as "what white Americans think," with Republicans and Democrats seemingly living in two different worlds.

Why it matters: Such a vast gap between the left and right inside the majority U.S. racial group belies the notion of a compromise view, and it shows why Congress has been so slow to act.

It also helps to explain why Donald Trump still has such a hold on the GOP.

Watch: Axios' race and justice reporter Russell Contreras and managing editor for politics Margaret Talev discuss the poll's findings on "Axios on HBO" on HBO and HBO Max.

Details: Black Americans are the most dissatisfied or worried about the status quo on issues from policing to employment to politics.

Overall, white Americans appear the most resistant to reform. Asian and Hispanic Americans fall somewhere in between across a battery of questions about views and experiences.

But a closer look shows white Democrats are most closely aligned with  and sometimes more change-oriented than  Black Americans, while white Republicans are on the other end of the spectrum.

Hispanic, Asian American and Black respondents are also somewhat divided by party, but with less of a gap than among whites. There's also less political consequence to their divisions, because there are fewer Republicans in each group and because the populations of these groups are significantly smaller.

By the numbers: 57% of white Americans say that "the events of the past year have made me realize there is still a lot of racism in our country," but that breaks down as 35% of white Republicans  and 93% of white Democrats. By comparison, 80% of Black Americans agreed with that view.

87% of white Democrats, but just 19% of white Republicans, say the U.S. "needs to continue making changes to give Black Americans equal rights with white Americans."

Nearly three-fourths of white Democrats, but just one in five white Republicans, say their race gives them an advantage over non-whites.

60% of white Democrats  and just 8% of white Republicans  say the protests over racial injustice last year had a positive impact on society.

The big picture: Majorities across all racial and ethnic groups say the events of the past year prove there's still a lot of racism in the nation. But for all the demonstrations and talking, respondents said they felt that race relations actually got worse since this time last year  and there's little agreement on how to proceed.

When respondents were asked to name their top three concerns, the most-cited topic varied significantly depending on race and ethnicity.

Black Americans most often cited racial justice and discrimination as a top concern, while white respondents put political extremism or polarization at the top. For Asian American and Hispanic American respondents, COVID-19 dominated.

92% of Black respondents said there must be more changes before there can be equality between Black and white Americans. But just half of white Americans held that view, compared to 70% of Asian Americans and 65% of Hispanic Americans.

The poll also examined racial and ethnic disparities around policing and the criminal justice system, which Axios' David Nather unpacked as part of our Hard Truths series.

This same split between white Democrats and Republicans can be seen across most of those questions as well.

What they're saying: "We're in the middle of these broad demographic changes  we're at the tipping point right now," said Cliff Young, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs. "But in the medium term, our politics is going to be extremely divisive because of this."

"I'm looking at this as, we're seeing a change of the guard. American society is changing. Our values are changing. There is division, but we know where we're going."

"We're going to a society that's going to be much more diverse than it is today and than it was 10 years ago. "

The intrigue: For all of corporate America's talk about diversity and inclusion in hiring, promotions and retention, relatively small shares of respondents across all groups said their employers had made changes in the past year to be more fair or equitable.

Just 18% of Black Americans, 20% of white Americans, 23% of Hispanic Americans and 35% of Asian Americans said their employers had made such changes.

32% of white Democrats said they saw such changes, but just 11% of white Republicans agreed.

Methodology: This Axios/Ipsos Poll was conducted April 28-May 4 by Ipsos' KnowledgePanel. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,875 general population adults age 18 or older.
PHOENIX (CBS 5/3TV) - It was the news Trump supporters had been waiting for. Auditors had found evidence that Maricopa County elections officials had deleted election files.

The claim made national headlines and elicited a statement from former President Donald Trump. "The entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED," wrote the former president.

The problem is, the claim was incorrect. The man who initially made the statement admitted he had been able to recover the database in question. County officials said this was evidence the auditors did not know what they were doing.

That man at the center of that claim, Ben Cotton, found himself at the center of a political tempest. But a look at his professional history shows he's been there before.

Cotton is the founder of a digital security firm called "CyFIR, LLC." It's based in Virginia. According to descriptions found online, the company helps businesses defend against hackers, and recover from malicious online attacks.

In 2015, Cotton claimed to be the first to detect one of the largest data breaches in the in federal government history. Hackers had accessed the records of more than 4 million federal government employees.

Federal investigators did not dispute that Cotton and his hack-detecting technology identified the breach. But they concluded that government investigators already were already aware of the hack, and were monitoring it.

Cotton became a hero to Republicans in Congress as they accused the Obama Administration of being lax on internet security.

SEC documents show Cotton filed paperwork to raise financing for his company in 2018. The documents indicate the company, CyFIR, had no revenue at the time and that Cotton was hoping to raise $10 million.

Last week, during a meeting with the president of the Arizona State Senate, Cotton walked back his claim that election files had been deleted from the Maricopa County computer system. "Subsequently, I have recovered all of those deleted files and I have access to that data," said Cotton.

In April, Cotton submitted an affidavit in court in Michigan, that indicated he had found vulnerabilities in election computers there. A judge dismissed that case.

CyFIR officials did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- New provisions were added last-minute to the Arizona state budget bill on Monday that could impact the public's access to body-camera footage from the Department of Public Safety.

News stations in the Phoenix market were made aware of the last-minute provisions Monday evening. Part of the new language would leave the decision to release body-cam footage almost entirely up to DPS, with the department being allowed to reject a request if "the best interest of the state outweigh releasing the video." Additional language added would increase the costs associated with releasing footage beyond the state's current public record laws.

"Should the department be the one determining that? Perhaps an independent party?" asked state Rep. Randall Friese, a Democrat from Tucson, in a House Appropriations Committee Tuesday morning.

House Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican from Fountain Hills, who has supported previous legislation restricting public access to body-cam footage, said media has the ability to challenge a records denial in court. "Then we have the ultimate third party, a judge, who can make a ruling after hearing evidence from both side," Kavanagh responded.

The measure, including the new language on DPS footage, passed the House committee with a similar measure also passing a Senate committee. "This bill really promotes secrecy, not openness," says media law attorney David Bodney, who represents Valley news outlets including Arizona's Family.

The bill would require requests for footage to include specific details. Even then, under the new language, the request could still be denied at the discretion of DPS. "If you can't identify the name or names of the person who are the, quote, known subjects of the recording, this bill requires DPS to deny the request," says Bodney.

Do we really need to see everything? That's a question posed by attorney Steve Serbalik, who represents law enforcement officers across the state. Serbalik says the bill restricts requests for footage made by individuals who are not linked to the incident captured on video, and that could limit misuse. "It can be used for political campaigns. It could be used to smear somebody," says Serbalik. "It could be used to try and cost somebody their job."

Serbalik echoed concerns from some lawmakers that footage of crime victims, children and private property can be made public. Bodney notes there are already rules for editing sensitive imagery before video records are released, but Serbalik says the process takes time. "It makes public records requests take longer, and it can really bog down a system," says Serbalik.

Bodney says it appears the bill is attempting to pass the cost of retrieving records on to the recipient, going against public records law requiring individuals only to pay the cost of the copy.

"To say that we want to be transparent, but only on our terms," says Nate Wade with Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice. "I can't say enough how important it is to be able to see what actually happened and to see it through an unfiltered, uncensored lens."

As the state seeks to expand its body-cam deployment, Wade says, it must not create barriers to getting access to the video. He says he has seen cases where footage contradicted details in a police report. "It's not to say every police department and every officer is dishonest," says Wade. "But it definitely points to the fact that perspective matters."

The Arizona Broadcasters Association released the following statement about the provisions:

The Arizona Broadcasters Association respectfully opposes the provisions contained in Section 17 (pages 18-19) of HB2893 and SB1821 (criminal justice; budget reconciliation; 2021-2022) for the following reasons:

The bill specifically and problematically exempts the Department of Public Safety from the current application of Arizonas Public Records Law (Title 39, Chapter 1) and creates new standards applicable only to DPS relating to the release of body camera footage to the public - to the detriment of transparency and openness with respect to these important public records. The provisions in Section 17 require specificity in requests for these records that requestors may not be able to satisfy. For example, the provisions of Section 17 require denial of such a request if the requestor fails to provide the specific location where the video occurred and the name of one or more persons known to be a subject of the recording  information that a requestor cannot reasonably be expected to know in every case. Contrary to current law applicable to all other agencies in Arizona, the provisions of Section 17 would further allow DPS (and only DPS) to make the cost of inspecting these public records prohibitively costly by allowing DPS to consider the hourly compensation of a public records employee in establishing a fee for these records  something not allowed under Arizonas Public Records Law. Arizona Public Records Law currently applies to the release of all public records of all governmental agencies in Arizona, including police body camera video footage. This bill would change the law applicable only to the DPS body camera footage and would further impose unnecessary and overly burdensome requirements for these requests - thwarting transparency to the public relating to these important public records.

For these reasons, the ABA respectfully opposes the provisions of Section 17 of HB2893 located at pages 18-19 of HB2893 exempting the Department of Public Safety from compliance with the Arizona Public Records Law relating to release of body camera footage

The budget proposal, House Bill 2893, also raised flags from education advocates, who say the proposed tax cut will impact public school funding. According to the AP, Republican leaders in the Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey struck a deal on the $12.8 billion spending plan to include slashing income taxes by 2.5%, cutting $1.5 billion a year from state revenue, and 25% personal income tax revenue. This would keep higher-earning taxpayers from having to directly pay a new 3.5% surcharge on income-earners above $250,000 to fund schools. Republic Rep. David Cook of Globe said he had concerns on that provision, including the size of the tax cuts. Other Republican leaders raising concerns about the proposal includes Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita of Scottsdale.

"It's almost overwhelming, the amount of spending," Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita. "And it's not sustainable." While she has major concerns, Ugenti-Rita would not say she would oppose the budget if it were up for a vote. The bill is expected to be voted on within days.

The budget will also appoint Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to make all policy decisions regarding election lawsuits in the state. This specific provision will also block Brnovich from providing any legal advice to Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Hobbs tweeted out a statement Monday evening.

This isnt just an attack on me, its an attack on Arizona voters. My statement on the legislatures budget proposal: https://t.co/THkPj07VTZ pic.twitter.com/t4SMq3YIHc  Secretary Katie Hobbs (@SecretaryHobbs) May 25, 2021

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office provided the following statement in response to the budget bill:

The Attorney Generals Office takes its duty to defend Arizonas laws seriously and has intervened numerous times to be the sole defender in election law challenges. This legislation is necessary to ensure the faithful defense of the States election integrity laws and to eliminate confusion created by the Secretary of State about who speaks for Arizona in court. The Secretary of States decision to file politically-motivated bar complaints against AGO lawyers and target their professional standing and reputation has fundamentally altered the historical track record of the offices working together despite differing political affiliations. The assistant attorneys general have steadfastly adhered to their statutory and ethical obligations. Their livelihoods should not be threatened for political purposes. The legislation also provides the Secretary of States Office with its own in-house counsel to represent the Office in the same manner as its current assistant attorneys general, in addition to the attorneys already on the SOSs senior team.

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel in September 2020 advocated for body-worn cameras on all uniformed officers in a letter to state lawmakers after she declined to pursue criminal charges against the trooper who shot and killed Dion Johnson. Today marks the one-year anniversary of John

"It's part of my commitment to transparency," Adel told Arizona's Family at the time. "When we are able to have more evidence, it may not change the outcome; however, it could give us more information."

Arizona's Family has reached out to Governor Ducey's Office, DPS, and Brnovich for comment on the new language added to the bill. A spokesperson for DPS said the department does not comment on pending legislation.

Stay with Arizona's Family for developments as we track the latest on the state budget bill this week. To read the current full state budget proposal, click here or read below:
"Why were they chasing him? Why did they have guns drawn? Why was it necessary to have over 16 bullet holes in the front of that semi-truck?"
I never had to call a mechanic or a handyman to do anything, he could do it all. Everywhere I look there are memories; this is why I cherish the house, she said. But this shooting is ongoing, its been happening. When the weather turns, it ramps up. They dont care who they hit and its sad. Theres so many people out in the cemetery because of this, over nothing.
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We demand true civilian oversight. We demand true accountability, he said. It was one year ago on this day that the nation witnessed the horrific murder of George Floyd. The nation witnessed the way in which armed agents of the state so callously robbed the Black man of his life, murdered him, executed him in the street. See, this wasnt a mistake. This wasnt an accident. This is what happens when you have a system that is founded on the oppression of Black people.
For the second time in less than three weeks, ExxonMobil in Beaumont is reaching out to the public to quell online rumors of a dangerous incident after it responded to a spill of 1 gallon of hydraulic fluid on one of its docks near the downtown refinery complex.

According to the company and the Texas General Land Office, which sent an officer to the scene, crews discovered on Sunday night that a hydraulic pump on a fire suppression device had failed and about 1 gallon of fluid had leaked onto the dock and into the water.

The GLO confirmed the source of the leak and told the Enterprise that it had been contained by booms in the water and cleaned up quickly.

The source was secured and the spill was cleaned by the time our response officer arrived on scene, Matthew Atwood, a spokesperson with the GLO said in an email to the Enterprise. This is a typical small spill response, usually cleaned up quickly, with minimal impacts.

According to details on the incident shared with the Enterprise, the fluid which the company has said is a biodegradable substance  was contained in a 12 foot by 12 foot area by boom and collected.

But, while the situation might have been resolved quickly, it kept growing online through social media.

One Facebook post, which had over 160 comments and 90 shares by Monday afternoon, claimed that the U.S. Coast Guard and other emergency personnel were responding to the cleanup of chemicals in the river.

The U.S Coast Guards local marine safety unit couldnt be reached for comment, but the company only confirmed that GLO had responded to the site after it called in crews to address the spill.

Resources were immediately deployed to contain the leak which resulted in less than a gallon of biodegradable fluid, Nakisha Burns, a spokesperson with the company, wrote in an email to the Enterprise. In addition, ExxonMobil is diligent in its regulatory reporting requirements, and made all appropriate notifications to agencies.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also confirmed to the Enterprise that it hadnt directly responded to the incident and that the spill was GLOs jurisdiction, but the Beaumont regions emergency response officer had talked to officials at the plant about the spill.

Related: ExxonMobil addresses flaring rumors regarding Beaumont plant

Mondays response to the swirling rumor is similar to another event the company addressed on May 5, when residents near the plant along the Neches River noticed plumes of black smoke coming from a flaring tower.

Around the same time, reports on social media of two ambulances stopping at the facility started to circulate and evolved the situation into a reported fire.

Instead, ExxonMobil reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that there had been a process upset with an olefins unit at its chemical plant, which did release a couple hundred pounds of carbon monoxide and various chemicals, but was ended in about 47 minutes.

Local media and residents have been paying more attention to the downtown Beaumont complex since the company initiated a lockout of its hourly workers at the refinery and packaging complex at the beginning of the month.

The chemical plant actually still had its regular employees on the site, since it isnt affiliated with the United Steelworkers Union Local 13-423.

The company has hired some replacement employees in the interim after operations were handed off to supervisors, but there hasnt been any concrete evidence so far from emissions documents that there have been more incidents than normal since the transition.

At least according to the TCEQs air emission reporting database, which collects the self-reported summaries companies are compelled to file after an emissions event, the chemical plant flaring is the only event reported since the lockout began on May 1.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico said Monday it will buy Shells 50% share in the jointly owned Deer Park refinery near Houston for about $600 million.

The move comes as part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's central policy to build, acquire or renovate oil refineries, in an era when most countries are trying to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

We are going to stop buying fuel abroad ... we will become self sufficient by 2023, said Lopez Obrador, who is spending about $9 billion to build a similar-size new refinery in his home state of Tabasco.

In a statement, Shell wrote that Shell Chemical LP will continue to operate its 100% owned Deer Park Chemicals facility located adjacent to the site.

Shell did not plan to market its interest in the Deer Park refinery," said Huibert Vigeveno, Shells Downstream Director. However, following an unsolicited offer from Pemex, we have reached an agreement to transfer our interest in the partnership to them.

The Mexican president had complained recently that Deer Park had not yielded any benefits for Mexico since 1993, apparently because most of the profits had been reinvested. But he acknowledged the refinery does process 340,000 barrels of crude per day, much of that Mexican crude.

The state-owned Pemex oil company pledged to operate the plant in an environmentally responsible way.

Lopez Obrador sees the oil industry as key to both the nation's sovereignty and its economic future, and has enacted rules limiting renewable energies like wind and solar power. Critics say it is a nostalgic position that hearkens back to the 1970s, when oil was king in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco, and makes little sense with the worlds growing shift to renewables.

While $600 million for half a refinery appears to be a good deal for Mexico, it also raises questions about the wisdom of the country's decision to invest $9 billion to build a similar, new facility.

The added attraction of Deer Park is that it can refine Mexico's heavier crude without producing fuel oil as a by-product. Mexico's current refineries have a hard time doing that, so stocks of fuel oil  a highly polluting fuel that has little export market  have built up in Mexico, and the government has been increasingly burning it at state-run power plants.

Shell's decision appears to be part of a larger, international strategy to consolidate its oil refineries and transition to renewable energy resources.

The goal is for the refineries to be more integrated with the chemical complexes and produce more biofuels, hydrogen and synthetic fuels.
A 23-year-old Newton man is the second suspect to be arrested in connection with a 4-years-long murder investigation that began when Randy Holmes was reported missing in 2017.

Jaret Chaudoin has been indicted on charges of murder and tampering with evidence relating to the 2017 disappearance of Randy Holmes, according to Newton County Criminal District Attorney Courtney Ponthier.

He was taken into custody over the weekend in an unrelated incident that occurred in Jasper County.

Chaudoin was also arrested twice in 2019, public records show, and charged with evading arrest and assaulting a family member.

Holmes remains were recovered in 2019 after Chief Deputy Cynthia Hall received a tip on a possible location, according to a press release from the time.

We brought out a bunch of cadaver dogs and had Texas Rangers, former Newton County Sheriff Billy Rowles told The Enterprise in 2020. We executed a search warrant at the beginning, but we have been at it for years.

Related: NCSO: Remains found could belong to missing person

Law enforcement officials still do not have a clear motive for the killing, although there is some evidence to suggest that it could have been retaliation for an attack against a family member.

We have our theory, but nothing has been admitted yet, Rowles said in 2020.

Ponthier declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

In March 2020, another suspect arrested in connection with the investigation had his house burned to the ground shortly after he was released on a $1 million bond.

Michael Toby Peck had just left prison after a three-night stay when his house was burned to the ground, despite efforts by local firefighters to put out the blaze.

Related: Homicide suspects house burns after he is released from jail

Pecks attorney, Bill Morian Jr., said he believed the fire was set intentionally.

It was arson, it had to be, Morian told The Enterprise in a March 2020 interview. Peck was not at home at the time the fire was set.

Ponthier said Peck was recently arrested again on a charge of tampering with evidence related to the same 2017 disappearance.

The fire at the Peck residence is also still under investigation.

Chaudoin was arraigned Monday by Judge Mike Greer, with bond set at $1 million for murder and $75,000 for tampering with evidence.

Chaudoin and Peck are the only two who have been charged and arrested relating to the disappearance, Ponthier said, adding that there are no other people expected to be arrested at this time.

But the case is still under investigation, she said. New information could present new suspects. Anyone with any information should contact the Newton County Sheriffs Office, the Newton Police Department or the Texas Rangers.

isaac.windes@hearstnp.com

twitter.com/isaacdwindes
LM OTERO, STF / AP

Union workers from the Beaumont ExxonMobil refinery are planning to demonstrate outside the companys Irving headquarters during its shareholders meeting Wednesday in protest of the almost month-long lockout.

The busload of Beaumont workers expects to arrive in Irving at 8:30 a.m. and will be joined by union members from ExxonMobils Baytown facility and Dallas-area union activists, according to USW.
Texas colleges and universities will get an additional $2 billion in the latest round of federal coronavirus stimulus funding  half of which must be used for financial grants to students struggling due to the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday.

The federal government also announced undocumented and international students can now receive those emergency funds too, rolling back a Trump administration rule that only allowed schools to distribute grants to students who qualified for federal financial aid, which excluded non-U.S. citizens.

"We applaud the Department of Education's decision to include undocumented students in federal higher education funding," said Jonathan Feinstein, Texas State Director for The Education Trust. "We hope that Texas colleges and universities will take full advantage of the policy to get this critical support to all students and maintain our long-standing commitment to the academic success and economic opportunity of undocumented students.

The $36 billion released across the country Tuesday as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act was allocated to schools based on a formula that included the number of low-income students enrolled. Four-year public universities in Texas will receive the largest share of funding, with University of Houston, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley being allocated over $100 million each. Public community colleges in Texas will get an additional $430 million, including nearly $38 million for the Texas State Technical Colleges.

MORE HOUSTON NEWS: HERE'S EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE TIGER SEEN ROAMING HOUSTON

This is the third round of funding released to two- and four-year schools by the federal government during the pandemic. Texas received around $1 billion in the first round of funding under the CARES Act, which was primarily used to combat abrupt losses from meal and housing reimbursements and canceled events as the pandemic began.

A university spokesperson for the University of Houston said this new funding will continue to offset revenue losses and recoup costs of COVID-19 related measures. Joseph Pettibon, Texas A&M University vice president for enrollment and academic service, said the flagship university plans to use the money to invest in more technology in the classroom and enhancing broadband service on campus as more students rely on personal devices to do their work.

"Something that the students have really appreciated is the ability to have access to recordings of lectures even in traditional setting of a class so they can go back and reference it," he said. "So investing in those type of resources that will help students and their learning environment."

The Department of Education is directing schools to prioritize giving money to struggling students. They can also use the money to retain and reengage students who have dropped out of college, either by providing mental health support, help with classes or to cancel student debt at their institution that was accrued during the pandemic. Schools can also use the funding to cover COVID-19 related costs, reimbursement for lost revenue and technology upgrades.

Colleges and universities must also use part of the award to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, either to fund testing centers or to spread vaccine awareness and set up vaccination sites. Schools can also use the money to provide paid time off to staff to allow them to get the vaccine.

The influx of funding comes as the Texas Legislature is debating how much money to put toward higher education in the state budget for the next two years. Texas higher education leaders said the one-time influx of funding will help students continue to enroll and complete college despite the challenges of the pandemic, but more investment is welcome.

The Coordinating Board continues to underscore to our state legislators the important role Texas colleges and universities play, Texas Higher Education Commissioner Harrison Keller said in a statement. They are the tip of the spear for both near-term recovery and long-term economic competitiveness.

Pettibon said these federal dollars are meant to help address the effects of the pandemic, and cannot be used for areas like personnel and salaries, which are often one of the largest parts of a university budget.

"It's really designed to be used as one time money, not pay for ongoing personnel and operations," he said.

Currently, House and Senate versions of the budget maintain the 5% cuts to four-year universities enacted last year due to the pandemic, while the House version includes some additional funding for state financial aid that would help maintain current funding levels for state grants.

Higher education officials have also been holding out hope that the state will increase funding to post-secondary institutions by another $1.2 billion to unlock billions of dollars of federal funding allocated to the states K-12 schools. However, state officials applied for a federal waiver to bypass that financial commitment.

Earlier this week, the Texas Faculty Association and Texas State Teachers Association released a joint statement urging state lawmakers to allocate more funding for K-12 and higher education.

Texas students and educators, both in higher education and K-12, dont need a waiver. We need more funding, the groups said. Our school districts and higher education institutions need the additional resources to recoup pandemic-related expenses, address learning losses and operate safely as we work to emerge from this health emergency.

Disclosure: Texas State Teachers Association, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Now, the Tamil Nadu Government has written a letter to Centre seeking for a ban on this series. The official statement, I would like to bring to your notice about the condemnable, inappropriate and malicious contents of "The Family Man-2" Serial in Hindi- which depicts the Eelam Tamils in a highly objectionable manner. The Trailer of the above said serial which was released in the Social Media Network is aimed at discrediting and distorting the historical struggle of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The sacrifices of their long drawn out democratic battle has been intentionally undermined and it could not, by any stretch of imagination considered merely as a Serial with any value for Tamil Culture. Moreover, a serial which is loaded with insults and insinuations against the glorious Tamil Culture could never be considered as the one having any broadcasting value. For example, branding Tamil Speaking Actress Samantha as terrorist in the serial is directly an attack on the pride of Tamils living around the world and no one will tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign.

The trailer of this Serial has already evoked strong and widespread opposition from the people of Tamil Nadu as well as from the political parties in the State. While our brethren Eelam Tamils are struggling for decades to enjoy the fruits of equality, Justice, Peace and dignity in the island nation, it is highly unwarranted for an organisation like Amazon Prime to undertake this kind of a smear campaign against the Tamils-who are builder of India as well as many nations across the globe.

I would like to state that the above serial has not only hurt the sentiments of Eelam Tamils but also the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu in large scale and if allowed to broadcast, it would be prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony in the State. In the circumstances, I request you to take immediate action either to stop or ban the release of "The Family Man-2" in OTT, Amazon Prime not only in Tamil Nadu but also across the Country."
Covid-19

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Beloit College requires COVID-19 vaccine, other institutions pass on mandate

cwolf / BDN file photo Beloit College will require COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty and staff for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year.

BELOIT  Beloit College is requiring its students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus for the 2021-22 school year.

Those who provide proof of vaccination will not have to wear masks or go through regular testing for the virus.

In an open letter to the community, Beloit College President Scott Bierman said COVID-19 would remain a reality, and will force the college to continue to have safety measures in place, although masks will not be required for fully-vaccinated individuals.

We are confident of our communitys ability to navigate challenges with agility and creativity. Together, we will take any precautions that remain necessary, and adapt quickly to changing local, national, and global conditions, Bierman wrote in the letter.

Students, faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated will not have to quarantine if they are designated as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for the virus.

Unvaccinated students, faculty and staff will need to attend regular testing, quarantine if designated a close contact of a positive case, wear masks, and follow physical distancing guidelines.

We are confident that Beloits spirit of self-care is community care will allow us to succeed in keeping our community safe, in-person, and as close to normal as possible, Bierman continued.

Bierman said it was the colleges goal to have nearly all of the Beloit College community vaccinated by the fall ahead of classes starting on Aug. 23.

Also in the letter, Bierman acknowledged that some wont get vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons, or strong philosophical objections.

Students with questions about exemptions should contact the Health and Wellness Center and employees should contact Human Resources, Bierman wrote.

International students who are unable to get to campus because of travel or visa restrictions will receive assistance to allow their enrollment to continue and remain valid. A subcommittee of the colleges COVID-19 task force dedicated to international students is considering access to courses, housing, travel, and vaccinations, as well as lobbying federal representatives to free up visa requirements to ease travel to the United States.

Beloit College will have in-person learning for the upcoming school year with the traditional semester calendar and breaks.

Anyone with questions or concerns about vaccinations at the college should email COVID-19@beloit.edu for more information.

Meanwhile, The University of Wisconsin System, which includes UW-Whitewater, encourages vaccines, but will not require COVID-19 vaccination, according to UW Media Relations Director Mark Pitsch.

There is no change to President (Tommy) Thompsons position that vaccines are encouraged for UW System students but not required, Pitsch said. We continue to work with our universities to encourage students to receive a vaccine.

Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) also is taking a similar approach to the UW System.

We continue to encourage employees and students to access the free vaccine via the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Community Based Vaccine Clinic located on our Central Campus in Janesville, said BTC Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Thompson.

The clinic is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m.7 p.m., and accepts walk-ins and is vaccinating ages 12 and up. Individuals 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Per DHS data updated on Monday, 45.3% of Rock County residents have received one dose and 37.4% have completed the vaccination series.
Haven Bailey, 25, called 911 just after 2 a.m. to report a person with a gun on the street in the 200 block of East Kenilworth Avenue in Villa Park, where she lived, according to a statement from Villa Park police. Officers from Villa Park arrived and found someone walking toward them while holding what appeared to be a gun.
Rohingya refugees gather behind a barbed-wire fence in a temporary settlement setup in a no mans land border zone between Myanmar and Bangladesh, April 25, 2018.

Bangladesh is counting on the international community to pressure Myanmar into repatriating more than 1 million Rohingya refugees, after the Burmese junta chief said that Naypyidaw does not recognize them as citizens, a senior lawmaker told BenarNews on Tuesday.

In clips posted on social media a day earlier, Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing was seen telling a Chinese television channel that his country would not repatriate people whom it does not consider as citizens under the law.

Faruk Khan, a Bangladeshi MP who chairs the parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, said he had heard these comments.

Myanmar will not agree to take the Rohingya back, but if we can mobilize Chinese support and put international pressure through regional groupings such as ASEAN, Myanmar will take back their people, Khan told BenarNews, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

We have to be bilaterally engaged with Myanmar and work with the international communities to make the Rohingya repatriation a reality. And we are working in line with this plan, he said.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed concern to the visiting president of the United Nations General Assembly about how the Feb. 1 military coup in the neighboring country and its aftermath had affected the prospect of repatriating the Rohingya.

The situation has become uncertain due to the recent developments in Myanmar, she told Volkan Bozkir on the first day of his two-day visit to Bangladesh, which includes a scheduled trip to Rohingya refugee camps in southeastern Coxs Bazar district.

In television clips posted on social media Monday, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said that after Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948, the census had used the words Bengali, Pakistani, and Chittagong for the ethnic Muslim minority, but never the word Rohingya.

Thus we never accepted it, Min Aung Hlaing told a Chinese TV station, in what was likely the generals first publicized interview since he led a coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyis elected government.

Successive Burmese administrations have referred to the Rohingya as Bangladeshi or Bengali to emphasize that the community did not originally belong to what is now called Myanmar, and is not officially recognized as an ethnic group.

When asked whether the Rohingya could be accepted back to live in Rakhine state with preconditions, Min Aung Hlaing indicated they probably would not be.

If it [repatriation] doesnt comply with Myanmars laws, what else is there to consider? I dont believe there is any country in the world that would go beyond their own countrys refugee laws to accept refugees, he said.

No possibility of resuming the tripartite talks

Bangladesh has had no contact with the Myanmar military  on the repatriation issue or otherwise  since the latter mounted the coup in February, a senior Bangladeshi foreign ministry official, who was not authorized to speak to reporters, told BenarNews.

Dhakas last engagement with Naypyidaw was on Jan. 19, in Beijing-brokered virtual trilateral talks. At the time, Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) government, elected last November, was in power.

Dhaka then urged Myanmar to create conditions in which refugees would agree to return.

The two sides tentatively discussed a fresh attempt to begin repatriation in the second quarter of this year, though it was not immediately clear what guarantees Rohingya would receive about their safety and livelihood under the plan.

Less than a month later, the NLD government was overthrown.

While Beijing told Dhaka last Friday that it was appropriately addressing Bangladeshs desire to resume Rohingya repatriation talks, Chinas ambassador to the South Asian nation earlier this month gave what appeared to be a more realistic assessment.

We have lost contact in Myanmar on the Rohingya issue as the situation in Myanmar is not normal now. Bangladesh is also unable to communicate, envoy Li Jiming said on May 10, in a virtual address to diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka.

There are no signs of improvement in the situation. We have no choice but to be patient. We see no possibility of resuming the tripartite talks in the near future.

Bangladesh knew this was the case a month after the Myanmar military coup, as the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs urged the foreign ministry to look to other nations to continue with talks about sending the Rohingya back.

The committee said not to depend on the Myanmars military government for Rohingya repatriation, and expedite the diplomatic efforts to put more international pressure on Myanmar, according to the minutes of its March 10 meeting obtained by BenarNews.

In late 2017, both Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to begin the process of the voluntary Rohingya repatriation but that never took off partly because refugees were reluctant to return to what they described as a hostile environment in their Rakhine state.

They never want that the Rohingya return

The latest developments  especially Min Aung Hlaings comments  have not surprised the Rohingya refugees, more than a million of whom live in camps in Coxs Bazar.

The Rohingya know all too well about violence and persecution by Myanmars military. And they are very familiar with Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

In August 2017, the Myanmar military under his leadership launched an offensive against the Rohingya that the U.N. later described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

The comments by the Myanmar military chief about Rohingya repatriation are not new. This is a continuation of their previous statements. They never want that the Rohingya return to their homeland in Myanmar, Md. Rafiq, a camp leader, told BenarNews.

True repatriation would only begin when the U.N. and the international community remain fully engaged. We would not return to Rakhine unprotected. We will go back once our nationality is returned and safety and security are guaranteed.

For Master Md. Ilias, another refugee leader, it makes no difference whether Myanmar is military- or civil-controlled.

We believe neither the Myanmar military nor [Aung San] Suu Kyi  they are two sides of the same coin. They would not protect the interests of the Rohingya; they will not accept the Rohingya. The only option we have is the international community, Ilias told BenarNews.
Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (left) is seen upon his arrival before the ASEAN leaders' summit, at the Soekarno Hatta International airport on the outskirts of Jakarta, April 24, 2021.

ASEANs failure to take any follow-up action on Myanmar, a full month after the regional bloc unveiled a diplomatic roadmap to address the military coup there, is eating up precious time and costing lives, rights groups and analysts said.

Meanwhile, the Burmese junta chief told a Chinese television channel that he was not ready to implement the so-called Five-Point Consensus reached at a special ASEAN leaders summit, which he attended in Jakarta in late April.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations needs to do more than just talk to stem the violence that has claimed more than 800 lives since the Feb. 1 Myanmar military coup, said ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, a regional group of lawmakers that promotes democracy.

It has already been a full month and nothing has changed. [Myanmar junta chief] Min Aung Hlaing is blatantly ignoring ASEANs calls and wasting their time, said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian Member of Parliament and chair of APHR.

The consensus that was reached in April was a good initiative, but now ASEAN must prove that they can pay more than just lip service. It must take bold action by holding him accountable, putting in place binding measures, and laying out consequences for the militarys brutality.

According to Gerard McCarthy, a postdoctoral fellow at the National University of Singapores Asia Research Institute, ASEANs delay to appoint a Myanmar envoy is claiming lives.

As millions starve, ASEANs humanitarian effort  meant to be the easy part of [the] leaders consensus commitment  remains hamstrung without an envoy to decide modalities. Huge cost to ASEAN relevance the longer this drags on, he said via Twitter.

On April 22, the U.N.s World Food Program warned that within six months, an additional 3.4 million people would go hungry in Myanmar, particularly in urban centers, over and above the 2.8 million people considered to be food insecure before the military takeover in February.

The ASEAN consensus, which Min Aung Hlaing reportedly agreed to during the April 24 meeting in Jakarta, also called for an end to the violence that had killed hundreds of civilians by then. But that, too, is nowhere in sight a whole month later, Forum-Asia, a network of members in 21 regional countries, said on Monday.

ASEANs inaction signals a lack of urgency in fulfilling its five-point consensus on the Myanmar crisis, Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu, executive director of Forum-Asia, said in a statement.

It has been a month since the ASEAN Leaders Meeting but the regional body has not rolled out any concrete plans in responding to the distressed asylum-seekers along Myanmars borders and has not even appointed its special envoy.

Myanmars Civil Disobedience Movement group said ASEAN was not making any effort whatsoever to resolve the crisis almost four months after the Burmese military toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyis elected government.

Stop saying ASEAN centrality at least till the time they prove their worth. Myanmar is burning and ASEAN is doing nothing, the group tweeted.

It was addressing the international community, which has said that the regional bloc has a key role in resolving the situation in member-state Myanmar. The United Nations Security Council also endorsed the ASEAN consensus.

ASEANs Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar called for an immediate cessation of violence, with all parties exercising utmost restraint. Myanmar military and security forces have killed 824 people, mainly anti-coup protesters, since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Thai-based NGO.

The ASEAN consensus also called for constructive dialogue among all parties; the mediation of such talks by a special ASEAN envoy; the provision of ASEAN-coordinated humanitarian assistance and a visit to Myanmar by an ASEAN delegation to meet with all parties.

However, in what was probably his first interview since the coup, Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing told the Chinese Phoenix Television that his priority was to calm the situation in the country.

An interviewer said to the military chief: So the conclusion is that Myanmar is not ready to implement the five-point consensus reached by ASEAN yet?

Correct, answered Min Aung Hlaing, according to tweets by a reporter for Phoenix TV.

In fact, ASEANs consensus began to unravel almost immediately after the special meeting in Indonesias capital. Myanmars junta did not stop the violence and has continued to turn its guns on pro-democracy protesters.

On April 26, a statement from the State Administration Council  the juntas official name  said it would act on the ASEAN agreement only after there was stability in the country. And on May 7, a Myanmar military spokesman said that only after we achieve a certain level of security and stability, we will cooperate regarding that envoy.

Momentum has dissipated

Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, said ASEAN has been left behind.

Whatever momentum the grouping carried out of the 24 April summit has dissipated, Poling wrote in a column on Monday for East Asia Forum, an online policy platform for analysis on Asia.

As all sides arm themselves, the protester death toll soars past 800, and the Myanmar economy faces collapse, ASEAN leisurely deliberates over the name of an envoy no one is interested in meeting.

ASEAN should have still gone ahead and appointed an envoy, observers had said.

ASEANs capacity to shape the Myanmar militarys policies is limited, according to Barry Desker, an academic at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

It is a reminder that ASEAN is paying the price for including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam between 1995 and 1999 without any conditions, following the end of the Cold War, Desker wrote in East Asia Forum, referring to authoritarian or one-party states who were admitted into the regional bloc.

There is still scope, though, for individual ASEAN members to do more, Poling of CSIS wrote.

Thailand, for instance, could play an important role in reducing the flow of revenue to the junta while mitigating the impact on Myanmar citizens, he said.

If anyone could convince the junta to accept such a bitter pill, it would be the Thai leadership.
Members of the New Peoples Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, gather in formation in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range east of Manila, July 30, 2017.

Government troops killed five suspected communist guerrillas in a gunfight in the central Philippines on Tuesday, the military said.

A government soldier was shot during the early morning clash in Bohol province but was out of danger, officials said. The shootout occurred four days after Philippine police killed another three suspected fighters with the New Peoples Army (NPA), the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), near Manila.

Tuesdays violence occurred when soldiers were responding to civilian reports about the presence of NPA members in a hilly area of Bilar town, said 1st Lt. Elma Grace Remonde-Abulencia, spokeswoman for the local infantry.

Our troops were fired upon by the armed men and it triggered a shootout. The gunfight lasted for more than an hour, Remonde-Abulencia told reporters. We were still waiting for the Scene of the Crime Operatives so that the five bodies can be brought to the mainland for possible identification.

Last Friday, Rommel Riza, commander of the NPAs Regional Special Operations Group, and two comrades were killed in a gunfight with police in Sta. Rosa City, just south of Manila. Police commandos were about to serve an arrest warrant but Rizas group resisted and fired at the approaching lawmen, regional police commander Brig. Gen. Eliseo Cruz said.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the government forces had stopped an attempt by Riza and the others to kill members of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a government agency.

One of their missions is to hit NTF-ELCAC talking heads. However, they were pre-empted. Our gratitude to our partners in NTF-ELCAC, including members of the armed forces and the police, the state-run Philippine News Agency quoted Esperon, the task forces vice chairman, as saying on May 21.

The news agency report stated that CPP founder Jose Maria Sison had recently ordered the NPA to deploy so-called armed partisan units and special operation groups to cities and major town centers. It also reported that five members of a communist hit squad tasked with assassinating top national and government leaders, along with police and military officers, were killed in January.

In a statement posted online over the weekend, Sison called Esperons claim pure concoction.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon is a big liar in claiming that I have released an order to kill the so-called talking heads of NTF-ELCAC and other officials of the security sector of the Duterte regime, Sison said.

President Rodrigo Duterte, a self-proclaimed former leftist, was once a student of Sison. Among Dutertes first acts upon assuming office in 2016 was to open peace talks with the CPP, which has been waging a guerrilla war since 1969. He later ended the talks after accusing the communist rebels of being insincere because they kept launching attacks amid the negotiations.

In March, Duterte ordered security forces to end the communist rebellion once and for all.

Ive told the military and the police that if they find themselves in an armed encounter with the communist rebels, kill them, make sure you really kill them and finish them off if they are alive, he said at the time.

The strength of the NPA guerrilla force is estimated to be about 5,000 fighters divided among 80 fronts across the Philippine archipelago.

Jeoffrey Maitem contributed to this report from Cotabato, Philippines.
Updated at 2:48 p.m. ET on 2021-05-28

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday joined a chorus of NGOs calling for Thailands state-owned oil and gas firm to not expand business ties with Myanmars junta while the Burmese military carries on with a bloody post-coup crackdown on protesters.

The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) has been involved in oil and gas exploration in the neighboring country for more than three decades and has paid billions of dollars in fees, taxes, royalties and revenues, New York-based HRW said in a statement.

But with production declining in recent years, the company has ramped up its midstream and downstream investments in the country, with the stated goal of becoming the top Myanmar provider of petroleum products, it said.

By expanding business ties with the Myanmar military as it carries out a bloody crackdown, the Thai state-owned PTT has shown little regard for the lives and freedom of Myanmars people, said Shayna Bauchner, an Asia researcher for the watchdog group. PTTs leadership should respect international sanctions and cut ties with the junta to avoid being complicit in its crimes.

More than 820 people have been killed and more than 4,300 arrested, charged or sentenced in Myanmar since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyis democratically elected government on Feb. 1, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a Thai NGO.

Joining HRW are 76 NGOs calling themselves The Extraterritorial Obligation Watch Coalition (ETOs Watch). On May 20, the NGOs signed an open letter calling for PTT and its subsidiary, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand Exploration and Production Co. Ltd. (PTTEP), to refrain from paying the Myanmar government for natural gas.

[T]here is no guarantee that revenues from PTT, as a contract purchaser, will be used for real civilian affairs to benefit the people of Myanmar, the letter said.

It noted that in 2017 and 2018 PTT paid more than U.S. $615 million (19.2 billion baht) to Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, adding that gas revenues are expected to contribute up to 50 percent of Myanmars foreign revenues, with at least half of that coming from PTT. Those revenues are critical to the survival of the coup promoters.

HRW said PTT, under a 2019 joint venture, was paying the military conglomerate Myanmar Economic Corp. (MEC) nearly $1 million (31.3 million baht) in annual rent for the construction of a fuel terminal on land seized from farmers.

The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Canada have sanctioned MEC and the other military conglomerate, Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), for their role in generating vast revenues that help fund the militarys abuses and enshrine its impunity, HRW said.

When contacted by BenarNews, Thai government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Thanee Saengrat deferred to PTT for comment on the NGOs statements. PTT, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Thailand has its own long history of coups. Last Saturday marked the seventh anniversary of a military coup that overthrow the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The army chief who led that coup, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, remains in power as prime minister.

ETOs Watch coordinator Teerachai Sanjaroenkijthaworn said his groups main request to PTT was not that the firm stop sending money  but that it ensured that payments did not go directly to the Burmese junta.

The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) made a similar request previously to ensure that these revenues are not used for weapons for the Myanmar army, Teerachai told BenarNews on Tuesday, referring to a Burmese government in exile representing National League for Democracy lawmakers.

He said CRPH had sent its own letter to foreign investors in Myanmar asking them to deposit proceeds that would normally go to the junta into a protected account.

The Thai company should pay attention to the NGOs, said Salai Bawi, a political scientist at Chiang Mai University.

If PTT accepts and stops paying real money, that will have a huge impact on the Myanmar army because the military will lose a tremendous amount of income, he told BenarNews. That means a decrease in weapons to suppress the people.
House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, who has also long supported independent maps, wrote in a 2016 op-ed that the process whereby politicians draw their own districts has often been criticized as too political and one where voters are left without a voice. Reform-minded voters hoped his ascension to the speakers post would mean a fair map. He wrote that an independent commission would provide protections that will prevent minority populations from being unfairly lumped into as few legislative districts as possible, as a way to dilute their representation. And he signed off by promising to continue to fight to get this measure passed and put on the ballot for voters 
I hear from women working late hours in the hospitality industry, who can no longer afford a safe car trip home from work late at night, he said. Instead, they are forced to risk their personal safety using the CTA system. This wasnt a problem before the obliteration of the taxicab industry.
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To the editor: The Vermont Press Association wishes to thank Gov. Phil Scott for his veto of S. 107 and siding with greater transparency for all Vermonters while also allowing for more time on this important issue.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Rain likely. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
WEST STOCKBRIDGE  TurnPark Art Space, the former quarry turned sculpture park and recreational center, will kick off its 2021 season on Monda
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. She can be reached at jmaschino@berkshireeagle.com.
When end runs are made to the General Assembly, the challenges (are) that lawmakers just dont have the same level of time, level of expertise to understand what all of the possible impacts are to ratepayers and to consumers, Mitchell added. Utilities feel empowered to proceed to make modifications to their own profit base through the legislative process instead of having to litigate in front of the Illinois Commerce Commission.
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.
Firefighters continue to patrol the fire in Clarksburg State Forest that started May 14. After only brief rain over the weekend, the state does not consider the fire 100 percent contained yet.
Amanda Burke covers Pittsfield City Hall for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Find her on Twitter at @amandaburkec.
MODERNA TO SEEK AUTHORIZATION: Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12. The company released the preliminary findings Tuesday based on testing on more than 3,700 people between the ages of 12 and 17 in the U.S., and it said it plans to seek authorization for those ages from the Food and Drug Administration in early June.
Bride Noni Cooper is seen at Seranak in Lenox in this 1990 shot taken by the author during his stint as a wedding phtographer.
One of the already built warehouses in a mile stretch of Route 645 near Interstate 78 in Bethel Township. A Texas company plans to build additional warehouses in the vicinity.
The version designed by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and GAPA calls for Chicagoans to vote on a referendum to create a 11-member civilian board  with nine elected members and two members appointed by the board itself  that would have authority to hire and fire the police superintendent. It also would be able to submit the Police Department budget and negotiate contracts with the Fraternal Order of Police.
A group of Democratic and Republican legislators have draften and officially introduced a bill that would provide funding for the long term improvement of HBCUs, including renovation of campus facilities, repair and construction, purchase of equipment, preservation of historic buildings and high speed broadband.



"For over 150 years, HBCUs have been agents of equity, access and excellence in education, despite being ignored and marginalized by federal and state governments. This historic bipartisan bill changes that," said Democratic North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, said last week.



Named the Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education (IGNITE) for HBCU Excellence Act, the bill emerged as a result of a June 2018 Government Accountability Office (GAO) that identified extensive and diverse capital project needs at HBCUs.

RELATED: IBM Invests $100 Million In HBCUs

For example, out of 79 colleges surveyed for the report, 70 of them said that 46 percent of their buildings needed repair or replacement. Also 8 out of 35 public HBCUs reported more than 75 percent of their building spaces needed repair or replacement



Also 42 surveyed HBCUs said 11 percent of their buildings are historic, but the U.S. Department of the Interior says the schools do not have the resources to do the maintenance. Both public and private Black colleges have deferred maintenance backlogs of $67 million and $17 respectively.



Republican Arkansas Rep. French Hill has three HBCUs in his district and signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill. He said the legislation would give needed improvements to the schools in his community.



"As a former community banker and a former chamber chairman in metro Little Rock, I know the academic and economic power and strength of these HBCUs, not only for the benefit of those students, but for the benefit of the greater Little Rock workforce," Hill said, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "This bill will, in my view, give them the tools and conditions and infrastructure they need for the campus in the future and the students of the future."
On Saturday (May 22), the Biden administration announced it will extend deportation protections and work permits for 54,000 Haitian immigrants living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). They will also allow hundreds of thousands of other eligible Haitians to request relief.

According to CBS News, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he will extend the TPS designation for Haiti by 18 months, which will allow current recipients to renew their protections. Mayorkas also opened the program to new applicants, allowing eligible Haitian immigrants to apply for Temporary Protected Status as long as they arrived in the U.S. by May 21.

"Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic," Mayorkas said, according to CBS. "After careful consideration, we determined that we must do what we can to support Haitian nationals in the United States until conditions in Haiti improve so they may safely return home."

RELATED: Biden-Harris Administration Rolling Out Plan To Address Racial Equity

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez said the expansion eligibility decision for the Haiti TPS program could benefit approximately 150,000 Haitian immigrants, including 100,000 potential new applicants.

"As Haiti passes through an acute political and security crisis and faces enduring humanitarian challenges, this decision provides urgently needed protections for eligible Haitians in the United States," Menendez said in a statement. "The last thing our country should be doing is forcing an entire community in the U.S. to decide between packing up their lives and tearing their families apart by self-deporting, or becoming undocumented and forced into the shadows of our society."

The Trump administration sought to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants. U.S. law allows for the DHS secretaries to grant TPS to immigrants whose home countries are plagued by armed conflict, dealing with an epidemic or recovering from natural disasters.

TPS for Haiti was first designated by the Obama administration in 2010 following the deadly earthquake that heavily damaged the country that year. The program was set to end this fall unless a reversal of the Trump termination efforts happened.
Imran Ali, the Minnesota prosecutor who was co-counsel in the case against former police officer Kim Potter over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, reportedly resigned on Monday (May 24).

According to CBS Minnesota, the assistant criminal division chief at the Washington County Attorneys Office claims vitriol and partisan politics have made it difficult to pursue justice.

The move comes just days after it was announced that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would be taking over the prosecution of Potter.

According to CBS Minnesota, the case was previously being handled by the Hennepin County Attorneys Office, which asked Ellison to take it on.

Ali and Washington County Attorney Pete Orput charged Potter with second degree manslaughter. Just prior to being charged, she quit her job as a Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer. Afterward, they faced intense pressure from activists who protested outside Orputs home, demanding Potter be charged with murder.

RELATED: Judge Says Ex-Officer Charged In Daunte Wright Shooting Death Can Stand Trial

"I did not seek this prosecution and do not accept it lightly," Ellison said, according to CBS Minnesota. "I have had, and continue to have, confidence in how both County Attorney Orput and County Attorney Freeman have handled this case to date. I thank County Attorney Orput for the solid work he and his office have done, and I thank County Attorney Freeman once again for his confidence in my office."

On May 17, a judge ruled that a trial may proceed over the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Wright, who was fatally wounded when he was pulled over for expired tags. Hennepin County Judge Regina M. Chu said during a virtual hearing that probable cause was found to support the charges against Potter, the Associated Press reports. A tentative trial date was subsequently set for December 6.

In footage from Potters body camera video, officers began to place Wright in handcuffs, arresting him for alleged outstanding warrants. But after a short scuffle, Wright attempted to get in his vehicle, and Potter shouted taser, taser, then pulled her service weapon and fired. Wright drove several blocks before crashing. Officers attempted lifesaving maneuvers, but he died at the scene.

At a press conference a day before he also resigned, then-Brooklyn Center Police chief Tim Gannon said Potter mistook her taser for her firearm and characterized it as an accidental discharge. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Wrights death a homicide.
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...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN SIMPSON...ALLEN... WARREN...WEST CENTRAL BARREN AND SOUTH CENTRAL EDMONSON COUNTIES... At 930 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Plum Springs, moving south at 25 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph are possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Bowling Green, Scottsville, Plum Springs, Crestmoor, Memphis Junction, Mount Victor, Smiths Grove, Oakland, Hardcastle and Girkin. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may cause localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.
Why some South Dakotans are pessimistic about the future
Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.

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Striving for people's well-being is key to CPC's success: Spanish scholars

Xinhua) 09:51, May 25, 2021

"We could live anywhere in the world. But we chose China", say two Spanish sociologists. Ahead of the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in July, and drawing on their 19 years living in the country, they explain what they believe are the keys to the CPC's success.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Her husband, Robert James Jr., who had lived in Manhattan but more recently lived in Country Club Hills, was shot multiple times May 8 inside an office unit in the 900 block of West 175th Street, just west of Halsted Street, according to police.
"As I looked, thrones were set in place,

and the Ancient of Days took his seat."

Daniel 7:9

When I first became a Christian, I was fascinated to learn God had more than one name. The more I heard women call different names at our Bible Study group, the more notes I would write. Eventually, my little journal was filled with more than 20 names I knew to be true about God. I learned His names include, Elohim, El Shaddai, El Roi, and Adonai. Eventually, that little journal turned into my first devotional for motherhood in order to get to know God more intimately. One of my favorite names of God is Ancient of Days.

Doesnt it add depth to Gods character? Doesnt it reassure you that God has seen it all? It certainly reassures me that no matter what has happened or what will happen, He can handle it.

What Does the Name Ancient of Days Mean?

Daniel was describing God who sat on a flaming throne with hair and clothes that were as white as snow, and the throne had wheels of fire. The flaming throne was symbolic of judgment while the description of Gods white hair and beard were representational that God existed before time began. He is also describing God as our judge.

In Daniel 7:13, ancient of days refers to God as the Father, yet in this passage, Daniel is describing Jesus approaching God on the throne as the Son of Man, on clouds. Its important to understand God is a triune God and Daniel is describing this as best as he can. Its also important to understand Daniel is describing Jesus returning to pronounce judgment on the world (Daniel 7:22).

Where Is Ancient of Days Found in the Bible?

This name of God is only referenced three times in the entire Bible. All three references can be found in chapter seven of the book of Daniel. The first half of Daniel (Chapters 1-6) contains stories about Daniels experience and his friends under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, Belshazzar, Darius I, and Cyrus II. The second half of this book is then written about Daniels visions and a dream. These visions and dreams are accounts of the end times when the reign of God will be established.

Daniel 7:9: As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

Daniel 7:13: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

Daniel 7:22: until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.





Photo credit: Getty Images/B-C-Designs

Why Do We Call God Ancient of Days?

The being on the throne who has all authority is God the Father. As Moses explained, The LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other (Deuteronomy 4:39). The words Ancient Of Days are a way of describing that God is a firsthand spectator to the past, present, and future. The climax of Daniel 7 as mentioned before is a transfer of power between God and Jesus. Read, Daniel 7:13-14:

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Because God is also our Father, it helps us understand this is not a light issue to Him. He is heavy-hearted for those who choose not to believe in Him and obey Him. It adds weight to the events unfolding in Daniel because God is giving authority to the Son of Man. God is giving His Son the keys to the kingdom that never ends. All of Scripture leads up to the moment when this earth will pass away and the new heaven and earth will be established. During this time, every person will be judged. And Jesus is our rightful judge because He chose to be obedient to God and come to this earth to be our savior. Its important to keep in mind, God isnt retiring or stepping back, He is sharing His glory with His Son.

All the dead and all of the living, from the past, present, and future will stand before Gods throne. The Books will be opened including the book of life meaning the time of judgment is at hand (Daniel 7:10, Revelations 11:18).

We will be judged by what is written in the book, according to our works. The Bible tells us this repeatedly in: Psalm 62:12; Proverbs. 24:12; Jerimiah. 17:10; 32:19; Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:6; 14:12 and Revelation 2:23; 22:12.

Matthew 25:31-43 gives us a description of this moment:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Then the people who have Gods approval will reply to him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? The king will answer them, I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed you did for me. Then the king will say to those on his left, Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels! I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you didnt take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didnt give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didnt take care of me.





Photo credit: Unsplash/Carolyn V

Why Is it Important that God Is Eternal?

God is eternal. His God's self-revealed nameYahweh, I AM THAT I AM means that He has no beginning and no end. He exists before time ever began. He is the El Olam, the Ancient of Days, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the One Who Lives Forever. God reveals His names to Moses in Exodus 3:14, God (Elohim) said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Charles Ryrie wrote in the book, Basic Theology, The attribute of eternity means that God exists endlessly. His existence extends endlessly backward and forward (from our viewpoint of time) without any interruption or limitation caused by succession of events.

Why Does it Matter that God Has Different Names?

Now that we know what the Ancient of Days means, we also know that God has several different names. And its not just because Hes God, its because He wants us to get to know Him on an intimate level in a way that we, as humans, can relate. He knows that time is running short for us to get to know Him and to choose Him as our God.

He uses different names to describe His character. He wants us to know him as:

Abba: Father

Elohim: Creator

Yahweh: I Am That I Am, The Lord Is God

El Elyon: The Most High God

Adonai: Lord, Master

El Roi: The God Who Sees Me

Jehovah Nissi: The Lord My Banner

Jehovah Raah: The Lord My Shepherd

Jehovah Rapha The Lord That Heals

Jehovah Shammah The Lord Is There

Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide

The more we get to know God, the more we can trust him. This leads to our enteral salvation. But God wants us to walk with him on a daily basis. He wants to be our provider when we are worried about our finances. He wants to be our comfort when things go wrong. He wants to be our Abba Father because He loves us fiercely. Perhaps, James Montgomery Boice said it best, The names of God are windows through which His character is seen."

Ancient of Days Statement and Response

My child, don't be troubled by the events you see unfolding in your world. I was Lord of My creation in the beginning, and I am Lord of coming events. Although you do not understand the future, or even the present, remember that I do. Live one day at a time, trusting Me, and bearing witness of Me. As Ancient of Days, I am always in control.

One day all will know that the God of the future is the same God of the past. All will recognize You, Lord, as the ageless God who sees and knows everything. You have always been in the world, long before creation drew its first breath. You are the Ancient of Days, and You will rule forever. I stand in awe of Your presence.

(from Daily in Your Presence, by Rebecca Barlow Jordan)

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Why (and How) Should We Pray the Names of God?

10 Old Testament Names of God You Need to Know

Photo credit: SWN

Heather Riggleman is an award-winning journalist and a regular contributor for Crosswalk. She calls Nebraska home with her three kids and a husband of 22 years. She believes Jazzercise, Jesus, and tacos can fix anything and not necessarily in that order! She is author of I Call Him By Name Bible Study, the Bold Truths Prayer Journal, Mama Needs a Time Out, and a contributor to several books. You can find her at www.heatherriggleman.com or on Facebook.
BOISE - On Monday, May 24, Idaho Governor Brad Little announced the recipients of the 2021 Governors Cup Scholarships to Idaho colleges and universities. Last years Governors Cup fundraising drive brought in enough money for 27 new scholarships to be awarded this year, despite the cancellation of the annual event.

Recipients were chosen from among more than 2,000 applicants by the Idaho Governors Cup Scholarship Fund Inc.s 14-member board of directors. Selections were made based on each applicants commitment to public service, academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement.

The award is $3,000 per year, renewable for up to four years, or two to three years for career-technical programs, contingent upon the length of the program.

Here are this years recipients, along with their high schools and the schools they will attend in the fall:

Academic Scholarships  four-year programs

Sara Alsaifi  Timberline High School  Attending Boise State University

Kali Branstetter  Weiser High School  Attending Boise State University

Xavier Christy  Meridian Medical Arts Charter  Attending Idaho State University

Sarah Cole  Mountain View High School  Attending Boise State University

Lotus Harper  Salmon River Jr-Sr. High School  Attending Lewis-Clark State College

Ethan Jensen  Centennial High School-Boise  Attending Idaho State University

Xitlali Mancilla  Century High School  Attending Idaho State University

MayCee Maynard  Butte County High School  Attending University of Idaho

Laura Moler  Post Falls High School  Attending University of Idaho

Kadence Parker  Jerome High School  Attending College of Southern Idaho

Ryan Ripley  Centennial High School-Boise  Attending University of Idaho

Katie Russell  Cambridge Jr-Sr High School  Attending University of Idaho

Ivy Shifflett  Clark County Jr-Sr High School  Attending Idaho State University

Martha Smith  Clearwater Valley Jr-Sr High School  Attending University of Idaho

Aspen Stinemates  Wendell High School  Attending Idaho State University

Travis Wells  Castleford School  Attending University of Idaho

Ohana Wright  Centennial High School-Boise  Attending Boise State University

Cecil D. Andrus Excellence in Education Scholarship

Mackenzie Hammond  St. Maries High School  Attending Lewis-Clark State College

Career Technical  two- or three-year programs

Alexandrah Crow  Centennial High School-Boise  Attending Lewis-Clark State College

Gardner Davis  Gooding High School  Attending College of Southern Idaho

Payton Jackman  Kimberly High School  Attending Idaho State University

Laney Jenkins  Rimrock Jr-Sr High School  Attending College of Southern Idaho

Emma Kovacs  Rocky Mountain High School  Attending College of Western Idaho

Zoe Leger  Thunder Ridge High School  Attending Idaho State University

Ethan Retana  Mountain View High School  Attending Idaho State University

Nathan Schlosser  Timberline High School-Boise  Attending College of Western Idaho

Wyatt Skovgard  Kuna High School  Attending College of Southern Idaho

We are so impressed with the recipients for the 2021 Governors Cup Scholarship, especially for completing their senior year of high school during such an unprecedented time. These students have demonstrated their commitment to their neighbors, communities, and the state, and we are proud to have them become the next generation of Idaho leaders, Governor Little said. Additionally, we would like to express appreciation for the generous sponsors and donors who contributed to the scholarship program last year despite the event cancellation. Providing opportunities for these students has always been at the heart of the Governors Cup and being able to continue that legacy amid uncertain times is important.

The Governor and First Lady will host a reception honoring the recipients on June 7 at the Capitol in Boise. The 2021 Idaho Governors Cup annual fundraising event will return to Sun Valley September 9-11, where the continued support from numerous donors will allow the scholarship fund to continue serving students next year.
The one year anniversary of George Floyds death is May 25th and Joe Biden will be meeting with his family. One of the reasons he is meeting with the family, is to make sure the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is brought into the limelight again.

But this bill is problematic. It would absolutely destroy the criminal justice system instead of making the positive change it promotes.

Bill goes in depth on this more on the No Spin News  sign up here to watch and get Killing the Mob free.
People in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities is likely to be benefitted

Telemedicine start-up, Tattvan, has launched its COVID-19 treatment package aimed at supporting those patients who are suffering from mild symptoms of coronavirus.

The idea behind launching this home-care package is to assist people in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in getting treatment for COVID from the comfort of their homes via teleconsultation. Patients testing positive can visit the franchise clinics to avail the package. The team at the clinic will then be processing the supplies and offering ground support to the patients.

The package involves a franchise partner who will support patients by providing them timely teleconsultation with the expert panel of doctors, tracking of daily vitals and patient counselling in the time of distress. This package will continue to cater to the infected patients till the time they dont test negative.

Ayush Mishra, CEO, Tattvan E-clinics said, The covid treatment package seeks to help those patients who are showing mild or equal symptoms of Corona to get the advice of doctors from the comfort of their homes. In this package, you will be given online doctor consultation, nurse vital monitoring, covid counselling by Tattvans patient executive other information related to covid patients can reach out either via the Tattvan Franchise E-Clinics across UP, Bihar and Rajasthan.

Through this extension package, Tattvan seeks to raise awareness about its programmes and the efficiency of telemedicine for people who cant afford to visit large cities anytime they seek medical advice. With the help of Tattvans Telemedicine Network, health providers and doctors in any of the nearest top hospitals can now provide medical advice.
NHA inks pact with Telangana Govt

The National Health Authority (NHA) has signed an MoU with the Government of Telangana to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in the state with immediate effect. The Ayushman Bharat scheme has been integrated with the existing state scheme Aarogyasri and this converged scheme is being called Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Aarogyasri.

With the launch of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in Telangana, the scheme has been further expanded and now encompasses 33 States/UTs. With this convergence, approximately 26 lakhs beneficiary families (around 1.3 crore individuals) as per SECC, 2011 data will be eligible to avail services under the scheme in the state.

Speaking on this launch, Dr RS Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority, said, We are happy to onboard the State of Telangana for the rollout of AB PM-JAY in the state. The beneficiaries from the state are now eligible to avail free healthcare services pan India through our network of more than 22,000 hospitals. This is not only going to benefit the eligible families in the state but will also enable the delivery of healthcare services to PM-JAY beneficiaries from other States/UTs living in Telangana. The providers base has also increased. Our call centre has started getting calls from the eligible population in the state. We are committed to taking the benefit of the scheme to all eligible beneficiaries.

While the eligible population of the state would benefit from free healthcare services across the country, the launch of a converged scheme will lead to the effective utilisation of resources for providing quality healthcare services. NHA will provide several auxiliary supports to State Health Agency (SHA) including related to fraud and abuse control. A beneficiary can call the toll-free number 14555 to know about their eligibility under the scheme and information on how to avail the services.
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is conducting a study into the feasibility, desirability and appropriateness of a central bank digital currency (CBDC).

This, the central bank said in statement, will include electronic legal tender, for general-purpose retail use, complementary to cash.A retail CBDC can be defined as a digital form of cash aimed at providing the best attributes of both cash and electronic payments, the statement reads.The Sarb said the objective of the feasibility study is to consider how the issuance of a general-purpose CBDC will feed into the central banks policy position and mandate.The Sarb is one of a growing number of central banks looking at the feasibility of the issuance of digital currencies.The study will focus on the issuance of a domestic CBDC that can be used by consumers in South Africa for general retail purposes, the central bank said.The feasibility study will include practical experimentation across different emerging technology platforms, taking into account a variety of factors, including policy, regulatory, security and risk management implications.It should be noted that while the CBDC feasibility study is different from Project Khokha, which focuses on the settlement of high-value transactions between commercial banks and other stakeholders at the wholesale level, it is expected that the two studies will result in better policy alignment and coordination, the central said.The CBDC feasibility study is expected to be concluded in 2022. The Sarb has, at this stage, made no decision to issue a retail CBDC.
With the D&AD Awards taking place tomorrow and Thursday (26 and 27 May), we connected with local jury president of this year's D&AD Radio & Audio jury Tseliso Rangaka, FCB Joburg's CCO to discuss all things judging, where SA fits in to the global creative scene and some of the ramifications of the pandemic on the industry at large and the radio and audio sector more specifically...

Tseliso Rangaka

Congrats on being selected as this years D&ADs Radio & Audio jury president! What does this opportunity mean to you?

Comment on your past involvement in the D&AD Awards, or other awards programmes and/or judging experiences.

#OSawards: Tseliso Rangaka, chief creative officer, FCB Joburg to judge Print & Out of Home Tseliso Rangaka, chief creative officer at FCB Joburg, is one of seven creatives from South Africa who will serve as a judge for The One Show 2021...

What are you most looking forward to re. this years D&AD Awards?

Id like to see ideas that acknowledge our current reality but also go a step further to deliver a refreshing point of view.

Where do you think SA is at creatively speaking in relation to its global counterparts, and specifically with regard to radio and audio?

Comment on the judging process and how the pandemic has affected this.

And how the pandemic has affected the industry and the radio/audio sector more specifically.

Did anything stand out to you with regard to this years entries?

What makes winning work in 2021?

Work that manages to close the gaps between us, through insight, idea and flawless execution, is whats winning in our current context.

Any learnings from your D&AD judging experience?

#Newsmaker: Tseliso Rangaka goes full circle Jessica Tennant interviews Tseliso Rangaka on his return to FCB Joburg, the agency where he started his career 21 years ago...

About D&AD

Thank you. Its a real honour to be invited. D&AD sits quite high on any creative persons list of industry award shows. To lead a jury of extremely accomplished creative leaders is an opportunity to learn from and debate with the very best.This will be my first time in the jury room for D&AD. Ive previously had the privilege to judge Cannes Lions, One Show, The Immortal Awards and of course our local African creativity showcase, the Loerie Awards.Great ideas that draw insight from the times we live in. Not so much the Covid-19 bandwagon work. Although some of it is great.I think we are well respected as an industry. The proof is in the number of South Africans who participate in international awards shows as well as the many creatives that have been headhunted by international agencies. Weve typically dominated the traditional radio space but I think its time we put more effort into creating campaigns that explore the other aspects of sound and audio.Its a mixed bag, some good and some bad. The good is that panels are looking a lot more diverse because travel has been taken out of the equation, so award shows are able to cast the net wider. We also get to be in many places at once as opposed to all being huddled into a dark room somewhere cold. I also think the process itself is a lot more efficient. Everyone gets an equal opportunity to speak. The bad is that weve lost the face-to-face aspect and the bond that typically develops with other judges. Oh, and the chance to travel of course.The pandemic has been devastating in many ways. Weve all suffered major losses. In our personal lives and at our agencies. Theres a silver lining, in that weve probably never been as connected to the world outside our buildings as we are now. Weve been forced to come up for air and thats a good thing in the long run. The role of Radio and Audio has been elevated because the medium is so intimate. Great brands have used radio, during this time, to help us connect better with each other as people.Im not going to name any campaigns, but I will say, great ideas that acknowledged our current reality, and also went a step further to deliver refreshing points of view, held the jurys gaze longer than ideas that didnt.The last 12 months have been a lesson in what disconnectedness can do to us as a species.Ive always wondered why its near impossible to win a D&AD pencil. Now I know. The standard is extremely high and the discussions are a masterclass in what it takes to make the very best work. I feel like I should get a certificate just for going through the experience.D&AD is an education charity that promotes excellence in design and advertising. Each year, the D&AD Awards gather the world's best creative work from across the commercial design, advertising, production and craft disciplines to be judged by more than 400 global creative leaders, practitioners and innovators.Our categories span the full spectrum of disciplines from graphic design to product design, book design, and magazine and newspaper design; art direction to writing, editing, illustration, photography, typography and animation; creative coding to UX, e-commerce and gaming; PR and media to social good, and much more. We have special categories for rising stars who are making waves in the early days of their career and for side projects that are ready to start up or scale up.As a not-for-profit, D&AD invests all surpluses from the Awards into education programmes that help new talent prosper and pave the way into the creative industries for more diverse talent. The winning work forms valuable learning resources for students and emerging talent around the world who are looking to make their first steps into a creative career.
DTP Art Director - Divisional

Remuneration: MarketRelated Location: Bloemfontein Job level: JuniorMid Job policy: Employment Equity position Type: Permanent Reference: #DTPArtDirectBloem99c Company: ninety9cents

Job description

Work to a design brief from the client or designer

Use DTP software (Adobe InDesign) to produce a layout

Product and price layout

Select formatting, such as the size and style of type; column width and spacing

Select and check colour

Requirements

Diploma in DTP/Art Direction or similar

At least 3 years' experience in DTP Art Direction (product and price layout)

Experience in working on retail clients in an advertising agency

Knowledge of and experience in using Adobe software (Adobe InDesign)

Excellent communication skills

Excellent organizational skills

Knowledge of product and price layout is essential

Team player with the ability to work independently

Ability to multi-task across multiple briefs at any given time

Ability to work under extreme pressure

Deadline driven

Resilient

Assertive

Proactive

Reliable

Accountable

Meticulous with attention to detail (careful and thorough in completing work tasks and meeting deadlines)

Flexible to work overtime (outside of regular working hours)

Other

Valid driver's licence and own vehicle will be advantageous



Must be willing to work on alcohol brands

Ninety9cents Communications (Pty) Ltd is a full-service, integrated advertising agency with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg & Zambia, and is one of South Africas largest independently owned agencies. Led by founder and Managing Director Andrew Brand, the agencys extensive client base includes leading brands such as Shoprite/Checkers, Ackermans, PUMA and The Spur Group to name but a few. Our Cape Town office is looking for aArt Director (to be based in Bloemfontein).Your main responsibilities include, but are not limited to:Interested candidates must please submit a concise CV and a link to their online portfolio (this is essential). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.Should you not hear from us within two weeks after submitting your application, please consider your application unsuccessful.We remain committed to the principles of employment equity.Posted on 25 May 15:26
Kyrin and his family, of Kansas City, Missouri, were in Hammond to visit relatives for the May 15 weekend, and a hotel camera caught the boy running from the Best Western Hotel just west of Cline Avenue shortly after noon May 15. Kyrins great-aunt, Patricia Duckworth, said May 17 that Kyrin and his grandmother were in the room together May 15 when the grandmother dozed off for a bit. Kyrin left their room, first to the front of the hotel, she said.
The process of draining the river started Friday. A volunteer using a kayak, Eric Smith, of Hobart, located the boy late Monday about 100 feet west of the Best Western Hotel, 3830 179th St., where he was last seen, police said. Divers were very limited in how far they could see under the river, officials said.
I stand in support of Israel and look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue forging an even stronger Israel-Indiana bond, Holcomb said in a statement. When I was invited, I did not hesitate to make this trip to meet in Israel during such an hour of need.
He was 17 when he killed Molley Lanham, 19, of St. John, and Thomas Grill, 18, of Cedar Lake, on Feb. 25, 2019, at his grandparents Hebron-area home after a drug deal went bad, then loaded their bodies into the Honda Civic they arrived in and set fire to the vehicle in a wooded area a couple miles away.
Top Russian and American diplomats are meeting on Wednesday in an effort to reduce tension in the Arctic as Washington blames Moscow for provocations in the region and warns they may have ramifications for its national security.

Earlier in the day, a source from the Russian Ministry of Defense told Moscows Izvestiya newspaper that it was preparing to deploy a squadron of Su-34 fighter-bomber jets in the area. Major General Igor Churkin, Chief of Staff of the 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army, said that an expansion in the countrys aviation capabilities would be made possible by airfields currently being revamped in the area. He added that warplanes would be able to not only defend Russian territory, but also to patrol and surveil the Arctic region.

On the previous day, the US State Departments Arctic Envoy Jim de Hart told Reuters that the American side was concerned about the presence of Moscows forces, saying Washington had to "make sure that were examining those activities through a national security lens." The official added that some of Russias military activities are "not transparent, provocative and sometimes unprofessional, and thats a concern."

However, de Hart was upbeat about the prospects of a breakthrough at the Arctic Council meeting, set to be held on Wednesday. "Our vision ... is very much one of cooperation," he said. "Its about action on climate change. Its about good science ... and keeping the region peaceful.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Iceland on the sidelines of the summit for talks, amid worsening relations between the two nations. There have been concerns that the issue of the Arctic could derail a push to repair ties. The day before, Blinken had claimed that Russia was advancing "unlawful maritime claims" in the region.

On Monday, Lavrov set out Moscows position on the issue, saying "its long been well known to everyone that this is our territory, this is our land, we are responsible for ensuring that our Arctic coast is safe. And everything our country does there is absolutely legal and legitimate.
Children in Canada as young as 12 are being given free ice cream to take Pfizer's experimental mRNA therapy "vaccine," with no parental permission required.



Throngs of police were filmed guarding one site from outraged parents at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto:





A pop up vaccine clinic in Canada that is offering kids free ice cream in exchange for a vaccine, no parental permission required. Police are guarding the front to stop parents from intervening.



Canadians should be outraged. pic.twitter.com/FDovr1HjUq  Mike The Mad Scientist (@MadMikeOfficial) May 24, 2021

Holiday news: our pop-up vaccine team is coming to Nathan Phillips Square for 12+ year olds this Sunday.



social medicine kicker: free ice cream with the vaccine  pic.twitter.com/304beM8xM4  Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrewb) May 21, 2021

Thousands of Torontonians are getting vaccines at City Hall. A DJ is playing music, ice cream trucks are giving out cones, & the line is moving well.



A small number of anti-vax protesters arrived, but TPS are keeping them off-site at the corner. The energy at the clinic is great pic.twitter.com/t94lYymnaH  Joe Cressy (@joe_cressy) May 23, 2021

Why is the City of Toronto giving away free ice cream when you get a vaccine shot today? Because in Toronto, children as young as 12 are allowed to consent to getting these experimental drugs without parental notification. So theyre marketing directly to children. https://t.co/xzriVfaUxU pic.twitter.com/fgMEt4zITz  Ezra Levant  (@ezralevant) May 23, 2021



"Health Canada approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 12 to 15 on May 5, making Canada the first country to do so," the Toronto Star reported on Friday. "In Toronto, those 12-15 don't need a parent or guardian to allow them to take the vaccine."



The CDC is investigating dozens of reports of heart inflammation (myocarditis) in teenagers and young adults that occur four days after their second dose of Pfizer of Moderna mRNA therapy injections, The Daily Mail reported on Saturday.



The CDC's VAERS database has reported 943 adverse events among 12-to- 17-year-olds as of Friday.



According to the CDC, youths aged 0-19 who catch the coronavirus have a survival rate of 99.997%.



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VICE has managed to snag an interview with Jacob Fauci, a Jewish New Yorker from Long Island who went viral for telling a Palestinian woman complaining about him stealing her home that "If I don't steal it someone else is going to steal it."



On Wednesday, VICE released an piece with both Fauci and the woman having her home stolen in Sheikh Jarrah.



Fauci told VICE he was "chosen" by a US-based group, Nahalat Shimon International, to occupy the home and "make sure that this neighborhood is not lost in any future peace deal."



He refused to say whether he paid rent to live in the home. It seemed to be implied that NSI is actually paying him just to occupy their land.



Fauci said that whether he or a "giraffe" or a "monkey" lives in the house Palestinians are "not coming back into this house ever."



WATCH:







Partial transcript:

VICE: So, your position here is a political position to keep Palestinians out of it?



FAUCI: Not to keep Palestinians out of it, to keep Jews in it.



VICE: And therefore keep the Palestinians who were here out of it.



FAUCI: No-- That's not-- No.



That's a-- That's a necessary evil.



[...]



FAUCI: And they're not coming back in here.



So, whether I'm here, whether I'm not here, whether it's me, whether it's someone else, whether it's a monkey, whether it's a giraffe, they're not coming back into this house ever.

"Since the 1990's, right-wing settler organization Nahalat Shimon International has vigorously fought for the eviction of Sheikh Jarrah's Palestinian residents, and the subsequent replacement of them with groups of Israeli settlers," Mondoweiss reported earlier this month.



"So far, the group has been successful in every one of their endeavors in the neighborhood, and with the backing of the Israeli district court and full support of the Israeli authorities, have displaced more than 67 Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah, and continue to seek the imminent displacement of around 87 more," Mondoweiss continued.



"In addition to the six families under threat of immediate expulsion, an Israeli district court also ruled earlier this year that seven other families in the neighborhood should leave their homes by August 1st."



"In total, 58 people, including 17 children, are set to be forcibly displaced from Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Jewish settlers this year alone."



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U.S. intelligence failures related to the COVID-19 global pandemic include suppression of dissenting views on the origin of the virus, a recent report by House Republicans on the intelligence oversight panel concluded.

We believe the [intelligence community] failed to properly support policymakers with timely products and analysis. Moreover, evidence shows that [its] failures continued in the pandemics aftermath, the minoritys report stated in the annex to a study that linked Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to the pandemics outbreak.

Specifically, Republican members are aware of allegations that [U.S. intelligence agencies] suppressed dissenting views related to the origins of the pandemic and that the community relied upon outside experts with concerning yet undisclosed entanglements, the report said.

The report did not specify the outside experts who may have conflicts. However, the report singled out the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based virus research group and its president, Peter Daszak, one of the most outspoken critics of the theory that the virus came not from an animal host but was leaked accidentally or deliberately by researchers at the Wuhan lab.

EcoHealth Alliance received more than $100 million in U.S. government funding for coronavirus surveillance and research. Mr. Daszak also organized a letter signed by a group of scientists in the early days of the pandemic in 2020 in the British medical journal The Lancet criticizing the lab leak theory as a conspiracy.

The panel Republicans also said there are concerns the U.S. government directly or indirectly engaged in dangerous scientific research with China despite knowing of the Chinese militarys participation.

The committee must determine what role, if any, the [intelligence agencies] had in monitoring or evaluating U.S. policy risks related to these efforts, the report said.

The 20-page report made public last week is based on classified information obtained by the committee as part of its role in providing oversight of the 17 U.S. spy agencies. The report concluded that significant circumstantial evidence shows the virus most likely escaped from the WIV that has been engaged in research on viruses similar to COVID-19.

Why is this important? This is about bioweapons. This is about biowarfare. This is very concerning, California Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told Fox News in releasing the report last week.

The report said that a contrary theory that the virus jumped from a bat to a host animal and then to humans, or was transmitted directly from bats to humans, lacks evidence.

The evidence the virus came from a laboratory includes Chinas record of deadly virus leaks from laboratories, including an escape of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, that is similar to COVID-19.

The virus escape theory also includes warnings from American diplomats in 2017 that WIV was engaged in dangerous research on viruses without using proper safety procedures.

Chinese military research at WIV also raises questions about whether the pandemic may be linked to what the GOP report said is a documented biological weapons program in China.

It had been known that several researchers at WIV were sickened with coronavirus-like symptoms in the fall of 2019. The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that three workers from WIV required hospitalization, and that Chinese officials had not disclosed the details of the sicknesses.

Doubts from Fauci

Chinas government has denied the virus leaked from the WIV or any other laboratory. Beijing instead asserted the virus was introduced into China by the U.S. military, or arrived on frozen food packaging, something most virus experts say is unlikely.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Biden, initially criticized the lab leak theory. But in comments earlier this month just getting attention, Dr. Fauci said that now he is not convinced the virus originated naturally and called for continued investigation of the origin.

I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened, Dr. Fauci said at a May 11 event organized by PolitiFact. Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.

Another factor fueling suspicions that the virus began in a laboratory has been Beijings multiple efforts to cover up the true circumstances of the outbreak that began in December 2019 in Wuhan, the report said.

Mr. Nunes invoked an intelligence community directive that analysis should be designed to prevent bias, politicization or other issues in reporting.

The report suggests intelligence agencies relied heavily on outside experts who misled the intelligence community into believing the virus most likely began as a naturally occurring disease outbreak.

For example, an April 30, 2020, statement by the Office of Director of National Intelligence said U.S. intelligence analysts also concur with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified. A year later in April 2021, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress the laboratory leak theory and animal transmission theory are the U.S. governments two main hypotheses.

Until the testimony, many scientists and their supporters in the mainstream news media dismissed the virus lab leak as a conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing advocates.

A DNI spokeswoman did not return an email seeking comment.

Trump administration White House National Security Adviser Robert C. OBrien said last summer that intelligence agencies failed to appreciate the seriousness of the virus early in the outbreak. Intelligence analysts in January 2020 were still saying this is something like the flu and not as serious as SARS, he said in an interview.

The GOP report noted there is scant evidence for the animal-origin theory and more for the lab-escape scenario.

Chinese researchers have failed to find the original bat population or species from which [COVID-19] might have jumped, despite an intensive search and testing more than 80,000 animals, the report said.

The Republican report stated that a recent scientific paper indicates that the virus has several characteristics that, when taken together, are not easily explained by a natural zoonotic origin hypothesis.

Republican questions

Mr. Nunes has asked Ms. Haines, the DNI, to provide all intelligence on the coronavirus, including reports produced by contractors and outside experts, as well as all intelligence behind the January 2021 State Department fact sheet  the first public report revealing evidence linking the pandemic to the WIV, including the institutes ties to the Chinese military.

Republicans as also seeking any intelligence assessments of the dangers of so-called gain of function research being carried out in Chinese laboratories. Gain of function work involves modifying viruses to make them more infectious to humans, something that could lead to a pandemic like the one produced by COVID. The virus has infected an estimated 163 million people, killing more than 3.3 million people globally.

Does the [intelligence community] understand the full scope of dangerous research conducted at the WIV? What are the  knowledge gaps? Mr. Nunes asked in an April 16 letter to Ms. Haines.

Other information sought by Republicans includes details of collaboration between foreign scientists and the WIV and whether intelligence agencies produced any threat reports on the collaboration.

Suppression of intelligence among spy agency analysts was disclosed during the closing days of the Trump administration. Then-DNI John Ratcliffe in January accused U.S. intelligence analysts of politicization for playing down Chinas role in meddling in the Nov. 3 presidential elections.

From my unique vantage point as the individual who consumes all of the U.S. governments most sensitive intelligence on the Peoples Republic of China, I do not believe the majority view expressed by [intelligence community] analysts fully and accurately reflects the scope of the Chinese governments efforts to influence the 2020 U.S. federal elections, Mr. Ratcliffe stated in a Jan. 7 report.

Mr. Ratcliffe stated that the politicization of China election influence reporting resulted from undue pressure being brought to bear on analysts who offered an alternative view based on the intelligence.

Intelligence analysts instead highlighted Russian interference in the elections.

Ms. Haines, during a nomination hearing in January, vowed to prevent the politicization of intelligence. As DNI she promised to send the clear message to the intelligence community that we are expected to produce apolitical, unvarnished intelligence.
The modern Internet has become a hopeless cesspool of lies, misinformation, malinformation, bad intentions, ignorant good intentions and half-truths, outright hoaxes, slander, cruelty; as well as a refuge for creeps, criminals, thieves, phonies, agent provocateurs, would-be revolutionaries, predators, useless and fake reviews, Satanists, and worse.

Linking the entire globe and all the subsystems of corporate archives, personnel records, medical information, electrical grid interactions, and more will turn out to be the dumbest thing humanity has ever done.

The Internet and its World Wide Web has not fulfilled the promise of connecting the world in a positive way while distributing the combined knowledge of thousands of years of civilization. This horrible network has made matters worse. Hate and divisiveness is the theme of the modern era.

And, yes, you associate all sorts of cool things that happened in this era are with the Internet but most of those things are attributable to desktop computers combined with basic networking. It's not the Internet at all.

The major casualties of the Internet are the distinct loss of expertise and clarity of sources. This is because newspapers and magazines, in particular, were changed by the Internets subversive hyperlinking mechanism that made click-bait the key to profitability.

And while many people do not care about the political bias and agenda-laden slants of todays newspapers, people would like to go on the Internet and find out something other than a definition of a word, which seems to be honest. But even that is ending as politically correct definitions creep into the lexicon almost overnight, where it would take years to accomplish in the past.

Even the definition of a vaccine has changed to accommodate what the Pfizer marketing department calls a vaccine and which has no connection to its previous definition. The change happened overnight.

So I start the week buying some American Wagyu from Costco. Looking online for methodologies to cook this meat, I found discrepant information. Nobody had a clue and much of the information about the meat itself was inaccurate. The timings were wrong, the ways to cook were wrong. The temperatures were wrong. Everything was wrong until I came across a Japanese chef who showed the way. But it took forever to get there.

What good information there is on the Internet is buried under a mountain of rubbish. And the mountain is growing.

At first, I figured Wagyu is new and people are experimenting. But no, this is the case for everything. Unless you are cooking something forgiving, like stew, online recipes, both video and written, are useless drivel. Watching someone cooking Basmati rice without ever rinsing it is mind-boggling.

When the pre-Internet CD-ROM phenomenon was underway in the early 1990s, Fred Gibbons coined the phrase information at your fingertips. It was later used by Bill Gates to promote the emerging CD-ROM industry with Microsoft products such as Encarta, Microsoft Bookshelf, and Cinemania. The idea of information at your fingertips stayed in play with the emergence of the Internet. Now it is bad information at your fingertips.

I started complaining about this years ago. Then I realized that there was no way, despite the enormity of the Internet and the Web, that I could find an honest review site that would determine the best weed whacker to buy.

The most pervasive of supposed review sites were fronts for selling a particular brand of weed whacker.

I noticed this phenomenon for everything from CBD salves to cutlery. Phony review sites promoting one brand over the others. Oh, and wow, the review site will also sell you the product. How lucky can you get?

The Internet has become a cesspool of scammers, money grubbers, fake experts, and creeps. Its no wonder that a TikTok goofball is now considered a valuable influencer and given a lot of money to promote one product or another.

Some years ago, the FTC made a fuss about people on Twitter paid by commercial entities to pretend to like their products. There was an edict that this had to be disclosed, or else.

So what ever happened to that idea with these TikTok, Instagram, and other online influencers who promote everything from the Pfizer jab to cheap cosmetics? I have not seen a disclaimer anywhere for years.

When will we come to realize that the Internet itself is a flawed system and should have been taken down years ago? By its nature it turns everything into crap. Interlinking everything is not a good idea. Its a very bad idea.

The original 1960s idea behind the net was to have some sort of unbreakable network within the USA that could sustain a nuclear attack by Russia. How that morphed into social network abominations and a flood of fake information needs study.

Early Internet (ARPANET) structure was for the Defense Dept.

Worse, the mechanism has enriched exploitative companies led by Google to spy on you to figure out some way to sell you more junk or to allow others to cheat you.

How is any of this good?

Having followed the Internet since its inception, I cannot figure out why it was ever adopted as a useful mechanism by every corporation and public utility. This is despite the fact that, with little effort, it is hackable by thousands of capable people, many criminal.

Records are stolen, confidential documents revealed. While laws are passed to protect the publics medical information, doctors are now required to put all patient data online. Why? What idiot is behind this insanity?

We should be taking information offline, not putting more and more online. Connectivity should decrease, not increase. Its nuts and continues unabated. jcd
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CCTV: At the Security Council's open debate via VTC on improving the safety and security of peacekeepers held early in the morning of May 25, Beijing time, members of the Security Council unanimously adopted the presidential statement put forward by the Chinese side. Could you tell us a bit more about China's role in this open debate as the rotating president of the Security Council in May?

Zhao Lijian: With China's facilitating efforts, the UN Security Council adopted through consensus the China-drafted presidential statement on the safety and security of peacekeepers, making further requirements on having regular and institutional Security Council deliberations on the issue of the safety and security of peacekeepers, ensuring COVID-19 vaccination for peacekeepers, and using new technologies to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers. This presidential statement has become another guideline for the safety and security of peacekeepers.

United Nations peacekeeping operations represent an important means for the maintenance of international peace and security. At present, the security risks faced by peacekeepers have increased significantly. As the UNSC rotating president, China, together with other UNSC members, developed targeted and pragmatic measures on the outstanding security challenges facing peacekeepers, and formulated a presidential statement, which reflects the new consensus of the Security Council on safeguarding the safety and security of peacekeepers under the new circumstances.

As a permanent member of the Security Council, the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members, and the chair of the Group of Friends on the Safety and Security of peacekeepers, China will continue to work with all parties to better safeguard the safety and security of peacekeepers, and better bring into play the important role of peacekeeping operations in maintaining international peace and security.

Bloomberg: The US has advised Americans to avoid travel to Japan due to coronavirus concerns. Do you have any comment on this? Is China considering issuing such a travel warning for Japan?

Zhao Lijian: With the grave situation of COVID-19 around the world at present, China advises citizens to avoid unnecessary cross-border travel for the sake of their health and safety.

On your second question, I don't have any information to offer at the moment.

Beijing Daily: In response to a question on whether Moscow and Beijing would strike an alliance against the United States in an interview on May 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "both our Chinese partners and we are satisfied with the existing format of cooperation. It allows us to resolve any, even the most difficult issues, in a bilateral dialogue, effectively uphold our interests in multilateral associations and coordinate our approaches in the world arena. By working together, Russia and China are exerting a positive, stabilising influence on the global and regional situation...Russia-China relations are at the highest point in their history largely because the existing model of bilateral ties is superior to some extent to the level of interstate cooperation of the unions formed during the Cold War." Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We appreciate Foreign Minister Lavrov's positive remarks. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era has grown as solid as a rock through thick and thin. China-Russia relations have withstood the test of changing international landscape and become the stabilizing force for the world today because the two sides always adhere to the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting at any third party, always respect each other's core interests and accommodate respective reasonable concerns, always shoulder our responsibility, uphold justice and firmly maintain the UN-centered international system and international order based on international law. China stands ready to work with Russia and the international community to continue to support and practice true multilateralism, make international relations more democratic, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation among countries, and inject new impetus and stabilizing elements to world peace and development.

Global Times: When giving a briefing on the outcomes of ROK President Moon Jae-in's recent visit to the US, ROK Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook said that the economic issues contained in the ROK-US leaders' joint statement do not exclude any specific country. He said that China is ROK's largest export market and an important economic partner, and ROK enterprises will continue to invest in China. The ROK government will deepen its economic cooperation with major trading partners including China and the US. What's your comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: We have taken note of Minister Moon Sung-wook's remarks. China and the ROK are close neighbors and important cooperative partners. In the era of globalization, the industrial, supply and value chains of the two countries are deeply integrated. It is in the common interests of the two sides to carry out investment and trade cooperation following the laws of market economy and free trade rules. China welcomes ROK enterprises to continuously play an important role in strengthening China-ROK economic and trade cooperation and promoting the development of bilateral relations.

China Daily: At a press conference on May 24, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the extension of a temporary technical understanding for IAEA's verification and monitoring activities in Iran until June 24. What is China's comment? What impact will this have on the ongoing Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna? How does China view the prospect of the talks and what role is China playing in the talks?

Zhao Lijian: China welcomes the extension of the technical understanding between Iran and the IAEA, and hopes that the understanding can be faithfully implemented. China believes that this reflects Iran's political will to produce results at talks on reviving the JCPOA, and has gained valuable time for the negotiations. At present, important substantive progress has been made in the Iranian nuclear talks, but there are still some differences. China hopes that all parties concerned will act with greater sense of urgency, make a political decision without delay and push for an early breakthrough in the negotiations.

As an important JCPOA party, China has been actively promoting a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, and has done a lot of work to bring JCPOA back on track with the aim of maintaining the international nuclear non-proliferation system as well as peace and stability in the Middle East. Being committed to a political settlement, China has guided all JCPOA parties to earnestly implement the consensus reached at the foreign ministers' meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue last December and initiated negotiations on the resumption of compliance by the US and Iran. We urged the US to reflect on its withdrawal from the agreement, and lift all relevant sanctions against Iran. We also urged Iran to resume its full implementation of the agreement on this basis. China has been playing a mediating role to bridge the differences between the parties by putting forward the "China solution". As a result, the negotiations have produced positive results. China has fulfilled its commitment, overcome various difficulties, and made Iran's Arak heavy water reactor renovation project a highlight in the implementation of JCPOA. China has firmly safeguarded its legitimate rights and interests, and has been working to push the US side to completely lift all illegal unilateral sanctions against Iran, China and other third parties. China has been committed to maintaining regional peace and stability, advocated the establishment of a multilateral dialogue platform in the Gulf region to resolve the security concerns of all parties through equal-footed consultation under the precondition of upholding JCPOA.

As the Chinese saying goes, the last leg of a journey just marks the halfway point. China hopes that all parties can proceed from the long-term and overall interest, give full play to their political wisdom, resolve the outstanding issues with a flexible and pragmatic attitude, and reach a final plan for the resumption of compliance by the US and Iran at an early date to get JCPOA back on track. China will continue to make unremitting efforts to promote this diplomatic process while firmly safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests.

China News Service: President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday. What's the significance of this conversation to party and state relations between the two sides?

Zhao Lijian: During the telephone conversation yesterday, President Xi Jinping and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc held in-depth exchanges on party and state relations between the two sides.

President Xi said that as the CPC is about to celebrate its centenary, China is embarking on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and Viet Nam is forging ahead towards its two centenary goals. The two sides should view and steer party and state relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective to make sure they are moving forward in the right direction.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc extended warm congratulations on the upcoming centenary of the CPC and applauded how China, under the strong leadership of the CPC with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core, secured victory on three fronts, namely, epidemic response, economic recovery and poverty eradication. He congratulated China on its tremendous transformation from standing up to becoming prosperous and strong, and wished China greater success in realizing its second centenary goal.

I would like to stress that socialist China and Viet Nam, friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, enjoy a traditional friendship featuring comradeship, brotherhood and shared ideals. In recent years, party and state relations between the two sides have maintained a sound momentum of growth. This telephone conversation serves to guide the development of relations in the period to come. China attaches high importance to relations with Viet Nam and stands ready to work with it to enrich and update our comprehensive strategic cooperation, build a bilateral community with a shared future with strategic connotations, and inject new impetus into our party and state relations as well as the socialist cause.

Shenzhen TV: According to reports, the Solomon Islands has started administering Sinopharm vaccine jabs provided by China as assistance. Do you have more information on that?

Zhao Lijian: On May 21, the Solomon Islands held a ceremony to mark the beginning of inoculation with China-assisted vaccine shots. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga and several Cabinet ministers attended the event. In remarks delivered at the ceremony, Prime Minister Sogavare thanked President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for the vaccine assistance and said that his government has great confidence in the vaccine's safety and effectiveness and has planned a rollout in all provinces. Deputy Prime Minister Maelanga was the first to receive a jab on site.

The Solomon Islands is the first Pacific island country to start nationwide rollout of a China-made vaccine. This embodies China's concrete efforts to honor its pledge of making vaccines a global public good in the Pacific island region and to advance the building of a global community of health for all. It also reflects the sound momentum of all-round development in China-Solomon Islands ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations in September 2019. It will surely help the Solomon Islands safeguard people's life and health and defeat the epidemic.

Bloomberg: New Zealand's foreign affairs minister said that exporters from the country should be preparing for any potential deterioration in the trade relationship with China by diversifying into other markets. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on these remarks?

Zhao Lijian: China and New Zealand are each other's important cooperation partners. The considerable progress in China-New Zealand relations is achieved on the premise that the two sides have long been committed to mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win results. We hope New Zealand can carry forward the spirit of "striving to be the first" and the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, work with China toward the same direction, make the pie of cooperation bigger, rise above external distractions, and jointly advance China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Paper: We noted that experts held talks about Japan's discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) last week. Experts believed that the Japanese government isn't being a responsible member of the international community when it claims the contaminated water is safe without providing the world with specific and scientifically verified information about that water. South Korean netizens made the call to stop Japan from dumping the nuclear contaminated water into the sea, which can cause cancer for the generations to come. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We noted relevant reports. Tens years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, we haven't seen any effective measures taken by the Japanese side to stop the sustained hazards to neighboring ecology and environment caused by nuclear contaminated water. And what comes now is Japan's unilateral erroneous decision to dump nuclear contaminated water into the sea. We haven't seen any lessons learned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), but only reports that TEPCO has a poor record of sloppy and chaotic management, information concealment, delayed disclosure and data-tampering. The Japanese side has failed its people and lost the trust of the international community on the handling of Fukushima nuclear accident time and again, so we have every reason to question whether the so-called safe disposal means is reasonable or scientific and the information and data authentic and reliable or not.

Japan's dangerous decision out of its selfish calculation will endanger the generations to come and the global ecology. If the Japanese side can't understand this, the international community will help it to get this point. If it still plays dumb and feigns innocence, the international community will never allow it. We hope the Japanese side will clearly understand its due responsibility and obligation on the issue of the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, return to the right track of negotiating with stakeholders and relevant international organizations, and avoid wanton release into the ocean.

AFP: There is a constitutional crisis in Samoa islands. Yesterday, the Prime Minister-elect was barred from entering the parliament while her predecessor has refused to relinquish the power. What's China's position on this issue? Which China considers as the legitimate prime minister of this country?

Zhao Lijian: China and Samoa enjoy good relations. Committed to the principle of non-interference in others' internal affairs, we believe that Samoa has the capability and the wisdom to properly handle its domestic affairs.

AFP: European countries have begun banning flights of Belarus after a commercial flight was forced to land to arrest an opposition activist over the weekend. Will Chinese airlines follow the move? Are Belarus aircraft still allowed to fly over China?

Zhao Lijian: We noticed relevant reports. The facts about the relevant incident is not yet clear. Before getting to the bottom of facts and truth, relevant sides should exercise restraint and avoid an escalation of the situation.


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The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra kicked off its new music season on May 15 with the premiere of its Magnificent China concert. The opening concert at the Shanghai Grand Theater marked the first time more than 10 ethnic instruments were played in one music piece.

In a review for Shanghai news outlet The Paper, reporter Liao Yang wrote that the concert hall lit up and "turned into a rock music show "when all the instruments were played together in the third chapter.

Wang Yunfei, the composer of Magnificent China, says the team has rich experience in creating new composition pieces using ethnic music instruments.

"But this is the first time so many of them appeared in one piece," Wang says.

Instruments included plucked string instruments from Yunnan province, the horsehead fiddle of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the dombra lute of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

"Each has its unique beauty and features distinctive texture and sound quality," Wang told the media before the premiere.

"My mission was to string them up with a narrative thread, and create a journey, or a story, about unity and solidarity among different ethnic groups in China."

Luo Xiaoci, director of the orchestra, says the concert consists of five chapters, following the main thread of Chinese civilization through 5,000 years.

"We have introduced the new composition of Magnificent China this year in celebration of the centennial of the founding of the Communist Party of China, hoping to present the beauty and glory of Chinese culture from a new perspective," Luo says.

The premiere was performed under the baton of Tang Muhai, a renowned musician who used to serve as the chief conductor of the Finnish National Opera, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

Having spent decades conducting Western classical music, Tang says now is the time for Western musicians to play an active part in the development of Chinese music.

"For centuries, we learned from the West and looked up to their culture," says the 71-year-old maestro.

"Chinese instruments and folk music have been making breakthroughs and achievements, presenting the essence of our culture. I think it's time Western musicians are invited to join in the creation and performance of Chinese music as our music is not inferior, but in parallel with the West."

Founded in 1952, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra is the first large-scale orchestra in the country featuring Chinese folk music instrumentation. Tang says Chinese music instruments were brought together to form the orchestra in the 1950s and '60s, learning from the structure of classical Western orchestras.

"Chinese folk music is going through a period of revolutionary development, and I don't want to fall behind," Tang says.

"I hope more musicians can join in and ride the wave, so that we can do the research, create and nurture new talent together."

Tang will join renowned musicians Zhang Guoyong and Tan Dun as a conductor for the SHCO in a series of concerts for its new music season.

The SHCO has held annual music seasons since 2005. Through the years, Luo says they keep improving the programs and have introduced many themed concerts and new compositions which have become part of the orchestra's repertoire.

A major highlight for the 2021-22 season is the premiere of a new Chinese instrument edition of Tan's Buddha Passion, a composition inspired by the ancient mural art in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang in Gansu province.

The concert will be performed by the SHCO at the Shanghai Grand Theater on New Year's Eve. This will be the third year that the theater is hosting a Chinese folk music themed New Year Concert.

Maestro Tan will be conducting the concert himself.

He composed Buddha Passion after he repeatedly visited the murals in Dunhuang and worked on the piece for six years.

To adapt the piece for Chinese instruments, Tan did more studies on the music scenes in the murals. He also made revisions to the piece according to the unique sound quality of folk instruments, as well as the performance styles of individual artists from the SHCO.
As the first of its kind, Zhanqi Village -- a cinematic feature to reflect China's epic changes in the vast countryside thanks to the country's rural revitalization policies -- will open across Chinese mainland on May 25.

Based on real stories taking place in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, the film tells the story of a village Party secretary who leads local young people to seek opportunities and develop distinctive industries.

Recently, more than 50 film critics, researchers and rural revitalization experts gathered at a seminar after a sneak preview of the film in a downtown Beijing cinema.

Veteran scriptwriter Song Fangjin, also deputy head of the China Cinema Literature Association, said the film successfully visualizes China's great shift from ending extreme poverty to the revitalization of rural areas.

Ding Yaping, head of the movie and TV program research institute of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, said the film blends multiple perspectives, ranging from elites to grassroots ordinaries, giving the audience a more comprehensive understanding of the changes in rural China.
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The Delaware Department of Justice determined that law enforcement officers were justified in using deadly force against an attempted murder suspect who shot a corporal six times and fired at two others in December.

Agency findings released released Friday said that the officers  Milford Cpl. T.J. Webb, Delaware State Police Cpl. Joshua DiGiacomo and Probation and Parole Officer George Ramsburg  protected themselves and others by shooting Evelio Rivera, the Delaware News Journal reported.

Rivera, 37, was a fugitive wanted in connection with a fight in Reading, Pennsylvania, when he got into a shootout with the officers in the parking lot of a Rehoboth Beach hotel on the night of Dec. 10.

Webb got out of his car, identified himself as a U.S. Marshal and ordered Rivera to show his hands. The report said Rivera got out and immediately started shooting Webb, who fired back.

Riveras girlfriend and her children got out of the car and ran inside. She later told police that she was afraid of him and that he had pulled a gun on her.

Ramsburg then fired once at Rivera, who ran though the parking lot. The justice department said he and DiGiacomo chased Rivera toward a nearby Cracker Barrel, where DiGiacomo shot Rivera.

Prosecutors said Rivera shot at the two agents at least twice. Investigators later determined that Rivera shot all the ammunition in his gun but believed he might have been reloading it. A spare magazine was found near his body.

DiGiacomo drove Webb to the hospital after Rivera died. The corporal had a metal rod installed from his hip to his knee because his femur shattered, according to the News Journal.

One bullet lodged in his chin was taken out through surgery, and another remains near his armpit because its too close to a nerve. Prosecutors said hell need additional surgeries to remove shrapnel lodged in his lower abdomen.
(The Center Square)  Pennsylvania residents became the first in the nation on Tuesday to vote in favor of limiting the governors emergency powers after an intense year of COVID-19 restrictions.

Now, all eyes turn toward the possibility of legal challenges that could prevent the two approved constitutional amendments from becoming reality  though it appears Gov. Tom Wolf, himself, isnt planning any.

Weve never had something like this [pandemic], he said Wednesday during a news conference about charter school reform. It was a great experiment and a great time to see how the system we had worked, and a lot of people had a sense we could do it better.

Its up to us to make this work, he continued. We have some new rules, lets make this work. That was the message from last night.

The two amendments require the governor to seek legislative approval for disaster declarations extending beyond 21 days and specify that the General Assembly can terminate a declaration upon passage of a concurrent resolution with a simple majority. The latter stems from a failed legal challenge legislative Republicans brought last year when Wolf refused to sign an approved resolution ending the COVID-19 disaster declaration.

Just two weeks after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld that only governors could terminate the states 90-day disaster declarations, lawmakers proposed the two constitutional amendments voters approved 54-46% in Tuesdays primary election.

House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, in a joint statement released Wednesday morning warned against any potential legal challenges to the amendments.

"To use the courts to continue to grasp on to power is to ignore a fresh mandate from those you represent and will confirm the worst fears of a public that wants to change course in the management of emergency periods, the leaders said.

A House GOP spokesperson confirmed that no specific threat has yet materialized.

Kevin Levy, an attorney with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr in Philadelphia, told The Center Square on Wednesday he isnt sure what a legal challenge against the amendments would even look like.

You can challenge anything for any reason whatsoever, he said. Frankly, Im not sure that theres a there there.

Levy pointed to the 3-2 Commonwealth Court ruling issued in January that tossed out a voter-approved constitutional amendment known as Marsys Law because it tried to do too many things.

The amendment expanded victims rights with provisions that required case notifications and the ability to participate in different court proceedings. Critics argued the ballot question that appeared before voters in the November 2019 election bundled too many changes together, violating the constitutions single subject rule.

Thats not the case with these amendments, Levy said. They are really focused on what exactly each [amendment] does.

With the states fourth COVID-19 disaster declaration set to expire Thursday, it's unclear if Wolf will sign another. The Center Square reached out to the administration for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Levy said that although the amendments limit the governors emergency powers, acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam can use her limited authority under the state's Disease Prevention and Control Law to uphold masking mandates, capacity restrictions and other mitigation rules, the remainder of which are set to expire May 31.

It remains to be seen if she will fill in the additional gaps now that Governor Wolf can no longer do that, he said. The Disease Control and Prevention Law [is] not a catch all, but for Covid, it would be very relevant.
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government extended public health orders and welcomed health-care staff from the federal government Tuesday as COVID-19 pushed the province's hospitals closer to the edge.

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Premier Brian Pallister gestures during question period at the Manitoba legislature on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin King -- POOL

WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government extended public health orders and welcomed health-care staff from the federal government Tuesday as COVID-19 pushed the province's hospitals closer to the edge.

Some restrictions tightened last week for the May long weekend were set to expire Wednesday, but are to remain in place until the end of the week. They include a ban on gatherings, indoors or out, except among members of the same household, although there is a small exemption for people who live alone.

"We need Manitobans to know that our health-care system, right now, is at the brink, and we need to bring down these numbers," said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief public health officer.

The number of people in intensive care beds was at 126  more than 50 per cent above pre-pandemic capacity. That number did not include 18 intensive care patients who have been sent to hospitals in several Ontario cities over the past week to try to free up beds.

Half a dozen doctors called on the Progressive Conservative government to close non-essential businesses and enact a stay-at-home order. The surge of COVID-19 patients and the need to reassign health-care workers have resulted in cancelled surgeries and backlogs in other areas of medical care, they said.

"Anyone who has a serious chronic condition, who may have an early cancer that needs to be diagnosed, or is in need of urgent surgery, is now at great risk of not getting the care they need," the doctors said in a statement.

One of the physicians who works in intensive care, Dr. Eric Jacobsohn, said six people have died while waiting for cardiac surgery during the pandemic's third wave.

Premier Brian Pallister asked the federal government last week for health-care staff. Provincial health officials confirmed Tuesday that 12 critical-care nurses are scheduled to arrive in the coming days.

Saskatchewan is also set to accept intensive care patients from Manitoba.

"Starting tomorrow, we will accept our first patient from Manitoba. They may be sent to an ICU outside Saskatoon or Regina," said Scott Livingstone, chief executive officer of the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

"Our plan is to work on a day-by-day basis for the next five days, to look at if we have the ability to support and transfer basically a patient a day."

Manitoba has had the highest per-capita rate of new COVID-19 infections in Canada this month. Health officials reported 259 new cases Tuesday, down from a peak of 603 last week, and two deaths.

Roussin did not rule out stricter public health orders, but said there is little interaction allowed between people under the current rules.

A ban on indoor public gatherings and a 10-pe- cent limit on capacity at stores have been in place for three weeks. Restaurants have been restricted to takeout and delivery, while gyms and hair salons have had to close. Schools in Winnipeg, Brandon and some other areas have moved to remote learning.

Pallister said the public health orders have been stricter and in place longer than most provinces west of New Brunswick.

He pointed the finger partly at the public. Some people are simply ignoring the rules, he said.

"I don't have a lot of sympathy left for people who disobey public health orders knowingly and willingly."

Pallister also repeated a statement by public health officials that some people who have tested positive for the virus are not co-operating with contact tracers.

 With files from Julia Peterson in Regina

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2021.
Chinese tech giant Huawei released an announcement on May 24, reiterating that the company is not making cars and will not make cars in the future, The Paper reported.



We have clarified this long-term strategy since 2018, and not changed it since then, Huawei said.

In its latest statement, Huawei said the industry does not need Huawei-branded cars, but rather its ICT (Information and Communication Technology) technical capacity. Huawei aims to enable car OEMs to build better vehicles based on ICT, which means the company aims to be a provider of digital car-oriented components.

Huawei has not invested in any carmakers, nor will it invest in any in the future. Huawei will not become a controlling shareholder or a shareholder of any car enterprises, the company said, adding that any suggestions of Huawei making cars or having a share in carmakers are rumors.

Huawei noted that it is respectively supporting three of its strategic partners -- BAIC, Chang'an Auto, and GAC Motors -- to build their sub-brands. Cars adopting Huawei autonomous driving solutions can only use the HI logo, which means Huawei Inside, after they are authorized by Huawei.

According to Huawei, it is the electric drive and HiCar components provider of Seres SF5 models. Huawei is selling these car models in its flagship stores across China, providing certain benefits to support operations for these stores, the statement said.
The Branson Board of Aldermen on Thursday (now postponed to July 28) will consider an ordinance that would require face coverings in public spaces. The aldermen might approve it, disapprove it, or approve an amended version. Would you be in favor of some form of mandatory face covering ordinance in the city of Branson?

You voted:
This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeats republishing policy.

Harrisburg, Pa.  Pennsylvanias primary this week hardly resembled the election of six months ago, when local officials were furiously counting millions of mail ballots while handling record-breaking turnout with the nations eyes on the state.

By all accounts, Tuesday was just another typical off-year, relatively drama-free election, which was welcome news to those who oversaw it.

Many of the problems counties faced during the high-turnout, high-intensity November presidential election werent repeated, mostly because fewer people voted in person and by mail.

Still, several counties reported issues with polling locations, ballots, and machines  routine problems, according to state officials and outside experts, though Republican lawmakers who cast doubt on the integrity of the 2020 election said they raised alarms.

Isolated incidents or significant voting issues?

Apart from a few mishaps that are almost certain to occur on Election Day  poll workers not showing up, equipment malfunctions, trouble opening polling stations  the day ran smoothly, Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Veronica Degranffenreid said Tuesday night.

The states voter helpline answered more than 1,100 calls, mostly related to voter registration status, polling place locations, or mail ballots, she said during a news conference.

The nonpartisan Pennsylvania Election Protection Coalition, which ran hotlines in several languages, said its volunteer lawyers fielded calls about inconsistencies and confusion related to official voting precincts, including many that didnt open on time. Allegheny County and Philadelphia generated the most calls.

In Southwestern Pennsylvanias Fayette County, a printing issue caused scanners to reject both Democratic and Republican ballots, a county commissioner told KDKA.

And voters in Luzerne County, located in the northeast, reported issues with voting machines improperly labeling the headers of Republican ballots as Democrat while the GOP races still appeared.

The elections director, Bob Morgan, said his staff discovered the coding error made by the vendor, Dominion Voting Systems, when polls opened Tuesday. Morgan said Dominion hadnt given him the full details of why the error occurred, but the company issued a statement saying it was a data entry mistake and that all ballots would be correctly counted.

The error affected all of the countys 700 machines, and voters were given the option of voting by emergency or provisional ballot if they didnt want to use the machines.

It was not quite the launch I was hoping for, said Morgan, who started as Luzerne Countys election director April 5, a mere six weeks before Election Day.

Another new director, Christa Miller, faced challenges in Lancaster, where local media outlets reported that the countys vendor printed multi-sheet ballots in the wrong order. Election workers will need to hand count approximately 14,000 ballots rather than scan them into machines for automatic counting.

And polling places in several areas, including York County, ran out of ballots, so voters were given the option of voting on a machine or by provisional ballot.

Counties are required to print at least 10% more ballots than the highest number of votes cast in any of the previous three municipal primary elections. Degraffenreid said one solution to shortages would be for counties to have access to on-demand ballot printers.

She called these isolated incidents, though the department will conduct an after-action review to find out why and how the errors occurred.

Chris Deluzio, policy director at the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, said administrative hiccups are common in elections, and Tuesdays primary was no exception.

As a general matter, what was reported for yesterdays election struck me as a pretty ordinary, generally well-run election across the commonwealth, he said.

Still, two top House Republicans  Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff and Rep. Seth Grove, who controls a committee through which all election-related legislation must pass  called Tuesdays primary a mess with significant voting issues.

Deluzio said he was skeptical of the GOPs rhetoric around elections, adding Republicans seemed to be using any evidence they can to erect barriers to voting.

I dont think they are relying on good-faith arguments about improving elections, he said.

Pat Christmas, policy director at the good-government group Committee of Seventy, said he wasnt surprised counties experienced problems Tuesday, especially as election workers continue getting used to the major changes the General Assembly made to the Election Code in 2019 and 2020, including allowing no-excuse mail voting.

I think its also fair to say the counties remain extremely stretched  stretched for personnel, stretched for funding, stretched for time  and thats going to increase the risk that mistakes are made, Christmas said.

Voter turnout surpasses 2 million and counting

Unofficial results as of Wednesday morning showed that at least 2 million people voted on ballot questions open to all registered voters  not just Democrats or Republicans  though a Department of State spokesperson said turnout couldnt be estimated until we hear from most of the counties. County boards of elections have until June 7 to certify the election results to the secretary of the commonwealth.

More than 8.5 million Pennsylvanians are registered to vote, putting Tuesdays turnout at around 22% currently. In the two most recent municipal primaries, turnout hovered around 1 million voters.

At least 587,000 voters returned mail ballots

The Department of State did not have final numbers as of Wednesday morning, but at least 587,353 people voted by mail while 820,900 people applied for a ballot. Thats a return rate of about 72%  similar to the 68% rate seen during last years primary, the first in which no-excuse mail voting was available.

Wednesdays initial numbers show Democrats cast mail ballots at more than three times the rate as Republicans across the state, with the bluest counties  Allegheny, Philadelphia, and citys collar counties  returning the most.

We dont know how many mail ballots wont count

Under state law, counties can only accept mail ballots that arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day. But last fall, anticipating unprecedented voting by mail and U.S. Postal Service delays, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled officials could count ballots that arrived up to three days after the election.

That grace period is gone, and ballots had to arrive at county election offices by 8 p.m. Tuesday to count. Its too soon to say how many ballots will come in after that deadline, but in last years general election about 10,000 ballots arrived during that three-day period.

Most counties finished counting mail ballots Tuesday night

The states universal mail voting law gave Pennsylvanians a new way to cast a ballot in 2020, but it also put increased pressure on county election offices. Local officials repeatedly pleaded with lawmakers to pass a bill giving them time before Election Day to begin processing, or pre-canvassing, these ballots.

But in the end, no such change was made, and it took some counties days to get through millions of ballots, giving former President Donald Trump a window to falsely claim the election was stolen from him.

County election departments once again couldnt start processing mail ballots until 7 a.m. Tuesday, but many were able to count most or all of their mail ballots by the time polls closed, thanks to low turnout.

Some counties, including Beaver and Monroe, chose not to begin counting mail ballots until Wednesday, with election officials saying they wanted their staff to focus on running the in-person election.

Mercer County Election Director Thad Hall said his staff will count the countys approximately 4,000 ballots Wednesday and conduct an audit by hand with the two major political parties on Friday.

Changes to Pa.s election law are expected soon

Republicans in the General Assembly have spent the past six months calling for changes to Pennsylvanias Election Code.

Many of those same lawmakers urged the states congressional delegation to object to Pennsylvanias Electoral College votes for President Joe Biden, while some repeated Trumps false claims that the November presidential election was fraudulent.

Grove, the Republican chair of the state House committee that considers election bills, released a report last week that floated a stricter voter ID law, earlier voter registration deadline, and mandatory signature verification on all mail ballots as possible changes.

In the meantime, lawmakers from both major parties have filed at least 44 election-related bills, ranging from allowing same-day voter registration to eliminating no-excuse mail voting.

Grove and Benninghoff, the House majority leader, said in a statement Tuesday they would advance reform measures in the coming weeks.

While results are still coming in, it is crystal clear that our Election Code is in dire need of significant reform focused on accountability, security, training, the lawmakers said.

Any election-related proposals need the approval of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who has said hes opposed to stricter voter ID laws as well as any legislation that would make it more difficult to vote.

WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Archegos wasnt the first blowup that Deutsche Bank sidestepped under Sewing. The bank last year avoided taking a potentially damaging financial and reputational hit from the collapse of payments firm Wirecard, having cut its exposure as doubts about the companys business grew. It also hasnt taken a direct hit from Greensill Capital, the supply-chain finance firm whose demise forced Credit Suisse Group to liquidate a $US10 billion group of funds. Of all those pitfalls, Archegos had by far the biggest potential to do lasting damage to the green shoots of Sewings turnaround. Deutsche Bank had joined several other investment banks in dealing with the family office of Bill Hwang, who was barred from the investment advisory industry after pleading guilty to wire fraud on behalf of his shuttered hedge fund in 2012. Many firms had been willing to accept more risk in return for the hefty fees Archegos provided. Credit Suisse, for instance, allowed it to borrow up to ten times the value of its collateral. The Swiss bank ended up with some $US5.5 billion in losses, the most of any firm. Deutsche Bank had run up an exposure worth several billions of dollars, according to people familiar with the matter. But it hadnt lent as aggressively and its arrangement with Archegos allowed it to ask for more collateral to back up what looked like an increasingly imbalanced house of cards. The bank, which was conducting daily analyses of Archegoss holdings, had noticed already in February that concentration risk was rising. In early March, it started to request more collateral, the people said, asking for anonymity discussing internal information. By March 24, when Lewis explained the situation to Sewing in that phone call, he told the CEO that the banks internal models were pointing to relatively minor potential losses. Still, that didnt prevent some heightened nerves in the firms ranks over the next two days as Archegos was found in default and a standstill agreement that some lenders had tried to broker fell apart.

When it became clear on Friday that rivals were cutting their lifelines and getting out, Lewis got on a 20-minute call with his team, and the bank decided to liquidate. The firms traders sold most of the positions that Friday to multiple buyers including Marshall Wace, one of Europes largest hedge fund managers. The bank used direct sales, aiming to avoid spooking the markets. Within a few days, it recovered all of its money and even had some collateral left. Among the 25 biggest banks in the world, Deutsche Bank was the only one to have a net loss over the past 10 years, while many rivals racked up more than $US100 billion of profits. Credit:AP Navigating minefields without a hit is a new experience at a lender that over the prior decades had developed a reputation for putting quick profits and bonuses before the interests of clients, let alone the broader public. When the world stepped up scrutiny of the industry in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Deutsche Bank ended up footing the biggest legal bill of any European bank, spending more than $US19.4 billion on fines and settlements. Its lost decade stood out even in a post-crisis period that was tough for many European lenders. Among the 25 biggest banks in the world, it was the only one to have a net loss over the past 10 years, while many rivals racked up more than $US100 billion of profits. The CEO early in his tenure made it a top priority to rein in the conflicts between the various businesses  and their executives  to combat the internecine warfare that had plagued many of his predecessors. After inheriting a bank that had unceremoniously dumped former CEO John Cryan and seen open revolt across the management board, Sewing moved quickly to consolidate power. Out were those of questionable loyalty, often replaced by internal confidantes with whom hed risen through the ranks.

Both Deutsche Bank and its crosstown rival Commerzbank have embarked on aggressive cuts to their branch network and staff. Between the two lenders, some 650 locations and 28,000 jobs are being cut. Loading The years since the financial crisis have really been a lost decade for investors in German banks, said Florian von Hardenberg, a UBS banker who advises German lenders on acquisitions and other strategic questions. But the new restructuring plans have more ambition than previous ones, and theyve worked through their legacy issues. For the first time in a long time, they actually have a chance to achieve a healthy level of profitability. Sewing is a proponent of consolidation, though he has ruled out a transaction in which Deutsche Bank would be the junior partner. But after the banks share price recovered, transformational deals are becoming conceivable for top management, people familiar with the matter said. Credit Suisse has recently come up as one option in internal talks, they said. Deutsche Bank could also revive merger talks with Commerzbank. The two held talks in 2019 at the urging of the government, but decided to focus on their respective restructurings instead.
Shale investors have been demanding more consolidation in the US oil patch. But not exactly a deal like this one.

The merger of Cabot Oil & Gas with Cimarex Energy announced on Monday (US time) has confounded investors and analysts, leaving them to question the logic behind a tie-up that the companies say will increase diversification. Cimarex is mostly an oil explorer in Texas and Oklahoma, while Cabot is focused on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale basin in Appalachia.

Shares in both companies dropped sharply on Wall Street. Credit:NYSE

Although the two companies are following a path blazed by other shale explorers of late by clinching a deal involving almost no takeover premium, it wasnt enough to win over investors. Shares of both drillers slumped.

Analysts at Citigroup said the deal - an all-stock transaction valued at about $US7.4 billion ($9.5 billion) - was an unexpected pairing as it creates geographic diversity, unlike other major industry transactions recently. KeyBanc Capital Marketsdowngraded shares of Cimarex because of the lack of a premium and what it views as no clear strategic benefit to investors. Bloomberg Intelligence said a Permian-focused partner would have made far more sense for Cimarex.
Belvoir St Theatres artistic director Eamon Flack remembers the moment he first read The Cherry Orchard by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.

It was on a verandah in Perth in my first year in drama school, he says. I was lying in a friends hammock. That was exactly 20 years ago. I remember a funny feeling of familiarity I had with it and some sort of excitement. Its funny, I havent thought about that for a long time.

Pamela Rabe plays Madame Ranevskaya in the Belvoir production of The Cherry Orchard. Credit:Janie Barrett

Flacks connection with the 117-year-old play, which he is directing from his own adaptation for a season at Belvoir St Theatre that starts on Saturday, came from memories of his peripatetic childhood.

My father had a knack for getting retrenched or fired, or for resigning in high dudgeon, he says. And so we kept having to leave where we were at. Youd connect to a place and then you get kicked out of it and you have to move on to the next one. I moved five times before I was eight and my response was just being a dreamer.
Healthcare workers are being told to stop inserting catheters as a default when someone enters hospital, as high rates of complications cause unnecessary stress for patients.

A new clinical care standard released on Wednesday recommends hospital staff consider the needs of an individual patient and the anxiety having a catheter inserted can cause before using the device.

There are 7.7 million catheters, also known as cannulas or drips, inserted in Australia each year. However, surveys have shown up to two in five attempts to insert a catheter fail, and up to half inserted in emergency departments remain unused.

Dr Evan Alexandrou, a senior lecturer at Western Sydney University and clinical nurse consultant at Liverpool Hospital said the rate of failure was unacceptable but some hospitals viewed catheters as a default device.

If it was any other product it would probably be recalled, he said. We are talking millions of patients affected every year.
With interest rates paid on bank deposits at record lows, self-funded retirees who need to generate income to maintain their living standards have been forced to take on more risk with their capital. In most cases, that means buying shares.

However, which stocks still pay good income while maintaining a margin of price safety as the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index hovers around its record high in a market stretched by high valuations?

One way to boost income is with high-yielding shares, but beware the traps Credit:Getty

Lex Hall, senior editor at Morningstar, has sifted through a list of publicly traded Australian companies to identify cheap stocks with bright outlooks offering the highest dividend yields.

The 14 companies selected not only offer cash dividend yields that are in excess of the market average, but also are considered by Morningstar analysts as trading at less than their intrinsic value.
The US wants an unjust world, not a rules-based one

09:58, May 25, 2021 By Md Enamul Hassan ( People's Daily Online

President Joe Biden and other members of his administration are often heard uttering the phrase rules-based international order. The phrase describes a world where all conduct their activities by agreed rules that have evolved over the ages. The rules include international laws, arrangements, protocols, and other instruments.

However, the sugar-coated phrase is often pronounced by the US to portray its perceived opponent China as a violator of the generally accepted rules while running its international affairs. The falling superpower is misusing the phrase to discredit China as an unruly global power that, according to the US, has no respect for international rules and instruments.

U.S. soldiers stand guard at the site of car bombing in Nangarhar Province, east Afghanistan, Jan. 5, 2015. (Xinhua/Tahir Safi)

International analysts have already declined to buy this US description of China. The analysts are of the view that the US is trying to pass the buck on China. They believe that the US itself has a long history of breaching the rules to achieve its interests. Yet, the US is laying the blame for the offenses it is repeatedly committing at Chinas door.

American historian Christopher Kelly and British historian Stuart Laycock have mentioned in their book America Invades: How Weve Invaded Or Been Militarily Involved With Almost Every Country on Earth that the US has invaded or fought in 84 of the 193 countries recognized by the United Nations and has been militarily involved with 191 of those 193  a staggering 98 percent.

Independent observers have questioned under which rules the US has invaded those countries, resulting in the killings of millions of people including innocent civilians all over the world, especially in its rival countries.

David Swanson, an American anti-war activist, has written that since World War II, the US military has killed or helped kill some 20 million people, overthrown at least 36 governments, interfered in at least 85 foreign elections, attempted to assassinate over 50 foreign leaders and dropped bombs on people in over 30 countries. The US is responsible for the deaths of five million people in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and over one million in Iraq just since 2003.

He further mentioned that since 2001, the US has been systematically destroying a region of the globe, bombing Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria. The US has special forces operating in two-thirds of the worlds countries and non-special forces in three-quarters of them.

The world has the right to ask the US why it blatantly interferes in the internal and external affairs of other independent and sovereign countries. They deserve a legitimate explanation from the US about which provisions of the international rules allow it to act in this way.

To date, the US has sanctioned more than 36 countries (either unilaterally or in part) including the Balkans, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nicaragua, DPRK, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

People have the right to know based on which rules the US is imposing sanctions on its rival countries, causing starvation and death for millions of innocent civilians including women and children. They want to learn which rules the US is following in pushing other sovereign countries to comply with the sanctions it imposes on its rival countries.

The US is seen to be very vocal against the violations of human rights around the world. For many years, it has been causing a huge hue and cry over so-called human rights violations in Xinjiang, China. The US should explain why it is now stopping short of even calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The world is eager to learn which rules it is following and which human rights it is protecting in approving the sale of precision-guided weapons to Israel worth $735 million at a time, when calls for a ceasefire are mounting from all over the world.

People also have the right to ask the US why it has blocked a unified statement three consecutive times in a week at the United Nations Security Council that would have "condemned Israel's military response and called for a ceasefire."

Though it is very vocal over human rights, the US does not commit to any rules or laws in reality. The superpower is only driven by its vested interests. People have already understood how the US has transformed the world into an unjust place, which is exactly what it wants.

Just as the US once used the rhetoric of the war on terror to destroy Muslim powers, so too is it now using the phrase 'rules-based world against China. People understand that its nothing but a new strategy of the US to hold back Chinas rise and maintain its unjust supremacy in the global arena.

This article is edited and republished from Chinatimes24.com

Md Enamul Hassan is a news editor and broadcast journalist at China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing, China.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Chinese authorities have admonished key enterprises in the bulk commodity sector to rein in market irregularities and keep commodity prices stable, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).



The NDRC, together with other four relevant government departments, reminded enterprises with market influence in sectors such as iron ore, steel, copper and aluminum at a Sunday meeting to run in accordance with laws and regulations and keep the market prices in order.

Industry associations such as the China Iron and Steel Association and the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association also attended the meeting.

The recent price rally in commodities is partly driven by the transmission of global price rises, but excessive speculation in the market has also pushed up the prices, said the meeting.

Key enterprises should move to promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries and keep the industrial ecology healthy, it said.

The meeting also urged the enterprises against irregularities such as price manipulation, the making and spreading of false information on price hikes, price gouging and hoarding.

For the next stage, authorities will closely monitor the trend in commodity prices, strengthen regulation over the co-movement between the futures market and spot market of bulk commodities and adopt a zero-tolerance attitude on irregularities, according to the meeting.

Enterprises and industry associations at the meeting pledged to regulate production activities and operate in keeping with the law to keep the market and prices stable.

Facing commodity price hikes, a State Council executive meeting last week outlined measures to better ensure the supply and stable pricing of commodities, including higher export tariffs on some iron and steel products, provisional zero import taxes on pig iron and scrap steel, and doing away with export tax rebates on some steel products.
In its evening press conference, the South Australian government has also released a report into how a Melbourne man caught COVID-19 in hotel quarantine. The new outbreak has been genomically linked to him.

South Australian chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said the review found the man likely caught COVID-19 in the Playford Hotel through aerosal transmission, when food was delivered to residents in the facility.

Quarantined hotel quests on the balcony of the Peppers on Waymouth Hotel in Adelaide. Credit:Getty

There were two occasions when the case that was infectious - and we didnt know he was infectious at that stage or nor did he - where hed opened his door to get food that had been delivered, once was less than 30 minutes, once was less than 12 minutes, he shut his door and [has] gone back inside. But the person in the next room opened his door to get his food and pick up his parcels as well... Its possible [that] opening the door could have brought that person who was not infected in contact [with the virus].

Professor Spurrier said the review found that there was sufficient ventilation in the hotel. However, there was less air change because the man had stayed in a room at the end of a corridor.

She said changes would now be made to the way guests interacted with staff in SA quarantine hotels. [That means] looking at how we provide food and, of course, other things that guests need during their stay, she said.

Authorities will also try to reduce the number of door openings and stagger door openings between different guests.

Professor Spurrier flagged there was already greater effort being made to separate people in hotel quarantine based on their likelihood of having coronavirus.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said he would not join Victorias call for constructing dedicated quarantine facilities in the wake of this latest breach.

There is certainly no recommendation in the report [released today] for anything over and above what we have at the moment in terms [of the] physical infrastructure, he said.

It doesnt matter where the hotel is located this. Is a disease which knows no geographic location. If that advice changes, of course of course well take action.
Celebrity chef Pete Evans has been fined almost $80,000 and ordered to stop making various claims about his wellness products.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration issued the infringement notices totalling $79,920 to Peter Evans Chef Pty Ltd, while Mr Evans was also ordered to remove non-compliant advertising.

The multiple fines were issued in relation to products including the BioCharger device, hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers and two oral medicines.

Celebrity chef Pete Evans has been fined by the TGA. Credit:James Brickwood

The products were not, at the time of advertising, included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). Under Australian laws, all therapeutic goods, like medical devices and medicines, must be entered in the ARTG before they can be advertised.
Some south-east Queensland beaches have been closed as hazardous surf and swell conditions batter the coast.

Kings Beach, Mudjimba Beach, Main Beach and North Stradbroke Island were closed on Tuesday morning, with Surf Life Saving Queensland urging people to stay out of the water.

Hazardous surf is expected to continue throughout the week. Credit:Jessica Hromas

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rosa Hoff said the weather could be hazardous for rock fishing, boating and swimming.

There is a south-easterly swell being caused by a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea, with a deep low pressure system north-east of New Zealand causing the water to travel to Queensland beaches, she said.
Two new technology clusters have been activated in Queensland to help foster the states burgeoning hydrogen industry, including a $100,000 boost from the Queensland government.

The industry hubs will be based at Gladstone and Toowoomba, and are expected to work in co-operation with a cluster already established in Brisbane, known as H2Q.

Toowoomba and Gladstone will be the latest technology clusters to drive the hydrogen industry. Credit:Matthew Absalom-Wong

The Queensland government partnered with National Energy Resources Australia to establish the clusters as part of a nationwide push to drive development of the hydrogen industry.

NERAs national cluster development manager Leigh Kennedy said bringing the Gladstone and Toowoomba hubs online meant they could build on the energy industries already in those regions.
Investigations are under way into the cause of an explosion in a central Queensland power station that left 400,000 people without electricity on Tuesday.

A fire at the Callide Power Station caused chaos across the state, from Rockhampton to the Gold Coast just before 2pm, and instability on the electricity grid.

Unit C4 at the station received major damage and a turbine failed but the cause of the fire was still unclear on Wednesday.

Power station operator CS Energy was working to understand how to repair the unit.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said four firefighting crews responded to a turbine on fire at the power station. She said multiple transmission lines were tripped and an exclusion zone of 550 metres was set up, with an evacuation of the premises under way before crews arrived. The Australian Energy Market Operator urged Queenslanders to temporarily reduce their energy usage on Tuesday night from 5pm to 9pm and earlier warned of further possible rolling outages. Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said the AEMO had been advised the issue should be resolved by 9.30pm. The best way to ensure this is done as quickly as possible is to conserve energy use, Mr de Brenni said.

If you and your family are in a position to, please consider conserving energy by turning off appliances, heaters and reverse-cycle airconditioning. Commercial and industrial users can also contribute to the effort by reducing energy use where its safe to do so. In the states south-east, residents from the Gold Coast to Caboolture were affected by the large-scale outage, while Ergon Energy reported outages across Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Agnes Water. Banana Shire Council chief executive Tom Upton said the outage hasnt caused us too much grief mate. Its all back on now mate, so its all good, he said.

There were a few problems with everything that run on power, so for residents it was a minor inconvenience. For us at Council our emergency back-up systems kicked in. Mr Upton said there were not too many problems in the streets of Biloela. Well its daytime up here still so you couldnt see the lights off and were a small country town with one set of traffic lights so it hasnt given us to much grief, mate. He said CS Energy would be reviewing their plant, but there were no long-lasting impacts on the town.

Traffic was impacted after traffic lights at several intersections throughout the south-east, including Brisbane suburbs, lost power. There were more than 10,000 outages across the Cairns region, while Townsville recorded about 3000 outages. Mackay reported about 2000 outages while Gladstone has recorded just over 3000. The University of Queensland in Brisbanes St Lucia also reportedly lost power. The Brisbane Airport reported a 15-minute power outage at the international terminal from 2.15pm before it was returned to mains power.

The domestic terminal was not affected. Energex said it was unknown how long properties would be without power. At 3.10pm, Ergon Energy said 250,000 Queenslanders who were affected by the mass outage had their power restored.

Queensland Health said Gold Coast University Hospital was affected by the power outages and had to engage back-up generators. Emergency generators immediately switched on in the Intensive Care Unit, operating theatres and other critical care areas of the hospital, a Gold Coast Health spokeswoman said. Generators in other clinical areas were manually implemented. The spokeswoman said the hospital, as well as Robina Hospital, were on code yellow, meaning ambulances were being diverted to other hospitals. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the sudden loss of 2000 megawatts of generated electricity at Callide Power Station caused outages across the state.
Controversial superannuation reforms giving the federal government the ability to intervene in funds investment decisions are facing an uphill battle with crossbench MPs who say the changes hand too much power to the government.

Crossbench MPs Craig Kelly and Bob Katter are not prepared to support the governments bill due to concerns about the veto powers the new scheme hands the federal government to intervene in investment and spending decisions as well as new measures stapling super funds to workers so their fund follows them when they switch jobs.

Bob Katter said the superannuation policy has potential for misuse in future. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The Your Future, Your Super reforms, unveiled in last years federal budget, aim to reduce the number of duplicate superannuation accounts being created, improve efficiency and lift the investment performance of the sector. The changes include a raft of new measures including powers for the government to intervene in superannuation funds spending decisions and requiring funds to meet new performance benchmarks.

Labor superannuation spokesman Stephen Jones previously wrote to MPs and major business groups to warn them about the extra powers the legislation would hand to the treasurer, describing it as bad for investment, particularly in regional areas.
Sexual consent laws in NSW will be overhauled to require a person to show they took active steps to find out if a person consented to sex before they can rely in court on a mistaken but reasonable belief in consent.

NSW will amend its sexual assault laws to mirror changes in Tasmania, where the criminal law explicitly states a person does not consent to sex if they do not say or do anything to communicate consent. Similar laws exist in Victoria.

The reforms follow years of advocacy led by Saxon Mullins. Credit:James Brickwood

Under the affirmative consent model, an accused will have to show they did or said something to find out if a person was consenting to sex if they want to rely on a mistaken but reasonable belief that there was consent.

You just cant assume through lack of resistance or lack of protest that consent has been given, NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said.
Environmentalists are celebrating after the Federal Court rejected a decision that granted Adani approval to access billions of litres of water for its Carmichael coal mine in Queensland.

But Adani, which has rebranded itself Bravus, insisted the decision would not impact the operation of its mine, in the Galilee Basin.

Equipment arrives to remove the overburden from Adanis Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland in July 2020. Credit:Cameron Laird

It comes as Queensland authorities confirmed they were investigating allegations of environmental breaches at the Adani coal mine and rail project.

The Federal Court on Tuesday ruled the Morrison government should have applied a water trigger to Adanis North Galilee Water Scheme, which planned to take 12.5 billion litres of water a year from Queenslands Suttor River.
London: Billionaire Chinese businessman Jack Ma is expected to resign as president of his elite entrepreneur academy as authorities pile more pressure on his business empire.

The founder of e-commerce business Alibaba and financial technology company Ant Group has faced intense scrutiny of his operations in recent months.

Authorities in China have reportedly grown concerned that serving as president of the organisation could have allowed Ma to lead the creation of a new generation of entrepreneurs who may have gone on to influence Chinese politics.

Regulators have piled pressure on the founder of e-commerce group Alibaba and his business empire. Credit:AP

Ma, known in the West as the Steve Jobs of China, will no longer be president of Hupan University, an executive training institute he founded six years ago in his home city of Hangzhou, the Financial Times reported.
Italy's Competition Authority (AGCM) has fined Irish budget airline Ryanair 4.2 million euros (5.1 million U.S. dollars) for unfair commercial practices in the country, the watchdog said in a statement on Monday.

"The company -- once travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 emergency were no longer in place -- has not refunded consumers the costs of tickets for flights canceled after June 3, 2020," said the statement.

Easyjet and Volotea, two other low-costs flight companies, had also been fined 2.8 million euros and 1.4 million euros respectively for the same reason in the previous days, according to AGCM.

The Authority explained the three companies engaged in "seriously improper conduct" when they canceled several flights scheduled and put them on sale still justifying their decision with the health emergency despite the fact that COVID-related travel restrictions had been lifted already.

While doing so, the AGCM noted, they kept issuing vouchers without allowing their customers to be refunded of the cost of their tickets.

"Furthermore, misleading and omissive information has been provided to consumers about their rights, and the recognition of the monetary reimbursement has been hindered and delayed," it stated.

Finally, the advertising campaign Ryanair run starting from June 2020 was also considered as misleading, said the statement, citing that the company focused its advertisement on the opportunity of changing a booked flight for free, but charged higher rates for the new flight compared to those simultaneously applied by its booking system, and imposed a penalty when the change was made within 7 days prior to departure. (1 euro = 1.22. U.S. dollars)
The Russian girlfriend of dissident Belarussian journalist Raman Pratasevich has appeared in a government-produced confession video two days after their flight was diverted by a warplane to Minsk on Sunday, prompting European nations to ban flights to, from or over the east European nation.

Sofia Sapega, a 23-year-old student, was detained alongside Pratasevich in connection with the suspicion of having committed, between August and September 2020, offences under several articles of the Belarusian Criminal Code, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said.

A video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday evening showed a young woman sitting in a chair who said she was Sapega.

The woman said she was the editor of a social media channel which has disclosed the personal information of Belarusian law enforcement personnel, which is a crime in Belarus.
BUCKS COUNTY

Guardians looking for recruits to offer final salutes

'THEY GAVE ALL THAT WAS ASKED. NOW ITS OUR TURN': Guardians of the National Cemetery looking for new recruits to help honor those who serve
The former Central Connecticut player spent most of last season on the New England Patriots practice squad.
By Sudarshan Varadhan and Aditi Shah

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Automakers Renault, its alliance partner Nissan Motor Co and Hyundai Motor Co face temporary factory closures in India due to growing unrest among workers concerned about rising COVID-19 infections.

Workers at Renault-Nissan's car plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu will go on strike on Wednesday because their COVID-related safety demands have not been met, a union representing the workers told the company in a letter on Monday.

Hyundai said it would suspend operations at its plant, also in Tamil Nadu, for five days starting Tuesday, after several workers staged a brief, sit-in protest on Monday amid rising cases in the state.

"The management agreed to close the plant after workers expressed concerns over safety after two employees succumbed to COVID," E. Muthukumar, president of the Hyundai Motor India Employees Union, told Reuters.

The unrest highlights the challenges companies face in India amid a huge wave of COVID-19 infections, an overwhelmed health system and a shortage of vaccines which is making employees more fearful.

Tamil Nadu is one of the worst hit states with more than 30,000 cases a day last week. The state, an auto hub known as India's Detroit, has imposed a lockdown until May 31 but allowed some factories, including auto plants, to continue operating.

The strike threat at the Renault-Nissan plant came ahead of a court hearing on Monday over allegations from workers that social distancing norms were being flouted and factory health policies did not sufficiently address the risk to lives.

Renault-Nissan has said it is following COVID-19 safety protocols.

At the hearing, a lawyer for the workers argued that while the company had reduced the number of shifts, production numbers had not been cut and the headcount remained the same leading to crowding on the factory floor.

The company told the court it had reduced the workforce to around 5,000 from 8,000. It also said it had vaccinated employees over 45 and was willing to inoculate those under 45 if vaccines were made available.

The two-judge bench presiding over the case said that while the health of workers is paramount, if industries go down there will be no place for them to work. They also said the company must not take advantage of the exemption granted by the state and should reduce production to meet only necessary export orders.

"The production should have fallen ... You also have to assuage the feeling of the workers," said the court, which will next hear the case on May 31.

The union, which represents about 3,500 workers at the plant, said in its May 24 letter to Renault-Nissan that workers would not return until they felt safe.

The workers' demands include lower production so there is better social distancing, vaccinations and higher insurance cover to include medical expenses for their families.

Nissan, which owns a majority stake in the plant, declined to comment.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan and Aditi Shah. Editing by Ed Osmond, Mark Potter, David Clarke and Nick Macfie)

(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 has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to have some sort of supervision at Automotive India Private Ltd so that the workmen are not forced to work risking their health.

The court also ordered Automotive to submit the production details after the reduction of shifts from three to two.

Hearing a case filed by India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS), the court on Monday said: "It is imperative that some kind of supervision be maintained by the State through the appropriate officers so that the workmen at Renault are not forced to work in conditions that may put their health in danger."

The RNITS had complained to the court that Renault Nissan Automotive is seeking to take advantage of the exemption granted by the Tamil Nadu government without even bringing down the level of production to only so much as may be necessary to meet the export commitments.

The workers union also complained about lack of supervision of the current conditions at work by any government official, whether from the Directorate of Industrial Safety or the appropriate authorities under the Factories Act.

The court also asked Renault Nissan Automotive to indicate whether the production has been reduced after reducing the number of shifts from three to two.

The court said the conversion of three shifts to two may be meaningless if the overall number of workmen continues to be the same.

"It will be open to the employer to furnish the further details by way of a supplementary affidavit be filed before the matter is taken up next,a the Court ordered.

--IANS

vj/in

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British premium brand Motorcycles on Tuesday said it has launched the updated version of Bonneville Bobber in India priced at Rs 11.75 lakh (ex-showroom).

The 2021 Bonneville Bobber comes with enhanced engine performance, technology and equipment.

"The Bobber has always had a demand among Indian customers and due to this we decided to bring the Bobber back after a gap of one year. The 2021 Bobber features new updates, with the blacked out finishing giving the a more stunning appeal," Motorcycles India Business Head Shoeb Farooq said in a statement.

With the launch of the Bobber, the company's classic line-up now has an overall of nine motorcycles including three special editions which, by far is the largest modern classic portfolio offered by a premium manufacturer in the country offering motorcycles from 900 cc up to a 1,200 cc platform, he added.

The new Bobber comes powered with Triumph's latest generation Bonneville 1,200 cc engine which generates a peak power of 78PS.

The 2021 Bobber also exceeds EURO 5 requirements, giving lower emissions than the previous generation, and improved fuel economy, the company noted.

Riding distance is also enhanced by the new, larger, 12 litre fuel tank which gives up to 33 per cent more range, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gourmet Smoor is in the process of closing a Rs 50 crore Series A round in the next six months, said a top company official. The will also be launching a one-of-a-kind experience centre in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 12 crore where visitors would be able to experience the craft of exquisite making.

This will be a 30,000 square feet facility which will bring the best of global practices for luxury manufacturing. Not only that, it will allow customers to see how chocolates are made. Chocolates will also be produced for export here, said Vimal Sharma, CEO of Smoor, who has over two decades of experience in the food industry. The is looking at entering West Asia next year.

The company, which has been bootstrapped is also planning to scale up from the present 20 outlets to 130 in the next five years. The outlets will include cafes, lounges and kiosks at malls and airports. While the sales of their gourmet chocolates took a beating because of the lockdowns, the e-commerce segment has seen over 390 per cent growth. We will be launching soon on Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket and Grofers, said Sharma. The startup achieved single-digit growth in FY21 and is looking to close FY22 with Rs 100 crore in revenue. The startup competes with brands such as ITC's Fabelle in the premium chocolates segment.

Currently a Rs 3,000 crore opportunity in India, the luxury chocolates market is growing at 32 per cent which is much higher than the 13 per cent growth rate of the overall chocolates segment.

Smoor is betting big on snacking of chocolates for its next phase of growth and will be launching a range of chocolates infused with super foods and energy bars for the health conscious consumers. There will be a health story associated with chocolates so we are also zeroing in on 70-85 per cent cocoa in our range, said Sharma.
IT major on Tuesday said it has seen no major impact on client deliverables due to the ongoing pandemic, and has been working proactively with clients to mitigate any potential impact.

The Bengaluru-based company has also enabled vaccination for 14,150 employees and their family members through its centres, and is in the process of setting up additional facilities across its campuses in India.

Besides, is providing financial support, exploring training and job opportunities for the



next of kin and offering necessary assistance to support dependents of deceased staff members.

"We continue to operate in a remote model across our offices and see no major impact on our client deliverables due to the ongoing health situation. In few instances, where we have had challenges, we have been working proactively with our clients to mitigate any potential impact," said in a statement.

As part of its localisation strategy, Infosys has made significant investments in near shore hubs across many countries in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific over the last few years in terms of building capabilities and acquiring talent, it added.

The company has also significantly increased hiring of university graduates as well as lateral hires, over the last few quarters, globally.

"While the second wave in India is having a far more adverse effect, for like ours, having a large bench strength (talent pool) both in India and internationally, is helping us ensure seamless client delivery. Our clients too, continue to be very supportive during this time," Infosys noted.

As India reels under the impact of the deadly second wave of infections, several organisations across the spectrum have come forward to support the relief efforts to tackle the shortage of medical oxygen, beds, and other resources.

Efforts to ramp up vaccination are also underway. India has so far administered over 19.8 crore jabs to eligible beneficiaries.

IT firms HCL and Tech Mahindra have also expanded their efforts towards COVID-19 relief efforts for employees, including partnering with hospitals for providing employees with easy access to treatment and supporting dependents of deceased staff members.

Infosys said it has collaborated with 172 hospitals in 34 cities, where employees and their family members can visit to get vaccinated.

"Infosys has established vaccination centres for employees and their family members at some of its campuses across India...So far, through our centres, we have been able to enable vaccination for 14,150 employees and family members," it added.

Infosys is also in the process of setting up additional centres across its campuses in the country. The IT services major - which has a headcount of 2.59 lakh globally - has set up employee COVID care centres, managed by various medical partners, in 10 Indian cities including Mysore, Chennai and Hyderabad, where its development centres are located.

"Since the start of the pandemic in January 2020, there have been a few unfortunate fatalities globally. In case of an unfortunate turn of events with an employee, our teams provide immediate support to the grieving family, and continue to work with them on their long-term requirements," Infosys said.

This includes immediate financial support, in addition to Infosys' group insurance coverage, exploring training and job opportunities for the next of kin, wherever feasible, as well as other necessary assistance as the situation may require, it added.

Infosys said over the last 12 months, it has implemented several well-being initiatives for employees globally, including sessions with experts on mental health, self-care and women's health, along with sessions on prioritising work-life balance.

The company had recently announced that it has doubled its commitment towards COVID relief efforts to Rs 200 crore that would be used to add hospital beds and augment the supply of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, among other activities.

Infosys helped set up a 150-bed COVID care hospital in Bengaluru, in partnership with the state which is currently running at full capacity.

"We are also working with various state governments in providing infrastructure for hospitals across locations in India. In addition, across six states in the country, we are helping to set up oxygen plants, each with the capacity to produce 500 LPM of oxygen," it said.

The company has also helped the Karnataka government to create the Apthamitra app for COVID support for citizens.

(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.)
Chala, a village perched on a mountain on the eastern side of the Nujiang Valley in Gongshan county in northern Yunnan province, once largely relied on subsistence farming. Now, it is thriving on a rural tourism boom.

Thanks to its location close to the First Bend of the Nujiang River  a top tourist attraction in the area  as well as its unique Nu culture and customs, the village of more than 300 Nu people has found a new way to prosper.

Wang Guocai, head of Chala village, stands in front of a villager's house on May 20, 2021 . [Photo by Chen Jian/China.org.cn]







Wang Guocai, head of the village, said poverty was what he remembered most about his childhood. In those days, Wangs parents could afford to buy him just one pair of shoes for a whole year.

When he became a teenager, he spent eight hours walking from the village to his high school in the town of Gongshan county, treading on trails that became muddy every time it rained.

Much has changed since 2017 when the local government helped villagers to rebuild their homes with interest-free loans, and a new highway connecting remote areas in Nujiang was put into use at the end of 2019. For Wang, the one-day journey now takes only a 10-minute drive.

The improved road infrastructure also meant that travelling to the village has become much easier for tourists, and more tourists have led to better income. The annual per capita income for people in the village rose from 2,400 yuan (about US$387) in 2013 to more than 10,000 yuan in 2019.

Taking advantage of the culture and music of the Nu ethnic group, as well as the beautiful scenery, villagers began to increase their income by offering homestays, sightseeing services, and traditional, home-made cuisines.

Chala village is part of a demonstration project launched by the government of Gongshan county and a state-owned company in 2019, aiming to improve tourism facilities and services in the county's five villages.

Ma Jinhua in Chala village, Yunnan province, stands beside her family-run homestay inn on May 20, 2021. [Photo by He Shan/China.org.cn]





Ma Jinhua, owner of Mountainous Farmer Inn, was a beneficiary. With a low-interest loan of 300,000 yuan, she refurnished her family's house into a guesthouse with clean toilets, fancy furnishing, and a beautiful courtyard in late 2020. Her inn opened in February after COVID-19 had been kept at bay across the country, and quickly started to earn an average of 5,000 yuan a day, way more than what her family had made before.

The five rooms at her homestay, all with a pleasant view of the mountain, cost 320 yuan to 360 yuan per night each. During peak seasons like Spring Festival and the National Day holiday, the inn is often booked up by visitors driving directly here from all over the country.

She hired four local villagers to help out at the inn, paying them each up to 180 yuan a day.

During the recent five-day May Day holiday, her guesthouse received many tourists from the cities seeking a relaxing and rural retreat. The inn generated a revenue of nearly 10,000 yuan a day during that span, almost doubling the usual daily income.

"I wish I could pay off loans as soon as possible," the 35-year-old Ma said.

The village's buoyant tourism is a typical example of China's efforts to vitalize rural areas, which has been backed by concrete government plans. According to China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), the government called for further boosting of leisure agriculture, rural tourism, and the homestay economy.

The rural travel trend has also been fueled by the mentality among Chinese city dwellers who want to escape city noises and look for a simple lifestyle in the countryside.

Photo taken on May 20, 2021 shows rows of houses in Chala village, Yunnan province. [Photo by Chen Jian/China.org.cn]





A tourist surnamed Fu, who came from Hainan province to stay in Ma's guesthouse, said he visited the village 20 years ago when it was poor and bleak despite its pleasant scenery.

"I feel relaxed and happy when I have home-made dishes and enjoy the view outside my room," he said. "The homestays are well-equipped and even better than those in big cities."

There are seven homestay inns in the village now, and four more are under construction.

Wang, the village chief, said that the village offers visitors more than idyllic scenery. They can also try their hands at picking vegetables and fruits, attend local shows, and learn traditional crafts and customs.

According to a report by Trip.com, China's largest online travel agency, Gongshan county became one of the fastest-growing destinations in China's rural areas during the May Day holiday.

With more opportunities coming along with tourism in the village, more young people have chosen to come back, Wang said.

Ma, whose two sons study in school, said she has never expected her sons to come back to help with business after graduation, but their return will be welcome.
Energy solutions firm said its consolidated net profit jumped nearly three-fold to Rs 107.35 crore for the March quarter, mainly on the back of higher revenues.

The consolidated net profit of the company was Rs 39.03 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2020, it said in a BSE filing.

Total income rose to Rs 1,610.34 crore in the quarter from Rs 1,353.66 crore earlier.

For the full fiscal 2020-21, consolidated net profit came in at Rs 206.58 crore as against Rs 212.45 crore in the previous financial year.

Total income was Rs 4,898.99 crore, compared to Rs 5,831.31 crore in 2019-20.

Meanwhile, the company said its board has recommended a dividend of Rs 7 per equity share of Rs 2 each for 2020-21, subject to approval of shareholders at the ensuing 40th Annual General Meeting.

Record date for the payment of dividend will be communicated separately, it added.

Limited, a leading energy and environment solutions provider, offers integrated solutions in the areas of heating, cooling, power, water and waste management, air pollution control and chemicals.

has manufacturing facilities in India, Europe and Southeast Asia.

(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 United Kingdoms data protection regulator is investigating the leak of Air Indias passenger data which has impacted 4.5 million customers globally.

India does not have a specific data protection law and a bill on the subject is pending in Lok Sabha since 2019. However, European Union and laws require airlines to put in place measures for data protection and report cases of data breach to regulators in the continent within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. Non-compliance or negligence can result in steep fines.

 has reported an incident to us and we are investigating. Anyone who is concerned about their personal data should contact the airline first. If they are still not satisfied they can bring their concerns to the ICO, said a spokesperson of the Information Commissioners Office, the UKs data protection regulator.

In a May 15 notification to passengers informed that personal data of 4.5 million customers was impacted following a cybersecurity attack on the servers of SITA, which provides passenger service systems to the airline.

This included personal data registered between August 2011 to February 2021 and includes passenger names, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, frequent flyer and credit card data.

While the airline received an intimation of the cybersecurity attack on February 25, it said the identity of the affected customers was made available by SITA on March 25 and April 5.

Though the airline is facing criticism for delay in informing passengers, an aviation source familiar with the matter said undertook the necessary steps in accordance with law.

As soon as the airline became aware of the data breach it reported the incident to all the regulators in Europe and other geographies in 72 hours. The airline has also engaged lawyers overseas following the incident to advise it on future actions. As of now there is no report of any adverse event or misuse of passenger credit cards, the source

said.

Air India did not respond to an email query on the topic.

Earlier the airline said it has taken various steps following the incident including an investigation. It said compromised servers have been secured and external data protection specialists have been engaged. It has also liaised with credit card issuers.
Ocugen, Bharat Biotech's



American partner for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, has submitted a "Master File" to the US Food and Drug Administration prior to seeking an emergency use authorisation in that country.

"The company is currently evaluating the clinical and regulatory path for COVAXIN in the United States including obtaining Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Also, eventually biologic license application (BLA) approval in the United States, as well as the company's commercialization strategy, if authorized or approved," Ocugen has said in a recent regulatory filing.

Ocugen has submitted key information and data to date including preclinical studies, chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC), and clinical studies as a Master File for FDA review and input prior to a planned EUA submission.

The company is currently awaiting additional data from from the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial for a EUA submission, it further said.

on February 2 said it has entered into a definitive agreement with OcugenInc, a US-based biopharmaceutical company, to co-develop, supply, and commercialise, the Indian vaccine maker's Covaxin for the US market.

Under the terms of the agreement,Ocugenwill have US rights to the vaccine candidate and will be responsible for clinical development, regulatory approval including Emergency Use Authorisation and commercialization for the US market.

The Indian governments temporary suspension of the export of COVID-19 vaccines may require to focus its resources, including Covaxin supply, on domestic requirements and thereby prevent it from shipping supply of the vaccinesabroad, including to the United States, the American company said in the risk factors.

"We are currently waiting for additional data from Bharat Biotech from the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial for an EUA submission. Due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases in India, this process is taking longer than anticipated.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and intend to file the EUA submission as soon as practicable. Any significant delays could adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition," Ocugen said.

In an investor presentation, Ocugen said it is expecting the vaccine to be rolled out in the US during the second half of the current year.

The initial US supply will be done by Bharat Biotech upon receiving authorisation from the FDA and also there will be technology transfer to US facilities.

Ocugen is targeting 100 million doses per annum beginning 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.)
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said that the state government has classified black fungus as a notified disease.

Addressing the media, Tope said, "There are 2,245 cases of black fungus in the state. The state government has classified black fungus as a notified disease."

"Under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, patients of black fungus will receive free treatment at state-run hospitals," the Maharashtra Health Minister further said.

Several states and UTs have declared mucormycosis, also called black fungus, as an epidemic under the Epidemic Diseases Act (1897).

Tope also said that the current COVID-19 positivity rate is 12 per cent and the recovery rate is 93 per cent in the state.

Talking about the state's global tender for Covid-19 vaccines he said, "We haven't received any response to the global tender for vaccine procurement. We are requesting the Central govt to float tender and provide us vaccines," he added.

Meanwhile, the state on Monday reported 22,122 new #COVID19 cases, 42,320 recoveries and 361 deaths in the last 24 hours. There are 3,27,580 active cases in the state.

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Group India on Tuesday said it has pledged total Rs 8 crore towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

An additional contribution of Rs 5 crore has been made on top of the company's earlier commitment of Rs 3 crore, the automaker said in a statement.

The company's efforts are dedicated towards augmenting healthcare infrastructure and medical services in Gurugram (Delhi- NCR) and Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu), it added.

Associations with government and non-government organisations have been initiated for on-ground implementation, the company said.

The automaker said it has imported 150 oxygen concentrators for critical care of COVID-19 patients.

The concentrators will be utilised by an oxygen bank in Gurugram operated by GiveIndia, a non-governmental organisation, it added.

"As a responsible corporate citizen, Group India stands together with the nation in this hour of need. Our deep and long-standing values have always motivated us to extend a firm hand of support to the society in time of crisis. We are fully committed to fighting the pandemic and flattening the curve since its onset," Group India President Vikram Pawah said.

BMW India Foundation has been contributing significantly towards strengthening healthcare infrastructure and has set up an isolation ward and PCR Lab at Chengalpattu Government Hospital with further commitment to providing RT-PCR lab equipment and microbial detection systems to expand COVID-19 testing, the automaker said.

BMW said it is also ensuring safety and welfare of its employees and their families. The automaker has tied up with leading hospitals for vaccination of associates and their families at the BMW Group Training Centre in Gurugram and BMW Group Plant Chennai in Chengalpattu.

Additionally, BMW Group India has also imported oxygen concentrators from BMW Group AG, Germany for employees and their families who are in critical care for COVID-19 treatment, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
president on Tuesday extended support to the countrywide protest call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha on May 26 against agri laws, and asked the Centre to adopt a sympathetic attitude towards farmers.

The agitating farmers will observe a 'black day' on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of their protest.

In a tweet in Hindi, the supremo said, "Farmers of the country are continuously agitating even in the extreme calamity of corona to demand the withdrawal of the three new agriculture laws. supports the nationwide protest day on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of the movement. The Centre also needs to adopt a sympathetic attitude.

Accusing the Centre of adopting a confrontational attitude towards farmers, she said the deadlock has resulted in tension specially in the neighbouring states of Delhi.

The BSP appeals to the Centre to negotiate with the agitating farmers and find a solution to their problems.

Several other political parties have also extended support to the farmers' protest call.

Farmers have been camping at the Delhi borders since November last year, demanding the repeal of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 protesting farmer unions, on Friday had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging for the resumption of talks.

Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government had failed to break the deadlock over the legislations.

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A Delhi court on Tuesday adjourned to May 28 hearing on the bail application filed by businessman Navneet Kalra in connection with the concentrator black marketing case.

During a recent raid, 524 concentrators were recovered from Khan Chacha, Town Hall, and Nege & Ju restaurants owned by Kalra. The restaurateur is in judicial custody till June 3.

Metropolitan Magistrate Swati Sharma deferred the hearing in the matter to May 28 at 12 pm after advocate Vishal Gohri, representing the accused, sought adjournment.

The court had adjourned hearing in the bail plea twice before on May 20 and 22.

On May 22, the district court dismissed the plea of Delhi Police seeking five more days of custodial interrogation of Kalra.

Earlier, a similar application was junked by a different judge on May 20 and Kalra was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Prior to this, the restaurateur was remanded to three days in police custody following his arrest. The businessman was nabbed from Gurugram on May 16 and arrested formally on the next day.

Police claimed the concentrators were imported from China and were being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to 70,000 a piece against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.

The concentrators are crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients and are in high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic.

On May 5, a case was registered against Kalra under Section 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also registered a money laundering case against him.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government has approved the creation of a post of Director at the Disaster Response Force Academy in Nagpur.

The approval for the creation of the post in the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) was given at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official statement said.

With the creation of the post of the director at the academy, the command and control of the organisation will be entrusted to a senior and experienced officer, who can steer the institution as per the intended objectives, it said.

The academy will impart skill-based practical training to over 5,000 personnel annually, from NDRF, SDRF and other stakeholders, besides disaster response agencies of SAARC and other countries.

It will also cater to analysing and improving the training programmes to meet the changing needs and requirement of the stakeholders.

It will immensely improve the standard of training imparted on disaster response to NDRF, SDRF personnel and other stakeholders, the statement said.

The academy was established in 2018 at Nagpur by merging with it Civil Defence College (NCDC).

The main campus of the academy is under construction, and it functions from the existing campus of NCDC in the meantime.

The academy presently imparts training to Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Civil Defence volunteers and other stakeholders and is envisaged to grow into a premier training institution of international repute.

It will also provide specialised training to disaster response personnel of SAARC and other countries.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday contacted the Antigua Embassy in India over the reports that fugitive diamantaire is missing since May 23.

According to sources, is contacting the Antigua Embassy in India and seeks confirmation about the reports of missing and other details regarding the matter.

Sources also informed that the investigative agency is verifying the facts of the matter.

- the 62-year-old fugitive diamantaire wanted by the and Enforcement Directorate - has gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda, confirmed his lawyer.

In an exclusive statement to ANI, Choksi's Advocate Vijay Aggarwal said, "Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. Family is in the dark and worried about his safety."

In a press release based on additional information received, the Antiguan Police said that they are investigating a missing person report filed for 62-year-old Mehul Choksi of Jolly Harbour.

Choksi was reported missing on Sunday (May 23) at the Johnson Point Police Station, reported Antiguan Newsroom. Police release further states that Choksi was last seen at about 5:15 pm (local time) on Sunday before leaving home in a motorcar which has since been recovered.

Earlier, Choksi in an interview with ANI had claimed that he is innocent and all allegations against him are false, baseless and motivated by political expediency.

He holds Antiguan citizenship and is the owner of Gitanjali Group, a retail jewellery company. An arrest warrant for Choksi has been issued in connection with the alleged Punjab Bank fraud case. He was allegedly involved in stock market manipulation in 2013.

Recently Nirav Modi, nephew of Choksi was ordered to be extradited to India from the United Kingdom to face charges of conspiring to defraud PNB of more than a billion dollars, a UK judge ruled.

(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.)
In view of the rising Mucormycosis (commonly known as black fungus) cases across the country, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers on Tuesday informed that it has allocated 19,420 additional vials of Amphotericin-B to various States and Union Territories.

"Additional 19,420 vials of #Amphotericin-B have been allocated to all States/UTs and Central Institutions today. Besides this, 23680 vials of Amphotericin- B were allocated across country on 21st May", tweeted the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, DV Sadananda Gowda.

Mucormycosis or black fungus is a fungal infection caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables.

As of now, Amphotericin-B, an anti-fungal drug is being used for the treatment of the black fungus disease.

The Union Health Ministry, on May 20, urged the states to make mucormycosis, a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. The central government has made it mandatory for states to report both suspected and confirmed cases of mucormycosis to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

Cases of black fungus infection are being reported in several parts of the country. States like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have already declared it a 'notifiable' disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, thereby making it mandatory to report every Mucormycosis case to the state government.

Delhi also reported more than 500 cases of black fungus till yesterday, as per Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

(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.)
Even before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to explore possible areas of cooperation with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Iceland on the sidelines of the Arctic Council ministerial meeting on May 20, a lot of damage had already been done to the traditionally fragile bilateral relationship. As recently as in April, Lavrov said in a state television interview that Russia's relations with the U.S. are now even worse than during Cold War times because of a lack of mutual respect.



He was echoed by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, who said, "During the recent years, the relations between Russia and the U.S. have actually moved from rivalry to confrontation. In fact, they have returned to the era of the Cold War."

Tensions between the two countries intensified recently over several issues. They included the U.S. reaction to the Russia-Ukraine standoff, with Blinken saying in early May that the U.S. could increase security assistance to Ukraine in response to the increasing Russian military deployments near the Ukrainian border.

Another bone of contention is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would deliver natural gas directly to Germany from Russia through the Baltic Sea, with the U.S. branding it a "Russian geopolitical project" to divide Europe and weaken its energy security. In March, Blinken even threatened to sanction the companies involved in the project. In addition, accusations of espionage and assassination bids against Russia and military exercises have seen tensions escalate in the recent months.

The U.S. action

U.S. President Joe Biden sees Russia as a major "spoiler" that seeks to "thwart the West's plans" with its every move. In keeping with the traditions of his Democratic Party, Biden professes that reviving "democracy" worldwide is key to U.S. national security. He has called Russia the enemy of democracy and the United States' greatest competitor.

During his first 100 days as president, Biden called for the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was jailed in February for an earlier fraud case after the authorities accused him of violating probation conditions. In March, a new report issued by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence alleged extensive interference by Russia in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections. Supposedly in retaliation to the interference, the Biden administration expelled 10 Russian diplomats and announced broad sanctions against Russian officials and entities. And now it has talked of providing both military and economic support for Ukraine.

One of the worst gaffes by Biden was when he called Russian President Vladimir Putin "a killer" during an interview, which triggered angry reactions from Russia. If Washington wants to mend fences with Moscow, riling Putin is not the right way to go about it. Especially in view of the possibility that Putin could remain president till 2036 since a new law signed into effect in April allows him to run for power for two more terms.

The U.S. moves demonstrate that Washington is trying to counter Russia's leverage on international affairs through tools such as intensified interference in Russia's internal affairs, economic sanctions, an arms race and information warfare.

The U.S. global hegemony cannot be sustained without the support of its European allies. So the Biden administration is making efforts to repair transatlantic relations by returning to multilateralism and giving priority to rebuilding alliances.

The U.S. and the EU have resumed dialogue on some international issues and even reached a consensus in principle. Biden's speech at the special virtual edition of the Munich Security Conference in February stressed that the U.S. will work closely with its EU partners to meet "shared challenges." The joint statement issued by the Group of Seven foreign and development ministers' meeting in May said member states "nevertheless will continue to bolster our collective capabilities and those of our partners to address and deter Russian behavior that is threatening the rules-based international order."

Some EU countries have seized the chance to intensify anti-Russian deployments. Central and East European countries, particularly Poland and the Baltic states, have always viewed Russia as a threat. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania have expelled Russian diplomats in what they said was an act of solidarity with the U.S.

Lavrov has said that Moscow would be ready to sever ties with the EU if the bloc hit it with painful economic sanctions.

Russian reaction

In April, during the annual state-of-the-nation address, Putin said Russia has shown restraint and often refrained from responding to "openly boorish" actions by others. He also warned the West against encroaching further on Russia's security interests, saying the response will be "quick and tough."

In tit-for-tat actions against the U.S. and its European allies, Russia recalled its ambassador to the U.S. and expelled diplomats from those countries. It also banned a string of top officials from the Biden administration from entering Russia. Finally, on May 14, it designated the U.S. and the Czech Republic as "unfriendly states."

Since March, Russia has increased its military presence along the Ukrainian border, and normalized military exercises in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula to counter growing NATO military activity. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian armed forces were ready for all-out war.

The U.S., however, is trying to avoid a military conflict with Russia. On April 13, Biden told Putin in a phone call that he wanted to normalize bilateral ties and to establish stable and predictable interaction on pressing issues such as strategic stability and arms control, Iran's nuclear program, Afghanistan and climate change. He also proposed holding a summit in the coming months. Then the U.S. canceled the deployment of two warships in the Black Sea, trying to defuse the situation.

The way out

The seeds of mutual distrust go back in history. The completely pro-Western policy during the time of President Boris Yeltsin from 1991 to 1999 saw Russia face social and economic upheavals with national development receiving a severe setback. It turned out to be a bitter lesson for Russia.

There is also a structural conflict between the long-term strategic goals of the two countries. Russia is a strong defender of its own geopolitical and economic interests. At the same time, once a global power, it is reluctant to accept its relative decline in the international landscape and is striving to remain a major player.

The U.S., on the other hand, regards Russia as a declining power and one of its key policies has been to prevent Russia's revival.

Due to the lack of strategic mutual trust and weak economic ties, it is hard for a quick turnaround in Russia-U.S. relations. The U.S. will continue to implement its policy of containing Russia, and the disputes in areas such as NATO's expansion, currently the centerpiece of U.S. security policy toward Europe, and missile defense are hard to resolve.

Upholding the "America First" policy, former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned several major arms control treaties, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987, in which the U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed to eliminate all ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km.

However, the two countries have some cooperation in counter-terrorism, arms control and maintaining global strategic balance, which would make restarting the Cold War difficult.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, extended on February 3, will be in effect till February 5, 2026. The renewal of the sole arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia just 48 hours before it was to expire is also critical to prevent a new nuclear weapon race.

It remains to be seen what comes out of future bilateral interactions and a possible Biden-Putin summit.

The author is a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies.
The on Tuesday demanded that affix manipulated media tag to tweets of several union ministers for allegedly spreading false and malicious propaganda against the party.

general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala wrote to Twitter's Lead for Legal, Policy and Trust and Safety Vijaya Gadde and its Deputy General Counsel and Vice President (Legal) Jim Baker, seeking stern action against 11 union ministers for allegedly spreading false and forged documents.

Surjewala has alleged that the "forged, fabricated material" and the claims made under the #CongressToolkitExposed by various ministers are identical to the material that has already been marked as 'manipulated media' by

He alleged that the subject matter of the forged Toolkit document was created by certain BJP leaders to gain undue and wrongful political advantage by spreading potentially dangerous, false and fabricated material through their handles against the Indian and its leaders.

The union ministers against whom the Congress has sought action are Giriaj Singh, Piyush Goyal, Smriti Irani, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prahlad Joshi, Dharmendra Pradhan, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Thawarchand Gehlot, Harsh Vardhan, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Surjewala said, "It is a matter of fact that people tend to believe 'true' and take on face value, any information that is put up directly by a Union Minister of the Government of India through his/ her official/ verified Twitter account."



"Hence, it becomes all the more imperative to tag, 'manipulative media' (sic), on all such tweets made by Ministers of the Government of India on the above referred forged toolkit document created by the BJP," he said in his complaint.

"It is reasonable to expect that the aforementioned individuals will be dealt with the same yardstick as applied in other cases where the Twitter platform is misused to broadcast forged and fabricated material...," he also said.

This comes a day after Delhi Police's Special Cell sent a notice to Twitter India in connection with the probe into a complaint about the alleged 'COVID toolkit', asking it to share information based on which it had classified a related tweet by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra as "manipulated media", with two police teams descending on the microblogging site's offices in Lado Sarai in Delhi and in Gurgaon on Monday evening.

Earlier, Twitter tagged tweets of BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as "manipulative media".

The Congress has accused BJP leaders, including union ministers, of misusing the Twitter platform to disseminate forged and fabricated material.

The Congress had earlier complained to Delhi police to register an FIR against BJP leaders for allegedly spreading "false" information about the Congress toolkit.

The NSUI has already registered an FIR against Raman Singh and Sambit Patra in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where the Congress is in power.

(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.)
UN Secretary-General has called for global solidarity in the fight against the pandemic, saying that "Covid-19 cannot be beaten one country at a time".

World leaders must urgently step up with a global plan for equitable access to vaccines, tests and treatments, he said in a video message on Monday to the World Health Assembly, which is underway in Geneva.

"This starts with funding the ACT-Accelerator and its COVAX Facility, to deploy life-saving tools to the poorest countries on a global scale," Xinhua news agency quoted the UN chief as saying.

He repeated his appeal for a G20 task force that brings together all countries with vaccine production capacities, the World Health Organization (WHO), the ACT-Accelerator partners and international financial institutions, and other key stakeholders.

The task force should aim to at least double manufacturing capacity by exploring all options, from voluntary licenses and technology transfers to patent pooling and flexibility on intellectual property rights, he said.

The G20 task force should address equitable global distribution by using the ACT-Accelerator and its COVAX Facility and it should be co-convened at the highest levels by the major powers who hold most of the global supply and production capacity, together with the multilateral system, according to the Secretary-General.

"From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have warned of the dangers of a two-speed global response. Sadly, unless we act now, we face a situation in which rich countries vaccinate the majority of their people and open their economies, while the virus continues to cause deep suffering by circling and mutating in the poorest countries.

"Further spikes and surges could claim hundreds of thousands of lives, and slow the global economic recovery.

"Our efforts to recover from Covid-19 should not come at the cost of other essential health care, from women's reproductive services to children's vaccinations and mental health coverage," said Guterres.

The WHO must be at the heart of global pandemic preparedness, it needs sustainable and predictable resources, and it must be fully empowered to do the job demanded of it, he said.

"The world needs a framework for international cooperation and solidarity fit for the future; new solutions for sustainable and predictable financing; and national capacity for prevention, detection, and responses to disease outbreaks."

--IANS

ksk/

(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 Indian government, on Tuesday, said it has to date provided 218.9 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to states and union territories (UTS).



Under its Liberalised and Accelerated Phase-3 Strategy of Covid-19 vaccination, in effect since 1 May, 2021, the Centre purchases 50% of the total Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) cleared vaccine doses of any manufacturer and distributes them among states and UTs free of cost. The Centre also claims to have facilitated the direct procurement of vaccines from manufacturers by states and UTs.



The Centre said that the total consumption of vaccines by states and UTs, including wastage, was 199.3 million. The government added that 17.7 million vaccine doses were still available with states and UTs for use, while another 700,000 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be distributed in 3 days.



Meanwhile, the Centres Covid-19 vaccination strategy has also faced criticism, as India faces a shortage of vaccines amid a deadly second wave of the pandemic. Several states and UTs have had to suspend vaccination of the 18-44 age group citing a shortage of doses. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that at the current pace of vaccination in the national capital, it will 30 months to vaccinate only the adult population.



Kejriwal had claimed that while Delhi needs 8 million vaccines every month to fully vaccinate its population in three months, it only received 1.5 million doses in May. Kejriwal has said that for June, the Centre will provide only 800,000 doses to the national capital.



While state governments have been given the leeway to source vaccines from global manufacturers, Delhi and Punjab have claimed that companies such as Pfizer and Moderna have declined to supply vaccines to individual state governments in India and have said that theyll only negotiate with the Centre.



Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry recently disclosed that the order books of Pfizer and Moderna are full, as several countries are ahead of India, waiting for the delivery of their confirmed orders.



In the last 24 hours, India reported 196,427 new Covid cases, taking the country's total tally to 26.9 million cases. India recorded 3,511 deaths, taking the total death toll to 307,231.
A new study has revealed that foreign travellers made 11.1 million visits to the in 2020, a 73 per cent decline than in 2019 in the wave of the border restriction imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The dramatic impact of Covid-19 on the number of UK-bound travellers was revealed for the first time in the study published on Monday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Xinhua news agency reported.

During 2020, overseas residents spent 6.2 billion pounds ($8.76 billion) on their visits to the UK, 78 per cent less than in 2019, ONS said.

Meanwhile, residents made 23.8 million visits abroad in 2020, 74 per cent less than the previous year and they spent 13.8 billion pounds on such travels, 78 per cent less than in 2019.

ONS said travel and tourism statistics are usually based on the results of the International Passenger Survey (IPS), but the survey was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

The new figures published by ONS for April to December 2020 have been based on administrative sources and modelling by statisticians.

The figures were added to data collected in the three months before the pandemic.

According to ONS, visits by North American residents decreased by 78 per cent to 1.2 million, visits by European residents were down by 71 per cent to 8 million and visits by residents of "other countries" outside of Europe and North America decreased by 76 per cent to 1.9 million.

--IANS

ksk/

(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.)
Many citizens have expressed anguish over weak healthcare infrastructure and slow vaccination to Prime Minister ahead of his monthly radio show 'Mann Ki Baat' scheduled for May 30. More than 7,000 submissions have already come in for the 77th edition, coinciding with seven years of the Modi government. Along with complaints and disappointments are suggestions to scale up hospital facilities, vaccinate faster and have daily press briefings by the PM on the Covid19 situation in the country.

"Please build government hospitals all over India and even in small villages. focus on health infrastructure... everyone is blaming the government about medical facilities and infrastructure, so please focus on health infrastructure," writes a young professional. The absence of confidence in the healthcare system is making things worse and therefore the need of the day was to focus on the infrastructure, according to another submission.

On vaccination, there's been a rush of letters complaining about unavailability of jabs. "Whenever we search the apps for vaccination centres, the message that flashes is "no centre available"," says a person looking for a slot in the 18 to 44 age group in Mumbai. "Mr Prime Minister Sir, I request you to kindly help," the person further said. Not everyone is so kind though, with some expressing their regret that the government has not returned the favour of their vote in 2014 and 2019. And some others have directed the government to "send sufficient vaccine doses immediately".

Fearing that a third wave may hit children hard, letters have come in asking the PM to "arrange for a speedy vaccination drive across all age groups. If we can't produce the required quantity, I think we should import it Even if it's expensive, nothing is bigger than life and as citizens we all should come forward to spend for vaccination". There's another suggestion that the vaccination registration page should give the option of paying for vaccine. Those who can pay will pay for the vaccine and those who cant will skip that checkbox."

Children getting hit in a possible third wave is the basis for many citizens telling Modi that "it would be a disastrous blunder to conduct class 12 CBSE exams because you will be exposing around 15 million children to the Covid virus". The youth of India will never be able to forgive this mammoth blunder, a Delhi-based parent has written.

On vaccine procurement, submissions have been made on how global tenders floated by states didnt work as Pfizer and Moderna want to deal directly with the Centre. "So central government must import and distribute to states," states one submission.

Against vaccine hesitancy also, there are strong words. "Make vaccination compulsory for all, take action against those criticising vaccination" is among the many views on the matter. Then there are others asking the government to "close down" all channels except national broadcaster Doordarshan as negative news is making Indians more fearful during the pandemic.

There's wish and hope as well that the 75th Independence Day in 2022 will mean "freedom from and mask". For that, the entire population must be vaccinated by then, many have stressed.

Before that, there's a call for the "PM to address a press conference everyday so that people of India can be aware about all decisions that the central government is taking." And since Covid is a war-like situation, there are letters urging Modi to hand over the vaccination project to the armed forces.

Going by the mood, the PM could well focus on Covid and vaccination this Sunday, two days after the citizen submission lines close for the radio show.
and have evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas to safety as severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' is nearing the coast and is expected to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district early on Wednesday morning.

Neighbouring Jharkhand has also sounded an alert and is preparing for the cyclone's impact.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that her administration has evacuated over nine lakh people to safe shelters.

The government, on the other hand, said it has moved over 2 lakh people from vulnerable areas in coastal districts to safety.

IMD Director General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that 'Yaas' is likely to intensify into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) by Tuesday evening. He said the cyclone's impact will be severe for six hours before and after the landfall and Chandbali will witness the maximum damage.

Dr Umashankar Das, a scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said that the landfall will most likely be between Dhamra and Chandbali in Odisha's Bhadrak district.

Banerjee said over 74,000 officers and workers and over 2 lakh policemen and civic volunteers have been deployed to mitigate the natural calamity in

She said that Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been deployed and Army's help will be sought if required.

"We have evacuated at least 9 lakh people to relief and flood centres. There are 4,000 flood centres in the state.

"We are monitoring the situation 24/7. Control rooms have been set up at every block to monitor the situation, apart from the one at state secretariat Nabanna," she said.

The chief minister said that senior IAS officers have been assigned to monitor the situation in different districts.

"The chief and home secretaries are in touch with the district magistrates. I have spoken with the DMs of South and North 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Purba Medinipur districts. I will be at Nabanna to monitor the situation throughout the night," she said.

Banerjee said adequate arrangements have been made for Kolkata.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Board of Administrators' Chairman Firhad Hakim is monitoring the situation from home, she said.

Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha, P K Jena, said that over 2.10 lakh people residing in kutcha houses in low- lying areas have been moved to shelters.

The highest number of evacuees are from Balasore district (74,132), followed by Bhadrak (73,103).

Evacuation of people is also underway in Cuttack, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khurda, Jagastinghpur, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Puri and Angul districts, he said.

Around 5,000 pregnant women expecting delivery by June 1 have been admitted to hospitals, a health official said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has rushed Odisha's Minister of State for Home, D S Mishra to Balasore to monitor the situation in the northern parts of the state.

Jena said the four coastal districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore are in the high-risk zone, while the impact of 'Yaas' will also be felt in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Dhenkanal, Angul, and parts of Puri and Khurda districts.

He said large-scale destruction is anticipated in the coastal region during landfall.

"We have started preparation accordingly after the IMD predicted that the will hit the coast anywhere near Bhitarkanika, Dhamra and Chandbali," Jena said.

Also, 404 rescue teams including 52 from the NDRF, 60 from the Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), 205 Fire service teams and 86 groups of tree-cutters have been deployed in the vulnerable districts, he said.

Around 50 mm rainfall has been recorded across all the 30 districts since Monday night, with Jagatsinghpur receiving the maximum downpour, Jena said.

He said over 10,000 Energy Department employees have been deployed in the vulnerable districts to restore power and 2,000 more will reach by Tuesday night.

Jajpur district administration has prohibited the movement of vehicles, barring the emergency ones, on Highway 16 from Chandikhole to Balasore from Tuesday midnight till landfall, Collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore said.

'Yaas' is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a VSCS during the next 12 hours, the IMD said. The system has been moving north-northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph.

Wind speeds will increase to 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph over northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off north Odisha and adjoining West Bengal coasts during landfall, it said.

The system is likely to cause heavy rain over large parts of West Bengal and Odisha on Tuesday and Wednesday.

'Yaas' is also expected to cause a storm surge of 2-4 metres along the coastline of Purba Medinipur and 1-2 metres in South 24 Parganas, and may cause inundation of several low-lying areas.

Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the Deputy Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata said there is no possibility of Amphan-like situation in the eastern metropolis. The city was severely affected due to the impact of the super- last year.

He said Kolkata will experience a maximum windspeed of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph during landfall.

The weatherman advised fishermen against venturing out into the sea till further information.

It warned of destruction to thatched houses, extensive damage to kutcha dwellings and some damage to pucca buildings in coastal and adjoining interior districts of West Bengal.

The MeT Department also warned of bending or uprooting of electric poles and disruption of railway services due to snapping of power lines and signalling systems.

The South Eastern Railways has announced the cancellation of several passenger special trains till Wednesday.

Jharkhand has evacuated people from vulnerable areas in East and West Singhbhum districts near the borders of West Bengal and Odisha and moved them to safety, a senior official said.

The cyclone is likely to hit the Kolhan division comprising East and West Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan districts, besides Bokaro and Khunti, Disaster Management Secretary Amitabh Kaushal told PTI.

He said eight NDRF teams have been deployed in areas of the Kolhan division bordering the two neighbouring states.

Hospitals have been asked to ensure alternate arrangements for electricity, oxygen and other essential supplies.

Officials concerned have been told to ensure restoration of water and power supply at the earliest.

Director General of Police Neeraj Sinha said the police machinery is also ready to deal with any exigency.

"This is the first time in the history of Jharkhand that it is facing such a severe cyclonic storm. We are ready to deal with its impact," he said.

IMD senior scientist Dr R K Jenamani said that Jharkhand is likely to witness wind speeds of up to 110-120 kmph.

(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.)
Ahead the predicted May 26 landfall of Yaas in coastal areas of the Odisha, the state on Tuesday issued a red alert warning for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts, which are likely to be affected with heavy

Umashankar Das, Deputy Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar said, "A red alert, i.e. extremely heavy warning has been issued for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, and Balasore for today. The will exceed more than 20 cm."

The official said that an orange alert, i.e. heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda, and Puri today. "The rainfall in the district is expected to measure between 12-20 cm," Das said.

The IMD regional Deputy Director further said, "We are expecting wind speeds of 150-160 kmph gusting 180kmph over Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore tomorrow as landfall is expected by noon. We have issued the highest danger warning for Dhamra and Paradip ports."

Meanwhile, people have been evacuated by Balasore district administration and Marine Police Force in the Chandipur area, ahead of the cyclonic storm Yaas.

"We are focusing on the evacuation of people from low-lying areas. 1,200 centers to be used as shelters have been sanitized due to the Covid-19 situation. We have health teams deployed at these centers. Power restoration and road clearance teams deployed," District of Collector Balasore K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said.

CM Naveen Patnaik has directed the state's home minister to reach Balasore today and remain there to monitor the situation

It has been predicted that the cyclonic storm Yaas is going to intensity into a 'very severe cyclonic storm' in the next 12 hours.

Yaas is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of May 26 as a 'Very Severe 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 the vaccine mismanagement and the resultant shortage continue, the daily vaccination has come down to 980 per million people as of May 23, down from 1,455 per million a week earlier and against the world average of 3,564 per million, according to a report.

The only saving grace is the continuing decline in the pandemic caseload, which has been trending downward for the second week in a row as daily cases declined 22 per cent sequentially in the week ended May 23, which is faster than the 15 per cent fall the week before, Crisil said in the report.

This means that the infections may have crossed the peak on May 6, when the country had reported 4.14 lakh cases. Daily new cases now average 2.5 lakh, down from 3.3 lakh in the week ended May 16.

More significantly, as of Tuesday, the daily caseload has fallen below the 2-lakh mark as in the past 24 hours there were only 1,96,427 new infections.

With the vaccine availability remaining a national bottleneck, the pace of vaccination has been steeply falling and as of May 23, daily vaccinations have come down to a low of 980 per million people from 1,455 per million a week earlier, down over 35 per cent. The world average is 3,564 per million, the report said.

Though Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi have vaccinated the highest proportion of their population among the respective groups, the pace of vaccination has declined further in May in these states.

Vaccination will further slow down as the availability of the vaccine is going to take time.

As of Tuesday, total tally pandemic cases increased to 2,69,48,874, while the death toll rose to 3,07,231.

The infection crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the 1-crore mark on December 19, 2020. The country crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4, 2021, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

According to Crisil, while daily cases dipped, testing continued to increase as it grew 11 per cent last week, bringing down the test positivity rate to 13.1 per cent from 18.8 per cent a week earlier. Also, the recovery rate improved to 88.7 per cent as of May 23 from 84.8 per cent the previous week.

Taking together the decline in new infections, positivity rate and active cases, coupled with improving recovery rate, the country may have crossed the peak of the second wave on May 6, the report said.

However, states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Assam are still under a strong viral grip, on the other hand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan have seen the sharpest declines, it added.

The economic impact of the second wave on the states will be determined by the caseload, the nature of lockdowns, structural composition of output (across sectors/regions) and above the pace of vaccination, the report said, adding states with higher services dependency, and slower pace of vaccination will remain more vulnerable.

(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 Tuesday reported a net reduction of 133,934 in active cases to take its count to 2,586,782. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 17.13 per cent (one in 5). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Tuesday, it added 196,427 cases to take its total caseload to 26,948,874. And, with 3,511 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 307,231, or 1.14 per cent of total confirmed infections.

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Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting organisations, has developed "a very innovative, simple, fit-for-purpose programme" in the fight against COVID-19 that can be scaled up in a quick span of time, its CEO Punit Renjen said on Monday.

"We have designed, I believe, a very innovative, simple, fit-for-purpose programme that is integrated," Renjen told PTI, a day after the "Sanjeevani Pariyojana" (life of project) was kicked off in Karnal district of Haryana.

The programme, designed and supported by Deloitte, the Public Health Foundation of India and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Haryana, is a supervised, virtual home-care initiative to help people quickly access healthcare for mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19.

"We have created a playbook and codified this, so we can scale it across the state. We are now going to take this and then implement it in the next district, which is Rohtak," Renjen said.

In addition to investing Rs 5 crore on the project, has deployed a team 25 of its personnel on a pro bono basis.

The multinational has also come up with a plan to do this as a statewide effort. "This is the first time in the country that we have done this. It (the programme) will allow us to address the current Covid wave. It will allow us to address the third wave if that comes about. But if this programme sticks, it can be an opportunity for us to provide primary healthcare in rural communities," Renjen said in response to a question.

"The real magic here is the integration. For the first time, everything integrated, from the command centre to the telemedicines, virtual health to the home health kits to the tiered hospitals, to the ASHA workers. All of them working together in a coordinated way with the local administration, the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police," he said.

Deloitte, he said, has lost about 30 of its employees in India to COVID-19. The programme itself evolved based on Renjen's personal experience of his mother in Rohtak, who tested positive for the viral disease.

"My mother went through it at home. When I saw that she was sending back to the doctor every day...the daily count for my mother in terms of what is the oximeter reading, what is the pulse reading, what is the temperature, sent by text messages to the doctor...if it can happen to my mother, it can happen to anyone," he said, reflecting on the genesis of the project that has now hit the ground and is running in Karnal.

There are about 16 lakh people in Karnal, which is predominantly a rural district. There are about approximately 5,500 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of over 20 per cent. "These numbers have started coming down, but when we started, that was the case. Our initial assessment with the government of Haryana was that 94 per cent of these patients could be treated at home, five per cent in regular hospitals and one percent in the ICU.

"If you think about it, what it does is if you have a programme, it alleviates the rush for hospital beds," Renjen said.

The programme has seven aspects, including a command control centre, augmenting the existing call centre capabilities with a COVID-19 hotline, mobilising 200 medical students to provide virtual health services for mild to moderate cases with supervision and deploying ALS ambulances and mobile pharmacies.

It also includes providing medical equipment like oxygen concentrators to a field hospital and launching an awareness campaign on home-care protocols and leveraging community workers (the ASHA network) to support in home care.

"I think we have created a playbook. We expect that we will get Rohtak done in two weeks. My hope is that we can scale it for the entire state of Haryana," Renjen said, adding that there have been talks to make it a countrywide project.

"I have talked to other organisations as well, some foundations that are very interested. My hope is that we can, at the least, demonstrate Karnal and Rohtak very quickly and prove that the system can be scaled. Then my hope is we do Haryana and other states," he said.

This is a unique programme, Renjan said, adding, "It really took the work of Deloitte, working with these medical leaders and the state to come up with this innovative and fit-for-purpose programme.

(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.)
 Flash

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely hold a summit in Geneva in June, U.S. media reported on Monday.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, several media outlets said that the Swiss city of Geneva is expected to be the venue for Biden's first in-person meeting with Putin as president.

The reports came as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held consultations with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev. "The meeting was an important step in the preparation for a planned U.S.-Russia summit, the date and location of which will be announced later," the White House said in a statement on Monday.

The meeting between Sullivan and Patrushev was "constructive" despite "outstanding differences," according to the statement. The two officials also discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, with a high priority given to the topic of strategic stability.

"The sides agreed that a normalization of U.S.-Russian relations would be in the interest of both countries and contribute to global predictability and stability," it added.

Relations between Washington and Moscow have been adversarial in recent years. The two sides have obvious differences on issues related to Ukraine, cybersecurity, human rights, and U.S. election interference.

The Biden administration noted it seeks "a more predictable, stable relationship" with Russia. During their meeting in Iceland last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov expressed willingness to cooperate while admitting "serious differences" amid the two countries' tense relations.

Biden said earlier this month that he expected to meet with Putin during his trip to Europe in June, when he would attend the Group of Seven Summit in Britain and then the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
New Delhi [India], May 25 (ANI): With rise in the number of mucormycosis cases in the national capital, doctors have urged caution and said availability of should improve.

Several states and UTs have declared mucormycosis, also called black fungus, as an epidemic under the Epidemic Diseases Act (1897).

Doctors in the city ANI spoke to said there is shortage of Amphotericin drug used to treat the fungus. They said treatment should be early as recovered COVID-19 patients are already weak in their body. The doctors said that factors such as use of steroids in treatment of COVID-19 and co-morbidities can make a patient more vulnerable to black fungus.

The doctors said they anticipated there would be cases of black fungus due to COVID-19 but now there is scarcity of

Dr Vivek R Sinha, ENT surgeon and Senior Consultant, Venkateshwar Hospital, said treatment may vary according to symtoms of patient.

"We anticipated the rise in mucormycosis based on our experience in the first wave but the sheer number caught us unprepared and for all the cases dealing with the infection were not there. Amphotericin is available in three different forms. Liposomal Amphotericin, a lipid complex version and Amphotericin B deoxycholate (the older version of the anti-fungal). But the older version can cause significant morbidity because it can damage kidneys as most of the patients have diabetes for which Liposomal Amphotericin is preferred," he said.

The cost of Liposomal Amphotericin is on the higher side and is a double whammy for patients who need to take it after recovering from COVID-19.

People may need surgical support because the treatment is effective only after the dead or infected tissue is removed.

"Liposomal Amphotericin cost can be on average rupees Rs 3500 to Rs 8000 per day," Dr Sinha said.

Doctors at several hospitals in the city said there is shortage of drug used to treat black fungus.

Five more manufacturers have been granted a license to make Amphotericin-B by the central government in addition to the existing manufacturers. An additional 1,11,000 vials of Amphotericin-B are expected to be available per month from July this year.

Union has reported 5,424 cases of mucormycosis in the country of which 4,556 patients have a history of COVID-19 infection with 55 per cent also having diabetes.

(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 on Tuesday said that more than a hundred ventilators provided to in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra through the PM CARES Fund turning out to be 'defective' was a serious matter, and sought to know what action the Union government proposed to take.

Justices R V Ghuge and B U Debadwar of the Aurangabad bench, hearing petitions pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic, also said that deans of are competent to decide whether a ventilator is defective or not, and their opinion must be accepted.

Chief Public Prosecutor D R Kale informed the division bench that the dean of the Government Medical College at Aurangabad received 150 ventilators through the PM CARES Fund. The hospital used 17 units, 41 were given to five private in Aurangabad and 55 were distributed to other districts. The remaining 37 were lying unboxed, he said.

As per a note submitted by Kale, all 113 ventilators which were put to use were found to be defective, and in every case, it affected the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

There were serious problems of "low inlet O2 pressure display" and the patients in some cases became "hypoxic" (a condition caused by low oxygen levels in blood) even when put on the ventilator, it said.

"We find the situation regarding dysfunctional ventilators, supplied through the PM CARES Fund, to be quite serious," the judges said, and directed the Union government to submit a reply on what action and remedial measures it proposed to take.

"We appreciate the Central government giving the ventilators but if it is likely to be a health risk or health hazard to the patients then the same cannot be used. It is better that you (Aurangabad district authorities) write to the government and send them (ventilators) back," the court said.

The Union government should be told that the supplier company had sold inferior-quality ventilators, the court said. The Union government must state what action it planned to take against the company, it added.

"The company should not get away with this. It is the public exchequer's money, the high court said, adjourning the hearing to May 28.

During the hearing, advocate S S Bora, appointed to assist the court, said that political leaders are visiting hospitals to check if ventilators are functioning. Some of them then claim that they are running perfectly well while some others declare that the machines are defective, he said.

The quality of ventilators provided through the PM CARES Fund has become the subject of political wrangling between ruling MVA coalition and the opposition BJP in the state.

The bench suggested that politicians refrain from carrying out such inspections.

"If deans of medical colleges and hospitals are saying they (ventilators) are not functional, then let us not pretend we know more than them. We express our displeasure at such indulgence by the people's representatives. This is likely to be more bothersome to the medical faculty than render assistance, the court 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.)
The Delhi High Court Tuesday expressed hope that the Delhi government would expeditiously finalise its policy for providing ration to poor people, especially destitute women and disabled children, "so that they do not starve for want of food" during the pandemic.

Justice Rekha Palli observation came after the Delhi government, represented by standing counsel Santosh K Tripathi, said its policy to provide ration and food to the poor was underway and would be finalised soon.

The submission by the Delhi government came after the court asked "what do you want them (poor people) to do? Beg for food?"



Tripathi told the court that soon over 240 centres would be opened across the national capital to provide rations to the poor, during the pandemic, without asking for any identification.

"It is hoped that the respondent (Delhi government) will take expeditious steps to finalise the policy, so that people like the petitioners here, including helpless women and disabled children, do not starve for want of food," the court said and listed the matter for hearing in July.

The court was hearing a plea moved on behalf of seven families who lost earning members to COVID-19 or lost jobs due to the pandemic and had no other source of livelihood and were seeking ration facilities without any insistence on ration cards.

The court issued notice to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Delhi government and sought their stand on the plea, filed through advocate Abhishek Anand, which has also sought monetary relief for the petitioners and others like them to that they can purchase LPG cylinders to cook food or to provide them with LPG cylinders during the lockdown period.

The petition also seeks directions that landowners should not forcefully charge rent during the prevailing pandemic or in the alternative the Delhi government should provide them financial assistance to pay the rent.

(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.)
Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and (ED), has gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda.

For the first time, Choksi's counsel advocate Vijay Aggarwal, confirmed that he is missing in the island nation.

In an exclusive statement to ANI, his lawyer said, "Mr is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. Family is in the dark and worried about his safety."

There were media reports in Antigua that the police have launched a manhunt for It was reported that Choksi left his home last evening to go for dinner at a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island and was never seen again. His vehicle was discovered in Jolly Harbour later in the evening, but no sign of him, reported Antiguan newsroom.

Choksi has been involved in a legal battle to stop his extradition back to India to answer fraud charges against him. Police are yet to issue a statement on the matter, reported Antiguan newsroom.

Earlier, on the media reports regarding his citizenship revocation issue, advocate Vijay Aggarwal had citizenship by an Antiguan civil court, his Advocate Vijay Aggarwal had clarified that "My client has clarified that he is very much an Antiguan citizen. His citizenship has not been revoked."

Earlier, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne had said, the citizenship of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, an accused in the multi-crore Punjab Bank scam, will be revoked and he will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted.

Choksi, 61-year-old is an Indian-born businessman, residing in Antigua and Barbuda and wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and (ED).

Earlier, Choksi in an interview with ANI had claimed that he is innocent and all allegations against him are false, baseless and motivated by political expediency.

Choksi holds Antiguan citizenship and is the owner of Gitanjali Group, a retail jewellery company. An arrest warrant for Choksi has been issued in connection with the alleged Punjab Bank fraud case. He was allegedly involved in stock market manipulation in 2013.

Recently Nirav Modi, nephew of Choksi was ordered to be extradited to India from the United Kingdom to face charges of conspiring to defraud PNB of more than a billion dollars, a UK judge ruled.

(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.)
Amid the ongoing row over Baba Ramdev's statements against allopathy, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij announced to provide one lakh Ayurveda-based Coronil kits to patients in the state free of cost.

Vij informed in a tweet that half of the cost of the kits has been borne by Patanjali and the other half by the state government from the Covid Relief Fund.

Each kit contains three items -- Coronil tablets, Swasari Vati and Anu Taila.Thanking the Haryana government, Baba Ramdev said other states should also come forward to make the state free from

"Patanjali is committed to stand for a cause," he added.

Last week a video went viral on social media in which Baba Ramdev is allegedly heard saying "allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwaliya science hai' (Allopathy is a stupid science).

--IANS

vg/ash

(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.)
External Affairs Minister has expressed confidence that India will continue to shape the big debates of our times as he interacted with Permanent Representative Ambassador T S Tirumurti and other officials and diplomats from India to the United Nations.

Jaishankar arrived in New York on Sunday evening on his first visit to the US after India entered the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in January this year and will meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.

A productive strategy session with @ambtstirumurti and our UN team in New York @IndiaUNNewYork. Confident that India will continue to shape the big debates of our times, Jaishankar tweeted on Monday after his meeting with Tirumurti, Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu and diplomats from the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.

Grateful to EAM @DrSJaishankar for guidance in focussing our efforts in @UN and in Security Council for 2021-22, Tirumurti tweeted.

From New York, Jaishankar will travel to Washington where he is expected to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A State Department spokesperson said Blinken and Jaishankar would discuss a wide range of issues, including COVID-19, efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad grouping, enhancing the UN and multilateral cooperation.

The Secretary looks forward to meeting Minister Jaishankar during his visit, and to discussing a broad range of issues, including COVID-19 relief, efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad, enhanced UN and multilateral cooperation, and a range of other shared regional security and economic priorities, the spokesperson said.

In addition to meeting his counterpart, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet US Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, other senior officials of the Biden administration, influential lawmakers, think-tanks, leaders of the corporate sector and members of the Indian American community.

Neither the State Department nor the Ministry of External Affairs have announced the day and timing of the Jaishankar-Blinken meeting.

Blinken on Monday left for a quick trip to the Middle East as part of the efforts of the Biden administration's peace process in the region.

(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.)
Moderna is expecting to launch a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India next year and is in talks with among other Indian firms, while another US giant Pfizer is ready to offer 50 million shots in 2021 itself but it wants significant regulatory relaxations including indemnification, sources said on Tuesday.

While Moderna has conveyed to Indian authorities that it does not have surplus vaccines to share in 2021, there are limited prospects of Johnson & Johnson exporting its jabs from the US to other countries in the near future, the sources privy to discussions added.

Two rounds of high-level meetings chaired by the Cabinet Secretary were held last week on the availability of vaccines in the global as well as domestic markets as it was felt that there is an urgent need to procure the jabs at a time the country is reeling under an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 and a widening gap between supply and requirement.

Currently, the country is using two 'made-in India' jabs -- Covishield and Covaxin -- to inoculate its billion-plus population and has administered 200 million doses since launching the world's largest vaccination drive in mid-January. A third vaccine, Russian-made Sputnik V, has been approved by the government and is being used on a smaller scale at present.

In the high-level meeting officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, NITI Aayog, Department of Biotechnology, Law Ministry and Health Ministry were present.

It was discussed that Moderna doesn't have surplus vaccines to share in 2021 and that it plans to launch its single-dose vaccine for the Indian market only in 2022, for which, they are in discussion with and other Indian companies, a source said.

It is learnt that has already evinced interest in procuring 50 million doses from Moderna for 2022 and has requested confirmation from the central government in respect of stability in regulatory requirements/policy regime.

The Health Ministry has also been asked to take an early decision on Cipla's request regarding support required by them for procurement of Moderna vaccines.



In the case of Pfizer, the US pharma giant has indicated availability of 50 million vaccine doses -- 10 million in July, 10 million in August, 20 million in September and 10 million in October --for supply to India in 2021 and that it will deal only with Government of India and payment for vaccines will have to be made by GOI to Pfizer India.

The central government will make its own arrangement for further channelization of procured vaccines in the domestic market.

According to another source, for the supply of vaccines to India, Pfizer has asked for indemnification from the Government of India and a document in this regard has been received from Pfizer Inc.

Further, Pfizer has also sought certain relaxations in the regulatory regime, including relaxation in the requirement of post-approval bridging trials and dispensing the requirement of testing their vaccines in CDL (Central Drugs Laboratory).

Taking into consideration the track record of the company, similar arrangements done with other countries in the world and the current pandemic situation, an overall view may be taken to indemnify the company by the government, officials said but flagged that in case a view is taken to indemnify the company, similar demands may be made by other companies.

As per the information furnished by Pfizer, around 116 countries in the world including the USA have signed the indemnification document.

Further, considering that over 147 million doses of Pfizer had been administered worldwide without any significant reports of adverse effects, a view needs to be taken to indemnify the company in order to supplement the availability of vaccines in India, officials discussed at one recent meeting.

It was suggested that a decision on the issue of Pfizer Inc may be taken at the earliest and that NEGVAC (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19) may hold a meeting immediately on these issues.

At a press conference on Monday, in response to a question on states being unable to procure vaccines directly from Moderna and Pfizer, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal had said, "Whether it is Pfizer or Moderna, at the Centre-level, we have been coordinating with them."



"Also, the order book of both Pfizer and Moderna is full so it depends on their surplus that how much they can provide in India... they will come back to the Centre and we will help in facilitation to states," he 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.)
More children are testing positive in the second Covid wave but the infection is mostly mild and the mortality rate low, say experts, citing increased testing and enhanced understanding of symptoms as among the possible reasons for the rising graph.

Though there is enough anecdotal evidence of COVID-19 catching children early teens and younger there is little reason to panic, said several doctors and scientists. They also stressed on the urgent need to vaccinate children to stem the spread of the infection.

There is a general increase or shift in infection numbers towards children and younger groups as compared to older people, agreed virologist Upasana Ray.

This could be because the virus had already infected more of the older age groups last year, leading to the development of immunity in those who recovered from various degrees of the infection.

Eventually, this age group was prioritised for getting vaccinated as well which added to the pool of elderly individuals with immunity against this virus, Ray, from Kolkata's CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, told PTI.

it is also important to note that possibly children with 'now known' symptoms are getting tested more and thus infections in this age group are getting reported as well, she said.

This was not true last year during the first wave of the pandemic as many of the less common symptoms were not well understood at the time.

Thus, it is quite possible that children were still getting infected, remained asymptomatic or were having mild symptoms or less common symptoms which didn't progress towards alarming stages and thus remained not-tested or not-reported, Ray explained.

The senior scientist noted that the understanding of the development of this virus, the diverse symptoms, and the manner in which the infection manifests itself has improved vastly.

Thus, more people are getting tested as soon as they experience any of the known symptoms. This includes children as well, she added.

In Ray's view, in the present COVID-19 surge, the virus is infecting those to whom it has more access due to lack of immunity, that is, younger people.

Children account for about 3-4 per cent of hospital admissions, in both India and the rest of the world, Niti Aayog (health) member V K Paul said recently.

Though there are no exact numbers to quantify that more children are getting infected, the Karnataka COVID War Room reported 20,206 Covid infections, including 17 fatalities, among children below 10 years from March 1 to May 15 this year when the second wave hit the state.

The case fatality rate (CFR) among children is, however, only 0.1 per cent in the state.

CFR is the proportion of deaths from a certain disease compared to the total number of people diagnosed with the disease for a particular period.

There are also concerns over a probable third wave of the pandemic making children vulnerable to more infections in the absence of vaccination for the group.

While many countries such as the US and Canada have approved vaccines for children 12 and above, India is still to give nod for preventives in those aged below 18.

Allaying fears of any worse outcomes for children, the Central government on Monday said there is no indication that they will be severely or more affected in the third wave.

"Data from the first and the second wave shows that children are usually protected from Covid and even if they get it, they have mild infection," AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said at a press conference.

The Indian Academy of Paediatrics has also said recently that though children appear as susceptible as adults it is "highly unlikely that the third wave will predominantly or exclusively affect children".

Giving the view from the ground, Dr. Meena J, a paediatrician at Aakash Healthcare Dwarka in New Delhi, noted that COVID-19 had significantly spared children in the first wave except in high-risk groups.

However, the second wave in India has shown significantly positive cases in children, mostly in the age group of 10-14, she told PTI.

The percentage of positive cases in our settings has been around 5 to 10 per cent with 5 to 10 patients coming positive daily during the month of April, while those requiring hospitalisation are less than 1 per cent, Meena J added.

She, however, said the number has been declining during the last two weeks.

Although the actual percentage of cases is yet to be analysed, complicated cases constitute 1 to 2 per cent of all positive cases, she said.

Dr Gauri Agarwal, a gynaecologist at Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad, said her facility has received approximately 5-6 per cent of cases where children were affected during the second wave.

There can be more but parents are not getting children tested when they see symptoms like fever or stomach ache. So I would ask parents to get their children tested if they come across any such symptoms, Agarwal told PTI.

She said children who test positive for COVID-19 have symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, loose motions and rashes and are being given the same treatment as adults.

The good thing is the mortality rate in children is low, they're becoming Covid positive but are also getting better, she added.

Meena J added that there are clusters of positive cases seen in different regions but overall mortality and morbidity in children is under reported.

The second wave definitely has increased positivity rate but severe cases are less.

The doctors emphasised the necessity for expanding vaccine coverage.

According to Agarwal, viruses tend to mutate if they stay long in an environment.

That is why the Covid virus is mutating every few days. It is expected that children will be more affected in the third wave which means there can be mortality as well, she added.

To avoid this, she said, the government should start extend the vaccination programme to children.

A lot of hospitals do not have neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and paediatric intensive care units (PICU), and if more children start becoming affected, it will be a major challenge as we do not have the proper infrastructure to treat them, Agarwal warned.

Globally, a substantial number of children have been infected till now with COVID-19.

According to data published by UNICEF in March, around 11 million COVID-19 cases occurred in children and adolescents in 100 countries, which is 13 per cent of the total 80 million COVID cases in these countries at the time.

Over 6,800 children and adolescents died from COVID-19, which is 0.3 per cent of the 2.3 million COVID-19 deaths in 78 countries, said the report that calculated the data from January 2020 till March 2021.

In the US, children represent about 13 per cent of all COVID-19 cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.

(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 COVID-19 positivity rate in Madhya Pradesh has dropped to 3.39 per cent from 13.8 per cent on May 13, according to the state government.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who is also the state government's spokesperson, said the positivity rate in 11 districts of the state is less than one per cent, while the rate in four districts is above five per cent.

"The positivity rate has come down to 3.39 per cent in the state," he said.

On May 13, he had said the COVID-19 positivity rate in the state was 13.8 per cent.

"On Tuesday, the total number of positive cases reported is 4,222 while the count of those who recovered is 7,873. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state is 92.6 per cent," Mishra said on Tuesday.

On May 23, the recovery rate was 91.45 per cent, according to the minister.

The positivity rate is less than one per cent in 11 districts - Bhind, Alirajpur, Mandla, Jhabua, Agar, Dindori, Khandwa, Barwani, Singrauli, Kanti and Narsinghpur, while it is above five per cent in Indore, Bhopal, Sagar and Neemuch, Mishra said.

"Considering this, the corona curfew is gradually being relaxed in a number of districts in the state," he said.

The state government on Monday allowed "restricted relaxations" in the 'corona curfew' in districts where the positivity rate was less than five per cent.

Mishra also alleged that those part of the (Congress-led) United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had earlier spread false information about vaccines against COVID-19, but now they are saying that they are not getting doses for inoculation.

On Monday, a war of words broke out between Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Congress president Kamal Nath following registration of an FIR against the latter for allegedly creating panic over the COVID-19 pandemic through his remarks.

Chouhan asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take action against Nath for his "Indian variant" and other remarks related to the pandemic.

On the other hand, Nath said an FIR cannot suppress his voice and asserted he will keep fighting for people and raise issues of public interest.

To a question on the attack on a vaccination team in Ujjain district on Monday, Mishra urged citizens to cooperate with the health teams and police personnel who were enforcing the COVID-19 norms for their benefit.

The state government has also made the facility for on-the-spot registration of people in the 18 and above age category for vaccination, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
General Secretary will start a campaign from Wednesday, "Zimmedar Kaun" (Who is responsible) on the Covid pandemic. She has sought feedback and suggestions from the people.

In a Facebook post she said that during the second wave of the pandemic, when the country was devastated and the people were struggling for medicines, beds and oxygen the government was in mute mode.

She will daily ask questions from the Union government that when the country needed vaccine then it was exported and people lost their loved ones. And when the pandemic is subsiding due to natural causes the government is again visible in the media.

She said asking questions is mandatory so that the government should be prepared for the next Covid wave.

India's daily cases fell below the 2-lakh mark for the first time since April 14. The country reported 1,96,427 fresh Covid cases on Tuesday and 3,511 fatalities, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry said.

On April 14, India had recorded 2,00,739 cases. This is for the first time after April 14 that the cases have gone below the two-lakh mark.

On Monday, India crossed the three-lakh mark of fatalities due to the infections, becoming the world's third country after the US and Brazil to record over three lakh deaths.

India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,69,48,874 with 25,86,782 active cases and 3,07,231 deaths so far.

--IANS

miz/bg

(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.)
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Young members of China's top legislature and Cambodian parliament on Monday exchanged views on various topics, including cooperation against COVID-19 and post-pandemic economic recovery, in an online exchange held via video link.

Wang Hongyan, a member of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, called for leveraging the close ties between legislative representatives and the public to pass on the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia and promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

Hun Many, a commission chairperson of the National Assembly of Cambodia, said the youth exchange activity will further advance friendly exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

Chinese and Cambodian legislative bodies have very close cooperation on bilateral and multilateral spheres. Monday's activity marked the first video exchange among young members of the legislative bodies against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A powerful is set to slam into India on Wednesday, the second in less than two weeks, with authorities gearing up for relief operations at a time when the nation is facing the worlds worst outbreak of Covid-19.

Yaas, equivalent to a category 3 hurricane, will cause heavy rains in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha, with wind speeds as high as 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, according to the India Meteorological Department. Sea levels may increase 4 meters above regular tides and inundate low-lying areas, it said.

The latest storm follows a severe that hit the west coast last week -- the worst in over two decades in the western state of Gujarat -- killing dozens after a barge sank in the sea. The eastern region was hit by a cyclone in May 2020 with similar wind speeds, while another one in 2019 prompted authorities to evacuate millions of people.

The timing of the storm poses several challenges for already stressed authorities in the country, which is battling a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The infections have strained Indias health system and overwhelmed crematoriums and hospitals. They have also spread to rural areas, where about 70% of the nations 1.3 billion people live.

Federal Home Minister Amit Shah asked the state governments to ensure adequate power backup for hospitals, laboratories, vaccine cold stores and other medical facilities, the ministry said in a statement.

Ports, refineries and plants were on alert. Indian Oil Corp., the biggest refiner, stopped unloading crude oil at Paradip in Odisha and asked ships to move 250 nautical miles away from the path of the cyclone, according to a spokesman.

The weather department advised fishermen to suspend operations in the area and return immediately to the coast. The storm could damage houses and roads, disrupt movement of trains and disrupt power and telecommunication services, it said in a statement.

Evacuation Plan

The Odisha government has identified more than 6,500 pregnant women with delivery dates before June 1, and is moving them to hospitals as a priority, according to Pradeep Jena, the states additional chief secretary. The government will intensify the evacuation process after getting further clarity from the weather office on the time and location of landfall, he said by text.

In neighboring Bangladesh, the government has readied three times more storm shelters than are usually needed to accommodate people evacuated from coastal areas, said Enamur Rahman, state minister for disaster management. But the country sees no major damage from the cyclone as its likely to move toward Indias Odisha, he said.

Both Paradip Port Trust and Dhamra Port said all vessels at the anchorage will move to a safer area in the sea, while those alongside berths have been asked to keep their main engines ready to move to sea at short notice.

Oil explorers in the Bay of Bengal have been asked to take all precautions to maintain safe operations, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons said in a Twitter post. Oil and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said as a precautionary measure all major oil and steel industrial units along the east coast will operate with minimum manpower for the next two to three days.

Authorities are cautious this time after a fatal accident last week. The Indian Navy recovered 70 bodies after a barge and a tug boat, working for state-run Oil & Natural Gas Corp., sank following cyclone Tauktae that hit the west coast on May 17. The navy rescued 188 people, but some are still missing.
Moderna's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India likely next year

Moderna is expecting to launch a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India next year and is in talks with Cipla among other Indian firms, while another US giant Pfizer is ready to offer 50 million shots in 2021 itself but it wants significant regulatory relaxations including indemnification, sources said on Tuesday.

While Moderna has conveyed to Indian authorities that it does not have surplus vaccines to share in 2021, there are limited prospects of Johnson & Johnson exporting its jabs from the US to other countries in the near future, the sources privy to discussions added. READ HERE

Pfizer ready with 50 mn doses for 2021

Pfizer, the US pharma giant has indicated availability of 50 million vaccine doses for supply to India in 2021 and that it will deal only with Government of India and payment for vaccines will have to be made by GOI to Pfizer India.

The central government will make its own arrangement for further channelization of procured vaccines in the domestic market.

According to another source, for the supply of vaccines to India, Pfizer has asked for indemnification from the Government of India and a document in this regard has been received from Pfizer Inc. READ HERE.

guv asks pvt banks to ensure continuity in provision of various financial services

Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday asked private sector banks to ensure continuity in the provision of various financial services, including credit facilities to individuals and businesses, in the face of challenges brought on by the pandemic.

Earlier this month, the governor had held a similar meeting with MD and CEOs of public sector banks.

During the meeting with the MD and CEOs of select private sector banks, Das also impressed upon the banks to quickly and swiftly implement the measures announced by the on May 5, 2021, in right earnest. READ HERE.

Bharat Biotech expects EUL from WHO for Covaxin in July- September

Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said it expects approval for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin from the World Health Organisation for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) during July-September.

The company said regulatory approvals for Covaxin are in process in more than 60 countries including the USA, Brazil and Hungary among others. READ HERE.
The is not assured of being fully safe from the even with its high rate in vaccination unless it extends the global fight to defeat the variants from the scourge, US Agency for International Development (USAID) COVID-19 Task Force Jeremy Konyndyk said Monday.

"We recognize that no matter how many people we vaccinated at home, the will not be fully safe as long as the virus rages on around the rest of the world and continues to replicate and generate new and potentially more dangerous," Konyndyk, who is assisting the Biden administration's global response to the pandemic, said.

Konyndyk cited India as an example of the work that needed to be done in subduing mutations of the virus, with President Joe Biden pledging to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week a range of emergency assistance, including oxygen-related supplies, vaccine materials and therapeutics.

"[The] variants (and) current surge in South Asia really underscore the devastating consequences and risks of continued global transmission and the urgency of accelerating efforts to end the pandemic," Konyndyk said.

In a speech to Congress last month, Biden said the would become "an arsenal of vaccines" for other countries once vaccination targets for Americans were met. Biden said the United States would make 20 million additional vaccines available for other countries by the end of June from its reserves of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.

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Amid rising cases in and Sri Lanka, the US State Department issued a travel advisory warning against travel to the respective countries due to COVID transmission concerns.

"This week, the following Travel Advisories have been assessed and reissued with updates, raised to a Level 4 - Do Not Travel: Japan, Sri Lanka," the State Department said on Monday.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new alert that Americans should avoid all travel to and advised anyone who does have to visit the country to get vaccinated prior to traveling there.

"Because of the current situation in even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan," it added.

This comes few months before the Olympics are set to be held in Tokyo in July. The Olympics were already postponed once due to the pandemic.

Japan has been witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases as it reported over seven lakh infections till Sunday ahead of the Olympic Games.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday, the country registered 7,14,274 confirmed cases and 12,236 deaths till yesterday (Sunday). As of May 15, a total of 5,593,436 vaccine doses have been administered in the country.

Meanwhile, in 2,971 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Monday. Till Monday, a total of 167,172 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the country.

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Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Tuesday reiterated his demand of "vaccination or cancellation" in his suggestions sent to the Central government on conducting class 12 board exams.

Sisodia, also Delhi's Education Minister, recommended the tabulation of results taking into account the marks students scored in class 10, class 11 and assessment during class 12 so far.

In a letter to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Sisodia said if experts suggest against giving Covishield or Covaxin jabs to class 12 students, the Centre government should procure Pfizer vaccine which has been approved for children above the age of 12 years.

"If Centre and state government get on the task together all class 12 students and teachers involved in the examination process can be vaccinated within three to four weeks," he added.

"If the government feels it's not feasible to vaccinate students at present then I strongly advocate that the exams should be cancelled and results should be tabulated as per scores obtained in last three years by students -- class 10, 11 and 12.

Sisodia has also noted in his letter that the government should call a high-level meeting next month to start discussing the examination format for the 2022 exams.

"We should start preparations already for next year keeping all circumstance in mind," he said.

The Central government had sought detailed suggestions from all state and Union Territories by May 25 following a high-level meeting on conducting the class 12 board exams which were postponed in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

The has proposed conducting the exams between July 15-August 26 and the result to be declared in September.

The board also proposed two options: conducting regular exams for 19 major subjects at notified centres or conducting shorter duration exams at respective schools where students are enrolled.

Sisodia said in his letter on Tuesday, "The two options proposed by the centre are not an answer to the challenges posed by the new strain of To ask students to be ready to write exams is not only insensitive but also fatal. Hence, we should consider either vaccination or cancellation."



He has made this demand on earlier occasions as well.

According to the Ministry of Education, there is broad consensus among states about conducting the examination and a final decision will be announced by June 1.

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"I'm a little pissed off at how much airtime depression and anxiety get in the public sphere, especially among the elite. But the moment you say you have delusions or hallucinations, people get scared. You become an object to be managed, somehow," academic Ananya Biswas* told IndiaSpend in January 2021.

Biswas, 38, is among 3.5 million Indians who live with schizophrenia, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD), 2019. Nearly 200 million Indians had mental health disorders, according to GBD 2019. Of these, 1.75% live with and around 45% had depressive or anxiety disorders, reflecting the over-representation of these in conversations about mental health that Biswas referred to. Yet, 50% of long-stay users in public mental health hospitals in India live with schizophrenia, according to a health ministry-supported report from 2019. is classified as one of the most severe mental disorders, with disruptive symptoms (psychosis) associated with considerable disability.

In 2021, as a working woman living with schizophrenia, Biswas is an aberration in many ways. For people with schizophrenia, the ability to pursue employment and be financially stable provides a measure of autonomy that is vital for self-esteem, recovery from symptoms and living independently in the community, multiple studies have noted. This is echoed by dozens of persons living with mental illness and their families, mental health professionals, disability rights activists, disabled peoples' organisations and psychiatrists at government hospitals we interviewed in the past year. But disproportionately affects people in early adulthood (22-34 years) and early- (35-44) to late-middle age (45-64), covering the entire working age spectrum, according to GBD 2019.

For living with schizophrenia and psychosis, stigma further impacts their work, marriage and family life. Decades of popular culture and films depicting stereotypes of persons with schizophrenia or psychosis as violent, dangerous villains and serial killers propagate a "figure of fear and mystery", Biswas points out, thereby adding to this stigma. An increased risk of suicide for with schizophrenia required urgent attention, GBD 2019 found, when already have double the global suicide death rates. The stigma forces many like her to conceal their mental health needs from employers and institutions, even as speaking publicly about depression and anxiety becomes increasingly commonplace especially during COVID-19, even encouraged, she said. Biswas has never publicly disclosed her diagnosis.

For women living with schizophrenia to pursue meaningful employment and live independently, locally available and accessible community care for symptom management (as opposed to institutionalisation), and supported employment initiatives are required, say disability rights activists, mental health professionals and persons living with mental illness. GBD 2019 recommended using community-based programmes and non-psychiatric, community health workers to reduce the treatment gap for mental illness in India, based on existing models such as the Atmiyata programme in rural Maharashtra. Health activists on the ground supported this approach. Yet India continues to place emphasis on institutionalised care, we found.

A year after the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed, much has been made of the 'new normal' and 'WFH' (work from home) and the potential to transform workplaces. But what does 'new normal' mean for people whom the old 'normal' excluded, said Soumitra Pathare of the Centre for Mental Health, Law and Policy in Pune. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 23.8% of persons with disabilities were part of the labour force, a survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) found in 2018. The lockdown drove many persons living with disabilities out of the work-force. Women's participation in the workforce in particular dropped precipitously.

To understand how the pandemic has further complicated the struggle of pursuing meaningful work while managing a highly stigmatised mental health condition, IndiaSpend traced the journeys of five women living with schizophrenia and psychosis, in this concluding article of our Mental Health Fellowship series in partnership with The Health Collective. Read our first two articles in the mental health series here and here.

Their journeys revealed a pattern of lack of awareness leading to late diagnosis and care for symptoms, concealment of mental illness from employers and acquaintances due to stigma, repeatedly being forced to quit positions during periods of ill-health, and stressful work environments often triggering a collapse. "Seeking work or resuming previously held jobs, attending work regularly, or/and performing work with competence and efficiency" was the most desired outcome after "symptom control" reported by persons with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers in India in a 2012 study. Supported employment initiatives by nonprofits and public health institutions, which include counselling of employers to create favourable conditions for persons living with severe mental illness, are showing India the way forward.

Unhealthy workplaces

Gainful work is a key factor in self-esteem and unemployment is a key variable in poor course outcomes (such as relapse or heightened symptoms, death, death by suicide, abandonment, divorce), the landmark Madras Longitudinal Study, which followed 45 men and 45 women in urban India living with schizophrenia over 25 years, revealed in 2012. But finding a job is only the beginning of the struggle to live a working life, interviewees told us.

Like in other parts of the world, research from India reveals high levels of stigma towards persons living with schizophrenia. The stresses of working while managing mental health conditions like psychosis or schizophrenia are laid bare by Biswas. "I overdo things in my productive time so I can explain away the fact that I've had serious episodes of psychosis when I couldn't work--chunks of time in my CV that appear 'mysterious' when I was unemployed, or employed but just doing the basics because I couldn't afford to stress myself mentally," says Biswas. "It's like I'm carrying a secret--a truth that is obvious to people who know me and my history, but too deadly to be spoken. That's the reality."

Over 50% of 280 participants living with schizophrenia across Tamil Nadu, Goa and Maharashtra reported that they did not take up work opportunities, whether in personal relationships, education or work, in the past year due to anticipated negative reactions from others, according to a 2014 study on discrimination against Indians living with schizophrenia by the nonproft Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in Chennai, National Institute of Mental Health And Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru and Centre for Global Mental Health, UK, among others. Fears included worrying others would look down on them, think they were inferior, avoid them and consider them unviable for marriage or work. Nearly half (46%) reported being uncomfortable disclosing their illness. All this manifested in feelings of internalised shame, stigma and low self-esteem.

"If [employers] can avoid recruiting a person with mental illness, most will," said Thara Rangaswamy, co-founder of SCARF and the principal researcher behind the Madras Longitudinal Study. "Persons with disabilities like visual impairment or locomotor disability are often more activist--they will fight for their rights. But people living with schizophrenia often don't do it at all, either because their functioning is impaired by symptomatology, or the cost of disclosure is so high because this is one disability where stigma clouds everything."

Conditions in contemporary workplaces in India such as long working hours, expectations of constant output and implicit sexism further aggravate the ability to cope with schizophrenia, say interviewees. It is even worse for those who are unaware that they could have schizophrenia. The implications of a lack of diagnosis have played out extensively in artist Pia Bhardwaj's* life.

Bhardwaj, 33 and a successful freelance graphic design artist, experienced a first episode of psychosis as a student at the Parsons School of Design in New York in 2015. She was 27, in keeping with the relatively later onset of schizophrenia and psychosis in women, compared to men. Far from her family in Udaipur, dealing with work and other stresses, she found herself becoming paranoid, speaking in gibberish, losing control of her body and losing touch between reality and delusions. This continued into joining a design firm in Mumbai, where she struggled with thought-broadcasting, a symptom of psychosis which led her to believe her colleagues were tracking her thoughts and mocking her. She says, "All this while I was not being treated, no medication, psychotherapy, anything. So I was a very sick person going to work as usual."

"They had hired me thinking I was from this great institute, Parsons', and now one of the firm's owners could see I was struggling and didn't know a lot of things. She would always yell at me and that really affected me, added to my own insecurity of not being normal," Bhardwaj told IndiaSpend.

Bhardwaj eventually quit her job, as her parents had the financial resources to support her even though they still hadn't realised that she was seriously ill. By 2017, as her symptoms escalated, her sister finally sounded the alarm and Bhardwaj visited a psychiatrist for the first time. There, she was diagnosed with psychosis and put on heavy doses of Arpizol and Relicalm, which she continues to take.

By 2018, when a renowned architecture firm Bhardwaj had admired for years recruited her as a communications designer, she felt well enough to take the job. Again, she found that the high-stress environment aggravated her anxiety. She recalls sleeping in the office, her boss calling at 3 a.m. on a Saturday to yell at her. Finally, she quit, disappointing her parents.

Impact more acute for women

Amrita, a 35-year-old user experience (UX) designer at a company in Noida, resumed looking for work after she was symptom-free, having had to quit multiple workplaces in the past due to severe episodes of schizophrenia-related psychosis that made it impossible to work. Like Bhardwaj, Amrita too did not realise for a long time that she was experiencing psychosis, with her first onset in 2014 at age 28. Amrita went home to her parents in Kanpur where, unbeknownst to her, they started slipping medication into her meals, after a psychiatrist diagnosed her with schizophrenia.

"Well known psychiatrists my parents had consulted in different cities, without involving me, held prejudices stigmatising schizophrenic people. Some expected me to be violent, some irrational, and others felt that I would never agree I had schizophrenia because har pagal yahi kehta hai. So without even meeting me, they prescribed medication," she says. After four months of medication, she recovered. She returned to Delhi in 2015 where she worked at a company that worked on entrance test preparation. She remembers it as "a horrible place to work, even before I came out as a lesbian".

Men living with schizophrenia faced discrimination most acutely at the workplace, whereas women faced it in marriage, according to the 2014 study on stigma and discrimination. This was a finding in older studies on schizophrenia and gender too. However, it is important to place these findings in context of India's social dynamics. As Indian families have higher educational and employment aspirations for sons, gender roles direct different life trajectories for men and women, a 2012 study on gender perspectives of living with schizophrenia in India had noted. Hence, the findings of the 2014 study on discrimination do not reflect a lack of stigma for women, but are influenced by the pre-existing lower numbers of women in the workforce.

More female respondents were unemployed than male, a comparative analysis of employment in persons with severe mental disorders in 2015 had noted. As the non-primary breadwinner, women may choose to quit their jobs at onset of severe illness, the analysis added.

While UX design is not itself a male-dominated industry, UX designers are usually the sole member of the company in that role in an often otherwise male-dominated workspace. While Amrita had female colleagues, the majority of them worked part-time or were married, and as a transgender woman, Amrita stood out even without disclosing her mental illness. "Even during the interview process, they were transphobic," she recalls. "The senior HR woman told me that the company is being progressive by hiring me." The stress of a toxic work environment triggered her second episode of psychosis and she quit after six months, returning to Kanpur and being put on medication secretly again.

This pattern of interrupted work, psychosis, suicidality and secret medication continued, escalating in a paranoia-triggered suicide attempt where Amrita lost both her legs, becoming a below-the-knee amputee. This is what finally led her parents to reveal her schizophrenia diagnosis for the first time. "It could have easily been avoided," Amrita says now. "They should have just told me."

While learning to adjust to her prostheses, she had to be entirely dependent on her parents and was forced to detransition after being on hormone replacement therapy for two years. Amrita's parents and the psychiatrist in Kanpur conflated her gender dysphoria--strong feelings of distress at her male-assigned gender identity not aligning to her authentic gender of female--with her schizophrenia diagnosis. But what actually caused her distress was being forced to present as male, she says. "My gender was taken away from me."

After freelancing for some time, she began working with a software development company as a UX designer again, presenting as male. Here the work environment is better in comparison to her last workplace, and the management has accommodated her physical disability by putting in railings--but she isn't sure she can "come out" as trans or having schizophrenia to her colleagues.

Just as she had moved into her own place with a friend in March 2020, the COVID-19 janta curfew was imposed and she had to move in with relatives in Ghaziabad, where she couldn't present overtly as female. Now, WFH has meant she is able to express her true gender. Currently, she is dreaming of starting afresh as Amrita at a new company. "I can be an out disabled trans woman to potential employers but I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about schizophrenia. Not even if they offered me the position," she tweeted in January, shortly after our conversation.

Abandonment, homelessness and institutionalisation

Abandonment by families and homelessness is the most visible of all social consequences of psychosis in women, with an estimated 20 to 40% of homeless women suffering from psychotic disorders. IndiaSpend previously reported on the case of one such woman, Lokkhi*in West Bengal, in January 2021. After being abandoned by her family and rescued from the streets by a nonprofit, Iswar Sankalpa in Kolkata, she now lives in their shelter for women and works at their bakery. She sends money back home to support her sons, although her family is not willing to have her live at home.

In India, the misconception that marriage cures mental illness is widely prevalent, often resulting in separation and divorce as being of 'unsound mind' is still grounds for divorce. An ethnographic study of 75 women with schizophrenia who were divorced or separated revealed in 2015 that 95% of marriages were arranged by families, and the women now lived in their parental homes with the onus on elderly caregivers. Among 200 patients associated with various clinics of NIMHANS, women were frequently coerced into situations of sexual abuse and to have abortions, separated from their children, abused by in-laws, divorced and abandoned, the 2012 study on gender perspectives of living with schizophrenia had found. Only one of five 33-40 year-old women IndiaSpend interviewed were married or in a long-term relationship.

Many abandoned women living with schizophrenia end up living indefinitely as long-stay users of a public mental hospital. Half of long-stay users (50.4%) in the 43 public mental health hospitals in India in 2019 were diagnosed with schizophrenia, followed by psychosis not otherwise specified, according to a Government of India-supported National Mental Health study by the Hans Foundation. Acute psychosis was the recorded diagnosis in 4.6% of long-stay users. More women (54.3%) than men were long-stay users.







A systematic review of 77 studies from 22 countries in 2019 revealed previous involuntary institutionalisation and diagnosis with a psychotic disorder as factors with the greatest risk of involuntary institutionalisation. Economic deprivation was also a risk factor.

Psychiatrists, superintendents and mental health professionals at 15 of the 43 state-run mental health hospitals and institutions reported difficulty coping with the homeless persons with mental illness being admitted to the hospitals during the COVID-19 lockdown, IndiaSpend reported in November 2020. As many homeless persons with mental illness emergency accessed psychiatry and acute care services at NIMHANS, Bengaluru during the first month of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, as in the entire preceding year, according to a NIMHANS report in August 2020. They had severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, with impaired comprehension, poor self-care and compromised nutrition impacting their immunity levels, increasing their risk of contracting COVID-19.

Studies and disability rights organisations have highlighted over years the need for publicly-funded community resources like halfway homes, day care and rehabilitation centres that might support women with chronic mental illness in securing employment and living within the community. But most expenditure set aside for mental health in India was concentrated in upgrading tertiary care in state mental hospitals, the government-supported National Mental Health study noted in 2019.

This emphasis on a few tertiary psychiatric hospitals instead of scaling up local community mental healthcare models persists. Less than 1% (Rs 597 crore) of the Union health ministry allocation in Budget 2021-2022 went to mental healthcare. Of this, just Rs 40 crore was allocated for the National Mental Health Programme, which powers community mental healthcare like the District Mental Health Program (DMHP), or in developing primary health centres. Instead, the majority has been allocated to two specialised tertiary hospitals--Rs 500 crore to NIMHANS, Bengaluru and Rs 57 crore to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur.

What central funds have been allocated to the DMHP over the past five years have not been fully utilised by states and union territories (UTs) either (health is a state subject). The DMHP covers services such as detection, management and treatment of disorders, life-skills training and counselling in schools and colleges, counselling for suicide prevention, stress management, capacity building including manpower training and development, awareness generation for early identification and timely management of mental disorders, and addressing stigma. For all these activities, the central government provides financial assistance to states and UTs up to Rs. 83.2 lakh per district, to 692 districts by 2020-21, out of the flexible pool for non-communicable diseases under the National Health Mission.

Among the 37 states and UTs, only five states--Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Sikkim and West Bengal--have used more than 50% of allocated funds for the DMHP, in the six years to 2020-21, according to health ministry data submitted to Parliament in February 2021. Another five states and UTs--Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh--utilised more than 40% of their allocation. As many as 14 have not utilised more than a quarter of their allocated funds. The worst performer is Delhi, which has spent virtually none of its central allocation on its DMHP in the six years to 2020-21.







Supported employment programmes the way forward

Unemployment in persons living with schizophrenia can be a matter of life and death in a lower-income country like India where families were previously dependent on the income, R. Padmavati, director, SCARF told IndiaSpend. Being disabled in the domain of employment leads to increased financial stress on the family, as out-of-pocket expenditure on mental health remains high and the amount and disbursal of disability pension remains extremely low at an average of Rs 1,000 per month, we reported in January 2021. Programmes for vocational training and work-placement for persons living with schizophrenia by non-profits Iswar Sankalpa in Kolkata and Banyan Tree in Kerala and Chennai are showing the way forward.

In Kolkata, Pinky Ghosh*, 38, who also lives with schizophrenia, works at a West Bengal Khadi Board centre weaving cotton thread for Rs 50 per five bundles, where she was placed by the Sarbari unit of Iswar Sankalpa. She makes roughly Rs 1,200 a month. During the lockdown, as the centre stayed shut, she worried about how she would continue to pay for medication that kept auditory hallucinations in check.

She lives with her 70-year-old mother, and the household runs on her late father's pension of Rs 5,000 per month. In addition to helping her mother run the house, she finds her routine of going to the centre calming. "I'm only able to earn Rs 1,200 a month, but that Rs 1,200 means a lot to me," Ghosh told IndiaSpend in December 2020. "I like going there. What I really want," she said eagerly, "is to be able to stand on my own two feet strongly."

"In our country where the majority of people have to earn a monthly income to survive, employment is an important outcome of any intervention," said Padmavati. SCARF, a World Health Organization (WHO) collaborator for mental health research and training, is one of the only places in India that provides dedicated vocational training and work-placement for persons living with schizophrenia. The majority of SCARF's clientele comes from lower- and lower-middle-income backgrounds.

Clients are involved in various graded activities at SCARF's vocational training centre for a period of time. Here, they are mapped to an activity based on their own interest and then factors like regularity, attendance, punctuality, peer interaction, how frequently breaks are required etc are observed--"because once you are employed, all this will come up".

Often, the available placements involve minimal skill or education; for instance: data entry and reception work, sales executives, construction, in petrol pumps, as a telephone operator, or in an export garment factory, jute bag manufacturing, basket weaving or chocolate-making. Following placement, SCARF follows up with both employer and the client to check in regarding functioning, discrimination, etc. They have instituted the Maitrayee award to incentivise agencies who recruit from SCARF.

Employers also have many misconceptions related to disability and violence. "On paper, mental illness is a part of disability [per the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act 2016] but at the ground level, whether it is reservations for government jobs or active implementation of policy, it is not getting translated into action," said Padmavati.

After years of reflecting on the issue of income generation, and the lack of government focus on supporting employment for people living with mental illness, SCARF has been encouraging such families to start small businesses together. Since 90% of SCARF clientele are people living at home, families are heavily involved in rehabilitation.

Earlier, not many women with mental health problems opted to work, but this has changed with younger generations, SCARF has seen. Frequently, women who are homemakers do not want to or may not be able to go outside for work, but want to do something productive at home, says Kiruthika Nandakumar, who handles vocational training and placements at SCARF. "So then we encourage them to do activities like basket-weaving or tailoring."

Since the pandemic, however, many women clients who work in manual labour or as domestic workers have lost their jobs and faced financial insecurity, further putting them at risk for relapse without access to medication.

A project at NIMHANS, Bengaluru shows the link between employment and reducing disability associated with schizophrenia

A Supported Employment Programme (SEP) developed by NIMHANS faculty for persons with severe mental illnesses showed good placement rates and improvement in socio-occupational functioning and reduced disability in 2020. The 63 participants--44 with schizophrenia and 19 with bipolar affective disorder--were recruited for the study from out-patient clinics at NIMHANS between February and December 2018.

Forty employers--government and private--were contacted and oriented about the strengths and limitations of persons living with mental illness and how employment can facilitate recovery. Reasonable accommodations facilitated included flexible working hours, slow/gradual exposure to work, having a single supervisor, flexibility in availing leaves, weekly off, day-time shifts, individual work assignment with specific instructions, less stress on deadlines, flexibility in task completion time, WFH options, minimal social interaction in job profile and minimal stress-causing workplace distraction.

A total of 32 participants--51%--were successfully placed in competitive jobs across Bengaluru in positions ranging from office assistant to hardware and networking officer, with salaries ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month. Among the 32 placed, 21 (662%) were male and 11 (34%) were female participants. Among them, five (16%) males and four (13%) females continued to be employed as of 2020.

Another 2019 NIMHANS study on vocational rehabilitation in a rural cohort of 50 persons living with schizophrenia under the Community Intervention in Psychotic Disorders programme in Thirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district, central Karnataka recommended utilising local income generation programmes, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, women's self-help groups and primary agricultural and credit cooperative societies, for supported employment. Locally available income generation programmes--both governmental and non-governmental--can be utilised as livelihood opportunities for persons living with mental illness, with guidance from community-level workers for rehabilitation, the study demonstrated.

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Village Rehabilitation Workers were identified as potential ground-level workforce, in keeping with 'community based rehabilitation' recommended by the WHO, the study recommended. The DMHP in Tripura is beginning to use ASHA workers in basic mental healthcare, district administration officials told IndiaSpend.

Beyond buzzwords and token 'self-care' days: What workplaces can do to help

"As long as more people with schizophrenia working in positions do not disclose their disability," said Rangaswamy, "the fact that people living with mental illness can do well in jobs can never be propagated and scaled up." Even in this report, only one of the women, Amrita, was willing to use her real name.

Bhardwaj was able to disclose her mental health condition to one workplace. Allowing the flexibility of WFH and the option to take mental health days would help someone living with psychosis, said Bhardwaj. After a severe episode, she wasn't able to show up to work, and disclosed her condition for the first time to the media house she was working with, Arre India.

"My boss and HR were nothing but supportive, and talked about how they also take mental health days off. They were always ready to adjust their schedules according to my doctor's visits. This really made me feel included and respected."

Being able to disclose one's mental health status can help relieve pressure, says Bhardwaj, "because it is very uncertain how and when your anxiety hits you at a workplace, and then you're just ashamed of yourself or embarrassed about your episodes".

"Even if employers are very cooperative or supportive, often other people who work alongside are unwilling to accept the person with mental illness so there is marginalisation even within that setup," Padmavati pointed out. Additionally, sensitisation workshops on disability and mental health for employees are required so colleagues treat those who disclose their disability with respect, she said.

A concerted effort is required from the government, the disability community, families, mental health professionals, employers who have successfully employed people with schizophrenia to lobby and effectively sensitise, said Rangaswamy.

"If there were benefits and understanding to my coming out, I would definitely prefer to come out," Amrita agreed.

*Names changed to protect privacy.
Intelligence on sick staff at Wuhan lab fuels debate on virus origin

Three researchers from Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill with symptoms consistent with both and common seasonal illness and sought hospital care in November 2019, Wall Street Journal reported citing undisclosed US intelligence report. Beijing reported its first confirmed case in December 2019. This report has once again thrown spotlight on the origins of the virus and added weight to the argument that that virus may escaped from the Wuhan lab. China has repeatedly denied that the virus escaped from one of its labs. World Health Organizations decision-making body is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into Covid-19s origins soon. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics Global infections: 167,322,795 Global deaths: 3,473,574 Nations with most cases: US (33,143,742), India (26,948,874), Brazil (16,120,756), France (5,667,331), Turkey (5,194,010). Source: John Hopkins Research Center

The Wuhan lab leak question: A disused Chinese mine takes center stage

Another report in the Wall Street Journal talks about a Chinese mine disguised deep in a forest in Southwest China that has become centre stage in the debate about virus leak theory from a Wuhan lab. In April 2012, six miners here fell sick with a mysterious illness after entering the mine to clear bat guano. Three of them died. Chinese scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were called in to investigate and, after taking samples from bats in the mine, identified several new coronaviruses. Now, unanswered questions about the miners illness, the viruses found at the site and the research done with them. Read here

Singapore maintains 2021 GDP outlook despite virus setback

Singapore has maintained its economic growth forecast for this year, looking past the impact of restrictions imposed to stem an uptick in Covid-19 cases while flagging that the global course of the pandemic remains a key risk. Gross domestic product will rebound four per cent to six per cent in 2021, reiterating its previous forecast and citing improved performances by large economies such as the US The city-states GDP also grew in the first quarter more than previously estimated. Read here

Biden and Fauci field questions on vaccine hesitancy from YouTube influencers

By promoting free Uber rides to vaccination sites and new features for vaccinated dating app users, the Biden administration is trying aggressively to entice young tech guys to get shots in their arms. In its latest drive, the White House unveiled its strategy to reach young adults, by turning President Biden and Dr Anthony Fauci over to several young YouTube influencers. Read here
India is preparing a stimulus package for sectors worst affected by a deadly coronavirus wave, aiming to support an economy struggling with a slew of localized lockdowns, people familiar with the matter said.

The is working on proposals to bolster the tourism, aviation and hospitality industries, along with small and medium-sized companies, the people said, asking not to be identified as the deliberations are private. The discussions are at an early stage and no timeline for an announcement has been decided, they said. A spokesman declined to comment.

The latest wave of Covid-19 infections has made India the global hotspot for the pandemic and has decimated travel since the second wave picked up in March even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to implement a strict nationwide lockdown. With nearly 200,000 daily cases daily many local governments, including Indias most industrialized states -- have imposed curbs against the spread of the virus.

Thats prompted many economists to cut their forecasts for the financial year that began April 1, as rising unemployment and dwindling savings among consumers dim the chances for double-digit growth. While the International Monetary Fund expects Indias economy to expand 12.5% this year to March -- and will be revisiting the forecast in July -- the countrys central bank projects 10.5% growth.

ALSO READ: Barclays pegs India's FY22 GDP growth at 7.7% in bear-case scenario

Modis administration doesnt have enough fiscal room to maneuver even though it received about $14 billion from the Reserve Bank of India as dividend.

That will mean, stimulus will most likely be in the form of tax breaks, according to Teresa John, economist at Nirmal Bang Equities Pvt.

The government doesnt have too much leeway, although the recent RBI dividend provides some cushion, said John. The stimulus may be mostly additional guarantees and tax concessions, maybe demand boosting measures once opening up starts. All these may not involve a large government spending.

Flagging growth prospects put the onus on policy makers to support activity, especially once the virus caseload eases. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who said last month shes monitoring the economy in a very detailed fashion, has held discussions with economists in recent days about a stimulus package, the people said.

We expect the government to stick to its overall budgeted spending, while shifting its expenditure composition more in favor of health services and food subsidies, said Bloomberg Economics Abhishek Gupta.

The proposals are being drawn up at time when the rupee has emerged as Asias top-performing currency from its worst on signs that Indias virus crisis may be easing after infection numbers hit a record 414,118 on May 7 due to localized lockdowns. Indias stock benchmark is also approaching a record-high close reached in February.

ALSO READ: April headline numbers deceptive; economy in trough, says ICRA report

In April, the eased rules for capital expenditure by government departments to try to boost spending in the economy. It also decided to allocate five kilograms of free food to the poor per month as the lockdowns saw millions of migrant laborers flee urban areas and back to their rural homes.

But Sitharamans hands are restrained given India aims to lower its budget gap to 6.8% of gross domestic product in the financial year to March 2022, from an estimated 9.5% last year, signaling little legroom for New Delhi to ease purse strings in a significant manner.

Pressure also is building on the central bank -- which serves as the banking sector regulator -- to ease loan repayment rules, especially for sectors badly hit by this virus wave.
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The UK on Tuesday launched a 14-week consultation to seek views of the public and businesses, as it gears up for a trade deal with India, according to an official statement released by the UK government.

Free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are expected to begin around autumn this year. Earlier this month, India and the UK inked a slew of pacts, including the launch of an enhanced trade partnership (ETP), which would include negotiating a comprehensive FTA and an interim trade agreement for delivering early gains.

Both nations had decided to work towards a roadmap for concluding pre-FTA discussion by year-end.

The UK wants a deal that slashes barriers to doing business and trading with Indias 2 trillion economy and market of 1.4 billion consumers. This includes removing tariffs of up to 150% on whisky and 125% on British-made cars, an official statement said.

Both the countries had agreed to conclude the pre-FTA discussions by the end of this year. They also decided for an interim trade deal for an FTA by the middle of next year.

Public consultations are expected to help the UK firm up a deal to include closer cooperation in industries such as science, technology and services, creating high-value jobs across the country. These consultations will include a questionnaire to help the country understand participants experiences and priorities while doing business with India.

UK aims to make it easier for services firms to operate in the Indian market, boosting the UKs status as an international services hub, the statement said, adding that Indias growing middle-income population and highly connected youth will be the target consumers for the type of goods and services the UK excels in.

Were firing the starting gun on a free trade deal with India  the worlds largest democracy, fifth biggest economy, a nation of 1.4 billion people and a huge market for British goods like whisky, cars and services. We want an agreement that pushes new frontiers in industries of the future and helps us build a greener, more innovative and more services-led economy that will deliver higher-paying jobs across the country, the statement quoted UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss as saying.

UK India Business Council welcomed the development. The voice of business will be crucial to successful trade negotiations and so the launch of HMGs pre-FTA business consultation is most welcome. Businesses are enthusiastic about the opportunities presented by the possibility of a comprehensive UK-India Free Trade Agreement. Business and the UKIBC will play their parts, UKIBC Chair Richard Heald said.
 Flash

Despite having visited more than 50 Chinese cities, Serik Korzhumbayev says he doesn't see himself as an old China hand.

Korzhumbayev's first encounter with China was in 2001 when he was invited to visit Beijing, Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Lanzhou in Gansu province. From then on, he began visiting China several times each year.

"I love Beijing and have witnessed its rapid development. There have been new skyscrapers every time I visit," Korzhumbayev, who is editor in chief of Kazakh business newspaper Delovoy Kazakhstan, told Beijing Review. "I also enjoy the modernity of Shanghai and the natural environment of Sichuan province."

Book about Xinjiang

Korzhumbayev has been to Xinjiang many times and knows the region intimately. During a trip in 2019, he and several journalists from Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, saw examples of development and visited an exhibition on Xinjiang's fight against terrorism. After the journey, he wrote a long report recording his findings. "Using this kind of media activity to show the real Xinjiang to the world is a good way to respond to Western lies," he said.

Korzhumbayev is leading a project to translate a book titled Lies and Truth on Xinjiang from Chinese to Kazakh. It is a compilation of interviews, investigative reports and commentaries by reporters and commentators working for the Chinese newspaper Global Times, resulting from their visits to the region, which is located in northwest China.

According to an introduction to the book on the Amazon website, the current situation in Xinjiang holds up a mirror to the Western media's claims of objectivity and fairness, and the book clarifies and magnifies this mirror image.

"Many of my colleagues have read the book and it has received very positive feedback. These kinds of books should be introduced not only in Kazakhstan, but also elsewhere," Korzhumbayev said.

The Kazakh edition of the book will be sold in bookstores and be sent to universities and research institutes throughout Kazakhstan. Korzhumbayev believes these efforts will ensure that young people have the opportunity to read it, and that it can be used for research and study purposes.

"There is a lot of fake news published on the Internet, including on Kazakhstan's websites, that can negatively impact young people's understanding of Xinjiang," he said. "This book, which is based on first-hand sources and materials, can help Kazakh youths distinguish the truth from the bias and lies in the Western media."

Western lies

"Nearly every day, we see Western media outlets and other organizations publishing misinformation about China," Korzhumbayev said.

In March, the Switzerland-based Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) made an accusation of forced labor in Xinjiang and called for a boycott of the region's cotton products. Korzhumbayev said some Western politicians and organizations claimed that the rights of people in Xinjiang were not properly protected. These allegations are unfounded and the real purpose of this boycott is to discredit China and to incite anti-China forces in the West to sanction, restrict and suppress the cotton industry in Xinjiang or even China's entire economy.

"Nowadays, China's GDP is the second largest in the world and will soon become the largest," he said. "The United States and some other Western countries are eager to disrupt China's economic growth. In the end, the companies involved in boycotting Xinjiang's cotton will regret losing the large Chinese market, which will impact their own development."

The United States and other Western countries often employ double standard in their geopolitical policies and attempt to demonize other countries, including China and Kazakhstan. On March 24, China issued The Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2020.

According to the report, ethnic minority groups have suffered "systematic racial discrimination" in the U.S. and the continuous social unrest threatened public security. It also drew attention to the growing polarization between the rich and the poor that aggravated social inequality in America.

Korzhumbayev said the report reveals the United States' hypocrisy and double standard. "Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, people of color and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds received unequal access to healthcare resources."

According to him, many Western media outlets have also been biased in their reporting on events that have taken place in Hong Kong in recent years.

In 2019 anti-China, destabilizing forces and radical locals in Hong Kong organized riots with overt or covert support from a number of Western countries. "As a political scientist and reporter, I understand who incited the illegal activities and what their purpose was," Korzhumbayev said. "In Western media news reports at the time, we found a great deal of baseless information on the situation in Hong Kong."

Korzhumbayev pointed out that a clear evidence of double standard was that during the U.S. presidential election, the authorities used a variety of weapons and tactics to suppress pro-Trump demonstrations, none of which were openly scrutinized by Western media.

The real China

China declared an end to absolute poverty in the country in 2020 and is poised to become a moderately prosperous society in all respects this year. "As an ethnically and culturally diverse country, China devotes a lot of resources to the development of people from ethnic minorities, not only focusing on improving their lives, but also supporting their businesses. All this demonstrates that China is trying to create a better living environment for its people," Korzhumbayev said.

Additionally, China is ready to share opportunities for common development with other countries. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt for the first time during his visit to Kazakhstan. It later became part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which also comprises the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Kazakhstan supports the initiative and is aligning its Bright Road new economic policy with it.

China's partnership with Kazakhstan has led to over 50 joint projects. Delovoy Kazakhstan has reached an agreement with China's Xinhua News Agency to build a platform for sharing information on economic cooperation between countries participating in Belt and Road cooperation, according to Korzhumbayev.

"We have seen China's great contribution in creating a win-win platform for all and in realizing a community with a shared future for humanity," he added. "The leadership of the Communist Party of China, with its people-centered philosophy of governance, plays an important role in these processes."

China has continued to develop rapidly, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, including making strong progress in the development of space technology such as the collection of lunar samples by the Chang'e 5 probe. Additionally, Korzhumbayev believes the 5G technology and the digital currency will both serve as new growth engines for China.

"Western countries like to impose their development models on others, but China has proved the success of its own development path and provided a viable alternative for developing nations," he said. "China's successful response to COVID-19 is a good example. China's path is worth studying."

"I am looking forward to visiting China again after the pandemic," Korzhumbayev added. "Especially, during the upcoming 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor and deputy governors met with the MD & CEOs of a few private sector on Tuesday to discuss the economy and the implementation of the measures to ease the economic pain of Covid.

Credit flows to different segments of the economy, particularly to small borrowers, micro small and medium enterprises, as well as monetary policy transmission and liquidity scenario were discussed.

Last week, the governor had met public sector bank chiefs on the same theme. The bankers then had demanded a second restructuring option for those already restructured last year, and to allow them to carry on with asset classification as standard in case a company falls sick temporarily even after the first round of restructuring.

Lenders had also sought that time a lower level (about five per cent) as provision for such accounts, as against the 10 per cent applied last year. Keeping in mind the stress in the system, have been making much higher provisions than regulatory norms.

The private sector bankers also had similar demands as their public sector counterparts, according to a source.

The governor asked the to quickly and swiftly implement the measures announced by on May 5, 2021 in earnest, the RBI said in a statement.

"He also advised the banks to ensure continuity in provision of various financial services including credit facilities to individuals and businesses in the face of challenges brought on by the pandemic. He also urged them to continue focussing on efforts to further strengthen their balance sheets proactively," the RBI statement read.
Belarus isolation deepened on Tuesday as commercial planes avoided its airspace, the worked up new sanctions, and a senior UN official said he was concerned for the welfare of an opposition journalist arrested in Minsk after his plane was diverted there, apparently on the orders of the countrys longtime strongman.

After his detention, Raman Pratasevich was seen in a brief video clip shown on Belarusian state television late Monday, speaking rapidly to say that he was confessing to some of the charges authorities have levelled against him.

The spokesperson for the UNs human rights office, Rupert Colville, said Pratasevichs appearance was likely not voluntary and that he seemed to have bruising to his face, though it was difficult to tell from the footage.

The 26-year-old journalist and activist was arrested Sunday after Belarusian flight controllers told the crew of a Ryanair jetliner he was aboard that there was a bomb threat against the flight and ordered it to land. A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane in a brazen move by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for over a quarter-century.

The diversion and arrest elicited widespread shock and fury, and EU leaders took unusually swift action in response at a summit Monday. They agreed to ban Belarusian airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc, imposed sanctions on officials linked to Sundays flight diversion, and urged the Civil Aviation Organization to start an investigation into the episode some described as state terrorism or piracy.

They demanded Pratasevichs release and urged European carriers to avoid Belarus airspace. Polish carrier LOT and Baltic airlines have begun bypassing Belarus. Air France, KLM, Finnair, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have all said they will also avoid flights over the country. The UK, which is no longer part of the EU, also recommended that carriers dont fly over Belarus, and British Airways flights were avoiding the country. has defended its actions and its Transport Ministry said that it has invited representatives of the aviation organization and US and EU authorities to investigate the flights diversion.

In a sign that tensions remained high, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the Ryanair flights diversion as dangerous and unacceptable and welcomed the EU response. This is a state hijacking and demonstrates how the regime in Minsk attacks basic democratic rights and cracks down on freedom of expression and independent media, Stoltenberg said.

plane diversion an outrageous incident: Biden



US President Joe Biden on Monday said the forced diversion by of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was a direct affront to norms" and condemned the action as an outrageous incident."



Biden made the statement  and joined calls for an international investigation  as the EU imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports in the 27-nation bloc in reaction to Sunday's forced diversion of the Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight.
LONDON (Reuters) - is launching a 14-week consultation on a future trade deal with India, seeking the views of the public and business before trade minister Liz Truss hopes to begin talks later this year.

A trade accord with India is seen as a key target for post-Brexit Prime Minister Boris Johnson reluctantly called off a trip to the capital Delhi in April this year after COVID-19 cases spiralled across India.

Johnson's critics suggest the leader went so far as to risk the British public's health by delaying putting India on the travel "red list" - which all but bans travel to England from countries with high coronavirus cases - because of the trip.

The government denies the accusation. Britain's top medic has said a coronavirus variant first identified in India will over time become dominant in the United Kingdom.

"We're firing the starting gun on a free trade deal with India - the world's largest democracy, fifth biggest economy, a nation of 1.4 billion people and a huge market for British goods like whisky, cars and services," Truss said in a statement.

"We want an agreement that pushes new frontiers in industries of the future and helps us build a greener, more innovative and more services-led that will deliver higher-paying jobs across the country."

Since completing its exit from the European Union at the end of last year, is keen to secure trade deals and is particularly pursuing ties with nations in the Indo-Pacific region, home to some of the fastest growing economies.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

(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.)
Military junta in has arrested President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defence minister Souleymane Doucoure of the country's interim government following a cabinet reshuffle on Monday.

"We are closely monitoring events and remain committed to supporting the transition. We call for calm and demand the immediate and unconditional release of the President and the Prime Minister. Those who hold them will have to answer for their actions," said UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in (MINUSMA).

The UN peacekeeping mission further said the military must ensure the integrity of those detained.

"We are in close contact with ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the AU (African Union) within the framework of the local transition monitoring committee, as well as with other actors engaged in support of the ongoing transition," MINUSMA added.

Mali's interim government resigned earlier in the month, with the country's interim President Bah Ndaw, having instructed interim PM Moctar Ouane to form a new government, Sputnik reported.

Former defense minister Bah Ndaw was then appointed to be interim president and former foreign minister Moctar Ouane became interim PM to oversee the 18-month transition period in the run-up to the new elections that will return to civilian rule.

"Instability in Mali began in August of 2020 when rebels announced the arrest of then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. Later, the president announced his resignation and the dissolution of the country's parliament and government," the Russian News agency said.

Meanwhile, US State Department has issued a travel alert and asked US citizens to avoid travel in the city to Bamako.

"The US Embassy has received reports of increased military activity in Bamako (Mali). US citizens are encouraged to avoid non-essential travel inside the city at this time, and monitor local media for updates," said the US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.

(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.)
After giving a massive jolt to the fans, Tesla CEO has now come forward to help form a Mining Council that will promote energy usage transparency" and "accelerate sustainability initiatives worldwide."

Musk earlier announced not to use the popular as a payment mode to buy its electric vehicles, citing environmental harm.

He said last week that the electric car maker will not sell any and intends to use bitcoin for transactions as soon as mining moves to more sustainable energy.

Now, Musk has met leading Bitcoin miners in North America to form a Bitcoin Mining Council.

"I was pleased to host a meeting between @elonmusk & the leading Bitcoin miners in North America. The miners have agreed to form the Bitcoin Mining Council to promote energy usage transparency & accelerate sustainability initiatives worldwide," MicroStrategy (a business intelligence company) CEO Michael Saylor said in tweet late on Monday.

Musk replied early on Tuesday: "Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising".

Argo Blockchain CEO Peter Wall tweeted that "as a founding member of the Bitcoin Mining Council, Argo will push hard for sustainable mining and more transparency".

After applying brakes on Bitcoin as a payment mode to buy Tesla vehicles, Musk has also revealed that he might create his own in the near future.

Tesla had only just started accepting Bitcoin in late March.

Musk has said that Tesla will no longer sell any more of the $1.5 billion Bitcoins it purchased earlier this year.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President will meet with the family of George Floyd at the White House Tuesday on the one year anniversary of his death.

But beyond the meeting, Biden has yet to offer concrete action for the family of the man whose death at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked a global reckoning over systemic and movement for police reform.

The path forward on Capitol Hill for Floyd's namesake bill, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, remains unclear, but negotiators say they've made progress and expressed optimism this week about its prospects.

It's a high-profile legislative fight where Biden has notably taken a backseat, preferring to leave the work of hammering out a compromise to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in contrast to his fevered advocacy, both public and private, for his infrastructure bill and the COVID-19 relief package.

The Floyd family will have their own opportunity to weigh in on the congressional efforts Tuesday. In addition to their visit to the White House, the Floyd family is expected to meet Tuesday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Karen Bass, the lead House negotiator on the policing bill.

While Biden set the anniversary of Floyd's death as the initial deadline for the bill to reach his desk, the issue of police reform is a particularly politically thorny one, and Hill negotiators have struggled to hammer out a compromise that would make it through an evenly-divided Senate.

Still, speaking on Tuesday on CNN, Philonese Floyd, Floyd's brother, expressed optimism at the chances for an eventual bill to pass the Senate. I think things have changed. I think it is moving slowly but we are making progress, he said.

Ben Crump, the Floyd family's lawyer, echoed his comments, calling on Biden to reiterate that we need to get it passed.

It's in line with the sentiment shared by many criminal justice advocates, who say the onus is on Congress, not the president, to act.

It's absolutely vital that members of Congress put partisan politics aside and pass meaningful reform to hold police officers responsible who act outside of their oath to protect and defend, said Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, in a statement to the AP.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes, while Floyd repeatedly said he couldn't breathe. His death sparked months of nationwide protests focused on systemic and a renewed debate over police reform in the U.S. Chauvin was convicted last month on multiple charges stemming from Floyd's death.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would ban chokeholds by federal officers and end qualified immunity for law enforcement against civil lawsuits, as well as create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. It passed the House in March, but faces a much tougher road in the evenly-divided Senate.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the White House still sees the George Floyd Act as the appropriate vessel for police reform. She added, What we've seen from the negotiators and we've been in close touch with the negotiators as well is that they still feel there is progress being made.

White House advisers say Biden and his team have been in frequent touch with Capitol Hill negotiators over the legislation, but that this is an issue in which a high-profile public campaign by the president may do more harm than good, because of the political challenges surrounding the bill.

The biggest point of contention remains the issue of ending qualified immunity, which shields officers from legal action taken by victims and their families for alleged civil rights violations.

While progressives and many criminal justice reform advocates are insistent that it remain in the final version of the bill, some Democrats, most notably House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, have said they could see a compromise on the issue. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he wouldn't support any bill that ends qualified immunity.

Congressional negotiators are largely staying tight-lipped on the details of a compromise, but they've been working near daily on their efforts to hammer out a bill, and this week some sounded optimistic about its future. Republican Sen.

Tim Scott of South Carolina, who has been working with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey to hammer out a compromise, said Monday that I think we're starting to see a frame for the final legislation.

We had good progress over the weekend, I thought. And I think we can see the end of the tunnel, he said.

On qualified immunity, Scott's proposal would allow individuals to pursue legal action against police departments instead of individual officers, as a compromise, but it's unclear if advocacy groups would get behind such a proposal.

Booker echoed Scott's comments on CNN, saying he was encouraged and that I'm really hopeful that we can get something done in the weeks ahead, not months.

(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.)
World powers were set to open a fifth round of talks on Tuesday with Iran aimed at bringing the back into the landmark 2015 nuclear deal meant to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining an atomic bomb.

The talks in Vienna come the day after the UN's nuclear watchdog, the Atomic Energy Agency, was able to strike a last-minute agreement with Tehran on a one-month extension to a deal on surveillance cameras at Iran's nuclear sites.

The issue wasn't directly related to the ongoing talks on the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, but had Iran not agreed it could have seriously complicated the discussions.

The US is not directly involved in the talks but an American delegation headed by President Joe Biden's special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, has also been in the Austrian capital. Representatives from the other powers involved Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China have been shuttling between the U.S. and the Iranians to facilitate indirect talks.

As he headed back to Vienna for the resumption of talks, Malley tweeted that the latest round had been constructive and saw meaningful progress.

But much work still needs to be done, he wrote. On our way to Vienna for a fifth round where we hope we can further advance toward a mutual return to compliance.

Russia's delegate, Mikhail Ulyanov, who has consistently been the most optimistic about the possibility of an agreement, suggested a resolution was in sight.

"I think it can be final," he tweeted about the fifth round. But in order to be on the safe side I would prefer to say: let's see.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the agreement saying that it was not broad enough and needed to be renegotiated. As part of a maximum pressure campaign, he reimposed sanctions and added additional ones on Iran in an effort to bring Tehran back to the table.

Iran's economy was crippled by the move but it has refused new talks, instead retaliating by slowly and steadily breaking the restrictions of the JCPOA in an effort to pressure the other parties involved, thus far unsuccessfully, to come up with incentives to offset the American sanctions.

Biden, who was vice president when the original deal was negotiated, has said he wants the US to rejoin but that Iran has to return to complete compliance. Iran has insisted that all American sanctions imposed under Trump be dropped, including measures that were taken in response to non-nuclear issues.

Iran's violations include a significant increase in the purity and quantity of uranium it has been enriching, effectively reducing the so-called break out time to produce an atomic bomb, even though that is something Iran says it does not want to do, insisting that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.

On Monday, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's civilian program, said Tehran had stockpiled 5 tons of uranium enriched up to 5% purity, 90 kilograms enriched up to 20% and 2.5 kilograms up to 60% still below weapons-grade levels of 90% purity.

Though the West fears it could be used to help Tehran potentially obtain an atomic bomb, US intelligence agencies have said they assess that Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities ... necessary to produce a nuclear device."



Despite Iran's violations of the JCPOA, the other nations involved have stressed that the agreement was still important as it allowed IAEA inspectors to continue their surveillance of Iran's nuclear facilities.

Continuity of that surveillance was threatened, however, until the last-minute agreement negotiated by the IAEA with Iran on Monday.

Under a confidential agreement called an Additional Protocol with Iran, the IAEA collects and analyzes images from a series of surveillance cameras installed at Iranian nuclear sites. Those cameras helped it monitor Tehran's program to see if it is complying with the nuclear deal.

Iran's hard-line parliament in December approved a bill that would suspend part of UN inspections of its nuclear facilities if European signatories didn't provide relief from oil and banking sanctions by February.

The IAEA then struck a three-month deal with Iran in February to have it hold the surveillance images, with Tehran threatening to delete them afterward if no deal had been reached.

Speaking at a news conference Monday in Vienna as the deal was due to expire, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told journalists Iran had agreed to a one month extension though his agency still cannot access the images taken by the cameras for the time being.

"I'd want to stress this is not ideal," Grossi said. "This is like an emergency device that we came up with in order for us to continue having these monitoring activities.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's representative to the IAEA, acknowledged the deal at the same time on Twitter. He said Tehran's civilian nuclear agency, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, would keep the material already recorded by the IAEA cameras.

We recommend the negotiating countries to seize the extra opportunity provided by Iran in good faith for the complete lifting of sanctions in a practical and verifiable manner, Gharibabadi wrote.

(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.)
Israeli Prime Minister announced Monday the appointment of David Barnea as the new head of the country's spy agency, the Mossad.

Barnea, a former longtime Mossad operative, will succeed Yossi Cohen as head of Israel's intelligence agency on June 1. Cohen has served as Israel's spymaster since taking office in 2016.

Netanyahu said Barnea's appointment will allow the Mossad and the state of to continue in the path of accomplishments to ensure the security of Israel," adding that the top mission is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Outgoing Mossad chief Cohen has acted as Netanyahu's close confidant and informal envoy. He helped orchestrate the normalization agreements signed with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco last year.

Earlier this month, Cohen visited Bahrain and met with the heads of the Gulf state's intelligence agency to discuss regional security.

On his watch, Israel's storied intelligence agency succeeded in seizing a large archive of Iranian nuclear documents in 2018. Netanyahu claimed they proved that Iranian leaders covered up a nuclear weapons program before signing a deal with world powers in 2015. Numerous other operations against Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists have also been attributed to

At a ceremony Monday, Cohen said the Mossad executes innumerable operations that bring essential intelligence to the state of Israel, thwart unconventional weapons, thwart terrorism and espionage, and blaze new paths to peace and regional cooperation.

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The White House on Tuesday announced that US President will meet his Russian counterpart in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16.

"The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the US-Russia relationship," informed White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the White House said that US President believed that his meeting with his Russian counterpart will be a good step forward in the US-Russia relationship to de-escalate tensions and have stable relations.

"There is not a meeting with the President locked in yet. Obviously, the President, our President invited him to participate in that meeting because he thinks it would be a good step forward in the relationship to de-escalate, to ensure we have a more stable relationship moving forward, but there is no meeting to confirm at this point in time," she said.

Last month, Biden held a phone call with Putin, where he had voiced his concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine's borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.

He had reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues between the United States and Russia.

The conversation came in the backdrop of Washington imposing sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals for their alleged interference in the 2020 US presidential election and the purported hacking of US software supply chain networks.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued to refute all accusations of its engagement in US elections meddling and cyberattacks.

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Mayor Bill de Blasio said all public will fully reopen in September with in-person classes only.

"One million kids will be back in their classrooms in September, all in person, no remote," Xinhua news agency quoted de Blasio as saying during a TV program on Monday.

"We can't live in the grip of Covid for the rest of our lives. There's four months between now and September.

"We're going to keep showing the data, we're going to keep showing people the health and safety measures, we're going to invite people to come in," the Mayor added.

De Blasio had previously signaled that a remote option might be available, but on Monday he said that rapid drops in Covid-19 levels as vaccinations increased changed his opinion.

"It's May, the data has been unbelievably clear, vaccination has worked ahead of schedule," he said.

"It's a whole new day. It's just a whole new reality and we're ready."

Public in were closed in March 2020 amid the outbreak of Covid-19 and partially reopened in October with the option of online learning.

In a statement issued on Monday, the city's Department of Education said: "Our commitment to the health and safety of our staff, students, and families remains our top priority.

"As we work towards reopening, we will continue to monitor and make necessary changes based on the evolving health guidance from experts."

Daily new cases, hospitalisations and deaths in have fallen sharply since the second wave of the pandemic which peaked in January this year.

Till date, 63.5 per cent of New Yorkers aged 18 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, and 54.7 per cent have been fully inoculated, according to the state government.

The state of New York, which was once the epicentre of the pandemic in the US, has so far reported a total of 2,147,069 confirmed cases, 53,456 deaths and 1,668,783 recoveries.

--IANS

ksk/

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 Flash

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Monday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities of China's Taiwan region to stop their political manipulation and their search for independence under the pretext of the pandemic.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press briefing that China firmly opposes the DPP authorities seeking independence by hyping their so-called participation in the World Health Organization's annual assembly.

Zhao made the remarks when asked to comment on a query concerning the decision of the WHO's general committee not to include Taiwan on this year's agenda.

China's Taiwan region's participation in international organizations, including the activities of the WHO, must be handled under the one-China principle. Resolution 2758 of the United Nations General Assembly and Resolution 25.1 of the World Health Assembly confirmed this fundamental principle, Zhao said.

He said since the DPP came to power, it has placed its political agenda above the well-being of the people in the Taiwan region, obstinately adhered to the separatist position of "Taiwan independence", and refused to admit the 1992 Consensus embodying the one-China principle. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA has ceased to exist.

According to Zhao, by the time the 74th session of the WHA opened, over 150 countries had voiced their support for China's decision through diplomatic channels. More than 80 WHO members had sent letters to the WHO to express their commitment to the one-China principle and opposition to Taiwan's participation in the WHA.

He said the Chinese Central Government attaches great importance to the health and well-being of Taiwan compatriots. Under this precondition of abiding by the one-China principle, the central government has made appropriate arrangements for Taiwan's participation in global health affairs.

Since the early stages of COVID-19, the Chinese Central Government has given the Taiwan region 260 updates about the situation and approved participation by health experts from the Taiwan region in 16 WHO technical activities. There is also an International Health Regulations Contact Point in the Taiwan region so that the channels of information flow are unimpeded, and the mechanism is complete.

"The claim of a 'gap' in global anti-epidemic efforts is groundless," Zhao added.

"China also urges individual countries to stop politicizing health issues and stop interfering in China's internal affairs through the Taiwan issue. Otherwise, they will only hurt their own interests and their acts are doomed to fail," Zhao said.
BEIJING (Reuters) -China's market regulator has begun an investigation into suspected anti-competitive practices by KE Holdings, the country's biggest housing broker whose top backer is Tencent Holdings, two people who know of the matter said.

The investigation is the latest into China's big so-called "platform" that match sellers and buyers, several of which have been accused by regulators of exploiting consumers.

KE Holdings, which operates housing platforms Lianjia and Beike in China, was warned last month by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), along with dozens of internet companies, against any abuse of market dominance and told to conduct self-inspections.

SAMR has been formally investigating in recent weeks whether KE Holdings forces real estate developers to list housing information only on its platforms, including Lianjia and Beike, a tactic known as "choose one from two", the people said, declining to be named because the information is not public.

The investigation has not been publicly announced. It is not known when it will wrapped up or what it could entail for KE Holdings.

KE Holdings declined to comment. SAMR didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

KE's New York-listed shares fell as much as nearly 10% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, after the Reuters report.

Last month, SAMR hit Alibaba Group with a record $2.8 billion fine after finding that the e-commerce giant had been preventing its merchants from using other online e-commerce platforms since 2015.

Tencent itself is in the firing line, with SAMR preparing to levy a fine of at least $1.5 billion on the gaming and social media behemoth, Reuters reported in April. SAMR also announced an investigation last month into Tencent-backed food delivery giant Meituan.

SAMR has stationed inspectors since late April in 17 that operate platforms, including KE Holdings, to enhance the efficiency of antitrust inspections, one of the sources said.

KE Holdings, which also counts SoftBank Group Corp among its major backers, launched Lianjia, formerly known as Beijing Homelink Real Estate Brokerage, 20 years ago.

It grew into one of China's largest bricks-and-mortar property agents and later set up Beike as a separate online housing platform matching buyers and sellers, renters and landlords, as well as providing home finance.

It listed in New York in August, and after sharp gains last year the shares are down 15% so far in 2021. Still, it has a market value of about $62 billion.

On top of the antitrust probe, KE Holdings faces uncertainty following the death last week of its 50-year-old founder and chairman, Zuo Hui, due to an illness. Co-founder Peng Yongdong was appointed chairman this week.

Its biggest revenue sources are from existing home and new home transactions, with market shares of 26% and 35%, respectively, of gross transaction volume in 2020, according to TF Securities, a relatively high proportion in China's fragmented housing market. KE Holdings posted stellar first quarter financial results last week, with net revenue up 191% on the year, bolstered byChina's robust property market that quickly rebounded last yearfrom the coronavirus crisis.

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang, Cheng Leng and Tony Munroe in Beijing; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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The U.K. began formal preparation for a free-trade agreement with India, a post- target for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he seeks to prove the benefit of leaving the European Union.

Britain will do a 14-week consultation on the potential accord with the worlds largest democracy with the aim of starting negotiations in the fall, the Department for Trade said in a statement. The U.K. and want to double trade between their two countries by 2030, up from about 23 billion pounds ($33 billion) in 2019.

Johnsons government wants to strengthen economic alliances around the world following the EU divorce, which has had a negative impact on trade and soured relations with the U.K.s largest export market. In April, Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged a quantum leap in the relationship, seeking better cooperation on issues such as climate change and shared security threats.





ALSO READ: India, UK unveil 10-year road map to elevate bilateral trade partnership

A deal with is one of the high-priority trade deals Johnson is hoping to secure, along with Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Yet the total volume of trade at stake in a U.K.- agreement is dwarfed by Britains commerce with the EU. In 2019, trade with India was equivalent to about 3% of the U.K.s total trade with the EU.

The U.K. government said it hopes to remove tariffs such as a 150% levy on whisky and 125% duty on British-made cars in a deal with India, as well as making it easier for British services companies to operate there.

We want an agreement that pushes new frontiers in industries of the future, Britains Trade Secretary Liz Truss said.
The UN special envoy for warned Monday of possible civil war in the country, saying people are arming themselves against the military junta and protesters have started shifting from defensive to offensive actions, using homemade weapons and training from some ethnic armed groups.

Chrisrine Schraner Burgener told a virtual UN news conference that people are starting self-defense actions because they are frustrated and fear attacks by the military, which carried out a on February 1 against the democratically elected government, and is using a huge scale of violence.

A civil war could happen, she said, and that's why for the past three weeks from her base now in Thailand she has discussed with many key parties the idea of starting an inclusive dialogue that would include ethnic armed groups, political parties, civil society, strike committees and the army, known as the Tatmadaw, as well as a small group of witnesses from the community.

Clearly it will not be easy to convince especially both sides to come to a table, but I offer my good offices ... to avoid more bloodshed and civil war which would last a long time, Schraner Burgener said. We are worried about the situation and clearly we want that people on the ground ... decide how they want to see the country going back to normal.

Calling the situation in very bad, she pointed to more than 800 people killed, over 5,300 arrested, and more than 1,800 arrest warrants issued by the military.

The UN envoy also cited reports of unconfirmed deaths, injuries, and damage to houses and civilian property in the town of Mindat in western Chin state, where the junta declared martial law because of armed resistance to military rule. She also pointed to new reports of increased violence in Kayah state also known as Karenni state in eastern and in southern Shan state.

Myanmar for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyi's rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country. The took place following November elections, which Suu Kyi's party won overwhelmingly and the military contests as fraudulent.

Suu Kyi appeared in court in person for the first time since the on Monday on a variety of charges, amid threats by the military to disband her National League for Democracy party which won 82% of the vote in November's election. Her lawyer, Min Min Soe, said Suu Kyi wanted to tell Myanmar's people that the party was founded for them, and the NLD will exist as long as the people exist.

Schraner Burgener called the military's attempt to ban the NLD unacceptable and said, I also hope the NLD will survive because this is the will of the people.

The UN envoy had an hour-long meeting with the junta's military commander, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, on the sidelines of a meeting last month of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, which includes Myanmar. ASEAN issued a five-point action plan that calls for stopping violence, constructive dialogue, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy as mediator, humanitarian aid and the mediator's visit to Myanmar.

But Schraner Burgener said a day later general Hlaing said he would consider the five points when the situation in Myanmar is stable. And on Sunday he reportedly said in an interview with Chinese television that he doesn't see those five points can be implemented.

So clearly it's up to ASEAN how to react, she said. Clearly, we should be aware that time is ticking and we have not a lot of time to see action on the ground, because time will just play in the hands of the military junta.

Schraner Burgener said the Tatmadaw declared on Sunday that it had changed the rules for the retirement age of the commander-in-chief which means Hlaing could stay for life in this position.

After her meeting with general Hlaing, which they agreed to keep private, the UN envoy asked to go to Myanmar to continue the discussion, but she said he replied still it's not the right time. She said she isn't giving up her efforts because she believes people would probably be encouraged by her presence. She still has an office in the capital, Naypyitaw, and said she receives daily reports from many people in the country.

Schraner Burgener stressed that the U.N. is trying to stop the violence, which started with the military coup.

Clearly it's sad to see that people have to use arms, she said.

Local citizens have formed a so-called People's Defense Force with the National Unity Government, which must try and bring them under a single command structure, Schraner Burgener said, and protesters are shifting to offensive actions. Every day, she added, explosions happen anywhere, which is scaring the people.

Schraner Burgener said ethnic armed groups told her in meetings that they support the people and now have a common enemy, but she said it's difficult to see how their mainly home-made weapons can go up against a very strong army who have a lot of lethal weapons.

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The security assistance to that was suspended by the previous Trump administration remains to be the same, the Pentagon said on Monday as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Army Chief and US National Security Advisor Jek Sullivan met his Pakistani counterpart in Geneva.

"At this time, the US security assistance to is still suspended. I will not get into speculating one way or another about if or whether that will change going forward," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at a news conference.

He was responding to a question on if the new Biden administration has reviewed the policy in this regard of the previous Trump administration and if there are any changes in it or was this issue on the table during talks with the Pakistani leadership.

Former US president Donald Trump, in January 2018, had suspended all security assistance to Pakistan, arguing that he was not satisfied with the latter's cooperation and role in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier in the day, Austin spoke with General Bajwa to discuss shared regional interests and objectives, Kirby said.

"During the call, the secretary reiterated his appreciation for Pakistan's support to the Afghanistan peace negotiations and expressed his desire to continue to build on the United States-Pakistan bilateral relationship," he said.

"I reiterated my appreciation for the US-Pakistan relationship and my desire to continue to work together to further regional security and stability," Austin said in a tweet.

A day earlier, Sullivan met his Pakistani counterpart Moeed Yusuf in Geneva.

"Both sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, and ways to advance practical cooperation. They agreed to continue with the conversation," spokesperson of the National Security Council Emily Horne said.

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By Aaron Sheldrick

TOKYO (Reuters) - were steady on Tuesday, holding around one-week highs after jumping more than 3% the previous session as prospects of an early return of oil exporter Iran to international crude lessoned.

futures were down 6 cents at $68.40 a barrel by 0039 GMT, having jumped 3% on Monday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 8 cents to $65.97 a barrel, after gaining 3.9% the previous session.

Indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran are due to resume in Vienna this week. Talks were given another life after Tehran and the U.N. nuclear agency extended a monitoring agreement on the Middle Eastern country's atomic programme.

Worries that Iran was soon going to start selling oil if an agreement resulted in the lifting of U.N. and other sanctions on crude exports had pulled down prices earlier but talks have not been conclusive.

"U.S. Secretary of State Blinken poured cold water over the prospect of a revival, stating that there was no indication that Iran is willing to comply with nuclear commitments," Sophie Griffiths, Market Analyst at OANDA, said in a client note.

Still, the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is patchy, indicating a continued mixed outlook for oil demand.

Parts of Europe and the United States are recording fewer infections and deaths, prompting governments to ease restrictions, but in other areas such as India - the world's third-biggest oil importer - rates are still high.

New coronavirus infections in India rose by 222,315, government data showed on Monday, the world's biggest 24-hour increase, though numbers have fallen off highs of over 400,000 earlier this month.

(Reporting by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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Shares of Panacea Biotec were frozen at 5 per cent upper circuit at Rs 406.10 on the BSE on Tuesday after the company and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russias sovereign wealth fund), announced the launch of production of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.

The stock of the biotechnology company was trading close to its 52-week high level of Rs 407.20, touched on April 28, 2021. Till 09:28 am, a combined 143,000 equity shares changed hands and there were pending buy orders for around 960,000 shares on the NSE and BSE.

The first batch produced at the companys facilities at Baddi will be shipped to the Gamaleya Center for quality control. Full-scale production of the vaccine is due to start this summer, Companys facilities comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards and are prequalified by World Health Organization (WHO), Panacea Biotec said in a press release.

Sputnik V was registered in India under the emergency use authorization procedure on April 12, 2021 and vaccination against coronavirus with the Russian vaccine started on May 14. As announced in April, RDIF and Panacea have agreed to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V.

To date, Sputnik V has been registered in 66 countries globally with total population of over 3.2 billion people. Efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6 per cent based on the analysis of data on coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

The vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors and uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots, the company said.

Panacea Biotec is an innovation-led biopharmaceutical group that focuses on discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines primarily, focusing on Vaccines, Diabetes, Transplant, Gastroenterology, and Oncology.
The Special Cell had served notice to two persons associated with the in connection with the alleged "Toolkit" probe after the party filed a complaint against BJP leaders for sharing "forged and fabricated documents".

According to sources, the Special Cell had served notice to two persons associated with the Indian National to join inquiry when the complaint was submitted by the party.

Addressing the media on May 18, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had alleged that the toolkit has instructions for social media volunteers of to call the new COVID-19 mutant as "Indian strain" or "Modi strain" against the World Health Organization's (WHO) instructions.

However, Congress denied the allegations and wrote to Commissioner seeking registration of FIR against BJP President JP Nadda, Union Minister Smriti Irani, party spokesperson Sambit Patra, party leader BL Santhosh and others alleging that they had shared "forged and fabricated documents with the intent to create communal disharmony and civil unrest" and to "divert attention from Modi government's failure in providing necessary aid to people amidst the current pandemic".

The complaint was filed after remarks by BJP leaders on social media with the hashtag #CongressToolkitExposed in which they accused Congress of spreading "false, negative news and stirring up discontent".

The Delhi Police Special Cell sent notice to in connection with a probe over "manipulated media" tag used with some of the posts on an alleged Congress "toolkit" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

Earlier on May 24, the Delhi Police had asked to share the information that it has in regard to the alleged toolkit and why it used the "manipulated media" tag used on tweets alleging a Congress "Toolkit" against the Central government. It also carried out a search at the India offices in Lado Sarai, New Delhi and Gurgaon.

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Bank of India on Monday announced that the bank has decided to exercise call option on Tier II Bonds Series XIII and declare 6 June as the record date for this purpose.

The bonds were issued on 7 July 2016 and carry a coupon rate of 8.57% per annum, payable annually with call option on 7 July 2021.

Upon payment of broken period interest and call option amount (Principal), by the bank on 7 July 2021, to the holders of the bonds, the bank's liability to the bondholders towards all their right including for the payment or otherwise shall be ceased and stand extinguished.

Shares of Bank of India were trading 0.44% higher at Rs 79.25 on BSE.

Bank of India is a public sector bank. The Government of India held 89.10% stake in Bank of India as on 31 March 2021.

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GMM Pfaudler announced that it has commenced manufacturing operations at its facility at Vatva near Ahmedabad on May 24, 2021.

The new facility will immediately enhance the company's capacity in Heavy Engineering while freeing up capacity in Karamsad to expand our Glass Lining business. The facility in Vatva, spread over 11.9 acres with seven manufacturing bays (built-up area of 23,617 square meters) is equipped to manufacture a wide range of Heavy Engineering equipment with a crane lifting capacity of 200 metric tonnes, deep-hole drilling (up to 1 meter) capabilities, plate rolling capabilities up to 110 milimeters, strip cladding capabilities, orbital welding capabilities, a 308.6 square meters clean room for fabrication of high alloy materials, vertical turret lathes and other machine tools.

GMM Pfaudler had acquired the assets [factory land, building, plant and machinery, office equipment, computers, furniture and fixtures, vehicles and capital work in progress] owned by HDO Technologies (in Liquidation) through an e-auction in March 2021.

Commenting on the occasion, Tarak Patel, Managing Director - GMM Pfaudler, said: Over the last few months we have seen signinficant improvement in order intake and the quick start-up of this facilty will go a long way in growing our Heavy Engineering business.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 24 May 2021. Shares of GMM Pfaudler rose 4.42% to settle at Rs 5311.85 yesterday.

GMM Pfaudler's branded product lines cover a broad portfolio that includes glass-lined & alloy systems, filtration & drying, engineered column systems, lab & process glass, sealing technology and fluoropolymers. The company caters to customers in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries.

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On a consolidated basis, Grasim Industries' net profit jumped 14% to Rs 1,715 crore on 26% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 24,398.92 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020.

Bank of India said that the bank has decided to exercise call option on Bank of India Tier II Bonds Series XIII and declare 6 June as Record Date for this purpose. The bonds were issued on 7 July 2016 and carry a coupon rate of 8.57% pa, payable annually with call option on 7 July 2021.

GMM Pfaudler (GMMP) has announced that it has commenced manufacturing operations at its facility at Vatva near Ahmedabad on May 24, 2021. The new facility will immediately enhance the company's capacity in Heavy Engineering while freeing up capacity in Karamsad to expand our Glass Lining business.

Shares of Amara Raja Batteries will be in focus as Clarios ARBL Holding is reportedly likely to sell 1.71 crore shares or 10% stake in the company for an aggregate $174 million. The floor price fixed at Rs 746 per share.

Bal Pharma announced the launch of Favipiravir formulation into Indian market, under the brand name BALflu. Favipiravir is an emerging anti viral drug used for patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 infection.

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Power stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Power index decreasing 20.94 points or 0.73% at 2857.73 at 13:49 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Power index, Adani Transmission Ltd (down 5%), Adani Green Energy Ltd (down 3.08%), Torrent Power Ltd (down 1.51%), Tata Power Company Ltd (down 0.42%), and K E C International Ltd (down 0.4%), were the top losers.

On the other hand, Thermax Ltd (up 1.32%), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (up 1.26%), and ABB India Ltd (up 1.2%) turned up.

At 13:49 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 27.25 or 0.05% at 50624.65.

The Nifty 50 index was up 2.7 points or 0.02% at 15200.4.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 55.4 points or 0.24% at 23347.27.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 7.38 points or 0.1% at 7371.03.

On BSE,1767 shares were trading in green, 1244 were trading in red and 167 were unchanged.

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Mr Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, and Food & Public Distribution, GoI along with Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, GoI and Mr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, GoI interacted with the industry associations and stakeholders to take stock of the preparedness and discuss probable impact of severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas'.

Addressing the virtual meeting on 'Preparedness for Cyclone Yaas', Mr Piyush Goyal said that we have already seen one cyclone in the recent past and we are prepared for Yaas cyclone as well. "We must ensure a complete zero casualty situation and the collective efforts of the governments and industry can make that happen. Together with rapid action, coordination, and effective communication we will overcome this one also," he added.

Mr Goyal further stated that the Indian Railways has already kept rescue and emergency equipment on standby mode to meet any challenges at strategic locations. Mr Goyal added that Oxygen Express and oxygen plants will continue to work. He said that the NDRF, coastguard, Indian Navy along with Engineering Taskforce of the Indian Army are also on standby mode to provide necessary rescue and relief operations. Mr Goyal also urged the industry to look after their local areas and the neighbourhood so that there is no damage to lives.

Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Govt of India assured all the stakeholders that there will be no dearth of supply of medical oxygen and that the steel industry will continue to supply life-saver medical oxygen to hospitals and health facilities. "The oil, gas and steel industry are also geared up and our companies are fully prepared to ensure continuous supply of petroleum products, other essential commodities, including medical oxygen for continued COVID-19 management," he added. Mr Pradhan also said that all stakeholders along the east coast, including the private and public sector, central and state govt. agencies have taken adequate measures and are fully prepared to minimise damages.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vaccine hesitancy and the absence of Covid-appropriate behaviour, especially in rural and moffusil India, are becoming critical problems in controlling the wildfire spread of the second wave of the pandemic.

In this context, our lead editorial argues that a sustained campaign is required to spread awareness across the country. Read here

I think every company has to look at its own business model and target investor base. What is clear is that by listing in the US, you cut out domestic Indian investors entirely, writes Akash Prakash

It is past time that proper regulations be implemented in India, which correctly penalise companies that fail to inform customers about data breaches, notes our second editorial
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 25 (ANI/NewsVoir): With a view to supporting the Government of Tamil Nadu in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, MP Nageshwaran, Chancellor, Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology (PRIST) Deemed University, handed over Rs 50 Lakh to Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin at the Secretariat recently (22nd May 2021).

MP Nageshwaran, Chancellor, PRIST Deemed University, said, "As the state battles a war against COVID-19, it requires support to ensure that the adequate needs of the people are met during this crisis. In the struggle to save precious lives, frontline workers have put their lives at stake and it is heart-wrenching to witness people's livelihood affected due to corona virus. This dire state of crisis calls for a humanitarian perspective. We need to show solidarity with the Government, by adhering to the rules and regulations that will help curb the spread of the infection."

Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology (PRIST) is spearheaded by the world's youngest chancellor MP Nageshwaran. Founded in 1985, by Prof P Murugesan, the Institute has grown manifold to establish as PRIST Deemed to be University in 2008.

NAAC-accredited PRIST Deemed University, offers UG, PG, and Ph.D. courses in arts, science, education, engineering, technology, commerce, business management, architecture, agriculture, pharmacy, and law. It has campuses in Chennai, Puducherry, Trichy, Kumbakonam, and Madurai.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi has gone missing in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, suggest local media reports. Speaking to news agency ANI, Mehul Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said his family members are "worried and anxious, and they had called me to discuss".

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has gone missing. His family members are worried & anxious, and they had called me to discuss. Antigua Police is investigating: Choksi's lawyer, advocate Vijay Aggarwal to ANI



(File photo) pic.twitter.com/TKEnGCBqt0 a ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2021

"Mr Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members were worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police are investigating. Family is in the dark and worried about his safety," Aggarwal said.

He also said that the Antigua Police is investigating the case. Police had reportedly launched a manhunt to trace the fugitive businessman on Sunday but so far, they have failed to find his whereabouts.

"Antigua Newsroom", a local media outlet, quoted Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney on Tuesday saying that police are "following up on the whereabouts of Indian businessman Mehul Choksi", who is "rumoured" to be missing.

Media reports say Choksi, who had taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda after fleeing from India, was last time seen driving in the southern area of the island on Sunday. He was reportedly going for dinner at a well-known restaurant. Police have recovered his vehicle but they are yet to trace him, reports suggest.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are fighting their extradition back to India in the Rs 14,700 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case.

Nirav Modi is in the UK prison, contesting his extradition back to India, while Choksi became the citizen of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 using its Citizenship by Investment programme. Both are facing CBI probe in India.

Also read: ED attaches Mehul Choksi, Gitanjali Group's assets worth Rs 14.45 crore
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani and Gautam Shantilal Adani - two ubiquitous names in India Inc, and currently the first and second richest Indians.

Mukesh Ambani, who is at the helm of India's most valuable company Reliance Industries, has held the position of the richest Indian for a long time. But, Gautam Adani has closed the gap rapidly with rising valuations of his companies listed on stock exchanges.

Adani pipped China's 'Lone Wolf' Zhong Shanshan on May 20 to rise to the 14th position on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and become the second richest person in Asia. Right above him, on the 13th spot, is Ambani. The difference between fortunes of the two Indians stands at a mere $8.7 billion.

So, is Adani set to decidedly win this contest of riches against Ambani? The answer is a distinct no. Ambani might be smarting on account of a held-up deal with Saudi Aramco and a legal tussle over acquisition of Future Retail, but he still holds two assets that can widen the gap in his favour by a huge margin - Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail.

ALSO READ: Gautam Adani becomes second richest Asian, overtakes China's Zhong Shanshan

Both units of Reliance Industries signed fat stake sale deals - cumulatively, almost Rs 2 lakh crore - in the thick of pandemic last year. Following the flurry of investments, Jio Platforms holds a value of Rs 4.36 lakh crore (around $60 billion), whereas Reliance Retail is valued at Rs 4.6 lakh crore ($63.2 billion). Reliance Industries' next step, in near future, is expected to be a public issue to tap into this financial goldmine.

Ambani vs Adani: Neck-and-neck

Last year, Ambani had steadily scaled the ranks in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as shares of Reliance Industries broke a series of records following several investments in the conglomerate's digital arm Jio Platforms and retail subsidiary Reliance Retail. The 64-year-old mogul managed to outdo the likes of Warren Buffet, Larry Page and Sergey Brin to occupy the fourth spot on the billionaires' ranking in August 2020. By the end of 2020, however, he dropped out of the top 10 as Reliance Industries' shares experienced extreme volatility.

The dip continued. Within the year to May 21, 2021, Ambani has lost $398 million, taking his net worth to $76.3 billion, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Adani, on the other hand, added $33.8 billion to his net worth during the same period. His net worth is now $67.6 billion. So far this year, the Adani Enterprises Chairman has been a better wealth creator than most of the 13 billionaires above him on the Bloomberg list, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Only Bernard Arnault of Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has accrued more wealth than Adani so far in 2021.

ALSO READ: India Inc to the rescue! How Tata, RIL, Adani & others are helping fight Covid-19

The share market is helping Adani stack up more wealth. Adani Enterprises, the 58-year-old billionaire's flagship company, has seen its value rise almost 846.27 per cent over the past one year. Adani Total Gas, Adani Transmission and Adani Green Energy are other multibaggers, with returns at 1,044.51 per cent, 744.07 per cent and 467.89 per cent per cent, respectively, over the last one year. During this time, Adani Power and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone have delivered returns to the tune of 206.21 per cent and 146.80 per cent, respectively.

In contrast, Ambani's Reliance Industries has returned 38.71 per cent on the stock exchange during the last one year. No other Reliance Industries entity, not even the investors' darling Jio Platforms, has been listed on the stock exchanges yet. It essentially means Ambani hasn't fully unlocked the value of his businesses.

Ambani's aces - Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail

Right now, Reliance Industries is effectively a net debt zero company - as of March 31, 2021, its cash and cash equivalents were higher than the outstanding debt. On top of that, it has two treasure troves of financial potential in Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail Ventures. Both units attracted massive investments from several top-tier investors last year.

Jio Platforms, the umbrella entity for all digital interests of Reliance Industries, attracted a string of investments last year from Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, Intel, Silver Lake, KKR, General Atlantic, Vista Partners, TPG, ADIA, L Catterton, Mubadala and PIF. The company sold one-third of its equity shares for a total of Rs 1,52,056 crore till July 2020. Meanwhile, Reliance Retail handed over a little more than 10 per cent of its stake to investors like Silver Lake, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, GIC, TPG, General Atlantic and PIF for Rs 47,265 crore last year.

ALSO READ: Fashion mogul Bernard Arnault briefly displaces Jeff Bezos as world's richest man

Reliance Industries is planning to list its digital and retail businesses on the stock exchanges and unlock their financing potential. The other objective is to take them to the same level of success as its legacy oil and petrochemcials vertical. Adani started demerging and rearranging businesses in 2015, listing them on the market to unlock value.

If all goes well, Reliance Industries is expected to launch public issues for Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail in the next three to four years. While any expectations or targets for these IPOs are yet to be formed, they are certain to add to Mukesh Ambani's value by a great deal.

And the bigger asset out of the two (Jio Platform and Reliance Retail) for Ambani will be the telco, believes Anas Rahman Junaid, the founder of Hurun India, which comes out with the richest Indians list every year. Since the strategic investments by Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, Intel and others came less than a year ago, he says, their impact will be apparent with passage of time. Last year in October, Jio joined hands with Qualcomm to begin its journey towards a 5G rollout. The US-based chipmaker has also shown interest in Jio-Google's proposed affordable smartphone.

"A few years back, the rich list used to be dominated by leaders in energy segment. Now the top ranks are held by tech leaders, be it Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, or Google duo of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The tech business potential is huge. What Jio can achieve with strategic investments from Facebook and Google will be substantial. The story is yet to unfold," says Junaid.

To sum it up: Adani is inching closer to Ambani to become the richest Indian, but Ambani hasn't quite unlocked the value in Jio and Reliance Retail yet.

ALSO READ: Rs 179 to Rs 1,455: This Adani Group stock turned into a multibagger in 1 year
Singapore authorities have provisionally approved a Covid-19 breathalyser test that aims to show whether someone is infected with the coronavirus in under a minute, according to the local startup that developed the product.

Breathonix, a spin-off company from the National University of Singapore (NUS), said it was now working with the health ministry to run a deployment trial of the technology at one of the city-state's border points with Malaysia.

The breath analysis will be carried out alongside the current compulsory Covid-19 antigen rapid test.

The breath test achieved more than 90 per cent accuracy in a Singapore-based pilot clinical trial, the company said last year.

The Health Sciences Authority's website confirmed the approval, which the company said was the first such system to secure provisional authorisation in Singapore.

The system uses disposable mouthpieces and is designed to ensure there is no cross-contamination. After blowing into the device, the technology assesses the chemical compounds of the breath to determine whether a person is infected or not.

Any individual screened as positive will need to undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 swab test, the company said.

Breathonix said it is in discussion with several local and overseas organisations to use the system, citing strong commercial interest. Other countries, including Indonesia and the Netherlands, have rolled out similar breath tests.

Also read: Coronavirus vaccines highly protective against hospitalisation, death, shows study
Propelled by a rise in stock prices of LVMH, fashion mogul Bernard Arnault briefly overtook Amazon head Jeff Bezos as the richest man in the world on Monday. In that period, Arnault had a net worth of an estimated $186.3 billion, which was $300 million above Jeff Bezos. At the time of publishing this article, Forbes' real-time billionaire index showed Bezos back on top with a fortune of $188.2 billion and Arnault with $187.3 billion.

Elon Musk comes in third with $152.5 billion, followed by Bill Gates with $126 billion, and Mark Zuckerberg with $117.7 billion. The richest woman is L'Oreal head Francoise Bettencourt Meyers who has a net worth of $88 billion along with her family. She ranks 11th in the list.

Mukesh Ambani, 12th on the list is the richest Asian with $77.3 billion. Gautam Adani is 16th with $68.8 billion.

ARNAULT'S FORTUNE

Arnault's fortune comes from the pandemic-defying performance by luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) that also owns names like Fendi, Christian Dior and Givenchy. Arnault's fortune jumped from $76 billion in March 2020 to $186.3 billion on Monday -- a rise of over $110 billion in 14 months.

LVMH rose 0.4 per cent during the initial trading hours on Monday, taking its market cap to $320 billion and pushing Arnault's fortune by more than $600 million.

RISE OF LUXURY

Europe's luxury houses saw a remarkable rise during the lockdown. The rise was driven by shoppers in China, helping LVMH record a revenue of $17 billion for the first quarter of 2021. This is an increase of 32 per cent from the year-ago period.

Not only LVMH, net worth of Francois Pinault who has luxury brands like Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gucci in his kitty, rose from $27 billion in March 18, 2020 to $55.1 billion on Monday. Alain Wetheimer and Gerard Wertheimer of Chanel are now worth $35 billion from $17 billion in 2020. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, richest woman on the list, saw her fortune go up by $40 billion in this period.

Also read: Who is Zhong Shanshan? The Chinese in rich list race with Adani, Ambani

Also read: Gautam Adani becomes second richest Asian, overtakes China's Zhong Shanshan
US intelligence agencies are examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, according to US government sources who cautioned that there is still no proof the disease originated at the lab.

A still-classified US intelligence report circulated during former President Donald Trump's administration alleged that three Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) researchers became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, sources familiar with US intelligence reporting and analysis said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It remained unclear whether these researchers were hospitalized or what their symptoms were, one of the sources said.

The virus first appeared in Wuhan and then spread worldwide.

"We don't have enough information to draw a conclusion about the origins" of the coronavirus, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a news briefing on Monday.

"We need data. We need an independent investigation. And that's exactly what we've been calling for."

Information about the researchers was published in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday. China's foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said on Monday it was "completely untrue" that three WIV staff members had fallen ill.

The origin of the virus is hotly contested. In a report issued in March written jointly with Chinese scientists, a World Health Organization-led team that spent four weeks in and around Wuhan in January and February said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that "introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway."

The US intelligence community "hasn't ruled out either theory," one official US source said.

Intelligence reporting about possible November infections among Wuhan Institute employees "can't be dismissed" by US researchers, the source added.

The hypothesis that the virus escaped from a Chinese lab has been promoted on some conservative websites, and by some Republicans in the US Congress. US intelligence agencies have not reached their own determination on the cause.

The US State Department published a "fact sheet" on COVID-19 and the Wuhan lab on Jan. 15, 2020, five days before Trump left office, based in part on information in the classified report, sources said.

Trump as president referred to the pathogen as the "China virus" and the "China plague."The Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and defense intelligence components contributed to both the public fact sheet and classified report, the sources said.

Both were assembled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The classified report is regarded as valid by current US government agencies, experts investigating the origins of COVID-19 and by officials in President Joe Biden's administration.

US agencies are concerned that WHO representatives have been unable to conduct independent investigations inside China into COVID-19's origins, and are therefore wary of WHO findings, one US government source briefed on these investigations said.

"We continue to have serious questions about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins within the People's Republic of China," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said.

In their own report on the origins of COVID-19 issued last week, Republican members of the US House of Representatives intelligence committee asserted that there was "significant circumstantial evidence" suggesting COVID-19 "may have been a leak" from the Wuhan lab.

Such evidence included information indicating "several researchers" at the lab got COVID-19 symptoms in the fall of 2019, the report said.

The WHO, which opened its annual ministerial assembly on Monday, has not announced any follow-up to the Wuhan mission but member states may raise concerns in speeches to the week-long forum. US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is due to address it on Tuesday.

The pandemic has killed more than 3.4 million people worldwide.

Also read: 3 researchers from Wuhan lab sought hospital care months before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed
Highlights Lenovo has already confirmed plans to launch a new device with the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 platform.

The new platform supports Qualcomm FastConnect Subsystem, Bluetooth 5.0, and LPDDR4 memory.

The new Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 is based on 8mm process tech.

Qualcomm has announced an update to its Snapdragon 7c compute platform that was initially launched in 2019 for entry-level Windows laptops and Chromebooks. The all-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform brings improvements, including enhanced camera and audio capabilities, integrated LTE connectivity, enterprise-grade security features, and battery improvements.

Qualcomm says that the first device based on the all-new Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 is expected to be commercially available this summer. Lenovo is one of the first OEMs to confirm that it will launch a device with the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 comes with integrated 4G and is based on an 8mm platform. It features a 64-bit Kryo 468 CPU with clock speeds up to 2.5GHz. The company also claims devices based on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 can deliver up to twice the battery life than most competing platforms. The chipmaker also adds that devices based on 7c Gen 2 can deliver up to 19 or more hours of continuous use. It comes with Qualcomm Adreno GPU and supports the Qualcomm Snapdragon X15 LTE modem, which can allow devices powered by the new platform to get peak download speeds of up to 600Mbps.

Talking about the capability of the new Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform, Qualcomm says it allows users to create, capture, edit, and stream on their devices. It supports streaming 4K HDR media, using an up to the 32-megapixel camera for high-quality video conferencing, or utilising low-light video and photography and Hi-Fi Audio features. The platform support both Windows 10 and Chrome OS.

The company also announced the Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows that brings Snapdragon compute platform in a mini-PC form factor. "The Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows is a cost-effective way to jump-start your development efforts as more Snapdragon-powered Windows devices become commercially available. We will have more information rolling out over the course of the summer," the company said in an announcement post.

Announcing the new platform, Miguel Nunes, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, said, "Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 brings the leading innovations of our compute portfolio to the next generation of entry-tier and affordable devices. Laptops powered by this platform will redefine mobile computing for education users, first-line workers, and everyday light consumers, enabling reliable and powerful devices that feature advanced AI and support for multi-day battery life. We are excited to bring this next generation upgrade to our entry-level platform for the very best mobile PC experiences."
Nowhere has the economic impact of the pandemic fallen more heavily than on the hospitality industry. Given this sectors significance to the global economy, it must remain a priority, with resources allocated accordingly. Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has worked closely with businesses in the hospitality sector for years, particularly with its many vulnerable small and midsize enterprises (SMEs), giving it valuable insights into how to protect them during crises.

Here are some critical steps to ensuring hospitality SMEs survive COVID-19:



Do No More Harm: Future measures must not increase the burden on the vulnerable. Foster a Predictable Business Environment: Governments need to provide clarity and predictability regarding future expectations to enable businesses to avoid the yo-yo situation of spending money to reopen, then being forced to close again. Implement a Tactical Approach to Recovery: Governments should take steps to optimize the hospitality sectors reopening while avoiding high COVID-19 risk, such as preventing closures or evictions through rent subsidies, providing tax credits to the most vulnerable SMEs, or assisting SMEs with moving into viable forms of e-commerce. Encourage Inter-industry Collaboration: The sector will have to develop a supportive ecosystem that draws on governments, private enterprise, and multilateral organizations. Public-private partnerships can also encourage the sectors regrowth, as consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies play a critical role in the industry. Their connections with local formal and informal business should be used to support SMEs.

Hospitality SMEs worldwide share many pandemic-related challenges, including the range of fast-changing, externally imposed restrictions that cripple commercial possibilities. Outright bans on goods such as alcohol, which accounts for one-third of revenue and even more profit, have also proved challenging.

This is a global challenge in a critical industry that generates 10 percent of employment worldwide, making its decline dangerous; The World Bank estimates another 150 million people could fall into extreme poverty worldwide in 2021, erasing over three years of global poverty reduction.

Without coordinated and long-term policies to revive the beleaguered hospitality industry and the SMEs at its core, this decline could persist, fueling a global recession. Even as the pandemic subsides, policymakers need to take action to better equip SMEs to protect our global economy.

For more information about AB InBev, please visit www.ab-inbev.com.

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American Express (NYSE: AXP) today announced its participation in upcoming investor conferences, which will be held virtually.

On Friday, June 4, 2021, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stephen J. Squeri will participate in Bernsteins 37th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference. Mr. Squeri will participate in a virtual fireside chat relating to the companys business strategy and financial performance beginning at 9 a.m. (ET).

On Wednesday, June 16, 2021, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey C. Campbell will participate in the Morgan Stanley US Financials, Payments & Commercial Real Estate Conference. Mr. Campbell will participate in a virtual fireside chat covering the companys financial performance and business strategy beginning at 1:15 p.m. (ET).

Live audio webcasts of both events will be accessible to the general public through the American Express Investor Relations website at http://ir.americanexpress.com. An audio replay of each presentation will be available after each event at the same website address.

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.

Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility.

Source: American Express Company

Location: Global

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TTTech Industrial has acquired pioneering technology and strategic customers from Nebbiolo Technologies

The deal will result in the worlds most advanced industrial edge computing platform

A TTTech Industrial North America subsidiary has been founded in Silicon Valley

The new entity is led by Kannan Devarajan, one of the co-founders of Nebbiolo Technologies

TTTech Industrial Automation AG has acquired core technology and strategic customers from pioneering fog/edge computing start-up Nebbiolo Technologies in a deal closed in May. Integrating features and know-how from Nebbiolo Technologies will support TTTech Industrials commitment to delivering the worlds most advanced industrial edge computing platform to its customers. TTTech Industrial has also founded a US subsidiary in Silicon Valley to expand its activities in the North American market. Kannan Devarajan, one of the co-founders of Nebbiolo Technologies has joined TTTech Industrial North America Inc. as Managing Director.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005037/en/

The integration of assets from Nebbiolo Technologies enables us to offer even more advanced industrial edge computing solutions to new and existing customers in a wider range of application fields. Thomas Berndorfer, Member of the Executive Board, TTTech Industrial Automation AG ( TTTech Industrial Automation AG)

TTTech Industrial is a leading provider of industrial IoT solutions, and partners with key players in IoT such as Intel and Microsoft. The companys Nerve software platform has been at the forefront of industrial edge computing since its launch in 2016. The foundation of TTTech Industrial North America supports the expansion of commercial operations in the US and Canada, with the technology and customer assets acquired from Nebbiolo Technologies forming the nucleus of these activities.

Nebbiolo Technologies is renowned as the pioneer of fog computing, with patented technology that is foundational to industrial edge computing concepts. The company was named a Gartner Cool Vendor in 2017 and was recognized as the Customer Value Leader in the IIoT edge computing market by Frost & Sullivan in 2019. The combination of existing Nerve product features with Nebbiolo Technologies expertise will provide customers with an unparalleled solution for software management at the edge, remote connectivity, edge analytics, high-availability, and security.

TTTech Industrial has an existing customer base of machine builders and system integrators based in Europe, the US and Asia. Aside from growing its operations in North America and Asia, this deal also allows TTTech Industrial to widen the scope of its activities to new industries such as energy, oil/gas and auto manufacturing, strengthen the global reach of its edge computing solutions and bolster go-to-market activities in Europe.

"The launch of our US subsidiary marks a significant step for our company. Our location in Silicon Valley brings us closer to customers and allows us to tap into a pool of the world's best software engineering talent. The integration of assets from Nebbiolo Technologies enables us to offer even more advanced industrial edge computing solutions to new and existing customers in a wider range of application fields, explains Thomas Berndorfer, Member of the Executive Board, TTTech Industrial Automation AG.

I am very proud to be leading TTTech Industrial's expansion into North America. My team and I bring a wealth of experience in edge computing solutions that will contribute to making Nerve the platform of choice for industrial automation customers. In addition, we will provide customers with expert local sales and technical support, as well as custom feature development," says Kannan Devarajan, Managing Director, TTTech Industrial North America.

CEO and co-founder of Nebbiolo Technologies Chandra Joshi states, We have been partnering with TTTech Industrial from the outset of our journey. I am confident that the integration of Nebbiolos technology with TTTech Industrials Nerve product line will create a leading-edge computing platform to enable existing and new customers to accelerate their digital transformation.

About TTTech Industrial Automation AG

TTTech Industrial aspires to unlock the incredible potential of industrial automation. It combines transformative technologies with hands-on experience in critical real-time systems to offer customers flexibility, reliability and choice. TTTech Industrial operates under the umbrella of the TTTech Group, a leading provider of safe networked computing platforms, with cross-industry experience from more than 20 years of operation.

TTTech Industrial product lines Nerve, Slate and Flexibilis are designed to converge and connect automation systems. Nerve is a flexible, open industrial edge computing platform that enables users to access data, manage devices and deploy applications remotely. Slate is a deterministic networking platform that provides comprehensive TSN solutions. Flexibilis is a redundant networking product portfolio that delivers high-availability seamless redundancy for a wide range of industrial applications, most notably in the energy industry.

www.tttech-industrial.com

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CPC offers very important development experiences for human society: Turkish political party leader

10:10, May 25, 2021 By Wang Chuanbao, Wu Gang ( People's Daily

"Reviewing the development and changes of China, which I personally witnessed, is like watching a documentary. Every stage and scene are astonishing," said Dogu Perincek, chairman of Turkey's Patriotic Party in a recent interview with People's Daily.

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows a relocation site for poverty-stricken people in Huawu Village, Qianxi County of Bijie City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

The Turkish politician, who has made 13 visits to China during the past four decades, said the 100-year history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a splendid history of heroic stories and legends.

He noted that the epic jointly written by the CPC and the Chinese people has explored a development path from which the human society can draw wisdom from, and set an example for global political parties.

Perincek is a renowned Turkish politician. In 1978, he co-founded the Workers' and Peasants' Party of Turkey and then served as a high-ranking official of the Socialist Party and the Workers' Party of Turkey in the following days. Six years ago, he took up the post as the chairman of the Patriotic Party, which has maintained long-term friendly exchanges with the CPC.

According to him, the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is placed at a conspicuous position in the library of the Patriotic Party.

"I've read through it. The book creatively answers a series of important questions concerning the development of China and the world in the present age, and presents the advanced governance experiences of the CPC to the world," Perincek said.

The CPC has a firm resolution and capability to lead the Chinese people to build the socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said, adding that there is no precedent of such undertaking, and the CPC must learn through its practices.

The CPC has always started from China's realities, and been solving the problems it encounters in an innovative manner, which is a valuable treasure, he said.

"The CPC has a bright future. It has offered very important development experiences for the human society," he told People's Daily.

In recent years, Perincek has been introducing his visits to China, as well as his profound understanding of the country's development path, on a special column he has established on local newspaper Aydinlik. To respond to the lies related to China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region fabricated by some Western media outlets and politicians, he would introduce what he saw and felt there and sends his voice out through multiple channels.

"Xinjiang has made huge achievements, not only in economic and social development. I saw local cultures well protected when I visited the autonomous regions' Turpan, Kashgar and Ili. Apart from mandarin, minority languages are also taught there," he said.

He also hailed the outstanding outcomes of Xinjiang's fight against terrorism and extremism. Calling terrorism a common enemy of all human beings, he said the international society needs to reinforce cooperation and jointly fight it.

Facing the sudden coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese people united together, and controlled the virus within a short period of Time and achieved rapid economic recovery. Perincek praised China's epidemic control effects, saying the fight against the virus mirrored the CPC's governance philosophy and capability.

The CPC has always placed people's lives and health at the first place, which is crucial for the country to win the fight, he said, adding that China has also made remarkable contributions to international anti-pandemic cooperation by its timely assistance for relevant countries.

China's poverty reduction is a sector that particularly attracts Perincek's attention. He said it is a great historic achievement of human development for a country with 1.4 billion people to get rid of poverty. It not only contributes to global poverty reduction, but also ignites a hope for poverty alleviation for all mankind, he added.

During the interview, the Turkish politician recalled his attendance to the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting in Beijing four years ago. At the opening ceremony of the meeting, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC and Chinese President, delivered a keynote speech, in which he stressed that all the political parties should move with the tide of the times, gain a keen appreciation of the underlying trend of human progress, and meet people's common aspirations. They should also aim high and look far, and fulfill their responsibilities, Xi added.

Xi also noted that the destiny and future of each and every nation and country are interlocked, and political parties play an important role in the progress of human civilization. "What he said was of historic significance," Perincek said.

"The CPC treats other political parties equally and sincerely, which is admirable," he noted, praising the CPC's efforts to actively advancing its exchanges with other political parties around the world.

"As a political party that has the highest number of members in the world, the CPC never forces its positions on other political parties. On the contrary, it encourages them to select their own paths according to their national conditions. That's an important enlightenment we acquired from our exchanges with the CPC," Perincek said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and Department of Natural Resources detective Holly Pennoni was in the right place at the right time to save a motorist who had a medical emergency while driving recently. It was only after she started the rescue that she found out she was saving the life of a neighbor.
Jennifer Rigterink of the Michigan Municipal League, spoke out against legislation that would limit local government\'s ability to regulate short-term rentals.
The cases came to light in the wake of investigations into the collapse of Baoshang Bank which was seized from private conglomerate Tomorrow Holding in May 2019. Photo: IC Photo

Chinas top antigraft agency has disclosed details of corruption cases involving five former banking regulators in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region who between them took more than 700 million yuan ($109 million) in bribes, mostly connected with scandal-hit Baoshang Bank Co. Ltd., a failed local lender taken over by the state in 2019.

The officials, including Xue Jining, a former head of the Inner Mongolia branch of the now-defunct China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), abused their power to seek benefit for those who paid them bribes related to establishing institutions, approving new businesses and loans, project construction and personnel appointments, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in report (link in Chinese) released on its website Tuesday.

The problem of regulatory corruption exposed by the cases (linked to Baoshang Bank) is shocking, one unnamed official from a special task force set up by the CCDI to investigate graft linked to the lender, was quoted as saying in the report which is part of an education campaign the agency is running for officials at the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), which superseded the CBRC in 2018.

Under the bad influence of a key minority, Inner Mongolias banking regulatory system fell across the board, the report said. Big or small, these officials ate everything, taking bribes not only from Baoshang Bank, but also from other banking and financial institutions, business owners, relatives, friends, and subordinates. They also roped in their families, with spouses, siblings and parents all getting involved, the report said.

Corruption was endemic among the regulators and was an important factor in the collapse of Baoshang Bank. Some 80% of the 700 million yuan of bribes uncovered by the CCDIs task force were related to the lender, the report said. Xue, who is currently standing trial for corruption, accepted more than 400 million yuan, the report said.

Officials and the institutions they were supervising were a family of cats and mice, the CCDI report said. Regulators served as the foot soldiers of illegal conglomerates and they were deeply bound together by shared interests.

The cases came to light in the wake of investigations into the collapse of Baoshang Bank which was seized from private conglomerate Tomorrow Holding Co. Ltd. in May 2019. The banks high leverage, poor lending practices and corrupt activities had built up risks that regulators feared could threaten the stability of the banking system. Subsequent investigations found a 220 billion yuan hole in the banks books due largely to massive misappropriation by Tomorrow Holding, whose billionaire founder Xiao Jianhua was placed under investigation by anti-corruption authorities in early 2017.

Read more

Five Things to Know About Chinas First Bank Failure in Decades

Baoshang Bank greased the palms of regulators to help its expansion and avoid regulatory scrutiny, the CCDIs report showed.

It gave 100,000 yuan to Liu Jinming as a welcome gift when he was appointed as the Communist Party secretary and director of the CBRC branch in Baotou, where the lender is based, in late 2009. After Liu took office, Li Zhenxi, then chairman of Baoshang Bank, told Liu, Leader, we follow you, and you support us to rush forward. When we get old, we can have fun together.

Liu confessed that he had planned to rent an apartment when he moved to Baotou, but Baoshang Bank bought an apartment for him. When Liu said his family lived in Beijing, and he planned to live there after he retired, Baoshang Bank offered to buy him an apartment in the capital and asked Liu to choose a good, expensive one.

Baoshang Bank took the initiative to help me with everything, which made me feel like we are a family, the report quoted Liu as saying I completely forgot the relationship between us should be that of a regulator and an institution being supervised.

Xue said that when he took over as head of the CBRCs Inner Mongolia branch, Baoshangs then chairman, Li, made great efforts to build a close relationship with him and humbly consulted him about economics. He also regularly sent gifts to Xues wife and when Xue returned to his home in Beijing every year for the Lunar New Year holiday, it was always full of presents sent by Li.

The regulators failed to fulfil their responsibilities to supervise Baoshang Bank, a CCDI official said. The banking regulators Inner Mongolia branch and Baotou branch did not fully conduct due diligence when approving the lenders new businesses, which covered up problems that should have come to light if the procedures had been correctly followed, the official said.

From 2009 to 2016, officials from the CBRCs Inner Mongolia and Baotou branches conducted more than 50 on-site inspections of Baoshang Bank, but deliberately avoided inspecting parts of the business that had significant potential risks and never imposed administrative penalties on the bank for the problems they did find. Xue and Jia Qizhen, a former official at the Inner Mongolia branch, even instructed officials to delete records of major violations uncovered in on-site inspections.

The banking regulator has its own internal rating system for the countrys lenders and the CCDI task force found that local regulators managed to lift Baoshang Banks rating to a level that was seriously inconsistent with its actual risks. They also ignored reports from the public alleging that Baoshang Bank was controlled by an illegal financial conglomerate and had transferred massive funds to it.

Xue was Communist Party secretary and head of the CBRCs Inner Mongolia branch from 2007 to 2014 before retiring in 2015. He was expelled from the party (link in Chinese) in January 2021 after he was put under investigation in June 2020. Liu and Jia were probed by graft busters in 2019 and were later expelled from the party and removed from public office.

Baoshang Bank was the first Chinese lender to be taken over by the state in two decades. As part of a restructuring to clean up the bank, its good assets were taken over by Mengshang Bank Co. Ltd., a new bank set up specifically to deal with the fallout from the lenders collapse, and Hong Kong-listed Huishang Bank Corp. Ltd. The rump of its assets was kept in the old Baoshang Bank and, in November 2020, the CBIRC gave its formal approval for the lender to start bankruptcy proceedings which were finalized in February.

Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (ziyitang@caixin.com) and editor Nerys Avery (nerysavery@caixin.com)

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In todays Caixin energy news wrap: Chinas national carbon market moves one step closer to a formal launch; Tianqi resumes lithium hydroxide project in Australia; worlds largest hydrogen fueling station starts trial operation in Beijing, while China eyes global champion of salt lake development

Jinko Power to sell solar power station assets

Leading Chinese solar company Jinko Power Technology Co. Ltd. (601778.SH) plans to sell two solar power stations to improve its profitability, the company said. Jinko Powers wholly owned subsidiary Jinko Technology Co. Ltd. will transfer its equity in Zuoyun Jinko Power Co. Ltd. and Jiangsu Xuqiang New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. to Hubei Energy Group New Energy Development Co. Ltd. for 468 million yuan ($72.7 million), the company said. Zuoyun Jinko Power is the operator of a 50 megawatt photovoltaic power station in Datong, Shanxi province. Jiangsu Xuqiang operates a 100 megawatt station in Xiangshui, Jiangsu province.

Tianqi resumes lithium hydroxide project in Australia

Tianqi Lithium Corp.s stalled lithium hydroxide project in Kwinana, Western Australia, was resumed for testing and is expected to start production this year, the China Securities Journal reported, citing company CEO Xia Juncheng. The project will reach its designed production capacity next year, Xia said. The Kwinana project will have a capacity of 48,000 tonnes a year of battery grade lithium hydroxide. Construction work stalled at the facility due to Tianqi's financial troubles and tight liquidity.

Chinas national carbon market moves toward formal launch

Chinas national carbon market started full-scale testing to make participants familiar with the system, moving toward a formal launch, the Shanghai Securities News reported Monday. Companies with emission demands are the first batch of participants in the market while institutional investors and individuals will be excluded in the initial stage of trading.

Jiangsu to include carbon emissions in environmental assessment

The eastern province of Jiangsu plans to include carbon emission reviews in compulsory environmental assessments for the approval of industrial parks as part of efforts to fulfill its carbon neutrality goals. The provincial government laid out its carbon control agenda this year, pledging to limit approval of new projects that involve high emissions and high power consumption.

Worlds largest hydrogen fueling station enters trial operation

The worlds largest hydrogenation station, located in Beijings Daxing district, entered trial operations. With an area of 200,000 square meters, the station fuels approximately 10 test vehicles per day. A truck using 4.5 tons of hydrogen cells can be fueled with 9 kilograms of hydrogen in 3 minutes, which can support a journey of 350 kilometers, according to the stations manager.

China to create global champion for salt lake development

China approved a plan to build a world-class salt lake industry base in the southwestern province of Qinghai, home of Chinas largest salt lake area. According to the plan, the country will set up the China Salt Lake Group, the Salt Lake Industry Development Fund, Qinghai Salt Lake University, and the State Key Laboratory of Salt Lake. Various minerals including the sulfate, chloride and borate of sodium, potassium, magnesium and lithium are the main salt resources in Qinghais salt lake area.

Huayou Cobalt to launch $2.08 billion joint venture in Indonesia

Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. Ltd. (603799.SH) will set up a laterite nickel joint venture in Indonesia, along with investors including Young Ray Holding Group Co. Ltd., Glaucous, EVE Asia Co. Ltd. and Lindo. With total investment of $2.08 billion (13.37 billion yuan), the venture will have annual production capacity of 120,000 tons of nickel and 15,000 tons of cobalt.

Contact editor Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

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Here you'll find our latest collection of Caledonian-Record reports on the coronavirus outbreak and local response, from the beginning of April. Our January, February and March stories are here: https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/our-coronavirus-coverage/collection_5885178c-692e-11e


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Do you have an athlete in mind that contributes to the team or sport, holds sportsmanship and team spirit, has epic playmaker moments and/or in general makes the the sports fun? If yes, please make your nominations for our edition of Athlete Spotlight.

CLICK TO NOMINATE
President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FILE  In this March 24, 2021 file photo, Melissa Jean reads "The Gruffalo" to her son's pre-K class at Phyl's Academy, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. New York City schools will be all in person this fall with no remote options, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday, May 24. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, Pool, File)
National Boatbuilding Challenge champions, from left, Tommy Russell and Bobby Staab, demonstrate building a wooden rowing skiff in the N.C. Marine Training and Education Center at Carteret Community College in Morehead City during a previous program. The colleges focus on maritime trades has earned CCC the Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education for 2021. (Cheryl Burke photo)
Marked areas on this map of Pamlico Sound show hot spots for shrimp and finfish, as well as areas closed to trawling. (N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries graphic)
Many who wanted to fill up gas tanks after work on Monday in Western North Carolina had to deal with long lines and short supplies.
More than five years after the project was first announced, the trailer for Riverdance: The Animated Adventure has arrived complete with dancing deer, wiggling fish, and laughing frogs.

Inspired by the wildly popular theatrical production Riverdance, the cg feature builds a family-friendly adventure story around Bill Whelans famous score, which is rooted in Irish folk music. Watch the trailer below:

Riverdance is the first release from London-based animation production company Aniventure, which co-produced the film with Irelands River Productions. Aniventure unveiled a slate of three features in September, announcing that it aims to deliver very high production values at a budget level that allows the finished films to be economically viable irrespective of the distribution channel chosen. The company has signed with Hollywoods Creative Artists Agency.
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the Belarusian government's recent seizure of a dissident journalist on board an intercepted airliner, saying Canada is weighing measures beyond current sanctions against the country.

Separately, the Belarusian embassy in Ottawa said it is shutting its doors, stating in a website post it will suspend activity as of Sept. 1. Requests for comment from the embassy went unanswered as of Tuesday afternoon.

Trudeau said the arrest Sunday of Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich after a fighter jet forced down his flight in the country's airspace amounts to a "clear attack on democracy and freedom of the press."

"The behaviour of the Belarus regime is outrageous, illegal, and completely unacceptable," Trudeau said at a press conference Tuesday.

Ottawa will be "examining further options," he added.

Canada announced sanctions against 55 Belarusian officials last year after an election that Ottawa said was "marred by widespread irregularities" amid a "systemic campaign of repression" and human rights violations under President Alexander Lukashenko.

Since Sunday, airlines have rerouted flights to avoid the country's airspace and European Union leaders have directed officials to draft unspecified sanctions against Minsk, on top of a potential ban on Belarusian airlines from EU skies.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has deemed the event "state hijacking" and Ireland and France have characterized it as piracy amid mounting international outrage.

On Tuesday, the Belarusian embassy said its consular section will freeze handling of documents in Canada such as visa applications starting July 10.

"Please be informed that the Government of the Republic of Belarus has taken (the) decision to close the Embassy  in Canada," the statement reads.

Consular functions would then be carried out by the consulate in New York City, according to the statement.
Photo: Thinkstock.com

A federal bill to harmonize Canada's laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has passed third reading in the House of Commons.

The Conservatives, who have raised concerns the legislation would give Indigenous people a "veto" over natural resource projects, voted against the bill along with Independent MP Derek Sloan, a former Tory.

Green MP Jenica Atwin also cast a vote against the bill after previously saying it was not strong enough, including that it doesn't lay out specifically how UNDRIP will be enshrined in Canadian law.

The Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and remaining two Greens joined forces to send Bill C-15 to the Senate, with a final tally of 210 to 118.

The UN declaration, which Canada endorsed in 2010, affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language, culture and traditional lands.

It also spells out the need for free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples on anything that infringes on their lands or rights, but C-15 does not include a definition of such consent.
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Florida: bolder, brighter, better

ICR Research By

Published 24 May 2021

Like all US states, Florida has been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with tourist numbers plummeting as borders shut and lockdown measures were imposed. But pent-up demand in the housing market, strong infrastructure spending and a robust construction sector should deliver a notable uptick in cement consumption in 2021-23.

Floridas US$1trn economy is the fourth-largest in the USA and would be the 16th-largest in the world if it were a country. Not surprisingly it is a key market when it comes to the cement industry, regularly in the top five in the US in terms of cement and clinker production and consumption. It is currently home to nine cement plants with a total cement and clinker capacity of 12.215Mta and 8.754Mta, respectively (see Figure 1). Florida also boasts 18 cement terminals, including two for slag, plus one additional terminal for white cement. Cement consumption in 2019 came in at 7.4Mt, up from 7.1Mt in the previous year, while the industry contributes over US$12.5bn to annual state revenue.

To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login
PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa records April sales volume of 1.3Mt

25 May 2021

PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk recorded a sales volume of 1.3Mt throughout April 2021. This realisation was 13 per cent higher than sales in the same period last year.

Director and Corporate Secretary of Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa, Antonius Marcos, said that this increase was mainly due to the fact that April last year was the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

In April 2021 are around 100,000t lower than sales in March 2021 which reached 1.4Mt. This decline in monthly sales was due the beginning of the month of Ramadan. The cement sales cycle prior to Ramadan always show a slight decline compared to the previous month.

However, Mr Marcos said, the realisation in the month of Ramadan this year was relatively good due to the government's ban on going home. "This prohibition keeps some construction workers working and not going home, so that project implementation continues," he said.

Indocement believes that the sales growth target set in the range of 4 -5 per cent will be exceeded this year. Indocement reported a domestic sales volume for cement and clinker of 16.92Mt in 2020, a decrease of 10.1 per cent from 2019.

This year, Indocement has allocated a capex of IDR1-1.1trn. Most of this capex is for the completion of the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) receiving facility. The RDF project is still running according to schedule and is expected to be completed in the 4Q21.

Published under
Danville Police arrested a suspect in a pair of armed robberies; The suspect in a bizarre probe in Caswell County is behind bars; Another big vaccination clinic is set for Saturday in Danville; The slate of candidates is decided in this fall's city and county elections.
Police responded to 200 Highway 153 NB and asked a man to move his vehicle from the middle of the road. The man said that he was driving NB on Highway 153 when the front end of his vehicle started clicking and then shredding off. The man said he did not hit anything, but that the vehicle was just falling apart. NC Towing towed the vehicle.



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A man on Blackford Street called police and said that his neighbor was noisy the night before and had a lot of vehicles coming and going from the house. He said this is a frequent issue with his neighbor. Police were also dispatched to this location in the early morning hours for a noise complaint from this same neighbor, but did not locate anything.





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A man told police that at some point during the night a vehicle ran off the road and struck the house that he is building on N. Chamberlain Avenue. The man showed police the damage that was done to the black wall and the electrical box on the north side of the house and the PVC pipe on the west side of the house. He said that no one saw what happened and no one has any suspect information.



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A caller reported a white male was in Starbucks on Brainerd Road cursing. Police spoke with the man who said he was just a little irritated and meant no harm to anyone. The caller was anonymous and not on scene. Police checked the man's ID and made sure he had no outstanding warrants. He went on his way.



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A man on Iris Road told police that his firearm was stolen from his vehicle last night. He said he had his Sig-Sauer sub-compact 9mm handgun underneath the driver's seat of the vehicle. This morning he noticed the vehicle had been searched through and the firearm was gone. No suspect information is known. The firearm was put into NCIC.



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An employee of WTVC, 4279 Benton Dr., told police that two catalytic converters were stolen

from company vehicles. He said that if they find video footage of the event they will email it to police.



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A man on Williams Street told police he let another man borrow his vehicle. He did not give police the details of the agreement of the car loaning, but said he wanted it back. Police attempted to call the car borrower, but he did not answer his phone. Police will attempt to call him again to get the vehicle back to the lender.



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A man on Alton Park Boulevard told police that he ran from Cleveland to Chattanooga because he was afraid of someone. He said that he had a ride coming to pick him up, but just wanted police to be aware of the situation.



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A man on Lee Highway asked police for a ride to the bus stop. Police transported the man to the bus stop at Lee Highway and Shallowford Road.



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Three separate ID documents were turned into police that were found in a dumpster at 1120 King St. Police turned them into Property.



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Police made a traffic stop at 3300 Hixson Pike on a maroon Ford Fusion (TN) for an expired tag of Sept. 2020. The driver had valid drivers license, insurance and no active warrants. A verbal warning was issued.



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An anonymous caller reported a disorder in progress at a residence on Mountain Creek Road. Police spoke with a white female who identified herself to police. When asked about a disorder, she said "it was the TV." She also said she had gotten into an argument with her "old man," but he had already left the scene in an unknown direction. She said nothing physical happened and police did not see any indications of physical harm.



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A woman on E. 25th Street Court told police that she and her boyfriend had been drinking most of the night and gotten into a verbal argument. Neither would clearly say what the argument was over. The boyfriend said that he would leave for the night to stop any further arguments.



* * *



A man on Federal Street told police that someone entered his Toyota Avalon through an unlocked door. He said the vehicle was rifled through, but nothing was taken or damaged.



* * *



Suspicious activity was reported at 3401 Campbell St. Police spoke with a woman who said that someone called into the office regarding an argument taking place in the breezeway of Building 9. She said when she went to check what was happening, she witnessed a black female attempting to get into a gold Toyota Camry that quickly reversed when she tried to open the door. She said the woman then hit the car with her hand and later left in a black Nissan with no plate.



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A man reported an improperly parked auto on Mitchell Avenue. The man told police he is the construction manager at this location and that they set up cones to keep vehicles from parking here due to them moving equipment around. He said that the lot the car is parked on is owned by the same people they are working for right now. They wanted police's help to find a responsible for the vehicle. Police were unable to get in touch with a responsible. The man said he would try to get in touch with them or work around the vehicle. The vehicle is currently not damaged or destroyed.



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A man on Indus Way told police that someone cut the lock to his shed and stole two commercial waterslides worth $4,000. He said he would need a report for his insurance.



* * *



A man on Brainerd Road told police that someone had stolen the month sticker/decal (March) from the tag (plate) on his vehicle. He said he discovered this last Sunday at about 6 p.m. and he has no idea when he last saw the tag.



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A man told police that his vehicle was hit while parked at Hamilton Place Mall between 6-8 p.m. He said the driver's side tail light was cracked and there was a dent as well. No suspect information is available.



* * *



A man on Passenger Street called police and said someone damaged the driver's side door and driver's side passenger door on his 2017 Jeep Cherokee. He said he was not sure when it occurred, but it was a dent and scratch marks.



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A woman on Koblentz Circle told police she was upset that her husband had taken her vehicle and they are now separating. She said she wanted her vehicle returned to her. Police spoke with the husband, who returned the vehicle and said he does not want any further contact with her.



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A woman on Frazier Avenue told police that college students, driving a Ford Fusion, were throwing things out of their vehicle at other cars. The woman did not know if her car was damaged, but wanted police to know what had happened. Police told her to call back if she found any damage.



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A woman on Rosemary Drive told police that $60, a laptop and a phone was stolen from her vehicle overnight. No suspect information is known.



* * *



Police responded to a shoplifting at the Speedway, 1330 E. 3rd St. Employees reported three men stole beer. There is very little suspect information due to how busy the store was at the time of the theft. Three men were observed leaving without paying, and each one had a case of beer. They left in an unknown direction of travel. No employee had access to the cameras. Police will conduct a follow-up for better suspect information.

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Police responded to an accident at 6112 E. Brainerd Road. A man said he was pulling out of Old Birds Mill Road onto E. Brainerd Road. He said he was looking left down E. Brainerd Road and did not see another man walking across the street in front of him, causing him to almost hit him. The walker said he was not hit, but that only the tire had hit his steel-toed boot and he had dropped his phone out of reaction, damaging the phone.
My own family and friends come from many walks of life, many nationalities, ethnic and racial backgrounds. We're all interconnected one way or the other, whether we like it or not. Whether we know it or not.





My family and friends might be Iraj (pronounced long e-raj) from Iran or Kali from India. They might come from some South American country or Asia (Vietnam).





We were told his mother died in the famine, but never knew what became of him and his sister. For a while there was contact with a rescue pilot that was airlifting many from the country. But we lost contact with him too. I still have photos of the mother and also my nephew and his sister when they were much younger. I'll keep them forever. To this day, they remain on my heart and in my mind. Some days more so than others. Especially in today's chaotic, torn up world where everywhere most anyone is fighting over something they will never actually own. Earth. We lost contact with an Ethiopian nephew during the Ethiopian famine where over 1.2 million Ethiopians were estimated to have died.We were told his mother died in the famine, but never knew what became of him and his sister. For a while there was contact with a rescue pilot that was airlifting many from the country. But we lost contact with him too. I still have photos of the mother and also my nephew and his sister when they were much younger. I'll keep them forever. To this day, they remain on my heart and in my mind. Some days more so than others. Especially in today's chaotic, torn up world where everywhere most anyone is fighting over something they will never actually own. Earth.





I've been asked why do I care? That in America many people who come will just be taught to hate people who look like me. Maybe. But my compassion, love, empathy will just have to remain much stronger than any hate others might be fed.





Our own personal pain should never be so great that we're incapable of showing empathy and compassion for the person suffering beside us. In fact, our own struggles should only heighten our awareness of their struggles and sufferings.





"Take those qualities that are weak, base and ignoble in man. Use them to separate and divide them. Once you divide them, you can conquer them and forever control them." That's how the powerful control the masses. The strategy has been used for more than 500 years. A strategy that's still used today.





Brenda Washington








Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is joining a coalition of 47 Attorneys General in urging congressional leaders to support the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act. The act, comprised of the Stop Senior Scam Act and Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2021, will assist stakeholders in training employees to recognize the warning signs of elder fraud and to prevent irreversible damage to elderly victims.Seniors lose billions of dollars every year to financial scams, said General Slatery.The Tennessee Attorney Generals Office is committed to reducing that number and The Fraud and Scam Reduction Act will help by providing education and resources to older adults and those who care for them.The act, H.R. 1215, is bipartisan legislation that will provide innovative ways to combat the financial exploitation of senior citizens. The legislation will establish the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group that is accountable to the Federal Trade Commission. The group will collect data generated by stakeholders such as retailers, financial services and wire-transfer companies to help educate employees on how to identify and prevent scams that target seniors. The group will develop training and educational materials for those employees best suited to identify the warning signs of elder fraud.The act also establishes the Office for the Prevention of Fraud Targeting Seniorshoused in the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the FTC. The office will complement the efforts of the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group by:Monitoring emerging scams that target seniors through the internet, mail, robocalls, telemarketing and television;Disseminating information on common fraud schemes; andSharing information on how to report suspected senior fraud scams to a national fraud hotline and the FTCs Consumer Sentinel Network.The FTC will also work with the U.S. Attorney Generals Office to log and track complaints from victims and relay the information to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.To read the letter, click here To learn more about scams and how to avoid them, click: Scams, Schemes & Swindles Attorney General Slatery joined the attorneys general from the following states: Florida, New York, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Blackbird  one of the more famous folk songs Paul McCartney wrote for The Beatles  seems to be about a bird. However, someone in Pauls family claimed it was about another family member. Heres how her words compare to Pauls.

Paul McCartney | Fiona Adams / Contributor

Paul McCartneys relative says an early version of The Beatles Blackbird had a different lyric

According to the book The Beatles: A Hard Days Write, Pauls stepmother, Angie McCartney, said Paul wrote the song for her mother, Edie Stopforth. My mother was staying with Jim and I after a long illness, she said. During that time Paul visited us and spent some time sitting on mums bed. She told him that she would often listen to a bird singing at night. Paul eventually took a little tape recorder up to her room and recorded the sound of this bird.

Angie said she had a copy of The Beatles Blackbird where Paul said This ones for Edie. However, Paul doesnt appear to have commented on Stopforth in relation to Blackbird.

The Beatles Blackbird

RELATED: 1 Rock Star Found Paul McCartneys Performance of This Beatles Song Disconcerting

Paul McCartney said The Beatles Blackbird was meant to help people

According to Rolling Stone, Paul said the Little Rock Nine inspired Blackbird. For context, the Little Rock Nine were a group of Black students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The Arkansas National Guard was initially supposed to prevent the students from attending the high school but President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened, making sure they helped to integrate the school. These events happened three years before the formation of The Beatles and 11 years before the release of the White Album, which includes Blackbird.

During a concert, Paul elaborated on his thought process while writing Blackbird. Way back in the Sixties, there was a lot of trouble going on over civil rights, particularly in Little Rock, he recalled. We would notice this on the news back in England, so its a really important place for us, because to me, this is where civil rights started. We would see what was going on and sympathize with the people going through those troubles, and it made me want to write a song that, if it ever got back to the people going through those troubles, it might just help them a little bit, and thats this next one.

Eight of of the Little Rock Nine, specifically Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown Trickey, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Ernest Green, and Elizabeth Eckford | Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

RELATED: 1 of the Songs from The Beatles White Album Was Partially a Parody

How did the public react to The Beatles Blackbird?

This raises an interesting question: How did the public react to Blackbird? The track was not released as a single, so it didnt chart on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the songs parent album, the White Album, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 215 weeks. In addition, numerous famous artists covered Blackbird, including Dave Grohl, Sarah McLachlan, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and The Dandy Warhols. Blackbird seems to have resonated, regardless of whether it was connected to Pauls step-grandmother or not.

RELATED: John Lennons Falling Out With The Beatles Biographer Ended With an Angry Phone Call: You Rotten Sod
Patrick Dempsey recently wowed Greys Anatomy fans by reprising his role as, Dr. Derek McDreamy Shepherd for a few guest appearances. Now working on location in Ireland on the Disney Enchanted sequel with Amy Adams, Dempsey revealed hell be doing some singing in the film this time around.

Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey of Enchanted | Barry King/WireImage

Ireland locals extend invitations to Disenchanted star Patrick Dempsey

Earlier this month, Dempsey began posting photos of Irelands beautiful countryside upon his arrival for the Disenchanted film, with fans offering to play tour guide to the star.

Were waiting for you here in Enniskerry, Patrick!!! Ive the tea on for you, one fan shared. we can show u around, a follower offered. Let me know if you need some recommendations on where to eat or drink! The north coast is full of great spots! another wrote. Will I give u my address now or??? a fan prompted.

In a recent selfie, Dempsey expressed his joy at being a part of the highly-anticipated Disney sequel.

I love being in Ireland and Im having so much fun working on this film #disenchanted, he captioned the photo.

RELATED: Greys Anatomy Alums McDreamy and McSteamy Post Social Distancing Pic Together and Fans Are Loving It

Enchanted sequel was stalled due to the script

Enchanted ended with Giselle (Adams) and Robert (Dempsey) falling in love, while his former fiance Nancy (Idina Menzel) ran off with Giselles ex Prince Edward (James Marsden) to her fairytale home of Andalasia. The sequel is set ten years later, where Giselle begins to question her happiness. Naturally, mayhem ensues in both the real world and Andalasia.

Dempsey explained that while Disenchanted was in the works for quite some time, creating a script that met with the high standard of the original film was a challenge.

Every year they were like, Were going to do this. Its going to get done, but then no one could agree on the script, he told Variety. Its such an important film for them and its a satire. Its not a typical Disney movie. Its kind of off-brand a little bit. Yet we give honor to all of those Disney movies that have come before and they finally now have figured it out. And were old enough, so its like a midlife crisis movie.

McDreamy tries out his vocals in Disenchanted

Enchanted showcased the singing talent of Adams and Marsden, though audiences didnt get to hear any harmonizing from Dempsey. The Greys Anatomy alum revealed he gets his chance in the sequel.

RELATED: Greys Anatomy Alum Patrick Dempsey Describes His Last Day on the Show: I Very Quietly Left

I get to sing and dance, Dempsey shared. I will be singing for the first time. Ive never ever sung publicly  for a reason. So bear with me. I hope the fans embrace it. But theyve set me up for success and the lyrics are really fun. The numbers have really great choreography. And the premise is going to be interesting.

With several of the original films co-stars returning for Disenchanted, actors Maya Rudolph, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Jayma Mays are also joining the cast. Dempsey noted how the films fun and heartwarming storyline can raise the spirits of audiences after such a tumultuous year.

To work with everybody again after 14 years is just really exciting, he said. We need some escapism right now. We need those romantic comedies and those musicals to get people out of the doldrums that were in.

Disenchanted is scheduled for release in 2022.
The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond may make all manner of recipes on her hugely popular Food Network show. But one dish thats big on her list is, not surprisingly, the burger. Given that her husband, Ladd, is a cattle rancher, Drummond knows beef. And she really knows a good burger.

Here is Ree Drummonds favorite burger recipe  for now.

Robin Roberts and Ree Drummond on Good Morning America | Fred Lee/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

Ree Drummond is serious about burgers

While the Food Network personality was raised in Oklahoma, it was upon her marriage to Ladd that she really got to see another side of her native state.

I was literally THE last person anyone ever pictured moving to the country, Drummond said on her Pioneer Woman blog. When I announced my engagement to a cowboy, my childhood friends couldnt believe it.

I didnt try hard enough to have good aim and he didnt care enough to dive for it. Come join our underachiever club! We have fun here, and if we dont have fun it doesnt really bother us. pic.twitter.com/iGG4QrS960  Ree Drummond  The Pioneer Woman (@thepioneerwoman) January 30, 2021

Perhaps its the cattle life that explains why she doesnt fool around when it comes to burgers. Drummond wont eat a burger unless she knows its exquisite in every sense.

Im just going to say it: when it comes to burgers, Im high maintenance, she wrote on her blog. First of all, I love a good burger. Second of all, I dont want to eat a burger if its not going to be a good burger. I dont crave burgers, is what Im saying, unless I know the burger is going to be a really, really good burger. And good burgers are hard to come by. Good burgers are few and far between.

Ree Drummonds favorite burger recipe (for now at least)

The chef shared on her website/food blog that for the time being, she has crowned a favorite burger recipe. But she asked fans to keep in mind that my favorite burger changes weekly. Will keep you posted. Over and out.

Drummond said of this burger recipe she calls My Favorite Burger: This burger is so flavorful, my friendsSO flavorful. And Ill just tell you that after half of this baby, Im usually sufficiently full  and I can really put away some serious food most of the time. So dont be afraid to share!

One of my favorite things I've cooked recently. Mushrooms instead of buns! Mushbuns? https://t.co/nW2Rpjpmqd  Ree Drummond  The Pioneer Woman (@thepioneerwoman) January 5, 2019

RELATED: The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummonds Awkward Interaction With Someone She Thought Was a Fan

How to make Ree Drummonds burger recipe

Drummonds burger recipe calls for 2 pounds of 80/20 ground beef, salt/pepper, tabasco sauce, butter, red onion, brown sugar, mayonnaise, kaiser rolls, blue cheese, and lettuce.

The ground beef, salt, pepper, and Tabasco are combined and set aside. Then, the onions, brown sugar, and butter are cooked over low heat for 20 minutes until the onions are caramelized.

Why do I say things like this? Anyway, the kids and I shot this mornings episode of The Pioneer Woman on @foodnetwork and I hope you enjoy it! 10am/9c pic.twitter.com/zay2b2smFI  Ree Drummond  The Pioneer Woman (@thepioneerwoman) November 28, 2020

Add Tabasco to the mayonnaise, and set aside. Drummond says to form the ground meat into patties and grill over medium heat for about three minutes on each side. Top with the onions, and serve on the Kaiser rolls that have been spread with spicy mayonnaise.

As the chef said to sum up this burger: I really love life. Because life includes this burger.
Everyone knows that the royal family is full of surprises, but even the most dedicated fans didnt see Megxit coming. So many people were shocked when Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced, over a year ago, that they were stepping back from their royal duties, and even more so when they revealed that they were leaving the United Kingdom altogether.

For a while, things were pretty much up in the air, and no one knew exactly what would happen with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. After spending some time in Canada, they finally settled in LA, where they have been living ever since. The main reason that the couple stepped away from their duties was due to their desire to live a quiet life, both for themselves, and their young son, Archie Harrison.

After many ups and downs, including a podcast and an explosive tell-all interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Meghan and Harry are experiencing some tension with the other family members. Not only have they expressed their unhappiness with royal life, but the duke and duchess also say that they have lost nothing after Megxit.

The swift royal exit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese via Getty Images

It was evident from the beginning that Meghan struggled a bit with royal life. Even Harry, who has been in the spotlight from the day he was born and has never known a different life has, in the past, expressed his unhappiness with being so high-profile.

Shortly after getting married, the couple left London and headed to Windsor, hoping for a bit more peace and tranquility. They didnt find what they were looking for, and soon let the world know about their decision to exit royal life in a move that quickly became known as Megxit.

There were so many mixed feelings about the situation, and according to Los Angeles Magazine, even Queen Elizabeth couldnt have predicted that this would happen.

How have Meghan and Harry fared socially in the past year?

Chances are, Meghan and Harry hoped for a life of happiness after leaving royal duties, but things have gotten more difficult as the months have gone by. They have been attacked in the news media on countless occasions, and it seems as if the couple are constantly under the microscope. Their Oprah interview left viewers with mixed reviews, and also offered a closer insight as to just how tough royal life was  and still is  for Harry and Meghan.

People havent held back their opinions, and NBC News reports that one viewer actually said that the interview removed any remaining sympathy that he had left for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lost nothing after Megxit

When Megxit was first announced, people were shocked for more than one reason. Not only had no one ever thought that such a thing would happen, but it also could have gone either way.

What does that mean? Well, there were predictions from fans that Meghan and Harry would regret their decision and not realize it until it was too late.

Although there are a lot of negative comments about them in the news, especially about how they continue to use their royal titles long after departing from their duties, it seems that they are not letting it get to them. There have been comments about how they are cashing in on the fact that they were once senior royals, but even still, Best Life reports that according to a source, Harry and Meghan have lost nothing. They are living a very successful post-royal life in California building their brand and are feeling empowered and free.

After all the hate theyve received, the couples departure from the royal family has been successful and they deserve their new freedom.
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barkers relationship has been a well discussed topic ever since they went public with their romance back in February. While many fans and celebrities have voiced admiration for the couple, the Blink-182 drummers ex-wife, Shanna Moakler, hasnt had the most positive things to say about their relationship.

Though shes thrown plenty of shade the couples way on social media, the model took things up a notch in a recent interview with TMZ. Moakler made some staggering critiques about the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and her family.

Shanna Moakler, Travis Barker, and Kourtney Kardashian | David Livingston/Getty Images; ABC via Getty Images; Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Shanna Moakler blames the Kardashians for breaking up her family

Moakler did not mince words about her feelings toward the Kardashian family during her most recent Q&A with TMZ.

While out in Los Angeles during the weekend of May 22, the model unloaded on the famous bunch. Moakler says that theyre the reason her family dynamic with Barker and their two kids  Alabama and Landon fell apart.

I dont have any jealousy, she told the outlet. I divorced for a reason. People dont break up their families for no reason at all.

She added, My familys broken because of this family, and now my kids are alienated from each other because of another sister in this family, so yay for me.

For those who dont know, Moakler and Barker were married from 2004 to 2006. They reunited briefly in 2009 before splitting for good a couple of months later.

Recently, the former pageant queen claimed that she caught the drummer having an affair with Kim Kardashian West, causing Moakler to file for divorce.

He had already had an affair with Paris Hilton. And  at the time Kim was Paris closet organizer, they were best friends, Moakler recently explained to Us Weekly. And he started using [Kardashian West] as a model for [his clothing company], Famous Stars and Straps.

Travis Barkers ex-wife Shanna Moakler claims that Barker  whos currently dating Kourtney Kardashian  had an affair with Kim Kardashian in the 2000s: Now hes in love with her sister  Its all gross  Im not the bad guy! https://t.co/qZYHwP1TS5  The Cut (@TheCut) May 21, 2021

RELATED: Why Travis Barkers Ex, Shanna Moakler, Calls His Romance With Kourtney Kardashian Weird

She continued, We were working on our marriage and trying to heal through that affair, that infidelity, [but] he continued to [work with her]. And then I received all the text messages and the other third parties kind of let me know. Its something I was well aware of.

Shanna Moakler claims that her estrangement from her kids is because of Kourtney Kardashian

In addition to pointing fingers at Kardashian West during the interview, Moakler also slammed Kourtney Kardashian for driving a wedge between her and her kids.

According to Moakler, Kardashian is the reason her kids think shes an absent mother. She claims the teenagers began criticizing her after the KUWTK star and Barker started dating.

Its heartbreaking, the model said of the estrangement from her kids. Its every mothers worst nightmare, but we just had dinner with my kids and all their friends three weeks ago, so this has all started since my ex started dating a certain person.

Moakler concluded the interview by throwing some not-so-subtle shade at the Poosh founder and her famous sister, saying, Thanks for destroying my family. Twice.

Travis Barker seemingly responded to Shanna Moaklers interview

Neither Kardashian sister has publicly addressed Moaklers claims. However, Barker recently took to Twitter where he seemingly responded to his ex-wifes candid interview.

In a tweet posted on May 24, the drummer shared some pointed lyrics from his upcoming album, writing, Silence is also an answer.

Silence is also an answer  Travis Barker (@travisbarker) May 24, 2021

RELATED: How Kourtney Kardashians BFF Addison Rae Really Feels About Her Romance With Travis Barker

It didnt take long for fans to comment on the post, with many convinced Barker had chosen the lyrics over others as a direct nod to Moaklers recent claims.

As of this writing, its unclear whether or not Barkers tweet was a jab at Moakler. But well keep you updated on any new information surrounding this ongoing drama as it happens.
In an international cooperation with partners from industry and research, physicists from the University of Vienna, together with Thorlabs, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the University of Kansas, have now succeeded for the first time in demonstrating high-performance laser mirrors in the sensing-relevant mid-infrared wavelength range that absorb less than ten out of a million photons. Manufactured in a new process based on crystalline materials, these low-loss mirrors promise to open up completely new application areas, for example in optical respiratory gas analysis for early cancer detection or the detection of greenhouse gases. This work will be published in the current issue of the journal "Optica".

In 2016 researchers at the LIGO laser interferometer succeeded in the first direct observation of gravitational waves, which had originally been predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. A significant contribution to the observation of this wave-like propagation of disturbances in space-time, which was rewarded with the Nobel Prize a year later, was provided by the laser mirrors of the kilometer-long interferometer assembly. Optimization of these mirrors for extremely low optical absorption losses was a key advancement in realizing the sensitivity necessary to make such measurements. "Low-loss mirrors are a key technology for many different research fields," explains Oliver H. Heckl, head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mid-IR Spectroscopy and Semiconductor Optics, "They are the link for such diverse research fields as cancer diagnosis and gravitational wave detection."



In fact, comparable mirror properties are also promising technological breakthroughs for significantly more practical applications. This includes, among other things, sensitive molecular spectroscopy, i.e. the detection of the smallest amounts of substances in gas mixtures - a research focus of the Christian Doppler Laboratory (CDL). Examples can be found in the early detection of cancer through the detection of the smallest concentrations of marker molecules in the breath of patients, or in the precise detection of methane leaks in large-scale natural gas production systems in order to limit the contribution of such greenhouse gases to climate change.



Unlike the experiments at LIGO, however, such investigations are conducted much further outside the visible light spectrum, in the mid-infrared range. In this wavelength region, also known as the "fingerprint region", many structurally similar molecules are clearly distinguishable on the basis of their characteristic absorption lines. Therefore, it is a longstanding wish of the photonics community, to realize similarly low loss levels in this technically challenging wavelength range.



This is exactly what the team led by Oliver H. Heckl has now achieved in an international cooperation. In this case, low loss means that the new type of mirror absorbs less than 10 out of a million photons. For comparison: A commercially available bathroom mirror "destroys" around ten thousand times more photons, and even the mirrors used in top research have ten to a hundred times higher losses.



This drastic improvement was made possible through the use of a completely new optical coating technology: First, single-crystal stacks of high-purity semiconductor materials are deposited via an epitaxial growth process. These monocrystalline multilayers are then transferred via a proprietary bonding process onto curved silicon optical substrates, completing the mirrors that were tested at both the CDL and NIST. This unique "crystalline coating" technology was developed and carried out by the industrial partner of the Christian Doppler Laboratory, Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions. This company was originally founded under the name Crystalline Mirror Solutions (CMS) in 2013 as a spin-off from the University of Vienna by Garrett Cole and Markus Aspelmeyer. CMS was acquired by Thorlabs Inc. in December 2019. This industry collaboration was made possible, with the support of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs, via the internationally unique model of the Christian Doppler Research Association (CDG) to promote application-oriented basic research. A research group led by Adam Fleisher from the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland (USA), which is renowned for precision measurements, also played a key role in this success. Georg Winkler, co-author of the current study expresses his enthusiasm: "Precise measurement technology is much more than just pedantry. Wherever you can take a closer look by an order of magnitude, you usually discover completely new phenomena, just think of the invention of the microscope and telescope!"



In fact, this assessment has already proven true in the detailed characterization of the new mirrors themselves, when a previously unknown effect of polarization-dependent absorption was discovered in the semiconductor layers and theoretically explored by collaborator Prof. Hartwin Peelaers at the University of Kansas. "These results open up great opportunities regarding further refinement of these mirrors ", co-author Lukas Perner is delighted: "Thanks to the extremely low losses can we now further optimize the bandwidth and reflectivity."



With this in mind, the project partners are already working on a further improvement of the technology: Expansion of the optical bandwidth of the mirrors will allow them to be used efficiently with so-called optical frequency combs. This will enable the analysis of particularly complex gas mixtures with unprecedented accuracy.
Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from China and Germany have presented a new search algorithm for single-atom-alloy catalysts (SAACs) that found more than 200 yet unreported candidates. Their work provides a recipe for finding best SAACs for various applications.

Single-atom-alloy catalysts, or SAACs, where single atoms of rare and expensive metals such as platinum are dispersed on an inert metal host, are highly efficient and selective in numerous catalytic reactions, including selective hydrogenations, dehydrogenations, CC and CO coupling reactions, NO reduction, and CO oxidation. That is why they are used in industrially important reactions such as hydrogenation of organic molecules for upgrading chemicals to higher value products.

"The efficiency of SAACs in these reactions is attributed to a synergistic effect of alloy components that provide efficient hydrogen molecule dissociation without excessive binding of hydrogen atoms. However, there are not so many known SAACs that are stable and at the same time catalytically active, mostly because their design so far has largely relied on trial and error. Even within binary alloys there are several thousands of possible SAAC with different metal combinations and surface cuts. This makes the trial and error approaches extremely inefficient," Sergey Levchenko, Assistant Professor at the Skoltech Center for Energy Science and Technology, says.

Levchenko and his colleagues were able to identify accurate and reliable machine-learning models based on first-principles calculations for the description of the hydrogen binding energy, dissociation energy, and guest-atom segregation energy for SAACs. This led them to make a much faster (by a factor of one thousand) yet reliable prediction of the catalytic performance of thousands of SAACs.

"The model correctly evaluates performance of experimentally tested SAACs. By scanning more than five thousand SAACs with our model, we have identified over two hundred new SAACs with both improved stability and performance compared to the existing ones," the authors write.

They used artificial intelligence to extract important parameters (descriptors) from computational data that correlate with the catalytic performance of SAACs and at the same time are very fast to calculate. In addition to practical models, the authors also developed a novel machine-learning methodology for identifying combinations of materials' physical properties that result in outstanding catalytic performance, thus extracting physical knowledge and understanding from data.

"The developed methodology can be easily adapted to designing new functional materials for various applications, including electrocatalysis (oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution reactions), fuel cells, reforming of methane, and water-gas shift reaction," Levchenko notes.
The chemical bisphenol F (found in plastics) can induce changes in a gene that is vital for neurological development. This discovery was made by researchers at the universities of Uppsala and Karlstad, Sweden. The mechanism could explain why exposure to this chemical during the fetal stage may be connected with a lower IQ at seven years of age - an association previously seen by the same research group. The study is published in the scientific journal Environment International.

"We've previously shown that bisphenol F (BPF for short) may be connected with children's cognitive development. However, with this study, we can now begin to understand which biological mechanisms may explain such a link, which is unique for an epidemiological study." The speaker is Carl Gustaf Bornehag, Professor and head of Public Health Sciences at Karlstad University. He is the project manager of the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study, from which the data were taken.

External factors can cause changes in gene activity through an "epigenetic" mechanism. This means that individual genes are modified by means of "methylation". Increased methylation in a DNA segment makes it more difficult for the cellular machinery to read that specific part. As a result, expression of methylated genes is often impaired.

The scientists measured BPF levels in urine from pregnant women in the first trimester and subsequently monitored their children after birth. DNA methylation was measured in the children at age seven, and their cognitive ability was investigated. Since the fetus comes into contact with the mother's blood via the placenta, it is also exposed to substances in the mother's body.

The analyses demonstrated that in fetuses exposed to higher levels of BPF, methylation increases in a specific part of the GRIN2B gene, which has a key neurological role. Further, higher methylation was associated with lower IQ in the children. However, the study also found that there appears to be a sex difference in these children's susceptibility to BPF. The epigenetic link between BPF and cognition was observed only in boys.

"The fact that we've been able to identify DNA methylation as a potential mechanism behind BPF's effect on IQ adds an important piece of evidence in work to understand how environmental chemicals affect us on a molecular level," says Elin Engdahl, a researcher in environmental toxicology at Uppsala University and the article's lead author.

In the research group's previous study, they saw that the 25% of seven-year-olds who, during week 10 of the pregnancy, were exposed to the highest maternal levels of bisphenol F had a 2-point decline in full scale IQ compared to the 25% of children exposed to the lowest levels. This is a small difference that is inconspicuous in an individual child but, on the other hand, becomes clear on a population level.
The CEOs of RWE and BASF, Dr. Markus Krebber and Dr. Martin Brudermuller, sign a letter of intent covering a wide-ranging cooperation for the creation of additional capacities for renewable electricity and the use of innovative technologies for climate protection.

Dr. Martin Brudermuller (BASF) and Dr. Markus Krebber (RWE), accompanied by Chairman of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industries Union (IG BCE) Michael Vassiliadis presented a project idea that shows how industrial production can become sustainable and future-proof. The project envisions an additional offshore wind farm with a capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW) to provide the Ludwigshafen chemical site with green electricity and enable CO 2 -free production of hydrogen. The aim is to electrify the production processes for basic chemicals, which are currently based on fossil fuels.

This will involve utilizing CO 2 -free technologies such as electrically heated steam cracker furnaces to produce petrochemicals. BASF is already working with partners on developing these technologies. To advance the joint project, the CEOs of BASF and RWE have signed a letter of intent covering a wide-ranging cooperation for the creation of additional capacities for renewable electricity and the use of innovative technologies for climate protection.

Together we want to accelerate the transition to a CO 2 -neutral chemical industry through electrification and through the use of CO 2 -free hydrogen, said Brudermuller and Krebber. Michael Vassiliadis, Chairman of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industries Union (IG BCE), commented: Here, two strong partners are making climate-friendly transformation and energy transition tangible and concrete. We stand behind this major project because it can be a symbol for the innovative power of industry and its employees. In many places, they are working with great passion and expertise to shape the transformation. They deserve all the support they can get.

These plans could result in the avoidance of around 3.8 million metric tons of CO 2 emissions per year, of which 2.8 million tons would be realized directly at BASF in Ludwigshafen. It shows very clearly how climate protection and competitiveness can be harmonized in the chemical industry. No public subsidies would be needed for the construction of the wind farm.

Martin Brudermuller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, stressed: Without the availability of sufficient volumes of electricity from renewable sources at competitive prices, our future transformation will not be possible! This task is only achievable with innovative and intensive cooperation between politics and industry. And it requires collaboration across the value chains. In our partnership between RWE as a leading company in power generation and BASF in chemicals, we bring together the necessary prerequisites and the will to shape things.

Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE, added: Coupling a new offshore wind farm already in the planning stage to an industrial customer such as BASF, who will convert its production to green electricity and hydrogen on this basis, would be a first for Germany. The realization of our proposal would represent a true acceleration of the expansion of renewable energies. Of course, there are still some open questions, but we want to push this forward  the faster, the better. This is how we will shape the energy transition.

Realizing this plan will require a suitable regulatory framework. Policymakers have said they plan to significantly increase the expansion targets for renewable energies and accelerate capacity additions. For this to succeed, there will need to be a tendering process for offshore project sites where the current plans only foresee use after 2030. The companies instigate that these sites should be specifically designated for tenders focused on industrial transformation processes. Another important factor: Green electricity should not be subject to EEG levy. In addition, there is currently no regulatory framework for CO 2 -free hydrogen production.

With the project BASF and RWE show how a cleverly planned transformation of Germanys industrial sector can succeed. We are convinced: Climate-neutral industrial production made in Germany ensures that value added and employment remain in Germany and opens up export opportunities for new technologies, said Brudermuller and Krebber.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt gestures as he speaks during a news conference on May 17 in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma will end a $300-a-week federal supplemental unemployment benefit next month.
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, 
The revised memorial takes a longer view at the well-known story of the missionaries killed by the Waorani.

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Image: Getty Images

A new plaque honoring Wheaton College alumni Jim Elliot and Ed McCully and their fellow slain missionaries will no longer refer to the Waorani as savage indians and, at double the word count of the original 1957 inscription, offer a more detailed account of their engagement with the people who killed them.

Wheaton released the updated wording on Monday. The new inscription describes how the missionaries sensed God calling them to reach the Waorani, a people who had never heard the gospel message. Known for their violence to encroaching outsiders and for internal cycles of vengeance killing, they were among the most feared indigenous peoples in South America at the time.

The task force who reviewed and revised the plaque wording aimed to move the storynow one of the highest-profile accounts of missionary martyrdom in the 20th centurybeyond the events of January 8, 1956.

Their actions took place at a certain point in time, but we dont want to leave them there, said Kathryn Long, professor of history emerita at Wheaton.

The evangelical college pulled the original plaque from Edman Chapel in March, citing concerns from students and community members over its characterization of the Ecuador tribe.

A task force was appointed to review and revise the language for the plaque, which honors the two alumni along with Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming.

The plaque wording task force included Longauthor of God in the Rainforest, an account of the five missionaries, their deaths, and the subsequent history of the Waoranias well as an undergraduate student who spent much of her life living among the Waoroni, an anthropologist, a missiologist, several missionaries, and a member of the Kuna tribe of Panama and Colombia. The task force also consulted with Steve Saint, Nates son.

Leading the group was Beverly Liefeld Hancock, president of the Wheaton Alumni Association, whose mother, Olive, was widowed when her first husband Pete Fleming was killed alongside Elliot.

Hancock said she hoped the rewording would honor the Waoroni people as made in Gods image. She said that the revisions reflect the perspectives of the families of the fallen missionaries as well as Wheaton alumni who serve as missionaries.

Whereas the original plaque concluded with the mens tragic deaths, the new plaque will highlight the lasting impact of their sacrifice in ways the Wheaton class of 1949 could not have imagined when they donated the plaque in 1957: Their sacrifice was a turning point for the Waorani and an inspiration for evangelical missions globally. Inviting members of the mens families to live with them, the Waorani responded to the gospel and put down their spears. Gods redemptive story continues as the gospel is still shared among the Waorani to this day.

Elisabeth Elliot biographer Lucy Austen noted that the revised language accurately reflects that the story did not end when the five missionaries died. She said that Elisabeth Elliot, whose writings popularized the missionaries story, revised her prologue to Through Gates of Splendor over the years to better reflect the ongoing nature of the story.

I'm pleased to see that the plaque now ends by reminding us that the story did not end in 1956, or at some point between then and now, but continues into the future, Austen said.

Wheaton plans to dedicate the new plaque in the fall.

My prayer since starting this has been to tell this story to a new generation in words that are fresh and they can hear, Hancock said. This is Gods story, and to see how God has used it is really beautiful.
54% of Republicans think violent left-wing activists were behind Jan. 6 Capitol riot: poll

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A slight majority of Republicans believe the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was led by violent left-wing activists seeking to vilify former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll.

Ipsos/Reuters released the findings of a poll last Friday that asked respondents their views on issues including the 2020 election, the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill protests, and voting laws.

According to the poll, 54% of Republican respondents said they either Strongly agree or somewhat agree that the protest at the Capitol was led by violent left-wing protestors trying to make Trump look bad.

Another 17% of Republican respondents said they strongly disagreed, 13% said they somewhat disagreed, and 16% responded that they did not know.

By contrast, 65% of Democrat respondents said they strongly disagree with the claim, 10% said they somewhat disagree and 16% said they either somewhat or strongly agreed.

Additionally, 46% of Republican respondents strongly disagreed when asked if they believed Trump was at least partly to blame for starting the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

By contrast, 73% of Democrat respondents and 43% of independent respondents answered that they strongly agree with the claim that Trump was at least partly to blame.

The lone person killed by lethal force at the Capitol was Ashli Babbit, an unarmed U.S. Air Force veteran who attempted to climb through a smashed door pane into the House chamber. She was shot in the neck by a plainclothes officer from inside the chamber.

Three others who reportedly died at the Capitol that day include a woman who sustained injuries after being trampled on by the crowd, an individual who suffered a heart attack, and another individual who had a stroke.

While the media had claimed for months that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick had died as a result of injuries he suffered when responding to the riot, specifically alleging that he was hit in the head by a fire extinguisher  which was also cited by Democrats at former President Trump's second impeachment  reports now say medical examiners "did not find signs that the officer sustained any blunt force trauma." Since Sicknick responded to the riot where he was sprayed by an irritant, possibly bear spray, it's speculated that that might've contributed to his death, along with any preexisting condition.

The Ipsos/Reuters poll was conducted May 1719, using an online sample of 2,007 adults that included 909 Democrats, 754 Republicans, and 196 Independents.

According to Ipsos/Reuters, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for all respondents.

Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online non-probability polls, they explained. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval.

The poll also has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for Democrats, plus or minus 4.1 percentage points for Republicans, and plus or minus 8.0 percentage points for independents.

The poll also found that 68% of Democrat respondents felt it was very important for the government to make it easier to vote, while 60% of Republican respondents felt it was very important for the government to protect elections from voter fraud.

On Jan. 6, as Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, hundreds of Trump supporters violently stormed Capitol Hill, claiming the election was stolen.

Although both major parties denounced the riot, some conservatives claimed that Antifa and other far-left groups were behind the protest, possibly as a false flag operation.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 252-175 to create an independent commission to further investigate the Jan. 6 riot, sending it to the Senate.

For his part, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement expressing opposition to the bill, arguing that pre-existing investigations on the riot were sufficient.

Federal law enforcement have made at least 445 arrests and counting relating to crimes committed that day. Hundreds of those people have been charged. Law enforcement investigations are ongoing and federal authorities say they expect to arrest at least 100 or so more, stated McConnell on May 19.

Its not at all clear what new facts or additional investigation yet another commission could lay on top of the existing efforts by law enforcement and Congress. The facts have come out and will continue to come out.
Chicago drops charges against churches that held services with over 10 people amid COVID lockdowns

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A pair of Illinois churches that were cited for holding worship services last year despite lockdown orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have had the charges against them dropped.

The city of Chicago accused Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and Philadelphia Romanian Church of disorderly conduct and mob action for holding services in May 2020.

However, in an order released Monday, Chicagos Department of Administrative Hearings announced that the churches would not be penalized for holding the services.

The Liberty Counsel, a conservative law firm representing Elim Church and Logos Baptist Ministries in litigation over the restrictions, celebrated the order.

After 52 Sundays, the city of Chicago has finally dropped these outrageous disorderly conduct and mob action charges against Romanian pastors for simply having more than 10-people in their church services, stated Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver on Monday.

The pastors and the Romanian churches understand communism and they are resolved to continue to fight for religious freedom.

Last year, as part of the effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued orders limiting in-person worship to no more than 10 people.

In May of last year, as the orders took effect, Elim held services with social distancing guidelines, like spacing out attendees and checking the temperatures of worshipers.

The Chicago Department of Public Health sent a letter to Elim Pastor Cristian Ionescu in response, demanding that his church stop holding services that defy state orders.

I appeal to you as a leader in your community and remain hopeful that you will work with me for the health, safety, and welfare of all Chicagoans, wrote Department Commissioner Allison Arwady last year.

If you continue to operate in defiance of the Executive Order, the city will pursue all available legal remedies.  Any future gatherings conducted contrary to the order will be considered a failure to abate and the city will take steps necessary to abate, including Summary Abatement.

Elim and other churches filed suit against the gathering restrictions, with litigation continuing even as gathering restrictions for houses of worship in Illinois were progressively eased.

In March, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Elim, which still faced the possibility of temporary closure for holding the services.

According to the Liberty Counsel, litigation between Elim and Gov. Pritzker is still ongoing, with the church planning to file a motion for summary judgment against the state of Illinois.
Democrats warn Supreme Court that overturning Roe v. Wade will 'fuel' court-packing push

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Democrats are vowing that any action by the United States Supreme Court to alter the legal precedent on abortion will add fuel to the push among some in their party to add seats to the nation's highest court.

Congressional Democrats issued the warning after the Supreme Court announced that it would decide on the constitutionality of Mississippis 15-week abortion ban by hearing the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. The state of Mississippi is asking the court to review a lower court decision finding that the ban on abortions more than 15 weeks into a pregnancy is unconstitutional.

Democrats fear that with the court consisting of six justices appointed by Republican presidents and three justices appointed by Democratic presidents, the justices could uphold the pro-life state law, thereby striking a blow to the longstanding Supreme Court precedent in Roe v. Wade establishing the right to obtain an abortion nationwide.

According to The Hill, Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., are among the lawmakers promising to push for changes to the Supreme Court if the nearly half-century-old court decision is overturned.

It will inevitably fuel and drive an effort to expand the Supreme Court if this activist majority betrays fundamental constitutional principles, Blumenthal said. Its already driving that movement.

Calls for adding more justices to the Supreme Court, an idea derided by critics as court packing, have grown considerably since the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as an associate justice to the Supreme Court shortly before the 2020 presidential election. Barretts confirmation caused particular outrage because she replaced the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a figure beloved by progressives.

Additionally, Democrats have accused Republicans of hypocrisy because they blocked the confirmation of Merrick Garland, who then-President Barack Obama nominated to the Supreme Court in 2016, his final year in office. At the time, Republicans argued that because it was a presidential election year, voters should have the opportunity to decide who (between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump) they wanted to pick the next Supreme Court justice. In 2020, Democrats maintained that Republicans did not give voters the same opportunity.

Last month, congressional Democrats introduced a bill to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court from nine to 13. If passed, the legislation would nullify the effect of the nominally 6-3 conservative majority by giving President Joe Biden the opportunity to appoint four new justices to the bench. However, the legislative effort to increase the size of the Supreme Court has gained little traction, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said that she will not bring the legislation up for a vote.

A poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. on behalf of the conservative religious liberty law firm First Liberty Institute, found that 68% of Americans opposed the generic addition of justices to the Supreme Court compared to 27% who supported the idea. While the American people as a whole gave the proposal of court packing a cool reception, Democrats were split on the idea, with 50% expressing support for it.

When asked specifically about the legislation introduced by congressional Democrats to add four seats to the Supreme Court, 65% of respondents opposed the bill while 31% supported it. A supermajority of Democrats (63%) indicated their support for the proposal, while the overwhelming majority of Republicans (95%) expressed disapproval of the effort.

Although prominent progressives have wholeheartedly embraced court-packing, some liberals, including the late Ginsburg herself, have expressed hesitancy about altering the composition of the highest court in the land. In 2019, Ginsburg weighed in on the push to add justices to the Supreme Court, which was much more subdued at the time.

If anything would make the court appear partisan it would be that, she asserted. One side saying when were in power were going to enlarge the number of judges so well have more people who will vote the way we want them to. So I am not at all in favor of that solution to what I see as a temporary situation.

Stephen Breyer, the longest-serving liberal justice on the court, echoed his late colleagues concerns. He warned about the implications of court-packing at Harvard Law School last month, urging those whose instincts may favor important structural change or other similar institutional changes such as forms of court-packing to think long and hard before they embody those changes in law.

Stressing the need to preserve the courts reputation as guided by legal principle, not politics, Breyer emphasized that structural altercation motivated by the perception of political influence can only feed that latter perception, further eroding that trust.

As progressives in Congress advocate for legislation to increase the size of the Supreme Court outright, Biden signed an executive order establishing a Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, a bipartisan group of constitutional scholars and retired judges that will look at the feasibility of possible reforms to the court. The commission will report its findings to the president after 180 days.

Blumenthal pointed to expanding the Supreme Court as one of many potential remedies that advocates of a seismic movement to reform the Supreme Court would seek to implement in the wake of a hypothetical court decision chipping away at Roe v. Wade. Other potential reforms floated by Blumenthal include making changes to its jurisdiction, or requiring a certain number of votes to strike down certain past precedents.

Whitehouse listed other potential reforms to the Supreme Court that could follow a rollback of Roe v. Wade, specifically expressing a desire to require proper disclosure and transparency of the gifts, travel and hospitality received by the judges as well as people who are behind front-group amicus curiae briefs that were funding the political advertisements for the last three judges, writing $15 million and $17 million checks.

Even as the Supreme Court has yet to hear arguments in the case surrounding the Mississippi abortion law, Whitehouse is working to raise awareness about what he claims is the takeover of the court by special interest groups.

On Monday, Whitehouse announced that he was starting a new series of Senate floor speeches (with a brand new chart) exposing the scheme by right-wing donor interests to capture the U.S. Supreme Court and achieve through the courts power what they cannot through other branches of government.
Georgia can't ban supporters of Israel boycott from doing business with the state, judge rules

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A federal judge has ruled against a Georgia law requiring organizations and individuals who contract with public entities to declare that they will not support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen for the Northern District of Georgia issued a ruling in Abby Martin v. Steve Wrigley, et. al.

At issue is Georgia Southern University inviting pro-Palestinian journalist Abby Martin to speak at an event and requiring her, by law, agree to not voicing support of a boycott of Israel.

The law amended the Georgia Code to read that the state shall not enter into a contract with an individual or company if the contract is related to construction or the provision of services, supplies, or information technology unless the contract includes a written certification that such individual or company is not currently engaged in, and agrees for the duration of the contract not to engage in, a boycott of Israel.

Cohen, an Obama appointee, ruled that the state law imposes a condition on those who contract with the state of Georgia that implicates the contractors' First Amendment rights.

Defendants fail to explain how Martin's advocacy of a boycott of Israel has any bearing on Georgia's ability to advance foreign policy goals with Israel, wrote Cohen.

Cohen added that the law has a similar chilling effect because, as alleged in the First Amended Complaint, the statute effectively bans Martin from speaking at GSU and presumably other state university campuses.

Cohen did not fully side with Martin. The judge also concluded that certain individual defendants named in the lawsuit were not liable for their enforcement of the law.

Groups including the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund and the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations celebrated the ruling.

Partnership for Civil Justice Fund counsel Mara Verheyden-Hilliard said in a statement Monday that the law was an outrageous effort by Georgia politicians to censor free speech rights.

This ruling comes at a crucial moment, when millions of Americans are questioning the use of U.S.-provided weapons in the onslaught against the Palestinian people and makes clear that the Constitution protects participation in the BDS movement, just as it protected the seminal civil rights and labor organizing boycotts that moved our society forward, stated Verheyden-Hilliard.

In 2016, Georgia became the sixth state in the U.S. to put restrictions on the extent to which organizations or individuals doing business with public entities could endorse a boycott of Israel.

State Sen. Judson Hill, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement at the time that the measure showed that Georgia was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our friend and key trading partner Israel.

We are also pleased to join our neighboring states of South Carolina and Florida, along with other states all around America, in taking a stand against the anti-Semitism and discrimination of the BDS movement, continued Hill, as reported by The Tower.

In February, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled 2-1 that an Arkansas law prohibiting the state from contracting with or investing in businesses that support boycotting Israel was unconstitutional.

Supporting or promoting boycotts of Israel is constitutionally protected, reads the majority opinion. The Act prohibits the contractor from engaging in boycott activity outside the scope of the contractual relationship on its own time and dime  Such a restriction violates the First Amendment.

Eighth Circuit Judge Jonathan Kobes, a Trump appointee, authored a dissent. He argued that the "states have a broad mandate to enact legislation evincing the policy choices of their citizens."

"We may only hold states back in achieving those goals when they do so by unconstitutional means, dissented Kobes.

Nothing in the text of the operative provision itself suggests overreach (regulation of protected speech) by the Arkansas Legislature, and we should not impute an unconstitutional meaning to a statute that is benign on its face.
SBC presidential hopeful Mike Stone wants denomination to fully reject critical race theory

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Two years after the Southern Baptist Convention acknowledged in Resolution 9 that critical race theory can be a useful analytical tool to explain how race has and continues to function in society, Mike Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia, is proposing a new resolution asking the denomination to condemn the theory.

Stone, who is vying to become the next president of the worlds largest Baptist denomination at its annual meeting next month in Nashville, Tennessee, promoted his proposal on Twitter last Wednesday.

The pastor said the proposed resolution seeks to provide leadership with clarity, compassion, and conviction in addressing critical race theory and intersectionality.

He explained that the proposal has more than 50 supporters. They include Owen Strachan, an associate professor of Christian theology and director of the Center for Public Theology at the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Carol Swain, a retired professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University.

The inclusion of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, since the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Birmingham, Ala., has brought confusion and division among its churches by describing Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality as analytical tools that are helpful to explain how racism functions in society and how to evaluate human experiences, they argue in the proposal.

Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality are ideologies rooted in Neo-Marxist and postmodern worldviews, by which our civilization is being deconstructed around our families, communities, and nations, which make them incompatible with Scripture as they are characterized by worldly philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Col 2:8)."

The proposed resolution seeks to affirm the controversial portion of the Nov. 20, 2020, statement from the Council of Seminary Presidents that states affirmation of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message."

Some progressive critics dismissed the CSP statement as critics as anti-intellectual.

We deny that any analytical tools can aid in evaluating a variety of human experiences if those analytical tools are themselves rooted in worldviews incompatible with the Word of God, Stone's resolution continues. We reaffirm our agreement with historic, biblically faithful Southern Baptist condemnations of racism in any and all forms and our agreement with The Baptist Faith and Message which states that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

The proposal reiterates the absolute conviction of supporters that a proper interpretation of the Holy Scriptures  apart from any worldly ideology, any personal identity trait, or any lived experience  is sufficient to serve as the sole standard by which our faith and practice are to be measured.

Any member of a cooperating Southern Baptist church can propose a resolution for adoption by the SBC.

However, the SBC Committee on Resolutions may decline to recommend properly submitted resolutions to the convention for adoption.

Prominent Southern Baptist Pastor Dwight McKissic, who founded and currently leads Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, warned earlier this year that if Resolution 9 is rescinded, he would leave the SBC.

His threat came after he quit the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention after leaders adopted a strongly worded, anti-CRT policy that denounces all aspects of critical race theory.

McKissic's declaration also came amid an exodus of prominent black Southern Baptist pastors, such as Ralph West and Charlie Dates, over the Council of Seminary Presidents renouncing critical race theory and intersectionality.

Last Wednesday, McKissic wrote on Twitter that the SBC's response to Stones proposal would be a defining moment.

The decision made about this resolution will be a defining moment," he tweeted. "Interesting that there is not one African American lead or senior pastor on this list of signatories. This may be the most racially divisive resolution ever proposed in the SBC. Approval makes decision mkg easy."

Despite McKissic's claim, there are black signatories to the resolution as of Tuesday, including Swain and former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran.

Critical race theory, which has been a lightning rod for debate and division in evangelical circles in recent years, is defined as an ideological framework that some legal scholars argue interrogates the relationship between race, law and power.

Last September, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order in which he classified critical race theory and related concepts like white privilege as offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating." He previously directed federal agencies to stop teaching government workers about the concept in diversity training sessions.

In January, the Labor Department suspended enforcement of Trumps order after a federal judge blocked it.
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My family name originates from Palestine, and from the beginnings of my family line, we have been Christians. Because of regional war, my family emigrated to the U.S. when I was a child. I grew up in San Diego, and was part of a non-denominational church that loved the Bible and loved Israel. With my Palestinian background, I was confused by some things, but I didnt question the Zionist position of the church.

The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12); Pauls love for his ethnic brethren (Romans 9-11); and a regular reminder of prophetic fulfillment were enough for me to support Zionism. It wouldnt be an exaggeration for me to say that nearly every Sunday for a decade I heard the importance of standing with Israel; that they are Gods chosen people; and if God goes back on his promises to the Jews, we couldnt trust his promises to us through Christ.

Are these things true?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a long history, and, as we can see today, keeps erupting. Where does the Church come in? Is there a role to play and a position to speak?

As those who understand that our world is broken, we should be bold with the Gospel and graciously nuanced in other matters. But sadly, the Western Church (primarily American Evangelicals) have loudly and unashamedly chosen a side. It has come to be called Christian Zionism.

As a believer and minister of the Gospel with Palestinian roots, my aim isnt to convince the Church to become pro-Palestine. Im not speaking out because I have family living in Bethlehem, Gaza, and Haifa  and have friends throughout Israel. This is a plea to see that the blind and insistent support of Israel not only affects our Gospel witness, but has greatly injured our ignored Christian Palestinian brothers and sisters  believers who have been faithful to Jesus since Jesus lived in Palestine.

Its a call to consider Jesus and his work on the cross before taking the first opportunity to defend your side or to attack the other. Its an appeal to speak truth and condemn wickedness no matter the cost. Its a reminder that allegiance to an agenda other than the Great Commission is a compromise to our witness.

Simply defined, Zionism is the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. The term was coined in 1890 by Nathan Birnbaum. Consequently, Christian Zionism supports the right of Jewish return based on biblical grounds.

If right to return was just about supporting an ethnic peoples desire to return to the land of their ancestors, Palestinians would have the same rights to the same land. However, Christian Zionism believes the land belongs to the Jews based on the Abrahamic Covenant. Specifically, it has to do with the invoked blessing thats attached to the covenant. I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you; and all the families of the of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3) Their hermeneutic is simple: Bless Israel so God will bless you.

Is Gods blessing attached to the Hebrew people; or in Jesus the Messiah, the promised Seed? The answer is always Jesus. Herein lies the primary Gospel issue with Christian Zionism: it elevates one ethnic group (Jews) over all others, and brings condemnation on a particular ethnic group (Palestinians).

Can the Church, which proclaims the Good News of salvation in Christ alone, elevate one people over another? Did Jesus not shed his blood to create one new person, and tear down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile? Is it not a disservice to the Jews to make them think that theyre chosen for anything other than Gods wrath like the rest of humanity?

Most Christians who support Israel have not connected these dots, but Zionism inevitably leads to the removal of the Palestinian people from the land. This has always been the case. As recorded historically, its always been about the Jews expelling people from their promised land in order to live and rule alone.

The systematic and forced removal of Palestinians is real and its happening in Israel. This happened to my grandparents in 1948 when they were forced out of their homes at the birth of the Israeli nation. The current eruption of violence was sparked by the expulsion of families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood (a neighborhood of families who were previously removed from Jaffa and Haifa in 1948). And in 2006, I saw it in Jerusalem with my own eyes.

I was in a Palestinian neighborhood with my Israeli friend (a Messianic Jew), standing in front of a recently demolished home. He told me the Israeli government bulldozed the house because of a dispute. Im not able to confirm the details of this particular incident, but there are countless similar cases that have been documented by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. My friend was embarrassed and appalled. I couldnt believe family homes were often destroyed like this. But they were. God was kind to use an Israeli Jew who loved Jesus to open my eyes to the unspoken horrors of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It was then that I first considered you can support a people while still holding them accountable for their actions. That you can support a people, but stand against their government agenda.

It can be argued that Jesus himself addressed this during his earthly ministry. The common Jewish expectation in the first century was that the coming Messiah would set them free from Roman occupation, and give them their land and position back. Part of the reason Jesus was betrayed and the crowds turned against him was because it became clear this wasnt his purpose. When questioned by Pilate about his kingdom, Jesus acknowledged that he is a King, but his kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:36)

Jews hold to their side because they dont know Jesus. Muslims hold to their side because they dont know Jesus. But we know Jesus, and our great joy is to proclaim the message of a new and eternal kingdom where all are welcome to enter. Christian Zionism confuses that message.

There is space in ones theology to believe that God is not done with ethnic Israel. I believe that. But under the New Covenant, and in the name of Jesus, we cannot unabashedly support any earthly government without critique or accountability, let alone one that is charged with severe injustices by Palestinian, Israeli, and international NGOs.

I can say from personal experience that Americas pro-Israel stance has not only made sharing the Gospel with Muslims in the Arab world more challenging, but has brought injury and great discouragement to Palestinian Christians. We trust our sovereign God when the Gospel is an offense and stumbling block for people, but let nothing we do cause someone to stumble or close their ears to the only message that saves.

And as a forgotten footnote: Palestinian Christians. There are some who will read this and for the first time realize that there are Arab and Palestinian Christians. Arab believers have been gathering together in the same buildings and places for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Friends, we have family in the faith who are living in some of the worst conditions imaginable; and theyre not only overlooked as a people, but the ones who have brought much trouble and suffering upon them are heavily funded, supported, and prayed for by Christians. Can you imagine what that would be like?

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, since He who promised is faithful. Let us not only pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but also for Gaza and Bethlehem. May we pray and labor so that Christ would be worshiped throughout this region. May we live today with our hope set on Christ, and eyes fixed on the New Jerusalem.

(For more on what the Scriptures says regarding Christian Zionism, I would recommend this concise paper by Philip La Grange Du Toit, and this sermon by John Piper.)
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No one does something for nothing  words repeated often by Dr. Baker, professor of behavioral psychology during my graduate studies. He considered that statement primary for every clinician. What does the client benefit from what they are saying and doing in your office? It may seem an odd question of someone suffering from depression. What does someone get out of their depression? But Dr. Bakers question always made me look deeper. It isnt that depression itself has a benefit, but sharing ones depression with another person is intended to generate a response. Perhaps a cry for help or a desire for acknowledgement.

I thought of this today when I read the Christian Post article: 43% of millennials 'dont know, dont care, dont believe' God exists: study. I wondered, What do millennials get out of their unbelief? How does it benefit them? Perhaps it frees them from religious or moral constraints. Maybe it offers a larger community and sense of belonging than the local church does. It could be the intellectual satisfaction of feeling woke or enlightened. Or maybe it is just that old simple enticement: If it feels good, do it.



After an article like the millennial study, it is typically followed by editorials or opinion pieces trying to make sense of the research. It is typically blamed on the liberal media, the churches lack of teaching basic biblical principles, Hollywood, unrestrained sexual expression, or the dysfunction of the family. This is generally followed by the world is going to hell in a handbasket or Jesus is coming soon. Perhaps it is all true, but the greater challenge is how it affects our confidence in God and how we represent him as the light of the world.



Our confidence in God may be easily shaken if we equate the demise of a godly America with the defeat of God himself. Being defeated, out-voted, or canceled by our culture can be easily mistaken as a sign to roll up the clouds and go home, similar to the prophet Elijahs request when feeling defeated by Israels evil. Elijah could not see beyond his own defeat and fears amidst a godless nation. But what Elijah perceived as defeat, God saw as an opportunity and sent him back to Israel.



I dont know what millennials are getting out of not believing in God, but I do know what they arent getting. They arent experiencing the meaning of Christs resurrection relevant to their needs and desires; the message is like water bouncing off a rock. They either arent ready to hear it or arent able to.



But who is born ready to hear? All sin and fall short of the glory of God. We all have a past of snubbing God for our own self interests. We all benefited in our own minds by not believing or following Christ. It is the story. A fallen world and a God who pursues us with a love and patience beyond comprehension.



If millennials live long enough they will experience the things Christ carried on the cross. No one is exempt from the burdens of life. And if one day they are ready and desperate to take Christs yoke upon them and find rest, what will they hear and see?



If Christians are in the minority, will they see a Church that appears defeated and angry? Will they find bitter Christians fighting one another? Will they hear shallow social psychology sermons indistinguishable from the woke philosophy of the age? Anyone with a general knowledge of the Bible knows that God loves to demonstrate his power through the minority, not the majority. He shows victory in David not Goliaths, the weak not the strong. It is Gods model of evangelism to demonstrate power through the Creator, not the created.

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.For the message of the cross is foolishness to those perishing, but to us being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18; 27-28)

Christs defeat on the cross is the paradox of victory when outnumbered by unbelievers. Christ did not come to earth to create the moral majority, a kingdom on earth, or earthly utopia. His victory was not in the number of believers, but in their zeal and faithfulness to Him.

When millennials are ready to listen to the Word of God (and there will be many) let us show the God who loves them. Let them find the Jesus who leaves the flock of sheep to find the one who is lost and alone. The God who knows every hair on our head and wishes none to perish but all to come to the knowledge of life. (2 Peter 3:9)
Illinois megachurch leaves UMC amid LGBT debate, retains ownership of campuses

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A theologically conservative multi-campus megachurch based in Illinois has finalized an amicable separation from the United Methodist Church, joining a recent wave of congregations that have exited the mainline Protestant denomination.

Christ United Methodist Church of Fairview Heights, which boasts of having more than 2,000 members, reached a separation agreement with the UMC Illinois Great Rivers Conference. The church, founded in 1953, was once the largest congregation in the conference.

According to a joint statement Wednesday, the church agreed to pay the conference an undisclosed sum in return for maintaining control of the property of its four campuses. The church will remove all references to the UMC from its property, including the denomination's "Cross and Flame" logo.

The settlement became official on Sunday.

The Rev. Shane Bishop, the senior pastor of the now-named Christ Church, said he is thankful that both sides avoided a potentially lengthy and costly legal battle.

We thank our brothers and sisters in the Conference for this ultimately amicable and peaceful resolution and look forward to forging a new Christ-centric path as Christ Church, Bishop stated.

Conference leader, Bishop Frank Beard, said that the amicable negotiation was an effort to honor Christ and recognize that we were on two different paths.

To conclude in the best interest of all, a peaceful separation was warranted, Beard said. I believe we, even in separating, have honored Jesus Christ.

The Christian Post reached out to Christ Church for additional comment. However, a response was not received by press time.

Christ Churchs decision to leave the UMC comes as many other UMC congregations  both theologically conservative and theologically liberal  have recently decided to exit the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

The UMC plans to hold its next general conference in 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the items on the agenda is a measure known as the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation.

Many expect the protocol, or some version of it, to pass at General Conference and result in the departure of many congregations, especially those that are theologically conservative.

Paul Black, director of communication ministries at the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, told CP that it was not our position that we would wish any congregation of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference to leave The United Methodist Church.

Christ Church made the determination that its differences were irreconcilable and we were able to sit down and work through those differences to an amicable separation, he stated.

Black explained that there had been another congregation, the United Church of Altoona, which had decided to amicably separate from the UMC earlier this year.

Regarding the 2022 General Conference and what impact it will have on the number of congregations that plan to leave, Black said it was difficult to assess how many congregations would leave or remain.

At this point, the Protocol is proposed legislation that is subject to changes before being acted upon so it would be sheer speculation at this point, said Black.

In April, a megachurch in Georgia voted to disaffiliate from UMC after its pastor was reassigned to another position within the conference.
Women controlling husbands with sex, other means is destructive, Transformed Wife warns

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Lori Alexander, a married Christian woman who's also known through her blog The Transformed Wife, is warning married women that their desire to control their husbands through a matriarchal spirit using sex, an insistence on being right, always having the last word and others means could lead to the destruction of their marriage.

We dont use sex to manipulate our husbands. We dont deprive our husbands sexually. We give it to him willingly and freely because we love pleasing our husbands. So women, rid yourself of that matriarchal spirit today. Just give it to the Lord. Its an idol in your life. Its hurting your marriage, could potentially destroy your marriage. Begin building your husband up. Respect his opinions. Stop arguing with him. You dont need the last word. You dont need to be right, and youll be shocked at how much better your marriage is and how much happier your husband is, Alexander, who has been married to her husband since 1980, warned in a video shared on YouTube Sunday.

According to Daughters of Promise, the matriarchal or Jezebel spirit uses seduction, womanly wiles, or sexual means to control men. If those dont work, it uses shame and sarcasm, scorn and arrogance. This spirit, according to the ministry, specifically targets the weak and the wounded, the hurt, rebellious and rejected. It uses flattery, smooth words, prophecies and tears to seduce these targets out from under authority.

Most women, says Alexander, have the matriarchal spirit.

The grandmother of nine, who is a mentor to women, has been featured in publications such as USA Today. She says she suffered 23 difficult years in her marriage but turned things around using Gods principles and believes older women must share their wisdom with younger ones.

My ministry is based upon Titus 2:3-5 in which God commands that older women teach younger women to be sober, love and obey their husbands, love their children, be chaste, discreet, good, and keepers at home, she writes on her blog.

In her message to women on Sunday, she insisted that the Bible doesnt endorse the matriarchal spirit.

Women, I just want to encourage you today to get rid of your matriarchal spirit. God is a God of patriarchy. He created Adam first, and thats why were not to preach or teach in the churches, because thats His authority structure. It has nothing to do with value, but it has to do with order. Just like in I Corinthians 14, right before God tells women to be silent in the churches  and its a shame for women to speak in the churches, and if they have a question, they need to ask their husbands at home  right before that verse, it says that God is not a God of confusion but a God of order, she added.

And His order is that women need to be quiet in churches and men are to be the leaders, preachers, pastors and teachers. And the order in the home is the husband is supposed to be the head over the wife, the leader of the home. And we are supposed to reverence our husband, respect their leadership, submit to them and even obey them, she continued.

We dont need to be right. If you are always insisting on being right and having the last word, you will never have a good marriage. This absolutely tears down marriage ... this matriarchal spirit that we women can so easily have. It belittles our husbands. It emasculates them. It causes them to feel unworthy.  Its like the verse that says that we tear our homes down with our hands. This is one of the greatest ways that we tear homes down, is by being in control, having to have the last word, being right.

She further argued that the matriarchal spirit isnt feminine and its the opposite of what God wants women to be.

Being right doesnt matter! God doesnt care that you are right. God doesnt care that you are right. He cares that youre submissive and that you have a meek and quiet spirit. Being a mate, having a matriarchal spirit, is completely the opposite of having a meek and quiet spirit. Being a mate, having a matriarchal spirit is completely the opposite of having a meek and quiet spirit thats precious in the sight of God. Its the opposite of being feminine. Its the opposite of what God wants us to be, she said.
4 killed by shelling of Catholic church in Myanmar as violence continues after coup

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Four civilians were reportedly killed and around eight injured when military forces fired heavy artillery shells at a Catholic church in the Kayah state of Myanmar around 1 a.m. on Monday, damaging the roof, ceiling and the cross of the church after months of deadly attacks.

The Ministry of International Cooperation of the National Unity Government of Myanmar reported that elderly people and children fled from their homes to hide in a Catholic church in Kayan Thar Yar village after attacks on villagers from the junta military forces (Tatmadaw).

According to Union of Catholic Asia News, about 300 people from 60 families took refuge in the church compound due to clashes between the anti-coup resistance group called the Peoples Defense Force and the military.

H.E. Dr Sasa urgently appeals to the international communities to pray for and make immediate actions and intervention efforts to end this senseless killing of civilians in Myanmar, destruction of Churches, targeting of already oppressed&marginalized ethnic communities in Myanmar pic.twitter.com/lduFjERZSP  Dr. Sasa (@DrSasa22222) May 24, 2021

The outlet reports that all those killed in the church were Catholics.

Father Soe Naing, a spokesperson for Loikaw Diocese, told UCANews that people sheltering in the church fled the premises by the time officials checked the damaged building later on Monday. He explained that thousands in Myanmar have taken refuge at churches and other religious centers because they are thought to be safe locations.

Fides News Agency, the information services of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reports that the military attacked the area with the aim of killing rebel groups and one of the mortar shells hit the church.

Two days earlier, military forces raided a Karen Baptist Church in Insein, Yangon, and destroyed property. According to the Ministry of International Cooperation, military forces brutally beat and detained the pastor and two young men, one of whom was disabled.

These instances are part of a series of violent attacks on Christians and churches since the Feb. 1 military coup, when civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and deposed.

The coup was met with widespread national protests. Police and military responded with violence. According to the London-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the military especially targeted Chrisitan leaders.

The attacks on the churches come as fighting erupted in recent days in the Kayah States Demoso Township. Last week, activists reported that over 800 people have been killed nationwide by security forces cracking down on a wave of protests since the coup.

H.E. Dr. Sasa, union minister of the Ministry of International Cooperation and National Unity Government spokesperson, urged the international community to respond to the continuing crisis in Myanmar.

I urgently appeal to the international communities and the responsible Governments around the world to make immediate actions and intervention efforts to end this senseless killing of civilians in Myanmar, destruction of Churches and targeting of already oppressed and marginalized ethnic communities," Sasa stressed in a statement.

The spokesperson called on the world to "support the brave people of Kayah and of Myanmar overcome this brutal reign of terror by the junta SAC forces and restore democracy, human rights, and freedom to ALL."

Sasa said the aim is to have a Myanmar where people of all backgrounds, religions, races and genders will be treated as "equals."

We have been doing everything we can around the clock, and now we need the support, recognition, actions and intervention from the intentional communities before more innocent civilians are slaughtered, Sasa continued. Myanmar will forever be an ally, friend and partner of all those who help us during this darkest hour of our history.

Benedict Rogers, CSWs Senior Analyst for East Asia, said in a statement that civilians in Myanmar have now been subjected to horrific violations at the hands of the Tatmadaw for well over 100 days."

"We extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in the recent attack on the Catholic church in Kayan Thar Yar and continue to call on the Tatmadaw to cease all targeting of innocent and unarmed civilians," Rogers said. "The international sanctions introduced so far have been welcome, but states can and must do more to cut off funding to the Tatmadaw and increase pressure on it to halt its assault on the people of Myanmar."

CSW urges international governments to impose a global arms embargo.

During Februarys coup, the military declared a year-long state of emergency and put civilian leaders under house arrest, CSW reported.

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom raised concern about the safety of religious minorities in the coup's aftermath.

Given the history of brutal atrocities by the Burmese military, our fear is that violence could quickly escalate, especially towards religious and ethnic communities, such as the Rohingya and other Muslims, USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava said in a statement. We urge the Burmese military to honor the faith and will of the Burmese people and restore democratic civilian rule as soon as possible."

Myanmar is ranked No. 18 on Open Doors 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christian persecution is most severe due to its religious nationalism and increasing emphasis on Buddhism.

Myanmar is also home to the longest civil war in the world, which began in 1948. More than 100,000 people, mainly Christians, have been displaced due to the persecution, according to Open Doors.
Cigna refuses to answer shareholder question about undermining religious liberty

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We're currently in annual shareholder meeting season, which runs roughly April through June. Being part of a team which helps design, update and maintain Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and also being an investor in those funds personally, I set out to take responsibility for what is in the portfolios by attending the shareholder meetings of the companies I own. But the point was not just to show up, but also to speak up, so I researched ways in which these companies were taking positions on divisive political issues which were not necessary to serve shareholder interests, and which might even work against them.

Case in point: the insurance company Cigna, which has been the subject of controversy lately due to press reports about diversity training which seemed to take some inflammatory positions on some contentious issues.

For example:

The Human Rights Campaign lists Cigna as a supporter of the Equality Act, which severely weakens the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. RFRA represents a broad political consensus, having been introduced in the Senate by Teddy Kennedy, in the house by Chuck Schumer, and having been signed into law by Bill Clinton. The Equality Act, on the other hand, does not enjoy broad appeal, having been supported in the House on an almost pure party-line vote. Moderates in both parties have made it clear that they have concerns, specifically about the weakening of conscience and religious liberty protections. According to conservative group 2ndVote, Cigna sponsored HRC dinners and received the highest possible score on the HRCs Corporate Equality Index.

Furthermore, 2ndVote has assigned the company a score of only 1 out of 5 in the Life and First Amendment categories, reporting that the company donated to United Way chapters that fund Planned Parenthood in 2015-2016, and also donated to Susan G. Komen, which donates to Planned Parenthood (but insists that those contributions are not used for abortions).

Recently, The Washington Examiner acquired leaked documents on Cignas diversity training. The training included an inclusive language presentation that implied it was exclusionary to say brown bag lunch, man-power, hey guys, long-time no-see, no can do, hip-hip hooray, and, I had a crazy day.

Christians are likely to be particularly concerned about reports from The Examiner that, alongside the standard diversity training around white privilege, Cigna employees were taught about religious privilege, defined as a set of advantages that benefits believers of a certain religion but not people who practice other religions or no religions at all. There was also a slide in which one had to check off various identities to determine their privilege, including being a Christian.

I decided to ask the CEO of Cigna, David Cordani, about these issues at the annual shareholders meeting.

I followed the link as provided by Investor Relations, logged in using the proper "control number" which is given to shareholders so they can gain entry, and then posted a question in the Q&A tab. The system accepted the question.

But the company ignored the question. Furthermore, meeting presenters implied that all relevant questions had been taken. In addition, the company failed to answer the question in both a follow-up email and a phone call.

This is what I asked (with slight edits due for the sake of brevity and privacy):

"Recent press reports reveal that you have subjected employees to 'diversity training' which accuses "a certain religion" of conferring "religious privilege". In addition you have endorsed the Equality Act which severely curtails religious freedom. The current proxy statement claims that "Cigna supports fundamental human rights for all." How do you square that statement with the endorsement of actions that sideline and unfavorably label, certain religious views?"

Was this question relevant to the business of the meeting? Well, you be the judge. Here are some quotes from the Proxy Statement which was included in the materials for the meeting, and was linked to on the shareholder meeting portal:

"Cigna supports fundamental human rights for all. Our support for human rights is buttressed by our Human Rights Statement and our Supplier Code of Ethics." 2021 Proxy Statement

I specifically cited that quote in my question. Regarding the Equality Act, the same proxy statement includes this:

"As a result of our efforts to cultivate a diverse and inclusive workforce, Cigna has been awarded multiple recognitions, including:  Number 42 on Diversity, Incs Top 50 Diverse Companies list  2020  100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundations Corporate Equality Index  Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality nine years in a row (2021)." 2021 Proxy Statement

So the Proxy Statement for that meeting openly brags about the partnership with the Human Rights Campaign. How can a question about endorsing the Equality Act on HRCs website, which of course is relevant to the 100% HRC score, not be relevant to that same meeting?

I've had some brief email correspondence, and traded phone messages, with the Investor Relations office of the company. As of now, the discussion is off-the-record. I am anxious for Cigna to go on the record and answer these questions so that I can report the company's side of the story.

I like this company. I wouldn't be invested in it if I didn't think that the management of the company was excellent at running its core business. Cigna as a business has a lot going for it (of course, I'm not making any specific investment recommendations in saying this, and as I already disclosed, I work for a company which is invested in it, and in which I am personally invested). I'm not biased against this company; quite to the contrary, my interests are aligned with it. However, Cigna simply needs to either get out of extraneous political debates and leave the culture wars to the culture warriors, or to give an open, clear, and transparent accounting to its owners for such politicking.

If Cigna decides to go on the record and address these questions, I will be happy to publish its side of the story.
Moody sex abuse reporting system 'unsuccessful,' causes 'pervasive distrust': investigation

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Moody Bible Institute leadership has issued an apologetic statement announcing the results of a lengthy investigation into the Chicago-based evangelical institution's protocols amid charges it poorly handled sexual abuse allegations.

In a statement last week, the school apologized to those who "experienced a lack of empathy and follow-through" pertaining to the filing of Title IX reports.

"We also apologize to those whose reports were not processed as rapidly and efficiently as they could have been, MBI President Mark Jobe and Provost Dwight Perry said in the joint statement.

It is the sincere desire of the leadership at Moody to provide a healthy, God-honoring culture that allows our students to grow and mature in a safe and wholesome environment. We commit to doing everything we can moving forward to create a safe environment for all of our students, staff and faculty.

Last fall, the school commissioned Grand River Solutions to investigate after several people complained through a Change.org petition, expressing dismay with how sexual misconduct allegations were dealt with at Moody.

Specifically, the petition claimed that administrators showed an inability or unwillingness to act to address allegations of stalking, discrimination, sexual assault, and rape. The petition went on to accuse the officials of a pattern of dismissal, cover-up, and even disciplinary action being taken against survivors of abuse, after they risked so much to come forward.

GRS interviewed 35 members of the Moody community to assess the effectiveness and impact of training, prevention efforts, communications, and the processes and procedures in place to respond to reports of sexual harassment. The investigation ended in April.

In the 31-page report, GRS noted that Moody's structure for handling sexual assault and misconduct claims proved to be "unsuccessful.' The report contends that there is a culture of "pervasive distrust" of university leadership, including of those who were tasked with administrating sexual assault claims.

"Inadequate resourcing of the Title IX Coordinator and investigator roles has resulted in deficiencies in the performance of these roles and caused high rates of dissatisfaction among individuals serving in the roles, thereby making it difficult for Moody to retain qualified and experienced candidates," the report said.

"Ineffective partnerships between the Title IX Coordinator, Dean of Students, and Vice President of Human Resources (collectively responsible administrators) have had a significant impact on the response to 16 reports, and specifically those reports that were transitioned, or that should have been transitioned, from one administrator to another."

The report explains that Moodys "current organizational structure tasks three administrators with overseeing different aspects of the institutional response to sexual harassment and sexual or interpersonal violence.

The Moody Title IX Coordinator is charged with overall responsibility for compliance with Title IX and is responsible for coordinating the institutional response to sexual harassment and sexual and interpersonal violence falling within the scope of Title IXs limited jurisdiction."

For reports of sexual harassment and misconduct that fall outside the scope of Title IX, the responsibility falls to the dean of students and the vice president of human resources.

The GRS report states that there was a stigma associated with filing a Title IX report against someone on campus for both the person filing the report and the accused.

This type of language reflects a diminishment of the seriousness of the behavior someone experienced before ever considering a report of sexual harassment or sexual or interpersonal violence, the report stressed. Rather than a focus on the implications of a Title IX report, it is our hope that Moodys community will focus on supporting and caring for people that have experienced harm and, as part of the response, providing a process that recognizes the rights of everyone involved.

When coupled with a resentful attitude toward the perceived imposition of government regulations, the historic approach and perspective to Title IX reporting infects the larger community, the report added. Students fear the stigma of initiating a process and faculty and staff reject a responsibility to report because reporting is part of a set of regulations they see as infringing on their deserved autonomy. This means that before anyone can seek support and care from Moody, they must overcome or navigate through additional and unnecessary obstacles.

The report further noted that there are several members of Moodys faculty who are resistant to, or have simply declined, to comply with this requirement that the reports that they receive be referred to the Title IX Coordinator.

The reviewers are concerned that resistance of this kind has already, and may continue to, cause unintended harm to the complainants and to the Moody community as a whole, the report shares.

The school announced that based on the GRS recommendation, the school will be implementing 11 commitments that will be operational starting in the fall of 2021.

Among those commitments, the school will create "one policy regarding sexual harassment and sexual and interpersonal violence" and "a leadership structure where one person is responsible for overseeing the institutional response to all reports of sex-based misconduct." The school also commits to providing additional resourcing for the Title IX Office and "enhanced training."

"We commit to improving perceptions and building trust toward our Title IX compliance program," Moody assured.

The change.org petition from current and former students emerged last October, stating that "while many of us have found God and His calling on our lives within the walls of Moody, some of us have also faced harm.

The petition, which has garnered over 3,200 signatures, specifically criticized Dean of Student Life Tim Arens and Title IX Coordinator Rachel Puente for mishandling their complaints.

Days after the petition went public, Jobe asked students to reserve judgment on Arens and Puente while the investigation was conducted.

"Our posture in this moment must be marked by a spirit of humility and action, Jobe said at the time. We must be on our knees in prayer, and we must listen and learn in order to come through this experience as a stronger community.

Arens has since taken early retirement, and Puente was placed on administrative leave. MBI has not indicated whether Puente's role will change going forward, according to The Roys Report.
PCUSA lost over 56K members, 116 churches in 2020: report

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Presbyterian Church (USA) lost approximately 56,000 active members and closed more than 100 congregations in 2020, according to a recent annual report on denominational statistics.

The PCUSA Office of the General Assembly released the annual statistics on membership and giving on Monday, which included minutes from the 224th General Assembly.

According to Section IV of the minutes on statistics, PCUSA had approximately 1.245 million active members in 2020, down from 1.302 million in 2019, or a decline of 56,689.

The data is derived from reporting by 82% of PCUSA churches, which represent 90% of the denomination's membership.

The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States also saw a drop in congregations, going from 9,041 in 2019 to 8,925 in 2020.

Although 2020 was a year of pandemic lockdowns, which impacted churches of all denominations, PCUSA losses were comparable to 2019, when the denomination reported losing around 50,000 members and closing 120 congregations.

Over the past several years, as with other mainline Protestant denominations, PCUSA has experienced a considerable decline in membership numbers and congregations.

The decline in membership comes as data has shown in recent years a decline in Americans who consider themselves Christians and a rise of Americans who consider themselves religiously unaffiliated.

Another factor for PCUSA has been the theological direction of the church, as its affirmation of gay clergy led several congregations to leave the denomination in protest in recent years.

The OGA report documents were released exclusively in a digital format for the first time in the denomination's history.

PCUSA OGA Stated Clerk Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II said in the announcement that this switch to digital was partly in response to the decline in revenue the church has experienced.

For one, it costs approximately $25,000 to produce 2,000 copies of this book. Secondly, it can quickly become outdated as things change throughout the church, stated Nelson.

I have said many times over the past year that we need to be moving the church forward in the 21st century.  But economics have also prompted us to make smarter decisions on how per capita dollars are spent. We find this to be more efficient and timelier, giving Presbyterian leaders the information they need in real time.

Additionally, PCUSA has openly considered no longer hosting its biennial General Assembly as a mass gathering due to financial woes and declining membership.

In a statement last August, Nelson attributed this plan to end the big tent General Assembly due to declining membership and financial giving.

That is happening, basically, because we are at a place financially with the drying up of per capita as it is and the whole system is strained with regards to the fallout in the denomination with membership loss, he said last year.

Dealing with the issue that we are not a denomination right now ... that can afford the kinds of things that we have been doing.
Petition alleges culture of sexual abuse cover-up, dismissive leaders at Moody Bible Institute

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A recently launched petition alleges that sexual abuse has been covered up at Moody Bible Institute and is urging a formal investigation.

The change.org petition  which as of Monday afternoon has garnered over 2,300 signatures from students, parents and alumni  is asking MBI President Mark Jobe to address an alleged pattern of dismissal of abuse, cover-up, and even administrative disciplinary action taken against abuse survivors at the Chicago-based evangelical school.

While many of us have found God and His calling on our lives within the walls of Moody, some of us have also faced harm, the petition reads.

Harm that includes instances of stalking, discrimination, sexual assault, and rape. These harms were made worse when members of our community in positions of authority, specifically Dean (Tim) Arens, seem to have an inability or unwillingness to act to address them.

The open letter urges Jobe to include alumni and students in the selection process to replace outgoing Tim Arens, the dean of Student Life who is set to retire in June 2021. The petition further asks for all Title IX complaints to be published each year, for the removal of any Title IX decision-makers who have disciplinary power, and for MBI Title IX Coordinator Rachel Puente to be replaced.

A Google Document embedded in the petition contains four accounts of MBI students claiming the administration mishandled their abuse cases.

Among those who detailed her story in the Google document was Anna Heyward, an MBI graduate from the class of 2017 who identified herself as one who helped spearhead the petition.

Heyward wrote on social media that her ex-boyfriend, who was a graduate student and employee of MBI, physically and sexually assaulted her in 2016. She claimed that Arens told her not to report it and was threatened with being placed on probation.

Her ex-boyfriend reportedly forced her to perform oral sex on him after he got her drunk on her 21st birthday and then said he would report her to the school for drinking alcohol, which is against Moody's Student Life Guide, if she told anyone about the incident.

Heyward continued to be abused for several more months and eventually told Arens about what had happened. He reportedly asked her if she had indeed consumed alcohol and what she had done "to deserve to be hit," and then discouraged her from pressing charges or pursuing a Title IX case, telling her she would be put on probation for being involved in sex and drinking. When Heyward told Puente about her ex-boyfriend hitting her, Puente reportedly told her that she was sorry but no action was ever taken.

Other recorded accounts from recent graduates and a current student who had endured sexual harassment and stalking were similar in their dealings with the administration's dismissive posture.

The Christian Post reached out to MBI for comment and was provided a statement from Jobe, apologizing for how incidents of abuse had been handled.

"As President of Moody Bible Institute, and an alum, I am committed to ensuring that all of our campuses are not only safe for all students, but also a place that takes seriously the voice of victims and follows through on dealing with abuse of any kind. If our community has failed to uphold that commitment in the past, I am profoundly sorry for the pain and wounds this may have caused students and their loved ones," Jobe said.

Provost Dwight Perry and his leadership team spent the past weekend finalizing an action plan with recommendations that will be shared Tuesday during chapel and subsequently released to Moody alumni, Jobe noted.

The Chicago-based college, founded in 1886 by famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody, after whom it is named, has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, particularly regarding what some asserted was a shift away from theological orthodoxy among the professorate and financial malfeasance and a culture of "self-dealing" among the administration. In January 2018, then-president Paul Nyquist and then-COO Steve Mogck resigned amid controversy and a tense climate on campus.

Earlier this year, MBI agreed to sell off 10 acres of its property to a prominent high-rise developer.
Biden White House slams Texas heartbeat bill as assault on fundamental rights

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The Biden White House is slamming Texas recently-passed heartbeat bill as an assault on womens fundamental rights.

At the White House press briefing Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the bill signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday.

The legislation, slated to go into effect on Sept. 1, bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks of gestation.

This is the most restrictive measure yet in the nation and the most restrictive recent assault on women's fundamental rights under Roe v. Wade, Psaki replied. She lamented that critical rights continue to come under withering and extreme attack around the country.

According to Psaki, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are devoted to ensuring that every American has access to healthcare.

Now more than ever, he continues to support the robust agenda he put forward during the campaign to protect womens fundamental rights, including by codifying Roe v. Wade, she said. Obviously, there are some actions that will be through legal processes and through the courts.

Those are decisions for the Department of Justice and others to make, she added, but certainly the President supports and believes we should codify Roe v. Wade. And that is his view, regardless of these backward-looking steps that are being taken ... by states in the country.

As Psaki suggested, 2021 has seen the passage of many pro-life laws at the state level.

A report from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, released on Apr. 30, found that in the first four months of 2021, more than 500 pro-life bills were introduced in state legislatures nationwide. More than 60 of those bills have become law in 14 states.

The abortion advocacy group warned that 2021 is on track to become the most devastating antiabortion state legislative session in decades.

Pro-life measures enacted in the first four months of 2021 include a ban on abortions based on genetic abnormalities, including Down Syndrome, in Arizona and South Dakota. They also include heartbeat bills in Oklahoma and South Carolina.

The pro-life legislation at the state level comes as the Biden administration has worked to undo pro-life policies at the federal level. Such actions include reversing the Mexico City Policy banning the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions overseas and enacting a ban on fetal tissue research.

Since the Guttmacher Institute published its report, additional pro-life measures have been enacted at the state level, including the Texas heartbeat bill, a Tennessee law requiring the burial or cremation of aborted babies remains and an Idaho law defunding Planned Parenthood.

However, a North Dakota bill that would have penalized colleges for awarding government grant money to abortion providers was partially vetoed by Gov. Doug Burgum.

Throughout 2021, the pro-life movement has gained momentum at the local level.

Most notably, the city of Lubbock, Texas, home to more than 200,000 people, became the largest city in the U.S. to declare itself a sanctuary city for the unborn by outlawing abortion within the city limits except in cases when a woman's life is at risk.

Psakis insistence that Biden wants to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law comes just days after the Supreme Court agreed to review a lower court decision finding that a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks gestation was unconstitutional.

Pro-life activists are optimistic that the Supreme Court will reverse the lower court decision, thereby chipping away at the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

The fact that the Supreme Court currently consists of six justices appointed by Republican presidents and three justices appointed by Democratic presidents is another source of pro-lifers confidence that a majority of the justices will rule in their favor. Democrats and pro-choice activists, meanwhile, are concerned about the makeup of the court.

Last month, congressional Democrats introduced a bill designed to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court, a proposal that critics refer to as court packing.

Democrats argue that additional justices are needed to blunt the effect of the nominally conservative majority, which they believe is illegitimate.
George Floyds sister says shes leaning on God as anniversary of killing approaches

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Just days away from the one-year anniversary of her brothers death which triggered a summer of protests for racial justice, George Floyds sister, Bridgett Floyd, who started a foundation in his name, says her faith in God helped her survive his passing.

"I always put God first in everything I do," she said during a press conference Thursday. "Without him I am nothing. God always gives me the strength to carry. He put me in this position. And oftentimes I want to ask, 'Why me?' But they say you're never supposed to question God. So maybe He saw a weakness in me and He made it my strength. That's how I see it."

George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, while former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck as he begged to breathe. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in the death last month.

The George Floyd Memorial Foundation has planned a number of events in Minneapolis from May 2325 to mark his passing. They include a rally on May 23, a virtual day of action on May 24, and a Celebration of Life in downtown Minneapolis on May 25.

"It's getting real close to the day," Floyd said during the press conference. "And I feel like, as close as the days come, I get a little stronger than I was last year. And that's because I have been through so much in this last year. I have no choice but to be strong and carry this weight, and carry this position that God has put me in. Because I didn't see it coming, none of us did."

While President Joe Biden called on Congress late last month to pass a police reform bill by the end of May called the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to mark the anniversary of his death, Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., the lead author of the bill, said Wednesday that it would not be ready for a vote by May 25.

We won't make May 25, but I don't believe it's going to take months, Bass told reporters at the Capitol, according to The Hill. What's most important is that we get it right and that it be substantive, even if it's a couple of weeks later.  I won't say we're apart on all of these issues, we just haven't finished.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act aims to overhaul policing and "eliminate 'qualified immunity' for all local, state and federal law enforcement officers. Under qualified immunity, government escape any legal liability for civil rights violations unless the victim can show that their rights were clearly established at the time," Forbes reported.

Floyd said she has faith the bill will become law.

"These police officers need to be held accountable for their actions," Floyd said. "So they can know that when they break the law, when they take a loved one from someone, they'll think twice about it."
LAPD arrests man accused of attacking Jews outside restaurant amid rise in anti-Semitism nationwide

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The Los Angeles Police Department announced Saturday that it has arrested a suspect who was seen attacking Jews dining outside a sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills earlier this week.

Police said the unidentified individual was arrested after 10 p.m. Friday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

City News Service reports, Police Saturday said a man was taken into custody, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal Service, as one of the primary suspects who allegedly assaulted several Jewish men Tuesday outside a restaurant in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles.

A video posted on Twitter by Adam Milstein Wednesday showed multiple pro-Palestinian men attacking the Jewish men sitting outside the restaurant.

LAPD requested the suspect's bail be increased due to the crime being motivated by hatred.

Shocking videos from Los Angeles where Palestinians started attacking Jews



Witnesses said 10 Palestinian cars rolled up and started hitting them with knives at a Sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills#israelunderfirepic.twitter.com/i1Au9sOEIh  Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) May 19, 2021

Another video from LA posted to Twitter showed at least one Jewish individual being beaten and other Jews being intimidated by people in cars displaying large Palestinian flags, the Anti-Defamation League reported.

The ADL, a United States-based anti-discrimination organization, has reported a rise in anti-Semitic events in the U.S. and worldwide since the latest fighting started between Israel and Hamas earlier this month. The ADL said a similar surge in anti-Semitic violence happened in 2014 during the last Israel-Hamas conflict.

On Friday, the Israeli Consulate in New York said the attacks and protests have been more violent than previously seen, according to The Times of Israel.

The demonstrations are larger, more toxic, and unfortunately also more violent. There is a direct connection between Hamas stated agenda which is sworn to Israels destruction and the slogans of the demonstrators that undermine the legitimacy of Israel as the Jewish nation-state, the consulate said in a statement.

Anti-Semitic attacks also erupted in New York City this week, even after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Footage from separate incidents in New York City Thursday showed attacks on Jews during a pro-Israel demonstration that was met with pro-Palestinian counter-protesters in midtown Manhattan where one person suffered burns after two commercial fireworks were thrown from a car, Fox News reported.

Another video posted on social media showed an older Jewish man wearing a Yarmulke being attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters in Times Square.

Stop telling me this is about Israel and Gaza," a New Yorker confronted by a pro-Palestinian mob on his way to synagogue said, according to Fox News. "My people are being targeted across the United States in broad daylight. This is textbook anti-Semitism, and we will continue to live in danger until the public starts to recognize it for what it is."

Outside of violence in New York City and Los Angeles, protestors across the country are proclaiming anti-Jewish messages at rallies.

A protestor in Seattle, Washington, last week held up a sign that said Zionism = Nazism. A crowd rallying in Washington, D.C., chanted Zionists are terrorists, and a protestor in Michigan held a sign at a rally that read, Zionists r modern-day Nazis, according to ADL.

In the Miami, Florida area, Eric Orgen told CBS 12 that he, his wife and teenage daughter were walking out of synagogue recently when a group of men driving by began shouting and cursing at them.

"They just started screaming some derogatory things toward Jewish people out the window," Orgen told CBS12. He said the driver threw trash at his family and shouted: "Free Palestine, die Jew, F you Jew, Im gonna rape your wife.

"My first thought was just making sure my wife and daughter were behind me so I could take the brunt of anything that was going to happen," Orgen said.

A person driving in a vehicle next to those shouting verbal threats showed the driver that he was armed with a gun in an effort to protect the Jewish family. After seeing the weapon, the man drove off. Orgen described the man who intervened as their guardian angel.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the first Jewish mayor of Miami-Dade County, released a statement Wednesday condemning the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the area and said the attacks cut especially close to home.

Acts of hate and violence against any community are not tolerated in Miami-Dade County, Cava said in a statement. Hate and intolerance contradict the foundations of our community  a place where so many generations of people found a safe home after fleeing their own countries to build a new life with their families.

In a statement released Thursday, ADL urged leaders to speak out against anti-Semitism before it exacerbates further.

As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in the statement. We are tracking acts of harassment, vandalism and violence as well as a torrent of online abuse. Its happening around the world  from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like NYC and in small towns, and across every social media platform.

To those who choose to indulge in age-old antisemitic tropes, exaggerated claims, and inflammatory rhetoric, it has consequences: attacks in real life on real people targeted for no other reason than they are Jewish, Greenblatt said. This is antisemitism, plain and simple. And its indisputably inexcusable in any context.

ADL remains steadfast in its commitment to fight antisemitism and hate with every ounce of energy we have, he continued. We are working actively with authorities in cities across the country to identify the perpetrators of hate and to protect our community. We call on leaders throughout our country to speak out against antisemitism and stand alongside the Jewish community in the face of this wave of hate before it gets any worse.
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On this day in 1977, the world changed forever. That was the day when we first saw on movie screens the words, A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . Then came the iconic logo for STAR WARS and John Williams unforgettable orchestral music I can hear in my mind as I type these words.

The movie received seven Oscars and grossed close to $800 million worldwide. It made Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Darth Vader as famous as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedyto younger audiences, perhaps even more so.

What we saw on movie screens, were now watching on the daily news.

'We dont know exactly what they are'

Last summer, the US Defense Department issued a news release with the headline Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. Its mission is to detect, analyze, and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to US national security. UAPs, in case youre wondering, is government-speak for Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs.

The Senate Intelligence Committee then called for the director of national intelligence to produce a report on everything government agencies know about UFOs; that report is due sometime next month.

In the meantime, numerous media sites are reporting on Air Force and Navy pilot videos showing unexplained objects traveling at unusual speeds and performing unexplainable aerial maneuvers. Former President Barack Obama even told a late-night TV host, There is footage and records of objects in the skies that we dont know exactly what they are. The New Yorker recently published a feature-length article on the subject.

A former Department of Defense official who investigated UAP phenomena for nearly a decade claims that the technology on display is much more advanced than anything currently used by the US military. It is the physics-defying aspect of these reported sightings that raises the question of alien civilizations.

However, the logic of such visitations is challenging. A research fellow with Columbia University named Richard Hanania claims that UFOs are not real. His reasoning considers three options:

Aliens visit this planet and want to be discovered. Aliens visit our planet but dont care if they are discovered because theyre too advanced and physics-defying to care what humans think. Aliens visit this planet and dont want to be discovered.

He dismissed option 1: aliens advanced enough to visit our planet are advanced enough to leave much stronger evidence than we have. He also rules out number 2, since a common theme of these sightings is that when cameras lock onto the aliens, they fly away and disappear. He notes that number 3 is unlikely: such advanced beings would do a better job of avoiding radar and US military pilots.

The Fermi paradox and our fine-tuned planet

However, its the theological logic behind this debate that especially interests me today.

Those who believe aliens are visiting us typically claim that the odds of life evolving through natural selection are high. In their view, there is no reason to presuppose that aliens could not exist and could not be visiting our planet. Their claim presupposes that life happens anywhere in the universe that conditions are right; it ignores or sometimes rejects any necessity for a Creator.

To the contrary: as John Stonestreet notes, The universe we live in has properties one would expect if it were, in fact, designed by a God who had us in mind when he made the place. John points to the work of Cambridge-educated philosopher of science Stephen Meyer and others. They demonstrate scientifically that gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear forces, and other laws are precisely calibrated to make life possible. A naturalistic worldview simply cannot explain the fine-tuned nature of the universe we inhabit.

In addition, the Fermi paradox (named after Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi) asks: If so many planets exist that apparently could support life, why do we have no conclusive proof of life on any of them?

So, lets reframe the question: Did God make life on other planets?

If aliens exist, Jesus made them

Our answer involves three theological facts.

One: If aliens exist, Jesus made them.

We know from Gods word that in Christ all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authoritiesall things were created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). This is the case everywhere in the universe.

Two: If aliens have free will, they need a Savior.

Freedom requires choices, in this case between good and evil. Finite beings will inevitably choose evil, which breaks their relationship with their holy Creator. Their fallen status requires the atonement of a sinless Savior, namely Jesus (Hebrews 4:15).

Thus, if aliens exist on other planets, Jesus would have to die for them as well. In addition, they would need to know of his atonement so they could choose to trust him as their Lord and Savior.

Three: The Bible is a practical book.

It does not tell us what happened to the dinosaurs or the size of the universe. Clearly, we dont need to know if aliens exist in order to have the personal relationship with God for which we were created (John 1:12).

Why the cosmos was created

Heres my bottom line: I am not aware of a biblical text that categorically vetoes the possibility of life on other planets. However, the logic of such life, combined with the uniqueness of our planet and the necessity of Jesus atonement for such beings, leaves me highly doubtful that aliens exist.

I agree with Dr. Albert Mohlers assertion: There is nothing in Scripture that says there cant be some form of life somewhere. But what we are told is that the cosmos was created in order that on this planet Jesus Christ, in space and time and history, would come to save sinful humanity.

Not only did Jesus make and save humanity, he also made you. Not because our planet needed another human, but because Jesus wanted you to exist.

Not only that: he died for you.

Not only that: if you were the only person who had ever sinned, he would have died only for you.

Do these facts evoke the deepest sense of gratitude in your soul?

Originally published at the Denison Forum

If not, why not?
Not suitable for living: Gaza's Christian population dwindles amid Hamas rule, job struggles

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As much global attention has been focused this month on Israel and Hamas, the violence may have caused Gaza's once-thriving Christian population to further dwindle as thousands of Christians in the region have fled poor economic conditions and discrimination over the last 15 years.

Many dont know that Gaza has its own Christian community, and the history of the presence of Christians in the Gaza Strip goes back to the beginnings of the Roman state's persecution of followers of the new religion. It was one of the areas Romans visited before the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity and the adoption of the Roman Empires official religion at the beginning of the fourth century A.D.

Despite this authentic historical presence of Christians in this region, their numbers have gradually decreased, especially since 2006, after internal and external circumstances colluded. Since the takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Christians and others have been subject to restrictions of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement. Today, estimates suggest that only about 1,000 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip.

Christians in the Gaza Strip today are divided into three sections. There are Christians from the original inhabitants of Gaza, who have inhabited it since ancient times, and others immigrated to it after Israel declared its independence in 1948. And the third group were those who were abroad and came in 1994 with the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and are still there today.

Khalil Hassan, 25 years old, is a Christian who has lived in the Gaza Strip since his birth. But he left the area four years ago, accompanied by his family. He went to the West Bank in search of a better life, he says.

"Since 2006, we have been suffering from both problems. We have not obtained a job opportunity due to the difficult economic conditions in Gaza, because of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, FatahHamas conflict, as well as discrimination in The Gaza Strip, is between Muslims and Christians by the Islamists," he said in an interview with The Christian Post.

Earlier this month, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip began firing missiles toward Israel after clashes between Jews and Arabs in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem. This led to an air response from Israel Defense Forces, which pummelled the Gaza Strip with airstrikes that have led to the displacement of thousands from their homes. A ceasefire was reportedly reached Friday.

The losers of this conflict are only the civilians who will be subjected to various types of abuse, especially in the Gaza Strip.

The Islamic Jihad Movement and Hamas both receive hundreds of millions of dollars in support from Qatar and Iran. The civilians in Gaza, including Christians, are persecuted in the Gaza Strip by the authorities of Hamas.

Why do Christians leave their lands?

Over the years, many Christians of Gaza have left their lands and migrated to other parts of the country and world.

With the beginning of each year, we expected conditions to improve and to live in dignity. But to no avail. So we were surprised by new crises that are more severe than the previous ones, such as the increase in unemployment rates, the lack of work opportunities and the continuous blackout, Hassan said.

As for the 46-year-old Christian resident of Gaza Abu George, who preferred not to reveal his full name, he dreams of leaving the Gaza Strip and heading to a European country to live away from the conditions of Gaza, which he described as "not suitable for living."

"Since 2006, we have been facing great difficulties, George added. Our conditions are no longer the same, and there are some harassment by the Hamas government, in addition to the difficulty of moving to the West Bank at Christmas. So we did not enjoy freedom and comfort in the Gaza Strip; Therefore, immigration is our highest aspiration.

"Our stay in Gaza is a duty for us because we come from this country, he added. And despite that, we no longer tolerate more than that, and we tried to accept this reality, but to no avail. The situation in Gaza will not change and will worsen if the Palestinian reconciliation is not implemented. This is another reason makes me think of immigration to a European country, in search of freedom and a decent life.

Abu George explains that, at first, he rejected the idea of immigration. He said many of his friends and Christian relatives left several years ago.

Although he wanted to stay in the Gaza Strip, when they told him about the difference between Gaza and life outside its borders, he reconsidered and became determined to immigrate.

Dangerous indications

A Greek Orthodox Church priest in Gaza, whose name is withheld to protect his identity, agrees that "the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian conflict between Fatah and Hamas and the harassment by the Hamas government are the most important reasons that prompted Christians in the Gaza Strip to think about immigration.

It was not suitable to live, so they wanted to search for a better life, the priest told CP.

He warned that the continuous migration of Christians from the Gaza Strip and their orientation to live in European countries and the West Bank "is a dangerous indicator that affects the Christian presence in the strip.

By immigration, which means that there will be no new generations of Christians in Gaza, he feared.

"Perhaps among the reasons that pushed Christians to leave the Gaza Strip is that holidays are limited to religious rituals in the church only and that public places and parks [have no celebrations], as was done in the past during the era of the Palestinian Authority before the Hamas-Fatah conflict. So the celebrations were spread all over the strip by that time and were lit Christmas trees and wandering the streets with big celebrations. But now the situation has changed.

Despite the historic presence of Christians in Gaza, their numbers gradually decreased.

The church leader explains that he cannot do anything against the immigration of Christians from the Gaza Strip.

Noting that he tried in the church to convince many young people and families not to emigrate and stay in the Gaza Strip to preserve the Christian presence in the region, they were rarely successful in this endeavor.

The priest said in the end, this is a personal choice, which, as he put it, cannot be forced to change.

He points out that the migration of Christians can be overcome if "the Palestinian reconciliation is completed, the Palestinian Authority returns to the Gaza Strip, the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements are expelled, job opportunities are created, the economic situation is changed for the better, the youth are stabilized in their homeland and the living conditions they are looking for abroad are provided."

Hanna Haddad, a Christian professor in theology in the West Bank, mainly in Ramallah who is a member of The Christian Islamic Organization for Jerusalem and the Holy Places, affirms the decline of the Christian population in the Holy Land.

Some estimates have suggested the Christian population of the Holy Land is around 2%.

Only 1,000 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip out of 5,000 who used to live in [Gaza around 2006] and expected to decline more next few years, he said. Also, 50,000 Christians live in the West Bank, in addition to 12,000 Arab Christians in eastern Jerusalem. This, in turn, threatens the Christian presence in the Holy Land."

Haddad warns that it is the duty of official and civil institutions to prevent the immigration of Christians and consolidate their survival.

[They need] to aspire to reverse immigration and to face the stifling economic conditions with serious economic support, which increases confidence among those who see immigration as a safe path, he added.

Haddad criticizes the churches in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in general for "focusing their attention on religious rituals and performing prayers and rituals," calling them to shoulder their responsibilities in these difficult circumstances by paying more attention to the essence of Christians' life problems and trying to address the reasons that lead them to emigrate.

Attempts to convert Christians by Islamists

Other reasons causing the Christian minority to leave the strip are the pressures they feel from some members of the authority in Gaza calling for the conversion of Christians to Islam.

A Christian activist, who spoke with CP on the condition of anonymity, says that some Christian family members were forced to convert to Islam a few years ago.

He said that other Christians had converted to Islam during the past years after pressures from Muslim society.

Another activist who preferred to stay anonymous said, there is a big rift in the relations between Muslims and Christians, especially the Hamas movement, some of whose members are pressuring Christians to convert to Islam.

Some groups want to spread sedition between Christians and Muslims, the activist added.

Christians have faced other forms of persecution. In 2009, Islamic extremists blew up a church in Gaza. Additionally, some Christians in Gaza have been killed during the past years.

One of the Christians was allegedly killed because of debts, while the other was killed in light of more mysterious circumstances that had not yet been revealed.

It is said that fundamentalist Islamists killed him because he tried to preach Muslims to Christianity.

In 2012, it was reported that some Christian families in Gaza said their children were subject to "brainwashing" attempts by Muslim activists. One mother said that her sons colleagues at university pursued her son and said he should become a Muslim, Reuters reports.
India: Radical Hindu mob wielding swords kills father of Christian pastor in attack on family

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While India is going through a deadly second wave of COVID-19, the persecution of Christians carries on. Radical Hindu nationalists shot dead a 52-year-old Christian man, who was the father of a pastor, and wielded swords and sickles to attack other family members, according to a report.

About 15 Hindu nationalist men attacked the family of Pastor Ramesh Bumbariya at his home in the Bansawra District in the northwestern state of Rajasthan on Tuesday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported, saying the family was attacked because they refused to renounce their Christian faith.

A man in the mob pointed a gun at the pastor to shoot him but it failed to fire. The man then pointed the gun at the pastors father, identified as Bhima Bumbariya, and shot the 52-year-old Christian.

After his father collapsed to the ground, Pastor Bumbariya was knocked unconscious, ICC said, adding that Pastor Bumbariya and two other members of his family were transported to the government hospital in Udaipur city, but the hospital staff refused to admit the injured Christians due to COVID-19 regulations.

The Christians were later admitted to a private hospital.

I believe God has a definite purpose in keeping me alive, Pastor Bumbariya, a church planter who has started several house churches and faced allegations of forced conversion, was quoted as saying.

I will carry on the ministry God has given to me. We gave up so much already for the sake of our faith. They took away our agricultural land, they destroyed our house, now they want our lives. I am worried about my family and children; about what will happen to them when I am not around, the pastor added.

Attacks on Christians and restrictions on their faith have been on the rise since the BJP won Indias 2014 general election.

In February, Christians in the eastern state of Jharkhand were hospitalized after suffering injuries following an attack by radical Hindi nationalists who accused them of constructing an unauthorized church and converting people to Christianity.

A recent report from Human Rights Watch warned that prejudices embedded in the government of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have increasingly infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police and the courts, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity.

Todd Nettleton, a host of Voice of the Martyrs Radio, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that persecution was increasing in India due to the strict anti-conversion laws and influence of Modi and the BJP.

Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, noted Open Doors World Watch List last year, which has ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians.

The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith  including Christianity  is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities, Open Doors said at the time.

Last year, India denied entry visas to representatives of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who had planned to investigate reports of persecution of Muslims and Christians following the release of its report that designates India as a Country of Particular Concern.

In a statement to CP, advocacy group The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America said at the time it was deeply disappointed India did not receive the CPC designation in 2020.

The national government allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity and engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence, FIACONA said. The Indian government headed by the Hindu nationalist BJP party continues to claim so conveniently that all such violence against Christians in India is isolated incidents and not the policy of the government.

Nettleton, who has traveled to more than 20 restricted countries and interviewed hundreds of believers whove faced persecution for their Christian witness, told CP that prayer is the first thing persecuted Christians ask for.

The convicting thing is, their prayer is not that they wont suffer anymore or that their countries will be free and the church will be allowed to operate, he said. Rather, theyre asking us to pray that they will remain faithful to Christ in spite of the persecution and hardship.
Islamic radicals kill 15 Christians in attack on baptism celebration in Burkina Faso

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Suspected jihadists ambushed a baptism ceremony where they killed 15 Christians in northern Burkina Fasos Oudalan province near the Mali border, according to a report.

The attack occurred in the Adjarara area, about 4 miles from Tin-Akoff, on Tuesday, the Sahel regions governor, Col. Salfo Kabor, confirmed in a statement, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported Friday.

People are shocked and many are running, Moha A.G. Agraz, a Tin-Akoff native, was quoted as saying.

The al-Qaeda and Islamic State terror groups have been launching attacks in West Africa since January, but no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

Last May, 58 people, including children, were killed within 24 hours in three separate attacks in the provinces of Loroum, Kompienga and Sanmatenga by armed Islamic militants who were targeting Christians, the U.K.-based aid agency Barnabus Fund reported at the time.

Burkina Faso, one of the most impoverished countries in the world, has been fighting armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State for about five years.

Since 2016, extremist groups including the Islamic State West Africa Province and Ansaroul Islam have carried out hundreds of attacks throughout the Sahel region of West Africa. But attacks increased in 2019  deaths rose from 80 in 2016 to 1,800 in 2019.

Attacks on both Muslim and Christian houses of worship and religious leaders have spiked as jihadist and other militia groups expand their area of influence throughout the country, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a report last year. The government is struggling to rein in the violence, and poor performance and misconduct by government-affiliated forces are exacerbating the situation.

Analysts posit that the selection of religious targets, even by fighters with jihadist-affiliated armed groups, may not always be religiously motivated. Attacks against religious leaders and houses of worship resemble other attacks on local authorities and symbols of foreign influence, as these groups attempt to establish control over certain areas for political and economic gain, the report added.

USCIRF explained that many jihadists fled to the border region of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where they regrouped after the French defeat of insurgents and jihadists in northern Mali in 2012 and 2013. Since 2016, both al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates have expanded their reach deep into the Burkinabe territory, aggravating other local tensions and triggering a security crisis.

Jihadist violence has spread from the countrys north to the western Boucle du Mouhoun region where rice and maize are produced and transported to other areas, resulting in a food shortage and might cut off food for millions more in the region, The Associated Press reported earlier.

It is feared that the COVID-19 pandemic might exacerbate the situation at a time when 2 million people in the country are already facing food insecurity.
Almost two weeks ago, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would no longer accept Bitcoin (BTC) as payment for its environmental impact. This caused a collapse in its price, losing 15% in value in less than 24 hours. Now, the 49-year-old mogul posted a new, rather 'promising' tweet that sent the cryptocurrency bouncing almost 5% in a matter of minutes.

Musk's tweet started a downward streak, fueled by news that China would ban its financial institutions from operating cryptocurrencies . Last Sunday, all digital currencies suffered a sharp crash and Bitcoin fell to $ 31,227 .

It may interest you: Should I sell or buy cryptocurrencies? Bitcoin has lost more than half its value in a month and a half

Yesterday, Monday, the cryptocurrency with the largest market capitalization (around 712 billion dollars at the close of this note) began to recover. So Musk gave it an extra boost.

At 2:42 pm (GMT-5), the CEO of Testa and Space X posted on Twitter something that rekindled the hope of BTC holders.

I spoke with the North American Bitcoin miners. They pledged to make public the current and planned use of renewable energy and to ask miners around the world to do so. Potentially promising,  Elon Musk tweeted.

Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising. - Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2021

The 'Musk Effect' worked its magic practically instantly. According to data from CoinMarketCap , at 2:39 pm BTC was trading at $ 37,893 , and by 3:04 pm it rose to $ 39,740 per unit. This represents a rise of 4.87% in just a few minutes.

Source: CoinMarketCap.

Elon Musk, Tesla and a more sustainable Bitcoin

With that brief text, the businessman hinted that he is already working on finding solutions to reduce the enormous energy expenditure that Bitcoin mining represents.

It is worth mentioning that, according to a study by the University of Cambridge cited by the BBC , the digital currency uses 121.36 terawatt hours per year, which exceeds the energy expenditure of countries such as Argentina and Norway.

Taking into account that Elon Musk has sustainable energy projects, such as Solar Roof , Tesla's solar roof division, it could be expected that in the future he will collaborate with Bitcoin miners to make the blockchain work with solar energy.

Currently, Tesla Inc. is the second largest Bitcoin holder in the world , only after MicroStrategy , a company that offers data software.

While Musk reported that Tesla will no longer support Bitcoin to acquire electric cars, he clarified that he would reconsider the decision if it could be mined more sustainably. In addition, he made it clear that the company will not sell the ones it already owns: close to $ 1.5 billion in BTC.

All these factors, which have as a common denominator the third richest person in the world according to Forbes , make crypto investors think that there is a good chance that BTC and other digital currencies will recover soon.

Perhaps it is not yet time to ditch your cryptocurrencies, as the 'Musk Effect' could work its magic again.

We recommend: The billionaire creator of Ethereum was already expecting the collapse of cryptocurrencies

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The pandemic is no match for romance, and love is in the air in Houston. The reality show "Ready to Love" recently put the Bayou City back to the test with Season 3 of the dating competition.

FINDING LOVE: Flavor Flav wants to help Melinda Gates find love through new television show

The show explores the real-life dating interactions of Black men and women in their 30s and 40s who are looking for lasting love. Putting a unique twist on a typical dating show, "Ready to Love" highlights the men's observations and experiences in the search for true love in Houston.

Native Houstonian and cast member on the show Alexis Jones gave us the inside scoop on her experience with the dating show.

Jones, 36, said she gained a lot of knowledge from the show, as the competition-style show was a new experience for her.

"It was a very challenging one when it comes to dating multiple men all at the same time," she said.

Bringing her fiery personality and vibrant demeanor to the show, Jones rose to the occasion  despite the show being about finding love, it was still a competition to win.

"The producers told us straight on, 'if you come in here on day one and you're being timid, or you're being shy, you're going to lose out," Jones said.

"You're going to have to come here and pack a punch if you don't want to be sent home.'"

Jones told me theatrically about the pep talks she would have with herself ahead of certain events, revealing that the mansion mixer was a bit intimidating for her. Jones recalls telling herself "'okay girl, you're going to have to build up some confidence,'" she said laughingly.

While Jones reiterated that a prize was on the line for the competition, she said her real competition wasn't her castmates, but herself. While she had to strut her stuff and show the world what she's got, the reality romance show doubled as a gauge for Jones to show herself what she's truly capable of.

Jones brought her Christian values to the show and spoke her mind, sharing what she was  or wasn't  going for.

"Because I'm a believer, I do believe that it's 'he who finds a wife, finds a good thing, and finds favor with the Lord,'" Jones recited. "So it's not really about a woman finding a man, but a man finding the right queen for himself, and the woman choosing to accept his gesture to her."

Having been married once before, this wasn't Jones' first rodeo  her first marriage gave her the real keys to figuring out what she wants in a partner and being outspoken about her needs.

"A lot of the men that I talked to on the show had never been married before, and that's something that I kind of kept in the back of my mind. Initially, AJ [one of her potential love interests] was standoffish because I am a divorced woman," Jones explained. "I think some men think you know, 'there may be something wrong with her because she didn't make it through her marriage.' But on the flip side of that, once we started talking and getting to know one another more, I think he realized that there's wisdom in a woman that's been married before."

While this season of "Ready To Love" is still airing on television, Jones shared one of her most intimate experiences on the show. In one of the episodes, she is at the Masquerade Ball when Jackie Miles, married to host Thomas "Nephew Tommy" Miles, shares words of wisdom about love and marriage.

"To have what I like to call a Titus 2 woman come to me while I was just sitting and thinking, approach me and give me sound advice and wisdom was really something that I needed," Jones said. "Having her on the show was truly an asset."

BLACK LOVE: Slim Thug shares his love for Black women with '#BlackQueens'

Alexis shared her drive to always be confident and rise above the haters and the cyber attacks, or "keyboard thugs" as she calls them.

"The people online can be very cruel, but they don't really know the real us, just the character that's being presented on the television. I just remind myself that 'I am beautiful, I am fly,'" Jones said, reciting her mantras. "Even if nobody else tells me that, I know it for myself."

Jones adds a unique flavor to the dating show and left a mark on the entire cast. After walking away with nothing but lessons, Jones left me with this final reflection.

"This journey was new for me as I re-entered into the dating world," Jones said. "One of the successes I've gained from the show is self-reflection. Any perceived losses were not losses at all but lessons to live by."
Summer break is almost here, which means camping trips, hiking adventures, and visits to Texas's many state parks. For those of us who consider our dog a family member (sometimes our favorite family member), including them in the fun is a vacation necessity.

If you're planning a trip to one of Texas's 80 state parks and bringing the pups along, there are a few guidelines from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help ensure a fun, safe time for all.

"Its really important for all Texas State Park visitors to be prepared for the heat before hitting the trails," says Stephanie Salinas Garcia, TPWD press office manager. "The most important things to remember when spending a day outside is to hydrate, dress for the weather, use sunscreen and take plenty of snacks to keep up your energy."

Leave the retractable leash at home

It might be fun to give Fido a longer lead, but Texas state parks require pets to be on a leash six feet or shorter.

READ MORE: Low-cost Breeze Airline drifts into San Antonio airport with $39 fares

If not on a leash, the dogs must be in the car or in a crate. You must stay with the animal at all times, according to the TPWD website.

Five-second rule

As we know, Texas can get brutually hot, so it's important to implement the "five-second rule" when hitting the trail. If you cannot keep your palm on pavement or another surface for at least five seconds, it's too hot for a dog's paws to handle.

Beware of off-limit areas

Dogs cannot be in the water or the land surrounding a swimming area, so make sure to pack plenty of water to keep your pet cool. As a TPWD rep notes, some parks, like Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, have prohibited dogs from certain trails in order to protect against overheating and environmental impact.

Within certain parks, including Government Canyon, near San Antonio, there are areas where dogs may not go. Those include:

Big Bend Ranch State Park  Nearly all hiking trails in Big Bend (campgrounds, and the Closed Canyon Trail and the Hoodoos Trail are OK)

Enchanted Rock  Dogs must stay in the day-use picnic areas, the campgrounds, and on the Loop Trail only

Government Canyon State Natural Area  All pets are restricted to the front country trails

Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site  Dogs are only allowed in the campground and on the paved picnic area trail. All other paths are off limits.

Seminole Canyon

No matter what park you're in, make sure to carefully check signage if you're on the trails with Spot. Signage and restrictions vary from park to park, so TPWD says the best thing to do is call a park ahead of your trip to find out if there are additional restrictions for pets.

READ MORE: GREG ABBOTT NAMES 'OFFICIAL HANDGUN' OF TEXAS FOR SOME REASON

Dogs are not allowed in any park building, including motels, cabins, screened shelters, group facilities, and restrooms, unless they're a service animal.

Come prepared

Dog owners are required to have proof of vaccination while at the park. And picking up dog waste immediately is also required, so stock up on those poop bags.

If you have a noisy or aggressive dog, it's probably best to leave them behind. Failure to obey this or any of the parks' rules could mean you'll be asked to leave.

TPWD has heat and safety recommendations for two- and four-legged visitors alike, which can be found here.
A difficult school year for The Woodlands College Parks Class of 2021 came to a close on Monday as 760 graduates walked the stage to receive their diplomas.

After hosting all Conroe ISD graduations at Woodforest Bank Stadium last year to allow for social distancing, the ceremony was back at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion in The Woodlands this year. The covered outdoor venue was packed with seniors in navy blue robes with matching masks provided by the district. Family and friends of the seniors filled the rows behind, ready to cheer when their graduates name was called.

Mariana Zendejas was eager to cross the stage, ready to start the next big chapter.

It feels like Im being rewarded for all my hard work and all the work that I put into being who I am, and becoming who I am, especially through College Park, she said. All the classes and all the extra-curriculars at College Park helped me become interested in what Im going to major in, in college, and it helped me know my path.

Zendejas will be heading to Lawrence University in Wisconsin next school year to major in English and creative writing with a minor in psychology.

She will also be getting her special education certification.

For Olivia Munger, getting to graduation feels both rewarding and relieving.

My hard work has paid off, and I get to do my own thing now, she said.

Next year Munger is taking a gap year until she feels ready for the next big thing, which will be getting her associate degree from Lone Star College to become an ultrasound technician. In the meantime, she plans on working full time to save up for her own car.

After taking photos with family and friends, but before finding his seat, Caleb Vega reflected on a year of hard work and numerous unexpected challenges.

Just to see it all pay off makes me really happy, Vega said.

Vega plans on going to Blinn College to study kinesiology to become a physical therapist.

Like his fellow graduates, Daniel Yamakov is remembering all the hard work he put in to make it to this day.

Feels great, feels exciting, Yamakov said. Lots of hard work these four years leading up to this moment. Im really excited to get it over with.

Next year Yamakov will be heading to the University of Texas at Austin to study electrical and computer engineering. He hopes to work in the energy or electronics industry in the future.

As student class president and graduation speaker, Jillian Parks reminded her fellow Cavaliers that theyve survived a lot the last four years. She sent them off with a few words of wisdom: surround yourself with positive people who encourage your dreams, use adversity as a learning opportunity, use what youve learned to find success, and everything happens for a reason.

Everything thats happening today is preparing you for the person you are meant to be, Parks said. This is your moment, seniors. Have a glorious graduation.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
Get your closet ready for summer with Houston's best fashionistas Get your closet ready for a summer in Houston with some of the city's hottest influencers.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  State officials awarded $4.5 million in taxpayer money to online retail giant Amazon Inc. last year to build and staff a distribution facility in Delaware, but the company apparently is still not satisfied.

Members of a panel that approves incentives for economic development projects were told by state officials Monday that the deadline for dispersing the Amazon grant money expired months ago, and that the company is still negotiating terms with the state.

Im just curious as to whats taking so long, said Tarik Haskins, a member of the Council on Development Finance. Is Amazon just negotiating hard and they want various terms or things that we dont typically live with?

The response from Lawrence Lewis, a deputy attorney general assigned to the council, was vague.

This required policy considerations in terms of contract terms on both sides that needed to be elevated to the highest levels because of some complicated clauses, Lewis said. He offered no details.

Members of the council then voted to give Amazon until Aug. 1 to negotiate a final deal.

Under Delawares administrative code, all money committed for a project from the Delaware Strategic Fund must be completely dispersed within one year of final approval, although the Delaware Economic Development Authority has discretion to extend the deadline. State officials must issue a term letter to the applicant outlining the terms and conditions of the final grant approval. A closing is scheduled and the money made available after the applicant accepts and returns the term letter along with any required fees and documentation.

The council approved the $4.5 million grant for Amazon in February 2020, meaning the one-year deadline expired three months ago.

As long as the council views the project as still viable and still vital to economic development, then theres no real problem, Lewis told panel members on Monday. This has happened a few times in the past.

The grant funding was recommended by the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, a public-private entity that was incorporated by Democratic Gov. John Carney to lead Delawares economic development efforts but which is privately run and not subject to Delawares Freedom of Information Act.

Delaware Prosperity Partnership continues to be very pleased with Amazons investment in Delaware, bringing new jobs to Delaware and capital investment as well, spokeswoman Susan Coulby said in an email Tuesday when asked about the delay.

Emails to Amazons public relations department on Monday and Tuesday went unanswered.

Michael Chesney, a spokesman for the state Division of Small Business, which oversees the Delaware Economic Development Authority, said the authority could not comment on ongoing contract negotiations. Carney, through a spokesman, also declined to comment, with the spokesman referring questions to the Division of Small Business.

The Council on Development Finance approved millions of state taxpayer dollars to Amazon in a year in which the company reported record income and profit. Amazon saw net revenue increase 38% last year to $386.1 billion and reported net income of $21.3 billion, almost double the $11.6 billion in profit it reported in 2019.

The grant was awarded after a Nevada-based commercial development company that has worked with Amazon in the past applied to build a five-story, 3.8 million-square-foot facility in Newport at the site of a former General Motors assembly plant that was shuttered in 2009.

Amazon said in its grant application that it planned to spend $50 million for new equipment and machinery, including $48.5 million in equity. The remaining $1.5 million would come from the Strategic Fund grant, which also included a $3 million performance grant for Amazons promise to create 1,000 full-time jobs over three years. State officials were told a site launch was projected between the third quarter of this year and the third quarter of 2022.
MILFORD, Del. (AP)  Delaware State Police have charged an 18-year-old probationer in a hit-and-run crash involving a stolen car that left two children seriously injured.

Authorities said William T. Ackridge Jr. of Newark was taken into custody Monday and charged with three counts of misdemeanor vehicular assault, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury and traffic offenses. He was released after posting $4,104 secured bond.

Officials said troopers were able to identify Ackridge as the driver of a Toyota Corolla that had been reported stolen in New Castle County after receiving information from Probation and Parole officers regarding his location at the time of Sundays crash through his GPS ankle monitor. Details on his previous offense were not immediately available.

Authorities also said video footage from a state police aviation unit captured Ackridge exiting the drivers side of the Corolla after it ran a red light in Milford and plowed into an SUV carrying members of a Reading, Pennsylvania, family who were coming home from a beach trip.

Authorities said Ackridge and two other Black males got out of the Corolla and ran. Police are still searching for the two passengers.

A 10-year-old boy and 6-year-old boy who were riding in the rear passenger seat of the SUV were flown to A.I. duPont hospital in Wilmington. The 10-year-old was initially listed in critical condition and the 6-year-old in serious condition. State police said Tuesday that the boys conditions have improved and that they are expected to be released from the hospital in a few days. A 1-year-old girl who was also riding in the SUV was treated for minor injuries.

Police said the stolen Corolla was traveling northbound on U.S. 113 from the Ocean City, Maryland, area prior to the crash at an extremely high rate of speed and was the subject of several 911 calls.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP)  School leaders in northwest Arkansas are apologizing for inaccuracies printed in a junior high yearbook, including a current events section that falsely stated former President Donald Trump was not impeached.

The Lincoln Junior High School yearbook also described racial injustice protests following the killing of George Floyd as Black Lives Matter riots. The Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol was described as Trump supporters protest at the Capitol," Fort Smith TV station KFSM reported.
Tibet witnesses historic changes over past seven decades

10:21, May 25, 2021 By Yang Hao ( People's Daily

A train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the only railway that extends to Tibet from Chinas inland regions, Aug. 28, 2020. (Peoples Daily Online/Peng Huan)

The Chinese central government allocated a total investment of 1.63 trillion yuan ($253 billion) in the past 70 years since the peaceful liberation of Tibet, said Wu Yingjie, secretary of Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The southwestern autonomous region also received a total of 69.3 billion yuan of funds from other provincial and municipal governments in recent years, Wu said at a press conference on the economic and social development of Tibet on May 22.

Over 590 billion yuan of the total investment were put into the construction of major projects that have greatly driven the regions economic development, including the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Lhasa Kongga International Airport and Zangmu Dam.

Tibet was once a contiguous poor area that suffered the highest poverty headcount ratio, the deepest poverty, as well as the highest cost and difficulties in poverty reduction. Through targeted measures and assistance, the autonomous region has lifted all 628,000 of the registered poor people out of poverty and delisted 74 county-level areas from the poverty list.

The average per capita disposal income of rural residents stood at 14,598 yuan last year, up 12.7 percent year on year and maintaining double-digit growth for 18 consecutive years, Wu introduced.

Qizhala, chairman of the regional government noted that during the 13th Five-year plan period (2016-2020), the central government planned an investment of 380.7 billion yuan for Tibet, but the actual amount put into place reached 393.7 billion yuan. The massive investment has led to a giant leap forward in infrastructure construction and people's livelihood, he added.

For the next five years, he said, investment poured into Tibet will grow with a fairly large margin from the previous period, with focus on ecological development, people's wellbeing, social governance and construction of the border areas, he introduced.

Tibet takes education development as a priority. A modern education system was gradually put in place that covers preschool, basic, vocational, higher, continuing and special education. The right to receive education is fully enjoyed by all the ethnic peoples of Tibet.

Currently, Tibet has 3,195 schools of various types, where 880,000 students are receiving education, Qizhala said, adding that the gross enrollment rates of preschools and primary schools have reached 87 percent and 99.9 percent, respectively. The retention rate of nine-year compulsory education was 95 percent, he said.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, a financial aid system that covers from preschool to higher education has been established in Tibet. China adopts a "three guarantees" policy that provides food, accommodation and school expenses for children of farmers and herdsmen. So far, over 18 billion yuan of aid has been offered to over 11 million students. Besides, the autonomous region has also rolled out 40 policies to help the students.

Since 2012, Tibet has made steady progress in medical and health services, sharing synchronous development with the rest of the country and protecting the health rights of all people in Tibet. The development of medical and health services in Tibet has been accelerated, and a healthcare service network that covers five administrative levels has been built. Medical workers from renowned hospitals across China have been selected to support Tibet, and hospitals have been paired up for assistance. At present, there are three national-level health centers, one university, and 19 enterprises of Tibetan medicine and therapies.

Practices prove that without the CPC, there would be no new China, let alone a new socialist Tibet, Wu said. Only by adhering to the leadership of the CPC, the socialism with Chinese characteristics and regional ethnic autonomy can Tibet secure a prosperous present and a brighter future, he noted.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
President Joe Biden on Monday said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was a direct affront to international norms" and condemned the action as an outrageous incident."

Biden made the statement  and joined calls for an international investigation  as the European Union imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports in the 27-nation bloc in reaction to Sunday's forced diversion of the Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight. The flight had originated from Greece, but was forced to land in Minsk.

Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Raman Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko, that aired on Belarusian state television Monday night.

In the video clip, Pratasevich, 26, said his treatment in custody was maximally correct and according to law. He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.

This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Pratasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press," Biden said in a statement. The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners who are being unjustly detained by the Lukashenka regime."

Separately, the White House said that national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday spoke with Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Sullivan told the opposition leader that the U.S. in coordination with the EU and other allies and partners, will hold the Lukashenka regime to account."

Two U.S. senators urged the Biden administration to prohibit U.S. airlines from entering Belarus airspace because of the incident. We must protect innocent passengers from despotic regimes and stand in solidarity with dissidents who are being targeted," Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a joint statement.

The U.S. and the EU had already imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenkos reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands beaten.

I applaud the courage and determination of Belarusians fighting for basic rights, including journalists like Raman Pratasevich and opposition leaders like Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski," Biden said in a statement. The United States will continue to stand with the people of Belarus in their struggle."

Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging apps Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organize the anti-Lukashenko protests.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen a key diplomatic outreach office to the Palestinians and pledged nearly $40 million in new aid  reversing key policies of the Trump administration as he moved to bolster the embattled Palestinian government in the West Bank.

On his first official visit to the region, Blinken met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders with the immediate aim of shoring up last week's cease-fire that ended 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. He vowed to rally international support for the effort while also promising to ensure that none of the aid would reach Hamas.

Blinken repeatedly alluded to the underlying issues of the decades-old conflict and expressed empathy for both sides, but he showed little interest in launching another U.S. push for lasting peace, perhaps because previous efforts by past administrations have all failed. Instead, he expressed hope for creating a better environment that might one day yield peace talks.

Despite these modest aims, Blinken made clear that President Joe Biden will pursue a more even-handed approach to the region than former President Donald Trump, who sided overwhelmingly with Israel in virtually every area of disagreement with the Palestinians.

As I told the president, Im here to underscore the commitment of the United States to rebuilding the relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people, a relationship built on mutual respect and also a shared conviction that Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of security, freedom opportunity and dignity, he said after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

In an act with great symbolic meaning, Blinken said the U.S. would reopen its Jerusalem consulate  an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians.

Trump had downgraded its operations and placed them under his ambassador to Israel when he moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city in 2018. The embassy move infuriated the Palestinians, who claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, and led them to sever most ties with the Trump administration.

Blinken did not provide a firm date for the reopening but said that Michael Ratney, a senior U.S. diplomat who has previously served as consul general in Jerusalem, would soon be returning to the region.

Blinken also announced some $38.5 million in additional aid for the Palestinians. In all, the Biden administration has pledged some $360 million to the Palestinians, after the Trump administration cut almost all aid. Tuesdays pledges included $5.5 million in emergency assistance for Gaza.

The 11-day war killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused heavy destruction in the impoverished coastal territory.

Blinken promised that any assistance will be kept out of the hands of Hamas, which opposes Israels right to exist and which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist group.

The U.S. is trying to bolster Abbas, who has been sidelined by recent events, in his rivalry with Hamas and on the international stage.

Abbas heads the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power there in 2007. He now administers only parts of the occupied West Bank. Though deeply unpopular at home, he is seen internationally as the representative of the Palestinian people and a key partner in the long-defunct peace process.

The truce that ended the Gaza war on Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the deeper issues plaguing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something Blinken acknowledged after meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges. And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild, he said.

Those challenges include a hawkish Israeli leadership that seems unwilling to make major concessions, Palestinian divisions, years of mistrust and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, built on a hilltop compound revered by Jews and Muslims that has seen several outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years. The protests were directed at Israels policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

The truce remains tenuous since tensions are still high in Jerusalem and the fate of the Palestinian families is not yet resolved.

On Tuesday, the leader of the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said that Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa could provoke fighting across the Middle East. Jerusalem means a regional war," said Nasrallah, whose group fought Israel in a monthlong war in 2006.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years. He faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without halting rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Hamas.

In his remarks after his meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu hardly mentioned the Palestinians, warning of a very powerful response if Hamas breaks the cease-fire.

Netanyahu spoke of building economic growth in the occupied West Bank but said there will be no peace until the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The Palestinians have long objected to that demand, saying it undermines the rights of Israels own Palestinian minority.

Blinken repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israels right to defend itself and said the U.S. would assist Israel in replenishing its Iron Dome rocket-interception system.

But he also called on leaders of all sides to chart a better course in hopes of laying the groundwork for peace talks aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The Biden administration, like most of the international community, believes the two-state solution is the only way to resolve the conflict.

He said that could start with a successful reconstruction effort in Gaza, which has the potential to undermine Hamas. He also urged all sides to refrain from moves that could escalate tensions or reignite violence. He cited the planned evictions in east Jerusalem, Israeli settlement construction and Palestinian incitement.

Blinken on Wednesday heads to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which have acted as mediators in the conflict. Egypt succeeded in brokering the Gaza truce after the Biden administration pressed Israel to wind down its offensive.

___

Associated Press Writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Less than a year after being on the verge of furloughing about 70% of employees to plug a funding shortfall, the U.S. agency that grants citizenship wants to improve service without a detailed plan to pay for it, including waivers for those who cant afford fees, according to a proposal obtained by The Associated Press.

The Homeland Security Department sent its 14-page plan to enhance procedures for becoming a naturalized citizen to the White House for approval on April 21. It involves U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of Homeland Security and operates entirely on fees.

The plan describes changes that reflect a realistic assessment of our aspirations and limitations, including more video instead of in-person applicant interviews, authorizing employees to administer citizenship oaths versus relying on federal judges, and promoting online filing to reduce processing times.

Homeland Security says it can be done without the approval of Congress, where consensus on immigration has proven elusive.

Taken together, the changes mark a complete break from the Trump administration, when the agency focused on combatting fraud and adjusted to shrinking immigration benefits.

The plan also seeks to give potential U.S. citizens the benefit of the doubt. For instance, it specifies that an immigrant who mistakenly registers to vote in U.S. elections before becoming a citizen wont be punished. Doing so now can lead to deportation or criminal charges, likely ending a persons chance for citizenship.

The issue has been in the spotlight amid a recent surge in automatic voter registration and former President Donald Trumps repeated unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally in 2016. Last year, Illinois automatic voter registration program mistakenly registered hundreds of people who said they werent U.S. citizens. At least one voted.

The agency will improve the citizenship process to encourage full participation in our civic life and democracy and to deliver services effectively and efficiently, according to the document.

It doesnt provide cost estimates for the proposed changes, though there are options on the table and some measures appear designed to save money and achieve efficiencies. It also acknowledges success depends on long-term financial stability, which includes asking Congress for money.

Under the plan, the agency would continue subsidizing the costs of becoming a citizen to make sure the process is available to as many people as possible. The administration recognizes that the cost of fees can be a barrier so "other fee-paying applicants and petitioners will continue to subsidize this policy decision to ensure full cost recovery, the document reads.

Asked about the status of the proposal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it's reviewing policies and practices.

Under the Biden Administration, the agency has made considerable strides in reallocating our resources and priorities to fulfill this mission and address challenges like the ones caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," spokesman Joe Sowers said in a statement Tuesday. "Ultimately, USCIS is committed to administering our nations legal immigration system in a way that empowers immigrants to pursue citizenship and the privileges that accompany it.

Immigration attorneys called the proposed changes a welcomed shift after the Trump administration.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations for the American Immigration Attorneys Association, said expanding video interviews would be more efficient and convenient for people far from immigration offices, some of which continue to operate at reduced capacity because of the pandemic.

They have a huge backlog they need to work out of, she said. Having those creative solutions, will help them dig out of that backlog.

Danielle Spooner, head of the union representing agency workers, said video would benefit employees who've been working from home, but administering the oath, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, should be left to judges.

Questions about how the agency would fund the changes made her uneasy, saying employee morale remains low since last summer's near financial catastrophe.

That's when the agency threatened more than 13,000 furloughs to tackle a projected $1.26 billion shortfall. But a few tense months later, it said it didn't need the money after all and would end the year with a surplus. Agency leaders said application fees rebounded more than expected as offices reopened from coronavirus shutdowns and contracts were reviewed for cost savings.

The anticipated shortfall first surfaced in November 2019, when the agency proposed major fee increases  well before COVID-19 threatened finances.

The budget whiplash raised doubts about how the agency's finances deteriorated so rapidly then suddenly recovered. Ur Jaddou, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in April to lead the agency and has a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, was among those with questions.

Jaddou, who served as the agency's chief counsel under President Barack Obama, said in October that the agency needed a financial audit. She questioned some Trump administration changes, including justification for a major expansion of an anti-fraud unit, since abandoned by Biden.

It really is a bunch of bureaucratic red tape, she said when discussing agency financial woes.

Fees were set to increase by an average of 20% last October but a federal judge blocked them. The wait to process a citizenship application grew to more than a year by the end of Trump's presidency from less than eight months four years earlier.

Emilio Gonzalez, a former agency director who oversaw massive fee hikes under the second Bush administration, said the agency should avoid going to lawmakers for funding.

By having your own budget, you can be very nimble, he said. Losing your budget leaves you at the whim of Congress and all of a sudden immigration gets politicized.

One potential avenue for boosting revenue is expanding the use of so-called premium processing. For a hefty fee, it allows limited applicants a 15-day turnaround on some paperwork. Under emergency legislation in October, the agency raised it from $1,440 to $2,500 and allowed revenues to be used for operating expenses. USCIS appears on board, allowing the expedited option in February to some Australian nationals.

Broadening it to more eligible forms could generate up to $626 million annually, according to an analysis co-authored by Doug Rand, a former Obama administration official who founded an organization that helps people with immigration.

When USCIS is plagued with problems and not delivering the services it is supposed to in a reasonable time, thats not just bad news for immigrants, it is bad news for U.S. citizens navigating the system, Rand said.

___

Tareen reported from Chicago.
DENVER (AP)  Air pollution regulators in Colorado have accepted a third party consultant's recommendations on changes that will help prevent an oil refinery from releasing toxins into a Denver suburb.

Suncor Energy Inc. reached a $9 million settlement with the state Department of Public Health and Environment in March 2020 after years of toxic emissions and air quality violations near Commerce City, northeast of Denver, The Colorado Sun reported Monday.

Suncor was required to hire a consultant as part of the settlement agreement and spend at least $5 million on upgrades to the plant.

The state on Friday said Suncor will spend $12 million on a new automatic shutdown system by December for a catalytic cracking unit that makes gas and upgrade an older unit by the end of June. The state previously asked for stronger measures, but is now approving the refinery's revised plan.

Director of Environmental Health and Protection Shaun McGrath said the plan resulted in positive changes at the refinery, but the state will still keep an eye on the company until it can prove it will be better.

Some environmental advocates have criticized the plan for its temporary solutions and have called for the refinery to be removed from the community, not just modified.

The state is also still considering the companys application to renew a general operating permit, which has expired. The state Air Pollution Control Division allows many companies to continue operations while staff considers renewals.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The mother of two kids who were found dead last year in Idaho and her new husband have been charged with murder in a grim case involving bizarre doomsday religious beliefs and two other suspicious deaths.

Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were each indicted by a grand jury Monday on charges of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Lori Daybells two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua JJ Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.

Chad Daybell was also charged with one count of murder and insurance fraud in connection with the death of his late wife, Tammy Daybell, just weeks before his marriage to the co-defendant.

The indictment, released Tuesday, doesnt reveal any details of how the three victims died. But it does say that both Chad and Lori Daybell endorsed and espoused specific religious beliefs in order to justify or encourage the killing of her two children and Chad Daybell's late wife. They were missing for several months starting in 2019 until last year when authorities found their bodies buried on Chad Daybells property.

Both the Daybells have been in jail for months awaiting trial on charges including conspiracy or destruction of evidence after prosecutors said they conspired to hide the childrens remains. The indictment released Tuesday marked the first time murder charges have been brought in the case.

Both Daybells pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges. They have not yet had the opportunity to enter a plea on the murder charges and were set for their first court appearance on the new charges on Wednesday.

The complex case began in 2018, according to the indictment, when Chad and Lori Daybell  both still married to other people  began espousing their apocalyptical system of religious belief. Things may have begun to publicly unravel in the summer of 2019, however, when Lori Daybells brother Alex Cox shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in suburban Phoenix.

Cox asserted the shooting was in self-defense, and he was never charged. At the time, Charles Vallow was seeking a divorce, saying his wife believed she had become a god-like figure who was responsible for ushering in the biblical end of times.

Cox later died of an apparent blood clot in his lung.

Shortly after Charles Vallows death, Lori Daybell  then still Lori Vallow  and her children moved to Idaho, where Chad Daybell lived. He ran a small publishing company, releasing doomsday-focused fiction books loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also recorded podcasts about preparing for the apocalypse, and friends said he claimed to be able to receive visions from beyond the veil.

At the time, Chad Daybell was married to Tammy Daybell, a fit 49-year-old school librarian who helped him run the publishing company. She died in October of 2019. Her obituary said she died in her sleep of natural causes.

Authorities grew suspicious when Chad Daybell remarried just two weeks later, and they had Tammy Daybells body exhumed in Utah in December. The results of that autopsy have not been released.

Police began searching for Tylee and JJ in November after relatives raised concerns. Police say the Daybells lied to investigators about their whereabouts before quietly leaving Idaho. They were found in Hawaii months later, without the children.

The indictment details several new charges filed against Lori and Chad Daybell. The grand jury alleged that the Daybells and Cox conspired with other unnamed people to kill the children, and that they planned to steal the Social Security survivor benefits that the children were entitled to because of the deaths of their fathers. (Tylee Ryans father died in 2018 of a reported heart attack.)

The indictment also alleges the Daybells and Cox conspired to kill Tammy Daybell, and that Cox even practiced shooting, going to a gun range and searching the internet for information about bullet velocity and shooting through vehicles.

Two weeks before her death, Tammy Daybell told the Fremont County sheriffs office that someone dressed in black and wearing a ski mask shot at her with what she thought was a paintball gun. She wasnt hit, and with no evidence, law enforcement attributed the incident to a prankster.

Chad and Lori Daybell exchanged text messages saying that Tammy Daybell had been possessed by a spirit named Viola, according to the indictment, and that she was in Limbo. The allegations are similar to testimony from a friend of the Daybells who previously said in court that Lori Daybell referred to her children as zombies.

The friend, Melanie Gibb, said the term referred to someone whose mortal spirit has left their body, allowing it to be possessed by another dark spirit.

The investigation took thousands of hours and the grand jury proceedings were hampered by the pandemic.

We know that many members of the community may feel that progress on this case has been slow, Fremont County prosecutor Lindsey Blake said. We were just recently given permission to present information to the grand jury for their review. We want to assure everyone that despite the delays, we have been working diligently to pursue justice for the victims in this case.

If convicted, Chad and Lori Daybell could face life in prison or the death penalty. Under Idaho law, prosecutors have 60 days to decide whether they will seek the death penalty.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP)  The man on trial for the 2018 stabbing death of a University of Iowa student is a hard-working, family-centered immigrant from Mexico who was pressured into making a false confession, his defense told jurors Tuesday.

Jennifer Frese, a lawyer for Cristhian Bahena Rivera, said in her opening statement that their hearts should break for 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, but that authorities conducted an incomplete investigation into her death and were too quick to close the case.

Her family deserves justice but so does Cristhian Bahena Rivera, Frese said, standing next to her client.

Bahena Riveras defense declined to give an opening statement when the trial began last week, opting to do so after prosecutors rested their case on Monday.

His lawyers began calling witnesses Tuesday, questioning the confession and DNA evidence, and painting Bahena Rivera as a non-violent family man who crossed the border illegally from Mexico as a teenager in search of a better life.

They also kept working to raise suspicion about Tibbetts boyfriend, Dalton Jack, who testified again Tuesday about their up-and-down relationship. Jack was confronted with phone records showing he only called Tibbetts once in the days after she vanished, with Snapchat messages about his affair with another woman and with questions about his temper.

Police say they cleared Jack as a suspect after establishing he was out of town for work when Tibbetts went missing while on a run in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18, 2018.

Her disappearance triggered a search involving local, state and federal agencies and hundreds of volunteers. Investigators say they began focusing on Bahena Rivera a month later after finding surveillance video showing his black Chevy Malibu driving back and forth near where Tibbetts had been seen.

Investigators said Bahena Rivera confessed during an 11-hour interrogation to approaching Tibbetts, fighting with her after she threatened to call the police, putting her body in his trunk and hiding it in a cornfield. They say he led them to the body, which was badly decomposed and hidden underneath cornstalks. Tibbetts DNA was found on blood spots on the rubber trunk seal and trunk liner of the Malibu.

Frese told jurors that the case was about a Mexican immigrant who came to the U.S. to earn better wages. She said Bahena Rivera is a yes man who did anything he was asked on the dairy farm where he worked, and cooperated when law enforcement showed up there and asked to question him.

She said the interrogation went on and on for hours, after Bahena Rivera had worked a 12-hour day.

The confrontation continued until it was put in my clients head, perhaps you blacked out, she said. The state in this case, they got what they wanted and they closed the case. They got what they needed. There was an intense amount of pressure to close this case, to arrest someone, for this vicious crime.

Investigators say Bahena Rivera told them he blacked out and couldn't remember how he killed Tibbetts.

The first defense witness called Tuesday was forensic consultant Michael Spence, who agreed that Tibbetts DNA was found on blood stains in the trunk, but said there was also unaccounted for DNA in the trunk, including at least one unknown male and female.

Spence conceded that it would not be surprising to find other DNA sources in a trunk of a vehicle that had been used, and that there are many ways they could have ended up there.

Iris Gamboa, the mother of Bahena Rivera's daughter, testified Tuesday that she lived with him for four years before they broke up in 2017. She said he worked 12-hour days and only got two days off every two weeks.

She said he was a good father who paid $500 per month to support their daughter, was not violent toward them and never showed excessive anger. Bahena Rivera was also sending money back to his parents in Mexico and paying to build them a house, she said.

The defense showed jurors a photograph of a smiling Bahena Rivera and Gamboa with their young daughter at a family party in 2017. He was happy that his daughter was happy, Gamboa said. It was a good day.

Bahena Rivera's aunt, Alejandra Cervantes, said he was known as playful around the family and that children love him. She recalled going to the sheriff's office where Bahena Rivera was being interrogated but being unable to see him or get in touch with him by phone.
BOSTON (AP)  A judge ruled Tuesday against Boston's embattled police commissioner in his bid to block the city from firing him over decades-old domestic violence accusations.

The judge denied Commissioner Dennis White's request for a preliminary injunction, clearing the way for acting Mayor Kim Janey to move forward in removing him from the top job.

White was placed on leave in February, just days into the role, after The Boston Globe raised questions about allegations found in court documents that White pushed and threatened to shoot his then-wife, a fellow police officer. White has denied the allegations.

An email seeking comment on the judges ruling was sent to Whites lawyer.

White went to court this month after he says Janey informed him that morning that she intends to terminate him.

White's lawyer argued in a hearing last week that the city has no cause to fire him and that White deserves a chance to clear his name. They wanted the judge to block Janey from firing him until the court holds an evidentiary hearing to determine whether there is cause to do so.

Superior Court Judge Heidi Brieger said police commissioners must get a hearing before they're removed, but they aren't entitled to one in court.

Janey applauded the judge's ruling in an emailed statement, saying she will inform White of "his rescheduled Zoom hearing.

It is time to move our City and the Boston Police Department forward, Janey said.

An investigative report released by the city said witnesses alleged that Whites ex-wife was subjected to physical and mental abuse. Among the allegations included in the report is that White burned her hair, put her face to a stove and threw a television at her.

A judge issued a restraining order against White in 1999, ordering him to stay away from his wife and children and surrender his service weapon, the Globe reported.

The city's report said White was also involved in what he described as a heated fisticuffs with a young woman in 1993. White admitted striking her with a full swing of his arm and open hand, but says he was acting in self-defense, the report said.

White denies abusing his ex-wife or ever threatening to shoot her. In an affidavit filed in court, White alleged that she was looking for a financial advantage in the divorce and she got it.

His lawyer said the report filled with what he described as hearsay" had damaged White's reputation.

White was swiftly picked to replace William Gross, the city's first Black police commissioner. White had previously served as Gross' chief of staff and then-Mayor Marty Walsh said at the time that he believed White would continue the police force's reputation as a leader in community policing."

Gross said in an affidavit that former Walsh, now the secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, was aware of the allegations against White before choosing him for the job.

Gross said that the 2014 candidates for promotion to the department's command staff  which included White  were presented to Walsh, and he was briefed on each candidate and their internal affairs history.

Walsh denies having any knowledge of the allegations before elevating White to the role. Walsh says that neither the allegations nor Whites internal affairs files were shared with him in 2014 when White was being considered for promotion to the command staff, or at any other time.

Had I known, I would not have chosen him for police commissioner or any other role, Walsh said in an emailed statement last week.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  In a cramped house with mice in the kitchen and music booming from cars outside, Keldy Mabel Gonzales Brebe lays bare her three-year journey from Honduras to the United States and all that lies ahead to adapt to life as an immigrant.

She fled the Central American nation with her family and a price on her head to seek asylum at the U.S. border. Instead, U.S. officials separated her from her children, jailed and deported her under President Trumps zero-tolerance policy to prosecute adults entering the country illegally. While the boys were allowed to live with relatives in Philadelphia, their mother struggled to join them from Mexico.

Keldy missed celebrating birthdays and holidays together. She watched from afar as her teenagers filled out and grew facial hair.

There were times I thought I would never see them again, she said.

Three years later, America has jettisoned many of Trumps hardline immigration policies.

Keldy was one of four parents who returned to the United States during the first week of May with temporary legal status to join their children in what Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said was just the beginning of a broader effort to reunify families separated during Trumps presidency  more than 5,500 children. Her familys ups and downs illustrate what many parents and children encounter as they try to make up for lost time.

Keldy counts her blessings to be together as a family, free from death threats in Honduras and the pain of separation.

Yet now they face new difficulties. Keldys son, Mino, dropped out of school to help pay rent on the house that six of them share. Keldy sleeps on the living room sofa. She wants to get a job, but is caring for her 7-year-old autistic niece and an unsteady 75-year-old mother, along with cooking and cleaning for the family. She sees drug use on the streets of the Kensington section of Philadelphia where they live.

I hear gunshots sometimes. With my sister, when we run a quick errand, I look around to see whether someone was killed, Keldy said. La Ceiba, where I grew up, was like that."

____

Honduras, a mountainous nation located between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, is beautiful but broken, Keldy says.

She and her family lived on the north Caribbean shore, in a tourist area. Her husband was a guide, taking American tourists to a region of tropical rainforest, pine savannah and marsh called La Mosquitia, or whitewater rafting on the Cangrejal River.

Keldy described herself as middle-class housewife. She would cook for the tourists on the expeditions.

Drug trafficking gangs controlled some areas and required payments from businesses and people for protection. For those who didnt pay, the penalty was death.

Hit men killed one of her brothers in 2006, she said. He was a bus driver.

He had no money. The owner of the bus was the one who was supposed to pay, not him. He was just the bus driver. But they killed him, she said.

In 2011, her family and other families decided to try to buy some parcels of land to live on and grow crops. Gangs, however, did not agree with the purchase and threatened one her brothers, then killed him after he reported the threats to authorities. He was one of four siblings killed by gangs.

Keldy testified in open court against the killers. She received numerous threats and was told there was a price on her head.

The whole family fled to Mexico in 2013 but were deported by the Mexican government right away.

Back in Honduras, they fled to a rural mountainous area called El Naranjo in attempt to hide from the gangs. But in 2017, neighbors told her there were people asking about her schedule: When did she usually leave the house and when did she usually get back? The fear returned, and the family left for the United States.

She crossed the border with her youngest son Erick, now 17, and her middle child Mino, now 19, in the fall of 2017.

The family planned to apply for asylum, so Keldy flagged down a Border Patrol cruiser in the New Mexico desert. She and her sons were taken together to a cell in a detention center in Deming, New Mexico, 35 miles north of the border. They thought theyd be released at some point, and would meet up with her oldest son, who crossed the same day in Arizona, and other family in Philadelphia.

But unknown to them, President Trump had imposed extraordinary measures to limit asylum, criminally prosecuting everyone who entered the United States illegally from Mexico and resulting in the separation of thousands of children from their parents. The government was unable to reunify them after criminal cases ended because its tracking systems failed to link parents to their children.

Less than two days after the family had arrived in the U.S., Keldy was handcuffed and separated from the boys.

I felt helpless, like there was nothing I could do. And then I blamed myself because I brought my kids to uncertainty, into a situation in which they were taken from me, they were taken from my arms and I couldnt do anything, she said.

The kids were frightened to be separated from their mother.

"We started crying, my brother and I, because we were left alone in there. And it was very cold. They only gave us a small blanket, recalled Erick, who was 13 then. His brother Mino was 15.

The boys were moved to a shelter for minors.

Mino, who wears glasses and smiles often, said he did not want to do anything at the time, just cry. He felt lost at the shelter, with the other unaccompanied minors.

They did not feel what I was going through because they had come alone. They did not come with their mother. They did not feel the pain I felt when I was separated from her, he said.

The children were both soon released, and family members paid for their flight to Philadelphia. Their older brother, Alex, now 21, eventually became the legal guardian of his brothers and cared for them while they went to school, working construction.

But Keldy was not released. She was kept in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Paso, Texas, for a year and a half and then deported to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in January 2019.

She immediately traveled back north and settled in Tapachula, Ascension and then Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, waiting for a chance to enter the United States.

In Mexico, Keldy got by with money sent to her by her kids, her sisters and her husband, who crossed the border five years ago and lives in Texas. She video chatted with her boys, and remembers with pain of missing graduations and other big moments: This January, Erick did not want to come out of his room on his 17th birthday.

He felt alone, Keldy said. I wasnt there.

Online learning during the pandemic was a problem for both boys, who say they no longer understand classes. Mino dropped out in December. They say they can read English but they dont speak it.

In Ciudad Juarez, Keldy walked each morning toward the border, where she could see the bridges heading toward El Paso, Texas, and prayed.

Known to others as la pastora, she delivered sermons and benedictions to other migrants and at migrant shelters, listening to others who were in pain, like her.

I would tell others in my prayers to believe, to never doubt, answers were going to come to our lives, she said.

___

The answer shed been waiting for arrived last month. Linda Corchado, director of legal services at the non-profit Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, contacted her: Bidens task force was working to reunite families separated at the border. Keldy needed to get passport photos.

Corchado had been trying obtain a humanitarian parole for Keldy, and finally found success.

I realized then these were the final steps the attorney was doing to get me in, she said. Later she told me I would probably enter on May 4 at 8 am. I kept asking God for it to be true.

It was.

She entered on May 4, with Corchado, through the Bridge of The Americas.

The Honduran mother took a plane to Dallas and then another one to Philadelphia. While flying, all she thought about were the first words she would tell her kids.

They ended up being I love you. Those are the words I wanted to tell my kids, that I loved them, she said.

A video shows the family reunion on May 4 in the Philadelphia home of a niece, with Keldy crying while her kids hug her. Hola mi amor, amor mio (Hello my love, my love), the video shows her saying, her face buried in the arms of her sons.

They are together, yet life still isnt easy.

Since her arrival, the Honduran mother has been inside the home, cleaning and cooking. When she speaks there is relief but also anxiety in her voice. She wonders about the sturdiness of the house, the stairs that feel unstable.

She doesnt venture out much. Opioid use has taken root in Kensington, which has been singled out, nationwide, as an example of the effects of underinvestment, crime and drug use.

She misses small-town life south of the border; the close buildings of Kensington make her feel trapped.

Keldy is thinking about finding a job, but she worries about leaving her mother, who forgot she was cooking the other day until there was fire in the stove. Keldy burned her hand putting it out, leaving marks on her skin.

I dont know what I am going to do. I would like to work but who is going to take care of my mother and Dana? she said of the niece she adopted as a baby.

Las Americas has connected them to mental health specialists who will speak online with Keldy and her sons to help them cope with the trauma of separation.

Corchado, the attorney, said Keldy has been granted humanitarian parole for three years but she hopes the Task Force puts her on a pathway for citizenship before that. She is also trying to make sure she is all right.

We dont just want the door open for Keldy. We want her to be successful in the United States, Corchado said. She shouldnt be sleeping on a couch after all the horrible experiences she went through."

But for Keldy, its enough, now, to be with her children. She knows that's more than many of her fellow migrants have.

Everyday I pray to God for other mothers to be able to come in. They cry for their kids, she said. They ask me do you know anything new? and I tell them to have patience. And I tell them they will succeed.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Court records show that a father who killed his 4-year-old son and himself had sent numerous threatening texts to the boy's mother and put a tracking device on her car in the days leading up to the deaths. She sought help from authorities, but it came too late.

The South Florida SunSentinel reports that court documents released Monday show John Michael Stacey, 47, threatening and stalking Alison Kessler in the days before he shot their son, Greyson Kessler, and himself during a visitation at his home.

Their bodies were found late Friday by police, hours after Alison Kessler had gone to court asking a judge to order an emergency pick up of her son. Fort Lauderdale police say that was probably already too late, with evidence indicating the shootings happened Thursday.

According to records filed by Kessler, Stacey sent her several threatening text messages, including one last week that said, You deserve to have your head separated from your body. But I am not the violent type. God will deal with you.

But Stacey also tried to sway Kessler into creating a family, texting, I want home. I want a yard. I want a dog. I wont find anyone better than you, and you have my son.

Kessler went to police last week after finding a GPS tracking device attached to the bottom of her car. Stacey had indicated in his texts that he knew her whereabouts, including a trip to the courthouse. The officer she spoke with recommended she seek a restraining order.

After Kessler's discovery, Stacey stopped communicating with her, and her lawyer went to court seeking the emergency pick up order and a restraining order on the stalking.

She also contacted Stacey's landlord on Friday; He called police, who found the bodies.

Twelve hours later, a judge, not knowing the outcome, issued an order supporting the restraining order, but denying her request for an emergency pick up.

Greysons mother, Alison Kessler, did everything she could to keep her child safe from harm, a statement from her family said. We feel that the system failed us at every level, from her attorney to the police department, to the court system. There were many red flags exhibited by John Stacey that were never acted upon, even though Alison reported his bizarre and threatening behavior and went through all the proper channels. This tragedy could have been prevented if proper action had been taken to help Alison and Greyson.

But Eric Schwartzreich, a local defense attorney not involved in the case, defended the judge. He told the SunSentinel that police are better suited to deal with circumstances like this because they can move more quickly. But even they cant prevent every death.

Everyone wants to look for blame, Schwartzreich said. The judge followed the law. Hes not clairvoyant. He cant predict whats going to happen. You cant blame him in this case. You really cant blame anyone. Its just a tragedy.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Teaching so-called critical race theory would be prohibited in Ohio's K-12 classrooms under a pair of bills introduced Tuesday by Republican state lawmakers that are similar to legislation introduced nationwide by GOP lawmakers.

Instructing students that one race or gender is inherently superior to another or that individuals could be considered racists by virtue of their skin color, would be prohibited under a bill introduced by GOP state Reps. Diane Grendell of Chesterland and Sarah Arthur of Geneva-on-the-Lake.
A new book telling the story of an American baker's enduring legal fight for his right to stand on his Biblical beliefs while operating his business, is out for release today.

In his book, "The Cost of My Faith: How a Decision in My Cake Shop Took Me to the Supreme Court," Jack Phillips of Colorado's Masterpiece Cakeshop detailed his experience when his religious convictions took him to the highest court of the United States, looking into the case that tackled the country's issue on freedom of speech and religion.

Phillips opened Masterpiece Cakeshop in September 1993, offering custom-made cakes. However, he never thought that his encounter with a gay couple in July 2012 would change the course of his life, leading him to become one of the most controversial witnesses of Christian faith in America today.

A gay couple went to his shop one July afternoon, requesting for a cake for their wedding but the shop owner declined, believing in the Biblical definition of marriage.

"I'll sell you birthday cakes, shower cakes, cookies, or brownies. I just don't do cakes for same-sex weddings," he told them.

"Nineteen words, approximately twenty seconds. That's all it took," Phillips remembered.

Five years later, the incident would bring the cake shop owner to the Supreme Court, challenging the Colorado Civil Rights Commission over his Christian convictions.

Six more months and he would finally win the case that has dragged him for years. In June 2018, the justices ruled 7-2, in favor of Phillips.

Going through the experience, he remembered the statement of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 10:18-20.

"On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you," the verses say.

Phillips said that he "can testify" to the truth of the promise, because he also stood "before governors and kings" and each time, he felt that God has provided him with the right words to say.

Mirroring the event in the Bible when Apostle Paul had to defend his faith and share his life story before kings like Agrippa, the Colorado baker felt the same way in writing the book.

He wrote the book, which releases today, for a couple of reasons. First, he said he wanted his kids and grandchildren to know about his personal accounts on the issue. His other reason is to share "what God has done in [his] life" so that people would also trust the Lord in what He wants to do in their lives.

"You have your own talents, your own circumstances, your own opportunities to make decisions. I believe God wants to bless you, lead you, and help you with all of those things, as surely as He has for me," he added.

He revealed that his most important learning throughout the ordeal is knowing "how good God is," seeing God's mercies and feeling His comfort "in the deep places of the soul that only He can reach."

"It has been worth it. Because the thing I've learned most from all of this is who my Savior really is. I pray you'll learn that too," Phillips further stated.

"The Cost of My Faith: How a Decision in My Cake Shop Took Me to the Supreme Court" is available beginning today via Amazon. It's currently Amazon's #1 book in the LGBTQ+ Demographic Studies category due to its content which tells of Jack Phillips's fight for his freedom to bake cakes based on his Christian beliefs.
ATLANTA (AP)  Six months after Donald Trump's loss, conspiracy theorists and Trump backers are continuing their push for repeated examinations of ballots and finding limited successes.

A Georgia judge last week awarded a group the chance to review mail ballots in a large Georgia county that includes Atlanta. Officials in a rural Michigan county have expressed interest in a review of their voting machines. A similar debate has caused sharp divisions in a New Hampshire town. In some cases, the efforts have been inspired by an audit of the votes in Arizona's Maricopa County, an elaborate exercise engineered by the GOP-led state Senate.

The efforts are unlikely to yield any new revelations about President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. The votes have been counted  and often recounted  and certified by local officials. Still, the lingering debate and legal wrangling have propelled suspicions and advanced debunked theories. And their sometimes misleading conclusions have been amplified by Trump, whose false allegations of election fraud sparked the push.

The profusion of audits alarms election experts, who note that the Arizona audit has set a troubling new precedent of third-party, partisan review of the ballots, long after elections are over.

This is bad enough to see it happen once, said Eddie Perez, an expert on voting systems at the OSET Institute, said of Arizona, but seeing it elsewhere in the country is dangerous for democracy.

The audits are serving a clear political purpose in firing up the Republican Partys base. At a rally outside Phoenix last week featuring GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, references to to the Arizona audit drew much more enthusiastic applause than even immigration, normally the top hot-button issue on the right in the border state.

In a statement Monday night, Trump criticized Republican Party leaders for not doing more about what went on in November. He cited the ballot reviews underway and promised more to follow.

The Arizona audit has been cited as a template for the others, although each is distinct. In Arizona, the Republican-controlled state Senate subpoenaed more than 2 million ballots and voting machines from Arizona's most populous county, which includes Phoenix, and gave control of the review to a small cybersecurity firm whose founder, Doug Logan, had tweeted pro-Trump election conspiracies.

Logan has ties to the Michigan effort as well. In April, Logan and another cybersecurity expert involved in the Arizona audit, Ben Cotton, filed separate expert witness reports alleging security problems in voting machines in a lawsuit filed in rural Antrim County, Michigan, that sought to compel a statewide election audit there. That case was dismissed by a judge last week  one of more than 60 court losses for pro-Trump groups in lawsuits challenging the 2020 election.

But Logan's and Cotton's claims were used by a Michigan attorney to bolster the case for a forensic audit of voting machines in rural Cheboygan County, in northern Michigan, earlier this month.

If you dont have your vote counted as it was intended to count, we dont have a free country, attorney Stefanie Lambert, who had filed an appeal of the dismissal of a separate, unsuccessful lawsuit challenging Trump's loss in Michigan, told the Cheboygan County elections committee. She offered to provide auditors free of charge.

Arizona has also inspired calls by pro-Trump groups to push for their own pick to take over a post-election audit of a statehouse race in Windham, New Hampshire  home of former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

But the biggest new entry into the audit field is in Georgia's Fulton County, where a judge on Friday ruled that plaintiffs could inspect 147,000 mail ballots as part of their lawsuit alleging fraud in the most populous county in the state.

The lawsuit was spearheaded by Garland Favorito, a longtime skeptic of Georgia's voting systems who has embraced conspiracy theories about 9/11, Clinton-era scandal and Supreme Court justices. Favorito says he voted for Don Blankenship, the U.S. Constitution Party candidate, last year.

Our ultimate objective is the truth. What is the truth of this election? Favorito said in an interview. Dont tell us what the results are and then hide it from us and pretend we have to accept whatever you tell us.

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said in a statement: It is outrageous that Fulton County continues to be a target of those who cannot accept the results from last years election. The votes have been counted multiple times, including a hand recount, and no evidence of fraud has been found.

Both sides are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss how to review the mail ballots. Favorito said Jovan Pulitzer, an inventor and key figure in the pro-Trump movement to overturn the 2020 election, may be one of the people he consults for the ballot examination.

Pulitzer had pushed unsuccessfully for a statewide audit of Georgia's election results, even after two recounts by the Republican secretary of state confirmed that Biden won the state. That finding infuriated Trump, who has slammed both Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp.

Former state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Trump backer who is challenging Kemp in the GOP primary, held a news conference outside the state Capitol last week to hammer the governor for not commissioning a statewide audit. Theres a dead cat on the end of this line, and we just want to find out what it is, thats all," Jones said. "People have a right to know. What are you hiding?

That's the sort of sentiment that alarms Tammy Patrick, who used to oversee post-election audits in Maricopa County. Those examinations are essential, she argued, but must be done by election experts, not ideologically interested novices, and should be completed soon after voting.

In a healthy democracy, you have a an auditing process, you have legal recourse, and when that period is over, all the candidates who have won take over and you move on, said Patrick, an adviser at The Democracy Fund, adding that the people calling for audits clearly want only one result.

They are not going to be satisfied, Patrick said. This is just going to play out in perpetuity.

___

Brumback reported from Atlanta and Riccardi from Denver. Jeff Amy in Atlanta and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  A timeline of key events in Mali that led to another power grab in the troubled West African nation.

August 2018  President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is re-elected to a second five-year term after receiving 67% of the Aug. 12 runoff vote, beating opposition leader Soumaila Cisse who received more than 32%. The Constitutional Court rejects motions of fraud filed by the opposition party.

Keita was first elected president in 2013, after a French-led military operation ousted Islamic extremists from power in northern Malis towns. He won elections organized after a military coup.

July 2020  Demonstrations against Keita's presidency escalate bringing him to urge dialogue with his opponents who call for his ouster.

Despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers, and French and regional forces backing Malian troops, extremist groups continue to mount attacks, killing hundreds of soldiers. Those losses prompt criticism of Keita's handling of the crisis.

August 18, 2020  Soldiers detain Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse after surrounding the presidential residence and firing into the air.

August 19, 2020  Keita resigns. Soldiers calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, led by Col. Assimi Goita, say they are in control and vow they will eventually hand over power to a transitional civilian government but give no timeline.

The 15-nation West African bloc ECOWAS says it will stop all economic, trade, and financial flows and transactions between member-states and Mali. Mediators begin negotiations.

Global leaders urge Malis junta to release ousted 75-year-old Keita and step up their calls for a return to civilian rule.

September 12, 2020  Malis military junta agrees to an 18-month transitional government headed by a military or civilian leader that will pave the way to elections. The regional bloc ECOWAS warns the junta that it must designate a civilian leader to lead the transition within a week or face further sanctions.

Sept. 21, 2020  The head of Malis military junta, Col. Goita, says he will serve as the vice president in a transitional government. He also says retired Col. Maj. Bah NDaw has been named president.

Sept. 25, 2020  The transitional government is inaugurated.

Sept. 27, 2020  Malis transitional president appoints former minister of foreign affairs, Moctar Ouane, as the West African nations prime minister.

October 2020  The appointment of a civilian prime minister brings the West African regional economic bloc, ECOWAS, to lift sanctions. The transitional government says elections will be held in February and March 2022.

May 14, 2021  Malis interim government pledges to form a new and more broad-based Cabinet amid growing criticism of the dominance of the army in the government and slow reforms.

May 24, 2021  Malis new Cabinet is announced and does not include major leaders of the former junta, including Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara.

Hours later, the transitional president and prime minister are taken to the Kati military headquarters outside the capital. The African Union, the U.N. mission in Mali, ECOWAS and other members of the international community call for their immediate release.

May 25, 2021  Col. Goita retakes control of the government, firing the president and prime minister saying they named the new Cabinet without his consent. He vowed to hold elections in 2022 as promised earlier.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)  A conservative Christian group has filed suit against the University of Alabama, challenging rules that require students to obtain a permit to speak on campus days in advance.

Filed by the campus chapter of Alliance Defending Freedom and two student members in state court on Friday, the civil lawsuit claims the rule violates a state law which requires public college and universities to respect students' rights to free speech.
NEW YORK (AP)  U.S. prosecutors in 2019 sought the electronic messages of two ex-Ukrainian government officials and a Ukrainian businessman as part of their probe of Rudy Giuliani's dealings in that country, a lawyer accidentally revealed in a court filing Tuesday.

The filing said federal prosecutors in New York had informed defense lawyers that the seized communications included an email account believed to belong to the former prosecutor general of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko.

It said prosecutors accessed Lutsenko's account around the same time that investigators also got access to Giuliani's Apple iCloud account.

Lutsenko was a key figure in Giuliani's efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation into then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

The two have both said in interviews that they met to discuss both the possibility of Ukraine launching an investigation of Hunter Biden's job with a Ukrainian gas company and Lutsenko's desire to meet with the U.S. attorney general to discuss efforts to recover looted national assets.

Lutsenko also spoke with Giuliani about his clashes with the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who the Trump administration later removed.

The filing said prosecutors had also seized an email account believed to belong to the former head of the Ukrainian Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, in December, 2019, and the iPhone and iPad of Ukrainian businessman Alexander Levin in February and March 2020.

The identities of the individuals were in a submission in Manhattan federal court filed by a lawyer representing Lev Parnas, an associate of Giuliani who was charged in 2019 with scheming to make illegal campaign contributions.

The names were redacted in the document but could be viewed when copied into a separate document. CNN was the first to report the faulty redactions and the details on what the document contained.

The document also said prosecutors had obtained historical and prospective cell site information related to Giuliani and Washington lawyer Victoria Toensing, a former federal prosecutor and close ally of Giuliani and former President Donald Trump. Her law firm has said she was informed that she is not a target of the investigation.

Prosecutors are examining Giulianis ties to Ukraine and whether he violated a federal law that governs lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities. No charges have been filed.

Giuliani has insisted that his activities in Ukraine were conducted on behalf of Trump, not any foreign entity or person.

Last week, prosecutors revealed they had seized 18 electronic devices during raids on Giuliani's home and his law firm several weeks ago and a cell phone from Toensing. They also say they obtained email and Apple iCloud accounts of Giuliani and Toensing in 2019.

Prosecutors said investigators had successfully downloaded 11 devices belonging to Giuliani and returned them to him. They said they need to obtain passcodes or unlock seven other devices belonging to Giuliani or employees of his business.

Lawyers for Giuliani have challenged last months raids on the grounds that anything gathered from the 2019 search warrants was illegally obtained because investigators improperly intruded on private communications with the president during their secret inquiry.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A bid to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use moved one step away from the governor's desk Tuesday, after a Senate committee narrowly agreed to send the proposal to the full Senate for debate.

The proposal by Democratic Rep. Cedric Glover, of Shreveport, would make possession of up to 14 grams of marijuana  a half-ounce  a misdemeanor carrying a fine up to $100, even for repeat offenses, and end the possibility of jail time.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  The man who ousted Mali's president from power last year regained control of the West African country Tuesday by deposing the president and prime minister of the transitional government, a move France decried as another coup d'etat.

While Col. Assimi Goita pledged to go ahead with holding new elections in 2022 as previously promised, his display of force casts doubt on whether the vote will go ahead without significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president last August.

The move also raised concerns that the new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control Mali's long-running Islamic insurgency. The United Nations now spends some $1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali and France's military has spent eight years trying to stabilize its former colony amid the ongoing threat.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the government takeover as a coup d'etat and warned of repercussions.

We are prepared to take targeted sanctions on the protagonists, he said in a tweet.

The EU also warned that it was ready to consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition.

The military's announcement on the state broadcaster Tuesday came a day after President Bah NDaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested by soldiers and brought to the military headquarters in Kati, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) outside the capital. Both men remained in detention Tuesday and there was no immediate word about their conditions.

Their arrests prompted an outcry by the international community, which put out a strongly worded statement warning Malis military leaders that their actions could undermine global support for the country. That joint statement made by the African Union, United Nations, the E.U., France and the U.S. among others called for the immediate release of the president and prime minister.

The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which also endorsed the statement, said Tuesday afternoon that it was sending a delegation to Bamako as the political crisis escalated. The regional body previously threatened the junta with sanctions if it did not install a civilian president and prime minister, and shorten the transitional period to 18 months.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for calm and the immediate release of the detained civilian leaders, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA is trying to gain access to the detainees as soon as possible and to ascertain their conditions and obtain guarantees of their fundamental rights and freedoms, as enshrined in international human rights law," the spokesman said.

This action has serious consequences for Mali and the region as a whole," Dujarric said, expressing the U.N.'s hope that the ECOWAS delegation will play an important role in putting the transition back on track.

The new government announced on Monday had left out two men who were prominent junta members: Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara. About an hour after the new Cabinet was named, the military rounded up the president and prime minister.

Goita, who led the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has served as Mali's vice president in the transitional government formed last September. He has held that position despite initial calls from the international community for an entirely civilian-led transition.

In announcing the removal of the civilian president and prime minister of the transitional government, the military also said that it would be relieving others from their duties including everyone implicated in the situation.

Still, the military insisted: The transition is following its normal course and elections will be held as anticipated in 2022. Following international pressure last year the junta had promised to organize that vote by next February, 18 months after the coup detat shook the country.

The overthrow of democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came amid mounting military casualties in the fight against Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

The extremists first took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by the former colonial power France pushed extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremist rebels, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.

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Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed reported this story in Bamako and AP writer Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. AP writers Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
SAGINAW, Mich. (AP)  A Michigan city plans to resume water shutoffs that had been discontinued for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saginaw fiscal services staff have been attempting to contact customers who are behind on their water and sewer payments ahead of the shutoffs slated to begin June 15, the city said Tuesday in a release.
CLEVELAND (AP)  A judge in Ohio declared a mistrial in the murder trial of the brother of Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles after jurors said they had read legal paperwork that inadvertently was included in evidence given to them to review.

All 12 jurors told the judge during their third day of deliberations on Monday that copies of legal briefs from Tevin Biles-Thomas' lawyers and prosecutors arguing over whether Biles-Thomas might have acted in self-defense had influenced them.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Nevadas governor marked the one-year anniversary of the killing of a Black man by police in Minnesota by signing new laws that let the state attorney general investigate allegations of law enforcement abuses and make it harder for police to obtain so-called no-knock warrants.

Gov. Steve Sisolak invoked the memory of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in a statement saying Nevadans deserve to feel safe in their own homes and communities, and its critical that they trust that those charged with protecting them do so with integrity.

The bills he signed Tuesday were among his priorities still moving through the statehouse in the final full week of the legislative session. Among others, lawmakers have heard legislation this week that would create a state-based public health insurance option, expand access to voting and overhaul the unemployment insurance system.

Sisolak credited fellow Democratic state Attorney General Aaron Ford, a former state Senate majority leader, with pressing the Legislature for the police reform measures he signed Tuesday.

Both of these bills really stem from the killing of George Floyd and the other instances of police brutality that have sparked outrage and protests all over the country, said Ford, who convened a media event on the steps of his office in Carson City to mark the signings.

He termed the laws pathways for change.

The Nevada attorney general now has the power to investigate a governmental authority or person acting on behalf of the state who is accused of depriving a person of rights or privileges.

Ford noted the U.S. Department of Justice ceased conducting patterns and practices investigations in 2017. He said Nevada law now lets him initiate probes regardless of federal policy.

The warrant law requires police to explain to a judge the imminent public danger that requires an unannounced entry; to certify that the alleged felon is violent; and say why a less intrusive process isnt possible. Officers also have to reassess at the scene whether officers should announce their arrival.

As we have seen over recent years, no-knock warrants are becoming an increasing issue, with their use often resulting in injury or death, Ford said in a statement.

Officers who execute the warrants need to be trained in "tactical or dynamic entry techniques and, when possible, wear body cameras, according to the law.

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Sam Metz, a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, contributed reporting from Carson City. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday expressed his dismay over the number of government scientists who in 2020 dismissed the Wuhan lab leak theory as one of the real origins of COVID-19. During Monday's "America's Newsroom" on FOX News, the 57-year-old ex CIA director said he was outraged when U.S. government scientists dismissed the possibility of COVID-19 stemming from a lab leak despite seeing the evidence that he saw himself.

"I made remarks over a year ago now, in early May of 2020, talking about this risk. And it was outrageous to see scientists, even government-U.S. government scientists who were denying this when they surely must have seen the same information that I had seen," Pompeo argued, as reported by Breitbart. "That includes, certainly, Dr. Fauci as well."

Following the explosive new report from the Wall Street Journal that revealed just how several Wuhan researchers fell ill with a mysterious sickness that closely resembled COVID-19 and needed medical attention, Pompeo is "convinced" that the Chinese Communist Party under General Secretary Xi Jinping is continuing to cover up what may have been a Wuhan lab leak. In fact, he says that "we for sure they covered up this virus."

Pompeo even challenged the CCP, saying that he's hopeful that they would "come forward and make a fool of" the former State Secretary just to prove him wrong. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) timeline, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission of China first reported several cases of pneumonia-like cases in the city in the Hubei Province where a novel coronavirus was identified. It took them 12 days to publicly share the genetic sequence of COVID-19. A day later, COVID-19 was detected in Thailand, the first case recorded outside of China. In the U.S., the first case arrived a week later on January 20.

It's also worth noting that the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission itself revealed that the original hotspot where COVID-19 first started spreading was a residential area between two institutions: along Huanghelou and Ziyang streets, both within four miles of China's Biological Preparations Institute and the highly controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology.

"The Chinese Communist Party had gone completely dark," Pompeo recalled, according to the New York Post. "They wouldn't take our phone calls, they wouldn't answer our questions. We sent inquires, we couldn't get a straight answer."

The former Secretary of State believes that during the crucial time, the CCP "clearly knew they had a problem" but did not want anyone else to know about it. Their secrecy stands to this day, as Pompeo said they "know what happened here, they know who patient zero was, they know precisely when this began."

But Pompeo is not alone in calling for China to hold accountability for the global pandemic that wiped out 3.5 million lives all over the world. Several scientists led by Jamie Metzl, former National Security Council director under the Clinton administration, had taken it upon themselves to not only call for a "full and unrestricted international forensic investigation into the origins of the pandemic," but also outlined concerns they had over WHO's investigatory report, in which they found several inconsistencies, false statements, and contradictory statements.

"We need to get to the bottom of this because this could happen again," Pompeo warned.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The government leaders of Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic held intensive talks Tuesday in an attempt to solve a years-long dispute that resurfaced recently over a Polish coal mine .

The Czech government says the brown coal Turow mine, located in southwestern Poland, near the Czech and German borders, is draining groundwater from communities and causing other environmental harm to Czech citizens.

It took the case to the top European Union court, which last week issued a temporary injunction ordering Poland to immediately halt coal extraction at the site pending the court's full ruling.

But Polish authorities are defying the order, saying they cannot close the mine because doing so would lead to power cuts for millions of Poles, suspend the operation of industrial plants and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. The mine directly fuels a power plant that produces up to 7% of Poland's energy.

The dispute underlines coal's potential as an irritant in relations among EU nations as the bloc seeks to reach an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Poland has made some progress toward developing green energy and closing coal mines, but the process has been slow and hampered by the country's historic dependence on coal to heat homes and power industry.

The Polish government recently extended the license for extraction of coal at Turow until 2044. Czech officials say Poland did that without consulting them or without assessing the environmental impact, a claim the Polish government denies.

The Polish decision to keep extracting beyond 2030 also means that the region around Turow will lose out on its share of the EU's multibillion-euro Just Transition fund, aimed at supporting communities which transition from coal to green energy.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis discussed the Turow issue during an EU summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, and other officials from their governments were negotiating elsewhere.

Theres no deal done yet (with the Polish side), but I expect to have it soon, Babis said Tuesday.

He insisted that, even then, the lawsuit will not be withdrawn, as hoped for by Poland.

Speaking at Turow, Poland's minister for state assets, Jacek Sasin, said Tuesday that a framework for an agreement has been worked out to address Pragues concerns and to secure joint funds for local environmental needs.

Media reports said Poland would invest some 45 million euros ($56 million) into environmental protection there and speed up construction of a drainage screen.

Sasin stressed there was no talk of closing operations at Turow mine, arguing that carrying out the EU court's order would be a disastrous blow for Poland's energy, for Poland's economy.

Some critics in Poland said the government has not done enough over the years to alleviate Prague's concerns about the mine and to prevent the Czechs from seeking the EU courts injunction.

Meanwhile, Turow miners held a protest Tuesday against the Czech complaint and the court injunction. They drove in dozens of cars with national flags and Hands Off Turow stickers on a road leading to the Czech and German borders to slow down traffic.

Poland argues it is not being treated fairly because the Czech Republic and Germany operate a number of lignite mines close to Poland's borders without facing conflicts.

Some 48% of Poland's energy comes from hard black coal and 17% from softer and more polluting lignite, or brown coal. Another 25% comes from various renewable sources and biofuels, and 10% comes from gas and other sources.

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Karel Janicek in Prague contributed reporting.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Two U.S. Postal Service employees pleaded guilty Monday to charges they purchased postal money orders with thousands of dollars in California unemployment benefits obtained through false claims of pandemic-related job losses, prosecutors said.

Christian Jeremyah James, 31, and Armand Caleb Legardy, 32, each pleaded guilty in separate hearings to one count of use of unauthorized access devices, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a statement.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Louisville's top criminal prosecutor won't pursue charges against Louisville police or National Guard members in the fatal shooting of a barbecue cook last year.

David McAtee was killed at his eatery on May 31 during intense protests in Louisville over the death of Breonna Taylor. McAtee was cooking miles away from the downtown demonstrations, but authorities had come to his eatery, YaYas BBQ, to disperse a crowd that had gathered after curfew.

McAtee fired two rounds from a handgun while standing in the doorway of his kitchen and was fatally shot by a National Guard member, investigators said. In a civil lawsuit, McAtee's family says authorities escalated the violence that night and McAtee was unaware who was shooting into his restaurant.

Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine said Tuesday that he would not present the case to a grand jury for consideration of potential charges against the guard members or Louisville officers. He said a federal investigation of the matter was pending.

Wine said in a media release that guard members reasonably believed, based on the facts and circumstances, that Mr. McAtee posed an immediate threat of death or serious injury to them or to another person.

Steve Romines, a lawyer for McAtees family, said he wasn't surprised that prosecutors would not be seeking charges for officers or guard members involved in the shooting.

When private citizens are forced to act in self defense, they are charged and have to present that defense to a jury, Romines said in a statement to the AP. Cops are summarily exonerated without any proof ever being presented. Does anyone really doubt why it continues to happen?

Investigators determined last year that a Kentucky National Guard member fired the fatal bullet, based on shell casing analysis. But they were unable to determine which guard member fired the shot. In all, 19 rounds were fired by two guard members and two Louisville officers after McAtee fired the first of two shots, according to Wine.

The Guard was in the city to help enforce a curfew amid protests spurred by the deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota and Taylor, who was fatally shot by police on March 13, 2020.

Wine said McAtee knew about the 9 p.m. curfew. When officers arrived on the scene, one officer, Katie Crews, fired several pepper balls toward YaYa's where McAtee's niece was standing, according to Wine's statement. Officers were seen on surveillance video shooting pepper balls into the area where McAtee was cooking outdoors and inside his kitchen.

Romines has said Louisville officers violated use of force policies that night. The lawsuit filed by McAtee's family last year said authorities exhibited a reckless disregard for McAtee's rights.

Crews and another officer who fired that night did not turn on their body cameras, which prompted the firing of former Police Chief Steve Conrad.

State officials, in a release of preliminary information about the shooting, said National Guard members were returning fire, which is ... what any law enforcement would do in that case.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday the public should be able to see the full analysis by Wine.

"I believe that it is very thorough but presents a lot of information that the public can then analyze and ultimately come to their own conclusions," Beshear said during an afternoon briefing with media.

Wine offered condolences to McAtee's family in the statement Tuesday.

By all accounts, David McAtee was well liked by the community, his patrons, and members of the Louisville Metro Police Department, Wine said.
CAIRO (AP)  Egypts president met Tuesday with Qatars chief diplomat amid improved relations since Egypt and three Gulf nations ended their dispute with the energy-rich country in January.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatars Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, meeting in Cairo, agreed on "intensifying joint consultation and coordination to boost bilateral ties between the two nations, el-Sissis office said in a statement.

El-Sissi also received an invitation from Qatars emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to visit Doha. It would be the first for the Egyptian leader to the Gulf state since he led the militarys overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013 amid mass protests against his divisive one-year rule. El-Sissi was defense minister at the time.

The Qatari chief diplomat also held talks with Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry that discussed the positive development in ties between the two countries, according to a statement by Egypts Foreign Ministry.

A January declaration put an end to a diplomatic crisis that began in 2017 with a rift between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other.

The four countries had jointly boycotted Qatar and hoped an embargo and media blitz would pressure it to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran. Egypt and the UAE view the support by Qatar and Turkey of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as a security threat. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were primarily concerned about Qatars ties with Iran.

The countries accused Qatar of cozying up to Iran and financing extremist groups in the region, though Doha denied the charges. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera was at the center of the dispute. The four nations demanded its closure among other measures, which Qatar rejected.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the ministers discussed taking further measures to promote the positive atmosphere in their bilateral ties. It did not elaborate on details.

Shukry said in televised comments Friday that the implementation of the January agreement between the five nations would further accelerate restoring ties between Cairo and Doha.

Tuesday's statement by the Foreign Ministry said joint committees concluded a new round of talks and would continue discussing lingering issues to fully implement that agreement. It did not elaborate.

The two countries formally began rapprochement earlier this year, but it was not clear how far or how quickly, that would go, in real terms, said H.A. Hellyer, scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Cambridge University.

This latest visit confirms that there is indeed more than a simply signing of letters, as it was. The Egyptians and the Qataris want to move to another stage, which certainly impacts the existing geopolitical arrangements of the region, he said.

The two diplomats also discussed other regional topics, including a decade-long dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over a massive dam Ethiopia is building on the main tributary of the Nile River, the statement added. Egypt and Sudan deem the Ethiopian dam a major threat to their water security.

The Qatari foreign minister then left to Doha. He had arrived in Cairo late Monday from a trip to Khartoum where he met with Sudanese officials, his first visit to Sudan after an uprising led to the militarys ouster of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Al-Bashir, an Islamist, was an ally to Qatar.

The Qatari foreign minister also traveled to Libya earlier this week. He met with the newly appointed transitional government in Tripoli that has been struggling to unite the divided North African country before an election scheduled in December. Egypt and Qatar have been backing opposing sides in war-torn Libya.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  A growing number of public schools are using mascots, food trucks and prize giveaways to create a pep-rally atmosphere aimed at encouraging students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus before summer vacation.

Districts from California to Michigan are offering free prom tickets and deploying mobile vaccination teams to schools to inoculate students 12 and up so everyone can return to classrooms in the fall. They are also enlisting students who have gotten shots to press their friends to do the same.

Officials are concerned that once school lets out, it will be even tougher to get enough teens vaccinated in time to guarantee widespread immunity on campuses.

The massive effort has just gotten underway because it was only two weeks ago that federal regulators authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 to 15. Moderna said Tuesday that its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put it on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S. Younger children are not yet eligible.

So far, about 14% of the nation's 15 million kids ages 12 to 15 have received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 7.5 million teens ages 16 and 17, that number goes up to 34%, and about 22% have had both shots, according to the latest figures released Monday. The doses are scheduled about three weeks apart.

There are many challenges.

Depending on the state and even county, minors may be required to have a parent present to get the shot. Some parents may not be able to get away from work to do that. Others are unsure about allowing their kids to get a vaccine that only was approved for emergency use.

Protests have popped up outside schools offering the vaccine, discouraging kids who may already be nervous.

Mission Bay High School in San Diego provides an example of the mixed reaction among students.

I'm not getting it," said Tatum Merrill, 14, standing with friends outside a mobile vaccine clinic at the school. It was developed too fast and is kind of sketchy. And I feel like the number of COVID cases is dying down so if everybody else has it, there may not be a need for me to have it."

Her friend Brandon Cheeks, 15, said he wants the vaccine, but his mother is unsure. In the meantime, another 15-year-old, Laura Pilger, said she feels safer being back in school knowing that she and everyone she knows is vaccinated.

A woman showed up and was passing out flyers that said your body, your choice' but the message was not very welcomed," Pilger said. Why wouldn't you want to get the vaccine?"

While hundreds of colleges across the country are requiring students to have proof of vaccination to return to campus, its unlikely that K-12 public schools will do the same this fall. Its unclear whether schools can legally require a vaccine approved under an emergency-use authorization to immediately address the pandemic.

Instead, public schools are trying to entice students to get the shots by making the experience festive while sending flyers home to families to address the vaccine's safety.

In suburban Detroit, students in the Southfield district who show proof of vaccination will get a free ticket to the senior prom worth $80. The incentive drew protesters who said awarding the vaccinated could lead to harassment of students who haven't gotten shots.

We are not separating or segregating students who choose not to receive the vaccine or do receive the vaccine, Southfield Superintendent Jennifer Green said. We simply want to provide our students an opportunity to celebrate this milestone in their life.

The idea won applause from Dr. Howard Taras, a University of California San Diego pediatrician who consults with districts about health safety. He is also the in-house physician for the San Diego Unified School District, the second-largest in California with about 120,000 students. It has been hosting vaccine clinics at schools in communities with low vaccination rates.

The district also took part in a public service announcement with local teens who say, We'll be getting the vaccine, now it's your turn.

I think anything that is creating buzz helps," Taras said, explaining that vaccinating at schools has the added benefit of generating peer pressure.

The virus has spread more rapidly among teens than younger children. But with a large portion immunized, there is much less chance of it spreading in the classrooms, on buses," Taras said.

And more students may want to return to classrooms as a result.

While most California public schools reopened in April, fewer than half of students resumed in-person learning, according to an analysis by the nonprofit EdSource.

Many continued with online learning, while some dropped out altogether or went to private schools. Public school enrollment dropped steeply in the nations most populous state, falling by more than 160,000 this school year, according to the California Department of Education.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in California with about 600,000 students, plans to have a mobile vaccination team visit every middle and high school campus at least once before the school year ends June 11. The events will feature food trucks and music.

Superintendent Austin Beutner recently appeared with Wilson High School's Mighty Mule" mascot to encourage students to roll up their sleeves. He said the district is offering paid leave for district employees to get their children inoculated. Schools where more than 30% of students are vaccinated will each receive $5,000 for projects, and students can decide how the money is used.

The school-based clinics also help administer shots to hard-to-reach populations who feel more comfortable going to their neighborhood school instead of mass vaccination sites.

Maisha Cosby was motivated by a drive-thru clinic at the Washington School for Girls in Washington, D.C. She held her 12-year-old daughter Maya's hand as she got her shot. Then Cosby got hers.

All my friends have gotten it and theyre fine, and Im ready for her to go back to school, Cosby said.

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Associated Press writers Ed White in Detroit and Jacquelyn Martin in Washington contributed to this report.
AP

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP)  Police have arrested a man who they say yelled antisemitic remarks at a rabbi and dumped a bag of human feces in front of a South Florida synagogue.

Hallandale Beach police arrested Jeffrey Carl Fleming on Monday on charges of felony stalking with a hate crime enhancement and littering human waste. Fleming was being held Tuesday on $11,000 bond at the Broward County Jail. Details on his arrest were not released.
NOGALES, Ariz. (AP)  A suspect has been fatally shot after a police pursuit involving an 18-wheeler that began in Rio Rico, according to authorities.

Santa Cruz County Sheriffs officials said the pursuit Monday afternoon ended after the driver of a semi-truck approached a Border Patrol checkpoint in Nogales.
ATLANTA (AP)  The most powerful Republican in Georgia's state Senate will seek the presiding role of lieutenant governor in 2022.

Butch Miller of Gainesville, who has been Senate president pro tem since 2018, said on Tuesday he will seek the GOP nomination for the statewide post.

I want to protect the conservative policies and conservative values that are clearly working for Georgia, Miller said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

As president pro tem, Miller is the elected leader of the Senate Republican majority and is in some ways more powerful than current Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan. The 64-year-old Miller had said he would not challenge Duncan if the incumbent sought a second term. But Duncan announced this month that he'll leave office after this term to lead GOP 2.0, a group intended to remake the Republican party in the post-Trump era.

Duncan's vocal defense of Georgia's election results brought him into deep disfavor with former President Donald Trump and many Republican activists. Miller, meanwhile, said he counts Georgia's election law imposing new restrictions on voting among his top accomplishments in the Senate. At one point in the debate over election changes, Duncan refused to preside, with Miller instead taking over.

Two Democratic state House members are seeking their partys nomination for lieutenant governor  Erick Allen of Smyrna and Derrick Jackson of Tyrone.

Republican activist Jeanne Seaver of Savannah is the only other Republican who has declared for the race so far. Senate Majority Whip Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican, has said hes considering it. Sen. Burt Jones, a Jackson Republican, also has been looking at the race. Jones unsuccessfully challenged Miller for president pro tem in December.

Jones posted a picture of Trump, himself and Jones father on social media on May 3 at Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida raising speculation that Jones was seeking Trumps endorsement for office.

Miller said that last time I checked, Mar-a-Lago was not in my jurisdiction, but when it comes to Trump's support, I have no reason to expect him not to endorse me if he is going to endorse.

Miller said that as lieutenant governor, he would focus on education, transportation, infrastructure and agriculture.

Georgia's lieutenant governor has relatively little power in law, with senators deciding how strong they want the office to be. Zell Miller amassed unmatched sway in four terms. Republican Casey Cagle had 12 years in the Senate before he took office, but saw Republicans strip him of most power in 2010 amid complaints he was too heavy-handed. A new slate of Republican Senate leaders including Miller gave him some of his power back in 2012, midway through Cagle's three terms. That power-sharing arrangement has continued through Duncan's term.

Miller was chosen by the 34 Senate Republicans as their leader and might be able to use that support to rapidly build his power in the job.

What you will get with Butch Miller is a man who has the ability to get Republicans to work together, Miller said. We will get the entire conservative caucus on board together.

Miller co-owns a Honda dealership in Gainesville and first won a special election to the Senate in 2010. Tightly aligned with the business community, he served as a floor leader for fellow Hall County politician Nathan Deal during most of Deal's two terms in office. Miller lost a bid for pro tem in 2014 to Republican David Shafer, but moved into the post when Shafer stepped down in a failed bid for lieutenant governor.

Miller said he doesn't anticipate stepping down from the pro tem post while running.

I have not had one single person in the caucus ask me about that, Miller said. I think I have the confidence of the caucus.

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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy
LONDON (AP)  The British government faced accusations Tuesday that it was reintroducing local lockdowns on the sly after it published new guidelines for eight areas of England that it says are hot spots for the coronavirus variant first identified in India.

Lawmakers and local public health officials expressed shock that they hadn't been made aware of the changes to the guidelines to travel and social interaction that the Conservative government published online last Friday. They also said the guidelines weren't mandatory and that the mixed messaging could undermine efforts to keep a lid on the virus by creating unnecessary confusion.

In last weeks updated guidance, the government recommended that people within eight localities, including Hounslow in west London, the city of Leicester and the northwest towns of Blackburn and Bolton, shouldnt meet up indoors or travel outside their areas unless it is for an essential matter, such as going to work.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused the government of behaving in an utterly shameful fashion by not informing people in areas affected.

Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies, he said.

In response, the government says it was just putting on the record the guidance that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has presented in the past couple of weeks during the spread of the so-called Indian variant, which critics say was seeded by a too-lax border policy.

We want the whole country to move out of these restrictions together and were trusting people to be responsible and act with caution and common sense as they have done throughout the pandemic, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told lawmakers.

He insisted that the onus was on personal responsibility and that the government is still intending to take a national approach to lifting restrictions.

In a joint statement, the directors of public health in the eight areas affected said government officials confirmed there are no local lockdowns and that everyone is working together to boost testing, vaccinations and to support those people who have to go into quarantine.

The government's strategy over the past couple of months of lockdown easing has been to lift restrictions on a national basis, though it hasn't ruled out the possibility of local measures if needed.

Restrictions across England  and the rest of the U.K.  have been lifted over the past few weeks as the number of coronavirus infections has fallen sharply in the wake of a strict lockdown and the rapid rollout of vaccines. Among many changes, the most recent easing has seen pubs and restaurants reopen to customers indoors and the number of people allowed to meet up outdoors increased to 30.

The next easing is planned for June 21 and is intended to involve the lifting of all social restrictions. However, Johnson has warned that it could be pushed back if the new variant spreads widely. A decision on that date is set to be announced on June 14.

Though new cases in the U.K. remain low at around 2,500 a day, against nearly 70,000 at one point in January during the peak of the second wave, they have been inching up slightly in recent weeks.

That's raised concerns that the so-called Indian variant, which is thought to be more transmissible, is taking off at a time when restrictions have been eased and many younger people have yet to receive a dose of vaccine.

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https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/hub/understanding-the-outbreak
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday warned Americans against jumping to conclusions about the recently revived theory that the COVID-19 pandemic began from a lab leak in Wuhan, China, despite new evidence supporting the said theory. The White House has instead urged people to wait for official reports from the World Health Organization (WHO).

"What we can't do, and what I would caution anyone doing, is leaping ahead of an actual international process," Psaki said on Monday, as reported by Breitbart. "We don't have enough data and information to jump to a conclusion at this point in time."

When asked about the bombshell report that the Wall Street Journal published over the weekend revealing how several Wuhan researchers got sick with COVID-19 like illnesses in November 2019, Psaki said that the Biden administration has repeatedly urged WHO to launch an independent investigation into the true origins of COVID-19 that is "free from interference or politicization." She also declined to comment if the Biden administration was aware of the intelligence report that WSJ shed light on.

In March, the White House took a different position on WHO's investigation that said the COVID-19 lab leak theories were "extremely unlikely" to be true based on their two-week visit to Wuhan, which former U.S. National Security Council official Jamie Metzl called it a "study tour" and not an actual investigation.

Now, though, Psaki says the Biden administration remains "hopeful" that the WHO would pursue a "transparent independent phase two investigation" into the different possibilities of where the pandemic truly began, including the COVID-19 lab leak theories.

The White House press secretary did not say if President Joe Biden would support an American-led investigation, saying that it remains China's responsibility to provide data to be analyzed to draw a conclusion on COVID-19's true origins. Psaki said, "We need access to the underlying data and information in order to have that investigation."

Meanwhile, Metzl is urging the Biden administration to take a more proactive approach in determining whether the COVID-19 lab leak theories are true. In a conversation with CNBC on Monday, the Atlantic Council senior fellow said that it is "critically important" to determine the true origins of the virus because not doing so places everyone "unnecessarily at risk."

"Right now, the World Health Assembly is meeting, and the United States should be doing everything possible with our allies to demand a comprehensive investigation into Covid origins with full access to all the records, samples, and personnel in China and beyond," Metzl argued. "If China wants to thumb its nose at the rest of the world, in spite of more than three million people dead, let them make that statement."

In 2020, Metzl organized a group of scientists and academics from around the world to campaign for a more in-depth investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Just last month, Metzl and several other credible scientists, social scientists, and science communicators came together once more to release an open letter outlining several "concerns regarding the joint study process and report conclusions" on the WHO's investigation. In it, they outlined several contradictory statements and incorrect details. It is unclear if WHO had taken their findings into consideration.
MIAMI (AP)  A former senior Bolivian official has been arrested for allegedly seeking at least $582,000 in kickbacks from a group of Florida-based businessmen accused of selling tear gas at inflated prices to the conservative government of former interim President Jeanine Anez.

Sergio Rodrigo Mendez was arrested May 21 in Naples, Florida, and charged with a single count of conspiring to commit money laundering, according to a previously unreported federal complaint out of Miami.

Three alleged co-conspirators, all of them dual Bolivian-American citizens, were also detained, including the owner of Florida-based supplier of police and military equipment and his father, who press accounts indicate was charged two decades ago in Bolivia with weapons smuggling.

Mendez served as the chief of staff to Arturo Murillo, who was interior minister in the Anez government that took power in November 2019 after President Evo Morales stepped down amid violent protests disputing his reelection to a fourth straight term.

As interior minister, Murillo led the deadly police response to pro-Morales protesters that was called a massacre by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He also brought charges against Morales and his allies for sedition and terrorism tied to the disturbances.

But the crackdown on Bolivias left backfired, and almost a year later, Morales ally, Luis Arce, was elected and proceeded to lock up Anez and other officials tied to her short-lived rule, which had the support of the Trump administration. Murillo was also charged in Bolivia, but has so far evaded arrest and is believed to be living in the U.S. He is not named in the U.S. federal complaint nor has he been charged.

According to investigators, Mendez along with a high-ranking official in the Interior Ministry and another unnamed co-conspirator in the Defense Ministry helped a Florida-based company obtain a $5.6 million contract to supply tear gas and non-lethal equipment to the Anez government.

The company was allegedly owned by Bryan Berkman, who purchased the tear gas in Brazil for a much-smaller sum of $3.3 million, according to an affidavit from a Department of Homeland Security agent that accompanies the complaint. Part of the profits allegedly were used to coordinate bribe payments to Mendez and his co-conspirator in the Defense Ministry, some of which were to be paid from a delivery of $700,000 in cash to Bolivia.

While the American company is not named in the complaint, Berkman is the chief executive of Taramac-based Bravo Tactical Solutions, according to Florida's corporate registry. His father, Luis Berkman, who was also arrested and charged, runs a separate Tamarac-based company called International Defense Group.

Bolivian press reports indicate that the older Berkman was arrested on weapons trafficking charges in 2001, accused of heading a criminal ring that tried to smuggle military assault weapons to Paraguay. He was declared a fugitive in 2013 without having been found guilty, according to a Bolivian judicial filing.

The fourth co-defendant, Philip Lichtenfeld, like the Berkmans, hails from Cochabamba, Bolivia, but had been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, prior to his surrender to U.S. authorities.

According to the complaint, evidence compiled from text messages, emails and bank records show that Mendez was asked by a co-conspirator to write a letter to the Brazilian tear gas manufacturer insisting that Bolivias government would only purchase its products via the Berkman-owned company.

But a January 2020 wire transfer of $5.6 million from Bolivias Central Bank to a U.S. account belonging to the Berkman-owned company was initially rejected, prompting Mendez to send an email to the U.S. bank to try and clear the transaction.

Attorneys for Bryan Berkman and Lichtenfeld did not immediately respond to a request for comment nor did a public defender who represented Mendez at his arraignment in Tampa.

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Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The U.S. Navy said it has met a deadline for treating spent nuclear fuel from its fleet of nuclear-powered warships that's stored at its eastern Idaho facility.

The U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program said Monday it has completed putting into dry storage all the spent fuel that was in water pool storage before Jan. 1, 2017. The project was finished 18 months ahead of a required schedule in a 2008 agreement with Idaho.

The agreement was an addendum to a much broader 1995 pact that Idaho reached with the U.S. Department of Energy following a series of lawsuits. The 1995 agreement is widely seen as preventing Idaho from becoming a nuclear waste dump.

The spent fuel processed by the Navy comes from ships, submarines and prototype reactor sites. Since 1957, the Navy has sent the fuel to its Naval Reactors Facility located at the Energy Departments 890-square-mile (2,305-square-kilometer) site west of Idaho Falls.

The Energy Department site also includes the Idaho National Laboratory, a leading nuclear research lab.

The spent fuel is cooled in water before being placed in special canisters and concrete overpacks," then stored in buildings at the site.

The effort to meet this milestone was monumental, Admiral J.F. Caldwell Jr., director of the Naval Reactors Facility, said in a statement.

The 2008 addendum allows the Navy to continue to process and temporarily store spent nuclear fuel at the site past a 2035 deadline as originally spelled out in the 1995 agreement. But it also requires the spent fuel to be stored safely in Idaho and ultimately removed from the state.

After Jan. 1, 2035, the 2008 agreement allows the Navy to average no more than 20 shipments a year of spent fuel to the state, and to continue to process and store spent nuclear fuel at the site. But the Navy is limited to 9.9 tons (9 metric tons).

However, the nation has no repository for spent nuclear fuel, so where it will go after that deadline is not clear. The Navy said that so far, it has placed more than 33 tons (30 metric tons) of its spent fuel in dry storage after it came from more than 250 naval reactor cores.

The Naval Reactors Facility, which has a workforce of about 1,400, is where the Navy replicated the propulsion plant aboard the USS Nautilus, the nation's first nuclear-powered submarine. The Navy said the facility continues to play a vital role in designing, building, operating and disposing of nuclear reactors from submarines and aircraft carriers.

In a related matter, the Navy plans to launch the USS Idaho, a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, in 2023. It's scheduled to spend three decades in service.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia would pay unemployed people a $500 sign-up bonus for returning to work under a plan expected to be finalized soon.

The bonus would be half of what Republican Gov. Jim Justice initially suggested could be offered to workers. He said earlier in May that the bonus would be $1,000, which would require the employer to pay half and the state to cover the rest.
WASHINGTON-- An Alabama man charged with bringing five loaded firearms and 11 molotov cocktails with napalm-like properties to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 approached Sen. Ted Cruz's Washington home and office weeks earlier to discuss "election fraud" and previously joined an armed citizen militia camp at the Texas border, new court filings alleged Monday.

The new U.S. allegations came in a federal judge's ruling ordering the continued detention of Lonnie Leroy Coffman, of Falkville, Ala., citing evidence that he had potential plans to coordinate with others and was prepared for political violence.

READ ALSO: 35 Republicans buck Trump, back study of Jan. 6 Capitol riot

The 71-year-old Army veteran is awaiting trial on charges of possessing some of the deadliest unregistered weapons and explosives on the day of the riots that breached the Capitol, led to assaults on nearly 140 police officers and forced the evacuation of Congress.

Coffman was arrested by happenstance on Jan. 6, according to charging papers, after police spotted weapons in his red pickup truck while searching an area of Capitol Hill that had been sealed off because unexploded pipe bombs had been reported near Republican and Democratic party headquarters minutes before the mob assault began, at about 1 p.m.

No arrests related to the pipe bombs have been made.

Coffman has pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment charging him with 16 counts of D.C. firearms violations and one federal firearms count.

In a 24-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of Washington denied Coffman's request for bond. The judge found that sealed government filings "convincingly demonstrate[d]" his planned intentions to disrupt Congress in potential coordination with others.

The ruling does not say that coordination was realized. However, combined with his cache of weapons, "this evidence indicates that Mr. Coffman had potential plans to coordinate with other members of the January 6, 2021 riots at the United States Capitol," Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

Coffman kept additional firearms, improvised explosives and papers in his home related to a second militia group, the judge said. A list he kept of a federal judge and Democratic lawmakers, combined with other evidence, "raises serious concerns about Mr. Coffman's desire and ability to engage in politically motivated violence" and shows that he poses too great a risk of flight and public dangerousness to free him, the opinion concluded.

The judge issued her ruling without a hearing, and details of prosecutors' claims do not appear to have been previously disclosed.

Coffman's court-appointed attorney declined to comment.

RELATED: Showtime is turning the Capitol riot into a TV series nobody wanted

FBI charging papers have alleged that, on Coffman's person and in his truck, authorities found 11 homemade, molotov-cocktail-type incendiary devices; a rifle, a shotgun, two 9mm pistols and a .22-caliber pistol - all loaded; as well as a crossbow, several machetes, a stun gun and smoke devices.

Prosecutors alleged that the 11 jars were made with gasoline and melted plastic foam to produce a dangerous "napalm-like" explosion of sticky, flammable liquid.

In 2014, the FBI identified Coffmanas a participant at Camp Lonestar, an encampment set up that year in Brownsville, Texas, by armed citizens, some wearing military fatigues, with the stated goal of pushing back illegal immigrants crossing the border, the judge's opinion said.

Coffman was armed with a "crack barrel 12 gauge shotgun and a 9mm pistol" at the time, the judge said, citing a prosecutor's filing.

The camp subsequently disbanded, and several volunteer members and leaders were found guilty of weapons violations, according to news accounts.

On the evening of Jan. 6, when Coffman was arrested returning to his truck, his wallet contained a piece of paper with the address for Camp Lonestar and contact information for a member of the American Patriots armed group of Southeast Texas, prosecutors alleged, according to the ruling.

The opinion did not further identify the group. The papers in his home referred to a second group, the Southwest Desert Militia, the ruling said.

PROSECUTORS: No charges for officer in Capitol riot shooting

A tracking device in Coffman's GMC truck also showed that on Dec. 11 he drove around the U.S. Capitol and attempted to drive to Cruz's D.C.-area residence, prosecutors said, according to the judge. That same day, Coffman called Cruz's Senate office.

The office for the Texas Republican concluded that Coffman "did not seem threatening," but seemed "unbalanced" or "not 100% there" and deemed his comments "odd enough to record," Capitol Police noted, according to the ruling.

Office notes of Coffman's call stated: "Man says that he went to [Senator Cruz's] DC home to visit him with no answer at the door, and then called to try to arrange a meeting with him over the phone. Directed him to the scheduler's email address. He is also looking for contact info for S. Hannity, M. Levin, and R. Limbaugh," the judge's ruling said, referring to conservative commentators Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh.

A Cruz aide also noted that Coffman seemed "to be coming from the 'friend' angle in wanting to . . . help with the election fraud he saw," according to the filing.

The FBI has said it found handwritten notes in Coffman's truck, including one with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln, stating: "We The People Are The Rightful Masters Of Both The Congress And The Courts, Not To Overthrow The Constitution But To Overthrow The Men Who Pervert The Constitution."

That note allegedly named a federal judge as a "bad guy" and referred to a Democratic House member using terms the court order redacted. Another handwritten note listed supposed contact information for Hannity, Levin and Cruz, according to charging papers and court filings.
The Texas House has given initial approval on a bill banning the use of police chokeholds during an arrest.

This is one of the bills moving through the legislature in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

IN HOUSTON: Third Ward park dedicated to George Floyd a year after death

Senate Bill 69 prohibits police officers from using a chokehold, carotid artery hold or similar neck restraint that would impede blood or air flow unless needed to prevent injury or death to an officer or bystander.

Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston) said the bill was in response to statistics showing 134 people have died of asphyxiation in police custody in the past 10 years, the Austin American-Statesman's Chuck Lindell reports. Floyd, a former Houston resident, died on May 25, 2020, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. The Senate unanimously passed the bill in April.

"We were all shocked by the last minutes of George Floyd's life," Miles said to the Senate, according to Lindell.

Houston police have been barred from using chokeholds since June 10, 2020, after Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order implementing several police reform measures.

THIS WEEK: George Floyd to be honored with commemorative concert in Houston a year after his death

Turner announced he would sign the order at Floyd's funeral in Houston on June 9, 2020.

In this city, we will require de-escalation. In this city, you have to give a warning before you shoot. In this city, you have a duty to intervene. In this city, we will require comprehensive reporting, Turner said.
A. Transportation. There's a strong need for a long-term mobility plan, especially on U.S. 19 and State Road 44.

B. Resiliency. Crystal River needs blueprints for the future, especially focusing on sea level rise and health of bay waters.

C. Downtown. Areas within the city's CRA need more projects like the Town Square.

D. Revitalization. Abandoned shopping centers and older structures like the mall need a makeover.

E. Residential neighborhoods. Interconnecting communities and maximizing the potential in Crystal River neighborhoods is the key to happy living.

Vote

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More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic erupted and upended lives all over the world. Republican Senator Tom Cotton is still seeking answers. Over the weekend, he spoke to FOX News' Maria Bartiromo to discuss a letter he and several other Republican senators penned to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins to explain how and why the U.S. got involved in funding gain of function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology back in 2014.

The letter, which according to The Blaze had been co-signed by seven other senators including Republican Sens. Rand Paul, Ron Johnson and James Lankford, called upon the NIH to show records relating to the 2014 moratorium that defined gain of function research as "research projects that may be reasonably anticipated to confer attributes to influenza, MERS, or SARS viruses such that the virus would have enhanced pathogenicity and/or transmissibility in mammals via the respiratory route."

The letter also asked the NIH why such research was launched in the first place. Sen. Cotton accused top infectious disease health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci of denying such research, saying that he was "playing word games." As per FOX News, Sen. Cotton alleged that NIH had indeed provided funding to an "American organization," which was found to be EcoHealth Alliance, that provided "hundreds of thousands of dollars to these Wuhan labs to investigate coronaviruses and to find ways to make them more contagious and more dangerous."

Sen. Cotton questioned why the NIH would provide funding to EcoHealth Alliance "during a time in which the Obama Administration had explicitly banned this kind of gain of function research." Now, the Republican senator is placing the responsibility of an investigation on the Biden administration, especially when more and more scientists and credible health experts are looking into a "viable" theory that COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan virology lab.

According to the Post Millennial, Sen. Cotton made his theory on the COVID-19 origins known back in February 2020, when he found through a review of data that the virus may have circulated earlier than what the Chinese government and the World Health Organization reported. The data showed that mobile phones and roads surrounding the Wuhan virology lab were shut down for weeks. At the time, former President Donald Trump had the same belief, saying that he had "a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin for this virus."

But the mainstream media was quick to cast doubt over this theory. However, more and more damning evidence is coming to light that this may have been the case. Earlier, reports said the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission indicated that COVID-19 first spread within a residential area between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and China's Biological Preparations Institute. And just this weekend, U.S. intelligence revealed that several Wuhan researchers reported to have fallen very ill in November of 2019, requiring hospital care well before the outbreak was declared towards the end of December.

Unconvinced at the results of the WHO's investigation into the pandemic, a team of scientists are calling for a new look into the matter. The Biden administration is also pushing for an independent investigation into the true origins of COVID-19.
Data is the lifeblood of todays organizations, giving leaders insights that help them solve problems faster and make better decisions. But as information pours in from marketing, sales, contact centers, finance, and other business units, IT departments are becoming overwhelmed with the task of managing it.

The amount of data collected from infrastructure, apps, connecting APIs, mobile devices  and increasingly, IoT devices  is massive. In some cases, its in the terabytes, says Biren Fondekar, Head of Customer Experience Office at NetApp. It has become extremely difficult to sift through all this data to identify patterns and issues.

The growing tide of information is raising IT expenses and causing important systems to slow down. In a Statista survey, more than half of businesses said application performance and latency have become major challenges because of exponential data growth at their organizations. Forty-one percent are having trouble keeping up with data storage needs.

At NetApp, we receive 250 billion data points a day from our products around the globe, Fondekar says. The IT environment has simply become too large and complex for humans to control.

This is happening at a time when digital-native workers and customers show little tolerance for broken or lagging systems, putting more pressure on IT. The pandemic has exacerbated the situation, rapidly expanding the use of digital technology for remote work while limiting the ability of IT experts to do troubleshooting at the data center.

An AI Solution

Organizations can conquer these problems by using AIOps  the implementation of machine learning and AI algorithms to streamline IT operations. By taking over mundane tasks, organizing the flood of incoming information into a manageable flow, expanding remote capabilities, and providing actionable insights from aggregated data, AIOps is poised to revolutionize the way IT functions.

Sixty-two percent of IT executives say that among all technologies, AI has the greatest potential to significantly alter the way their business is conducted, according to the IDG/CIO Tech Priorities 2020 poll. Fifty-six percent of enterprises and nearly half of smaller businesses expect it to see AI have a sizeable impact in the next three to five years.

With AIOps, organizations can proactively look at the health of their entire technology environment and optimize operations, explains Sheila Rohra, NetApp Senior Vice President of Customer Success. IT administrators no longer have to worry about the underlying infrastructure and can focus on strategic outcomes.

AIOps in Action

AIOPs runs the gamut from eliminating time-consuming drudge work to performing predictive maintenance and serving as a pilot light for future planning decisions. As with all AI, the more data a system ingests, the more capable it becomes. Here are some of the key solutions todays IT teams are deploying:

Robotic Process Automation

Many organizations begin their AIOps journey with robotic process automation (RPA), or configuring software to automate routine IT processes. RPA eliminates the human errors inherent in manual data entry and accomplishes hundreds or thousands of tasks in a fraction of the time it would take humans to complete them. It can be used to manage data entry and data migration and to handle help desk tasks such as password resets.

By taking over drudgework, RPA lowers costs and frees staff to use their knowledge and experience for higher-level work.

In a study we did, 90% of our customers said they saved a couple of hours a week with our AIOps system, NetApp Active IQ. They can now spend that time on higher-level tasks, Fondekar says.

A new update to the automation framework allows companies to deploy the solution in minutes.

Anomaly Detection and Alerts

AIOps cuts all the infrastructure data streaming into IT down to size with analytics that distinguish real threats from noise. Whether its a configuration error causing an application to malfunction or a security gap, AI algorithms find it.

If a customer notices something is not running right and calls IT support, the support engineers have the telemetry data in front of them and can engage quickly to address the problem, Fondekar says.

Accurate anomaly detection also prevents alert fatigue, which often obscures real problems until they are discovered by angry users demanding an immediate solution.

Diagnostics, Predictive Maintenance, and Remediation

By combining and analyzing data from disparate IT systems, AIOps can discover dangerous trends, predict looming failures, and suggest or even implement remedies.

With NetApp Active IQ, we pride ourselves on identifying problems before they occur. For example, if a disk is going bad, it will send signals back to NetApp and a new disk will be shipped to the customer. The entire process is automated.

NetApp also passes along valuable insights from anonymized, aggregated customer data, a process it calls community wisdom.

We might tell a banking customer that others in this sector are getting better performance and lower latency with certain configuration tweaks  would you like to try them? Fondekar says.

Long-term diagnostic analysis also reveals recurring problems, making IT aware of areas it needs to improve.

Remote Capabilities

Cloud-based AIOps allows IT technicians to solve many problems remotely. That became really important during pandemic lockdowns, when we couldnt send people to customer sites to analyze configurations and see their data, Rohra says.

One NetApp support engineer created an augmented and virtual reality solution that lets support engineers see machinery and connections as though they were sitting next to workers in the data center.

As remote work, including IT operations, becomes a standard practice post-pandemic, the ability to solve technology problems off-site will become increasingly valuable.

Capacity Planning

By making sense of data for compute, storage, memory, bandwidth, and other infrastructure parameters, AIOps helps IT leaders create better plans.

AIOps gives our customers a heads-up for capacity planning and guides them to decisions for improving performance before systems start to fail, Rohra says.

For example, does the company really need to purchase more storage, or would better data management software do the trick? Should workloads that keep bursting to the cloud be moved there permanently? Would some cloud operations be more economical if they were shifted back to the data center?

AIOps does the heavy lifting behind these calculations and presents leaders with a clear set of options for making informed, data-based decisions. Active IQ provides a comprehensive view of operational data on a single dashboard, with a graphical interface that leaders can customize to prioritize their needs and goals.

A Digital Advisor

In an age when IT has become too overwhelmed with data to function under traditional management, AIOps opens the door to a brighter future. With swift cross-silo data gathering and analytics, it saves time, lowers costs, foresees problems, and solves many of them before you even know to ask.

One customer told us its like having an additional engineer they dont have to pay for, Fondekar says.

By adding remote diagnostics and pay-as-you-go options to the mix, AIOps gives IT leaders all the flexibility they need to make sound decisions in a fast-changing world.
After Gia Chacon realized that God had called her to become part of the coordinated effort to combat Christian persecution, she was compelled to speak up for persecuted Christians.

Chacon then founded her nonprofit group For the Martyrs in December of 2019 and they organized the first-ever march to stand up to the persecuted Church in California, which drew hundreds of people last year.

"So many American Christians have no idea Christian persecution is rampant in other parts of the world," she told the Christian Post. "As I began researching, I realized that not only is Christian persecution growing every single year, ... but also that Christians are the most persecuted religious group. And I never realized this before."

Because they're "often overlooked by communities of faith" and ignored by the media as per Chacon, the nonprofit offers relief in the form of food, clothes, transportation, and Bibles, as well as advocacy for persecuted Christians.

Another march for the persecuted is scheduled this summer in Washington, D.C. Over 340 million Christians are currently persecuted for their faith, according to estimates.

Laying her life down to the Cause of Christ

Chacon was inspired by the strong faith of Egyptian Christians when she traveled to Egypt with her grandmother's organization as a child.

When she returned to Egypt at the age of 20, she saw the faith of those who were willing to die for Christ and decided to devote her life to supporting the persecuted Church.

Chacon has heard the experiences of refugees and the tragedies they endure as a consequence of their reluctance to surrender their faith in Jesus Christ through her journeys to South America, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.

When she reached 24, Chacon was determined to do more and prayed to God for a chance to live a "new creation life."

She gave up her dream job to dedicate herself totally to the cause of persecuted Christians, which is a growing worldwide concern.

"People my age and even younger were willing to lay down their lives for Christ and risk everything for the Gospel, and that impacted me so deeply," she said. "So actually, while in Egypt, I made the decision to give my life totally over to the service of Christ."

The second annual "March for the Martyrs"

On September 25 this year, For the Martyrs will hold its second annual March for the Martyrs in Washington, D.C.

"Here in the United States, we march for so many amazing causes," Chacon said. "We march for life. We march for our rights. We march when we stand up for injustices. But there's never been a large-scale march to stand in solidarity of the persecuted Church around the world."

She went on to say that marching in solidarity with the persecuted church would not only raise awareness, but will also draw people into the cause, enabling them to make a meaningful impact in the lives of the persecuted church.

"It is important that we as the church in America are using our platforms, our freedoms, our voices, to not only know that our brothers and sisters are suffering, but we have an obligation to speak on behalf of them and be our voice," Chacon asserted.

According to Christian Post, "For the Martyrs" was meant to be non-denominational in nature, with the goal of uniting the body of Christ around a single cause.

"When you're persecuted, they don't ask you what denomination you are. They're not going to persecute you more if you're Catholic or you're Protestant or whatever denomination you adhere to," Chacon explained. "When you're persecuted, you're dying because of your belief in Christ, because of your allegiance to the Cross."

Chacon encourages Christians who want to address the persecution crisis to pray for the strength, boldness, and protection of those who are persecuted. She also urges churches to organize prayer groups to promote awareness and start a discourse on the persecution of Christians.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the fifth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, shook up the New York City mayors race by throwing his support behind Maya Wiley in the Democratic primary earlier this month. The endorsement provided a major boost to Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio. It also put the rumored rivalry between Jeffries and one of Wileys opponents, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, into the spotlight.

Jeffries talked to City & State about why he backed Wiley and how, despite persistent political gossip, he has nothing but respect for Adams. The borough president also denied any discord. However, from their roots representing overlapping districts in the state legislature, the pair have notably ended up on the opposite sides of multiple political fights as they tried to play kingmaker in Central Brooklyn. With the mayors race in full swing, the pair find themselves at odds again with Adams trying to maintain his status as a frontrunner and Jeffries placing his bet on the insurgent Wiley. Its a clear fault line through the heart of Brooklyns political landscape.

Jeffries is not the only member of Congress who apparently has been impressed by Wiley: Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Yvette Clarke, who both represent Brooklyn-based districts, have also endorsed the civil rights lawyer, who served as chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board. According to Jeffries, his decision to support Wiley came after several weeks of conversations with several of the candidates to ascertain whether I could find a place to get involved in a meaningful way given the importance of this mayoral race in terms of the future of New York City.

It increasingly became clear to me that Maya Wiley would govern as a commonsense progressive, which is consistent with my philosophy of the type of leader needed at this moment, Jeffries said in a phone conversation last Thursday. Maya Wiley will build bridges not walls and, most importantly, focus the recovery efforts on the least, the lost and left behind.

Jeffries had been one of the most sought after endorsers in the mayors race thanks to his high profile and a longstanding base in Brooklyn. The congressman, who spent six years representing an Assembly district in Brooklyn, hasnt faced a Democratic primary challenge since he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. Hes widely rumored to be a leading candidate to succeed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the top Democrat in the House after the next election. He also served as an impeachment manager during the first effort to oust former President Trump last year.

But even as he rose through the ranks in Washington, Jeffries focused on maintaining a robust presence on the ground in his congressional district, which stretches in a shoehorn shape from historically Black but mostly gentrified neighborhoods such as Prospect Heights and Fort Greene through Bed-Stuy to encompass East New York, Canarsie and Coney Island. Through a mix of endorsements and advice, hes built himself a long list of allies across the city.

The support comes at a crucial time for Wiley, who is trailing Adams and Yang in polls of the crowded mayoral field. Jeffries endorsement means Wiley now leads the pack in terms of congressional support. As Wiley aims for a late surge, the support from Jeffries, his colleagues, and the politically powerful labor union 1199 SEIU are key weapons in her arsenal.

Julia Savel, a spokesperson for Wiley, described the support of Jeffries, Clark and Velazquez as critical for the campaign. Maya has built a coalition across Brooklyn and across the five boroughs of elected leaders who are supporting her, Savel said. These leaders have real grassroots energy in their communities and have real people power.

Of course, in boosting Wiley, Jeffries may have dealt a blow to Adams. The mayoral campaign is the latest chapter in a long history of Jeffries and Adams making opposing endorsements over the past decade.

In 2014, Politico called it a series of proxy fights, noting that they backed different candidates for New York City comptroller and public advocate in 2009, when Jeffries bet on eventual winners John Liu and Bill de Blasio, respectively, while Adams endorsed David Yassky for comptroller and Norman Siegel for public advocate. In 2013, Jeffries supported Ken Thompson for Brooklyn district attorney, while Adams stuck with incumbent Charles Hynes, who lost to Thompson. In 2012, when Jeffries ran for Congress against then-City Council Member Charles Barron, Adams stayed neutral. Still, Jeffries and Adams steadfastly denied any tension.

While both Jeffries and Adams maintain their relationship is positive, other Brooklyn politicos describe a far different story playing out behind the scenes. Multiple sources who spoke to City & State on the condition of anonymity to allow them to candidly discuss the powerful pair, said Jeffries and Adams engaged in a heated power struggle.

A veteran progressive activist from Brooklyn, who has not endorsed in the mayors race, called Jeffries and Adams Israel and Hamas.

Its about as contentious as it gets politically and personally, said the activist. I think Hakeem weighing in for Maya is significant  Its a huge blow to Eric to have the pre-eminent congressperson from the delegation support his opponent.

An elected official from Brooklyn, who similarly requested anonymity and has remained neutral in the race, also said Jeffries and Adams are oil and vinegar.

I would say they both want to be in charge, the official said.

Jeffries is aware of the persistent rumors about tensions between him and Adams, but he dismissed them out of hand.

That would be an inaccurate assessment in my view, although I acknowledge that, for whatever reason, its popular in the political gossip circles, Jeffries said. I have nothing but respect for Borough President Adams and we have a long history of working together on a wide variety of issues, most particularly, police reform when we were serving in the New York state Legislature together.

In a statement to City & State, Adams similarly pointed to common ground.

We may have been on different political sides from time to time, but weve always been on the same side fighting inequality, Adams said.

Jeffries and Adams did work closely together in 2010 to pass a law that forced the New York City Police Department to shut down a database of innocent people who were stopped, questioned and frisked, but cleared of any crime. Jeffries was the bills sponsor in the Assembly and Adams backed it in the state Senate. More recently, the pair teamed up on a joint initiative to combat anti-Semitic hate crimes following an attack on the Orthodox community upstate in late 2019.

And Jeffries has also left the door open to making a ranked choice endorsement where he highlights candidates other than Wiley who have his support in line with the new voting system thats making its debut in this race. For Jeffries, the most important thing is making sure his constituents are aware they can rank five picks in the race.

I havent made that decision yet in terms of whether to make a ranked-choice endorsement, Jeffries said, adding, Once theres clarity on the fact that this will be a new thing for New Yorkers to participate in  then we might consider whether sharing my ballot perspectives beyond who Ive endorsed at the time would be appropriate.

For now, Jeffries says he will be actively campaigning for Wiley alongside her other top endorsers.

I look forward to working hard on Mayas behalf over the next several weeks in partnership with my colleagues, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez along with the mighty, mighty mighty 1199, Jeffries said, referring to the Service Employees International Union health care chapter that is supporting Wiley.

And Jeffries is confident Wileys candidacy will resonate as the city emerges from the pain of the pandemic. Specifically, he cited her extraordinary story of overcoming adversity as a child, having witnessed the death of her father, and then rebounding from that adversity to follow in his footsteps as a civil rights champion.

This is a change election and it was clear to me that Maya Wiley is a change candidate, Jeffries said, adding, New York City has been hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. Weve been knocked down, but we havent been knocked out. Its going to take someone who understands the importance and power of resiliency to lead the great New York City comeback.
Council Member Deborah Rose made history as the first Black lawmaker elected to office on Staten Island. About 12 years later, a crowded slate of predominantly Black candidates are hoping to fill her shoes.

Around 10 Democratic candidates will appear on the June ballot in the race to represent District 49, which spans the diverse North Shore of Staten Island. And a clear frontrunner hasnt emerged, with several of the top candidates fundraising a comparable amount, drawing in notable endorsements and bringing in varied backgrounds in government, education and nonprofits.

Amoy Barnes, who currently runs a center for college access for the city Department of Education, has attracted the greatest amount of private dollars and number of endorsements so far. Having pulled in more than $75,000 from donors, Barnes has gained the support of the Working Families Party, UFT, 32BJ SEIU and several elected officials from across the city, including Council Member Diana Ayala and state Sen. John Liu.

One candidate who previously ran against Rose in 2017, Kamillah Hanks, has raised close to $55,000 in private funds. Hanks, the founder of the Historic Tappen Park Community Partnership, has gotten support from politicians on Staten Island: State Sen. Diane Savino and Assembly Member Charles Fall, who has ranked her number one.

And other candidates who have raised notable amounts of funding and gotten backing from a range of unions and political action committees are: Ranti Ogunleye, a director at the JCC Cornerstone Gerard Carter Center; Kelvin Richards, a public defender with the Legal Aid Society; and Michael Schnall, who most recently served as vice president for government relations and community investment at New York Road Runners.

Also on this years ballot are some candidates with ties to Council Member Rose. Selina Grey, who has run Roses re-election campaigns, has gotten the most significant benefit from that connection as the one candidate to receive her endorsement. Teacher Troy McGhie works as Roses community liaison and David Hernandez, who has only raised $6,735 so far, has been her director of constituent services. The other candidates running are John McBeth, a member of Community Board 1, and Jason Price, who has chaired the Staten Island Neighborhood Advisory board.

The North Shore district remains particularly unique, given how racially, ethnically and economically diverse it is compared with the rest of the borough. Data from the 2010 census shows that the districts population was 38% white, while Hispanic and Black residents respectively made up 29% and 23% of the area. Immigrants from Liberia, Mexico, Russia and numerous other countries make-up communities across the North Shore. The economic disparities are also apparent throughout the district as well. You can go across the street and see a million dollar home and go up the block and then we have NYCHA homes, Grey said.

The race for the 49th district hasnt seen much ideological strife between the many candidates, and plenty have found common ground on certain issues. For example, Barnes, Grey, Hernandez, McGhie and Ogunleye along with Council Member Rose all appeared at a May 22 rally opposing plans for a 100-men shelter in Stapleton. Most listed similar top priorities if they were elected to office, namely addressing quality of life, improving transit options and increasing the availability of affordable housing.

The candidates also mostly expressed praise for Roses record in the Council, particularly given her history-making victory as the first African American elected official to be voted into office on Staten Island. I hope that what I can do is just to make sure that her legacy lives on, Barnes said. Because people need to always remember that to get to this point where I, as a young woman of color and immigrant, am running for office, it's because Councilwoman Debi Rose didn't stop trying to run for office. Even Hanks, who challenged her in 2017, had great praise for Rose. Having ran against her  I lost  and then having years to digest and unpack that, and then doing it again  I have a tremendous amount of respect for her, she said.

What each candidate is hoping will help them stand out from the pack is their record on helping the North Shore. Several have experience in government to lean on. Barnes has previously worked in constituent services for Sen. Savino and has served as Staten Island Borough Director in the mayors office. Schnall used to work as a city Parks Department staffer and financial analyst in the City Council, and touts his relationships to those involved in city government.

Others have pointed to their work in the community. Hanks, for example, was honored by the Staten Island Advance for creating a new training program for young adults at her nonprofit that focused on making face shields early on in the COVID-19 pandemic. Richards pointed to petitions he has spearheaded to improve the North Shore, including one in 2014 that aimed to improve the conditions of a playground in Stapleton. One unique approach Ogunleye took to show his dedication to residents of the 49th district, was having his campaign launch a new educational program to teach people about beekeeping, which he has said he will continue regardless of the elections outcome.

Grey expressed skepticism about some candidates proof of their commitment to the district. A lot of the candidates, when they talk about (how) they've done the work in the community, it was usually their jobs. Aside from her campaign work, Grey said much of her involvement coordinating meetings with local elected officials and working with the Staten Island NAACP as an executive board member has been done on a volunteer basis.

For Richard Flanagan, a political science professor at the College of Staten Island, what stands out about the race in the 49th district is how crowded the field is and how many quality candidates with civic roots in the area are running. And with the added variable of ranked choice voting, he said the winner of the race seems particularly impossible to predict.

A lot of the races are more like two-horse races, maybe three, he said. This is really a five- or six-horse race.
On Sunday, a commercial Ryanair flight from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, was nearing its destination when it suddenly changed course. The government of Belarus, an Eastern European dictatorship, had intercepted the flight just before it left the countrys airspace and demanded that it make an emergency landing in Minsk, the capital. Some of the passengers feared that the plane had a problem. In fact, it was carrying a problem for the Belarusian regime: a twenty-six-year-old exile named Roman Protasevich, who cofounded a channel on the Telegram app that has been used to coordinateand journalistically covermass protests against the rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. After the flight landed in Minsk, Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who is Russian, were quickly arrested; the other passengers were held for several more hours, one of them told Politico, so that the authorities might have this show that they were actually searching for something, when they only wanted to get the guy. In an initial statement, Ryanair did not mention Protasevich, instead apologizing for the regrettable delay, which was outside Ryanairs control. The Belarusian government, for its part, said that it grounded the plane after receiving a bomb threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Hamas called this fake news.) In reality, it was a hijacking, and a kidnapping.

The abduction of Protasevich triggered widespread international outrage that hasnt yet abated. Yesterday, US President Joe Biden condemned it as an assault on both political dissent and the freedom of the press, as well as a direct affront to international norms. European Union leaders levied economic sanctions against Belarus; they also said that European airlines should avoid Belarusian airspace, and moved to start banning Belarusian airlines from EU airspace. An official in neighboring Latvia raised the flag of the Belarusian opposition; in response, Belarus kicked Latvias entire diplomatic delegation out of the country. Also yesterday, Belarusian state TV aired a video that showed Protasevich seated at a table, confessing to inciting mass riots. The confession is widely believed to have been forced; Protasevichs father, who fled Belarus last year and now lives in Poland, told Reuters that his sons voice sounded unnatural, and that his nose appeared to have been broken. State TV also responded to claims that agents of the Belarusian KGB followed Protasevich onto the Ryanair flight then disembarked in Minsk, airing a report in which three people testified to simply having decided to end their journey early. The KGB claim had been leveled by, among others, Michael OLeary, the CEO of Ryanair, who yesterday went on an Irish radio station and accused Belarus of state-sponsored piracy. Meanwhile, his airline continued to fly over Belarusian airspace.

ICYMI: Emily Wilder, tradition, and the double standards around objectivity

International media reports have referred to Protasevich, variously, as an activist and a journalist. Thats because he is both. Franak Viacorka, an adviser to the exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, told the Financial Times that Protasevich is a hybrid type of media activist; Martin Bright wrote, for Index on Censorship, that to be an independent journalist in Belarus is to immediately become an activist, and thus, in the eyes of the regime, a terrorist. Bright urged international observers to steer well clear of Lukashenkos preferred framing and defend Protasevich as a journalist, which is a fair pointbut all around the world, the work of activists and journalists, even when clearly separate, relies on the same basic set of speech rights and the same fights for democracy. In Belarus, Lukashenko has trampled those rights across the board, particularly since last summer, when he declared a massive victory in an election that was widely viewed as a sham, and cracked down on the citizens who flooded the streets in protest. Between August and November, the regime arrested thousands of people, sometimes in a single day. More than three hundred of these arrests targeted reporters.

Lukashenkos repression of protest and the press hasnt abated since then. In December, his authorities went after a Belarusian press club, charging five people with tax crimes and deporting a sixth; in February, they raided the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the homes of top staffers, where they confiscated electronics and money. Two days later, a court sentenced Katsyarina Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova, who covered protests for the Polish-based channel Belsat TV, to two-year jail terms; shortly after that, Katsiaryna Barysevich, a reporter with the independent news site Tut.by, got a six-month sentence for violating medical confidentiality in a story about a protester who died after he was beaten by police. (A doctor who shared documents with Barysevich got a two-year suspended sentence.) In a ten-day period at the end of March, the authorities detained at least sixteen reporters who had covered protests; earlier this month, they detained at least three reporters who had covered trials involving opposition activists. A week ago, officials raided the offices of Tut.by and forced the site offline; eleven staffers were detained, as was a reporter from another outlet who showed up to cover the raid and remains in jail. Sundays arrest of Protasevich isnt even the most recent assault on speech in Belarus: yesterday, Lukashenko signed a law banning independent coverage of unauthorized rallies and polls, and allowing the government to shutter news outlets without first obtaining a court order.

It is the Protasevich incident that has cut through in the international press, perhaps more so than any news out of Belarus since the election last summer. Some observers have compared it to Saudi Arabias murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the countrys consulate in Istanbul, in 2018, and there are indeed similarities. Protasevich is alive, but he reportedly told passengers on the Ryanair flight that he fears for his life in Belarusian custody; both incidents, meanwhile, were breathtaking in their brazenness, and thus attracted a level of attention and condemnation that is not often afforded to more routine violations of press freedom. (Both also involved dictatorships snaking their tendrils beyond their typical spheres of domestic control, into a consulate in a third country and the sky, respectively.) There are also, however, important differences. Saudi Arabia is a US ally, which ultimately helped shield its top leadership from maximum accountability for killing Khashoggi. Belarus very much is not. While Western democracies are unlikely to have diplomatic reservations about punishing Lukashenko, their leverage over his regime is limited. To be sure, stringent airspace restrictions could further undercut Lukashenkos legitimacy at home, but Western leaders already tried sanctions and loud condemnation around the election last year, and clearly failed to curb Lukashenkos abuses. Belarus is now firmly ensconced, instead, in Russias orbit, and officials there have not publicly criticized the Ryanair hijacking. (The editor of RT even called it beautiful.) Lukashenko will reportedly meet with Vladimir Putin later this week.

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The last time I wrote about Belarus, in December, I mentioned some reasons for hope amid the bleak landscape. Those have become increasingly difficult to see. Back then, Russia had just urged Lukashenko to commit to constitutional reforms, and he had suggested that he might eventually step aside; unsurprisingly, he has not followed through. I also noted studies suggesting that Belarusians were abandoning state media en masse and instead getting their news from platforms like Tut.by and Telegram, and the brave reporters who populate such spaces; Lukashenko has now brought the hammer down on Tut.by and abducted Protasevich over his work on Telegram. All is not lost, of courseLukashenko cant censor Telegram, which is encrypted; Protasevichs colleagues, meanwhile, have revoked his access to their channel to stop law enforcement from seeing it. Brave journalism continues, and, as I wrote in December, it deserves our ongoing attention. It shouldnt have taken the hijacking of a commercial airline to refocus it; now that were looking again, we must not look away.

Below, more on Belarus and press freedom globally:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Repression and Reciprocity in Russia

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
GOMA  Waves of earth tremors rocked the Congolese city of Goma on Monday, unnerving residents still reeling from a volcano eruption at the weekend that tore through nearby villages, displaced thousands and killed at least 15 people.

Chaos descended on Goma on Saturday evening when Mount Nyiragongo, one of the worlds most active and dangerous volcanoes, erupted, sending a smoldering wall of lava half a mile wide downhill towards the city of 2 million people.

The lava flow stopped a few hundred meters short of the city limits, but destroyed 17 villages on the way, blocked a main route to town and cut the principle electricity supply.

Shops briefly reopened in Goma on Monday but many closed again as the tremors grew more severe and residents worried that these could trigger another eruption. Two Reuters reporters in the city said that tremors were occurring every 30 minutes.

Experts in volcanic eruptions told Reuters that the earthquakes were caused by techtonic plates realigning after the eruption, and that the risk of a second eruption was small.

But authorities in Goma urged caution.

The army asked parents to keep their children home from school.

In view of the earthquake, which is becoming more severe, parents are asked not to send their children to school until further notice, said army spokesman Guillaume Ndjike.

A delegation of eight ministers arrived from Kinshasa on Monday to oversee the recovery.

Fifteen people were killed, including nine in a traffic accident as residents fled, four who tried to escape Munzenze prison in Goma and two who were burned to death, the government said.

The death toll is likely to rise considerably. Residents who spoke to Reuters said relatives have died in the wreckage or were missing. UNICEF estimates that 170 children are among the missing.
CAIRO (AP)  An Egyptian appeals court said Sunday it lacks jurisdiction to look into the Suez Canal Authoritys demands to uphold financial claims that led to the seizure of the cargo ship that blocked the waterway in March.

The authority and the ships owner dispute who was at fault when the Ever Given ran aground in the canal linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea and how much compensation should be paid.

The appeals chamber of the Ismailia Economic Court referred the case to a lower court to decide on the legality of the seizure of the ship until the settlement of compensation claim between the the Suez Canal Authority and Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., the ships Japanese owner, according to Hazem Barakat, a lawyer representing the vessels owner.

The Ever Given was on its way to the Dutch port of Rotterdam on March 23 when it slammed into the bank of a single-lane stretch of the canal about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.

A massive effort by a flotilla of tugboats, helped by the tides, freed the skyscraper-sized ship six days later, ending the crisis and allowing hundreds of waiting vessels to pass through the canal. The Suez Canal Authority on Sunday revealed for the first time that a salvage boat capsized during the operation, leaving one worker dead.

Since it was freed, the Panama-flagged vessel, which carries cargo between Asia and Europe, has been ordered by authorities to remain in a holding lake mid-canal as its owner and the canal authority try to settle the compensation dispute.

At first, the Suez Canal Authority demanded $916 million in compensation, which was later lowered to $550 million, the head of the canal authority, Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, said in comments on a television program on Sunday.

The money would cover the salvage operation, costs of stalled canal traffic and lost transit fees for the week the Ever Given blocked the canal.

The ships technical management company, Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement, said in April the Suez Canal Authority had not provided a detailed justification for the compensation claim, calling it extraordinarily large.

The Suez Canal Authority said it provided documents detailing the compensation amount. It did not provide additional details.

Barakat, the lawyer, said the next court hearing on the case will take place on May 29.

In a separate lawsuit, the appeals chamber rejected Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd.s appeal against a lower court decision to bound the vessel until solving the financial dispute.

On Saturday, lawyers representing the ships owners blamed the canal authority for the vessels grounding, claiming the canal authorities did not provide evidence faulting the ships crew. They also argued the canal authority should not have allowed the vessel to sail in the waterway amid bad weather.

Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the ship, had said the Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the canal from the Red Sea.

Barakat said the Voyage Data Recorder, also known as a vessels black box, had recorded a debate between canal pilots and its control center over whether it should be allowed to transit the canal. Two pilots from the canal authority were aboard the vessel to guide it when the grounding happened.

Barakat also confirmed that the vessels owners, had, for their part, demanded $100,000 in initial compensation for losses related to its seizure.

The canal has repeatedly denied wrongdoings. It said in a statement Sunday that that while its pilots typically board ships to guide them through the waterway, the ships captain retains ultimate authority over the vessel and that the pilots role is an advisory one.

The six-day blockage disrupted global shipping. Hundreds of ships waited in place for the canal to be unblocked, while some ships were forced to take the much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope at Africas southern tip, requiring additional fuel and other costs.

About 10% of world trade flows through the canal, a pivotal source of foreign currency to Egypt. Some 19,000 vessels passed through the canal last year, according to official figures.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  Residents searched for missing loved ones amid their destroyed homes on the outskirts of Congos eastern city of Goma Monday, where light aftershocks were detected in the area following the eruption of a large volcano two days earlier.

With little warning Mount Nyiragongo had turned the dark sky fiery red on Saturday night and then spewed torrents of lava into villages, killing at least 15 people and destroying more than 500 homes, officials and survivors said.

Grief, disbelief and fear hung over the area as seven government ministers, including Congos prime minister and health minister, visited Goma.

Smoke rose from the cooling lava that covered part of the Nyiragongo region. Some people walked on the crust formed by hardening lava.

Scientists at the Volcanic Observatory of Goma were not able to adequately warn the public of the eruption because of a funding cut, the observatorys scientific director of Celestin Kasereka Mahinda said.

The observatory no longer has the support of the central government or of external donors, which explains why the volcanic eruption was such a surprise, Mahinda told The Associated Press. A partnership between the government and the World Bank that had supported the observatory was cut in October 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the observatory without even internet, he said.

The observatory had just started to resume operations last month thanks to new funding from the U.S. Geological Surveys Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, which means the observatory can at least gather data after the eruption, he said.

The volcano remains active and earthquake tremors are being recorded, he said, calling on the population to remain vigilant.

The government ministers visiting Goma Monday, including Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, were assessing what aid is needed for those hurt by the eruption.

The government team dispatched expressly here in Goma, following the volcanic eruption which caused a lot of damage in the city, Minister of Public Health Jean-Jacques Mbungani said. It is important that a strong signal from our government is given. We will have discussions with the military governor as well as with all the stakeholders so that we can identify avenues for quick solutions for the population.

The volcano eruption caused about 5,000 people to flee from one neighborhood of Goma, a city of about 2 million people, across the nearby border into Rwanda. Another 25,000 others sought refuge to the northwest in Sake, the U.N. childrens agency said.

More than 170 children were still feared missing, and UNICEF officials said they were organizing transit centers to help unaccompanied children in the wake of the disaster as more than 150 children were reportedly separated from their families.

Goma ultimately was largely spared the mass destruction caused by Mt. Nyiragongos last eruption in 2002. Hundreds died then and more than 100,000 people were left homeless.

Goma is a regional hub for many humanitarian agencies as well as a U.N. peacekeeping mission. Much of surrounding eastern Congo is threatened by a multitude of armed groups vying for control of the regions lucrative mineral resources.

About the photo: A person stands in front of lava from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in Buhene, on the outskirts of Goma, Congo in the early hours of Sunday, May 23, 2021. Congos Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the first time in nearly two decades Saturday, turning the night sky a fiery red and sending lava onto a major highway as panicked residents tried to flee Goma, a city of nearly 2 million. (AP Photo/Justin Kabumba)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
STRESA, Italy (AP)  Italys transport minister vowed Monday to establish the cause of a cable car disaster that killed 14 people, after the lead cable apparently snapped and the cabin careened back down the mountain until it came off the line and crashed to the ground.

The lone survivor of Sundays horrific incident, a 5-year-old Israeli boy living in Italy, remained hospitalized in Turin on Monday with multiple broken bones.

The Israeli foreign ministry identified him as Eitan Biran. His parents, younger brother and two great-grandparents were among the dead, the ministry said, correcting an earlier statement that had included Eitan among the victims.

Italian media identified all the other victims as residents of Italy.

The disaster, in one of the most picturesque spots in northern Italy  the Mottarone mountaintop overlooking Lake Maggiore and other lakes near Switzerland  raised questions anew about the quality and safety of Italys transport infrastructure.

Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini visited the site Monday and announced a commission of inquiry to investigate the technical and organizational causes of the accident, while prosecutors will focus on any criminal blame.

Giovannini told reporters in Stresa, the lakefront town at the foot of the Mottarone peak, that the aim of the investigative commission would be to ensure this never happens again.

The transport ministry said a preliminary check of the cable lines safety and maintenance record show that the whole lift structure underwent a renovation in August 2016, and that a full maintenance check was performed in 2017.

Late last year, inspections were performed on the cables themselves, including magnetic inspections on the primary cables of the lift: the cable that pulls the cabin up the mountain, the support cable that holds the car and the rescue cables. In December another visual check was performed, the ministry said.

The mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino, quoted witnesses as saying they heard a loud hiss, apparently when the lead cable snapped. She said the cabin reeled back down the line until it apparently hit a pylon and then plummeted to the ground. It rolled over two or three times before crashing into trees, she said.

It wasnt immediately clear why a brake had not engaged.

Some of the bodies were thrown from the car and were found amid the trees, rescue workers said.

The funicular line is popular with tourists and locals alike to scale Mottarone, which reaches a height of 1,491 meters (4,900 feet) and overlooks several picturesque lakes and the surrounding Alps of Italys Piedmont region.

The mountain hosts a small amusement park, Alpyland, that has a childrens rollercoaster, and the area also has mountain bike paths and hiking trails.

It only reopened a few weeks ago after Italys wintertime coronavirus lockdowns lifted, and officials hypothesized that families were taking advantage of a sunny Sunday to visit the peak and take in the view.

The mayor declared a day of mourning for Stresa, which like tourist destinations around the country had suffered from COVID-19 lockdowns that not only slashed foreign tourism but cut local day-trip visits by Italians.

Giovannini acknowledged the community was at a moment of rebirth with the tourist season just beginning. It has been particularly struck by this event and has already shown a great sense of responsibility in sharing in the pain of the families, he said.

The Israeli foreign ministry identified the five Israelis killed as Eitans parents, Amit Biran and Tal Peleg-Biran, an Israeli-born couple studying and working in Pavia. Birans Facebook page identifies him as a medical student at the University of Pavia.

Their 2-year-old son, Tom Biran, was killed at the scene, as were Peleg-Birans grandparents, Barbara and Yitzhak Cohen. The ministry said they had arrived in Italy on May 19 to visit their granddaughter and great-grandchildren.

Amit Birans sister, Aya, was not involved in the crash and was at the bedside of Eitan at Turins Regina Margherita hospital, the foreign ministry said, adding that other family members were flying to Italy from Israel to join her.

The Israeli embassy was working to help repatriate the bodies to Israel, it said.

Among the other victims were an Italian researcher, Serena Consentino, and her Iranian-born companion, Mohammadreza Shahaisavandi, according to a statement from Italys National Council of Research, where Consentino had a research grant.

Also killed at the scene were Vittorio Zorloni and his wife, Elisabetta Persanini. Their six-year-old son, Mattia, died at Regina Margherita after multiple efforts to restart his heart, hospital officials said.

A young couple, Silvia Malnati and Alessandro Merlo, were killed while Malnatis brother stayed down in town and frantically tried to call her, Italys La Stampa newspaper reported, quoting the brother.

Another couple, Roberta Pistolato and Angelo Vito Gasparro were celebrating Gasparros 45th birthday. La Stampa said Roberta texted her sister in Puglia right before the tragedy: Were going up in the funicular. Its paradise here.

AP reporter Laurie Kellman contributed from Jerusalem.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The left-wing French parliamentarian Daniele Obono stormed out of a live debate on May 13 about the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities hosted by the French-language channel of the Israeli broadcaster, i24 News. Obono took exception to another panelist characterizing the political party she belongs to, La France Insoumise (France Rising), as not merely anti-Zionist, but blatantly antisemitic and pro-Islamist as well.

Upon hearing this, Obono declared that she was not being asked a question and was just being insulted instead. She removed her earpiece and left the set, refusing entreaties to sit back down and continue the discussion. As Obono made abundantly clear to both the presenter and the studio manager who asked her to remain, calling the party she supports antisemitic had crossed an unacceptable boundary.

Obonos decision to walk rather than fight her case was entirely consistent with the approach of a large sector of the political left to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. They wear the label of anti-Zionism with pride; they advocate a single state of Palestine between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan; they push for a comprehensive boycott of the Jewish state and no other country; they declare solidarity with Palestinian terrorist groups; they depict Jews not as an indigenous nation to the Middle East but as extraneous colonists; they vilify Israel by comparing its actions to the slaughters perpetrated by the historic enemies of the Jewish people; and yet, suggest to one of its representatives that any of this might be antisemitic, and they will react as though you spat in their face!

The events of the last fortnight suggest to me that a response like that of Obonos to an accusation of antisemitism is becoming outmoded. The charge has historically been regarded on the left as an insult largely because of the postwar taboo on openly identifying as an antisemite. But that legacy of the Nazi era is fading, along with our memories of the Holocaust. For a new generation much younger than Obono and other leaders of her LFI Party, casually hating Jews because they are Jews is as legitimate an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians as waving a Palestinian flag on a march, posting boycott stickers on Israeli goods in grocery stores, disrupting campus meetings addressed by Israeli speakers and sharing Israel Apartheid Week memes on social media. They are not insulted by the term antisemite. They simply dismiss it as a word of no value because it is wielded by the (expletive) Zionists (a pejorative much heard on our streets lately) with whom they are locked in eternal conflict.

The mutation of antisemitism that the latest fighting between Israel and Hamas has given us a glimpse of hasnt been seen in almost a century. It is one of the most disturbing forms that Jew-hatred takes; semi-organized mobs of mainly young men deliberately targeting individual Jews or Jewish-owned businesses with verbal abuse and physical violence. We associate such images with the Nazis most of all, but there are slightly more recent instances of such antisemitic violence. Throughout the Arab world in the late 1940s and 50s, Jews were subjected to pogroms and other atrocities as a prelude to their mass expulsion and expropriation from these countries.

The mobilization of young Arabs and Muslims living in the West  many of whom were born after 9/11, and have grown up with their worldviews formed and filtered through social media  in the service of the Palestinian cause is a comparatively new element in this century-old conflict.

History is full of horrible ironies, and this is one of them. The mobs we have witnessed attacking Jews in cities on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are overwhelmingly composed of members of the various Arab and wider Muslim communities; in European demonstrations, for example, Turkish and Algerian flags can be spotted alongside Palestinian ones. The same impulse that drove the eventual expulsion of nearly 800,000 Jews from the Arab world is now coming back to haunt us in the very countries where we sought our freedom.

The impulse that I am referring to is failure. In the Arab countries during the first decade of Israels existence, persecution of local Jews was one feat that could be accomplished, and indeed, relished, amid the humiliating battlefield defeats inflicted by the nascent Israel Defense Forces on the Arab armies. The legacy of that domestic campaign of antisemitism has traveled with us to different continents and vastly different political contexts. What remains the same is the conviction that Arabs are being disempowered, robbed and murdered by Jewish conspiracies, and that ordinary Arabs are therefore justified in taking their anger out on ordinary Jews in response.

This leads to a simple conclusionand one that was also widespread after Israels stunning victory in the 1967 Six-Day War: The Jewish state might have a powerful military, the Jews might control the banks and the media, but both will eventually taste defeat. Until then, the task of Arabs and Muslims is to make life as unpleasant for Jews, whether in Israel or outside, as possible. Hence, the antisemitic spectacles around the globe that have accompanied the latest fighting in the Middle East: a motorized convoy through North Londons Jewish neighborhoods threatening to rape the communitys daughters; pro-Palestinians driving by diners at a Los Angeles restaurant before getting out and beating Jewish ones: hundreds of protesters joyfully chanting the insult (Expletive) Jew! at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the German city of Gelsenkirchen; seven keffiyeh-wearing assailants kicking a kipah-wearing Jewish man in the road in New York Citys Times Square in broad daylight.

The mobilization of young Arabs and Muslims living in the West  many of whom were born after the 9/11 terror attacks, and have grown up with their worldviews formed and filtered through social media  in the service of the Palestinian cause is a comparatively new element in this century-old conflict. It is also a highly unpredictable one. All that is certain is that the Middle Easts longest hatred is becoming an acute challenge for domestic policy, more it ever was at the international level.

Ben Cohen is a New York City-based journalist and author who writes a weekly column on Jewish and international affairs for JNS. Top read more of Cohens columns, visit cjn.org/cohen.
Having access to everything inside our own homes is something most of us take for granted. Simply being able to climb stairs, reach counter tops or perform basic tasks around the house is something that comes easy to most people. But for people with reduced mobility from physical or mental d
Ohio's Crossroads Church will gift $2.5 million to local, national, and international NGOs over the next five months to mark its 25th anniversary, a report says.

"We're so thankful to the city, we're so grateful for all the nonprofits that are in the city so as a result of our 25th anniversary we are going to put a little dot in between 2 and 5, giving 2.5 million dollars in the next 25 weeks," Senior Pastor and founder Brian Tome said as per WLWT5's report.

Local organization City Gospel Mission and foreign NGOs Jeevan Aadhar and Restavek Freedom will be receiving $100,000 each as the initial beneficiaries.

David Pinson of City Gospel Mission said in a statement: "There will be some tears, I can tell you that right now. I think there'll be a lot of joy and hope, hope to our staff. Hope is getting it to those people, the hurting people that we work with, because it will get around and people will know that, and that might even attract people to us as well."

According to WKRC, Crossroads announced during its morning service on Sunday that it would distribute $2.5 million to 75 local, national, and worldwide NGOs. The money will be sent in addition to the church's customary support for these organizations. Church officials will identify the recipient organizations on a weekly basis, while also announcing a $100,000 commitment to missions in Haiti and India.

"God has blessed Crossroads over the past 25 years and we don't take that lightly," said Pastor Tome. "So, we want to use what we've been given to bring positive change in the communities we serve. That means sharing our resources with partners who are doing good work. Where God is moving, we want to be investing."

According to the Christian Post, the Ohio megachurch received millions of dollars through the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) last year, along with a number of other churches around the country.

Tome said that before his church got $3.6 million in PPP loans last year, he had no idea that churches could be helped in this way.

Despite the fact that its facilities were closed from March to September, Crossroads increased employment during the pandemic, going from 371 workers when it applied for a loan in April. The additional employees boosted the church's attempts to reach out to the community.

"When you take a look at the value churches offer the social sector, it is enormous," Tome told WCPO. "I think that the government at least this time around recognized that in this emotional crisis, financial crisis, spiritual - it's a crisis of every kind of category possible - churches provide a meaningful service to the communities."

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the church was founded with the mission of "connecting seekers to a community of growing Christ followers who are changing the world." Founded in 1995 in Cincinnati, it presently has ten branches in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Lexington, as well as an online platform. In 2018, the weekly attendance was reported to be 35,253.
Two months after Wheaton College (WC) removed a plaque due to a word deemed offensive, the school has announced its revised statement. The new plaque is set to be installed in the fall.

Last March, WC removed the plaque honoring its alumni, missionaries James Elliot and Edward McCully, because the word "savage" was considered inappropriate and had to be reworded.

In its official statement dated May 24, WC unveiled the new wording. It also explained that the plaque "will carry forward the memory" of its "brave missionaries" and their sacrifice, but will likewise respect the people with whom they shared the love of Christ.

In the new plaque, the word "savage" was eliminated and "Auca Indians" was replaced with "Waorani." It also stated the "redemptive story" after the incident, in which the missionaries' sacrifice inspired global missions and the indigenous people of Ecuador surrendered their lives to Christ.

"Their sacrifice was a turning point for the Waorani and an inspiration for evangelical missions globally. Inviting members of the men's families to live with them, the Waorani responded to the gospel and put down their spears. God's redemptive story continues as the gospel is still shared among the Waorani to this day," part of the statement on the new plaque says.

To review the wording, the school appointed a task force led by Beverly Liefeld Hancock, daughter of the wife of Pete Fleming from another marriage. Fleming was one of the missionaries killed by the Waorani people. The task force was composed of a missiologist, a historian, a graduate student and an undergraduate student. The rewording and replacement recommendations were decided by the Senior Administrative Cabinet, aided by the Board of Trustees.

WC President Philip Ryken said that the plaque replacement aims to tell the "unforgettable story" of the missionaries killed in South America, but in a manner that reflects the dignity of people, created in God's image.

"In the 64 years since the College received this gift, we have continued to grow in our understanding of how to show God's love and respect to people from every culture. We have also learned much more about God's ongoing work among the Waorani. We welcome this opportunity to ensure that we tell this unforgettable story in ways that reflect the full dignity of people made in the image of God," Ryken stated.

The school president also expressed his gratitude to the task force and to all other people who supported the project.

"We are deeply grateful to this remarkable team for their thoughtful work to continue the legacy of five missionaries who gave their lives to spread the gospel. We have been further blessed by the strong support for this project from members of their families, from their class peers, and from Wheaton College alumni who have gone on to be missionaries after being inspired by these brave pioneers," he further said.

Along with Elliot and McCully, the plaque also immortalizes the memories of three other missionaries killed in the attack, including Nate Saint, Roger Youderian and Fleming.

Elliot's wife, Elisabeth, went to preach the gospel to the Waorani people, two years after the death of her husband. She would also become a famous author, writing numerous books.
Clifford Chance launches Intelligent VIMA Solutions that supercharge the creation of early-stage financing documents

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has launched Intelligent VIMA Solutions, a series of solutions that automate and generate documents based on the industry standard Venture Capital Investment Model Agreements (VIMA) suite launched by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) and the Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SVCA). Clifford Chance was part of the Working Group which developed and introduced VIMA, which is based on Singapore law.

Kai Schneider, Singapore Managing Partner, Clifford Chance, said, "The launch of Intelligent VIMA Solutions is a great example of how our Create+65 innovation lab has harnessed the power of legaltech to transform the delivery of legal services. It is our hope that wider adoption of VIMA, now made easier through user-centric chatbots and auto-fill questionnaires, will help further reinforce Singapore's position as a leading start-up hub in South East Asia, and encourage the development of legal technology and innovation."

Developed with input from Clifford Chance's Create+65 start-up community, the simple and easy-to-use Intelligent VIMA Solutions enable entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and angel investors to quickly generate and customise a first draft of essential documents in the early stage financing of a start-up, such as Non-Disclosure Agreements, as well as fundraising and shareholder agreements[1]. Intelligent VIMA Solutions are available to use directly on the Clifford Chance website here.

Shanice Choo, Legal Innovation Advisor, Clifford Chance Create+65, said, "A common challenge that start-ups face is how to navigate the legal documentation for early stage financing. By adopting a co-design approach with our Create+65 start-up community, we were able to empathise with and understand how to make those documents more accessible to first-time entrepreneurs and investors. The result? Automated document solutions designed with the end-user in mind."

Joshua Wong, Founder and CEO, Hypotenuse AI, a Y Combinator-backed AI start-up said, "Create+65's Intelligent VIMA Solutions simplifies the complexity of documents relating to a Series A round, which proves to be exceptionally useful for start-ups like ours. We use Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) on a frequent basis, so crafting agreements are tedious. Using Intelligent VIMA Solutions halves our time spent creating an NDA, allowing us more time to focus on building our product. Without any prior legal knowledge, our team was able to come up with a ready first draft since legal terms are translated to easily digestible, layman terms."

To mark the launch of Intelligent VIMA Solutions, Clifford Chance recently partnered with Temasek, one of the members of the Working Group, the SAL and the SVCA to introduce and demonstrate the solutions to an audience of entrepreneurs, corporates, VCs and angel investors.

Since its launch in 2018 in Singapore, Create+65, Clifford Chance's first innovation lab, has demonstrated a track record of piloting legal technology solutions including, Automation Academy, a cutting-edge legal automation training programme, and the CompareNow precision text comparison tool.

[1] Legal advice should still be sought. VIMA documents are intended to serve as a starting point for discussion, where relevant documents should be tailored to meet the specific legal and commercial requirements of the contemplated transaction. No document or information provided in VIMA should be construed as legal advice (including for any fact or scenario described in such documents or any assumptions made in relation to such documents).
The National Guard troops are finally leaving for home after being deployed for four months at the U.S. Capitol following the January 6 riot.

According to National Guard Bureau Sergeant 1st Class Whitney Hughes in a statement, the troop's mission to provide security and support to the U.S. Capitol officially ended Sunday, May 23.

While the National Guard Bureau Chief General Daniel Hokanson said they spoke about this mission when he testified in the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last May 18. During which, the chief expressed his gratitude and admiration for those who guarded the U.S. Capitol grounds for the last four months.

"I'm proud of the Guardsmen and women who left their families and civilian jobs to serve as Soldiers and Airmen in response to the attack on the Capitol. Their selfless service is both important and inspiring," Hokanson stated.

Hokanson added that the "Joint Task Force District of Columbia involved 26,000 National Guardsmen at its peak, from every U.S. state and territory, to support the 59th Presidential Inauguration and "that the mobilization of Soldiers and Airmen from Guam to Maine was accomplished with organic National Guard air assets and logistical support."

Prior to deployment, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had to screen the National Guard Members in line with the inauguration day through background checks and counter-checking for safety and protection. Command Sgt. Major Michael Brooks said previously in an interview with One America Network News the guardsmen are provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be called "Capitol Guardians."

"But the D.C. National Guard is the only unit in the country, in the world, that calls themselves Capitol guardians. And for a brief moment of history, all 25,000 guardsmen that will be in the Capitol will be able to call themselves Capitol Guardians and I hope they cherish that as much as we do," Brooks said.

The originally deployed Guardsmen of 25,000 were later decreased to 5,000 after the inauguration to provide continued security in the area as support to the local police. This was further decreased to 2,200 Guardsmen come March 31 that included an "immediate reaction force" who conducted a "civil disturbance tactics training" while providing daily support to the U.S. Capitol Police at various entry points and patrols.

As per IRF Operations Officer Major Jessie Barnes, the training was very helpful since they were able to use it during an incident on April 2 where a man "rammed a security gate with his car" that injured an USCP officer and killed an USCP officer. The IRF that was assigned in the scene was able to respond to support the police within minutes.

The National Guard Bureau said the U.S. Capitol Police will now assume "full responsibility for Capitol security mission" as the troops "return to a traditional drilling status while supporting Guard elements from across the other 50 states, and three territories return to their home units under the authority of their governors."

The Blaze reported that Republicans have criticized the presence of the National Guard troops in the U.S. Capitol since they found it as an "unnecessary political operation" and a "strain on the component's capabilities across the country" that cost the government $500 million until mid-March alone as per Pentagon officials. While Democrats raised its necessity against alleged "security threats from right-wing actors upset over the results of the election."

Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually rejected his offer to deploy the National Guard ahead of January 6 when the Save America Rally was scheduled to be held in the White House grounds and to proceed to the U.S. Capitol to peacefully ask the Congressmen not to certify the election results.

However, Pelosi, who had the authority to deploy the said guardsmen, made strict instructions not to do so that made the U.S. Capitol vulnerable when activists who infiltrated pro-Trump supporters rioted on the said day.

Previously, the Museum of the Bible gave free admission to the National Guardsmen last April as a token of appreciation for their service and to provide them as well a means to entertain themselves while in the U.S. Capitol.
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs legislation into law during a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. The legislation creates grant programs to expand broadband internet access to underserved areas of the state. On Monday, May 24, Reynolds signed the funding bill into law.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25) Sixteen more guests at a Caloocan resort caught operating earlier this month despite quarantine restrictions tested positive for COVID-19, local officials confirmed Tuesday.

This brings the total number of infected individuals present at the Gubat sa Ciudad resort gathering to 20.

The Caloocan City Information Office told CNN Philippines the patients are asymptomatic and have been transferred to quarantine facilities. The LGU has so far traced 217 guests of the resort, authorities added.

On May 9, a throng of people were seen swimming in the resort, photos of which went viral on social media. This was amid the implementation of the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan has since ordered the closure of the resort, and its owners and a local official have been slapped with charges.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  A senator who once led the administration's war on drugs on Tuesday failed to convince a Commission Human Rights official that the death penalty should be reinstated for narcotics-related crimes.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa led a Senate hearing on House Bill No. 7814, which aims to strengthen the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The senator, who earlier steered the bloody crackdown on drugs as chief of police, said Chinese drug lords serving life sentences continue to lead the country's illegal drug trade.

Some inmates are even able to orchestrate misencounters between law enforcement agents, he noted, referring to a shootout between PDEA and QC cops in February.

"Yung frustration ng law enforcement na sana nabitay na itong drug lord na ito kasi kung nabitay na ito noon wala na itong problema na ito ngayon," dela Rosa said.

[Translation: The frustration of law enforcement is that had these drug lords been executed, we would not have these problems now.]

CHR Commissioner Karen Dumpit, however, insisted that everyone's right to life must be respected as government tries to free the country from illegal drugs.

"On your example of a drug lord orchestrating misencounters, why is he enabled to do that? He is already confined. Where is the accountability of custodians?" Dumpit said.

Drug policy reform advocate Dr. Lee Edson Yarcia also pointed out that under the proposed bill, the death penalty is not imposed on top drug lords or syndicates.

"Ipinasok po ito doon sa persons who are possessing dangerous drugs during parties, social gatherings, or meetings," Yarcia explained.

[Translation: This was included in the provision about persons who are in possession of dangerous drugs during parties, social gatherings, or meetings.]

Presumption of guilt amendment unconstitutional

The CHR also told the senate panel that the proposed measure's provisions on legal presumptions on drug-related offenses are unconstitutional.

Under HB 7814, a person present in the immediate vicinity of an area of distribution or sale of illegal drugs is "presumed to have been involved" in such activities "unless proven otherwise".

The National Bureau of Investigation agreed.

"Instead of the government proving the guilt of the accused, the accused will be proving his innocence. We're going to have a reverse trial," NBI Atty. Ross Galicia said.

Dela Rosa said a technical working group will be created to further discuss issues under the proposed bill.

The House of Representatives passed HB 7814 last March but there is no counterpart measure yet at the Senate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday urged the Philippine National Police to probe the alleged use of detainees in anti-illegal drug operations.

The lawmaker first reported the purported practice during a Senate hearing on Monday. She presented a video of a female detainee who claimed she worked with the police in a buy-bust operation in a Quezon City mall on May 14 that almost led to a "misencounter" between PNP and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agents.

Hontiveros said this is not the first time a detainee alleged she was made to take part of an entrapment operation.

"In Feb., in that bloody misencounter, iyong isang nagngangalang Jonaire Decena, babae rin, inamin rin niya na 'nagpatulong' nga raw sa kanya ang PNP sa buy bust operation nila," Hontiveros told CNN Philippines' New Day.

[Translation: In Feb. in that bloody misencounter, some Jonaire Decena, also female, admitted the PNP asked for her help in a buy-bust operation.]

She was referring to the drug bust on Feb. 24 that led to a deadly shootout between anti-drug operatives of the PNP and PDEA. At least four people died in the incident.

It is "alarming" if involving detained individuals in entrapments is a common practice among the police, the senator said, adding the National Bureau of Investigation views it as "problematic."

"The PNP must simply investigate that alleged practice of using detainees during anti-illegal drug operations," Hontiveros said.

She added this supposed procedure shows the lack of a "clean and firm system in addressing problematic drug use."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The Philippine National Police will fully cooperate with the National Bureau of Investigation's probe into the killing of a teen with special needs during police operations over the weekend, its chief Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said Tuesday.

Eleazar added that he also instructed the PNP Internal Affairs Service to conduct its own investigation. He vowed to punish the police officers involved if lapses in protocol are proven.

Erwin Arnigo - an 18-year-old with autism - was reportedly killed when authorities raided a cockfighting game in Valenzuela City on Sunday. Mayor Rex Gatchalian confirmed the NBI is already looking into the matter.

"Pinadala ng NBI 'yung mga investigators nila, sa pagkakaunawa ko, nagpunta na rin sa site kanina [In my understanding, the NBI sent their investigators to the site a while ago]," Gatchalian told the media before his scheduled meeting with the NBI.

About six bureau agents visited the crime scene before meeting Gatchalian and two of Arnigo's siblings at the city hall in the afternoon. Gatchalian said the family asked for an independent probe, as well as help in locating witnesses.

Arnigo died due to a gunshot wound from a policeman's firearm, which the teenager allegedly grabbed. However, his family claimed otherwise, saying he was only standing outside their house when the incident took place.

Gatchalian said four cops involved in the raid have been placed under restrictive custody while the investigation is ongoing. The local government will shoulder the autopsy, wake, and burial expenses, he added. Arnigo's mother Helen is also in the hospital due to high blood pressure following the unfortunate event, Arnigo's siblings said.

Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Leila De Lima denounced the killing and called for a swift probe. De Lima pointed out the need for an urgent investigation "to ensure justice will be served" amid the contradicting testimonies between authorities and the victim's family.

Senator Gatchalian also raised the need to address gaps in how police conduct law enforcement operations, and an inquiry into how the National Police Commission is mending these lapses.

CNN Philippines' Correspondent Melissa Lopez contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  Restaurants hit hard by the pandemic are seeking to turn the tables by implementing a vaccine pass system that would increase their operational capacity.

In a Senate hearing Tuesday on the government's relief measures for various industries, Restaurant Owners of the Philippines president Eric Teng lamented why people above 65 years old, even after getting their COVID-19 shots, are still not allowed to dine in restaurants. He said immunized senior citizens are priority in their proposal to issue vaccine passes.

"We have been in dialogue with our mayors and the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and we are requesting for something called the bakuna badge. It's like a vaccine pass but it's non-discriminatory and our first goal is to bring out the vaccinated senior citizens," Teng said.

The group hopes it can be implemented by July. Teng stressed that their version of the vaccine pass would not discriminate against those who have not been inoculated.

"We are not excluding customers from coming into our restaurants whether they are vaccinated or not. But for now, the 65 year old are discriminated against because they are not allowed," Teng said.

"What we're hoping is if government limits us to 20% (indoor capacity), to grant us another 20% for the vaccinated We just want additional capacity for the vaccinated so that we can hire back our people," he explained.

Senator Imee Marcos, chair of the committee on economic affairs, as well as Senator Cynthia Villar, questioned the health policy of preventing senior citizens from going out.

"It's [ironic] that you will give priority to them and you will not allow them to go out," Villar said. "What's the use? Ang labo noon, di ba (It doesn't make sense, right)?"

"I'm really perplexed by that DOH (Department of Health) announcement," Marcos said.

Senator Nancy Binay explained that senior citizens were second in the vaccination priority list, next to health workers, because they are at high risk of severe illness or even death from COVID-19. Those vaccinated have protection against severe COVID-19 but can be "spreaders" of the virus, Binay added.

Binay, chair of the Senate committee on science and technology, said food service workers should soon be vaccinated as part of the A4 group, but Teng said not everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves.

The restaurant owners are planning to launch a program that will give promos and discounts to anyone who has been vaccinated to encourage more people to get the shot.

In the meantime, the group is calling for tax holidays and timely announcements of community quarantine rules.

"We are waiting with bated breath for those midnight TV announcements before we make our pronouncement with our members and we have 48 hours to change them," Teng said.

Metro Manila and nearby provinces are under general community quarantine with "heightened restrictions" until May 31. The inter-agency task force against COVID-19 has been adjusting policies under the different quarantine levels.
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.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a law, Senate Bill 7072, on Monday that empowers Floridians against Big Tech Censorship.

"This session, we took action to ensure that 'We the People'--real Floridians across the Sunshine State - are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites. Many in our state have experienced censorship and other tyrannical behavior firsthand in Cuba and Venezuela. If Big Tech censors enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley ideology, they will now be held accountable," DeSantis said in a statement.

Last January, DeSantis vowed during the Texas Public Policy Foundation conference that he will end the censorship of conservatives, many of whom were deplatformed by Big Tech companies Facebook and Twitter when what was posted was contrary to their beliefs.

DeSantis said then that it would be the "most important legislative issue" that have to be focused on until 2022. Christians, he said, were often the ones targeted by these Big Tech companies from speaking out their beliefs in social media and obstructs them to exercise their right to free speech.

DeSantis then unveiled in February that there will be legislation set to put a hold on Big Tech that are becoming too powerful that they are able to control "the spread of information on the internet" based on their double standards against conservatives.

Through Senate Bill 7072, Big Tech are now accountable to ensure that Floridians are able to access and participate in online platforms with transparency and safeguards.

Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez pointed out that the effort of Big Tech to "silence, intimidate, and wipe out dissenting voices" would become a thing of the past as Florida "is taking back the virtual public square" for the people to be able to freely share information and ideas through SB 7072.

"Many of our constituents know the dangers of being silenced or have been silenced themselves under communist rule. Thankfully in Florida we have a Governor that fights against big tech oligarchs that contrive, manipulate, and censor if you voice views that run contrary to their radical leftist narrative," Nunez pointed out.

Meanwhile, Senate President Wilton Simpson expressed relief that something is now undertaken to put a halt on Big Tech abuses. He thanked the governor and Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls for their "leadership on this important issue."

"People have a right to express opposing views. This good bill protects candidates for elected office, media outlets and others from unfair and arbitrary discrimination on social media platforms," Simpson pointed out.

According to the state's website, there are three important aspects of SB 7072. These are:

"All Floridians treated unfairly by Big Tech platforms will have the right to sue companies that violate this law--and win monetary damages."

"The Attorney General of Florida can bring action against technology companies that violate this law, under Florida's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act."

"Big Tech is prohibited from de-platforming Floridian political candidates."

SB 7072 requires Big Tech to be transparent about their policies on content moderation practices so that users won't be arbitrarily silenced if it is something they do not like.

Big Tech companies will be restricted to contract with any public entity should they be found in violation of the antitrust law. They would then be fined $250,000 per day by the Florida Election Commission if they have deplatformed any Floridian political candidate. The law pointed out that the right to block candidates rests on each citizen and not on Big Tech companies.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), right, and Army Maj. Gen. Mike Berry, left, join members of the Delaware National Guard during a flag presentation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 18. Coons had two U.S. flags flown over the Capitol in honor of Joint Task Force Delaware, assigned to provide post-inaugural security there.
Joanne Curry, left, is the Teacher of the Year at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Berlin, Md., as awarded by Knights of Columbus, Council #9053. Kathleen Manns, right, principal at the school, offers her congratulations.
The second of a pair of tax-reform measures that Democrats hope will close loopholes and generate $400 million in revenues on Tuesday passed in the House on a party-line vote.

We have a carefully tailored package here to ensure that we are asking everyone to pay their fair share, said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, who is serving as the bills prime sponsor along with Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora. This is something that you can all feel good about, you can feel proud of. We are bringing fairness to our tax code.

Much like the third reading debate on its partner bill, Tuesdays consideration of House Bill 1311 was marked by tactics deployed by Republicans that slowed down the chambers progress on its legislative calendar.

On Saturday, debate before a final vote on House Bill 1312 stretched some 90 minutes, around 10 minutes longer than Tuesdays debate before the final vote on HB 1311. Still, the main protagonist of the delay tactics denied he was trying to slow things down.

This is not, in my view, a classic waste of time. I have never come up here with the intent of dragging something out, Rep. Ron Hanks, R-Canon City, said ahead of asking the 36-page bill to be read at length. This to me is exposing legislation to the people and to the daylight.

After more than 30 minutes of the computerized reader working through the text of the bill, Hanks withdrew his motion.

He noted he did not ask for the bill to be read at length during its second reading on Saturday because of a compromise reached over the weekend that saw Republicans pause their filibuster effort in return for being given time off from legislating over the Memorial Day weekend.

In the spirit of that, I did not read this bill, 1311, on second reading, Hanks said. I did suggest that we ought to on third. I will say that I do believe reading these bills is useful to the public at large.

Republican lawmakers also raised concerns about the substance of the bill.

You can't be for big government, big taxes and big bureaucracy, and still be for the little guy, said. Rep. Rod Bockenfeld, R-Watkins. Government does not solve problems, it subsidizes them.

The bill from Sirota and Weissman seeks to modernize the states tax code, closes special-interest tax loopholes for large corporations and wealthy individuals and will benefit small businesses, according to comments from Sirota during the House Finance Committee hearing on May 14.

The bill doubles the state Earned Income Tax Credit and for the first time funds the Child Tax Credit. It also limits capital gains deductions for the sale of real property to $100,000 per year, and caps how much families can contribute to a 529 account, which Coloradans use to set aside money for their childrens college education. Under HB 1311, that limit is $10,000 for a single filer and $15,000 for joint filers.

The change to the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is for low-wage earners, is in two forms: lowering the age of those who can apply for it from 25 to 19; and increasing the credit from 15% to 20%. Under current law, Colorados Earned Income Tax Credit is available for those who claim the federal EITC; the Colorado credit is equal to 15% of the federal credit.

The Child Tax Credit would provide up to $600 in tax credits per child for up to 200,000 families. That credit is intended to help pay for child care and other pre-elementary school expenses.

The changes are paid for by capping certain itemized deductions for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes at $400,000 or more; eliminate the capital gains deduction; and eliminate whats known as a pass through deduction of 20% of business income; created under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017.

The bill ultimately passed on a 41-24 party-line vote and now heads to the Senate, where it will have to work through the legislative process.
Republican Cole Wist, an attorney at the Denver offices of global law firm Squire Patton Boggs and a former assistant minority leader of the Colorado House of Representatives, will serve on the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission after the Senate voted 34-1 to approve his appointment.

Wist is set to replace fellow Republican Bill Leone on the panel after his four-year term expires in July. Leone has sat on the commission since he was appointed by former Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2013. He subsequently was reappointed to a second, four-year term by the Senate in 2017.

Senate President Leroy Garcia noted in a statement that even though they come from different parties, he believed Wist was an honest, principled man with integrity.

I have no doubt that Cole Wists exemplary character and experience will make him an extremely valuable member of the Independent Ethics Commission, the Pueblo Democrat said.

Wist also drew praise from Greenwood Village Democratic Sen. Jeff Bridges, the only Senate lawmaker to speak on the appointment before the vote.

Having worked with Cole for years, Im excited to see him in this position, Bridges said.

Sen. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, was the sole no vote on Wists confirmation.

Wist was first appointed to the House in 2016 to replace fellow Republican Jack Tate, who was himself appointed to fill a vacancy in the Senate.

Wist went on to win an election for that seat later that year and served as assistant House minority leader in the 2017 and 2018 sessions before facing opposition from within his own caucus over support for the 2018 red flag bill. He subsequently lost the seat to Democratic challenger Tom Sullivan, who carried that legislation across the finish line and saw it signed into law during the 2019 session.

Wist was also among a group of more than 100 prominent anti-Trump Republicans calling on the GOP to fix itself in a national letter released earlier this month.

The letter, titled "A Call for American Renewal," calls on the Republican Party to embrace a set of core principles or face the prospects of losing members, possibly to a breakaway third party.
This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
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China's top political advisor stresses cementing poverty relief achievements

Xinhua) 10:30, May 25, 2021

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, attends a special consultative conference in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2021.(Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Monday called for consolidating and extending the achievements of poverty alleviation, and fully implementing the rural vitalization strategy.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remarks while attending a special consultative conference in Beijing.

He called for efforts to constantly narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, firmly hold the bottom line of preventing the return to poverty on a large scale and ensure that all people share benefits of reform and development.

More than 100 political advisors attended the conference, and lots of political advisors expressed their opinions on the matter through video links or via mobile platforms.

They offered suggestions including making industrial development plans in rural areas, developing advantageous industries and improving the infrastructure in central towns and major villages.

Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the conference.

He pointed out that the country should set up and improve the long-term mechanism of consolidating and expanding poverty alleviation outcomes, and advance the shift of policy focus from poverty alleviation to comprehensively promoting rural vitalization.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chinese spies who sent British military tech secrets to the Chinese Communist Party are reportedly going to be arrested soon.

Breitbart said that "Chinese spies" from high-end universities in the United Kingdom will be arrested within the coming weeks based on information gathered by The Daily Mail. Breitbart disclosed that an investigation has been launched on the Manchester University, Imperial College London, Liverpool University, Sheffield University, Oxford University, and Cambridge University.

The said British universities earn around 10% to 28% of their income from Chinese students but there was no information as to whether these schools are aware of what the "Chinese spies" are doing.

It was reported in March that the Chinese Communist Party bought 17 private British schools who are financially struggling during the pandemic. The CCP used the said schools to expand their propaganda and their global influence.

Now, British universities are being used by CCP through spies in the academe to transfer technology to China in the form of "joint projects" on the development of weapons. Investigators said the joint projects were done by universities similarly for financial reasons.

Breitbart pointed out that the British Foreign Intelligence Agency MI6 started investigations on 200 British academics that were found to share technology with China. This prompted further investigations by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Special Branch together with the Foreign Office on the British academics who have supplied "secretive technology" to China meant to "oppress ethnic minorities and political dissidents."

The Daily Mail identified the Manchester University and the Queen Mary University of London as some of the top British schools who have undertaken tie-ups with CCP through China-based companies and institutions.

Manchester's partnership with China Electronics Technology Corporation involved a revolutionary technology known as "graphene" that is projected to be beneficial to the military for its "immense strength and flexibility." The China Electronics Technology Corporation is known to have supplied apps used by China in the mass surveillance and persecution of religious groups such as Christians and Uyghur Muslims. While Queen Mary's partnership with the Northwestern Polytechnical University of China similarly involved a technology for military use.

While Breitbart added that the Imperial College London's 5 million project with Huawei involved a "next generation technology for China's air force". The project was actually revealed in a report entitled "Arming China? The Chinese Military Complex and Its Potential Exploitation of Scientific Research at U.K. Universities" by Civitas released this month. The Civitas report identified 14 U.K. universities engaged in projects for Chinese military development.

In addition to such partnerships, British schools were found by the Henry Jackson Society to have 899 Chinese nationals enrolled to "military sensitive subjects" such as high-tech material science, aerospace engineering, and nuclear physics.

Henry Jackson Society, in its report entitled "Brain Drain: The UK, China and The Question Of Intellectual Property Theft," said that the United Kingdom is only recently "waking up to the broad gamit of threats posed" by the CCP whose central effort "to overtake the West and become the world's foremost power" is through the "theft and drainage of intellectual property."

A similar statement was given by former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in so far as China stealing software and intellectual property from America on his last day of office in January.
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Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

Mostly clear this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly clear this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
(Posted May 25, 2021)

By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor

On May 9, Light Ohio Blue surprised Choctaw Lake resident and U.S. Marshal Peter C. Tobin with the organizations first Lifetime Achievement Award: Icon of Law Enforcement. The award is named after Tobin and will be presented annually to an Ohio officer who has dedicated his or her life to law enforcement and made a positive impact on their colleagues and community.

Light Ohio Blue is a statewide campaign to show visible support for law enforcement personnel and to honor those who have died in the line of duty, as well as their surviving family members and their co-workers. The campaigns efforts coincide with Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, first proclaimed in 1962 by Pres. John F. Kennedy and observed every May since.

Each year, Light Ohio Blue kicks off its activities with a caravan of law enforcement officers and vehicles. Traditionally, the caravan starts in Columbus. This year, it started in London at the Ohio Peace Officers Memorial on the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy grounds. It then made its way to the Franklin County Training Academy, Motts Military Museum in Groveport, and the National Veterans Memorial & Museum in Columbus.

Tobin took part in the caravan. Light Ohio Blue founder Bill Swank arranged to have Tobins family on hand. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost presented the award.

Marshal Tobin has been an institution in central Ohio law enforcement for decades, Swank said at the surprise presentation. He has never shied away from making difficult decisions or from leading from the front. And he has always kept the best interests of the citizens and his officers at the forefront.

His name, when spoken by officers, no matter how many years they have put into the law enforcement vocation, brings out reverence.

Tobin started his law enforcement career in 1971 with the Columbus Division of Police. He rose through the ranks to lieutenant, retiring in 1994. He was an original member of the divisions SWAT team and later served as its commander.

Following retirement, he served as Powells police chief for a short time before accepting a position as deputy director of the narcotics division at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). He remained in that position until 2004.

In 2006, Tobin became Londons police chief. Three years later, he was named as BCIs superintendent. In 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Tobin as U.S. marshal for the Southern District of Ohio. President Donald Trump reconfirmed Tobin in 2017. Tobin continues to serve as a U.S. marshal.

Light Ohio Blue was founded in 2016 as Light Columbus Blue following the death of Steve Smith, a member of the Columbus Division of Polices SWAT team. Later, as the organization expanded its involvement, the name changed to Light Central Ohio Blue. Three years ago, the initiative went statewide with the support of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Buckeye State Sheriffs Association, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the state lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Light Ohio Blue urges everyone to literally light Ohio blue for one week each May. Citizens place blue lightbulbs on their homes exteriors, businesses light up their storefronts and rooftops, and churches shine blue from their steeples. The show of support takes many forms, even as simple as a blue ribbon on a mailbox.

No matter how big or small, its to bring awareness, Swank said. Its always the right time to show support and even more so last year with the pandemic. It gives (officers) a boost of positivity, letting them know that they are appreciated and what they do does not go unnoticed.

Each year, Light Ohio Blue presents a handful of awards. This year, Jessica Davis of Bridge The Gap was named Citizen of the Year. Det. Adam Beach of the Licking County Sheriffs Office was named Officer of the Year. The Blue Crier of the Year, presented to a public information officer, went to Lt. Tiffiany Meeks of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The lifetime achievement award is new to the recognitions. Additionally, Light Ohio Blue named Ralph Portier, who recently retired as Groveports police chief, as grand marshal of this years Light Ohio Blue caravan.

To learn more, visit lightohioblue.org.
Microsoft has spelled out its plans to retire the venerable Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) browser from widespread use in a little over a year.

"The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge," asserted Sean Lyndersay, an Edge program manager, asserted in a May 19 post to a company blog. "With Microsoft Edge capable of assuming this responsibility [of accessing IE-based sites and apps] ... the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10."

The forced retirement of IE11  the only version still supported  will not be all-inclusive, as several editions of Windows, including 10's Long-term Support Channel (LTSC) and Windows Server, will be spared from the directive. Likewise, Microsoft will continue to secure IE's Trident rendering engine, which is embedded in Windows and crucial to the running of Edge's IE mode.

Death by a thousand cuts

If it seems Microsoft has been killing IE for years, well, it has. The Redmond, Wash. developer put IE on life support more than five years ago, when it halted development of the browser in early 2016. And once Microsoft released a reworked Edge, the one built atop technologies from the Google-dominated Chromium project, it was only a matter of time before the company pulled that support plug.

Even so, IE11 will suffer a long, lingering death. June 14, 2022  12 months and change away  won't be the end of the browser by any means.

Because Microsoft had previously promised customers that IE11 would be supported as part of the three Windows 10 LTSC versions released so far (the first two, 2105 LTSB and 2106 LTSB, went by Long-term Support Branch) the end-of-support order won't be applied to them. That's not to say the separate IE11 application will survive that long. (Windows 10 2019 LTSC, for instance, has support until January 2029, while 2015 LTSB and 2016 LTSB will be supported until October 2025 and October 2026, respectively.) Microsoft alluded to as much when it said that the LTSB/LSTC versions were "out of scope at the time of this announcement" (emphasis added) of the June 15, 2022, date.

Even IE11 running on Windows 7 will be supported longer than next June. Commercial customers who pay for the third year of Extended Security Updates (ESUs) will receive support for IE through the end of that contract, or until Jan. 10, 2023.

IE mode, Edge's secret weapon

What's most important to enterprises is that the June 2022 support deadline can be sidestepped by using Edge and its IE mode; that last calls up designated sites using IE's Trident rather than Edge's now-native Chromium. (When Lyndersay referred to "the future of Internet Explorer is in Microsoft Edge" (emphasis added, he was referring to IE mode.)

Businesses still wedded to aged internal sites and too-expensive-to-rewrite apps are to be pushed toward Edge and its baked-in IE mode. Not surprisingly, then, support for IE mode will run much longer, until 2029 for Windows 10 2019 LTSC and until May 2023 for Windows 10 Enterprise 20H2, which launched late last year. "IE mode support follows the lifecycle of Windows client, Server, and IoT releases at least through 2029," Microsoft wrote in a FAQ on the demise of the IE11 desktop app.

Microsoft IE mode will be supported for the lifecycle of each specific Windows edition.

By putting a nail in IE11's coffin, Microsoft means to provide its Edge browser with, well, an edge. At least since Chrome's appearance in 2008, and to some degree even before that because of Mozilla's Firefox, Microsoft has seen its browser dominance  once overwhelming  deteriorate as customers, first consumers and then later, enterprises, defect to rivals because IE was mired in its backward compatibility and simply could not compete. IE was old, relied on old technologies and was, at best, a kludge that creaked and groaned whenever it faced the web as the latter changed into a media-rich ocean of content.

Edge, launched in mid-2105 as part of Windows 10, was Microsoft's attempt to stem the bleeding of browser share. That didn't work. Even with Edge and IE combined, Microsoft's share kept dropping. So Microsoft abandoned its own rendering and JavaScript engines and swapped in Google's instead, relying on Chromium's open-source nature, like other browsers before it, to become a clone of Chrome. Since then, Edge has edged up in share; as of April, it accounted for nearly an eighth of all browser activity.

It's virtually certain that much of that growth has come from Microsoft's best customers, the businesses, small and gigantic, that run on Windows. Some of those companies still required IE so that employees and partners could access old, very old in some cases, intranet sites and apps. IE mode made the back-and-forth between Edge and IE renderings, if not automatic at least configurable.

That was an advantage over Chrome when Google's browser was adopted by IT administrators. Google had, of course, countered with what it dubbed "Legacy Browser Support," or LBS, which was originally a browser add-on, then in 2019, integrated with Chrome itself. When faced with a URL designated as requiring IE, Chrome called up IE to paint that page. It was an inelegant solution that, unlike Edge, resulted in two open browsers.

The disappearance of IE11  enterprises won't want to use the application once security updates dry up next summer  means that Chrome won't be able to handle the IE-dependent URLs and apps.

Or does it?

Last month, Google said that Chrome 90  the version that launched April 14  could use LBS to open Edge in IE mode instead of opening IE11. "With Chrome 90, we now support configuring your environment to switch between Chrome and Microsoft Edge in IE mode," Google said in the browser's enterprise release notes. (More information about configuring LBS for Edge in IE mode can be found here.)

Almost certainly, Microsoft gave Google a heads up that it was getting ready to ditch IE11 and leave Edge's IE mode as the sole legacy solution.

The difference between then and now for Chrome and its LBS  then when Chrome opened IE and now, when Chrome opens Edge instead  is significant. Users would not have done more with IE than they had to; remember, it was old as Moses and crippled when compared to a modern browser. But Edge? That's going to be different.

Once open, Edge may tempt Chrome users into staying with it, running it for more than rendering IE-reliant sites and apps. Edge may appeal to Chrome users  the former is the latter, more or less  enough, anyway, for some to wonder why they're running two browsers when one will do.

We're not saying that this was the only, or even most important reason Microsoft decided to finally kill IE11. (Microsoft's Lyndersay ticked off several in his post, but they were largely boilerplate arguments about Edge's superiority.) Internet Explorer long outlived its usefulness and its sell-by date, technology-wise, wasn't long after its October 2013 release. If not for Microsoft's indulgence of its commercial customers and the company's history of backward compatibility and support, IE should have vanished around the time Edge came on the scene. (Such a drastic move couldn't have injured Microsoft's browser share any more than the company's actual actions, notably its 2014 decision to force users to upgrade IE, which kicked off Chrome's surge starting in early 2016.)

But if IE11's demise helps out Edge, at least Internet Explorer succumbed for a good reason. Few browsers can say as much.
87,055 Indians have returned from Singapore under Vande Bharat Mission so far: Report

A total of 87,055 Indians have returned back home from Singapore since May last year as part of the Vande Bharat Mission repatriation flights, the Indian High Commission said.

On average, 180 Indians are flying back daily to India as part of the Vande Bharat Mission flights, with about 25 arrivals to Singapore each day. Photo: Connected to India

Among the reasons the Indians had to return home were job loss, family compulsion and deathS in family due to COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted the entire world since last year.

"From May last year to May 18, 629 Vande Bharat flights have ferried 87,055 passengers," the Indian High Commission in Singapore said in a statement.

On average, 180 Indians are flying back daily to India as part of the Vande Bharat Mission flights, with about 25 arrivals to Singapore each day, the media said, citing a statement issued by the Transport, Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Manpower Ministries of Singapore.

Vande Bharat is a programme by the Indian government to repatriate Indian nationals from around the world amidst the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Singapore has so far reported 61,799 cases of coronavirus while the deaths caused due to it stands at 32, according to John Hopkins University
The Catholic Church reportedly celebrated a day of prayer for Christians in China on Monday, May 24, in line with the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians.

According to Vatican News, Pope Francis called on Catholics last Sunday after the Regina Coeli to join the Church in China in prayer as a way to celebrate the said feast.

"Tomorrow, the Catholic faithful in China celebrate the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, the celestial patron of their great country," the Pope announced before inviting everyone to accompany Catholics in China.

The Pope said Chinese Catholics are his "dearest brothers and sisters, whom I hold in the depth of my heart" and for whom he fervently prays for. He disclosed that Chinese Catholics come to Shanghai's Our Lady of Sheshan sanctuary out of their devotion to Mary, "the Mother of the Lord (and) and of the Church" during trials in the family and in invoking hope for their daily life. Pope Francis then pointed out the beauty of praying as one family being one Christian community.

"How good and how necessary it is that the members of a family and of a Christian community are ever more united in love and in faith!" He added. "In this way, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, pastors and faithful can follow the example of the first disciples who, on the solemnity of Pentecost, were united in prayer with Mary as they awaited the Holy Spirit."

As Catholics celebrated the solemnity of Pentecost on Sunday, the Pope prayed that the Holy Spirit may continuously guide and help the members of the church in the mission to "be bearers of the happy message" and "witnesses of goodness and charity" on top of being "builders of justice and peace in their country."

Vatican News highlighted that Pope Francis encouraged Catholic Church in China last year for the same occasion that they are an important part of the universal church who shares their hopes and supports their trials through prayer so that the Holy Spirit may be poured on them anew "for the salvation of those who believe."

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as per Vatican News, declared May 24 as a Day of Prayer for the Church in China in 2007 in line with the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. The Day of Prayer, as per the letter sent by Pope Benedict to Chinese Catholics, was to be celebrated as day of renewal and unity.

"The Catholics of the whole world--in particular those who are of Chinese origin--will demonstrate their fraternal solidarity and solicitude for you, asking the Lord of history for the gift of perseverance in witness, in the certainty that your sufferings past and present for the Holy Name of Jesus and your intrepid loyalty to his Vicar on earth will be rewarded, even if at times everything can seem a failure," he said.

Breitbart reported that Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences President Cardinal Charles Maung Bo echoed the call of the Pope to Catholics to be united in prayer for the faithful in China. Bo asked all Christians to pray for China on May 23-30 since its people have experienced an increase in "challenges" since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

"Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the peoples of China have faced increasing challenges, which impact us all. It is right that we should pray not only for the Church but for all persons in the People's Republic of China," Bo said.

Bo also expressed his "love for the peoples of China" and his hopes that China may become a "force for good" as it rises in global power such that it becomes a "protector of the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized in the world."

The United States Bishop's Catholic Conference through its International Justice and Peace Chairman Bishop David J. Malloy have heeded the call of Cardinal Bo to observe the Week of Prayer for the Church in China. Malloy called on Catholic Americans to be "in unity and great love" by joining the universal church in praying for China.
05/25/2021

Photo (c) hxdyl - Getty Images Buckle your seat belts, folks  things are starting to get bumpy in the skies.

Over the weekend, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was assaulted by a passenger and lost two teeth in the exchange. On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued more fines to passengers for disrupting flights, further magnifying the agencys concern about unruly behavior aboard planes being at an all-time high.

"This past weekend, one of our flight attendants was seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth,'' Lyn Montgomery, president of TWU Local 556  the Southwest Airlines flight attendants union  said in a letter to Southwest brass. "Unfortunately, this is just one of many occurrences. I write to you today because we cannot tolerate our beloved cohearts (being abused in such a manner, and because I am asking for your help and leadership in ending these travesties.''

Union seeks firmer rules and guidance

The incident that crossed the line for the union happened on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego, California this past Sunday morning.

"The passenger repeatedly ignored standard in-flight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing,'' a Southwest spokesperson told ConsumerAffairs. "Law enforcement officials were requested to meet the flight upon arrival, and the passenger was taken into custody. We do not condone or tolerate verbal or physical abuse of our flight crews, who are responsible for the safety of our passengers. ''

The Southwest flight attendants union is seeking several protections from the airline, including what Montgomery termed as a new level of firmness in both tone and direction to ensure proper control in the cabin, Montgomery said in her letter.

Montgomery said there have been 477 passenger misconduct incidents on Southwest flights in a five-week period. To her, thats beyond acceptable. "This unprecedented number of incidents has reached an intolerable level, with passenger noncompliance events also becoming more aggressive in nature,'' she wrote.

Behavior worsens nationally on flights

Since the beginning of 2021, the FAA has received approximately 2,500 reports of unruly behavior by passengers. Now, for the second time in less than a month, the FAA has handed out fines related to its zero-tolerance policy for unruly and dangerous behavior by passengers.

The penalties the agency imposed ranged from $9,000 to $15,000 and were levied against five airline passengers for allegedly interfering with  and, in two cases  actually assaulting flight attendants who instructed them to obey cabin crew instructions and federal regulations.

Three of the incidents happened on JetBlue flights, one on a Southwest flight, and one on an Alaska Airlines flight.

One of the JetBlue incidents that wound up as a $15,000 fine against a passenger happened on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles. The passenger, who was seated in the main cabin, was apparently getting champagne and food passed to her from another passenger from the first-class section. A flight attendant said no more to that and carried them back to the first-class section. Unfortunately, things got uglier from there.

The main-cabin passenger started shouting obscenities at the flight attendant and followed them to the first-class section. They then assaulted the flight attendant and almost pushed them into the lavatory. The captain diverted the plane to Austin so that the main-cabin passenger could be removed from the aircraft.

You still have to wear a mask while flying

Other incidents involve passengers not wanting to comply with the federal mask mandate. Since the beginning of the year, the FAA has filed about 1,900 reports involving face masks.

Yes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has loosened its policies on face masks, but that does not yet apply to public transportation.

The CDC, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) continue to remind travelers that they are still required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the U.S. They also must mask up in U.S. transportation hubs like airports and stations.
Text:

The laws even removed the possibility to seek legal recourse over disputes. For many small farmers, the governments changes threatened to undermine further their already precarious livelihoods. In the time of the pandemic, when so many people were struggling and worried, they questioned why the government saw fit to make such sweeping changes, and at such speed.

They saw in the new laws an irreversible transfer of power away from small and medium farmers towards vast corporations. With reduced regulations, large companies would have the power to demand aggressively lower prices and greater discounts and build up stockpiles, against which small farmers would have little negotiating power.

Protesting farmers therefore saw the changes as working in the interests of wealthy business owners, including those close to the Modi regime; anger focused on the Adani Group and Reliance, two large corporations headed by tycoons with close links to the Prime Minister. Many farmers switched their mobile phone provider from a Reliance-owned company to other firms as part of their protest. After two months of holding local-level protests and not being listened to, farmers decided to take their concerns directly to Indias capital, New Delhi.

In late November tens of thousands of farmers from Punjab and other northern states marched on Delhi, in what became the largest farmers mobilisation in modern-day India, picking up sympathy, solidarity and support as they went, including from many people other than farmers. When they reached the perimeter of the capital, they were prevented from going further by security forces who used teargas and water cannon. As farmers waited outside Delhi and blocked roads with their tractors in protest, a solidarity strike mobilised.

The strike, held on November 26, saw over 250 million workers from a range of industries, including banking, telecoms, transportation and oil and gas production, down tools to express their support for the farmers. It was reported to be the largest coordinated strike in the world, with various farmers unions working together to coordinate the action.

Following the strike, the protesters were allowed to cross the city limits and occupied a protest site on the outskirts of Delhi. The farmers articulated clear demands in relation to their cause, including for a special parliamentary session to be called to repeal the three farm laws and a retention of the established produce sales system and minimum pricing.

But reflecting the broader connections of solidarity the movement had established, other issues of everyday concern were articulated, including over fuel and power prices, minimum wages and the loss of labour rights. In a country where the government has worked to repress dissent, the farmers protests came to serve as a vital space where people sharing a sense of dissatisfaction, of being left out and not listened to, could come together and find common cause.

More political issues were also articulated, including demands for the release of detained activists and human rights defenders, and for the reining in of central government powers over Indias component states. People protesting against the citizenship law marched in solidarity with the farmers. The movement represented arguably the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Modi and the way he runs India since he won power in 2014.

Importantly too, given the often toxic environment that womens rights activists face in India, women farmers were for the first time visibly in the forefront of these protests, challenging their invisible status as people who often work land but do not own it. They were part of the protest camps, and not just in supporting roles.

When in January 2021, Indias Chief Justice appealed for women to leave the protest camps and go home, the answer he got was a resounding no as women asserted their right to be there and be part of the struggle (see also this reports chapter on challenging exclusion and claiming rights). The government seemed surprised by the scale of the mobilisation and the sympathy it attracted.

It had managed to weather and downplay the previous waves of protest over its discrimination against Muslims and its attack on freedoms in Jammu and Kashmir. But this was different, because it tapped into the sympathies many Indians feel for farmers, the role farming still plays in national identity and the family ties many people have with farmers. It was a new threat to the government because many of the farmers protesting had not previously opposed the government; many had even likely supported the BJP until then.

Modi initially dismissed farmers concerns as misplaced and blamed them on opposition parties spreading misinformation. But as the protest pressure continued, he was forced to negotiate. Talks came that would not have happened without the protests. The government offered concessions on minimum price guarantees, but this did not go far enough for the farmers, who continued to demand the repeal of the laws. This meant that as the negotiations continued in December, so did the protests.

A further day of action on 8 December saw people shut down public transport, block roads and close down their shops. As awareness spread of the farmers protests, solidarity protests rallied in other countries. In the USA, the grassroots Jakara Movement, a Punjabi Sikh organisation, organised protests in the city of Oakland and outside the Indian consulate in San Francisco. Solidarity protests mobilised in several cities in Canada. Thousands protested outside the Indian High Commission in London, UK.

In other cases pre-emptive repression obstructed solidarity protests; in Singapore, the police investigated people for social media posts that appeared to show them gathering in support of the farmers, and warned that protests for political causes in other countries would not be permitted. The repression continued in India too. Bilkis Dadi, one of the leaders of the anti-citizenship law protests, tried to march in solidarity with farmers, but was stopped from joining protesters, detained and returned home. Several union heads and opposition leaders were prevented from joining the protests. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, who opposed the new law and the harsh action taken against protesters, was barricaded in his home to stop him joining protests.

For the farmers, frustrations came to a head on Indias Republic Day, January 26, when farmers, many riding tractors and horses, broke through police barricades and took their protest into the heart of the city, close to where the Republic Day parade was taking place, forcing their way into Delhis iconic Red Fort. Violent clashes broke out between protesters and police, who fired teargas and water cannon and hit protesters with batons.

It was reported that one protester died, and that several police officers were injured, while many protesters were detained. Protest organisers insisted that those committing violence had been a small minority. These events, in which protesters effectively gate-crashed the governments attempts to use Republic Day as an opportunity to project itself as a modern democracy and economic superpower, made global headlines and communicated both the seriousness with which protesters saw their plight and the governments intransigence.

Images of brutality went round the world, showing police in riot gear hitting defenceless farmers, many of them of advanced age, with batons. The government mobilised a swift backlash to this humiliation. Heavy charges of sedition and terrorism were brought against protesters, activists and journalists. Numerous protesters were reported to be missing days after the Republic Day events.

In February, a series of simultaneous raids were carried out on premises of the NewsClick news portal, which provided extensive coverage of the farmers protests. A further international outcry was stoked in February, when the police arrested young climate activist Disha Ravi, a leader of Indias Fridays for Future climate strike movement, allegedly for sharing an online protest toolkit. She was charged with sedition and bailed after spending 10 days in detention.

The message seemed to be that even highprofile critics of the government were not safe. The government ordered protesters to vacate the protest camp they had occupied since December, cut off the water and electricity supplies and sent hundreds of police in riot gear to try to clear the camp. But the events of Republic Day had also served to recruit even more protesters, and many more farmers were reported to be on their way.

The riot police backed down, although protest camps continued to face threats from Hindu nationalist groups. The authorities shut down internet access in many areas on Delhis northern perimeter where groups of farmers had gathered and put up fortified barriers around protest camps, leaving the city looking like a war zone.

The international spotlight continued to focus on the protests, as prominent figures including Rihanna and Greta Thunberg tweeted their support, provoking a nationalistic backlash and government accusations of sensationalism for doing so. Ruling-party-supporting celebrities, who had said nothing about the farmers protests, were duly mobilised to insist that only Indians could talk about India, using hashtags such as #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.

In the immediate aftermath of the Republic Day violence, the government demanded that Twitter block hundreds of accounts, not only of protesters but also of journalists and media companies. Twitter initially complied but then quickly reversed many of the bans following a backlash. The government and Twitter remained in a tense stand-off, with the government threatening legal action that could result in jail terms. BJP politicians flocked to an alternative platform to Twitter, Koo, which was quickly revealed to be rife with hate speech.

At the time of writing the battle lines seemed more drawn than ever. Protesters were dug into their camps, encircled by security forces, for the long haul, with many vowing not to leave until the laws had been repealed. Protesters had at least forced a government that normally stubbornly refuses criticism to the table, and the government had offered to delay implementation of the new laws, but what compromise may eventually result remained unclear.

But beyond even this dispute and its potential to affect so many farmers lives, bigger issues have been made clear, of a top-down and high-handed government that sees any dissent as treachery, and a ruling elite evidently driven by the pursuit of the generation of wealth for an associated economic elite. Indias government needs to issue edicts less and listen more. It cannot do that by continuing its crackdown on dissent and attempts to suppress civil society.

Another year of repression in India The Indian governments attempts to restrict the protesting farmers dissent went hand in hand with its continuing efforts throughout the year to clamp down on those who opposed changes to the citizenship law and demanded rights in Jammu and Kashmir. In February, scores of people were killed in deadly religious riots in Delhi, when, in reaction to protests against the citizenship law, Hindu mobs attacked Muslim groups, fuelled by hate speech by ruling-party Hindu nationalist politicians, and with the active assistance of the police.

In May, two members of a womens rights collective were arrested and detained after taking part in an anti-citizenship law protest. In August, on the first anniversary of the governments revocation of Jammu and Kashmirs special status, security force violence was once again unleashed against protesters in the region, which also remained home to a long internet shutdown.

Attempts to stop civil society scrutiny and advocacy saw nine simultaneous raids carried out on the offices of civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media and the houses of human rights defenders in Jammu and Kashmir in October. Meanwhile, in September, the government further tightened its already restrictive law on the ability of CSOs to access foreign funding, making it even harder for CSOs to receive and transfer money.

Such was the level of intrusion that in September Amnesty International announced that it was suspending its work in India after the government froze its bank account, as Mrinal Sharma, who until the closure worked for Amnesty International India, relates:

Amnesty International India was forced to shut down in retaliation for its publication of two critical briefings that underlined the human rights situation in Kashmir and highlighted the role of the Delhi police in the riots that took place in north-east Delhi in February. Shortly after it released these briefings, all its bank accounts were frozen.

The government did not provide any prior warning, notice or reason for freezing the bank accounts. Strapped of the funds that it had raised locally, with the help of ordinary Indians, Amnesty International India was forced to halt all its work and let go of all its employees. Harassment and intimidation for its human rights work is not new for Amnesty International India. It has faced a relentless smear campaign by the government and government-aligned media outlets since 2016.

In 2018, it endured a 10-hour-long raid by the Enforcement Directorate, following which it was forced to let go of a number of staff, adversely affecting its work in India, including with excluded communities. Although the court granted an interim relief to the organisation, a malicious media trial and reduced capacities made it difficult for it to function properly. It is important to note that no formal charges have been filed against the organisation.

A year later, in November 2019, amid rumours of impending arrests of top officials, the offices of Amnesty International India and the residence of one of its directors were raided again, this time by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the countrys premier investigative agency, placed under the central government. However, it continued to work, defying all the malice thrown against it and its employees. But this time, it was more vicious.

The immediate impact of the shutdown has been borne by the employees of Amnesty International India  researchers, campaigners, fundraisers  who lost their jobs overnight without any compensation during a period of economic recession that has been worsened by the pandemic. The extensive research projects and campaigns that Amnesty International India was running have all ground to a halt.

Taking everything into account, it must be clarified to the government that in the name of holding a foreign entity accountable, the Indian government has deprived many of its own citizens of their livelihoods. Most importantly, there is now one less voice to hold the Indian government accountable for its excesses and inactions. The year also saw numerous arrests of journalists who criticised the governments pandemic response, while farmers rights activists were arrested for reporting corruption in the distribution of emergency food supplies.

On 26 May, global civil society alliance CIVICUS launched its annual State of Civil Society Report 2021, which shows that protests matter  even during a pandemic. Our report describes the massive peoples mobilisations that swept Asia this past year, leading to breakthroughs in democracy and human rights. It features the creativity of protesters in Thailand, the resilience of activists in Myanmar and the determination of farmers in India, among others, a CIVICUS spokesperson said in an email alert to Counterview.India part of the report , Farmers make their voices heard, shows how the success of collective action demonstrated that in India, the largest coordinated strike in world history forced Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to negotiate on agricultural reform laws which would threaten farmers livelihoods. While tens of thousands of farmers took to the streets to protest at the legislation, they were joined by over millions of workers from a wide range of industries.Modi, who initially dismissed farmers demands, was forced to listen, it says, adding, Talks would not have happened without the protests. Protesters have forced a government that normally stubbornly refuses criticism to the table. In a country where the government has worked to repress dissent, the farmers protests came to serve as a vital space where people sharing a sense of dissatisfaction, of being left out and not listened to, could come together and find common cause.India has in recent years been home both to mass protests and heavy state repression. In 2019, the focus was on the struggles of people against discriminatory new citizenship laws that targeted Indias sizeable Muslim minority, and the repression of the formerly semi-autonomous region of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2020, those struggles, and the state backlash against them, continued as the stridently Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stood accused of making high-handed decisions that were out of step with many peoples everyday realities. The trigger for the latest acts of mass protest was the introduction of three new laws on farming.The laws, passed in September after little parliamentary scrutiny or consultation with farmers, removed many regulations on the sale of farmers produce, changing tightly regulated markets that have for decades ensured farmers a place in which to sell their goods, in the form of statemandated wholesale markets, and at set prices. The government positioned the changes as giving farmers the opportunity to increase their profitability by being able to negotiate higher prices, sell in a wider range of markets and cut out intermediaries.For many farmers, however, the new laws seemed to offer a direct threat to their way of life. Indias Green Revolution, introduced in the late 1960s with the northern state of Punjab at its core, saw the introduction of higher-yielding crops, the intensive and subsidised use of irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides, state training of farmers and guaranteed purchasing at minimum prices through wholesale markets. Its aim was to make India more self-sufficient in its food production but also, it has been argued, it helped prevent potential demands for more radical change.The policies of the Green Revolution enabled a class of small farmers to just about sustain themselves. Over 40 per cent of Indias population work in agriculture and around 86 per cent of Indias farmland is cultivated by small farmers. They have however faced considerable challenges in recent decades, including mounting debt, impacts of heatwaves and droughts and soil degradation caused by intensive farming methods. From the 1990s onwards, rates of suicide soared among farmers, reaching almost 300,000 since 1995.While the climate crisis and the ways intensive practices have stripped soils of nutrients suggest a need for reform of some kind, the proposed changes did not speak to those needs. There seemed to have been no attempt to listen to farmers, understand their concerns and work with them before announcing the changes. Instead this was a top-down approach seeming to symbolise a high-handed governance style from a government that thinks it always knows what is best.


The political players, NATO, US and Israel want a Turkish-Russian war, but in fact, Russia has risen out to be a winner as it did not react when its ambassador was shot in Turkey. It did not let the temperatures rise even as Nagorno-Karabakh war was underway and acted as a supercop to forge a ceasefire. He had been in a dress-rehearsal to become the Caliph after 100 years of the end of Caliphate. He had put a brave front to Greece, to France and even to Russia in the latest Azerbaijan-Armenia war but this time around he was in sheer rhetoric. The skeptics even likened him to be nominated for the best actor award at the next Oscars. The political players, NATO, US and Israel want a Turkish-Russian war, but in fact, Russia has risen out to be a winner as it did not react when its ambassador was shot in Turkey. It did not let the temperatures rise even as Nagorno-Karabakh war was underway and acted as a supercop to forge a ceasefire.

Russia has even given its most powerful S-400 to Turkey much to the consternation of US and NATO. Russia even ascribed to Turkey and Muslim sentiments when it banned Prophet of Islam cartoons inside Russia in the wake of this controversy erupting out of France in October last. The doomsayers are prophesying a war between Russia and Turkey but Russia has been instead acting like a big-brother.

But, Turkey perhaps developed its cold feet as Arab states are all aligned with Israel. It wasnt that late when UAE had sent F-16 to help Greece fight Turkey while France had given its Rafael to Greece for free. Then, too, Russia came to the rescue of Turkey with its naval-exercises around Cyprus in East Mediterranean sea.

It may therefore cannot be discounted that this time too, Russia came to the help Turkey as Turkey was engaged only in tongue-wagging against Israel. But, Iran an ally of Russia, came-out openly behind Hamas and Hezbollah to meet to Israel. Pakistan, the always rentier state, yet again proved that it is a sick-baby of KSA as it hasnt been that late when PM Imran Khan acted a chauffeur to MbS on the latters visit to Pakistan-slightly after Khashoghis murder.

This time around too he has been dangled with some carrots. The grand Islamic Military Alliance Chief Rahil Sharif is sure to have got his deep-pockets filled by making Imran dance to KSA tunes while Palestinians were to be roasted in their furnace.

The US power is waning. It has to wane. Russia is rising and with it China too. China is looking for Arab states as market and is set to invest 400 billion USD in Irans military and market which has rankled Israel, US and India alike. Israel is exporting its technology to India to counter China and China is smarting from the way Israel kicked-it-out from its desalination water project worth 1.5 billion USD after Mike Pompeo intervened in 2020.

There may now be a new strategy to evoke selected wars like China with US & Allies in South China Sea, Turkey with Greece, India with Pakistan, Yemen and KSA, KSA with Iran and more turmoil in Afghanistan, so ease out a way for Israel to again attack Al Aqsa, but US and Israel grandiose plans right now seems to have boomeranged.

During the 11 days war Biden called Netanyahu 8 times and the last was with a warning to stop and bid for ceasefire in 24 hours! But, why was Biden, the self professed Zionist so desperate? Perhaps, the answer lies that Russian forces were almost ready to attack Israel and which was to spiral into a major confrontation. This made Netanyahu numb in his knees.

Russia has developed a fantastic strategy and according to some conservative estimates Russia has around 40% Muslims in its military and before it embarked on Syria, Vladimir Putin called Islamic scholars who opined that Khawarij were fighting in Syria and were to be eliminated. Here, too Russia was expected to send its Muslims to safeguard Al Aqsa. US had to bite dust.

Of late Russia has nailed US in every part of the world as it did in the latest context. But interestingly, before the war could end Iran gifted its UAV drone named Gaza to Hamas. Israel thought that Hamas was to soon exhaust its ammunition but Hamas instead announced to fight for the next six years.

Russia and China, in the wake of this new situation, want the theatre of conflict to change from South China Sea where US and its 10 Allies are engaged with China, to Middle East, where Russia and China want to build a task force involving Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia etc. to save Al Aqsa from any further attack by Israel despite Kashgar on the boil inside China.

This move is likely to be thwarted by US and Israel with their all might. It can be anyone guess that Arab states would go by the side of US which is Israel by extension. Pakistan will again be in its existential crisis as it will never be able to resist kickbacks from KSA!

Back home, in the melee of Israel-Hamas conflict China took the chance to build 67 kms of road close to Arunachal Pradesh which China calls as its South Tibet. India has been taken aback as there has been quite a lot of Indo-China acrimony in the recent past. Now, India with BECA signed with US, might be ready to provide its military bases to US for some specific missions like keeping an eye on China and particularly on Gwadar where China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is to tail-end. India might also provide its naval-bases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to counter China in Indo-Pacific region and also to keep a check on Malaysia.

US ground forces might be stationed in Kashmir too. Bangladesh, out of US pressure has already signaled to join QUAD, to the irking on China and has now just removed the Israel exception from its passport for travelling purposes. This welcome gesture came from PM Sheikh Hasina just after Eid-ul-Fitr, informed Weekly Blitz of Bangladesh on May 22, all the while when Israel was raining fire, death and destruction on Palestine!

A small trigger at this juncture has the capacity to unveil the great third-world-war but the establishment of State of Israel would never be completely done until its cardinal objective of making the Third Temple on the site of Al Aqsa is completed. In India, the Supreme Court of largest democracy in the world has already gifted the Babri Masjid site to Hindus to make a Lord Rama Temple on it. No wonder, the similarities are dangerously ominous.

Meanwhile, it is to be seen as to how long Netanyahu is to continue as protests against him have again broken for dragging Israel into a pointless war, something of the same kind, which happened on August 2, 2020, when thousands protested outside his residence over his involvement in corruption and two days later Lebanon was bombed!

---

*Former State Information Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh, political analyst

Only a naive would buy that the situation of ceasefire between the State of Israel and Hamas would continue, as if the foiled attempt to demolish Al Aqsa this time, is not be repeated, if not in any near future then in sometime to come. Israel already has spurned the ceasefire by storming Al Aqsa after the Friday prayers on May 21.The 11 days war ended with 232 Palestinians casualties, including 65 children and 1900 wounded, while 12 died in Israel along with hundreds injured, tells Reuters. The truce was mediated by the long-term midwife of Israel, Egypt, but the bad omens are all around and very likely to spill out towards what may turn out to be the focal point for the third-world-war.It may be mentioned that the primary objective of Zionism is to establish the third-temple after demolishing Al Aqsa, where the Jews believe their messiah would come to mark their supremacy in the world. In the latest conflagration, as for the Muslim world there is just a spineless surrender as no state would come forward to stop Israel in its ranks, and moreover Muslim elite has been quite rummaged that Al Aqsa would fall and later again won by Muslims! If that was the sole case then why would Salahuddin Ayyubi win it in 1187? He could have also sat in his cozy-environs, as the Arab rulers comfortably sit today.What happened in Gaza was all in-store and only a small slice of recent events can help recollect this building scenario. On August 4, 2020, there was a devastating blast in Lebanon, which was triggered by a series of manmade miniature earthquakes orchestrated by Israel. Eminent blogger Richard Silvertein on that very day had written Israel bombed Beirut.The Arab states were stuck with further shock and awe as they have been done to since two decades. Only ten days later UAE, at the green signal from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) opened up to Israel embassy as a complimentary gesture to Pakistan on its independence day. Bahrain and Sudan followed suit. Israel was to soon start with its new intelligence base on Socotra Island gifted by UAE.For Israel, the Arab states are peanuts, owing to the US sprawling influence but formalization with Pakistan, a nuclear state is what matters the most, as Pakistan was supposedly to be a stumbling block particularly when it was distancing itself from US, after US was to finally withdraw after its defeat from Afghanistan. Pakistan wanted to steer clear of KSA influence and wanted to forge an alternative Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) with Malaysia, Turkey, Iran with the help of Russia and China, but the alternative is still elusive in wilderness.OIC as a matter of fact is a shameless Khassi (impotent) organization which has never gone beyond its lip-service, the same as it did when the latest hostilities broke between Israel and Palestinians. KSA was to have readily embraced Israel had US President Donald Trump was to swear to office. Since, August last Israel has had a moon-harvest as KSA Imam of Mecca has sermonized that Jews are to be friends and there has also been almost an Israelisation of education policy in KSA too, in the last since around ten months.How KSA was to react to Israel invasion of Al Aqsa was quite predictable but what Israel wanted to score was that Pakistan PM Imran Khan, be given a purple carpet welcome, and be present in KSA while Al Aqsa was to be raided! Imran Khan could never have been slapped so hard by a purported friendly KSA. KSA crown prince MbS it may be known is battling his alleged involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoghi and is ready to bend to any extent to please the US new President Joseph Biden.The earlier one, Donald Trump, had saved his ass from CIA which had reported about MbS involvement. It is s foregone conclusion that once after the so-called COVID-19 ends all the 22 Arab states are to make a beeline to embrace Israel with the exception of Iran. Pakistan and Qatar are in their respective catch-22 positions.Israel which rode on an unassailable gumption that it in invincible had to see how the cutting edge from Hamas, the armed group of Palestinians, made Israel scurry for cover, as Hamas fired more than 4000 rockets into Israel, most of them Israel neutralized by its Iron Dome technology, yet for 11 days the populace inside Israel was on tenterhooks as sirens blazed all over the country and people took to bomb shelters. The pride of Israel Shin Bet, responsible for internal-security was totally caught on nerves as riots broke inside Israel and there was a civil-war lurking inside the whole nation. The entire 1.5 million Arabs out of 9 million Israelis were ready for the street battle. Moreover, Muslims from Jordon and Lebanon thronged to Israel borders for the safeguard of Al Aqsa. Here, Mossad, the external intelligence agency of Israel was caught off-guarded.How come Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu who was crying to continue the war for as long as necessary became an overnight lame duck? And, US President who had pledged 735 million USD supply of weapons to Israel cried for a ceasefire?The answer lies in one of the most toughest stand taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin who called Israel ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi to Moscow on a firing-line and warned of a single more civilian death as it was Russia which had already toppled the US applecart in next door Syria to make Bassar Al Asad to continue at the helm. Syria too had fired three rockets on Israel and four were fired from Lebanon. Both Syria and Lebanon as well as Hamas have a strong Irans backing. Russia and Iran have been long time partners.What was Pakistan doing? And why was Turkey in the huddle? It was Malaysia, despite Mahatir Muhammed not present, which announced to send its forces to defend Al Aqsa. Turkeys President Erdogan, who roared like a lion after reclaiming Hagia Sophia with the retort to recover Al Aqsa could not even put a squeamish response.


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Astronaut's rocket plane and space shuttle artifacts to go on display



May 25, 2021  The rocket plane manual and space shuttle logs kept by the first astronaut to fly on two different winged vehicles into space will be showcased by a museum dedicated to the history of experimental aircraft.



The Astronaut Joe Engle Archive Collection is set to open on June 4 at the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The display comes a year after Joe Engle and his wife, Jeanie, donated their archives to the EAA Aviation Foundation in 2020.



The new exhibit will feature some of the flight gear that Engle used when piloting the North American X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft, including on three flights that soared above 50 miles (80 km), the U.S.-defined altitude separating Earth from space. The museum will also display artifacts from Engle's 20 years as a NASA astronaut, including his acceptance letter as a member of the fifth group of astronaut candidates in 1966.



After serving on the backup crew for Apollo 14, the third successful lunar landing, and almost making it to the moon himself, Engle helped lead early approach and landing tests aboard the prototype space shuttle Enterprise. He then commanded two missions, including STS-2, the second flight of the program and first to prove that the winged orbiter was reusable as designed.



The museum will also display items from Jeanie Engle's nearly 40-year career at NASA, first as chief information officer and then and chief knowledge officer at Johnson Space Center in Houston, including her Silver Snoopy Award for her role in ensuring human flight safety and mission success.



"The personal archives donated to EAA by Joe and Jeanie Engle are especially important because of the breadth of experiences they had in the programs that stretched the boundaries of flight," Ron Connolly, director of the EAA Aviation Museum, said in a statement. "Joe's X-15 experience in the 1960s took us to the edge of space, followed by his experience training in the Apollo program and his leadership in the testing and early missions of the space shuttle that helped create the ongoing manned space efforts that continue today."



The Engles are scheduled to be at the EAA Aviation Museum on June 4 to take part in a dedication and ribbon cutting for the new display. The Astronaut Joe Engle Archive Collection is the EAA's second exhibit devoted to an early pioneer of spaceflight. Gemini and Apollo astronaut Frank Borman, who commanded the first crewed flight to the moon, donated his memorabilia and papers in 2018.



The Engle exhibit will be located adjacent to the Borman Collection on the main level of the museum



Prior to donating his and his wife's archives, Engle was a frequent speaker at the EAA's annual AirVenture fly-in and delivered the keynote for the association's 2017 Wright Brothers Memorial Banquet. In addition to his X-15 and NASA flight experience, Engle began his career in the U.S. Air Force and flew 185 different types of aircraft, logging more than 15,400 hours in flight, including 9,000 hours in jet aircraft. In total, he spent 9 days, 8 hours and 30 minutes in space.



Joe Engle's name tag displays the U.S. Air Force astronaut wings that he earned flying the X-15 rocket plane before flying two space shuttle missions for NASA. (EAA)





Joe and Jeanie Engle as photographed together at the National Air and Space Museum in 2018. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)





NASA astronaut Joe Engle's U.S. Air Force-blue space shuttle model, a flight helmet and other artifacts being prepared for display at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Astronaut Joe Engle Archive Collection opens on June 4, 2021. (EAA)





NASA astronaut Joe Engle's STS-2 mission patch, representing the second flight and first reuse of the space shuttle orbiter Columbia in 1981. (EAA)



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LGBT and mental health are the focus of June 1 NAMI Four County meeting
Four civilians were reportedly killed and around eight injured when military forces fired heavy artillery shells at a Catholic church in the Kayah state of Myanmar around 1 a.m. on Monday, damaging the roof, ceiling and the cross of the church after months of deadly attacks.

The Ministry of International Cooperation of the National Unity Government of Myanmar reported that elderly people and children fled from their homes to hide in a Catholic church in Kayan Thar Yar village after attacks on villagers from the junta military forces (Tatmadaw).

According to Union of Catholic Asia News, about 300 people from 60 families took refuge in the church compound due to clashes between the anti-coup resistance group called the Peoples Defense Force and the military.
A pair of Illinois churches that were cited for holding worship services last year despite lockdown orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have had the charges against them dropped.

The city of Chicago accused Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and Philadelphia Romanian Church of disorderly conduct and mob action for holding services in May 2020.

However, in an order released Monday, Chicagos Department of Administrative Hearings announced that the churches would not be penalized for holding the services.

The Liberty Counsel, a conservative law firm representing Elim Church and Logos Baptist Ministries in litigation over the restrictions, celebrated the order.

Source:The Christian Post
A federal judge has ruled against a Georgia law requiring organizations and individuals who contract with public entities to declare that they will not support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen for the Northern District of Georgia issued a ruling in Abby Martin v. Steve Wrigley, et. al.

At issue is Georgia Southern University inviting pro-Palestinian journalist Abby Martin to speak at an event and requiring her, by law, agree to not voicing support of a boycott of Israel.

The law amended the Georgia Code to read that the state shall not enter into a contract with an individual or company if the contract is related to construction or the provision of services, supplies, or information technology unless the contract includes a written certification that such individual or company is not currently engaged in, and agrees for the duration of the contract not to engage in, a boycott of Israel.

Source:The Christian Post
Pope Francis announced a seven-year action platform to achieve a fully sustainable future and prepare a better tomorrow for all through collaborating to restore the Earths original beauty in a new ecological initiative.

The Laudato Si' Action Platform launched Tuesday is a seven-year journey to help communities become fully sustainable, in the spirit of integral ecology to create a more inclusive, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world.

The seven objectives the platform will focus on are the response to the cry of the Earth, the response to the cry of the poor, green economics, adopting a simple lifestyle, green education, green spirituality, and community engagement.

In a video message, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church said the wounds humans caused on the Earth due to a predatory attitude manifested themselves in an unprecedented ecological crisis that affects the soil, air, water and, in general, the ecosystem in which human beings live.

Source:The Christian Post
When Gia Chacons heart began to break for persecuted Christians at a young age, she knew God was calling her to be a part of the solution.

This prompted her to launch her nonprofit organization to host the first-ever march to stand in solidarity with the persecuted Church last year in California attended by hundreds.

As estimates suggest that over 340 million Christians live in areas where they face persecution for their faith, another march for the persecuted will be held this summer in Washington, D.C.

I saw a need for [persecuted Christians] to have a voice, and I believed that if God laid it on my heart, if He broke my heart, then as part of that was the responsibility to do something, Chacon told The Christian Post in an interview.

Source:The Christian Post
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After being purchased in March by the owners of Harborview Market, Bridgeport's Acoustic is undergoing a name change.

The Torres family announced that the longtime Bridgeport music venue will be called the Park City Music Hall a nod to the nickname for the city of Bridgeport.

"We considered a myriad of possibilities and finally came to rest on Park City Music Hall," read a statement on the venue's Facebook page. "The Torres family takes a lot of pride in Bridgeport, and we wanted our name to embody that."

John Torres, a local musician and producer whose family owns the Harborview Market, told Hearst Connecticut Media that the family underwent a "long naming convention" that involved polling family and friends for the best new name for the venue.

The final two contenders were "Black Rock Music Hall" and "Park City Music Hall." Torres went with the more inclusive Park City Music Hall as the goal for the new venue is to serve all of Bridgeport.

In addition to the name change, the venue announced that its neighbor, Varsity Barbershop, has relocated. The departure has allowed the music venue to expand almost 500 square feet and has also doubled the venue's street frontage to 40 feet.

The Acoustic closed its doors last March at the beginning of the pandemic. The Torres family purchased the venue shortly after and set its eyes on reopening the venue that gave starts to artists like John Mayer and Goose.

While live music is coming back to the Nutmeg State, the Park City Music Hall is not quite ready to host shows yet as improvements are still ongoing.

Torres said that he is waiting on some city permits but is planning on opening his doors around September 15.

Additionally, Torres said that he looks to start a concert series in Bridgeport's green spaces tentatively called "Park City Presents"

"[There are] intrinsic connections between green spaces and live music," Torres said.
NEWTOWN  Alex Jones wants a Connecticut judge to throw out two years of proceedings from the defamation case against him by a group of Sandy Hook families, because one of those family members died in 2019 without his lawyers notifying the court.

Jeremy Richman passed away in March 2019, wrote Jones attorney Jay Wolman in Connecticut Superior Court last week. For more than two years, (the families) have had the opportunity to substitute the estates executor for Mr. Richman. They have not done so and have, instead, continued to impermissibly prosecute the case of a deceased plaintiff.

As a result, Jones lawyer, argues, the case has no vitality and The surviving part[ies] and the court alike are powerless to proceed.

Jones attempt to thwart the lawsuit on a technicality is the latest development in one of the highest-profile defamation cases in the country. In April the case was in the headlines when the U.S. Supreme Court denied Jones appeal to revisit sanctions he received in trial court for his blood on the streets rant.

The families attorneys at Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder declined to comment on Monday about why Richmans name remains as a plaintiff.

If Richmans name sounds familiar it may be because his death made national news two years ago.

Richman, a neuropharmacologist whose daughter was among the 26 first-graders and educators slain in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, had founded an organization that was funding research into the connection between brain science and behavioral health.

When his wife shared that Richman took his life because he could not overcome losing his daughter, it brought national focus to the depth of grief-based trauma. Richmans death drew extra media attention because it followed the suicides of two teenagers who survived the slaying of 17 students and staff at a Parkland, Fla., high school.

In 2018 Richman and his wife, Jennifer Hensel were among the six families and an FBI agent who sued Jones in Connecticut for saying on his Infowars broadcast that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax and completely fake with actors.

Jones in court documents has since argued that he no longer believes the worst crime in modern Connecticut history was a hoax, and that the First Amendment gives him the right to be wrong.

A similar defamation suit against Jones brought by two other Sandy Hook families is pending in Connecticut. Separate defamation cases against Jones brought by Sandy Hook parents are proceeding to trial in Texas, where Jones internet broadcast business is based.

Wolman argued that the families attorneys had six months to give the court a substitute to represent Richmans estate, and their failure to do so was an egregious violation of their duty of candor.

Certainly, they must have learned of his passing. Yet, they have not apprised the court of this nor sought to substitute his estate, Wolman wrote. For more than two years, they have improperly prosecuted the case on behalf of a deceased plaintiff, which is impermissible.

As a result, Wolman argues, all orders that issued between Mr. Richmans death and the present date (must) be vacated because the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to issue them.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-334
BRUSSELS (AP)  Belarus isolation deepened Tuesday as commercial jets avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and officials expressed concern for the welfare of an opposition journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a plane that was diverted to Minsk in what the West called a state-sponsored hijacking.

The dramatic developments put a spotlight on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkos iron-fisted rule and suppression of dissent  but it was not clear what effect more sanctions or other measures would have.

Additional sanctions? Will this be sufficient? I absolutely cant say today, said French President Emmanuel Macron. But, he added: The unacceptable character of what happened  justifies them.

After his detention, opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich was seen in a brief video clip on Belarusian state television late Monday, speaking rapidly to say that he was confessing to some of the charges authorities have leveled against him.

The spokesperson for the U.N.s human rights office, Rupert Colville, said Pratasevich's appearance likely was not voluntary and that he seemed to have bruising to his face, although it was difficult to tell from the video.

Asked about the video, German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it was worrying and disturbing and makes the EU demand for his release all the more urgent.

And we will use all channels at our disposal to do this, she added.

The 26-year-old journalist and activist was arrested Sunday after Belarusian flight controllers ordered the Ryanair jetliner he was aboard to land, telling the crew that there was a bomb threat against the flight. A Belarusian fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane to Minsk, just before it was to land in Vilnius, Lithuania, from Athens, Greece.

In an unusually swift response to the arrest and flight diversion, EU leaders agreed Monday to ban Belarusian airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc and impose sanctions on officials linked to the diversion.

The measures of restricting flights in particular  are extremely biting on the Belarus system," Macron said.

The EU demanded Pratasevich's release and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to investigate the diversion, while recommending European carriers avoid Belarus' airspace. Polish carrier LOT and Baltic airlines began bypassing the country, while Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and others said they will follow suit.

Belarus has defended its actions. Its Transport Ministry said Tuesday it has invited international aviation, U.S. and EU authorities to investigate the diversion.

In the wake of the brazen move, Belarus' first post-Soviet leader, Stanislav Shushkevich, urged the West to introduce even tougher sanctions.

Belarus has become a black hole of Europe with repressions reaching a catastrophic scale and its dictator scrambling fighter jets and threatening the entire world, Shushkevich told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The West must understand that only increasing pressure and really tough sanctions could impact Lukashenko and limit repressions.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will introduce more sanctions targeting "businesses and economic entities that are financing this regime.

Added Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte: We know that in this country, the major state companies make the money. This is going to hit them and everything is targeted towards making them feel the sting..

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Lukashenko's action "is hard to beat in terms of perfidy.

The lives of more than 170 passengers were endangered here to arrest a journalist. Its a threefold attack -- an attack on the safety of air traffic, on press freedom and the European citizens on board, he said.

Lukashenko has faced unprecedented pressure at home with months of protests triggered by his reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. But he has only doubled down on repression, and more than 35,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, with thousands beaten.

Some say more sanctions will do little to alleviate the situation and will only push Belarus even closer to its main sponsor and ally, Russia, and reduce the influence of the EU and others.

Lukashenko will become an increasingly easy prey for the Kremlin, said Alexander Klaskouski, an independent Minsk-based political analyst. As a pariah country, Belarus will find it much more difficult to fend off the Kremlin demands for the introduction of a single currency, the deployment of air bases and access to lucrative Belarusian economic assets.

Even as the West condemned Belarus, the crackdown continued Tuesday. Pavel Seviarynets, the leader of the opposition Christian-Democratic Party, was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots.

Most leaders of Belarus political parties have been either jailed or forced to flee the country, said Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights center. Belarus is facing an acute human rights crisis ... amid unprecedented political repressions.

Pratasevich, who left Belarus in 2019, has become a top foe of Lukashenko with a popular messaging app he ran playing a key role in helping organize the huge protests, and authorities have increasingly tried to limit his influence.

The Telegram apps Nexta channel that he co-founded has been labeled extremist by Belarusian authorities. Stsiapan Putsila, another co-founder of Nexta, told AP that he and his colleagues have received thousands of threats in the past to blow up their office in Warsaw.

Pratasevich had been charged in absentia with staging mass riots and fanning social hatred. Those carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, and some fear Pratasevich could face more serious charges, including some that carry the death penalty.

Colville, the U.N. human rights official, said Pratasevichs appearance on Belarus state TV was not reassuring, given the apparent bruising to his face, and the strong likelihood that his appearance was not voluntary and his confession to serious crimes was forced.

Pratasevichs 23-year-old Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who also was removed from the flight and detained, spoke in a video from custody shown on state TV. In it, she said she had been working as the editor of a Telegram channel that revealed personal data about Belarus security officers amid the protests. Her lawyers had said earlier in the day that she has been jailed for two months, pending an investigation.

The main opposition candidate in the last election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who left the country immediately after the vote under official pressure, said she urged the U.S. to move to suspend Belarus' membership in the ICAO and Interpol.

Tsikhanouskaya also pushed for the G-7 to invite a Belarusian opposition delegation to its summit in London next month and thanked Macron for supporting her bid. But Max Blain, a spokesman for the British prime minister, said "the invite list for G-7 is already set and wasn't aware of any request from Macron to invite the opposition.

The France-based media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with the prosecutor generals office in Vilnius against Lukashenko and any other persons the investigation would identify as liable for instigating or committing the crime. It noted that under Lithuanian law, the use of force against a civilian aircraft to force it to change its route under the false pretext of a bomb threat constitutes the crime of hijacking.

___

Karmanau reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Samuel Petrequin and Lorne Cook in Brussels, Jill Lawless in London and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  A worsening coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia has sparked alarm and is spilling over into neighboring Thailand, which recently discovered a more infectious variant in its south believed to have come from Malaysia.

Malaysia has experienced a rapid climb in new cases since April that has strained its hospitals and prompted the government to impose a near lockdown until June 7.

But infections have not abated, with a record 7,289 new cases reported Tuesday, pushing the country's tally to 525,889  a five-fold increase since the start of the year. Deaths have spiked to more than 2,300. It is the third worst-hit country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines.

Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah warned Tuesday that the country has to prepare for the worst amid signs that new cases could spike further.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob expressed concern Tuesday that the number of infected children has grown eight-fold to 64,046 so far this year, from just over 8,000 at the end of last year. Two-thirds are under 12, including 6,290 babies under 18 months old, he said.

The government has shut all schools, prohibited dining in restaurants and banned social activities and inter-state travel, but has resisted calls for a full lockdown because of fears it would cause an economic catastrophe.

Instead, restrictions were tightened Tuesday with more people made to work from home, business operating hours shortened and consumers allowed to shop at malls for only two hours. The capacity and frequency of public transport have also been cut by half, causing longer lines and bigger crowds at bus and train stations.

Malaysia aims to vaccine 80% of its population by next year and has ramped up its inoculation program, with nearly 2.5 million of its 33 million people having received at least one dose of vaccine. Still, officials are worried about the rapid spread of the virus, especially clusters involving new variants originating in South Africa and India.

The outbreak has spilled into Thailand, which has locked down several southern villages along the Malaysian border after identifying infections involving the South African variant that is thought to be more contagious. It was believed to have been spread by an infected person who crossed the border from Malaysia.

Thailand has also seen a recent surge, with confirmed cases rising to 135,439, including 832 deaths. It will begin its national vaccination campaign on June 7 and hopes to vaccinate 70% of the estimated 70 million people living in the country by the end of the year. It has administered 2.91 million doses so far, using vaccines from AstraZeneca and Chinas Sinovac.

Health officials have called on the government to quickly diversify its vaccine procurement. Only four vaccines have so far been authorized for use in Thailand and only two have been administered: AstraZeneca and Sinovac. The AstraZeneca vaccine is to be locally manufactured and play a key role in the inoculation effort.

Critics of Thailands handling of the crisis say local business interests played a role in delaying and limiting vaccination efforts.

Food and Drugs Administration Secretary-General Paisarn Dankum said the government will consider later this week whether to approve a vaccine made by China's Sinopharm.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the restrictions were toughened on Tuesday, not Wednesday.
STAMFORD  A judge ruled Tuesday that Michelle Troconis attorney can obtain a copy of a family psychological report produced during the contentious Dulos divorce, but warned him about leaking any of its contents to the media or public.

During a remote hearing, Stamford Superior Court Judge John F. Blawie said since state police obtained a complete copy of the report by search warrant, he saw no reason to prohibit Troconis attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, from obtaining the document.

The release came with a caution from Blawie. Theres still a lot of sensitive information that the court will not tolerate seen in a press release or attached to a motion for public inspection, he said.

The report was the subject of a divorce hearing in May 2019, days before Jennifer Dulos went missing, but it ended when its author, Dr. Stephen Herman, refused to continue testimony.

The report has remained under seal since the hearing and Troconis has previously been denied access to the report.

Troconis, 46, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in connection with Jennifer Dulos May 24, 2019 disappearance. She remains free on more than $2 million bond.

Fotis Dulos, who was locked in a lengthy, bitter divorce and custody battle with Jennifer Dulos, was charged with murder, kidnapping, evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in the disappearance, but died of suicide in January 2020.

Along with Troconis, Fotis Dulos longtime friend and lawyer Kent Mawhinney has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Mawhinney has also pleaded not guilty and is free on bond.

In response to the defenses request to set a trial date, Blawie said he was not yet able to since full jury trials had not resumed after a long pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we know, we are not yet resuming jury trials. We hope to get them up and going in some fashion in the month of June, but I know counsel asked privately for a trial date. I cant give them an estimate at this time because the resumption of jury trials is very much a work in progress, Blawie said.

Arguing a separate motion, Schoenhorn acknowledged the conversation between prosecutors, defense and the judge showed the trial may not happen until next year.

As they addressed some of the motions filed in recent weeks, Schoenhorn again argued that Troconis GPS monitoring device be removed.

Miss Troconis now has been on that bracelet for ... just under two years from June 3, 2019, to the present. At some point ... it becomes the equivalent of punishment, Schoenhorn said. He added that shes been compliant on every request, every order, she reports every time shes asked.

Stamford States Attorney Paul Ferencek objected to the request. As the court knows, Miss Troconis does not have any connection with the state of Connecticut, other than the fact she was the girlfriend of Fotis Dulos, he said. Ferencek said the state has been very liberal with the requirements and Troconis is allowed to frequently travel to Colorado.

Ferencek said she also recently traveled to Florida. She is clearly getting on with her life, he added.

Blawie again denied a request to remove Troconis GPS monitoring device, despite arguments from Schoenhorn that she has been compliant for months with the requirements of her releases. A similar request from Mawhinneys attorneys was denied last week after they argued he could not referee adult hockey while wearing a GPS monitor on his ankle.

Blawie addressed motions from Schoenhorn seeking hearings on the arrest warrants used to charge Troconis with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. Schoenhorn has argued that the charging documents written by state police investigators and approved by Blawie contained inaccuracies and falsehoods. Since Blawie signed the warrants, he said Judge Gary White will preside over the hearing on Sept. 14.

Tuesdays hearing came one day after the two-year anniversary since Jennifer Dulos was last seen after dropping off her children at school the morning of May 24, 2019. Police contend her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, attacked her in the garage of her New Canaan home when she returned, according to arrest warrants.

The case against Troconis has made slow progress through the courts since she was first arrested along with Fotis Dulos on June 1, 2019, about a week after Jennifer Dulos was reported missing.

While Jennifer Dulos remains have never been found, the states chief medical examiner said that based on the evidence found in her garage, she suffered injuries that were not survivable without immediate medical attention.

Acknowledging the anniversary of the disappearance on Monday, Troconis family issued a statement, saying that while their hearts go out to Jennifer Dulos family, Troconis has also suffered.

May 24th also marks the beginning of two years of injustice towards Michelle. Michelle is an amazing woman, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, who has been treated unfairly, contrary to what the American Justice System is supposed to be about, the statement read.

Michelle has been treated as if she were guilty from day one, with police, investigators, the media and members of the public ignoring the presumption of innocence that the United States Constitution claims to offer to all its citizens.
BRIDGEPORT  New UB President Danielle Wilken has lofty ambitions.

She wants to grow and elevate the University of Bridgeport on both a national and an international platform.

Following Goodwin Universitys $32 million acquisition and accreditation of UBs academic programs and real estate, a new Board of Trustees named Wilken, provost and dean of faculty at Goodwin, UBs 12th president.

In an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, the first-time university president shared her vision for UB, which embraces the schools relationship with East Hartfords Goodwin University.

Wilken, whos worked in higher education for more than two decades, emphasized flexible learning approaches and her desire to connect with faculty and greater Bridgeport.

She said she looks forward to continuing to create the type of institution that a parent wants to send their children to, and that a working adult can find success and that balance of managing family and work and school.

In the short term, Wilken said shes confident in the progress the schools have made in catching students up after the past 14 months of pandemic-related closures, and is focused on creating a cohesive campus community between UB and Goodwin.

She and Manyul Im, who will be UBs provost and vice president for academic affairs, are meeting with faculty to meld general education requirements and align core curricula between the two schools so students can move academically between them. The partnering would allow for an easy transition if a UB student wants to major in a program offered at Goodwin or vice versa, Wilken said, or if they want to earn credits at the other institution.

The UB administrators are looking for those opportunities where having the two institutions working together on something elevates the event, elevates the students, she said. Wilken gave the example of joint career fairs, which UB and Goodwin co-hosted this year to connect employers with students across both schools.

Wilken holds an Ed.D. in education leadership from the University of Hartford, and a masters degree in health care policy and management from and bachelors degrees in clinical laboratory sciences and biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Shes worked in higher education for more than 20 years as an adjunct faculty member and faculty member, a program director and department chair, and an assistant vice president and vice president for academic affairs.

In the academic world, Ive done most of the jobs that I supervise as a provost, and it gives me perspective because Ive lived that experience, she said.

Most recently, Wilken served as Goodwins provost and dean of faculty and taught a class that gave her first-hand experience to what goes on in the classroom, and how students and faculty are affected by school policies.

It keeps me at my academic roots, she added.

She also said she championed a teaching initiative at Goodwin called the Universal Design for Learning, an educational approach that offers flexibility in the ways students access and engage with material and show their knowledge.

It requires faculty to be much more reflective practitioners, she said. It makes them think about what is the goal of this course, what is the goal of this assignment?

And its about giving students options: Its about allowing students to present what they know in a way that demonstrates their skills the best, she said.

Mark Scheinberg, the president of Goodwin University, called Wilken an authority on Universal Design for Learning.

Shes a relatively young superstar in the academic space, he said. She knows us, she knows our culture, she knows teaching and learning and she will have a very different approach than what theyre used to seeing in leadership at the University of Bridgeport.

Ann Clark, who will head UBs trustees, was enthusiastic about the new president.

She knows what works, she said of Wilken. Shes had the opportunity over all these years to see what works and what doesnt work at an organization that is career-oriented.

Danielle (Wilken) has won me over as a real fan, she added.

Wilken is already working with UB interim president Stephen Healey, who will transition to provost emeritus, to ensure a smooth change in leadership. Wilken and Healey sit on a transition team that has met for two hours a week since the start of 2021.

Hes been a great friend and resource in this process, said Wilken, who added she plans to connect with more representatives from UB and greater Bridgeport.

That is good for the community, and that is good for the university, she said. I see that as an important part of my job: To be an ambassador for the university in the community and to look for opportunities to work together.
BRIDGEPORT  State Sen. Dennis Bradley and former city Board of Education Chairwoman Jessica Martinez were charged Tuesday in a more than $170,000 campaign fund scheme, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

They both surrendered to the U.S. Marshals Service in New Haven on Tuesday morning and appeared in court in the afternoon.

The indictment shows they were each charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, while Martinez was also charged with false statements and false declaration to a grand jury. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Both pleaded not guilty to the charges during separate arraignment hearings before U.S. District Judge Robert Spector in New Haven. Jury selection in the case was tentatively set for Aug. 2.

During the arraignment hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis told the judge that the governments case against Bradley is very strong. He said the government is claiming an actual loss of $84,000.

Bradleys lawyer, former federal prosecutor James Glasser, told the judge that his client had been aware of the investigation for some time. Martinez is represented by a public defender.

Candidates for public office must be held to a high standard of conduct, especially when they apply for public funds for their campaigns, Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard Boyle said following the arraignments. It is alleged that these defendants not only broke the rules at the outset of Mr. Bradleys first campaign for the state Senate, but then engaged in an extensive cover up to conceal their illegal behavior and to receive additional public funds. The U.S. Attorneys Office and our FBI partners are committed to holding public officials to account.

Bradley, 37, was released after posting $300,000 bond while Martinez, 39, posted $250,000 bond.

The indictment affidavit states that Bradley and others entered into a conspiracy and scheme to defraud the Connecticut State Election Enforcement Commission, the Citizens Election Fund and the State of Connecticut by making misrepresentations concerning Bradleys compliance with state election law and the Citizens Election Programs statutory restrictions and requirements in order to fraudulently obtain or attempt to obtain $179,850 in campaign grants.

Bradley, a Democrat who represents Bridgeport and Stratford, was first elected to represent the 23rd Senate District in 2018.

By early Tuesday afternoon, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney removed Bradley from committee assignments, including co-chairmanship of the Public Safety and Security Committee. State Sen. Cathy Osten was named acting chair of the committee, pending disposition of the charges.

Bradley was also stripped of his title of deputy majority leader.

Based on the current available information regarding Senator Bradley, I have taken a first step to protect the integrity of the State Senate, Looney said in a statement.

Martinez has been Bradleys campaign treasurer in his elections since 2018, according to records from the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission.

The SEEC started investigating Bradley after a citizen complaint filed on June 29, 2018, about his campaign, including a March 15, 2018, campaign event at Dolphins Cove, the indictment said.

City Councilwoman Maria Pereira, who researched and filed a complaint with the SEEC about Bradleys Dolphins Cove event, said Tuesday she was gratified that state and federal authorities had taken the matter so seriously.

I filed the complaint because elected officials have to be held to the highest standard, especially as it relates to ethical behavior, Pereira said.

Bradley emailed a letter to the SEEC on Aug. 21, 2018, in which he denied all allegations in the complaint, calling them frivolous and manipulative, the indictment said.

In May 2018, Bradley and Martinez applied for a Citizens Election Program grant to fund Bradleys primary campaign. The SEEC issued him $84,140 in July 2018, the indictment said. The next month, Bradley won the Democratic primary with about 55 percent of the votes.

The indictment states that although CEP rules imposed a $2,000 limit on Bradleys expenditure of personal funds, he used personal funds to pay Dolphins Cove $5,597.31 for the campaign event, and used personal funds for other campaign expenditures related to the event, including printed invitations and a band.

In an attempt to hide the March 15 campaign event from the SEEC, Bradley, Martinez and their co-conspirators claimed it was a Thank You Party for friends and clients of Bradleys law firm, Bradley, Denkovich & Karayiannis, P.C., also known as BDK Law Group, the indictment alleges.

A $110.07 bill for signs related to the event violated CEP rules because this personal expenditure was omitted from Bradleys SEEC filings, the indictment states. The $600 cost of the band, also paid for with Bradleys personal funds, was omitted from his SEEC filings, according to the indictment.

At the event, Bradley announced his candidacy for state senate. At least eight individuals gave contributions to the Bradley campaign that night.

The indictment alleges that the two campaign volunteer co-conspirators altered and falsified contribution cards and contributions at Dolphins Cove so that none were dated March 15, 2018 with Bradley and Martinezs knowledge since the gathering wasnt supposed to be a campaign event.

Bradley and Martinez falsely certified and swore to statements in the CEP affidavit to conceal that Bradley had committed disqualifying acts and was not eligible for a CEP grant, the indictment states.

A little more than two weeks after winning the primary, Bradley and Martinez tried to obtain an additional $95,710 grant for the general campaign, which the SEEC denied around mid-October 2018, the indictment said. Bradley won the general election with 87 percent of the vote that November. He was re-elected in 2020.

The indictment claims four others were involved in the scheme.

One co-conspirator was described as a senior member of Bradleys campaign staff who started around February 2018. Another co-conspirator was a campaign volunteer. The indictment indicates the remaining co-conspirators were each consultants who joined his campaign in February or March 2018.

Connecticut general statutes indicate a candidate must report any personal expenditure of more than $50 to the treasurer, who is required to report it to the campaigns filings with the SEEC. Candidates can apply to the SEEC for grants through its election-financing program to fund primary and general election campaigns.

To qualify for one of these grants, a state senator in the 23rd District would have to raise $15,300 in amounts of $5 to $250 from 300 people living in the district, the indictment indicated.

Martinez was removed as chairwoman of the BOE in March 2020, but still serves on the board. Bradley served as chairman on the Bridgeport Board of Education from 2015 to 2019. He resigned in February 2019.

Martinez joined the Board of Education in 2017. She was appointed chairwoman in 2019.

Bradley represented Martinez in a case last year when a judge dismissed charges stemming from two disputes involving her former boyfriend in 2019. The charges against Martinez were dismissed after she completed a 20-week pretrial domestic violence education program.

Staff writer Brian Lockhart contributed reporting to this story.
Contributed / Getty

SOUTHPORT  Mill Hill Elementary School briefly sheltered in place Tuesday afternoon as police said they investigated a report of gunfire that turned out to likely be fireworks.

Staff at the Southport RegalCare nursing home on Mill Hill Terrace reported what they believed to be a handful of gunshots around 11:50 a.m., police spokesperson Lt. Antonio Granata said.
A Pomfret man is being held on combined $1 million bond on arrest warrants that detail his alleged ties to two robberies in Connecticut last year.

Jesse James Brown, 30, of Kearney Road in Pomfret, was charged on one warrant with third-degree robbery and second-degree larceny in connection with an incident in Thompson on Feb. 2, 2020.

The other warrant charged Brown with second-degree robbery and second-degree larceny in connection with an incident on Feb. 4, 2020, in Putnam.

Both warrants, released by Connecticut State Police on Tuesday, were signed by a judge on April 29. Each warrant carried a $500,000 bond.

In the Feb. 2, 2020, incident, troopers from the Troop D barracks responded to the XtraMart gas station on Woodstock Road in Thompson and talked to the clerk who police said was given a note by a man  later identified as Brown  demanding money, the warrants said.

The note left at the robbery was written on white lined paper with 21 blue lines down the length of the paper, apparently ripped from a small, spiral-ringed notebook. It read, Give me everything in the register & nobody will get hurt, according to the warrant.

A little under $100 was taken from the register, authorities said.

Two days later, on Feb. 4, 2020, troopers responded to a robbery at the Peoples United Bank on Providence Pike in Putnam. The bank is inside the Stop & Shop store. Bank employees told police a man handed a tell a note that said, Give me all the money in the register & no one gets hurt, the warrants said.

The teller handed over $4,000, according to authorities.

The description of the man from both incidents was very similar, the warrants said. Troopers noticed that the notes were written on the same paper with 21 blue lines, ripped from a notebook. The warrants said troopers also noticed that the man used the same style ampersand symbol in both notes.

On Feb. 5, 2020, state police Troop D posted two photographs from the robbery. The next day, police got an anonymous call from someone reporting the man in the photos resembled a Jesse Brown.

One witness police spoke to, according to the warrants, agreed to let troopers go through his text messages with Brown.

The day of the Xtramart robbery, Brown allegedly texted the individual that there was money to be made and asked for a ride, the warrants said. The day of the Peoples Bank robbery, Brown allegedly sent similar text messages, the warrants showed.

A vehicle stolen in Connecticut on Feb. 8, 2020, driven by Browns girlfriend with him as a passenger, engaged police in a pursuit in South Carolina on Feb. 20, 2020, the warrants said. The vehicle eventually crashed. The driver was arrested. Brown fled on foot, tried to steal another vehicle and allegedly committed a home invasion before police took him into custody, the warrant said.

The documents said the pursuit began in Santee, South Carolina, and ended in Saint Matthews, where Brown was taken into custody, more than 20 miles away from the starting point of the vehicle pursuit.

As Brown was passing his girlfriend in processing at police headquarters in South Carolina, the warrants said, South Carolina officers, who didnt know about the bank robberies, heard Brown tell her, Hey they got us on that bank robbery too!

Cellphone data placed Brown in the area of the Xtramart and Peoples Bank at the time of the robberies, the warrant said. Two numbers were linked to him, one of which authorities said he likely used as a burner phone.

As troopers continued to investigate, troopers got documents from the Connecticut Office of Adult Probation on Jan. 15 with Browns handwriting on it to compare it with the notes from the robberies and noticed it closely matched the handwriting on notes from the robberies, the warrants said.

In a Zoom interview with Connecticut investigators while he was in custody in South Carolina, Brown denied even being in Connecticut during the robberies in 2020, claiming he had moved to Florida but couldnt recall the address, the warrants said.

Court records in South Carolina show Brown was sentenced to five years, suspended after serving two. He was charged with pursuit-related offenses. Its unclear when Brown is expected to serve that sentence.

He was taken into custody on Monday and processed on the robbery charges. Hes expected in court Tuesday.
East Hartford Police / Contributed

EAST HARTFORD  Police have identified the man and woman who died after passing vehicles hit them in East Hartford Monday night.

They were 21-year-old Windsor resident Bianka Romero and 22-year-old East Hartford resident Marc Plaza, according to Lt. Josh Litwin. Both were brought to a hospital and pronounced dead, he said.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Somalias foreign minister told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that an agreement has been reached between the federal government and regional states that will lead to long-delayed national elections.

Mohamed Abdirizak said agreement on the three key issues to complete the deal was reached in principle Tuesday, culminating negotiations between the government and member states that began on May 22. He said a communique detailing the agreement will be issued Thursday at a closing ceremony.

The negotiation process has not been easy, and this demonstrates how vital consensus remains, and without consensus how fragile peace in Somalia is, and how fragile our institutions of government remain, Abdirizak said. However, we have now reached an agreement that will lead Somalia to free elections, fairer elections.

There had been growing pressure on Somalias President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed after scheduled elections on Feb. 8 failed to take place because of the lack of agreement on how the vote should be carried out. Two regional states said they would not take part without a deal.

Talks between the federal government and regional leaders that began in March broke down in early April. At the presidents request, the lower house of parliament then adopted a special law that extended the terms of current office holders for two years and abandoned a Sept. 17, 2020, agreement on indirect elections, reverting instead to a one-person, one-vote model.

Those decisions sparked widespread opposition, leading to the mobilization of militias, exposing divisions within Somali security forces, and resulting in violent clashes on April 25.

Three decades of chaos, from warlords to al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab to the emergence of an Islamic State-linked group, have ripped apart the country that only in the past few years has begun to find its footing.

The extraordinary scene of soldiers firing at each other in the streets of Mogadishu on April 25 brought back fears for many Somalis that the Horn of Africa nation could collapse back into that chaos. Alarmed, the international community worried that the al-Shabab extremist group would take advantage.

Following the clashes, President Mohamed on May 1 asked the lower house of parliament to reverse its actions that included extending his mandate for two years. He asked lawmakers to back the agreement the federal government reached with regional states last Sept. 17 on a way forward for the vote, and he asked Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to lead the election preparations and the related security measures.

Roble chaired the meeting that resulted in Tuesdays agreement in principle.

The foreign minister said the key outstanding issues had been the status of elections for the Somaliland representatives  which was being finalized as we speak  as well as election arrangements in the other regions and election committees, matters on which agreement has been reached.

Somalialand, with a population of 3.9 million, broke away from Somalia in 1991 as the country split up and descended into clan-based civil war. It has seen little of the violence and extremist attacks that plague the rest of Somalia.

U.N. special envoy James Swan, who spoke to the council shortly before Abdirizak, said the April 25 clashes risked broader conflict and since then, Somalia has come back from the brink of this worst-case scenario.

He welcomed the highly positive" news that an agreement was near and said it is imperative" that participants in the summit agree to hold elections in the shortest time possible."

Without such an agreement, along with the goodwill and sincerity to implement it, the gains which have been made in Somalia in recent years may be reversed, risking further instability and insecurity," Swan warned.

In the elections, he said it is also crucial that the minimum 30% representation for women in both houses of parliament be implemented, along with representation for youth and minority groups to ensure the development of the country and sustainable peace in Somalia."

Swan also warned that the security situation in Somalia remains a grave concern," with al-Shabab still a serious threat. And he called the humanitarian situation still dire, with 5.9 million Somalis  or more than one-third of the population  in need of aid this year," including over 3 million in acute need of life-saving assistance."
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas is poised to remove one of its last major gun restrictions after lawmakers approved allowing people to carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that go with it.

The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the measure Monday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it despite the objections of law enforcement groups who say it would endanger the public and police.

Gun control groups also oppose the measure, noting the state's recent history of mass shootings, including those at an El Paso Walmart, a church in Sutherland Springs, and a high school outside Houston.

Texas already has some of the loosest gun laws in the country and has more than 1.6 million handgun license holders.

Supporters of the bill say it would allow Texans to better defend themselves in public while abolishing unnecessary impediments to the constitutional right to bear arms. Once signed into law, Texas will join nearly two dozen other states that allow some form of unregulated carry of a handgun, and by far be the most populous.

The National Rifle Association was among those supporting the measure, and a spokesman called it the most significant gun-rights measure in the states history.

A right requiring you to pay a tax or obtain a government permission slip is not a right at all, said Jason Ouimet, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.

Texas already allows rifles to be carried in public without a license. The measure sent to Abbott would allow anyone age 21 or older to carry a handgun as long as they don't have felony criminal convictions or some other legal prohibition in their background.

But without the state background check, law enforcement groups worry there would be no way to weed them out in advance. The bill does include stiffer penalties for felons caught illegally carrying guns.

The bill would not prevent businesses from banning guns on their property, and federal background checks for some gun purchases would remain in place. Texas has no state requirements for background checks on private guns sales.

Texas has allowed people to carry handguns since 1995, and has been reducing the cost and training requirements for getting a license for the last decade.

Texas move to further loosen gun laws galled El Paso lawmakers, including Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody, who on Sunday night delivered an emotional address on the House floor that recounted being in rooms with the governor and family members searching for loved ones after the Walmart shooting in 2019.

The 2021 legislative session is the first time state lawmakers have met in session since the attack that killed 23 people.

There were promises, Moody recalled, that the state would take gun safety seriously after the shooting. Authorities have said the shooter had targeted Mexicans in the border city.

When the doors were closed I heard lots of promises, Moody said. I havent heard them since.

___

Associated Press reporter Paul J. Weber contributed.
BRIDGEPORT  On Tuesday morning, Lydia Martinez had breakfast with state Sen. Dennis Bradley.

Martinez, the current City Clerk, a former councilwoman and well-known Democratic mover-and-shaker, thinks of herself as a mother to Bradley and has supported his political ambitions over the past several years.

A few hours after they dined, Bradley, along with his former campaign treasurer, Jessica Martinez, a Board of Education member, became the latest Bridgeport officials ensnared in a federal criminal probe, turning themselves in on charges they attempted to fraudulently obtain $179,850 in state campaign grants.

Lydia Martinez said while Bradley appeared to be in a hurry  he only had a cup of coffee  she claimed to be unaware of what was about to transpire. She said the federal investigation did not come up during their breakfast.

He loves me a lot. I dont think he would worry me with something like that, Martinez said, adding, Dennis is a fantastic person. ... The community loves him very much (and) will be very sad if something happens to him.

But others were more concerned Tuesday about the further harm Bradleys and Jessica Martinezs arrests could do to Bridgeports longtime reputation as a corrupt city that is still reeling from another recent scandal.

On Monday and then Tuesday, former Police Chief Armando Perez and ex-Personnel Director David Dunn, respectively, began federal prison sentences after pleading guilty last October to conspiring to help Perez cheat in 2018 to become top cop.

We just got over the whole police chief scandal and, sure enough, theres another taking place, said retired state Rep. Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport. It almost seems never-ending. I just dont know when this is going to stop.

Caruso said the fact a state legislator is involved will only make it that much more challenging for Bradleys fellow city lawmakers to get things done at the Capitol in Hartford.

It compounds the negative perceptions and feelings that others have about Bridgeport from around the state, from surrounding communities, Caruso said.

Today is another black eye for Bridgeport, Bradleys legislative colleague, state Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said Tuesday. I believe in due process of law but these allegations are very troubling and implicate a violation of public trust. It puts another cloud over the legislature and makes our job that much difficult.

While still being allowed to continue his legislative duties, Bradleys influence was severely curtailed Tuesday by Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, who stripped him of his title of deputy majority leader and from committee assignments, including co-chairmanship of the public safety and security committee.

Gov. Ned Lamont was supportive of Looneys actions, according to Max Reiss, communications director for the governor, who noted Lamont was aware of the serious allegations against Senator Bradley.

State Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, said he was troubled by the allegations and said that the onus is on majority Democrats.

Those of us fortunate enough to be elected to the state Senate have a special obligation to make and uphold the law, said Kelly. The trust and faith that our constituents place in us must never be broken. Our court system will carefully weigh these allegations. In the meantime, it is incumbent upon Connecticut Democrats to take steps to rebuild the publics trust.

State Rep. Chris Rosario, D-Bridgeport, said he was shocked and disappointed in Bradleys arrest, but emphasized the Bridgeport delegation is going to continue doing its business. We have a lot of work to do here in the final days of the session.

Mayor Joe Ganims office did not return a request for comment about the situation. Ganim is one of the examples cited when people talk about corruption in Bridgeport. First elected mayor in 1991, he was convicted in 2003 of federal charges of running a pay-to-play operation out of City Hall, served seven years in prison, then waged a comeback in 2015.

Born and raised in the city, Gemeem Davis is a leader of the Bridgeport Generation Now civic group which for the last few years has been advocating for cleaner, more ethical local politics and government.

It absolutely breaks my heart people use this city for their own personal gain and just leave us exposed, said Davis. But it makes me work harder to stay and to do my part to dismantle the system of corruption that is here.

Another resident, Donald Greenberg, is a retired Fairfield University politics professor. He said Bridgeport had seemed to be moving in a more positive direction.

Then you had the thing with Dunn and the police chief and now this, Greenberg said. He blames the situation on one-party control  Bridgeport is a Democrat-run city with a weak opposition Republican party  leading to a lack of oversight and accountability, coupled with a host of socioeconomic issues and poor voter turnout.

He said it leaves many people waiting for the next shoe to fall.

Dan Onofrio is executive director of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce and, like his predecessors, has had to try to convince investors not to pass the city by.

When were trying to recruit businesses and bring organizations from outside the region ... its difficult to show Bridgeport in a positive light because all they see or read or hear are these particular stories, Onofrio said. That said, when we do break down and isolate and separate the good and the bad, theres so much more good thats happening.

Bridgeport is pretty resilient, Onofrio said. We work through these issues and rise above them. Thats all we can do and we keep moving forward as best we can.

Martinez has found turning to a higher power works. And that, she said, is what she intends to do for Bradley.

Im going to start praying now, she said.
Connecticut has seen at least 18 cases of people age 16 to 34 who developed an inflamed heart muscle  known as myocarditis  after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials said.

Though the states health commissioner said all of the affected people were hospitalized, most were released after a few days.

We dont know if these are vaccine-related or not, said Dr. Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the state Department of Public Health. But we have encouraged providers to reach out and share the information with vaccine adverse events reporting system, which they have done.

Gifford said one of the afflicted people remains hospitalized, but most cases have been mild.

As of Sunday, the state reported that 361,889 Connecticut residents between the ages of 16 and 34 had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 471,427 in that age group had received at least one dose.

On Tuesday, the state reported that a total of 181 people tested positive for COVID for a daily positivity rate of 1.45 percent. Two more people were hospitalized with the illness for a total of 129 and there were two additional deaths.

As COVID numbers in the state continue to stabilize, many credit vaccinations. Thats why, despite the warning about myocarditis, most experts encouraged people to continue getting vaccinated, saying the possible risks from the vaccine are much lower than the effects of COVID.

Across the Nuvance Health system  which includes Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon hospitals  there have been six cases of patients, all younger than 30, who had myocarditis after vaccination, according to Dr. Mark Warshofsky.

All of these cases were considered mild and self-limited, Warshofsky, vice president and system chairman of the Nuvance Health Heart and Vascular Institute, said in an emailed statement.

The number and severity of cases is being tracked by the CDC and the state of Connecticut to gain more information. At this time, there is no recommendation to alter the vaccination regimen for adolescents and young adults.

At Stamford Hospital, there have been no known cases of myocarditis after vaccination, said Dr. Joonun (Chris) Choi, the hospitals director of non-invasive cardiology. However, Choi said he sees cases of the condition every year, mostly in people who have recently recovered from a viral illness, such as flu or even COVID.

We really havent figured out why people get it, Choi said. To my understanding, (the number of cases being seen now) is no more than would be expected within the general population.

Dr. Aneesh Tolat, Hartford HealthCares director of ventricular tachycardia ablation, agreed.

It can be in people who have had COVID, he said. It can be in people who have had colds. It can be in people who have had the flu.

He said hes not aware of any myocarditis cases in recently vaccinated people within his health system.

The numbers of care are not alarmingly high, Tolat said. Theres always going to be people with myocarditis with or without the vaccine.

Choi said the risks of getting myocarditis with the COVID vaccine are very low.

Youre much less likely to get myocarditis from COVID vaccine than from COVID itself, he said.

Gifford said Connecticut health care providers were asked to look for cases of myocarditis after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory last week on the condition, and its occurrence in recently vaccinated young people.

The May 17 advisory did not indicate how many cases of myocarditis had occurred in vaccinated people, nor did it provide a specific age range, other than to say it was happening predominantly in adolescents and young adults.

The CDC also stated that myocarditis happened more often in males than females, and that it was more likely after the second dose of vaccine.

The symptoms  which can include abnormal heart rhythms, shortness of breath, or chest pain  usually happened within four days of vaccination, the CDC said.

Myocarditis cases are not typically reported to DPH, according to Maura Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the agency.

She said though there hasnt been an official link between the COVID-19 vaccine and myocarditis, state and national health authorities are continuing to monitor incidents of myocarditis in vaccinated people.

In the meantime, DPH is advising health care providers to consider myocarditis in an evaluation of patients who present with chest pain after vaccination and report any cases to the (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), Fitzgerald said. Both the CDC and DPH continue to strongly recommend the COVID-19 vaccination for anyone 12 years of age and older as the best protection against the COVID-19 virus.

The news about the myocarditis cases comes as COVID vaccines are getting authorized for use in younger people. Earlier this month, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in children 12 to 15 years old. On Tuesday, Moderna announced that its vaccine had shown to be effective in kids as young as 12, opening the possibility its vaccine might soon be a second option for young people.

We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. It is particularly exciting to see that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, Stephane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said in a news release. We will submit these results to the U.S. FDA and regulators globally in early June and request authorization. We remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia last week dismissed a class action lawsuit related to the Military Lending Acts (MLA) exception for motor vehicles. Among the points in the decision, the court determined Guaranteed Auto Protection (GAP) insurance is directly related to the purchase of a vehicle loan.

The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit argued that including GAP insurance, as well as other fees associated with a vehicle loan, brings the loan outside of the MLAs exception.

A Compliance Blog earlier this year provided some background on the MLA and this specific case. NAFCU Vice President of Regulatory Compliance Brandy Bruyere noted that the MLA rule has an exception for loans that are expressly intended to finance the purchase of a motor vehicle, where the loan is secured by the vehicle being purchased. Some past interpretative rules created some confusion about what it means for a loan to be expressly intended to finance a vehicle purchase.

In 2020, the Department of Defense (DoD) reverted language for Question No. 2 related to GAP insurance of its MLA interpretive guidance after a revision in 2017 created confusion. NAFCU and the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) had pressed the DoD to completely rescind the question; the associations concerns about it were explicitly cited in the DoDs reasoning for the reversion.
Style tiling helps you design a better credit union website more quickly, more scalably, and for less money. And with this Style Tile Brief & Template, you can get started quickly.

If you want to redesign your website, then you may be soon overwhelmed by all the different directions you could go with your style. The sheer number of choices for colors, fonts, shapes, graphics, and images means you have infinite possibilities. How then do you find a direction for the look and feel of your new website? And how do you decide on a direction before you spend too much time and money designing actual web pages?

At BloomCU LLC, weve found that a process called style tiling helps us answer these questions. Creating style tiles can help you create a world-class look and feel for your credit union website designand do it more quickly, more scalably, and for less money. In this article, well cover these topics:

What are style tiles? Why should you create style tiles? Tips for style tiling

Lets dive in.

What are style tiles?

Style tiles are aesthetic prototypes for a website. They are a way of exploring different colors, fonts, shapes, images, and other interface elements before designing actual web pages.

Style tiles should not be confused with mood boards or design mockups. As a starting point for a website redesign, mood boards are too vague and design mockups are too specific.

On the other hand, style tiles are a nice middle ground. Compared to mood boards, style tiles more closely represent actual website interface elements. Yet, they are more flexible than design mockups because the elements arent organized into real webpages. As such, style tiles are good springboards for collaboration.

Below are some other examples of style tiles.

By creating style tiles you get to explore different ways of representing your brand. As you look at different explorations, choose a direction that aligns with and elevates your brand. These criteria are called Brand Divergence and Brand Elevation.

To start the style tiling process, we suggest you create two or three different variations. Next, choose one of those variations as a basis for two or three more variations. Then, choose a final winner and make minor adjustments as needed. As you go through this process, asking yourself and others these questions can help you succeed: Does this style align with who we are as a credit union? Does it make us look world-class?

Why should you create style tiles?

Style tiles help you explore different styles

Since style tiles are less costly than creating design mockups, they are well-suited for experimentation. Ultimately, you want a style tile that aligns with your brand. But, interestingly, you should start the process by creating some divergence. At the beginning of the website design process, you should take some risks and try out bolder choices.

(I dont know about you, but this quote by Teddy Roosevelt inspires my daring: Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.)

We suggest taking a divergence-to-convergence approach. As mentioned above, start by creating two or three style tiles. Initially, you want to create divergence by designing style tiles that are very different from each otherbut without abandoning your brand.

By creating divergence, you create choices, which is an important first step in the exploration process. Then, as you evaluate the choices, converge on the style that best represents who you are.

For your credit union website design, this might mean designing two style tiles with one color palette, and then creating a third style tile that pushes the envelope by bringing in a different color. As you diverge, iterate, and converge youll take the best things from each style tile and ultimately discover a look and feel for your website that aligns with and elevates your brand.

Style tiles speed up feedback and iteration

Style tiles are a great springboard for brainstorming and collaboration. They help facilitate and guide conversations between designers and stakeholders in the website redesign process.

Designing an in-depth mockup takes a lot of time. So, starting a style exploration by creating mockups is risky and lengthens the feedback-iteration loop. If something big needs to be changed about a mockup, it can sometimes cost quite a bit of time and money to make the change.

Since style tiles are less specific than mockups, they can be more quickly and easily changed. Ryan Harmon, Director of credit union design agency BloomCU summed it up when he said, Style tiles are a way to quickly transform a vision into a concrete direction, and then easily iterate until you nail the design.

Style tiles lead to a scalable website style guide

After choosing a final style tile, you can use it to create a style guide. Ultimately, your goal with style tiling isnt to design a fixed set of website pages, but to create a scalable design system. A design system can apply to any number of pages and interface elements, including ones you havent even thought of yet.

After you choose a final style tile, you combine it with wireframes (basically, website blueprints) to create design mockups. Then, after iterating on design mockups and arriving at your final designs, you extract all the details of the design to create a style guide.

A style guide defines, in detail, every aspect of a websites style. Software developers then use it to code the CSS that actually displays styles on webpages. Check out this example of a complete style guide to see what yours should include.

Tips for style tiling

Ryan Harmon, Creative Director of credit union website design agency BloomCU LLC, gives some style tiling advice that can help you get the best results.

Be open minded. You may have some preconceived ideas about which colors, fonts, and graphics will work for your new websiteand you should certainly consider those ideas in your first few style tiles. But its also a good idea to be open to experimentation. Consider some options contrary to your initial ideas, go against the status quo, and youll discover elements of style you otherwise wouldnt.

Force yourself to converge. An essential part of the divergence-to-convergence approach is to narrow down your choices after every iteration. That means ruling out certain directions from the get-go and honing in to perfect the single best direction.

Make sure your web design agency does style tiling. If youre partnering with a website design agency, make sure to check beforehand that they do style tiling. Top agencies offer this service as part of the website redesign process.

Start with a good style tile template. Starting with a good template can accelerate your style tiling process. You can get the Style Tile Brief & Template BloomCU uses to design credit union websites that have won recognition from CUNA, MAC, The Financial Brand, Credit Union Times, and others.

Style Tile Brief & Template: This is the same brief we use at BloomCU to prepare our award-winning designers to start the style tiling process with our clients. It includes a Style Tile Template for Sketch and Adobe Illustrator that can help you quickly create style tiles for your credit union.
The age-old question of how to keep employees engaged was put to the test in 2020. With offices closed and stay-at-home orders in place for months, many credit unions and other industry organizations were forced to re-examine and re-think employee engagement, including how to maintain and enhance it outside the typical office setting.

At PSCU, we quickly realized our response during the pandemic would impact the companys employer brand for decades to come. We acted quickly and, luckily, the people-first strategy we established was a success: During 2020, PSCUs employee engagement score (measured through Gallup) increased by 0.21%, a notable increase given the pandemic environment, landing us in the top 10% of all companies surveyed.

So, how did we do it? Here are three key areas to keep in mind when determining how to keep employees engaged whether you are in the office, working remotely or operating under a hybrid model:
Nike, the Goddess of Victory

Global Womens Leadership Network has been conducting a project over the last few weeks by interviewing women in the credit union space from around the globe. It has been an amazing experience comprised of personal stories, professional trajectories, colorful anecdotes, raw truths and instances of intense emotion. All these conversations were centered around the important work of supporting women in the credit union industry, what is needed, and how to advance to more leadership roles.

Through this work, we often talked about the advocates, allies, mentors, sponsors, networks, HeforShes and SheforShes.

But, what about SheforMe?

What are we as women doing to best advocate for ourselves? What are we doing for ourselves? What specific actions are we taking to advance to leadership roles in the credit union space? What are these actions in the short-term, in the long-term? How are we going to implement them? Are we being intentional about our efforts to get to the next step?

Answering those questions takes reflection and bravery. To start, we suggest you find the goddess within you.

If youve visited the Louvre in Paris, youve seen the marble statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace (also referred to as Nike of Samothrace). In ancient Greek civilization, Nike (prounounced Neekee) was the goddess who personified victory. She was the winged goddess known for her strength and speed. The ancient Greeks believed she could grant them the speed to become victorious in any task they undertook. She reminds us that victory comes through bravery.

And yes, theres a good reason why the sneaker brand chose this name.

For GWLN, the topic of being your own best advocate surfaces often during Sister Society meetings, conversations with CEOs who are women and other industry leaders. Often we hear that being a SheforMe is not easy for some women or is even sometimes overlooked entirely.

Recently, some GWLN Sister Societies held meetings with the professional development centered on SheforMe. The San Diego/Riverside County Sister Society held a meeting on Being a resilient individual. Colorado hosted a presentation on Failure is not an Option. Southern California held a session on Leading through fear and uncertainty. The Brazil Sister Societies held meetings on cultural biases. Tri-County-CA conducted a session on Creating Your Own Personal Mission Statement.

The Illinois Sister Society collated and shared a self-care resource guide and the Most Holy Rosary Multi-Purpose Cooperative Sister Society in the Philippines worked with women entrepreneurs.

Many more Sister society meetings in Africa, Asia, and Europe and accessing more educational resources through GWLN is one piece to build upon a brave SheforMe. Empowering other women starts with empowering you! To be the best advocate for you, to find victory for you (whatever form that takes), start by being a brave SheforMe!

To be a SheforMe, I invite you to start from the goddess within and find your own Nike!



Global Womens Leadership Network membership is open to all women and men in the credit union industry. Visit GWLN to learn more.

GWLN is an initiative of Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, the fundraising and engagement arm of World Council. Join us on a global journey to transform a billion lives worldwide using credit unions. Visit www.doglobalgood.org/btg to start your global journey and join the Bridge the Gap campaign.
If you didnt already know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This focus on mental health awareness opens the discussion for why companies should consider offering an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). An EAP provides free and confidential assessments, counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who experience personal and/or work-related problems. Mental illness is one of the most common health conditions that Americans experience, with one in five U.S. citizens suffering from a mental illness in any given year, according to the CDC. An EAP is an additional tool for your employer toolbox to help keep your employees healthy in both body and mind. EAPs also help businesses address organizational components that may be contributing to a negative work environment, so theyre able to resolve and prevent those types of issues from occurring.

Getting Started with an EAP

As a business owner, you may be wonderingwhy should I consider implementing an EAP and where do I start? First, it helps to understand the importance and benefits of an EAP program and the impact it could have on your employees. EAPs can help businesses and their employees:
Companies offer a range of various benefits to their workers. Some may provide three meals every day, free gym membership and monthly bonuses, while others supply things like health insurance and paid time off. Either way, the options for employee benefits are endless and are ultimately up to the employer. Businesses often use benefits as a way to attract potential workers and keep them there.

However, during this past year, COVID-19 left many jobless and struggling with their financial situation. Employees everywhere have begun to realize the importance of economic stability in their lives.

Finances have become the top cause of worker stress. Over 60% of employees have claimed that financial concerns have gone up since the pandemic began. That has added to their worries about jobs, relationships and health.

Employers have to rethink how they might advertise benefits to potential workers and retain their current ones. They must ask themselves which financial perks matter most to people navigating these times of financial crises and uncertainty.

Here are some of the financial benefits that matter the most to employees, including advice on making them appealing.

1. Health, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance

This will come as no surprise, but is important to highlight. Perhaps one of the most sought-out benefits is insurance policies, with 54% of surveyed employees citing these benefits as heavily considered when choosing a new job. In the face of uncertain health outcomes in the aftermath of a pandemic, the need for good coverage is not likely to fade from workers minds.

Employers who offer insurance packages and add-ons often see better employee retention. Better options would entice more workers, as well. Theyre expensive benefits, but they greatly help people  and the families that rely on them  with financial planning and management.

Having coverage on health, dental and vision lessens the burden for employees. This is the top financial benefit requested by workers, and it would be a smart move for any business to offer it. This coverage has profound impacts on an employees entire family life, and having their workplace behind them on their health can help them feel valued and supported.

While life insurance is also a common benefit, it has become less popular over the years, with only 45% of American adults receiving group coverage in 2020. Employers who need to manage costs can consider whether the life insurance they can offer is adequate to cover their employees family needs  and if not, pivoting to more comprehensive health coverage may be the stronger move for recruiting and retention.

2. Financial Bonuses

Financial bonuses are always a great benefit for workers. Its extra money they can use to help pay their bills, get their children a few more toys for Christmas or even help fund daily necessities.

There are multiple ways employers can offer financial bonuses:

Anniversary awards: These are monetary bonuses given to employees for their years of service. Employers could offer them at one, five, 10 and 20 years.

These are monetary bonuses given to employees for their years of service. Employers could offer them at one, five, 10 and 20 years. Employee referral bonuses: The employer rewards workers who refer someone to a job if they are hired.

The employer rewards workers who refer someone to a job if they are hired. Education extras: As employees take time outside of work to become more knowledgeable in the industry, they can get rewards.

The benefit for employers is that these performance bonuses can be tied to specific goals, whether those are set annually or on a quarterly basis. Motivating employees and rewarding them directly for their performance can make performance reviews more rewarding and productive for both parties.

Of course, this is an area where workplaces can get creative depending on their specific cultures and needs. Researching norms in different industries and connecting bonuses to what motivates certain teams can ensure financial bonuses are utilized effectively.

3. Loan Assistance

New college graduates enter the workforce every year. Many of those students likely have loans they have to pay off  15% of American adults report carrying undergraduate student debt. This is one of the financial issues that weigh most on younger employees, so employers who offer education and student loan assistance have advantages when it comes to recruiting young talent.

This financial benefit is significant for freshly graduated employees. Employers that offer tuition assistance or reimbursement are investing in their new staff, who will be more inclined to stay with the company long term.

4. Paid Time Off

Another benefit with financial implications for workers is paid time off. This allows employees to take a sick day, personal time or vacation and still get paid even though they arent at work.

Reviewing your companys PTO policies for improvement opportunities is essential. If its structured in traditional banks, separating personal leave from sick leave, would a more general policy provide better flexibility for employees? If youve tried unlimited PTO, have you found it actually reduces employees utilization? Employers benefits should align with the needs and preferences of employees.

The pandemic has had an impact on paid leave policies in the U.S. this year. Some states set new temporary guidelines requiring paid sick time so employees could fully recover from COVID-19 diagnoses. Even employers not subject to changing guidelines can expect a greater focus on minding sick leave  rather than being encouraged to work through illness  to promote personal and workplace health in the future.

5. Personalized Retirement Planning

Employers tend to offer a retirement plan, such as a 401(k). However, personalized retirement planning is becoming more popular, and it might be what employers need to offer to appeal to workers.

Employees now want advice for their long-term financial needs. Everyone has their own financial situation and goals, so business leaders should help workers get on the right track. Forming relationships with local financial institutions and setting up educational opportunities can be key to success. People want to make smart financial decisions  workplaces can help them.

Making Financial Benefits Attractive to Employees

Employers need to find a way to make these benefits attractive to employees to retain them and hire new ones when needed. Employers should focus on putting workers first and consider various factors like health, financial stability and professional relationships.

The benefits an employer chooses should promote long-term employee wellness. Companies need to meet workers needs, whether they are just out of college or have been working for years. At this time, many people want financial help more than anything.
GOOD HOPE  The city of Good Hope will allow alcohol sales on Sundays beginning July 4.

The city council passed an amendment to its alcohol ordinance during Monday night's meeting that will allow the sale of alcohol within the city on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. All other parts of the ordinance, such as any rules and regulations regarding the sale of alcohol and the rest of the week's alcohol sale hours remain the same.

Cullman asked to consider allowing Sunday alcohol sales Representatives from a local restaurant and a representative of the Alabama Grocers Association asked the Cullman City Council to consider allowing alcohol sales on Sundays.

The council passed the ordinance amendment after suspending the regular rules of procedure, meaning the ordinance could be adopted without a first and second reading. Councilmen Greg Brown and Eric Phillips were not present at the meeting.

Councilwoman Susan Eller said the state legislature passed a law in 2019 that allow municipalities and counties to pass an ordinance allowing Sunday alcohol sales if alcohol sales for the rest of the week had already been approved by a referendum of its residents. Good Hope residents voted in favor of alcohol sales in a 2012 referendum.

There have been other municipalities around the state that have already approved Sunday sales over the past two years, she said.

"This isn't something that's new," she said. "We're not the first people that's done it."

The ordinance amendment will go in effect on the first Sunday after it has been adopted and published, which will be on July 4.

Eller, who also works for the Cullman Economic Development Agency, said the allowing of Sunday alcohol sales should help the city in attracting new restaurants and possibly new retail opportunities.

"This would be an economic development driver," she said.

Eller said Cullman County has attracted most of the restaurants that were willing to come without Sunday alcohol sales, and there have been several that have asked about the city but decided not to come because of the lack of Sunday sales.

Mayor Jerry Bartlett said Good Hope is centered around Interstate 65, and with the new Exit 305 just beginning to see development, Sunday sales could help bring in even more development to that area.

"This is just another way of enticing people to come and join us in Good Hope," he said.

Bartlett said there are already Sunday alcohol sales allowed in places just down the road from Good Hope, such as on Smith Lake or at Terri Pines, so it shouldn't make a big difference among the city's residents that sales are allowed in the city.

"I don't think most people think of it as a real big deal as they used to," he said.

At the beginning of the meeting, Cabin Fever Beverages owner Kolby Lawrence and Stash House Restaurant co-owner Preston Prewett spoke to the council in favor of Sunday alcohol sales.

Lawrence said Good Hope's proximity to Smith Lake and the large number of travelers who are going up and down I-65 on the way to vacation bring in a lot of business to Cabin Fever, and allowing Sunday sales would add even more business for him and revenues to the city.

"I just think that's another aspect of some extra tax revenue that we're missing out on," he said.

Council members also pointed at the thousands of dollars that the city gives each year to the city's schools, a school grant program and purchases like the property that now contains Good Hope Pharmacy as things that are possible because of alcohol revenues.

"We've done a lot of good things," Bartlett said.
Haley Ray

NarrativelyDecember 12, 2018Figures draped in hooded black silk robes disappear through guarded doors, and wardens armed with swords ensure that no intruders will make it inside. Tonight, a ritual will be performed in the Fraternitas Saturni lodge, one of the oldest magical occult orders in Germany  and what goes on behind its doors is a secret.An air of solemn silence permeates the space, as members prepare for the ritual in the antechamber and the initiates find their appointed seats in the main lodge room. Candles are lit as apprentices begin to gather on the left side of the room. Master fellows can be found on the right, and the master of the chair claims the space behind the altar at the front. Once all of the members have congregated in the main atrium, they form a magical chain of brotherhood, performing a rhythmic breathing exercise as they prepare to summon the energy of Saturn. A hammer strikes the door three times.The lodge is opened! the Second Warden declares.Music, possibly a classical composition from Mozarts Magic Flute, plays as the First Warden addresses the brothers and sisters of the order, inviting them to meditate before incense is burned throughout the room.The Master of Ceremonies begins to chant:The primeval serpentThe great dragonWho was and who isAnd who lives through the eons of eonsHe is with your spirit!Three black candles of Saturn are set ablaze, and the Master of Ceremonies uses a magic dagger to trace the planets sigil  which looks like two intersecting Vs split down the middle with a straight line  three times in the air to begin the magical work. The room fills with the sounds of chanting and the steady banging of a gong, and the brothers and sisters eventually take their seats and begin working to mentally transmit Saturnian energy to those members who are not physically present.The ritual ends with the summoning of the spirit of the Thelemic god Hadit. The candle of Hadit, a symbol of eternal regeneration, burns on the altar as members use the light of the small flame to cultivate internal power. Together they chant, It works in our spirits! It works in our hearts! It works in our deeds! RA-HOOR-KHUIT!That was how they opened the lodge in the early days  before Hitler, before the war, before the founder died. Founded in 1928, at the tail end of an occult revival that swept through Europe in the late 19th century, Fraternitas Saturni is now one of the oldest and most revered magical lodges in Central Europe. Since its founding by Gregor A. Gregorius, it has devoted itself to invoking the dark energy of Saturn and honoring Lucifer, the embodiment of enlightenment and reason.Banned by the Nazis, riven by internal conflicts following its founders death, and written off as little more than a sex cult by its detractors, its influence can be felt everywhere. As the trappings of New Age spirituality are rebranded for the sake of a billion-dollar wellness industry, this mysterious occult group, which did so much to define 20th century mysticism, remains more important than ever.* * *At the end of the 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution ushered in rapid urbanization and the growth of industries like railroads, coal and textiles. Germany and the United States finally caught up to Britain, both in terms of industrialization and in the alienation that comes with life in modern societies. It was in this environment of overwhelming change that occult and pagan doctrines took root.They were frustrated with the disenchantment of the world, says Eric Kurlander, a professor at Stetson University who specializes in German history. In response, you have a lot of educated people and some scientists, like William James, experimenting with parapsychology, and spirits, and theosophy as ways of reinscribing enchantment into their everyday lives, because traditional religion isnt working anymore.Fraternitas Saturni was conceived out of this mystical, magical brew. In 1925, after the catastrophic First World War, a group of magicians met deep in the dark forests of Germany to discuss the fate of the Law of Thelema, which at its core emphasizes individualism and calls upon adherents to live by their own True Will. The Law of Thelema had been developed by famous occultist Aleister Crowley, who was also a leading figure in the influential Ordo Templi Orientis secret society. The Weida Conference, as this meeting in the forest came to be known, was organized by the leader of the German Pansophical Lodge, Heinrich Tranker, as an exploration of the possibility of uniting the multiple occult groups under Crowleys leadership, and to establish either the acceptance or rejection of the Law of Thelema. Lodge secretary Gregorius, a member of Crowleys entourage, was there to uphold the Crowley line.Born Eugen Grosche, Gregorius was raised in Riesa, Germany, by relatively poor parents. His interest in literature inspired a move to Berlin, where he became an editor of periodical magazines before eventually opening his own bookshop. Deemed a narcissist by many historians, his personal letters shine light on a more nuanced character, one that is equally power-obsessed and concerned with humble matters of family and friendship. Gregorius took an early interest in the occult, but he was not directly involved in it until he met Tranker, who was also a bookseller. As the secretary of the Theosophical Society, an organization formed to promote the study of mysticism, Tranker gave Gregorius the task of building a Pansophical Society in Berlin.The Weida Conference didnt go as planned. As Crowley demanded that each attendee accept him as the World Savior, the magicians found themselves pontificating well past sunset. During a break, Crowley took an unusual walk through the forest, greeting various natural elemental spirits and tree souls, or so Gregorius reported. In the end, Tranker had a change of heart and disputed Crowleys claims of supreme leadership, causing a portion of the Pansophical Lodge to openly turn against him. Crowley left Germany, and a great schism formed between these two magic societies, which eventually led to the collapse of the Pansophical Lodge. Out of its ashes, Gregorius formed the Fraternitas Saturni, a magic society that would accept Crowleys teachings but would not answer to him.Crowley cuts a powerful, controversial path through history with his stubborn, flamboyant personality. Although Gregorius admired his teachings, his desire to remain independent of the erratic, larger-than-life Crowley was not an unusual one. Gregorius was adamant that his lodge would answer to no one. That desire for independence aligned with his belief that Saturn, the highest planetary intelligence of this solar system, not Crowley, was the ultimate spiritual leader, and it served as motivation to form the Fraternitas Saturni brotherhood.One spring afternoon in 1928, Gregorius sat behind his typewriter drafting a letter to Crowley, choosing his words carefully, walking a careful line between asking for support from his mentor and making it sound like he was asking for permission. The convoluted prose style common to the occultists of the day, which may read like gibberish to the uninitiated, worked in his favor.We are fully aware that it is a grave undertaking to revive the old Saturnlodge of the Middleages, which is disappeared (not known, disappeared below the surface) since centuries. We also know that  on steep path, through hard ordeals  we will have to face Saturnus the (guardian) of the Threshold, he wrote, before coming to the tricky part. Now we ask, you, highly honoured Master, to lend us your benevolence and to let us have your spiritual support.There is no evidence that Crowley actually responded to this letter, but Gregorius claimed to have received his approval. On Easter Saturday, 1928, the Fraternitas Saturni lodge officially opened, probably using a similar ritual to the one described at the beginning of this article, which is drawn from Stephen E. Flowerss The Fraternitas Saturni. It would soon change the course of European occultism.Gregoriuss lodge was a unique blend of Scottish Freemasonry, Luciferianism, astrological mythology and Indian yoga systems, with an emphasis placed on the unique power that its adherents believed could be drawn from the dark side of Saturn. Using Gregoriuss Berlin bookshop as its base, lodge members experimented with the magical effects of high-frequency sound and electromagnetic fields  techniques they used to develop an instrument known as the Tepaphone, which they believed capable, when powered by sufficient magical will, of killing people from a great distance.Its members were some of the first Europeans to dabble in practices that are today considered bedrock principles of spirituality: meditation, astrology, working with chakras. But the most lasting legacy of the lodge has been its belief that the benefits of magic have to be earned through the rigorous application of traits like self-discipline and hard work  what today is known as self-help.The point is, whatever you dislike can actually be quite important to you, says longtime member Ralph Tegtmeier. So, you have to address it, because if you dont it will keep controlling you, whether you realize it or not. This realization is really actually what the [Fraternitas Saturni] is about.That realization is also what Fraternitas Saturni members mean when they talk about Saturn Gnosis  the ability to draw on the power of a far-off planet in order to steel oneself for the difficult things in life. Its a strict, severe principle, in Tegtmeiers words, and it is what kept the group going even when it ran afoul of the Third Reich.It is no secret that the Nazi party was devoted to the occult. SS leader Heinrich Himmler used his power to create a religion intended to rival Christianity, complete with its own wedding rituals and a mythology based on a hodgepodge of Norse myths and pagan symbolism. He frequently consulted his personal astrologer, Wilhelm Wulff, on war strategy, and he founded the Pendulum Institute, which employed astrologers and pendulum dowsers on behalf of the German navy to locate enemy ships at sea.Those occultists who were able to charm their way into the inner circle of the Reich found power, money and respectability. Those on the outside had a simple choice: collaborate, flee or die. Hitler had banned all occult organizations by 1937, and Gregorius closed his bookstore and fled, first to Switzerland, and then to the picturesque lakeside town of Cannero, Italy. In 1943, he was arrested, repatriated to Germany, and held in detention for a year before being released without charges, which could mean that he chose to collaborate  or that the Nazis simply didnt see the dark side of Saturn as an appreciable threat. When the war ended, Saturn was waiting. Gregorius set about rebuilding his lodge from scratch.Delayed by the Soviet occupation of Germany, it took another five years for the Fraternitas Saturni to officially become active again. Once Gregorius made it back to West Germany, the group resumed its frequent publication of occult papers and formed smaller lodges in many German cities, marking a period of considerable growth.* * *The lodge gathers before the altar, and the members watch as the master of the chair invites a woman, the Priestess, up on stage. They have sex while the other members watch, waiting for the pivotal moment when a live black rooster will be killed, its blood caught and smeared over the master of the chairs body.This is the Ritual of the Five-Fold Alpha, a sex magic ceremony inspired by the teachings of Crowley, as described in Flowerss book, which follows the history of the Fraternitas Saturni from its founding through the late 1960s. Although the details are salacious, they are accurate. Flowerss book is no trashy expose, but rather a scholarly work based on leaked Fraternitas Saturni documents and informed by interviews with members of the group, including Tegtmeier. It describes a group at a crossroads between the Victorian occultism of an earlier era and the low-key spirituality that would become a hallmark of the 1970s. Current members are encouraged to make the rituals their own  substituting wine for chicken blood, for instance  as they find their own path to harnessing the power of Saturn Gnosis.We have a different kind of membership [now], because people change, says Tegtmeier, who describes the modern Fraternitas Saturni as a progressive organization, molded to the needs of its members. Theres a very welcome contribution of Americanism to international and global culture, of this do it yourself spirit, which wasnt around in the 1920s.Nearly 100 years after its founding, Fraternitas Saturni remains at the forefront of modern occult spirituality. It is still a distinctly European organization (you have to speak German to join), but its influences are felt in the work of influential occult authors and thinkers throughout the world.Only six people are publicly known members, making it difficult to trace any particularly powerful individuals, but the Fraternitas Saturni has acted as a rite of passage of sorts for numerous influential occultists. Some have had a brief membership in the lodge before moving on to other groups, while others have simply engaged in discussion or disputes with Fraternitas Saturni members. Either way, its beliefs and practices trickle into art, literature and conversation, to be passed on to the next generation of occult movers and shakers.You have subcultures in America that are into ritual magic, chaos magic, ceremonial magic, and theyve been heavily influenced by the European occult revival, says Mitch Horowtiz, author of Occult America, who believes that spirituality as it exists today wouldnt be possible without the influence of groups like Fraternitas Saturni and the 19th century occult revival that preceded it. Tegtmeier believes that the most lasting influence of the group is its emphasis on empowering members to use Saturnian energy for what can only be called self-help.Getting in contact with Luciferian or Saturn Gnosis may be a life changer, he says It was for me.And so, Gregoriuss founding belief in the power of Saturn, in discovering that the darkness contains light, continues to impact lives today.When the ego has reached the dark gate of Saturn in its spiritual development, it is considered ripe to cross the threshold to higher realizations lying in the spheres behind it, he writes. Then Saturnus the guardian of the threshold, the Lord of Karma, lowers the torch of death.
December 5, 2018By one count, there are now more self-identifying witches in the United States than practicing members of the Presbyterian Church of the USA or the Episcopalian Church.When Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg fell and broke three ribs recently, witches on Twitter were concerned. @LanaDelRey needs to get her coven together to cast spells protecting RBG ... Hey, @jk_rowling, we're gonna need a protection spell for #RBG stat ... Stop everything. Start praying and doing every known form of witchcraft to protect RBG.Other witches have publicly cast hexes on Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh. Its unlikely that anyone would have done that a decade ago. What is going on?For answers, MercatorNet contacted Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist who is a world expert in new religious movements. He is the head of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), in Turin.* * * * * * *MercatorNet. Witchcraft seem to be on the rise. Recent articles mention figures: 12,000 wiccans in England and Wales; 80 covens and pagan groups in New York Metropolitan area; 734,000 Americans identifying as pagan or Wicca; an Instagram personality, The Hoodwitch, with 329,000 followers  and so on. Is this happening in Europe too? Is it a significant trend?A. Wicca today has most of its followers in the US and those who believe it is an American phenomenon may be forgiven.However, Wicca was actually born in England, not in the US, thanks to the creative genius of Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884-1964) and other pioneers. Nowhere in the world are numbers comparable to the US but Wicca is a globalized phenomenon. There are Wiccans in Europe, and even in Israeland in Iraq.In our last CESNUR conference in Taiwan, Japanese scholar Eriko Kawanishi presented a fascinating paper on Wicca in Japan. The key point is that what exists today in Japan has little to do with the traditional witches found in Japanese mythology. Wiccans there mostly follow the post-Gardnerian, Western tradition. It is a fascinating example of globalization.But then it is also true that I was in Vietnam before Halloween and shops sold appropriate costumes for children wanting to go trick or treat -- in a Socialist country of Buddhist tradition...Q. What was witchcraft historically? How is modern Wicca different? Is it correct to call it a religion?A. There is a very large debate about what mediaeval and early modern witchcraft in the West (something different from phenomena also called witchcraft in Africa or Asia) exactly was.The idea dominant in the early 20th Century that there were no witches except in the imagination of Inquisitors has become a minority theory after the studies of the Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg and a number of British historians who wrote in the 1990s. They demonstrated that the witches suppressed by the authorities really did practice folk rituals with ecstatic experiences unacceptable to dominant Christianity.However, these historians have not rehabilitated the theories of American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland (1824-1903) and British Egyptologist Margaret Alice Murray (1863-1963), who believed that the witches secretly continued the pre-Christian pagan religion as it had existed before Christianity. Lelands and Murrays theories belong to a rejected consensus. The folklore of European witches in fact included several elements from popular Christianity.Contemporary Wicca would not have existed without Leland and Murray. Gardner and other early Wiccans believed that, by recreating witchcraft, they were restoring the pre-Christian European old religion. This was not the case for two reasons.First, as mentioned earlier, pace Leland and Murray, witchcraft was not a continuation of the pre-Christian European religions.Second, all Wiccan pioneers, including Gardner, told the story that they had been initiated by a mentor or grandmother or grandfather who continued an hereditary tradition of witchcraft since time immemorial.However, it has been persuasively demonstrated that everything in their rituals comes from more recent Western esotericismTheosophy, the Golden Dawn, Freemasonry, and the ideas of British magus Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), or from what Leland described in his books as rituals he found in Italy, which were probably of a comparatively recent origin too, unless they had been simply invented by the American folklorist.In sociological terms, Gardner and others created and invented tradition. Invented traditions are not to be dismissed lightly, as they may have powerful social effects, but historically speaking they are imaginary traditions.I believe what they created is a religion, although the boundaries of the concept of religion are notoriously controversial and porous.Q. The burning and hanging of witches at different times in history are frequently cited by Wiccan and feminist sources as examples of patriarchal misogyny against women. Could you give these episodes a bit of context?A. Feminists are right in arguing that marginal women practicing folk rituals were suspicious and unpopular in different cultures, which often led them to be killed.Missing in their reconstructions, however, are two points. First, witch is a word that identifies both male and female practitioners of witchcraft. In some areas, male witches were at least as numerous as their female counterparts.Second, they make some confusion about the Inquisition. There were different courts called Inquisition. With some exceptions (notably in Germany, where the notorious anti-witchcraft manual Malleus Maleficarum was published in 1487 by two Dominican friars), the Inquisition was, or quickly became, more sceptical about witches than secular courts.A classic treatment of this matter is The Witches Advocate by Danish historian Gustav Henningsen. The witches advocate in the title was the notorious Spanish Inquisition. While the Spanish Inquisitors believed that Jews and Muslims were very real threats, and exhibited a notable anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, they did not believe in witches. When Spanish secular courts started prosecuting witches, the Inquisition came and prosecuted the judges rather than the witches, accusing the secular magistrates of believing in superstition.Q. Feminism has played a large part in reviving witchcraft. To quote one writer, the witch is one of the few models of independent female power. Is there a risk of coming under Satanic influence?A. I see a risk first of all of forgetting male witches. Gerald Gardner was a man. His main collaborator and, in a way, successor was a woman, Doreen Valiente (19221999), although Gardner and Valiente quarrelled and parted company in 1957. Historians regard the story that Gardner had been initiated by a woman, one Old Dorothy, as largely a figment of Gardners imagination (the Dorothy he hinted at, Dorothy Clutterbuck, 18801951, was a pious rich Anglican lady and had nothing to do with witchcraft). It is on the other hand true that the feminist wing is very important in American Wicca.Wicca and Satanism are different. Wiccans believe that Satanist practice an inverted version of the new religion, Christianity, since in order to be a Satanist you should believe in the biblical stories about Satan. Wiccans claim to believe in the old religion, i.e. in pre-Christian European religions, be they Greek, Roman, or Celtic-Nordic, where Satan was nowhere to be seen.Q. Much of female witchcraft today seems to consist of rituals for self-realisation and belonging, with a few rhetorical spells and hexes thrown in, so is there any real harm in it?A. In part, this is a consequence of the work of scholars systematically debunking the Leland-Murray-Gardner theory that witchcraft, and as a consequence, Wicca as a revival of witchcraft, were really the old pre-Christian European religions.While some Wiccans insist that academic scholars are wrong, others accept their findings but their reaction is, So what? It doesnt matter whether a tradition is real or invented, if it works for me and if I feel better that is enough.Having interviewed quite a few Wiccans, I do not doubt they feel better. This is true for most beliefs. They normally work for the believers, otherwise they would simply change their beliefs.Q. Its no coincidence that witchcraft has boomed at the same time as social media -- especially Instagram, it seems, where the visuals are exciting and commercial products (crystals, Tarot cards, herbal concoctions) along with more mainstream practices like yoga and mindfulness classes can be marketed. Millennials are the biggest market, some writers say. Perhaps most are dabblers who will quickly pass on to some other fad, but should we be concerned about young people being enticed in this direction?A. As you know, I have written a very comprehensive survey of Satanism . There are very few cases of Wiccans who moved to Satanism. As mentioned earlier, Wiccans are taught that Satanism is a misguided inverted Christianity, and they look at Satanism as an inferior tradition.On the other hand, it is true that Wicca has become commercialized. This is something many Wiccans themselves do not like. The risk that young (and not so young) people may be milked of their money is very real. I am much more sceptical when I see Christian activists confusing Wicca and Satanism. Although they are not wrong if they detect in Wicca an anti-Christian substratum.Q. Fantasy fiction has also boosted the profile of the (largely pagan) supernatural world among young people: the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Harry Potter books and movies, Twilight series, Game of Thrones, Phillip Pullmans Dark Materials trilogy, even Lord of The Rings Is there a problem with this genre? Can one separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to wholesome or malign influences?A. I would put The Lord of the Rings in a separate category, as Tolkien was undoubtedly a Christian and the book has a deep Christian message. Magic, good and bad, has been a raw material for building tales in the Western literary tradition for centuries. If we want to ban The Lord of the Rings or the Harry Potter novels because they call for a suspension of disbelief about magic, we should ban also Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. And in fact some fundamentalist Protestants and Catholics propose precisely to do so.It is a different story with Buffy, where Willow, a lesbian witch, is a positive character, and even more with the TV series Charmed. These characters and series are based on a positive image of contemporary Wicca.Q. Whats the message for Christians in the rise of witches and witchcraft?A. I believe there are two different phenomena. Classic, organized Wicca is part of Western Esotericism, a current in Western history and thought. Christian should learn to take this seriously because of its cultural relevance, although from the 19th century on it developed mostly outside of, and often against, Christianity.Self-styled young witches who spend money in buying paraphernalia without a real knowledge of the Wiccan tradition are more an example of how fashions are created, imposed, and followed. The risk is more superficiality and a lukewarm approach to the sacred than demonic influence.Massimo Introvigne is one of the leading international scholars of new religious movements. He is the managing director of CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) in Turin, and the author of 71 books on religious minorities (at last count). His most recent books are The Plymouth Brethren and Satanism: A Social History . He is also the editor-in-chief of Bitter Winter, an online magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China.
Google Plans To Eradicate Cookies

Regulators and rivals have raised concerns about Googles grand plan to rewrite the rules of online advertising. Google is to restrict the number of advertising cookies on websites accessed via its Chrome browser, in response to calls for greater privacy controls. It said that it would phase out third-party cookies within the next two years,

Millions of people are already part of a global experiment to delete cookies once and for all. Since last month, Google has been testing new browser-based technologies in Chrome that could turn the global advertising industry upside down.

Cookies are small text files that are used to track users across the web. Cookies are used to collect user data, which can be on both an aggregate and anonymised level, such as clicks on page, pages viewed, engagement elements, and also on a PII (personal identifiable information) level, such as device IDs, names, addresses, passwords and credit card numbers. Most of the people involved in the process may not even notice, but as the project gains momentum, critical voices sound the alarm.

While Safari and Firefox both block third-party cookies by default, the user has the ability to turn them on. Google will not have such a feature. Third-party cookies will be blocked with no method of allowing users to turn this feature on.

In addition to the elimination of third-party cookies, factor in that Google Chrome is by far the most popular web browser with an estimated global market share of 62.8%. The closest competitor is Apples Safari with a mere 15.8%. The supervisory authorities in Germany, France and Belgium are examining Googles proposals. At the same time, some of the worlds largest websites have decided to skip Googles trials entirely. A number of companies have already developed ways that people can evade the system.

The system, known as Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC), is part of Google7;s larger Privacy Sandbox plan that will end third-party advertising cookies in early 2022. There are generally three ways that websites choose which ads to show you. You may see an ad for a pair of sneakers because you put them in a shopping cart last week. If youre reading an article about cars, the ads may also refer to cars. or the ads you see may be based on your interests. Like third-party cookies, FLoC deals with advertising based on your preferences.

Currently, advertisers can use cookies to serve ads that are specific to you as they are based on your individual browsing history. FLoC was developed to eliminate this individual targeting by broadening the network.

When you use FLoC, Chrome gathers your web history and compares it with the habits of others. You will then be placed in a group or cohort with thousands of other people like you. Advertisers can then target entire groups of people and not specific people.

Its not just the extent of the change, its also who is behind it. Google, whose parent company Alphabet dominates the global advertising industry. The regulators are understandably suspicious.

The FLoC technology leads to several questions regarding the legal requirements of the GDPR, says Johannes Caspar, Data Protection officer for the German state of Hamburg... "The implementation of users in the FLoCs can be seen as a process of processing personal data. And this requires freely given consent and clear and transparent information about these processes. Google needs to ensure that users actively choose to use FLoC instead of enabling the system in Chrome by default." Caspar adds that there are risks in how cohorts allow inferences about peoples surfing behavior and how specific the cohorts of FLoC will be.

Not only German regulators are concerned about FLoC. A spokesman for the French National Information Commission and the Libertes (CNIL), Frances data regulator, says it is paying particular attention to technologies that could replace cookies as they may require access to information already on peoples devices are stored.

It is clear to the CNIL that such a system would require specific, informed and unambiguous consent. If Google doesnt do this, it can prove costly. In December 2020, the French regulator fined Google $ 120 million for failing to obtain user consent before using cookies. Other regulators are more concerned about antitrust law. In Belgium, officials are keen to understand how competitive future systems are and how they comply with data protection laws.

In the UK, the Competition and Market Authority and the Data Protection Authority, the Information Commissioners Office, have been investigating Googles proposals since January.

The Irish Data Protection Commission, which is responsible for many large technology companies with European headquarters in Dublin, has, according to its own information, consulted with Google on the proposals.

Google is aware of the potential pitfalls of FLoC. In this case, the technology has yet to be tested in the European Union. The EU data protection law sets high standards for the transparency and control of the users. This is what we envision for FLoC, says Marshall Vale, Chrome product manager at Google. We know input from data protection authorities is key to getting this right, so we started discussions early on about the technology and our plans.

Google has already announced that it will introduce tools that will not allow users to be classified in FLoC cohorts.

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Ben Shapiro, 36, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of The Ben Shapiro Show and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps, The Right Side of History and Bullies.
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...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * A portion of northeast North Carolina, including the following areas, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Eastern Currituck, Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Western Currituck. * Until midnight EDT tonight * Additional heavy rainfall is possible through midnight. Up to 2 inches of rain may fall in a short period of time in some areas, leading to the potential for flash flooding. * Low lying areas near creeks, streams, and rivers and locations with poor drainage could become inundated with floodwater and inaccessible. Flooding of roadways and road closures are also possible. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. &&
Dalton, GA (30720)

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Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable..

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Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
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The hummingbird embroidery piece "Delightful Drink" that earned Ashleigh Feltman national finalist honors in the River of Words: Youth Art and Poetry contest her sophomore year is rich in detail, which made it time consuming, said the Murray County High School valedictorian. "If I sat and did this constantly, it would have taken a couple of weeks, but I took breaks, so it took two months."
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RHINEBECK, N.Y.  The Town Board has taken on the responsibility of buying electricity for t
SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian talks about coronavirus testing of students and staff on Monday, January 25, 2021 at SUNY New Paltz. To his left is SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras.
The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Since 1990, Patricia R. Doxsey has been a reporter for the Freeman, covering politics, crime, and government affairs.
Paul Kirby is a reporter for the Freeman, covering Kingston politics. He has been at the Freeman since August 1996.
A family-friendly street festival, musical performances and a moment of silence were held Tuesday to honor George Floyd and mark the year since he died at the hands of Minneapolis police
Smart healthcare brings patients greater convenience

People's Daily Online) 10:40, May 25, 2021

The accelerated integration of the new generation of information technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data into the medical industry across China has brought greater convenience for patients.

Doctors with the Nantong No. 6 People's Hospital in Nantong city, east China's Jiangsu province, inquire about a patient's physical condition via video link. (Photo/Xinhua)

A woman surnamed Wu in Changping district, Beijing, is one of those who have benefited from smart healthcare. As a patient with high blood pressure, Wu has mobility problems and needs to receive regular follow-up examinations and obtain medicines from the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, which is more than 40km away from her home.

After learning that the hospital was offering online follow-up examinations, Wu made an appointment after registering through the hospitals app. A cardiologist from the hospital asked Wu about her symptoms in detail and prescribed medicines online for her according to her medical history. In just 10 minutes, she completed the process of registration, follow-up examinations and receiving prescriptions online.

"I dont have to go to the hospital. Its so convenient to consult with a doctor online and have the prescribed medicines delivered, Wu said excitedly.

So far, 263 doctors from 19 departments of the hospital including the cardiology and respiratory medicine departments have offered online follow-up examinations to about 10,000 patients and prescribed medicines online for over 5,000 patients.

In recent years, patients like Wu have enjoyed the convenience brought by smart healthcare. The high speed and low latency of the 5G network in the medical field allows for remote surgery, while the application of cloud computing and storage ensures the smooth operation of medical service systems. Patients can also consult with medical experts face to face through video, voice, text, pictures and other ways.

The highly digitalized and networked healthcare brings medical services closer to patients and shortens the process involved in receiving medical services, which greatly improves the efficiency and quality of medical services and realizes the efficient sharing of medical resources, according to Zhang Bo, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Science.

An employee of the Chinese automobile manufacturer Great Wall Motors in Yongchuan district of southwest China's Chongqing municipality uses smart healthcare services. (Photo/Xinhua)

Smart healthcare also helps channel high-quality medical sources toward the community level and results in better medical services in large hospitals.

Thanks to an AI-assisted system developed by Chinese AI giant Baidu, doctors at a community health center in Mafang town, Pinggu district of Beijing, are able to easily and quickly search for diseases, examinations and medications for patients.

With an optimal knowledge base of many common diseases and the experience of medical experts, the system offers suggestions on medical consultations and diagnosis, as well as treatment solutions, said Liu Junwei, deputy general manager of Baidus smart healthcare division.

This enables new doctors to deal with diseases they are unfamiliar with and helps veteran doctors enhance the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment, according to an executive with the health center.

The system has been applied at 19 community health centers, facilitating the work of over 200 primary-level doctors.

Experts also said that policies, mechanisms and technological innovation are needed to facilitate smart healthcare, as the industry is still in its early stages.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable..

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Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
Gov. Tom Wolf said some of the provisions targeted by GOP lawmakers are outside the scope of the disaster declaration. That includes the power to close businesses and to set maximum occupancy limits.
MADISON OFFICIALS reviewed on Monday the first reading of a temporary ordinance that deals with the operation of medical marijuana and/or cannabis-product establishments within city limits. The temporary ordinance would establish city permits and/or licenses but city officials will not accept applications until state health officials provide additional regulations.
Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

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Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

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Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 87F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
The Berlin Wall may have come down more than three decades ago, signalling the end of the Soviet empire. Yet in one corner of eastern Europe, communist-style dictatorship lingers on.

Governed by its authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994, Belarus is a land where liberal democracy and basic human rights have been forgotten.

In its savage contempt for freedom and under its megalomaniacal leadership, this is a grim relic of Soviet rule which risks becoming the continent's own version of the North Korean regime.

A chilling insight into Lukashenko's reckless tyranny has been provided this week by the detention of one of his foremost critics, the blogger and journalist Roman Protasevich  provoking a storm of international outrage.

Protasevich was seized by Belarus's secret police, which  all too appropriately  is still called the KGB, after his Ryanair flight was diverted to the Belarus capital of Minsk on the pretext that there was a bomb on board.

The incident was effectively an act of piracy driven by Lukashenko's determination to crush all dissent. Now held as a political hostage, Protasevich has reportedly already been beaten in prison and faces a sentence of 15 years, or worse, for his trumped up crimes.

Reckless tyrant: Alexander Lukashenko has had a grip on power since 1994

But such brutality is all too typical of Lukashenko's increasingly autocratic style. An estimated 35,000 people have been detained since the start of regular demonstrations against his regime in August last year. Lukashenko once said that organisers of opposition rallies would be treated like terrorists, warning: 'We will wring their necks, as one might a duck'.

And an ever growing number of these political prisoners are starved, subjected to sleep deprivation, or suffer smashed teeth and broken bones at the hands of their brutal captors. Press freedom has been curtailed to the point of non-existence by the imposition of the most repressive media laws in Europe.

Live coverage of unauthorised gatherings is banned and the government can close down any media outlets that fail to toe the line.

Lukashenko's regime is also buttressed by a well-armed police force, over 110,000 strong, in a country of just 10million people.

Its loyalty has been secured through high rates of pay, which explains why Lukashenko was able to face down the mass protests last summer over his fraudulent victory in a presidential election in which ballot-rigging and miscounting were rife.

Belarusian blogger Roman Protasevich, detained when a Ryanair plane was forced to land in Minsk, is seen in a pre-trial detention facility, in Minsk, Belarus, May 24, 2021

Despite widespread anger over his cheating, the police  backed up by the army  ensured the sparks of resistance failed to turn into the flames of insurrection. No public buildings fell into the hands of the opposition, no centres of power were stormed. Lukashenko himself appeared alongside his security forces waving an automatic rifle to make it clear he would shoot protesters personally if necessary.

Those events were another illustration of how this pitiless strongman has maintained his stranglehold on office since his first election as president in 1994. He came from an extremely humble background, brought up in a poor village in the east of Belarus by a single mother who worked variously on construction sites, in a flax factory, on the railways and as a milkmaid.

As a child he was bullied by other boys, an experience that appears to have bred deep-seated resentments for which his people are now paying the price. The absence of a father while growing up may have encouraged him to see the communist system as a paternal substitute. Tellingly today he styles himself the 'Father' of the country.

After a spell in the military, he became the manager of a state-run farm before embarking on his political career when the Soviet Union finally allowed genuine elections, winning a place as a deputy to the national assembly in 1990.

Four years later, he launched his bid for the presidency. Many insiders wrote off his chances but  as an election observer for the British Foreign Office at the time  I could see his appeal to the Belarus public, which was yearning for a new leader amid the fall-out from the collapse of communism. He offered a mix of nationalism, populism and nostalgia, a combination that might be called 'the promise of a better yesterday', but he presented it with eloquent charisma.

Law enforcement officers scuffle with women during a rally to protest against the Belarus presidential election results in Minsk on September 19, 2020

A superb public speaker, media-friendly and quick on his feet, he was very different from the wooden automatons mouthing party slogans, who had dominated Belarusian politics up to then.

On the second ballot, he won with over 80 per cent of the vote. Three clear themes of his presidency soon emerged: closeness to Russia, state domination of the economy and intolerance of opposition. The problem for the people of Belarus is that the more the first two policies have failed, the more he has resorted to the third to curb a rising tide of grievance.

In the first decade of this century, Belarus benefited from its link to Russia, whose growing economy enabled it to offer subsidised energy, which bred higher living standards.

But over the last decade Russia has stagnated badly and Vladimir Putin has phased out the oil and gas subsidies. This has strained relations between Minsk and Moscow, an outcome reflected in the personal friction between Putin and Lukashenko. While there is no doubt who is top dog, Lukashenko is an alpha male keen to show that he cannot be kicked around willy nilly, hence gestures that stress his country's independence, like his refusal to give diplomatic recognition to Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin bitterly resents these delusions of grandeur from a president of a small country.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (left) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, November 30, 2017

Russia's economic difficulties have also led Belarus to seek more investment from China, which could not care less about its dismal record on human rights.

But the country's economic travails have been compounded by Lukashenko's misguided policies, motivated by his attachment to the communism of his youth. So state management and planning predominate, hindering the expansion of free enterprise. This is made worse by the regime's practice of taking a cut of profits and charging exorbitant fees for business requirements such as operating licences.

Decline has brought mounting discontent. While, some among the older generation  brought up with the tough certitudes of the Soviet bloc  continue to admire Lukashenko, younger people are increasingly hostile.

Through mobile technology and tourism in Europe, they are only too aware of the liberties we take for granted in the West but they are losing in Belarus. Such resentment is fuelled further by indignation at Lukashenko's extravagance, which  in a manner typical of dictators  includes the construction of a vast presidential palace.

In another echo of the North Korean model, there are indications that he wants to create his own dynasty. He has three sons, the first two the result of his marriage which ended long ago, the third from his relationship with his personal doctor. Unhindered by any embarrassment about nepotism, he recently made eldest son Viktor Belarus's representative on the International Olympic Committee, while teenage son Kolya accompanies him on many of his duties.

It was Margaret Thatcher's spin guru, the late Lord Bell, who suggested that he take Kolya to meetings to soften his image. But this public relations campaign backfired when the 16-year-old was pictured brandishing a gun during the election protests last August.

Infinitely more damaging, however, is Lukashenko's latest stunt, which encapsulates all his arrogance and disdain for civilised behaviour. Far from cementing his power, it could finally bring about his downfall. As a global coalition mobilises, sanctions and even a border freeze look inevitable.

Such measures would be disastrous for Belarus. The annual cost of lost transit fees from its main oil and gas pipeline alone could be over 1.1billion, and a new nuclear plant could be boycotted by neighbours who fear environmental dangers and wonder what a reckless ruler like him will do with plutonium.

Even if Lukashenko wants to go down the North Korean route, he will be aware that if he lacks the resources to maintain the army and police in the style they are used to, they will abandon him.

Lukashenko would do well to remember that it was when the Soviet bloc suddenly collapsed that his own political career took off.
A disabled woman whose leg adds 100lb to her total body weight, has vowed to never have it amputated.

Mahogany Geter, 23, from Knoxville, Tennessee, was born with lymphedema, a long-term condition where excess fluid collects in the body's soft tissue, causing swelling on her left side.

She suffered ignorant comments and bullying as a child that knocked her confidence, but now she says she feels 'beautiful inside and out.'

The aspiring model ignores online trolls and proudly shows off her disability with empowering photoshoots on social media.

Mahogany Geter, 23, (pictured) from Knoxville, Tennessee, experiences swelling on her life side due to lymphedema

Mahogany was diagnosed with the condition where excess fluid collects in the body's soft tissue, after doctors noticed differences in her left leg shortly after birth. Pictured: Mahogany as a child

Mahogany's leg adds 100lb to her 300lb total body weight at its largest and has made her the target of trolls and bullies

Shortly after her birth, doctors noticed the difference in Mahogany's left foot and gave her mother Timika Geter, now 42, the lymphedema diagnosis.

There is no cure and excess fluid builds in Mahogany's leg which can only be eased with physiotherapy and lymphatic drainage massage.

At its largest, Mahogany's leg adds 100lb to her 300lb total body weight.

Mahogany who is the eldest of three sisters, said: 'My mom was so worried when I was diagnosed but we have got through everything together. As a child I never felt pretty, I used to think God had cursed me. I felt ugly, like a freak of nature and cried in private so many times.

'Then I decided that I was given this condition because I am emotionally strong and I can handle it.

'Since then I have been learning to accept and celebrate myself.

Mahogany said as a child she 'never felt pretty' and would cry in private, while feeling like she had been cursed. Pictured: As a teenager

Mahogany learned to live with the condition and celebrate herself, after realising that she is emotionally strong. Pictured: Mahogany and her mother as a child

Mahogany who has received ignorant comments, said she wants to inspire other people to celebrate their differences. Pictured: Mahogany at age 18

'I want to inspire other people to celebrate their differences. I now believe I am beautiful on the inside and out. I'm proud of what my body can do.'

Trolls try to mock Mahogany with comments telling her to 'amputate her leg so she will look better' but she has learnt to ignore them.

'I have had my fair share of ignorant comments, one person told me my leg looked like a ham roll and one girl at school called me a deformed b***h. It has been so hard to rise above these mean people but I have no other choice,' Mahogany said.

'For the longest I felt so low about myself but once I got older and with loads of support from the online lymphedema community and my mom who is my inspiration, she is so strong, I realised how beautiful I am. Not only looks but as a person.

Mahogany said the support of the online lymphedema community and her mother have helped to overcome feeling low about herself

Mahogany, pictured as a teenager, who boasts over 8,000 followers on Instagram, said she wants to inspire others to accept themselves

Mahogany manages her condition day to day with massages, compression dressings and physiotherapy

'It means I can try my best to inspire other people to accept themselves and see how beautiful they are.'

On good health days Mahogany likes to stay active with her physiotherapy and creates content for TikTok and Instagram, posted on her page lymph.goddess23 where she has over 8,000 followers.

What is Lymphedema? Primary lymphedema is caused by alterations (mutations) in genes responsible for the development of the lymphatic system. The faulty genes cause the parts of the lymphatic system responsible for draining fluid to not develop properly or not work as they should. Primary lymphedema often runs in families, although not every child born to someone with the condition will develop it themselves. Secondary lymphedema develops in people who previously had a normal lymphatic system that then becomes damaged. Source: NHS England Advertisement

She said: 'People have been so nice and supportive of me online. It isn't all trolling and negativity. I have met so many people online who keep me company on this health journey I am on.

'I'm not currently working as I am focusing on getting my leg better. I spend a lot of time drawing, listening to music and posting content on my YouTube channel.'

Mahogany manages her condition each day with massage, compression dressings and physiotherapy. She drinks lots of water to flush out her system and has to avoid salty foods and alcohol.

Unfortunately she can suffer with flare ups of cellulitis, a painful skin infection caused by the swelling.

The model is often hospitalised for treatment with antibiotics.

Mahogany said: 'It does get frustrating dealing with flare ups because I just want to live my life more freely and it feels like I can't.

'If I don't keep on top of my condition I get flare ups. It can be overwhelming. When I feel low I take steps now to build myself up. I take a break from social media , I listen to music, meditate and definitely talk to my mother because she's like my therapist.'

Mahogany added: 'Despite the hard times I honestly feel like I live a normal life. I try to be strong and stay focused on my dreams of making it as a model.

'If I ever make it big I want to buy my mother a house and take care of my family, then I'll do everything I can to raise awareness of lymphedema to pay it back to everyone who has ever shown me kindness.'

Mahogany, pictured withh her mother, said she isn't working at the moment because she is focusing on getting her leg better, but is hoping to forge a career as a model
Tucked inside a century-old waterfront teahouse is one of Australia's most unique fine dining restaurants.

Just a 50-minute drive from Sydney CBD is Berowra Waters Inn, an upscale eatery regarded as one of the country's best since it opened in 1984.

The sandstone building started life in the 1920s as a riverfront guesthouse serving afternoon tea, and was transformed by Australian architect Glenn Murcutt between 1977 and 1983 into what he called a 'verandah by the water'.

The most striking feature of the iconic venue is that it is only accessible by water, meaning you'll need to take a boat or seaplane if you want to eat there.

Tucked inside this old sandstone guesthouse a 50-minute drive from Sydney CBD is Berowra Waters Inn, one of Australia's best fine dining restaurants

The most striking feature of the iconic venue is that it is only accessible by water

That means you'll need to take a boat or seaplane (pictured) if you want to eat there

Its location on the banks of the Hawkesbury River gives diners sweeping views of surrounding bushland to enjoy over plates of local produce.

On the menu are things like kingfish, crab, kangaroo pastrami and Australian cheese, along with some of the country's finest wines from vineyards in the Hunter and Barossa Valleys.

A basement wine cellar houses 150 top shelf bottles.

Chef Brian Geraghty took ownership of the restaurant in 2012, after a glittering career cooking in some of the world's most lauded kitchens in venues such as Patrick Gilbaud's in Dublin and London's two-hatted Pied a Terre.

The Inn's location on the banks of the Hawkesbury River gives diners sweeping views of surrounding bushland to enjoy over plates of local produce

On the menu are things like kingfish, crab, kangaroo pastrami and Australian cheese

Diners (one pictured) say the nine course degustation menu 'tastes as good as it looks'

When the inn closed its doors due to Covid restrictions in March 2020, the Gault & Millau 'Chef of the Year' moved his family, including partner Victoria, their 15-month-old son Otis and their two dogs, into the vacant restaurant, Seven Storeys reported.

Berowra has since reopened, with lunch and dinner served Thursday to Saturday and lunch only on Sundays.

Diners have left rave reviews online, with one saying the famous nine course degustation menu 'tastes as good as it looks'.

Another called it a 'beautiful restaurant with beautiful views and impeccable service'.
An American expat living in Australia has issued a warning to others who are planning to visit the country about Aussies' unusual habit of showing up at the homes of their friends and family unannounced.

Meghan Maire who moved from Houston, Texas to regional New South Wales admitted that she is always 'stressed' out when a visitor 'drops in' unexpectedly.

In an amusing TikTok video, the young traveller urged foreigners to brace themselves before they move Down Under.

American expat Meghan Maire who moved from Houston, Texas to regional New South Wales said she's always 'stressed' out when a visitor 'drops in' unexpectedly

'If you're American and you're thinking about moving to Australia, there's something you need to know...' she said in her video.

'Something you need to prepare yourself for. Something that will stress you out, and that thing is... dropping in. Australians will just show up at your front door, unannounced with no pre-arranged plans.'

Despite the 'stressful' situation, Meghan said she has learned how to cope when someone casually rocks up at her front door.

'It's ok, all you need to do is offer them tea and coffee,' she explained.

'Your house won't be clean but they won't care. You won't have any proper food to offer them and they won't care.

'You might not be wearing pants, and they won't care. You will never get use to this, and it will always stress you out, welcome to Australia.'

Meghan added: 'I do love the idea of people just wanting to spend time with their mates, no matter the circumstances. It's just taking some getting used to.'

Her video has since been viewed more than 390,000 times, with many Aussies admitting they too feel 'stressed' when someone 'drops in'.

'I can't stand it and I'm Aussie,' one wrote, while another added: 'Australian here, can confirm, this stresses me out but yes, it happens.'

Other Aussies shared amusing ways to avoid seeing people who 'drop in'.

'Australian here who will turn off the lights and hide if anyone shows up,' one woman wrote, while another said: 'I do the hiding if people come to my home. I'm more of the visitor and like to go to them.'

However, some Aussies revealed it's not common for them or anyone they know to drop in on each other unannounced.

'That's not really a thing and I've been here my whole life. Only very good friends might do that... and that's rare,' one man wrote, while another added: 'Aussie here, I would never do this and I'd be annoyed if my family or friends just rocked up.'

One woman said: 'Nope no one does this to me and I've lived here my whole 31 years... thank goodness.'

While another pointed out: 'It's very true for country Australia but not so common for people living in cities.'
Rose Smith says while the May 26 'flower super moon', which is coupled with a rare total lunar eclipse, is likely to be breathtaking for spectators it will also have a huge effect on everyone's emotions

The super blood moon on Wednesday night is going to lead to some emotional highs and lows, according to a leading intuitive astrologer.

Rose Smith says while the May 26 'flower super moon', which is coupled with a rare total lunar eclipse, is likely to be breathtaking for spectators it will also have a huge effect on everyone's emotions.

Ms Smith said the combination of the two rare lunar events are bound to bring withheld emotions to the front of your mind.

'Full moons ordinarily can bring out the 'crazy' in people, but we can expect people doing crazier things than usual  and this can be attributed to pent up emotional tension.

'People should be trying to release this tension around the Super Blood Moon in healthy ways, sitting with their feelings and endeavouring not to deny them,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

The emotional impact of the flower super moon will be especially powerful for women, she said, because women are more likely to 'hold onto' their emotions.

'As the total lunar eclipse and Blood Super Moon are in Sagittarius, it could be a particularly emotional time for fire signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius,' she said.

'On the other hand, water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are looking fortunate, with more balance coming into their lives. They could be feeling divinely inspired.'

There hasn't been a total lunar eclipse since January 2019.

What is so special about the May 26 full moon and where can I see it? The May 26 super moon is special because it will be the biggest, brightest full moon of the year. There is also a total solar eclipse occurring on the same night. This is the first total solar eclipse since January 2019. it is the only total solar eclipse this year. A solar eclipse happens when the moon moves into the earth's shadow, causing it to gradually turn a reddish brown colour. The eclipse event will go for just 14 minutes. Stargazers in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland will see the show from 9.11pm. In South Australia it will begin at 8.41pm and in Western Australia it will begin at 7.11pm. This is the second super moon of the year, which in itself is a rare phenomenon as they usually occur 12-14 months apart. Advertisement

Stargazers can see the event at different times this Wednesday, May 26,depending on their location. In new South Wales, Queensland and Victoria it will start at 9.11pm.

People in South Australia will be able to witness the eclipse at 8.41pm and in Western Australia it will begin at 7.11pm.

The moon will be 7percent bigger than a typical full moon - with moonrise being the best time to see it at its biggest due to an optical illusion when it is close to the horizon.

The moon will be the brightest full moon of the year because it is the closest full moon to the earth this year, 158 kilometres closer to earth than April's pink super moon.

Virgos have been told to focus on family differences and relationships over the next week (stock image)

Ms Smith said there are other astrological influences to consider moving into June, with Mercury being in retrograde from May 29 until June 22.

There is also a solar eclipse on June 10. Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune are also going into retrograde.

What does the May 26 Lunar eclipse mean for my star sign? Aries (March 21 to April 19) The super moon is encouraging you to broaden your horizons by making your life larger in some way. Perhaps you're thinking about studying or travel. Your spiritual journey could also take the driver's seat in your life now and you may be a little surprised about your spiritual side. Taurus (April 20 to May 20) Issues may arise about shared resources and other people's money. Taxes, superannuation, inheritances and joint assets might be on your mind. There might also be a strong desire for union and deeper intimacy with another person. Relationships can be rejuvenated now. Gemini (May 21 to June 20) Important connections such as a marriage or business partner might be on your mind. Transformation comes with issues that need to be dealt with in close relationships. There might also be some legalities or problems with someone you don't see eye to eye with. It's time to sort out these issues. Cancer (June 21 to July 22) Your everyday habits or work changes in some way. Daily life could get a bit of a shakeup, but this is needed to get you thinking about how to improve your life. Your health or wellbeing could also be affected which could prompt you to take better care of yourself. Change your diet and your exercise regime. Leo (July 23 to August 22) Your creativity gets a shake up and you realise just how brilliant you can be. Even if you suffer from writer's block or it feels like your creative well has run dry, this is happening to get you to focus on your inner life. You may also have more dealings with children or your own inner child. Your romantic life could also change and this is probably overdue. Virgo (August 23 to September 22) There is transformation around your home or your family. Do ensure you attend to any necessary repairs before they get worse. But there could be a silver lining here because you may improve your home in the process of rectifying faults. Regarding your family, change is likely, perhaps children leave home or changes take place in some way. Libra (September 23 to October 22) There could be changes in your local area which somehow affect you. Perhaps there are things like road works or additional traffic. You may be thinking of studying or running lots of errands around your local community. Issues could also arise with siblings or distant family members. With Mercury retrograde, the lunar eclipse and the super moon, you're really quite likely to have issues with miscommunication, technology and delays around travel. Back up all your devices. Scorpio (October 23 to November 21) There's transformation around your money, especially the money you earn. It's time to protect and secure your possessions. You may also experience changes around other things you value, perhaps your belief systems. Watch you don't overspend or waste money on a whim. Buy practical things you need. Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21) It's all about you. It's time to re-examine what you believe, especially about you. What do you really want in life? You may be more perceptive than usual and get some extraordinary insight into your life, even if your thoughts are a little cloudy at the moment. Take some time out, especially if your emotions are all over the shop. Capricorn (December 22nd to January 19) You may feel more sensitive than usual and unusually intuitive. Right now, you probably need more quiet time alone so you can reflect on your life. Transformational changes from deep down emerge now so it's a great time to meditate and watch your dreams as you are changing. Aquarius (January 20th to February 18) You may need a deeper sense of community and connection with others now. Group efforts and community events, especially with women are likely. Your friends, groups and connections are transforming so let go of the past and embrace the future. New people are entering your life. Pisces (February 19 to March 20) There's transformation in your career zone and if you're not enjoying work that makes your heart sing you may consider leaving and finding another job. Your reputation and social status is also changing, so do be careful not to overshare online, especially if you're looking for work. If you stay in the same job, it might be changing - there could be some sort of shakeup regarding procedures or administration. Advertisement

Gemini, Libra and Aquarius will be most effected by Mercury going into retrograde, Ms Smith warns people who fall under those signs will need to have a good handle on their emotions.

'Mercury retrogrades are about miscommunications and misunderstandings in relationships and problems with technology  so back up your devices for one,' she suggested.

'Relationships can also be testing - treat each situation anew. Don't let the weight of previous relationships overly influence you, thinking you know what the other person is going to do or say. It's important to give the other person room to move.'

There's a transformation in Pisces' career zone - pushing them to embrace a job they love (stock image)

She said contracts or important decisions made in that period could need to be changed later.

Ms Smith said the solar eclipse in Gemini - which is an air sign - is all about masculine principles.

'Women have inner masculine forces and it's time to be more proactive, independent and externally focused so they can get more of what they want in the world,' Ms Smith said.
Iconic cafe chain Banjo's Bakery has given 'Australia's number one pie fan' a year's supply of free pies.

Renowned for their experimental pie flavours such as bangers and mash and the decadent double cheeseburger, Banjo's pastry chefs asked fans to predict their latest creation, hinting it would be inspired by one of the world's most-loved meals.

The limited-edition flavour - a lasagne pie stuffed with layers of pasta sandwiched between Australian beef and lashings of tomato, garlic and cheese - was guessed correctly by Tasmanian man, Jesse Woods.

His prediction earned him the title of Australia's first-ever 'Pie Minister', along with a Banjo's pie every day for a year.

Banjo's Bakery's limited-edition lasagne pie, stuffed with layers of pasta sandwiched between Australian beef and lashings of tomato, garlic and cheese

The iconic cafe chain has 44 outlets across Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia

'I'm a big Banjo's Bakery fan, as my Grandma and I catch up once a week for morning tea at the Lindisfarne store,' Mr Woods said.

'Nothing beats a classic meat pie and a large hot chocolate!'

Asked how he would honour his title, Jesse said he would ensure the lasagne pie 'receives the recognition it deserves' for as long as it is stocked at Banjo's.

The cafe, which has 44 outlets across Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, will sell the pie for $7.95 until it is replaced by a new signature flavour.

Banjo's Bakery's decadent double cheeseburger pie, made from pickles and onions sandwiched between layers of beef and lashings of melted cheese, tomato sauce and mustard

The bakery's bacon and egg breakfast pie, which sold in record numbers in 2020

Banjo's pastry chefs are known for their experimental flavours, which include a pie filled entirely with mushrooms (pictured)

Banjo's Bakery CEO Jessica Saxby said the pie was created to give Australians unable to travel overseas this year a taste of Italy on home soil.

'We're committed to providing our customers with unique culinary experiences through fresh, daily baked goods that leave Australians happy and satisfied,' Ms Saxby said.

'Our diners are often on-the-go, so it made sense to develop a pasta-filled pocket and 'signature pie' flavour that was easy to enjoy on the run at lunch time, on the side-line of Saturday sport, at your next family picnic and anywhere in between.'
The pandemic may have delayed thousands of weddings across the globe, but it seems to have given birth to a whole new kind of pre-nuptial ceremony.

Jeremy Clarkson's daughter Emily, 26, whose nuptials were cancelled due to Covid, marked what would have been her special day to fiance Alex Andrew, 26, over the weekend with a 'predding.'

Taking to Instagram, Emily, who can be seen donning a white gown as she's lifted into the air by her fiance, penned: 'We didnt get married yesterday but we did get to celebrate our not wedding day with the best people I know and it was so f**** special.'

'Thank you for being our friends we cant wait to do this alllllll again next year exactly the same except I wont be in Dr Martens and there will be a vicar there.'

It comes after Cressida Bonas hinted that her original wedding to estate agent Harry had to be postponed due to Covid-19 crisis by posting a snap on Instagram in May showing the pair posed in front of an 'Auto-wed' machine in a veil and top hat.

And it seems they aren't the only ones refusing to let their big days pass without some sort of celebration, with hundreds of couples taking to social media under the hashtag #pretendwedding to share snaps of gatherings which resemble weddings in various ways.

From white lace dresses and dapper suits to bouquets and impressive cakes, FEMAIL takes a look at some of the best 'preddings' shared online...

Jeremy Clarkson's daughter Emily, 26, marked what would have been her special day to fiance Alex Andrew, 26, over the weekend with a mock wedding, which has recently become known as a 'predding'

Bethany can be seen clutching a bouquet of flowers as she poses with her groom-to-be on her predding day (pictured)

Jess, 23, from Kent, shared this snap alongside a caption which read: 'There was nothing traditional about our wedding, and due to Corona we don't know when it will take place so we thought why not take it one step further'

Sasha, from Cornwall, who runs The Lash Boutique, took to social media and told how she had a little wedding celebration on what would have been her big day.

In the snap, where she can be seen sticking her tongue out alongside her husband-to-be and a young boy believed to be their son, she penned: 'F U RONA. We cut cake, danced, drank, spoke to family & friends, had lots of surprises delivered & made the best of the day.

'Thank you guys for the messages and comments. It's so lovely to hear. I had some stuff made from some amazing ladies who have kept it all quiet.'

Sasha, who marked the occasion in a white gown and could be seen clutching a bouquet of pink roses, went on to thank those who made her F U Rona stick on nails which she noted 'stayed on all day' and the seamstress who altered her wedding dress.

The bride-to-be also proceeded to thank others who provided stunning facemasks and the 'most amazing blue (for NHS) strip lashes.'

Sasha, from Cornwall, took to Instagram and told how she and her husband-to-be cut cake, danced, drank, spoke to family and friends, had lots of surprises delivered on what would have been their wedding day

Laura, a teacher from the UK, previously shared a snap of her virtual wedding day online (pictured)

Tom, from Havercroft, opted for a more laidback look in jeans, converse, a black jacket and hat as he held onto a pint of celebratory beer to mark his would have been wedding day with his other half, Rachel (pictured, together)

She added: 'Corona may have halted us but we are all still here and that's what matters. I miss my beautiful clients so much and can't wait to see you all and hear about your isolation adventures.

'When life gets crazy again I'm going to try and breathe in the special moments because they are what makes us us. Lashes or no lashes (but maybe with lashes) Love isn't cancelled. Love is immune.'

Jess, 23, from Kent, was also determined not to let the day pass unnoticed and opted to wear a lace bridal gown, while her partner looked dapper in a suit complete with red tie.

'Today would of been our wedding day so we decided it needed to be marked,' she wrote on Instagram. 'There was nothing traditional about our wedding, and due to Corona we don't know when it will take place so we thought why not take it one step further (lol)!

'Happy supposed to be wedding day. I love you and can't wait for the day this actually happens!!!!!!!'

Paige donned a veil and penned: 'We had a great non-wedding/wedding day! Sunday dinner, wine and games! And I put my hen party veil in'

Marie, from London, shared this snap under #pretend wedding and wrote: 'Today, I should have been getting married. Instead Im furiously eating tacos. It could be worse'

Elsewhere, Tom, from Havercroft, opted for a more laidback look in jeans, converse, a black jacket and hat as he held onto a pint of celebratory beer to mark his would have been wedding day with his other half, Rachel.

Posing in front of an orange campervan, the bride-to-be can be seen wearing a coordinating dress and cream wedges as she holds onto a bouquet of flowers and dons a matching head garland.

The caption alongside the snap reads: 'Rachael and I should have been married today. Covid19 put a stop to that. We are having an "un"wedding day with family and are having a great day. I love you so much and cant wait to marry you in 378 days.'

Meanwhile, Laura, a teacher from the UK, previously shared a snap of her virtual wedding day online.

In May, Cressida hinted that her original wedding to Harry had to be postponed due to the current crisis, posting a snap as she and Harry posed in front of an 'Auto-wed' machine in a veil

Alongside a photograph where she can be seen donning a veil, white gown and silver necklace, while her other half puts on a cool display in shades, she penned: 'Virtual wedding day - complete with hen do veil, Prosecco and some very special friends'

'Fave tapas, cocktails and sunshine. St Lucia I will hopefully see you soon for my real wedding haha.'

And a couple with a 25 year age gap celebrated a lockdown wedding on their own with no guests in their living room due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Emma Phillips, 29, and Jan Pasnicki, 54, from Surrey, tied the knot in their modest living room, saying their vows surrounded by home comforts like a Harry Potter calendar and listening to an instrumental Elvis track.

The couple decided to go ahead with their vows and exchanged vows in the comfort of their own home, before celebrating with champagne

Emma said the constant disruption to their wedding plans had left them both devastated, but they were intent on going ahead with a ceremony to mark the big day

The love birds, who both work in care homes, had planned to have a registry office ceremony followed by a reception at a posh hotel.

But after the wedding ban was introduced, the couple decided to do it alone in their living room, filming the ceremony so that their loved-ones could watch from home.

In a three minute and 25 second clip of their ceremony, Jan can be seen standing alone before Emma walks, in replicating her coming down the aisle while clutching a single rose.

Student doctor Emma can be heard saying: 'Due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 we have had to postpone out ceremony.

'But that has not stopped us wanting to make today special.'

The couple then exchange their vows and share a kiss before toasting their nuptials with a glass of bubbly.
A set of triplets have been born in different decades after their mum gave birth to them five days apart.

Kaylie DeShane, 33, from New York, gave birth to her triplets in different decades after delivering her first baby on December 28 2019 and then giving birth to the remaining two triplets five days later on January 2, 2020.

Kaylie currently holds the world record for the longest interval between the birth of triplets after beating the previous record of two days.

Despite the staggering low odds of survival - with one triplet only having nine per cent chance of making it after being born at 22 weeks - the triplets, Rowan, Declan and Cian all survived, and are now 17-months-old.

Kaylie DeShane, 33, from New York, gave birth to her triplets in different decades after delivering her first baby, Cian, pictured, on December 28 2019 and then giving birth to the remaining two triplets five days later on January 2, 2020

Kaylie's son Cian was born at 22 weeks, with slim chances of making it, on December 28 2019.

The remaining two triplets didn't follow the first baby and due how premature the birth was, medics were keen to keep the other babies inside of Kaylie for as long as possible.

Five days later, Kaylie went into labor and delivered her other two babies on 2 January 2020, meaning that her triplets were born in different decades.

Kaylie said: 'After trying to fall pregnant four years, with my husband, Brandon, 35, we decided to try IVF.

Kaylie and her husband Brandon in the NICU with Declan and Rowan after they were born on January 2 2020

The triplets now with their step-sister Naveah and their adopted brother Holden, at home. The triplets spent four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

'We already have an adopted son, Holden, seven, and a step-daughter, Naveah, 12, but we wanted a sibling for them.

'We decided to place two embryos rather than just one because we thought we would have a better chance of having a baby.

'We were told that there was a ten per cent chance of it ending up being twins and a one per cent chance of it being a triplet pregnancy.

'So we really never expected that we would actually end up having triplets.

'When we found out we were having three babies we were so shocked but it was incredible. We would have been happy with one baby, and now we were having three.'

Kaylie with the triplets after they were released from the hospital, but were still on oxygen to help their lungs

Declan, pictured, was the first baby to make it out of the NICU on April 17, before Kaylie's actual due date of April 26 2020

The triplets standing in their play pen at home. With Cian born at 22 weeks, it was a scary time for Kaylie and Brandon

During her pregnancy, Kaylie was told that it was high risk because there were three babies, and she was advised to terminate the two identical babies of the triplets to give one baby a better chance of surviving.

She decided against this and continued with her triplet pregnancy.

Kaylie, an addictions counselor, said: 'At 16 weeks it was discovered that my cervix was failing and that I would need emergency surgery to stitch it up because I was 1 to 2cm dilated.

'It was absolutely terrifying because we thought we might lose Cian. He was the baby that was closest to the exit and there is a risk that the surgery can rupture the sac.

Pregnant Kaylie around Christmas time 2019, before she gave birth. The couple had been trying for a baby and turned to IVF to help

Brandon and Kaylie holding the triplets at home with Naveah, who is 11 and Holden, who is seven

'But luckily that didn't happen and the surgery worked. For the next few weeks of the pregnancy, I had to focus on resting in bed to keep my babies inside of me.

'At 22 weeks and five days, I went for an anatomy scan where I was told everything was fine.

"However, later that evening my water broke.

'I was so scared because I was only 22 weeks pregnant, I had no idea if the babies would live or survive if they were born at this point in the pregnancy.'

After going back to the hospital and staying overnight, Kaylie says that she woke up the next morning with some heavy bleeding and that the next thing she knew, Cian was coming out.

One of the triplets in the NICU after their premature birth. When he was born, first triplet Cian only had nine chance of survival

Another one of the triplets being treated in the NICU. Declan weighed 1lbs 7oz and Rowan was 1lbs 1oz when they were born. Cian weighed less than 1lbs

She recalls doctors shouting and not knowing if the baby was alive or not because they couldn't get reading on him.

Kaylie added: 'After they pulled him out they eventually managed to stabilize him.

'I saw him for a split second before he was taken over to the NICU. He was so small, I couldn't believe it. He weighed less than 1lb.

'I lay there expecting the next two babies to come but nothing happened. I was kind of like, "Now what?".

'I kept asking where the other two babies are and the doctors said we don't want them to come out if we can help it.

'Nothing was happening and the doctors explained to me that they wanted to hold off delivering the next two babies for as long as possible because it was so early in the pregnancy.

Rowan dressed as a bee in Kaylie's arms. The triplets are now home and healthy, and Kaylie said she was proud of what they had overcome

The babies in their pram for a family day out. Declan came home on April 17 2020, Rowan followed on April 30 and Cian made it home on May 4

'The hospital had never had any 22 week babies that survived and Cian only had a nine per cent chance of making it.'

After spending five days in labor at 10 cm dilated, the next two babies, a boy named Declan and a girl named Rowan, were born. Declan weighed 1lbs 7oz and Rowan was 1lbs 1oz.

Kaylie says that as soon as she pushed the next two babies out, they were stabilized and breathing tubes were put in place and they were taken off to the NICU too.

She said: 'The babies spent a total of four months in the NICU. It was touch and go at times for each of them.

'But we didn't lose faith and we kept fighting for our babies.

'Declan was the first baby to come home with us on April 17. He made it home before their actual due date of April 26.

Kaylie after giving birth with one of the babies before they were taken to the NICU for treatment. Declan and Rowan were both stabilized right after being born

The triplet finally home after their four-months-long NICU stay in hospital. They spent several additional months on oxygen

Kaylie with one of the babies during a visit to the NICU. She said throughout the whole ordeal, Brandon and her never lost faith

One of the babies in the NICU after being born more than 21 weeks premature. The babies were gradually weaned off oxygen after they made it home

'Rowan was the next baby to come home on April 30, and Cian came home on May 4. And we finally had our family at home together.

'And although it was amazing, it was terrifying. They were all still on oxygen so we hardly left the nursery.

'But by Autumn they had all been weaned off the oxygen.

'They are all breathing perfectly and growing great. They are hitting all of their milestones and aren't behind at all.

'They're healthy, thriving and even close to walking which is incredible because we were never sure that they were going to make it.

'I am so proud of them for the fight they fought.'

Kaylie currently holds the record for the longest interval between the birth of triplets.

Before that, the title holder was Louise Jamison, from South Caroline in January 1956. 66h50 passed between the birth of Louise's firth daughter Christine, who was born at 3.05am on 2 January 1956, and her son Calvin, who was born at 10am on 3 January 1956.

The world record for longest interval between the birth of twins is held by Molly and Benjamin West, who were born 90 days apart in 1996.
A San Francisco lawyer who saw her photo become a viral meme two years ago has finally revealed that she's the woman in the image.

Amruta Godbole, 35, told her followers on Twitter last week that she was in fact the lost-looking woman pictured surrounded by leather-clad gay men outside a bar in the city.

The meme has been circulating since 2018 when a friend of Godbole's posted it on Instagram but it was actually taken at the fair in 2017, she said.

In the photo, Godbole is pictured looking like a 'fish out of water' wearing a t-shirt and denim while surrounded by muscular men who are mostly wearing leather bondage harnesses.

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Putting the me in Meme: San Francisco lawyer Amruta Godbole saw her photo go viral after she was snapped in 2017 at the San Francisco's Folsom Street BDSM Fair amongst a throng of leather-clad gay men

This week, Godrole 'came out' as the woman in the photo, saying: 'I'm in this photo and I dont like it. jk. I mean that is actually me in the photo.'

The lawyer let the world in on her secret by responding to the meme after it was recently shared on Twitter, referencing former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo's more grown-up fan base following the release of her latest album.

Godbole wrote: 'I'm in this photo and I dont like it. Jk. I mean that is actually me in the photo. But I like it every time.'

Explaining how the photo came to be, Godbole, who has the Twitter handle @dj_roots wrote: 'A friend took a photo of me at Folsom Street Fair a couple years ago, posted to IG, it somehow went viral, and now its a meme!'

She said the meme 'comes up about monthly, in various languages, across the internet' and had enjoyed the '15 minutes (seconds) of fame' that the image had brought her.

Godbole told BuzzFeed News: 'In that moment people were looking at the photo and saying, "Youre going to be famous,"'.

She added: 'One of my main groups of friends in San Francisco is a group of gay men, so I have often found myself in situations where Im the one woman amid all of these gay men.

'I'm also 51, and theyre all very tall and muscular, so I was just so clearly standing out.'

After sharing that she was the star of the meme, Godbole was praised for 'coming out', with one writing: 'You are officially a gay icon we love to see it' and another labelling her a 'queen'.
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A cramped three-bedroom family home was unrecognisable following a stunning 150,000 makeover on last night's episode of Your Home Made Perfect.

Parents Shelley and Stephen bought the semi-detached property in Bromley, south London, 14 years ago because it was in a 'good area with good schools and good neighbours'.

But the couple needed more space to accommodate sons Rhys, 21, and Ty, 14, and had a host of design issues to tackle.

Bright and airy: Shelley and Stephen's Bromley home was given a spacious extension with a double-height ceiling (pictured)

Dining room before: The couple complained that their dining room did not benefit from natural light and felt 'gloomy'

Kitchen after: Former chef Stephen and proud host Shelley were given their wish of a spacious, modern kitchen

Kitchen before: The couple loved to cook but found themselves struggling in the cramped corner of the house

Room to grow: Son Tyrece, 14, was given his own double bedroom as part of the layout rejigging

Before: The teenager previously had the cramped box room (pictured) that didn't have space for a full-sized bed

Modern home: The couple decided to expand the renovation to include the whole house and replaced every window

Before: The family loved the location of their semi-detached property (pictured) but were cramped and needed space

Under the guidance of host Angela Scanlon, Shelley and Stephen were shown two potential redesign options using virtual reality technology.

They chose a bright and airy design by architect Julian McIntosh, who is new to the BBC2 series.

It involved adding an extension, creating a double-height ceiling and rejigging the layout to give Ty his own double bedroom.

Viewers were impressed by the results, saying it looked like a 'different house'.

One tweeted: 'Love, love, love it. Couple made an excellent choice and the whole family benefitted. Great design from Julian.'

Another wrote: 'Absolutely stunning. Can you send that Architect and team to my house please.'

Thrilled: Stephen and Shelley joked they were 'skint but happy' when the results of their 150,000 renovation were revealed

Making do: Previously, the couple had moved their TV room to the conservatory at the back of the house

Struggling for space: The living room was previously located at the front of the property

Disjointed: The couple felt like there was nowhere for them to gather as a family with two adult sons

A third added: 'Hes off to a good start there! Julian has created a hybrid living and cooking area complete with a breakfast bar that is perfectly suited to Shelley and Stevens busy family - plus the pantry that they loved from Lauras concept!'

At the start of the episode, former chef Stephen and consummate hostess Shelley explained they loved to cook but simply did not have the space in their kitchen, which was split between a small nook and a lean-to extension.

They also had a 'gloomy' dining room, which did not have any natural light, and had put their TV room in the conservatory out the back.

Upstairs the problems continued with youngest son Ty forced to sleep in a box room that wasn't big enough for an adult bed.

The couple initially set aside 105,000 for the renovations but ended up spending more than 45,000 over budget because they expanded the project to take in the whole house.

Open-plan: Architect Julian came up with a clever plan to extend at the back of the house and knock down interior walls

Spacious: The ground floor was almost unrecognisable after the extensive work on the property

New layout: What was previously Ty's cramped bedroom became a modern family bathroom

High-spec finish: The couple decided to replace the flooring throughout the house and update the heating system

'We did the whole house. We've done every room, we've changed every window, every radiator, flooring, heating,' Shelley explained.

The work tackled all of their design woes, with their cramped ground floor replaced with an open-plan living-kitchen-dining area that was flooded with light.

The room layout was rejigged upstairs, with Ty's 'tiny' bedroom becoming a bathroom, Ty taking Shelley and Stephen's bedroom, and the parents being given a new bedroom in the extension.

The couple were delighted with the results, with Stephen saying: 'What's important is being able to have that space where you can shut the door and say "this is us". We can spend quality time together.'

He added: 'We're skint but happy.'
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Kate Middleton appeared to take style inspiration from Princess Diana yesterday as she joined husband Prince William in an all blue ensemble which closely echoed one of her mother-in-law's 1992 looks.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, sported a 59.99 Zara blazer and 95.00 pleated midi skirt by Hope Fashion in the colour of the Scottish flag which drew a striking similarity to a look the Princess of Wales donned nearly three decades ago for a day of royal duties in Nottingham.

Photos from 1992 show Diana, pictured with her sister and lady-in-waiting Sarah McCorquodale, in a monochrome blue number.

Diana sported blue patent court shoes, a pleated deep blue midi skirt with drop-waist double breasted blazer with brass buttons, which she complemented with oversized golden earrings.

Photos from 1992 show Diana, pictured with her sister and lady-in-waiting Sarah McCorquodale, in a monochrome blue number. Diana sported blue patent court shoes, a pleated deep blue midi skirt with drop-waist double breasted blazer with brass buttons, which she complemented with oversized golden earrings

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, sported a 59.99 Zara blazer and 95.00 pleated midi skirt by Hope Fashion in the colour of the Scottish flag which drew a striking similarity to a look the Princess of Wales donned nearly three decades ago for a day of royal duties in Nottingham.

Putting a modern twist on the look for her outing yesterday, Kate wore Gianvito Rossi tan suede heels with a matching 1080 bag from London-based brand, Metier.

But her blue outfit closely echoed her mother's with the same drop waist, brass buttons and midi pleated skirt.

Kate also sported a pair of 1,395 'flora drop' gold earrings from Scottish brand Hamilton & Inches, which has held a Royal Warrant as silversmiths to Her Majesty the Queen for more than 120 years.

With a keen eye for detail, Kate has often reference Princess Diana with her style choices.

Putting a modern twist on the look for her outing yesterday, Kate wore Gianvito Rossi tan suede heels with a matching 1080 bag from London-based brand, Metier. But her blue outfit closely echoed her mother's with the same drop waist, brass buttons and midi pleated skirt.

In July, Kate donned a deep blue 525 Beulah London gown as she paid a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS.

With it's striking white collar and blue polkadot pattern, the Duchess' bold shirt dress was reminiscent of a similar outfit worn by Princess Diana in 1985.

While in May last year, the mother-of-three donned a 550 pretty red floral gown by Beulah London for the virtual appearance, with the dress featuring a bold white collar.

Royal fans were quick to point out that the dress appeared remarkably similar to one worn by Princess Diana during a trip to Oman in November 1986.

In May last year, the mother-of-three donned a 550 pretty red floral gown by Beulah London for the virtual appearance, with the dress featuring a bold white collar

Royal fans were quick to point out that the dress appeared remarkably similar to one worn by Princess Diana during a trip to Oman in November 1986

Kate also regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana.

Kate and William are on a seven day tour of Scotland, which will include visiting St Andrews where they met.

Yesterday, the couple had a busy day of engagements which kicked off with a visit to Turning Point Scotland, a social care charity in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

The Duchess of Cambridge showcased her signature flair for diplomatic dressing as she joined husband Prince William for the second leg of his Scottish royal tour. Pictured on a visit to East Lothian to learn about the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU)

The couple learned about the support the organisation provides to those facing homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse. Later in the afternoon they visited the pioneering Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), and learned about the support it provides to community organisations across the country.

In the evening they were joined in the cafe kitchen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where they are staying, by Sikh Sanjog to prepare meals which will be distributed to vulnerable families across the Edinburgh community.

The visit is part of a royal charm offensive to help persuade Scotland to resist the demands of nationalists for independence. It received its effective launch over the weekend when William gave a deeply personal speech in which he described the 'special place' that Scotland had in his heart, a country which he said held both some of his 'happiest memories' and his 'saddest'.
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Kate Middleton had a quick outfit change as she joined Prince William for an action-packed day in Orkney today.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially opened Balfour Hospital, in Kirkwall, and visited the European Marine Energy Centre, as their royal tour of Scotland continued.

Kate, 39, started the day looking polished in a recycled 349 Massimo Dutti coat, wide-leg beige trousers and a matching clutch bag and heels by go-to accessories label Emmy London.

The Duchess, who is styled as the Countess of Strathearn in Scotland, gave a nod to her hosts with a Strathearn tartan scarf from online retailer ScotWeb and a pair of 1,395 earrings from local brand Hamilton & Inches.

Later she swapped the formal outfit for her trusty 190 Seeland hunting jacket and 310 See by Chloe boots as she joined William at the European Marine Energy Centre and headed out to sea to see the world's largest tidal energy turbine. The Duchess wore the heavy-duty jacket over a 119 cotton blouse from Scottish brand Brora.

William, 38, and Kate travelled to Orkney from the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the Queen's official Scotland residence, in Edinburgh - where they are staying while on a week-long tour of Scotland.

The visit is part of a broader royal charm offensive to help persuade Scotland to resist the demands of nationalists for independence.

Kate Middleton had a quick outfit change as she joined Prince William for an action-packed day in Orkney today. Kate, 39, started the day looking polished in a recycled 349 Massimo Dutti coat and wide-leg trousers (left). Later she swapped the formal outfit for her trusty 190 Seeland hunting jacket and 310 See by Chloe boots (right)

Queen of the seas! The Duchess of Cambridge beamed as she made her way back to shore after being taken to see the world's largest tidal energy turbine, off the coast of Orkney

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke to schoolchildren on their visit to the European Marine Energy Centre

Enough for a sip? The Duchess of Cambridge is given whisky by CEO Andy Scott (right) to throw overboard to bless the Orbital Marine Power tidal energy turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney

The Duke of Cambridge threw the whisky over the side of the vessel to bless the tidal energy turbine in Orkney

The couple's first stop was Balfour Hospital, which opened its doors in 2019 and replaced the old hospital, which had served the community for 90 years. The couple appeared in good spirits as they arrived for the engagement (above)

The couple popped in for tea with the Bichan family in Kirkwall to hear more about life in Orkney, pictured

History of Kate's Strathearn tartan The Strathearn tartan takes its name from Strathearn, a region of southern Perthshire. The title Earl of Strathearn, now used by Prince William in Scotland, dates to 1357 Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, was created Earl of Strathearn. Evidence points towards the Strathearn tartan being a design by the famous weaving firm Wm. Wilson & Son of Bannockburn. The exact date of its creation is unknown but it dates back to at least 1820. Some historians believe it was worn by Queen Victoria's father the Duke of Kent, who was Colonel of the Royal Scots (First Royals) 1801-1821. By the early 1900s it was regarded as a District Tartan, the name given to tartans representing geographical areas, rather than clans. After decades out of favour, the Strathearn tartan has enjoyed a resurgance in popularity thanks to its association with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are styled as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn in Scotland. Advertisement

The first stop was Balfour Hospital, which opened its doors in 2019 and replaced the old hospital, which had served the community for 90 years.

The new facility has enabled the repatriation of many NHS services from the Scottish mainland, allowing Orkneys population to receive most of their healthcare at home.

The new buildings circular design is based on the 5000-year-old Neolithic settlement, Skara Brae, making it a unique reflection of the local landscape in which many historical sites are circles.

During the visit, the Duke and Duchess met a number of NHS staff to hear more about their experiences over the past year, before formally opening the hospital.

Later the couple visited the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)  the only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy in the world.

Founded in 2003, the EMEC is pioneering the development of a green hydrogen economy in Orkney, having set up a hydrogen production plant in 2016, next to the tidal energy substation.

During the visit William and Kate heard more about EMECs role in tackling climate change and supporting the UKs green recovery, from marine renewable energy generation to green hydrogen production and distribution.

The Duke and Duchess also visited the fuel cell and hydrogen storage trailers at Kirkwall Pier, which take locally produced hydrogen and reconvert it back to electricity, before heading out to sea to see the worlds largest tidal energy turbine, the 2MW O2.

Back on dry land, the couple were greeted by the local nursery school children at Kirkwall Marina after a visit to the European Marine Energy Centre.

At one point a confident little boy pointed at the Duchess and asked: 'Are you the prince?,' prompting her to lean down and respond: 'No, I'm not the prince, I'm the Duchess of Cambridge... Lots of people call me Catherine.'

Moving down the row, Kate asked a little girl: 'Are you a princess?' When the shy little girl looked down and said 'no'. Kate continued: 'Well you look like one in your beautiful pink coat.'

The mother-of-three then turned to the wider group to say: 'It's very nice to meet you. Have you been having a look at all the boats?'

At the same time Prince William was busy speaking to the children at the other end of the line - at one point kicking up his feet to compare shoes.

The Duchess of Cambridge was unfazed by the blustery sea air as she joined William on board the marine energy turbine

The couple shared a joke on board HMS Puncher during their visit to the Orbital tidal energy turbine in Orkney

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were shown the Orbital Marine Power tidal energy turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had plenty of questions to ask about how the wind turbine works

The Duchess of Cambridge shared a joke with sailors as they made their way back to shore from the tidal energy machine

The royal couple looked delighted to speak to the children and waved to them - but were careful to keep their distance

At one point the Duchess of Cambridge bent down to speak to some of the little ones who had gathered outside

Later the couple visited the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)  the only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy in the world. Pictured, the Duchess of Cambridge waves to well-wishers on her arrival

The Duchess of Cambridge was ready for the great outdoors at the second engagement of the day, pictured

Prince William has been in Scotland since Friday and Kate Middleton arrived yesterday. They will return to London on Thursday.

The couple kicked off their joint engagements yesterday with a visit to Turning Point Scotland, a social care charity in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

They learned about the support the organisation provides to those facing homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse.

Later in the afternoon they visited the pioneering Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), and learned about the support it provides to community organisations across the country.

The Duchess of Cambridge leaned down to speak to the schoolchildren who had waited to see the royal couple

Prince William compared shoes with the nursery school children on the visit to the European Marine Energy Centre

The couple looked in their element and shared a joke with some of the youngsters who looked thrilled to be meeting the royals

The Duchess of Cambridge leaned down to speak to the nursery school children who had gathered on Kirkwall Marina

Prince William also spent time chatting to the nursery school children and laughed happily at something they said

Dressed down in a 190 Seeland hunting jacket and 310 See by Chloe boots, Kate chatted to the youngsters

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke to Orkney residents at Kirkwall Marina during their visit today

'Are you the prince?' The nursery school children who made the royals chuckle Prince William, 38, and Kate, 39, were greeted by the local nursery school children at Kirkwall Marina after a visit to the European Marine Energy Centre. At one point a confident little boy pointed at the Duchess and asked: 'Are you the prince?,' prompting her to lean down and respond: 'No, I'm not the prince, I'm the Duchess of Cambridge... Lots of people call me Catherine.' Moving down the row, Kate asked a little girl: 'Are you a princess?' When the shy little girl looked down and said 'no'. Kate continued: 'Well you look like one in your beautiful pink coat.' The mother-of-three then turned to the wider group to say: 'It's very nice to meet you. Have you been having a look at all the boats?' At the same time Prince William was busy speaking to the children at the other end of the line - at one point kicking up his feet to compare shoes. Advertisement

In the evening they were joined in the cafe kitchen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where they are staying, by Sikh Sanjog to prepare meals which will be distributed to vulnerable families across the Edinburgh community.

Kate sported a 59.99 Zara blazer and pleated midi skirt by Hope Fashion in the colour of the Scottish flag, which she accessorised with a pair of 1,395 'flora drop' gold earrings from Scottish brand Hamilton & Inches, which has held a Royal Warrant as silversmiths to Her Majesty the Queen for more than 120 years.

Exact details of their Scottish tour schedule is being kept under wraps but the Duke and Duchess are expected to visit St Andrews University, where they met as students 20 years ago.

The couple will also host a special drive-in screening of Disney's Cruella for NHS staff, and will join young carers from the local Fife area for a session of land yachting on the beach.

Their visit to Scotland is understood to be part of a wider strategy to emphasise the 'cultural bonds' between Scotland and the rest of the union.

The Queen is passionate about the union and spends her annual summer break at Balmoral.

Her subtle comment about the independence referendum in 2014  asking people to 'think carefully about the future'  while staying at Balmoral, was credited with influencing the vote to remain.

In his address on Saturday to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, Prince William not only touched upon some of the most private aspects of his life, but also struck a conciliatory tone.

'It is my duty today to speak, but equally I am here to listen,' he said. 'In Scotland this week I will have my eyes and ears permanently open. Along with listening this week, there is something I do want to tell you.

'Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart.'

William, who is known as the Earl of Strathearn in Scotland, was speaking in his role as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly, a ceremonial appointment dating back to the 16th Century.

The Duchess, who is styled as the Countess of Strathearn in Scotland, gave a nod to her hosts with a Strathearn tartan scarf from online retailer ScotWeb and 1,395 earrings from local brand Hamilton & Inches

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, styled as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn, unveiled a plaque at Balfour Hospital

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, appeared to be all smiles as she arrived for her first engagement of the day in a caramel coat and matching trousers

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge formally opened the hospital, which first opened its doors in 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge wore 1,395 'flora drop' gold earrings from Scottish brand Hamilton & Inches

The Duke of Cambridge shared a light-hearted moment with some of the welcome party outside the hospital

Excited hospital staff gathered to take photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as the royal couple opened the facility

A small crowed gathered to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they arrived to open Balfour

He spoke of his happy time at St Andrews university as a student and training as a pilot in Inverness, adding: 'Scotland is the source of some of my happiest memories. But also my saddest.'

In what was interpreted as a nod to longevity, he referred to his children including Prince George, who is third in line to the throne. 'George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us, and they are starting to build their own happy memories here too,' he said. 'We have no doubt they will grow up sharing our love and connection to Scotland from the Highlands to the Central Belt, from the Islands to the Borders.'

The Queen is making plans for her traditional 'Holyrood Week' in early summer. Aides say there will be several 'high-profile events where Her Majesty will be seen out and about'.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will also be involved but the decision to send the Cambridges ahead was a clear part of the PR strategy. A source told the Mail On Sunday: 'It's about opening a dialogue  listening and talking. All members of the Royal Family have a strong affinity with Scotland.'

Kate, 39, looked chic in a camel coat and wide-leg trousers as she boarded the helicopter in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence

The couple are on their way to Orkney, off the northeast coast of Scotland, where they will carry out a series of engagements

The helicopter was seen taking off outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse this morning as bystanders snapped pictures

The Duchess of Cambridge wore her hair swept back in a half-up do as she boarded the helicopter with Prince William

Prince William carried a ring binder as he strode across the grounds of Holyroodhouse towards the helicopter
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was a vision in tweed today as she arrived for a visit to the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

The Argentinian-born royal, 50, looked typically stylish in the tailored ensemble, which she teamed with a black waisted belt, stilettos and a leather bag with a wood handle.

Matching her protective black face mask to her outfit, Maxima showed off her love for bold accessories with an eye-catching pair of hoop earrings, a large flower ring and gold bracelets.

The wife of King Willem-Alexander, 54, who is mother to daughters Amalia, 17, Alexia, 15, and Ariane, 14, wore her blonde hair loose, which was caught by the wind as she emerged from her car on arrival.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was a vision in tweed today as she arrived for a visit to the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences

The Argentinian-born royal, 50, looked typically stylish in the tailored ensemble, which she teamed with a black waisted belt, stilettos and a leather bag with a wood handle

The wife of King Willem-Alexander, 54, who is mother to daughters Amalia, 17, Alexia, 15, and Ariane, 14, wore her blonde hair loose, which was caught by the wind as she emerged from her car on arrival

Maxima looked like she meant business, strolling into the building clutching a blue notebook and pen while smiling under her mask.

It's the latest in a string of royal engagements for the queen in Holland's second largest city, a major logistic and economic centre which is home to Europe's largest seaport.

Rotterdam also hosted this year's Eurovision Song Contest last weekend, which saw Italy crowned winners.

Last week Maxima unveiled an interactive musical play set at a school for her More Music in the Classroom campaign.

The Dutch royal was all smiles - despite her mouth being concealed by her protective face covering - as she arrived at the university today

Matching her protective face mask to her outfit, Maxima showed off her love for bold accessories with an eye-catching pair of hoop earrings, a large flower ring and gold bracelets

She sported a stunning long-sleeve purple frock to visit the AS Talma school in Rotterdam, and looked in great spirits as she beamed for the camera while cutting a ribbon at the nearby Music Playground.

She paired the sleek aubergine number with some brown court heels and a matching suede purse.

The More Music in the Classroom campaign aims to provide structural music education for all primary school children in the Netherlands.

The royal has shown repeated commitment to the campaign, of which Maxima is the honourary chairwoman, even at the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

Last week Maxima unveiled an interactive musical play set at a school for her More Music in the Classroom campaign

The wife of King Willem-Alexander, 54, showcased her playful side as she struck a pose for a socially-distanced photo opportunity

The aim of the campaign is for music lessons to be a standard part of the curriculum at every primary school in the Netherlands.

Trainee primary teachers will need to gain enough confidence to make music and learn the technical skills to teach the subject.

The new grant scheme will give schools an incentive to provide high-quality music education for their students.

An important condition is that they work together with colleges of music.

A beautiful black and white portrait of Queen Maxima of the Netherlands taken in New York in 1999 was recently released as a stamp to mark her 50th birthday

Applications for projects under the grant scheme must show how the school intends to make high-quality music education a permanent fixture in teacher training.

The engagement came days after the monarch celebrated her 50th birthday, and a collection of stamps were released to mark the occasion.

The biggest stamp, Koningin Maxima, features an unseen retro black and white close-up snap from the monarch's private collection, showing Maxima in New York in 1999.

It shows a profile of the then 22-year-old with freckles on her cheeks, and strands of blond hair falling down to her shoulders,.

Four other pictures in colour honour King Willem-Alexander's wife royal duties and engagements, including her commitment to the More Music in the Classroom campaign.

Maxima and Willem-Alexander have been married for 19 years and share three daugthers. Their engagement was met with controversy because Maxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta, served as Secretary of Agriculture under General Jorge Rafael Videla, during Argentina's military dictatorship

Willem-Alexander and Maxima got engaged in March 2001 and tied the knot in a grandiose ceremony in February 2002.

At the time, the fact that Maxima, who was a 28-year-old economist, was the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, who served as Secretary of Agriculture under General Jorge Rafael Videla, during Argentina's military dictatorship, raised eyebrows.

Hello Magazine reported in 2016 that Willem-Alexander put his foot down and was so set on marrying Maxima he was ready to renounce the throne to be her husband.

Maxima, who was born in Buenos Aires, endeared herself to the Dutch people thanks to her warm personality, and the nuptials went ahead on February 2 2002 at Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam church.

Willem-Alexander became King of the Netherlands in April 2013 following the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrix.
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Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were all smiles as they visited Coventry today as part of celebrations marking its status as 2021 UK City of Culture.

The Prince of Wales, 72, and the Duchess of Cornwall, 73, toured the city's cathedral as well as an art gallery and an old hospital on Tuesday - days after Prince Harry accused his father of making him 'suffer' as a child in his new AppleTV+ five-part show The Me You Can't See.

In candid interviews with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Sussex dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family accusing them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal, and insisting he would not be 'bullied into silence' when he alleged 'The Firm' 'trapped', smeared and dumped them.

It was business as usual for Charles and Camilla today; visiting the cathedral for the first time, Charles and Camilla were met by the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth, and the Dean of Coventry, the Very Rev John Witcombe.

This afternoon the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Coventry Central Library, where she read an excerpt from the Very Hungry Caterpillar to local children and their mothers. Meanwhile Charles took a trip on the heritage boat 'Scorpio' on the Coventry Canal and cut a cake during his visit to the Coventry Church Municipal Charities Bond's Hospital.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were all smiles as they visited Coventry today as part of celebrations marking its status as 2021 UK City of Culture

Charles adopts his signature namaste greeting to meet members of the British Asian Trust at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry

This afternoon the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Coventry Central Library, where she read an excerpt from the Very Hungry Caterpillar to local children and their mothers

The Duchess put on an animated display as she read from the popular children's book during her visit to Coventry Central Library

At the cathedral the couple observed a service of thanksgiving which included the litany of reconciliation - recited every weekday at the site as an act of solidarity and wartime remembrance.

Camilla looked stylish in a black and blue ensemble, while Charles opted for a smart blue pinstripe suit with a white shirt and yet another animal-themed tie.

The original cathedral was bombed by the Luftwaffe during an air raid on the city on November 14, 1940, which killed 600 people. The ruins have remained as a monument to peace, while a new cathedral was built next door and consecrated in 1962.

That consecration, attended by the Queen, took place 59 years ago to the day. During the service, the prince sat in the chair his mother used during her visit nearly six decades ago.

The royal couple viewed the Altar of Rubble, built from the bombed-out remains of the original cathedral, including two fire-blackened roof beams forming a cross.

They were also shown the 1977 Reconciliation Statue, which shows a couple embracing across barbed wire, and toured the new cathedral.

At least she kept her cloak on! The Prince of Wales meets with Pru Porretta, who is dressed up to represent Lady Godiva, during his visit to the Canal Basin, in Coventry

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are accompanied by Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, John Crabtree (right) on their arrival for a visit to Coventry Cathedral in Coventry

Camilla looked stylish in a blue dress with cream detailing on the collar, which she teamed with a black cape jacket over her shoulders and her faithful black suede knee-length boots

It was business as usual for Charles and Camilla today; visiting the cathedral for the first time, Charles and Camilla were met by the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth, and the Dean of Coventry, the Very Rev John Witcombe

The royal couple viewed the Altar of Rubble, built from the bombed-out remains of the original cathedral, including two fire-blackened roof beams forming a cross

Prince of Wales takes in the ruins of the old Cathedral during a visit to Coventry Cathedral in Coventry. The original cathedral was bombed by the Luftwaffe during an air raid on the city on November 14, 1940, which killed 600 people

Return of the walkabout: The Prince of Wales greets the public during a visit to the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry, to watch a short performance by artists involved in the Coventry UK City of Culture

Speaking during the thanksgiving service, the bishop said: 'The consecration of Coventry Cathedral, 59 years ago, took place in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, and it is a deep joy, Your Royal Highnesses, that you have graced us today with your presence.

'Throughout decades of public service, His Royal Highness has been dedicated to the nurturing of understanding between peoples, to building peace in the world and to the restoration of hope among those who might despair.

'Time does not allow me to pay proper tribute to those efforts to improve community relationships, deepen inter-faith understanding and raise the aspirations and life chances of young people.

'But, if I may, I would like to draw attention to the way - in the Balkans, in Northern Ireland, in the Holy Land and elsewhere - His Royal Highness has spoken poignantly about the futility of vengeance, the need for enemies to build bridges that reach out to each other so that they may become friends and the power of forgiveness. These principles lie at the heart of the ministry of Coventry Cathedral.'

The Prince of Wales took a keen interest during the tour of Coventry Cathedral on a visit to mark the 59th anniversary of its Consecration year

Speaking during the thanksgiving service, the bishop said: 'The consecration of Coventry Cathedral, 59 years ago, took place in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, and it is a deep joy, Your Royal Highnesses, that you have graced us today with your presence'

The service at the cathedral today took place before the building's font, which is carved from a stone brought from Bethlehem (pictured)

The City of Culture showcase, taking in a broad spectrum of mediums, including theatre, music and street performances, had its official launch delayed because of Covid-19. Pictured: Charles and Camilla with the Bishop of Coventry, Rev Christopher Cocksworth

The couple observed a service of thanksgiving which included the litany of reconciliation - recited every weekday at the site as an act of solidarity and wartime remembrance

During the visit today, the Prince of Wales laid a wreath and lit candles at a short service where the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation will be said as an act of solidarity and remembrance

A grinning Prince of Wales is pictured meeting and chatting to school children during the visit to Coventry Cathedral in Coventry

The service took place before the building's font, which is carved from a stone brought from Bethlehem.

As Charles and Camilla left the cathedral there were cheers from a crowd who had gathered outside.

The City of Culture showcase, taking in a broad spectrum of mediums, including theatre, music and street performances, had its official launch delayed because of Covid-19.

Charles and Camilla then made the short walk towards the nearby Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. Outside there was a street performance by artists, some on scooters and bicycles, prompting Charles to tell them: 'Very energetic.'

Once inside the gallery, Charles and Camilla were given a tour of the 2-Tone: Lives and Legacies Music Exhibition by lead curator Martin Roberts and The Selecter frontwoman Pauline Black.

The exhibition is celebrating the city's status as the home of ska music - a blend of traditional Jamaican music, as well as reggae, punk, rock and rocksteady genres.

Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pictured as they arrived for a visit the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry

Charles visits Daimler Powerhouse in Coventry. Later the prince, as patron of the British Asian Trust, met supporters of the Oxygen for India appeal, which has so far raised more than 4 million towards providing critical help for people in India suffering with Covid-19

When the prince asked Ms Black, 'Is it soul music?', she replied: 'No, it's not soul music - it's something called ska music.'

Later, showing some of the exhibits to the duchess, surrounded by displays including Fred Perry shirts and pork pie-hatted musicians, Ms Black pointed out an image of The Specials' founder member Jerry Dammers, asking her: 'Do you know the song Free Nelson Mandela?'

When Camilla said she knew the tune, Ms Black said: 'Well, Jerry wrote that.'

Afterwards the prince, as patron of the British Asian Trust, met supporters of the Oxygen for India appeal, which has so far raised more than 4 million towards providing critical help for people in India suffering with Covid-19.

Praising the 'fantastic' work of the attendees, Charles said: 'I cannot thank the Indian community enough, here - the diaspora - and of course the wider community, globally, for supporting all these people so in need.

As Charles and Camilla left the cathedral there were cheers from a crowd who had gathered outside. Pictured: Charles greets the public during a visit to the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Charles is pictured laughing with the crowd before cutting a cake during his visit to the Coventry Church Municipal Charities Bond's Hospital

Charles can be seen raising a toast before tucking into a cake during his visit to the Coventry Church Municipal Charities Bond's Hospital

Charles is seen taking in his surroundings before chatting with the crowd during his visit to the Coventry hospital

'I sympathise with all those who have been so cruelly affected by this crisis, who've lost their loved ones. And of course it seems as though every member of the diaspora, here in the United Kingdom, knows someone affected so I can understand even more how much it means.

'I particularly want to show my appreciation, as far as the trust is concerned, which has been able to begin a meaningful emergency appeal and action to ensure that oxygen concentrators have got to India and have been dispatched to rural areas, through partners, to where there is a real need.

'Clearly, you know better than I, there is much more that is needed to be done to provide support and of course to help build back better.

'Once again, I cannot thank you enough; for your response, the degree to which you've responded and the amount of money that's been raised and pledged makes such a difference and personally makes me very proud.'

Yesterday Charles urged small family farmers across the world to 'come together in a global cooperative' and to find 'strength in numbers' to deal with future upheavals in the agriculture industry.

The Prince of Wales is pictured chatting while walking near the Coventry Canal during his visit to Coventry today

Charles can be seen boarding the heritage boat 'Scorpio' during the royal visit today. Scorpio was part of the extensive orders placed by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company in 1935 to modernise their fleet

Since joining the Heritage Working Boats Project, Scorpio has had the back cabin fully restored to how it would have been in the early days of life as a working boat. Charles is seen waving on the boat during his visit today

Charles was seen waving during a ride on the Scorpio heritage boat, which can often be seen around the canals of the Midlands

Charles was seen chatting as he rode along Coventry Canal in the Scorpio Heritage boat during the trip today

He called for the plight of farmers to be at the centre of environmental action as the industry undergoes a 'massive transition'. His comments came amid claims the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with Australia, which would open up British markets to farmers Down Under, would make it 'all but impossible' for family farms 'to compete with vast volumes of imports' from overseas.

In a piece penned for the Guardian, the Prince of Wales said family farms needed to be a 'key part in any fair, inclusive, equitable and just transition to a sustainable future', noting that more than 100,000 family farms had been lost in the last 30 years.

He wrote: 'There are small farms the world over which could come together in a global cooperative committed to producing food based on high environmental standards.'

Charles and Camilla seemed in good spirits as then made the short walk from the cathedral towards the nearby Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Charles is pictured arriving at Daimler Powerhouse which homes theatre and outdoor performance, education programmes, special commissions and touring work

Charles is pictured watching a performer at Daimler Powerhouse in Coventry, once part of the world-famous car factory located on the edge of the city centre in Radford

It's been a difficult few days for the royals. Last week Lord Dyson's damning report into how Martin Bashir secured his 1995 BBC Panorama with Princess Diana found the shamed journalist hoodwinked her with an elaborate fiction that painted some of those closest to her as traitors. He commissioned fake bank statements to secure his, but covered up his 'deceitful behaviour' in a 'shocking blot' on the BBC's near 100-year history.

The Duke of Cambridge said Bashir's deceit hastened his parents' divorce, 'hurt countless others' and fuelled the 'paranoia and isolation' of his mother's final years, while Prince Harry - who is based in California - also responded saying his mother 'lost her life because of this'.

On Friday Harry launched another attack on The Firm in his latest interview with Oprah, arguing he and wife Meghan felt 'trapped' with 'no option to leave'.

Harry said his family tried to prevent him and Meghan from leaving when she was having suicidal thoughts, insisting they were 'neglected' and 'trapped' but have no regrets about quitting for LA

'I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect,' he told the chat show host. 'We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.'

He added: 'That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, "You can't do this", And it's like, "Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?". She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn't have to get to that.'

Royal biographer Phil Dampier said Harry's trip to unveil a statue of Princess Diana with his brother William on July 1 will now be in 'grave doubt', especially after the Duke of Sussex said London is a 'trigger' for his anxiety.

And royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said there is now 'clearly a huge gulf between the Royal Family and the Sussexes', while Harry's biographer Angela Levin called his appearance 'phoney and embarrassing'.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked in their element as they met excited nursery school children in Orkney today.

Prince William, 38, and Kate, 39, were greeted by the youngsters at Kirkwall Marina after a visit to the European Marine Energy Centre on a busy day of royal engagements.

Earlier the couple officially opened the new Balfour Hospital, in Kirkwall, and popped in for tea with the Bichan family to hear more about life in Orkney.

Kate started the day in a 349 Massimo Dutti coat, wide-leg beige trousers, Emmy London heels and a Strathearn tartan scarf but changed into her trusty 190 Seeland hunting jacket and 310 See by Chloe boots for the energy centre visit and marina walkabout.

At one point a confident little boy pointed at the Duchess and asked: 'Are you the prince?,' prompting her to lean down and respond: 'No, I'm not the prince, I'm the Duchess of Cambridge... Lots of people call me Catherine.'

Moving down the row, Kate asked a little girl: 'Are you a princess?' When the shy little girl looked down and said 'no'. Kate continued: 'Well you look like one in your beautiful pink coat.'

The mother-of-three then turned to the wider group to say: 'It's very nice to meet you. Have you been having a look at all the boats?'

At the same time Prince William was busy speaking to the children at the other end of the line - at one point kicking up his feet to compare shoes.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked in their element as they met excited nursery school children in Orkney today

Busy day: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge started the day by opening a hospital before moving on to the European Marine Energy Centre, where they met the children

Prince William , 38, and Kate, 39, were greeted by the youngsters at Kirkwall Marina after a visit to the European Marine Energy Centre on a busy day of royal engagements

The Duchess of Cambridge leaned down to speak to the schoolchildren who had waited to see the royal couple

Prince William compared shoes with the nursery school children on the visit to the European Marine Energy Centre

The couple looked in their element and shared a joke with some of the youngsters who looked thrilled to be meeting the royals

The Duchess of Cambridge leaned down to speak to the nursery school children who had gathered on Kirkwall Marina

Prince William also spent time chatting to the nursery school children and laughed happily at something they said

Dressed down in a 190 Seeland hunting jacket and 310 See by Chloe boots, Kate chatted to the youngsters

William and Kate spent several hours in Orkney after travelling from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, where they are staying while carrying out a week of engagements in Scotland.

The visit is part of a broader royal charm offensive to help persuade Scotland to resist the demands of nationalists for independence.

The couple's first stop was Balfour Hospital, which opened its doors in 2019 and replaced the old hospital, which had served the community for 90 years.

The new facility has enabled the repatriation of many NHS services from the Scottish mainland, allowing Orkneys population to receive most of their healthcare at home.

The new buildings circular design is based on the 5000-year-old Neolithic settlement, Skara Brae, making it a unique reflection of the local landscape in which many historical sites are circles.

Afterwards the couple stopped off at local family, the Bichans, to hear more about life in Orkney over a cup of tea.

Delighted: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wave to schoolchildren in Orkney today

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke to Orkney residents at Kirkwall Marina during their visit today

The Duchess of Cambridge shared a joke with sailors as they made their way back to shore from the tidal energy machine

Queen of the seas! The Duchess of Cambridge beamed as she made her way back to shore after being taken to see the world's largest tidal energy turbine, off the coast of Orkney

The royals sat outside on socially distanced garden furniture while chatting to the family.

The final engagement of the day was the European Marine Energy Centre  the only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy in the world.

During the visit William and Kate heard more about EMECs role in tackling climate change and supporting the UKs green recovery, from marine renewable energy generation to green hydrogen production and distribution.

The Duke and Duchess also visited the fuel cell and hydrogen storage trailers at Kirkwall Pier, which take locally produced hydrogen and reconvert it back to electricity, before heading out to sea to see the worlds largest tidal energy turbine.

The couple were shown how the turbine works and were given a cup of whisky to bless the machine.

Enough for a sip? The Duchess of Cambridge is given whisky by CEO Andy Scott (right) to throw overboard to bless the Orbital Marine Power tidal energy turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney

The Duke of Cambridge threw the whisky over the side of the vessel to bless the tidal energy turbine in Orkney

The Duchess of Cambridge was unfazed by the blustery sea air as she joined William on board the marine energy turbine

The couple shared a joke on board HMS Puncher during their visit to the Orbital tidal energy turbine in Orkney

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were shown the Orbital Marine Power tidal energy turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had plenty of questions to ask about how the wind turbine works

The couple popped in for tea with the Bichan family in Kirkwall to hear more about life in Orkney, pictured

Back on shore William and Kate - who share three children under the age of seven - looked thrilled to have an opportunity to meet the local schoolchildren.

Prince William has been in Scotland since Friday and Kate Middleton arrived yesterday. They will return to London on Thursday.

The couple kicked off their joint engagements yesterday with a visit to Turning Point Scotland, a social care charity in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

They learned about the support the organisation provides to those facing homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse.

Later in the afternoon they visited the pioneering Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), and learned about the support it provides to community organisations across the country.

In the evening they were joined in the cafe kitchen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where they are staying, by Sikh Sanjog to prepare meals which will be distributed to vulnerable families across the Edinburgh community.

The Duchess, who is styled as the Countess of Strathearn in Scotland, gave a nod to her hosts with a Strathearn tartan scarf from online retailer ScotWeb and 1,395 earrings from local brand Hamilton & Inches

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, appeared to be all smiles as she arrived for her first engagement of the day in a caramel coat and matching trousers

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge formally opened the hospital, which first opened its doors in 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge wore 1,395 'flora drop' gold earrings from Scottish brand Hamilton & Inches

The Duke of Cambridge shared a light-hearted moment with some of the welcome party outside the hospital

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on hand to officially open Balfour Hospital, in Kirkwall, and learn more about the pioneering work of the European Marine Energy Centre, as their royal tour of Scotland continued

Kate sported a 59.99 Zara blazer and pleated midi skirt by Hope Fashion in the colour of the Scottish flag, which she accessorised with a pair of 1,395 'flora drop' gold earrings from Scottish brand Hamilton & Inches, which has held a Royal Warrant as silversmiths to Her Majesty the Queen for more than 120 years.

Exact details of their Scottish tour schedule is being kept under wraps but the Duke and Duchess are expected to visit St Andrews University, where they met as students 20 years ago.

The couple will also host a special drive-in screening of Disney's Cruella for NHS staff, and will join young carers from the local Fife area for a session of land yachting on the beach.

Their visit to Scotland is understood to be part of a wider strategy to emphasise the 'cultural bonds' between Scotland and the rest of the union.
A Dominican rapper is being mocked and criticized on social media for showing up to his wedding in ripped jean shorts, a T-shirt, and socks with sandals  while his wife was completely glammed up in a white lace gown.

Reggaeton artist Nfasis, whose real name is Joel Garcia, tied the knot with Diana Vargas de Garcia in December of 2020, but photos from the event are going viral this week due to Nfasis's unusual attire  and bored-looking facial expressions.

While Diana came dressed to impress in a stunning white lace gown, sparkly tiara, and veil, Nfasis looked more like he was spending the day at home with friends, and didn't bother to wear anything fancier than denim shorts and a T-shirt.

Yikes! A Dominican rapper is being mocked and criticized on social media for showing up to his wedding in ripped jean shorts, a T-shirt, and socks with sandals

Blowing up: Reggaeton artist Nfasis, whose real name is Joel Garcia, tied the knot with Diana Vargas de Garcia in December of 2020, but photos from the event are going viral this week

What was he thinking? While Diana came dressed to impress in a stunning white lace gown, sparkly tiara, and veil, Nfasis looked more like he was spending the day at home with friends

No tux? He is seen in a sheer white T-shirt with a white tank top underneath, which he wears a top of distressed knee-length jean shorts covered in patches

Photos and video from the event show an indoor wedding with plenty of guests and few masks.

The room is decorated with white flowers, and a dessert table holds an elaborate cake and other treats.

Diana is dressed typically for a bride on her wedding day: She's wearing a blush gown with lots of white lace and a long train, which she has accessorized with a sparkly tiara, glitzy earrings, and a lace veil.

She has also clearly spent plenty of time getting her hair and makeup done to look extra special for the big day.

Even their two daughters are dressed beautifully in white dresses and flower crowns.

Nfasis, though, appears to have put in no effort at all. He is seen in a sheer white T-shirt with a white tank top underneath, which he wears a top of distressed knee-length jean shorts covered in patches.

Whatever, man: He also looked bored as he walked into the reception, entering with his hands in his pockets and then flashing a peace sign

Cringe! It's clear Diana was getting married, but her husband could have been at a bar

Bored: In one video, he holds Diana's flowers as she serenades him

Not into it: He spends most of the song looking at the floor instead of his bride

Anywhere else: His facial expressions and posture show no desire to be there

On his feet are a pair of slides, which he wears over white socks pulled up the length of his calves.

He also appears to be wearing a tuxedo cuff a tuxedo cuff bracelet on one wrist and a black watch on the other.

A video shared by Nfasis and Diana on social media show him entering the reception with an expressionless face, holding up a peace sign to guests.

In other images, he continues to maintain a blank, smile-less stare, even as he kisses his bride.

Another video shows him looking down at the floor, his expression neutral, while Diana serenades him.

The photos and clips flew under the radar when they were first shared last year and again in January  but earlier this week, Nfasis shared images from the big day yet again and they caught more attention on social media.

Not taking this seriously: During posed photos, he made some funny faces at the camera

Accessorized: He is also wearing an odd assortment of jewelry, including a tuxedo cuff-like bracelet on one wrist

Better behaved: Even the couple's daughters were dressed up beautifully for the occasion

Though Diana seems happy in all of the photos, Nfasis seems bored and disinterested

When ZeeTheBrat_ shared the images on Twitter, the mockery poured in.

'Imagine your man coming to your WEDDING looking like this,' ZeeTheBrat_ wrote.

'I think there are moments for everything and out of respect for her, who was very pretty in her dress, you should have respected the etiquette and protocol,' a commenter chimed in in Spanish.

'Pleeeeease, wtf is thiiiiiis?????' asked another commenter.

One woman on Twitter said that had she been in the bride's shoes, 'we simply would not have gotten married.'

'He looked like he just remembered ten minutes before the ceremony he was getting married. They asked him, if he wanted to change and he said he she doesn't accept me like this, she ain't the one,' another person wrote.

Run! Horrified social media users have criticized him for his lazy outfit

'No offense to her,' said one more. 'But I would've been a runway bride if I saw my man wearing that to our wedding, not only is it so wrong in so many levels, it's also the fact that she got all glammed up while he wore that makes it even worst.'

While many were struck by the overall sloppiness of his look, others zeroes in on specific details, like his slides, his cuff, and the tuxedo bracelet.

Some were more upset about how checked out Nfasis looked.

'He definitely look like he paused his game on PS4 and put the blunt out to attend his wedding real quick,' said one.

'He obviously don't wanna be there. Sis gone find yourself cause you lost,' said another, while a third asked: 'Why does it look like he is in a state of despair?'

'I felt bad for her and those kids!' said yet another. 'I feel like his facial expressions are actually worse than his clothes Loudly crying face like, no love or happiness in his face at all!'

Sad: Several Twitter users have zeroed in on his expression in this photo

OK? Diana, though, insisted on social media that 'everything was perfect and how I wanted it'

Diana, though, insisted on social media that 'everything was perfect and how I wanted it.'

'I am the happiest and luckiest woman,' she wrote in Spanish. 'My wedding was so simply beautiful. My husband, friends, and family were beautiful.'

'I confess that I had never dreamed of a wedding, not a white dress, like most women,' she said.

'Until one day my sister told me, "We are going to measure some dresses," and when they brought me that dress that I have on with that veil and that crown, tears came to my eyes, because I felt like a princess.'
In the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, one in 146 people has died of COVID - one of the highest death rates in the city.

Yet the neighborhood has the lowest vaccination rate of any in NYC - only 29 percent of residents have had at least one dose, and only 23 percent are fully vaccinated.

Some Far Rockaway residents want to wait and see how well the vaccines work before getting a shot themselves, while others believe unfounded conspiracy theories about the shots.

Though 52 percent of New Yorkers have had at least one dose, rates vary greatly within the city - reflecting the challenges that health officials face in pushing through access barriers, fears, and misinformation.

In many neighborhoods with lower vaccination rates - Far Rockaway included - a majority of residents are black and Hispanic.

In New York, vaccination rates for black and Hispanic residents lag behind rates for their white and Asian neighbors.

City-wide, 27 percent of black New Yorkers and 34 percent of Hispanic New Yorkers have received at least one dose - compared to 43 percent of white residents and 63 percent of Asian residents.

Far Rockaway, Queens has one of the highest COVID death rates in NYC but one of the lowest vaccination rates. Pictured: Registered nurse Anna Yadgaro, right, talks to Juana Mejia about the process before inoculating her with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of New York, May 12

But only 29% of Far Rockaway residents have been vaccinated, compared to almost half of New Yorkers city-wide

One out of every eight people in Far Rockaway has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and one out of every 146 has died

The situation in this community of around 67,000 people illustrates the challenges facing health officials in many places as they try to overcome hesitancy fueled by mistrust, misinformation and fear.

'We have a good amount of people that still dont want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason,' said Diana Catalan, a health clinic manager involved in the Far Rockaway inoculation effort.

Her father, a neighborhood resident, died of the virus in February.

Some people want to wait a few months to see how vaccinated friends and family respond to the shots, she said.

Some have heard unfounded conspiracy theories that the vaccine is dangerous. Others just feel no urgency, having escaped serious harm so far.

Catalan said she was anxious to get her 62-year-old father a shot at the Joseph P Addabbo Family Health Center, where she works.

But he got the virus before the vaccine became available to people in his age group.

'He was very young and he had no chronic illnesses,' Catalan said. 'He was nothing but a hard-working man.'

More than an hour's subway ride from Manhattan, Far Rockaway sits between a bay and a strip of urban beach on the eastern end of Queens seashore, beneath the flight path for nearby Kennedy Airport.

Like a lot of places where vaccination rates lag, a majority of residents are black and Hispanic.

Among some black Americans, there's documented distrust in the medical establishment and government because of a history of discriminatory treatment.

Vaccination rates vary further by borough - about one in four black residents all boroughs outside Manhattan have gotten a shot

'People are naturally going to be scared of anything offered by the medical community, especially because of what we've seen through health care and what that has looked like for low-income black and brown communities disadvantaged in the state,' Khaleel Anderson, a state Assembly member who represents the area explained.

For some Latinos, delaying the vaccine often comes down to logistics, such as work schedules or fear of negative immigration consequences.

A section of the neighborhood is also home to a community of Orthodox Jews, a group that, like white evangelical Christians, is also experiencing more vaccine skepticism.

Initially developed in the 19th century as a beach resort community, Far Rockaway today is poorer than most parts of the city, a mix of public housing, seaside apartment towers and suburban-style single-family homes, all physically isolated.

Its inoculation rate stands in stark contrast with the situation a few miles west in Breezy Point, a whiter, more affluent section of the Rockaway Peninsula where 75 percent of people have received their first dose.

'Far Rockaway is always the forgotten community,' said Michelle Chester, who was raised in the neighborhood and also happened to administer the very first COVID-19 vaccine dose in the state.

Local officials initially said limited access to vaccination sites is one factor contributing to the low numbers, though throughout May, there were at least four places where people were able to get shots in the three square miles that constitute Far Rockaway.

A large, state-run mass vaccination site is also just a few subway stops away, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Still, Chester, who no longer lives in Far Rockaway but visits her mother there on weekends, said in early May that if there are convenient sites, 'that information is not getting to the community.'

The city opened a new vaccination hub near the neighborhood in April, hoping to boost access.

'Having the permanent site really helps push us in the right direction,' Anderson said, but maintained that residents' hesitancy is driven by being 'genuinely concerned.'

The same neighborhoods with lower vaccination rates are also often those with higher COVID death rates, such as Far Rockaway seen in dark grey in the bottom right corner

Misinformation has complicated vaccination efforts, especially among residents who are skeptical of the speed with which the vaccine was manufactured.

Marimar Alvarado, 24, has decided against getting the COVID-19 vaccine, along with the rest of her family.

In Spanish, she referred to the vaccine as the 'Mark of the Beast,' an ominous sign in the New Testament's Book of Revelation, signaling the end times. The fringe conspiracy theory has spread among some Christians.

Somer Saleh, a family therapist at New Horizon Counseling Center in Far Rockaway, said that she noticed, among her vaccine-hesitant clients, that theres 'misinformation on what the actual vaccine contains' and 'wild conspiracy theories.'

In Far Rockaway's Jewish community, some women are fearful of getting the vaccine because of debunked claims the vaccine affects fertility, said Moshe Brandsdorfer, executive director of the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula, which provides vaccine education through online outreach. He also noted that those who already had COVID-19 don't really feel the 'urge' to get vaccinated.

People without legal status in the U.S. are also fearful of getting vaccinated because they're hesitant to give personal information, local health workers told The Associated Press.

The brief pause on Johnson & Johnsons one-shot dose, while health authorities considered a potential link to rare blood clots, also turned people away, they said.

Some progress is being made. The Addabbo center's Far Rockaway branch has been vaccinating between 30-80 people a day.

Earlier this month, it began offering additional vaccine slots on weekends, which is 'helpful to capture the working-class people who cant afford to take off a weekday,' Anderson said.

Addabbo is seeing results from the weekend sessions. In one weekend alone in mid-May, more than 200 people got the vaccine at the clinic's Far Rockaway location.

Some residents are hesitant due to distrust in the medical establishment while others believe 'wild conspiracy theories.' Pictured: Registered nurse Anna Yadgaro, left, hands Geidy Chirinos her vaccination card after inoculating her with the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, May 12

The barriers to vaccination in this tight-knit community echo similar issues across the city and across the country. Pictured: Angelita Ramos, right, goes over her vaccination card while waiting for licensed practical nurse Karja Austin to inoculate her with the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, may 12

Angelita Ramos, a 47-year-old Spanish teacher, recently got her second Moderna jab. She initially delayed vaccination.

'I was scared,' she said. 'To be honest, I said: "Let me see how it's going to work out."'

Ramos said seeing other teachers getting vaccinated convinced her to get the shot.

Elva Rosario, 79, also received her second dose recently, saying she often walked by the vaccine site but didn't think the vaccine was necessary since she was never infected.

Rosario said she wasn't afraid of COVID-19, saying at her age the virus 'hits you like a rock.'

In some parts of New York, the city has hired people to go door-to-door promoting the shots.

The state and city have also been offering incentives, ranging from free fries at Shake Shack to a week of free subway rides.

Doctors say that conversations about vaccine side effects may make patients feel more comfortable with getting a shot. Pictured: Registered nurse Anna Yadgaro, left, talks to Elva Rosario before inoculating her with the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, May 12

To really ramp up vaccination rates, personalized outreach in the community is necessary, said Addabbo CEO Miriam Vega.

'This final batch of people that we want to reach in order to reach herd immunity is going to take a lot of work,' she said.

Things like advertisements alone won't do the trick.

'It's the human one-on-one interaction that matters,' she said.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards agreed.

In a tight-knit community like Far Rockaway, 'if they dont see their neighbor getting the vaccine, they aren't getting it,' he said.
Pregnant women should be induced at 41 weeks to cut the risks to themselves and their baby, health bosses said today.

Healthy mothers-to-be were previously only offered an induced labour on the NHS when they were overdue  42 weeks.

But recent evidence shows that babies are more likely to die if the pregnancy goes beyond the 42-week mark and the chance of stillbirth increases the longer the wait goes on.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, a body of the Department of Health that publishes guidance, today published new draft guidelines saying women should be induced as soon as they hit 41 weeks to make the birth safer for them and their child.

One in five labours  around 128,000 a year  are induced in the UK every year, according to the NHS. Doctors induce labour by inserting a gel or tablet into the vagina.

Labours are also started artificially if the pregnant woman's waters break early or if she or her baby has a health problem.

Those women who choose not to be induced at 41 weeks can continue with twice-weekly monitoring. But they should be informed that there is no evidence this can prevent poor outcomes for mother or baby, the draft guidelines say.

Pregnant women should be induced at 41 weeks and not 42 to cut the risks to themselves and their baby, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has announced

Experts on the NICE committee looked at a range of evidence to support the shift.

The guidance is not yet formal, with the official recommendations expected to be published on October 14 this year after a consultation.

INDUCING LABOUR A WEEK BEFORE DUE DATE 'COULD REDUCE COMPLICATIONS' Offering all pregnant women the chance to induce labour early would cut complications and reduce the number of emergency C-sections, a major trial found in 2018. It showed that inducing labour at 39 weeks  a week before the due date  was safer than waiting for the pregnancy to run its course. A trial of 6,100 women in 41 American hospitals revealed that triggering childbirth early cut caesarean sections by 16 per cent, pre-eclampsia and hypertension by 36 per cent, and breathing problems among newborns by 29 per cent. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were described as 'game changing' by the researchers. Lead author Professor William Grobman from Northwestern University said: 'This new knowledge gives women the autonomy and ability to make more informed choices that better fit with their wishes and beliefs. 'Induction at 39 weeks should not be routine for every woman, but it's important to talk with their provider and decide if they want to be induced and when.' Advertisement

It also only applies to 'uncomplicated singleton pregnancies', with different rules applied to mothers expecting twins.

Evidence for the change included a large study in Sweden that was stopped early because more babies were dying or being admitted to intensive care when induction was carried out at 42 weeks compared to 41.

Research led by the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg compared how inducing birth at 41 weeks compared to the 'wait and see' approach of not inducing until after 42 weeks.

The study took place across 14 hospitals in Sweden between 2016 and 2018 and involved 2,760 women who volunteered to take part.

It was stopped in October 2019 because six babies in the latter group died. No deaths were recorded in the other group.

Other possible complications of allowing pregnancies to go beyond 41 weeks include the placenta breaking down and failing to provide the baby with adequate oxygen and nutrients, as well as the risk of womb infections.

NICE also called for more research on when induction should be offered in the groups of women who may be more likely to experience poor outcomes if their pregnancy continues beyond 41 weeks.

These groups include women of black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, women with a body mass index (BMI) over 30, and those aged over 35.

Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the centre for guidelines at NICE, said: 'It's vitally important that pregnant women faced with the possibility of induced labour are offered advice based on the latest evidence.

'By advising induced labour one week earlier, we can help ensure that women and babies are safer from harm and have the best possible outcomes during birth.'

Dr Pat O'Brien, consultant obstetrician and vice president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, welcomed the guidance update.

She said: 'It's been more than 10 years since the previous guidelines were introduced and it's vitally important the new research published since then is acknowledged and the advice for women updated accordingly.

WHAT IS INDUCED LABOUR? An induced labour is one that's started artificially. Every year, 1 in 5 labours are induced in the UK. Sometimes labour can be induced if your baby is overdue or there's any risk to you or your baby's health. This risk could be if you have a health condition such as high blood pressure, for example, or your baby is not growing. Induction will usually be planned in advance. You'll be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages with your doctor and midwife, and find out why they think your labour should be induced. It's your choice whether to have your labour induced or not. If your pregnancy lasts longer than 42 weeks and you decide not to have your labour induced, you should be offered increased monitoring to check your baby's wellbeing. Source: NHS Advertisement

'This proposed update takes into account the increasing body of evidence that pregnancies that reach, or pass, 41 weeks are associated with a small increase in the risk of stillbirth and perinatal death and that induction of labour reduces this risk.

'Induction of labour is a common and safe procedure, with around one in five labours induced in the UK.

'A woman's individual needs and preferences should always be taken into account and she must have the opportunity to discuss the options with a healthcare professional so that she can make an informed decision.

'We would also second calls for more research in understanding induction of labour for women from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy outcomes.

'This is so we can work to reduce health inequalities in maternity outcomes.'

The guidance also recommends that women who had previously had a caesarean birth and lost a child in the womb should be informed they are more likely to suffer tears to their uterus in future pregnancies.

NICE said women who had previously suffered intrauterine fetal death  the clinical term for the tragedy  and had caesareans are more likely to suffer uterine rupture.

Women more likely to suffer this had previously been given prostaglandin to induce pregnancy but the committee found these drugs should not be used on women who have a uterine scar.

Dr Chrisp said: 'It's tragic when a woman suffers intrauterine fetal death and we need to make sure they are fully supported.

'We also need to make sure they  and healthcare staff  are fully aware of the risks of different interventions and can make informed decisions accordingly.

'However, it's clear that more research should be done to establish the safest and most effective way to induce labour in higher risk women who have experienced intrauterine fetal death, which is why we've made the recommendation to this effect.'
Latino activist groups in Nevada are working to get their communities vaccinated against coronavirus and close the gap between Hispanics and other ethnicities

Nearly a third of Nevada's population is Latino, and the state has the fifth highest share of Latino residents of any state.

However, only about 30 percent of Latinos in the state have been vaccinated, compared to 50 percent of the non-Hispanic white population.

Public health experts say issues including a lack information and fear of authority were contributing factors.

Now, groups like Make the Road Nevada and Dream Big Nevada - which typically focus on immigrant rights and supporting undocumented youth - have pivoted during the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, working to make sure the Latino community is informed and has access to the shots.

This includes posting Spanish-language billboards across the state and published Facebook posts and Live Videos in Spanish to directly reach the public.

Nevada activists are trying to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates among Latino communities with Spanish-language social media posts (above) and Spanish-language billboards

Latinos are less likely to have been vaccinated so far due to a lack of Spanish speaking resources available, vaccine hesitancy and a potential fear of authority figures in America. Pictured: Farm worker Marcos Cruz receives a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, March 13

Groups are now working hard close disparities between Latino Nevadans and the white population.

Blanca Macias, director of operations for Make the Road, told NBC News she got the idea to pivot towards vaccine work from an experience with an older Latino man in which he tried, and failed, to get information on the vaccine.

Her group is now working with Immunize Nevada, a non-profit focused on spreading awareness about vaccines, to set up a pop-up vaccine clinic on Memorial Day weekend.

The two groups have teamed up with Walmart to distribute 300 vaccine doses to the community this weekend.

Dream Big has converted its headquarters into a vaccine site, where up to 500 people a day are being vaccinated.

As of this week, about 4,000 people have been vaccinated at Dream Big vaccine sites, including a special pop-up clinic they put together for Las Vegas' Cinco de Mayo celebration earlier this month.

One activist, Lizbeth Alvarez, shared stories on Facebook and Spanish language billboards across the state as a part of the "Pongamos de nuestra parte" (Let's do our part) campaign

'They were not only getting the vaccine, but they were also getting a taste of normalcy with the event, because for many, it was the first time in over a year that they were able to gather in a larger group than just our immediate family members,' Dulce Valencia, director of operations at Dream Big Nevada, told NBC News about Cinco de Mayo.

Valencia said that her groups initial focus during the pandemic was making sure the undocumented population of Nevada was updated on the status of DACA, a law that protects undocumented people who were brought here as young children.

The law was put under fire by the Donald Trump administration, and has been the subject of Republican chagrin in recent years.

They decided to pivot once they became aware that Latino's were not getting vaccinated at the same rate as their peers.

'What you were hearing in the news, was that Latinos didn't want the vaccine, that Latinos didn't want to get it,' Valencia said.

'And what we were finding is that Latinos wanted to get the vaccine, they just didn't know if or where they could get it.'

Make the Road Nevada is creating Spanish language fact sheets to distribute in their community to combat vaccine misinformation

Combating vaccine misinformation has been a challenge for the groups as well.

Many falsehoods about the vaccines and their long term effects have been spread on social media since they first became available in December.

These false social media posts have become especially common in immigrant communities, deterring some from receiving the vaccine.

All three available COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective against the virus.

Macias learned of this problem after her mothers hesitation to receive the vaccine due to concerns berthed on social media.

She decided to create a vaccine fact sheet in Spanish to distribute throughout the community and combat misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in her community.

Lizbeth Alvarez, who works for the ad agency KPS3, contributed to the effort as well.

She worked with Latino community leaders in the area to share their stories and promote the safety of the vaccine.

Alvarez shared stories on Facebook and Spanish language billboards across the state as a part of the "Pongamos de nuestra parte" (Let's do our part) campaign.

The billboards especially grabbed attention, as Spanish language billboards in the area were rare.

Stories from the campaign resonated with people, and many shared their own experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alvarez told NBC that the area has no Spanish speaking television stations, so the use of billboards and social media posts are an important part of the effort to inform local communities.

The vaccine rollout throughout the United States has slowed in recent weeks, including in Nevada, and groups like Macias' hope they can kickstart the vaccine effort by quelling fears and hesitancies many may have.
French and German YouTubers with millions of social media followers say they were contacted by a mysterious ad agency to spread disinformation about the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

Leo Grasset runs a YouTube channel called 'Dirty Biology', on which he presents scientific topics in a humorous manner.

Grasset was contacted by an unknown man who went by Anton, offering him thousands of dollars to make TikTok or Instagram videos disparaging the Pfizer vaccine.

The man wanted Grasset to tell his followers the untrue claim that Pfizer's vaccine is three times as deadly as the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Guardian reports that the group that contacted Grasset is linked to Russian hackers who stole data from the European Medicines Agency.

Leo Grasset runs a YouTube channel titles "Dirty Biology" where he discusses scientific topics in a humorous manner. He was asked by an unknown organization to smear the Pfizer vaccine.

Grasset says he was never told the identity of those asking him to make the smear, only that the person offering him money was named "Anton" and that they worked for a London based agency called "Fazze". The Associated Press could not find any official record of the agency, and they did not respond when contacted

C'est etrange.

J'ai recu une proposition de partenariat qui consiste a deglinguer le vaccin Pfizer en video. Budget colossal, client qui veut rester incognito et il faut cacher la sponso.

Ethique/20. Si vous voyez des videos la dessus vous saurez que c'est une ope, du coup. pic.twitter.com/sl3ur9QuSu  Leo Grasset (@dirtybiology) May 24, 2021

Anton never revealed his identity to Grasset, but did say he had a considerable budget for an 'informational campaign' about the vaccines.

'They wanted me to talk about the Pfizer vaccine in a way that would be detrimental to the Pfizer vaccine reputation,' Grasset told the Associated Press.

He said the disinformation effort drives home the need for people 'to be super, super cautious' about what they see online.

'We creators on YouTube, on internet, Instagram, et cetera, we are at the center of something going on like an information war,' he added.

'We, as creators, need to set our standards really high because it's, I think, just the beginning.'

Grasset was told that if he makes the video, not to disclose it as a paid advertisement.

Instead, Anton wanted him to pretend the video was organic content he chose to make on his own volition.

A trainee doctor in southern France with tens of thousands of followers who was also approached for the smear effort told French broadcaster BFMTV that he was also contacted to smear the vaccine.

He was offered more than 2,000 euros ($3,000) for a 30-second video post.

Mirko Drotschman, a German YouTuber with over 1.5 million subscribers, says he was also contacted by the group.

Grasset was never given an exact figure to make the video, though he estimates the number would have been in the tens-of-thousands of dollars due to his large following.

Olivier Veran, France's health minister, called the attempted smear 'pathetic' and 'dangerous'. More than 30 million Francs have been vaccinated as of Tuesday

The smear effort drew a withering response from French Health Minister Olivier Veran.

'It's pathetic, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible and it doesn't work,' he said.

The person who contacted Grasset said he works for an advertising agency called Fazze.

A website for Fazze used to give a London address but that had been scrubbed from the site on Tuesday.

Companies House, where British firms are registered, has no record of Fazze.

Currently, the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are all available in France, with the first three being available in almost all European countries.

More than 30 million residents of France have been vaccinated as of Tuesday afternoon.

Pfizer did not immediately respond when reached out to by The Daily Mail for comment.
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As the U.S. passes 50 percent of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19, President Joe Biden's administration is encouraging states and businesses to think of creative ways to encourage Americans to get their shots.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Andy Slavitt, senior advisor on the White House COVID response team, praised Ohio's million-dollar lottery for vaccinated residents, which saw rates skyrocket among young adults by more than 50 percent.

He also mentioned the U.S. Treasury Department's new guidance, which told states how they can follow Ohio's lead by using federal funds for vaccine incentive programs.

Plus, if free donuts weren't enough to convince you, Slavitt said Americans can consider free plane tickets with United Airlines is giving away free tickets to anywhere in the world in a lottery exclusively open to vaccinated Americans.

On Tuesday, the U.S. reached 50% of American adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19, about six months after the rollout began, but the number varies greatly by state

States are launching lotteries and other monetary incentive promotions to encourage vaccination. Pictured: A student at Kent State University gets his Johnson & Johnson shot on campus

As of today, half of American adults are fully vaccinated, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and about 62 percent more have had their first dose.

While vaccination rates vary greatly by state, 25 states and the District of Columbia have fully vaccinated at least half of their adult populations.

These states are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut have the highest rates - about 64 percent of adults in all three states are fully vaccinated. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have also fully vaccinated over 60 percent of their residents.

Meanwhile, six states - all in the South - have yet to fully vaccinate even 40 percent of their adult populations: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

In Ohio, less than half of adults are fully vaccinated. A new million-dollar lottery for vaccinated Ohioans is pushing the number up - more people got shots after it was announced

Lotteries and other incentives encourage vaccination. Pictured: Jake Lawler, 29, gets his vaccine at a community center in Lima, Ohio, March 29

Ohio is one of those states that hasn't yet hit the 50 percent mark, but the state is on its way there, thanks in part to a new initiative - the Vax-a-Million lottery.

'Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has unlocked a secret,' said Andy Slavitt, senior advisor on the White House COVID response team, at the press briefing.

'People do care about getting vaccinated, but it turns out they have other things they care about too.'

In the lottery, one vaccinated Ohio resident will win one million dollars - once a week for the next five weeks.

The lottery has already seen great success: in the days after this program was announced, Ohio saw a 55 percent increase in its vaccination rate for adults ages 20 to 49.

In some counties, Slavitt said, 'the rate of vaccination doubled compared to before the announcement.'

The first winner in Ohio's lottery was pulled on Monday night pulled yesterday from a pool of nearly 2.8 million entries. This winning ticket will be announced tomorrow at 7.29pm on Wednesday.

In addition to the cash lottery, Ohio is also running a secondary program for vaccinated residents ages 12 to 17, who can win a full-ride college scholarship to any public school in the state. More than 100,000 teenagers have entered so far.

The Biden administration is encouraging other states to follow Ohio's lead. Slavitt announced new guidance from the Treasury Department that tells states how to use federal funds to pay for vaccine incentive programs.

So far, Colorado, Maryland, New York and Oregon have announced lotteries similar to Ohio's.

At one point in April, the U.S. was vaccinating three million people a day. Now, it's closer to two million

Some companies are providing incentives, too. One now-famous example is the Krispy Kreme promotion - vaccinated customers can get free donuts.

United Airlines joined this trend on Tuesday. The airline launched a ticket sweepstakes with vaccinated Americans allowed to enter to win two roundtrip tickets, first-class, to anywhere in the world.

One ticket winner will be chosen every day in June. And on July 1, United will pick five grand-prize winners - they'll get a free pass to flights anywhere in the world for a full year.

Initiatives like this are good at convincing the hesitant, as Ohio's results have shown. A recent Harris Poll suggests that 57 percent of unvaccinated Americans support vaccine incentives, and 54 percent say they'll be more likely to get a shot if there's an extra bonus on the line.

Lotteries and other incentives won't work for everyone, though. Some Americans want to get vaccinated but face access barriers - such as not being able to find an appointment that fits their work schedule.

Barriers like this have kept many black and Hispanic Americans from getting vaccinated. The Biden administration is also encouraging more walk-in vaccination options, mobile clinics, and other ways to make it easier to get a vaccine.

In New York City, for example, mobile vaccine buses will be parked at popular city beaches starting this weekend. The beaches include Coney Island and Far Rockaway - the latter has the lowest vaccination rate of any neighborhood in the city.

'People may say this is frivolous,' Slavitt said at the briefing. 'I say, anything that ends the pandemic, we pull out now.'
Patients who've recovered from COVID-19 are starting to see bills add up from their hospital stays and treatment.

One man profiled by The New York Times, whose father died of the virus last fall, is managing over one million dollars of outstanding debts. Another patient was charged $50,000 just for an air ambulance.

Some health insurance companies put policies in place to reduce COVID treatment costs. In many cases, however, hospitals haven't followed those policies - leaving patients with the bills.

Long haul COVID impacts millions of Americans - who will need medical and financial support for a long time after the pandemic 'ends' more broadly.

Patients are facing 'the financial version of long-haul COVID' - massive medical bills for COVID treatment. Pictured: Chaplain Kevin Deegan prays with COVID-19 patient Esperanza Salazar, as she speaks with family members remotely in Los Angeles, February 2021

One widow of a COVID patient is facing a $50,000 bill for an air ambulance that insurance refuses to cover

Over a year into the pandemic, scientists are now well aware of a condition called 'long COVID' - in which patients suffer from symptoms for weeks or even months after becoming infected with the coronavirus.

What was once thought to be a niche condition is now known to be terrifyingly common. One in four COVID patients will develop long COVID, according to recent studies.

Long COVID can impact anyone - including patients who were young and healthy before their infection and those who had mild or asymptomatic cases.

A study out of the University of California, for example, found that nearly a third of long COVID patients identified had no symptoms during their initial infection - though other researchers critiqued this study for failing to include neurological symptoms in their analysis.

The most common long COVID symptoms, according to a survey of patients suffering from this condition, are fatigue, muscle aches, shortness of breath, and difficulty concentrating.

Fatigue is the most common symptom for long COVID patients, according to a patient-led survey

But there's another symptom that falls outside of patients' bodies: massive medical bills.

New York Times reporter Sarah Kliff calls this 'the financial version of long-haul COVID.' Patients may face massive medical bills after surviving the virus - or even while they're still battling it.

Bills may add up to thousands of dollars - depleting patients' savings. They can also follow patients' families after a COVID death.

Shubham Chandra is in that position, sorting through hundreds of medical bills left by his father. Chandra's father died last fall after a seven-month hospital stay - but providers still insist on collecting money.

Even after leaving his job to manage these medical bills, the Times reports Chandra is still overwhelmed. His family could owe over $400,000.

Another patient, Rebecca Gale, is facing a large ambulance bill on behalf of her husband - who died of COVID last summer.

While the insurance covered many other costs, it only paid about $10,000 of a $50,000 bill for an air ambulance that took Gale's husband between hospitals.

Meanwhile Irena Schulz, a retired biologist suffering from long COVID, is struggling to pay a $5,400 bill for hearing aids that she needs to help with COVID-related hearing aids.

Gale considered taking on a post-retirement part-time job to pay for bills, while Schulz is now avoiding trips to the emergency room in order to cut down on future costs.

Out of millions who got infected one in four may still be suffering from long COVID

When a COVID patient dies, medical bills may be pushed onto their families

There is no relief program for these patients. The federal government isn't covering their treatment costs in the same way as it covers COVID tests and vaccines.

Early in the pandemic, some large health insurance companies did offer to waive all deductibles, copayments, and other fees for COVID patients. But a policy like this is easier written than enforced.

In many cases, hospitals failed to actually waive fees for patients. Some facilities coded patient visits as non-COVID, even though a COVID patient did receive treatment. Such an error would mean that a patient still has to pay their typical deductibles and copayments.

In one case described by the Times, a patient spent 50 hours trying to get his M.R.I. scan billed as COVID-related - so that his health insurance will cover the full $1,600 cost. He hasn't been successful yet.

In other cases, insurers might send patients into a bureaucratic maze - requiring them to fill out forms, make calls, and do other work in order to maybe get coverage.

'I've heard so many stories of people being completely stymied filling out reimbursement forms and trying to get insurance to cover them,' Senator Tina Smith, Minnesota Democrat and the lead sponsor of a bill to make COVID care free, told the Times.

'It's almost as if the system is designed to make it hard to get reimbursed.'

It can be especially difficult to deal with bills, endless calls, and other challenges when suffering from the fatigue and concentration difficulties common in long COVID patients.

And even the insurers that did offer waivers for COVID patients earlier in the pandemic are now winding down those programs. Anthem, UnitedHealth, and Aetna all stopped waiving fees for COVID care earlier in 2021.

Some insurance companies claimed to waive costs for COVID patients, but it didn't always work in practice

Medical research on long COVID is just getting started. In February, Congress provided $1.15 billion in funding to the National Institutes of Health to investigate this condition.

But the millions of Americans suffering from long COVID don't just need medical research support - they also need financial support. Senator Smith's bill would waive treatment costs for any American, regardless of their health insurance situation.

That bill is far from law. In the meantime, Americans can still protect themselves from COVID - and from COVID medical bills - by getting vaccinated. COVID vaccines are always free.
Shares in subprime lender Amigo Loans fell close to 50 per cent today after its proposed rescue plan was roundly rejected by the High Court, despite the approval of creditors.

The guarantor loan provider has been struggling under a mountain of historic mis-selling complaints and had appealed to the courts to allow it to cap compensation payments and set aside a potential 35million pot to deal with them.

However the scheme failed at the final hurdle, after the High Court said it felt roughly 1million current and past borrowers were not given sufficient information to make a decision on its scheme of arrangement.

Subprime lender Amigo Loans was teetering on the brink this morning after its proposed rescue plan was rejected by the High Court

Britain's financial regulator had previously sent the shares into a downward spiral after it weighed in at the eleventh hour to say it would oppose the scheme at its second court hearing, which took place last Wednesday.

The Financial Conduct Authority said it felt it was unfair mis-sold borrowers would only get back as little as 5 per cent of what they were due but the company's shareholders would not be left out of pocket.

It had previously written a letter to the lender setting out its problems with its proposed scheme, but until late on 10 May did not plan to oppose the scheme.

Since the scheme was proposed late last year shares in the beleaguered guarantor lender, which lost 81.3million in the nine months to the end of 2020, have steadily risen.

They peaked at just shy of 30p on 10 May, the day before the FCA's intervention, leaving the company with a market capitalisation of over 140million.

However, since then those gains have been wiped out, with the company now worth just 45million and the shares falling to as low as 7p this morning.

Mr Justice Miles said in his judgment: 'I have accepted the submissions of the FCA that the creditors lacked the necessary information or experience to enable them properly to appreciate the alternative options reasonably available to them; or to understand the basis on which they were being asked by Amigo to sacrifice the great bulk of their redress claims, while the Amigo shareholders were to be allowed to retain their stake.'

He said due to 'the limited financial sophistication and literacy' of creditors, the information provided to them about the scheme by Amigo did not properly inform them about the repercussions of the scheme for both them and the company's shareholders.

As a result, he threw out the overwhelming vote in favour of the scheme by creditors, which saw 74,866 creditors approve it and just 3,862 vote against.

He noted this amounted to just 8.7 per cent of all the company's borrowers, who were allowed to vote on the scheme.

Amigo has consistently maintained that a vote against the scheme would tip it into administration.

Chief executive Gary Jennison told our sister title the Financial Mail on Sunday on 15 May that 'if the judge rules against the scheme, Amigo will go into insolvency.'

However, Mr Justice Miles effectively accused the company of fearmongering. He wrote in his judgment: 'The FCA submitted (and I agree) that it is unlikely that the directors would put the group straight into administration and destroy the substantial surplus value of the enterprise.'

He added: 'There is nothing in the evidence to suggest any imminent cashflow event that would force Amigo into insolvency.'

Complaints cost it 116.2million in the nine months to the end of 2020, but it has not paid out any more compensation since 21 December.

I am not persuaded on the material before me that, if the present scheme fails, there would be no room for another restructuring of the group under which the position of scheme creditors could be improved. Justice Miles

The High Court judge urged the company to go back to the drawing board.

He said: 'I am not persuaded on the material before me that, if the present scheme fails, there would be no room for another restructuring of the group under which the position of scheme creditors could be improved.'

In response to the judgment, the FCA said in a statement: 'The FCA considered it necessary in this case to share with the court its view that the scheme as proposed was inherently unfair, as it placed a disproportionate burden on customers, as opposed to shareholders and bondholders, to keep the company afloat.

'The FCA believes that Amigo can propose a fairer scheme to customers. It should also ensure that its customers are fairly represented and advised on alternative proposals for a scheme.'

John Cronin, a financial analyst at the stockbroker Goodbody, said this morning: 'We suspect a potential sweetening of the terms (a second scheme in effect) must be under very careful consideration to avoid an outright collapse of the business into administration.'

Mr Jennison told the London Stock Exchange this morning: 'Amigo is incredibly disappointed that the Scheme has not been approved despite the 74,877 customers who voted in support of the Scheme, representing over 95 per cent of those who voted.

'We are currently reviewing all our options and will provide an update at the earliest opportunity.'

Shares in fellow subprime lender Provident Financial Group, which is also proposing a scheme of its own, were also down 5 per cent this morning.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has told a parliamentary inquiry on Liberty Steel that he thinks the nationalisation of the firm is 'unlikely to happen.'

He said the government was considering all options for the steel plants operated by the struggling GFG Alliance but stated that public ownership of the assets was the 'least likely' route.

Kwarteng told the House of Commons' Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee that the fact Liberty Steel was putting some plants up for sale was proof of their underlying strength.

On the table: Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng (above) said the government was considering all options for the steel plants operated by the struggling GFG Alliance

The Cabinet Minister said: 'My own view is that the assets themselves are good assets. And that's why after all, the American financiers are putting the assets up for sale. They wouldn't be doing that if they didn't think there were buyers in the market, and I think they are.'

He added: 'I think nationalisation is unlikely to happen frankly. And my view has been vindicated by the fact that the assets are for sale. I think that there's considerable interests in the assets.'

It comes a day after Liberty Steel announced it intended to sell seven sites across the UK, including its large aerospace and special alloys plant in Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire, to help refinance and restructure its operations.

Aside from venues in Yorkshire, Liberty is also pressing ahead with the sale of its West Midlands-based Pressing Solutions business and its Essex-based Aluminium Technologies division.

Liberty said the divestment would enable it to put greater focus on its Rotherham plant, with the intent of manufacturing 2 million tonnes of 'green steel' a year.

Asked by Alexander Stafford MP about the Rotherham operations, Kwarteng replied: 'The workforce is skilled and dedicated. The managers of the plant are very experienced. I've spoken to them very frequently.'

For sale: Liberty Steel announced yesterday that it was pressing ahead with the sale of numerous plants, including its West Midlands-based Pressing Solutions business

The sale of some of the steel producer's assets was prompted by a weekend of meetings between Credit Suisse and Liberty Steel's parent company GFG Alliance, which is run by Indian-born business tycoon Sanjeev Gupta.

GFG Alliance has been riven by financial trouble ever since its main backer, supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital, collapsed into administration in March when its biggest insurer refused to renew a major contract.

Credit Suisse had given $1.2billion in borrowed money to GFG and has sought to collect back some of the funding, including through wind-up orders, but has now agreed to halt court proceedings to enable Liberty to conduct a sale.

GFG also has to contend with an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over suspected money laundering and fraudulent trading regarding its links to Greensill. The company has denied any wrongdoing.

Leader: Liberty Steel's parent firm GFG Alliance is run by business tycoon Sanjeev Gupta

On Monday, the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, revealed that Wyelands Bank, which is part of GFG, was probed by the Bank as early as 2019.

Mr Kwarteng declared today that the complex corporate governance of GFG meant that officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had declined GFG's request for Government support.

Yet 46million was provided in Government-backed Covid loans to the GFG through the CBILS and CLBILS loans schemes, which were administered by the British Business Bank.

'I think that the British Business Bank was clearly under a lot of pressure to disperse loans, 'Mr Kwarteng said. 'What subsequently occurred is that the Bank of England now has concerns about Wyelands Bank, which it didn't have last year when decisions about the CBILS and CLBILS were being made.'
He's the firebrand civil rights attorney who has been center stage in the aftermath of a string of racially charged police shootings in America, but Ben Crump's rise to prominence is a story with humble beginnings.

Indeed, the Florida-based lawyer has become a headline maker in the past year, stirring up public opinion amid a succession of high-profile civil cases involving black victims - and has won multi-million dollar payouts for the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

On Tuesday, the 51-year-old stood with the Floyd family at the US Capitol where they posed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they commemorated the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death.

He later joined the family at a closed-door meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

It's the culmination of a rather eventful year for Crump, who has taken on 200 police brutality claims in his 25 years of practice, and according to him, 'we never lose those cases.'

George Floyd family attorney Ben Crump spoke outside the White House Tuesday afternoon following a closed-door meeting with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The civil rights attorney has been center stage in the aftermath of a string of racially-charged police shootings in the US in the last year

Earlier, Crump (second from right) stood alongside the Floyd family (pictured) at the US Capitol where they posed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they commemorated the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death

While some of those court victories are now of historical significance, they also mean significant pay days for his firm, which takes a 30 per cent cut of awards, according to its website.

Earlier this month Crump won $10millon for the family of Andre Hill, 47, a black man fatally shot by a white cop as he emerged from his garage in the dark while holding a cell phone. The settlement will be paid by the city of Columbus, Ohio, where Hill lived.

Last year, the attorney won $27million for the Floyd family and $12million for Taylors, while also notching up $411million for a Florida motorcyclist crippled in a pile-up.

Assuming those funds are paid out in full, Crump's firm could take in $135million from those three cases alone.

So how did this child of a single mother growing up poor in the small city of Lumberton, North Carolina, become the nation's go-to attorney and media magnet for police brutality cases that have rattled the nation?

According to a close confidante, it was Crump's own humble beginnings that helped influenced his dedication to fighting racial injustice.

Despite being no stranger to the cameras and the press, the lawyer rarely shares details about his family background and personal life and guards his loved ones carefully.

But Dailymail.com can now reveal the influences that have brought him to this point: his mother, his wife, and his pastor, who disclosed exclusive details about one of America's most influential and controversial lawyers.

The Florida-based attorney (pictured in March) has seen an eventful 12 months since Floyd's death, stirring up public opinion on police brutality cases involving black victims

Crump has represented several families in several high-profile cases including that of Ahmaud Arbery (left), George Floyd (center) and Jacob Blake (right) who survived his injuries

In the past year, Crump had been able to secure multimillion dollar payouts for the families of black victims, including $12million for the family of Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a 'no-knock' police raid at her Kentucky home last March

The attorney married educator Dr. Genae Crump, 47 - who has a twin sister, Renae - after meeting her in college in Florida.

The couple has an eight-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, who is featured in videos for Crump's law firm based in Tallahassee.

During his childhood in North Carolina, his fiercely determined mother, Helen Crump McArthur, 74, helped keep him grounded.

The single mom worked two jobs - at a Converse shoe factory and as a hotel maid - to keep a roof over the heads of Crump and his two brothers.

Not much is known of the identity of the attorney's father, but he is reported to have been stationed as a soldier in Fort Bragg, near Lumberton.

Helen went on to marry her second husband - who would become Crump's surrogate father and also a key influence. The marriage would make Crump the oldest of nine children - including six step and half siblings.

According to Reverend R.B. Holmes, pastor of Crump's Bethel Missionary Baptist church in Tallahassee, it was the attorney's mother who played a huge influence in his fight for justice.

'Ben has gained many of his attributes from his mother,' he told DailyMail.com.

While Crump has become a formidable and outspoken figure in the fight against racial injustice, he is relatively private when it come to his family and personal life. Above he is seen with wife Genae and daughter Brooklyn

According to close friend and pastor, Reverend RB Holmes, it was the attorney's mother, Helen Crump McArthur (pictured) 74, who kept him grounded while growing up in rural North Carolina

Crump's success in his field is estimated to have earned him millions over the past year. Yet the attorney does not live a luxurious life. His detached home (pictured) is valued at estimated at $445,000, according to property records on Zillow

'She is a gracious, kind, loving, extremely memorable and a highly respectful woman. She is humble.'

The clergyman, who has known Crump for 20 years, added: 'His mother had been a big role model to him. She is comfortable with who she is. And Ben loves his mother.'

Growing up in the rural south, Crump witnessed the effects of slavery and racism firsthand, having attended segregated schools during his early education.

It was an eye-opening experience for Crump, especially when he later moved to a former whites-only school and saw the higher standard of books and equipment.

As is the case for many of his clients, the issue of police brutality towards black Americans is one that hits close to home.

In one interview, Crump recalled being a child and witnessing his uncle be abused by a police officer because he was black and driving a nice car.

When he was in his early teens, his mother was determined to provide him with better schooling.

She sent him to live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it his stepfather reportedly lived. From here he attended nearby South Plantation High before moving on to study law at Florida State University.

Reverend R.B. Holmes (pictured in 2016) has a significant supporting role in the Crump legal machine, offering spiritual counsel and traveling with the lawyer on the biggest cases

Years later he brought his mother closer to him, moving her from Lumberton to a relatively modest detached house in a tree-lined street near his family in a quiet Tallahassee neighborhood.

Crump also took legal guardianship of a cousin's two sons, who are now adults.

'That is Ben Crump's heart,' Rev Holmes added.

'If you want to rank the people who are the most significant in his life it's going to be his family, his church, his community and then his career.

'Genae is very supportive of Ben. Brooklyn is adorable and she is highly loved by her father and mother.

'Ben is very humble, very meek and very memorable. I remember the first time I met him 20 years ago at our church. After talking to him, I said: "young man, you're going to be a great lawyer".'

Rev Holmes has a significant supporting role in the Crump legal machine, offering spiritual counsel and traveling with the lawyer on the biggest cases.

He was at Crump's side at the funeral of drug dealer Andrew Brown in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, earlier this month.

Brown's case made national headlines after he was shot in the back of the head by police while at the wheel of his car.

'Most times in those situations I go with Ben to give him moral support. I am there to help with a prayer and guidance. And I have done that over the years,' the pastor said.

'I couldn't go to Minneapolis for George Floyd for medical reasons. Instead I was talking to him on the phone, texting. When the jury was out, I prayed with him. I was in constant dialogue with him.

Crump has become a major figure in the nationwide reckoning against police brutality and racial injustice, however, his story is one with humble beginnings. He and his wife are seen posing with former First Lady Michelle Obama in an undated Facebook photo

The 51-year-old married educator Dr. Genae Crump, 47 - who has a twin sister, Renae - after meeting her in college in Florida

As an adult, he's continued caring for his mother (left) moving her from Lumberton to a relatively modest house in a tree-lined street near his family in a quiet neighborhood in Tallahassee, where his family is based

'I was with him in Ferguson, Missouri, over the shooting of Michael Brown and throughout Trayvon Martin.'

The Floyd family visited the church on November 3 last year, along with First Lady Jill Biden. Breonna Taylor's family are now due to visit soon.

Rev Holmes said: 'That's what Ben does, he will bring the families to Bethel church and pray with them.'

While humble is a word associated with his mother, it is fair to say it is not one associated with Crump's public persona.

A formidable lawyer, he appears to relish the limelight in front of the media and has even drawn criticism comparing him to a civil rights equivalent of an ambulance-chasing lawyer.

However, he is reported as saying he turns down a dozen requests for every case he represents, choosing the ones that will 'shock the conscious of the American people.'

As recently as last month he was blasted for a tweet in which he wrongly claimed 16-year-old black girl Ma'Khia Bryant was unarmed when she was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio, last month.

Bryant was seen wielding a large kitchen knife and lunging at a young woman in a pink sweat suit when officer Nicholas Reardon fired four times.

A formidable lawyer, he appears to relish the limelight in front of the media and has even drawn criticism comparing him to a civil rights equivalent of an ambulance-chasing lawyer. He is pictured above during a press conference with Breonna Taylor's family

Philonise Floyd, brother of George Floyd, center left, attorney Ben Crump, center right, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, right, raise their hands during a news conference after the murder conviction against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd last month

The shooting happened shortly after a jury convicted former cop Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd, with Crump in the courtroom.

'As we breathe a collective sigh of relief today, a community in Columbus felt the sting of another police shooting as @ColumbusPolice killed an unarmed Black girl named Makiyah Bryant. Another child lost!' he tweeted at the time.

The attorney faced a barrage of online criticism. Radio host Dan O'Donnell tweeted 'please stop lying' along with police body cam video of Bryant with the knife.

Last October, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron also accused Crump of creating 'falsehoods' about him and his role in the case of Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a 'no-knock' police raid on her home.

Last year, Crump was influential in stirring up public opinion regarding the death of George Floyd, who died in custody of four Minneapolis Police Officers, who were all charged with his death

Cameron, who is black, said: 'This is the Ben Crump model. He goes into a city, creates a narrative, cherry picks facts to establish, to prove that narrative, creates chaos in a community, misrepresents the facts, and then leaves with his money, and then asks the community to pick up the pieces.'

Crump kicked off his law career with college friend Daryl Parks, who was also involved in the case of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot dead by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, in 2012.

However, he split with Parks and his new firm was launched in 2017 in association with injury claims law giant Morgan & Morgan amid great fanfare. Parks, who did not return requests for an interview, has always maintained the split was amicable.

Crump's firm now has 12 lawyers and five offices. Other cases include last year's killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, and the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Minneapolis last month.

Its website details multi-million dollar victories and has links to the lawyer's TV appearances, including his hosting of the 2017 six-part A&E documentary, Who Killed Tupac? about the rapper's 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.

Crump's firm now has 12 lawyers and five offices. His daughter Brooklyn has been featured in commercials for his company

Crump is also co-writing and producing a TV special on Nichelle Nichols, the black actress best known as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek.

His victories for Floyd, Taylor, and Florida motorcyclist Duane Washington is estimated to rake in $135million.

Yet despite his earnings, the attorney does not live a luxurious life. His detached home is valued at estimated at $445,000, according to property records on Zillow.

Meanwhile, his church is in another very rough, part of town.

'In a video on our website I say when I joined this church it was in a ghetto. Essentially, it still is,' Rev Holmes said.

'Ben Crump is one of those who have given their time and their talents to build this church.

'We have made progress because of people like him, who live on the other side of town, but not so proud that he won't come back to the inner city and give their resources and gifts and talents to rebuild a debilitated and marginalized black community.'

Crump spends a large amount of time flying around the country. He attends church whenever he is home, along with his family.

'Most times I will let him come to the pulpit to address the congregation on the issues that he is dealing with,' Holmes added.

'He's a very busy man who adores his family. But he shares his time. That's who he is.'
Meghan Markle introduced Harry to the term 'ancestral healing' that he claimed will help him 'break the cycle' of 'genetic pain and suffering,' DailyMail.com can reveal.

Prince Harry told Dax Shepard on his podcast 'Armchair Expert' recently that Prince Charles had 'suffered' because of his upbringing and that the Prince of Wales had then 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain.'

An insider with close ties to Meghan tells DailyMail.com exclusively, 'Meghan is the one who introduced Harry to the term ancestral healing. She said she learned about generational trauma from her mom [Doria Ragland] who started taking her to weekly services at Agape International and credits it's founder Michael Beckwith for teaching her about spirituality.'

'Meghan said both she and Harry come from a long lineage of pain and suffering, generations of genetic baggage and that it's now up to them to break the cycle once and for all,' they added.

Meghan Markle introduced Harry to the term 'ancestral healing' that he claimed will help him 'break the cycle' of 'genetic pain and suffering,' DailyMail.com can reveal

The source went on to say that Meghan is a big advocate of tapping therapy and does reiki on herself, Archie and her dogs. Harry told the podcast: 'I can take Archie on the back of my bicycle, I would never have had the chance to do that'

According to the source, 'Meghan is also a big advocate of tapping therapy and said she started tapping regularly after watching the documentary Heal. '

The tapping technique, or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is used to relieve anxiety and emotional pain by tapping on pressure points.

'[Meghan]is convinced that tapping has helped both her and Harry release negative patterns imprinted on their DNA from past generations - generations going all the way back to even the darkest of times including slavery, war, you name it,' the source said.

According to the source, 'Meghan is also a big advocate of tapping therapy and said she started tapping regularly after watching the documentary Heal'

'Meghan also does Reiki on herself, and even on Archie and her dogs to help them feel more balanced and relaxed.'

Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative medicine called energy healing where therapists channel energy into the patient by through touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient's body and restore physical and emotional well-being.

In the new podcast interview Harry blasted Prince Charles' parenting, saying he moved to California with his family to 'break the cycle' of pain he suffered as a member of the Royal Family - and needed to 'change that for my own kids'.

The Duke of Sussex also admitted he first wanted to quit The Firm in his 'early 20s' because of 'what it did to my mum' and revealed that his wife had encouraged him to get therapy and had herself now concluded: 'You don't need to be a princess'.

The appearance promoted Harry's Apple TV+ mental health series with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can't See, which premieres next Friday.

During the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes, Harry 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.

'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'.'

Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative medicine called energy healing based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient's body and restore physical and emotional well-being. Pictured is author of Self Reiki, Jasmin Harsono of Emerald and Tiger, Remind Studio

Harry, 36, appeared on Dax Shepard's podcast and described the 'genetic pain' of being a royal, saying Charles had 'suffered' and he had done the same to him

What is tapping therapy? Tapping therapy, also called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or psychological acupressure, is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. Those who practice it believe tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat pain and has been used to treat people with anxiety and PTSD. Similar to acupuncture, tapping focuses on the meridian points or energy hot spots to restore balance to your bodys energy. The technique is based on Chinese medicine. These meridian points help balance energy flow to maintain your health. Any imbalance can influence disease or sickness. While acupuncture uses needles to apply pressure to these energy points, EFT uses fingertip tapping to apply pressure. Source: Healthline Advertisement

Harry 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.

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 fueled 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'.

Harry told Dax Shepard on his podcast 'Armchair Expert' that Prince Charles had 'suffered' because of his upbringing and that the Prince of Wales had then 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain'

Prince Charles is pictured today during a visit to the the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre in London after Harry's new interview

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.'

Baring his soul, 36-year-old Harry, who is currently living in his $14million Californian mansion with his wife and son, said he was born into extraordinary privilege but hinted that he believes this has changed since he quit with Meghan last year, comparing it to Oprah Winfrey's humble beginnings. He said: 'I truly believe you can move along the spectrum as well, wherever you were born you may start in one place but that will change over time'.

The prince also revealed his wife told him of her experience of royal life: 'You don't need to be a princess, you can create the life that will be better than any princess', adding: 'We got together and she was like 'wow, this is very different to what my friends at the beginning said it would be'.'
Hundreds of teachers say they regularly witness pupils sexually abuse or harass their classmates at schools in the UK.

According to a new survey carried out by the BBC and teaching union NASUWT, almost a third of teachers said they had witnessed peer-on-peer sexual harassment or abuse and almost one in 10 said they saw it on a weekly basis.

More than 1,500 teachers responded to the survey, carried out for the Radio 4's File on 4 programme, and more than half said they did not think adequate procedures were in place in their schools to deal with abuse.

It comes after schools and universities across the country have faced increasing pressure to deal with sexual abuse in schools.

The issue hit headlines after reports of sexual harassment, abuse, misogyny and assault were published by the Everyone's Invited website - an anti-rape movement recently set up in the UK.

The website enables students from schools and universities across the country to anonymously share their accounts of sexual abuse and harassment.

Hundreds of teachers say they regularly witness pupils sexual abuse and harass their classmates at schools in the UK according to a new study carried out by the BBC and NASUWT

In the wake of the website's launch, the Government set up a dedicated hotline with the NSPCC for young people to seek support.

In new figures published by the charity yesterday, the NSPCC says the hotline has received hundreds of calls since launching in April.

The charity says estimates suggest around one third of all child sexual abuse is carried out by their peers.

The hotline is available for children and young people who have experienced abuse at school, and for worried adults and professionals that need support and guidance.

One parent of a 14-year-old girl told the helpline: 'Just this week we received a visit from a police officer who told us they were investigating an incident of up-skirting by a male pupil at my daughter's school.

'We were told that a teacher had been searching this boy's phone for something unrelated and discovered several pictures of up-skirting of different girls and the only girl that could be identified was my daughter.

It comes after reports of abuse, and assault published by Everyone's Invited website - an anti-rape movement in the UK. Pictured: sign attached to London school gate in wake of movement

'As you can imagine, this came as a huge shock to us. We have no idea who the boy is or if the images have been shared anywhere.'

From the 353 calls the hotline received, staff have made 65 referrals to external agencies like the police or social services.

Of those calls where information about the caller was known - more than half were adults or children who had experienced child sexual abuse or harassment and most were female.

The majority of cases where referrals were made involved secondary school aged children or young adults.

Kam Thandi, NSPCC Helpline Head, said: 'It is absolutely vital that people feel comfortable to raise concerns about child abuse and harassment, including children themselves, and we thank everyone so far who has found the courage to contact the helpline.

'Through these calls we have been able to provide much needed support, advice and, where necessary, to refer the information onto police and local authorities for further action.

In response to the BBC's survey, the majority of the 1,500 teachers questioned said they did not feel they had had adequate training to deliver the new Sex and Relationship lessons

'We have also heard about the devastating impact this abuse can have later in life if it's not addressed and have been able to share our experience and expertise to help with the recovery process.'

In September 2020, the Government also introduced compulsory Sex and Relationship Education (RSE) lessons and have asked Ofsted to review safeguarding measures in schools and colleges which the Government says 'will be published shortly'.

Children's Minister Vicky Ford told the BBC: 'We've seen these enormously worrying and very shocking allegations that have come through the Everyone's Invited site.

'One of the things that Ofsted will be looking at in this review is, are schools getting enough training and support?

'Do they need, for example, third parties to come in and train elements of that curriculum?'

In response to the BBC's survey, the majority of the 1,500 teachers questioned said they did not feel they had had adequate training to deliver the new lessons.

Flora Cooper, head teacher of Crowmarsh Primary School in Oxfordshire, where staff have just started to teach the new RSE lessons, told the corporation: 'In terms of external training, we've not had any.

'We actually haven't seen much being offered in terms of training and it is absolutely in the training - that's what is essential, which we don't have.

'Until the teachers are confident with the delivery of the content, then I don't think any of them will be confident and fully teaching the children the full curriculum. It feels as though we are on our own.'
Danny Fenster, 37, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, one of the country's top independent news sites, was detained at the main international gateway in Yangon while preparing to fly to Malaysia, Frontier said on Twitter

An American editor of a news site in military-ruled Myanmar was detained on Monday as he attempted to take a flight out of the country, his news organization said, the fourth foreign journalist held since a coup in February.

Danny Fenster, 37, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, one of the country's top independent news sites, was detained at the main international gateway in Yangon while preparing to fly to Malaysia, Frontier said on Twitter.

It said he had been transferred to Yangon's Insein Prison, a detention center where the ruling military junta has confined its political enemies.

'We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him,' Frontier Myanmar said.

'We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities now are to make sure he is safe and provide him with whatever assistance he needs.'

A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer a call seeking comment.

Bryan Fenster, Danny's brother, told the Detroit Free Press on Monday that he was en route back to the United States to visit his family when he was detained.

'We're just praying for his safety,' Bryan said.

'We just hope he's healthy, that he's being looked after and that this mess is rectified as soon as possible.'

Bryan is asking for the public's help in spreading the word about his brother's arrest in the hope that it will expedite his release.

Bryan Fenster, Danny's brother, told the Detroit Free Press on Monday that he was en route back to the United States to visit his family when he was detained. 'We're just praying for his safety,' Bryan said. Danny is seen in the above file photo

He said his brother has a 'passion for journalism and how the written word could spark change.'

'He's got a heart and passion for human rights and social justice, definitely a concerned world citizen.'

Bryan said he is looking to get in touch with the American embassy in Myanmar.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Yangon said: 'We are unable to provide details due to privacy considerations.'

Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Fenster's home state of Michigan, released a statement on Twitter about Danny's arrest.

'I am disturbed that Danny Fenster, a Metro Detroit native who is a journalist in Burma, was detained today in Yangon, Burma,' the senator said.

'My office is in touch with his family in Michigan, and we will continue to closely monitor the situation.'

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government on February 1, citing alleged fraud in an election three months earlier.

The junta that took power in February after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi has arrested about 80 journalists, roughly half of whom remain detained awaiting charges or trial.

Danny Fenster is the fourth foreign journalist to be detained, after Kamayut Media editor-in-chief and fellow US citizen Nathan Maung, who is detained at Insein Prison, and freelancers Robert Bociaga of Poland and Yuki Kitazumi of Japan, who were expelled.

The intervention after 10 years of tentative democracy has sparked nationwide outrage, with daily protests and strikes that the military has struggled to suppress, despite its use of lethal force and the arrest of thousands of people.

Journalists have been among those held, accused of incitement by the junta, which has restricted internet access, banned satellite broadcasts and rescinded the licenses of several news organizations.

'We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him,' Frontier Myanmar said. 'We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities now are to make sure he is safe and provide him with whatever assistance he needs.'

Bryan Fenster, Danny's brother, wrote on his Facebook page on Monday: 'Were absolutely stunned and extremely confused as to why Dan was detained. Were grateful to his family in Yangon, the Embassy, his friends/co-workers at Frontier Myanmar and the many people on the ground who are helping him. We love you so much, Dan.'

According to Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps a detailed tally of arrests and deaths since the military takeover, almost 4,300 people are in detention, including 95 who have already been sentenced.

Danny Fenster is a 37-year-old native of the Detroit area who joined Frontier Myanmar in August 2020.

Deadline Detroit, a news website to which he was an occasional contributor, said he had been en route to see his family back home when he was detained.

It said he has a master's degree in creative writing from Detroits Wayne State University, and had worked for a newspaper in Louisiana before moving to Southeast Asia.

'He has a fascination and passion for writing about folks who struggle and fight for social justice,' Bryan Fenster told The Associated Press.

'He was very interested in what was happening with Rohingya people there. Its a delicate, complex situation...We hope he's safe. Such a shame.'

Bryan wrote on his Facebook page on Monday: 'Were absolutely stunned and extremely confused as to why Dan was detained.

'Were grateful to his family in Yangon, the Embassy, his friends/co-workers at Frontier Myanmar and the many people on the ground who are helping him.

'We love you so much, Dan.'

Rohingya Muslims fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar for Bangladesh in 2017 during a major crackdown by the military.

Demonstrators on motorcycles gesture their hands during a protest against the military coup in Mandalay, Myanmar on Monday. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government on February 1, citing alleged fraud in an election three months earlier

Frontier Myanmar is one of two established English-language media outlets in Myanmar still allowed to publish, along with The Irrawaddy.

Two others, Myanmar Now and Mizzima, were banned but continue to operate underground.

'We don't have much to add beyond what we said in the statement,' Thomas Kean, editor-in-chief of Frontier Myanmar, told the AP.

The US Embassy in Myanmar was unable to provide details about any such incident because of privacy considerations, said its spokeswoman, Aryani Manning.

Bryan Fenster said the family is appreciative of the support it has received.

'We're so grateful,' Bryan Fenster said.

'We are surrounded by such a lot of support in our community and our friends around the country and overseas.

'We're very confident that he will be released.'
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Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have started to flatten out, latest data from the Government's Covid dashboard suggests.

MailOnline's analysis of Department of Health figures show positive tests appear to have plateaued in the borough for the first time in a month, following a period of exponential growth fuelled by the mutant B.1.617.2 strain in April and early May.

Figures show Bolton's rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 185 on May 17, the most recent date for which data is available, after dropping slightly the day before (from 178 to 177). Before that, infections had risen sharply every day since April 19, when there were just 17 positive tests each day, on average.

It came as ministers were lambasted by MPs today for imposing 'local lockdowns by the back door' after sneaking out advice against visiting Indian variant hotspots such as Bolton.

Advice 'sneaked' in without any announcement warned people against visiting the Greater Manchester town, as well as seven other areas where the mutant strain is spreading: Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

Local councils blasted ministers for failing to inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on May 21. Meanwhile, Labour branded the shift in guidance 'upsetting and insulting'.

But facing the wrath of the Commons this afternoon, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi insisted No10 had tried to 'communicate' with the affected authorities.

While Bolton  home to around 195,000 people  is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country mainly because of the Indian variant, the fact the coronavirus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked.

It is possible, however, that the infection figures mark a one-day blip and that positive tests could rebound again. Further data confirming the trajectory of cases will be released this afternoon.

But Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline the signs were 'encouraging' and Bolton's outbreak appeared to be 'plateauing'. He said locals appeared to be taking personal precautions.

In another promising sign for Bolton, the Government's Covid dashboard shows the town's test positivity rate has also been declining in recent days. Currently 5.9 per cent of all PCR swabs done in the borough are positive for Covid, according to data from May 19, down from a peak of 8.1 per cent a week earlier, on May 11.

That's despite almost four times more testing kits are being deployed in the Manchester town now than a month ago as part of a surge testing programme to stem the spread of the variant. Test positivity is one of the key indicators of how prevalent the disease is.

However, the promising figures come against the backdrop of climbing hospital rates in Bolton. Covid inpatient numbers have tripled in a fortnight and the Royal Bolton has asked patients to only attend A&E if it's absolutely necessary.

Health sources say there are currently 43 Covid patients across Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, compared to 12 who were receiving care on May 10. Experts fear pressure will only get worse because of how rapidly cases increased in the past month.

It takes several weeks for cases to turn into hospitalisations due to the lag between someone catching and falling seriously ill with Covid. However, Number 10 has said the 'majority' of people being hospitalised with the disease currently are either unvaccinated or have not been for both jabs.

The number of people in hospital with Covid (shown in blue) has traditionally spiked shortly after cases rise (orange), which appears to be happening again this spring but to a lesser degree thanks to the rollout of the vaccines. The data for the first wave is out of sync because the UK was not routinely testing people for the virus which meant the majority of cases were missed

MailOnline's analysis of the Government's Covid dashboard data suggests Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked (shown as the flat blue line). The rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 185 on May 17, the most recent date for which data is available. The figure had dropped from 177 to 178 the day before. While Bolton is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country because of the Indian variant, the fact the virus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked

In another promising sign for Bolton, the Government's Covid dashboard shows the town's test positivity rate has also been declining in recent days. Currently 5.9 per cent of all PCR swabs done in the borough are positive for Covid, according to data from May 19, down from a peak of 8.1 per cent a week earlier, on May 11. That's despite almost four times more testing kits being deployed in the Manchester town now than a month ago as part of a surge testing programme to stem the spread of the variant

Department of Health data shows how cases appear to have flat-lined in over-60s, while infections continue to spike in younger age groups

Bolton currently has an infection rate of more than 450 cases per 100,000  twenty times the national average  but infections appear to have levelled off (shown on the far right)

Ministers 'sneaked out' the advice without any announcement. Local leaders have reacted furiously to the changes, and said they are surprised no one in Whitehall even had the courtesy to let them know about the change

Data shows how big Covid outbreaks are in the eight areas with the travel guidance. The figures show how the rolling seven-day infection rate (the number of cases spotted in a week for every 100,000 people) has changed since the start of the year, with it spiking in Bolton (top right) to above levels seen during the second wave in January. Cases appear much flatter in other areas, including Leicester and Hounslow

The Bolton infection data is based on confirmed cases of coronavirus by specimen date, meaning the date the swab was taken rather than the date it was processed by laboratories.

There is a delay of around five days between swabs being taken and tested for the virus, leaving statisticians unable to calculate the infection rates until all swabs have been processed. This is why the most recent data provided by the Government only goes up to the middle of the month.

Dr Ali told MailOnline: 'It's encouraging to see that rates are not increasing in Bolton as quickly as before and there's a suggestion they might be flattening.

'Measures taken locally and by individuals appear to be having an impact, it's particularly encouraging that Eid celebrations haven't led to an increase.

'If test positivity is plateauing too then that's definitely encouraging. It's important people know the steps and sacrifices they are making are having an impact.'

But he said 'we need to get these numbers down much further', referencing the fact Bolton currently has an infection rate of more than 400 cases per 100,000  twenty times the national average.

The Indian coronavirus variant is now dominant in 44 areas across England  almost twice as many as the previous week  according to data published by the Sanger Institute today. Of the hotspots, only 19 have seen their infection rates increase in the most recent week

Covid deaths in England and Wales plunge to lowest level since BEFORE first lockdown last March Weekly Covid deaths have fallen to their lowest level since before the first lockdown last March in England and Wales, official data revealed today. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed 73 virus fatalities occurred across the two countries in the week ending May 14  the fewest since the seven-day spell that finished on March 13, 2020 (44) and a fall of 32 per cent on the previous week (108). Weekly Covid registered deaths increased slightly, from 129 to 151. But experts said this was because of the bank holiday weekend at the start of the month, which skewed data because some of the deaths occurring on that weekend were not recorded until the following week. Every region in England saw zero Covid deaths on at least one day during the week other than the West Midlands  and no area saw more than five per day. The East Midland and South West had the fewest during the week (both three) while the West Midlands saw 16 over the same period. England's and Wales' low death toll comes as a result of the success of the huge vaccine roll-out as lockdown restrictions continue to ease in both countries. Across the UK more than 38million people have now had their first dose of the vaccine and 22.9million people have had their second. The figures come amid fears surrounding growing case numbers of the Indian variant in hotspots of England, with Britons now told not to travel to Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside in an attempt to thwart the spread of the mutant strain. The Indian variant has already spread to almost half the country, or 151 out of 315 council areas, and is thought to now be the dominant strain in the country having displaced the Kent variant. Estimates suggest it may be around 30 per cent more transmissible but vaccines work against it. Death numbers usually lag behind cases by a fortnight, so the ONS figures today will not have been affected by the slight uptick in infections caused by the B.1.617.2 strain. Deaths have yet to spike in Bolton  the worst-hit area in the country currently  with just three fatalities recorded in the Greater Manchester borough since the start of May. Advertisement

Dr Ali added that it was also encouraging to see vaccine uptake increase in Bolton and other hotspots, but warned: 'The vaccine doesn't work instantly and the first dose doesn't give as much protection against the Indian variant, so people should be careful and follow the regulations.'

Latest NHS figures show that twice as many under-50s were vaccinated in Bolton in the week ending May 16, which was nearly twice as many as in the rest of England in the same time.

It means that, in total, about 26 per cent of people in the age group in Bolton have received at least one jab, bringing it in line with the rest of the country following weeks of lagging uptake.

However, the data only looks at the progress of Bolton's drive a fortnight ago  meaning the increase in uptake may be even higher.

Public Health England analysis over the weekend found a single dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer's jab was slightly weaker against the Indian variant compared to the Kent one.

Both vaccines were only 33 per cent effective at blocking symptoms of the Indian strain three weeks after one dose, compared to 50 per cent against the Kent variant.

Officials say it highlights the importance of getting both injections. But the PHE data found that after two doses the vaccines were equally effective against both strains, which has bolstered hopes that hospitalisations and deaths will never reach the peaks of previous waves.

It came as the the Royal Bolton Hospital reported one of the busiest ever days for its emergency department yesterday.

Patients were urged only to attend A&E if it was absolutely necessary as NHS bosses said the were overrun with people requiring treatment for the effects of Covid, as well as patients with a range of problems unrelated to the virus.

In a statement on Tuesday, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust Andy Ennis said: 'Yesterday was one of the busiest days we have ever had in our emergency department.

'People are presenting with a range of problems and staff are working very hard to ensure they receive all the care they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

'However, we are also now seeing more people requiring hospital treatment from the effects of Covid-19, and, whilst we have discharged a number overnight, today we still have 41 inpatients with Covid, including eight in critical care.

'Going into the bank holiday weekend and half-term, which is always a busy time for the NHS, we anticipate this pressure continuing. As such we are taking urgent actions to ensure we can continue to manage this demand effectively.

'We urge the public to continue to take all necessary steps to protect themselves and others, follow the relevant national guidance, and to only attend our emergency department if absolutely necessary.'

Patients were advised to call NHS 111 if they were unsure which service was suitable for their needs.

Dr Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist and member of a SAGE advisory committee, today warned a 'substantial amount of cases' of the Indian variant could translate into hospitalisations  which would put some local health services under increased pressure.



Fears about the Indian variant led to the Government advising against travel in and out of Bolton and seven other Indian variant hotspots.

Weekly Covid deaths have fallen to their lowest level since before the first lockdown last year in England and Wales, official data has revealed

'Local lockdowns by the backdoor': Ministers are slammed for 'sneaking out' advice telling Brits NOT to travel in or out of eight Indian variant hotspots The Government has been accused of bringing in 'local lockdowns by the backdoor' after Britons were told not to travel in or out of eight Indian variant hotspots to stop the spread of the mutant coronavirus strain. Guidance 'sneaked out' by ministers without any announcement warned people against visiting Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. Local councils left reeling by the change today blasted ministers for failing to consult or even inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on May 21 but was only spotted yesterday. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of 'shameful' behaviour for making the change without telling local people, and demanded they provide clarity 'fast'. 'Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies,' he said. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Health Secretary Matt Hancock must urgently explain why the Government is rolling out 'local lockdowns by the backdoor and hadn't even bothered to tell us'. Labour will ask ministers about the guidance in an Urgent Question in the House of Commons at 12.30. Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the change. Blackburn MP Kate Hollern dubbed the extra guidance 'lockdown-lite', and newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called for Mr Hancock to explain the change to Parliament. But Cabinet minister Therese Coffey defended the move, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was 'sensible' to issue extra guidance for Indian variant hotspots. The Work and Pensions Secretary said people living in these areas should consider 'whether it really is essential' for them to travel, and should limit activities where they risked either passing on or catching the variant. Advertisement

In guidance that was sneaked out by the Cabinet Office without any announcement, people have also been warned against visiting Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of 'shameful' behaviour for making the change without telling local people, and demanded they provide clarity 'fast'. 'Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies,' he said.

The guidance reads: 'The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

'In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to meet outside rather than inside where possible, keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with, and avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.'

It adds residents should also test themselves for the virus twice a week, work from home if possible and get vaccinated.

Local councils left reeling by the change today blasted ministers for failing to consult or even inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on May 21 but was only spotted yesterday.

When Tory MP Mark Harper asked Mr Zahawi if that was indeed the policy in the House of Commons today, the minister suggested that within his own family someone had received two doses of vaccine and still contracted the disease.

'It's worth waiting until the 14th of June when we will be saying more on this. Suffice to say two things,' he said.

'One, even if you've had  and I have had this experience in my own family  two doses of either vaccine you still can actually contract covid and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining.

'We are also looking at ways that contacts of people who may have contracted Covid can be regularly tested instead of isolating.'

Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the change, saying, 'the least I would expect is a letter or email from (Matt Hancock) or his office as a matter of courtesy'.

'Further and more importantly, my constituents needed to know. Many will have planned for the long weekend, bought tickets, made arrangements.

'And it's still not clear if this is advisory or legally obligatory. This is typical of this Government's incompetence.'

What did Boris Johnson REALLY say on May 14? Ministers were accused of 'lockdown by stealth' today after they quietly published guidance telling Britons living in eight Indian variant hotspots not to travel to other parts of the country. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi insisted Boris Johnson mentioned the update at a Downing Street press conference on May 14, in a statement to the Commons. 'The Prime Minister talked about this during his press conference on May 14,' he said in response to an urgent question. 'Government has reiterated a similar message since.' But Mr Johnson said nothing of the sort during the televised briefing, according to an official transcript of his words. Mr Johnson said: 'I urge everyone to exercise the greatest caution because the choices we each make in the coming days will have a material effect on the road ahead. 'To those living in Bolton and Blackburn, I am very sorry that you are once again suffering from this virus. 'I know how hard it has been for you, having been in a form of national or local lockdown for longer than almost everywhere else. But now it is more vital than ever that you play your part in stopping the spread. 'We will not be preventing businesses from reopening on Monday, but we will be asking you to do your bit. 'Take the vaccine when you can. Get your free, twice-weekly rapid tests. 'If you do test positive, you must self-isolate  and well provide financial support, to help to those on low incomes to help them do so. 'And as we move away from living our lives by government rules and as we learn to live with this virus, then, as I said on Monday, we need to make our own decisions about how best to protect ourselves and our loved ones - informed by the risks. 'And for those living in Bolton and other affected areas, there is now a greater risk from this new variant, so I urge you to be extra cautious.' He added: 'Our best chance of suppressing this variant is to clamp down on it where it is, and we will be throwing everything we can at this task... There will be surge testing, with mobile testing units, and the army will be on the streets handing out tests. 'And there will targeted new activity in Bolton and Blackburn to accelerate vaccine take-up among eligible cohorts  including longer opening hours at vaccination sites.' Advertisement

Bolton West and Atherton MP Chris Green claimed he didn't find out about the change until 10pm yesterday.

Ms Brabin called for Matt Hancock to be hauled before Parliament to explain why the change was made without any advice or guidance being sent to local authorities.

'It's another example of the Government doing to us without working with us,' she told BBC Breakfast.

'It's caused a lot of confusion. We were only alerted to it by journalists last night, late last night.'

She added: 'I'm expecting Matt Hancock to come to the Houses of Parliament to explain what's actually going on.

'Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the Government and their chaotic response to Covid.

'We know that during this pandemic our councils have worked absolutely tirelessly to deliver for our communities. But, if we have an issue here, we need Government to be working with us, not causing more chaos.'

Asked whether this signalled a return to the tier system, she said: 'If it is, we would like to know.

'This is part of the problem. We don't know hot to respond. We don't know what to advice our citizens. One wonders whether we should be taking this seriously at all.'

Ministers have not ruled out local lockdowns for areas where Covid cases are highest, even after the June 21 'freedom day' when all restrictions are set to be lifted.

Piling yet more pressure on the Government North Tyneside's director of public health Wendy Burke said there had been no indication of any additional restrictions when surge testing was launched last week.

'We understand that, later, Government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the Government website,' she said.

'This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

'We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.'

Hounslow MP Ruth Cadbury slammed ministers for trying to halt travel through her London borough, pointing out it has two direct links to Heathrow airport.

'Keep out of London Borough of Hounslow area?!,' she said. 'Does anyone in the Department of Health realise the Piccadilly line and A4 through the borough are the main routes between Heathrow and Central London?

'Was there any plan to actually discuss this with the council (or even perhaps look at a map)?'

But cabinet minister Therese Coffey has defended the change, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was 'sensible' to issue extra guidance for communities with the most cases of the Indian variant.

She said people living in these areas should consider 'whether it really is essential' for them to travel, and should limit activities where they risked either passing on or catching the variant.

The Indian variant has already spread to almost half the country, or 151 out of 315 council areas, and is thought to now be the dominant strain in the country having displaced the Kent variant. Estimates suggest it may be around 30 per cent more transmissible.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that seeks to punish social media platforms that remove 'conservative ideas' from their sites, though it is not clear if it would pass constitutional muster because it might violate the First Amendment.

The new law will enable the state to fine large social media companies $250,000 a day if they remove an account of a statewide political candidate, and $25,000 a day if they remove an account of someone running for a local office. It takes effect July 1.

'Some of these massive, massive companies in Silicon Valley are exerting a power over our population that really has no precedent in American history,' DeSantis said during a bill-signing ceremony at Florida International University in Miami. 'One of their major missions seems to be suppressing ideas.'

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives his opening remarks flanked by local state delegation members prior to signing legislation that seeks to punish social media platforms that remove conservative ideas from their sites

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hold up the signed legislation that seeks to punish social media platforms that remove conservative ideas from their sites

DeSantis appeared on Hannity on Monday night to discuss the new bill

WHAT IS SECTION 230 OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT Under the U.S. law, internet companies are generally exempt from liability for the material users post on their networks. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act - itself part of a broader telecom law - provides a legal 'safe harbor' for internet companies. THE TEXT: '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' WHAT IT MEANS: Social media platforms are not held legally liable for what their users post, and instead are considered an outlet where people can post whatever they want  within the guidelines of their terms of service Advertisement

But it's questionable whether Florida will be able to enforce it. Federal law prevents internet companies from being sued for removing posts and federal law trumps state law when there is a conflict.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act exempts websites from being sued for removing content deemed to be 'obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable' as long as the companies are acting in 'good faith.'

DeSantis said big tech companies are controlling accounts to remove content that doesn't suit their ideology. Republicans have accused companies like Twitter and Facebook of censoring conservative thought. DeSantis pointed in particular to then-President Donald Trump being banned by Twitter while still allowing Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to maintain an account.

'When you de-platform the president of the United States but you let Ayatollah Khamenei talk about killing Jews, that is wrong,' DeSantis said to thunderous applause.

Twitter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Facebook declined to comment.

But the tech lobbying group NetChoice, which includes Twitter and Facebook as members, criticized the new law in a press release.

'By forcing websites to host speech, this bill takes us closer to a state-run internet where the government can cherry pick winners and losers,' said NetChoice vice president and lawyer Carl Szabo. 'By carving out companies like Disney and Universal, Floridas legislature revealed its anti-tech fervor and true intent to punish social media for allegations of anti-conservative bias.'

The law will give Florida's attorney general authority to sue companies under the states Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It will also allow individual Floridians to sue social media companies for up to $100,000 if they feel they've been treated unfairly.

The bill targets social media platforms that have more than 100 million monthly users, which include online giants as Twitter and Facebook. But lawmakers carved out an exception for Disney and its apps by including that theme park owners wouldnt be subject to the law.

Speaking later on Hannity DeSantis said: 'Twitter will be on Donald Trump as president in the United States, but yet they will let the Ayatollah talk about killing Jews, are you kidding me? We think that this is the strongest thing that any state has done. And we have to protect people against big tech censorship.'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures as he is greeted at the MARC building on Florida International University's Miami campus, on Monday to sign the bill

The law will require large social media companies to publish standards on how it decides to 'censor, deplatform, and shadow ban.'

Regardless of the federal law, the new Florida law is constitutionally flawed, said Computer and Communications Industry Association President Matt Schruers.

'Gov. DeSantis says that this bill is about protecting free expression, but an internet service saying, `We dont want to host Nazis and people encouraging self-harm' is exercising its own First Amendment rights and that is one of the critical infirmities of this bill,' Schruers said.

Democrats opposed the bill and defended the right of social media companies, as private entities, to control the flow of information on their platforms. Democratic Sen. Audrey Gibson said in a press release that the bill was passed in an effort to placate Trump.

'These enterprises take responsibility for what appears on their platforms and have the right to do so,' Gibson said. 'Vulgarity and inciting violence are not their business model and our legislature should appreciate rather than legislate against such a concept.'

While similar bills have been filed in other states, DeSantis is the first governor to sign one into law.
Activist Chicago priest the Rev Michael Pfleger will be reinstated as leader of his parish nearly five months after he was suspended when three men came forward to accuse him of sexually abusing them as teenagers more than 40 years ago.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago announced Pfleger's reinstatement on Monday after an internal investigation found 'insufficient reason to suspect' Pfleger sexually abused children. A police investigation into the allegations is still ongoing.

Pfleger is set to return to his parish of St. Sabina, a black church on Chicago's south side, the second week of June.

'I have asked Father Pfleger to take the next two weeks to prepare himself spiritually and emotionally to return, realizing that these months have taken a great toll on him,' Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago said in a statement.

Dozens of supporters gathered outside St. Sabina on Monday to celebrate the decision to reinstate Pfleger - who condemned the 'false' allegations levied against him and vowed to return to the church more devoted than ever.

Activist Chicago priest the Rev Michael Pfleger (center) will be reinstated as leader of his parish nearly five months after he was suspended when three men came forward to accuse him of sexually abusing them as teenagers more than 40 years ago.

Parishioners of St. Sabina Catholic Church cheered on Monday as Pfleger spoke for first time during a press conference after his reinstatement as its pastor

The decision from the archdiocese comes after it asked Pfleger to step aside in January, and told his parish that its Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review had received an accusation that the priest had sexually abused a minor more than 40 years ago.

Two brothers, both black and now in their 60s, alleged that Pfleger groomed and abused them at rectories in the Chicago area when they were 12 and 13 years old. They accused the priest of taking advantage of two black boys who trusted him.

A third man later accused Pfleger of grabbing his crotch over his clothes in 1979. The 59-year-old man said he was 18 at the time and pretended to be asleep.

None of the accusers have been named publicly.

Pfleger, who is white, had fierce support from leaders and parishioners at St. Sabina, in the city's largely black and low-income Auburn Gresham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side.

Parishioners cheered as he arrived for a news conference outside St. Sabina on Monday afternoon, and Pfleger jokingly said he couldn't believe how many people had left work to be there.

He thanked church leaders and parishioners for supporting him in the 'most difficult and challenging time' that made him frustrated, angry, depressed and discouraged.

Pfleger is seen at a protest on the steps of St. Sabina Church in 1989

Pfleger enjoyed popular support from his largely Black congregation on the south side of Chicago. An investigation by the Archdiocese of Chicago into the allegations found 'insufficient reason' to believe he had sexually abused his accusers

Pfleger became pastor of St. Sabina in 1981. He is known nationally for his dramatic approach to activism

'I'm a man of faith but I'm also a human being who hurts and who bleeds,' he said. 'I've been discouraged at times. I wanted to give up ... but I love this church too much to walk away.'

On Facebook, Pfleger wrote that he was 'overjoyed' at the review board's findings. A day prior, on his birthday, he posted that 'pain and darkness have an expiration date.'

Eugene Hollander, an attorney for the accusers, said his clients were disheartened and were considering whether to file a lawsuit.

'You had not one, not two, but three victims of alleged molestation,' he said. 'They are of course very, very disappointed with the findings.'

Pfleger embraces Jordan-Amman Isiah West-Williams, 9, who he baptized on Monday. He is known to his church as 'Father Mike'

Parishioners of St. Sabina Catholic Church cheer as Pfleger speaks for first time Monday since the accusations against him surfaced

In a letter to the parish, Cardinal Blase Cupich said he had accepted the finding of the Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review and the archdioceses Independent Review Board.

While the third man, who lives outside Illinois, had been reluctant to tell his story, the brothers felt compelled to speak up, Hollander said.

'For them to move forward and complete themselves, make themselves whole, they had to tell their stories,' he said.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services completed its own review in February, concluding there was no credible evidence of child abuse or neglect by Pfleger.

A spokesman said the agency cannot investigate allegations of abuse by an adult victim but focuses on whether children are currently at risk.

Attorneys for the accusers and Pfleger have previously acknowledged a police investigation of the abuse allegations.

Illinois has no statute of limitations for filing charges in major sex crimes.

A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said its investigation is still open. A representative for Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said police have not presented any information for the office to review or determine if criminal charges are appropriate.

Pfleger and Jan Hood, 63, embrace each other following his reinstatement. The allegations against him stretched back nearly 40 years

Father Michael Pfleger spoke on Monday. 'I'm a man of faith but I'm also a human being who hurts and who bleeds,' he said. 'I've been discouraged at times. I wanted to give up ... but I love this church too much to walk away'

Pfleger (left) on Monday with his attorney Jim Figliulo

Pfleger was ordained in 1975 and assigned to St. Sabina Church, then became pastor six years later. He has been credited with reviving the parish.

Dubbed 'Father Mike' by parishioners, he is known nationally for his dramatic approach to activism aimed at chronic problems in the city, including defacement of alcohol and cigarette billboards and paying prostitutes to accept counseling.

Upset by the removal of their pastor, parishioners had tied up the archdiocese's phone lines, held rallies, sent letters and threatened to withhold $100,000 in monthly dues.

Pfleger told the crowd at Monday's news conference that he will return to work emboldened, stronger and 'more ready to fight than ever in my life' with a focus on violence and inequality in their neighborhood and in Chicago.

'False accusations were put out against me ... and I was immediately put out,' Pfleger said. 'You're guilty until proven innocent. And it's been hell.'

Cupich said Pfleger's reinstatement is effective the first weekend of June.

'I have asked Father Pfleger to take the next two weeks to prepare himself spiritually and emotionally to return, realizing that these months have taken a great toll on him,' Cupich said. 'He has agreed to do so.'

The archdiocese's first statement on Pfleger's reinstatement said its review found 'no reason' to suspect Pfleger of abuse before sending a second statement that changed the phrase to 'insufficient reason.'

A spokeswoman said the Independent Review Board's letter on its findings used the term 'insufficient reason' and the public statement was updated to match that.

Pfleger hugged community activist Ja'Mal Green Monday
A prosecutor who was co-counsel in the case against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright resigned Monday, saying 'vitriol' and 'partisan politics' have made it hard to pursue justice.

The resignation of Imran Ali, the assistant criminal division chief at the Washington County Attorney's Office, came just days after it was announced that his office would no longer handle prosecution of Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center officer who fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old black motorist, on April 11.

Potter resigned, and the city's police chief, who has since stepped down, had said he believed Potter meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun.

Ali and Washington County Attorney Pete Orput had charged Potter with second-degree manslaughter - then faced intense pressure from activists who protested multiple times outside Orput's home and called for murder charges to be filed.

On Friday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office would be taking the case.

'The last several weeks have been difficult for me and my family,' Ali wrote in a resignation letter dated Monday and published by KARE-11.

'The vitriol from some and the infusion of partisan politics by many has made my job difficult to pursue justice.'

Imran Ali, left, has quit the Washington County Attorney's Office days after it was revealed it would no longer handle prosecution of Potter. An angry mob showed up at the home of his former boss Pete Orput, right, demanding he upgrade the manslaughter charges

Dante Wright, left, was shot dead by police on April 11. Kim Potter, right, a former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police officer, has been charged with manslaughter. She says she was trying to shoot Wright with her Taser when she reached for her gun

Minnesota Attorney General, who successfully prosecuted Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, has taken over the case and is reviewing the evidence, raising the prospect that Potter could yet face murder charges

Ali wrote that he prays for healing and for the dissipation of partisan platforms.

'We must return to thoughtful discourse that unites, not impulsive, irrational talking points that divide,' he wrote. 'Until then, there will be no justice or peace.'

Orput has previously said publicly that he believed manslaughter was the appropriate charge.

Ellison said Friday that a review of the evidence and the charges against Potter is underway, but he did not indicate whether murder charges would be filed.

Orput's office had been handling the Potter case under an agreement signed last year in which Minneapolis-area prosecutors said they would take each other's cases in which someone dies after an officer uses force.

Last week Orput gave the case back to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, then Ellison took it at Freeman's request.

Ali will be leaving the office in a month.

When contacted about the resignation, Orput told KARE-11 he was losing 'his best prosecutor and one of his best friends.

'I'm saddened, but I'm also excited for him.'

Katie and Arbuey Wright, parents of Daunte Wright, cry as they speak during funeral services of Daunte Wright at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis, Thursday, April 22, 2021

Wright was shot on Sunday, April 11, after he and his girlfriend were pulled over for having an expired license plate.

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**. 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.

Orput initially had the case under an agreement signed last year in which metro-area prosecutors said they would take each other's cases in which someone dies after an officer uses force.

After Orput charged Potter with manslaughter, he came under intense pressure from activists who called for murder charges to be filed. Protesters held demonstrations outside his home.
Casey Anthony, the woman who was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter ten years ago, allegedly had a drink poured over her while at a bar in Florida over the weekend.

Anthony called West Palm Beach cops while she was at O'Shea's Irish Pub in the town.

The argument was apparently over a man the pair had both dated, but which had turned messy.

Casey Anthony, 34, called the cops while at a West Palm Beach bar this weekend. She is pictured here in 2017

Anthony is said to have got into a row with another woman about an ex the pair had both dated. She is pictured here in 2016

Anthony told cops the woman, identified as Thelma Moya, poured a drink on her leg during the altercation

Anthony called West Palm Beach cops while she was at O'Shea's Irish Pub, pictured

Anthony is a regular at the West Palm Beach bar having been pictured there several times in recent years. She is pictured here in 2019

Anthony told police that the woman, named as Thelma Moya, had poured a drink on her leg, according to a police report as seen by TMZ.

The alleged incident had initially been reported as someone throwing a drink in the face of another. There are no suggestions that Moya was arrested or was even present by the time cops responded.

The pair's argument was a longstanding one over their mutual former flame.

Police advised Anthony to file a restraining order but turned down the option of doing so stating that she simply wanted the incident to be documented, reports the New York Post.

Anthony's manager said that she won't be pressing charges against Moya, who was supposedly a former friend.

At one stage Casey Anthony was reportedly good friends with Thelma Moya, pictured. The pair appear to have fallen out over a boyfriend both the women dated

Thelma Moya confirmed to DailyMail.com on Monday night that she was the woman at O'Sheas bar in West Palm Beach

Anthony (pictured in 2008) was branded the most hated mom in America during her six-week trial in 2011. Her daughter, Caylee, was reported missing in July 2008. The two-year-old had not been seen by her mother for a month when she was reported missing by her grandmother

Anthony was also seen at the same West Palm Beach bar in 2018 and 2019.

She was branded the most hated mom in America during her six-week trial in 2011.

Her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, was reported missing in July 2008. Caylee had not been seen by her mother for a month when she was eventually reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy.

The child's skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area near the Anthony family's home in Florida that December.

Casey changed her story several times before her sensational 2011 trial, suggesting at times that Caylee drowned in the family's pool and appearing to implicate her own father who she claimed molested her as a child.

Anthony's two-year-old daughter, Caylee, was reported missing in July 2008. Caylee had not been seen by her mother for a month when she was eventually reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy

George Anthony vehemently denies having any involvement in his granddaughter's death and ferociously disputes Casey's sexual assault allegations.

He believes she killed Caylee accidentally with chloroform, traces of which were found in Casey's abandoned car during police investigations.

Casey has staunchly maintained she has no idea how the toddler died, telling the Associated Press that she does not 'give a s***' what people think of her and that she 'sleeps pretty good at night'.

She has since admitted lying to the police, but described herself as 'one of the unfortunate idiots who admitted they lied'.

Prosecutors had alleged that she was a party girl who had killed her daughter to live a carefree life free of parental responsibility, but a jury found her not guilty.

Anthony was sentenced to four years in jail, but was released just weeks later, in July 2011, due to credit for time served.

She was acquitted of murdering the child in 2011 and has since been living the good life and is often spotted hitting up happy hours at bars in Florida.
Four years after Saxon Mullins walked out of a court room feeling 'lost, alone and powerless', NSW is introducing a law that would have jailed the man she accused of raping her in a Kings Cross alleyway.

Ms Mullins became the face of a national push to strengthen sexual consent laws, after telling the ABC how she was sexually assaulted as an 18-year-old virgin behind a nightclub in 2013 by a man she'd met minutes earlier.

Two trials and two appeals later, a judge found the man involved had no reasonable basis for believing she had not consented while acknowledging that Ms Mullins - in her own mind - had not consented.

Within 24 hours of Ms Mullins' interview airing in 2018, Attorney-General Mark Speakman referred the laws to the NSW Law Reform Commission for a review.

Now, NSW will lead the country with a radical overhaul of sexual consent laws that will make it easier to successfully prosecute offenders.

Pictured: Saxon Mullins, who lost her virginity in a dark alleyway behind a Kings Cross club in 2013

The reforms announced by Mr Speakman on Tuesday mean accused rapists would only be able to prove sex was consensual if they took active steps to obtain consent.

'It's a matter of common human decency. It's about time the law caught up,' he said.

The reforms went further than those recommended in the Law Commission review's 270-page report into delivered last September.

Under the new legislation, which is hoped to be in place by the end of the year, the accused will have to have done something or said something reasonable in the circumstances to ascertain consent.

It will simplify and clarify current laws in several ways, Mr Speakman says.

'Consent is something that is given voluntarily by agreement ... it can be withdrawn ... consent to one sexual activity is not consent to any other sexual activity. Self intoxication of the accused is not an excuse for failing to form a reasonable belief,' Mr Speakman said.

The protections of procedural fairness for an accused remain in place.

Saxon Mullins (pictured) said the reforms in New South Wales are a 'huge win for survivors'

The development will bring a major shake-up to laws which currently allow defendants to argue there were reasonable grounds to believe they had consent - even if the alleged victim did not actually consent.

That defence allowed Kings Cross nightclub owner's son Luke Lazarus to be acquitted of the sexual assault of Ms Mullins in 2017.

An emotional Ms Mullins stood alongside Mr Speakman as he announced the change.

The reforms will shut a 'massive loophole' and would have absolutely changed the outcome of her case, she says.

'In 2017 I walked out of the NSW High Court feeling lost, alone and powerless.'

'Four years of my life culminating in one word; 'dismissed'.

'I didn't consent. The court acknowledged that I wasn't consenting, and yet somehow that wasn't enough.'

Ms Mullins is now director of advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy, which says anything short of an affirmative requirement would be out of step with community expectations and put women at risk.

Ms Mullins said she was proud her case had been the catalyst for change.

'I can never go back and change the outcome of my case, but we have changed how some stories will end.'

It is estimated that about three per cent of sexual assault cases result in a conviction in NSW (stock image)

RASARA's executive director Rachael Burgin says the reform will see NSW leading the way in Australia and internationally.

The change would shift focus away from the actions of the victim-survivor and onto those of the accused.

'No longer will perpetrators be able to rely on rape myths and stereotypes to argue that the unrelated actions of the victim-survivor 'implied' that they were consenting,' Mr Burgin said.

'People who act without doing or saying something to make sure they have consent will be culpable.'

Both NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller and Mr Speakman are confident the reform will lead to wider behavioural change in society.

The law reform commission found that sexual offences are under-reported, under-charged, under-prosecuted and result in a lower proportion of convictions than other offences.
A grand jury has indicted a disgraced former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles on 21 counts of sexual abuse, accusing of sexually assaulting seven women, including one patient who was unconscious.

Dr. James, 64, Heaps faces multiple counts each of sexual battery by fraud, sexual exploitation of a patient and sexual penetration of an unconscious person by fraudulent representation, according to a copy of the indictment, which was unsealed Monday.

The indictment includes offenses that allegedly took place between 2009 and 2018. He had previously faced 20 counts. If convicted of all the charges against him, Heaps could face up to 91 years in prison.

Heaps was taken into custody Monday on $1.19million bail after the indictment was unsealed, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Dr James Heaps, a former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, was indicted on Monday on 21 counts of sexual abuse. Heaps, 64, pictured in court last August, right, is accused of sexual battery by fraud, sexual exploitation of a patient and sexual penetration of an unconscious person

Three of Heaps' 300 accusers, (left to right), Gaby Vasquez, Ellen Cater and Julie Orsatti, spoke out about their experiences with him on the Today Show in 2019

He was first arrested in June 2019, prompting some 300 women to come forward and accuse him of sexual misconduct, including sexual touching without gloves during breast and pelvic exams, making lewd comments and simulating sexual intercourse, often roughly, with a transvaginal ultrasound wand.

Gabriela Vasquez, Ellen Cater and Julie Orsatti were three victims who publicly spoke out against Heaps in 2019.

The three women appeared on the Today Show, where they said UCLA needed to be held accountable for Heaps actions.

Vasquez, a former a medical assistant at UCLA Health, says she underwent an invasive examination with Heaps in January 2017. Vasquez said she told a supervisor about the incident, but an investigation didn't launch until December 2017.

'He was introducing the ultrasound and he was simulating as he was having sexual intercourse with me,' she told Today Show.

'And I said, "this is not OK, this is not right." I immediately went to my supervisor, and I reported this to her, and nothing was done.'

Carter told Today Show that she visited Heaps office two days before his office closed down.

'I was allowed to walk into the room after sitting in a waiting room full of other women waiting to see him,' said Carter. 'I walked in, got undressed. He sexually assaulted me again.'

The University of California system in November agreed to a $73million settlement in a class-action lawsuit

Orsatti claimed she saw Heaps every few months from 2017 to 2018.

'He had his hands all over my body,' she told Today Show. 'Using his entire hand and palm of his hand all over, lingering for too long and looking and telling me that my breasts were beautiful.'

All the accusations stem from the time Heaps worked at the UCLA student health center and UCLA Medical Center between 1983 and 2018.

Heaps' medical license has been suspended by court order as that case moves forward.

Heaps has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and denied wrongdoing.

'Dr. Heaps is confident he will be exonerated at trial,' Leonard Levine, his attorney, told the Times. He said his client plans to post bail.

In this June 26, 2019, file photo, Heaps, center, his wife Deborah, left, and defense attorney Tracy Green leave Los Angeles Superior Court. Heaps was taken into custody Monday on $1.19million bail after the grand jury's indictment was unsealed

The University of California system in November agreed to a $73million settlement in a class-action lawsuit, under which more than 6,600 patients of Heaps could receive a payout, even if they have not accused him of abuse.

Heaps was not required to admit any wrongdoing, or contribute anything to the settlement, but he did signed off on its terms.

The patients payouts begin at a guaranteed minimum of $2,500, regardless of whether the women accused Heaps of harassment or assault.

Patients can seek amounts of $250,000, or higher in certain cases. A panel of experts will decide how much each patient is paid based on her experience.

More than 100 of Heaps' former patients have filed individual lawsuits. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a measure allowing a one-year window - all of 2021 - for victims to file legal claims against Heaps and UCLA that could otherwise have been too late under an existing statute of limitations.

Attorneys representing dozens of alleged victims praised the grand jury indictment that was unsealed on Monday as a 'huge victory.'

'This decision is one step closer to lifting the veil on UCLAs malfeasance, and that UCLA did nothing to protect patients after knowing and concluding Dr. Heaps was a predator,' lawyers Jennifer McGrath and Darren Kavinoky told The Times.

UCLA has said its investigation into the gynecologist began in December 2017, though officials did not alert the campus community of the allegations until Heaps was in court last year. He retired in 2018 when UCLA declined to renew his contract.

'The incidents described in the lawsuit reflect alleged conduct that is contrary to our values,' UCLA Health said in a statement last November.
The director of the state police in the cartel-plagued northern Mexico state of Sinaloa was killed during an ambush.

Joel Ernesto Soto was traveling on a road that connects the cities of Los Mochis and Culiacan when gunmen unleashed an attack Monday morning, forcing the official to drive off the road in the municipality of La Angostura.

Photos leaked on social media showed the dead high-ranking official slumped inside his bullet-riddle car.

More than 200 shots were fired, Infobae reported.

'In a cowardly attack, this morning, unfortunately, the director of the State Police, Joel Ernesto Soto, lost his life,' State Public Safety Secretary Cristobal Castaneda wrote on his Twitter account. 'Our condolences to the family and the society of Sinaloa who have lost a great man.'

Joel Ernesto Soto, head of the state police in the north Mexican state of Sinaloa, was executed by assassins Monday. The suspects ambushed his vehicle on a stretch of a highway the connects the cities of Los Mochis and Culiacan and fired more than 200 shots at the car, which was found on the side of the road

Security forces stand guard near the vehicle of Sinaloa state police director Joel Ernesto Soto, was executed by assassins Monday

Soto was on his way back home after enjoying Sunday off in Los Mochis. He was said to have been accompanied by a bodyguard, who has been reported missing.

However, Mexican newspaper Proceso and Infobae reported that Soto alone at the time of the incident.

Soto was an army lieutenant colonel who was on leave while heading the state police.

The state police director was traveling in a convoy with other law enforcement officials when they came under fire May 6 in Mazatlan.

Soto also participated in an operation on or about May 14 in which security forces detained eight people who were in possession of stolen vehicles and high-powered weapons.

Sinaloa state police director Joel Ernesto Soto was on his way back home after enjoying Sunday off in Los Mochis and was executed after his car was ambushed by armed suspects, who reportedly fire more than 200 shots. Soto was said to have been accompanied by a bodyguard, who has been reported missing. But Mexican newspaper Proceso and online digital outlet Infobae reported that he was driving alone

An investigator searches for evidence on a road in Mexico following an attack on a state police director Monday

More than 200 shots were fired at agent Soto's car during an ambush in Sinaloa, Mexico

Sinaloa is home to the Sinaloa Cartel, which was co-founded by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, who is serving a life sentence at a super maximum facility in Colorado.

Co-founder Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who has never been arrested, now shares control of the transnational criminal organization with El Chapo's three sons, who are known as 'Los Chapitos.'

The cartel is also engaged in turf battles with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel were mentions as leaders among of pack of nine organizations that were responsible for transporting drugs from Mexico to the United States last year.

The report revealed that even with El Chapo in prison, the Sinaloa Cartel maintained a tight grip on the trafficking and sale of drugs across the United States, with a shocking influence in 24 states and Washington, D.C.

The report found: 'The cartel employs gatekeepers assigned to Ports Of Entry and controls Arizona and California area smuggling corridors into the United States.'
Families who bought homes off the plan worth up to $600,000 with the promise of government grants have hit out after being told they won't be receiving any financial support.

Melbourne IT worker Jack Hage bought a block of land for his family after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the HomeBuilder scheme in June 2020.

The program - designed to help the economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic - provides grants of up to $25,000 for Australians looking to renovate their home or build a new one.

Mr Hage is among the prospective Aussie homeowners and renovators to have missed out on the grants after having issues with the scheme's online portal.

Western Sydney expectant parents Samuel Ross and his fiance Danielle Fitzsimons were planning to use the $25,000 HomeBuilder grant to renovate this home before their application suddenly vanished

He applied in January, well before the April 14 deadline, but then returned to the website to find the government had no record of his submission.

'People talk about having this gigantic knot in your stomach, and there could be no truer words spoken - I was in shock,' he said.

'I was continuously thinking "I've just lost 25 grand",' he told A Current Affair.

The federal scheme is processed by the individual state revenue departments and the Victorian office told Mr Hage they were powerless to reinstate his application.

Father-of-two Clint Calman bought a $600,000 townhouse on the Gold Coast and applied for the grant straight away.

He logged in and out of the portal to make sure there weren't any problems with his account and thought he had submitted his application successfully.

Mr Ross with Ms Fitzsimons. He said the couple were at a loss as to what they would do next as they were relying on the grant money to finish their renovation

Melbourne IT worker Jack Hage applied in January, well before the April 14 deadline, only to be hit with the same devastating news when later trying to access his application

Mr Calman discovered all his account information had disappeared last week.

Expectant parents Samuel Ross and his fiance Danielle Fitzsimons were planning on using the money to finish their home renovation in western Sydney and were also caught out by the apparent glitch.

'We were relying on that money to finish it off,' Mr Ross said.

The Queensland Treasury said it made clear what was required from applicants.

'The Queensland Government website has been regularly updated to reflect requirements of the grant and key dates of the program,' a treasury spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

'Applications for HomeBuilder closed on April 14, 2021. All applicants were required to submit their completed application by that date.'

The Victoria State Revenue Office also said it had taken steps to make sure applicants could make valid submissions in time for the cut-off date.

The HomeBuilder scheme provides grants of up to $25,000 for Australians looking to renovate their home or build a new one. Pictured is a housing development under construction in Schofields, north-west Sydney

'The State Revenue Office regularly published key dates and requirements related to the grant on the website, the online application portal and via subscriber emails, including information about its extension, and the closing date of 14 April 2021 for all grant applications,' a spokesman said.

'Under the National Partnership Agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia, the State Revenue Office has no discretion to accept late applications.'

A Revenue New South Wales spokesman encouraged applicants whose information had vanished from the portal to find their confirmation email and contact the department.

'Any customer submitting an incomplete application received a further email from Revenue NSW between 22 - 24 March, reminding them to complete it by 14 April,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

'Revenue NSW sent this reminder email to 9,165 customers.'
Australia's embassy in Afghanistan will soon be closed permanently as dozens of troops prepare to leave the war-torn country.

The move comes just weeks after the government announced it would pull its last 80 troops out of Afghanistan.

The Kabul embassy's closure is reportedly imminent, with private security companies already notified their contracts are due to expire in June.

At this stage it is unclear whether Australia will maintain any ongoing presence in Afghanistan, according to The Australian.

Australia's embassy in Afghanistan will soon be closed permanently as dozens of troops prepare to leave the war-torn country (stock image)

The closure of the Australian embassy in the capital Kabul (pictured) is reportedly imminent

One option could be shifting to the US embassy, which Australia operated from until 2011. Australia could also go through another embassy based in the United Arab Emirates.

The Tailban are likely to use the closure as propaganda by saying it shows Australia doesn't believe it can keep its staff safe now that NATO troops are pulling out.

A formal announcement surrounding Australia's future diplomatic presence in Afghanistan is expected over the next few days.

On May 10, Foreign Minister Marise Payne spruiked Australia's ongoing support for the people of Afghanistan.

'We will continue our close friendship, and support our shared aspiration of peace, stability and prosperity,' Senator Payne said in a statement.

'We will also continue our development assistance program to work to preserve the significant gains made by the Afghan people, in particular advancing the rights of women.'

Australia's military involvement in Afghanistan was tipped to cease after US President Joe Biden confirmed in April he would pull the remaining 2500 American troops from the country by September this year.

Australia re-established its embassy in Afghanistan - inside the US compound - back in 2006, before electing to open its own independent embassy five years later.

Repeated security fears have resulted in the embassy becoming a financial headache for the government in recent years.

Australian combat operations formally ended in Afghanistan in 2013, but several hundred troops remained behind to train and mentor local forces.

The closure of the Australian embassy comes just two weeks after Foreign Minister Marise Payne (pictured) spruiked Australia's ongoing support for the people of Afghanistan
A former Subway worker who went from minimum wage to earning $2,000 a day selling raunchy photos on adult subscription site OnlyFans has revealed how she told her parents about her new job.

Bikini model Teagan Kaye, 21, joined the risque social media platform when she found herself out of work six months ago - originally giving the venture 30 days but changing her mind when she started racking up subscribers.

One of the Gold Coast's top models on the platform, Ms Kaye said the site is often unfairly smeared as sex-heavy and a range of people such as personal trainers, content creators and chefs use the platform to further their careers.

Teagan Kaye (pictured) works as a bikini model when she's not uploading content to OnlyFans

Ms Kaye said anyone considering joining the platform should think very hard about how the move could affect their relationships and career

She said even though the site has moved on from only hosting explicit content, anyone thinking of signing up should think very hard about how the move could affect their relationships and career.

The former Sydney resident explained she sat down with her parents and told them in an awkward conversation.

'You can lose people, either family or friends, it can affect loans because it's deemed as an unstable income,' she told The Gold Coast Bulletin.

'In the beginning, I did get a lot of hate from people in my home town  but people are getting more open to the thought of OnlyFans,' she said.

Ms Kaye, who is now self-employed courtesy of the site, said while her subscribers are mostly men she also surprisingly has a high number of female followers.

'Obviously my target audience is men, but I do have women who join who want to start their own OnlyFans account and get some tips, and girls sign up for body confidence.

'For me, I also have people who have followed me for years (on Instagram) and have seen how badly I want to be a model.'

Bikini model Teagan Kaye, 20, joined the risque social media platform when she was out of work in 2020

She also said that the site is a lot more work than people might think and uploading a post was not just a matter of snapping a picture.

She said she uploads content about six days a week and is also constantly networking, scheduling, collaborating and promoting her account.

The 20-year-old is now among the site's top earners despite not posting anything X-rated, saying topless shots as as far as she is prepared to go.

Ms Kaye said was shocked when she made about $2,000 in one day soon after signing up to the platform - her biggest payday ever.

While she wouldn't say how much she earns six months on, she is in the top 2.2 per cent of creators in terms of income.

Ms Kaye previously said what drew her to OnlyFans was the site allowed creative freedom in ways that Instagram - which has been known to remove images of women in transparent clothes - doesn't.

'Say if I was in lingerie and it's see-through, I can't post that on Instagram. [OnlyFans] gives me a place I can do that.'

She also frequently uploads nude photos to the platform, but only if they have been snapped by professional photographers.

The former Subway employee was shocked when she made about $2,000 on her first day on OnlyFans - her biggest pay packet ever

Ms Kaye, who also works as a bikini model, said using professionals ensures the the work is 'artistic and tasteful' and won't affect her career if the photos are ever leaked.

The money she has made on OnlyFans has allowed her to invest in her career and save up to travel to places where she can enhance her modelling portfolio, like LA.

Aside from a few older relatives who don't understand what OnlyFans is about, her family and friends have all been supportive.

'I've wanted to be a model since I was three. My whole family knows that. I see OnlyFans as more of a stepping stone to help me get there.'

Ms Kaye also has a YouTube channel where she uploads videos about her modelling career.

One of her most recent videos was about being rejected from a popular modelling agency because, at 167.5cm, she was 2.5cm too short to fit their requirements.

'It is a bit sad to see that the industry is still not hiring models because of their potential, they're still hiring people because of their height...we all wear heels anyway.'

In another video, she narrated a letter to her 'future self' and spoke about struggling with eating disorders, body confidence and comparing herself to others.


Three new inquiries were launched yesterday amid the fallout from the BBCs Princess Diana scandal.

The corporations chairman Richard Sharp announced a review of governance, saying problems of accountability, transparency and integrity clearly existed even last year.

And a separate review was launched into why Martin Bashir was re-hired in 2016, with one senior MP questioning if it was in essence so he would keep his mouth shut.

A separate review was launched into why Martin Bashir was re-hired in 2016. (PIctured, Bashir and Diana during the controversial Panorama interview.

Meanwhile, the Commons media committee of MPs announced a hearing as soon as next month to grill BBC bosses.

The trio of fresh probes follows last weeks damning report by retired judge Lord Dyson into how Bashir deceived Diana with cruel lies to secure his famous Panorama interview with her in 1995.

Lord Dyson also condemned BBC managers for hushing up the reporters tricks.The Duke of Cambridge then lambasted executives for their part in the cover-up and praised investigative journalists, after the scandal was uncovered by The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

In angry exchanges in Parliament yesterday, Tory MP Lee Anderson declared the once-great BBC is rotten. Speaking in the first debate into the Dyson report, he argued that the best way to make the broadcaster behave was to get rid of the licence fee and make it a subscription service.

And Tory MP Julian Knight, chairman of the digital, culture, media and sport committee, demanded to know why the BBC re-hired Bashir as religious affairs correspondent in 2016. Bashir was later promoted to religion editor, all while Lord Hall  blasted for leading a 1996 whitewash probe into Bashir  was BBC director-general. Mr Knight told MPs yesterday: My sources suggest Mr Bashir was not interviewed, [but] simply appointed. Was Bashir rehired in essence so he would keep his mouth shut?

The corporations chairman Richard Sharp announced a review of governance, saying problems of accountability, transparency and integrity clearly existed

But the BBC last night insisted Mr Knight had been misinformed, adding: there was an interview process for this position.

New BBC director-general Tim Davie has now launched a review into how and why the reporter was taken back, to check there was nothing untoward about it, sources said. And yesterday the BBC chairman pledged: I dont take comfort yet from understanding why he was re-hired  we will find that out. Mr Sharp admitted that even last year, when the Mail was asking questions of the corporation about the Diana scandal and not getting answers, there was a cultural failure in terms of transparency, accountability and honesty.

NOW EX-PANORAMA HOST VINE BACKS A CRIMINAL PROBE By Chief Reporter Jeremy Vine yesterday backed calls for a criminal investigation into the Martin Bashir scandal. The BBC Radio 2 presenter, who hosted Panorama for four years until 2010, suggested it was time to call in the police. He tweeted it was hard to disagree with Nazir Afzal, former chief prosecutor for North West England, who said police cannot hold back any longer. But Vine later deleted his tweet. Writing in the Daily Mail yesterday, Mr Afzal said a criminal probe should consider investigating Bashir for charges including forgery, pecuniary advantage by deception or misconduct in public office. Scotland Yard was already under pressure to launch a probe after Dianas brother Earl Spencer urged it to look into alleged blackmail and fraud at the BBC. At the weekend, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland suggested fraud and forgery may have occurred. And Home Secretary Priti Patel refused to rule out criminal prosecutions. An investigation was also demanded by the family of Babes in the Wood murder victim Karen Hadaway as they called Bashir a rogue and dishonest journalist. The family of Karen, who was killed aged nine along with Nicola Fellows in 1986, claimed Bashir had delayed justice after he visited them and took the clothes she had been wearing. Advertisement

Asked about such problems, during an interview on Radio 4s The World At One, Mr Sharp said: Well, what I do know is they clearly existed in 2020.

He said the BBC board would conduct a review of editorial policies and governance, adding that the Dyson Report had revealed practices that were entirely unacceptable in any ethical news broadcasting entity.

Mr Sharp warned: We are owned by the people of the UK and have a fantastic 100-year tradition of impartiality and integrity. But if the people of the BBC, in terms of reporting, management, leadership and scrutiny fail, then the organisation fails. The culture committee, which scrutinises government media policy, announced a hearing which could take place next month.

Mr Knight said: We believe the BBC has further questions to answer following last weeks report by Lord Dyson and further speculation in the media over the weekend, including views expressed by Martin Bashir himself. We want to speak to those who were involved at the time and in the years that followed. Scrutiny of the BBC has never come at a more critical time for the broadcaster.

In the Commons, media minister John Whittingdale said the BBC had lost touch with a large part of the country. He said there would be a debate about its future funding when the current charter expires in 2027. Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh asked: When are we going to have the guts to stop the BBC criminalising people for non-payment of the licence fee, which is no better than the poll tax? Mr Whittingdale said decriminalisation had not been ruled out but pointed out that alternative enforcement could mean bailiffs and higher fines.

He also told MPs he thought there was a case for greater oversight, particularly of journalistic decisions and editorial decisions in the BBC. But he insisted that it had already undergone major reform since the Bashir scandal and other controversies.

Ofcom welcomed news of the BBCs governance review. But in a letter to Mr Davie, the regulators chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes wrote: In our day-to-day dealings with the BBC, we too often meet with reluctance that gives the impression of a bias against transparency.
Annastacia Palaszczuk is pictured having a flu shot on Monday, May 24

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and chief health officer Jeannette Young have revealed they will get vaccinated against Covid-19 in 'around two weeks' after medical groups accused them of failing to set an example.

Dr Young, 57, will get the AstraZeneca jab but Ms Palaszczuk, 51, will talk to her GP about whether to get Pfizer.

Ordinary Australians over 50 are only eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine and are being urged to get jabbed now rather than waiting until Pfizer is available at the end of the year.

Australians under 50, who are less vulnerable to Covid-19, are advised by medical experts to have the Pfizer jab when it's available because of a small risk of blood clots linked to AstraZeneca.

As of Thursday, there have been 24 cases of the clotting known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome among 2.1 million people jabbed with AstraZeneca.

Asked on Monday why she needed to talk to her GP, Ms Palaszczuk said she was 'happy with either' vaccine and did not have any health concerns with AstraZeneca - but said she may be advised to have Pfizer in order to visit the Tokyo Olympics in July.

'If I don't need to go to Tokyo, I'll get AstraZeneca. If I do need to go I'll look at the health advice there,' she said.

'I think everyone should go and talk to their GP. If anyone does have any concerns out there please go and sit down... We want to see all Queenslanders get vaccinated,' the premier added.

Dr Young (left having a flu shot on Monday), 57, will get the AstraZeneca jab but Ms Palaszczuk, 51, will talk to her GP about whether to get Pfizer

Ms Palaszczuk is the only state premier who still hasn't had a Covid-19 vaccine, apart from Victorian acting leader James Merlino who is under 50.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, 50, had her AstraZeneca jab more than two months ago, on March 10.

Ms Palaszczuk has faced pressure from medical groups to get the jab to set an example to Queenslanders amid fears about vaccine hesitancy.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Professor Chris Perry said prominent Queenslanders should lead by example and not worry about jumping the queue.

'Well the queue is now looking at them and expecting them to get the vaccine,' he said.

'It's high time people stepped up, prominent people in our political sphere, prominent celebrities, even though they're sometimes a bit vacuous in the head, sporting identities, and get this damned vaccine now.'

On Monday Ms Palaszczuk and Dr Young had their flu shots.
United Airlines is attempting to incentivize flyers to get the COVID-19 vaccination by giving them the chance to win flights for a year's worth of travel.

The attempt by United is backed by President Biden who is encouraging more people to get inoculated.

Under the terms of the 'Your Shot to Fly' sweepstakes, members of the airline's frequent flier program who upload their vaccination records to United's website between now and mid-June will be entered to win a roundtrip flight for two, in any class of service, to anywhere in the world United flies.

United Airlines announced is to run sweepstakes titled, 'Your Shot To Fly' in an effort to boost vaccination rates

Seven of the states - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont - are in the Northeast and two states, Hawaii and New Mexico, are in the West

Nine U.S. states have administered at least one coronavirus vaccine dose to 70% of their adult population as of Monday

Despite average vaccination rates falling, it is expected that President Joe Biden will meet his goal of vaccinating at least 70% of all American adults by July 4

The carrier is to give away 30 pairs of tickets throughout the month of June before announcing five randomly selected members for a grand prize of travel for a year for themselves and a companion.

'We're proud to do our part to incentivize people to get their shot,' said United CEO Scott Kirby.

'Thanks to the vaccine, more and more destinations are opening up for travel  and we know our customers are eager to fly. We're excited to give people one more reason to get vaccinated so they can reunite with friends and family or take that long-awaited vacation which all could be just one shot away.'

A number of other companies are also urging Americans to get jabbed.

Businesses have offered free beer, marijuana and doughnuts all to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

Uber and Lyft car services are also offering people free rides to take them to and from their vaccination sites.

Bars in some areas have even offered shots of alcohol for those getting their vaccines.

Private businesses such as Trader Joes and Dollar General have also offered financial inducements to staff who take up the vaccine.

Throughout June, United plans to give away 30 pairs of tickets for a roundtrip flight for two in any class, to any destination in the world where United flies

New York, Maryland and Ohio are offering free lottery tickets to those who get a COVID vaccine in an effort to boost immunization rates statewide.

In New York, anyone 18 or older who gets a COVID vaccine from one of the 10 state-run clinics will receive a scratch-off Mega Multiplier lottery ticket.

The chances of winning money in the program, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, is one in nine, but the winnings can vary in size from $20 to $5 million.

'This new pilot program will offer a greater incentive for New Yorkers to get vaccinated by offering a free scratch-off ticket for a chance to win up to $5 million,' he added, noting, 'The more New Yorkers we can get vaccinated, the better our situation and the faster we can return to a new normal.'

In Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan said, the state Health Department has partnered with the Maryland lottery to dole out $2 million in prize money to vaccinated Marylanders.

Mega Multiplier prizes will range from $20 to $5 million, and those who receive a COVID vaccine at one of the 10 state-run sites will have a one-in-nine chance of winning a prize

Starting on Tuesday, Hogan said, the lottery will randomly select one person a day from a list of people who have gotten vaccinated to win a $40,000 prize.

There will be 40 drawings over 40 days for $40,000, and a final drawing on July 4 for $400,000.

'The goal is just to get those reluctant folks, or people who just haven't thought about it,' Hogan said. 'So remember Maryland, get your shot for a shot to win.'

The biggest incentive could be the option to people to finally ditch their masks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s latest guidance suggests that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear facemasks in most indoor and outdoor settings.

'Get vaccinated  or wear a mask until you do,' Biden said earlier this month.

A total of 190 coronavirus deaths were reported on Sunday, marking the 22nd day in a row that fatalities have been below 1,000
Notorious pot-smoking gangsta rapper Snoop Dogg is leading the Australian wine industry's fightback against crippling Chinese trade tariffs.

Treasury Wine Estates, which owns the maker of Australia's most prestigious wine Grange, has found an unlikely ambassador in the controversial Californian.

Melbourne-based Treasury is one of the world's largest vintners, producing award-winning wines in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Argentina and the United States.

Its major local labels include Lindeman's, Rosemount Estate, Wolf Blass and Penfolds, which produces Grange, the latest vintage of which retails for $950.

In a disruptive masterstroke that does not fit with Grange's long-established traditional image, the company enlisted Snoop to promote its 19 Crimes line.

Treasury Wine Estates, which owns the maker of Australia's most prestigious wine Grange, has found an unlikely ambassador in controversial Californian gangsta rapper Snoop Dogg

In a disruptive masterstroke that does not seem to fit with Grange's long-established traditional image, Treasury Wine Estates enlisted Snoop to promote its 19 Crimes label

Last year a Melbourne buyer paid $103,555 at auction for a bottle of the 1951 first vintage of Grange. Snoop Cali Red retails in Australia for about $18

Snoop Dogg has received 20 Grammy nominations and sold more than 40 million albums worldwide but is perhaps as well known for his love of cannabis.

The 49-year-old was banned from entering Australia in 2007 on character grounds due to his long history of drug and firearms offences but that was later overturned.

He is now helping Treasury make up for an estimated 30 per cent earnings loss caused by China introducing tariffs of up to 200 per cent on Australia wines.

Treasury stresses Snoop's partnership with 19 Crimes is unrelated to Chinese tariffs, imposed last November, but showed the company had a 'multi-region sourcing and marketing model'.

That label's Snoop Cali Red variety exceeded its initial 12-month sales forecast of 125,000 cases in the first six weeks of its release in the US last year.

19 Crimes was first launched in Canada in 2011, the US in 2012 and Australia in 2014. It was deliberately pitched at a demographic uninterested in wine's sometimes pretentious marketing.

With the help of Snoop, who began promoting the label in April last year, it has become one of Treasury's most successful lines and has helped consolidate the company's position in the US market.

Snoop Dogg was once banned from entering Australia due to his history of drug and firearms offences. He is pictured with television presenter Sophie Monk at Bondi Beach in 2007

19 Crimes is now the leading brand contributing to growth in the whole Australian wine market and Snoop Cali Red was named number one wine innovation to be launched in the US in 2020.

The label has also seen Treasury shift from an older, wealthier customer base to capture a younger, less experienced wine drinker. It is credited with increasing the number of consumers trying wine for the first time.

Snoop Cali Red, a blend of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel grapes grown in California, was introduced to the Australian market last week.

'I'm such a fan of this wine and I'm excited to bring Snoop Cali Red to my Australian peeps and share the experience with my fans,' Snoop said.

'19 Crimes is one of the most successful brands in the market, so I'm more than eager to bring this collaboration to the world.'

In a promotional video produced for Snoop Cali Red the rapper says: 'Yes sir, I want to give a shout out to all my players Down Under.'

'Enjoy a glass of Cali Red. Man, I can't wait to get back over there. Save me a spot and some shrimp on the Barbie.'

'I'm such a fan of this wine and I'm excited to bring Snoop Cali Red to my Australian peeps and share the experience with my fans,' Snoop said

Treasury's chief marketing officer Angus Lilley said Snoop suited 19 Crimes' image as bold, defiant and uncompromising.

'Snoop Dogg is a culture creator, innovator and a leader in pop culture,' Mr Lilley said. 'Australians love him, and they have been asking for this wine since it launched in the US back in July.'

19 Crimes takes its name from the number of offences for which British criminals could be transported to Australia as convicts in the 19th century. Its maker says it is inspired by rule-breakers.

Black, opaque bottles feature feature labels equipped with augmented reality technology which brings convicts' stories to life when viewed through a smart phone camera.

Drinks International named 19 Crimes at number four on it list of the world's most admired wine brands for 2020. In March it was among magazine publisher Shanken's 'impact hot brands' for the fifth consecutive year.

Last year a Melbourne buyer paid $103,555 at auction for a bottle of the 1951 first vintage of Grange. Snoop Cali Red retails in Australia for about $18.
The US Air Force has successfully completed an experimental program to rapidly transform cargo planes into bombers, massively enlarging its firepower capabilities should war break out.

The new system would allow the Air Force fleet's traditional workhorses such as the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-130 Hercules aircraft to become deadly fighting machines.

After two years of experiments, the Air Force successfully tested its first parachute-missile launcher from a transport plane above the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in March.

It works by loading long-range guided cruise missiles loaded with pre-planned targets onto pallets attached to special high-altitude parachutes.

Once the cargo plane is high enough, the pallets, or deployment boxes, are pushed out the back of the plane just as would be done with a supply drop.

The Joint Air-Surface Standoff Munition cruise missiles can then sense when they are at a safe distance from the aircraft, and their wings and engines activate and they fire towards their target.

A U.S. Air Force MC-130J Hercules air-drops a deployment box above White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in March

The US Air Force has 300 C-130 Hercules aircraft that could be transformed into offensive aircraft capable of firing long-range cruise missiles (file photo)

Air-to-surface missiles like the one above could be fired from any of the Air Force's 522 cargo flights to 'shock and awe' an enemy (file photo)

An Air Force member secures a Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) on a flatbed truck at the Munitions Storage Area on Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Military observers say the ability of cargo planes to fire will dramatically expand its strike power

According to PopularMechanics.com, transport planes sluggish speeds and poor maneuverability make them vulnerable to enemy fire.

However, if their onboard weaponry can travel far enough then their vulnerabilities are no longer an issue.

The Air Force's Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) conventional cruise missile, which cost $1.8 million each, has a range of 230 miles.

Longer-range missiles at the extreme end can reach as much as 1100 nautical miles, easily keeping the cargo planes out of range of enemy surface-to-air defense systems.

According to PopularMechanics.com, the Air Force believes it can fire as many as 32 cruise missiles on one cargo flight.

The Air Force has just over 150 bombers such as B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s in its fleet capable of firing multiple cruise missile strikes at present.

U.S. service members wait before jumping with parachutes onboard a MC-130J aircraft during joint air drills in the Ukraine in 2018. The expansion to its bombing capabilities could give it a crucial edge should war break out with a hi-tech foe

The 300 C-130 Hercules and more than 222 C-17 Globemasters the Air Force currently operates would dramatically expand its offensive capabilities.

This would prove particularly useful should there ever be the need to overwhelm an adversary.

'A Palletized Munitions capability could enable various airlift aircraft to employ a range of weapons en masse via a self-contained, roll-on/roll-off palletized system, and may offer an alternative way for the Air Force to bring more mass to the fight,' Dean Evans, the Air Force Research Laboratories director, told Airforce Materiel Command.

Forbes reported that should a war break out with China, the Air Force would 'struggle to concentrate enough strike power in one place' to take out their air defenses.

It is also stretched thinly in the Western Pacific should China invade Taiwan, as fears have grown that it could.

The US's Kadena Air Force Base in southern Japan, just 464 miles from Taiwan, would likely come under attack should war break out against China.

The next closest base in Guam is 1800 miles from Taiwan and would be an ideal location to launch the converted transport planes on bombing runs, Forces reported. It would also struggle to Adding to overcome the Western Pacific region

the Air Force paid Lockheed Martin $25 million to build the special pallets required for such a strike.

The transformation of a cargo plane into a strike weapon does have historical precedent.

During the 1982 Falklands War, Argentina used its C-130 transport planes as bombers to roll bombs out of the rear cargo bay onto British war ships.
Protesters picketed a high school yesterday after the headmaster described the Palestinian flag as a call to arms.

Mike Roper has now apologised for the comments he made during an assembly at Allerton Grange in Leeds.

A clip from the assembly circulating online showed him telling pupils that the flag was sometimes seen as a message of support of anti-Semitism.

Protesters picketed a high school yesterday (pictured) after the headmaster described the Palestinian flag as a call to arms

Mike Roper has now apologised for the comments he made during an assembly at Allerton Grange in Leeds

A clip from the assembly circulating online showed Mr Roper (pictured) telling pupils that the flag was sometimes seen as a message of support of anti-Semitism

Yesterday police were stationed outside the school as protesters gathered at the gates, waving Palestinian flags and chanting.

Last weeks assembly is understood to have been held to try to address tensions after some pupils were disciplined for wearing lanyards bearing the flag.

Yasmin Ahmed, 30, from Leeds, said Mr Ropers comments were shocking and inflammatory.

The kids at that school were displaying the Palestinian flag in a peaceful way to make a statement about how they felt about what is happening over there, and to display their anger and their solidarity, she told The Daily Telegraph.

For the headmaster to then issue a video saying that the Palestinian flag is a call to arms and a symbol of anti-Semitism was shocking and inflammatory.

In the video, Mr Roper is heard saying: When I spoke to them they were so articulate in how they felt about innocent people in the Middle East and how they were being treated.

A clip from the assembly circulating online showed him telling pupils that the flag was sometimes seen as a message of support of anti-Semitism

Yasmin Ahmed, 30, from Leeds, said Mr Ropers comments were shocking and inflammatory

'But the problem is by using a symbol such as the Palestinian flag that message is lost because for some people they see that flag and they feel threatened, they feel unsafe.

They worry because for other people that flag is seen as a call to arms and seen as a message of support of anti-Semitism, for being anti-Jewish and it was never meant to be like that in the first place.

He says he has asked students not to use symbols or flags because it is causing a lot of distress to students, particularly minority students.

A joint letter from the school and Leeds City Council has since been issued, in which Mr Roper apologised for his comments.

Yesterday police were stationed outside the school as protesters gathered at the gates, waving Palestinian flags and chanting

A joint letter from the school and Leeds City Council has since been issued, in which Mr Roper apologised for his comments

He says: In a diverse school like Allerton Grange, with such a rich mix of communities, it is not surprising that divisions on the international front will be felt within our school.

'It was in an attempt to address those tensions that I gave an assembly to all students on Wednesday morning.

'I am deeply sorry that a particular example I used in that assembly, referring to the Palestinian flag, has caused such upset within the community. That was never my intention.

The full message shared with students last week praised our students passion for their views and beliefs. It set out how we want to work through the issues highlighted with our students in an informed and respectful way.
Schoolkids as young as 12 are buying illegal nicotine e-cigarettes for as little as $10 to smoke and trade with other students.

The highly-addictive 'Puff Bar' vapes contain 50 milligrams of salt nicotine, which some experts claim is equivalent to smoking over two packets of cigarettes.

The pocket-sized devices can be purchased in various flavours including blueberry, banana and lychee and can be easily concealed for use at school.

Parents and teachers across the country are growing increasingly concerned as the disposable vapes become more accessible to teens unaware of the risks.

The pocket-sized devices can be purchased in various flavours including cool mint, sour apple, blue raz and banana ice for as little as $10

School students as young as twelve are purchasing the illegal vape pens online to smoke and trade with their friends

A 14-year-old student from Queensland told ABC Radio Brisbane that smoking the Puff Bars gave a 'nicotine buzz for about two minutes'.

She said the e-cigarettes were becoming increasingly popular at her school because kids could learn to do smoke tricks with their friends.

But in reality, vaping made the young student feel sick.

'It doesn't feel that good. I remember the first time I did it I was coughing so bad, but no, really it just makes you feel sick, because you get all shaky and you kinda can't stand up. It's like a mini-high for two minutes,' she admitted.

Last month Aquinas College in the Gold Coast were forced to lock their bathrooms to stop students from meeting in the toilets and vaping during class.

Students were required to undergo a 'check-in' procedure to get their teacher's permission in an effort to combat the use of the e-cigarettes.

A 14-year-old student from Queensland described the vape pens as giving a 'nic buzz for about two minutes'

A concerned mother told the ABC she busted her daughter using a Puff Bar vape after finding a message on her phone and searching the device online.

'At first, I was sad that your child is involved in that, then I understood it because I was a teenager and I get it  and then I was angry,' she said.

'I was angry that these exist, that there is flavoured nicotine which appeals to kids.'

The mother said students as young as 12 and 13 were being pressured to try the vape pens, and called for better education in schools about the risks involved.

Tobacco stores across Australia sell the addictive e-cigarettes for less than $20, offering to send the products in 'discreet packaging'.

Teenagers can also purchase the vape pens from dealers who buy their stock internationally and sell to kids on social media sites such as Instagram.

Most tobacco stores don't require their customers to provide proof of age, despite it being illegal to sell a minor nicotine in Australia.

However new restrictions on the nicotine e-cigarettes due to come into force in October will make it illegal to import the pens for vaping without a prescription.

Online tobacco store Puff Bar Australia sells the nicotine e-cigarettes for under $20

Another store Vape Pen Zone offers to send the vape pens to buyers in discreet packaging

A statement from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said that stopping consumers from purchasing e-cigarettes from overseas websites would be difficult.

But 'from October 1, the Australian Border Force, working with the TGA, will have powers to intercept them at the border', the statement read.

Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke told Daily Mail Australia it was extremely concerning to see young people have access to and smoke the illegal e-cigarettes.

'We know that disposable nicotine e-cigarettes are harmful to overall health, and particularly harmful to respiratory health', he said.

'Many nicotine e-cigarettes, such as puff bars, contain high levels of nicotine and other harmful chemicals to create flavours.'

Mr Brooke said young people are especially at risk when using e-cigarettes, as exposure to nicotine can harm the developing brain.

'Exposure to nicotine can affect aspects such as learning, memory, mood and attention. Whats more, it increases the risk of addiction to these products', he said.

Mr Brooke encouraged young people to be curiously critical of why the disposable e-cigarettes were being marketed to their age-group, as well as question what was actually in the devices and who they can trust for accurate information.
Military officers in Mali have detained the country's President and Prime Minister and taken them to a military base, just months after a military coup ousted the previous president.

President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were transported to a military compound in Kati outside the capital of Bamako, hours after two members of the junta that had seized power in the coup lost their positions in a government reshuffle, sources said.

European Union leaders on Tuesday condemned what they called the 'kidnapping' of Mali's civilian leadership.

President Bah Ndaw (pictured) and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were transported to a military compound in Kati outside the capital of Bamako

Prime Minister Moctar Ouane (pictured) was also detained by military officers on Monday

European Union leaders on Tuesday condemned what they called the 'kidnapping' of Mali's civilian leadership. Pictured: EU Council president speaks during a press conference at the EU Summit on Monday

'What happened was grave and serious and we are ready to consider necessary measures,' EU Council president Charles Michel told reporters after a summit of the 27 national chiefs.

Mali's defence minister Souleymane Doucoure is also believed to have been detained alongside the President and Prime Minister, diplomatic and government sources said.

Their detentions followed the military ouster in August of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The development could exacerbate instability in the West African country where violent Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State control large areas of the desert north.

Political instability and military infighting have complicated efforts by Western powers and neighbouring countries to prop up to the impoverished nation, contributing to regional insecurity.

President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were transported to a military compound in Kati outside the capital of Bamako

Political instability and military infighting have complicated efforts by Western powers and neighbouring countries to prop up to the impoverished nation, contributing to regional insecurity. Pictured: Malian soliders train with the European Union Training mission in Mali on March 23

The United Nations' mission in Mali called for the group's 'immediate and unconditional' release and said those who hold the leaders would have to answer for their actions.

A delegation from the top regional decision-making body, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will visit Bamako on Tuesday to help resolve the 'attempted coup', ECOWAS, the UN, African Union, European Union and several European countries said in a joint statement.

'The international community rejects in advance any act imposed by coercion, including forced resignations,' the group said.

The U.S. State Department called in a statement for the 'unconditional release of those currently being held'.

Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule after the August takeover, but they appear to have moved against the military's control over a number of key positions.

'The sacking of the pillars of the coup was an enormous misjudgement,' a senior former Malian government official told Reuters. 'The actions are probably aimed at getting them back in their jobs.'

The military's ultimate goal was not immediately clear. One military official in Kati said this was not an arrest. 'What they have done is not good,' the source said, referring to the cabinet reshuffle. 'We are letting them know, decisions will be made.'

The leaders of the European Union led the global condemnation of the kidnapping of the Malian President and PM. Pictured: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference at the EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels on Monday

Kati's military base is notorious for ending the rule of Malian leaders. Last August, the military took President Keita to Kati and forced him to resign. A mutiny there helped topple his predecessor Amadou Toumani Toure in 2012.

Mali has been in turmoil ever since. Toure's departure triggered an ethnic Tuareg rebellion to seize the northern two-thirds of the country, which was hijacked by al Qaeda-linked jihadists.

French forces beat the insurgents back in 2013 but they have since regrouped and carry out regular attacks on the army and civilians. They have exported their methods to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger where attacks have skyrocketed since 2017.

There had appeared to be some cause for optimism. The transitional government said last month that it would hold legislative and presidential elections in Feb. 2022 to restore a democratic government.

'It is regrettable, but not surprising: the arrangement agreed to after the coup last year was not perfect, but it was a compromise agreed to by all the major Malian and international stakeholders,' said J. Peter Pham, former U.S. special envoy for the Sahel, now with the Atlantic Council, told Reuters.
Republicans in Nevada are calling for an investigation into a vote last month to censure the GOP secretary of state after allegations emerged that the balloting was swayed by activists with ties to the far-right Proud Boys extremist group.

The Nevada Republican Party voted last month to censure Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske for 'failing to investigate election fraud'.

This week, the Clark County Republican Party, representing Las Vegas and the most populated part of the state, along with Republicans in the state Senate, called for a review of the vote after a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal alleged the Nevada Republican Party added about 40 people, including activists with extremist ties, to its membership the day of the censure vote to ensure the measure passed.

'News reports that state party leaders may have formed a relationship with members of the organization known as the Proud Boys to sway the censure vote of a public official is profoundly concerning,' Senate Republicans said in their statement.

The Nevada Republican Party voted last month to censure Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske for 'failing to investigate election fraud

'If there is a determination that any member or employee of the Nevada Republican Party conspired with these individuals or had knowledge of any wrongdoing in the party vote, Senate Republicans call for their immediate removal and resignation.'

They called for the Nevada Republican Party to review and disclose who attended the censure vote of Cegavske.

The Nevada Republican Party disputed the allegations and the statements made by their fellow party members as 'slanderous lies.'

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald told the newspaper that he was not involved in the censure and did not recruit anyone to participate in the vote. He also said he was unaware of and did not condone any hateful messages.

When reached Monday, McDonald declined to answer questions from The Associated Press and referred them to the state partys attorney Brian Hardy. Hardy did not immediately return a message left with his office.

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald told the newspaper that he was not involved in the censure and did not recruit anyone to participate in the vote. He also said he was unaware of and did not condone any hateful messages

The Proud Boys are a male-only group of neo-fascists who describe themselves as 'western chauvinists,' and have been known to incite street violence with counterprotesters. Pictured is a rally through Portland, Oregon, 2019

Cegavske was censured at a meeting of the state party's members on a 126-112 vote for 'failing to investigate election fraud' and for her public statements dismissing allegations of fraud in the November election lodged by her own party.

She has repeatedly defended the election results as reliable and accurate despite attacks from President Donald Trump and other Republicans. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the Western swing state by 2 percentage points, or nearly 34,000 votes.

Cegavske declined through a spokeswoman to comment.

WHO ARE THE PROUD BOYS? Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes started the all-male Proud Boys in 2016. McInnes and the Proud Boys have described the group as a politically incorrect men's club for 'Western chauvinists' and deny affiliations with far-right extremist groups that overtly espouse racist and anti-Semitic views. The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center designated the Proud Boys as a hate group, saying that its members often spread 'outright bigotry' and 'anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric' over the internet, and have posted social media pictures of themselves with prominent Holocaust deniers, white nationalists and 'known neo-Nazis.' Current national leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, marched in the infamous Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017. Proud Boys have been involved in a series of high-profile violent clashes at political events. In New York City in October 2018, police arrested several Proud Boys members who brawled with anti-fascist protesters following a speech by McInnes at a Manhattan Republican club. Proud Boys members also have frequently clashed with counterprotesters at rallies in California and Oregon. Most recently, the group took part in the siege on the Capitol on January 6, where some members were seen breaking into the building. In February, they were designated a terrorist group by Canada. Advertisement

At a news conference Monday morning, Clark County Republicans announced they had barred seven activists, including some of those alleged to have participated in the censure vote, from becoming county party members because of their reported ties to the Proud Boys and a social media account that posted anti-Semitic and racist content.

'I've worked very hard to have a very open and inclusive group,' Clark County Republican Party Chair David Sajdak said. 'We welcome everyone that is reasonable and (a) decent human being that treats each other with respect. I will never tolerate racist or hateful speech in attacking other people and human beings in this nature.'

Stephen Silberkraus, vice chair of the Clark County Republican Party, said the activists had made attacks online against female elected officials, including Cegavske.

He said the county party had permanently barred anyone involved in the Proud Boys from membership, along with 'anyone who traffics in intolerance or hateful, anti-Semitic and racist ideology.'

Silberkraus said the county party also canceled a Tuesday night meeting, citing concerns that members of the Proud Boys planned to disrupt it and harass party members.

The Proud Boys are a male-only group of neo-fascists who describe themselves as 'western chauvinists,' and have been known to incite street violence with counterprotesters.

Some of the activists barred from membership filed a lawsuit against the county party and state GOP last week seeking to block the meeting and challenge their denied membership.

Attorney Adam Fulton, who is representing the activists, said he was collecting information about the claims made against his clients. He declined to comment on whether his clients had ties to the Proud Boys.

Though the state GOP was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, McDonald issued a statement sympathetic to the activists, saying they had made 'serious allegations of discrimination' against the county party.
Arlene Foster has accused the EU of having a 'tin ear' to the 'absolutely genuine concerns' about the Northern Ireland Protocol after Ursula von der Leyen blamed rising tensions on Brexit rather than the new trade rules.

The First Minister of Northern Ireland urged the Government to act to resolve the row with Brussels over border checks as she said the UK 'as a sovereign entity has a right to have trade moving freely'.

She was responding to Mrs von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, who said that 'if we see problems today we should not forget that they do not come from the protocol but they result from Brexit'.

The protocol requires checks to be carried out on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The post-Brexit rules have sparked anger among unionists and loyalists who feel Northern Ireland is being separated from the rest of the UK.

The measures are intended to protect the EU single market while maintaining an open land border between the North and the Republic in line with the Good Friday peace process.

But critics have warned that its implementation has given rise to renewed sectarian tensions, at the same time as hampering the free flow of goods within the UK.

Arlene Foster, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, has accused the EU of having a 'tin ear' to concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol

Ursula von der Leyen insisted Brexit itself was to blame for rising tensions in Northern Ireland rather than the Northern Ireland protocol

The President of the European Commission said 'if we see problems today we should not forget that they do not come from the protocol but they result from Brexit'

What is the EU-UK border row about? The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed by the EU and UK as part of the Brexit divorce deal and it is designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. It achieves that by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods, with regulatory checks and inspections now required on agri-food, such as fruit and vegetables, produce moving into the region from the rest of the UK. The new arrangements have caused some disruption to trade since the start of the year as firms have struggled with new processes and administration. Earlier this month the UK Government unilaterally decided to extend post-Brexit grace periods on certain trade checks in Northern Ireland. That prompted the EU to accuse the UK of breaching international law as the bloc launched formal legal action. The UK has insisted the move was lawful but officials in Brussels said the Government had effectively decided without agreement to impose an 'open-ended extension' to the light-touch regulatory periods, which were due to end this month but will now be extended for some sectors until October. Advertisement

Talks are ongoing between the EU and the UK to try to solve the issues linked to the protocol which was agreed as part of the original Brexit divorce deal.

Both Mrs Foster and her incoming successor as DUP leader, Edwin Poots, have called for the protocol to be scrapped.

Mrs von der Leyen has repeatedly rejected calls to do away with the new arrangements.

Speaking following the first day of a meeting of the European Council, she said: 'There should be no doubt that there is no alternative to the full and correct implementation of the protocol.

'And I think it is important to reiterate that the protocol is the only possible solution to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland while protecting the integrity of the European Union's single market.

'If we see problems today we should not forget that they do not come from the protocol but they result from Brexit. That is the reason why the problems are there.

'Now, it's our common duty with the United Kingdom to do whatever we can to reduce tensions in Northern Ireland and that is why we are exploring practical solutions to help to minimise the disruptions to the everyday life in Northern Ireland.'

But Mrs Foster hit back and said of Mrs von der Leyen's remarks: 'I think it is hugely disappointing in spite of everything that has happened.

'The fact that we are talking about cancer drugs being prevented from coming into Northern Ireland.

'The fact that there are more checks from Great Britain into Northern Ireland than there are in Rotterdam; that still the European Union and the European Commission have had a tin ear to the concerns and the absolutely genuine concerns of the people in Northern Ireland.

'I would urge our own Government to act in relation to this issue because the United Kingdom as a sovereign entity has a right to have trade moving freely between the different parts and therefore that has to take place.'

The Government has not ruled out a unilateral move to tear up the current border rules by triggering Article 16 of the protocol should the EU refuse to budge.

But such a move would spark a political firestorm and both sides are still focused on trying to hammer out mutually acceptable solutions to problems.

Mrs Foster's comments came days after loyalists warned that violence is not completely 'off the table' in efforts to tear up the Northern Ireland protocol.

Giving evidence to MPs, a member of the Loyalist Communities Council said violent action would be a 'last resort' but could not be ruled out totally.

Representatives from the LCC were appearing before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee as part of its inquiry into the post-Brexit rules.

The arrangements agreed by Boris Johnson have stoked sectarian tensions, with anger that trade with mainland Britain has been hit.

Brexit minister Lord Frost has been scrambling to negotiate changes with the EU to ease the situation, warning that checks could be unilaterally axed to ensure 'peace and prosperity'.

At the hearing last week, committee chair Simon Hoare questioned the LCC representatives on their past comments on the use of violence.

Joel Keys, 19, was asked about a post he made online on April 12, that stated: 'To say violence is never the answer is massively naive, sometimes violence is the only tool you have left.'

The Northern ireland protocol has stoked sectarian tensions, with anger that trade with mainland Britain has been hit. Pictured, loyalist protests in Belfast last month

Brexit minister Lord Frost has been scrambling to negotiate changes with the EU to ease the situation

Asked if her stood by the comments, Mr Keys replied: 'I would stand by the comments.

'You know there are certainly certain circumstances where violence is the only tool you have left.

'For example, I don't think the people living under Kim Jong Un's sort of dictatorship is going to get anywhere with peaceful protests anytime soon.'

He was then asked specifically about the use of violence were the Northern Ireland protocol to become 'embedded' and deemed to be working by the UK Government and the EU.

He said: 'I am not sure if and when and violence will be the answer.

'I'm just saying that I wouldn't sort of rule it off the table.'

Put to him that his answer was 'incredibly worrying and dispiriting', Mr Keys replied: 'Well, let me make it clear.

'I'm no fan of violence, I think that it has to be an absolute last resort.

'But it worries me that we could potentially reach a point in this country, or in any country, where the people feel that they do have to defend themselves.'

'You kind of have to have that willingness to back up what you say and back up what you believe in, and fight for what you believe in,' he said.

But he added: 'I want to emphasise I don't think we're anywhere near that point at the minute.

'I think that the political process is one that we all have to use and take advantage of.'

Chairman of the LCC and former UUP member, David Campbell CBE was then also asked about his past comments on the protocol made on Radio Ulster, when he said: 'If it comes to the bit where we have to fight physically to maintain our freedom within the UK, then so be it.'

Mr Campbell replied: 'The question they asked essentially was 'are there circumstances where the physical force is justified?'.

'And I said 'yes, if our freedoms within the United Kingdom are threatened, for example by a tyrant like Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin'.'

He complained that his comments had been 'selectively edited' by the broadcaster.

Boris Johnson (pictured) agreed the Brexit arrangements with EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen last year

There are fears that the post-Brexit rules could pose a threat to the Peace Process in Northern Ireland

LCC member Jim Wilson, formerly of the UUP, told the Committee: 'I believe that we're living in a society now where the greater threat of violence seems to win the day.

'We met the Irish Government over the protocol, on three or four different occasions, with Simon Coveney and others. And they never listened to one word we said.

'We said we don't want a border on the island of Ireland, but we sure didn't want a border in the sea.

'I think it's disgusting disgraceful that we have politics in our own society that are constantly running about and using the threat of violence to attain a political decision.

'The Irish government have done that, politicians in the North have done that.

'We live in society where the threat of violence wins the day.

'That is a disgusting situation to be living in and for political people to use those threats to win and argument, it's not the type of society that we should be living in.'

The Loyalist Communities Council is an umbrella group that represents three outlawed paramilitary groups: the UVF, the UDA and Red Hand Commando.
Telling stories to sick children can ease their pain, a study has found.

Scientists recruited 81 children, aged between two and seven, who were in intensive care suffering from illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.

Half of the group were read stories for up to 30 minutes, while the other half were told riddles.

Before and after each session, saliva was collected from each child to analyse levels of the hormones cortisol, which is related to stress, and oxytocin, which is linked to feelings of empathy.

Telling stories to ill children can help ease their suffering, according to researchers from the Dor Institute for Research and Education in Brazil

Both stories and riddles reduced levels of cortisol and increased oxytocin. The childrens feelings of pain and discomfort were also lowered.

But in the storytelling group, the positive results were twice as good. Their oxytocin levels were boosted six-fold, while pain scores were reduced five-fold.

Lead author Guilherme Brockington, of the Dor Institute for Research and Education in Brazil, told the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal: During storytelling, something happens.

The child, through fantasy, can experience sensations and thoughts that transport him or her to another world, a place that is different from the hospital room and far from the aversive conditions.

Half of the children in the study were told stories, while the other half were told riddles

During the study the children were able to choose which story they would be told, and were read to by a researcher one-on-one.

Jorge Moll, who also led the research, said: I consider this study to be one of the most important I have participated in, due to its simplicity, rigor, and potential direct impact on practices in the hospital environment, aiming at the relief of human suffering.

As it is a low-cost and highly safe intervention, it can potentially be implemented in the entire public system, once larger-scale studies verify its reproducibility and effectiveness.
A former truck driver and his telemarketer brother have opened up about building their multi-million dollar gift business which sold a hamper every 20 seconds in December.

Nick and Rory Boyle founded Hampers with Bite more than a decade ago and have steadily grown the company since - turning 2020 into their biggest year with customers by focusing on helping people connect during extended lockdowns.

The Victoria-based brothers also turned their success last year into a way to help their community - donating 1,000 hampers to frontline workers, 10,000 food items to hunger relief non-profits, and 20,000 hot meals to underprivileged kids.

Brothers Nick (pictured left) and Rory Boyle (pictured right) turned 2020 into a surprisingly successful year for their Victorian based business despite strict lockdowns

The duo said they decided on a shift in their business to focus on what people would want during months where they couldn't travel or visit friends and family

Rory Boyle, the half of the duo with a telemarketing background, credits a 2020 'pivot' in the direction of the business, courtesy of his strategic sales instincts, for their impressive year.

'We analysed everything we sold across the business and started thinking what are people going to want in this new environment,' he said.

But developing their new ranges as their home state was plunged into strict Stage Four lockdowns for much of the year was not without its challenges.

The father-of-three explained one of the keys to their success was embracing remote working, which was a lot tougher for the staff who physically pack orders than those in the front office.

'Our warehouse was forced to work at a reduced capacity while we were experiencing a crazy amount of demand ... It's not the worst position to be in,' former truck driver Nick added.

The shift also helped them expand the philanthropic side of the business even further by developing new hampers focusing on Aussie businesses affected by drought, bushfires and Covid.

Their 'Support Aussie Businesses Range' puts money back into these communities by purchasing local products and showcasing them to a wider audience.

Nick (pictured at the company warehouse) and Rory also managed to raise an impressive amount of support for frontline workers and underprivileged kids who were affected by Covid lockdowns in 2020

The business model focuses on luxury and little known but quality items - with a focus on showcasing Aussie businesses

They've also previously developed hampers specifically for certain charities such as R U OK? and Koala Kids, with proceeds going straight to the causes.

Truck driver Nick, with his logistics background, actually had the original concept for the gift hamper venture in 2004, noticing a gap for luxury hampers in the market.

Their first sales involved looking through phone books and calling companies who spent extra cash on prominent listings - asking them if they did Christmas gifting to their customers.

Working out of Nick's house for the first few years while utilising his freight logistics contacts, they eventually moved to a suburban Melbourne office and warehouse and began hiring staff.

They sold a hamper every 20 seconds in December marking a new record for sales for the gift hamper company founded in 2004

Intermittent state border closures were no doubt a factor in their growth in 2020 - with Australians unable to visit each other sending gifts - but the brothers business skills in reading the market had already turned them into the country's top supplier of hampers.

And with the brothers genuinely enjoying what they do - Nick likes sourcing obscure quality products from suppliers while Rory likes the business strategy aspect - the company looks set to continue their growth for the next decade and help Aussie communities along the way.
Dame Maureen Lipman has quit actors' union Equity after 54 years over its stance on Israel.

The actress, 75, called on other Jewish performers to 'get the hell out' of the union after it urged members to join pro-Palestine marches which have been marred by allegations of anti-Semitism.

Dame Maureen said the issue of Israel had become an 'obsession' for Equity, which she claimed is now 'stacked full of Corbynistas'.

The West End star condemned the union's president, Maureen Beattie, for sharing an online petition calling for sanctions against Israel in a personal capacity.

She told The Daily Telegraph: 'I'm going to resign and I'm also going to ask for my 1000 a year membership fees to be given back to me, and I'm going to send it a charity for the victims on both sides.

Dame Maureen Lipman has quit actors' union Equity after 54 years over its stance on Israel

'I didn't join a political union. I joined a union to protect its members. You don't dictate to artists what they believe in, and don't incite them to join a mob.

'How dare they demand sanctions? Where is Maureen Beattie on the Uyghurs, Rohingyas, the Sudanese, the Yemenites?' Comedian Dom Joly and former Eastenders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman have also criticised Equity for its stance on the conflict.

A statement issued by the union on Thursday encouraged members to join 'the Covid-safe protest organised by Trade Unions for Palestine' last weekend.

The West End star condemned the union's president, Maureen Beattie (pictured), for sharing an online petition calling for sanctions against Israel in a personal capacity

It said: 'Equity has a long, and proud history of standing up for peace and justice around the world - including in Palestine.

'Violence directed against ordinary working people in both Israel and Palestine is appalling, and it is to be condemned by our movement.

'The disproportionate actions of the current Israeli government over the past few weeks, both in the policing of Jerusalem and toward Gaza, are particularly horrifying.

'We stand in solidarity with Palestinians taking industrial action, and workers around the world taking action in support of them.'
President Joe Biden on Monday said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was 'a direct affront to international norms' and condemned the action as an 'outrageous incident.'

The president also said that a confession made by the journalist, Raman Pratasevich, on Belarusian state TV was done 'under duress.'

Biden made the statement - and joined calls for an international investigation - as the European Union imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports in the 27-nation bloc in reaction to Sunday's forced diversion of the Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight.

The flight had originated from Greece, but was forced to land in Minsk.

Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko, that aired on Belarusian state television Monday night.

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President Joe Biden (seen above at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC on Monday) said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was 'a direct affront to international norms' and condemned the action as an 'outrageous incident.'

Roman Protasevich, who was dragged off a Ryanair civilian airliner and arrested by the Belarusian regime, has said that he is 'confessing' to charges of organizing protests and cooperating with authorities in a video being circulated on state TV

In the video clip, Pratasevich, 26, said his treatment in custody was 'maximally correct and according to law.'

He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.

'This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Pratasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press,' Biden said in a statement.

'The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners who are being unjustly detained by the Lukashenka regime.'

Separately, the White House said that national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday spoke with Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Sullivan told the opposition leader that the US 'in coordination with the EU and other allies and partners, will hold the Lukashenka regime to account.'

Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured)

Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, (pictured after he was separated from other passengers) was hauled off the plane and arrested with his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, after the flight from Greece to Lithuania made the emergency landing in Minsk

Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich's girlfriend Sofia Sapega who was also detained

The airliner full of tourists made an emergency landing at Minsk Airport after being escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet amid reports of a bomb on board

Ryanair flight FR4978 had been flying from Athens in Greece to Vilnius in Lithuania when it was escorted by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet to Belarus amid fake reports of an IED on board. It was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk Airport, where authorities arrested dissident journalist Roman Protasevich

Two US senators urged the Biden administration to prohibit US airlines from entering Belarus airspace because of the incident.

'We must protect innocent passengers from despotic regimes and stand in solidarity with dissidents who are being targeted,' Senators Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, and Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, said in a joint statement.

The US and the EU had already imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged.

More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands beaten.

'I applaud the courage and determination of Belarusians fighting for basic rights, including journalists like Raman Pratasevich and opposition leaders like Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski,' Biden said in a statement.

'The United States will continue to stand with the people of Belarus in their struggle.'

Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app's Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organize the anti-Lukashenko protests.
The billionaire son of Australia's richest person was named on the Australian Financial Review's 2021 Rich List as he goes about building a fortune separate from his famous mother.

John Hancock, the eldest son of Gina Rinehart from her first marriage to Greg Hayward, is listed at 44 on the list with an estimated fortune of $2.4 billion.

Hancock, 45, first appeared on the list last year, when his wealth was assessed at $2.05 billion.

This year's appearance includes an interview and photos which provide an insight into the lifestyles of the extremely wealthy.

John Hancock pictured with Gemma, his wife of seven years. The couple have three children

UK-based Hancock talks of his plans to take his family - wife Gemma and children Georgia, 14, Jasmine, 11 and Zara, 6 - on holidays during the disruption of last year's COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hancocks' holiday changed from bookings at ski resorts in Canada and Switzerland to a trip to Dubai and finally, an extended stay in the Maldives, as they dealt with border closures.

He also discussed the expertise of his two elder daughters on the ski slopes of famed ski resort Whistler Blackcomb, where the girls appear on merit lists for the AMDP team.

A fit and tanned looking Hancock is shown wearing aviators with his young family against a picture-perfect Maldives backdrop as he describes his successful investment in Vulcan Energy, which produces carbon lithium for use in batteries such as those powering electric vehicles.

Much of Hancock's wealth, however, remains based on the fortune built by his mother Gina and mining magnate grandfather, Lang Hancock.

Hancock was involved in a long-running battle over control of the family's trust fund

Collection of dividends from family investments in the order of $48 million had provided Hancock with the freedom to pursue his own interests.

'For the first time in my life I had the ability to look after my family and also make decisions on investments,' he told the AFR,

Hancock still stands to inherit billions from the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust, the family trust fund that exposed a long-running family feud over its control when Gina Rinehart extended the period before her children could access its billions until 2068.

Hope Rinehart, Gina's third daughter, took legal action against her mother over access to the money in the trust in 2011.

John and his sister Bianca joined Hope in the action, while Gina's youngest daughter Ginia remained on her mother's side.

When interviewed by Four Corners in 2012, Hancock responded to disbelief that he couldn't access funds from the family trust.

'Well, it'd be nice if I was, but I have all the bad things about having money and none of the good things,' he said.

Despite a series of court proceedings in the past decade, the matter remains in arbitration.

Hancock had also said that he still loves his mother despite the trust fund battle. 'My mother and I have an almost unlimited capacity to forgive one another,' he once remarked.

Hancock's recent appearance on the Rich List come after a diverse CV trying to find his niche.

In 2012, for example, he revealed he had returned from living in Thailand to support a revolutionary walling system created by Perth inventor Jerome Naidoo.

Since 2014 he's been a senior adviser to The Lind Partners, which funds mining, oil, gas and tech companies in Australia, Canada, the US and UK.
Britons face having to self-isolate for 10 days if they are in close contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated, reports claim.

The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs.

It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated.

Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine.

Government sources say it is crucial that the contract tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus.

One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.'

The news comes as the number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Bolton has more than tripled in a fortnight as the Manchester borough grapples with an outbreak of the highly-infectious Indian variant.

The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs (pictured: People in Bolton queue up for Covid-19 vaccination)

The Indian coronavirus variant is now dominant in 44 areas across England  almost twice as many as the previous week  according to data published by the Sanger Institute today. Of the hotspots, only 19 have seen their infection rates increase in the most recent week

Sources say there are currently 43 Covid patients in the town's NHS trust, compared to 12 that were receiving care on May 10.

Nearly 9,000 patients died after catching Covid on English hospital wards while being treated for something else Nearly 9,000 Britons died after contracting Covid on a hospital ward while receiving care for a different illness, official NHS data shows. Figures obtained by the Guardian revealed that 32,307 patients have caught the disease while in English hospitals since March 2020, of which 8,747 have died. University Hospitals Birmingham suffered the biggest death toll (408), followed by Nottingham University Hospitals (279) and Frimley in Surrey (259). Victims were found to have caught the virus while hospital for a range of reasons, including an operation, treatment for an underlying condition or an accident. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said hospital-acquired Covid infections and deaths remained 'one of the silent scandals of this pandemic', adding that many of them would have been avoidable. NHS bosses said a lack of testing and personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic had made hospital-acquired infections harder to prevent. They also admitted that not fully understanding the extend of asymptomatic spread fuelled outbreaks on wards in the early days of the pandemic. Nine of the 81 acute hospital trusts which responded to the Freedom of Information request recorded 200 or more deaths. Advertisement

Experts fear the pressure on the trust, which looks after the Royal Bolton Hospital, will only get worse as the infection rate climbs.

Bolton is recording more than 400 Covid cases per 100,000 people - twenty times the national average - following a period of exponential growth of the Indian variant in the last month.

It takes several weeks for cases to turn into hospitalisations due to the lag between someone catching and falling seriously ill with Covid.

However, Number 10 has said the 'majority' of people being hospitalised with the disease currently are either unvaccinated or have not been for both jabs.

Analysis by Public Health England has found two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer 's jab provide a similar level of protection from the Indian variant as they do for the Kent version, which has raised hopes that hospital and death rates will not reach the peaks of previous waves.

Meanwhile, data published today showed the Indian variant spiralling in Bolton is now dominant in nearly 15 per cent of authorities in England  almost twice as many as the previous week.

Boris Johnson has delayed a review of social distancing restrictions despite warnings from pub bosses that they need the one-metre rule to be scrapped next month if they are to break even.

Boris Johnson had previously said he would publish details of the review  which covers mask-wearing and vaccine passports  by the end of May. But the official Downing Street spokesman said yesterday that this may be delayed until it is known how virulent the Indian variant is.

He added that the review would be published 'as soon as possible'. A Whitehall source warned last night that if concerns about the Indian variant persist, it could mean continuing with face masks, or continuing the work from home guidance until the autumn.

It came as Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, told MPs yesterday that England's pubs have no chance of 'starting their journey to recovery' unless all restrictions are lifted on June 21.

She also warned that if vaccine passports are introduced for pubs, they would cause revenues to tumble by 25 per cent because people would be far less likely to make a spontaneous visit.

Miss McClarkin also pointed out that over the past year, 87 million pints of beer have been thrown away due to the lockdowns.

Mr Johnson has identified the removal of the one-metre rule in pubs and restaurants as his key aim for June 21 because of the potentially huge economic benefit it could bring to the hospitality industry.

Ministers remain hopeful that all remaining social distancing measures can still be lifted that day. But a Whitehall source said other measures  such as the lifting of mask rules  could just be watered down.

'We have had some good news on the effectiveness of the vaccines on the variant but we still need more data on transmissibility and on the impact on hospitalisations and serious illness,' the source said. Miss McClarkin told the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee: 'June 21 has to be the date that all restrictions fall away.

'Any lingering restrictions put at risk the future of many pubs and also our brewers.' When asked about the possibility that people could have to prove whether they have had the vaccine or a negative Covid test before visiting a pub, she said: 'It will completely go against the point on spontaneity.

'You don't know when you're going to want to go to the pub but you know that it's going to be there whenever you need it.

'If you need a cost on that, it's about 25 per cent of all revenue, which is an awful lot of money.'

MPs were also told that sporting events that trialled the use of Covid testing passports to allow fans into stadiums saw no 'significant increased transmission'.

Separately, Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, indicated regular lateral flow testing is likely to remain a 'part of our everyday lives'.
The fugitive Italian mafia boss Rocco Morabito was arrested Monday in northeast Brazil, almost two years after he escaped through the roof of a prison in Uruguay where he was awaiting extradition to Italy.

Morabito - a top 'Ndrangheta figure - was captured in the city of Joao Pessoa along with another Italian 'outlaw' as a result of a joint investigation with Italy, Brazil's federal police said in a statement.

Dubbed the 'cocaine king of Milan', Morabito was arrested in Uruguay in 2017 after decades on the run and was awaiting extradition to Italy for international drug trafficking charges.

But the mafia boss escaped through a prison roof in the Uruguayan capital of Montevido in 2019 after cutting a hole before he and three other inmates robbed the occupants of a nearby farmhouse.

Two years later and Brazilian police have been able to arrest the fugitive, who is facing 30 years in prison.

The fugitive Italian mafia boss Rocco Morabito was arrested Monday in northeast Brazil, almost two years after he escaped through the roof of a prison in Uruguay where he was awaiting extradition to Italy. Pictured: Morabito after 2017 Uruguay arrest

Rocco Morabito was arrested in September 2017 at a Montevideo hotel

Morabito was one of Italy's most wanted men when he was arrested in a Montevideo hotel in September 2017.

By then, he had lived for 13 years under a fake identity in the Uruguayan resort town of Punta del Este.

He had been sentenced in his absence to 28 years' imprisonment by an Italian court in 2015, a penalty later increased to 30 years.

In June 2019, Uruguay's interior ministry announced Morabito and three other inmates had escaped through a hole in the roof of their prison in the capital Montevideo, setting off a massive manhunt and causing Uruguay's prison chief to resign.

Morabito had been wanted by Italy since 1994 after he was caught paying 13 billion lire ($8 million) to import almost a tonne of cocaine, Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

Italy's much-feared 'Ndrangheta mafia is thought to run much of Europe's cocaine trade from Calabria in the southwest.

It is also involved in arms trafficking, prostitution and extortion.

Morabito first carved out a reputation for himself as the King of Cocaine after arriving in trendy Milan from his hometown of Africo in Italy's poor southern region of Calabria at the age of 23.

Nicknamed 'U Tamunga' in reference to a German military vehicle, the DKW Munga, the young Morabito became a charismatic figure in Milan who frequented bars and parties, according to Italian press reports.

Longtime Italian fugitive Rocco Morabito seen before going on the run in 1994 (left) and after he was caught in Uruguay (right) in September 2017

He soon came to the attention of Italian anti-Mafia investigators and they regularly tracked him delivering suitcases filled with millions of lira to Colombian drug traffickers.

Police moved in on his birthday as he made what would be his last delivery, in October 1994, but he managed to escape.

The following year he was sentenced in absentia to 28 years' imprisonment for mafia association and drug trafficking.

Later the sentence was extended to 30 years.

An international arrest warrant was issued in 1995 with the aim of tracking down Morabito and extraditing him to Italy to serve his sentence.

In 2017 he was arrested after living in Uruguay under a false name for 13 years and jailed while Italy's request for extradition was processed.

Officials said at the time that he had acquired Uruguayan residence after entering the country with a false Brazilian passport in the name of Francisco Capeletto.

He was originally arrested in 2017 on charges of falsifying identity papers, but has been awaiting extradition on more serious charges of 'international drug trafficking'.

The Uruguayan interior ministry said, in a statement at the time of his arrest, that he had been living in a luxury villa in Punta del Este, a resort town, with his Uruguayan wife since 2004, having first arrived in the South American nation in 2001.
A pilot has died after an aircraft operated by a military contractor out of Nellis Air Force Base crashed in a nearby residential area, authorities in Las Vegas said Monday.

A statement attributed to base spokesman Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry confirmed the crash occurred about 2.30pm. Florida-based company Draken US owned the aircraft, and said in a statement that the pilot, whose name has not been released, had died and no one else was on board.

It's unclear whether there were injuries to people on the ground.

The plane crashed in a yard where a neighbor, Alex Reyes, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he heard a loud thump and then saw black smoke billowing from the home.

Neighbor Eugenia Brackeen told the newspaper she heard a boom so loud that she couldn't hear her television. She said her power went out for a short time.

Witnesses posted online images of a plume of smoke not far from a southern fence to the base, of city and base fire crews arriving, and a helicopter circling.

Police cordoned off the neighborhood about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northeast of downtown Las Vegas

Witnesses posted online images of a plume of smoke not far from a southern fence to the base

In a Twitter post, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he and his wife, Kathy, were 'praying for all those involved in todays incident,' including Nellis service members and first-responders.

Deputy Clark County Fire Chief Warren Whitney confirmed only that fire crews were called to the area in unincorporated county territory. He directed follow-up inquiries to Nellis.

Police cordoned off the neighborhood about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northeast of downtown Las Vegas.

The crash was the first out of Nellis since Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bango of Valencia, California, died in April 2018 during a training flight over the Nevada Test and Training Range

Nellis is best known internationally as host of periodic training exercises where U.S. and allied pilots conduct mock battles over a restricted military reserve in central Nevada that is half the size of the state of New Jersey.

Aircraft based at Nellis include F-16 Falcon and F-22 Raptor fighter jets and A-10 Warthog attack jets.

The base also is home to the elite Thunderbirds flight demonstration team.

Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Novotny, who stepped down last year after commanding the 57th Wing at Nellis, told KTNV-TV that contract aircraft and pilots take part in some exercises as participants 'to train against'.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator is traveling to site of the crashed Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1, the agency tweeted.

The crash was the first out of Nellis since Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bango of Valencia, California, died in April 2018 during a training flight over the Nevada Test and Training Range.

In September 2017, an Air Force pilot died after a crash about 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) northwest of Nellis.

Firefighters and military personnel investigate an airplane crash near Nellis Air Force Base
The FBI has launched an investigation into a suspicious package containing a white powder and a threatening letter that was sent to Rand Paul just a day after Richard Marx praised the man who assaulted the senator from Kentucky in 2017.

The package which arrived at Paul's home also contained a doctored image of the Republican who is seen heavily bandaged and walking with the aid of a crutch as a rifle appears aimed at his head.

Ill finish what your neighbor started, you motherf**ker, the message on the package reads.

The Bowling Green Fire Department's WMD team's preliminary analysis identified the substance as non-toxic, the Warren County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

The unidentified substance and package will undergo further analysis, the sheriff's office added.

News of the threat was first reported on Monday by Fox News.

The photoshopped image attached to the package was doctored from a photo illustration of Paul that was created by GQ magazine as part of a 2017 feature story on the assault that left the Republican senator badly injured.

Senator Rand Paul on Monday received a death threat through the mail. The package included a photoshopped image of the Kentucky senator depicting him as a bandaged and unable to walk while a rifle is pointed at his head. Ill finish what your neighbor started, you motherf**ker, the message on the package reads.

'I take these threats immensely seriously,' Paul wrote in a statement Monday. 'I have been targeted multiple times now, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to advocated for violence against me and my family. This must stop.'

Paul was assaulted by Rene Boucher (left), 60, in November 2017 while he was mowing his lawn outside the front of his home. He was tackled from behind and suffered a six broken ribs in the attack  including three displaced fractures

The November 2017 attack took place as Paul was mowing his front lawn at his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky (above)

In 2017, Paul suffered six broken ribs after one of his neighbors, Rene Boucher, assaulted the senator as he was doing yard work.

Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Last summer he was sentenced to eight months in prison.

'I take these threats immensely seriously,' Paul wrote in a statement Monday.

'I have been targeted multiple times now, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to advocated for violence against me and my family. This must stop.

'Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this despicable powder filled letter.'

Marx, the rock star and 1980s-era hitmaker, tweeted on Sunday: 'Ill say it again: If I ever meet Rand Pauls neighbor Im going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume.'

In a subsequent tweet, Marx claimed that he was simply joking, saying it was a 'wise-crack' and not 'incitement to violence.'

Marx was criticized by former Fox News broadcaster Eric Bolling, who demanded that the FBI investigate the singer.

The musician's comments about Paul's neighbor were in response to an interview in which the senator said that he has no plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine because he has already been infected with and recovered from the disease.

In a statement released on Monday, Paul hit out at 1980s era hitmaker Richard Marx (seen above in Nashville, Indiana in February 2020) for 'calling for violence against me'

Marx, the 57-year-old rock star, tweeted on Sunday: 'Ill say it again: If I ever meet Rand Pauls neighbor Im going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume.' The tweet appeared to be a reaction to Paul's comments indicating that he would not be getting the COVID-19 vaccine because he had already been infected and had 'natural immunity'

In a subsequent tweet, Marx claimed that he was simply joking, saying it was a 'wise-crack' and not 'incitement to violence.'

'Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease and I have natural immunity,' Paul told WABC-AM radio based in New York City.

The Kentucky senator insisted that Americans should have the freedom to make their own medical decisions without fear of repercussions or shame from the government.

'In a free country you would think people would honor the idea that each individual would get to make the medical decision,' he told the Cats Roundtable host John Catsimatidis.

'Are they also going to tell me I can't have a cheeseburger for lunch? Are they going to tell me that I have to eat carrots only and cut my calories?' Paul, an ophthalmologist, questioned.

'All that would probably be good for me,' he admitted, 'but I don't think big brother ought to tell me to do it.'

Republican Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger immediately excoriated Paul for saying he won't get the shot.

'So brave...Such a leader... so manly' Kinzinger wrote of Paul.

In March 2020, Paul tested positive for COVID-19  becoming at the time the first known senator to contract the then-newly emerging disease.

More than a year later, several lawmakers have contracted COVID-19 and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says around three-fourths of the members of Congress have been inoculated.

The CDC released guidance earlier this month that fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear masks indoors or outdoors.

Pelosi extended this guidance to the House, where members no longer have to wear face coverings if they received their final vaccine dose at least two weeks prior.

There is also a massive administration-down campaign encouraging the remaining unvaccinated Americans to get the shot after Biden lauded earlier in May that 60 per cent of American adults have received at least one dose.

Vaccine hesitancy is still a major concern  leading to losing restrictions on masks to encourage more people to sign up to get the jab.

In 2019, Paul underwent surgery to remove part of a lung that was damaged during the assault by Boucher. Paul was assaulted while he was mowing the lawn outside the front of his home in Kentucky. Boucher - a retired anesthetist - told Paul in the wake of the attack that he hadn't been able to sell his $740,000 house for 10 years because the congressman's trees were 'in the way' and he had simply had enough of him

The CDC currently advises those who previously contracted coronavirus to still get vaccinated.

'You should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19,' the CDC guidance on its website explains. 'That's because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19.'

'Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possiblealthough rarethat you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again,' it continues.

There are also concerns that people could contract a different strain of the virus, which might otherwise be protected if they get vaccinated.

In 2019, Paul underwent surgery to remove part of a lung that was damaged during the assault by Boucher.

Paul was assaulted while he was mowing the lawn outside the front of his home in Kentucky.

The injuries caused a number of complications, including the build-up of fluid and blood around the lungs as well as triggering a nasty bout of pneumonia.

Boucher - a retired anesthetist - told Paul in the wake of the attack that he hadn't been able to sell his $740,000 house for 10 years because the congressman's trees were 'in the way' and he had simply had enough of him.

It's believed Boucher was referring to woodland at the back of Paul's property that blocks his views of the picturesque private lake that forms the centerpiece of their upscale gated community.

Boucher's alleged grievance was relayed to the media by another of Paul's neighbors, Alicia Stivers, the first person to see the bloodied and dazed lawmaker after the November 3 assault in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Property records confirmed that Boucher had put his house on the market five times over the past decade without success, at one point becoming embroiled in a messy lawsuit when a prospective buyer pulled the plug at the last minute.

A look at boundary maps and overhead photographs showed many of the 'offending' trees were on Paul's land - although one realtor pal told DailyMail.com the Boucher property probably didn't sell simply because it was overpriced.

The discovery contradicted initial claims that Boucher, a Democrat, had attacked Paul simply as a result of their ideological differences.

Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of congress in March 2018 and was sentenced to 30 days in federal prison three months later.

Last summer, he was re-sentenced to an additional eight months followed by six months of home confinement after prosecutors argued that the initial punishment was too lenient.

Bouchers attorney later revealed that his clients temper had boiled over on the day of the attack because Paul blew some leaves onto his property as he was mowing his.

However, a spokesman for Paul discredited the claim, saying: There was no longstanding dispute.

In January 2019, the senator was awarded $580,000 in damages by a Kentucky jury.

Of that amount, $375,000 was awarded in punitive damages, $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus an additional $7,834 for medical expenses.
Brittany Higgins alleges she was raped in parliament in March 2019

Prosecutors will decide whether to charge Brittany Higgins' alleged rapist within weeks.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw on Tuesday revealed the force's ACT policing arm was moving closer to completing its investigation.

'I have been informed by the ACT chief police officer that a brief of evidence is likely to be provided to the director of ACT public prosecutions in the coming weeks,' he told Senate estimates.

Once a brief of evidence is provided, the DPP decides whether charges will be laid.

'All of us would want justice for any victim in these circumstances,' Mr Kershaw added.

'I take an oath to protect the Australian community and to make sure that we do our job in investigating serious crimes.'

Former Liberal staffer Ms Higgins shocked the nation earlier this year when she alleged she was raped by a colleague in a minister's Parliament House office after a boozy night out in March 2019.

Ms Higgins said she internalised her trauma and chose not to make a formal complaint after the incident.

She then made a complaint to police in February this year.

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Phil Gaetjens, tasked with investigating who in Scott Morrison's office knew about the allegation and when, faced questions in a separate hearing.

Mr Gaetjens paused his inquiry after speaking with Mr Kershaw about the potential for overlap with police work.

The top public servant has now resumed his probe and expects to complete his work within weeks.

'I'll finish as soon as possible,' Mr Gaetjens told parliament.

Brittany Higgins is pictured with her boyfriend David Sharaz who has been supporting her

Labor is concerned about a cover-up after Mr Gaetjens said it would be up to the prime minister whether the report would be made public.

He is yet to interview Ms Higgins but says he plans to after she asked to be involved.

The powerful bureaucrat refused to reveal how many people he spoke to during the investigation or if staff in the prime minister's office were receiving legal representation.

Labor Senate leader Penny Wong and her opposition frontbench colleague Katy Gallagher accused the government of concealing information.

'It's like a cover-up of a cover-up of a cover-up. It's like triple cover-up,' Senator Gallagher said.

Government Senate leader Simon Birmingham said Ms Higgins deserved for the process to run its course.

'Brittany Higgins deserves to have a thorough process completed, one that is of integrity,' he said.

Former political staffer Brittany Higgins speaks to the media as she leaves the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices after meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April

Senator Wong questioned whether Senator Birmingham had no shame over inquiries being dragged out and questions not being answered at the estimates hearing.

Mr Kershaw said ACT Policing had told him there was no problem with a crossover between the two investigations.

'Mr Gaetjens did make the right call in suspending his inquiry but I did want to make sure there was no problematic intersection with the criminal investigation,' he said.

In response to a question on notice from Labor senator Kristina Keneally, the AFP also revealed Peter Dutton's office was told in October 2019 about the incident.

The AFP confirmed direct contact with Mr Dutton was not made until February 11 this year, backing up the senior cabinet minister's account.
At least five people were killed in a mass shooting at an apartment complex in a Columbus, Ohio, suburb.

Three bodies were discovered inside an apartment in West Jefferson, Ohio, on Monday.

At least another two were found shot to death outside the building, local media reports.

At least five people were killed in a mass shooting at an apartment complex in a Columbus, Ohio, suburb

Three bodies were discovered inside an apartment in West Jefferson, Ohio, on Monday

Police responding to the incident were alerted to the shooting by a passerby who called 911.

Officers arriving secured the scene and began looking for a suspect and evidence.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Madison County Sheriff's Office were reportedly assisting West Jefferson police in the investigation.

West Jefferson Chief of Police Christopher Floyd told NBC4: 'Things like this don't happen in West Jefferson, or don't happen in small towns.'

'We don't know at this point if it was a robbery gone bad or what it was,' Floyd said, adding that the street was a dead end so it was not a drive by.

He said it was at least seven years since the last murder in the town.

The situation is ongoing.
Precast means construction of a product by casting concrete and other construction material in a reusable mold and curing it under a controlled environment. It is then transported to the construction site and lifted into a place. Precast concrete provides plenty of potential advantages for onsite casting. The improvement in precast technology for the production of precast concrete is safe because the process is performed on the ground level. The material quality and workmanship are under great control in precast over onsite casting. They can be reused hundreds to thousands of times before they can be replaced, which make them cost-efficient. The fact that more and more construction industries prefer to use precast concrete over onsite concrete will see this market grow in upcoming forecast years 2018-2023.





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The Global Precast Market has been analyzed with respect to different parameters such as demand, supply, end-users, and value chain of companies and manufacturers of precast concrete. The precast market is categorized based on the type of products produced, types of construction and end-users of the industry. On the basis of the type of products outlook the precast construction market is segmented into facades, floors, partition & internal walls, foundation, frames, and others. Precast concrete products are used in a number of applications ranging from parking structures to the structural engineering framework of commercial buildings.








The spearfisherman who was mauled by a three-metre tiger shark described the attack as 'a dog trying to get grip a bone' while the predator ripped at his arm.

Brett Highlands, 48, was about 500m off Quandong Beach, north of Broome in north-western Western Australia, when he was bitten on his arm and hand on Friday.

In an interview with Seven Mr Highlands said the feeling of the 'chomping effect' of the shark's jaws on his limb will stay with him forever.

'Just a wild animal attached to my arm,' he said.

Brett Highlands (pictured) had been swimming about 500m off Quandong Beach, north of Broome in north-western Western Australia, when he was bitten on his arm and hand on Friday

Mr Highlands (pictured with a friend) was attacked shortly after 11am on Friday while diving with friends to celebrate his birthday

Mr Highlands was attacked shortly after 11am on Friday while diving with friends to celebrate his birthday.

He swam back to the boat where his horrified friends pulled him on board and wrapped a tourniquet around his arm.

Footage then showed Mr Highlands walking onto the shore at Cable Beach with the support of his mates before paramedics rushed him off to hospital - all in front of shocked beachgoers.

The 48-year-old was flown to a Perth hospital on Friday night in a stable condition.

Authorities from the Department of Fisheries were patrolling the area after the attack and believe the species was a tiger shark.

Newlyweds Halley and Jacob Zurzulo saw the man being escorted back to shore in what they thought was an arrest.

'It took us ages to figure out what was happening. It literally looked like someone was being arrested,' Ms Zurzulo said on Facebook.

Mr Highlands is seen being escorted to shore after the shark attack near Broome in WA on Friday

A police car sped across the sand in front of the Zurzolos, who were married six days earlier and were about to go for a swim before the scene unfolded in front of them.

Mr Highlands' friends are understood to have called St John's Ambulance from their boat and met them at Cable Beach half an hour after he was bitten.

'He got brought down to Cable Beach from ages away by boat, and there was cops and detectives and rangers and paramedics,' Mrs Zurzolo said.

A witness told 6PR the victim seemed 'pretty chill' despite the near death experience.

'There was probably every cop in Broome just racing down the beach with the lifeguards,' he said.

Mr Highlands was rushed to the nearby Cable Beach (pictured) on Friday morning to be taken by paramedics to hospital. He remains in a stable condition

The attack comes after a string of shark encounters across Australia in recent months.

Charles Cernobori, 59, was killed by a shark at Cable Beach last year while bodyboarding about 30metres from shore.

A surfer in his 50s was fatally mauled by a 4.5m great white shark off Tuncurry Beach on the NSW mid-north coast on Tuesday morning.

He was desperately warning friends of the danger when he was attacked. It was the first death by a shark in Australian waters this year.
Three children from the same area are believed to have taken their own lives in the past fortnight, sparking a national reckoning with the tragedy of youth suicide.

Lauren Rafferty, 12, from Wagga Wagga was found dead on May 9 - Mother's Day - her heartbroken mother Rachelle grieving her 'sweet, strong and kind' soul.

A 14-year-old originally from nearby Narrandera died on May 17, leaving behind his four siblings.

And a 17-year-old girl from neighbouring Griffith, described as a star Year 12 pupil, was found dead in bushland at Scenic Hill on Sunday.

The triple tragedies have sent shockwaves through the NSW Riverina region and an outpouring of emotion Australia-wide, coming three years after the death of Northern Territory bullying victim Dolly Everett, 14.

Lauren Rafferty (pictured) tragically died on Mother's Day after struggling with her mental health for the past two years in the NSW Riverina town of Wagga Wagga

Her heartbroken mother Rachelle told Daily Mail Australia that numerous attempts were made to help Lauren (pictured) but the family struggled to find the support they desperately needed

Miss Rafferty's tragic death is just one of three recent instances of a teenager appearing to take their own life in the largely agricultural area by the Murray River

Helen Dalton, the MP for the seat of Murray, represents one of the grieving families in the NSW Parliament.

Ms Dalton told Daily Mail Australia that regional suicide is an epidemic 'nobody talks about', arguing small towns have been 'neglected' by mental health services.

'The Murrumbidgee region has a suicide rate almost three times that of Sydney. But we have far fewer mental health services,' she said.

Some 20 years ago the suicide rate was about the same as the major city, she said - but now it is much worse, at 20.9 per 100,000 people to Sydney's 7.8.

Meanwhile, not one hospital in her electorate, an area of 107,000 square kilometres, has a dedicated mental health unit.

'As Government neglects small towns and centralises services in Sydney, mental health problems in the bush increase,' she said.

Grieving Rachelle Rafferty puts a human face on that problem, saying losing Lauren 'has shattered and devastated our family.

Lauren suffered the same level of bullying that any girl of her age does- which is still unacceptable Rachelle Rafferty

'As parents, we thought we were doing everything right by our children, and tried daily to do our best.

'Since Lauren's death on Mother's Day, and subsequent thorough investigation, we now know how far the cumulative effect of systematic failure contributed.

'Numerous attempts over the last two years were made to help Lauren.

'We had difficulty navigating and accessing mental health support for children, especially in regional areas.'

Lauren is pictured visiting the elderly at Christmas time in 2020 (left) and strawberry picking with her brother (right)

There has been widespread conjecture from in the tight-knit community that Lauren was a victim of bullying at her school.

But Ms Rafferty said that while her daughter did experience bullying, it was no more than the typically cruel behaviour levelled at most girls her age.

'Lauren suffered the same level of bullying that any girl of her age does- which is still unacceptable,' her mother said.

'It's our responsibility to improve the human race mentally and environmentally so that we all can shine instead of suffer.'

Parents Brent and Rachelle, who also have an older son Owen, say they believe the lack of access to the support their daughter deserved only worsened her struggle.

Although the Kooringal High School student was a 'sweet, strong, kind, quick-witted, creative and beautiful soul,' her mother said she struggled to shine in an increasingly 'cruel' world.

'Lauren had a greater sadness than any of us could fathom, which spiralled and deepened,' Ms Rafferty said.

'Lauren's sweet, strong, kind, quick-witted, creative and beautiful soul struggled to shine in this world that is ever increasingly cruel and relentless.

'It is our wish that the world could have more peace, kindness and generosity towards one another - starting with our own community.'

Ms Rafferty said Lauren only suffered the same level of bullying that any girl of her age does. Pictured: Kooringal High School where she was a Year 7 student

Lauren's school principal, Helen Schmetzer, said the past two weeks have been 'sad and challenging' for Kooringal High School.

'As we grieve the loss of one of our Year 7 students, we would like to extend our thoughts and deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this time,' she said.

'Our Wellbeing team has been a fantastic support for both students and staff alike and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts.'

A GoFundMe page has now been set up on behalf of the grieving family to raise money for a 'beautiful and respectful burial and memorial', you can donate here.

If you or anyone you know is in need of mental health support you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
A bill that will allow Texans to carry concealed handguns without any permit - or the background check and training that come with it - passed the state's legislature on Monday and headed to the desk of the governor, who has promised to sign it.

When Governor Greg Abbott signs the measure into law, Texas will become the 21st state, and the most populous, in the United States to have some form of permitless concealed carry, according to the National Rifle Association.

Texas already has some of the loosest gun laws in the country and has more than 1.6 million handgun license holders.

Rep Matt Schaefer, a Republican who authored the bill, which gun rights advocates refer to as a 'constitutional carry' law, had earlier called it the 'strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history'.

The bill protects 'the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self-defense and the defense of their families,' Schaefer wrote on Twitter.

Rep Chris Turner, a Democrat, who's been a vocal opponent of the bill, noted this is the first legislative session since the August 2019 mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa that left 30 people dead and dozens more wounded, including two police officers.

'I can't imagine a worse slap in the face to all those people who have advocated, to the victims and to the family of those victims,' Turner said.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, wrote on Twitter: 'This is excellent news for law abiding-Second Amendment loving Texans.'

The Texas state legislature passed a bill that allows Texans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised to sign the bill

The bill that passed includes compromises that address concerns of the law enforcement community, including getting rid of language that would have prevented a police officer from questioning a suspect based solely on the fact that they were carrying a gun.

Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group that works for tougher gun regulations across the US, blasted the bill.

'These representatives have abandoned their oaths of office to represent our interests,' said Elizabeth Hanks, a volunteer for Moms Demand Action, the grassroots wing of Everytown, in a written statement.

'We're putting them on notice - we'll stop at nothing to make sure Texas voters know just how much danger these representatives have put them in,' she added.

Opinion about gun control laws in Texas is split, as evidenced by polls done by the Texas Politics Project, which published its April 2021 results to the question: 'Do you think gun control laws should be made more strict, less strict or left as they are now?'

Forty-six percent of responders said more strict, 30 percent said left as they are, 20 percent said less strict and five percent said don't know or have no opinion.

Many of the state's law enforcement opposed the bill.

Interim Austin Police Chief Joe Chacon was joined at the end of April by other police chiefs and police advocates outside the Texas Capitol to dissuade Texas from passing the bill.

He said officers currently assume that if they see a person openly carrying a firearm, that person has gone through the process to obtain a license, the Austin-American Statesman reported.

'When you strip that away and take away those safeguards or guardrails, per se, it's going to make it more difficult for officers to make those kinds of assumptions and judgments,' he said.

Sen Ted Cruz, a Republican, applauded the bill's passage in a tweet on Monday

Interim Austin Police Chief Joe Chacon (pictured) was joined at the end of April by other police chiefs and police advocates outside the Texas Capitol to dissuade Texas from passing the bill

Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes also opposed the bill and sent a letter to the Texas Senate, saying the department does 'not support any legislation that would allow the carrying of a handgun in a public place without a license or permit.'

'Such action would remove crucial safeguards that are meant to protect Texans.'

But Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn expressed his support for the legislation, telling The Star Telegram, 'I would have never offered this bill if I thought it would in any way put Texans in harm or diminish law enforcement's ability to enforce the law..'

The bill's passage stirred critics who took to Twitter to bash the Texas state legislature for passing it and pushing Abbot not to sign it.

One Twitter user said, 'Texas is one bill away from making it totally okay to kill someone as long as it's with a gun. They're two bills away from making shooting people dead the only way you can graduate from high school.'

Another Twitter user said sarcastically cheered for the bill saying, 'YEAH WOOOO MORE GUNS FOR EVERYONE HERE IN TEXAS!!!! no.

'you'll see, morons with their new guns will roam freely and kill anyone they feel like. this is a stupid bill, and you'll see the major consequences.'

The bill's passage stirred critics who took to Twitter to bash the Texas state legislature for passing it and pushing Abbot not to sign it

Guns have been the center of a national surge in crime.

The 12 deadly mass shootings over the weekend brought the total of US gun fatalities to 7,500 since the start of the year.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was recently asked if America is facing a 'crime problem.'

'I would say certainly there is a guns problem,' said Psaki, rejecting the premise of the question.

'And that's something the president would say, and there are communities where local violence and community violence is an issue,' she continued, citing funding for anti-violence programs.

President Joe Biden has been on a crusade to enforce stricter gun laws in an effort to end to mass shootings.

During a brief White House press conference in mid-April, he said he 'strongly' supports background check legislation.

'I continue, and I strongly, strongly urge my Republican friends in the Congress who have refused to bring up the House passed bill to bring it up now,' he said.
Australians can view an extremely rare sight on Wednesday night with a 'super blood moon' visible in the sky - and the phenomenon is easy to see and photograph without special equipment.

Stargazers are able to see the phenomenon because the full moon will be at its closest point in orbit to our planet and there will also be a lunar eclipse.

The combination results in the moon appearing very large and turning a deep red or orange colour as sunlight curves around our atmosphere and bathes the moon in a partial glow.

The supermoon will combine with a lunar eclipse, causing our satellite to appear bigger and redder than usual, according to astronomers

The sight should be viewable without any special equipment and newer smart phones have cameras powerful enough to be able to get a decent photo of the rare phenomenon (stock image)

The moon's orbit is an oval shape and each month it reaches points where its located at its furthest and closest to our planet, NASA explains.

When the full moon coincides with the satellite being at the closest, this is called a 'supermoon' because the appearance is unusually large and bright, with the space agency adding Wednesday's will be the year's biggest.

It also happens to coincide with a lunar eclipse where the Earth's shadow falls precisely over the moon, making for an even more spectacular night sky.

'Unlike a blue moon this will actually look red or orange. The moon will go behind the earth's shadow but a little bit of sunlight skims the earth's atmosphere and goes out into space,' astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker told the ABC.

'The same effect that gives the sky its orange glow in the morning or afternoon will cause that on the moon - essentially you're seeing sunrise on the moon.'

Dr Tucker, who will be hosting a viewing of the spectacle in Canberra, said having both happen at once is incredibly rare.

'A supermoon you get two or three a year ... and a blood moon you only get every couple of years, the last one we had was in 2018 ... a supermoon and a blood moon you're talking about maybe one or two a decade.'

The eclipse will be on May 26, with skygazers across much of the US, Australia and parts of South America able to witness the moon turn red for 14 minutes

THE 'SUPER BLOOD MOON' IN AUSTRALIA Visible all across Australia. As long as you can see the moon you should be able to see the phenomenon though the weather may play a part. The sight will be visible from 7.44pm on the east coast, 7.14pm in South Australia and the NT, and 5.44pm in Western Australia on Wednesday. The spectacle will last for a three hour window with the peak in the east coast is 9.11pm to 9.25pm. Advertisement

The sight will be visible across the globe with no equipment needed, so Australians can simply walk outside and look up to catch a glimpse.

The phenomenon is also viewable at a reasonable time - beginning in the early evening and going for about three hours.

If you want to snap a picture of the once-in-a-decade event, photographer Colin Lucas recommends a tripod as an essential piece of equipment.

While newer smartphones should have cameras good enough to take a great photo of the super blood moon, getting enough light through the lens is key, he explains.

A tripod will allow for a longer exposure without blurring the image.

He also suggests those with better equipment and a bit more tech know-how increase the lens aperture and ISO to adjust the exposure to let more light through.

Lastly he said using a wide-angle lens and adding an interesting component in the foreground will create perspective and show off the size of the moon.

BEST TIME TO SEE THE BLOOD MOON TONIGHT Maximum eclipse will be visible at these times in our capital cities: Adelaide: 8.48pm. Melbourne: 9.18pm Sydney: 9.18pm Brisbane: 9.18pm Hobart: 9.18pm Canberra: 9.18pm Darwin: 8.48pm Perth: 7.18pm The moon will also be slightly closer to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than usual, dubbed a Super Moon. These unique factors, when combined, result in a 'Super Blood Wolf Moon'. This graphic shows how a lunar eclipse occurs Advertisement

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A small house has sold for $5.2million at auction as developers fight over the land on Sydney's upper north shore.

The three-bedroom home at 7 Marjorie Street, in Roseville, had an original listing price of $4.35million.

About 100 potential buyers flocked to watch the property - which featured a nine square metre kitchen and one small bathroom - before it was sold on Saturday.

A small house with a humble kitchen sold for $5.2million at auction as developers fought over the land on Sydney's upper north shore

This three-bedroom home at 7 Marjorie Street in Roseville had an original listing price of $4.35million

Poll Would you pay $5.2M for this house? YES NO Would you pay $5.2M for this house? YES 5 votes

NO 142 votes Now share your opinion





'The bids were all over the place. There was a lot of bidding and a super strong result,' auctioneer Chris Scerri told the Sunday Telegraph.

The agent said the house will probably demolished and re-sold for an even higher price.

'This solid home offers a rare opportunity to knock down and build the home of your dreams with no heritage or conservation restrictions,' the property description states.

'With an exclusive east-side address, a stroll to Roseville/Lindfield village, rail and schools, it is in the perfect lifestyle location.'

Tenants previously rented the property for almost two decades, with the last price listed in 2016 at $980 a week.

The residence sits on a 910 square metre block of land and has a separate dining and living room.

The backyard includes an outdoor toilet, workshop and storeroom.

The house (lounge room pictured) was previously rented by the owner for almost two decades

This Roseville house is expected to be knocked down and rebuilt, to be sold for an even higher price in coming years

Between January and April Sydney's median price for a home with a backyard increased by 11.2 per cent.

In April, Sydney's median house price was $1.3 million, requiring $260,000 for a 20 per cent deposit.

Harbour city homes are are predicted to skyrocket over the next few years, with 140 suburbs tipped to lead the biggest property boom in the city.

Upmarket suburbs on the Upper North Shore, the Northern Beaches and the Sutherland Shire had price growth that was double that in the same period of time.
Labor has been caught out falsely accusing Scott Morrison of pretending to hammer a nail for a photo opportunity.

Labor MP for Lilley Anika Wells posted a picture of the prime minister wielding a hammer on a trip to a Brisbane electorate to spruik his HomeBuilder program last week.

Alongside it she posted a zoomed-in photo of Mr Morrison's thumb and index finger which showed he was not actually holding a nail as he worked on a piece of wood.

Labor MP for Lilley Anika Wells posted a picture of the prime minister appearing to pretend to hammer a nail

Ms Wells captioned her post: 'This PM is all photo opp, no follow up: your photographic guide from his recent sojourn to Lilley.'

But another photo from the same moment reveals the prime minister was actually hammering a nail just below his hand, which could not be seen in Ms Wells' post that got more than 1,800 likes.

Mr Morrison was simply using his hand to hold a wooden board in place while he hammered the nail.

A Liberal source said Labor had been caught out lying.

But another photo (pictured) from the same moment reveals the prime minister was actually hammering a nail just below his hand

Ms Wells realised she was wrong but still tried to claim the PM was deceiving voters.

'If we are going to get into the weeds on this, the board is already affixed as you can see in this enlarged shot, so why hammer this now celebrated nail in the first place,' she wrote on Twitter.

Lilley is a highly marginal seat which is being targeted by the Coalition at the next election.

The HomeBuilder program provides a grant of $25,000 to build a new home or substantially renovate an existing home.

The scheme was due to end in March, but the government extended it for another year.
A teenager who witnessed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin, believes the police officer knew he had killed the father-of-five but decided to keep quiet, for fear of aggravating the situation further.

Kaylynn Gilbert, 17, was one of those who could do nothing but watch on helplessly as she begged for Chauvin to stop kneeling on Floyd's neck, one year ago today.

Although she questions her own actions and wonders if she could have done anything more to prevent the black man's death, she also believes that had the gathered crowd realized Floyd was dead, more people could have lost their lives as tensions boiled over.

Scroll down for video

Kaylynn Gilbert, left with bag, was one of several eye witnesses to the killing of George Floyd

The 17-year-old watched and pleaded with Officer Derek Chauvin as he kept his neck on Floyd for more than nine minutes

Kaylynn believes that Chauvin already knew that Floyd had passed away but decided not to get up until paramedics arrived for fear of inflaming the situation further

Kaylynn told the Daily Mirror that she thinks the very moment Chauvin got up from Floyd, it would have been obvious to all present there was nothing that could be done to save him.

'I believe Derek stayed on his neck for so long because he knew he was dead.

'If he would've got up before the ambulance arrived, it would have escalated. Everybody would have known there and then George was dead... The police would have killed someone else,' Kaylynn said.

Video that was shot by the teen was ultimately used as evidence in court in the trial of Chauvin who was found guilty of murder last month. He faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.

'It doesn't make sense why he would stay on top of him, especially after George was unconscious,' Kaylynn explained.

Gilbert could be seen pacing back and forth as the horrifying situation unfolded. She questions whether she could have done anything further to help

Kaylynn's pleas were ignored by Officer Chauvin who kept his knee on George Floyd's neck

'A cop doesn't have any reason to be applying pressure to them when they're handcuffed. He knew what he was doing. I understood what he was doing.

'I had a gut feeling George was dead because of how the paramedics later lifted him up and how they were reacting.

'When I watch my video back, I can see that when the ambulance crew arrived they went to check his pulse, it was clear they couldn't find one.'

'They then took their time to get the [stretcher]. Unbelievably, Derek was still on his neck. The ambulance crew had to signal to him to get off him.

'It was like they were saying "get up off of him  he's dead". It was murder, pure and simple.'

George Floyd was arrested after he was suspected of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store in Minneapolis.

He was wrestled to the ground at which point Chauvin's knee remained on his neck for more than nine minutes. He was unconscious for about three of those minutes.

Kaylynn had arrived on scene just as the arrest was occurring. Her friend, Alyssa Funari, was originally filming what was happening while Kaylynn remained in the car.

George Floyd was arrested after he was suspected of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store in Minneapolis

Chauvin was found guilty of murder last month and will be sentenced on June 25

But as she heard her friend becoming distressed by what she was witnessing, Kaylynn then got out of the car herself.

'At the time, I knew George needed help, but I didn't know then Chauvin was killing him,' Kaylynn said to the Mirror.

At one point, she was just a few feet away from Chauvin and Floyd who was repeatedly telling officers 'I can't breathe.'

Kaylynn testified in court during the trial how as she got closer, she was threatened by Chauvin with pepper spray.

'I really think if me or anyone else there would have continued to move forward to challenge the police, somebody else would have been killed by them as it was getting so intense.'

A person reacts near Cup Foods after a guilty verdict was announced last month
Australia's messiest break-up has sunk into the depths of depravity amid claims an alleged sex addict was engaging in street sex with an sex industry worker.

Tech guru Constantine Arvanitis has been accused of being a 'sex addict and sex predator' by the woman, who is set to appear next week at the County Court of Victoria defamation trial.

Mr Arvanitis, 48, is defending the 'sex addict' allegation made originally by his ex-partner Selina Holder.

Selina Holder attends the County Court of Victoria on Monday. She is defending claims she has defamed her ex-partner by calling him a sex addict

Constantine Arvanitis and Melanie Thornton leave the County Court of Victoria on Thursday. Mr Arvanitis claims he has been the target of a savage attack to destroy his reputation

Selina Holder is defending allegations she defamed her former partner

On Monday, the court heard the woman had made contact with Ms Holder's defence team to back her claims Mr Arvanitis was as she alleged.

Today it was revealed that woman was an 'ex-adult industry worker' who had attended Narcotics Anonymous with Mr Arvanitis shortly after he hooked up with his current fiance Melanie Thornton.

In a morning of drama, Mr Arvanitis now claims that women - whose name has not yet been revealed publicly - was 'out to destroy' him too.

The court has heard Mr Arvanitis believes three other women he had been bedding at the same time - including Ms Holder - had a vendetta against him.

The alleged sex worker claimed she had met Mr Arvanitis while attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in leafy South Yarra in 2016.

Ms Holder's Sydney-based barrister Barrie Goldsmith told the court the woman had relapsed back onto drugs when Mr Arvanitis took advantage of her while she was 'vulnerable' and under the influence of drugs.

On Tuesday, the court heard the woman would next week enter the witness box to provide evidence that she had had sex with Mr Arvanitis on a building site and in 'back alleys'.

Mr Arvanitis vehemently denied that he had ever had sex with the woman and claimed she had been 'psychotic' at the time.

He further claimed the woman had been stalking Ms Thornton after learning he had become engaged to her.

'She was an ex-adult worker  she worked in the adult industry. She was in NA. She had a psychotic episode,' he told the court.

'I was front and centre at NA. She attached to me. I declined. She went off the rails. She started contacting Melanie. She threatened her  she was in psychosis, she had just relapsed. She was in the adult industry so she was not shy. She sent me photos, naked photos.

So adamant is Ms Holder that what she claims is true about her ex-partner, she has repeatedly refused to back down despite offers to settle with for a paltry $5000 and a promise never to repeat the claims again.

Selina Holder walks from a Melbourne court. On Wednesday, the court heard she had sent some horrendous text messages to her ex-partner

Selina Holder (left) Melanie Thornton (centre) have all become embroiled in a messy court case in Melbourne

Mr Arvanitis initiated the defamation case after documents containing damning allegations about him were handed to his fiance and her sister Dr Chantel Thornton - the wife of luxury car dealer Srecko Lorbek.

Among a swag of allegations are that Mr Arvanitis is a drug addict, women basher, thief, drug dealer and a sex addict.

The court heard Mr Arvanitis had been juggling three women in 2016 soon after he split with Ms Holder, who moved back to Sydney with their young daughter.

Two of those women, Sydney woman Suzanne Stretton-Brown and Melbourne woman Michelle Langford, had been hit with similar legal action by Mr Arvanitis before they offered a full apology.

Mr Arvanitis admitted he had been having unprotected sex with the two women while dating his current fiance Ms Thornton.

Ms Holder maintains she was also having sex with Mr Arvanitis during 2016 while separated from him - a claim he denies.

The court heard Mr Arvanitis bombarded Ms Holder with messages professing his love for her throughout that year.

Her barrister grilled him throughout Tuesday, calling into question his ethics for telling the mother of his child lies.

Mr Arvanitis claimed he was terrified he would lose access to his child if Ms Holder found out about the other women he had been bedding.

The court was read a series of raunchy text messages exchanged by the pair - one of which Mr Arvanitis sent was described by Mr Goldsmith as 'vulgar, crude and quite disgusting'.

'I was talking her language,' Mr Arvanitis said.

Dr Chantel Thornton (left) and her sister Melanie Thornton. Constantine Arvanitis claims he was banished by the Thornton clan after they read a damning document supposedly about him

Dr Chantel Thornton allegedly received some damning information about Con Arvanitis and shared it with her husband

The court heard Mr Arvanitis had made Ms Holder obtain a paternity test after giving birth to their daughter in April 2014.

Ms Holder had allegedly fallen pregnant to Mr Arvanitis after just 15 dates.

He had learnt about her pregnancy after leaving a drug rehab facility.

'I hardly knew her,' Mr Arvanitis told the court.

Mr Goldsmith accused Mr Arvanitis of not wanting his daughter at all and argued he could have launched court proceedings to gain access whenever he wanted.

'This is all a charade,' he claimed.

The court heard Mr Arvanitis had not seen his daughter in person since December 2016 and had withdrawn an earlier access challenge amid claims he was broke.

He told the court he could only afford the current proceedings - estimated to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - by securing a loan.

The IT expert, who had been earning up to $170,000 a year while working with the ANZ at the time, claims the recent publicity of the ongoing court proceedings now threatened to cost him his job with the National Australia Bank.

'This has hurt every corner of my life. I'm going to lose my job, regardless,' he said on Monday.

His barrister, Paul Hayes QC, has claimed the ongoing proceedings are aggravating his client's claim to an even bigger payout as the days tick over.

The civil trial continues.
A mother who kissed her young daughter on the lips on a Sydney train has sparked a heated debate after sharing footage of the moment online.

The clip, shared to the woman's personal TikTok account on Monday, begins with the little girl standing on a train seat and leaning over towards her mum.

The mother and daughter then kiss multiple times on the lips while holding hands.

The video was captioned with a series of hashtags, including 'kids', 'kiss', 'kisstime' and 'mother daughter bond'.

Viewers were left divided over the display of affection.

'Serious question, why did you kiss your kid like that? That doesn't make any sense to me and I would like to hear your reasoning,' one person asked.

'Why are you making our with your child on a train? Why?' another wrote.

Someone else added: 'Do not kiss your child like that.'

But other parents thought the majority of reactions were over the top.

'She isn't even kissing her kid she is just standing there and that's her child doing it all,' one wrote in defense of the mother.

'Calm down.'

The criticism became so negative that the mother eventually turned the comments off.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the user for comment.
Two crocodile heads were among a stash of drugs and cash found by police in raids on two Far North Queensland homes.

Four men have been charged with a range of offences as a result of the raids.

The crocodile heads were found when police executed a search warrant at a property at Camp Creek, south of Innisfail.

David Debrincat, 50, was charged with a number of offences including restriction on keeping or using a protected animal, as well as possession of tainted property and possession of dangerous drugs.

The discovery of the crocodile heads came about after police earlier searched another house at Wangan, where two men were discovered along with methylamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

One man was charged with the offence of keeping or using a protected animal

Queensland Police found cash and drugs at two properties near Innisfail, North Queensland

Four men faced charged in Innisfail Magistrates Court on Monday, with one refused bail

One man was subsequently given 11 charges, including possessing dangerous drugs while the other was charged with other drug offences. Both appeared in Innisfail Magistrates Court on Monday and will appear again at a later date.

Mr Debrincat made an application for bail, which was refused. The police prosecutor noted he was already on bail for similar offences.
Construction chemicals additive mixtures are kind of specialty chemicals which are added to improve the durability of the building. The global construction additive market by various types such as concrete admixtures, levelling agents, sealants, water proofing agents is expected to rise with a CAGR of 9.7% during the forecast period of 2018-2023. Among the different subtypes in concrete admixtures, super plasticizers generated a revenue of $8031.6 million in 2017 and is projected with a highest CAGR of 11.7% during the forecast period. Rapid urbanization, increasing demand for better infrastructure in Asia pacific region is one of the reason driving the market growth of Construction chemicals additive. Rapid urbanization and industrialization is expected to accelerate the market growth for construction chemical additives industry.





What are Construction Chemical Additives?

Construction Chemicals are the chemical compounds used in construction activities such as residential, non-residential or non-building. Construction chemicals can also be termed as specialty chemicals. These compounds can be used either in existing construction projects to speed up the work or in new construction projects to impart durability and strengthen the structures. Some of the chemical additives help in minimizing the quantities of cement and water used in the construction. These compounds impart chemical as well as physical properties in applications such as cross-linking or phase change. Construction chemicals are essential for high quality concrete and for improving the concrete performance. These chemicals also increase the lifespan of the construction work and provides additional protection from environmental hazards.

Construction Chemical be further segmented into concrete additives, water proofing agents, leveling agents, sealants, adhesives, grout, and mortar. Concrete additives are kind of additives which are added to construction chemicals, which helps in enhancing the concreteness of the chemical properties as well as physical properties. Concrete additives such as plasticizers, super plasticizers, accelerating agents, retarding agents and water proofing additives are used extensively as they provide flexibility to the designers to modify and to enhance the physical concreteness.





What are major Type of Construction Chemical Additives?

According to some market analysis concrete additives is dominating the market, which is followed by leveling agents. Though the manufacturing of leveling agents product is more than water proofing agents in number but market share for waterproofing agent is more than leveling agent. Construction industry is currently looking forward to onboard the use of sustainable product. Mold release agents are the perfect product for such purpose, mold release helps to prevent adhesion of newly placed concrete to forming surface.

Corrosion inhibition is the process to prevent the corrosion to increase the life span of any constructional structure, corrosion inhibitors are develop with such design which helps to make a structure corrosion resilient. Based on some market insights this developed design will increase the market share of construction chemical additive.
A Melbourne man who admitted killing his wife has had his jail sentence reduced.

Douglas Eustace murdered his wife Mary in their share house in Hallam in January 2017.

He was initially jailed for 25 years and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 before becoming eligible for parole.

Mary Freeman was 41 when her husband Douglas Eustace murdered her with a large kitchen knife

On the night Douglas Eustace (pictured) killed Ms Freeman, a joke about whether men or women were superior turned into a heated argument. He was sentenced to 25 years in jail but his sentence was reduced on appeal

But his lawyers argued that was excessive because he had pleaded guilty to the charge, showed genuine remorse and had good prospects for rehabilitation.

Mary Freeman was 41 when she died.

She met Eustace while in Australia on a visitor visa and later returned from India after agreeing to marry him.

Their marriage was unhappy early on and they began to sleep in separate beds.

Ms Freeman told a friend she was 'fed up with the marriage' and would only stay until Eustace received a permanent visa.

On the night Ms Freeman died, a joke about whether men or women were superior turned into a heated argument.

Friends encouraged them to settle the argument behind closed doors so Ms Freeman went to her bedroom.

Eustace followed, hiding a large kitchen knife down his pants before going inside.

Eustace later told police that Ms Freeman had ben flipping a paring knife in her hands and he had taken it as a warning, so he took out the knife and began stabbing her.

He admitted he had stabbed her, but said he didn't know how many times.

An autopsy revealed a dozen wounds to her chest, abdomen, arm and leg.

Eustace's lawyer Patrick Tehan QC said emotions had been very high.

The sentencing judge, Justice Lesley Taylor, described Eustace's killing of Ms Freeman as 'brutal and utterly ruthless', but found his remorse had been genuine

He said Eustace's guilty plea was undervalued by the sentencing judge, and that Eustace could have gone to trial and argued self-defence.

'They both finished up armed and he immediately runs to the police, gives himself up, makes a full confession ... (and) gets no benefit for pleading guilty,' he said.

The sentencing judge, Justice Lesley Taylor, described the killing as 'brutal and utterly ruthless', but found his remorse had been genuine.

The Court of Appeal agreed the sentence was excessive and re-sentenced Eustace to 21 years behind bars.

He'll be eligible for parole after serving 16 years.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire.

He will face the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The 11-day Gaza war killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory. Blinken is expected to focus on coordinating reconstruction without engaging with Gaza's militant Hamas rulers, who are considered terrorists by Israel and Western countries.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi greets Blinken in Israel on Tuesday

Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi greets Blinken in Israel early on Tuesday morning

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Jonathan Shrier after landing at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv

The truce that came into effect Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the underlying issues.

Blinken, who arrived in Israel early Tuesday, is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the region since President Joe Biden assumed office.

The administration had hoped to extricate the U.S. from the regions intractable conflicts and focus on competition with China and climate change. But like so many of its predecessors, it was pulled back into the Middle East by another outbreak of violence.

He will begin his visit in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years. Netanyahu faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without forcibly halting Palestinian rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Gazas militant Hamas rulers.

Blinken's agenda included talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a meeting in Ramallah with Mahmoud Abbas

A Palestinian youth looks for salvageable items amid the rubble of the Kuhail building which was destroyed in an early morning Israeli airstrike on Gaza City last week

A drone photo shows an aerial view of destroyed residential buildings in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City aftermath of 11 days of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Pictured on Sunday

Streaks of light are seen as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the town of Ashkelon

Palestinian activists, right, speak with an Israeli police officer as two activists' IDs are checked after they started to repair a mural that was defaced by a Jewish settler in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face imminent eviction from their homes by Israeli settlers

The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site. The protests were directed at Israels policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

The evictions were put on hold just before the Gaza fighting erupted, but the legal process is set to resume in the coming weeks. Police briefly clashed with protesters at Al-Aqsa on Friday, hours after the cease-fire came into effect. The site is revered by Jews and Muslims, and has seen several outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years.

Netanyahu is unlikely to make any public concessions on Al-Aqsa or the evictions because it would be seen as giving in to Hamas demands.

Adding to the tensions, an Israeli soldier and a civilian were stabbed and wounded in east Jerusalem on Monday before police shot and killed the assailant in what they described as a terrorist attack.

Blinken will not be meeting with the other party to the war, the Islamic militant group Hamas, which does not recognize Israels right to exist.

Palestinian activists, including Muna ElKurd, center, react as Israeli police approach their friends. One activist was arrested after re-painting the Arabic phrase, 'Welcome to the resilient neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.'

Smoke billows from a building targeted during an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip last week

Palestinians inspect a site hit during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City last week. Israel and the Palestinians were mired in their worst conflict in years as Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery, while Hamas militants fire rockets into the Jewish state

Palestinian activists are approached by Israeli police as they repair a mural that was defaced by a Jewish settler in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face imminent eviction from their homes by Israeli settlers

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts a shadow against the Jaffa Gate while walking through Jerusalem's Old City on Monday days after a cease-fire was reached in the 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel

Instead, he will head to the occupied West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has no power in Gaza and was largely sidelined by recent events.

Abbas, who called off the first Palestinian elections in 15 years last month when it appeared his fractured Fatah movement would suffer an embarrassing defeat, is seen by many Palestinians as having lost all legitimacy. A crowd of worshippers at Al-Aqsa chanted against his Palestinian Authority and in support of Hamas on Friday.

But Abbas is still seen internationally as the representative of the Palestinian people and a key partner in the long-defunct peace process.

Blinken will also visit neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago and have acted as mediators in the conflict. Egypt succeeded in brokering the Gaza truce after the Biden administration pressed Israel to wind down its offensive.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) is greeted by Israeli Chief of State Protocol Gil Haskelas, as he steps off the plane upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, May 25, 2021, in Tel Aviv, Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, as he steps off the plane upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv

Biden announced the visit, saying Blinken would work with regional partners on a 'coordinated international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza.'

The administration had been roundly criticized for its perceived hands-off initial response to the deadly violence, including from Democratic allies in Congress who demanded it take a tougher line on Israel. Biden repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israels right to defend itself from rocket attacks from Gaza.

The administration has defended its response by saying it engaged in intense, but quiet, high-level diplomacy to support a cease-fire.

In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Blinken said the administration is now focused on trying to 'build something more positive,' saying Palestinians and Israelis deserve 'equal measures of opportunity, of security, of dignity.'

He said the time is not right for an immediate resumption in negotiations, but that steps could be taken to repair the damage from Israeli airstrikes, which destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged infrastructure in Gaza.

The narrow coastal territory, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from Abbas forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas from importing arms, while the Palestinians and human rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken departs Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland on Monday night
White-collar professionals, soldiers and builders are set to receive more generous salary increases than Aussies in other industries in the year ahead.

Australian wages during the past year have inched up by just 1.5 per cent, despite the border closure creating severe skill shortages in some sectors.

Pay levels across all sectors have been stuck below the long-term average of 3 per cent since mid-2013 and the Budget papers predicted this would continue into 2025 even as unemployment fell below 5 per cent.

But professionals in some industries are set for a treat in the year ahead, with recruitment company Hays's survey of employers suggesting more generous salary increases of at least 3 per cent were more likely for lawyers, architects, accountants, along with those in the Australian Defence Force and technology fields.

White collar professionals, soldiers and builders are set to receive more generous salary increases in the year ahead. Accounting and finance were among those set to get 3 per cent pay increases in the year ahead

Which sectors will get pay rises above 3 per cent Defence: 67 per cent of staff as 83 per cent overall got a pay rise Legal: 31 per cent of staff as 73 per cent in the professional received a salary increase Architecture: 20 per cent of staff Technology: 19 per cent of staff Accounting and finance: 17 per cent Source: Hays Salary Guide for 2021-22 Advertisement

Transport infrastructure and residential home construction jobs are also set for better-than-average pay rises.

By state, Tasmanians were the most likely to get a decent pay rise with 78 per cent of employers on the island state planning to increase salaries.

Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays in Australia and New Zealand said border closures would exacerbate skills shortages in some sectors, leading to better pay increases.

'There's just not enough skills with border closures which should drive up demand and should drive up wages,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Deligiannis said with many employers still struggling with profitability, employers wanting a decent pay rise really needed to approach their boss and be armed with data from a salary guide to make their case.

'Come armed with evidence,' he said.

'It's showing you what the levels are for each role types in each industry, and then, "What do you bring to the table personally?".

'So, what have you done in the past year above and beyond, what skills have you applied to enable you to justify really clearly, articulately to your employer that this is a reasonable progression for you?'

But professionals in some industries are set for a treat in the year ahead, with recruitment company Hays survey of employers suggesting more generous salary increases of at least 3 per cent. Defence topped the list with 67 per cent in for a bigger pay rise. Pictured are Australian Defence Force personnel doing joint exercises with the American counterparts

Mr Deligiannis said the absence of skilled migrants, as a result of the Covid border closure, would be good for white collar professionals.

'The high salary increases are in the professional services space,' he said.

'If we look at it, legal: really important; architecture, really important; technology, really important. Also accountancy and finance, they were the biggest ones.'

Builders, especially project managers, were also set to enjoy decent pay increases, with New South Wales spending big on new train lines and Western Australia crying out for more home builders as a result of its stricter border closure.

'Construction infrastructure is huge, so that's important as well.'

With diplomatic relations with China strained, Australian Defence Force personnel are more likely to get a big pay increase with 83 per cent of staff to get a pay rise in the year ahead with 67 per cent overall to get a pay increase of more than 3 per cent.

The legal profession was also set to generous boost remunerations with 73 per cent in this sector set for a pay rise in their next review, with 31 per cent to get a raise of at least 3 per cent. Pictured is a Melbourne judge

The legal profession was also set to generous boost remunerations with 73 per cent in this sector set for a pay rise in their next review, with 31 per cent to get a raise of at least 3 per cent.

Australians overall are annoyed at their weak pay rises their 67 per cent of the 3,800 skilled professionals surveyed by Hays nominating an annual pay increase of 3 per cent as a level that best reflected their individual performance.

The Hays salary guide for 2021 was also based on a survey of 3,500 public and private sector groups employing 8.8million Australians.

Weak salary increases, however, weren't the main reason staff quit a job or looked for another one.

Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays in Australia and New Zealand said border closures would exacerbate skills shortages in some sectors, leading to better pay increases, including in the technology field. Pictured is a stock image

Instead, lack of career progression was the number one reason employees were dissatisfied, with 50 per cent of professionals citing it as an issue.

'From an employer point of view, it's really important to understand that,' Mr Deligiannis said.

'Map out for your top talent exactly what the opportunities are.'

While Australian wages grew by 1.5 per cent in the year to March, new payrolls data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed pay levels in the year to May rising by 1.9 per cent.
Labor Senator Penny Wong has accused Scott Morrison and his government of a 'cover-up' in a fiery Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday.

During the meeting ministers were told an enquiry into when the Prime Minister and his staff became aware of the rape allegations put forward by Brittany Higgins, who says she was sexually assaulted inside a Parliament House office in March 2019.

Senators were told by Finance Minister Simon Birmingham and Prime Minister Secretary Phil Gaetjens the enquiry may never be made public, resulting in an explosive response from Senator Wong.

'It's been undertaken because the Prime Minister refuses to answer a question in Parliament,' she responded angrily to Minister Birmingham.

'Let's be clear, it is part of a cover-up and a deferral of being clear with Parliament.'

Labor Senator Penny Wong has accused Scott Morrison and his government of a 'cover-up' in a fiery Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday

Former Liberal staffer Ms Higgins shocked the nation earlier this year when she alleged she was raped by a colleague in a minister's Parliament House office.

Ms Higgins said she internalised her trauma and chose not to make a formal complaint after the incident.

She then made a complaint to police in February this year.

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Phil Gaetjens, tasked with investigating who in Scott Morrison's office knew about the allegation and when, faced questions in in the estimates hearing on Tuesday.

The Liberal ministers claimed keeping the enquiry secret was due to privacy concerns, rather than any suggested cover-up.

Ms Wong and Senator Katy Gallagher dismissed that idea, saying the Morrison government had a duty to reveal its findings.

'Does it really take the Prime Minister 100 days to get advice on who knew what in his office? I mean it's not that hard,' Senator Gallagher asked.

'It's part of a cover-up. He could've just asked a question. But instead we've got this inquiry,' Senator Wong added.

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Phil Gaetjens has been tasked with investigating when Scott Morrison and his staff were made aware of the allegations

Senator Wong asked Secretary Gaetjens for some of the findings of the investigation, asking him to identify the 'facts he was verifying'.

'I'm going to take that on notice...' he responded before Senator Wong and Senator Gallagher cut him off asking if he didn't know what he was investigating.

'You're the head of the investigation,' Senator Gallagher said.

Secretary Gaetjens says he believes the report will be concluded in weeks 'not months' but refused to confirm it would ever be made public.
The Defence Department has admitted breaching its duty of care to a young soldier fatally shot in the head during a live-fire exercise, saying it was a terrible and avoidable tragedy.

Victorian soldier Private Jason Challis, 25, died after he was shot in 2017 at the Australian Defence Force's Mount Bundey training area, about 120km southeast of Darwin.

The department pleaded guilty in the Northern Territory Local Court on Tuesday to failing to comply with its health and safety duty to Pte Challis.

The Defence Department pleaded guilty in the Northern Territory Local Court on Tuesday to failing to comply with its health and safety duty to Private Jason Challis, who died after being shot in the head during training in 2017 aged 26

Private Jason Challis suffered severe injuries after accidentally being shot in the head during a training exercise. The photo above was taken his funeral service at Tuckers Chapel in Geelong in 2017

Defence's lawyer Fiona McLeod SC said it was recognition of 'the vulnerabilities of the processes of army and the fact that Private Challis was not protected while in service as he was entitled to expect'.

'(This) was a terrible and avoidable tragedy and one that should never have occurred and is deeply regretted,' she said.

'Defence recognises the profound impact his death has had on his family, his friends, including members involved in the incident and ADF members generally.

'The lessons learned from this incident have already and will continue to make a difference to ensuring soldiers are safer in the future.'

The much-loved soldier was shot in the head and knee during an urban operation exercise called Tigers Run in a mock town.

He and three other members of a four-soldier team approached a wood and hessian building to engage mock targets.

Two other members of his team entered it and fired from within the building at a target that Pte Challis was crouching behind at the rear of the building.

'His head wound was immediately non-survivable,' prosecutor Jennifer Single SC said.

Private Challis's mother, Helen Brandich, told the court she had tried to stay strong but 'his death has sucked the life out of all us and left a huge hole in our hearts'

Australian Army soldiers from the 5th Battalion escorting the coffin of the late Private Jason Challis during his funeral in May 2017

Private Jason Challis's father, John Challis (pictured at the microphone, in black), told the court his son was a 'true Aussie digger', labelling his death a 'tragic f***-up'. He and Private Challis's mother, Helen Brandich are pictured above at his funeral service in May 2017

'He died several hours later in Darwin hospital but it was immediately non-survivable.'

The team was supposed to have moved as one to prevent the soldiers from firing on one another.

It is not known why he became separated despite investigations by the NT coroner, the ADF and the NSW police forensics unit.

'What is clear is that Private Challis did not move with the rest of the (group) to the front of the building,' Ms Single said.

'When you hear stop, stop, stop that's when they find Private Challis,' she said in reference to a video of the exercise played to the court.

Helen Brandich said her son Jason Challis's accidental death in 2017 meant 'the last four years have been the hardest years of my and my family's life'

Jason Challis was farewelled in a moving service by family, friends and fellow soldiers at a service at Tuckers Chapel in Geelong in 2017

Pte Challis's mother, Helen Brandich, told the court she had tried to stay strong but the matter had 'taken way too long to be finalised'.

'I cry behind closed doors,' she said in her victim impact statement read to the court.

'The last four years have been the hardest years of my and my family's life.'

'Before my son was killed he was the life of the party. Now he is just a memory.'

'His death has sucked the life out of all us and left a huge hole in our hearts.'

Pte Challis's father, John Challis, told the court his son was a 'true Aussie digger', labelling his death a 'tragic f*** up'.'

'Jason died serving his country, he may not have been at war or in Afghanistan but he had his whole heart in this and he died doing something he absolutely loved,' he said.

'Not many people can say that.'

Defence was facing three counts of failing to comply with health and safety duty after an investigation by the work, health and safety regulator Comcare.

But two charges were dropped and one amended.

The maximum penalty is $1.5 million.

The case continues.
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Ministers tonight insisted they are 'not imposing local restrictions' and will update guidance on eight Indian variant hotspots after MPs and local chiefs accused them of trying to bring in lockdowns 'by the back door'.

The Government caused chaos after a change to online guidance banned people from visiting Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. The shift went unnoticed for four days before ministers scrambled to explain why there had been no formal announcement.

No10 tried to contain a growing backlash among local Tory and Labour leaders by stressing that the guidance was 'not statutory' and that the Government wanted to move away from 'top-down edicts' as lockdown eases.

But Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the updated online guidance around local restrictions was a 'fairly major communications error' which had caused 'huge amounts of confusion'.

The Department of Health and Social Care has now said it will instead be issuing advice to those living in the eight hotspot areas - but a Government spokesman was clear lockdown measures were not being imposed.

He said: 'We will be updating the guidance for areas where the new Covid-19 variant is spreading to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions. Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent.'

The guidelines include urging people to meet outdoors rather than indoors, staying two metres apart from people not in the same household, and minimising travel in and out of the area.

The Government spokesman added: 'These are not new regulations but they are some of the ways everyone can help bring the variant under control in their local area.'

In the Commons this afternoon, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi faced the wrath of MPs over the change in wording of the guidance, with Labour branding the shift 'upsetting and insulting'.

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth slammed the confusing situation, and also condemned Health Secretary Matt Hancock for not having the 'courtesy' to come to the House himself.

At a press conference with other local leaders this afternoon, the Tory leader of Bolton Council David Greenhalgh said ministers had now clarified that there are no extra restrictions. 'As long as they follow the guidance I don't believe residents in Bolton should be cancelling holidays,' he said.

The public health directors for Leicester and Tyneside also said they had been told there are 'no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas and it was a mistake to suggest there was'.

It came as the UK recorded 2,493 new infections - a 3.4 per cent rise on last week - and 15 deaths, up on the seven last week.

The number of people in hospital with Covid (shown in blue) has typically spiked shortly after cases rise (orange), which appears to be happening again this spring but to a lesser degree thanks to the rollout of the vaccines. The data for the first wave is out of sync because the UK was not routinely testing people for the virus which meant the majority of cases were missed

MailOnline's analysis of the Government's Covid dashboard data suggests Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked (shown as the flat blue line). The rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 185 on May 17, the most recent date for which data is available. The figure had dropped from 177 to 178 the day before. While Bolton is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country because of the Indian variant, the fact the virus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (left) and Tory leader of Bolton council David Greenhalgh were among those criticising the online guidance change today

Data shows how big Covid outbreaks are in the eight areas with the travel guidance. The figures show how the rolling seven-day infection rate (the number of cases spotted in a week for every 100,000 people) has changed since the start of the year, with it spiking in Bolton (top right) to above levels seen during the second wave in January. Cases appear much flatter in other areas, including Leicester and Hounslow

Ministers 'sneaked out' the advice without any announcement. Local leaders have reacted furiously to the changes, and said they are surprised no one in Whitehall even had the courtesy to let them know about the change

 Slide me  The number of hotspots for the Indian variant, where it accounts for more than 50 per cent of infections, has doubled in just seven days from 23 to 44 local authorities. Separate figures show it is already dominant in the UK

MailOnline's analysis of the Government's Covid dashboard data suggests Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked (shown as the flat blue line). The rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 185 on May 17, the most recent date for which data is available. The figure had dropped from 177 to 178 the day before. While Bolton is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country because of the Indian variant, the fact the virus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked

In another promising sign for Bolton, the Government's Covid dashboard shows the town's test positivity rate has also been declining in recent days. Currently 5.9 per cent of all PCR swabs done in the borough are positive for Covid, according to data from May 19, down from a peak of 8.1 per cent a week earlier, on May 11. That's despite almost four times more testing kits being deployed in the Manchester town now than a month ago as part of a surge testing programme to stem the spread of the variant

Bolton currently has an infection rate of more than 400 cases per 100,000  twenty times the national average  but infections appear to have levelled off (shown on the far right)

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi faced the wrath of the Commons this afternoon with Labour branding the shift in guidance 'upsetting and insulting'

Boris Johnson is pictured jogging in Westminster Park this morning with his dog Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross

WHAT DOES THE GUIDANCE NOT TO VISIT INDIAN VARIANT HOTSPOTS SAY? Cabinet Office guidance says people should avoid travelling into and out of eight Indian variant hotspots in England. The advice for Bolton was issued on May 14, with the other seven added in the lead up to May 21, The Guardian reports. It reads: The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble. In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to: Meet outside rather than inside where possible;

Keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with;

Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education. You should also: Get tested twice a week for free and isolate if you are positive;

Continue to work from home if you can;

Get vaccinated when you are offered it, and encourage others to do so as well. You should get tested for Covid. This includes: Arranging to have a PCR test if you have symptoms of Covid;

Participating in surge testing in your local area;

Getting regular rapid tests if you do not have symptoms of coronavirus. You should self-isolate immediately if you have symptoms or a positive test result for Covid. There is financial support if you're off work because of coronavirus. Source: Cabinet Office Advertisement

Following a meeting about the updated Government guidance, Leicester's director of public health said officials confirmed 'there are no restrictions on travel in or out of our areas'  adding that any suggestions of that sort was a 'mistake'.

Professor Ivan Browne said: 'We had an urgent meeting with Government reps and other affected local authorities today, after we became aware that the Government had updated its website to include specific advice around Leicester and some other areas where the new Covid-19 variant has been identified as spreading.

'These officials confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas and it was a mistake to suggest there was.

'There are no local lockdowns and there is no justification for Leicester to be treated differently to the rest of the country.

'No-one from the Department of Health and Social Care or Public Health England contacted us about this advice, to explain the rationale behind it or give any other information.

'As it stands, Leicester has lower rates of the variant than other parts of the country, and we have a plan in place for stepping up our vaccination rate as agreed with the Government last week.'

North Tyneside's director of public health said there were no restrictions on travel to or from the borough.

Wendy Burke said: 'Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance, we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of North Tyneside.

'There are no local lockdowns.

'In areas where the new Covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

'There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.

'We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives.'

The PM's official spokesman stressed that the new guidance affecting eight Indian variant hotspot areas was 'not statutory'.

The spokesman said: 'It is important to emphasise that this is guidance, these are not statutory restrictions placed on those local areas.

'We have talked before about where we are at this stage in the pandemic in the UK, where we are able to move away from top-down edicts from the Government and start transitioning to a position where we have moved back to where the public are able to exercise their good judgment, as they have done throughout.

'We will continue to monitor the situation.'

Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of 'shameful' behaviour for making the change without telling local people, and demanded they provide clarity 'fast'. 'Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies,' he said.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Health Secretary Matt Hancock must urgently explain why the Government is rolling out 'local lockdowns by the backdoor and hadn't even bothered to tell us'. Labour will ask ministers about the guidance in an Urgent Question in the House of Commons at 12.30.

Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the change. Blackburn MP Kate Hollern dubbed the extra guidance 'lockdown-lite', and newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called for Mr Hancock to explain the change to Parliament.

But Cabinet minister Therese Coffey defended the move, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was 'sensible' to issue extra guidance for Indian variant hotspots. The Work and Pensions Secretary said people living in these areas should consider 'whether it really is essential' for them to travel, and should limit activities where they risked either passing on or catching the variant.

The Indian variant has already spread to almost half the country, or 151 out of 315 council areas, and is thought to now be the dominant strain in the country having displaced the Kent variant. Estimates suggest it may be around 30 per cent more transmissible but vaccines still work against it.

The updated guidance comes as Boris Johnson and his ministers continue to weigh up the latest evidence on the variant as they decide whether 'freedom day' on June 21 - the last step in the PM's roadmap - will be able to go ahead as planned.

Dr Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist and member of a SAGE advisory committee, today warned a 'substantial amount of cases' of the Indian variant could translate into hospitalisations  which would put some local health services under increased pressure. He added that the final lifting of lockdown restrictions was not 'inevitable' because of the rapid spread of the B.1.617.2 strain.

Meanwhile, people are being warned they may be forced to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated.

When Tory MP Mark Harper asked Mr Zahawi if that was indeed the policy, the minister suggested that within his own family someone had received two doses of vaccine and still contracted the disease.

'It's worth waiting until the 14th of June when we will be saying more on this. Suffice to say two things,' he said.

'One, even if you've had  and I have had this experience in my own family  two doses of either vaccine you still can actually contract covid and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining.

'We are also looking at ways that contacts of people who may have contracted Covid can be regularly tested instead of isolating.'

The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs.

It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine.

Government sources say it is crucial that the contact tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.'

Cabinet Office guidance which appears to have been released on May 21 without any fanfare says people should avoid travelling into or out of the eight local authorities where cases of the Indian variant are highest.

It reads: 'The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

'In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to meet outside rather than inside where possible, keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with, and avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.'

It adds residents should also test themselves for the virus twice a week, work from home if possible and get vaccinated.

Sir Keir, MPs and local councillors have blasted the update, and called for clarity over the new restrictions affecting the Indian variant hotspots amid fears they could trigger 'anxiety and confusion'.

The Labour leader said: 'Making a major change that will impact so many people without even telling them is utterly shameful. The Government needs to provide clarity, fast. Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies.

'The Government is time and again failing to learn lessons. We need proper support to self-isolate, decent sick pay, a working test and trace system and the roll out of the vaccine as quickly as possible.'

'GOBSMACKED' LOCAL LEADERS CONDEMN THE GOVERNMENT FOR ADVISING AGAINST TRAVEL TO COVID HOTSPOTS MPs and local health chiefs voiced shock today after the government advised against travel to Indian variant hotspots - but did not tell anyone about the change for four days. Politicians said they were 'gobsmacked' that the guidance on gov.uk had been updated on Friday to say only 'essential' visits should be made to affected areas, without any formal announcement being made. People are being urged not to move in or out of Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside unless it is unavoidable - although there is no legal restriction. A televised press briefing on Wednesday, which focused heavily on the Indian variant, did not reference any specific travel measures for the affected areas. Labour MP Ruth Cadbury ridiculed the restrictions on Hounslow in London, pointing out that the Piccadilly line and the A4 both run through the borough to Heathrow Airport. It comes as Britons are being warned they may be forced to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated. The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs. It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine. Government sources say it is crucial that the contract tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.' Advertisement

Ms Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, said: 'I was not informed of this and I understand nor was anyone else in Bolton.

'I'm just gobsmacked. They're making such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents.

'The least I would expect is a letter or email from (Matt Hancock) or his office as a matter of courtesy.

'Further and more importantly, my constituents needed to know. Many will have planned for the long weekend, bought tickets, made arrangements.

'And it's still not clear if this is advisory or legally obligatory. This is typical of this Government's incompetence.'

The Tory MP for Bolton West and Atherton, Chris Green, said he did not find out about the change until 10pm yesterday.

Labour's Ms Hollern tweeted: 'On Friday night the Government rolled out lockdown-lite through the back door.

'The guidance is likely to have major implications on businesses, schools and the hospitality sector and I'm furious that the Government hasn't bothered to consult the local authorities involved.

'I strongly oppose the Government's attempt to introduce new measures by stealth and without consultation.'

Ms Brabin and the leader of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, the Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, have called for Mr Hancock to be hauled before Parliament to explain why the change was made, seemingly without any advice or guidance being sent to local authorities.

'It's another example of the Government doing to us without working with us,' Ms Brabin told BBC Breakfast. 'It's caused a lot of confusion. We were only alerted to it by journalists last night, late last night.'

She added: 'I'm expecting Matt Hancock to come to the Houses of Parliament to explain what's actually going on.

'We know that during this pandemic our councils have worked absolutely tirelessly to deliver for our communities. But, if we have an issue here, we need Government to be working with us, not causing more chaos.'

Asked whether this signalled a return to the tier system, she said: 'If it is, we would like to know. This is part of the problem. We don't know hot to respond. We don't know what to advice our citizens. One wonders whether we should be taking this seriously at all.'

Ms Moran said: 'Simply updating the Government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

'Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules. 'It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic.'

Ministers have not ruled out local lockdowns for areas where Covid cases are highest, even after the June 21 'freedom day' when all restrictions are set to be lifted.

Labour's Ruth Cadbury, the MP for Brentford and Isleworth, slammed ministers for trying to halt travel through the borough of Hounslow, pointing out it has two direct links to Heathrow airport.

'Keep out of London Borough of Hounslow area?!,' she said. 'Does anyone in the Department of Health realise the Piccadilly line and A4 through the borough are the main routes between Heathrow and Central London?

'Was there any plan to actually discuss this with the council (or even perhaps look at a map)?'

Piling yet more pressure on the Government, North Tyneside's director of public health Wendy Burke said there had been no indication of any additional restrictions when surge testing was launched last week.

'We understand that, later, Government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the Government website,' she said.

'This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

'We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.'

Department of Health data shows how the number of positive tests being recorded each day has changed in the 10 areas with the biggest outbreaks where the Indian variant is known to be dominant. Top left shows Bolton's outbreak, which has grown rapidly over the past three weeks. But outbreaks remain flat in other hotspots, such as Preston, Hillingdon and Ealing

In Bolton, which is recording the highest Covid infection rate in the country due to an outbreak of the Indian variant, hospitalisations have already started to creep up. There are currently 43 Covid patients in Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, according to data from the Government's Covid dashboard, which is more than triple than at the start of May, when there were 13

Gunners from the Royal Horse Artillery distribute Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to local residents on May 24, 2021 in Bolton

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth slammed the confusing situation in exchanges with Mr Zahawi (pictured), and also condemned Matt Hancock for failing to have the 'courtesy' of coming to the House himself

Ms Coffey said she was 'surprised' to hear that MPs in areas impacted by new guidance around the Indian variant did not feel properly informed.

'The Prime Minister set out that we need to take extra caution in certain areas regarding the Indian variant,' she told Sky News. 'It is good practice to formally put that guidance on the record affecting those communities.

'We have been working in close contact, so I'm surprised to hear that people think this has come out of the blue  it hasn't.

'It is about formalising on the record the guidance which we believe people can and should follow in order to make sure we tackle and don't have more spread of the Indian variant.'

A Government spokesman said: 'Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

'We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.'

Studies suggest the Indian variant may be around 30 per cent more transmissible than the Kent variant which sparked the second wave in January, but it is still susceptible to vaccine-triggered immunity.

Dr Kucharski, a mathematician and epidemiologist, warned today there could be a 'substantial increase' in Covid hospitalisations in some areas over the coming weeks.

'I think depending on the characteristics of this virus and whether this transmission advantage that we're seeing would translate into the wider community, you could see a substantial amount of cases translating into hospitalisations,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'I think a lot of that would end up being local surges, so we may well end up seeing in specific areas considerable pressure on health systems if these early data sources hold up in terms of what they're pointing to.

'But you do have some uncertainty there.

'The more optimistic end of the scale  if the targeted measures continue to have the effect they seem to be doing, if these features of transmission don't continue as it reaches the wider community, then we could see a smaller number of cases.

'But you do get some scenarios looking at the data at face value suggesting some areas could be facing some quite troubling outbreaks.'

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine academic added that all options needed to be kept on the table ahead of June 21 easing.

'The roadmap provides that pacing of measures that allows things to be adjusted,' he said. 'I think really we have to avoid seeing this as a weather forecast where it's inevitable that things are going to open [or] it's inevitable that there's going to be a wave.'

Where is the Indian variant dominant? And are cases going up? AUTHORITY Bolton Blackburn w D Sefton West Lancashire Stevenage Nottingham South Northants Bedford Chelmsford Hillingdon Camden Hounslow Greenwich Croydon Bromley Dartford Sevenoaks Canterbury Rushmoor Hart Ribble Valley Preston Fylde Burnley Rossendale Chorley Central Beds East Northants North Herts East Herts West Oxfordshire Bristol Wiltshire Test Valley Swindon Reading Woking Havering Barking & Dag Barnet Ealing Slough S Oxfordshire Wigan INFECTION RATE 434.0 215.1 22.4 9.6 10.2 22.8 16.9 142.5 5.6 39.1 8.5 47.5 26.0 29.5 19.6 8.0 9.9 34.5 22.2 21.6 21.4 49.8 9.9 60.7 57.4 55.8 35.0 15.9 6.7 6.7 15.4 14.5 6.2 7.9 19.4 33.4 16.9 6.9 11.3 9.9 35.7 25.4 4.2 34.1 WEEK GROWTH up 72.6% up 87.2% down 54.1% down 35.3% down 18.2% down 35.0% down 50.0% up 20.5% down 44.4% down 7.0% down 39.5% down 13.4% up 21.0% up 14.0% up 41.3% down 50.0% up 140.0% up 533.3% down 27.6% down 32.3% up 44.4% up 40.0% down 42.9% up 22.7% up 215.4% up 61.0% up 83.6% down 31.8% down 10.0% down 11.1% up 183.3% up 4.7% down 53.7% down 16.7% up 19.4% up 68.8% up 112.5% down 45.5% down 35.1% down 48.0% down 8.3% down 5.0% down 66.7% flat Advertisement

Bolton in Greater Manchester recorded 451 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 20 May, the highest in England.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Bolton has more than tripled in a fortnight as the Manchester borough grapples with an outbreak of the highly-infectious Indian variant.

Sources say there are currently 43 Covid patients in the town's NHS trust, compared to 12 that were receiving care on May 10.

Experts fear the pressure on the trust, which looks after the Royal Bolton Hospital, will only get worse as the infection rate climbs.

Bolton is recording more than 400 Covid cases per 100,000 people - twenty times the national average - following a period of exponential growth of the Indian variant in the last month. It takes several weeks for cases to turn into hospitalisations due to the lag between someone catching and falling seriously ill with Covid.

However, Number 10 has said the 'majority' of people being hospitalised with the disease currently are either unvaccinated or have not been for both jabs.

Analysis by Public Health England has found two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer's jab provide a similar level of protection from the Indian variant as they do for the Kent version, which has raised hopes that hospital and death rates will not reach the peaks of previous waves.

Meanwhile, data published yesterday showed the Indian variant spiralling in Bolton is now dominant in nearly 15 per cent of authorities in England  almost twice as many as the previous week.

Analysis of samples from people infected with Covid in the week up to May 15 also shows that the B.1.617.2 strain had spread to 151 out of England's 314 local authorities.

The mutant virus had overtaken the previously-dominant Kent variant in 44 places, up from 23 the week prior.

It is now behind behind 90 per cent of Covid infections in Blackburn and eight in ten in the hotspots of Bolton, Sefton, Bedford and Croydon.

The places where the Indian strain overtook the Kent variant in the most recent week were: Ribble Valley, Preston, Fylde, Burnley, Rossendale, Chorley, Central Bedfordshire, East Northamptonshire, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Bristol, Swindon, Wiltshire, Test Valley, Reading, Woking, Slough, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Ealing.

It is still dominant in: Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Sefton, West Lancashire, Stevenage, Nottingham, South Northamptonshire, Bedford, Chelmsford, Dartford, Sevenoaks, Canterbury, Rushmoor, Hart, Hillingdon, Camden, Hounslow, Greenwich, Croydon and Bromley.

But it is no longer the dominant strain in Oadby and Wigston, Broxbourne and Brent which may be down to very low case numbers in these areas.

Bolton has the highest infection rate out of local authorities suffering outbreaks of the Indian variant (434 cases per 100,000 people) which has more than doubled over the past week.

Data suggests that two per cent of people in one neighbourhood of the borough tested positive for the virus last week.

Blackburn with Darwen had the second largest outbreak (215.1), and Bedford had the third largest (142.5).

They were followed by new hotspots Burnley (60.7), Rossendale (57.4), Chorley (55.8) and Preston (48.9).

Indian variant hotspot Hounslow had the highest Covid infection rate in London (47.5). It was followed by Hillingdon (39.1) and Ealing (35.7).

For comparison, England's average is 21.3 per 100,000 and has remained around this level since mid-April.

PHE's latest breakdown shows 46.2 per cent of Covid cases were the Kent variant in the week to May 10, but 53.8 per cent were down to other variants. It is thought the first majority were B.1.617.2.

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that the Indian strain was likely already the dominant strain of the virus across the UK because the Sanger data is weeks out of date.

He noted that the variant is spreading in areas that were hardest hit at earlier stages of the pandemic, suggesting that social and other mixing factors were contributing to the outbreaks, rather than purely the infectiousness of the strain.

'Covid is retreating to its strongholds of last summer, looking at the latest map which is already out of data,' he said.

Data from Public Health England shows the prevalence of variants across all the regions of England, with the Indian variant (light purple) compared to the Kent variant (white/pink). Data shows B.1.617.2 is now dominant in the North West, making up around 70 per cent of all sequenced cases. The proportion of samples analysed in a lab is shown by the black line. The sharp drop off is down to the lag in getting samples analysed and not because of a huge reduction in swabs being checked

Data also shows how quickly the different variants have grown in England, with the Indian variant (green) spreading rapidly. The South African variant is coloured blue

'The areas where Covid has traditionally found it easier to spread are the same areas where the variant is finding it easier to spread.

'And that is not surprising because of deprivation, inner city, more crowded dwelling, multi-generational occupancy.'

He added that as cases rose in the coming weeks it was inevitable that hospitalisations and deaths from the virus would also go up, but that he did not know by how much.

'It will be somewhere between being manageable and close to Armageddon,' he said. 'But I'm not sure which extreme it will be closer to.'

It came after one of the country's top scientists suggested today that Britain could officially be freed from the grips of the Covid crisis if the current vaccines work as expected against the Indian variant.

Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard said the pandemic in the UK could be 'over' if the vaccines cut the risk of hospitalisation and death as well in the real world as analysis suggests.

National data also shows how quickly the Indian variant (purple) has spread, making up around half of all new cases reported across the country. The Kent variant is shaded pink. The proportion of cases being sequenced is shown by the black line

PHE analysis also revealed how the Indian variant is spreading quickly in the community (top graph, Indian variant is purple). The middle graph shows the proportion of cases made up by travellers. The bottom graph shows the amount of cases that were sequenced in different weeks. It can take several weeks for samples to be thoroughly analysed, meaning there is a lag in the data

Separate figures also show the number of suspected reinfections over time, which are broken down into different types of the coronavirus. The purple area highlights reinfections seen in people who have caught the Indian variant

Nearly 9,000 patients died after catching Covid on English hospital wards while being treated for something else Nearly 9,000 Britons died after contracting Covid on a hospital ward while receiving care for a different illness, official NHS data shows. Figures obtained by the Guardian revealed that 32,307 patients have caught the disease while in English hospitals since March 2020, of which 8,747 have died. University Hospitals Birmingham suffered the biggest death toll (408), followed by Nottingham University Hospitals (279) and Frimley in Surrey (259). Victims were found to have caught the virus while hospital for a range of reasons, including an operation, treatment for an underlying condition or an accident. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said hospital-acquired Covid infections and deaths remained 'one of the silent scandals of this pandemic', adding that many of them would have been avoidable. NHS bosses said a lack of testing and personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic had made hospital-acquired infections harder to prevent. They also admitted that not fully understanding the extend of asymptomatic spread fuelled outbreaks on wards in the early days of the pandemic. Nine of the 81 acute hospital trusts which responded to the Freedom of Information request recorded 200 or more deaths. Advertisement

Because the vaccines were shown to be highly effective at stopping people falling ill with Covid in the first place, PHE said they are likely to be even better at preventing hospitalisation and deaths.

Professor Pollard said that a few more weeks were needed to firm up this claim, but he added that, traditionally, vaccines offer 'much, much higher' protection against hospitalisation and death than mild infection.

However, both Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs were only 33 per cent effective at blocking symptoms of the Indian strain three weeks after one dose, compared to 50 per cent against the Kent variant. Officials say it highlights the importance of getting both injections.

Professor Pollard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If the current generation of vaccines are able to stop people going into hospital, whilst there is still mild infections, people are getting the common cold with the virus, then the pandemic is over.

'Because we can live with the virus, in fact we are going to have to live with the virus in one way or another, but it doesn't matter if most people are kept out of hospital because then the NHS can continue to function and life will be back to normal. We just need a little bit more time to have certainty around this.'

Ministers say England is on track for all restrictions to be dropped as planned on June 21, despite fears the rapid spread of the Indian variant would jeopardise 'freedom day'.

Armed with the PHE evidence vaccines work against B.1.617.2, the boss of the UK's Health Security Agency argued the prospect of all Covid restrictions being lifted next month was 'looking good'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock also called the findings 'groundbreaking'.

But some scientists are not convinced by No10's ever-growing optimism, saying May 17's relaxation of lockdown measures may trigger a rapid spike in cases given that the Indian variant is 'on the cusp' of becoming dominant in England.

Professor Christina Pagel, a member of the Independent SAGE panel of scientists, said ministers should consider 'rolling back step three of the roadmap' if cases continue to rise this week. Department of Health figures show the number of positive tests has jumped by 11 per cent over the past seven days.

Hospitalisations and deaths across the UK are at their lowest levels since the crisis began, with just six fatalities a day and fewer than 100 hospital admissions, on average. For comparison, around 1,300 deaths were occurring every day at the peak of the second wave in January.

However, the number of infected patients occupying beds at the major NHS trust in Bolton  one of the country's hotspots for the Indian variant  has continued to creep up over the past week.

There is no proof the Indian variant is more lethal than older strains of the coronavirus but data shows it is more transmissible than the Kent type, which triggered Britain's devastating second wave before vaccines were rolled out.

Experts believe B.1.617.2 is 30 per cent more infectious than B.1.1.7  the name for the Kent strain  but won't get any concrete data for at least another week.
Australia's right-wing terrorism threat has continued to rise with almost half of domestic spy counter-terrorism investigations now dedicated to ideological extremists.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday terror threats were complex and challenging.

'Our investigations in ideologically motivated violent extremism, such as racists and nationalists, are approaching 50 per cent of our counter-terrorism onshore caseload,' he said.

'This reflects a growing international trend as well as ASIO's decision to allocate more resources to the threat.'

Australia's right-wing terrorism threat has continued to rise with almost half of domestic spy counter-terrorism investigations now dedicated to ideological extremists. Pictured: Right-wing extremists on a trip to the Grampians in Victoria in January this year

He said the increase was concerning and challenging but needed to be viewed in context.

'Religiously motivated violent extremism remains, in the short term, our most serious terrorist threat.'

Mr Burgess said battle-hardened foreign fighters could return to the country, while 14 Australians convicted of terrorism offences were due to end prison terms over the next five years.

'Right now ASIO is aware of multiple religiously motivated violent extremists who want to kill Australians. Groups such as ISIL continue to urge attacks,' he said.

The threat of a terrorism attack remains probable, with Mr Burgess telling a hearing last month an incident was likely within the next year.

He also warned foreign spies and extremists were using encrypted messages along with other technology to evade authorities.

The ASIO boss said recent increased government investment would allow ASIO to connect more dots in combating espionage and terrorism.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess (pictured) told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday terror threats were complex and challenging

'Given the volume and complexity of data, we are not searching for a needle in a haystack, we are searching for a needle in a hayfield,' the director-general said.

Mr Burgess backed an Australian Federal Police push to criminalise possessing swastikas and terrorist manifestos.

'There is a link between hate speech and hate crime including acts of terrorism,' he said.

'There's a link between possession of violent or extremist insignia and acts of terrorism.'

Mr Burgess said threats to lives in Australia would always be a priority which was 'hard to walk away from' with the terror threat level at probable.

'At the same time though, espionage and foreign interference is unacceptably high and we do think will supplant terrorism as this country's principle security concern,' he said.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has been warned to stop developing policies in 'inner city coffee shops' after the party lost the NSW Upper-Hunter by-election.

Labor's first preference vote plunged from 29 per cent to 21 per cent in the Nationals-held marginal seat as blue-collar workers turned to other parties.

Peter Jordan of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, which represents miners in the region, blamed the loss on Labor failing to represent workers' interests and pandering to the inner-city elite who care more about climate change than regional jobs.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese (right) has been warned to stop developing policies in 'inner city coffee shops' after the party lost the NSW Upper-Hunter by-election

Peter Jordan (pictured) of the CFMEU, which represents miners in Upper-Hunter, blamed the by-election loss on Labor failing to represent workers' interests

Speaking to The Australian newspaper, he attacked the party for opposing a new $600million gas power station in the Hunter Valley because it was taxpayer funded and urged Mr Albanese to 'stop developing their policy in inner-city coffee shops'.

'Albo is falling further behind in coal country and I think that was a reflection here in coal country in the Upper Hunter on Saturday,' he said.

Mr Jordan is not the only union official who fears Labor is hemorrhaging support in regional Australia because of its energy policy.

CFMEU Queensland mining and energy president Stephen Smyth previously told Daily Mail Australia too many politicians have 'no concept' of what life is like for hard-working families in the bush.

The third-generation coal miner said the party is staring down the barrel of a fourth successive election defeat unless it can reconnect with resources sector workers who feel 'demonised' by its language on climate change.

CFMEU Queensland mining and energy president Stephen Smyth blasted federal Labor as a party full of 'shiny-arse city slickers' who care more about progressive urban voters

'Labor is too worried about the inner-city greenies, in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,' he said.

'There are too many shiny-arse city slickers who don't live in the regions and have no concept of what's happening here.'

Mr Smyth said he had no problem with leader Anthony Albanese as an individual but the party in general was missing the mark in regional areas like central Queensland which swung the 2019 election for Scott Morrison.

'What have they learned from the last election? It seems they haven't learned much,' he said.

Joel Fitzgibbon with daughter Grace

It comes after Joel Fitzgibbon warned Labor is in danger of being wiped out as a political force because it has lost touch with its base of blue-collar workers.

The outspoken Labor MP, who has represented the federal division of Hunter since 1996, said the party's loss in the NSW state seat of Upper-Hunter on Saturday was a huge 'wake up call'.

Under-pressure NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay, who was hoping to win the marginal coal-mining seat following the resignation of Nationals MP Michael Johnsen due to allegations he raped a sex worker which he denies, admitted the result was 'terrible'.

Labor campaigned on a pro-coal message, even picking a former coalminer as its candidate, but Mr Fitzgibbon believes the party lost its base by 'demonising' resources workers in its fight against climate change over the past few years.

'It's a wake up call to all of us in the Labor Party and indeed the Labor movement,' he told 2GB radio on Monday morning.

'If we're not careful it will go the way of the Kodak brand.'

Mr Fitzgibbon even threatened to retire from politics if Labor doesn't start speaking up more strongly for blue-collar workers.

'I'll be either running as a Labor candidate or not running at all,' he told Sky News.

The Hunter MP, who almost lost his coal-mining seat at the 2019 election, believes resources workers are suspicious of Labor due to its ambitious climate change policies.

Mr Fitzgibbon said Labor needs to appeal to its working-class base. Pictured: Coalminers protest against a campaign to stop the Adani coalmine in Queensland in 2019

'That suspicion is only fuelled by decisions made late or on the eve of the by-election to oppose the gas generator in the Hunter Valley, a $600 million investment, they just shake their heads and say, ''We thought so'',' he said.

In November Mr Fitzgibbon quit the frontbench, furious that senior left-wingers - whom he branded the 'cheesecloth brigade' - were calling for an 'even more ambitious climate change policy' in the wake of Joe Biden's US election win as federal leader Anthony Albanese attacked Scott Morrison for refusing to adopt a 2050 net zero emissions target.

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'The Labor Party has to speak more about jobs and jobs security as it does about climate change,' he said on Monday.

'A lot of our base walked away from us some time ago now and it's clear that they haven't returned.

'You won't get them back quickly or easily.'

Labor's struggle in regional Australia is part of a broader challenge faced by left-of-centre parties in western democracies who are battling to hold their traditional working class voter base while appealing to younger, more internationalist supporters who typically live in major cities.

Former UK Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair warned this month that left-wing parties face 'extinction' because their 'focus on extreme identity and anti-police politics' had become 'voter-repellent'.

A review of Australian Labor's 2019 federal election campaign found the party had become a 'natural home for diverse interests and concerns including gender equality, the LGBTQI+ community, racial equality and environmentalism'.

But it warned that 'working people experiencing the dislocation caused by new technologies and globalisation could lose faith in Labor if they do not believe the party is responding to their issues.'

Nationals candidate for Upper Hunter Dave Layzell speaks to media alongside NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (left) after casting his vote in the NSW Upper Hunter by-election

Mr Morrison, who is targeting targeting Hunter and other regional Labor seats at the next election due before May, has pushed this argument, accusing Labor of losing touch with blue-collar workers.

'I think they have abandoned them,' he told The Australian newspaper.

Ms McKay admitted that Labor has 'fundamental issues within our party we need to address.'

Her candidate Jeff Drayton said the defeat was a 'a warning to Labor that we can't take any community for granted.

'Labor needs to do some real soul-searching as to how we will win these communities back,' he said.

'It's going to take honest reflection and a lot of hard work.'

Mr Fitzgibbon said Ms McKay isn't to blame for the loss and that Labor's 'brand' is the problem.

Joel Fitzgibbon (left in August) has said he wants Labor to focus on jobs and getting people back to work

'I won't have a bad word said about Jodi McKay,' he told ABC TV on Monday.

'She looks good, sounds good and she took the right narrative into the Upper Hunter by-election.

'She is very supportive of jobs and job security and issues like the local TAFE, but it's the brand.'

Mr Albanese said his party did not have a problem with winning over blue-collar workers and said the results of a state by-election do not reflect federal results.

He pointed that Queensland and Western Australia, the country's major resources states, saw huge swings to Labor in recent state elections.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham similarly drew a line between state and federal politics.

'It was a state by-election and I would treat it as such,' he told ABC radio on Monday.

Under-pressure NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay (right with candidate Jeff Drayton) admitted the by-election result was 'terrible'

'It had a range of different factors at play and certainly many of them were very much local, very much state politics.

'It is a state by-election and I wouldn't read too much into it myself.'

The coalition is expected to target the Labor-held seats of Hunter, Paterson and Shortland at the next federal election.

Senator Birmingham said it was far too soon to speculate on how many Hunter Valley seats the coalition could win.

'It's a long way away to start making those sorts of predictions but we will put up a strong fight in those regions,' he said.

'They are regions which clearly have large numbers of working Australian families who want to know they've got a government that is with them and backing them.'

But Mr Fitzgibbon warned that Labor's struggle to win blue-collar voters in the regions would play out federally.

'We have been at best whispering. We have tried to walk both sides of the fence on issues like work and on the other side, the environment. They're suspicious and sceptical.

'Federally, if Labor can't persuade not just mine workers but everyone in those regions whose jobs are dependent on mining, that we stand with them, you can expect a similar result whenever Scott Morrison goes to the polls,' he said.

One in three voters were happy to ignore both major parties in the by-election, siding with independents and minor parties instead.
A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world's crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo.

While no country has claimed the Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the 5.6-kilometer (3.5 mile)-long island years ago links back to the United Arab Emirates.

Officials in Yemen's internationally recognized government now say the Emiratis are behind this latest effort as well, even though the UAE announced in 2019 it was withdrawing its troops from a Saudi-led military campaign battling Yemen's Houthi rebels.

'This does seem to be a longer-term strategic aim to establish a relatively permanent presence,' said Jeremy Binnie, the Mideast editor at the open-source intelligence company Janes who has followed construction on Mayun for years. It's 'possibly not just about the Yemen war and you've got to see the shipping situation as fairly key there.'

Emirati officials in Abu Dhabi and the UAE's Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

The runway on Mayun Island allows whoever controls it to project power into the strait and easily launch airstrikes into mainland Yemen, convulsed by a yearslong bloody war. It also provides a base for any operations into the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and nearby East Africa.

A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world's crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo. While no country has claimed the Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the 5.6-kilometer (3.5 mile)-long island years ago links back to the United Arab Emirates

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. obtained by The Associated Press showed dump trucks and graders building a 1.85 kilometer (6,070-foot) runway on the island on April 11. By May 18, that work appeared complete, with three hangars constructed on a tarmac just south of the runway.

A runway of that length can accommodate attack, surveillance and transport aircraft. An earlier effort begun toward the end of 2016 and later abandoned had workers try to build an even-larger runway over 3 kilometers (9,800 feet) long, which would allow for the heaviest bombers.

Military officials with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which the Saudi-led coalition has backed since 2015, say the UAE is building the runway. The officials, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity as they didn't have authorization to brief journalists, say Emirati ships transported military weapons, equipment and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks.

The military officials said recent tension between the UAE and Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi came in part from an Emirati demand for his government to sign a 20-year lease agreement for Mayun. Emirati officials have not acknowledged any disagreement.

The initial, failed construction project came after Emirati and allied forces retook the island from Iranian-backed Houthi militants in 2015. By late 2016, satellite images showed construction underway there.

Military officials with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which the Saudi-led coalition has backed since 2015, say the UAE is building the runway. The officials, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity as they didn't have authorization to brief journalists, say Emirati ships transported military weapons, equipment and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks

The runway on Mayun Island allows whoever controls it to project power into the strait and easily launch airstrikes into mainland Yemen, convulsed by a yearslong bloody war. It also provides a base for any operations into the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and nearby East Africa

Tugboats associated with Dubai-based Echo Cargo & Shipping LLC and landing craft and carriers from Abu Dhabi-based Bin Nawi Marine Services LLC helped bring equipment to the island in that first attempt, according to tracking signals recorded by data firm Refinitiv. Satellite photos at the time show they offloaded the gear and vehicles at a temporary beachside port.

Echo Cargo & Shipping declined to comment, while Bin Nawi Marine Services did not respond to a request for comment. Recent shipping data shows no recorded vessels around Mayun, suggesting whoever provided the sealift for the latest construction turned off their boats' Automatic Identification System tracking devices to avoid being identified.

Construction initially stopped in 2017, likely when engineers realized they couldnt dig through a portion of the volcanic islands craggy features to incorporate the site of the island's old runway. The building restarted in earnest on the new runway site around Feb. 22, satellite photos show, several weeks after President Joe Biden announced he would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led offensive against the Houthis.

The apparent decision by the Emiratis to resume building the air base comes after the UAE dismantled parts of a military base it ran in the East African nation of Eritrea as a staging ground for its Yemen campaign.

While the Horn of Africa 'has become a dangerous place' for the Emiratis due to competitors and local war risks, Mayun has a small population and offers a valuable site for monitoring the Red Sea, said Eleonora Ardemagni, an analyst at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. The region has seen a rise in attacks and incidents.

'The Emiratis have been shifting from a power-projection foreign policy to a power-protection foreign policy,' Ardemagni said. It increases 'their capacity to monitor what happens and to prevent possible threats by non-state actors close to Iran.'

The apparent decision by the Emiratis to resume building the air base comes after the UAE dismantled parts of a military base it ran in the East African nation of Eritrea as a staging ground for its Yemen campaign

The expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was said to run a similar operation on a cargo ship long stationed nearby off Yemen before being apparently targeted by an Israeli attack.

Mayun, also known as Perim Island, sits some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) off the southwestern edge of Yemen. World powers have recognized the island's strategic location for hundreds of years, especially with the opening of the Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

The British kept the island up until their departure from Yemen in 1967. The Soviet Union, allied with South Yemen's Marxist government, upgraded Mayun's naval facilities but used them 'only infrequently,' according a 1981 CIA analysis. That's likely due to needing to bring water and supplies onto the island. That will affect the new air base as well as Mayun has no modern port, said Binnie, the Janes analyst.

The base still may interest American forces, however. U.S. troops operated from Yemen's al-Anad Air Base running a campaign of drone strikes targeting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula until the Houthi advance forced them to withdraw in 2015. The Defense Department later acknowledged on-the-ground American troops supported the Saudi-led coalition around Mukalla in 2016. Special forces raids and drones also have targeted the country.

The U.S. military's Central Command did not respond to a request for comment. The CIA declined to comment.
Owners of waterfront mansions in one of Australia's most picturesque locations are furious their million-dollar views are being spoiled by 'old junk' houseboats.

In most Queensland waterways there are significant fees for mooring large vessels, but on the glamorous Noosa River houseboat owners are able to anchor free of charge thanks to a state government loophole.

Locals say there are now about 200 run-down boats clotting the river and making the famous destination look like an 'eyesore'.

Owners of waterfront mansions in one of Australia's most picturesque locations, Noosa (pictured), are furious their million-dollar views are being spoiled by 'old junk' houseboats

Locals say there are now about 200 'run-down' boats clotting the river and making the famous destination look like an 'eyesore'

Noosa Shire Council have now set up a committee to try and solve the problem.

'It's become this dumping ground for anyone in southeast Queensland to come and bring their liveaboard, their old yacht, their old junk,' Nick Hluszko, who is on the committee, told the ABC.

'Everyone loves Noosa to death and what better way to get a waterfront property than to just crane in a houseboat and away you go.'

A resident named Barry said it wouldn't be an issue if the vessels were in good condition but many of them are 'half sunk', he claims.

One resident said on Facebook the situation is 'appalling'.

Another wrote that a popular spot by the riverside was 'once frequented by little families having a fish and enjoying some family time together. But not any more unfortunately.'

A Facebook said a popular spot by the riverside was 'once frequented by little families having a fish and enjoying some family time together. But not any more unfortunately'

A resident named Barry said it wouldn't be an issue if the vessels were in good condition but many of them 'half sunk' he claims

There has been a great deal of conjecture in the community about whether steps should be taken to remove the boats.

Some fear there are a number of liveaboard residents who've been forced to stay on their boats due a shortage of rental properties in the area and the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

But Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart is skeptical of those claims and said from what he can see the vast majority of the boats are 'not inhabited.'

Although there are some laws which restrict living onboard a vessel, the rules are tough to enforce because there is no legislation preventing travelling sailors sleeping overnight on anchor.

MSQ general manager Angus Mitchell said the laws are in need of an upgrade.

'What is deemed to be a liveaboard? The definitions aren't entirely clear. Is sleeping one night per week deemed to be living aboard? Is it seven nights a week? Is it coming and just staying on the weekends or once a month?,' he said.

Noosa Shire Council have now set up a committee to try and solve the problem

But one houseboat owner slammed the 'jealous and territorial' attitude of some locals.

'I am a houseboat owner and take great pride in our occasional weekend, we do no harm. In fact local rowers, Kayakers etc always love to look at our boat and wave and say hello, sometimes even stopping for a chat, that's the spirit of our river,' the man said on Facebook.

'I agree, maybe a handful of houseboats have been neglected and maybe need to be worked on at the slipway, but just take a drive around some of Noosa's suburbs and look at the many houses in worse repair that are also dilapidated eyesores.

'Are you going to start naming and shaming particular streets and particular houses too?'
The global Wearable Medical Devices market size is expected to reach USD 85.6 billion by 2027 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. The report Wearable Medical Devices Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Device Type (Diagnostic Devices, Sleep Monitoring Devices, Neuro-monitoring Devices, Therapeutic Devices, Glucose Monitoring Devices, Respiratory Therapy Devices); By Site; By Application (Sports and Fitness, Remote Patient Monitoring, and Home Healthcare); By Regions; Segment Forecast, 2020 2027 gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth.

Wearable medical devices are defined as the autonomous devices worn by the individual to provide medical or fitness monitoring and support over a period of time. They are either worn as a body accessory or being embedded in cloth or shoes. They incorporate non-invasive sensors, wireless transmission, real time data processing capabilities, and also provide medical feedback.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/wearable-medical-devices-market/request-for-sample

Recent developments in wearable medical devices include alert mechanisms, decision support systems, and real time analysis. These wearables offer point of care, and remote management for rehabilitating individuals, disabled and chronically ill.

The prominent factors favoring the wearable medical devices market growth include an increase in the prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases, consumer awareness towards fitness, and advancement in technology and medical innovation with ever increasing interest of consumer electronic companies. According to the study published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2015, there were approximately 415 million diabetic people and it is expected to increase to 640 million by 2040. The high prevalence of diabetes is an important driver boosting market growth.

With a spike in infectious diseases over the past decade, the Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab (SHIL) set up a team to study the impact of wearables to track infectious diseases. Moreover, in April 2020, Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI) launched DETECT, under which data from activity trackers and smart watches would be integrated into public health surveillance program for proactive disease tracking and population health programs.

Market participants such as Medtronic plc, OMRON Corp., Biotelemetry Inc., Apple, Inc., Koninklijke Philips, Dexcom Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Verily Life Sciences, GE Healthcare, Bio-Beat Technologies, Masimo Corporation, iRhythm Technologies, Inc., Preventice Solutions, Inc., CONTEC Medical Systems Co. Ltd, VitalConnect, Minttihealth, Biotricity Inc., Cyrcadia Asia Limited., Garmin Ltd, Xiaomi Technologies, ten3T healthcare, Fitbit, Inc., and Huawei Corporation are some of the key players operating in the Wearable Medical Devices market.

Players in the market are focusing on developing low cost wearable accessible to all strata of the population within the geographic footprint. In line with this, India based Muse Wearables is manufacturing a wrist based wearable tracker at a cost of INR 3,500. With this, it will continuously monitor skin temperature, blood O2 saturation levels, and heart rate to track body vital signs to diagnose COVID-19 symptoms in early stages. The device is Bluetooth enabled and could be connected via Muse Health App.

Polaris Market research has segmented the Wearable Medical Devices market report on the basis of device type, site, application, and region

Wearable Medical Device Type Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

Diagnostic Devices Vital Sign Monitoring Devices Heart Rate Monitors Activity Monitors Electrocardiographs Pulse Oximeters Spirometers Blood Pressure Monitors Others Sleep Monitoring Devices Sleep trackers Wrist Actigraphs Polysomnographs Others Electrocardiographs Fetal and Obstetric Devices Neuro-monitoring Devices Electroencephalographs Electro-myographs Others

Therapeutic Devices Pain Management Devices Neuro-stimulation Devices Others Insulin/Glucose Monitoring Devices Insulin Pumps Others Rehabilitation Devices Accelometers, Sensing Devices Ultrasound Platform Others Respiratory Therapy Devices Ventilators Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Devices Portable Oxygen Concentrators Others



Wearable Medical Devices Site Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

Handheld

Headband

Strap/Clip/Bracelet

Shoe Sensors

Others

Wearable Medical Devices Application Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

Sports and Fitness

Remote Patient Monitoring

Home Healthcare

Wearable Medical Devices Regional Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

North America U.S. Canada

Europe France Germany UK Italy Spain Netherlands Austria

Asia Pacific China India Japan Malaysia South Korea Indonesia

Central & South America Mexico Brazil Argentina

Middle East & Africa UAE Saudi Arabia Israel South Africa



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About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.

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The heartbroken mother of a teenage boy who took his own life aged 14 has revealed how he was 'really sad' at the suicide death of a local girl, 12.

Requel 'Rocky' Cavanagh, from Wagga Wagga in the New South Wales Riverina region, died on May 17 - one of three children in the area believed to have taken their own lives in the past fortnight.

In a powerful interview with Daily Mail Australia, his mum Bianca Lyons revealed how her once 'happy, cheeky' boy who loved playing down by the river was failed by the system.

Ms Lyons said her son had seen himself himself as the man of the house and protector of his four sisters, 'touching everyone that he has come across ... He loved his family.'

Now, Ms Lyons said: 'It feels like we are living in hell, waking up and not seeing or hearing him.

'We feel empty. We don't feel whole. We have lost a piece of ourselves. We have to live for the rest of our lives with what happened on Monday the 17th.'

'We have lost a piece of ourselves': Raquel 'Rocky' Cavanagh, 14, took his own life on May 14 - leaving behind his four sisters and grieving mother Bianca Lyons - who says she loved every inch of his soul

Circle of tragedy: Wagga Wagga school student Lauren Rafferty took her own life on May 9. On right is Rocky Cavanagh, from the same area, who died on May 14

Miss Rafferty's tragic death is just one of three recent instances of a teenager appearing to take their own life in the largely agricultural area by the Murray River

Suicide in the bush is 'the epidemic that nobody talks about', said MP Helen Dalton, representative of the local seat of Murray.

'The Murrumbidgee region has a suicide rate almost three times that of Sydney,' she said. 'But we have far fewer mental health services.'

Some 20 years ago the suicide rate was about the same as the major city but now it is much worse, at 20.9 per 100,000 people to Sydney's 7.8.

The death toll keeps rising. A 17-year-old girl - a star Year 12 pupil at her school - was found dead in nearby Griffith on Sunday.

And in a tragic twist that speaks to the scale of the troubles faced by young Australians, Rocky was an acquaintance of Lauren Rafferty, 12.

She died on May 9, Mother's Day. Miss Rafferty, also from Wagga Wagga, was remembered as 'sweet, strong and kind' by her mother Rachelle this week.

'(Rocky) said he knew her,' Ms Lyons said. 'He was really sad.'

But her death doesn't appear to be linked to Rocky's situation.

Ms Lyons said Rocky had suffered mental health problems relating to being placed in the care of Family and Community Services as a child, and fearing he could be returned.

When he was restored to his mother's custody in 2016, Ms Lyons said 'all the funding and services ceased.'

Her heartbroken mother Rachelle told Daily Mail Australia that numerous attempts were made to help Lauren (pictured) but the family struggled to find the support they desperately needed

Rocky, who suffered suicidal thoughts, could no longer attend FACS support groups which his mother believed had helped him.

A Department of Communities and Justice spokeswoman said the agency was 'deeply saddened' to hear of the child's death, but declined to comment on an individual cases.

Meanwhile, Ms Lyons said there was limited mental health support services catering to the needs of an Aboriginal boy in Wagga Wagga.

'Mental health services are overloaded - there is a waiting list,' she said.

The family of Lauren Rafferty had similar trouble navigating the mental health system.

'Lauren suffered the same level of bullying that any girl of her age does- which is still unacceptable,' her mother said.

The Rafferty family 'thought we were doing everything right by our children, and tried daily to do our best.'

'Since Lauren's death on Mother's Day, and subsequent thorough investigation, we now know how far the cumulative effect of systematic failure contributed,' her mother told Daily Mail Australia.

'Numerous attempts over the last two years were made to help Lauren.

Lauren is pictured visiting the elderly at Christmas time in 2020 (left) and strawberry picking with her brother (right)

'We had difficulty navigating and accessing mental health support for children, especially in regional areas.'

Ms Rafferty said her daughter's death was an example of how Australians should endeavour to be kinder to one another in an 'increasingly cruel and relentless' world.

Rocky's grandmother Laura Lyons said Australia needs to focus more on telling young people how to access help, including via social media, which they are 'all on'.

'That is something that we feel strongly about that needs to change, if we can prevent anyone else from going through this.

'What happened should not have happened. This is not just our problem - this is society's problem.'

Rocky Cavanagh will be laid to rest next week. Friends are raising funds to support the family via GoFundMe.

If you or anyone you know is in need of mental health support you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
In lockdown last year, the Gerlach family dreamed of an almighty adventure.

The Sydney family, which started when Tom and Deanna met working on the Harbour BridgeClimb, had already decided to move to New Zealand, where Deanna grew up, at the end of the year.

During the pandemic, they found themselves spending more and more time in the bush of nearby Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

That's when they began plotting the trip of a lifetime, deciding to walk the length of New Zealand from tip to tail, a 3000km odyssey known as 'Te Araroa'.

Last week, some 177 days after they left the northernmost tip of North Island, Cape Reinga, in beautiful sunshine, they trudged into Bluff at the base of South Island, amid dreary hail.

Tom and Deanna took children Juno, 12, Joplin, 10 and Goldie, 6 to walk the 3000km trip from the northernmost tip of New Zealand to Bluff at the bast of the South Island

'It was absolutely a lockdown dream,' Tom told AAP.

'We were equal parts nervous and excited. Everyone thought we were crazy... but we wanted an adventure,' Deanna said.

Te Araroa - which means 'the long path' in te reo Maori - is tackled by hundreds of hardy trampers, typically young backpackers, each year.

What sets the Gerlachs apart is they were joined by their three enthusiastic, adventurous children; Juno, 12, Joplin, 10, and Goldie, who began the hike aged five and turned six on the way.

Goldie is believed to be the youngest ever to successfully tackle Te Araroa.

'Dee and I were very pragmatic about the fact that we probably wouldn't actually make it. We didn't have any ego about not finishing,' Tom said.

'We knew Goldie was a pretty robust, resilient middle five-year-old. We saw how capable she was in the outdoors, walking and climbing. We thought she could do it.

'It wasn't until we popped out at Waiau Pass (in South Island, some four months into the walk), we were like 'well okay we can actually do this. We can get there'.'

From the picturesque beaches of Ninety Mile Beach in the far north, to South Island's snow-capped mountains, the Gerlachs saw Aotearoa's greatest hits across their six-month walk.

Goldie, 6, is believed to be the youngest person to ever successfully finish the trail

They cycled the Timber Trail, canoed the Whanganui River and scrambled across the volcanic rock of Tongariro.

'We had lots of icy mornings. When we walked through from Glenorchy to Magora Lakes, got down to at least minus two overnight so we walked past frozen puddles,' Deanna said.

'There were days where that were pretty hairy and a couple of occasions where we had to ask ourselves "shit, are we doing the right thing?",' Tom said.

'But we were well planned and very cautious around dangerous sections. In any sort of inclement weather we would sit out a day or two and wait.'

The path also intersects with many towns and cities - the main thoroughfares of Auckland and Wellington are on the route - allowing chances to stock up on supplies and rest.

'We walked into a town called Mangawhai, on December, 23, where Dee's eldest brother and his wife go every year for Christmas,' Tom said.

'So we ended up having a big family Christmas as you normally would, there just weren't presents under the tree and we were just a bit stinky.'

They spent Easter in the Waiau Pass - one of the most stunning and also difficult parts of the trail - celebrating with an egg hunt.

And for Goldie's sixth birthday, they climbed a mountain in the Richmond Ranges to take in the sunrise, eating cake gifted by a 'trail angel' - locals who help walkers with food, a bed, or advice as they tackle the trip.

'So many people we met along the way were so awesome,' Deanna said.

The parents say the children 'would have learned so much about themselves' during the journey

Te Araroa executive director Mark Weatherall said the family showed the walk could be done by anyone with the right mindset, gear, and preparation.

'I've worked closely with the family and they're really safety conscious. What they've done is incredible,' he said.

'Some people say "oh why would you take them out of school" or "they're too young" but they would have learned so much about themselves.'

Juno, the eldest child, said she found bravery and confidence.

'I started off as a girl who was afraid of almost everything. I feel like I now know myself, my country, what I want to stand for and who I am,' she said.

Deanna said she saw new-found resilience in her children, who all gave their consent to the mighty mission.

'We've seen them grow immensely over the last six months,' she said.

As is common, they skipped some roadside sections, while promising to return and chalk off other days where flooding or weather stopped their efforts.

Tom said the family has pledged to help others keen to tackle New Zealand's great adventure.

'We will be paying it forward,' he said.

'The hospitality and the care and the love and generosity received from other people was incredible. We will ensure that's a huge part of our life moving forward.'
Britain's youngest MP today announced she is taking 'several weeks' off work after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) just weeks after complaining of death threats, racist abuse and incessant trolling online.

Labour's Nadia Whittome, 24, who represents Nottingham East, said she had come to the conclusion it is not 'feasible' to manage her condition alongside full-time work after battling 'some persistent health issues' over recent months.

She said: 'On the advice of my doctor, I'm going to be taking some time away from work for health reasons. Constituents should continue to contact my office as normal - my staff will be there to assist you'.

The details of what triggered her PTSD are not known, but she has recently spoken about receiving a slew of online abuse including threats on her life since entering Parliament.

She told The Independent in March: 'I've had death threats. I don't look at my social media comments. It is a bit irritating so much time from my staff team has to go into archiving hate mail and abuse'. She added: 'It is probably in a sense not so bad for me as I don't look at it. But my staff do and they are already doing a very difficult job. Some of the cases we deal with are harrowing, so they don't need to see racist abuse in their inbox as well. With death threats, we go to the police'.

The Labour politician, who is of Indian descent and says she identifies as queer, is outspoken on trans and LGB rights as well as the ongoing IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

Nadia also backed the BLM protests in the UK and said she 'celebrated' acts of resistance such as the tearing down of statues linked to Britain's colonial past. She also expressed 'solidarity' for Jeremy Corbyn when he was suspended from the party last October. admitting that she had 'looked up to Jeremy most of my life'.

Miss Whittome was viewed as part of a 'new generation' of Corbynites in Parliament when she was elected at the December 2019 election aged just 23, becoming the Baby of the House - the nickname for Parliament's youngest MP. She was sacked from a junior shadow cabinet role by Sir Keir Starmer for defying the whip last year, and only found out she'd been fired during a live interview with Robert Peston on ITV.

Labour's Nadia Whittome, who represents Nottingham East, said she had realised it is not 'feasible' to manage her condition alongside full-time work

The details of Ms Whittome's condition are not known, but she has previously spoken about receiving online abuse since entering Parliament

Nadia Whittome, Labour, gains a seat for Nottingham East in December 2019, elected at the age of 23 and becoming the 'Baby of the House'. She then compared Parliament to Harry Potter's Hogwarts

The 'Baby of the House' who likened Parliament to Hogwarts after being elected aged 23: How Remainer MP Nadia Whittome was inspired by her Labour activist mother Nadia Whittome, Labour's representative for Nottingham East, was one of the youngest MPs in history after being elected at the age of 23. Miss Whittome, identifies as 'queer', and is one of 56 MPs who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. She was born to a Punjabi Sikh father and a Anglo-Indian Catholic solicitor mother in the city she represents, and has one brother. Nadia said she was inspired to join Labour by her activist mother and says she was politicised due to the effects of the Bedroom tax and austerity by the Tory Government. After two years at Nottingham University she dropped out for financial reasons and got involved in local politics. Prior to her election in 2019, she was a national committee member of the pro-Remain organisations Another Europe is Possible and Labour for a Socialist Europe. Ms Whittome, who became the UK's youngest MP after gaining her seat in December in 2019, sparked a backlash from Twitter users after immediately comparing Parliament to Hogwarts, and comparing the Tories to 'death eaters', who regularly attack Harry Potter. She told ITV's Peston a month after her election: 'It feels like joining Hogwarts but when the death eaters have taken over. I've got my acceptance letter but I've rocked up and Severus Snape is the headteacher, the death eaters are all teaching.' She was later handed a shadow health job before being sacked for not abstaining on a Bill, and was fired from a care home during the pandemic after complaining about a lack of PPE. Advertisement

The politician has been particularly outspoken on trans rights having said last year that the 'very act of debate' on the issue was leading to a 'rollback of equality'.

She was widely criticised for trying to stifle free speech, but doubled down claiming 'trans people have been used as pawns in this culture war that is stoked by people who don't have any skin in the game'.

She also recently claimed that 'every woman I know has experienced male violence' and was also outspoken on Israel's bombing of Palestine and also expressed anger that the Israeli government wasn't vaccinating Palestinians against COVID-19.

Critics pointed out that Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh insisted they wanted to get their jabs from 'from friendly countries' such at the UK, not from Israel.

Sir Keir Starmer said today that he wished the 24-year-old 'all the best' and respected her 'bravery' in speaking out about her mental health.

The youngest MP in Parliament, who Nottingham East, has made headlines while voicing her concerns over trans rights and equality.

In a statement explaining why she had disclosed the nature of her illness, she said: 'I feel it is important for me to be honest that it is mental ill-health I am suffering from - specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

'One in four people will experience mental health problems each year, but there is still a great deal of shame and stigma surrounding it.

'Through being open about my own mental health struggle, I hope that others will also feel able to talk about theirs, and that I can play a small role in creating greater acceptance and facilitating healthier discussions around this issue.'

She added: 'Unfortunately, it has become clear that this is not feasible and I have been advised by my doctor that I need to take several weeks off in order for my health to improve.'

Ms Whittome thanked Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer and his political secretary Jenny Chapman for their 'kindness' and added that her staff would continue to support constituents .

Sir Keir said: 'I wish Nadia all the best and hope she gets well soon. I respect Nadia's bravery in speaking openly about her mental health and I look forward to welcoming her back to Parliament.'

The chief executive of a leading mental health charity praised Ms Whittome's transparency.

MailOnline has uncovered abusive, racist and threatening messages sent to the young MP in the past year

I hope my mental health struggles will help others, says Labour MP taking 'weeks' away from her work in Parliament Nadia Whittome, 24, said she has been battling 'some persistent health issues' over recent months. She said in a statement: 'Until now, I have been attempting to manage them alongside continuing with my full-time work as an MP. 'Unfortunately, it has become clear that this is not feasible and I have been advised by my doctor that I need to take several weeks off in order for my health to improve. 'I feel it is important for me to be honest that it is mental ill-health I am suffering from - specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 'Through being open about my own mental health struggle, I hope that others will also feel able to talk about theirs, and that I can play a small role in creating greater acceptance and facilitating healthier discussions around this issue' 'One in four people will experience mental health problems each year, but there is still a great deal of shame and stigma surrounding it.

'My decision to take time off has been an incredibly difficult one to make. Representing Nottingham East is the greatest honour of my life and I am very sad to have to step back for a little while. I am thankful for the understanding and kindness that Keir Starmer, Jenny Chapman and the Labour Whips have shown. 'While I am away, constituents should continue to contact my office as normal. My fantastic staff team will still be there to support you with any issues you may have. 'I cannot wait to come back to the job I love, representing the community that means so much to me. 'Thank you in advance for your understanding.' Advertisement

Mark Winstanley, from Rethink Mental Illness, said: 'The enduring stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace can be hugely damaging, preventing people from accessing support and leading them to prioritise work over their own wellbeing for fear of judgment.

'Being signed off from work for poor mental health is not a sign of weakness, but a recognition that wellbeing should always be a priority.

'We welcome Nadia's openness around her diagnosis and wish her well in her recovery.'

Miss Whittome has represented the city she was born in since 2019, having been inspired to join Labour by her activist mother.

Born to an Indian father and Anglo-Indian mother, she studied at university in Nottingham before dropping out for financial reasons.

After an attempt to get elected to the local council, she was then selected to stand as the MP for Nottingham East.

She was elected in December 2019 at the age of 23, making her amongst the youngest people to be elected to Parliament.

In the past 16 months she has hit the headlines on several occasions.

In January 2020 she sparked backlash from Twitter users after comparing Parliament to Hogwarts.

She told ITV's Peston in January: 'It feels like joining Hogwarts but when the death eaters have taken over. I've got my acceptance letter but I've rocked up and Severus Snape is the headteacher, the death eaters are all teaching.'

One social media user described the comments as 'just dreadful' while another posted: 'Cringe.'

She's been vocal in standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, especially on the rights of trans rights.

Speaking to Glamour magazine in January about what the Government should do on the issue she said: 'Essentially, we need to focus on trans rights. Trans people have been used as pawns in this culture war that is stoked by people who don't have any skin in the game. And then the result of that is that trans people's lives are made more difficult and not just made more difficult, but in the most extreme circumstances, people are attacked and even lose their lives'.
The luxury apartments inside James Packer's Crown Towers building have been snatched up by cashed up buyers for upwards of $20million.

The highest purchase price for a high-end apartment atop the Crown Hotel in Sydney's Barangaroo was $20,565,118 by Xiujuan Ma and Guohua Yan - breaking the previous $12million spent by the Cao and Xu family.

A whopping $120million has been forked out by nine buyers, including Asian-based French retail executive Georges Furone-Defforey who splashed $12.74m for one of the units, The Australian reported.

Luxury apartments in James Packer's Crown Towers (pictured) fetch for over $20million

Unit in Sydney's Barangaroo sold for $20,565,118 by Xiujuan Ma and Guohua Yan (pictured: stock image of apartment in Crown Towers)

A list of buyers have acquired the lavish apartments for upwards of $10million, including the Ung family who spent $13.1million, the Gu and Lam families who snapped up one for $11.6million and the Au-Yeung and Cheng who forked out $12.5million.

Australian entrepreneur Luke Hepworth has also paid $9.4million for an off-the-plan unit in the 82-unit Sydney tower overlooking the harbor.

Mr Hepworth - who heads Hepworth Industrial - snatched up a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in the luxury Barangaroo complex.

Buyers fetched for upwards of $10million including Ung family who spent $13.1m (pictured: stock image of apartment in Crown Towers)

The 82-unit Sydney tower (pictured) overlooking the harbor was completed earlier in 2021

Australian entrepreneur Luke Hepworth has also paid $9.4million for an off-the-plan unit in the 82-unit Sydney tower overlooking the harbor (pictured: stock image of apartment in Crown Towers)

The company based in Ingleburn in Sydney's south west, manufactures and imports protective equipment and hand sinister to companies including Honeywell, Ansell and King Gee.

James Packer's $60million penthouse is still the highest priced unit sold in Sydney's new Crown Casino.

The 1340sqm apartment called 'Sky Castle', features six huge bedrooms, a study and a gym and sits on levels 48 and 49 of the new tower block.

Packer, 52, purchased the space back in 2017, when the council had originally approved the construction of six luxury apartments with 18 bedrooms between them.

The price for a two bedroom apartment inside the Barangaroo tower start from around $9.4million.
This is the comical moment a Border Collie correctly identifies the names of his toys and fetches them on request for his owner.

Owner Sophie Gloss, 27, from Guernsey, had been at home with her six-year-old canine Bear when she decided to give her 'genius' dog a memory test.

Footage shows the Border Collie correctly recognise his 11 toys by name and fetch them for his owner on her command.

Ms Gloss later told social media users that her dog could now successfully identify 52 soft toys.

Six-year-old Border Collie Bear fetches the soft toys on request for his owner Sophie Gloss, 27, from Guernsey

The canine listens to his owner's command before running over to each toy and grabbing it with his mouth

During the clip, which was filmed in January, Ms Gloss, who has owned Bear since he was a puppy, looks at her canine and asks: 'We're going to do your toys aren't we? Where's your dinosaur?'

The clever dog looks at the toys sprawled out across the floor before grabbing the dinosaur with his mouth and excitedly giving it to Ms Gloss.

Ms Gloss then asks her pet to retrieve the caterpillar and watches in awe as he yet again correctly identifies the soft toy.

As the memory test continues, the dog goes on to correctly recognise the names of the pig, camel, snake, lobster, crocodile, dachshund and the walrus before Ms Gloss tells him: 'Bear, high five, good boy!'

Ms Gloss later took to Instagram to tell viewers: 'Bear can recognise up to 52 toys by name. It takes him five minutes to remember a new toy!'

As the memory test continues, Bear correctly identifies and grabs hold of a crocodile toy for his owner

Ms Gloss congratulates her dog for correctly recognising the toys and says: 'Bear, high five, good boy!'

Following the comical scenes, social media users applauded the canine's impressive skills, with one calling him a 'precious soul'.

One user wrote: 'Oh bless him, he's super clever and cute!'

While another added: 'This is the cutest video I think I have ever seen.'

Another person commented: 'I love this way too much. What a gorgeous smart boy.'

Elsewhere another added: 'What a smart and precious soul.'

In 2019, a study from the University of Sussex found that a dogs's understanding of of human language went far beyond just 'sit', 'walk' and 'fetch'.

Social media users applauded the canine's impressive skills, with one calling him a 'smart and precious soul'

The study of 42 dogs, published in Biology Letters, also discovered that canines were also able to decipher various accents, from the Queen's English to the thick West Country twang.

During their experiment, researchers played recordings of four different people saying the same word to the pets and then followed it up with a word that sounded slightly different.

The assessors noticed that the animals reacted strongly when the word change and would turn their head sharply and look at the source of the voice for longer, indicating they were aware it was different to the others.

Dr Holly Root-Gutteridge, the first author of the study from the University of Sussex, said: 'In cartoon strips, dogs listening to their owners are shown to hear 'blah, blah, blah, walkies'.

'But these results show they have more advanced language skills than we give them credit for, and I actually know dogs that can respond to 75 different commands.

'Dogs probably gained the ability to distinguish between the barks of other dogs so they could work out their size, and then they started paying attention to our language after we domesticated them.'
A straight-A student in Louisiana died of an fentanyl accidental overdose after taking half of a pill sold on the street as a prescription Percocet.

Hailey Deickman, an 18-year-old from Belle Chase who was days away from her high school graduation and set to enroll at the University of New Orleans this fall, died after taking the fake pill which police believe was laced with fentanyl.

The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office identified 22-year-old Franklin Senfles as the dealer who sold Hailey the pill that killed her.

Senfles was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder for another victim.

Hailey Deickman, 18, of Belle Chasse, Louisiana died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl after taking half of a pill sold on the street as a prescription Percocet.

Emergency services responded to a call on May 14 and found Deickman and a second victim unresponsive.

Deickman was a straight-A student about to graduate from Belle Chasse High School.

She was rushed to Ochsner Hospital Westbank Campus where she was pronounced dead four days later.

The second victim, who has not been identified, survived the incident.

Authorities believe Deickman took half a pill sold as Percocet that likely contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Franklin Senfles, 22, was arrested for one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder for another victim

Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Gerald A. Turlich Jr. said: 'The amount of fentanyl currently being used in illegal narcotics is not only dangerous, but it's becoming a major public safety issue.

'We will continue to aggressively pursue any individual that spreads this poison into our community.'

Principal of Belle Chasse High School, Jemi Carlone noted: 'The teachers are going through a lot. They're the ones I'm really worried about because they have to be strong for their students.'

Authorities believe Deickman took half a pill sold as Percocet that likely contained a lethal dose of Fentanyl. Deickman is pictured with her mother above

Speaking to FOX 8, Deickman's mother said that her daughter was an honor roll student and a beautiful person who made a mistake which tragically cost her her life.

During the investigation into Deickman's death, police identified Senfles as the man who sold the pill that caused her overdose, according to the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office.

The 22-year-old was arrested by the St. Gabriel Police Department in coordination with PPSO.

He was booked into the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center.

A GoFundMe page was set up in the wake of Deickman's death, to help her family cover funeral expenses.

The page, which has so far raised $14,078, reads: 'As many of you know our sweet Hailey Bug was met by sweet heavenly angels and is with God now.

'Hailey was a straight A student and was graduating from high school on May 25. Hailey was registered to attend The University of New Orleans in the Fall.'

'As her family prepares to make her arrangements they can use any help they can for funeral expenses.

'Hailey's mom and dad will be home while they are grieving and may experience loss of wages at this difficult time.

'If any of you know the Deickman family, you know that they are the most generous, giving, selfless and loving family.'
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MPs and local health chiefs voiced shock today after the government advised against travel to Indian variant hotspots - but did not tell anyone about the change for four days.

Politicians said they were 'gobsmacked' that the guidance on gov.uk had been updated on Friday to say only 'essential' visits should be made to affected areas, without any formal announcement being made.

People are being urged not to move in or out of Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside unless it is unavoidable - although there is no legal restriction.

A televised press briefing on Wednesday, which focused heavily on the Indian variant, did not reference any specific travel measures for the affected areas.

Labour MP Ruth Cadbury ridiculed the restrictions on Hounslow in London, pointing out that the Picadilly line and the A4 both run through the borough to Heathrow Airport.

It comes as Britons are being warned they may be forced to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated.

The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs.

It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine.

Government sources say it is crucial that the contract tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.'

MPs and local health chiefs voiced shock today after the government advised against travel to Indian variant hotspots - but did not tell anyone about the change for four days

Labour MP Ruth Cadbury ridiculed the restrictions on Hounslow in London, pointing out that the Picadilly line and the A4 both run through the borough to Heathrow Airport

Gunners from the Royal Horse Artillery distribute Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to local residents on May 24, 2021 in Bolton

MPs and local councillors have called for clarity over the new restrictions for the affected Indian variant hotspots amid fears they could cause 'anxiety and confusion'.

Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, said: 'I was not informed of this and I understand nor was anyone else in Bolton.

'I'm just gobsmacked. They're making such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents.

'The least I would expect is a letter or email from (Matt Hancock) or his office as a matter of courtesy.

'Further and more importantly, my constituents needed to know. Many will have planned for the long weekend, bought tickets, made arrangements.

'And it's still not clear if this is advisory or legally obligatory.

'This is typical of this Government's incompetence.'

North Tyneside's director of public health, Wendy Burke, said there had been no indication of any additional restrictions when the announcement about extra testing was made last week.

She said: 'We understand that, later, Government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the Government website.

'This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

'We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.'

Layla Moran, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said updating the guidance without a proper announcement 'is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty'.

In a series of posts, she added: 'This is a major change to policy that will have a huge impact on people's lives.

'Simply updating the Government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

The Indian coronavirus variant is now dominant in 44 areas across England  almost twice as many as the previous week  according to data published by the Sanger Institute today. Of the hotspots, only 19 have seen their infection rates increase in the most recent week

In Bolton, which is recording the highest Covid infection rate in the country due to an outbreak of the Indian variant, hospitalisations have already started to creep up. There are currently 43 Covid patients in Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, according to data from the Government's Covid dashboard, which is more than triple than at the start of May, when there were 13

Department of Health data shows how the number of positive tests being recorded each day has changed in the 10 areas with the biggest outbreaks where the Indian variant is known to be dominant. Top left shows Bolton's outbreak, which has grown rapidly over the past three weeks. But outbreaks remain flat in other hotspots, such as Preston, Hillingdon and Ealing

Boris Johnson is pictured jogging in Westminster Park this morning with his dog Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross

'Local people and public health leaders in these areas need urgent clarity from the Government. Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules.

'It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic.'

Newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin said she would be raising the matter urgently with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi.

She tweeted: 'If Govt are concerned we need clear guidance and support not advice that could cause anxiety and confusion.'

London MP Ms Cadbury tweeted: #Hahaha Keep out of @LBofHounslow area?! Does anyone in @DHSC realise the Picadilly line & A4 through the borough are main routes between Heathrow and Central London? Was there any plan to actually discuss this with the Council (or even perhaps look at a map)?'

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said she was 'surprised' to hear that MPs in areas impacted by new guidance around the Indian variant did not feel properly informed.

'The Prime Minister set out that we need to take extra caution in certain areas regarding the Indian variant,' she told Sky News.

'It is good practice to formally put that guidance on the record affecting those communities.

'We have been working in close contact, so I'm surprised to hear that people think this has come out of the blue  it hasn't.

'It is about formalising on the record the guidance which we believe people can and should follow in order to make sure we tackle and don't have more spread of the Indian variant.'

A Government spokesman said: 'Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

'We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.'

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said she was 'surprised' to hear that MPs in areas impacted by new guidance around the Indian variant did not feel properly informed

Where is the Indian variant dominant? And are cases going up? AUTHORITY Bolton Blackburn w D Sefton West Lancashire Stevenage Nottingham South Northants Bedford Chelmsford Hillingdon Camden Hounslow Greenwich Croydon Bromley Dartford Sevenoaks Canterbury Rushmoor Hart Ribble Valley Preston Fylde Burnley Rossendale Chorley Central Beds East Northants North Herts East Herts West Oxfordshire Bristol Wiltshire Test Valley Swindon Reading Woking Havering Barking & Dag Barnet Ealing Slough S Oxfordshire Wigan INFECTION RATE 434.0 215.1 22.4 9.6 10.2 22.8 16.9 142.5 5.6 39.1 8.5 47.5 26.0 29.5 19.6 8.0 9.9 34.5 22.2 21.6 21.4 49.8 9.9 60.7 57.4 55.8 35.0 15.9 6.7 6.7 15.4 14.5 6.2 7.9 19.4 33.4 16.9 6.9 11.3 9.9 35.7 25.4 4.2 34.1 WEEK GROWTH up 72.6% up 87.2% down 54.1% down 35.3% down 18.2% down 35.0% down 50.0% up 20.5% down 44.4% down 7.0% down 39.5% down 13.4% up 21.0% up 14.0% up 41.3% down 50.0% up 140.0% up 533.3% down 27.6% down 32.3% up 44.4% up 40.0% down 42.9% up 22.7% up 215.4% up 61.0% up 83.6% down 31.8% down 10.0% down 11.1% up 183.3% up 4.7% down 53.7% down 16.7% up 19.4% up 68.8% up 112.5% down 45.5% down 35.1% down 48.0% down 8.3% down 5.0% down 66.7% flat Advertisement

Bolton in Greater Manchester recorded 451 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 20 May, the highest in England.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Bolton has more than tripled in a fortnight as the Manchester borough grapples with an outbreak of the highly-infectious Indian variant.

Sources say there are currently 43 Covid patients in the town's NHS trust, compared to 12 that were receiving care on May 10.

Experts fear the pressure on the trust, which looks after the Royal Bolton Hospital, will only get worse as the infection rate climbs.

Bolton is recording more than 400 Covid cases per 100,000 people - twenty times the national average - following a period of exponential growth of the Indian variant in the last month. It takes several weeks for cases to turn into hospitalisations due to the lag between someone catching and falling seriously ill with Covid.

However, Number 10 has said the 'majority' of people being hospitalised with the disease currently are either unvaccinated or have not been for both jabs.

Analysis by Public Health England has found two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer's jab provide a similar level of protection from the Indian variant as they do for the Kent version, which has raised hopes that hospital and death rates will not reach the peaks of previous waves.

Meanwhile, data published yesterday showed the Indian variant spiralling in Bolton is now dominant in nearly 15 per cent of authorities in England  almost twice as many as the previous week.

Analysis of samples from people infected with Covid in the week up to May 15 also shows that the B.1.617.2 strain had spread to 151 out of England's 314 local authorities.

The mutant virus had overtaken the previously-dominant Kent variant in 44 places, up from 23 the week prior.

It is now behind behind 90 per cent of Covid infections in Blackburn and eight in ten in the hotspots of Bolton, Sefton, Bedford and Croydon.

The places where the Indian strain overtook the Kent variant in the most recent week were: Ribble Valley, Preston, Fylde, Burnley, Rossendale, Chorley, Central Bedfordshire, East Northamptonshire, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Bristol, Swindon, Wiltshire, Test Valley, Reading, Woking, Slough, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Ealing.

It is still dominant in: Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Sefton, West Lancashire, Stevenage, Nottingham, South Northamptonshire, Bedford, Chelmsford, Dartford, Sevenoaks, Canterbury, Rushmoor, Hart, Hillingdon, Camden, Hounslow, Greenwich, Croydon and Bromley.

But it is no longer the dominant strain in Oadby and Wigston, Broxbourne and Brent which may be down to very low case numbers in these areas.

Bolton has the highest infection rate out of local authorities suffering outbreaks of the Indian variant (434 cases per 100,000 people) which has more than doubled over the past week.

Data suggests that two per cent of people in one neighbourhood of the borough tested positive for the virus last week.

Blackburn with Darwen had the second largest outbreak (215.1), and Bedford had the third largest (142.5).

They were followed by new hotspots Burnley (60.7), Rossendale (57.4), Chorley (55.8) and Preston (48.9).

Indian variant hotspot Hounslow had the highest Covid infection rate in London (47.5). It was followed by Hillingdon (39.1) and Ealing (35.7).

For comparison, England's average is 21.3 per 100,000 and has remained around this level since mid-April.

PHE's latest breakdown shows 46.2 per cent of Covid cases were the Kent variant in the week to May 10, but 53.8 per cent were down to other variants. It is thought the first majority were B.1.617.2.

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that the Indian strain was likely already the dominant strain of the virus across the UK because the Sanger data is weeks out of date.

He noted that the variant is spreading in areas that were hardest hit at earlier stages of the pandemic, suggesting that social and other mixing factors were contributing to the outbreaks, rather than purely the infectiousness of the strain.

'Covid is retreating to its strongholds of last summer, looking at the latest map which is already out of data,' he said.

Data from Public Health England shows the prevalence of variants across all the regions of England, with the Indian variant (light purple) compared to the Kent variant (white/pink). Data shows B.1.617.2 is now dominant in the North West, making up around 70 per cent of all sequenced cases. The proportion of samples analysed in a lab is shown by the black line. The sharp drop off is down to the lag in getting samples analysed and not because of a huge reduction in swabs being checked

Data also shows how quickly the different variants have grown in England, with the Indian variant (green) spreading rapidly. The South African variant is coloured blue

'The areas where Covid has traditionally found it easier to spread are the same areas where the variant is finding it easier to spread.

'And that is not surprising because of deprivation, inner city, more crowded dwelling, multi-generational occupancy.'

He added that as cases rose in the coming weeks it was inevitable that hospitalisations and deaths from the virus would also go up, but that he did not know by how much.

'It will be somewhere between being manageable and close to Armageddon,' he said. 'But I'm not sure which extreme it will be closer to.'

It came after one of the country's top scientists suggested today that Britain could officially be freed from the grips of the Covid crisis if the current vaccines work as expected against the Indian variant.

Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard said the pandemic in the UK could be 'over' if the vaccines cut the risk of hospitalisation and death as well in the real world as analysis suggests.

National data also shows how quickly the Indian variant (purple) has spread, making up around half of all new cases reported across the country. The Kent variant is shaded pink. The proportion of cases being sequenced is shown by the black line

PHE analysis also revealed how the Indian variant is spreading quickly in the community (top graph, Indian variant is purple). The middle graph shows the proportion of cases made up by travellers. The bottom graph shows the amount of cases that were sequenced in different weeks. It can take several weeks for samples to be thoroughly analysed, meaning there is a lag in the data

Separate figures also show the number of suspected reinfections over time, which are broken down into different types of the coronavirus. The purple area highlights reinfections seen in people who have caught the Indian variant

Nearly 9,000 patients died after catching Covid on English hospital wards while being treated for something else Nearly 9,000 Britons died after contracting Covid on a hospital ward while receiving care for a different illness, official NHS data shows. Figures obtained by the Guardian revealed that 32,307 patients have caught the disease while in English hospitals since March 2020, of which 8,747 have died. University Hospitals Birmingham suffered the biggest death toll (408), followed by Nottingham University Hospitals (279) and Frimley in Surrey (259). Victims were found to have caught the virus while hospital for a range of reasons, including an operation, treatment for an underlying condition or an accident. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said hospital-acquired Covid infections and deaths remained 'one of the silent scandals of this pandemic', adding that many of them would have been avoidable. NHS bosses said a lack of testing and personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic had made hospital-acquired infections harder to prevent. They also admitted that not fully understanding the extend of asymptomatic spread fuelled outbreaks on wards in the early days of the pandemic. Nine of the 81 acute hospital trusts which responded to the Freedom of Information request recorded 200 or more deaths. Advertisement

Because the vaccines were shown to be highly effective at stopping people falling ill with Covid in the first place, PHE said they are likely to be even better at preventing hospitalisation and deaths.

Professor Pollard said that a few more weeks were needed to firm up this claim, but he added that, traditionally, vaccines offer 'much, much higher' protection against hospitalisation and death than mild infection.

However, both Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs were only 33 per cent effective at blocking symptoms of the Indian strain three weeks after one dose, compared to 50 per cent against the Kent variant. Officials say it highlights the importance of getting both injections.

Professor Pollard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If the current generation of vaccines are able to stop people going into hospital, whilst there is still mild infections, people are getting the common cold with the virus, then the pandemic is over.

'Because we can live with the virus, in fact we are going to have to live with the virus in one way or another, but it doesn't matter if most people are kept out of hospital because then the NHS can continue to function and life will be back to normal. We just need a little bit more time to have certainty around this.'

Ministers say England is on track for all restrictions to be dropped as planned on June 21, despite fears the rapid spread of the Indian variant would jeopardise 'freedom day'.

Armed with the PHE evidence vaccines work against B.1.617.2, the boss of the UK's Health Security Agency argued the prospect of all Covid restrictions being lifted next month was 'looking good'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock also called the findings 'groundbreaking'.

But some scientists are not convinced by No10's ever-growing optimism, saying May 17's relaxation of lockdown measures may trigger a rapid spike in cases given that the Indian variant is 'on the cusp' of becoming dominant in England.

Professor Christina Pagel, a member of the Independent SAGE panel of scientists, said ministers should consider 'rolling back step three of the roadmap' if cases continue to rise this week. Department of Health figures show the number of positive tests has jumped by 11 per cent over the past seven days.

Hospitalisations and deaths across the UK are at their lowest levels since the crisis began, with just six fatalities a day and fewer than 100 hospital admissions, on average. For comparison, around 1,300 deaths were occurring every day at the peak of the second wave in January.

However, the number of infected patients occupying beds at the major NHS trust in Bolton  one of the country's hotspots for the Indian variant  has continued to creep up over the past week.

There is no proof the Indian variant is more lethal than older strains of the coronavirus but data shows it is more transmissible than the Kent type, which triggered Britain's devastating second wave before vaccines were rolled out.

Experts believe B.1.617.2 is 30 per cent more infectious than B.1.1.7  the name for the Kent strain  but won't get any concrete data for at least another week.
Tucker Carlson has slammed Dr Anthony Fauci, the World Health Organization and the mainstream media for spreading 'lies' about the origins of COVID-19 amid mounting evidence that the virus may have been developed in a Chinese lab.

The Fox News host launched his attack on Monday night and said there is now a consensus that the virus was caused by the Chinese government and was leaked by the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), rather than the city's wet market as was previously reported.

Carlson's comments come as scientists and political officials are coming forward to support the theory that the virus may have been created in a Chinese laboratory and was covered up - after scoffing at the idea for much of the past year in part because it was pushed by then-President Donald Trump.

Among the top officials recently speculating that possibility is Dr Fauci, who earlier this month said he's 'not convinced' the virus formed naturally after repeated statements to the contrary.

In his monologue at the top of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson cited a previously-undisclosed US State Department report which claimed three WIV researchers were likely the first people infected with COVID-19 after they were hospitalized in November 2019 - months before China disclosed the outbreak.

Fauci has said he was unaware of the report until was brought to light by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend - but Carlson asked: 'Can we really believe that? No, of course, we can't.

'Fauci has known from the beginning the virus may very well have come from that lab. Many people have known that.

'Fauci just lied about it for more than a year.'

Tucker Carlson has slammed Dr Anthony Fauci and the mainstream media for spreading 'lies' about the origins of Covid-19

The US State Department issued a fact sheet on the bombshell claims in January which Carlson said was ignored by top officials including Dr Fauci (pictured)

The State Department Fact sheet, released five days before Donald Trump left office, said: 'The US government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.'

But Fauci never commented on the report at the time, only now admitting when asked if the virus originated naturally: 'I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened.'

Carlson disputed Fauci's claims he did not know about the lab hospitalizations, saying the Thai government contacted the CDC in November 2019 after picking up 'biological anomalies' near the Institute of Virology.

'We can't confirm this, though we believe it to be true,' Carlson said. 'We do know that several other allied foreign governments, including the governments of France and Australia, have gathered evidence showing the virus escaped from a Chinese lab.

'Yet Tony Fauci, who runs the whole thing, didn't know any of this? Come on. Of course he did.

'Pretty much every sane person acknowledges at this point that the government of China likely caused the single worst man-made disaster in human history.'

The laboratory is only 20 miles form the Huanan Seafood market, where the first cluster of infections began

Fauci has since backtracked on his recent comments, saying he believes it is 'highly likely' the virus originated naturally before it spread from animals to humans.

CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang said the medical adviser is still open to an investigation but does not believe COVID-19 was leaked from the laboratory.

She added: 'He does not know anything about the three researchers at the Wuhan lab who sought hospital care in November 2019 as reported by the WSJ.'

But Carlson ridiculed these claims, saying that Fauci has known about the Wuhan lab 'leaks' 'for a very long time'.

Carlson cited Fauci's comments from a May 2020 interview with National Geographic in which he said: 'If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what exists now, it's very, very strongly leaning towards that could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated.

'A number of very qualified evolutionary biologists have said that everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that it evolved in the wild, then jumped species.'

Carlson asked: 'A number of very qualified evolutionary biologists - really? Where are those scientists today?

'Now that we know what we know about the Wuhan lab  and we know that, of course, Fauci has known it too for a very long time, how could he not  it's pretty remarkable to go back and look at Fauci's public statements about COVID and the government of China.'

'You look back over the last year in light of what we now know, and you ask yourself, how does Tony Fauci still have a job? Seriously.

'What kind of country gives this much power to someone who's proven himself to be serially dishonest and incompetent? It's scary we'd allow that. Especially in public health.

'Meanwhile, and this is the most galling part, those few journalists and scientists who told the truth about what happened in Wuhan were punished for telling the truth.

'They were attacked by CNN, censored by Facebook, denounced by their colleagues. They were destroyed in some cases. Where's their apology? Who's paying into their reparations fund? No one of course.'

Fauci has since backtracked on his recent comments, saying he believes it is 'highly likely' the virus originated naturally before it spread from animals to humans

COVID-19 spread quickly throughout the world, and now officials in the United States, Norway, Canada and Great Britain are calling for further investigation into its origins

A team from the World Health Organization carried out an investigation in China into the origins of the virus, concluding it was 'extremely unlikely' it originated in the laboratory.

But the mission was carried out under strong influence from the Chinese government who refused to share raw data about early Covid cases, and the WHO's findings tallied with the claims of the ruling communist party that it jumped from animals via imported meat.

Carlson said the WHO 'followed China's instructions' and Joe Biden readily rejoined the organization, offering his full support without conditions.

Carlson then threw his support behind journalists who were censored and attacked for speaking out against the consensus view that the virus originated in the Wuhan wet market, saying their careers were destroyed for 'telling the truth'.

Professor Stephen Mosher said back in February 2020 that Covid escaped from the lab but was denounced as a 'conspiracy nut', according to Carlson.

Meanwhile retired New York Times science editor Nicholas Wade has joined in on the chorus criticizing the mainstream media for falling for 'Chinese propaganda' about the origins of the virus.

Carlson disputed Fauci's claims he did not know about the lab hospitalizations, saying the Thai government contacted the CDC in November 2019

Scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were reportedly studying bats before the coronavirus outbreak began in 2019

He penned a 1,100-word article examining the link entitled 'The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandoras box at Wuhan?' earlier this month and took aim at top news outlets in a Fox News interview on Sunday night.

He claimed the media mainstream media failed to 'take off its political glasses' to investigate the virus' origins, the facts of which, he said, are being obscured by the Chinese Communist Party.

'I think we see a sustained Chinese propaganda effort at work,' Wade, who served as the staff writer for the Science Times section of the New York Times from 1982 to 2012, told Mark Levin on Life, Liberty & Levin.

'But, you know, more than that, it was just the blindness, if I could put it that way, of our media  we're too polarized to see scientific issues for their own sake without putting a political gloss on them,' he continued.

Nicholas Wade, a former New York Times science editor, slammed mainstream media in an interview with Mark Levin on Sunday for not investigating the origins of COVID-19

'We don't know for sure: The origin of the virus is just we've got these two possible scenarios. But if you look at all the evidence and ask yourself, well, which scenario explains all these facts better on present evidence, it seems, to me at least, that the lab-escape hypothesis explains it a lot better.

'But it's a sort of complicated conclusion to arrive at, and I can only assume that the media was blindsided, they didn't do the work that was necessary.'

Large outlets, including the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post, pushed back against the idea that the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan in the early days of the pandemic.

Facebook labeled a New York Post opinion column saying the virus 'might have jumped to the human population thanks to errors at a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan' as 'false information'.

Former President Trump repeatedly said he suspected the virus may have escaped from a Chinese lab, which Beijing denies, and for which he was ridiculed.

The lab is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens  dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission

Even former CDC director Robert Redfield was admonished for the suggestion despite no strong evidence to the contrary at the time.

The Huanan wet market, where the first cluster of infections began, is just a few hundred yards from the Wuhan Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and only a few miles from the the Wuhan Institute of Virology Lab, where scientists were reportedly conducting experiments on bats before the pandemic began.

The lab is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens  dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission.

Liberal media's dramatic flip-flop! A year after left-wing news TRASHED theory that COVID originated from a Wuhan lab when Trump supported the suggestion - outlets now throw their SUPPORT behind the idea

The first reported fatality from COVID-19 was in Wuhan, China, on January 11, 2020

By January 21 the virus was in the U.S.; a week later The Washington Times speculated about a 'lab leak'

The suggestion, picked up by Trump and embraced by China hawks, was ridiculed by the left-wing media

A year later, a growing acceptance of the possibility of a 'lab leak' has formed - ignoring past skepticism

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top public health official, now says that he believes it is possible

The WHO sent a team to investigate earlier this year but were not given full access to China's laboratories

The liberal media have finally conceded that COVID-19 may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory - after a year spent ridiculing the suggestion.

The first fatality from COVID-19 was reported by Chinese state media on January 11, 2020, when a 61-year-old man who was a regular customer at a market in Wuhan died. The first confirmed case in the United States was 10 days later, when a man returned to Washington state from Wuhan.

Within a week, on January 26, 2020, the first article blaming the Wuhan Institute of Virology for the outbreak was published, in The Washington Times. Yet most mainstream media disputed the claims, dismissing them outright or even decrying them as racist.

When Donald Trump, on May 1, 2020, said he had 'a high degree of confidence' that the virus escaped from a lab, the New York Times, CNN, and NPR were quick to mock his comments.

CNN, which by the end of the Trump administration was brazen in its hostility to the president and his advisors, was almost gleeful in its mockery of the idea that the virus could have come from a laboratory.

The Washington Post, New York Times, and NPR were equally dismissive of suggestions that the virus could have come from a laboratory.

The Washington Post published a fact checker piece on May 25 saying the theory had 'suddenly' become credible after it was repeatedly brought up. It came after a year of naysaying from the liberal media who never accepted that it might be true

There is outrage over the fact that for the last year, the theory has been widely discredited by the media in America when it may explain the entire pandemic

Some outlets, such as the Huffington Post, even branded any suggestion the virus could have stemmed from a lab as a 'toxic conspiracy theory.'

Few were able to suggest that COVID-19 could have stemmed from a research facility without backlash but that didn't stop some media, including the Daily Mail, from questioning the narrative.

Fox News' Tucker Carlson was also clear in demanding an investigation into whether it could have escaped from the lab.

Finally, in the past few months, came the first signs that opinion was beginning to change.

In January, a World Health Organization (WHO) report only served to raise more questions after Beijing strictly controlled an on-site visit and who the researchers compiling the report spoke to. The WHO team was only allowed three hours inside the Wuhan lab and was unable to examine any of the Wuhan institute's safety logs or records of testing on its staff.

China's actions led to Biden's White House calling for greater transparency.

Even Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said that the visit was inconclusive, adding that 'all hypotheses are open' and warranted future study.

By May 11, the leading public health expert in the United States, Dr Anthony Fauci, had accepted that the idea of the virus escaping from a lab had been too quickly dismissed.

Asked whether the virus originated naturally, Fauci replied that he wants to look closer into the matter.

'I am not convinced about that,' he said. 'I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened.

'Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out. So, you know, that's the reason why I said I'm perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus.'

Fauci's revelation came as a shock to many on the left who have accepted China's narrative that coronavirus spread from a wet market since the virus first emerged.

Of course, China continues to insist that COVID-19 did not originate in the Wuhan lab.

'The U.S. keeps concocting inconsistent claims and clamoring to investigate labs in Wuhan,' China's foreign ministry said in a written statement on May 24. This fully shows that some people in the U.S. don't care about facts and truth.'

CNN

On May 1, 2020, CNN reported that Trump had 'contradicted' the intel community by claiming to have seen evidence the virus came from a lab.

'President Donald Trump contradicted a rare on-the-record statement from his own intelligence community by claiming Thursday that he has seen evidence that gives him a "high degree of confidence" the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, but declined to provide details to back up his assertion.

'The comments undercut a public statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued just hours earlier which stated no such assessment has been made and continues to "rigorously examine" whether the outbreak "began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan."

"Yes, I have," Trump said when asked whether he's seen evidence that would suggest the virus originated in the lab. Later, asked why he was confident in that assessment, Trump demurred.

"I can't tell you that. I'm not allowed to tell you that," the report read.

Then on May 5, 2020, their editor-at-large Chris Cillizza wrote a scathing attack on the suggestion, entitled: Anthony Fauci just crushed Donald Trump's theory on the origins of the coronavirus.

MAY 1 2020: On May 1, 2020, CNN reported that Trump had 'contradicted' the intel community by claiming to have seen evidence the virus came from a lab. They pointed to how rare it was for the intelligence community to make a statement

MAY 5 2020: Chris Cillizza wrote an opinion piece saying Fauci had 'crushed Trump's theory' about the origins of the virus

OCTOBER 2020: CNN published another report about how the theory came from a 'shoddy' paper that was backed by Bannon. It claimed there was no proof whatsoever behind the theory

'Before we play the game of 'he said, he said' remember this: Only one of these two people is a world-renowned infectious disease expert. And it's not Donald Trump,' Cillizza wrote.

'In short, Fauci's view on the origins of the disease matters a whole lot more than Trump's opinion about where it came from.

'Especially because, outside of Trump and his immediate inner circle, most people in a position to know are very, very skeptical of the Trump narrative that the virus came out of a lab - whether accidentally or on purpose.'

Cillizza's article followed on from one four days earlier, headlined: 'Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab'.

Yet fast forward almost a year, and the tone had greatly changed.

Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, spoke on March 26 this year to Robert Redfield, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC).

Redfield said that he had concluded the virus escaped from a lab.

MARCH 2021: The former CDC head, Dr Robert Redfield, on CNN in March 2021, saying he believes the virus came from a lab. He told the reporter: 'I am of the point of view, I still think the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory, escaped. Other people dont believe that. Thats fine, science will eventually figure it out. Its not unusual for respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in a laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.' CNN called it 'controversial'

MAY 2021: On May 24, a new report was which said US intelligence had found there was some evidence the virus came from a Wuhan lab

'I am of the point of view that I still think the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory, you know, escaped,' he said.

'Now, other people don't believe that, that's fine. Science will eventually figure it out.

'It's not unusual for respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in the laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.'

On May 23, The Wall Street Journal reported that three researchers from Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick enough in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, according to a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report

The following day the paper reported on a mysterious mine around 80 miles outside Wuhan where, in April 2012, six miners here fell sick after entering the mine to clear bat guano. Three of them died.

Chinese scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were called in to investigate and, after taking samples from bats in the mine, identified several new coronaviruses. Yet they were not forthcoming with their information.

On May 24, CNN admitted that there may be more to the Wuhan lab than initially believed. They published an update: New information on Wuhan researchers' illness furthers debate on pandemic origins

But Cilizza is still standing by his earlier claims it isn't.

He wrote an opinion piece on why Dr. Fauci was 'hedging' on the subject, and said just because Fauci said he was no longer 'convinced' of the origins, it didn't mean he thought it came from a lab.

New York Times

When any Trump-supporting lawmakers said that the Wuhan lab theory merited further exploration, the New York Times was quick to dismiss their claim.

In the first month of the pandemic they seized on questions raised by Tom Cotton, the Republican senator for Arkansas.

'We don't have evidence that this disease originated there,' Cotton said.

'But because of China's duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we need to at least ask the question to see what the evidence says, and China right now is not giving evidence on that question at all.'

His words, on February 17, 2020, would prove prescient - yet the New York Times headlined its coverage: Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory of Coronavirus Origins.

By April 30, 2020, the paper was describing the efforts from the Trump administration to get to the bottom of the virus' origins as a political witch hunt.

'Senior Trump administration officials have pushed American spy agencies to hunt for evidence to support an unsubstantiated theory that a government laboratory in Wuhan, China, was the origin of the coronavirus outbreak, according to current and former American officials,' the paper reported.

FEBRUARY 2020: The New York Times was initially adamant (left) that the Wuhan lab leak theory was a nonsense invented by Trump, but by 2021 was accepting that opinions varied (right)

APRIL 2020: Another NYT report which said Trump officials had been pushing spies to find evidence behind the theory

'The effort comes as President Trump escalates a public campaign to blame China for the pandemic.'

The story was headlined: Trump Officials Are Said to Press Spies to Link Virus and Wuhan Labs

Yet this month two former science reporters at the paper - Nicholas Wade, who retired in 2012, and Donald McNeil, who left earlier this year amid a row about his language while guiding a tour of Peru - both said they now felt it was possible, indeed perhaps likely, that the virus came from a lab.

'In early spring 2020, I reported an article for The New York Times on which I put the tentative headline: 'New Coronavirus Is 'Clearly Not a Lab Leak,' Scientists Say,'' McNeil wrote on Medium.

'It never ran.'

He said that the paper was sharply divided over whether to believe the Trump officials saying it was a lab leak, or the scientists saying it wasn't.

'We still do not know the source of this awful pandemic. We may never know,' he wrote.

'But the argument that it could have leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology or a sister lab in Wuhan has become considerably stronger than it was a year ago, when the screaming was so loud that it drowned out serious discussion.

McNeil, who left The New York Times earlier this year, said that China's 'lack of candor' was 'disturbing'. McNeil was fired by the Times after it emerged he'd used the N-word during a conversation with students on a NYT-run trip. He published an article on May 17 about the subject. He said he'd been told 'overwhelmingly' by scientists that it did not come from a lab

MAY 2021: Now the Times is repeating scientists' calls for an open mind on the theory

'And China's lack of candor is disturbing.'

Wade came to the same conclusion.

'Neither the natural emergence nor the lab escape hypothesis can yet be ruled out. There is still no direct evidence for either. So no definitive conclusion can be reached,' he wrote.

'That said, the available evidence leans more strongly in one direction than the other. Readers will form their own opinion.

'But it seems to me that proponents of lab escape can explain all the available facts about SARS2 considerably more easily than can those who favor natural emergence.'

Washington Post

Reporters for an article published on April 30, 2020, provided a nuanced and in-depth analysis of the Wuhan laboratory's work, and emphasized the risks involved.

Yet their headline read: Chinese lab conducted extensive research on deadly bat viruses, but there is no evidence of accidental release.

The following day, the dismissive tone continued: Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It's doubtful.

In May 2020 The Washington Post said it was 'doubtful' that the virus came from a lab in a story from its Fact Checker section

By May 24 this year, the paper was very close to admitting that they had been blinkered.

'Given everything we know about how Trump handled such things, caution and skepticism were invited,' wrote Aaron Blake, a senior political reporter at the paper.

'That (very much warranted) caution and skepticism spilled over into some oversimplification, particularly when it came to summarizing the often more circumspect reporting.'

He admitted: 'We might never truly know the truth.'

Now the Washington Post is urging WHO to carry out an investigation into what happened to determine if it did come from a lab

MAY 2021: Journalist Aaron Blake wrote that it is 'vexing' as a subject. He said: 'It has become evident that some corners of the mainstream media overcorrected when it came to one particular theory from Trump and his allies: that the coronavirus emanated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, rather than naturally. Its also true that many criticisms of the coverage are overwrought and that Trumps and his allies claims invited and deserved skepticism.'

Huffington Post

As concern was mounting about the virus in the spring of 2020, The Huffington Post was rapidly ridiculing all question of its origins.

'A Toxic 'Infodemic': The Viral Spread Of COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories,' they headlined a story on April 7, 2020.

Yet a little over a year later, on May 24 of this year, the site followed up on the Wall Street Journal's report into the hospitalization of the Wuhan lab workers in 2019, and the issues that this raised.

'Wuhan Researchers Were Hospitalized With COVID-19 Symptoms Pre-Pandemic: Reports,' they wrote.

APRIL 2020: The Huffington Post was initially skeptical (left) about alternative ideas surrounding COVID and called it an 'infodemic'

MAY 2021: Now, like every other outlet, Huff Po is broadening its reporting on the theory

NPR

On April 23, 2020, NPR stated: 'Virus researchers say there is virtually no chance that the new coronavirus was released as result of a laboratory accident in China or anywhere else.'

The radio news network was determined to prove that there was no credibility to the Wuhan lab leak theory, and produced a series of 'explainers' insisting that COVID-19 was transmitted from animals to humans.

'Where Did This Coronavirus Originate? Virus Hunters Find Genetic Clues In Bats,' they reported on April 15, 2020.

APRIL 2020: NPR was initially dismissive of suggestions that the virus leaked from a lab (left), but by May 2021 was covering the increasing speculation

MARCH 2021: After a WHO report said the theory was gathering more steam, the headlines became more open minded

Yet a little over a year later, NPR was following the WHO's report - and its worrying conclusions - with interest.

'Theory That COVID Came From A Chinese Lab Takes On New Life In Wake Of WHO Report,' they concluded.

On March 31, they reported: Calls For An Open Investigation Into The Possibility COVID-19 Leaked From A Lab.

Among those watching the evolving news lines was Mike Pompeo, Trump's secretary of state.

'Over a year ago, I told @MarthaRaddatz that the Wuhan Virus most likely came from a lab leak,' he tweeted on May 20.

'She stopped just short of offering me a tin hat. The CCP said I was an enemy of mankind,' he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

'And now? Well, now, the Left wing media is scrambling to get on the side of the truth.'

White House spokesman Jen Psaki snaps at reporter for asking about COVID-19 origins White House press secretary Jen Psaki lost her patience with Fox News' Peter Doocy at Monday's press briefing as he pressed her on whether the Biden administration was doing enough to expose the origins of COVID-19, after Dr. Fauci questioned where the virus originated. 'With 589,920 dead Americans at what point does President Biden say we don't want to wait for the WHO effort, we don't know what they're doing, this needs to be an American-led effort to get to the bottom of what happened?' Doocy asked. 'I think you're misunderstanding how this process actually works,' she told the him, and said the Biden administration was relying on the World Health Organization to conduct an independent investigation - even though their report already dismissed the lab leak claims. Doocy was asking about a Wall Street Journal story citing a U.S. intelligence report that said three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology had sought hospital care in November 2019, a month before China reported its first COVID-19 case. His question also followed Dr. Fauci saying over the weekend that he 'wasn't convinced' the virus had spread naturally outside a lab and called for an investigation. Psaki responded by saying they are pushing the World Health Organization to complete a probe 'free from politicization', despite accusations the Biden administration hasn't done enough to hold China to account. Advertisement

Retired NYT science editor slams the mainstream media for ignoring evidence that COVID leaked from a Wuhan lab and falling for 'sustained Chinese propaganda' instead of doing their own research

Nicholas Wade, a former New York Times science editor, slammed mainstream media in an interview with Mark Levin on Sunday for not investigating the origins of COVID-19

A retired New York Times science editor has slammed the mainstream media for ignoring the possibility that coronavirus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan and accused journalists of falling for 'Chinese propaganda' instead of doing their own research.

Nicholas Wade, who penned a 1,100-word article examining the link entitled 'The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandoras box at Wuhan?' earlier this month, took aim at top news outlets in a Fox News interview on Sunday night.

He claimed the media mainstream media failed to 'take off its political glasses' to investigate the virus' origins, the facts of which, he said, are being obscured by the Chinese Communist Party.

Wade's remarks come as more scientists and political officials are coming forward to support the theory that the virus may have been developed in a Chinese laboratory and was covered up - after scoffing at the idea for much of the past year in part because it was pushed by then-President Donald Trump.

Among the top officials now speculating that possibility is Dr Anthony Fauci, who recently said he's 'not convinced' the virus formed naturally after repeated statements to the contrary.

The case for a lab leak was strengthened on Sunday when a previously-undisclosed US intelligence report revealed three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care in November 2019 - months before China disclosed the COVID-19 outbreak.

'I think we see a sustained Chinese propaganda effort at work,' Wade, who served as the staff writer for the Science Times section of the New York Times from 1982 to 2012, told Mark Levin on Life, Liberty & Levin.

'But, you know, more than that, it was just the blindness, if I could put it that way, of our media  we're too polarized to see scientific issues for their own sake without putting a political gloss on them,' he continued.

'We don't know for sure: The origin of the virus is just we've got these two possible scenarios. But if you look at all the evidence and ask yourself, well, which scenario explains all these facts better on present evidence, it seems, to me at least, that the lab-escape hypothesis explains it a lot better.

'But it's a sort of complicated conclusion to arrive at, and I can only assume that the media was blindsided, they didn't do the work that was necessary.'

Large outlets, including the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post, pushed back against the idea that the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan in the early days of the pandemic.

Facebook labeled a New York Post opinion column saying the virus 'might have jumped to the human population thanks to errors at a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan' as 'false information'.

Former President Trump repeatedly said he suspected the virus may have escaped from a Chinese lab, which Beijing denies, and for which he was ridiculed.

Even former CDC director Robert Redfield was admonished for the suggestion despite no strong evidence to the contrary at the time.

A State Department fact sheet released near the end of the Trump administration had said 'the U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.' It did not say how many researchers.

COVID-19 spread quickly throughout the world, and now officials in the United States, Norway, Canada and Great Britain are calling for further investigation into its origins

It is only 20 miles form the Huanan Seafood market, where the first cluster of infection s began

But now, more and more scientists and political officials are coming forward questioning the origins of the virus and how it mutated to infect humans.

The Huanan wet market, where the first cluster of infections began, is just a few hundred yards from the Wuhan Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and only a few miles from the the Wuhan Institute of Virology Lab, where scientists were reportedly conducting experiments on bats before the pandemic began.

The lab is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens  dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission.

Three researchers from the institute sought medical care in November 2019, before the virus began to spread, according to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said the report - which provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits - may add weight to calls for a broader probe of whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory.

Security guards patrol outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on January 24, 2020

Did coronavirus originate in Chinese government laboratory? The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been collecting numerous coronaviruses from bats ever since the SARS outbreak in 2002. They have also published papers describing how these bat viruses have interacted with human cells. US Embassy staff visited the lab in 2018 and 'had grave safety concerns' over the protocols which were being observed at the facility. The lab is just a few miles from the Huanan wet market which is where the first cluster of infections erupted in Wuhan. The market is just a few hundred yards from another lab called the Wuhan Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (WHCDC). The WHCDC kept disease-ridden animals in its labs, including some 605 bats. Those who support the theory argue that Covid-19 could have leaked from either or both of these facilities and spread to the wet market. Most argue that this would have been a virus they were studying rather than one which was engineered. Last year a bombshell paper from the Beijing-sponsored South China University of Technology recounted how bats once attacked a researcher at the WHCDC and 'blood of bat was on his skin.' The report says: 'Genome sequences from patients were 96% or 89% identical to the Bat CoV ZC45 coronavirus originally found in Rhinolophus affinis (intermediate horseshoe bat).' It describes how the only native bats are found around 600 miles away from the Wuhan seafood market and that the probability of bats flying from Yunnan and Zhejiang provinces was minimal. In addition there is little to suggest the local populace eat the bats as evidenced by testimonies of 31 residents and 28 visitors. Instead the authors point to research being carried out within 300 yards at the WHCDC. One of the researchers at the WHCDC described quarantining himself for two weeks after a bat's blood got on his skin, according to the report. That same man also quarantined himself after a bat urinated on him. And he also mentions discovering a live tick from a bat - parasites known for their ability to pass infections through a host animal's blood. 'The WHCDC was also adjacent to the Union Hospital where the first group of doctors were infected during this epidemic,' the report says. 'It is plausible that the virus leaked around and some of them contaminated the initial patients in this epidemic, though solid proofs are needed in future study.' Advertisement

It reported that current and former officials familiar with the intelligence about the lab researchers expressed a range of views about the strength of the report's supporting evidence, with one unnamed person saying it needed 'further investigation and additional corroboration.'

A World Health Organization team previously deemed the idea that the virus escaped from one of these labs 'extremely unlikely' in the early days of the pandemic, but the report, written in part by Chinese scientists, was repeatedly delayed, as China refused to give the WHO team raw data on the outbreak.

It wrote in its final report, which was co-authored by Chinese scientists, that the virus could have been imported on frozen meat.

Dr Fauci and other scientists, as well as some political officials, are now coming forward and expressing their doubts about those findings.

Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said over the weekend he was 'not convinced' that COVID-19 developed naturally and called for an open investigation.

'I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened,' he said at a PolitiFact event on May 11 entitled: United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking.

'Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals,' he said, 'but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.'

A National Security Council spokeswoman also told the Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration has 'serious' questions about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins in the People's Republic of China.

Last Thursday, White House Press Secretary called for exploring the 'root causes' of the pandemic after Republicans issued an interim report saying there was 'significant circumstantial evidence' that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

'I would caution you against disproving a negative there which is never the responsible approach in our view when it comes to getting to the bottom of the root causes of a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people in the United States,' she said in response to a question about the report.

'Our view continues to be that there needs to be an independent, transparent investigation,' she said.

She said the investigation required the 'cooperation and data provided from the Chinese government'  which has denied administration requests to fully share it.

'We don't have enough info at this point to make an assessment,' she continued.

Asked when Biden would call Chinese President Xi Jinping, Psaki responded that 'We have made that call publicly many times' and 'conveyed that privately.

And we have certainly communicated that they were not transparent from the beginning.'

The U.S. joined Norway, Canada, Great Britain and other countries in March in expressing concerns about the WHO-led COVID-19 origins study, and called for further investigation, and full access to all pertinent human, animal and other data about the early stages of the outbreak.
The BBC has refused Prince William's heartfelt appeal for Martin Bashir's Princess Diana interview to never be shown again - as the broadcaster said it could still use clips in the future.

Director-General Tim Davie said he would never air the full chat - now known to have been secured after fake bank documents were created - but signalled segments could still be considered.

It appeared to be in opposition to the extraordinary request from the Duke of Cambridge on Thursday night that the Panorama programme never be shown again.

The BBC's views were made plain this morning in the DG's interview, which also disclosed Bashir would still be paid his estimated 100,000 salary until next month.

While Mr Davie said the full programme will never be shown again, he said clips of it were still on the table.

He added: 'I have no intention of ever airing the interview again. I think we need to discuss clips and reflect on that.

'If you take our Panorama programme, where I note that no other organisation in the world would let their journalists investigate ourselves.

'I think there is a legitimate case about whether you need clips to show the context of that interview.

'My view is that you cannot now look at this interview free from the context in it which is was secured. So any use of clips have to be considered in that context.'

William had said Martin Bashir's 'lurid and false claims' to secure it fuelled the 'paranoia and isolation' of their mother's final years.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie said that Martin Bashir was still being paid by the BBC

Richard Ayre, then BBC controller of editorial policy, believed Bashir may have committed a crime when he used fake bank slips to secure his 1995 interview with Princess Diana (above)

BBC Director-General Tim Davie was grilled on the BBC scandal on BBC Radio 4's Today show

The Duke of Cambridge said Bashir's deceit in obtaining his 1995 interview hastened his parents' divorce and 'hurt countless others'.

His brother Prince Harry - who is based in California - also responded to Lord Dyson's damning report into how the interview was obtained, saying his mother 'lost her life because of this'.

The Duke of Sussex thanked those who took 'some form of accountability' for 'owning it', but said 'the ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took [Diana's] life'.

In a statement, Prince William laid bare his 'indescribable sadness' that his precious final years with his mother had been marred by the isolation the historic Panorama interview caused.

What 'saddens' him the most was that should a 1996 investigation into claims Diana was hoodwinked by Bashir have been conducted 'properly', the princess would have known she was 'deceived' prior to her death in 1997, he claimed.

He said the interview now held 'no legitimacy', had established a 'false narrative' for 25 years, and the BBCs failings had let his mother, his family and the public down.

The Duke of Cambridge read his bombshell statement to camera in a courtyard at Kensington Palace  his London residence and the home of his late mother.

Appearing on a Panorama special about the scandal, the princess's brother Earl Spencer linked his sister's death to the BBC and the crisis of trust he claimed that engulfed her after she was deceived by Bashir.

Ex-chief superintendent Dai Davies said: 'It seems to me that there is clear and unequivocal evidence that the Met Police should be at the very least investigating these allegations'

Richard Ayre, then BBC controller of editorial policy, believed Bashir may have committed a crime when he used fake bank slips to secure his 1995 interview with Princess Diana

His devastating verdict came as a judge ruled the shamed journalist hoodwinked the princess with an elaborate fiction that painted some of those closest to her as traitors.

The 'rogue reporter' commissioned fake bank statements to secure his interview with Princess Diana - but covered up his 'deceitful behaviour' in a 'shocking blot' on the BBC's near 100-year history.

Bashir is still being paid his estimated 100,000 a year salary by the BBC, its Director-General admitted this morning, as he promised to publish a report next week into how he was hired again.

Key conclusions of yesterday's bombshell report that brought shame on the BBC

The journalist, 58, slated for how he hoodwinked Princess Diana into giving her Panorama interview 25 years ago, was not sacked despite details of his wrongdoing being widely-reported.

Instead DG Tim Davie told Radio 4's Today programme he had been allowed to work a three-month notice period, due to health reasons and consideration of any further legal problems.

It means Bashir is still being paid by the BBC and technically still working for the broadcaster after he resigned in April.

The surprising situation was revealed in a wide-ranging interview where he apologised again to whistleblower Matt Wiessler, the artist commisioned to make the fake bank documents at the centre of the scandal.

Mr Davie said they were looking into why Bashir was rehired by the BBC despite issues raised about him.

He said: 'We will have all the information out in the public domain next week, we will be completely transparent about that.

'He is working out a short notice period because he resigned and thats where we are now.

'I made that decision I think for three reasons: Martin Bashir offered his resignation prior to us seeing the Dyson report.

'I think there were three reasons why I accepted the resignation: the first were that there were very significant medical care issues, which in terms of Martin Bashir as a staff member regardless of all the situation around it, is a factor.

In a statement, Prince William told of his 'indescribable sadness' that the controversial Panorama interview increased his mother's 'fear, paranoia and isolation' in her final years.

Timeline of the Diana-Panorama scandal 1986: Martin Bashir joins BBC as news correspondent and works on programmes including Songs of Praise, Public Eye and Panorama. November 1995: The famous interview with Princess Diana turns Mr Bashir into TV's hottest property. 1996: The Mail on Sunday reveals claims that Mr Bashir used faked bank documents to persuade Diana to talk. The BBC holds internal inquiry dismissed as a 'whitewash'. 1999: Moves to ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald. His scoops include interview with Stephen Lawrence suspects and documentary on Michael Jackson. May 2004: Quits to host ABC's Nightline in US. Suspended in 2008 after making 'Asian babes' remark at Asian American Journalists convention. 2010: Joins NBC News as an MSNBC anchor. He resigns in 2013 after controversial remarks about vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. 2016: BBC re-hires Mr Bashir as religious affairs correspondent. He is later promoted to religion editor. October 2020: Channel 4 documentary alleges there was 'elaborate plot' by Mr Bashir to trick Diana into talking. November 7: The Daily Mail reveals a shocking dossier held by Diana's brother Earl Spencer revealing alleged royal smears, lies and tricks that Mr Bashir used to land his interview. November 18: BBC orders six-month inquiry by former judge Lord Dyson. May 14, 2021: The BBC announces Mr Bashir has handed in his notice on health grounds. Advertisement

'The second is that it allowed a clean break with no pay-off, which I thought was in the licence fee payers interest to make sure there was a clean process.

'The third is that there is no restraint in us getting to the truth, this was not an honourable discharge, we were able to go after that report and fully expose.

'Hes got a three month notice period, three months from the moment he resigned so we are nearly out.

The broadcasting chief told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he would meet with Mr Wiessler to say sorry.

He added: 'I will again reiterate full and unconditional apology to him.

'And I would like to meet him. I think we need to engage with people to talk to him and the apology is fulsome  I feel shocked.

'This does need to go through a legal discussion, we will engage in that discussion because clearly we were at fault.

'I commissioned Lord Dyson it was 25 years, we had to get to the truth.'

The Dyson report is currently being assessed by detectives from the Metropolitan Police to see if there is any new evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.

Scotland Yard said in a statement that they had determined in March that 'it was not appropriate to begin a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful activity in connection with a documentary broadcast in 1995, but should any significant new evidence emerge it would be assessed'.

But they added: 'Following the publication of Lord Dyson's report we will assess its contents to ensure there is no significant new evidence.'

Critics say the report had provided 'clear and unequivocal evidence' that must be pursued.

Last week it emerged that Richard Ayre, the BBC's controller of editorial policy in 1995, believed Bashir, the BBC's former religion editor, may have committed a crime when he used fake bank statements to secure his interview with Diana.

In evidence to Lord Dyson, Mr Ayre said: 'I have no doubt that if he did what is, as I understand it, alleged, that of course would have been unacceptable.'

Matt Wiessler, who was sacked from the BBC after details of his role in making the bank statements emerged, spoke to the BBC's Today Programme on Tuesday

'I was the fall guy', says designer asked by Bashir to draw up the fake bank statements Graphic designer Matt Wiessler, who was commissioned by Martin Bashir to create mocked-up documents, said Lord Dyson's report showed he had been made 'the fall guy'. He said in a statement: 'After a quarter of a century of cover-ups and smears, it's good to know the truth is finally out that I acted with integrity and responsibly from day one. By blowing the whistle on the deception, I suffered the fate of the fall guy. 'Lord Dyson correctly found the BBC investigation carried out after I raised the alarm was seriously flawed and a smokescreen to protect Bashir. The order from BBC management to make sure I never got any more work from the BBC was despicable. It had a devastating effect on my career and professional reputation. 'I hope those responsible for the cover-up will now do the right thing and apologise to me. Tim Davie's attempted apology today is so bland as to be meaningless. So much damage has been done, not only to me but also to Princess Diana and her family.' Advertisement

He suggested it would be a criminal offence to approach anyone with a forged document that defamed people. 'Of course it would have been indefensible,' he added.

A lawyer for Earl Spencer's former head of security, Alan Waller, made an official complaint to Scotland Yard Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick in January alleging potential fraud.

He accused Bashir of 'dishonest conduct' and said the BBC had 'benefited' while being aware that his actions were 'unlawful'.

But after spending three months assessing the claims, police announced they would be taking no further action.

That decision was described as a 'farce' yesterday by a former head of royal protection, who said many questions had been left unanswered.

Ex-chief superintendent Dai Davies, who once led the Metropolitan Police royal protection unit, said: 'It seems to me there is clear and unequivocal evidence that the Met Police should be at the very least investigating these allegations.

'I simply cannot understand why they won't investigate given what I understand from the testimony may be a crime.

'It seems there's one rule for the BBC and one rule for the rest of us. Normally there would be a criminal inquiry before a civil inquiry.

'I'm absolutely flabbergasted that there was not enough basic evidence of forgery and fraud here. It beggars belief.'

Mr Davies added: 'What is it the Met don't understand about the word dishonest?

'My concern is that others may have covered this up and if it was a crime, they may have conspired to conceal forged documents and that concealment could amount to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.'

Metropolitan Police Commander Alex Murray, who leads the force on specialist crime, announced in March that legal advice had been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and independent lawyers before it was decided not to launch a probe.

Lord Hall, the BBC's former director general, was accused of helping covering up the scandal, with his 1996 internal inquiry concluding his star reporter Martin Bashir was an 'honest man'. MPs want him to explain himself

What did Martin Bashir say in response to damning BBC report into Diana interview? On Princess Diana: 'I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I don't believe we did. 'Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents ... My family and I loved her.' 'I dont feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and complex issues surrounding those decisions. 'I can understand the motivation but to channel the tragedy, the difficult relationship between the Royal Family and the media, purely on to my shoulders feels a little unreasonable. 'The suggestion I am singularly responsible I think is unreasonable and unfair.' 'She was a pioneering princess. When you think about her expressions of grief in her marriage, when you think about the admission of psychiatric illness - just extraordinary! And her sons have gone on to champion mental health. On Lord Dyson's report: 'I don't understand what the purpose of this is ultimately? OK, maybe you want to destroy me, but outside of this, what's the point? 'I did something wrong... but for pity's sake, acknowledge something of the relationship we had and something of what she contributed through that interview. 'One of the saddest things about all of this has been the way the content of what she said has almost been ignored.' On William and Harry: He said he is 'deeply sorry'. 'I can't imagine what their family must feel each day, although I know a little of that myself having lost a brother and father prematurely.' On Diana visiting his wife in hospital after she gave birth to their third child: 'We were friends. She was spectacular. 'She said to me: "You must let me know the moment the baby arrives," and an hour later, there was a knock on the delivery room and in she walked.' On showing Earl Spencer the forged bank statements: 'Obviously I regret it, it was wrong. But it had no bearing on anything. It had no bearing on [Diana], it had no bearing on the interview.' On failing to approach graphic designer Matt Wiessler who made the forgeries: 'I don't think I did, no. I am sorry about that.' Advertisement

The commander has previously come under fire for not pursuing another alleged scandal in 2019, after Virginia Roberts alleged she was trafficked to Britain by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew, who denies the claim.

A Met spokesman said: 'In March 2021, the [force] determined it was not appropriate to begin a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful activity in connection with a documentary broadcast in 1995 but should any significant new evidence emerge it would be assessed.

'Following the publication of Lord Dyson's report, we will assess its contents to ensure there is no significant new evidence.'

The BBC is also returning all awards the explosive interview accrued, including a Bafta TV gong won in 1996.

Bashir announced he was stepping down from his role as the BBC News religion editor last week on health grounds, but actually resigned in April.

Patrick Jephson, the Princess of Wales' private secretary at the time, also appeared in last night's documentary.

He told Panorama that Diana was 'cast adrift' from her 'royal support structure that had guided and safeguarded her for so many years' because of Bashir's claims and the fallout from the interview.

Mr Jephson added: 'Inevitably it made her vulnerable to people who were unable properly to look after her.'

The documentary also shows a note written from Diana to her brother Earl Spencer after he informed her of Bashir's elaborate allegations that she was being spied on.

The note - addressed to the earl with Diana's pet name for her brother 'Carlos' - reads: 'Darling Carlos, I so appreciated the contents of our telephone call this morning, it all makes complete sense to what is going on around me at this present time.

'"They" underestimate the Spencer strength! Lots of love from Duch x'.

The programme also revealed a confidential internal BBC management document written by the outgoing head of TV Current Affairs, Tim Gardam.

It states that Bashir had misled his bosses by denying he had shown the fake bank statements to anyone.

The journalist later admitted that he had, in fact, shown them to Earl Spencer in order to 'foster' their relationship.

A statement drawn up by former BBC director-general Tony Hall for the corporation's governors in April 1996 described the fakes as just 'graphics' and said Martin Bashir had no explanation for why he'd created them.

He went on: 'I believe he is, even with his lapse, honest and an honourable man'.

In the same statement to the BBC's governors, Mr Hall also acknowledged that Bashir regarded Spencer as 'the best route' to 'get to the Princess of Wales.'

Film and theatre director and former BBC governor Sir Richard Eyre - who attended the April 1996 meeting - told Panorama that had Tony Hall disclosed to the governors that Bashir had lied, they would have insisted on a full inquiry.

He said: 'The fact that Bashir lied should have been made clear to us, but in my memory, it never was.

'Constitutionally we, the governors, deserved at the very least to be given an honest report of what was going on.

'We can see now that the false bank statements were the lever that opened the doors to the access to Diana.

'If we had known at the time, there's no question that this would have been ruthlessly investigated, because [the governors] were very, very, very hot on a sense of propriety of the organisation.'
A family of three who got stuck abroad for three months after taking a 10-day holiday in February to Dubai have complained of the 'inhuman' conditions of a 3,000 quarantine hotel.

Shabana Shah and her children Rida, 15, and Raiyman, 20, left Britain on February 14 for the getaway but after a series of flight cancellations and a 10,000-mile voyage, only arrived back home today.

Ms Shah, 48, claims just four days into her stay, Etihad Airlines cancelled her flight to Manchester Airport, leaving them stranded.

She then booked flights home via Turkey on March 15, but her daughter became ill and was too sick to fly.

Pictures show two double beds have been squeezed into a single room to accommodate the three of them

She said the worst aspect was her stay in the Holiday Inn Express at Luton Airport. Ms Shah said: 'That was just awful. We were all in one tiny room and the food was awful.' Pictured: Food at the hotel

Ms Shah then arranged new flights for April 15, but tested positive for Covid and had to isolate.

She managed to secure three seats on a plane flying to Heathrow on May 4, but had to scrap her plans because all the quarantine hotels were full.

So she decided to divert to Instanbul, in Turkey, where she had to stay in the country - then on the UK's travel green list - for 10 days before being allowed to fly back to the UK.

The government then added Turkey to the red list on May 7, forcing the trio into a quarantine hotel in Luton when they finally touched down on May 15.

Ms Shah, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, said: 'It has been a terrible ordeal. I have been away for over three months. I never thought this would happen.

Shabana Shah (pictured) and her children Rida, 15, and Raiyman, 20, left Britain on February 14 for the getaway but after a series of flight cancellations and a 10,000-mile voyage, only arrived back home today

'With covid and being in lockdown, it had been a terrible year. My children and I were all really depressed and I thought getting away would be a great lift for everyone.

'That's why we decided to get away. We'd only been in Dubai a few days when I received an email from the airline saying the flight had been cancelled.

'I kept calling and calling to see when flights would be running again and was told ring back.

'This went on for weeks so I decided to look for alternative flights.

'We found some going to via Turkey but my daughter became ill and it would have been too much for her.

'Then I tested positive for covid while still in Dubai, which delayed us again.'

Ms Shah said being stranded in Dubai and her stay in Turkey cost her around 7,000.

She added: 'It has cost me a lot of money. I was only supposed to be away for 10 days and I've been away for months. It has been very traumatic.'

She said the worst aspect was her stay in the Holiday Inn Express at Luton Airport.

Ms Shah said: 'That was just awful. We were all in one tiny room and the food was awful.'

When Sabana complained to hotel staff about the conditions, she was told to contact Australian firm Corporate Travel Management (CTM) Ltd, which has the contract with the government.

She said: 'They were just blaming each other and were just playing games.

'We were in there for 10 days and nothing was done.

'We were treated really badly.'

Shabana took a taxi from the hotel - costing 180 - arriving home at 5am today.

She added: 'We left as soon as we were allowed. I wasn't spending another minute in that place.'

The Shah family were put in a 'family room' at the Holiday Inn at a total fixed cost of 3,050.

Australian firm Corporate Travel Management (CTM) Ltd was awarded a contract by the Government to manage quarantine hotel stays for Brits returning from countries on its 'red list'.

The rate for one person for 10 nights is 1,750 and then each person aged over 11 costs 650.

Pictures show two double beds have been squeezed into a single room to accommodate the three of them.

With luggage taking up what little floor space that is left, the trio have been forced to climb across a bed to get to the bathroom.

It is understood they could get an additional room at a further cost of 650 but have declined.

They family said they were permitted to leave for fresh air for only 15 minutes at a time.

The hotel brought them breakfast, lunch and dinner which was to be eaten in their room each day - but the Shahs complain it was poor in quantity and quality and they've been forced to spend more money on takeaways.

Ms Shah said: 'If we want to go out we have to ask permission. They take us out for 15 or 20 minutes.

'It gets very claustrophobic in the room. The room is so tiny we have to climb over the bed.

'They bring us breakfast, lunch and dinner but it is not enough food for an adult.

'It's like a bit of bread with tomatoes, couscous which was cold. It is horrible.

'My daughter has not left the room at all, she is 15 and I'm really worried about her.

'I'm really upset with how they have treated us.'

In an email she sent on 17 May, Shabana wrote: 'Why do me and my kids have to suffer? Saying sorry is not going to make it easy to stay here.

'I request you all come and live here and see how horrible the state of it is, I cannot believe of you all being so inhuman.'

A spokesperson for IHG Hotels and Resorts, which owns the Holiday Inn Express brand, said: 'We are unable to share any comment as the approach to quarantine is a matter for the DHSC (Department for Health and Social Care).

'We would recommend liaising with the relevant Government media team who will be able to guide you on this.'

Pictured: More of the food the family were provided with by the Holiday Inn in Luton

A DHSC spokesperson said: 'Our top priority has always been protecting the public and our robust border regime is helping minimise the risk of new variants coming into the UK.

'The Government continues to ensure every person in quarantine gets the support they need, and all managed quarantine facilities are accommodating the vast majority of people's requirements.

'Hotels do their utmost to take any necessary steps to address concerns raised by guests.'

A spokesperson for CTM said: 'CTM's role in the UK Hotel Quarantine Programme is to facilitate bookings between citizens returning to the UK and participating hotels, within the guidelines provided by the UK DHSC.

'While service standards are the responsibility of each hotel, we take on board all feedback from people entering hotel quarantine and we have a robust complaint management process to share the feedback with hotel teams.

'We escalate concerns raised with us to hotel management and security providers in order to resolve any issues in a timely manner.

'We also provide ongoing feedback to DHSC and the participating hotels to enable continuous improvements to the quarantine programme.'
18 injured in 7.4 magnitude earthquake in China's Qinghai

Xinhua) 10:58, May 25, 2021

Students study at a temporary shelter in Maduo County of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)

XINING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit northwest China's Qinghai Province early Saturday has left 18 injured and disrupted the lives of over 32,000 local residents, authorities said on Monday.

Among the injured, 17 had been treated and discharged from hospital by 8 a.m. Monday, said Li Jun, an official with the provincial department of emergency management, at a press conference.

One victim remains in hospital and is receiving treatment.

The earthquake jolted Maduo County of the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture at 2:04 a.m. Saturday. The county is located over 4,000 meters above sea level.

More than 32,000 people from 26 townships in Golog and the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture were affected.

Tents have been set up as temporary schools in Maduo County, and elementary and high schools resumed classes on Monday. Power and water supplies are available at makeshift shelters.

The central and provincial governments have allocated 69 million yuan (10.7 million U.S. dollars) for earthquake relief, and distributed materials including coal and heating devices.

Traffic on all major roads leading to the affected area has resumed as of Monday morning, according to the provincial department of transport.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Market Growth & Trends

The global mesenchymal stem cells market size is expected to reach USD 6.1 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 12.6% from 2021 to 2028. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are set to gain popularity among healthcare professionals, to develop novel therapeutics, primarily targeted at the treatment of several immune-mediated disorders. MSCs have been acclaimed effective as a regenerative therapy for skeletal tissue repair and have recently gained traction across modulation of immune cells and endogenous tissues.

Expanding clinical applications of mesenchymal stem cells, strengthening the pipeline of these therapies, along with intensifying market competition are some of the key aspects driving the industry expansion of MSCs. The recent pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 is set to propel the clinical applications and investments done in this market space. For instance, in April 2020, Canadas The Stem Cell Network (SCN) provided funding of USD 300,000 to the project targeted towards the evaluation of optimal dosage of MSCs, to design an effective therapeutic approach to reduce the impacts of respiratory disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Additionally, as stated by clinicaltrials.gov, 21 clinical trials reportedly incorporated MSCs in the management of COVID-19. Apart from the applications of MSCs in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, the MSCs serve as a potent therapeutic approach for cancer treatment. As of February 2020, 25 clinical trials have been registered that employ MSCs in the treatment of several cancer indications. This is set to drive the mesenchymal stem cells market (MSCs) market.

Acknowledging the profitable opportunities posed by the market, key industry participants are focused towards initiating technological collaborations to strengthen their market presence. In August 2020, NantKwest Inc. collaborated with Generate Life Sciences Co. to develop a mesenchymal stem cell-based treatment against COVID-19. The latter company is providing with the MSCs derived from donated umbilical cord tissues.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Mesenchymal Stem Cells Market Report

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Market Report Highlights

Widespread use of bone marrow derived MSCs in several therapeutic applications has resulted in the segments dominance in 2020

More than 20.0% of clinical trials incorporate bone marrow MSCs, which is set to maintain the segments largest revenue share up to 2028

The cancer indication segment is expected to witness rapid growth through 2021 to 2028, attributed to the emergence of MSCs as a promising vehicle for anti-cancer drugs

This is attributed to the tumor tropism ability of MSCs and their ability to manage the predestination of tumor cells

Disease modelling application generated the highest revenue in 2020, owing to several advantages associated with MSCs such as the high capacity of expansion and self-renewal and reduced tumorigenic capacity, which makes them suitable across disease modelling applications

The kits, media, and reagents segment held a significant revenue share in 2020 owing to the presence of a substantial number of service providers and increasing demand in the market

The allogeneic segment dominated the market in 2020; Implantation of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells serves as a promising tool for cell-based therapy

As of August 2019, more than 200 clinical trials have been reported for use of allogeneic MSCs, which is expected to propel the segments revenue generation capacity from 2021 to 2028

Apart from the availability of advanced research facilities and skilled professionals, favorable government initiatives and high R&D expenditure, active policies pertaining to cell therapies have contributed to the dominance of North America MSCs market in 2020

For instance, in August 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed new policies that include cellular therapies, wherein, commercial insurance companies support private health plans associated with MSCs

The key players are engaged in exploring MSC therapy to its highest potential across different emerging applications, contributing to market growth

For instance, in July 2020, Promedica presented positive results from its study that evaluated the use of allogeneic MSCs in COVID-19 patients. The study was conducted under the U.S. FDAs Emergency Investigational New Drug (IND) approval

Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-mesenchymal-stem-cells-market

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global mesenchymal stem cells market on the basis of products and services, type, source of isolation, indication, application, and region:

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Products & Services Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Products Workflow Type Cell Sourcing & Isolation Culture & Cryopreservation Differentiation Characterization Product Type Cells & Cell Lines Kits, Media, & Reagents Others Services



Mesenchymal Stem Cells Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Autologous

Allogeneic

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Source of Isolation Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Bone Marrow

Cord Blood

Peripheral Blood

Fallopian Tube

Fetal Liver

Lung

Adipose Tissues

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Indication Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Bone And Cartilage Repair

Cardiovascular Disease

Inflammatory And Immunological Diseases

Liver Diseases

Cancer

GvHD

Others

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Disease Modelling

Drug Development & Discovery

Stem Cell Banking

Tissue Engineering

Toxicology Studies

Others

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America US. Canada

Europe Germany UK. France Italy

Asia Pacific Japan China India South Korea

Latin America Brazil Mexico

Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia



List of Key Players of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Market

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Cell Applications, Inc.

Cyagen Biosciences Inc.

Axol Biosciences Ltd.

Cytori Therapeutics Inc

STEMCELL Technologies Inc

Celprogen Inc

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc

Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma)

Smith+Nephew

Lonza AG

PromoCell GmbH

ScienCell Research Laboratories

American Type Culture Collection

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
Advertisement

Ireland is set to become the 20th European destination to scrap quarantine rules for British holidaymakers.

Britons arriving in Ireland are currently required to self-isolate for 14 days despite it being part of the 'Common Travel Area' - which also includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

However, amid a multi-million pound campaign to kick-start tourism in Ireland, the Irish Government is expected to remove quarantine and testing for eager British holidaymakers before July, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Restriction-free travel between the UK and Ireland will therefore resume following months of curbs, while those returning home will also not need to take a Covid test or quarantine under the Common Travel agreement.

The latest update means British holidaymakers will soon be able to visit 20 European countries without having to quarantine upon arrival - despite 18 of those welcoming sun-seekers from the UK still being on the 'amber list.'

The latest update means British holidaymakers will soon be able to visit 20 European countries without having to quarantine upon arrival - despite 18 of those welcoming sun-seekers from the UK still being on the 'amber list'

Shoppers walk along the boardwalk on the River Liffey in Dublin last week after an extensive lockdown period in Ireland

A crowded street in Dublin after retail reopened fully in the city last week following the coronavirus lockdown in Ireland

Portugal is the only major tourist destination on Britain's 'green list', meaning people can go without the need to quarantine

Spain has lifted its restrictions on travellers from the UK, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying: 'Spain will be delighted, very delighted to welcome all British tourists'.

The popular holiday hotspot joins Italy, Greece and Cyprus in permitting Britons to arrive without quarantine.

Which 'amber list' European countries can Britons visit without having to quarantine? All these European countries are on the UK's amber list, meaning passengers returning to Britain must stay at home for ten days and take a PCR test on days two and eight - as well as a lateral flow test before the return flight. They can also pay for 'Test to Release' on day five to end self-isolation early. But that is proving no deterrent to people flying to Spain today - with all the amber list countries below allowing entry to UK citizens with no quarantine requirement: Albania Armenia Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Estonia Greece Italy Kosovo Malta Moldova Montenegro North Macedonia San Marino Serbia Slovenia Spain Ukraine Advertisement

However, if tourists do decide to travel to these 'amber list' destinations, they will need to self-isolate for 10 days and get tested twice upon their return to the UK.

Those travelling to Ireland are expected to avoid long queues at busy airports as they will not be required to fill out Passenger Locator Forms or produce a swathe of documentation upon their return to the UK.

It is unclear when the travel restrictions will be lifted, but more details will reportedly be confirmed this week.

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: 'We know there is significant demand from British and other overseas visitors to return to Ireland as soon as possible.

'We are excited about the news that the [Irish] Government will make an announcement this week regarding summer travel, a move which would not only rekindle the close relations between our countries but also protect thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the travel sector.'

Ireland is the fifth most-visited nation behind Spain, France, Italy and the US for British holidaymakers.

The nation currently has a seven-day average of 58 Covid cases per 100,000 people, with the latest data suggesting around 36 per cent of the population have had at least one vaccination dose.

It comes as Ministers yesterday urged British holidaymakers not to head to Spain for early summer breaks - even though it is now legal to do so.

But as the Mediterranean country moved to welcome Britons back to its beaches, France instead suggested it will impose tighter controls on visitors from the UK due to fears over the Indian variant.

Foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian swiped at Britain's past 'failures' to control the virus in the latest barb as EU leaders faced criticism over their lockdowns and vaccine rollout.

The confusing picture will leave would-be travellers scratching their heads over whether and where to go on foreign holidays this summer.

Portugal is currently the only major European tourist destination on England's 'green list', meaning people can go without the need to quarantine upon their return.

Covid-19 cases in a selection of the 'amber list' European countries where Britons don't have to quarantine upon arrival

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has hinted the roster could be expanded imminently amid pressure for holiday hotspots France, Spain, Italy and Greece to be added.

Austria bans UK tourist visits over India variant Austria is banning direct flights and tourist visits from Britain because of the prevalence there of a highly infections coronavirus variant first found in India, the health ministry said today. Britain was added overnight to Austria's list of 'virus variant states', joining Brazil, India and South Africa, from which arrivals are only allowed in a limited number of cases, the ministry said in a statement. 'Essentially, only Austrian citizens and people who are resident or habitually stay in Austria may enter the country,' it said, adding that entry would also be allowed on humanitarian grounds or for visits in the national interest. While the immigration rules take effect today, the ban on direct flights will go into force on June 1, it added. The statement referred to the World Health Organization and Public Health England having classified the B.1.617.2 variant first found in India as a 'variant of concern'. Coronavirus infections in Britain have been rising but the overall incidence is still low, and the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 fell last week to its lowest since September - but clusters of the variant are growing. Austria's move follows a similar step by Germany, which said on Friday it was declaring Britain a virus variant region. Austria has had a small number of cases of the Indian variant and overall infections have been falling. Advertisement

And after fines for non-essential travel were scrapped, thousands of people have been defying the UK's advice and heading for 'amber list' countries anyway.

Yesterday, the first British holidaymakers to jet to the Costa del Sol spoke of their joy at Spain's long-awaited decision to lift its UK tourist ban.

Families and couples who had gone months without a foreign holiday touched down to shorts and T-shirt weather at Malaga Airport with temperatures nearing 75F (24C).

Several passengers on Ryanair flight FR7784 from London Luton, which arrived ten minutes after schedule at just before 11am, had been refused permission to board earlier planes due to reach Malaga before Spain's near five-month-long Covid veto on British tourists was removed on Monday.

But any worries they had about a new setback were eased as they sailed through customs and walked into bright sunshine outside the arrivals terminal.

Vicky Ashton, 52, who had travelled to Malaga from her home in Derby with husband Tony, 61, and her parents, said: 'It feels fantastic to be here.

'I'm staying for 10 days. I'd rather not have to quarantine obviously when I get back home but it's a price I'm willing to pay. We're so happy to be able to be travelling again. I've got a holiday home in Marbella and am looking to buy another with relatives.

'I think Boris Johnson should put Spain on the green list as soon as possible. I wasn't worried about the British government advising against travel to Spain because it's an amber list country at the moment.

'We knew we were going to feel totally safe here because of the outdoor life and the fact the rules during lockdown have been very strict in Spain and people have respected them.

'We were refused permission to board a Ryanair flight on Friday from the East Midlands even though we had a solicitor's letter saying that we had a valid reason to come to Spain because I was looking to buy another property here.

'There were other people on this morning's flight who had been stopped from getting on the same plane.'

The first flights from Britain arrive at Malaga Airport yesterday after Spain lifted the travel restriction from the UK

Fuengirola beach near Malaga is pictured yesterday as UK holidaymakers set their sights on a trip to Spain

Three women talk to each other while sunbathing on the beach at Fuengirola near Malaga in Spain on Monday

Spain's tourism minister Fernando Valdes said on Monday he is expecting the country to be added to the green list at the next review early next month.

What are France's rules for travelling Britons? France currently has some of the toughest Covid restrictions in the world, with leisure travel only set to restart from June 9. But travellers from Britain and all EU countries can enter with a negative PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before departure. Arrivals from the UK do not need to justify an essential reason to enter France, whether they are travelling by air, car, ferry or train. However they do need to complete a 'sworn statement' (declaration sur l'honneur) form saying they are not suffering from Covid-19 symptoms and have not been in contact with confirmed cases in the past fortnight. Once arriving in France, Britons will also then have to self-isolate for seven days on arrival, before taking another PCR test which must be negative for them to end this quarantine period. The French government strongly advises limiting international travel. France is broadly following the EU's template for welcoming tourists, which are in the process of being updated. A 'traffic light system' should be fleshed out soon for what the restrictions for each category will be. A present the EU's 'white list' only includes a small number of countries, including New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand and Israel. The UK had looked likely to be added to the safe group, but decisions have been put off amid concerns over the Indian variant. What about Portugal and Spain? As for Portugal, there are no restrictions on travelling from England, but all arrivals must show a negative PCR Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure. You do not have to quarantine upon arrival or return. When arriving in Spain, you do not need to have proof of a negative test, but you do need to complete a Covid-19 questionnaire form no more than 48 hours prior to travel. You also do not need to quarantine upon arrival - however, given Spain is on the UK's 'amber list', you must quarantine for ten days when returning to Britain. Passengers returning to Britain from amber list countries must stay at home for ten days and take a PCR test on days two and eight - as well as a lateral flow test before the return flight. They can also pay for 'Test to Release' on day five to end self-isolation early. Advertisement

He told Sky News: 'What I can say is that right now Spain is doing a great effort not only in terms of vaccination, we have at least one third of our whole population with at least one dose.

'But also, we do have some holiday destinations which are very loved by British tourists such as the Balearic islands, Costa Blanca or Malaga, with our notification rates which are pretty low and by the same notification range of the UK, so I have to suspect that on the next review that the UK Government can provide.

'Spain is going to change on its notification.'

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez said on Friday that visitors from the UK and other 'safe' countries such as New Zealand, South Korea and China would be exempted from restrictions on travel.

'I can therefore announce that from next Monday the 24th of May we will be delighted to welcome all UK tourists,' he said. They are welcome to enter our country without restrictions and without health requirements.'

However, business minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan stressed that Spain remains on the 'amber list'.

She told Sky News: 'The Prime Minister has been clear that, for now, amber means 'please don't go unless there is an urgent family reason and so on' because we are still trying to slowly move through our road map to being able to open up on June 21 and we want to do that in a steady and careful way.'

She added that 'we hope very much that, obviously, the amber numbers will become more green in due course' but 'at the moment, today, that means amber countries really aren't safe to go to'.

Elsewhere, France's Mr Le Drian raised the possibility of tighter restrictions for British tourists on Sunday.

He suggested the UK could be put in a health category of its own, somewhere in between the strictest measures that France is imposing on visitors from India and 15 other countries, and more relaxed requirements being readied for visitors from the EU and some other countries.

Without giving specifics, Mr Le Drian said there was potential for 'health measures that are a bit stronger' but Paris is watching the progress of the Indian variant before making final decisions.

'We hope that the variant can be controlled in a country which experienced real failures during the pandemic,' he said.

'However, the arrival of the Indian variant and the increase of cases of Indian variant in the United Kingdom pose a problem and so we are vigilant about this (and) in contact with the British authorities,' he added.

'It won't be the red treatment if we have to do it. It will be an intermediate treatment,' the minister said.

'But it is not excluded - this springs to mind because of British tourists - that we have health measures that are a bit stronger.'
A New York City school principal has apologized for sending around an anti-Israel email to staff from her school account but only after it prompted a furious backlash led by the head of the city school system.

Four hours after New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter tweeted Saturday demanding an apology for the 'poor judgment', MS 136 Principal Amanda Bueno said sorry to staff in an email.

She wrote: 'As the Principal of a diverse school community who is committed to social justice causes and human rights concerns, I want to apologize for using school email to strongly communicate my personal views and not being as inclusive and mindful of other perspectives as I could have been.

'It was not my intention to inflame tensions on this sensitive issue. I apologize for any added hurt, anger, or misunderstanding my email may have caused.'

Ms Porter had earlier tweeted: 'The MS 136 principal must apologize for her email,' Porter wrote.

'This was a clear exercise of poor judgment & we will take appropriate follow-up action.'

Porter added: 'We must teach complex current events without bringing our political activities or beliefs into the classroom.'

Amanda Bueno called for staff members to take action in support of Palestinian rights including signing a petition or joining a protest

The letter called for staff members at MS 136 middle school to take action in support of Palestinian rights. The school is pictured above

Smoke billows above buildings during an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, on May 20, 2021. Deadly cross-border violence between Israel and Palestine broke out on May 10 and resulted in an 11-day conflict, killing more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and causeing widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory of Gaza

Bueno's original earlier email called for staff members at MS 136 to take action in support of Palestinian rights including signing a petition or joining a protest.

Titling the email, 'Day of Action in Solidarity with The Palestinian Uprising & General Strike'. It included a series of links that directed those who clicked to a 'Teach Palestine' website and another about US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) who tweeted against the Israeli raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem that kicked off the latest round of Hamas rocket attacks.

The letter read: 'If you have been watching the news in absolute horror, you are not alone.

'You can take action today by protesting, attending a vigil, making a public commitment to Palestinian Liberation, signing a petition, or calling your government officials to place sanctions on Isreal (sic),' she wrote last Wednesday morning.

'The time is now to take a stand for those impacted by state-sanctioned violence and crimes against the humanity of the most vulnerable in our world.'

It was met with backlash from parents who said that Bueno should remain politically neutral, with one saying: 'In New York, you have so many different groups of people.'

'I opened the email and I was in shock. I felt very targeted and very attacked by her words. These resources she provided, it's propaganda,' one teacher told the New York Post.

'There was nothing in the email about Hamas rockets targeting innocent Israeli civilians.'

New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, pictured above, tweeted Saturday demanding an apology for the 'poor judgment'

'You can take action today by protesting, attending a vigil, making a public commitment to Palestinian Liberation, signing a petition, or calling your government officials to place sanctions on Isreal (sic),' she wrote last Wednesday morning

The school is in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which is predominantly white, Hispanic and Asian, according to the NYU Furman Center.

'New York law forbids requesting or encouraging any public servant, city employee, or subordinate public servant/employee to engage in political activities,' wrote lawyer Inna Vernikov, who also sent a letter to the Department of Education asking for Bueno to be sanctioned.

Vernikov said she knew of teachers at MS 136 with 'close family members who live in Israel.'

'The matter is being addressed internally and was referred to the special commissioner of investigation for further investigation.'

'Schools are not public forums for purposes of political expression, and staff may not use DOE resources in the furtherance of personal or political activities,' a spokesman for the Department of Education said.

Bueno, pictured above, titled the email, 'Day of Action in Solidarity with The Palestinian Uprising & General Strike' and included a list of links.

Deadly cross-border violence between Israel and Palestine broke out on May 10 and resulted in an 11-day conflict, killing more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and causeing widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory of Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has today arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire, which came into effect on Friday.

He will face the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites.
Police left social media users puzzled after they posted a question on Facebook quizzing motorists on what to do if their indicator isn't working.

The NSW Police Force asked if your blinker isn't functioning and you need to turn right, should you: A) use your phone's flashlight function to signal where you want to go, B) beep the horn three times or C) extend your arm outside the window to the right?

Motorists were mystified because all of the options appear to be against the law.

Police left social media users puzzled after they posted a question on Facebook quizzing motorists on what to do if their indicator isn't working

Motorists were mystified because all of the options appear to be against the law (stock image)

'It's illegal to extend any body parts from a moving vehicle. It's also illegal to use a phone while driving and it's illegal to use your horn unless it's an emergency,' one commenter wrote.

Many social media users suggested it must be a 'trick question'.

One joked the correct answer is 'get your blinker fixed'.

Another wrote: 'Close your eyes and pray?'

Others made fun of Sydney drivers and luxury car owners.

'How come BMWs are allowed to be sold without indicators?' one person wrote.

Another said: 'In Sydney indicators seem to be an optional extra in most cars!'

But the police declared that the correct answer is actually C.

'If your indicators are not working or not clearly visible or your vehicle is not fitted with them, you must give a hand signal when turning right or stopping,' police said

The obscure road rule not only exists for drivers whose indicators have stopped working, it's also in place for vintage car models

'If your indicators are not working or not clearly visible or your vehicle is not fitted with them, you must give a hand signal when turning right or stopping,' police said.

'Please note that if your vehicle's indicators are not working properly, you should take your vehicle to a licensed repairer as soon as possible.'

When turning left, no hand signal is require.

While hand signalling is accepted in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory, however it's not allowed in Western Australia and Tasmania.

The obscure road rule not only exists for drivers whose indicators have stopped working, it's also in place for vintage car models that weren't build with blinkers.

Electronic turn signals were only invented in the late 1930s and didn't become widespread until the 1950s.
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Smiling broadly as they pose for a group photo, 12 smartly-dressed men look as though they could be work colleagues.

But it is the huts behind them which betray who they really are: 'happy' Italian prisoners, captured in North Africa in the early years of the Second World War.

The men were among more than 500,000 German and Italian troops who were taken prisoner by Britain in World War Two and housed in a network of 1,500 detention centres across the country.

Whilst most former camps now lie hidden beneath shopping centres, car parks and decades of shrubbery, one  Eden in North Yorkshire  has been preserved and is now a museum.

After captured Italian soldiers helped to finish its construction near the town of Malton in 1942, Eden housed around 1,200 inmates.

The camp featured last night in UKTV's latest episode of Buildings That Fought Hitler, which delved into how inmates were put to work on local farms, helping Britain to 'dig for victory' in the war.

Eden's archivist Jonny Pye said there were no recorded escape attempts, because the camp was a 'fairly happy place'.

He said the only occasional 'bit of bother' was with prisoners who had 'popped out' to see girlfriends and had returned late to the camp.

Scroll down for video.

Smiling broadly as they pose for a group photo, 12 smartly-dressed men look as though they could be work colleagues. But it is the huts behind them which betray who they really are: 'happy' Italian prisoners, captured in North Africa in the early years of the Second World War and housed at Eden camp in Malton, North Yorkshire

Whilst most former camps now lie hidden beneath shopping centres, car parks and decades of shrubbery, one  Eden in North Yorkshire  has been preserved and is now a museum. Pictured: The camp during the war (left) and more recently

As part of the Geneva Convention  which governed the treatment of prisoners of war  Britain was able to make inmates work in agriculture and even in mining.

After thousands of Italians were captured in North Africa and elsewhere in 1941, most were sent to Britain to work.

With nearly all young British men forced to enlist in the Army, Navy or Royal Air Force, the war had created a devastating labour shortage on the home front.

Camps which had initially been designed simply as prisons evolved into hubs from which prisoners could be sent to work in the countryside, wherever they were needed.

Historian Professor Juliette Pattinson said: 'There were over 550,000 prisoners of war that were on mainland Britain.

'Over 150,000 of those were based in agriculture. So Germans, Italians and Ukrainians.

'By 1946, they actually comprised a fifth of the agricultural workforce. So they were hugely significant in Britain's attempt to be self-sufficient and to the dig for victory.'

The men were among more than 500,000 German and Italian troops who were taken prisoner by Britain in World War Two and housed in a network of 1,500 detention centres across the country. Pictured: German inmates at the camp

After captured Italian soldiers helped to finish its construction near the town of Malton in 1942, Eden housed around 1,200 inmates. The camp featured last night in UKTV's latest episode of Buildings That Fought Hitler, which delved into how inmates were put to work on local farms, helping Britain to 'dig for victory' in the war

Today, Eden is among only 12 surviving prisoner of war camps in Britain. It was originally made up of 45 huts, 18 of which were for housing

Eden initially solely housed Italian inmates. They then made way for German prisoners in the summer of 1944, after the successful Allied invasion of Normandy. Pictured: German prisoners pose for a group photo

The British soldiers who guarded the camp are seen above posing for a group photograph with their two dogs. As part of the Geneva Convention  which governed the treatment of prisoners of war  Britain was able to make inmates work in agriculture and even in mining

With nearly all young British men forced to enlist in the Army, Navy or Royal Air Force, the war had created a devastating labour shortage on the home front. Pictured: Eden camp store staff

Eden is one of the few World War Two prisoner of war camps which have not been redeveloped or covered over. Pictured: The camp during the war

Today, Eden is among only 12 surviving prisoner of war camps in Britain. It was originally made up of 45 huts, 18 of which were for housing.

The rest served as workshops, kitchens, recreation halls, a hospital and a camp shop.

There would be a roll call each morning, where prisoners were counted. They would then be sent off to farms to work before being re-counted when they returned.

Pye said: 'The prisoners in the camp would have worn yellow diamonds on their backs and on their trousers as well.

'Each prison camp tended to have a different insignia on the back of the prisoners. It could be circles, it could be red circles, tartan squares, whatever.'

He said many of the inmates at Eden had been craftsmen before the war, so would spend their time making things.

'They had lots of talented people here. So a lot of the prisoners would make objects,' he said.

'They would make toys for the children that they had befriended on local farms. And they would make items to trade as well. More useful items like slippers and baskets, things like that.'

Eden's archivist Jonny Pye said there were no recorded escape attempts, because the camp was a 'fairly happy place'. He said the only occasional 'bit of bother' was with prisoners who had 'popped out' to see girlfriends and had returned late to the camp. Pictured: Camp staff

There would be a roll call each morning, where prisoners were counted. They would then be sent off to farms to work before being re-counted when they returned. Pictured: An inmate poses with two pet cats at the camp

Mr Pye said many of the inmates at Eden had been craftsmen before the war, so would spend their time making things. 'They had lots of talented people here. So a lot of the prisoners would make objects,' he said. Pictured: A German inmate on a bicycle

Eden initially solely housed Italian inmates. They then made way for German prisoners in the summer of 1944, after the successful Allied invasion of Normandy.

As for inmates forming relationships with British women, historian Guy Walters said: 'You also had quite a complicated interface between these people.

'Because you've got local women falling in love with attractive young German squaddies working in fields.

'And of course you know, that happened. And it's kind of one of those great unsaids, because it obviously doesn't reflect well on anybody who is having an affair with an enemy troop.'

Walters added that the legacy of the prisoner population in Britain is visible today.

'You've got an enormous amount of Italians near Edinburgh. You've got amazing ice cream in Edinburgh. Why? Because of the prisoners of war,' he said.

Even once war had ended, prisoners continued to be interred in Britain until 1948.

After the last prisoners left in 1948, Eden was first used as a holiday camp for school children. It was later used as a Government agriculture depot before becoming overgrown. When three former Italian inmates visited the site in 1985, the idea to turn it into a museum was born. It opened to the public two years later

Items made by Eden's inmates are now on display at the museum. They include this wooden model of a flatbed truck

This pair of slippers was also made by inmates at Eden, who Mr Pye said enjoyed a fairly 'happy' time at the camp

In ordinary times, Eden museum hosts thousands of visitors every year. Pictured: Guests pose with men in World War Two costume

However, around 25,000 German prisoners opted to stay in Britain even when they were free to leave.

After the last prisoners left in 1948, Eden was first used as a holiday camp for school children.

It was later used as a Government agriculture depot before becoming overgrown.

When three former Italian inmates visited the site in 1985, the idea to turn it into a museum was born.

It opened to the public two years later and was hosting thousands of visitors every year before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

Visitors can enjoy lunch in the former prison canteen, whilst in each hut they can learn about various aspects of the Second World War.

The museum, which re-opened when it was legally able to do so on May 17, also hosts performances and events where visitors are encourages to dress in period costume.
Sebastian Gabriel Podar (pictured), 48, was booked on a ferry to France when he was stopped at the port of Dover in the early hours of Wednesday, 2 December last year

A lorry driver who tried to smuggle a suspected paedophile and others out of the UK has been jailed.

Sebastian Gabriel Podar, 48, was booked on a ferry to France when he was stopped at the port of Dover in the early hours of Wednesday, 2 December last year.

Nine people were discovered hiding in the back of his HGV, including a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man who was under investigation for child sexual offences by police in Nottinghamshire and has since been charged with 20 offences.

The remaining eight stowaways, of Indian, Algerian and Bangladeshi nationality, were handed to the immigration authorities.

Podar had been pulled over once before, on October 16, in the same lorry, by police in the Edmonton area of north London.

At the time, six people were found hiding in the back of the truck and Podar was charged with two counts of attempting to facilitate a breach of immigration law.

Podar, from Tuzrii in Romania initially denied the charges, but changed his plea to guilty halfway through his trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

His truck was being monitored as part of Operation Symbolry - a long running National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into an organised crime group alleged to have smuggled hundreds of asylum seekers in and out of the country.

Podar was sentenced to six years behind bars.

A prosecutor on a similar previous case, Emin Kandola, said that migrants may choose to leave the UK for a number of reasons.

Nine people were discovered hiding in the back of his HGV (pictured), including a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man who was under investigation for child sexual offences by police in Nottinghamshire and has since been charged with 20 offences

Alexandru-Dorinel Fuiorea, 29, was caught last October trying to smuggle 17 migrants out of the UK in the back of a lorry and jailed for three years.

Ms Kandola said: 'One is they have claimed asylum (and failed), are fleeing to visit relatives in another country, or fleeing from the authorities in this country.'

NCA branch operations manager Chris Hill said: 'Criminal gangs involved in people smuggling need complicit lorry drivers like Podar.

The remaining eight stowaways, of Indian, Algerian and Bangladeshi nationality, were handed to the immigration authorities

'Their business model depends on it. For his part Podar saw this as an opportunity to make money, but instead he now faces a long prison sentence far away from home.

'I hope this sends out a message to others who would consider doing the same. It simply isn't worth the risk.

'People smugglers put lives at risk and we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved.'
A new rule could introduce an unexpected pay cut for more than half of Australia's salary-earners in a bid to boost employee's retirement savings.

Australian workers who have superannuation included in their pay package are likely to see a larger chunk of their wages diverted to superannuation as payments rise from 9.5 to 10 per cent of earnings on July 1.

The compulsory superannuation guarantee contributions will have five 0.5 per cent rises each year until 2025, when it'll peak at 12 per cent.

To find out if the move will affect your pay packet, employees need to contact their pay role department to see if superannuation is tied up to their packet.

Australian workers could see higher proportion of their wages diverted into their superannuation accounts (pictured: waitress in Canberra)

The move will start on July 1 as payments rise from 9.5 to 10 per cent of earnings (pictured: stock image of money)

Chartered accountant and Mr Taxman founder Adrian Raftery told the Courier Mail the new rule 'will suck' for some earners as they will 'hassle their HR' about why they are earning less.

'With 0.5 per cent of gross wages diverting to super, the net impact on take-home pay for workers on a 40 per cent tax rate would be about 0.3 per cent after tax', Dr Raftery said.

The new payments would see around $25 a month diverted into superannuation for workers on a $100,000 salary package.

Minnik Chartered Accountants founder and CEO Leah Oliver said the move will see the earnings of packaged salary workers 'being locked up until retirement'.

The new payments will see about $25 a month diverted into superannuation for workers on a $100,000 salary package, accountants say (pictured: female tradesperson)

'Generally speaking, most people prefer take-home pay over super so they can save and manage their own funds rather than leaving them in the hands of an institution,' she said.

Ms Oliver said despite the ruling forcing people 'who have no savings discipline' to save, 'educating them to save' is the better alternative.

HLB Mann Judd Sydney tax partner Peter Bembrick said employees needed to be aware of the move as it will directly impact their take-home pay.

'At the end of the day they are still getting the same benefit  they're just not seeing it in their take-home pay,' he said.

'People will notice it, even if it's a small amount... it's still their money.'
Rudy Giuliani says the wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the US in the wake of the renewed Israel Palestine conflict is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s.

The former Mayor of New York said the violence would not have happened under Donald Trump and is a response to the 'march to socialism' of the Joe Biden administration.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have beaten up Jewish people and chanted 'death to Jews' in ugly scenes which Giuliani said is the 'biggest story in the country'.

Rudy Giuliani says the wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the US in the wake of the renewed Israel Palestine conflict is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s

Giuliani told Newsmax: 'This should not happen in America... This is a very dangerous thing we're watching.

'That's a very big sign of how bad things are and how fast we're moving toward the wrong kind of government. I mean, a really fundamental change in our way of life.

'I watch the videos and I think we're in Germany, back in the '30s.'

Giuliani emphasized that the Jewish community in the US are not responsible for the actions of the Israeli government and are often opposed to their tactics.

He said he has long supported Jews who he said are 'too much a part of America, they built America too much  too much respect for them'.

Giuliani emphasized that the Jewish community in the US are not responsible for the actions of the Israeli government and are often opposed to their tactics

He added that Palestinians are 'trained in their schools to hate Jews and to hate Americans'.

The former legal counsel to Donald Trump said there was no way these attacks would happen under the former president.

In recent weeks, a Jewish man was beaten by a pro-Palestinian mob in Times Square as he tried to make his way to a pro-Israel rally.

Joseph Borgen, 29, an accountant who lives on the Upper East Side, was wearing a grey kippa and walking toward Times Square around 6:30pm Thursday when he was chased down, beaten and pepper sprayed.

On Thursday, a Jewish man was beaten by a pro-Palestinian mob in Times Square as he tried to make his way to a pro-Israel rally

Joseph Borgen, 29, spoke to DailyMail.com one day after he was left bruised and battered by a group of pro-Palestinian men in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday

'I thought I was going to die. I thought I was really going to die,' he told DailyMail.com on Friday.

Borgen said there were eight to 10 people taking part in the beatdown and they were shouting anti-Semitic slurs such as: 'You filthy Jew. We're going to f*****g kill you. Go back to Israel. Hamas is going to kill you.'

A suspect in the assault, 23-year-old Waseem Awawdeh, of Brooklyn, was arrested on Friday night, the NYPD said.

In Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian protesters were spotted brawling with LA restaurant diners after allegedly asking if any of them were Jewish.

A car convoy flying Palestinian flags is pictured rolling through the Beverly Grove section of LA on Tuesday. Witnesses said members of the caravan yelled 'death to Jews' and 'free Palestine'

Footage of the incident, recorded on Tuesday night, showed kicks and punches exchanged, as well as bottles being thrown and a velvet rope being swung outside Sushi Fumi in Beverly Grove.

Onlookers said the violence erupted after the Palestine supporters asked if any of the diners were Jews, with some responding that they were.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a witness, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said some people from the convoy of cars threw bottles and chanted 'death to Jews' and 'free Palestine.'

The Los Angeles Police Department said on Wednesday that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
There is no evidence that the Tory party is 'institutionally racist', but Boris Johnson's comments about burkhas making women look like 'letterboxes' and 'bank robbers' have given an impression it is 'insensitive to Muslim communities', an independent review found today.

The inquiry into alleged Islamophobia and discrimination in the Conservative Party concluded that anti-Muslim sentiment was seen at local association and individual levels.

However, it said that claims of 'institutional' issues were not borne out by the way complaints were handled.

In a pointed message to Mr Johnson, the review led by Professor Swaran Singh said the leadership of the Conservative Party 'ought to set a good example for appropriate behaviours and language'.

The Prime Minister was cleared by a majority on an independent panel over a complaint he broke the party's code of conduct following a Daily Telegraph column in 2018 which described Muslim women who wear the burkha as looking like 'letterboxes' and 'bank robbers'.

Mr Johnson said he was 'sorry for any offence taken' over his journalism and told Prof Singh's investigation: 'Would I use some of the offending language from my past writings today? Now that I am Prime Minister, I would not.'

Conservative Party chair Amanda Milling said it accepted all the recommendations of the report and apologised 'to anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system'.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it was 'evaluating' the findings of the report.

Boris Johnson comments about burkhas making women look like 'letterboxes' and 'bank robbers' have given an impression that the Tories are 'insensitive to Muslim communities', an independent review found today

The inquiry carried out by Prof Singh, a former commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, was established by the party following a series of allegations about Islamophobic behaviour in the party and was widened to consider all forms of discrimination

Key points from the Singh review  Incidents including Lord Goldsmith's London mayoral campaign and Boris Johnson's comments about Muslim women before he became Prime Minister 'give an impression to some of a party and leadership insensitive to Muslim communities'.  From 2015 to 2020 the party's central database recorded 1,418 complaints concerning 727 incidents of alleged discrimination.  Two-thirds of all incidents reported related to allegations of anti-Muslim discrimination.  Three-quarters of the incidents involved social media activity.  Judging by the extent of complaints and findings of misconduct, 'anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem' within the Conservative Party.  An 'overwhelming majority' of valid complaints lodged with the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) team were upheld and resulted in a sanction.  The complaints system is in need of an overhaul, with an under-resourced and inadequately trained team, a weak data collection system and poor communication with complainants and respondents.  There is no clear decision-making process as to how complaints should progress and no specified time frames for resolution.  But there is no evidence that complaints related to Islam are treated differently from those related to other forms of discrimination.  Claims of 'institutional racism' were not borne out by the way complaints were handled. Advertisement

The Singh Investigation report said several interviewees who spoke to the inquiry considered Mr Johnson's language 'discriminatory and unacceptable'.

In response to Mr Johnson's assertion he would not make such remarks now, the report said: 'While this could be considered leading by example, the investigation would like to emphasise that using measured and appropriate language should not be a requirement solely for senior people, but ought to be expected throughout the Conservative Party.'

The investigation also examined the controversial and unsuccessful mayoral campaign Zac Goldsmith  now Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park  ran in London against Sadiq Khan in 2016, during which he accused his Muslim Labour rival of associating with extremists.

The report said Lord Goldsmith 'accepts poor judgement in the way his campaign was conducted but forcefully denies harbouring anti-Muslim sentiments or using such sentiments for political advantage'.

The report said high-profile cases like Mr Johnson's and Lord Goldsmith's 'give the impression to many that the Party and its leadership are insensitive to Muslim communities'.

Prof Singh said: 'I'm not saying that the party leadership is insensitive to Muslim communities. I'm saying that the perception is very strong.'

The inquiry carried out by Prof Singh, a former commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, was established by the party following a series of allegations about Islamophobic behaviour in the party and was widened to consider all forms of discrimination.

From 2015-2020 the party's central database recorded 1,418 complaints relating to 727 incidents of alleged discrimination  an average of 237 complaints about 122 incidents a year in a party of 200,000 members.

More than two-thirds of the incidents  496 cases  related to Islam and 74 per cent of all the cases involved social media activity.

Around a third of cases  231  resulted in a sanction, with 50 per cent resulting in a suspension and 29 per cent an expulsion from the party.

No action was taken in 418 incidents for reasons including the complaint being in relation to someone who was not a party member, insufficient evidence or a prior investigation.

There was no evidence that complaints related to Islam are treated differently from those related to other forms of discrimination, nor did the panel find evidence of attempts to pressure or interfere with the handling of individual complaints.

But Prof Singh said the complaints process was 'clunky, cumbersome and slow, and not transparent'.

Former Tory chairwoman Baroness Warsi has accused the party of 'institutional racism' and submitted a dossier of 30 cases to the inquiry.

The report said it carried out 'in-depth scrutiny' of the cases provided by Lady Warsi but 'we concluded that her allegation of 'institutional racism' against the party was not borne out by evidence available to the investigation as regards the way the party handled the complaints process'.

But the report acknowledged that 'anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem' within the Conservative Party.

Tory chair Amanda Milling said the party will formally respond to the report later today

'While the party leadership claims a 'zero tolerance approach' to all forms of discrimination, our findings show that discriminatory behaviours occur, especially in relation to people of Islamic faith.'

But the investigation did not find evidence of a party which 'systematically discriminated against any particular group'.

The review process has been regarded with scepticism by some critics, with the Muslim Council of Britain warning it would be a whitewash.

But Prof Singh said: 'I hope fair minded people who read the report will see that we haven't shied away from criticising the party.

'In fact, this is going to be very uncomfortable for the party, I hope it makes them uncomfortable, I hope it makes the rank and file uncomfortable and it also spurs them into action.'

In a message to Mr Johnson, Prof Singh said: 'As the leader of the Conservative Party, I would say lead by example and accept our recommendations unequivocally. Accept them unconditionally. Implement them and get someone to monitor the implementation.'

The report called on the Tories to introduce sweeping changes to the complaints process, publishing an action plan within six weeks to set out how it will respond, followed by a six-month progress report and a one-year review carried out by an appropriate body.

Within six weeks, the party should review its social media rules and within six months develop training on 'acceptable' behaviour online.

Within a year, the report said the party should produce and implement a single, mandatory code of conduct across the entire membership in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ms Milling said in a statement this afternoon: 'The Conservative Party has accepted all the recommendations set out by the independent investigation into racism and discrimination.

'Any incident of discrimination is wrong, and we must work harder to stamp out discrimination of all kinds. We held this investigation because we are determined to right these wrongs.

'On behalf of the Conservative Party I would like to apologise to anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system.

'We held this investigation to address these allegations to make sure that any instances of discrimination are isolated and to look at how we can improve and strengthen our complaints process.

'The Conservative Party will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination of any kind and take immediate action to improve our handling of complaints.

The investigation also examined the controversial and unsuccessful mayoral campaign Zac Goldsmith (pictured)  now Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park  ran in London against Sadiq Khan in 2016

'It is clear that there have been failings in our complaints process and we will begin work on implementing the recommendations set out by the investigation. We will be publishing our plan to implement these recommendations in six weeks' time.

'I welcome the independent investigation's findings that there is no evidence of anti-Muslim complaints being dealt with differently or that there is any evidence of political interference decisions of complaints.'

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said: 'We are pleased to see that the independent investigation has now published its report.

'We have been kept informed of the progress of the investigation by Professor Singh and will evaluate his team's findings carefully.

'We will assess the report alongside the investigation's terms of reference and await the Conservative Party's response on the actions they will take.

'This process will take some time and we do not anticipate making any further comments until that work is completed.'
A homemade cardboard Lamborghini made by a Kiwi YouTube star has sold for more than $10,000 with all proceeds going to charity.

YouTuber David Jones sold the cardboard Lamborghini Aventador for $10,420 on Tuesday night with the money going to Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland.

The young YouTuber designed the 'Cardborghini Aventapoor' off a miniature paper model he found online - and simply made it 5.6 times bigger.

The cardboard vehicle measured 1.65m wide and 3.78m in length.

Mr Jones said the Starship Children's Hospital was an obvious choice after he had spent time at Starship as a 14-year-old when he underwent cancer treatment.

The Cardborghini Adventapoor sold for over $10,000 with the proceeds going to Starship Children's Hospital

The cardboard Lamborghini was constructed in two stages and took over two weeks to complete

David Jones (pictured) donated the money from the Cardborghini to the Starship Children's Hospital after he spent time there receiving cancer treatment as a 14-year-old

'They were the coolest people and they really looked after me, so when I decided what I was going to do I didn't have any other charity cross my mind,' Mr Jones told Stuff.co.nz.

Mr Jones said the Cardborghini idea came after drove he a Lamborghini in Los Angeles but said nobody would rent one to him leaving him with only one option.

'I can't afford to buy one and nobody will rent a Lambo to a 22-year-old so I'm stuck with one option... I need to make my own,' he wrote in the video description.

The Cardborghini came together over two and a half weeks in two different stages, first the cardboard body took a week, then the driving skeleton took a week and a half.

The idea was born after Mr Jones drove a real Lamborghini in Los Angeles and loving the thrill of the ride

The YouTuber built the cardborghini from a minature paper model he found by enlarging it 5.6 times

The car was test driven using bicycle wheels before they reattached the cardboard wheels for the sale

Mr Jones admitted that he was only expecting it to fetch around $50.

But 132 bids later the car it was sold to a buyer in Christchurch with Mr Jones admitting he wasn't sure how the Cardborghini would be transported from his Hibiscus Coast home.

The Cardborghini comes with complete with: 'the original owners handbook, a Cardborghini poster and an official un-opened Cardborghini repair kit.'

The Carborghini auction description read that the car had only been driven around 100 metres

Despite being made out of corrugated cardboard the Cardborghini still had the stylish lines of a real Lamborghini

Mr Jones' video documenting the project has been viewed over a million time and viewers were seriously impressed by the Kiwi's.

'It's the best thing I've ever seen in my whole life,' an enthusiastic viewer wrote.

'Saw this on Trade Me. All I can say is: holy s***, mate! Nice job,' another commented.

'This is the coolest thing Ive ever seen, also I have never seen a car get speed wobbles props to you for this,' added a third.

The video did attract some skeptics who worried about the Carboghini's durability in wet weather.

'Epic but when it rains youll be sitting on a load of paper,' one commented.

'Its all fun and games until it starts raining,' another added.
A missing fisherman was found alive on Sunday after spending 17 days lost in the Oregon wilderness.

Rescue teams had been searching for Harry Burleigh, 69, after he went missing during a camping trip in the Twin Lakes area on May 6.

Officials said he had been found near a makeshift shelter he had built for himself in the wilderness complaining of 'minor pain' .

Burleigh, from Roseburg, was airlifted to hospital where his condition is described as stable.

Missing fisherman Harry Burleigh, 69, was found alive on Sunday after spending 17 days lost in the Twin Lakes area of Oregon

Officials said rescuers found the 69-year-old at 3pm near a shelter he had built for himself in the wilderness around the Twin Lakes in Oregon

He was found by search and rescue teams 'complaining of minor pain' but otherwise in a 'stable condition' and was airlifted to hospital for treatment

His wife Stacy Burleigh said the rescue was 'the best of news' in a Roseburg Tracker Facebook group geared towards finding Harry.

She added he was 'coherent and emotional' over the phone after being found and that she would 'be with him soon'.

'Thank you to all of you on Roseburg tracker for your prayers, love, and support. After 16 days this is pretty miraculous', she added.

'Thank you to all of the SAR teams that put in all the hard work to find him. We are forever grateful!

Eighteen agencies were involved in the lengthy rescue mission, some from hours away.

Burleigh had been reported missing by his wife the evening of May 7 after he failed to return from a camping trip the previous day.

Douglas County Search and Rescue found Burleigh's vehicle near a lower trailhead that leads into Twin Lakes on May 8 and thought he may have tried to walk to Twin Lakes to fish before heading home.

During the search, they left food parcels and notes for Burleigh near where they thought he became lost.

On May 16, rescuers discovered a tackle box and shelter but Burleigh was not in the vicinity. They left a note and a lighter, so he could make a fire.

A week later, on Sunday, rescuers discovered a second makeshift shelter southwest of the original one, and after calling out for Burleigh, they heard him reply, according to the news release.

During the search, rescuers left food parcels and notes for Burleigh near where they thought he became lost

Eighteen agencies were involved in the 17-day rescue mission, some from hours away, police said

Burleigh (pictured)was expected home from the camping trip by his wife Stacy on May 6 and was reported missing the next day

Sergeant Brad O'Dell said: 'This was the outcome we all have been looking for in this case'

Douglas County Sheriff's office said: 'On Sunday, May 23, 2021, Douglas County Search and Rescue conducted another mission in the area of Calf Creek after Burleigh's fishing gear was found last weekend.

'Additional SAR resources were called in from Jackson County, Lake County and Siskiyou County (CA) for Sunday's efforts.

'A Brim Aviation helicopter was utilized to hoist Burleigh from his location and transport him to a waiting Lifeflight helicopter. Lifeflight later transported him to an out of area hospital for evaluation.'

The helicopter was also used to extract the remaining Jackson County SAR team from their position. Other crews were able to walk out of the area.

Sergeant Brad O'Dell said: 'This was the outcome we all have been looking for in this case,

'It is because of our determined Search and Rescue Teams and the partnerships we have with out SAR teams from around the state, that Mr Burleigh has been re-united with his family this evening.'

The Umpqua National Forest, where Burleigh was found, covers more than 983,000 acres.
Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Market Growth & Trends

The global large molecule bioanalytical technologies market size is expected to reach USD 13.9 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 13.5% from 2021 to 2028. The demand for bioanalytical testing services has significantly increased over the past few years, thereby positively impacting the growth of the market.

This is primarily due to the growing R&D activities in the biopharmaceutical industry, leading to notable investments in the space. Also, the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has resulted in the expansion of manufacturing and R&D capabilities of key stakeholders leading to increased demand for bioanalytical testing services. The use of advanced technologies in vaccine and cell gene therapy development has led to significant growth of this space.

Advancements in instrumentation have created lucrative opportunities for contract manufacturers. Over the past several years, biopharmaceutical manufacturers are outsourcing at least some part of their biomanufacturing activities. Analytical testing is one of the most outsourced activities as it requires highly specialized personnel and equipment to conduct assays. These factors are anticipated to play a vital role in shaping market growth.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Market Report

Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Market Report Highlights

The product segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2020

Biopharmaceutical products require various instruments for characterization, identification, purity, and potency testing

Availability of a wide range of products for the aforementioned assay applications is the key factor contributing to segment growth

Mass spectrometry captured the maximum revenue share in 2020 due to the diversification of products as well as their frequent usage

This technology has been conventionally used in the development of protein pharmaceuticals, for instance, in the analysis of confirmations of amino acids in proteins

Furthermore, quantitative PCR (qPCR) is widely adopted in the detection of viral contaminants during the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals

Thus, with the growing demand for viral vectors, this technology is anticipated to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period

Moreover, the presence of a wide array of products in spectrometry is one of the key industry factors driving investment in the segment

Biologics accounted for the major revenue share in 2020 owing to the ever-expanding R&D activity programs in the segment

Besides, the presence of a stringent regulatory framework for advanced therapies has increased the demand for bioanalytical testing services

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of genetic vaccines

This increases the utility of analytical tools for assessing the safety and stability of large molecules, thereby driving the segment

North America dominated the market in 2020 owing to the presence of strong research as well as a commercial base for biopharmaceutical manufacturing

Moreover, the U.S. is the largest biopharmaceutical market that has positively influenced the adoption and usage of large molecule bioanalytical technologies in the region

In the Asia Pacific, the market is estimated to register the fastest CAGR with emerging markets such as China and Japan at the forefront

Collaborations between domestic and global players for expansion of biomanufacturing capabilities are supplementing the growth of the market in the region

Key companies are focusing on new product launches to sustain their position in the market

Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-large-molecule-bioanalytical-technologies-market

Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global large molecule bioanalytical technologies market on the basis of product & service, technology, application, and region:

Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Product & Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Product Consumables & Accessories Instruments Reagents & Kits

Service

Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Electrophoresis

Chromatography

Mass Spectrometry

Western Blot

ddPCR, qPCR, RT-PCR

ELISA

Flow Cytometry

Spectrometer UV/VIS CD Raman Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy Other Spectroscopy techniques

Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Light scattering (MALS, DLS) & static light scattering

DNA Sequencing

Other Technologies

Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Biologics By Type Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) Vaccines Recombinant proteins By Technology Spectrometer Western blot Isoelectric focusing Capillary electrophoresis (CE) Peptide mapping and sequencing by LC-MS/MS Peptide fingerprinting by Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (MS) ddPCR, qPCR, RT-PCR Others Cell & Nucleic Acid Therapy SDS-PAGE or capillary gel electrophoresis Chromatography Mass Spectrometry/LC-MS UV-Vis Spectrometry ddPCR, qPCR, RT-PCR ELISA Assays Fluorescent Assays Luminescent Assays Western blot Flow Cytometry Others Viral Vector Sanger qPCR, ddPCR, & RTPCR ELISA Electrophoresis NGS Mass Spectrometry Chromatography Dynamic & Static Light Scattering Others Gene Therapy SDS-PAGE or capillary gel electrophoresis Chromatography Mass Spectrometry /LC-MS UV-Vis Spectrometry ddPCR, qPCR, RT-PCR ELISA Assays Fluorescent Assays Luminescent Assays Western blot Flow Cytometry Others Nanoparticles & Polymers Dynamic & static light scattering Laser Diffraction Fluorescence spectrometry Others



Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America US. Canada

Europe Germany France Italy Spain UK.

Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea

Latin America Brazil Mexico

Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia



List of Key Players in Large Molecule Bioanalytical Technologies Market

Intertek Group plc.

Solvias AG

Bio-Techne Corporation

Wyatt Technology Corporation

Precision NanoSystems

Verder

Halo Labs

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.

Avomeen

Merck KGaA

Cergentis B.V.

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

SCIEX

Hoffmann-La Roche AG

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
This is the incredible moment two honeybees join forces to open a bottle of Fanta.

Footage captured in Sao Paulo, Brazil, shows the two bees position themselves on either side of the bottle and use their legs to push the cap up.

Just moments later, the bees manage to lift the top off the bottle of sugary drink and watch as it falls onto the ground.

The two honeybees join forces in order to open a bottle of Fanta in Sao Paulo, Brazil

The bees position themselves on either side of the bottle and manage to lift it off

Following the impressive scenes, which were captured on May 17, the filmer told Viral Hog: 'The video was recorded during my lunch break from work. I got a soda from a customer but soon the bees stole it.'

The footage has since been met with an array of responses from social media users.

One user said: 'That video is amazing but also terrifying. How the hell have they worked that out?'

Another added: 'We can just hire them and pay them in Fanta.'

A third person commented: 'I for one welcome our insect overlords.'

Scientific studies have shed more light on how bees work together and cooperate with each other.

For example, in 2018, Harvard University researchers revealed how a swarm of bees will stick together and move in unison when their nests are rattled.

Scientists spent months shaking and rattling swarms of thousands of honeybees to understand how the insects can work together to keep their swarm in one piece.

They discovered that bees can sense the direction their neighbours are moving in and follow the movements of their fellow insects.

The bees lifted the top off the bottle to get to the sweet sugary liquid inside

Bees' fondness for all things sweet is well known, but in 2016, scientists at Queen Mary University of London found that drinking a small droplet of sugar water allowed the insects to enter an emotional state similar to human optimism.

Researchers placed food on a blue flower and no food on a green flower - training the bumblebees to link certain shades of flower with food.

Scientists then confronted the bees with a new ambiguous blue-green flower in order to examine their reaction.

They found that bees that had been given a droplet of sugared water prior to being set loose took less time to land on the blue-green flower.

Scientists said that this indicated that the sweet water raised the mood of the bees.

Social media users applauded the skills of the bees and one congratulated 'our insect overlords'

Senior author Professor Lars Chittka said: 'The finding that bees exhibit not just surprising levels of intelligence, but also emotion-like states, indicates that we should respect their needs when testing them in experiments, and do more for their conservation.'

Co-author Luigi Baciadonna said: 'Sweet food can improve negative moods in human adults and reduce crying of newborns in response to negative events.

'Our results suggest that similar cognitive responses are occurring in bees.'
A spurned admirer accused of the murder of Mayra Zulfiqar has admitted to killing the London law graduate in Pakistan, police have said.

Zahir Jadoon is said to have confessed while in police custody. He reportedly flew into a rage after Zulfiqar, 25, rejected a marriage proposal.

Zulfiqar, who was a London resident, was found dead in a pool of blood in her rented apartment in Lahore on May 3 after being shot in the neck and shoulder and strangled.

Since the confession, police have arrested two of Zahir's relatives and are searching for another, claiming that they conspired together to carry out the crime.

Officers have detained his brother, Tahir Jadoon, who is reported to have owned the gun used to shoot Zulfiqar, as well as Zahir's brother-in-law Sheryar Khan.

Police are still searching for Zahir's cousin, Zeeshan, who is on the run and are conducting raids at various addresses in Lahore and Islamabad.

A spurned admirer accused of the murder of Mayra Zulfiqar (pictured) has admitted to killing the London law graduate in Pakistan, police said

Zahir Jadoon (pictured with an AK47 in a Facebook photo) is said to have confessed while in police custody. He reportedly flew into a rage after Zulfiqar, 25, rejected a marriage proposal

Zahir, a 26-year-old socialite, pointed the finger at his relatives while being grilled by officers from Pakistan's Criminal Investigation Agency, which is responsible for handling serious crimes in the country, revealing that they were with him on the night of the murder.

A police official told MailOnline: 'Zahir has told us that other members of his family were also involved in killing Mayra and that he did not act alone.

'Those who we have in our custody are being questioned while we are searching for another man and are confident that he will be found very soon.'

Confessions are not legally binding in Pakistan and only stand if a magistrate or member of the judiciary is present. It was not clear who was present at the time of Zahir's reported confession.

Zahir and friend Saad Butt (pictured), 28, were named as suspects in the case

Police announced Zahir's confession on Monday night after Zulfiqar's father issued a desperate appeal for justice to Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan.

In a confessional statement reported by Pakistan's 24NewsHD TV, Zahir claimed that Zulfiqar had been blackmailing him.

'Mayra blackmailed me with video and I killed her after I fed up with the blackmailing by her,' the statement read.

Zahir and friend Saad Butt, 28, were named as suspects in the case. Zulfiqar reportedly became close to Zahir and was believed to have had a relationship with him.

Butt turned himself in to authorities following a nationwide manhunt and remains under investigation.

He denies involvement in the murder, saying he was asleep at his home when Zulfiqar was killed. Zahir previously claimed he was in the capital Islamabad at the time of the murder.

Zulfiqar went to police just days before being killed and alleged that Zahir had abducted her at gunpoint and threatened to kill her.

Pakistan's Samaa news outlet quoted police as saying Zulfiqar's body was discovered by a maid working at the property and had 'multiple torture and bullet marks.'

Zulfiqar's uncle named four men when reporting the crime, stating 'They wanted to marry the victim and committed the crime when she refused,' according to an investigative officer.

The graduate, who was pursuing a law degree, travelled to Pakistan to attend a wedding and is believed to have extended her stay there due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

Zulfiqar, who was pursuing a law degree, travelled to Pakistan to attend a wedding and is believed to have extended her stay there due to coronavirus travel restrictions
Western Australia has introduced tough new restrictions on Victorian travellers declaring all new arrivals to the state must immediately self isolate, as a Covid-19 outbreak in Melbourne continues to climb.

The state government stopped short of closing its border to Victoria, but will require all arrivals from from 6pm on Tuesday to immediately get tested and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result.

Anyone who has visited any of the 23 exposure sites in Victoria during the relevant times are also required to get tested immediately and must self-quarantine for 14 days.

Travellers from Victoria who have arrived since May 15 are urged to monitor their health closely and are warned they will be contacted by WA Police, using the G2G Pass declaration system in place in WA.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) announced that Victorian arrivals must self-isolate

Restriction for Victorian travellers in Western Australia - Effective from 6pm today (May 25): all arrivals from Victoria must get a COVID-19 test on arrival or within 48 hours and self-quarantine until they return a negative result - They must wear a mask when in transit to their premise or to get a COVID-19 test. - Anyone who has visited any of the exposure sites in Victoria during the relevant times should get tested immediately for COVID-19 and self-quarantine for 14 days from their date of exposure. - People who have visited an exposure site must also get a COVID-19 test on day two and day 11 of their 14-day self-quarantine. - Travellers from Victoria who have arrived since May 15 are urged to monitor their health closely and are warned they will be contacted by WA Police, using the G2G Pass declaration system in place in WA. Advertisement

There were four new locally-acquired cases confirmed in Melbourne today, bringing the shock cluster to nine.

Victoria's Department of Health announced a man in his 60s who tested positive - infected a further four household contacts.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan described the situation as 'concerning' as there have been about 18,000 travellers from Victoria arrive in Western Australia over the past 10 days.

'This is a rapidly evolving situation and things may well change,' he said.

'Given the unknown source of the current outbreak, and genomic sequencing confirming a link to the Victorian man who acquired the virus in South Australian hotel quarantine earlier this month, it is a very concerning situation.

'It means there have been infectious people in the Victorian community potentially since May 15.'

Health workers conduct COVID-19 test at Northern Health in Epping, Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Pedestrians queue at a Covid-19 testing station in Melbourne on May 25, 2021, as the city recorded five new locally-acquired coronavirus cases in the community after an 85-day unbroken stretch of zero infections

The premier, who has become known for his tough stance on borders during the pandemic, made no apologies for the 'extra precautionary' measures.

'I understand this may be inconvenient for some people, but we need to take this course of action to protect Western Australia,' Mr McGowan said.

'My government will take whatever action required to keep Western Australians safe.'

Genomic testing has determined Tuesday's new cases are an Indian variant linked to the Whittlesea cluster in Melbournes north, with 168 close contacts identified so far.

The Whittlesea area includes the suburbs of Beveridge, Donnybrook, Doreen, Eden Park, Epping, Humevale, Kinglake West, Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, Whittlesea, Wollert, Woodstock and Yan Yean.

With fear growing the outbreak could quickly spread interstate, the Queensland government is also set to introduce some restrictions on travellers from Victoria, with the City of Whittlesea local government area declared a Covid hotspot.

That means anyone arriving in the Sunshine State who has been in Whittlesea over the past 14 days will be required to go into hotel quarantine unless they have a valid exemption.

The new measures go into effect from 1am on Wednesday.

Deputy Premier James Merlino confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday morning a man in his 60s has tested positive, bringing the state's cases from the latest cluster to five

Commuters wear face masks in Melbourne on Monday, after it was revealed the state had identified new local Covid cases

New restrictions in Melbourne: Maximum of five visitors per household

Maximum of 30 people gathering outside

Masks must be worn indoors and on public transport

People travelling from Melbourne to other areas must carry restrictions with them

Schools and workplaces will remain open with the new restrictions applied

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South Australia also imposed fresh border restrictions on Victorians from key sites linked to new Covid-19 cases.

The state will stop travellers who visited a number of locations in Melbourne's north from crossing the border, and anyone in SA who recently visited those sites must self-isolate for 14 days and get tested three times.

Less severe measures have been imposed for anyone who visited the City of Whittlesea, with those arrivals required to have a test within 24 hours and isolate until they receive a negative result.

South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said on Monday the cases were a reminder that even though Australia had done well in containing the virus, the potential for a significant outbreak remained.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the new infections are a stark warning to the community.

'You can see how Covid can be transmitted in the community because it can be a mild disease and, therefore, go undetected,' she said on Monday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will not shut the border between the two states, but people travelling from Victoria to Sydney will be asked on arrival whether they have visited an exposure site.

A declaration form is also available on the Service NSW website and must be completed upon entry.

Authorities have also told anyone who has visited the Whittlesea area to avoid visiting aged care facilities or hospitals.

A fifth case of coronavirus has emerged as a result of the Whittlesea outbreak as a man aged in his 60s tests positive on Tuesday

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the new case was symptomatic at the time of his testing and they are investigating another 'intermediary' link.

'His initial recollections don't overlap with any of the Wollert case's exposure sites, so there's no definitive link to that Wollert case even though we know that there's a genomic link, so there may still be another intermediary,' he said.

'We need to explore that, but we need to finish the very lengthy, very detailed interview with that case this morning.'

He confirmed the case is from the Indian variant and said there could still be cases in the community.

'It's possible there's another missing link out there,' Professor Sutton said.
A sex-pest Tory PM is facing a six-week ban from Parliament for breaching sexual misconduct rules by making advances towards a man working in his office.

Delyn MP Rob Roberts, 41, faces a suspension for making 'repeated and unwanted sexual advances' after an independent panel ruled against him.

Mr Roberts had appealed the standards watchdog's findings, offering to apologise but denying he had breached sexual misconduct rules.

He had the whip suspended by the Conservative Party this morning but his separate Commons ban can only be imposed if agreed by MPs.

In the report, published today, he argued his behaviour - which included asking the man out for a drink - had not been 'sexual' but was instead 'romantic'.

But an Independent Expert Panel today found him guilty and recommended he serve a six-week suspension.

And under Commons rules, because the suspension was imposed by the IEP and not the Standards Commissioner, he will escape the prospect of a recall petition that could see him booted out.

The disgraced MP apologised and said the 'breach of trust' was 'completely improper and should not have happened'.

Sir Stephen Irwin, chairman of the IEP has said: 'The misconduct demonstrated here was significant.

Delyn MP Rob Roberts, 41, faces a suspension for making 'repeated and unwanted sexual advances' towards the 21-year-old after an independent panel ruled against him.

The move will increase the pressure on Boris Johnson to take action against Mr Roberts, who was only elected at the last election in 2019.

'It is evident that Mr Roberts MP was in a very powerful position as an employer in relation to the reporter. Our conclusion is that the determination of six weeks suspension from the service of the House was proper and proportionate.'

The MP's former staff member who made the complaint told BBC Wales Mr Roberts repeatedly propositioned him and asked him to 'be less alluring'.

The former employee said he had been left 'uncomfortable', 'shocked' and 'horrified' by the MP's behaviour.

The complainant started working for the newly elected Mr Roberts in early 2020, and said the MP made his 'first advance' 10 days later.

The staffer, who wishes to remain anonymous, told BBC Wales they were alone in a car together on a constituency visit when Mr Roberts said: 'I find you very attractive and alluring and I need you to make attempts to be less alluring in the office because it's becoming very difficult for me.'

Mr Roberts said: 'In the first half of 2020, I was in a particularly challenging place personally and had taken the decision to leave my marriage of 15 years and come out as being gay.

'At around the same time, I asked a male member of Parliamentary staff to dinner in the hope of striking up a personal relationship. I recognise that this breach of trust in the MP-staff relationship was completely improper and should not have happened.

'I apologised at the time and do so again to the complainant but also to my colleagues, family and most importantly my constituents.

'I will continue to do my utmost to serve my constituency as I have over the past 18 months since my election, and this judgment will not alter my resolve to ensure that the people of Delyn get the assistance they need with pressing local issues.

'It is the greatest honour of my life to represent the constituency in which I grew up and have lived my whole life, and I will work tirelessly to restore any faith which has been lost by this ruling.'

The move will increase the pressure on Boris Johnson to take firm action against Mr Roberts, who was only elected at the last election in 2019.

The Conservatives last month said he will not be kicked out of the party but will have to undergo training for his 'unacceptable' conduct towards a female parliamentary staffer.

In April last year he told the intern working in Parliament that she had 'lovely legs' and asked her not to ignore him 'when I'm making you feel better'.

And he said that in future she might want to 'fool around with no strings, you might come and visit me in London'.

Despite the proposed suspension, Rob Roberts will not face the prospect of a by-election due to the sanction being set by the Independent Expert Panel rather than a Commons committee.

Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said Mr Roberts should quit but added her party would support emergency legislation to change the law to address the anomaly.

'The report fully upholds the sexual harassment allegations made against Rob Roberts MP. He should therefore resign his seat with immediate effect,' she said.

'That such serious and proven abuse doesn't automatically result in the recall of a sitting Member of Parliament is both absurd and unjust.

'The Conservative Government cannot dance around gaps in legislation if it is serious about upholding standards in public life.

'That is why we expect the Government to take immediate action - Labour will support efforts to pass emergency legislation or measures to rectify this situation.'

And Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of the Prospect union, which represents workers in Parliament, added: 'It is disappointing that the level of sanction that has been imposed on Rob Roberts is little more than a slap on the wrist.

In any normal employment setting the facts established in the report would likely amount to gross misconduct and the perpetrator of those actions be dismissed.'

A Conservative Party spokeswoman said: 'We would like to apologise to the individual concerned for the inappropriate and unwarranted treatment they were subjected to by someone in a position of authority.

'There is no place for the behaviour they were subjected to and we praise their courage in coming forward.

'In light of the outcome of the Standards investigation Rob Roberts MP has had the Conservative Party Whip suspended.'
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Tuesday the U.S. would ensure that international aid toward rebuilding Gaza, ravaged during an 11-day war with Israel, would not 'benefit' Hamas.

'We'll work with our partners closely, with all, to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance,' he said, following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

'We know that to prevent a return to violence we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges,' Blinken said. 'And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild.'



Blinken arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire earlier on Tuesday.

He faces the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The 11-day Gaza war killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Tuesday the US would ensure international aid towards rebuilding Gaza, ravaged after an 11-day war with Israel, would not 'benefit' its Hamas rulers

'We'll work with our partners closely, with all, to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance,' he said following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem

Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday at the start of a tour of the Middle East

Blinked added that losses on both sides were 'profound' and paid tribute to victims of the conflict.

'Casualties are often reduced to numbers. But behind every number is a human being - a daughter, a son, a father, a mother, a grandparent, a best friend. And as the Talmud teaches, to lose a life is to lose the whole world, whether that life is Palestinian or Israeli,' he said.

The pair also discussed Israel's security, including the Iron Dome defense system.

Netanyahu thanked Blinken for 'firmly supporting Israel's right of self-defense', but warned: 'We, too, will give meaning to our commitment to our self-defense: if Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful'.

He also pressed Blinken not to allow the U.S. to return to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

Blinken responded saying Washington would 'continue to consult' Israel on talks in Vienna, but otherwise did not comment on the ongoing negotiations.

Blinken is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the region since President Joe Biden assumed office.

The administration hoped to extricate the U.S. from the region's intractable conflicts and focus on competition with China and climate change.

But, like so many of its predecessors, it was pulled back into the Middle East by another outbreak of violence.

He started his visit in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years.

Netanyahu faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without forcibly halting Palestinian rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Gaza's militant Hamas rulers.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah to demonstrate against Blinken's visit. Many held signs calling for the U.S. to get 'out of the Middle East'.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi greets Blinken in Israel on Tuesday

Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi greets Blinken in Israel early on Tuesday morning

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Jonathan Shrier after landing at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv

Protesters against Blinken's visit to Israel took place in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday

Demonstrators held signs reading 'no justice, no peace, U.S. out of Middle East' at a protest in Ramallah on Tuesday

Blinken's visit comes amid reports former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning a trip to Israel this week for a retirement party for outgoing Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, according to Politico.

Pompeo was Cohen's opposite number when he served as head of the CIA from 2017-2018, before his stint in Washington.

He will travel as a private citizen for the trip, which has not yet been finalized due to Israel's COVID rules, and will 'meet privately' with local nongovernmental organizations.

Pompeo was a staunch defender of Israel during his stint in office and was the first U.S. secretary of state to visit a Jewish settlement in the West Bank during a tour of the region in November.

In 2019, he broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy to announce that the United States under Trump no longer viewed Israel's settlements in the West Bank as 'inconsistent with international law'.

Blinken's agenda included talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a meeting in Ramallah with Mahmoud Abbas

A Palestinian youth looks for salvageable items amid the rubble of the Kuhail building which was destroyed in an early morning Israeli airstrike on Gaza City last week

A drone photo shows an aerial view of destroyed residential buildings in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City aftermath of 11 days of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Pictured on Sunday

Streaks of light are seen as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the town of Ashkelon

Palestinian activists, right, speak with an Israeli police officer as two activists' IDs are checked after they started to repair a mural that was defaced by a Jewish settler in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face imminent eviction from their homes by Israeli settlers

The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site.

The protests were directed at Israel's policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

The evictions in east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood were put on hold just before the Gaza fighting erupted, but the legal process is set to resume in the coming weeks.

Police briefly clashed with protesters at Al-Aqsa on Friday, hours after the cease-fire came into effect. The site is revered by Jews and Muslims, and has seen several outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years.

Netanyahu is unlikely to make any public concessions on Al-Aqsa or the evictions because it would be seen as giving in to Hamas's demands.

Adding to the tensions, an Israeli soldier and a civilian were stabbed and wounded in east Jerusalem on Monday before police shot and killed the assailant in what they described as a terrorist attack.

Palestinian activists, including Muna ElKurd, center, react as Israeli police approach their friends. One activist was arrested after re-painting the Arabic phrase, 'Welcome to the resilient neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.'

Smoke billows from a building targeted during an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip last week

Palestinians inspect a site hit during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City last week. Israel and the Palestinians were mired in their worst conflict in years as Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery, while Hamas militants fire rockets into the Jewish state

Palestinian activists are approached by Israeli police as they repair a mural that was defaced by a Jewish settler in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face imminent eviction from their homes by Israeli settlers

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts a shadow against the Jaffa Gate while walking through Jerusalem's Old City on Monday days after a cease-fire was reached in the 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel

Blinken will next head to the occupied West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has no power in Gaza and was largely sidelined by recent events.

Abbas, who called off the first Palestinian elections in 15 years last month when it appeared his fractured Fatah movement would suffer an embarrassing defeat, is seen by many Palestinians as having lost all legitimacy.

A crowd of worshippers at Al-Aqsa chanted against his Palestinian Authority and in support of Hamas on Friday.

But, Abbas is still seen internationally as the representative of the Palestinian people and a key partner in the long-defunct peace process.

Blinken also will visit neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago and have acted as mediators in the conflict.

Egypt succeeded in brokering the Gaza truce after the Biden administration pressed Israel to wind down its offensive.

Blinken will not be meeting with Hamas, which does not recognize Israels right to exist and which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) is greeted by Israeli Chief of State Protocol Gil Haskelas, as he steps off the plane upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (middle) talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, May 25, in Tel Aviv, Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, as he steps off the plane upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv

Biden announced the visit, saying Blinken would work with regional partners on a 'coordinated international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza.'

The administration had been roundly criticized for its perceived hands-off initial response to the deadly violence, including from Democratic allies in Congress who demanded it take a tougher line on Israel.

Biden repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israel's right to defend itself from rocket attacks from Gaza.

The administration has defended its response by saying it engaged in intense, but quiet, high-level diplomacy to support a cease-fire.

In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Blinken said the administration is now focused on trying to 'build something more positive,' saying Palestinians and Israelis deserve 'equal measures of opportunity, of security, of dignity.'

He said the time is not right for an immediate resumption in negotiations, but that steps could be taken to repair the damage from Israeli airstrikes, which destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged infrastructure in Gaza.

The narrow coastal territory, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from Abbas' forces in 2007.

Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas from importing arms, while the Palestinians and human rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken departs Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland on Monday night
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With the defeat of Nazi Germany more or less certain in February 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill praised his Russian counterpart Joseph Stalin as a 'friend whom we can trust'.

He was speaking at the Yalta Conference, where the two men were joined by US president Franklin Roosevelt to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe after the Soviet Union's central role in overcoming Adolf Hitler.

But when Soviet troops captured Berlin in May 1945 and Stalin showed no willingness to relinquish his control of Central and Eastern European countries, Churchill ordered the creation of a plan that would have plunged the world into another devastating conflict.

The astonishing blueprint  officially named Operation Unthinkable  outlined how British and American forces would embark on a ground, air and naval offensive against their ally the Soviet Union.

The War Cabinet files outlining the plan  and the recorded horror of military chiefs which ultimately killed it off - were declassified in 1998 and now sit in the National Archives.

The blueprint acknowledged the horrendous odds  the Soviets had 170 military divisions, compared to Britain the US's combined 47.

To redress the balance, the plan's architect - Brigadier Geoffrey Thompson - even proposed rearming troops from the Wehrmacht and murderous Nazi SS, who had been in charge of the death camp network which carried out the Holocaust.

Operation Unthinkable is outlined in historian Giles Milton's new book Checkmate in Berlin, which is being published on Thursday by John Murray Press.

With the defeat of Nazi Germany more or less certain in February 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill praised his Russian counterpart Joseph Stalin as a 'friend whom we can trust'. He was speaking at the Yalta Conference, where the two men were joined by US president Franklin Roosevelt to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe after the Soviet Union's central role in overcoming Adolf Hitler

But when Soviet troops captured Berlin in May 1945 and Stalin showed no willingness to relinquish his control of Central and Eastern European countries, Churchill ordered the creation of a plan that would plunge the world into another devastating conflict

Churchill ordered his joint planning staff to draw up the blueprint at the beginning of May in 1945, shortly after Hitler had committed suicide and the Red Army had captured Berlin.

The papers in the National Archives reveal how the aim of the plot was to impose on Russia the 'will of the United States and British Empire.'

Milton writes of the 'remarkable' level of detail in the plan. It included tables, charts and maps, along with tables listing the strength of both the Soviet and Allied forces.

From July 1,1945, Allied forces would launch a surprise attack on Stalin's forces, pushing the Red Army back to the Oder and Neisse rivers, 55 miles east of Berlin.

By this point, Soviet troops were occupying Berlin and had control of Eastern Europe, including Poland.

The Western assault, which would be the largest tank offensive in history with 8,000 armoured vehicles used, would end with a huge showdown in the countryside in Soviet-occupied Pila, in what is now north-west Poland.

Despite the significant difference in the number of Allied divisions when compared to their potential adversaries, Thompson outlined how naval superiority would be used to good effect  with a seizure early on of the Baltic port of Stettin.

Thompson hoped that stopping Western exports to Russia would cripple its military. Milton explains that the Soviet Union was dependent on America for explosives, as well as rubber, aluminium, copper and 50 per cent of its aviation fuel.

From July 1,1945, Allied forces would launch a surprise attack on Stalin's forces, pushing the Red Army back to the Oder and Neisse rivers, 55 miles east of Berlin. By this point, Soviet troops were occupying Berlin and had control of Eastern Europe, including Poland

The astonishing blueprint  officially named Operation Unthinkable  outlined how British and American forces embark on a ground, air and naval offensive against their erstwhile ally the Soviet Union

However, he warned that the Russian Army's 'capable' high command had a 'disregard for losses' when trying to obtain a 'set objective'.

He warned Churchill that, if they were to proceed, they would be 'staking everything' on one epic battle where the odds would be 'very heavy'.

It was for this reason that he proposed re-arming the Wehrmacht and the SS. Doing so would add another ten divisions, all of which would be made up of men hardened by six years of war.

Despite level of detail in the plan  and the time and effort which went into devising it - Churchill's military chiefs were horrified by it.

Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke said Allied troops would end up 'committed to a protracted war against heavy odds'.

General Hastings Ismay was disgusted by the idea of using Hitler's defeated troops. He said it would be 'absolutely impossible for the leaders of democratic countries even to contemplate.'

He said the Russians had done the 'lion's share of the fighting and endured untold suffering'.

The plan acknowledged the horrendous odds  the Soviets had 170 military divisions, compared to Britain the US's combined 47. Pictured: Red Army soldiers on the attack against German forces during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943

Churchill told his Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden that if Stalin's territorial desires were not dealt a definitive blow 'before the US armies withdraw from Europe and the Western world folds up its war machines, there is very little prospect of preventing a Third World War.' Pictured: Churchill pulls out a new cigar as Stalin smiles behind him at the Yalta conference

The plan's architect - Brigadier Geoffrey Thompson - even proposed rearming troops from the Wehrmacht and murderous Nazi SS, who had been in charge of the death camp network which carried out the Holocaust. Pictured: German commanders, including General Alfred Jodl seated with his back to the camera, sign surrender documents in Reims, France, ending the war in Europe

To attack them so soon after the end of the horrendous conflict would be 'catastrophic' for morale.

More than 27million Russians  both civilians and combatants  had died during the conflict, far more than Britain's casualty figure of around 450,000 and the US's 407,000.

Checkmate in Berlin, by Giles Milton, is published on May 27

Most historians agree that it was Russia's resistance to Nazi Germany's attempted invasion - leading Hitler to fight a war on two fronts - which sealed the country's defeat.

Field Marshal Brooke added that the chance of success of Operation Unthinkable was 'quite impossible'.

On June 8, Churchill's chiefs of staff officially rejected the plan.

However, the PM  who was to be turfed out of office a little over a month later in the 1945 General Election  was not happy with the death of the plan.

Milton outlines how Churchill told his Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden that if Stalin's territorial desires were not dealt a definitive blow 'before the US armies withdraw from Europe and the Western world folds up its war machines, there is very little prospect of preventing a Third World War.'

Churchill also warned his military chiefs that the Red Army would soon become impossible to beat.

He said: 'At any time that it took their fancy, they could march across the rest of Europe and drive us back into our island.'

The Operation Unthinkable file claims that the plan had the 'full support of public opinion in the British Empire and the United States'  a nod to general concern about the growing power of the Soviet Union.

Brigadier Thompson warned that the conflict might develop in a way which allowed Soviet troops to withdraw into Russia without suffering 'decisive defeat'.

General Hastings Ismay said it would be 'absolutely impossible for the leaders of democratic countries even to contemplate' attacking the Soviet Union. He said the Russians had done the 'lion's share of the fighting and endured untold suffering'

After Operation Unthinkable was rejected, Churchill warned that the Red Army would soon become impossible to beat. Pictured: Churchill meets with Stalin in 1943

Field Marshal Brooke (pictured above) added that the chance of success of Operation Unthinkable was 'quite impossible'

If this were to happen, he added that there was 'virtually no limit to the distance to which it would be necessary for the Allies to penetrate into Russia in order to render further resistance impossible'.

Laying out the bleak outlook further, he said that even if it were to go according to plan', 'the military power of Russia will not be broken and it will be open to her to recommence the conflict at any time she sees fit'.

As for the US, President Harry Truman  who came to office after the death of Roosevelt in April 1945  made it clear in a military cable that there was no possibility that Americans would lead an effort to drive Russian troops from Poland by force.
Moderna's Covid vaccine is safe and up to 100 per cent effective in children, trial data showed today.

Almost 4,000 youngsters aged 12 to 18 were enrolled in the study, with two thirds given the US-designed jab while the rest received a placebo.

No vaccinated children were struck down with symptomatic Covid two weeks after their second jab. For comparison, four in the placebo group had a mild infection.

The vaccine was 93 per cent effective two weeks after a first dose, data showed.

None of the children given the vaccine were hospitalised or died from the virus and no safety concerns were spotted.

Moderna bosses said they will submit the data from the phase 2/3 trials to medical regulators for approval in early June, paving the way for the jab to be approved for routine use in children in the US and Britain.

The US has already cleared Pfizer's jab for children, which works in a very similar way to Moderna's, after data showed it was effective and safe. But Britain has yet to make the same move, with regulators still assessing the data.

Scientists say approving Covid vaccines for children would be morally complicated because they are at such tiny risk from the virus. But No10 has already made plans to inoculate secondary school pupils with Pfizer's two dose jab in September, sources claim.

Moderna said its Covid vaccine was 93 per cent effective at blocking Covid infections in children aged 12 to 18. It was 100 per cent effective against hospitalisation and death

Britain could vaccinate secondary school pupils this year under plans being considered by ministers. But experts warn this is ethically complicated because children face a very small risk from the virus (stock image)

FULLY VACCINATED BRITONS WILL STILL HAVE TO SELF-ISOLATE AFTER JUNE 21 IF THEY ARE EXPOSED TO COVID Nadhim Zahawi today suggested fully vaccinated people will still have to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with Covid after June 21. The vaccines minister hinted that the rules will remain in place after 'freedom day' as he revealed that a member of his own family had contracted the disease despite having two jabs. The comments came as Mr Zahawi was challenged by Tory MP Mark Harper in the Commons over whether the requirement for 10-day quarantine would still be needed next month. There are concerns that the prospect of isolation after vaccines will undermine plans to return to normality. A single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine. Asked about the issue in the House, Mr Zahawi said: 'It's worth waiting until the 14th of June when we will be saying more on this. Suffice to say two things. 'One, even if you've had  and I have had this experience in my own family  two doses of either vaccine you still can actually contract Covid and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining. 'We are also looking at ways that contacts of people who may have contracted Covid can be regularly tested instead of isolating.' Government sources have been saying it is crucial that the contact tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.' Advertisement

Britain's medical regulator has already approved Pfizer's vaccine for over-16s and Moderna's for over-18s.

Official guidance says under-40s should receive an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine because of blood clot fears.

More than 200,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine have been dished out in the UK since last month, when the first delivery was received.

The trial data, from the TeenCOVE study, involved 3,732 youngsters from across the US who were split into a vaccine group (2,488 kids) and a placebo group (1,244).

Moderna said the results showed their jab was safe for use in children.

They defined Covid cases after the second dose as when a participant suffered at least two Covid symptoms  including fever, chills, muscle ache, headache, sore throat and/or loss of taste and smell  and had a positive test for the virus.

But after the first dose they said a participant was infected with the virus if they suffered only one tell-tale warning sign and had a positive test.

It was not clear how long the gap was between each dose, although this was thought to be around three weeks.

A spokesman told MailOnline the full trial data would be published when the study is released in a peer-reviewed journal.

They added that a different definition of a Covid infection was used after a first dose because the infection rate among young children was lower.

It was not clear why the separate definition was not also used after second jabs were administered.

Side-effects included pain at the injection site, and headaches, fatigue, chills and muscle pain after the second dose.

'We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 (the name for Moderna's vaccine) was highly effective at preventing Covid in adolescents,' said the company's chief executive officer Stephane Bancel.

'It is particularly exciting to see that the Moderna Covid vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

'We will submit these results to the US Food and Drug Administration (the country's medical regulator) and regulators globally in early June and request authorization.

'We remain committed to doing our part to help end the Covid pandemic.'

Moderna is also running a separate trial, called kidCOVE, to investigate the efficacy and safety of the jab in children aged six to 11. Results are expected in weeks.

Today's data builds on a separate data release in early May on their jab in children, which said early data suggested it was 96 per cent effective in the age group.

No tests were carried out involving the Indian variant  named B.1.617.2  which has raised fears lockdown easing plans may have been delayed.

But separate data from AstraZeneca has suggested the jabs are still as effective against the mutant strain which has spread to almost half of local authorities in England.

Advocates for vaccinating children argue it would help protect older people by allowing Britain to move one step closer to 'herd immunity', curbing the spread of the virus.

They also warn that while the immediate harms of Covid seem small on children, the dangers of 'long Covid' in the age group are still somewhat unknown.

But critics argue offering jabs to children would be unethical because it would only be done to protect older people  not the youngsters themselves.

Just 461 out of 129,960 Covid deaths recorded in England since last March, or 0.3 per cent, have been among under-20s.
The sister of a teenager who was found dead in a river days after she vanished has urged the author of an anonymous note to come forward with information.

Shona Gillan, 18, was found dead in the Six Mile Water in Antrim, Northern Ireland, in March after being reported missing four days earlier.

Her heartbroken family has now received an anonymous letter containing 'significant information' about the teenager's disappearance.

Shona's sister Amy Reid is calling on the author of the note to come forward to assist in the investigation following weeks of unanswered questions for the family.

Police in Northern Ireland are not treating Shona's death as suspicious but are continuing to investigate 'when and where [she] may have entered the water.'

The cause of Shona's death remains unconfirmed.

Shona Gillan (above), 18, was found dead in the Six Mile Water in Antrim, Northern Ireland, in March after being reported missing four days earlier

Her heartbroken family has now received an anonymous letter containing 'significant information' about the teenager's disappearance. Pictured: Shona with sister Amy Reid

She said: 'We just want this person to come forward and speak to the police. This is the first person to come forward with information like this.

'We just want this person to know there is nothing to be scared of. It would really help our family if they could come forward.'

In an emotive Facebook post, she added: 'As Shona's sister I really am encouraging you to contact the police or myself regarding this.

'As I've said so many times this is so difficult and heartbreaking for us as a family, I wouldn't wish this upon anybody. Please do the right thing.'

Shona was last heard from at around 11.40pm on March 3. Her body was pulled out of the Six Mile Water on March 6.

Her family has described the past few weeks as a 'nightmare', with Ms Reid adding her own investigation into Shona's death is 'the thing that is keeping me going.'

In an emotive Facebook post, Ms Reid added: 'As Shona's sister I really am encouraging you to contact the police or myself regarding this'

Police in Northern Ireland are not treating Shona's death as suspicious but are continuing to investigate 'when and where [she] may have entered the water'

She told BelfastLive: 'It would not have been like her to go off on her own somewhere like that, she was scared of the dark and would get her daddy to turn the landing light on for her if it was too dark.

'We just hope that someone will come forward to the police with more answers so we can find out what happened to my sister.'

Ms Reid has launched a significant social media campaign in a bid to find out more information about her sister's death, alongside handing out posters and leaflets.

Police in Northern Ireland are not treating the death as suspicious.

A spokesperson said the force is keen to establish 'when and where Shona may have entered the water, and to give her family those answers.'

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting reference 1122 06/03/21.
A distraught family who caught a female burglar on camera demanding their dementia-hit grandfather hand over his wallet have blasted a judge for sparing her from jail.

Carol Lewis, 50, tricked her way into the 88-year-old man's home in Ladywood, Birmingham, after knocking on his door at 5am asking to borrow milk and sugar.

Footage from a secret camera installed by the victim's family, captured Lewis making small talk before ordering him to give her money.

His family set up the camera at his flat after hundreds of pounds had previously been stolen in a similar scam.

The clip shows foul-mouthed Lewis repeatedly moaning about the cold weather, after conning her way into his home on October 26 last year.

Carol Lewis (pictured), 50, tricked her way into the 88-year-old man's home in Ladywood, Birmingham, after knocking on his door at 5am asking to borrow milk and sugar

Footage from a secret camera installed by the victim's family, captured Lewis making small talk before ordering him to give her money

She tells him: 'It's f****** freezing outside'.

After demanding his wallet, the victim, who was wearing just a T-shirt and boxer shorts, tells her: 'I don't know where it is, there's nothing in it.'

He then desperately tries to find the wallet while Lewis follows him around his home and rifles through his jacket.

Lewis, of Ladywood, left empty handed but was arrested by West Midlands Police when she tried to burgle his home at 6am just six days later.

She admitted two counts of burglary and another of fraud relating to another vulnerable man when she appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on May 4.

She was handed an 18-month prison term, suspended for two years.

His family set up the camera at his flat after hundreds of pounds had previously been stolen in a similar scam

The clip shows foul-mouthed Lewis repeatedly moaning about the cold weather, after conning her way into his home on October 26 last year

The victim's granddaughter Jade Wardle, 28, blasted the sentence, branding it 'unbelievably lenient'.

She said: 'In showing the video of my granddad being conned by this person I want to send a warning to other people who have vulnerable loved ones.

'Watching it made me sick to my stomach. It was horrible to see her shouting at him.

'She was really intimidating and her tone was just horrible and cruel.

'When I found out she wasn't being jailed I was shocked. She's still out there and could easily do this again. It just makes me really sad.'

After demanding his wallet, the victim, who was wearing just a T-shirt and boxer shorts, tells her: 'I don't know where it is, there's nothing in it'

The family installed the camera in his flat after becoming concerned he had previously been targeted by distraction burglars.

Ms Wardle added: 'When Granddad walked into the kitchen she started going through his coat, obviously looking for his wallet.

'Before we put the camera in his home, my mum hid his wallet just in case.

'All the while, she keeps shouting at him about how cold it is outside and even says she bet he's nice and warm in his bed while she's been stuck outside on the streets.'

The victim, who has 15 grandchildren, suffers from high blood pressure and was rushed to hospital on the same day Lewis walked free from court.

Ms Wardle said: 'The judge said he wouldn't give her a fine because he felt this would only encourage her to steal again. That just says everything.

He then desperately tries to find the wallet while Lewis follows him around his home and rifles through his jacket

'The sentence is just so unbelievably lenient.

'This woman is a thief and showed absolutely no remorse. This woman should have been sent to prison to keep people like my granddad safe.

'Granddad has been the victim of grooming. She must have known that he wouldn't have been able to remember who she was or where his money was going missing.

'She must have spoken to someone and planned out this burglary knowing that Granddad would be less likely to give a statement to police or be able to identify her.'

Lewis also admitted targeting another man, in his 50s, between June and September last year.

She was also ordered to take part in a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement order.
Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Oral Care in Saudi Arabia under Saudi Arabia Consumer Goods Market category. The Oral Care Market in Saudi Arabia is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports.

Retail current value sales of oral care rose at their fastest rate in five years during 2020, while unit sales increased for the first time in four years. Demand for mouthwashes/dental rinses was particularly strong during the year, as some media reports recommended their use as a preventative measure against the virus. However, unit sales of dental floss  which had been the top performer in oral care during the review period  were flat in 2020.

Oral Care in Saudi Arabia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2016-2020, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. Forecasts to 2025 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: Dental Floss, Denture Care, Mouth Fresheners, Mouthwashes/Dental Rinses, Tooth Whiteners, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste.

Request a free sample copy of Saudi Arabia Oral Care Market Report @

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Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

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Table Of Contents

List OF CONTENTS AND TABLES

ORAL CARE IN SAUDI ARABIA

KEY DATA FINDINGS

2020 IMPACT

COVID-19 threat boosts demand for mouthwashes

Regular new product launches help Sensodyne maintain its leadership in toothpaste

Pandemic proves to be the perfect environment for e-commerce to flourish

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Increased oral health care awareness will lead to accelerated demand growth

There will be fewer expats, but increased labour force participation should boost disposable income, particularly for women

With local consumers now much more comfortable with online shopping, e-commerce is here to stay

CATEGORY DATA

Table 1 Sales of Oral Care by Category: Value 2015-2020

Table 2 Sales of Oral Care by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020

Table 3 Sales of Toothbrushes by Category: Value 2015-2020

Table 4 Sales of Toothbrushes by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020

Table 5 Sales of Toothpaste by Type: % Value Breakdown 2016-2020

Table 6 NBO Company Shares of Oral Care: % Value 2016-2020

Table 7 LBN Brand Shares of Oral Care: % Value 2017-2020

Table 8 LBN Brand Shares of Mouthwashes/Dental Rinses: % Value 2017-2020

Table 9 LBN Brand Shares of Toothpaste: % Value 2017-2020

Table 10 Forecast Sales of Oral Care by Category: Value 2020-2025

Table 11 Forecast Sales of Oral Care by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025

Table 12 Forecast Sales of Toothbrushes by Category: Value 2020-2025

Table 13 Forecast Sales of Toothbrushes by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025

BEAUTY AND PERSONAL CARE IN SAUDI ARABIA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

COVID-19 impact on beauty and personal care

COVID-19 country impact

Company response

Retailing shift

What next for beauty and personal care?

CHART 1 Beauty and Personal Care Value Sales Growth Scenarios: 2018-2025

CHART 2 Beauty and Personal Care Impact of Soft Drivers on Value Sales: 2017-2025

MARKET DATA

Table 14 Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: Value 2015-2020

Table 15 Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020

Table 16 GBO Company Shares of Beauty and Personal Care: % Value 2016-2020

Table 17 NBO Company Shares of Beauty and Personal Care: % Value 2016-2020

Table 18 LBN Brand Shares of Beauty and Personal Care: % Value 2017-2020

Table 19 Distribution of Beauty and Personal Care by Format: % Value 2015-2020

Table 20 Distribution of Beauty and Personal Care by Format and Category: % Value 2020

Table 21 Forecast Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: Value 2020-2025

Table 22 Forecast Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025

GLOBAL MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

GLOBAL INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT

DISCLAIMER

SOURCES

Summary 1 Research Sources

Browse our full report with Table of Contents: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/oral-care-in-saudi-arabia/211714

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An alleged hitman accused of gunning down and killing an innocent 19-year-old law student fled to Portugal just days after the drive-by shooting gone wrong, a court has heard.

Aya Hachem was shot in the chest from a passing car as she shopped for groceries near her home in Blackburn, Lancs, on May 17 last year.

Preston Crown Court previously heard she was 'in the wrong place at the wrong time' when she inadvertently became caught up in a feud between two tyre firm owners.

The shooting, according to the prosecution, was the culmination of a long-running dispute between Feroz Suleman, of RI Tyres, and Pachah Khan, of Quickshine Tyres.

They say Suleman hired a hitman called Zamir Raja to have Mr Khan killed.

Aya Hachem , who was a trustee with the Children's Society, was just 100 yards from her home

Armed officers, along with as many as seven squad cars and a helicopter, attended the scene

Nicholas Johnson QC yesterday told the jury that Raja, the man who he says fired the shot that killed Aya, fled to Portugal via Dublin nine days after the incident.

Three days later Anthony Ennis, the man accused of being Raja's driver at the time of the hit, flew to the continent on his brother's passport, it was heard.

Prosecutors say a meet up between the pair in which they initially pretended not to know each other but later embraced in a 'brotherly hug' was caught on CCTV.

Nicholas Johnson QC told the jury at Preston Crown Court: 'They thought they had got away with murder. Home free.'

By this stage, other suspects Feroz Suleman, Judy Chapman, Kashif Manzoor, Abubkar Satia, Uthman Satia and Hussain Ayaz had all been arrested.

All eight defendants, accused of murder, played an important role in the killing of Aya, the prosecution says.

Ten days after he had travelled to Portugal, Raja returned to the UK in a car he had hired with Ennis in Portugal, Mr Johnson told the court.

Lancashire Police officers in forensic suits at the scene of the shooting in Blackburn on May 18

Pictured: The Toyota Avensis police believe was involved in the shooting of Ms Hachem

He said the defendant was arrested at London's Euston Station as he was waiting to board a train for Manchester.

When the car was searched, the court heard, rental documentation bearing Ennis' fingerprints was found alongside two female wigs.

Almost a month later, Ennis was arrested by Spanish police after he had travelled to the country from Portugal, it was heard, and he was extradited to the UK.

Opening the case last week, Mr Johnson told the court the feud between Suleman and Mr Khan started in 2019 when Quickshine began selling tyres next door to RI after previously only washing cars.

This resulted in 'bad blood', it was heard, and a plan was hatched to kill Mr Khan and/or someone else at Quickshine.

The court heard Aya, as an aspiring solicitor, was walking along King Street at 3pm on May 17, 2020, when she was hit.

The prosecution says she was shot by hired hitman Raja, who was sitting in the back of a Toyota Avensis being driven by Anthony Ennis.

Aya died from her injuries a short time later.

Mr Johnson told the court Suleman was the 'organiser of the whole thing' while Abubakr Satia sourced the Avensis used in the shooting.

Both Uthman Satia and his girlfriend Judy Chapman acted as getaway drivers for Mr Raja and Mr Ennis, it was heard, while Kashif Manzoor ensured the Avensis was running properly.

The prosecution alleges Ayaz Hussain acted as a link between Mr Suleman and gunman Mr Raja.

Suleman, 40, Manzoor, 26, Hussain, 35, Satia, 32, all from Blackburn, Raja, 33, of Stretford, Ennis, 31, of Partington, Satia, 29, and Ms Chapman, 26, both of Great Harwood, all deny murder.

All eight have also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Khan.

The trial, estimated to last up to 10 weeks, continues.
This is the comical moment a Great Argus pheasant fails to impress a female bird with his elaborate mating dance.

Footage captured at the Maharajah Jungle Trek at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, Florida, shows the amorous bird fan its feathers in spectacular display aimed at charming the female pheasant.

The male bird continues to shake his feathers in the direction of the female, despite her lack of enthusiasm as amused spectators watch the mating ritual unfold.

The Great Argus pheasant spreads out his feathers in an attempt to impress a female bird at the Maharajah Jungle Trek and Disney's Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, Florida

During the clip, which was filmed on May 21, visitors watch as the Great Argus spreads his feathers and approaches the female bird.

As the female pheasant tries to walk away, the undeterred male continues to fan out his brown plumage.

The pheasant lets his feathers quiver slightly as the female bird remains motionless and one visitor shouts: 'She's just not having it!'

The filmer said: 'While walking through The Maharajah Jungle Trek and Disney's Animal Kingdom we came across the Great Argus pheasant doing his mating dance for his female.

'The female seemed completely uninterested as guests filed around the pair. I filmed a small bit of his dance but he must have performed for her for 15 minutes or more.'

The amorous bird fans out his brown plumage and attempts to charm the female pheasant

The female bird tries to walk away but the male pheasant continues to fan out his feathers at her

Great Argus pheasants, which are found in tropical rainforests on the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay peninsula, have brown feathers with large eyespot markings, a blue head and red upper breast.

During the courtship ritual, the male pheasants curve their wings upward and around to form a huge funnel as they vibrate their tail and plumage towards the female bird.

The male initially make loud calls to attract females. The energetic dance then helps to signal the fitness of the male to the female bird.

If mating is successful, the female Great Argus pheasant makes a nest and incubates her eggs alone.

The omnivorous birds, which are often hunted for their feathers, eat seeds, fruits, leaves, ants, larvae, slugs, molluscs and worms.
Hurricane pilot Eric Redfern was shot down by Germans during a raid on enemy vessels in northern France in August 1941

Battle of Britain hero Eric Redfern had just got married when he was shot down and killed by the Germans in 1941.

Joan Preston, his wife of just a few weeks, had not known that the letter she received from him eight days prior would tragically be his last.

But their love story has reemerged after the contents of the suitcase she loyally kept for the rest of her life, containing his letters, medals and newspaper cuttings, go up for auction this week.

The 27-year-old RAF Hurricane pilot was ambushed during a raid on enemy supply vessels at Le Touquet in northern France, on August 17, some 80 years ago.

In his last correspondence to his wife on August 9, he wrote of his friend: 'Suppose you've heard about Bader going missing... dived on seven 109s and didn't see 40 above him' - not knowing he would suffer a similar fate just days later.

Wife Joan, from Norwich, waited anxiously for another message from her husband, but it never arrived.

The next letter she received would bear the heartbreaking news that he was missing in action after failing to return to base from a sortie five days earlier.

He would be declared presumed killed in 1942 before Allies found his grave following the D-Day landings in 1944.

Unknown to his family back home, his body had been recovered by the Germans and buried in an unmarked grave at Etaples, near Boulogne.

Joan remarried in 1946 but never forgot Eric, storing all his love letters, medals and other belongings in a leather suitcase for the rest of her life - all of which are now up for auction.

The collection includes a letter of condolence from King George VI.

It read: 'The Queen and I offer you our heartfelt sympathy in your great sorrow.

'We pray that your country's gratitude for a life so nobly given in its service may bring you some measure of consolation.'

The suitcase was passed down through Joan's family's after she died.

Flt Sgt Redfern's archive is now being sold by a private collector with C&T Auctions, of Ashford, Kent, who expect them to fetch 1,600.

The cache of letters includes one penned to Joan in 1939 in which he states 'I know we are going to get married one day'.

Wife Joan never forgot her tragic first husband, storing all his love letters, medals and belongings in a leather suitcase until the day she died

The collection includes a hand-signed letter from King George VI, offering Joan his condolences after her husband was shot down and killed by Germans in 1941

'May I assure you of the sympathy of the Royal Air Force with you in your anxiety': The heart-stopping letter Joan received informing her that her Hurricane pilot husband Eric Redfern was missing in action

He writes to her on a separate occasion from 'under an aeroplane' and reveals to her he had made a 'perfect forced landing'.

In another undated letter, he tells her 'it was good to get home for a few hours'.

Later on, he mentions RAF ace Group Captain Douglas Bader being shot down, which took place on August 9, 1941.

Since Flt Sgt Redfern was killed eight days later.

Matthew Tredwen, specialist at C&T Auctions, said: 'These Battle of Britain pilots were heroes and as Churchill said we owed them so much.

'Had they not thwarted the German Luftwaffe, the outcome of the war may have been very different.

'Flt Sgt Redfern, like so many others, was taken far too soon, and this is a very emotive archive.'

Flt Sgt Redfern, the son of a doctor, was born in Crewe in 1914 and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in July 1939.

After completing his training, he served with 607 Squadron at Usworth in early 1940 before moving to 232 Squadron at Castletown that August as part of 13 Group, who protected Scapa Flow and the coastal waters around the north of Britain.

Flt Sgt Redfern was posted to 242 Squadron at Martlesham Heath in January 1941 and destroyed an Me 109 during a bomber escort to Bethune on June 17.

He damaged another Me 109 on June 23 and one on a Stirling escort on July 8.

He went on leave to marry Joan in July 1941 but soon returned to action.

The newlywed was killed while providing low-level support for Blenheims on August 17, 1941.

Joan remarried in 1946 but kept all of her first husband's medals; the 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star and 1939-45 War Medal

'It was good to get home if only for a few days': One of the love letters written by Flight Sergeant Eric Redfern to his wife Joan during World War Two

'There can not be reasonable grounds for believing that he can still be alive': The official letter sent to Joan months after her husband did not return from a raid in northern France

However, his fate was not immediately known to the men of his squadron who hoped he may have survived and been captured.

Flying Officer John Williamson, of 242 Squadron, wrote to Joan: 'Eric had been with the squadron a long time and was greatly endeared to us all, not only for his devotion to duty but for his cheerfulness and never say die spirit.

'Because of the escapes he has had in the past, when luck was always with him, and because of his ability as a pilot we are all hoping he may have succeeded in making a landing in France and we may hear news of him soon.

'...In the meantime I'm personally seeing that Eric's affects are carefully packed and forwarded to you.'

Flt Sgt Redfern's medal group consists of the 1939-45 Star, the Air Crew Europe Star and the 1939-45 War Medal.

A total of 1,542 Allied aircrew were killed during the Battle of Britain which spanned from July to October 1940.

Churchill said of their wartime contribution: 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few.'

The auction will take place on Wednesday.
The damage caused by a power station explosion that sparked chaos across Queensland could take years and millions of dollars to repair.

Almost half a million of homes and businesses were plunged into darkness for several hours on Tuesday after the blast and subsequent fire at the Callide power station near Biloela in Central Queensland.

All plant workers were evacuated and no one was hurt.

An investigation has been launched, amid speculation a hydrogen leak may have caused the mechanical failure of a turbine or generator.

A power station explosion caused statewide power outrages across Queensland. Pictured is Toombul Shopping Centre in Brisbane

CFMMEU Mining and Energy Vice President Shane Brunker believes repairs would take 'months if not years' to repair and would 'probably buy a couple of houses on the Gold Coast'.

'It will be millions,' he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Power was restored to most affected regions by 5pm.

Rail services were not affected but Gold Coast trams were hit.

The international terminal at Brisbane Airport was also affected, but only for 15 minutes as generators kicked in to keep air traffic controllers on line. The domestic terminal wasn't impacted.

Generators were also used to keep affected hospitals running.

Queenslanders were urged to restrict power use to 'minimise stress on the system' on Tuesday night to ensure there were no further outages.

The power outage across Queensland also caused havoc for peak afternoon traffic (pictured)

Brisbane City Council staff were shocked to receive a memo during the outage, telling them to take unpaid leave or annual leave.

'This may include completing work offline if appropriate, taking an unpaid break during this period or accessing flex leave or your accrued leave, such as annual leave,' the memo obtained by the Courier Mail stated.

Those able to keep working should do so, it states, noting that some devices and laptops have a battery life 'that will mean you can continue to work offline.'

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner later assured no council employee affected by the outage would be forced to use up leave.

'I have asked that this message be passed on to any staff members affected,' he told the Courier Mail.

'There is a process in place to gradually and safely increase supply from other power stations. These scenarios are planned for and our recovery plan is already in place.'

An investigation has been launched into the explosion and subsequent fire at the Callide power station near Biloela in Central Queensland

A spokesman for CS Energy, the operators of the Callide power station, revealed they 'acted immediately' following the incident.

'At approximately 1:45pm today, a fire occurred in one of the turbine halls at the power station,' the statement read.

'As a result, the three units that were generating at the time went offline.

'We immediately evacuated the power station and called emergency services to attend site.'

Nobody at the site was injured.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni told parliament a fire affected units three and four at the Callide power station.

'The sudden loss of two thousand megawatts of generated electricity has caused outages across the state,' Mr de Brenni said.

'There is a process in place to gradually and safely increase supply from other power stations. These scenarios are planned for and our recovery plan is already in place.'

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across Queensland have been plunged into darkness after an explosion at a power station cut electricity (Pictured: A shopping centre plunged into darkness on Tuesday afternoon)

Firefighters are yet to get inside the plant and don't know if the fire is out but reports from the scene, near the town of Biloela, suggest there is minimal if any smoke.

Danny Donald from power company Energex says he's not sure the Queensland network has experienced an outage of a similar scale.

But he said restoration was quick, and everyone who lost power was back online about two hours later.

Mr Donald warned there would be 'instability' in the network in coming days and confirmed AMEO had issued a 'lack of reserve' notice to the national market.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will meet on Tuesday afternoon with the family of George Floyd one year after he was killed by a police officer during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The president called on Congress during his first joint address in April to pass a sweeping police reform bill by the one year anniversary of Floyd's death, but that isn't happening.

'I would be shocked if something happened as soon as tomorrow,' Senator Dick Durban, the Democratic Whip, told reporters at the Capitol on Monday. 'I was briefed before we left last week.'

Despite genuine steps forward, Democrats and Republicans still weren't able to reach a deal by the deadline Biden set for getting police reform legislation to his desk.

Durbin said 'it felt good when there was a conversation on the floor' between himself and Senators Cory Booker, Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet on Tuesday with the family of George Floyd at the White House on the one year anniversary of his death

It is not clear which members of Floyd's family will make the trip to Washington, D.C., but his brothers Philonise left) and Terrence (right) have been vocal in the Black Lives Matter movement ever since his death

During Biden's first joint address to Congress in April, he set the deadline for May 25 to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act so it would get to the president's desk on the one year anniversary of his death

Congress failed to meet Biden's deadline. 'I would be shocked if something happened as soon as tomorrow,' Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durban said Monday

'I felt good about it. But no sooner did the staff get together that they found some areas where they still need work,' Durbin said of reaching a deal on the police reform bill.

'I think we're a lot closer,' Booker said of the negotiations, but told CNN when asked if the group plans to announce a deal Tuesday: 'No.'

Before Floyd's family meets with the president and vice president at the White House on Tuesday, the family's attorney Ben Crump confirmed they will stop at Capitol Hill first to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Karen Bass, who is helping with negotiation efforts on police reform legislation.

Crump also told NBC News that the family would meet with several senators from both parties, although he did not identify any of the lawmakers by name.

It is unclear exactly which family members will be present from the trip to Washington D.C., but Floyd's brothers Philonise and Terrence have been vocal leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement since their brother's death last May.

Senator Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, Senator Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and Representative Bass, a Democrat from California, have been leading talks on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The legislation aims to ban certain policing tactics at the federal level, like chokeholds and carotid holds. Lawmakers would also include provisions in the legislation that would seek to improve police training and invest in community programs.

Floyd's family will also stop at the Capitol on Tuesday to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left), Representative Karen Bass (right) and other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle

Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd attends a news conference following the verdict of her father's killer on April 19, 2021. To her left is her mother and Floyd's former partner Roxie Washington

Floyd's sisters Zsa-Zsa (left) and LaTonya (right) speak to media following a memorial service for their brother in North Carolina on June 6, 2020

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second and third-degree murder and manslaughter after video captured his arrest of Floyd, which the jury concluded led to his death.

Chauvin's sentencing is on June 25, which could see him sent to prison for the rest of his life.

Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, said there is a 'conscious effort' to keep both parties at the negotiating table to get police reform passed.

'We need to find areas of compromise. We found some. So I'm optimistic,' Scott said.

Floyd was killed during an arrest in May 2020 by Derek Chauvin. The former Minneapolis police officer was guilty of second and third-degree murder and manslaughter after video captured the arrest, which the jury concluded led to Floyd's death

With an evenly split Senate, Democrats will need to garner support from at least 10 Republican members to avoid threats of a filibuster.

Therefore, they may need to compromise on some progressive priorities like ending qualified immunity, which currently grants government officials  including police  who are performing their duties immunity from civil suits unless the plaintiff can show the individual 'clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known'.

Floyd's death led to national outrage, a slew of riots and protests, and a reinvigorated effort from lawmakers to pass legislation to address how law enforcement interacts with the communities they are tasked with protecting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of a 'very powerful' response if Hamas violates the truce on Friday that ended 11 days of bloodshed.

'If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful,' Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

He was speaking following talks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who is in Jerusalem for discussions on firming up the days-old truce.

Blinken stressed that international aid to rebuild Gaza, in which experts say some 300 buildings were destroyed, should not benefit Hamas, the militant and political group that rules the area.

'We'll work with our partners closely, with all, to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance,' Blinken said.

The US' top diplomat was scheduled to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas later on Tuesday but will not meet with representatives of Hamas, which is blacklisted by Washington as a terror group.

He will then travel on to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. Egypt, along with Israel is engaged in a blockade of Gaza that began in 2007, and Jordan administers Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa compound.

US President Joe Biden said Blinken would meet 'with Israeli leaders about our ironclad commitment to Israel's security,' as well as seeking to rebuild ties with the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of a 'very powerful' response if Hamas violates the truce on Friday that ended 11 days of bloodshed

'If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful,' Netanyahu said on Tuesday. He was speaking following talks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (left) who is in Jerusalem for discussions on firming up the days-old truce

Blinken on Sunday reaffirmed US support for a two-state solution as the only way to provide hope to Israelis and Palestinians that they can live 'with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity.'

His remarks about 'equal measures' for Israelis and Palestinians seemed to shift the tone from former president Donald Trump's administration, which cut aid to the Palestinian Authority and unveiled a Middle East peace plan with strong Israeli backing but no support from Palestinians.

In Jerusalem on Tuesday, Blinken said Israelis and Palestinians faced an uphill struggle to restore trust, after conflict in Gaza and unrest in the West Bank.

'There's lots of hard work ahead to restore hope, respect and some trust across the communities,' the US top diplomat said.

'But we've seen the alternative and I think that should cause all of us to redouble our efforts to preserve the peace and improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians alike.'

Israeli air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians in the densely populated area, including 66 children, and wounded over 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict that began on May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says.

Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian and two Thais, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.

Blinken stressed that international aid to rebuild Gaza, in which experts say some 300 buildings were destroyed, should not benefit Hamas, the militant and political group that rules the area

Blinken's visit comes as the ceasefire holds, but tensions simmer in Israel and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories. Pictured: Volunteers and workers clear the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City

Blinken's visit comes as the ceasefire holds, but tensions simmer in Israel and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Hours before Blinken's arrival, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli security sources said.

The man was killed during an Israeli arrest raid on Al-Amara refugee camp near Ramallah, the sources said.

In occupied east Jerusalem, Israeli police said an attacker stabbed two young Israeli men on Monday before police shot him dead. The army said one of those wounded was a soldier.

Palestinian news agency WAFA identified the casualty as a 17-year-old Palestinian high school student.

In the night of Sunday to Monday, Israeli forces rounded up 43 Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said.

Israeli police, who operate in east Jerusalem, said late on Sunday that they had arrested 1,550 suspects and had charged 150 over the past two weeks in connection with the 'violent events'.

Peace talks have stalled since 2014, including over the status of east Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The latest military escalation started after Israeli forces had moved in on Palestinian worshippers in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, toward the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The compound includes Islam's third holiest site and is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount.

Israeli forces had also sought to quell protests against the threatened eviction of Palestinian families from homes in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Jewish settlers.
Vice President Kamala Harris' aunt and uncle spoke to her from India earlier this month to give her a firsthand account about the COVID-19 crisis on the ground in her late mother's home country.

The Washington Post reported details of their conversation Tuesday, amid criticism from some Indian-Americans that Harris hasn't done enough personally to address the horrific surge.

Harris' relatives told the vice president - the first of Indian descent - that they were healthy, but nearly everyone they know has a friend or relative with COVID-19.

Cases in India have gone down since a high of around 400,000 new cases a day earlier this month, but they're still hovering around 200,000 new COVID cases each day.

Harris' 80-year-old maternal uncle Balachandran Gopalan lives in New Delhi. And one of her two aunts, Sarala Gopalan, lives in the Indian city of Chennai.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first vice president of Indian descent, spoke with family members from her late mother's home country about the COVID situation on the ground there in early May

Vice President Kamala Harris' 80-year-old maternal uncle, Balachandran Gopalan, lives in New Delhi, India

India has been devasted by COVID, with some 400,000 new COVID cases a day earlier this month. In this photo, relatives and volunteers wear protective suits to carry the body of a person who died from the coronavirus to a gravesite

The Post report didn't specifically name who she talked to.

The Associated Press reported in a May 6 story that she hadn't spoken to her uncle since March, but The Post said the conversation happened on May 7, shortly after she delivered a speech on 'bolstering U.S. COVID relief in India.'

Prior to her participation in that event, Harris has been criticized for not speaking more personally about the tragedy in India.

For example, 22-year-old Aditi Kharod, who recently graduated from the University of North Carolina, blasted Harris' response to the crisis in the college newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, knocking her for sending out an 'impersonal' tweet.

'The U.S. is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of Indiaincluding its courageous healthcare workers,' Harris tweeted on April 25.

Kharod likened the tweet to Harris writing 'that sucks' and wrote, 'her silence during this crisis cut particularly deep' in a column headlined: 'Kamala Harris and the failures of identity politics.'

An op-ed written by 22-year-old Aditi Kharod in The Daily Tar Heel criticized this Harris tweet, calling it 'impersonal' and writing that it amounted to her saying 'that sucks'

The Post reported that Kharod's criticism has softened as Harris has gotten more involved.

Writing for The Independent, Sujatha Shenoy said that Harris' reaction to the COVID-19 crisis in India has been 'surprisingly cold.'

'As an American vice president, Harris has no special obligation to empathize with another country. Identities, however, are not things that can be donned or discarded at will,' Shenoy said. 'By talking extensively about her Indian American roots, Harris and the White House positioned the vice president as having a special connection to India. That made her absence in the conversation particularly noticeable.'

But one of the four Indian-American lawmakers in Congress, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, told The Post that Harris is making moves behind-the-scenes.

'I know she's incredibly passionate about her Indian heritage and her Indian roots,' Krishnamoorthi said. 'And I know she is fighting for assistance and aid and wants to make sure India, like any other hard-hit country, receives the assistance it should.'
A second man has been arrested over the brutal attack by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters of a Kippa-wearing Jewish man near Times Square.

Faisal Elezzi, 25, of Staten Island, was charged Monday with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime, police said.

That came after Joseph Borgen was beaten by a group of five men yelling anti-Semitic epithets. He had been on his way to a pro-Israel demonstration last Thursday.

Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless on the ground as he was battered by the angry mob outside of 1604 Broadway.

Waseem Awawdeh, 23, was the first man arrested over the violent assault and was charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

He appeared in court Saturday and prosecutors say he told a jailer: 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.'

Elezzi, meanwhile, appeared at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday.

It is not known if either Awawdeh or Elezzi are Palestinian.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is still looking for three more men in connection with the attack.

Violent clashes have erupted between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the city over the last week as tensions in the Middle East flared.

Faisal Elezzi, 25, of Staten Island, was charged Monday with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime, police said

Faisal Elezzi leaves Manhattan Criminal Court after an appearance on Tuesday

Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless on the ground as he was battered by the angry mob outside of 1604 Broadway last Thursday

Awawdeh, who did not enter a plea, was ordered to be held on a $10,000 bail and was charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, cops said.

His attorney said Awawdeh is enrolled in college and is not a flight risk, the New York Post reported.

Awawdeh's friends told the outlet that he was attacked first and that 'they picked somebody that was weak, that was on crutches.'

Elezzi is one of five men suspected of assaulting Joseph Borgen, 29, while making antisemitic statements during rival pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests in Midtown last week

Elezzi is pictured leaving Manhattan Criminal Court after an appearance on Tuesday

Faisal Elezzi, 25, is said to have been arrested at his home on Staten Island

On Friday, the NYPD identified Waseem Awawdah, 23, as one of the suspects in the attack

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Awawdeh wearing a black t-shirt with 'Palestine' emblazoned on the front, as he was led out of the 5th Precinct in handcuffs on Friday

Police released pictures of four suspects who allegedly beat a Jewish man in New York City. The third and fourth images from left appear to be the same person

Man, 39, is arrested after 'yelling anti-Semitic abuse at Florida rabbi and dumping a bag of human feces in front of synagogue' Jeffrey Carl Fleming Police have arrested a man who they say yelled antisemitic abuse at a rabbi and dumped a bag of human feces in front of a South Florida synagogue. Hallandale Beach police arrested Jeffrey Carl Fleming on Monday on charges of felony stalking with a hate crime enhancement and littering human waste. He was being held Tuesday morning without bond at the Broward County Jail. Details on his arrest were not released. Capt. Pedro Abut said in a statement that Fleming, 39, is the man who was captured on cellphone video who went on a rant outside the Chabad of South Broward on Friday. The man, barefoot and dressed in a white robe, left and returned a short time later, carrying a bag or pillowcase that contained human feces. He dumped the bag in front of the synagogue and yelled, 'Jews should die,' according to a police report. He also spat at a menorah near a sidewalk, according to the police. Court records do not indicate if Fleming has an attorney. By Associated Press Advertisement

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Awawdeh wearing a black t-shirt with 'Palestine' emblazoned on the front, as he was led out of the 5th Precinct in handcuffs on Friday.

Borgen, an accountant who lives on the Upper East Side, was wearing a grey kippa and walking toward Times Square around 6:30pm Thursday when he alleged that a young man with a black bandana started chasing him.

'I turned around to try to figure out what was going on and the next thing I knew I was surrounded by a whole crowd of people who proceeded to physically attack me, beat me, kick me, punch me, hit me with crutches, hit me with flag poles,' he told DailyMail.com on Friday afternoon from his apartment after being released from Bellevue Hospital.

'After I wound up on the ground, I was literally just in a fetal position, trying to guard my head and face, literally just trying to make it out of their alive,' Borgen said.

'I thought I was going to die. I thought I was really going to die.'

Borgen said there were eight to 10 people taking part in the beatdown and they were shouting anti-Semitic slurs such as: 'You filthy Jew. We're going to f*****g kill you. Go back to Israel. Hamas is going to kill you.'

He said the most painful part occurred toward the end, when they pepper sprayed him.

'I thought I was getting urinated on because I felt a stream on my face. 'They maced me or pepper sprayed me for like a minute straight.

Borgen said the ruthless beatdown finally came to an end when police officers showed up and dispersed the mob.

President Joe Biden later condemned violence against Jewish communities in the United States and abroad on Monday after a string of attacks amid the conflict between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Physical or verbal assaults were reported against Jews in New York City, Los Angeles and South Florida during the 11 days of fighting in the region.

'The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop. I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad - its up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor,' Biden wrote in a Twitter post.

Joseph Borgen was beaten by a group of five men yelling anti-Semitic epithets while on his way to a pro Israel demonstration last Thursday. Pictured: Borgen's bruised and battered face

Borgen, pictured in the hospital, said the most painful part occurred toward the end of the beatdown, when he was pepper sprayed

But Rudy Giuliani has said the wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the US in the wake of the renewed Israel Palestine conflict is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s.

The former Mayor of New York said the violence would not have happened under Donald Trump and is a response to the 'march to socialism' of the Biden administration.

An Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held into a fourth day on Monday. Medical officials said 248 people were killed in Gaza during the 11 days of fighting.

Medics said rocket fire and a guided missile attack killed 13 people in Israel.

'I think we're in Germany back in the 1930s': Rudy Giuliani says anti-Semitic attacks in the US are a response to Joe Biden's 'march to socialism' and would never have happened under Donald Trump

Rudy Giuliani says the wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the US in the wake of the renewed Israel Palestine conflict is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s.

The former Mayor of New York said the violence would not have happened under Donald Trump and is a response to the 'march to socialism' of the Joe Biden administration.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have beaten up Jewish people and chanted 'death to Jews' in ugly scenes which Giuliani said is the 'biggest story in the country'.

Rudy Giuliani says the wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the US in the wake of the renewed Israel Palestine conflict is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s

Giuliani told Newsmax: 'This should not happen in America... This is a very dangerous thing we're watching.

'That's a very big sign of how bad things are and how fast we're moving toward the wrong kind of government. I mean, a really fundamental change in our way of life.

'I watch the videos and I think we're in Germany, back in the '30s.'

Giuliani emphasized that the Jewish community in the US are not responsible for the actions of the Israeli government and are often opposed to their tactics.

He said he has long supported Jews who he said are 'too much a part of America, they built America too much  too much respect for them'.

He added that Palestinians are 'trained in their schools to hate Jews and to hate Americans'.

The former legal counsel to Donald Trump said there was no way these attacks would happen under the former president.

In Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian protesters were spotted brawling with LA restaurant diners after allegedly asking if any of them were Jewish.

A car convoy flying Palestinian flags is pictured rolling through the Beverly Grove section of LA on Tuesday. Witnesses said members of the caravan yelled 'death to Jews' and 'free Palestine'

Footage of the incident, recorded on Tuesday night, showed kicks and punches exchanged, as well as bottles being thrown and a velvet rope being swung outside Sushi Fumi in Beverly Grove.

Onlookers said the violence erupted after the Palestine supporters asked if any of the diners were Jews, with some responding that they were.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a witness, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said some people from the convoy of cars threw bottles and chanted 'death to Jews' and 'free Palestine.'

The Los Angeles Police Department said on Wednesday that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
CNN is being accused of a double-standard after it fired Rick Santorum who says he was 'savaged for telling the truth' even as the network stood by anchor Chris Cuomo when he admitted to secretly advising his brother on harassment allegations.

Santorum said he is standing by his comments on the founding of the U.S. that outraged some Native Americans after they were seen as insensitive.

CNN insiders, meanwhile, say the network has rolled over when it comes to enforcing journalistic standards after it was revealed that Cuomo told his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to 'take a defiant position' on sexual harassment allegations made by women who had worked with the governor.

'I'm very disappointed in the network,' a current on-air personality told the Daily Beast about the lack of discipline for Cuomo. CNN said it wouldn't discipline Cuomo, according to the Washington Post.

Santorum, meanwhile, a Republican former senator from Pennsylvania, was fired by the network over the weekend from his commentator position.

'You get savaged for telling the truth,' Santorum told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview on Monday, defending his remarks last month to a conservative youth group.

'We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here,' Santorum told the group on April 23, before being fired last weekend. 'I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn't much Native American culture in American culture.'

Santorum on Monday said that he 'misspoke' but defended the intent of his remarks, saying that he was referring to the founding of the United States government and blaming 'cancel culture' at CNN for his firing.

Scroll down for video

Rick Santorum is standing by the comments about Native Americans that recently got him fired from CNN, saying 'You get savaged for telling the truth'

On May 6, 1626, Dutch colonial officer Peter Minuit purchases Manhattan Island from Man-a-hat-a Native Americans, for trinkets valued at $24

'What I said was not at all disparaging towards Native Americans: What I was talking about is the founding of the United States of America and that Native Americans did not have a role in the founding of our country,' said Santorum.

'Now, you can say that's a bad thing or a good thing or the way we treated Native Americans was bad, but I was giving a talk to a group of young people talking about the founding principles of religious liberty and how important it was to the immigrants who came here to found this country. And that was an important value that was imbued into our Constitution.'

Santorum said that CNN president Jeff Zucker (above) had not spoken to him personally regarding his firing

'One of the things I'm concerned about is you get savaged for telling the truth, and I told the truth here,' Santorum insisted.

'Don Lemon came on right after my interview and said that Native Americans founded the United States of America. And again, you are entitled to your opinion, but not the facts, and that's where I think we have gotten off-kilter here a little bit in America,' he said, referring to another CNN host.

'I have no animus, I appreciate the opportunity that they [CNN] gave me, but it shows that the left is intolerant,' Santorum said. 'And I hear from a lot of liberals - in fact many CNN contributors - who talked to me afterward who were very, very concerned about the cancel culture that is now hitting them at CNN.'

Santorum said that CNN President Jeff Zucker had not spoken to him personally regarding his firing.

'I have not talked to Jeff,' he said. 'I do know that several groups, paid groups, have been trying to get me fired for four years. There's been a pretty persistent effort on social media.'

During a town hall with CNN employees on Tuesday, Zucker addressed the network's decision to drop Santorum as a paid guest commentator, according to Washington Post reporter Jeremy Barr.

'He was an important voice for the past five years,' Zucker said. 'But his recent comments were inappropriate and racist.'

Media observers suggested CNN may have fired Santorum to distract attention from Chris Cuomo, who was forced to apologize after he was found to have joined strategy calls to help his brother, the governor of New York, deal with the fallout from his sexual harassment scandal.

CNN has been accused of hypocrisy for failing to take action against Chris Cuomo, right, who admitted taking part in strategy calls to help his brother Andrew, left, deal with the fallout from his sexual harassment scandal

'Santorum being fired now, in late May, for comments he made in April that CNN tried to scuttle outrage over via apologetic appearances on other network shows is nothing more than a distraction from the news it won't punish Chris Cuomo for secretly strategizing with his brother,' commentator Jordan Uhl wrote on Twitter.

On his show, Cuomo admitted that it was a 'mistake' to join the calls, but appeared to minimize his actions, saying that 'of course' he would give his brother advice.

'I'm family first, job second,' he said.

CNN insiders have expressed fury that Chris Cuomo's exhausted status appears to be insulating him from any consequences, after the network called his actions 'inappropriate' but said he would not be disciplined.

'I'm very disappointed in the network,' a woman who works on-air at CNN told The Daily Beast. 'I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation.'

The woman said that Chris Cuomo 'was always put in an untenable position,' given his job, but ultimately, she said, 'I don't think there were enough guardrails' to prevent this sort of scandal.

'As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest,' she said.

In the wake of Santorum's firing, CNN has been accused of double-standards for failing to take action against primetime star Chris Cuomo

'Chris Cuomo's concern for his brother is admirable but working to discredit the multiple women who have accused Andrew Cuomo of sexual impropriety is both journalistically and morally immoral,' another regular on-air guest told the outlet.

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who was fired from the New Yorker after exposing himself on a Zoom call, is also thought to still be employed by the network, though he has been on a hiatus for some six months.

Santorum, a former Republican presidential candidate and senator for Pennsylvania, made his controversial remarks during a speech at the Young America's Foundation, a conservative youth group, on April 23.

His remarks drew protests and headlines at the time, and Santorum was brought on-air at CNN to clarify his remarks.

'I was talking about - and I misspoke in this respect - I was talking about the founding and the principles embodied in the founding,' he said on May 3.

'I would never - and people said I'm trying to dismiss what we did to the Native Americans, far from it,' he said. 'What I was talking about is, as you can see from the run-up, I was talking about the founding of our country.'

CNN host Don Lemon (left) was not impressed and tore into Santorum on 'Cuomo Prime Time' for not apologizing for his 'insulting' statements

CNN host Don Lemon responded to the clarification by tearing into Santorum for not apologizing for his 'insulting' statements.

'I cannot believe the first words out of his mouth weren't ''I'm sorry. I said something ignorant, I need to learn about the history of this country.'' No contrition, didn't talk about the suffering that Native Americans have had to deal with in this country. It was, I mean, Rick Santorum, really?' Lemon told host Chris Cuomo after the interview.

'Did he actually think it was a good idea for him to come on television and try to whitewash the whitewash that he whitewashed?' Lemon asked, exasperated. 'I mean, it was horrible. It was horrible and insulting, and I apologize to the viewers who were insulted by it, because I was sitting in my office, furious, because he's done it so many times. So many times, and it's just, I'm sorry, it was just so egregious and insulting,' said Lemon.
The Supreme Court has denied an appeal from a Vietnam War veteran who was seeking to challenge legal immunity for police officers after he was put in a chokehold and wrestled to the ground at a Veterans Affairs hospital security checkpoint.

Jose Oliva, 76, filed his lawsuit against three officers who violently detained him at the VA hospital in El Paso, Texas, on February 16, 2016.

Last fall a federal appeals court struck down the lawsuit because the officers are protected by qualified immunity.

Oliva had hoped to challenge that ruling in front of the Supreme Court before it announced it would not hear the case on Monday.

Justices did not comment on their decision not to revive the lawsuit. The Court only hears about 100 to 150 cases out of the nearly 7,000 submitted each year.

The Supreme Court on Monday denied Jose Oliva's an appeal seeking to challenge legal immunity for police officers after he was put in a chokehold and wrestled to the ground at a Veterans Affairs hospital security checkpoint. Pictured: Oliva poses with photos of his injuries from the violent arrest in 2016

Oliva's violent arrest was captured on surveillance footage which showed officers throwing him to the ground after he failed to provide proper identification

Oliva's violent arrest was captured on surveillance footage which showed officers throwing him to the ground after he failed to provide proper identification.

In the footage Oliva is seen talking to someone off screen by the metal detectors at the hospital entrance when an officer, later identified in court documents as Mario Nivar, approaches him with handcuffs.

Nivar directs Oliva through a metal detector, where another officer grabs his arm and forces above his head as Nivar pushes him through.

Oliva is then forced to the ground in an apparent chokehold, as three officers search his body and handcuff him, before leading him away.

'This big guy grabbed my left hand and with his two hands, he jerked my arm as high as he could,' Oliva recounted about the day he entered the hospital for dental work.

'Almost instantaneously, as this guy was jerking my arm, he put a chokehold on my throat very hard, very hurtful.'

Oliva needed surgery on his left shoulder following the altercation, and also required treatment for his throat, eardrum and hand, on which he wore a gold watch he received in 2010 when he retired from US Customs and Border Patrol after 25 years of service.

He also sought treatment for post traumatic stress disorder due to nightmares and anxiety stemming from the incident, according to court documents, and told the Associated Press he still has trouble swallowing and shoulder pain five years after the attack.

Nivar appears to push Oliva through a metal detector as another officer waited on the other side and forced his arm above his head

The officers drag him out of the metal detector in an apparent chokehold

Oliva was forced to the ground as officers appeared to search his body and handcuff him

Oliva filed an administrative complaint with the Veterans' Administration, which it denied on July 20, 2017.

He then took his claim to federal court, claiming the officers violated his Fourth Amendment right, which prohibits the use of excessive force, but a federal appeals court denied his bid to sue the officers for damages last September.

US District Judge Frank Montalvo, however, recently ruled that an appeal of the case could move forward to the Supreme Court because police officers never claimed Oliva was resisting arrest.

'This is critical as an officer who grapples and chokes a suspect who is not actively resisting violated clearly-established law,' he wrote in his decision.

But police officers are protected by qualified immunity, a legal statute that provides them with broad protection against personal liability for constitutional violations in most cases.

Oliva's case also sought to challenge the added protection against civil rights lawsuits that federal officers enjoy under federal law.

Congress allows civil lawsuits against state and local law enforcement officials, but never created a legal avenue to pursue claims against federal officials, and since 1971, the Supreme Court has sharply limited the right of Americans to sue federal employees for damages under the Constitution.

'Its a double high bar,' Joanna Schwartz, a UCLA law professor, told ABC News, calling the statute 'double protection," for federal officers.

Oliva needed surgery on his left shoulder following the altercation, and also required treatment for his throat, eardrum and hand, on which he wore a gold watch he received in 2010 when he retired from US Customs and Border Patrol after 25 years of service

He tried to sue the police officers for damages, but they are protected by qualified immunity

'Qualified immunity protects officers, unless the plaintiff in the case can find a prior court decision with virtually identical facts, holding those facts and officer conduct unconstitutional,' she explained.

Law enforcement advocates say qualified immunity and other legal protections afforded to police officers are necessary to prevent the harassment of officers, financial ruin and psychological distraction when working in dangerous situations.

'That way they can do their job and not have to be second-guessing: "Am I going to let this guy through? The last time I did, I got sued. I'm not going to take the chance,"' said Louis Lopez, a Texas attorney representing two of the officers in Oliva's case, Mario Garcia and Hector Barahona.

'We don't want to have our frontline security officers having to make these types of legal decisions when they're in life or death situations.'

In Oliva's case, the defense attorneys argue, Oliva failed to show proper identification when he entered the hospital and got into a verbal dispute with the officers.

Oliva claims he told the officers his ID card was in the bin with all of his other belongings 'and for whatever reasons, he did not like that answer.'

The officers, however, dispute that claim, describing Oliva as 'obstinate' in refusing to comply with repeated requests for ID.

'He's a veteran, obviously, but he's entering a public place, a federal installation. Signs state you have to present ID before you are admitted,' said Gabriel Perez, a Texas attorney working with Lopez in the case. 'He's requested to provide identification. He refused.'

Perez also said that the lack of audio in the surveillance footage is 'telling'.

'Just because something happens on camera doesn't mean there isn't a verbal altercation that leads up to that.'

And Lopez argued the officers' use of force was aimed at neutralizing a potential threat.

'They didn't know if Mr. Oliva has dynamite strapped to his chest or he's got a 45 handgun that he's going to just start shooting people indiscriminately,' he said.

Oliva's attorney, Patrick Jaicomo, with the Institute of Justice, however, thought the claim was absurd.

'There's just no way any reasonable person can watch that video and think there was any reason for those VA police to do what they did to Jose,' he said.

Oliva said he remembers hearing a popping sound when the officers forced him to the ground, and still thinks about the incident to this day.

'I just think when I'm alone, letting my mind wander, how could this have happened to me, who served a year in the combat zone and then the rest of my life in law enforcement,' he said. 'How could this happen to me?'

He said the experience 'brings to mind more and more the recent attacks on people who have been killed  George Floyd, Eric Garner and the others,' adding: 'The job does not entail assaulting people.'
Market Highlights

It is estimated that the global gene expression analysis market is expected to hold a market value of USD 3,250 million and register a CAGR ~ 9.1% during the forecast period of 20182023. Gene expression analysis is research dedicated towards functional genomics extending the application purview of studying genes and gene transcripts. Gene expression analysis is the method used for extraction of data from a gene which is used for the production of a practical gene product. The method can be used calculating the genetic code which is reserved in the DNA. This kind of research can be used for classifying diseases, which leads to a wide range of applications such as pharmacogenomics, diagnostics, biomarkers, and toxicology. Growing developments in personalized medicine and technological developments are driving market growth. According to a data published by the Foley & Lardner LLP, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 16 new personalized medicines in 2017. Additionally, the development of genomic databases and rising government funding for genomics is fueling market growth.

also read @ https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/gene-expression-analysis-market-massive-growth-by-latest-developments-technology-usage-size-and-key-drivers-trends-by-2023-2021-01-05

Gene Expression Analysis Market segmentation

The increase in popularity of personalized medicine and the various technological developments is driving the market growth. The integration of genomic data into the clinical workflows is one of the key factors that is driving the global gene expression analysis market forward. The research in this field is dedicated towards extending the application of studying genes and gene transcripts.

On the basis of product, the global market can be split into:

Consumables

Instruments

Based on the services, the global gene expression analysis market can be classified into:

Sequencing services

Gene expression profiling services

Bioinformatics solutions

Others

Lastly, based on the application, the global product market can categorized into:

Diagnosis

Drug discovery

Research

Others

Gene Expression Analysis Market Regional analysis

Depending upon the geographical segmentation, America will dominate the Gene Expression Analysis Market Report attributing to the research activities and rising popularity of the gene expression tests. The well-developed healthcare sector will also boost the growth of the American market. Europe will hold the second position in the global market due to the availability of research funds. Asia-Pacific will be the fastest growing market as studied, with the rising investment from governments and the developing economies. The Middle East and Africa will also share the market but some restraints such as the decrease in the secondary care facilities for the past few years has led to the decrease in the growth of the global gene expression analysis market.

Gene Expression Analysis Market Key Players

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Illumina, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., BGI, PerkinElmer Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., QIAGEN, Oxford Gene Technology, Eurofins Scientific, Danaher, Genotypic Technology Pvt Ltd, Macrogen Inc. are some of the key players in the global gene expression analysis market.

Gene Expression Analysis Industry news

Illumina has collaborated with IDbyDNA, a metagenomics company, offering new next-gen sequencing that are focused on infectious disease and microbiology. Both these companies are working on the Explify platform that can detect the profile for over 50,000 microorganisms and 3,000 pathogens in the clinic for the use of sequencing giants hardware and library preparation systems.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
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Nadhim Zahawi today suggested that fully vaccinated people will still have to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with Covid after June 21.

The vaccines minister hinted that the rules will remain in place after 'freedom day' as he revealed that a member of his own family had contracted the disease despite having two jabs.

The comments came as Mr Zahawi was challenged by Tory MP Mark Harper in the Commons over whether the requirement for 10-day quarantine would still be needed next month.

There are concerns that the prospect of isolation after vaccines will undermine plans to return to normality. A single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated.

Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine.

Asked about the issue in the House, Mr Zahawi said: 'It's worth waiting until the 14th of June when we will be saying more on this. Suffice to say two things.

'One, even if you've had  and I have had this experience in my own family  two doses of either vaccine you still can actually contract Covid and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining.

'We are also looking at ways that contacts of people who may have contracted Covid can be regularly tested instead of isolating.'

Government sources have been saying it is crucial that the contact tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.'

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi faced the wrath of the Commons this afternoon with Labour branding the shift 'upsetting and insulting'

Ministers 'sneaked out' the advice without any announcement. Local leaders have reacted furiously to the changes, and said they are surprised no one in Whitehall even had the courtesy to let them know about the change

Boris Johnson is pictured jogging in Westminster Park this morning with his dog Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross

WHAT DOES THE GUIDANCE NOT TO VISIT INDIAN VARIANT HOTSPOTS SAY? Cabinet Office guidance says people should avoid travelling into and out of eight Indian variant hotspots in England. The advice for Bolton was issued on May 14, with the other seven added in the lead up to May 21, The Guardian reports. It reads: The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble. In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to: Meet outside rather than inside where possible;

Keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with;

Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education. You should also: Get tested twice a week for free and isolate if you are positive;

Continue to work from home if you can;

Get vaccinated when you are offered it, and encourage others to do so as well. You should get tested for Covid. This includes: Arranging to have a PCR test if you have symptoms of Covid;

Participating in surge testing in your local area;

Getting regular rapid tests if you do not have symptoms of coronavirus. You should self-isolate immediately if you have symptoms or a positive test result for Covid. There is financial support if you're off work because of coronavirus. Source: Cabinet Office Advertisement

During the debate, Conservative Lee Anderson joined calls for clarity on self-isolation.

Mr Zahawi said: 'Obviously if you contract Covid then you have to isolate and quarantine, but those contacts we are looking at regular testing to see whether there is an alternative, but he will I'm afraid have to wait until  a little longer, before Step 4, when we say more on this on 14th June.'

Ministers were also hammered by MPs today for imposing 'local lockdowns by the back door' after sneaking out advice against visiting Indian variant hotspots.

Mr Zahawi faced the wrath of the Commons this afternoon with Labour branding the shift 'upsetting and insulting'.

Mr Zahawi insisted the government tried to 'communicate' with local authorities - who say they had no inkling of the new guidance that appeared on the government website on Friday.

But shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth slammed the confusing situation, and also condemned Health Secretary Matt Hancock for failing to have the 'courtesy' of coming to the House himself.

The advice brought in without any announcement warned people against visiting Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

Local councils left reeling by the change today blasted ministers for failing to consult or even inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on May 21 but was only spotted yesterday.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of 'shameful' behaviour for making the change without telling local people, and demanded they provide clarity 'fast'. 'Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies,' he said.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Health Secretary Matt Hancock must urgently explain why the Government is rolling out 'local lockdowns by the backdoor and hadn't even bothered to tell us'. Labour will ask ministers about the guidance in an Urgent Question in the House of Commons at 12.30.

Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the change. Blackburn MP Kate Hollern dubbed the extra guidance 'lockdown-lite', and newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called for Mr Hancock to explain the change to Parliament.

But Cabinet minister Therese Coffey defended the move, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was 'sensible' to issue extra guidance for Indian variant hotspots. The Work and Pensions Secretary said people living in these areas should consider 'whether it really is essential' for them to travel, and should limit activities where they risked either passing on or catching the variant.

The Indian variant has already spread to almost half the country, or 151 out of 315 council areas, and is thought to now be the dominant strain in the country having displaced the Kent variant. Estimates suggest it may be around 30 per cent more transmissible but vaccines still work against it.

The updated guidance comes as Boris Johnson and his ministers continue to weigh up the latest evidence on the variant as they decide whether 'freedom day' on June 21 - the last step in the PM's roadmap - will be able to go ahead as planned.

Dr Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist and member of a SAGE advisory committee, today warned a 'substantial amount of cases' of the Indian variant could translate into hospitalisations  which would put some local health services under increased pressure. He added that the final lifting of lockdown restrictions was not 'inevitable' because of the rapid spread of the B.1.617.2 strain.

Cabinet Office guidance which appears to have been released on May 21 without any fanfare says people should avoid travelling into or out of the eight local authorities where cases of the Indian variant are highest.

It reads: 'The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

'In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to meet outside rather than inside where possible, keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with, and avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.'

It adds residents should also test themselves for the virus twice a week, work from home if possible and get vaccinated.

Sir Keir, MPs and local councillors have blasted the update, and called for clarity over the new restrictions affecting the Indian variant hotspots amid fears they could trigger 'anxiety and confusion'.

The Labour leader said: 'Making a major change that will impact so many people without even telling them is utterly shameful. The Government needs to provide clarity, fast. Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies.

'The Government is time and again failing to learn lessons. We need proper support to self-isolate, decent sick pay, a working test and trace system and the roll out of the vaccine as quickly as possible.'

Ms Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, said: 'I was not informed of this and I understand nor was anyone else in Bolton.

Covid cases and hospitalisations are rising in Bolton. Dr Adam Kucharski, who advises SAGE, warns there could be localised 'substantial rises' in hospitalisations in areas with high infection rates of the Indian variant

Data shows how big Covid outbreaks are in the eight areas with the travel guidance. The figures show how the rolling seven-day infection rate (the number of cases spotted in a week for every 100,000 people) has changed since the start of the year, with it spiking in Bolton (top right) to above levels seen during the second wave in January. Cases appear much flatter in other areas, including Leicester and Hounslow

'I'm just gobsmacked. They're making such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents.

'The least I would expect is a letter or email from (Matt Hancock) or his office as a matter of courtesy.

'Further and more importantly, my constituents needed to know. Many will have planned for the long weekend, bought tickets, made arrangements.

'And it's still not clear if this is advisory or legally obligatory. This is typical of this Government's incompetence.'

The Tory MP for Bolton West and Atherton, Chris Green, said he did not find out about the change until 10pm yesterday.

Labour's Ms Hollern tweeted: 'On Friday night the Government rolled out lockdown-lite through the back door.

'GOBSMACKED' LOCAL LEADERS CONDEMN THE GOVERNMENT FOR ADVISING AGAINST TRAVEL TO COVID HOTSPOTS MPs and local health chiefs voiced shock today after the government advised against travel to Indian variant hotspots - but did not tell anyone about the change for four days. Politicians said they were 'gobsmacked' that the guidance on gov.uk had been updated on Friday to say only 'essential' visits should be made to affected areas, without any formal announcement being made. People are being urged not to move in or out of Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside unless it is unavoidable - although there is no legal restriction. A televised press briefing on Wednesday, which focused heavily on the Indian variant, did not reference any specific travel measures for the affected areas. Labour MP Ruth Cadbury ridiculed the restrictions on Hounslow in London, pointing out that the Piccadilly line and the A4 both run through the borough to Heathrow Airport. It comes as Britons are being warned they may be forced to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated. The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs. It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine. Government sources say it is crucial that the contract tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.' Advertisement

'The guidance is likely to have major implications on businesses, schools and the hospitality sector and I'm furious that the Government hasn't bothered to consult the local authorities involved.

'I strongly oppose the Government's attempt to introduce new measures by stealth and without consultation.'

Ms Brabin and the leader of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, the Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, have called for Mr Hancock to be hauled before Parliament to explain why the change was made, seemingly without any advice or guidance being sent to local authorities.

'It's another example of the Government doing to us without working with us,' Ms Brabin told BBC Breakfast. 'It's caused a lot of confusion. We were only alerted to it by journalists last night, late last night.'

She added: 'I'm expecting Matt Hancock to come to the Houses of Parliament to explain what's actually going on.

'We know that during this pandemic our councils have worked absolutely tirelessly to deliver for our communities. But, if we have an issue here, we need Government to be working with us, not causing more chaos.'

Asked whether this signalled a return to the tier system, she said: 'If it is, we would like to know. This is part of the problem. We don't know hot to respond. We don't know what to advice our citizens. One wonders whether we should be taking this seriously at all.'

Ms Moran said: 'Simply updating the Government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

'Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules. 'It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic.'

Ministers have not ruled out local lockdowns for areas where Covid cases are highest, even after the June 21 'freedom day' when all restrictions are set to be lifted.

Labour's Ruth Cadbury, the MP for Brentford and Isleworth, slammed ministers for trying to halt travel through the borough of Hounslow, pointing out it has two direct links to Heathrow airport.

'Keep out of London Borough of Hounslow area?!,' she said. 'Does anyone in the Department of Health realise the Piccadilly line and A4 through the borough are the main routes between Heathrow and Central London?

'Was there any plan to actually discuss this with the council (or even perhaps look at a map)?'

Piling yet more pressure on the Government, North Tyneside's director of public health Wendy Burke said there had been no indication of any additional restrictions when surge testing was launched last week.

'We understand that, later, Government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the Government website,' she said.

'This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

'We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.'

Department of Health data shows how the number of positive tests being recorded each day has changed in the 10 areas with the biggest outbreaks where the Indian variant is known to be dominant. Top left shows Bolton's outbreak, which has grown rapidly over the past three weeks. But outbreaks remain flat in other hotspots, such as Preston, Hillingdon and Ealing

Ms Coffey said she was 'surprised' to hear that MPs in areas impacted by new guidance around the Indian variant did not feel properly informed.

'The Prime Minister set out that we need to take extra caution in certain areas regarding the Indian variant,' she told Sky News. 'It is good practice to formally put that guidance on the record affecting those communities.

'We have been working in close contact, so I'm surprised to hear that people think this has come out of the blue  it hasn't.

'It is about formalising on the record the guidance which we believe people can and should follow in order to make sure we tackle and don't have more spread of the Indian variant.'

A Government spokesman said: 'Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

'We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.'

Studies suggest the Indian variant may be around 30 per cent more transmissible than the Kent variant which sparked the second wave in January, but it is still susceptible to vaccine-triggered immunity.

Dr Kucharski, a mathematician and epidemiologist, warned today there could be a 'substantial increase' in Covid hospitalisations in some areas over the coming weeks.

'I think depending on the characteristics of this virus and whether this transmission advantage that we're seeing would translate into the wider community, you could see a substantial amount of cases translating into hospitalisations,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'I think a lot of that would end up being local surges, so we may well end up seeing in specific areas considerable pressure on health systems if these early data sources hold up in terms of what they're pointing to.

'But you do have some uncertainty there.

'The more optimistic end of the scale  if the targeted measures continue to have the effect they seem to be doing, if these features of transmission don't continue as it reaches the wider community, then we could see a smaller number of cases.

'But you do get some scenarios looking at the data at face value suggesting some areas could be facing some quite troubling outbreaks.'

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine academic added that all options needed to be kept on the table ahead of June 21 easing.

'The roadmap provides that pacing of measures that allows things to be adjusted,' he said. 'I think really we have to avoid seeing this as a weather forecast where it's inevitable that things are going to open [or] it's inevitable that there's going to be a wave.'

Where is the Indian variant dominant? And are cases going up? AUTHORITY Bolton Blackburn w D Sefton West Lancashire Stevenage Nottingham South Northants Bedford Chelmsford Hillingdon Camden Hounslow Greenwich Croydon Bromley Dartford Sevenoaks Canterbury Rushmoor Hart Ribble Valley Preston Fylde Burnley Rossendale Chorley Central Beds East Northants North Herts East Herts West Oxfordshire Bristol Wiltshire Test Valley Swindon Reading Woking Havering Barking & Dag Barnet Ealing Slough S Oxfordshire Wigan INFECTION RATE 434.0 215.1 22.4 9.6 10.2 22.8 16.9 142.5 5.6 39.1 8.5 47.5 26.0 29.5 19.6 8.0 9.9 34.5 22.2 21.6 21.4 49.8 9.9 60.7 57.4 55.8 35.0 15.9 6.7 6.7 15.4 14.5 6.2 7.9 19.4 33.4 16.9 6.9 11.3 9.9 35.7 25.4 4.2 34.1 WEEK GROWTH up 72.6% up 87.2% down 54.1% down 35.3% down 18.2% down 35.0% down 50.0% up 20.5% down 44.4% down 7.0% down 39.5% down 13.4% up 21.0% up 14.0% up 41.3% down 50.0% up 140.0% up 533.3% down 27.6% down 32.3% up 44.4% up 40.0% down 42.9% up 22.7% up 215.4% up 61.0% up 83.6% down 31.8% down 10.0% down 11.1% up 183.3% up 4.7% down 53.7% down 16.7% up 19.4% up 68.8% up 112.5% down 45.5% down 35.1% down 48.0% down 8.3% down 5.0% down 66.7% flat Advertisement

Bolton in Greater Manchester recorded 451 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 20 May, the highest in England.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Bolton has more than tripled in a fortnight as the Manchester borough grapples with an outbreak of the highly-infectious Indian variant.

Sources say there are currently 43 Covid patients in the town's NHS trust, compared to 12 that were receiving care on May 10.

Experts fear the pressure on the trust, which looks after the Royal Bolton Hospital, will only get worse as the infection rate climbs.

Bolton is recording more than 400 Covid cases per 100,000 people - twenty times the national average - following a period of exponential growth of the Indian variant in the last month. It takes several weeks for cases to turn into hospitalisations due to the lag between someone catching and falling seriously ill with Covid.

However, Number 10 has said the 'majority' of people being hospitalised with the disease currently are either unvaccinated or have not been for both jabs.

Analysis by Public Health England has found two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer's jab provide a similar level of protection from the Indian variant as they do for the Kent version, which has raised hopes that hospital and death rates will not reach the peaks of previous waves.

Meanwhile, data published yesterday showed the Indian variant spiralling in Bolton is now dominant in nearly 15 per cent of authorities in England  almost twice as many as the previous week.

Analysis of samples from people infected with Covid in the week up to May 15 also shows that the B.1.617.2 strain had spread to 151 out of England's 314 local authorities.

The mutant virus had overtaken the previously-dominant Kent variant in 44 places, up from 23 the week prior.

It is now behind behind 90 per cent of Covid infections in Blackburn and eight in ten in the hotspots of Bolton, Sefton, Bedford and Croydon.

The places where the Indian strain overtook the Kent variant in the most recent week were: Ribble Valley, Preston, Fylde, Burnley, Rossendale, Chorley, Central Bedfordshire, East Northamptonshire, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Bristol, Swindon, Wiltshire, Test Valley, Reading, Woking, Slough, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Ealing.

It is still dominant in: Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Sefton, West Lancashire, Stevenage, Nottingham, South Northamptonshire, Bedford, Chelmsford, Dartford, Sevenoaks, Canterbury, Rushmoor, Hart, Hillingdon, Camden, Hounslow, Greenwich, Croydon and Bromley.

But it is no longer the dominant strain in Oadby and Wigston, Broxbourne and Brent which may be down to very low case numbers in these areas.

Bolton has the highest infection rate out of local authorities suffering outbreaks of the Indian variant (434 cases per 100,000 people) which has more than doubled over the past week.

Data suggests that two per cent of people in one neighbourhood of the borough tested positive for the virus last week.

Blackburn with Darwen had the second largest outbreak (215.1), and Bedford had the third largest (142.5).

They were followed by new hotspots Burnley (60.7), Rossendale (57.4), Chorley (55.8) and Preston (48.9).

Indian variant hotspot Hounslow had the highest Covid infection rate in London (47.5). It was followed by Hillingdon (39.1) and Ealing (35.7).

For comparison, England's average is 21.3 per 100,000 and has remained around this level since mid-April.

PHE's latest breakdown shows 46.2 per cent of Covid cases were the Kent variant in the week to May 10, but 53.8 per cent were down to other variants. It is thought the first majority were B.1.617.2.

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that the Indian strain was likely already the dominant strain of the virus across the UK because the Sanger data is weeks out of date.

He noted that the variant is spreading in areas that were hardest hit at earlier stages of the pandemic, suggesting that social and other mixing factors were contributing to the outbreaks, rather than purely the infectiousness of the strain.

'Covid is retreating to its strongholds of last summer, looking at the latest map which is already out of data,' he said.

Data from Public Health England shows the prevalence of variants across all the regions of England, with the Indian variant (light purple) compared to the Kent variant (white/pink). Data shows B.1.617.2 is now dominant in the North West, making up around 70 per cent of all sequenced cases. The proportion of samples analysed in a lab is shown by the black line. The sharp drop off is down to the lag in getting samples analysed and not because of a huge reduction in swabs being checked

Data also shows how quickly the different variants have grown in England, with the Indian variant (green) spreading rapidly. The South African variant is coloured blue

'The areas where Covid has traditionally found it easier to spread are the same areas where the variant is finding it easier to spread.

'And that is not surprising because of deprivation, inner city, more crowded dwelling, multi-generational occupancy.'

He added that as cases rose in the coming weeks it was inevitable that hospitalisations and deaths from the virus would also go up, but that he did not know by how much.

'It will be somewhere between being manageable and close to Armageddon,' he said. 'But I'm not sure which extreme it will be closer to.'

It came after one of the country's top scientists suggested today that Britain could officially be freed from the grips of the Covid crisis if the current vaccines work as expected against the Indian variant.

Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard said the pandemic in the UK could be 'over' if the vaccines cut the risk of hospitalisation and death as well in the real world as analysis suggests.

National data also shows how quickly the Indian variant (purple) has spread, making up around half of all new cases reported across the country. The Kent variant is shaded pink. The proportion of cases being sequenced is shown by the black line

PHE analysis also revealed how the Indian variant is spreading quickly in the community (top graph, Indian variant is purple). The middle graph shows the proportion of cases made up by travellers. The bottom graph shows the amount of cases that were sequenced in different weeks. It can take several weeks for samples to be thoroughly analysed, meaning there is a lag in the data

Separate figures also show the number of suspected reinfections over time, which are broken down into different types of the coronavirus. The purple area highlights reinfections seen in people who have caught the Indian variant

Nearly 9,000 patients died after catching Covid on English hospital wards while being treated for something else Nearly 9,000 Britons died after contracting Covid on a hospital ward while receiving care for a different illness, official NHS data shows. Figures obtained by the Guardian revealed that 32,307 patients have caught the disease while in English hospitals since March 2020, of which 8,747 have died. University Hospitals Birmingham suffered the biggest death toll (408), followed by Nottingham University Hospitals (279) and Frimley in Surrey (259). Victims were found to have caught the virus while hospital for a range of reasons, including an operation, treatment for an underlying condition or an accident. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said hospital-acquired Covid infections and deaths remained 'one of the silent scandals of this pandemic', adding that many of them would have been avoidable. NHS bosses said a lack of testing and personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic had made hospital-acquired infections harder to prevent. They also admitted that not fully understanding the extend of asymptomatic spread fuelled outbreaks on wards in the early days of the pandemic. Nine of the 81 acute hospital trusts which responded to the Freedom of Information request recorded 200 or more deaths. Advertisement

Because the vaccines were shown to be highly effective at stopping people falling ill with Covid in the first place, PHE said they are likely to be even better at preventing hospitalisation and deaths.

Professor Pollard said that a few more weeks were needed to firm up this claim, but he added that, traditionally, vaccines offer 'much, much higher' protection against hospitalisation and death than mild infection.

However, both Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs were only 33 per cent effective at blocking symptoms of the Indian strain three weeks after one dose, compared to 50 per cent against the Kent variant. Officials say it highlights the importance of getting both injections.

Professor Pollard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If the current generation of vaccines are able to stop people going into hospital, whilst there is still mild infections, people are getting the common cold with the virus, then the pandemic is over.

'Because we can live with the virus, in fact we are going to have to live with the virus in one way or another, but it doesn't matter if most people are kept out of hospital because then the NHS can continue to function and life will be back to normal. We just need a little bit more time to have certainty around this.'

Ministers say England is on track for all restrictions to be dropped as planned on June 21, despite fears the rapid spread of the Indian variant would jeopardise 'freedom day'.

Armed with the PHE evidence vaccines work against B.1.617.2, the boss of the UK's Health Security Agency argued the prospect of all Covid restrictions being lifted next month was 'looking good'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock also called the findings 'groundbreaking'.

But some scientists are not convinced by No10's ever-growing optimism, saying May 17's relaxation of lockdown measures may trigger a rapid spike in cases given that the Indian variant is 'on the cusp' of becoming dominant in England.

Professor Christina Pagel, a member of the Independent SAGE panel of scientists, said ministers should consider 'rolling back step three of the roadmap' if cases continue to rise this week. Department of Health figures show the number of positive tests has jumped by 11 per cent over the past seven days.

Hospitalisations and deaths across the UK are at their lowest levels since the crisis began, with just six fatalities a day and fewer than 100 hospital admissions, on average. For comparison, around 1,300 deaths were occurring every day at the peak of the second wave in January.

However, the number of infected patients occupying beds at the major NHS trust in Bolton  one of the country's hotspots for the Indian variant  has continued to creep up over the past week.

There is no proof the Indian variant is more lethal than older strains of the coronavirus but data shows it is more transmissible than the Kent type, which triggered Britain's devastating second wave before vaccines were rolled out.

Experts believe B.1.617.2 is 30 per cent more infectious than B.1.1.7  the name for the Kent strain  but won't get any concrete data for at least another week.
Australia is in talks with Washington to manufacture US-designed ballistic missiles on home soil, as political tension with China and the West continue to escalate.

The US military is also looking to store a stockpile of munitions and defence equipment at bases in the Northern Territory in what the acting US ambassador Mike Goldman described to The Australian as 'a forward deployment'.

Mr Goldman said closer cooperation 'just makes sense' given the 'new geostrategic context' facing the region.

Australia is in talks with Washington to manufacture US-designed missiles on home soil, as political tension with China and the West continue to escalate. Pictured: A US-made MX intercontinental ballistic missile

The US military is also looking to store a stockpile of munitions and defence equipment in the Northern Territory in what the acting US ambassador Mike Goldman described as 'a forward deployment'. Pictured: Australian Troops at Robertson Barracks in the NT

While nothing has been finalised, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in March the government plans to shell out $1billion to start producing hi-tech guided missiles in Australia.

'These things aren't instantaneous but our militaries and strategic thinkers are engaged in discussions about how best to confront these new challenges together,' Mr Goldman said.

'A lot of that just makes perfect intuitive sense, particularly when we talk about how we are going to project force in any sort of contingency.

'We are in a new geostrategic context now that requires a different set of platforms and a different force posture.'

America's man in Canberra also slammed China and President Xi Jinping for their campaign of 'economic blackmail' against Australia and said the US would never leave Aussies 'alone on the pitch'.

Over the past year China has slapped more than $20billion worth of arbitrary trade bans and tariffs on Australian exports as an apparent punishment for calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic - which first appeared in Wuhan in 2019.

US ambassador Mike Goldman (right) slammed China and Xi Jinping (left) for their campaign of 'economic blackmail' against Australia and said the US would never leave Aussies 'alone on the pitch'

While nothing has been finalised, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in March the government plans to shell out $1 billion to start producing hi-tech guided missiles in Australia. Pictured: An Ajax surface to air anti aircraft missile

US Marines are pictured at Darwin's Robertson Barracks in the NT for a 6-month training rotation

Tensions were further strained last month when various figures including the likes of Defence Minister Peter Dutton, Former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo, all suggested the 'drums of war' in the region are getting louder.

There are grave fears Beijing will use its ever-growing military might to 'reunify' Taiwan with mainland China.

The authoritarian state has become increasingly aggressive across the region and in its disputed territories, stamping out pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong and cracking down on Muslim minorities in Xinjiang under its 'One China' policy.

China-watchers say annexing the island backed by the US and Japan is a strategic goal of President-for-life Xi.

Pressure has been mounting on democratic nations like Australia to keep Beijing's forces at bay as tensions escalate.

Mr Goldman reiterated the 'unbreakable' ANZUS alliance - now approaching its 70th anniversary in September - would continue to stand firm in the face of rising hostilities.

He said the strategic alliance would outlast the current tensions, adding that the partnership is much stronger and more comprehensive than any one contingency.

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Keven Matthews (left), the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (right), are pictured at the Robertson Barracks in the NT
An alleged Islamic State fighter arrested upon his return to Australia from Turkey has been extradited to NSW to face terrorism charges.

Mohamed Zuhbi arrived in Melbourne on a flight from Turkey on May 8 and was taken into custody by counterterrorism authorities at the airport.

The 30-year-old travelled from Sydney to Turkey in 2013, and then allegedly on to Syria, where he recruited and helped foreign fighters travel to the area.

Mohamed Zuhbi was arrested in Melbourne (pictured) when he arrived from Turkey on May 8

Zuhbi has been extradited to NSW after completing quarantine in Victoria, and appeared before Sydney Central Local Court on Tuesday.

He has been charged with supporting a terrorist organisation, engaging in hostile activity overseas, supporting another person to engage in hostile activity overseas and entering a banned jurisdiction.

Zuhbi did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

He will face court again on August 18.

Zuhbi is also wanted by US law authorities for multiple offences including conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country.

Mr Zuhbi (pictured) allegedly recruited and helped foreign fighters travel to Syria after leaving Australia
Democrats now have two Republican senators who will vote for the creation of a January 6 commission as Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski said they would jump on board.

'The January 6 commission bill,' a reporter posed at the Capitol on Tuesday, to which Murkowski said: 'I'm going to support it.'

Romney became the first Republican senator to definitively say he would vote for the commission on Monday.

'I would support the bill,' the Utah senator told reporters on Capitol Hill.

To avoid threats of a filibuster, Democrats now need eight more Republicans in order to reach the 60 vote threshold to start debate on creating a commission to investigate the Capitol attack earlier this year.

Romney and Murkowski's comments are the most definitive yet from a GOP senator, but Republican colleagues Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Susan Collins of Maine have said they 'strongly' support the creation of a '9/11-style commission'.

These four senators were part of the group of seven Republicans who voted to convict Donald Trump in his impeachment hearing earlier this year, which was held as Democrats blamed the former president for inciting the attack on January 6 by pushing voter fraud claims.

Moderate Republicans Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said this week they would vote for the creation of a 9/11-style commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week that he would oppose the legislation, making it very unlikely that it will pass the upper chamber as Democrats need 60 votes to start debate on the bill and avoid threats of a filibuster

Romney and Murkowksi's support is important to Democrats, but with an evenly split Senate, they need to garner 10 GOP votes to avoid the threat of a filibuster when Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attempts to bring a vote to the floor to launch a debate on the bill.

Without 60 votes in the Senate, Republicans can block the legislation from ever getting to the floor by using the filibuster, which Democrats are trying to nix as they face complications in Congress with the smallest majority in modern history.

While Schumer hasn't said when he will bring a vote on debating the commission to the floor, he characterized the timing Monday as 'very soon.'

Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema released a joint statement on Tuesday calling for Republicans to support the commission.

'A bipartisan commission to investigate the events of that day is a critical step to ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again,' Machin and Sinema wrote.

They continued: 'We implore our Senate Republican colleagues to work with us to find a path forward on a commission to examine the events of January 6th.'

Manchin of West Virginia and Sinema of Arizona are both moderates who have help stall some Democratic initiatives  like the $15 federal minimum wage  considering just one party defector can effectively kill legislation.

Further complicating the matter is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying last week that he would not back the bill to create a commission on the attack on January 6, meaning it is even more unlikely to pass the upper chamber.

Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, both moderates, released a joint statement urging their Republican colleagues to support creation of a bipartisan commission

'After careful consideration, I've made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the 6th,' McConnell said from the Senate floor last Wednesday.

Opposing the 9/11-style commission comes as a surprise after McConnell's public falling out with Trump after the former president refused to concede the election to Joe Biden.

Democrats blame Trump for the attack earlier this year, claiming his rhetoric incited his supporters to descend on the Capitol the day lawmakers voted to certify the election results for Biden. The attack ultimately led to Trump's second impeachment, which, like the first, did not result in a Senate conviction.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also harshly opposes the commission creation, but has received backlash for initially blaming Trump for the attack and walking back after a meeting with the former president at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.

GOP Senators Bill Cassidy (left) and Susan Collins (right) have said they do support the creation of a commission but have not definitively said, like Romney, if they would vote to launch debate on the measure in the Senate

On January 6, thousands of Trump supporters descended and breached the Capitol to protest the certification of the election for Joe Biden. Since then, Democrats have called for a 9/11-style commission to investigate the attack and prevent future events

McConnell and McCarthy's comments prompted a letter to circulate on Capitol Police letterhead stating: 'It is inconceivable that some of the Members we protect, would downplay the events of January 6.'

Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger launched a scathing attack Sunday on McCarthy for 'lying' about the January 6 riot. He told 'Fox News Sunday' that it was vital that Congress establish a 9/11-style commission into the attack to get to the bottom of what happened.

'The American people deserve the truth,' he told host Chris Wallace.

'And my party to this point has said things like it was hugs and kisses, it was Antifa and BLM, it was anything but what it was, which was a Trump-inspired insurrection on the Capitol.'

The House passed legislation last week to form a bipartisan commission of five Republicans and five Democrats to investigate the January 6 riots, in spite of opposition from Republican leadership.

Senator Collins, a moderate Republican, offered a glimmer of hope that the bill could get through the Senate by signaling a break from party leadership.

Collins said it was vital to understand why law enforcement wasn't better prepared for the attack by an angry mob of Trump supporters who stormed Congress.

'I strongly support the creation of an independent commission,' Collins told ABC 'This Week' on Sunday morning.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger accused Kevin McCarthy of lying about the January 6 riot

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy initially blamed Donald Trump for inciting the riot, before reversing his position after meeting with the former President at Mar-a-Lago

Some 140 Capitol Police officers were injured when an angry mob of Donald Trump's supporters broke into the US Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory

'I believe there are many unanswered questions about the attacks on the Capitol on Jan. 6.'

The moderate Senator from Maine said she wanted to see minor amendments to the bill that passed the House, with equal numbers of staff from each party working on the commission and for the report to wrap up this year.

Collins was one of seven Republican senators who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the January 6 attacks.

But of that group, North Carolina Richard Burr has already come out against the commission, meaning it is unlikely to gain the 10 Republican votes it would require to pass.

Collins was optimistic it could be done.

'There's plenty of time to complete the work,' she told host George Stephanopoulos.

'And I'm optimistic that we can get past these issues based on the conversations I've had with the speaker of the House and the House majority leader.'

Meanwhile Kinzinger, one of 35 Republicans in the House to vote for the forming of an independent commission into January 6, tore into Kevin McCarthy, who initially blamed Trump for the attack before reversing his position after a meeting with the former President at Mar-a-Lago.

'What we need is a comprehensive look of what happened that led up to Jan. 6,' Kinzinger said. 'Who was talking to who? What were the lies?'

'I do think Kevin has failed to tell the truth to the Republicans and to the American people.

'And it pains me to say it. It's not like I enjoy standing up and saying this.'

Kinzinger said the Republican voters who believe the election was stolen, had been misled.

Collins said Sunday on ABC News that she strongly supports the formation of the independent commission, signaling a break from party leadership

'The people they trust have either been silent or not told them the truth,' Kinzinger said.

'That's where Kevin has failed, because he told the truth... then he went to Mar-a-Lago and said Donald Trump's the leader of the party.

'He's right  Donald Trump is the leader of the party. But we need to tell people the truth.'

Four Republican Senators have expressed openness to voting for the commission: Collins, Cassidy and Mike Crapo.

A further 11 are still considering whether to support the bill, 25 oppose and 10 are unknown.

This week, it was revealed more than 70 US Capitol police have quit since the January 6 riots.

Some 140 Capitol Police officers were injured when an angry mob of Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol building to stop the certification the election victory of Joe Biden.

Officer Brian Sicknick, who was among hundreds of officers trying to fight off rioters without the necessary equipment or planning, died following the January 6 riot.

It was determined in April that Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes.

Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, who had been on the Capitol Police force since 2005, died by suicide less than a week after the riots.
An abusive husband shot dead his wife before turning the gun on himself in front of their six-month-old daughter inside their Pennsylvania home.

Brian Womelsdorf, 42, shot the mother of his child, Elizabeth Wise, 36, multiple times before killing himself at their Swatara Township home on Saturday.

The murder/suicide occurred in the same room as the couples baby and while Wise's two older children from a previous relationship, ages 10 and 14, slept upstairs.

Brian Womelsdorf fatally shot the mother of his child, Elizabeth Wise, multiple times, including in the forehead in their Swatara Township home

The incident happened while Wise's two older children, ages 10 and 14, slept upstairs. Elizabeth Wise is pictured above

Victim Elizabeth Wise is pictured with her parents, Joel and Penni Spence

Wise had previously reported that her husband had punched her in the ribs and abdomen earlier this year.

She had hoped to keep the family together and thought that counseling and anger management classes would have been able to stop future abuse.

Wise's parents, Joel and Penni Spence, are pictured above. 'He took a part of me that I can never get back,' Penni said

Police said they responded to an emergency call from Wise at 12:08am on Saturday morning. They received no answer at the door, but they could hear a baby crying inside.

They forced their way into the property to find Wise's body with gunshot wounds on a couch while Womelsdorf was found lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head.

Wise had managed to give her address to police officers before the phone went dead, police say.

The couple had married last summer and both of them worked for the company Giant.

Wise's devastated mother, Penni Spence, said as quoted by Penn Live: 'That house was evil and so was he.

'That was the worst thing I ever had to do in my life. I've buried relatives, I've buried my father, but when I bury my baby girl after seeing her in the funeral parlor it took a part of me.

'He took a part of me that I can never get back.'

Police said they responded to an emergency call from Wise at 12:08am on Saturday morning and arrived to find the two bodies

Wise's older sister Amanda Sizemore paid tribute to her sister, saying: 'Beth was a beautiful soul who loved her children more than anything.

'She would always say 'Where I go, baby goes' and I think that's why she stayed as long as she did. She would do anything for them, just to see them smile.'

Wises older children will be raised by their father, while the daughter that she shared with Womelsdorf will be adopted by her sister.

A GoFundMe page has been set up in the wake of her death to cover funeral expenses. It has so far raised $2,995.

'It is with great sorrow that we share that Elizabeth Wise has passed away unexpectedly,' the page reads.

'She was a victim of domestic violence. She was kind, compassionate, funny, down to earth, caring, and has touched many lives during her short time on Earth. Our hearts are broken over the loss of Beth.

'With Beth's life being tragically cut short, she now leaves behind her three children; Chelsea, Jacob, and Hazel.

'To help ease the burden off of the family, we have started a GoFundMe to assist with any unforeseen costs (such as funeral expenses) that may arise in the following weeks.

'We understand that right now may be a difficult time to contribute financially, however please consider sharing this post and keep Beth's family in your thoughts and prayers.'
The liberal media have finally conceded that COVID-19 may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory - after a year spent ridiculing the suggestion.

The first fatality from COVID-19 was reported by Chinese state media on January 11, 2020, when a 61-year-old man who was a regular customer at a market in Wuhan died. The first confirmed case in the United States was 10 days later, when a man returned to Washington state from Wuhan.

Within a week, on January 26, 2020, the first article blaming the Wuhan Institute of Virology for the outbreak was published, in The Washington Times. Yet most mainstream media disputed the claims, dismissing them outright or even decrying them as racist.

When Donald Trump, on May 1, 2020, said he had 'a high degree of confidence' that the virus escaped from a lab, the New York Times, CNN, and NPR were quick to mock his comments.

CNN, which by the end of the Trump administration was brazen in its hostility to the president and his advisors, was almost gleeful in its mockery of the idea that the virus could have come from a laboratory.

The Washington Post, New York Times, and NPR were equally dismissive of suggestions that the virus could have come from a laboratory.

Change of tune: In May 2020 (left) CNN was highly cynical about the theory that COVID-19 may have been engineered in a lab in China. When Trump suggested it, they gave it little steam. Now, the outlet is reporting that it may be true after all. Right shows their coverage on May 24

Some outlets, such as the Huffington Post, even branded any suggestion the virus could have stemmed from a lab as a 'toxic conspiracy theory.'

Few were able to suggest that COVID-19 could have stemmed from a research facility without backlash but that didn't stop some media, including the Daily Mail, from questioning the narrative.

Fox News' Tucker Carlson was also clear in demanding an investigation into whether it could have escaped from the lab.

Finally, in the past few months, came the first signs that opinion was beginning to change.

In January, a World Health Organization (WHO) visit only served to raise more questions after Beijing strictly controlled the visit and who the researchers spoke to. The WHO team was only allowed three hours inside the Wuhan lab and was unable to examine any of the Wuhan institute's safety logs or records of testing on its staff.

China's actions led to Biden's White House calling for greater transparency.

Even Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said that the visit was inconclusive, adding that 'all hypotheses are open' and warranted future study.

By May 11, the leading public health expert in the United States, Dr Anthony Fauci, had accepted that the idea of the virus escaping from a lab had been too quickly dismissed.

Asked whether the virus originated naturally, Fauci replied that he wants to look closer into the matter.

'I am not convinced about that,' he said. 'I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened.

'Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out. So, you know, that's the reason why I said I'm perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus.'

Fauci's revelation came as a shock to many on the left who have accepted China's narrative that coronavirus spread from a wet market since the virus first emerged.

Of course, China continues to insist that COVID-19 did not originate in the Wuhan lab.

'The U.S. keeps concocting inconsistent claims and clamoring to investigate labs in Wuhan,' China's foreign ministry said in a written statement on May 24. This fully shows that some people in the U.S. don't care about facts and truth.'

CNN

On May 1, 2020, CNN reported that Trump had 'contradicted' the intel community by claiming to have seen evidence the virus came from a lab.

'President Donald Trump contradicted a rare on-the-record statement from his own intelligence community by claiming Thursday that he has seen evidence that gives him a "high degree of confidence" the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, but declined to provide details to back up his assertion.

'The comments undercut a public statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued just hours earlier which stated no such assessment has been made and continues to "rigorously examine" whether the outbreak "began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan."

"Yes, I have," Trump said when asked whether he's seen evidence that would suggest the virus originated in the lab. Later, asked why he was confident in that assessment, Trump demurred.

"I can't tell you that. I'm not allowed to tell you that," the report read.

Then on May 5, 2020, their editor-at-large Chris Cillizza wrote a scathing attack on the suggestion, entitled: Anthony Fauci just crushed Donald Trump's theory on the origins of the coronavirus.

MAY 1 2020: On May 1, 2020, CNN reported that Trump had 'contradicted' the intel community by claiming to have seen evidence the virus came from a lab. They pointed to how rare it was for the intelligence community to make a statement

MAY 5 2020: Chris Cillizza wrote an opinion piece saying Fauci had 'crushed Trump's theory' about the origins of the virus

OCTOBER 2020: CNN published another report about how the theory came from a 'shoddy' paper that was backed by Bannon. It claimed there was no proof whatsoever behind the theory

'Before we play the game of 'he said, he said' remember this: Only one of these two people is a world-renowned infectious disease expert. And it's not Donald Trump,' Cillizza wrote.

'In short, Fauci's view on the origins of the disease matters a whole lot more than Trump's opinion about where it came from.

'Especially because, outside of Trump and his immediate inner circle, most people in a position to know are very, very skeptical of the Trump narrative that the virus came out of a lab - whether accidentally or on purpose.'

Cillizza's article followed on from one four days earlier, headlined: 'Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab'.

Yet fast forward almost a year, and the tone had greatly changed.

Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, spoke on March 26 this year to Robert Redfield, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC).

Redfield said that he had concluded the virus escaped from a lab.

MARCH 2021: The former CDC head, Dr Robert Redfield, on CNN in March 2021, saying he believes the virus came from a lab. He told the reporter: 'I am of the point of view, I still think the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory, escaped. Other people dont believe that. Thats fine, science will eventually figure it out. Its not unusual for respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in a laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.' CNN called it 'controversial'

MAY 2021: On May 24, a new report was which said US intelligence had found there was some evidence the virus came from a Wuhan lab

'I am of the point of view that I still think the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory, you know, escaped,' he said.

'Now, other people don't believe that, that's fine. Science will eventually figure it out.

'It's not unusual for respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in the laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.'

On May 23, The Wall Street Journal reported that three researchers from Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick enough in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, according to a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report

The following day the paper reported on a mysterious mine around 80 miles outside Wuhan where, in April 2012, six miners here fell sick after entering the mine to clear bat guano. Three of them died.

Chinese scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were called in to investigate and, after taking samples from bats in the mine, identified several new coronaviruses. Yet they were not forthcoming with their information.

On May 24, CNN admitted that there may be more to the Wuhan lab than initially believed. They published an update: New information on Wuhan researchers' illness furthers debate on pandemic origins

But Cilizza is still standing by his earlier claims it isn't.

He wrote an opinion piece on why Dr. Fauci was 'hedging' on the subject, and said just because Fauci said he was no longer 'convinced' of the origins, it didn't mean he thought it came from a lab.

New York Times

When any Trump-supporting congressmen said that the Wuhan lab theory merited further exploration, the New York Times was quick to dismiss their claim.

In the first month of the pandemic they seized on questions raised by Tom Cotton, the Republican senator for Arkansas.

'We don't have evidence that this disease originated there,' Cotton said.

'But because of China's duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we need to at least ask the question to see what the evidence says, and China right now is not giving evidence on that question at all.'

His words, on February 17, 2020, would prove prescient - yet the New York Times headlined its coverage: Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory of Coronavirus Origins.

By April 30, 2020, the paper was describing the efforts from the Trump administration to get to the bottom of the virus' origins as a political witch hunt.

'Senior Trump administration officials have pushed American spy agencies to hunt for evidence to support an unsubstantiated theory that a government laboratory in Wuhan, China, was the origin of the coronavirus outbreak, according to current and former American officials,' the paper reported.

FEBRUARY 2020: The New York Times was initially adamant (left) that the Wuhan lab leak theory was a nonsense invented by Trump, but by 2021 was accepting that opinions varied (right)

APRIL 2020: Another NYT report which said Trump officials had been pushing spies to find evidence behind the theory

'The effort comes as President Trump escalates a public campaign to blame China for the pandemic.'

The story was headlined: Trump Officials Are Said to Press Spies to Link Virus and Wuhan Labs

Yet this month two former science reporters at the paper - Nicholas Wade, who retired in 2012, and Donald McNeil, who left earlier this year amid a row about his language while on guiding a tour of Peru - both said they now felt it was possible, indeed perhaps likely, that the virus came from a lab.

'In early spring 2020, I reported an article for The New York Times on which I put the tentative headline: 'New Coronavirus Is 'Clearly Not a Lab Leak,' Scientists Say,'' McNeil wrote on Medium.

'It never ran.'

He said that the paper was sharply divided over whether to believe the Trump officials saying it was a lab leak, or the scientists saying it wasn't.

'The 'lab-leak theory' migrated back to the far right where it had started  championed by the folks who brought us Pizzagate, the Plandemic, Kung Flu, Q-Anon, Stop the Steal, and the January 6 Capitol invasion,' McNeil wrote.

'We still do not know the source of this awful pandemic. We may never know.

'But the argument that it could have leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology or a sister lab in Wuhan has become considerably stronger than it was a year ago, when the screaming was so loud that it drowned out serious discussion.

McNeil, who left The New York Times earlier this year, said that China's 'lack of candor' was 'disturbing'. McNeil was fired by the Times after it emerged he'd used the N-word during a conversation with students on a NYT-run trip. He published an article on May 17 about the subject. He said he'd been told 'overwhelmingly' by scientists that it did not come from a lab

MAY 2021: Now the Times is repeating scientists' calls for an open mind on the theory

'And China's lack of candor is disturbing.'

Wade came to the same conclusion.

'Neither the natural emergence nor the lab escape hypothesis can yet be ruled out. There is still no direct evidence for either. So no definitive conclusion can be reached,' he wrote.

'That said, the available evidence leans more strongly in one direction than the other. Readers will form their own opinion.

'But it seems to me that proponents of lab escape can explain all the available facts about SARS2 considerably more easily than can those who favor natural emergence.'

Washington Post

Reporters for an article published on April 30, 2020, provided a nuanced and in-depth analysis of the Wuhan laboratory's work, and emphasized the risks involved.

Yet their headline read: Chinese lab conducted extensive research on deadly bat viruses, but there is no evidence of accidental release.

The following day, the dismissive tone continued: Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It's doubtful.

In May 2020 The Washington Post said it was 'doubtful' that the virus came from a lab in a story from its Fact Checker section

By May 24 this year, the paper was very close to admitting that they had been blinkered.

'Given everything we know about how Trump handled such things, caution and skepticism were invited,' wrote Aaron Blake.

'That (very much warranted) caution and skepticism spilled over into some oversimplification, particularly when it came to summarizing the often more circumspect reporting.'

He admitted: 'We might never truly know the truth.'

Now the Washington Post is urging WHO to carry out an investigation into what happened to determine if it did come from a lab

MAY 2021: Journalist Aaron Blake wrote that it is 'vexing' as a subject. He said: 'It has become evident that some corners of the mainstream media overcorrected when it came to one particular theory from Trump and his allies: that the coronavirus emanated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, rather than naturally. Its also true that many criticisms of the coverage are overwrought and that Trumps and his allies claims invited and deserved skepticism.'

Huffington Post

As concern was mounting about the virus in the spring of 2020, The Huffington Post was rapidly ridiculing all question of its origins.

'A Toxic 'Infodemic': The Viral Spread Of COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories,' they headlined a story on April 7, 2020.

Yet a little over a year later, on May 24 of this year, the site followed up on the Wall Street Journal's report into the hospitalization of the Wuhan lab workers in 2019, and the issues that this raised.

'Wuhan Researchers Were Hospitalized With COVID-19 Symptoms Pre-Pandemic: Reports,' they wrote.

APRIL 2020: The Huffington Post was initially skeptical (left) about alternative ideas surrounding COVID and called it an 'infodemic'

MAY 2021: Now, like every other outlet, Huff Po is broadening its reporting on the theory

NPR

On April 23, 2020, NPR stated: 'Virus researchers say there is virtually no chance that the new coronavirus was released as result of a laboratory accident in China or anywhere else.'

The news network was determined to prove that there was no credibility to the Wuhan lab leak theory, and produced a series of 'explainers' insisting that COVID-19 was transmitted from animals to humans.

'Where Did This Coronavirus Originate? Virus Hunters Find Genetic Clues In Bats,' they reported on April 15, 2020.

APRIL 2020: NPR was initially dismissive of suggestions that the virus leaked from a lab (left), but by May 2021 was covering the increasing speculation

MARCH 2021: After a WHO report said the theory was gathering more steam, the headlines became more open minded

Yet a little over a year later, NPR was following the WHO's report - and its worrying conclusions - with interest.

'Theory That COVID Came From A Chinese Lab Takes On New Life In Wake Of WHO Report,' they concluded.

On March 31, they reported: Calls For An Open Investigation Into The Possibility COVID-19 Leaked From A Lab.

Among those watching the evolving news lines was Mike Pompeo, Trump's secretary of state.

'Over a year ago, I told @MarthaRaddatz that the Wuhan Virus most likely came from a lab leak,' he tweeted on May 20.

'She stopped just short of offering me a tin hat. The CCP said I was an enemy of mankind.

'And now? Well, now, the Left wing media is scrambling to get on the side of the truth.'
States and territories across Australia have imposed strict border restrictions in a bid to limit the spread of the virus interstate.

The Covid-19 cluster in the City of Whittlesea in Melbourne's north increased to nine cases on Tuesday with alerts out for 23 venues across the city.

After another four additional people tested positive to the virus, states were quick to impose various restrictions and rules to those returning to their state from Victoria.

There are already concerns thousands of Port Adelaide fans could have transported the virus back to South Australia after an infected man attended a game against Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, among many experts fearing the effect of such measures on the economy, has previously called for an end to snap border restrictions for the sake of domestic travel.

States and territories introduced border restrictions to curb Melbourne cluster (pictured: nurse conducting Covid-19 test in Melbourne)

City of Whittlesea cluster in Melbourne's north increased to nine cases on Tuesday (pictured: people lining up for Covid-19 test in Melbourne)

Victoria's Acting Premier James Merlino announced restrictions would be reintroduced in Greater Melbourne from 6pm on Tuesday.

The restrictions include limiting private gatherings to five visitors per day, mask wearing will be mandatory indoors and public gatherings are limited to 30 people.

Victoria's Department of Health have now listed a McDonald's and a CBD restaurant outside the City of Whittlesea as further Tier 1 exposure sites.

Here's how every state and territory has responded to the growing Melbourne Covid cluster.

Victoria's Acting Premier James Merlino announced restrictions would be reintroduced in Greater Melbourne from 6pm on Tuesday (pictured: people lining up for vaccine hub in Sydney)

Arrivals from Victoria into various states will be hit with new restrictions after the cluster in Melbourne swelled to nine (stock image)

South Australia:

From 8.25pm on Monday anyone who has been to City of Whittlesea local government area must be tested within 24 hours of arrival and isolate until they receive a negative result.

The City of Whittlesea local government area (LGA) includes Beveridge, Donnybrook, Doreen, Eden Park, Epping, Humevale, Kinglake West, Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, Whittlesea, Wollert, Woodstock and Yan Yean.

Anyone who visited a Covid-19 exposure site is prohibited from entering the state.

If anyone entered the state after visiting one of the venues they must get tested, wear a face mask and isolate for 14 days.

Anyone arriving in Sydney from Greater Melbourne is required to fill out a travel declaration form in the 24-hour period before entering the state (pictured: people waiting for vaccine in Sydney)

Anyone who has been to City of Whittlesea local government area must be tested within 24 hours of arrival and isolate until they receive a negative result in South Australia

Queensland:

The City of Whittlesea was declared a Covid-19 hotspot on Tuesday.

From 1am Wednesday, anyone who visited the local government area since May 11 will enter hotel quarantine unless they are a Queensland resident or have an exemption.

Anyone entering Queensland who visited Greater Melbourne in the last 14 days will be barred from entering prisons, aged care facilities, disability accommodation services and hospitals until a fortnight has passed.

From 1am Thursday, everyone arriving from Victoria will be required to complete a border pass.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the state would continue to monitor the situation and 'further restrictions may be required' as 'acting quickly matters.'

Queensland declared The City of Whittlesea was declared a Covid-19 hotspot on Tuesday (pictured: health worker carries out Covid test)

'These situations are always evolving, but we know the next few days are critical in suppressing the risk of the virus spreading,' she said.

Western Australia:

From 6pm AWST on Tuesday, all arrivals from Victoria will be required to get tested within 48 hours and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result.

They will be barred from public transport and are forced to wear a mask.

Anyone who visited an exposure site must go into 14-day self-quarantine and get a COVID-19 test on day two and day 11.

WA's Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Paul Armstrong said they will 'continue to monitor the situation in Victoria very closely and issue updated health advice as and when required.'

Anyone entering Western Australia will be barred from public transport and are forced to wear a mask (pictured: people waiting to be vaccinated in Perth)

New South Wales:

Anyone arriving in Sydney from Greater Melbourne is required to fill out a travel declaration form in the 24-hour period before entering the state.

Any arrival from May 10 who attended an exposure site at a time listed must contact NSW Health immediately to confirm they are acting on the state's isolation and testing requirements.

New restrictions in Melbourne: Maximum of five visitors per household

Maximum of 30 people gathering outside

Masks must be worn indoors and on public transport

People travelling from Melbourne to other areas must carry restrictions with them

Schools and workplaces will remain open with the new restrictions applied

Dancefloors remain open but people must wear masks while dancing Advertisement

Travelers from Whittlesea LGA are barred from visiting residential aged care facilities, or hospitals unless seeking medical attention.

Australian Capital Territory:

From 6pm Tuesday, anyone in or arriving in Canberra who visited Melbourne in the past 14 days must complete an online declaration form in the 24-hour period before entering the state.

Non-ACT residents who visited an exposure site are barred from entering without an exemption.

Anyone from Greater Melbourne that arrived in the fortnight up to May 24 who visited an exposure site must get tested and quarantine for 14 days.

Tasmania:

The City of Whittlesea will be declared a high-risk area from 12.01am on Wednesday.

Anyone in Tasmania who was in the City of Whittlesea on or after May 6 is required to self-isolate immediately until they receive a negative result.

Travelers who visited an exposure site are barred from entering Tasmania if they do not have an approved exemption as an Essential Traveller through the state's G2G PASS system.

Those who have visited an exposure site since May 20 are required to self-isolate immediately.

Northern Territory:

Anyone who visited a tier-one exposure site must get tested and quarantine for 14 days regardless of the result.

Travelers who visited a tier-two site can stop quarantining once they receive a negative test result.

Anyone already in the NT must quarantine until they test negative and any new arrivals from greater Melbourne should monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately anything changes.

The City of Whittlesea will be declared a high-risk area from 12.01am on Wednesday in Tasmania (pictured: Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine)

EXPOSURE SITES IN MELBOURNE Tier one; Anyone who visited the below sites must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result Woolworths Epping North, between 4:45pm - 5:45pm on May 22. Jump! Swim Schools Bundoora, between 8:55am - 10:15am on May 21. Nando's Epping (Dalton Rd), between 8:30pm - 9:20pm on May 19. Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, 5pm - 8pm on May 20. McDonald's, Clifton Hill, between 6pm - 7pm on May 22. Nando's, Epping (Dalton Rd), between 8:30pm - 9:20pm on May 19. Smiggle, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:55pm - 6:30pm on May 20. Kidstuff, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:20pm - 5:55pm on May 20. Ishka, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:45pm - 6:35pm on May 20. Lush Cosmetics, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 6:05pm - 6:35pm on May 20. Toyworld, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:30pm - 6:20pm on May 20. Bamboo House, Melbourne, between 11:00am - 11:50am on May 21. Tier 2: Anyone who attended the following sites at the times listed must get tested and isolate until a negative result or further advice Futsal Brunswick, between 9:00am - 10:00am on May 23 Epping North Shopping Centre, between 4:45pm - 5:50pm on May 22 House and Party (store), Epping, between 5:15pm - 5:50pm on May 22. Urban Diner Food Court, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre, 1:15pm - 2:30pm on May 23. Shell Coles Express Reservoir, 3:15pm - 4:15pm on May 18. B.T. Connor Reserve, 8:00pm - 11:30pm on May 21. ALDI, Epping, between 6pm - 7:30pm on May 23. Chemist Depot at Pacific Epping Shopping Centre. Epping, between 11:15am - 12:00pm on May 23. Highpoint Shopping Centre (Levels 2 and 3), Maribyrnong, between 5:15pm - 6:35pm on May 20. Adams Reserve Playground, Preston, between 2:15pm - 3:45pm on May 23. ALDI Preston South, Preston, between 3:45pm - 4:25pm on May 23. Advertisement

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An inquest has been shown confronting footage of police restraining an Indigenous man who died after being tasered outside an Officeworks store in Perth.

Family members cried in distress and left the room as the Perth Coroner's Court was on Tuesday when shown the confrontation between police and 39-year-old Mr Riley, whose first name is not being used for cultural reasons.

Counsel assisting the coroner Rachel Collins said two police officers had attended the Officeworks store in East Perth in May 2017 in response to unrelated reports of a robbery.

Mr Riley's (pictured) family cried in distress as footage of police restraining him was played in court

They were alerted to Mr Riley, who was seen rocking from side to side and slapping his forehead.

Mr Riley had a history of drug-induced psychosis and his family had been concerned about his welfare.

The officers approached the father-of-six and called triple-zero to request an ambulance when he did not engage with them.

Ms Collins said Mr Riley had then advanced on police and shouted 'I'm going to kill you', prompting Constable Rory Winterburn to discharge his Taser.

They attempted to restrain the prone man as he struggled.

'During this resistance, Mr Riley made repeated and continuous attempts to take possession of Constable (James) Wolfe's firearm and bit down hard on Constable Wolfe's arm causing it to bleed heavily,' Ms Collins told the inquest.

Several other officers arrived to help restrain Mr Riley.

Ms Collins said Const Winterburn's Taser was trigger-activated 10 times in less than two minutes just prior to and during the struggle.

Mr Riley died after he was tasered and restrained by police outside and Officeworks in Perth

Footage shot by witnesses showed Mr Riley wailing as he was held down for seven minutes before an ambulance arrived.

Attempts were made to resuscitate him at the scene before he was taken to Royal Perth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A pathologist found the cause of death was consistent with cardiac arrhythmia 'following violent exertion necessitating physical restraint in a man with methylamphetamine effect, known systemic hypertension and morbid obesity'.

Mr Riley had previously been convicted of assaulting a police officer and ambulance officer.

One witness helped to restrain Mr Riley after being asked to do so by one of the initial two officers.

John Barber told the inquest he sat on Mr Riley's legs until further officers arrived, adding that he felt police had been focused on de-escalating the conflict.

He said he had seen Mr Riley's fingers reaching for an officer's gun.

The inquest also heard from WA Police Detective Sergeant Brett Fowler, who authored an internal major crime report into the death of Mr Riley.

The report concluded there was no criminal conduct by any officers.

Mr Riley had been stopped by police in East Perth the night before his death after being seen driving erratically.

He was not placed under arrest but was put in handcuffs and taken to the Perth Watch House for a drug test.

Officers told Mr Riley he was free to go and gave him a lift to Royal Perth Hospital but he left before being seen by a doctor.

The following morning he was seen by cleaning staff outside the hospital yelling 'cops are after me, why are they after me?'.

Mr Riley's family gathering outside of Perth's Coroner's Court on Tuesday

Mr Riley's mother Margaret Ugle arrived at the Central Law Courts building holding a sign that read 'I Can't Breathe! BLM', in reference to the death of African-American man George Floyd in police custody in the United States.

The court has declined to release the footage of Mr Riley being detained.

'People need to see it,' Mr Riley's sister Cassandra Riley told AAP outside court.

'Someone has to be held responsible for my brother's death.'

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services executive officer Hannah McGlade called for an independent investigation into the conduct of police who interacted with Mr Riley.

'It's shocking that the level of police force used was justified in the court today,' Dr McGlade said.

The inquest continues.
A growing coronavirus outbreak has sparked fears Melbourne could be plunged into another snap lockdown in a desperate battle to stop the cluster from spreading, as 23,000 footy fans at Sunday night's game at the MCG are put on alert.

Contact tracers are scrambling to track down the mystery link after an outbreak in the city's northern suburbs grew to nine cases within two days - with experts fearing it may have spread further.

The five cases recorded on Tuesday were all linked to the highly contagious Indian strain after an infected man aged in his 60s spread the virus to four household contacts, sparking a return to a series of restrictions including the wearing of masks indoors and limits of five guests inside a home.

Genomic sequencing has linked the latest cases to a Wollert man who caught the virus in South Australian hotel quarantine two weeks ago.

But how the virus was transmitted remains a mystery, amid growing fears the city could once again be plunged into the lockdown if the outbreak isn't contained.

It has also emerged that none of three cases aged over-50 had been vaccinated despite being eligible for the jab - which can help stop transmission.

An urgent alert has been issued after an infected case attended the AFL game between Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday, with hundreds of fans in certain sections of the stadium told to isolate immediately.

Melbourne remains on high alert after its surprise new Covid-19 cluster grew to nine, with mask restrictions back in place (pictured, a woman in Melbourne)

The infected case sat in Zone 4, Level 1 of the Great Southern Stand at the Punt Road end of the ground, with 23,000 spectators at Sunday night's game.

Anyone seated in that area between bays M1 and M16 will be contacted directly by contract tracers and advised to get tested and isolate until they return a negative result, with all fans told to watch for symptoms.

'Some individuals with the closest contact to the positive case will be directly provided more specific advice from the Department of Health. Others attending the MCG not located in these areas will be advised to check for symptoms and be tested if any develop,' the alert states.

CCTV footage will be reviewed to determine if the advice to test and isolate will be broadened beyond these areas.

The Indian strain is considered by health officials to be equally as infectious as other mutant variants, including the dangerous UK strain.

Anyone seated in that area between bays M1 and M16 will be contacted directly by contract tracers and advised to get tested and isolate until they return a negative result, with all fans told to watch for symptoms (pictured, a seating map of the MCG)

'It is by no means one to be complacent about,' Victoria's chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said on Tuesday.

'It is at least as infectious as the so-called UK variant.

'It's been called the double-mutant variant, in fact it's got 15 mutations, two of which are a concern that relate to transmissibility.'

Leading expert Professor Sharon Lewin from the Doherty Institute expressed 'a number of issues of concern' with the latest outbreak in Melbourne - warning that the huge gap between an initial case in hotel quarantine and the new infections could lead to a lockdown.

'First of all, it is nine cases with no new transmission for a long time in Victoria, and it is the Indian variant which we know is more infectious,' she told ABC's 7.30.

'There's also been quite a bit of a gap between where we think this came from, which was the initial quarantine hotel in Adelaide and now these cases are appearing with quite a significant gap so there is a lot of work to look at steps in between for those transmission events.'

An alert has been issued after an infected case attended the AFL game (pictured) between Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday

She hopes a 'significant' lockdown can be avoided.

'There are lots of things that go into decisions around the lockdown but we have seen quite large clusters being managed really effectively and an example are the Northern Beaches in New South Wales back in December, that were done with really good and extensive contact tracing and some limitation of movement,' she said.

Professor Lewin is also concerned about the low vaccination rate, with fears growing that not all Australians will be vaccinated by the end of the year.

'Simply because... you need to get people vaccinated to prevent severe infection and hospitalisation and death,' she said.

'We don't have enough people vaccinated.'

A snap lockdown hasn't been ruled out by the acting Victorian Premier, who is standing in for Daniel Andrews while he continues to recover from a serious back injury following a fall on holiday.

'This is a responsible step that we need to take to get on top of this outbreak. It's about giving our contact tracers the time they need to track this matter down and get on top of it,' Acting Premier James Merlino said.

Three Melburnians aged over-50 had not been vaccinated when they were infected. Pictured are Melburnians at a testing station on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Western Australia has introduced tough new restrictions on Victorian travellers declaring all new arrivals to the state must immediately self isolate.

The state government stopped short of closing its border to Victoria, but will require all arrivals from from 6pm on Tuesday to immediately get tested and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result.

Anyone who has visited any of the 24 exposure sites in Victoria during the relevant times are also required to get tested immediately and self-quarantine for 14 days.

Travellers from Victoria who have arrived since May 15 are urged to monitor their health closely and are warned they will be contacted by WA Police using the G2G Pass declaration system in place in WA.

Professor Sharon Lewin (pictured) from the Doherty Institute expressed 'a number of issues of concern' with the latest outbreak

EXPOSURE SITES IN MELBOURNE Tier one; Anyone who visited the below sites must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result Woolworths Epping North, between 4:45pm - 5:45pm on May 22. Jump! Swim Schools Bundoora, between 8:55am - 10:15am on May 21. Nando's Epping (Dalton Rd), between 8:30pm - 9:20pm on May 19. Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, 5pm - 8pm on May 20. McDonald's, Clifton Hill, between 6pm - 7pm on May 22. Nando's, Epping (Dalton Rd), between 8:30pm - 9:20pm on May 19. Smiggle, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:55pm - 6:30pm on May 20. Kidstuff, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:20pm - 5:55pm on May 20. Ishka, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:45pm - 6:35pm on May 20. Lush Cosmetics, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 6:05pm - 6:35pm on May 20. Toyworld, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, between 5:30pm - 6:20pm on May 20. Bamboo House, Melbourne, between 11:00am - 11:50am on May 21. Tier 2: Anyone who attended the following sites at the times listed must get tested and isolate until a negative result or further advice Futsal Brunswick, between 9:00am - 10:00am on May 23 Epping North Shopping Centre, between 4:45pm - 5:50pm on May 22 House and Party (store), Epping, between 5:15pm - 5:50pm on May 22. Urban Diner Food Court, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre, 1:15pm - 2:30pm on May 23. Shell Coles Express Reservoir, 3:15pm - 4:15pm on May 18. B.T. Connor Reserve, 8:00pm - 11:30pm on May 21. ALDI, Epping, between 6pm - 7:30pm on May 23. Chemist Depot at Pacific Epping Shopping Centre. Epping, between 11:15am - 12:00pm on May 23. Highpoint Shopping Centre (Levels 2 and 3), Maribyrnong, between 5:15pm - 6:35pm on May 20. Adams Reserve Playground, Preston, between 2:15pm - 3:45pm on May 23. ALDI Preston South, Preston, between 3:45pm - 4:25pm on May 23. Advertisement

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan described the situation as 'concerning' as 18,000 travellers from Victoria have arrived in Western Australia over the past 10 days.

'This is a rapidly evolving situation and things may well change,' he said.

'Given the unknown source of the current outbreak, and genomic sequencing confirming a link to the Victorian man who acquired the virus in South Australian hotel quarantine earlier this month, it is a very concerning situation.

'It means there have been infectious people in the Victorian community potentially since May 15.'

Health workers conduct COVID-19 test at Northern Health in Epping on Tuesday as Victorians flocked to get tested following the new outbreak

Pedestrians queue at a Covid-19 testing station in Melbourne on May 25 as the city recorded new locally-acquired coronavirus cases in the community after an 86-day unbroken stretch of zero infections

The premier, who has become known for his tough stance on borders during the pandemic, made no apologies for the 'extra precautionary' measures.

'I understand this may be inconvenient for some people, but we need to take this course of action to protect Western Australia,' Mr McGowan said.

'My government will take whatever action required to keep Western Australians safe.'

Genomic testing has determined Tuesday's new cases are an Indian variant linked to the Whittlesea cluster in Melbourne's north, with 168 close contacts identified so far.

The Whittlesea area includes the suburbs of Beveridge, Donnybrook, Doreen, Eden Park, Epping, Humevale, Kinglake West, Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, Whittlesea, Wollert, Woodstock and Yan Yean.

With fears growing the outbreak could quickly spread interstate, the Queensland government has also introduced some restrictions on travellers from Victoria, with the City of Whittlesea local government area declared a Covid-19 hotspot.

That means anyone arriving in the Sunshine State who has been in Whittlesea over the past 14 days will be required to go into hotel quarantine unless they have a valid exemption.

The new measures went into effect from 1am on Wednesday.

Deputy Premier James Merlino confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday morning a man in his 60s has tested positive, with the state's cases from the latest cluster now sitting at nine

Commuters wear face masks in Melbourne on Monday, after it was revealed the state had identified new local Covid cases

New restrictions in Melbourne: Maximum of five visitors per household

Maximum of 30 people gathering outside

Masks must be worn indoors and on public transport

People travelling from Melbourne to other areas must carry restrictions with them

Schools and workplaces will remain open with the new restrictions applied

Dancefloors remain open but people must wear masks while dancing Advertisement

South Australia also imposed fresh border restrictions on Victorians from key sites linked to new Covid-19 cases.

The state will stop travellers who visited 24 announced locations in Melbourne from crossing the border, and anyone in SA who recently visited those sites must self-isolate for 14 days and get tested three times.

Less severe measures have been imposed for anyone who visited the City of Whittlesea, with those arrivals required to have a test within 24 hours and isolate until they receive a negative result.

South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said on Monday the cases were a reminder that even though Australia had done well in containing the virus, the potential for a significant outbreak remained.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the new infections are a stark warning to the community.

'You can see how Covid can be transmitted in the community because it can be a mild disease and, therefore, go undetected,' she said on Monday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will not shut the border between the two states, but people travelling from Victoria to Sydney will be asked on arrival whether they have visited an exposure site.

A declaration form is also available on the Service NSW website and must be completed upon entry.

Authorities have also told anyone who has visited the Whittlesea area to avoid visiting aged care facilities or hospitals.

A fifth case of coronavirus has emerged as a result of the Whittlesea outbreak as a man aged in his 60s tests positive on Tuesday

Chief Health Officer Mr Sutton said the new case was symptomatic at the time of his testing and they are investigating another 'intermediary' link.

'His initial recollections don't overlap with any of the Wollert case's exposure sites, so there's no definitive link to that Wollert case even though we know that there's a genomic link, so there may still be another intermediary,' he said.

'We need to explore that, but we need to finish the very lengthy, very detailed interview with that case this morning.'

He confirmed the case is from the Indian variant and said there could still be cases in the community.

'It's possible there's another missing link out there,' Professor Sutton said.
The final lifting of lockdown restrictions on June 21 is 'not inevitable', Dr Adam Kucharski, a member of the Spi-M modelling subgroup of Sage and assistant professor in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has warned

England's last stage of lockdown easing on June 21 is 'not inevitable', a Government adviser has warned amid fears over the rapid spread of the Indian Covid variant.

Eight areas of England have already been put under stricter restrictions, prompting outrage in Parliament today.

Dr Adam Kucharski, a member of the Spi-M modelling subgroup of Sage, said the spread of the Indian variant could also prevent lockdown easing fully on a national level on June 21.

The assistant professor in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the variant's spread shows how 'we need to keep all options on the table'.

Dr Kucharski told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'We have to avoid seeing this as a weather forecast where it's inevitable, things are going to be open, it's inevitable.

'Of course, it doesn't make that an easy decision, keeping things in place or introducing things incurs a harm as well.

'But I think we do have to look at the patterns we're seeing very seriously, and think about where that may leave us in a couple of months time.'

People have been warned not to travel Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside amid spiralling cases of the Indian variant in those areas.

But the Government advice was slammed as sneaking in 'local lockdowns by the back door' by MPs today.

Local authorities said they had not been consulted on or informed of the advice which appeared on the Government's website on Friday.

There is a row brewing surrounding eight areas in England where the mutation is growing fastest that have had stricter Covid rules imposed upon them in an attempt to slow down transmission

Data shows how big Covid outbreaks are in the eight areas with the travel guidance. The figures show how the rolling seven-day infection rate (the number of cases spotted in a week for every 100,000 people) has changed since the start of the year, with it spiking in Bolton (top right) to above levels seen during the second wave in January. Cases appear much flatter in other areas, including Leicester and Hounslow

Dr Kucharski said the Government may have to act on early data suggesting cases could spiral out of control in some areas of the country before it is 'too late to do something about it'.

He said: 'Were seeing a lot of early signals  its very preliminary data  but increasingly theyre lining up in a way that we dont want to see.

'So recently, over the week, weve had evidence that vaccine effectiveness, particularly after one dose, isnt as high against this variant.

'Weve got evidence that the transmission risk per contact seems to be higher, much as we say for the B117 variant in Kent before Christmas.

WHAT DOES THE GUIDANCE NOT TO VISIT INDIAN VARIANT HOTSPOTS SAY? Cabinet Office guidance says people should avoid travelling into and out of eight Indian variant hotspots in England. The advice for Bolton was issued on May 14, with the other seven added in the lead up to May 21, The Guardian reports. It reads: The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble. In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to: Meet outside rather than inside where possible;

Keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with;

Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education. You should also: Get tested twice a week for free and isolate if you are positive;

Continue to work from home if you can;

Get vaccinated when you are offered it, and encourage others to do so as well. You should get tested for Covid. This includes: Arranging to have a PCR test if you have symptoms of Covid;

Participating in surge testing in your local area;

Getting regular rapid tests if you do not have symptoms of coronavirus. You should self-isolate immediately if you have symptoms or a positive test result for Covid. There is financial support if you're off work because of coronavirus. Source: Cabinet Office Advertisement

'And then also just looking at the growth of this variant versus the other one circulating, there does seem to be that difference in spread.

'But of course it might be a feature of the communities [in which] its spreading, it might be this vaccine potential for escape, it might be inherent viral characteristics.

'Its probably a combination of those but as ever with the pandemic, if we wait until we have definitive evidence that theres a problem, that might be too late to do something about it.'

Dr Kucharski said that while data released by Public Health England on Sunday showed vaccines were just as effective against the variant after two doses as the Kent strain, not enough people will have had a second jab by June 12.

He said: 'I think August, September, we will be in a different situation but it leaves us in this period where a lot of people have had a single dose.

'And if you were to see a lot of infection then, although the risk is much lower say in middle aged groups, a large number of infections multiplied by a fairly low risk can still lead to a considerable level of disease.'

He said a surge in infections could cause mass hospitalisations over the summer, depending on whether the variant is as transmissible and vaccine resistant as some of the data is showing.

Dr Kucharski said: 'You do get some scenarios looking at the data at face value suggesting some areas could be facing some quite troubling outbreaks.'

But the latest data from the Government's Covid dashboard suggests Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked.

MailOnline's analysis of Department of Health figures show positive tests appear to have plateaued in the borough for the first time in a month, following a period of exponential growth fuelled by the mutant B.1.617.2 strain in April and early May.

Figures show Bolton's rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 177 on May 16, the most recent date for which data is available, down slightly on the 178 the previous day. Before that, infections had risen sharply every day since April 19, when there were just 17 positive tests each day, on average.

While Bolton  home to around 195,000 people  is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country mainly because of the Indian variant, the fact the coronavirus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked.

It is possible, however, that the infection figures mark a one-day blip and that positive tests could rebound again. Further data confirming the trajectory of cases will be released this afternoon.

But Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline the signs were 'encouraging' and Bolton's outbreak appeared to be 'plateauing'. He said locals appeared to be taking personal precautions.

In another promising sign for Bolton, the Government's Covid dashboard shows the town's test positivity rate has also been declining in recent days.

Currently 5.9 per cent of all PCR swabs done in the borough are positive for Covid, according to data from May 19, down from a peak of 8.1 per cent a week earlier, on May 11.
Market Highlights

The integration of IT and healthcare is being widely hyped to possess the potential to reshape the medical care sector and its quality without compromising on the cost. This will help patients especially those who have diabetes and other chronic diseases. The medical device connectivity services and solutions are easy to access and can be used by anyone beyond the barriers of age, class, or country. The medical device connectivity solutions are cost-effective as they save frequently visiting costs in clinics, consultation fees of doctors, and transportation costs, among others. Furthermore, they use real-time health information and provide convenience to patients to avail their benefits and services while sitting in their comfort zones.

Based on this platform, future projections for the medical device connectivity markets growth trajectory over the forecast period are provided in the report. The report also profiles the leading players in the global medical device connectivity market and gives readers a comprehensive analysis of the leading players in the global medical device connectivity market. The report also profiles the major drivers and restraints affecting the global medical device connectivity market. The factors making the market tick and those holding the market back are studied in detail in the report. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical device connectivity market is also assessed in the report.

Medical device connectivity has become an important technology for the medical sector due to the widespread implementation of electronic health record systems, which has elevated the importance of digital technology in the healthcare sector. The growing demand for storing various device-related data in secure storage sites is likely to be a major driver for the global medical device connectivity market over the forecast period. The increasing incorporation of health information exchange systems in healthcare organizations is also likely to be a major driver for the global medical device connectivity market over the forecast period, as medical device connectivity tools play a vital role in enabling strong, capable health information exchange programs.

Medical Device Connectivity Market Competitive Leaderboard:

Leading players in the global medical device connectivity market include eDevice Inc., Stryker Corporation, Nuvon Inc., iHealth Lab Inc., True Process, Lantronix, Infosys, Nanthealth, Cisco Systems, Medtronic, Bernoulli Enterprise, Koninklijke Philips NV, GE Healthcare, Cerner, and Qualcomm.

In 2016, Allscripts Technologies signed a ten-year strategic agreement with Optumcare to deploy Allscripts TouchWork suite as its exclusive electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solution for physicians. The strategic agreement will provide physicians with the clinical, health plan, and analytical data, which will further enhance the high-quality care they provide to their patients.

Moreover, in 2016, Cerner and Sharp Healthcare came together to extend the formers electronic health record (EHR) system to the Sharp Community Medical Group. Through the expanded relationship with Cerner, Sharp will utilize an integrated platform to create consistencies by streamlining physician workflows and care team communications for transitions of care. All such instances are expected to boost the medical device connectivity market.

Medical Device Connectivity Market Regional Analysis:

North America accounts for the Global Medical Device Connectivity Market, followed by Europe. Asia Pacific is also expected to be an important regional market over the forecast period.

Medical Device Connectivity Market Segmentation:

The global medical device connectivity market is segmented on the basis of products and services, technology, end user, and region.

By products and services, the market is segmented into medical device connectivity solutions and medical device connectivity services. Medical device connectivity solutions are further segmented into medical device integration solutions, telemetry systems, connectivity hubs, and interface devices. Whereas, medical device connectivity services are further segmented into support and maintenance services, implementation and integration services, and training services.

Based on technology the market is segmented into wired technologies, wireless technologies, and hybrid technologies. Wireless technologies are likely to grow at a rapid growth rate over the forecast period.

By end user, the market is segmented into hospitals, home healthcare, ambulatory care centers, diagnostic centers, and others. Hospitals account for the largest share in the global medical device connectivity market.

Obtain Premium Research Report Details, Considering the impact of COVID-19 @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/medical-device-connectivity-market-6041

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Nicholas Brock, 53, decorated his bedroom with SS memorabilia and had far-right tattoos

A Neo-Nazi who denied being a far-right extremist has been jailed for four years after police found his SS memorabilia-filled bedroom, a Ku Klux Klan recognition certificate as well of a picture of him armed in a balaclava in front of a swastika flag.

Nicholas Brock, 52, still lived with his mother in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and had a tattoo of the Totenkopf skull and cross bones logo used by the Nazi SS and neo-Nazi terrorist group Combat 18.

He also had a folder named 'Army Military Manuals' on his laptop computer when police raided the three-bedroomed mid-terraced house on September 13, 2019, which included a guide how to make explosives.

On his computer was downloaded videos of ISIS beheadings and unedited video footage filmed by far-right terrorist Brenton Tarrant shooting 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019.

He had pleaded not guilty to three counts of possession of material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing a terrorist act after a trial at Kingston Crown Court but was convicted.

But the jury rejected his defence that he was simply an Action Man fan who collected military pieces.

And today today Judge Peter Lodder QC told him: 'It is clear that you are a right-wing extremist, your enthusiasm for this repulsive and toxic ideology is demonstrated by the graphic and racist iconography which you have studied and appeared to share with others.

'Your bedroom was decorated with SS memorabilia, a framed Ku Klux Klan recognition certificate in your own name was hanging on your wall.

His bedroom was decorated with SS memorabilia and a Ku Klux Klan recognition certificate

'You stored documents such as the offensively titled "N***er owner's manual", you had video clips of Ku Klux Klan discussions about race war, of cross-burning, of decapitation, and a propaganda video of Combat 18, a race-hate neo-Nazi group.

'The police discovered racist 'memes', a copy of the Christchurch mosque murderer's livestream video and a news clip of the proscribed terrorist group National Action.

'In addition, your stored photographs of you wearing a balaclava and holding firearms in poses reminiscent of the Combat 18 propaganda, and of you in company with other neo-Nazi sympathisers who were making a Nazi salute.

'The degree of your devotion is indicated by your decision to cover your upper body and arms with tattoos of symbols associated with neo-Nazism, SS death head skulls, swastikas and of individuals infamous in Hitler's Germany.

'It is submitted on your behalf that these are not obscure documents, are not specialist material and that two of them can be purchased on-line.

'That there was no preparation for any act, and that you are in your 50s, walk with a stick there was no evidence of disseminating to others.

'I do not sentence you for your political views, but the extremity of those views informs the assessment of dangerousness.

'You were convicted in March 2017 for two offences of racially aggravated harassment you were sentenced to a community order and a restraining order.

Documents he had included 'The Anarchists' Cookbook' showing how to make explosives

He was found guilty to three counts of possession of material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing a terrorist act

Mein Kampf, a Nazi button and a bomb-making guide: The right-wing hoard discovered in Nicholas Brock's home Lawyers say Nicholas Brock's bedroom in Berkshire was 'filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of items, amongst them, items demonstrating an interest in extreme right wing and white supremacist ideology.' Among the items was a Nazi button he kept beside his bed, while a flag bearing an eagle and swastika was displayed on his wall. The room also included flyers for the National Front flyers with a letter to Mr Brock, addressed 'Dear Patriot, Many thanks for your enquiry and interest in the National Front.' There were books about the American white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf, and another about Combat 18, while under the bed was a 'certificate of recognition' from the Klan. Among the material on his electronic devices was a photograph of Brock posing in his bedroom, wearing a balaclava, and holding a large firearm, in front of the swastika flag, the prosecutor said. Another photograph showed Brock in front of the confederate flag, wearing a cap with the words 'Make America Great Again', the slogan of the campaign for Donald Trump. A short video apparently shot in Brock's bedroom showed a Nazi flag being waved and a KKK figurine. His hard drive included a folder labelled 'Army-Military-Manuals' what contained two manuals for an AK47 assault rifle, and others for US Army pistol training, and explosives, along with a copy of a document known as the 'al-Qaeda manual'. The documents were said to include three useful for terrorists: 'The Anarchists' Cookbook v.2000' - which showed how to make grenades and plastic explosives - 'Knife fighting techniques from Folsom Prison - put 'em down, take 'em out' and 'Kill or get killed.' Advertisement

'You sent derogatory and racist messages and memes and used racist language towards two mixed race young females.

'Balancing all of these factors the sentence is one of a custodial term of four years with a licence extension of one year.'

Documents in his possession included 'The Anarchists' Cookbook v.2000' showing how to make grenades and plastic explosives, 'Kill or Get Killed', along with 'Knife fighting techniques from Folsom Prison'.

His bedroom also included flyers for the National Front and a letter to Brock was headed: 'Dear Patriot, Many thanks for your enquiry and interest in the National Front.'

Brock's shelves were crammed with right wing literature including a book about the American white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan, and a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf, and another on Combat 18.

Brock also had a collection of anti-Muslim and racist memes saved in a folder on an external hard drive and owned manuals for an AK47 assault rifle, US Army pistol training textbooks, and Al-Qaeda training materials.

He claimed he was a military memorabilia collector who loved Action Man figures during childhood, had 'no interest' in far-right groups and 'didn't go out much'.

Emma Gargitter, prosecuting, had said his bedroom was 'filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of items, amongst them, items demonstrating an interest in extreme right wing and white supremacist ideology'.

Ms Gargitter said: 'He tried to shift the responsibility to two other individuals, one of was Samuel Palmer, who was vulnerable.

'Hospital records showed he had visited Palmer at a medical facility in 2017.'

Edward Butler, for Brock, said: 'These documents were three of a vast quantity of data, much of it macabre or concerning in nature.

'There was no preparation for such an act, even by taking steps like acquiring household items that might be used in the ways set out in these books.'

Police also recovered a photograph of Brock posing in his bedroom, wearing a balaclava and holding a large gun in front of a swastika flag, the court heard.

Brock also posed for a snap in front of the confederate flag, wearing a cap with the words 'Make America Great Again'.

He had used his computer to search for the National Front, the banned right wing organisation National Action, and the KKK and 'racist photos'.

Police also recovered a photograph of Brock posing in his bedroom, wearing a balaclava and holding a large gun in front of a swastika flag

Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), said: 'From the overwhelming evidence shown to the jury, it is clear Brock had material which demonstrates he went far beyond the legitimate actions of a military collector.

'He had gathered material useful to terrorism in the context of right-wing terrorism.

'Brock showed a clear right-wing ideology with the evidence seized from his possessions during the investigation.

'In this case, Brock has been found in possession of very dangerous and concerning material and will face the full consequences of this by the courts.

'We are committed to tackling all forms of toxic ideology which has the potential to threaten public safety and security.

'With the increase in time spent online due to the global pandemic, and a rise in hateful extremism, an environment has been created in which there is more risk of young and vulnerable people being targeted by terrorist groomers.

'Online grooming can happen to anyone. Young and vulnerable people can be drawn into a way of thinking by what they view and who they speak to online, and it can be difficult for parents, friends or family to know what signs to spot or what to do.

'It is important that everyone is aware there is help and support available if the behaviour of someone you are close to has changed and you are worried they have become radicalised in their views.

'If you have concerns about someone you live with or are speaking to, the ACT Early website has useful tips, advice and guidance of who you can talk to, including those organisations which are not connected with the police.

'However, if you are worried someone is in immediate danger, you should always call 999.'

Brock, of Lancaster Road, Maidenhead, denied but was convicted of three counts of possession of materials likely to be useful for committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He was jailed for four years and will be subject to notification requirements for 10 years upon release.
The mother of a Babes in the Wood murder victim has branded Martin Bashir 'a dishonest rogue' and called for a criminal investigation after she claimed he delayed the killer's capture by losing her daughter's blood-stained clothing.

The journalist, who has been condemned for his 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana, is said to have visited the grieving family of nine-year-old Karen Hadaway and took away the clothes she had been wearing.

Bashir allegedly promised to get the sweatshirt and vest she was wearing at the time of the tragedy DNA tested.

But Karen's mother, Michelle Johnson, claims the family never saw the reporter - or their daughter's clothes - ever again and is now calling for a probe into his alleged actions, similar to the recent Dyson Report.

Asked today on the BBC's Woman's Hour if she would welcome an investigation into her experience, she replied: 'Of course,' adding that she will be speaking to lawyers.

A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline the corporation would 'of course' discuss the matter with her 'if and when she wishes'.

Russell Bishop killed nine-year-old Karen and her friend Nicola Fellows in Wild Park in Brighton 1986 and is now serving a life sentence.

But he was initially acquitted of the murders as the grieving families battled to try and secure justice, with Bashir allegedly proposing to help them achieve it.

The mother said today: 'I can't believe this reputable man who came to me all those years ago and told me he could help me as he worked for the BBC could turn out such a cheating a****hole.

The mother of a Babes in the Wood murder victim has branded Martin Bashir (pictured) 'a dishonest rogue and a 'despicable rat' after she claimed he delayed the killer's capture by losing her daughter's blood-stained clothing

Karen Hadaway's mother, Michelle (pictured), claims Bashir took her daughter's clothes and then never saw him, or the items, again

The Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana in 1995, which came about after the journalist used mock up bank statements to get her to speak

'He needs exposing for the amount of pain he has put people through. The police need to investigate his terrible, fraudulent dealings which he has got away with for such a long time.

'He was doing a programme called Public Eye. It was 1991, Russell Bishop had just been convicted of attacking a seven-year-old girl in Brighton but thank god she lived to identify him.

'Bashir offered to take my Karen's clothes and have them DNA tested as everyone was aware Bishop had been wrongly acquitted in 1987 of murdering my daughter and her friend.'

It comes just days after a bombshell report released by former judge Lord Dyson discovered that the journalist used 'deceitful behaviour' and commissioned fake bank statements to secure his 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana.

On Sunday, Bashir broke his silence to claim he loved Princess Diana and brazenly insisted it was unreasonable and unfair to blame him for her death.

The disgraced former BBC reporter admitted he was wrong to show Dianas brother, Earl Spencer, forged bank statements ahead of his landmark Panorama interview with her in 1995.

But he stressed: It had no bearing on [Diana], it had no bearing on the interview.

Mrs Johnson, who lives in Brighton, said Bashir signed a receipt for Karen's clothing promising to let her know the results of DNA testing.

She said Bashir told her his investigation may take some time but that he would help them find justice.

Mrs Johnson said: 'He took my dead daughters clothing and that was the last I ever saw of him.

'He later said he could not remember meeting me or taking the clothes from me but he had sent a car from the BBC in London and actually took me there - how could he never remember that?

'He was a despicable rat then and I still feel the same. He is a rogue, dishonest journalist who has preyed on people and used and abused them for his own means and purposes.

'I was very vulnerable back then and was just happy to think that someone who was respected as him wanted to take the trouble to help.'

Karen Hadaway (left) and her friend Nicola Fellows, both nine, were sexually assaulted and strangled to death by Russell Bishop (right) in bushes in Wild Park in 1986

She said: 'He has proved to be a very dishonest man who has made thousands and thousands of pounds out of everyone else's misery.

'He has profiteered at the expense of others. I for one have never had an apology for his shoddy and disgusting piece of journalism. You can run but where can this despicable rat hide?'

When Sussex Police launched a cold case review and requested the return of the potentially crucial evidence, Mr Bashir allegedly claimed he had no recollection of encountering the family.

It meant the items were not retested when detectives tried to bring prime suspect Bishop to trial in 2004 for the shocking killings.

But he later responded to the allegations in an interview with the Times, saying: 'I may have lost it but I don't remember.'

Karen Hadaway and her friend Nicola Fellows, both nine, were sexually assaulted and strangled to death by Bishop in bushes in Wild Park in 1986.

Bishop was arrested and charged with the murders but he was acquitted after his long-time girlfriend, Jennifer Johnson, lied about a key piece of evidence.

After advances in DNA testing he was rearrested, tried and convicted of the double murders in 2018 and sentenced to 36 years behind bars.

As a result Johnson, now 55, was charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice and was last week jailed for six years after being convicted at Lewes Crown Court.

A Sussex Police spokesman told the Argus: 'Although we have been aware of this matter, it had no material impact whatsoever on the investigation then or later, or on the 2018 prosecution, and caused no delay.

'All forensic evidence needed had been already obtained from the clothing in 1986 and stored separately, including the DNA evidence which only became accessible many years later due to advances in forensic technology and which was crucial in securing Bishop's eventual conviction.

'We have previously explained it to Karen's family and have nothing to add now.'

A BBC spokesperson said the corporation 'appreciate how distressing this must be' for the mother and insisted they will 'of course discuss this matter with her if and when she wishes to do so'.

The BBC and representatives for Bashir have been approached for comment.
Roman Protasevich's video 'confession' broadcast in Belarus last night was 'rehearsed and scripted,' body language experts have revealed.

The dissident journalist, known as an expressive news host, clasped his hands tightly as he spoke in clipped phrases  suggesting he was wracked by nerves.

The 26-year-old's father today said his son's nose appeared to be broken and his allies believe he had almost certainly been tortured after being hauled off a Ryanair flight with his girlfriend on Sunday.

The plane was hijacked in mid-air by a fighter jet which strongman President Alexander Lukashenko had personally ordered go and retrieve Mr Protasevich  a prolific regime critic who helped organise massive protests last year.

Mr Protasevich appears in the video with a mark on his forehead, his chin is slightly raised and his puffy eyes stare straight ahead, suggesting he is reading from a cue.

Body language expert Robin Kermode told MailOnline: 'His voice sounds almost unnaturally strong in the circumstances. There is no faltering, as if this has been rehearsed and tightly scripted.'

FLICKER OF EMOTION: Protasevich's mouth skews to the left in a rare moment which betrays emotion, while throughout most of the 'confession' his expressions are uncharacteristically flat - as if he is trying not to betray his thoughts

'CLASPED' and 'PRAYING': His hands are clasped together throughout most of the 'confession', suggesting tension, while at another moment he makes a 'praying' gesture (right) as he moves his hands up and down which could show he is making a deliberate effort to get the words out

LICKING LIPS and CLOSED EYES: Protasevich licks his lips (left) suggesting a fight or flight response and he closes his eyes (right) which could reveal a conflict, i.e. he does not believe the words that are coming out of his mouth

At one moment Mr Protasevich licks his lips which Mr Kermode says is a tell-tale 'fight or flight response.'

At another Mr Protasevich's eyes close which could mean an 'incongruence' between the words he is speaking and his thoughts  a conflict between the lies and the truth.

'There is excessive tightening of the fingers, together with an upward and downward movement of the hands as if to emphasise every point, suggesting someone determined to get the script right in one take,' the body language expert added.

The speed of the delivery is such that it would have been impossible to achieve without some level of 'rehearsal or scripting.'

Mr Kermode said: 'When he talks at the start about being detained, there is a complete lack of emotion. We would expect to see an emotional context here under the circumstances but it is oddly matter of fact, with precise wording, suggesting the exact words have been pre-agreed in some way.'

Another body language expert, Judi James, agrees that Mr Protasevich puts on a 'poker face' and his eyes are 'inexpressive.'

She told MailOnline: 'There are no "Hi, I'm fine!" relaxed-looking persuasive gestures here that a young man might use to reassure his family that he is OK, like a throwing out of open palms and maybe even a reassuring smile.

'Instead his fingers are meshed in a self-contained-looking closed clasp with the upper thumb performing a clamp gesture that includes the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

'He uses both his head and his clasped hands to perform small metronomic gestures as he speaks as though it is important to get the words across.

'As he speaks about being detained there is a micro-gesture as the left side of his mouth slews out in what looks like a subtle display of emotion.

'As he speaks his hand clasp changes slightly, becoming a steepled, forward-pointing "praying" shape before meshing up again, which again hints at a need to get the messages across.'

Mr Protasevich's father earlier revealed that he believes his son's nose was fractured and that powders and grease had been applied to his face to conceal bruising.

Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, (pictured after he was separated from other passengers) was hauled off the plane and arrested with his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, after the flight from Greece to Lithuania made the emergency landing in Minsk

Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich's girlfriend Sofia Sapega who was also detained

Belarusian dog handler checks luggage from the Ryanair flight in Minsk International Airport on May 23

Ryanair flight FR4978 had been flying from Athens in Greece to Vilnius in Lithuania when it was escorted by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet to Belarus amid fake reports of an IED on board. It was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk Airport, where authorities arrested dissident journalist Roman Protasevich

Dzmitry Protasevich, who lives in Poland, said his son had been 'forced' to film the video confession.

'It is very likely that his nose is broken, because the shape of it is changed and there's much powder on the front of it, all of the left side of his face has powder, there's some greasy stuff on the left side,' Mr Protasevich said, adding that 'it's not his pack of cigarettes on the table - he doesn't smoke these.'

'I think he was forced. It's not his words, it's not his intonation of speech, he is acting very reserved and you can see he is nervous,' he said.

In response to the hijacking and arrest of the journalist, EU leaders have agreed new sanctions on Belarus including cutting off air travel to or from the country - with European Council president Charles Michel saying that Minsk is playing 'Russian roulette with the lives of innocent civilians.'
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Furious locals in Britain's eight Indian variant hotspots have claimed they only found out about the travel ban today as they lamented being forced to cancel long-awaited trips and family reunions at the last minute.

Updated Covid guidance brought in without any warning has urged people not to visit Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

It was published by Downing Street on Friday, and asked for 'an extra cautious approach' in areas that have been hit hardest by the Indian variant of Covid-19.

Ministers were today hammered by MPs for imposing 'local lockdowns by the back door', with Labour branding the sudden shift 'upsetting and insulting'.

Downing Street has argued that the recommendations to the hotspot areas were first issued on May 14  when the PM urging people to be 'extra cautious'  before being 'formally' published online last week.

No10 today tried to cool the row by stressing that the guidance - which is still online - was 'not statutory' and that the Government wanted to move away from 'top-down edicts' as lockdown eases.

However, at a press conference with other local leaders this afternoon, the Tory leader of Bolton Council David Greenhalgh said ministers had now clarified that there are no extra restrictions.

Those who live in the eight Covid hotspots earlier insisted they should have been made aware of the apparent changes earlier, while some were outraged they would have to delay long-awaited family reunions even longer.

Pip Milburn, 38, from Wallsend, had been due to see her mother for the first time in 17 months and now cannot due to the changing travel guidance in North Tyneside

Chaz Marshall (left), 35, from the Hamilton area of Leicester, said: 'It's not a good idea to bring that in without telling us. It's bad for trust which is low here anyway. Pictured right: Felix Loyola, from Hounslow, who said: 'The new restrictions won't change much, a virus is a virus. It's everywhere, it's in the air and what you touch'

Updated Covid guidance brought in without any warning has urged people not to visit Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. Pictured: Hounslow High Street today

The number of people in hospital with Covid (shown in blue) has traditionally spiked shortly after cases rise (orange), which appears to be happening again this spring but to a lesser degree thanks to the rollout of the vaccines. The data for the first wave is out of sync because the UK was not routinely testing people for the virus which meant the majority of cases were missed

MailOnline's analysis of the Government's Covid dashboard data suggests Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked (shown as the flat blue line). The rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 177 on May 16, the most recent date for which data is available, down slightly on the 178 the previous day. While Bolton is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country because of the Indian variant, the fact the virus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked

Pip Milburn, 38, from Wallsend, had been due to see her mother for the first time in 17 months but under the newly published guidance would have been unable to make the trip.

She said: 'I'm completely fed up with the whole thing. We were saying before where has it come from?

'I don't know how the Government have let people travel to India for whatever reason and come back and not isolate as they're supposed to.

'I was planning on going to visit my mum who lives in Staffordshire next week, who I haven't seen since Christmas 2019. I was really looking forward to seeing her but now I'm not going to be able to and will have to wait until the next half term.

'I'm not losing any money but it's just disappointing, my daughter is six and she hasn't seen her grandmother for nearly a year and a half.'

Mick Thompson, 58, from Whitley Bay, said: 'I think fed up is the best way to put it, I think I'm the same as everyone else. I'm not confused but fed up. I think we are all through it and this is just the reaction to a few cases of the variant.

Clive and Jane Dodds, from Bedford. Mr Dodds said: 'The impact is going to be huge for the businesses. The worry is the communication side of it. It should have been made clear earlier'

Hazel Moore (left), 74, was out doing some shopping in North Tyneside with her friend Emma Laidler (right), 84, today and the pair are both fed up with the restrictions

The latest restrictions may also affect Chris Beavers, whose 8-year-old son lives in County Durham. The 34-year-old wholesale worker from North Shields said: 'To be honest I'm almost switched off to it now with it being going on for a year'

Hotel worker and mother-of-one Lisa Jesse (left), 26, said: 'I have heard a lot of people have died instantly from the Indian variant, but you have to live your day to day life. If you need to get something, you have to go'. Pictured right: Munish Jaidka, who believed that the new restrictions were a good thing until the risk was at a minimum

Furious locals in Britain's eight Indian variant hotspots have claimed they only found out about the travel ban today as they lamented being forced to cancel long-awaited trips and family reunions at the last minute. Pictured, Charlotte Dixon

The guidance was published by Downing Street on Friday, and asks for 'an extra cautious approach' in areas that have been hit hardest by the Indian variant of Covid-19. Pictured: Hounslow High Street

Cabinet Office guidance which appears to have been released on May 21 without any fanfare says people should avoid travelling into or out of the eight local authorities where cases of the Indian variant are highest

'I've had my two jabs and I've started having a couple of pints so I'm a bit happier but this is rubbish. The rise in cases has been happening for about two weeks so what's the point in telling us now, that horse has bolted.

'I'm going away next week just with my wife in the caravan just for a few days. I'm going to get a test for some peace of mind. I think generally people are going to be wary now of coming out.'

Stay-at-home mother Charlie Gallagher, 34, added: 'I didn't realise until last night about this newest announcement when my friend from Manchester, who's supposed to be coming up this weekend, asked me what it was.

'I said it was advised and that it's not legal but I've heard they might make it legal so it's a bit confusing.

'My friend is heavily pregnant and said she probably won't come up now because of the risks. It's a bit deflating.'

Hazel Moore, 74, was out doing some shopping in North Tyneside with her friend Emma Laidler, 84, today and the pair are both fed up.

Retired shop worker Ms Moore said: 'I'm definitely fed up. I wish the Government would make their mind up. I think they're just leaving it for everybody else to decide now.

Data shows how big Covid outbreaks are in the eight areas with the travel guidance. The figures show how the rolling seven-day infection rate (the number of cases spotted in a week for every 100,000 people) has changed since the start of the year, with it spiking in Bolton (top right) to above levels seen during the second wave in January. Cases appear much flatter in other areas, including Leicester and Hounslow

People sit outside a bustling coffee shop amid the spread of Covid in Bedford town centre today

People walk at The Arcade shopping mall in Bedford, Bedfordshire today following outrage over the new restrictions

Mick Thompson (left), 58, from Whitley Bay, said: 'I think fed up is the best way to put it, I think I'm the same as everyone else. I'm not confused but fed up. I think we are all through it and this is just the reaction to a few cases of the variant'. Stay-at-home mother Charlie Gallagher (right), 34, added: 'I didn't realise until last night about this newest announcement when my friend from Manchester, who's supposed to be coming up this weekend, asked me what it was'

'I'm not confused but just sick of it and now we have to deal with this. We can't be any safer than we already are. The pandemic has been hard going.

'We're just staying in North Tyneside until they decide when we can leave but I think the whole red, amber and green system is crazy. They should have had a green and a red and be done with it.'

Meanwhile Ms Laidler, also a retired shop worker, said: 'I think they are just making it up as they go along with it. I'm not confused either but I'm just sick of it and we are also sick of wearing masks.

'I've got a granddaughter coming up from Kent at the weekend so I don't know whether she will be able to come.

'I don't know what she's doing. I was looking forward to her coming up and it's been over a year since I've seen her.

'It's my granddaughter and two great-granddaughters coming up who I haven't seen for a long time.'

Locals in Bedford were also frustrated with the sudden changes, after Britons were advised to avoid travelling into or out of the eight local authorities where cases of the Indian variant are highest.

Updated Covid guidance brought in without any warning has urged people not to visit Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. Pictured, Aamar Ayoub

Joey Bannister (left), 17, an art student at a local sixth form college in Bolton, said: 'I heard about the travel ban this morning from a friend. We should have been told sooner because people have been doing in and out of Bolton all weekend'. Holly Boardman (right) said: 'We heard about the travel restrictions on the radio this morning, so four days after the Government brought them in'

Local councils left reeling by the change today blasted ministers for failing to consult or even inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on Friday but was only spotted yesterday. Pictured: Hounslow High Street

The updated guidance comes as Boris Johnson and his ministers continue to weigh up the latest evidence on the variant as they decide whether 'freedom day' on June 21 - the last step in the PM's roadmap - will be able to go ahead as planned

Clive Dodds, 45, from Bedford, said: 'The impact is going to be huge for the businesses. The worry is the communication side of it. It should have been made clear earlier.

'We have all got a responsibility to other people around us in Bedford. '

Mr Dodds, a senior programme manager for Network Rail, added: 'There are a lot of people in the town who play by the rules, but there are a lot of people who don't necessarily abide by the rules.'

Linda Taylor, 70, insisted the updated guidance is 'very confusing' for those in the area.

Fil Wain, 47, added: 'The other problem is Bedfordshire is quite a big area. If you lockdown Bedford Borough how does that work with other areas being so close?

'I am a hairdresser with my salon in Central Beds. I have got to keep an eye on people coming in from Bedford Borough. No one has said how to deal with that.

'Do I have to say you can't come because you come from Bedford Borough?'

The guidance was particularly concerning for local business owners, who already reported business being 'very, very slow' in the market town, which recorded 50 new Covid cases on Monday.

Pictured left: Trish Farrington, with granddaughters Scarlett and Annabella, in Bolton and right: Ivaylo Todorov in Hounslow

Ministers 'sneaked out' the advice without any announcement. Local leaders have reacted furiously to the changes, and said they are surprised no one in Whitehall even had the courtesy to let them know about the change

 Slide me  The number of hotspots for the Indian variant, where it accounts for more than 50 per cent of infections, has doubled in just seven days from 23 to 44 local authorities. Separate figures show it is already dominant in the UK

Aamir Ayoub, 35, who runs a vegetable stall on the High Street, said: 'The local MP spoke to people on Facebook in our language (Urdu) last night telling people to get their vaccination sorted.

'People are not bothering with social distancing. That is people from all the communities. Some old people do but others don't bother.'

Those in Leicester said the back-and-forth was 'bad for trust', while several people said they had 'no idea' the divisive guidance had even been published.

Chaz Marshall, 35, from the Hamilton area of Leicester, said: 'It's not a good idea to bring that in without telling us. It's bad for trust which is low here anyway.

WHAT DOES THE GUIDANCE NOT TO VISIT INDIAN VARIANT HOTSPOTS SAY? Cabinet Office guidance says people should avoid travelling into and out of eight Indian variant hotspots in England. The advice for Bolton was issued on May 14, with the other seven added in the lead up to May 21, The Guardian reports. It reads: The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble. In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to: Meet outside rather than inside where possible;

Keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them). This includes friends and family that you don't live with;

Avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education. You should also: Get tested twice a week for free and isolate if you are positive;

Continue to work from home if you can;

Get vaccinated when you are offered it, and encourage others to do so as well. You should get tested for Covid. This includes: Arranging to have a PCR test if you have symptoms of Covid;

Participating in surge testing in your local area;

Getting regular rapid tests if you do not have symptoms of coronavirus. You should self-isolate immediately if you have symptoms or a positive test result for Covid. There is financial support if you're off work because of coronavirus. Source: Cabinet Office Advertisement

'People are so fed up with rules and restrictions here it's a kick in the teeth as we were tasting freedom.'

Grandfather-of-five Golden Ngwenga, 62, a care worker from Leicester, added: 'Lockdown has affected us a lot in Leicester, both youngsters' education and adults' jobs.

'So many people have been made redundant, it's very disappointing to think this advice will probably eventually become law and hurt the economy here again.

'It's very confusing after some restrictions were lifted. People won't know if they're coming or going.'

Mother-of-two Jackie Smith, 54, from the Stoughton area of Leicester, said: 'I didn't know until I'd already come into Leicester today for some shopping and to bring my daughter in to give blood.

'I'd no idea we weren't meant to be travelling in and out.

'We should've had more notice, but some people will just carry on regardless and go in people's houses like they did before it was allowed.'

Cabinet Office guidance which appears to have been released on May 21 without any fanfare says people should avoid travelling into or out of the eight local authorities where cases of the Indian variant are highest.

It reads: 'The new Covid variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

'In the areas listed, wherever possible, you should try to meet outside rather than inside where possible, keep two metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them).

'This includes friends and family that you don't live with, and avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education.'

It adds residents should also test themselves for the virus twice a week, work from home if possible and get vaccinated.

The public health directors for Leicester and Tyneside later said they had been told there are 'no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas and it was a mistake to suggest there was'.

Those who live in Bolton, Greater Manchester, also insisted they should have been told about any changes sooner, as people have been travelling in and out of the area all weekend.

But there was good news for the town today as the latest data from the Government's Covid dashboard suggested the Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked.

MailOnline's analysis of Department of Health figures show positive tests appear to have plateaued in the borough for the first time in a month, following a period of exponential growth fuelled by the mutant B.1.617.2 strain in April and early May.

Figures show Bolton's rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 177 on May 16, the most recent date for which data is available, down slightly on the 178 the previous day. Before that, infections had risen sharply every day since April 19, when there were just 17 positive tests each day, on average.

Joey Bannister, 17, an art student at a local sixth form college, said: 'I heard about the travel ban this morning from a friend. We should have been told sooner because people have been doing in and out of Bolton all weekend.

'I shouldn't have to be learning about these things second hand. I need to go into Manchester for my studies and how long am I not going to be allowed to do that?'

Student Holly Boardman, 19, was shopping today with her mother Shelley, 51.

Ms Boardman said: 'We heard about the travel restrictions on the radio this morning, so four days after the Government brought them in.

'We have just driven in from Manchester, which we obviously shouldn't really have done. But it is hardly our fault if we didn't know. I had my first jab last week and I'm glad I had it.'

Her mother added: 'This latest announcement is a bit out of the blue. It is going to be hard on the town of Bolton, going into a kind of lockdown again. You have got to feel sorry for all the businesses and what they are going through and have been through already.'

Nasreen Bibiana, 28, added: 'Everyone is getting sick of this now and it always seems to be Bolton that has it hardest. What's worse is that the Government didn't even tell us properly and people have been travelling all over the weekend when we shouldn't have been.'

In Hounslow, Felix Loyola, 34, said: 'The new restrictions won't change much, a virus is a virus. It's everywhere, it's in the air and what you touch.

'They've made new restrictions but if we all do our part, wash our hands, wear a mask, keep our distance then we won't have any problems.

'It doesn't matter what area it is or what people there are, it's the virus. Other countries have their own ways of sorting out the problem but it's still the same virus it doesn't matter what you do. Y

'You can change the distancing, you can change the wearing of masks to different areas but just be careful.'

Hotel worker and mother-of-one Lisa Jesse, 26, said: 'I have heard a lot of people have died instantly from the Indian variant, but you have to live your day to day life. If you need to get something, you have to go.

'It's been a year that we have locked ourselves inside, it's been so boring. I've wanted to go on holiday, I've got a little baby who is nearly a year old and I want to take her places.

'It's been difficult, I'm scared to take her out particularly with the announcement of the new variant, it's in the air but there is nothing she can do. It would be nice to take her to the park but it's so busy.'

Retired charity worker Sheila Ashfield, 80, said: 'I just go with the flow. I am worried about coming into Hounslow, it is so busy here today.

'I've heard about the new variant, there are thing that individuals can do, keep yourself covered up and keep your distance. I only heard the new restrictions for Hounslow on the television today, they announced what they wanted to do but that's about it.'

Local councils left reeling by the change today blasted ministers for failing to consult or even inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on Friday but was only spotted yesterday.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of 'shameful' behaviour for making the change without telling local people, and demanded they provide clarity 'fast'.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi faced the wrath of the Commons this afternoon with Labour branding the shift 'upsetting and insulting'

Boris Johnson is pictured jogging in Westminster Park this morning with his dog Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross

'Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies,' he said. 'Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Health Secretary Matt Hancock must urgently explain why the Government is rolling out 'local lockdowns by the backdoor and hadn't even bothered to tell us'.

Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the change. Blackburn MP Kate Hollern dubbed the extra guidance 'lockdown-lite', and newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called for Mr Hancock to explain the change to Parliament.

But Cabinet minister Therese Coffey defended the move, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was 'sensible' to issue extra guidance for Indian variant hotspots. The Work and Pensions Secretary said people living in these areas should consider 'whether it really is essential' for them to travel, and should limit activities where they risked either passing on or catching the variant.

The Indian variant has already spread to almost half the country, or 151 out of 315 council areas, and is thought to now be the dominant strain in the country having displaced the Kent variant.

Estimates suggest it may be around 30 per cent more transmissible but vaccines still work against it.

The updated guidance comes as Boris Johnson and his ministers continue to weigh up the latest evidence on the variant as they decide whether 'freedom day' on June 21 - the last step in the PM's roadmap - will be able to go ahead as planned.

'GOBSMACKED' LOCAL LEADERS CONDEMN THE GOVERNMENT FOR ADVISING AGAINST TRAVEL TO COVID HOTSPOTS MPs and local health chiefs voiced shock today after the government advised against travel to Indian variant hotspots - but did not tell anyone about the change for four days. Politicians said they were 'gobsmacked' that the guidance on gov.uk had been updated on Friday to say only 'essential' visits should be made to affected areas, without any formal announcement being made. People are being urged not to move in or out of Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside unless it is unavoidable - although there is no legal restriction. A televised press briefing on Wednesday, which focused heavily on the Indian variant, did not reference any specific travel measures for the affected areas. Labour MP Ruth Cadbury ridiculed the restrictions on Hounslow in London, pointing out that the Piccadilly line and the A4 both run through the borough to Heathrow Airport. It comes as Britons are being warned they may be forced to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated. The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs. It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine. Government sources say it is crucial that the contract tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.' Advertisement

Dr Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist and member of a SAGE advisory committee, today warned a 'substantial amount of cases' of the Indian variant could translate into hospitalisations  which would put some local health services under increased pressure. He added that the final lifting of lockdown restrictions was not 'inevitable' because of the rapid spread of the B.1.617.2 strain.

Meanwhile, people are being warned they may be forced to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with an infected person after June 21 even if they have been fully vaccinated.

When Tory MP Mark Harper asked Mr Zahawi if that was indeed the policy, the minister suggested that within his own family someone had received two doses of vaccine and still contracted the disease.

'It's worth waiting until June 14 when we will be saying more on this. Suffice to say two things,' he said.

'One, even if you've had  and I have had this experience in my own family  two doses of either vaccine you still can actually contract covid and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining.

'We are also looking at ways that contacts of people who may have contracted Covid can be regularly tested instead of isolating.'

The threat of having to quarantine will likely undermine plans to return to normality next month, even for those who have received two Covid jabs.

It could also mean a far slower return to the office for some, as a single infection could still spark a mass quarantine of staff, even if most have been vaccinated. Having a subsequent negative test would not be enough to bring about an end to the quarantine.

Government sources say it is crucial that the contact tracing system stay in place because it is still possible for vaccinated people to pass on coronavirus. One told The Telegraph: 'There is still a risk of getting the virus and spreading it on.'

Sir Keir, MPs and local councillors have blasted the updated local guidance, and called for clarity over the new restrictions affecting the Indian variant hotspots amid fears they could trigger 'anxiety and confusion'.

The Labour leader said: 'Making a major change that will impact so many people without even telling them is utterly shameful. The Government needs to provide clarity, fast. Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies.

'The Government is time and again failing to learn lessons. We need proper support to self-isolate, decent sick pay, a working test and trace system and the roll out of the vaccine as quickly as possible.'

Ms Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, said: 'I was not informed of this and I understand nor was anyone else in Bolton.

'I'm just gobsmacked. They're making such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents.

'The least I would expect is a letter or email from (Matt Hancock) or his office as a matter of courtesy.

'Further and more importantly, my constituents needed to know. Many will have planned for the long weekend, bought tickets, made arrangements.

'And it's still not clear if this is advisory or legally obligatory. This is typical of this Government's incompetence.'

The Tory MP for Bolton West and Atherton, Chris Green, said he did not find out about the change until 10pm yesterday.

Department of Health data shows how the number of positive tests being recorded each day has changed in the 10 areas with the biggest outbreaks where the Indian variant is known to be dominant. Top left shows Bolton's outbreak, which has grown rapidly over the past three weeks. But outbreaks remain flat in other hotspots, such as Preston, Hillingdon and Ealing

In Bolton, which is recording the highest Covid infection rate in the country due to an outbreak of the Indian variant, hospitalisations have already started to creep up. There are currently 43 Covid patients in Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, according to data from the Government's Covid dashboard, which is more than triple than at the start of May, when there were 13

Gunners from the Royal Horse Artillery distribute Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to local residents on May 24, 2021 in Bolton

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth slammed the confusing situation in exchanges with Mr Zahawi (pictured), and also condemned Matt Hancock for failing to have the 'courtesy' of coming to the House himself

Labour's Ms Hollern tweeted: 'On Friday night the Government rolled out lockdown-lite through the back door.

'The guidance is likely to have major implications on businesses, schools and the hospitality sector and I'm furious that the Government hasn't bothered to consult the local authorities involved.

'I strongly oppose the Government's attempt to introduce new measures by stealth and without consultation.'

Ms Brabin and the leader of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, the Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, have called for Mr Hancock to be hauled before Parliament to explain why the change was made, seemingly without any advice or guidance being sent to local authorities.

'It's another example of the Government doing to us without working with us,' Ms Brabin told BBC Breakfast. 'It's caused a lot of confusion. We were only alerted to it by journalists last night, late last night.'

She added: 'I'm expecting Matt Hancock to come to the Houses of Parliament to explain what's actually going on.

'We know that during this pandemic our councils have worked absolutely tirelessly to deliver for our communities. But, if we have an issue here, we need Government to be working with us, not causing more chaos.'

Asked whether this signalled a return to the tier system, she said: 'If it is, we would like to know. This is part of the problem. We don't know hot to respond. We don't know what to advice our citizens. One wonders whether we should be taking this seriously at all.'

Ms Moran said: 'Simply updating the Government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

'Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules. 'It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic.'

Ministers have not ruled out local lockdowns for areas where Covid cases are highest, even after the June 21 'freedom day' when all restrictions are set to be lifted.

Labour's Ruth Cadbury, the MP for Brentford and Isleworth, slammed ministers for trying to halt travel through the borough of Hounslow, pointing out it has two direct links to Heathrow airport.

'Keep out of London Borough of Hounslow area?!,' she said. 'Does anyone in the Department of Health realise the Piccadilly line and A4 through the borough are the main routes between Heathrow and Central London?

'Was there any plan to actually discuss this with the council (or even perhaps look at a map)?'

Piling yet more pressure on the Government, North Tyneside's director of public health Wendy Burke said there had been no indication of any additional restrictions when surge testing was launched last week.

'We understand that, later, Government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the Government website,' she said.

'This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

'We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.'

Ms Coffey said she was 'surprised' to hear that MPs in areas impacted by new guidance around the Indian variant did not feel properly informed.

'The Prime Minister set out that we need to take extra caution in certain areas regarding the Indian variant,' she told Sky News. 'It is good practice to formally put that guidance on the record affecting those communities.

'We have been working in close contact, so I'm surprised to hear that people think this has come out of the blue  it hasn't.

'It is about formalising on the record the guidance which we believe people can and should follow in order to make sure we tackle and don't have more spread of the Indian variant.'

A Government spokesman said: 'Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

'We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.'

Where is the Indian variant dominant? And are cases going up? AUTHORITY Bolton Blackburn w D Sefton West Lancashire Stevenage Nottingham South Northants Bedford Chelmsford Hillingdon Camden Hounslow Greenwich Croydon Bromley Dartford Sevenoaks Canterbury Rushmoor Hart Ribble Valley Preston Fylde Burnley Rossendale Chorley Central Beds East Northants North Herts East Herts West Oxfordshire Bristol Wiltshire Test Valley Swindon Reading Woking Havering Barking & Dag Barnet Ealing Slough S Oxfordshire Wigan INFECTION RATE 434.0 215.1 22.4 9.6 10.2 22.8 16.9 142.5 5.6 39.1 8.5 47.5 26.0 29.5 19.6 8.0 9.9 34.5 22.2 21.6 21.4 49.8 9.9 60.7 57.4 55.8 35.0 15.9 6.7 6.7 15.4 14.5 6.2 7.9 19.4 33.4 16.9 6.9 11.3 9.9 35.7 25.4 4.2 34.1 WEEK GROWTH up 72.6% up 87.2% down 54.1% down 35.3% down 18.2% down 35.0% down 50.0% up 20.5% down 44.4% down 7.0% down 39.5% down 13.4% up 21.0% up 14.0% up 41.3% down 50.0% up 140.0% up 533.3% down 27.6% down 32.3% up 44.4% up 40.0% down 42.9% up 22.7% up 215.4% up 61.0% up 83.6% down 31.8% down 10.0% down 11.1% up 183.3% up 4.7% down 53.7% down 16.7% up 19.4% up 68.8% up 112.5% down 45.5% down 35.1% down 48.0% down 8.3% down 5.0% down 66.7% flat Advertisement

Bolton in Greater Manchester recorded 451 cases per 100,000 people in the week to May 20, the highest in England.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Bolton has more than tripled in a fortnight as the Manchester borough grapples with an outbreak of the highly-infectious Indian variant.

Sources say there are currently 43 Covid patients in the town's NHS trust, compared to 12 that were receiving care on May 10.

Experts fear the pressure on the trust, which looks after the Royal Bolton Hospital, will only get worse as the infection rate climbs.

Bolton is recording more than 400 Covid cases per 100,000 people - twenty times the national average - following a period of exponential growth of the Indian variant in the last month. It takes several weeks for cases to turn into hospitalisations due to the lag between someone catching and falling seriously ill with Covid.

It was suggested today that the outbreak of the Indian variant in Bolton may already have peaked.

However, Number 10 has said the 'majority' of people being hospitalised with the disease currently are either unvaccinated or have not been for both jabs.

Analysis by Public Health England has found two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer's jab provide a similar level of protection from the Indian variant as they do for the Kent version, which has raised hopes that hospital and death rates will not reach the peaks of previous waves.

Meanwhile, data published yesterday showed the Indian variant spiralling in Bolton is now dominant in nearly 15 per cent of authorities in England  almost twice as many as the previous week.

Analysis of samples from people infected with Covid in the week up to May 15 also shows that the B.1.617.2 strain had spread to 151 out of England's 314 local authorities.

The mutant virus had overtaken the previously-dominant Kent variant in 44 places, up from 23 the week prior.

It is now behind behind 90 per cent of Covid infections in Blackburn and eight in ten in the hotspots of Bolton, Sefton, Bedford and Croydon.

The places where the Indian strain overtook the Kent variant in the most recent week were: Ribble Valley, Preston, Fylde, Burnley, Rossendale, Chorley, Central Bedfordshire, East Northamptonshire, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Bristol, Swindon, Wiltshire, Test Valley, Reading, Woking, Slough, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Ealing.

It is still dominant in: Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Sefton, West Lancashire, Stevenage, Nottingham, South Northamptonshire, Bedford, Chelmsford, Dartford, Sevenoaks, Canterbury, Rushmoor, Hart, Hillingdon, Camden, Hounslow, Greenwich, Croydon and Bromley.

But it is no longer the dominant strain in Oadby and Wigston, Broxbourne and Brent which may be down to very low case numbers in these areas.

Bolton has the highest infection rate out of local authorities suffering outbreaks of the Indian variant (434 cases per 100,000 people) which has more than doubled over the past week.

Data suggests that two per cent of people in one neighbourhood of the borough tested positive for the virus last week.

Blackburn with Darwen had the second largest outbreak (215.1), and Bedford had the third largest (142.5).

They were followed by new hotspots Burnley (60.7), Rossendale (57.4), Chorley (55.8) and Preston (48.9).

Indian variant hotspot Hounslow had the highest Covid infection rate in London (47.5). It was followed by Hillingdon (39.1) and Ealing (35.7).

For comparison, England's average is 21.3 per 100,000 and has remained around this level since mid-April.

PHE's latest breakdown shows 46.2 per cent of Covid cases were the Kent variant in the week to May 10, but 53.8 per cent were down to other variants. It is thought the first majority were B.1.617.2.

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that the Indian strain was likely already the dominant strain of the virus across the UK because the Sanger data is weeks out of date.

He noted that the variant is spreading in areas that were hardest hit at earlier stages of the pandemic, suggesting that social and other mixing factors were contributing to the outbreaks, rather than purely the infectiousness of the strain.

'Covid is retreating to its strongholds of last summer, looking at the latest map which is already out of data,' he said.

Data from Public Health England shows the prevalence of variants across all the regions of England, with the Indian variant (light purple) compared to the Kent variant (white/pink). Data shows B.1.617.2 is now dominant in the North West, making up around 70 per cent of all sequenced cases. The proportion of samples analysed in a lab is shown by the black line. The sharp drop off is down to the lag in getting samples analysed and not because of a huge reduction in swabs being checked

Data also shows how quickly the different variants have grown in England, with the Indian variant (green) spreading rapidly. The South African variant is coloured blue

National data also shows how quickly the Indian variant (purple) has spread, making up around half of all new cases reported across the country. The Kent variant is shaded pink. The proportion of cases being sequenced is shown by the black line

PHE analysis also revealed how the Indian variant is spreading quickly in the community (top graph, Indian variant is purple). The middle graph shows the proportion of cases made up by travellers. The bottom graph shows the amount of cases that were sequenced in different weeks. It can take several weeks for samples to be thoroughly analysed, meaning there is a lag in the data
President Joe Biden will meet President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, for a summit on June 16  where he plans to raise sensitive issues including the 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine.

The White House announced on Tuesday that Biden and his Russian counterpart will hold talks after the G7 summit in the UK and talks with NATO and the European Union in Brussels.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders will discuss the 'full range of pressing issues as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the U.S. relationship'  before rattling off a few of the fraught topics that will come up.

On Ukraine  where Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and recently massed troops on the border only to pull back many of them  Psaki said Biden will underscore 'America's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

President Joe Biden will meet President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, for a summit on June 16

She said he would also raise the situation in Belarus 'and convey our grave concerns as he has not done publicly,' after the Moscow-aligned government of Lukashenko deployed a MiG-29 to force a Ryanair en route to Lithuania to land so it could arrest 26-year old journalist Roman Protasevich.

Psaki also brought up the P5+1 Iran nuclear talks, which already include Russia, nuclear arms control, and a 'range of issues' that could be discussed.

She rejected claims the U.S. was rewarding Putin with the summit. 'This is how diplomacy works. We don't meet with people only when we agree. It's actually important to meet with leaders when we have a range of disagreements, as we do with the Russian leader.

'We don't regard the meeting with the Russian president as a reward,' she said. She also said when asked there were no preconditions for the meeting.

On Ukraine, Psaki said Biden would convey that 'Ukraine is a sovereign country,' that 'we respect that, and we are closely coordinated with them. We support them in their efforts to protect their people and protect their borders.'

She did not respond directly when asked if he would bring up the Colonial Pipeline hack, which disrupted gas supplies across the South and East Coast earlier this month. The White House said the hack came from Russia but have not accused the Russian government of involvement.

'Certainly cyber has been a topic of discussion between the president and President Putin,' said Psaki.

The White House for weeks has refused to confirm the details of a potential summit meeting the two leaders discussed in a phone call.

The meeting will follow Biden's planned trip to the United Kingdom for the annual meeting of G7 nations  a group that once included Russia, as well as a trip to Brussels to meet with NATO allies.

Biden will also meet with top European Union officials on June 15th, Psaki said.

The administration has touted the summit as an opportunity to attempt to normalize relations with Russia, after a series of Russian 'malign' activities that run counter to U.S. interests.

Biden sparkws an uproar in March when he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Putin was a 'killer.' The move infuriated Russia, and Putin responded by wishing him 'good health'

Among the top areas the administration has identified are Russian election interference in 2016 and 2020, Russia's posture toward Ukraine following the 2014 invasion of Crimea, and Russia's imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The U.S. has repeatedly slapped sanctions on Russia in an effort to counter its activities. Russia has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and blamed the West for the poor state of relations.

Biden's one-on-one with Putin follows a series of summit meetings between Putin and former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly called for better relations with Moscow.

Biden, a former vice president and former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has met Putin previously.

He helped spark an uproar in March when he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Putin was a 'killer.'

The move infuriated Russia, and Putin responded by wishing him 'good health.'

Putin responded with a variation of 'sticks and stones.'

'When I was a child, when we argued in the courtyard, we said the following: 'If you call someone names, that's really your name,:' he said. 'When we characterize other people, or even when we characterize other states, other people, it is always as though we are looking in the mirror.'

The ABC host had asked Biden if he thought Putin was a killer. 'Mmm hmm, I do,' he responded.

News of the date and location of a meeting prompted a reaction from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who linked the meeting to the U.S. sanctioning vessels  but waived sanctions on the company backing it  of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.

'An enterprising reporter should ask The White House if pumping the brakes on Nord Stream 2 sanctions was a precondition for this meeting,' Cruz wrote.

The White House has said the project is nearly completed anyway  although some of Russia's western neighbors fear the pipeline will make them vulnerable to pressure if Russia decides to cut off their supply of gas. The pipeline would ship gas from Russia directly to Germany.

A Kremlin statement indicates that the two sides are approaching with different agenda items. It said the leaders would discuss bilateral ties, problems related to strategic nuclear stability, regional conflicts, and COVID-19, Reuters reported.
A New York mother-of-two has died from complications following a plastic surgery procedure in the Dominican Republic.

Jesmy Tapia died on Sunday, days after she traveled to the Caribbean island for a liposuction procedure on her buttocks, several digital news outlets reported Monday.

The 30-year-old, who worked as a nurse and makeup artist in the New York City area, had to be hospitalized at local medical facility due to a postoperative infection. She was under observation in an intensive care unit where she died.

Tapia's family in New York and the Dominican Republic have not commented on the details surrounding her death. They have not revealed at which medical facility Tapia underwent the procedure.

New York City resident Jesmy Tapia flew to the Dominican Republic for a liposuction and died at a local hospital Sunday. The mother-of-two had to be hospitalized after she developed an infection following buttocks surgery, according to local media reported. A funeral service was held in Santo Domingo on Tuesday afternoon for the 30-year-old

Jesmy Tapia, a mother-of-two whose last known address was in Far Rockaway, a sector in the New York City borough of Queens, had traveled to the Dominican Republic with another woman in early May, according to a person who spoke to DailyMail.com under the condition of anonymity. The woman who accompanied Tapia on the trip also had plastic surgery and is recuperating

Jesmy Tapia, of New York, leaves behind two children, a six-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son

Local media reports said that Tapia suffered anemia and also underwent breast surgery, but in a statement released on Tuesday, her family denied the claim.

'The Tapia Collado and Collado Vargas family totally deny any information known through the media and . thanks you for your interest and support,' the statement read in Spanish. 'We will provide the necessary statements in due course. We request privacy to be able to live our pain.'

A person who spoke with DailyMail.com under the condition of anonymity said that Tapia and another woman had gone in early May to the Dominican Republic.

Tapia's friend did not encounter any problems and is recovering from her operation.

The source shot down the reports that claimed that Tapia suffered from anemia and also had breast surgery.

Jesmy Tapia worked in New York City as a makeup artist

A funeral service was held for Jesmy Tapia in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Wednesday afternoon. It is unknown if Tapia is going to be buried in the Caribbean island, where part of her family resides, or flown back to the United States

A funeral service was held for Tapia in Santo Domingo on Wednesday afternoon, local time. It is unknown if Tapia is going to be buried in the Dominican Republic or flown back to the United States.

Tapia lived in the Far Rockaway sector of Queens. She leaves behind a six-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

According to her aunt and local journalist Liza Collado, Tapia worked as a nurse in the geriatric unit of a hospital and also had a passion for her second job as a makeup artist.

'In cases like Jesmy's, in which women who arrive in perfect health to undergo aesthetic procedures lose their lives, there is always curiosity, one that arises naturally in people's imaginations and another that originates from those who feel threatened for their lack of commitment, ethics and human qualities,' Collado wrote on Red de Noticias. 'Our family is grieving at this time, we seek comfort in such a gray hour.

DailyMail.com reached out to Democratic Congressman Gregory Meek for comment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued warnings in the past against visiting the Dominican Republic for surgery.

In 2019, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston released a report that showed that the Dominican Republic could be the most dangerous place in the world for plastic surgery.

The study looked at cases of post-surgery infections during a 14-year period and found that nearly half of them were from the Caribbean country.

A person who spoke with DailyMail.com under the condition of anonymity said that Jesmy Tapia and another woman had gone in early May to the Dominican Republic. Tapia underwent surgery on her buttocks. Tapia's friend did not encounter any problems and is recovering from her operation. The source, who did not comment on what type of surgery Tapia's friend had, denied local media reports that claimed that Tapia suffered from anemia and also had breast surgery

According to the report, women complained of complications - and in some cases died - after undergoing procedures with poor hygiene from doctors who are not well-qualified and in clinics that don't fully adhere to safety guidelines.

The researchers highlighted the dangers of so-called 'medical tourism' and warned that patients should reconsider traveling outside the United States for low-cost procedures.

The March 2019 study was published journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the team reviewed case reports published in various journal databases.

They analyzed postoperative infections that were treated in the United States following elective surgeries that were practiced abroad between 2003 and 2017.

Of the 42 cases, a shockingly high 20 were from the Dominican Republic.

Some other countries included Mexico, Thailand, China, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.

The top three procedures that resulted in complications were tummy tucks, breast reductions and liposuction.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sold all of its Apple and Twitter shares - likely worth around $140 million - just before the couple announced their divorce.

Regulatory filings show how the foundation of Microsoft founder Bill and his wife of 27 years, Melinda, got rid of one million shares in Apple by the end of March. The foundation also sold all of its 272,420 shares in the social media site Twitter.

Although the foundation doesn't fuel the couple's personal wealth, the sales come as they're dividing up their personal fortune, with Bill having already transferred around $3 billion worth of stock into Melinda's name.

The couple didn't have a prenuptial agreement. Bill Gates is worth around $127 billion, according to the latest tally by Forbes. The foundation, meanwhile, is the world's largest, with an endowment of more than $50 billion.

It isn't clear why the foundation would have sold out of all of its Apple and Twitter shares, which was first reported by Barron's. The foundation hasn't commented. DailyMail.com has contacted the foundation for comment.

The sales could have simply been the normal repositioning of any investor as Apple has underperformed the broader stock market - falling 8 percent in the first quarter while the S&P 500 index added 5.8 percent. Twitter, however, rose 17.5 percent in the first quarter.

The filings, made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, don't give a specific date for the sales - only that they happened sometime in the first quarter.

Based on Tuesday's prices, the Gates Foundation shares would be worth around $140 million. Twitter stood at $56.89 a share Tuesday morning; Apple $126.80.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sold all its Apple and Twitter shares - worth hundreds of millions - just before the couple, pictured, announced their divorce

Bill's stock transfers to Melinda Canadian National Railway: 1.9% stake worth $1.55 billion Deere & Co: 0.7% stake valued at $850 million AutoNation: 3.7% stake worth $307 million Coca-Cola Femsa SAB: 4.9% stake worth about $121 million Grupo Televisa SA: 4.9% stake worth about $121 million Advertisement

The foundation's sales come as the couple has been repositioning its massive personal portfolio as Bill has been transferring stock to Melinda.

As for the foundation, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show it has reinvested the money gained by selling the Apple and Twitter shares by buying 5.7 million shares in South Korean e-commerce company Coupang.

The foundation has not commented on the decision to offload the shares but Bill has disclosed personal stock transfers to Melinda worth roughly $3 billion since news of their divorce first broke in early May.

Last week it was reported Bill had given Melinda $850 million worth of shares in Deere & Co.

The transfer of 2.25 million shares in the company, which makes the iconic John Deere tractors, was disclosed in a regulatory filing with the Securities Exchange Commission.

The filing said that Bill received 'no consideration' for the transfer of shares to Melinda, which represented about 7 percent of his total stake in Deere & Co.

Since the couple announced their divorce on May 3, Bill has disclosed stock transfers including shares of AutoNation and Canadian National Railway.

Melinda is also now one of the largest individual shareholders in two Mexican companies, bottler Coca-Cola Femsa SAB and and cable company Grupo Televisa SA.

Bill and Melinda reportedly have no prenuptial agreement, but reached a separation settlement before making their split public.

With a fortune valued at about $127 billion on Tuesday, Bill is the forth richest man in the world, after Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, according to Bloomberg.

Following news of the split, reports emerged that Bill had inappropriately pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and his namesake philanthropic foundation while he was married.

The reports from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal detailed Gates' alleged behavior toward women, ranging from a full-blown affair at Microsoft to asking out women who felt uncomfortable with his advances at both institutions.

Scrutiny has also been growing over his close relationship with sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, from whom he allegedly sought marital advice.

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.

Filings first reported by Barrons show how Microsoft founder Bill and his wife of 27 years Melinda got rid of one million shares in Apple by the end of March

The couple also sold 270,000 shares in the social media site Twitter

Filings Securities and Exchange Commission show that they have reinvested by buying 5.7 million shares in South Korean e-commerce company Coupang

Microsoft said it 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.

Gates' private office spokesperson called it 'an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.'

Microsoft in March 2020 announced Gates was leaving the board to 'dedicate more time to his philanthropic priorities' but would continue to serve as a technology adviser to CEO Satya Nadella and other Microsoft leaders.

Gates' spokesperson said the investigation did not force him off the board and that he had for years planned to spend more time on his philanthropy.

'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 told the Times.

Last week it was reported Bill had given Melinda $850 million worth of shares in Deere & Co. The transfer of 2.25 million shares in the company, which makes the iconic John Deere tractors, was disclosed in a regulatory filing on Friday with the SEC

The divorce petition Melinda filed on May 3, the same day she and Bill publicly announced their split, called the marriage 'irretrievably broken.'

The petition indicated that the couple had reached a 'separation contract' outlining how they planned to divide their estate - which includes properties in five states, a private jet, an astonishing art collection and a fleet of luxury cars.

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.

Legal experts have also said she could use her blockbuster divorce to increase her three children's inheritance from the $10million her estranged husband publicly vowed to give each of them.

Bill has already sold off or donated most of his stock in Microsoft, which he co-founded, but still owns at 1.3 percent stake valued at about $25 billion.

His investments in other companies are managed though his investment firm Cascade LLC, which disclosed the transfers to Melinda in regulatory filings.

Federal regulations require investors to disclose significant changes in holdings if they own at least 5 percent of a company.

Bill Gates is seen in public for the first time since announcing his divorce from Melinda as he flies into NYC and hits Manhattan - and is STILL wearing his wedding ring

Bill Gates has been pictured out in public for the first time since announcing his divorce from Melinda, with his wedding ring still in pride of place on his left hand ring finger.

The Microsoft founder, 65, was spotted in Manhattan on Saturday, after flying into Newark Airport in New Jersey the day before with several travel companions in tow, including a woman believed to be his youngest daughter Phoebe, 18, and her boyfriend Chaz Flynn.

Gates was beaming ear to ear sporting an unshaven beard and no face covering, after New York lifted its mask mandate, his divorce proceedings seeming far from his mind. But he still sported his wedding ring prominently on his left hand.

Bill and Melinda, 56, shocked the world earlier this month when they announced they were divorcing after 27 years together.

Gates and his daughter were also joined by a large security detail for the meal at Nobu. Gates turned up with five vehicles at the midtown restaurant Saturday afternoon

Gates dressed in casual gear for the meal at the upmarket restaurant, while a young woman believed to be his daughter Phoebe opted for a short polkadot dress and sneakers

The unshaven Gates had a mask ready to put on upon entering the restaurant, while a young man believed to be his daughter Phoebe's boyfriend masked up

Gates and his estranged wife Melinda announced earlier this month they were getting a divorce, but he was still sporting a wedding ring during his trip to Nobu Saturday afternoon

The couple have three adult children: Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, who appeared to be the young woman spotted with him disembarking the plane in Newark on Friday.

The group then boarded a helicopter presumably bound for Manhattan, where he was spotted heading to lunch with his pals the following day.

On Saturday, Gates was seen going to have a meal at Nobu, in New York City, with what appeared to be his daughter Phoebe and her boyfriend, and a large security detail.

He was still wearing his wedding ring.

Since news of the split broke, Gates has been rocked by claims of inappropriate behavior during his time at Microsoft as well as questions surrounding his friendship with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Prior to his arrival into Newark, he was thought to be holing up at an exclusive golf club in California where he owns a mansion.

Two weeks on from the divorce announcement, Gates first came out of hiding as he landed into Newark Airport Friday.

He was seen disembarking his private jet, sporting a grey long-sleeved polo, dark trousers and his signature dark-rimmed glasses.

Gates headed down the steps maskless before putting on a matching grey check face mask as he reached the tarmac.

The father-of-three had something of an entourage with him including a teen thought to be Phoebe, who looked ready for the late spring sunshine in a dazzling red crop top and skirt co-ord.

The formerly blonde 18-year-old had her dark hair tied back and donned a white face mask and sneakers.

The couple are pictured with their three kids Jennifer (center), Rory (right) and Phoebe (left) in 2019. Since news of the split broke, Gates has been rocked by claims of inappropriate behavior during his time at Microsoft

She was followed closely behind by a young male in a white hoody, thought to be her boyfriend Chaz.

The young couple are thought to have started dating in mid-2019 and Phoebe often shares images of them together on her Instagram.

The trio were also joined by a brunette woman dressed in dark office wear and carrying a large briefcase and a white-haired man in glasses, a check shirt and a bodywarmer.

The group then headed across the tarmac toward a helicopter.

Then on Saturday, Gates sported black dress socks with sneakers and shorts, paired with a casual grey polo shirt as he walked to lunch with his companions.

Gates hasn't been seen in public since he and Melinda announced their split back on May 3, other than to appear at a virtual event with the US Chamber of Commerce Wednesday.

The 65-year-old was also seen sporting his wedding band during that appearance.

It was not clear where he was during the Zoom call but he is understood to have been staying at the exclusive golf complex The Vintage Club in Indian Wells, California, for the last three months.

The Vintage Club costs $250,000 to join. It boasts a spa, restaurants and two 18-hole golf courses, dubbing itself 'one of the United States' most prestigious' golf clubs.

Other members include Charles Koch and Dennis Washington.

Gates bought a home there in 1990 for $12.5 million. That is said to have six bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

Melinda and Bill have given no details about their split, but Melinda wrote that the marriage is 'irretrievably broken' in divorce filings.

She is said to have began consulting divorce lawyers as far back as October 2019.
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang's wife has slammed the New York Daily News for publishing a cartoon she described as a 'racist disfiguration' of her husband.

Evelyn Yang took to Twitter on Monday to attack the cartoon by artist Bill Bramhall, which depicts the Democratic candidate as an excited tourist exiting the Times Square subway stop, with a pair of memorabilia shop owners happily exclaiming: 'The tourists are back!'

'I cant believe my eyes,' Evelyn wrote. 'To publish this racist disfiguration of @AndrewYang as a tourist, in NYC where I was born, where Andrew has lived for 25 years, where our boys were born, where 16% of us are Asian and anti-Asian hate is up 900%. #StopAsianHate.'

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang's wife has slammed the New York Daily News for publishing a cartoon she described as a 'racist disfiguration' of her husband. The cartoon (pictured) by artist Bill Bramhall depicts Yang as an excited tourist exiting the Times Square subway stop, with a pair of memorabilia shop owners exclaiming: 'The tourists are back!'

Yang's wife Evelyn took to Twitter on Monday to blast the Daily News for running the cartoon

The cartoon appeared to be in reference to an interview on Sunday in which Yang told Showtime host Ziwe Fumudoh that his favorite subway stop in the Big Apple is Times Square.

It followed followed recent criticisms that Yang is out of touch with New York politics - which were spelled out in a Daily News editorial over the weekend.

'Andrew Yang may be a quick study, but all the cramming hes done since jumping into the mayors race cant make up for years of inattention to New York politics and policies, best evidenced by the fact that he has never bothered to vote in a local election,' the editorial read.

Criticism of the cartoon was swift. The Asian American Pacific Islander Victory Alliance called it 'disgusting and wrong' and said it leaned into the stereotype of Asian Americans as foreign tourists.

'Every single day Asian Americans have to fight the notion that we are foreigners. We are here and were not going anywhere.'

The cartoon came after Yang said in an interview that the Times Square subway stop was his favorite in the city. He is pictured with his wife at an event

Evelyn Yang (above) said the cartoon leaned into racist stereotypes of Asian-Americans as foreigners

Others voiced similar concerns.

'This is hurtful and insulting!' Sue Bowman tweeted. 'I was told to go back to China. We, Asian Americans worked hard to build our country, the USA. We all should be united and help each other.'

'If you don't drop an Asian American leader into a frontrunner position you wouldn't know the level of anti-Asian sentiment prevalent within the media and political class of this city,' posted Twitter user @Skymorality. 'It needs to be unmasked.'

'IMHO, it's time to stop behaving like a model minority thru westerners' eyes & start acting with confidence like the majority,' wrote user @chernlai. 'Asians make up 60% of world population. The economic center is now shifting east. We hv to learn to stop acting like a minority.'

'Beyond heartbreaking,' Michael Leach tweeted.

Others were less critical of the cartoon.

'How's it racist?' asked @BernardRubb. 'He literally said his favorite subway station was Times Square. Lols. You can't claim racism for portraying what the guy said himself because he's a stupid idiot.'

Still others agreed the cartoon leaned into racist stereotypes but remained critical of Yang as a candidate.

Reaction on social media to the cartoon was mostly negative

'Not supporting andrew yang for mayor, but this is bad,' Aerin Chen posted. 'As an asian-american, these things are very hurtful. in school, when people made fun of me for my race, it was always very offensive- this is too. do you know why hate crimes have been rising? this.'

'Agreed, it's abhorrent but just out of curiosity, how exactly is Yang a New Yorker when he's so obviously clueless as to how every day New Yorkers live, what they struggle w & need to make their lives better?' tweeted Linda Wasson. 'Because it's so abundantly clear he *does* behave as a tourist.'

The concern comes as the non-profit Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism recorded a 164 percent increase in Anti-Asian hate crimes reported across 15 major cities in the United States for the first quarter of 2021 over the same period last year.

In response, the United States passed a law on May 20 intended to better combat anti-Asian hate crimes in the country.
The family of Fotis Dulos' ex-girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, say she is being treated 'unfairly' and presumed guilty in the death of his wife Jennifer.

Jennifer Dulos vanished in May 2019 and her body has never been found. Her estranged husband Fotis was charged with her murder but he killed himself while awaiting trial.

Michelle, who was dating Fotis at the time, and Fotis' friend Kent Mawhinney, remain the only two people alive to face justice in Jennifer's disappearance and presumed death. Police say Michelle helped Fotis cover up the murder and that she lied on his behalf. They both deny any wrongdoing. Michelle is now awaiting trial on charges of charges of conspiracy to commit murder, evidence tampering and hindering prosecution.

In a statement on Tuesday - the second year anniversary of Jennifer's disappearance - Michelle's family said she is innocent and has been treated unfairly.

'Michelle is an amazing woman, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, who has been treated unfairly, contrary to what the American Justice System is supposed to be about: "With freedom and justice for all!"

Michelle Troconis was dating Fotis Dulos , right, when his wife Jennifer vanished in May 2019. She is presumed dead. Michelle was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Fotis was charged with murder but killed himself while on bail

'Michelle has been treated as if she were guilty from day one, with police, investigators, the media, and members of the public ignoring the presumption of innocence that the United States Constitution claims to offer to all its citizens,' they said.

Jennifer Dulos' body has never been found

They say the New Canaan Police Department skewed facts to support their case and misrepresented some of what Michelle told them in interviews.

'We would like to remind the community that we are a family of professionals and parents who are raising our own children to embrace equality and inclusion.

'We value and respect the role of women in our society and oppose domestic abuse and discrimination and therefore support promoting women's rights and protection.'

Michelle maintains that she never helped Fotis harm or kill Jennifer. She says she has no idea what happened to her.

Footage of her police interviews was previously released.

It showed her crying and telling detectives she had no idea where Jennifer was.

'I'm not protecting him. I'm not protecting him...I really don't want to see him ever again in my life,' she begged.

Michelle Troconis denying to the police that she is protecting her boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, in connection with his wife's disappearance and presumed death

Connecticut cops previously claimed Michelle admitted to them during interviews that she had lied for Fotis.

Fotis' former lawyer, Kent Mawhinney (pictured), was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Jennifer's disappearance

Police believe that Jennifer's husband Fotis - with whom she was embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle - attacked her in the garage of her rented home in New Canaan before he allegedly discarded her body with Troconis' help.

While police have yet to find Jennifer's remains, they did discover pools of blood in her garage which someone had attempted to mop up and clean. They also found traces of her blood in her car - which was later found abandoned in a parking lot.

Fotis denied any involvement in Jennifer's disappearance up until he committed suicide in January 2020 while awaiting trial on murder charges.

Troconis pleaded not guilty in February of last year and has maintained that she had nothing to do with Jennifer's disappearance or death.

Mawhinney has also pleaded not guilty.
Retired John Anthony Clohosey, 72, who presided over churches across north-east England, had denied one charge of rape

A Roman Catholic priest has been cleared of raping a woman in 1986 after telling a jury they kissed and cuddled but didn't have sex.

Retired John Anthony Clohosey, 72, who presided over churches across north-east England, denied one charge of rape, and said what happened between him and the woman was consensual.

During the six-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court, the North Yorkshire man, from Filey, told detectives they kissed and cuddled in her bedroom but did not have intercourse because he was unable to perform.

The complainant had told jurors she was raped by the priest on her bed after he repeatedly asked her for sex, which she refused.

His accuser, who cannot be identified, in recent years had asked the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle for help to pay a legal bill.

She grew angry when she was turned down, because the Catholic Church had paid out money to victims of sexual abuse, the court heard.

She said in an email to her priest - not the defendant - that she herself had been abused by a serving priest years before, the court heard.

And in 2019 she told police she was raped by Fr Clohosey and claimed that as he left her home, he said: 'Goodnight, God bless.'

But the jury cleared him after deliberating for around 90 minutes.

Fr Clohosey, born in Kilkenny, Ireland, was one of five brothers who went to an all boys school before going to a seminary and joining the priesthood.

Robin Patton, defending, said the priest, whose last parish was in Crook, County Durham, and who now lives in Filey, North Yorkshire, was not 'worldly-wise' about women.

Mr Clohosey, of St Mary's Priory (pictured), denied the alleged rape throughout the trial

He reminded the jury that the defendant told them that priests do not claim to be perfect, adding: 'This is what this case is about - weakness.'

Fr Clohosey declined to make a statement after he was cleared.
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Police are on the hunt for suspects after a mob of people jumped on top of police car in St. Louis that had responded to the scene of a party to break it up.

The crowd jumped up and down and even twerked on top of the car. Some of the crowd tried to open the door of the cop car as police inside called for backup.

The incident happened early Sunday morning along Washington Avenue, with multiple videos being posted by police from the ordeal.

One angle posted from a body-worn camera by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is taken from inside the cop car, showing rioters dancing on top of the car - even stomping on the windshield with the police officer inside.

One person even starts twerking on the car, which appears to be shaking violently as a result of the people on top of it.

Another angle from just in front of the car posted on Twitter shows anywhere between four to six people repeatedly jumping on the car as onlookers cheer them on.

The Police Department said no officers were hurt, although shots were fired in the area - and they're now looking for the people who apparently escaped as backup arrived. DailyMail.com has contacted the St. Louis police for comment.

Police are on the hunt for suspects after a party of people decided to dance on top of cop car

The incident happened on Sunday morning after cops broke up a rooftop party

From ne angle, people were seen dancing on the car as many people filmed nearby

Police say the mob hopped on the police car after they broke up a large party taking place on the rooftop of an apartment building. They received 13 calls to break up the party around 2:30am.

After the gathering of hundreds was broken up, people began congregating outside of the building. They then descended on one of the police cruisers.

During the dancing on the cop car, police say a 'Officer in Need of Aid' call was placed, which happened after someone tried to open the passenger door of the vehicle. Multiple cops responded after that.

They also say that shots were fired in the area afterward, with no injuries being reported.

Police say the damage to the cop car was 'substantial' and they are putting out calls to help identify the suspects in the video.

Public officials have since decried the video, calling the actions of the people that night 'unacceptable.'

'It's ridiculous and totally unacceptable behavior,' Alderman Jack Coatar told KMOV. 'That crowd damaged city property and put officers at risk.'

It appears that at least four people jumped on top of the cop car and damaged it

Arnold Stricker, a resident and member of Citizens for a Greater Downtown St. Louis, also expressed disappointment in what happened this weekend.

'I was a little shocked and disappointed that that would be going on,' Stricker said. 'We want a vibrant recovery from the pandemic for all the businesses and the residents in the city and that wasnt a great way to kick that off.'

As many have already seen, a mob jumped onto a police car after officers broke up a large party in an apartment building in the 1500 block of Washington. An officer was inside the car at the time & a City-wide "Officer in Need of Aid" call was initiated. The group dispersed (1/2) pic.twitter.com/v1Xm1bhjjy  St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) May 24, 2021

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones released a statement about the incident on Monday.

'Our office has reviewed the video of people jumping on our patrol cars this weekend,' Jones said. 'While I'm thankful SLMPD responded quickly and dispersed the crowd without conflict or injury, I'm disappointed in those people who will now have to face consequences for their behavior.

'Let me be clear: You can go out and have a good time without all this nonsense. If we are committed to building a stronger city, we need to show some courtesy and respect.'

Another angle was taken from an officer's body camera from within their car

People were seen twerking and dancing on the car, which was shaking from the commotion

Police say the damage to the cop car was 'substantial' following the incident

Police are asking for the public's help to identify some of the suspects in the videos

Washington Avenue has developed a rough reputation in the city.

Last summer, a teenager was killed on the block when a car sped up and crashed into the car she was occupying.

Other videos from there have shown violence, cars speeding around and doing burnouts, and even gunfire.

Barricades had been put up on the street to try to curb the dangerous activity, but some were taken down this weekend as larger crowds gathered in downtown St. Louis with the NHL's Blues and MLB's Cardinals both in town.

'I cant really believe that this happened here but at the same time, things do happen, like Wash. Ave. gets a really bad reputation but its a really quiet street 9 times out of 10; its just that 10th time is very, very loud,' DJ Blue, the general manager of a local restaurant, told FOX 2.

As of Monday, no arrests have been made. DailyMail.com has reached out to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for an update.
Top Republicans, including Kevin McCarthy, condemned Marjorie Taylor Greene Tuesday for comparing mask mandates and vaccine passports to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

'Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling,' McCarthy, the House Minority leader, wrote on Twitter.

'Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.'

New Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik led the criticism from other members of her party by saying: 'Equating mask wearing and vaccines to the Holocaust belittles the most significant human atrocities ever committed.'

'We must all work together to educate our fellow Americans on the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust. #NeverAgain,' she added.

Rep. Greene doubled down on Twitter Tuesday in claiming that her words are being twisted to say she compared mask mandates to the Holocaust.

'I never compared it to the Holocaust, only the discrimination against Jews in early Nazi years,' Greene tweeted.

'Stop feeding into the left wing media attacks on me,' she added. 'Everyone should be concerned about the squads support for terrorists and discrimination against unvaxxed people. Why aren't they?'

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy condemned on Tuesday Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for comparing mask mandates to the Holocaust

No. 3 ranking House Republican Elise Stefanik said there needs to be progress on 'educating our fellow Americans on the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust'

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition calling on McCarthy to expel Greene from Congress

The backlash from Republicans could lead to Rep. Greene being punished again by her party. In February she was stripped of her committee assignments for her past racist comments and sharing of QAnon conspiracy theories.

She also shared a story criticizing the Food City grocery store in Abingdon, Virginia, for having employees wear logos showing they are vaccinated, which she compared to Jews wearing a yellow star under the Nazis.

The tweet came in response to a post from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who wrote: 'I've also noticed that the media attention on MTG's bizarrely nutso Holocaust analogy are completely silent by the Squad's de facto support for genocidal anti-Jewish terrorist group Hamas.'

The controversy over Greene stems from her comments comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's mask mandates for unvaccinated lawmakers to rules imposed on Jews to identify themselves with a yellow star in Nazi Germany.

'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.'\

GOP leaders are speaking out against Greene's repeated comparison.

House Minority Whip Scalise said he 'does not agree with these comments and condemns these comparisons to the Holocaust.'

'We also need to be speaking out strongly against the dangerous anti-Semitism that is growing in our streets and in the Democrat party, resulting in an alarming number of horrific violent attacks against Jews,' Scalise's spokesperson Lauren Fine said.

Greene doubled down on her comments on Monday by sharing a story of how vaccinated employees at a grocery store will wear a logo which she said was 'just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear the gold star'

'I never compared it to the Holocaust,' Greene wrote in a tweet response to conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who is Jewish

She said any sort of obvious identifier of a vaccine against coroanvirus is a slippery slope to requiring proof to go to school or use a certain bathroom

House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, called Greene's continued comparison 'sickening' and 'reprehensible' and called for her to 'stop this vile language immediately'

Congresswoman Mary Miller tweeted a selfie with Greene and two other GOP congressmen without masks on the House floor last week  going against Speaker Pelosi's rules requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks

Stefanik was voted to take over as No. 3 ranking Republican in the House after the party turned on previous chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming after she broke with Donald Trump and refused to back his claims of voter fraud.

McCarthy's full statement on Greene's comments states: 'Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling. The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling.

'At a time when the Jewish people face increased violence and threats, anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Democrat Party and is completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi,' he continued.

'Americans must stand together to defeat anti-Semitism and any attempt to diminish the history of the Holocaust. Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.'

Greene tweeted earlier on Tuesday before McCarthy's statement emerged: 'Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear a gold star. Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.'

Attached to the tweet was a news article about Food City supermarkets dropping mask requirements for vaccinated workers.

However, the southern grocery store chain went a step further by saying those employees who did get the hot will have a 'vaccination logo displayed on their name badge.'

Shapiro, who is Jewish, responded to Greene's post by writing: 'This is demented nonsense. It is nothing like the Holocaust, and any comparison thereto is both insulting and insane.'

Greene said Tuesday that media are 'twisting my words' to fit their narrative

Greene said it's a slippery slope to require some sort of identification on whether a person is vaccinated against coronavirus or not.

The Georgia representative tweeted: 'Pretty soon it will be.. 'We only hire vaccinated people, show your vax papers.' 'We only admit vaccinated students, show your vax papers.' 'These bathrooms are only for vaccinated people, show your vax papers.'

'Then.....scan your bar code or swipe your chip on your arm,' she predicted.

During Senate floor remarks on Tuesday, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also lashed out against Greene.

'This morning, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican congresswoman from Georgia, once again, compared preparations taken against COVID to the Holocaust,' Schumer, who is Jewish, said.

'These are sickening, reprehensible comments,' he added, 'and she should stop this vile language immediately.'

Greene on Saturday defended her comparison of mask mandates to Nazi Germany by claiming 'any ration Jewish person' doesn't like either.

'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies,' Greene told Arizona TV outlet 12 News on Saturday.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise in American and the world after a massive conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas operating in Gaza earlier this month. The conflict has left several hundred dead so far as bombings increase.

'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene, 46, wrote on Twitter Sunday morning of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York.

The 23-year-old suspect said: 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.'

Greene, who represents Georgia's 14th congressional district in the House, compared Speaker Nancy Pelosi's new rule on face masks to the Holocaust.

Greene doubled-down on comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requiring non-vaccinated lawmakers to wear masks to the 'gold star' of the Holocaust. 'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies'

She blamed President Joe Biden for the rise in anti-Semitic attacks. 'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene wrote on Twitter of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York

She claimed Pelosi's decision to require proof of vaccination before members are allowed to take their masks off on the House floor to the 'Gold Star' Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.'

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, who was recently ousted from her Republican Conference chair position for not backing voter fraud claims, lashed out at Greene's comments in a tweet Saturday saying: 'This is evil lunacy.'

A reporter with News 12 asked Greene on Saturday: 'Do you understand, though, why some would be upset and offended by the comment?'

'Do you understand how people feel about being forced to wear masks, or being forced to have to take a vaccine, or even have to say whether they've taken it or not,' Greene shot back.

'These are just things that shouldn't be happening in America, this is a free country and it's just ridiculous to have these kind of conversations,' she continued.

Greene traveled to Arizona on Saturday with embattled Florida Representative Matt Gaetz as part of their 'America First' roadshow. Arizona is currently undergoing a massive recount effort as Donald Trump allies push the former president's claim that the 2020 election was 'rigged'.

'Here's what I stand by, we shouldn't be having this kind of treatment,' Greene said of Pelosi' requiring those in the lower chamber who opt not to get vaccinated to continue wearing a mask. 'No one should be treated like a second class citizen for saying, 'I don't need to wear a mask,' or saying that 'my medical records are my privacy based on my HIPPA rights.' And so I stand by all of my statements, I said nothing wrong.'

Greene compared a House of Representatives mask-wearing rule to the Holocaust on David Brody's podcast 'The Water Cooler'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance last earlier this month saying all fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a mask indoors or outdoors.

Someone qualifies as a fully vaccinated individual two weeks after they received their final dose of the COVID-19 shot  whether it be the one or two-shot inoculation.

Republicans claim this is just another way to weed out anti-maskers and try to force them to get the vaccine.

Former Representative Denver Riggleman was among those who condemned Greene for her comments last week comparing the mandates to the genocide of 6 million Jewish people.

'Comparing wearing masks to the abuse of the Holocaust is a not so subtle diminution of the horrors experienced by millions,' he tweeted. 'It's a grotesque idiocy mixed with a neurotic lack of self awareness. What do you expect from a truther, Q believer, and gaslighting conspiracy theorist?'

Several Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and other individuals were quick to condemn the comparison

MTG says Speaker Pelosi wanting Members of Congress to get vaccinated and if not to wear masks is exactly the type of abuse as murdering Jews in gas chambers during the Holocaust and David Brody nods along. No follow up. pic.twitter.com/inXfD8UBiG  Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 22, 2021

Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic wrote: 'This is antisemitism of a most despicable and deranged sort.

'This is a woman whose own politics can credibly be described as fascist trivializing the actual, historical facts of the Holocaust.

'And I repeat my prediction: she's a front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.'

And Rhode Island Congressman David Cilline said: 'The Holocaust: The systematic murder of 6 million Jews. Mask-wearing: A simple act that costs you nothing and saves lives. Marjorie Taylor Greene: A troubled person who is unfit to serve in Congress.'

Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and many others quickly condemned the comments on social media as diminishing the six million Jewish people who died during the Holocaust.

'You can never compare health-related restrictions with yellow stars, gas chambers and other Nazi atrocities,' The American Jewish Congress tweeted on Friday. 'Such comparisons demean the Holocaust and contaminate American political speech.'

The group called for a retraction and apology from Greene, which she hasn't done to date.

Former Representative Denver Riggleman said this on Twitter in reaction to Greene's comments

Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic responds to Greene's comments

Rhode Island congressman man responds to Greene's comments

The American Jewish Congress' response to Greene's comments

Meanwhile, Greene took to Twitter Saturday morning to accuse fellow Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of supporting anti-Semitism.

She also branded AOC a 'terrorist' for supporting a cease in military funding for the Israeli government.

'.@AOC you're responsible for attacks on Jewish people bc of your hate-Israel stance against Israel's right to defend itself from from terrorists Hamas, calling Israel an apartheid state, & supporting terrorists groups. Aligning yourself with terrorists means your [sic] a terrorist,' Greene said in the tweet.

At the bottom of the tweet, Greene shared an image of AOC's call to end antisemitism next to a headline about her resolution that would cut funding for Israeli bombs.

Greene shot to fame for pushing a series of bizarre QAnon conspiracy theories before she was elected as a representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district in November 2020.

In a 2018 Facebook post, she claimed a 'Jewish space later' controlled by the Rothschild banking family had been used to ignite California wildfires.
European influencers have been offered thousands of euros by a fake London ad agency with apparent ties to Russia to spread lies about the dangers posed by the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

Fazze last week contacted French health and science bloggers and asked them - in poor English - to 'explain the death rate among the vaccinated with Pfizer is almost 3x higher than the vaccinated by AstraZeneca'.

The influencers were told to publish links on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok to articles about a leaked report containing data that supposedly shows how the Covid vaccine is causing hundreds of deaths.

One of the articles, published in Le Monde in January, is about data stolen by Russian hackers from the European Medicines Agency and later published on the Dark Web. It contains no information on death rates.

The pages on the other two sites - Reddit and the Ethical Hacker - have been deleted.

Fazze claimed to be based at Percy Street, but is not registered on Companies House and on Tuesday closed its website and made its Instagram private.

Its management come from Moscow and have worked for an agency founded by a Russian entrepreneur, according to LinkedIn.

The bizarre case is likely to raise fears of Russian and Chinese 'state-sponsored disinformation', after an EU study accused the regimes of sowing mistrust in Western vaccines by making 'unfounded links between shots and deaths in Europe' and promoting their jabs as superior.

Leo Grasset runs a YouTube channel titles 'Dirty Biology' where he discusses scientific topics in a humorous manner. He was asked by an unknown organisation to smear the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine

A man receiving a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the giant vaccination center against the Covid-19 set up at the Porte de Versailles convention centre in Paris on May 15, 2021

Fazze, which called itself an 'influencer marketing platform' connecting bloggers and advertisers, claimed to be based at Percy Street but is not registered there. Today it closed its website and made its Instagram private

Vaccine war heats up as EU accuses Russia and China of disinformation over western Covid jabs The EU last month accused Russia and China of engaging in campaigns to erode trust in the West's coronavirus strategy and vaccines. The 27-member bloc also raised concerns that the aggressive states are using these efforts to exert greater influence on the Western Balkans. A report published by the EU External Action Service (EEAS) on disinformation found that 'state-sponsored disinformation' efforts have intensified since the beginning of 2021, as rollouts pick up pace. Both states have ramped up efforts to promote their own vaccines and 'undermine trust' in Western jabs. The EU report said the regimes have achieved this by 'using state-controlled media, networks of proxy media outlets and social media, including official diplomatic social media accounts'. In Russia, state media outlets have been trying to 'cast doubt' on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and accusing the body of delaying the approval of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. And in China, state media have promoted 'misleading narratives' about the origins of the coronavirus as well as the safety of Western vaccines. Advertisement

Screenshots of emails posted to Twitter by French YouTuber Leo Grasset show that the influencers were asked to tell their subscribers that 'the mainstream media ignores this theme'.

They were also briefed to question: 'Why some governments actively purchasing Pfizer vaccine, which is dangerous to the health of the people?'

Fazze also asked them to 'act like you have the passion and interest in this topic', and to avoid using the words 'advertising' or 'sponsored' in posts because 'the material should be presented as your own independent view'.

Mirko Drotschman, a German podcaster with 1.5 million subscribers, also posted a screenshot of an email asking him to take part in an 'information campaign' about 'a significant number of deaths' after the Pfizer jab.

Grasset was among those contacted. He said Tuesday that he was offered a potentially lucrative but also hush-hush deal to make bogus claims that Pfizer's vaccine poses a deadly risk and that regulators and mainstream media are covering up the supposed dangers.

Grasset, who has 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube, says he refused. Other France-based influencers with sizable audiences on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms also said they were contacted with similar offers of payment for posts.

The person who contacted Grasset identified himself as Anton and said his agency has a 'quite considerable' budget for what he described as an 'information campaign' about 'COVID-19 and the vaccines offered to the European population, notably AstraZeneca and Pfizer.'

Specifically, Anton asked for a 45- to 60-second video on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube to say that 'the mortality rate of the Pfizer vaccine is 3x greater than the AstraZeneca' and querying why the European Union is buying it.

'This is a monopoly and is causing harm to public health,' Anton claimed of EU's purchases.

He refused in a follow-up email to divulge who is financing the disinformation campaign, saying: 'The client prefers to remain incognito.'

Grasset shared the email exchanges with The Associated Press. The smear effort drew a withering response from French Health Minister Olivier Veran.

'It's pathetic, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible and it doesn't work,' he said.

The AP sent emails requesting comment to a contact address listed on Fazze's website and to the email address used by Anton. Neither elicited an immediate response. Anton's emails included a password-protected link to a set of instructions in error-strewn English for the would-be campaign.

It said influencers who agreed to take part shouldn't say that they were being sponsored and should instead 'present the material as your own independent view.'

Screenshots of emails posted to Twitter by French YouTuber Leo Grasset show that the influencers were asked to tell their subscribers that 'the mainstream media ignores this theme'

A woman receives Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris

Other instructions were that influencers should say 'that mainstream media ignores this theme' and should ask why governments are purchasing Pfizer.

A trainee doctor in southern France with tens of thousands of followers who was also approached for the smear effort told French broadcaster BFMTV that he was offered more than 2,000 euros ($3,000) for a 30-second video post.

Grasset said that given the large size of his YouTube following, he possibly might have earned tens of thousands of euros had he agreed to take part.

Instead, he wrote back that 'I can't work for a client that won't give its name and who asks me to hide the partnership.'

'Too many red flags,' Grasset said in an interview with AP. 'I decided not to do it. 'They wanted me to talk about the Pfizer vaccine in a way that would be detrimental to the Pfizer vaccine reputation.'

He said the disinformation effort drives home the need for people 'to be super, super cautious' about what they see online.

'We creators on YouTube, on internet, Instagram, et cetera, we are at the center of something going on like an information war,' he said. 'We, as creators, need to set our standards really high because it's, I think, just the beginning.'
A former investment banker was today cleared of assaulting his wife in their 11m mansion after accusing her of being a 'gold digger'.

Clive Standish, 68, was accused of attacking Anna Standish, who was in the process of divorcing him, by trying to barge down a door she was behind.

Anna, who threatened to 'get him out' of their luxurious 83-acre mansion in Basingstoke, had previously claimed her husband tried to punch her during the dispute.

But a District Judge threw out the case against him saying that in his view the breakdown of the marriage had led to 'emotion interfering with reality'.

The judge ruled that accounts of the incident had been 'exaggerated' and the 'sad circumstances' of the divorce had led to Anna's memory being 'distorted'.

Standish was alleged to have snooped through his wife's computer and emails and tracked her via GPS after he believed she was having an 'inappropriate relationship'.

After she finally filed for divorce, he confronted her because she said she would 'get him out' of their stately home of Moundsmere Manor, Hants.

Clive Standish, 68, pictured, was cleared of all charges after a judge threw out his wife's 'exaggerated' assault case

The court heard that Mr Standish came into the courtyard of his estate last March complaining about the 'bloody' divorce and calling his wife a gold digger.

He was then accused of raising his fist at a bystander who intervened, although the judge ruled today this was not meant in an aggressive manner.

After his wife went back indoors, the 68-year-old followed her and was accused of 'barging' down a door that she had tried to lock behind her.

Appearing before Aldershot Magistrates Court previously, Mrs Standish told the court the pair first met in 1996, and after living together in Switzerland and Australia they returned to the UK in 2011.

The court heard that in 2019 Anna had filed for divorce, but remained at the 11m Moundsmere mansion, which sits in 83 acres near the village of Preston Candover.

Mrs Standish told the court the relationship had its 'ups and downs'.

She said: 'Clive constantly opened my emails, was constantly going in my computer, constantly went in my car and checked my sat nav. He was in my personal space and went through my drawers.'

In March 2020 Mrs Standish alleged her husband 'came out very angry, shouting loudly at me straight away' while she was in the courtyard of the house.

She said: 'I asked him what he had been doing all day and he said "thinking about this bloody divorce" and called me a gold digger, he was so angry.'

She then told the court that she went inside the house and tried to lock Mr Standish outside, but he started ramming the door to get it open.

A bystander speaking in evidence said: 'He [Mr Standish] came out screaming... he was saying that she was a gold digger and saying horrible stuff in an angry voice.

Mrs Standish, pictured, told the court that she went inside the house and tried to close a door to lock Standish outside but he started ramming the door to get it open

In court, Mr Standish denied two charges, one of assault by beating of his wife and one of common assault of the bystander.

He told the court there were issues in his marriage as far back as 2013, when he began to suspect that 'Anna was conducting an inappropriate relationship with a particular man'.

Despite this, they got through a rough patch and when he learned of divorce proceedings he said he was 'surprised'.

On March 15 2020, Mr Standish said that he went into the courtyard when the bystander confronted him.

Moundsmere Manor is set in 83 acres (above) near the village of Preston Candover, was built in 1908 but the original manor dates back even further. It was once owned by Henry VIII and formed part of the wedding gifts for two of his wives

He said: 'I raised my hand about shoulder height and [she] stopped dead in her tracks.

'Anna saw this immediately and grasped my hand with both arms. She said I was going to hit her. I said I most certainly was not.

'I made absolutely no attempt to swing a punch whatsoever.

'I immediately followed them towards the door. Anna was closing it and I stopped her from closing it. I didn't push particularly hard.'

He said this was when he called her a gold digger, because he claimed that Anna said 'I'm going to get you out of Moundsmere' which he took to be a sign of her intent regarding the divorce.

Today, District Judge Timothy Pattinson, found Mr Standish not guilty of both charges saying the 'very sad' circumstances of the divorce had led to a 'distortion' of events.

As a result, he said the prosecution had not proved their case and acquitted Mr Standish of all charges.

Giving the reasons for his finding, Judge Pattinson said: 'I find that on neither charge can I be satisfied so that I am sure that the prosecution have proved their case.

'My reasons are primarily because of what I find to be exaggeration by, and unreliability of, the evidence of both Anna and [the other witnesses]... Essentially, because of emotion that has interfered with reality.

'[That] is different from saying either Anna or [the other witnesses] has deliberately come to court to tell lies - I'm not saying that.

'I just feel this very, very sad situation has led to a distortion of what actually happened.'

District Judge Timothy Pattinson, found Mr Standish not guilty at Aldershot Magistrates' Court (above), saying the 'very sad' circumstances of the divorce had led to a 'distortion' of events

The former Chief Financial Officer at UBS, Clive Standish (pictured in 2006) earned a slice of a 45million payout when he left the Swiss bank

Mr Standish began his professional career with N M Rothschild & Sons Ltd in London. In 1998, Standish was appointed Chairman and CEO for the Asia Pacific arm of global investment banking firm UBS AG.

In 2003 he moved to the bank's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland as Group Chief Financial Officer of UBS AG until 2007 when he retired in the wake of huge sub prime losses at the bank.

In 2008 it emerged that on his departure he shared a pay-out of almost 45million with the Swiss giant's former chief executive and head of investment banking.

The current Moundsmere Manor was built in 1908 by the Edwardian architect Sir Reginald Blomfield for Wilfred Buckley, an English merchant returning to the UK having made his fortune in America.

The red brick Grade II listed building is now owned by Mr Standish after it went on the market in 2010 for 10.95m.

The 15 bedroom stately home was previously owned by Tory life peer Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay.

The original manor dates back even further. It was once owned by Henry VIII and formed part of the wedding gifts for two of his wives - Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard.

In 1543 it was exchanged by Henry as part of a deal with Winchester College.
Former White House counsel Don McGahn is expected to testify before Congress next week about President Trump's attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation, according to a source familiar with the details.

It comes after House Democrats and the Justice Department ended their years long legal fight over his appearance with an agreement that he would be quizzed in private and only on publicly available portions of the Mueller report.

The deal means the Biden administration avoids a potentially awkward ruling that could be used by Republicans to force scrutiny of its own internal deliberations.

But it raises the prospect of more embarrassing headlines for Trump from a key witness who was frequently at odds with the president over his handling of the Mueller investigation.

Don McGahn's position as White House legal counsel, seen here with Trump during a White House meeting in May 2018, made him a key witness as investigators probed the president and his aides' ties to Russia

Robert Mueller's report into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election delivered an ambiguous finding on whether Trump obstructed justice, saying it 'does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him'

Agreement for McGahn to testify ends legal wrangle by specifying that Trump's former White House counsel need only answer questions about information attributable to him in publicly available portions of the Mueller report

It is one of a string of pending cases that threaten to reveal more secrets about Trump's time in office.

The deal specifies that the public, press and members of Congress who are not on the Judiciary Committee will not be allowed to attend the interview.

'Mr. McGahn will be free to decline to answer questions outside of the agreed-upon scope of questioning and counsel from the Department of Justice may instruct Mr. McGahn not to answer such questions,' says the agreement.

But McGahn will have to answer questions about Trump's orders to get rid of Robert Mueller as special counsel in June 2017.

Publicly available portions of the Mueller Report into Russian meddling in the 2016 election reveal that Trump twice called McGahn and asked him to remove the special counsel.

In more than 30 hours of sworn testimony, McGahn - whose name appears more than 160 times in the final report - said he would resign before following the president's orders.

Trump later insisted he did no such thing.

'If I wanted to fire Mueller, I didn't need McGahn to do it, I could have done it myself,' he tweeted after the report was published.

Democrats will want to know who was telling the truth. Was it McGahn who told Mueller's investigators that he was asked by Trump to fire Mueller? Or was it Trump who fired off a string of angry tweets denying he did any such thing about a redacted version of the Mueller report was published in April 2019

Former White House counsel Don McGahn (left) is expected to testify next week in a private hearing before members of the House Judiciary Committee about former President Trump's request to fire Robert Mueller as head of the investigation into Russian election interference

The report itself was hailed by Trump allies as clearing the president of trying to interfere.

However, its ambiguous finding that it "does not conclude that the President committed a crime' and 'it also does not exonerate him' has left critics wanting to know more.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee will want to know more about what happened in April 2019 when the report was published.

Media reports at the time revealed that Trump sought to have McGahn publicly declare that he did not consider the president's directive - to remove the head of a federal remove investigation into the president's activities - to amount to obstruction of justice.

McGahn's testimony is just one potential source of embarrassing revelations from Trump's time in office.

McGahn (third from right) was pictured with Trump just after his inauguration ceremony and worked as White House counsel until October 2018

The Department of Justice faces a lawsuit seeking the release of a 2019 legal opinion concluding that Trump did not obstruct justice.

At issue is whether then Attorney General Bill Barr was right in saying the Mueller Report did not support bringing charges against Trump.

This week officials appealed against a judge's ruling that the full memo be released, as the Biden administration again tried to fight a precedent that would open the executive branch to greater scrutiny.

And court documents unsealed last week shed more light on the conviction and sentencing of Paul Manafort.

Trump's former campaign manager was pardoned in December, freeing him from a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for crimes related to his overseas lobbying.

But the unsealed documents reveal more details about evidence collected by Mueller's investigators describing how Manafort lied about sharing campaign polling with an associate linked to Russian intelligence.

A sentencing memorandum warned that Manafort posed a grave risk of committing future crimes.

'His deceit, which is a fundamental component of the crimes of conviction and relevant conduct, extended to tax preparers, bookkeepers, banks, the Treasury Department, the Department of Justice National Security Division, the FBI, the Special Counsel's Office, the grand jury, his own legal counsel, Members of Congress, and members of the executive branch of the United States government,' wrote prosecutors.

'In sum, upon release from jail, Manafort presents a grave risk of recidivism.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped Washington would not sign back onto the Iran nuclear deal after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem Tuesday.

Netanyahu made the comments standing alongside Blinken at a joint press conference.

He said 'whatever happens, Israel will always retain the right to defend itself' against any Iranian nuclear threat.

After meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) Tuesday in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) said he hoped the U.S. would not re-join the Iran nuclear deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) arrive for a joint news conference in Jerusalem Tuesday

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) on Tuesday at the start of a tour of the Middle East

Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, which denies its nuclear program is aimed at producing weapons, have been under way in Vienna.

Blinken, on a Middle East mission to try to shore up last week's ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, said the United States would continue to strengthen its 'long-standing partnership' with Israel.

That, he told reporters, with Netanyahu at his side, 'includes consulting closely with Israel as we did today on the ongoing negotiations in Vienna around a potential return to the Iran nuclear agreement'.

To Israeli acclaim, President Joe Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal, deeming it too advantageous for Tehran, and reimposed U.S. sanctions.

The Biden administration has since sought to assuage Israel which sees a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat.

On Sunday, Blinken said the United States has not seen yet whether Iran will move to comply with its nuclear commitments in order to have sanctions removed even as the talks have shown progress.

Israeli teams have held discussions in Washington with U.S. counterparts over the potential revival of the deal.

'I hope that the United States will not go back to the old JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] because we believe that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy,' Netanyahu said.

Blinken also said Tuesday the U.S. would ensure that international aid toward rebuilding Gaza, ravaged during an 11-day war with Israel, would not 'benefit' Hamas.

'We'll work with our partners closely, with all, to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance,' he said, following his meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

'We know that to prevent a return to violence we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges,' Blinken said. 'And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild.'



Blinken arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire earlier on Tuesday.

He faces the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The 11-day Gaza war killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction.

Blinked added that losses on both sides were 'profound' and paid tribute to victims of the conflict.

'Casualties are often reduced to numbers. But behind every number is a human being - a daughter, a son, a father, a mother, a grandparent, a best friend. And as the Talmud teaches, to lose a life is to lose the whole world, whether that life is Palestinian or Israeli,' he said.

The pair also discussed Israel's security, including the Iron Dome defense system.

Netanyahu thanked Blinken for 'firmly supporting Israel's right of self-defense', but warned: 'We, too, will give meaning to our commitment to our self-defense: if Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful'.

He also pressed Blinken not to allow the U.S. to return to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

Blinken responded saying Washington would 'continue to consult' Israel on talks in Vienna, but otherwise did not comment on the ongoing negotiations.

Blinken is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the region since President Joe Biden assumed office.

The administration hoped to extricate the U.S. from the region's intractable conflicts and focus on competition with China and climate change.

But, like so many of its predecessors, it was pulled back into the Middle East by another outbreak of violence.

He started his visit in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years.

Netanyahu faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without forcibly halting Palestinian rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Gaza's militant Hamas rulers.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah to demonstrate against Blinken's visit. Many held signs calling for the U.S. to get 'out of the Middle East'.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi greets Blinken in Israel on Tuesday

Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi greets Blinken in Israel early on Tuesday morning

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Jonathan Shrier after landing at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv

Protesters against Blinken's visit to Israel took place in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday

Demonstrators held signs reading 'no justice, no peace, U.S. out of Middle East' at a protest in Ramallah on Tuesday

Blinken's visit comes amid reports former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning a trip to Israel this week for a retirement party for outgoing Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, according to Politico.

Pompeo was Cohen's opposite number when he served as head of the CIA from 2017-2018, before his stint in Washington.

He will travel as a private citizen for the trip, which has not yet been finalized due to Israel's COVID rules, and will 'meet privately' with local nongovernmental organizations.

Pompeo was a staunch defender of Israel during his stint in office and was the first U.S. secretary of state to visit a Jewish settlement in the West Bank during a tour of the region in November.

In 2019, he broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy to announce that the United States under Trump no longer viewed Israel's settlements in the West Bank as 'inconsistent with international law'.

Blinken's agenda included talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a meeting in Ramallah with Mahmoud Abbas

A Palestinian youth looks for salvageable items amid the rubble of the Kuhail building which was destroyed in an early morning Israeli airstrike on Gaza City last week

A drone photo shows an aerial view of destroyed residential buildings in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City aftermath of 11 days of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Pictured on Sunday

Streaks of light are seen as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from the town of Ashkelon

Palestinian activists, right, speak with an Israeli police officer as two activists' IDs are checked after they started to repair a mural that was defaced by a Jewish settler in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face imminent eviction from their homes by Israeli settlers

The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site.

The protests were directed at Israel's policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

The evictions in east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood were put on hold just before the Gaza fighting erupted, but the legal process is set to resume in the coming weeks.

Police briefly clashed with protesters at Al-Aqsa on Friday, hours after the cease-fire came into effect. The site is revered by Jews and Muslims, and has seen several outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years.

Netanyahu is unlikely to make any public concessions on Al-Aqsa or the evictions because it would be seen as giving in to Hamas's demands.

Adding to the tensions, an Israeli soldier and a civilian were stabbed and wounded in east Jerusalem on Monday before police shot and killed the assailant in what they described as a terrorist attack.

Palestinian activists, including Muna ElKurd, center, react as Israeli police approach their friends. One activist was arrested after re-painting the Arabic phrase, 'Welcome to the resilient neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.'

Smoke billows from a building targeted during an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip last week

Palestinians inspect a site hit during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City last week. Israel and the Palestinians were mired in their worst conflict in years as Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery, while Hamas militants fire rockets into the Jewish state

Palestinian activists are approached by Israeli police as they repair a mural that was defaced by a Jewish settler in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face imminent eviction from their homes by Israeli settlers

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts a shadow against the Jaffa Gate while walking through Jerusalem's Old City on Monday days after a cease-fire was reached in the 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel

Blinken will next head to the occupied West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has no power in Gaza and was largely sidelined by recent events.

Abbas, who called off the first Palestinian elections in 15 years last month when it appeared his fractured Fatah movement would suffer an embarrassing defeat, is seen by many Palestinians as having lost all legitimacy.

A crowd of worshippers at Al-Aqsa chanted against his Palestinian Authority and in support of Hamas on Friday.

But, Abbas is still seen internationally as the representative of the Palestinian people and a key partner in the long-defunct peace process.

Blinken also will visit neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago and have acted as mediators in the conflict.

Egypt succeeded in brokering the Gaza truce after the Biden administration pressed Israel to wind down its offensive.

Blinken will not be meeting with Hamas, which does not recognize Israels right to exist and which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) is greeted by Israeli Chief of State Protocol Gil Haskelas, as he steps off the plane upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (middle) talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, May 25, in Tel Aviv, Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, as he steps off the plane upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv

Biden announced the visit, saying Blinken would work with regional partners on a 'coordinated international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza.'

The administration had been roundly criticized for its perceived hands-off initial response to the deadly violence, including from Democratic allies in Congress who demanded it take a tougher line on Israel.

Biden repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israel's right to defend itself from rocket attacks from Gaza.

The administration has defended its response by saying it engaged in intense, but quiet, high-level diplomacy to support a cease-fire.

In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Blinken said the administration is now focused on trying to 'build something more positive,' saying Palestinians and Israelis deserve 'equal measures of opportunity, of security, of dignity.'

He said the time is not right for an immediate resumption in negotiations, but that steps could be taken to repair the damage from Israeli airstrikes, which destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged infrastructure in Gaza.

The narrow coastal territory, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from Abbas' forces in 2007.

Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas from importing arms, while the Palestinians and human rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken departs Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland on Monday night
Families of people shot dead by British soldiers at Ballymurphy 50 years ago have called on the Irish Government to intervene in any attempt to prevent prosecutions of veterans by the British Government.

Family members said they would take legal action against any plans to block the prosecution of former British soldiers.

Carmel Quinn, whose brother John Laverty was shot dead in the incident in west Belfast, appeared before the Good Friday Agreement Committee in Dublin today.

She said Prime Minister Boris Johnson needs to be told 'firmly' that there should no amnesty for soldiers who allegedly committed crimes during the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Earlier this month, Mr Johnson issued a formal apology to the families of the Ballymurphy victims, after a coroner found that the 10 people who died in August 1971 were 'entirely innocent'.

The Army was found to be responsible for nine of the deaths, which included a mother-of-eight and a Catholic priest.

Families of people who were killed, holding a letter from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which apologised after a coroner found British soldiers responsible for nine of the deaths

The Prime Minister has 'apologised unreservedly' for the events that led to the deaths of 10 innocent civilians in Ballymurphy 50 years ago. Pictured clockwise from top left: Joseph Corr, Daniel Teggart, Edward Doherty, Father Hugh Mullan, Francis 'Frank' Quinn, Joseph Murphy, John Laverty, Noel Phillips, John McKerr, Joan Connolly

Coroner Mrs Justice Keegan found that 10 people killed in Ballymurphy in August 1971 were 'entirely innocent'

Fine Gael senator Emer Currie said families should have access to an effective investigation and process of justice for every Troubles-related death.

'I am utterly against any unilateral action that changes the Stormont House Agreement which is a collective framework to deal with legacy,' Ms Currie told the committee.

'If unilateral action is taken what does that mean for obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is a key element of the Good Friday Agreement, and what does it mean for international human rights?'

Padraig O Muirigh, solicitor for the Ballymurphy families, said any move to provide amnesty for British soldiers is a breach of the ECHR.

'These families will challenge any such move by the British Government, in the domestic courts or the European courts if they need to,' he added.

Carmel Quinn, sister of the late John Laverty pictured at a press conference earlier in May

Boris Johnson made the apology on behalf of the UK Government during a phone call with Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister and Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill

Who were the ten people shot in the 'Ballymurphy massacre'? Francis 'Frank' Quinn, 19, was shot while going to the aid of a wounded man. Father Hugh Mullan, 38, a Catholic priest, was shot while going to the aid of a wounded man. There is evidence that the priest had been waving a white item, either a handkerchief or T-shirt, at the time. He had served a year in the Merchant Navy before being a priest in parishes in Belfast, County Antrim and County Down before going to Ballymurphy. Joan Connolly, 44, a mother-of-eight, was shot as she stood opposite the army base. It has been claimed she might have survived had medical help reached her sooner. She lay dying for several hours. Her family had moved from a two-bedroom bungalow to a four-bedroom house in Ballymurphy in 1966. Briege Voyle, one of Mrs Connolly's daughters, said her mother 'just couldn't get her head around' the Troubles. The mother-of-eight had made tea and sandwiches for British soldiers at the family home. Mrs Connolly had been out looking for her daughters - who were moved to a refugee camp during the unrest - when she died. Daniel Teggart, 44, was shot fourteen times. Most of the bullets entered his back. It was claimed they were fired as he lay injured on the ground Noel Phillips, 20, was shot as he stood opposite an army base Joseph Murphy, 41, was shot as he stood opposite an army base He claimed to have been beaten and shot again in hospital while in the custody of officers Edward Doherty, 28, was shot while walking along a road John Laverty, 20, and Joseph Corr, 43, was shot at separate points at the top of the same road John McKerr, 49, was shot outside a Catholic church There was not enough evidence to determine where the shot that killed him came from, nor whether it was fired by the military or paramilitaries He died of his injuries nine days later on August 20 Advertisement

Ms Quinn said the inquest process was often distressing for the families.

'It was the attitude of some of the soldiers who were asked about things but said they couldn't remember. That was right down the line,' she added.

'There are other families who haven't had any kind of recognition, their loved ones were murdered one day and then nothing happened.

'The Stormont House Agreement is there, the mechanisms are there, but people can't move on and they are stuck in the past because there has never been any accountability for what happened.

'There was a letter sent to Irish Government from people from all walks who lost someone in the conflict but that still needs some kind of accountability.

'That needs to be addressed. The Stormont House Agreement needs to be implemented and the Prime Minister needs to be told firmly there is no amnesty on the table for soldiers.'

John Teggart, whose father Danny was shot by a soldier in August 1971, said that if a proper investigation had been carried out at the time of the deaths, it would have saved other lives.

He added: 'If the courts were more sympathetic to the families without taking the word of the Army at the time, if things were done differently in the courts and they were held accountable, things would have been different.

'We corrected history and vindicated their good names. We hope the same help and resources and the same laws were available to others.'

Mr Teggart, who was 11 when his father was killed, described the years after his death, saying: 'It was very hard. I grew up really angry about what happened.

'I would have herd my mummy crying at night-time. My family was split up to try and help in some way. We were sharing the pain and that continued through life.'

Ms Quinn, who was eight when her brother was killed, said: 'There was nightly raids at our homes because that is what the Army did. They targeted the homes of the people that were murdered, they targeted them to try and keep us quiet and demonise us.

'It was another way to try and keep the families down.

'My mother was never the same again after that. It has had a lasting impact on my life.

'I am very conscious of where my children are, who are adults now, and I am very alert and anxious. The rest of my siblings were never the same again and never lived the lives they should have lived.

'I get sometimes very angry because not only did they murder my brother, they destroyed an entire family. I watched my mummy slowly die in front of me and my dad died of a broken heart.

'Our loved ones were innocent but we need prosecutions and investigations. We will never move on.

'I can't accept what happened to my brother.'
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Daily coronavirus cases have crept up slightly again today in the UK, with 2,493 tests recorded in the country  a 3.4 per cent rise on last week.

It continues a seven-day trend of rising case numbers, although overall the infection rate remains low despite the rapid spread of the Indian variant.

Deaths with Covid also increased today to 15 up from just seven on Tuesday last week. The large week-on-week rise of 114 per cent is likely to be just a blip because of day-to-day fluctuations in registrations.

Meanwhile, Britain's mammoth vaccination drive has continued at pace, with 122,379 first doses dished out on Monday, taking the overall number to nearly 38.2million. Some 332,955 second doses were also given out yesterday, with more than 23.2million people in the country now fully vaccinated.

The figures come amid a huge political row over travel restrictions to and from Indian variant hotspots in England after No10 was accused of sneaking in 'local lockdowns by the back door'.

Tory and Labour politicians lined up to condemn the chaos caused by a change in online guidance on Friday, warning people against visiting Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

The shift in guidance went unnoticed for four days and sparked a huge backlash, with the government scrambling to explain why there had been no formal announcement.

Meanwhile, separate official data released today showed weekly Covid deaths had fallen to their lowest level since before the first lockdown last March in England and Wales.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed 73 virus fatalities occurred across the two countries in the week ending May 14  the fewest since the seven-day spell that finished on March 13, 2020 (44) and a fall of 32 per cent on the previous week (108).

Weekly Covid deaths have fallen to their lowest level since before the first lockdown last year in England and Wales, official data has revealed

Weekly Covid registered deaths increased slightly, from 129 to 151. But experts said this was because of the bank holiday weekend at the start of the month, which skewed data because some of the deaths occurring on that weekend were not recorded until the following week.

Every region in England saw zero Covid deaths on at least one day during the week other than the West Midlands  and no area saw more than five per day. The East Midland and South West had the fewest during the week (both three) while the West Midlands saw 16 over the same period.

England's and Wales' low death toll comes as a result of the success of the huge vaccine roll-out as lockdown restrictions continue to ease in both countries. Across the UK more than 38million people have now had their first dose of the vaccine and 22.9million people have had their second.

The ONS figures released today also show influenza and pneumonia are now the underlying cause for nearly three times as many weekly deaths (287) as Covid (108).

Most of the deaths occurred in people age 85 and over (48), followed by those aged 75 to 85 (35), 45 to 64 (32), 65 to 75 (31), and 15 to 45 (five).

Some 30 care home resident deaths involving Covid in England and Wales were registered in the week to May 14, double the number for the previous week.

The week-on-week change will have been affected by the bank holiday on May 3, when registry offices were likely to be closed, the ONS said.

Ministers 'sneaked out' advice warning Britons against travelling to or from hotspots of the Indian variant without any announcement. Local leaders have reacted furiously to the changes, and said they are surprised no one in Whitehall even had the courtesy to let them know about the change

The situation in Indian variant hotspot Bolton: The number of people in hospital with Covid (shown in blue) has traditionally spiked shortly after cases rise (orange), which appears to be happening again this spring but to a lesser degree thanks to the rollout of the vaccines. The data for the first wave is out of sync because the UK was not routinely testing people for the virus which meant the majority of cases were missed

MailOnline's analysis of the Government's Covid dashboard data suggests Bolton's Indian coronavirus variant outbreak may have already peaked (shown as the flat blue line). The rolling seven-day average number of infections was about 185 on May 17, the most recent date for which data is available. The figure had dropped from 177 to 178 the day before. While Bolton is still suffering the highest proportion of cases of anywhere in the country because of the Indian variant, the fact the virus is no longer growing rapidly suggests the town's outbreak may have already peaked

Data shows how big Covid outbreaks are in the eight areas with the travel guidance. The figures show how the rolling seven-day infection rate (the number of cases spotted in a week for every 100,000 people) has changed since the start of the year, with it spiking in Bolton (top right) to above levels seen during the second wave in January. Cases appear much flatter in other areas, including Leicester and Hounslow

Every region in England saw zero Covid deaths on at least one day during the week other than the West Midlands  and no area saw more than five per day. The East Midland and South West saw the fewest during the week (both three) while the West Midlands saw 16 over the same period

Weekly Covid registered deaths increased slightly from 129 to 151 from the week ending May 7 to the most recent week but this came as a result of the bank holiday weekend at the start of the month

The figures also show influenza and pneumonia are now the underlying cause for nearly three times as many weekly deaths (287) as Covid (108)

Most of the deaths occurred in people age 85 and over (48), followed by those aged 75 to 85 (35), 45 to 64 (32), 65 to 75 (31), and 15 to 45 (five)

In total, 42,461 care home residents in England and Wales have had Covid recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began. The ONS figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes.

A total of 153,093 deaths have now occurred in the UK where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said.

The highest number of deaths to occur on a single day was 1,477 on January 19. During the first wave of the virus, the daily death toll peaked at 1,461 deaths on April 8 2020.

Britons were today told not to travel in or out of eight Indian variant hotspots to thwart the spread of the mutant strain and keep lockdown-easing plans on track.

Local councils left reeling by the change today blasted ministers for failing to consult or even inform them about the update, which appears to have been made on May 21 but was only spotted yesterday.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of 'shameful' behaviour for making the change without telling local people, and demanded they provide clarity 'fast'. 'Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies,' he said.

Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was left 'gobsmacked' by the change, adding 'the least I would expect is a letter or email from (Matt Hancock) or his office as a matter of courtesy'. Newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called for the Health Secretary to explain the change to Parliament.

But Cabinet minister Therese Coffey defended the change, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was 'sensible' to issue extra guidance for Indian variant hotspots. The Work and Pensions Secretary said people living in these areas should consider 'whether it really is essential' for them to travel, and should limit activities where they risked either passing on or catching the variant.

The Indian variant has already spread to almost half the country, or 151 out of 315 council areas, and is thought to now be the dominant strain in the country having displaced the Kent variant. Estimates suggest it may be around 30 per cent more transmissible but vaccines still work against it.

Dr Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist and member of a SAGE advisory committee, today warned a 'substantial amount of cases' of the Indian variant could translate into hospitalisations  which would put some local health services under increased pressure.
The coronavirus vaccine programme in England will open up to everyone over the age of 30 today.

NHS England said around a million adults aged 30 and 31 will be invited to come forward for their jab in the coming days.

The scheme is being expanded for the fourth time in a fortnight after racing through the under-40s.

More than four million appointments have been attended or booked by people in their thirties, NHS England said.

People who qualify for a jab will invited via a message from 'NHSvaccine', which includes a web link to the health service's online booking service.

Those who can't access the internet can call 119 instead to get an appointment at one of 1,600 sites administering the vaccines across England.

It came after latest figures showed another 122,379 first doses were dished out on Monday, taking the overall number to nearly 38.2million.

Some 332,955 second doses were also given out yesterday, with more than 23.2million people in the country now fully vaccinated.

The coronavirus vaccine programme in England will open up to everyone over the age of 30 today. It was opened to people aged 32 and over on Friday

It came after latest figures showed another 122,379 first doses were dished out on Monday, taking the overall number to nearly 38.2million

The rapid spread of the Indian variant has given ministers new impetus to get the country vaccinated quickly.

SAGE has warned the new strain is likely already dominant in the UK and some advisers have warned Britain could face a third wave because millions remain unvaccinated.

Commenting on today's vaccine expansion, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Our vaccination programme is moving at such a phenomenal pace and I am delighted that less than six months after Margaret Keenan received the first authorised jab in the world, we are now able to open the offer to everyone in their thirties and over.

Britain's daily Covid cases creep up again as deaths stay low Daily coronavirus cases crept up slightly again in the UK on Tuesday, with 2,493 tests recorded in the country  a 3.4 per cent rise on last week. It continued a seven-day trend of rising case numbers, although overall the infection rate remains low despite the rapid spread of the Indian variant. Deaths with Covid also increased today to 15 up from just seven on Tuesday last week. The large week-on-week rise of 114 per cent is likely to be just a blip because of day-to-day fluctuations in registrations. Separate official data released yesterday showed weekly Covid deaths had fallen to their lowest level since before the first lockdown last March in England and Wales. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed 73 virus fatalities occurred across the two countries in the week ending May 14  the fewest since the seven-day spell that finished on March 13, 2020 (44) and a fall of 32 per cent on the previous week (108). Advertisement

'I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has rolled up their sleeves to help us roll out this life-saving jab.

'The NHS is booking record numbers of appointments and it is fantastic to see the public come forward in such exceptional numbers.

'The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and recent data has shown the life-saving protection a second dose of the jab can give, especially against the new variant. I urge everyone to come forward when you get the offer and play a part in getting us back to normality.'

Thirty-one and 32-year-olds will continue to be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines on the back of advice from medical regulators earlier this month.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said under-40s should be given an alternative to the AstraZeneca jab due to its link to rare blood clots.

NHS England's national medical director for primary care Dr Nikki Kanani said: 'Getting the vaccine is the single most important step we can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities against COVID-19 with the jabs saving thousands of lives already and today the biggest and most successful NHS covid vaccination programme in history is rolling out to everyone in their thirties.

'The offer of a vaccine doesn't expire so if you are eligible and haven't booked please do come forward when you're invited to.'

It comes after William Shakespeare, the first man in the world to have an approved Covid jab, died in hospital aged 81 after a long battle with an unrelated illness.

Bill, as he was known, made global headlines on so-called V-Day on December 8 when he received the Pfizer/BioNTech jab at the University Hospital Coventry.

The former Rolls Royce employee and parish councillor passed away last Thursday after a period of illness at the same hospital where he famously received his vaccine. He leaves behind his wife Joy, their two adult sons and grandchildren.

At the time, much was made of the fact that he was called William Shakespeare and was from Warwickshire, but the pensioner was a fiercely proud Coventrian, according to his friends.

It is unclear what the pensioner ultimately died from, but he was a long-term patient at the Coventry hospital's frailty ward. He was an in-patient on the ward when he received his vaccine in December, which he described as 'wonderful'.

A picture of Mr Shakespeare receiving the shot while wearing a pair of Christmas slippers and his hospital gown made front pages around the world.

Mr Shakespeare was the second person to get an approved vaccine after Margaret Keenan, 91, got hers at the same hospital moments earlier.

Both received the Pfizer vaccine, after the US firm became the first jab candidate to seal approval for mass use by regulators in the UK in December.

Thousands of men and women were given the vaccine during trials that began in early 2020 to study its safety and efficacy before being rolled out to the public.

Coventry councillor Jayne Innes, who was a friend of Mr Shakespeare, said in Facebook post that the 'best tribute to Bill is to have the jab'. She added that he would be remembered for many things, 'including a taste for mischief'.
A 'lost library' of manuscripts including 29 handwritten poems by Emily Bronte as well as works by Robert Burns has gone up for auction.

The materials are part of The Honresfield Library, a private collection of more than 500 works largely unseen for nearly a century, being sold by Sotheby's.

The auctioneer, who will be holding three separate auctions in New York from June 5 to 9, described Emily's manuscript as 'incredibly rare' and expect it to achieve between 800,000 and 1.2million.

A 'lost library' of manuscripts including 29 handwritten poems by Emily Bronte as well as works by Robert Burns has gone up for auction

The materials are part of The Honresfield Library, a private collection of more than 500 works largely unseen for nearly a century, being sold by Sotheby's

Speaking about Emily's works, which were annotated in pencil by her sister Charlotte, Sotheby's told The Guardian: 'It is the most important manuscript by Emily to come to market in a lifetime and by far the most significant such manuscript to remain in private hands.

'Almost nothing of Emily's survived  she essentially wrote Wuthering Heights and then parted the world without a trace.

'There aren't even really any letters out there by her as she had no one to correspond with.'

The collection features a range of other literary gems including the Bronte family's (sisters pictured) heavily-annotated copy of A History of British Birds by Thomas Bewick

The collection was compiled from the 1890s by Rochdale mill-owners Alfred and William Law who grew up around 20 miles from the Bronte family home (pictured) in Haworth, West Yorkshire

The collection features a range of other literary gems including the Bronte family's heavily-annotated copy of A History of British Birds by Thomas Bewick - a book which features in the opening scenes of Jane Eyre.

It will be auctioned with a guide price of between 30,000 and 50,000.

The library also includes manuscripts of Walter Scott's Rob Roy as well as a compendium of poems, notes and personal letters by Scottish bard Robert Burns.

The collection was compiled from the 1890s by Rochdale mill-owners Alfred and William Law who grew up around 20 miles from the Bronte family home in Haworth, West Yorkshire.

The brothers later died without having married before the works were passed to a nephew - also called Alfred.

He granted access to a select group of scholars but after his death in 1939 the original collection faded from public view.

Exhibitions of the collection are planned in London, New York and Edinburgh ahead of the sale.
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The Biden administration will ask Congress for $75 million in aid to Palestinians, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday after his meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The U.S. will also provide $5.5 million in immediate disaster relief for Gaza and put $32 million toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which is responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees.

'We will work to ensure that Hamas doesnt benefit from these reconstruction efforts,' Blinken also pledged.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the U.S. will send $75 million in aid to the Palestinians

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) listens during a joint statement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right) in Ramallah

The commitment comes as President Joe Biden was being pressured by progressives to improve conditions for the Palestinians.

At a town hall in the Bronx Monday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas a 'welcome development,' but argued more needed to be done.

'It's an important development but it's not enough because it does not address the actual ongoing dehumanizing conditions that are leading or rather contributing to the outbreak of violence,' she said, according to The New York Post.

'We must continue to center the protection of human rights, the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis alike ... But we must also acknowledge the asymmetry in the situation and acknowledge the vulnerable that has played in the last several weeks of crisis,' she continued.

She was critical of Biden reacting to the 11-day conflict too slowly, and the U.S. sending military aid to Israel.

'I introduced along with [Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders last week a joint resolution to express disapproval in the US targeted weapon sales to the government of Israel. It was a historic resolution,' Ocasio-Cortez boasted.

Biden said during remarks last week that the U.S. would continue to outfit Israel's so-called 'Iron Dome' defense system.

However, the Biden administration has been pointing to the April announcement of resuming aid to the Palestinians as proof that the U.S. is engaging with both Palestinians and Israelis, a relationship that was lopsided in favor of Israel during President Donald Trump's tenure.

Blinken also confirmed that Washington will be moving forward in reopening the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, an avenue for diplomacy with the Palestinians.

'It is an important step in our view in terms of continuing to rebuild the relationship with the Palestinian leaders that was cut off for several years because of the closure of the consulate,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday on the heels of the announcement.

She called the consulate reopening the 'next natural step' after the April decision to send aid dollars to the Palestinians again.

'This is all part of our efforts to rebuild that relationship,' Psaki said.
A four-year-old Dutch boy was bitten on the face by a spitting cobra whilst he slept during a safari in South Africa.

The venomous bite left the child with severe facial paralysis which doctors feared could be permanent - but following months of rehabilitation, most of the paralysis has been reversed.

The boy, who has not been named, was on a safari with his family when he was bitten on the face by a Mozambican spitting cobra.

He was saved by doctors in South Africa at a rural hospital where he was resuscitated and treated with antivenom.

The boy was flown back to Holland 12 days later where he was treated by Doctor Willem Rinkel at the Utrecht University Medical Center.

A four-year-old Dutch boy was bitten on the face by a spitting cobra whilst he slept during a safari in South Africa. Pictured: The little boy in hospital after being bitten by the cobra

The Mozambican spitting spider, the type of snake that bit the boy, has a neurotoxin that rarely kills its victims but often blinds them and leaves them with disabilities and disfigurement (file photo)

Dr Rinkel said in a paper he published regarding the boy's case that: 'The snake bit him just under his right eye which he would have lost if he wasn't asleep.'

When the boy arrived at the hospital in the city of Utrecht, his right cheek was paralysed, the muscles in his lower eyelid where not working and the swelling in his face was causing him severe pain.

Dr Rinkel diagnosed the boy with partial facial paralysis which was caused by the neurotoxins in the snake's venom.

The Mozambique spitting cobra has a neurotoxin that rarely kills its victims but often blinds them and leaves them with disabilities and disfigurement.

The snake normally spits its poison into the eyes of its prey from a distance of up to 9.8 feet (3 metres).

The doctor explained that two incisions were made under the bite to drain the fluid that had built up under the boy's skin.

The draining reduced the swelling in the boy's cheek but it also resulted in the skin hardening and him losing some sensitivity in the area.

Dr Rinkel explained that two incisions were made under the bite to drain the fluid that had built up under the boy's skin. Pictured: The boy a week after having his abscess drained

The boy seven months after the bite

Dr Rinkel and the medical team began 'mime therapy' which involves massages, breathing techniques and various muscle contraction exercises to help the boy regain movement in his facial muscles.

The doctor reported that within seven months the boy had regained the ability to open and close his right eye and after 21 months the boy's face had regained its symmetry.

Dr Rinkel reports that the boy made an almost complete recovery and the case is testament to the effectiveness of using 'mime therapy' in snakebite victims.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported in 2017 that between 1.8 and 2.5 million people are affected by snake bites every year resulting in between 94,000 and 125,00 deaths.

Many of the people affected live in rural communities with poor access to health care and rehabilitative treatment often leading to long-term disabilities.

Dr Rinkel believes that the successful rehabilitation of this four-year-old boy shows that long term damage caused by snakebites can be alleviated using effective rehabilitative treatment.
A judge in Ohio declared a mistrial in the murder trial of the brother of Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles after jurors said they had read legal paperwork that inadvertently was included in evidence given to them to review.

All 12 jurors told the judge during their third day of deliberations on Monday that copies of legal briefs from Tevin Biles-Thomas' lawyers and prosecutors arguing over whether Biles-Thomas might have acted in self-defense had influenced them.

It was not clear how the paperwork ended up with the evidence. Defense attorney Joe Patituce told prosecutors that he and his fellow counsels did not print any documents and instead used only electronic files.

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A mistrial was declared on Monday in the murder trial of Simone Biles' older brother, 26-year-old Tevin Biles-Thomas (pictured left in his mugshot, and right in 2019)

A judge declared the mistrial after jurors said they had read legal documents that somehow ended up mixed in with evidence that was given to them to review as they deliberated the fate of Biles-Thomas, pictured above with his champion gymnast sister (right)

A new trial is scheduled to get under way on Wednesday, beginning with the selection of a new jury, reported Cleveland.com.

Biles-Thomas, 26, who served in the US Army, is charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury in connection with a 2018 New Year's Eve party shooting in Cleveland that left three men dead.

Biles-Thomas has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. He has been free on bond since December 2019.

Authorities said gunfire broke out when a group of men arrived uninvited to the party at an Airbnb apartment in Cleveland. DelVaunte Johnson, 19; Toshaun Banks, 19, and 23-year-old DeVaughn Gibson were killed.

There is no physical evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, that would tie Biles-Thomas to the shooting.

Biles-Thomas pleaded not guilty in 2019 to shooting and killing three men during a New Year's Eve party in Cleveland

The prosecution's case hinged on testimony from two witnesses who survived being shot, one of whom said she did not see the face of the shooter.

Simone Biles has said on Twitter that she was struggling with her brother's arrest and that her heart ached for the victims and their families.

Biles and her three siblings had spent their early years in and out of foster care in Ohio as their mother struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.

Biles, the 24-year-old gold medalist and the most decorated gymnast of all time, made history over the weekend when she became the first woman to perform a particularly difficult and dangerous move in competition.

Biles is set to defend her title at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in July.
Multiple gunshots were fired Tuesday in an alleged fight over parking near the George Floyd Square in Minneapolis as people marked the first anniversary of his death.

Associated Press Journalist Philip Crowther was shooting live video near the square when shots were heard about a block east of the intersection where he was posted. Crowther said a storefront window appeared to have been broken by a gunshot.

His video from the scene showed people running to seek cover as at least 30 shots rang out. The shooting came just hours before the square is to be the site of what's billed as a family-friendly street festival marking the anniversary of Floyd's death at the hands of police.

Billy Briggs, a volunteer caretaker who tends to tributes left to Floyd at the intersection, said the gunfire appeared to stem from an argument over parking. 'All clear,' Briggs wrote in a text message to Reuters.

'Very quickly things got back to normal,' Crowther said. 'People here who spend a significant amount of time, the organizers, were running around asking, "Does anyone need a medic?"'

Police said they responded to a reports of gunfire at about 10:10 a.m. at the 3800 block of Elliot Ave. South. Callers told police that a vehicle was seen speeding away from the area.

Soon after, someone went to Abbott Northwestern Hospital with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and it's believed the injury is not life-threatening.

Journalist Philip Crowther was shooting live video from 38th and Chicago when shots were heard about a block east of the intersection. Crowther said a storefront window appeared to have been broken by a gunshot

Video from the scene showed people seeking cover as shots rang out. The shooting came just hours before the square is to be the site of a family-friendly street festival marking the anniversary of his death at the hands of police

'Very quickly things got back to normal,' Crowther said. 'People here who spend a significant amount of time, the organizers, were running around asking, `Does anyone need a medic? It seems like there are no injuries'

The intersection has been barricaded since soon after George Floyd's death and quickly turned into a memorial - and also a challenging spot for the city, with police officers not always welcome.

Informally dubbed George Floyd Square, it was being transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival on the anniversary of his death, with food, children's activities and a long list of musical performers.

'We're going to be turning mourning into dancing,' rapper Nur-D tweeted. 'We're going to be celebrating 365 days of strength in the face of injustice.'

People kneel on the first anniversary of George Floyd's death, at George Floyd Square

Community organizer Tommy McBrayer leads a chant in solidarity with George Floyd on the first anniversary of his death, at George Floyd Square

People kneel and pray on the anniversary of the police murder of George Floyd

The shooting came just hours before the square is to be the site of what's billed as a family-friendly street festival marking the anniversary of Floyd's death at the hands of police

Antonio Jenkins, an artist name 'Popeye', draws a picture of Hardel Sherrell, found dead while in custody at the Beltrami County Jail, on the gas station wall near the George Floyd Memorial Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday

Jay Webb (L) gardener for George Floyd Square and Damik Wright (R), brother of Daunte Wright who was shot and killed by a police officer, plant flowers in a garden under the fist of George Floyd Memorial Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25

People watch as Raycurt Johnson plays the violin after sounds of shots were reported near George Floyd Square, on the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Floyd, 46, who was black, died on Memorial Day 2020 after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for more than nine minutes.

Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.

The 'Rise and Remember George Floyd' celebration, including a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m., caps several days of marches, rallies and panel discussions about his death and where America is in confronting racial discrimination.

Many members of the Floyd family are in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, to meet privately with President Joe Biden, who called relatives after the Chauvin verdict and pledged to continue fighting for racial justice.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said he hoped Biden will renew his support for policing reform named for Floyd that would ban chokeholds and no-knock police raids and create a national registry for officers disciplined for serious misconduct.

'Now is time to act,' Crump said Tuesday on CNN. 'Not just talk but act.'

Boards lean up against a building, as multiple gunshots were heard near the George Floyd memorial square on May 25

Men board up Prestige Cuts Barber Lounge after sounds of shots were reported near George Floyd Square, on the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd

A view of George Floyd Square on Monday

Floyds brother Philonise, appearing alongside Crump, said he thinks about George 'all the time.'

'My sister called me at 12 oclock last night and said This is the day our brother left us,'' he said, adding: 'I think things have changed. I think it is moving slowly but we are making progress.'

Nur-D, whose real name is Matt Allen, took to the Minneapolis streets in the days after Floyd's death, often providing medical assistance to protesters who were shot or gassed in confrontations with police. He eventually founded an organization, Justice Frontline Aid, to support safe protest.

He described the past year as 'like we've lived 20 years inside of one' and hoped that people would feel 'honesty and a real sense of togetherness' during Tuesday's celebration at what's informally known as George Floyd Square.

'If you're angry, you can be angry. If you're sad, you can be sad,' Nur-D said in a follow-up interview. 'If you're feeling some sense of joy over the verdict and some sort of like step in the right direction, and you want to celebrate that, do that as well.'

The event was organized by the George Floyd Global Memorial.

Angela Harrelson, an aunt of Floyd's and a member of the board of directors, said the organization has stockpiled 3,000 items surrounding Floyd's death - things like artwork left behind in the square - and will display some of them in a pop-up gallery.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 202o people carry posters with George Floyd on them as they march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington

Bridgett Floyd, sister of George Floyd, attends a rally and march for the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death on Sunday in Minneapolis

Separately, the Floyd family announced the launch of a fund that will make grants to businesses and community organizations in the neighborhood where he died, as well as broader grants 'encouraging the success and growth of black citizens and community harmony.'

The money comes from $500,000 earmarked as part of the city's $27 million civil settlement for the Floyd family earlier this year.

The event at George Floyd Square was due to start at 1 p.m., the same time Gov. Tim Walz asked Minnesotans to pause for a moment of silence to honor Floyd.

Walz asked that the moment last for 9 minutes, 29 seconds - the length of time that prosecutors say Chauvin had his knee on Floyds neck.

Walzs proclamation says Chauvins guilty verdict was a step in the right direction, 'but our work to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination has not ended'.

He added: 'True justice for George Floyd will come only through real, systemic change to prevent acts like this from happening again - when every member of every community, no matter their race, is safe, valued, and protected.'
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George Floyd's family have raised their fists on the lawn of the White House after meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss police reform on the first anniversary of his death.

Biden welcomed the Floyds into the Oval Office, describing them as 'courageous,' including George's six-year-old daughter Gianna who was seen eating ice cream outside after the meeting.

'I got a chance to spend a lot of time with Gianna and the family, and we just talked about  you know, its the one-year anniversary,' the president told reporters as he left for a brief trip to Wilmington.

Also in attendance was Grammy-nominated rapper Lil Baby who is close with the family and threw a birthday party for Gianna in December, paying for all the expenses.

Following the meeting, with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the family's attorney Benjamin Crump said: 'We have to respect the spilled blood that's on this legislation  it must be meaningful and we can do this together.'

Standing behind Crump were Floyd's brothers Rodney, Philonise and Terrence, his nephew Brandon Williams, Gianna and her mother Roxie Washington. Also joining the group were other lawyers on the team for Floyd's family and close friends identified as Dominique (Lil Baby) and William.

President Joe Biden met with family members of George Floyd on the anniversary of his death. 'They've shown extraordinary courage over the last year, especially his young daughter Gianna, who I met again today,' said Biden

Vice President Kamala Harris greets Gianna at the White House on Tuesday after the young girl and her family were invited to meet with the president

While speaking to press, the group held up their fists as Floyd's daughter Gianna, 6, shouted 'Say his name,' and they responded with 'George Floyd'

Biden said: 'And those of you that have been through personal loss know that although every anniversary is, youre happy people remember, it also brings everything back immediately like it happened that day. It takes a lot of courage to go through it. And theyve been wonderful.'

Biden said Gianna gave him a hug and asked for snacks, which included Cheetos and milk.

'My wifes going to kill me,' Biden joked after he named them.

In a statement released following the meeting, Biden said: 'The Floyd family has shown extraordinary courage, especially his young daughter Gianna, who I met again today.'

He also shared the sentiment that Floyd's death helped enact change.

'The day before her father's funeral a year ago, Jill and I met the family and she told me, 'Daddy changed the world.' He has,' Biden continued.

Crump revealed that he and the family would go back to Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon to meet with Senators Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Tim Scott, a Republican, both black lawmakers who are working on negotiations to get a bipartisan police reform bill to the floor.

The attorney for George Floyd's family Benjamin Crump (center) insisted 'We have to respect the spilled blood that's on this legislation,' when urging Congress to pass a police reform bill. Floyd's family, friends and lawyers emerged from the Oval Office after a meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday afternoon

Present for the meeting and press conference at the White House Tuesday was rapper Lil Baby (standing behind Gianna)

Lil Baby also joined the family and lawyers during their meeting with Senators Cory Booker and Tim Scott at the Capitol after the White House meeting with the president and vice president

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told George Floyd's daughter Gianna on Tuesday that her father changed the world.Before heading to the White House, the family met with Pelosi and Representative Karen Bass on the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death.

'Gianna said, 'My daddy will change the world.' Indeed, her prediction is coming true,' Pelosi told reporters as she stood alongside members of Floyd's family before they traveled across town to meet with Biden and Harris for a closed-door meeting.

George's brother Philonise Floyd said: 'Today is the day that he set the world in a rage. We all said enough is enough.'

He then leaned down toward Gianna and asked: 'Your dad is going to do what?'

She replied: 'Change the world.'

Philonise also urged Congress to get a police reform bill on Biden's desk as soon as possible.

Crump held Gianna's arm up in a fist as they repeated the chant

During the Floyd family's meeting with Biden on Tuesday, Gianna emerged shortly from the Oval Office with ice cream in her hand

The Marine who stands guard outside the North doors to the Oval Office when the president is at the Resolute Desk held the door open for Gianna as she walked outside with one of Biden's favorite treats. Shortly after taking a look around, the siz-year-old turned around and went back inside

Gianna Floyd, 6, arrived at the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday

Gianni was transported from the Capitol to the White House on Tuesday. Here she looks up at her mother Roxie Washington, George Floyd's former partner

Philonise Floyd holds up his fist as the family arrives to the White House on Tuesday to meet with Biden to mark the first anniversary of his brother's death

The Floyd family attorney Ben Crump (in green tie) accompanied them for the trip. He emerged from a van after being transported from the Capitol to the White House

George Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams, (left) and brother Philonise (right) pose in front of the van that transported them to their meeting with the president

Rapper Lil Baby snarls as he goes through security at the Capitol before meeting with Senator Booker and Scott on passing police reform legislation

Biden, in a joint address to Congress in April, demanded lawmakers pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by Tuesday, May 25, 2021  exactly one year after Floyd's death. That won't be happening as senators continue negotiations to create a bipartisan bill.

The president, who has a lot of experience with loss, sympathized in his Tuesday statement that the first year following the death of a loved one can 'feel like they got the news a few seconds ago.'

'And they've had to relive that pain and grief each and every time those horrific 9 minutes and 29 seconds have been replayed,' he said of the cell phone footage showing Floyd's arrest last May and the moment when he stopped breathing and went unconscious.

'His murder launched a summer of protest we hadn't seen since the Civil Rights era in the '60s  protests that peacefully unified people of every race and generation to collectively say enough of the senseless killings,' he added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that Gianna Floyd (pictured lower left) was right when she said: 'My daddy will change the world'

Floyd's family traveled to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to meet with lawmakers at the Capitol and with Biden and Harris at the White House

Notably, the president's statement did not mention any of the violent riots that emerged following Floyd's death leading to death, injury and businesses, cars and other property being burned to the ground.

'We need meaningful legislation,' Philonise said when addressing the press at the Capitol. 'We need it on Biden's desk, we need to get this taken care of.'

Crump added while speaking to press at the White House later that afternoon: 'This is an American issue.'

'This isn't a police issue, a Civil Right issue, we have to look at this as a national issue that we have avoided dealing with far too long,' he added.

Despite the somber occasion, Philonise said the family was 'excited to be there.'

The family traveled to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to speak with members of Congress, as well as Biden and Harris, to mark Floyd dying at the hands of a police officer during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

While speaking to media prior to the media, Pelosi said of the family: 'They've been here before to help us pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.'

She said the family asked her during their last visit if she would 'name the bill the honor of George Floyd?'

'My response was, 'Only if it meets your standards,' and here we are today,' the California Democrat detailed of their previous conversation.

George's brother Philonise Floyd demanded Tuesday that Congress get police reform legislation to Biden's desk. 'We need meaningful legislation... We need it on Biden's desk, we need to get this taken care of'

Warm embrace: Philnoise and Pelosi share a side hug as the family and Congress marked the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death

The family's attorney Benjamin Crump accompanied the group during the meeting on Tuesday

Pelosi issued a letter to her Democratic colleagues on the anniversary of Floyd's death urging the Senate to get a version of the House-passed police reform passed.

'The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on June 25, exactly one month after George Floyd's murder,' Pelosi wrote. 'In this new Congress once again, we proudly passed this vital legislation.'

'As Congresswoman Bass engages in negotiations on next steps, we remain hopeful that we will, in a bipartisan spirit, reach agreement and pass this legislation in its final form,' she continued.

No deal has been reached in the Senate to get a bill passed, meaning Biden's deadline won't be honored.

'I would be shocked if something happened as soon as tomorrow,' Senator Dick Durban, the Democratic Whip, told reporters at the Capitol on Monday. 'I was briefed before we left last week.'

When White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked during her briefing Tuesday why Biden wasn't putting more public pressure on lawmakers to pass police reform, she deflected it to the president's meeting with the family.

'Well we issued - or are issuing, it hasn't gone out yet - a public statement from the president, in his name, commemorating the anniversary of the death of George Floyd,' Psaki said. 'A moment that impacted him deeply personally as it did millions of Americans.'

'As you know he's meeting with the family today, he wants that to be a private discussion, he has a close relationship with them,' she added just before the family arrived at the White House.

'They've really impacted him with their courage and grace over the last year and he felt it was important for that to be private,' she insisted.

'But look I think we may just have a disagreement in terms of what the right strategic approach is to these negotiations moving forward and getting to the final outcome, which we all want to see, which is a bill the president can sign into law.'

Pelosi (center) and Rep. Karen Bass (to Pelosi's right) stand with members of the family as they speak to reporters prior to their meeting to mark the anniversary of George Floyd's death

Philonise Floyd pictured looking down at Gianna as the family and lawmakers spoke to the press. He asked Gianna in front of press: 'Your dad is going to do what?' She replied: 'Change the world.'

Throughout the press briefing Tuesday, Gianna hugged her mother, and Floyd's former partner, Roxie Washington

Despite genuine steps forward, Democrats and Republicans still weren't able to reach a deal by the deadline Biden set for getting police reform legislation to his desk.

Durbin said 'it felt good when there was a conversation on the floor' between himself and Senators Cory Booker, Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham.

'I felt good about it. But no sooner did the staff get together that they found some areas where they still need work,' Durbin said of reaching a deal on the police reform bill.

'I think we're a lot closer,' Booker said of the negotiations, but told CNN when asked if the group plans to announce a deal Tuesday: 'No.'

Reporters pushed Psaki on why Biden won't 'use his bully pulpit to call for police reform.'

'He used the opportunity of his joint session address, which is the highest profile moment any president of the United States has in their first year in office to call for forward movement on police reform,' she pushed back.

Psaki added that Biden used the address 'to call for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to pass.

During Biden's first joint address to Congress in April, he set the deadline for May 25 to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act so it would get to the president's desk on the one year anniversary of his death. The Senate failed to meet Biden's deadline.

Later on Tuesday, in his statement on meeting with the Floyd family, friends and lawyers, Biden again called for Congress to pass the legislation.

'The negotiations on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Congress are ongoing,' he wrote. 'I have strongly supported the legislation that passed the House, and I appreciate the good-faith efforts from Democrats and Republicans to pass a meaningful bill out of the Senate.'

'It's my hope they will get a bill to my desk quickly,' he added.

'We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart. '

'At our best, the American ideal wins out. It must again,' the president concluded.

The measure passed the House last week, but has yet to clear the Senate as it got help up in negotiations to ensure a bipartisan proposal is put forward.

'Again, I think this is a matter of what we feel is most constructive to move these negotiations forward,' Psaki said.

'When does he expect to see this bill on his desk?' a reporter pressed Psaki.

'I'm not here to put a new timeline on it,' she said. 'He's encouraged by the statement put out by the negotiators yesterday.

Before Floyd's family met with the president and vice president at the White House on Tuesday, they stopped at Capitol Hill first to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Karen Bass, who is helping with negotiation efforts on police reform legislation.

Benjamin Crump, the family attorney, said they would also meet with several senators from both parties, although he did not identify any of the lawmakers by name.

Floyd's brothers Philonise and Terrence have been vocal leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement since their brother's death last May.

Crump walks across Pennsylvania Avenue to enter the White House for Biden's meeting with the Floyd family

Senator Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, Senator Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and Representative Bass, a Democrat from California, have been leading talks on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The legislation aims to ban certain policing tactics at the federal level, like chokeholds and carotid holds. Lawmakers would also include provisions in the legislation that would seek to improve police training and invest in community programs.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second and third-degree murder and manslaughter after video captured his arrest of Floyd, which the jury concluded led to his death.

Chauvin's sentencing is on June 25, which could see him sent to prison for the rest of his life.

In Biden's statement on his Tuesday meeting with the Floyd family he wrote: 'Last month's conviction of the police officer who murdered George was another important step forward toward justice.'

'But our progress can't stop there,' he said, urging Congress to pass legislation on police reform. 'To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between the vast majority of the men and women who wear the badge honorably and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. We can and must have both accountability and trust and in our justice system.'

Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, said there is a 'conscious effort' to keep both parties at the negotiating table to get police reform passed.

'We need to find areas of compromise. We found some. So I'm optimistic,' Scott said.

Floyd was killed during an arrest in May 2020 by Derek Chauvin. The former Minneapolis police officer was guilty of second and third-degree murder and manslaughter after video captured the arrest, which the jury concluded led to Floyd's death

With an evenly split Senate, Democrats will need to garner support from at least 10 Republican members to avoid threats of a filibuster.

Therefore, they may need to compromise on some progressive priorities like ending qualified immunity, which currently grants government officials  including police  who are performing their duties immunity from civil suits unless the plaintiff can show the individual 'clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known'.

Floyd's death led to national outrage, a slew of riots and protests, and a reinvigorated effort from lawmakers to pass legislation to address how law enforcement interacts with the communities they are tasked with protecting.

Moment at least 30 gunshots are fired near Minneapolis' George Floyd Square on the anniversary of his death 'over a PARKING SPOT' - forcing people to run and take cover

Multiple gunshots were fired Tuesday in an alleged row over parking near the George Floyd Square in Minneapolis as people marked the first anniversary of his murder.

Journalist Philip Crowther was shooting live video from 38th and Chicago when shots were heard about a block east of the intersection. Crowther said a storefront window appeared to have been broken by a gunshot.

His video from the scene showed people running to seek cover as at least 30 shots rang out. The shooting came just hours before the square is to be the site of a family-friendly street festival marking the anniversary of his death at the hands of police.

Billy Briggs, a volunteer caretaker who tends to tributes left to Floyd at the intersection, said the gunfire appeared to stem from an argument over parking. 'All clear,' Briggs wrote in a text message to Reuters.

'Very quickly things got back to normal,' Crowther said. 'People here who spend a significant amount of time, the organizers, were running around asking, `Does anyone need a medic? It seems like there are no injuries.'

Police said they responded to a reports of gunfire at about 10:10 a.m. at the 3800 block of Elliot Ave. South. Callers told police that a vehicle was seen speeding away from the area.

Soon after, someone went to Abbott Northwestern Hospital with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and its believed the injury is not life-threatening.

Journalist Philip Crowther was shooting live video from 38th and Chicago when shots were heard about a block east of the intersection. Crowther said a storefront window appeared to have been broken by a gunshot

Video from the scene showed people seeking cover as shots rang out. The shooting came just hours before the square is to be the site of a family-friendly street festival marking the anniversary of his death at the hands of police

'Very quickly things got back to normal,' Crowther said. 'People here who spend a significant amount of time, the organizers, were running around asking, `Does anyone need a medic? It seems like there are no injuries'

The intersection has been barricaded since soon after George Floyd's death and quickly turned into a memorial - and also a challenging spot for the city, with police officers not always welcome.

Informally dubbed George Floyd Square, it was being transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival on the anniversary of his death, with food, children's activities and a long list of musical performers.

'We're going to be turning mourning into dancing,' rapper Nur-D tweeted. 'We're going to be celebrating 365 days of strength in the face of injustice.'

The intersection has been barricaded since soon after George Floyd's death and quickly turned into a memorial - and also a challenging spot for the city, with police officers not always welcome

Informally dubbed George Floyd Square, it was being transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival on the anniversary of his death, with food, children's activities and a long list of musical performers

'We're going to be turning mourning into dancing,' rapper Nur-D tweeted. 'We're going to be celebrating 365 days of strength in the face of injustice'

Floyd, 46, who was black, died on Memorial Day 2020 after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for more than nine minutes.

Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.

The 'Rise and Remember George Floyd' celebration, including a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m., caps several days of marches, rallies and panel discussions about his death and where America is in confronting racial discrimination.

Many members of the Floyd family are in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, to meet privately with President Joe Biden, who called relatives after the Chauvin verdict and pledged to continue fighting for racial justice.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said he hoped Biden will renew his support for policing reform named for Floyd that would ban chokeholds and no-knock police raids and create a national registry for officers disciplined for serious misconduct.

'Now is time to act,' Crump said Tuesday on CNN. 'Not just talk but act.'

Boards lean up against a building, as multiple gunshots were heard near the George Floyd memorial square on May 25

Men board up Prestige Cuts Barber Lounge after sounds of shots were reported near George Floyd Square, on the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd

A view of George Floyd Square on Monday

Floyds brother Philonise, appearing alongside Crump, said he thinks about George 'all the time.'

'My sister called me at 12 oclock last night and said This is the day our brother left us,'' he said, adding: 'I think things have changed. I think it is moving slowly but we are making progress.'

Nur-D, whose real name is Matt Allen, took to the Minneapolis streets in the days after Floyd's death, often providing medical assistance to protesters who were shot or gassed in confrontations with police. He eventually founded an organization, Justice Frontline Aid, to support safe protest.

He described the past year as 'like we've lived 20 years inside of one' and hoped that people would feel 'honesty and a real sense of togetherness' during Tuesday's celebration at what's informally known as George Floyd Square.

'If you're angry, you can be angry. If you're sad, you can be sad,' Nur-D said in a follow-up interview. 'If you're feeling some sense of joy over the verdict and some sort of like step in the right direction, and you want to celebrate that, do that as well.'

The event was organized by the George Floyd Global Memorial.

Angela Harrelson, an aunt of Floyd's and a member of the board of directors, said the organization has stockpiled 3,000 items surrounding Floyd's death - things like artwork left behind in the square - and will display some of them in a pop-up gallery.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 202o people carry posters with George Floyd on them as they march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington

Bridgett Floyd, sister of George Floyd, attends a rally and march for the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death on Sunday in Minneapolis

Separately, the Floyd family announced the launch of a fund that will make grants to businesses and community organizations in the neighborhood where he died, as well as broader grants 'encouraging the success and growth of black citizens and community harmony.'

The money comes from $500,000 earmarked as part of the city's $27 million civil settlement for the Floyd family earlier this year.

The event at George Floyd Square was due to start at 1 p.m., the same time Gov. Tim Walz asked Minnesotans to pause for a moment of silence to honor Floyd.

Walz asked that the moment last for 9 minutes, 29 seconds - the length of time that prosecutors say Chauvin had his knee on Floyds neck.

Walzs proclamation says Chauvins guilty verdict was a step in the right direction, 'but our work to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination has not ended'.

He added: 'True justice for George Floyd will come only through real, systemic change to prevent acts like this from happening again - when every member of every community, no matter their race, is safe, valued, and protected.'
A 28-year-old was identified by police Tuesday as the woman who was shot and killed in front of her three children earlier this week - and her estranged husband has been questioned in her death.

Samantha Lopez, 28, was shot and killed on Monday morning, authorities say. Her children, including a 10-year-old, six-year-old, and two-year-old were all inside of the vehicle at the time of the shooting.

KTSA reports that Lopez was shot in a vehicle while outside of her apartment complex in northeast San Antonio. She had just loaded her kids up in the car for school. She was found dead behind the wheel, police say.

A 30-year-old suspect who police later identified as the woman's estranged husband was taken into custody by police for questioning; he hasn't been arrested or named as of Tuesday.

Samantha Lopez, 28, was identified on Tuesday as the victim in the deadly shooting a day earlier outside of the M.C. Beldon Apartments in San Antonio (pictured)

McManus did say police were 'relatively certain' that the suspect was her husband before Lopez was identified (investigation pictured)

The shooting happened on Monday morning as Lopez was preparing to take her children to school (investigation pictured)

The children were not injured in the shooting and police say they are now in the custody of their grandmother.

The shooting happened on Monday morning as Lopez was preparing to take her children to school.

The San Antonio Police Department tells DailyMail.com that officers were dispatched to the apartment complex for a shooting in progress.

When they arrived, they found Lopez suffering from gunshot wounds, though it's unclear where she was shot.

EMS soon arrived on the scene, which is when Lopez was pronounced dead.

A witness reported seeing Lopez's estranged husband in the area leading up to the shooting.

The shooting happened on Monday morning as Lopez was preparing to take her children to school (apartment complex pictured)

According to Police Chief Bill McManus, the husband - who has not been identified - has a history of violating protection orders dating back to 2018.

He was out on bond at the time of the shooting, but he has not been officially arrested or charged in Lopez's death.

'He is out on bond right now for violation of that protective order, and look what happened, here we are this morning,' McManus said during comments on Monday.

No motive has been provided for Lopez's shooting.

According to KTSA, McManus called the shooting of Lopez 'an absolute tragedy' during comments on Monday.

The San Antonio Police Department tells DailyMail.com that officers were dispatched to the apartment complex for a shooting in progress

When they arrived, they found Lopez suffering from gunshot wounds, though it's unclear where she was shot. EMS later pronounced her dead at the scene

Pictured: San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus, who has commented on the case

'I can't express the outrage that something like this could happen after our involvement with this individual so many times,' McManus said. 'I mean it's clearly written on the wall what's going on here. And yet again, here we are.'

The chief also bemoaned an ability to protect victims of family and domestic violence as the alleged shooter was out on bond at the time of the shooting.

'If we can't do that, then weve failed as a criminal justice system,' McManus stated. 'My question is: how do we make victims feel secure coming for help after this?'
Belarusian airlines will be banned from entering UK airspace 'unless specifically authorised', Grant Shapps has said.

The Transport Secretary revealed the government is 'taking further action' following the removal of permission for Belavia to operate to and from Britain.

'With immediate effect, Belarusian airlines will be prevented from entering UK airspace unless specifically authorised,' he tweeted.

The move comes after Boris Johnson warned the treatment by Belarus of a captured journalist and prominent government critic would 'have consequences'.

Roman Protasevich was on board a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday when it was forced to change course to head for the Belarus capital after a reported bomb scare, escorted by a MiG fighter jet.

He was arrested and, in a video released by Belarusian authorities on Monday evening, appeared to admit he was involved in organising mass protests in Minsk last year.

The Transport Secretary revealed the government is 'taking further action' following the removal of permission for Belavia to operate to and from Britain

Roman Protasevich was on board a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday when it was forced to change course to head for the Belarus capital after a reported bomb scare, escorted by a MiG fighter jet

The Prime Minister said the video was 'deeply distressing' and called for Mr Protasevich's release.

He tweeted: 'The video of Roman Protasevich makes for deeply distressing viewing.

'As a journalist and a passionate believer in freedom of speech I call for his immediate release. Belarus' actions will have consequences.'

Although Belavia, the country's state-owned airline, does not have any scheduled flights through UK airspace, the Department for Transport said it had done so in the past, flying to places such as north Africa and Ireland

It follows Monday's announcement that the EU and the UK would issue new sanctions against Belarus in light of the arrest, with Mr Shapps instructing the Civil Aviation Authority to request airlines avoid Belarusian air space 'to keep passengers safe'.

On Monday, he also suspended the operating permit for Belavia, while EU leaders have called on member states to do similar.

Alexander Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the post was established in 1994 and won re-election for a sixth time in 2020 with 80% of the vote, in a ballot deemed 'neither free nor fair' by the European Union.

Pictured: Belarusians and Poles gathered in Warsaw in a protest against Belarussian president Lukashenko after his authorities forced Ryanair plane to land in Minsk and detained opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich

Since winning the disputed election last August, Mr Lukashenko has cracked down on dissenting voices, with many opposition figures arrested and others forced into exile.

Mr Johnson's comments came after one of his Cabinet ministers said there was reason to suspect the statement by Mr Protasevich was not 'offered voluntarily'.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told Sky News: 'I don't think it would come as any surprise (if the statement had been coerced). But I'm not in a position to tell you exactly what our latest intelligence is on the coercion or not of this.

'But all I can say is the behaviour of the Belarus regime does not lend itself to think in any way that this statement was offered voluntarily.'

Speaking in the early hours of Tuesday in Brussels, European Council president Charles Michel said the events were 'unacceptable, shocking and scandalous'.

'We will not tolerate that they play Russian roulette with the lives of innocent civilians,' he added.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the incident was a 'hijacking'.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has suggested Russia could have been involved with the operation to divert the plane on Sunday.

He said it was 'very difficult to believe' the seizure of Mr Protasevich from the flight could have taken place 'without at least the acquiescence of the authorities in Moscow'.

Mr Raab said that although the situation was not yet clear, the relationship between Minsk and Moscow suggested Russian leaders may have been aware of the plans in advance.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said the incident was a 'state-sponsored hijacking' and claimed agents from Russia's KGB were on board the flight.

'It was clear it appears that the intent of the Russian authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion. We believe there was also some KGB agents offloaded from the aircraft as well,' he said.
Two bungling assassins who shot an autistic 'gentle giant' on his own doorstep in a case of mistaken identity after they went to the wrong house have been found guilty of murder.

Chad Gordon, 27, was blasted in the face when he opened his door to the pair, who had travelled to his home in Tottenham, north London, on a stolen moped on May 18 last year.

The shooting was said to have been in revenge for the death of the killers' friend, who had been stabbed five days earlier.

However, Mason Sani-Semedo, 19, and 20-year-old Cameron Robinson went to the wrong address and shot Mr Gordon instead, jurors heard.

Mr Gordon was 'non-confrontational' and had no involvement in criminal activity, the hearing at the Old Bailey was told.

His killers denied murder but were convicted after the jury considered their verdicts for 21 hours and 43 minutes.

Chad Gordon (pictured above), 27, described as a 'gentle giant', was 'non-confrontational' and had no involvement in criminal activity, the hearing at the Old Bailey was told

Mason Sani-Semedo, 19, and 20-year-old Cameron Robinson, the two gunmen who have been found guilty of murder, on a stolen moped moments before the shooting in May last year

Robinson (pictured left), of Dagenham, and Sani-Semedo (right), of Tottenham, denied murder but were convicted after the jury considered their verdicts for 21 hours and 43 minutes

Mr Gordon's father lowered his head and shook with emotion at the back of the court as his son's killers were convicted.

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow said neighbours of Mr Gordon were 'not so popular' and had been linked to the killing of a friend of the defendants.

At around 8pm they blasted Mr Gordon in the face with a 9mm pistol as he opened his front door, sending him to the ground with a 'crash', jurors heard.

The victim's family and friends rushed to try and help him.

When Mr Gordon's aunt confronted the killers they told her to 'shut the f*** up' and held her at gunpoint in front of a young child by her side, the court heard.

Mr Glasgow said: 'The evening of Monday 18 last year was warm and sunny. Few of the residents of Haringey were outside enjoying the weather.

'As a result of the travel restrictions that had been imposed as part of the first phase of national lockdown many people chose to remain indoors and the streets of London were eerily quiet.

'The site of a moped being ridden by two riders therefore went unnoticed by many. Such a sight was not unusual, but the reason for the riders' journey was anything but usual.

'The two young men were armed with a 9mm handgun and together with the help of their friends they had set off on a plan to kill and destroy evidence that might link them to the violence that was about to take place.'

The court heard the stolen moped was torched with a jerry can of petrol procured by Javarn Carter-Fraser, 23, while Clive Spencer and Talye Olabesi, both aged 24, prepared a change of clothes to help them escape undetected.

The pair on a moped before the shooting. Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow said neighbours of Mr Gordon were 'not so popular' and had been linked to the killing of a friend of the defendants

The burnt moped, which was allegedly torched with a jerry can of petrol procured by Carter-Fraser and later found in Lee Valley, that was used by Robinson and Sani-Semedo

Olabisi, Spencer and Carter-Fraser, who reached the semi-final in Britain's Got Talent in 2015, were cleared of murder.

The court heard how Carter-Fraser, who has learning difficulties, had won trophies and toured as a dancer.

Giving evidence, he denied knowing anything about a murder plot.

He told jurors that Robinson had come to his house and asked him to store two crash helmets and some petrol.

On the day of the shooting, he was told to leave it in an alleyway by his house in Tottenham.

Mr Carter-Fraser said he had never questioned Robinson about it but assumed he was going to steal a moped to ride.

In his evidence, Olabisi denied any involvement in the murder. Spencer also denied murder.

Mr Glasgow said the one part of the plan that had 'not been properly thought through' was the address the killers were targeting.

A helmet was also found in Lee Valley. Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow said the one part of the plan that had 'not been properly thought through' was the address the killers were targeting

He said: 'While the actual identity of the intended target cannot be known with any certainty one thing is clear and that is the person the gunmen shot dead was not the man they meant to.

'Chad Gordon was the young man who lost his life in such a brutal fashion. However Chad Gordon was the last person anyone would want to kill.

'He was shy quiet and spent much of his time on his own but despite that he was a well-liked and polite young man and no one had an unkind word to say about him.

'What made his murder such a tragedy is that it appears the gunmen went to his address by mistake.

'He lived with his family. His immediate neighbours were not as popular with the local residents.'

Mr Glasgow added: 'These defendants were responsible for planning and executing the shooting or seeking revenge for the death of their friend but in the end achieving nothing more than adding to the capital's murder statistics last year.

'The bullet struck Mr Gordon in the face and went straight through his head before lodging right in his skull. The damage was catastrophic and there was no chance of survival.

'There was a crash as Chad Gordon collapsed to the ground. His family and friends were quickly beside him but there was nothing that could be done to save him.

'They pointed the gun at his aunt. They told her to shut the f*** up. She threw herself to the ground and covered her young child who was with her.

Robinson and Sani-Semedo denied but were convicted of murder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. They were remanded in custody ahead of their Old Bailey (file photo of court, above) sentencing on June 8

'Mason Sani-Semedo and Cameron Robinson simply jumped on their moped and pulled away.'

Detectives collected hours of CCTV evidence for the prosecution, believed to be the largest amount in a Metropolitan Police homicide investigation.

Jurors were told Mr Gordon was diagnosed with autism and attended local Bruce Grove youth club for people with learning difficulties.

Mr Glasgow said: 'He's described by his aunt as a gentle giant, non-confrontational with no involvement in any criminality.

'No one who knew Chad Gordon can understand why he was targeted in such a violent and shocking way and most believe a mistake must have been made by his killers.'

Robinson, of Dagenham, and Sani-Semedo, of Tottenham, denied but were convicted of murder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

They were remanded in custody ahead of their Old Bailey sentencing on June 8.

Olabisi, of no fixed address, Spencer and Carter-Fraser, both of Tottenham, denied and were cleared of murder.
Parents are speaking out about the 'out of control' homelessness problem in Seattle after a homeless man from a nearby encampment broke into an elementary school.

An unknown man entered Broadview-Thomson elementary during school hours, Fox News reported.

The Seattle elementary school is only feet away from an encampment site that has 40 tents and now Bryce Nicolls, a parent of a fourth grader, say the situation is only getting worse.

A homeless camp is set up just feet away from Broadview-Thomson elementary school in Seattle

Parents of students at Broadview-Thomson elementary school say the situation with a nearby encampment had gotten 'out of control'

Bryce Nicolls, a parent of a fourth grader at Broadview-Thomson elementary school, says the nearby park is scattered with hypodermic needles

Nicolls told Fox and Friends on Tuesday that people living in the encampment engage in various illegal activities.

He says that hypodermic needles can be found scattered all over the park and that the homeless are using the lake as their personal toilet.

He added that they are posing a threat to students.

'They have broken into the school,' he told host Ainsley Earhardt. 'The school has been on a shelter-in-place lockdown multiple times due to one of the people at the encampment having a gun, and there's fights there constantly.'

Seattle School Board leaders have offered up a secure fence separating the encampment from the school as a temporary solution and have stood firm in their opposition to the removal of homeless camps.

In July, Board President Chandra Hampson and Director Zachary DeWolf released a statement where they said that sweeps should 'never be performed on school grounds, adjacent or elsewhere in this city,' mynorthwest.com reported.

Washington state has seen a rise in encampment sites as the homeless population skyrocketed in the last year

Washington state saw a six percent rise in homelessness in the year 2020

Tim Robinson, a spokesperson for the elementary school, told FOX News that in response to the recent break-in the school has beefed up security while they wait for the city to step in.

'We continue to seek a solution through discussion with community-based organizations,' he told Fox. 'We welcome any assistance that the city could provide. We continue to have additional presence at the school from the Seattle Public Schools Safety & Security department.'

Nicolls told FOX that he fees the school is prioritizing the encampment residents over the students.

'They are choosing the people at the encampment over our children at this point and that is completely unacceptable,' added Nicolls.

Growing encampments have sprung up across city parks and fields in Seattle the past year.

The homeless population in Washington State rose in 2020 by more than six per cent - or about three times the national average, recent data said.

According to the Seattle Times, homeless people have increasingly resisted going to shelters since the pandemic began last year over concerns they could catch coronavirus from another resident.

Parents in the city have had to resort to conducting 'sweeps' of public parks to make sure there are no needles on the ground before allowing their kids to play on swing sets as the encampments continue to grow.

In March, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a report which found that Washington state experienced one of the largest estimated increases in homelessness between 2019 and 2020 relative to other states.

Washington state reported an increase in homelessness of 6.2 per cent - or 1,346 people - between 2019 and 2020, the third largest increase among all states, the Seattle Times reported.
A pregnant woman was fatally shot in the head on Monday night in what police in Texas are calling a targeted attack on her apartment, but doctors were able to safe the victim's baby daughter.

Gunfire erupted outside Brixton Apartments in the 1600 block of Garth Road in Baytown at around 6.30pm.

The Baytown Police Department said in a press release that officers were dispatched to the scene of the shooting and found a 23-year-old pregnant woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the head inside her apartment.

Scroll down for video

Pregnant woman Dominique Million, 23, was shot in the head and killed inside her Baytown, Texas, apartment (pictured) on Monday night

Gunshots were fired from two vehicles in the 1600 block of Garth Road at around 6.30pm on Monday

The woman, who was identified on Tuesday as Dominique Million, was airlifted to Memorial-Hermann Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

However, doctors managed to successfully deliver Million's daughter. The newborn was said to be recovering at Texas Children's Hospital on Tuesday.

Police revealed that Monday's violent incident also left a 20-year-old man wounded after he was shot in the back while standing outside Million's apartment.

The surviving victim, who has not been named as of Tuesday afternoon, underwent at Memorial-Hermann Hospital.

Police said a 20-year-old man was shot in the back outside Million's apartment but survived

Police say Million's apartment was targeted, but it is unclear if the woman herself was the target

A bullet hole is seen in the door of a parked car outside Brixton Apartments

Although investigators initially said that Million was hit by a stray bullet that was fired during a gun battle involving the occupants of two vehicles that were outside her apartment, they has since stated that the woman's apartment was 'targeted.'

It is unclear at this time whether Million herself was the target of the shooting, or whether it was another occupant of her unit.

Neighbor Johanna Jones told the station ABC13 Million was excited to become a mother.

Police have identified three persons of interest and were working to determine what, if any role, the may have played in the deadly shooting.

Investigators were looking to speak to Ernest Adams, 22; Jhakeem Monrose, 19; and Shai-Keem Thomas, 20.

Ernest Adams, 22 (left); Jhakeem Monrose, 19 (center); and Shai-Keem Thomas, 20 (right) have been named persons of interest in the shooting

Court records indicate that all three men have extensive criminal histories in Harris County.

Adams has three separate cases pending against him involving charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle, evading arrest, unlawful carry and assaulting a peace office. He is due back in court on June 18.

Thomas' record includes charges of evading arrest, unlawful carry, out-of-state fugitive and deadly conduct by discharging a firearm.

According to court records, Monrose is currently on probation stemming from two separate cases that include charges of evading arrest and drug possession.
President Joe Biden will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma next week to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, the White House announced Tuesday.

In 1921 on May 31 and June 1, a mob of white people burned down the affluent Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, which had the nickname of 'Black Wall Street,' in what's considered the worst episode of racial violence in the country's history.

The massacre has become more widely publicized as the centennial approached and after former President Donald Trump tried to stage his first COVID-era campaign rally in the Oklahoma city last year on Juneteenth, a significant date for African-Americans.

President Joe Biden will visit Tulsa next Tuesday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, considered the worst episode of racial violence in U.S. history

Mt. Zion Baptist Church burns during the Tulsa race Riot of June 1, 1921. The church stood in the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was the most affluent black neighborhood in the country

The Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma ablaze during the June 1, 1921 race riot, which President Joe Biden will commemorate next week

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States.

The Trump rally was announced in the weeks following the death of George Floyd, which reignited the Black Lives Matter movement last summer.

Trump, in his re-election quest, responded by leaning heavily into 'blue lives matter' and 'law and order' themes, defended the preservation of Confederate monuments, as he tried to characterize BLM demonstrators as agitators.

But he received blowback when he planned a rally on such a significant date and in significant place for the black community, and was forced to move it to June 20 so it wouldn't coincide with the date enslaved black people in Texas learned that they were free.

The rally was later marked by low attendance and where Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential contender, possibly was infected with COVID-19, which killed him last July.

Former President Donald Trump chose Tulsa as the site for his first COVID-era campaign rally and was originally supposed to hold the gathering on Juneteenth, a date significant with the black community. The rally was announced in the weeks following George Floyd's death

What was left of 'Black Wall Street,' the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma after the massacre in 1921

Tulsa is holding a number of events surrounding the centennial, including performances by artists including John Legend and Wynton Marsalis and a 'day of learning' with Cornel West.

Beyond the controversy surrounding Trump's Tulsa rally, the massacre became more widely known about thanks to pop culture.

Two HBO shows in 2019 and 2020, 'Watchmen' and 'Lovecraft Country,' dramatized the riots.

Historians believe as many as 300 black people died in the massacre, while 10,000 were left homeless.

Greenwood had been, before the massacre, the wealthiest black community in the United States.

Viola Fletcher, at 107 the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, appealed for 'justice' in gripping testimony to the US Congress 100 years after the tragedy

Reparations were never paid to the families who lost their homes and businesses.

None of the white perprators were charged for the crimes.

Last week, 107-year-old Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor, testified before the House Judiciary Committee.

'No one cared about us for almost 100 years. We and our history have been forgotten, washed away,' she told lawmakers.

Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson introduced the 'Tulsa Greenwood Massacre Claims Accountability Act' last week, which would make it easier for victims of the massacre to seek reparations from the government.
Tennessee has officially become the third state to ban critical race theory in public schools, as nearly a dozen others are trying to pass similar laws, claiming it is indoctrinating children by teaching them that they are either 'privileged' or 'oppressed'.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the ban on the race theory into law on Monday, arguing that students should learn about American 'exceptionalism' rather than topics like the critical race theory, which, he said 'inherently divide people'.

'We need to make sure that our kids recognize that this country is moving toward a more perfect union, that we should teach the exceptionalism of our nation and how people can live together to make a greater nation,' he told reporters earlier this month, 'and to not teach things that inherently divide or pit either Americans against Americans or people groups against people groups.'

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a ban on teaching critical race theory in public schools into law on Monday, arguing students should learn about American 'exceptionalism' rather than topics that 'inherently divide people'

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

The bill was passed in the GOP-led Legislature and signed by a Republican governor, but black Democratic lawmakers in the state warned it would make teachers afraid to talk about how race and racism have shaped American history.

It was amended several times and it goes into effect on July 1.

The law makes it illegal for teachers to instruct that 'an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.'

It will not apply when a teacher is responding to a student's question or referring to a historic figure or group, and allows for an 'impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history.'

Any school that is found to be in violation of the law can lose out on state funding.

Governor Lee has previously expressed his willingness to sign the bill into law, as Republican governors in other states  including Oklahoma and Idaho  have already done.

A handful of other states  including North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia  are currently debating, or in the process of approving, similar bills.

While there is currently no legislation in the works in Florida and South Dakota, the governors of those states have publicly declared they oppose critical race theory.

Arkansas also passed a bill banning the theory from being taught at state agencies, but it does not apply to colleges, universities, public schools, local governments, or law enforcement training.

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. Its opponents claim the theory indoctrinates children into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist.

They argue it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.

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

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.

Here's a breakdown of the states that have banned critical race theory in public schools:

Tennessee

A Tennessee law that bans teachers from teaching the critical race theory was signed by the Governor Bill Lee on Monday, after months of debate about the bill.

The Republican governor had previously claimed he would sign the bill, but black Democrats in the majority-white Legislature spoke out against the bill, claiming it would make teachers fearful to teach the history of racial relations in America.

'Critical race theory is rooted in critical theory, which argues that social problems are created and influenced by societal structures and cultural assumptions,' Sen. Katrina Robinson, a black Democrat from Memphis, said.

'How ironic that a body made up of a simple majority of white privileged men can determine whether even my grandchildren can see reflections of themselves in the history lessons at their school.'

Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey, also of Memphis, however, argued that teaching the theory was 'harmful to our students'.

'Critical race theory teaches that American democracy is a lie. It teaches that the rule of law does not exist and is instead a series of power struggles among racial groups,' he said.

'It is harmful to our students and is antithetical to everything we stand for as Americans and as Tennesseans.'

Idaho

Idaho's Republican Governor Brad Little signed legislation in April that prevents schools and universities from 'indoctrinating' students with critical race theory.

The state's bill allows for the teaching of critical race theory but bans curriculums from forcing belief systems onto students that claim groups of people are inferior or superior to others because of their race, gender or religion.

It also prevents teachers from making students 'affirm, adopt or adhere to' belief systems that claim individuals of any race, sex or religion are responsible for the past actions of other members of the same group.

Idaho's Republican-controlled Senate had earlier passed the bill with a 28-7 vote. One Republican, Senator Dan Johnson, broke rank and joined Democrats in opposing the bill.

Idaho's Republican Governor Brad Little signed legislation in April that prevents schools and universities from 'indoctrinating' students with critical race theory. Students filled the gallery as the legislation was passed in the Senate last month

Governor Brad Little became the first to sign the critical race theory ban into law last month

'The claim that there is widespread, systemic indoctrination occurring in Idaho classrooms is a serious allegation,' Little said. 'Most worryingly, it undermines popular support for public education in Idaho.'

State Democrats had accused Republicans of holding crucial education budget bills hostage while they focused on passing the bill - as they argued the bill was contrary to First Amendment rights.

Senator Janie Ward-Engelking argued the bill was 'not needed' and said the idea that schools are 'brainwashing' children with 'a liberal leftist indoctrination' false.

'Our universities and school districts districts already have procedures in place that will deal with any problem we have in curriculum,' she told the Idaho Press.

'What's happening is we have a group that's put out for public release comments that our teachers are brainwashing our children with a liberal leftist indoctrination. And that's simply not true.'

Oklahoma

Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed his state's bill into law on May 7 after the GOP-controlled House voted 70-19 in its favor.

Under the law, Oklahoma City public school teachers are prohibited from teaching certain concepts of race and racism, including critical race theory.

The bill, which takes effect on July 1, also prevents colleges and universities from requiring students to undergo training on gender or sexual diversity.

Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed his state's bill into law last Friday after the GOP-controlled House voted 70-19 in favor

Stitt said that the new law will allow history to be taught without labeling a 'young child as an oppressor'.

'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,' he said.

'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.'

The bill has received pushback from some, including the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education who unanimously voted on Monday to denounce the law.

All eight board members took turns criticizing Stitt's bill, including Ruth Veales who argued that the legislation was attempting to shut off conversations about racism to 'protect white fragility'.

'As a district that's over 80 percent students of color, this is definitely an insult,' Veales said. 'It is a situation that is so egregious to me.'

Many other state governments are considering passing legislation outlawing the teaching of the critical race theory in public schools, including:

Texas

The Texas Senate passed legislation on Saturday that would ban schools from requiring staff to discuss or teach critical race theory.

The bill passed the state's lower chamber on May 11, but the state House will have to approve it again after changes were made in the Senate, according to KXAN.

'House Bill 3979 makes certain that critical race philosophies, including the 1619 founding myth, are removed from our school curriculums statewide,' Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said.

'When parents send their children to school, they want their students to learn critical thinking without being indoctrinated with misinformation charging that America and our Constitution are rooted in racism,' he continued, adding: 'Texans roundly reject the 'woke' philosophies that espouse that one race or sex is better than another and that someone, by virtue of their race or sex, is innately racist, oppressive or sexist.'

The bill requires teachers who talk about race relations and how they shaped history to look at viewpoints 'from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective.'

A number of teaching organizations have opposed the legislation, however, by arguing that it is attempting to downplay the role of racism in America's history.

'By telling teachers what and how to teach and ordering TEA to play police, HB 3979 may be one of the most disrespectful bills to teachers I've seen the #txlege dignify with debate,' Mark Wiggins, a lobbyist for The Association of Professional Educators, tweeted over the weekend.

Texas is in the process of approving similar legislation to ban critical race theory in public schools. Texas Gov Greg Abbott has already expressed support for it and is expected to sign it into law

Mark Wiggins, a lobbyist for The Association of Professional Educators, called the bill 'one of the most disrespectful ... to teachers I've seen'

Arizona

An Arizona bill banning 'biased' topics in schools, such as critical race theory, has advanced.

The Arizona House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill to ban racist, sexist, politicized or other controversial topics in schools and penalize teachers with fines earlier this month.

Under the bill, which is now with the Senate, charter schools and state agencies would be banned under the Unbiased Teaching Act from discussing controversial issues with students unless teachers give equal weight to divisive topics.

Violations would result in $5,000 fines.

House Democrats voted against the bill and argued it was unconstitutional. They said it was reminiscent of a 2010 law that banned Mexican-American studies but was later struck down in court.

Republican state Rep. Michelle Udall hit back at arguments the bill is trying to ban conversations regarding racism.

'We cannot allow children in our public schools to be taught that their skin color or ethnicity or sex somehow determines their character or actions. No forms of racism should be allowed to enter our classrooms,' Udall said.

'Biased teaching needs to be stopped.'

Iowa

A bill that will ban Iowa students from being taught that the US or the state is systemically racist is currently with Republican Governor Kim Reynolds.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the bill in a 53-35 vote earlier this month. The Senate also passed it 30-18.

In Iowa, the pending legislation will limit the 'divisive concepts' that can be taught in schools and in diversity training in government-related jobs.

Republicans who support the bill argue that it will prevent students from being indoctrinated.

While debating the bill earlier this month, Republican Rep. Steven Holt said it would not ban discussions about slavery, sexism, racism or discrimination.

He argued, however, that teachers didn't need to 'use racism to teach against racism'.

'Of course these issues must be taught. They must be discussed, and they can be without scapegoating entire groups of people,' Holt said.

Missouri

Republicans in Missouri are currently trying to ban school districts from teaching critical race theory and anything related to 1619 Project.

The ban was included in an amendment to House Bill 1141 that was introduced last month.

The amendment seeks to ban teachers from identifying any people or institutions as racist, biased, privileged or oppressed.

Representative Nick Schroer, who sponsored the amendment, said at the time: 'I sponsored the amendment to stop 'critical race theory,' including the erroneous and hate-filled 1619 Project, from being shoved into our curriculum in our Missouri schools.

'For those trying to push scare tactics claiming this is about 'white washing' history, you are dead wrong. This is about ensuring no one taints a factual teaching of our American history.'

The ACLU of Missouri has since launched a campaign to stop the legislation from being approved, arguing it is 'loaded down with harmful amendments seeking to undermine the rights of people all across the state'.

Rhode Island

Republican legislators introduced a bill back in March that seeks to ban teaching divisive concepts in schools.

The bill, known as H.6070, has since stalled after being debated by the House Committee on Education.

Republican Rep. Patricia Morgan, who is behind the bill, argued that teachers should not make white students, in particular, feel bad because of their skin color.

When the bill was first put to the committee, more than 150 people submitted written testimony objecting to it.

There is currently no law banning critical race theory in Florida but Governor Ron DeSantis has publicly vowed not to let it be taught in the state's schools

Florida

There is currently no law banning critical race theory in Florida but Governor Ron DeSantis has publicly vowed not to let it be taught in the state's schools.

DeSantis declared back in March that critical race theory would not be taught in the state's schools because it 'teaches kids to hate their country and each other'.

He made the comments as he proposed a $106 million boost in funding for civics education in across the state using money from President Biden's COVID-19 aid package.

DeSantis said $17 million would be targeted for developing civics curricula with 'foundational concepts' - and not 'unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory'.

'Let me be clear: There is no room in our classrooms for things like critical race theory,' he said.

'Teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money.'

New Hampshire

Lawmakers in New Hampshire are currently debating a critical race theory amendment that is included in the state's proposed budget.

Republicans are now trying to compromise with Democrats in the House about the amendment that seeks to ban 'divisive' topics regarding race and gender in schools.

West Virginia

Republican lawmakers first introduced a bill in February that seeks to ban schools from promoting 'divisive concepts'.

The bill was referred to the state House's Workforce Development Committee.

The ACLU West Virginia is objecting to the bill, arguing it would prevent discussions 'in curriculum regarding the racial history of the United States, implicit bias, and privilege'.

South Dakota

Likewise in South Dakota, there is no legislation banning critical race theory.

Governor Kristi Noem, however, has put her name to the '1776 pledge' that opposes the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

'Teaching our children and grandchildren to hate their own country and pitting them against one another on the basis of race or sex is shameful and must be stopped,' Noem said earlier this month.

The 1776 Pledge was launched as an attempt to counter the 1619 Project, which posits the true founding of America in 1619, when the first African slaves arrived, rather than 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has boasted of signing the '1776 pledge' that opposes the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) in public schools

North Carolina

North Carolina House Republicans approved a plan on Wednesday to prohibit public schools from embracing certain ideas related to critical race theory.

The measure passed by a vote of 65 to 48 and now heads to the Senate.

If approved, it would go to Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's desk.

House Bill 324, if approved, would prevent schools from endorsing the view that any person should feel guilty because of their race or sex, or that the person's race or sex makes them inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, even if unconsciously.

North Carolina's proposal doesn't prohibit teachers from introducing the ideas to students as long as they make it clear that the school isn't endorsing such concepts.

Democrats and racial justice advocates in the state have accused Republicans of trying to rewrite history and deprive pupils of a fulfilling curriculum.

Louisiana

A bill to ban schools and colleges from teaching 'divisive concepts', including critical race theory has now stalled in Louisiana amid opposition from some lawmakers and education officials.

Efforts by the House Education Committee late last month to kill the bill failed in a 7-7 vote, which means the bill can resume being debated later.

Rep. Ray Garofalo, who is chairman of the committee, has already said he intends to try to push forward with the bill.

GOP House Speaker Clay Schexnayder was among those who raised concerns about it.

Garofalo said he was trying to take the 'politics out of the classroom' and ensure 'a learning environment free of discrimination' with the bill.

'I have no doubt there are certain factions in this country that are trying to infiltrate and indoctrinate our students,' he said.

Those who oppose it said the proposal was a distraction from the real education problems Louisiana faces and is an attempt to whitewash American history.

Rep. Gary Carter, a New Orleans Democrat, said: 'The state of Louisiana was fundamentally, institutionally racist in the past.'
Prosecutors investigating Rudy Giuliani seized material from an email account used by Ukraine's former chief prosecutor, a figure who played a key role in former President Donald Trumps first impeachment and who the former New York mayor hoped would supply dirt on Joe Biden, according to an unsealed court document.

Giuliani is the subject of a long running investigation into whether he broke the law by failing to register as an agent of Ukraine in 2019 and 2020.

It recently emerged that investigators used a warrant to obtain data from his online storage account.

On Tuesday, a letter unsealed by Manhattan federal court inadvertently revealed that prosecutors also obtained material from email and iCloud accounts belonging to Yuri Lutsenko, as well as a Ukrainian businessmen and another official.

An unsealed court filing revealed that federal prosecutors obtained information from online accounts they believed were used by Ukraine's former chief prosecutor Yuri Lutsenko. Rudy Giuliani worked with Lutsenko to encourage investigations into the Biden family. Prosecutors are investigating whether Trump's personal lawyer failed to declare he was working for a foreign government

The FBI seized 18 electronic devices when they raided Rudy Giuliani 's New York City home and office last month, as they step up the investigation into his foreign dealings

The information was redacted. However, CNN and the New York Daily News were able to access the names by copying and pasting the blacked-out passages into a new document.

The Ukrainians included the former head of the country's State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov and pro-Trump businessman Alexander Levin.

The filing, written by a lawyer for former Giuliani associated Lev Parnas, includes a chart detailing what prosecutors said they had sought and seized during the past two years.

It includes messages from email and iCloud accounts they believe were used by the the two former officials as well as from the cell phone and iPad of Levin.

And prosecutors have collected "historical and prospective cell site information" related to Giuliani and another lawyer, Victoria Toensing, both of whom were the subjects of search warrants executed last month.

The details threaten to shine a light into one of the murkiest periods of the Trump administration and an episode that threatened to bring his presidency to a sudden end.

Lutsenko was one of a number of prosecutors who shared information with Giuliani claiming that then Vice President Biden sabotaged an investigation into his son Hunter's role with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Agents seized both cell phones and computers during the April 28 early morning raid as part of an investigation into whether Giuliani's interactions with Ukraine violated US laws on lobbying for foreign powers

Giuliani lobbied Trump to dismiss Marie Yovanovitch as ambassador to Ukraine, a shared aim of his Ukrainian associates. She was fired in the spring of 2019

And both men have said they met to discuss whether Ukraine could reopen an investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings.

In July 2019, Trump took up the issue with his counterpart President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call, urging him to to investigate Biden - and triggering the chain of events that would lead to his first impeachment.

But Lutsenko later said the investigation did not reveal Biden's son had broken any laws.

At around the same time, Giuliani was urging Trump to fire the U.S. ambassador to the country a goal shared by his Ukrainian associates.

Marie Yovanovitch, a critic of Lutsenko, was dismissed in the spring of 2019.

Investigators are believed to be probing whether Trump's personal lawyer was lobbying on behalf of Ukrainian officials in exchange for cash or for Biden dirt.

Giuliani has denied ever being a lobbyist or agent of a foreign government.

In 2019, he told the Wall Street Journal that Lutsenko had asked him to represent him, but he turned down the offer after drafting a retainer agreement for about $150,000.

Last month the FBI seized 18 electronic devices from Giuliani's Manhattan home and office, according to court documents.

Lawyers for Giuliani have repeatedly complained that the materials are protected by attorney-client privilege.

In a recent filing they said he was being treated more like a drug or terrorist kingpin rather than President Trump's personal lawyer.
Andrea Smith grew up in Long Beach, California, had told friends her mother and grandparents were Oklahoma Cherokee and her dad was Ojibwe

The family of a professor who claimed to be Cherokee has said she is not Native American after it was revealed she is still working at the University of California - 14 years after her ancestry was first questioned.

Andrea Smith, a noted scholar in Native American studies who grew up in Long Beach, California, had told friends her mother and grandparents were Oklahoma Cherokee and her dad was Ojibwe.

She started the Chicago chapter of the Women of All Red Nations with her sister Justine in the 1990s. Smith even called out white feminists for 'opting to become' Native American in a 1991 essay.

But in 2007 officials from the Cherokee Nation began probing her claims.

Then in 2008 Cherokee academic Steve Russell questioned her claims in an article called 'When does ethnic fraud matter?'

Later that year Smith got a new job at at the University of California as an assistant professor of media and cultural studies. She no longer identified as Cherokee in her official bios. But she used the identity in interviews and lectures.

Then in 2015 disgraced former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal was forced to quit after her parents said she was a white woman pretending to be black and more questions were asked of Smith's heritage.

Now The New York Times magazine reports how she did not lose her job and have detailed research which shows how her ancestry on her mother's side as far back as her great-great-grandparents identify as white.

A relative on her father's side said of her claims: 'Yeah, we heard about that and we just kind of shook our heads.'

The relative confirmed her father Donald was not Ojibwe; instead he is a white man with British ancestry.

A family member on her mother Helen's side, named Margaret Jane Wilkinson, said Helen had never identified as Native American.

And another relative, cousin Barbara Smith, shot down the idea that it was grandfather was Native American, adding: 'Were mostly Scandinavian.'

DailyMail.com has contacted UC Riverside for comment.

Now The New York Times magazine reports how she did not lose her job at the University of California, Riverside

In 2015 Smith's critics had said she had 'fallen off the truth wagon'. But she insisted that she has 'always been, and will always be Cherokee', because she bases her identity on 'what I knew to be true.'

David Cornsilk, a Cherokee genealogist who researched Smith's lineage, said at that time he he found no evidence of Cherokee bloodlines after first being approached by Smith to discus her background.

Cornsik, 56, wrote in 2015: 'Wannabes like Andrea use the myths of Cherokees hiding in the hills, passing for white or being saved by righteous whites, to perpetuate their lies.

'They are the product of two centuries of non-Cherokees trying to lay claim to our lands and treasury, if not by force, then by subterfuge.'

He said that Smith had initially approached him to discus her background, and he discovered she had no links to the Cherokee Nation, but he claims that she carried on with the lie - even though she's had 15 years to state he true background.

'In the 1990s, Andrea Smith sought me out as a Cherokee genealogist, on two separate occasions, to see if she had any connections.

'My research into Smith's ancestry showed that her ancestry was not connected to the Cherokee people.

'In the subsequent years, many have challenged her identity including representatives of the Cherokee Nation.

'In those ensuing years, she has had ample opportunity to come forth with proof of her Cherokee claims.

'Instead, she has admitted to not being Cherokee or promised to stop claiming Cherokee; but perhaps because the foundation of her work as a 'woman of color' depended upon making others believe her claim she would back paddle and like a drug addict, fall off the truth wagon.

'As far as I can tell, nothing has changed in the evidence of her ancestry that would lead me to believe she is or even might be of Cherokee descent.'

The issue came back into the spotlight last September after white George Washington University professor Jessica Krug confessed to lying about being black

In 2015 former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal was forced to quit after her parents said she was a white woman pretending to be black and more questions were asked of Smith's heritage

Smith was at the time compared to Senator Elizabeth Warren after she was heavily criticized for identifying as a minority - despite little evidence that proves she is indeed Native American - to further her law career.

The issue of Smith's heritage came back into the spotlight last September after white George Washington University professor Jessica Krug confessed to lying about being black.

Smith's former friend and colleague J. Kehaulani Kauanui said: 'When I read it, the very first thing that came to my mind was: Oh, my God. If only Andy [Smith] would do this.'

Kauanui, who is Native Hawaiian, said she emailed Smith to say: 'Now it's your turn.'

Smith was compared to Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat for Massachusetts, has been heavily criticized for identifying as a minority - despite little evidence that proves she is indeed Native American - to further her law career

The University of California, Riverside has said Smith is a 'teacher and researcher of high merit'. DailyMail.com has contacted them for comment.

Duke University Press has apologized for publishing her latest book.

It said in a statement: 'Our publication of Smiths most recent work did harm by undermining the brave calls by Native scholars and others asking for accountability, transparency and honesty.

'Our publication of her work continued to provide her with a platform and became a legitimation in itself, allowing others to ignore the damage she caused. We are sorry.'
Senate Republicans are preparing a $1 trillion infrastructure counteroffer to present to the White House by Thursday, reviving negotiations over President Joe Bidens sweeping investment plan ahead of a Memorial Day deadline for progress toward a bipartisan deal.

Republicans sounded upbeat Tuesday after both sides had panned the latest offers.

Biden had dropped his $2.3 trillion opening bid to $1.7 trillion. Republicans had nudged their initial $568 billion offer up by about $50 billion. The Republicans said their new $1 trillion offer, spread over eight years, would be aligned with what they discussed with Biden in their first Oval Office meeting almost two weeks ago.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, and other negotiators are preparing to release a package of roughly $1 trillion, days after the White House reduced the cost of its plan to $1.7 trillion

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki struck a similar note of optimism: 'We expect this week to be a week of progress.'

The sweeping infrastructure investment, in particular, faces a crucial moment: The White House is assessing whether the president can strike a bipartisan deal with Republicans on his American Jobs Plan, a top domestic priority, or try to go it alone with Democrats if no progress is made over the next week. Biden's allies in the House and Senate are preparing for all scenarios.

A core group of Republican negotiators led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., emerged from an early Tuesday huddle to announce its coming new proposal.

'We are anxious to have a bipartisan agreement,' Capito told reporters on Capitol Hill.

A GOP aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks said the price tag would be $1 trillion over eight years, paid for by tapping funds that have been allocated as part of COVID-19 relief but not yet spent. The aide said about $700 billion remains in unspent virus aid.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in Washington

President Joe Biden is hoping to secure enough Republican support to move a bipartisan bill and overcome a GOP filibuster

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said negotiators were close to where Biden came in on areas both sides considered infrastructure. Republicans have ruled out other programs as not infrastructure related

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, center, receives a tour of an underground tunnel for the expansion of the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport plane train tunnel

Capito said the group agreed that what they heard from the president during that first meeting was in line with what they were proposing. 'That's why I think when we left there we were pretty optimistic that this is a doable,' she said.

The Republican senators and aides have made no secret of their displeasure with the White House staff in this and other negotiations.

Publicly and privately, they say that while Biden appears willing to negotiate with the senators, his staff often changes course. They point to a similar dynamic during coronavirus aid talks when Biden seemed to agree with a group of GOP senators, only to have staff behind him shaking their heads no.

The Republicans are eager to publicly disclose Biden's comments to them as they make the case for their new offer at a critical juncture, with negotiations at a fragile stage ahead of the Memorial Day deadline.

GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said Republican offers so far have been 'mischaracterized.' He told reporters the negotiators would be putting out a 'clarification' that will 'make it clear what our offer actually is.'

The Republicans have uniformly rejected Bidens plan to pay for the investments by raising corporate tax rates.

The Washington Post reported the GOP was continuing to reject Biden's proposals on federal support for elder care and low-income families, as well as programs to promote electric vehicles.

'We're not very far from the Biden proposal on areas where we both think it's appropriate for an infrastructure bill,' Romney told the paper.

The Republicans are ruling out changes to the 2017 tax cuts that Biden wants to roll back in part. But Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a member of the group, opened the door to indexing the federal gas tax which funds highway construction to inflation. He also brought up ways to get electric vehicle owners to contribute to highway improvements  an idea floated by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg before Biden rolled out his plan. And they are stressing increased IRS enforcement  an idea the Biden administration believes could claw back billions in revenue.

Psaki declined to comment on the forthcoming GOP proposal.

'This is going to feel like a tightrope walk all the way until it gets to Bidens desk,' said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank.

The administration is signaling that its important not just whether Biden can push his infrastructure and other proposals into law, but also how he does it. By this reasoning, voters - and some moderate Democratic lawmakers - are more likely to be on board if Biden at least tries for bipartisanship.

The West Wing believes its bargaining position is strong. Aides point to Bidens high poll numbers and the popularity of his proposals, all while believing that they have the option of muscling the infrastructure plan to passage under special budget reconciliation rules that require only a party-line vote.

But there is a growing sense of urgency within the White House and among Democrats. After a burst of legislative accomplishments, including the COVID-19 relief bill, the pace has slowed dramatically. And the future may hinge on a few select senators.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said repeatedly that '100% of my focus' is on stopping Bidens agenda.

Earlier this week, Psaki said that Biden is eager to engage with Republicans and awaited their next offer. 'The ball is in the Republicans court,' Psaki said at Mondays White House briefing.

Psaki insisted no decisions had been made on whether the administration will go it alone as it awaits a counteroffer from Republicans. 'Were not quite there yet,' she said.

President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, center, receives a tour of an underground tunnel for the expansion of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport plane train tunnel at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg receives a tour of an underground tunnel for the expansion of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport plane train tunnel at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, second left, receives a tour of an underground tunnel for the expansion of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport plane train tunnel at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

In this file photo from Wednesday, March 3, 2021, members of the Michigan National Guard join the U.S. Capitol Police to keep watch over the Capitol grounds in Washington, in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection by a mob loyal to former President Donald Trump. The Guard mission is ending as Democrats and Republicans spar over whether to form an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the attack that sought to overturn Trump's loss to Joe Biden. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is left. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The family of a teenager on Long Island says they're suing her school for $2 million after administrators wouldn't publish her poem about George Floyd's death in the school magazine, saying it was 'not appropriate' and possibly 'dangerous.'

On Tuesday, the family of Ruby Ray, 16, a 10th grader at Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson, filed a notice of claim in Suffolk County Supreme Court, an action that typically comes ahead of a lawsuit.

Ruby had penned a poem called 'Derek Chauvin's Ode to George Floyd: A Dark Sonnet.' Her parents say Ruby, who is white, is being discriminated against by the mostly white school because her poem 'promoted the cause of African-Americans.'

The notice of claim, which alleges a violation of Ruby's First Amendment rights, came on the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death, although the Ray family chalks that up to being a coincidence.

'I thought this was a free country and you have the right to express yourself in any way you choose,' Ruby told the New York Post.

Scroll down for video

Ruby Ray, 16, holds up her sonnet in front of Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson

Ruby Ray (16), speaks with press in front of Vandermuelen High School, in Port Jefferson, New York, where Ruby is a student

Attorney, John Ray, speaks with press in front of Vandermuelen High School to announce the lawsuit

Ruby Ray's sonnet she wrote that was forbidden by her high school's literary magazine

The notice alleges that administrators at the school banned Ruby's sonnet 'in order to please, protect, promote, placate and defend white racism in Respondents' school and community, and white racism in general.'

The claim asserts Ruby's First Amendment rights have been violated, names the principal of her school, as well as the faculty adviser for the literary magazine and the school district at-large.

The claim mentions that the community and the school district are made up by a large majority of white people: The New York State Education Department says white students made up 81 percent of Vandermeulen High School in the 2019-20 school year.

Meanwhile, black students made up less than 1 percent of the student body last year, according to the Education Department.

The school magazine's faculty adviser, English teacher Matthew Sefick, told Ruby in an email, according to the Post: 'This is an emotionally charged piece no matter how you look at it, and emotions run deep in an audience.  There is no back and forth discussion the way that we are having, and that can be dangerous.'

Principal Eric Haruthunian said the school wouldn't publish the poem, according to an email on Monday seen by the Post. District Superintendent Jessica Schmettan wouldn't comment.

In New York, at least 30 days must pass between a notice of claim and the filing of a lawsuit, giving defendants time to investigate and intervene.

John Ray, Ruby's father and a lawyer, accused the school of being racist in comments to the New York Post.

'It's just racist  that's the only thing driving it,' John said. 'It's a powerful poem. It says what has to be said.'

Ruby's poem is titled 'Derek Chauvin's Ode to George Floyd: A Dark Sonnet,' named in part for the police officer convicted of murder in Floyd's death.

Ruby Ray stands alongside her father, and attorney, John Ray, in front of Vandermeulen High School, in Port Jefferson, New York, where Ruby is a student

'It's just racist  that's the only thing driving it,' John said. 'It's a powerful poem. It says what has to be said'

The poem reads:

'From momma's hands, you had not any chance. / The street, the 'hood made you so young ashamed / To stand tall, to control your circumstance. / 'Black man, it's you we'll crack,' white men proclaimed; / 'Stay down,' they say, your fate is in our hands. / Obey, ok, obey me, I'm the cop / Who kneels upon your naked soul, who stands / On top your darkened head until you stop / Your sorry cry for mamma; take no breath. / I bring justice here, pressed upon your neck. / If I decide, you now face certain death, / A fate deserved, 'cuz you passed a bad check. / You can't breath? Then cease your black man drama, / I will make you weep for 'Mamma! Mamma!'

The poem includes multiple allusions to Floyd's murder, including Chauvin pressing his knee upon Floyd's neck and Floyd's cries for his mother as he lay dying.

Her family alleges that the school said the poem was 'dangerous' in rejecting it from the magazine.

Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson, Long Island, where Ruby is a student

Data from the 2019-20 school year shows the high school is over 80 percent white

School officials allegedly said, 'I agree that your sonnet is well-written. I hope you understand how touchy of a subject this can be  [it] can be dangerous  not only is the student body reading the work but the faculty and staff as well  I do not believe this piece is appropriate.'

The notice alleges that school officials believe the 'white community would be offended and would act oppositionally to the sonnet which portrayed Derek Chauvin as a white racist.'

The district declined to comment to DailyMail.com about the allegations, saying that it does not comment on pending litigation.

Attempts by DailyMail.com to reach the school principal have not been answered.

The notice alleges that the school 'refused to allow the sonnet to be published for the reason that it would create adverse emotional reactions and strife in the community, amongst students and faculty.'

The notice of claim was filed on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death

Derek Chauvin, who is depicted in Ruby's poem, has been convicted of murder in Floyd's death

Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25, 2020 after Chauvin kneeled on the man's neck for over nine minutes.

Last month, he was convicted of murder and manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing in the case.

Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death, which kicked off protests around the country and world.

More protests and rallies took place on Tuesday to commemorate Floyd, which have included a moment of silence for Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as the president meeting with Floyd's family.
Nathan Sutherland was arrested by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in January 2019, just one month after a comatose victim he allegedly cared for gave birth to a son

An Arizona judge has denied a former nurse's request to throw out DNA evidence used to link him to the alleged rape of a comatose patient who later gave birth.

The DNA matched that of the baby boy who was born at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix in December 2018.

Attorneys representing Nathan Sutherland claimed the evidence should be tossed out in the trial against him because Phoenix police did not get a warrant or have probable cause to take Sutherland's DNA.

Instead, defense attorney Edwin Molina said, the police made a 'misrepresentation' in their request for a warrant by claiming the 36 men whose DNA samples they were seeking had direct access to the female victim.

He wrote that the police were unaware of the job duties of all 36 men at the time, and would therefore not know who had been in contact with the the then-29-year-old victim. They were just working under the assumption that 'anybody and everybody could be a suspect,' Molina wrote in a request to dismiss the DNA evidence.

But Judge Stephen Hopkins upheld the police's collection of DNA and will allow it to be used in the trial against Sutherland, who is charged with sexual assault.

'The victim had been in a vegetative state since the age of three,' Hopkins wrote in his decision Monday. 'It was a very logical deduction that one of the male employees/agents who were present at the facility would be the father.'

Sutherland pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult

He also rejected Sutherland's characterization that police had a casual approach to the investigation. Hopkins said there was no evidence to suggest, as Sutherland had previously claimed, that a routine order to collect evidence was signed by a court official to save face politically in the high-profile investigation.

It is unclear whether Sutherland will appeal the ruling.

He has previously pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult. He was fired by Hacienda after his arrest in January 2019 and has since given up his nursing license.

The pregnancy was discovered in late 2018 when an employee at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix was changing the garments of the unnamed victim and noticed she was in the process of delivering a child.

Employees told police that they had no idea the woman was pregnant.

Police have said Sutherland's DNA matched a sample taken from the woman's son. The victim's mother is now acting as the boy's guardian.

The surprise birth at the Hacienda Healthcare facility triggered reviews by state agencies and highlighted safety concerns for patients

The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated and prompted the resignations of Hacienda CEO Bill Timmons and one of the victim's doctors.

Hacienda CEP Bill Timmons resigned following the unexpected birth

It also led to a lawsuit filed by the victim's parents, alleging Sutherland had cared for their daughter more than 1,000 times between 2012 and 2018, despite a promise from the state  which contracts with establishments like Hacienda to provide services to people with developmental disabilities  that only women would tend to her.

They claimed in court documents that more than 800 of these visits were conducted overnight, when there are fewer staff members and visitors around.

Lawyers for the family also claimed scarring on the victim indicated she had been raped multiple times, and may have even been impregnated before.

They said Hacienda missed dozens of signs that the woman was carrying a baby, pointing out that she had gained weight, had a swollen belly and missed menstrual periods in the months before the boy was born.

The victim was on a feeding tube and her nutrition had been reduced in response to her weight gain during the pregnancy, the lawyers claim, and she delivered the boy while severely dehydrated and without pain medications.

The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated and prompted the resignations of Hacienda CEO Bill Timmons and one of the victim's doctors.

The victim lived at Hacienda for 26 years, until the childs birth. Her medical conditions stem from a brain disorder that caused motor and cognitive impairments and vision loss. She was also left with no functional use of her limbs.
House Democrats discussed the logistics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filing a restraining order against Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, reports suggested Tuesday.

The Georgia Rep. has verbally confronted AOC on the House floor, asked her for a debate over her Green New Deal and has recently been condemned on both sides of the aisle for comparing masks mandates to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

According to Politico, Democrats floated potential legal action but said the New York Democrat would likely have to file the order herself. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues have also called for an ethics investigation into Greene's actions.

Earlier this month Greene demanded to know why AOC supported Black Lives Matter and antifa 'terrorists.'

House Democrats discussed the logistics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right) filing a restraining order against Republican Rep. (left) Marjorie Taylor Greene, reports suggested Tuesday. Greene is seen confronting AOC on the House floor on April 21

House Democrats floated the idea of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (left) getting a restraining order against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (right), but the New York Democrat would likely have to file for one herself

She shouted 'Hey Alexandria' outside the House chamber.

AOC, a former bartender, later told reporters that Greene was the sort of customer she would toss out.

'These are the kinds of people that I threw out of bars all the time,' Ocasio-Cortez said.

Video from 2019 shows Greene previously standing outside of Ocasio-Cortez's locked Capitol Hill office. 'Get rid of your diaper,' Greene said in the footage, telling the liberal lawmaker to be a 'big girl.'

Greene's behavior previously prompted Pelosi to move Rep. Cori Bush's office away from her.

Bush, a Missouri Democrat, and Greene had a run-in in the hallway over mask-wearing.

Greene also trolled her office neighbor, Rep. Marie Newman, with a anti-trans sign after Newman, whose daughter is transgender, displayed a trans flag in the hallway.

Greene responded by hanging up a sign, 'There are TWO genders MALE & FEMALE. Trust the science!'

The Democrats' bid to seek the restraining order was announced just days after AOC revealed she was in therapy after the Capitol riot.

Top Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, condemned Greene on Tuesday for comparing mask mandates and vaccine passports to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

'Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling,' McCarthy, a California Republican, wrote on Twitter.

'Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.'

New Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik led the criticism from other members of her party by saying: 'Equating mask wearing and vaccines to the Holocaust belittles the most significant human atrocities ever committed.'

'We must all work together to educate our fellow Americans on the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust. #NeverAgain,' she added.

Greene doubled down on Twitter Tuesday in claiming that her words are being twisted to say she compared mask mandates to the Holocaust.

'I never compared it to the Holocaust, only the discrimination against Jews in early Nazi years,' Greene tweeted.

'Stop feeding into the left wing media attacks on me,' she added. 'Everyone should be concerned about the squad's support for terrorists and discrimination against unvaxxed people. Why aren't they?'

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy condemned on Tuesday Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for comparing mask mandates to the Holocaust

No. 3 ranking House Republican Elise Stefanik said there needs to be progress on 'educating our fellow Americans on the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust'

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition calling on McCarthy to expel Greene from Congress

The backlash from Republicans could lead to Greene being punished again.

In February she was stripped of her committee assignments for her past racist comments and sharing of QAnon conspiracy theories.

She also shared a story criticizing the Food City grocery store in Abingdon, Virginia, for having employees wear logos showing they are vaccinated, which she compared to Jews wearing a yellow star under the Nazis.

The tweet came in response to a post from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who wrote: 'I've also noticed that the media attention on MTG's bizarrely nutso Holocaust analogy are completely silent by the Squad's de facto support for genocidal anti-Jewish terrorist group Hamas.'

The controversy over Greene stems from her comments comparing Pelosi's mask mandates for unvaccinated lawmakers to rules imposed on Jews to identify themselves with a yellow star in Nazi Germany.

'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.'

GOP leaders are speaking out against Greene's repeated comparison.

House Minority Whip Scalise said he 'does not agree with these comments and condemns these comparisons to the Holocaust.'

'We also need to be speaking out strongly against the dangerous anti-Semitism that is growing in our streets and in the Democrat party, resulting in an alarming number of horrific violent attacks against Jews,' Scalise's spokesperson Lauren Fine said.

Greene doubled down on her comments on Monday by sharing a story of how vaccinated employees at a grocery store will wear a logo which she said was 'just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear the gold star'

'I never compared it to the Holocaust,' Greene wrote in a tweet response to conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who is Jewish

She said any sort of obvious identifier of a vaccine against coroanvirus is a slippery slope to requiring proof to go to school or use a certain bathroom

House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, called Greene's continued comparison 'sickening' and 'reprehensible' and called for her to 'stop this vile language immediately'

Congresswoman Mary Miller tweeted a selfie with Greene and two other GOP congressmen without masks on the House floor last week  going against Speaker Pelosi's rules requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks

Stefanik was voted to take over as No. 3 ranking Republican in the House after the party turned on previous chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming after she broke with Donald Trump and refused to back his claims of voter fraud.

McCarthy's full statement on Greene's comments states: 'Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling. The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling.

'At a time when the Jewish people face increased violence and threats, anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Democrat Party and is completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi,' he continued.

'Americans must stand together to defeat anti-Semitism and any attempt to diminish the history of the Holocaust. Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.'

Greene tweeted earlier on Tuesday before McCarthy's statement emerged: 'Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear a gold star. Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.'

Attached to the tweet was a news article about Food City supermarkets dropping mask requirements for vaccinated workers.

However, the southern grocery store chain went a step further by saying those employees who did get the hot will have a 'vaccination logo displayed on their name badge.'

Shapiro, who is Jewish, responded to Greene's post by writing: 'This is demented nonsense. It is nothing like the Holocaust, and any comparison thereto is both insulting and insane.'

Greene said Tuesday that media are 'twisting my words' to fit their narrative

Greene said it's a slippery slope to require some sort of identification on whether a person is vaccinated against coronavirus or not.

The Georgia representative tweeted: 'Pretty soon it will be.. 'We only hire vaccinated people, show your vax papers.' 'We only admit vaccinated students, show your vax papers.' 'These bathrooms are only for vaccinated people, show your vax papers.'

'Then.....scan your bar code or swipe your chip on your arm,' she predicted.

During Senate floor remarks on Tuesday, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also lashed out against Greene.

'This morning, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican congresswoman from Georgia, once again, compared preparations taken against COVID to the Holocaust,' Schumer, who is Jewish, said.

'These are sickening, reprehensible comments,' he added, 'and she should stop this vile language immediately.'

Greene on Saturday defended her comparison of mask mandates to Nazi Germany by claiming 'any ration Jewish person' doesn't like either.

'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies,' Greene told Arizona TV outlet 12 News on Saturday.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise in American and the world after a massive conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas operating in Gaza earlier this month. The conflict has left several hundred dead so far as bombings increase.

'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene, 46, wrote on Twitter Sunday morning of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York.

The 23-year-old suspect said: 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.'

Greene, who represents Georgia's 14th congressional district in the House, compared Speaker Nancy Pelosi's new rule on face masks to the Holocaust.

Greene doubled-down on comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requiring non-vaccinated lawmakers to wear masks to the 'gold star' of the Holocaust. 'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies'

She blamed President Joe Biden for the rise in anti-Semitic attacks. 'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene wrote on Twitter of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York

She claimed Pelosi's decision to require proof of vaccination before members are allowed to take their masks off on the House floor to the 'Gold Star' Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.'

Cheney lashed out at Greene's comments in a tweet Saturday saying: 'This is evil lunacy.'

A reporter with News 12 asked Greene on Saturday: 'Do you understand, though, why some would be upset and offended by the comment?'

'Do you understand how people feel about being forced to wear masks, or being forced to have to take a vaccine, or even have to say whether they've taken it or not,' Greene shot back.

'These are just things that shouldn't be happening in America, this is a free country and it's just ridiculous to have these kind of conversations,' she continued.

Greene traveled to Arizona on Saturday with embattled Florida Representative Matt Gaetz as part of their 'America First' roadshow. Arizona is currently undergoing a massive recount effort as Donald Trump allies push the former president's claim that the 2020 election was 'rigged'.

'Here's what I stand by, we shouldn't be having this kind of treatment,' Greene said of Pelosi' requiring those in the lower chamber who opt not to get vaccinated to continue wearing a mask. 'No one should be treated like a second class citizen for saying, 'I don't need to wear a mask,' or saying that 'my medical records are my privacy based on my HIPPA rights.' And so I stand by all of my statements, I said nothing wrong.'

Greene compared a House of Representatives mask-wearing rule to the Holocaust on David Brody's podcast 'The Water Cooler'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance last earlier this month saying all fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a mask indoors or outdoors.

Someone qualifies as a fully vaccinated individual two weeks after they received their final dose of the COVID-19 shot  whether it be the one or two-shot inoculation.

Republicans claim this is just another way to weed out anti-maskers and try to force them to get the vaccine.

Former Representative Denver Riggleman was among those who condemned Greene for her comments last week comparing the mandates to the genocide of 6 million Jewish people.

'Comparing wearing masks to the abuse of the Holocaust is a not so subtle diminution of the horrors experienced by millions,' he tweeted. 'It's a grotesque idiocy mixed with a neurotic lack of self awareness. What do you expect from a truther, Q believer, and gaslighting conspiracy theorist?'

Several Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and other individuals were quick to condemn the comparison

MTG says Speaker Pelosi wanting Members of Congress to get vaccinated and if not to wear masks is exactly the type of abuse as murdering Jews in gas chambers during the Holocaust and David Brody nods along. No follow up. pic.twitter.com/inXfD8UBiG  Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 22, 2021

Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic wrote: 'This is antisemitism of a most despicable and deranged sort.

'This is a woman whose own politics can credibly be described as fascist trivializing the actual, historical facts of the Holocaust.

'And I repeat my prediction: she's a front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.'

And Rhode Island Congressman David Cilline said: 'The Holocaust: The systematic murder of 6 million Jews. Mask-wearing: A simple act that costs you nothing and saves lives. Marjorie Taylor Greene: A troubled person who is unfit to serve in Congress.'

Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and many others quickly condemned the comments on social media as diminishing the six million Jewish people who died during the Holocaust.

'You can never compare health-related restrictions with yellow stars, gas chambers and other Nazi atrocities,' The American Jewish Congress tweeted on Friday. 'Such comparisons demean the Holocaust and contaminate American political speech.'

The group called for a retraction and apology from Greene, which she hasn't done to date.

Former Representative Denver Riggleman said this on Twitter in reaction to Greene's comments

Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic responds to Greene's comments

Rhode Island congressman man responds to Greene's comments

The American Jewish Congress' response to Greene's comments

Meanwhile, Greene took to Twitter Saturday morning to accuse fellow Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of supporting anti-Semitism.

She also branded AOC a 'terrorist' for supporting a cease in military funding for the Israeli government.

'.@AOC you're responsible for attacks on Jewish people bc of your hate-Israel stance against Israel's right to defend itself from from terrorists Hamas, calling Israel an apartheid state, & supporting terrorists groups. Aligning yourself with terrorists means your [sic] a terrorist,' Greene said in the tweet.

At the bottom of the tweet, Greene shared an image of AOC's call to end antisemitism next to a headline about her resolution that would cut funding for Israeli bombs.

Greene shot to fame for pushing a series of bizarre QAnon conspiracy theories before she was elected as a representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district in November 2020.

In a 2018 Facebook post, she claimed a 'Jewish space later' controlled by the Rothschild banking family had been used to ignite California wildfires.
California woman Lindy 'Indy' Kidd has been missing since she attended a 'spiritual warfare' training conference in Ohio on April 23

A desperate search is underway for a 39-year-old California woman who was last seen over a month ago at a 'spiritual warfare' conference in Ohio.

Los Angeles resident Lindy 'Indy' Kidd was attending the 'Expelling the Darkness Training' at the House of New Hope in St. Louisville when she went missing on April 23, the Licking County Sheriff's Office reported on May 11.

Kidd suffers from multiple medical conditions, police reported, and needs to take daily seizure medication, according to her family.

Her fiance, Paulo Reyes, had been in constant contact with Kidd up until the evening of her disappearance, when he booked a Lyft to take her from the Newark DoubleTree hotel she was staying at to the conference, he told Dateline.

Kidd was last seen at the House of New Hope in St. Louisville attending the 'Expelling the Darkness Training' conference. Her fiance said she attended to see speakers from a YouTube channel she follows

The last trace he has of her was a debit card purchase for admission to the conference, he said.

The two met in 2012. She was an artist and he let Kidd display her work at the cafe he operated.

Reyes said Kidd began to searching for support groups to help with her medical issues, and decided to attend the conference, which at $100 per single ticket, according to its website, is intended for guests seeking to:

'Grow from believers to powerhouses'

'Recognize spiritual darkness in those around us'

'Learn about your authority and power over darkness'

'Minister to those caught in its web of deceit & destruction'

Reyes said that in particular his fiance wanted to see a presentation from the Youtube channel 'Through the Black.'

Tom Dunn, who is credited as directing the videos on the channel, was a keynote speaker at the conference. 'Through the Black,' according to its website deals in 'spiritual warfare & stuff.'

Kidd suffers from a number of medical conditions, and must take seizure medication daily. Police described her as 5-foot-1 with blue eyes and short auburn hair

Reyes said he tried contacting 'Through the Black,' but has so far not heard back, according to Dateline.

The other conference speaker was Russ Dizdar, author of the books Expelling Darkness - Engaging Non Human Entities Now, and In the End of Days and The Black Awakening: Rise of Satanic Super Soldiers and the Coming Chaos.

Reyes told Dateline that Kidd has not filled her seizure medication prescription since her disappearance.

'We're just really worried about her,' he said. 'We want to make sure she's OK. I love her and want her to come home to her family.'

Police described Kidd as 5-foot-1 with blue eyes, short auburn hair and tattoos including a large cherry blossom stretching from her back down her left arm.

They request that anyone with information on her whereabouts called the LAPD at (818) 832-0688 or the Licking County Sheriff's office at (740) 670-5555.
A Long Island woman facing up to 15 years in prison for killing an NYPD officer in a hit-and-run crash complained that she didn't 'deserve' to be arrested when police tracked her down, prosecutors say.

Jessica Beauvais, 32, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on Tuesday on a 13-count indictment for the April 27 death of NYPD Highway Officer Anastasios Tsakos, including aggravated manslaughter, manslaughter, aggravated criminally negligent homicide and vehicular manslaughter.

Beauvais stood before the judge wearing a tan jumpsuit and her hands in cuffs behind her back. Her family, including her 13-year-old son, were in the courtroom when she pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.

Prosecutors described how Beauvais allegedly whined: 'Why did my first accident have to be a cop?' as she sat in the back of a squad car following her arrest, according to The New York Daily News reported.

'Not that I wanted it to be someone else, but f**k, I've been driving since I was 16 and haven't hit as much as a pothole,' she was quoted as saying.

Jessica Beauvais, a 32-year-old mother of one, looks to her family as she's led of the Queens courtroom

Beauvais was arraigned on a 13-count indictment in Queens court

Beauvais's family was in the courtroom on Tuesday during her arraignment

NYPD Detective Anastasios Tsakos' parents - Stavros and Anna - in the courtroom for Beauvais' arraignment

Tsakos, 43, who was posthumously promoted to detective, was a husband and a father of a six-year-old daughter and three-year-old son.

Hundreds of peopled gathered on May 4 at St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Shrine Church in Greenlawn, New York - including NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea - to pay their respects to the beloved NYPD cop.

NYPD officer Anastasios Tsakos (pictured) was promoted to detective posthumously

'This is a heartbreaking case that has left the police officer's parents, his widow and their two young children and our entire community mourning his loss,' Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement after Tuesday's arraignment.

PBA President Pat Lynch, who was in the courtroom with Tsakos' family and other officers, didn't mince words after the arraignment, calling her 'evil.'

'She doesn't look evil but her actions created evil,' Lynch said. 'She has to answer for what she's done. She has to pay for the consequences that those hateful words and those evil actions caused to a police officer and his family.'

Beauvais was allegedly almost double the legal alcohol limit hours after the early morning April 27 fatal collision with Tsakos.

She was allegedly 'driving at a high rate of speed' on the Long Island Expressway when she ran over the 14-year veteran of the force, who was redirecting traffic for a different crash, according to the indictment.

She allegedly hit him head-on, hurled him around 200 feet into the air and onto a nearby patch of grass, DA Katz said.

One of his legs was severed, according to the indictment.

Beauvais, who was driving with a suspended license at the time, admitted she 'heard a thump' but continued to drive for several exits with a 'completely shattered' windshield.

NYPD PBA President Pat Lynch called Beauvais 'evil' after the arraignment

Lynch and several members of the NYPD joined Tsakos' family in the courtroom Tuesday

Tsakos' parents outside the Queens courtroom during Lynch's press conference

Uniformed members of the NYPD stood outside the courtroom during the arraignment

Beauvais was seen downing shots just hours before the crash

Full list of 13 charges against Jessica Beauvais second-degree aggravated manslaughter second-degree manslaughter aggravated criminally negligent homicide second-degree vehicular manslaughter leaving the scene of an incident without reporting second-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle 2 counts of operating a motor vehicle while under influence of alcohol operating a motor vehicle while impaired by combined use of drugs or of alcohol and drugs reckless driving third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle failure to exercise due care when operating a motor vehicle when approaching an authorized emergency vehicle Advertisement

She finally stopped after she jumped a curb, Katz said. Beauvais then put her car in reverse and rammed the police vehicle behind her before finally coming to a full stop, according to the indictment.

'I was driving tonight,' Beauvais told cops at the precinct, according to The Daily News. 'I was operating the vehicle. I was going to pick up my son. I came from the studio. I had a shot of Absolute 1800. I don't drink, I smoke.

'I smoke weed regularly,' she said, according to prosecutors. 'I drank two glasses of wine and dropped my son off in West Hempstead, I smoked at the podcast studio. I had two more glasses of wine and had two shots of 1800 Patron, I don't know why they stopped me. Speeding I guess. They say I hit someone. I heard a thump.'

After her arrest, when she was led out of the NYPD's 107th Precinct in handcuffs, she was sobbing and saying, 'Sorry that I hit him and that he's dead.'

Hours before the fatal collision, Beauvais posted a rambling video of herself on Facebook Live where she said police officers are 'signing up for potential death' as part of the job and boasted about carrying a knife while drinking unknown liquids throughout the footage.

Katz said there is a list of alleged bad choices, 'from drinking and getting high and getting behind the wheel of a car, that ended tragically.'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea spoke at Tsako's memorial earlier this month, which was limited to 180 attendees due to the pandemic.

Tsakos grew up in Greece and New York City, before serving in the Greek army after high school.

He then went on to work in his father's diner on Long Island, before studying aviation in college to follow his dreams of flying helicopters for the NYPD, Shea said. The officer and his family had just moved to East Northport last year.

De Blasio spoke of Tsakos' 'heroism' and hit out at his tragic loss of life.

'It does not make sense how someone could live his life right in every way and be taken from us so horribly,' he told mourners.

'But his heroism uplifts us. Some people are true heroes. Some people are there for others. And that in every way was Anastasios Tsakos.'
The farming town of Corcoran, California has been slowly sinking two feet every year over the last decade as agricultural companies pump underground water to irrigate crops.

Located in California's San Joaquin Valley, the 7.47 square-mile town has a grand total of 21,960 residents and has sunk 11.5 feet in the last 14 years.

The sinking is a result of agricultural companies that have pumped underground water to irrigate their crops for decades, according to the U.S.G.S. California Water Science Center.

While Corcoran has sunk about four feet in certain areas since 2015, its predicted that city will sink another six to 11 feet over the next two decades, the New York Times reported.

Casings of drinking-water wells have been crushed, flood zones have shifted and the town levee had to be rebuilt for $10 million, raising residents' property tax bills roughly $200 a year for three years.

Located in California's San Joaquin Valley, the small town of Corcoran (pictured) has a grand total of 21,960 residents and has sunk 11.5 feet in the last 14 years

The farming town of Corcoran, California has been slow sinking for 14 years as agricultural companies continue to pump underground water to irrigate crops

For generations farmers have turned to pumping out ground water-water beneath the earth's surface- when they cant get enough surface water from local rivers or from canals.

But despite the negative effect its having on the area, residents and leaders in the 'ag-dominated' town have chosen to downplay or flat out ignore the town's sinkage.

Few in Corcoran are eager to criticize agricultural companies that provide jobs in a struggling region for helping to cause a little-known geological problem no one can see, the New York Times reported.

'It's a risk for us,' said Mary Gonzales-Gomez, a lifelong Corcoran resident and chairwoman of the Kings County Board of Education told the NYT. 'We all know that, but what are we going to do? There's really nothing that we can do. And I don't want to move.'

The sinking has even altered the town's landscape, creating what is known as the 'Corcoran Bowl'- which is an area amid the agricultural fields in and near Kings County that stretches at times up to 60 miles.

The bowl is the region of deep sinkage in the land, with Corcoran at the center, the Times reported.

Jay Famiglietti, is a former senior scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, helped discover the bowl and has warned of severe sinking in the area based on satellite imagery since 2009.

Scientists at the NASA lab have spent years tracking subsidence there and elsewhere in the San Joaquin Valley by using radar and satellite technology, NYT reported.

'There's no way around it,' Famiglietti told the Times. 'The scale of the bowl that's been created from the pumping is large and that may be why people don't perceive it. But a careful analysis would find there is lots of infrastructure potentially at risk.'

But infrastructure has already been damaged, leading to the Corcoran Irrigation District to install three lift stations to pump water through ditches.

The water used to run on gravity alone, but the sinking created sags in the ditches and caused the water to pool instead of flow through so the district had to spent $1.2 million over 10 years on lift stations to help push the water along, costs paid for by farmers, the NYT reported.

But despite the effect its having on the town, residents and leaders in the 'ag-dominated' town of Corcoran have chosen to downplay or flat out ignore the town's sinkage

While Corcoran (pictured) has sunk about four feet in certain areas since 2015, its predicted that city will sink another six to 11 feet over the next two decades

In addition, there was the levee that was rebuilt for $10 million in 2017.

The levee had sunk from 195 feet when it was built in 1983 to 188 feet in 2017, the NYT reported.

'Our residents got hit hard,' Dustin Fuller, the director of the Cross Creek Flood Control District told the Times.

In addition to the higher property tax bills, some residents were forced to purchase flood insurance for the first time.

To make matters worse, several large agricultural operations surround Corcoran that have hundreds of wells pulling water from beneath the flat, fertile fields around the small town.

The operations include Sandridge Partners, the J.G. Boswell Company, Hansen Ranches, the Vander Eyk Dairies and many others and it is nearly impossible to determine how much underground water is being pumped by farming companies since California does not require that information to be disclosed.

And as the droughts in California continue, so will the sinking.

Severe droughts force farmers to pump more groundwater to make up for the lack of surface water.

That happened during California's last prolonged drought, from 2012 to 2016, when Central Valley land sank at high rates, the Times reported.

Karla Nemeth, the director of the state's Department of Water Resources, told the NYT that said excessive groundwater pumping and its effect on Corcoran were issues that warranted a closer look.

'The plight of Corcoran is the absolute poster child for legacy unmanaged groundwater pumping that is unacceptable in California and that finally gave rise to' Nemeth said.

Corcoran is not the only area in the United States sinking.

Texas' Houston-Galveston area has been sinking since the 1800s, while parts of Arizona, Louisiana and New Jersey have dealt with subsidence problems as well.

Thee foundations of Mexico City churches have famously tilted, and one 2012 study found that Venice was subsiding at a rate of .07 inches per year, the Times reported.
The illegal Mexican immigrant accused of murdering Iowa jogger Mollie Tibbetts had worked 12 hours scooping poop at a farm before being interrogated by cops 'who coerced confession out of him', his defense said Tuesday.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera's lawyer said in her opening statement that authorities conducted an incomplete investigation into the 20-year-old's death in July 2018 and that they were too quick to close the case.

Bahena River is standing trial in Scott County, Iowa, after pleading not guilty to first degree murder. His defense declined to give an opening statement when the trial began last week, opting to do so after prosecutors rested their case on Monday.

'Her family deserves justice but so does Cristhian Bahena Rivera,' Jennifer Frese said Tuesday, standing next to her client.

The defense began by questioning the confession and DNA evidence. Frese told jurors: 'He wasn't in an interview; he was in an interrogation.

'There's no dispute on the facts that my client worked twelve hours at a dairy farm scooping poop, cleaning grounds, and then, at the end of his day, he was brought to the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office.

'You will hear about this interrogation, and that it went on and on and on.'

Bahena Riveras defense described him as a hard-working, family-centered immigrant from Mexico who was pressured into making a false confession.

They also kept working to raise suspicion about Tibbetts boyfriend, Dalton Jack, who testified again Tuesday about their up-and-down relationship.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera listens to court proceedings during his trial, Tuesday in the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa. Bahena Rivera is on trial for the 2018 stabbing death of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student

Cristhian Bahena Rivera has pleaded not guilty to killing Mollie Tibbetts, pictured, in July 2018 while she was out running in Brooklyn, Iowa

Former Iowa City police officer Pamela Romero testified last Thursday that she noticed he had fallen asleep when she went to get him food. Romero recalled Bahena Rivera saying that he was sleepy but she said he remained alert and engaged during the questioning

Jack was confronted with phone records showing he only called Tibbetts once in the days after she vanished, with Snapchat messages about his affair with another woman and with questions about his temper.

Police say they cleared Jack as a suspect after establishing he was out of town for work when Tibbetts went missing while on a run in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18, 2018.

The jury was last week was shown photos of Tibbetts' partially naked and decomposing body after it was dumped in an Iowa cornfield, as well as images of her discarded black shorts and underwear.

Bahena Rivera, who has pleaded not guilty, may have entered the US from Mexico illegally a decade ago

An autopsy found that Tibbetts had been stabbed seven to ten times in the chest, ribs, neck and skull.

Frese said of Bahena Rivera's questioning: 'And then they started to confront him with the evidence. They confronted him with this videotape. They confronted him with these pictures.

'And they said, you know, we dont believe you. We dont believe that you werent there.

'And the confrontation continues until it was put in my clients head  perhaps you blacked out. The state  in this case  they got what they wanted. And they closed the case. They got what they needed.

'There was an intense amount of pressure, thats what the evidence has shown you, to close this case, to arrest someone for this vicious crime.

'And instead of continuing to work the case  instead of continuing to work the evidence  they just submitted it to you.'

Former Iowa City police officer Pamela Romero testified last Thursday that she noticed he had fallen asleep when she went to get him food. Romero recalled Bahena Rivera saying that he was sleepy but she said he remained alert and engaged during the questioning.

Defense attorney Chad Frese, right, hands Dalton Jack, Mollie Tibbetts' boyfriend, a phone record to review as Jack testifies for a second time during Cristhian Bahena Rivera's trial, Tuesday

Defense attorney Jennifer Frese gives an opening statement while presenting Cristhian Bahena Rivera's case Tuesday

Photos of Mollie Tibbetts' partially naked and decomposing body that was dumped in an Iowa cornfield were shown to jurors on Friday as Cristhian Bahena Rivera stand trial. Pictured above is the crime scene tape around the cornstalks where her body was found in 2018

Tibbetts disappearance triggered a search involving local, state and federal agencies and hundreds of volunteers.

Investigators say they began focusing on Bahena Rivera a month later after finding surveillance video showing his black Chevy Malibu driving back and forth near where Tibbetts had been seen.

They said he confessed during an 11-hour interrogation to approaching Tibbetts, fighting with her after she threatened to call the police, putting her body in his trunk and hiding it in a cornfield.

Investigators say he led them to the body, which was badly decomposed and hidden underneath cornstalks. Tibbetts DNA was found on blood spots on the rubber trunk seal and trunk liner of the Malibu.

Frese told jurors that the case was about a Mexican immigrant who came to the U.S. to earn better wages.

She said Bahena Rivera 'is a yes man' who did anything he was asked on the dairy farm where he worked, and cooperated when law enforcement showed up there and asked to question him.

Prosecutors told jurors that an autopsy found that she had been stabbed seven to 12 times in the chest, ribs, neck, and skull, and that she died from sharp force injuries

Mollie pictured with her father Rob. Tibbetts disappearance triggered a search involving local, state and federal agencies and hundreds of volunteers

Investigators say Bahena Rivera told them he 'blacked out' and couldn't remember how he killed Tibbetts.

The first defense witness called Tuesday was forensic consultant Michael Spence, who agreed that Tibbetts DNA was found on blood stains in the trunk, but said there was also unaccounted for DNA in the trunk, including at least one unknown male and female.

Spence conceded that it would not be surprising to find other DNA sources in a trunk of a vehicle that had been used, and that there are many ways they could have ended up there.

Iris Gamboa, the mother of Bahena Rivera's daughter, testified Tuesday that she lived with him for four years before they broke up in 2017. She said he worked 12-hour days and only got two days off every two weeks.

She said he was a good father who paid $500 per month to support their daughter, was not violent toward them and never showed excessive anger. Bahena Rivera was also sending money back to his parents in Mexico and paying to build them a house, she said.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera listens to court proceedings during his trial, Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa. Bahena Rivera is on trial for the 2018 stabbing death of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student. (Kelsey Kremer/The Des Moines Register via AP, Pool)

The defense showed jurors a photograph of a smiling Bahena Rivera and Gamboa with their young daughter at a family party in 2017.

'He was happy that his daughter was happy,' Gamboa said. 'It was a good day.'

Bahena Rivera's aunt, Alejandra Cervantes, said he was known as playful around the family and that children love him. She recalled going to the sheriff's office where Bahena Rivera was being interrogated but being unable to see him or get in touch with him by phone.
Millions of Australians can soon fly direct from Sydney to Uluru after Qantas launched a new route between the Harbour City and the red centre.

Five flights a week will operate between Sydney and Ayers Rock Airport - a 20 minute drive from the famous tourist attraction - from March 2022.

The route is one of seven new domestic options - including Townsville to Sydney and Perth to the Gold Coast - being offered by Qantas from August.

Sydneysiders with the travel bug can soon fly direct from the Harbour City to Uluru as part of Qantas' boosted domestic offering (file image)

The additions bring the number of new routes Qantas and its sister airline Jetstar have offered since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to 45.

Other new routes include Adelaide to Cairns and Adelaide to Hobart.

Jetstar already offer flights on the Sydney-Uluru route; prices in June for example start from $252 one way.

Qantas Domestic and International Chief Executive Andrew David said more direct flights were needed to meet the spike a demand for domestic travel.

'As most international travel remains off limits for now, Australians are taking more regular holidays within the country,' he said.

'We expect these new direct flights to key tourism destinations will be popular with travellers.'

Qantas has also announced nine return services a week will operate between Sydney and Perth, using Boeing 787 Dreamliners previously grounded because of the slowdown in international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Qantas is increasing the number of domestic flights on offer to meet the spike a demand for travel within Australia. Pictured: A Qantas plane taking off at Sydney International Airport on May 6

Jetstar handed out hundreds of dollars in flight vouchers at train stations on Tuesday to celebrate the airline's 17th birthday

The announcement comes after Jetstar revealed it was handing out hundreds of dollars in flight vouchers at two of Australia's most iconic train stations.

Commuters could scan QR codes on display screens at Sydney's Central Station and Melbourne's Flinders station on Tuesday for a chance to win $10,000 in prizes.

The promotion ran for 24 hours from 6am, with some of the codes redeemable for Jetstar travel credits.

Vouchers valued from $50 to $500 were up for grabs for those who could 'catch the JQ17' by using their phone to scan a QR code as the aircraft flies across the big screen at both stations.
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Boris Johnson referred to Covid as 'Kung-Flu' and  before he was infected with the virus  offered to be injected with it live on TV to 'show it's nothing to be scared of', Dominic Cummings will claim today.

They are among the explosive allegations that Mr Cummings, Mr Johnson's former chief adviser, will make to MPs investigating the Government's handling of the epidemic.

In an extraordinary claim, he will accuse the Prime Minister of being responsible for 'thousands of deaths' by delaying a second lockdown when a second wave of the virus hit the UK in the winter.

And he will allege Mr Johnson was slow to react to the pandemic because he was on a 'prolonged holiday' with partner Carrie Symonds in February last year.

Mr Cummings is expected to be accused by Tory MPs of using today's appearance before a select committee to 'avenge' his sacking in November after he lost a power struggle with Miss Symonds. But Labour will seize on the claims as evidence that Mr Johnson could have done more to save lives.

The Mail has learned that Mr Cummings will allege Mr Johnson:

Argued against tough Covid curbs on the grounds that 'it is only killing 80-year-olds';

Did say 'no more f****** lockdowns, let the bodies pile high in their thousands'.

Said he regretted being 'pushed' into ordering lockdowns because the 'economic damage is more damaging than the loss of life'.

Mr Cummings is due to give evidence to the joint health and science committees for four hours.

Grenades Cummings is set to launch when he appears before MPs investigating the Government's handling of the epidemic

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus, May 14

Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has his Pfizer vaccination jab for Covid-19 at Caird Hall, in Dundee, May 24

Dominic Cummings will likely criticise the PM and elaborate on his claim that the Government initially pursued a 'herd immunity' policy at the dawn of the coronavirus crisis when he gives testimony on Wednesday

Boris Johnson (L) is given the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by a nurse at St Thomas' Hospital in London, March 19

Dominic Cummings posted a chart claiming that COBR documents had the 'optimal single peak strategy' showing 260,000 dead because the system was 'so confused in the chaos'

Mr Cummings posted another excerpt from a report suggesting that imposing a tough lockdown could merely have caused a second peak at a more dangerous time for the NHS

His claim that Mr Johnson referred to Covid as 'Kung-Flu' will be seized on by those who criticise the Prime Minister's politically incorrect language. The term was coined by Donald Trump in June last year, at which stage the full force of the pandemic had not hit America. By contrast, it had claimed 40,000 lives in the UK.

Dom's doomsday dossier Dominic Cummings has set up his appearance before MPs tomorrow with a series of revelations - all of them contested by No10 - about the handling of the pandemic in recent days. Among them are: Boris Johnson said 'Covid is only killing 80-year-olds' when he delayed a national lockdown last autumn.

The Government's 'Plan A' in the early months of the pandemic was to pursue a strategy of 'herd immunity'.

The initial response to the crisis was 'total and utter chaos' and the original plan was only ditched after Number 10 was warned it would lead to a 'catastrophe'.

Matt Hancock was talking 'bullsh*t' when he denied herd immunity was an official policy.

Mr Johnson said 'I'm going to be the mayor of Jaws' in reference to the local politician in the film who ordered beaches to be kept open despite a deadly shark attack.

The PM had no plan for a Covid lockdown last year before experts started 'screaming' that hundreds of thousands of people could die.

All three country-wide lockdowns could have been entirely avoided if there were 'competent people in charge' and ministers had 'the right preparations'. Advertisement

Mr Trump's 'Kung-Flu' jibe was part of his attempt to pin the blame for the pandemic on China.

Mr Cummings' allegation that Mr Johnson said he was willing to be injected with Covid to reassure the public is likely to cause a major controversy. Mr Cummings will claim the PM said: 'I'm going to get Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer) to inject me with it live on national TV so everyone can see it's nothing to be scared of.' He will tell MPs the PM made the remark on repeated occasions.

In April, Mr Johnson nearly died after he was infected with Covid.

Mr Cummings will also argue that while publicly urging everyone to take the pandemic seriously, privately Mr Johnson downplayed the risks it posed to most people. He will tell the committee the PM said: 'Covid is only killing 80-year-olds.'

While being at odds with Mr Johnson's public comments, the statement is borne out by statistics which show the overwhelming majority of people who have died from Covid are over 80.

Mr Cummings will also claim that despite agreeing to order the first lockdown, Mr Johnson later said he regretted having done so.

This was one of the reasons Mr Johnson delayed ordering a second lockdown in the winter, his former aide will claim.

It was after finally agreeing to a second lockdown that Mr Johnson reportedly said: 'No more f****** lockdowns, let the bodies pile high in their thousands.'

Mr Cummings will say that he and others heard a frustrated Mr Johnson make the remark, first reported last month by this newspaper, moments after leaving the Downing Street meeting where he had approved the second lockdown.

Mr Cummings will also say that before the decision, Mr Johnson vowed: 'I'm going to be the mayor of Jaws, like I should have been in March (when the first lockdown was ordered).'

The Prime Minister has said that he regards the mayor in the Jaws movie  who refuses to close the resort's beach even after a shark has killed tourists, for fear of damage to the local economy  as one of his 'heroes'.

Boris Johnson 'backed plans for a European Super League despite not knowing anything about it - but then joined the backlash when he realised it was unpopular' Boris Johnson gave plans for the controversial European Super League the go-ahead before then reversed the position amid a backlash, sources say. The Prime Minister's chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, told him about the idea following a Downing Street meeting with Manchester United chair Ed Woodward, one source said. The Government insider told The Mirror : 'Boris doesn't know much about football so he said it was a great idea. So Dan told the clubs No10 wouldn't stand in their way. Then it all kicked off.' A second source close to the football clubs said Mr Johnson seemed to have given Mr Rosenfield the feeling he would be happy for the plans to go ahead. They said: 'Ed came back to the clubs to say they had got the green light from No 10. Dan would not have freelanced all the way through without checking Boris's view.' Number 10 has denied the proposals were discussed at the meeting before the ESL plan was revealed. Mr Johnson, who met Mr Woodward briefly after the meeting, only learned about the proposal when the clubs confirmed it, Downing Street insists. The Prime Minister condemned the plans for the 'big six' English football clubs to join a Super League amid a fierce backlash from fans. Advertisement

A source close to Mr Cummings said: 'From March through to the autumn, the PM said we should never have locked down. That was why he was so reluctant to do it again in November.

'He said, 'the big danger is not Kung-Flu but the harm caused in trying to stop it. I was right all along and should not have been pushed into the first lockdown. The economic damage caused by lockdowns is more damaging than the loss of life caused by Covid'.' Mr Cummings' extraordinary view is that by delaying a second lockdown, Mr Johnson is responsible for thousands of deaths.

Mr Cummings will tell MPs that one of the reasons Mr Johnson was late in reacting to the crisis was because he was on a 'prolonged holiday' with Miss Symonds at Chevening in Kent, one of the ministerial grace-and-favour homes, and had 'personal distractions'. The couple stayed at Chevening in February after spending Christmas and the New Year in the Caribbean after the 2019 election.

MPs will be told by Mr Cummings that Mr Johnson did not want to interrupt the Chevening break, where they were 'planning to announce their engagement and Carrie's pregnancy'.

The announcement was made on February 29, days before the first Covid death was reported in Britain.

Mr Cummings will also take aim at Health Secretary Matt Hancock over claims that the Government initially planned to use 'herd immunity' to combat Covid.

The former No 10 aide is believed to be ready to hand over a key document which he says upholds his claim that Mr Hancock's initial plan could have led to 250,000 deaths and there being 'no NHS for months'.

Contrary to recent reports, Mr Cummings does not have tape recordings of private conversations with the Prime Minister. But he does have a large quantity of WhatsApp and text messages from senior Downing Street figures.

A Downing Street spokesman said last night: 'Throughout this pandemic, the Government's priority has been to save lives, protect the NHS and support people's jobs and livelihoods across the United Kingdom.

'There is a huge task for this Government to get on with. We are entirely focused on recovering from the pandemic, moving through the roadmap and distributing vaccines while delivering on the public's priorities.'

Britain's daily Covid cases creep up again with 2,493 positive tests in 3.4 per cent jump on last week Daily coronavirus cases have crept up slightly again today in the UK, with 2,493 tests recorded in the country  a 3.4 per cent rise on last week. It continues a seven-day trend of rising case numbers, although overall the infection rate remains low despite the rapid spread of the Indian variant. Deaths with Covid also increased today to 15, up from just seven on Tuesday last week. The large week-on-week rise of 114 per cent is likely to be just a blip because of day-to-day fluctuations in registrations. And Britain's mammoth vaccination drive has continued at pace, with 122,379 first doses dished out on Monday, taking the overall number to nearly 38.2million. Some 332,955 second doses were also given out yesterday, with more than 23.2million people in the country now fully vaccinated. The figures come after separate official data released today showed weekly Covid deaths had fallen to their lowest level since before the first lockdown last March in England and Wales. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed 73 virus fatalities occurred across the two countries in the week ending May 14  the fewest since the seven-day spell that finished on March 13, 2020 (44) and a fall of 32 per cent on the previous week (108). Weekly Covid registered deaths increased slightly, from 129 to 151. But experts said this was because of the bank holiday weekend at the start of the month, which skewed data because some of the deaths occurring on that weekend were not recorded until the following week. Advertisement

No10 blasts 'hypocrite' Dominic Cummings for trying to 'rewrite history' as they DENY his claim that herd immunity was official policy on eve of his bombshell appearance before MPs

Dominic Cummings claimed ministers pursued a herd immunity policy last year

He said plan changed because thousands would die and NHS would collapse

Mr Cummings insisted 'Plan A' was to get herd immunity by the summer

But he said plan was 'disastrously misconceived' and 'Plan B had to be bodged'

Tweeted a graph showing an 'optimal' 259,000 death toll and high of 510,000

By Henry Martin for MailOnline

Dominic Cummings is a 'rank hypocrite' who is trying to 'rewrite history', a government source says ahead of his appearance before MPs investigating the handling of the pandemic.

Mr Cummings, the former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, will likely criticise the PM and elaborate on his claim that the Government initially pursued a 'herd immunity' policy at the dawn of the coronavirus crisis when he gives testimony on Wednesday.

Downing Street has denied 'herd immunity' was ever the official policy for dealing with coronavirus, but Mr Cummings claims the Prime Minister had no plan for a Covid lockdown before experts started 'screaming' that hundreds of thousands of people could die.

Mr Cummings described the government planning for epidemics as 'part disaster, part non-existent', but a government source told The Times: 'It's revisionism. He's going round saying ''if only competent people were in charge''.

'This was a guy with unrivalled authority. You can either be an all-powerful special adviser or a busted flush with no powers and influence. You can't be both. He's a rank hypocrite.'

Former No10 chief Ms Cummings has also accused Matt Hancock and the Cabinet Office of failing to understand the concept of 'herd immunity' as the pandemic erupted.

He said the original intention was to allow the virus to play out quickly to avoid a second peak that could overwhelm the NHS in winter, and claimed Mr Johnson only abandoned a 'herd immunity' strategy after being warned it would lead to 250,000 deaths and 'destroy the NHS'.

No 10 has denied the PM had ever pursued herd immunity as an idea, saying it had 'never been government policy'.

Downing Street has denied 'herd immunity' was ever the official policy for dealing with coronavirus - as Dominic Cummings prepares to deliver bombshell testimony about the government's response to the crisis

Mr Cummings escalated his extraordinary assault on Boris Johnson, claiming the PM had no plan for a Covid lockdown before experts started 'screaming' that hundreds of thousands of people could die

It comes amid reports that Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mr Cummings have fostered a mutual respect that has sparked rumours among some Conservative MPs that the pair could ally for a future Gove bid to become PM.

'Gove is permanently on manoeuvres,' a former Cabinet minister told The Telegraph. 'The man manoeuvres more than Napoleon did. He is forever trying to position himself so that he will always be the man who was right.'

Mr Cummings has claimed that by March 13 last year the government still had 'neither an intention to lockdown nor... any official plan for doing so'.

Saying that experts had been 'screaming' at the PM, the maverick adviser posted a chart from the time showing a 259,000 death toll as an 'optimal single peak strategy' - against a 'do nothing' option that could have meant 510,000 casualties.

A full lockdown was eventually announced on March 23, with significant curbs having stayed in place ever since as the government wrestled to keep infections down. The death toll on the main measure is just under 128,000.

The latest salvo from Mr Cummings came as he prepares for an explosive evidence session with MPs on Wednesday amid rumours he is determined to force the PM out.

Downing Street brushed off the onslaught, denying allegations that surfaced over the weekend that Mr Johnson had missed key Cobra meetings early in the crisis because he was writing a book about Shakespeare.

Mr Cummings has already branded the Department of Health a 'smoking' ruin over its dismal efforts to procure PPE and ventilators, saying the vaccination drive has only been successful because it was taken out of the department's hands.

Mr Cummings (left), former chief adviser to Boris Johnson (right), claimed ministers pursued a herd immunity policy last year until it became clear thousands would die and the NHS would collapse

Mr Cummings wrote: 'Even AFTER we shifted to PlanB, COBR documents had the ''OPTIMAL single peak strategy'' graphs showing 260k dead cos the system was so confused in the chaos'.

Downing Street insists that allowing large numbers to catch the virus and become immune to prevent its spread had never been its plan.

But Mr Cummings said 'herd immunity' was 'officially seen as unavoidable' in the week of March 9, 2020, and that it would come either 'in a single peak over by September, or in a second peak in winter'.

He said that the first option was 'seen as easier to manage and less of a catastrophe so it was Plan A', but then the government 'started to figure out Plan B to dodge herd immunity until vaccines'.

Test and Trace chief Jenny Harries (left) and Matt Hancock (right) have been singled out in the lengthy Twitter attack from Mr Cummings

Mr Cummings said that in the week of March 9  seven days before Mr Johnson told people to stop non-essential contact with others  it 'became clear' that neither Health Secretary Matt Hancock nor the Cabinet Office understood herd immunity.

PM denies missing key Covid meetings because he was writing a book Boris Johnson did not miss emergency meetings on the response to the emerging coronavirus pandemic because he was working on a book, Downing Street has insisted. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said he was 'not aware' of Mr Johnson doing any work on a biography of William Shakespeare while in office. Mr Johnson did not chair the first five meetings of the Cobra emergency committee in January and February 2020, but Downing Street insisted this was not unusual and was nothing to do with any book. No 10 faced questions after a Sunday Times report suggested officials fear Dominic Cummings will use an appearance before MPs to accuse Mr Johnson of missing key meetings on the crisis because he was working on a biography of Shakespeare, because he needed the money to fund his divorce from Marina Wheeler, his second wife. Asked if the Prime Minister had spent time on the book, his official spokesman said: 'No, not that I'm aware of.' The Prime Minister has been 'ensuring the public are kept as protected as possible during this global pandemic', the spokesman added. In response to the suggestion the book was responsible for him missing Cobra meetings, the spokesman said: 'No, and I think there are a number of incidents I can run you through where Cobras have been chaired by relevant secretaries of state.' Advertisement

He said the policy would have left hundreds of thousands 'choking to death', no NHS treatment for months, unburied dead and an economic implosion.

Ministers then moved to 'Plan B', he said, adding: 'Critical as I am of the PM in all sorts of ways, it's vital to understand the disaster was not just his fault.

'The official plan was disastrously misconceived ... and a Plan B had to be bodged amid total and utter chaos.'

Adding to his attack, Mr Cummings dismissed the idea that the government was always intending to lock down - but just waited for the right moment.

'SAGE said *literally the opposite*: lockdown = suppression = 'near certainty' of 2nd peak & this was thought to be much WORSE than single peak/herd immunity by Sep, hence graph ,' he wrote.

Mr Cummings said that by March 14 one of the things being 'screamed at the PM was ''there is *no plan for lockdown* & our current official plan will kill at least 250k & destroy the NHS''.'

Mr Johnson did not miss emergency meetings on the response to the emerging coronavirus pandemic because he was working on a book, Downing Street insisted.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said he was 'not aware' of Mr Johnson doing any work on a biography of William Shakespeare while in office.

Mr Johnson did not chair the first five meetings of the Cobra emergency committee in January and February 2020, but Downing Street insisted this was not unusual and was nothing to do with any book.

No 10 faced questions after a Sunday Times report suggested officials fear Dominic Cummings will use an appearance before MPs to accuse Mr Johnson of missing key meetings on the crisis because he was working on a biography of Shakespeare, because he needed the money to fund his divorce from Marina Wheeler, his second wife.

Asked if the Prime Minister had spent time on the book, his official spokesman said: 'No, not that I'm aware of.'

The Prime Minister has been 'ensuring the public are kept as protected as possible during this global pandemic', the spokesman added.

In response to the suggestion the book was responsible for him missing Cobra meetings, the spokesman said: 'No, and I think there are a number of incidents I can run you through where Cobras have been chaired by relevant secretaries of state.'

Downing Street is braced for a potentially highly damaging onslaught on Wednesday following Mr Cummings' acrimonious departure from Number 10 at the end of last year

Anne-Marie Trevelyan rejected Mr Cummings' claim that achieving herd immunity was the official plan drawn up to combat the pandemic.

The energy minister told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'It was never the policy of this Government.

Covid jabs for under-30s 'by the end of the week': Younger people are set to be offered vaccine Coronavirus vaccines could be offered to those in their twenties within days as the rollout continues at pace. And in more good news  a new study suggests the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are effective against the Indian variant. The jabs combat the new mutant almost as well as the Kent strain, a study by Public Health England found. Matt Hancock said the findings were 'groundbreaking'  raising hopes restrictions can end as planned on June 21. The Health Secretary also celebrated the UK yesterday passing an 'incredible milestone' after 60million doses were administered. It comes after the NHS gave a record number of second doses on Saturday, latest figures show. The NHS lowered the eligibility age for the jab three times last week with those aged 32 and 33 the latest to benefit. This is expected to be lowered to 30 early this week and officials believe they can drop it even further soon after. A source said: 'The vaccine programme has been progressing at a rate of knots, getting to ever younger age groups, while continuing to offer second doses at a record pace. 'If all goes to plan, everyone in their thirties will hopefully have received their invite for a jab within 72 hours or so, with some in their twenties being called forward within the next week to ten days.' The PHE study showed that the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after the second dose. This compares with 93 per cent against the Kent variant. The AstraZeneca jab was also found to be 60 per cent effective against the Indian variant after two doses and 66 per cent effective against the Kent strain. But both vaccines were only 33 per cent effective against the Indian variant three weeks after one dose, compared with 50 per cent for Kent. Advertisement

'Boris Johnson was very clear that the only thing that mattered was that we make sure that we saved lives and we keep our NHS safe and able to function, not only to protect those who might get Covid but also everybody else.'

She said the Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance had talked about herd immunity being 'one of the potential tools in the armoury' but it was not the policy goal.

Ms Trevelyan, who was in the Cabinet at the time, said: 'I'm very comfortable that the Prime Minister never had as his policy herd immunity.'

Downing Street is braced for a potentially highly damaging onslaught from Mr Cummings on Wednesday when he gives evidence to MPs investigating the Government's response to the pandemic.

In a foretaste of what to expect, the former No 10 adviser also took aim at former deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries, who now heads the UK Health Security Agency.

He claimed she had said in early March that masks were a 'bad idea' because 'we don't want to disrupt people's lives' and that acting 'too early we will just pop up with another epidemic peak later'. 'So Whitehall has promoted her, obviously,' he tweeted sarcastically.

Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday denied that herd immunity had been the Government's original policy.

She told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: 'Our strategy was always about protecting public health, saving lives and protecting the NHS.

'Absolutely all colleagues involved in those meetings and discussions, working with the chief scientist and the chief medical officers, absolutely recognised that from the very difficult discussions that we had.

'At the time of a crisis, when government is making very, very tough decisions, difficult decisions, we put public life and protecting the public at the forefront of all those decisions.'

Dr Harries said the idea of herd immunity had been 'misinterpreted' by some and the strategy was instead to build resistance to Covid through the jab programme.

'What you're looking at in a population is to try and see at which point your population would be safe, and this is what we do with this very successful vaccination programme that we have,' she said.

'That's not the same as saying, which I think has been misinterpreted in many places, that the aim would be to allow people to become infected and develop herd immunity. That has never been on the agenda.'

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'Herd immunity has never been a policy aim or part of our coronavirus strategy.

'Our response has at all times been focused on saving lives and ensuring the NHS was not overwhelmed. We continue to be guided by the latest scientific advice.'

Mr Johnson missed several meetings of the Government's emergency committee, Cobra, at the start of the Covid-19 crisis and officials are said to be concerned that Mr Cummings will blame his absence on his work on Shakespeare.

Publication of the book has been repeatedly pushed back from its original release date of October 2016.

The Prime Minister has reportedly been paid a six-figure advance for Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius.

Mr Johnson has written a number of books, including the international bestseller The Churchill Factor.

A government source last night described the Shakespeare claim as 'total nonsense'.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene thanked a supporter for calling GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy a 'moron' and a 'feckless c***' in a tweet she then deleted.

A Twitter user called Simple Patriot responded to McCarthy condemning Greene for comparing COVID restrictions to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust by saying: 'Look you moron, nobody supported Israel in their recent conflict with Hamas more than MTG. Her analogy may not have been perfect but seriously you need to get a grip you feckless c****. Pelosi is the villain here'.

Greene shared the tweet and wrote: 'Thank you for seeing the truth and how much I support Israel and stand against the left's support for Hamas.'

The Republican deleted the tweet, but not before other users caught it. She responded with anger after her senior GOP colleagues including McCarthy said her comments on mask mandates and vaccine passports were 'appalling'.

'Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling,' McCarthy, the House Minority leader, wrote on Twitter.

'Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.'

New Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik led the criticism from other members of her party by saying: 'Equating mask wearing and vaccines to the Holocaust belittles the most significant human atrocities ever committed.'

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene thanked a supporter for calling GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy a 'moron' and a 'feckless c***' in a tweet she then deleted

The Republican deleted the tweet, but not before Twitter users caught it. She responded with anger after her senior GOP colleagues including McCarthy said her comments on mask mandates and vaccine passports were 'appalling'

'We must all work together to educate our fellow Americans on the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust. #NeverAgain,' she added.

Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell called her comments 'outrageous' and 'reprehensible'.

Rep. Greene doubled down on Twitter Tuesday in claiming that her words are being twisted to say she compared mask mandates to the Holocaust.

'I never compared it to the Holocaust, only the discrimination against Jews in early Nazi years,' Greene tweeted.

'Stop feeding into the left wing media attacks on me,' she added. 'Everyone should be concerned about the squads support for terrorists and discrimination against unvaxxed people. Why aren't they?'

The backlash from Republicans could lead to Rep. Greene being punished again by her party. In February she was stripped of her committee assignments for her past racist comments and sharing of QAnon conspiracy theories.

She also shared a story criticizing the Food City grocery store in Abingdon, Virginia, for having employees wear logos showing they are vaccinated, which she compared to Jews wearing a yellow star under the Nazis.

The tweet came in response to a post from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who wrote: 'I've also noticed that the media attention on MTG's bizarrely nutso Holocaust analogy are completely silent by the Squad's de facto support for genocidal anti-Jewish terrorist group Hamas.'

The controversy over Greene stems from her comments comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's mask mandates for unvaccinated lawmakers to rules imposed on Jews to identify themselves with a yellow star in Nazi Germany.

'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.'\

GOP leaders are speaking out against Greene's repeated comparison.

House Minority Whip Scalise said he 'does not agree with these comments and condemns these comparisons to the Holocaust.'

'We also need to be speaking out strongly against the dangerous anti-Semitism that is growing in our streets and in the Democrat party, resulting in an alarming number of horrific violent attacks against Jews,' Scalise's spokesperson Lauren Fine said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy condemned on Tuesday Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for comparing mask mandates to the Holocaust

No. 3 ranking House Republican Elise Stefanik said there needs to be progress on 'educating our fellow Americans on the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust'

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition calling on McCarthy to expel Greene from Congress

Greene doubled down on her comments on Monday by sharing a story of how vaccinated employees at a grocery store will wear a logo which she said was 'just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear the gold star'

'I never compared it to the Holocaust,' Greene wrote in a tweet response to conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who is Jewish

She said any sort of obvious identifier of a vaccine against coroanvirus is a slippery slope to requiring proof to go to school or use a certain bathroom

House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, called Greene's continued comparison 'sickening' and 'reprehensible' and called for her to 'stop this vile language immediately'

Congresswoman Mary Miller tweeted a selfie with Greene and two other GOP congressmen without masks on the House floor last week  going against Speaker Pelosi's rules requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks

Stefanik was voted to take over as No. 3 ranking Republican in the House after the party turned on previous chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming after she broke with Donald Trump and refused to back his claims of voter fraud.

McCarthy's full statement on Greene's comments states: 'Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling. The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling.

'At a time when the Jewish people face increased violence and threats, anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Democrat Party and is completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi,' he continued.

'Americans must stand together to defeat anti-Semitism and any attempt to diminish the history of the Holocaust. Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language.'

Greene tweeted earlier on Tuesday before McCarthy's statement emerged: 'Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear a gold star. Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.'

Attached to the tweet was a news article about Food City supermarkets dropping mask requirements for vaccinated workers.

However, the southern grocery store chain went a step further by saying those employees who did get the hot will have a 'vaccination logo displayed on their name badge.'

Shapiro, who is Jewish, responded to Greene's post by writing: 'This is demented nonsense. It is nothing like the Holocaust, and any comparison thereto is both insulting and insane.'

Greene said Tuesday that media are 'twisting my words' to fit their narrative

Greene said it's a slippery slope to require some sort of identification on whether a person is vaccinated against coronavirus or not.

The Georgia representative tweeted: 'Pretty soon it will be.. 'We only hire vaccinated people, show your vax papers.' 'We only admit vaccinated students, show your vax papers.' 'These bathrooms are only for vaccinated people, show your vax papers.'

'Then.....scan your bar code or swipe your chip on your arm,' she predicted.

During Senate floor remarks on Tuesday, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also lashed out against Greene.

'This morning, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican congresswoman from Georgia, once again, compared preparations taken against COVID to the Holocaust,' Schumer, who is Jewish, said.

'These are sickening, reprehensible comments,' he added, 'and she should stop this vile language immediately.'

Greene on Saturday defended her comparison of mask mandates to Nazi Germany by claiming 'any ration Jewish person' doesn't like either.

'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies,' Greene told Arizona TV outlet 12 News on Saturday.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise in American and the world after a massive conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas operating in Gaza earlier this month. The conflict has left several hundred dead so far as bombings increase.

'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene, 46, wrote on Twitter Sunday morning of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York.

The 23-year-old suspect said: 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.'

Greene, who represents Georgia's 14th congressional district in the House, compared Speaker Nancy Pelosi's new rule on face masks to the Holocaust.

Greene doubled-down on comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requiring non-vaccinated lawmakers to wear masks to the 'gold star' of the Holocaust. 'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies'

She blamed President Joe Biden for the rise in anti-Semitic attacks. 'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene wrote on Twitter of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York

She claimed Pelosi's decision to require proof of vaccination before members are allowed to take their masks off on the House floor to the 'Gold Star' Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.'

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, who was recently ousted from her Republican Conference chair position for not backing voter fraud claims, lashed out at Greene's comments in a tweet Saturday saying: 'This is evil lunacy.'

A reporter with News 12 asked Greene on Saturday: 'Do you understand, though, why some would be upset and offended by the comment?'

'Do you understand how people feel about being forced to wear masks, or being forced to have to take a vaccine, or even have to say whether they've taken it or not,' Greene shot back.

'These are just things that shouldn't be happening in America, this is a free country and it's just ridiculous to have these kind of conversations,' she continued.

Greene traveled to Arizona on Saturday with embattled Florida Representative Matt Gaetz as part of their 'America First' roadshow. Arizona is currently undergoing a massive recount effort as Donald Trump allies push the former president's claim that the 2020 election was 'rigged'.

'Here's what I stand by, we shouldn't be having this kind of treatment,' Greene said of Pelosi' requiring those in the lower chamber who opt not to get vaccinated to continue wearing a mask. 'No one should be treated like a second class citizen for saying, 'I don't need to wear a mask,' or saying that 'my medical records are my privacy based on my HIPPA rights.' And so I stand by all of my statements, I said nothing wrong.'

Greene compared a House of Representatives mask-wearing rule to the Holocaust on David Brody's podcast 'The Water Cooler'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance last earlier this month saying all fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a mask indoors or outdoors.

Someone qualifies as a fully vaccinated individual two weeks after they received their final dose of the COVID-19 shot  whether it be the one or two-shot inoculation.

Republicans claim this is just another way to weed out anti-maskers and try to force them to get the vaccine.

Former Representative Denver Riggleman was among those who condemned Greene for her comments last week comparing the mandates to the genocide of 6 million Jewish people.

'Comparing wearing masks to the abuse of the Holocaust is a not so subtle diminution of the horrors experienced by millions,' he tweeted. 'It's a grotesque idiocy mixed with a neurotic lack of self awareness. What do you expect from a truther, Q believer, and gaslighting conspiracy theorist?'

Several Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and other individuals were quick to condemn the comparison

MTG says Speaker Pelosi wanting Members of Congress to get vaccinated and if not to wear masks is exactly the type of abuse as murdering Jews in gas chambers during the Holocaust and David Brody nods along. No follow up. pic.twitter.com/inXfD8UBiG  Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 22, 2021

Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic wrote: 'This is antisemitism of a most despicable and deranged sort.

'This is a woman whose own politics can credibly be described as fascist trivializing the actual, historical facts of the Holocaust.

'And I repeat my prediction: she's a front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.'

And Rhode Island Congressman David Cilline said: 'The Holocaust: The systematic murder of 6 million Jews. Mask-wearing: A simple act that costs you nothing and saves lives. Marjorie Taylor Greene: A troubled person who is unfit to serve in Congress.'

Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and many others quickly condemned the comments on social media as diminishing the six million Jewish people who died during the Holocaust.

'You can never compare health-related restrictions with yellow stars, gas chambers and other Nazi atrocities,' The American Jewish Congress tweeted on Friday. 'Such comparisons demean the Holocaust and contaminate American political speech.'

The group called for a retraction and apology from Greene, which she hasn't done to date.

Former Representative Denver Riggleman said this on Twitter in reaction to Greene's comments

Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic responds to Greene's comments

Rhode Island congressman man responds to Greene's comments

The American Jewish Congress' response to Greene's comments

Meanwhile, Greene took to Twitter Saturday morning to accuse fellow Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of supporting anti-Semitism.

She also branded AOC a 'terrorist' for supporting a cease in military funding for the Israeli government.

'.@AOC you're responsible for attacks on Jewish people bc of your hate-Israel stance against Israel's right to defend itself from from terrorists Hamas, calling Israel an apartheid state, & supporting terrorists groups. Aligning yourself with terrorists means your [sic] a terrorist,' Greene said in the tweet.

At the bottom of the tweet, Greene shared an image of AOC's call to end antisemitism next to a headline about her resolution that would cut funding for Israeli bombs.

Greene shot to fame for pushing a series of bizarre QAnon conspiracy theories before she was elected as a representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district in November 2020.

In a 2018 Facebook post, she claimed a 'Jewish space later' controlled by the Rothschild banking family had been used to ignite California wildfires.
'Cult mom' Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell have been charged with murder, a year after the remains of her two children were found on their property.

A grand jury in Fremont County, Idaho on Tuesday returned a true bill indicting Lori and Chad on several counts, including first-degree murder, in connection with the deaths of Lori's kids, Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16.

Chad was also charged with the murder of his first wife, Tammy Daybell.

Lori and Chad, who were allegedly leaders of a dangerous doomsday cult, were already behind bars awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to hide the kids' remains.

It is unclear what led to prosecutors filing the latest indictment now - more than a year and a half after the murders they are accused of committing.

The charges come after Lori was declared 'indigent' by a district judge last Friday, meaning she cannot afford to pay for an attorney.

Scroll down to read the full indictment

Cult mom Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell have been charged with murder, two years after the remains of her two children were found on their property

Lori's kids Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16, were last seen alive in September 2019, and their remains were discovered on her Idaho property last June

Chad was also charged with the murder of his first wife, Tammy Daybell (pictured together)

JJ and Tylee were last seen alive in September 2019, soon after Lori moved from Arizona to Idaho to live with Chad.

According to the indictment, Lori switched Social Security payments from her daughter's account to her own account in mid-August.

She allegedly continued to collect Social Security assistance checks worth $1,000 on behalf of the children for five months after their deaths.

JJ and Tylee were receiving 'survivor' Social Security benefits, which entitle children of a deceased parent to up to half of the parent's full retirement benefits. JJ's adoptive father - and Lori's fourth husband - Charles Vallow died in July 2019 and Tylee's father - Lori's third husband - Joseph Ryan died in April 2018.

Lori is charged with grand theft and insurance fraud for failing to alert the government of the kids' deaths while she continued collecting their benefits.

Lori and Chad - the prolific Doomsday author, alleged cult leader and former grave digger whom she married less than two months after her kids vanished - had repeatedly refused to say where the children were but insisted that they were safe.

Tammy purportedly died in her sleep aged 49 on October 19, 2019, at the home she shared with Chad in Salem, Idaho.

Chad refused an autopsy at the time, despite the fact that his wife of nearly three decades was said to be in excellent health.

According to the indictment, Chad increased the life insurance benefits to the maximum allowed under Tammy's policy just a month before her death. He reportedly ended up receiving a $430,000 payout.

Investigators are seen searching the area of Chad's yard where they found JJ and Tylee's bodies on June 9, 2020

Lori Vallow makes a court appearance in a file photo

Authorities began searching for Lori's children in late November 2019 after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to seven-year-old JJ, who was autistic, in months

Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11, 2019: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona. Police initially rule that Alex acted in self defense but reopen the case months later after the children are reported missing. August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho, where her future husband Chad Daybell lives with his wife Tammy. September 8: The last time Tylee is seen during a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Lori, JJ and Alex. In the following weeks she tells people who ask where Tylee is that she's studying at Brigham Young University's Idaho campus. September 23: The last time JJ is seen at his school in Rexburg. Lori emailed the school the following day and claims she is moving the family to California for a new job. October 2: Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Lori's niece Melanie Pawlowski, is targeted in a drive-by shooting in Arizona. Police identify the vehicle carrying the shooter as a Jeep registered to Charles Vallow, Lori's late husband. October 19: Chad's wife Tammy, 49, dies at their Idaho home. An obituary states that she passed away peacefully in her sleep. Chad declines an autopsy and her death is listed as natural causes. October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a vague 'miss you' text from her phone but says that it didn't sound like the teen. November 5: Lori and Chad tie the knot on a beach in Kauai. Receipts indicate that Lori purchased her own wedding ring from Amazon nearly three weeks prior to Tammy's death. November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives and ask their friend, Melanie Gibb, to lie and say she took the boy there for Thanksgiving. Police soon learn that no one has seen JJ, or his older sister Tylee, since September. November 27: Police execute a search warrant related to the children at Lori's home and discover that she and Chad have fled Idaho. December 11: Tammy's body is exhumed from a Utah cemetery and her death is reclassified as suspicious. December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, is found unresponsive in a bathroom in Arizona and dies. Months later an autopsy determines that he died of natural causes while he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system. December 21: Rexburg police issue the first press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance could be linked to Tammy's death and asking the public for information. December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor'. December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them. January 3, 2020: Police search Chad's home in Salem and remove 43 items, including tech devices and journals. They also comb over sections of the snow-covered yard. January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve them with two search warrants in Kauai. Lori is also served with a court order to produce the children to authorities in Idaho in five days. The couple are approached by the media while cops serve the documents and refuse to say anything about the kids. January 30: Lori misses the court deadline to produce the children to Idaho authorities. February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai and charged with two felony counts for desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, and one misdemeanor count each for resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime, and contempt of court. March 5: Lori is extradited to Idaho, where she is held on $1million bond at Madison County Jail. March 17: Lori professes her innocence in a statement through her attorney as two other members of her defense team quit and the judge removes himself from the case. March 24: Court documents filed in the divorce of Lori's niece Melani and her husband Brandon Boudreaux allege that Lori told people she believed her children were zombies before they disappeared. April 9: Authorities reveal they are investigating Lori and Chad for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in connection with Tammy's death. May 25: Idaho police issue a statement expressing hope that the kids will be found safe on what would have been JJ's eighth birthday. June 9: Police search Chad's home in Salem for the second time and discover human remains in the backyard. Chad is taken into police custody and charged with destruction or concealment of evidence. May 25, 2021: Lori and Chad are charged with first degree murder in the deaths of the children. Chad is also charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife Tammy. Advertisement

He also espoused 'religious beliefs for the purpose of justifying and/or encouraging the homicide' the indictment states, noting that Chad wrote in text messages to Lori that Tammy was 'in limbo' and possessed by a spirit named Viola.





Two weeks after the death of the mother-of-five Tammy, Chad married cult mom Lori, whose own husband, Charles, had died a few months earlier.





Police launched an investigation into Tammy's death  and the death of Lori's fourth husband Charles  after a search was mounted for Lori's children JJ and Tylee in late 2019.

Fremont County Coroner Brenda Dye asked a judge in Utah to have Tammy's body exhumed from its grave in Evergreen Cemetery in Springville, Utah - where Chad had once worked - after suspicions were raised.

Tammy's body was exhumed on December 11, 2019, one day before the death of Lori's brother Alex Cox, who is named in the new indictment as a co-conspirator in Tammy's death.

Chad and Lori are both charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder and grand theft by deception and first degree murder.

Chad is additionally charged with first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, grand theft and insurance fraud in Tammy's death.

They are both are scheduled to appear in Idaho court on Wednesday morning.

Tylee vanished on September 8, 2019, just days before her 17th birthday. Investigators said her body was burned and dismembered before being buried sometime the following day.

JJ was last seen two weeks later on September 23. His body was wrapped in duct tape and plastic and buried the same day, investigators said.

Authorities believe Lori's brother, Cox, brought the children's bodies to Chad's home to dispose of them.

Police began searching for the children in late November 2019 after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to seven-year-old JJ, who was autistic, in months.

When officers first went to Lori's home in Idaho on November 26, she told them that JJ was visiting relatives in Arizona - which investigators say was a lie.

Officers returned the following day and found that Lori and the man she married weeks earlier, Chad, had fled from the home.

Authorities said the couple repeatedly lied about where JJ and Tylee were and refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Lori and Chad were named persons of interest in the children's disappearance after investigators said they believe the mother knew where her children were or what happened to them.

The case captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police were also investigating at least three mysterious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as family members' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult.

The first death is that of Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow, who was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona on July 10, 2019.

Charles and Lori had gotten into an argument when the father came to pick up JJ at the mother's home in Chandler.

Lori's brother intervened and fatally shot Charles.

Police initially determined that he acted in self defense - but the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for JJ and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho, where Chad lived, with their mother weeks later.

The second mysterious death was Tammy, who was found dead at the home she shared with Chad on October 19.

An obituary stated that Tammy passed away in her sleep and her cause of death was ruled as natural after Chad reportedly declined an autopsy.

Investigators reopened the case after learning that JJ and Tylee were missing, as their mother had married Chad just two weeks after Tammy died.

On December 12, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, was found dead in Gilbert, Arizona.

An autopsy determined that the 51-year-old's died of natural causes but noted that he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system at the time.

Police tracked Lori and Chad down in Princeville, Hawaii, in late January 2020 and served the mother with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho within five days.

Lori failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest and extradition to Idaho, where she is currently being held at Madison County Jail in lieu of $1million bond.

Chad was arrested three months later after the children's bodies were found.

Prior to Tuesday's indictment, Lori was facing two felony counts of conspiracy to destroy or conceal evidence, as well as three misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing officers, solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court.

Chad was facing two felony counts of conspiracy to destroy or conceal evidence, along with two other felony counts for destruction or concealment of evidence.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the initial charges and maintained their innocence.

The couple were previously slated to face trial together this fall. It's unclear whether the trial will be moved in light of the new charges.

Investigators believe Lori's brother Alex Cox was involved in the murders of JJ and Tylee. The trio are pictured at Yellowstone National Park on the day Tylee vanished in September 2019

When Lori married Chad she was still married to her fourth husband Charles Vallow (pictured together). Charles was shot dead by Lori's brother, Alex Cox, in July 2019

STATEMENT FROM TAMMY DAYBELL'S FAMILY As the parents and siblings of our dearly beloved Tammy, we want to make a brief statement in light of todays news. First, wed like to extend our continued love and heartfelt sympathy to the families of Tylee and JJ. Words cannot adequately express the depths of loss and pain that they are suffering, but we hope they know that they are not alone and we grieve and hold a place in our hearts with them at this time. In light of new information and forward movement in the judicial process, we ask for consideration of our familys right to privacy and continued grieving as we process this. Wed especially ask that this consideration be extended to our dearest Tammys children and grandchildren. We want their lives to retain as much peace, normalcy and remembrance of their mother/grandmother as possible. No one knows how to handle this perfectly. We ask that we all be given the space to continue to honor and grieve our loved one the best we can. Wed like to thank the tireless efforts of law enforcement, the FBI, and all those whove continued to seek out the answers during the investigations surrounding Tylee, JJ and Tammy. We appreciate their pursuit of justice, and ultimately some measure of peace for those of us left in the wake of our loss. Thank you to all those family, friends, and supporters near and far who have continually reached out to us. We thank those whove shown interest in honoring Tammys legacy with us through our beginning efforts with the Tammy Douglas Daybell Foundation. We pray that truth will prevail, and that all of us left behind will find a way to pick up the pieces and somehow come out of this crucible together. Courtesy: East Idaho News Tammy Daybell is pictured prior to her death Advertisement

Over the course of the search for the kids several people who knew Lori and Chad came forward with claims that the pair were members of a 'cult' called Preparing a People, which was dedicated to bracing for the end of the world.

The organization aimed to distance themselves from Chad and Lori as the missing children's case made headlines, allegedly fearing that misconceptions about Preparing a People could cause members to be excommunicated from the LDS Church.

At the core of the couple's beliefs was the idea that they were prophets sent to earth by God to lead the 'chosen 144,000' into the New Millennium on July 22, 2020, according to court documents and accounts from friends and family.

Part of their preparations included eradicating the world of 'zombies' before Doomsday arrived, according to Lori's former best friend Melanie Gibb, who was part of a small group with which Chad shared his personal gospel.

'It was their commission to get rid of all the zombies before tribulations came upon us,' Gibb told the East Idaho News last year.

Chillingly, Lori had accused three of her loved ones of turning into zombies prior to their deaths: JJ and Tylee, as well as her fourth husband Charles.

Charles had filed for divorce from Lori five months before he died, and in court documents and conversations with law enforcement he revealed that Lori had threatened to kill him because she believed his body had been possessed by evil spirits.

After Charles died, Lori moved her children to Idaho in August 2019. Gibb recounted a phone call around that time when Lori remarked that her daughter Tylee had also turned into a zombie.

Soon after Gibb visited Lori in Idaho, and the mother began ranting about how her son JJ was 'acting like a zombie' and crawling on the kitchen cabinets.

In her East Idaho News interview, Gibb also described how Lori and Chad met at an LDS Church conference in late 2018 and quickly developed an eerily close relationship - despite them both being married to other people at the time.

Gibb said Chad had told Lori that they knew each other previous lives and were 'sealed' to each other.

Chad married Lori on November 5, less than two months after her children vanished and two weeks after his previous wife Tammy died. The couple are pictured in January in Kauai, where they fled after police began asking questions about where JJ and Tylee were

Latter-day Saints believe that relationships continue after death if a husband and wife are sealed in the temple by an officiant. People cannot be sealed to a second spouse if they are already legally married to a living person.

Gibb also described an extensive chart Chad made that ranked people based on their spiritual level.

It was four pages and included Biblical apostles, the current Latter-day Saint 12 apostles, family members, friends and celebrities.

The chart detailed how many lives each person had lives, whether they were 'dark' or 'light' spirits, their previous names and other unusual information.

It stated that Lori was on her 21st life, Chad was on his 31st, and both had lived five lives on this earth. Chad was identified as a Holy Ghost.

It's unclear how much contact Lori and Chad have had since he landed behind bars last summer.

Lawyers for each of them had argued to keep their cases separate amid speculation that they could turn on each other before trial.

Tuesday's indictment marked a landmark development in the case that has inspired many television specials, podcasts and Facebook communities of devoted sleuths.

However questions still remain over why the couple allegedly committed murder - and why it took so long for prosecutors to bring the charges.

Read the indictment below:
Ten soldiers serving in the Armys new 120million Experimentation Battlegroup face being dismissed after they were caught taking cocaine, the Daily Mail can reveal.

In one of the biggest single cases of cocaine abuse in Army history, the troops failed drug tests at their top security base in Cyprus.

Last night frustrated top brass confirmed the soldiers can expect to be discharged.

They binged on the Class A drug on a night out at the holiday resort of Paphos, 30 miles from their base at Episkopi Garrison. It is understood they returned to base in the early hours and were later confronted by Army drug testers.

Revellers: The soldiers binged on drugs on a night out in the holiday resort of Paphos, 30 miles from their base at Episkopi Garrison (file photo)

Taking aim: A soldier from 2 Yorks at a firing range in Cyprus. The battlegroup is said to sit at the vanguard of the Armys approach to prototype warfare

Military police have now launched an investigation into drug-taking by soldiers on the island, which the Mail has been told is rife.

Defence sources said the drugs test took place at the end of April. Everyone in the 500-strong group serving at the base was tested.

The 2nd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment (2 Yorks) was given the Experimentation Battlegroup role two months ago, with special forces officers drafted in to oversee the transition.

The battlegroup is said to sit at the vanguard of the Armys approach to prototype warfare, which involves new technologies such as drones and robots.

The British RAF Akrotiri base - which is guarded by troops from the battalion - near Limasson, Cyprus. 2 Yorks was founded in 2004 as part of a restructuring of infantry (file photo)

300 years on the front line The 2nd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment was born from a military line that goes back to the late 17th century. It was formed in 2004 as a number of regiments with centuries of service were brought together, including the Green Howards. 2 Yorks later served in Helmand, Afghanistan, where troops gained honours for gallantry but some lost their lives. The battalion, which suffered from under-manning, had been tipped to be axed this year. But 2 Yorks was given a new role as the Armys experimental warfare battalion. Its 500 troops have been based in Cyprus since 2020 and are expected to remain on the island until next year. Advertisement

The Ministry of Defences website says the role is aimed to pit soldiers, new equipment, technology and tactics against hybrid and conventional threats posed by terrorists, proxy and state adversaries.

The drugs binge by the soldiers is particularly embarrassing for service chiefs given the battalions high-profile role and the investment being poured into it. The new unit formed following the Governments Integrated Review of defence and security.

At the time of its launch, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said: With every great advance in technology comes an advance in the way we fight. The British Army has a proud tradition of experimenting and innovating with new technologies during each of the previous industrial revolutions.

'As we enter this new age of big data, automation and artificial intelligence, its important that the new Experimentation Battlegroup will be able to build on that tradition and integrate these latest advances into our force structures, equipment requirements and tactics.

2 Yorks was founded in 2004 as part of a restructuring of infantry. It was previously known as the 1st Battalion, Green Howards. Troops from the battalion are responsible for guarding RAF Akrotiri on the island.

Hundreds of bombing missions against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were launched from the base. Earlier this year, the Mail revealed nine soldiers, including two women, from the Royal Horse Artillery were kicked out of the Army after taking cocaine.

Last night a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: The Army does not tolerate drug abuse within its ranks as it is incompatible with military service and operational effectiveness. Army personnel caught taking drugs can expect to be discharged.
Blink and you'll miss them. Riding silently along our roads and pavements, electronic scooters have been hailed as a 'transport revolution', leading zero-emissions travel and decongesting traffic-clogged roads.

But as the Mail reveals today, the trendy vehicles are central to a crime wave sweeping the nation, with robberies, assaults and even a drive-by shooting having been carried out on the devices. They are fast becoming the criminal's ride of choice.

Yesterday, ministers were urged to ban them amid widespread concerns about their safety.

Matthew Scott, Kent's police and crime commissioner, warned Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that 'inconsiderate riders' are becoming a 'menace', adding: 'We're in danger of losing control of the issue and placing additional burdens on policing.'

Research from Transport for London has found that e-scooters could be 100 times more dangerous than bicycles.

Despite this, London's first e-scooter trial is due to begin on June 7. In cities where they are already available, rented e-scooters have been dumped on pavements, causing a hazard to pedestrians.

Despite their dangers and their ubiquity on our streets, it remains illegal to ride e-scooters on public roads, with anyone who does theoretically facing a 300 fixed-penalty notice and six points on their driving licence  unless the scooter has been hired as part of an official local scheme. Some 50 such schemes have been launched in Britain since last summer.

Electronic scooters (stock image) are central to a crime wave sweeping the UK, with robberies, assaults and even a drive-by shooting having been carried out on the devices, the Mail reveals

Nevertheless, sales have boomed, partly because people have wanted to avoid public transport during the pandemic.

Retailer Halfords reported a 450 per cent increase in sales during just one three-week period last year.

But the fad has come at a huge cost. Police forces have reported a raft of crimes related to e-scooters, including shoplifting, drug possession and suspects using them to escape arrest. In London, Scotland Yard recorded more than 200 incidents last year alone. Norfolk Constabulary listed 120 reports, Merseyside Police more than 100, Cleveland Police 81, Derbyshire Constabulary 27 and Staffordshire Police 23.

Trevor Sterling, partner at Moore Barlow law firm and chair of the Major Trauma Group, which has campaigned for greater safety surrounding e-scooters, said: 'Two years ago there was a moped crime wave  now it's moved on to e-scooters, which are cheaper and more accessible.

'We can encourage people to use environmentally friendly forms of transport, but we mustn't be rushed into changes that could lead to a change in criminal behaviour.'

While the law scrambles to keep up, these are some of the most shocking crimes involving the new menace on our streets . . .

Teenager Fares Maatou was riding an e-scooter on his way home from school in East London when he was viciously attacked

Schoolboy killed and robbed of vehicle

Teenager Fares Maatou was innocently riding an e-scooter on his way home from school in East London on April 23 when he was viciously attacked. The 14-year-old was struck over the head with an iron bar and stabbed in an attack involving five assailants who made off with his e-scooter.

Bystanders attempted to give the schoolboy  who had hoped to become an engineer  first aid, but he was pronounced dead just over 30 minutes after the attack.

Two boys aged 14 and 15 have been charged with Fares's murder, as well as possessing an offensive weapon. One of them also faces drugs charges. Two other 15-year-old boys were released on bail and a fifth has been charged with attempted wounding and possessing an offensive weapon.

Officers would not be drawn on the motive for the attack.

Witnesses' fear at drive-by shooting

Residents of a Coventry suburb were shocked to witness a drive-by shooting carried out in broad daylight by an e-scooter driver.

The man opened fire on an Audi  steering the scooter with one hand and shooting with the other.

Witnesses described seeing the Audi driver try to ram the scooter before the retaliatory shots were fired on a Sunday afternoon in September last year.

Armed police were sent to the scene and two men were arrested after the black Audi was later found at a nearby petrol station.

But the man on the e-scooter  which in some cases can reach speeds of 70mph  escaped and remains at large.

Blind woman and guide dog hurt

Elaine Maries, 53, and Inca, her Labrador retriever, were sent crashing to the ground outside their home in Milton Keynes, where scooters were being trialled last June

A blind woman fears going outside after two youths on an electric scooter ploughed into her and her guide dog.

Elaine Maries, 53, and Inca, her Labrador retriever, were sent crashing to the ground outside their home in Milton Keynes, where scooters were being trialled last June. She said the two youths riding the vehicle 'sped off laughing'.

The incident happened as Elaine and Inca walked to a local grocer.

Elaine told the Mail: 'All I heard was a lot of screaming, and the next thing I knew I'd been hit as they came around the corner very fast, crashing into me.

'I just couldn't understand what had happened and you can't hear the scooters coming because they are electric.'

She was left with a bruised knee and elbow, while poor Inca was so badly bruised she couldn't walk for four days.

Police told Elaine that due to her partial sighting, there was not enough evidence to press charges.

Chris Theobald, of charity Guide Dogs, said: 'People are increasingly encountering scooters on pedestrian pathways and blind people have to navigate using their hearing, so it's a huge problem for them.'

Drugs delivered by dealers on wheels

Police are increasingly seizing e-scooters from drug dealers, while there are even claims older dealers are giving children free scooters to lure them into delivering drugs for them.

Last October, dealers with 'bags full of drugs' were using scooters outside Brambleside Primary School in Kettering, Northamptonshire, according to a local councillor.

In another case on the Isle of Wight, an e-scooter rider who had failed to stop for officers was later arrested on suspicion of selling Class B drugs.

And in July, Joy Singarajah, 23, of Walthamstow, East London, was jailed for 15 months after using an e-scooter to deliver cocaine to students at Essex University.

Teens stopped on dual carriageway

Last summer in Middlesbrough there was a trial for the hire of a fleet of 100 e-scooters  available via a phone app linked to the rider's bank account.

Children were soon seen joyriding them through the Cleveland Centre shopping mall, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way.

Others were seen riding the scooters on the pavements without helmets, while some attempted wheelies. Cleveland Police were forced to issue a warning after pulling over two boys, aged 13 and 14, on the busy A19 dual carriageway.

The Mail on Sunday found that checks were not made to confirm users' age or identity, opening the rental system to misuse. Personal injury lawyer Peter Kelly said: 'The police should crack down on it.'

Dicing with death on wet motorway

Shocking footage obtained in February showed an e-scooter rider travelling at 50mph, performing wheelies and standing on one leg  all on a dual carriageway

Shocking footage obtained in February showed an e-scooter rider travelling at 50mph, performing wheelies and standing on one leg  all on a dual carriageway.

The driver, sporting a woolly hat rather than a helmet, showed no regard for safety as he brazenly overtook cars near Dundee.

'He came up behind our car  we didn't know what it was', one concerned passenger later told The Times. 'He overtook us so quickly and we were doing the speed limit  40mph  so he was obviously going a lot faster. He was . . . showboating all the way along.'

Unbelievably, several e-scooter riders have even been caught driving on the motorway, which carries its own offence.

In January South Yorkshire police described a man riding an e-scooter during a rainy night on the M1 near Sheffield as 'a recipe for disaster'.

The 34-year-old rider was stopped and his uninsured scooter seized. He is due to face court.

'It is not only illegal to ride an electric scooter on a motorway, but it is extremely dangerous', said a police spokesman.

Though e-scooters have a legal maximum speed limit of 15.5mph in the UK, with many unable to travel faster than 12.5mph, videos online show drivers how to 'hack' their vehicles, manipulating the devices' speed-limiting software to travel at speeds of 70mph and even higher.

'Status symbols' spark rise in thefts

E-scooters are seen as status symbols  especially among teenagers  and several people have been viciously robbed of them.

One such crime took place last New Year's Eve, in Basildon, Essex, when a 15-year-old boy was punched in the face before his e-scooter stolen. It came just days after a shop in the town was raided and had 20,000 worth of stock stolen  including a haul of e-scooters.

Local Tory councillor Craig Rimmer said he 'condemned' the raid, fearing criminals were targeting e-scooters as their popularity burgeoned.

Essex Police said they were investigating the crime, believed to have been carried out by a boy in his late teens.

But, as with many such crimes, the perpetrator remains at large.

Drink-drive rider makes history

A woman aged 20 made a shameful entry into the record books this year as the first person to be convicted of drink-driving on an e-scooter in Britain.

Kyah Jordan had downed shots of rum with her friends before spontaneously picking up an e-scooter near a drop-off point on the Isle of Wight.

Police in an unmarked vehicle noticed Miss Jordan  who had never ridden one before  heading in their direction, before going through a red light.

They said she 'narrowly missed a head-on collision', and officers said that if there had been a crash 'the driver would have been injured without doubt'.

As Miss Jordan was travelling at only 12.5mph, the officers were able to give chase on foot, and a breathalyser found her three times over the legal drink-driving limit.

When her case came before Isle of Wight magistrates in January, Miss Jordan was banned from driving for two years, handed a community order of 12 months and ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work.

Dozens of drink-driving fines have since been handed out to over-the-limit e-scooter drivers.

Tow-path crash was almost fatal

A young yoga teacher was knocked into a canal by a passing rider last September and almost drowned. The 28-year-old woman was sent flying into the Regent's Canal in Hackney, East London, and it is believed the e-scooter rider, who was listening to music on headphones, didn't even realise what happened.

The woman spent five minutes desperately trying to scramble up the 2ft bank. She then tried to swim to a houseboat, before her heavy bag dragged her under the water. Just in time, a passer-by managed to pull her out.

She was treated in hospital for shock and given a tetanus jab.
A Massachusetts teacher has been put on leave after distributing a bizarre sex survey to an eleventh-grade anatomy class.

Eric Jackson, who has taught science at Dracut High School for 19 years, is now being investigated over the raunchy handout, which asked students to respond to a dozen dirty statements.

Students were required to write a number from 0 to 4 in response to statements such as 'Often, just how someone smells can be a turn-on' and 'Having sex in a different setting than usual is a real turn on for me'.

Another statement read: 'Certain hormonal changes definitely increase my sexual arousal'.

Jackson has not disclosed exactly where he obtained the survey, but it was purportedly pulled from a sex educator's website.

He remained tight lipped when WHDH reporters door-knocked him at his home on Monday.

'The investigation is pending. We're in the middle of it. I'd like to wait and see what happens with that [before making comment],' he stated.

The veteran teacher was placed on leave last Friday after the school administrator was contacted by several students who said the survey made them 'uncomfortable'.

Massachusetts teacher, Eric Jackson, has been put on leave after distributing a sex survey to an eleventh grade anatomy class

'I just thought it was very strange... I didn't want to be partaking in it,' student Daniel Martin stated to WHDH.

'Really it was just disgusting,' another Dracut High attendee - who not in the class - told the news network.

'A lot of students actually left the classroom and were roaming the halls'.

The student believes Jackson should be terminated for distributing the materials.

'I do not think he should keep his job. I'm sorry - I think what he did was absurd.'

Some parents agree, with one telling WHDH that they were 'appalled' and in 'disbelief'.

The veteran teacher was placed on leave last Friday after the school administrator was contacted by several students who said the survey made them 'uncomfortable'. On attendee is pictured speaking to WHDH

Students were required to write a number from 0 to 4 in response to statements such as 'Often, just how someone smells can be a turn-on' and 'Having sex in a different setting than usual is a real turn on for me'

'Really it was just disgusting,' another Dracut High attendee (pictured) told the news network

One female student, however, told WHDH that the survey did not bother her.

'He [Jackson] said if you feel uncomfortable at any time you can get up, leave the room, I'm not going to ask questions' she claimed.

Meanwhile, the school administrator described the survey as 'highly inappropriate'.

They said the had initiated a review and that 'the district takes the health and well-being of students most seriously'.
Melbourne's growing Covid cluster has grown to 15 cases while 43 venues including the MCG have been exposed to the highly infectious Indian strain, sparking fears of a snap lockdown starting today.

More than 23,000 footy fans at Sunday night's game at the MCG have been put on alert, while contact tracers are scrambling to track down the mystery link after an outbreak in the city's northern suburbs grew to 14 cases within two days.

Victoria recorded 11 new cases of Covid on Wednesday, but five of them were reported late on Tuesday - bringing today's new cases to six and the total to 15.

The five cases recorded on Tuesday were all linked to the highly contagious Indian strain after an infected man aged in his 60s spread the virus to four household contacts, sparking a return to a series of restrictions including the wearing of masks indoors and limits of five guests inside a home.

Genomic sequencing has linked the latest cases to a Wollert man who caught the virus in South Australian hotel quarantine two weeks ago.

But how the virus was transmitted remains a mystery, amid growing fears the city could once again be plunged into lockdown if the outbreak isn't contained.

There are 43 venues on the Victorian Department of Health exposure list as of Wednesday morning, up from only 10 at the same time on Tuesday.

Among them is a hairdresser in Bendigo, 160km north of Melbourne, and a cafe in the nearby town of Axedale.

It has also emerged that none of the Covid-positive cases aged over 50 have been vaccinated despite being eligible for the jab which can also help stop transmission.

CSIRO's Director of Health and Biosecurity Dr Rob Grenfell said the fate of Melbourne's outbreak was sitting on a 'knife edge'.

Melbourne remains on high alert after its surprise new Covid-19 cluster grew to nine, with mask restrictions back in place (pictured, a woman in Melbourne)

The fate of Melbourne's outbreak was sitting on a 'knife edge', according to CSIRO's Director of Health and Biosecurity Dr Rob Grenfell

'The next few days will tell us how harsh it will be - we are sitting on a knife's edge here in Melbourne,' he told Today.

'This virus isn't going away. It is here and it is going to eventually establish itself in this country, so we have to be very cautious.'

Another expert warned even another handful of cases on Wednesday could lead to an immediate snap lockdown.

'If we see another bunch of cases, I think it is unfortunately lockdown time,' University of South Australia biostatistics professor Adrian Esterman told The Age.

An urgent alert was issued after an infected case attended the AFL game between Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday, with hundreds of fans in certain sections of the stadium told to isolate immediately.

The infected case sat in Zone 4, Level 1 of the Great Southern Stand at the Punt Road end of the ground, with 23,000 spectators at Sunday night's game.

Anyone seated in that area between bays M1 and M16 will be contacted directly by contract tracers and advised to get tested and isolate until they return a negative result, with all fans told to watch for symptoms.

'Some individuals with the closest contact to the positive case will be directly provided more specific advice from the Department of Health. Others attending the MCG not located in these areas will be advised to check for symptoms and be tested if any develop,' the alert states.

CCTV footage will be reviewed to determine if the advice to test and isolate will be broadened beyond these areas.

The Indian strain is considered by health officials to be equally as infectious as other mutant variants, including the dangerous UK strain.

Anyone seated in that area between bays M1 and M16 will be contacted directly by contract tracers and advised to get tested and isolate until they return a negative result, with all fans told to watch for symptoms (pictured, a seating map of the MCG)

'It is by no means one to be complacent about,' Victoria's chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said on Tuesday.

'It is at least as infectious as the so-called UK variant.

'It's been called the double-mutant variant, in fact it's got 15 mutations, two of which are a concern that relate to transmissibility.'

Leading expert Professor Sharon Lewin from the Doherty Institute expressed 'a number of issues of concern' with the latest outbreak in Melbourne - warning that the huge gap between an initial case in hotel quarantine and the new infections could lead to a lockdown.

'First of all, it is nine cases with no new transmission for a long time in Victoria, and it is the Indian variant which we know is more infectious,' she told ABC's 7.30.

'There's also been quite a bit of a gap between where we think this came from, which was the initial quarantine hotel in Adelaide and now these cases are appearing with quite a significant gap so there is a lot of work to look at steps in between for those transmission events.'

An alert has been issued after an infected case attended the AFL game (pictured) between Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday

She hopes a 'significant' lockdown can be avoided.

'There are lots of things that go into decisions around the lockdown but we have seen quite large clusters being managed really effectively and an example are the Northern Beaches in New South Wales back in December, that were done with really good and extensive contact tracing and some limitation of movement,' she said.

Professor Lewin is also concerned about the low vaccination rate, with fears growing that not all Australians will be vaccinated by the end of the year.

'Simply because... you need to get people vaccinated to prevent severe infection and hospitalisation and death,' she said.

'We don't have enough people vaccinated.'

A snap lockdown hasn't been ruled out by the acting Victorian Premier, who is standing in for Daniel Andrews while he continues to recover from a serious back injury following a fall on holiday.

'This is a responsible step that we need to take to get on top of this outbreak. It's about giving our contact tracers the time they need to track this matter down and get on top of it,' Mr Merlino said.

Three Melburnians aged over-50 had not been vaccinated when they were infected. Pictured are Melburnians at a testing station at the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Western Australia has introduced tough new restrictions on Victorian travellers declaring all new arrivals to the state must immediately self isolate.

The state government stopped short of closing its border to Victoria, but will require all arrivals from from 6pm on Tuesday to immediately get tested and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result.

Anyone who has visited any of the 24 exposure sites in Victoria during the relevant times are also required to get tested immediately and self-quarantine for 14 days.

Travellers from Victoria who have arrived since May 15 are urged to monitor their health closely and are warned they will be contacted by WA Police using the G2G Pass declaration system in place in WA.

Professor Sharon Lewin (pictured) from the Doherty Institute expressed 'a number of issues of concern' with the latest outbreak

EXPOSURE SITES IN MELBOURNE Tier one; Anyone who visited the below sites must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result Tier two: Anyone who attended the following sites at the times listed must get tested and isolate until a negative result or further advice Bundoora Jump! Swim Schools Bundoora 4/37 The Concord, Bundoora VIC 3083, 21/05/2021, 8:55am - 10:15am, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Axedale Axedale Tavern 105 High Street, Axedale VIC 3551, 23/05/2021, 11:45am - 1:30pm, Case attended function, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Bendigo Hairfolk 33 Williamson Street, Bendigo VIC 3550, 22/05/2021, 9:40am - 10:10am, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Brunswick Futsal Brunswick 409 Victoria Street, Brunswick VIC 3056, 23/05/2021, 9:00am - 10:00am, Case attended venue. The Department may provide you with specific advice depending on what activity you participated in at this exposure site, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Clifton Hill McDonald's Clifton Hill 199 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill VIC 3068, 22/05/2021, 6:00pm - 7:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Coburg BP Southvale 303 Bell Street, Coburg VIC 3058, 22/05/2021, 8:10am - 8:30am, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Coburg The Nicholson Coffee House 6/14-20 Nicholson Street, Coburg VIC 3058, 22/05/2021, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Case sat inside cafe, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Epping Chemist Warehouse, Dalton Village, Epping Shop 15, Dalton Village, 351-371 Dalton Road, Epping VIC 3076, 19/05/2021, 6:45pm - 8:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Epping The Furniture Trader 102-120 Cooper Street, Epping VIC 3076, 18/05/2021, 12:00pm - 12:50pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Epping JMD Grocers & Sweets 768 High Street, Epping VIC 3076, 17/05/2021, 10:30am - 1:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Epping Nando's Epping (Dalton Rd) Shop 17 Dalton Village, 351-371 Dalton Road, Epping VIC 3076, 19/05/2021, 8:30pm - 9:20pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Epping Epping North Shopping Centre 2 Lyndarum Drive, Epping VIC 3076, 22/05/2021, 4:45pm - 5:50pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Epping House and Party (store) 2 Lyndarum Drive, Epping VIC 3076, 22/05/2021, 5:15pm - 5:50pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Epping Woolworths Epping North 2 Lyndarum Drive, Epping VIC 3076, 22/05/2021, 4:45pm - 5:45pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Epping Urban Diner Food Court, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre 571-583 High Street, Epping VIC 3076, 23/05/2021, 1:15pm - 2:30pm, Case attended Urban Diner Food Court - inside location (not outside dining precinct with individual restaurants), Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Epping ALDI Epping Dalton Village, 347-371 Dalton Road, Epping VIC 3076, 23/05/2021, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Epping Chemist Depot Epping, Pacific Epping Shoping Centre 571-583 High Street, Epping VIC 3076, 23/05/2021, 11:15am - 12:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Epping Woolworths Epping Shop Number Q003. Pacific Epping Cooper Street & High street, Epping VIC 3076, 20/05/2021, 6:25pm - 7:15pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Epping Coles Epping Shop Number Q002. Pacific Epping Cooper street & High street, Epping VIC 3076, 20/05/2021, 6:45pm - 7:35pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Fitzroy North Secco and Co 414 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy VIC 3068, 22/05/2021, 7:35pm - 8:55pm, Case attended party, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Lalor Deep Indian Supermarket 3/494 High Street, Lalor VIC 3075, 20/05/2021, 7:00pm - 8:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Lalor Fruits of Lalor 328 Station Street, Lalor VIC 3075, 19/05/2021, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Lalor No. 1 Fruit Market 37 May Road, Lalor VIC 3075, 19/05/2021, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Lalor Everfresh Fruit Market 346 Station Street, Lalor VIC 3075, 19/05/2021, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Maribyrnong Highpoint Shopping Centre, all other areas on Levels 2 and 3 excluding specific shops listed as Tier 1 sites Levels 2 & 3, 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong VIC 3032, 20/05/2021, 5:15pm - 6:35pm Case attended venue. If you attended one of the shops listed as Tier 1 (Lush Cosmetics, Toyworld, Smiggle, Kidstuff, Ishka), see specific shop instructions, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Maribyrnong Smiggle, Highpoint Shopping Centre Level 3, 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong VIC 3032, 20/05/2021, 5:55pm - 6:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Maribyrnong Kidstuff, Highpoint Shopping Centre Level 2, 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong VIC 3032, 20/05/2021, 5:20pm - 5:55pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Maribyrnong Ishka, Highpoint Shopping Centre Level 2, 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong VIC 3032, 20/05/2021, 5:45pm - 6:20pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Maribyrnong Lush Cosmetics, Highpoint Shopping Centre Level 2, 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong VIC 3032, 20/05/2021, 6:05pm - 6:35pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Maribyrnong Toyworld, Highpoint Shopping Centre Level 2, 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong, 3032, 20/05/2021, 5:30pm - 6:20pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Melbourne Bamboo House 47 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, 21/05/2021, 11:00am - 11:50am, Case attended venue,Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Mill Park Bunnings Warehouse, Mill Park 761 Plenty Road, Mill Park VIC 3082, 20/05/2021, 4:00pm - 6:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Port Melbourne Port Park Cafe 7/484 Graham St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207, 24/05/2021, 12:30pm - 1:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Port Melbourne The Local, Port Melbourne 22-24 Bay Street, Port Melbourne VIC 3207, 21/05/2021, 1:40pm - 3:30pm, Case dined inside venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Port Melbourne Bay 101 Cafe 7/101 Bay Street, Port Melbourne VIC 3207, 24/05/2021, 7:30am - 8:20am,Case sat inside venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Preston Adams Reserve Playground Milton Crescent, VIC Preston 3072, 23-05-2021, 2:15pm - 3:45pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Preston ALDI Preston South 15 Dundas Street, Preston VIC 3072, 23/05/2021, 3:45pm - 4:25pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Reservoir P & C Indian Grocery & Convenience Store 246 Broadway, Reservoir VIC 3073, 22/05/2021, 6:00pm - 7:00pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Reservoir Shell Coles Express Reservoir 192-202 Broadway & Whitelaw Street, Reservoir VIC 3073, 18/05/2021, 3:15pm - 4:15pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Reservoir B.T. Connor Reserve 200 Broadhurst Avenue, Reservoir VIC 3073, 21/05/2021, 8:00pm - 11:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Thomastown ACTROL (Retail Store- refrigerator and airconditioning parts) 13-17 Brand Drive, Thomastown VIC 3074, 17/05/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Thomastown White Line Automotive 2/28 Lipton Drive, Thomastown VIC 3074, 20/05/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm, Case attended venue, Tier 2 - Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Thornbury Little Tienda 410 Station Street, Thornbury VIC 307122/05/2021, 7:45am - 8:20am. Case attended venue, Tier 1 - Get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure Advertisement

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan described the situation as 'concerning' as 18,000 travellers from Victoria have arrived in Western Australia over the past 10 days.

'This is a rapidly evolving situation and things may well change,' he said.

'Given the unknown source of the current outbreak, and genomic sequencing confirming a link to the Victorian man who acquired the virus in South Australian hotel quarantine earlier this month, it is a very concerning situation.

'It means there have been infectious people in the Victorian community potentially since May 15.'

Health workers conduct COVID-19 test at Northern Health in Epping on Tuesday as Victorians flocked to get tested following the new outbreak

Pedestrians queue at a Covid-19 testing station in Melbourne on May 25 as the city recorded new locally-acquired coronavirus cases in the community after an 86-day unbroken stretch of zero infections

The premier, who has become known for his tough stance on borders during the pandemic, made no apologies for the 'extra precautionary' measures.

'I understand this may be inconvenient for some people, but we need to take this course of action to protect Western Australia,' Mr McGowan said.

'My government will take whatever action required to keep Western Australians safe.'

Genomic testing has determined Tuesday's new cases are an Indian variant linked to the Whittlesea cluster in Melbourne's north, with 168 close contacts identified so far.

The Whittlesea area includes the suburbs of Beveridge, Donnybrook, Doreen, Eden Park, Epping, Humevale, Kinglake West, Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, Whittlesea, Wollert, Woodstock and Yan Yean.

With fears growing the outbreak could quickly spread interstate, the Queensland government has also introduced some restrictions on travellers from Victoria, with the City of Whittlesea local government area declared a Covid-19 hotspot.

That means anyone arriving in the Sunshine State who has been in Whittlesea over the past 14 days will be required to go into hotel quarantine unless they have a valid exemption.

The new measures went into effect from 1am on Wednesday.

Deputy Premier James Merlino confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday morning a man in his 60s has tested positive, with the state's cases from the latest cluster now sitting at nine

Commuters wear face masks in Melbourne on Monday, after it was revealed the state had identified new local Covid cases

New restrictions in Melbourne: Maximum of five visitors per household

Maximum of 30 people gathering outside

Masks must be worn indoors and on public transport

People travelling from Melbourne to other areas must carry restrictions with them

Schools and workplaces will remain open with the new restrictions applied

Dancefloors remain open but people must wear masks while dancing Advertisement

South Australia also imposed fresh border restrictions on Victorians from key sites linked to new Covid-19 cases.

The state will stop travellers who visited 24 announced locations in Melbourne from crossing the border, and anyone in SA who recently visited those sites must self-isolate for 14 days and get tested three times.

Less severe measures have been imposed for anyone who visited the City of Whittlesea, with those arrivals required to have a test within 24 hours and isolate until they receive a negative result.

South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said on Monday the cases were a reminder that even though Australia had done well in containing the virus, the potential for a significant outbreak remained.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the new infections are a stark warning to the community.

'You can see how Covid can be transmitted in the community because it can be a mild disease and, therefore, go undetected,' she said on Monday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will not shut the border between the two states, but people travelling from Victoria to Sydney will be asked on arrival whether they have visited an exposure site.

A declaration form is also available on the Service NSW website and must be completed upon entry.

Authorities have also told anyone who has visited the Whittlesea area to avoid visiting aged care facilities or hospitals.

A fifth case of coronavirus has emerged as a result of the Whittlesea outbreak as a man aged in his 60s tests positive on Tuesday

Chief Health Officer Mr Sutton said the new case was symptomatic at the time of his testing and they are investigating another 'intermediary' link.

'His initial recollections don't overlap with any of the Wollert case's exposure sites, so there's no definitive link to that Wollert case even though we know that there's a genomic link, so there may still be another intermediary,' he said.

'We need to explore that, but we need to finish the very lengthy, very detailed interview with that case this morning.'

He confirmed the case is from the Indian variant and said there could still be cases in the community.

'It's possible there's another missing link out there,' Professor Sutton said.
Litchfield (06759)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson accused the Justice Department of trying to jump on 'public relations' to spin the Mueller report  as she accused the government of ignoring key information as it fights to keep documents sealed.

Jackson made the withering statements earlier this month, as parties litigate whether the government is entitled to keep internal documents about the Mueller report under wraps.

She pointed to an internal DOJ memo where DOJ officials advising former Attorney General Bill Barr made the case that it might 'imply' an accusation against former President Donald Trump if the Department did not make a determination on whether or not he engaged in obstruction of justice.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson accused the Justice Department of trying to jump on 'public relations' to spin the Mueller report in 2019

She said the administration as trying to 'getting a jump on public relations' by trying to game out how the public might receive the Mueller report.

Mueller and his investigators outlined 10 potential areas of obstruction in their report.

Jackson considered the memo 'strategy' that would not ordinarily be entitled to special protections, and ripped the agency for its characterization of the material.

'DOJ made a strategic decision to pretend as if the first portion of the memorandum was not there and to avoid acknowledging that what the writers were actually discussing was how to neutralize the impact of the Report in the court of public opinion,' she said, in comments flagged by CNN.

Barr put out a summary document before release of the Mueller report that Democrats blasted as mischaracterizing its conclusions

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller outlined 10 potential areas of obstruction of justice, while noting DOJ guidelines that bar charging a sitting president

Jackson made the point that DOJ had stated based on its own guidelines that it couldn't charge Trump as a sitting president  the same reason Mueller referenced for not making a determination on obstruction. He did not want an accusation to linger.

'The analysis set forth in the memo was expressly understood to be entirely hypothetical,' wrote Jackson. 'One of the apparent purposes of the memorandum was to justify the Attorney General's plan to opine about the strength of the evidence, even though he and his team were well aware that under DOJ policy, there was no prosecution decision to be made.'

Her comments were unsealed this week. Although the internal positioning took place during the Trump administration, current administration lawyers are now weighing in on how much they want to disclose, while seeking to preserve administration prerogatives.

The Biden administration said Monday that it would appeal Judge Jackson's order directing it to release a memo explaining why Barr didn't choose to prosecute Trump for obstruction.

But it also agreed to make a brief portion of the document public, which shows that two senior Justice Department leaders advised Barr that, in their view, Mueller's evidence could not support an obstruction conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt.

The 2019 memo is by Steven Engel and Ed O'Callaghan and written to Barr. The back-and-forth comes days before former White House Counsel Don McGahn, who featured in the Mueller report in a section on potential obstruction, prepares to finally testify to the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors.

Jackson earlier this month ordered Biden's DOJ to release the entire March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization.

She said the department, under Attorney General William Barr, had misstated the purpose of the document in arguing that it was legally entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

In a motion filed late Monday, the deadline for deciding whether it would comply with the judge's decision or appeal it, the Justice Department said that it continued to believe even that the full document should be exempt from disclosure.

It appears Biden's DOJ took the decision to avoid setting a new precedent where more sensitive internal documents would have to be released, Politico reported.

Presidents and administrations of both parties have constantly fought to keep these documents secret.

The Biden administration said Monday that it would appeal a judge's order directing it to release in its entirety a legal memo on whether President Donald Trump had obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. But it also agreed to make a brief portion of the document public. trump is pictured in NYC Monday

Though the department agreed to release one section of the document, the lawyers asked Jackson to put her order on hold to give a federal appeals court a chance to review the ruling.

At issue is a March 24, 2019 memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that was prepared for Barr to evaluate whether evidence collected in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation could support an obstruction of justice prosecution of the president. Barr has said he looked to that opinion in determining that Trump did not illegally obstruct the Russia probe.

The Justice Department turned over other documents to CREW as part of the group's lawsuit, but declined to give it the OLC memo.

Government lawyers said they were entitled under public records law to withhold the memo because it reflected internal deliberations among lawyers before any formal decision had been reached.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson earlier this month ordered the Justice Department to release the entire March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization. She said the department, under Attorney General William Barr, had misstated the purpose of the document in arguing that it was legally entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Barr is pictured above in July last year

But Jackson said those arguments were disingenuous because the memo was prepared for Barr at the same time as a separate Justice Department letter informing Congress and the public that Barr and senior department leaders had concluded that Trump had not obstructed justice.

She said the OLC memo could therefore not have been 'predecisional' in nature if the Justice Department had already decided that there would be no obstruction case.

In its motion Monday, Justice Department lawyers said the government never meant to mislead the court but acknowledged that some of its language could have been clearer.

President Joe Biden talks to employees at FEMA headquarters on Monday in Washington

The department said the decision before the attorney general was not whether to prosecute Trump since the indictment of a sitting president is precluded by longstanding Justice Department policy. Rather, the question that the memo set out to address was whether the facts gathered by Mueller could warrant a criminal case. That question, the government says, was a genuine decision that had to be made.

'The Attorney Generals determination on that point - and on what, if anything, to say to the public about that question - undoubtedly qualifies as a decision, even if it could not have resulted in an actual prosecution of the sitting President,' Justice Department lawyers wrote.

'There was no legal bar to determining that the evidence did or did not establish commission of a crime, a determination the Attorney General made and announced,' they added.

In a letter to AG Merrick Garland on May 14, Senate Democrats urged him not to appeal the court's order to 'help rebuild the nation's trust in independence after four years of turmoil'.

The group of Senators lead by Majority Whip Dick Durbin wrote: 'DOJ's actions in this case, and in another recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case seeking information about President Trump's activities, have raised doubts about DOJ's candor when characterizing potential evidence of President Trump's misconduct to courts.

'To be clear, these misrepresentations preceded your confirmation as Attorney General, but the Department you now lead bears responsibility for redressing them.

'In that light, and in order to help rebuild the nation's trust in DOJ's independence after four years of turmoil, we urge DOJ not to appeal D.C. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson's May 3 decision to order the release of this OLC memo.'
Pictured: Samantha Azzopardi, 32

A conwoman who has a history of inventing bizarre identities to con families and international authorities will be sentenced over a fake au pair scam designed to dupe Australian couples.

Samantha Lyndell Azzopardi is set to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday to be sentenced over her latest fraud.

The 32-year-old has admitted charges of child stealing, obtaining property by deception and theft.

Azzopardi duped Melbourne couple Tom and Jazze Jervis into believing she was a qualified au pair named Harper Hernandez.

While claiming to be from a rich American family she received $6500 while working for them for six months.

A French couple living in Melbourne was also duped by Azzopardi, believing she was an au pair named Sakah.

She took another child on a trip to Sydney after convincing a family that she was a talent scout called Marley.

Samantha Azzopardi (pictured) has admitted charges of child stealing, obtaining property by deception and theft

They're not the first to fall victim to Azzopardi's strange schemes, with foreign governments also being duped by her

In 2013, Azzopardi showed up in central Dublin claiming to be a teenage sex trafficking victim from Eastern Europe. It cost the Irish government hundreds of thousands of dollars before her true identity was exposed.

After being deported she showed up in Canada, where she said she was a victim of sexual assault and torture.

In Australia, Azzopardi (pictured) convinced a Perth family she was a Russian gymnast named Emily whose entire family had been killed in a murder-suicide in France

In Australia, she convinced a Perth family she was a Russian gymnast named Emily whose entire family had been killed in a murder-suicide in France.

She's been caught in Sydney too, passing herself off as a schoolgirl more than half her age.

Azzopardi is currently in custody.
The BBC rehired Martin Bashir despite the deception over his Princess Diana interview being known within the corporation after an executive said he was desperate to win awards, a senior source says.

And Bashir is still earning up to 2,000 a week from taxpayers despite plunging the broadcaster into its biggest crisis for decades, it has emerged.

The BBC accepted his resignation rather than sacking him, meaning he is believed to be drawing his 100,000-a-year salary until his three-month notice period ends in July.

Jonathan Munro, the deputy director of news, was identified by senior BBC insiders as the primary force behind rehiring Bashir in 2016, The Times reports.

A source said 180,000-a-year Munro told staff he 'wanted to shake up the BBC' and 'win awards for its scoops'.

Munro had been recruited as head of news gathering in 2013 following a 26-year career at ITV, where he had become deputy editor. He is now BBC News' deputy director.

BBC director-general Tim Davie yesterday said he did not know why Bashir had been rehired, and the conclusion of a 'quick' investigation would be revealed next week.

An official confirmed that Bashir underwent an 'interview process'.

It comes as the BBC prepares to shell out significant compensation to the whistleblower who exposed Bashir's Panorama forgeries only to be made a fall guy for the scandal.

Martin Bashir (pictured) is still earning up to 2,000 a week from taxpayers despite plunging the BBC into its biggest crisis for decades, it has emerged

Graphic artist Matt Wiessler alerted bosses to fake bank statements Bashir used to land his 1995 Princess Diana interview.

But he suffered 25 years of strain in his business, and in turn his marriage, after the BBC secretly blacklisted him.

Jonathan Munro, the deputy director of news, was identified by senior BBC insiders as the primary force behind rehiring Bashir in 2016

Yesterday Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, said: 'The very person who raised this suffered enormous impacts  which we are very sorry for. That cannot happen again.'

Mr Davie was speaking on Radio 4's Today programme following last week's damning Dyson report which criticised the methods Bashir used to secure his interview.

In the grilling he confirmed Bashir is still on the BBC payroll and had not been sacked. The broadcaster's religion editor, 58, stepped down in April citing health reasons.

Asked why Bashir had not been fired, he said: 'Martin Bashir offered his resignation, prior to us seeing the Dyson report.

'I think there were three reasons why I accepted the resignation. One, there were very significant medical care issues, which in terms of Martin Bashir as a staff member, regardless of all the situation around it, is a factor.

'Two, it allowed a clean break with no pay-off, which I thought was in the licence-fee payers' interest. And three, there was no restraint in us getting to the truth  this was not an honourable discharge.'

Mr Davie also admitted he did not know why Bashir, who left the BBC for ITV in 1999, had been rehired in 2016 despite many in the corporation being aware of the Panorama claims.

Mark Killick, the producer sacked within 24 hours of alerting BBC bosses to the forged documents in 1995

Diana, Princess of Wales, during her 1995 interview with Martin Bashir for BBC's Panorama

He promised a 'quick investigation' into the mystery, saying: 'We're interviewing people, getting the documents, and we should be able to publish something next week. There's no doubt, with what you know now, it was a big mistake.'

The investigation is being carried out by BBC troubleshooter Ken MacQuarrie, a board member who in 2012 investigated Newsnight for falsely accusing Lord McAlpine of abusing care home boys.

Mr Davie also told Today that whistleblower Mr Wiessler deserved a 'fulsome and unconditional apology', adding that he hoped to be able to deliver it in person. Asked by interviewer Justin Webb whether the BBC owed him compensation, Mr Davie replied: 'This does need to go through a legal discussion. All I'll say is, we'll engage in that discussion because clearly we were at fault.'

Mr Wiessler has never demanded money  simply for the truth to come out and for the BBC chiefs who smeared him to acknowledge how it ruined him.

Nonetheless he is likely to be owed a substantial sum for lost earnings and distress over the years. BBC sources said that the corporation hopes to settle quickly and does not expect a drawn-out legal process.

Graphic artist Matt Wiessler alerted bosses to fake bank statements Bashir used to land his 1995 Princess Diana interview

Others who could be in line for a payout include Mark Killick, the producer sacked within 24 hours of alerting BBC bosses to the forged documents in 1995.

In a wide-ranging grilling on Today, Mr Davie also said parts of Bashir's Diana interview could still be shown again  despite Prince William's heartfelt plea last week for that not to happen. While saying he had 'no intention of airing the interview ever again', Mr Davie admitted segments might be used 'in context'.

He refused to agree with Diana's brother who had said he could 'draw a line' between the princess meeting Bashir in 1995 and her death in Paris two years later. He said: 'I haven't got the evidence for that. It's not a question of rejecting it. I'm just driven by the evidence in the [Dyson] report.'

The director-general denied being evasive as he stumbled on the question of when he had first known Bashir had lied about documents.

He said: 'Personally... I mean... I think... I knew it when I read Dyson.' He added: 'I'm not being evasive, because I'd heard, obviously I'd heard the claims of Earl Spencer, I'd read reports, but when I knew it was when I got that Supreme Court judge to go and do the analysis.'

Asked when he had suspected it, Mr Davie said: 'When I saw evidence coming to me that was firm evidence that clearly things that had gone horribly wrong in that investigation.' In his report last week, former master of the rolls Lord Dyson said 'devious' Bashir had used lies and smears to obtain his interview, which was then ultimately covered up by a 'woefully ineffective' internal investigation led by the then head of news and current affairs Lord Hall.

The BBC also imposed a news blackout to keep a lid on the scandal.

In the Commons on Monday, Conservative MP Julian Knight used Parliamentary privilege to suggest Bashir's conduct had been criminal.

He said Lord Dyson's 'utterly damning' report showed Bashir won fame and fortune by 'forgery and callously scaring a mentally vulnerable woman... something with more than a whiff of criminality about it'.

He added: 'The BBC then covered this up, blackballing whistleblowers and ensuring its own reporters didn't report on Bashir.'

Scotland Yard was yesterday said to be still 'assessing' the Dyson report after Earl Spencer urged Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick to launch a criminal probe.
Former President Donald Trump raged against Manhattan prosecutors for conducting a 'purely political' investigation after it was revealed that a grand jury had been convened to consider whether to indict him with criminal charges.

Manhattan prosecutors have convened the grand jury that will weigh criminal charges against Donald Trump, according to reports on Tuesday.

The grand jury will also consider whether other Trump Organization executives or the business itself will be prosecuted, The Washington Post reported.

Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen had praised the news of the grand jury just before his old boss released his statement on the revelations.

'This is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history. It began the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower, and its never stopped,' Trump said.

'They wasted two years and $48 million in taxpayer dollars on Mueller and Russia Russia Russia, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, and it continues to this day, with illegally leaked confidential information.'

Manhattan prosecutors have convened the grand jury that will weigh criminal charges against Donald Trump, according to reports on Tuesday

Former President Donald Trump raged against Manhattan prosecutors for conducting a 'purely political' investigation in a statement made to his website

Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, is photographed leaving his Upper East Side Apartment in New York City on May 20th

Trump claimed that 'no other president in history' has had to endure the situations he has before touting a number of his accomplishments, including Space Force and the coronavirus vaccine.

'This is purely political, and an affront to the almost 75 million voters who supported me in the presidential election, and its being driven by highly partisan Democrat prosecutors,' Trump said.

'New York City and State are suffering the highest crime rates in their history, and instead of going after murderers, drug dealers, human traffickers, and others, they come after Donald Trump.'

That statement, however, is false. While crime has undeniably risen in New York City to alarming levels, those numbers are still well below the 1970s and 1980s when there were more than 2,000 murders a year in the Big Apple, according to The New York Times. NYPD data shows that there have been 165 murders this year to date.

'Interesting that today a poll came out indicating Im far in the lead for the Republican Presidential Primary and the General Election in 2024,' Trump continued.

'Our country is broken, our elections are rigged, corrupt, and stolen, our prosecutors are politicized and I will just have to keep on fighting like I have been for the last five years!'

Investigators are looking into whether his business manipulated the value of his real estate portfolio to defraud banks and insurance companies and if any tax benefits were obtained through the evaluations.

The president has denied any wrongdoing and believes all the investigations into him are just further examples of Democratic witch hunts.

The grand jury will also consider whether other Trump Organization executives or the business itself will be prosecuted

The president has denied any wrongdoing and believes all the investigations into him are just further examples of Democratic witch hunts

The Post reported that the panel will sit for three days a week for roughly six months.

The members on the panel will hear a number of cases, which is traditional with New York State grand juries. They aren't convened on a case-by-case basis.

The convening of the grand jury is the latest development in Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's case against the former president which has picked up steam in the last two weeks.

It also indicates Vance may have evidence of criminality against Trump, according to Rebecca Roiphe - a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan who is now a professor at New York Law School.

Legal experts believe that seating a long-term grand jury indicated that 'prosecutors are convinced they have a case.'

She said that seating a long-term grand jury indicated that 'prosecutors are convinced they have a case'.

Vance's team may present the entirety of their case at once or in between the panel reviewing other cases. It is unclear if the grand jury will be asked to consider returning any indictments, the outlet reported.

Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor and columnist for Politico, said that if charges come they are still 'months away.'

'The mere fact that a special grand jury was empaneled does not mean that any particular person will be charged. It does not necessarily mean that Trump himself will be charged,' Mariotti tweeted.

'But it is fair to say that Vance's investigation is far along and that charges are on the horizon.'

Donald Trump, wife Melania, with the Barry and Jennifer Weisselberg, the son and daughter n law of Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg. Jennifer has been assisting the criminal probe into the Trump Org for months

Vance is leaving office at the end of the year meaning there's a good chance he'll pass the two-year probe to his successor.

Trump is facing two investigations into his business practices in New York.

Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James announced last Tuesday that her civil investigation into Trump's business conduct has turned criminal as she claims he manipulated the value of his assets to mislead tax authorities and lenders.

She did not say what prompted her office to expand its investigation into a criminal probe.

James announced on Friday that her office would also working alongside Vance's probe as she said she has assigned two lawyers to work with the his office on a criminal investigation into Trump's business dealings.

James, a Democrat, said her office is also continuing its ongoing civil investigation into the the Republican ex-president and his company, the Trump Organization.

'Two of our assistant attorney generals have been cross designated as district attorneys,' James said at a news conference on an unrelated topic.

Florida officials are debating what to do about Donald Trump if he's indicted by New York prosecutors while in their state as an obscure state law gives Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis - seen with Trump at a 2018 campaign rally - the power to decide extradition

The investigations by James and Vance both seem to have started because of Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen who turned on his longtime friend after pleading guilty to lying to Congress and making hush-money payments for him.

Vance started his criminal investigation in 2018 after Cohen pleaded guilty and quickly expanded as he sought out Trump's tax records.

Prosecutors finally obtained his tax records in March, after a protracted legal battle that ended when the Supreme Court ruled Trump had to hand them over.

Cohen praised the news of the formation of the grand jury in a tweet on Tuesday.

'I am not surprised by this at all and have been steadfast in saying the wheels of justice turn slowly but they nevertheless turn. No one is above the law!!!' he tweeted.

James began her civil investigation of the Trump Organization in 2019 after Cohen testified before Congress, claiming Trump inflated and deflated the values of his assets - misleading lenders and taxing authorities.

Michael Cohen and others started to react to the news of the grand jury formation on Tuesday

Jennifer Weisselberg, the former daughter-in-law of Trump's longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg, has been cooperating with both investigations.

She has given investigators reams of tax records and other documents as they look into whether some Trump employees were given off-the-books compensation, such as apartments or school tuition.

Allen Weisselberg was subpoenaed in James' civil investigation and testified twice last year.

People took to Twitter on Tuesday to react to the news of the grand jury formation.

Congressman Bill Pascrell, a Democrat from New Jersey, wrote: 'NY has convened a grand jury to potentially indict trump and his associates for years of documented financial crimes, abuses, and felonies.'

'I was the first member of Congress to demand trump be prosecuted for his crimes,' he added.

Actor George Takei surprisingly slammed the grand jury for being 'one-sided'.

'NY prosecutors will be presenting their case to the grand jurors, with no defense counsel or judge present. Its a forum thats so one-sided, the target audience can be made to believe nearly anything. Kind of like Fox News, eh?' Takei wrote.

Trump issued a statement last Wednesday complaining that he's being 'unfairly attacked and abused by a corrupt political system.'

He contends the probes are part of a Democratic plot to silence his voters and block him from running for president again.

Trump was pictured arriving at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday morning just days after James announced the criminal probe into his business.

He stepped out of his car on Fifth Avenue and looked at cameras after a trip from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is spending the summer away from the heat of Mar-a-Lago.

Since James announced the probe, there have been mounting questions over whether Allen Weisselberg will turn on him.

On Thursday, Weisselberg former daughter-in-law Jennifer said he would 'definitely' flip on the president and former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res said she believes he is already cooperating with prosecutors.

'I think Weisselberg is very concerned about his kids,' Res told MSNBC's Ari Melber.

'I think that what they're doing is the kind of thing they did with [retired Lt. Gen. Michael] Flynn. Remember his kid? I don't think Weisselberg will let his son go to jail. So that's what he's doing.'

Mariotti explained that, in order to prove fraud, prosecutors will need to prove if the defendant knew the statements in the documents were false.

'It's easier to prove knowledge for people involved in preparing or authorizing the documents, like Weisselberg,' he said.

'So don't be surprised if people like Weisselberg are their initial target, to induce him or others to flip.'

He added: 'Someone like Trump or his children will only have liability if they knew of the false statements and participated in the scheme in some way or moved it forward somehow.'

Florida officials are preparing options for what to do about Trump should he be charged by New York prosecutors while he is in the Sunshine state.

An obscure extradition clause in Florida law could benefit Trump if he's indicted during Vance's criminal investigation.

Jennifer Weisselberg said Thursday that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg would 'flip' and assist prosecutors 'To me a liar - a cheater is a liar is a thief and as far as I'm concerned, there's been nothing legal going on in the past 21 years,' she told CNN

In Florida's statute on interstate extradition, the state's governor has the power to intervene over whether an indicted 'person ought to be surrendered' to law enforcement officials from another state, Politico revealed.

If Trump gets charged by the grand jury, Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis - a close Trump friend and ally - could decide if he should be handed over to New York authorities.

Trump, however, has moved to his Bedminister, N.J., club as Mar-a-Lago has closed for the hot summer season. In moving, he lost the protection he had in Florida.

Law enforcement officials in Palm Beach County, where Trump lived in his Mar-a-Lago club after leaving the White House, are preparing for a possible indictment coming down from New York.

And they're discussing how to handle the thorny extradition issue that could come from it, two sources close to the matter told the news outlet.

'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, clerk of the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, told Politico.

He is the official who would be in charge of opening a potential fugitive-at-large case.

Abruzzo is also a close friend of President Joe Biden's brother Frank, who works for a Florida-based law firm. Abruzzo said that, despite his friendship with the Biden family, 'the full extent of the law will be followed and carried out appropriately, without bias.'
Joe Biden came close to picking Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be his running mate instead of Sen. Kamala Harris after a bumpy campaign during which he condemned her attack on him as 'f***ing bulls***,' according to a new book.

The two women were the only ones to meet twice with Biden as he whittled down a shortlist of six, according to Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats' Campaigns to Defeat Trump by Edward-Isaac Dovere, which was published Tuesday.

But the process dragged on as Biden worried about a lack of chemistry with Harris.

'Two days before Biden announced Harris, he called [Rep. Jim] Clyburn," Dovere wrote.

'A decision that he originally said would be made the first week in August had drifted already well into the second week.

Joe Biden almost picked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be his running mate, according to a new insider account of his campaign, which claimed he feared Kamala Harris's attack on his race record might prevent them having the sort of close relationship he had enjoyed with President Barack Obama

During a heated exchange during the primary debate in Miami in June 2019, Kamala Harris said she didn't think Joe Biden was 'racist', but suggested he supported racist policies. She also reminded the stage that she benefited from busing as a child

Biden agonized for weeks over his decision and although he was able to forgive Harris for her attack, said the book, he feared it would get in the way of a strong bond

'He knew, he knew, Biden told Clyburn, and though he was almost there, he was struggling.

'"Im torn," he said, "between my head and my heart.'"

His advisers and the data all pointed to Harris as the best candidate but Biden felt an affinity with Whitmer, who had endorsed Biden by describing how her mother died from the same brain tumor that took the life of his son Beau.

Biden, the book said, wanted to recreate the close relationship he enjoyed with President Barack Obama.

And Biden and Harris had campaign history to get past.

He had been infuriated by her attack on him during a 2019 Democratic primary debate, when she criticized him for describing how he had found common ground during the 1970s with segregationist senators and his opposition to school busing.

She said she found his position 'hurtful.'

'There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day,' she said. 'And that little girl was me.'

The book details that during a commercial break, Biden leaned over to then-candidate Pete Buttigieg and said after the exchange with Harris: 'Well, that was some f***ing bulls**t'

Nearly a year later, when Biden became the Democratic nominee, he chose Harris as his running mate and she soon thereafter became the first minority woman to hold the office of vice president. The first and second couples appear here on November 7, 2020  shortly after winning the election

Biden defended himself but when the producers cut to a commercial break, he leaned over to Pete Buttigieg, the book reports, and said: 'Well. That was some f***ing bulls***.'

A week later, his wife Jill Biden fumed to supporters on a phone call.

'With what he cares about, what he fights for, what hes committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis?" she reportedly said. "Go f*** yourself."

Nor was it forgotten a year later as decision day loomed.

A bitter aide announced on a campaign phone call: 'You know what today is? Its the one-year anniversary of That Little Girl Was Me."'

Biden was able to forgive Harris for the attack but worried their past would get in the way of the intimate, family-style relationship he wanted to recreate with his VP.

It took Barack Obama to remind him that Biden had called him 'unqualified to be president' during the 2008 campaign.

Eventually he announced he was picking Harris, but not before the tortuous process left some of the candidates feeling as if they had been part of a beauty parade.

'Biden's vision had been to use the vetting process to elevate as many women as possible, boost their careers,' Dovere wrote.

'Because it dragged on so long, with political reporters stuck in lockdown with nothing else to do and no other story to chase, many of the women were left feeling the veepstakes were more like a pageant.'
Everyone over the age of 30 can now book a Covid jab as the vaccine roll-out races ahead.

A million people in England aged 30 and 31 will get a text message soon asking them to be inoculated.

Nearly three quarters of all adults in the UK  38million  have now received their first dose of the vaccine and almost half  23.2 million  have had both doses.

With early data suggesting existing jabs still work against the Indian variant which is spreading rapidly, the speed of the vaccine roll-out will raise hopes that Britain can be fully unlocked on June 21.

No10's vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday promised the immunisation drive was heading for a 'big' fortnight.

He told MPs his 'absolute focus' was that the campaign continued at pace because 'the faster we can move the vaccination programme, the sooner we can end those restrictions'.

Nearly three quarters of all adults in the UK  38million  have now received their first dose of the vaccine and almost half  23.2 million  have had both doses

No10's vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday promised a 'big week this week and a big week next week' for Britain's inoculation drive

Yesterday Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised the 'phenomenal pace' of the vaccination programme.

The Government is well on track to meet its target of giving all adults their first dose by the end of July, with vaccines likely to be offered to people in their twenties later this week.

Data up to May 24 shows an extra 122,379 people got their first dose and 332,955 more had their second.

Around 580,000 people are now getting jabbed every day, with the rate having risen consistently since the start of May. The drive peaked at around 600,000 daily doses towards the end of March.

Nationally, there were 2,493 new Covid cases recorded and 15 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Health officials have sped up the jab timetable to offer everyone over 50 their second doses within eight weeks in a bid to ensure that those at highest risk are protected from the Indian variant.

Under-40s are being offered either the Moderna or Pfizer jabs due to a very rare link between the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab and blood clots.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised the 'phenomenal pace' of the vaccination programme on Tuesday

Now AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine is linked to the most common type of stroke Doctors are now being told to look out for signs of the most common type of stroke following the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, after three British patients were admitted to hospital and one died. Two women in their 30s and a man in his 40s suffered ischaemic strokes after having the vaccine. Previous reports of rare blood clots from the jab have specifically involved cerebral venous thrombosis  a rare form of stroke caused by the blockage of specific veins. But this is the first time AstraZeneca's vaccine has been linked to ischaemic strokes  the most common type and occurs when clots form in major arteries, blocking the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Specialists from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at University College London (UCL) said vaccine-linked incidences were incredibly rare and far more likely to happen in people who catch Covid. Nevertheless, they urged doctors to be on the lookout for classic stroke symptoms  such as face, arm or leg weakness, or impaired speech  in anyone who had the jab between four and 28 days later. Any such patients should be 'urgently evaluated' for a very rare syndrome called vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT), they said, adding that rapid diagnosis is essential. Advertisement

Mr Hancock said: 'Our vaccination programme is moving at such a phenomenal pace and I am delighted that less than six months after Margaret Keenan received the first authorised jab in the world, we are now able to open the offer to everyone in their thirties and over.

'The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and recent data has shown the life-saving protection [that] a second dose of the jab can give, especially against the new variant.

'I urge everyone to come forward when you get the offer and play a part in getting us back to normality.'

Mr Zahawi yesterday told the Commons that he was 'cautiously optimistic that we are in a good place' to ease all restrictions on June 21.

MPs praised the Government for the 'scale and pace' of the coronavirus vaccination programme.

One Tory labelled it a 'marvellous achievement' and asked when guidance would be relaxed to allow choirs to finally practice indoors again, given the success of the inoculation drive.

Mr Zahawi said: 'The faster we can move the vaccination programme, the sooner we can end those restrictions.

'Therefore, my absolute focus  and my commitment to him  is that we continue at pace. We have a big week this week and a big week next week.'

GP and national medical director for primary care for the NHS in England, Dr Nikki Kanani, said: 'Getting the vaccine is the single most important step we can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities against Covid-19 with the jabs saving thousands of lives already.

'The offer of a vaccine doesn't expire so, if you are eligible and haven't booked, please do come forward when you're invited to.'

NHS leaders in Scotland are encouraging people aged 30 and over to come forward for their jab and in Northern Ireland, those aged 25 and over are eligible for the vaccine. In Wales the invitation is now open to everyone over the age of 18.

Moderna has shown its jab can protect 12 to 17-year-olds against the virus, with side effects similar to those experienced by adults. The results, from a trial of more than 3,000 children, come as the US is already vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds.

It follows similar trial results from Pfizer, which reported in March that its vaccine was 100 per cent effective.

In Bolton, teenagers have already been inoculated in a frantic effort to contain the Indian variant, and London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for 'flexibility' to give jabs to younger people in parts of the capital affected by the strain.

Public Health England analysis over the weekend found a single dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer's jab was slightly weaker against the Indian variant compared to the Kent one, which triggered the country's devastating second wave.

Both jabs were only 33 per cent effective at blocking symptoms of the Indian strain three weeks after one dose, compared to 50 per cent against the Kent variant.

Officials said it highlighted the importance of getting both injections.

But the PHE data found two doses the vaccines were equally effective against both strains, which has bolstered hopes that hospitalisations and deaths will never reach the peaks of previous waves.
Australians are set for a spectacular natural sight tonight when a rare 'super blood moon' lights up the night sky.

The phenomenon, which will be enhanced by a lunar eclipse, will be visible from Perth to Sydney, although views will differ depending on where you are.

The unique combination of a full moon at its closest point as it orbits Earth, plus the lunar eclipse, will result in the moon appearing very large and turning a deep red or orange colour as sunlight curves around the atmosphere and bathes the moon in a partial glow.

The supermoon will combine with a lunar eclipse, causing our satellite to appear bigger and redder than usual, according to astronomers

The sight should be seen without any special equipment and newer smart phones have cameras powerful enough to be able to get a decent photo of the rare phenomenon (stock image)

Australia will be one of the best places in the world to see the event. In the eastern states, stargazers will be able to trace the progress of the moon through the penumbral eclipse - when the moon begins to move into the outer shadow of Earth - through to the umbral eclipse when it is fully in Earth's shadow.

This initial stage of the eclipse won't be seen in Western Australia because of its position, but those in Perth will see the moon changing colour to russet red as it rises shortly after sunset at 5.44pm.

'Hundreds of years ago the Americans used to call it the pink supermoon because a beautiful wildflower would bloom around the same time, so they would associate that with big, bright full moon,' astronomer Sara Webb said.

'It's one of those moons that when you're driving along or you're outside that you really like "woah".

'This one is not false advertising in the name. It actually is bright red and it's because it's going to happen during a partial lunar eclipse.'

Astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker told the ABC that a combined supermoon and a bloodmoon was incredibly rare.

'Unlike a blue moon this will actually look red or orange. The moon will go behind the earth's shadow but a little bit of sunlight skims the earth's atmosphere and goes out into space,' astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker told the ABC.

'The same effect that gives the sky its orange glow in the morning or afternoon will cause that on the moon - essentially you're seeing sunrise on the moon.'

Dr Tucker, who will be hosting a viewing of the spectacle in Canberra, said: 'A supermoon you get two or three a year... and a bloodmoon you only get every couple of years, the last one we had was in 2018. A supermoon and a bloodmoon you're talking about maybe one or two a decade.'

The eclipse will be on May 26, with skygazers across much of the US, Australia and parts of South America able to witness the moon turn red for 14 minutes

BEST TIME TO SEE THE BLOOD MOON TONIGHT Maximum eclipse will be visible at these times in our capital cities: Adelaide: 8.48pm. Melbourne: 9.18pm Sydney: 9.18pm Brisbane: 9.18pm Hobart: 9.18pm Canberra: 9.18pm Darwin: 8.48pm Perth: 7.18pm The moon will also be slightly closer to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than usual, dubbed a Super Moon. These unique factors, when combined, result in a 'Super Blood Wolf Moon'. This graphic shows how a lunar eclipse occurs Advertisement

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Sir Keir Starmer refuses 14 times to tell journalist Piers Morgan whether he has ever taken drugs in his upcoming ITV interview.

The grilling occurred during a three-hour sit-down for the hit Life Stories series amid claims the Labour leader was a 'party animal' at university.

In the programme, which airs on ITV and ITV Hub on June 1 at 9.30pm, Mr Morgan asks Sir Keir: 'Have you ever dabbled in anything stronger than alcohol?'

Sir Keir, the former director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013, replies: 'We worked hard and played hard.' When pressed for more detail by the MailOnline columnist, he states: 'Drugs weren't my thing.'

Mr Morgan insists it should be a 'yes or no' response, the Sun reports.

'Given your clear reluctance to give me a straight, simple answer, am I right in assuming from your response that you have tried drugs but that you didn't actually like them and didn't want to take any more?' he tells the Labour leader.

'I'm not saying it was your thing, but you did try it. I mean, you're reluctant to just say yes. You haven't said no.'

Sir Keir says: 'I haven't said no.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer refuses 14 times to tell Piers Morgan whether he has ever taken drugs in an upcoming ITV interview

TV host Mr Morgan grilled the Left-wing politician during a three-hour interview for his Life Stories series amid claims he was a 'party animal' at university

When he is asked how many sexual partners he had before meeting his wife Victoria, the Labour leader joked he did not want to 'do a Nick Clegg'.

The former Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister told Mr Morgan in 2008 that he had slept with as many as 30 women.

The latest revelations come after the Mail on Sunday reported how Sir Keir had given Mr Morgan the most 'searingly honest and intensely emotional' interview of his life.

Sir Keir, often portrayed by critics as unemotional and 'boring', repeatedly broke down in tears as he revealed how a series of devastating family tragedies shaped him into the man he is today.

The 58-year-old has been facing growing dissent in his party after a terrible set of election results earlier this month.

Mr Morgan described the interview as 'spine-tingling' saying: 'I've done 100 shows and I've rarely seen such raw emotion from any of my guests.

'People often ask, 'Who is the real Keir Starmer?' Well, there is a lot more to him than people think.

'This is the interview that shows the real him and it is one of the most searingly honest and intensely emotional interviews I've ever done.

The latest revelations come after the Mail on Sunday reported how Sir Keir had given Mr Morgan the most 'searingly honest and intensely emotional' interview of his life

Keir Starmer with his parents, Rodney and Josephine, taken on his wedding day to wife Victoria Alexander in 2007

'We've a once-in-a-generation chance to make UK more caring' Sir Keir tells Piers Britain has a 'once in a generation' opportunity to change, Sir Keir tells Piers Morgan in the interview. 'We're a brilliant country, we've done fantastic things. Labour governments have done things we're really, really proud of. But we've got this once in a generation opportunity,' he says. 'The pandemic has brutally exposed so much of what's wrong; the inequality, the insecurity, whether it's work, education, health, you name it. Brutally exposed that. 'But it's also done something I haven't seen in my lifetime, which is to expose the very best of Britain. That knock on the door, looking after one another, the empathy, the community spirit. We need to bring that together, change what needs to be changed.' Sir Keir has faced criticism after his party's humiliation at the polls earlier this month. His strategy of highlighting Tory 'sleaze' failed to appeal to voters and a near civil war broke out when he tried to demote his deputy Angela Rayner. He is asked by Mr Morgan to reveal the three words that sum up his vision for Britain. 'Pride in our country and pride in everything we do. Dignity for children growing up, dignity at work and dignity for people in older age. And change. We can't talk about things, we have to change things,' he replies. Asked what issues he would prioritise should he become Prime Minister, he says: 'A first-class education for every child, where there are real inspiring opportunities for children coming out of school. 'To make sure our economy deals with insecurity and inequality. That means changing from short-term investment, short productivity, a low-skilled economy into a different economy. Big things, big changes. Put real dignity into older age. And that means fixing our public services and fixing things like social care. 'These are the big ticket items coming out of the pandemic. They were the big ticket items before but now they are just more brutally exposed. I think the single most important thing is an active Labour government that wants to ensure our economy actually works for millions of people it doesn't work for now. 'A partnership between an active Labour government and business that changes our economy, grows our economy, takes advantage of tech and automation... 'Of course, it's got to be paid for. But before we get to the tax and spend discussion, the first discussion is how do you grow your economy? If your economy isn't growing then you're taxing less and less. So you've got to have a plan to grow the economy. Short-term investment, short-term skills is a broken model.' Advertisement

'You are left with a real sense of a man who comes from humble beginnings who has worked extremely hard and has had to overcome terrible adversity and a string of family tragedies, all of which have shaped him into the person he is today.'

The show was filmed in front of 40 people, including Sir Keir's wife Victoria, who could also be seen wiping away tears during parts of the show.

Because of the pandemic, it was the first time Sir Keir had sat before a live audience since becoming Labour leader in April last year.

Born to parents Rod, a toolmaker, and Jo, Sir Keir was the second of four children and raised in 'a ramshackle, 1930s pebble-dashed semi' in Oxted, East Surrey. He went to Reigate Grammar School before studying law at Leeds University and then Oxford.

Mum Jo, a nurse, was forced to give up work when her children were young after being diagnosed with Still's disease, a rare type of inflammatory arthritis which ravaged her body and caused her to be admitted to hospital multiple times.

Sir Keir became emotional as he spoke for the first time about his regret at his mother never getting to see him become an MP, even though, as a life-long Labour supporter, she had named him after the party's co-founder Keir Hardie. Jo died in 2015, just weeks before her son was elected MP for Holborn and St Pancras.

Sir Keir said: 'It was really tragic. She would have loved to have seen that. But she was so ill by then.

'That was the stage in her life when she'd had her leg amputated.

'She couldn't move, she couldn't use her hands, so she had to be fed. She couldn't speak, couldn't communicate. I would have loved her to have been there but she was in a terrible way. In a terrible, terrible place.'

He also revealed that his own children never got to know their grandmother.

'One of my biggest regrets is that our kids never knew her because by the time they were born, she was incapable of moving, speaking or being who she was. She was broken by then.'

And he choked back tears when asked what he would have liked to have said to his mother if they had been able to speak, saying simply: 'I love you.'

While he was 'extraordinarily close' to his mother - who had been told she would never have a family and so doted on her 'miracle' children - Sir Keir had a more complicated relationship with his father who, he says, was 'utterly devoted' to his wife, often at the expense of his relationship with his children.

Rod would work long hours at a toolmaking factory, returning home to see his family for dinner, before heading back to the factory and remaining there long into the night.

'His vows to look after her, whatever happened, were chiselled on his heart,' Sir Keir said. 'He knew everything about her illness. He made it his business to know every symptom.

'He gave up drink because he never wanted to be in a situation where he couldn't drive her to the hospital straight away if he needed to. His whole life was devoted to her and her health and what she needed and what she wanted. She was his whole life.

'That devotion, that sense of duty, is very, very powerful. It was a lifelong duty and when she died it broke him.'

He recalled a harrowing incident during his childhood when his mother was rushed to hospital and his father called him to say he needed to tell his older sister Anna, 60, and younger twin brother and sister, Nicholas and Katherine, 57, that she was dying.

'I think I was 12 or 13. We'd been in and out of hospital with Mum many times. I remember being at home and he phoned and he said: 'Your mum's not going to make it, can you tell the others?'

'That hit me because we knew Mum was really ill, of course we did. But we never spoke about the fact she might die.

'We hadn't had that conversation and so my dad - straight to the point, not emotional - said: 'I don't think your mum's going to make it. Can you tell the others?' And I knew he was not going to come back to do it. There was no way he was leaving that hospital. It was difficult.'

While Jo ultimately pulled through, the incident profoundly affected her oldest son, who threw himself into work, gaining a first-class law degree.

He co-founded the prestigious Doughty Street Chambers before he was made Director of Public Prosecutions in 2008.

Sir Keir's wife Victoria could also be seen wiping away tears during parts of the show

He was knighted by Prince Charles for his service to law and criminal justice in 2014. His parents attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace alongside their beloved Great Dane dog - although by that stage his mother was gravely ill and in a wheelchair.

The following year, after quitting law to enter politics and being elected an MP, Sir Keir had to deal with his mother's death and his father's rapid mental and physical decline.

'After she died, he retreated into this outhouse. He slept there. He put all of the family belongings in there. Their wedding photos. He had Mum's wedding ring on the side next to him by the bed. He didn't come out of there. We went in there to see him but he didn't come out much. He had a Great Dane, but losing my Mum broke him.'

His father became increasingly reclusive. 'He wasn't to be talked to. That wasn't my dad. He was matter of fact. He didn't really talk. He got ill. He got cuts to his legs and that got blood poisoning in and that got worse.

'He got slightly delirious and we had to take him to hospital. He was in hospital for a number of weeks. And in that time, I saw him give up, which was so unlike him. So unlike him and my mum.

'He gave up, he stopped trying to fight. And tragically died.

'This was in the middle of the Brexit heated debates. So I was arguing in Parliament and pretty well straight away getting the train down to hospital to go and see him.' When his father was in hospital that final time, in late 2018, a devastating blaze destroyed everything the family cherished.

'There was an electrical fault in the outhouse. It was wooden and burnt down. It was a massive fire which destroyed all of his possessions, all of their wedding photos, all of the photos they had of them together over their lifetime.

'The jewellery. The dog died. We raked through the ashes days later and found Mum's wedding ring; burnt, bent.'

Sir Keir was close to tears again as he admitted he never told his father everything he treasured had been destroyed.

'When he was able to speak he'd say: 'Is the dog all right?' And we had to say it was all right. He never knew.'

Equally devastating was the loss of Sir Keir's mother-in-law Barbara following a freak accident last year as he was campaigning to lead the Labour Party.

'The accident came out of the blue,' he said. 'I've seen intensive care many times but I'd never seen anything as awful as this. Vic [his wife Victoria] obviously got a message through to me, I was in the Chambers of Parliament and I went straight to the hospital.

'We were in the leadership election. It was very difficult for Vic and I took the decision to cancel the leadership campaigning and withdrew completely to be with her.

'That was the right thing to do, it didn't take me any time to make up my mind that was what I was going to do. Every day we went to the hospital. Tragically, Vic's mum didn't make it.

'I had to do something I'd never done before which was to comfort someone who was going through grief. My dad had died, my mum had died. I'd been through my version of that grief. But to see your wife go through it it's deep.

Piers Morgan's Life Stories with Sir Keir Starmer airs Tuesday June 1 at 9.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
Indigenous communities are urging all Australians to remember the mistreatment of the stolen generations on National Sorry Day.

Wednesday signals the start of National Reconciliation Week and the anniversary of the parliamentary tabling of the Bringing Them Home report in 1997.

The forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children from their families and communities must never be repeated and the hardships endured should never be forgotten, the stolen generations Council of NSW and ACT said.

'It is crucial for members of the stolen generations, that have endured so much pain, to be supported in their process of healing,' executive officer Kirrily Jordan said.

'The impact of these past government policies has started a vicious cycle of intergenerational trauma that requires extensive support and assistance.'

The organisation noted that the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care continues to increase and is set to double by 2029.

'Sorry Day is an annual reminder of the injustices committed against Aboriginal peoples by previous governments. Sadly, however, the impact of child removals on Aboriginal families is not a thing of the past.'

The federal government said National Sorry Day 'acknowledges and raises awareness of the history and continued effect of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their families, communities and culture'.

Throughout National Reconciliation Week the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet directs the Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag should be flown beside the Australian Flag on all government buildings, where possible.
A man who was allegedly armed with a shotgun has suffered a leg wound after being shot by police.

Officers went to a unit in Bethania in Logan City, south-east Queensland, at 11pm on Tuesday and allege they saw a 48-year-old man inside holding a gun.

A woman known to the man was also inside the Page Street unit.

A blood-splattered pathway in Bethania in Logan City, south-east Queensland is pictured after a man allegedly armed with a shotgun was shot by police

Officers went to the unit at 11pm on Tuesday and allege they saw a 48-year-old man inside holding a gun (file image)

Police say they began negotiating with the man.

'The man allegedly opened the door and walked towards officers, threatening them with the gun,' Queensland Police said in a statement on Wednesday.

'Police shot the man and immediately rendered first aid.'

He was taken to hospital with a leg wound. The woman was uninjured.

The Queensland Police ethical standards command is investigating.
Xi highlights integrity, hardworking spirit through stories from CPC history

Xinhua) 13:38, May 25, 2021

Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2020 shows the replica of a boat, now referred to as the Red Boat, on which the founders of the Communist Party of China convened a historic meeting in 1921, on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- As the Communist Party of China (CPC) marks its centenary in 2021, the Party is looking back on its history and recounting past glory.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has on multiple occasions shared stories from the history of the CPC that shine a light on the integrity and hardworking spirit of outstanding Party members.

CADRE RECOGNIZED AS ROLE MODEL OF INTEGRITY

Lankao, a county in central China's Henan Province that was once stricken by poverty, is known throughout the nation, largely because of Jiao Yulu, an official who worked there in the 1960s and died of illness on duty at the age of 42.

The late Lankao Party chief devoted his life to promoting local development by leading people to combat sandstorms, saline-alkali land and floods, known as the "three disasters" that plagued the county at the time.

Jiao has inspired generations of Chinese with his hard work, plain living and moral integrity.

Xi visited Lankao in March and May 2014. Addressing local officials, Xi urged them to strive to become outstanding Party members and officials by following Jiao as a role model of integrity.

Jiao lived a frugal life, repeatedly mending his clothes, hats, shoes, and socks to prolong their use, and "was always the first to bear hardships and the last to enjoy comforts," Xi said.

"He strictly abode by Party discipline and rules and never used his power to seek benefits for himself or his relatives," Xi highlighted.

SOLDIER REMEMBERED AS ICON OF ALTRUISM

Fushun, a city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, is where Lei Feng -- the late Chinese icon of altruism, served and was buried.

Lei joined the People's Liberation Army in 1960 and was known for devoting almost all of his spare time and money to selflessly helping others.

"If you were a water drop, would you like to provide any moisture for the fields; If you were a ray of sunshine, would you like to light up a portion of the dark; If you were a grain of rice, would you like to feed a life?" read a diary of Lei's.

In 1962, Lei died in an accident when he helped a fellow soldier direct a truck. He was only 22.

A year later, Chairman Mao Zedong called on the entire nation to follow Lei's example. Lei's legacy lives on.

In 2018, during an inspection to Fushun, Xi visited Lei's memorial and laid a flower basket before his tomb. Commemorating this Chinese icon of altruism, Xi stressed the need to pass on the Lei Feng spirit from generation to generation.

"We will be invincible" if each and every Chinese person, CPC member and CPC organization can practice the Lei Feng spirit and become "a shining cog which never rusts" in their own roles, Xi said.

QUARTERMASTER WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE

The past 100 years since the CPC's founding has seen a great number of outstanding CPC members. While some of them are household names like Jiao and Lei, there are also many others who are lesser known or even nameless but whose stories have been faithfully retold and remembered over the years.

Integrity and self-discipline have always been essential requirements for CPC members, especially those holding public office.

Xi once cited a story that took place during the Central Red Army's epic Long March in the 1930s.

While scaling a snowy mountain, a soldier was found frozen to death, clad in thin worn clothes. The commander sent for the officer in charge of supplies, demanding to know why cotton-padded coats had failed to reach the soldier. People told the commander through tears that the late soldier was none other than the quartermaster himself.

He who had all the quilts and uniforms at his disposal chose to die of cold rather than warm himself first. "What a noble state of mind!" Xi said.

"It is the devotion of thousands upon thousands of Chinese progressives with similar political consciousness that has helped the CPC win one arduous battle after another," Xi added.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Bianji)
Almost 60 years after nuclear tests in the Australian outback, radioactive particles still pose a risk to wildlife and residents, according to new report.

In the mid-1950s, Great Britain tested nuclear weapons at Maralinga, a remote area about 500 miles northwest of Adelaide.

Radioactive waste dotted the landscape for decades and the Australian government has spent millions on cleanup.

But researchers have discovered 'hot particles,' microscopic bits of plutonium and uranium, are still leaking into the soil and groundwater.

Scroll down for video

In 1956 and 1957, the British government conducted more than a half-dozen nuclear tests in Maralinga, a remote area in South Australia

After the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan at the end of WWII, leading nations in both the West and East rushed to develop their own atomic arsenal.

In the mid-1950s, Great Britain conducted seven nuclear tests at Maralinga, a 1,300 square-mile area in South Australia.

Those blasts yielded between 1 and 27 kilotons of TNT eachin comparison, Little Boy, dropped over Hiroshima, and Fat Man, released over Nagasaki, released 15 and 21 kilotons respectively.

The main trials, Operation Buffalo in 1956 and Operation Antler 1957, were followed by a smaller battery of tests of nuclear components.

Smaller trials involving blowing up nuclear devices with conventional explosives released more radiation that the seven bombs dropped

'These trials usually involved blowing up nuclear devices with conventional explosives, or setting them on fire,' researchers from Melbourne's Monash University explain in The Conversation. 'The subcritical tests released radioactive materials.'

Ironically, those smaller trials generated more contamination than both Operations Buffalo and Antler.

X-rays of so-called 'hot particles' from Maralinga. 'Potatohead' (in green) displays a uranium-rich grain

One series, the Vixen B trials, investigated the effects of fire on atomic weapons and, according to the researchers, spread 22.2 kilograms of plutonium and more than 40kg of uranium across the outback

'For comparison, the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki contained 6.4 kilograms of plutonium, while the one dropped on Hiroshima held 64 kilograms of uranium.'

It took a decade, in 1967, until the government first attempted to clean up the radioactive waste.

In 1985, native title of the land was granted to the Maralinga Tjarutja people.

That same year, though, a royal commission found significant radiation hazards still existed at many of the Maralinga sites.

Further cleanup took decades and more than $170 millionand Indigenous groups still complain of long-term health effects from ground contamination.

To date, the Australian government has paid more than $27 million in compensation to the Maralinga Tjarutja people due to radioactive contamination left over from nuclear tests in the 1950s

To date, the Australian government has paid more than $27 million in compensation to the Maralinga Tjarutja.

But according to the team's findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, tiny radioactive grains known as 'hot particles' are still spread throughout the soil.

'Until recently, we knew little about the internal makeup of these hot particles,' they wrote in The Conversation. 'This makes it very hard to accurately assess the environmental and health risks they pose.'

The team analyzed samples from Maralinga using a machine that can slice them open with a nanometer-wide beam of energy and analyze the interior.

They found plutonium and uranium in particles between a few micrometers and nanometers in size, as well as 'a plutonium-uranium-carbon compound that would be destroyed quickly in the presence of air, but which was held stable by the metallic alloy.'

While stable plutonium and uranium are fairly inert, their 'shell' can be damaged by the harsh. arid environment of the Outback, leaking radioactive material into the soil and groundwater. As this chart demonstrates, it can then easily be absorbed by plants, wildlife and humans

In their stable form, plutonium and uranium particles are fairly benign.

But, according to the report, that stable outer shell can break down in the harsh environment of the Australian outback.

'Natural chemical and physical processes in the outback environment may cause the slow release of plutonium from the hot particles over the long term,' they wrote.

That releases radiation into the soil and groundwater, where it can be absorbed by plants, wildlife and humans.

Plutonium emits alpha radiation, longer-term exposure to which can cause radiation sickness, lung cancer and genetic damage.

Alpha radiation isn't absorbed through the skin, but it can be ingested through eating, drinking or breathing.

Lead author Megan Cook, a doctoral candidate at Monesh, told the Australian Broadcasting Company that there is now 'a sustained and prolonged release of plutonium into the ecosystem.'

'If it leaches into the groundwater, it can become part of the uptake by plants,' Cook said. 'It can become more easily inhaled or eaten by animals, and as it becomes part of their ecosystem, it will accumulate.'
A Super Flower Blood Moon will light up the night skies tomorrow, appearing up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than a typical full moon.

This is because the moon is at its closest point in its orbit with Earth, and when this coincides with a full moon it is known as a Super Moon.

It is known as a Flower Moon as that is a full moon that coincides with the flowers blooming in May, and a blood moon as there will be a total lunar eclipse at the same time, although the eclipse won't be visible from the UK.

The moon will reach its peak brightness at 23:32 BST on May 26, with the lunar eclipse, causing it to appear redder than usual, happening at about 12:18 BST.

Unfortunately at this time the moon will be below the horizon in the UK, but skygazers across much of the US, Australia and parts of South America can witness the moon turn red for 14 minutes.

According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the next partial lunar eclipse to be barely visible from the UK is in November, followed by a total lunar eclipse in 2022.

Next week a supermoon will combine with a lunar eclipse, causing our natural satellite to appear bigger and redder than usual, according to astronomers

The Super Blood Moon, called that as the total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, will reach its peak brightness at 23:32 BST on May 26

A total lunar eclipse, like the one that will be visible in the US, is referred to as a Blood Moon due its more reddish colour than a non-eclipsed moon.

When the moon is full and at its closest point to Earth in its not entirely circular orbit, it is called a Super Moon and when a Super Moon occurs alongside an eclipse it is a Super Blood Moon - the full name for this moon is a Super Blood Flower Moon.

TV presenter, author and world-class astronomer Mark Thompson said a Super Moon is a great opportunity to to look for features on the lunar surface.

'The ease with which the full Moon can be spotted makes it a great object for kids and newcomers to stargazing,' he explained.

'See how many craters you can spot or if you can locate the Sea of Tranquillity where Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin landed in 1969.'

If you've ever wondered what it was like to move about on the Moon, Thompson suggests playing with the Canon Creative Park where 'you can explore the Moon by creating your own fleet of lunar roving vehicles.'

As well as being visible across most of the US, people in Australia, western parts of South America and South-East Asia should be able to see the eclipse happen.

The Super Flower Moon will turn a shade of red for 14 minutes during the eclipse, beginning at about 12:18 BST (07:18 ET).

This will happen a few hours after the moon reaches perigee, that is the closest point to Earth in its orbit, making it appear larger than a normal full moon.

A lunar eclipse happens two to five times a year, with a total eclipse happening every two to three years, according to Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomers.

A total lunar eclipse, like this one, occurs when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon and the shadow of the Earth completely covers the moon. It turns a shade of red when the eclipse reaches totality.

The eclipse will be start at 12:18 BST on May 26, but won't be visible from the UK as the moon will be below the horizon. However, skygazers across much of the US, Australia and parts of South America can witness the moon turn red for 14 minutes

According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the next partial lunar eclipse to be barely visible from the UK is in November, followed by a total lunar eclipse in 2022

The level of 'red' depends on a number of factors, including the amount of global dust in the Earth's atmosphere at the time of totality.

It can be a deep coppery red, or almost identical to its usual greyish self.

Dust in the atmosphere blocks the higher frequency blue light waves, but allows longer wavelength red light to shine through, astronomers explained.

On May 16, 2022 the UK will be able to watch its next total lunar eclipse, along with North America, Europe, South America and parts of Africa.

Even though you won't see the eclipse in the UK, the super moon itself is a great opportunity to study the moon, photograph the moon and gaze on the moon.

'A supermoon happens when a full moon occurs at the same time, or close to the time, that the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth  a point called perigee

Astronomer Mark Thompson said: 'Like all full Moons, Supermoons rise just as the sun sets so a great time to lookout for them is when they are low in the east just after sunset.

'The gas and any dust in the atmosphere will turn the Moon an eerie orange colour and will even look a little larger still, but thats just an illusion.'

Taking photographs of the moon can be a challenge, explained Thompson, who said people are often inspired to capture their own picture but just see a tiny white blob.

'To successfully capture lunar close-ups, a long lens is a must. Aspiring photographers should check out these expert tips from Canon for more advice.'
A huge spiral covering 100,000 square metres discovered in the Indian desert may be the largest drawing ever made, according to experts, who say it dwarfs the Nazca lines in South America.

The spiral artwork is made up of a series of small geoglyphs covering an area of about a million square feet in the Thar desert in India, first spotted on Google Earth by Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer, a father and son research team from France.

Nazca lines in Peru are a group of geoglyphs etched into a 380 sq mile area of desert sands dating back to at least 500 BCE, featuring figures of animals and plants.

While the South American geoglyphs are more plentiful, with up to 300 characters, and cover a larger area, a line in India is significantly larger than any one Nazca line.

The lines make up four distinct symbols, created by scraping sand and silt near the village of Boha, with the largest single symbol 2,374ft long and 650ft wide, made of a single seven and a half mile line spiralling inwards.

Study authors, not affiliated with any institution, say the lines may be at least 150 years old, but can't say anything more specific, adding their meaning is lost to history and they need to visit to study determine any dating.

The study authors wrote in their paper: 'Three memorial stones positioned at key points, give evidence that planimetric knowledge has been used to create this elaborate design'

Huge spirals discovered in the Indian desert may be the largest drawing ever made, according to experts, who say they dwarf the Nazca lines in South America

WHAT ARE GEOGLYPHS? Geoglyphs are works of art created by moving objects in the landscape. They are generally longer than four metres and are made of durable objects in the landscape, such as stones, trees and gravel. A positive geoglyph is formed by materials being laid on the ground while a negative geoglyph is formed by removing material. Since the 1970s, many geoglyphs have been discovered in the Amazon rainforest. They are often man-made ditches with strange square, circular or hexagonal shapes. The most famous geoglyphs are the Nazca lines in Peru. The cultural significance of these features remains unclear. Advertisement

The duo searched through images on Google Earth showing the desert for unusual features.

In the images they found eight possible sites, eventually discounting seven of them as being natural features.

The pair took a drone to the region in 2016 and flew it over the site.

During the drone flight they found seven of eight predicted sites were actually just furrows dug for failed tree plantations.

They found that the eighth site, near the village of Boha, had four distinct symbols, made up of 20 inch wide lines of varying length and complexity.

At the centre of the selection of geoglyphs is a symbol 2,374ft long and 650ft wide, made of a single seven and a half mile spiralling line.

South-west of this mega-spiral is a second line that repeatedly bends back on itself to form a grid of parallel lines, the team explained.

There are also a pair of smaller geoglyphs to the north and south-west, but they are both heavily eroded.

Despite the work being carried out by independent, researchers, 'the report is convincing,' says Daniela Valenzuela from the University of Tarapaca in Chile.

The Nazca lines in Peru cover a wider area than the Thar lines, but the individual figures and lines are smaller, with the longest labyrinth line 2.7 miles long.

The lines can't be seen from the ground, according to the researchers, with Valenzuela saying 'this may be significant'.

Adding that it may imply that their significant came from the act of creation, not later viewing by future people.

The study authors wrote in their paper: 'Three memorial stones positioned at key points, give evidence that planimetric knowledge has been used to create this elaborate design.'

Planimetric elements in geography are features independent of elevation - roads, rivers, lakes and buildings.

The lines make up four distinct symbols, created by scraping sand and silt near the village of Boha, with the largest single symbol 2,374ft long and 650ft wide, made of a single seven and a half mile line spiralling inwards

Study authors, not affiliated with any institution, say the lines are at least 150 years old, but can't say anything more specific, adding their meaning is lost to history.

'These artefacts allow us to envisage hypothetical modalities of edification,' the authors wrote.

'We collected indicators of antiquity suggesting that these lines may be at least 150 years old and possibly linked to the Hindu memorial stones surrounding them.

'The lack of visibility from the ground raises the question of their function and meaning. So far, these geoglyphs, the largest discovered worldwide and for the first time in the Indian subcontinent, are also unique as regards their enigmatic signs.'

In the case of the Nazca line geoglyphs, they were likely created by people removing the black topsoil to reveal light-coloured sand hidden underneath.

The spiral artwork is made up of a series of small geoglyphs covering an area of about a million square feet in the Thar desert in India, first spotted on Google Earth by Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer, a father and son research team from France

The lines can't be seen from the ground, according to the researchers, with Valenzuela saying 'this may be significant'

Geoglyphs span large land tracts located between the towns of Palpa and Nazca, and some depict animals, objects or compact shapes.

Often, the composition of a geoglyph cannot be fully realised at ground level. Only when one is high enough in the air can they discern the shapes.

For this reason the intricacies of the designs were not fully realised until aeroplanes were invented and the artwork was seen from the sky.

'We will need to go to India in the near future in order to complete our research and have a precise dating, in order to understand their function and meaning better. For now, the dating is hypothetical,' Carlo Oetheimer told MailOnline.

The findings have been published in the journal Archaeological Research in Asia.
An implantable 'living pharmacy' that may be able to halve the time it takes to recover from jet lag is being developed by researchers from Illinois.

Northwestern University experts have signed a $33 million (23.3 million) contract with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop the device.

Combining synthetic biology with electronics, the implant would contain engineered cells which produce the same peptides the body uses to regulate sleep/wake cycles.

When triggered wirelessly by an external hub, the device would use light to trigger the cellular production of precise peptide doses to adjust the user's body clock.

The implant could find application not only with long-distance flyers  both commercial and military  but also among workers who vary day and night shifts.

When triggered wirelessly by an external hub, the device would use light to trigger the cellular production of precise peptide doses to adjust the user's body clock, as depicted

'This control system allows us to deliver a peptide of interest on demand, directly into the bloodstream,' said project leader and biomedical engineer Jonathan Rivnay of Northwestern University.

'No need to carry drugs, no need to inject therapeutics and  depending on how long we can make the device last  no need to refill the device.

'It's like an implantable pharmacy on a chip that never runs out.'

The project to develop the living pharmacy  dubbed NTRAIN, or 'Normalizing Timing of Rhythms Across Internal Networks of Circadian Clocks'  will be realised in three phases, the first of which will be the development of the implant.

Once this has been realised, the device will next be subjected to validation checks before finally being tested in human trials.

Researchers from Northwestern will also be joined by experts from the Rice (Texas) and Carnegie Mellon (Pennsylvania) universities and Blackrock Microsystems, who together will provide expertise in cellular and bioelectronic engineering.

Combing synthetic biology with electronics, the implant (top) would contain engineered cells which, when activated by light (bottom left) produce the same peptides the body uses to regulate sleep/wake cycles (bottom right)

The implant could find application not only with long-distance flyers (left)  both commercial and military  but also among workers who vary day and night shifts (right)

Funding for four-and-a-half years has been provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency grant and is intended to form part of their wider program to address travel-related issues like jet lag, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues.

Alongside controlling one's circadian rhythms, the team believe that the implantable pharmacy could also be adapted to administer precisely timed and dosed therapies for various diseases as well as the treatment of pain.

In the meantime, the researchers also believe that the current program will help shine more light on the nature of sleep/wake cycles in general.

'The experiments carried out in these studies will enable new insights into how internal circadian organization is maintained,' said sleep team leader and neurobiologist Fred Turek, also of Northwestern University.

'These insights will lead to new therapeutic approaches for sleep disorders as well as many other physiological and mental disorders.'

The latter, he added, will include those 'associated with aging where there is often a spontaneous breakdown in temporal organization.'
The Brood X cicadas may well be an annoyance for much of the east coast in the U.S. this summer, but one small county in Georgia is pleading with its residents to not call 911 about their temporary, albeit noisy neighbors.

Officials at Union County Fire/Rescue & EMA -- roughly two hours from Atlanta -- posted to its Facebook page that it has received 'multiple 911 calls' for 'alarms' in the neighborhood that are most likely, the result of the Brood X cicadas making noises.

'This brood of cicadas emerges every 17 years and is endemic in most of the eastern United States,' the government agency wrote in the post. 'They also have a range of different sounds they can produce, making them some of the loudest of all insects.'

They continued: 'It is often difficult to pinpoint where the sound is coming from and can sound like a vehicle or home alarm system. Their song can be loud enough to cause hearing loss as they can produce sounds up to 120 db.'

'So, if you think you hear an alarm ensure that it is an alarm and determine the location before contacting authorities.'

Emergency service workers in Union County, Georgia are asking residents not to call 911 because of 'alarms' going off in their neighborhoods that are most likely the buzzing noises made by Brood X cicadas

Brood cicadas produce sounds 'loud enough to cause hearing loss as they can produce sounds up to 120 db,' officials said

These cicadas last emerged from the ground in the summer of 2004 and have orange stripes down the body and an orange patch between the eyes.

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Founded in 1832, Union County is home to just under 22,000 residents and is described as the 'quintessential mountain community,' according to its website.

Brood X will emerge this year in Connecticut, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, along with Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C.

There are 15 major 'broods' of cicadas in different geographic areas, with life cycles of either 13 or 17 years. Brood X is the tenth - with the X being the roman numeral for ten.

These insects emerge from the ground in droves, with some years seeing trillions of cicadas in a season. They mostly appear in the eastern and central parts of the US.

This is the big brood  the same one that emerged in the spring and early summer of 2004.

Aside from Georgia, some of the Brood X have already appeared in North Carolina and South Carolina because of warmer temperatures

After the cicadas shed their exoskeleton, their bodies harden and darken to resemble their familiar appearance (pictured)

Some of the Brood X have already appeared in North Carolina, South Carolina, as well as the aforementioned Georgia, where temperatures are warmer.

The next big cicada emergence will be in 2024, when the 17-year Brood XIII (13) and 13-year Brood XIX (19) will emerge.

Brood X cicadas are characterized by unique coloring  they boast orange stripes down the body and an orange patch between the eyes.

This colony will produce the same buzzing as heard in the summer of 2004, as their cacophonous mating song are loud enough to drown out a passing jet plane.

The loud buzzing is performed only by males as a way to attract a mate.

In response, female cicadas click their wings and provide the area with a chorus of sounds that can be quite unpleasant.

Following that, the two insects mate and the female lays eggs in the tree.

The nymphs then drop out and burrow underground to begin their own hibernation.

Cicadas are relatively harmless and are more of a nuisance - they fly into windshields and leave their tiny carcasses everywhere.

What makes these creatures so interesting is the ability to harden their exoskeletons, which takes about five days, and shed it in order to being flying.

After molting, the cicada's body hardens and darkens to resemble their familiar appearance.
NASA is developing a new satellite-centric program set to help the U.S. government better understand the effects of climate change and extreme weather events.

Known as the Earth System Observatory, at least five satellites will be launched through 2029 to create a 3-D view of the Earth, looking at everything from its bedrock to its atmosphere.

The satellites will look at a whole host of areas related to human activities and weather events, including aerosols, rising sea levels and the impact that climate change is having on food and agriculture.

Measuring ice-sheet collapse, as well as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, are also a part of the mission.

Assessing droughts and forecasting associated planning of water use for agriculture is also a part of the mission.

'I've seen firsthand the impact of hurricanes made more intense and destructive by climate change, like Maria and Irma,' NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson said in a statement. 'The Biden-Harris Administration's response to climate change matches the magnitude of the threat: a whole of government, all hands-on-deck approach to meet this moment.'

Nelson continued: 'Over the past three decades, much of what we've learned about the Earth's changing climate is built on NASA satellite observations and research. NASA's new Earth System Observatory will expand that work, providing the world with an unprecedented understanding of our Earth's climate system, arming us with next-generation data critical to mitigating climate change, and protecting our communities in the face of natural disasters.'

NASAs new Earth System Observatory will guide efforts related to climate change and help better understand extreme weather events, such as this 2017 thermal image of Hurricane Maria

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he became an 'environmentalist' after his stint as an astronaut

NASA said the Earth-focused missions will provide 'key information' for a multitude of events, such a fighting forest fires to dealing with natural disasters

The upcoming missions are part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to 'enhance climate resilience,' including providing additional money to FEMA, executive orders and strengthening the National Climate Task Force.

The proposed missions follows the recommendations from the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey.

According to SpaceNews, the survey estimated the cost of each mission between $300 million and $800 million.

Speaking with Axios, Nelson, a former astronaut on the Space Shuttle Columbia and Florida Senator, said that he shares the Biden administration's urgency on climate change.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (pictured) said that if something is not done about the planet heating up, there will be 'more ferocious' and 'larger' storms

'Now I'm in a position to try to help my friend, who is the President, and what he is trying to do, is to shape the reality of what is happening to our planet into the focus of people's minds, that the Earth is in fact heating up, and we'd better get about the business of trying to do something about it,' he told the news outlet.

'Otherwise, you will continue to have more ferocious storms, and, and they will be larger.'

Nelson added that he became an 'environmentalist' after his stint as an astronaut.

Though the mission is still in the formulation phase, NASA said it is already working with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

The U.S. space agency may use the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) spacecraft as a pathfinder for the observatory.
Humans are never going to be able to live beyond 150 years of age, according to scientists who developed an app to predict the maximum lifespan.

Experts in biology and biophysics fed an artificial intelligence system vast amounts of DNA and medical data, on hundreds of thousands of volunteers in the UK and US.

This allowed them to develop an AI-driven iPhone app that, with simple input from a user, can accurately estimate the rate of biological ageing and maximum lifespan.

As part of the big data study, they found there were two key parameters responsible for human lifespan, both covering lifestyle factors and how our body responds.

The first factor is our biological age, linked to stress, lifestyle and disease, and the second is resilience, reflecting how quickly the first factor returns to normal.

This allowed the team to determine that the longest any human is likely to ever live is 150 years, almost double the current UK average lifespan of 81 years.

The discovery is based on blood samples from two different longitudinal DNA studies, analysed by the team from Gero, a Singapore-based biotech company and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York.

Humans are never going to be able to live beyond 150 years of age, according to scientists who have predicted that this is our maximum lifespan. Stock image

The researchers developed an iPhone app that can use your health data to predict your biological age. It tells you how your biological age compares to your calendar age and how long you'll take to recover from an injury or disease

WHEN DO HUMAN BRAINS BECOME 'OLD'? The human brain becomes 'old' at just 25, research suggested in February 2017. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is found in the brain and spinal cord, changes its speed of movement in people older than their mid-20s, a Lancaster University study found. These movements are linked to breathing and heart rates, with CSF changes previously being associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis and high blood pressure. It is unclear if these CSF changes are associated with brain disorders that typically affect the elderly, such as dementia. Previous research suggests the volume and weight of the brain begins to decline by around five per cent per decade when a person reaches 40 years old. On the back of these findings, study author Professor Aneta Stefanovska added further research 'may open up new frontiers in the understanding and diagnosis of various neurodegenerative and ageing-related diseases to improve diagnostic procedures and patient prognosis.' The discovery came to light during the development of a new method of investigating brain function, which has revealed the stage in life when the brain starts to deteriorate. Previous research carried out by Imperial College London suggests brains' grey matter, which enables the organ to function, shrinks during middle age and is related to cell death. White matter, which enables communication between nerve clusters, also appears to decline at around 40. This is also when the deterioration of myelin sheath occurs. Myelin sheath is a fatty substances that surrounds nerve cells and ensures proper function of the nervous system. These changes are thought to occur due to a reduction in the hormones dopamine and serotonin. Advertisement

Researchers made use of an instrument, called DOSI (dynamic organism state indicator), that takes into account age, illness and lifestyle factors, to work out how resilient our body is, including its ability to recover from injury or disease.

Study first author Dr Tim Pyrkov, of Gero, said: 'Calculation of resilience based on physical activity data streams has been implemented in the GeroSense iPhone app.

'It shows a complete loss of human body resilience, that is the ability to recover, at some age around 120 to 150 years old.'

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, also included step count data from around 4,500 adults in the US.

Gero co founder Dr Peter Fedichev said: 'Ageing in humans exhibits universal features common to complex systems operating on the brink of disintegration.

'This work is a demonstration of how concepts borrowed from physical sciences can be used in biology to probe different aspects of senescence and frailty to produce strong interventions against ageing.'

Senescent - or 'zombie' - cells are believed to hold the key to an 'elixir of youth' pill, the team say, as they are 'alive but non-functioning'.

These cells have been linked to everything from arthritis to Alzheimer's.

For most of recorded human history average life expectancy has been between 20 and 40 years. Today in the UK it is about 80 years and in the US about 78 years.

Improved nutrition, clean water, better sanitation and the application of medical science have been key in significantly raising our average lifespan.

Experts believe that in the future, genetic manipulation, calorie restriction and drugs may extend life much further, but DOSI analysis puts a hard limit on just how far.

The analysis found DOSI fluctuations increase with age, due to an increase in recovery time, and Dr Pyrkov used this to find out how long we can keep running.

The result will disappoint some longevity researchers - who have said it is possible to live to 1,000, finding instead that the cap is about 150 years of age.

Reduced resilience was observed even in those not suffering from major chronic disease, leading to an increased range of fluctuations.

Dr Pyrkov said: 'As we age, more and more time is required to recover after a perturbation, and on average we spend less and less time close to the optimal physiological state.'

The predicted weakening in the healthiest, most successfully ageing individuals sheds light on why maximum lifespan has plateaued out.

But it opens the door to new treatments - and clinical trials. Preventing or curing diseases won't extend it, but there may be future treatments that can.

Dr Pyrkov said: 'We do not foresee any laws of nature prohibiting such an intervention.

'Therefore, the aging model presented in this work may guide the development of life-extending therapies with the strongest possible effects on healthspan.'

As part of the big data study they found there were two key parameters responsible for human lifespan, both covering lifestyle factors and how our body responds

Researchers made use of an instrument, called DOSI (dynamic organism state indicator), that takes into account age, illness and lifestyle factors, to work out how resilient our body is, including its ability to recover from injury or disease

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY AROUND THE WORLD Japan - 84.3 years

Australia - 83 years

France 82.5 years

Canada - 82.2 years

UK - 81.4 years

US - 78.5 years

Somalia - 56.6 years ------------- World - 73.3 years

Europe - 78.2 years

Western Pacific - 77.7 years

Americas - 77.2 years

South-East Asia - 71.4 years

Eastern Mediterranean - 69.7 years

Africa - 64.5 years Advertisement

The team have also built a wearable DOSI called GeroSense to compute resilience, based on a stream of various data points on a users physical activity.

A population study found resilience increases exponentially with age - and doubles every eight years, matching the 'Gompertz mortality law'.

This law, named after 19th century self-educated mathematician and scientist Benjamin Gompertz, who observed the risk doubles every eight years.

Co author Professor Andrei Gudkov, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre in the US, said this new study is a 'conceptual breakthrough.'

'It determines and separates the roles of fundamental factors in human longevity - the ageing, defined as progressive loss of resilience, and age related diseases.

'It explains why even most effective prevention and treatment of age-related diseases could only improve the average but not the maximal lifespan unless true anti ageing therapies have been developed.'

Brian Kennedy, a physiologist at National University Singapore who was not involved in the study, said said this will help doctors understand the limits of longevity.

'What is even more important, the study may help to bridge the rising gap between the health and lifespan, which continues to widen in most developing countries.'

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
The Harvard physicist who claimed the first interstellar visitor in 2017 was an alien craft, although the object has been determined to be a rock, says Earth needs to form treaties with extraterrestrial civilizations in order to keep the peace in space.

The stark warning comes from Avi Loeb in a new Scientific American op-ed, who believes an advanced civilization could create powerful machines that send particles and energy speeding through space that would burn everything in the galaxy  including our own planet.

The bad news is that we would not receive any advance warning before this cosmic disaster hit us in the face because no precursor signal can move faster than light to alert us to the risk, Loeb wrote.

However, he proposes a solution that would keep our cosmic environment safe  an interstellar treaty.

The proposal would be similar to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that was signed in 1963 by governments of the US, the UK and the Soviet Union.

This treaty banned nuclear weapon tests or any other nuclear explosion in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water.

Using this as a guideline for when humans make contact with other advanced civilizations in the Local Group of galaxies would, according to Loeb, prevent a cosmic catastrophe.

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The Harvard physicist who claims our first interstellar visitor in 2017 (artist impression) was an alien craft warns Earth needs to form treaties with extraterrestrial civilizations in order to keep the peace in space

Loeb is the longest-serving chair at the Ivy League college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has made headlines for his idea about Oumuama  an object that soared through our solar system in 2017.

With this in mind, it seems Loeb is preparing for the possibility of finding an alien civilization, capable of producing powerful machines

Imagine an advanced civilization somewhere in the universe, which developed a particle accelerator that collides electrons at the Planck energy, the scale where gravity must be described quantum mechanically, he wrote for Scientific America.

A particle accelerator uses electromagnetic field to shoot charged particles at very high speeds and energies, which scientists believe could be used to study dark matter and whether time travel exists.

The stark warning comes from Avi Loeb (pictured) in a new Scientific American op-ed, who states an advanced civilization could create powerful machines that send particles and energy speeding through space, which could burn everything in the galaxy  including our own planet

Loeb explains that if a distant world activates a particle accelerator, it could create a 'soap bubble' of dark energy that would expand and disintegrate everything in the path of its detonation wave. Pictured is one being built on Earth

Loeb explains that if a distant world activates a particle accelerator, it could create a 'soap bubble' of dark energy that would expand and disintegrate everything in the path of its detonation wave.

The detonation would be capable of traveling through space at the speed of light and release a massive amount of energy that would destroy Earth.

He suggests creating the Planck Collider Treaty that follows similar rules of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

In the long term, the need to sign a treaty is only pressing within our galaxy, the Milky Way, and its nearest neighbor, Andromeda; it does not extend beyond the Local Group of galaxies, Loeb explained.

Even without a treaty signed or honored on extended intergalactic scales, the accelerated expansion of the universe will ultimately save us from the risk of a Planck collider catastrophe.

Loeb has had his focus on other world civilizations for quite some time, with the most notable when Oumuama appeared in 2017.

He recently published a book titled 'Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth,' which argues the consensus that Oumuamu is not a comet or asteroid, but a light sail  a method of spacecraft propulsion.

In a January interview with Salon, Loeb explains that Oumuamu exhibited excess push, which he believes comes from sunlight.

Using this as a guideline for when humans make contact with other advanced civilizations in the Local Group of galaxies would, according to Loeb, prevent a cosmic catastrophe.

'So a light sail is just like a sail on a boat that reflects the wind, the wind is pushing it,' Loeb told Salon.

'In the case of a light sail, it's the light reflected off its surface that gives it the kick, the push. Light is made of particles called photons.'

Oumuamua was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii millions of miles away.

The red-tinged rock is estimated to be possibly 1,300 feet (400 meters) long and zooming away from the Earth and sun at more than 16 miles (26 kilometers) per second.

Loeb received backlash from scientists after claiming the object was actually a discarded piece of technology from aliens.
Introducing gray wolves into areas heavily populated by deer have caused deer-related vehicle collisions to drop roughly 24 percent on average, according to a newly published study.

The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that thinning the deer population with a natural predator significantly alters the deer's' behavior, resulting in fewer accidents.

'In a pretty short period of time, once wolves colonize a county, deer vehicle collisions go down about 24%,' said Dominic Parker, a natural resources economist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and co-author of the new study told the Associated Press.

Jennifer Raynor, a natural resources economist at Wesleyan University and a co-author of the new study, looked at deer population, wolf population and deer-vehicle collision data for 63 Wisconsin counties between 1988 and 2010.

In 29 counties with wolves, there was a six percent reduction in deer-vehicle collisions, The Atlantic reported.

The remaining decline is believed to be due to the presence of the wolves near the roads, effectively creating a barrier that is also known as a 'landscape of fear.'

'It suggests wolves control economic damages from overabundant deer in ways that human deer hunters cannot,' the researchers wrote in the study.

Aside from the obvious societal impact of fewer accidents, there's also an economic benefit to introducing gray wolves to the region, the researchers added.

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Gray wolves resulted in an average of 24% fewer deer-vehicle collisions, thanks to being natural predators of deer and their behavior

The wolves creating a barrier near the roads, known as a 'landscape of fear.' to prevent the deer from venturing over there

That state saved $10.9 million in losses, or roughly 63 times the amount of compensation paid for the loss of livestock from the wolves.

'The icing on the cake is that wolves do this work all year long at their own expense,' Western University ecologist Liana Zanette told The Atlantic. 'It all seems like a win-win for those wolf counties.'

'When you have a major predator around, it impacts how the prey behave,' Parker added.

'Wolves use linear features of a landscape as travel corridors, like roads, pipelines and stream beds. Deer learn this and can adapt by staying away.'

Michigan Tech researcher and ecologist Rolf Peterson, who did not work on the study, told the AP that 'when wolves moved in during the 1990s and 2000s, the deer-vehicle collisions went way down.'

Gray wolves, among the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. But in other regions of the U.S., gray wolves have dispersed naturally; the population in the lower 48 states now totals about 5,500.

Days before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the Trump administration removed the gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act, calling the gray wolf's recovery 'a milestone of success.'

The new study said that the presence of wolves, maligned by ranchers whose livestock suffers predation, also can save money by indirectly reducing deer-vehicle collisions.

In 2008, a study for the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated those crashes cost more than $8 billion annually.

Some studies have looked at tourism revenue generated by wolf-watchers in Yellowstone, but that money doesnt flow directly to communities living alongside wolves, Raynor explained.

'We wanted to look at other ways the wolves impacted the region,' Raynor said. 'These auto collisions are happening, or not happening, in rural areas, and so are livestock damages.'

A 2016 study found that cougars decreased the number of deer-vehicle crashes in parts of the eastern U.S. by about 22%.
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Spectacular photographs of the Milky Way  seen dwarfing volcanoes, waterfalls and churches on Earth  show our galaxy in fascinating and rarely-seen detail.

Released by travel photography blog Capture The Atlas, the 25 images capture the stars as a scintillating backdrop to trees, lakes and cliffs, as well as deserts, coastlines and snow-covered vistas.

They have been nominated for the website's annual 'Milky Way Photographer of the Year' compilation, which is held in late May or early June to coincide with the peak of the Milky Way season.

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'Mt. Taranaki Milky Way'  by Larryn Rae at Fanthams Peak, Mt. Taranaki in New Zealand. Ms Rae said: 'This is one of the most challenging shots I have ever captured, as it required climbing for four hours in 40mph winds to reach the ice summit of Fanthams Peak  a volcano on the side of Mt Taranaki. I am so stoked to have captured what I did under perfect clear skies'

'Navajo nights'  by Christine Kenyon in Bisti Badlands, New Mexico, USA. Ms Kenyon said: 'With the silhouette of my Navajo guide nearby, I shot the foreground as blue hour washed over this ancient land, then watched with joy as the stars coursed through the heavens above. When the Milky Way rose into prominence and settled where I had hoped, I exposed for the sky to complete this blend'

'Around dead trees'  by Gary Bhaztara in Java, Indonesia, who said: 'I took this shot of the Milky Way facing south after the sun set in the west. At the same time, the blue fire was burning just below the mountain while the Milky Way kept rising'

'Chamber of light'  by Spencer Welling below a remote set of cliffs in Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, USA. Mr Welling said: 'Due to its remoteness, this natural stone chamber provides some of the clearest, most pristine views of the Milky Way framed by the copper-coloured opening of the cavern'

'Heavens above'  by John Rutter. It shows fog clearing to reveal an old church in a paddock in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Rutter said: 'That night, the forecast was for terrible weather, so I had written the night off and went home. To my amazement, the skies cleared and it was a race to get back to the location and start shooting!'

The images were taken all over the world, including at an Alpine lake in Switzerland, a Greek observatory and an emerald cove on the Californian coast.

This year's list includes images that were taken in 12 countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Iran, Turkey, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Greece.

The shots were submitted by 25 photographers who hailed from 14 different nationalities.

'Volcano and cross'  by Tomas Slovinsky in Villarrica Volcano, Chile. Mr Slovinsky said: 'In the upper left corner, theres a night sky gem: the red-coloured Carina Nebula. This is also only visible in the Southern Hemisphere and, even though its visible to the naked eye, with a pair of binoculars, we can see all the beautiful details'

'Night lovers'  by Mohammad Hayati, capturing the Milky Way rising on a spring night on the Persian Gulf coast in Hormozgan Province, Iran. Mr Hayati said: 'Im a nightscaper who tries to achieve an artistic look in my images, and in this image, I tried to convey and capture the magic of this location'

'The watchman'  by Brandt Ryder of 'The Watchman' mountain summit in Zion National Park, Utah in the USA. Mr Ryder said: 'Utahs dark skies are a mecca for astrophotographers from around the world... after some exploring, I came across this twisted skeleton of an old juniper framing 'The Watchman'. When I noticed how the angles of the tree matched the peak near perfectly, I knew I had found something special'

'GranTeCan'  by Antonio Solano in La Palma in the Canary Islands. Mr Solano said: 'On the last night of my trip to La Palma, I went up to the "Roque de los Muchachos," where I enjoyed a nice dinner with my girlfriend while watching the spectacular sunset over the sea of clouds that is typical of this location'

'Rising from the dust'  by Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Mr Tenti said: 'This photograph was taken in Teide Volcano National Park on the island of Tenerife and shows our beautiful galaxy over an incredible volcanic landscape  a real night-photographers wonderland!'

The quality of the image, the story behind the shot, and the overall inspiration that the photograph can provide are the main factors for selecting the images every year, Capture the Atlas said.

'To help you find inspiration for planning and executing your Milky Way images, we've gathered the best Milky Way images taken around the world, as we do every year,' the travel photography blog announced on its website.

'Buckle up because this trip is going to take you from the remote deserts of the American Wild West to the unfamiliar landscapes of the Australian Outback, passing by spectacular glaciers, volcanoes, mountains, beachesalways with the Milky Way shining in the sky.'

'Our Lady of the Snows'  by Uros Fink in Velika Planina, Slovenia. Mr Fink said: 'I had been planning this panorama for quite some time, and as soon as I had the opportunity, I didnt hesitate and went for it. This area is also known for the wooden shepherds' huts. In the centre of the panorama, the protagonist is the chapel "Our Lady of the Snows" '

'When all the stars align'  by Kelly Teich in Mammoth Lakes, California. Ms Teich said: 'This particular location, near Mammoth Lakes, is a unique spot where the vertical alignment of the Milky Ways Galactic Core sits perfectly over a mountain peak and a creek with natural hot springs flowing into it. You really couldnt ask for a better foreground to work with!'

'Nyctophilia'  by Jose Luis Cantabrana in Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. Mr Cantabrana said: 'This incredible location has always amazed me, even before I had any interest in photography. This set of rocks, carved by the incessant churning of the sea and the powerful wind that whips the south coast of Victoria is, without a doubt, the most emblematic landscape of Australia'

'ADK Magic'  by Daniel Stein in the Adirondack Mountains, New York. Mr Stein said: 'Tucked away in upstate NY, the Adirondacks region consists of six million acres of land designated as "Forever Wild". It is home to some of the last known darkest skies on the East Coast. I feel like I am home when I am hiking in the Adirondacks. This shot, then, captures the magic which I feel fills my heart when I am there. Not only does it consist of a lake which seems to take the formation of a heart itself, but it also shows just how much the East Coast has to offer: beautiful woodlands combined with still water and rolling hills'

'Paradise Beach'  by Alyn Wallace in Lycian Way, Turkey. Mr Wallace said: 'I spent the pandemic in a remote valley on the southwest coast of Turkey trying to avoid the chaos of restrictions and lockdowns. Sitting on the mountainside enjoying this view of the Milky Way arching across the mountains whilst listening to the sound of the waves breaking gently below and the owls twitting through the valleys was just the kind of peace and solitude I needed'

'Paradise'  by Marcin Zajac in California. Mr Zajac said: 'If I had to choose my favourite place on earth, this might be it. Located on the Pacific Coast near Big Sur, it really has everything: a beautiful cove filled with emerald waters, an 80ft waterfall that falls directly onto the beach, a palm tree that makes you feel like youre on a tropical island, and a perfectly dark sky that shines bright with stars at night'

Capture the Atlas said they hoped the competition will help and inspire people to learn more about the galaxy.

For the full set of images and list photographers' quotes visit the Capture the Atlas online gallery.

The website also has a list of helpful tips on how to catch the best shots of the Milky Way 'like an expert'.

'Temple of the sun'  by Bryony Richards in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Ms Richards said: 'These Jurassic-aged sandstone monoliths, which formed as sandy mud on a tidal flat, tower above the otherwise flat desert floor. It seems like more than a coincidence that the Temples line-up perfectly with the Milky Way, their vibrant orange colours seemingly reflecting the colour of the stars above'

'Cadini di Misurina'  by Stefano Pellegrini in Cadini di Misurina, Dolomites, Italy. Mr Pellegrini said: 'This was from a great Milky Way trip in the Italian Dolomites, although there were some challenges because of the weather. First of all, I took this picture in May when the snow had almost melted, so I had to make the ascent to "Auronzo" on foot instead of by snowmobile. Also, the path was hard because I had walk it in the middle of a heavy snow storm'

'Starry night at Helmos Observatory'  by Constantine Themelis at the Helmos Observatory in Greece. M Themelis said: 'Every time I look at this image, it blows my mind to see what you can capture with recent technology and how close you can get to the cosmos'

'The Forgotten side of Kangaroo Island'  by 'Blntpencil' at Baudin Beach, Kangaroo Island, Australia. They said: 'It is a capture of the rising galactic centre floating above the ocean and represents the way of life on the island "where people live at one with nature" '

'Devils throat'  by Victor Lima at Iguazu Falls, Brazil. Mr Lima said: 'In this image, we have one of the main waterfalls of the Iguazu Falls complex, the "Santa Maria Jump". Right over the fall, we can see Saturn and the zodiacal light illuminating the horizon. Further up there is the Milky Way Core'

'Dragon's Lair'  by Daniel Thomas Gum in Mungo, New South Wales, Australia. Mr Gum said: 'The moment I came upon this scene, I knew exactly what I wanted to the name the image. It was otherworldly  think Game of Thrones  and it lined up perfectly for how I wanted to capture it'

'Riano'  by Pablo Ruiz in Riano, Spain. Mr Ruiz said: 'I captured this image last winter in the Riano Mountain Reservoir in Spain... The composition of the winter Milky Way over the mountains and the reservoir created magical scenery'

'Steinsee'  by Benjamin Barakat in Susten Pass, Switzerland. Mr Barakat said: 'This small Alpine lake is located in the Swiss Alps on a mountain pass. Most of the year, it's closed due to snow but once it had cleared, I had to make my way there and capture the Milky Way'

'Desolation'  by Phil Sisto in the Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Mr Sisto said: 'This image was captured in the remote Cathedral Valley District of the park. I placed my camera low to the ground, exaggerating the otherworldly mud cracks with my wide-angle lens, and shot the sky with a longer lens as a panorama on my star tracker'
For nearly three years from June 2016 to August 2019, police said she received $41,734.83 in subsidies she was not entitled to receive from the state Department of Children and Families, the states Division of Criminal Justice said in a news release.
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The last time we were here, rooms cost 30. Now we're paying 275.

That's because The Falcon (built in 1594) has been transformed by the 75-year-old 7th Marquess of Northampton (known as the Mystic Marquess for his fascination with ancient lore and freemasonry) and his sixth wife, variously described as a sex therapist, yoga teacher, meditation devotee and believer in 'energy lines'.

Consequently, we don't know what to expect as we pitch up in driving rain.

The Falcon on the Castle Ashby estate has been transformed by the 7th Marquess of Northampton and his sixth wife

There are 22 rooms, some in the main building, some in an annexe and one or two in nearby cottages. The Inspector checked into a 'superior' room, pictured

The Inspector said the shared living space off his room was cosy, but it would have been 'even cosier if there wasn't a "please don't light" sign by the wood burner'

'Overall, it offers a masterclass for combining old and new,' the Inspector says of The Falcon's interior design

First, we are astounded by the magnificence of Grade I-listed Castle Ashby, even more so on discovering that it is one of two stately homes owned by Spencer 'Spenny' Compton.

The second one, 84-room Compton Wynyates, in Warwickshire, is where Spenny and his wife Tracy live.

'They are often here and Lady Northampton is a real sweetheart,' says a chatty member of staff from Estonia.

Certainly, the atmosphere is inviting and unthreatening, with a Swedish vibe.

Natural wood, stone, wool, large windows and one or two arresting paintings. Overall, it offers a masterclass for combining old and new.

A view of the magnificent Grade I-listed Castle Ashby, which is one of the seats of the Marquess of Northampton

The hotel's chef worked at Gordon Ramsay's Petrus and there is a multi-course menu, including one devoted to home-made sourdough and unpasteurised butter, offered at 60 per head

The smart interiors continue through to the hotel's informal bar area

There are 22 rooms, some in the main building, some in an annexe and one or two in nearby cottages.

We're in a cottage, with two rooms upstairs and a shared sitting room, and we have the place to ourselves.

Cosy but it would be even cosier if there wasn't a 'please don't light' sign by the wood burner.

'It's the best place to eat in the county,' a shopkeeper in the village had told us.

I wouldn't know about that, but this is highly sophisticated cooking (the chef worked at Gordon Ramsay's Petrus), with the full Michelin-seeking works: canape, amuse-bouche, one course devoted to home-made sourdough and unpasteurised butter, starter, main and dessert for 60 a head.

The Inspector said that his windowless bathroom was 'a big disappointment'. Pictured, an example of one of the guest bathrooms at The Falcon minus a window

Double rooms at The Falcon start from 205. Pictured, one of the hotel's inviting communal areas

For fitness fanatics, the hotel also has its own yoga studio and juice bar, pictured

Throw in a couple of drinks and a bottle of vino, and you're spending a lot at Spenny's place.

Service is slow. The gap between starter and main course is absurdly long, for which our waitress apologises unreservedly.

Funnily enough, service at breakfast is slow, too, even though the hotel is not even a quarter full.

This can easily be remedied. What also should be remedied are the prices.

Our 'superior' room is pretty, but not 275 worth of pretty and the tiny windowless bathroom is a big disappointment.
Brynne Edelsten's drug charges could not have come at a worse time.

It has been years since the 38-year old American has appeared in a bonafide reality show success.

As a contestant on the upcoming season two of Channel 7 series SAS Australia, Edelsten's face already appears on posters alongside a host of Australian celebrities who rightfully enjoy a much larger claim to fame than her.

Reality comeback: Brynne Edelsten was preparing for new reality TV success on SAS Australia when 'blindsided' by drug trafficking charges

In the spotlight: Brynne shot to fame as the wife of millionaire businessman Geoffrey Edelsten. Pictured in 2013

Denial: Brynne has declared she is innocent after she was charged with trafficking ice

When posing for the mugshot-styled promotional poster, the spin doctors at Channel 7 could not have contemplated Edelsten could be charged with dealing methylamphetamine - the deadly drug ice - before the program even went to air.

Edelsten was arrested and charged with trafficking, possessing and using the insidious drug after a raid on a Boronia home, 36km southeast of the CBD, earlier this month.

They also charged her with dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime after finding a significant quantity of cash in her possession.

Edelsten had hoped the matter might have been resolved before network executives caught wind.

All that was shattered last weekend when news of the charges broke.

While Edelsten provided a brief statement to the Herald Sun declaring she would be 'vigorously fighting all charges', she has since gone into hiding and is not responding to media requests.

Daily Mail Australia has been told Edelsten had been 'blindsided' by the police sting after attending the Bornia property with a friend.

A 39-year-old man she was accompanying was also charged after police found what is believed to be magic mushrooms, meth, prescription drugs and a stolen electric bike inside the home.

It is understood that man has an extensive criminal history.

Edelsten was granted bail and will appear before the Ringwood Magistrates Court on October 8.

TV appearance: Brynne will appear on Channel Seven's upcoming second season of SAS Australia later this year. Her photo is on the top row, far right

Reality star: Brynne is a well-known reality TV star who has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Celebrity Splash and My Bedazzled Life

The case continues: The reality star was granted bail and says she intends to fight the charges at her upcoming appearance at Ringwood Magistrates Court on October 8

Brynne's Trouble With Love 2009: Marries disgraced doctor Geoffrey Edelsten at Melbourne's Crown Casino. Edelsten was an elderly millionaire who had been jailed in 1990 for perverting the course of justice and soliciting Christopher 'Mr Rent-a-Kill' Dale Flannery to assault a former patient. January 2014: Splits from Geoffrey Edelsten amid allegations her 'publicity-obsessed husband' had cheated on her. 2014: Hooks up with body builder Cemre Volkan. The pair dated for almost a year before breaking up in August 2015. June 2017: Edelsten gets engaged to comedian Brett Hunter. Hunter had begun his stand-up comedy career in Melbourne, after being known as the clown of Werribee. The pair would split soon after. Late 2017: Starts a same-sex relationship with advertising sales rep Coby Boatman, which ends before the year is out. The pair had known each other for around two years and were introduced by mutual friends. 2018: Begins relationship with mechanic Leno Cachia. Mr Cachia reportedly hated the social scene and the following year the couple had hit the skids. October 2019: In a lengthy rant, Edelsten spoke about her tumultuous relationship with the mechanic, and claimed she was 'happier now' as a single woman. February 2021: Edelsten is spotted in the CBD riding an electric scooter alongside an unknown man. Advertisement

Sources have told Daily Mail Australia Edelsten may have been unknowingly caught up in Melbourne's seedy underbelly.

'All Brynne wants is to be looked after. She wants someone to take care of her and not in a sugar-daddy sense,' a source said.

Edelsten was of course born Brynne Gordon and became an Australian identity in 2009 when she married disgraced businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, who was 40-years her senior.

Geoffrey Edelsten had been jailed in 1990 for perverting the course of justice and soliciting Christopher 'Mr Rent-a-Kill' Dale Flannery to assault a former patient.

Over the new few years Brynne Edelsten enjoyed the spotlight, appearing in Dancing with the Stars, My Bedazzled Life and Celebrity Splash.

By January 2014, the Edelstens' marriage was over.

However the disgraced former doctor's subsequent marriage to Gabi Greko continued to cast the spotlight in her direction for years to come.

While Greko's marriage to Geoffrey Edelsten lasted only months, she would become worldwide news amid allegations she acted as a prostitute for New York police officers in a romp that occured in a private jet.

Back in Australia, Edelsten would continue to make headlines - usually over her controversial choice in partners.

She would go on to claim bankruptcy and drift from relationship to relationship.

Edelsten hooked up with body builder Cemre Volkan only months after the breakdown of her marriage.

It ended in tears and Edelsten would years later be cast into the spotlight when Volkan was busted with an 'Aladdin's Cave' of drugs.

In 2017, Edelsten was engaged again, this time to Aussie comedian Brett Hunter.

After that she hooked-up with Coby Boatman in a doomed same sex relationship.

In 2019, Edelsten announced her relationship with mechanic Leno Cachia, who was 52 at the time, was over.

In true Edelsten fashion, she had taken to Instagram to announce the split, which was picked-up by media organisations across the country.

Brynne Edelsten was seen on an electric scooter with an unknown man in Melbourne ahead of a five day lockdown in February

Gabi Greko's (left) marriage to Geoff Edelsten kept media attention on Brynne

Brynne Edelsten attends the St Kilda Festival in 2018

Edelsten and body builder Cemre Volkan in happier times.

Just last year, Edelsten claimed she had suffered the worst year of her life.

'By the end, I'd gotten to the point that I felt completely broken as a person and had to find the strength to rebuild myself, my life and set boundaries,' she told the Herald Sun.

Edelsten said she learned to 'love herself again' after 'putting up with bad behaviour'.

'I taught myself to enjoy my own company and to be happy with myself so that anyone else's company is just a bonus but not necessary,' she said.

After picking up a job at a Japanese-themed karaoke bar in the Melbourne CBD, Edelsten appeared to be on the up.

Her appearance in SAS Australia was set to cast her back into the spotlight for all the right reasons.

The original series had been an outstanding success and although rumoured to have lasted only days on the program, her appearance promised to spark new interest in her career.

It now remains unclear if Edelsten will even make the final cut of the reality series when it finally goes to air.

Brynne Edelsten and her beloved pooch look pretty in pink
A week after launching a scathing attack on KIIS FM management, Kyle Sandilands has taken further steps to distance himself from the Australian Radio Network (ARN).

The 49-year-old set up a rogue production effort from his office in Sydney's Kings Cross this week, leaving his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson to broadcast from ARN headquarters in North Ryde.

Explaining the move on Monday's Kyle and Jackie O, he initially blamed a chest infection for his absence from the KIIS FM studio, before taking swipes at his bosses and announcing he wants to move production of his breakfast show in-house.

KIIS of death: One week after launching a scathing attack on KIIS FM management, Kyle Sandilands has taken further steps to distance himself from the Australian Radio Network (ARN) by choosing to spend the week broadcasting from his own 'hi-tech' studio in Kings Cross

'Little do the management at the radio station know, but we're going to broadcast from here in the future and we're not even gonna tell 'em,' he said.

'One day, we're just going to not be there. They don't even know what we do on a daily basis anyway.

'We make them hundreds of millions of dollars and they barely even recognise our existence.'

Sandilands later bragged about being able to smoke cigarettes on air from the facility and joked that his audio-visual equipment was superior to ARN's.

Protest? Explaining the move on Monday's Kyle and Jackie O Show, Sandilands initially blamed a chest infection for his absence from the KIIS FM studio in North Ryde, before taking swipes at his bosses and announcing he wants to move production in-house to Kings Cross. Pictured: Sandilands' manager and former executive producer of The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Bruno Bouchet, in the Kings Cross studio

Secret's out: 'Little do the management at the radio station know, but we're going to broadcast from here in the future and we're not even gonna tell 'em,' he told co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson on Monday's show. Pictured: a street view of Sandilands' Kings Cross office

Sandilands and Henderson are currently on the final year of a three-year deal with ARN that sees them both pocket just under $7million annually.

Tensions between the 'King and Queen' of Sydney FM radio and their network emerged in recent months when bosses were reluctant to approve Sandilands' 'Most Beautiful Penis Pageant' segment idea.

The idea of the segment was to bring willing male listeners into the studio naked and have the production team judge them on the 'prettiness' of their genitalia.

Sandilands finally had his segment wish granted earlier this month, judging the bizarre routine at the KIIS FM studio.

Rant: 'One day, we're just going to not be there. They don't even know what we do on a daily basis anyway,' Sandilands said of ARN management. 'We make them hundreds of millions of dollars and they barely even recognise our existence,' he added. Pictured with Jackie O

Ironically, this is when he caught the chest infection that triggered his Kings Cross move - catching it off Henderson who had come in especially to judge the segment.

'You know why you've got the infection now, Kyle?' senior producer 'Intern Pete' Deppeler asked. 'Because of the penis pageant.'

Deppeler was also broadcasting with Sandilands from Kings Cross.

He explained that Henderson already had the chest infection last week and was going to broadcast from home, but felt compelled to be present for the pageant.

It begins: Tensions between the 'King and Queen' of Sydney FM radio and their network emerged in recent months when bosses were reluctant to approve Sandilands' 'Most Beautiful Penis Pageant' segment idea

'That's true!' Henderson admitted. 'I was going to stay home and broadcast so I didn't give it to anyone and you [Sandilands] said, "The penis pageant is happening, you're going to miss out!" and I thought, "Well, I better go in."'

Sandilands then proceeded to brag about the amenities in his Kings Cross studio, ordering Deppeler to take the North Ryde staffers on a virtual tour of his superior facility via Zoom.

When both Henderson and Deppeler praised the studio, Sandilands promised them: 'We're setting this studio up for the future.'

He then launched into his extraordinary attack on ARN management, saying they 'barely even recognise our existence' despite the 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in revenue The Kyle and Jackie O Show brings the company every year.

Irony: Sandilands finally had his segment wish granted earlier this month, judging the bizarre routine at the KIIS FM studio. Ironically, this is when he caught the chest infection that triggered his Kings Cross move - catching it off Henderson who had come in especially to judge the segment

An ARN spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: 'It's not unusual for radio talent to broadcast from other locations including their home, especially if they are feeling unwell as Kyle was yesterday.'

This isn't the first time Sandilands has had a spray at station management.

Last Monday, he made a throwaway remark on air 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.

Always greener: Sandilands then proceeded to brag about the amenities in his Kings Cross studio, ordering senior producer 'Intern Pete' Deppeler to take the North Ryde staffers on a virtual tour of his superior facility via Zoom

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 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 ARN.

Sandilands then said: 'Until we leave here and go commercial free and censorship free...'

The end: When Henderson and Deppeler praised the studio, Sandilands promised: 'We're setting this studio up for the future' - before launching his extraordinary attack on ARN execs

The start: Last Monday, Sandilands made a throwaway on-air remark about 'leaving here' and signing with a 'censorship-free' platform

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.

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 after Sandilands sensationally threatened to quit his top-rating breakfast show on May 11 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 dogs 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.
Celebrity Apprentice Australia star Alex Hayes was the first contestant to get booted from the show on Sunday.

And the 23-year-old influencer didn't leave without a few sour words, blasting on-screen 'boss' Lord Alan Sugar for his axing and accusing the billionaire of ageism.

'Lord Alan Sugar fired me out of nowhere with no reason,' he Alex told Nine.com.au

Ageism: Celebrity Apprentice Australia's first evictee Alex Hayes has blasted on-screen 'boss' Lord Alan Sugar for his axing, accusing the billionaire of ageism

'Bit of an easy cop out because I'm young, but I thought that he would have understood that. He's been in my position before: looking up at a long future ahead in business and entrepreneurship and he just didn't see that,' Alex said.

'I think it's a huge mistake on his behalf.'

The blonde surfer said co-star Martha Kalifatidis should have been the one to go, after their heated clash in the boardroom led to his eviction in Sunday's premiere.

'Cop out': 'Bit of an easy cop out because I'm young, but I thought that he would have understood that. He's been in my position before: looking up at a long future ahead in business and entrepreneurship and he just didn't see that,' the 23-year-old influencer said

Huge mistake: 'I think it's a huge mistake on his behalf' he said of Lord Sugar (pictured)

Close call: The blonde surfer said co-star Martha Kalifatidis, 32, should have been the one to go after their heated clash in the boardroom led to his eviction in Sunday's premiere

Alex was shut down by Lord Sugar earlier in the episode, after offering his services as a model for an art project task inspired by environmental issues.

He claimed there were buyers offering bids of '$50,000, but they pulled out last minute.

'The frame's not worth two bob as far as I'm concerned... You don't seem to know your art from your elbow,' Lord Sugar said of the piece.

'The frame's not worth two bob... You don't seem to know your art from your elbow': Alex was shut down by Lord Sugar earlier in the episode, after offering his services as a model for an art project task inspired by environmental issues

Lord Sugar stars as the series' fearsome CEO, with celebrity contestants put to the test with business-related tasks.

They're competing for $100,000 for their chosen charity, in addition to the money raised during the show's challenges.

Celebrity Apprentice continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Nine
He hunted down Soviet spies in the British intelligence service as George Smiley in the BBC adaptation of John le Carre's novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Yet Sir Alec Guinness almost quit the iconic show after he panicked he couldn't handle the role and even suggested Dad's Army's Arthur Lowe as his replacement.

Speaking to the Radio Times, the series' director John Irvin recalled the moment he found the late actor in a 'deep panic' at the top of a hill after fleeing the set.

Stage fright: Sir Alec Guinness almost quit Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy after he panicked he couldn't handle the role of George Smiley (pictured on the show in 1979)

Irvin recalled how he 'stormed up' the hillside and reprimanded the esteemed actor.

He said: 'I told Alec I would be ready to shoot in ten effing minutes. He followed me down and there was never any trouble again.'

Prior to the actor's wobbles, Irvin had had three separate lunches with Alec to convince him to take on the role of George Smiley.

And it was only when the star was told he could wear his own overcoat as part of the character's iconic costume that he accepted the role in the show.

Alternative arrangements: The award-winning actor was so nervous that he even suggested Arthur Lowe should replace him in the show (pictured in Dad's Army in 1971)

The director added: 'Ive never told anyone this but, at prep school, I had a portrait of Guinness inside my locker. So directing him was coming full circle.'

And the award-winning actor combatted his fears over learning seven hours of intricate dialogue by focusing on his character's phrasing and body language.

The show's producer Johnathan Powell recalled how Alec stripped down the part to its verbal minimum in a way that he'd never seen another actor do before.

Coping mechanism: The award-winning actor combatted his fears over learning seven hours of intricate dialogue by focusing on his character's phrasing and body language

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy aired in 1979 British as a seven-part spy drama by the BBC starring Alec alongside Alexander Knox, Ian Richardson, Michael Jayston, Bernard Hepton, Anthony Bate, Ian Bannen, George Sewell and Michael Aldridge.

It was then adapted into a film in 2011 starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley, with Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciaran Hinds, David Dencik and Kathy Burke supporting.

The style of the show's dialogue became instantly recognisable and director Irvin suggested he thinks this has been referenced in ITVs hit drama Line of Duty.

One to watch: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was adapted into a film in 2011 starring Colin Firth and David Denick (pictured) while Gary Oldman took on the role of George Smiley

He explained: 'I felt often in Line of Duty that Tinker Tailer  if not reflected  was certainly being honoured.

Out now: Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times, out now

'Not just the interview scenes, but the use of specialist jargon and acronyms that dont condescend to the audience. Both shows introduced a whole new vocabulary.'

Line of Duty recently became the UKs most-watched drama series of the 21st century after this years series finale drew in official ratings of 15.24million.

The BBC1 police thriller is the most popular TV drama series since March 1999, when an episode of ITVs A Touch Of Frost won an audience of 15.83million.

Only a handful of programmes of all genres have attracted screen audiences of more than 15million in the past decade, according to analysis by the PA news agency.

Line Of Duty now shares this honour with The Great British Bake Off (15.9million in October 2016), EastEnders (16.4million in February 2010), Gavin and Stacey (17.1million in December 2019) and The X Factor (17.7million in December 2010).

Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times, out now.
He was once one of Australia's most popular TV chefs, known for his sparkling on-screen charm and clean-cut image.

But Pete Evans, 48, looked like a shadow of his former self on Monday as he resurfaced online for the first time in weeks.

The conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxxer uploaded a photo to Telegram of himself and his mother Joy posing for a selfie as they took a stroll through the wilderness.

What happened? Disgraced celebrity chef Pete Evans, 48, looked like a shadow of his former self on Monday as he resurfaced online for the first time in weeks. Pictured with his mother Joy

Now sporting deep wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, he also had a scruffy grey beard and a weathered, red-tinged complexion.

Pete, who advocates against wearing SPF sunscreen, wrote in the caption that he'd just finished hosting a wellness retreat in Byron Bay, NSW.

'Great weekend at the evolve sanctuary for our third retreat. Our beautiful Mum (Joy) came along to experience it also,' he wrote in the caption.

From squeaky to scruffy: Now sporting deep wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, he also had a scruffy grey beard and a weathered, red-tinged complexion (left). Right: Pete as viewers will remember him on Channel Seven's My Kitchen Rules

Pete's new appearance is worlds away from the squeaky-clean image he maintained while starring on Seven cooking show My Kitchen Rules.

In fact, the once youthful-looking restaurateur appears to have aged decades since quitting his television career just 12 months ago.

In May last year, it was announced that Pete had parted ways with Channel Seven after 10 years as a judge on MKR alongside Manu Feildel.

It effectively marked his break from the mainstream after years of flirting with off-the-wall ideas during his tenure at the network.

My, how you've changed! Pete's new appearance is worlds away from the squeaky-clean image he maintained while starring on Seven cooking show My Kitchen Rules (pictured)

Delusional: After being dumped by Seven last year, Pete began spouting his non-scientific beliefs about vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic on social media. He was kicked off Facebook in December last year, with Instagram following suit two months later

Now free from the contractual constraints of mainstream network television, Pete began spouting his non-scientific beliefs about vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic on social media.

Pete was kicked off Facebook for sharing misinformation in December last year.

His Instagram page was also removed in February, with the company issuing a statement that read: 'We don't allow anyone to share misinformation about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm or about Covid-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts.'

Pete was also dropped by 15 sponsors and companies in the space of 48 hours last November, after posting a neo-Nazi meme on social media.
Director Zack Snyder returned with the Netflix zombie heist thriller Army of the Dead this past weekend, with the filmmaker opening up about the decision to replace Chris D'Elia with Tig Notaro.

D'Elia was originally cast as a helicopter pilot who helps a ragtag crew pull off a Las Vegas heist amid a zombie invasion, though he was yanked from the film after numerous sexual misconduct allegations surfaced.

The 55-year-old director opened up in a new interview with Vanity Fair, where he revealed it cost, 'a few million' dollars to replace D'Elia with Notaro, but added it was a 'fairly easy decision' to do so.

Decision: Director Zack Snyder returned with the Netflix zombie heist thriller Army of the Dead this past weekend, with the filmmaker opening up about the decision to replace Chris D'Elia with Tig Notaro

Filming got under way in July 2019 with shooting taking place on location in Los Angeles and in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A number of allegations against D'Elia surfaced in June 2020, with some women claiming the comedian pursued them while they were teenagers.

It was announced in August 2020 that Notaro would be replacing D'Elia, and when asked if it was a difficult decision to make, Snyder said, 'I think it was a fairly easy one.'

Easy decision: It was announced in August 2020 that Notaro would be replacing D'Elia, and when asked if it was a difficult decision to make, Snyder said, 'I think it was a fairly easy one'

The filmmaker's wife and longtime producing partner, Deborah Snyder, added, 'I was an expensive one, that's for sure.'

While neither Snyder would reveal a specific amount that it cost to replace D'Elia with Notaro, Zack said it was probably, 'a few million,' though Deborah thought it might be a bit more than that.

'It was like the cost of our little German movie,' Deborah said, referring to their upcoming Army of Thieves, a romantic comedy prequel to Army of the Dead that Netflix will also release, along with an animated series set in the same universe.

Cost: While neither Snyder would reveal a specific amount that it cost to replace D'Elia with Notaro, Zack said it was probably, 'a few million,' though Deborah thought it might be a bit more than that

Deborah added, 'I will say, Netflix did the right thing. They put their money where their mouth is.'

She added that, since principal photography had already wrapped, it was impossible to re-assemble the cast to shoot new scenes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

'What a weird shoot,' Deborah said of the September shoot, one of the first things Netflix had shot during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weird shoot: 'What a weird shoot,' Deborah said of the September shoot, one of the first things Netflix had shot during the COVID-19 pandemic

'Netflix had only shot one day for a reshoot on Prom. Then we were the next thing that they had during COVID,' she said.

Zach added, 'We were really figuring it out,' with the shoot complicated further since Notaro, 50, is a cancer survivor, which put her at a heightened risk for complications if she were to contract COVID-19.

This meant that Notaro essentially had to shoot these scenes by herself, which complicated scenes where her character was with the whole group, which included Dave Bautista.

Figuring it out: Zach added, 'We were really figuring it out,' with the shoot complicated further since Notaro, 50, is a cancer survivor, which put her at a heightened risk for complications if she were to contract COVID-19

'That shot that we did where Tig and Dave are walking and talking in the loading dock, we were pretty sure that we were just gonna have to cut that scene,' Zack said.

'When we first talked about it, I was like, "This is gonna be really hard because theyre all backlit and haloed and theres a lens flare." But it came out perfectly,' he added.

The filmmaker added that the crew he has been working with for years were already experts in integrating these kinds of shots into previously-filmed footage.

Cut: 'That shot that we did where Tig and Dave are walking and talking in the loading dock, we were pretty sure that we were just gonna have to cut that scene,' Zack said

'It just so happens that the group makes giant visual-effects movies, you know what I mean? It worked out that we were like, Oh, yeah, I know how to do this. But you know, it could have been a disaster,' he added.

The director added that it worked out for the best because Notaro brought something completely different to that character.

'I think the movie is better with Tig Notaro, frankly, because shes more unexpected and shes more fun, Snyder said.

'Shes like, "Zack, clearly you knew that I had an action hero in here somewhere. I dont know where it is, but you found it." Shes so bone-dry, but in the best possible way,' he added.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas shot to fame after winning Miss World in 2000, before going on to become a hugely popular movie star.

So it's not surprising the Indian actress, 38, knew her best angles as she graced the cover of this month's Vogue Australia.

The screen star looked glamorous in an edgy Chanel tunic which retails for $7,880.

Strike a pose! Priyanka Chopra Jonas looked glamorous in a $7,880 Chanel outfit as she graced this month's cover of Vogue Australia

The long white garment featured a plunging neckline and a bold black outline around the border.

Priyanka styled her brunette locks straight and opted for a neutral palette of makeup consisting of dewy foundation and nude lipstick.

In another photo, the actress stunned in a white backless dress as she glanced at the camera.

Priyanka also showed off her incredible figure in a figure-hugging black gown.

Glam: In another photo, Priyanka stunned in a white backless dress as she gazed at the camera

It comes after Priyanka shared a heartwarming tribute to her husband, Nick Jonas, as he hosted the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on Monday.

Sharing a photo of herself hugging Nick backstage at the ceremony, she wrote on Instagram: 'Husband appreciation post [heart-eye emoji]. Not even a cracked rib can stop this force of nature.

'So proud of you baby. With everything you do! Your work ethic, your pursuit of excellence! You inspire me everyday! Crushed it today! I love you so much.'

Beauty in black! Priyanka also showed off her figure in a glamorous figure-hugging gown

The 28-year-old actor was quick to respond to his wife's public proclamation of love, replying: 'I love you more.'

Priyanka and Nick got married in December at the Umaid Bhawan palace in Jodhpur, sealing their union with both Christian and Hindu ceremonies.

The couple had three wedding receptions, with one including a Bombay red carpet affair for her fellow Bollywood stars.
It was another weekend of fun in the sun on the beach playing volleyball and frolicking in the ocean water for Alessandra Ambrosio.

With the new work week upon us, the longtime supermodel kicked off her Monday with a rigorous Pilates workout in Santa Monica.

The Brazilian native, 40, was spotted making the walk to the class, which isn't too far from her plush home near the Pacific Ocean.

Back to work: Alessandra Ambrosio, 40, showed off the results of all her hard work in the gym en route to a Pilates class in Santa Monica on Monday

The exercise enthusiast showed off the results of all her hard work by baring her toned midriff in a black crop top that was paired with skin-tight lavender leggings and multi-colored sneakers.

She tied a black sweatshirt around her lean waist and had her brown tresses pulled up into a loose bun.

The Gal Floripa co-founder wasn't easily recognizable by wearing stylish sunglasses and a protective mouth over her mouth and nose amid the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

Sporty: The longtime supermodel showed off her fit figure in a black crop top and skin-tight leggings was she made her way from home to the Pilates class

Later, in the afternoon, Ambrosio took to her Instagram Story and gave her 10.3 million fans and followers a peek at one of her leisurely moments on beach on Sunday.

'Suns out buns out,' she captioned a photo of herself laying face-down dressed in a buns-revealing, one-piece hot pink swimsuit.

Her Sunday was spent playing beach volleyball with friends in Santa Monica. New beau, Richard Lee, was among the group, who was seen heaping his attention on his ladylove when they took a break from all the sporty action.

Teaming up: At one point, Ambrosio hooked up with a gal pal from her Pilates class

The lovebirds cuddle up for selfies and snacks in the sand while enjoying each other's company.

When they weren't sharing affectionate one-on-one attention, the mother of two ran around the sand competing with their friends in the sexy number.

The swimsuit wasn't too far off from a thong design and boasted a scoop neckline and cross-over back straps.

Richard Lee kept things casual in black and white hibiscus print beach shorts and a long sleeved grey top.

The new couple were first seen out in public together in February.
She is single and ready to mingle after failing to find love with Chris Jensen on the most recent season of Married At First Sight.

And on Saturday, Jaimie Gardner showed no sign of heartbreak as she flirted with a top banker at a singles event in Sydney.

The senior brand manager, 35, couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she giggled next to her male companion at the boat party hosted by Relier Club.

Enjoying the single life! Married At First Sight's Jaimie Gardner flirted up a storm at a singles event in Sydney on Saturday after she failed to find love with Chris Jensen

Jaimie threw her head backwards as she laughed during the conversation with the man, who was wearing jeans and a white shirt.

The pair appeared to be enjoying a lively discussion as they sipped champagne.

The former MAFS bride showed off her slim figure in a pink Sheike maxi dress, which featured a high neck and pleating on one shoulder.

Single and ready to mingle! The senior brand manager, 35, couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she giggled next to her male companion at the boat party hosted by Relier Club

Pretty in pink: The former MAFS bride showed off her slim figure in a pink Sheike maxi dress, which featured a high neck and pleating on one shoulder

She teamed the stylish frock with a gold bracelet, a ring and statement earrings.

Jaimie styled her long blonde locks in curls and let her natural beauty shine by opting for a neutral palette of makeup.

She was joined at the event by Big Brother winner Chad Hurst.

Accessories: Jaimie teamed the stylish frock with a gold bracelet and gold statement earrings

Singles event: She was also joined at the event by Big Brother winner Chad Hurst (right)

The 28-year-old reality star looked stylish in black jeans and a floral shirt.

Chad also wore sunglasses and was all smiles as he cuddled up to psychologist Dr Aileen Alegado.

Big Brother fans will remember Chad pocketed $234,656 when he won last year's season of the Seven reality show.
Mare of Easttown

Rating:

Motherland

Rating:

Sucking on her nicotine vape like shes siphoning gasoline, smalltown detective Mare Sheehan is a single mother to her whole damn neighbourhood.

Mare (Kate Winslet) scolds petty criminals the way other mums give their teenagers a telling-off for sneaking out on a school night. Drug addicts and petty thieves are her naughty toddlers.

Its no coincidence that her name means mother. Shes not Mary or Maria, shes Mare  spelt mere in French. And shes a force of nature.

Hollywood is full of British actresses, but none of the others would dare tackle this role

Doing something great is over-rated, she tells her police partner, Colin. People expect that of you all the time. What they dont realise is youre just as screwed up as they are.

Theres one episode still to come in this series, so no spoilers here if you havent seen the show yet. But I promise you will  Mare Of Easttown (Sky Atlantic) has become the best crime drama for a decade.

Winslet is magnificent. Permanently scowling, her face puffy and her hair scraped back, she stomps the streets like a hangover in search of a fistful of paracetamol.

Hollywood is full of British actresses, but none of the others would dare tackle this role. Not only is it doggedly unglamorous, with Mare the grandmother to a three-year-old boy, but it demands a working-class American accent and coarse swagger. One hint of Jane Austen among these Bruce Springsteen characters would ruin the shows authenticity.

The opening hour appears to set up a standard crime story, with a murdered girl found in the woods and a complex array of suspects . . . most of them people Mare has known all her life.

On one level, the plot continues to follow a standard pattern. Mares chief of police is losing patience with her. Shes paired with a new partner whose methods frustrate her. The investigation alienates her friends and family.

But this predictability is an illusion. The real story is packed with shocks. Something unravels in episode two that leaves you speechless  and, after that, theres no way to guess what will happen next.

The visual style borders on American Gothic, as the electrics go out and mist swirls through the town. Crimes overlap more crimes: child abuse, domestic violence, kidnap, rape, murder and robberies fuelled by drugs and alcohol.

This series of Motherland, co-written by Catastrophes Sharon Horgan, has made the comedy gentler, paring back its moments of excruciating embarrassment and revealing sadder, kinder aspects to its characters

And, on a deeper level still, this is a drama about the effects of grief and mental illness on an extended family.

The last TV crime epic to try anything half so ambitious was Breaking Bad. Mare Of Easttown is even better than that.

Anna Maxwell Martin also delivers an extraordinary performance as a mum at the end of her tether in Motherland (BBC2). Shes so different from the devious police pen-pusher she portrays in Line Of Duty, shes almost unrecognisable.

This series of Motherland, co-written by Catastrophes Sharon Horgan, has made the comedy gentler, paring back its moments of excruciating embarrassment and revealing sadder, kinder aspects to its characters.

Sweet stay-at-home dad Kevin (Paul Ready) is being kicked out of the house by his estranged wife, and is starting to fall for Liz (the marvellous Diane Morgan).

Liz doesnt quite know what to do with his timid affection, but she knows what isnt going to happen. Get off! she snaps, if he so much as brushes her elbow.

Meg (Tanya Moodie) makes light of her cancer diagnosis, but she might be terminally ill. Even the appalling Amanda (Lucy Punch) is showing hints of a likeable vulnerability, after lunch with her monstrous mother (Joanna Lumley).

This show has become much more than a series of skits at the school gates. I hope it runs for years.
Sara Sampaio has returned home from her latest vacation and is already hard at work on her fitness regimen.

The 29-year-old model was spotted heading to a Pilates class in West Hollywood on Monday.

The star cut a casual figure in black leggings and a Guns N' Roses t-shirt as she made her way to her morning workout.

Exercise fan: Sara Sampaio has returned home from her latest vacation, and was already spotted heading to a Pilates class in West Hollywood on Monday

Her winning curves were on display in the skintight bottoms, which contrasted to the relaxed fit of the baggy tee.

She threw on a small white Apede Mode purse over her shoulder and held on tight to her iPhone to check her messages as she strolled to her sweat session.

The leggy beauty threw her hair up into a messy bun and attempted to stay incognito with a large pair of black shades.

She stayed comfortable in white sneakers and matching high cut socks from Alo Yoga for her daily exercise.

Casual: The 29-year-old model cut a casual figure in black leggings and a Guns N' Roses t-shirt as she made her way to her morning workout

Incognito: The leggy beauty threw her hair up into a messy bun and attempted to stay incognito with a large pair of black shades

The outing comes days after the Victoria's Secret model returned from a sizzling trip to Turks and Caicos with a group of her friends.

She shared numerous moments from the sunny getaway to her Instagram over the last week.

'What an amazing trip,' she captioned one set of slides of her posing in a blue bikini.

The look showcased her winning cleavage and taut tummy as she relaxed on a waterside bench at the private residence where she was staying.

Vacation: Sara Sampaio pictured leaving a grueling Pilates workout in LA The outing comes days after the Victoria's Secret model returned from a sizzling trip to Turks and Caicos with a group of her friends

'Amazing trip': 'What an amazing trip,' she captioned one set of slides of her posing in a blue bikini showcasing her winning cleavage and taut tummy

'Turks and Caicos photo dump,' she wrote alongside another set of photos posted on the same day as her Pilates class, revealing the Portuguese stunner was already missing her beachy trip.

She was seen in a stunning pink bathing suit that cut above her hips and put her side cleavage on full display.

The bombshell hit a number of poses as she took in the clear blue water, including one shot that saw her smiling toward the sun as she basked in the incredible weather.

In others, she rested on the edge of the home's infinity pool to demonstrate the results of her hard Pilates work.

Reminiscing: 'Turks and Caicos photo dump,' she wrote alongside another set of photos posted on the same day as her Pilates class, revealing the Portuguese stunner was already missing her beachy trip

Hot pink: She was seen in a stunning pink bathing suit that cut above her hips and put her side cleavage on full display

The model previously told The Cut that Pilates was her preferred form of exercises, though she usually does it with a machine.

'I've noticed with my body that small movements have done more for my body than the boot camps,' she told the site in 2017. 'My body moves better when it's very focused on small movements that elongate your body and your muscles.'

She's also opts for a run sometimes, though she's satisfied with even a short five-minute jog.

'Wellness is being happy, feeling good, and not aching. It's more about feeling good inside and that will come out on the outside,' she added.

Sara has enjoyed a successful modelling career that led her to becoming a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2015.

On top of her work modelling for the lingerie company, she has appeared on numerous magazine covers including Marie Claire, Maxim, and Harper's Bazaar.
Luann de Lesseps has a new man in her life.

The Real Housewives Of New York City star, 56, is dating former football star Radamez Rubio from Mexico, according to a Tuesday report from People. He has played with the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers.

This comes after Page Six broke the news the day before that the reality TV siren was seeing 'a former kicker for the Miami Dolphins' but did not share the name. They met while she was on vacation a resort in Tulum, Mexico, which he manages.

New flame: Luann de Lesseps has a new man in her life. The Real Housewives Of New York City star, 56, is dating former football star Radamez Rubio from Mexico, according to a Tuesday report from People . He has played with the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. They're pictured in NYC last week

The two met in April when the Real Housewives of New York star was staying at a hotel in Tulum where her new companion is a manager.

A source told Page Six: 'She flew him out to the city and then they went out to the Hamptons.'

The source added: 'They hadnt seen each other for a few months. Theyre getting reacquainted.'

People added he flew in from Mexico last week to spend time with her in NYC, Sag Harbor and Connecticut.

'Lu is very happy and is just having a blast spending time with him and taking him to all her favorite spots now that she's vaccinated and everything is open again in NYC and Hamptons,' the source shared with the site.

When on the Chanel In The City podcast last week with Chanel Omari, she revealed she had met a 'cute' man but did not name him.

Vacation romance: Luann, 56, is said to have met Rubio when she stayed at a hotel he managed in Tulum in April

'I was in Mexico a lot and I met a very cute guy from Mexico,' she said. 'So I would say, I want somebody with a lot of integrity, good manners. Someone who is loyal, someone who worships the ground that I walk on and tall, dark and handsome  and younger.'

And she added she is taking Spanish lessons 'because I like this Mexican guy.'

Most recently, Luann had enjoyed a brief relationship with South African personal trainer Garth Wakeford. The two stopped dating over the holidays, she previously shared with Page Six.

They were first romantically linked in November last year after meeting on a dating app. 'It's just that it started with a sizzle and it kind of fizzled,' Luann declared.

TV personality: The reality star has been a fixture on Bravo's Real Housewives of New York since 2008

The reality star has been married twice.

Her first marriage was with entrepreneur Count Alexandre de Lesseps, with whom she tied the knot in 1993.

The exes, who divorced in 2009, share daughter Victoria, 26, and son Noel, 17.

Six years later, Luann married Thomas DAgostino Jr, but they split in August of 2017, less than a year after exchanging vows.
Hospitality mogul Justin Hemmes has confirmed the worst-kept secret in Byron Bay.

The Sydney-based pub baron has bought the legendary 'dive bar' Cheeky Monkey's for at least $13.5million, The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

The purchase comes after Hemmes, 48, spent $100million on venues in Sydney's Leichhardt, Melbourne, and Lorne in Victoria.

New project: Hospitality mogul Justin Hemmes has confirmed the worst-kept secret in Byron Bay: he's the new owner of legendary 'dive bar' Cheeky Monkey's on Jonson Street

Hemmes told The Telegraph: 'I've been going to Byron since I was 10 years old, so it has always been a place close to my heart. I can't wait to open our first venue on the North Coast and spend more time in the area. There's simply no place like it.'

Cheeky Monkey's closed its doors on March 23 last year due to the Covid pandemic and has not been open since. Merivale will take ownership of the pub on May 28, meaning the venue could be open for business again in a matter of weeks.

The restaurant and bar, which also houses backpacker accommodation, is situated on Byron's popular Jonson Street.

Hemmes is also said to be eyeing up another property closer to the ocean on the same street.

The Byron Bay property market has become a hotspot for rich investors in recent years, with many hoping to buy a slice of Australia's hottest holiday destination.

Purchase: The Sydney-based pub baron bought Cheeky Monkey's for at least $13.5million

Closed... for now: Cheeky Monkey's closed its doors on March 23 last year due to the Covid pandemic and has not been open since. Merivale will take ownership of the pub on May 28, meaning the venue could be open for business again in a matter of weeks

Popular: The Byron Bay property market has become a hotspot for rich investors in recent years, with many hoping to buy a slice of Australia's hottest holiday destination

Location: The restaurant and bar, which also houses backpacker accommodation, is situated on Byron's popular Jonson Street. Hemmes, 48, is also said to be eyeing up another property closer to the ocean on the same street

The town's value is expected to soar even more once international tourists return to Australia.

However, there has also been a local rebellion, with locals refusing to sell to cashed-up investors despite big offers.

Earlier this month, Hemmes confirmed he'd also bought Norton's Irish Pub in Leichhardt for $22million and will take over the venue next month.

'This is simply a continuation of our growth strategy pre-Covid which was focused on acquiring great properties like The Royal and 3 Weeds, and creating new experiences in existing venues,' he said.

Nice digs: Earlier this month, Hemmes confirmed he'd also bought Norton's Irish Pub in Leichhardt for $22million and will take over the venue next month

Interest: The Merivale mogul is also reportedly looking at purchasing The Whale, a hotel and restaurant located in Narooma, on the south coast of NSW

Meanwhile, Hemmes is also reportedly looking at purchasing The Whale, a hotel and restaurant located in Narooma, on the south coast of NSW.

It's clear the Merivale Group is determined to expand out of Sydney with all of its recent purchases outside the Harbour City.

On Thursday, Hemmes was revealed to have splurged $38milion on the oceanfront Lorne Hotel in Victoria.

The Lorne Hotel is 145 years old and is one of the best known regional pubs.

Iconic: On Thursday, Hemmes was revealed to have splurged $38milion on the oceanfront Lorne Hotel in Victoria

On April 27, Hemmes announced he would be opening his first Melbourne venue after buying Tomasetti House in Flinders Lane precinct for more than $40million.

He has since promised Melburnians he plans to 'embrace' what was on offer, rather than transplant his Merivale model into Victoria.

'We have to embrace what makes Melbourne special, not bring Sydney with us,' he told The Age. 'I love that the city is so different to Sydney; its an exciting challenge that we really want to get right.'

Promise: Speaking of his plans to expand into Victoria, the hospitality mogul told The Age: 'We have to embrace what makes Melbourne special, not bring Sydney with us'

Expansion: On April 27, Hemmes announced he would be opening his first Melbourne venue after buying Tomasetti House in Flinders Lane precinct for more than $40million

Changing hands: The historic building was acquired from the Sydney-based Millett family who bought Tomasetti House (pictured) for $16.2million in 2014

The Rich-Lister described Melbourne as a 'very special city, with a unique energy'.

'Its local hospitality industry is one of the best in the world ... we are honoured to open our first venue in Melbourne, and cannot wait to work alongside so many local industry greats,' he said.

The billionaire acknowledged the 'terrible' sufferings of the Melbourne CBD over the last year due to Covid lockdowns and vowed to help turn things around for local businesses.

Hemmes' family fortune is worth about $1.06billion.

His property portfolio includes the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills, which he bought in 2010, the Queen Victoria Hotel in Enmore in 2015 and Bondi's Royal Hotel, which he bought in 2017.

Hemmes also recently bought his ex-partner Kate Fowler a $7.5million mansion Dover Heights, which is one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs.
Travis Barker is opening up about the life-altering plane crash that he barely survived in September 2008.

The 45-year-old Blink-182 drummer spoke to Men's Health in an interview published Monday about coming to terms with his survivor's guilt he felt after being one of only two survivors of the crash that killed four.

He also shared how he was motivated to kick prescription drugs when his friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, the only other survivor, died a year later of a prescription drug overdose.

'People are always like, 'Did you go to rehab?'' Barker recounted. 'And I [say], 'No, I was in a plane crash.' That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit.'

The aftermath: Travis Barker, 45, opened up about the deadly plane crash he survived in 2008 and how the shock helped him stop abusing prescription drugs even as he was left dealing with debilitating survivor's guilt; Barker pictured in November 2020 in LA

Late at night on September 19, 2008, Barker boarded a private jet in South Carolina to head back to Los Angeles following a show, while accompanied by Goldstein, his security guard Charles 'Che' Still, and his assistant Chris Baker.

As the small plane was attempting to take off, it suffered a blow out from one of the tires, causing the craft to overshoot the runway, burst through the airport's fence and over the nearby highway, and finally crash into the embankment on the side of the road.

The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane burst into flames on impact, according to the Chicago Tribune. Still and Baker were also killed on impact.

Barker and Goldstein were able to escape from the burning plane via an emergency exit over the wing, but they were both engulfed in flames as they slid down the wing and were covered in burning jet fuel.

Terrifying: Barker was on a plane in South Carolina with his assistant, body guard and friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein when a tired blew during takeoff; seen in 2008

Devastating: The plane overshot the runway and across a highway and crashed into an embankment before bursting into flames. All but Barker and Goldstein were killed; seen in 2008

Goldstein was able to extinguish himself and then helped put out the flames on Barker by smothering them with his own clothing.

The ordeal left the two survivors with second- and third-degree burns, requiring skin grafts.

Barker had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and had to spend three months in the hospital while having 26 surgeries to repair the damage.

He recalled in the interview how he'd been using 'an excessive amount of weed' leading up to the crash and how he had been abusing prescription drugs.

'People are always like, 'Did you go to rehab?'' Barker recounted. 'And I [say], 'No, I was in a plane crash.' That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit.'

Goldstein died a year after the crash of a prescription drug overdose, which further emboldened the drummer to quit.

Terrible injuries: Barker had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body, and both he and Goldstein required skin grafts; seen in 2009 in Hollywood

In a lonely place: A year later, Goldstein died of a prescription drug overdose, leaving Travis as the only remaining survivor; Barker and Goldstein seen with Too Short (center) in 2009

After he got out of the hospital, Barker and Goldstein would go to support group's to recover from the trauma, but they eventually became 'each other's therapists.'

With the only other survivor now dead, he radically reassessed his drug use.

'So it was just him and me. When he left, I was like, 'Oh, f***. I'm the only one in my club. It's just me.' And I find my ways to deal with it,' he said.

Because he was prescribed opioids after the crash his tolerance to the drugs rose, so he ended up flushing the pills down, 'including stuff that I really needed.'

Recovery: After Goldstein's overdose, Barker flushed his opioids down the toilet. 'People are always like, 'Did you go to rehab?'' he recounted. 'And I [say], 'No, I was in a plane crash.' That was my rehab'; seen in 2019

In the wake of the crash, Barker, who was already afraid of flying, couldn't set foot in a plane again and began mental health issues and difficulty sleeping.

'I was dark I couldn't walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didn't want to see it,' he said.

He added that it took time for him to get distance from the crash.

'The closer I was to it, it felt like I was closer to the bad stuff than I am to the good stuff. I felt closer to the experience of trying to escape, [to] being in an accident and being burned, trying to grab my friends from a burning plane.

'That haunted me for a long time, and as long as I was closer to that than this good stuff, I was always thinking about that. Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it,' he continued.

Making progress: Barker has continued to recover after being haunted by the crash for years. 'Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it,' he said; seen on the day of the crash in 2008

Flight fear: He hasn't flown since but hopes to as therapy. 'I have to,' he said. 'I want to make the choice to try and overcome it'; seen in 2019 in LA

More than a decade after he survived the plane crash, Barker still hopes to fly again, if only as a form of therapy.

'I have to,' he said. 'I want to make the choice to try and overcome it.'

The musician added that he yearns for the normal, everyday feeling of returning home from a plane trip.

'If I do it, and the angels above help me in my travels and keep me safe, I would like to come back and [tell them], 'Hey, I just flew here, and then I flew home. And everything was fine.' I have to tell them, because I almost left them,' Barker said, adding, 'That's a perfect day.'

New addition: The drummer added the words 'Survivor's guilt' to his arms earlier this month

To commemorate his near-death experience, Barker had the words 'Survivor's guilt' tattooed on the insides of his elbows earlier this month.

Earlier this month, he added some more ink to his already covered body when his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian inked 'I love you' on his arm.

However, he opted not to speak about her for his newest interview.

'I mean, it's everywhere,' he said.
Even in a pandemic, Anna Wintour knows how to look good.

The Vogue editor-in-chief showcased her sophisticated quarantine style as she stepped out in Manhattan on Monday.

Despite a surgical face mask covering her complexion, the journalist, 71, was a vision of sophistication in a classic beige coat and patterned dress.

Super chic: Anna Winter demonstrated yet again why she has been helming the fashion bible as she showed off her sophisticated quarantine style in New York on Monday

Anna put on a traffic-stopping display as she strode across the Manhattan street in an ultra-stylish pair of chunky heel boots.

Her ever-present sunglasses pulled double duty as they both protected her hazel green eyes while taking her chic Manhattan look to a whole other level of fabulous.

Anna's trademark bob elegantly framed her complexion, finishing off the polished look.

The fashion industry has taken a hit this past year as a result of the pandemic and, as editor-in-chief of the fashion bible, Anna has seen it all.

Best tressed! Anna's trademark bob elegantly framed her complexion, finishing off the polished look

At the start of the pandemic, Anna expressed her gratitude for those supporting American designers affected by the pandemic through the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, A Common Thread.

'I have been so moved by acts of philanthropy in the fashion community in particular, and, of course, by the many donors large and small who have supported A Common Thread, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund we've created to help American designers in this challenging time,' she wrote in a piece for Vogue.

She urged readers to hear the stories of these designers: 'Listening to these incredible talents talk without pretense about what they're going through is a profoundly emotional experience. It reminds you that our fashion community is exactly thata community of people, who need our help as never before.'

Helping hand: At the start of the pandemic, Anna expressed her gratitude for those supporting American designers working throughout the pandemic through the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, A Common Thread

Anna herself landed in controversy last year after she admitted to allowing 'hurtful and intolerant' behavior during her 32-year reign at the fashion magazine, as well as conceding that she had not done enough to champion black staffers and designers.

The editor made the confession in a company-wide memo released during the nationwide unrest following the death of George Floyd.

Several months following the memo, a group of 18 Black journalists who have worked with her over the years accused her of favoring employees who are thin, white, and from elite backgrounds in a piece published by the New York Times.

Eleven of them called for her resignation following offensive incidents involving her use of the word 'pickaninny', and other cultural appropriation controversies, including outrage over a 2017 Vogue shoot that featured Karlie Kloss posing in a geisha outfit, with her face in pale makeup and her hair dyed black.

The photo shoot in Japan drew immediate accusations of 'yellowface', however Wintour reportedly shut down concerns from her staff, insisting that the pictures could not be cut because it would incur an 'enormous expense'.

In December she received was promoted to global chief content officer of Conde Nast and global editorial director of Vogue.
Alessandra Ambrosio showed off her supermodel figure in a hot pink swimsuit during a day of beach volleyball with new beau Richard Lee and several of their friends on Sunday.

One day later and the Brazilian beauty decided to share some of the highlights of their time frolicking on the sand in Santa Monica on Instagram.

'Training day!!!' she wrote in the caption of a series of photos showing her in action and mugging for the camera in her revealing number.

Fun in the sun: Alessandra Ambrosio, 40, shared highlights of her day playing beach volleyball with new beau Richard Lee and some of their friends in Santa Monica on Sunday

With the sun glaring down on another glorious Southern California day, Ambrosio could be seen holding on to a volleyball in nearly every image.

In the first snap, she emphasized her cleavage when she leaned towards the camera with the ball nestled between her right arm and hip.

There's another one where she struck a classic model pose with one leg perched in from the other as she stood next to the volleyball net set up just feet from the Pacific Ocean.

'Training day"; The longtime supermodel put her cleavage front-and-center in one image

Action! While getting in some practice time, the longtime Victoria's Secret Angel jumped up off the sand in order to give the ball a good whacking

While getting in some practice time, the longtime Victoria's Secret Angel jumped up off the sand in order to give the ball a good whacking.

At one point, she stopped to take a photo with her derriere front and center with the headline: 'Warm up.'

She dropped into another bootylicious pose while staring up towards the blue sky as she cradled the ball on her left leg.

'Warm up': At one point, she stopped to take a photo with her derriere front and center

Strike a pose: She dropped into another bootylicious pose while staring up towards the blue sky as she cradled the ball on her left leg

Ambrosio also gave her 10.3 million fans and followers a peek at one of her leisurely moments on the beach when she was laying face-down in her bootylicious swimsuit that wasn't too far off from a thong design.

'Suns out buns out,' she wrote in the caption.

She also snuggled up to Lee for a selfie snap where the Gal Floripa co-founder professed, 'love you,' across the top of the photo.

Lee, who's also been a model, kept things beach ready in the fashion department dressed in black and white hibiscus print beach shorts, a long sleeved grey top and dark sunglasses.

The new couple were first seen out in public together in February.

'Buns out': Ambrosio gave her 10.3 million fans and followers a peek at her relaxing on beach in the sexy swimsuit, which was not too far off from a thong design
Today Extra anchor Belinda Russell has had yet another Hollywood star slide into her Instagram DMs - just days after Jennifer Lopez's ex Alex Rodriguez started the trend.

While hosting Nine's morning show on Tuesday, the married mother of three, 42, revealed actor and comedian David Spade had privately contacted her.

The 56-year-old Saturday Night Live star's clearly tongue-in-cheek Instagram message read: 'Hey, it's A-Rod. New phone.'

Next man up: Today Extra anchor Belinda Russell has had yet another Hollywood star slide into her Instagram DMs - just days after Jennifer Lopez's ex Alex Rodriguez started the trend

Revelations A-Rod had reached out to a little-known Australian TV host made global headlines after Belinda shared her story on Friday.

David clearly pays attention to the celebrity news cycle and made sure to get in a joke - and a slice of the PR pie.

Also on Tuesday's show, Belinda insisted that A-Rod's DM - which was later revealed to have been sent by his teen daughters - had been 'blown out of proportion'.

Call a spade a Spade: While hosting Nine's morning show on Tuesday, the married mother of three, 42, revealed actor and comedian David Spade had privately contacted her

Having a laugh: The 56-year-old Saturday Night Live star's clearly tongue-in-cheek Instagram message read: 'Hey, it's A-Rod. New phone.'

'Why can't a grown man send a female a message when it's completely innocent and not creepy?' she said.

Belinda was right not to suspect any romantic intent, as representatives for the New York Yankees legend later clarified the message was actually sent by his children.

Natasha, 16, and Elle Rodriguez, 13, are said to be 'big fans' of Belinda's dancing videos, which she posts to her social media feed.

Friendly: Also on Tuesday, Belinda insisted A-Rod's DM was 'blown out of proportion, saying: 'Why can't a man send a female a message when it's completely innocent and not creepy?'

Belinda first made the revelation about A-Rod on Friday's episode of Today Extra.

'I woke up this morning, checking the socials and in my requests there was a message from Alex Rodriguez. As in A-Rod. As in J.Lo's ex,' she told co-host Richard Wilkins.

Today Extra then showed a screenshot of the direct message, in which A-Rod simply wrote: 'Great feed!!!'

'All I can say is... he likes great content, Dickie. He just said great feed!' Belinda said, downplaying her celebrity encounter.

Big fans! Belinda was right not to suspect any romantic intent, as representatives for the New York Yankees legend later clarified the message was actually sent by his daughters, Natasha, 16, and Elle, 13, who are 'big fans' of Belinda's dance videos

Sliding into her DMs: Belinda first made the revelation on Friday's episode of Today Extra, sharing a screenshot a screenshot as proof

'I went, "This can't be real," so I tapped on it and [his account] is verified,' she added.

'If you count [there's] four million followers. Give me a shout-out, A-Rod, and get me some followers!'

Later in the program, a somewhat embarrassed Belinda joked that A-Rod was 'going to unfollow me now because this is so uncool. He just likes the videos that I do.'

Family: Belinda is pictured with her husband, Mark Calvert, and their children

J.Lo and A-Rod announced their split in April, saying they were 'better as friends'.

In a joint statement released to the American Today show, they said of their decision to split: 'We have realised we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so.

'We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and each other's children.'
Brynne Edelsten is preparing to fight in court after being slapped with three criminal charges relating to possessing, trafficking and using crystal meth.

And a ghost from Brynne's past has now resurfaced to reveal his first-hand experience of getting to know the socialite, 38, during her marriage to millionaire businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, 78.

Speaking on Triple M's Moonman in the Morning on Tuesday, comedian Lawrence Mooney recalled working as the voice-over artist for Brynne's failed reality show My Bedazzled Life.

Endless riches, 7:30pm bedtimes and a Studio 54-inspired apartment: Inside Brynne Edelsten's bizarre marriage to ex-husband Geoffrey - as she faces drug trafficking charges

The show, which ran for two seasons from 2012 to 2014, took fans inside Brynne and Geoffrey's wacky, cashed-up life in Melbourne.

During his time working on the show, Lawrence was afforded a glimpse into the couple's real personalities and everyday habits.

'The thing with Brynne was, as I got to know her more and more, I just thought that she's completely contrary to the life she's leading,' the radio host said.

'I just thought that she's completely contrary to the life she's leading': Speaking on Triple M's Moonman in the Morning on Tuesday, comedian Lawrence Mooney (pictured) recalled working as the voice-over artist for Brynne's failed reality show My Bedazzled Life

All that glitters! The show, which ran for two seasons from 2012 to 2014, took fans inside Brynne and Geoffrey's wacky, cashed-up life in Melbourne

Lawrence explained that while people may assume Brynne was a 'kept wife' who only cared about inheriting her elderly husband's money, this actually wasn't true.

'The thing with Brynne is, she was always with big hair and big clothes [on TV], and I'd spent time alone with her and Geoffrey at their flat where she's just in a pair of activewear pants and a T-shirt,' he said.

'Out of all that finery, she's just a simple girl that really wanted the simpler things of life,' he added.

'She's just a simple girl': Lawrence explained that while people may assume Brynne was a 'kept wife' who only cared about inheriting her elderly husband's money, this actually wasn't true

Lawrence also recounted attending several parties at the Edelstens' apartment while My Bedazzled Life was being filmed.

Geoffrey, who was about 70 years old at the time, would usually excuse himself from the festivities at 7.30pm, the Triple M presenter said.

'He'd put his eye mask on and close the door of his coffin and close his arms across his chest and go off to bed,' Lawrence joked.

'I think the arrangement wasn't particularly a love match': Lawrence admitted he didn't think Brynne was genuinely happy in her marriage. Pictured in 2012

He went on to describe the exes' apartment as a 'real Studio 54 party flat', complete with red shag carpets, a lounge room full of cinema chairs, gaudy glassware and large light fittings.

Elsewhere in the interview, Lawrence admitted he didn't think Brynne was genuinely happy in her marriage in the years leading up to her divorce from Geoffrey in 2014.

'Outwardly she was happy, but I [used to] think she could be happier. I think the arrangement wasn't particularly a love match,' he said.

In happier times: Brynne publicly announced her engagement to Allied Medical Group founder Geoffrey at Melbourne's Crown Casino on New Year's Eve in 2008

Denial: Brynne has declared she is innocent after she was charged with trafficking ice

Brynne publicly announced her engagement to the Allied Medical Group founder at Melbourne's Crown Casino on New Year's Eve in 2008.

The pair married one year later, and split in 2014.

The unpaid legal fees from the messy divorce led Brynne to bankruptcy in 2016.

TV appearance: Brynne will appear on Channel Seven's upcoming second season of SAS Australia later this year. Her photo is on the top row, far right

Brynne, who will appear on Channel Seven's upcoming second season of SAS Australia later this year, was arrested and charged with trafficking, possessing and using ice after a raid on a home in Boronia, Melbourne, earlier this month.

Police also charged her with dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime after finding a significant quantity of cash in her possession.

Brynne had hoped the matter might have been resolved before Seven Network executives caught wind.

Statement: While Brynne provided a brief statement to the Herald Sun declaring she would be 'vigorously fighting all charges', she has since gone into hiding and is not responding to media requests

All that was shattered last weekend when news of the charges broke.

While Brynne provided a brief statement to the Herald Sun declaring she would be 'vigorously fighting all charges', she has since gone into hiding and is not responding to media requests.

Daily Mail Australia has been told Brynne had been 'blindsided' by the police sting after attending the Boronia property with a friend.

'Blindsided': Daily Mail Australia has been told Brynne had been 'blindsided' by the police sting after attending the Boronia property with a friend

A 39-year-old man she was accompanying was also charged after police found what is believed to be magic mushrooms, meth, prescription drugs and a stolen electric bike inside the home.

It is understood that man has an extensive criminal history.

Brynne was granted bail and will appear before the Ringwood Magistrates Court on October 8.
She's been keeping up her workout sessions diligently during the pandemic lockdown.

And on Monday evening, Taraji P. Henson showed off the fruits of her labors as she headed to dinner in West Hollywood.

The actress, 50, looked fabulous in a black blouse with gold pinstripes and cropped skinny black pants fastened with a Gucci belt.

All that glitters: Taraji P. Henson literally sparkled as she headed to dinner in LA on Monday evening wearing diamond-studded sunglasses

The Empire star added color with emerald green sandal heels and carried a large green purse with gold embellishments.

Her hair was styled in a sleek chin-length bob and she accessorized with dramatic earrings.

Henson added eye-catching sunglasses with embellished half frames and she donned a face mask as she headed to the eatery.

Fashionista: The actress, 50, looked fabulous in a black blouse with gold pinstripes and cropped skinny black pants fastened with a Gucci belt

Coordinated ensemble: She added color with emerald green sandal heels and carried a large green purse with gold embellishments. Her hair was styled in a sleek chin-length bob

Night out: Henson accessorized with dramatic earrings and she donned a face mask as she headed to the eatery

In addition to her high-profile Hollywood career, Henson is committed to giving back to her community.

The D.C. native, who raised her son as a single mother after his father was stabbed to death, is a staunch advocate for increased access to mental health services.

She started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named for her late father, which works with schools to to provide therapy for at risk students and address childhood suicide.

And last week, she announced she is launching The Unspoken Curriculum, a mental health campaign to help Black students recognize signs of trauma and empower them to seek help.

Her boy: The D.C. native, who raised her son as a single mother after his father was stabbed to death, is a staunch advocate for increased access to mental health services (pictured with son Marcell, now 27, at her Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony in January 2019)

Henson told People: We're in a state of emergency right now... we can't hide the ugly, you've got to deal with the good and the bad if we want to see change.'

She explained: 'We need more professionals in education to recognize children dealing with trauma and help them, not criminalize them.'

The program offers a six-week course that includes discussions with mental health experts and offers virtual hangout spaces moderated by therapists and educators where students can speak openly about mental health and their experiences in school.

Critically acclaimed: Henson was nominated twice for an Emmy for her role as Cookie Lyon on Fox's Empire (pictured with co--star Terrence Howard)
Im not saying that every white person is racist. Im saying that we all have a tendency to, maybe even unconsciously, behave the way that we do because we are taught from a very, very tender age that white is right. So youve ingrained this, whether youre white or black or pink or green or polka dot stripes. Whether you consciously or subconsciously do it, you still act upon it because that is your orientation. And until we actually get to the table and have some real discussions about folks deep-rooted, ingrained indoctrination into American race politics, we will continue to see spurts and then stutters.
Drake was snapped heading to dinner at the celebrity hot spot Craig's in West Hollywood Monday, arriving in his customized Chrome Hearts Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

The 34-year-old Canadian superstar donned a long-sleeved black sweater with white horizontal stripes on the sleeves, black pants and white sneakers.

He sported a closely cropped do with a full beard as he arrived in his customized vehicle, which he worked on with the luxury brand Chrome Hearts.

Stepping out: Drake was snapped heading to dinner at the celebrity hot spot Craig's in West Hollywood Monday, arriving in his customized Chrome Hearts Rolls-Royce Cullinan

According to GQ, features on the vehicle include quilted leather seating and rims that bear the message, 'f*** you.'

The God's Plan performer on Sunday was the toast of the 2021 Billboard Music Awards as he was presented with the Artist Of The Decade award.

The Toronto native, in accepting the honors, brought three-year-old son Adonis (who he shares with artist-model Sophie Brussaux) onto the stage.

Style: The 34-year-old Canadian superstar donned a long-sleeved black sweater with white horizontal stripes on the sleeves, black pants and white sneakers

Amazing: He sported a closely cropped do with a full beard as he arrived in his customized vehicle, which he worked on with the luxury brand Chrome Hearts

Stepping out: He sported a closely cropped do with a full beard as he arrived in his customized vehicle, which he worked on with the luxury brand Chrome Hearts

Drake said that he's 'really bad at taking compliments' and 'really self-conscious' about his work in his acceptance speech, in which he attributed his success to perseverance.

'I rarely celebrate anything,' he said. 'For anyone watching this that's wondering how this happened, that's really the answer: It's being so unsure how you're getting it done that you just keep going in the hopes of figuring out the formula.'

Amid the huge honors, the rapper, who also won for Streaming Songs Artist, said that he was focusing on the positives of the evening.

Confident: The musical artist was seen a day after he was presented with the Artist Of The Decade award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards

Home time: Drake was seen getting into the lavish vehicle after enjoying dinner out

Details: The custom vehicle includes rims that bear the message 'f*** you' and it also features a luxe hood ornament

'I just know that I've spent an incalculable amount of hours trying to analyze all the things I did wrong,' he said, 'but tonight for once, I'm sure as hell we did something right.'

He also hosted a party at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California after the ceremony, with the party laid out at the 50-yard line of the venue, which is home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.

Among the guests in attendance were The Weeknd, Chris Brown, DJ Khaled, Doja Cat and SZA, an insider told E!, adding that there were 'huge champagne towers and several bars set up throughout the stadium.'

Comfy: Features on the vehicle include deluxe quilted leather seating
Camilla Franks was reduced to tears during Tuesday night's episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

The Australian fashion designer's feud with English comedian Ross Noble continued following a fiery boardroom room clash in front of boss Lord Alan Sugar.

The 45-year-old was labelled 'self-obsessed' and inconsiderate by her fellow team member.

Drama: Australian fashion designer Camilla Franks, 45, (pictured) was reduced to tears during Tuesday night's episode of Celebrity Apprentice following a heated clash with Ross Noble

'Everything is about you, your personality, your world vision, your vision is basically about you. You are completely self-obsessed,' he told her during the confrontation.

Camilla said that she was upset because she felt that Ross personally attacked her.

Stepping in to silence their bickering, Lord Alan said:' Camilla you've got away with this by the skin of your teeth.

Not happy: During Monday's episode, the 45-year-old was labelled 'self-obsessed' and inconsiderate by her fellow team member

Get over it! Stepping in to silence their bickering, Lord Alan said:' Camilla you've got away with this by the skin of your teeth... Learn from this, that this is not personal. This is business.'

He continued: 'Learn from this, that this is not personal. This is business.'

'You can't afford things to get personal in business,' he said before he shooed them away saying, 'Off you go, the pair of you, I'll see you on the next task.'

The pair then continued their feud outside of Alan's meeting room.

Drama: The pair then continued their feud outside of Alan's meeting room

Go away! 'Ross leave me,' Camilla said upset, as Ross attempted to talk things over

Upset: 'You clearly just don't even know who I am, to call me self obsessed on national TV was the cruelest thing you could have done,' she said

'Ross leave me,' Camilla said visibly upset, as Ross attempted to talk things over.

'You clearly just don't even know who I am, to call me self obsessed on national TV was the cruelest thing you could have done,' she said.

The Sydney-based fashion designer explained that she felt that she was being dismissed by Ross and that he negated her leadership.

In an attempt to patch things up, Ross said: 'We've got to work together,' to which Camilla hit back, 'I don't want to work with you. I wouldn't hire you in my business because you're mean.'

Celebrity Apprentice Australia continues Sunday at 7pm on Nine
She's the tattooed bombshell who has been linked to Brian Austin Green, P. Diddy and is now in a relationship with Brett Oppenheim.

And on Tuesday, Tina Louise enjoyed some 'me time' as she celebrated turning 40.

Tina, who boasts 2.5million followers on Instagram, showcased her curves in a raunchy photoshoot in Costa Rica.

Glamazon: Bombshell Tina Louise showed off her sensational curves as she celebrated turning 40 in Costa Rica on Tuesday

The Australian model proved she's still the life of the party as she donned a bikini and jumped in a pool for the shoot.

Tina looked sensational as she frolicked in the pool while celebrating alongside a female friend at the stunning location.

'Birthday trip,' she wrote, adding the hashtag #costarica.

Rocking: The Australian model proved she's still the life of the party as she donned a bikini and jumped in a pool for the shoot

The tattooed beauty confirmed her relationship with Brett last month when they went Instagram official on holiday at an undisclosed location.

The swimsuit-clad duo looked playful as they strolled along the golden sand in photos shared to Instagram.

It's unclear how long they have been a couple.

Time to party: Tina looked sensational as she frolicked in the pool while celebrating alongside a female friend at the stunning location

The social media star's outing came not long after she pulled the plug on her fling with ex Brian Austin Green.

The former couple were first linked in May 2020 after the actor separated from his estranged wife Megan Fox.

In October, Tina was spotted making out with rap mogul Sean Combs on a Malibu beach, but it's unclear if they were ever an official item.

Tina hasn't spoken about her past high-profile relationships.
They recently celebrated their two-year anniversary.

And Eyal Booker and Delilah Belle Hamlin shared a hilarious video of the Love Island star doing the TikTok walk challenge on Monday.

In the clip, Delilah, 22, stands alongside Eyal, 25, as she mouths along to a clip encouraging someone to 'put on a cute a** outfit'.

Dressing up: Eyal Booker and Delilah Belle Hamlin shared a hilarious video of the Love Island star doing the TikTok walk challenge on Monday

She mouthed: 'Like put on a cute ass outfit and walk in front of your camera at 0.3x speed and tell me you don't feel like a bad b***h'.

Eyal then donned a pink silk dressing gown as he walked in slow motion towards the camera while striking a pose as Delilah jumped up and down behind him.

Alongside the clip, Eyal wrote: 'Bad B***h loading @delilahbelle'.

It comes days after Eyal and Delilah celebrated their two-year anniversary with a romantic weekend away.

Clip: In the clip, Delilah, 22, stands alongside Eyal, 25, as she mouths along to a clip encouraging someone to 'put on a cute a** outfit'

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Eyal shared a gushing post about his girlfriend as he detailed their stay at the Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa in Hampshire, England.

Alongside a montage of snaps, he penned: 'We had the most beautiful staycation. Thank you @chewtonglen

'Submersed in nature staying in one of the treehouses. Jacuzzi on our balcony. Way too much cheese & wine. Forest walks that turned into beach walks and spending quality time with the person I love @delilahbelle.

'This staycation market a milestone in our relationship & I couldnt have wished for a better place to spend it.

She mouthed: 'Like put on a cute ass outfit and walk in front of your camera at 0.3x speed and tell me you don't feel like a bad b***h'

Casual: Eyal began the video wearing a dark grey jacket and a pair of cream chinos

'Peace & Love  [sic]'.

In the snaps, Eyal could be seen showing off his muscular physique as he enjoyed a dip in a hot tub on their terrace.

The couple also enjoyed plenty of country walks, with the pair cuddling up together for snaps.

Delilah also took to Instagram to share some scantily clad snaps, posing in a skimpy pink lingerie set that sent her followers wild.

Eyal certainly approved, captioning the snap with a rocket emoji.

Couples who strip off together! Eyal looked truly smitten with Delilah as they recently celebrated their two-year anniversary with a romantic weekend away

Eyal found fame on the 2018 series of Love Island and started dating Delilah, in May 2019, after she slid into his DMs.

The couple declared their love for one another after just six months of dating and juggled a long-distance relationship at first before becoming inseparable.

The couple returned to London earlier this year after spending the coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles with Delilah's family.

The pair shared an insight into their long-distance relationship while speaking to the New York City-based fashion magazine Paper last month.

Eyal admitted: 'COVID was going to either make or break mine and Delilah's relationship, and we weren't always sure if we would be able to see each other and spend time with each other but somehow we managed to get through it, make it work and come out even stronger.'

He continued: 'COVID is not over yet, but we've made it this far and that's pretty special to me considering at the beginning we weren't sure how we would navigate through it.'
Rose Byrne has settled back into life in Australia after arriving Down Under with her husband and children last year.

On Tuesday, the 41-year-old headed out to a cafe with a friend in the upmarket suburb of Woollahra in Sydney.

The actress opted for a casually chic outfit, consisting of a green sweater with a neon purple tiger print.

Local: Rose Byrne (pictured) has settled back into life in Australia after arriving Down Under with her husband and children last year

She added a pair of trendy, loose beige slacks and a pair of crisp white sneakers.

Rose carried a cross-body bag with a retro thatched pattern in shades of rust orange and blue.

She shielded her eyes with sunglasses and appeared to have skipped the makeup, and had her hair back off her face in a loose ponytail.

Nice day: On Tuesday, the 41-year-old headed out to a cafe with a friend in the upmarket Sydney suburb of Woollahra

Green with envy: The actress opted for a casually chic outfit, consisting of a green sweater with a neon purple tiger print

Details: Rose carried a cross-body bag with a retro thatched pattern in shades of rust orange and blue

At one point, the star appeared to be comforted by a female friend or relative, who took her arm to soothe her.

Later, Rose cheered up, laughing heartily and she chatted to her pal.

Rose sent her fans into a frenzy by calling her long-time partner Bobby Cannavale her husband recently, sparking speculation the pair have secretly wed.

Comfort: At one point, the star appeared to be comforted by a female friend or relative

Close: The woman took Rose's arm to soothe her

Chats: The pair seemed engaged in a serious conversation as they walked along

Sun safe: Rose shielded her eyes with a pair of sunglasses

The actress made the statement in a recent interview with Shape magazine.

She revealed how the couple recently spent their mandatory 14-day quarantine in Sydney after arriving Down Under from the US for movie projects.

Rose said: 'I got into being an artisanal cocktail waitress, but I'm really slow at it. My husband will be like, I've been waiting for 25 mins.'

All smiles: Later, Rose cheered up, laughing heartily and she chatted to her pal

Natural: The star went makeup free for her casual outing

Hairy situation: She wore her hair off her face in a loose bun

You said what? She was engaged in a lively conversation and appeared very animated

The Two Hands star often refers to Bobby as her husband, but the pair have never in fact married.

However, they may secretly be engaged as Rose has been sporting a diamond ring on her left hand wedding finger for years.

She was first pictured wearing the ring in 2016 while in Australia, but she has never publicly confirmed she is engaged.

Married: Rose sent her fans into a frenzy by calling her long-time partner Bobby Cannavale her husband recently, sparking speculation the pair have secretly wed

Comments: The actress made the statement in a recent interview with Shape magazine

Slip: She revealed how the couple recently spent their mandatory 14-day quarantine in Sydney after arriving Down Under from the US for movie projects

The Hollywood actress began dating American actor Bobby, 51, in 2012.

In 2017, she told ES magazine that she often refers to him as 'my husband'.

'He's practically my husband, so calling him that is easier,' she said.

Rose said: 'I got into being an artisanal cocktail waitress, but I'm really slow at it. My husband will be like, I've been waiting for 25 mins'

'The formality isn't a draw for me, but we'll do it one day. Once you have children, I just think, 'why not?''

Rose and Bobby, who have worked together onscreen in Annie, Spy and Adult Beginners, share two sons, Rocco, five, and Rafa, three.

Bobby was previously married to American actress Jenny Lumet and they share an adult son Jake.

Romance: The Hollywood actress began dating American actor Bobby, 51, in 2012

Ease: In 2017, she told ES magazine that she often refers to him as 'my husband'. 'He's practically my husband, so calling him that is easier,' she said

Rose, who hails from Balmain in New South Wales, began acting at age 13 before making it big in Hollywood.

In 2014, she starred in the blockbuster movie Neighbours, with Seth Rogen and Zac Efron and was announced as the face of Oroton - which went into voluntary administration last year.

She also appeared alongside Oprah Winfrey in the 2017 TV film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
She has been enjoying the single life since filing for divorce from husband Kanye West.

And Kim Kardashian looked sensational as she attended Scott Disick's early birthday party on Monday.

The reality star took to Instagram and shared a glimpse at the festivities for Lord Disick's 38th birthday bash.

Stunning: Kim Kardashian looked sensational as she attended Scott Disick's early birthday party on Monday

Kim looked radiant in the clip as she donned a skintight dark grey vest while she styled her brunette locks into loose waves.

Despite it being his birthday, Scott turned the tables and treated his guests to stunningly luxurious party favors.

Kim set the stage coyly before really just how much the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was treating his guests.

'I bet you guys want to know what Scott has for his party favors,' Kim teased while filming herself outside. 'That's what I want to show you guys. I've never heard of this before, party favors like this.'

Party: The reality star took to Instagram and shared a glimpse at the festivities for Lord Disick's 38th birthday bash

Birthday: Despite it being his birthday, Scott turned the tables and treated his guests to stunningly luxurious party favors

She cut to the inside of the house, where Scott had laid out a jaw-dropping array of jewelry and luxury wristwatches, all for the taking.

There were boxes of diamond-encrusted Rolexes, along with gold bracelets and glittering Cuban links.

'So anyone can just walk in to here,' she said, quickly adding, 'If they're invited to the party.'

Scott looked proud to show off his expensive party favors.

Luxury: Kim set the stage coyly before really just how much the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was treating his guests

Dig in: Kim also shared a look at a food truck making churros for guests

'This is how Lord does it. I'm sorry that everybody gives out candy, but I give out ice,' he boasted.

Kim even panned her phone to show the security guard standing watch outside the door to make sure no one entered without permission.

Despite the celebrations, Scott still has a day left of being 37, as his birthday isn't until May 26.

Scott was joined by his girlfriend Amelia Hamlin for his birthday celebrations.

Joining the loved-up couple and Kim for the birthday bash were Scott's ex Kourtney, along with sister Khloe and even their pop star friend Sia.
She recently inked a new record deal with Sengge Zangbo Records after she first shot to stardom on Netflix's reality series, Too Hot To Handle, in 2020.

And Nicole O'Brien ensured the spotlight remained firmly on her on Monday as she wore a PVC raspberry red mini dress for dinner and drinks at Hakkasan in Mayfair.

The reality star, 25, paraded her slender figure in the skin-tight ensemble as she made her grand entrance at the high-end eatery in London.

Turn up the heat: Nicole O'Brien ensured the spotlight remained firmly on her on Monday as she wore a PVC raspberry red mini dress for dinner and drinks at Hakkasan in Mayfair

She highlighted her lithe legs with nude strappy heels and draped a cream handbag from DKNY over her shoulder.

The blonde beauty styled her lengthy tresses in loose waves while sporting full coverage make-up.

Earlier this month, Nicole announced that she had signed a new record deal with I Saw It First and Sengge Zangbo Records on Instagram.

Posting a gorgeous snap of herself singing a contract in the clothing brand's offices, Nicole told fans: 'Today was a pinch me moment.'

Night out: The reality star, 25, paraded her slender figure in the skin-tight ensemble as she made her grand entrance at the high-end eatery

She went on: 'I've just signed a deal with @isawitfirst X @senggezangborecords. No pressure that their previous artist was @emelisande featuring @stonebwoyb.

'To say I'm excited is an understatement!! This wouldn't be possible without any of you lovely people supporting me, can't thank you enough I have so much love for you all.'

She concluded: 'Big things are coming.'

Nicole appeared on the Netflix dating show Too Hot To Handle, where a string of attractive contestants learned they'd win $100,000 if they had no sexual contact for four weeks. Each infraction took money off the total prize fund.

Designer touch: She highlighted her lithe legs with nude strappy heels and draped a cream handbag from DKNY over her shoulder

Plenty to smile about: Earlier this month, Nicole announced that she had signed a new record deal with I Saw It First and Sengge Zangbo Records on Instagram

Cause for celebration: Posting a gorgeous snap of herself singing a contract in the clothing brand's offices, Nicole told fans: 'Today was a pinch me moment'

While she did not find love on the show, she went on to date her co-star Bryce Hirschberg after the show wrapped, making their relationship public last April.

They called it quits later in the year due to the travel restrictions posed by COVID-19, as Bryce lives in Marina Del Rey, California, and Nicole calls the UK home.

A representative for Bryce, 30, told People at the time: 'I can confirm that Bryce and Nicole decided mutually to split early last week after months of trying to make a long-distance relationship work.'

Bryce also made a statement: 'After the many failed attempts to reunite due to quarantine and border restrictions, we decided that moving on and remaining friends would be our best option for the time being.

'Nicole is so lovely and if under less unusual circumstances I'm sure that we could've had an amazing relationship! I wish her the best because she deserves it.'

In March, the Irish beauty released her first single, which shot to number one in the iTunes charts in Ireland.

Speaking about her love for music, Nicole told OK! In March: 'I have written music for years and years. It's so funny because I have written down when I was about 16 or 17, in a diary back home I wrote down my 10-year plan, which was to do a show, get a platform and start releasing music.

'So, my mum sent me a photo of it the other day, saying how mad is this.'
Seth Rogen used strong language and spoke of using weed 'all day, every day' during an interview on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.

Host Susanna Reid, alongside guest host Bill Turnbull, was forced to apologise for the appearance after the early morning chat, as she said: 'He did use some strong language during that interview, so apologies for that if you were offended.'

Discussing the inspiration of his grandmother in his autobiography, Yearbook, he revealed she told him to 'give those sons of b*****s hell', before detailing his use of marijuana and also slamming alcohol use and the effect drinking has on the body.

Oh my! Seth Rogen used strong language and spoke of using weed use 'all day, every day' during an interview on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday

While plugging his book, Seth, who comes from Canada, regaled: 'I told a lot of jokes about my grandparents. My first set was when I was 12 years old in a lesbian bar.

'They were very funny to me, my grandmother especially who was born fleeing World War One. She was a tough lady and before I moved to LA her advice to me was 'give those sons of b*****s hell', I'll never forget that.'

Last week, Bill told The Sun how he uses garlic, cannabis and an oxygen tent to fight his prostate cancer, after being diagnosed in 2017.

Bill said: 'You're very honest about it, you smoke cannabis every day?' to which Seth replied: 'I do, I smoke cannabis all day every day. I have for the last 25 years or so I would say. It's something that is intrinsic to my day to day functionality.'

Apologies: Host Susanna Reid, alongside guest host Bill Turnbull, was forced to apologise for the appearance after the early morning chat, as she said: 'He did use some strong language during that interview, so apologies for that if you were offended'

Honest: Seth often discusses his drug use and shares details on social media (pictured in February 2019)

He did however slam the use of alcohol, saying: 'I personally think alcohol - and I know this is the last thing British people want to hear...

'But on the grand scale of things we put in our bodies to intoxicate or remove ourselves from our normal baseline of functionality, alcohol is not a good one...

'It's high in calories, it gives you a hangover. There are other things we can be putting in our bodies that have less calories and don't make you feel bad the next day, but they are much more stigmatised than alcohol.'

'The idea that people who smoke weed are lazy or that if you smoke weed all day you're problematic or there's something wrong with you is just not true...

Sorry! She was quick to say sorry to the masses for his strong language

'It's mostly based on racist lies told by people many years ago that we still unfortunately believe for the most part.'

He also discussed cancel culture and his films making people uncomfortable, saying: 'I think there are certain jokes that for sure have not aged well

'But I think that's the nature of comedy. I think conceptually those movies are sound and I think there's a reason they've lasted. Jokes are not things that necessarily are built to last.'

Uh oh! He left the hosts red-faced yet won praise from fans

Viewers soon flooded Twitter to praise his views of drugs and alcohol.

He said: 'Fascinating interview with Seth Rogen on GMB, he's admitted to smoking weed everyday for 25 years but doesn't touch Alcohol, he's spot on and weed smokers get demonised for very little, particularly when it comes to jobs...

'I've seen CEO's snorting Persil Automatic though... i loved that interview with Seth Rogen on @gmb this morning. What an interesting and honest person!...

'Owning his craft and work and accepting challenges to his work. We need more like him for sure Susanna and Bill did a great job there...

'I like Seth Rogen. I like Seth Rogen being baked on TV. I like that Seth Rogen is happy being baked on TV. I dont like judgemental people or people that completely overreact to the personal use of weed...

'Great interview with Seth, love that guy and totally agree, legalise the weed. I'd rather be with someone who's had too much weed than too much alcohol.'
They've recently been more loved-up than ever, documenting their romance in loved-up snaps.

And Nicola Peltz put on yet another stylish display as she headed home after enjoying sushi for dinner at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills with her fiance Brooklyn Beckham, 22, on Monday.

The actress, 26, sported a stylish black jumper with light-washed flared trousers as she jumped into Brooklyn's car to drive home.

Chic: Nicola Peltz, 26, put on yet another stylish display as she headed home after enjoying sushi for dinner at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hillswith her fiance Brooklyn Beckham on Monday

Nicola opted for a fitted black polo neck with the flared blue jeans, adding some extra height to her look with pale pink heels.

The blonde beauty styled her tresses into a coiffed bob and protected herself during the Covid pandemic with a taupe mask.

Nicola put on yet another cosy display with her husband-to-be as they headed back to their car after another romantic dinner.

Stylish: The actress sported a stylish black jumper with light-washed flared trousers as she jumped into Brooklyn's car to drive home

Happy: Nicola put on yet another cosy display with her husband-to-be as they headed back to their car after another romantic dinner

It comes after Brooklyn and Nicola proved that their relationship is stronger than ever as they professed their love for each other in a series of romantic Instagram posts.

The couple looked on cloud nine in a snap Nicola shared as Brooklyn wrapped his arms around the actress and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

The aspiring photographer went shirtless in the snap while the actress donned a black vest top and styled her blonde locks into an updo.

Romantic: It comes after Brooklyn and Nicola proved that their relationship is stronger than ever as they professed their love for each other in a series of romantic Instagram posts

Nicola then uploaded a second photo of Brooklyn running his hands through his hair while she accentuated her natural beauty while posing in the mirror.

Alongside the post, Nicola wrote: 'his heart is the kindest,' while Brooklyn commented with: 'I'm yours forever '.

Brooklyn shared his own snap of the pair where he could be seen kissing Nicola on the cheek as she looked into the camera.

Smooch: Brooklyn shared his own snap of the pair where he could be seen kissing Nicola on the cheek as she looked into the camera

Loved-up: Alongside the post, Nicola wrote: 'his heart is the kindest,' while Brooklyn commented with: 'Im yours forever '

Wrapping an arm around her husband-to-be, the actress looked sensational as the pair stood in front of a breathtaking view of the evening shoreline.

It comes after Nicola recently finished filming on her first co-directed film, Lola James.

The creative couple were said to haveworked together on her new movie as it was reported that Brooklyn landed a photography role on set.

Upcoming movie Lola James is set in 2002 and follows the story of 19-year-old Lola who tries to save enough money to get her brother Arlo out of their toxic home but ends up developing a drug addiction, reports Deadline.

Candid: Nicola then uploaded a second photo of Brooklyn running his hands through his hair while she accentuated her natural beauty while posing in the mirror

The Florida Project actress Bria Vinaite, 27, co-directed alongside Nicola and Sideways Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen was also cast in the Indie flick.

Nicola previously gave a sneak peek from the set of her latest film project as she shared pictures with the Lola James cast members and crew.

Snaps included Nicola posing with co-director Bria Vinaite and cast member Luke David Blumm as she threw a peace sign to the camera and hugging a friend as others stood around clapping.

Brooklyn has already been gushing about his talented other-half's involvement in the movie on Instagram, sharing a loved-up post last month.

Project: It comes after Nicola recently finished filming on her first co-directed film, Lola James with Brooklyn reportedly landing a photography role on set

He penned: 'I am so proud of you and looking forward to seeing this project x you are the most talented person and I am so happy that your dream is coming true x

'you have worked your bum off to create an amazing movie and an amazing piece of art x I am so lucky I got to be a part of it and got to meet the amazing cast and crew x cant wait to see the most amazing movie "Lola James"'.

Brooklyn's photography is creating an ever-growing portfolio of enviably high profile work, including shooting Sophie Turner, a Burberry campaign, and his dad David's sunglasses campaign. He has also interned with Rankin.

Over the summer, he took two snaps in his own photoshoot for ICON magazine.

Behind-the-scenes: Nicola gave an sneak peek from her latest film posing with co-director Bria Vinaite, 27, and cast member Luke David Blumm as she threw a peace sign to the camera

On set: Upcoming movie Lola James is set in 2002 and follows the story of 19-year-old Lola who tries to save enough money to get her brother Arlo out of their toxic home

Meanwhile, in July 2018 Brooklyn quit his New York photography course at the world-renowned Parsons School of Design because he 'missed' his family in the UK.

He told pals months before that he wanted to leave  according to the Mirror, but decided to stick it out to the end of term.

And Nicola has also been making waves in the creative industries since her role in 2014 movie Transformers: Age of Extinction. She also appeared in Bates Motel.
She has been in the U.K. filming a new dating series for ITV2.

And Katherine Ryan seemed in the sentimental mood on Monday as she shared a slew of throwback snaps from her childhood on Instagram.

The comedian, 37, joked about her love of power suits and uploaded photos cuddling her two younger sisters Kerrie and Joanne.

Childhood: Katherine Ryan seemed in the sentimental mood on Monday as she shared a slew of throwback snaps from her childhood on Instagram

Katherine lived up to her stage presence in one photo, which showed the comedian throwing her hands out wide as she modelled a cute jacket, matching dress and wicker hat.

She captioned the shot: 'Power suits'. In another sweet photograph, the actress beamed as she posed with her younger sister Joanne.

Katherine also uploaded a snap of herself as a youngster holding Kerrie as a newborn a baby.

Memories: The comedian, 37, joked about her love of power suits and uploaded photos cuddling her two younger sisters Kerrie and Joanne (pictured earlier this month)

Siblings: In one sweet photograph, the actress beamed as she posed with her younger sister Joanne

Older sister: Katherine also uploaded a snap of herself as a youngster holding Kerrie as a newborn a baby

Katherine has been filming Ready To Mingle in Devon, which follows a single girl in search for her perfect match- with the twist being that not all 12 male suitors are single.

It comes after the actress revealed Netflix have decided not to renew her show The Duchess while speaking on Vicky Pattison's The Secret To podcast.

The sitcom, which tells the story of a single mother living in London who considers having another baby with her enemy and the father of her daughter Olive, was axed because 'not enough people watched it'.

She said: 'Netflix didn't want to make any more, not enough people watched it.

'I think something like 10 million people watched it in 28 days and that wasn't enough. But also, I'm not terribly sad about it.

'I feel like it's a whole lot of work, a whole lot of time to make a sitcom. I was so grateful to able to make it, but I think it speaks for itself. I kind of like the way it ended.'
We respectfully disagree with the courts decision today in the school mask lawsuit, he said. The plaintiffs remain steadfast in their position that the school mask mandate was not only an unconstitutional overreach of executive authority, but that it was  and continues to be  far more of a threat to childrens health than the coronavirus. We look forward to presenting our arguments on appeal.
The reviews are in for the reboot of The Weakest Link, and it's safe to say many viewers hated it.

Fans flocked to Twitter on Tuesday night to slam the newly revived series, particularly the seemingly controversial choice of Magda Szubanski as host.

Many stated that they wouldn't be watching the Channel Nine game show again, making up their minds before the first episode was even over.

Weak start: The reviews are in for the reboot of The Weakest Link, and it's safe to say many viewers hated it. Pictured, host Magda Szubanski

'I gave it 2 segments. It's a no from me,' commented one viewer, while another wrote, 'Sorry @MagdaSzubanski @Channel9 but #WeakestLinkAU is... Well... Weak. I won't be back.'

Others accused Magda, 60, of 'overacting' and urged her to just be herself.

'10 mins into #WeakestLinkAU and I couldn't cringe harder. Magda's overacting and scripted put downs are unbearable,' tweeted one viewer.

Not a fan: Fans flocked to Twitter on Tuesday night to slam the newly revived series, particularly the seemingly controversial choice of Magda as host

Losing viewers: Many stated that they wouldn't be watching the Channel Nine game show again, making up their minds before the first episode was even over

'Wrong choice in host. I'm done. Back to the internet. Reboot you are the weakest link. Goodbye!!' commented one person, using the show's famous catchphrase.

Added another: 'Watching Magda Szubanski do an ill-fitting impression of the nasty schoolmarm from the UK's The Weakest Link is just... sad. Just be yourself, Magda.'

Others said they couldn't see past Magda's most famous character, Sharon Strzelecki, the hapless best friend in Kath & Kim.

'I gave it 2 segments. It's a no from me,' commented one viewer, while another wrote, 'Sorry @MagdaSzubanski @Channel9 but #WeakestLinkAU is... Well... Weak. I won't be back'

Acting up: Others accused Magda, 60, of 'overacting' and urged her to just be herself. '10 mins into #WeakestLinkAU and I couldn't cringe harder,' commented one viewer

'No suit and resting b***h face can un-Sharon Strzelecki you, soz Magda,' wrote one person, while another added, 'Magda does know she's hosting #weakestlinkau and not doing a skit on Fast Forward right?'

One person said the late Cornelia Frances, who hosted the series in the early noughties, 'would be horrified at what they're doing to her legacy'.

'Magda is no Cornelia that's for sure,' commented another, while one person wrote, 'Nobody can say GOODBYE quite like Cornelia Frances. RIP'.

RIP: One person said the late Cornelia Frances (pictured), who hosted the series in the early noughties, 'would be horrified at what they're doing to her legacy'

'Magda is no Cornelia that's for sure,' commented another, while one person wrote, 'Nobody can say GOODBYE quite like Cornelia Frances. RIP'

Added another blunt commentator: 'Can we get another presenter?!'

But not everyone was hating the reboot, with one person declaring it 'so much better than the original airing'.

'I love this show and have wanted it back for years. Even better now that it's with @MagdaSzubanski,' commented another fan.
They have been married for a blissful 22 years.

And Victoria Beckham and her husband David proved the magic is still alive as they enjoyed a night on the town in New York on Monday evening.

The former Spice Girl, 47, who shares sons Brooklyn, 22, Romeo, 18, Cruz, 16, and daughter, Harper, nine, with David, was snap happy during the night out as she posed with her husband, 46, yet came over shy by adding a filter over her face.

Date night! Victoria Beckham and her husband David proved the magic is still alive as they enjoyed a night on the town in New York on Monday evening

Victoria looked sensational in jeans, a white blazer and a white shirt with a Hermes handbag however she masked her face with the heart-eye emoji.

David and Victoria are one of the showbiz world's iconic couples and they have often spoken in the past about how they keep the spark alive.

In 2019, Victoria discussed family life and her marriage to David, as she stated they always put their children first: 'The kids are our priority, everything we do revolves around the children. We both work really hard, we love what we do professionally.

'We support each other, we're very lucky to have found each other and lucky that we're growing together.'

Happy days: The couple share sons Brooklyn, 22, Romeo, 18, Cruz, 16, and daughter, Harper, nine

Reminiscing about their first encounter two years prior to their wedding, Victoria admitted: 'It was love at first sight.'

Quizzed about how they make their family unit work despite their busy schedules, the Spice Girls star said 'communication is key'.

'We're very present in the kids' lives. We love our family, everything we do revolves around them', she explained.

'I think it's just being focused, working hard, having a great support team around us. And both of our parents help out with the kids.'

Earlier in the day: Victoria was seen in her date night outfit earlier in the day

The busy mother-of-four has just launched her first make-up brand, Victoria Beckham Beauty, and says she took advice from Diane Von Furstenberg about never feeling guilty juggling family life with work.

She said: 'You feel guilty when you're a working mum. I'm sure there are so many mums watching this right now who feel torn.

'You want to be the best professional, follow your dreams but you also want to be the best mum. Diane said to me, don't feel guilty, it's ageing!'
Chloe Ferry displayed her toned curves in a tiny ensemble as she joined her Geordie Shore co-stars for a girls' trip to Portugal on Tuesday.

The reality star, 25, could barely contain her ample assets in a tiny red crop top as she joined pals Abbie Holborn, Sophie Kasaei and Bethan Kershaw in Sunderland as they got picked up by a luxury taxi to take them to Leeds Bradford Airport.

As well as their girls' trip, the foursome were also celebrating the tenth anniversary of Geordie Shore, which started on 24 May 2011, as they let off party cannons and held a sign.

Red hot! Chloe Ferry displayed her toned curves in a tiny ensemble as she joined her Geordie Shore co-stars for a girls' trip to Portugal on Tuesday

Chloe teamed her tiny red crop top with a pair of matching leggings and a cropped jacket which further highlighted her toned curves.

The reality star finished her look with silver sparkly sandals, a gold necklace and oversized sunglasses.

Chloe styled her brunette locks into a blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-up.

Girls' trip: The reality star, 25, could barely contain her ample assets in a tiny red crop top as she joined pals Abbie Holborn, Sophie Kasaei and Bethan Kershaw in Sunderland as they got picked up by a luxury taxi to take them to Leeds Bradford Airport

Yay! As well as their girls' trip, the foursome were also celebrating the tenth anniversary of Geordie Shore, which started on 24 May 2011, as they let off party cannons and held a sign

Details: Chloe teamed her tiny red crop top with a pair of matching leggings and a cropped jacket which further highlighted her toned curves

Elsewhere, Abbie, 23, displayed her toned figure in a plunging nude crop top with matching leggings and brown trainers.

Bethan, 26, also opted for a cropped top in the form of a nude coloured hoodie which she teamed with matching coloured jogging bottoms and white trainers.

While Sophie, 31, wore black shiny leggings with an oversized white T-shirt, orange sunglasses and stylish trainers.

Holiday ready! The reality star finished her look with silver sparkly sandals, a gold necklace and oversized sunglasses

Glamorous! Chloe styled her brunette locks into a blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-up

Toned: Elsewhere, Abbie, 23, displayed her toned figure in a plunging nude crop top with matching leggings and brown trainers

Matching: Bethan, 26, also opted for a cropped top in the form of a nude coloured hoodie which she teamed with matching coloured jogging bottoms and white trainers

The foursome couldn't contain their excitement over their trip to Portugal as they took to social media to share several updates on their way to the airport and sipped on glasses of prosecco.

Portugal is one of the 12 countries currently on the UK's 'green list' following the easing of lockdown restrictions in Britain last week.

The foursome have joined a collection of reality stars who have jetted off to the popular destination including Katie Price and Made In Chelsea star Tiffany Watson.

It comes after Chloe revealed that she is dating a new secret boyfriend last week and claimed that her flirty Celebs Go Dating co-star Wayne Lineker, 59, still wants to marry her - despite the fact they are 'just friends'.

Exciting: The foursome couldn't contain their excitement over their trip to Portugal as they took to social media to share several updates on their way to the airport and sipped on glasses of prosecco

Restrictions: Portugal is one of the 12 countries currently on the UK's 'green list' following the easing of lockdown restrictions in Britain last week

Reality star-studded: The foursome have joined a collection of reality stars who have jetted off to the popular destination including Katie Price and Made In Chelsea star Tiffany Watson

She's off! Chloe was seen putting her suitcase inside the luxury taxi

Speaking to The Sun, the Geordie Shore star said: 'If Wayne could get his way and marry me he would.'

She added: 'Hes one of my best friends in the whole world. I love him so much. We get on so well but we are just friends.'

It comes after smitten Wayne recently told The Sun that Chloe would be joining him in Ibiza for the summer so that they could spend some time together.

Shock: The foursome put on an animated display as they pulled party canons in the street

Work it: Sophie displayed her peachy posterior in her ensemble as she posed for a snap

Glamorous: Abbie looked glamorous in her ensemble as she styled her brunette locks into a blow-dried hairdo

But Chloe retracted the holiday plans in her latest interview and said that she didn't think it would be possible for her to get to the party island.

'We are not a couple by the way. He wishes. We are just friends,' the reality star added as she put the final nail in their romance coffin.

The friend-zoning comes after Chloe recently revealed that she's dating a new mystery man.

Appearing to reference her new romance in a recent photo caption, Chloe wrote: 'He call me big purr.'

Update! Chloe also took to Instagram to share several updates

Exciting: Sophie also shared her excitement over the girls' trip and the foursome enjoyed prosecco in the taxi to the airport

Glamorous: Chloe and Bethan posed for a sultry selfie together

Speaking of the love triangle, Chloe told Heat Magazine: 'Me and Wayne are just very, very good friends. But I am seeing someone at the minute.'

She added: 'My whole family do love Wayne... My 80-year-old auntie was trying to get a date with him!'

While Chloe was tight-lipped on details surrounding the identity of her new beau, she did reveal he's already had her family's seal of approval.

Chloe's new romance is a shock to many after months of rumours circulating about her and Wayne after they became inseparable on Celebs Go Dating.

Funny: Sophie shared a funny post at Leeds Bradford Airport later in the day which she captioned 'holiday diet'

The pair famously pranked the nation earlier this year by posing for what appeared to be engagement photos.

Club owner Wayne later explained on FUBAR Radio, 'Me and Chloe just have a laugh all the time. We're in the mansion and she had a wedding ring.

'She went, "Come on, Wayne, let's pretend we're getting married". And we took all the pictures and everything and we didn't end up doing it, we just forgot about it.

'And she phoned me up last week. Because, I mean, we are seeing each other a little bit and having a bit of flirtatious banter and we'll see what happens in the summer.

'But she said, "Come on let's post it! Let's have a laugh!" I said, "You know it's going to go viral don't you?" She went, "Yeah of course I do!"

'If Wayne could get his way and marry me he would': It comes after Chloe revealed that she is dating a new secret boyfriend last week and claimed that her flirty Celebs Go Dating co-star Wayne Lineker, 59, still wants to marry her - despite being 'just friends'
Katie Price is reportedly returning to court in a bid to get out of paying off her 3.2 million bankruptcy debts.

According to reports on Tuesday, the former glamour model, 43, is said to be under pressure to pay back the debt she owes after failing to attend meetings about it.

Katie was declared bankrupt in 2019 and vowed to pay back 12,000 a month through an individual voluntary arrangement, but this will now reportedly be reviewed in her forthcoming court case.

Legal woes: Katie Price 'will return to court to discuss her bankruptcy case in a bid to get out of paying 3.2m to creditors', it was claimed on Tuesday

A source speaking to The Sun claimed: 'Katie is due back next month - the debt is huge and it's unlikely she'll be able to pay it all back.'

Katie allegedly owes the vast sum from her company Jordan Trading Ltd, and the source added: 'She hopes the court is understanding in why it's been slow progress.'

MailOnline has contacted Katie's representatives for comment.

Last month it was reported that liquidators say Katie's 'non-compliance' means they're unable to discharge her and claim a loan of 154,423 to help clear claims by creditors totalling 267, 769.

Court: Katie (pictured with fiance Carl Woods) was declared bankrupt in 2019 and vowed to pay back 12,000 a month, but this will now reportedly be reviewed

At the time, The Sun claimed a report published by the liquidating company Moorfields said: 'I have been in correspondence with the Director's Trustee in Bankruptcy to establish whether there maybe any future dividends paid to the Director's creditors.

'The Director has failed on multiple occasions to attend on the Trustee and the Director has subsequently had their discharge suspended due to non-cooperation.

'We have been advised that creditors in the bankruptcy estate now total approximately 3.265 million.'

Hopes: A source claimed: 'Katie is due back next month - the debt is huge and it's unlikely she'll be able to pay it all back. She hopes the court is understanding in why it's been slow progress'

A representative for Katie told MailOnline at the time: 'Katie continues to work closely with her trustees & creditors to resolve the terms of her bankruptcy.

'She remains committed to delivering a positive outcome for all involved.'

According to documents, which were filed under Companies House, Katie is still listed as a director on the organisation,after her brother Daniel Infield resigned as secretary in 2015.

Jordan Trading Ltd was set up by Katie in 2003 to oversee the star's perfume and makeup lines, but in 2017 an application was put in to wind up the company as Katie tried to sort out her finances.

Drama: Katie allegedly owes the vast sum from her company Jordan Trading Ltd

The reality star, who was once worth more than 45 million, was declared bankrupt in 2019 after the High Court found she had failed to stick to a plan to repay her debts, estimated to be 800,000.

She was forced to give up her 2 million 11-bedroom mansion a month later after signing the property over to a trustee.

Katie took out a second mortgage on the property in 2015, but faced monthly payments of 12,300, and is now thought to be 100,000 in arrears.

Where's the money? It's thought that the liquidators say Katie's 'non-compliance' means they're unable to discharge her and claim a loan of 154,423 which is unlikely to be paid back

Following years of incomplete renovations, the house was nicknamed the 'mucky mansion' with Katie even showcasing the extent of the mess on her reality series My Crazy Life.

In February a cash-strapped Katie also revealed she was selling some of her furniture on Depop, including her fiance Carl Woods' old dining set for up to 1,500.

It also comes following reports that Katie was 'unaware' that her rented six-bedroom Surrey home was on the market after it recently sold for 1.2 million.

The Price is right! In February a cash-strapped Katie also revealed she was selling some of her furniture on Depop including her fiance Carl's old dining set for up to 1,500

A source has claimed the TV personality is preparing to move into her third place in a year after deciding to live between her beau Carl's pad and the 4,250-per-month abode when she left her 'mucky mansion' behind.

The insider said: 'It's a real blow as she'll have to move again. Katie had no idea the house was being sold but now she'll have to move very soon.'

They added to The Sun: 'She's living with Carl most of the time but still has a lot of stuff at the Surrey house and stays there occasionally because it's close to Pete's house and has space for all of the kids and they all have their rooms there.'

Gone: The mother-of-five was forced to give up her 2million 11-bedroom mansion (pictured) a month after being declared bankrupt in 2019

Her representative confirmed: 'This information had not yet been relayed and came as a surprise to Katie, who is still renting the property.'

The publication reports the lavish house sold for the eye-watering 1.2 million on the condition it remains tenanted.

Mother-of-five Katie hopes to purchase a property with Carl, whom she has been dating since June 2020.
Alexandra Daddario has debuted her romance with Jordana Brewster's ex-husband Andrew Form.

The actress, 35, shared a PDA-packed snap with the producer in which she professed her love for him.

The photo received countless 'likes' from fans after it was posted to Instagram on Monday, including one from Andrew's ex-wife Jordana, according to Extra.

'I love you': Alexandra Daddario has debuted her romance with Jordana Brewster's ex-husband Andrew Form

'I love you... "and even that is an understatement,"' she captioned the dreamy black-and-white photo.

However it appears Jordana has since unliked the photo.

Jordana and Andrew 'quietly separated' after 13 years of marriage and two children together last year.

'They have the utmost respect for each other,' a source told People. 'They remain committed to lovingly co-parent their two children as a team.'

Split: Jordana and Andrew 'quietly separated' after 13 years of marriage and two children together last year

The actress, who shares sons Julian, seven, and Rowan, four, with Andrew, has since moved on with investment CEO Mason Morfit.

Jordana met Andrew on the set of the horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning which he produced and she starred in.

The pair's whirlwind romance began escalated quickly after they vacationed in the Bahamas for Christmas, that same year, and she soon moved into his Hollywood Hills home after that.

Getting to know you: Jordana met Andrew on the set of the horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning which he produced and she starred in

On their one-year anniversary he proposed with a 3.2-carat engagement ring and they wed in a private ceremony after a six-month engagement.

The exchanged vows on Nevis Island, nearly two years after meeting.

'We started dating in secret, you know, hanging out in my trailer, because it would have been unprofessional otherwise,' the mother-of-two previously told InStyle Weddings ahead of their nuptials.

She added: 'But every day, Andrew wore these work boots to the set, and if I was lying down in the shot or there was equipment in the way, Id look for his shoes. It was comfortable just to know he was nearby.'
She has become known for her chic outfits and fashion choices.

And Victoria Beckham, 47, did not disappoint as she stepped out in New York on Tuesday wearing a quirky yet stylish long-sleeve dress.

The former Spice Girl showed there is little she can't pull off as she left her hotel in the white ensemble which featured frill detail across the bodice and shoulders.

Chic: Fashion icon Victoria Beckham, 47, looked quirky yet stylish as she stepped out in New York wearing a long-sleeve ruffled dress on Tuesday

The white dress was topped with a scarlet collar and was broken up by a black leather patch with gold buttons just above her hips.

She carried a matching black leather clutch bag under her arm and her face was barely visible as she wore a black face mask and sunglasses.

To finish off the look the fashion icon donned a pair of sky blue high heels with a thin strap around the ankle.

The outing comes after Victoria and her husband David, who have been married for 22 years, proved the magic is still alive as they enjoyed a night on the town in New York on Monday.

Quirky: The former Spice Girl showed there is little she can't pull off as she left her hotel in the white ensemble which featured frill detail around the shoulders and chest

Wow: The white dress was topped with a scarlet collar and was broken up by a black leather patch with gold buttons just above her hips

Stylish: The fashion icon boosted her modelesque frame as she donned a pair of sky blue high heels with a thin strap around the ankle

Strutting her stuff: Victoria looked incredible in her white dress which she teamed with blue heels

Victoria, who shares sons Brooklyn, 22, Romeo, 18, Cruz, 16, and daughter, Harper, nine, with David, was snap happy during the night out as she posed with her husband, 46, yet came over shy by adding a filter over her face.

She looked sensational in jeans, a white blazer and a white shirt with a Hermes handbag however she masked her face with the heart-eye emoji.

David and Victoria are one of the showbiz world's iconic couples and they have often spoken in the past about how they keep the spark alive.

Chic: She carried a matching black leather clutch bag under her arm and her face was barely visible as she wore a black face mask and sunglasses

Precautions: Victoria made sure to put safety first by donning a black face mask for the outing

In 2019, Victoria discussed family life and her marriage to David, as she stated they always put their children first: 'The kids are our priority, everything we do revolves around the children. We both work really hard, we love what we do professionally.

'We support each other, we're very lucky to have found each other and lucky that we're growing together.'

Reminiscing about their first encounter two years prior to their wedding, Victoria admitted: 'It was love at first sight.'

Style: The statement dress had a bright red collar and her blue shoes added another pop of colour

Stepping out in style: She looked great in her outfit as she hopped into a waiting car

Brunette beauty: Victoria styled her glossy locks in loose waves that framed her pretty features

She means business: Victoria enjoyed another action-packed day in the city as she was seen heading out around the Big Apple

Stunning: She wore her brunette tresses in a cropped do and had on huge black sunglasses

In we go: She looked chic as she headed through the entrance of the fancy restaurant

Quizzed about how they make their family unit work despite their busy schedules, the Spice Girls star said 'communication is key'.

'We're very present in the kids' lives. We love our family, everything we do revolves around them', she explained.

'I think it's just being focused, working hard, having a great support team around us. And both of our parents help out with the kids.'

Commanding attention: It was hard to miss her as she stepped out in the quirky dress

Date night! Victoria and her husband David, who have been married for 22 years, proved the magic is still alive as they enjoyed a night on the town in New York on Monday

Happy days: The couple share sons Brooklyn, 22, Cruz, 16, Romeo, 18, and daughter, Harper, nine

The busy mother-of-four has just launched her first make-up brand, Victoria Beckham Beauty, and says she took advice from Diane Von Furstenberg about never feeling guilty juggling family life with work.

She said: 'You feel guilty when you're a working mum. I'm sure there are so many mums watching this right now who feel torn.

'You want to be the best professional, follow your dreams but you also want to be the best mum. Diane said to me, don't feel guilty, it's ageing!'
The billionaire bachelor you've NEVER heard of: Property scion Jamie Reuben, 33, who counts the royals as pals is on a mission to make Mayfair 'cool'

Single: The billionaire bachelor you've NEVER heard of: Property scion Jamie Reuben, 33, who counts the royals as pals is on a mission to make Mayfair 'cool'

He's single, in his 30s, and stands to inherit a 19 billion fortune.

But unlike many other mega-rich men about town, you've probably never even heard his name.

Indeed such is the intrigue surrounding Jamie Reuben, son of Mumbai-born property magnate Simon, one half of the fabulously wealthy Rueben Brothers, that Tatler today dubbed the handsome 33-year-old 'one of London's most mysterious bachelors'.

Jamie, whose friends include Princess Beatrice and music mogul Scooter Braun, is following the lead of his father and uncle David, who famously don't give interviews, preferring instead to allow their multi-million pound property deals to speak for themselves.

The Reuben Brothers, as they are most commonly known, built their estimated 18.6billion fortune by buying up large parts of London's Mayfair, including the 200-year-old Burlington Arcade, of which Jamie is managing director.

However last week Jamie broke cover and offered a peek behind the curtain when he gave a sit-down to Times Magazine, in which he discussed plans to transform the stuffy stomping ground of wealthy financiers into somewhere a little trendier.

One of the centrepieces is the site of the former Naval and Military Club, popularly known as the In & Out club, which is being transformed into a hotel and seven luxury homes, described by Jamie as a 'contemporary British country house oasis'.

Here, a look at what we know about the world of Jamie Reuben.

HIS BILLIONAIRE FAMILY

Runs in the family: Jamie Reuben, is the 33-year-old son of Simon Reuben, one half of the billionaire Reuben brothers. Pictured, Jamie with his father (left) and uncle David in 2013

The Reuben brothers' wealth is staggering. Their shared personal fortune, estimated at over 18.6billion, is large enough to place the family at second place on The Sunday Times Rich List, ahead of more high profile businessmen like Sir James Dyson and Roman Abramovich.

This is largely due to their real estate holdings, which include Mayfairs Burlington Arcade and Westminsters Millbank Tower. They also own London Oxford Airport and London Heliport and the John Lewis headquarters at London Victoria.

The Reuben Brothers continue to be one of the largest investors in luxury leisure group Belmond Ltd. Other holdings include Travelodge Hotels.

However they started off with more modest business ventures. Simon and David were born in Mumbai, India, and came to Britain in the Fifties with their mother, Nancy.

After starting his career at Mount Star Metals, a UK-based scrap-metals business, David joined Trans-Continental, a subsidiary of Metal Traders Inc. In 1977 he left that firm and formed Trans-World Group, and in 1986, along with his brother, Simon, he restructured the firm, bought out his partners, and took control of the business.

In 2000 the brothers wound down Trans-Worlds operations to sharpen their focus on Reuben Brothers activities.

Today Reuben Brothers is a leader in private equity, real estate investment and development, and debt financing.

HIS FAMOUS FRIENDS

Friends in high places: Reuben with Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Like many well-connected 30-somethings in London, Jamie counts a member of the royal family among his circle of friends.

He and Princess Beatrice, 31, described in the press as an 'old friend' have been spotted together at a number of parties over the years and sat side-by-side at the US Open in 2013. They most recently rubbed shoulders at an event in November last year. It remains to be seen if he will be invited to Beatrice and Edo's wedding in May.

Another friend is American music mogul Scooter Braun, whose clients include Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Jamie and Justin looked like close friends as they posed for photos at the Vanity Fair party at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

He's also been pictured with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

According to The Times, Jamie has also become friends with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, whom he is said to have met through a friend.

STAR-STUDDED PARTIES

Star-studded: Jamie with Paris Hilton at a glittering Cannes Film Festival party in May 2016

Jamie was front and centre for a party hosted by his father and uncle at a party celebrating the 200th Christmas at the Burlington Arcade in November last year. Pictured, with Judi Dench

While the Reubens prefer to stay out of the glare of the public eye, Jamie does occasionally make exceptions for star-studded parties.

In 2013 Reuben showed his support for Schmidt by hosting a launch party for his book The New Digital Age, co-written by Jared Cohen.

Among the guests at the event was Dasha Zhukova, the ex-wife of Roman Abramovich who recently tied the knot with Stavros Niarchos, Princess Beatrice's ex-boyfriend Dave Clark and Sir Richard Branson's daughter, Holly Branson.

He brought out his phone book again last year to host a black tie bash at the Cannes Film Festival, where he posed with Bahamian model Chase Carter, 22.

That same month Jamie was front and centre for a party hosted by his father and uncle at a party celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Burlington Arcade.

Princess Beatrice, then newly engaged, looked elegant in a shift dress as she posed for photos with the likes of Sir Michael Caine and Lady Alice Manners.

HIS GLAMOROUS EX

Jamie Reuben enjoyed a long-term relationship with TV presenter and fashion designer, Marissa Montgomery. It is not known when their relationship came to an end but the couple were seen together as recently as May 2019 (right). Pictured left, at Cannes in 2014

Jamie Reuben enjoyed a long-term relationship with TV presenter and fashion designer, Marissa Montgomery.

The couple, who share many of the same friends, were spotted attending parties as far back as 2008, with Jamie planting a kiss on his blonde date's cheek as they posed for photos at an Evening Standard event.

It is not known when their relationship came to an end but the couple were seen together as recently as November 2019, when they both attended the Burlington Arcade anniversary party.

At the age of 21, Marissa founded lingerie line Pussy Glamore, following it up in 2014 with trendy t-shirt label Rotten Roach, now available to buy at Selfridges.

HIS FUTURE PROJECTS

Ongoing project: The Reubens have several projects in the pipeline but perhaps the one that has made most headlines is the old premises of the Naval and Military Club, pictured, which will now be turned into a hotel and seven luxury homes. It was bought in 2011

The Reubens have several projects in the pipeline but perhaps the one that has made most headlines is the old premises of the Naval and Military Club, popularly known as The In & Out after the prominent inscriptions at the entrance to its Piccadilly courtyard.

Once one of London's most magnificent houses, the Reubens shelled out an estimated 100 million for the building in 2011, initially intending to convert it into Britain's most expensive private house, with an underground swimming pool, gym, 35,000-bottle cellar  and a possible 200 million price tag.

The brothers had a change of heart last year, deciding instead to turn the property into a 102-bedroom luxury hotel and seven high-end homes, on what they want to call the 'Piccadilly Estate'.

'It will be a contemporary British country house oasis in the middle of Mayfair,' Jamie said in his interview with Times Magazine.

The businessman also spoke of wanting to breathe fresh life into Mayfair, saying he has the perspective to see beyond his father and uncle's 'safe' and 'traditional' ideas.

He added: 'Because Im younger, I can see things changing and I can see different ideas probably being more relevant going forward.'
Jared Leto has been pictured for the first time portraying disgraced WeWork CEO Adam Neumann on the set of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, WeCrashed.

The actor, 49, was spotted filming scenes with Anne Hathaway, who plays his on-screen wife Rebekah, in Astoria Queens on Tuesday.

Anne, 38, had an amused smile on her face as Jared followed her, enthusiastically attempting to engage her in conversation.

Lights, camera, action! Jared Leto has been pictured for the first time portraying disgraced WeWork CEO Adam Neumann on the set of the upcoming series, WeCrashed, in Astoria Queens on Tuesday

Jared could not contain his enthusiasm as he chatted with Anne several paces behind her with a partially-consumed banana in hand.

Anne flashed a patient smile as she seemingly allowed her on-screen husband to humor her.

At one point, the actor made a silly face as he clenched his fist.

As the distance between them appeared to widen, Jared threw his hand up into the air.

Walk and talk: Anne had an amused smile on her face as Jared followed her, enthusiastically attempting to engage her in conversation

Exciting ideas: Jared could not contain his enthusiasm as he chatted with Anne several paces behind her with a partially-consumed banana in hand

The plot thickens: WeCrashed, based on the podcast of the same name, will document the 'greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible,' as per Variety (Adam Neumann and wife Rebekah pictured in 2018)

While their demeanors appeared vastly different, the duo were dressed fairly similarly.

Jared was costumed in a blue beanie, grey zip-up sweatshirt, baggy jeans and sneakers.

Anne also wore a beanie over her stylishly braided hair, which dangled over her green coat.

Hipster cool: The duo kept it cool and casual with their floppy beanies

Catch ya later! As the distance between them widened, Jared threw his hand up into the air

The star strode comfortably through the neighborhood in black leggings and Birkenstocks.

WeCrashed, based on the podcast of the same name, will document the 'greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible,' as per Variety.

Along with playing the lead roles, Anne and Jared will also act as executive producers of WeCrashed.

Lee Eisenberg who will serve as showrunner as well as co-write and executive produce the limited series for AppleTV+.

Cool and collected: Anne also wore a beanie over her stylishly braided hair, which dangled over her green coat

WeWork, a tech friendly shared workspace real estate company, was hatched by Adam Neumann and friend Miguel McKelvey back in when they founded co-working space Greendesk.

The concept took off and eventually turned into WeWork, which at its peak had coworking spaces in more than 110 cities in 29 countries with a valuation of $47billion.

Adam's wife Rebekah was named the company's chief brand and impact officer, while also overseeing WeWork's education program WeGrow.

Tech company: WeWork, a tech friendly shared workspace real estate company, was hatched by Adam Neumann and friend Miguel McKelvey back in when they founded co-working space Greendesk

Animated conversation: Jared appeared to be in animated conversation while filming

Cute smile: Anne flashed her cute smile as they filmed in Astoria, Queens

At the time, Adam Neumann was put on a par with the likes of Steve Jobs as a Silicon Valley innovator who would change the world.

But WeWork's planned flotation on the stock market stalled and investors soured on the company, causing its value to plummet to just $10billion.

Neumann, who served as chief executive, essentially drove the briefly thriving company straight into the ground with his hard partying ways.

Initially, his fun, boozy leadership style - where dance parties were more common than meetings - helped the company become one of the hottest tech startups.

Beanie buddies: Jared and Anne both wore beanies as the shot a scene

Oscar winners: The film brings Oscar winners Jared and Anne together

Banana snack: Jared held a banana while talking and filming with Anne

In his book, Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork, Reeves Wiedeman described how ex-employees claimed that Neumann would blast music at party volumes and scream at anyone who asked for it to be turned down.

He also reportedly demanded that cases of Don Julio 1942 tequila were at every office and would 'lose his s***' if they were not there and staffer said that he would schedule meetings for 2am and then be 45 minutes late.

Last October Neumann, 41, agreed to leave the company after its Japanese investors SoftBank bought $1billion of stock from him to get him out.

In character: Jared was spotted Wednesday filming again in Queens

Streaming service: The Oscar-winner was filming for Apple TV project

Leading role: Kyle Marvin who also has a leading role was seen with Jared
Tallulah Willis was spotted enjoying an outing with her sisters Rumer and Scout in West Hollywood.

The 27-year-old Wyllis designer met up with her older sisters Rumer, 32, and Scout, 29, on Monday to go house-hunting after recently announcing her engagement to director Dillon Buss, 26.

Tallulah flashed her enormous emerald-cut yellow gold diamond ring, designed by Brooklyn-based jeweler Karina Noel, while on the excursion.

Showing off the rock: Tallulah flashed her enormous emerald-cut diamond ring, designed by Brooklyn-based jeweler Karina Noel, while out with her sisters Rumer and Scout

She was wearing high-waisted front pleated light blue silk trousers with a long-sleeved button down maroon blouse that was decorated with colorful butterflies.

Tallulah's auburn hair was pulled into a top knot bound by an olive green velvet scrunchie. She accessorized with two gold chain bracelets and a pair of yellow slippers embroidered with pink, green and blue flowers.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Tallulah covered her face at time with a black mask that had a multi-colored beaded lanyard holder necklace.

Wardrobe switch: Ahead of house-hunting, she was dressed down in a long burgundy sweater with blue and white block letter, green yoga shorts and baby blue crocs before later changing

Ahead of house-hunting, she was dressed down in a long burgundy sweater with blue and white block letter, green yoga shorts and baby blue crocs before later changing.

Scout was clad in a teal loose-fitting linen button-down shirt and high waisted wide leg slate blue pants that tied at the waist with a bow. She sported closed-tow dark red sandals and carried a white tote bag.

The Moonrise Kingdom actress covered her face with a black and white cow print mask as she strolled with Tallulah who was carrying several boxes of sushi. She added a delicate gold chain and a long brown necklace.

Famous family: The trio are the daughters of actors Bruce Willis, 66, and Demi Moore, 58. They also have two half-sisters Mabel, 9, and Evelyn, 7, from their father's second marriage to model Emma Heming, 42

Her beloved chihuahua Cowboy peeked out from a beige cross-body pet sling that she wore over her shoulder. Scout's long dark hair was parted down the middle and she further accessorized with a pair of small hoop earrings and a ring.

Rumer, who joined her sisters later, donned black Alo sweat shorts, a short-sleeved black t-shirt and black sandals. She also wore a watch with a brown leather band and a bracelet.

The Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actress pulled her brunette locks up in a high bun. A hot pink mask dangled from her ear as she walked with her sisters.

The trio are the daughters of actors Bruce Willis, 66, and Demi Moore, 58. They also have two half-sisters Mabel, 9, and Evelyn, 7, from their father's second marriage to model Emma Heming, 42.

Over the weekend, Tallulah posted two snaps of herself wearing nothing more than underwear while posing with her fiance.

The bride-to-be - who boasts 363K Instagram/Twitter followers - captioned a snap of her rear next to the photographer's face: 'Humpty dumpty.'

Dillon is a commercial director and avid skateboarder from Cape Cod, who graduated from MassArt in 2012.

Newly-engaged couple: Wyllis designer Tallulah Willis posted two snaps of herself wearing nothing more than underwear while posing with her fiance Dillon Buss on Saturday

Buss proposed to Willis on May 4 and she accepted 'with absolute most certainty.'

Tallulah - named after Tallulah Bankhead - is the first of her two sisters and two half-sisters to get engaged.

Last week, the eccentric doodler detailed her body dysmorphic disorder and admitted she 'resented' resembling her famous father more than her famous mother.

'I punished myself for not looking like my mom, after being told I was BW twin since birth,' Willis wrote on May 15.

'I resented the resemblance as I believed wholly my "masculine" face was the sole reason for my unlovability - FALSE! I was/am inherently valuable and worthy, at any life stage, at any size, with any hairdo! (As are you).'

Tallulah went on to give advice on how to not trigger BDD, like being mindful of 'potential triggering imagery' on social media and putting towels on mirrors.

'I scroll 9GAG to disassociate instead. Memes are there to help!' The Talk guest host urged.

'Reading fantasy fiction books: Court of a Thorns and Roses series is my most recent fave...Find a safe person, circle, community who you can vocalize the triggering moment/current obsession/spiral. Go for a walk and listen to music. Take a bath and smear body oil/ lotion all over your tender skin...
Cat Cora and wife Nicole Ehrlich - who were reportedly divorcing last month - put on a show of unity this week.

The couple looked very much together, with their wedding rings still on, as they strolled around Santa Barbara, California, together on Sunday.

The ladies - who have been married for three years - were seen stopping for ice cream at McConnell's, where Ehrlich, 45, was seen feeding the TV personality some of her frosty treat.

Still on: Cat Cora and wife Nicole Ehrlich looked happy together on Sunday as they strolled Santa Barbara, California, one month after Ehrlich filed for divorce

And at one point Cora placed her hand on Ehrlich's lower back as they walked across a parking lot.

Cora, 54, had on a purple long sleeve top and pink padded vest which she teamed with black sweats.

Her wedding ring could be seen on her left hand, seemingly showing that the duo are giving their marriage another shot.

Ehrlich looked casual in a black T-shirt and sweats and wore some black slides to match her spouse.

The couple were seen with a male companion but it didn't put them off showing their affection for each other.

Affectionate: At one point Cora placed her hand on Ehrlich's lower back as they walked across a parking lot

Still holding on? The ladies' wedding rings were still in place

Pit stop: The ladies - who have been married for three years - were seen stopping for ice cream at McConnell's, where Ehrlich, 45, was seen feeding the TV personality some of her frosty treat

Ehrlich filed for divorce last month, just days after the couple's three-year wedding anniversary.

The couple do not share any children together, but they do have six kids from previous relationships.

The Iron Chef America star started dating Ehrlich, a record producer executive, in 2017, and went on to tie-the-knot on April 21, 2018, with a large and festive ceremony in Santa Barbara, California.

They exchanged their marriage vows about two-years after Cora's divorce from her first wife, Jennifer Cora, was finalized.

Split news: Ehrlich filed for divorce last month, just days after the couple's three-year wedding anniversary

Special place: The Iron Chef America star started dating Ehrlich, a record producer executive, in 2017, and went on to tie-the-knot on April 21, 2018, with a large and festive ceremony in Santa Barbara

Cozy layers: Cora, 54, had on a purple long sleeve top and pink padded vest which she teamed with black sweats

Blended family: The couple do not share any children together, but they do have six kids from previous relationships

Cora, whose television career includes serving as co-host of Bravo's Around The World in 80 Plates, and her first wife have four sons together  Zora, 17, Caje, 13, Thatcher, 12, and Nash, 12, who were conceived via IVF.

Ehrlich has two sons - Jonas, 15, and Gavin, 13, with ex-partner Rosa Ehrlich.

They had been together more than 17-years before they decided to split in 2015.

Group outing: The Iron Chef and her Producer wife were joined by a pal

Cora made her debut on television as a foodie expert when she served as host for Food Network's Kitchen Accomplished in 2004.

From there, she made a splash as an Iron Chef on the cooking show, Iron Chef America, from 2005 to 2012.

The Mississippi native has also been a guest, judge, mentor and host for an array of other food-related programs, including Chef's Story, The Next Iron Chef, Top Chef, and Guy's Grocery Games.
To me, this is a strong step in the right direction, meeting what weve heard from the public that we do have an issue with not having sufficient opportunity for affordable housing or housing diversity, but also meeting the public who say they didnt like what some call the extreme version that Open Communities [Alliance] presented, they wanted us to create an approach that came from us, Klee said.
Christine Quinn has officially introduced her son Christian Georges Dumontet, whom she welcomed into the world on Saturday, May 15.

The 31-year-old Selling Sunset star shared a professional snapshot of the newborn during an appearance on E! News' Daily Pop on Tuesday morning.

Quinn also took time to discuss the 'mom-shamers' that flooded her social media after learning that she had returned to work just days after her son's arrival.

First look: Christine Quinn has officially introduced her son Christian Georges Dumontet, whom she welcomed into the world on Saturday, May 15

Baby boy! The 31-year-old Selling Sunset star shared a professional snapshot of the newborn during an appearance on E! News' Daily Pop on Tuesday

'He's iced out,' said Quinn, who had her little one rocking a diamond encrusted Louis Vuitton chain for his first photoshoot. 'He's got a little bit of bling on. I just thought it was so cute, I had to do it.'

The newborn was posed sweetly on his back in a black onesie with one hand behind his head, while his eyes remained closed.

Christine welcomed a 'healthy baby boy' via an emergency C-section on May 15 in Los Angeles with her husband, Christian Richard, by her side.

The hosts of E! News' Daily Pop, after ogling over Christian Jr., were curious to know how Christine has handled getting back to work so shortly after giving birth.

Iced out: 'He's iced out,' said Quinn, who had her little one rocking a diamond encrusted Louis Vuitton chain for his first photoshoot

Had to! 'He's got a little bit of bling on. I just thought it was so cute, I had to do it,' Christine gushed

And according to the reality TV sensation, she has received backlash from 'mom-shamers' over the decision.

'The mom-shamers are real, that's for sure," she revealed 'I've gotten both ends of the spectrum.

'I've gotten people who are like, "Oh I'm so happy you're getting back to work, that's great!" And then I have people who are like, "You need to give your body time to recover and heal, and who's taking care of the baby?"' she explained.

Despite being inundated with critical social media messages, Christine has not taken any of it to heart.

Parenthood: Christine and her husband Christian Richard welcomed their firstborn on Saturday, May 15 via emergency C-section, as confirmed by the real estate's reps at the time; Christine and Christian pictured

'I'm like, "Listen, my husband's amazing. He's home, the baby's sleeping, what's the difference?" For me, I love to work,' she told the hosts.

'There are single moms out there every single day working two, three jobs, doing it. Women are so strong and they can do it.

'For me, I'm happy to be working. I'm thrilled to have a job and I'm thrilled to have a baby and be able to do it all.

'I think that's really the message here: Women really can do it all, so don't be shaming!' said Quinn, adding that she does currently plan to 'keep her work life and home life separate.'

Although Christian Jr. has yet to meet any of Christine's Selling Sunset castmates, she revealed an introduction is in the near future.

Opening up: Quinn also took time to discuss the 'mom-shamers' that flooded her social media after learning that she had returned to work '10 days after giving birth'

Shamed: 'The mom-shamers are real, that's for sure," she revealed 'I've gotten both ends of the spectrum'

'But hopefully this week so I'm really excited about that!' said Christine, who had taken issues with her costars during her pregnancy for 'not liking' her pregnancy announcement on Instagram.

Further opening up about new motherhood, Quinn stated that her favorite part is 'just being responsible for this human that you made.

'It's something about this instinctual bond...It's just this love that I never, ever felt before. I have a whole new level of love. I didn't know that was possible,' she concluded.

Since his arrival, Quinn has been using social media to gush over Christian Jr., with the star recently writing that she 'could not feel more in love, blessed, and grateful.

Soon, though! Although Christian Jr. has yet to meet any of Christine's Selling Sunset castmates, she revealed an introduction is in the near future

Sharing the journey: Since his arrival, Quinn has been using social media to gush over Christian Jr., with the star recently writing that she 'could not feel more in love, blessed, and grateful'

'Words can not express the joy of being a mommy.'

Christine uploaded her first post-birth selfie last Saturday, flashing a peace sign for her followers on her Instagram Story.

'This mommy is tired but she's still got work to do!' she captioned the post, which showed her rocking a noticeable glow and makeup-free visage. 'Love you all! Thank you for the wonderful warm messages.'

Prior to confirming his arrival on Instagram, the news of Christine giving birth was first reported by Us Weekly.

'Christian Georges Dumontet was born a healthy baby boy on Saturday, May 15, at 4:22 p.m. in Los Angeles  less than two days after she appeared at the MTV Movie & TV Awards: Unscripted taping,' a rep confirmed to the publication.

Glowing: Christine uploaded her first post-birth selfie last Saturday, flashing a peace sign for her followers on her Instagram Story
In a cult film that gave birth to the cult of Dudeism, The Big Lebowski, Jeff Lebowski, played by Jeff Bridges, drinks White Russian, a vodka-based cocktail (read till the end for Jeff Lebowski's recipe of White Russian). Belarus literally means the White Russia. How white can one get? But Belarus is in news for all kinds of darkness brought to the world by its president Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko literally means son of Lucas, the one who brings light. Oh the irony!

So this is what happened. The Belarussian government came to know that a flight going to Vilnius from Athens had Roman Protasevich, a blogger the regime isn't really fond of. Roman ran Telegram channels that organised protests against President Lukashenko, demanding his ouster. Lukashenko is a dictator and not really loved by the people since he has overstayed his time. He has been the President of Belarus since the country became independent from Soviet Russia. That was 30 years ago. People want change, Lukashenko wants to stay put, and rules the country with an iron hand.

So when the Ryan Air flight from Greek capital Athens to Lithuanian capital Vilnius was flying over Lukashenko's country, Belarussian air traffic informed the pilot about a bomb threat, that too from Hamas, and asked them to divert to Minsk, the Belarussian capital. To make sure the orders were followed, it sent fighter jets to escort the plane. Roman Protasevich knew he was the reason behind this move. All the passengers were asked to get off the plane. Roman was arrested and the rest were allowed to resume their journey.

Roman is a dissident journalist in great danger for dissent. Before Belarus exacts the price of dissent from Roman, let us tell you the meaning of our Word Of The Day, dissent. Dissent derives its meaning from Latin dissentire, which means 'differ in sentiment'. The word means the same essentially even today. You differ in sentiment from what the majority thinks right, you are in dissent. Dissent is also what drives a democracy but we'll come to that later.

Roman Protasevich. Photo: Reuters

The world needs to tell Lukashenko that he cannot go on suppressing dissent and the opposition, oppressing the Belarussians, and carry on because he enjoys the patronage of a certain Putin. But you take a look at the former Soviet countries and all you will see is the hands of the great dictators. Democracy could never take root in the countries that had gotten used to the Communist dictators. But the problem with Belarus is it's part of EU, which loves and upholds democracy.

Talking about democracy, Twitter has a problem at hand. Being the primary carrier of political opinion, it's disproportionately important that it remains free. But then it has its own politics and it sometimes clashes with democratic principles. Twitter India called a document posted by Bharatiya Janata Party's Sambit Patra manipulated media. But it did not give any details about how it arrived at the conclusion. So the ruling BJP is up in arms against the microblogging platform. In a political battle between the BJP and the Congress, Twitter seems to have chosen a side because it's only BJP leaders' media that it has marked as manipulated. It can be a coincidence but the BJP doesn't think so.

Delhi Police at the Twitter office. Photo: PTI

Amid all this, there is a police complaint and trust the Delhi Police to make a matinee show of it, especially when it's not needed. Our External Affairs Minister is on an official trip to the US when the Delhi Police made a trip to Twitter's offices in Delhi and Gurgaon with news cameras in tow. That's not great optics. Then the police said they were there only to serve a notice. As far as optics go, this was worse. The police of the national capital sent its special cell officers to stick a notice on the premises of a company that has had its offices shut for months owing to the coronavirus pandemic. What next? Police sending coppers in a chopper to fly above the clouds to inspect the cloud where Twitter stores its data?

Forget cloud computing and compute the cost that India is likely to incur because another cyclone is on its way to ravage its eastern coast this time. Like Covid alone wasn't doing enough already (you can see the latest numbers here). Anyway. So Cyclone Yaas will make landfall somewhere in Odisha on Wednesday afternoon and will pound Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand. This is close on the heels of Tauktae that killed 150 people and destroyed homes and businesses across the West Coast, from Kerala to Gujarat. The increasing number and ferocity of cyclones are being blamed on Climate Change and the warming of the sea. And there is something we can do. Emission control tops that list. The more we consume, the more nature will consume us. The equation is simple. More disasters, more pandemics, more floods, more droughts and more Kangana Ranauts. Consume wisely.

Cyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall on May 26. Photo: PTI

Our Olympian Sushil Kumar did not. He had the choice of focussing on his game, wrestling, and win himself more laurels. But the hardy from Haryana chose to use his muscle in beating up a boy who idolised him. Over a petty property dispute. His reputation lies in tatters, he is been suspended from all positions that landed in his lap owing to his prowess on the mat. If the charges against him are proven in the court of law, he will be hustling in prison for the rest of his life. This was not a spur of the moment fight, this seems like a planned attack resulting in murder. Sushil literally means well-behaved. He seems to be everything but. No if, no but, only let it be.

Talking about ifs and buts, if you send a vegetarian from groundnutty Gujarat to coconutty Lakshadweep, what can you expect but chaos. You see people on the hundred thousand islands survive on islandish things like fish, meat and coconuts which any Patel worth his surname would find outlandish. So Lt Gov Patel has been on an overdrive to change things on the islands since he took over as the administrator. Instead of adopting the lifestyle of the Lakshadweep, the old man wants the islands to adjust to his. His zeal for reforms is meeting the waves of local disapproval and the Centre can't keep buried its head in the sand for long because life is a beach and the tide takes care of it.

Far away from Lakshadweep, Mehul Choksi has vanished from Antigua's beaches into thin air. The man who was about to be extradited to India for ripping off Punjab National Bank of thousands of crores of rupees. Now he has fled to Cuba, a country we don't have an extradition treaty with. Choksi literally means alertness but we have been caught napping, just like PNB was when Choksi and his nephew kept draining their reserves.

How Mia Khalifa is skirting the TikTok ban in Pakistan

Mia Khalifa is loved across the subcontinent because she is brown and looks like the geeky girl next door. Her Tik Tok account was banned in Pakistan. Her content has been deemed unethical and immoral, without specifying what was immoral or unethical because she does not post any pornographic content on her social accounts and she has anyway bid goodbye to the profession that she made her name in. Mia Khalifa is not from Pakistan, but Lebanon. Pakistanis love her privately and denounce her publicly for having the word Khalifa in her name. Khalifa is an honourable word in the Islamic faith. Mia, a common Western name, is often misunderstood and always pronounced as miyan in Pakistan. Miyan also is an honorific in Pakistan, like Nawaz Sharif is known as Miyan Nawaz Sharif.

Leave the Sharifs and Mias and make your way to the bar because that's where you find the vodka to make White Russian. In a glass full of ice cubes, pour 30 ml vodka and 30 ml Kahlua. Top it with cream or milk. Give it a stir and you have White Russian.

If you prefer your drink like they do in Gujarat, our recco of the day is a glass of Falooda.

On that sweet note, we say goodbye. Stay home. Stay safe.

See you tomorrow.

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ALSO READ: The extraordinary sewa of Jatinder Singh Shunty
One year later, I couldnt have imagined that what started off as an idea in a moment filled with deep suffering would turn into a coalition that now consists of 18 of the worlds leading financial institutions that collectively represent more than $26 trillion in assets under management and employ over 734,000 people in Connecticut and beyond. The Corporate Call to Action: Coalition for Equity & Opportunity was officially launched in partnership with the Ford Foundation in September of 2020 and calls on CEOs to look both within and outside of their companies to advance racial and economic equality. It asks them to look in the mirror to recognize where they can internally improve diversity and equity within their respective corporations, as well as look through their windows to understand how the financial services industry can implement external programs and investments that further racial equity and opportunity within communities of color. These leaders know that systemic racism is not just a moral problem. Its a fundamental economic problem that studies consistently show is bad for the bottom line of their companies and the American economy.
One American, who has property in Canada has launched an ad campaign to get the attention of U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in hopes of having them reopen the borders, which have been closed due to COVID-19. MACOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO
This photo provided by Bryan Fenster shows his brother Danny Fenster in September of 2019 in Krakow, Poland. Fenster, an American journalist working for a news magazine in Myanmar has been detained by the authorities there. Frontier Myanmar says Danny Fenster, its managing editor, was detained at Yangon's airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Malaysia. (Photo courtesy Byron Fenster via AP)
State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, a Stamford Democrat who crafted the bill, researched the laws and said there should be ways to make it easier to vote. The bill would also change the rules to help commuters because a voter could get an absentee ballot and be out of town for only part of the day - rather than the entire day required under current law. Those being out of state for the entire day currently include, for example, students away at college for the 14 hours that the polls are open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.
In your face haters! Wife of Dancehall superstar Sean Paul Jodi Jinx Henriques unblocked all her haters on Instagram over the Labor Day weekend to show them her scorching bikini bod.

Rocking an impy-skimpy Burberry two-piece vintage check bikini and matching applique vintage check bonnet cap, the mom of two bestowed her incredible sun-kissed physique while posing poolside during her mini stay at Duncans, Trelawny, Jamaica.

Evidently feeling the look, Henriques decided that her haters needed a peek to see that shes doing a-okay despite their ill wishes towards her. She wrote on the post:  Unblock (briefly) I need them to see the badmind they wished on me didnt work.

Jodi, 38, has been dealt a slew of harsh criticism from online trolls especially of late regarding her looks  from using too much Botox to looking plastic. Its no wonder she wanted to flaunt her sizzling summer bod in their faces.

If they snooped beyond her weekend post, they would have also seen another swimsuit pic that she uploaded last week, donning a Brazilian cut fuchsia pink number to show off her very plump inherited assets.

All that I am I owe to my mothers strength and guidance JK she blessed me with the big round booty! she captioned this one.

The TV personality and popular vlogger made it very clear that she had been eagerly prepping her body for batty rider season from back in March. Taking on the ReShape treatment from Future Aesthetics to eliminate the cellulite on her thighs among other things. Between that and consistently hitting the gym, Jodi is definitely ready for some summer fun and the fans couldnt agree more.

Among the trail of fire emojis left on her page, were other comments, Wow wow wow wow wow siclaatttttttt MILF , and Helllooooooo! Issa effin MILF .

Others chimed in saying, Jodi body on , Serving body as per usual  and Levi & Remi Mada spot on  rock it mi dear  kill dem wid it .

Even Dancehall divas CeCeile and Tanya Stephens were admiring the show, Oooooooooooooh  and Easy nuh good body gyal! , were their remarks.

Jodis megastar husband, Sean Paul just released a new banger this week; the music video for his track Boom, featuring Dancehall deejay Busy Signal. The new track falls on the heels of his massive hit, Go Down Deh with Shaggy and Spice that is currently No. 6 on trending in YouTube Jamaica having already racked up over 8 million views since its release 3 weeks ago.
RIDGEFIELD  Brigitte Xies feet dangle high over the piano pedals, but her small fingers dance across the keys.

The 3-year-old has taken only few months worth of lessons, she is set to perform at Carnegie Hall in the fall after she won an international music competition.

Brigitte was selected as a first-place prize winner this spring in the American Protege International Music Talent Competition. As the youngest applicant and winner of this years competition, she was invited to perform at a winners recital Nov. 22 at Carnegie Hall.

At first, I didnt know she could play that well at her young age of 3, so I feel very amazing  and she has great potential, said her mother, Nicole Sun.

I am very proud of her.

Brigitte started taking piano lessons virtually in September. Her parents, Sun and Tao Xie, were seeking an activity for her to try when they met Felicia Feng Zhang  an award-winning piano educator  in a Chinese community group.

They started her with virtual lessons but decided to transition to in-person, private lessons at Zhangs home studio in Greenwich in October when they realized Brigittes interest in the keys was accompanied by a talent and joy in playing them.

She has a curious mind and I think in her head, she loves music, Zhang said, noting her curiosity might have been cultivated at home because her parents help her practice and her father likes to sing.

She has great manners at 3 years old. She listens well, so that made learning become easier because she can follow the teachers demonstration and instruction, she added.

Zhang teaches students using the 5 cores theory and 3EFM method to train and develop the skills they need for piano playing and life in general, such as listening and concentration. She verbally trains their ears to show them how to follow instructions and focus on the details of the subject, which she explained will generate results later.

Its not just recognizing notes, its when she sees the note, her fingers indicate correctly what she sees and hears, she said.

Zhang was impressed by Brigittes ability to listen and learn quickly, emphasizing that its really outstanding.

Brigitte started participating in competitions in which shes won multiple prizes after several months of lessons and is preparing for the piano level 1 assessment of the Royal Conservatory of Music.

When her small fingers arent striking piano keys, Zhang said you can likely find them making arts and crafts or drawing with her mother.
DALLAS (AP)  San Diego authorities charged a 28-year-old woman with felony battery after an attack on a Southwest Airlines plane in which a flight attendant lost two teeth and suffered other injuries to her face.

The incident marked an escalation in unruly behavior by airline passengers and led the president of the flight attendants' union to ask for more federal air marshals on planes.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many occurrences, said the union president, Lyn Montgomery. She said there were 477 incidents of misconduct by passengers on Southwest planes between April 8 and May 15.

The incident happened during a flight from Sacramento to San Diego on Sunday morning. San Diego Harbor Police said Tuesday that they arrested Vyvianna Quinonez, and charged her with battery causing serious bodily injury. The Sacramento Bee reported that Quinonez lives in the Sacramento suburb of Antelope.

The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing, said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz.

The flight attendant was not identified. Paramedics took her to a hospital for treatment, and she was later released. Southwest flew a friend to San Diego to be with her.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that airlines have reported 2,500 incidents of unruly passengers this year, including 1,900 cases in which passengers refused to wear face masks, which are required by federal rule. The FAA provided those numbers as it announced it was seeking civil penalties totaling $54,500 against five passengers for behavior ranging from refusing to wear a mask to assaulting flight attendants.

Ive been in the industry since 1992, and this is the worst ever, Montgomery said in an interview. People seem to be more angry. When theyre asked to do something, compliance seems to be more difficult.

Southwest and most airlines train flight attendants to de-escalate tense situations with unhappy travelers. Montgomery said those tactics are growing less effective and a small number of passengers are becoming bolder in challenging the authority of crew members.

Montgomery, the president of Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union, wrote about the weekend attack in a letter to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly.

Montgomery asked Kelly to lobby federal officials for more federal air marshals on flights and to ban passengers who violate rules instead of putting them on another flight. She said flight attendants are concerned about Southwest's plan to resume selling alcohol on board planes. Many recent cases that have caught FAAs attention involving passengers who were drinking.

___

David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
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In the first week of March, Darshana Banik went to Bangladesh to shoot for her film Antaratma with Shakib Khan. When she returned to her hometown Kolkata in April, she started experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19.

I was weak, got fever, lost the senses of taste and smell for a few days. I tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus, Darshana shares. I was so scared, she admits. I thought I wouldnt survive because people who were infected were doing well in the initial days but later had a lot of trouble.

But then, she adopted a different approach. I started motivating myself, and watched music videos, prank videos, and started feeling better. It boosted my confidence and I started recovering quickly, she recalls.

The Aatagallu actress shares that after she got the infection, she started becoming more empathetic and thankful. She realised that nothing can be taken for granted. Earlier, I used to take things very casually, but now I am very cautious. Theres a need to get vaccinated. We cannot afford yet another lockdown or a third wave, she points out.

After recovery, Darshana says she became a bit lethargic, and put on weight, but her friends motivated her to keep busy. She started learning Kathak online. I have always been keen to learn Kathak and I am glad that I am using this lockdown time to ace it. Moreover, the dance form complements my acting, she says, adding that COVID-19 has also revived her interest in reading books.

She feels the pandemic has got people to slow down, and taught us the significance of life itself. Meanwhile, the actress has almost wrapped up the shooting of her film Black, starring Aadi Saikumar, and directed by G.B. Krishna.
Look, I come out of business, he said. Business wants the biggest tax cut they can get. Thats what our job is. But my job as your governor, to make sure that I find a way to pay for something that I think will really pay benefits, especially for folks who are most disadvantaged when it comes to getting health insurance.
Even while Kamal Kamaraju is occupied with his film assignments, he makes sure that architecture and painting, his other loves, dont take a back seat. During these tough times, the actor is enjoying spending time at his new farmhouse, Aalaya, near Chevella, which he built last year.

Aalaya was my attempt to explore the organic-contemporary philosophy, Kamal explains, and adds, Being an architect myself, while building homes, I had always advocated blending organic and natural materials with contemporary styling. And the result is a naturally luxurious and welcoming environment.

He wants to experiment with the use of limited land spaces (instead of villas) that are easily manageable, and Aalaya was a step in that direction. The 600 square feet farmhouse has been designed using stonewall architecture.

As a kid from Hyderabad, my fascination for stone as a material goes deep. From my walks along the by-lanes of the old city, to my thesis which took me deep into the walls of Golconda Fort, I feel a pull for stone, he shares.

A glimpse of Kamal Kamaraju's Aalaya abode near Chevella

Kamal has been growing vegetables and fruits at Aalaya. My father is fond of plants, and I grew up in an environment where greenery was naturally integrated into living spaces, Kamal explains, adding that he enjoys open spaces.

Spending time in natures lap and experiencing it calms me down. Its something that everyone has to experience to understand ones own self. It also makes us realise that we are part of nature too, and it calls for sustainable living, says the actor, who recently recovered from COVID-19.

Aalaya is an ideal place for me to be now; this place is my stress buster and is like a temple. Its a place where I brought together my favourite elements of architecture. I ensured that the small house is built aesthetically, he adds.

The abode has been designed using stone architecture

Being a painter, Kamal is also using art to rejuvenate himself. He has sent his works to several art exhibitions. For him, painting, architecture, and acting complement each other.

There are a lot of similarities among these three professions. While films are about storytelling and how the audience understands and experiences it, I treat construction materials as characters in architecture and focus on how impactful they can be. And I always try to awaken peoples social conscience through beauty in my works of art, he explains.

The Godavari actor urges people to practice building their own homes, and not rely on ready-to-occupy houses. He says that the fear of building and the idea that one should build only in huge spaces have to be done away with.

As an architect, I need to remove that fear, make people understand the joys of building in small plots. Aalaya is my attempt to demonstrate that we can build houses even in small pieces of land, he shares.

Kamal also reveals that in August last year, he had translocated five 70-year-old trees from Banjara Hills to another site in Chilukuru. On another note, the actor says the second wave of the pandemic has been devastating.

I just lost one of my dear friends who was very young, so its very depressing to even think about it. Perhaps its time we understand that life is very short, and

it should be about being appreciative of what we have, he signs off.
The Director of Medical Education in its latest order has asked all principals and directors of teaching hospitals to ensure prompt monitoring of patient care services for COVID and non-COVID patients in view of the protest.  Representational image/PTI

Hyderabad: The Telangana Junior Doctors' Association (T-JUDA) will sit on a protest, and boycott services from today due to non-fulfillment of their demands raised earlier this month.

The junior doctors at all medical colleges and teaching hospitals will boycott services including all non-COVID electives except emergencies and all COVID related electives except ICUs and Critical care units from today. They further added that if their demands are not considered, they will further boycott non-COVID emergencies and COVID ICUs from May 28.

"The state government in its latest order related to stipend hike did not take into account all of our demands. The stipend hike has been put into effect from January 2021, while our arrears are due since January 2020. Other three demands are not even answered. We have given the government enough time to address our demands and they failed. We will start a silent protest by wearing black bandages starting May 26, where all PGs, senior residents, interns and superspeciality residents will also join us", said Dr. V Naveen, T-JUDA President.

Meanwhile, the Director of Medical Education in its latest order has asked all principals and directors of teaching hospitals to ensure prompt monitoring of patient care services for COVID and non-COVID patients in view of the protest, and to prepare a new duty roster and send a copy to the DME office. They further informed that no leaves will be sanctioned to the faculty and they will have to monitor the attendance of junior doctors closely and send the attendance particulars to the DME office everyday before 12 noon.
A road leading to landmark Charminar monument is closed during a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Hyderabad. (AP file photo/Mahesh Kumar A)

HYDERABAD: The state government is planning to extend lockdown by one more week until June 7. The lockdown with four-hour relaxation every day was imposed in the state on May 12 to contain the spread of coronavirus and subsequently extended until May 30.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao would review the extension of lockdown on May 28.

Official sources said the health department has submitted a report to the Chief Minister seeking extension of lockdown by one more week.

Following this, the state government too is in favour of extending lockdown by a week as it feels that lockdown imposed since May 12 contributed to decreasing corona positive cases.

The government imposed night curfew from April 20 from 8pm to 7 am after the Corona second wave leading to drastic increase in corona positive cases across the state. It was followed by imposition of lockdown from May 12 with four-hour relaxation from 6am to 10 am.

The health departments report says that the night curfew and lockdown have improved the situation a lot in Telangana and to ensure that this benefit is not lost, it would be better to extend lockdown by one more week and take a decision on extension later depending on the prevailing situation then.

The department said the number of positive cases in the state had come down significantly and the state would come out of the second wave in the next 15 days if the lockdown was extended further.
Black fungus cases have risen to 252 in the state. Around 3,000 Amphotericin B vials are supplied to the hospitals. In view of the cyclonic storm, the government procures additional quantities of liquid oxygen.  AP

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has targeted to inoculate 90,000 persons by administering the second dose of Covaxin for two days from May 26 to 27 in the state.

Principal secretary (health) Anil Kumar Singhal told media persons here on Tuesday that directions were issued to District Collectors to administer the second dose of Covaxin on Wednesday and Thursday and added that they received 1.17 lakh doses of Covaxin from the Centre and 78,000 doses more are due to arrive.

He said that 4.35 lakh doses of Covishield were received from the Centre while the state government purchased 12.74 lakh doses and added that those aged above 45 years and were having touch with the general public in the course of work, to be given the first dose of the jab.

Referring to the administration of first dose of the jab since Monday in the state, the health official said that it was going on well. The first dose of Covishield jab would be given up to June 15 and once the state gets additional stocks from the Centre, they would take a decision on the second dose administration of Covishield.

Speaking of the black fungus cases in the state, the health official said that so far 252 cases were reported and out of them, no case of death was reported. The government supplied 3,000 Amphotericin B vials to the hospitals across the state.

On the Krishnapatnam concoction for treating Covid-19 patients, the official said they were waiting for analysis reports from various labs, and that the state government would take a final decision in three to four days.

On the measures to protect the patients in view of the cyclonic storm Yaas, Singhal said that they had drawn 767 metric tonnes of medical oxygen in the last 24 hours from the Centre as against the daily allocation of 590 metric tonnes to meet any crisis and added that at present, 650 metric tonnes were being used daily in the state. He said that they were adequate number of beds for Coronavirus patients. There were also sufficient stocks of remdesivir injections in the state, he added.
YSRC government is ensuring compensation to farmers who lost their crops due to natural calamities in the same season, says the CM.  DC Image/C.Narayana Rao

VIJAYAWADA: As many as 15.15 lakh farmers got Rs 1,829.23 crore as crop insurance in the state. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy noted that the government has taken the responsibility of supporting the farmers at all hard times and thus brought in the free crop insurance scheme, without levying the burden of premium on them.

The CM on Tuesday credited Rs 1,820.23 crore under YSR Free Crop Insurance scheme to the bank accounts of 15.15 lakh farmers who lost their crop during the 2020 kharif. He said that unlike the previous regime, under which forced a farmer was forced to pay his share and both state and central governments equally bore the premium amount to avail insurance, the YSRC government revamped the scheme and was paying the entire insurance premium on its own, ensuring that all the farmers who enrolled themselves on e-crop platform got their share of insurance directly with no middlemen.

The Chief Minister said that a total of Rs 3,788.25 crore was spent on the crop insurance scheme in the last 23 months, including the pending dues of Rs 715.84 crore left by the previous government. Besides these, the State government had spent Rs 83,000 crore towards farmer welfare in the last 23 months. For Rythu Bharosa alone, an amount of Rs 17,029 crore was spent.

The CM said that his government was working to safeguard the interests of the farmers. It established 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) and integrated them with village secretariats to benefit the farmers. He said that the loss in kharif 2020 was being compensated by the onset of next kharif, ensuring that no farmer suffers from losses. Taking transparency in governance to the next level, all these details, compensation for the crop loss etc, will be displayed at RBKs for social audit and those missing out from the list can get enrolled at RBK itself. Not just from seeds to marketing, RBKs also double up as crop purchase centres, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the state government had credited Rs 1,038 crore as input subsidy for those farmers who lost their crops in natural calamities, with no delays ensuring that every farmer gets compensated in the same season. He mentioned that besides these, the government had spent Rs 18,342 crore for procuring paddy and Rs 4761 crore towards purchasing other crops and support the farmers.

In order to provide free nine-hour electricity to farmers during daytime, Rs 17,430 crore was spent. He further mentioned that additionally, the government had cleared Rs 960 crore paddy procurement arrears and Rs 384 crore seed procurement arrears left by the previous government.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said thus: Supporting the farmer community, the government set up agriculture advisory committees at village, zonal, district and state levels in connection with the RBKs to guide the farmers in crop planning. In order to benefit dairy farmers, the state signed an MoU with Amul to give a better price with an additional of Rs 5- Rs 15 per liter to the farmers. Taking another step forward for the farmers, the government is setting up multi-purpose centers under each RBK, with a total outlay of Rs 14,000 crore. Under the YSR Jala Kala scheme, the government had provided over two lakh bore wells at a cost of Rs 4,932 crore, besides providing motors to poor farmers. The government has kept every promise made during elections and strictly implemented the election manifesto.

Ministers K Kannababu, Special Chief Secretary Poonam Malakondaiah, AP Agri Mission Vice Chairman M.V.S. Nagi Reddy and other officials participated in the programme.
The former TRS minister and Huzurabad MLA, Rajender himself presented a buoyed self, while addressing the media, and resorting to distinctly more scathing remarks than since the start of the ordeal. (Photo: Facebook @Eatala Rajendar)

Hyderabad: After several days of dejected parlances across the political board, an oeillade and several hints from the Bharatiya Janata Party gave former minister Eatala Rajender a shot in the arm, and an ounce of heady confidence, reflecting at his presser on Tuesday, in which he shot an array of sharp repartees at TRS supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

A senior BJP leader, speaking from Delhi, explained, ever since the time Rajender was dropped from the TRS cabinet and investigations into land grabbing were launched, there was a divide in the party on whether to take him in or ignore. Finally, the party has decided that it would be open to taking him, as he will likely prove to be an asset.

But leaders across the state BJP played coy, profusely denying any big change in its divided stance over sending overtures to the strong Mudiraj leader.

Some idle TV channels without any news began spreading some political palaver, which got further amplified on social media, at least three senior BJP state leaders said. But none of them refuted the news of several meetings taking place between several party leaders and the entrenched Kamalapuram strongman.

In my meetings with Rajender, I advised him to continue his fight against the injustice being meted to his people but desist from resigning from his MLA post. The TRS would want to push for a bye-election, which could be suicidal for him. Otherwise, we will continue to give him friendly advice and moral support, said former MP and senior BJP leader A. P. Jithender Reddy.

Another BJP leader, who also met Rajender twice in the last few days, and who according to BJP Delhi sources is part of a three-member team to guide and induct Rajender, said, there has been absolutely no discussion at the partys national level over Eatala Rajender. I met him to generally discuss politics and understand his thinking about the future.

Even as a posse of BJP denied serious interest in the former TRS minister and Huzurabad MLA, Rajender himself presented a buoyed self, while addressing the media, and resorting to distinctly more scathing remarks than since the start of the ordeal.

You may resort to unethical politics in Karimnagar but people will reject it. Have you forgotten what happened in Dubbak? You are trying to lure people in my constituency and district but it wont yield results, he said.

Without naming his former boss by name, Rajender said, are you suffering from vainglorious thoughts that you will remain in power forever? What you are doing to me today will happen to you tomorrow? You will be reduced to nothing.

The previous galimatias replaced with strong rhetoric, Rajender also brought the previously avoided mention of a bye-election. You think you can repeat a Nagarjunsagar here in Huzurabad. Big mistake. Karimnagar people place self-respect over money.

He, however, possibly remembering the BJP advice, added, of course, there will be no bye-election. But if or when there is one, you will witness an anger that is now spread across the state which is against a failing government with wrong priorities.

Political scuttlebutt has it that while Rajender is enthused by the signal of hope coming from a party with a government at the centre, which could give him some immunity against severe legal action initiated by an estranged TRS government, he is not too keen to join the BJP, at least not as yet.

Rajender somehow wishes to emerge as a rallying focal point of anti-TRS forces in the state. His ideal wish would be to become a consensus candidate of the entire opposition, which when split, as witnessed during the MLC graduate and Nagarjunsagar assembly bye-polls was not match for the mighty juggernaut of the ruling pink party, said a political observer.

The BJP is in no mood for it. If Rajender wont join the saffron party, which would give its cadre some morale boost and give it an opportunity to re-create the narrative it set for Dubbak and GHMC that it is the only alternative to the TRS in Telangana, it has no need for him.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Vivek Venkataswamy, more forthcoming than most other leaders, said, we offered Eatala Rajender a welcome to join BJP to join the fight against KCRs corruption and dynasty rule. We told him we can also fight the Huzurabad bye-poll if it happens, but Eatala requested that we instead support him by not having our party candidate if he fights as an Independent.

However, the former health ministers efforts to meet the two most plenipotent leaders in the state BJP, minister of state for home affairs G. Kishan Reddy and party state president Bandi Sanjay have not fructified. Clearly, both of them would want to meet him after he agrees to joining the BJP.

Kishan Reddy dismissed the entire news as mere speculation.

I have not met Eatala Rajender. Rajender called me and expressed a desire to meet me personally recently, Mr Reddy said, adding that if Mr Rajender wants to join the BJP and wishes to discuss the modalities, we can consider.

Top Congress leaders, some of whom the former minister had earlier met, said that they understood his compulsions of having to finally opt for BJP over their party, despite being still stronger in rural Telangana, for politico-legal protection.

We cannot offer what the BJP can give him, which is a kind of legal immunity, they said.

While most BJP leaders felt it would be parlous for Rajender to resign as an MLA and push for a hardscrabble bye-poll at this point of time, arguing that if TRS makes it a prestige fight and puts all its resources, it would be nearly suicidal, a lone dissenting voice said, there is a strong anti-KCR wave in Telangana, which has gotten further accentuated by the mishandling of the Covid crisis and underreporting of cases and deaths. The BJP can get back into the drivers seat by not only forcing this bye-election but must also look at a few other MLAs who can be offered enough incentive to resign and have a slew of polls, either together or in quick succession.

The contrarian thinking BJP leader added, one discussion in our party is that Eatala is willing to resign from the MLA post and join the party if he is promised a Rajya Sabha seat.

None from the Eatala Rajender camp, including Mr Rajender himself, could be contacted to respond to queries of Deccan Chronicle on the issue.

In any case, like the Dreyfus Affair, the la Rajender affair, is becoming centrestage to state politics, and in its resolution lies a pointer to what 2023 beckons.
The fungal infection cases from districts are high and these patients are coming to both private and government hospitals. (Photo: AFP/File)

Hyderabad: Patients testing Covid-19 positive after reporting to hospitals with black fungus infection is due to the presence of the virus in the body. It is not a re-infection with Covid-19, doctors have explained.

They do not require treatment for Covid19 but only for black fungus.

Those who are testing positive for Covid-19 with black fungus infection are sent to Gandhi Hospital. In the private sector, such patients are being treated separately. They, however, do not have the ability to infect others.

Dr Prashant Kumar, senior pulmonologist at Medak Government Hospital, explained: "Some patients are testing positive due to the viral load in the body. Viral shedding is seen for a month or two months. The RT PCR testing positive is due to the virus presence, but these patients require treatment for black fungus only."

The fungal infection cases from districts are high and these patients are coming to both private and government hospitals.

In hospitals, test results showed that many were not aware that they had Covid-19. They had symptoms of fever, cough and cold and opted for medicines from government medical kits.

A doctor at a government public health centre explained: "ANMs were to monitor these cases but the medication regime was not followed properly. Most of them took the medicines without undergoing tests. They are now coming to hospitals with problems of black fungus and high sugar levels."

Panic is widespread as patients are realizing that they are Covid-19 positive.

Dr T. Pavan Reddy, senior general physician at Sunshine Hospitals explained: "After day 14 of the illness, it is no longer Covid-19. It is the secondary infection which must be the focus of treatment. These patients do not require any anti-viral drugs or Covid19 treatment. The viral load is expected in the body. For that reason, it is recommended not to test again as there are false positives."

Experts say a combination of the illness is not possible as black fungus will emerge only after the exit of the Covid virus.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
But if you believe the press materials released by both the band and Catoctin Creek, GWAR is instead a group of alien comet-riding instigators of Viking Armageddon. They are warriors who spilled their blood into an ancient caldera  blood they harvested from its smoldering surface to use as sacramental firewater before a battle.
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Derry, NH (03038)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
A man accused of breaking into a property and assaulting his ex-partner with a hammer has been granted bail at Derry Magistrates Court.

Diarmaid Paul Anderson, 31, has been charged with aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, attempted grievous bodily harm on a male and grievous bodily harm with intent on a female.

The alleged offences took place at an address in Main Street, Claudy, on March 5, 2020.

Andersons ex-partner was inside said property with a friend.

Providing evidence in court, a police officer said a male was seen outside banging on the door of the property and deflating car tyres.

The house occupant told police that the man responsible was his friends ex-partner.

The court heard that Anderson, whose address was given as Creggan Road in Randalstown, forced entry through the back door.

In fear, the defendants ex-partner and her friend locked themselves in a bedroom.

The PSNI officer said Anderson smashed a TV inside the property before banging on the bedroom door in an attempt to break it down.

His ex-girlfriend noticed that he was in possession of a hammer and left the room in a bid to calm him down.

As she did so, a police officer said, a scream could be heard and her friend then observed heavy bleeding from her head.

In a statement to police the alleged injured party said her ex-partner had been constantly ringing and texting after learning that she had been on a night out with another man.

The court was told that she informed him this man was just a friend.

Its alleged that Anderson threatened to assault the male and to post intimate videos of his ex-partner online.

The complainant arrived at her friends property, a police officer said, and one hour later the defendant turned up where the alleged offences were committed.

She said Anderson battered his way into the house and into the bedroom with a mallet-type hammer.

A police officer submitted that when the alleged victim tried to reason with him, Anderson grabbed her mobile phone and struck her with a hammer a number of times.

The defendant subsequently evaded police for over a year.

When interviewed on May 23, 2021, he denied the offences before the court but admitted being at the property.

Police objected to bail due to a fear of interference with witnesses and absconding from court as the charges are very serious and may encourage him to flee.

It is believed the defendant has been living in the south of Ireland as hes in a relationship with a member of the Travelling community.

There are also concerns that Anderson will continue to offend and attempt to contact the alleged injured party as they have three children together.

She said Anderson has 16 convictions including a violent incident that led to the death of a male.

Defence barrister Joel Lindsay said the alleged offences took places months ago and there has been no attempt to harangue.

He added that efforts were being made for him to voluntarily attend the police station.

Drug and alcohol issues have also been dealt with over the past six months, he said.

The court was told that Anderson has no reason to be near Claudy.

Mr Lindsay said his client could stay away and attend with his GP to provide proof that he will continue to engage with addiction services.

Deputy District Judge Liam McStay described the charges as serious, relating to an ex-partner and there was a high level of violence on display.

If the alleged offences had been committed recently, he said, there would be a concern about contact.

However, with the passage of time and what Anderson has done with it, it has somewhat assuaged concerns.

Bail was granted to an address on Largy Road in Portglenone.

Anderson was excluded from entering Claudy village as defined by the 30mph zone, he will have a curfew of 7pm-7am, must make contact with his GP upon release and make any contact with his children through social services.

He will appear at a court sitting again on June 21.
Derry City and Strabane District Council has initiated a fact-finding mission' to determine whether there was political interference in the use of Covid-19 funding in the city.

The local council received over 1.6m in Covid funding during the pandemic.

Money was used to support people who were experiencing financial hardship during the pandemic including those experiencing food and fuel poverty.

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin has alleged that there was possible political interference in the councils Covid Community Response.

The Derry News has seen correspondence from senior council officials which states that a paper is being developed for presentation to the Health and Communities committee as soon as possible.

An internal audit is currently being collated which will be informed by various allegations and concerns raised to date.

The local council has embarked on a fact-finding mission and its Human Resources team is liaising with relevant employees in relation to staff concerns.

Local councillors will this week ask Derry and Strabane council to investigate these matters.

Aontu Councillor Emmet Doyle will table a motion asking the council to look at a range of interventions put in place to support communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He will propose that the council evaluates the effectiveness, governance and impact of all interventions.

And has called for a root and branch investigation.

Meanwhile, People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin has said the council is aware of public concern about reports of widespread nepotism, poor governance and recruitment procedures in the community sector in the city.

He has questioned the impartiality of the sector and asked for an independent audit of governance and recruitment procedures in all community groups that are in receipt of council funding over the past five years.
A proposal to fly the Union flag at a number of council buildings for 365 days a year is set to return for discussion at a council committee meeting tonight.

Having first appeared at last month's full meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Mayor Mark Fielding moved the motion for discussion at tonight's Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

The proposal, brought by Cllr Aaron Callan of the DUP, seconded by the UUP's Richard Holmes and supported by Alderman Alan Robinson (DUP), Cllr Russell Watton (PUP) and Independent Cllr McCandless, would see the Union flag flown on the buildings for 365 days a year.

Despite length debate when Limavady, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Moyle councils were merged to form Causeway Coast and Glens, legacy council buildings followed their existing policies, with the flag flying all year round at council headquarters in Cloonavin.

Tonight's motion is seeking to have the flag flown all year round on all council and civic buildings, with specific reference to Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre made within the proposal, which cites new guidelines drawn up by the UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as its foundation.

"That this Council falls in line with the new guidance published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to have the Union flag flown on Council and Civic buildings every day (365 days)," it reads.

"Therefore the following buildings would fly the flag in accordance with this policy; Coleraine Town Hall, Cloonavin Council Headquarters, Limavady Office (Connell St), Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, Ballymoney Town Hall, Riada House, Portrush Town Hall and Portstewart Town Hall.

"This list of buildings will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The Union Flag is the National Flag of the United Kingdom, and it is so called because it embodies the emblems of the constituent nations united under one Sovereign  the Kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Northern Ireland."

The Corporate Policy and Resources Committee will meet tonight at 7.00pm.
The headquarters of Derry City and Strabane District Council will be lit up this evening to mark the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd in the US.

The 46-year-old was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 last year.

His death sparked a wave of protests across the world.

The Strand Road council building will be lit up yellow, pink and turquoise this evening to commemorate the first anniversary of Mr Floyd's death.

The move follows a request made by the North West Migrants Forum (NWMF) who have organized a series of events, including a remembrance vigil at Guildhall Square, a virtual memorial service and an online book of remembrance.

Among those attending the socially-distanced candlelit vigil and the online memorial service is the Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Brian Tierney and People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin.

Lilian Seenoi-Barr, Director of Programmes at the NWMF, said: Georges Floyd anniversary is a day of solidarity, reflection, and respect, it is only fitting that the Derry City and Strabane District Council lives up to its reputation of standing in solidary with the black and minority ethnic people in the city and region.

"I would also like to commend mayor Brian Tierney for the actions he has taken to help us mark George Floyd's anniversary.

"The last 12 months has been an emotional toll on so many of us as a result of George Floyd murder, the trial, the verdict, the experiences we endured on June 6th, 2020, at the Black Lives Matter protests in Derry and Belfast and, now the one-year anniversary."

In June 2020, the local council made a similar move by lighting up the Guildhall yellow in the support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A minute's silence was held at a vigil in Derry this afternoon in remembrance of George Floyd on the first anniversary of his death

Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers who arrived on the scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota and knelt on the neck of the 46-year-old for nine minutes and 29 seconds, is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of his murder.

Following Mr Floyd's death protests against police brutality, especially towards black people, quickly spread across the United States and globally, and led to the formation of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Among those in attendance at today's event, organised by the North West Migrants Forum (NWMF), held in Guildhall Square, was Brian Tierney, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council who 'took the knee' with Lilian Seenoi Barr, from NWMF, in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Also in attendance were local councillors, Mary Durkan from the SDLP and Shaun Harkin from People Before Profit.

Cllr Harkin said: Floyd's death put a spotlight on the terrifying arrogance of US police forces who routinely kill people of colour with the knowledge they'll get away with it, even when it happens in broad daylight with people challenging them and recording their brutality.

Floyd's murder also put a spotlight on the vicious poverty the vast majority of Black and other people of colour continue to face in the US, even after decades of civil rights legislation.

The Black Lives Matter rebellion in the US sparked a global movement challenging police violence and institutional racism. Without this movement there would have been no accountability for George Floyd's murder. There would be no discussion about the need to challenge the pervasiveness of structural racism. No matter what the political establishment says, people power is the key to bringing change.
ASEAN, China to enhance public health cooperation, promote building of a community of health for all

15:11, May 25, 2021 By Xian Jiangnan ( People's Daily Online

The Symposium on ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation was held in Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on May 21. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

The Symposium on ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation, jointly organized by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in China and Xuzhou Municipal People's Government, was held in Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on May 21. Representatives from 20 countries and international organizations attended the event, sharing their insights on ways to deepen public health cooperation between ASEAN countries and China.

Themed "Cooperation and Development for a Win-Win Future", the symposium discussed ways to strengthen China-ASEAN public health cooperation in fields such as disease prevention and control, talents training, ICT and medical technology, and trade in health and social services.

Deputy Mayor of Xuzhou Zhang Ke and Secretary-General of ACC Chen Dehai jointly sign the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Xuzhou Municipal People's Government and the ASEAN-China Center. (People's Daily Online/Xian Jiangnan)

This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of ACC. In the face of the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and ASEAN countries have been strengthening collaboration on epidemic control and prevention, bringing the bilateral relationship to a higher level.

Xuzhou, as a key link for the Belt and Road, has successively established friendly relations with several provinces and cities in ASEAN countries. At the opening ceremony, Deputy Mayor of Xuzhou Zhang Ke and Secretary-General of ACC Chen Dehai jointly signed the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Xuzhou Municipal People's Government and the ASEAN-China Center, a move aimed at strengthening the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the relevant fields.

Zhou Tiegen, Party Secretary of the CPC Xuzhou Committee. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

Zhou Tiegen, Party Secretary of the CPC Xuzhou Committee, hailed the symposium as an important platform for the city to deepen cooperation with ASEAN countries and RCEP members during his speech at the opening ceremony, noting that Xuzhou is willing to share development opportunities with ASEAN countries, thus contributing to the building of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Djauhari Oratmangun, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in China. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

Djauhari Oratmangun, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in China, said that dialogue is instrumental in fostering mutual trust and enhancing understanding of public health and sustainable development. Policy makers, public health experts and the healthcare sectors from both sides should have constructive dialogues to accomplish the dual task of pandemic control and economic recovery.

Raja Dato Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, Ambassador of Malaysia in China. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

Raja Dato Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, Ambassador of Malaysia in China, acknowledged the mutual support between China and ASEAN countries during the course of the pandemic. "As for Malaysia, to date, different batches of semi-finished Chinese vaccines have arrived in Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia becomes the second country of the region to cooperate with China in vaccine filling after Indonesia," Abidin said, adding that ASEAN countries are ready to work closely with China to usher in a brighter future of ASEAN-China relations.

Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

The epidemic has prompted closer public health collaboration between China and ASEAN countries at all levels, said Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. He suggested the two sides continue to promote substantive cooperation, including deepening technical exchanges and professional personnel training, and taking effective measures to resume economic and personnel exchanges.

Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

Secretary-General of ACC Chen Dehai voiced confidence in a closer ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, which is considered one of the most dynamic and substantive partnerships of ASEAN, noting that ACC is more than willing to make its humble contribution to this partnership. China has accumulated experience in the use of AI, big data, health codes, blockchain and drones in the fight against the pandemic, which could be shared with ASEAN countries and the world, Chen said.

Chen Junjie, Counsellor of the Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. (Photo provided by the ASEAN-China Centre)

According to Chen Junjie, Counsellor of the Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, both sides have been actively exploring the building of a regional network of "fast tracks" and "green lanes" to facilitate the flow of people as well as the building of an effective system of vaccine cooperation. China would like to work with ASEAN countries to build a China-ASEAN Community of Health for All.

With regard to ASEAN-China public health cooperation since 2020, Lu Shan, Deputy Division Chief of Modern Medicine and Public Health Division, China Biotechology Development Center, said China has carried out clinical trials overseas, including in some ASEAN countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, and China's vaccines have been considered both safe and effective.

Leading Chinese drug maker Sinopharm has supplied 20.138 million sets of protective materials to ASEAN countries and has provided vaccines to Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, said Yan Bing, Vice President of the China Sinopharm International Corporation. "Moreover, Sinopharm has actively discussed cooperation projects with many ASEAN countries, he added.

Meng Weining, Senior Director of Overseas Business of Sinovac Biotech, noted that by May 17, more than 435 million doses of CoronaVac had been distributed globally and its vaccines have been approved for emergency use in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia.

As countries are now more interconnected than they were, regional and global partnership has proven to be an important aspect in addressing the pandemic, said Maria Rosario S. Vergei, Undersecretary of the Health Department of the Philippines. "Pandemic-proofing health systems needs long-term investments and sustainable partnerships, and we hope to continue and strengthen the partnerships with China for the benefit of our countries," said Vergei.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Hongyu)
The White House did not specify which of the two posts that are part of the joint base that Biden will visit. However, Langley Air Force Base has been a common spot for presidential visits to the Peninsula. Former President Barack Obama made several stops at Langley as president. Former first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also visited the base.
Detectives from the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch carried out a search of a property in the Derry area today.

A quantity of suspected Class B controlled drugs and a quantity of cash was seized.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a number of drugs and criminal property related offences.

A police spokesperson said he remains in custody at this time.
John Abraham Being Considered To Play The Antagonist In Prabhas Starrer Salaar: Reports

Prabhas starrer Salaar with filmmaker Prashanth Neel has been in the making for some time now. While the film has already gone on floors, reports are now doing the rounds that the project might see a Bollywood hunk playing the baddie who will face off the Babhubali star in the action thriller.

There are several reports on the internet hinting that John Abraham might be roped in for Salaar to play the antagonist opposite Prabhas protagonist in the project. While there are no confirmations on the news yet from the makers, the Mumbai Saga actors presence will certainly widen the appeal of this pan-Indian project.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Prabhas (@actorprabhas)

John is already confirmed to play the villain is Shah Rukh Khans highly anticipated Pathan. The actor had before the lockdown in Mumbai even begun shooting for his portions in the film. The actor who has previously played the bad guy in Dhoom, early on in his career makes for a fitting choice given his popularity in the action genre but wed wait for an official confirmation before getting too excited.

So far, Salaar makers have only confirmed that Shruti Hassan will play the leading lady in the project. Prabhas was earlier in the year seen shooting for the film in Godavarikhani town in Telangana.

Apart from Salaar, Prabhas also has Om Rauts Adipurush to begin work on. The actor will also be seen in a Nag Ashwin film with Deepika Padukone next year. Apart from these films under production, the actor awaits the release for Radhe Shyam this year which is a romantic drama also starring Pooja Hegde.
Khatron Ke Khiladi 11: Arjun Bijlani Opens Up About His Strengths And Fears; Reveals Whos The Toughest Competition

After winning our hearts with his acting chops in Naagin, dance moves in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and hosting skills, Arjun Bijlani decided to add another feather to his cap by signing up for Khatron Ke Khiladi. Earlier this month, televisions handsome young man jetted off to Cape Town, South Africa with other celebrity contestants to participate in the 11th season of Rohit Shettys stunt reality show. Ever since then, Arjun has been treating his fans to behind the scene snaps and clips from the sets.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Arjun Bijlani (@arjunbijlani)

In a recent chat with Pinkvilla, Bijlani shared that he is scared of reptiles the most. He went on to add, I do trek a lot and have been physically fit. So heights and other strenuous stunts dont scare me as much as the thought of these reptiles, snakes, spiders, etc. Its not that I am generally scared of them, but having them crawl on you or near your face or even picking them up in your hands  those sort of things definitely give me the creeps.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Arjun Bijlani (@arjunbijlani)

When asked who he thinks is his toughest competitor, the Naagin actor said that he is not in the show to compete with anyone else as all of them are his friends. He explained, For me, competing against my own self and proving to myself that Yes, I can do it' - that in itself is the toughest part. Well, thats deep.

We wish the actor all the very best as we eagerly wait for the stunt reality show to premiere on television.
The Family Man 2: Raj & DK React As Demand To Ban Series Reaches Centre Says, "You'll Appreciate It Once You Watch It"

"The Family Man" creators Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK say they respect the sentiments of Tamil people and have come up with "a sensitive, balanced, and riveting story" in the second season of the show, which is facing controversy over its alleged depiction of Eelam Tamils.

Fronted by Manoj Bajpayee, "The Family Man" season two was scheduled to return earlier this year on Amazon Prime Video but got postponed following controversies around the streaming platform's shows "Tandav" and "Mirzapur".

Now, the sophomore season, set in Chennai, is scheduled to be released on June 4.

It will see Bajpayee's Srikant Tiwari pitted against a new and powerful adversary, Raaji, played by South star Samantha Akkineni.

There have been calls for the boycott of the series in Tamil Nadu, with IT Minister T Mano Thangaraj writing a letter to Centre over the show's depiction of Eelam Tamils in a "highly objectionable manner".

In their statement, Nidimoru and DK said they respect the sentiments of the Tamil people and stressed that assumptions should not be made based on the trailer.

"Some assumptions and impressions have been made based on a couple of shots in the trailer. We are very cognizant of the sentiments of the Tamil people and Tamil culture and have nothing but the utmost love and respect towards our Tamil people," the filmmaker duo said.

Nidimoru and DK insisted that they have presented a "sensitive, balanced, and riveting story", which they are hopeful the audience will appreciate.

"We have put in years of hard work into this show, and we have taken great pains to bring to our audiences a sensitive, balanced, and riveting story much like we did in season one of the show.

"We request everyone to wait and watch the show when it releases. We know you'll appreciate it once you watch it," they added.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manoj Bajpayee (@bajpayee.manoj)

Thangaraj, in his letter to Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday, claimed the show "intentionally undermined" the historical struggle of the Eelam Tamils.

"A serial loaded with insults and insinuations against the glorious Tamil culture could never be considered as the one having any broadcasting value.

"Branding Tamil speaking actress Samantha as a terrorist in the serial is directly an attack on the pride of Tamils living around the world and no one will tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign," he said.

Earlier, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) Founder Seeman has also demanded a ban on the show for portraying Tamils in a negative light.
The Family Man 2: Raj Nidimoru Questions Backlash Against Series, Asks 'Why Would We Show Tamilians In A Bad Light?'

All the anticipation around The Family Man 2 took an anti-climatic turn as protests against the series began following its trailer launch. Being increasingly dubbed as anti-Tamil the web series is seeing backlash for allegedly depicting Tamilians as terrorists.

The Manoj Bajpayee fronted web series will mark the debut of Samantha Akkineni in the digital space. The Telugu star is playing the antagonist in the show and in the trailer is shown to be a part of a terror group. Filmmaker Raj Nidimoru, from the director duo Raj & DK who helm the web series, has now reacted to the backlash and argued that being half-Tamilian himself why would he show the state in a negative light.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Raj & DK (@rajanddk)

Talking to Spotboye, Raj says A large number of the unit members for Family Season 2 are Tamil. Samantha Akkineni who plays the Tamilian character considers Tamil Nadu to be her home. I am half-Tamil. Other actors and technicians on the show are also from Tamil Nadu. Plus, we are all responsible citizens supremely sensitive to the politics and culture of Tamil Nadu. Why would we show Tamilians in a bad light?

The Family Man 2 is all set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on June 4. However, Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko has approached the Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar with an appeal to put a ban on the series in the light of growing protests against it.
Celebrity account hacks are getting dreadfully common, and the latest personality to take a hit is OnePlus co-founder, Carl Pei. Moving on from OnePlus, Carl Pei founded Nothing, a consumer tech company that will soon launch its first product, the Ear 1 TWS buds, in June next month.

Today, a fishy tweet posted from his account announced Nothing venturing into cryptocurrency space with "Nothing Coin" that is supposedly "built on the ETH ERC-20 chain." Hackers impersonating Pei asked interested followers to participate by transferring their Ethereum Coins to a wallet address.

Pei has also confirmed to Engadget Senior Editor Richar Lei that the tweet was posted after his account was hacked. The tweet that has since been pulled down was likely injected through an IFTTT hack. Which is another reason why users need to be extra vigilant while granting IFTTT permission to third-party apps.

In fact, this isnt the first request from Carl Peis Twitter handle for followers to pitch in - which could have perhaps made the hack sound credible to gullible followers. London-headquartered Nothing earlier allowed people to invest $1.5 million in the company through a community equity round at the same valuation as in the Series A funding round. The brand already has the backing of several prominent investors including Kunal Shah of CRED, Youtuber, Casey Neistat, the Co-Founder of Twitch - Kevin Lin and many others.

Of course, this is not the only instance of a celebrity account being hacked. Other popular names to recently join the list include PM Narendra Modi, Amitab Bachchan, Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, Michel Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, Elon Musk, and Kim Kardashian.
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By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL

AP Science Writer

NEW DELHI  Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the United Nations his country would make enough COVID-19 vaccines to help all humanity. Now India is struggling to meet its own domestic needs for the shots amid a startling surge of infections.

As the world's largest maker of vaccines, India always was expected to play a pivotal role in global efforts to immunize against COVID-19. But a mixture of overconfidence, poor planning and bad luck has prevented that from happening.





. . .
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Rendering by Atelier Drome Architecture [enlarge] A massing study for the proposed building, which would be north of the Shadowland restaurant and Forsythe Studio building.





STS Construction and Atelier Drome Architecture have paired up for their fourth possible apartment project in West Seattle. The latest new plan, which enters design review in July, is to redevelop some old commercial buildings at 4448 California Ave. S.W. The midblock site is just north of the Junction commercial strip.





. . .
The families also discussed the rarity of convictions in cases of Black men killed by police and whether convictions alone amount to substantial accountability. Allisa Findley, whose brother Botham Jean was killed in his own home in September 2018 by ex-Dallas officer Amber Guyger, said the families, activists and citizens need to keep applying pressure despite the conviction of Derek Chauvin  who was convicted of murder and manslaughter last month  for Floyds death to prevent similar killings in the future.
Douglasville, GA (30134)

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Duncan, OK (73533)

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Louth Fianna Fail Senator Erin McGreehan has sought an update on the Narrow Water Bridge project during a Seanad debate today, Monday May 24th.

Senator McGreehan raised the issue along with her Seanad colleague Senator John McGahon.

Senator McGreehan said: The Narrow Water Bridge, to me, as a local, is a project that has been talked about for so long.

"It is a symbol of the future and of what can be.

"It is aspirational, but with the shared island fund, that aspiration has become a possibility.

It is shovel-ready.

"Louth County Council has done incredible work over recent years on this. We need action.

"It is supported and spoken about by An Taoiseach at every opportunity.

"Nichola Mallon, Minister for Infrastructure in the North, is also an incredible sponsor of the project.

"It is important for reasons of morale, tourism and sustainable and active living.

In a response to Senator McGreehan, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan outlined that the proposal for the Narrow Water bridge has to be considered in light of developments with respect to the Newry southern relief road since 2016.

That road would provide an alternative route for strategic traffic that avoids Newry city centre and links to the eastern seaboard key transport corridor, the A1-N1 from Belfast to Dublin he said.

Minister Noonan added that the overall assessment of the case for the Narrow Water bridge, including in the context of the development of a wider tourism initiative for the region, is not at a stage where it is a clearly defined and a costed scheme.

Senator McGreehan responded to the Minister to say that The Narrow Water bridge project is about a lot more than a bridge; it is about dreaming and looking to the future. There is so much tourism potential in terms of the creation of this product.

"There is already a bridge and planning for widening it. The Minister of State's remarks are disingenuous because there is a bridge and a plan that is shovel-ready.
A new digital health innovation hub, dConnect has launched today in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) which will support Irelands ambition to become a global leader in the development of digital health solutions.

dConnect will act as a bridge between business, the healthcare sector, higher education and society, forging innovative partnerships that will deliver disruptive technologies to revolutionise healthcare as we know it.

The new national hub is supported by investment from Enterprise Ireland and other partners and is located within the soon-to-expand, Regional Development Centre at DkIT.

The 4.7M hub will provide a spectrum of supports for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) including mentorship, networking, regulatory or technical consultation and commercialisation of research.

In addition to its focus on the high-tech indigenous sector, dConnect will collaborate with larger businesses and investors to provide access to innovation and partnership opportunities.

dConnect officially launched today, Tuesday, at a virtual event attended by representatives from industry, academia and the government sector.

DkIT President, Michael Mulvey, PhD delivered the opening address, during which he said: We are delighted to launch the countrys first ever digital health innovation hub, dConnect, here at our campus in North Leinster South Ulster.

"DkIT has a longstanding reputation for leadership in healthcare, digital health and regulated software, and we look forward on building on these competencies through the formation of dConnect.

Working together with industry and government partners, dConnect has an opportunity to develop and grow a world-leading cluster of digital health enterprises that can generate huge economic and societal benefits for our region and beyond.

The newly formed dConnect team is comprised of four professionals with expertise across digital health, early-stage investment, software development and entrepreneurship.

The hub is led by Angela Duffy, Director of Programmes and Business Development who coordinated todays launch event.

Ms Duffy added: Ireland has a strong track record in MedTech, Life Science and Pharma and with a substantial presence of tech giants here it is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the new era of digitalised healthcare.

"dConnect will harness this expertise by driving collaboration with researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and corporations to deliver cutting-edge innovation that will unlock untapped potential within the sector.

"At dConnect we firmly believe in the power of digital health to transform todays healthcare systems and support patient-centred care. We look forward to working with enterprises of all sizes and backgrounds to address some of the industrys greatest challenges and to create advancements that will improve healthcare for the general population.

dConnect received 3.7M funding via the Enterprise Ireland Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF).

Additional investment was also secured via supporting partners including DkIT, Louth County Council, Dundalk Enterprise Development Company, STATSports, Servisource, Dundalk Credit Union and the Louth Enterprise Fund.

Statsport CEO, Sean OConnor, grew his world-leading GPS player tracking company from the Regional Development Centre at DkIT.

He a passionate supporter of the dConnect initiative and believes that this type of focused engagement and support is essential to the growth of indigenous businesses.

Speaking at the launch event he said: STATSports history is embedded in both DkIT and the RDC in particular.

"The dConnect Digital Health is about bringing the best minds, ideas, concepts and technology into one place.

"We see this as the perfect blend of research, collaboration and commercial drive which is required to have a positive impact on digital health in both Ireland and beyond and we at STATSports are excited to be part of that.

Also speaking at the launch event, Ronan Kelly, Global Director Smart Factory Lead at Pfizer commented,

'Digitization is critical to progression of the Pharmaceutical / Healthcare industry but it has additional complex challenges that need to be solved, augmenting to better patient care. It is great to see a focus on this at DkIT'.
Dundalk was one of a number of towns where protests were staged in support of Palestine at the weekend.

Sinn Fein organised a protest in Dundalk on Saturday, which had limited numbers due to Covid-19 restrictions, ahead of the party bringing forward a motion on Palestine in the Dail on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Dundalk event at Courthouse Square, Deputy Ruairi O Murchu said the difficulty "is not just the slaughter that has occurred, where at least 248 people had been killed in Palestine, including 66 children, but also the fact that we are dealing with Israel that is operating an apartheid state".

He said: "We are also dealing with Gaza being like an open prison and annexation.

"We are dealing with a modern-day Plantation and the stealing of lands.

"Sinn Fein has a motion on Tuesday that we are hoping will attract all-party support to recognise that what Israel is doing, combined with the war crimes that are being carried out, is carrying out annexation.

"Beyond that, we need to bring it to the European Union from the point of view of where we have a land grab by Israel. They are not fair players in this, and we need this to be driven home.

"South African apartheid was broken through international solidarity and by sanctions.

"We need the same to be done to Israel, that is operating in an absolutely criminal way and we need to stand on the side of the Palestinians."

Today, Tuesdays motion, which is being brought forward by John Brady TD, was developed, working in close collaboration with Trocaire, Christian Aid, Sadaka, ICTU and Senator Frances Black and has the support of a number of political parties and independents.
Last year, as word spread about the latest developments, local sailors, neighbors and others quickly chimed in. Many believe it would be the end of one of the best public access points to the Hampton River and the Chesapeake Bay. Others felt that  because the boat ramp needed repairs and the city already had a deal with Bluewater to preserve the nearby historic Herbert House, which called for selling the ramp  they should just go forward with the plan. Still others were against sale because of the potential traffic and noise coming with Bluewaters proposal.
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North Andover, MA (01845)

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Putting a hyphen in does not automatically or clear up the convention behind the name, she told the newspaper. I dont want us to get stuck on a hyphen and think the hyphen will cure it.


Fred Ziari is an irrigation engineer who for the last 39 years has worked on water management issues in Hermiston and the Pacific Northwest.
We know that officers often lament the enormous weight on their shoulders. They are asked to respond to all manner of situations, from the dangerous and violent to the routine and mundane. Communities need to decide the best level of policing for themselves and fund their police departments (and alternative responses) appropriately.
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These are the current configurations of each of Mesa's six council districts and the lines are bound to change because of population increases in the east, declines in the west.


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Microsoft on Monday announced it is purchasing Nuance Communications, a natural language to computer processing company, in a deal valued at $19.7 billion.

In the all-cash transaction, Microsoft will acquire all of Nuance's outstanding stock for US$56 a share, a 23 percent premium over the share price at the close of the market last Friday. The deal, which is Microsoft's largest since it acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for more than $26 billion, is expected to close at the end of the calendar year.

Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance and report to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of cloud and artificial intelligence at Microsoft, the Redmond, Wash. company said in a statement.

"Nuance's popular healthcare-focused products and services will provide Microsoft an instant revenue stream and relationships with existing Nuance customers," noted Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT, a technology advisory firm in Hayward, Calif.

"More importantly," he told the E-Commerce Times, "Nuance will open the door for Microsoft to sell and upsell other healthcare-related services and solutions."

According to Microsoft, Nuance solutions are currently used by more than 55 percent of physicians, 75 percent of radiologists and 77 percent of hospitals in the United States.

In its most recent fiscal year, it continued, which ended in September, Nuance's Healthcare Cloud revenue showed year-over-year growth of 37 percent.

The acquisition will double Microsoft's total addressable market in healthcare to nearly $500 billion, the company added.

Playing Catchup

"Nuance provides the AI layer at the healthcare point of delivery and is a pioneer in the real-world application of enterprise AI," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained in a statement.

"AI is technology's most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application," he continued. "Together, with our partner ecosystem, we will put advanced AI solutions into the hands of professionals everywhere to drive better decision-making and create more meaningful connections, as we accelerate growth of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Nuance."

The acquisition will help Microsoft catch up with its cloud rivals, maintained Jack E. Gold, founder and principal analyst at J.Gold Associates, an IT advisory company in Northborough, Mass.

"Microsoft is pretty far behind AWS and Google in natural language processing in the cloud. Microsoft has been a third-place player," he told the E-Commerce Times.

"Nuance gives Microsoft the ability to attack the enterprise, which is really important to them for Azure, but it also gives them instant credibility because they're getting a real, natural-language processing system," he said.

"Rather than develop everything in-house," he continued, "they needed something to give them a quick kick-start, and Nuance gives them that."

Looking Beyond Healthcare

While giving Microsoft a mighty presence in healthcare, the Nuance acquisition will give the Redmond crew much more in the future.

"AI Spending will reach $110.7 billion by 2024," observed Ritu Jyoti, program vice president for the worldwide AI and automation research practice at IDC.

"Banking, retail, manufacturing and healthcare will approach close to more than half of global spend," he told the E-Commerce Times. "So while initially, Microsoft may be focused in healthcare solutions, longer term its focus will be much broader."

He explained that beyond healthcare, Nuance provides AI expertise and customer engagement solutions across interactive voice response (IVR), virtual assistants, and digital and biometric solutions to companies around the world across all industries.

"This expertise will come together with the breadth and depth of Microsoft's cloud," he said, "including Azure, Teams, and Dynamics 365, to deliver next-generation customer engagement and security solutions."

Nuance, too, will benefit from being under Microsoft's wing.

"It expands markets dramatically for Nuance," Gold said. "It'll help get it out of its niches. It can be in almost any space with Azure."

King explained that while Nuance has done well since shifting its focus to healthcare solutions, it appears to have hit the ceiling in terms of business and revenue growth.

"Being part of a far larger and better funded company, like Microsoft, should [provide] Nuance and its employees a brighter future," he said.

Key Healthcare Tech

The Nuance acquisition shows not only how important healthcare is to Microsoft, but how important voice recognition technology is to the future of healthcare, maintained Paddy Padmanabhan, founder and CEO of Damo Consulting, a Villa Park, Ill. growth strategy and digital transformation advisory firm that works with healthcare enterprises and global technology companies.

"Voice-enabled healthcare is still in its very, very early stages relative to its potential impact. There is a huge market waiting to be opened up," he said in a statement.

"Conversation AI tools such as that of Nuance have started making a big difference in ambient clinical computing, specifically in the transcription of doctor-patient encounters," he observed.

"The next stage of growth for voice will be in clinical decision support, enabled by stronger integration with EHR systems, that will take the form of AI-enabled functions that will improve the quality of the patient experience and outcomes," Padmanabhan added.

He explained that as digital transformation accelerates, the use of emerging technologies such as voice will drive care delivery in the hospital and in the home.

"Amazon has already made significant moves in home-based care which include its voice-enabled Alexa services as a central component," he noted. "Microsoft's Cortana offering hasn't made as much of a mark as Alexa in the healthcare context."

"Microsoft had to make a move to meet the competition head on, and the Nuance acquisition may be the best bet it can make at this time," he continued.

"The field has essentially now narrowed down to two players in the voice-enabled healthcare delivery space," he added.

Next Gen Interface

The Nuance acquisition also reveals the role of conversational AI in Microsoft's roadmap for the future.

Lian Jye Su, artificial intelligence and machine learning principal analyst at ABI Research, explained in a statement that Microsoft has attempted to bolster its own conversational AI both through in-house development, with Cortana, and through acquisition, by buying Semantic Machines in 2018.

"However, all these have yet to allow Microsoft to replicate the success of Amazon, Google, and Apple in the consumer space and IBM in the enterprise space," he asserted.

Su added that Microsoft is also feeling the threat from the conversational AI capabilities demonstrated by AI players in China, such as Alibaba, Baidu, iFlyTek, Mobvoi, Zhuiyi, and Unisound.

"The acquisition of Nuance Communications will elevate Microsoft's capabilities and allow Microsoft to develop both consumer and enterprise-focused conversational AI solutions," he said.

He added that the move by Microsoft also acknowledges the importance of conversational AI and natural language processing capabilities to the future of AI.

"This announcement validates the efforts of many natural language processing hardware and software startups," he observed. "As the market slowly matures, voice command and control have the potential to replace touch control in many use cases and become the main interaction method for the next-generation user interface."

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.




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Two out of three global CISOs feel unprepared to cope with a cyberattack, according to an annual survey released Wednesday by a cybersecurity and compliance company.

The 2021 edition of Proofpoint's Voice of the CISO report -- based on a survey of more than 1,400 CISOs in 14 countries -- found 66 percent of the executives acknowledged their organizations were unprepared to handle a targeted cyberattack this year.

In addition, more than half the CISOs (53 percent) admitted they are more concerned about the repercussions from a cyberattack this year than they were in 2020.

"Cyberattacks are coming fast and furious and getting more so by the minute," declared Saryu Nayyar, CEO of Gurucul, a threat intelligence company in El Segundo, Calif.

"It feels like we are headed to the point where no company is truly safe, and nothing will be able to stop cybercriminals," she told TechNewsWorld. "So no, no one is adequately prepared to cope with future cyberattacks -- not even CISOs."

The survey also found that nearly three out of five CISOs (58 percent) consider human error their biggest cyber vulnerability.

Misaligned Mitigation

"It's not that CISOs aren't trying their best to prepare. It's that cyberattacks are a very tough thing to prevent in the first place; and most CISOs aren't focusing their resources against the right threats," maintained Roger Grimes, a data-driven defense evangelist at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla.

As an example, Grimes explained that the vast majority of successful malicious breaches are from social engineering and phishing. Many surveys put phishing as responsible for 70 to 90 percent of all successful cyberattacks.

"Yet," he told TechNewsWorld, "most organizations dedicate less than five percent of their IT security budget to it."

"It's this fundamental misalignment of mitigations versus the root cause of exploits that is causing cybersecurity to be so ineffectual," he said.

"Most CISOs see threats as bubbles in a glass of champagne and aren't told that one or two of these bubbles are far bigger than all the other bubbles added up all together," he observed.

"This leads to a bunch of threats being treated more equally than they should be, and unfortunately, with the biggest threats left weakly mitigated," he added.

Top of Mind Threats

The survey also found that 64 percent of the CISOs feel at risk of suffering a material cyberattack in the next 12 months.

Attacks that the CISOs say they expect to face in the coming months include:

Business email compromises (34 percent)

Account compromises (33 percent)

Insider threats (31 percent)

Supply chain compromise (29 percent)

Ransomware (27 percent)

"Insider threats are often overlooked in favor of tools to protect from external threats," noted Morey Haber, CTO and CISO at BeyondTrust, maker of privileged account management and vulnerability management solutions in Carlsbad, Calif.

"However, we can't underestimate the insider threat risk," he told TechNewsWorld.

"When we think of insider threats, we often imagine disgruntled employees seeking revenge on their former employers' business," he explained. "In reality, a vast majority of these threats are most often caused by honest mistakes such as clicking on malicious links or opening phishing emails."

"Either way, insider threats can be very difficult to detect, and pose a threat that businesses struggle to address," he added.

Credential Compromise

Piyush Pandey, CEO of Appsian Security, an ERP data security and compliance company in Dallas, agreed that threats targeting users should be a top concern of CISOs, especially threats aimed at compromising credentials.

"Right now, a user's identity is typically identified by the credentials they login with," he told TechNewsWorld. "Given phishing and brute force attacks are so prevalent, organizations must ensure access to sensitive business data is dynamic and context-aware to ensure privileges are effectively aligned with the level of risk in their access."

Insider threats are not limited to people, either.

"The volume of threats coming from cloud infrastructure -- such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace -- means that the attackers are using trusted systems -- and potentially even the systems that the organization is using themselves -- to attack them," observed Jack Miller, former CISO and current head of global professional services at Menlo Security, a cloud security provider in Mountain View, Calif.

"We can't assume that 'my' OneDrive installation is safe," he told TechNewsWorld. "We have to assume that everything is malicious, including our own systems. Phishing and credential theft can make it easy for attackers to plant their threats internally to an organization."

Remote Working Challenges

Although ransomware as a threat seems to have been played down by the CISOs in the survey, it remains dangerous, especially in a world with more remote workers than ever.

"Threat actors have been busy exploiting a wider attack surface because the workforce is now remote," explained Bryan Embrey, director of product marketing at Zentry Security, a zero trust remote access company in Milipitas, Calif.

"Workers are using unsecure Wi-Fi, personal devices, and accessing applications and resources across the hybrid IT landscape," he told TechNewsWorld. "All of these offer possibilities for malware exploitation."

"And 2020 didn't help CISOs," he said. "Given the workforce's rapid shift to remote work, CISOs added licenses to their existing VPNs as quickly as they could to keep their organizations running and productive. VPNs, however, are often cumbersome and complex, and provide wider access than is needed."

Indeed, more than half the CISOs surveyed agreed that remote working made their organization more vulnerable to targeted cyberattacks, with three in five revealing they had seen an increase in targeted attacks in the last 12 months.

"Last year, cybersecurity teams around the world were challenged to enhance their security posture in this new and changing landscape, literally overnight," Lucia Milica, global resident CISO at Proofpoint, said in a statement.

"This required a balancing act between supporting remote work and avoiding business interruption, while securing those environments. With the future of work becoming increasingly flexible, this challenge now extends into next year and beyond," she explained.

"In addition to securing many more points of attack and educating users on long-term remote and hybrid work, CISOs must instill confidence among customers, internal stakeholders, and the market that such setups are workable indefinitely," Milica added.

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.


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Lubbock, TX (79409)

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Over 3,300 completed census forms already submitted

More than 3,300 people have aleady submitted their completed Census forms.

Census forms can be completed anytime between now and Monday 14 June  but the information supplied must relate to your household on Sunday 30 May.

Letters are currently being sent to every household in the Isle of Man ahead of the 2021 census.

People are being strongly encouraged to complete the process online and the letters include a 10-digit access code to be used after following the link at gov.im/census

Alternative options on how to complete the form are, however, available to those who need it - by phone, in person at the census office or using paper forms.

The online form is available when the letters first arrive and can be completed then.

Information should, however, only be supplied which relates to a household at their usual place of residence on Sunday 30 May.

If a household, or someone from that household, is staying overnight elsewhere on Sunday, they should only be included on the form which relates to their home address.

It is important to note that while forms should be completed with information which is accurate to this date they do not need to be completed by this date.

Forms can be completed up to Monday 14 June, after which census officers will start to chase responses for a period of up to six weeks.

Only after this process has been completed will notice letters be sent out which may lead to prosecution for any households which refuse to engage with the process.

Anyone requiring assistance should contact the census team by calling 685700 or emailing census@gov.im

The Census Office, at Nivison House (formerly the Job Centre) on Prospect Hill, Douglas, is also open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm.
Faye Greenhaw, 88, of Athens, passed away Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at her residence. Mrs. Greenhaw was born on February 26, 1933, to Alvie Lee Leopard and Bobbie Webb Leopard. Mrs. Greenhaw is survived by her sons; David Greenhaw (Charlsa) and Don Greenhaw; daughters, Kathy Robinson and Brenda
Sony has revealed its next State of Play will take place later this week with a focus on Horizon Forbidden West. The 20-minute stream will include 14 minutes of new gameplay footage captured from PlayStation 5.

State of Play returns Thursday, May 27 with an extensive look at Horizon Forbidden West gameplay: https://t.co/tJC9WiTgZZ pic.twitter.com/C7xvZiotgJ  PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 25, 2021

The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn is set in post-apocalyptic versions of California, Nevada and Utah. For the first time, Aloy will be able to explore below the surface of seas, lakes and rivers, so perhaps Guerilla Games will offer a peek at underwater combat during the stream.

The State of Play starts at 5PM ET on Thursday. You can watch it on Twitch or YouTube. Horizon: Forbidden West is expected to arrive later this year on PS4 and PS5. Meanwhile, Sonys next big exclusive, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, is just a couple of weeks away.
Panasonic has announced the development of the GH6, it's next flagship Micro Four Thirds camera set to arrive by the end of this year. The news comes along with the launch of the GH5-II as a way for Panasonic to quell fears that it wouldn't be releasing a full-blown successor to its popular video-centric GH5 camera.

Panasonic gave just enough information about the GH6 to pique our interest. It uses a new "high-speed sensor and Venus Engine processor," though Panasonic didn't specify the resolution. The GH6 will cost approximately $2,500, or around $500 more than the GH5 cost at launch.

A key feature is the ability to shoot 10-bit 5.7K 60 fps video to max out on resolution and detail. It will also shoot 10-bit 4K 120 high frame rate (HFR) and variable frame rate (VFR) resolution for slow/quick motion video. To address overheating concerns, Panasonic said it will handle 4:2:2 10-bit DCI 4K 60p video with continuous unlimited recording when the camera is used under the "certified operating temperature."

In briefings, Panasonic implied that the new video capabilities aren't even the most exciting feature.

Other details are scant, but Panasonic promised that the GH6 will also excel at photography. We can no doubt expect to see features established by the GH5 like in-body stabilization and a flip-out display. In briefings, the company implied that the new video capabilities aren't even the most exciting feature.

Panasonic has put a lot of focus on its new full-frame L-Mount lineup over the last couple of years, including the S1, S1H, S1R and S5 models. Its Micro Four Thirds announcements have received less attention, with the exception of the box-style BGH1. The latter model  designed for drones, multi-cam shooting and live streaming equally  has been a success, Panasonic told Engadget

The GH5 has been an incredibly popular vlogging and video camera. It was well ahead of any rivals when it first arrived four years ago and still beats the video capabilities of any camera in its price range. The company has been able to keep it fresh with firmware updates that added 6K anamorphic and other capabilities, while gradually reducing the price to $1,300, where it sits today.

With today's launch of the $1,700 GH5-II, Panasonic wants to keep offering a lower-priced vlogging and video camera that can also do live streaming. The GH6, meanwhile, will be reserved for higher-end users who want the best Micro Four Thirds vlogging camera available. As much as full-frame gets all the press these days, a smaller sensor does offer benefits like lenses that are significantly cheaper and smaller.
Russian authorities on Tuesday fined Google 6 million rubles, or just under $82,000, after the company failed to comply with Moscow's demands to delete prohibited online content.

On Monday, Russia's internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, gave Google 24 hours to delete more than 26,000 instances of online media considered to be illegal in the country. If their demands weren't met, authorities threatened to slow down Google's services in Russia and levy fines of up to 10 percent of the company's annual revenue.

Today, Roskomnadzor fined Google in three batches at 2 million rubles apiece, alleging administrative offenses in each case, according to Reuters.

Much of the prohibited content involves calls for social action following the detention of high-profile Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in January. Protests erupted across Russia early this year after Navalny's arrest. Russian authorities subsequently sued Google, Twitter, Facebook and other sites, alleging they hosted content encouraging children to participate in the protests, which Moscow deemed illegal.

Shortly after those lawsuits, Roskomnadzor throttled Twitter in Russia. The watchdog cited tweets about child pornography, drug use and suicide, leaving out any mention of the protests.

A fine of less than $100,000 is chump change for Google, and today's move from Moscow is more of a warning shot than a final judgement.
The SC youth, who lured her out of her wedlock, took her to Vijayawada and stayed with friends.  Representational image

KURNOOL: An irate mob of villagers threw chili powder in the eyes of Jonnagiri sub-inspector Suresh for his indifference in taking action against a youth who had eloped with a girl. The incident occurred at Pagidirayi village in Tuggali mandal of Kurnool district late Monday evening.

The villagers in retaliation ransacked and damaged houses belonging to SC community a member of the community had eloped with a girl from the BC commnity. About 500 BC families live in Pagidirayi village and most of them are into sub-contract works with Great Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Pathikonda circle inspector Narayana Reddy said that the girl was married to her relative some 10 days back and the newlyweds did not stay together for more than three days.

The SC youth, who lured her out of her wedlock, took her to Vijayawada and stayed with friends. The BC community mounted pressure on the parents of the boy to produce them in the village. Meanwhile, the boy sent vulgar pictures with the girl on Whatsapp to villagers.

Enraged by the blatant provocation, around 200 villagers went to the police station to represent their case. But when the SI did not respond properly, they targeted properties belonging to SCs and started pulling down their houses. At least three houses were completely damaged while some were partially damaged, said Narayana Reddy.

When the SI went to the spot to control the mob, BC women threw chili powder in his eyes.

Following the incident, the revenue divisional officer and DSP visited the village and enquired about the issue. The CI said cases would also be filed against some BC members for causing considerable damage to several houses.
Meet Moxie, a companion robot made specifically for children to play with every day. As Devindra Hardawar notes, the idea of an R2-D2 of your own is interesting, until it gets dystopian. So which side of the line does this bot fall? According to company co-founder Paolo Pirjanian, two months after launch, customers are averaging 25 minutes of engagement every day  although that the company knows that isnt exactly encouraging.

Moxie

Devindras kid is (wisely) robot-averse, so he tried it himself for a few weeks and was surprised by how well the conversations flowed. He found that Moxie mixes things up from day to day and could easily find its place as a support to help ward off anxiety. The jury is out on whether or not Moxie is a good enough fit for kids to justify its $1,500 plus month service charge price, but maybe it has a future in hanging out with tech-obsessed millennials?

 Richard Lawler

Vaccinated outdoor gatherings still need a playlist.

Sony

On Monday, Sony revealed four new portable speakers, ranging from ultra compact and easily packable to larger karaoke-ready party machines. Depending on your needs, the company should have something to keep the music going at your outdoor  or perhaps indoor  gatherings this summer.

The SRS-XB13 is around three and half inches tall  shorter than a 12-ounce drink can  and about three inches wide. It still has enough space for a battery that lasts up to 16 hours, is IP67 rated and has a Sound Diffusion Processor to blast big sound out of a tiny shell. At $60, its just cheap enough for you to buy two and pair them for stereo output on the beach or by the pool.

At the other end of things, the SRS-XG500 is a $450 boombox-style speaker with IP66 dust and water proofing, plus a water-repellent mesh that helps liquid bead off. Its battery can last up to 30 hours, and plugging it in for just ten minutes will charge the speaker enough to use for three hours.

Continue reading.

The first laptops with these chips should arrive this summer.

Qualcomm

The Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 features a Kyro CPU that can achieve clock speeds of up to 2.55GHz. The company claims it delivers 10 percent faster performance than "most competing platforms (read: Intels Gemini Lake platform). The company also claims the 7c Gen 2 can deliver up to two times the battery life of its competitors. Meanwhile, with Windows 10X shelved, Qualcomm is working with Microsoft to address app compatibility issues using a new Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows 10.

Continue reading.

Looking for something that can charge a MacBook Pro and still fit in your pocket?

Anker

The GaN Nano II lineup is more efficient, smaller and better at regulating temperatures than the first wave of devices, according to Anker. The company says it did this by upgrading the chips and internal layout of its new 30W, 45W and 65W chargers.

The 65W model offers full-speed charging for the 13-inch MacBook Pro and fast charging for other laptops, with a foldable plug that makes it 58 percent smaller than Ankers previous 61W charger. The GaN Nano II chargers are now available to pre-order via Amazon and Anker. The 30W model is $30 , the 45W one costs $36 and the 65W version will set you back $40 .

Continue reading.

Coincidentally, it doesnt apply to companies that operate theme parks in the state  like Disney.

The law bars companies from banning Florida politicians and gives the states Election Commission the power to fine them up to $250,000 per day for takedowns involving public office candidates. It allows all residents of the state to sue tech companies if they feel theyve been treated unfairly. Additionally, those companies will need to detail how they decide on bans. If youre wondering how this is compatible with Section 230 or, perhaps, the Constitution, then you are not alone  well likely see that argument decided once someone files a lawsuit.

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For commercial fleet customers only.

Ford

Ford has unveiled the F-150 Lightning Pro , a more utilitarian version of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup aimed at commercial customers. Offered in regular and extended-range versions, the Pro models come with more basic, easier-to-clean vinyl seats and without some of the fancier interior options.

The $39,974 base model (before incentives) is available to both retail and fleet operators and offers 426 horsepower and 755 pound feet of torque, with 230 miles of estimated EPA range. For up to 300 miles of estimated EPA range, the extended range version with dual-charging starts at $49,974.

Continue reading.

Apple Card account holders also get access to Family Sharing.

Now, Apple users will see some podcasts offer perks like ad-free episodes when they agree to support them financially. iOS 14.6 also allows you to take advantage of Apple's Family Sharing feature with your Apple Card. Up to five other people can use your card, and you also get access to features like family expense tracking and optional limits.

The latest update also improves AirTags: You can add an email address as a contact instead of your phone number. On the Mac side, a simultaneous update adds support for more AMD RDNA2 video cards like the 6800, 6800XT and 6900XT.

Continue reading.

But wait, theres more...

Google Photos will help you delete blurry pictures and screenshots

What's on TV this week: 'Friends' reunion, 'Rugrats' and 'Lucifer'

Russia orders Google to delete 'illegal' content or face slowdowns

iFixit looks inside Apple's new 24-inch iMac

Norway fines Tesla for reducing battery capacities and charging speeds

Engadget Deals: Amazon's Fire TV Cube is on sale for $100 right now

Hyundai's 300-mile Ioniq 5 crossover EV is officially coming to the US

Uber Showtime series will star Joseph Gordon-Levitt as former CEO Travis Kalanick

Engadget Deals: The MacBook Air M1 drops back down to $900 at Amazon
Just last month Elon Musk said Tesla would start to remove radar sensors from its production cars, and now Electrek points out a post revealing that the process has begun. New Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built for North America no longer have radar onboard to enable driver assist features like Autopilot and its "Full Self Driving" system.

As recently as 2016, Tesla was still focused on improving radar technology for Autopilot, but that was before reworking the team to focus on computer vision and deep learning.

Sensors are a bitstream and cameras have several orders of magnitude more bits/sec than radar (or lidar).



Radar must meaningfully increase signal/noise of bitstream to be worth complexity of integrating it.



As vision processing gets better, it just leaves radar far behind.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2021

However, the change is happening so suddenly that buyers may receive vehicles with restrictions on the use of Autosteer, Smart Summon and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance. Software updates "in the weeks ahead" will re-enable those features.

As The Verge mentions, in materials released along with its Q1 earnings results, Tesla said "We believe that a vision-only system is ultimately all that is needed for full autonomy. Our AI-based software architecture has been increasingly reliant on cameras, to the point where radar is becoming unnecessary earlier than expected. As a result, our FSD team is fully focused on evolving to a vision-based autonomous system and we are nearly ready to switch the US market to Tesla Vision."

If you're awaiting delivery of a Tesla, then the company says you will be notified of any change in your Tesla account before it arrives. Meanwhile, the Model S and Model X will continue to ship with radar onboard, at least for now.
Enid, OK (73701)

Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. SE winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. SE winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph.
British historian Kate Williams recently talked about Meghan Markle possibly receiving the "Princess" title upon losing the "Duchess of Sussex."

Williams, a British historian, author, and television presenter, shared on Twitter that critics' demand of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to remove their titles would elevate their status, which lessens the reason for dropping them all together according to Amomama Exclusive.

"Harry's title of Prince cannot be removed," the historian tweeted, adding that if they were no longer be called as Duke and Duchess, then they would be called as Prince and Princess. Williams even added, "Which would, one might argue, be even more appealing on the world stage.

A professor at the University of Reading, Williams provided further information in various tweets. She explained that Markle's title would be Princess Henry of Wales, based on her marriage to Prince Harry.

Markle does not use it now because of the Sussex titles, however, Williams also mentioned that if the Sussex titles were removed, she would quickly called in general speech Princess, the Princess Meghan of Wales.

Cries to remove titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex from Harry and Meghan. But Harrys title of Prince cannot be removed. Thus if they were no longer Duke and Duchess, theyd be Prince and Princess. Which would, one might argue, be even more appealing on the world stage..  Prof Kate Williams  (@KateWilliamsme) May 16, 2021

Considering that this information is from Kate Williams herself, this process of changing titles would be wrong considering others who kept their titles that would receive backlash from the public, the historian said. But still, she contended it is needed knowing the Prince's claim that his father, Prince Charles, did not have a happy childhood, probably from loneliness due to vulnerability, according to Vanity Fair.

Prince Harry Comments On "Breaking The Cycle" With Their Royal Titles In A Podcast With Dax Shepard

As continues, Williams finished that, albeit Harry and Markle already returned the Frogmore money and other titles, to punish the couple, but the outcome may end up logistically impossible. Harry comments in the Oprah Winfrey interview on a recent podcast called "Armchair Expert" with Dax Shepard, which seemed critical of Charles and the Queen, reinforcing calls for him and Markle to lose their titles.

Prince Harry revealed his desire to "break the cycle" of "pain and suffering" he experienced during his childhood under the royal title, in which the 36-year-old spoke candidly about how he contemplated quitting royal life on several occasions while in his 20s.

One insider with access to the Queen said they would not discuss the title changes with the public. However, the insider mentioned that palace discussions would take place about the interview.

READ MORE: Prince Harry Shares Moment Archie Breaks His Heart with His First Words

Royal Author Speaks On Megan Markle's Pen Name On New Book About Her 'Duchess' Title

Meanwhile, Markle wrote her book for children, "The Bench," just after writing Harry's first Father's Day poem. According to The Sun, they published the photos of the said book on May 4 ahead of its June 8 release.

Markle's pen name was "Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex," on the front cover, which conflicts with her idea of wanting to distance herself from the Royal Family.

READ ALSO: Prince Harry Accused of Disrespecting Queen Elizabeth II -- Prince William 'Furious'!

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
CNN host and lawyer Van Jones recently appeared on "The Ellen Show" on May 24 and gushed about reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

Kim has been working hard over the past three years to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. Her rumored lover, Jones, was asked by DeGeneres on how Kim is doing with her studies, he answered "She's doing amazing, her dad was a lawyer and she always wanted to be a lawyer"

"when she got a taste of what she could do using her platform, using her brain, she hasn't let up," the CNN host added. "I think she's going to be an unbelievable attorney. She's already I think one of the best advocates that we have in criminal justice." he concluded.

Rumors of the two are in a relationship started back in April, just after the reality TV star filed a divorce from Kanye West. Kardashian considers Jones as her mentor, they worked together on criminal-justice reform in 2018 to save Alice Johnson from a life sentence after her 1996 conviction.

Jones was married to ex-wife Janna Carter, they ended their marriage in 2019 after 14 years. They had two sons together.

READ NOW: Eurovision 2021: Maneskin Lead Vocalist Takes Massive Move After Allegedly Seen Taking Drugs Off-Stage

Kardashian also came under fire when rumors of them dating sparked. Social media users accused the reality TV star of using Jones to "further her law career"

Amid Kardashian's divorce issue and being a mom to her children, Kim has been really focused on her law career, Kris Jenner assured fans in an interview "Kim is really focusing on her legal studies. She's trying to pass the bar and so, she does that every day." the Kardashian "momager" said.

In 2019, Kim announced that she's going to pursue a law career in Califronia even if she doesn't have an undergrauate degree. She took to Instagram to share the big news

"Last year I registered with the California State Bar to study law. For the next 4 years, a minimum of 18 hours a week is required, I will take written and multiple choice tests monthly. As my first year is almost coming to an end I am preparing for the baby bar, a mini version of the bar, which is required when studying law this way," She stated on the post

"I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am. The state bar doesn't care who you are. This option is available to anyone who's state allows it." She concluded

Both Kardashian and Jones have not yet addressed the romance rumors circulating around the internet.

READ ALSO: THREESOME: Taika Waititi Spotted Cuddling With Rita Ora And Tessa Thompson At The Same Time [PHOTOS]





See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Kim Kardashian faces a new headache again as her former employees came together to sue her.

Amid Kim's ongoing divorce process from Kanye West, she currently needs to deal with another court issue filed by her former maintenance and cleaning crew.

In new legal documents, seven former staff who previously worked for Kim at her Hidden Hills property filed a lawsuit against her. They claimed that they were hired as full-time employees but never enjoyed a single benefit.

The statement added that they seemingly served as independent contractors. Thus, the employment status took away their supposed full-time employee benefits.

They alleged that they did not receive pay stubs. Kim also reportedly did not pay them on a regular schedule and refused to give them meals.

Breaks, proper reimbursements, a system to monitor their man-hours, and overtime pay were also surprisingly absent.

One employee even claimed that he was immediately fired when he simply asked for his and his son's rights. During their service, his son was only 16 but reportedly worked for more than what the California Labor law set for working minors.

Kim Kardashian Defends Herself

While this put Kim on a hot seat, she managed to defend herself by saying that she is the wrong target.

The "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star's representative said that the vendor was responsible for short-changing the aforesaid workers. Furthermore, the TV personality hired the vendor for the services as well.

Since there was a vendor between her and the workers, she never knew the agreement the two parties created.

READ ALSO: Martin Scorsese Receives Respect From Zack Snyder Despite Negative Statement Against Superhero Movies

The representative went on to declare that Kim never had the power to control the vendor's agreement and business.

"Kim has never not paid a vendor for their services and hopes that the issue between these workers and the vendor who hired them can be amicably resolved soon," the representative went on.

As of the writing, whether there will be an official hearing or not remains unknown. But this surely gave Kim a headache while remembering her supposed 7th wedding anniversary with soon-to-be ex-husband Kanye.

On May 24, the estranged couple marked their first wedding anniversary since they both agreed to split. The finalization of their divorce remains unknown, but they already agreed to some things including joint custody of their four children.

READ MORE: Jon Bon Jovi Accused of Breaking Pink's Heart -- What Happened Between Them?

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
It seems like Ellen DeGeneres feels sentimental and wants to live in the ranch again after she reportedly paid $14.3 Million to buy back her Montecito Manor from tinder co-founder Sean Rad.

The talkshow host and her wife, Portia de Rossi, are no stranger in buying and selling homes in the past. In 2017, the couple bought the historic Rancho San Leandro, which is literally just beside Oprah Winfrey's 70 acre "Promised Land", in Montecito, California for $7.2 Million. They managed to flipped it and sold it to the Tinder co-founder in 2018 for $11 Million.

Recently, Dirt reported that DeGeneres is buying back the mansion for $14.3 Million after the estate was put up for sale with the asking price of $12.7 Million, which is higher than the original price that was posted.

The report comes after the alleged "kicked out" rumors and the announcement of the end of "The Ellen Show".

READ NOW: 'Eternals': Have You Seen Harry Styles in the New Trailer? Details About His Rumored Role Revealed

A few weeks ago, when Courteney Cox appeared on her show, she revealed that she's been living in the actress' Beverly Hills home for a while after she sold her mansion in the same area.



The talkshow host/comedian clarified that she was not kicked out and her marriage with de Rossi are not having any problems "I should explain. I'm not having marital troubles. I'm not out of my house because I'm - I'm not living with Courteney Cox because I'm kicked out of my house," she stated.

"We sold our house here in Beverly Hills and I needed a place to stay" the talkshow host added.

Two weeks ago, DeGeneres had also announced that she's ending her long-running talk show after 19 years on air. This announcement came after a handful of accusations were made against the host because of the alleged toxic work environment.

She clarified that the allegations are not the reason for her ending the show "If I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn't have come back this season," she stated. "It broke my heart when I learned that people here had anything other than a fantastic experience - that people were hurt in any way," she added.

READ ALSO: Meghan Markle Will Receive a Better Title Once Stripped of the 'Duchess' Title -British Historian

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
2021-05-25

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, held telephone talks with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum, in relation to the consolidated bilateral political dialogue and with the aim of exchanging views on Libya and the Middle East. The talks also focused on the issue of the delimitation of the respective exclusive economic zones.
2021-05-25

Maeci

Click here to see the intervention of VM Marina Sereni:

According to tradition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is celebrating Africa Day, to mark the anniversary of the establishment, on 25 May 1963, in Addis Ababa, of the Organisation of African Unity, which changed its name to African Union in 2002. This year, due to the pandemic situation, the Foreign Ministry has created a virtual exhibition aimed at showing to the general public some of the main works of art from Africa displayed both in international museums and in Italy. The event, sponsored by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), will be streamed on 25 May (for more information visit the website esteri.it and the Foreign Ministrys social media channels).

At the opening of this celebratory event (lasting approximately 50 minutes), there will be a welcoming speech by Minister Luigi Di Maio, followed by a speech by Fidele Sambassi Khakessa, the Ambassador to Rome of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the country holding the Presidency of the African Union for the current year. Vice Minister Sereni and representatives of international organisations specialising in the conservation of the archaeological heritage  the Director General of ICCROM, Webber Ndoro, and the President of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), Maurizio di Stefano  will then close the meeting with their speeches.

The virtual exhibition has been set up in collaboration with CMS Cultura  an agency specialising in the production of exhibitions and displays  and will be guided by Dr. Micol Forti, Director of the Vatican Museums Collection of Contemporary Art. The exhibition celebrating Africa Day is intended to give voice to the artists, who are the direct protagonists of the extraordinary cultural universe of the continent. This video contribution is conceived as an exploration of Africas cutting-edge art, entering the artists studios, giving us a closer insight into their vision of art and life, going beyond the institutional academic and museum-based approach. Together with the artists' voices, visitors to the exhibition will be able to admire their works which - better than any other image - will be able to provide an account of the identity of a rich, original and independent production.

Thirteen artists have participated in this celebratory project, coming from very different regions of the continent: Fatou Kande Senghor, Soly Cisse and Seni Camara are from Senegal, Dawit Abebe from Ethiopia, Troy Makaza from Zimbabwe, Malala Andrialavidrazana from Madagascar, El Anatsui from Ghana, Ifeoma U. Anyaeji and Peju Alatise from Nigeria, Ghizlane Sahli from Morocco, Goncalo Mabunda from Mozambique, Barthelemy Toguo from Cameroon, and Mathilde Moreau from the Ivory Coast. Videos of their testimonies will be accompanied by a digital exhibition of some of their most iconic creations, totalling almost 40 artworks.

The artists involved in this project celebrating Africa Day, and the partnership between Italy and Africa, represent different modes of expression but are in some way connected to the topics that will be addressed at this year's G20 meetings, of which Italy holds the Presidency: environmental sustainability, peaceful conflict resolution, migration, respect for women, harmony and balance in community living.
Bharat said a super sixty team had been formed to render services to Covid-19 victims and was carrying out various programmes on Covid awareness and care.  Twitter

KAKINADA: Even as the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic is spreading across the state unabatedly, the Andhra Pradesh government is getting ready to face a probable third wave that could be even more vicious than the present. It is planning to set up a 1,000-bedded special Paediatric Covid Care Centre at the old CTRI building site in Rajamahendravaram. The AP Paper Mills will supply oxygen to the centre through a pipeline.

Rajamahendravaram MP M Bharat said as it was expected that the third wave may affect the children badly, as a precautionary step, the paediatric centre will be set up at the Old CTRI building and all infrastructure facilities would be made available in the centre.

He visited the site on Monday and said Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was getting ready to face any challenge of third wave and was alerting and cautioning the officials and public representatives frequently to take precautionary steps for it. He said discussions were being held on whether the centre would be set up in German Sheds mode or on the lines of Anantapur. He said the children who contracted the virus would be treated in Oxygen on Wheels buses. He exhorted parents to take care of their children and not to send them out and also create awareness among them on the virus.

Bharat said a super sixty team had been formed to render services to Covid-19 victims and was carrying out various programmes on Covid awareness and care. He said Oxygen on Wheels programme was being supervised by Nagam Bhaskara Rao and 15 members and were serving food to the poor under the sponsorship of ISKON. He said a special Covid control room would be set up in his office in Rajamahendravaram. Several children became orphans as they lost their parents due to the Covid-19 pandemic and such children were being given shelter, food and other facilities by his teams, he said.

Bharat also alleged that a private Hospital was collecting Rs 3 lakh fees from Covid-19 patients. He brought the issue to the notice of district sub-collector Anupama Anjali.
"As a newcomer to Denmark and to Aarhus University, it is a genuine honour to have been selected as the recipient of this year's Victor Albeck award. Winning this prize as a researcher in the Humanities means a very great deal because it shows that Humanities research is valued at Aarhus University," said Isabelle Torrance.

Isabelle Torrance began her research career at Aarhus University with a 3-year fellowship at AIAS (Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies) in 2016, coming from a tenured position as Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame in the US. During her AIAS fellowship stay, Torrance was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for her project on "Classical Influences and Irish Culture" (CLIC) (2019-2024). The ERC grant has allowed her to establish her own research group, which is based at Aarhus University, where Isabelle Torrance is professor of Classical Reception in English and Other Modern European Literatures and Cultures since 2019.

Her CLIC research group is investigating how classical models expose the shifting political structures of the nation through the politics of language, of conflict, of (post)colonialism, of gender, of identity. As part of her CLIC project, Torrance is developing a database that allows for new interdisciplinary research within both classical and modern literature, whereby she is contributing to the development of the field of 'Classical Reception Studies'.

Isabelle Torrance is trained as a classical philologist. She has an outstanding and productive research career behind her, with already seven books and numerous research articles published. Her interdisciplinary work and her ability to establish synergy between classical studies and modern history make her a sought-after speaker among her peers as well as for a broader public audience.

"At the Department of English, we are proud that Isabelle Torrance is receiving the new Victor Albeck Award, because she has created an energetic and exciting research environment. Isabelles research in Classical Reception Studies is based on elements that have been central to the department's profile for many years, especially Irish and postcolonial studies, and the classical tradition has a huge lasting relevance in English studies (and the humanities in general), whether you are talking about literature, language, or culture and society," said Head of Department Dominic Rainsford

Short bio of Isabelle Torrance

Isabelle Torrance earned her PhD in Classics from Trinity College Dublin in 2004 and has previously held teaching and research positions at Trinity College Dublin, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, the University of Nottingham, the University of Notre Dame, and the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies; she has also visited Stanford University on an invited fellowship.

Her books include Aeschylus: Seven Against Thebes (London, 2007), Metapoetry in Euripides (Oxford, 2013), Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (Berlin, 2014; co-authored), Aeschylus and War (London, 2017; edited volume), Euripides (London, 2019), Euripides: Iphigenia among the Taurians (London, 2019), and Classics and Irish Politics 1916-2016 (Oxford, 2020; co-edited volume).

About the Victor Albeck Award The Victor Albeck Award is a newly established award by the Aarhus University Research Foundation that acknowledges younger talented researchers who have contributed significantly to their research field. The recipient of the award is on top of the recognition given a prize of DKK 100,000.

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - A team of evolutionary biologists including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York have shown that some Anolis lizards, or anoles, have adapted to rebreathe exhaled air underwater using a bubble clinging to their snouts.

Semi-aquatic anoles live along neotropical streams and frequently dive for refuge, remaining underwater for up to 16 minutes. Lindsey Swierk, assistant research professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, documented this behavior in a Costa Rican anole species in 2019. She had been shocked to see an anole submerge itself for such long periods and used a GoPro underwater to document the behavior.

"It's easy to imagine the advantage that these small, slow anoles gain by hiding from their predators underwater - they're really hard to spot!" says Swierk. "But the real question is how they're managing to stay underwater for so long."

The researchers conducted experiments documenting routine air-based underwater respiration in several distantly related semi-aquatic anole species. They found that semi-aquatic anoles can respire underwater by ''rebreathing'' exhaled air that is trapped between their skin and surrounding water.

"We found that semi-aquatic anoles exhale air into a bubble that clings to their skin," said lead author Chris Boccia, a recent master of science graduate from the University of Toronto. "The lizards then re-inhale the air, a maneuver we've termed 'rebreathing' after the scuba-diving technology."

The researchers believe that hydrophobic skin, which they observed in all sampled anoles, may have been exaptative, facilitating the repeated evolution of specialized rebreathing in species that regularly dive. Their analyses strongly suggest that specialized rebreathing is adaptive for semi-aquatic habitat specialists. Air-based rebreathing may enhance dive performance by incorporating dead space air from the buccal cavity or plastron into the lungs, facilitating clearance of carbon dioxide, or allowing uptake of oxygen from surrounding water (i.e., a ''physical gill'' mechanism.) The team used an oxygen sensor inside the rebreathed bubbles to determine whether anoles were consuming oxygen from the bubble. In true "scuba-tank" fashion, the researchers discovered that the oxygen concentration in an anole's air bubble decreases over the length of the dive, in support of this idea.

"The finding that different species of semi-aquatic anoles have evolutionarily converged to extract oxygen from their rebreathed air bubbles leads to other exciting questions," says Swierk. "For example, the rate of oxygen consumption from the bubble decreases the longer an anole dives, which could possibly be explained a reduction in an anole's metabolic rate with increased dive time." Binghamton graduate student co-author, Alexandra Martin, is currently exploring whether body cooling during dives may help explain this phenomenon.

"Rebreathing had never been considered as a potential natural mechanism for underwater respiration in vertebrates," says Luke Mahler, an assistant professor in EEB at the University of Toronto and Boccia's thesis supervisor. "But our work shows that this is possible and that anoles have deployed this strategy repeatedly in species that use aquatic habitats."

Swierk and Mahler are planning future projects to better understand the evolution of the physiology and behavior related to rebreathing. "Anoles are a remarkable group of lizards, and the number of ways that this taxon has diversified to take advantage of their environments is mind-boggling," said Swierk.

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The paper, "Repeated evolution of underwater rebreathing in diving Anolis lizards," was published in Current Biology.
A study of healthcare workers shows they were three times more likely to become infected during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the general population. Around one in five of workers who were infected were asymptomatic and unaware they had COVID-19.

The study published in ERJ Open Research [1] also shows that it was not only frontline staff who faced the higher risk, suggesting that there was transmission between staff and within the wider community.

However, health care workers who had been infected were very unlikely to contract COVID-19 a second time in the following six months.

The research was led by Professor James Chalmers, a consultant respiratory physician from the University of Dundee, UK. He said: "We have always believed that front line health workers face a high risk of contracting COVID-19 and that's why we've tried to ensure they have the PPE needed to protect themselves. But many questions remain about the level of this risk and what other measures we can take to protect staff and reduce transmission of the disease."

The study included a total of 2063 staff working in a wide variety of healthcare roles in in the East of Scotland. Between May and September 2020, participants were given blood tests for antibodies against COVID-19. The presence of these antibodies is a very accurate indication that someone has been infected with COVID-19. Researchers also recorded whether any participants developed an infection in the following months.

Results from these health care workers were compared with a randomly selected control group of blood samples taken by local GPs during the same period of time.

The blood tests showed that 300 (14.5%) of the healthcare workers had been infected. This is more than three times higher than the proportion of people infected in the local population. The highest rates of infections among the workers were in dentistry (26%), health care assistants (23.3%) and hospital porters (22.2%). The rate among admin staff was the same as that of doctors (21.1%).

Rates among people working in areas of the hospital where COVID-19 patients were being treated were a little higher than those working in non-COVID areas (17.4% compare to 13.5%). However, the majority of infections were in staff who were not working directly with COVID-19 patients, suggesting transmission between staff or infections acquired in the community.

Among the 300 healthcare workers who tested positive, 56 (18.7%) did not think they ever had COVID-19 and were completely asymptomatic. The researchers say this is important since people without symptoms are likely to go to work and could potentially infect other people.

In the months following their blood tests, 39 workers developed a symptomatic COVID-19 infection, but only one of these was a worker who had previously tested positive. This equates to an 85% reduction in risk, which is similar to the protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines.

Professor Chalmers said: "A lot of attention during the pandemic has been around PPE for doctors and nurses but we found that dentists, healthcare assistants and porters were the staff most likely to test positive.

"We continued to monitor staff for up to seven months and found that having a positive antibody test gave 85% protection against a future infection. This is really good news for people who have already had COVID-19, as it means the chances of a second infection are very low."

The team hope to continue the research to see how long immunity lasts and how vaccination affects infections among healthcare workers.

Professor Anita Simonds, President of the European Respiratory Society and Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital, UK, was not involved in the research. She said: "This research shows the high levels of COVID-19 infection among all healthcare workers, with the highest evidence of infection in dentists, healthcare assistants and porters. Staff working in critical care, who are likely to have been protected by using personal protective equipment at all times, were not disproportionately affected.

"It should be noted that among administrative staff, 21.1% were found to have been infected with COVID-19, indicating that all those working directly with patients, and those working in other hospital roles are at risk, and vaccination and risk assessment for appropriate levels of PPE in all these frontline groups are crucial."

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Geothermal ecosystems, such as volcanoes and hot terrestrial and deep-sea springs, are characterized by severe conditions. The temperatures are high and the environment could be extremely acidic or very alkaline. Moreover, there are chemically active compounds in them that can be fatal to living organisms, because they are capable of destroying the membrane of an ordinary cell.

"Exclusively very adapted microorganisms can exist here. They do not only have unique protective systems but are also able to get energy from chemical transformations of those substances that are available to them. Humans are actively using the peculiarities of their metabolism, for example some enzymes help biologists to amplify DNA molecules in a test tube," says Vitaly Kadnikov, Ph.D., senior researcher at the Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the principal investigator of the grant from the Russian Science Foundation.

New and so far poorly understood analogs of these natural ecosystems (called simply thermal) are places of hydrocarbon production, that is, oil wells and coal pits. The latter is the research object of a group of scientists from the Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of RAS (Moscow) and Tomsk State University (Tomsk). The authors studied quarries near the city of Kiselevsk, Kemerovo region, and took samples of soil layers from places where there were signs of an underground fire-heated soil, smoke and where steam is coming out to the surface. They characterized the chemical and mineralogical composition of the samples to understand what substances could be used for energy by the bacteria that colonize the coal. Then biologists determined the composition of microbial communities from each layer by analyzing the DNA from it, namely, the gene sequence of one of the ribosome subunits usually used for such purposes.

It turned out that more than a dozen groups of microorganisms live in the Kuzbass quarry, the bacteria mostly. Archaea which are considered to be common inhabitants of extreme ecosystems turned out to be no more than 3%; they are all chemolithoautotrophs converting ammonia into nitrite. The latter compound became "food" for another small group of organisms that metabolize it into nitrate, which people use, for example, as fertilizer.

The representatives of the Chlorobacteria predominated among the bacteria, often found in ecosystems with a high carbon dioxide content; they are also capable of converting poisonous carbon monoxide into CO2. This might be applied for new air purification technologies wherever a furnace is used. Some bacteria found in coal seams can oxidize hydrogen with water formation.

There have also been found microbes that utilize methane as a growth substrate. Many of the identified organisms can fix carbon dioxide and grow autotrophically, but there have been those that feed on the dead remains of their fellows. The Kuzbass quarry turned out to be a well-balanced microbial community, surpassing similar objects studied earlier in China, the US, and Altai in diversity.

"Our research is another step towards understanding how these relatively young ecosystems emerged, what connections they have and whether we can use them. They have much in common with those that form around hot springs. Who knows, maybe they comprise very specific organisms that will help to develop new ways of obtaining valuable biotechnological products by using hydrogen and carbon monoxide generated during coal gasification," says Vitaly Kadnikov.

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Army ants form some of the largest insect societies on the planet. They are quite famous in popular culture, most notably from a terrifying scene in Indiana Jones. But they are also ecologically important. They live in very large colonies and consume large amounts of arthropods. And because they eat so much of the other animals around them, they are nomadic and must keep moving in order to not run out of food. Due to their nomadic nature and mass consumption of food, they have a huge impact on arthropod populations throughout tropical rainforests floors.

Their mass raids are considered the pinnacle of collective foraging behavior in the animal kingdom. The raids are a coordinated hunting swarm of thousands and, in some species, millions of ants. The ants spontaneously stream out of their nest, moving across the forest floor in columns to hunt for food. The raids are one of the most iconic collective behaviors in the animal kingdom. Scientists have studied their ecology and observed their complex behavior extensively. And while we know how these raids happen, we know nothing of how they evolved.

A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences led by Vikram Chandra, postdoctoral researcher, Harvard University, Asaf Gal, postdoctoral fellow, The Rockefeller University, and Daniel J.C. Kronauer, Stanley S. and Sydney R. Shuman Associate Professor, The Rockefeller University, combines phylogenetic reconstructions and computational behavioral analysis to show that army ant mass raiding evolved from a different form of coordinated hunting called group raiding through the scaling effects of increasing colony size.

The researchers discovered that the ancestral state to army ants' mass raids is the rather different-looking group raids that their non-army ant relatives perform. The evolution of mass raids from group raids happened tens of millions of years ago and the transition from group raids to mass raids is perfectly correlated with a massive increase in colony size.

"All of these ants are within the subfamily Dorylinae," said Chandra. "The first doryline ants, which were not army ants, lived in small colonies of a few hundred workers. When army ants evolved their foraging behavior from group to mass raiding, they also massively expanded their colony sizes. Army ant colonies now have tens of thousands - and often millions - of ants."

Kronauer's Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior at The Rockefeller University studies the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi, a relative of army ants. Clonal raider ants are almost the only ant species that can be kept in a lab and experimented on indefinitely. They are also genetically tractable in that researchers can make mutants or transgenic lines to compare. But they are also poorly understood, understudied, and hard to find in the field. The mass raiding of army ants is well studied and described; however group raiding is not. And understanding group raiding is key to understanding the evolutionary trajectory to mass raiding.

"My goal has always been to study how social behavior evolves and is controlled, and how army ants have evolved," said Kronauer. "A few years ago we discovered that the way clonal raider ants forage is through raids that are similar to army ant raids."

To understand how the raids are structured and organized, the team collected a large number of video recordings of many colonies raiding under controlled conditions.

"Our goal was to understand what are the underlying behavioral rules the ants follow and how a raid emerges out of the behavior of individual ants," said Gal. "Tracking individuals in a dense colony is a challenge and does not have a generally applicable solution. This is especially true for small ants that like to form dense clusters such as raider ants."

The researchers overcame this challenge by using a custom computer vision software developed in the lab named anTraX that tracked and identified the ants based on small color marks painted on their abdomen and thorax. The method allowed them to collect accurate trajectories for all the ants for several weeks with minimal human effort, and without requiring expensive high-resolution cameras.

In a small nest of 25 ants they used 5 sets of colors and painted each ant with a unique set of colors. The researchers placed a single fire ant pupa (the prey) in the foraging arena outside of the nest. The nest sends out a scout to look for food. Once the scout finds the food, she lays a pheromone trail back to home. Inside the nest she releases, what researchers believe to be, a recruitment pheromone that attracts the ants to her. They spill out of the nest and follow her trail to the food in a group raid.

As the researchers increased the colony size, the number of scouts sent to forage also increased and they began to see more coordinated search activities. This same behavior is seen in army ants, but at a scale of tens of thousands or often millions of ants, with a very large increase in the number of scouts.

"Our behavioral analysis shows that group raids have stereotyped structure, and that they are conserved across the Dorylinae. Because the transition from group to mass raids over evolutionary time is perfectly associated with massive increases in colony size, we wondered whether this had something to do with the transition in raiding behavior," said Chandra. "We gradually scaled our colonies up from 10 through to 100 ants and we saw this very nice increase in coordinated search behavior as you increase colony size."

"Our experiments show that in larger colonies, the ants become more synchronized in their leaving of the nest to scout. In other words, when an ant leaves, the chances that more ants will follow her are higher in large colonies. While we cannot directly say much about the actual mechanism underlying this observation, we know from other complex systems that an increase in synchronicity is a result of stronger positive feedbacks between individuals," said Gal. "In the army ant size limit, this will result in what we know as a mass raid."

But the resemblance to army ant behavior seen as colony size increased was not limited to temporal synchronization. The experiments also showed that army ants and their relatives follow the same set of behavioral rules when searching for food. A few army ants leave the nest at first with no pheromone trail outside. They hesitantly step out and then appear to waver, turn around, and run back in. But there are ants inside the nest that want to leave, so they push them back out, or they take their place. Because each ant that leaves and returns is laying a pheromone trail the group is slowly extending the trail from the nest in bursts. This 'pushing party' is how army ants create a column of ants leaving the nest and traveling quite far away. As the researchers expanded the clonal raider ants' colony size, they observed the same behavior.

"It's hard to see in the small colonies because there are so few ants," said Chandra. "But we show statistically that this really is happening and we have instances where it's quite dramatic. So, even in small colonies of clonal raider ants, each ant seems to be following very similar rules for search behavior compared to an army ant, although it might not look like it at first glance. And as you increase colony size, the interactions between these ants lead to greater coordination, you start to see more obvious 'pushing parties' and you start to actually see spontaneous columns of ants leaving the nest."

To doubly test this, the team experimented with two colonies of 5,000 workers each, which is an order of magnitude larger than seen in natural colonies for this species. In these studies the raids displayed all four of the characteristic features of army ants' mass raids: a large number of ants that participate in the raid, a bifurcating trail that enables army ants to raid multiple prey sources, a recruitment that happens outside the nest at the raid front, and a spontaneously initiated raid.

At small colony sizes, these rules manifest as group raids, and as colony size increases - either experimentally or over evolutionary time - these rules give rise to mass raids. The team concluded that expansions in colony size in the ancestors of army ants are sufficient to have caused the transition from group raiding to mass raiding behavior.

"Probably the most common pattern is that collective behavior evolves via natural selection acting on and tweaking the interaction rules that the individual animals follow," said Kronauer. "But our study is a nice example of a different mechanism: scaling effects associated with group size can give you dramatically different outcomes in terms of collective behavior, even though the individual rules don't change much."

Gal agreed, "Of course, it has been long known that changing group size can have a dramatic effect on emergent collective behavior. This has been shown both theoretically and experimentally. We have now shown that this effect can also be harnessed by evolution, and that collective behavior can be adapted over evolutionary timescales without actually modifying the behavior of individuals."

As far as is known, the coordinated behavior of clonal raider ants is one of the most complex social behaviors that can be induced or studied in the lab. The authors are currently working on a detailed study of how individual ants behave during the course of the raid, and how the structure of the raid responds to variation in environment and colony composition.

"We suspect that the ants specialize to some extent on specific tasks," said Chandra. "There's probably some very interesting division of labor going on, and there's also clearly complex communication - the ants use several different pheromones to talk to each other and to organize the raid. And there are several decisions the colony must make in the course of the raid. It's an incredibly rich behavior and there are many questions we could ask in the future and we're laying the groundwork for that."

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BOSTON -- A multidisciplinary team from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC), Brigham and Women's Hospital and other institutions have identified the mechanism of how an extremely rare but serious post-COVID-19 complication develops in children and adolescents. Led by MGHfC pediatric pulmonologist Lael Yonker, MD, researchers determined that viral particles remaining in the gut long after an initial COVID-19 infection can travel into the bloodstream, instigating the condition called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

The syndrome can occur several weeks after an initial infection; symptoms include high fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash and extreme fatigue. The hyperinflammatory response and "cytokine storm" seen in MIS-C can lead to extensive damage in the heart, liver and other organs.

Eighty percent of children hospitalized with MIS-C develop severe cardiac pathology and face a prolonged hospital stay and extensive recovery period. Current treatment strategies include an aggressive, long-term course of steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin.

MIS-C occurs in less than 1 percent of children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. As of May 3, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 3,742 children diagnosed with MIS-C and 35 deaths. U.S. statistics are skewed heavily toward Latino and Black children, with a total of 63 percent in cases with race or ethnicity listed.

In their recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, which included 100 children (19 with MIS-C, 26 with COVID-19 and 55 healthy controls), the researchers provide insight into the mechanics of MIS-C and identify potential biomarkers for early disease detection, treatment and prevention. They also describe the successful treatment of a 17-month-old infant with MIS-C.

"When we realized that 95 percent of the children with MIS-C had SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in their stool but no or low levels of particles in their noses or throats, we investigated further and found that viral material lingering in the gut long after the first COVID-19 infection could lead to MIS-C," says Yonker, lead author of the paper. The team hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 viral particles found in the gastrointestinal tract of children move into the bloodstream, leading to the hyperinflammatory immune response characteristic of MIS-C. "This is the first study showing viral particles in the blood of MIS-C coinciding with the hyperinflammatory response," says Yonker.

Co-senior author Alessio Fasano, MD, head of MGHfC's Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, is an expert on the mechanics of intestinal immune responses to pathogens. In 2000, Fasano and his team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine discovered zonulin, a protein that regulates intestinal permeability by opening the tight junctions between gut epithelial cells in the small intestine.

This opening of the spaces between epithelial cells allows the passage of substances from the gut lumen into the bloodstream, including gluten, which can cause symptoms for people genetically predisposed to celiac disease. In the early 2000s, Fasano developed larazotide acetate to work as a zonulin blocker in the treatment of celiac disease.

Prior to the advent of COVID-19, Fasano and Moshe Arditi, MD, director of the Infectious and Immunological Diseases Research Center at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, co-authored a paper about a study on Kawasaki disease, a condition very similar to MIS-C, in which they showed that mice with elevated zonulin levels could be successfully treated with larazotide acetate. Subsequently, Arditi, Yonker and Fasano showed that the immune response in MIS-C is consistent with superantigenic activation. "The large spike protein--the superantigen--basically holds onto a T-cell and makes it fire off a continuous immune response," says Yonker.

In the current study, the researchers measured high levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the stools and high levels of zonulin in the blood of children with MIS-C. When they subsequently found viral particles in the blood, Fasano suggested the use of larazotide acetate as a therapeutic. Encouraging preliminary data on the efficacy of larazotide acetate in treating the first case of MIS-C, after obtaining compassionate use permission from the Food and Drug Administration, opened up the possible use of larazotide acetate as the first oral treatment for COVID-19 and its complications.

"Our hypothesis was that larazotide would reduce the hyperinflammation by closing the tight junctions and preventing the large spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering the bloodstream," says Fasano.

Adds Yonker: "Our next plan is to develop a clinical trial to study the effect of larazotide on clinical outcomes in MIS-C. To go from characterizing a new disease, to understanding its cause, to identifying a possible new treatment is just incredible."

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Co-authors from Brigham and Women's Hospital included Tal Gilboa, PhD; Alana Ogata, PhD; and David Walt, PhD. In addition to researchers from MGHfC and Brigham and Women's Hospital, the 33-member research team included investigators and clinicians from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering; the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Boston Children's Hospital and the European Biomedical Research Institute of Salerno.

The research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases; the Regione Campania Italy; the National Institutes of Health; and the Department of Pediatrics at MGHfC. Funding for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen measurements came from a donation from Barbara and Amos Hostetter and the Chieck Foundation and was supported in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. FDA-approved compassionate use of larazotide was provided by 9 Meters Biopharma, Raleigh, North Carolina.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named #6 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
BOSTON - In a surprising discovery, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) identified a mechanism that protects the brain from the effects of hypoxia, a potentially lethal deprivation of oxygen. This serendipitous finding, which they report in Nature Communications, could aid in the development of therapies for strokes, as well as brain injury that can result from cardiac arrest, among other conditions.

However, this study began with a very different objective, explains senior author Fumito Ichinose, MD, PhD, an attending physician in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at MGH, and principal investigator in the Anesthesia Center for Critical Care Research. One area of focus for Ichinose and his team is developing techniques for inducing suspended animation, that is, putting a human's vital functions on temporary hold, with the ability to "reawaken" them later. This state of being would be similar to what bears and other animals experience during hibernation. Ichinose believes that the ability to safely induce suspended animation could have valuable medical applications, such as pausing the life processes of a patient with an incurable disease until an effective therapy is found. It could also allow humans to travel long distances in space (which has frequently been depicted in science fiction).

A 2005 study found that inhaling a gas called hydrogen sulfide caused mice to enter a state of suspended animation. Hydrogen sulfide, which has the odor of rotten eggs, is sometimes called "sewer gas." Oxygen deprivation in a mammal's brain leads to increased production of hydrogen sulfide. As this gas accumulates in the tissue, hydrogen sulfide can halt energy metabolism in neurons and cause them to die. Oxygen deprivation is a hallmark of ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, and other injuries to the brain.

In the Nature Communications study, Ichinose and his team initially set out to learn what happens when mice are exposed to hydrogen sulfide repeatedly, over an extended period. At first, the mice entered a suspended-animation-like state--their body temperatures dropped and they were immobile. "But, to our surprise, the mice very quickly became tolerant to the effects of inhaling hydrogen sulfide," says Ichinose. "By the fifth day, they acted normally and were no longer affected by hydrogen sulfide."

Interestingly, the mice that became tolerant to hydrogen sulfide were also able to tolerate severe hypoxia. What protected these mice from hypoxia? Ichinose's group suspected that enzymes in the brain that metabolize sulfide might be responsible. They found that levels of one enzyme, called sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQOR), rose in the brains of mice when they breathed hydrogen sulfide several days in a row. They hypothesized that SQOR plays a part in resistance to hypoxia.

There was strong evidence for this hypothesis in nature. For example, female mammals are known to be more resistant than males to the effects of hypoxia--and the former have higher levels of SQOR. When SQOR levels are artificially reduced in females, they become more vulnerable to hypoxia. (Estrogen may be responsible for the observed increase in SQOR, since protection from the adverse effects of hypoxia is lost when a female mammal's estrogen-producing ovaries are removed.) Moreover, some hibernating animals, such as the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, are highly tolerant of hypoxia, which allows them to survive as their bodies' metabolism slows down during the winter. A typical ground squirrel's brain has 100 times more SQOR than that of a similar-sized rat. However, when Ichinose and colleagues "turned off" expression of SQOR in the squirrels' brains, their protection against the effects of hypoxia vanished.

Meanwhile, when Ichinose and colleagues artificially increased SQOR levels in the brains of mice, "they developed a robust defense against hypoxia," explains Ichinose. His team increased the level of SQOR using gene therapy, an approach that is technically complex and not practical at this point. On the other hand, Ichinose and his colleagues demonstrated that "scavenging" sulfide, by using an experiment drug called SS-20, reduced levels of the gas, thereby sparing the brains of mice when they were deprived of oxygen.

Human brains have very low levels of SQOR, meaning that even a modest accumulation of hydrogen sulfide can be harmful, says Ichinose. "We hope that someday we'll have drugs that could work like SQOR in the body," he says, noting that his lab is studying SS-20 and several other candidates. Such medications could be used to treat ischemic strokes, as well as patients who have suffered cardiac arrest, which can lead to hypoxia. Ichinose's lab is also investigating how hydrogen sulfide affects other parts of the body. For example, hydrogen sulfide is known to accumulate in other conditions, such as certain types of Leigh syndrome, a rare but severe neurological disorder that usually leads to early death. "For some patients," says Ichinose, "treatment with a sulfide scavenger might be lifesaving."

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The lead author of the study is Eizo Marutani, MD, an investigator in MGH's Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain Medicine and an instructor at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Ichinose is also the William Thomas Green Morton Professor of Anaesthesia at HMS.

This study was funded by grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Sciences, Sports, and Technology; the Japan Science and Technology Agency; the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development; the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute of General Medical Science; and the National Science Foundation.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named #6 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
The use of accelerometers enables researchers to provide the most objective evidence to date of the link between physical activity and atrial fibrillation.

BOSTON - Physical activity that conforms to medical and health association guidelines is associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (Afib) and stroke, according to a study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), who analyzed nearly 100,000 individuals equipped with wrist-worn accelerometers to measure their movement. The researchers' findings suggest that data from wearables, including a new generation of devices with sensors that allow for Afib detection, could provide an opportunity for the public health community to promote moderate physical activity as an effective way to improve health outcomes. The study was published in the European Heart Journal. [1]

"Although some population-based studies have observed a lower risk of atrial fibrillation with exercise, the link has remained inconclusive in part because those studies relied on self-reporting by participants, a less than exact science," says senior author Steven Lubitz, MD, MPH, an investigator in the Division of Cardiology at MGH. "Wearable accelerometers, on the other hand, provide an objective and reproducible measure of physical activity. What we found was that activity in accordance with guideline recommendations is indeed associated with substantially lower risks of both atrial fibrillation and stroke."

Nearly 100,000 members of the UK Biobank agreed to wear accelerometers - electromagnetic devices that measure body movement and orientation to infer certain activities - for seven days. MGH researchers then compared that data with later diagnoses of atrial fibrillation and stroke among participants, most between 55 and 70 years of age, reported to the Biobank from 2013 to 2020.

"Our findings supported recommendations from the European Society of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the World Health Organization for 150 minutes or greater of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week," notes lead author Shaan Khurshid, MD, an investigator in the Division of Cardiology at MGH.

Given the explosive growth of "smart" devices with increasingly sophisticated detection capabilities, the study stressed the exciting opportunities that now exist to link disease prevention programs to atrial fibrillation diagnostics. Those devices include wearables and smartphones able to measure heart rate and thus detect possible arrhythmias and other irregularities through their photoplethysmography (a technique that detects changes in blood flow through sensors on the skin) and electrocardiographic (ECG) capabilities.

"It's not hard to imagine how these devices could be used by physicians and patients to achieve a level of physical activity which we know to be associated with a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation," explains Lubitz. "And by potentially identifying Afib through photoplethysmography and electrocardiography, users could be alerted to seek professional care before a stroke develops."

Lubitz is hopeful that these emerging technologies could be applied to not just Afib and stroke but also to other forms of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, and to metabolic diseases like diabetes, which might be affected by guideline-adherent physical activity. "Wearable devices capable of objective activity monitoring, motivational messaging, and disease detection could be low-cost, highly effective interventions to improve health outcomes for countless numbers of people."

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Lubitz is a cardiac electrophysiologist at MGH and associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Khurshid is a clinical and research fellow in cardiology at MGH. Other co-authors include Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM, professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health; Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD, director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at MGH; Ludovic Trinquart, PhD, associate professor of Biostatistics at Boston University School of Public Health; and David McManus, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The researchers were supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and Robert Wood Johnson.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named #6 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."

[1] "Accelerometer-derived physical activity and risk of atrial fibrillation", by Shaan Khurshid et al. European Heart Journal. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehab250.
The results fill in a knowledge gap about how patients recover from the disease.

Over a year after the novel coronavirus cemented its grip on the world, much of the conversation surrounding the disease remains simple: how many people died and how many survived?

But researchers at Michigan Medicine say a devastating side effect lurks, underreported, between those extremes - the loss of ability caused by the virus.

In a study published in the journal PM&R, investigators found that 45% of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 experienced significant functional decline after being discharged.

"Rehabilitation needs were really, really common for these patients," says lead author Alecia K. Daunter, M.D., a pediatric physiatrist at Michigan Medicine. "They survived, but these people left the hospital in worse physical condition than they started. If they needed outpatient therapy or are now walking with a cane, something happened that impacted their discharge plan."

The team of researchers reviewed charts of nearly 300 adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Michigan Medicine during the pandemic's first wave between March and April 2020. They analyzed patients' discharge locations, therapy needs at the time of release and if they needed durable medical equipment or other services.

Of survivors who experienced functional decline, 80% were referred for additional therapy after being discharged. Nearly 20% of all patients lost so much ability, they were not able to live independently after their release.

"These patients may have needed to move to a subacute facility, or they might have needed to move in with a family member, but they were not able to go home," Daunter says. "This has a massive impact on patients and their families - emotionally and physically."

The study period occurred in the pandemic's infancy, as health care providers sought best practices to minimize exposures and manage patient overflow. As a result, 40% of patients never had a rehabilitation evaluation while hospitalized. That likely means, Daunter explains, that the number of patients losing ability is underreported.

"Physicians and others in the health care system were working appropriately to discharge patients," she says. "They needed to keep patients safe while maximizing available beds and minimizing exposure to staff. I think that contributed to many people not being assessed by a therapist or PM&R physician. So, the things we do to in the hospital to maximize functioning, like mobility interventions and assessing activities of daily living were, not happening as often."

COVID-19 can systematically damage various organ systems, causing neurological and musculoskeletal impairments. Michigan Medicine recently opened two clinics to address the growing population of "long COVID" patients.

However, the virus' effect on daily functioning is not frequently described, which, given the magnitude of the current public health crisis, can't be ignored any longer, says Edward Claflin, M.D., a Michigan Medicine physiatrist and co-author of the paper.

"These results help to highlight the true impact of the COVID-19 disease on our patients," Claflin says. "They fill in that gap in knowledge about how patients with COVID recover and what kind of rehabilitation needs they have."

The "first wave" study is a snapshot look at acute therapy needs during a time when knowledge of the unique virus was even more limited. The team hopes for additional research examining the long-term effects COVID has on functionality. However, health systems can use the current data to optimize rehabilitation evaluations and prepare resources for this underserved population, Daunter says.

"These problems are frequent, and the stakes are pretty high if we miss them, or allow them to progress during hospitalization," she says. "Some of these people were working and many were living independently. To lose that level of function is meaningful. We want to make sure we're addressing those needs, not just looking at the black and white, survival or death."

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Paper cited: "Functional Decline in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 in the Early Months of the Pandemic," PM&R. DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.12624
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University ("OIST") and Beyond Next Ventures ("BNV") announced on May 25 a new partnership to invest in deep-tech startups and develop the innovation ecosystem in Okinawa.

"Today is a happy day for OIST and me personally as we can announce that BNV, a venture capital firm whose core values are well aligned with ours, will invest in deep tech startups from OIST and enable entrepreneurs from anywhere in the world to come to OIST to launch their companies," said Dr. Peter Gruss, President & CEO of OIST. "This provides the university with a sound financial basis to generate between 10-20 new companies in the next few years, and foster development in Okinawa through the creation of high-tech industry. This investment partnership is also a steppingstone for our aspiration to establish an even more ambitious fund that we hope will lay the basis for an innovation park next to the OIST campus."

The two organizations are launching the OIST-BNV Innovation Hub ("OBI-Hub"), a platform for eligible startups to gain access to financial investment and tailored business services to bring their innovations to market. Deep-tech startups from anywhere in the world can apply to the OBI-Hub to join the emerging and buoyant entrepreneurial community growing around OIST.

Mr. Tsuyoshi Ito, Managing Partner & CEO of BNV, said, "We are pleased to kick off this collaboration with OIST, which is one of the most internationally outstanding education and research institutions for science and technology in Japan. With the OBI-Hub, we aim to grow globally competitive startups not only originating from Okinawa but also from around the world."

BNV brings to the partnership their financial resources and expertise in launching deep-tech startups, and OIST provides access to its network of technical and industrial experts, access to incubation facilities on the OIST campus in Okinawa, and a "soft landing" in Japan for global startups. OIST and BNV aim to deploy about 500M ($5M) to invest in startups through the OBI-Hub over the next 2 years.

"We are excited to offer OIST's growing startup community with the opportunity to get well financed in the very early stages of their activities," said Mr. Gil Granot-Mayer, Acting Vice President of Technology Development & Innovation at OIST. Before joining OIST, Mr. Granot-Mayer was the CEO of Yeda, the technology commercialization arm of the Weismann Institute of Science in Israel, widely referred to as the "Start-up Nation". "In addition to investment from BNV, eligible startups will have access to close mentoring and technical resources through OIST's Technology Development & Innovation Center. I have seen the impact of the combination of great science, early-stage investment, and mentoring on places like Israel. Our vision with this partnership is to make the same impact in Okinawa."

Ms. Mayu Morishima, Executive Officer& Biotechnology Lead Capitalist at BNV, said, "We are excited to work with OIST to expand the global startup ecosystem by leveraging our core investment activities, as well as our six years of experience with acceleration programs and wet lab incubation. With the OBI-Hub as a foothold initiative for the OIST-BNV collaboration, we are aiming for a long-term partnership."

Startups can apply to the OBI-Hub via an online portal hosted on https:/ / i2. oist. jp/ from 1st June 2021.

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About OIST

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) is an international graduate university which conducts outstanding education and research in science and technology, with global recognition. A truly interdisciplinary research environment with world-class facilities available for all, there are no barriers between scientific fields and scientists are encouraged to cross over and collaborate in new branches of knowledge.

The Technology Development and Innovation Center (TDIC) at OIST utilizes and leverages the unique resources of the university to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and the development of science into practical and commercial applications that have social and economic benefits locally and across the globe.

About BNV

Beyond Next Ventures, established in 2014, is engaged in various activities to discover outstanding research and bring that technology to practical use around the world.

As a venture capital firm, BNV currently has ~USD $220 million in total under management and has invested in more than 50 startups, mainly in Japan and India. It is a certified venture capital firm for Japanese national grant programs such as NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) and START (Program for Start-ups from Advanced Research & Technology).

To accelerate its portfolio companies' growth and create new companies while developing the startup ecosystem in Japan, BNV operates the nation's largest seed acceleration program "BRAVE" as well as the "Innovation Leaders Program," which enables members of large companies opportunities to work for startups as their second job. So far, it has a talent pool of more than 2,000 people specializing in technology startups.

BNV also launched a wet laboratory in Tokyo Nihonbashi in 2019 to support early stage startup companies and advance their success.

Through these activities, BNV is boldly taking on new challenges to create a world in which everyone can forge bravely beyond the traditional paradigm.
As these are post-Covid19 complications, there is no clarity on how these cases can be documented and reported. (Representational Photo: AP)

Hyderabad: A column given in hospital documents to record death due to black fungus. But, as these are post-Covid19 complications, there is no clarity on how these cases can be documented and reported.

The forms for notified disease are clear on the type, stage and treatment protocol for the disease. When it comes to recording the death, there is confusion.

An ENT doctor explained: "The deaths are happening after brain surgery. We need proper guidelines to understand how this must be categorized and tabulated. There is a grey area. What is not clear is whether this would be notified as death due to black fungus."

There are many in the last stage of invasion in the brain and lungs, who have been sent back home. A senior ENT doctor at a private hospital says: "We did not admit those patients as there was little we could do. After two days, relatives have called us to say they are no more. These cases are the missed ones and they too will not be recorded."

The early symptoms of black fungus are swelling on the face, high sugar levels and recovery from Covid-9. Getting these evaluated from ENT doctors helps. Getting to know of the infection early helps in the start of the medicines early and the control of the invasion in the eyes and the brain.

No beds for patients

The Government ENT Hospital is full. All the 230 beds are occupied by patients of black fungus. There were 50 surgeries for black fungus in the hospital from May 18 to May 22. A team of Ayurveda doctors are to work along with allopathy doctors for the cure of these patients.

A doctor at an ENT hospital said: "For post-operative care and treatment, there is going to be a team effort  of both ayurveda and allopathy doctors. We have sufficient stock of amphotericin B and oral antifungals like posaconazole and isavuconazole for the government hospital patients."
Researchers at Osaka University reveal the molecular mechanisms that underlie the development and progression of chronic pancreatitis and identify a therapeutic target for further research

Osaka, Japan - Chronic inflammation of the pancreas is a debilitating disease with poorly understood causative factors. Now, researchers at Osaka University have identified the disturbed molecular pathways and revealed the underlying mechanisms that may inform an effective and much-needed therapeutic strategy.

The pancreas is an important organ with a dual role in digestion and the production of various hormones including insulin and glucagon that fine-tune blood sugar levels.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized by inflammation of the gland causing shrinkage, replacement of glandular elements with fibrous tissue (fibrosis) and loss of function. Patients suffer abdominal symptoms, poor digestion and consequent nutritional disorders. They can also develop diabetes mellitus and, in some cases, even pancreatic cancer. The roles of alcohol abuse and digestive enzyme gene mutations in triggering CP are known, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

The research team's suspicions fell on two molecular channels of cellular communication, called the PI3K and the Hippo signaling pathways, that have been implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer. Takeshi Tamura, co-first author, explains the research strategy: "In experimental mouse models of CP, we showed that the expression of two molecular components of the PI3K and Hippo signaling pathways, PTEN and SAV1, is decreased in the pancreatic tissues. Additionally, we generated mice that lack pancreas-specific genes for these two molecules and observed that they spontaneously developed CP."

Co-first author Takahiro Kodama elaborates: "In laboratory experiments, we were able to establish the pivotal role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) in the development of CP. Inhibition of PTEN and SAV1 increases CTGF which, in turn, induces a pathological transformation of glandular cell types called acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM). It also activates pancreatic stellate cells and macrophages, both of which promote fibrosis in CP." These are hallmarks of chronic inflammation in the pancreas with a potential to trigger carcinogenesis. Furthermore, the researchers were able to show that CTGF inhibition in animal models alleviated the inflammation, fibrosis and ADM formation of CP, and they could confirm these experimental findings by analysis of human pancreatic tissue.

These findings elaborate the molecular mechanisms that underpin the development and progression of chronic inflammation in the pancreas, suggesting that CTGF may be a fruitful new therapeutic target in the quest for effective therapy against chronic pancreatitis.

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The article, "Dysregulation of PI3K and hippo signaling pathways synergistically induces chronic pancreatitis via Ctgf upregulation" was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation at DOI: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1172/ JCI143414

About Osaka University

Osaka University was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan's leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world, being named Japan's most innovative university in 2015 (Reuters 2015 Top 100) and one of the most innovative institutions in the world in 2017 (Innovative Universities and the Nature Index Innovation 2017). Now, Osaka University is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A new map of dark matter in the local universe reveals several previously undiscovered filamentary structures connecting galaxies. The map, developed using machine learning by an international team including a Penn State astrophysicist, could enable studies about the nature of dark matter as well as about the history and future of our local universe.

Dark matter is an elusive substance that makes up 80% of the universe. It also provides the skeleton for what cosmologists call the cosmic web, the large-scale structure of the universe that, due to its gravitational influence, dictates the motion of galaxies and other cosmic material. However, the distribution of local dark matter is currently unknown because it cannot be measured directly. Researchers must instead infer its distribution based on its gravitational influence on other objects in the universe, like galaxies.

"Ironically, it's easier to study the distribution of dark matter much further away because it reflects the very distant past, which is much less complex," said Donghui Jeong, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and a corresponding author of the study. "Over time, as the large-scale structure of the universe has grown, the complexity of the universe has increased, so it is inherently harder to make measurements about dark matter locally."

Previous attempts to map the cosmic web started with a model of the early universe and then simulated the evolution of the model over billions of years. However, this method is computationally intensive and so far has not been able to produce results detailed enough to see the local universe. In the new study, the researchers took a completely different approach, using machine learning to build a model that uses information about the distribution and motion of galaxies to predict the distribution of dark matter.

The researchers built and trained their model using a large set of galaxy simulations, called Illustris-TNG, which includes galaxies, gasses, other visible matter, as well as dark matter. The team specifically selected simulated galaxies comparable to those in the Milky Way and ultimately identified which properties of galaxies are needed to predict the dark matter distribution.

"When given certain information, the model can essentially fill in the gaps based on what it has looked at before," said Jeong. "The map from our models doesn't perfectly fit the simulation data, but we can still reconstruct very detailed structures. We found that including the motion of galaxies--their radial peculiar velocities--in addition to their distribution drastically enhanced the quality of the map and allowed us to see these details."

The research team then applied their model to real data from the local universe from the Cosmicflow-3 galaxy catalog. The catalog contains comprehensive data about the distribution and movement of more than 17 thousand galaxies in the vicinity of the Milky Way--within 200 megaparsecs. The resulting map of the local cosmic web is published in a paper appearing online May 26 in the Astrophysical Journal.

The map successively reproduced known prominent structures in the local universe, including the "local sheet"--a region of space containing the Milky Way, nearby galaxies in the "local group," and galaxies in the Virgo cluster--and the "local void"--a relatively empty region of space next to the local group. Additionally, it identified several new structures that require further investigation, including smaller filamentary structures that connect galaxies.

"Having a local map of the cosmic web opens up a new chapter of cosmological study," said Jeong. "We can study how the distribution of dark matter relates to other emission data, which will help us understand the nature of dark matter. And we can study these filamentary structures directly, these hidden bridges between galaxies."

For example, it has been suggested that the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies may be slowly moving toward each other, but whether they may collide in many billions of years remains unclear. Studying the dark matter filaments connecting the two galaxies could provide important insights into their future.

"Because dark matter dominates the dynamics of the universe, it basically determines our fate," said Jeong. "So we can ask a computer to evolve the map for billions of years to see what will happen in the local universe. And we can evolve the model back in time to understand the history of our cosmic neighborhood."

The researchers believe they can improve the accuracy of their map by adding more galaxies. Planned astronomical surveys, for example using the James Web Space Telescope, could allow them to add faint or small galaxies that have yet to be observed and galaxies that are further away.

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In addition to Jeong, the research team includes Sungwook Hong at the University of Seoul/Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in Korea, Ho Seong Hwang at the Seoul National University in Korea, and Juhan Kim at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.

This research was supported in part by the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, the Korean Ministry of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astrophysics Theory program, and the Center for Advanced Computation at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.
How to use glue and a high school 3D printer to create tiny implants for tissue engineering

Researchers have flipped traditional 3D printing to create some of the most intricate biomedical structures yet, advancing the development of new technologies for regrowing bones and tissue.

The emerging field of tissue engineering aims to harness the human body's natural ability to heal itself, to rebuild bone and muscle lost to tumours or injuries.

A key focus for biomedical engineers has been the design and development of 3D printed scaffolds that can be implanted in the body to support cell regrowth.

But making these structures small and complex enough for cells to thrive remains a significant challenge.

Enter a RMIT University-led research team, collaborating with clinicians at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Australia, who have overturned the conventional 3D printing approach.

Instead of making the bioscaffolds directly, the team 3D printed moulds with intricately-patterned cavities then filled them with biocompatible materials, before dissolving the moulds away.

Using the indirect approach, the team created fingernail-sized bioscaffolds full of elaborate structures that, until now, were considered impossible with standard 3D printers.

Lead researcher Dr Cathal O'Connell said the new biofabrication method was cost-effective and easily scalable because it relied on widely available technology.

"The shapes you can make with a standard 3D printer are constrained by the size of the printing nozzle - the opening needs to be big enough to let material through and ultimately that influences how small you can print," O'Connell, a Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow at RMIT, said.

"But the gaps in between the printed material can be way smaller, and far more intricate.

"By flipping our thinking, we essentially draw the structure we want in the empty space inside our 3D printed mould. This allows us to create the tiny, complex microstructures where cells will flourish."

Versatile technique

O'Connell said other approaches were able to create impressive structures, but only with precisely-tailored materials, tuned with particular additives or modified with special chemistry.

"Importantly, our technique is versatile enough to use medical grade materials off-the-shelf," he said.

"It's extraordinary to create such complex shapes using a basic 'high school' grade 3D printer.

"That really lowers the bar for entry into the field, and brings us a significant step closer to making tissue engineering a medical reality."

The research, published in Advanced Materials Technologies, was conducted at BioFab3D@ACMD, a state-of-the-art bioengineering research, education and training hub located at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne.

Co-author Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella, an orthopedic surgeon at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, said the study showcases the possibilities that open up when clinicians, engineers and biomedical scientists come together to address a clinical problem.

"A common problem faced by clinicians is the inability to access technological experimental solutions for the problems they face daily," Di Bella said.

"While a clinician is the best professional to recognise a problem and think about potential solutions, biomedical engineers can turn that idea into reality.

"Learning how to speak a common language across engineering and medicine is often an initial barrier, but once this is overcome, the possibilities are endless."

Future treatment toolkit

Currently there are few treatment options for people who lose a significant amount of bone or tissue due to illness or injury, making amputation or metal implants to fill a gap common outcomes.

While a few clinical trials of tissue engineering have been conducted around the world, key bioengineering challenges still need to be addressed for 3D bioprinting technology to become a standard part of a surgeon's toolkit.

In orthopedics, a major sticking point is the development of a bioscaffold that works across both bone and cartilage.

"Our new method is so precise we're creating specialised bone and cartilage-growing microstructures in a single bioscaffold," O'Connell said.

"It's the surgical ideal - one integrated scaffold that can support both types of cells, to better replicate the way the body works."

Tests with human cells have shown bioscaffolds built using the new method are safe and non-toxic.

The next steps for the researchers will be testing designs to optimise cell regeneration and investigating the impact on cell regrowth of different combinations of biocompatible materials.

Step-by-step: How to reverse print a bioscaffold

The new method - which researchers have dubbed Negative Embodied Sacrificial Template 3D (NEST3D) printing - uses simple PVA glue as the basis for the 3D printed mould.

Once the biocompatible material injected into the mould has set, the entire structure is placed in water to dissolve the glue, leaving just the cell-nurturing bioscaffold.

Study first author, PhD researcher Stephanie Doyle, said the method enabled researchers to rapidly test combinations of materials to identify those most effective for cell growth.

"The advantage of our advanced injection moulding technique is its versatility," Doyle said.

"We can produce dozens of trial bioscaffolds in a range of materials - from biodegradable polymers to hydrogels, silicones and ceramics - without the need for rigorous optimisation or specialist equipment.

"We're able to produce 3D structures that can be just 200 microns across, the width of 4 human hairs, and with complexity that rivals that achievable by light-based fabrication techniques.

"It could be a massive accelerator for biofabrication and tissue engineering research."

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The research was supported by the St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne Research Endowment Fund, Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund, NHMRC-MRFF Investigator Grant and Australian Technology Network of Universities Industry Doctoral Training Centre.

ACMD's collaborative approach brings together leading tertiary institutions including RMIT University, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Wollongong, research institutes and St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, where the centre is based, to take on today's toughest healthcare challenges.

'Printing between the lines: Intricate biomaterial structures fabricated via Negative Embodied Sacrificial Template 3D (NEST3D) Printing', with RMIT co-authors Dr Anita Quigley and Professor Elena Pigorova, and collaborators from University of Melbourne (Dr Serena Duchi, Dr Carmine Onofrillo), is published in Advanced Materials Technologies (DOI: 10.1002/admt.202100189).
LED lightbulbs offer considerable advantages over other types of lighting. Being more efficient, they require much less electricity to operate. They do not give off unwanted heat the way old-school incandescent bulbs do, and the best of them long outlast even fluorescent lightbulbs.

But LEDs are not problem-free. Questions linger over suspected links between health concerns such as fatigue, mood disorders, and insomnia from overexposure to the blue-tinted light produced by today's standard LED bulbs. Plus, higher prices can prompt lightbulb shoppers to weigh other options.

A University of Houston research team led by Jakoah Brgoch, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and principal investigator in the Texas Center for Superconductivity, is developing an LED bulb that emits most of its energy from the safer violet segment of the visible light spectrum. Instead of just masking the blue light, they are developing a unique class of luminescent materials called phosphors that absorb a violet LED's single-color emission and convert the light to cover the majority of the visible spectrum.

"Our group is creating phosphors that operate, not with the conventional blue LED chip that nearly every LED light bulb uses today, but with a violet LED chip. This basically moves away from blue to violet as the base source and then converts the violet LED light into the broad-spectrum white light that we see," Brgoch explained. "Our ultimate goal is for this new violet-based bulb to be as energy efficient as possible and also cheap, eventually making new lighting technology marketable to consumers."

Results of their research were recently published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

At this point, you might be looking at your favorite lamp's standard LED bulb and finding its white light to be just fine. But technically speaking, there actually is no such thing as pure white light.

Hold a prism up to that bulb, and you'll see its light separated into wavelengths that show a beautiful array of color bands ranging from violet to red; this is what scientists call the visible spectrum of light. (If your prism isn't handy, then imagine having your own tiny rainbow. It would look much the same.)

Your lamp light looks white because your eyes and brain work together to blend human perception of those separate bands of color into a white light that may at this moment be illuminating the words you read. Different types of lightbulbs emphasize different parts of the visible spectrum of light.

Engineers at lighting companies manipulate the balance to create a specific ambiance. A little more red yields a warm, mellow white light that is nice in a living room, while cool blue tones give off crisp white light better for office lighting. But outside the laboratory, the LEDs' tendency toward blue has been hard to avoid.

"Sometimes you recognize it - those are the cheapest LED lightbulbs. And then sometimes it looks like a nice warm white light. But even in the most expensive lightbulbs, if it's based on a blue LED, there is still a significant component of blue light sneaking through," the professor explained.

Lately scientists have been focusing on how light frequencies affect health.

"With the advent of LED lighting, companies have started trying to understand how humans interact with light and, more importantly, how light interacts with humans," Brgoch said. "As you sit in your office, the blue hues in your light are a great thing because they help you stay alert. But that same light at night might keep you awake. This is the balance you have to strike. It's about following a natural circadian cycle without disruption."

Sleep studies reveal that nighttime overexposure to blue frequencies can alter hormones like melatonin, sometimes leading to insomnia, disturbed sleep cycles, and other problems. Too much blue-light exposure also is suspected in cataract formation. Interestingly, urban dwellers living amid LED-based street lights, traffic lights, and lighted commercial signs are exposed to more day-and-night LED exposure than suburbanites.

"That's not to say we should just remove all the blue light from your lightbulbs. You need some of the blue spectrum. It's not about eliminating the blue, it's about keeping it to a reasonable level. That's what we're seeking with our work," said graduate research assistant Shruti Hariyani, an author of the paper.

Back in the lab, Brgoch and his team are focused on identifying phosphors and discovering which are most feasible, in energy efficiency and economy, to advance to prototype bulbs. "We look at finding new materials as a way to also help reduce the cost of these lights. Whenever you have more materials available, patent licensing costs go down and that makes the bulbs cheaper. So that's one of our driving forces," Brgoch said.

In the quest for what Hariyani calls a human-friendly light, the research team is busy testing those potential materials.

"Hearing myself say, 'this is different, this is new' when we find the right phosphor that can pair with violet - I guess that is my Eureka moment," she said.

For research not directly tied to the LED project, Brgoch and Hariyani recently were honored with the 2021 Chemistry of Materials Lectureship and Best Paper Award. The award, from the American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry, recognizes outstanding influence across the field of materials chemistry and recognition of research as a team endeavor.

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Invasive alien plants are plant species that grow in an environment outside their native habitat. If they successfully establish self-sustaining populations in these new environments - an event called "naturalization" - they can have considerable negative impacts on local ecosystems, economies, and societies. But not all alien plant species are equally effective in invading new habitats. Therefore, an international team of scientists, headed by Konstanz-based biologist Professor Mark van Kleunen, investigated different types of "invasiveness" and possible factors that determine invasion success of alien plants in Europe.

The new study, published in PNAS, describes plant species invasiveness using three distinct dimensions: local abundance, geographic extent, and habitat breadth. In the current study, these dimensions were assessed at a continental scale for large proportions of the alien and native European floras. High values in the variables characterise the most successful invaders. Introduction histories play an important role in performance along the three dimensions, as do some biological traits: Early introduction to Europe, non-European origin, and rapid growth are characteristics common to many "super-invaders". The findings of the study improve our general understanding of how plant species - invasive and native ones - distribute and may help to better predict and manage future plant invasions.

Are all invasive alien plants the same?

Experts in the field of ecology increasingly acknowledge that the term "invasive" does not describe a single property. Instead, there are different characteristics in a species' distribution that can characterize it as invasive or not. To learn more about the different ways that a plant can become invasive, the authors of the recent study combined two extensive datasets, the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database and the European Vegetation Archive (EVA). For the analysis of the combined data, they adopted a three-dimensional framework that had previously been used to describe the "rarity" of native plant species.

The first description of this framework by Deborah Rabinowitz dates back to the 1980s. Rabinowitz put forward the idea that a "common" plant species is one that is locally very abundant, occurs over a large area, and populates many different habitats. Besides this form of absolute "commonness", there are seven forms of rarity as different combinations of low performances along the three dimensions. For example, a "rare" plant species can have a high local abundance, but is restricted to a small area and grows only in a specific habitat type.

Just as the model of Rabinowitz allows for different forms of rarity in native plants, it opens up the possibility of various types of "invasiveness" when applied to alien species. Considering this possibility is important because different types of alien invasive species may require different management strategies to deal with them. "If an alien species begins to dominate a local plant community but has low potential to expand its geographic extent and is specialised to a certain type of habitat, conservation efforts could be focused on controlling the species locally rather than preventing further spread," Dr Trevor Fristoe, lead author of the current study, gives an example.

Alien, but not so different

For native plant species, scientists have previously discovered that the three dimensions of commonness are not completely independent of each other. Instead, species that are locally abundant often also tend to be geographically widespread and occupy a wide range of habitats. "For the alien plant species, our expectation was that these dimensions should be linked just like they are in native distributions. After all, alien plants at one location are native plants somewhere else," Fristoe describes an important assumption of the study.

Indeed, the scientists found the associations between the three dimensions - local abundance, geographic extent, and habitat breadth - in the alien species that have invaded Europe to be very similar to the pattern of associations they found in the native European flora: Plants that are successful in one dimension also tend to be successful in the other ones. "These parallels suggest that the same bio-geographic and ecological mechanisms are shaping the distribution in native and alien plant species," Fristoe concludes.

Drivers of invasion success

Despite the similarities in the association patterns between native and invasive plants, there is also a decisive difference between the two groups: Different from native plant species, the invasive species did not evolve in the invaded habitats into which they have only recently been introduced. Instead, they evolved in other parts of Europe or even on other continents. "Regardless of whether general associations between the dimensions of invasiveness exist, we wanted to identify the drivers of success in each of the dimensions. The plants' introduction histories were one aspect we considered, along with more ecological or biological factors," Fristoe explains the second objective of the study.

The scientists found that plants that excel in all three dimensions tend to come from other continents, such as Asia or the Americas, while plants introduced from other parts of Europe are generally poor invaders. In addition, the super-invaders from outside of Europe often have biological properties that help them grow rapidly - at the price of weaker defence mechanisms. Taken together, this provides support for a hypothesis called "enemy release hypothesis". "The general idea of the 'enemy release hypothesis' is that invasive species leave behind many of the pathogens, herbivores, and competing species they co-evolved with in their native habitats when invading new environments. This allows them to 'grow out of control' and the effect may be more pronounced when continental boundaries, such as oceans or mountain ranges, have been crossed for invasion," Fristoe elaborates the idea.

Exceptions to the rule

The scientists also found exceptions to the pattern that plants that are successful in one dimension are also successful in the others and identified possible reasons for these exceptions. For example, the more recent its date of introduction to its new environments, the more likely an invasive plant deviates from the rule. They are new. They still need time to balance out the conditions," Fristoe provides an explanation for this observation and continues: "This is quite important. If you find an invasive plant that is successful in only one of the dimensions, but also new, there is reason to worry: It might become successful in the other dimensions later on." Thus, the "dimensions of invasiveness" framework is not only a valuable tool for explaining current patterns of naturalization and improving our understanding of the dynamics of species distribution in general. It can also help to anticipate future invasions and to develop tailored management strategies to better control invasive alien plant species.

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Key facts:

Original study: Trevor S. Fristoe et al. (2021). "Dimensions of invasiveness: links between local abundance, geographic range size and habitat breadth in Europe's alien and native floras", PNAS; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021173118.

Plant species invasiveness is described using three distinct dimensions: local abundance, geographic extent, and habitat breadth. "Super-invaders" are characterised by high values in all three variables.

Introduction date and geographic origin of an alien invasive plant play important roles in performance along the three dimensions, as do some biological traits that allow for rapid growth.

The three-dimensional framework of "invasiveness" improves our general understanding of plant distribution dynamics and may help anticipating and managing future invasion events.

Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG), the Czech Science Foundation (CACR) and the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Belmont Forum and BiodivERsA with the national funder German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Basque Government, the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and the Korean government (MSIT), the University of Latvia, and the Velux Foundations.

Note to editors:

You can download a photo here:

https:/ / cms. uni-konstanz. de/ fileadmin/ pi/ fileserver/ Digital_Magazin/ 1. %20Wissenschaft/ 2021/ Invasive_Arten/ himalayan_balsam. jpg

Caption: The Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is among the most successful invaders in Europe.

Copyright: Trevor Fristoe and Mark van Kleunen

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The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, was a short interval of highly elevated global temperatures 56 million years ago that is frequently described as the best ancient analog for present-day climate warming.

Fish are among the organisms thought to be most sensitive to warming climates, and tropical sea-surface temperatures during the PETM likely approached temperatures that are lethal to some modern marine fish species, according to some estimates.

But newly discovered fish fossils from an eastern Egyptian desert site show that marine fishes thrived in at least some tropical areas during the PETM. The study, from a team of Egyptian scientists and a University of Michigan colleague, provides a snapshot of an ecosystem during an extreme warming event and may provide insights for the future.

"The impact of the PETM event on life at the time is of wide interest. But a major gap in our understanding is how life in the tropics responded, because this region is not well-sampled for many fossil groups," said U-M paleontologist Matt Friedman, co-author of a study published online May 17 in the journal Geology.

"On the basis of the scant evidence we have for fishes--remembering that this Egyptian site provides our first peek from the tropics--they seem to have weathered the PETM surprisingly well, and there are even hints that important diversification in the group might have happened around or just after this time," said Friedman, director of U-M's Museum of Paleontology and an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

The lead author of the Geology paper is Sanaa El-Sayed of Egypt's Mansoura University, an Egyptian paleontologist who will be an incoming University of Michigan doctoral student this fall.

The newly discovered fossil assemblage, known as Ras Gharib A, was excavated from a site in Egypt's Eastern Desert, roughly 200 miles southeast of Cairo and west of the Gulf of Suez and the Sinai Peninsula.

The fossils provide the first clear picture of marine bony fish diversity in the tropics during the PETM. Previous studies estimated that sea surface temperatures in some parts of the tropics likely surpassed 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 C) at that time, suggesting dire consequences for low-latitude ocean fishes.

But the Egyptian fossils capture an intact ecosystem with diverse fish lineages and a variety of ecologies. The composition of the Ras Gharib A fish community is similar to PETM-aged fish fossils from sites at higher latitudes.

"While the broader evolutionary consequences of the PETM for marine fishes remain little explored, the available paleontological evidence does not suggest a widespread crisis among marine fishes at that time," El-Sayed said. "In fact, the available records reveal that this time might have been a significant episode of evolutionary diversification among key modern fish groups, similar to patterns reported for land-living mammals."

Several factors might help explain why the Ras Gharib A fishes seem to have weathered the PETM.

First off, previous estimates of sea-surface temperatures exceeding 95 degrees apply broadly to tropical regions, but temperature data specific to the Ras Gharib A site is not yet available. It's possible that the northern coast of Africa experienced an upwelling of cool water from deeper in the ocean, for example. Or perhaps fishes moved to deeper, cooler waters to avoid the warmest temperatures.

Another possibility is that marine fishes at that time were simply more resilient than researchers had thought. After all, they evolved early in the Cenozoic Era when climates were already several degrees warmer than today.

"A more detailed picture of the setting in which these fishes lived is a key part of the puzzle," Friedman said. "This report really marks the beginning of a research project, and there's much more to do when it comes to studying the fossils themselves and their broader environmental context."

Through international collaborations like this Egyptian project, paleontologists can flesh out the fossil record in important regions like the tropics, helping to fill gaps in the story of life on Earth, Friedman said.

The PETM-aged fish fossils from Ras Gharib A were found in a layer of dark-gray shale and include examples of more than a dozen groups of bony fishes typical of the Eocene, the geological epoch that began with the PETM. Whole fishes are relatively abundant, but many individuals are small, measuring an inch or less in total length.

A group called percomorph acanthomorphs--which includes familiar Michigan fishes like walleye, bass and bluegills--are the most diverse kind of fishes at Ras Gharib A. Other fishes at the site include deep-sea hatchetfish and predatory species called bonytongues, whose relatives live in freshwater today.

The single most abundant fish type in the assemblage is a moonfish from the genus Mene, represented by more than 60 specimens. Still alive today, Mene is now restricted to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

But during the PETM, these fish inhabited the tropics and were also found as far north as Denmark, showing how the warm period allowed some creatures to expand their ranges.

So, what insights can these ancient Egyptian fish fossils provide when considering how present-day life on Earth will likely respond to human-caused climate change? One lesson seems to be that different groups of organisms show contrasting responses to extreme warming events.

While the fishes from Ras Gharib A survived and may even have thrived during the PETM, coral reef ecosystems were practically wiped out at low latitudes, while clams and snails showed a muted response and some types of plankton seemed to have diversified, according to Friedman.

"Impacts on ecosystems involve the interplay of multiple groups," he said. "The survival of one group in isolation shouldn't be taken as evidence that changing climates are something to brush off."

Also, it's important to keep in mind that while the PETM is the best ancient analog for modern climate change, it's still an imperfect comparison.

By some estimates, humans are now releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at more than 10 times the rate that led to the PETM. During the PETM, global climate responded to the added carbon by warming 9 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 8 C) over thousands of years. Today, realistic emissions scenarios put us on track for around half of that warming over just a few centuries, Friedman said.

"It's really a sign of how unprecedented the current situation is," he said.

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The other authors of the Geology paper, in addition to El-Sayed and Friedman, are Tarek Anan of Egypt's Mansoura University, Mahmoud Faris of Egypt's Tanta University and Hesham Sallam of Mansoura University and American University in Cairo.

The research was supported by a National Geographic Society Young Explorer Grant, a Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Patterson Memorial Grant and a Fulbright Grant to El-Sayed, along with a Mansoura University Research fund to the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center, where the fossils are stored.

Study abstract: Diverse marine fish assemblages inhabited the paleotropics during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum

Photo and map link: https:/ / drive. google. com/ drive/ folders/ 1iRpDbA2lGxKjnlx2yn16TdMbccrYbS7G
One in five women experience pain during intercourse. The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of American psychiatrists, lists it under "genito-pelvic pain or penetration disorder." However, this type of pain is not purely psychological.

Provoked vestibulodynia is a condition experienced by approximately 8% of women in North America. It is characterized by severe pain at the vaginal opening during sexual intercourse or when inserting tampons. To reduce the burning sensation, many women apply lidocaine, an anesthetic cream.

A new study of 108 couples found cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for couples to be more effective than lidocaine. The study was conducted by Sophie Bergeron, professor in the Psychology Department in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Universite de Montreal, director of the UdeM Sexual Health Laboratory and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Intimate Relationships and Sexual Wellbeing, and Natalie O. Rosen of Dalhousie University. Marc Steben and Marie-Helene Mayrand of Universite de Montreal, Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel of Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, Serena Corsini-Munt of the University of Ottawa, and Isabelle Delisle also contributed to the study, which has just been published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Unclear causation

The causes of provoked vestibulodynia have yet to be determined. There is a lengthy list of risk factors, including biomedical factors such as repeated infections causing inflammation in the vulvar area (cystitis, vaginal infections), the use of certain oral contraceptives, genetic predisposition, marital factors, and depression and anxiety. Abnormalities in the pelvic floor muscles are also associated with provoked vestibulodynia, but it is not known whether they are a consequence of the pain or its cause. Similarly, it is unclear whether anxiety is a cause or a result, but it has been found that the higher the level of anxiety, the greater the pain.

"Psychological intervention is recommended because once pain sets in, it has such a negative impact on sexuality and on the relationship that it becomes very important to break the vicious cycle of fear and avoidance," says Sophie Bergeron. "The pain often leads to loss of desire in women and frustration in both partners. This is a real problem; it's not imaginary."

Few validated treatments

Couple therapy is commonly offered by psychologists and sexologists. In the case of provoked vestibulodynia, the partner plays a critical role and can help alleviate the problem or aggravate it. It is therefore every important to include the partner in the intervention. However, some interventions were not previously supported by evidence.

Now for the first time, a randomized clinical trial has compared the efficacy of couple CBT and lidocaine.

Therapy was found to be more effective than lidocaine application in reducing women's fear of pain, sexual distress and alarm, and in improving their sexual experience. After six months, the women were twice as satisfied with their sex lives and their partners three times as satisfied.

Nature of the sessions

The couples attended acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) sessions for 12 weeks.

"Acceptance means that instead of trying to get a person to change their thinking, we encourage them to accept it," Bergeron explains. "We practice cognitive defusion, a technique that creates a psychological distance between the person and his or her thoughts. At the beginning of the therapy, the women define themselves by their genito-pelvic pain. The therapy helps them reduce the hold those thoughts have over them. We also try to break the sexuality = pain association and replace it with new associations, such as sexuality = pleasure with my partner, intimacy with my partner."

The therapy also looks at sexual motivations. What is it about sexuality that is important to the couple? "We try to explore other aspects of sexuality that are pleasurable," she says. "In terms of behaviour, we can help them expand their repertoire of sexual activities that don't cause pain. Generally, it's vaginal penetration that's painful, so we try not to always focus on that."

Finally, the therapy works on the couple's emotional regulation. "When one partner reacts to a painful experience with anger or frustration, it only makes the problem worse. We help the couple manage their emotional relationship. We get the partner to be more empathetic to the woman's experience of pain and the woman to be more empathetic to her partner's frustration. We help them see themselves as a united team."

The importance of the partner in therapy

According to Sophie Bergeron, the partner's involvement "helps alleviate the woman's pain because she is no longer alone with her pain." Both partners report they understand the problem and the other's experience better, and they are relieved to be able to work together to improve the situation.

At the end of the therapy, couples report satisfaction with having reclaimed their sexuality in a non-threatening way by refocusing on pleasurable experiences rather than allowing the pain to take control. This treatment could well be effective for other types of genito-pelvic pain as well.

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An expansion of an ongoing outpatient clinical trial, the study now includes metformin, fluvoxamine and ivermectin as possible treatments of COVID-19 and to prevent "long COVID"

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (05/25/2021) -- An ongoing COVID-19 clinical trial studying the outpatient use of metformin, a generic medication for type 2 diabetes, has expanded and will now be the nation's first to include fluvoxamine, an antidepressant, and ivermectin, an antiparasitic, as possible treatment options to prevent hospitalization and "long COVID."

Led by the University of Minnesota Medical School, the multi-site clinical trial received new support - $1 million from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and $500,000 from Fast Grants - to expand the study, which is also the first randomized clinical trial for COVID-19 in the world to include pregnant women.

The clinical trial launched after U of M Medical School researchers identified, through computer modeling and observational studies, that outpatient metformin use may decrease the likelihood of dying from or being hospitalized for COVID-19. Their research was published in the Journal of Medical Virology and in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, which was in partnership with UnitedHealth Group's OptumLabs. These findings, along with other prospective studies supporting the use of fluvoxamine and ivermectin, helped provide enough evidence to expand the randomized clinical trial to include all three medications as well as combination arms.

"Observational studies and test-tube experiments cannot be conclusive but do contribute to bodies of evidence," said Carolyn Bramante, MD, principal investigator of the study and an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the U of M Medical School. "To complete this study, we are currently enrolling volunteers nationwide through six institutions in the U.S., including in Minneapolis."

The study is simple -- patients are randomized to receive 14 days' worth of either one of the three drugs individually, a placebo or a combination of metformin and fluvoxamine or fluvoxamine and ivermectin to take twice per day and track their symptoms. After 14 days, volunteers complete a survey.

Volunteers for the trial should be between the ages of 30 and 85 years old with a body mass index greater than or equal to 25kg/m2, or someone who is at least five feet and six inches tall and weighs more than 155 pounds. To qualify for the study, volunteers must enroll within three days after receiving a positive COVID-19 test.

"Some new strains of the virus may evade immunity from some of the vaccines. Additionally, worldwide vaccine availability will take time, and not all individuals may get the vaccine. Thus, we feel we should study safe, available, inexpensive outpatient treatment options as soon as possible," said Bramante, who is also an internist and pediatrician with M Health Fairview. "Having an outpatient treatment option could ensure more people survive the illness if they contract it and have fewer long-term symptoms."

In addition to the new support from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and Fast Grants, initial funding and support for the multi-site trial came from the Parsemus Foundation and OptumLabs.

Participating clinical trial sites include M Health Fairview and Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, Northwestern University in Chicago, Olive View - UCLA Education & Research Institute in Los Angeles, Optum in Colorado and Indiana and University of Colorado Denver. Co-investigators on the study include Hrishikesh Belani, MD; Michelle Biros, MD; David Boulware, MD; David Leibovitz, MD; Jacinda Nicklas, MD; David Odde, PhD; Matt Pullen, MD; Mike Puskarich, MD; and Christopher Tignanelli, MD.

To learn more about how to qualify for this study, visit https:/ / covidout. umn. edu/ .

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About the University of Minnesota Medical School

The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. Visit med.umn.edu to learn how the University of Minnesota is innovating all aspects of medicine.

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An international and multidisciplinary team led by researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Glasgow, and University of Heidelberg, has uncovered the interactions that SARS-CoV-2 RNA establishes with the host cell, many of which are fundamental for infection. These discoveries pave the way for the development of new therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 with broad-range antiviral potential.

The genetic information of SARS-CoV-2 is encoded in an RNA molecule instead DNA. This RNA must be multiplied, translated, and packaged into new viral particles to produce the viral progeny. Despite the complexity of these processes, SARS-CoV-2 only encodes a handful of proteins able to engage with viral RNA. To circumvent this

limitation SARS-CoV-2 hijacks cellular proteins and repurposes it for its own benefit. However, the identity of these proteins has remained unknown until now.

Researchers from the University of Oxford in collaboration with other labs across UK and Europe have developed a new approach to discover in a comprehensive manner the proteins that 'stick' to SARS-CoV-2 RNA in infected cells. With this method, authors uncovered that SARS-CoV-2 RNA hijacks more than a hundred cellular proteins, which appear to play critical roles in the viral life cycle.

This work, published in Molecular Cell, identifies many potential therapeutic targets with hundreds of available drugs targeting them. In a proof-of-principle experiment, authors selected four drugs targeting four different cellular proteins. These drugs caused from moderate to strong effects in viral replication.

'These exciting results are only the beginning,' said Alfredo Castello, one of the researchers that has led the work. 'With hundreds of compounds that target these critical cellular proteins, it will be possible to identify novel antivirals. Our efforts, together with those of the scientific community, should focus now on testing these drugs in infected cells and animal models to uncover which ones are the best antivirals.'

An unexpected observation of this study is that viruses from different origin such as SARS-CoV-2 and Sindbis, hijack a similar repertoire of cellular proteins. This discovery is very important, as cellular proteins with important and wide-spread roles in virus infection have potential as target for broad-spectrum antiviral treatments.

'In this stage of the pandemic in which vaccines have proved their value,' added Alfredo Castello. 'It becomes fundamental to develop new therapeutic approach to counteract emergent vaccine-resistant variants or novel pathogenic viruses with pandemic potential.'

Professor Shabaz Mohammed adds: 'These new methods to discover the interactors of viral RNA builds on nearly 6 years of joined effort between the Castello and Mohammed labs using Sindbis virus as discovery model. This pre-existent work allowed us to react rapidly at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and study the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and the host cell in a reduced timeframe. Our methodology will now be ready to respond rapidly to future viral threads.'

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The paper 'Global analysis of protein-RNA interactions in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells reveals key regulators of infection' is published in the journal Molecular Cell. The work was led by Dr Wael Kamel and Marko Noerenberg, postdoctoral researchers at Glasgow and Oxford, and Berati Cerikan, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Heidelberg.
Throughout the pandemic, doctors have seen evidence that men with COVID-19 fare worse, on average, than women with the infection. One theory is that hormonal differences between men and women may make men more susceptible to severe disease. And since men have much more testosterone than women, some scientists have speculated that high levels of testosterone may be to blame.

But a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that, among men, the opposite may be true: that low testosterone levels in the blood are linked to more severe disease. The study could not prove that low testosterone is a cause of severe COVID-19; low levels could simply serve as a marker of some other causal factors. Still, the researchers urge caution with ongoing clinical trials investigating hormonal therapies that block or lower testosterone or increase estrogen as a treatment for men with COVID-19.

The study appears online May 25 in JAMA Network Open.

"During the pandemic, there has been a prevailing notion that testosterone is bad," said senior author Abhinav Diwan, MD, a professor of medicine. "But we found the opposite in men. If a man had low testosterone when he first came to the hospital, his risk of having severe COVID-19 -- meaning his risk of requiring intensive care or dying -- was much higher compared with men who had more circulating testosterone. And if testosterone levels dropped further during hospitalization, the risk increased."

The researchers measured several hormones in blood samples from 90 men and 62 women who came to Barnes-Jewish Hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 and who had confirmed cases of the illness. For the 143 patients who were admitted to the hospital, the researchers measured hormone levels again at days 3, 7, 14 and 28, as long as the patients remained hospitalized over these time frames. In addition to testosterone, the investigators measured levels of estradiol, a form of estrogen produced by the body, and IGF-1, an important growth hormone that is similar to insulin and plays a role in maintaining muscle mass.

Among women, the researchers found no correlation between levels of any hormone and disease severity. Among men, only testosterone levels were linked to COVID-19 severity. A blood testosterone level of 250 nanograms per deciliter or less is considered low testosterone in adult men. At hospital admission, men with severe COVID-19 had average testosterone levels of 53 nanograms per deciliter; men with less severe disease had average levels of 151 nanograms per deciliter. By day three, the average testosterone level of the most severely ill men was only 19 nanograms per deciliter.

The lower the levels of testosterone, the more severe the disease. For example, those with the lowest levels of testosterone in the blood were at highest risk of going on a ventilator, needing intensive care or dying. Thirty-seven patients -- 25 of whom were men -- died over the course of the study.

The researchers noted that other factors known to increase the risk of severe COVID-19, including advanced age, obesity and diabetes, also are associated with lower testosterone. "The groups of men who were getting sicker were known to have lower testosterone across the board," said first author Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, an endocrinologist at Saint Louis University. "We also found that those men with COVID-19 who were not severely ill initially, but had low testosterone levels, were likely to need intensive care or intubation over the next two or three days. Lower testosterone levels seemed to predict which patients were likely to become very ill over the next few days."

In addition, the researchers found that lower testosterone levels in men also correlated with higher levels of inflammation and an increase in the activation of genes that allow the body to carry out the functions of circulating sex hormones inside the cells. In other words, the body may be adapting to less testosterone circulating in the bloodstream by dialing up its ability to detect and use the hormone. The researchers don't yet know the implications of this adaptation and are calling for more research.

"We are now investigating whether there is an association between sex hormones and cardiovascular outcomes in long COVID-19, when the symptoms linger over many months," said Diwan, who is a cardiologist. "We also are interested in whether men recovering from COVID-19, including those with long COVID-19, may benefit from testosterone therapy. This therapy has been used in men with low levels of sex hormones, so it may be worth investigating whether a similar approach can help male COVID-19 survivors with their rehabilitation."

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This study used Washington University's COVID-19 biorepository and was conducted as a collaboration of the university's Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), which includes Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant numbers R37 AI049653, P30 DK020579, HL107594 and HL143431; and a grant from The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to facilitate data collection from the WU350 cohort, which supported these studies. These studies also were supported by the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, grant number UL1TR002345 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the NIH.

Dhindsa S, Zhang N, McPhaul MJ, Wu Z, Ghoshal AK, Erlich EC, Mani K, Randolph GJ, Edwards JR, Mudd PA, Diwan A. Relationship of circulating sex hormones with inflammation and disease severity in COVID-19. JAMA Network Open. May 25, 2021.

Washington University School of Medicine's 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, consistently ranking among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
Visakhapatnam: Tragedy struck the agency tracts when eight persons, including children and women, all guest workers from Odisha, drowned after two country boats capsized in Sileru Reservoir along the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) on Monday night.

The incident took place when 35 members of migrant families were trying to sneak into the Odisha border at night, fearing lockdown clampdown. Ten persons managed to swim ashore, while eight others drowned in the river.

The police said that the 35 members of guest workers from Guntawada and Konduguda villages under Malkangiri district in Odisha reached Sileru from Hyderabad as they lost their livelihoods due to the Covid-19 curfew. After crossing the Sileru check post in a vehicle, they reached Jonnalamamidi village on foot and decided to take a boat ride to reach their hometowns as they feared they may be stopped at the border by Odisha officials.

In the first trip, 17 people set off in two country boats and crossed over to Odisha. In the second trip, 18 persons set sail in the same country boats. When the first country boat capsized allegedly due to the overload or the boat hitting a pole underneath the water, the panic-stricken occupants jumped into the other boat to save their lives. But it too gave in and sank in the river.

Chintapalle ASP Vidya Sagar Naidu said that a team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force with the support of AP police and other departments launched a search and rescue operation to trace the missing eight persons. They recovered six bodies so far from the river and the search is on to trace the remaining two bodies.

The police said that seven among the eight victims were children and women. The bodies were shifted to a local hospital in Odisha for post mortem. A 13-month-old baby also died in the incident.

Meanwhile, AP minister for health Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas asked the Visakhapatnam district authorities to take up rescue operations. He also asked them to ensure proper treatment to the people who managed to swim ashore.
Rural Australia has taken a battering over the last few years, with drought, fires and floods - and many farms in New South Wales are now having to deal with a plague of mice.
From: Fred Litwin - Author of On the Trail of Delusion - Jim Garrison--The Great Accuser For Immediate Release: Dateline: Ottawa , Ontario Tuesday, May 25, 2021

The Rose Cherami story is a staple of conspiracy theorists - her supposed foreknowledge of the JFK assassination has become almost a founding myth. And no one is quite sure what she really said back in 1963. You can read more about the Cherami story here. James DiEugenio in his book Destiny Betrayed claims that Dr. Wayne Owen [sic] was one of the people who heard Rose Cherami talk about the assassination: (page 206) "The fact that she predicted the assassination in advance spread through the hospital. Dr. Wayne Owen, who had been interning from LSU at the time, later told the Madison Capital Times that he and other interns were told of the plot in advance of the assassination. Owen told the same newspaper that Cheramie [sic] had also revealed the name of one Jack Rubinstein in advance. Owen did not understand the significance of this until he learned that Rubinstein was Jack Ruby's real name. When Owen learned that Ruby was Rubinstein, he grew quite concerned. "We were all assured that something would be done about it by the FBI or someone. Yet we never heard anything." DiEugenio's source for this paragraph is the Madison Capital Times of February 11, 1968. This is an error since the Capital Times did not publish on Sundays, but the Madison Capital Times issues of February 1 - 3, 1968 did have articles about Dr. Owens. Here is the first article from February 1, 1968: This is clearly the article DiEugenio was sourcing - it has the quote from Dr. Owens that he references on the second page. The article also claims: Ten other students heard the allegation. Two of the former medical students have been called to testify by Jim Garrison. On Tuesday, November 19, 1963, the eleven interns came upon a room in which three men had been brought after an automobile accident. One man had a bullet wound and he died. One of the other men said that he knew of "a plot to kill President Kennedy." One of the men in the plot was Jack Rubinstein. The two men were released from the hospital. Several interns informed authorities in New Orleans about what happened. Now. does this sound like the Rose Cherami story? First, there is no Rose Cherami. Second, it was one of the two men who talked about the plot. Third, eleven witnesses who directly heard the allegation about the conspiracy - well, where are those witnesses? Nothing about this report sounds right. How come James DiEugenio doesn't say a word about what is really in this article? The reporter from the Capital Times called Jim Garrison's office. Here is the memo: Here is the article from February 2, 1968 of the Madison Capital Times: Some comments: The reporter called Andrew Sciambra who claimed the information from Dr. Owens "corroborates information we have already been working on - it fits in exactly." The Wisconsin State Journal said that Dr. Owen was "shaken by the inaccurate statements of The Capital Times." Dr. Owen said he heard this from a professor of psychology who "had been treating a woman patient in the hospital." She told him about the plot four days before the assassination. The Capital Times learned of the story from an anonymous caller. Here is the article from Wisconsin State Journal from February 2, 1968: Some comments: The Wisconsin State Journal says his name is Owens, not Owen. Owens attended a psychology discussion in New Orleans on the Monday preceding the assassination (November 18, 1963). Is this right? The presiding professor of psychology talked about an experience treating a female patient at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She mentioned "Jack Rubinstein" or "Jack Ruby" and "suggested possible danger to the President." After the assassination, she said that Ruby was the assassin, not Oswald. The State Journal called James Alcock in Garrison's office and he said that the woman "was allegedly one of Ruby's strippers." So, Dr. Owens' story is second-hand, or third-hand, or might it have been fourth-hand - even then, It's not exactly the Rose Cherami story we know and love. The date is wrong - she was brought in on November 20, not November 18, and this is the first report I have seen that she said that Ruby was the assassin. Clearly, something is off about this report. There was another memo in the Garrison office: The next day, the last article in the series appeared in the Madison Capital Times: What's interesting is that Andrew Sciambra "read the Rose Cherami file" to the reporter from The Capital Times. Here is what he says Cherami told Lt. Francis Fruge about Jack Ruby: "Why, Jack knew Oswald well. They were very good friends. Oswald often visited Jack at the Carousel and I saw them talking to each other often." Now that is not exactly what was in Lt. Francis Fruge's April 4, 1967 report: There is nothing in Fruge's report about the assassination. He reports that Oswald and Ruby were "bed partners." Sciambra might have been reading from another report -a Dr. Weiss supposedly heard Cherami talking about Ruby and Oswald being friends.. Note Fruge's last sentence: "Other statements made by subject, relative to your inquiry, are hear-say, but are available, upon your request." There was one more memo regarding Dr. Owens: So, the story originates with Dr. Gonzales. If he really did talk to Cherami, it seems like it was after the assassination, Did he hear it directly from Cherami? Why are there no memos about Dr. Gonzalez? In fact, there is not a word that comes directly from Dr. Gonzalez. James DiEugenio misled his readers by only telling a small part of the story. Had he done a modicum of research, he would have realized that Dr. Owens did not corroborate the Cherami story in any way, shape, form, or manner. More blog posts to come on Rose Cherami. Stay tuned.


GrayStreet Partners efforts to sell land across from the Pearl on Broadway Street, site of a proposed massive mixed-use community, has landed it in San Antonio federal court.

Denver-based McWhinney Real Estate Services Inc. has sued San Antonios GrayStreet to stop it from selling the property to San Antonios Fulcrum Development.

McWhinney alleges it has a right of first refusal to buy the property and that GrayStreet has breached an Expression of Interest Agreement they had by pursuing a sale with Fulcrum.

McWhinney wants the court to issue an injunction that would prevent GrayStreet from selling the property.

The threat of harm here is real, substantial and incapable of being reversed at trial, McWhinney says in its lawsuit. In particular, without an injunction from this court, GrayStreet will close on the Fulcrum (deal), therefore divesting McWhinney of the right of first refusal to buy the property under similar terms and conditions as Fulcrum.

GrayStreet founder Kevin Covey didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio developer GrayStreet selling most of proposed mixed-use site

In a May 18 letter to McWhinney attached to its lawsuit, GrayStreet attorney Charles Murray said McWhinneys right of first refusal expired no later than April 16. GrayStreet entered into its purchase agreement with Fulcrum April 19, Murray wrote.

Courtesy of GrayStreet Partners

Murray expressed concern that McWhinneys claim to a right of first refusal would cause Fulcrum to pull out of the deal.

William Luther /William Luther

If that happens, McWhinney (and others) potentially could cause significant damages to Covey and the sellers, Murrays letter stated.

GrayStreet announced earlier this year that it intended to sell about 14.7 acres of roughly 20 acres. It couldnt immediately be determined how much land McWhinney intended to buy.

The land earmarked for sale includes parcels stretching from Broadway past North Hackberry Street and between Casa Blanca and Carson streets.

GrayStreets announcement marked a change of plans. Last fall, a GrayStreet executive said the firm was working with Houston-based Midway to turn the 20 acres into a 1.6-million-square-foot community with multifamily housing, retail and hospitality space, offices and an outdoor plaza.

The $560.8 million development, dubbed Broadway East, was expected to take about a decade to complete. Work on an apartment complex, part of the first phase, was slated to start in February.

McWhinney is a real estate investment company that develops develops mixed-use projects. Its projects are in Colorado and California, its website shows.

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According to its lawsuit, filed Friday, McWhinney says it began negotiations with GrayStreet for the Broadway East land late last year. The parties entered into an agreement Jan. 15.

The agreement anticipated that McWhinney and GrayStreet would form a new special purpose entity for the purposes of recapitalizing current ownership of the property, McWhinneys lawsuit says.

Under the agreement, McWhinney would pay $36 million for an 80 percent stake in the entity. That would value the land at $45 million. McWhinney says it later upped its offer by 7 percent.

While negotiations for the property were underway, McWhinney says that unbeknownst to it, GrayStreet entered into six separate purchase and sale agreements with Fulcrum on April 19.

On May 10, the suit says, Covey disclosed that GrayStreet had received a higher offer from Fulcrum. Covey promised to send McWhinney the terms of any final competing offer to allow it to exercise its right of first refusal, the suit adds.

McWhinney never received anything, however, the complaint says.

On May 14, Covey told McWhinneys George Trae Rigby that GrayStreet had entered into a contract with Fulcrum.

Four days later, Murray, GrayStreets lawyer, sent his letter to McWhinney. The lawyer said if GrayStreet didnt close the deal, it would be willing to negotiate a first opportunity for McWhinney to conclude negotiations before the property went back on the market.

Under the terms of Fulcrums agreements, the suit says, it must close its deal by June 19.

GrayStreet began buying land near the Pearl in 2014.

Its other projects include the dilapidated former Lone Stone Brewery complex. GrayStreet and Midway plan to turn the roughly 32-acre site into a mixed-use development. Last week, the City Council approved $24 million worth of subsidies for the project.

pdanner@express-news.net
Four briefcase-sized spacecraft from San Antonio have passed another hurdle on their journey to space and their mission to stare at the sun and monitor solar winds.

NASA signed off on the preliminary design review Thursday for Southwest Research Institutes PUNCH mission scheduled to launch in late 2023.

PUNCH is the San Antonio-based institutes shorthand for Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere. The goal of the roughly $130 million program is to help scientists understand the suns corona, the outer atmosphere visible during solar eclipses, and solar winds.

PUNCH will make visible an aspect of our world that is invisible to all of us with the naked eye, said Craig DeForest, a SwRI astrophysicist and the missions primary investigator. We are immersed in a stream of material thats shooting across the solar system at hypersonic speeds, and its there all the time.

Courtesy SwRI, Specialist

Its sweeping over the earth, influences the planets around us and our environment here on earth, and PUNCH will make it visible so we can see what it looks like.

On ExpressNews.com: Spacecraft with San Antonio roots gets life extended

The spacecraft will use scientific-grade cameras to see sunlight reflected off free electrons floating between the planets, and its no easy task. Besides the challenges of spaceflight, the reflections are faint, only a thousandth as bright as the Milky Way.

With modern digital cameras, we can collect images and subtract all of the stationary things  the dust cloud in the solar system, the background stars themselves  and we can see these enormous clouds of electrons crossing the solar system, DeForest said. Its pretty amazing.

Beyond its importance to science and understanding, PUNCH has a practical application: helping protect society from harmful space weather like Coronal Mass Ejections.

Coronal Mass Ejections, large releases of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun, can wreak havoc on power grids, electronics and communications. Theyre hard to forecast and can reach earth in 15 to 18 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On ExpressNews.com: Southwest Research Institute scientist steps closer to space with successful Virgin Galactic flight

We have no easy way of tracking these clouds as they cross the solar system, and they evolve and become deflected as they move, so space weather forecasting is something of a guessing game, said DeForest, who works at SwRIs Boulder, Colo. facility. PUNCH is a prototype of what I hope will become a routine measurement which is, if you will, a space weather satellite.

The constellation of small PUNCH spacecraft will let scientists track the clouds in three dimensions across the void of space. DeForest said he hopes the program will lead to advances in space weather prediction just as earth weather satellites have revolutionized weather forecasting.

He leads a team of 100 people spread out across San Antonio, Boulder, Washington D.C. and the United Kingdom, and hes worked on the project for a decade.

We first had the idea to build a mission like this in 2011, but I did a lot of legwork on the science, making sure that we had all the all the techniques in place that we needed when we proposed to NASA to build this mission in 2015, he said. Passing (the preliminary design review) is a huge milestone.

The team is currently building an engineering model of the spacecraft, and with the NASA-approved design theyre slated to build the operational craft in 2022.

On ExpressNews.com: 7 times the speed of sound: UTSA goes hypersonic to study the next generation of flight

PUNCH is part of NASAs Small Explorer program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for scientific investigations from space. More than 70 U.S. and international scientific space missions have participated in Small Explorer.

Like so much else, the pandemic threw some curve balls at the PUNCH program. Normally, the design review process is done in person, but COVID changed that.

The preliminary design review was our second major mission milestone that we passed entirely remotely, DeForest said. The first was our mission definition review, a little over a year ago, and that was one of the very first milestone reviews that NASA held remotely.

On ExpressNews.com: This is not SpaceX property - this is my property: SpaceX looks to recast South Texas town as Starbase

Working remotely on the project has created a new and interesting set of challenges, he said. Im very excited that were able to pull it off, and of course, also very excited to know the pandemic is winding down, and we can get back into the labs right when we really need to start building things.

PUNCH will travel to space via a still to-be-determined NASA-contracted launch.

Brandon Lingle writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. brandon.lingle@express-news.net
Starting June 4, Texas schools will no longer be allowed to require masks, per an executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month.

Currently, public schools in Bexar County require students and staff to wear masks indoors, and some were planning to continue the mandate through the summer.

We asked readers how you feel about the change. Below are some of your responses.

It would be nice to have a governor who wasn't so blatantly trying to promote himself politically with every move he makes. A leader who genuinely understands and cares about both sides of an issue would be refreshing. But obviously not realistic.

Love it - about time!

Big mistake! Not until the majority of students are vaccinated. All teachers in the state should go on strike.

Our children are currently our most vulnerable population. The majority have yet to be vaccinated. To prevent the use of masks to prevent the spread of COVID puts our children at risk.

I think it should be a recommendation rather than a requirement. Each ISD should be allowed to make their own decisions based on local conditions and the educational standard of least restrictive environment.

Worst decision ever. Will likely cost Abbott the election. Likely will hurt the entire GOP. Officials have to realize they have to abide by their constituents wishes.

This is putting not only our children but our teachers in danger. It's no secret that schools are a cesspool of different air-borne diseases. Adding this to the mix, could cost people more than just a Doctor's office visit.

Children need to be IN school. If this will get them there , so be it. Students and staff can opt to wear a mask if they choose, it's just that it would not be required.

Stupid. Mask are the first protection from COVID. Mask should be worn by those who desire to wear one.

Since COVID can cluster in a community and spread from there, counties, cities, and school boards should have a say in mask mandates. The governor, as usual, is unbothered by potential suffering and death in his state.

Local school boards should be able to decide without interference from King Abbott.

Best thing ever! No masks!

I'm ok with it.

I don't agree with the governor's order, what if a school has an outbreak/ spike like La Vernia high school, without preventive measures like masks schools would have to lockdown completely.

I think the governor is overstepping his authority. This is too soon. School districts should be able to establish their own policy.

Should be left up to the parents.

This is just another example of his hypocrisy. In what way is this "local rule?"

Always talking about local control, less government interference is better, this is not local control.

State government overreach. Schools should be able to consult with local health departments and make local decisions about how to manage the pandemic and minimize spread in schools. I would look into the possibility that the Governor is mandating a hostile work place environment, especially since that hostility overwhelmingly affects a female workforce.

Awesome! About time! We have waited way too long! Let's do this!! Texans take this seriously and actually follow the science. Kids pose zero risk! The depression being caused for kids is awful. Thank goodness we are one step closer to normal!!

I think it is a bad idea. If kids or teachers start getting infected in high numbers, it would have the potential to shut down a school district, impacting all of the students.

Teachers have had the chance to get the vaccine! If they didnt thats their call.

He is stopping the mandate. If you want to wear a mask, wear the mask. It's your choice, not a demand.

Its easy for him since hes not around kids with varying amounts of exposure/cleanliness...the people most affected are educators aka babysitters...teachers should get Hazard pay.

Once again...another slap in the face for teachers.

BRAVO!!
Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News / Contributor

Starting today, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is giving away one-day tickets to Fiesta Texas to anyone who receives the COVID-19 vaccine at any Metro Health or partner vaccine clinic, according to a news release.

Metro Health says it has 20,000 tickets to give away in an effort to get more residents vaccinated. The tickets will be valid through Sept. 6.
More than 1 million Bexar County residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, officials said Monday, sounding an optimistic note about efforts to bring the pandemic under control.

The milestone was announced on the same day that Bexar Countys coronavirus test positivity rate dropped to 1.3 percent  the lowest it has been since the virus arrived in the region more than a year ago.

The 1 million mark in first vaccinations is truly cause for celebration, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement. We have come a long way since winter, when the city of San Antonio was in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic that has cost thousands of lives and infected hundreds of thousands of others. This is a significant accomplishment for our community.

COVID-19 vaccines first became available to the most vulnerable populations in December. At the time, transmission, hospitalizations and deaths were surging here and nationwide. Those figures reached their highest points in mid-January before declining as more people were vaccinated.

On ExpressNews.com: State of the pandemic in San Antonio, in Texas and across the U.S.

State officials gradually made more groups eligible for vaccines, and by mid-March hospitalizations and deaths in Bexar County had dropped sharply. The figures have continued to trend down since the beginning of May.

To date, 1,008,521 Bexar County residents  61 percent of the eligible population  have received at least one dose of vaccine.

That includes 784,115 residents who are fully vaccinated. They represent about 47 percent of the eligible population.

Public health officials say even greater numbers must be inoculated to bring the pandemic fully under control. About 653,000 Bexar County residents, or 39 percent of those eligible, have not received even a single shot.

Everything just looks like its very much in the right direction, but the main thing is we need to keep up on the vaccination effort, and thats extremely important, County Judge Nelson Wolff said.

Officials reported 183 new coronavirus cases on Monday. The seven-day rolling average of new cases now stands at 139, down from 160 a week ago. In mid-January, when the pandemic was at its worst here, the average was above 2,000.

On ExpressNews.com: A guide to getting vaccinated in San Antonio

No new deaths were reported on Monday but officials added 13 previous deaths now confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19. The deaths occurred between Jan. 31 and May 4.

Since the coronavirus first began circulating in Bexar County, 222,429 residents have tested positive and 3,454 have died of COVID-19.

San Antonios hospitals have continued to see declines in the number of patients needing treatment for COVID-19. On Monday, there were 142 such patients in area hospitals, down from 153 on Friday despite 18 new admissions in the previous 24 hours.

Forty-three COVID-19 patients were in intensive care units on Monday  six fewer than on Friday  and 30 patients needed ventilators to breathe, unchanged since Friday.

At the start of the year, hospitals here were treating more than 1,100 patients with COVID-19 each day, and hundreds of patients required intensive care.

While the vaccines have proved extremely effective, demand for them has stalled in Bexar County and across much of the country. In response, officials are urging those who have not yet gotten a shot to do so as soon as possible and have sought to make vaccination more convenient.

Again, we encourage everyone who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to please get one, especially since we have plenty of supply and there are many available locations for you to choose, Nirenberg said.

Many of San Antonios vaccination sites, including the Alamodome and the Wonderland of the Americas mall, offer shots on a walk-in basis  no appointment necessary. The shots are free, even for those without health insurance.

For detailed information  updated daily  on vaccination locations, vaccine supplies and how to make appointments, check out the Express-News vaccine FAQ.

Those who have been vaccinated in Bexar County include more than 15,600 children between the ages of 12 and 15. The Food and Drug Administration expanded its emergency authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to include that age group, starting May 10. Up to then, only people 16 and older were eligible.

Both Pfizer and the maker of the Moderna vaccine have begun clinical trials of their vaccines in children as young as 6 months. Results are expected in early fall.

andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
Theres something about Westerns that makes them stick in moviegoers memories, says Andrew Patrick Nelson, a film historian who curated the Briscoe Western Art Museums big summer show, Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western.

Its funny that even though Clint Eastwood hasnt made a Western since 1992, and even though he made most of his Westerns in the 70s, we still think of him as a Western guy, said Nelson, who chairs the department of film and media arts at the University of Utah. Even people like Robert Redford, theres still this connection to the Western, even though he hasnt made a Western in years. Theres something about these filmmakers and these films that we remember to this day.

The Briscoe exhibit, which opens Friday, is based on Nelsons 2015 book, Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969-1980. That period isnt usually seen as a plum time for the Western, but Nelson found plenty to sink his teeth into.

When I started watching the movies in this period, I saw a genre that was gloriously alive and engaging with the genres past and very powerfully with the present, he said. It was more than just a couple of depressing films that helped kill off the Western.

Michael Duchemin, president and CEO of the Briscoe, sees connections between the films featured in the exhibit and current events.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

The 1960s and early 1970 was a time thats very comparable to the present day with the kind of tumult in our society and the changes were going through, Duchemin said. The civil rights movement, the sexual revolution, the womens movement, all of those things were certainly coming to the forefront for the first time. And now, 50-plus years later, were in this next round. The films reflect all that.

On ExpressNews.com: Thors hammer and an Anchorman suit part of Santikos movie collection

Naturally, the exhibit spotlights John Wayne, one of the actors eternally associated with Westerns.

John Wayne is the biggest star to emerge from that time period, Duchemin said. We have some of Waynes original costumes, which I think will be interesting to people.

The exhibit includes clothing that The Duke wore for the 1969 film The Undefeated, in which former Confederate soldiers team up with former Union soldiers to battle Mexican revolutionaries; and for the 1972 film The Cowboys, in which he plays a rancher forced to enlist schoolboys for a 400-mile cattle drive.

There also is a wax figure borrowed from Ripleys Believe it Or Not depicting Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, the crusty U.S. Marshal he played in two films. In both  True Grit, released in 1969, and Rooster Cogburn, released in 1975  he helps a woman track down the men who killed her father. In True Grit, its a teenager played by Kim Darby; in Rooster Cogburn, its a woman played by Katherine Hepburn.

Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western Exhibit: "Still in the Saddle" opens Friday and can be seen through Sept. 6. Where: Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St. Admission: $6 to $12; free for children12 and under and active duty military. Meet the curator: Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will give an inside look at the show at 2 p.m. Saturday. Free with museum admission. Film series: Films will be screened at 1 p.m. in the museum's Jack Guenther Pavilion. Featured movies are "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Sunday; "Little Big Man," June 20; "True Grit," July 18; "The Long Riders," Aug. 22; and "The Shootist," Sept. 5. $10 for the film alone; $12 for the film and museum admission; $25 for three films or $50 for all five. The $50 pass includes a museum membership. 210-299-4499. Wild West Trivia Night:The evening includes a trivia competition, food and signature cocktails. 7 p.m. June 11. $10 for museum members and $25 for non-members, which includes two drink tickets. Open to folks age 21 and up. Information:briscoemuseum.org; 210-299-4499. See More Collapse

In addition, there are a number of posters from the era, including one for The Life and Times of Roy Bean, the 1972 film in which Paul Newman played the colorful real-life Texas judge who dubbed himself the Law West of the Pecos; and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which Newman teamed up with Robert Redford to play a pair of ill-fated, ridiculously handsome outlaws.

These arent reproductions, Nelson said. These are original posters, posters that could well have been hanging in a movie theater lobby in 1972. The hope is that when people see them, they will transport them back to this period and immerse them in what it would have been like to be a movie-goer in that time.

The scent of popcorn wafting in the air and the entrance designed to look like the entry to a movie theater may help with that, too, as will movie clips that are part of the show.

The real stars of the exhibit are the films themselves, Duchemin said.

On ExpressNews.com: Tickets set for San Antonio debut of Immersive Van Gogh exhibit

Nelson is hoping that folks who see the exhibit will seek out some of those films. Hes done his part to help with that: As he has for the past few years, he curated the Briscoes summer film series. It kicks off Sunday with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and continues monthly through the summer.

He noted that the exhibit and the film series spotlight some films that people may know of but may not have seen, like Butch Cassidy or The Wild Bunch. There also are some not-as-well-known movies hes hoping folks will check out.

To me, the films that are most primed for re-evaluation are the final Westerns that John Wayne made, Big Jake or The Shootist. I think they stand out as exemplary films. I think people would be surprised by how good they are, how contemporary they are.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
Sichuan House owner Kristina Zhao is set to expand her footprint in the San Antonio market with the planned opening this summer of her new Chinese restaurant Dashi Sichuan Kitchen & Bar on Thousand Oaks Drive at Jones Maltsberger Road.

The new space at 2895 Thousand Oaks Drive, which formerly housed restaurants including LA Crawfish and Hawx Burger Bar, is more than double the size of Sichuan House, with 6,000 square feet and capacity for about 285 people.

While Dashi will carry over many of the dishes that landed Sichuan House in the Express-News Top 100 Dining & Drinks guide, the menu will add new dishes and new dimensions to the Sichuan experience.

Its such a versatile cuisine, Zhao said. Its constantly evolving. And chef Li has the skill to execute that.

On ExpressNews.com: Cheap thrills, not much else, at Cerveceria Chapultepec

Shes referring to chef Jian Li, whos returning to the Sichuan House family after several years at Lis Sichuan Restaurant. Hell bring about 50 percent to 60 percent of the Sichuan House menu to Dashi while adding small plates, tapas, steamed buns and more noodle dishes, Zhao said. Chef consultant Teddy Liang, whose most recent work includes the Jewish deli The Hayden on Broadway, will be helping to create the new Dashi menu, Zhao said.

Mike Sutter /Staff

Dashi also will feature a full beer, wine, sake and cocktail program, with Benjamin Krick of Pastiche and Jet-Setter fame stepping in to put together a menu that will pay special attention to Asian beer and whisky.

The interiors being reimagined from the ground up, with a fresh stormcloud epoxy floor, new tables and upholstered chairs, sleek chandeliers and willowy paper lanterns, lamp shades that Zhao created herself and a showcase bar and bold geometric woodwork from San Antonio craftsman Roland Davila.

Meanwhile, Sichuan House is still going strong, having weathered the worst of the pandemic with a streamlined menu and a robust takeout program. The restaurant is now offering dine-in service again.

msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking
Hong Kong: Market expansion on track

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you what I think are the three key lessons that we can draw from this pandemic, which are resilience, digitalisation and sustainable development.

Not only has the pandemic changed our ways of life and work as highlighted by Laura (Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Chairman Laura Cha) just now, it has also changed how trading is being conducted in the LME (London Metal Exchange). As a response to the guidance issued by the UK Government, LME Ring trading activity now remains suspended. While open outcry in the Ring is a long-standing tradition of the LME, LMEselect as an electronic platform has proven to be reliable, and it has also assumed the role of determining official and closing prices.



As commodities also involve the complexities of warehousing and physical delivery, the LME and the metals industry have worked together to ensure orderly and stable operation of the metals supply chains. These efforts should indeed be applauded and in a crisis as disruptive as the one that we are now facing, resilience can truly be demonstrated.

Back to Hong Kong where we are now, our financial markets have also weathered the storm and are performing exceptionally well. On the listed equity side, funds raised through IPO were more than US$17 billion in the first quarter of this year, more than nine times compared to the same period of 2020. At a broader scale on the monetary side, we have witnessed the inflow of close to US$50 billion since the second quarter of last year and our foreign reserves now stand at 1.8 times of the HK dollar monetary base.

On a more daily basis, the average daily turnover of our equity market in the first quarter reached over US$28 billion, up 86% year-on-year reaching a record high. Judging from these numbers, the Hong Kong financial markets, I must say, have responded to the pandemic in a very resilient manner.

Indeed, as many market participants have shared with us, they see more opportunities than challenges in the pandemic, and have taken the chance to innovate and digitalise. For example, online roadshows and online board meetings are increasingly being adopted. On the regulatory and legislative front, we at the Government are also putting in our efforts to pursue innovation and digitalisation. Just in March this year, we presented a bill to the Legislative Council on the uncertificated securities market (USM) regime, with a view to allowing investors in the equity market the option to hold securities without paper documents.

I know the same is happening with the LME on digitalisation and modernisation. Earlier this year, the LME published a discussion paper on future market structure with proposals to facilitate modernisation of the LME and to create a metals market that is fit for the future. Similar to our Hong Kong regime moving from paper-based to scripless securities, the LME successfully launched its electronic warranting solution in March this year, replacing paper warrants. I am glad to learn that market support for this new service seems to be strong.

Another key theme that has emerged from the pandemic is the drive towards sustainable development. There is now a global consensus that, as the public and private sectors seek to rejuvenate economic growth, investments into green and sustainable projects should be our prime focus. Pursuing green recovery would allow us to walk out of the crisis together in a stronger and fairer manner.

The Government has accorded top priority to green and sustainable development, as demonstrated by the Chief Executive's commitment in her Policy Address to achieve carbon neutrality for Hong Kong by 2050, basically 10 years before our own country. To deliver on this goal, we will issue a total of US$23 billion of green bonds over the next five years, depending on market situations, to finance green projects in pursuit of low-carbon economic development. Our cross-regulatory steering group also launched a strategic plan to strengthen our financial ecosystem to support a greener and more sustainable future.

Of course relying on the public sector alone would not suffice, and we will need to leverage on the private sector including each and every one of you as well. That is why in the Budget this year, a Green & Sustainable Finance Grant Scheme was announced, with a view to subsidising eligible issuers of green bonds and also green loans this time on their costs of issuance and external review. We hope this would attract more institutions to come, and leverage on Hong Kong's market infrastructure to venture into green and sustainable finance.

Now let's turn back to the LME, the focus of today's metals seminar. I note that sustainability is also identified as a strategic goal to pursue, as illustrated by many of its initiatives - one of which is an online service called LMEpassport, which would register Certificates of Analysis, providing a broad range of metal sustainability certifications and disclosures electronically. I note that launch is planned for Q3 this year, and the LME would actively engage with market stakeholders on its design, ensuring the primary goals will be met for providing the industry with greater transparency and sustainably produced products.

Time flies and it has been more than eight years since HKEX completed its acquisition of the LME back in late 2012, and we just passed the seven-year itch. It is a tale of two cities forging a strong connection between east and west. Just now I have shared with you, during the time of the pandemic, how our two trading centres in Hong Kong and London have both maintained resilience, delivered innovation, and pursued sustainability. People say a good marriage would have the couple having in minds the same goals and pursuits. As you can hear from Laura's speech and mine, judging from what we have said, the marriage between the HKEX and LME is actually doing very well and would come a long way continuing to weather ups and downs in our common destiny together going forward.

Looking ahead, under the country's 14th Five-Year Plan and the Greater Bay Area initiative, the catchment of our commodities market would be further expanded. We have seen early signs of success, as marked by the tripling of year-on-year turnover of Qianhai Mercantile Exchange in the first quarter this year, and the pioneering investment of HKEX into Guangzhou Futures Exchange. I am sure under the capable leadership of Laura and Gucho, we can expect many more achievements to come. I would also send my warmest welcome again to Gucho, as he officially took on the role as the CEO yesterday.

And back to what I promised at the outset about vacation. To conclude, as financial market participants, I think what you care about more should be not just vacation but another V - volatility. That said, if you talk to any people in Hong Kong, what they care about most now is about vacation. But before we can talk about volatility and vacation, we need to know another V, which is vaccination as it is essential for restarting our economic engine. On that, I would urge every one of you who have not been vaccinated to go get your jab and also, at the same time, I wish you all an enjoyable and fruitful discussion in the coming seminar today. Thank you.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui gave these remarks at the LME Asia Metals Seminar 2021 on May 25.

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
BBC to review editorial practice after Diana interview

Xinhua) 14:42, May 25, 2021

File photo taken on Aug. 31, 2017 shows tributes in honor of late Princess Diana outside the Kensington Palace on the 20th anniversary of her death in Paris after a car crash, in London, Britain. The BBC Board on May 24, 2021 announced a review of the corporation's editorial and whistle-blowing policies amid mounting pressure following an inquiry into BBC's 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The BBC said it accepted the inquiry report, which said the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over its interview with Princess Diana. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The BBC Board on Monday announced a review of the corporation's editorial and whistle-blowing policies amid mounting pressure following an inquiry into BBC's 1995 interview with Britain's Princess Diana.

The BBC said it accepted the inquiry report, which said the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over its interview with Princess Diana.

The board said in its statement that it hoped to ensure the "mistakes of the past" could not be repeated.

"We accepted Lord Dyson's findings in full and reiterate the apology we have offered to all those affected by the failings identified," it said.

"We recognise the impact that the events it describes has had on so many people, not least those whose lives were personally affected by what happened. We also acknowledge that audiences had a right to expect better from the BBC."

The report published last week by an independent inquiry led by John Dyson, a retired senior judge, found that former BBC reporter Martin Bashir had acted in a "deceitful" way and faked documents to obtain the interview while the BBC's own internal probe in 1996 into what happened was "woefully ineffective", the inquiry said.

The inquiry found Bashir mocked up fake bank statements that falsely suggested individuals were being paid for keeping the princess under surveillance.

He later showed the fake documents to Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, to gain his trust to gain access to Diana and persuade her to agree to give the interview.

The BBC carried out its own investigation into the issue in 1996, but it "fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency", according to the latest inquiry.

Bashir has stepped down from his role as the BBC's religion editor, the corporation has confirmed.

Former BBC director general Tony Hall announced Saturday that he has resigned as the National Gallery's chairman.

Continuing in the role "would be a distraction", said Hall, who was director of news during the time of the interview, according to the BBC.

The Met Police has said it will assess the contents of the inquiry into former BBC reporter Bashir's interview with Princess Diana to ensure there is no "significant new evidence" to support a criminal investigation.

British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said the report "reveals damning failings at the heart of the BBC" and he will "consider whether further governance reforms are needed".

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Bianji)
Storm like weather conditions near Howrah Bridge due to formation of Cyclone Yaas in the Bay of Bengal, in Howrah, Monday, May 24, 2021. (PTI Photo)

Kolkata/New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the Central government of repeatedly depriving West Bengal by allocating a lesser amount of money to her state than the others facing the threat of the Very Severe Cyclone Yaas. The cyclone is expected to make its landfall in the afternoon instead of the evening of May 26 near Balasore in Odisha.

Amit Shah babu held a meeting in the morning and assured us of helping with advance funds which are, however, payable to the states from their share. This is not extra. Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are getting more than ?600 crore, while it is only around ?400 crore for Bengal. I pointed out to Mr Shah that Bengal is a bigger state than Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, she said.

Mr Shah chaired a meeting on Monday morning held through video conferencing to review the preparedness for Cyclone Yaas. Apart from Ms Banerjee, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar, D.K. Joshi, have attended the meeting.

Mr Shah came up with some key suggestions at the meeting and in particular stressed the need to ensure electricity backup in hospitals with ICUs for uninterrupted ventilator function and oxygen supply for the treatment of Covid patients.

In its bulletin at 4.30 pm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that Cyclone Yaas is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during the next 12 hours and into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm in the subsequent 24 hours. It would continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach Northwest Bay of Bengal near north Odisha and West Bengal coasts by 26th May early morning. It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar islands around Balasore, during noon of 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

According to the weather departments forecast, Yaas is likely to clock its maximum wind speed at 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph from 11.30 am on Tuesday for the next 24 hours.

Its maximum wind speed will however drop to 105-115 kmph gusting to 125 kmph 11.30 am onwards covering the landfall till late evening on May 26.
U.S. regulators have downgraded Mexico's aviation safety rating, a move that prevents Mexican airlines from expanding flights to the United States just as travel is recovering from the pandemic.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it downgraded Mexico after finding that the country does not meet standards set by a United Nations aviation group.

The downgrade means that U.S. airlines won't be able to sell tickets on flights operated by Mexican airlines, a setback that will mainly hit Delta Air Lines, which has a partnership with Aeromexico.

Delta said its own service to Mexico is not affected by the downgrade, and it will continue to operate all its flights there normally. Delta might have to issue new tickets, however, to customers who used Delta to book a flight operated by Aeromexico.

Aeromexico said its flights wont be affected, and it will work with Mexican regulators to reverse the downgrade.

At Aeromexico, safety is our top priority and because of that we will continue to operate under the highest international standards, the airline tweeted.

Volaris tweeted that the downgrade was related to factors "outside the control of Mexican airlines.

Mexico has been by far the most popular international destination for Americans during the pandemic. In the first two months of this year, U.S. citizens took more than 800,000 trips to Mexico, accounting for 42% of all foreign air travel by Americans in that period, according to figures from the U.S. Commerce Department.

Most of those flights are operated by U.S. airlines. Five Mexican carriers are scheduled to operate 6,152 flights  27% of the total  between the two countries next month, according to data from research firm Cirium.

FAA safety ratings of other countries are designed to measure those countries oversight of its airlines but do not mean that the airlines are unsafe. The FAA said it will increase scrutiny of Mexican flights to the United States, but the downgrade does not immediately affect current flights.

The FAA decision to lower Mexico from Category 1 to Category 2 puts it in a group of countries that includes Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand.

The FAA found that Mexicos ability to oversee its airlines falls short of standards set by a U.N. group called the International Civil Aviation Organization. Those standards cover a broad range of issues including the regulators technical expertise, inspection procedures and record-keeping.

The U.S. agency said it reviewed Mexico's Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil from October through February and found several areas of concern.

In a statement Tuesday, Mexicos Communications and Transport Department suggested that low staffing due to the coronavirus pandemic  which cut flights drastically  may have played a role in the FAA decision.

The (U.S.) review was carried out in October, when the AFAC was operating with one-fourth of its personnel, and amid a significant surge in the COVID-19 pandemic, the department wrote. Despite this, the agency acted responsibly to take action on all the observations made by U.S. authorities.

It was unclear if the low staffing levels were due to employees calling in sick or being furloughed during the pandemic.

But if it was due to cost-cutting measures during the pandemic, it may be the most visible illustration to date of the real costs of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador obsession with cutting government spending.

The department said Mexico would continue to adhere to international safety standards and is committed to recovering its previous Category 1 rating.

Officials at U.S. airlines became aware of the potential downgrade recently, but they held out hope that Mexican authorities and the FAA could resolve their differences. More than a decade ago, the FAA considered downgrading Israel but held back after Israel took steps to reassure the FAA about its oversight of aviation.

___

Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.

___ David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP)  A priest in Wisconsin who has been ignoring COVID-19 gathering restrictions at his masses and criticized Democrats for their stance on the virus vaccines says the leader of the Diocese of La Crosse has asked him to resign.

The Rev. James Altman announced the request from Bishop William Callahan during his sermon Sunday at St. James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse. The sermon was recorded and posted to YouTube.

As the bishop has stated to me: I am ineffective. So for the record dear family, Bishop Callahan has asked me to resign as pastor as of this past Friday, two days ago, because I am divisive and ineffective, Altman said.

Audible no sounds from the crowd can be heard during the video, the La Crosse Tribune reported.

Altman came under fire last fall for calling Democrats godless and warning they would go to hell if they dont repent. Later, he called COVID-19 protocols Nazi-esque controls."

Let us be clear, God damns every single one of those godless moves, whether it be in civil government or worse, in the complicity of many in the church," Altman said during a Palm Sunday mass. "In fact, if hell itself has many levels, the lowest, hottest levels are the final burning place for those shepherds who were complicit in the godless restrictions.

Altman said his lawyer is challenging the bishop's request to resign. The priest told the congregation Sunday that Callahan could appoint a parish administrator while he remains a pastor without duties until the appeal goes through Rome, which could take up to a year or more.

A spokesperson for the diocese did not immediately respond to the newspaper's request for comment. The diocese has chosen to handle the matter internally, stating earlier it was working with Altman privately.
Bexar Countys long trial recess is nearing an end  but with an unprecedented backlog of more than 50,000 cases, District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales said Monday.

As Bexar County courtrooms prepare to receive in-person juries starting in June, with the oldest cases set to go first, he issued a plea to crime victims: Please be patient.

Do not lose hope, Gonzales said during a Zoom news conference, promising every family would have their day in court.

When the pandemic forced most of the nation to shut down in March 2020, the Texas Supreme Court suspended jury summonses. Since that time, the states high court has modified court procedures 36 times, but left each countys local administrative judge to decide when and how to begin trials again.

On ExpressNews.com: COVID froze the machinery of justice - now, in-person jury trials could resume in June

State District Judge Ron Rangel, the local administrator, devised a plan to re-start in-person juries in June, provided the COVID-19 numbers continue dropping in San Antonio and Bexar County.

The judges have agreed to a scheduled rotation for jury panels, with each court getting one jury every two weeks, Gonzales said.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

The schedule  and the backlog, which includes more than 20,000 misdemeanor cases  means it is going to take quite a bit of time for cases to be resolved.

It could take several years to catch up to where we were before the pandemic, Gonzales warned.

Gonzales has cautioned for the past year that clearing the backlog will be a challenge. Every case must get its proper review and we all work together  the courts, the defense bar, everyone works with the goal in mind to resolve these cases, he said.

We will work as quick and as hard as we can, but we will never compromise the integrity of a case, well never push a case to trial, just because it has been sitting for a long time.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio lawyers early verdict on virtual trials: Lets keep them

John T. Hunter, president of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said the organization was deeply encouraged that the process is about to resume.

I think its definitely a journey of a thousand miles, beginning with this first step, he said.

Defense attorneys have been mindful that their clients constitutional rights to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of their peers have been upended by the pandemic. Many, Hunter said, have waited more than a year without any movement on their cases.

It will take even more time to break the logjam once trials start, he acknowledged.

Weve all been doing our very best in different situations, and the courts will have to grapple with what that means for each individual, Hunter said.

Rangel said he and State District Judge Carlos Quezada will conduct in-person voir dire, or jury selection, on Friday for the first upcoming trial, which could begin sometime in June.

Rangel said prospective jurors will be able to address concerns to the court via Zoom before attending any proceedings in person.

A jury already has been chosen for a trial set for July 12, the capital murder case of Otis McKane, accused of killing San Antonio police Det. Benjamin Marconi. McKane faces the death penalty if convicted.

Gonzales asked that victims and their family members keep in touch with his office, through their advocates and prosecutors, for any changes in address, phone numbers or email addresses.

Victims of crime and next of kin are kept informed on court settings by mail, but trial dates are subject to change.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
The Childrens Shelter, a San Antonio nonprofit that was providing private foster care services before state officials found problems with its work, will lay off 93 full-time employees.

The move follows the nonprofits decision last month to terminate its contract with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to care for foster children.

It also comes on the heels of a report by two court-appointed monitors that cited problems with the safety and quality of care provided by the Childrens Shelter and its subsidiary, Family Tapestry. The findings prompted Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack to issue a scathing rebuke of the two nonprofits.

Childrens Shelter CEO Annette Rodriguez sent a notice to the Texas Workforce Commission on May 14 announcing the job cuts, describing them as a difficult personnel decision prompted by the Childrens Shelter boards decision to terminate the state contract..

The Childrens Shelter entered into the five-year contract in August 2018. Bexar County was one of four areas in Texas  and the largest  that pivoted to a community-based foster care model in recent years, using private contractors instead of state employees to manage networks of foster care providers.

Besides rank-and-file employees, those being let go include high-level executives, such as the chief operating officer, the case management director, the human resources director, the vice president of information technology, the chief culture management and shared services officer and the community engagement director.

On ExpressNews.com: Childrens Shelter, Family Tapestry ending state contract to provide foster care services in San Antonio

Also being laid off are 23 case care specialists, two intake supervisors, nine intake specialists, seven quality assurance specialists and three residential treatment placement specialists.

The layoffs are to take effect July 13. A severance plan has been established for those losing their jobs.

In her letter to the workforce commission, Rodriguez noted that the services provided by the nonprofits will now be transferred back to the states child protective agency.

On ExpressNews.com: Judge blasts San Antonio-based nonprofits as dangerous, unsafe for foster children

During a court hearing earlier this month, Jack accused the San Antonio nonprofits of running a dangerous, unsafe operation and said they were unprepared to take care of foster children.

The judge has been overseeing a 10-year effort to improve the states foster care system after a federal class-action lawsuit was filed in 2011 on behalf of a dozen children.

The court-appointed monitors April 27 report cited numerous problems with the care provided by the Childrens Shelter and Family Tapestry, including troubling incidents at the Whataburger Center for Children and Youth involving insufficient medical attention, inadequate supervision and allegations of violence and sexual assault.

Rodriguez recently told the states child protective agency that factors beyond the control of the Childrens Shelter and Family Tapestry made the nonprofits continued participation unsustainable under the contracts current terms.

A shortage of foster care beds across the state  particularly in San Antonio  and the coronavirus pandemic contributed to those difficulties, she said.

pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: Peggy_OHare
Seven years. Six council members.

Thats the recent history of District 2, which covers the East and Northeast Sides of San Antonio. If current incumbent Jada Andrews-Sullivan loses her June 5 runoff to her former council aide Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, well be up to seven District 2 council reps since 2014.

During this period, District 5, which covers the West Side, has had one council member: Shirley Gonzales.

District 3, which covers the South Side, has also been represented by one person: Rebecca Viagran.

In those districts, unlike District 2, residents dont need a scorecard to keep track of who is representing them on City Council.

In a way, the revolving door in District 2 is Andrews-Sullivans best argument for re-election. She makes the case that the district has seen too much turnover in recent years and needs some continuity. Voting her out, she argues, would just create more disruption.

At the same time, Andrews-Sullivan is a symptom of what has ailed District 2. New figures keep emerging, voters keep giving them a chance, and they keep getting let down. District 2 voters are looking for their Rey Saldana, their Ana Sandoval, their Diego Bernal  someone who will go to City Hall armed with passion, idealism, expertise and a sincere commitment to serve.

Dissatisfaction with Andrews-Sullivan was obvious in the recent general election.

More than 83 percent of District 2 voters cast their ballots for one of her challengers. McKee-Rodriguez, a young, first-time candidate, finished nearly 10 percentage points ahead of her.

District 2 has a large population of voters who feel like they havent been well-represented over the course of many years, said Mario Salas, a long-time political activist and former District 2 councilman.

Not just necessarily from the district council member, but from City Council as a whole. So when people take positions that some may view as detrimental to the community, the voters have a long memory of how you have voted on something.

Nearly one-third of San Antonios African American residents are based in District 2. More than 21 percent of the districts population is African American.

You cant say that Andrews-Sullivan has been damaged by any particular vote she has taken. Her low standing with residents is rooted in something deeper and harder to shake.

Its the sense that she doesnt do her homework and doesnt listen to her constituents. Her single term on City Council suggests that she was more attracted to the idea of being a council member than the reality of doing the job.

There is also the nagging feeling that she has been a mere figurehead for her chief of staff, Lou Miller.

McKee-Rodriguez, who is gay, served nearly six months in Andrews-Sullivans office as her communications director. He has accused Miller of harassment and discrimination during that period over his sexual orientation.

Andrews-Sullivans non-defense defense of Miller didnt exactly inspire confidence in her leadership.

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, she told the Express-News editorial board in April.

At least part of District 2s recent turnover can be attributed to fluke circumstances.

Ivy Taylor was well into her second term  and likely poised for a four-term run  when Julian Castro left the mayors office in the summer of 2014 to accept a federal appointment as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Taylors council colleagues appointed her to fill the mayoral vacancy. That move started the parade of instability weve seen since then.

In 2017, local attorney Cruz Shaw unseated the thoroughly disappointing Councilman Alan Warrick, offering hope that District 2 could find some long-sought continuity.

Eighteen months into his council tenure, however, Shaw announced that he would step down to accept a position as the associate judge for Bexar Countys 436th Juvenile District Court.

Shaw clearly did not enjoy the political gamesmanship at City Hall. On his way out the door, he acknowledged that he never expected to win the 2017 election and ran primarily to light a fire under Warrick.

We dont have to worry about whether McKee-Rodriguez wants the job. His army of block-walkers and his ultra-energetic campaign style should answer any questions on that front.

His insurgent effort also has been bolstered by endorsements from Julian and Joaquin Castro, Diego Bernal and the Texas Organizing Project.

He is super-organized, Salas said. At the moment, hes got the reins of the horse.

Its going to be a steep hill for Miss Sullivan to climb. But political wisdom always tells us that a runoff is a brand-new election.

A brand-new election, with brand-new hope that District 2 can find the leader it deserves.

ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Were going to have to trust that the same science that gave us great guidelines for minimizing the severity of the pandemic will also help us transition out of it. Engaging in more public events and loosening social distancing and mask-wearing behavior is going to be a part of that.

Of course, anxiety is also a problem.

The first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic have seen a divide between those who have listened to the scientists and those who have not. Epidemiologists and pandemic modelers made recommendations that allowed us to understand how COVID-19 was transmitted. We wore masks, and scientists quickly sequenced the genes of the virus that causes COVID-19 to create the first-ever vaccine for humans with this technology.

During this time, other people believed that social distancing guidelines went too far, that masks dont provide much protection and that the dangers of the vaccines outweighed any benefit they would provide. Those who hewed to the word of scientists during this period decried the behavior of those who did not as both dangerous and anti-science.

But now we have hit an interesting inflection point: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently advised that people who have been vaccinated can now safely go without masks indoors. In response to this change, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order that prevents government agencies from requiring vaccinated individuals to wear masks.

This produced an outcry from people who have been touting the importance of following data-driven guidelines since last year. This is a great example of what psychologists call motivated reasoning. When there is an outcome you want to be true, you are much more likely to believe sources that fit with your opinion than those that diverge from it. People who had significant fears about COVID-19 took comfort in the knowledge that their beliefs were consistent with the conclusions of the scientific community.

Editorial: Signs of end of COVID-19 encouraging, not simple

Being data-driven in decision-making requires listening to the data when it agrees with your preconceived ideas and also when it doesnt. The transition from full-on pandemic mode to the new normal is going to involve some anxiety-provoking moments. Many of us have not spent much time around other people in more than a year. Venturing back out into the world is going to cause some stress.

Accepting the science doesnt require you to go out in public immediately. If you want to continue to wear a mask for your own comfort, that is an option. But we should also recognize that vaccinated people who choose to go maskless indoors are acting in a way consistent with the scientific consensus.

All of us can afford to treat the new normal with cautious optimism. But at the same time, we must re-engage by going to see friends and relatives, returning to restaurants and taking that vacation we have been putting off. Many people have spent the past year being very cautious. That was an excellent response to a pandemic. That degree of caution is not needed for now.

At this time, we must also keep in mind to not try to make up for lost time. Workplaces are going to take lessons from the pandemic, such as giving people more flexibility to work from home. Similarly, more of us should figure out what we want to keep from our pandemic year but also return to some of the things we have missed.

More generally, the next few months will provide us Texans a way of allowing decisions to be influenced by scientific data both when we are comfortable with the conclusion initially and when we arent. In the long run, that is likely to lead to a lot of good outcomes.

Art Markman is the Annabel Irion Worsham Centennial Professor of Psychology and Marketing and executive director of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.
Texas 2,300-plus nursing homes and assisted living facilities will no longer be able to hide data on outbreaks of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 under a bill signed Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott, though some advocates say the measure doesnt go far enough to ensure transparency.

Senate Bill 930, authored by Sens. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, requires that facilities release the data and that it be subject to Texas Public Information Act requests.

"By allowing for the disclosure of infection information at nursing homes, the bill will right a terrible wrong from the COVID-19 pandemic," Zaffirini said in a statement. "Never again will Texans be left in the dark about the health and safety of their loved ones.

As COVID-19 began spreading last year and taking a devastating toll at adult care facilities, many families were left in the dark about infections and deaths at the facilities housing their loved ones, which had banned visitors because of public health concerns. More than 8,700 residents of Texas nursing homes have died of COVID-19 as of May 9, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Its a bipartisan, no-nonsense bill, said Kelley Shannon, director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Its obvious that nursing home residents and their families need this information so they can make informed decisions.

But some advocates say transparency will still be lacking if the state isnt required to post those statistics in aggregate online  something that they fought with the state over when the Texas Department of Health and Human Services refused to release such data until an attorney general opinion forced its hand.

Zaffirini said her staff worked with a broad range of groups on the bill and didn't ever receive suggested changes, but they are open to making improvements in future sessions.

In the early days of the public health crisis, it was unclear when outbreaks at the facilities were driving surges of infections in certain Texas counties because the state insisted on keeping the facility-specific information out of the public view.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Texas stays mum as feds reveal which nursing homes have coronavirus outbreaks

No one could figure out  at one point, Washington County ranked per capita as the No. 2 hot spot in Texas, and our local newspaper questioned the local nursing homes, and they could get no information, Kolkhorst said. It was only from constituents calling and asking questions that I was finally able to get some answers and get some of our emergency medical teams in (to find out) there had been 20-plus of our residents that had died at a particular nursing home.

INFORMATION VOID: As 11 residents died of COVID-19, College Station care home left families guessing

The health department had received more than two dozen requests for its own database of coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and long-term care facilities. But it told the attorney generals office that privacy laws prohibited the release of the information  even after federal officials released their own version of the data. Last July, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rejected those arguments and said the agency must release the information.

The legal opinion was nonbinding, however; SB 930 makes clear that such information is public under state law. It also ensures compliance from local governments, which were not addressed in the opinion and some of which had continued to withhold the information, Shannon added.

Brian Lee, executive director of the Austin-based nonprofit watchdog group Families for Better Care, said the measure is a step in the right direction but could be made stronger with a posting requirement. Its unclear that DSHS will post the data publicly in a future pandemic, he said, as anything that state officials dont have to do, they wont do.

An agency spokesman did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

That its going to be this kind of segmented, disparate information, on a facility-by-facility basis will be a little bit tough, but at least its there in the law, Lee said. Its a good stab at trying to make information available, but it still makes it tough for people to glean the information in the aggregate.

Lee added that the legislation also does not include any repercussions for facilities that fail to make the data public.

A lot of folks who live in these facilities have cognitive impairments, dementia, Alzheimers; they rely upon their loved ones to make decisions on their behalf, he said.

If the legal representative who is the authorized decision-maker is not able to get good information about whats transpiring in a facility because the facility refuses or neglects to post information, its going to make it that much more difficult for the decision-maker to make good decisions on behalf of their loved ones.

The bill takes effect Sept. 1.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
TULSA, Okla. (AP)  On a recent Sunday, Ernestine Alpha Gibbs returned to Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Not her body. She had left this Earth 18 years ago, at age 100. But on this day, three generations of her family brought Ernestines keepsakes back to this place which meant so much to her. A place that was, like their matriarch, a survivor of a long-ago atrocity.

Albums containing black-and-white photos of the grocery business that has employed generations of Gibbses. VHS cassette tapes of Ernestine reflecting on her life. Ernestines high school and college diplomas, displayed in not-so-well-aged leather covers.

The diplomas were a point of pride. After her community was leveled by white rioters in 1921 -- after the gunfire, the arson, the pillaging -- the high school sophomore temporarily fled Tulsa with her family. I thought I would never, ever, ever come back, she said in a 1994 home video.

But she did, and somehow found a happy ending.

Even though the riot took away a lot, we still graduated, she said, a smile spreading across her face. So, we must have stayed here and we must have done all right after that.

Not that the Gibbs family had it easy. And not that Black Tulsa ever really recovered from the devastation that took place 100 years ago, when nearly every structure in Greenwood, the fabled Black Wall Street, was flattened -- aside from Vernon AME.

The Tulsa Race Massacre is just one of the starkest examples of how Black wealth has been sapped, again and again, by racism and racist violence -- forcing generation after generation to start from scratch while shouldering the burdens of being Black in America.

All in the shadow of a Black paradise lost.

Greenwood proved that if you had assets, you could accumulate wealth, said Jim Goodwin, publisher of the Oklahoma Eagle, the local Black newspaper established in Tulsa a year after the massacre.

It was not a matter of intelligence, that the Black man was inferior to white men. It disproved the whole idea that racial superiority was a fact of life.

___

Prior to the massacre, only a couple of generations removed from slavery, unfettered Black prosperity in America was urban legend. But Tulsas Greenwood district was far from a myth.

Many Black residents took jobs working for families on the white side of Tulsa, and some lived in detached servant quarters on weekdays. Others were shoeshine boys, chauffeurs, doormen, bellhops or maids at high-rise hotels, banks and office towers in downtown Tulsa, where white men who amassed wealth in the oil industry were kings.

But down on Black Wall Street  derided by whites as Little Africa or N-town  Black workers spent their earnings in a bustling, booming city within a city. Black-owned grocery stores, soda fountains, cafes, barbershops, a movie theater, music venues, cigar and billiard parlors, tailors and dry cleaners, rooming houses and rental properties: Greenwood had it.

According to a 2001 report of the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, the Greenwood district also had 15 doctors, a chiropractor, two dentists, three lawyers, a library, two schools, a hospital, and two Black publishers printing newspapers for north Tulsans.

Tensions between Tulsas Black and white populations inflamed when, on May 31, 1921, the white-owned Tulsa Tribune published a sensationalized report describing an alleged assault on Sarah Page, a 17-year-old white girl working as an elevator operator, by Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old Black shoeshine.

Nab Negro for Attacking Girl in Elevator, read the Tribunes headline. The papers editor, Richard Lloyd Jones, had previously run a story extolling the Ku Klux Klan for hewing to the principle of supremacy of the white race in social, political and governmental affairs of the nation.

Rowland was arrested. A white mob gathered outside of the jail. Word that some in the mob intended to kidnap and lynch Rowland made it to Greenwood, where two dozen Black men had armed themselves and arrived at the jail to aid the sheriff in protecting the prisoner.

Their offer was rebuffed and they were sent away. But following a separate deadly clash between the lynch mob and the Greenwood men, white Tulsans took the sight of angry, armed Black men as evidence of an imminent Black uprising.

There were those who said that what followed was not as spontaneous as it seemed -- that the mob intended to drive Black people out of the city entirely, or at least to drive them further away from the citys white enclaves.

Over 18 hours, between May 31 and June 1, whites vastly outnumbering the Black militia carried out a scorched-earth campaign against Greenwood. Some witnesses claimed they saw and heard airplanes overhead firebombing and shooting at businesses, homes and people in the Black district.

More than 35 city blocks were leveled, an estimated 191 businesses were destroyed, and roughly 10,000 Black residents were displaced from the neighborhood where theyd lived, learned, played, worked and prospered.

Although the state declared the massacre death toll to be only 36 people, most historians and experts who have studied the event estimate the death toll to be between 75 and 300. Victims were buried in unmarked graves that, to this day, are being sought for proper burial.

The toll on the Black middle class and Black merchants is clear. According to massacre survivor Mary Jones Parrishs 1922 book, R. T. Bridgewater, a Black doctor, returned to his home to find his high-end furniture piled in the street.

My safe had been broken open, all of the money stolen, Bridgewater said. I lost 17 houses that paid me an average of over $425 per month.

Tulsa Star publisher Andrew J. Smitherman lost everything, except for the metal printing presses that didnt melt in the fires at his newspapers offices. Today, some of his descendants wonder what could have been, if the mob had never destroyed the Smitherman family business.

Wed be like the Murdochs or the Johnson family, you know, Bob Johnson who had BET, said Raven Majia Williams, a descendant of Smithermans, who is writing a book about his influence on Black Democratic politics of his time.

My great-grandfather was in a perfect position to become a media mogul, Williams said. Black businesses were able to exist because they could advertise in his newspaper.

Smitherman moved on to Buffalo, New York, where he opened another newspaper. It was a struggle; eventually, after his death in 1961, the Empire Star went under.

It wasnt a very large office, so Id often see the bills, said his grandson, William Dozier, who worked there as a boy. Many of them were marked past due. We didnt make a lot of money. He wasnt able to pass any money down to his daughters, although he loved them dearly.

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After the fires in Greenwood were extinguished, the bodies buried in unmarked mass graves, and the survivors scattered, insurance companies denied most Black victims loss claims totaling an estimated $1.8 million. Thats $27.3 million in todays currency.

Over the years, the effects of the massacre took different shapes. Rebuilding in Greenwood began as soon as 1922 and continued through 1925, briefly bringing back some of Black Wall Street.

Then, urban renewal in the 1950s forced many Black businesses to relocate further into north Tulsa. Next came racial desegregation that allowed Black customers to shop for goods and services beyond the Black community, financially harming the existing Black-owned business base. That was followed by economic downturns, and the construction of a noisy highway that cuts right through the middle of historic Greenwood.

Chief Egunwale Amusan, president of the African Ancestral Society in Tulsa, regularly gives tours around whats left. Greenwood was much more than what people hear in casual stories about it, he recently told a small tour group as they turned onto Greenwood Avenue in the direction of Archer Avenue.

Interstate 244 dissects the neighborhood like a Berlin wall. But it is easy for visitors to miss the engraved metal markers at their feet, indicating the location of a business destroyed in the massacre and whether it had ever reopened.

H. Johnson Rooms, 314 North Greenwood, Destroyed 1921, Reopened, reads one marker.

Ive read every book, every document, every court record that you can possibly think of that tells the story of what happened in 1921, Amusan told the tour group in mid-April. But none of them did real justice. This is sacred land, but its also a crime scene.

No white person has ever been imprisoned for taking part in the massacre, and no Black survivor or descendant has been justly compensated for who and what they lost.

What happened in Tulsa wasnt just unique to Tulsa, said the Rev. Robert Turner, the pastor of Vernon AME Church. This happened all over the country. It was just that Tulsa was the largest. It damaged our community. And we havent rebounded since. I think its past time that justice be done to atone for that.

Some Black-owned businesses operate today at Greenwood and Archer avenues. But its indeed a shadow of what has been described in books and seen in century-old photographs of Greenwood in its heyday.

A $30 million history center and museum, Greenwood Rising, will honor the legacy of Black Wall Street with exhibits depicting the district before and after the massacre, according to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. But critics have said the museum falls far short of delivering justice or paying reparations to living survivors and their descendants.

Tulsas 1921 Black population of 10,000 grew to roughly 70,500 in 2019, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate; the median household income for Tulsas Black households was an estimated $30,955 in 2019, compared to $55,278 for white households. In a city of an estimated 401,760 people, close to a third of Tulsans living below the poverty line in 2019 were Black, while 12% were white.

The disparities are no coincidence, local elected leaders often acknowledge. The inequalities also show up in business ownership demographics and educational attainment.

Attempts to force Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma to take some accountability for their role in the massacre suffered a major blow in 2005, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear survivors and victim descendants appeal of a lower federal court ruling. The courts had tossed out a civil lawsuit because, justices held, the plaintiffs had waited too long after the massacre to file it.

Now, a few living massacre survivors 106-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107-year-old Viola Fletcher, and 100-year-old Hughes Van Ellis  along with other victims descendants are suing for reparations. The defendants include the local chamber of commerce, the city development authority and the county sheriffs department.

Every time I think about the men and women that weve worked with, and knowing that they died without justice, it just crushes me, said Damario Solomon-Simmons, a native Tulsan who is a lead attorney on the lawsuit and founder of the Justice for Greenwood Foundation.

They all believed that once the conspiracy of silence was pierced, and the world found out about the destruction, the death, the looting, the raping, the maiming, (and) the wealth that was stolen  that they would get justice, that they would have gotten reparations. Solomon-Simmons said.

The lawsuit, which is brought under Oklahomas public nuisance statute, seeks to establish a victims' compensation fund paid for by the defendants. It also demands payment of outstanding insurance policy claims that date back to the massacre.

Republican Mayor G.T. Bynum, who is white (Tulsa has never had a Black mayor), does not support paying reparations to massacre survivors and victims descendants. Bynum said such a use of taxpayers money would be unfair to Tulsans today.

Youd be financially punishing this generation of Tulsans for something that criminals did a hundred years ago, Bynum said. There are a lot of other areas of focus, when you talk about reparations. People talk about acknowledging the disparity that exists, and recognizing that there is work to do in addressing those disparities and making this city one of greater equality.

State Sen. Kevin Matthews, who is Black and chairs the massacre centennial commission, said no discussion of reparations can happen without reconciliation and healing. He believes the Greenwood Rising history center, planned for his legislative district, is a start.

We talked to people in the community, Matthews said. We wanted the story told first. So this is my first step, and I do agree that reparations should happen. Part of reparations is to repair the damage of even how the story was told.

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Among the treasured keepsakes that came home to Vernon AME was a certificate of recent vintage that recognized Ernestine Gibbs as a survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

But for Ernestine and her family, the real pride is not in survival. It is in surmounting disaster, and in carrying on a legacy of Black entrepreneurial spirit that their ancestors exemplified before and after the massacre.

After graduating from Langston University, Ernestine married LeRoy Gibbs. Even as she taught in the Tulsa school system for 40 years, Ernestine and her husband opened a poultry and fish market in the rebuilt Greenwood in the 1940s. They sold turkeys to order during the holidays.

Carolyn Roberts, Ernestines daughter, said although her parents lived with the trauma of the massacre, it never hindered their work ethic: They survived the whole thing and bounced back.

Urban renewal in the late 1950s forced LeRoy and Ernestine to move Gibbs Fish & Poultry Market further into north Tulsa. The family purchased a shopping center, expanded the grocery market and operated other businesses there until they could no longer sustain it.

The shopping center briefly left family hands, but it fell into disrepair under a new owner, who later lost it to foreclosure. Grandson LeRoy Gibbs II and his wife, Tracy, repurchased the center in 2015 and revived it as the Gibbs Next Generation Center. The hope is that the following generation -- including LeRoy Tripp Gibbs III, now 12 -- will carry it on.

LeRoy II credits his grandmother, who not only built wealth and passed it on, but also showed succeeding generations how it was done. It was a lesson that few descendants of the victims of the race massacre had an opportunity to learn.

The perseverance of it is what she tried to pass on to me, said LeRoy Gibbs II. We were fortunate that we had Ernestine and LeRoy.  They built their business.

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Morrison is a member of the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.

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For more AP coverage of the Tulsa Race Massacre anniversary, go to https://apnews.com/hub/tulsa-race-massacre.
FAIRFIELD  A high-ranking member of the towns police department has resigned following investigations into his handling of an employees harassment complaint, the chief said.

Police Capt. Christopher Tursi resigned May 12 after an Internal Affairs probe concluded he mishandled an employee's 2019 harassment complaint and his responses to investigators were untruthful when asked about whether he read text messages sent to the woman.

This incident occurred prior to my tenure as chief. Upon being sworn in, I immediately ordered an Internal Affairs investigation into the matter, Chief Robert Kalamaras said. While our goal is to always be as transparent as possible, this was a sensitive personnel matter where the privacy of the victim was paramount.

Tursis attorney, Norm Pattis, did not respond to requests for comment.

According to an Internal Affairs report obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media, a female employee in the department was subjected to harassment and unwanted conduct from a fellow male employee beginning in August 2018.

According to the report, the woman said the male employee spent months sending her unwanted text messages, leaving unwanted gifts in her office and personal vehicle, as well as making unwelcomed visits to see her in her office.

In May 2019, the female employee reported the incidents to Tursi, who was her direct supervisor, the report said.

Tursi verified her complaint and issued the male employee a verbal order to have no further contact with the woman, according to the Internal Affairs report.

The male employee retired from the department several months later. However, the report said it was not related to the womans complaint.

However, in July 2020 when the woman asked to review the male employees personnel file, she discovered there was no documentation of her complaint and there was no indication a warning was issued to the man, according to the report.

Former Police Chief Chris Lyddy also drafted a written no trespass order on July 20, 2020, prohibiting the male employee from being on the property of the Fairfield Police Department.

According to the Internal Affairs report, the female employee reported this to the towns human resources director, James Haselkamp, in August 2020.

A private attorney, Christopher Hodgson, was asked to conduct a formal inquiry into the matter at the request of Fairfield Town Attorney James Baldwin and the Board of Police Commissioners.

Following the release of Hodgsons final report, Kalamaras ordered the Internal Affairs investigation into the possibility of alleged policy violations that pertain to the mishandling of the investigation by Captain Tursi documented in the Hodgson report.

The Internal Affairs report identifies three major issues resulting from the incident.

The first issue states Tursi improperly discouraged or interfered with the woman when he told her that the male employee she was complaining about was a well-liked guy.

In the summary, Tursi admitted to making the statement to the female employee, but claimed it was not intended to dissuade her from making a complaint. Rather, he said, it was to stress that the man was well liked and if she put that out there and you start talking about it, gossip and rumor mill is going to be, what kind of part did you have in it, according to the report.

It was about [maintaining] confidentiality ... [and] not in any way to dissuade her from making a complaint, Tursi said in the report.

The second issue was that Tursi read the text messages sent to the female employee from the male colleague, told her to delete the messages and then later denied seeing them, according to the report.

The female employee details the incident in her written complaint to Haselkamp, explaining the May 2019 situation.

In the complaint, the woman states she went to Tursis office and told him everything that had led up to that point. She handed the captain her phone so he could read the texts for himself, the complaint said. The female employee stated Tursi assured her he would speak to the man and told her to delete the messages, according to the complaint.

However, during his Internal Affairs interview, Tursi admitted to being verbally told about the text messages, but when asked if he ever read the texts, he responded, I dont believe so, no. I dont think Ive ever seen them, according to the report.

The Internal Affairs report concluded the available evidence strongly supports a conclusion that Captain Tursi did, in fact, read the text messages presented to him by the female employee, and did, thereafter, direct her to delete them. The report states the reasonable inferences based on this show Tursis subsequent denials were untruthful.

The third and final issue highlighted in the report states Tursi originally failed to properly document the female employees harassment complaint in May 2019.

All three issues violate several department policies, according to the report.

Shortly after the conclusion of our internal investigation, Captain Tursi requested the Board of Police Commissioners accept his resignation from the Fairfield Police Department, to which they unanimously agreed, Kalamaras said. Our department is committed to upholding the highest standards of policing, which includes taking all allegations of misconduct seriously, and we will continue to maintain the utmost professionalism and accountability within our ranks.
STAMFORD  While the family of Jennifer Dulos is looking for closure two years since the New Canaan mother vanished, relatives for the woman charged in the case say they are seeking justice of their own.

In the statement released Monday, which marked two years since Jennifer Dulos was last seen, Michelle Troconis family said they sympathize with the mother of fives family while we wait to learn what might have happened to her.

However, they claim its been a difficult period for them as well.

May 24th also marks the beginning of two years of injustice towards Michelle, the statement said. Michelle has been treated as if she were guilty from day one, with police, investigators, the media and members of the public ignoring the presumption of innocence that the United States Constitution claims to offer to all its citizens.

Troconis, who grew up in Argentina, was Fotis Dulos girlfriend when his estranged wife vanished on May 24, 2019.

Troconis and Fotis Dulos were first arrested in connection with the disappearance on June 1, 2019. Troconis has been accused of trying to create an alibi for her former boyfriend and helping to clean up a truck police say was used in the crime, according to arrest warrants in the case.

Troconis has since been arrested two more times and has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, including conspiracy to commit murder.

Kent Mawhinney, a former attorney and friend of Fotis Dulos, was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in January 2020. Mawhinney has pleaded not guilty and could testify against Troconis if her case goes to trial, prosecutors have said.

Fotis Dulos died by suicide in January 2020 while facing murder, kidnapping and other charges in the case. Police said they believe he was lying in wait for his estranged wife to return from dropping off their children at school the morning of the disappearance.

Police said Jennifer Dulos was the victim of a serious physical assault in the garage of her New Canaan home. While her remains have never been recovered, the states chief medical examiner said she would not have survived the attack without immediate medical attention, according to the arrest warrants.

Troconis, free on more than $2 million bond, is scheduled to appear Tuesday for a hearing in state Superior Court in Stamford.

Her attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, has maintained in court filings that his client repeatedly told police she had nothing to do with the disappearance.

Troconis family said she spent hours meeting with police investigators and prosecutors trying to help solve the mystery of the disappearance. The family claims the arrest warrants falsify what she told them and reach conclusions without facts to support them.

The family said the media has portrayed Troconis as a malicious and calculating woman.

We value and respect the role of women in our society and oppose domestic abuse and discrimination, and therefore, support promoting womens rights and protection, the statement said. We will continue to support Michelle during this most difficult time for our family and we trust that justice and her innocence will prevail in the end. It is just a matter of time.
Nearly 82,347 fishermen received messages successfully on cyclone alert on Monday and this means that they are aware of the storm and on the safe side.  Representational image/PTI

VIJAYAWADA: Fishermen in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh are put on high alert not to venture into the sea and secure their assets like boats and fishing nets along the shore, in the wake of impending cyclonic storm Yaas.

Though the IMD forecast the intensity of the storm to be relatively less on AP, the state fisheries authorities sounded alert among the fishermen from nine coastal districts from Srikakulam to Nellore not to venture into the sea.

The ban on marine fishing which lasts up to June 30, has come handy during the time of the storm, as no motorised and mechanised boats are permitted for fishing in the sea during that period with an exception for traditional boats to fish in shallow waters near the shoreline.

However, keeping in mind some section of fishermen flouting the norms and venturing into the sea on traditional crafts and also on motorised boats for a brief period during the early hours of the day during the impending storm, the fisheries authorities are carrying out awareness programme at all fish landing centres to ensure that none violate the rule to ensure their safety.

As fishermen keep their boats, fishing nets and other equipment on the shore, the authorities advised them to secure them so that they may not be washed away in case of occurrence of high tide in the sea.

A senior official from the fisheries department said, Though AP is not going to have a major impact of the storm, still we have advised our fishermen to be on the safe side by avoiding venturing into sea on traditional boats and others in violation of norms. Our personnel are keeping close watch at the fish landing centres to keep check on movement of the fishermen and boats.

Meanwhile, Kakinada-based Reliance Foundation which sends both text and voice messages on weather conditions and other issues to farmers and fishermen on their mobile phones on a regular basis, has been sending cyclone alerts to the fishermen from its whether cell in the last two days alerting them about the storm and asking them not to venture into the sea and reach shore immediately in case if they are already in the sea.

Reliance Foundation state coordinator for AP and TS, N Chittibabu said, Nearly 82,347 fishermen received messages successfully on cyclone alert on Monday and this means that they are aware of the storm and on the safe side.

The AP government recently gave away a financial incentive worth Rs 10,000 each to over one lakh fishermen under YSR Matsyakara Bharosa Scheme to compensate for not going for fishing in the sea during the ban period.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka has received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine donated by China as the Indian Ocean island nation faces severe shortage of vaccines amid a recent rise in infections.

The vaccine stock that arrived early Wednesday is the second donation from China, following a shipment of 600,000 doses in March.

Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of vaccine after the producer in neighboring India failed to provide the promised Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine stocks. The government on Tuesday agreed to buy 14 million doses of Sinopharm from China.

The current vaccination program is focused on Sri Lankas Western province, which includes the capital of Colombo and its suburbs. It is where the majority of the countrys coronavirus cases have been.

Sri Lanka so far has reported 167,172 coronavirus cases and 1,243 deaths from COVID-19.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 Mascots, prizes rally students to get vaccinated at US schools

 Moderna says its COVID-19 shot works in kids as young as 12

 Japan says US travel warning for virus wont hurt Olympians

 Volunteers in One Good Thing keep on giving a year later

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HONOLULU  Hawaii is no longer requiring people to wear face masks outdoors as the number of coronavirus cases drops and more people get vaccinated.

Gov. David Ige said Tuesday that he will maintain a requirement that people wear masks indoors, whether or not someone is vaccinated. He also says he will encourage people who are in large groups outdoors to continue to wear masks.

Ige says that starting June 1, he will allow ocean sports competitions like surfing contests and canoe paddling races to take place.

The governor says 57% of Hawaiis residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine while just under half the population has been fully vaccinated.

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PORTLAND, Ore.  For the first time in months, restaurants in Oregons most populous county  home to Portland  will open for 50% capacity for indoor dining after meeting vaccination goals.

Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that half of Oregons counties, including Multnomah County, will move to the lower risk level Thursday.

This category allows a significant reduction in pandemic restrictions  allowing 50% capacity for indoor dinging, theaters, gyms and other indoor entertainment spaces. It also expands indoor gatherings to 10 people and retail store capacity to 75%.

Currently, more than half of Oregons eligible population who are 16 or older have received at least a first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

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UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations humanitarian chief says that despite last years U.N. call for global cease-fires to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, many conflicts never stopped, including in Syria, Yemen and Congo and new ones erupted.

Mark Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that this has made it more difficult to control the spread of the coronavirus and care for infected people in many countries. He cites multiple reports of atrocities against civilians caught in conflicts during the pandemic.

Lowcock says insecurity, sanctions, counter-terrorism measures and administrative hurdles are hindering humanitarian operations. And he says the pandemic has made aid deliveries worse because of suspended flights, border closures, quarantine measures and lockdowns.

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HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BATON ROUGE, La.  Gov. John Bel Edwards is scrapping nearly every remaining coronavirus restriction in Louisiana and lifting the statewide requirement that students must wear a mask in the classroom and at school events.

The Democratic governor announced Tuesday that hell keep the statewide public health emergency declaration in place. But Louisiana will have almost none of the rules governing businesses and behavior over the last 15 months of the pandemic.

Edwards cited the wide availability of the coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana.

Masks still will be required on public transit, in health care facilities and in prisons. Schools, businesses and local government officials can decide if they want to mandate masks.

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WAILUKU, Hawaii  Police in Hawaii say an Oregon woman was arrested last week because she violated travel quarantine rules meant to protect the islands from the spread of coronavirus.

Maui police say 36-year-old Kelsey Newcomer didnt have a negative COVID-19 test from an approved facility when she arrived on a flight from Seattle. Police say she also didnt have approved lodging where she could complete at 10-day mandatory quarantine.

She was taken to a police station and later agreed to leave the island of Maui and return to Oregon. Travelers to Hawaii must comply with the states pre-travel testing program, even those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

She couldnt immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

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HARTFORD, Conn.  A judge has upheld Connecticuts requirement that children wear masks in schools, rejecting a challenge by some parents who say mask wearing can be harmful and education officials exceeded their authority.

A Superior Court judge in Hartford released his ruling Monday in response to a lawsuit filed by the CT Freedom Alliance and several parents and their children. The decision affirms the legitimacy of mask requirements in schools this academic year but does not give guidance for the next school year.

The CT Freedom Alliance says it will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying they can cause students distress and falsely claiming they are not useful despite assurances from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts that masks help prevent spread of the coronavirus.

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DENVER  Colorado will have a weekly lottery for five residents to win $1 million to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday that the state is setting aside $5 million of federal coronavirus relief funds that would have gone toward vaccine advertising for five residents to win $1 million each. The drawings will take place every week starting June 4 until July 7.

Every resident who has been vaccinated by the end of May will be entered in the first drawing. In order to be eligible for the drawing, residents need to be at least 18 years old and have received at least one dose of the approved coronavirus vaccines.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas will be giving lottery tickets and gift certificates for hunting and fishing licenses to people who get the coronavirus vaccine.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says $20 scratch-off lottery tickets or $20 Game and Fish gift certificates will be offered to residents who get the first dose of the vaccine starting Tuesday.

The incentives will be available starting June 1 at local health units or special events around the state.

Arkansas has had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and Tuesdays announcement follows efforts in other states to offer incentives.

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WASHINGTON  White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt says we need to get to the bottom of the origins of the pandemic pathogen and the World Health Organization and China need to do more to provide definitive answers for the global community.

The precise origin of the virus remains undetermined and speculation has reigned about whether it jumped from animals to humans or whether it could have escaped from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan, the city that saw the first outbreak.

We need a completely transparent process from China, Slavitt said at Tuesdays coronavirus task force briefing. Full assistance from the WHO is needed, and we dont have that now.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said many of us feel like it was a natural occurrence, but we dont know 100% and it is imperative to investigate.

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MEXICO CITY  San Diego County and private businesses have donated 10,000 coronavirus vaccines to vaccinate workers at U.S.-owned border assembly plants in Tijuana.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard says the program is aimed at helping equalize vaccination rates at closely connected points along the U.S.-Mexico border.

This is the first cross-border agreement we have had. This is surely going to grow a lot, Ebrard said. We plan to replicate this all along the border.

The vaccines are being administered by medical personnel from the University of California, San Diego, at the San Ysidro border crossing. The program started Monday with about 150 to 200 shots administered per hour.

Mexico has had a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, and has received only about 34.2 million doses for a population of 126 million. Since most vaccines require two doses, Mexico has only vaccinated about 15% of its population so far.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland held its first of 40 consecutive $40,000 lottery drawings on Tuesday for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one of several states using lottery prizes to encourage people to get inoculated.

The Maryland Lottery says the first winner lives in Baltimore County. There will be 39 more drawings for $40,000 in the $2 million total promotion, which ends with a $400,000 drawing prize on July 4.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 68.3% of Maryland adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Larry Hogan is hoping to reach 70% by Memorial Day.

Marylands statewide COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped below 2% for the first time during the pandemic. The state is reporting 160 new confirmed cases, the lowest number since March 26, 2020. Hospitalizations from the virus reached a seven-month low with 442, the lowest level since Oct. 19.

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ATLANTA  Gov. Brian Kemp says public agencies in Georgia cant require people to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Republican governor issued an executive order Tuesday banning vaccine passports and saying state immunization records cant be shared with any private company aiming to create such a record.

A number of Republican-led states have moved to ban vaccine passports, even though they are not in widespread use in the U.S. Kemps order mostly doesnt apply to private businesses.

Spokesperson Cody Hall says the move wont ban prisons, mental hospitals or juvenile justice facilities from asking whether inmates or patients have been vaccinated.

The order doesnt ban the state from including an entry for COVID-19 vaccines on the standard immunization record for children entering childcare or school. The forms dont currently have an entry.

The University System of Georgia already announced it wont mandate vaccines for students or staff.

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SAN DIEGO  A growing number of U.S. public schools are using mascots, food trucks and prize giveaways to encourage students to get vaccinated before summer vacation.

The massive effort to create a pep-rally atmosphere comes only weeks after the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine was approved for younger adolescents ages 12 to 15. Administrators want to get as many shots in students arms as possible and hope it will pave the way to return to regular classes in the fall.

So far, about 14% of the nations 15 million kids ages 12 to 15 have received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 7.5 million teens ages 16 to 17, that number goes up to 34%, and about 22% have had both shots, according to the latest figures released Monday. The doses are scheduled about three weeks apart.

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TOKYO  Tokyo officials were quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan will have an impact on Olympians.

Japan is determined to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to open on July 23. The U.S. cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan. Most metro areas in Japan are under a state of emergency .

Those areas are expected to remain so through mid-June because rising COVID-19 cases are putting pressure on the countrys medical care systems. That causes concern about how the country could cope with the arrival of tens of thousands of Olympic participants if its hospitals remain stressed and so few of its population vaccinated.

About 2% of people in Japan have been vaccinated. No international fans are allowed at the Tokyo Olympics.

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NEW YORK  U.S. health officials say coronavirus cases in fully vaccinated people remain rare.

The CDC on Tuesday issued a report on these breakthrough cases through the end of April, when 101 million Americans were fully vaccinated. Of those, about 10,300 breakthrough infections were reported  thats about 1 infection in every 10,000 fully vaccinated people, based on the available data.

Nearly two-thirds were women, and the median age of all cases was 58. About 25% of the infections involved people who didnt have symptoms. About 10% were hospitalized and about 2% died.

The report is based on voluntary reporting by 46 states and territories and isnt considered a complete tally of all breakthrough infections that may have occurred. Health officials say no vaccine is perfect and infections were expected in some vaccinated people.
Broadry  While major national parks and large family attractions tend to grab travel headlines, there are still plenty of under-the-radar destinations to consider visiting this summer. RVshare, the largest peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace, put together a list of some of their top camping-friendly picks:

South Higgins Lake State Park, MI

With nearly a 5-star rating by visitors on Google, this 1,364-acre park in Michigan is as Instagram-worthy as it gets.Theres 1 mile of shoreline along Higgins Lake where families can sit and watch the boats go by all summer long.

Camping:

Advertiser disclosure: Broadry features the latest travel news and trends from our members. If you buy something through a link on this article, that company may receive a commission.

Dixie National Forest, UT

Utahs Zion National Park is one of the most visited parks in the country, but the Dixie National Forest has plenty to brag about too. For starters, the forest has plenty of hiking and fishing. The views are also spectacular with Red Canyon-esque red sandstone formations and expansive views from the top of Powell Point. Campers can also spread out and feel like they have the forest all to themselves.

Camping:

Go to the Sun Road, MT

Montanas Go to the Sun Road makes the list thanks to its spectacular views. It passes through almost every kind of terrain  from tundras to cedar forests to large glacial lakes. The destination is included in the National Register of Historic Places and has plenty of picnic-worthy viewpoints along the way.

Camping:

Lake McCouaughy, NE

Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area, home to the largest reservoir in Nebraska, is an ideal spot for campers with clear waters, sandy beaches, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun.

Camping:

Assateague Island, VA

Assateague Island in Virginia is a beauty. Visitors come here to watch wild horses gallop along the beach, migrating tree swallows take flying breaks on the boardwalk, and wake up early to see the sun rise over the salt marsh.

Camping:

Lake Port State Park, MI

Lakeport State Park provides southeast Michigan residents access to Lake Huron. The park has two distinct units separated by the village of Lakeport. Campers can have their pick of 250 sites. All sites with a picnic table, fire circle, electricity, access to modern toilet shower buildings.

Camping:

Devils Lake State Park, WI

Tucked in Baraboo, Wisconsin, this 9,000-acre park anchors more than 27,000 acres of parkland and natural areas open to public recreation in Sauk County. Hikers can explore East Bluff Trail to view the expansive vistas and rock formations around the park. Takes about 3-4 hours.

Camping:

Nehalem State Park, OR

Nehalem State Park in Oregon (near Tillamook) is uniquely situated between the ocean and the bay. Bikers are encouraged to take a ride along the forested 1.8 mile path (you may even see an Elk or deer grazing).

Camping:

Oshkosh, WI

This family-friendly location is smack dab in the middle of Lake Butte des Mortes and Lake Winnebago. Ideal for budding fishing enthusiasts, this area of Wisconsin has lakes and ponds packed with panfish, northern pike, sturgeon, and catfish.

Camping:

Advertiser disclosure: Broadry features the latest travel news and trends from our members. If you buy something through a link on this article, that company may receive a commission.
Scottish pig producers are experiencing a strong seasonal upturn, with farmgate prices rising 8% from a low point in late February.

Although pig prices remain 9% below their level at this time last year, they remain above mid-May levels from 2018 and 2019, Quality Meat Scotland's (QMS) new analysis shows.

Stuart Ashworth, QMS chief economist, says that although the UK is around 66% self-sufficient in pig meat, there are some cuts with limited UK demand.

This means exports continue to play a key part in maximising carcase revenue for pig meat processors, just as the price of imported product does.

The pig meat sector provides an interesting case study for the significance of international trade and the terms and conditions on which they take place," he said.

"This includes the measures taken internationally at the border to protect animal health and food safety, and how they impact not only on farmgate prices but productive capacity."

Incursion of disease can significantly destabilise the marketplace and border control measures to prevent, or reduce, the risk of a disease incursion are a key component to minimising the public and private cost of controlling a disease outbreak.

Mr Ashworth said: It has been well documented how measures taken to control African swine fever (ASF) have devastated the sow herd in China and, to a lesser extent, in several European countries. For example, compared to 5 years ago, Romania reports a 14% smaller sow herd and Poland a 5% decline.

Measures taken to control animal disease locally can significantly impact on trade, again as the global pig market shows.

"The reduction in the sow herd in China resulted in significant growth in import demand from there. For example, the UK and the EU nearly tripled exports to China between 2018 and 2020."

However, controls to minimise the risk of introducing a disease into a country - whether that be an animal disease, such as ASF, or a human disease, such as Covid  can lead to blanket bans of supplies from an affected nation, or part of a nation, to specific processor exclusions.

The global pork sector illustrates the challenge, with recent reporting of ASF in Germany resulting in China banning imports of German pork and temporary closure of some pig processing plants due to Covid-19 controls in the UK led to the removal of approved supplier status by China for those plants.

The consequence of restrictions on individual sites is to compromise their competitiveness with plants still able to trade with China," Mr Ashworth explained.

"While the EU reported a 30% growth in pig meat exports to China during January and February compared to the same period last year, with Spain gaining at Germanys expense; the UK saw no growth at all."

Mr Ashworth explains how such disruptions impact market prices: Although Spanish and German producer prices remain lower than a year ago, partially as a consequence of differences in market access, Spains price is around 6% lower than last year while German prices are 27% lower and, unusually, lower than Spanish prices.

The loss of German exports to China also impacted on UK trade to Germany in the final quarter of 2020 by reducing demand.

It also led to some increase in German exports to the UK, particularly in November and December, as they sought alternative markets.

While this brief discussion illustrates the complexities of international trade flows it also illustrates the importance of good sanitary and phytosanitary, or SPS, controls within international trade deals as well as market access in supporting markets, Mr Ashworth said.
British pig producers have raised concern following news that MEPs may introduce new legislation paving the way for a ban on the use of cages in EU farming.

The EU Parliaments Agriculture Committee urged the Commission on 21 May to propose a revision of existing rules on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes.

These changes would phase out the use of cages, including farrowing crates and insemination stalls, after an appropriate transition period and a solid, scientific impact assessment, possibly by 2027'.

The UK's National Pig Association (NPA) said an EU-wide ban 'now looks inevitable', but the 2027 start date was 'completely unrealistic'.

The industry body also warned that the changes would 'effectively wipe out EU pig production'.

Defra recently confirmed it was considering the case for further reforms on areas such as the use of farrowing crates, as it launched its new Animal Welfare Action Plan.

But the NPA said that its position was that UK 'does not need a ban' and that a voluntary transition would be 'far less destructive'.

On Friday 21 May, MEPs explained that alternatives to cage farming existed and were being successfully implemented in a number of member states.

These alternative systems should be further improved and encouraged at national level, but EU legislation was needed to ensure a level-playing field for farmers across the bloc, they added.

The draft resolution was approved in the Agriculture Committee by 39 votes in favour to four against, with three abstentions.

It will now have to be scrutinised by the European Parliament as a whole, most likely during the 7-10 June plenary session.

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said the development highlighted that the pressure to phase out farrowing crates was not just coming to the UK.

"An EU-wide ban now looks inevitable, but the 2027 date, which has been proposed by welfare groups, needs to be taken with a massive pinch of salt.

That is clearly not gradual phasing. Given our initial assessment of the sheer scale of the work required just for the UK alone, 2027 is a completely unrealistic target date, which would effectively wipe out EU pig production."

She added: "We, and our EU farming colleagues at COPA, believe that in order to allow a sensible transition, we need to be looking at more like 30 years.

As far as the UK is concerned, our position is that UK does not need a ban and that a voluntary transition would be far less destructive."

If the UK did end up with a ban, either of new crates or new and existing ones, then it must ensure a sensible transition period, Ms Davies said.

"And, as proposed at EU level, comprehensive support for producers to help manage that transition.

"It will also be absolutely critical that some form of temporary crating is permitted to ensure piglet survival.

In addition, we would need measures, possibly legislative, to ensure the same standards apply to imports," she added.
Police have arrested vegan and animal rights activists after they blockaded numerous McDonald's distribution centres for two days running.

The protestors, part of the campaign group Animal Rebellion, called on the world's largest fast-food chain to become 100% plant-based by 2025.

Up to 100 demonstrators blockaded depot centres in Hemel Hempstead, Basingstoke, Coventry and Greater Manchester.

Customers reported a shortage of menu items in some of the chain's restaurants.

The campaigners urged McDonald's to transition to a plant-based food system to 'stop the climate crisis and end the suffering of animals'.

(Photo: Animal Rebellion)

James Ozden, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion, claimed the protests, which occurred from Saturday to Sunday (22-23 May), disrupted an estimated 1,900 lorries.

"The meat and dairy industry is destroying our planet: causing huge amounts of rainforest deforestation, emitting immense quantities of greenhouse gases and killing billions of animals each year," he said.

"The only sustainable and realistic way to feed ten billion people is with a plant-based food system. Organic, free-range and 'sustainable' animal-based options simply aren't good enough."

Hampshire Police confirmed eight people were arrested in Basingstoke and have been charged with aggravated trespass.

(Photo: Animal Rebellion)

Five of those people have been released on conditional police bail to appear at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 8 June.

Three others have been released on conditional police bail to appear at the same court on 10 June.

Chief inspector Matt Reeves said: Everyone has the right to free speech and protest. However, officers will take necessary action against the few who deliberately choose to act outside the law.

A spokesman for McDonalds confirmed that all four sites had reopened as of Monday (24 May), and were back delivering to the company's 1,300 restaurants.

Over 23,000 farmers across the UK and Republic of Ireland supply the fast-food chain.
Henry Mason took on his first free range flock in 2019, and believes that taking a whole farm approach will help to prepare his family business for future challenges.

Set in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds, the Masons family farm is predominantly arable, but is also home to a suckler herd, sheep, pigs, and most recently, a 64,000 bird free range flock producing eggs for Morrisons.

Henry is a big believer that these different enterprises can work together to create a more stable and efficient business, an approach he has tried to implement since returning to the family farm.

He said: After I finished school, I went away and studied crop management at Harper Adams, and a lot of the course focused on sustainability, which got me thinking about how we could make the most of our least productive grassland.

Once he had graduated from Harper Adams, Henry returned to the family farm: My brother and I both came back home at around the same time, and had similar ideas about how we wanted to approach the business.

"We looked at how we could expand and decided to go down the poultry route because we thought it would fit well within the rest of our farming enterprises."

Taking the plunge

In 2019 they built their first 32,000 bird house and last year completed the construction of their second.

Henry said: It was a very big investment, but we believe it allows us to be as efficient as possible, because we can run our egg packing room to its full potential, and has allowed our staff to work more efficiently.

However, he admitted that the scale of the investment was daunting: My knowledge of poultry was very limited, which made doing something on this scale, with such a huge start-up cost, very intimidating.

"But we wanted to ensure that we had the best possible system for our hens welfare in the long-term."

He also said that the biggest challenge was getting planning permission: Planning was one of the hardest things and the extensive application for an environmental permit on the second in particular was extremely stressful and expensive.

I am glad we persisted now, and we were fortunate to have received such good support from Morrisons both in the planning stages, but also in designing the houses and tackling the auditing and paperwork.

In 2018 Morrisons acquired the Yorkshire based packer Chippindale Foods, adding to their integrated manufacturing model.

Henry explained that the ability to work directly with the retailer was one of the things that attracted him to Morrisons.

In my eyes Morrisons have to be the most efficient option because they cut out the middle man.

"I would like to think that leaves them well positioned to react to changing markets and support their producers, for example during times when feed prices are particularly high.

Producer power

Since signing up with Morrisons, Henry has been impressed with the amount of influence producers have had.

Producer meetings have had to be remote over the last year, but they have still provided a valuable platform for us to raise our opinions, he said.

Earlier this year producers were clearly facing unprecedented high feed costs at the same time as the egg market was booming.

"As a group of producers, we were able to form a listening group with some of the directors at Morrisons and we were offered longer-term contracts as well as a new feed tracker being developed.

"It is ideal to have that relationship with the retailer and nice that we now have an element of security against the volatility of the markets.

Henry also supplies for Morrisons Chuckle Eggs range which was set up following input from a producer meeting and allows customers to directly give back to producers for the environmental work they are doing on farm.

As a result, Henry has 20% of his range planted with trees and a handful of bee friendly flower plots across his farm.

He said: Schemes like this show that we as producers do have a say in the governance of how our eggs are farmed, whilst it is another thing to help us prepare for the future and look after the farm as a whole.

Net zero

As part of Henrys desire to future proof the family business, he has been looking at ways in which he can reduce the farms carbon footprint.

This aligns with Morrisons ambitious aim of having all of their producers net zero on carbon emissions by 2030 and to be selling a net zero egg by the end of next year.

Henry has been looking at ways to reduce the family farm's carbon footprint

Agriculture is clearly moving towards a net zero target and that is the way we want our business to go in terms of it being as sustainable as possible, Henry explained.

As well as our involvement in the Chuckle Eggs scheme, we are also part of the early adopter group of Morrisons producers who are inputting data into Eggbase as part of a trial project to find the areas producers can best target to reduce their carbon footprint.

As part of both Henrys desire to reach net zero, as well as his whole farm approach, he has made investments in renewable energy.

He said: We have installed a 200kw solar system that covers the roof area on the houses.

"We were surprised by how much electricity we were using in our first year and so we saw this as a way to tackle that and keep things in-house where possible.

He added: We also have air source heat pumps installed in the houses that heat the radiators in the egg packing house as well as a shower that we have installed.

Recently Morrisons have partnered with Henrys former university, Harper Adams, to set up a School of Sustainable Food and Farming, which will be centred on how to achieve net zero in agriculture.

Henry believes it can only be a step forward: I hope that initiatives like this can help to bring some of the science and data that is out there into practice on a farm.

For example, one area where this could potentially make a difference is in terms of manure management - we lose a lot of nitrogen when spreading poultry manure, so what can we do to enable the farmer to maximise that resource?"

Initiatives like this can uncover better data and help direct farmers to manage their businesses better, Henry added.

British Egg Academy

When Henry began to explore the possibilities of expanding into free range, he was surprised by the lack of courses and training available for him to learn about the poultry sector.

I did a degree in crop management and my only experience with hens was the handful I kept when I was a boy, so I was throwing myself straight in at the deep end with this venture.

"Fortunately, I had a lot of support from Morrisons, but I found that the options available to learn about the industry were very limited.

However, Morrisons, in association with 30 different companies and organisations across the industry, have launched the British Egg Academy at Bishop Burton College.

It is a one year course aimed at 16-17 year olds that hopes to get more young people involved in the laying sector.

Henry said: I think this is just what the industry needs, the course involves a lot of work experience.

"Because there are so many partners, it means students can get a good understanding of the industry as a whole and decide what area they would like to be involved in.

Moving forward

Henry believes that implementing his whole farm approach will continue to improve the business in the future.

In our eyes it is about continuing to implement different enterprises that benefit each other in a symbiotic relationship," he said.

For example, the manure from our poultry and livestock helps on the arable side, whilst we produce enough crops to feed our own stock.

"We do not mill and mix our own feed at the moment, but that is something I am interested in looking at going forward.

"The free range setup helps keep the business stable because of the consistent cashflow  we are getting paid every week whereas with the arable side you wait all year to sell something and cannot be sure what price you will get.

We will keep striving as a business to become more efficient, by being open minded and looking at different things like manure management, the way we source our feeds, and even the possibility of diversifying beyond agriculture.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

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Rosenberg, TX (77471)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.


Saif Ali Khan has revealed that there was this one point in his career when he realised that things weren't really working out for him and this realisation helped him to follow his heart as an actor instead of chasing money and stardom. You have to not be scared and you have to not be vain. You have to be really connected. Either that can come from a state of complete security or just that you have nothing to lose. It might have been a combination of both for me. I dont know when it happened but at some point I realised that if this career is not going to work out, let it not work out. I made interesting choices, let me be a good actor and learn, the actor told a leading film website.





I think there came a point where I said, Listen, things arent really working, so let me just enjoy it, rather than chasing money and stardom by doing Love Aaj Kal 2 or whatever. Let me do Kaalakaandi and some fun things, and reinvent, he added. Saif has been experimental with his choices of late. He's done films like Kaalakaandi and Laal Kaptaan and also starred as a politician in Tandav. As for future projects, he has Bunty Aur Babli 2, Bhoot Police and Adipurush coming up.
On Sunday night, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan brought in her mother, Vrinda Rai's birthday. The superstar shared images from the cosy celebration which also featured her husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan and daughter, Aaradhya. In the pictures, Vrinda Rai can be seen surrounded by three cakes and a huge bouquet of lilies and roses. Little Aaradhya is also seen giving her grandmother a hug. "HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY DARLING MOMMYYY-DODDAAA LOVE YOUUU," wrote Rai Bachchan in the caption of one picture, in all caps.

"WE LOVE YOUUU INFINITELY YOU ARE OUR WORLD GOD BLESS YOU OUR ANGEL," she captioned another post. Rai Bachchan's Instagram feed is littered with images of her family, especially of daughter Aaradhya. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan got married to each other in 2007 and welcomed Aaradhya in 2011. "I first met her when I was a production boy. There was a film my father (Amitabh Bachchan) was making called Mrityudata, and I had gone for the location recce to Switzerland, because the company felt that because I had grown up in Switzerland in boarding school that I would be able to take them to nice locations," Abhishek Bachchan had revealed on a popular YouTube channel.
Shah Rukh Khan has been away from the big screen since Aanand L. Rais Zero and fans couldnt be more excited to see him in YRFs Pathan. The actor will be seen in his rugged hero avatar and the film also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead.

Thats not all thats got our attention. Superstar Salman Khan will also be seen in a cameo in the film and its going to be a crossover scene for YRFs Spy Universe. Salmans Tiger will make a grand entry in a helicopter to rescue SRKs character in Pathan from the Russian Gun mafia. The scene is also 20 minutes long and will have hand combat sequences with both the superstars.

Reports also suggest that anyone who has seen the rushes of the film has gone gaga over how good the film is turning out. Before this, Salman has also made a small appearance in Zero and SRK and he had shaken their legs to a groovy tune.
DGAP-Ad-hoc: Dexus Finance Pty Limited / Key word(s): Personnel

Dexus Finance Pty Limited: Senior management retention awards



25-May-2021 / 02:30 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Dexus (ASX: DXS)

ASX release

25 May 2021

Senior management retention awards

Dexus today announces that the Board of Dexus Funds Management Limited has implemented arrangements to retain three Key Management Personnel (KMP), including Dexus's CEO.

These measures comprise the introduction of a once-off CEO Incentive Award to Dexus's CEO, Darren Steinberg, vesting over a three-year period as well as the issuing of once-off Retention Equity Awards to both Deborah Coakley (Dexus's Executive General Manager, Funds Management) and Ross Du Vernet (Dexus's Chief Investment Officer) vesting over a three and four-year period.

Dexus Chairman Richard Sheppard said: "Darren is well regarded as one of Australia's leading Chief Executives with a proven track record of creating value for investors, at Dexus and across multiple real estate businesses. The Dexus Board unanimously supports retaining and rewarding Darren over the next three years which will provide the necessary leadership, industry experience, judgement and skills to navigate the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities expected across the Australian real estate market."

Since joining Dexus in March 2012, Mr Steinberg has led a significant period of growth and transformation of the group. Dexus is now a sustainable and resilient property company with a growing funds management business and a track record of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns for investors from high-quality real estate. Over Mr Steinberg's tenure he has delivered an annual compound return1 of 12.9% versus the ASX 200 REIT sector of 11.7%.

Mr Sheppard said "Dexus is currently moving into a growth phase consistent with the group's strategic objective of being a wholesale partner of choice and its focus on expanding and diversifying the funds management business. The Retention Equity Award reinforces the importance of Deborah and Ross to the leadership at Dexus and delivering on this objective."

Mr Du Vernet joined Dexus in May 2012 and Ms Coakley joined Dexus in April 2013. Both have held various roles across the group during this time, making a significant contribution to the delivery of Dexus's strategy.

CEO Incentive Award

The CEO Incentive Award will be issued in the form of Dexus performance rights with a face value of

$3.5 million. The issue date is 1 June 2021 and the number of Dexus performance rights will be determined by the Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) of DXS securities over a three-month period ending 31 May 2021.

Performance will be based on the Board's overall assessment of how well the CEO has navigated the challenges in the office market, maintained a market leading position in ESG and delivered long-term value for Security holders. The Board will determine the percentage of Performance Rights to vest with reference to these over-arching items and the successful delivery of key strategic initiatives over the three-year period. These initiatives include:

Diversification of capital partners and investors, and overall growth in funds management

Strategic acquisition and divestment of assets across the Dexus investment portfolio, and

Progressing the group development pipeline.

There are also threshold conditions of service continuity and behavioural and corporate governance standards which must be met for any performance rights to vest.

Retention Equity Award

The Retention Equity Award is a once-off award to Ms Coakley and Mr Du Vernet.

The awards, each with a face value of $1.5 million at the time of grant in December 2020, were issued as Dexus security rights with a service-based hurdle, a threshold of governance and behavioural standards and have no 'good leaver' provisions. 50% of the award vests at the end of three years and 50% vests at the end of four years.

For both the CEO Incentive Award and the Retention Equity Award, DXS securities will be acquired on-market and held in trust, with no distributions payable prior to vesting.

Further details relating to the CEO Incentive Award and the Retention Equity Award will be provided in the Remuneration Report of the 2021 Annual Report to be released on Tuesday 17 August 2021.

Authorised by the Board of Dexus Funds Management Limited

For further information please contact:

Investors

Rowena Causley

Senior Manager, Investor Relations

+61 2 9017 1390

+61 416 122 383

rowena.causley@dexus.com Media

Louise Murray

Senior Manager, Corporate Communications

+61 2 9017 1446

+61 403 260 754

louise.murray@dexus.com

1. From 31 March 2012 to 31 March 2021. Source: Factset 2021.
BEIJING, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CNPIEC (China National Publication Import & Export Group Co., Ltd.) reached an e-book distribution agreement with Bolinda (Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd.) on May 17, 2021, and will soon distribute over 3,000 Chinese titles through Bolinda's platform to public libraries in Commonwealth countries.

CNPIEC is committed to the global distribution of Chinese digital content. CNPIEC has reached distribution collaboration with leading international digital content distributors such as OverDrive, ProQuest, Gardners, etc. CNPIEC's the Chinese digital content has reached over 1,003 institutional users in 106 countries around the world.

'We are very happy to be working with Bolinda to distribute our content to the Commonwealth countries.' Digital Content Sales Director Jason Yuan said, 'As one of the first publication import and export companies in China, we have very close business relationship with all major Chinese publishers. We are looking forward to seeing their valuable content reaching new readers through Bolinda's global distribution networks.'

'We are very excited to be able to offer our customers a great range of Chinese content from CNPIEC' said Tracy Leeming Business Executive at Bolinda, 'We are constantly being asked by our customers for high-quality Chinese eBook content and were unable to supply this until now. We are looking forward to working with CNPIEC going forward.'

The cooperation between CNPIEC and Bolinda will broaden CNPIEC's international distribution network for digital content, especially for strengthening the coverage of the institutional market in the Commonwealth countries.

China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC) is the largest importer-exporter in the Chinese publishing industry. Focused on evolving into a world-class digital distributor and wholesaler, CNPIEC is creating a group structure encompassing activities including publications import and export, digital resource services, international exhibition services, print on demand, and international publishing,.

Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd is a comprehensive international media company integrating electronic library distribution, printing and other diversified operations. It has been deeply involved in the Commonwealth National Public Library for more than 20 years and has branches in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and other places.

Visit us on social media:

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Allschwil, Switzerland - May 25, 2021

Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) was informed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson that the European Commission (EC) has approved Ponvory?(ponesimod) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) with active disease defined by clinical or imaging features.

Idorsia and Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, have entered into a revenue-sharing agreement in respect to ponesimod. Under the terms of the revenue-sharing agreement, Idorsia is entitled to receive quarterly payments of 8% of the net sales of ponesimod products from Actelion.

For further details please read the full announcement from Janssen available he (https://www.jnj.com/european-commission-approves-ponvorytm-ponesimod-a-once-daily-oral-therapy-for-the-treatment-of-adults-with-relapsing-forms-of-multiple-sclerosis-with-active-disease-defined-by-clinical-or-imaging-features)r (https://www.jnj.com/european-commission-approves-ponvorytm-ponesimod-a-once-daily-oral-therapy-for-the-treatment-of-adults-with-relapsing-forms-of-multiple-sclerosis-with-active-disease-defined-by-clinical-or-imaging-features)e (https://www.jnj.com/european-commission-approves-ponvorytm-ponesimod-a-once-daily-oral-therapy-for-the-treatment-of-adults-with-relapsing-forms-of-multiple-sclerosis-with-active-disease-defined-by-clinical-or-imaging-features).

Notes to the editor

?Adverse events should be reported. This medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring and it is therefore important to report any suspected adverse events related to this medicinal product.

About Idorsia

Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more - We have more ideas, we see more opportunities and we want to help more patients. In order to achieve this, we will develop Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core.

Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland - a European biotech-hub - Idorsia is specialized in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules to transform the horizon of therapeutic options. Idorsia has a broad portfolio of innovative drugs in the pipeline, an experienced team of professionals covering all disciplines from bench to bedside, state-of-the-art facilities, and a strong balance sheet - the ideal constellation to translate R&D efforts into business success.

Idorsia was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA) in June 2017 and has over 900 highly qualified specialists dedicated to realizing our ambitious targets.

For further information, please contact

Andrew C. Weiss

Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil

+41 58 844 10 10

investor.relations@idorsia.com (mailto:investor.relations@idorsia.com)

media.relations@idorsia.com (mailto:media.relations@idorsia.com)

www.idorsia.com (http://www.idorsia.com)

The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.





Anhang
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.
Bilia has today concluded an agreement to acquire BilDahl AB, an authorised dealer who conducts sales and service operations for Mercedes and for Nissan and Citroen. The business is conducted at five facilities in Umea, Lulea, Ornskoldsvik and Skelleftea and includes Mercedes cars, transport vehicles and trucks. The agreement is subject to approval by the general agent of Nissan and the Swedish competition authority. Bilia is expecting to take over the operations on1 July 2021.

The business that is acquired reported for 2020 a turnover of about SEK 570 M and an operating profit of about SEK 18 M. The number of employees is about 150. Agreed price for the business amounts to SEK 125 M on a debt and cash-free basis, which will increase the Bilia Group's capital employed and net debt.

Per Avander, Bilia's MD and CEO, comments:

"I'm happy that Bilia through the acquisition of BilDahl AB will have the opportunity to grow together with Mercedes in Sweden. Through these new facilities, Bilia is also expanding its operations north in Sweden, to a region that is increasingly interesting."

Harald Pousette, Chairman of the Board of Norrfordon Holding AB and one of the sellers, comments:

"From the founding family's and Kvalitena's point of view, we are very pleased that Bilia takes over the baton, and with its competence and experience further develops BilDahl.

With a new strong owner BilDahl can continue the company's great development, to the pleasure of both customers and employees. BilDahl can together with Bilia take advantage of the great growth opportunities offered by the exciting northern market."

Niels Kowollik, MD Mercedes Sweden, comments:

"We look forward to Bilia as new owner of BilDahl. It's a very interesting region with great potential for the future of both transport vehicles and trucks as well as for cars. This creates a long-term, strong solution for the company and together it provides good conditions for both existing and new customers."



Gothenburg, May 25, 2021

Bilia AB (publ)

For information please contact:

Per Avander, Managing Director and CEO, +46

Kristina Franzen, CFO, +46

Facts about the Bilia Group

Bilia is one of Europe's largest car dealers with a leading position within service and sales of cars and transport vehicles. Bilia has about 140 facilities in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Bilia sells cars of the brand Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Renault, Lexus, MINI, Dacia, Alpine and transport vehicles of the brand Renault, Toyota and Dacia.

Bilia offers new and used cars, e-commerce, spare parts and store sales, service and repair workshops, tyres and car glass and financing, insurance, car washes, fuel stations and car dismantling under the same roof, which gives a unique customer offer.

Bilia reported a turnover of about SEK 30 Bn in 2020 and had about 4,700 employees.

Attachment
The cell was fabricated with a flexible substrate made of indium tin oxide (ITO) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The device was tested through a damp heat test and showed it can retain around 90% of its initial efficiency after 800 hours.Researchers at France's National Solar Energy Institute (INES) - an arm of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) -have developed a perovskite solar cell on a flexible substrate with an efficiency of 19.2%. The scientists explained that the same cell had achieved an efficiency of 20.2% for a cell with a size of 11cm2 based on ...

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: Defence Therapeutics Inc. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

DEFENCE THERAPEUTICS ACCUVAC-D001 CANCER VACCINE GENERATES EFFECTIVE LONG-LASTING ANTI-TUMORAL RESPONSE



25.05.2021 / 10:00

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





_________________________________________________________________

CSE: DTC FSE: DTC PRESS RELEASE

DEFENCE THERAPEUTICS ACCUVAC-D001 CANCER VACCINE GENERATES EFFECTIVE LONG-LASTING ANTI-TUMORAL RESPONSE

Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 25, 2021 - Defence Therapeutics Inc. ("Defence" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the completion of its AccuVAC-D001 cancer vaccine pre-clinical study. The AccuVAC-D001 cancer vaccine demonstrated a 70% cure rate of mice with pre-established solid tumors, this AccuVAC-D001 cancer vaccine confirms an effective anti-tumoral response.

Non-specific degradation of endocytosed cancer antigens by endo-lysosomal organelles in dendritic cells (DCs) is a major limitation in the field of cancer vaccination. Defence AccuVACTM addresses this with its engineered novel antigen formulation. The AccuVACTM protects endocytosed antigen from non-specific endosomal degradation by promoting its escape via endosomal membrane disruption. As such, endocytosed antigens accumulate - in their closest native state - in the cytosol of DC cells consequently resulting in efficient antigen cross-presentation to responding immune cells.

AccuVACTM dramatically improved protein processing and cross-presentation by ex vivo developed monocyte-derived DCs, which elicited potent CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses compared to the use of naked antigen. The net outcome culminates into effective anti-tumoral responses curing 70% of animals with pre-established solid tumors.

"The solid results of the AccuVACTM study demonstrates how this strategy can be positively adapted to engineered universal DC vaccines. This puts Defence and its technology on the path for future development of universal therapeutic vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases vaccines", says Mr. Plouffe, CEO of Defence Therapeutics.

Vaccines Market Size 2021, is Projected to Reach USD $104.87 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 10.7% according to Future Business Insights.

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUMTM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:

Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director

P: (514) 947-2272

Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com

www.defencetherapeutics.com



Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information



This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are 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. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.



Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
BANGKOK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrolux, a Swedish progressive and premium home life brand, invites young people across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa to join forces with the company's team of experts and some of the most influential change-makers of today to explore solutions for future sustainable homes. The call to action, titled "Better Living in 2030", aims to learn more about young people's hopes, dreams and concerns, so Electrolux can work alongside the team to respond with solutions tailored to young people's daily living needs in the next decade to come.

As a part of realizing the company's vision and bold 2030 targets for better and more sustainable living around the world, Electrolux invites today's youth to join a team change-makers - a collaboration between Electrolux, young minds from across the globe wanting to drive positive change, and leading change-makers and experts already making a difference today. Together with the company's innovation hub, the team will explore solutions for better living, starting with the future for clothes and garment care.

By seeking insights from the very people who will be setting up their own homes within a decade's time, Electrolux believes it will be better positioned to provide solutions that live up to the company purpose, Shape living for the better, for generations to come.

"We want to listen to those who will be starting up their own homes in the near future. What are their hopes and dreams when they think about their lives ten years from now? Their desires, choices and behaviors will play a critical role in shaping the evolution of better living. We want those who own the future to be part of defining it. Therefore, we take the opportunity to ask now - to be able to provide solutions tailored to their needs, come 2030," says Jonas Samuelson, CEO Electrolux.

In the open letter, signed by CEO Jonas Samuelson, Electrolux invites young people between the ages of 15 and 20 across the globe to join the change-maker team. The young people selected will then be accompanied by some of today's most influential change-makers to help explore solutions for better living in 2030.

As part of the same initiative, Electrolux will conduct a global survey in which almost 14,000 young people between the ages 15 to 20 will be asked about how they envision their future sustainable homes. Insights from the survey and the sessions with the change-makers will be used by Electrolux in its strive to create new innovations for a better living.

The initiative is part of Electrolux's ambitious Better Living Program. With bold targets for 2030 focusing on better eating, better garment care, better home environment, and better company, the initiative widens the scope of Electrolux's commitment to sustainability. It enables the company to contribute in a more meaningful way in bringing solutions to global challenges.

Read more about the team of change-makers and how to apply at http://www.betterlivingprogram.com/bl-2030/en

Click the link below for video

https://youtu.be/i_4v90pB_E4

Electrolux is a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years. We reinvent taste, care and wellbeing experiences for millions of people, always striving to be at the forefront of sustainability in society through our solutions and operations. Under our brands, including Electrolux, AEG and Frigidaire, we sell approximately 60 million household products in approximately 120 markets every year. In 2020 Electrolux had sales of SEK 116 billion and employed 48,000 people around the world. For more information go to www.electroluxgroup.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1517722/Jonas_Samuelson_Blue__1.jpg
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service or FSIS has issued a public health alert for around 130,860 pounds of frozen fully cooked, diced chicken products citing the potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The agency has warned against 4-lb. plastic bags containing 'FULLY COOKED CHICKEN MEAT 3/4 DICED WHITE' with code 13530, Est. number P-18237, and pack dates of '01/25/2021' and '01/26/2021.'; as well as 4-lb. plastic bags containing 'FULLY COOKED CHICKEN MEAT DARK/WHITE 3/4 DICED' with code 16598, Est. number P-45638, and pack dates '24/MAR/2021' and '23/MAR/2021.' The frozen, fully cooked, diced chicken items were packed on January 25, January 26, March 23, and March 24. The products bear establishment numbers 'P-18237' or 'P-45638' inside the USDA mark of inspection. The affected items were distributed by Houston, Texas -based Big Daddy Foods, Inc., and were further distributed to consumers at local food banks in Florida through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program in individual food boxes. The products were distributed between February 25 through March 1, and March 29 through April 8, at temporary locations. The FSIS discovered the problem during its routine inspection activities when it was observed that products requiring recooking due to possible Lm contamination had been repackaged without being recooked. A subsequent FSIS investigation determined other affected product had been further distributed in commerce. However, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious and sometimes fatal infection in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. It can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. The symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Consumers who have received these products are urged not to consume them and to throw them away. FSIS advises all consumers to reheat ready-to-eat product until steaming hot. In recent warnings, the FSIS last week issued a health alert for around 165 pounds of frozen Siluriformes products imported from Brazil, which is ineligible to export Siluriformes products to the United States. FSIS in mid April issued an alert against 211,406 pounds of raw ground turkey products over concerns of Salmonella Hadar illness. The agency in early April warned against about 39 pounds of raw ground chorizo sausage products due to concerns that they may be contaminated with extraneous materials. 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.
BEIJING, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanzhou, a city in southeast China'sFujian Province that is known for the vitality of its private economy, set its gross domestic product (GDP) for 2035 over 2.8 trillion yuan.

The ambitious goal was included in Quanzhou's latest development outline released by the local government recently.

According to the outline, the city also strives to notch its GDP to around 1.5 trillion yuan and 2.1 trillion yuan by 2025 and 2030, respectively.

The city aims to make its permanent residents and the per capita GDP amount to 10 million and 280,000 yuan, respectively, by 2035.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Quanzhou will take important steps to push forward innovative and high-quality development.

The outline noted that the city will strive to maintain the province's lead in terms of economic output, rank among the top of industrial clusters competitiveness rankings in the country, top the list of national innovative cities and achieve significant progress in the construction of a modern economic system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

In addition, Quanzhou will ramp up efforts to create a batch of benchmark private enterprises, as it is expected to be home to more than 3,000 private enterprises each with an output value of more than 100 million yuan, and over 10 private enterprises each with an output value of more than 10 billion yuan.

Besides, the city will also focus on the optimization of the urban structure, reinforce the construction of spiritual civilization, promote ecological environment development and further improve the governance efficiency.

By 2025, the city will see the average number of years of education for the population increase to 12.5 years, the number of licensed physicians per 1,000 population reach 3.05, and the coverage of basic endowment insurance stand at 95 percent.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/321706.html

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1517743/Quanzhou.jpg
Curve's crowdfund now live on Crowdcube platform, after hugely popular pre-registration campaign

For a limited time, from today, eligible prospective investors can participate in the crowdfund*

The highly anticipated crowdfunding round from Curve, the fast-growing financial super app, is live.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005099/en/

Curve's eagerly anticipated crowdfund goes live (Graphic: Business Wire)

Prospective investors, including new and existing customers, can find the full details of the crowdfund live on Crowdcube's website [http://www.crowdcube.com/curve].

The launch of the crowdfunding round follows a highly popular pre-registration campaign, which allowed those who signed up to receive advance details of how to invest. In the first 24 hours of Curve's announcement on May 11th of its intention to crowdfund, 21,000 individuals signed up to register their interest to invest in the limited number of shares on offer today.

Shachar Bialick, Founder and CEO of Curve, said: "Today's the day for those who have followed our crowdfunding campaign closely to be able to invest and join in the next stage of our amazing journey. We're customer obsessed, so it should come as no surprise that this campaign has been all about our customers. We simply wouldn't be where we are without them, and I can't wait to welcome a new wave of customers and supporters as shareholders in Curve.

Curve launched the campaign to give its growing customer base an opportunity to share in its future success following the rapid growth it has seen recently. Since its record-breaking crowdfund in September 2019, Curve's valuation has tripled to 591.7m. Between February 2020 and March 2021 Curve:

More than doubled its customer base to over 2 million

Expanded its workforce by over 100

Saw its gross transaction value grow to 2.6 billion

The proceeds of the crowdfunding round and its successful Series C round will be used to fuel the company's international expansion and product innovation.

*The issuing of securities is subject to local laws and regulations, some of which place additional requirements on issuers. As a result, Curve has decided to restrict its offer of securities in certain EEA countries. Full details are available on Curve's pitch page on Crowdcube's website (see link above).

ENDS

About Curve

Curve is an all in one financial super app. Its mission is to be a one-stop shop for all the financial needs of a consumer; a single point of access to a wide range of financial products and services, bundling together all your money into one smart card and an even smarter app. Unlike other services available in the market today, Curve allows customers to connect and supercharge their legacy banks to the 21st century, without leaving their bank or signing up to a new bank. Curve is live in 31 markets across the UK and European Economic Area (EEA).

Curve provides a host of benefits to its customers:

Combines a customer's Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards in one card.

Enables customers' cards to fit into Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, FitBit Pay and many more, even if their banks do not support this integration.

Curve provides 1% cash back on selected retailers for the first 30 days, or for an unlimited time on Curve's paid subscriptions.

With Curve's patented Go-Back-In-Time feature, Curve customers may be able to swap their spend to a different account, up to 90 days after the purchase was made.

Increased security and privacy Curve simplifies customers' lives by providing them with only one pin to remember; keeping other sensitive card numbers safe by using Curve when spending online; providing real time spending notifications and the ability to lock the Curve card directly from the app.

Peace of mind Curve's premium Metal offering provides mobile phone insurance and travel insurance to ensure customers can focus on living their lives, rather than worrying about losing their phone or bags when they travel.

Curve supports Mastercardand Visa networks. The Curve Card and e-money, related to cards issued in the UK, is issued by Curve OS Limited, authorised in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority to issue electronic money (firm reference number 900926). The Curve Card and e-money, related to cards issued in the EEA, is issued by Curve Europe UAB, authorised in Lithuania by the Bank of Lithuania (electronic money institution license No. 73 issued on 22 of October, 2020).

For more information go to www.curve.com, like our Facebook page and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter @imaginecurve and Instagram @imaginecurve.

About the crowdfund

This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale or subscription in any jurisdiction, and should not be relied upon in connection with any offer. Any investment decision should be based solely on the basis of the terms of the investment, which will be made available to eligible potential investors in due course.

Not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the USA, Canada, and Japan or any other state or jurisdiction in which such release, publication or distribution would be unlawful.

Investing involves risk and should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. Investing equity in start-ups and early stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. Crowdcube is targeted exclusively at investors who are sufficiently sophisticated to understand these risks and make their own investment decisions. Approved as a financial promotion by Crowdcube Capital Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (No. 650205).

END

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005099/en/

Contacts:

For media enquiries

Charley Bray

Email: charley.bray@imaginecurve.com
BRUSSELS, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Commission must urgently develop and implement an integrated "Electrification Strategy" to unlock the full potential of a major uptake of clean electricity. This is the call at the heart of Eurelectric's policy recommendations for an Electric Decade released today, together with an analysis on the benefits resulting from mass electrification.

The urgency is critical. Accelerated electrification is key to Europe's decarbonisation. By 2030, the European Commission predicts the share of electricity in final energy use to jump from 23% today to 30%, before reaching at least 50% in 2050. To deliver on this, determined policy action is needed.

Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric said:

"Electrification is critical for a successful, well-coordinated clean energy transition. We need an all-encompassing electrification strategy, which would effectively and optimally cut emissions from sectors that still rely on fossil fuels: transport, heating, and industries. Therefore, we call on the Commission to move forward and devise this Strategy in the context of the "Fit for 55" discussions."

The Strategy we call upon should activate all key levers for electrification as follows:

Prioritise direct and indirect electrification to drive decarbonisation and streamline policies to electrify end-use sectors;

Reduce taxes and levies on electricity, thus establishing a level playing field with other energy carriers and empowering customers to drive the change to net zero.

Modernise the power system to enable flexibility from electrified sectors.

Reinforce infrastructure: improve permitting procedures for new electricity capacities; ensure buildings have recharging infrastructure; unlock investments in distribution grids.

The 2020s are the Electric Decade - the ten years when electricity will shape new cross-industry ecosystems to deliver the energy transition. It leverages the power of modern, carbon neutral and electrified technologies that also reflect growing customer demand: e-mobility, electric heat pumps and renewable energy.

Scaling electric technologies at speed will untap their full benefits, including: a decarbonised future thanks to greater system efficiency; better coordination between customers and suppliers; a greener economy with millions of new jobs; cleaner air and 24 bn euros savings in health benefits; a reduced reliance on oil and gas imports and 107bn euros savings annually.

Eurelectric represents the interests of the European electricity industry, promoting the benefits of electrification. It speaks for 3,500 companies active in power generation, distribution and supply, directly employing 970.000 people and having a 627bn turnover.
TACOMA, WA / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / IONIC BRANDS CORP. (CSE:IONC)(OTC PINK:IONKF)(FRA:1B3) ("IONIC BRANDS" or the "Company"), a regional multistate operator in the Pacific Northwest markets of premium and luxury vape, concentrate and consumable products, is pleased to provide our shareholders our monthly report on our brand performance by category for the Pacific Northwest markets.

CEO Comments:

John Gorst, Chairman & CEO of Ionic Brands Corp., said, "In 2020 Ionic Brands Corp. became a stronger, more fiscally focused company on our path to profitability and overall improved financial performance as we targeted our attention on operating cost reductions, increased margin performance, and the elimination of unprofitable business units and markets. We completed the integration of the newly acquired Dabulous brand, which saw a 600% increase in sales since we purchased the brand in early 2020. In Q3 of 2020, we enjoyed our first adjusted EBITDA positive quarter, which we believe sets the stage for an EBITDA profitable fiscal 2021. Furthermore, while our operating focus is squarely on the Pacific Northwest markets, we have been pursuing strategic partnerships such as the one with THE PASS in Massachusetts that was recently announced on April 20th, 2021. Licensing partnerships such as this one will give Ionic Brands broader exposure to the US market".

In April, we saw strong growth in our overall revenue due to the newly acquired brand assets of Cowlitz Country Cannabis, the fourth largest brand portfolio in the Washington State market which was purchased from Lobe Sciences. The Cowlitz brands have now provided the Company with a strong entrance and foothold into the flower category of cannabis which we had not offered in our 9-year history of operations to our retail store partners. With the addition of these six new brands, we can provide a more robust overall brand portfolio that covers inhalable concentrates, consumables, and now cannabis flower. Here are the unaudited top-line revenue numbers generated by brand and category.

April Brand Sales Revenue (unaudited):

Revenue (USD)

Flower Category (Six Brands): $1,618,000

Concentrate Category (Six Brands, Including Consumables): $733,727

Wholesale Category: $431,317

Total Revenue from all Brand Categories: $2,783,044

The Company is very excited to have begun the process of fully executing on our path to profitability that we started over a year ago. We look forward to generating greater sales volume from our brand portfolio in both the Washington and Oregon markets and developing strategic partnerships across the country to build greater brand equity and recognizability in the US market.

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, flower 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:

investor.relations@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

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 in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's strategic partnership and expansion in the east coast of the United States.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of IONIC BRANDS CORP. 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 "Risks and Uncertainties" in the management discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019 and nine months ended September 30, 2020, each as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. IONIC BRANDS CORP. 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. Ionic Brands Corp. operates in states that have implemented certain ownership restrictions that could have an implied negative impact on IFRS financial reporting results. Management continues to review compliance regulations in those states where these restrictions exist and will report on all operating activities from directly and indirectly owned operations or non-consolidated parties' operations.

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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/648919/Ionic-Brands-Corp-Issues-Monthly-Update-on-Brand-Performance-by-Revenue-in-the-Pacific-Northwest-Markets
TOKYO, May 25, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. has developed "Dynamics Planning", a highly precise vehicle trajectory planning technology for AD ECU(1). The technology uses an algorithm to control unpleasant sway and acceleration in Level 3 vehicles and promotes a comfortable driving experience.The development of automated vehicle technology is not only about getting the vehicle to its intended destination without driver control, but getting there safely, comfortably, and quickly. Comfort in the vehicle becomes particularly important as the level of automation increases, freeing the driver from the controls.Currently, a skilled driver is required to make effective use of lane width and speed to create a gentle trajectory and smooth changes in acceleration when driving around bends. This helps to keep the cabin comfortable and reduces unpleasantness from irregular acceleration and sway. However, today's conventional advanced driver assistance technologies do not replicate a skilled driver. The vehicle instead attempts to travel at a constant speed along a path close to the center of the lane, causing an unpleasant sway.Dynamics Planning, developed by Hitachi Astemo, is an algorithm for achieving a path and speed that keeps the vehicle interior comfortable as though a skilled driver aided by autonomous driving and driving with advanced driver assistance technologies is at the wheel. In Dynamics Planning, data is gathered by sensors such as cameras, map data utilizing MPU(2), and in the future will incorporate traffic information from infrastructure data. Data of the drivable area is input into the AD ECU where it effectively utilizes lane width to draw a curve as gentle as possible, and a track that limits change in acceleration is applied and to a trajectory plan ensuring that the changes are gentle.Today's method of trajectory planning requires AD ECUs to have a high degree of computing power due to complex calculations that are reliant upon vehicle characteristics such as vehicle weight and length. Additionally, the vehicle may not run comfortably if there are unintended disturbance factors such as strong winds or unevenness of the road surface. The algorithms in Hitachi Astemo's Dynamics Planning enable a simple trajectory plan that instead uses its proprietary vehicle control technology(3) to manage vehicle specifications and potential disturbance factors, and not vehicle specifications.An autonomous vehicle driving on a targeted trajectory calculated by Dynamics Planning will be able to drive comfortably without unpleasant swaying just as if driven by a skilled driver.Hitachi Astemo will present this technology at the spring meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan which will be held online from May 26th (Wednesday) to May 28th (Friday).By providing advanced mobility solutions that improve safety and comfort as well as enhance environmental protection, Hitachi Astemo will increase social, environmental, and economic value to realize a sustainable society, contribute to improved quality of life, and enhance corporate value.(1) AD ECU: Autonomous Driving Electronic Control Unit(2) MPU: Map Position Unit(3) See Hitachi news release: https://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/month/2019/10/1011a.htmlAbout Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Hitachi Astemo is a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. and Honda Motor Co. Hitachi Astemo is a technology company that develops, manufactures, sells and services automotive and transportation components, as well as industrial machinery and systems. For more information, visit the company's website at https://www.hitachiastemo.com/en/Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks gave up early gains to turn flat on Tuesday after official data showed the U.K. budget registered its second biggest shortfall on record for the month of April. The public sector net borrowing, excluding public sector banks, increased to GBP 31.7 billion in April. This was the second highest April borrowing since monthly records began in 1993, and was GBP 15.6 billion less than in April 2020. The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 5 points at 7,047 after gaining half a percent the previous day. Shares of guaranteed loan group Amigo Holdings slumped as much as 48 percent after a U.K. court rejected its proposed redress scheme. Aveva Group shares surged 4.7 percent. The information technology company said its business environment had improved in most of its major markets. Postal service firm Royal Mail jumped 7.3 percent after Peel Hunt upgraded the stock to 'buy' from 'hold'. A stronger pound weighed on exporters, with British American Tobacco, Diageo and Imperial Brands losing around half a percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices were moving lower on Tuesday after Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said they are extending a recently expired monitoring agreement by a month, giving negotiators in Vienna time to revive the nuclear deal from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018. Brent crude futures for Aug settlement dipped 0.6 percent to $67.97 per barrel, with positive forecasts on recovering demand helping cap the downside. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for July delivery were down 0.7 percent at $65.59. Talks between Iran and world powers will continue in Vienna this week to resolve outstanding issues on a nuclear accord. Investors are adopting a wait and watch approach to see whether new developments on a potential Iran nuclear deal would add more oil supply to the market. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday the U.S. has no other option than to lift all sanctions on Iran, which were imposed under former U.S. President Donald Trump. 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.
Soledad Project Highlights Include:

Huancarama East - four holes with high-grade intercepts, including 134.3m of 0.92 g/t Au, 0.86% Cu, and 80.7 g/t Ag (2.15% Cu-eq) from 119.7m depth;

Paloma East - five holes with strong grades, including 126.1m of 0.91 g/t Au, 0.20% Cu, and 11.6 g/t Ag (0.89% Cu-eq) starting at surface;

Paloma West - two holes with high grades, including 101.0m of 0.53 g/t Au, 1.01% Cu, and 41.5 g/t Ag (1.71% Cu-eq) starting at surface.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (OTCQB: CHKKF) (FSE: 1ZX) (the "Company" or "Chakana"), is pleased to provide results from eleven in-fill holes totaling 2,873.7m from the Huancarama, Paloma East, and Paloma West tourmaline breccia pipe discoveries at its Soledad project, Ancash, Peru (Table 1). Drilling continues as part of a fully-funded 26,000m exploration and resource drilling program planned for 2021 (Fig. 1).

David Kelley, President and CEO commented, "The resource definition drilling portion of our current program is going exceptionally well with excellent results from the three discoveries at Soledad since the resumption of drilling in 2020. Huancarama and Paloma West continue to demonstrate their high-grade nature, and strong grades were also encountered at Paloma East. Mineralization in all three breccia pipes starts at surface and is open at depth. These results are another positive step toward our resource estimate due out later this year that will include multiple breccia pipes. To date, we have only tested 15 out of the 110 total targets on the property."

Resource Definition Drilling

Table 1. Mineralized intervals from resource definition drilling at Huancarama, Paloma East, and Paloma West.

DDH # From - To (m) Core Length (m) Au

g/t Ag

g/t Cu % Cu-eq

%* Au-eq g/t* Huancarama East SDH21-189 119.70 254.00 134.30 0.92 80.7 0.86 2.15 3.29 and 271.00 310.00 39.00 0.61 52.4 0.88 1.73 2.64 SDH21-193 29.20 38.80 9.60 1.35 78.8 2.38 and 110.00 273.00 163.00 0.26 20.1 0.43 0.77 1.18 SDH21-194 21.90 25.70 3.80 0.17 77.3 0.23 1.00 1.53 and 120.00 244.00 124.00 0.33 29.5 0.63 1.10 1.68 and 301.00 308.10 7.10 1.81 36.7 0.81 2.31 3.53 SDH21-198 144.00 210.00 66.00 0.99 82.6 1.01 2.36 3.62 including 166.00 197.00 31.00 1.46 149.9 1.77 4.01 6.13 Paloma East SDH21-190 0.00 126.10 126.10 0.91 11.6 0.20 0.89 1.37 including 21.00 38.00 17.00 5.09 15.7 5.30 SDH21-191 0.00 99.40 99.40 0.62 12.5 0.31 0.82 1.26 and 144.00 198.70 54.70 0.16 13.9 0.22 0.44 0.68 SDH21-192 64.90 124.00 59.10 0.27 7.5 0.42 0.66 1.01 and 198.00 224.00 26.00 0.21 33.3 0.65 SDH21-195 53.00 121.00 68.00 0.28 7.3 0.31 0.56 0.85 SDH21-196 67.00 121.00 54.00 0.20 9.0 0.74 0.95 1.45 Paloma West SDH21-197 27.00 84.80 57.80 0.53 69.4 1.17 2.11 3.23 including 28.20 49.00 20.80 1.06 183.8 2.32 4.58 7.01 SDH21-199 0.00 101.00 101.00 0.53 41.5 1.01 1.71 2.62 including 31.25 50.00 18.75 1.07 141.8 3.29 5.20 7.96

* Cu_eq and Au_eq values were calculated using copper, gold, and silver. Metal prices utilized for the calculations are Cu - US$2.90/lb, Au - US$1,300/oz, and Ag - US$17/oz. No adjustments were made for recovery as the project is an early-stage exploration project and metallurgical data to allow for estimation of recoveries are not yet available. The formulas utilized to calculate equivalent values are Cu-eq (%) = Cu% + (Au g/t * 0.6556) + (Ag g/t * 0.00857) and Au-eq (g/t) = Au g/t + (Cu% * 1.5296) + (Ag g/t * 0.01307).

Huancarama East

Four holes were drilled through the Huancarama East breccia pipe from step-out platforms (Figs. 2 and 3). One hole was drilled to the northeast, and three holes were drilled from east to west. All four holes intersected mineralized breccia, consistent with previous exploration holes (see news releases dated January 12, January 25, February 9, March 3, and April 28, 2021) with depths ranging between approximately 80m to 300m below surface. The breccia pipe has approximate lateral dimensions of 100m by 60m and is open at depth. Additional infill holes have been drilled, with more planned once assay results have been received. Examples of mineralized drill core from these holes are shown in Figure 4.

Paloma East and Paloma West

The Paloma breccia pipes are located 300m north of Huancarama and are partially exposed at surface (Fig. 3). Five holes were drilled at Paloma East. Three holes were collared on the west side of the breccia pipe and drilled to the east, northeast, and southeast, and two holes were drilled from the north side of the exposed breccia pipe and oriented southwest and south. Mineralization was encountered in all five drill holes over a vertical range from surface to approximately 200m depth. Two resource definition holes were drilled at Paloma West from a platform on the northeast side of the exposed breccia pipe and drilled to the southwest. High-grade mineralization was intersected in both drill holes with depths ranging between approximately 20m to 80m below surface. Breccia in both pipes is open at depth and results presented here are consistent with previously reported results (see news releases dated September 17, October 26, November 18, December 3, and December 16, 2020; and April 28, 2021). Additional infill holes have been drilled at Paloma West with results pending. Examples of mineralized drill core from these holes are shown in Figure 4.

2021 Resource and Exploration Drill Program

Results reported here are part of the fully funded 2021 drill program of 26,000m. Combined with the drilling in the second half of 2020, approximately 32,000m is anticipated through 2021. Of this, 13,946.2m have been reported in 67 drill holes for the Paloma and Huancarama areas. Within the 26,000m of drilling planned in 2021, the Company will complete approximately 16,000m of resource definition in-fill drilling. The results of this drill program are important to increase confidence in the resource estimate, anticipated later in 2021.

Additionally, 10,000m of exploration drilling is planned for 2021. This will focus on new targets located in the northern portion of the project that have not been drilled previously but are strategic to any eventual development at Soledad. Exploration targets have been ranked based on their technical merit, access, and logistics.

About Chakana Copper

Chakana Copper Corp is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project consists of high-grade gold-copper-silver mineralization hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes. A total of 47,736 metres of exploration and resource definition drilling has been completed to date, testing 15 of 110 total exploration targets, confirming that Soledad is a large, well-endowed mineral system with strong exploration upside. Chakana's investors are uniquely positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure to several metals including copper, gold, and silver. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com.

Sampling and Analytical Procedures

Chakana follows rigorous sampling and analytical protocols that meet or exceed industry standards. Core samples are stored in a secured area until transport in batches to the ALS facility in Callao, Lima, Peru. Sample batches include certified reference materials, blank, and duplicate samples that are then processed under the control of ALS. All samples are analyzed using the ME-MS41 (ICP technique that provides a comprehensive multi-element overview of the rock geochemistry), while gold is analyzed by AA24 and GRA22 when values exceed 10 g/t by AA24. Over limit silver, copper, lead and zinc are analyzed using the OG-46 procedure. Soil samples are analyzed by 4-acid (ME-MS61) and for gold by Fire Assay on a 30g sample (Au-ICP21).

Results of previous drilling and additional information concerning the Project, including a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, are made available on Chakana's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Qualified Person

David Kelley, an officer and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed) "David Kelley"

David Kelley

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer

Phone: 647 964 0292

Email: jjobin@chakanacopper.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statement Advisory: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the "Project"), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law.

Figure 1 - View looking north showing breccia pipes and occurrences within the northern Soledad cluster. Pipes that have been drilled in previous campaigns are shown in red. Outcropping breccia pipes shown in green are the focus of the current drill campaign. Other pipes and occurrences remain to be tested by drilling. Additional breccia pipes occur on the south half of the property and are not shown here.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

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Figure 2 - Map of Paloma and the Huancarama Breccia Complex showing drill holes reported in this release, outcropping tourmaline breccias (dark red shapes), and modeled breccia pipes (light red shapes) based on all drill holes (previous drilling shown by dark gray traces). Light gray contours are 10m interval. Untested outcropping targets are also shown. Location of section line (A-A') for Figure 3 indicated.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/85055_99444a1eb4eb8881_002full.jpg

Figure 3 - Isometric view looking west highlighting the drill holes at Huancarama and Paloma reported in this release. Light red 3D shapes show preliminary shape of breccias based on all drill holes (see Figure 2).



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/85055_99444a1eb4eb8881_003full.jpg

Figure 4 - Select core photos from Huancarama, Paloma East, and Paloma West reported in this release: SDH21-189 (126.2m) mosaic and jigsaw tourmaline breccia with sulfide cement; SDH21-194 (125.15m) mosaic breccia with selective clast replacement by chalcopyrite and pyrite; SDH21-194 306.75m tourmaline breccia with late chalcopyrite replacement along vein; SDH21-190 (76.72m) tourmaline breccia with chalcopyrite filling open space; SDG21-190 (110.80) shingle breccia with selective chalcopyrite replacement of shingle clasts; SDH21-197 (42.8m) mosaic tourmaline breccia with selective clast replacement and open space filling by chalcopyrite and pyrite. Core diameter is 6.35cm (HQ) in all instances.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85055
Highlights of High-Grade Intercepts Include:

Turmalina Mine

19.65 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 5.35m (Orebody A)

9.03 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 9.62m (Orebody A)

22.05 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 8.81m (Orebody C - Central)

Pilar Mine

16.60 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 4.00m (BA Orebody)

17.90 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 3.50m (BF2 Orebody)

7.54 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 8.43m (LFW Orebody)

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Jaguar Mining Inc. ("Jaguar" or the "Company") (TSX:JAG)(OTCQX:JAGGF) is pleased to announce updated, in-mine diamond drilling results completed at its Turmalina Gold Mine and Pilar Gold Mine, both located in Minas Gerais. Results are subsequent to the most recent published Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves ("MRMR") statements (31, December 2019 and 30, May 2020 for Turmalina and Pilar respectively). Drilling results reported in this release and from on-going and planned 2021 exploration programs will be included in Jaguar's next National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report MRMR update planned for early 2022.

Consolidated Jaguar Proven and Probable Reserves as at 31, December 2020 (net of 2020 mined depletion) totalled 478 koz's of gold (3.64Mt at an average weighted grade of 4.08 g/t Au).

In-fill diamond drilling competed in 2020 from ongoing programs at both mines, within and beyond the current published Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve limits, continue to confirm lateral and depth extensions to the known, currently exploited mineralization at grades and thicknesses consistent with current and historical levels.

(Detailed MRMR tabulations for both Turmalina and Pilar Mines to 31, December 2020 may be found in the company's Annual Information Form (AIF) published on SEDAR and dated 15, March 2021 and on the Company's website at www.jaguarmining.com.)

Vern Baker, CEO, Jaguar Mining commented; "Our geology team has done an outstanding job providing the sustainable resources our mines need to grow and prosper. Diamond drilling success within our mines continues to build the resources that provide both sustainability and potential for growth. Jaguar has increased its in-mine diamond drilling metres over the last 18 months to provide increasing our MRMR and delivering a foundation for sustainability and long-term growth. I am very pleased to see results at higher levels in the mine, such as the Turmalina intercept of 22 g/t over 8.8m, located at C-Central near level five. This strong zone extension bodes well for sustaining our performance going forward.

Jaguar is committed to generating cash flow, that will allow us to invest in the future of our company and provide strong returns to shareholders. We applaud the exploration and geology teams' dedication to ensure the foundation of our success continues to support our future performance. As previously stated, we will not be completing a full technical report to update the MRMR in 2021, however, we will continue to support exploration programs for resources within our mines. We expect to fully update the MRMR in early 2022 which may include additional mineral resources from other exploration properties in the Iron Quadrangle where we have ongoing exploration programs."

Turmalina and Pilar Mine Drilling Results - 2020 / 2021

At Turmalina and Pilar, infill diamond drilling progressed throughout 2020 and is currently continuing. To date, drilling has been aimed at Mineral Resource to Mineral Reserve conversion across all production areas.

At Turmalina, growth exploration drilling has focused on new resource additions at shallow levels in the mine, primarily targeting the C-Orebody structure from C-Central towards the C-NW area (Figures 1 and 3). In 2021 growth exploration drilling will be aimed at extending the A-Orebody to a depth well beyond the current level 12-level production panel.

Results continue to reflect grades and thickness consistent with current and historical mine resources. Drilling which reported grade thickness (GT) values greater than 20 g/t completed at Turmalina during 2020 are included in Table 1 below and presented in Figures 1. and 1A (All results reported from 2020 drilling are tabulated within the latest AIF Report (15, March 2021, on SEDAR).

At Pilar, growth exploration drilling has focused on new resource additions at shallower levels in the mine, primarily targeting the SW - Orebody. In 2021 growth exploration drilling will target additions to Pilar's life of mine by drilling both the lateral extensions of mineralization close to existing infrastructure throughout the mine, in order to add productivity, while extending the high-grade structurally controlled Banded Iron Formation hosted mineralization to depths well beyond the current level 12- level and 14 production levels (Figures 2 and 4).

Results continue to reflect grades and thickness consistent with current and historical mine resources. Drilling which reported grade thickness values greater than 25 g/t, completed at Pilar since June 2020 are included in Table 2 and are presented in Figure 2. (All results reported from 2020 drilling are tabulated within the latest AIF Report (15, March 2021 on SEDAR).

Table 1 - Turmalina Mine - Drill Results showing intersections reporting greater than 20 g/t metres (GT) Orebody A and Orebody C.

Jaguar Mining Inc. - Turmalina Mine

Summary of Significant Intersections with Greater than 20 g/t Metres Hole ID From (m) To (m) Down Hole

Interval

(m) Estimated

True Width

(m) Gold

Grade

(g/t Au) GT

(ETW) Date

(month/day/year) Orebody Laboratory Drilling

Company FTS1805 58.31 61.75 3.44 3.22 6.52 20.99 January 6, 2020 CSE RG JAGUAR FTS1891 70.26 75.21 4.95 4.75 4.82 22.90 March 19, 2020 CSE RG JAGUAR FTS1900 54.10 58.41 4.31 4.26 6.04 25.73 March 30, 2020 CSE RG JAGUAR FTS1927 80.60 90.38 9.78 9.62 9.03 86.87 April 22, 2020 ASE RG JAGUAR FTS1921 104.86 113.67 8.81 8.10 5.58 45.20 April 24, 2020 ASE RG JAGUAR FTS1923 99.41 111.08 11.67 8.25 5.13 42.32 May 6, 2020 ASE RG JAGUAR FTS1925 110.64 117.34 6.70 5.35 19.65 105.13 RG JAGUAR FTS1951 134.19 148.07 13.88 11.75 6.25 73.44 June 8, 2020 ASE RG JAGUAR FTS1952 144.81 156.06 11.25 9.99 7.54 75.32 RG JAGUAR FTS1897 56.51 62.32 5.81 3.96 12.56 49.74 June 8, 2020 CSE RG JAGUAR FTS1900 46.43 58.41 11.98 9.35 2.89 27.02 June 3, 2020 CSE RG JAGUAR FTS1907 67.93 71.89 3.96 2.71 10.49 28.43 August 24, 2020 C - Central RG JAGUAR FTS1908 60.02 65.12 5.10 4.91 4.55 22.34 August 27, 2020 C - Central RG JAGUAR FTS1929 100.59 118.45 17.86 14.25 4.86 69.26 August 12, 2020 ASE RG JAGUAR FTS1822 205.80 207.60 1.80 1.70 13.46 22.88 January 7, 2020 CSE ALS MAJOR FTS1837 81.40 83.15 1.75 1.20 20.72 24.86 April 28, 2020 CSE ALS MAJOR FTS1840 92.74 95.50 2.76 2.55 10.36 26.42 April 22, 2020 CSE ALS MAJOR FTS1847 154.91 158.73 3.82 2.10 10.77 22.62 May 19, 2020 CSE ALS MAJOR FTS1849 175.40 190.69 15.29 4.94 9.22 45.55 May 26, 2020 CSE ALS MAJOR FTS1851 161.30 168.36 7.06 4.04 9.21 37.21 June 1, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1855 45.75 54.50 8.75 6.18 6.08 37.57 June 24, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR 78.80 80.40 1.60 1.54 39.85 61.37 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1856 82.85 87.10 4.25 4.12 10.55 43.47 June 29, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1857 84.45 90.85 6.40 5.95 5.38 32.01 July 3, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1858 33.75 44.40 10.65 8.72 5.53 48.22 July 3, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR 77.20 86.85 9.65 6.82 3.07 20.94 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1859 43.40 54.05 10.65 8.39 3.95 33.14 July 7, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR 61.85 66.80 4.95 3.50 7.82 27.37 C - Central ALS MAJOR 118.15 123.90 5.75 4.40 5.60 24.64 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1865 27.25 39.35 12.10 11.50 5.98 68.77 August 3, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1865 71.90 79.95 8.05 7.97 2.61 20.80 August 3, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1866 48.65 51.75 3.10 3.01 14.48 43.58 August 3, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1909 50.41 66.48 16.07 15.25 3.99 60.85 September 22, 2020 C - Central RG JAGUAR FTS1930 109.12 116.44 7.32 6.78 5.32 36.07 September 8, 2020 A - SE RG JAGUAR FTS1933 116.46 127.88 11.42 10.25 6.07 62.22 September 4, 2020 A - SE RG JAGUAR FTS1937 121.60 125.04 3.44 2.95 8.71 25.69 October 13, 2020 A - SE RG JAGUAR FTS1944 23.92 27.87 3.95 2.91 7.32 21.30 November 20, 2020 A - SE RG JAGUAR FTS1960 36.35 37.60 1.25 1.11 24.93 27.68 December 27, 2020 A - SE RG JAGUAR FTS1887 83.30 90.50 7.20 6.55 4.30 28.16 December 27, 2020 C - Central RG JAGUAR FTS1966 36.45 50.50 14.05 10.59 5.02 53.16 September 9, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1967 62.80 68.10 5.30 4.95 11.31 55.98 September 19, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1971 40.40 63.20 22.80 13.30 1.81 24.07 October 6, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1978 83.25 88.95 5.70 4.88 12.07 58.90 November 27, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1979 35.00 40.60 5.60 5.31 6.69 35.52 November 28, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1983 38.95 51.00 12.05 8.68 4.13 35.85 December 11, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR 62.80 66.50 3.70 2.75 8.45 23.24 C - Central ALS MAJOR 86.65 93.90 7.25 5.79 3.73 21.60 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1984 68.80 70.70 1.90 1.75 12.38 21.67 December 30, 2020 C - Central ALS MAJOR FTS1915 36.60 46.40 9.80 8.81 22.05 194.26 March 16, 2021 C - Central ALS MAJOR Including 43.00 46.40 3.40 3.05 59.93 182.79 March 16, 2021 C - Central ALS MAJOR

Figure 1 - Turmalina Mine - Location of Drilling Intersections on Orebody A, Orebody C-SE and C-Central showing intersections reporting greater than 20 g/t metres (GT) overlain on the Grade X Thickness image.

At Orebody C-Central, infill and growth exploration drilling continues to confirm the down plunge extension of high grades from current mining areas on levels 3 and 4 to below level 6. (See figure 1A). The best intersection to date is from hole FTS1915 which reported an intercept of 22.05gt Au over an estimated true width of 8.81m.

Figure 1 A - Turmalina Mine - Location of Drilling Intersections on Orebody C-Central showing intersections reporting greater than 20 g/t metres (GT) overlain on the Grade X Thickness image.

Table 2 - Pilar Mine drill intercepts - with Grade x Thickness (GT) greater than 25 g/t metres

Summary of Significant Intersections with greater than 25 g/t metres

Jaguar Mining Inc. - Pilar Mine Hole ID From (m) To (m) Down Hole

Interval

(m) Estimated

True

Width (m) Gold

Grade

(g/t Au) GT (ETW) Date

(month/day/year) Orebody Laboratory Drilling

Company PPL689 104.95 115.90 10.95 10.10 7.05 71.21 June 1, 2020 SW RG JAGUAR PPL629 13.20 19.00 5.80 5.44 7.42 40.36 June 1, 2020 BA RG JAGUAR PPL672A 47.00 49.35 2.35 2.10 12.51 26.27 June 12, 2020 BFII RG JAGUAR PPL581 46.00 55.00 9.00 6.94 4.74 32.90 June 22, 2020 BA RG MAJOR PPL669 76.80 85.90 9.10 8.95 3.77 33.74 July 7, 2020 SW RG JAGUAR PPL728 4.00 7.20 3.20 2.20 27.98 61.56 July 11, 2020 SW RG JAGUAR PPL728 22.17 32.96 10.79 5.50 8.45 46.48 July 11, 2020 SW RG JAGUAR PPL719 62.30 75.90 13.60 9.00 3.60 32.40 July 11, 2020 SW RG JAGUAR PPL703 37.10 70.45 33.35 9.03 6.88 62.13 July 11, 2020 BF RG JAGUAR PPL705 28.40 34.40 6.00 1.81 15.38 27.84 July 11, 2020 BFII RG JAGUAR PPL701 44.50 56.65 12.15 5.41 5.51 29.81 July 11, 2020 BFII RG JAGUAR PPL726 231.00 241.00 10.00 4.20 7.33 30.79 August 15, 2020 LPA RG MAJOR FSB892 18.00 30.80 12.80 4.90 5.80 28.42 August 23, 2020 BF RG JAGUAR PPL750 128.40 138.45 10.05 3.24 7.70 24.95 August 28, 2020 LFW RG MAJOR FSB896 10.75 14.78 4.03 2.73 14.40 39.31 September 11, 2020 BFII? RG JAGUAR PPL706 79.00 83.00 4.00 4.00 16.60 66.40 September 23, 2020 BA RG JAGUAR FSB918 21.80 29.80 8.00 7.15 5.69 40.68 September 24, 2020 BFII RG JAGUAR PPL735A 152.00 155.65 3.65 3.50 17.90 62.65 September 28, 2020 BFII RG MAJOR PPL745 105.00 115.00 10.00 7.54 8.43 63.56 October 1, 2020 LFW RG MAJOR 128.32 145.00 16.68 11.00 5.26 57.86 BF RG MAJOR 157.68 168.00 10.32 6.91 4.43 30.61 BF RG MAJOR 175.30 181.00 5.70 4.04 8.79 35.51 LPA RG MAJOR PPL734 139.40 158.00 18.60 6.00 7.88 47.28 October 13, 2020 BFII RG MAJOR PPL751 99.75 108.00 8.25 7.30 6.94 50.66 October 19, 2020 BF RG MAJOR 143.50 149.90 6.40 5.62 7.09 39.85 BF RG MAJOR 159.20 164.55 5.35 4.80 17.36 83.33 LPA RG MAJOR 166.80 170.00 3.20 2.95 16.75 49.41 LPA RG MAJOR PPL738 106.30 125.55 19.25 4.91 6.98 34.27 October 22, 2020 BF RG MAJOR FSB965A 35.40 43.50 8.10 2.45 10.50 25.73 October 30, 2020 BF RG JAGUAR PPL732A 112.00 114.00 2.00 1.08 37.95 40.99 November 3, 2020 BFIII RG MAJOR FSB952 4.00 13.00 9.00 3.40 9.75 33.15 December 1, 2020 BF RG JAGUAR 21.00 26.00 5.00 1.78 17.48 31.11 LPA RG JAGUAR FSB944 11.15 14.30 3.15 2.50 10.47 26.18 December 1, 2020 LPA RG JAGUAR FSB960 2.00 16.90 14.90 4.68 5.62 26.30 December 1, 2020 BFII RG JAGUAR FSB968 0.00 21.00 21.00 4.00 7.50 29.70 December 16, 2020 BF RG JAGUAR FSB969 18.00 34.00 16.00 4.10 12.50 50.90 December 16, 2020 BF RG JAGUAR PPL762 112.50 127.00 14.50 7.20 4.44 31.97 December 17, 2020 BFII ALS MAJOR PPL814 79.80 81.50 1.70 1.30 30.17 39.22 December 28, 2020 LFW? RG JAGUAR FSB971 15.00 34.00 19.00 8.40 7.40 61.80 December 28, 2020 BFII RG JAGUAR

Figure 2 - Pilar Mine - Location of intersections from diamond drill holes reported since the last MRMR report at Pilar Mine (May 31, 2020).

2020 / 2021 Drilling Programmes relative to published Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve limits.

Figures 3 and 4 below show the location of current in-fill and growth drilling that will inform the next NI-43-101 Technical Report and MRMR estimates for Jaguar planned for release in 2022.

Figure 3 - Turmalina Mine

Figure 4 - Pilar Mine

Qualified Person

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Jonathan Victor Hill, BSc (Hons) (Economic Geology - UCT), FAUSIMM, Vice President Geology and Exploration, who is also an employee of Jaguar Mining Inc., and is a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Quality Control

All sampling and samples utilized at Jaguar for Mineral Resource and or Mineral Reserves estimation uses a quality-control program that includes insertion of blanks and commercial standards in order to ensure best practice in sampling and analysis.

HQ, NQ, and BQ size drill core is sawn in half with a diamond saw. Samples are selected for analysis in standard intervals according to geological characteristics such as lithology and hydrothermal alteration. Rock channel sampling of the underground development follows the same standard intervals as for the drill core.

Half of the sawed sample is forwarded to the analytical laboratory for analysis while the remaining half of the core is stored in a secure location. The drill core and rock chip samples for resource-reserve conversion and grade control samples are transported for physical preparation and analysis in securely sealed bags to the Jaguar in-house laboratory located at the company's Caete Complex, Caete, Minas Gerais. Growth exploration samples are sent to the independent ALS Brazil (subsidiary of ALS Global) laboratory located in Vespasiano, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The analysis of these exploration samples is conducted at ALS Global's respective facilities (fire assay is conducted by ALS Global in Lima, Peru, and multi-elementary analysis is conducted by ALS Global in Vancouver, Canada). ALS has accreditation in a global management system that meets all requirements of international standards ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO 9001:2015. All major ALS geochemistry analytical laboratories are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for specific analytical procedures.

For a complete description of Jaguar's sample preparation, analytical methods and QA/QC procedures, please refer to "Technical Report on the Roca Grande and Pilar Operations, Minas Gerais State, Brazil", a copy of which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

The drilling results presented on this news release are from drill holes completed by contractors Major Drilling and Jaguars own fleet of underground diamond drilling rigs.

For a complete description of Jaguar's sample preparation, analytical methods and QA/QC procedures, please refer to the "Technical Report on the Roca Grande and Pilar Operations, Minas Gerais State, Brazil", dated August 17th 2020, a copy of which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About Jaguar Mining Inc.

Jaguar Mining Inc. is a Canadian-listed junior gold mining, development, and exploration company operating in Brazil with two gold mining complexes and a large land package with significant upside exploration potential from mineral claims covering an area of approximately 102,000 hectares. The Company's principal operating assets are located in the Iron Quadrangle, a prolific greenstone belt in the state of Minas Gerais and include the Turmalina Gold Mine Complex and Caete Mining Complex (Pilar Mine and Caete Plant). The Company also owns the Paciencia Gold Mine Complex, which has been on care and maintenance since 2012. The Roca Grande Mine has been on care and maintenance since April 2018. Additional information is available on the Company's website at www.jaguarmining.com.

For further information please contact:

Vernon Baker

Chief Executive Officer

Jaguar Mining Inc.

vernon.baker@jaguarmining.com

416-847-1854 Hashim Ahmed

Chief Financial Officer

Jaguar Mining Inc.

hashim.ahmed@jaguarmining.com

416-847-1854

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. All of the forward-looking information made in this news release is qualified by the cautionary statements below and those made in our other filings with the securities regulators in Canada. Forward-looking information contained in forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "are expected," "is forecast," "is targeted," "approximately," "plans," "anticipates," "projects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "believe" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, may be considered to be or include forward-looking information. This news release contains forward-looking information regarding, among other things, expected sales, production statistics, ore grades, tonnes milled, recovery rates, cash operating costs, definition/delineation drilling, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, costs and timing of the development of projects and new deposits, success of exploration, development and mining activities, currency fluctuations, capital requirements, project studies, mine life extensions, restarting suspended or disrupted operations, continuous improvement initiatives, and resolution of pending litigation. The Company has made numerous assumptions with respect to forward-looking information contained herein, including, among other things, assumptions about the estimated timeline for the development of its mineral properties; the supply and demand for, and the level and volatility of the price of, gold; the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions on which the reserve and resource estimates are based; the receipt of necessary permits; market competition; ongoing relations with employees and impacted communities; political and legal developments in any jurisdiction in which the Company operates being consistent with its current expectations including, without limitation, the impact of any potential power rationing, tailings facility regulation, exploration and mine operating licenses and permits being obtained and renewed and/or there being adverse amendments to mining or other laws in Brazil and any changes to general business and economic conditions. Forward-looking information involves a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including among others: the risk of Jaguar not meeting the forecast plans regarding its operations and financial performance; uncertainties with respect to the price of gold, labour disruptions, mechanical failures, increase in costs, environmental compliance and change in environmental legislation and regulation, weather delays and increased costs or production delays due to natural disasters, power disruptions, procurement and delivery of parts and supplies to the operations; uncertainties inherent to capital markets in general (including the sometimes volatile valuation of securities and an uncertain ability to raise new capital) and other risks inherent to the gold exploration, development and production industry, which, if incorrect, may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company and described herein. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of gold exploration, development, mining and production, including environmental hazards, tailings dam failures, industrial accidents and workplace safety problems, unusual or unexpected geological formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding, chemical spills, procurement fraud and gold bullion thefts and losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or the inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks). In addition, the Company's principal operations and mineral properties are located in Brazil and there are additional business and financial risks inherent in doing business in Brazil as compared to the United States or Canada. In Brazil, corruption represents a challenge requiring extra attention by those who conduct business there. Corruption does not only occur with the misuse of public, government or regulatory powers, it also can occur in a business's supplies, inputs and procurement functions (such as illicit rebates, kickbacks and dubious vendor relationships) as well as the inventory and product sales functions (such as inventory shrinkage or skimming). Employees as well as external parties (such as suppliers, distributors and contractors) have opportunities to commit theft, procurement fraud and other wrongs against the Company. While corruption, bribery and fraud and theft risks can never be fully eliminated, the Company reviews and implements controls to reduce the likelihood of these events occurring. The Company's present and future business operations face these risks. Accordingly, for all of the reasons above, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking information made in this news release, see the Company's most recent Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis, as well as other public disclosure documents that can be accessed under the issuer profile of "Jaguar Mining Inc." on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information set forth herein reflects the Company's reasonable expectations as at the date of this news release and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Appendix 1

Drill hole location data for Turmalina holes reported in this Press-Release

Hole ID Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) Total Depth

(m) Collar Dip

() Collar Azimuth

() FTS1805 513128.83 7816978.80 332.02 79.35 -4.64 176.34 FTS1822 513301.72 7817175.83 65.53 250.45 209.38 10.14 FTS1837 513168.92 7817155.85 69.92 178.60 268.16 10.00 FTS1840 513169.74 7817154.04 70.19 130.85 225.99 17.96 FTS1847 513169.54 7817154.83 70.76 173.10 242.00 30.10 FTS1849 513169.51 7817155.00 70.83 242.70 245.00 31.43 FTS1851 512902.61 7817185.71 288.83 190.10 243.08 22.99 FTS1855 512902.74 7817185.67 288.02 149.70 240.00 9.21 FTS1856 512902.07 7817186.02 288.02 185.65 251.94 7.88 FTS1857 512901.71 7817186.49 287.98 187.20 261.99 5.99 FTS1858 512902.26 7817185.97 287.04 125.80 250.18 -15.49 FTS1859 512901.73 7817186.65 287.07 146.75 265.01 -11.88 FTS1865 512902.44 7817186.05 286.32 105.95 251.12 -37.70 FTS1866 512903.31 7817185.11 286.35 98.30 221.53 -41.99 FTS1887 513054.43 7817089.68 264.61 101.89 255.35 -33.15 FTS1888 513054.73 7817089.71 264.55 95.70 228.99 -38.03 FTS1889 513055.30 7817089.51 264.87 96.13 208.99 -36.10 FTS1890 513055.69 7817089.38 265.01 101.17 190.00 -35.11 FTS1891 513128.98 7816978.80 332.45 105.30 171.15 15.99 FTS1897 513035.92 7817023.78 316.08 85.35 223.90 -19.86 FTS1900 513038.81 7817022.60 316.01 75.22 215.99 -27.10 FTS1907 513038.39 7817022.69 315.83 93.78 165.99 -49.15 FTS1908 513038.07 7817022.88 315.77 95.39 179.95 -53.95 FTS1909 513037.41 7817023.03 315.77 80.56 197.87 -60.73 FTS1912 512902.08 7817186.11 287.23 200.65 278.27 -13.92 FTS1913 512902.00 7817186.63 286.64 211.20 287.20 -27.11 FTS1917 512908.06 7817190.12 287.73 222.40 24.99 1.30 FTS1918 512908.63 7817189.38 287.72 260.80 50.10 1.46 FTS1919 512909.22 7817188.89 287.66 320.55 67.99 0.67 FTS1921 513659.55 7817303.36 -211.81 129.90 6.26 -15.71 FTS1923 513659.32 7817303.26 -211.75 131.20 357.99 -15.25 FTS1925 513659.08 7817302.99 -211.67 136.06 350.00 -15.32 FTS1927 513665.11 7817303.85 -211.28 119.43 45.99 -15.33 FTS1929 513658.79 7817302.85 -211.99 137.10 5.00 -20.33 FTS1930 513658.51 7817302.74 -211.88 145.69 349.90 -18.63 FTS1933 513658.77 7817302.81 -212.21 127.88 4.25 -27.71 FTS1937 513664.79 7817303.96 -211.72 131.54 39.02 -21.60 FTS1944 513730.87 7817346.28 -274.13 52.90 79.95 10.62 FTS1945 513729.02 7817348.52 -275.45 125.35 357.99 -22.64 FTS1946 513729.50 7817348.30 -275.32 135.73 11.59 -20.62 FTS1947 513730.82 7817346.23 -274.15 151.00 25.00 -19.88 FTS1948 513730.24 7817347.26 -275.10 136.53 44.00 -19.22 FTS1951 513659.24 7817303.19 -212.48 170.11 7.00 -33.70 FTS1952 513659.42 7817303.30 -212.49 173.00 0.46 -32.78 FTS1957 513729.99 7817347.29 -275.57 100.00 38.17 -35.50 FTS1958 513729.58 7817348.02 -275.54 146.09 16.01 -28.80 FTS1959 513729.29 7817348.33 -275.69 145.51 6.60 -29.80 FTS1960 513730.19 7817346.56 -274.87 50.09 66.03 -13.97 FTS1966 512903.42 7817186.77 286.34 140.65 263.99 -74.35 FTS1967 512905.35 7817185.37 286.41 143.55 163.69 -72.83 FTS1971 512901.42 7817190.91 286.61 202.35 316.00 -78.92 FTS1978 512902.42 7817187.16 286.58 122.80 234.67 -59.41 FTS1979 512902.73 7817185.64 286.30 146.35 271.48 -46.43 FTS1983 512903.28 7817185.07 287.50 145.15 250.70 -5.12 FTS1984 512902.84 7817185.39 287.50 184.30 261.96 -2.99 FTS1985 512902.60 7817186.82 286.35 216.60 294.98 -38.76 FTS1998 513494.27 7817353.32 -236.24 150.70 40.44 -36.64 FTS1999 513493.68 7817353.77 -236.16 194.18 32.17 -37.81 FTS2016 513730.26 7817347.71 -274.72 126.91 37.12 -6.41 FTS2017 513725.03 7817346.04 -275.47 130.05 350.00 -22.13 FTS2018 513724.84 7817345.90 -275.33 135.95 339.99 -19.55 FTS2019 513724.70 7817345.76 -275.30 144.72 331.87 -19.94 FTS2020 513725.46 7817346.33 -275.86 164.45 5.19 -36.08 FTS2021 513725.26 7817346.17 -275.50 143.56 355.99 -30.80 FTS2022 513725.43 7817346.34 -275.63 137.66 3.99 -30.37 FTS2023 513725.08 7817346.10 -275.65 161.44 353.00 -35.80 FTS2024 513726.94 7817347.19 -275.87 165.29 25.00 -28.17 FTS2025 513725.12 7817346.09 -275.99 168.74 358.99 -37.49 FTS2026 513725.94 7817346.59 -276.04 168.74 14.05 -35.00 FTS1915 512902.60 7817185.40 286.90 136.05 263.00 -24.65

Appendix 2

Drill hole location data for Pilar holes reported in this Press-Release.

Hole ID Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) Total Depth

(m) Collar

Azimuth () Collar Dip

() FSB896 662748.22 7788582.69 46.54 41.35 349.99 0.40 FSB918 662739.50 7788473.92 46.23 48.85 185.02 13.95 FSB965A 662789.67 7788345.00 -26.07 72.90 124.88 -20.12 PPL706 662838.47 7788508.87 262.53 125.30 303.50 -35.97 PPL732A 662684.06 7788279.89 -52.10 208.40 25.15 -7.20 PPL734 662684.36 7788278.59 -51.92 220.15 42.72 -5.43 PPL735A 662684.50 7788278.33 -51.90 228.25 48.09 -5.15 PPL738 662684.91 7788277.36 -52.01 232.10 68.71 -8.53 PPL745 662683.97 7788279.99 -52.01 225.10 59.25 -14.61 PPL751 662684.90 7788277.82 -51.63 230.40 60.25 1.55 FSB944 662841.48 7788338.52 -24.80 93.65 249.94 -6.52 FSB960 662789.76 7788407.22 -26.16 36.15 41.00 18.06 FSB952 662800.93 7788397.22 -27.23 46.45 59.61 -22.75 PPL661 662602.45 7788348.75 33.04 262.05 81.62 -11.05 PPL579 662602.37 7788349.19 32.37 339.95 101.62 -36.46 PPL669 662637.45 7788785.46 219.20 180.75 255.14 -1.30 PPL665 662636.96 7788786.51 219.50 100.15 271.77 4.03 FSB887 662787.58 7788463.86 26.08 38.00 184.07 -18.43 PPL644 662637.78 7788787.26 218.67 80.70 293.12 -18.50 PPL664 662602.46 7788348.96 33.12 257.95 76.38 -12.65 PPL687 662752.67 7788440.74 -11.25 250.40 180.37 -26.06 PPL689 662637.76 7788785.31 219.36 182.10 249.63 2.75 PPL629 662754.26 7788542.90 264.09 120.20 94.91 12.19 PPL672A 662685.50 7788560.38 -0.63 50.80 142.28 10.21 PPL581 662767.80 7788471.71 106.88 200.50 73.11 36.16 PPL728 662637.75 7788787.33 221.16 161.10 304.94 34.49 PPL719 662638.21 7788784.59 218.11 116.95 238.42 -47.23 PPL703 662754.41 7788440.54 -11.15 141.85 130.95 -12.64 PPL705 662752.85 7788440.69 -10.09 77.25 150.17 15.40 PPL701 662753.78 7788440.57 -11.44 94.00 160.03 -27.30 PPL726 662602.58 7788349.66 32.68 330.95 90.39 -22.07 FSB892 662780.05 7788452.10 48.36 30.80 278.67 14.08 PPL750 662683.86 7788280.09 -51.79 221.65 54.69 -2.83 FSB968 662807.46 7788415.23 -26.33 46.80 228.06 14.65 FSB969 662823.91 7788412.13 -26.67 65.35 229.78 -14.74 PPL762 662684.22 7788277.87 -52.76 209.90 51.00 -35.47 PPL814 662639.02 7788497.87 -17.11 105.70 48.19 29.85 FSB971 662783.32 7788417.29 -28.04 55.45 182.86 -27.63

SOURCE: Jaguar Mining Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648658/Jaguar-Mining-Expands-Consolidated-Mineral-Resource-Mineral-Reserve-Growth-Potential
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) (OTCQB: FDCFF) ("Forum" or "Company") is pleased to announce initial drill results from Rio Tinto Exploration Canada's (RTEC) fourth drill target on Forum's 100% owned Janice Lake copper/silver project in Saskatchewan. RTEC plans to continue its drill program beginning in June to follow up on these results on the Rafuse target.

Assays from the first four holes on the Rafuse target are:

JANL0022 - No intercept.

JANL0023 - 0.325% copper and 2.04 g/t silver over 48 metres (19m to 67m) including 1.78% copper and 9.25 g/t silver over 3.15 metres (33m to 36.15m)

JANL0024 - 0.28% copper and 2.00 g/t silver over 76.5 metres (71.5m to 148m) and 0.20% copper and 1.58 g/t silver over 18 metres (188m to 206m)

JANL0025 - 0.16% copper and 1.74 g/t silver over 8 metres (21m to 29m)

Ken Wheatley, Forum's Vice President, Exploration stated, "We are encouraged that thick intervals of copper mineralization with a higher grade section of +1% copper have been intersected from surface to a depth of 200 metres. Rio Tinto plans to continue drilling along the remaining one and half kilometres of strike potential at Rafuse this summer. Thick intervals of copper mineralization have now been intersected by drilling for over 5 kilometres on the property on four different targets."

This is RTEC's second drill campaign on the 52 kilometre long Janice Lake property. RTEC drilled 5,209 metres in 21 holes in 2019 on three targets - Jansem, Janice and Kaz. Nine holes for a total of 2,330 metres were drilled in February and March 2021 on the Rafuse target, a 2.8 kilometre long priority target of surface copper mineralization. Three drill fences at 200 metre spacings for a total strike length of 650 metres have been tested (Figure 1). Further results from the remaining five holes are expected in the coming weeks.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the first drill fence which illustrates one copper interval ranging in thickness from 48 metres to 76.5 metres starting from surface to a depth of 150 metres and a second copper interval of 18 metres starting at 200 metres, both of which are open at depth.

Figure 1: Plan Map of the Rafuse Target. Background is from the airborne magnetic survey, with red colours indicating magnetic highs.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4908/85042_62c4ef8d349d8a43_003full.jpg

Figure 2: Cross Section JANL-22 to 25 with interpreted geology.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4908/85042_62c4ef8d349d8a43_004full.jpg

Quality Control/ Quality Assurance

Core samples were sawed in half, keeping the half with the reference line for orientated core in the box. Samples averaged 2 metres in length through the mineralized zone, 4 metres in length in the unmineralized zone, however these lengths varied depending on stratigraphy, alteration or mineralization. Standards were introduced after every 20th sample, using a high grade, low grade or unmineralized, depending on the surrounding core. Duplicates were also introduced on every 20th sample, quartering the core. Blanks were used for the first sample of the hole and at the beginning and end of a mineralized interval, using certified rose quartz. A 4-acid digestion was used on the samples at ALS lab in Vancouver, followed by analysis by ICP-MS (the ME-MS61L package).

Ken Wheatley, P.Geo., Forum's VP, Exploration and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

FORUM will host a conference call after market on May 25th, 2021 at 1pm PST / 4pm EST with CEO Rick Mazur and VP Exploration Ken Wheatley to go over the drill results and a technical and market overview of the Janice Lake Copper Joint Venture with Rio Tinto.

A question and answer period will follow.

FMC Forum Energy Metals Results Technical Overview Discussions Chat

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88529136791?pwd=VWVGNFo0QVlQK1U3cEM5bjA1bEVUdz09

Meeting ID: 885 2913 6791

Passcode: 659784

One tap mobile

+13017158592"88529136791#""*659784# US (Washington DC)

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Participant Dial-In Numbers are available as well (Toll-Free)

Canada (Vancouver) +1 778 907 2071

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+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)

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Meeting ID: 885 2913 6791

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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbHn4EswlC

About Forum Energy Metals

Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) has three 100% owned energy metal projects being drilled in 2021 by the Company and its major mining company partners Rio Tinto and Orano for copper/silver, uranium and nickel/platinum/palladium in Saskatchewan, Canada's Number One Rated mining province for exploration and development. In addition, Forum has a portfolio of seven drill ready uranium projects and a strategic land position in the Idaho Cobalt Belt. For further information: www.forumenergymetals.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard J. Mazur, P.Geo.

President & CEO

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.

For further information contact:

NORTH AMERICA

Rick Mazur, P.Geo., President & CEO

mazur@forumenergymetals.com

Tel: 778-772-3100

UNITED KINGDOM

Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi, Director

burnsstb@forumenergymetals.com

Tel: 074-0316-3185

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85042
Company to begin limited market release in Europe in June

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced it has completed CE Mark for the EXALT Model B Single-Use Bronchoscope, a single-use device designed for bedside procedures in the intensive care unit, operating room and bronchoscopy suite. Limited market release of the device is expected to commence in Europe in the coming weeks.

The EXALT Model B Bronchoscope will be offered in three sizes - slim, regular and large - to allow for use in a wide variety of bronchoscopy procedures such as secretion management, airway intubation, percutaneous tracheostomy, double lumen endotracheal tube placement and biopsies.

"As single-use bronchoscopes are relatively new, continued innovation is necessary to ensure physicians can achieve direct and precise visualization into a patient's lungs and air passages," said Prof. Dr. Kaid Darwiche, head of the Department of Interventional Pneumology at Ruhrlandklinik in Germany. "The EXALT Model B Bronchoscope provides clear, crisp imaging and high-powered suction - both of which are critical to successfully identify any abnormalities in the patient's airway."

Throughout Europe, more than 1.5 million procedures involving a bronchoscope are performed each year.i While the potential for infection due to reprocessing of reusable scopes is low, there have been reports of scope-associated contaminations and post-procedure infections.ii To combat this risk, a recent position statement from the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and the European Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (ESGENA) strongly recommended the use of single-use endoscopic accessories whenever possible.iii

"Single-use scopes are emerging as the preference for many physicians due to their ability to eliminate the risk of scope-related infection that may result from ineffective reprocessing while also increasing operational efficiencies in the hospital setting," said Dave Pierce, executive vice president and president of MedSurg and president of Endoscopy, Boston Scientific. "Innovation is central to our mission, and the EXALT Model B Bronchoscope is designed to provide physicians with the high-quality functionality and feel of a reusable scope, while addressing heightened patient safety needs and improving efficiency."

The EXALT Model B Bronchoscope is the latest device in the Boston Scientific single-use imaging portfolio. For decades, the company has worked closely with physicians to continuously innovate and develop single-use technologies within the gastrointestinal, pancreaticobiliary, surgical, urological and airway spaces to advance patient care, including the EXALT Model D Single-Use Duodenoscope, LithoVue Digital Flexible Ureteroscope, SpyGlass DS Direct Visualization System and SpyGlass Discover Digital Catheter.

Please visit www.bostonscientific.com/en-EU/medical-specialties/pulmonology/EXALT-B.html for more information about the EXALT Model B Bronchoscope.

The EXALT Model B Bronchoscope is not available for use or sale in the United States.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains 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 may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our business plans, clinical trials, product launches and product performance and impact. If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.

Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and future business decisions made by us and our competitors. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

CONTACTS:

Francesca Cardarelli

Media Relations, EMEA

+39 340 662 6364

Francesca.Cardarelli@bsci.com

Kirsten Lesak-Greenberg

Media Relations, U.S.

+1 (763) 300-9254

Kirsten.Lesak-Greenberg@bsci.com

Susie Lisa, CFA

Investor Relations

(508) 683-5670

BSXInvestorRelations@bsci.com







i Data on file at Boston Scientific Corporation. Market research is as of 2019 and includes projections for 2020, incorporating estimates for the COVID-19 pandemic. ii Mehta A, Muscarella L. Bronchoscope-related "superbug" infections. CHEST Journal. 2019; 157(2). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.08.003 iii Beilenhoff Ulrike et al. Reprocessing in GI endoscopy: ESGE-ESGENA Position Statement - Update 2018, Endoscopy 2018; 50

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Fury Gold Mines Limited (TSX:FURY)(NYSE American:FURY) ("Fury" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results from its ongoing resource expansion and exploration drill program at the Eau Claire deposit located in the Eeyou Istchee Territory of the James Bay region, Quebec. Drill hole 21EC-022 intersected 23.27 g/t gold (Au) over 7.09 metres (m) in the southeast margin of the defined resource further demonstrating the potential to significantly expand the resource down plunge to the east (Figures 1 and 2). This intersection represents the fifth best result drilled, in terms of grade and width, from over 900 holes drilled at Eau Claire to date. Given this result, Fury's technical team plans to continue drilling east of the deposit focusing on the 220-metre gap between the known resource and the Target A panel (Figure 1).

Preliminary results returned from Target A, located 200- to 350-metre down plunge east of the deposit, highlighted high-grade gold intervals of 7.1 g/t gold over 0.5m and 4.05 g/t gold over 0.5m that intersected a 5- to 20-metre wide zone of alteration with stacked quartz-tourmaline veins and associated quartz feldspar porphyry dykes along the Eau Claire deposit structure (Figure 2). With only three drill holes drilled into a 200-metre by 250-metre area, the Company believes additional drilling is required to obtain a representative view of grade distribution within this area of highly prospective geology. Drill results for the resource expansion holes and the Target A panel are presented below (Table 1).

"It's exciting to drill an all-time top five drill hole at Eau Claire, a high-quality project that has steadily improved since we started drilling in late 2020," commented Mike Timmins, President and CEO of Fury. "We are eagerly awaiting several pending holes, many of which contain coarse visible gold and we are looking forward to starting our regional program, the planning of which is near complete. Quebec is arguably one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world and we are fortunate to be developing this high-grade district opportunity."

Table 1: Resource Expansion and Exploration Drill Results

Hole ID From To Length (m) True Thickness (m) Au (g/t) 21EC-020 No Significant Intersections 21EC-022 319 327.5 8.5 7.09 23.27 21EC-015 721 722 1 Not Applicable 1.25 730 731 1 Not Applicable 2.06 738.5 739 0.5 Not Applicable 4.05 21EC-017 95.5 97 1.5 Not Applicable 1.28 314 317.5 3.5 Not Applicable 2.41 Incl. 314 315 1 Not Applicable 4.86 780 781.5 1.5 Not Applicable 2.96 Incl. 781 781.5 0.5 Not Applicable 7.10 818 819.5 1.5 Not Applicable 1.05 894 895.5 1.5 Not Applicable 1.35 21EC-019 650 651 1 Not Applicable 1.24 True thickness calculations for resource expansion drilling is based on a dip of 55o and dip azimuth of 191.5o. Lengths for exploration drilling are drill indicated core length, as insufficient drilling has been undertaken to determine true widths at this time. Main intervals - Au grade*thickness no less than 2 g/t*m with grade is no less than 1 g/t, maximum consecutive dilution 2m

"The exploration program is tracking well with our first 12 drill holes east of the deposit demonstrating the expansion potential 700 metres down plunge. The drilling at Snake Lake suggests a size potential to rival the Eau Claire deposit and includes the discovery of a new mineralized structure between Snake Lake and Eau Claire. We believe that these initial holes highlight the prospectivity of the 5km deposit trend and the likelihood of offering a significant resource expansion potential," stated Michael Henrichsen, SVP, Exploration of Fury.

Figure 1: Eau Claire Deposit long section depicting the resource block model and location of recent resource expansion as well as the down plunge extension drill holes in Targets A and B.

Eastern Expansion and Target A Results

To date Fury has drilled four holes targeting the eastern extension of the lower eastern margin of the resource that is currently defined as 204,000 ounces at 11.81 g/t gold (2.5 g/t cut-off grade)1. The Company is impressed with the continuity of high-grade mineralization with all three holes returning high-grade results as follows: 23.27 g/t gold over 7.09m, 11.56 g/t gold over 6.04m, 59.3 g/t gold over 1m, 8.87 g/t gold over 3m and 4.89 g/t gold over 2.94m (refer to news releases dated April 30, 2021 and March 1, 2021). These results confirm Fury's belief of the potential to expand the deposit to the east.

The results from the three drill holes into the Target A panel and the previously reported four drill holes into the Target B panel of 2.59 g/t gold over 3m, 15.3 g/t gold over 1m and 8.89 g/t gold over 1.5m (refer to news releases dated March 30, 2021 and January 25th, 2021) over an area of 600m by 400m on the Eau Claire deposit structure show the potential to expand the deposit 700m down plunge to the east. In particular, the presence of multiple stacked quartz-tourmaline veins and alteration over widths up to 20m in the Target A panel demonstrate a strong fluid pathway that requires additional drilling to fully understand the distribution gold grades within this portion of the Eau Claire deposit structure.

Figure 2: Target A Drill Hole Quartz Tourmaline Vein Density

Eau Claire Technical Disclosure

Analytical samples for the Resource Expansion Drill Program were taken by sawing NQ diameter core into equal halves on site and sent one of the halves to Bureau Veritas (BV) lab in Timmins, ON (ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility) for preparation and analysis. Preparation included crashing core sample to 90% < 2mm and pulverizing 1000g of crushed material to better than 85% < 75 microns. All samples are assayed using 50 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (BV code FA450) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (BV code MA200). Where FA450 results are greater than 5 ppm Au the assay is repeated with 50 g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (FA550-Au). QA/QC programs using internal and lab standard and blank samples, field and lab duplicates and re-assay indicate good overall accuracy and precision.

Analytical samples from the 2020 and 2021 Exploration Drill program were taken by sawing NQ diameter core into equal halves on site with one half being sent to Actlabs in Val d'Or, QC for preparation and then to Actlabs in Thunder Bay, ON for analysis. All samples are assayed using 50 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (1A2B-50) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (1F2). Where 1A2B-50 results were greater than 5 ppm Au the assay were repeated with 50 g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (1A3-50). QA/QC programs using internal standard samples, field and lab duplicates and blanks indicate good overall accuracy and precision.

Historical drill samples were taken by sawing NQ diameter core into equal halves on site with one half being sent to ALS Chemex in Val D'or, QC for preparation and analysis. All samples were assayed using a 50 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (Au-AA24) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS61). Where Au-AA24 results were greater than 5 ppm Au the assay was repeated with 50 g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (Au-GRA22). QA/QC programs using internal standard samples, field and lab duplicates and blanks indicate good overall accuracy and precision.

1 See the technical report entitled "Technical Report, Updated Mineral Resource Estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Eau Claire Gold Deposit, Clearwater Property, Quebec, Canada" (the "Eau Claire Report") dated effective February 4, 2018, prepared by Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, Antoine Yassa, P.Geo., Andrew Bradfield, P.Eng., Allan Armitage, Ph.D., P.Geo., which can be found on Eastmain Resources Inc.'s profile at www.sedar.com.

David Rivard, P.Geo, Exploration Manager at Fury, is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this press release.

About Fury Gold Mines Limited

Fury Gold Mines Limited is a Canadian-focused exploration and development company positioned in three prolific mining regions across the country. Led by a management team and board of directors with proven success in financing and developing mining assets, Fury will aggressively grow and advance its multi-million-ounce gold platform through project development and potential new discoveries. Fury is committed to upholding the highest industry standards for corporate governance, environmental stewardship, community engagement and sustainable mining. For more information on Fury, visit www.furygoldmines.com.

For further information on Fury Gold Mines Limited, please contact:

Salisha Ilyas, Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: (844) 601-0841

Email: info@furygoldmines.com

Website: www.furygoldmines.com

Forward-Looking Statements and Additional Cautionary Language

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canada and United States securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), which relate to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward-looking statements are statements that include implied future performance and/or forecast information. Forward-looking statements in this release reflect management's current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events. Specific forward-looking statements contained in this release include information relating to: Fury's exploration drill programs at its Eau Claire deposit, including with respect to pending deposit drill hole results and the prospectivity of the Eau Claire deposit; and the future growth and development of Fury's mineral properties.

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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date such statements are made and are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable at the time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Such assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect, include: general economic and industry growth rates; the Company's budget, including expected costs and the assumptions regarding market conditions; the Company's ability to raise additional capital to proceed with its exploration, development and operations plans; the Company's ability to obtain or renew the licenses and permits necessary for its current and future operations; and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements were reasonable at the time such statements were made, there can be no assurance that such assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different (either positively or negatively) from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including risks relating, but not limited, to: the COVID-19 pandemic; the future price of minerals, including gold and other metals; and the success of the Company's exploration and development activities. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company's Annual Information Form and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2020 and subsequent continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release or the date indicated. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities law.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Mining Disclosure

The mining and technical disclosure throughout this release is made in accordance with applicable Canadian law and the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The Company's descriptions of its projects using applicable Canadian law and CIM Standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

SOURCE: Fury Gold Mines

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648862/Fury-Drills-Top-Five-Intercept-To-Date--2327-gt-Gold-Over-709-Metres--Outside-of-the-Defined-Resource-at-Eau-Claire
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BRISTOL, United Kingdom, May 25, 2021, the best place for IT professionals to buy cloud products, today announced new global agreements with Axcient, BitTitan, novaSOC, Nuvolex, and Proofpoint.



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To learn more about these vendors, please contact a cloud solutions advisor at, or visit www.pax8.com.

About Pax8

Pax8is modernizing how partners buy, sell, and manage cloud. As a born-in-the-cloud company, Pax8 simplifies the buying journey, empowering its partners to achieve more with cloud technology. The company's technology displaces legacy distribution by connecting the channel ecosystem to its award-winning transactional cloud marketplace. Through billing, provisioning, automation, industry-leading PSA integrations, and pre and post-sales support, and education, Pax8 is a proven disruptor in the market. Pax8 has ranked in the Inc. 5000 for three consecutive years - #68 in 2018, #60 in 2019, and #111 in 2020 - as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US. If you want to be successful with cloud, you want to work with Pax8. Get started today at www.pax8.com.

Follow Pax8 on Facebook, LinkedIn, andTwitter.

Media contact:

John Trent

PR Manager at Pax8

jtrent@pax8.com
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Torq Resources Inc. (TSXV:TORQ)(OTCQX:TRBMF) ("Torq" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has successfully acquired the option to earn a 100% interest in the Andrea copper porphyry project located in northern Chile, 100 kilometres (km) east of the city of La Serena. The property is located at the western margin of the Miocene aged El Indio belt that hosts the world-class El Indio and Pascua Lama epithermal gold and silver deposits (Barrick Gold Corporation) (Figure 1). This belt was extensively explored for precious metal epithermal deposits in the 1980s - 1990s, but remains highly under-explored for copper porphyry systems.

A Message from Shawn Wallace, Executive Chair & Director:

"We are very pleased to announce the closing of our second acquisition this year. The Andrea aquisition represents an important step in our stated goal of populating the Company's portfolio with highly leveraged copper and gold projects. Exploration at the Margarita copper-gold project, and now Andrea, will provide the Company, its shareholders and stakeholders with an exciting and potentially rewarding year as we rapidly advance both projects to drilling."

Andrea Property:

The project covers approximately 1,200 hectares at elevations ranging from 3900 - 4900 metres (m). The project is characterized by a 3.5 km by 1 km alteration system, situated along a north-south trending fault zone, that localizes the emplacement of multi-phase porphyry bodies, which are anomalous in copper, gold and molybdenum at an elevation of approximately 4,300 m (Figure 2). Importantly, the majority of the 3.5 km fault zone and associated mineralized porphyries, which represent the primary target area on the property, are situated under post-mineralization landslide and colluvium cover and remain undrilled (Figures 2 - 3).

In addition, at higher elevations (4,600 - 4,800 m), to the east of the porphyry system, high-grade gold-silver low - intermediate sulphidation veins were mined historically by small-scale miners and drill tested by LAC Minerals in the 1990s. These epithermal veins, which constitute the Apolinario prospect, are not the focus of Torq's exploration plans but their presence in conjunction with the mapped porphyries on the project demonstrate a full epithermal - porphyry continuum of the mineralization system is present on the property.

A Message from Michael Henrichsen, Chief Geologist:

"The Andrea project represents an excellent opportunity to discover a world-class Miocene aged copper porphyry system in an area that has traditionally been explored for epithermal mineralization associated with the prolific El Indio belt. The presence of multiphase porphyry bodies with anomalous copper, gold and molybdenum values, in conjunction with large chargeability responses, demonstrates the potential of the project to deliver a new porphyry discovery."

Geology & Geochemistry:

The property is primarily characterized by a north-south trending fault zone that separates Permo-Triassic siliceous volcanics to the east from a Mesozoic volcano-sedimentary package to the west. Multi-staged porphyries that are dioritic to granodioritic in composition are emplaced along this fault zone, with each phase having distinct alteration and mineralization characteristics. These porphyries are characterized by quartz-sericite alteration, quartz-magnetite veining and quartz - copper oxide stockwork veining zones, all of which are characteristics of a potentially productive porphyry system.

Historical grab sampling in the two limited areas where the porphyries are exposed are presented in Figure 2 and summarized below in Table 1. The historical grab samples on the Andrea project were collected by Santiago Metals and Noranda Inc. Torq has not conducted any due diligence on whether appropriate QA/QC protocols were followed in the collection of these samples, nor can it confirm their accuracy or repeatability.

The southern cluster of rock samples largely represents a granodiorite phase porphyry that is associated with copper oxide quartz stockwork veins, which have average values of 551 parts per million (ppm) copper, 11.33 ppm molybdenum and 0.1 ppm gold. The northern cluster of rock samples is characterized by disseminated pyrite and minor copper sulphides, and is associated with quartz-magnetite veinlets in a diorite porphyry. Samples from the diorite porphyry average 508 ppm copper, 16 ppm molybdenum and 0.07 ppm gold. Collectively, these two porphyry phases indicate copper endowment along the fault zone and lead to Torq's technical team's pursuit of two targeting ideas at this stage: 1) The potential for an enrichment blanket at shallow depths associated with the granodiorite porphyry phase due to the presence of copper oxide on surface, and 2) the identification of a higher-grade porphyry phase under the landslide and colluvium material.

Table 1: Summary of historical rock sampling

Type Number of Samples Au (g/t) Cu (ppm) Mo (ppm) Diorite Average Geochem 107 Minimum 0.005 38 0.5 Maximum 0.55 1,900 72 Mean 0.069 508.6 16.45 Granodiorite Average Geochem 162 Minimum 0.005 89 0.5 Maximum 0.29 2,567 96 Mean 0.103 551.3 11.33

Geophysics:

The results from an IP survey of the Andrea property conducted in 2014 demonstrate a robust 2.5 km by 1 km +18 millivolt chargeability anomaly that is largely situated underneath the landslide and colluvium cover, which represents the primary target area of the project (Figure 4). Importantly, internal to the chargeability high is a north-south trending corridor of lower chargeability values that may represent the potential for potassic alteration and high-grade mineralization internal to a pyritic halo that would be characterized by higher chargeability values.

Historical Drilling:

Seven drill holes, totalling 1,371 m and with a maximum depth of 250 m, tested the periphery of the main target area of the Andrea project (Figures 2 & 4). Only partial results are available from these drill holes and are listed below in Table 2. These results cannot be validated through assay certificates, however, Torq considers the partial results to be reliable as they were taken directly from historical company reports. The historical results from the drill holes were collected by Lac Minerals. Torq has not conducted any due diligence on whether appropriate QA/QC protocols were followed in the collection of these drill samples, nor can it confirm their accuracy or repeatability.

Importantly, these drill holes did not test the chargeability anomalies that represent an important part of future drill targeting (Figure 4). The most significant intercept reported was 146 m of 980 ppm copper and 46 ppm molybdenum in drill hole DAP-37. Intervals in drill holes DAP-38 and DAP-39 also show discrete zones of elevated molybdenum values ranging between 76 and 203 ppm. The increasing copper and molybdenum values may represent a vector toward a higher-grade portion of the system at depth, which may be associated with the chargeability anomaly.

Andrea Historical Drilling

Hole ID North

PSAD56 East

PSAD56 Elevation Azimuth Dip Length DAP-37 6,734,633 388,124 4,209.4 341 -60 140.6 DAP-38 6,734,669 388,102 4,204.9 345 -61 218.65 DAP-39 6,734,195 387,958 4,259.6 345 -80.5 300 DAP-40 6,734,405 388,065 4,216.0 0 -90 42.1 DAP-41 6,734,147 388,024 4,295.8 305 -80 211.9 DAP-42 6,734,211 388,025 4,279.3 300 -72 200 DAP-43 6,734,111 387,958 4,284.1 295 -55 258.3 TOTAL 1371.55

Andrea Assay Results, Historical Drilling

Hole ID From To Interval Cu (ppm) Au (g/t) Mo (ppm) DAP-37 0 140.6 140.6 978 0.02 46 123 140.6 17.6 1314 0.1 102 DAP-38 85 94 10 394 0.1 213 186 190 4 100 0.1 179 DAP-39 9 30 21 1055 0.1 76

Exploration Plan:

Torq plans to advance the Andrea project to drill stage rapidly by conducting geological and alteration mapping, a rock sampling program and by creating a 3D inversion of the induced polarization data to define drill targets. The first drill program is being planned for Q1 of 2022.

Option Terms:

The Company acquired the rights that constitute the Andrea project through three option agreements. Under these option agreements the Company can acquire 100% interest in the project, subject to net smelter return (NSR) royalties, through cash payments as follows:

Period from Signing Definitive Agreement Cash Payments (USD) Within 60 days of signing the Definitive Agreement $105,000 within 12 months 135,000 within 24 months 185,000 within 36 months 300,000 within 48 months 1,000,000 within 60 months 4,275,000 Total $6,000,000

The option agreements each include a NSR of 1.5%, which is buyable for payments totalling US$3,000,000.

Figure 1: Illustrates the location of the Andrea project within the Miocene aged El Indio belt and its proximity to major deposits in the area.

Figure 2: Illustrates the 3.5 km by 1 km north south trending alteration zone, situated along a north south trending fault zone, which localizes the emplacement of multi-phase porphyry bodies that are anomalous in copper, gold, and molybdenum. Note that the majority of the alteration and fault zone are covered by post mineralization landslide and colluvium.

Figure 3: Illustrates the conceptual porphyry target underneath a thin cover of land slide and colluvium post mineralization cover. In addition, the presence of the high-grade epithermal veins at higher elevations demonstrates that the full porphyry - epithermal continuum is present on the Andrea property.

Figure 4: Illustrates the shallowly buried chargeability anomaly that has not been drill-tested and forms the primary target area on the Andrea property.

Michael Henrichsen (Chief Geologist), P.Geo is the QP who assumes responsibility for the technical contents of this press release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

Shawn Wallace

Executive Chairman

For further information on Torq Resources, please contact Natasha Frakes, Manager of Corporate Communications at (778) 729-0500 or info@torqresources.com.

About Torq Resources

Torq is a junior exploration company focused on establishing a top-tier mineral portfolio. The Company's management team has raised over $550 million and monetized successes in three previous exploration companies. Torq is continually reviewing mineral targets in pursuit of acquisition, strategic exploration and significant discovery.

Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking information is information that includes implied future performance and/or forecast information including information relating to, or associated with, exploration and or development of mineral properties. These statements or graphical information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different (either positively or negatively) from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

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: Torq Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648902/Torq-Options-Andrea-Copper-Porphyry-Project-in-Chile
DIDCOT, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Altus Strategies Plc (AIM:ALS) (TSX-V:ALTS) (OTCQX:ALTUF) announces the commencement of a significant 17,500m Reverse Circulation ("RC") and Air Core ('AC') drilling programme at the Company's 100% owned Diba gold project ("Diba" or the "Project") in western Mali. The drilling programme follows the completion of an initial 48km2 ground magnetic survey, which has defined a number of additional targets.

Highlights:

Combined 17,500m RC & AC drilling programme at the Diba gold project in western Mali

10,000m RC programme designed to: test the high grade zone within the Diba deposit, where previous intersections include 3.34 g/t Au over 60m from 17m (including 13.60 g/t Au over 9m) and 43.83 g/t Au over 5m from surface (not true width of intervals) expand the current Mineral Resource Estimate (" MRE ") at the Diba deposit extend strike and down dip extensions of the Diba NW discovery

7,500m AC programme designed to: test the northern strike of the Diba NW discovery (800m from Diba deposit) evaluate artisanal workings at the Diba Far East prospect (7km from Diba deposit)

Additional targets defined by 48km2 ground magnetic survey to be drill tested

Steven Poulton, Chief Executive of Altus, commented:

'We are aggressively advancing exploration of the Company's 100% owned Diba gold project in western Mali, with the commencement of a major RC and AC drilling campaign. Our field team is undertaking a high resolution ground magnetic survey, which has covered 48km2 of the licence to date. This survey has generated numerous structural targets across the licence, including at Diba NW, located 0.8km northwest of the Diba deposit, and at Diba Far East, located 7km east of the Diba deposit.

"The 10,000m RC programme will test the high grade zone within the Diba deposit, where previous intersections include 3.34 g/t Au over 60m from 17m (including 13.60 g/t Au over 9m) and 43.83 g/t Au over 5m from surface. The programme will also seek to expand the current MRE at the Diba deposit, as well as test the potential extension of the Diba NW prospect.

"The 7,500m AC programme will target a high priority 4km long and northerly striking zone, which may represent a potential extension of the Diba NW prospect. Diba NW was discovered by an RC programme completed by Altus earlier this year. Intersections from Diba NW included 1.45 g/t Au over 22m and 1.87 g/t Au over 10m (not true widths). The AC programme will also test Diba Far East, which contains numerous artisanal gold workings with shafts reportedly dug up to 20m deep, coincident with significant structural targets identified from the ongoing ground magnetic survey.

"On completion of these programmes, Altus anticipates commissioning an updated independent MRE and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Project. Diba is a significant discovery in West Africa and we look forward to updating shareholders on the progress of these programmes in due course.'

Diba Project: Drilling Programme

The planned drilling programmes will be undertaken by International Drilling Company and comprise approximately 350 AC drill holes for a total of approximately 7,500m and approximately 65 RC drill holes drilled to an average depth of 150m for approximately 10,000m. Drill samples will be composited over 2m and 1m for AC and RC respectively and will be assayed for gold by fire assay.

The AC programme will target a number of prospects, including Diba Central, located directly north of the recently discovered Diba Northwest prospect (see Altus' press release of 11 February 2021 entitled "New Discovery at Diba Gold Project, Western Mali" https://www.altus-strategies.com/news/new-discovery-at-diba-gold-project-western-mali/), located 2.5km northwest of the Diba deposit. The drill target is defined by a 4km long, north-south striking structural target, interpreted as a potential splay off a major north-northeast trending structure which continues into the Sadiola mining permit.

The RC programme will focus on the Diba deposit, primarily testing potential down dip extensions and higher grade sections within the current MRE. Further RC drilling will be undertaken at Diba NW to test potential on strike and down dip extensions.

Diba Project: Ground Magnetic Programme

A high-resolution ground magnetic programme is ongoing and to date has covered an area of approximately 48km2 across the key prospects at and surrounding the Diba MRE, the Diba NW prospect and the Diba Far East prospect. Geophysical lines are being orientated NE-SW and spaced 50m apart. Survey lines are considered to be oblique to structures identified from historical data and from a regional lineament analysis completed by the Company.

The Company's field team used an in-house GEM Systems Overhauser Magnetometer. Processing of the data and QA-QC was performed by Terratec Geophysical Services GmbH & Co. (Germany). The results of the programme have contributed to the detailed structural interpretation of Diba and have guided the current AC and RC drilling programmes. The ground magnetics programme is expected to be completed in May 2021.

Illustrations

The following figures have been prepared and relate to the disclosures in this announcement and are visible in the version of this announcement on the Company's website (www.altus-strategies.com) or in PDF format by following this link: https://altus-strategies.com/site/assets/files/5290/altus_nr_-_diba_25_may_2021.pdf

Location of the Diba project in western Mali is shown in Figure 1.

Key Diba prospects with high-resolution ground magnetic data is shown in Figure 2.

A selection of photos from the Diba project is shown in Figure 3.

Diba Project: Location

The 81km2 Diba (Korali Sud licence) project is located in the Kayes region of western Mali, approximately 450km northwest of the capital city of Bamako. The Project sits 5km west of the Company's Lakanfla gold project, which is under joint venture with ASX-listed Marvel Gold Limited, and approximately 13km south of the multi-million ounce Sadiola gold mine and 35km south of the multi-million ounce Yatela former gold mine, both owned by Allied Gold Corp. Diba is contiguous with the Sadiola permit on its northern and eastern boundaries. Mineralisation hosted on these properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted at Diba.

Diba Mineral Resource Estimate

The Diba project hosts an MRE of 217,000 ounces at 1.39 g/t Au (Indicated) and 187,000 ounces at 1.06 g/t Au (Inferred) in both oxide and fresh domains, as set out in Table 1. The MRE was previously reported by the Company on 6 July 2020 (see Altus' news release titled "Significant Gold Resource at Diba Project, Western Mali"). The Diba deposit remains open down dip and along strike.

Table 1: Diba Mineral Resource Estimate

Domain Indicated Inferred Tonnes (t) Grade (g/t) Contained gold (oz) Tonnes (t) Grade (g/t) Contained gold (oz) Oxide 3,900,000 1.46 183,100 939,000 1.10 33,200 Fresh 934,000 1.12 33,600 4,540,000 1.05 153,300 Total 4,834,000 1.39 217,000 5,479,000 1.06 187,000

Notes:

The MRE has an effective date of 6 July 2020.

The Mineral Resources in the MRE are classified according to the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) "Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines" dated 29 November, 2019 and CIM "Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" dated 10 May, 2014.

Mineral Resources are reported within a pit shell and are reported to a base-case cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t Au.

The quantity and grade of reported Inferred Resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred Resources as an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource category.

Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, marketing, or other relevant issues.

All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures.

Tonnages are rounded to 1,000t and gold to 1,000oz as this is an estimate .

. Altus Strategies is the operator and 100% owner of the Diba Project.

Diba Deposit: Geology and Mineralisation

Mineralisation at the Diba project is sediment-hosted within a series of stacked lenses, typically between 20m and 40m thick. The lenses are shallow-dipping at approximately 30 degrees angled to the east/east-southeast. The Diba deposit is considered to be controlled by a number of northwest and northeast orientated structures, with gold occurring as fine-grained disseminations in localised high-grade, calcite-quartz veinlets. Alteration at Diba is typically albite-hematite+/-pyrite, although pyrite content is generally very low (<1 %). The weathering profile at the Project is estimated to be up to 70m vertical depth, resulting in extensive oxidation from surface. The oxide gold mineralisation at the Diba deposit is predominantly found in saprolite within 50m of surface and across a compact 700m x 700m area.

Qualified Person

The technical disclosure in this regulatory announcement has been approved by Steven Poulton, Chief Executive of Altus. A graduate of the University of Southampton in Geology (Hons), he also holds a Master's degree from the Camborne School of Mines (Exeter University) in Mining Geology. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and has over 20 years of experience in mineral exploration and is a Qualified Person under the AIM rules and NI 43-101.

For further information you are invited to visit the Company's website www.altus-strategies.com or contact:

Altus Strategies Plc Steven Poulton, Chief Executive Tel:+44 (0) 1235 511 767 E-mail: info@altus-strategies.com SP Angel (Nominated Adviser) Richard Morrison / Adam Cowl Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 SP Angel (Broker) Grant Barker / Richard Parlons Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0471 Shard Capital (Broker) Isabella Pierre / Damon Heath Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186 9927 Yellow Jersey PR (Financial PR & IR) Charles Goodwin / Henry Wilkinson Tel: +44 (0) 20 3004 9512 E-mail: altus@yellowjerseypr.com

About Altus Strategies Plc

Altus Strategies (AIM: ALS, TSX-V: ALTS & OTCQX: ALTUF) is a mining royalty company generating a diversified and precious metal focused portfolio of assets. The Company's focus on Africa and differentiated approach, of generating royalties on its own discoveries as well as through financings and acquisitions with third parties, has attracted key institutional investor backing. The Company engages constructively with all stakeholders, working diligently to minimise its environmental impact and to promote positive economic and social outcomes in the communities where it operates. For further information, please visit www.altus-strategies.com.

TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organisation of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Market Abuse Regulation Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR") until the release of this announcement.

Glossary of Terms

The following is a glossary of technical terms:

"Au" means gold

"AC" means Air Core drilling

"CIM" means the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum

"g" means grams

"g/t" means grams per tonne

"grade(s)" means the quantity of ore or metal in a specified quantity of rock

"km" means kilometres

"km2" means square kilometres

"m" means metres

"MRE" means Mineral Resource Estimate

"NI 43-101" means National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" of the Canadian Securities Administrators

"Qualified Person" means a person that has the education, skills and professional credentials to qualify as a qualified person under NI 43-101

"RC" means Reverse Circulation drilling

"t" means a metric tonne

SOURCE: Altus Strategies Plc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648846/Drilling-Commences-at-Diba-Gold-Project-Western-Mali
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSX:MBA)(OTCQX:MBAIF) ("CIBT" or the "Company") is pleased to report that CBRE Limited ("CBRE"), a leading Canadian real estate brokerage and the top-ranked firm for commercial real estate investment sales globally, has formally started its marketing campaign to exclusively list for sale six highly desirable GEC rental buildings.

CBRE's International Markets Team & National Apartment Group are actively working with institutional and private buyers across Canada, the United States and globally to facilitate a competitive sales process to maximize value for the assets. The offering represents a highly desirable opportunity to acquire a portfolio of 413 units in core downtown and westside transit-oriented locations. To view the portfolio video, please visit: www.cibt.net/cbre or contact CIBT's representatives at CBRE for more information regarding the offering process.

About CBRE:

CBRE Group, Inc. is the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with 2020 revenues of $23.8 billion and more than 100,000 employees (excluding affiliate offices). CBRE is the top-ranked firm for commercial real estate investment sales globally for the tenth consecutive year, according to Real Capital Analytics (RCA). CBRE has been included on the Fortune 500 since 2008, ranking #128 in 2020. It also has been voted the industry's top brand by the Lipsey Company for 20 consecutive years, and has been named one of Fortune's "Most Admired Companies" for nine years in a row, including being ranked number one in the real estate sector in 2021, for the third consecutive year. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CBRE."

About Global Education City Holdings Inc.:

Global Education City Holdings Inc., CIBT's real estate subsidiary, develops and manages academic assets such as student-centric rental apartments, corporate housing, hotel and education super-centres. Under the GEC brand, Global Holdings provides B2B accommodation service to 72 schools in Metro Vancouver and B2C service to students from 77 countries. The GEC branded portfolio, including properties that are operational and those under-construction or development, comprises 11 projects, 16 buildings, spanning over 1.5 million square feet.

About CIBT:

CIBT is one of Canada's largest education services and academic real estate companies. With a global presence since 1994, CIBT employs nearly 600 staff at 46 business locations and operates a global network of 2,500 recruitment agents. In 2020, the group provided education, student recruitments and accommodation services to over 11,000 students. Its real estate portfolio, including operating assets and development budget, exceeds $1.5 billion. CIBT's education subsidiaries include Sprott Shaw College (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College Career Campus, CIBT School of Business and Global Education Alliance. These subsidiaries offer over 150 accredited educational programs in healthcare, business, e-commerce, cyber-security, hotel management, language training and recruitment services at 29 locations in Canada and abroad. CIBT also owns Irix Design Group Inc. ("Irix Design"). Irix Design is a leading design and advertising company services over one hundred corporate clients including CIBT. Visit us online at www.cibt.net .

Toby Chu

Chairman, President & CEO

CIBT Education Group Inc.

Investor Relations Contact: 1-604-871-9909 extension 319or | Email: info@cibt.net

SOURCE: CIBT Education Group Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648901/CBRE-Commences-Marketing-Launch-to-Monetize-a-Portion-of-CIBTs-Real-Estate-Portfolio
Agreement delivers advanced cyber technology and services for governments, military, and critical infrastructure

AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quali , the Infrastructure Automation at Scale company, and BEACON RED, an EDGE Group Company that provides solutions to tackle complex national security threats, have entered into a relationship to provide cybersecurity and services for governments, military, and critical infrastructure projects in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). Under the terms of this partnership, BEACON RED and Quali will deliver a joint solution that enables customers to set up complex cyber range and interoperability testing scenarios for GCC area customers, which will strengthen cybersecurity support for critical deployments and management of secured environments.

Leveraging Quali's CloudShell infrastructure automation platform as part of the solution, BEACON RED can offer enhanced security solutions that allow customers to:

Rapidly create and replicate complex environments that include a mix of virtual and physical infrastructure, built with a customer's compliance and governance standards

that include a mix of virtual and physical infrastructure, built with a customer's compliance and governance standards Design and deploy robust cyber range scenarios delivered and consumed on demand

delivered and consumed on demand Create secure, compliant environments to test and validate new solutions

"BEACON RED and Quali are committed to helping GCC customers achieve both flexibility and scale in their cybersecurity posture,"said Mauricio De Almeida, BEACON RED CEO. "As an expert in cybersecurity and intelligence, BEACON RED understands that asymmetric threats, especially to the mission-critical physical and IT infrastructure of nations, require unconventional solutions.

"By integrating Quali CloudShell into our offering, what would have taken days or weeks to configure, now can happen with a touch of a button," De Almeida continued. "Together, we will further enhance our mission to protect our national-security clients from increasingly complex and destructive cyberattacks. Our focus will be to prevent, disrupt, and withstand cyberattacks, increasing our clients' ability to maintain operational resiliency."

"Both Quali and BEACON RED believe in IT choice and service flexibility, letting the customer choose the right environments for their needs," said John Klemm, Quali Executive Vice President and Cybersecurity Practice Owner. "Our technologies are well aligned to the cybersecurity mission of enabling safe choices for our joint customers, and Quali's built-in IT infrastructure governance capabilities ensure customers can manage risk across environments. This agreement will help us to continue our extraordinary growth together."

In addition, Middle East customers will now have access to Quali products through BEACON RED's implementation team, providing safe and supported infrastructure deployments to address current threats, like cyberattacks and remote working conditions that make environments more prone to vulnerabilities. BEACON RED also employs one of the region's most distinguished cybersecurity subject matter experts, who can deploy Quali software for cyber range and interoperability use cases.

Please stay tuned for future joint announcements at our upcoming ISS-MEA Event in Dubai, June 28-30, 2021.

About Qualih

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Quali provides the leading platform for Infrastructure Automation at Scale. Global 2000 enterprises and innovators everywhere rely on Quali's award-winning CloudShell platform to create self-service, on-demand automation solutions that increase engineering productivity, cut cloud costs, and optimize infrastructure utilization. For more information, please visit https://www.quali.com and follow Quali on Twitter (@QualiSystems) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/qualisystems).

About BEACON RED

BEACON RED, an EDGE Group Company, is a United Arab Emirates-based defense company that tackles complex national security threats. We innovate and disrupt conventional ways of thinking, helping national security leaders develop the people, processes, and technologies that ensure preparedness for future challenges.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1421592/Quali_Logo.jpg
STOCKHOLM, May 25, 2021/PRNewswire/ -- Klarna the leading global bank, payments provider, and shopping service is pleased to confirm that Roger W. Ferguson Jr will join the Board of Directors. Mr. Ferguson is the former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, past President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, the Steven A Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and served on President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness as well as its predecessor, the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Mr. Ferguson will join the board chaired by Michael Moritz, partner at Sequoia Capital as well as recent appointments of other new members: Omid R. Kordestani, former executive Chairman of Twitter,Lise Kaae of Bestseller Group, and Sarah Smith, a senior advisor at Goldman Sachs.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna: "I am honoured that Roger is joining the Klarna board. Roger brings tremendous leadership experience in the very top tiers of economics, finance and policy, his global perspective and expertise will be of immense value to Klarna at a time when the business is gaining such strong momentum, especially in the United States. We are at a true inflection point as consumers are actively turning away from inferior services to those that better meet their needs and the Klarna team is looking forward to working closely together with the board on our mission to become the world's favorite way to shop, pay and bank."

Roger Ferguson: "I am excited to join such impressive colleagues on the Board of Klarna. Sebastian and the entire team have already demonstrated how Klarna provides a payment service that millions of consumers value and hundreds of thousands of merchants rely on. I look forward to participating in the Klarna board in the continued successful implementation of the company's strategy."

During his tenure at the U.S. Federal Reserve System, Mr. Ferguson represented the Federal Reserve on several international policy groups and served on key Federal Reserve System committees, including Payment System Oversight, Reserve Bank Operations, and Supervision and Regulation. Prior to joining TIAA in April 2008, Mr. Ferguson was head of financial services for Swiss Re, Chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corporation, and a member of the company's executive committee. Mr. Ferguson served on President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness as well as its predecessor, the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and he co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on the Long-Run Macroeconomic Effects of the Aging U.S. Population.

Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and co-chairs its Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education. He also serves on the boards of Alphabet, Inc.; Corning, Inc, General Mills, Inc and International Flavors & Fragrances. He serves on the boards of The Conference Board, the Institute for Advanced Study, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Columbia University's Teachers College. He is a fellow of the American Philosophical Society and a member of the Economic Club of New York, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Group of Thirty, and the National Association for Business Economics. Mr. Ferguson holds a B.A., J.D., and a Ph.D. in economics, all from Harvard University.

The Klarna Board will comprise of:

Michael Moritz (Chairman of the Board)

Sebastian Siemiatkowski (CEO and Board member)

Roger Ferguson Jr

Lise Kaae

Omid Kordestani

Sarah Smith

Mikael Walther

The appointment is subject to SFSA approval.

****************************************

About Klarna

We make shopping smoooth. Klarna's offering to consumers and retailers include payments, social shopping, and personal finances. Over 250,000 retail partners, including H&M, Macys IKEA, Expedia Group, The North Face, Samsung, Etsy, ASOS, Peloton,Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress have enabled Klarna's innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is the most highly valued private fintech in Europe with a valuation of $31 billion, and is one of the largest private fintechs globally. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 3,500 employees and is active in 17 countries. Klarna has been backed by Sequoia Capital since 2010 and more recently, Dragoneer, Ant Group, Silver Lake, Permira, Bestseller Group, Permira, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Visa, Atomico, HMI Capital, TCV, Merian Chrysalis Investment Company Limited, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock amongst others. Klarna is ranked number five on the 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50 list. For more information, visit klarna.com.

Contact:

Klarna

Aoife Houlihan

Press@klarna.com or Aoife.Houlihan@klarna.com

+46 (0) 72855 8047

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/r/announcement-of-the-appointment-of-roger-w--ferguson-jr-to-klarna-board,c3353226
JAKARTA, May 25, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Wintermar group has been awarded a 5 year contract to provide 2 Offshore Support Vessels for a multinational oil and gas company in Indonesia.Wintermar will supply 2 units of Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessels to support production off the northern coast of East Java for a period of 5 years. The vessels will support an FPSO (Floating Production Storage Offtake) unit in a producing field. The total contract value of the contract for this project amounts to US$ 22 Million."We are pleased to have been selected to support this project by a leading multinational oil and gas company. This affirms our clients' recognition of Wintermar's committed efforts to ensure high standards of quality, health and safety," said Sugiman Layanto, Managing Director of PT Wintermar Offshore Marine Tbk. "This long term contract underlines the Indonesian government commitment to invest heavily to raise the country's output of oil and gas after some years of decline. Wintermar as the leader in the domestic offshore vessel industry is ready to play our role."As at 24 May 2021, the Company's contracts on hand amount to USD 76.7 million.--Building growth and sustainability for the coming recoveryAs the oil industry is recovering globally, there are more projects being reactivated again. The Management has been studying some potential projects to position for a recovery. During the past two years, the Company has sold many older vessels and reduced gearing to 31% by end December 2020. Overhead costs have been significantly reduced and the company has a strong commitment to sustainability.--Commitment to Seafarers' wellbeingWintermar has also signed our commitment to the Neptune Declaration on Seafarers Wellbeing and Crew change. Recognising that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of disruption and impacted thousands of crew around the world, signatories to the Neptune Declaration recognize that seafarers are key workers pledges to pursue best practices for health protocols, speed up access to vaccinations and collaborate to do what is necessary to protect seafarers and expedite crew change. More information can be read here:https://www.globalmaritimeforum.org/content/2020/12/The-Neptune-Declaration-on-Seafarer-Wellbeing-and-Crew-Change.pdfAbout Wintermar Offshore Marine GroupWintermar Offshore Marine Group (WINS.JK), developed over nearly 50 years with a track record of quality that is both a source of pride and responsibility that we are dedicated to upholding, and sails a fleet of more than 48 Offshore Support Vessels ready for long term as well as spot charters. All vessels are operated by an experienced Indonesian crew, tracked by satellite systems and monitored in real-time by shore-based Vessel Teams.Wintermar is the first shipping company in Indonesia to be certified with an Integrated Management System by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance, and is currently certified with ISO 9001:2015 (Quality), ISO14001:2015 (Environment) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety). For more information, please visit www.wintermar.com.For further information, please contact:Ms. Pek Swan Layanto, CFAInvestor RelationsPT Wintermar Offshore Marine TbkTel +62-21 530 5201Email: investor_relations@wintermar.comSource: Wintermar Offshore Marine GroupCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Sativa Wellness Group Inc. (CSE:SWEL) ("Sativa Wellness" or the "Company") announced today it has filed financial statements and management's discussion and analysis. All amounts unless stated otherwise are presented in British Pounds (GBP).

The Company has maintained its presence within the CBD sector producing both quality isolate and distillate in Poland for the CBD market as well as continuing to produce a range of quality end products through its 'Goodbody' brand in the UK.

The Company also exceeded the targets set to meet its ambition of diversifying within the Wellness sector through the rollout of 30 COVID testing clinics. This has proved the strategy which will be built upon over the rest of the year.

Q1 2021 Highlights:

Revenue up 377%. Earned 1.37m revenue, 1.02m more than the equivalent period the previous year, making it the highest revenue quarter since inception.

Earned 1.37m revenue, 1.02m more than the equivalent period the previous year, making it the highest revenue quarter since inception. Gross profit up 234% . 707K compared to 212K in the prior year.

. 707K compared to 212K in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA loss reduced by 50%. EBITDA adjusted for unrealized currency losses was 404K compared to 807K in the same period the previous year.

EBITDA adjusted for unrealized currency losses was 404K compared to 807K in the same period the previous year. Loss per share reduced by 63% . 0.30 pence compared to 0.82 pence in the same period the previous year.

. 0.30 pence compared to 0.82 pence in the same period the previous year. Novel Food Application Submitted. Submitted for validation by the Food Standards Agency ("FSA") ahead of the 31 March 2021 deadline.

Highlights Subsequent to Q1 2021:

Announced Phytovista Laboratories Granted ISO Accreditation, the Group UK Laboratory, Phytovista Laboratories was granted accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories achieved ISO17025

the Group UK Laboratory, Phytovista Laboratories was granted accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories achieved ISO17025 Announced Goodbody Botanicals was listed on the UK government website to offer 2- and 8-day quarantine tests for travelers returning to the UK, offering a significant opportunity for the 30 COVID testing clinics.

to offer 2- and 8-day quarantine tests for travelers returning to the UK, offering a significant opportunity for the 30 COVID testing clinics. Announced the closure of the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement of 45,888,730 Units at a price of C$0.07875 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$3,613,737.49

of 45,888,730 Units at a price of C$0.07875 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$3,613,737.49 Announced the closure of the second tranche of its non-brokered private placement of 12,701,557 Units at a price of C$0.07875 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$1,000,247.61

of 12,701,557 Units at a price of C$0.07875 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$1,000,247.61 Announced the appointment of a new, highly experienced CEO - Marc Howells - to further support the business expansion program, and promotion of Anne Tew to the CFO role and Board.

Geremy Thomas, Executive Chairman, says; "These numbers and announcements are very satisfying and are a result of the changes made on my return. The direction of travel is clear. We have a new team and a clear focus on revenue growth. Q2 has started very strongly."

The Q1 2021 Financial Statements are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Marc Howells Chief Executive Officer Sativa Wellness Group Inc. +44 (0) 20 7971 1255 enquiries@sativawellnessgroup.com www.sativawellnessgroup.com Anne Tew Chief Financial Officer Sativa Wellness Group Inc. +44 (0) 20 7971 1255 enquiries@sativawellnessgroup.com www.sativawellnessgroup.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Sativa's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" "plan is" or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur", "will be achieved" or "shortly". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to information concerning the Financials Statements and plans to build on the financial strategy.

Although Sativa believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and Sativa does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Sativa Wellness Group Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648814/Sativa-Wellness-Group-Announces-Filing-of-Q1-2021-Financial-Statements
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), a leading agriculture digital services and analytics provider in North America, is pleased to report Q1 2021 year over year revenue growth of 136% driven by 178% growth in the Company's higher margin data insight products.

First Quarter 2021 Financial and Operational Highlights

The Company's financial performance improved over the previous year's quarter, driven by organic growth across its product and services divisions due to expanding farm engagement and uptake in the Company's digital offerings. For the three-month financial results ended March 31, 2021 (and comparable period ended March 31, 2020):

Revenue in Q1 2021 grew 136% year over year to $667,726 from $283,420 in Q1 2020;

Gross profit in Q1 2021 was $383,668 up 113% from Q1 2020; and

Organic revenue growth was 68%.

"This quarter, we executed on a number of key strategic initiatives that deepened our digital ecosystem and grew our engaged farm acre base," said David MacMillan, President and CEO of Deveron Corp. "We have made strategic investments in our sales team, which is delivering organic growth. We also are driving expansion efforts with accretive acquisitions that help accelerate our ability to provide independent and agronomic solutions to farmers and agribusiness throughout North America. In what is historically a quarter with seasonally low activity, we are pleased to see triple digit revenue growth, which we believe highlights the significant impact our strategy is having on our growth rates."

"Additionally our acquisition of Farm Dog has accelerated development of our digital ecosystem. As we continue to integrate our products and services and engage historical Farm Dog users with our bundled offerings, we see a continued and growing value proposition emerging for our customers. We ended 2020 with roughly 600,000 engaged acres in our ecosystem. With recent new business announced and our acquisitions, Deveron has nearly tripled its access to customers. Given the growth illustrated in Q1, we believe the three components of our strategy - digital ecosystem, strong agronomic insights, and responsive sales team are on schedule for full integration which we believe will continue our growth in the coming quarters."

Summary of Financial Results

Results

of operations For the three months ended

March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 % Change Total Revenue $667,726 $283,420 136% Gross Profit $383,668 $180,212 113% Gross Profit Margin % 57% 64% -7% Operating Expenses $ 1,363,136 $748,995 82% Adjusted EBITDA (loss)* $(591,373) $(435,978) -36% Total Comprehensive Loss $(979,468) $(568,783) 72% Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding 68.4 M 38.1 M

Per Share:





Comprehensive Net Loss $(0.01) $(0.01)



*Non-IFRS measure. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") should not be construed as alternatives to comprehensive loss or income determined in accordance with IFRS. Adjusted EBITDA does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as IFRS comprehensive loss less interest expense, depreciation and amortization expense, share-based payments, income tax expense, integration costs, and impairment of goodwill, property, plant, and equipment and right-of-use assets (ROU). The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a meaningful financial metric as it measures cash generated from operations which the Company can use to fund working capital requirements, service future interest and principal debt repayments and fund future growth initiatives.

Adjusted EBITDA(Loss) Calculation



2021 2020 Total Net income (Loss) $(979,468) $(568,783) Less: Interest $16,110 $12,691 Less: Depreciation & Amortization $51,177 $50,468 Less: Share Based Payments $320,807 $69,648 Less: Income Taxes $0 $0 Less: Other Charges $0 $0 Non-IFRS Adjusted EBITDA $(591,373) $(435,978)

Operational Highlights for Q1:

On January 26 th , Deveron announced the launch of a fixed wing imagery pilot program for the 2021 season in Ontario, Canada;

January 26 , Deveron announced the launch of a fixed wing imagery pilot program for the 2021 season in Ontario, Canada; On February 22 nd , Deveron announced the acquisition of Farm Dog, an award winning mobile first data platform. Farm Dog is an agriculture data platform that helps farmers, agronomists, and agribusinesses record, organize and leverage on-farm information to make better decisions;

, Deveron announced the acquisition of Farm Dog, an award winning mobile first data platform. Farm Dog is an agriculture data platform that helps farmers, agronomists, and agribusinesses record, organize and leverage on-farm information to make better decisions; On March 8 th , Deveron announced the signing of three new, multi-year service agreements with global leaders in the agriculture industry with a focus on carbon, seed and weather;

, Deveron announced the signing of three new, multi-year service agreements with global leaders in the agriculture industry with a focus on carbon, seed and weather; On March 12th, Deveron announced the appointment of Craig Hogan, CPA,CA as VP, Finance.

Subsequent Events:

On April 6 th , Deveron acquired Woods End Laboratories to build out its soil health product platform. Woods End had unaudited revenue of US$1.8 M and EBITDA of US$900,000.

, Deveron acquired Woods End Laboratories to build out its soil health product platform. Woods End had unaudited revenue of US$1.8 M and EBITDA of US$900,000. On April 27 th , Deveron announced the appointment of Pranay Joshi as VP, Engineering.

, Deveron announced the appointment of Pranay Joshi as VP, Engineering. On May 17th, Deveron announced the acquisition of Tana Ag Solutions Group LLC, an Oklahoma based independent agronomic consultant company. Tana Ag has 120,000 acres under management and 2020 unaudited revenue of US$271,000 and EBITDA of $98,000.

Business Outlook

Deveron's goals for 2021 are to; i) continue to organically expand its acre footprint of farm and agribusiness users for its core data insights and collection products; ii) leverage its acquisition of Farm Dog to further build out its digital ecosystem helping its customers standardize and organize all in-field data; and iii) continue to pursue synergistic acquisitions of agriculture advisory businesses in key local areas throughout North America.

Deveron's positive outlook for the coming quarters is driven by its high customer retention rate, increasing margins from expanding digital product sales and the vertical integration of soil health and testing. To date in 2021, the Company has also announced total revenue through acquisitions equal to 2020 revenue. With strong organic growth, coupled with acquisition success, Deveron continues to be on a path for another year of record high revenue and farm acres under management.

The Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period and the accompanying financial statements and notes are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. This news release is not in any way a substitute for reading those financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements.

About Deveron: Deveron is an agriculture technology company that uses data and insights to help farmers and large agriculture enterprises increase yields, reduce costs and improve farm outcomes. The company employs a digital process that leverages data collected on farms across North America to drive unbiased interpretation of production decisions, ultimately recommending how to optimize input use. Our team of agronomists and data scientists build products that recommend ways to manage fertilizer, seed, fungicide and other farm inputs better. Additionally, we have a national network of data technicians that are deployed to collect various types of farm data, from soil to drone, that build a basis of our best in class data layers. Our focus is the US and Canada where 1 billion acres are actively farmed annually.

For more information and to join our community, please visit www.deveronuas.com /register or reach us on Twitter @DeveronUAS or @MyVeritas_HQ

David MacMillan

President & CEO Deveron Corp.

416-367-4571 ext. 221

dmacmillan@deveronuas.com

Neither 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.

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of agricultural commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in agriculture, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements we file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84870
Proposed partnership would focus on developing innovative, science-backed wellness products

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (CSE: EMH) (OTCQX: EMHTF) ("Emerald") and The Uplifters' Prima, PBC ("Prima"), based in Santa Monica, California, have signed a letter of intent (the "LOI") contemplating joint initiatives to co-develop new cannabinoid-based wellness products for sale in the United States, Canada, and internationally. As an initial step in establishing the relationship, Emerald has made a capital investment in Prima's current financing round of Series Seed-1 Preferred Stock.

Prima, formed in 2018, was created to serve consumers who prioritize holistic well-being using products based on credible science and emerging botanical discoveries, and formulated using blends of active plant-derived therapeutics and broad-spectrum hemp extract with naturally occurring CBD. In just two years, Prima has achieved exceptional market presence, strong growth, and press/media recognition.

Pursuant to the LOI, which is non-binding, Emerald and Prima intend to explore the co-development of new science-based body and wellness products for the US, Canadian and global markets and aim to discuss broader corporate partnering options.

"Emerald and Prima share core values with respect to the wellness benefits we both wish to offer consumers through accessible, best-in-class products that are science-backed, results-driven, and values-led," said Christopher Gavigan, CEO and Founder of Prima. "With Emerald's innovation, patents and intellectual property, we see a unique opportunity to collaboratively create distinct new product innovations for the US and global markets."

"We admire Prima's premiere consumer packaged goods and branding expertise. Christopher previously co-founded The Honest Company, the iconic mission-driven brand focused on leading the clean lifestyle movement. Alongside him, Prima's co-founder and COO Laurel Angelica Myers was also deeply embedded in Honest's product development strategy and execution for over five years as they played a vital role in driving the company to over $300 million in annual revenue. Emerald is pleased to be associated with this calibre of strategic vision, brand excellence and notable accomplishment," said Riaz Bandali, President and Chief Executive Officer of Emerald. "With our mutual commitment to innovative product development and medical-grade standards, we look forward to working toward a definitive agreement with Prima, our second initiative with US-based cannabis and cannabinoid marketplace participants."

About Prima

Prima is the science-led, purpose-driven holistic wellness brand elevating functionally innovative botanicals. Its core mission is to rise up against the modern-day stress epidemic through education and products made with the highest standards of purity, potency and transparency. It is built on the essential principle that stress management is the most critical part of daily balance, healing, and wellbeing.

Prima has been profiled in Goop, NY Times, Elle, Vogue, and InStyle, among many other journals and publications. Its supplements, topicals, and skincare products are distributed through top-tier retailers including Sephora, Nordstrom, Thrive Market and directly at PRIMA.co.

Prima is a privately held Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) based in Santa Monica California and is a certified B Corp.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald is committed to creating new consumer experiences with distinct recreational, medical and wellness-oriented cannabis products, with an emphasis on science-based innovation and product excellence.

Please visit www.emeraldhealth.ca for more information or contact:



Jenn Hepburn, Chief Financial Officer

1(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

Emerald Investor Relations

(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

invest@emeraldhealth.ca

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the 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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include: entering into a definitive agreement with Prima; the joint development of wellness products by Emerald and Prima; the sale of such wellness products; the success of the partnership between Emerald and Prima; and broader partnership opportunities between Emerald and Prima.

We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Such statements include uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 including any continued impact on production or operations; changes of law and regulations; changes of government; failure to obtain regulatory approvals; regulatory changes; receipt of amounts owing to Emerald; strategic development of Emerald; production and processing capacity of various facilities; expansion of facilities; failure to obtain necessary financing; results of scientific research; expectations around market and consumer demand and other patterns related to existing, new and planned product forms; timing for launch and shipment of new and existing product forms; ability of new product forms to capture sales and market share; results of production and sale activities; sales volumes; estimates around incremental sales and more generally estimates or predictions of actions of customers, suppliers, partners, distributors, competitors or regulatory authorities; changes in prices and costs of inputs; demand for labour; demand for products; failure of counter-parties to perform contractual obligations; statements regarding the future market of the Canadian cannabis market; statements regarding Emerald's future economic performance; as well as the risk factors described in Emerald's annual information form and other regulatory filings. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond management control.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our expectations as of the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to obtain a better understanding of our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Emerald undertakes no obligations to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, unless required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85075
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: 5YY) ("Riverside" or the "Company") is pleased to report the latest field results from Riverside funded generative exploration work at La Silla Project (the "Project"), Sinaloa, Mexico. Riverside received rock chip sample results with values up to 6.1 g/t Au and identified over 2km of total vein extensions from three vein systems on the property during this spring field program. Riverside's mineral exploration work has highlighted two main concession block areas of interest with two shallow historical mine areas (El Roble and Ciruelos) that have little drilling near the old workings and good discovery potential. Both of these targets show outcropping mineralized structures of veins and stockwork with new high-grade gold samples (see Table 1). Previous sampling programs by Riverside also returned high-grade with up to 19.9 g/t Au and 200 g/t Ag (see press release of June, 2018).

Table 1: Gold and silver highlighted sampling results from April 2021

Sample ID Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Type Description RRI-7872 6.1 80 Select sample, rock chip Chalcedony quartz vein RRI-7873 5.6 81.5 rock chip Milky white quartz vein RRI-7862 4.4 35.3 Select sample, rock chip Gaussen breccia RRI-7866 3.5 25.9 rock chip Strongly oxidized andesite RRI-7865 3.3 19.7 rock chip Strongly oxidized andesite RRI-7868 2.6 41.2 rock chip Brecciated andesite and quartz vein

A total of 16 samples were taken with samples ranging from <0.01 to 6.1 g/t Au.

In April of this year, Riverside's team focused on mapping and sampling to better define the target extension along strike as limits remain wide open. This recent work improves understanding and provides evidence to develop a fundamentally new targeting model with structural feeder and shear dynamic interpretation for a district scale mineralized system, showing similarities with nearby Tayoltita - San Dimas District of First Majestic with historic gold production of >10M Oz Au and >500 M Oz Ag in lifetime of the district1 located 40 kms to the east in the similar geologic environment, host units and structure and alteration styles.







Figure 1: Map of Riverside's La Silla Gold and Silver Project, highlighting recent select samples at the El Roble target and the Ciruelos target.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/85086_29d2e28384d239b5_002full.jpg

Riverside's President and CEO, John-Mark Staude: "This recent work at the Roble and Ciruelos targets has found extensions, high-grade gold, and strong epithermal gold signatures similar to those found to the east in Tayoltita - San Dimas mining district which is one of Mexico's top 5 gold producing mining camps. We look to progress the drill targets at La Silla where we are only 2 hours from the port city of Mazatlan. The right location, great geology, and strong technical team makes this Project exciting for Riverside and we look to have further news flow progressing from here. The new genesis - targeting model that is coming out of synthesis of our field work is exciting for further developments. To the north with Prime Mining and south with GR and Viszla we are in an active discovery gold belt and have 100% ownership in these priority targets."

Location is key and being close to Mazatlan with easy access by paved and dirt road, La Silla Gold and Silver Project can be progressed cost effectively and quickly. The Project shows two primary targets, for which one has seen drilling (El Roble), and the other, which has not yet been drill tested (Ciruelos).

Ciruelos Target:

This target extends for at least 1 km and is visible at surface. It is described as a 1-5-m wide vein zone, with a complex sub-vertical to sub-horizontal intercalated vein systems. Many old workings extend along the vein zone, some of which are extensive, with 3-meter-wide adits and 28 meters deep (see Figure 3). All samples taken from these areas show chalcedonic texture, which is typical of low temperature and shallow hydrothermal system preserving the entire system at depth.

El Roble Target:

The El Roble was also explored historically for its high-grade stacked gold and silver veins that can reach up to 2 m wide at surface. Mineralization occurs in the host rock and in oxidized and silicified breccia (see Figure 3).This type of breccia shows a typical boiling texture, which is ideal for gold deposition. The vein system extends for at least 300 m along strike and appears covered to the north, leaving potential for additional drilling to define greater vein extent.







Figure 2: Cross section merging both El roble and Ciruelos Targets located over Riverside's concession.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/85086_29d2e28384d239b5_003full.jpg

Note: * historical drill holes drilled by Meridian Gold Company (April, 2004).





Figure 3: Picture of the Ciruelos old working on the left, and sampling of the El Roble oxidized breccia on the right.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/85086_fig3.jpg

Field observations suggest that gold and silver are part of a low-sulfidation epithermal system, possibly linked to the change in magmatic phases between the mafic to felsic magma. The structural setting of the area created a favorable tectonic environment that allowed deposition with continual overlapping of fault vein fillings. Riverside is now moving forward with additional exploration field work at the La Silla Project as the latest results have shown significant upside and mapping identifying longer veins to be tested.

Qualified Person & QA/QC:

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release pertaining to the La Silla Project was reviewed and approved by Freeman Smith, P.Geo, a non-independent qualified person to Riverside Resources, who is responsible for ensuring that the geologic information provided in this news release is accurate and who acts as a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Rock samples from the previous exploration programs discussed above at La Silla were taken to the Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Hermosillo, Mexico for fire assaying for gold. The rejects remained with Bureau Veritas in Mexico while the pulps were transported to Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, BC, Canada for 45 element ICP/ES-MS analysis. A QA/QC program was implemented as part of the sampling procedures for the exploration program. Standard samples were randomly inserted into the sample stream prior to being sent to the laboratory.

About Riverside Resources Inc.:

Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has no debt and less than 71M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside's own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has additional properties available for option, with more information available on the Company's website at www.rivres.com.

ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.

"John-Mark Staude"



Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO

For additional information contact:

John-Mark Staude

President, CEO

Riverside Resources Inc.

info@rivres.com

Phone: (778) 327-6671

Fax: (778) 327-6675

Web: www.rivres.com

Raffi Elmajian

Corporate Communications

Riverside Resources Inc.

relmajian@rivres.com

Phone: (778) 327-6671

TF: (877) RIV-RES1

Web: www.rivres.com

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., "expect"," estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "plans"). Such information involves known and unknown risks -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85086
Drill Program Expanded to 10,000 Metres

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) -C3 Metals Inc. (TSXV: CCCM) ("C3 Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce first assay results from its drill program at the Jasperoide Copper-Gold Project in southern Peru. Drilling commenced in February in the southern Montana de Cobre Zone with 15 holes now completed on two section lines for a total of 3,647m. Results from seven holes on the first drill section intersected broad zones of high-grade copper-gold mineralization within a larger low-moderate grade envelope. The drill program will now proceed to its planned 10,000m looking to expand the near surface copper-gold footprint.

Drill Program Highlights:

Assays confirm broad intervals of high-grade copper-gold mineralization, including:

JAS2650-01

129.0m @ 0.49% Cu and 0.37 g/t Au from 41m (0.78% CuEq) including 52.0m @ 0.78% Cu and 0.67 g/t Au from 109.0m (1.29% CuEq)



JAS2650-03

54.05m @ 1.17% Cu and 0.45 g/t Au from 70.4m (1.51% CuEq) and

26.10m @ 2.19% Cu and 0.69 g/t Au from 154.9m (2.72% CuEq)

JAS2650-05

53.24m @ 3.11% Cu and 0.46 g/t Au from 92.6m (3.46% CuEq) including 29.84m @ 4.96% Cu and 0.56 g/t Au from 116.0m (5.39% CuEq) includes 17.10m @ 6.69% Cu, 0.59g/t Au from 128m (7.15% CuEq)

17.00m @ 2.10% Cu and 0.61 g/t Au from 178.0m (2.58% CuEq)

JAS2650-06

117.30m @ 1.31% Cu and 0.15 g/t Au from 1.70m (1.45% CuEq) including: 60.0m @ 2.38% Cu and 0.14 g/t Au from 59.0m (2.51% CuEq) includes 38.50m @ 3.50% Cu and 0.12 g/t Au from 77.0m (3.63% CuEq) includes 16.0m @ 6.39% Cu and 0.06 g/t Au from 99.2m (6.45% CuEq)



JAS2650-07

43.00m @ 1.67% Cu and 0.14 g/t Au from 79.00m (1.79% CuEq) including: 18.10m @ 3.72% Cu and 0.02 g/t Au from 103.9m (3.76% CuEq) includes 10.00m @ 4.23% Cu and 0.02 g/t Au from 112.0m (4.26% CuEq)



Drilling indicates a well-developed copper enrichment profile and supergene blanket

Secondary copper species are dominated by malachite, azurite, chrysocolla and chalcocite

Kevin Tomlinson, CEO of C3 Metals commented,

"We are delighted with the first drill results from Jasperoide in nearly 10 years. The initial two-fan fence of holes has confirmed and expanded lateral continuity of the high-grade copper-gold skarn mineralization and has significantly increased our understanding of the broader hydrothermal system.

We now have high confidence in not only the newly expanded lateral extent of the skarn system but also the grades in areas where we drilled infill holes to confirm high-grade intercepts previously reported. This drilling is an important first step in our march towards a better understanding of the skarn mineralization controls but also in providing a solid base for future resource estimates.

With these first results now under our belt, we are continuing the program to 10,000m to build further confidence in the known mineralization and to step out to untested skarn targets north and south of Montana de Cobre Zone. Drilling on the third section line, 100m to the north, is continuing to intersect deeply oxidized skarn with visible secondary copper mineralization."

The Jasperoide skarn was discovered in 1994 but over the past 27 years has seen just four years of exploration by previous operators. Historic exploration activities were mainly focussed on the Montana de Cobre Zone and involved surface mapping, sampling, ground magnetic and IP surveys and diamond drilling. A total of 10,175.7m in 52 holes was completed in three drilling campaigns conducted in 1994 (2,689.89m in 14 holes), 1996 (1,854.2m in 13 holes) and 2011-12 (5,632.32m in 25 holes) by a previous owner[1]. C3 Metal's drill program is the first exploration program undertaken at Jasperoide since 2012.

The Company's Phase 1 exploration drill program at the Montana de Cobre Zone was designed to confirm and increase confidence in the lateral extent of the copper-gold mineralization through both infill and step-out drilling on a 50-metre grid. Unlike porphyry deposits, skarn deposits are well known to demonstrate higher variability in alteration and mineralization, hence the Company has elected to use a tighter grid spacing as a judicious approach to not only gain a better understanding of the system but as the basis for future resource calculation. As a result, the Company has high confidence in the copper-gold mineralization having a 450m lateral extent on section JAS2650.

Copper-gold mineralization at Jasperoide is associated with skarn altered carbonate rocks of the Ferrobamba Formation ("Exoskarn") and granodiorite and tonalite intrusive rocks ("Endoskarn"). Exoskarn comprises a partially to completely replaced dolomite with an alteration assemblage of coarse garnet, diopside and lesser epidote. Endoskarn is characterized by pervasive to fracture controlled garnet, epidote and diopside alteration in granodiorite and tonalite. Late-stage retrograde alteration overprints both the Endoskarn and Exoskarn and is characterized by intense magnetite flooding with lesser quartz, calcite and specular hematite.

The drilling program has been planned to define the dimensions of the skarn system and, more importantly, to identify the pathway for mineralizing hydrothermal fluids which may have vented off from a porphyry copper system at depth. Drill progression will continue northwards to the Cresta Verde Zone, after completing the expanded program at the Montana de Cobre Zone and then to the south into the Callejon de Oro zone.

Montana de Cobre Zone Drill Results

A total of 15 holes for 3,647m of diamond core drilling have been completed to date. The drill rig is currently drilling the first hole on section line JAS2750, 100m to the north of line JAS2650 reported in this release (see Figure 1).

Two drill fans completed on section line JAS2650 (1,741.1m) confirm that skarn alteration and mineralization are well developed for over 450m laterally with the system open to the west, north, south and at depth (see Figure 2). Drilling indicates the skarn horizon dips 15 to 25 degrees westward and is vertically zoned with respect to alteration and mineralization. Holes JAS2650-01, 02, 04 and 07 were drilled as step-out holes, JAS2650-03 and 06 as infill holes and JAS2650-05 is a scissor hole to JAS2650-03. Infill holes were required to ensure the reliability of high-grade results reported by previous operators which could carry significant influence in future resource calculations.

Drilling confirms a moderate to strongly leached exoskarn (Low Grade Domain) is followed at depth by a strongly oxidized magnetite skarn that is massive or brecciated (Low to Medium Grade Domain) and transitions into an enrichment zone at depth (High Grade Domain). Secondary copper species observed to date include malachite, azurite, chalcocite and chrysocolla (see Figure 3). Copper sulphide mineralization is rare but has been observed at deeper levels in the system (+175 m depth) and comprises chalcopyrite in veins and as coarse disseminations.

Drill holes JAS2650-05, 06 and 07 intersected a high-grade zone of copper mineralization at the eastern skarn zone area. Each hole intersected a breccia with significant secondary copper species and all located proximal to the marble contact. JAS2650-06 intersected 16.00m (99.2 - 115.2m) @ 6.39% Cu, JAS2650-05 intersected 17.10m (128 - 145.10m) @ 6.69% Cu and JAS2650-07 intersected 10m (112-122m) @ 4.23% Cu (see Figure 4). This enriched zone might be further infill drilled to better understand its dimensions, as this is an important mineralized body.

Significant assays from the first seven holes are included in the following table.

Table 1. Significant drilled intercepts Hole From To Interval Cu

(%) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) CuEq

(%) JAS2650-01 41.0 170.0 129.00 0.49 0.37 2.25 0.78 Including 109.0 161.0 52.00 0.78 0.67 3.15 1.29 JAS2650-02 11.0 36.8 25.80 0.27 0.10 3.84 0.38 JAS2650-02 85.0 93.0 8.00 0.31 0.12 0.96 0.40 JAS2650-02 112.9 223.0 110.09 0.36 0.26 1.88 0.56 JAS2650-03 12.0 19.0 7.00 0.27 0.08 0.86 0.33 JAS2650-03 25.0 46.0 21.00 0.38 0.18 1.07 0.52 JAS2650-03 70.4 124.4 54.05 1.17 0.45 1.86 1.51 JAS2650-03 154.9 181.0 26.10 2.19 0.69 3.97 2.72 JAS2650-04 15.0 22.0 7.00 0.37 0.20 1.52 0.53 JAS2650-04 31.0 178.2 147.20 0.40 0.17 1.42 0.53 JAS2650-05 8.4 83.0 74.60 0.20 0.18 1.61 0.34 JAS2650-05 92.6 145.8 53.24 3.11 0.46 2.79 3.46 Including 116.0 145.8 29.84 4.96 0.56 3.34 5.39 Includes 128.0 145.1 17.10 6.69 0.59 3.71 7.15 JAS2650-05 156.6 164.3 7.70 1.49 0.02 3.11 1.53 JAS2650-05 178.0 195.0 17.00 2.10 0.61 4.79 2.58 JAS2650-06 1.7 119.0 117.30 1.31 0.15 3.19 1.45 Including 59.0 119.0 60.00 2.38 0.14 3.31 2.51 Includes 77.0 115.5 38.50 3.50 0.12 4.32 3.63 Includes 99.2 115.2 16.00 6.39 0.06 2.48 6.45 JAS2650-07 13.0 26.9 13.90 0.26 0.16 4.12 0.41 JAS2650-07 42.6 52.0 9.45 0.18 0.21 0.84 0.34 JAS2650-07 79.0 122.0 43.00 1.67 0.14 1.90 1.79 Including 103.9 122.0 18.10 3.72 0.02 2.76 3.76 Includes 112.0 122.0 10.00 4.23 0.02 2.57 4.26

Notes:

No adjustments made for recovery, the project is early-stage exploration and there is insufficient metallurgical data to allow for estimation of recoveries. Copper equivalent calculation for reporting purposes only and calculated as CuEq (%) = Cu (%) + ((0.7179  Au g/t) + (0.0090  Ag g/t)) under metal price assumptions of Copper - US$3.25/lb, Gold - US$1,600/oz and Silver US$ 20/oz. Significant assay intercepts are reported as length-weighted averages exceeding 0.20% CuEq, with less than 5m of consecutive internal dilution. Arbitrary top cut of 5g/t on gold assays has been used, copper is uncut. True width of down-hole intersections reported are estimated to be approximately 60-90% of the down-hole lengths.

Figure 1: Ground magnetic analytical signal image and current drill hole locations





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Figure 2: Jasperoide Drill Hole JAS2650 Cross Section, 50m window





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Figure 3: Drill core from JAS2650-03 (178m) showing oxidized magnetite skarn with malachite, interval 178 - 179.2m assayed 1.2m @ 2.2% Cu and 0.61 g/t Au





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Figure 4: JAS2650-06 core box interval 109.0 - 112.4m showing strong secondary copper mineralization. The interval 109.0 - 113.0m assayed a weighted average 4m @ 12.80% copper.





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For additional information, contact:

Kevin Tomlinson

President & CEO

+1 647 953-5924

ktomlinson@c3metals.com

Alec Rowlands

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1 416 572 2510

arowlands@c3metals.com



ABOUT C3 METALS INC.

C3 Metals Inc. is a junior minerals exploration company focused on creating substantive value for its shareholders through the discovery and development of large copper and gold deposits. The Company's flagship project is the 57km2 Jasperoide high-grade copper-gold skarn and porphyry system located in the prolific Andahuaylas-Yauri Porphyry-Skarn belt of southern Peru. Mineralization at Jasperoide is hosted in a similar geological setting to the nearby major mining operations at Las Bambas (MMG), Constancia (Hudbay) and Antapaccay (Glencore). C3 Metals also holds a 100% interest in five licenses covering 207 km2 of highly prospective copper-gold terrain in Jamaica, and a 100% interest in two porphyry copper-gold properties, with one under option to Tocvan Ventures, covering 304 km2 within the Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia.

Related Link: www.c3metals.com

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.

QP Statement

Stephen Hughes, P.Geo. is Vice President Exploration and a Director for C3 Metals and is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Hughes has reviewed the technical information in this news release and approves the written disclosure contained herein.

Technical Program

Half core samples are analysed by 4-Acid digest ICP-MS finish for 60 elements, including pathfinder REE elements with pulps from samples reporting greater than 1.0% copper being re-assayed by the ore grade method. Gold is analysed by 30g Fire Assay AAS finish, with pulps from samples reporting greater than 5ppm re-assayed by 1kg Screen Fire Assay.

An optical mineralogy program is also underway to identify the copper mineral species present to assist in confidently defining the secondary, transition and primary sulphide zones and eventual metallurgical domains within the deposit. Clay mineral identification will be undertaken through spectral scanning utilising the ALS provided TerraSpecR 4 HR scanning and aiSIRISTM spectral interpretation package. An evaluation of multi-element geochemistry is ongoing.

COVID-19 Protocols

The Company continues to implement its COVID-19 safety protocols at site to ensure the safety of employees and the communities surrounding the Jasperoide project area.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the exploration operations of the Company and the timing which could be affected by the current global COVID-19 pandemic. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of the Company's management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate.

While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, and regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

[1] Data retrieved from Hochschild Mining's database and internal reports. Hochschild explored the Jasperoide project from 2011 to 2012 and completed two drill programs. C3 Metals has access to the entire drill database and believes that the reporting of the information was to industry standard practice.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85101
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Corrected second para UK retail sales and orders increased in the year to May but the comparison was distorted by the low level of activity during the first national lockdown twelve months ago, the latest Distributive Trades Survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed on Tuesday. The retail sales balance came in at +18 percent, down from +20 percent, while the order book balance advanced sharply to 22 percent from -1 percent in April. With the easing of lockdown, retailers were planning to invest in their businesses once again, with investment intentions for the coming 12 months rising to +35 percent, the biggest since February 1994. However, employment continued to fall sharply in the year to May. The corresponding balance came in at -37 percent versus -44 percent a month ago. The survey showed that sentiment across the sector remained fairly subdued, with retailers expecting their overall business situation to remain broadly stable over the next three months. Some retailers have suggested the increase in demand after the initial reopening of non-essential retail in early April was either short-lived or less strong than expected, Ben Jones, a principal economist at the CBI, said. And non-store sales remain well above seasonal norms, suggesting that some consumers who migrated to online shopping during the pandemic have not fully shifted back to old habits, Jones added. 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.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / First Growth Funds Limited (CSE:FGFL) "(Company") is pleased to announce it has successfully sold 255.5 Ethereum tokens for $907,052. The Company invested $47,200 and booked $859,852 cash profit from the sale.

The Ethereum investment was held for approximately 2 years and resulted in over 1,822% return on investment. The cryptocurrency market has experienced high levels of volatility over the past couple of weeks and First Growth Funds was able to sell its Ethereum investment in a short window well above current price levels.

About First Growth Funds Limited

First Growth Funds Limited invests across a broad range of asset classes including listed equities, private equity, blockchain and digital assets. The company also operates an advisory business providing corporate advisory, capital raising and capital markets support to its portfolio. www.firstgrowthfunds.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY 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. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company.

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 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, timelines 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 or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE: First Growth Funds Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648959/First-Growth-Funds-Makes-859852-Profit-from-Sale-of-Ethereum
XUZHOU, China, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Chinese construction machinery manufacturer XCMG (SHE:000425) sent off more than 100 units of the LW500FN wheel loader by late April to Southeast Asia to aid in the construction of grain silos in various local markets in the region.

The LW500FN wheel loader is a 5-ton model that excels in high performance, service longevity and structural endurance. It operates with a 15.8-ton digging force and a 15.6-ton traction force for different operating situations. The model has a 1,274mm long dumping reach for sufficient space and a 2,900mm wheelbase that guarantees reliability.

Built with a heavy-duty load design with the front and rear frames in a box-type layout, the LW500FN runs at an 11.5 km/hour operational speed incorporated with rapid shoveling. The adjustable, load-sensing steering with a small turning radius provides flexibility and efficiency.

The client is a Chinese company with overseas business operations, and XCMG has been its top pick from the start. The company has previously purchased over 20 units of XCMG loaders and spoke highly of the quality, performance and cost efficiency.

"From a business perspective, profit is the primary goal of our customers. That is, getting more done with less money, but this certainly doesn't mean that customers would compromise on equipment quality. On the contrary, overseas construction projects have stricter requirements for the machineries' functionality and performance," said Wang Min, chairman and CEO of XCMG.

The customers' recognition of the XCMG brand comes from the 'Advanced and Endurable' quality as well as its comprehensive service, 24-hour support, efficient spare parts support and on-site engineers offering training locally.

To cope with the harsh construction environment and serious wearing of the parts, XCMG has customized and reinforced more than 100 units of LW500FN loaders with an improved chassis protection function, providing comprehensive solutions throughout the entire life cycle of the loaders.

"As the number one Chinese exporter of loaders, XCMG will continue to lead in the international market, ceaselessly strengthening our products and technological advantages while adhering to a user-centered philosophy to create value for the customers," said Wang.

For more information, please visit: www.xcmg.com, or XCMG pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) announced Tuesday that it now expects Total Revenue per Available Seat Mile (TRASM) for the second quarter to be down around 12% from last year, compared to the previous guidance of down approximately 20%. This is based on acceleration in ticketed yields for the second quarter. Consolidated yields on tickets issued since the beginning of May 2021 for travel in the second quarter 2021 have reached levels similar to 2019, with domestic leisure yields exceeding 2019 levels for the same time period. Due to the recent reduction in the Company's flying to India and Israel, which the Company expects to continue in the near-term, the Company now expects second quarter capacity to be down at least 46%, compared to the previous guidance of down approximately 45%. As a result of improved second quarter yield performance, adjusted EBITDA margin for second quarter is now expected to be around negative 11%, compared to the previous guidance of around negative 20%. Additionally, the Company expects to achieve positive adjusted EBITDA in the month of June 2021. 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.
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - TrustBIX Inc. ("TrustBIX") (TSXV: TBIX) is pleased to announce financial results for its fiscal 2021 second quarter ended March 31, 2021. The Company posted record revenue of $753,255 for the second quarter, up 112.6% from 2020, and $1,173,487 for the six-month period, up 58.8% compared to 2020.

"Our revenue growth this quarter shows the traction our previously-announced initiatives are gaining," said Hubert Lau, TrustBIX CEO. "Our team continues to enhance our auction market and feedlot solutions, expand our ESG and biomass waste management solutions, and focus on building value chains for export markets."

The Company's financial results for the second quarter ended March 31, 2021, and the related Management's Discussion and Analysis, have been filed and are available on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com.

About TrustBIX (TSXV: TBIX)

As an innovative leader, TrustBIX provides agri-food traceability. By addressing consumer and agri-food business demands, the Company has a goal to become the most trusted and largest source of third-party food traceability and sustainability information globally - Gate to Plate. TrustBIX Inc.'s focus is to create a world where we trust more, waste less and reward sustainable behaviour. The Company's proprietary platform, BIX (Business infoXchange System), is designed to create trust without compromising privacy through innovative use of data and technology. Extensive R&D has allowed TrustBIX to create a new blockchain-derived technology to complement its mature and proven traceability systems. By leveraging BIX and its unique use of incentive solutions, the Company can deliver independent validation of food provenance and sustainable production practices within the supply chain. ViewTrak Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, provides a suite of hardware and software solutions to the livestock industry in Canada, United States, Mexico and China, such as Auction Master Pro, Market Master, Feedlot Solutions and pork grading probes. For more information, visit www.trustbix.com, or follow us on Twitter twitter.com/@TrustBIX_Inc, Facebook at www.facebook.com/BIXSco, or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bixsco-inc-/.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain forward-looking information and reflects the Company's present assumptions regarding future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, levels of activity, performance, and/or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "propose", "anticipate", "believe", "forecast", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions used by any of the Company's management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's internal projections, expectations, future growth, performance and business prospects and opportunities and are based on information currently available to the Company. Since they relate to the Company's current views with respect to future events, they are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments except as required by applicable securities legislation, regulations or policies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Hubert Lau

President and CEO

Telephone: (780) 456-2207

Email: info@trustbix.com

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 of accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84848
Fredericton, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - TRU Precious Metals Corp. (TSXV: TRU) (OTCQB: TRUIF) (FSE: 706) ("TRU" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has recently commenced its inaugural mapping, soil sampling, till sampling and prospecting program at its Gander West exploration property in Central Newfoundland (the "Gander West Property" or "Gander West").

The wholly owned Gander West Property consists of 120 claims covering 3,000 hectares of prospective ground. The Grander West Property is located near the Trans-Canada Highway and approximately 16 kilometres (km) from the Keats zone at New Found Gold Corp.'s Queensway Project, where New Found Gold reported drill intercepts on May 21, 2021 of 146.2 grams per tonne gold over 25.6 meters.1

The Gander West Property is mostly unexplored and is located in the midst of a well-known gold belt, along a strong NE-SW structural lineament within a magnetic-low corridor, and immediately south of a prominent magnetic-high anomaly. High-grade gold occurrences (>50g/t Au in grab samples) occur in quartz veins 2.5 km southwest of the Gander West Property.2 Additionally, a high-grade gold occurrence known as Little Joanna occurs approximately 5 km along strike to the northeast. Historic grab sampling from Little Joanna returned values ranging from 40 parts per billion (ppb) Au to 734 g/t Au.3 The local geological features and nearby showings are set out in the two images below.

Vice President of Property Development of TRU, Barry Greene, commented, "After the first week of exploration at Gander West, crews have already collected grab samples of quartz veins containing sulphide mineralization and have noted the presence of structural features consistent with a northeast-southwest trending fault system. This is consistent with our geophysical and topographic interpretation of a regional scale structural linear."





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The Gander West Property Overview



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The Gander West Property is already permitted for exploration, including ground geophysics, geochemical surveys, and prospecting.

TRU expects this limited field program to yield valuable geological and geochemical data to aid in defining targets for a more detailed phase two follow-up. The presence of high-grade gold occurrences along strike both northeast and southwest of Gander West, elevated lake sediment geochemistry on the property, and the prominent topographical and geophysical lineament along the full 10 km length of the property, presents a solid model for initial groundwork.

Co-Founder and CEO of TRU, Joel Freudman, added, "We believe that Gander West holds exciting potential. Less than a year ago, we embarked on building a district-scale land package focusing on the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt. Today, we have multiple properties comprising a commanding portfolio all within this prolific gold region, and Gander West is one of these properties. We think the proximity of Gander West to New Found Gold's bonanza discovery hole is a solid case to begin systematic early-stage exploration on the property, which has seen barely any historical work. We are cognizant that an early understanding of structural geology at Gander West and the broader region will only benefit us as we prioritize work on our various projects."

Barry Greene, P.Geo. (NL) is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents and technical disclosures in this press release. Mr. Greene is a director and officer of the Company and owns securities of the Company.

About TRU Precious Metals Corp.

TRU has assembled a portfolio of 5 gold exploration properties in the highly prospective Central Newfoundland Gold Belt. The Company has an option with a subsidiary of TSX-listed Altius Minerals Corporation to purchase 100% of the Golden Rose Project, located along the deposit-bearing Cape Ray - Valentine Lake Shear Zone. TRU also owns 100% of the Twilite Gold Project, located along the same Shear Zone, and 3 under-explored properties including its Rolling Pond Property (under option) bordering New Found Gold Corp.'s high-grade Queensway Project. TRU's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "TRU", on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "TRUIF", and on the Frankfurt exchange under the symbol "706".

TRU is a portfolio company of Resurgent Capital Corp. ("Resurgent"), a merchant bank providing venture capital markets advisory services and proprietary financing. Resurgent works with promising public and pre-public micro-capitalization Canadian companies. For more information on Resurgent and its portfolio companies, please visit Resurgent's LinkedIn profile at https://ca.linkedin.com/company/resurgent-capital-corp.

For further information about TRU, please contact:

Joel Freudman

Co-Founder, President & CEO

TRU Precious Metals Corp.

Phone: (647) 880-6414

Email: info@trupreciousmetals.com

Website: www.trupreciousmetals.com

To connect with TRU via social media, below are links:

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TRU-Precious-Metals-Corp-100919195193616

Twitter

https://twitter.com/corp_tru

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tru-precious-metals-corp

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHghHMDQaYgS1rDHiZIeLUg/

Cautionary Statements

Neither 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.

Information and links in this press release relating to New Found Gold Corp.'s Queensway Project and Little Joanna are from sources believed to be reliable, but that have not been independently verified by TRU. These links are included in this press release as inactive textual references for reference purposes only and the information on or connected to these websites is not part of, or incorporated by reference into, this press release.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including those relating to exploration at the Gander West Property and the Company's other mineral exploration properties. These statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Gander West Property and the Company's strategy and plans that are believed by management to be reasonable in the circumstances, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including without limitation: mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Gander West Property; the exploration potential of the Gander West Property and the nature and style of mineralization at the Gander West Property; risks inherent in mineral exploration activities; volatility in precious metals prices; and those other risks described in the Company's continuous disclosure documents. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements herein. Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by applicable securities laws.

________________________

1 Source: https://newfoundgold.ca/news/new-found-intercepts-146-2-g-t-au-over-25-6m-in-65m-step-out-to-south-at-keats-extends-high-grade-zone-to-425m-down-plunge/

2 Source: Newfoundland Government MODS - Mineral Occurrence Database System and other publicly available sources.

3 Source: Newfoundland Government MODS - Mineral Occurrence Database System and other publicly available sources.

4 Source: Newfoundland Government MODS - Mineral Occurrence Database System and other publicly available sources.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84897
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - District Metals Corp. (TSXV: DMX) (FSE: DFPP) ("District" or the "Company") is pleased to report assay results for the first three drill holes from the maiden drilling program at the high grade polymetallic Tomtebo Property located in the Bergslagen Mining District in south-central Sweden.

The first three drill holes at Tomtebo have successfully encountered significant semi-massive to massive polymetallic sulphides. Drill hole TOM21-001 was drilled at the Steffenburgs zone, and holes TOM21-002 and -003 targeted the Oscarsgruvan zone with the following drill assay highlights:

TOM21-001 intersected 8.2 m at 10.3% Zn, 4.5% Pb, 66.2 g/t Ag, 1.7 g/t Au, and 0.08% Cu (65.3 to 73.5 m) including 3.2 m at 17.8% Zn, 8.3% Pb, 124.4 g/t Ag, 1.6 g/t Au and 0.07% Cu (70.3 to 73.5 m).

TOM21-002 intersected 12.55 m at 148.6 g/t Ag, 2.1% Zn, 2.2% Pb, 0.2 g/t Au, and 0.04% Cu (90.8 to 103.35 m) including 4.75 m at 198.5 g/t Ag, 4.5% Zn, 3.1% Pb, 0.3 g/t Au, and 0.04% Cu (98.6 to 103.35 m); and 4.8 m at 197.0 g/t Ag, 4.9% Zn, 2.4% Pb, 0.3 g/t Au, and 0.03% Cu (125.0 to 129.80 m).

TOM21-003 intersected 14.85 m at 82.4 g/t Ag, 3.2% Zn, 1.4% Pb, 0.2 g/t Au, and 0.02% Cu (161.3 to 176.15 m) including 7.8 m at 117.6 g/t Ag, 3.5% Zn, 1.9% Pb, 0.3 g/t Au, and 0.02% Cu (163.3 to 171.1 m) and including 2.95 m at 74.2 g/t Ag, 6.2% Zn, 1.3% Pb, 0.2 g/t Au, and 0.03% Cu (173.2 to 176.15 m).

Drill hole locations, and a cross section at the Oscarsgruvan zone are shown in Figures 1 to 2, drill core photos are shown in Figures 3 to 5, and drill assay results are shown in Table 1.

Rodney Allen, Technical Advisor for District, commented: "The first drill hole in the 2021 program provides an excellent intersection of the Zn-Pb-Ag massive sulphide mineralization at Tomtebo and is a giant step forward in understanding the Tomtebo mineral system. This drill hole provides the critical information that confirms the nature of the targets in the Tomtebo area, which in turn enables us to interpret where new undiscovered polymetallic lenses most likely occur. In particular, the intersection in hole one confirms that:

This target is a volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) lens that occurs at a specific level of the volcanic host stratigraphy, above a large volume of intensely altered and vein-mineralized footwall rocks, and below a succession of less altered hanging-wall rocks. This style of massive sulphide lens has the potential to comprise a large volume of high-grade polymetallic sulphide. VMS lenses of this type always occur as clusters of massive sulphide lenses, scattered along the favourable stratigraphic "horizon", which means there are more polymetallic sulphide lenses to be discovered in the Tomtebo system. VMS mineral systems typically comprise polymetallic sulphide lenses with roots that grade downwards into pyritic copper-bearing stockwork vein and disseminated mineralization that represents the "feeder" conduits to the massive sulphide. Consequently, we can now interpret the old open-pit copper prospects on the Tomtebo property as part of the stockwork of veins that fed the polymetallic massive sulphide mineralization higher in the stratigraphic sequence.

The second and third holes in the program intersected volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization about 175 m northeast of hole one. The mineralization here comprises a combination of massive sulphide veins within altered volcanic rocks, and massive, semi-massive and disseminated polymetallic sulphide mineralization within, and at the contacts of, skarn-altered limestone beds. This indicates a second type of target, somewhat different to that in hole one, in which mineralizing hydrothermal solutions moved up through the volcanic stratigraphy, forming a stockwork of sulphide veins, and where the solutions met chemically reactive limestone beds, they spread out laterally along the contacts of the limestone, forming skarn in the limestone and mineralizing both the volcanic rock and the skarn. This is a similar style of mineralization to that at the nearby giant Garpenberg mine, and indicates that at Tomtebo there is volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization both within volcanic rocks at the "favourable VMS mineralized horizon", and also associated with limestone beds that may occur near or slightly below the "VMS horizon"."

Garrett Ainsworth, CEO of District, commented: "By any metric the high grades of polymetallic mineralization we have encountered over significant widths in our first three drill holes at Tomtebo have clearly exceeded our expectations. We are especially pleased to see significant silver and gold grades as high as 1,430 g/t Ag and 7.4 g/t Au from discrete drill core samples returned from the Steffenburgs and Oscarsgruvan zones, which is important as almost 50% of the 2020 revenue from Boliden's highly productive polymetallic Garpenberg Mine was attributed to silver and gold. Our high grade polymetallic mineralized drill intercepts remain wide open at depth and along strike, which sets us up to expand mineralization with follow up drilling."

All three drill holes returned low concentrations of deleterious elements and dominantly coarse-grained polymetallic sulphides, which are favourable attributes from a metallurgical standpoint. These positive characteristics are consistent with other polymetallic mines in the Bergslagen Mining District. Deleterious elements associated with the polymetallic mineralization reported in this news release include arsenic (0.5 to 363 ppm), cadmium (0.02 to 516 ppm), antimony (0.28 to 1,470 ppm), and selenium (1 to 22 ppm). Coarse grained polymetallic sulphides are an important factor in obtaining high recoveries during mineral processing.

Drill Hole Summaries

TOM21-001 (Steffenburgs zone):

Hole TOM21-001 was drilled at an angled orientation (-45 dip) to the east (77 azimuth). It was designed to test the 3D modeled mineralized domain anchored by historic hole TOMT43002, which returned 6.2 m (41.7 to 47.9 m) at 11.22% Zn, 5.16% Pb, and 0.19% Cu (not assayed for silver and gold).

After 20.0 m of overburden, the hole intersected moderately altered felsic volcanic rocks with trace pyrite from 20.0 to 37.0 m intercalated by meter-scale mafic dykes from 24.7 to 34.4 m. Moderately altered felsic rock with increasing pyrite and gahnite content was intersected between 37.0 to 64.2m. The onset of stronger silicification of the felsic volcanic rock after 64.2 m marks the beginning of extensive sulphides which were intersected from 64.2 to 73.95m that included dense accumulations of disseminated, stringer, vein, and semi-massive to massive polymetallic mineralization. This mineralized unit includes a massive sulphide interval between 70.3 to 73.5 m. This substantial mineralized intercept is underlain by moderately to strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks intercalated by meter-scale mafic dykes from 76.2 m to the end of hole depth at 114.8 m. Hole TOM21-001 represents the strongest and most extensive mineralization intersected at the historic Tomtebo Mine to date.

TOM21-002 (Oscarsgruvan zone):

Hole TOM21-002 was drilled at an angled orientation of (-50 dip) to the northeast (30 azimuth), and was designed to test the 3D model mineralized domain anchored by historic hole TOMT65002, which returned 4.45 m (116.35 to 120.80 m) at 195.11 g/t Ag, 7.8% Zn, 3.0% Pb, 0.55 g/t Au, and 0.05% Cu.

After 15.6 m of overburden, the hole intersected moderately to strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks with disseminated trace pyrite intercalated by several meter-scale mafic dykes from 15.6 to 90.8 m. Numerous significant intervals of polymetallic sulphide mineralization were encountered between 90.8 to 103.55 m, 125.0 to 129.8 m, and 176.3 to 188.5 m within moderately to strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks intercalated by rare meter-scale limestone skarn units between 128.5 and 133.6m and mafic dykes. This mineralized unit includes a massive sulphide interval between 98.6 to 100.5 and 101.5 to 203.6 m. These significant polymetallic sulphide intercepts are underlain by weakly altered felsic volcanic rocks intercalated by narrow to meter-scale mafic dykes from 191.9 m to the end of hole depth at 223.0 m.

TOM21-003 (Oscarsgruvan zone):

Hole TOM21-003 was drilled at an angled orientation of (-59 dip) to the northeast (30 azimuth) and was primarily designed to test mineralization beneath hole TOM21-002. A secondary objective was to test the 3D model mineralized domain anchored by historic hole TOMT71024 which was drilled horizontally to the northwest from the -200 m exploration drift, and returned 4.45 m (22.59 to 27.04 m) at 55.96 g/t Ag, 8.73% Zn, 1.66% Pb, 0.24 g/t Au, and 0.03% Cu.

After 12.8 m of overburden, the hole intersected moderately to strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks with occasional disseminated pyrite intercalated by several meter-scale mafic dykes from 12.8 to 152.3 m. Numerous intervals of significant polymetallic sulphide mineralization were encountered between 152.3 to 218.8 m within strongly to intense altered felsic volcanic rocks intercalated by meter-scale limestone skarn units and a mafic dyke. This polymetallic mineralization was underlain by a weakly to moderately altered felsic volcanic rocks with disseminated pyrite from 218.8 m to the end of hole depth at 267.0 m.







Figure 1: Plan View Drill Holes at Tomtebo Mine

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Figure 2: Cross Section Looking West at Oscarsgruvan Zone

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Table 1: Tomtebo Drill Assay Results

Drill Hole Depths and Interval Assay Results Hole ID Azimuth Dip Total Depth (m) From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Au (g/t) Cu (%) TOM21-001 77 -45 114.80 36.70 37.90 1.20 24.30 0.19 0.01 0.65 0.84







47.30 59.00 11.70 7.59 0.82 0.47 0.08 0.07







62.00 73.95 11.95 46.91 7.24 3.09 1.18 0.10





incl. 65.30 73.50 8.20 66.21 10.33 4.46 1.67 0.08





incl. 70.30 73.50 3.20 124.39 17.80 8.26 1.63 0.07







80.80 81.70 0.90 10.60 0.70 0.46 0.06 0.03 TOM21-002 30 -50 223.00 90.80 103.35 12.55 148.62 2.14 2.20 0.20 0.04





incl. 98.60 103.35 4.75 198.51 4.49 3.08 0.31 0.04







121.60 122.50 0.90 19.35 0.49 0.31 0.04 0.00







125.00 129.80 4.80 196.96 4.94 2.36 0.30 0.03







182.60 182.90 0.30 26.50 8.06 0.31 0.10 0.02 TOM21-003 30 -59 267.00 153.35 154.15 0.80 15.40 2.09 0.18 0.02 0.04







161.30 176.15 14.85 82.35 3.22 1.36 0.21 0.02





incl. 163.30 171.10 7.80 117.57 3.52 1.92 0.32 0.02





incl. 173.20 176.15 2.95 74.18 6.16 1.34 0.18 0.03







192.50 194.00 1.50 155.00 0.01 1.37 0.68 0.02







202.30 202.80 0.50 16.25 2.31 0.77 0.11 0.01







205.05 205.50 0.45 6.84 1.41 0.25 0.05 0.00







208.90 210.65 1.75 37.20 4.97 1.34 0.18 0.00







217.10 218.80 1.70 3.58 5.68 0.04 0.06 0.02

Notes:

All intervals are core lengths, and true thicknesses are yet to be determined. A mineral resource modeling is required before true thicknesses can be estimated.

Cut-off grade of 50 g/t AgEq utilized, which may include up to 2.0 m of internal dilution. Underground mining cut-off at the nearby Garpenberg Mine was US$32/tonne in 2020.

Metal prices used in USD for the AgEq cut-off calculation were based on Ag $15.00/oz, Au $1650/oz, Cu $2.15/lb, Zn $0.85/lb, and Pb $0.75/lb.

The AgEq calculation assumes 100% recoveries to calculate the cut-off grades for exploration purposes.





Figure 3: TOM21-001 Sulphide Mineralization from 69.2 to 73.7 m

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Figure 4: TOM21-002 Sulphide Mineralization from 99.6 to 104.1 m

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Figure 5: TOM21-003 Sulphide Mineralization from 162.0 to 166.8 m

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Technical Information

All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared by, or approved by Garrett Ainsworth, PGeo, President and CEO of the Company. Mr. Ainsworth is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The drill core reported in this news release was logged and prepared at the District Metals AB core facility in Sater, Sweden before submittal to ALS Geochemistry in Mala, Sweden where the drill core is cut, bagged, and prepared for analysis. Sample pulps were sent to ALS Geochemistry in Ireland (an accredited mineral analysis laboratory) for analysis. Samples were analyzed using a multi-element ultra trace method combining a four-acid digestion with ICP-MS analytical package ("ME-MS61"). Over limit sample values were re-assayed for: (1) values of zinc >1%; (2) values of lead >1%; and (3) values of silver >100 g/t using the high-grade material ICP-AES analytical package ("ME-OG62"). Additional over limit sample values were re-assayed for: (1) values of zinc >30%; (2) values of lead >20% using the high precision analysis of base metal ores AAS analytical package ("Zn, Pb-AAORE"). Gold, platinum, and palladium were analyzed using the 30 g lead fire assay with ICP-AES finish analytical package ("PGM-ICP23"). Certified standards, blanks, and duplicates were inserted into the sample shipment to ensure integrity of the assay process. Selected samples were chosen for duplicate assay from the coarse reject and pulps of the original sample. No QA/QC issues were noted with the results reported.

Some of the data disclosed in this news release is related to historical drilling results. District has not undertaken any independent investigation of the sampling nor has it independently analyzed the results of the historical exploration work in order to verify the results. District considers these historical drill results relevant as the Company is using this data as a guide to plan exploration programs. The Company's current and future exploration work includes verification of the historical data through drilling.

Mr. Ainsworth has not verified any of the information regarding any of the properties or projects referred to herein other than the Tomtebo Property. Mineralization on any other properties referred to herein is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Tomtebo Property.

About District Metals Corp.

District Metals Corp. is led by industry professionals with a track record of success in the mining industry. The Company's mandate is to seek out, explore, and develop prospective mineral properties through a disciplined science-based approach to create shareholder value and benefit other stakeholders.

The advanced exploration stage Tomtebo Property is located in the Bergslagen Mining District of south-central Sweden is the Company's main focus. Tomtebo comprises 5,144 ha, and is situated between the historic Falun Mine and Boliden's Garpenberg Mine that are located 25 km to the northwest and southeast, respectively. Two historic polymetallic mines and numerous polymetallic showings are located on the Tomtebo Property along an approximate 17 km trend that exhibits similar geology, structure, alteration and VMS/SedEx style mineralization as other significant mines within the district. Mineralization that is open at depth and along strike at the historic mines on the Tomtebo Property has not been followed up on, and modern systematic exploration has never been conducted on the Property.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Garrett Ainsworth"

President and Chief Executive Officer

(604) 288-4430

Neither 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 Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information.

This news release contains certain statements that may be considered "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information 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 statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" and any similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, predictions, indications, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. Forward-looking statements in this news release relating to the Company include, among other things, statements relating to the Company's planned exploration activities, including its drill target strategy and next steps for the Tomtebo Property; the company's interpretations and expectations about the mineralization of the Tomtebo mine; the Company's belief that the numerous gravity high anomalies identified at the historic Tomtebo Mine provide immense expansion potential; the Company's belief that the modeled gravity high anomalies at the historic Tomtebo Mine could correspond with polymetallic and/or iron sulphide mineralization, or a mafic unit; and the Company's belief that the gravity high anomaly located one kilometer to the northeast of the Tomtebo Mine represents a potential grassroots discovery opportunity with a modeled tonnage that compares with the historic production tonnage from the historic Falun Mine.

These statements and other forward-looking information are based on opinions, assumptions and estimates made by the Company in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances, as of the date of this news release, including, without limitation, assumptions about the reliability of historical data and the accuracy of publicly reported information regarding past and historic mines in the Bergslagen district; the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to fund planned exploration activities, maintain corporate capacity and satisfy the exploration expenditure requirements required by the definitive purchase agreement between the Company and the vendor of the Tomtebo Property (the "Definitive Purchase Agreement") by the times specified therein; and stability in financial and capital markets.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date such statements are made, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to risks associated with the following: the reliability of historic data regarding the Tomtebo Property; the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to finance planned exploration (including incurring prescribed exploration expenditures required by the Definitive Purchase Agreement, failing which the Tomtebo Property will be forfeited without any repayment of the purchase price); the Company's limited operating history; the Company's negative operating cash flow and dependence on third-party financing; the uncertainty of additional funding; the uncertainties associated with early stage exploration activities including general economic, market and business conditions, the regulatory process, failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals, technical issues, potential delays, unexpected events and management's capacity to execute and implement its future plans; the Company's ability to identify any mineral resources and mineral reserves; the substantial expenditures required to establish mineral reserves through drilling and the estimation of mineral reserves or mineral resources; the Company's dependence on one material project, the Tomtebo Property; the uncertainty of estimates used to calculated mineralization figures; changes in governmental regulations; compliance with applicable laws and regulations; competition for future resource acquisitions and skilled industry personnel; reliance on key personnel; title matters; conflicts of interest; environmental laws and regulations and associated risks, including climate change legislation; land reclamation requirements; changes in government policies; volatility of the Company's share price; the unlikelihood that shareholders will receive dividends from the Company; potential future acquisitions and joint ventures; infrastructure risks; fluctuations in demand for, and prices of gold, silver and copper; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; legal proceedings and the enforceability of judgments; going concern risk; risks related to the Company's information technology systems and cyber-security risks; and risk related to the outbreak of epidemics or pandemics or other health crises, including the recent outbreak of COVID-19. For additional information regarding these risks, please see the Company's Annual Information Form, under the heading "Risk Factors", which is available at www.sedar.com. These factors and assumptions are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors and assumptions that could affect the Company. These factors and assumptions, however, should be considered carefully. Although the Company has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Also, many of such factors are beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws. All scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been prepared by or reviewed and approved by Garrett Ainsworth, PGeo, President and CEO of the Company. Mr. Ainsworth is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84913
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - ARROW Exploration Corp. (TSXV: AXL) ("Arrow" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update to shareholders on several key corporate developments, as well as an update on recent developments in Colombia.

Intention to List on AIM Market

The Company announces its intention to seek a dual listing through an admission of its common shares to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange ("Admission"). The Company intends to concurrently pursue a private placement offering of its common shares to fund an expanded capital program. Details of the private placement are expected to be announced once the Admission process is at an advanced stage. The Company's Common Shares will continue to be listed and trade on the TSX-V in Canada.

Marshall Abbott, Chief Executive Officer of Arrow said, "I am delighted to announce our intention to be dual listed on the AIM and TSX-V. We have a company with a high-upside, cash-generative asset base in Colombia, a proven oil & gas jurisdiction. Our growth strategy involves aggressively pursuing a development drilling program for our Rio Cravo Este and Carrizales Norte assets in the prolific Llanos Basin. Furthermore, as we look forward it is our intention to monetize our non-core assets as well as selectively add value-accretive assets to our portfolio. I look forward to welcoming our new shareholders when Arrow lists on AIM."

Arrow believes the dual listing will provide it with several advantages, which include:

Enhancing liquidity for the Company's shareholders and providing direct access to the London capital markets, which are among the global leaders for capital formation in the oil & gas sector;

Enabling the Company to access a wider range of potential investors and broaden its investor base;

Improving the Company's ability to access further funding from international capital markets and to finance the future growth of the business consistent with its current strategy; and

Enhancing the Company's reputation and financial standing in Colombia.

The intended Admission and private placement represent the next phase of Arrow's growth, following the recapitalization of the Company through the sale of the LLA-23 Block in December 2020 and the cost savings achieved (as discussed below). The intended Admission and private placement are consistent with the management and Board's objectives of creating maximum value for shareholders by pursuing a strategy that unlocks the potential of the Company's rich asset base.

Cost Savings Achieved

Since the current executive management team joined Arrow in April 2020, working closely with the Board of Directors the executive team has:

Achieved significant G&A cost savings - administrative costs were reduced to US$4.3 million in 2020, from US$7.2 million in 2019, a savings of over 40% year-over-year. Assuming normal course operations, further administrative cost reductions are expected for the current fiscal year; Materially reduced Colombia staff count to align with the Company's current levels of production and its expected near-term operational requirements - staff count has been reduced from 77 at the end of Q1 2020, to 28 at the end of Q1 2021; Successfully negotiated with the majority of the Company's vendors in Canada and Colombia to settle on outstanding accounts payable that were primarily incurred by the Company prior to the current executive management team's tenure - as of April 30th, 2021 these negotiations have resulted in estimated cost savings to the Company of over US$1.2 million; and Terminated the off-take contract with Vitol Colombia C.I. S.A.S. ("Vitol") for the sale to Vitol of the Company's share of crude oil produced from the Tapir Block and the LLA-23 Block (sold in December 2020) - the Company estimates current savings of approximately US$5/bbl from having terminated the contract in August 2020 (based on the most recent available quotation for the Vasconia differential).

Promissory Note Amendments

Effective May 18th, 2021 ("Effective Date"), Arrow and Canacol Energy Ltd. ("Canacol") have entered into a sixth amended and restated Promissory Note. The sixth Promissory Note amends and restates the previous fifth promissory note. Arrow's management believes that the sixth Promissory Note represents a positive outcome for the Company going forward. In summary:

The amendments provide Arrow with significantly greater near-term financial flexibility and strengthen its near-term working capital position by over US$6 million, by re-classifying the Promissory Note from a current liability to a long-term liability; If Arrow completes a financing, its cash outlay to settle the Promissory Note will be as low as US$3.2 million, beginning in 2022, with the balance of the Promissory Note to be settled by the issuance to Canacol of common shares of Arrow at the financing price, subject to a percentage ownership limit of 19.99% (and any remainder that would otherwise have been paid in shares will be paid in cash instead); If Arrow completes a financing, US$0.6 million for the OBC letter of credit shall be forgiven. The OBC pipeline assets and liabilities will revert to Canacol. Management expects this would result in significant future cost savings to the Company; If Arrow does not complete a financing by September 30th, 2021, the payment of the principal sum of the Promissory Note shall be made as follows: (i) payments of US$1.6 million in cash on July 30th, 2022 and US$1.6 million in cash on December 30th, 2022 and (ii) the issuance to Canacol on July 30th, 2022 for the balance of the Principal Sum of common shares of the Company at an issue price equal to the market price of such shares as of such date; and At any time, and from time to time, all or any portion of the obligations then outstanding may be prepaid by the Company to Canacol without penalty or prepayment fee.

Developments in Colombia

As has been widely reported, there are protests and blockades in certain areas of Colombia. All Colombian industries have been negatively impacted as mobility is currently limited.

The protests have had a temporary impact on Arrow's Colombian operations, and the operations of other oil & gas companies in the country. Road blockades in Llanos Basin caused Arrow to temporarily cease oil production from the RCE-1 well on the Tapir Block during the week of May 17th, however production has since resumed. In the event that road blockades resume, Arrow is assessing several alternatives for the off-take of its oil production from the RCE-1 well which would allow the Company to continue producing.

The blockades have caused Emerald Energy (the operator of the Capella Field on the Ombu Block, in which Arrow has a 10% W.I.) to cease production from the Capella Field, and production has yet to resume. A National Strike Committee was created to foster national dialogue and began meeting the week of May 10th to negotiate an end to the protests and the blockades. If the National Strike Committee is successful at negotiating an end to the blockades of transportation routes, or if the blockades otherwise cease to be in place, the Company expects Emerald Energy to be able to rapidly restore the shut-in production from the Capella Field.

About ARROW Exploration

Arrow Exploration Corp. (operating in Colombia via a branch of its 100% owned subsidiary Carrao Energy S.A.) is a publicly-traded company with a portfolio of premier Colombian oil assets that are under-exploited, under-explored and offer high potential growth. The Company's business plan is to expand oil production from some of Colombia's most active basins, including the Llanos, Middle Magdalena Valley (MMV) and Putumayo Basin. The asset base is predominantly operated with high working interests, and the Brent-linked light oil pricing exposure combines with low royalties to yield attractive potential operating margins. Arrow's 50% interest in the Tapir Block is contingent on the assignment by Ecopetrol SA of such interest to Arrow. Arrow's seasoned team is led by a hands-on executive team supported by an experienced board. Arrow is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AXL".

For further information contact:



Marshall Abbott

Chief Executive Officer

mabbott@arrowexploration.ca

(403) 651-5995



Max Satel

VP Corporate Development & Investor Relations

msatel@arrowexploration.ca

(416) 904-2258



Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements or disclosures relating to Arrow that are based on the expectations of its management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Arrow which may constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. All such statements and disclosures, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results or developments that Arrow anticipates or expects may, could or will occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words "continue", "expect", "opportunity", "plan", "potential" and "will" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release reflect several material factors and expectations and assumptions of Arrow, including without limitation, Arrow's evaluation of the impacts of COVID-19, the potential of Arrow's Colombian and/or Canadian assets (or any of them individually), the prices of oil and/or natural gas, and Arrow's business plan to expand oil and gas production and achieve attractive potential operating margins. Arrow believes the expectations and assumptions reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable at this time but no assurance can be given that these factors, expectations and assumptions will prove to be correct.

The forward-looking statements included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance and should not be unduly relied upon. Such forward-looking 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. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.



Important Information

The contents of this announcement, which has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the Company, has not been approved by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended).

Neither this announcement nor any copy of it may be taken or transmitted, published or distributed, directly or indirectly, in, into or from any restricted jurisdiction or to any persons in any of those jurisdictions or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant securities laws of such jurisdiction. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of United States, Australian, Japanese or South African securities laws.

This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any shares or other securities in any restricted jurisdiction. The distribution of this announcement and other information in connection with the Admission in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession this announcement, any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any part of it nor the fact of its distribution shall form the basis of or be relied on in connection with or act as an inducement to enter into any contract or commitment whatsoever.

This announcement is directed only at persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing and disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business and who have professional experience in matters relating to investments and are: (i) if in a member state of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), Qualified Investors as defined in article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "EU Prospectus Regulation"); (ii) if in the United Kingdom, are Qualified Investors as defined in article 2(e) of the EU Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and (a) fall within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (b) are persons who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.) of the Order, or (c) to whom it may otherwise be lawfully distributed (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons").

This announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Persons distributing this announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so. Any investment or investment activity to which this announcement relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. This announcement does not itself constitute an offer for sale or subscription of any securities in the Company.

The Common Shares referred to in this Announcement have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the US Securities Act or an available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.

Any subscription for or purchase of Common Shares should be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the final Admission Document to be published by the Company in connection with the Admission. The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may or should be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, completeness or fairness. The information in this announcement is subject to change. However, the Company does not undertake to provide the recipient of this announcement with any additional information, or to update this announcement or to correct any inaccuracies, and the distribution of this announcement shall not be deemed to be any form of commitment on the part of the Company to proceed with the Admission or any transaction or arrangement referred to in this announcement. This announcement has not been approved by any competent regulatory authority.

The anticipated timetable for Admission, including the publication of the Admission Document and/or the date of Admission, may be influenced by a range of circumstances, including market conditions. There is no guarantee that the Admission Document will be published or that Admission will occur and investors should not base their financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to the Admission at this stage.

The price of shares and any income expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

Certain figures contained in this announcement, including financial information, have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, in certain instances, the sum or percentage change of the numbers contained in this announcement may not conform exactly to the total figure given.

Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement.



Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85002
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: WML) (OTCQB: WMLLF) (SSE: WMLCL) (FSE: EJZN) (the "Company" or "Wealth") announces a strategic investment in the form of a private placement (the "Placement") of up to 13,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.30 per Unit (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of up to $3,900,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional share of the Company for a period of two years from the date of issuance at a price of $0.45 per share.

The strategic investment comes from Acotango Resources B.V. Group (the "Group"). The Group has extensive knowledge of the European battery market.

Hendrik van Alphen, CEO of Wealth, commented: "This is part of Wealth's strategy to advance our corporate development for the benefit of shareholders."

Finder's fees may be payable to arm's length parties that have introduced the Company to certain subscribers participating in the Offering. All securities issued in the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period, during which time the securities may not be traded. Closing of the Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The net proceeds from the Offering are intended for general corporate purposes.

This press release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Wealth Minerals Ltd.

Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada, Mexico and Chile. The Company's main focus is the acquisition and development of lithium projects in South America. To date, the Company has positioned itself to work alongside existing producers in the prolific Atacama salar, where the Company has a substantial licenses package.

Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary of this future mismatch of supply and demand. The Company also maintains and continues to evaluate a portfolio of precious and base metal exploration-stage projects.

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's website (www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

WEALTH MINERALS LTD.

"Hendrik van Alphen"

Hendrik van Alphen

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Marla Ritchie

Phone: 604-331-0096 Ext. 3886 or 604-638-3886

E-mail: info@wealthminerals.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.

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 and U.S. 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, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the closing and amount of the Placement, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of lithium, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in the Placement, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including acceptance by the TSX-V, required for the Placement, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

**NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES**



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85041
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Saputo Inc. (SAP.TO), a producer of dairy products, announced Tuesday two strategic acquisitions in each of the dairy alternatives and value-added ingredients segments, representing a combined investment of around C$187 million. In Dairy Alternative Cheese segment, the company completed the acquisition of Bute Island Foods Ltd., a manufacturer of a variety of dairy alternative cheese products under vegan Sheese brand, alongside private label brands. The business is located on the Isle of Bute, off the West Coast of Scotland, and employs around 180 people, including its founders. Saputo also announced more than C$5 million over five years to support local Bute Island community initiatives. In Value-Added Ingredients segment, Saputo entered into an agreement to acquire the Reedsburg facility of Wisconsin Specialty Protein, LLC in the U.S. It manufactures value-added ingredients such as goat whey, organic lactose and other dairy powders and it employs approximately 40 people. The transaction is expected to close at the end of May 2021. Saputo said these two acquisitions are in line with and will contribute favourably to its new global strategic plan objectives to be presented in its year-end disclosures and during its year-end earnings webcast on June 3. 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.
AUSTIN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / SmallCapVoice.com Inc. ("SCV") announces the availability of a new interview with Hans Enriquez, CEO of MedX Holdings, Inc. (OTC Pink: MEDH), to discuss the Company's plans to disrupt the cannabis scene with an Amsterdam-style approach.

MedX is a brands and acquisition company focusing its business model on cannabis as a commodity. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the Company keeps a close eye on the marketing, development, execution and performance of cannabis operations in Colorado and Oklahoma. Through this observation, MedX sees considerable opportunity to build on the foundation laid by other businesses to introduce an immersive experience for cannabis consumers.

Speaking with SCV's Stuart Smith, Enriquez described his travels to Colorado and how the Company has engineered its strategy to deliver its social cannabis concept to existing markets in need of improvement. MedX plans to introduce its Amsterdam-style cafe concept in Colorado, where it will combine a recreational store or dispensary with a coffee shop to create a fully operational cannabis cafe/social consumption lounge.

"I have to applaud them with an A for effort, for being the pioneer and trying to figure out how to make a profitable model out there," Enriquez stated, referring to the businesses he visited in Colorado. "Unfortunately, I feel that they failed in execution. I definitely applaud them for being trailblazers, but we want to go in there and show how the biz model can work by putting cannabis and coffee and the social consumption lounge all under one roof."

Enriquez directed listeners of the interview to www.CannabisCafeFranchise.com and www.CannabisLoungeFranchise.com to see the marketing concept for its cannabis cafe franchise. He noted that the appeal of its Amsterdam-style approach is the consumer experience in gathering to enjoy quality cannabis, coffee and socialization in a welcoming space.

"We're focusing on experience and that experience starts from when you get out of the car, you approach the store the cafe the lounge, and how you are welcomed in the lounge," he told Smith. "No matter whether it be fully recreational or medical, you can purchase your cannabis anywhere in the U.S. and still not have anywhere legally to go to publicly consume, to go, sit down, smoke a joint and get to work on your laptop or have a coffee or conversate with somebody and be in a well-lit, clean atmosphere."

While Colorado will be the initial location for its first lounge or cafe, the Company is aggressively building its strategy to enter Oklahoma, the biggest medical marijuana market in the country on a per capita basis.

On his visit to Oklahoma to evaluate potential partners and medical marijuana dispensaries, Enriquez recognized opportunity for MedX's business model. The state is home to 70 casinos, nearly 2,000 dispensaries and almost 6,000 grow operations. Last year, medical marijuana sales in Oklahoma doubled vs the prior year to more than $831 million. MedX's vision is to take advantage of consumer demand and the state's flourishing cannabis market by teaming up with casinos and/or dispensaries to build its lounges and offer consumers a new experience.

"I think Oklahoma is doing something awesome," he said in the interview, noting how the state's program allows out of state patients or customers to obtain one-day or one-month passes to visit the dispensaries. "It's a very low-cost barrier to entry, which I think is very good for competition, which gives minorities and entrepreneurs the ability to get involved in the market."

MedX also has its eye on Texas, where Enriquez has met with potential partners for a profit and/or crop-sharing agreement for different strains of cannabis.

"We're still searching for our premium industrial strain and we feel that that strain will be very hardy, climate resistant to the Texas environment," he said. "We're doing a lot of things there, as far as on the farm and  seeing how we can apply some of what they're doing out in Oklahoma here in Texas."

In addition to his tri-state plans, Enriquez is CEO of branding company Dazed Inc. His plan is to leverage the synergy between MedX and Dazed and bring them together - be it merger, acquisition or subsidiary - for the cafe franchise. Concluding the interview, Enriquez noted the challenges of executing this strategy and urged shareholders to allow the process to unfold.

"We want to do this right the first time," he said. "If we cut any corners or try to take any loop holes, it's going to be not only costly to the company but costly to the shareholders.  Of course, it can never happen fast enough. Me personally, I can get impatient myself and I want it to happen faster. But I'm also trusting the process. Patience will pay off in multiples."

The full interview can be heard at: https://www.smallcapvoice.com/may-interview-medx-holdings-medh/.

About MedX Holdings, Inc.:

MedX Holdings, Inc. is a brands and acquisition company. Our vision is to develop brands and the ancillary infrastructure needed to create demand through vertical integration, strategic partnerships, licensing, franchising, and providing solutions to the emerging hemp and cannabis industry.

Safe-Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), including all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the company, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) the company's financing plans; (ii) trends affecting the company's financial condition or results of operations; (iii) the company's growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) the declaration and payment of dividends. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "intend" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

About SmallCapVoice.com

SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth companies, small cap and micro-cap stocks build a following among retail and institutional investors. SmallCapVoice.com utilizes its stock newsletter to feature its daily stock picks, podcasts, as well as its clients' financial news releases. SmallCapVoice.com also offers individual investors all the tools they need to make informed decisions about the stocks in which they are interested. Tools like stock charts, stock alerts, and Company Information Sheets can assist with investing in stocks that are traded on the OTCMarkets. To learn more about SmallCapVoice.com and its services, please visit https://www.smallcapvoice.com/small-cap-stock-otc-investor-relations-financial-public-relations/.

Socialize with SmallCapVoice and their clients at

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmallCapVoice/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallcapvoice

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallcapvoice/

Contact Information:

CONTACT:

MedX Holdings, Inc.

(737) 777 0420

Info@MedXHoldings.co

Follow us on Twitter @MedX_Holdings

Website: www.MedxHoldings.co

SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith

512-267-2430

Info@SmallCapVoice.com

SOURCE: SmallCapVoice.com

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648845/MedX-Holdings-Inc-Discusses-its-Plans-to-Build-Unique-Cannabis-Lounges-in-Audio-Interview-with-SmallCapVoicecom
FILE - In this May 15, 2021, file photo, Lebanese wave Hezbollah and Palestinian flags, as they stand in front of the Israeli town of Metula, background, on the Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon. Lebanon's Hezbollah militia looms large over the current Israel-Hamas war, even though it has stayed out of the fighting so far. Hezbollah's firepower is far greater than that of Gaza's Hamas rulers, and Israel keeps a wary eye on its northern border for any signs Hezbollah might get off the sidelines.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Wedgemount Resources Corp. (CSE:WDGY) ("Wedgemount" or the "Company"), a mineral exploration company focused on maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition, discovery and advancement of high-quality copper - gold projects in North America, has approved the grant of incentive stock options (each, an "Option") to acquire up to 1,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share"), 800,000 of which were granted to certain directors and officers of the Company. The Options are exercisable for a five year term expiring on May 25, 2026 at a price of $0.45 per Option. The Options are subject to vesting provisions, with 1/4 vesting 3 months from grant date and 1/4 vesting every 3 months thereafter. The Options are subject to Canadian Securities Exchange approval, and approval of the Option plan by Wedgemount's shareholders at the Company's first annual general meeting, no Options may be exercised until such approval and acceptance is given. Any Common Shares issued pursuant to the exercise of the Options will be subject to a four month hold period expiring on September 26, 2021.

About Wedgemount Resources Corp.

Wedgemount Resources is a junior mineral exploration company focused on maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition, discovery and advancement of high-quality copper - gold projects in North America.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

WEDGEMOUNT RESOURCES CORP.

Mark Vanry, President and CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Telephone: (778) 997-7573

info@wedgemountresources.com

www.wedgemountresources.com

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Wedgemount Resources Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648648/Wedgemount-Announces-Grant-of-Incentive-Stock-Options
Extensive analysis of 200 billion flows across 850 enterprise networks worldwide uncovers high risk from age-old cyber defense weaknesses and leading consumer video sharing application

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cato Networks, the provider of the world's first SASE platform, announced today the results of its quarterly analysis of global enterprise networks. The Cato Networks SASE Threat Research Report found that popular preconceptions of enterprise security and network usage are often inaccurate. While exotic attacks and nation-states such as Russia and China grab headlines, the most prevalent enterprise cybersecurity risks in Q1 came from unpatched legacy systems, attacks from the US, and consumer applications, such as TikTok.

"Cato's converged SASE solution enables us to pull together security observations with network analysis from live traffic. During Q1, we saw how enterprise security leaders can't focus on newly discovered vulnerabilities at the expense of older, more mundane risks," says Etay Maor, senior director of security strategy at Cato Networks. "Threat actors constantly scan for unpatched, EOL (end of live) and legacy systems, vulnerabilities that are two to nearly 20 years old. And while several governments have raised privacy concerns with TikTok, and ultimately banned this application from their networks and devices, too many enterprise networks continue to carry TikTok flows."

Legacy Security Defenses Fail as Old Exploits Form Most Common Threat

While the industry focuses on exotic attacks - like the SolarWinds breach - the real risk to enterprises comes from older exploits, some as much as 20-years old. "While organizations always need to keep up with the latest security patches, it is also vital to ensure older system and well-known vulnerabilities from years past are monitored and patched as well," says Maor. "Threat actors are attempting to take advantage of overlooked, vulnerable systems."

Our research showed that attackers often scanned for end-of-life and unsupported systems. Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE) identified by Cato were exploits targeting software, namely vSphere, Oracle WebLogic, and Big-IP, as well as routers with remote administration vulnerabilities.

Patching may address the problem, but enterprises find that staying on top of patching is challenging, and legacy security systems are often insufficient to stop threats. Furthermore, threat actors are constantly changing their signatures and characteristics to avoid detection.

Application Vulnerabilities Expose Many Businesses to Attack

During its analysis of network traffic, Cato identified several security risks. Microsoft Office and Google continue to dominate, but widespread use was seen of remote access software, such as Remote Desktop Protocols (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), and TeamViewer.

If not properly secured, these applications can be targeted by threat actors with disastrous results, as was made apparent by the recent attacks on the Florida water supply system, Molson Coors, and Colonial Pipeline. "The prevalence of remote access software is troubling from a security perspective. Many attacks on critical infrastructure involved attackers exploiting vulnerabilities and weak passwords in these verry package. If organizations need to run such software, special care must be taken to ensure their security," says Maor.

Enterprise networks also continue to be populated by consumer applications, with the most popular being TikTok that had millions of more flows than Google Mail, LinkedIn, or Spotify. In recent months Cato also saw a significant increase in Robinhood and eToro transactions - likely driven by the recent GameStop-Reddit-Wall Street. The data transmitted to these trading applications surpassed more popular applications such as CNN, The New York Times, and CNBC.

"The increase in consumer applications not only consumes bandwidth but poses a security risk to enterprises," Maor said. "As the type of data flow and applications changes, so does the way in which threat actors exploit vulnerabilities, and in turn, the way enterprises secure their networks must change as well."

Threats Originate from Countries Other Than Russia or China

To keep in front of attackers, enterprises will often block traffic from certain countries, such as Russia and China. Such an approach is ineffective. Cato's analysis shows that during the first quarter of 2021, most threats did not originate from China or Russia. In fact, more malware attacks originated from the United States than any other country.

"Blocking network traffic to and from 'the usual suspects' may not necessarily make your organization more secure," Maor said. "Threat actors are hosting their Command & Control servers on 'friendly' grounds including the U.S., Germany, and Japan."

Machine Learning Algorithms Spot Network Characteristics of Security Threats

To get a proper understanding of network and cybersecurity trends for its report, Cato Networks analyzed nearly 200 billion network flows from more than 850 enterprises worldwide on the Cato global private backbone between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021.

Approximately 16 billion security events were identified and fed to the Cato Threat Hunting System (CTHS). This proprietary machine learning platform identifies threats through contextual network and security analysis. By understanding and identifying the network patterns of cyberattacks, CTHS alerts on security threats often undetected by legacy cybersecurity software.

In all, CTHS identified 181,000 high-risk flows, which led to 19,000 threats verified by the Cato security team. The highlights of this analysis were captured in this report. To learn more, download a copy of The Cato Networks SASE Threat Research Report at https://go.catonetworks.com/SASE-Threat-Research-Report.html.

About Cato Networks

Cato is the world's first?SASE platform, converging?SD-WAN, network security, and?Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?into a global, cloud-native service. Cato optimizes and secures application access for all users and locations. Using?Cato Cloud, customers easily migrate from MPLS to SD-WAN, optimize connectivity to on-premises and cloud applications, enable secure branch Internet access everywhere, seamlessly integrate cloud datacenters into the network, and?connect mobile users with Cato SDP?client and clientless access options. With Cato, the network, and your business, are?ready for whatever's?next.

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516354/Cato_Networks_1_Infographic.jpg

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516353/Cato_Networks_2_Infographic.jpg


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a move to support Biden administration's efforts for increased Covid-19 vaccinations, United Airlines is offering its customers a chance to win free flights for a year's worth of travel.



The airline's loyalty program members, who have been vaccinated fully against the coronavirus, can participate in the new program, which offers prizes with total approximate retail value or ARV of $4.742 million.



Under the terms of the 'Your Shot to Fly' sweepstakes, any new or existing MileagePlus member can upload their vaccination records to the airline's mobile app or website between May 24 and June 22. They may win a roundtrip flight for two, in any class of service, to anywhere in the world to which places United flies.



The company will give away 30 pairs of tickets throughout the month of June. In addition, on July 1, United will announce five randomly selected lucky MileagePlus members who have entered sweepstakes for a grand prize of travel for a year for themselves and a companion.



The company's grand prize includes 1-year free flights for 2, who are traveling together and limited to 26 roundtrip flights, & $275,000, with ARV of $784,600 each. Further, the company offers 30 1st prizes that includes roundtrip flight for 2 worldwide & $7,700, with ARV of $27,300 each.



The sweepstakes is open to any resident of the U.S. who is at least 18 years old and a MileagePlus member.



United CEO Scott Kirby noted that more and more destinations are opening up for travel thanks to the vaccine.



United is launching new routes to Croatia, Greece and Iceland, and resuming flights to Italy, Portugal, Spain and France this summer. The airline is also starting new non-stop flights from New York/Newark to Johannesburg, South Africa starting June 3, subject to government approval.



The company has recently launched service from Washington, D.C. to Accra, Ghana and seasonal nonstop flights from New York/Newark to Cape Town, South Africa. United will also resume service between San Francisco and Tahiti in June.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

UNITED AIRLINES-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed DarkPulse, Inc. (OTC Pink: DPLS) ("the Company"), a company that uses advanced laser-based monitoring systems to provide rapid and accurate monitoring of temperatures, strains and stresses. CEO of the Company, Dennis O'Leary, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by commenting on the Company's significant increase in its stock price over the past few months, and asked about a recent press release detailing the closing of $850K in bridge funding. "Those were sort of plans in the making," explained O'Leary, adding that the funds will help the Company close their remaining convertible notes, as well as position them for the next capital tranche as they get closer to generating revenue.

Jolly then asked about the Company's progress in eliminating toxic debt. "It is going very well," said O'Leary. "We closed off a number of notes and we hope to be able to provide an update on that shortly," he added. "The bulk of it is to get rid of the old debt and look for better types of funding vehicles. To that end, we're reminding ourselves to get ready to file for an S3, which will bring us considerable capital opportunities."

"Could you tell my listeners a little bit about your flagship product and what makes your company so special?", asked Jolly. "BODTA, the technology itself, has been around for about 100 years. Currently, there are a lot of systems that are based on bright pulsing technologies, but our system is based on dark pulsing technologies. The difference comes down to resolution," explained O'Leary. "[Bright pulse technologies] lack the resolution that we have," continued O'Leary. "We can tell you what is going on inside the pipe before there is a leak," he added. "If an operator decides they just want leak detection, we can bring them down to less than a square meter."

"We have AI capabilities now and we really can drill down and tell you exactly what's going on in real-time, second-by-second with a graphic interface anywhere on any device," said O'Leary. "That is just not available anywhere out there yet."

"Where are we at regarding the manufacturing of your system?", asked Jolly. "Another big piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, we have been speaking with a very large electronics manufacturer in the United States for about a year and have gotten them onboard," said O'Leary. "We're going to have the bulk of the manufacturing done by this large manufacturing company," he shared, noting that the Company's Tempe facility will handle R&D and some assembly.

Jolly then asked about the Company's recent partnerships, including the Bachner Group, Remote Intelligence LLC, and Unleash live. "These partnerships each bring a piece to the puzzle in terms of service offerings," said O'Leary. "Unleash live gives us a graphic interface anywhere on any device in the world in real-time," he shared. "Remote Intelligence gives us an eye in the sky, we'll call it, and we can get a drone anywhere in any location within minutes," said O'Leary. "Again, it's bolstering the company's plans or mission where we're not just a hardware company, but a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company," said O'Leary. "These guys are at the top of their game and that's why we signed with them."

The conversation then turned to the Company's newest additions to their team. "The most recent one is Ken Davidson, who has more than 30 years of experience in oil and gas," said O'Leary. "We have actually also brought on Dr. Joseph Catalino," added O'Leary, noting that Dr. Catalino will now serve as their Chief Strategy Officer. "We are going to work hand-in-hand to bring this company forward."

"When do you see revenues coming onboard?", asked Jolly. "I think it looks like towards the end of quarter three or quarter four we should see some considerable contracts coming in," said O'Leary. "We do have demonstrations lined up," he said, adding that the Company is also securing an additional partnership to work with their demonstration facility. "We anticipate soon after the demonstration that we will be seeing some contracts."

Jolly then asked about the possibility of larger scale funding in the future. "We've been speaking with a couple of different legal providers," said O'Leary. "We feel like the path forward will be through an S3 filing, which may bring institutional money," said O'Leary. "We're getting away from these convertible variable types of discounted notes," he added. "We've had some really good conversations and we're pretty confident that once we get the S3 in place, we will see that considerable funding, which will bring us straight through to revenue."

To close the interview, O'Leary shared that the Company is continuing to move forward and advance on their strategic goals. "We're making the run to revenues," said O'Leary. "I'm not going to let anything get in my way; I'm full speed ahead."

To hear Dennis O'Leary's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7873542-darkpulse-inc-discusses-new-partnerships-bridge-funding-and-upcoming-capital-opportunities-wi.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About DarkPulse, Inc.

DarkPulse, Inc. uses advanced laser-based monitoring systems to provide rapid and accurate monitoring of temperatures, strains and stresses. The Company's technology excels when applied to live, dynamic critical infrastructure and structural monitoring, including pipeline monitoring, perimeter and structural surveillance, aircraft structural components and mining safety. The Company's fiber-based monitoring systems can assist markets that are not currently served, and its unique technology covers extended areas and any event that is translated into the detection of a change in strain or temperature. In addition to the Company's ongoing efforts with respect to the marketing and sales of its technology products and services to its customers, the Company also continues to explore potential strategic alliances through joint venture and licensing opportunities to further expand its global market position.

For more information, visit www.DarkPulse.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This news 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, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our 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 subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for our products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; our ability to successfully develop new products and services; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in our prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Media contact:

DarkPulse Solutions, Inc.

media@DarkPulse.com

1.800.436.1436

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85120
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) ("CanAlaska" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the promotion of Cory Belyk to Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the Company effective June 1, 2021. Peter Dasler will continue as President of CanAlaska, working closely with Cory Belyk to grow the Company. The rapid resurgence of interest in the uranium market has accelerated the Company's activities including the addition of new exploration geologists. Cory Belyk now heads CanAlaska's exploration and management teams, based from the Company's office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.





Cory Belyk, CEO and Executive Vice President



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Cory Belyk is a professional geologist with nearly 30 years of experience working for major and junior mining companies in the Athabasca Basin and worldwide. Prior to joining CanAlaska in 2019 as Chief Operating Officer, he was Director of Exploration for Cameco's international operations including Mongolia and Australia. Mr. Belyk was also a member of Cameco's exploration management team during the Fox Lake and West McArthur uranium discoveries in Saskatchewan. Mr. Belyk holds a Bachelor's (1994) degree in Geology from the University of Saskatchewan and a Certificate in Negotiation from Harvard Law School (2014). He is a registered member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.

Cory Belyk, Chief Executive Officer, comments: "It is a privilege and honor to be asked to lead CanAlaska into the future. CanAlaska is a very well-structured Company with a portfolio of uranium and nickel projects that are truly world-class and ripe for additional major discoveries. This is at a time when the world is waking up to nuclear power generation as a carbon-free source of baseload energy. Through deliberate and diligent leadership and management, CanAlaska has preserved its vast portfolio of under-explored Athabasca Basin assets and made a significant new uranium discovery next door to the world's richest uranium mine. In addition, new uranium and sulphide nickel projects have been added to build value for shareholders. CanAlaska's project pipeline offers our shareholders multiple opportunities for discovery and I believe whole-heartedly further discovery is just around the corner. I commend Peter, the Board of Directors, and the CanAlaska team for their effort to build this Company to what it is today, ready for the energy needs of the present and future. I am humbled to be entrusted with the reins."

CanAlaska President, Peter Dasler, comments; "Cory and I have worked shoulder to shoulder with our team for the past 3 years and it is a pleasure to see the significant increase in the Company's value for our shareholders. I am very excited about CanAlaska's opportunities for discovery at a time when we see recognition from the market of the value of uranium for carbon-free energy supply. Recent family events are now affecting the amount of time that I can spend on Company affairs and my best role will be in management support of Cory and our expanding exploration team at a time when we expect to see rapid further growth. Our new Saskatoon office is allowing us to grow to suit the market and position us for new discoveries. Cory and I look forward to new discoveries and continuing our Prospect Generator/Joint Venture strategy."

About CanAlaska Uranium

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) holds interests in approximately 214,000 hectares (530,000 acres), in Canada's Athabasca Basin - the "Saudi Arabia of Uranium." CanAlaska's strategic holdings have attracted major international mining companies. CanAlaska is currently working with Cameco and Denison at two of the Company's properties in the Eastern Athabasca Basin. CanAlaska is a project generator positioned for discovery success in the world's richest uranium district. The Company also holds properties prospective for nickel, copper, gold and diamonds. For further information visit www.canalaska.com.

The qualified technical person for this news release is Dr Karl Schimann, P. Geo, CanAlaska director and VP Exploration.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Peter Dasler"

Peter Dasler, M.Sc., P.Geo.

President & CEO

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd.

Contacts:

Cory Belyk,

Executive Vice President & CEO

Tel: +1.604.688.3211 x 306

Email: cbelyk@canalaska.com

Peter Dasler,

President

Tel: +1.604.688.3211 x 138

Email: info@canalaska.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84889
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Silver Elephant Mining Corp. ("Silver Elephant" or "the Company") (TSX:ELEF)(OTCQX:SILEF)(Frankfurt:1P2N) announces the following advisory and management appointments to the Company's Minago nickel operation. They will also assist with the proposed spinout of the Company's wholly owned Flying Nickel Mining Corp.

Rob Van Drunen: Project Manager

Robert Van Drunen, who is based in Thompson Manitoba, has over 30 years of experience with Vale and Inco. He started his mining career with Inco in 1990. He progressed through his career with increasing levels of responsibility, including Mine Manager, and most recently Senior Project Manager of the Thompson Operation. In the latter role, he led multi-disciplinary teams in mining operations, maintenance, exploration, procurement, supply chain management, and contract management.

Mr. Van Drunen holds a Masters Certificate in Project Management from York University. He specializes in process improvement. He has a track record in cost control. He created a zero-harm safety culture with years of results. Mr. Van Drunen will be managing Minago's activities and assisting Silver Elephant's projects in Nevada and Bolivia.

Doug Ramsey, M.Sc., R.P.Bio: Environmental Manager

Doug Ramsey is a Registered Professional Biologist in British Columbia, with four decades of experience, both as a consultant and on the owner's team, in the areas of environmental assessment, permitting, and indigenous consultations in the mining sector. Mr. Ramsey brings particular understanding of the mining sector in Manitoba, having led the permitting of several mines, operations environmental monitoring and permitting at the Tanco mine for 12 years, and mine closure and reclamation projects, including a continuing role as Technical Director for the Sherridon orphaned mine site reclamation project.

Mr. Ramsey had his own Manitoba-based consulting practice for more than 20 years and was a senior consultant at Wardrop Engineering/Tetra Tech WEI Inc for 7 years, followed by 8 years on the owner's team of Copper North Mining, initially as VP, Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, and later as CEO, before returning to his own consulting practice in 2020. Over his career, Mr. Ramsey's practice has included clients such as Inco, Falconbridge, Kinross, Barrick, Spanish Mountain Gold, Environment Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well as numerous First Nations in Manitoba as well as in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.

Mr. Ramsey is regularly called upon to present scientific information to indigenous stakeholders and has made presentations on environmental and reclamation issues at various mining conferences. Mr. Ramsey is very familiar with Minago project and will be assisting Minago's Environmental Impact Assessment and indigenous consultation.

Mark Scott: Advisor

Mark Scott has had a distinguished 20-year career with Vale, Inco and Noranda. His past roles include: Vice President & Head of Manitoba Operations, Vale Canada Ltd.; Director Mining & Milling, Vale Manitoba Operations; Manager, Thompson Nickel Refinery; General Manager, Human Resources & Sustainability; President & Board Chair, Mining Association of Manitoba Inc.

Mr. Scott is currently President & CEO of Sassy Resources Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University, a Master of Industrial Relations from the University of Toronto, and a Masters Certificate in Project Management from York University (Schulich School of Business) and the University of Winnipeg. He brings to the Minago operation a wealth of experience in mining, processing & exploration, strategic planning, projects, and business & organizational development.

David Gower, P Geo: Advisor

David Gower has 20 years' experience in nickel exploration with Falconbridge (now Glencore), most recently as Director of Global Nickel and PGM exploration. While at Falconbridge, he led exploration teams to brownfield discoveries at Raglan, Sudbury, Matagami, Falcondo and greenfield discoveries at Araguaia in Brazil, Kabanga in Tanzania, and Amazonas, Brazil.

Mr. Gower is currently the CEO of Emerita Resources Corp. For the past 10 years he has held executive and director positions with several junior and mid-sized mining companies. Mr. Gower will advise on Minago and regional nickel exploration at Thompson nickel belt.

Harald Batista: Advisor

Based in Brazil and California, Harald Batista is the son of the honorable Eliezer Batista (1924-2018), the founder and former president of CVRD (now Vale). With extensive network and fluency in Portuguese, German, English, and Spanish, Mr. Batista will advise on Flying Nickel's Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) strategy.

These five personnel additions will be teaming with the Company's VP Canadian Operation:

Danniel Oosterman, P. Geo

Based in Toronto, Danniel Oosterman began his career with Falconbridge and Inco (now Vale) and has been in mining and exploration for over 20 years. At Inco he was part of the exploration team that drilled the T-3 underground nickel deposit at Thompson. Mr. Oosterman is a highly experienced field geologist. He has successfully managed multi-million-dollar drilling programs in challenging weather and altitude conditions in northern Canada, the Western Cordillera, and the Bolivian Andes.

Mr. Oosterman holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in geology from Laurentian University and is a member of the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario. He is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

Dan Oosterman remarks:

"Our experienced exploration, environmental, operational, M&A executives will strive to advance Minago and take Flying Nickel to great heights in the Canadian nickel junior-mining space."

About the Minago Project

Minago spans 197 km2. in Manitoba's Thompson Nickel Belt (TNB), the world's fifth-largest nickel-bearing geological belt. There have been 5 billion pounds of nickel production at TNB since 1958. Manitoba Provincial Highway 6 and a high-voltage (230 kV) transmission line both transect the Minago project. Vale currently mines and produces nickel concentrates in Thompson at the heart of the TNB, 270 km northeast of the Minago project. Its nickel concentrates are shipped by rail to its Sudbury smelter for processing to refined nickel. To date, $35 million have been invested at Minago, including 74,000 meters of exploration drilling. Minago is considered a non-material asset of the Company.

In 2011, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted by the previous operator for a 10,000-tons-per-day open-pit operation at Minago was approved by the Manitoba government. The Company is studying which of these permits are still in good standing and is undertaking to update the EIS as necessary in 2021.

An independent Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") for Minago in being prepared in collaboration between Mercator Geological Services Limited ("Mercator"), AGP Mining Consultants ("AGP") and Stantec. The MRE is expected to be completed and announced in June, 2021.

The Company further announces that pursuant to the terms of the Company's Share-Based Compensation Plan, it has granted in aggregate, 300,000 incentive stock options (the "Options"), to certain consultants of the Company. The Options are exercisable at a price of $0.37 per Common share for a term of five years expiring on May 24, 2026 and vest at 12.5% per quarter for the first two years following the date of grant.

About Silver Elephant

Silver Elephant Mining Corp. is a premier silver mining and exploration company with proposed nickel and vanadium spinouts.

Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com.

SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

John Lee

Executive Chairman

For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations:

+1.604.569.3661 ext. 101

ir@silverelef.com www.silverelef.com

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE: Silver Elephant Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648981/Silver-Elephant-Appoints-Nickel-Experts-from-Vale-for-its-Flying-Nickel-Spinout
Aon will donate all 2021 revenues from new solution that protects global COVID-19 vaccine shipments to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, has announced it will donate 100 percent of all 2021 revenues earned from its new vaccine supply chain solution to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund , powered by the WHO Foundation and the United Nations Foundation in support of the World Health Organization (WHO). Aon commits to donating a minimum of $100,000.

Delivered through broad industry collaboration, Aon's recently launched solution provides supply chain protection for global COVID-19 vaccine shipments and is designed to help maximize the number of doses that are administered to the public. The solution provides transparent cargo insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccines and combines sensor data and analytics to deliver timely payment for doses that fall outside of the agreed-upon temperature range while being transported or stored. Qualified parties in the vaccine supply chain are eligible, including pharmaceutical firms, government bodies, transportation and logistics companies, distributors, health systems, pharmacy chains and inoculation centers.

"As we continue to move toward the 'New Better' and have seen incredible progress in some areas when it comes to vaccine distribution, the COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting communities around the world in unprecedented ways and its impact will continue to reverberate for years to come," said Greg Case, CEO, Aon. "By benefitting the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, our new collaborative solution is not only providing first-hand support in supply chain management, but also aiding other critical life-saving efforts of the WHO Foundation."

The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the WHO is the only way for individuals, corporations, foundations and other organizations around the world to directly support the work of the WHO and its partners to help countries prevent, detect and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 2021, the fund has put more than $250 million in donations to work. Donations support the WHO's efforts including suppressing worldwide transmission of the virus, reducing mortality, protecting the vulnerable and accelerating equitable access to new COVID-19 tools.

"Navigating vaccine distribution at a global scale is one of the most immediate and pressing hurdles facing our leaders today," said Paul Kim, Head of Strategy and Product Development, Commercial Risk Solutions at Aon. "It is an honor to support the WHO Foundation to maximize the impact of our efforts. We are proud to not only provide an innovative offering to help work toward equitable global distribution, but to also directly benefit a fund that is impacting communities around the world in the fight against COVID-19."

Learn more about how businesses have shifted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Helping Organizations Chart a Course to The New Better .

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance.

Follow Aon on Twitter and LinkedIn

Stay up to date by visiting the Aon Newsroom and hear from Aon's expert advisors in The One Brief .

Sign up for News Alerts here

Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for the provision of regulated products and services in the UK. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. [FP.GBC.381.JJ].

Media Contact

Nadine Youssef

mediainquiries@aon.com

Toll-free (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico): +1 833 751 8114

International: +1 312 381 3024

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Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, and European Association for Bioindustries Call for Advanced Therapiesto be Exempt from EU GMO Legislation

COVID-19 highlights how the EU can adapt legislation to meet urgent health needs

A permanent exemption would help to accelerate access to life-changing medicines for European patients

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -May 25, 2021

The European Commission should exempt advanced therapies from Genetically Modified Organismpublished online yesterday in the journal Human Gene Therapy.

The European Commission recognized that GMO requirements hinder the conduct of clinical trials in its April 29 study on new genomic techniques and in the 2020 Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, when it called for GMO legislation to be "fit for purpose" for addressing medicines. The original GMO legislation was primarily enacted to protect food consumers and the environment, but Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) such as gene therapies are affected as an unintended consequence. The uneven application of GMO requirements across EU Member States causes significant clinical trial delays despite findings that gene therapies pose a negligible risk to the environment.

Galvanized by the pandemic, the European Commission granted a temporary derogation from GMO requirements to investigational COVID-19 medicinal products to accelerate the development of vaccines and treatments. An industry survey suggested that the temporary derogation decreased the amount of time required to complete clinical trials in Europe. A similar, but permanent, exemption is justified for gene therapies -- which often treat life-threatening diseases that have few, or no, treatment options - while still preserving high quality and safety standards.

"The European Commission recognised that time was of the essence when lifting GMO requirements for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments," said Paige Bischoff, ARM's Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs. "Time is also very much of the essence for people with cancer, inherited disorders and other life-threatening conditions. We call on the European Commission to take the same measures for advanced therapies and remove the unnecessary and unintended burden of GMO legislation so patients have timely access to transformative, potentially curative medicines."

The organisations call on the European Commission to put forward a proposal by 2022, the timeframe proposed by the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe. Without an exemption for gene therapies, the GMO requirements threaten the region's competitiveness with other parts of the world where GMO legislation is less complex and cumbersome. A 2019 ARM report , for example, found that the number of ATMP clinical trials in Europe stayed roughly flat over a four-year period (2014-2018) while increasing substantially in North America (+36%) and in Asia (+28%). Europe is at risk of falling further behind: At the end of 2020 the ATMP sector was conducting 1,220 clinical trials worldwide, up from 1,066 in 2019.

"In 2020, we welcomed the derogation from GMO legislation for COVID-19 treatments or vaccines in clinical trials," said Par Tellner, Director of Regulatory Affairs at EFPIA. "Member companies are increasingly reporting how the derogation has removed the significant and time-consuming hurdles associated with GMO submissions, in addition to the clinical trial application. Swift action to a permanent exemption from GMO legislation allows the EU to prosper and most importantly for patients to continue to receive transformative, potentially life-saving therapies."

"Freeing the conduct of clinical trials with investigational gene therapies from the heavy EU GMO administrative burden is critical for cutting-edge biotechnology companies," added Violeta Georgieva, EuropaBio's Legal Affairs Manager. "The use of CRISPR/Cas9, the latest promising tool in genome editing, can be overshadowed in the EU if developers and regulators are to follow the 2018 ruling of the EU Court of Justice, which puts the controversial GMO label on the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR technology. Our hopes are set on the European Commission to improve patient access to revolutionary treatments by exempting them from the disproportionate and outdated GMO framework."

ARM, EFPIA, and EuropaBio look forward to engaging with the European Commission and other stakeholders to find the best possible solutions to ensure that Europe is a competitive destination for the development of advanced therapies and that European patients have access to the most innovative, life-changing treatments.

Press enquiries

For more information or for media requests, please contact Stephen Majors from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine at smajors@alliancerm.org, Andy Powrie-Smith from EFPIA at communications@efpia.eu, or Dovile Sandaraite from EuropaBio at d.sandaraite@europabio.org.

About the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine.

About the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations(EFPIA)

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associationsrepresents the biopharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct membership of 36 national associations, 39 leading pharmaceutical companies and a growing number of small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs), EFPIA's mission is to create a collaborative environment that enables our members to innovate, discover, develop and deliver new therapies and vaccines for people across Europe, as well as contribute to the European economy

About the European Association for Bioindustries(EuropaBio)

The European Association for Bioindustries.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Canadian Nexus Team Ventures Corp. (CSE: TEAM) ("Canadian Nexus" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Hani Zabaneh as Chief Operating Officer ("COO"). Hani previously served as a Director of Canadian Nexus.

As COO, Mr. Zabaneh will be responsible for corporate governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Additional responsibilities will include management of external legal and corporate affairs.

Mr. Zabaneh is an accomplished business consultant that specializes in growth funding, mergers and acquisitions, and transitioning companies to public markets. For over 20 years Mr. Zabaneh has held both officer and board positions of numerous public companies. Some of these companies include Summa Silver Corp., Blue Gold Mining, Auryn Resources, and Sigma Lithium Resources Corporation. Mr. Zabaneh currently sits on several boards of public companies. Previously, he was a principal at Orange Capital Corp, a boutique investment bank located in Vancouver, BC. He was also Vice President of Corporate Development at Eventbase Technology Inc., where he was instrumental in helping the company secure a Series A financing from a US-based VC. From 2005 to 2012, Hani was Vice President Administration of MetroBridge Networks Corp. Mr. Zabaneh managed the going public transaction of MetroBridge and later lead the sale of MetroBridge to a national organization. Lastly Mr. Zabaneh was the COO for StockHouse Media Corp, a company that had over 200 employees with 8 offices worldwide.

Mr. Zabaneh holds a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and an Advance Diploma from BCIT.

"We are very excited to have Hani re-join our team, business plans and initiatives are one thing to create but another thing to execute on. Having Hani join the team helps us with this execution as we see great opportunities in the future for our Company, welcome to the TEAM Hani," stated Arni Johannson, CEO.

About Canadian Nexus Team Ventures Corp.

Canadian Nexus (CSE: TEAM) is an investment issuer that actively invests in a diversified portfolio of early-stage to mid-level companies and projects. Canadian Nexus leverages its extensive network of operators and global thought leaders to provide investors with a unique multi opportunity portfolio.

Contact:

Arni Johannson

604-960-1878

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85054
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - UGE International Ltd. (TSXV: UGE) (OTCQB: UGEIF) (the "Company" or "UGE"), a leader in the commercial and community solar sector, announces that it plans to release its first quarter 2021 financial statements on May 28, 2021 prior to market open.

UGE will host a webinar later that day where the Company's CEO, Nick Blitterswyk, and CFO, Marissa Lauder, will run through the results and answer your questions. The webinar details are as follows:

Date: Friday, May 28, 2021

Time: 11:00am EDT

Register: www.ugei.com/register

About UGE

UGE develops, owns, and operates commercial and community solar projects in the US and strategic markets abroad. Our distributed energy solutions deliver cheaper, cleaner energy to businesses and consumers with no upfront cost. With over 400MW of global experience, we work daily to power a more sustainable world. Visit us at www.ugei.com.

For more information, contact UGE at:

+1 917 720 5685

investors@ugei.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. 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. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85132
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - David H. Brett, President & CEO, EnGold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: EGM) ("EnGold" or the "Company"), reports that the Company has arranged an $8 million non-brokered private placement of flow-through units (the "Financing"), subject to a consolidation of capital on a 10 for 1 basis (the "Consolidation"). The Company currently has 256,465,446 common shares issued and outstanding. Upon completion of the Consolidation, the Company is expected to have approximately 25,646,544 common shares outstanding.

Under the Financing, on a post-Consolidation basis, the Company will issue 16,000,000 units at a price of $0.50 per unit. Each unit will consist of one flow-through share and one-half of one warrant whereby each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.75 for period of two years. The Financing and Consolidation are subject to shareholder and TSX Venture Exchange approval. The proceeds of the Financing will be used to explore the Company's Lac La Hache Copper-Gold Project in the Cariboo region of BC.

About EnGold

EnGold is a Vancouver-based copper, gold, silver, magnetite exploration company focused solely on its 100% owned Lac La Hache property in the Cariboo region of BC which hosts the Spout Copper Deposit, the Aurizon Gold Deposit and the G1 Copper Deposit and other exploration targets within a large porphyry mineralizing system. With world class infrastructure at its doorstep, Lac La Hache is a great location to be exploring.

EnGold Mines Ltd.

David Brett

President & CEO

For further info contact David Brett, 604-682-2421 or david@engold.ca.

This news release may contain "forward-looking statements". Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual development or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements." 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.

Not for distribution to United States newswire service or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85023
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) (FSE:4U5) ("Ridgestone" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has commenced permitting for drill programs at both projects in Mexico: the Guadalupe y Calvo (GyC) gold-silver project in Chihuahua State and the Rebeico copper-gold project in Sonora State. The Company is planning for drilling to commence in the late summer following the end of the local rainy season.

"We are excited to advance both projects to allow for drilling later this year," commented Jonathan George, CEO. "The maiden resource tabled for our GyC gold-silver project represents the beginning of a much larger story for the Company. At Rebeico, we are highly encouraged by the preliminary results from the recently-completed exploration program and look to announce assay results in the coming weeks. Our team has identified a number of highly-prospective new target areas, including the past-producing El Cobre copper mine, which has seen little to no modern-day exploration."

Guadalupe y Calvo (GyC) Gold-Silver

Drilling at GyC is designed to further the recently-released maiden resource for the project. The current resource area, which stands at 356,000 oz AuEq in Indicated plus 460,000 oz AuEq in Inferred, remains open for expansion both along strike and at depth. Drilling will look to further define the high-grades at the Rosario and Nankin veins, in addition to testing for significant extensions within the district.

Rebeico Copper-Gold

The Company is permitting for a drill program to test the high-priority copper target areas that were the subject of a recently-completed exploration program. Assay results are anticipated in the coming weeks, which will serve to prioritize the numerous target areas being permitted.

Qualified Persons

Noris Del Bel Belluz, P. Geo., Vice-President of Exploration, is a "qualified person" as defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the content of this news release.

About Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Ridgestone Mining has assembled a highly-experienced and dynamic team to explore and advance its projects in Mexico. The Guadalupe y Calvo gold-silver project, for which Ridgestone can earn a 100% interest, is host to an Indicated Resource of 356,000 gold-equivalent ounces plus an Inferred Resource of 460,000 gold-equivalent ounces. Ridgestone's 100%-owned Rebeico copper-gold project has high-grade copper and gold pervasive throughout the property with highlights including 1.56% copper plus 1.80 g/t gold intersected over 19.3 metres from surface at the New Year Zone and 2.78% copper plus 8.69 g/t gold over 2.0 metres from the Alaska Vein.

For further information, please contact:

Rad Rajaram - Manager Corporate Relations and Business Development

Telephone: 416-732-0604

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release such statements include but are not limited to any ongoing drilling programs, timing of such programs, or exploration results. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's regulatory filings available on www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85068
- OptraSCAN's Intelligent Tool CytoSiA - To Advance Cytology Screening Through Unmatched Image Quality And Artificial Intelligence Based Image Analysis Solution

SAN JOSE, Calif. and PUNE, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OptraSCAN, the leading On-Demand Digital Pathology solution provider, today announced its intelligent solution CytoSiA for rapid yet affordable scanning and analyzing of liquid-based cytology slides and pap-smears. It is a complete solution consisting of OptraSCAN's digital pathology scanner, storage, and powerful artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to assist pathologists and cytotechnologists in screening and detection of cervical cancer, pre-cancerous lesions, atypical cells, and all other cytologic categories. Multiple hospitals and pathology laboratories globally have already installed CytoSiA and are witnessing improved patient outcomes, increased efficiency, and productivity needed to cope with the ever-increasing demand of cytology cases.

"OptraSCAN is redefining cervical cancer screening by introducing CytoSiA, it offers a plethora of features, to effectively screen liquid-based cytology slides, and pap smears to differentiate between normal and abnormal cervical cells using Bethesda classifications on normal to squamous cell carcinoma (NILM/LSIL/HSIL/SCC)", said Abhi Gholap, Founder of OptraSCAN. With a range of scanning devices handling as low as 50 slides a week to 5000 slides a week at an extremely affordable price," he further added.

OptraSCANS's digital scanners can scan cytology slides of size 15x15 mm area at 40x magnification in less than 60 seconds while generating the highest quality image. CytoSia incorporates patented technology- composite imaging which finds all pixels in focus from various Z plane images and stitches back to create a single layer composite image. This composite imaging technology is considerably efficient as compared to traditional Z-Stacking Technology. It allows for rapid and precise screening of the entire slide within seconds. This level of precision and quality is imperative for analyzing the samples. Furthermore, it presents to the screener images of fields that would be essential in providing a cytological interpretation, place them into categories, and filter out the redundancies.

CytoSiA when used as a companion diagnostic tool, it notifies pathologists when inconsistencies between their interpretation and the AI algorithm's findings are observed, offering a safeguard against error or misinterpretation, while also improving overall care quality.

Features of CytoSiA:

Automated computation of sample adequacy for the whole slide cytology image

Identification of abnormal cells and other entities based on morphological features and AI-based classification using Bethesda scoring

scoring Identification of reactive, endometrial, actinomyces, candida, clue cells, trichomonas vaginalis, and herpes entities

Identification of entities including blood, inflammation, and lubricant

"AI-based image analysis requires images that are of superior quality," said Dr Aparna Joshi, Medical Director, at OptraSCAN. "Our team has developed an intelligent imaging technology that transforms physical glass cytology slides into digital images with exceptional clarity. Advanced image analysis and standardization are now achievable with this quality of digitization," she further added.

Contact OptraSCAN

About OptraSCAN, Inc:

OptraSCAN are pioneers in the On-Demand Digital Pathology System, focused on delivering fully integrated, affordable solutions that will maximize your return on investment and improve the performance of your pathology services. An ISO 13485 certified company and CE marked whole slide scanners for IVD use, OptraSCAN is working to eliminate the barriers to "Go Digital" no matter the size of the pathology lab, the lab's throughput or global location.

OptraSCAN's end-to-end digital pathology solution provides effective acquisition of whole slide images, viewing, storing, real-time sharing, reporting and AI & ML based Image analysis solutions via On-Demand or outright purchase model. Follow Us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Inquiries Contact:

Anjana Athanikar

Manager - Marketing Communications

a.athanikar@optraventures.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1517923/Optra_Scan_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1517924/OptraScan_CytoSiA.jpg
Swiss-based enterprises can now get access to Kiana's platform to strengthen presence analytics, and to optimize their operations.

Kiana Analytics, Inc., the premier location-based platform company delivering accurate Presence Analytics and proximity solutions to organizations worldwide, announces today their newly formed partnership with Swisscom, the leading provider of telecommunication in Switzerland and one of its leading IT companies.

Dario Di Cerbo, Senior Business Developer at Swisscom said, "We are proud to announce this partnership with Kiana as part of our B2B 3rd party services program for the Swiss Market." Alain Jorg, Head of Business Development Data driven Business at Swisscom adds: "With Kiana in our portfolio, we can better meet the needs of companies across Switzerland combining Swisscom's Mobility Insights and Kiana technology."

"Kiana is committed to delivering innovations that advance smart/safe facilities and cities by leveraging existing infrastructure. We are honored to be a trusted partner of Swisscom one of Switzerland's most innovative and sustainable companies, which is already providing our platform to Swisscom business customers," said Nader Fathi, CEO of Kiana Analytics.

About Swisscom:

Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecoms company and one of its leading IT companies, is headquartered in Ittigen, close to the capital city Berne. Outside Switzerland, Swisscom has a presence on the Italian market in the guise of Fastweb. To the first Quarter 2021 over 19,000 employees generated sales of CHF 2,803 million. It is 51% Confederation-owned and is one of Switzerland's most sustainable and innovative companies.

Swisscom employs about 19,000 people including about 900 apprentices. Around one third have daily contact with customers, either in sales or in customer service. Swisscom offers its staff outstanding working conditions under a collective employment agreement.

About Kiana Analytics:

Kiana Analytics digitizes the workplace and workforce. Kiana is a fast-growing, GDPR compliant company with offices in Silicon Valley, and Europe. Global enterprises use Kiana's patented device detection capabilities and cloud-based software to strengthen presence analytics, physical safety, security, and to optimize their operations. Kiana leverages existing building WiFi infrastructure; no app, no new software, and no new sensors need to be installed. Kiana's COVID Exposure solution automates local and safety regulations and was recently highlighted in Gartner's "CIO Guide: How Location Services Can Help Mitigate COVID-19 Spread".

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005021/en/

Contacts:

Nader Fathi, CEO

Kiana Analytics

(800) 961-4522

nader@Kiana.io
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Cinaport Acquisition Corp. III (TSXV: CAC.P) (the "Company"), announced today that it will be holding an annual and special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") on June 24, 2021 at 2:00 pm (EST) at the offices of the Company at Suite 635, 333 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario. The board of directors of the Company has fixed May 18, 2021 as the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice and vote at the Meeting.

In addition to the annual general meeting matters relating to the election of the board of directors of the Company and the appointment of the Company's auditor for the ensuing year, the Company will be seeking disinterested shareholders' approval for certain items required to implement the recent changes to Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Finance Manual which came into effect on January 1, 2021 (the "New CPC Policy").

The Corporation is a Capital Pool Company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") under the former Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies (the "Former CPC Policy") and has not completed a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months from the date of its listing (the "Listing Date") as required by the Former CPC Policy. Pursuant to the Former CPC Policy, if a Capital Pool Company fails to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of the Listing Date, it faces the consequences of either (i) having its Common Shares delisted or suspended from the TSXV, (ii) or, subject to the approval of the disinterested shareholders of the Corporation, transferring the listing of its Common Shares to the NEX board of the TSXV and cancelling certain seed Common Shares held by the Non-Arms-Length Parties to the Capital Pool Company. The New CPC Policy eliminates the requirement for a CPC to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of the Listing Date and eliminates the consequences for failing to meet such requirement. Pursuant to the transition rules of the New CPC Policy, the Corporation is permitted to remove the potential consequences for failing to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months from the Listing Date by obtaining disinterested shareholder approval on or prior to June 30, 2021.

At the Meeting, the disinterested shareholders of the Company will be asked to consider, and if deemed appropriate, to approve the removal of the potential consequences for failing to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months from the Listing Date. In connection with the Company's transition under the New CPC Policy, the disinterested shareholders of the Company will also be asked to approve at the Meeting: (i) amendments to the Company's escrow agreement to replace its existing escrow release schedule with a 18-month escrow release schedule permitted under the New CPC Policy; (ii) authorization of the Company to pay finder's fees to Non-Arm's Length Parties of the Company upon completion of its Qualifying Transaction subject to satisfaction of the conditions set out in the New CPC Policy; and (iii) amendments to the Company's stock option plan to confirm that it is a 10% rolling option plan under the New CPC Policy and after January 1, 2021 and prior to the completion of the Company's Qualifying Transaction, no options may be granted unless the optionee first enters into an escrow agreement agreeing to deposit the options and the Common Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of such options into escrow in accordance with the New CPC Policy.

The details of the aforementioned meeting matters will be provided in the management information circular for the Meeting to be made available to the shareholders of the Company and to be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com on or around June 2, 2021.

For more information, please contact:

Avi Grewal

President & Chief Executive Officer

Phone: (416) 213-8118 Ext. 210

E-mail: agrewal@cinaport.com

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85150
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. (CSE: SIXW) (OTCQB: ATURF) (FSE: AHUH) has signed an agreement with the Alberta Center for Advanced Micro/Nanotechnology Products ("ACAMP") to integrate Radio Frequency ("RF") based technology with the company's Accelerated Molecularly Imprinted Polymer ("AMIPs") virus detection technology, to create smart prototypes such as the company's proposed SmartMask.

SIXW is engaging ACAMP for their expertise in RF technology with the goal of pairing the technology with AMIPs. Successful pairing would enable the integration of inexpensive commercially available radio frequency identification ("RFID") tags within the AMIP product line, enabling the wireless transfer of data and results to a smartphone, mobile, or fixed-base RFID reader. This is a core feature of the proposed SmartMask enabling real time collection of testing data from any population during the onset of a viral outbreak. Work is now commencing, further to the agreement which was executed on April 26, 2021.

ACAMP is a unique industry-led advanced technology product development center with expertise in scaling innovative ideas from proof-of-concept to manufactured products by providing access to multidisciplinary engineers, technology experts, unique specialized equipment, and industry acumen.

ACAMP facilities have over 14,000 square feet of lab space and house over $15 million in specialized product development equipment. Core competencies include hardware, software and firmware design, simulation, prototyping, testing and characterization, low-volume production, and design for manufacturing.

Offering unparalleled access to world-class engineering expertise, and advanced design, analysis, testing and manufacturing equipment, ACAMP can provide support at every stage of development.

Engineering design and review: ACAMP's experienced development engineers can help with component specification, develop and optimize the design, and also review existing designs to identify opportunities for improvement.

Simulation: Access advanced simulation software to understand and optimize complex product design before building an initial prototype as a cost-effective way to speed up the development cycle.

Prototyping: Specialized in-house development equipment allows for production of advanced components early on in prototyping.

Testing and characterization: Thorough physical and environmental testing of prototypes is done in-house, including Highly Accelerated Life Testing ("HALT") to validate hardware performance to expected use cases. Advanced inspection and failure analysis equipment is used to detect component failures.

Low-volume manufacturing: Limited production runs of prototypes and final products allow field testing and demonstration of hardware.

Technology scaling and transfer to enable high-volume manufacturing: Use ACAMP to source and align with third-party manufacturers for cost-effective production.

AMIPs is a leading-edge detection platform that uses synthetic polymers to swiftly detect viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The integration of RFID technology will allow the diagnostic devices to be paired with a smart phone or an RFID reader to simplify analysis of results, record keeping, and reporting.

AMIPs is based on Sixth Wave's patented and patent-pending molecularly imprinted polymer systems, which capture viruses using synthetic materials rather than biological antibodies. The addition of ACAMP to SIXW's current network of development partners, including the University of Alberta and the La Ki Shing Institute of Virology gives the project added access to advanced laboratory facilities and equipment to facilitate the prototyping of the AMIPS into specialized integrated systems.

ACAMP is located in Alberta near the University of Alberta and specializes in helping companies take prototypes from proof-of-concept to full scale manufacturing. ACAMP's proficiency in electronics and RF-based technologies directly corelate with SIXW's core features of several AMIPs products.

"Sixth Wave is excited to work with such an experienced research team to achieve the full potential of our vision for the AMIPS product line," said Dr. Jonathan Gluckman, CEO of Sixth Wave. "ACAMP provides a unique combination of skills and a breadth of knowledge in RF based technologies and manufacturing capabilities. This combination significantly streamlines our development of advanced product features and has the potential to reduce development and manufacturing costs."

"The solutions we develop will provide the first prototype AMIPS with advanced systems integration of multiple components and technologies and will be the basis for launching various products resulting in high throughput screening, point-of-care, and self-use tests," said Dr. Gluckman.

The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure, contain, or detect, at a commercial level, COVID-19 (or SARS-2 coronavirus) at this time. The Company has not yet applied for regulatory approval for the use of the products contemplated by the agreement.

About ACAMP

ACAMP (Alberta Centre for Advanced Micro Nano Technology Products) is a not for profit organization providing specialized development of advanced technologies for customers. ACAMP clients have access to world-class equipment, facilities, expertise and a network of organizations that support and develop advanced technologies and manufacturing. ACAMP has a diverse set of clients, ranging from cleantech, conventional energy, health and medical, agriculture and forestry applications.

About Sixth Wave

Sixth Wave is a nanotechnology company with patented technologies that focus on extraction and detection of target substances at the molecular level using highly specialized Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs). The Company is in the process of a commercial roll out of its Affinity cannabinoid purification system, as well as, IXOS, a line of extraction polymers for the gold mining industry. The Company is in the development stages of a rapid diagnostic test for viruses under the Accelerated MIPs (AMIPS) label.

Sixth Wave can design, develop and commercialize MIP solutions across a broad spectrum of industries. The company is focused on nanotechnology architectures that are highly relevant for detection and separation of viruses, biogenic amines and other pathogens, for which the Company has products at various stages of development.

For more information about Sixth Wave, please visit our web site at: www.sixthwave.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Jonathan Gluckman"

Jonathan Gluckman, Ph.D., President & CEO

For information, please contact the Company:

Phone: (801) 582-0559

E-mail: info@sixthwave.com

Cautionary Notes

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding the planned use of proceeds and performance of the AMIPs technologies. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future events or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual events or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular, successful development and commercialization of the AMIPs technology are subject the risk that the AMIPs technology may not prove to be successful in detecting virus targets effectively or at all, uncertainty of medical product development, uncertainty of timing or availability of required regulatory approvals, lack of track record of developing products for medical applications and the need for additional capital to carry out product development activities. The value of any products ultimately developed could be negatively impacted if the patent is not granted. The Company has not yet completed development of a prototype for the product that is subject of its patent application and has not yet applied for regulatory approval for the use of this product from any regulatory agency.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85135
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Environmental Waste International Inc. (TSXV: EWS) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into two debt conversion agreements (the "Debt Conversions") with EWI Investors LLC (of which Robert Savage is the Managing Member and a director of the Company) and Bob MacBean, Chief Executive Officer of the Company (collectively, the "Related Creditors"). The Debt Conversions provide for an aggregate of $1,282,017 of the Company's outstanding debts to be settled through the issuance of an aggregate of common shares at a price equal to the higher of $0.23 or the volume weighted average trading price of the common shares for the ten (10) days following the date hereof.

This is the latest in a series of transactions to improve the Company's balance sheet so that it will be better able to take advantage of demand for the Company's technology, including recently announced developments.

The Debt Conversion agreement with EWI Investors, LLC, is in respect of the settlement of $1,119,517 owing under the promissory note dated April 12, 2017, as amended on September 16, 2019 (the "EWI Investors Settlement"). The Debt Conversion with Bob MacBean is in respect of the settlement of $162,500 pursuant to a salary and expense deferral agreement dated September 12, 2019 (the "MacBean Settlement"). The common shares issued pursuant to the Debt Conversions will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance.

Under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"), the EWI Investors Settlement requires the approval of disinterested shareholders of the Company because EWI Investors, LLC will become a new control person of the Company since it will own over 20% of the Company's common stock. The Company will seek shareholder approval of the EWI Investors Settlement at its upcoming annual and special shareholders' meeting scheduled for July 7, 2021 (the "Meeting"). Further information in respect of the EWI Investors Settlement will be provided in the management information circular mailed to shareholders in connection with the Meeting. The MacBean Settlement is not subject to shareholder approval and will close on or about June 8, 2021.

The participation in the Debt Conversions by the Related Creditors constitute "related party transactions" as such term is defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") under applicable securities laws (the "Related Party Transactions"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the MI 61-101 formal valuation and minority approval requirements applicable to related party transactions available as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, each of the Related Party Transactions, exceeds 25% of the Corporation's market capitalization at the time at which such transactions were agreed to. The Related Party Transactions were approved by directors of the Company who are independent of the related parties.

The securities offered pursuant to the Offering have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Environmental Waste International Inc.

Environmental Waste International Inc. specializes in eco-friendly systems for the breakdown of organic materials, including tires. The Company has spent over 15 years engineering systems that integrate the EWS patented Reverse Polymerization process and proprietary microwave delivery system. EWS's unique microwave technology safely processes and recycles waste tires, while recovering highly valuable commodities, including carbon black, oil and steel. Each unit is designed to be environmentally safe, energy efficient, and economically profitable for the operator. For more information please visit, www.ewi.ca.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Bob MacBean, CEO

(905) 686-8689 or (800) 399-2366

Bob.macbean@ewmc.com

www.ewi.ca

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, 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 expressly required by applicable law. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company appears in the Company's continuous disclosure filings, which are available at www.sedar.com.

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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85137


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States reported comparatively lower number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths on Monday.



With 19866 new infections reporting in the last 24 hours, the total number of cases in the country has risen to 33,922,937, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.



Such lower daily figures were reported at the beginning stages of the pandemic in the U.S.



325 COVID-related deaths reported in the same period took the national total to 604,416.



A total of 27,563,930 people have so far recovered from coronavirus infection in the country.



Providing an update on the Biden administration's wartime COVID-19 response, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the United States is averaging about 24,000 coronavirus cases per day, down from nearly 184,000 cases per day when President Joe Biden took office. And daily death rate has dropped nearly 85 percent since January 20.



She said a range of companies have stepped up to ensure getting the vaccine to everyone. Big businesses - from Target to Tractor Supply - are trying to ensure that their employees have access to vaccine and paid time off to get vaccinated.



To boost vaccination rates, United Airlines is offering rewards like free first-class flights and other sweepstakes to vaccinated travelers. Uber and Lyft on Monday started offering free rides to all Americans to vaccination sites until July 4.



Psaki said that on Monday, President Biden signed H.R. 1318, the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act. This law will allow large cruise ships to visit Alaska this year, a critical step toward returning to normal in a state where 1 in 10 jobs is in the tourism industry.



The United States has warned its citizens against travelling to Japan over the country's Covid-19 surge. A fresh wave of the pandemic is sweeping across the country just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Japan due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of the pandemic in the country.



India reported comparatively lower new cases and deaths of Covid-19 on Tuesday.



The 196,427 new cases are the lowest single-day rise in more than a month, while 3,511 new fatalities were the lowest single-day death toll since May 4.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Regulatory News:

Ontex Group NV (BSE:ONTEX) (Euronext Brussels: ONTEX) today held its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) and Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) virtually.

Shareholders of the Company voted in favor of all resolutions proposed in the AGM and in the EGM.

Among the resolutions presented, shareholders approved several appointments to the Group's Board of Directors, all for a term of four years. This included the re-appointments of Regina SARL, with Regi Aalstad as permanent representative, as independent director, and Michael Bredael as non-executive director. Approval was given to confirm the co-optation of Frederic Larmuseau as independent director, as well Mr Larmuseau's re-appointment such that his term will also be for four years. Furthermore, shareholders approved the appointments of six proposed new Board Directors to strengthen and diversify the Board significantly as proposed in April 2021

Another important resolution that was approved by the shareholders is the remuneration policy. The policy changed significantly compared to the past, intending to reinforce the pay-for-performance culture we strongly believe in.

Hans Van Bylen, Chairman of the Ontex Board said: "We thank our shareholders for their support to the changes that Ontex is making to restore growth and value creation for all its stakeholders. With all the resolutions approved, an important next step was taken in the turnaround of Ontex' performance. As a Board, we are looking forward with confidence."

Minutes of the annual general meeting and the extraordinary general meeting that was held on the same day can be found on the company's website at: http://www.ontexglobal.com/shareholder-information

About Ontex

Ontex is a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care. Ontex's innovative products are distributed in more than 110 countries through Ontex brands such as BBTips, BioBaby, Pompom, Bigfral, CanBebe, CanPed, iD and Serenity, as well as leading retailer brands.

Employing some 10,000 passionate people all over the world, Ontex has a presence in 21 countries, with its headquarters in Aalst, Belgium. Ontex is listed on Euronext Brussels and is part of the Bel Mid. To keep up with the latest news, visit www.ontex.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005674/en/

Contacts:

ENQUIRIES

Investors

Philip Ludwig?+32 53 333 730

Philip.ludwig@ontexglobal.com

Press

Caroline De Wolf?+32 478 93 43 93

corporate.communications@ontexglobal.com
NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Radancy, the talent technology leader, announced that Michael Littlewood, an essential member of the executive management team, has been promoted to Chief Revenue Officer. In this role, Mike will drive all Radancy's global revenue generating activities, including direct sales, partner sales and new product sales.

With 26 years of industry experience, Mike has held several prominent positions in Radancy's sales department, including Director, Digital Sales; Vice President, Enterprise Sales and Senior Vice President, New Business Development for North America. He has a proven track record of exceeding goals, driving increased revenues, and improving geography-based market share. Under his leadership over the last 4 years as Radancy's Executive Vice President of Global New Business, Mike has tripled the size of the company's global sales organization, which has led to his team of seasoned sales professionals to win 165 new clients during this time. His commitment to execution and collaboration has paved a path for his team's continuous success and Radancy's revenue growth. During his tenure, Mike has been exposed to some of the most recognized brands in world and has proceeded to forge strong relationships with one-third of the Fortune 100 companies.

Applying his expansive sales knowledge, Mike was also an integral part of the team who helped spearhead the recent launch of Radancy's new brand.

"I am excited to continue to work with the best global sales organization in our industry," says Mike Littlewood, Chief Revenue Officer at Radancy. "Using my vast expertise, I look forward to continuing to further Radancy's position as the global talent technology leader."

"Much of Radancy's success can be attributed to Mike Littlewood and we look forward to the next phase of global growth and building new client relationships," said Michelle Abbey, President & CEO of Radancy. "This is a pivotal time for employers as we seek to address the evolving needs of the industry."

About Radancy

Radancy is the global talent technology leader intelligently solving the most critical challenges for employers and delivering results that strengthen their organizations. Our unified platform, augmented by rich data and deep industry expertise, is revolutionizing how employers attract and hire the talent they need.

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Flemish Government chooses Atos as digital partner to transform Flanders into one of the most innovative regions in Europe

Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), May 25 2021 - Atos today announces that it has signed a major contract with the Flemish government to be their main digital partner over the next seven years. Both partners will not only drive digital transformation, but also export Flemish technology to the rest of Europe and the world thanks to Atos' international presence. In this way, the collaboration will ensure the creation of new jobs and help Flanders to grow into one of the most innovative regions in Europe after the pandemic.

The agreement between Atos and the Flemish government is estimated to be the largest outsourcing framework contract in Benelux. The Flemish government was looking for a reliable and experienced technology partner with expertise in digital transformation and innovation. After a thorough selection process for the 2022 Flemish ICT contracts, Atos won three lots: service integration & security, cloud & data center and applications. The seven-year contract will enable a transformative digitalization of the Flemish region.

Rebound of theFlemish economy

The Flemish government selected Atos because of its ambitious vision of the future. After the pandemic, in order for the Flemish economy to recover as quickly as possible, fully investing in a digital future is essential. By working with the government Atos will also be investing in the development of Flanders and local companies.

"The pandemic put a lot of pressure on the Flemish economy, but the recovery period is also an excellent opportunity to put Flanders on the map throughout Europe as a leading region in the development of new technology. There is no shortage of innovative ideas in Flemish companies and start-ups, but local players lack the resources to develop technology on a large scale. As a global player with global activities, Atos is in a unique position to export Flemish technology. Together we are going to make Flemish companies great," says Jo Debecker, Executive VP and Head of Global Operations at Atos.

Job creation

Through its own Scaler-program, Atos has long been investing in start-ups and companies that develop innovative technologies. Scaler offers organizations an opportunity to develop their technological solutions and roll them out abroad. In Flanders, Atos will form a unique ecosystem with local partners, including the research company imec, to market Flemish technology worldwide.

"This new contract will create a lot of new Flemish jobs, because you simply need more people if you are going to produce technology on a larger scale," says Debecker. "Atos itself will also be hiring hundreds of people through a major recruitment process for young Flemish talent. Thanks to Atos, these people will have the ideal springboard to spread their wings and to develop further at European level."

###

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over  11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos operates under the brands Atos and Atos|Syntel. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

Press Contacts:

Belgium:

Marianne Hewlett | Marianne.hewlett@atos.net| +31 630632430

Chris Van den Broeck | chris@allcolorsofcommunication.com| +32 473 31 2655

Global:

Laura Fau | laura.fau@atos.net| +33 6 73 64 04 18 | @laurajanefau

Attachment
The nickel market staged an impressive recovery since a COVID-19 low in March 2020 and the price rise was one of the strongest of all the base metals in 2020. This recovery was underpinned by strong stainless steel demand in China driven by a metals intensive stimulus package, in combination with resilient growth from the electric vehicle (EV) market.

London; UK, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The recovery led to the LME nickel price soaring to US$19,689/t by the end of February 2021. Despite the volatility characteristic of the nickel price, such an increase was counterintuitive given that the market remained in surplus throughout the majority of 2020. Market speculation, driven by concerns in some quarters of an impending shortage of nickel suitable for use in batteries, helped to fuel the bull narrative.

Step forward Tsingshan: a Chinese stainless steel major, which in March revealed that it would begin supplying 100kt (75kt Ni) high-grade nickel matte to Chinese battery cathode manufacturers Huayou (60kt) and CNGR Advanced Materials (40kt) over a period of a year, starting in October 2021. This matte will be based on converted nickel pig iron (NPI) from Tsingshan and Australian company, Nickel Mines Ltd's operations at the Indonesian Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) on Sulawesi, Indonesia. The announcement had the impact of trashing much of nickel's recent gains, with the LME nickel price declining by over 8.5% on 4 March to US$15,945/t. Tsingshan now claims to have the capability to supply high-grade nickel matte on a regular basis and some future rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF) lines are being constructed with matte converters to provide the optionality to target either stainless steel or battery markets, depending on demand. The company currently consumes NPI at its integrated stainless steel operation in Morowali as well as exporting material to China.

The reason for such a significant development in the market is that EV automotive manufacturers are opting for Li-ion batteries with increasingly nickel-rich cathode chemistries in order to boost the battery's energy density and, subsequently, vehicle range on a single charge. Roskill forecasts that batteries' share of primary nickel consumption will swell from 6% in 2020 to over a quarter by the end of the decade, making inroads on the dominant stainless steel market. Future availability of battery-grade nickel feedstocks has long been highlighted as one of the key pinch points in the battery supply chain. In addition to the quick fix solution offered by Tsingshan's NPI-matte conversion deal, developments involving acquisitions and new project announcements over the past year are testament to the race to lock up long-term supply of the strategically important metal.

At the end of March 2021, Vale concluded the protracted sale of Vale New Caledonia to Prony Resources (a consortium including Trafigura and a majority shareholding for New Caledonian interests). The Goro operation has been redesigned to stop producing nickel oxide, instead focusing now exclusively on mixed hydroxide product (MHP) supply for the battery market. Significantly, EV manufacturer Tesla will take a technical and industrial partner role at Goro, demonstrating that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) want varying degrees of control over their raw material procurement.

This deal was followed on 19 May by First Quantum Minerals (FQM) announcing that it had completed the sale of 30% of its Ravensthorpe operation for US$240M to POSCO, a Korean steel and battery precursor producer. As part of the deal, the two companies have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to consider the potential to produce battery precursor products i.e., nickel sulphate based on MHP from Ravensthorpe. POSCO will also gain a long-term offtake agreement for 7.5kt Ni-in-MHP commencing in 2024.

Turning the focus back to Indonesia, and the country is now reaping the rewards after navigating the risks following the implementation of a strict ban on the export of unprocessed nickel ores in January 2014. It did so to promote investment in downstream refining capacity and add value to its mineral wealth.

Not only has Indonesia established a fully integrated stainless steel industry, but the country now hopes to replicate this success with ambitious aims for a local battery supply chain based on the large limonite ore reserves well suited to hydrometallurgical processing to produce nickel intermediates. The commissioning of PT Halmahera Persada Lygend's (PT HPL) Obi Island project, a joint venture between Ningbo Lygend and Harita Group on 19 May, represents a potential watershed moment for the nickel market, given the speed in which it was constructed and brought into operation. Designed over two phases, the high pressure acid leach (HPAL) operation has the capacity to produce 52ktpy Ni- and 6ktpy Co-in-MHP, ultimately targeting nickel/cobalt sulphates. Additionally, at IMIP, PT QMB New Energy Materials and PT Huayue NiCo are both constructing HPAL plants with plans to commission over the next 6-12 months. Significantly for PT HPL, its successful commissioning and smooth ramp up, will likely make it a blueprint for future HPAL projects planned in Indonesia. Currently, Roskill is aware of a further five HPAL projects that are at the feasibility stage in Indonesia, all with the potential to contribute significant volumes of battery-grade nickel to the market.

Despite the positive outlook for the nickel industry in Indonesia, risks however remain, mainly in the form of ESG concerns. The major sustainability unease of deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) was resolved last October after the companies aborted plans to dispose of tailings into the sea off Morowali. Such a U-turn was a compelling example of stakeholder pressure forcing companies to alter plans for their projects, even at the expense of increased costs and potential delays. The attention has now shifted to land clearance and habitat loss resulting from nickel mining in Indonesia, the rainforests for which are said to contain some of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet. Given plans for NPI-matte conversion in Indonesia, the high energy consumption, based on an energy mix of low-cost coal, will result in some of the highest CO 2 emissions in the industry that could be unacceptable to western OEMs whose customers are inherently environmentally conscious.

Seemingly eager to source nickel that is unlikely to attract similar ESG supply chain scrutiny compared to Southeast Asian material, some companies have already locked in supply from alternative sources. Cathode manufacturers like BASF and Johnson Matthey have already agreed long-term supply deals with Nornickel for battery-grade nickel and cobalt produced at Harjavalta, Finland. These deals are a clear demonstration that not all future procurement decisions will be based on feedstock availability or cost when it comes to nickel sourcing.

There are many moving parts in the dynamic nickel market with an interplay of important factors. 2021 will be another important year for the nickel market, much of the action taking place, unsurprisingly, in Indonesia.
ARM, Etron, WI Harper and MARUBUN CORPORATION contribute to the round to back eYs3D to deploy its computer vision ICs to AIoT, robotics and VR/AR technologies

TAIPEI, TAIWAN / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / eYs3D Microelectronics, Co., a silicon-centric fabless design house enabling enhanced computer vision for edge AI, today announced it has raised $7 million in Series A funding from strategic partners ARM IoT Capital, WI Harper Group, and MARUBUN CORPORATION. The funding will allow eYs3D to grow its new product development for AI-based autonomous operation, including robotics, security, touchless control, autonomous vehicles, and smart retail.

The company will demonstrate its 3D depth-sensing cameras and vision sensor integration solutions today at the virtual 2021 Embedded Vision Summit as a member of the Edge AI and Vision Alliance. The company will showcase sensor use cases that permit new capabilities in object recognition, distance measurement and more.

eYs3D was spun off from Etron Technology in 2016 and has already provided the market with millions of ICs and other sensory products. The new investment will allow eYs3D to build out its embedded chip business in additional markets and bring the startup to the next level. The investors bring important relationships and expertise to the company: ARM will work with eYs3D to focus on the integration of its chips with ARM's CPU/NPU processors; WI Harper Group is a pioneering cross-border venture capital firm that will offer eYs3D access to its large industrial partners base and ecosystem; and MARUBUN CORPORATION, a global distributor headquartered in Japan, is joining the funding round to open up new distribution channels for the company to deploy its solutions to businesses worldwide.

The computer vision market for AI is critical in enabling autonomous functionalities for software and machines, from robotic spatial awareness to scene understanding of edge devices. According to Meticulous Research, the 3D and machine vision market is expected to double from $1.35 billion in 2020 to $2.65 billion in 2027, a compound annual growth rate of 10.2%.

eYs3D designs processor ICs for AI at the edge. The technology allows for more sophisticated human/machine coordination. In order to address specific growing markets such as artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) and mobile intelligence, eYs3D uses a unique silicon design approach with algorithms to integrate and manage information from differing sensor sources including thermal, active 3D sensing, and neural network perception. This "sensor fusion" enables design of systems for applications incorporating visual simultaneous location and mapping (VSLAM), object feature depth recognition and gesture-based commands.

"With this investment and with high demand for new computer vision capabilities across many sectors, we are well-poised to capture market share as we migrate to full 3D vision depth sensing," said James Wang, eYs3D's Chief Strategy Officer. "We are well along our roadmap in the AI-enabling market, and we are excited to continue our journey with our partners and investors that will allow eYs3D to move more computer vision products into the market."

"As we look to the future, enhanced computer vision support plays a key role in ARM's AI architecture and deployment," said Peter Hsieh, Chairman of the ARM IoT Fund. "eYs3D's innovative 3D computer vision capability can offer the market major benefits, and we are pleased to partner with the company and invest in the creation of more AI-capable vision processors."

The funds will be used for further product development, staff expansion and marketing. eYs3D senior management are industry experts with extensive background in IC, optics, software as well as algorithmic computer vision.

Images available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_YNRfXtACAquNYsEDLgqafzCbiaEIlsA

About eYs3D

eYs3D provides a full end-to-end computer vision platform and solution. With its ready-to-use hardware and software development, eYs3D's products are already in action with a few tech industry giants such as Facebook Oculus Rift S, Valve Index VR HMD, TECHMAN Robotics, and a few cleaning robots and AMRs, among others. eYs3D is located in Taipei, Taiwan with offices in China and Silicon Valley. For more information visit their website.

Media Contact:

James Wang

Chief Strategy Officer

James.Wang@eYs3D.com

SOURCE: eYs3D Microelectronics

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/648921/eYs3D-Microelectronics-Co-Raises-7-Million-Series-A-from-Leading-Industry-Strategic-Investors-for-VisionAI-Chips
Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, today announced that the Italian branch of Siemens Healthineers, an international medical technology company, is automating its order management process with Esker's Order Management solution. As part of its strategy to improve business processes, Siemens Healthineers had been searching for a global automation solution to overhaul order management for its laboratory diagnostics products while also seamlessly integrating with its SAP ERP system.

While fulfilling orders in a timely manner is critical for suppliers in any industry, the in-vitro diagnostics products that Siemens Healthineers delivers to medical institutions must be processed quickly and accurately to ensure the best care for patients and enhance their entire experience. The previously cumbersome order entry process relied on the manual entry of order lines. To decrease the workload of the Customer Service team as well as reduce errors, Siemens Healthineers turned to Esker for a solution that would automate, standardize and streamline its order management process.

Prior to Esker, only 8% of orders were automated. Today, Siemens Healthineers automates 85% of received orders, with 93% of order fields correctly identified by the solution. The advanced data recognition capabilities of Esker's AI Engine has enabled Siemens Healthineers to benefit from high recognition rates after just a short period of self-learning.

"Esker's AI Engine has not only automated our order management process, but has also enhanced the skills of our customer service team by making it easier for them to focus on customer needs and experience," said Andrea Zoppi, CFO and member of Board of Directors at Siemens Healthineers.

Apart from the time and resource savings Esker brings to Siemens Healthineers, it was also important that the company be able to comply with the Italian e-ordering regulation in the healthcare sector. Esker has enabled Siemens Healthineers to manage the reception of e-orders through Nodo Smistamento Ordini (NSO), the Italian government-owned platform.

Following the excellent results achieved in Italy, Siemens Healthineers has extended the partnership and is implementing Esker's Order Management solution in the U.S., Western and Eastern Europe, and South Africa, thereby leveraging Esker's global reach and comprehensive order management automation capabilities.

About Siemens Healthineers

Siemens Healthineers' goal is to support healthcare professionals through expanding precision medicine, transforming care pathways and improving the patient experience. Globally, an estimated 5 million patients benefit daily from technology and service innovations in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging, laboratory diagnostics and molecular medicine as well as Digital Health and Enterprise Services. A leading medical technology company with over 170 years of experience and 18,000 patents globally and more than 48,000 dedicated resources in 70 countries, Siemens Healthineers continues to innovate and shape the future of healthcare.

About Esker

Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals, and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. Esker's solutions incorporate technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive increased productivity, enhanced visibility, reduced fraud risk, and improved collaboration with customers, suppliers and internally. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on Twitter @EskerInc and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005170/en/

Contacts:

Press Contact: Alexis Diehl

Tel: (469) 999-4975 adiehl@ideagrove.com



Investor Relations Contact: Emmanuel Olivier

Tel: +33 (0)4 72 83 46 46 olivier@esker.fr
DURHAM, NC / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS), a leading technology provider of pharmacy performance management services, and Humana (NYSE:HUM), a leading health and well-being company, announced that their 2020 innovative diabetes outcomes-based pilot program has resulted in significant improvement in measurable patient outcomes and will expand to additional pharmacies nationwide in 2021.

"Humana continues to emphasize innovation in value-based care models and to engage with pharmacists who are on the front line of patient care," said Bethanie Stein, Humana Pharmacy Solutions President of PBM Services. "Our pilot saw a remarkable increase in patients meeting A1C goals and completing an A1C test. These results are a testament to the collaboration with pilot pharmacies and PQS. We look forward to engaging with more pharmacies and expanding their services in our diabetes outcomes program."

Humana and PQS designed the pilot program to reward pharmacists across six states last year for improving health outcomes of Humana Medicare Advantage members with diabetes. Critical to the pilot's success is PQS's EQuIPP platform, which provides pharmacists with access to patient data, including lab values and testing information, and the ability to document patient encounters. Samantha Davis, PharmD, a pharmacist at Cherokee Drug in Newport, Kentucky, said, "The EQuIPP dashboard gave my pharmacy a more complete picture of our patients and made it easier to track patient progress and performance."

"Seeing the innovative Humana program in EQuIPP is evidence that value-based care is becoming a reality," said James Kirby, Senior Director for The Kroger Co. "Community pharmacists, like those at Kroger Health, are uniquely equipped to manage the health of populations, and Humana is compensating us [pharmacists] for doing it well. We appreciate the role PQS played in creating positive partnerships between pharmacies and payers as well as their flexibility to deliver the data necessary to bring the program to life."

PQS continues to expand its library of quality measures, going beyond adherence to include measures impacting the medical benefit. Humana will include some of these additional measures, such as Retinal Eye Exam Complete, with the program expansion.

"PQS has always recognized the power of the community pharmacy to support greater patient outcomes and has advocated for the shift in value-based reimbursement opportunities," says Todd Sega, CEO at PQS. "With the increased awareness of community pharmacy's potential, PQS continues to be a strong supporter for the expansion and acceleration of similar outcomes-based programs."

About Pharmacy Quality Solutions, Inc.

Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS) is a healthcare quality improvement company, connecting healthcare payers and providers who value measurement as the pathway to better patient outcomes. Partners of PQS represent nearly 90% of all Medicare Part D lives and 95% of community pharmacies. PQS delivers the quality insights and guidance necessary to support their customers' efforts to optimize the quality of medication management and use for their Medicare, Medicaid and commercial populations. PQS's industry-leading platform EQuIPP provides dependable measurement and reporting on key medication-use quality measures and value-based reimbursement programs focused on medication adherence, treatment outcomes and patient safety. For more information, please visit www.pharmacyquality.com.

For further information, contact David Simoneaux at 919.767.9544 or dsimoneaux@pharmacyquality.com.

Related Images

SOURCE: Pharmacy Quality Solutions, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/649001/Pharmacy-Quality-Solutions-and-Humana-Achieve-Noteworthy-Success-in-Diabetes-Outcomes-Pilot-Catalyzing-Program-Expansion
Kills 99.9 % of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of COVID-19, on hard surfaces.

Huntersville, North Carolina--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - AEGIS Environmental Management Inc. has announced the launch of the AEGIS VES 240 commercial cleaner-disinfectant, an innovative two-in-one product that simultaneously cleans and sanitizes in just 15 seconds. This new addition to the AEGIS range offers effective disinfection for a broad range of hard, non-food contact surfaces - as well as acting as a sanitizer for fabrics - helping to maintain cleaner treated surfaces in offices, retail, restaurants, hospitals, schools and industrial settings.

AEGIS VES 240 is a one-step, US EPA-registered commercial cleaner-disinfectant that is effective against odor-causing and pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses on hard surfaces. This easily applied, broad-spectrum disinfectant spray provides spray on cleaning and disinfection for hard surfaces, offering demonstrated efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. AEGIS VES 240 removes surface grease, grime and impurities, with a simultaneous disinfectant action, as well as working as a deodorizer to help remove musty and unpleasant odors on everything from bedding to walls and floors.

AEGIS VES 240 has been evaluated according to the AOAC Germicidal Spray Products as Disinfectants test for determination of the efficacy of liquid disinfectants on hard, nonporous surfaces, and the ASTM Standard Test Method for Efficacy of Sanitizers Recommended for Inanimate, Hard, Nonporous Non-Food Contact Surfaces. For long-term protection, this product may be used to disinfect surfaces before the application of AEGIS antimicrobial surface protection technologies, such as our AEGIS Microbe Shield, completing the AEGIS Clean - Disinfect - Protect System of Care to provide durable surface protection from microbial degradation for up to 90 days.

For more information, visit https://www.microban.com/aegis/aegis-disinfectant/aegis-ves-240.





Figure 1



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7234/85156_SeuyS6gF.png

About AEGIS Environmental Management Inc.

AEGIS Environmental Management Inc., headquartered in North Carolina with operations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, has been the sole source for AEGIS surface protection technologies since 1976. The company's AEGIS System of Care consists of both disinfectants and antimicrobial surface coatings. Our disinfectants kill viruses and other germs on hard surfaces. Our antimicrobial coatings offer an effective way to control a wide range of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, algae, mold, and mildew, on surfaces found in healthcare, educational and public transportation settings. These technologies are incorporated into a three-step Clean-Disinfect-Protect approach to cleaner surfaces, developed to meet customer demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.

The AEGIS portfolio incorporates a range of products with a unique mode of action, including AEGIS Microbe Shield, which are easy to apply on surfaces either by spraying or using the 'wet and wipe' method. The AEGIS and AEGIS Microbe Shield brands are recognized worldwide, trusted to solve most surface hygiene concerns, and suitable for use in a wide range of surfaces and environments. Often imitated but never replicated, AEGIS surface coatings offer continuous microbial surface protection that is durable and lasts 24/7. AEGIS Microbe Shield is the original EPA-registered antimicrobial surface coating. Complementing this is AEGIS VES 240, an EPA-registered hospital type disinfectant solution to address surface hygiene concerns in a wide array of environments. This one-step disinfectant is effective against pathogenic bacteria, fungi, animal and human viruses, with demonstrated efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, and sanitizes surfaces to kill 99.9 % of bacteria in 15 seconds on hard surfaces.

Aegis Environmental Management Inc. is the lawful owner of the AEGIS, AEGIS VES 240, AEGIS System of Care, AEGIS Clean - Disinfect - Protect, and AEGIS Microbe Shield trademarks.

For more information, visit www.aegismicrobeshield.com

Contact Details

kdm communications limited

Sarah Khan

+44 1480 405333

ideas@kdm-communications.com
Dignified Storytelling, an initiative led by Dubai Cares, Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE MOFAIC, upholds the UAE's vision of furthering human dignity around the world

Dignified Storytelling Forum to take place on 10 December 2021 at Expo 2020 Dubai, the first World Expo to be held in the MEASA region

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dubai Cares, Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation (MoFAIC) have come together to launch Dignified Storytelling, an initiative with an aim of creating an ecosystem that fosters a shared understanding and practice of storytelling that maintains and upholds the dignity of all persons and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).



Today, thousands of stories are being told regardless of who tells them and how they are told. Many of these stories lack authenticity, transparency, or are driven by ulterior motives which serve a predetermined narrative. These are just some of the few obstacles that get in the way of honest, wholesome and dignified storytelling within development and humanitarian contexts. In order for a piece - be it visual, written or spoken - to reach an audience, it goes through a long process of filtration, revising and editing that sometimes alters the original content and makes it almost fictional. This in turn, ends up painting the wrong picture of the contributors who oftentimes are not aware of where their stories, visual or written, will be displayed and to what purpose will they be used.

Dignified Storytelling was born out of the need to unite the voices of content makers, editors, journalists, photographers, filmmakers, storytellers, and contributors and equip them with the awareness and hands-on knowledge that will enable them to capture moments and tell stories without compromising human dignity. In order to fulfill this need, Dignified Storytelling kickstarted global consultations a year ago, to solicit cross-sectoral perspectives on storytelling within development and humanitarian contexts, as well as set and agree on the Dignified Storytelling Principles that today serve as guidance and an advocacy tool for bringing together various stakeholders from around the world to form a global movement that will be a game changer in maintaining and promoting human dignity through storytelling.

These foundational principles are also guiding the consultative development of an accessible and practical Dignified Storytelling Handbook which provides 'how-to' guidance and concrete best practice case studies. Cross-sectoral perspectives and insights from a diverse group of storytellers and experienced stakeholders from governments, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and civil society are currently informing this valuable framework and resource.

To truly embed Dignified Storytelling in the day-to-day policies and practices among international development agencies and various storytellers within the development and humanitarian sectors, Dubai Cares, Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE MoFAIC have established a Dignified Storytelling Alliance. The Alliance is a network of champions that provides advocacy, in-kind support, and input on program deliverables. Representation in the Alliance includes a deliberately diverse range of viewpoints from organizations, individuals and governments who are able to share best practices from their on-the-ground experiences within a range of development contexts.

Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai, remarked: "At a time when it is needed most, Expo 2020 will bring the world together in a spirit of hope and optimism, building bridges and inspiring action towards a brighter future for us all. This will be the ideal setting for strengthening Dignified Storytelling as we join our resources to reinforce the highest standards and increase the impact of those stories we choose to share with the world. The initiative also reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing responsible storytelling for the greater good of humankind, and its central role in international humanitarian and development efforts more widely."

Stressing on the importance of storytelling in the development context, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares and Member of its Board of Directors, said: "Storytelling is a powerful communication tool in both development and humanitarian settings. Stories, both visual and written, provide an avenue for understanding different perspectives and can be an impetus for action. This is why it is important for us as a global community to tackle irresponsible storytelling, a practice that has been left unaddressed for far too long, which I believe is rooted in the absence of widely available and comprehensive guidance on how to best tell stories that maintain the dignity of all persons. I invite all storytellers, governments, agencies, and civil society to join us in this effort to instill an understanding and practice of storytelling that brings us together and reminds us of our shared humanity."

The initiative will include the Dignified Storytelling Forum, taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai on 10 December 2021 as part of the six-month mega-event. The Forum will serve as a powerful platform for key stakeholders - including members of civil society organizations, governments, the private sector, and international agencies as well as advocates, activists, and storytellers - to come together and collectively agree on a way forward in validating, adopting and integrating the Dignified Storytelling Principles. This will be achieved through a series of plenaries and an exhibition showcasing best practices in Dignified Storytelling, as well as side events including a press conference.

The Forum is part of Expo 2020's rich calendar of specialist programming, which reflects and celebrates the spirit of Dignified Storytelling all throughout. Encompassing cultural, social, economic, environmental and UAE-based themes, the program series has been curated in close collaboration with UAE entities, International Participants, Non-Official Participants, International Organisations and Commercial Partners and and seeks to garner solidarity around global challenges, spotlight areas of mutual interest and importance, and ensure the emergence of a meaningful legacy at the national, regional and international level.

Over the longer-term, Dignified Storytelling will create an environment of positivity that strengthens long-term relationships between the public, private, development and humanitarian sectors by placing dignified and ethical storytelling at the epicenter of knowledge sharing, stakeholder engagement, and capacity development to inspire and inform storytellers. To achieve this, the UAE calls on global stakeholders and partners to become advocates for this pivotal initiative by pledging towards the ten principles of Dignified Storytelling.

About Dubai Cares:

Since its inception in 2007, Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has been working towards providing children and youth in developing countries with access to quality education through the design and funding of programs that aim to be impactful, sustainable and scalable. To date, the UAE-based global philanthropic organization has successfully launched education programs reaching over 20 million beneficiaries in 60 developing countries.

Contact:

Makram Bou Kheir

makram.boukheir@dubaicares.ae

+971509345854

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc3c61cd-9995-49ff-bce5-70eef1e3a51e

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7e6c32d-fca1-4305-a361-290d2e666528

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/73387269-18a0-423f-8d1a-adb44fffe5e2

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b0f3dcbb-561a-4485-b388-fa6a300c4775

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d3541fcd-6766-4b2d-abb6-1f851a3410ea

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a65a7a7-cf48-44dc-9f06-5d91464501fc

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea51953c-3d49-47f1-a742-cd166c5e6dca
Regulatory News:

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies (ISIN: FR0013451044, Ticker: ALHGR) ("Hoffmann Green Cement" or the "Company"), a pioneer in clinker-free low-carbon cement, announces the launch of PHARE, an innovative tool enabling the carbon footprint of Hoffmann concrete to be calculated online.

Alongside the development of its low-carbon technologies, Hoffmann Green Cement is assisting its partners with their environmental strategies by providing them with a tool that calculates the carbon footprint of all components of a structure that use Hoffmann concrete. This calculator is thus a decision-making aid for all building sector players enabling them to assess the environmental performances of their constructions and to comply with the sector's environmental regulatory requirements, such as the future "RE 2020" regulation for example.

Hosted on a dedicated and secure portal on Hoffmann Green Cement's website, the PHARE calculator is an intuitive, easy-to-use and scalable tool that enables all parts of a structure manufactured using current and future Hoffmann technology to be computed. A particular feature of this tool is its degree of accuracy, with the possibility of choosing targeted applications (shells, slabs, floors, posts, beams, etc.) and various characteristics (resistance and consistency of concrete, density of steel, thickness, etc.).

This calculator was developed in partnership with EVEA, specialists in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and its applications for research and industry, and certified by verifiers ELYS CONSEIL. This control today allows Fiches de Declaration Environnementale et Sanitaire (FDES) environmental and health declaration forms published by the calculator to be automatically compliant with the NF EN 15804 standard. These FDES forms can also be used as is by all environmental research and engineering department configurators.

Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann, co-founders of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, say: "From the outset, Hoffmann Green Cement has developed all of its technologies with the aim of providing the construction industry with genuine decarbonization solutions. In order to further accelerate this dynamic and best inform our partners, we are very proud to be launching our PHARE calculator. This informative tool is paramount for our clients, as it assesses the reduction in CO2 emissions achieved by using our clinker-free cements and is a measuring tool that will help construction sector players comply with environmental regulations that are set to intensify. Meeting this structuring step again illustrates Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies' dynamic and its commitment to supporting its construction industry partners with their decarbonization process

About Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies

Founded in 2014, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies designs, produces and distributes innovative clinker-free low-carbon cement with a substantially lower carbon footprint than traditional cement. Fully aware of the environmental emergency and the need to reconcile the construction sector, cement manufacturing and the environment, the Group believes it is at the heart of a genuine technological breakthrough based on altering cement's composition and the creation of a heating-free and clean manufacturing process, without clinker. Hoffmann Green's cements, currently manufactured on a first 4.0 industrial site with no kiln nor chimney in western France, address all construction sector markets and present, at equivalent dosage and with no alteration in the concrete manufacturing process, higher performances than traditional cement.

For further information, please go to: www.ciments-hoffmann.fr

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005712/en/

Contacts:

Hoffmann Green Cement

Jerome Caron

Chief Financial Officer

finances@ciments-hoffmann.fr

+33 (0)2 51 46 06 00

NewCap

Pierre Laurent

Thomas Grojean/Quentin Masse

Investor Relations

ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau

Media Relations

ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 98
Regulatory News:

The Combined General Meeting of Latecoere's (Paris:LAT) shareholders was held on May 21, 2021 at the Company's registered office in Toulouse, under the chairmanship of Mr. Pierre Gadonneix, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Exceptionally, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the health measures taken by the Government, and according to Decree No. 2021-255 of March 9, 2021 extending the period of application of Ordinance No. 2020-321 of March 25, 2020, the Shareholders' Meeting was held behind closed doors, without the physical presence of the shareholders.

Around the Chairman of the Board Pierre Gadonneix, the Bureau was composed of a secretary of the meeting and two scrutineers appointed by the Chief Executive Officer by delegation of authority granted by the Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of Article 8 of Decree no. 2020-418 of April 10, 2020 amended by Decree no. 2020-1614 of December 18, 2020.

Representing a quorum of 68.6 in the extraordinary conditions recalled above, the shareholders approved all the resolutions recommended by the Board of Directors, including among others:

the approval of the 2020 financial statements and the appropriation of the net loss;

the renewals of some director's office;

the compensation policy of non-executive directors and the information relating to the compensation of corporate officers in 2020;

the compensation policy for the Chairman of the Board of Directors as well as the components of compensation due or awarded to him for the year 2020;

the compensation policy for the Chief Executive officer as well as the components of compensation due or awarded to her for the year 2020;

the compensation policy for the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (and any other Executive Corporate Officer);

the decision to be taken under the provisions of L 225-248 of the French Commercial Code;

the reduction of the share capital by reducing the nominal value of shares and consequential amendments to the articles of association, and;

several financial authorisations.

The Board of Directors, at its meeting held after the General Meeting, decided to:

to renew the liquidity contract entered into with Gilbert Dupont, as part of the implementation of the share buyback program authorised by the General Meeting;

to renew the office of the Chairman of the board of Directors;

to renew the office of the Chief Executive Officer;

to renew the functions of members of the Risk Audit Committee, of the Appointments Remuneration Committee and of the Strategic Committee whose office as directors were renewed at the general meeting held today.

Full voting results are available on the Company's website www.latecoere.aero.

_________________________________________________________________________________

About Latecoere

As a "Tier 1" international partner of the world's major aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Mitsubishi Aircraft), Latecoere is active in all segments of the aeronautics industry (commercial, regional, business and military aircraft), in two areas of activity:

Aerostructures (55% of turnover): fuselage sections and doors,

Interconnection Systems (45% of turnover): wiring, electrical furniture and on-board equipment.

As of December 31, 2020, the Group employed 4,172 people in 13 different countries. Latecoere, a French limited company capitalised at 23.704.629,50 divided into 94,818,518 shares with a par value of 0,25, is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment B, ISIN Codes: FR0000032278 Reuters: LAEP.PA Bloomberg: LAT.FP.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005715/en/

Contacts:

Taddeo

Antoine Denry Investor Relations

+33 (0)6 18 07 83 27

Pierre-Jean Le Mauff Media Relations

+33 (0)7 77 78 58 67

teamlatecoere@taddeo.fr
Dr. Peter H. Smith finally speaks about the frivolous and baseless litigation commenced against him by the incumbent board and management of Fancamp as a mode of intimidation for opposing the ScoZinc Transaction and forcing them to hold the 2020 annual general meeting before the TSXV will give their signoff on the Transaction with ScoZinc.

Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Incumbent director of Fancamp, Peter H. Smith, who, together with joint actors James Hunter and his affiliates, Mark Fekete and Heather Hannan, (the "Concerned Shareholders) hold in aggregate, directly and indirectly an aggregate of 21,994,597 shares, representing approximately 13.25% of Fancamp Exploration Ltd.'s ("Fancamp" or the "Company") issued and outstanding common shares have decided to set the record straight to the true owners of Fancamp (the "Shareholders"), with respect to the numerous false allegations that the incumbent board and management of the Company have stated in their press releases dated May 12 and May 14, 2021.

To say that Dr. Smith is disappointed is a massive understatement. These actions by the Fancamp board and management, show what desperation can cause seemingly rational individuals to do. It shows the great lengths one would go to attempt to entrench themselves further in positions and roles that they no longer deserve. Additionally, it shows when bullies are challenged that they will try to impugn and ruin a man's reputation and question his integrity all because that one man stood up to them to ask the question that always needs to be asked when one is a fiduciary - is this in the best interest of the Company and the shareholders who are the true owners of the Company?

When a group of individuals forget where their duties lie and they are conflicted, this board and management team have shown they are willing to cross that line and impugn their own integrity so it should not surprise anyone one bit that the incumbent board and management comprised of Ashwath Mehra, Mark Billings, Paul Ankorn, Rajesh Sharma and Debra Chapman are willing to do whatever they can, which, in this case are telling outright blatant lies about what Dr. Smith has done while with the Company since 1986.

Dr. Smith stated:

"From the very first instance in October 2020, when I informed the Chairman of the Company that I would be running an opposing slate of directors, the incumbent board and management began an immediate campaign of delay tactics, entrenchment and propagating falsehoods at the expense of Fancamp shareholders. Knowing full well that I have a large following and shareholder support, they knew that having the AGM when it was due to be held, on or before December 31, 2020, would bring about a guaranteed loss of their positions and election of and a new and refreshed board. In the face of this threat, they used the excuse of the pandemic to obtain an unjustified, unwarranted exemption to delay the holding of the 2020 AGM to be held before June 30, 2021. They then created this scheme to close this ill-advised business combination with ScoZinc Mining Ltd. ('ScoZinc') (the 'Transaction') to dilute the current shareholders of the Company to ensure that they would have support to entrench themselves for the foreseeable future. However, they did not anticipate that I would put up any opposition and question why they would attempt this without receiving Fancamp shareholder approval.

However, the incumbent board and management are used to having their way, so as an act of retribution, the incumbent board and management then decided to make it personal and attempt to intimidate, bully and coerce me into submission. At a board meeting, I was advised that if I continued what was called a "crusade", for shareholders, I could expect a 'harsh', 'bloody', 'brutal' proxy battle that will financially ruin me. I was told that I should not engage in such an endeavour at my age. I felt this was an attempt to intimidate me into ceasing my actions opposing the proposed ScoZinc Transaction or replacing the Board.That Failed. Due to the enormous support and pressure from Shareholders and legal counsel, the TSXV has informed the incumbent board and management that the Transaction cannot be closed until the 2020 AGM is held. This was wholly unexpected by the incumbent board and management when they hatched their scheme. As their entrenchment is increasingly looking less likely, the incumbent board and management have now gone all in on their strategy to attempt to ruin my reputation and question my integrity.

On May 12, 2021, Fancamp announced that it had formed a Special Committee who are 'disinterested' in the ScoZinc Transaction; however, it includes Mark Billings who resigned from the ScoZinc board only two days before the first vote by the Fancamp board on the transaction, having been re-elected to the ScoZinc board one month earlier. The news release states that the Company intends to engage a third-party forensic accountant to assist with the investigation. In that news release they further state that Fancamp will consider all such measures 'including through the courts as appropriate'. What the news release does not say is that two days earlier on May 10, the Company had already commenced an action, which it then disclosed on May 14. If the Company truly wanted to determine the results of the alleged wrongdoings, it would have waited for the results of the Special Committee investigation, rather than commencing litigation two days prior to announcing that the Special Committee had been formed. It is evident that the formation of the Special Committee, which also has a mandate to govern the affairs of the Company and in particular all matters relating to the Meeting was intended to block me from accessing any further information with respect to Fancamp and to provide the unjustified appearance of due process.

The frivolous lawsuit and baseless claims against me are just another attempt to try to confuse Shareholders and take the focus off of the many failings of the incumbent board and management as they continue to use corporate funds to harass me. These unwarranted actions further highlight that the board needs an immediate change as they would have to be 'sleeping at the wheel' if any of these baseless allegations were to be true. Below are some examples of how ludicrous their claims are:

The incumbent board and management are going as far back as 1986 to attempt to smear my reputation.





The complaint relating to Magpie Mines dates back to 2007 and the transaction was conducted under the oversight of the Company's present corporate counsel. The factual basis set out in the claim is simply wrong.





They state that I sold Champion shares without their knowledge when the sales were made on an ongoing basis, were consistently reported to the board, were publicly disclosed (in financial statements) and were knowingly used to fund the Company's expenditures to avoid dilution to the Shareholders. Ironically, it was through staking activities that I was responsible for, that the Company obtained the CIA shares in the first place. This is the primary basis of their complaint which alleges that the Company could have made $3 million more if it had sold at a different time.





They falsely claim that I withheld information. The Company is creating a feigned urgency for information. On May 3, 2021 my counsel responded to the requests for information directing the Company to where it could locate the information, mostly through the Company's consulting geologists who generated the technical information and through Debra Chapman, the CFO for 35 years. Their unreasonable requests made no attempt to limit the 35-year time period and were of a burdensome nature including phone and fax records and all details relating to personal expenses, demonstrating this was nothing more than a fishing expedition to attempt to attack me in the proxy fight. Nevertheless, my counsel offered the Company to send a courier to pick up banker's boxes that were a duplicate of materials and we offered to gather the data from a third-party service provider that hosted electronic data. Moreover, my counsel invited the Company to identify if there was specific discreet information it would like prioritized or be directed to. There was no response to that letter until Sunday May 9, 2021 on Mother's Day, when Fancamp's corporate counsel advised it would like to retrieve the data within the next 48 hours. In the late evening on Mother's Day, Fancamp's litigation counsel requested preservation of all documents and confirmation by 4:00 pm the following day that I would cooperate with the Special Committee investigation. Nevertheless, Fancamp's litigation counsel filed the action the following day and served my counsel at 4:06 p.m.





They falsely claim and point the finger at me to say that I have a self-serving agenda to take over the Company and destroy shareholder value and that I have failed to comply with duty of confidentiality. The truth is ever since I first requested and demanded that the board and management of Fancamp consider shareholders' interests and rights with respect to the highly dilutive Transaction, the Fancamp board and management stopped paying me as per the terms of my consulting agreement as a part of their continued bully tactics and threats that verge on intimidation if I was not going to align myself with THEIR self-serving agenda.

I have always believed that the Company's long-term shareholders will be rewarded for their support and I have endeavoured to keep the Company's assets intact and under one roof. Their description of my work with the current directors over the better part of eight years, and work alongside Debra Chapman, CFO, for 35 years is unrecognizable. Anyone that has worked with me, invested with me over the past three decades will surely attest that the picture they are trying to paint of me is so inaccurate it is laughable and if any of their frivolous claims were true, what does it say about them as they have worked alongside me for a number of years and not once ever had an issue. Furthermore, if any of these claims were true it would bring to question the role of the CFO and other board members for not being true fiduciaries of the Company. Basically, if any of their claims are true it would be a logical conclusion that the incumbent board and management lied to regulators, auditors and YOU the Shareholders.

I would like to thank the number of shareholders that have contacted me, the Concerned Shareholders, the TSXV and our strategic advisors Gryphon Advisors Inc. ('Gryphon') to express their support and sharing stories of inappropriate behaviour exhibited by members of the incumbent board and management. I look forward to engaging with you further in the very near future."

The Concerned Shareholders are not soliciting proxies in connection with the 2020 AGM currently scheduled for June 29, 2021 (the "Meeting") at this time. The Concerned Shareholders have retained Gryphon as it strategic shareholder communications and proxy advisor. Gryphon's responsibility will include providing strategic advice and advising the Concerned Shareholders with respect to the Meeting and proxy protocol. Gryphon's responsibilities will also include soliciting shareholders should the Concerned Shareholders commence a formal solicitation of proxies. Dr. Smith has also retained Farris LLP as legal counsel.

For more information regarding the Concerned Shareholders' position please contact:

Gryphon Advisors Inc.

Tel: 1-833-461-3651

Email: inquiries@gryphonadvisors.ca

Information in Support of Public Broadcast Solicitation

The information contained in this press release does not and is not meant to constitute a solicitation of a proxy within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although the Concerned Shareholders have announced nominees for election to the Company's board of directors at the Meeting, the record date for the Meeting has not yet occurred and shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute a proxy in favour of any matter. In connection with the Meeting, the Concerned Shareholders may file a dissident information circular in due course in compliance with applicable securities laws.

The information contained herein, and any solicitation made by the Concerned Shareholders in advance of the Meeting, is or will be, as applicable, made by the Concerned Shareholders and not by or on behalf of the management of Fancamp. All costs incurred for any solicitation will be borne by the Concerned Shareholders, provided that, subject to applicable law, the Concerned Shareholders may seek reimbursement from Fancamp of the Concerned Shareholders' out-of-pocket expenses, including proxy solicitation expenses and legal fees, incurred in connection with a successful reconstitution of the Company's board of directors. The Concerned Shareholders are not soliciting proxies in connection with a general meeting of shareholders of the Company at this time.

The Concerned Shareholders may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist in soliciting proxies on behalf of the Concerned Shareholders. Any proxies solicited by or on behalf of the Concerned Shareholders, including by any other agent retained by the Concerned Shareholders, may be solicited pursuant to a dissident information circular or by way of public broadcast, including through press releases, speeches or publications and by any other manner permitted under Canadian corporate and securities laws. Any such proxies may be revoked by instrument in writing executed by a shareholder or by his or her attorney authorized in writing or, if the shareholder is a body corporate, by an officer or attorney thereof duly authorized or by any other manner permitted by law.

The registered address of Fancamp is located at 7290 Gray Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 3Z2. A copy of this press release may be obtained on Fancamp' SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85158
WHA's decision shows "Taiwan independence" is dead end: mainland spokesperson

Xinhua) 15:20, May 25, 2021

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Tuesday said that the decision by the 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) has once again proven that seeking "Taiwan independence" is a dead end and hyping up Taiwan-related issues at the WHA only finds dwindling support.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a media query on the decision of the WHA not to include Taiwan on this year's agenda.

"The one-China principle is an international consensus which represents the trend of the times and the will of people," Zhu said.

"We have not only promoted cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation in the field of health but also adopted, under the one-China principle, a number of measures and made appropriate arrangements for Taiwan's participation in global health affairs," she said.

The channels for Taiwan to obtain information and support on epidemic prevention and control have been unimpeded and effective, Zhu said.

She added that since the early stage of COVID-19, the mainland had sent 260 updates about the epidemic situation to Taiwan, and approved participation by health experts from Taiwan in 16 technical activities held by the World Health Organization.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle, and obstinately adhered to the separatist position of "Taiwan independence," Zhu said.

As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA has ceased to exist, she added.

"We urge the DPP not to go further down the erroneous path," Zhu said. "Any action that challenges the one-China principle is doomed to fail."

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu)
DENTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Kieffer | Starlite in Denton, Texas, has announced the creation of their Hospitality Division. This move also includes the promotion of Larry Caracciolo to Senior Vice President. Among other internal restructuring in light of the COVID pandemic, the company states that they are pleased to have Caracciolo in this new role.

This new role will focus on formalizing the companies commitment to serve the Hospitality industry. Dedicated account teams specializing in turnkey signage service for many hoteliers throughout the US and beyond will benefit from expanded resources to increase capabilities to serve this market.

Caracciolo says, "I am thrilled to be able to step into the role with Kieffer | Starlite. While I will maintain my existing sales responsibilities, I will also outline a vision and actionable plan to ensure our commitment to being the premier signage and branding partner for this segment. To learn more about our experience in this market, visit the Kieffer | Starlite company website."

The hospitality industry was significantly impacted by the pandemic, which started to regain traction this quarter as states lift restrictions. The vaccination has created confidence among many consumers to resume travel. The pandemic began an immediate halt for many properties, which included planned brand refreshes and property expansions.

Kieffer | Starlite is a preferred vendor for signage, lighting, and other branding needs for well-known hoteliers such as Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group. Caracciolo states that Kieffer | Starlite will expand our reach and services to these properties and other brands through this strategic development of the Hospitality Division within the organization.

Caracciolo states that this move is a welcomed opportunity to bring his expertise to a broader range of internal and external customers. It will also show the company's commitment to this industry and continue to position Kieffer | Starlite as a leading national sign company specializing in the hospitality sector. We have an outstanding team of people here. "My additional role will help bring more successes and support our teams to bring more value to hoteliers from code analysis, product innovation, and overall identification of market trends to maximize their signage and branding programs."

Those who would like to learn more about the company can visit the Kieffer | Starlite YouTube channel. The channel, along with other social media channels, is regularly updated with company news and events. The company will also be attending the 2021 AAHOA Convention and Tradeshow, which is in-person this year. Caracciolo looks forward to his team being able to connect face to face to better understand challenges and where we can add value as these properties regain momentum. Those who would like to connect directly with Caracciolo for further information are encouraged to visit LinkedIn.

For more information about Kieffer | Starlite, contact the company here:

Kieffer | Starlite

Kelly David

214-418-6565

kdavid@kiefferstarlite.com

Kieffer | Starlite

7923 E McKinney St.

Denton, TX 76208

Email: Marketing@kiefferstarlite.com

SOURCE: Kieffer | Starlite

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/649016/National-Sign-Company-Kieffer-Starlite-Announces-Hospitality-Division
Issue of 700,000,000 1.375% per annum

due January 26, 2028, issued by the Company on September 26, 2017

ISIN: FR0013284205 Common Code: 168954522

(the "Notes FR0013284205

Issue of 500,000,000 2.00% per annum

due June 30, 2032, issued by the Company on June 30, 2017

ISIN: FR0013266368 Common Code: 164173518

(the "Notes FR0013266368

Issue of 700,000,000 1.375% per annum

due June 30, 2027, issued by the Company on June 30, 2017 and on October 30, 2020

ISIN: FR0013266350 Common Code: 164171965

(the "Notes FR0013266350

Issue of 500,000,000 1.00%

due January 30, 2029, issued by the Company on September 30, 2016

ISIN: FR0013205069 Common Code: 149760482

(the "Notes FR0013205069

Issue of 125,000,000 3.051% per annum

due January 16, 2023, initially issued by Eurosic on December 15, 2014

and which issuance contract has been assigned to the Company

by a transfer agreement entered into between Eurosic and the Company on May 22, 2018

ISIN Code: FR0012383842 Common Code: 115379399

(the "Notes FR0012383842

Issue of 100,000,000 3.00% per annum

due June 1st, 2026, initially issued by Eurosic on December 1st, 2015

and which issuance contract has been assigned to the Company

by a transfer agreement entered into between Eurosic and the Company on May 22, 2018

ISIN Code: FR0013064573 Common Code: 132791414

(the "Notes FR0013064573

(Notes FR0013284205, Notes FR0013266368,

Notes FR0013266350, Notes FR0013205069, Notes FR0012383842 and Notes FR0013064573,

together the "Notes", and individually a "Series")

Regulatory News:

Gecina (Paris:GFC):

The Company hereby announces that the project of the allocation of an amount equivalent to the proceeds, by which the Company's objective is to requalify its existing bond debt as green bonds, by allocating, as from the date of adoption of the Resolutions by the General Meeting, an amount equivalent to the proceeds of the Notes to the financing or the refinancing of a portfolio of eligible green assets, as they meet the environmental criteria described in the Gecina's Green Bond Framework (the "Allocation of an Amount Equivalent to the Proceeds"), has been approved, in accordance with Articles L. 228-65, I of the French Code de commerce, by the general meetings of the holders of the Notes (individually a "Noteholder", and collectively the "Noteholders") of the Series listed above held on May 25, 2021 (on second convocation) in closed session (huis clos), at the registered office of the Company, without the physical presence of the Noteholders (together, the "General Meetings" and individually a "General Meeting

The result of the Noteholders' votes on the resolutions submitted to the General Meetings (the "Resolutions") is detailed in the table below, for the relevant Series:

Resolution Series Status (adopted/rejected) Approval of the Allocation of an Amount Equivalent to the Proceeds (First Resolution) Notes FR0013284205 Adopted Notes FR0013266368 Adopted Notes FR0013266350 Adopted Notes FR0013205069 Adopted Notes FR0012383842 Adopted Notes FR0013064573 Adopted Deposit at the Company's registered office of the attendance sheet, the powers of the Noteholders voting by proxy, and the minutes of the General Meeting (Second Resolution) Notes FR0013284205 Adopted Notes FR0013266368 Adopted Notes FR0013266350 Adopted Notes FR0013205069 Adopted Notes FR0012383842 Adopted Notes FR0013064573 Adopted Powers for the completion of formalities (Third Resolution) Notes FR0013284205 Adopted Notes FR0013266368 Adopted Notes FR0013266350 Adopted Notes FR0013205069 Adopted Notes FR0012383842 Adopted Notes FR0013064573 Adopted

Following the adoption of the First Resolution by the general meetings held on second convocation for the six Series listed above, all of the Company's existing bonds are requalified as green bonds.

GECINA

A French limited liability company (societe anonyme) with a share capital of 573,949,530

Registered office: 14-16, Rue des Capucines 75002 PARIS, FRANCE

592 014 476 RCS PARIS

("Gecina" or the "Company

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005820/en/

Contacts:

For all additional information about this communication, in addition to Gecina, the following

Centralizing Agent can be contacted:

GECINA

14-16, rue des Capucines

75002 PARIS

France

Tel: +33 1 40 40 52 92

Attention: Jerome Engelbrecht

Email: jeromeengelbrecht@gecina.fr

CENTRALIZING AGENT

Societe Generale Securities Services

32 rue du Champ de Tir CS 30812

44308 Nantes Cedex 3, France

via Elisabeth Bulteau, +33 2 51 85 65 93

agobligataire.fr@socgen.com
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - 1246779 B.C. Ltd. ("779" or the "Company") and Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company ("WAC&G") are pleased to announce that they have entered into an arm's length non-binding letter of intent dated April 12, 2021 (the "Letter of Intent") in respect of a proposed business combination (the "Proposed Transaction") that would result in the reverse takeover of 779 by WAC&G and the listing of the resulting entity (the "Resulting Issuer") on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). Following the completion of the Proposed Transaction, WAC&G will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer, which will hold all of the assets and continue the business of WAC&G.

About WAC&G

WAC&G was incorporated under the laws of the State of Alaska and currently has approximately 2,361 share of common stock (the "WAC&G Shares") issued and outstanding and outstanding options to acquire an additional 222 WAC&G Shares. It is anticipated that WAC&G will complete a non-brokered private placement prior to completion of the Proposed Private Placement (the "Pre-RTO Financing") in May, 2021 of approximately 606 WAC&G Shares, at a price of C$5,714.29 (US$4,500) per WAC&G Share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$3,462,857.14 (US$2,727,000), based upon a foreign exchange ratio of 0.7875 US dollars for every Canadian dollar. Following the completion of the Pre-RTO Financing, it is anticipated that WAC&G will have approximately 3,189 WAC&G Shares issued and outstanding on a fully diluted basis.

WAC&G owns the rights in and to the assets and claims in the Illinois Creek Project (the "Project") which is comprised of the Illinois Creek claim block, the Round Top claim block and the Honker claim block, totaling 222 State of Alaska mining claims and covering 35,520 acres (14,374 ha), or 55.5 square miles. The Project is 100% owned by WAC&G.

BD Resource Consulting, Inc. has prepared a technical report in respect of the Project dated effective January 15, 2021, which report is compliant with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the "NI 43-101 Report").

About the Project

The Illinois Creek claim block is one of three properties controlled by WAC&G in the Illinois Creek mining district located in western Alaska near the Yukon River. WAC&G is a private exploration company registered in Alaska and, since 2010, it has been exploring and advancing its interests in the district. Exploration of the properties began in the early 1980's by Anaconda Minerals Co., then by Echo Bay, USMS/Dakota Mining and NovaGold. The Illinois Creek Mine was permitted by USMX in 1996 and started production as a run-of-mine heap leach open pit mine in 1997. It closed soon after due to low gold prices and was reclaimed in 2002.

Illinois Creek is an advanced stage project with drilling, geophysical and geochemical surveys by several past operators. Extensive drilling, at total of 578 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes, at the Illinois Creek Property has targeted the oxidized gossans and, to a far lesser extent, the Waterpump Creek carbonate replacement deposit (CRD) and Last Hurrah CRD. Only minimal exploration has targeted the remainder of the Property, and the potential to find additional mineralized zones is considered by WAC&G to be very good.

Table 6.7 from the 43-101 Report summarizes the mineral resource delineation and exploration drill campaigns on the Property between 1980 and 2006 conducted by the previous operators of the Property.

Drill Campaigns 1980-2006 at Illinois Creek

Company Years # Core

Holes # RC

Holes Core

(m) RC

(m) Total

(m) Anaconda 1980-1984 73 18 10,132.7 2,266.1 12,398.8 Goldmor 1988-1990 1 87 16.8 2,914.0 2,930.8 NPMC 1991-1992 42 0 3,089.4 0.0 3,089.4 Echo Bay 1993 0 166 0.0 18,739.5 18,739.5 USMX 1994-1995 65 78 4,657.9 5,054.3 9,712.2 Viceroy 1999 0 23 0.0 731.6 731.6 ARG 2002 5 0 215.3 0.0 215.3 NovaGold 2005-2006 20 0 2,746.8 0.0 2,746.8 Total 206 372 20,858.9 29,705.5 50,564.4



The 43-101 Report indicates the following:

Mineral Resource Estimate for Combined

In-Situ and Leach Pad Mineral Resources

Class Tonnes

(M) Average Grade Contained Metal AuEq

(g/t) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Cu

(%) AuEq

(koz) Au

(koz) Ag

(Moz) Cu

(Mlbs) Indicated 8.7 1.33 0.90 34.4 0.21 373 253 9.6 40 Inferred 3.3 1.44 0.99 36.2 0.21 152 104 3.8 15



In-Situ Mineral resources are stated as contained within a pit shell developed using a metal prices of US$1,600/oz Au and US$20/oz Ag, mining costs of US$2.50/t, processing costs of US$10/t, G&A cost of US$4.00/t, 92% metallurgical recovery Au, 65% metallurgical recovery Ag and an average pit slope of 45 degrees. The cut-off grade for resources considered amenable to open pit extraction methods is 0.35 g/t AuEq. It is assumed that the entire volume of the material on the leach pad will be processed and therefore, no selectivity is possible, and the Leach Pad Mineral Resources are presented at a zero-cut-off grade.

The technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Bruce Davis, BD Resource Consulting, Inc., Larkspur, Colorado and Robert Sim, SIM Geological Inc., Vancouver, B.C. and Jack DiMarchi, Core Geoscience and Deepak Mulhotra, Pro Solve LLC, Denver , Colorado., two of the authors of the NI 43-101 Technical Report prepared in respect of the Project by BD Resource Consulting, Inc. and dated effective January 15, 2021 (the "NI 43-101 Report"), and each a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the "QPs"). Such QPs have no beneficial interest in WAC&G or the Project and are not insiders, associates, or affiliates of WAC&G. The results of the Technical Report were not dependent on any prior agreements concerning the conclusions of the Technical Report, and there are no undisclosed understandings concerning future business dealings between WAC&G and the QPs. The authors of the Technical Report were paid a fee for their work in accordance with normal professional consulting practices. The Technical Report noted that Piek Exploration had conducted two 5% data verification checks of the assay and collar databases. In both instances, only two errors in the assay values were encountered and those appeared to be transcription errors. The QPs randomly selected the sample data from 15 drill holes, representing about 4% of the data using in the estimate of in-situ mineral resources. The grades in these holes were compared to those contained in the certified assay certificates provided by the laboratories. In this suite of 818 individual samples, there were four errors found in the gold data and three errors in the silver data. These results are similar to those achieved during previous database audits. The sample data from an additional four drill holes from the leach pad area were randomly selected, and the assay results were compared to the values contained in the assay certificates. There were no errors identified. The QPs believe the database meets industry standards for data quality and data integrity and that sample preparation, security, and analytical procedures are adequate to support a mineral resource estimation.

Summary of Proposed Transaction and Concurrent Financing

Transaction Structure

The Letter of Intent provides that 779 and WAC&G will negotiate and enter into a definitive agreement in respect of the Proposed Transaction (the "Definitive Agreement") as soon as possible. The Proposed Transaction is expected to be completed by way of a merger of WAC&G and a wholly-owned subsidiary of 779 ("SubCo"), pursuant to a Plan of Merger in accordance with the Alaska Corporations Code, or such other alternative structure to be determined, having regard to relevant tax, securities and other factors, which will result in WAC&G becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of 779.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, 779 will amend and restate its Notice of Articles (the "Article Amendment") to create two classes of shares, common shares of 779 (the "779 Common Shares") and proportional voting shares of 779 ("779 Proportional Voting Shares"), which will convertible subject to certain conditions, into 779 Common Shares on the basis of approximately one hundred (100) 779 Common Shares for each 779 Proportional Voting Share (depending on their status as U.S. residents). The shareholders of WAC&G will receive either 779 Common Shares or 779 Proportional Voting Shares in exchange for their WAC&G Shares, resulting in a reverse takeover of 779 by WAC&G. Entering into of the Definitive Agreement is conditional upon 779 and WAC&G each being satisfied with the results of full financial, business, legal, environmental, labour and other due diligence investigations in respect of the other party.

For the purposes of the Proposed Transaction, each outstanding share of WAC&G held by a non-US resident shall be exchanged for approximately ten thousand (10,000) 779 Common Shares and each outstanding share of WAC&G held by a US resident shall be exchanged for approximately one hundred (100) 779 Proportional Voting Shares. In addition, all outstanding WAC&G options will be exchanged for options of 779 on the basis of approximately ten thousand (10,000) options of 779 for each WAC&G option.

Prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, 779 shall consolidate, as required, the 3,075,000 779 Shares which will be outstanding at that point in time (the "779 Consolidation") based upon a ratio to be determined immediately prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction so that the current holders of 779 Shares shall hold, in the aggregate, such number of 779 Common Shares that, when multiplied by the offering price of the Concurrent Financing (as defined below), are equal to no less than C$1,132,500 (the "779 Share Value"). In the event that the offering price of the Concurrent Financing is greater than $0.75 per share, then the 779 Share Value shall be increased proportionately. In addition, in connection with the Proposed Transaction, 779 will change its name to "Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company" or such other name as may be determined by 779 and WAC&G.

Certain common shares of the Resulting Issuer to be issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction are expected to be subject to restrictions on resale or escrow under the policies of the Exchange, including the securities to be issued to "Principals" (as defined under Exchange policies), which will subject to the escrow requirements of the Exchange.

The Proposed Transaction is subject to, among other things, the negotiation and execution of the Definitive Agreement, each of 779 and WAC&G being satisfied with the results of its due diligence review of the other party, completion of the Concurrent Financing for aggregate gross proceeds of not less than C$2,000,000 and that such Concurrent Financing meets the listing requirements of the Exchange, WAC&G owning all of the rights and interests in and to the Project, the Resulting Issuer meeting the requirements of the Exchange for a Tier 1 mining issuer and the Exchange issuing conditional acceptance, such only to customary conditions of closing, for the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares, that the Resulting Issuer will be a "foreign private issuer" under US securities laws, and each of the parties obtaining all necessary board, shareholder and regulatory approvals, including the conditional approval of the Exchange, and other standard closing conditions. The Proposed Transaction will be subject to the approval of the 779 shareholders, which 779 anticipates it will obtain by way of unanimous written consent resolutions. The terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction may change based on 779's due diligence (which will be limited as the 779 intends to rely upon the due diligence conducted by the Exchange and the agents involved with the Concurrent Financing) and the receipt of tax, corporate and securities law advice for both 779 and WAC&G.

On completion of the Proposed Transaction, the Resulting Issuer is expected to qualify as a Tier 1 mining issuer on the Exchange.

Concurrent Financing

779 intends to complete a non-brokered private placement offering (the "Concurrent Financing")of subscription receipt (the "Subscription Receipts") for aggregate gross proceeds of not less than C$2,000,000 at an offering price to be determined. In connection with the completion of the Proposed Transaction, each Subscription Receipt shall automatically convert, with no further action on behalf of the holder, into a Resulting Issuer Share. The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be placed into escrow and released to the Resulting Issuer, subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions including that all conditions precedent to the closing of the Proposed Transaction shall be satisfied or waived.

WAC&G intends to use the net proceeds of the Concurrent Financing to fund the exploration of the Project, pay for expenses of the Concurrent Financing and Proposed Transaction, and for general working capital purposes.

The securities to be offered in the Proposed Transaction and Concurrent Financing have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Rule 902(k) of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States, absent registration or applicable exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Proposed Directors and Officers

It is anticipated that all of the current directors and officers of 779 will resign from their respective positions with 779 in connection with the closing of the Proposed Transaction. The board and management of the Resulting Issuer shall be comprised of five (5) WAC&G nominees, and is expected to include a board comprised of Christopher Marrs, Gregory Anderson, Nathan Brewer, Kevin Nishi and David Smallhouse. Management is expected to include Christopher Marrs as Chief Executive Officer, Alex Tong as Chief Financial Officer, Catalin KiloFliski as Corporate Development Officer and Joe Piekenbrock as Chief Exploration Officer. The following are brief descriptions of the currently proposed directors and officers of the Resulting Issuer:

Christopher Marrs, Proposed Chief Executive Officer and Director

Mr. Marrs has served as the Corporation's President since its inception in 2010 and has more than 40 years' experience as an Economic Geologist. Mr. Marrs was a project geologist for Anaconda, based in Anchorage, Alaska and managed the Illinois Creek and Round Top Projects in the 1980's along with numerous other projects throughout Alaska. Mr. Marrs was also previously a consulting geologist for Noranda Mining and LAC Minerals in Sonora Mexico. Mr. Marrs has a B.S. in Geology and a M.S. in Economic and Structural Geology from the University of Arizona and is a member of the Society of Economic Geologists, Alaska Miners Association and Arizona Geological Society. Mr. Marrs has also served on the University of Arizona Geoscience Department Advisory Board since 2005.

Nathan Brewer, Proposed Director

Mr. Brewer has more than 40 years' experience as an exploration geologist. He has worked for several major mining companies in over 20 countries worldwide including Anaconda, Echo Bay, Lac Minerals, Barrick, Homestake and Gold Fields. His career started in Alaska (including 3 years as the Project Manager at Illinois Creek). Before retiring in 2018 from Gold Fields, he was Senior Vice President, Global Greenfields Exploration. During his career he lead two important South American projects from grass roots discovery through resource delineation, PEA, and Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility stages. Both of these deposits have since become profitable mines. Mr. Brewer holds a BA in Geology from UC Santa Barbara and is a Certified Professional Geologist. He is the current President of the Denver Regional Exploration Geologists' Society (DREGS).

David Smallhouse, Proposed Director

Mr. Smallhouse is a fifth generation Tucsonan, graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics and holds a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona. Mr. Smallhouse is currently Managing Partner of Miramar Ventures, LLC, a firm involved in agribusiness, real estate, private equity and venture capital investments. Miramar Ventures is also an active investor in angel and early stage ventures. Its portfolio includes bio-life sciences, drug development, software, clean tech, and medical device companies, many with close ties to the University of Arizona and/or the Desert Angels of Southern Arizona. Additionally, he is a partner in Arch Partners, LLC, an active seed venture investment company, a Tucson board member of BBVA Compass Bank, Playability Toys, Dependable Health Services. and I.Me.Mine Digital. Current Civic Activities include; Trustee of Salpointe Catholic High School, Director of the University of Arizona's Tech Launch Arizona, Board Member of the National Law Center for Inter American Trade, Executive Board Member of Sun Corridor, Inc., Board Member of Start Up Tucson, Board Member of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and a Member of the Eller College National Board of Advisors.

Gregory Anderson, Proposed Director

Mr. Anderson is an attorney whose practice focuses on business organization, strategy and commercial transactions. Mr. Anderson received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, his J.D. from the University of Arizona and has had his own law practice since 1984. Mr. Anderson is also manager of a family office which invests in real estate, startups and early-stage ventures.

Kevin Nishi, Proposed Director

Mr. Nishi is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University. He has held several director positions with exploration stage mining companies. Mr. Nishi is a partner with Smythe LLP working with several public companies listed on the TSX and TSX Venture exchanges in Canada and in the United States.

Alex Tong, Proposed Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Tong is a Chartered Professional Accountant with extensive senior management experience in the mining industry, prior to serving as Chief Financial Officer of several publicly traded companies, he was Director of Finance at Lucara Diamond Corp. Mr. Tong also held senior finance roles at development resource public companies Energy Metals and NovaGold, where Mr Tong was responsible for achieving operational performance, leading mergers and acquisitions and being involved with various financing initiatives.

Alex is currently co-founder of Calibre Capital Corp., a full-service merchant bank providing financial services, leading stock exchange listings and managing all aspects of businesses for its clients to achieve commercial success.

Catalin Kilofliski, Proposed Corporate Development Officer

Mr. Kilofliski is Former CEO of Canarc Resources, Director of Business Development with Aurcana Corp., Director Business Development for Selwyn Resources and Director Corporate Development for Tudor Gold with over 25 years of senior leadership roles, including business development, capital raising, company building, marketing, communications, corporate governance and sustainability in Canada, US, Mexico, Europe and Asia. He has extensive expertise in mining and capital markets. Most recently he was instrumental in growing TSX.V listed Tudor Gold Corp from $30 million to over $500 million in market cap. with over 25 years of senior company management

Joe Piekenbrock, Proposed Chief Exploration Officer

Mr. Piekenbrock brings over 35 years of experience to the mining exploration and development industry where he has managed all aspects of exploration from grassroots discovery through feasibility. From 2003 to 2011, he served as Vice President, Exploration, for NovaGold Resources and more recently served as Senior Vice President of Exploration for NovaCopper. He had extensive experience throughout Latin America while working for Placer Dome and was one of the founding members of Brett Resources. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the Cominco Alaska exploration team responsible for the discovery of the Whistler Cu deposit, the Sleitat Sn deposit, the Shotgun Au deposit and the giant Pebble Cu/Au deposit. After joining the Nova group of companies in 2003, he was instrumental in leading a series of major discoveries including the Donlin Creek Au deposit, the Bornite Cu and the Galore Creek Cu/Au porphyry deposit in Alaska and British Columbia. He was awarded the Thayer Lindsley medal for International Discovery in 2009 for his role in the discovery of the Donlin Creek deposit and the Colin Spence award for International Discovery in 2015 for his contributions to the discovery of South Reef deposit at Bornite. Mr. Piekenbrock holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology from the University of Colorado, and a Master of Science degree in economic geology from the University of Arizona.

Principals or Insiders of the Resulting Issuer

In addition to the forgoing proposed directors and officers, the following are the person that are expected to qualify as Principals and Insiders (as those terms are defined in the Exchange policy) of the Resulting Issuer:

Joan Marrs Anticipated to hold in excess of 10% of the Resulting Issuer Shares

Selected Financial Information

The following table sets out selected financial information with respect to WAC&G as at the dates noted. The selected financial information is derived from WAC&G's audited consolidated financial statements for the periods described and denominated in US dollars.

As at

December 31, 2018

(audited) As at

December 31, 2019

(audited) As at December 31, 2020

(unaudited) Total assets 6,722,731 8,032,159 8,890,425 Total liabilities 113,059 24,700 185,712 Shareholders' equity 6,609,672 8,007,159 8,704,713 Revenues 0 0 0 Net Profits / Losses (87,276) (158,063) (165,131)

Further financial information will be included in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction.

Exchange Matters and Sponsorship

As at the date hereof, neither the 779 Shares nor the WAC&G Shares are listed on any stock exchange. A condition to completion of the Proposed Transaction is the conditional approval for the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on the Exchange. A listing application in respect of the Resulting Issuer Shares, which will include further details of the Proposed Transaction, will be filed on 779's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com provided the Exchange's conditional approval of the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares has been obtained. There can be no assurance that the Exchange will grant such conditional approval or that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. The Proposed Transaction is not a "Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transactions" (within the meaning of Exchange policies).

768 intends to apply to the TSXV for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements for the Transactions based upon the Private Placement and/or other exemptions available in TSXV policies.

Sponsorship of a reverse take-over transaction is required by the Exchange unless exempt in accordance with Exchange policies. WAC&G intends to apply for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements based upon the Pre-RTO Private Placement and the Concurrent Financing and/or other exemptions available in the Exchange policies. There is no assurance that WAC&G will ultimately obtain an exemption from sponsorship.

Additional Information

Additional information concerning the Proposed Transaction, 779, WAC&G and the Resulting Issuer will be provided in subsequent news releases and in 779's listing application to be filed in connection with the Proposed Transaction, which will be available under 779's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

About 779

779 is a company formed pursuant to the laws of British Columbia and is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. 779 currently has issued and outstanding 3,000,000 779 Shares and 75,000 incentive stock options to acquire 75,000 779 Shares at a price of $0.10 per share which options shall be exercised prior to completion of the Proposed Transaction.

For further information:

1246779 B.C. Ltd.

James Ward, Director

Phone: (416) 897-2359

Email: james@wardfinancial.ca

Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company

Kit Marrs, President

Email: kit@wacg.rocks

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and obtaining all required shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.

The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

All information contained in this news release with respect to 779, WAC&G, and the Resulting Issuer was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and 779 and its directors and officers have relied on WAC&G for any information concerning such party.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would" , "might " or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction, the Pre-RTO Private Placement, the Concurrent Financing, the 779 Consolidation, the exchange ratios for the WAC&G Shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction, the anticipated term of the 779 Proportional Voting Shares, the business and operations of 779, WAC&G and the Resulting Issuer, go-forward directors and management of the Resulting Issuer, the use of proceeds from the Concurrent Financing, the trading of the Resulting Issuer Shares, and the receipt of director, shareholder and regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder, court or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, 779 and WAC&G assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. The terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction may change based on 779's due diligence (which will be limited as the 779 intends to rely upon the due diligence conducted by the agents in connection with the Concurrent Financing) and the receipt of tax, corporate and securities law advice for both 779 and WAC&G. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85178
Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Majic Wheels, Corp. (OTC Pink: MJWL) ("Majic" or the "Company"), a Delaware corporation that is positioning itself as a player in the disruptive industries of fintech and software development by means of acquisitions, will be hosting an online investor presentation further elaborating details on its pending acquisition of Calfin Global Crypto Exchange CGCX. The Company would like to invite shareholders and prospective investors to sign up for the upcoming presentation.

The Company, on Friday 21st of May 2021, announced its binding LOI with the Calfin Global Crypto Exchange ("CGCX"). Further to that announcement, the company wishes to present more details to its shareholders and prospective investors during an online presentation that will be announced in the coming days. To that end, the Company invites everyone to the Corporate Newsletter to receive updates about the upcoming presentation.

"With the recent announcement of our pending acquisition of the Calfin Global Crypto Exchange, we have received a lot of interest and questions from the investor community. To that end, we wish to host an online presentation to provide further details about CGCX," said David Chong, CEO and Director of Majic Wheels Corp.

To sign up, visit our website: https://majiccorp.co/.

About Majic Corp. Inc.

Majic Corp Inc., a Delaware corporation, intends to position itself as a player in the disruptive industries of and Fintech and software development by means of an acquisition and merger. Majic Wheels Corp. is listed and traded on the Over-the-Counter Market under the trading symbol "MJWL".

For more information about the Company visit:

Our OTC Markets Profile: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/mjwl/overview

Our Website is: https://majiccorp.co/

Our Twitter account is: https://twitter.com/MajicCorp

About CGCX Ltd.

Founded in 2017, Calfin Global Crypto Exchange CGCX set out to offer a highly sophisticated cryptocurrency exchange for a seamless & secure crypto trading experience. Unlike most exchanges that offer only cryptocurrency trading, CGCX caters to the larger blockchain community by providing four services under a single platform.

CGCX Website: https://www.cgcx.io

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

SOURCE: Majic Wheels Corp.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

David Chong

Email: info@majiccorp.co

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85183
Sepsis Market to gain considerably as an investment in research picks up; limited approved treatment options offer an excellent opportunity to develop novel therapies

LAS VEGAS, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's " Sepsis Market " report provides a thorough comprehension of the Sepsis, historical and forecasted epidemiology, and the Sepsis market trends in the 7MM [the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and United Kingdom) and Japan]. The Sepsis market report also proffers an analysis of the current Sepsis treatment algorithm/practice, market drivers, market barriers, and unmet medical needs.

Some of the imperative takeaways from the Sepsis Market Research Report

According to DelveInsight's estimates, the highest Sepsis market size was in the US, followed by Japan.

The market size of Antimicrobials, Pressor Agents, and Other Immunomodulatory Agents in 7MM was USD 593.3 million , USD 879.2 million , and USD 229.7 million in 2020, respectively.

in 7MM was in 2020, respectively. Several key pharmaceutical companies such as La Jolla Pharmaceuticals, Par Pharmaceutical, Ono Pharmaceutical, Vivacelle Bio, Inotrem, Enlivex Therapeutics, Adrenomed, Shionogi, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp, AM-Pharma, ABIONYX Pharma, Revimmune, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, BioMarck Pharmaceuticals, and others are developing novel products to drift the Sepsis treatment scenario positively.

and others are developing novel products to drift the Sepsis treatment scenario positively. Giapreza (angiotensin II), a drug by La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company, got FDA approval in 2017 as a vasoconstrictor to increase blood pressure in adults with septic or other distributive shocks.

a drug by got in 2017 as a vasoconstrictor to increase blood pressure in adults with septic or other distributive shocks. The commonly used antibiotics include ceftriaxone (off-label), meropenem (Merrem), ceftazidime (Fortaz), cefotaxime (Claforan), cefepime (Maxipime), piperacillin and tazobactam (Zosyn), ampicillin and sulbactam (Unasyn), imipenem/cilastatin (Primaxin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and clindamycin (Cleocin). Oritavancin, dalbavancin, and tedizolid are among the antibiotics that the FDA has approved.

are among the antibiotics that the FDA has approved. The increase in awareness among patients/health care providers and the rise in Sepsis incidence worldwide surge the treatment options. Medications with better safety and effectiveness, low cost, and less time-consuming therapies are required in the Sepsis market. There has been an increase in Sepsis clinical trials activity for emerging therapies that will boost the market.

However, a few impediments to Sepsis market growth, such as the lack of pathophysiology comprehension and clinical relevance, may delay diagnosis. Available pharmacological therapies have associated limitations. The increased disease burden is associated with the high cost of treatment. Strict pricing and reimbursement policies, availability of antibiotics, and off-label therapies are other reasons to hinder the market's growth.

For further information on Market Impact by Therapies, visit: Sepsis Market Size Analysis

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction that is caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis can be the clinical manifestation of infections acquired in the community setting and healthcare facilities.

DelveInsight states the total Sepsis incident cases were 3,400,940 cases in the 7MM in 2020 and is expected to increase in the forecast period (2021-2030). The US is the major contributor to the incident population of Sepsis in the 7MM with 1,870,897 cases.

The Sepsis Market Report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiological analysis segmented into:

Total Incident Cases of Sepsis

Gender-Specific Sepsis Incident Cases

Severity-Specific Incident Cases of Sepsis

Origin-Specific Sepsis Incident Cases

Get a complete epidemiological segmentation @ Sepsis Epidemiological Analysis

Sepsis Treatment Market

Sepsis treatment is generally examined under two categories: appropriate antimicrobial treatment and all-purpose supporting treatment. The treatment for Sepsis includes several antibiotics, vasoactive medications, insulin, and painkillers. In severe cases of Sepsis, extracorporeal therapies are also used.

The primary treatment for Sepsis without organ dysfunction, Severe Sepsis, or septic shock is antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are the first-line medications. These antibiotics are combinations of two or three antibiotics given simultaneously; most combinations usually include vancomycin and other antibiotic-resistant (drug-resistant) infections.

The patients also need fluids to help maintain the blood pressure from dropping dangerously low; intravenous fluids allow the health care staff to track the amount of fluid and control the type of fluid. Normal saline is commonly given fluid. Colloids, another kind of fluid, are given intravenously include albumin and dextran.

If the patient's blood pressure remains too low even after intravenous fluids, patients are then given vasopressor medication. The most commonly used vasopressor includes norepinephrine and dopamine. In some extreme cases, doctors even advise corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation and depress the immune system, making it less active.

Ventilators, aka respirators, help patients breathe. If there are not enough breaths within a certain period, the machine will aid by taking over as required.

Extracorporeal therapies are treatments done utilising machines and techniques such as continuous renal replacement therapy or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). In patients, if Sepsis gets severe, sometimes patients are given blood transfusions. Patients may need dialysis if their kidneys cannot filter the blood as they should.

Some of the Sepsis marketed therapies include Giapreza injection, which is approved by FDA as a vasoconstrictor to increase blood pressure in adults with septic or other distributive shocks. Onoact is used for emergency treatment of intra-operative or post-operative tachyarrhythmia and treatment of tachyarrhythmia in left ventricular dysfunction. Empressin is an argipressin-based vasopressor indicated for treating catecholamine-refractory hypotension following septic shock in patients older than 18 years.

The approved drugs for Sepsis are not very much and are in the emerging pipeline. The majority of the drugs in the pipeline failed to show any improvement in the clinical trial. The potential therapies which are expected to be launched in the forecasted period are Fetroja/Fetcroja (Cefiderocol), Recombinant human alkaline phosphatase, Nangibotide (LR12), Adrecizumab, and CYT107. The peak share of all these Sepsis therapies is based on their targeted patient pool (severe Sepsis, septic shock and overall Sepsis).

Sepsis Emerging Therapies Along with Key Players

VBI-S: Vivacelle Bio

Nangibotide (LR12): Inotrem

Allocetra: Enlivex Therapeutics

Adrecizumab: Adrenomed

Fetroja/Fetcroja (Cefiderocol): Shionogi

Recomodulin (ART-123): Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp.

Recombinant human alkaline phosphatase: AM-Pharma

CER-001: ABIONYX Pharma

CYT107: Revimmune

Esmolol (esmolol hydrochloride): Baxter Healthcare Corporation

BIO-11006: BioMarck Pharmaceuticals

And several others.

Scope of the Sepsis Market Insight Report

Geography Covered: The United States , EU5 ( Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ), and Japan.

, EU5 ( , , , , and the ), and Japan. Study Period: 3-year historical and 10-year forecasted analysis (2018-2030).

Sepsis Markets Segmentation: By Geographies and By Sepsis Therapies (Historical and Forecasted, Current and Upcoming)

Dominant Market Companies investigating its candidates for Sepsis: La Jolla Pharmaceuticals, Par Pharmaceutical, Ono Pharmaceutical, Vivacelle Bio, Inotrem, Enlivex Therapeutics, Adrenomed, Shionogi, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp, AM-Pharma, ABIONYX Pharma, Revimmune, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, BioMarck Pharmaceuticals, and several others.

Analysis: Comparative and conjoint analysis of emerging therapies.

Case Studies

KOL's Views

Analyst's View

Request for a Webex demo of the report @ Sepsis Therapeutics Market

Table of Contents

1 Sepsis Key Insights 2 Sepsis Report Introduction 3 Executive Summary of Sepsis 4 Sepsis Disease Background and Overview 5 Sepsis Epidemiology and Patient Population 5.1 The United States 5.2 EU5 Countries 5.2.1 Germany 5.2.2 France 5.2.3 Italy 5.2.4 Spain 5.2.5 The United Kingdom 5.3 Japan 6 Sepsis Patient Journey 7 Organisations contributing towards Sepsis 8 Sepsis Marketed Therapies 8.1 Giapreza: La Jolla Pharmaceuticals 8.2 Vasostrict: Par Pharmaceutical 8.3 Onoact Injection (Landiolol hydrochloride): Ono Pharmaceutical 9 Sepsis Emerging Therapies 9.1 VBI-S: Vivacelle Bio 9.2 Nangibotide (LR12): Inotrem 9.3 Allocetra: Enlivex Therapeutics 9.4 Adrecizumab: Adrenomed 9.5 Fetroja/Fetcroja (Cefiderocol): Shionogi 9.6 Recomodulin (ART-123): Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp. 9.7 Recombinant human alkaline phosphatase: AM-Pharma 9.8 CER-001: ABIONYX Pharma 9.9 CYT107: Revimmune 9.10 Esmolol (esmolol hydrochloride): Baxter Healthcare Corporation 9.11 BIO-11006: BioMarck Pharmaceuticals 10 7MM Sepsis Market Analysis 10.1 The United States Sepsis Market Size 10.2 EU-5 Sepsis Market Size 10.2.1 Germany Market Size 10.2.2 France Market Size 10.2.3 Italy Market Size 10.2.4 Spain Market Size 10.2.5 United Kingdom Market Size 10.3 Japan Sepsis Market Size 11 KOL Views 12 Sepsis Market Drivers 13 Sepsis Market Barriers 14 SWOT Analysis of Sepsis 15 Sepsis Unmet Needs 16 Reimbursement and Sepsis Market Access 17 Appendix 18 DelveInsight Capabilities 19 Disclaimer 20 About DelveInsight

Browse full report with detailed TOC with charts, figures, tables @ Sepsis Diagnostics Market Report

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About DelveInsight

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Subscription to raise a minimum of 2.0 million and record day of sales

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Love Hemp Group PLC (AQSE:LIFE) (OTCQB:WRHLF), one of the UK's leading CBD and hemp product suppliers, is pleased to announce that it has raised 2.0 million by way of a Subscription (the "Fundraise") of new ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each in the Company ("New Ordinary Shares") at a price of 3.5p per share, a 7.7% premium to the closing price on 25 May 2021, as well as reporting a record day of sales on 20 May 2021 exclusively through its love-hemp.com e-commerce site.

Fundraise

The Fundraise is by way of Subscription Units, with each Subscription Unit comprising one New Ordinary Share at a price of 3.5p per share and a  warrant exercisable for 90 days post-closing of the Bookbuild, also at 3.5p per share. The Bookbuild led by Hannam Partners will be closed at 17:00 BST on Thursday 27 May 2021, allowing early-stage investors to participate and increase their shareholdings in Love Hemp. This Fundraise follows a successful 7 million fundraise as announced on 8 April 2021.

The proceeds of the Fundraise will be used for administrative purposes as well as to support the Company's marketing efforts as highlighted by the marketing appointments and sponsorship agreements announced earlier this month.

The final number of New Ordinary Shares to be issued will be announced following the closing of the Bookbuild process. The New Ordinary Shares, when issued, will be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares of Love Hemp.

Application will be made for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on the Access segment of the AQSE Growth Market ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission will take place at or around 08.00 BST on 3 June 2021. The Fundraise is conditional upon, Admission becoming effective.

Record Day of Sales

Love Hemp held its online Drop Day sale on 20 May 2021, in which it's ecommerce platform, www.love-hemp.com, received over 1400 orders in a 14-hour period. During this time, the brand sold 3,415 units resulting in 86.4k of total sales; marking the biggest day of sales that Love Hemp has ever had online and beating the forecasts for the event.

Andrew Male, Chairman and Director of Love Hemp Group commented: "This fundraise, coupled with the placing in early April, demonstrates a strong appetite for the Love Hemp brand and a strong belief in our expansion strategy. Love Hemp Group has undergone a number of changes in the past six months as we have revised our focus and streamlined the Company.

"I am proud of the work that has been done to get the Company into such a robust position and am confident that it will continue to go from strength to strength whilst providing our shareholders with a good return on their investment."

Tony Calamita, Chief Executive Officer of Love Hemp Group, commented: "This fundraise coupled with the success of our online sale is outstanding and truly highlights the Company's reputation as an industry leader as well as the support from our customers. The Love Hemp brand continues to strengthen, and I am so proud of what we have achieved in a very short time.

"The impressive sales seen during Love Hemp's Drop Day sale gives me confidence that our consumer base will continue to grow as we expand operations and build a globally recognised brand."

For further information please contact:

Andrew Male

Chairman & Director

+44 (0) 7926 397 675

andrew@lovehempgroup.com AQSE Corporate Adviser Mark Anwyl/Allie Feuerlein

Peterhouse Capital Limited

+44 (0) 20 7469 0930

ma@peterhousecap.com

af@peterhousecap.com Financial PR Tim Blythe

Alice McLaren

Madeleine Gordon-Foxwell

+44 (0) 207 138 3204

lovehemp@blytheweigh.com



Financial Advisor

Rupert Fane/Jay Ashfield

H&P Advisory Limited

+44 (0) 20 7907 8500

rf@hannam.partners

ja@hannam.partners

For more information on Love Hemp Group please visit: www.lovehempgroup.com

www.worldhighlife.uk

About Love Hemp Group

The Company was incorporated on 30 January 2019 as an Investment Vehicle. Originally intended to identify opportunities in the CBD and Medicinal Cannabis space, it quickly acquired Love Hemp Ltd., the UK's most recognisable CBD brand. The listed company recently changed its name to Love Hemp Group plc as part of its evolving strategy to purely focus on supporting the "best in class" CBD brand as it embarks on a wider expansion of its core business and offering.

Love Hemp produces and supplies more than 40 product lines, comprising of oils, sprays and tinctures and a variety of edible and water-based CBD products. Love Hemp has established relationships with over 2,000 stores in the UK, including leading retailers such as Sainsbury's, Boots, Ocado and Holland & Barrett.

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Love Hemp Group PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/649042/Love-Hemp-Group-PLC-Announces-Subscription-to-Raise-2M-and-Record-Day-of-Sales
ENDEAVOUR ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS

AND BOARD APPOINTMENT

George Town, 25 May 2021 - Endeavour Mining Corporation (TSX: EDV) (OTCQX: EDVMF) is pleased to announce that all resolutions at today's Annual General Meeting and Court and Extraordinary General Meetings, with regards to the proposed listing on the premium segment of the Official List of the FCA and admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange ("Admission"), were duly passed.

As such, Endeavour remains on track to list on the London Stock Exchange ("LSE") on or about June 14, 2021. Endeavour is not intending to raise capital in conjunction with its London listing and will be retaining its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"). Shares will trade on both exchanges under the ticker symbol "EDV".

Michael Beckett, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "The strong support received for today's resolutions demonstrates that shareholders share the Board's view of the benefits that are expected to result from our listing on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange. This is an important strategic milestone in the Company's evolution as it will provide deeper access to a diverse pool of investor capital with a strong understanding of its key operating jurisdictions across West Africa. We also envisage increased demand due to the expected inclusion in the FTSE UK Index Series and MSCI Europe Index."

Endeavour is also pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Carmen Letton to the Board as an independent non-executive director. Dr. Letton's appointment adds greater technical depth to the Board, as she brings 35 years of experience in the mining industry. Endeavour's Board is now composed of ten members: Chairman Michael Beckett, James Askew, Alison Baker, Sofia Bianchi, Carmen Letton, Livia Mahler, David Mimran, Naguib Sawiris and Tertius Zongo as non-executive directors, and Sebastien de Montessus as executive director, President and CEO.

Michael Beckett commented:"I want to welcome Carmen to the Board and look forward to drawing on her considerable expertise as Endeavour seeks to continue its momentum as a senior gold producer over the coming years. In addition, I'd like to sincerely thank both Bill Biggar and Frank Wheatley for their contributions during the integration period of the Teranga assets. Both have decided not to stand for re-election tohelp us facilitate are-balancingof the Board composition to meet UK corporate governance best practice as an element of our listing on the London Stock Exchange. The Board recognizes their strong contributions to the success of Teranga and wishes them well in the future."

The Court Meeting and an Extraordinary General Meeting were held alongside the Annual General Meeting to seek shareholder approval for the establishment of a new UK-incorporated parent company for the Endeavour group pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the "Scheme"). This new parent company is intended to promote enhanced governance as Endeavour completes its LSE listing and anticipates inclusion in the FTSE UK Index Series.

Implementation of the Scheme remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the other conditions set out in the scheme circular dated April 23, 2021, including (but not limited to) the approval of the Scheme by the Cayman Islands Court at the sanction hearing scheduled for June 9, 2021. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of those conditions, the Scheme is expected to become effective on June 11, 2021, with Admission expected on or about June 14, 2021. In connection with the applications for Admission, Endeavour will also publish a prospectus in the UK (the "Prospectus"). The Prospectus will be published upon receipt of approval by the FCA, which is expected to occur on or about June 9, 2021.

To facilitate the settlement of outstanding trades in shares in Endeavour Mining Corporation, trading in the shares of Endeavour Mining plc is expected to commence on the TSX at 9:30 am (Toronto time) on 16 June 2021. Trading in the shares of Endeavour Mining Corporation will continue on the TSX until such time.

The results for each of the resolutions voted upon at the Court Meeting, Extraordinary General Meeting and Annual General Meeting are set out below:

COURT MEETING

RESOLUTION TO APPROVE SCHEME NUMBER OF SHAREHOLDERS VOTING % OF THE SHAREHOLDERS VOTING NUMBER OF VOTES % OF VOTES FOR 2,842 97.06% 189,710,243 99.98% AGAINST 86 2.94% 42,157 0.02%

EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

RESOLUTION VOTES

FOR % FOR VOTES

AGAINST % AGAINST Authorise the Directors to carry the Scheme into effect 193,066,832 99.98% 47,976 0.02% Approval of future reduction of capital of Endeavour Mining plc 193,077,882 99.98% 36,926 0.02% Amendments to Articles of Association 193,078,472 99.98% 36,336 0.02% Approval of the Employee PSU Plan of Endeavour Mining plc 192,329,887 99.59% 784,921 0.41% Approval of the Executive PSU Plan of Endeavour Mining plc 191,072,966 98.94% 2,041,842 1.06% Approval of the Executive Performance Share Plan of Endeavour Mining plc 157,954,660 81.79% 35,160,148 18.21% Approval of the Deferred Share Unit Plan of Endeavour Mining plc 189,318,524 98.03% 3,796,284 1.97%

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

RESOLUTION VOTES

FOR % FOR VOTES

WITHHELD/

AGAINST % WITHHELD/

AGAINST Elect as Director: Michael Beckett 193,333,783 99.13% 1,687,678 0.87% James Askew 194,975,366 99.98% 46,096 0.02% Alison Baker 190,372,982 97.62% 4,648,479 2.38% Sofia Bianchi 194,124,875 99.54% 896,586 0.46% Livia Mahler 194,102,168 99.53% 919,293 0.47% David Mimran 194,975,300 99.98% 46,162 0.02% Naguib Sawiris 194,943,652 99.96% 77,809 0.04% Tertius Zongo 194,686,395 99.83% 335,066 0.17% Sebastien de Montessus 194,955,896 99.97% 65,566 0.03% Appointment of Auditors 198,150,288 99.78% 442,760 0.22% Say on Pay Advisory Vote 160,527,819 82.31% 34,493,641 17.69%

BIOGRAPHY - DR. CARMEN LETTON

Dr. Carmen Letton is a mining engineer and mineral economist with 35 years of global mining exposure and a diverse background in senior leadership roles in operations, business improvement and operational excellence.

More recently focused on corporate and asset strategy development, she has extensive technical expertise in open pit and underground mines across multiple commodities and the many stages of asset development. Currently, Dr. Letton is the Head of Resource Development Plan and Life of Asset Plan (Asset Strategy Development) at Anglo American, having previously worked at BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Newmont, Kimberley Diamonds, Silver Standard Resources, Newcrest and a number of other international mining companies. She was selected as one of the "100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining" in 2016 and 2018 by Women in Mining UK. She holds a PhD Mineral Economics from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Engineering (Hon) (Mining) from the West Australian School of Mines, Kalgoorlie.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Endeavour Mining



Martino De Ciccio



Vice President - Strategy & Investor Relations

+44 203 640 8665

mdeciccio@endeavourmining.com Brunswick Group LLP in London



Carole Cable, Partner

+44 7974 982 458

ccable@brunswickgroup.com







Vincic Advisors in Toronto



John Vincic, Principal



+1 (647) 402 6375

john@vincicadvisors.com (mailto:john@vincicadvisors.com)

ABOUT ENDEAVOUR MINING CORPORATION

Endeavour is one of the world's senior gold producers and the largest in West Africa, with operating assets across Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and a strong portfolio of advanced development projects and exploration assets in the highly prospective Birimian Greenstone Belt across West Africa.

A member of the World Gold Council, Endeavour is committed to the principles of responsible mining and delivering sustainable value to its employees, stakeholders and the communities where it operates. Endeavour is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, under the symbol EDV.

For more information, please visit www.endeavourmining.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of Endeavour with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding Endeavour's expectations regarding the benefits of a premium listing in the UK with shares traded on the LSE including deeper access to a diverse investor pool with strong understanding of its key operating jurisdictions across West Africa and increased demand for its shares on the assumption that it will qualify for inclusion in the FTSE UK Index Series as well as the MSCI Europe Index, Endeavour's ability to create sustainable shareholder value over the long term, the potential for continued or future dividends, the approval of the Scheme by shareholders and by the Cayman Islands Court and the expected timing for the Scheme to take effect, the approval of the proposed Admission by the FCA and the LSE and the expected timing of: the FCA's approval of the Prospectus; Admission; and admission to listing and posting for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect Endeavour management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although Endeavour believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of Endeavour. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of Endeavour and market conditions.

This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in filings made by Endeavour with the Canadian securities regulators, including Endeavour's annual information form for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 and financial statements and related MD&A for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com.

Should one or more of these 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 Endeavour 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. Endeavour does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The dates set out in this press release are indicative only and subject to change. The Scheme is subject to the approval of the Cayman Islands Court at the sanction hearing scheduled for June 9, 2021. The date of Admission will depend, among other things, on the date and time at which the Cayman Islands Court approves the Scheme, the date and time at which the court order sanctioning the Scheme is delivered to the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies, and the date and time at which the FCA approves the Prospectus for publication.

Attachment
Regulatory News:

After 10 years within the Europcar Mobility Group (Paris:EUCAR), Fabrizio Ruggiero, Group's Deputy CEO, will leave the company at the end of August, to take up a new professional challenge.

As a consequence, he will step down from his position as Deputy CEO in charge of the Service Lines, the Vans Trucks BU, e-commerce, sales, brand management, customer engagement and international partner development.

The Board of Directors would like to thank him for his strong contribution to the development and the transformation of the Group. First as Italy Country Manager, then as a Deputy CEO of the Group, Fabrizio constantly strived to make Europcar Mobility Group the European N1 of vehicle rental that it is today, notably expanding its global network as well as its brands portfolio.

Following the first deliveries of the Group's new transformation plan ("Connect"), Europcar Mobility Group is now ready to fully leverage the market recovery which is imminent: in that perspective, Fabrizio Ruggiero and his teams will, over the next few months, focus on the best execution of the Group's plans for the peak season.

About Europcar Mobility Group

Europcar Mobility Group is a major player in mobility markets and listed on Euronext Paris. Europcar Mobility Group's purpose is to offer attractive alternatives to vehicle ownership, in a responsible and sustainable manner. With this in mind, the Group offers a wide range of car and van rental services be it for a few hours, a few days, a week, a month or more with a fleet that is already "C02 light" and equipped with the latest engines, and which will be increasingly "green" in the years to come (more than 1/3 electric and hybrid vehicles by 2023).

Customers' satisfaction is at the heart of the Group's ambition and that of its employees. It also fuels the ongoing development of new offerings in the Group's three service lines Professional, Leisure and Proximity which respond to the specific needs and use cases of both businesses and individuals. The Group's 4 major brands are: Europcar the European leader of car rental and light commercial vehicle rental, Goldcar the low-cost car-rental Leader in Europe, InterRent 'mid-tier' car rental and Ubeeqo one of the European leaders of round-trip car-sharing (BtoB, BtoC).

Europcar Mobility Group delivers its mobility solutions worldwide through an extensive network in over 140 countries (including wholly owned subsidiaries 18 in Europe, 1 in the USA, 2 in Australia and New Zealand completed by franchises and partners).

Further details on our website: www.europcar-mobility-group.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005881/en/

Contacts:

Europcar Mobility Group Press relations

Valerie Sauteret valerie.sauteret@europcar.com

Vincent Vevaud vincent.vevaud@europcar.com

Publicis Consultants

Judith Grandcoing judith.grandcoing@publicisconsultants.com
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONSENSUS BY COINDESK - SpaceChain and Eurasian Space Ventures (ESV) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for ongoing collaboration and developing joint projects in the field of space and blockchain technologies.

Founded by businessman and entrepreneur Shukhrat Ibragimov, ESV is a limited company registered in Kazakhstan which aims to serve as an international hub for space projects and related organizations looking to capitalize on the well-established space infrastructure and ecosystem in the country.

Under the agreement, both companies will exchange information and expertise, and cross pollinate ideas and develop joint projects in the field of space technologies over a period of two years.

SpaceChain will explore collaborative opportunities with its partners in the global space industry in leveraging the existing space facilities and infrastructure in Kazakhstan. ESV will facilitate communication with the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, also known as Gharysh Sapary, on behalf of both companies.

"We are establishing a valuable partnership with SpaceChain to not only help showcase what Kazakhstan has to offer as an international space hub, but more importantly, to help organizations discover space as an innovation platform for competitive advantage and success," said Shukhrat Ibragimov, founder of ESV. "By combining and integrating expertise and knowhow in blockchain and space from both companies, we are very excited to have taken the historical step with SpaceChain in driving innovation and further development in the democratized space sector."

For a start, ESV will operate and manage two joint space projects co-developed with SpaceChain for digital currency exchange Biteeu , which will be deploying SpaceChain's on-orbit space-grade infrastructure to perform ultra-secure Bitcoin multisignature transactions and data back-up; and Divine - a community project that leverages space technologies to broadcast the Quran audio complimentary to Muslims and anyone looking to understand the Sacred Text of Islam across the world.

"We are entering a new era of space exploration and harnessing space technologies as a platform for business innovation. Partnering with ESV will complement our continuous efforts in building out an open-source blockchain-based satellite network that is secure and immutable for fintech and decentralized applications," said Zee Zheng, SpaceChain co-founder and CEO. "We will continue to identify more commercial use cases for space technologies, and it is our firm belief that the collaboration with ESV will help accelerate the process."

About SpaceChain

SpaceChain fosters decentralized infrastructure for the New Space Economy. By combining space and blockchain technologies SpaceChain is making the development of space applications easier and making space more accessible. For more information, visit www.spacechain.com .

About Eurasian Space Ventures

ESV's mission is to attract the commercial space industry's leading companies, technologies and specialists to Kazakhstan as well as to serve as a one-stop-shop for the new projects and developments in the industry. For more information, visit www.eurasian.space

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CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Malaysia data center market report.

Malaysia data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% during the period 2020-2026.Malaysia data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 23 existing data center and 5 upcoming facilities spread across 5 locations.

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Within Malaysia , Cyberjaya is the most developed data center market with around 14 unique third-party data center facilities accounting for over 70% of the existing power capacity. Other locations such as Kuala Lumpur , Johor , Shah Alam , and Penang will witness increased investment in 2021-2026. The wholesale colocation market in Malaysia will grow with existing providers and new entrants targeting hyperscale data center development catering to cloud service providers entering the market i.e., Microsoft, AWS, and Google. Owing to land constraints in Singapore for data center development, investments have started spilling over to Malaysia , which will be another reason for increase in investments during the forecast period. The Kulai Iskandar Data Exchange (KIDEX) has over 700 acres of industrial land allocated for data center development, and access to around 600 MW of power. In 2020, the major colocation providers in Malaysia were AIMS Data Centre, Keppel Data Centres + Alpha Data Centre Fund, NTT Global Data Centers, Regal Orion, and VADS. The Malaysian government plans to add 20% renewable energy to its power generation mix by 2025, from the current level of 2%. To achieve this, around USD 8 billion is being invested in the renewable energy sector through public-private partnerships and private financing.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Malaysia

Facilities Covered (Existing): 23



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 5



Coverage: Cyberjaya & Other locations ( Kuala Lumpur , Johor , Shah Alam, & Penang)

, , Shah Alam, & Penang)

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Malaysia by revenue and forecast (2020-2026)

by revenue and forecast (2020-2026) Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics - Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation - A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants - List of 10 IT infrastructure providers, 10 construction service providers, 12 support infrastructure providers, and 6 data center investors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/malaysia-data-center-market-size-analysis

Malaysia Data Center Market - Segmentation

Cloud-service providers, BFSI sectors, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, and professional services are the top demand generators in the Malaysian data center market, increasing the demand for servers and promoting procurement of high-performance infrastructure solutions. With the increase in deployment of big data, artificial intelligence, and IoT technology, the demand for mission critical and high-performance server systems are likely to increase in the market.

Most large data centers operated by VADS, and NTT Global Data Centers are using 2N/N+1 redundant power infrastructure solutions for UPS systems, especially owing to grid instability. Keppel Data Centres' Johor data center is installed with UPS systems with a redundancy of N+1.

data center is installed with UPS systems with a redundancy of N+1. Keppel Data Centres + Alpha Data Centre Fund facility in Johor, Malaysia have installed N+1 redundant cooling system to support CRAC units, hot and cold aisle designs, and cold aisle containment for high-density cooling requirements and directional perforated floor tiles to direct cool air into the racks.

Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer, Switches & Switchgears

Rack PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Market Segmentation by Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Malaysia Data Center Market - Dynamics

The Malaysian government aims to achieve 50% cloud adoption by 2024, wherein the focus in 2021 will be the implementation of cloud-first strategy in the public sector. Hybrid cloud dominates the cloud market in Malaysia and is the preferred form of deployment by enterprises and will continue to be a major revenue generator during the forecast period. Alibaba is one major cloud providers that currently has a physical presence in Malaysia. In addition, in 2021, Microsoft plans to launch its first data center region in Malaysia. In February 2021, the Malaysian government gave conditional approval to Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Telekom Malaysia to build hyperscale data centers and cloud services in the country. In 2013, Intel and the YTL Communications partnered to create a national learning cloud as a new model for the world and signed MoU to provide Intel-based integrated 4G devices for the education sector in Malaysia.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Growing Demand for Big Data Rises Data Center Investments

IoT Adoption Increases Data Center Investments

Increased 5G Deployment in the Country

Smart Cities Enhances Edge Data Center Deployments

Malaysia Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity)

in the country (Area and Power Capacity) Cyberjaya & Other locations ( Kuala Lumpur , Johor , Shah Alam, & Penang)

List of Upcoming Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity)

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/malaysia-data-center-market-size-analysis

Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Fujitsu

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Inspur

Lenovo

NetApp

NEC Corporation

Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Asima Architects

AVO Technology

B-Barcelona Consulting

DSCO Group

ISG

NTT Facilities

Nakano Corporation

Powerware Systems

S5 Engineering

Shaw Architect

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Fuji Electric

HITEC Power Protection

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

AIMS Data Centre

Bridge Data Centres

Keppel Data Centres

NTT Global Data Centers

Regal Orion

VADS

Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

Indonesia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

India Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Australia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Netherlands Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

Mail: enquiry@arizton.com

Call: +1-312-235-2040
LEDBURY, England, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an expansion into the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish markets, DefensiveDriving.org has announced it will be establishing its headquarters in the United Kingdom in Ledbury, a small town of just 9,000 in Herefordshire. It is currently seeking out office space for expansion.

In addition to the setting up of a new European operations headquarters and limited corporation, DefensiveDriving.org also announced that it has funded and formed Ledbury.org. The company hopes that nonprofit and charity-driven sites will bring digital awareness to local brick-and-mortar businesses in the Herefordshire countryside. Much like other tech companies, DefensiveDriving.org hopes to give back heavily to its community.

Ledbury as a town has been devastated economically by the pandemic. The market town dates back to the 1600s and is a popular stop for tourists on their way to Wales but saw closures to local stores for much of 2020.

"With the launching and continuous build of Ledbury.org, Enforia Ventures hopes to give back to a community it now resides," said Executive Director Brandon Myers. "This community is special. It's not just the company that has a future here but my family as well."

The decision to fund Ledbury.org comes after Myers had meaningful meetings with business owners across Ledbury. It became clear to the management team at Enforia Ventures Inc. that the town of Ledbury is in a perfect position to rebound as a community and grow. That is part of the reason the brand has decided to make the town home.

The Enforia Ventures Brand continues to look for local advertising opportunities that are community-driven. While the brand has entertained several partnerships, it has yet to sign any formal deals and marketing budget remains available for Q3 and Q4 of 2021. To inquire about potential advertising opportunities, please contact brandon@defensivedriving.org. For media inquiries, please email contact@defensivedriving.org.

Enforia Ventures Inc. is the parent brand of ApprovedCourse.com, DefensiveDriving.org, DrivingGuide.com. The company has over 10 years of experience promoting safe driving habits. Along with helping people save on auto insurance, the brand promotes defensive driving, ticket dismissal courses, drivers' education, and online approved coursework.

Related Images

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DefensiveDriving.org Logo

DefensiveDriving.org Expands to UK with Headquarters in Ledbury, Herefordshire, UK
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Pan Global Resources Inc. (TSXV: PGZ) (OTC: PGNRF) (the "Company") today announced that due to strong demand, its previously announced C$10 million "bought deal" private placement financing has been increased further from C$12 million to C$13 million. The Company has further increased the financing to accommodate long-standing shareholders who have provided strong support to the Company.

The Company announced on May 21, 2021 that it had entered into an engagement letter with a syndicate of underwriters co-led by Canaccord Genuity Corp., Sprott Capital Partners, and Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. (collectively, the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase, on a "bought deal" private placement basis, 16,667,000 common shares (the "Common Shares") of the Company for gross proceeds of approximately C$10 million (the "Offering"). The Underwriters agreed to upsize the Offering to 21,667,000 Common Shares, with an option for over-allotments for an additional 3,250,050 Common Shares for additional gross proceeds of $1.95 million.

If the over-allotment option is fully exercised, aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering are expected to be C$14.95 million.

Pan Global's President and CEO, Tim Moody, noted: "We are very encouraged by the strong demand for the Offering. The additional proceeds will allow us to further accelerate our planned drilling and exploration programs in Southern Spain."

In all other respects, the terms of the Offering will be as announced on May 20, 2021. The Offering is expected to close on or about June 4, 2021.

Completion of the Placement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Pan Global Resources

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively engaged in base and precious metal exploration in Spain and is pursuing opportunities from exploration through to mine development. The Company has committed to operating safely and with respect to the communities and environment where we operate.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

www.panglobalresources.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

info@panglobalresources.com

Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.

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.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85193
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Kuya Silver Corporation (CSE: KUYA) (OTCQB: KUYAF) (FSE: 6MR1) (the "Company" or "Kuya") announces that as a result of a recent review by the British Columbia Securities Commission ("BCSC"), the Company is issuing the following news release to clarify its prior scientific and technical disclosures.

NI 43-101 Technical Report

The technical report on the Bethania Silver Project (the "Bethania Property") with an effective date of July 31, 2019 (the "Technical Report") on the Bethania Property was not compliant with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). The Company confirms that all estimates of the quantity, grade, and metal or mineral content which it has made in respect of its Bethania Property are historical estimates under NI 43-101, as such estimates have not been verified as a current mineral resources or reserves and were prepared before the Company acquired the Bethania Property. The Company confirms that it is not treating such historical estimates as a current mineral resources or reserves.

To address these deficiencies the Company will file an amended NI 43-101 Technical Report and an amended Annual Information Form in the applicable reporting jurisdictions.

In the Technical Report the Company disclosed the following historical estimates:





Figure 1



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5945/85192_kuya1.jpg









Figure 2



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5945/85192_kuya2.jpg

Notes to the above table in accordance with Section 2.4 of NI 43-101:

Historical mineral resources and reserves for the Bethania Property were estimated by Dionicio Milla Simon (Geological Engineer), as documented in a report entitled, "Mina Santa Elena Estimacion de Recursos y Reservas Minerales", dated March 2016. The historical mineral resources and reserves were calculated using simple block modelling for ore stopes and larger resource blocks, using the data collected through drifting and significant rock sampling from within the mine workings. The historical Bethania Mine has more than 6,000 metres of horizontal development among seven different veins. In addition, there is vertical development in the ore reserve areas between production stopes. Mineral reserve estimates considered mineralized material that was immediately accessible by existing mine workings and was calculated exclusive of mineral resources. The vein and ore development were methodically and consistently sampled for silver, lead and zinc, as well as the thickness of each vein sample and location recorded. Copper was assayed only intermittently and more sampling is required in order to include copper in any future mineral resource or mineral reserve estimates. No cut-off grade was provided but a specific gravity (density) of 3.0 and a dilution factor of 5% were applied. The historical estimates were completed using the categories set out in sections 1.2 and 1.3 of NI 43-101 and following the guidelines of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, as adopted by CIM Council August 20, 2000, and amended in 2014. There are no recent estimates or data available to the Company. Verification of the historical mineral resource and reserve estimates would require sampling of mineralization at surface and underground (drill holes and on-vein sampling in mine workings) to generate a statistically significant number of samples of the historical resource and reserve blocks.

A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Investors should not rely on the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves until they have been verified and supported in a technical report in accordance with NI 43-101.

The Company will include the above disclosure in its re-filed amended Technical Report to be filed within 45 days.

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Scott Jobin-Bevans, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person for the Company under the definitions established by NI 43-101.

Additional Technical Disclosure on Social Media

In addition, the Company wishes to clarify disclosure in its social media platforms as it relates to the Bethania Property. The Company understands that through previous social media postings the Company has discussed and posted short video clips taken from larger interviews that disclosed a current mineral resource on the Bethania Property. The Company would like to clarify that there is no current mineral resources on the Bethania Property and that there is currently only historical estimates as noted above. Any previous clips or videos posted by the Company have been removed from the Company's social media platforms and to the extent any 3rd party sites currently host such videos the Company would like to make clear that the disclosure should not be treated as a current mineral resources as noted above.

Further, the Company will update its website and its corporate presentation to ensure that all references to the historical estimate at the Bethania Property comply with NI 43-101.

About Kuya Silver Corporation

Kuya is a Canadian-based silver-focused mining company that owns the Bethania Project, which includes the Bethania mine, located in Central Peru. The Bethania mine was in production until 2016, toll-milling its ore at various other concentrate plants in the region, the Company's plan is to implement an expansion and construct a concentrate plant at site before restarting operations. The Bethania mine produced silver-lead and zinc concentrates from the run of mine material, until being placed on care and maintenance due to market conditions and lack of working capital.

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Kuya Silver Corporation

Telephone: (604) 398-4493

info@kuyasilver.com

www.kuyasilver.com

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada 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/85192
MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Germany's anti-trust watchdog, the Federal Cartel Office, on Tuesday began proceedings against Google Germany, Google Ireland and their parent company Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL,GOOG) on charges of exploitation of their market domination in handling data. The investigation is being undertaken under a latest amendment to Germany's Act against Restraints of Competition or GWB, which came into effect from January this year. As per the 10th amendment to the law, German regulators can look into the matters of major digital companies. Under the new law, if regulators have significant evidence that digital platforms have 'paramount significance' cutting across markets, the Federal Cartel Office can restrict certain of the company's actions, if they are deemed as restricting competition. In a statement, the cartel office said that it would first decide if the search engine fits the bill for 'paramount significance'. Next, the authorities will take a look at Google's data-processing terms to understand whether they promoted an anti-competitive practice. The statement said that as Google has many digital services like YouTube, Google Maps and the Chrome browser, it has a supremacy over different markets. 'Due to its established access to data relevant for competition, Google enjoys a strategic advantage. A key question in this context is whether consumers wishing to use Google's services have sufficient choice as to how Google will use their data.' President, Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt said. Commenting on the development, Google said people use its services because they are helpful, not because they are forced to do so or because they cannot find any alternatives. 'We give people easy control over how their information is used and we limit the use of personal information.' Google spokesman Ralf Bremer said, adding that the company will fully cooperate with the inquiries. 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.
Third country release pursuant to Section 50 para. 1 no. 2 German Securities Trading Act (WpHG)

Announcements on the Board Meeting Resolutions regarding the Employee Stock Ownership Plan of A-and H-Share and the Restricted Share Unit Scheme

Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hongkong, 25 May 2021 - A Board Meeting of Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-Share 690D.DE, A-Share 600690.SH, H-Share 06690.HK) was held today and various announcements on the Board Meeting Resolutions regarding the Employee Stock Ownership Plan of A- and H-Share and the Restricted Share Unit Scheme was published in accordance with Chinese and Hongkong Law.

It has been the intention of the Company that it will increase the incentives for core management and excellent talents in different markets worldwide with various classes of stocks. Furthermore, it has been the intention of the

Company to maintain a wide coverage under its incentive schemes to strengthen the incentives and reach more key personnel, especially for overseas employees. As such, the Board has resolved at a meeting of the Board held today to propose the adoption of the A-Share Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("A-Share ESOP"), the H-Share Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("H-Share ESOP"), and the Restricted Share Unit Scheme ("RSU Scheme"). It is expected that relevant employees of the Group ordinarily reside within Mainland China will mainly be covered by the A-Share ESOP and H-Share ESOP, while relevant employees of the Company ordinarily reside outside Mainland China will mainly be covered by the RSU Scheme. It is also proposed that core senior management of the Company (initially a total of 35 persons) shall participate in the A-Share ESOP and/or the H-Share ESOP such that subject to performance review, they will be entitled to interests in both A-Shares and H-Shares. The Company believes that the proposed incentive to the core senior management in the form of both A-Shares and H-Shares is in line with the shareholders' expectation that the core senior management team should be motivated to create value for the Shareholders.

(1) Proposed Adoption of the A-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2021-2025);

In line with its past practices of enabling equity ownership by and providing incentives to employees, the Company proposed to adopt the A-Share ESOP. The Company will either provide the A-Share ESOP with A-Shares it repurchased or withdrawing from the incentive fund for the A-Share ESOP to purchase A-Shares from the secondary market for future vesting. It is proposed for the first phase of the A-Share ESOP, the cost of purchasing A-Shares for grant under the A-Share ESOP will be up to RMB708 million.

(2) Proposed Adoption of the H-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2021-2025);

Following the successful initial listing of H-Shares on the Stock Exchange in December 2020, to enable employees to own H-Shares interests and to provide incentives, the Company proposed to also adopt the H-Share ESOP. The Company will provide the Asset Manager funding for purchasing H-Shares (through Hong Kong Stock Connect) from the secondary market for future vesting. It is proposed for the first phase of the H-Share ESOP, the cost of purchasing H-Shares for grant under the H-Share ESOP will be up to RMB90 million.

(3) Proposed Authorization to the Board to Handle Matters Pertaining to the A-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan and the H-Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan;



(4) Proposed Adoption of the Restricted Share Unit Scheme;

Following the successful initial listing of the H-Shares on the Stock Exchange in December 2020, the Company proposed to adopt the RSU Scheme with the purpose of enabling equity ownership of H-Shares by its employees and provide incentives. It is currently expected that the H-Shares shall be purchased from secondary market by the Trustee in Hong Kong. It is proposed during the year 2021, the cost for purchasing H-Shares by the Trustee for grant under the RSU Scheme will be up to RMB102 million.

(5) Proposed Authorization to the Board and/or the Delegatee to Handle Matters Pertaining to the Restricted Share Unit Scheme

The A-Share ESOP, the H-Share ESOP and the RSU Scheme are still subject to the consideration and approval at the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") to be convened on 25 June 2021. The AGM Invitation Letter to D-Shareholders is expected to be published and dispatched before 05 June 2021.

Details of abovementioned resolutions are available on the Company's website at: https://smart-home.haier.com/en/dggg/

About Haier Smart Home D-Share:

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. is prime standard listed in Frankfurt (690D.DE) alongside its listing in Shanghai (600690.SH) and Hongkong (06690.HK). The three class-shares grant their investors with the same economic rights and ownership rights.

About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions. The Company develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as small household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

IR Contact:

Yao Sun (Sophie) - Haier Smart Home Germany

T: +49 6172 9454 143

F: +49 6172 9454 42143

M: +49 160 9469 3601

Email: y.sun@haier.de
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 25, 2021 / Aegis Capital Corp. a full-service wealth management, financial services and investment banking firm is pleased to announce the addition of Vast Wealth Advisors located in Nashville, Tennessee. The group is led by Jessica Jung, Managing Director. Prior to joining Aegis Capital, Jessica worked at LPL.

Jessica Jung, CFP, CEPA, is the founder of Vast Wealth Advisors1. Serving high-net-worth individuals as well as businesses and families, Jessica specializes in developing and implementing carefully designed strategies to help clients align their resources with their dreams. Drawing from her deep experience in the industry and her commitment to excellence, Jessica has been helping clients pursue their financial goals since 2005. After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a degree in economics, Jessica began an extensive career in the finance industry, working as an advisor for Morgan Stanley, AmSouth Investment Services, Morgan Keegan, and The Wealth Management Group before establishing her own wealth advisory practice in partnership with Aegis Capital Corporation. Jessica is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER who specializes in complex cases and creating innovative solutions.

Robert Eide Aegis' CEO commented: "With the addition of Jessica, Aegis continues to expand the scope of our wealth management and advisory presence within the firm. We look forward to providing the resources she needs to build her practice and help her clients achieve their financial goals. Aegis strives to continuously expand and improve our fee-based planning and wealth management services."

Michael Pata Aegis' Head of Business Development commented: "Aegis continues to expand our reach, and with the opening of the Nashville office we are committed to the growth of the firm. Jessica's addition speaks to the value of Aegis' boutique and client-focused platform. Jessica takes a holistic approach to helping clients by looking at all aspects of their financial lives. Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the registered investment advisor space."

About Aegis Capital Corporation

Aegis Capital Corporation ("Aegis") has been in business for over 35 years catering to the needs of private clients, institutions and corporations. Aegis was founded in 1984 and offers its investment representatives a conflict free service platform and is able to provide a full range of products and services including investment banking, wealth management, insurance, retirement planning, structured products, private equity, alternatives, equity research, fixed income and special purpose vehicles. Aegis is able to provide quality service through its primary clearing relationship with RBC Correspondent Services whose parent company, Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY), is one of the world's leading diversified financial services companies. Member: FINRA / SIPC

1Vast Wealth Advisors - Brokerage and investment advisory services are offered through Aegis Capital Corporation, a Member: FINRA/SIPC

Any questions contact:

Michael Pata, Head of Business Development

Telephone: 1-212-813-1010

mpata@aegiscap.com

www.aegiscapcorp.com

SOURCE: Aegis Capital Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/649073/Aegis-Capital-Corp-Announces-the-Hiring-of-a-New-Managing-Director-in-Nashville-TN
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (OTCQX: SSVFF) (Santiago: SSVCL) ("Southern Silver" or the "Company") announces that it has entered into an agreement with Red Cloud Securities Inc. (the "Underwriter") to act as sole underwriter and bookrunner for the purchase for resale of 14,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of C$0.50 per Unit (the "Unit Price") on a "bought deal" basis under a private placement for gross proceeds of C$7,000,000 (the "Brokered Offering"). Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Unit Share") and one half of one common transferable share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall be exercisable into one common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.75 at any time on or before the date which is 24 months after the closing date of the Brokered Offering.

In connection with the Brokered Offering, the Company will sell up to 4,000,000 Units at the Unit Price in a non-brokered private placement for additional gross proceeds of up to C$2,000,000 (the "Non-Brokered Private Placement", and collectively with the Brokered Offering, the "Offerings"). The Units sold under the Non-Brokered Private Placement will be identical to those sold under the Brokered Offering. Fort Capital Partners is acting as financial advisor to the Company in relation to the Offerings.

The Units will be offered by way of the "accredited investor" and "minimum amount investment" exemptions under National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions in all the Provinces of Canada. The Units may also be sold in offshore jurisdictions and in the United States to Qualified Institutional Buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and to Accredited Investors as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the 1933 Act, by way of a private placement basis pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act.

The net proceeds from the Offerings will be used for exploration and advancement of the Company's Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in Durango State, Mexico and for general working capital purposes. The closing of the Offerings are expected to occur on or about June 14, 2021 and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the listing of the Unit Shares and Warrant Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Unit Shares, Warrants and Warrant Shares will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of closing of the Offerings in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws and may be subject to resale restrictions in the jurisdiction of residents of non-Canadian purchasers.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Units, nor shall there be any sale of the Units 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. The Units being offered will not be, and have not been, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a U.S. person.

About Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is an exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits. Our specific emphasis is the 100% owned Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, Los Gatos, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine. The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions. Our property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Lawrence Page"

Lawrence Page, Q.C.

President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85219
Vaughan, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Spyder Cannabis Inc. (TSXV: SPDR) ("Spyder" or the "Company"), an established Canadian cannabis and vape retailer, announced today the appointment of Christina Pan as Chief Operating Officer of the Company, effective May 21, 2021. Ms. Pan has been promoted to this new role after serving as Chief Operating Officer of 180 Smoke, the Company's recently acquired leading omni-channel Canadian vape retailer with 26 locations across Ontario and a strong e-commerce presence. In her new role, Christina will oversee all operations of the Company including the buildout of Spyder's cannabis retail footprint across Ontario and Alberta with immediate opportunities to convert certain of the Company's vape retail locations to cannabis dispensaries.

Ms. Pan has 10 years of experience in retail, QSR and CPG. Since September 2019, Christina has been leading the 180 Smoke business and assisted with the acquisition of 180 Smoke by the Company. In 2018, Ms. Pan joined the booming cannabis sector as a key member of Origin House's (acquired by Cresco Labs Inc.) corporate development team where she spearheaded transaction, due diligence and integration for all retail and marketing related assets. Prior to Origin House, Christina was at an iconic Canadian brand, Tim Hortons (RBI/3G), which oversees the system of 4,000+ restaurants across the nation. At Tim Hortons, Ms. Pan was involved in all aspects of the business where she led category strategy, product innovation and loyalty development. Prior to Tim Hortons, Christina developed strong marketing and sales skills at Revlon Cosmetics where she launched various award-winning products and actively managed key accounts. Ms. Pan holds HBA and MBA degrees from Ivey Business School (Western University).

The Company has also granted and issued options for the purchase of up to 2,575,000 common shares of the Company to certain of the Company's employees, officers and directors. The stock options were granted on May 21, 2021 in accordance with the Company's stock option plan and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and are exercisable for a period of four years from the date of issuance at an exercise price of $0.10 per common share. The stock options issued by the Company are subject to a mandatory hold period of four months and a day under applicable Canadian securities laws.

The appointment of Ms. Pan remains subject to review and approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Spyder Cannabis Inc.

Spyder is an established cannabis and vape retailer that owns and operates two licensed-dispensaries under the brand SPDR Cannabis in Ontario and Alberta and the vape retail brands 180 Smoke and Spyder Vapes. 180 Smoke is a leading omni-channel Canadian vape retailer with 26 locations across Ontario and a strong e-commerce presence with over 95,000 registered customers. 180 Smoke and Spyder Vapes retail stores sell vape and nicotine-related products, herbal vaporizers and accessories, and other smoking cessation products. Spyder's vape brands are committed to help adult smokers who seek alternatives to traditional combustible tobacco products.

Cautionary Statements

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.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance of the Company. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "may", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company converting vape retail locations to cannabis dispensaries. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the parties. The material factors and assumptions include that the Company's management possesses the skills and competencies necessary to increase the Company's retail footprint, regulatory and other third-party approvals, and licensing. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and factors include, but are not limited to, the risk that the Company's management is unable to obtain licensing and other regulatory approvals necessary to convert the vape retail locations to cannabis dispensaries. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

For further information, please contact:

Spyder Cannabis Inc.

Cameron Wickham

Executive Vice Chair & CEO

T: (905) 330-1602

E: corporate@spydercannabis.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85174
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - NEO Battery Materials Ltd. (TSXV: NBM) ("NEO" or the "Company") is pleased to welcome Mr. Chris Theodoropoulus to its Advisory Board.

Mr. Theodoropoulus received his BCL and LLB degrees from McGill University in 1981 and 1982. He has practiced law in Vancouver, B.C. until 2006 with an emphasis on public companies, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, secondary debt and equity financing, and dispute resolutions.

Mr. Theodoropoulus is the Founder and President of Dominion Goldfields Corporation, a private investment and precious metals royalty firm. In the period from 2006 to 2012, he served as the Chairman of Africo Resources Ltd., a company that was listed on the TSX until its privatization in 2016, and was involved in the exploration and development of a copper and cobalt deposit in the DRC.

In addition, during his tenure, he has served as a director of a number of technology and mining companies including Peer 1 Network Enterprises Inc., Norsat International Inc., Goldquest Mining Corp., Pediment Gold Corp., Ethos Capital Corp., and a number of other companies.

"On behalf of the board, I am pleased to welcome Mr. Chris Theodoropoulus as an advisory board member. Mr. Theodoropoulus brings in his vast expertise from the legal profession and Canadian capital markets. His decades of relevant experience in corporate and M&A transactions will benefit all of NEO's stakeholders. We are currently in the process of strengthening our management team to strategically move on to the next steps of our corporate objectives," commented Spencer Huh, President and CEO of NEO Battery Materials.

About NEO Battery Materials Ltd.

NEO Battery Materials Ltd. is a Vancouver-based junior resource company focused on battery metals exploration in North America. The Company has staked new mining claims in Golden, BC, along a strike with a quartzite bed, targeting silica in the quartzites for a total of 467 hectares. The Company focuses on exploring and producing silicon, which, when added to anode materials in the production of lithium-ion batteries, provides improvements in capacity and efficiency over lithium-ion batteries using graphite in their anode materials. The Company intends to become an integrated silicon producer and anode materials supplier to the electric vehicle industry. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: https://www.neobatterymaterials.com/.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Spencer Huh

President and CEO

604-697-2408

shuh@neobatterymaterials.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85247
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Origen Resources Inc. (CSE: ORGN) ("Origen") and Forty Pillars Mining Corp. ("Forty Pillars") are pleased to announce that their previously announced plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") has closed. Pursuant to the Arrangement, Origen completed a share reorganization and spun out its Silver Dollar Project and $66,893.60 in cash to Forty Pillars in exchange for 6,485,174 common shares of Forty Pillars (the "Forty Pillars Shares") at a deemed price of $0.08 per Forty Pillars Share, of which 3,891,102 Forty Pillars Shares were distributed to Origen's shareholders and 2,594,072 Forty Pillars Shares were retained by Origen. The Board of Forty Pillars now consists of Nader Vatanchi, Abbey Abdiye, Alex Klenman, Gary Schellenberg and Mike Sieb.

Forty Pillars funded itself via convertible debt ($66,000) which was issued before closing the Arrangement to cover transaction costs. Further details concerning the Arrangement and related transactions are contained in Origen's information circular dated April 9, 2021 for its annual general and special meeting at which the Arrangement was approved by Origen's shareholders.

Timing Update

Forty Pillars is finalizing its application to list its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). Within the next week, Forty Pillars intends to complete its non-brokered common share private placement at a price of $0.08 per common share, resulting in estimated gross proceeds of $534,000, and then complete its CSE listing. All securities issued under the private placement will be subject to a hold period of 4 months. The listing of Forty Pillars common shares on the CSE remains subject to receipt of CSE approval.

On behalf of Origen,

Gary Schellenberg, CEO

For further information, please contact Gary Schellenberg, CEO at 604-681-0221

Origen Resources Inc.

488 - 625 Howe Street,

Vancouver, BC V6C 2T6, Canada

www.origenresources.com

On behalf of Forty Pillars,

Nader Vatanchi, CEO

For further information, please contact Nader Vatanchi, CEO at 778-881-4631

Forty Pillars Mining Corp.

488 - 625 Howe Street,

Vancouver, BC V6C 2T6, Canada

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. There are no assurances that Forty Pillars' common share private placement will close or that Forty Pillars' application to list on the CSE will be approved. Except as required pursuant to applicable securities laws, neither Origen nor Forty Pillars will update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by Origen and Forty Pillars. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/85237
FiscalNote, a Washington, D.C.-based technology provider of global policy and market intelligence, acquired two firms to further expand its capabilities and global presence.

The acquired companies are:

Fireside, a Washington, DC-based provider of SaaS constituent management workflow tools leveraged by the US Congress and

TimeBase, an Australia-based company that provides legislative research and tracking tools that help organizations understand and keep up to date with Australian legislation.

Together, these acquisitions complement FiscalNotes existing comprehensive set of solutions, which include policy monitoring, analysis and intelligence, and grassroots and advocacy tools.

Led by founder and CEO Tim Hwang, FiscalNote is an information services company focused on global policy and market intelligence, which combines AI technology, expert analysis, and legislative, regulatory, and geopolitical data.

The company currently serves more than 5,000 clients worldwide to monitor, manage, and act on the issues that matter most to them.

Earlier this year, FiscalNote announced that it had acquired UK-based Oxford Analytica, a geopolitical intelligence and advisory company, as well as FactSquared, an AI-enabled data company specializing in analyzing and transcribing comments made by public figures.

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James Rogers, CEO

Torii, a Boston, MA-based real estate brokerage, raised $3.2m in seed funding.

The funding included:

$1m from Lookout founder Kevin Mahaffeys SNR.VC,

$1m from crypto hedge fund founder Dan Matuszewskis CMS Holdings,

$1m from investor Jason Calacanis LAUNCH, and

approx. $200k from smaller accredited investors.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to build its team in current markets while adding new cities throughout 2021 and to develop its machine learning-powered search.

Led by CEO James Rogers, Torii is a real estate brokerage with an app that allows users to search for homes. With the app, homebuyers have access to tools in the app, work with a dedicated agent and a whole team behind them, get their closing costs refunded, and then get a personalized Move-In Survival Kit. The platform allows users to search for a property, schedule showings, submit an offer and live chat with their team, all from their phones.

The site launched in 2018 at first offering sales in their HQ location, Boston, but have since added the Bay Area in California, and they just launched in the Los Angeles area last month.

FinSMEs

25/05/2021
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Apple has released iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6 and watchOS 7.5 that brings several features to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch users. All these bring access to subscription content in the Podcasts app, introduces support for Apple Card Family and the watchOS update adds ECG support and irregular heart rhythm notifications on Apple Watch Series 4 or later in Malaysia and Peru.

The iOS and iPadOS 14.6 also adds new capabilities to AirTag and Find My and also fixes a lot of bugs. Check out the changelog below.

New features in iOS 14.6 Apple Card Family Apple Card can be shared with up to five people, including anyone 13 years or older in your Family Sharing group

Apple Card Family adds support for families to track expenses, manage spending with optional limits and controls, and build credit together Podcasts Subscription support for channels and individual shows AirTag and Find My Lost mode option to add an email address instead of a phone number for AirTag and Find My network accessories

AirTag will show the partially masked phone number of the owner when tapped with an NFC-capable device Accessibility Voice Control users can unlock their iPhone for the first time after a restart using only their voice This release also fixes the following issues: Unlock with Apple Watch may not work after using Lock iPhone on Apple Watch

Reminders may appear as blank lines

Call blocking extensions may not appear in Settings

Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call

iPhone may experience reduced performance during startup

New features in iPadOS 14.6

Apple Card Family Apple Card can be shared with up to five people, including anyone 13 years or older in your Family Sharing group

Apple Card Family adds support for families to track expenses, manage spending with optional limits and controls, and build credit together Podcasts Subscription support for channels and individual shows AirTag and Find My Lost mode option to add an email address instead of a phone number for AirTag and Find My network accessories Accessibility Voice Control users can unlock their iPad for the first time after a restart using only their voice This release also fixes the following issues: Reminders may appear as blank lines

Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call

New features in WatchOS 7.5

watchOS 7.5 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes: Access to subscription content in the Podcasts app

Apple Card allows members to track expenses, manage spending, and build credit together with a Family Sharing group

Support for the ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later in Malaysia and Peru

Support for irregular heart rhythm notifications in Malaysia and Peru
Google Docs is now adding support for the ability to create or import documents that have images above or behind texts. The feature is great for users who are importing docs from Microsoft Word, where Google Docs will ensure that the formatting is preserved.

Previously, when importing docs from Microsoft Word that had images behind or above text, Google Docs did not support. This would lead to weird formatting bugs and was quite annoying.

Once the update rolls out, users can see the new option within the image options sidebar and in the image toolbar, with which users can position an image either in front of text or behind text in Google Docs. The feature will function similar to how Microsoft Word has implemented it.

The update will rollout automatically to all users,including those with personal Google accounts, and for Workplace accounts, no actions from admins would be needed to enable it. The rollout began rolling out from yesterday and will take about 15 days to reach everyone.
Myles "Eddie" Scott is seen in this photo taken shortly before his tragic death in 2014. The driver of the vehicle Scott was riding in lost consciousness after inhaling nitrous oxide as a recreational drug.
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Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 71F. Winds light and variable..

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The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has launched a new high-speed notification system known as CodeRED, designed to notify residents of missing person alerts throughout the state.

ALEA unveiled the new system on Tuesday, May 25, to highlight National Missing Childrens Day.

Our Alabama Fusion Center (AFC) will use the new state-of-the-art system to issue alerts in the event of a missing person, and it will have the capability to quickly deliver essential information to citizens throughout the state or in a targeted area, depending on the situation, Gov. Kay Ivey said for a news release. I encourage all Alabamians to consider enrolling in the new alert system, which will allow everyone to be vigilant and stay informed once a missing person alert is issued.

ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said for the release, We are continuously looking for ways to improve our overall operations and efficiently serve the citizens of this state. ALEAs Fusion Center has worked diligently to provide citizens with a new alert system that can easily be accessed. CodeRED will allow all Alabamians to quickly subscribe to alerts via a variety of methods and it will deliver time-sensitive information during high-stress situations where time is of the essence for those missing loved ones.

Officials say CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for inputting information. The data collected will be used only for such emergency notification purposes as when citizens are reported missing. Citizens who wish to enroll should visit www.alea.gov and click on the CodeRED logo displayed on ALEAs homepage.

An additional easy enrollment process can be completed by texting ALalerts to 99411 from any mobile device. Citizens will then receive an immediate response containing the Community Notification Enrollment link for the state.

AFC Director Jay Moseley said, Your participation in this emergency notification system will provide a direct conduit between public safety officials and your local community. CodeRED allows us to disseminate missing person alerts via phone, text, email and social media, however, citizens have the ability to select the preferred means of communication.

Citizens and partners should be advised that ALEA will cease sending emails on the existing system in the near future but will give everyone notice before doing so. Amber Alerts and Blue Alerts will continue to be relayed over the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system, in addition to being distributed on the CodeRED platform. Missing and Endangered Persons Alerts and Emergency Missing Child Alerts will only be distributed over the CodeRED platform.

The Fusion Center exists to improve Alabamas preparedness against terrorist attacks and to deter criminal activity. It is an information-sharing organization designed to combine or fuse information between federal, state, tribal and local government, private sector entities, and the intelligence community. Its personnel are responsible for issuing all state alerts, including AMBER Alerts for missing children who have been abducted and are believed to be in danger of serious bodily injury or death. For further information on the AFC and alert criteria, visit https://www.alea.gov/sbi/fusion-center.
(Meredith)  Police officers in Springfield, Illinois mistook the ashes of a mans 2-year-old daughter for drugs, according to a new lawsuit.

Dartavius Barnes is suing the City of Springfield and several police officers over the events that happened during the April 6, 2020 traffic stop.

Barnes was pulled over for speeding, according to incident reports.

Body cam video, obtained by WICS, shows a handcuffed Barnes sitting in the back of the police vehicle and giving officers permission to search his car.

One officer found a cylinder containing an unknown powder substance in Barnes center console. In the video, you can hear the officer say he thought the substance could be heroin or cocaine, but its probably Molly.

No, no, no, bro, thats my daughter! Barnes can be heard saying in the video.

The lawsuit, obtained by WICS, claims the substance wasnt drugs at all, but the cremated remains of Barnes daughter TaNaja. The lawsuit also states that officers opened the ashes without Barnes consent and then spilled them out during the search.

TaNaja died in February 2019 after police found her unresponsive, wrapped in a urine-soaked blanket, and had been neglected and starved for days leading up to her death. TaNajas mother Twanka Davis and her boyfriend were found guilty of murder and were both sentenced to decades in prison. Barnes is TaNajas biological father and was not involved in the childs death.

During the officers said they found marijuana in Barnes car. Barnes was ultimately let go but was given a notice to appear in court for the marijuana.

In the video, one officer is heard saying, Im just going to give him a notice to appear on the weed.

Another responds, Aside from pissed off dad and testing the dead baby ashes.

The urn in question containing the ashes was returned to Barnes at the end of the traffic stop encounter.

Barnes is suing the City of Springfield and six Springfield police officers. The lawsuit lists unlawful seizure, unlawful search, failure to intervene, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

A jury trial is set for August 2022.
One week from Tuesday, Las Vegas will go back to 100% capacity, and this weekend, business owners expect bars and restaurants to be packed. While they are happy to welcome back more customers, many local businesses face lingering pandemic challenges, including a labor shortage and shortage o
Emporia, KS (66801)

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Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Fort Wayne, IN (46808)

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Galveston, TX (77553)

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[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

For immediate publication





May 25, 2021 - Independent physical game publisher 1Print Games is excited to announce its next three physical releases for the Nintendo Switch, featuring award-winning titles Neo Cab, Eternal Radiance, and Paradise Killer.



Chance Agency and Fellow Traveller's emotional survival game Neo Cab, praised for its storytelling and gameplay, is getting a Limited Edition exclusively via 1Print Games. The Neo Cab Limited Edition, limited to 3000 units worldwide, launches June 11, 2021 for USD34.99. The Limited Edition includes a copy of the Nintendo Switch game, inner cover artwork, Feelgrid Acrylic Keychain, Neo Cab Driver's Manual, Neo Cab Numbered Authenticity Card, and Neo Cab Logo Sticker. Order the Limited Edition now at 1Print Games.

Neo Cab is an emotional survival game about gig labor, tech disruption and the experience of being a driver-for-hire. You play as Lina Romero  a daring, empathetic young woman hustling to survive as one of the last human cab drivers in an autonomous world. Navigate the neon-drenched streets of Los Ojos from the Neo Cab map. Choose your passengers and your words wisely. You'll need to balance your cash, star rating and emotional health to survive in this town.



Besides Neo Cab, fans and physical collectors can look forward to two more Nintendo Switch physical titles in the coming months - Visualnoveler's action driven RPG Eternal Radiance, as well as Kaizen Game Works' critically acclaimed open world mystery adventure, Paradise Killer.



1Print Games' next three titles - Neo Cab, Eternal Radiance, and Paradise Killer, are now available to pre-order in a triple set at the 1Print Games website. Eternal Radiance and Paradise Killer will be available individually in the coming months.



Links

Neo Cab (Nintendo Switch) product page

Neo Cab, Eternal Radiance, and Paradise Killer (Nintendo Switch) product page

1Print Games website

1Print Games Facebook

1Print Games Twitter



About 1Print Games

1Print Games is an independent publisher of physical indie games for Nintendo Switch established in 2019 by life-long Nintendo fans and gamers Iggy and Nitro. 1Print Games is a publisher that seeks to deliver high quality products and celebrate awesome indie games with everyone around the world.



About Chance Agency

Chance Agency is a team of artists, writers, musicians and programmers whose past work includes Firewatch, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, Guild Wars 2 and Reigns: Her Majesty.



About Fellow Traveller Fellow Traveller is an indie games label exploring what narrative games can be. Passionate about the vast and untapped potential of games as a story-telling medium, its mission is to seek out pioneering game developers working on unusual games with narrative at their core, help these developers bring their creations to the world and to connect them with players looking for something different. You may know them for the cyberpunk taxicab confessional (Neo Cab), the hacking game using real Unix commands (Hacknet), the surveillance thriller series that puts you in the shoes of Big Brother (Orwell) or the upcoming noir adventure set before during and after the Big Bang (Genesis Noir).

About Visualnoveler



Visualnoveler is an indie developer based in Taipei, best known for Eternal Radiance and Ascendant Hearts.



About Kaizen Game Works

Kaizen Game Works is a UK based independent game studio formed in 2018 by two games industry veterans. Drawing on their experience working on BAFTA winning AAA narrative games and wildly popular high end mobile games, Kaizen want to change the rules around game narratives and how players experience them. With a focus on player agency and story interaction, Kaizen want to allow players to craft their own tales and express themselves within games.

ENDS
In all, 704 children staying at the temporary shelter have been reunified since the facility opened. That's an increase of 29 children since June 4 -- a 68% decline from the 91 minors reunited with family or sponsors during the...
The field isnt all excitement, of course. Between flavorful aha moments, cheese production can be dull, and 90% of the effort is put into cleaning vats and tables. On May 17, A lot of our morning was spent looking at milk like youre watching paint dry, Frojen said.

Her favorite variety of cheese from the OSU Creamery is smoked Swiss, which was created specifically to be used on Reuben sandwiches. OSUs Swiss cheese is made via a process that results in a creamier cheese with fewer eyes, and it melts better than the Swiss cheese found in stores, Frojen said.

Frojen also is fond of the gochu cheddar, made with Korean chilies. This is my new favorite thing to put on tacos, any tacos, Frojen said.

Frojen said if she could eat one cheese for the rest of her life, it would be Rogue River Blue, which was recently named the best cheese in the world.

When I was a student, Id go to the (First Alternative) Co-op and get the tiniest of slivers because thats all I could afford, Frojen recalled.
Oregon State University is planning to memorialize George Floyd on Tuesday, the first anniversary of his murder by a Minneapolis police officer.

The campus bell tower will ring 10 times at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday, signaling the moments that Mr. Floyds life was taken from him a year ago, Becky Johnson, interim president, said in a letter sent to the OSU community Monday. The event is also intended to memorialize other people killed by police in the U.S.

On the anniversary of Mr. Floyds death, I ask that you join me and reflect on the many other Black people, including Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright and Ronald Greene, who have died in encounters with police, and the fear Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) experience daily, Johnson said. We must realize that racism continues and commit to OSU continuing its efforts to provide equity for all.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
NHS data has revealed that over 8,700 people have died from COVID while in hospital for another reason.

Data from the National Health Service (NHS) and acquired from The Guardian has revealed a little-known tragedy of coronavirus: There were people admitted to the hospital with other health concerns and ended up on their death beds after contracting COVID-19.

Data shows that up to 8,700 UK hospital patients died after acquiring coronavirus while in hospital. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the event remains one of the silent scandals of this pandemic, causing many thousands of avoidable deaths.

Hospitals have struggled to stop the spread of coronavirus

The NHS claimed in the past that hospitals were unable to prevent the spread of coronavirus due to a lack of single rooms, protective gear and the inability to test staff at the beginning of the pandemic.

The NHS has now revealed that due to the factors above, 32,307 UK residents contracted coronavirus in hospital since March 2020, 8,747 of which died from the virus. Hunt, who is now the chair of the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, revealed:

The NHS has done us all proud over the past year, but these new figures are devastating and pose challenging questions on whether the right hospital infection controls were in place.

According to the data gained by The Guardian through the freedom of information act of 81 out of 126 trusts, University Hospitals Birmingham trust was responsible for 408 of the deaths, with Nottingham University Hospitals following behind at 279. Third was Frimley Health, with 259 deaths. In total, nine trusts had more than 200 deaths from hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection.

These numbers are all influenced by the size of the hospital, population size and infection rates in each area, available supplies such as single rooms, adequate protective gear and weaknesses in the hospitals safety procedures.

All 8,747 people who died from hospital-acquired COVID had initially been admitted to hospital for other health reasons. Figures showed both deaths that occurred in hospital and after release, but the numbers dont distinguish between those who died from the virus or those who died from health complications that were exacerbated by COVID.

The highest proportion of hospital-acquired COVID deaths was reported in Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh trust in Lancashire, which had 273 patients infected with coronavirus between October 2020 and March 2021. Out of those 273 people, 174 passed away, creating a mortality rate of 63.7%. Following is Gateshead health at 55.6% and Wirral University teaching hospital at 53.5%.

Hospitals are not to blame

Chris Hopson, the chief executive of hospitals group NHS Providers, detailed that hospital-acquired COVID wasnt a problem unique to the UK and had affected countries all over the world:

Trusts have worked incredibly hard to maintain a safe environment but COVID-19 brought unique challenges to every health system in the world. These include significant numbers of patients having COVID-19 without showing symptoms and, early in the pandemic, insufficient access to rapid turnaround testing.

An NHS spokesperson also spoke to the publication, highlighting that hospitals were not to blame.

The Office for National Statistics and other data conclusively demonstrate that the root cause of rising infection rates in hospitals is rising rates in the community and throughout the pandemic weekly reports from Public Health England have consistently shown that outbreaks in hospitals are less common than in other settings.
FILE - In this March 8, 2021, file photo, members of the National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol at sunrise in Washington. Threats to members of Congress have more than doubled this year, according to the U.S. Capitol Police, and many members say they fear for their personal safety more than they did before the siege. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

A clear sky. Low near 45F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low near 45F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sounds strange to say it now, but kudos to Xcel
The EU-funded VISTA AR project is using new technologies to help Exeter Cathedral 'retell its story to the next generation'

Choir recitals to make virtual return to Exeter Cathedral in cross-Channel collaboration

Virtual reality devices at heritage sites in France and the UK have been adapted so tourists can visit an attraction in lockdown  and in the case of Exeter Cathedral even listen to the choir sing.

The VISTA AR project, led by the University of Exeter Business School and part of the EUs Interreg France (Channel) England programme, has worked closely with Exeter Cathedral, Chateau de Fougeres in Brittany and others to develop digital devices that create new kinds of visitor experiences using augmented and virtual reality.

These include tablet-based audio-visual tours, VR headsets allowing visitors to meet characters from the past, and an augmented reality app that can be pointed at an artefact or landscape to reveal what it looked like hundreds of years ago.

Now, as the global pandemic has forced heritage sites to shut their doors or rethink how they operate, the VISTA team has launched new online teaser versions of their AR and VR devices to allow people to enjoy them from home.

VISTA has joined forces with Exeter Cathedral to provide a 360 degree video of a choir recital that will be launched this Friday, in a taster of a new project where Cathedral visitors get to experience an immersive choral performance via VR headset.

It follows the launch of another collaboration with the Cathedral in which visitors have the opportunity to explore online the ancient books and manuscripts within the Cathedrals collection.

The digitised texts include the Exon Domesday, the only surviving regional draft of William the Conquerors great Domesday Book of 1086, and The Exeter Book of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, the oldest book of English poetry in the world.

This online experience has been launched ahead of a project to develop and install digital touchscreens in the Cathedral that will give visitors access to books, artefacts and other historical treasures.

Professor Andi Smart, the VISTA AR Project Lead and Professor of Operations and Process Management at the University of Exeter Business School, said: These experiences were produced to give potential visitors a glimpse of the experiences that will be deployed on site over the summer.

Many sites have been promoting online content throughout the pandemic and it is true that for some visitors, an element of online fatigue is creeping in. But we hope that these experiences will help to encourage people to try out the onsite experience for real.

For The Very Revd Jonathan Greener, the Dean of Exeter, the new experiences represent a new chapter in Exeter Cathedrals story:

Its been nearly a thousand years since the foundation of Exeter Cathedral, so we love to tell visitors about our history. But this is very much a living and evolving Cathedral, so were equally enthusiastic about our present and future. Thats why we're excited to be part of the VISTA AR project.

Its about applying new technologies to retell our story to the next generation  whether theyre visiting here in the building or discovering us online. And because some of these experiences are now online, we get to share something of the wonder of Exeter Cathedral and its treasures with a much wider audience.

VISTA is also set to unveil online teasers of its other projects with heritage sites across the UK and France.

An AR app for the Botallack tin mine in Cornwall that allows visitors to view the mines through history will be previewed through an interactive Google street view of the reconstructed mining landscape.

And ahead of launching an AR app for the South West Coast Path, the longest waymarked long-distance footpath in England, VISTA will launch another 360 Google street view of the birdscape with information about six bird species.

In France, VISTA has also been working with the Chateau de Fougeres in Brittany to develop AR and VR devices that give visitors an experience of castle life back in medieval times, and will be releasing a promotional video showing the devices in action.

And potential visitors to the Musee sous-marin (Lorient Submarine Museum) in Brittany will soon have the chance to go into the heart of the ocean with the submariners of last century with a 360 YouTube immersive teaser video produced by VISTA.
Nelson Mandela drew inspiration from China

Xinhua) 16:20, May 25, 2021

JOHANNESBURG, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday marks Africa Day, a day when African people commemorate their united stand against imperialism and colonialism, defending national sovereignty and independence and striving for national liberation.

During the South African people's anti-apartheid struggle, the story of the Communist Party of China (CPC) leading the Chinese people to carry out a revolution influenced and inspired many South Africans, including Nelson Mandela, the first post-apartheid president of South Africa.

Mandela mentioned his inspiration drawn from the CPC-led revolution many times in his autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom." He said that after reading "Red Star over China" written by Edgar Snow, he had a deeper understanding of the CPC, the Chinese revolution and the Long March.

In 1964, when he was imprisoned on Robben Island in Cape Town, Mandela kept reading the English version of the "Selected Works" of Mao Zedong in his cell, and from time to time compared the liberation movements of South Africa and the African continent with the Chinese revolution. The freedom fighter once said, "China is the spiritual pillar, which helps me survive the days in Robben Island prison."

"The revolution in China was a masterpiece, a real masterpiece," Mandela said in a dialogue with his old friend Richard Stengel, who collaborated with him on his autobiography, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

"If you read how they fought that revolution, you believe in the impossible. It's just miraculous," Mandela added.

Historically, the African National Congress, the Communist Party of South Africa and the Congress of South African Trade Unions jointly fought against apartheid. In 1994, the three parties formed a ruling coalition in the nation's first non-racial democratic election, where Mandela was elected as South Africa's first black president.

After his election, Mandela actively promoted the establishment of diplomatic ties with China.

In May 1999, before the end of his presidency, he managed to visit China as South Africa's head of state. Meeting with Chinese leaders, Mandela said that he felt sincere gratitude for the Chinese government and people, as China had offered great support to the South Africans' struggle for independence and against apartheid.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu)
Tuesday Diversion: 11" M1 iPad Pro in Thailand - an Increase in Productivity

By Graham K. Rogers





WWDC runs online from 7-11 June this year. Apple updates its OS versions. An order of an iPad Pro arrived in my hands at the start of this week: a little earlier than expected. After setting it up, an import of RAW images was faster and took more files than the older iPad Pro. A stand-in keyboard is workable, but a Folio Keyboard will be coming soon.



Apple has put out its invitation to WWDC which will run from 7 - 11 June. The Keynote presentation during which some of the outline secrets for the coming months will be revealed is at 10am on the first day, which is about midnight here. I will catch the headline in the morning and look at the presentation on AppleTV later in the day. After the Keynote, the focus is on developers with a state of the Union address at 2pm Cupertino time. John Voorhees (MacStories) reports that there will be over 200 sessions for developers, with one on one online labs covered by over 1000 experts. There is much more outlined in the article.



WWDC invitation - Image courtesy of Apple Of course there are plenty of rumors about what Apple will or even must do, although I tend to ignore most of these until the announcement from Apple itself. For example, I saw one rumor that the M1X was coming next, but another said the M2 would power the next MacBook Air, which would seem unlikely. There are probabilities, such as chip development, although I am not sure that the M1 will power the iPhone; but then I did not think it would find its way into the iPad Pro; and I cannot say that I am sorry I was wrong there. New cameras for the iPhone are likely, and we may hear about a new Mac. With the new iMacs having just arrived, this could be a little early, although Apple has said it will move all Macs to Apple silicon this year.

On Tuesday morning I saw that a number of updates were available from Apple. I did the iOS and iPadOS updates while having breakfast, but I always wait until I have had time to run a couple of Time Machine backups on the Mac before updating that (just in case), and another when the update has been done. The WatchOS update was done while I had a shower. AppleTV will come later. A video on Twitter posted by Josh Centers, showed that when the user's account was selected, nothing happened: a password panel should open. He fixed it with a reboot, but we may expect an update to fix this, if it is a widespread problem. It did not happen when I updated my Mac.

When I uploaded the last Review to my website, I noted that the iPad Pro I had ordered had just moved from Processing to Preparing for Shipping and then, almost right away to Shipped. I expected that might arrive some time early in the week. On Saturday, I had just come off the MRT on Petchkasem Road - still about 15 Kms from base - when the phone rang. It was DHL and they had my parcel. That was efficient, so I wonder if it had been shipped from China or elsewhere. A check of the shipping information showed that it had come from Singapore. I now wonder if Apple had shipped a load there from wherever they were made for easier distribution in the SE Asia region. The iPad Pro is assembled in China. No matter: the DHL man said he would deliver on Monday. It was interesting to see, in a post on Facebook on Monday morning, that two of my colleagues had also bought the iPad Pro. As I was leaving campus later I saw a couple of grad students with a just-arrived iPad and Apple Pencil both still in their boxes. For several years I had commented on Apple products and there was reluctance to move away from the PC platform. Although some years back a number of academics returning from the United States, also brought Macs with them. It is also noticeable that the number of students who use the iPad is quite significant, particularly in online classes, where they are able to take notes quite easily. That does cause problems in my classes, when I insist that students use paper for the writing process. It is not quite the same as writing on an iPad. One of the features of tablets is the ability to convert text to text. I want the students to have the real experience of typing their content from the paper into a computer. That allows them to edit on the go, and the brain processes the information in a different way. OCR does not allow that.



M1 iPad Pro in the box

Just before lunch on Monday, the phone rang and a DHL driver said he had arrived on campus. I walked the few meters to the steps as he drove up and handed me the box. I had been wondering if the new one would work with my current folio case. Although Apple has the Magic Keyboard with its raised display for the 11" iPad Pro (9990 baht), I had not realized that the Smart Keyboard Folio which I have been using for my current iPad Pro was also available. Apart from the attraction of its lower price (5990 baht), I am so used to working with this input method that I would rather keep it the same. Then I wondered about the electrical contacts: are they the same? When I checked, they are, however, the cameras are different. While the new iPad Pro will (sort of) fit, the camera cutout will not. I rarely take photographs with my iPads anyway, even with the new iPad-optimised Halide; but it looks ugly, and we can't have that. I had expected to pay extra for the new case, but the Folio keyboard will suit.

During lunch I had a "Help Me" message from the friend who had my old Intel MacBook Pro at the beginning of the year. I helped him set it up and recommended a User account as well as the Admin account. I feel it adds a layer of security, although part of that is the need to enter Admin passwords for updates and other installations. An update appeared, probably of a 3rd party installation, and he had forgotten the password. This is not used as often, and memory becomes rusty. I write mine down on paper then lock that away. This was a suggestion from Bill Gates years ago. It allows us to use complex passwords - less easily broken - without the need to remember them, although I did tend to have my semi-random passwords lodged in my brain eventually, apart from the WiFi. Not so my friend. I made some suggestions about steps he might take but in the end he looked up help on the internet from HelloTech and reset the password via Recovery Mode and Terminal. He entered the resetpassword command and that was done a little too easily for my comfort. With accounts that are used as main accounts, this can affect the Keychain settings and it may be difficult to access some services or accounts, because the user is pestered for the original password (the one that was forgotten). With this setup, as Admin is not used as a day to day account, it may be OK. If not, it may be in his interests to set up a second Admin account, then delete the first one. And write the password down, then lock it away.

At home after removing the iPad Pro from its box and taking a couple of photographs, I began the setup process which these days is far easier in most cases. I did not even need to find the WiFi password and used the weird image code that is developed. All was going through OK, until I tried to use data from a backup. The iPhone was not right, so I had to begin the process with the iPad. Again, when it came to the backup, instead of using one from a couple of days ago, I selected backup now and the process on the new iPad stopped after a minute or so. I had to go back to the beginning, but this time, no image code was developed. It had to be a manual setup. I made sure that the update was done on the old device, but on the way was asked to sign in again to my iCloud account. I am sure I could have shortcut these delays with better preparation. I found the WiFi password and that got things underway, including signing in to iCloud and selecting the latest backup. Just as I thought it was all going smoothly, an update to 14.5.1 appeared and that had to be done. Once updated, I was asked for another password as the iTunes account uses a different email. Then the process of restoring from iCloud was begun. That entailed another restart, but after 3 minutes, I was ready to start using the new iPad Pro, while apps and data were being downloaded in the background. One of the apps that was ready to use was Notes, and this sentence was typed on the new device; then finished on the old one.



New iPad Pro, old Smart Keyboard Folio

The Apple Pencil was still connected to the old iPad Pro, but shifting it to the new one was easier than I expected. I just attached it to the side of the iPad and it was recognized, while on the other iPad it was shown as Not Connected in Bluetooth. I did try the old Smart Keyboard Folio, and am typing this using that so the connection is not a problem. Both lenses are available if I want to take a photograph, but the case back covers the LIDAR scanner and flash unit. I can work with it for now, but will go for a new Smart Keyboard Folio in a day or so. Other than that and a few missing photos which began to catch up when I connected the power cable, I switched fully to the new iPad within an hour or so of taking it out of the box. I changed the wallpaper, because, Why not? I will be sorry to see the other one go. While checking some apps, I tried Numbers and looked at a file I had been working on earlier. I saw a warning about unavailable fonts. I was surprised that the fonts I had been using had not been carried over, but as this involves security settings, that may be the cause. In January I installed AnyFont and downloaded a selection of fonts, including Doves Type (the one that was thrown in the Thames) and Rubbish Regular, along with the fonts that are used in official Thai communications: THSarabun. It was fairly easy to go through the 6 separate installations and now the spreadsheet is displaying properly.



The next morning, having done the 14.5.1 update out of the box, the latest (14.6) update to iPadOS was waiting for me. I did that while I was reading news on the old iPad. I did have to update data and accounts for a couple of the apps, which stretched the time a little. There was a noticeable difference when I used the previous iPad Pro to type something in Notes, while reading news on the new one. If ever there was a case for an external keyboard, I convinced myself there and then.



I am used to typing on the iPhone and a little on the old iPad, but I needed to write a sizable paragraph with text, numbers and characters using the basic iPad Pro keyboard. It is much faster even with the older Smart Keyboard Folio that I have. I remember when I first had the previous iPad Pro and tried the wooden wireless keyboard in my office. It was so much easier to work with that I went to the shops as soon as I could and picked up the Smart Keyboard Folio and there was an immediate increase in productivity, so much so that on many days I stopped taking the MacBook Pro to the office and relied almost wholly on the iPad Pro. My next question was about how the new iPad works concerns the DSLR camera. This ability to handle DSLR transfers using the USB-C port was a major reason for buying my first iPad Pro. However, previously the iPad Pro would balk at importing more than about 15 RAW images from the Nikon D850 I have. These are sizable files and the chip was less powerful than the M1. There was also less storage: 64GB as opposed to the current 128GB. That basic amount had been enough for all activities apart from importing images. If I had a large number (say 200 after a day out) I would use the Mac. Sometimes with a smaller number I found it just as easy to use the iPad Pro, but imported in groups of around 15. I took 40 images with the Nikon just to see how this would work. Although I have the latest Thunderbolt 4 cables, these cannot be used as the camera has the micro-USB port, unlike the Nikon Z series or the Hasselblad X1D. Rather than taking the XQD card out and using a reader, I prefer the direct cable connection and I have a couple of Belkin cables for this purpose: micro-USB one end, USB C the other. I connected the cables, opened Photos and turned on the camera. As usual the images appeared on the screen and I selected Import All. Without a moment's hesitation, they were all imported in under a minute: a real boost to my productivity



One of 40 test images imported to iPad Pro

As 40 images of tins of nuts and oatmeal are unlikely to be of much use, I will delete 39 of them and keep a single reference image.

Some are writing that the iPad Pro now has too much power, although I am not sure that is a thing having started with computers in the mid-1980s with a twin-floppy disk setup, no hard disk and MS-DOS 2.7. My last PC had a 20MB hard disk that I thought I would never fill. Julian Cholkkattu (Wired) complains that the software does not match the power of the M1 chip and the OS needs beefing up. The iPad Pro also lacks desktop apps, he complains. Apple covered that last month. Nate Swanner on Dice discusses whether XCode should be on the iPad Pro and notes the input from John Ternus, who said (among other things), ". . . we're not going to get all caught up in theories around merging [platforms] or anything like that". His conclusion is that it may be useful to have a light version of XCode, but with Swift Playgrounds already available, it may not be worth the cost, particularly with how much memory it needs. I have seen similar discussions about Final Cut Pro on the iPad Pro. This is a big investment anyway and those who make full use of it usually have large desktop computers, with powerful processors and oodles of RAM. A diluted version might not deliver, but there are already several suitable movie-making apps on the iOS and iPadOS platforms, such as LumaFusion (899 baht here - just under $29) which I may look at.

Last time, I mentioned another delivery problem - of food. It so irked me that I made a comment to the company on Friday using its Twitter feed. That did not go unnoticed and within an hour or so, there was a mild apology and a request for the order number: further investigation. I provided that and I am still waiting for a further response, some 4 days later. I am not holding my breath. I do not want any compensation, even if I was charged for an Express Delivery which arrived about 7 hours later (I was phoned and told this would be the new time). What I want is reliability in delivery and better availability of listed products. If the time is not available, don't show it; if it is shown and the user selects that time, deliver. While DHL, FedEx et al have the logistics well I under control, some other operations here need to sharpen up.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. After 3 years writing a column in the Life supplement, he is now no longer associated with the Bangkok Post. He can be followed on Twitter (@extensions_th)
(The Center Square)  Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is taking the lead in a 20-state fight against a proposal that has been issued by the U.S. Department of Education that the AGs say will force critical race theory into American schools.

This proposed rule aims to co-opt Americas traditional U.S. history and civics curriculum by imposing the deeply flawed and radical teachings of critical race theory into the classroom, Rokita said in a news release.

Rokita and the other attorneys general sent an 8-page letter to the Department of Education on Wednesday urging the department, now under the leadership Miguel Cardona, to either drop the proposal or at least make clear that federal money cant be used to fund projects that are based on CRT, including any projects that characterize the United States as irredeemably racist or founded on principles of racism (as opposed to principles of equality) or that purport to ascribe character traits, values, privileges, status, or beliefs, or that assign fault, blame, or bias, to a particular race or to an individual because of his or her race.

On April 19, 2021, the Department of Education issued two proposed priorities that would direct federal grant money to projects that incorporate racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse perspectives into teaching and learning and projects that promote information literacy skills.

Specifically, the money would go to programs that train new teachers and also veteran teachers in how to teach American history, civics and government and would also go toward programs that involve teaching high school students about American history and/or civics.

In 2018, three grants were awarded, including one for $1.4 million for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, for Uncovering an Alternative Narrative: Diverse Contributions to American History and Civics.

A second one, for $3.5 million, was awarded to the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, and a third, for $2.8 million, to the Center for Civic Education, based in Calabasas, California.

In his release and in the letter to the Department of Education, Rokita mentions the Every Student Succeeds Act, passed in 2015, which hed supported as a member of Congress. The bill, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama, gave back to states and local communities control over much of the K-12 curriculum. It also created grant programs to encourage the teaching of American history and civics. But not the kind the Biden administration seems to be conjuring up, Rokita says.

Congress made clear that the purpose of the programs is to advance a traditional understanding of American history, civics, and government, the letter signed by Rokita and the other attorneys general says. The proposed priorities would do little to advance that goal and, based on the proposals support for the '1619 Project,' would endorse teaching factually deficient history. Moreover, the implementation of these priorities will, in practice, lead to racial and ethnic division and indeed more discrimination. These issues will be addressed in turn.

The other states whose AGs signed the letter are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Todd Rokita previously served as Indianas secretary of state and from 2011 until 2018 was a member of Congress representing the 4th congressional district, west and northwest of Indianapolis.

When I co-authored ESSA in Congress, the intent was to get away from Washington-driven one-size-fits-all education policies and teach traditional American history and civics, Rokita said in his statement. We dont need a new liberal indoctrination project that endorses factually deficient instruction and racial division.
Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one.
Governor Northam Announces Winners of 2021 RISE Coastal Community Resilience Challenge

Six businesses will each receive up to $250,000 to pilot and commercialize innovative solutions that address flooding and sea level rise

RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that six small businesses will receive a total of more than $1 million in funding and services through the 2021 RISE Coastal Community Resilience Challenge. The winners were selected from nearly 100 applications and will each receive a combination of a grant and a loan of up to $250,000 to advance and demonstrate innovative products that help coastal communities adapt to the impacts of sea level rise and flooding, including flood management and infrastructure, data analytics, protection of buildings, and re-establishing critical utilities.

The RISE Coastal Community Resilience Challenge is one important way that Virginia is answering the call to address the growing challenge of extreme weather events, flooding, and sea level rise, said Governor Northam. This funding will provide a significant boost to the groundbreaking work of six innovative entrepreneurs focused on creating adaptive, scalable solutions that will ensure the viability, resiliency, and economic vitality of our coastal communities now and for future generations.

In October 2020, Governor Northam unveiled the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework, which included a series of initiatives the Commonwealth will undertake to bolster Virginias resilience to sea level rise and natural hazards to limit the impact of flooding, extreme weather events, and wildfires. Built on the directives from Governor Northam in Executive Order Twenty-Four, this document is among the most comprehensive efforts undertaken by any state to improve resilience and protect people and property from natural catastrophes, and will serve as a blueprint for implementing Virginias first project-driven Coastal Resilience Master Plan by the end of 2021.

The 2021 Coastal Community Resilience Challenge yielded more submissions than we have ever received, said RISE Executive Director, Dr. Paul Robinson. Also going forward, we are going to expand RISEs Challenge model to other areas in the Commonwealth to include rural regions that experience unique flood hazards and make Virginia the leader in resilience innovation.

In 2017, Virginia was awarded $120.5 million through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments (HUD) National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) for innovative solutions to combat sea level rise in Hampton Roads. HUD allocated $5.25 million of the total award to support the development of the nations first-of-its-kind resilience innovation hub called RISE, a Norfolk-based nonprofit organization that provides businesses resources to develop and grow resilience-building solutions for coastal communities. RISE identifies resilience issues, sources solutions, facilitates deployment and validation, builds enterprise readiness, and provides catalytic funding.

Sea level rise is having a sizeable impact on our economy, and I look forward to seeing the solutions these six businesses develop, said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. This competition is an important mechanism to support growth and success for our small business community as they advance innovations in resiliency for our coastal region.

In recent years alone, Virginia has faced rising seas levels, recurrent flooding and storms that are only becoming more extreme, said Secretary of Natural Resources and Chief Resilience Officer of Virginia Matthew Strickler. The need for heightened resiliency has never been more important, and Im heartened to see private industry partnering with our state and federal government to answer the call by addressing these threats.

Since its inception in 2018, RISE has deployed more than $4 million in financial assistance and services to support 27 businesses in piloting their technologies in Hampton Roads. Through RISEs Coastal Community Resilience competitions and the establishment of its Resilience Innovation Hub, the region has become a living laboratory for companies, where the products and services needed to adapt to the impacts of climate change can be demonstrated locally and applied globally.

Implementing comprehensive economic opportunities surrounding coastal adaptation is a key part of our Coastal Resilience Master Plan to protect and adapt Virginias coast, said Rear Admiral Ann Phillips, Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection. We are thankful for the hard work of RISE and of these six entrepreneurs, whose innovations and creativity will not only help address the complex issues facing our coastal communities, but also prepare our Commonwealth to be more resilient in a climate-changed future.



Winners of the 2021 Coastal Community Resilience Challenge join projects already underway from four previous challenges, including sensors capturing critical stormwater system capacity data, applications to re-route drivers in real-time to avoid flooded roads, and mobile manufacturing units that produce custom shoreline protection structures to mitigate flooding. In addition to the grant funding, businesses will receive access to other resources from the RISE Resilience Innovation Hub and Testbed such as a business accelerator, co-working office and testing space, real-world pilot sites, and introductions to regional municipalities and other stakeholders.

As part of the Commonwealths Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Economy Initiative, RISE will launch a business competition to address rural flooding challenges. The five finalists selected from the competition will receive support from RISE to strengthen their business plans and finalists will have a unique opportunity to test their resilience solutions on coastal properties through the Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority.



In 2020, the United States endured 22 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, costing $95 billion in damages to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. Between 2018 and 2019, Virginia experienced impacts from nine events with a total cost of approximately $1.6 billion.

For more information on the winners and the next competition cycle, visit riseresilience.org.

2021 Coastal Community Resilience Challenge Winners:

Forerunner builds decision-support tools that mobilize hard-to-aggregate data to streamline floodplain management, compliance, and outreach. With RISEs help, Forerunner will pilot new features that can estimate citywide per-property flood damage potential for disaster planning and insurance purposes.



Hosta Labs utilizes artificial intelligence to automate the analysis of images of houses, providing insight on measurements, materials, and layouts for property insurance carriers and home improvement companies. Hosta Labs will expand its product to building exteriors.



Smart Walls Construction developed deployable telescopic walls to protect coastal cities from floods and storm surges more affordably and without permanently blocking the view of the water. The technology was successfully validated in laboratory tests. Smart Walls will conduct a real-world pilot, fine-tune its business model, and prepare for market launch.

StormSensor is a climate tech startup that tracks flooding and overflows within storm, sewer, and coastal systems. With RISEs help, StormSensor will test and launch new features to detect clogs in stormwater systems to help cities prioritize maintenance and reduce flood risk.



True Flood Risk utilizes an AI-driven property risk management platform to provide global climate risk analytics and geolocation intelligence related to flooding. True Flood Risk will advance and pilot its patent-pending online tool that instantly estimates structural height of properties without a manual onsite inspection.



Zilper Trenchless, a construction tech startup, creates novel trenchless pipe-laying technology that minimizes the excavation and significantly reduces the costs of laying water pipes underground. Zilper will conduct customer discovery and pilot the technology.

# # #
Electric Truck Startup Lordstown Slashes Production Guidance

Lordstown Motors (RIDE) slashed production prospects for its Endurance electric truck and said it would need to raise more money. Ride stocks are down.

Lordstown earnings report

The company lost 72 cents a share, worse than the consensus forecast of a loss of 25 cents and an increase from a loss of 16 cents a year ago.

Management now believes that production of Endurance in 2021 " will be limited to at most 50 percent of what we previously expected. " Other carmakers have cut production opinions because of a global chip shortage, although Lordstown did not mention this in its statement.

On a conference call with analysts, Stephen Burns, the chief executive, said the company had contracted enough batteries to get it through for the foreseeable future and had bought enough chips to see it through this year.

Previously, the company had planned to start pre-production in a July-August timeframe, with deliveries beginning in September. On Monday, Lordstown said its schedule will start production in late September 2021, when capacity will be limited.

It has already completed 48 of the 57 prototypes and will begin trial production in July.

But Lordtown raised its forecast for operating expenses in 2021 to the midpoint of the guidance range, citing " significant increases in expenses for Beta planning, vehicle validation testing, securing parts/equipment needed for production and using third party engineering resources.

" As a result, we need to raise additional funds to complete our business plan and have already begun these discussions. "

Lordstown said it is seeking loans for advanced technology vehicle manufacturing across multiple jurisdictions, as well as tax credits and grants. It hopes to secure the ATVM loan " in the next few months " . Mr. Burns said the company was in discussions with lenders to use some of its assets as collateral for financing, as well as " a number of strategic big investors, " which could include automakers and investors who help with " big, immediate things, " such as parts and engineering.

Lordstown, meanwhile, has started building a second electric car, the van, on Endurance chassis.

Lordstown, founded in April 2019 and backed by General Motors (GM), plans to build electric trucks at a former GM plant in Ohio, primarily for the commercial market.

This is the second report since Ride shares went public via a reverse merger with SPAC in October.

It will also gain ground before an event on June 21st at BBBs headquarters in Lordstown, Ohio, on June 25th, where it will offer investors and analysts a tour of its factory and a test-drive of Endurance. Ride shares soared last week after the race was announced.

Management also dealt with a US Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, disclosed in March, in relation to allegations by short-seller Hindenburg Research that Lordstown misled investors with " fictitious " orders. The company said on Monday that a board committee would continue to review the claims and would report back by the end of the second quarter.

Burns notes that Lordstown has about 30,000 vehicle purchase agreements, " some of them with an upfront payment, more than in the past. "

Ford is not the only automaker planning to bring electric trucks and vans to market. This fall, GM\'s Hummer trucks will hit the road. Rivian\'s R1T, an electric car start-up backed by Amazon (AMZN), is expected to be available in June. The Tesla (TSLA) Cyber Truck is likely to arrive sometime this year.

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The Austrian government is imposing a ban on flights from the UK as of June 1, for fear of the Indian variant of the coronavirus. This could affect the two Grands Prix scheduled at the Red Bull Ring, but there might be a solution.

The doubleheader in Austria is scheduled for Sunday 27 June and Sunday 4 July, which could mean that both races are in jeopardy. Many teams have their home base in the UK, or have to fly in a lot of personnel or parts from the country.

Possible solution comes in the form of GP France

However, a possible solution also presents itself: a week earlier, on Sunday 20 June, the French Grand Prix is scheduled. The Formula 1 staff could therefore travel directly from France to Austria, which could make the measure a minor effect.

It is not the first time that Austria imposes such a ban. In December, all direct flights to and from the United Kingdom were already banned. That ban lasted until 21 March.
Grand Haven, MI (49417)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Although threatening to lodge a protest at Baku, Toto Wolff says Max Verstappen did not win in Monaco last weekend because of his allegedly illegal rear wing.

The Mercedes team boss claims Formula 1 is currently in a "vacuum" after the FIA said it would test rear wing flexibility differently after Baku.

But Wolff thinks that will hand a major advantage to Red Bull on the long Azerbaijan GP streets, and he is therefore threatening a protest there.

"It is what it is, but we believe we have a pretty strong legal starting position," he told RTL.

Red Bull returned fire last weekend at Monaco by suggesting that video footage shows the front wing of Mercedes' 2021 car flexing excessively.

"We analysed that and Red Bull's front wing bends just the same. So we could protest each other," said Wolff.

"What is clear is that their rear wing bends more than it should, and that was classified as not conforming to the rules."

However, the Austrian insisted that he is not casting any doubt on the result in Monaco, where Red Bull's Max Verstappen raced the controversial wing to the top of the drivers' title standings.

"Actually, now is not the time to talk about the rear wing. They won here on their own," Wolff said before departing Monaco.

"The rear wing had nothing to do with Red Bull's performance - they were simply better. We have to accept that and congratulate them on their victory."

(GMM)
Charles Leclerc "can only blame himself" for the technical failure that meant he couldn't even start last Sunday's Monaco GP, according to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Although quickest in qualifying, the local driver then crashed his Ferrari on his next and final lap - triggering questions about whether it may have been a 'Rascasse-gate'-style deliberate move.

The FIA, however, insists Leclerc didn't do it on purpose.

"I don't think any driver would go out there to severely damage their car to that degree in any circumstance," said F1 race director Michael Masi.

But the questions then started to be posed in Ferrari's direction, because the team elected not to change Leclerc's gearbox - a component that is normally damaged in similar impacts.

Red Bull's Dr Helut Marko said: "I can say that our car would have been broken."

La Gazzetta dello Sport correspondent Gianluca Gasparini wondered: "Can we condemn Ferrari's men who thought the SF21 was ok?"

Ferrari said the problem wasn't the gearbox itself, but due to a crack in the driveshaft hub.

"No one would do something with the knowledge that the car would break down as soon as it left the box," the Italian journalist added. "But is it possible that in order to save the gearbox, they didn't focus on anything else?"

Outspoken 1997 title winner Villeneuve, however, knows exactly where to point the finger of blame.

"He can only blame himself," the French Canadian told RTBF, referring to Leclerc. "He hit the wall, so we can't be sad for him."

(GMM)
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05/24/2021



Alabama Launchpad will award big checks to small businesses through its Startup Competition. Photo courtesy of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama.

The JSU Center for Economic Development and Business Research is encouraging student entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through Alabama Launchpad.

As a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), Alabama Launchpad is the states most active early-stage seed fund investor, driving innovation and job growth through startup competitions and ongoing mentorship of Alabama entrepreneurs.

Since its establishment in 2006, Alabama Launchpad has funded 100 startups with more than $5.6 million in non-dilutive capital (meaning the program does not take a percentage of the equity of the businesses it supports).

Applications are currently being accepted for Cycle 2 of the 2021 Startup Competition. One company in its startup phase will win $25,000, while one seed-stage company will receive $50,000. The top 12 companies will receive hands-on advisory support from experts in legal, accounting, finance, product development/assessment, sales and marketing, and general operations. All applicants will receive individualized insight from business consultants on how to grow their business.



For more information or to apply, visit www.alabamalaunchpad.com.
05/24/2021



Morgan Lavender, chair of the board for the Gadsden/Etowah County Chamber, and Dr. Don Killingsworth, JSU president, signed a corporate scholarship agreement on May 20. Photo courtesy of the Chamber.

Just two months after announcing a groundbreaking partnership with the Calhoun County Area Chamber and Visitors Center to provide educational opportunities to Chamber members, JSU has formed a similar agreement with the Gadsden/Etowah County Chamber.

Beginning in Fall 2021, the university will offer a 20 percent corporate tuition scholarship per semester to full-time and part-time workers employed by member organizations of the Gadsden/Etowah County Chamber. Application fees are also waived, providing an additional $35 in savings.

"When I think of this I think of the word 'hope,' especially after last year," Morgan Lavender, chair of the Chamber board, said during a signing ceremony on May 20. "I think there's so much opportunity out there for people realizing their dreams and continuing higher education so we are extremely excited about this."

JSU President Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. said the partnership is the first step in the university's efforts to increase its footprint in the county.

"On behalf of Jacksonville State University, we're excited about this partnership and the opportunity we can provide to Chamber members and their employees here in Etowah County," Dr. Killingsworth said. "Etowah County is still second in our recruiting, so it is very important to the overall health of the institution."

The scholarship cannot be combined with other university-funded scholarships and discounts, but employees are encouraged to meet with their employer to discuss corporate matching programs.

For more information about the tuition program, visit JSU's partnership website or email enroll@jsu.edu. Learn more about joining the Chamber on its member website.
Researchers at the US Department of Energys Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a sensor system called IntelliVent that can prevent dangerous conditions from developing in outdoor battery cabinets.

Although energy storage systems with cabinet-type enclosures can be advantageous due to capacity, footprint and access, the cabinets leave little room for exhaust fans which would vent flammable gases that can result from failed cells and lead to explosion.

IntelliVent is a patent-pending, deflagration-prevention system for cabinet-style battery enclosures. IntelliVent is designed to open cabinet doors intelligently to vent the cabinet interior at the first sign of explosion risk. This functionality provides passive dilution of accumulated flammable gases, minimizing the potential for catastrophic explosion and reducing the risk of personnel injury.





The deflagration-prevention system combines automatically controlled door locks with a smart controller that manages signals from fire safety inputs, such as smoke, heat, or gas detectors. The system can cause all doors to automatically open simultaneously and immediately when necessary to help ensure personnel and facilities are safe.

Beyond the door locks and controller, the system can include inputs from a fire alarm panel, door sensors, smoke and heat detectors, and mechanisms to open the doors automatically or manually. Requirements in NFPA 855 and the International Fire Code now necessitate explosion mitigation measures for cabinets. IntelliVent is the first system of its kind designed to address these requirement.

Recent fires at battery storage facilities in Surprise, Arizona, and Liverpool, England, highlighted the dangers these kinds of fires can present. The April 2019 incident in Arizona at an energy storage facility left four firefighters injured, two seriously. In September 2020, fire crews in Liverpool, England, were called to a 20 MW battery storage plant after an explosion had occurred to find a large grid battery system container on fire.

When a lithium-ion battery reaches a critical temperature, the liquid electrolyte inside the battery can vaporize and release toxic, flammable gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and propylene. This process is called thermal runaway.

Depending on the size of the cell, these gases can come out at very high volume, very quickly, and can lead to fire or even an explosion. Matthew Paiss, technical advisor for energy storage safety at PNNL and one of the inventors of IntelliVent





Scientists at PNNL developed IntelliVent for cabinet-style battery enclosures to vent the cabinet interior at the first sign of explosion risk. (Video by Mike Perkins | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

This is absolutely in the right direction. Getting all doors open early before gas buildup will make the incident safer. It will also increase situational awareness by being able to see if the batteries are smoking or are on fire. And, if extinguishment is needed, we can direct the water right at the modules from a safe distance. Bobby Ruiz, the fire chief in Peoria, Arizona, whose firefighters were injured in the Surprise, Arizona, explosion

The Snohomish County Public Utility Districts new Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center, in Everett, Washington, will be the first to install the safety technology when it retrofits a 1.2 MW battery with the IntelliVent system.

IntelliVent designers developed the versatile system to work with a variety of sensors. Further, its simple operation provides an early warning system for pushing the gases out. It is intended to reduce the risk of explosion, but due to limitations of the product standard, is not designed to NFPA-69 (Standard on Explosion Prevention Systems).

IntelliVent is available for low-cost, nonexclusive licensing as PNNL pursues broad and rapid adoption of this safety technology.
Hyundai Motor Company released images of its newly upgraded XCIENT Fuel Cell, the worlds first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen. The upgraded heavy-duty XCIENT features design and performance updates. Hyundai will begin production of 2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell in August this year.





2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell is equipped with a 180-kW hydrogen fuel cell system with two 90-kW fuel cell stacks, newly modified for this heavy-duty truck model. The fuel cell systems durability as well as the vehicles overall fuel efficiency has been improved to better stay in tune with the demands of commercial fleet customers. The 350-kW e-motor with maximum torque of 2,237 Nm further enables dynamic driving performance.

Seven large hydrogen tanks offer a combined storage capacity of around 31 kg of fuel, while three 72-kWh high voltage batteries provide an additional source of power.The maximum driving range of 2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell is set to be around 400 km (249 miles). Refueling a full tank of hydrogen takes about 8 to 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.





2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell is now available in a 6x2 rigid body configuration as well as the 4x2 option introduced in the previous model.

With the launch of the enhanced model, Hyundai plans to accelerate the global roll-out of its heavy-duty fuel cell truck.

Hyundai shipped a total of 46 units of XCIENT Fuel Cell to Switzerland last year. As of May 2021, the cumulative driving range of those trucks in operation reached more than 750,000 kilometers. Over that distance, the hydrogen-powered trucks have reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 585 tons, compared to diesel-powered vehicles.

Hyundai will ship another 140 units of the new XCIENT Fuel Cell towards Switzerland by the end of this year as part of its plan to roll out 1,600 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks in Europe by 2025. Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and H2 Energy, is working on the introduction of XCIENT Fuel Cell in other European markets.

Hyundai also plans to present XCIENT Fuel Cell to the North American market this year. Hyundai is in talks with several local governments and logistics businesses in the USto establish potential joint operations of hydrogen-powered trucks for various purposes. The company is also planning to host XCIENT Fuel Cell roadshows and other events open to the general public.

China is another nation that has strong interest in heavy-duty trucks powered by hydrogen. Hyundai is carefully reviewing multiple options to introduce its fuel cell technology to corporate and government customers in China.
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GREENWICH  As the Board of Estimate and Taxation gave its unanimous go-ahead for nearly $2.6 million for emergency repairs at North Mianus School, officials are preparing to move some of the students to an alternate facility for fall classes.

The BET on Monday night approved an allocation of $2,597,912, which would include $1.7 million for renting space for classrooms as well as costs for moving equipment and transporting students while repairs are made.

The approval brings the total to nearly $4.6 million to repair North Mianus, which sustained extensive damage in February after a ceiling collapsed and broke a pipe, flooding part of the school.

Since then, students in grades one, four and five at North Mianus, plus students in the advanced learning program, have been relocated to other school buildings.

The details of the relocation plan for the fall have not been announced, but the funds approved by the BET would include five months of renting a facility for $170,000 a month. Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones told Greenwich Time on Monday that the district was still negotiating for the space.

We need space for three grade levels, four classes on each grade level, given that is the number of general education students who were displaced from the front of the building, which is closed, Jones said. In addition, we need other ancillary spaces for special education, (advanced learning placement) and other needs.

Currently grades one, four and five, plus students in the ALP, program have been relocated to other schools. North Mianus, which was first built in 1925, is the largest elementary school in town.

The second round of funding, approved in special meetings of the BET and its Budget Committee, now goes to the Representative Town Meeting, which is holding a special meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday to consider the issue. To speak at the RTM meeting, residents can sign up using the online form at www.greenwichct.gov/721/Representative-Town-Meeting-RTM.

The meetings were quickly schedule to allow for contracts to be signed and work to begin as soon as possible, officials said.

First round of repair money

For the first round of funding, the town approved $2.1 million for the emergency repairs back in April. The BET asked the Board of Education to make another request for the rest of the money needed after it had firm estimates for the cost of the repairs.

Last Thursday, the school board approved more than $2.5 million for the repairs based on bids it had received for the work and moved the item to the BET for approval.

Board of Education Chair Peter Bernstein thanked all the BET and Budget Committee members for clearing their schedules for the meetings and for the RTM for calling a special meeting for this week.

Both he and school district Director of Facilities Dan Watson said it would be challenging to get the materials needed for construction due to post-pandemic demands.

We appreciate that you all now understand the speed with which were trying to move on this project, Bernstein told the Budget Committee on Monday morning. We really wish to avoid any delays. The supply issue is really becoming a challenge, and we want to make sure were in a position to get this contract signed as soon as the RTM acts.

The funding includes $272,593 as a 15 percent contingency in case there are cost overruns.

We all know whats going on in the world and construction costs, material costs, are fluctuating daily, Watson said. Not only costs, but availability. Thats one of the reasons we are looking at a healthy contingency on this project. ... We really arent going to be ripping down any other walls other than to change out some piping, but again, its a 100-year-old building.

Divisive issue of funding

Discussion of the initial allocation for the project sharply divided the 12-member BET. The Board of Education had initially requested $8.1 million for repairs in April, but the BETs Republican caucus said it wanted to wait until the bids had come in before approving the $2.1 million needed to start the project.

The BETs Democrats made a motion to raise the allocation in April to $8.1 million with conditions. But it was deadlocked in a 6-6 tie vote, with no Republican support. Similar splits occurred on party lines during the 2021-22 budget process on funding improvements for Julian Curtiss School and for a study on the current condition of Central Middle School.

BET Democrats, district officials and some parents argued that not funding the project fully could cause delays in starting the work, purchasing the materials and ultimately getting North Mianius students back in their own classrooms. But the Republicans insisted on waiting until the estimates were in, saying they were following existing town processes, which were fiscally responsible and would not cause significant delays.

Ultimately, the $4.6 million total allocation for the project, combining the money approved in April with the funds approved on Monday, came in far lower than the $8.1 million that the school district had initially requested.

Sean OKeefe, the school districts COO, told the BET on Monday, as he had similarly stated at last Thursdays Board of Education meeting that the $8.1 million request was far above where the bids ultimately ended up because they were including the large contingency in their estimate.

During the full BET meeting, Vice Chair Karen Fassuliotis spoke about the criticism she and others faced after requesting a better estimate on the repairs before approving funds.

Some of us on this board wanted to follow a process and finance the project the way that we have usually done financing while others on this board wanted to issue basically a blank check, Fassuliotis said. Unfortunately in following the process, there has been a pattern of vilifying any board or board member who has done their job.  Our process worked.

BET Clerk Bill Drake, another Republican, also said the boards majority made the right decision.

We had a vote for patience, for prudence, where we could gather the facts before appropriating the citizens money, Drake said. (It was) for being more analytical than emotional and that vote avoided appropriating an extra $3.4 million when it turns out there was no need.

Democrats pushed back, with Leslie Moriarty, chair of the Democratic caucus, saying that the Democrats supported a transparent plan to authorize the money and set proper conditions on it while providing greater assurance to the community that the project would go forward without interruption. Democrat Jeff Ramer said Fassuliotis comments bordered on an ad-hominem attack and rudeness and said it inappropriate and unprovoked.

Ultimately, BET member Laura Erickson, a Democrat and former chair of the Board of Education, urged everyone to move onto the item and cited the Greenwich Public Schools motto of let go and move on.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
The Curators Collective meeting held on Zoom, May 23, is seen on a television monitor at the Korean pavilion at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale. Courtesy of Korean pavilion's Venetian team



By Park Han-sol



Engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out last year, many were gripped by the feeling of powerlessness.



Ambitious architects were no exception, as they had to witness postponements and cancellations of prominent international cultural events one after the other. The 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, initially scheduled to take place in May of last year, had to be delayed twice before it was finally able to open its doors to the public on Saturday.



The uncertainties posed by the pandemic, however, inspired some to take the unprecedented initiative to create a breakthrough project. The Curators Collective (CC) is a coalition in which curators of 50 national pavilions  out of the Biennale's 60 total participating countries  came to exchange ideas and share their expertise. It is the brainchild of Shin Hae-won, curator of this year's Korean pavilion.



Its members first came together online in May of last year, where they recognized their shared interest in exploring collaborative possibilities  something never quite done in the past.





Shin Hae-won, curator of this year's Korean pavilion, speaks during a press conference held in Arko Art Center, May 21. Courtesy of Arts Council Korea

"Dubbed the Olympics of the art world, the Venice Biennale is, in the end, a friendly competition among national pavilions, where the museum deemed to showcase the best exhibition is awarded the Golden Lion Award," Shin told The Korea Times.



"It is likely for this reason that the curators of each pavilion never used to share in advance what their programs involved, the drafts of their press releases or even their contact information. We would be busy carrying on with our own projects and simply launch them when the time came."



But when the COVID-19 shook the world and news of the Biennale being delayed until August came last year, the lack of communication left everyone, including Shin, in the dark, as there seemed to be no chance that the event could be successfully held that month.



She soon realized that the Biennale was a unique platform where the participating countries could move past border closures and lockdowns to come together during the pandemic.



Seeing this situation as an opportunity, she wrote to each curator of the national pavilions, suggesting they should hold a virtual assembly on May 23, 2020, the day that the original opening of the 17th Architecture Biennale had been scheduled for. In less than a few days, a flood of responses came from more than 30 countries, ultimately leading to the formation of the CC.



Even though Shin initiated the online dialogue, she noted that the formation of the CC was a result of the joint passions and efforts of all of the participating curators.



"We've had more than a dozen regular meetings since May of last year. And now we've broken down into several self-organized teams that focus on their own collaborative projects. It's not really important that I was the one who started the group, since everyone is an equally active participant and contributor."



Through the CC, curators have been able to jointly add new programs and projects to the Biennale in more ways than one.



One example is a competition among international students to design benches made up of discarded and recycled materials from the pavilion construction process. The winning design will bring to life these sustainable chairs inside the biennale's main exhibition space, the Giardini.



It was thanks to the coalition's network that the Japanese and Russian pavilions were able to collaborate, turning the white wall standing between the two into an installation conveying the message that it is no longer a wall but a tool of mutual communication.



The members also plan to hold a special Pavilion Festival in October, with a guided promenade, or "Curators Walk," where they will map out a long course to visit all of the national pavilions scattered across the city of Venice.



"We are imagining it to be like a celebratory procession," Shin said. "It was always a shame for the curators to only have time to visit few pavilions, usually located in the main space of the Biennale. Through this performance, we will walk, drink and eat together, heading to all the exhibitions and greeting each other."



She added that Daniel Kovacs, curator of the Hungarian pavilion, was one of many who expressed delight over this unique opportunity for collaboration.



"For me, this Biennale was more about the people than ever. I'm really thankful to Hae-won, her team, and the community for creating connections where there should have been borders and distance," he wrote in an email to CC members.





The facade of Korean pavilion with the "Future School" logo / Courtesy of Arts Council Korea



The roof of Shin's Korean pavilion will become a symbolic common space for the CC members to gather and engage in conversations, possibly as early as August. Previously utilized as a resting area for staff members and docents, this time is the first that the space will be open to visitors.



This year's Korean pavilion is themed "Future School," which aims to promote dialogue on urgent tasks facing humanity  population displacement, climate change and sustainable innovation. A participatory program of more than 50 unique workshops, lectures and exhibitions will be featured both inside the museum and via "Future School Online" until Nov. 21.



"With the overall theme of this year's Biennale being 'How Will We Live Together?,' the Curators Collective is putting one of the possible answers to this question into practice. And we hope that this project could serve as a precedent that will help improve the communication process among national pavilions in the future," Shin said.




WASHINGTON (AP)  They mourned together and laughed together in the Oval Office  and spoke of what President Joe Biden called the hard reality that racism has long torn us apart.

The first anniversary of George Floyds death was supposed to be a milestone moment in Washington, a time to mark the passage of a policing law to make criminal justice more just. Instead, Floyds family met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Tuesday to commemorate their loss and continue to push for legislation.

It was a remembrance of what happened to my brother, Philonise Floyd said of the meeting with Biden, calling the president a genuine guy.

Biden told them he just wants the bill to be meaningful and that it holds Georges legacy intact, said George Floyds nephew Brandon Williams. Williams said Biden showed genuine concern for how the family is doing.

Biden took time during the meeting to play with George Floyds young daughter Gianna, who enjoyed some ice cream and Cheetos, the president said, after she told him she was hungry.

Later, she stood before the cameras outside the White House and softly called out, say his name. Family members chanted in return, George Floyd.

A sister, Bridgett Floyd, stayed away, aiming to come to Washington only when there is a bill to be signed into law.

Thats when I will make my way to D.C., she said from Minnesota.

She and several other family members joined Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and others marking the anniversary in the city where George Floyd died, and other events took place in New York, Los Angeles and other cities in the U.S. and abroad.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the day, Biden said he had spoken with congressional negotiators and was hopeful that sometime after Memorial Day well have an agreement.

With the proposed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act still pending, his family began the day meeting with legislators and headed back to Capitol Hill later from the White House.

They met Tuesday morning with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., who ushered the bill through the House. The Floyds met late in the day with Democrat Cory Booker of New Jersey and Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senates lead negotiators on the bill. The family then visited Black Lives Matter Plaza, the site near the White House where protesters gathered throughout last summer.

I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by their thoughts, Scott said of the family. I wish I was negotiating with them, he said, though he also repeated the line of the day that progress was being made.

Earlier at the Capitol alongside Pelosi and other lawmakers, Philonise Floyd declared of his brother: Today is the day that he set the world in a rage.

We need to be working together to make sure that people do not live in fear in America any more, he said.

The Floyd familys meetings with some of Washingtons most powerful officials produced plenty of comments about optimism and moving forward. Nonetheless, the lack of a final deal contrasted sharply with advocates high hopes just last month, when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvins conviction for Floyds killing and then Bidens nationally televised speech to Congress calling for action by May 25 gave supporters a sense of momentum.

The current standoff underscores the political complexities of an issue thats a top concern for many of both parties' voters  Democrats progressives and voters of color, and Republicans law-and-order conservatives.

Floyd died May 25, 2020, after police officer Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes while arresting him. His death sparked months of nationwide racial protests, a worldwide global reckoning over racism and a renewed debate over police reform. Chauvin was convicted last month of multiple charges.

Though a legislative response has been elusive, negotiators have displayed a steady solidarity thats unusual for such talks, never publicly sniping at each other.

Its a high-profile legislative fight in which Biden has notably taken a back seat, preferring to leave the work of crafting a compromise to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in contrast to his fevered advocacy, both public and private, for his infrastructure bill and COVID-19 relief package.

We have been respecting the space needed for negotiators to have these discussions, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

She and congressional negotiators declined to offer a new deadline for reaching an agreement. Bass, the top House Democratic bargainer, said talks would continue until we get the job done. Republican Scott said negotiations have a long way to go still, but its starting to take form.

The Democratic-controlled House approved a sweeping bill in March that would make it easier for individual police officers to be sued and charged with crimes. It would also ban chokeholds, limit no-knock warrants and create a national database of officers with histories of complaints and disciplinary problems.

That bill has gone nowhere in the Senate, where the 50 Democrats will need support from at least 10 Republicans to overcome a bill-killing filibuster.

GOP lawmakers have preferred more modest changes.

Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump said Biden told them "he doesnt want to sign a bill that doesnt have substance and meaning.

So he is going to be patient, to make sure its the right bill, not a rushed bill, Crump said.

White House advisers say Biden and his team have been in frequent touch with Capitol Hill negotiators over the legislation, but they believe this is an issue in which a high-profile public campaign by the president may do more harm than good.

But some activists say theyd like to see the president be more outspoken in advocating for the bill.

President Biden has left it to members of Congress, and its in their hands right now. But the president will need to step up to make sure we get it across the finish line, said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project, a racial justice organization.

The chief stumbling block has been qualified immunity, which generally shields individual officers from civil lawsuits. Democrats have wanted to eliminate that protection while Republican Senate negotiator Scott has proposed retaining immunity for officers but allowing lawsuits against police departments.

While progressives and many criminal justice reform advocates are insistent that the bill eliminate protections for individual officers, some Democrats, most notably House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, have said they could see a compromise on the issue. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he wouldnt support any bill that ended qualified immunity.

While the president is waiting for the bill to hit his desk, Biden's aides have said the administration is doing what it can to deal with the incidents of police misconduct.

The Biden administration has signaled that the Justice Department will shift its focus to prioritize civil rights and policing reform after a tumultuous four years under President Donald Trump. In the past few weeks, the department has announced sweeping investigations into the police in Minneapolis and Louisville and brought federal civil rights charges against the officers involved in Floyds death, including Chauvin.

On Tuesday, as Floyds family was preparing to meet with Biden, the Senate voted to confirm Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights, the first Black woman to hold the position.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  A few hours after the latest cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger  a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip.

The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists in Gaza who confirmed their Whatsapp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists  working for Al Jazeera  confirmed their accounts had been restored.

The incident marks the latest puzzling move concerning WhatsApp's owner Facebook Inc. thats left Palestinian users or their allies bewildered as to why theyve been targeted by the company, or if indeed theyd been singled out for censorship at all.

Twelve of the 17 journalists contacted by the AP said they had been part of a WhatsApp group that disseminates information related to Hamas military operations. Hamas, which rules over the Gaza Strip, is viewed as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, where WhatsApp owner Facebook is headquartered.

It's unclear if the journalists were targeted because theyd been following that group's announcements on WhatsApp.

Hamas runs Gazas Health Ministry, which has a WhatsApp group followed by more than 80 people, many of them journalists. That group, for example, has not been blocked.

Hassan Slaieh, a freelance journalist in Gaza whose WhatsApp account is blocked, said he thinks his account might have been targeted because he was on a group called Hamas Media.

This has affected my work and my income because I lost conversations with sources and people, Slaieh said.

Al Jazeeras chief correspondent in Gaza, Wael al-Dahdouh, said his access to WhatsApp was blocked around dawn on Friday before it was reinstated Monday. He said journalists subscribe to Hamas groups only to get information needed to do journalistic work.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company bans accounts to comply with its policies to prevent harm as well as applicable law. The company said it has been in touch with media outlets over the last week about its practices. We will reinstate journalists if any were impacted, the company said.

Al Jazeera said that when it sought information regarding its four journalists in Gaza impacted by the blockage, they were told by Facebook that the company had blocked the numbers of groups based out of Gaza and consequently the cell phone numbers of Al Jazeera journalists were part of the groups they had blocked.

Among those affected by the WhatsApp blockage are two Agence France-Presse journalists. The Paris-based international news service told the AP it is working with WhatsApp to understand what the problem is and to restore their accounts.

The 11-day war caused widespread destruction across Gaza with 248 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, killed in the fighting. Israel says 12 people in Israel, including two children, also died.

It's not the first time journalists have been suddenly barred from WhatsApp. In 2019, a number of journalists in Gaza had their accounts blocked without explanation. The accounts of those working with international media organizations were restored after contacting the company.

Facebook and its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram were criticized this month for removing posts and deleting accounts by users posting about protests against efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalems Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It prompted an open letter signed by 30 organizations demanding to know why the posts had been removed.

The New York Times also reported that some 100 WhatsApp groups were used by Jewish extremists in Israel for the purpose of committing violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

WhatsApp said it does not have access to the contents of peoples personal chats, but that they ban accounts when information is reported they believe indicates a user may be involved in causing imminent harm. The company said it also responds to valid legal requests from law enforcement for the limited information available to us.

The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, or 7amleh, said in a report published this month that Facebook accepted 81% of requests made by Israels Cyber Unit to remove Palestinian content last year. It found that in 2020, Twitter suspended dozens of accounts of Palestinian users based on information from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Al-Dahdouh, the Al Jazeera correspondent, said although his account was restored, his past history of chats and messages was erased.

The groups and conversations were back, but content is erased, as if you are joining a new group or starting a new conversation, he said. I have lost information, images, numbers, messages and communications.

Al Jazeera said its journalists in Gaza had their WhatsApp accounts blocked by the host without prior notification.

Al Jazeera would like to strongly emphasize that its journalists will continue to use their WhatsApp accounts and other applications for newsgathering purposes and personal communication, the news network told the AP. At no time, have Al Jazeera journalists used their accounts for any means other than for personal or professional use.

The Qatar-based news network's office in Gaza was destroyed during the war by Israeli airstrikes that took down the high-rise residential and office tower, which also housed The Associated Press offices. Press freedom groups accused the military, which claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence, of trying to censor coverage of Israels offensive. The Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate.

Sada Social, a West Bank-based center tracking alleged violations against Palestinian content on social media, said it was collecting information on the number of Gaza-based journalists impacted by the latest WhatsApp decision.

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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Follow Fares Akram on Twitter at https://twitter.com/faresakram and Aya Batrawy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb
NEW YORK (AP)  If there's one place where people could fear the coronavirus more than a vaccination needle, it's the Far Rockaway section of Queens: Nearly 460 residents of the seaside neighborhood have died of COVID-19.

That's one out of every 146 people who live there, making for one of New York City's highest death rates. And yet, no other place in the city has a lower percentage of vaccinated people.

As of Monday, only 29% of people living in Far Rockaways ZIP code, 11691, had received even one vaccine dose, according to data from the New York City Health Department. That compares to a rate of 49% citywide and nationally.

The situation in the community of around 67,000 people illustrates the challenges facing health officials in many places as they try to overcome hesitancy fueled by mistrust, misinformation and fear.

We have a good amount of people that still dont want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason, said Diana Catalan, a health clinic manager involved in the Far Rockaway inoculation effort whose father, a neighborhood resident, died of the virus in February.

Some people want to wait a few months to see how vaccinated friends and family respond to the shots, she said. Some have heard unfounded conspiracy theories that the vaccine is dangerous. Others just feel no urgency, having escaped serious harm so far.

Catalan said she was anxious to get her father a shot at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center, where she works. But he got the virus before the vaccine became available to people in his age group. He was 62.

He was very young and he had no chronic illnesses," Catalan said. He was nothing but a hard-working man.

More than an hours subway ride from Manhattan, Far Rockaway sits between a bay and a strip of urban beach on the eastern end of Queens seashore, beneath the flight path for nearby Kennedy Airport.

Like a lot of places where vaccination rates lag, a majority of residents are Black and Hispanic. Among some Black Americans, there's documented distrust in the medical establishment and government because of a history of discriminatory treatment.

People are naturally going to be scared of anything offered by the medical community, especially because of what weve seen through health care and what that has looked like for low-income black and brown communities disadvantaged in the state, Khaleel Anderson, a state Assembly member who represents the area explained.

For some Latinos, delaying the vaccine often comes down to logistics, such as work schedules or fear of negative immigration consequences. A section of the neighborhood is also home to a community of Orthodox Jews, a group that, like white evangelical Christians, is also experiencing more vaccine skepticism.

Initially developed in the 19th century as a beach resort community, Far Rockaway today is poorer than most parts of the city, a mix of public housing, seaside apartment towers and suburban-style single-family homes, all physically isolated. Its inoculation rate stands in stark contrast with the situation a few miles west in Breezy Point, a whiter, more affluent section of the Rockaway Peninsula where 75% of people have received their first dose.

Far Rockaway is always the forgotten community, said Michelle Chester, who was raised in the neighborhood and also happened to administer the very first COVID-19 vaccine dose in the state.

Local officials initially said limited access to vaccination sites is one factor contributing to the low numbers, though throughout May, there were at least four places where people were able to get shots in the 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) that constitute Far Rockaway. A large, state-run mass vaccination site is also just a few subway stops away, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Still, Chester, who no longer lives in Far Rockaway but visits her mother there on weekends, said in early May that if there are convenient sites, that information is not getting to the community.

The city opened a new vaccination hub near the neighborhood in April, hoping to boost access.

Having the permanent site really helps push us in the right direction, Anderson said, but maintained that residents' hesitancy is driven by being genuinely concerned.

Misinformation has complicated vaccination efforts, especially among residents who are skeptical of the speed with which the vaccine was manufactured.

Marimar Alvarado, 24, has decided against getting the COVID-19 vaccine, along with the rest of her family. In Spanish, she referred to the vaccine as the Mark of the Beast, an ominous sign in the New Testaments Book of Revelation, signaling the end times. The fringe conspiracy theory has spread among some Christians.

Somer Saleh, a family therapist at New Horizon Counseling Center in Far Rockaway, said that she noticed, among her vaccine-hesitant clients, that theres misinformation on what the actual vaccine contains and wild conspiracy theories.

In Far Rockaways Jewish community, some women are fearful of getting the vaccine because of debunked claims the vaccine affects fertility, said Moshe Brandsdorfer, executive director of the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula, which provides vaccine education through online outreach. He also noted that those who already had COVID-19 don't really feel the urge" to get vaccinated.

People without legal status in the U.S. are also fearful of getting vaccinated because they're hesitant to give personal information, local health workers told The Associated Press. The brief pause on Johnson & Johnsons one-shot dose, while health authorities considered a potential link to rare blood clots, also turned people away, they said.

Some progress is being made. The Addabbo center's Far Rockaway branch has been vaccinating between 30-80 people a day. Earlier this month, it began offering additional vaccine slots on weekends, which is helpful to capture the working-class people who cant afford to take off a weekday, Anderson said. Addabbo is seeing results from the weekend sessions. In one weekend alone in mid-May, more than 200 people got the vaccine at the clinic's Far Rockaway location.

Angelita Ramos, a 47-year-old Spanish teacher, recently got her second Moderna jab. She initially delayed vaccination.

I was scared," she said. To be honest, I said, Let me see how its going to work out.'

Ramos said seeing other teachers getting vaccinated convinced her to get the shot.

Elva Rosario, 79, also received her second dose recently, saying she often walked by the vaccine site but didnt think the vaccine was necessary since she was never infected.

Rosario said she wasn't afraid of COVID-19, saying at her age the virus hits you like a rock.

In some parts of New York, the city has hired people to go door-to-door promoting the shots. The state and city have also been offering incentives, ranging from free fries at Shake Shack to a week of free subway rides. To really ramp up vaccination rates, personalized outreach in the community is necessary, said Addabbo CEO, Miriam Vega.

This final batch of people that we want to reach in order to reach herd immunity is going to take a lot of work, she said.

Things like advertisements alone wont do the trick.

Its the human one-on-one interaction that matters," she said.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards agreed.

In a tight-knit community like Far Rockaway, if they dont see their neighbor getting the vaccine," he said, "they arent getting it.
ATLANTA (AP)  Six months after Donald Trump's loss, conspiracy theorists and backers of former President Donald Trump are continuing their push for repeated examinations of ballots and finding limited successes.

A Georgia judge last week awarded a group the chance to review mail ballots in a large Georgia county that includes Atlanta. Officials in a rural Michigan county on Tuesday debated a review of their voting machines. A similar debate has caused sharp divisions in a New Hampshire town. In some cases, the efforts have been inspired by an audit of the votes in Arizona's Maricopa County, an elaborate exercise engineered by the GOP-led state Senate.

The efforts are unlikely to yield any new revelations about President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. The votes have been counted  and often recounted  and certified by local officials. Still, the lingering debate and legal wrangling have propelled suspicions and advanced debunked theories. And their sometimes misleading conclusions have been amplified by Trump, whose false allegations of election fraud sparked the push.

The profusion of audits alarms election experts, who note that the Arizona audit has set a troubling new precedent of third-party, partisan review of the ballots, long after elections are over.

This is bad enough to see it happen once, Eddie Perez, an expert on voting systems at the OSET Institute, said of Arizona, but seeing it elsewhere in the country is dangerous for democracy.

The audits are serving a clear political purpose in firing up the Republican Partys base. At a rally outside Phoenix last week featuring GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, references to the Arizona audit drew much more enthusiastic applause than immigration, normally the top hot-button issue on the right in the border state.

In a statement Monday night, Trump criticized Republican Party leaders for not doing more about what went on in November. He cited the ballot reviews underway and promised more to follow.

The Arizona audit has been cited as a template for the others, though each is distinct. In Arizona, the Republican-controlled state Senate subpoenaed more than 2 million ballots and voting machines from Arizona's most populous county, which includes Phoenix, and gave control of the review to a small cybersecurity firm whose founder, Doug Logan, had tweeted pro-Trump election conspiracies.

Logan has ties to the Michigan effort as well. In April, Logan and another cybersecurity expert involved in the Arizona audit, Ben Cotton, filed separate expert witness reports alleging security problems in voting machines in a lawsuit filed in rural Antrim County, Michigan, that sought to compel a statewide election audit there. That case was dismissed by a judge last week  one of more than 60 court losses for pro-Trump groups in lawsuits challenging the 2020 election.

But Logan's and Cotton's claims were used by a Michigan attorney to bolster the case for a forensic audit of voting machines in rural Cheboygan County, in northern Michigan, earlier this month.

If you dont have your vote counted as it was intended to count, we dont have a free country, attorney Stefanie Lambert, who had filed an appeal of the dismissal of a separate, unsuccessful lawsuit challenging Trump's loss in Michigan, told the Cheboygan County elections committee. She offered to provide auditors free of charge.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, sent a letter last week warning the Cheboygan County clerk not to hand over her election equipment to groups that aren't certified to handle voting machines, and she stressed that the county's commissioners alone couldn't order such a review. Still, on Tuesday, the county's Board of Commissioners heard impassioned arguments for and against the audit from an overflow crowd, but did not take immediate action.

Everyone needs to understand that we hear you, but we are proceeding very, very cautiously," Commissioner Ron Williams said.

Arizona has also inspired calls by pro-Trump groups to push for their own pick to take over a post-election audit of a statehouse race in Windham, New Hampshire  home of former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

But the biggest new entry into the audit field is in Georgia's Fulton County, where a judge on Friday ruled that plaintiffs could inspect 147,000 mail ballots as part of their lawsuit alleging fraud in the most populous county in the state.

The lawsuit was spearheaded by Garland Favorito, a longtime skeptic of Georgia's voting systems who has embraced conspiracy theories about 9/11, Clinton-era scandals and Supreme Court justices. Favorito says he voted for Don Blankenship, the U.S. Constitution Party candidate for president, last year.

Our ultimate objective is the truth. What is the truth of this election? Favorito said in an interview. Dont tell us what the results are and then hide it from us and pretend we have to accept whatever you tell us.

Fulton County Chair Robb Pitts said in a statement: It is outrageous that Fulton County continues to be a target of those who cannot accept the results from last years election. The votes have been counted multiple times, including a hand recount, and no evidence of fraud has been found.

Both sides are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss how to review the mail ballots. Favorito said Jovan Pulitzer, an inventor and key figure in the pro-Trump movement to overturn the 2020 election, may be one of the people he consults for the ballot examination.

Pulitzer had pushed unsuccessfully for a statewide audit of Georgia's election results, even after two recounts by the Republican secretary of state confirmed that Biden won the state. That finding infuriated Trump, who has slammed both Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp.

Former state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Trump backer who is challenging Kemp in the GOP primary, held a news conference outside the state Capitol last week to hammer the governor for not commissioning a statewide audit. Theres a dead cat on the end of this line, and we just want to find out what it is, thats all," Jones said. "People have a right to know. What are you hiding?

That's the sort of sentiment that alarms Tammy Patrick, who used to oversee post-election audits in Maricopa County. Those examinations are essential, she argued, but must be conducted by election experts, not ideologically interested novices, and should be completed soon after voting.

In a healthy democracy, you have an auditing process, you have legal recourse, and when that period is over, all the candidates who have won take over and you move on, said Patrick, an adviser at The Democracy Fund, adding that the people calling for audits clearly want only one result.

They are not going to be satisfied, Patrick said. This is just going to play out in perpetuity.

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Brumback reported from Atlanta and Riccardi from Denver. Associated Press writers Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and John Flesher in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  People protested Tuesday near the Mississippi Capitol and the state Supreme Court building to demand that Gov. Tate Reeves call legislators into special session to restore a medical marijuana initiative that voters approved in November and that justices recently overturned.

In the 6-3 ruling May 14, the state Supreme Court also invalidated Mississippi's entire initiative process that allows citizens to petition to bring issues to a statewide vote. Justices said the process is outdated, so the medical marijuana proposal was not properly on the ballot.

About 1.3 million people voted in Mississippi in November, and more than 766,000 of them voted in favor of the medical marijuana proposal, Initiative 65. Thats about 10,000 more residents than voted in November for then-President Donald Trump, who easily won in Mississippi despite losing his race for a second term.

One handwritten sign Tuesday said: New Math: 6 (is greater than) 766K.

Brandon Allen, 35, a military veteran from Pearl, sat holding sign with the slogan: Special Session Now Tater Tot. Allen said he knows veterans who have post traumatic stress syndrome, and marijuana could help them.

I don't think the government should tell people how they should and shouldn't live, Allen said in an interview moments before a band at the event started playing the Willie Nelson song, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die."

Mississippi is in the minority of states without a medical marijuana program. Legislators' annual session ended in early April. Only the governor can call them back to the Capitol, and he decides what topics they may consider. Republican Reeves has given no indication that hell call them back to consider enacting a medical marijuana law.

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler opposed Initiative 65 because it limited cities' ability to regulate the location of marijuana businesses. She and the city of Madison sued the state shortly before the November election, arguing that Mississippi's initiative process is flawed and that the medical marijuana proposal should not be on the ballot.

A majority of justices agreed with her arguments. At the heart of their ruling is the fact that Mississippi's initiative process, written in the 1990s, requires people to gather one-fifth of signatures from each congressional district. Mississippi had five districts when that was written, but stagnant population meant that the state dropped to four districts after the 2000 Census. Language dealing with the initiative process was never updated, and Butler's attorneys argued that the one-fifth requirement from four districts is mathematically impossible.

When a speaker mentioned Butler during Tuesday's protest, many people booed.

DeAndrea Delaney runs businesses that sell hemp products in Mississippi, and she said on stage at the protest that the vote for the medical marijuana initiative united people across lines that traditionally divide them.

Cannabis  theres no gender gap. Theres no racial gap, Delaney said. Theres no red. Theres no blue. Its just about the green today.

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Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP)  People who have received all of their COVID-19 vaccinations no longer will be required to wear a mask outdoors on West Virginia University campuses, the university said Tuesday.

The university will continue to require masks indoors in most situations, WVU said in a news release.

Vaccinated individuals in groups of fewer than 10 indoors on campus may decide as an entire group to remove masks. Masks in spaces such as personal vehicles and private offices are not required for vaccinated or unvaccinated people, the statement said.

On June 1, the university will ease requirements for out-of-state travel for vaccinated people, who do not need to get tested or quarantine for five days following out-of-state domestic travel. Such travelers who are not vaccinated must continue to quarantine and are recommended to be tested for COVID-19, the statement said.

The university said vaccinated international travelers do not need to quarantine upon return but should get a COVID-19 test afterward and self-monitor for symptoms. Unvaccinated individuals are strongly discouraged from traveling internationally and will be required to quarantine for seven calendar days after travel and get tested.

The university will require employees who regularly work on campus to use annual leave to cover the quarantine period when scheduling out-of-state vacations. Workers can request a remote work assignment from their supervisor but won't be guaranteed based on the college, department or units operational needs, the statement said.
File / Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

GREENWICH  Its been a week since the last positive COVID-19 cases were reported in Greenwich Public Schools.

For the second straight update (the district updates its tracker every Tuesday and Friday) there are no new cases in the district. There are also no active cases in the district for the second update in a row. Since the beginning of the month, there have been just 13 cases reported.
GREENWICH  After two years of work on an $850,000 upgrade, police officers in town are now training on a new and improved pistol range.

Police commanders and town officials on Monday afternoon formally reopened the renovated facility on Steamboat Road, calling it a valuable asset for ensuring high-quality police work.

It doesnt look fancy, but there are a lot of things that go into it, said Chief of Police James Heavey, saying that better facilities lead to better-prepared police officers.

This is going to make Greenwich safer, through excellent training, the chief said at a ceremony.

Training Officer Chris Girardi said a number of improvements have been made at the range, which first opened in central Greenwich in 1986.

The police department previously received reports occasionally about the sound of gunfire near the facility, Heavey said, but it has now been completely sound-proofed. More than 1 million rounds of ammunition had been fired into the backstop at the site since the 1980s  I known Im not accountable for any of the holes that might have gone into the ceiling, he joked.

The ventilation has been improved at the facility, located in a nondescript building near the Greenwich train station. Lighting conditions can be adjusted to simulate nighttime conditions, and video features can be implemented as well. The targets can be moved around on a motorized track, going fast or slow, with the touch of a button.

The range is also longer than the typical facility, allowing for target-practice at longer distances.

Its good marksmanship training, Girardi said. Train farther, train harder, over-prepare for the event, thats a good thing.

Greenwich police officers had been training at the Stamford police facility and the police-academy range in Meriden while the local range was closed for renovations. Heavey said the travel time to those facilities were a significant drawback, taking officers out of service for lengthy periods of time.

Its really important for us to have our own facility, Heavey said, especially if an emergency were to arise.

The 152 officers in the department train regularly at four-hour intervals on the 9mm Glock firearm. The training also includes use-of-force reviews, as well as Taser and pepper-spray practice. Heavey said the officers are trained on deescalation tactics that aim to make deadly force a last resort.

A number of officers in the department use a smaller Glock pistol, and some officers are equipped with carbines and shotguns.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said he was pleased that the new range was in service and said he wished officers health and happiness in their work.

The classroom at the shooting range was named in honor for Lt. James Fahy, who died in June 2020 at the age of 82. A longtime Cos Cob resident and a 23-year veteran of the department who retired with the rank of lieutenant in 1991, Fahy was involved in a shoot-out with three armed robbery suspects in 1974 at the old toll both on I-95 near Exit 4. He was credited with excellent marksmanship, and two gunmen were killed in the incident.

His wife, Mary Ellen Fahy, thanked the police department for honoring her husband. Fahys .38-revolver was installed in a plaque inside the classroom in honor of his bravery and steadfast courage in tremendous danger, Heavey said.

The police department also paid tribute to Deputy Police Chief Mark Marino, who is due to retire next week after 38 years of service.

Ive had the opportunity to work with the greatest people, thats what Im going to miss the most, he said. Its been a pleasure to come to work.

Editors note: This story have been update to correct a misspelled name in a photo caption.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
Photo: GHI/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Two weeks ago, for the first time in a year, Mountain Sweet Berry Farms Rick Bishop felt a wave of relief: This was going to be okay. It was Wednesday, he was at the Union Square Greenmarket, and fine dining was back. I was completely overrun with restaurants, he says. People I hadnt seen in a year were like, Were back, were going to open up, and were going to need some ramps! Ive been scared for two months now, going, What am I doing? What am I doing? It was like driving really fast in the fog. And all at once, it seemed, the fog had lifted. We completely sold out  full truck gone, my receipt book was empty. And I was like, Wow, this is great. Were back.

As the citys largest greenmarket, Union Square occupies a singular place in New Yorks culinary ecosystem: At the same booths where people buy salad greens for dinner, chefs are stocking their kitchens to prepare for that nights service. The farmer-chef relationships are close, and what chefs cant buy, theyll commission. I grow a lot of really weird stuff for Frenchette, says Bishop, who counts Jean-Georges, Daniel Humm, and Tom Colicchio among his regulars. In a normal year, he estimates, restaurants account for 40 percent of his business. But this was not a normal year.

Every facet of the food industry was thrown into crisis, but farmers had one issue that restaurants did not, and that is that farming is very, very slow. It is not set up for pivoting. You are always betting on the future, and once crops are planted, theres not a whole lot more that can be done. In restaurants, chefs frantically overhauled their menus to feed a terrified city. On farms, seedlings kept obliviously growing. Thats just the steadfastness of farming, says Quarton Farms Kellie Quarton. Okay, this huge thing is changing, but we still have to keep going.

Still, they did what they could to brace themselves. I said, Lets just skip a bunch of the herbs and the restaurant-specific items, says Bishop. The baby French leeks and the French cronses, which are a real tiny little tuber  last year, we just dropped them. When the cancellations started coming in, the first thing Norwich Meadows Zaid Kurdieh did was ditch celtuce; at chef-favorite Campo Rosso, Chris Field pulled way back on agretti. More than half his business had been restaurants, but the lay appetite for the salty, seaweed-like Italian succulent struck him as somewhat limited. We scaled that back a tad, he says. Just out of precaution.

Meanwhile, farmers were dealing with a second question: what to do with the produce they already had. In one of the great ironies of the pandemic, Bishop had the best potato crop of his life last year. I thought, What am I going to do with all these potatoes and no restaurants? Kurdieh was looking at 500,000 pounds of root vegetables still in storage, more coming, and half his usual market  50 percent of his business had come from restaurants, and now it was down to zero.

To make up for what theyd lost, farmers started experimenting with potential revenue streams. Some of them were clearly temporary measures  nobody, not farmers and not restaurants, saw Michelin-starred meal kits as the future. They plan to stick with other changes, though, even as restaurants bounce back. We ended up working twice as hard to sell the same crop, says Bishop, but it worked.

They turned to home delivery, leaning on restaurant suppliers turned retailers like Baldor, Fellow Farmer, and Natoora. At its peak, Norwich Meadows was selling 2,000 boxes of a la carte produce a week on Fellow Farmer. Kurdieh figured if he just broke even, paid all the bills, kept our guys employed, I would be ecstatic, but by the end of the year, he realized the farm had done way better. It was almost as good as 2019, which was our best year ever, he says. The home delivery thing really, really paid off, agrees Bishop. Baldor just became a lifeline for me.

In-person shopping habits shifted, too. Without restaurants, people seemed to be cooking more than ever, and open-air markets suddenly seemed a lot safer than indoor grocery stores. But while the Union Square Greenmarket had been the citys blockbuster, business was booming at neighborhood markets in Brooklyn and Queens, and farmers doubled down on the outer boroughs, Westchester, and New Jersey. The smaller markets we did doubled in sales, even in some cases tripled, says Kurdieh. At his market in Ramsey, New Jersey, sales were off the charts. To Lee Houck, who runs city operations for the Vermont-based Deep Mountain Maple, New York Citys reorientation was exciting. People were really spending time in their own neighborhoods, he observes. So far, that hasnt changed.

And now, after a year of endless pivots, discounted potatoes, and four-star meal kits, the restaurants are back, only nobody is sure exactly what that looks like. I can tell you, just from seeing the chefs at Union Square every day, I know theyre getting busier and busier, says Houck. But hope is hard to calibrate. We dont know what the future of the pandemic is, so were all sort of unsure how to behave. Everyone is hopeful, and everyone is cautious, and everyone is treading very, very lightly.

Chefs, farmers say, are enthusiastic, but theyre hesitant to make commitments. Instead of plans, there are a lot of conversations. Who can take a risk? Restaurants are requesting crops, reports Kurdieh, but were being very cautious. The last thing he needs is a glut of niche produce they cant buy and he cant sell, but in a sense, its progress: The future is bright enough to ask.

It is the moment Bishop has been waiting for. Im prepared for it, he says. I was hoping for it. He had taken the leap and grown everything this year, the baby French leeks and the cronses, planting them before he was sure that it made any sense. But in the last few weeks, the panic has started to dissolve. Even though this last week has been really busy, its been calming, he says. Its a pretty good vibe right now. I feel its coming back.
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seung hosts a conference with former Russian diplomats on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, at the Lotte Hotel Moscow, during his visit to the city to promote bilateral ties between Korea and Russia. Courtesy of office of National Assembly speaker



By Jung Da-min



Former Russian diplomats, including envoys posted to South and North Korea, anticipate the possibility of talks again taking place between Pyongyang and Washington, and advise that the issue of North Korea's denuclearization be resolved through the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and multilateral cooperation similar to the six-party talks of the past.



Their comments were given during a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, who is visiting Russia. Park hosted the conference with the ex-diplomats, Tuesday (local time), to discuss how to bring the North back to negotiations, and assess the results of last Friday's South Korea-U.S. summit.



Among the participants were Gleb Ivashentsov, a vice president of Moscow-based think tank the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC); Oleg Davydov, a senior researcher at the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO); Alexander Zhebin, director of the Center for Korean Studies (CKS) of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies (IFES) of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow; and Evgeny Afanasiev, a former Russian ambassador to Seoul.



The Russian experts said the South Korea-U.S. summit has opened a new phase for easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. They also reaffirmed that Russia consistently supports the South Korean government's peace process and does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power.



"The normalization of inter-Korean relations and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula are two wheels for the establishment of peace on the peninsula. The 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration by the Koreas showed that they can coexist peacefully without creating a war-like situation anymore," said Ivashentsov.



Davydov said, "We can't take a step forward toward relieving tensions on the peninsula and restoring inter-Korean relations as long as the North Korean nuclear threat exists. There is no disagreement that the final goal of the South Korea-U.S. summit is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Russia is also in the same position in this regard. Russia does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power."



He also said, "Russia understands the peace process that South Korea is pursuing. I hope that a new chapter of cooperation will open where Russia, Korea and the United States can all participate."



Park said he believes a comprehensive agreement and gradual developments would be a realistic solution to the issue, and now is the time for the North to respond and engage in dialogue.



"The statement on North Korea that came out from the South Korea-U.S. summit was the result of complete coordination between the two countries. ... I expect that President Biden will maintain this stance in the upcoming four years," Park noted.



"It seems that the U.S. government understands that neither the Barack Obama administration's strategic patience nor the previous Donald Trump government's top-down collective settlement were successful. The current Biden administration is expected to take a third route."



Park is on a nine-day trip to Russia and the Czech Republic that began last Saturday to promote South Korea's bilateral ties with each country.




The new Lenovo Yoga Pad 13" tablet has a micro-HDMI port so you can use it as an external monitor

The newly announced Lenovo Yoga Pad Pro 13 tablet has a handle  well, it will probably see more use as a kickstand. Its the best feature of the Yoga line, allowing the tablet to be positioned in various angles in two different orientations without needing external hardware.



Lenovo Yoga Pad Pro 13" with a built-in kickstand

The chunky part where the kick stand is also houses two ports  theres a USB-C on one side and a micro-HDMI port on the other. This allows you to use the tablet as an external display for your laptop or Nintendo Switch, for example.



The Yoga Pad Pro has a micro-HMDI port so it can act as an external monitor  Optional stylus

And its a stellar display too, it will make most laptops jealous. The 13 LTPS LCD panel has 2,160 x 1,350 px resolution (16:10) with 100% sRGB coverage, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. It tops out at 400 nits of brightness.

The chunky part also houses some powerful speakers, four JBL speakers with 5 cm chambers, smart amps and a total of 9W of power (2x 2.5W and 2x 2W). Dolby Atmos is supported.

While you can hook up a Switch to the Yoga Pad Pro, the tablet is a fairly powerful gaming machine in its own right. It has a Snapdragon 870 chipset paired with 8GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB storage (UFS 3.0).



The tablet can act as an external display  It has great sound thanks to 4 JBL speakers

It runs ZUI 12.5 based on Android 11. If youre the artistic type, you can get the optional stylus that can sense 4,096 levels of pressure. The 10,200 mAh battery is enough for over 12 hours of video playback or for 8 and a half hours of working in display mode.

Wired connectivity includes a USB-C 3.1 with Quick Charge 4 support, as well as the aforementioned micro-HDMI port. On the wireless side of things there is Wi-Fi 6 support (2x2 MIMO) and Bluetooth 5.2.

The tablet has only one camera, an 8MP module on the front, which is joined by a 3D ToF sensor that can be used for secure face recognition.

The back of the device is coated with Alcantara, the kickstand is made out of durable stainless steel and can rotate 180. The slate weighs 830g.



Alcantara on the back  CNC-machined stainless steel stand

Pre-orders in China started today on Lenovos site, the price is CNY 3,300 ($515/420).

Via
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Haiti - FLASH : The USA deeply concerned





During his official trip to Quito, Ecuador, for the inauguration of new President-elect Lasso Guillermo, the President of Haiti Jovenel Moise met with a US delegation led by US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.



After this meeting UN Spokesperson Olivia Dalton declared "Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield met today with Haiti President Jovenel Moise. She conveyed deep concern regarding Haitis ongoing political impasse, a lack of accountability for human rights violations, and deteriorating security conditions.



Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield noted that to date, preparations for the constitutional referendum scheduled for June 27 have not been sufficiently transparent or inclusive, and reiterated that Haiti must hold free, fair, and transparent legislative and presidential elections in 2021.



Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield stressed that the Haitian people deserve the right to choose their leaders and have a government that serves them.



President Moise affirmed his commitment to holding elections on that timeline. "

For his part, President Jovenel Moise informed, "I met in Quito with the American delegation led by the American Ambassador to the UN. The discussions focused on the electoral process and constitutional reform. We informed the Ambassadorthat the 1987 Constitution is a source of instability. During my meeting with the American delegation, I took the time to remind the Ambassador that my Administration takes great interest in relations between Haiti and the United States. A friendly country that is always ready to support Haiti in difficult times."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















gettyimagesbank



By Lee Hyo-jin



The nation's human rights watchdog said Tuesday that a change in visa status should not be a reason to bar people of foreign nationality, who have previously made health insurance contributions, from the national health insurance program.



The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) delivered the opinion in response to a petition filed by Ko Gi-bok, head of the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea, on behalf of a migrant worker from Indonesia.



The migrant worker is in his 30s and entered Korea in 2015 under the Employment Permit System (EPS), working at a factory in Gyeonggi Province for four years and ten months, according to Ko.



During this period, he had been enrolled in the national health insurance via his employer.



Although his visa expired as of November 2020, he could not leave the country immediately, due to ongoing legal procedures over delayed payments from this company, which went bankrupt and failed to pay him. So the government granted him a G-1 visa, allowing him a temporary stay.



But the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) refused his request to reapply for the state-run health insurance plan as an individual to maintain the insurance, saying that he was no longer eligible to enroll due to his visa type having changed.



"It was uncertain how much longer he would have to stay here during the legal proceedings over the delayed payments from his company. Also, he was suffering from a severe injury to his hand due to an accident at his workplace, which required immediate medical treatment," Ko told The Korea Times.



"We filed the petition because denying access to medical benefits and services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, constitutes discrimination against people with foreign nationalities," he added.



In response, the human rights watchdog recommended that the Ministry of Health and Welfare and NHIS revise the system to prevent such blind spots in healthcare provisions.



"The person's visa type was changed due to a specific reason, but the NHIS treated him like a foreigner who was in Korea for a temporary visit and deprived him of access to health insurance. This treatment does not meet the purpose of the insurance system and lacks reasonable cause," it said in a statement.



"If foreign residents who have been paying monthly contributions to the National Health Insurance program lose their subscription because of a change in visa type, this situation undermines the principle of social solidarity embedded in Korea's health insurance system."






Haiti - NOTICE : Registrations for the 2nd session of thosethat failed the permanent bac





The Ministry of National Education informs the general public and failed candidates in particular that the second session of the permanent bac exams for the 2020-2021 academic year will be held during the month of July 2021.



To this end, candidate registrations are scheduled during the period from Wednesday May 26 to June 11, 2021 in all Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE).



Only candidates who failed in final (traditional secondary or renovated secondary) are eligible to participate in the tests.



Candidates will write in subjects for which they did not have their average (recorded in the BUNEXE database for a period of two years).



Registration conditions :



Participation form for the last tests or certificate from the Ministry of National Education;



Two passport photos;



Participation fee of two thousand (2,000) Gourdes per candidate.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Covid-19 : State of health emergency, text of the Order





Following the worrying report from the Ministry of Public Health informing of a significant increase in new cases of Covid and in mortality since the beginning of May, 933 new cases and 38 deaths since the beginning of May (update May 21, latest data available) and the presence of particularly contagious English and Brazilian variants; on Saturday, May 22, 2021, in an extraordinary virtual Council of Ministers, President Moise declared in a decree published in the Official Journal Le Moniteur #27, the state of health emergency throughout the national territory, for a period of 8 days.



So that everyone is aware of the constraints imposed by this state of health emergency in Haiti, we are publishing this entire Order.



Text of the Order :



"ORDER DECLARING THE STATE OF HEALTH EMERGENCY OVER THE ENTIRE EXTENT OF THE NATIONAL TERRITORY FOR A PERIOD OF EIGHT (8) DAYS



Considering the Constitution, in particular its articles 19 and 136;



Considering the Decree of May 20, 2020 setting the general rules for the protection of the population in the event of a pandemic or epidemic;



Considering the Decree of March 15, 2021 revising the Law of April 15, 2010 amending that of September 9, 2008 on the state of emergency;



Considering that the cases of contamination and death linked to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have considerably increased;



Considering that the State has the imperative obligation to take all measures to ensure the protection of the life and health of the population;



Considering that for this purpose, it is necessary to declare a state of health emergency throughout the national territory for a period of eight (8) days;



On the report of the Minister of Public Health and Population; And after deliberation in the Council of Ministers;



ORDER



Article 1.- The state of health emergency is declared throughout the national territory for a period of eight (8) days from the publication of this Order in the Official Journal "Le Moniteur".



Article 2.- The general rules for the protection of the population in the event of a pandemic or epidemic, provided for by the Decree of May 20, 2020, apply from the publication of this Decree until its repeal, in accordance with the provisions of the second paragraph of article 1 of the said Decree.



Article 3.- Wearing a mask is compulsory in all places frequented by the population, including public transport.



Article 4.- The installation of hand washing points is compulsory in all public and private buildings.



Article 5.- Temperature taking is compulsory in all private and public institutions, in particular financial institutions, places of worship, schools, universities, hospitals, health centers, offices, and in all embarkation and disembarkation points of passengers.



Article 6.- A distance of at least 1.50m must be observed between all people not living under the same roof.



Article 7.- Staff working in public and private institutions are reduced to 50% of their normal capacity and home work is encouraged.



Article 8.- The curfew is maintained from 10 pm in the evening until 5 am.



Article 9.- This Decree will be published and executed at the behest of the Prime Minister and all the Ministers, each as far as it is concerned.



Given at the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, on May 22, 2021, 218th Year of Independence.



By : President Jovenel Moise"



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2021/05/24

So far this year much of the streaming market in South Korea has been dominated by television dramas that signed relevant deals with OTT providers. But the latter half of 2021 is set to be a big competition between original content exclusively produced by streaming companies. The big one is "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" which is the follow-up to "Kingdom - Season 2" and explains the backstory of the mysterious character played by Jun Ji-hyun who was introduced in that drama's final scene.

But Netflix also has other original properties up its sleeve. These include the military thriller "D.P" and the supernaturally oriented "Hellbound" which are both based on webtoon properties. The survivalist oriented "Squid Game" and the outer space feature "The Silent Sea" are further big budget investments for the worldwide streaming giant, featuring big stars such as Lee Jung-jae and Gong Yoo in roles that required similarly large paychecks to sign them on.

Netflix will not be the only major American company to attempt big strides in the South Korean market this year. Disney Plus has long eyed South Korea, and been left in the awkward position of having to release its animated films in theaters even as worldwide they premiere via streaming. The reliance on brand synergy has been a mixed bag for Disney Plus in other markets. But with "Zero" and "Our Police Class" in the works, Disney Plus will have at least two homegrown South Korean projects to call their own.

Apple TV+ has the worst position of the bunch, with neither the infrastructure of Netflix nor the brand power of Disney. What they do have is Lee Min-ho and Youn Yuh-jung, with Japanese and American actors besides for their adaptation of the novel Pachinko. This may give Apple TV+ a strong opening move in South Korea, with "Dr. Brain" possibly intriguing fans of the mindbending webtoon about neural scientific discovery.

How well any of these strategies will fare against the improving situation of local streaming companies is as of yet unknown. While Netflix, Disney Plus, and Apple TV+ may have a strong focus on high concept, platforms like wavve and Whatcha have everything from prime time domestic television to soap operas to unexpected hits to the most expansive native backlogs. It is as yet unknown how this more subaltern approach will fare against the shock and awe of big name stars.

Written by William Schwartz
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Published on 2021/05/24 | Source

New stills added for the upcoming Korean movie "Shark: The Beginning" (2021)



Directed by Chae Yeo-joon



With Kim Min-seok, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Won-chang, Lee Hyun-wook-I,...



Synopsis

Cha Woo-sol, a victim of school violence who was imprisoned in a boys' prison due to an unexpected incident, meets mixed martial arts champion Jeong Do-hyeon and breaks his limit one by one.



Release date in Korea : 2021/06/17
Hannibal, MO (63401)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
South Korea's working hours per employee were far longer than the average of OECD members. gettyimagesbank



By Jun Ji-hye



Korea has become the world's 10th-largest economy, but its population was ranked near the bottom in terms of happiness among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations, according to the Korea Development Institute (KDI).



In a recent report, the state-run institute cited the World Happiness Report published by the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) that determined the ranking of countries, scoring various data such as GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and social freedom from 2018 through 2020.



Korea was ranked 35th out of the 37 OECD members in the happiness report, followed only by Greece at 36th and Turkey, 37th.



Finland was the world's happiest nation for the fourth time in a row, followed by Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands.



Apart from the U.N. happiness report, other statistics cited in the KDI report showed that the Korean people are living a hard life.



The OECD statistics found that South Koreans were still working far longer hours than people in other OECD members were, as the country was ranked second after Mexico in terms of annual working hours per employee.





As of 2019, a Korean worked 1,967 hours a year, 241 hours more than the OECD average of 1,726 hours. Mexicans worked 2,137 hours.



"I started working when I was 26," a 38-year-old man who is working for an IT services company in Seoul, said, asking not to be named. "At the time, I thought once I started working and making money, I would be able to live a better life compared to my school days when I had to compete fiercely with my classmates to get to a better university. It has been more than 10 years since then, but my life is still hard as it feels like I have been enslaved. The longest holiday I have had over the past decade was just one week. I badly want to take a long leave of absence but I cannot because I'm the breadwinner for my family."



Children are no exception from this social atmosphere as the UNICEF's 2020 report on children's well-being found that Korean children were ranked 34th out of 38 countries in terms of mental health, though their physical health and academic skills were in the upper ranks.



Korea is also facing the serious problem of a rapidly aging population.



According to the KDI, the number of elderly people in Korea increased by 4.4 percent annually from 2011 to 2020, far higher than the OECD average of 2.6 percent.



Adding to concerns was that the poverty ratio of senior citizens was 43.4 percent as of 2019, the highest among OECD countries  the average was 14.8 percent.



"After I lost my husband in 2007, I used to work as a freelance lecturer teaching traffic safety to children. At the time, I earned about 1.5 million won ($1,331) per month, which was not sufficient, but okay to live on by myself for a month," a 69 year-old woman living in Gyeonggi Province said on condition of anonymity.



"But I lost my job last year following the outbreak of COVID-19 and for now, I am spending my savings, and my daughter sometimes helps me out with money. I don't know how long I can live like this. I am not sure either if I can get my job back after this pandemic comes to an end. It feels like my life has been mired in so many uncertainties, and this makes me depressed."





Korea is rapidly becoming an aging society, and the poverty ratio of senior citizens was the highest among OECD countries as of 2018. gettyimagesbank
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:
Katie Kelly, assistant campus director on the MSU College of Nursing's Great Falls campus, from left, Jacy Crowley, graduate of the MSU College of Nursing and Anne Brown, faculty member, MSU College of Nursing's Great Falls campus, pose for a photograph. Crowley serves as director of nursing at Rocky Boy Health Center.

By Anne Cantrell

MSU News Service

BOZEMAN - A recent graduate of the Montana State University College of Nursing has been using her education to strengthen patient care and nursing protocols at a health clinic on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation in north-central Montana.

Jacy Crowley, who graduated May 1 from MSU's Associate Registered Nurse to Master of Science in Nursing Program - also known as the ADRN-to-MSN program - serves as director of nursing at Rocky Boy Health Center. In that role, Crowley works to ensure the delivery of quality patient care. She started in the position in th...
After seven months of running only three days a week, the Hi-Line is again seeing the Empire Builder run twice a day across the railroad tracks.

Amtrak  which had its 50th anniversary this month  had cut long-distance service last summer, including the Empire Builder that crosses the Hi-Line as it runs from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, citing reduced numbers of passengers due to the pandemic.

The members of Montanas congressional delegation had been working to restore the service almost as soon as it was announced.

The American Recovery Plan Act passed in March and signed i...
Last updated 5/25/2021 at 10:44am

Havre Police Department

A caller with a Havre business reported Monday at 8 a.m. that an excavator had been stolen from First Street.

--

Alfred James Chandler of Havre, 62, was arrested on a charge of violation of a no-contact order, after an 11th Street West caller made a complaint about a violation Monday at 8:20 a.m.

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Three summonses were issued after a caller at Havre High School reported juvenile status offenses Monday at 12:52 p.m.

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Officers assisted with a medical call Monday at 3:35 p.m. on 10th Street West.

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Someone stopped at the police station Monday at 4:47 p.m. t...
From Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

HELENA  With fishing season in full swing across Montana, anglers need to keep in mind some important regulations pertaining to live bait. Regulations differ across fishing districts; anglers should make sure to understand the regulations for the area and waterbody they are fishing.

For all districts Western, Central and Eastern  the following regulations apply:

 Live animals such as meal worms, red worms, night crawlers, leeches, maggots, crayfish, reptiles, amphibians and insects may be used as bait on all waters not restricted to arti...
Col. Harry Matthews, USAF (ret) of Fredericksburg, cuts the cake commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Hill Country Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars.
The Hood County Sheriffs Office was notified on May 22 that Thomas Edward Demopoulos  a fugitive of justice from Hood County since 2013 on a first-degree felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child  is now in custody, Lt. Johnny Rose stated in a news release.

Demopoulos, 55, (pictured while in custody and being flown to the U.S.) was located and arrested in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, by the Office of the Inspector General for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and assisted by the U.S. Marshals Office, according to Rose.

Also, Rose noted, Demopoulos has a federal warrant for embezzlement and is currently being held at a federal holding facility in Fort Worth.

Eventually he will end up in Hood County and will face a district judge and jury on his sexual abuse case that is pending and was never resolved due to him fleeing the country, Rose stated.

Sheriff Roger Deeds was quoted as saying, This arrest has been a long time coming and Im so proud to know hes in custody. We never gave up hope and knew eventually he would be arrested.




A top Cheong Wa Dae official dismissed speculation Tuesday that China may launch another round of economic retaliation against South Korea over its latest summit agreement with the United States that touched on a sensitive regional security issue.







Asked about the odds of Beijing's action against Seoul during a radio interview with CBS, a Seoul-based broadcaster, the official said, "I don't think so."







Related speculation, reported by some media outlets, is based on "excessively premature prediction," Lee Ho-seung, President Moon Jae-in's chief of staff for policy, said. "The mood is not like that at all," he added.







Moon and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the issue of maritime security near China during their summit at the White House last Friday.







They issued a joint statement pledging to "maintain peace and stability, lawful unimpeded commerce, and respect for international law, including freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and beyond."







They emphasized the importance of "preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," it read without mentioning China by name.







Some observers have raised concerns that China may take issue with the wording and push for economic retaliation similar to a set of strong measures taken a few years ago in protest against South Korea's decision to get an advanced U.S. missile defense system, called THAAD, deployed on its soil.







Another Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters Monday that South Korea has been in "necessary communication" with China in connection with Moon's visit to the U.S. last week.







The Moon administration has a constant position to develop Seoul's "strategic cooperative partnership" with Beijing in a harmonious way on the basis of a robust alliance with Washington, he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.







The Taiwan Strait issue was included in the document on a "general and principled" level, he added, as it is important to keep stability in the regional security situations, with the special characteristics of the China-Taiwan relations considered. (Yonhap)


Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Weather Alert

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN SUMNER...WESTERN MACON AND TROUSDALE COUNTIES UNTIL 1100 PM CDT... At 1015 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles southwest of Scottsville, or 19 miles northwest of Lafayette, moving south at 25 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Gallatin, Hartsville, Hendersonville, Westmoreland, Bethpage, Oak Grove and Bledsoe Creek State Park.
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Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
Few watchmaking families actually involve all family members in the business; the Preziusos are a notable exception. Antoine, the father, is an indefatigable creator of watches; his wife May is a pillar of the firm. At their side are Laura, the familys jeweller, and Florian, who is following in his fathers footsteps.

In 2000, Antoine Preziuso was 43. The start of a new millennium was a landmark for him, but his career had started well before that. He had come into watchmaking through the front door, having graduated top of his year from his watchmaking school in Geneva, followed by a first job with Patek Philippe. From there he moved to Antiquorum before opening his own restoration workshops, taking orders from Les Cabinotiers de Geneve, and later Breguet. The next chapter in the story followed naturally: the creation of the Antoine Preziuso Geneve brand in 2000. Since then, Antoines watchmaking creativity has gone from strength to strength: hidden complications, creative jewellery, an exploration of titanium, taking part in the SIHH and QP exhibitions, and more besides.

At the same time, Antoine inaugurated his Private Salons in Geneva, bringing together friends of the brand on an annual basis. Meanwhile the network was developing, too: Russia and the Middle East in 2003, the opening of the first store in Geneva in 2004, Kiev and Osaka in 2007, and Dubai in 2010, amongst others.

Antoine Preziuso  Antoine Preziuso Geneve

In 2011, Antoine sold his premises in Plan-les-Ouates to Jacob & Co. He wanted to maintain controlled growth, in keeping with his craftsmanship approach, and moved his business to the countryside outside Geneva. There, together with his son, he concentrates on top-end and bespoke watches.

One complication in particular stands out from the crowd: the tourbillon. Antoine has made it his speciality: Ever since I was in watchmaking school Ive been thoroughly captivated and enthralled by the tourbillon. Theres something mesmerising about this gravity-defying mechanism.

In 2010, his Mega Tourbillon was the largest in the world. It was followed by one of the very few sports tourbillons in existence, the GTS. However, the Tourbillon of Tourbillons was to have an even greater impact: featuring a ballet of three tourbillons rotating on a revolving platform, the piece won two awards at a single Grand Prix de lHorlogerie de Geneve competition in 2015. The future, already secure in the capable hands of Antoines son Florian, will doubtless be just as much of a whirl.

*On the occasion of GMT Magazine and WorldTempus' 20th anniversary, we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book is available on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with a 10% discount if you use the following code: WT2021.

Order now
From left, Industry and Trade Minister Moon Sung-wook, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol enter a briefing room of the foreign ministry in Seoul, Tuesday, for an online joint briefing on the results of last week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden. Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



The government has stepped up efforts to prevent any fallout from President Moon Jae-in's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden adversely affecting South Korea's ties with China, with the foreign minister saying their post-summit statement touching on Taiwan was "theoretical and principled."



President Moon and his U.S. counterpart held their first in-person meeting at the White House last week and their joint statement referred to the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. It also referred to freedom of navigation and overflights in the South China Sea and beyond.



Despite not directly mentioning China, it was seen as a sign that South Korea agreed with the U.S.'s anti-China campaign, and this drew a strong response from Beijing.



"The joint statement mentioned issues related to Taiwan and the South China Sea. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair. It bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and allows no interference by external forces. We urge the relevant countries to speak and act prudentially on the Taiwan question and refrain from playing with fire," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a briefing, Monday.



"With regard to the South China Sea issue, all countries enjoy the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, and there is no problem with it. Relevant countries know this very clearly."



In response, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said the South Korean government fully recognized the special characteristics of the China-Taiwan relations.



"The government's position on the issue remains unchanged," Chung said during a joint ministerial briefing on the Moon-Biden summit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tuesday.



"But the reference to the Taiwan Strait was on a theoretical and principled level. I am once again telling you that peace and stability are a common wish for regional partners."



The joint statement also brought up the human rights situation in North Korea, but failed to mention that of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.



"Although China's human rights issue has been discussed by the international community, the South Korean government has refrained from taking issue with it, considering our special ties with Beijing," the foreign minister said.



In the wake of China's strong response to the joint statement, there is growing speculation that the Chinese government may again inflict economic retaliation against South Korea as it did when Seoul permitted the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on the Korean Peninsula. Beijing claims that the anti-missile shield is aimed at spying on its military maneuvers and hurting its security interests.





Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming delivers a congratulatory speech at a seminar on 100 years of China's Communist Party and China's development in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Chinese Embassy to Korea
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Greenville, TX (75401)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.


By Jon Dunbar







Big Day South (BDS), a somewhat nomadic festival spotlighting musicians and artists in various locales far south of Seoul, is back after taking last year off, this time coming to Daegu this Friday and Saturday.







"The easiest reason [for why it's in Daegu] is that it's where I'm living right now. There are so many great people who are willing to work together and support each other," said Philip Brett, an Irish expat who cofounded Angle Magazine, an online magazine which operates the festival. "The Daegu scene is full of people who are working hard to support what is happening down here, and that played a big part in wanting to move here too."







The festival was originally held in Daegu in 2014, then moved to Ulsan, Gwangju and Busan. Last year, it was set to take place in Ulsan again, with a full lineup and schedule prepared, but the whole thing was canceled.







This year, the festival returns to Daegu where it runs for two days at two primary venues, a scaling down from previous sprawling events that led participants on a walk from venue to venue to keep up with the activity. Art performances including storytelling and poetry will be held at the bookshop and screen printing store Smile Broadly, while bands will be performing in Club Heavy, Daegu's landmark live music venue.







"There was definitely a need to make the festival more compact, and it makes it easier to keep everything more controlled," Brett told The Korea Times. "That said, each event is informed by the area where it takes place. Daegu has lost a number of venues over the last few years."







Of course, at the back of everyone's minds, if not right in front, strapped to their faces, is the ongoing pandemic.







Brett assures that the participating venues are handling social distancing measures, based on systems already in place. He mentioned Club Heavy, which has been having shows in the past few weeks, is ready with QR check-ins, hand sanitizer and temperature scans, and that drinking and standing are not allowed inside, with seating provided and a cap of 40 on audience size in place.







"For our part, we wanted to adapt the festival so that many of the regular elements can still happen in some way," Brett said. "While we worry about the possibility of infections, we are sticking to the guidelines provided to ensure the safest event possible."







He pointed out that Daegu's infection numbers have been relatively controlled lately, even while numbers in Seoul remain high.





"It's been an exhausting year-and-a-half so far," he said. "We all need something to celebrate and lift our spirits a bit. With masks and social distancing it's possible to hold an event safely."







He also stressed that the festival was not intended to invite people to the city, but to introduce the artists to local residents, by "using the venues that are the essential life-blood of the local scene rather than a one-time rental of a live house or outdoor stage," according to Brett.







"So for performers or audiences who are new to the area, or even to the idea that there is a scene in their city, it gives them something to come back to outside of the festival," he explained. "Repeating that in each city we've held the festival has given regular attendees a much broader idea of the music scene outside of Seoul."





There are also several online events for people in other cities or countries to join. Brett mentioned they will be holding interviews with the participating musicians at the community stage on the roof of the Club Heavy building, which will be broadcast live on

. Anyone is welcome to

.







As well as enforcing social distancing measures at the live music venue, the art stage is being managed by choreographer and performer Cindi L'Abbe to be more accessible to people while reducing risk. There will be a collaborative community art project, as well as virtual art stage shared on the Angle Magazine website, and VR goggles offered with disinfectant at the festival for people to explore the exhibition.





Additionally, the full festival will be broadcast through

on June 19. Tickets will cost 5 GBP, and the broadcast will be available for one week.






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Two trains collided in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, resulting in over 200 people injured. The accident transpired at 8:45 p.m. local time. One of the trains was traveling on a test run and had only one driver when it collided with a train carrying passengers.

Both trains collided in an underground tunnel near the Petronas Twin Towers. One of the trains was empty after being repaired. According to district police chief Mohamad Zainal Abdullah, it collided head-on with another train with 213 passengers aboard traveling in the opposite direction on the same track.

Photos making their rounds on social media displayed wounded passengers sprawled on the carriage floor, covered in glass. At least 47 individuals were severely hurt. One hundred sixty-six people sustained minor wounds. They were admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment, such as Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Two trains operated by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad were moving at 40 km per hour at the instance they collided in a tunnel dividing the KLCC and Kampung Baru stations.

The collision transpired in a tunnel section about 100 meters away from the KLCC station near the Petronas towers. According to Abdullah, "We are still investigating the incident... but we suspect that perhaps there was a miscommunication from the trains' operations control center," reported NBC News.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stated on Facebook that the collision was "serious." According to the transport ministry, it would set up a task force to probe into the crash.

Read Also: NYC Subway Slashing: Suspects in Custody After 4 People Hurt in Recent Separate Incidents

Photos and videos posted on social media displayed numerous passengers bleeding. Broken glass panels inside the trains can also be seen.

Abdullah remarked that the train with passengers was heading from KLCC station to the Gombak station at the of the line. The unoccupied train was traveling from the Kampung Baru to the Gombak station.

The trains are operated by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad. According to Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, the crash was the first significant accident in the metro system's 23 years of operation. He vowed a meticulous investigation.

Malaysia's prime minister has called for a full probe to find out the cause of the accident. He said, "I take this accident seriously and have instructed the Transport Ministry and Prasarana Malaysia Berhad to conduct a full investigation," reported CNN.

According to Abdullah, the train on the test run was reportedly manually operated by a pilot. The Kelana Jaya-bound train carrying passengers was operated on autopilot from the trains control center. He said it is fortunate the trains were moving at a slower speed of around 40kmph.

He added they would check if there was negligence or there was a miscommunication between the control center and the driver behind the train on a test run. As of now, they see no signs of sabotage, reported The Sun Daily.

Related Article: Mexico City Metro Overpass Collapses Kills At Least 23

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Numerous nations have reported cases of poultry and wild birds ailing from influenza A H5N8, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV). The subtype of flu was not regularly associated with human infections. However, this changed last February when seven poultry farm workers in southern Russia became the first recorded human cases of H5N8 bird flu.

On February 18, 2021, the National IHR Focal Point for the Russian Federation informed the World Health Organization of the discovery of avian influenza A(H5N8) in seven people who served as clinical specimens. According to a WHO Europe spokesman, infected workers who were exposed to bird flocks. The workers were asymptomatic. No evidence was reported that they transmitted the virus on to other people, reported Very Well Health.

H5N8 bird flu strain: How is it transmitted?

Scientists from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Shandong First Medical University cautioned that H5N8 has demonstrated it could be transmitted from species to species. It also holds the potential to ignite a devastating pandemic. According to the researchers, "At least 46 countries have reported highly pathogenic H5N8 AIV outbreaks. The global spread of AIVs, particularly the H5N8 subtype, has become a major concern to poultry farming and wildlife security but, critically, also to global public health," reported IFL Science.

Positive clinical specimens were accumulated from poultry farm workers who contributed in a response operation to mitigate an H5N8 outbreak detected in a poultry farm in Astrakhan Oblast in the Russian Federation. The State Research Centre conducted the laboratory confirmation of such specimens for Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR (WHO H5 Reference Laboratory), reported the WHO.

Read Also: New York Offers $5 Million Lottery Tickets for Those Who Will Get COVID-19 Vaccine

According to Anna Popova, the leader of Russia's Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, the workers were fine, and that the situation did not develop further. The outbreaks of the strain have been discovered in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, China, and North Africa.

Avian flu strains could be transmitted across the globe through the migration of wild birds. If the virus can make its way into a poultry farm, an outbreak could quickly commence, usually resulting in the death or culling of millions of birds.

H5N8 Statistics

The ages of seven positive cases ranged from 29 to 60 years. Five individuals were female. From December 3 to 11, a total of 101,000 of the 900,000 egg-laying hens on the farm were recorded fatalities.

According to Pedro Piedra, MD, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, it is promising that the confirmed cases were asymptomatic. They have very little data. However, the data that is out there proposes this will not result in severe disease.

The virus strain that surfaced in Russia belongs to H5N8 AIV clade 2.3.4.4.b. It is a branch on the family tree of clade 2.3.4. The clade 2.3.4 was initially isolated from a domestic duck at a Jiangsu wet market in China in 2010.

Related Article: India, World's Largest Vaccine Producer, Hits 25 Million COVID-19 Cases

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Military academy parade, published in The Korea Times May 19, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





By Matt VanVolkenburg







At 3 a.m. on May 16, 1961, tanks and trucks carrying around 4,000 marines and soldiers began rolling into Seoul. Other than some military police on the Hangang Bridge, no one opposed them, and by 5 a.m. key buildings had been secured and KBS was broadcasting their message to the country.







Tanks drive past the Bank of Korea, published in The Korea Times May 17, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





Two key figures of the military junta, Chang Do-young and Park Chung-hee, published in The Korea Times May 18, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





As The Korea Times reported, "Announcing the formation of a military revolutionary committee, the coup commanders proclaimed emergency martial law and declared take-over of all government powers  administration, legislature and judiciary."







The committee's goals were to uphold "anti-communism as the first national policy," "observe the U.N. Charter," "strengthen friendly ties with free world countries," "eliminate all kinds of corruption" and "rectify a degraded national morale and spirit," "exert powers to achieve the nation's self-sufficient economy," "foster [military] strength," and "prepare itself for transfer of the political power to the fresh and conscientious politicians" with the promise that "when our tasks are fulfilled we will return to our original mission."







"Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Chang Do-young was named as chairman" of the committee, but it quickly became apparent the real leader was Second ROK Army Deputy Commander Park Chung-hee.







Lt. Gen. Chang had not initially supported the coup. According to U.S. diplomatic cables, that morning at 3 a.m. he had alerted U.N. Commander Carter Magruder and asked him to commit U.S. MPs against the coup forces, but Magruder replied that he could not involve U.S. forces.







General Magruder is shown attending an archery contest, published in The Korea Times May 14, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





As the coup leaders ordered the arrests of government ministers, the whereabouts of Prime Minister Chang Myon, the country's leader under the Second Republic's parliamentary system, became the subject of much speculation. The Korea Times incorrectly reported that he "reportedly took refuge in American Embassy Compound One and moved to an unknown place."







President Yun Po-sun, a figurehead under the parliamentary system, was visited that afternoon by General Magruder and Marshall Green, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy. That morning, both Green and Magruder had released statements showing "concern that legal and constitutional practices be observed," The Korea Times reported. "In this connection, General Magruder earlier in the morning said he is to support the" Martial law censorship scratched out the rest of the sentence.







Censorship on an article titled "Position of U.S. Gov't Explained," published in The Korea Times May 17, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





As Green remembered it decades later, after being told of the coup by Magruder around 3 a.m., "I thought it would be very important that we, as soon as possible, make it publicly clear that the United States has nothing to do with this coup," and, "in fact, supports the duly constituted government." Magruder said he would think it over. He called hours later agreeing to make the statement after being contacted by First ROK Army (FROKA) commander General Lee Han-lim, who had urged him to speak out because the coup leaders were spreading rumors that the U.S. "was behind the coupand that unless we made our position crystal clear, we would bear a responsibility through inaction in allowing the coup to consolidate its hold on the country."







Soldiers guard Sejongno, published in The Korea Times May 17, 1961.





For Green and Magruder, the coup, while shocking, was not entirely unexpected. In a letter written by Green's wife a month earlier, she had described "how there were rumblings in the night and there were demonstrationsand there was a sense of tension you could cut with a knife." Of Kim Jong-pil, considered by many to be the mastermind behind the coup, Magruder said he was "perhaps the foremost of the agitators whose elimination from the ROK Army I have sought over the past year." Kim had been removed in early 1961, but with the coup he was restored to his former rank.







In a May 17 report, Magruder added that he had made his statement "in order to help hold the First ROK Army in line and in an effort to stop all the neutrals from going over to the insurgents This appears to have had some effect but it can not be expected to endure indefinitely." He added that "We are seeking to undermine the uprising by pressing the responsible commanders, from whose commands came the insurgent troops now in Seoul, to endeavor to get their troops to return to their duty," but had achieved only partial results.







During Magruder and Green's May 16 meeting with President Yun, Yun criticized the corruption and ineffectiveness of Chang Myon's government. To Magruder, he "appeared to consider a coup as an acceptable method of getting rid of his political opponent." He added that "Yun and Chairman of the House of Councillors George Paik oppose bringing in troops to suppress the uprising," as did ROK Army Chief of Staff Chang and the Minister of National Defense.







In Magruder's May 17 assessment, "all the powerful men in and around the Seoul government appear to have had knowledge of the plan for the coup and at least have not opposed it. The people appear to be divided for and against but they do not appear to be sufficiently concerned at this time to take any active part."







While most military formations appeared to be neutral at best, FROKA still seemed loyal, and with four divisions available to move on Seoul, Magruder assumed their numbers would force the coup leaders to surrender. Of Chang Myon, who contrary to news reports was not hiding at the U.S. embassy, Magruder wrote, "We urged to have him get in touch with us but he has not responded."







"If the Prime Minister will assert himself and direct the use of FROKA to suppress the uprising I propose to support him. Unless and until he does, I will seek to hold FROKA available for use. I do not know how long I can hold FROKA in this situation available to support Chang Myun by suppressing the uprising. The longer the Prime Minister remains in hiding the less are his chances of returning to power."







Magruder also added that, "A possible course of action is for me to direct Lee Han Lim to suppress the uprising," but since everyone with authority opposed this decision, and his mission was "to protect Korea from external aggression" and "internal subversion by the Communists," neither of which applied in this case, he dismissed this idea.







Korean Air Force Academy march, published in The Korea Times May 20, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





Green spent May 16 trying "to bring about some kind of solution that would retain the constitutional government," eventually convincing President Yun to try to reach a compromise with Chang Myon that might form the basis of negotiation with the coup leaders. Chang turned out to be hiding at a French-run nunnery and reached out to Green on May 17. He wanted the U.S. to intercede heavily on his behalf, but Green instead asked him to reach out to Yun, whom Chang remained suspicious of. Green reaffirmed to Chang that he stood "firm in support of his government," though it was becoming clear that "the Junta was beginning to assert control and hold over the country."







Prime Minister Chang Myun, published in The Korea Times May 19, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





Though Green and Magruder faced some criticism from the Pentagon and the U.S. press for their unilateral actions, the White House ultimately decided that their "statement went just about as far as you can possibly go without becoming seriously involved in the internal affairs of the ROK." Though they were given "wide latitude" to respond to the crisis by the State Department, with no Korean leaders willing to take effort to save the government, they were forced to slowly make an accommodation with the coup leaders. Green realized, however, that the principled position they had taken "was going to gain us some leverage" in "regard to the return to civilian rule."







Marine corps engage in roadwork, published in The Korea Times May 24, 1961. / Korea Times Archive





Amid the censorship, enforced austerity and arrests for everything from jaywalking to dancing that followed in the wake of the successful coup, Green learned from the CIA that his interference had made him a marked man, and spent weeks guarded at all times by 12 marines.







Though he was greeted coldly at his first meeting with Park Chung-hee in late May, in mid-July Park asked him to meet privately at a restaurant. Green was left baffled by Park's candor and sudden friendliness, but realized the now-ruling Park had come to respect him for the stand he had taken when Park said, "You made it so difficult for me to pull a coup d'etat in this country, that I don't think anybody will ever try it here again."







Sadly, this did not turn out to be true.











Matt VanVolkenburg has a master's degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington. He is the blogger behind populargusts.blogspot.kr
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared on Monday the triumph of the state's Vax-a-Million lottery in bolstering demand for COVID-19 vaccines. He announced that over 2.7 million adult residents had registered for the chance to win $1 million in one of five weekly drawings.

However, the governor's giveaway approach has ignited the ire of fellow Republican state lawmakers. They are currently introducing legislation to close the project as "a frivolous use of taxpayer dollars." The prize money comes from Ohio's share of the $2.2 trillion federal Cares Act. It was signed into law in March 2020.

Ohio's Vax-a-Million

DeWine announced that 2,758,470 Ohioans had entered the said lottery. In May this year, Ohio became one of the first states to proffer a vaccine incentive in the form of a lottery ticket, reported Yahoo.

According to DeWine in his novel coronavirus update, "After announcing this promotion, we have seen the biggest increase in vaccinations in the 16-17-year-old age group, where there was a 94% increase. Among 18-19-year-olds in the state, there has been a 46% increase," reported Crain's Cleaveland Business.

The governor held a news conference on the ongoing dissemination of coronavirus vaccines across Ohio. He also provided updates on the Vax-a-million lottery program, which commences this week. The first winner will be declared on Wednesday night. Viewers could watch on FOX 8 at 7:29 p.m., reported Fox 8.

Five full-ride scholarships will also be offered to teenagers in Ohio who are inoculated. Over 104,300 young Ohio people have registered for the scholarship drawing.

DeWine remarked that you are in for all five drawings through the following few weeks once you are registered. Permanent Ohio residents aged 18 and older who have been administered at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Sunday before the weekly Wednesday drawing is qualified to enter the lottery.

Read Also: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Wants All Chinese Medicines Removed in Hospitals, Including COVID-19 Vaccines

DeWine also said 104,386 younger people from Ohio from 12 to 17 years old had registered for an opportunity to win a four-year full college scholarship. The governor noted that the biggest increase was among individuals between 16 and 17 years of age.

Twenty to 49-year-old individuals experienced a 55 percent increase in vaccinations since the May 12 declaration. The lottery will be conducted from May 26 to June 23.

The Ohio Department of Health is also issuing Ohio's most recent COVID-19 numbers on Monday. COVID-19 case numbers continue to fall across the United States. Experts are recently declaring levels are as low as they were last June.

The plan attracted criticism from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers. They stated it is not proper to use federal pandemic dollars for a contest.

Ohio determines permanent residency using the same requirements that it uses for releasing a qualification to vote or driver's license. Ohioans under 18 could also win a scholarship, including tuition, room and board, and books, to any Ohio state university or college of their choice.

Related Article: New York Offers $5 Million Lottery Tickets for Those Who Will Get COVID-19 Vaccine

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A video was released a day after an airline carrying activist Roman Protasevich on board was forced down with a fake bomb threat that eventually led to his arrest by Belarusian authorities on Sunday in Minsk's capital city, reported CNN via MSN.

The video was proof that Protasevich is alive after doubts over his safety caused a furor following suspicions the plane was brought down on orders of Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Many world leaders criticized the Belarus leader for the plot to capture one of his dissenters.

In the video, Protasevich made several statements in connection to his arrest via a pro-government social media channel. "The [Interior Ministry] employees' disposition toward me has been as appropriate as possible and in compliance with the law, " as per the report of the KITV.

He remarked that he is working with the official investigation and admitted complicity in the mass riots in Minsk due to his actions. But, supporters doubt if the video was made without pressure from his captors.

Who is Protasevich?

Protasevich is one of several Belarusian journalists and activists denouncing President Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year rule in exile. He is the founder of the anti-Lukashenko Telegram channel "Nexta," and he was charged with "coordinating mass riots and organizing acts that grossly undermine public order." The journalist is on Lukashenko's list for alleged terrorism. The incident has put more focus on Belarus.

Read also: AC-130W Stinger II Gunship: Spitting Fire in the Sky With Aerial Artillery

Fake bomb threat conspiracy by Belarus

The 26-year-old dissident was in transit on a Ryanair flight 4978 from Athens and traveling to Greece, landing in Vilnius, Lithuania, last Sunday. Before the flight could reach its destination, it was ordered by air traffic control to head for Minsk instead. One suspected cause, said an air traffic official, was a security breach.

Michael O'Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, publicly accused Belarus of "state-sponsored piracy," informing Ireland's Newstalk radio last Monday that he suspected Belarusian KGB operatives were on board the plane monitoring Protasevich, who is wanted in Belarus on multiple charges.

Secret service agents are "clearly linked to the Belarusian government," said Ireland Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, who told national broadcaster RTe that the agents are "clearly linked to the Belarusian regime."

"When the flight landed, either five or six passengers did not reboard the flight until it took off again, but only one or two people were actually arrested," he said as cited by Fooshya.

Belarus shares a common border with three European Union (EU) member states--Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Last Monday, EU leaders were considering taking additional sanctions against Lukashenko's government, with global leaders requesting airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and asking their citizens to move out of the country unless the release of Protasevich is ordered.

The Belarusian strongman might order Protasevich's torture

Protasevich's followers are condemning Lukashenko's methods as the world's attention turns to Belarus. Critics of Lukashenko, including the exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said that the video released last Monday was filmed under coercive circumstances.

CNN, however, cannot check the reliability of claims that activists and demonstrators detained in recent months have been tortured and forced to make confessions.

Related article: Ryanair Hijacked by Belarus Regime to Arrest Wanted Activist Leader Draws Protest

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Following an increase in crime during the pandemic, New York City's subway will spend $2.2 million per month on 200 unarmed private security guards to allow riders to return. Following a wave of violent crimes, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employed 100 guards shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19 last year to secure the additional cleaning crews.

That figure will now double to 200 as the company tries to rebound from a 90 percent decrease in riders in 2020 compared to 2019 when 1.7 billion people used the system. The pandemic had a significant impact on the number of people who used the city's trains, with many opting to operate from home, switch to cars, or leave the city entirely.

Despite the widespread vaccine distribution, ridership has only recovered to a third of what it was before the coming of the coronavirus. According to Mike Cortez, a spokesperson for the MTA, the expense is expected to be $2.2 million per month, or $26.4 million a year, out of a total annual budget of $17 billion.

"The protection and security of our customers is the highest priority for the MTA," he said, as per The Independent. Like other transit systems across the country, the MTA has seen a significant drop in ridership and a rise in crime as a result of the pandemic.

He also urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to "work with us and do more to solve these subway crimes and the city's current mental health crisis." The guards, who will not be armed, will be stationed at various stations as well as train terminals where the trains will be cleaned. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD's transit-police chief said that data showed that overall significant crime numbers are low and that the MTA was "fear mongering."

Read Also: National Guard Troops to Return Home From US Capitol; Almost Five Months After Securing DC

New York struggle to combat subway crime, anti-Semitism

Authorities and reports said twenty-seven people were shot in New York City over the weekend during 22 shootings across the city, as officials bolster law enforcement presence in the subway system to address a possible increase in crime.

The NYPD told Fox News on Monday that there had been four more stabbings or slashings in the subway system this year as of May 16 than at the same time in 2020, with 64 reported year-to-date in 2021. According to the department, the number of stabbings and slashings identified in the city decreased by 2.1 percent or 29 cases.

Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed last week that the city would add 250 officers to the subway system, making it the largest NYPD Transit force in over 25 years. The remaining 250 officers will be added to the 3,000 officers already assigned to the subways, said the mayor.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitism has been on the rise in the Big Apple in recent days. Four Jewish men were attacked outside Agudath Israel synagogue in Brooklyn on Saturday around 7:00 p.m.

"Free Palestine - kill all the Jews," the perpetrators allegedly screamed, said New York State Assembly Member Simcha Eichenstein. The NYPD has posted photos and at least one video of the attack.

Looking for information regarding the identities of the males below in connection to an Aggravated Harassment of four Jewish males on 5/22 at approx 7 PM at 4911 16 Avenue (Agudath Israel). The males fled in a blue Toyota Camry. Any information,  @NYPDTips 1-800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/B714qoZxPM  NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) May 23, 2021

Just minutes before, two Jewish teenagers were punched by a group of men on Ocean Parkway and 18th Avenue, who reportedly coerced them to say, "Free Palestine." Police said they are looking into whether the two incidents are related.

Read Article: New Jersey Mass House Party Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 12 Injured, Police Still Looking for Suspect



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An aggressive push backed by high-tech collaboration with neighboring China, Russia is constructing a range of autonomous weapons systems using artificial intelligence to guide them autonomously, reported Newsweek via MSN.

A report called "Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy in Russia," published last Monday by the CNA nonprofit research and analysis group in Arlington, Virginia, assesses the extent to how far Russia will prioritize AI in reshaping its military.

This study partnered up with the Pentagon's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to provide "the first major piece of US research that articulates contemporary Russia's key initiatives, milestones, and accomplishments in AI and autonomy efforts and positions those initiatives within the wider technical landscape in Russia.", noted Flipboard.

In the report, the Russian military's ultimate goal is to become the leader in 'information dominance on the battlefield, networking robotic systems to a data-linked battle network. Furthermore, these developments in

Artificial intelligence-enhanced technologies plan to take advantage of data available on today's frontline to support Russia's military and deny that advantage to other forces.

Although there are significant issues and reservations regarding turning over sensitive decision-making capabilities to ai technology instead of human brains, trends indicate the Russian decision to build robotic weaponry with Chinese AI.

Read also: US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon: One of the Best Fighter Designs Built to Dominate

China, which the report identifies as "Russia's key partner in the sphere of high technology and robotic intelligence in particular," supplies crucial input.

Even with the United States' efforts to weaken its near competitors with many sanctions, this cooperation, which is part of a broader strategic partnership cultivated by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, will be a force to be reckoned with in robotic systems development.

According to Samuel Bendett, NSI Stream, who serves as an adviser for the report and is a member of the CNA Center for Autonomy and AI, says much of Moscow and Beijing's cooperation took place outside of the defense sector.

Both countries are more than willing to work much closer to developed the technology faster.

"The bulk of the results of this relationship is seen in the civilian sphere, in the high-tech field and academic collaboration including R&D." Bendett remarked to Newsweek.

He added, "Simultaneously time, there seems to be evidence of increasing bilateral military development in general, such as participation in strategic-level military exercises in Vostok, that included command and control cooperation."

Mentioned Russia's aid to China in designing a missile early warning system as an example of the enhanced level of trust among two countries with a background of feuds in decades caused by Regional Politics.

An American senior Research Scientist connected to U.S., Jeffrey Edmonds thinks as the joint projects increasing with Putin and Xi's commitment accelerate technological progress. It has become more challenging to differentiate exactly who doing what in their common research.

Both countries are willing to build robotic weaponry with Chinese AI and share whatever comes of it, much to the US disadvantage.

Related article: F-20 Tigershark: America's Next Export Fighter That Never Came to Be

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Ghislaine Maxwell, a personal friend of Jeffrey Epstein's, is pleading with the government to release the alleged victims' names in her criminal indictment. Maxwell's lawyers recently met with prosecutors to sort out details in preparation for the pending trial.

According to Epstein's former pal, the identities of some victims listed in the superseding criminal indictment have not been released. Maxwell was convicted in July 2020 on suspicion of sexual abuse of young women by Epstein. According to prosecutors, Maxwell assisted in the recruitment of young women for Epstein to sexually abuse.

Prosecutors charged Maxwell with two additional counts of suspected sex trafficking earlier this year. After an alleged victim came forward, they added the charge. When Maxwell took the unnamed victim into Epstein's world in 2001, she said she was 14 years old. Between 2001 and 2004, the girl said Ghislaine Maxwell paid her to offer Epstein sexual massages.

The alleged victim allegedly paid "hundreds of dollars in cash for each encounter" at Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion, said the prosecutors. "Recruit other girls to participate in paid sex acts with Epstein," she was told, which she did, RadarOnline reported. According to court documents, the names of the alleged victims listed in the superseding indictment will be released by the government by September 13, 2021.

The government claims to recognize Maxwell's desire for the names to be released immediately, but this will not happen. "The parties previously decided, and the Court ordered, that the Government would provide the prosecution with the victims' identities eight weeks before trial, on May 17, 2021. Therefore, the trial would begin on July 12, 2021," they note, as per RadarOnline.

Maxwell is dissatisfied with the government's stance. They have no "justification" for withholding the identity of the alleged victims, she claims. This, according to Epstein's friend, is hindering her ability to create a defense.

The case has yet to be decided by a judge. Maxwell is now being kept in a Brooklyn jail, where she says the guards are mistreating her. She recently flaunted a huge black eye she acquired while incarcerated in solitary confinement.

Read Also: Ghislaine Maxwell Mistreated in Jail? Photo With Bruised Face Triggers Brother's Demand of "House of Horrors" Video

The judge says Ghislaine Maxwell's 'flashlight surveillance' won't end

Ghislaine Maxwell's attempt to stop jail officials from directing flashlights into her cell at night was denied by a US judge on May 14. Te British socialite claimed it hampered her preparation for her November trial on sex crime charges. The government provided "neutral motives" for officials at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to perform "flashlight surveillance" of Maxwell every 15 minutes, said US District Judge Alison Nathan.

Prosecutors said the checkups were justified because Maxwell had been housed alone, was facing serious charges, and maybe stressed due to the high-profile case, as per US News. However, the judge encouraged jail authorities to decide whether to minimize sleep disturbance for pretrial inmates like Maxwell and only enforce procedures that were "appropriate for her protection and security" and fairly treat how other inmates were handled.

The lawyers appealed in connection with Maxwell reportedly receiving a "black eye," presumably due to shielding her eyes from the light with a sock or towel. Face masks are prohibited for inmates.

Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial set to start on November

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of recruiting teenage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein to assault over ten years sexually, will begin in November. Jury selection will occur in mid-November, opening statements will start on November 29, noted Judge Alison J Nathan.

Daily Mail reported that the order came a day after prosecutors informed the judge that both sides would go to trial in November, while defense lawyers favored November 8 and prosecutors preferred November 29. Jury selection could take place as early as the week of November 15, said Judge Nathan.

After defense attorneys argued that sex trafficking charges added in March left them with insufficient time to investigate and prepare for trial, the judge recently canceled a July 12 trial date. Since last July, when Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate, she has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

Read Article: Bill and Melinda Gates Divorce: Is Bill Gates Ties With Jeffrey Epstein Fueling the $150 Billion Divorce?



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F-5 Tiger II, one of the mainstays of the Air Force, developed by Northrop Grumman, created in the cold war, whose lighter airframe gave it agility that the F-4 Phantom lacked. First developed in 1959 and saw service in the early 70s as the US faced the USSR.

It is derived from the F-5A Freedom fighter aircraft in 1959, and later took flight on August 11, 1972, and later entered the arsenal of the US in 1975. Taking thirteen years to engineer and perfect the airframe, reported Air Force Technology.

Though the Tiger II and Freedom Fighter shared the same airframe, they had subtle differences that differed from the planes made in 1970. One of these improvements is avionics that allowed more precise aerial movement than capable before. Its relevant upgrades reflect the ever-changing cold war environment until its end, starting in 1987 as the modern upgrades were made available.

Keeping and F-15 and F-16 was a bit expensive, but the Tiger II gave the advantage of having low-maintenance aircraft that did save money and manpower with a high sortie turnaround if needed. Less aircraft on the ground and more planes in the air are ideal for any air force.

Design of the F-5E variant

F-5 Tiger II can engage in air to air and air to ground missions, with various munitions for defensive and offensive purposes. A lighter plane with more power compared to the Phantom Interceptor- bomber cited Fas Org. It used a longer length and wider width for a high output J-85 jet engine and increased range.

Read also: US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon: One of the Best Fighter Designs Built to Dominate

Adding a bigger leading edge on the plane's wing area and increased the agility in a dogfight. Allowing the pilot to use lightweight and power, with wing parts to get into shooting position with gun or missile faster.

Armaments of the Tiger

Still, in keeping with Top Gun philosophy, dual 20mm Pontiac M39A2 cannons are equipped on both sides of the nose cone noted Military Wikia. Close range dogfights with single-barreled automatic cannon, a quick rate of fire at 1500 rounds per minute. Attaching missiles and bombs on several hardpoints (weapon holder), under the wingtips, two for each wing, and one under the main body.

Weapons mountable are four AIM Sidewinders (air to air), two AGM-65 Mavericks (air to ground), dumb iron bombs, cluster bombs, napalm canisters, and M129 leaflets bombs for attack.

Fighter aircraft performance

Tiger II can climb at 175m/s, matched with Mach 1.7 acceptable for its size and weight, and last is 3,700km and 1,405km operation range as its attributes. It can reach an altitude of 15,800 meters altitude with a minimum of 4,349kg to a maximum weight at takeoff of 11,187kg.

Powered by turbojet engines

Dual turbojet engines (General Electric J85-GE-21B0) with 22.2kn at afterburners with a light airframe make it fast and equal to any machines equipped during 1970 until it was retired. Any fighter plane that has a lighter weight to thrust ratio will be a plus.

Assessment of the F-5 Tiger II, the plane qualities kept it ready with the higher probability it will fly at moment notice due to less maintenance than expensive F-15s or F-16s.

Related article: F-20 Tigershark: America's Next Export Fighter That Never Came to Be

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After the Second World War, missile technology improved fast, and large guns were replaced. Eventually, surface ships used rockets as the primary offensive weapons.

Twenty-two of the ships designated as (CG52 - CG73) are equipped with two mk41 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) with eight Maritime Tomahawks each. The initial five ships from (CG47 to CG51) have a twin launcher included as armament, reported Naval Technology.

Planned upgrades for the VLS are the new Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-70 computers that can launch Evolved Seasparrow Missiles (ESSM) to hit a target as far as 250 nautical miles.

One version of the ESSM uses systems to navigate and recognize targets electronically, with a range of 2,500-km. Another additional function for the VLS-targeting computers is to fire Tactical Tomahawks (Block IV).

The ESSM was first used in 2004 to stop high-speed ship killer missiles before hitting US and NATO vessels.

Using semi-active radar guidance and warheads like the Seasparrow includes a better motor with better range, speed, and agility. A tactical Tomahawk can be programmed to attack any target automatically while en route.

On the gun deck of the Ticonderoga Class is the Aegis Guided-Missile Cruisers that are dual launchers for Harpoon missile that attack any surface target as far as 125-km.

Read also: US Navy's Next Large Surface Combatant Will Be Based on DDG-51 and DDG-1000

Other missiles on the CG series destroyer

Ticonderoga Class is armed to the teeth with 2MR surface-to-air missile that can hone in on targets with a 70-km distance. By far the most numerous missiles with 60 in all, in two VLS each. In November 2002, the Standard Missile SM-3 was able to intercept an ICBM in space, fired from a CG 70.

It is equipped with an Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) 3.0 capability. Linking it up with SM-3s guides it to hit ICBMs that target navy Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) in wartime.

But, not all CG-class ships have it, except for the USS Shiloh, USS Erie, and USS Port Royal, which have BMD 3.6 systems installed to trace long-range and short-range ballistic missiles. Only three Ticonderoga classes and 15 Arleigh-Burkes are part of the Ballistic Missile Defense fleet, cited Fas Org.

Other weapons used for close-in defense and offense

A Ticonderoga has other duties like fleet defense and anti-submarine warfare with standard systems like a triple 324mm-tube torpedo launcher. It can fire the m46 torpedo (10-km range) and mk50 (15-km range) to attack ships or subs. It is armed with Vertical Launch ASROC, fired from the VLS, and attacks adversaries with mk50 or mk46 torpedo.

One last line of defense is the mk45 127mm/54 as the main guns, with 20-rounds of 32kg shells fired in one minute. Sometimes the main gun will be too slow to stop an incoming missile, but the dual Phalanx mk15 close-in weapon systems (CIWS) can unleash a 20-mm hail at 3,000 rounds as a pinpoint defense at a 1.5-km distance against anti-ship missiles, noted Navy Mil.

An improved Phalanx Block 1B has thermal imaging with 4,000 rounds a minute packed on the Ticonderoga Class Aegis Guided-Missile Cruisers.

Related article: Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer: The US Navy's Deadliest Ship

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A petition filed on the Cheong Wa Dae website urges the state to prohibit teachers from recording vlogs in classrooms. Captured from Cheong Wa Dae website



By Bahk Eun-ji



Teachers recording video clips in classrooms for their vlogs, in which students often appear, is causing a stir here.



Some say teachers should be allowed to record such content as a part of their creative activities, while others voiced concerns over the possibility of students' identities and other personal information being exposed without their or their parents' permission, and teachers being distracted from their own duties and job of teaching.



A growing number of teachers are creating vlogs of their daily lives, and uploading the recorded content on social media and YouTube. Clips include their morning routine of going to work, preparing for classes, communicating with students and eating meals.



Under the Public Officials Act, civil servants can carry out YouTube activities which are regarded as creative activities in private life, such as hobbies, leisure, and self-development, which are not subject to regulations.



According to guidelines from the Ministry of Education, teachers can engage in such activities after receiving approval from their school principal, and the ministry encourages online activities if they are related to education.



Although not illegal, some parents are raising concerns that their children's faces, names and daily lives in the classroom can be exposed to random people through the videos.



On Thursday, a petition was filed on Cheong Wa Dae's website seeking to prohibit teachers from recording vlogs at work.



"If you enter keywords such as 'teacher vlog' on YouTube, you can easily learn that many teachers are filming vlogs in classrooms," the petitioner wrote.



"In many cases, the teachers didn't take proper measures to protect the privacy of children, such as blurring their faces and changing their voices. Some children's names are also heard in the videos," the petitioner said. "I'm so concerned that children can become targets of crime with their personal information being disclosed."



The petitioner said that while teachers promised to get the consent of the children and parents, many of the latter find it hard to refuse, because they are afraid of the possible consequences.



"Teachers have their main job, teaching. By engaging in a side job of being a YouTuber, they would be distracted from their main job," they added.



One parent wrote on an internet community, "Even if my child's face is blurred, I don't think I would feel comfortable if videos of my child's appearance or daily life are uploaded online."



On the other hand, some argue that there is a positive aspect to the teachers' vlogging activities.



The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) issued a statement, Monday, saying teachers who vlog are playing the role of a communicator with their students especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.



"There is also a positive function of developing professionalism by sharing information with colleagues about teaching skills and reflecting on their performance in classes and work," the KFTA said in the statement.



"As there is a positive aspect of the teachers' vlogs, we need to set proper guidelines to revive educational purposes rather than unconditionally banning them."


Pictured are, Paul Bishop, of Olney, and children proudly displays his springtime fortune find of morels.
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President Moon Jae-in, left, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, right, look at a replica of a section of the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, May 21, during a groundbreaking ceremony. The U.S. Department of Defense is working on details of how and when U.S. vaccines will be provided to South Korean troops working with U.S. Forces Korea, a Pentagon spokesman said. AP-Yonhap



The U.S. Department of Defense is working on details of how and when U.S. vaccines will be provided to South Korean troops working with U.S. Forces Korea, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.



U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise announcement Friday that the U.S. will help fully inoculate all 550,000 South Korean service members, who work closely with U.S. troops in South Korea on a daily basis.



"Obviously we support the president's direction here to provide the vaccines to our ROK allies," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a press briefing. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.



"I think we're still working through the details of how that's going to occur," he added.



Kirby said the vaccines will "come out of U.S. stockpiles."



The United States currently has three FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.






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Korea finds it harder to keep balancing act



China's reaction to the outcome of last week's summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden was overwhelmingly negative. The reason is simple: A closer alliance and partnership between Seoul and Washington could be detrimental to Beijing's core interests.



Beijing particularly took issue with the joint statement issued Friday by Moon and Biden after their first face-to-face meeting. China appeared to be angry because the statement dealt with a "sensitive" issue, namely Taiwan. On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China cannot tolerate any foreign interference on the Taiwan matter. He added (the) "relevant countries should be careful in speech and deed on the issue of Taiwan, and not play with fire." His remarks were seen as a warning to Moon and Biden who agreed to work together to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.



China complained about the just-ended summit apparently because it was the first time that the two allies mentioned Taiwan-related matters in a joint statement. The more assertive Asian giant also certainly tried to put pressure on Seoul not to join U.S. efforts to contain it.



Presidents Moon and Biden avoided directly mentioning China in their statement, anticipating a backlash from the country amid the escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming said the statement targeted his country although it was not mentioned by name. He also pointed out that the statement touched on other sensitive issues such as the South China Sea and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)  an informal anti-China coalition comprised of the U.S., Japan, India and Australia.



Beijing's reaction did seem to be milder than its protest against the joint statement issued by Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after their April summit that dealt not only with Taiwan and the South China Sea, but also Hong Kong and Xinjiang while directly mentioning China.



China may believe that South Korea is tilting toward its traditional ally  the U.S.  in the face of the great power competition. In fact, Beijing has regarded Seoul as the weakest link in the Washington-led campaign against it. A strengthened Korea-U.S. alliance could deal a blow to China's efforts to lure Seoul to its side to counterbalance America's containment policy.



Now the big question is whether South Korea can maintain its balancing act between the U.S. and China. Korea has so far relied on the U.S. for defense and security, while resorting to China  its largest trading partner  for economic growth. The country could be caught in the crossfire of the growing superpower confrontation if it fails to strike a balance between the G2 economies. That is why President Moon may face a diplomatic dilemma with China following the better-than-expected summit with Biden.


Pipeline

25 May 2021

The Hoxton, Berlin will be located in Charlottenburg in West Berlin, a neighbourhood loved for its great food and eclectic cuisines, and just a few minutes from the popular Kurfurstendamm (Ku'damm) shopping area. The Hoxton is settling into a former hotel, which Ennismore Design Studio will be completely transforming, taking inspiration from the neighbourhood

and local scene, to create an exciting and authentic addition to this elegant part of the city. The Hoxton, Berlin will have 239 rooms in varying sizes; an open lobby, bar and restaurant; and The Apartment meeting and events space.
Pipeline

25 May 2021

Quest Apartment Hotels has signed an agreement to lease an 83-room apartment hotel on Wellington Street, Collingwood, with construction scheduled to commence 1 July 2021.

The mixed-use commercial project by Melbourne high-end residential developer Centreland Group will be comprised of a total ten floors, eight of which will be occupied by Quest who will offer a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, guest front of house, conferencing facility for up to 80 people, business lounge and gymnasium.

There will also be an additional two levels of office space, a ground level cafe and two levels of basement parking within the build.

With over 16,000[1] businesses operating in Yarra primarily in the health care, professional, scientific and tech industries [2], Quest's general manager of growth and capital strategy, James Shields, say the new hotel will sustain existing demand, as well as ongoing growth outlined in The City of Yarra's Community Infrastructure Plan[3].

Centreland Group is well accustomed with the Collingwood area. The company is currently laying the finishing touches on a 78-apartment residential project, 88 Cambridge Street on 72 to 94 Cambridge Street, located directly behind the new development.

Quest's announcement follows that of parent company, The Ascott Limited, who in July last year revealed its plan to bring millennial-focussed co-living brand 'Lyf' to the suburb.

The 105-room hotel will be situated at 42 Oxford Street within Urban's C&L development.

Ascott Australia's managing director, David Mansfield, says together the two hotels will give the company a strong foothold in Melbourne's north-east, collectively catering to a wide cross section of guest segments across an accumulative 188 rooms.

Construction stage architects CHT- the same team behind Lyf - say the building will fit seamlessly into the distinctive character of Melbourne's north-east.
Now Open

25 May 2021

SpringHill Suites by Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands, celebrates today the significant milestone of its 500th hotel opening with the debut of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Amelia Island. The oceanside property is ideally situated in a pristine coastal location on Amelia Island, known as Florida's jewel of the Sea Islands. As travelers continue to seek under-the-radar destinations to escape the crowds, SpringHill Suites has introduced a number of notable new properties across charming coastal towns, from San Diego to Cocoa Beach, to offer tranquility on secluded beaches for a memorable summer excursion.

The all-suite brand offers a fresh take on mixing business and leisure, providing more space and extras that surprise and delight guests throughout their stay. Its spacious suites feature contemporary design outfitted with upscale West Elm furnishings and is ideal for travelers looking for a chance to escape their everyday routine. Guests can look forward to a refreshing stay with SpringHill Suites, accented by popular amenities including outdoor firepits, complimentary hot breakfast, modern fitness centers, and free Wi-Fi to stay on top of it all.

The new SpringHill Suites Amelia Island, connected under one roof with Courtyard by Marriott Amelia Island, beckons travelers to enjoy a quaint seaside getaway with 239 modern guest rooms featuring balcony and ocean views, a resort-style pool deck, and multiple dining venues including Tides Pool Bar & Grill. Equipped with 6,060 square feet of flexible meeting space, the property provides an idyllic backdrop for any special occasion. The hotel is in close proximity to Amelia Island's main attractions such as Main Beach Park, Fort Clinch State Park, and historic Fernandina Beach.
Pipeline

25 May 2021

Marriott International today announced the signing of an agreement with the Ningbo Central Plaza Construction and Development Co. Ltd to bring Marriott Bonvoy's iconic Ritz-Carlton brand to the heart of Ningbo. Expected to open in 2025, The Ritz-Carlton, Ningbo is set to elevate luxury in the destination with its legendary service.

Developed by Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd., Shanshan Group Co., Ltd. China, and Greentown China Holdings Limited, the hotel is slated to occupy the 62nd to 80th floors of the 409-meter-tall Ningbo Central Plaza. Once completed, the tower, designed by internationally renowned architectural design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Arcplus Institute of Shanghai Architectural Design & Research, Greentown Architecture Design and Shanghai Construction Design & Research Institute, is set to be an icon on the Ningbo skyline.

The Ritz-Carlton, Ningbo's interior will be designed by the award-winning G.A. Design. Expected to feature 257 rooms, suites and a Club Lounge, the hotel will offer unrivaled panoramic views of the city skyline and coast. Plans call for local and international specialties in three distinctive restaurants - an all-day dining restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and a specialty restaurant. In addition to a lobby lounge, the hotel is set to include a destination bar to provide a dynamic nightlife hub for hotel guests and local residents. With 1,700 square meters of planned banquet space to accommodate a wide range of events, The Ritz-Carlton, Ningbo is expected to be ideal for business meetings, conferences, and social events.

The Ritz-Carlton, Ningbo is anticipated to be the first addition to Marriott Bonvoy's luxury portfolio in Ningbo and demonstrates Marriott International's commitment to China through its latest "Brand+Destination" development strategy.
Pipeline

25 May 2021

IHG Hotels & Resorts and Avila Co., Ltd are pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement to open ANA Crowne Plaza Akita in December 2021.

Known for its rich variety of locally grown food, sprawling rice fields, pristine forests and sake breweries, Akita has built a reputation as a green tourism and agritourism destination. Just a four-hour bullet train journey or a one-hour flight from Tokyo, it attracts international and domestic visitors from larger cities who are looking for a country escape to experience local culture, festivals and locally produced foods.

The 187-room ANA Crowne Plaza Akita will be the first international premium hotel brand in the prefecture when it opens later in the year, following a refurbishment and rebrand. It will feature four restaurants, including an all-day dining restaurant with top floor views, a gymnasium, a sauna, a Japanese style bath house. It will also boast seven banquet facilities, including the largest banquet hall in the Tohoku region with a capacity of 2,000 people.

It marks IHG's second major signing in Japan this year, following the announcement of the Appi Kogen Resort portfolio, which will see three hotels and 1,000 rooms opening under the ANA Crowne Plaza, ANA Holiday Inn, and ANA InterContinental brands in December.

ANA Crowne Plaza Akita is conveniently located just a 3-minute walk from JR Akita Station and a 35-minute drive from Akita Airport.
Appointment

25 May 2021

Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort announces the appointment of Jose Gomez as Executive Chef.

Jose Gomez joins Windjammer Landing with over 30 years' experience under his belt. He started his cooking career in San Juan, Puerto Rico and refined his skill set at The Culinary Institute of America. Having received expert training from several world-renowned chefs, including Roland Passot and Jean Georges Vongerichten, Gomez held Executive Chef positions at The Waldorf Astoria Panama and the Waldorf Astoria Reach in Key West, Florida. Most recently, he transformed the food and beverage programs at The Hyatt Ziva and The Hyatt Zilara in Jamaica.

As an islander himself, Jose Gomez describes Windjammer as, "'the perfect canvas to paint all his ideas." For example, he plans to bring on a new expert mixologist and rebrand the resort's fine dining option to offer an Asian fusion cuisine that will encompass Peruvian, Mexican and Japanese ingredients all with a Caribbean twist, boasting innovative and fresh sharing platters.

Chef Jose Gomez and his team will spearhead the resort's new "Farm to Table" initiative, building and nurturing relationships with local farmers, fishermen and livestock and poultry breeders. This will ensure the resort's produce remains local and fresh, which in turn continues to support the island's local economy. Windjammer Landing will use agricultural robots such as seeders, irrigation systems, and food waste control applications to minimize food waste. The resort also plans to fade out buffets, implement smart packaging options and ensure that private chefs are only available to guests on a high-demand basis. This will reduce their carbon footprint, support the local community, and preserve the resort's tranquil surroundings.
Supplier News

25 May 2021

Markham, Ontario - Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. These words, spoken by American industrialist and business magnate Henry Ford, are the ideal representation of the two-decade relationship between Benchmark, a global hospitality company, and Maestro, the preferred browser based cloud and on-premises property-management system for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups.

Benchmark has been operating with Maestro PMS for many years, said Anthony Gaeta, Benchmark SVP of Technology. They were a good fit for our diverse multi-property portfolio back in 2000 when our partnership began, and they are an even better fit for our expanded global enterprise today. Not only does Maestro keep up with our technology demands from a security perspective, but they continually evolve as our requirements change.

Operating in our own managed private cloud makes it extremely easy for us to onboard properties as we add new hotels and resorts to the system, he said. The Benchmark corporate team knows the full functionality of the Maestro PMS quite well. Add to that the efficiency and responsiveness of Maestros on-boarding teams, and we can get a property transitioned in short order. This, together with the built-in learning materials and live chat help, has made it extremely easy for us to assist new front desk employees with training and orientation.

Mid pandemic, Benchmark converted all properties from Windows to the Maestro Web Browser Version to have a consistent look and feel across all properties. This is a big advantage because it is enabling the independent operator to transition people from property to property quickly as human resource demands change.

Having this level of consistency at all hotels running on Maestro helps us create greater efficiencies, and it also aids with taskforce management, Gaeta said. The Maestro Web Version also improves the delivery of the solution via a secure web browser connection over the Internet to our properties, keeping the system performance optimal and reliance on our IT teams lighter.

It was during COVID that Maestro really shined, Gaeta said. The companys mobile housekeeping app, for example, proved to be a game changer for many properties. Running on any mobile device including iPhone, Android, Windows Handhelds, and tablets, and integrated into Maestro Front Office, the mobile housekeeping app is being used by Benchmark resorts and hotels to remotely update room status (attendant in room, vacant/occupied, clean/dirty, etc.). Maestros soft-check-in feature works well with the housekeeping app, allowing guests whose rooms are not ready to use on property amenities and charge these to their stay while their room is being prepared. When a room is ready to be occupied, the system automatically triggers a text message to the registered guest stating: Your room is now available. Please come by the front desk to pick up your keys.

The app also protects staff by controlling the availability of rooms and setting a configurable 48-hour time buffer between the time a guest departs and the next guest arrives. During the height of the pandemic, this was especially important, as housekeepers did not have to enter a previously occupied room until it sat vacant for 48 hours ensuring that contaminants are contained and have had time to dissipate before disinfecting and sterilizing surfaces.

Gaeta said Maestros contactless tools, such as online registration and pre-check in, digital registration card, pre-payment portal, mobile express check out, spa activities intake form, and text messaging for guests are also proving to be invaluable to staff who prefer to put some distance between themselves and guests for personal safety. Adopting the latest mobile check-in tools is next on Benchmarks list of considerations as the company evaluates guest experience demands at its properties.

Strong Support, Solid Integrations

Maestros support during COVID did not waiver, Gaeta said. For hotels that remained opened, Maestro was there, always ready to assist. It was reassuring to everyone, especially those working from home. When recently bringing on more Benchmark managed properties, such as Spruce Point Inn and the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, the ability for us to be self-managed in our private cloud and access Maestro securely via web browser was enormous.

Another critical component of working with Maestro is the solutions ability to interface to other third-party vendors, such as Agilysis Infogenesis POS, ALICE, Amadeus/Delphi Sales & Catering, ASSA ABLOY/VingCard, Cendyn/Revintel, Micros, OneStream, Sabre/Synxis, SALTO Keylock Systems, Shift4, TravelClick, Zingle and others, he said. There was never a point during COVID that we had to worry about our PMS or its ability to connect with other peripheral property systems. As a global hospitality company, we are committed to implementing technologies that will protect our staff and keep our guests safe from the moment they book to the time they leave our hotels. Maestro is key to helping us honor that commitment.

The following Benchmark properties representing 2,224 rooms, are relying on Maestro Front Office for Dynamic Yield Management, Advanced Group Management, GDS/OTA Integration, Central Reservations, eCRM, Guest Profiling, Concierge, Housekeeping, A/R, Analytics, and more: Chaminade Executive Conference Center, Costa DEste, Edith Macy Conference Center, Heldrich Plaza, Hotel Contessa, Hotel Cardozo, Snow King Resort, Spruce Point Inn, Stonewall Resort, Texas A&M University, University of Chicago Rubenstein Forum and Quadrangle Club, and Verizon Basking Ridge.

When a global hotel company of Benchmarks caliber remains a satisfied customer for more than 20 years, it speaks volumes about our technology and support, said Warren Dehan, Maestro President. This hotel company is dedicated to creating unique experiences for discerning travelers. Even though no two properties are alike, it is important that Maestro PMS delivers consistency on the back end to ensure a frictionless guest experience from booking to express check out and everything in between. We are honored to call Benchmark a 20-year customer and we cant wait to see how our relationship evolves and technology demands change as travel resumes and the industry stabilizes in the weeks and months ahead.

About Maestro

Maestro is the preferred cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestros PCI certified and EMV ready enterprise system offers 20+ integrated modules on a single database including web and mobile apps to increase profitability, drive direct bookings, centralize operations, and enable operators to engage guests with a personalized experience. For over 40 years Maestros Diamond Plus Service has provided unparalleled 24/7 North American based support and education services to keep hospitality groups operational and productive. Click here for more information on Maestro. Click here to get your free PMS Buying guide.

About BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company

BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company, is a leader in the development, management, and marketing of independent, soft branded, and experiential hard branded resorts, hotels, and conference centers. In addition to the companys award-winning full-service Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, its lifestyle and luxury Gemstone Collection, and its industry-leading Benchmark Conference Centers. BENCHMARK is also an investor in etc. venues, a leading provider of contemporary city center venues for meetings, signature events, and conferences. Benchmark's combined portfolio features more than 80 unique projects across three continents. The company is passionately committed to delivering personal, inspiring, and memory-making experiences, driving total revenue and profitability, and cultivating an award winning, Be The Difference culture for all its employees. Benchmark, is based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, with offices in London, England; Miami, Florida; Park City, Utah; Scottsdale, Arizona; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Seattle, Washington; and Tokyo, Japan. www.benchmarkglobalhospitality.com To become a fan on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/BenchmarkResortsandHotels,www.facebook.com/GemstoneHotelCollection. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenchmarkHotels,www.twitter.com/GemstoneHotels, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/benchmarkresortsandhotels,www.instagram.com/gemstonehotels, and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/benchmarkhotels/gemstone-hotels. At LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/benchmark-a-global-hospitality-company/
Supplier News

25 May 2021

Knowland, the leader in AI-powered group business data for hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, conference centers and other meeting venues, announced today the release of a new guide entitled The Essential 2021 Sales Playbook for Hotels, Steps to Rebuild Group Revenue and Avoid Being Left Behind. Specifically designed to help hoteliers recapture meeting and events business lost during COVID, the guide provides information on how to adjust strategy for the new competitive landscape, apply the right tools and training, and prospect smarter.

The Essential 2021 Sales Playbook is available here.

Hotel group sales has changed. It takes more than experience and insight to identify the right prospects. Group business is returning and continues to be a key driver for profitability in hospitality. The Playbook was developed to provide essential steps to ensure hotels are prepared with the tools and strategies to outperform their competition.

Strategic guidance for rebuilding group sales  In-person meetings and events are returning faster than expected. With smaller staffs and shorter booking windows, sales teams have to adjust to keep up. Staying ahead of demand by formulating a strategy to find and win group business, and ensure profitability through deep market and account intelligence, will be a high value skill for hoteliers in the coming year.

 In-person meetings and events are returning faster than expected. With smaller staffs and shorter booking windows, sales teams have to adjust to keep up. Staying ahead of demand by formulating a strategy to find and win group business, and ensure profitability through deep market and account intelligence, will be a high value skill for hoteliers in the coming year. Getting back to the basics of selling  Knowing what to look for, where the opportunities are, and whos mostly likely to book and when, will position hotels ahead of the competition. The guide helps hotel sales leaders understand how to assess, re-engage, and train sales teams to increase productivity and drive revenue growth for the new competitive landscape.

 Knowing what to look for, where the opportunities are, and whos mostly likely to book and when, will position hotels ahead of the competition. The guide helps hotel sales leaders understand how to assess, re-engage, and train sales teams to increase productivity and drive revenue growth for the new competitive landscape. Knowlands dashboard powered by SmartSeach delivers instant deep-market intelligence  Knowland has developed the industrys first database search engine tool designed exclusively for the hospitality industry. Fueled by its proprietary algorithm, SmartSearch reveals prospects that match a propertys criteria and provides insight that enables concise, targeted outreach in minutes. Its intelligent technology delivers smarter matches with predictive insights to improve sales performance and drive higher group revenue.

Patricia Shea, VP of Sales and Customer Success, Knowland said: Every day I talk to hoteliers looking for advice on how to prioritize their sales efforts and most importantly, how to make sure their teams are spending time on the most profitable deals. If you are not using intelligence and machine learning today to improve your prospecting results, youre going to be left behind. We developed this Playbook to provide sales leaders with the tools and insight they need to make smarter selling decisions that will help expedite sales growth and profitability into and beyond recovery.
By Lee Seong-hyon





Some argue that the biggest achievement of the recently concluded Moon-Biden summit was Washington's recognition of the spirit of the Singapore summit. Others point out that the U.S. relaxation of South Korea's missile range limit was the most tangible outcome. Yet another group sees the "restoration" of the South Korea-U.S. alliance as the most meaningful accomplishment.



These points are all valid. Yet, it also makes one curious to dig deeper to understand what the single most important goal of the Moon Jae-in administration itself was. In other words, in the summit context, the focus should be on what the Moon administration consciously wanted to achieve from the high-level meeting, besides all of the achievements that were announced.



This approach is known as "goal-setting theory," to use an academic term. The gist of this theory, initiated by Edwin Locke in his paper "Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives," places the actor's own goal as the most direct prerequisite for performance-related action and the evaluation of a performance.



One could note that Moon's itinerary was filled with symbolism that affirms and reaffirms the South Korea-U.S. alliance.



During his visit to Washington, Moon paid tribute to fallen American soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. "The South Korea-U.S. alliance was forged in blood and has grown stronger over many years, and President Joe Biden and I will make the alliance even more powerful and comprehensive," Moon said.



Moon also attended a ceremony in which Biden presented an American veteran of the Korean War with the Medal of Honor. It was the first time that the leader of another state had attended such a ceremony. Moon also took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Memorial Wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial.



In addition, the ioint statement includes wording and phrases that show South Korea's support for U.S. strategy toward China, touching upon the Indo-Pacific strategy, South China Sea, freedom of navigation, the Quad and even Taiwan.



"I was very surprised that the joint statement was filled with wording that makes South Korea line up much closer to the U.S. than to China, even by any previous conservative South Korean government administration's standards," observed a former foreign ministry official.



Indeed, what drew the most attention at the summit was the so-called "return of the alliance." One newspaper's headlines read: "South Korea's strategic turnaround, Seoul's response to the U.S. check on China, South Korean diplomacy is entering a new phase."



If we follow this line of reasoning, then it could be hypothesized that Moon's paramount goal was to certify his administration's affirmation of the alliance publicly. Then, the question is why?



If we believe the maxim, "all politics is local," then we should approach this question from the vantage point of South Korea's domestic politics. Moon's presidential term is winding down. The nation is entering a presidential election campaign season. For Moon and his political constituency, one of the most important goals is to win the next presidential election. In that way, South Korea will continue to be under a progressive wing, and that will also make it conducive for an engagement policy toward North Korea, a signature policy of the liberal camp, which includes Moon.



Many in Washington suspect that the Moon administration has been tilting toward China. In South Korea's traditional presidential election season, a political party that is not supportive of the South Korea-U.S. alliance is disfavored. This situation is especially true for moderates, who are likely to decide the winner of the election.



According to a Gallup poll in April, South Koreans who identified themselves as "moderate" constituted 33 percent of those surveyed  outnumbering liberals and conservatives, who each constituted 26 percent.



Moon reaffirming the alliance with the United States will be looked on favorably by moderates, swaying them toward a presidential candidate from Moon's political party.



Taken together, it is a reasonable hypothesis to argue that Moon's most important goal was to utilize the summit to gain points domestically, with the presidential election specifically in mind. Showing his support for U.S. foreign policy goals against China was the clearest signal he could send publicly in this direction.



If this situation is the case, then it may be premature to pronounce, based on simply what was inked in the joint statement, that Moon's so-called "pro-China" leaning is a bygone item.



As David Maxwell, a long-time Korea watcher in Washington, said in a newsletter, "The words in these documents are excellent. They put the alliance on the right track. They provide an excellent blueprint for the future of the alliance. However, actions speak louder than words."





Lee Seong-hyon, Ph.D. (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), is the author of the book, "The U.S.-China Competition: Who Will Rule the World?" (Books Garden, 2019). He writes about East Asian geopolitics in the context of U.S.-China relations.


Press Release

25 May 2021

Zetland Capital acquires Morrison Hotel in Dublin

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The Morrison Hotel located in the quays of Dublin, Ireland, has been acquired by UK private equity firm Zetland Capital from Russian billionare Elena Baturina, for a reported price of 65 million (460,000 per room). Ms Baturina acquired the 141-room property in 2012 from NAMA, as the first hotel sale of the Irish asset management agency, for 22 million. During her ownership, the hotel was rebranded to a DoubleTree by Hilton and benefitted from a 10 million renovation programme.

Hilton Bracknell, UK sold to KSL

The 215-room Hilton Bracknell has been sold to US private equity firm KSL Capital Partners by UK real estate investor Tabamara Ltd for 17.5 million (81,000 per room). Located to the west of London, the hotel includes 10 meeting rooms, a restaurant, bar, health club and 150-space carpark. Previously operated by Hilton under a lease agreement, the hotel has been sold unencumbered by brand and management, with KSL planning to convert the property to its Village Hotels brand.

Oaktree buys NH Anglo American hotel in Florence

Through its Italian real estate fund Castello SGR, US private equity firm Oaktree Capital has acquired the 115-room NH Anglo American hotel located in central Florence. Under the new ownership, the hotel is set to be extensively renovated and rebranded. Castello SGRs Italian hotel portfolio now consists of 27 hotels encompassing over 3,000 rooms in Italy.

Castleforge acquires the Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh

London-based private equity firm Castleforge Partners has acquired the 70-room Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh for an undisclosed price, from long-term owners of the property, Queensferry Hotels. The hotel, which is branded as a Best Western Plus and has been operated by Queensferry for over 40 years, will be managed by UK-based white-label operator Axiom Hospitality post-acquisition. Under new ownership, the hotel is also set to benefit from a capital expenditure programme.
Supplier News

25 May 2021

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - Shiji Group has recently announced its strengthened relationship with longtime customer Wyndham Hotels & Resorts through the connecting of the hotel groups multiple technology platforms across global markets via Shiji Distribution Solutions.

Shiji Distribution Solutions allows select Wyndham properties in China to be listed on Wyndhams global CRS solution, Sabres eCRS, and grants Wyndham more connectivity to unique Chinese distribution partners.

Through this connection, all of Wyndhams Chinese hotels are able to take advantage of the special tools Shiji has released in China, including the WeChat Mini Shop.

Shiji Distribution Solutions, the leading facilitator for global businesses looking to connect with the growing Chinese travel market, enables hotel groups to access vast amounts of distribution and demand partners through a single connection.

At Shiji Group, we have been doing a lot to facilitate global transactions for Wyndham and other hotel groups Chinese properties. We have always seen Wyndham as a valued partner and we are happy to provide their hotels with more assistance and help the company better sell and market their hotels in China by opening up to global travelers, said Greg Berman, Chief Operating Officer of Shiji Distribution Solutions.

We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Shiji Group through the new platform they have created and the bespoke support they brought to connecting our Chinese business with our global markets and vice versa. Not only do we have enhanced connectivity between our Chinese hotels to Chinese distribution, but also to global distribution now. Chinese properties within the Wyndham ecosystem can now access the entire world of hospitality, said Scott Strickland, Chief Information Officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the worlds largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with over 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of over 797,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Companys award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers 87 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.
Press Release

25 May 2021

Today we announced 100+ upgrades across our entire service to meet a new era in travel. Many of these upgrades were inspired by the Airbnb Report on Travel & Livinga comprehensive analysis of Airbnb booking data and consumer researchrevealing how guests are going from traveling at all the same times to all the same places, to living anywhere at any time, for however long. Below are some of the key trends we found around whos traveling, where theyre going and for how long this summer.

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Families drive and diversify travel

Summer travel on Airbnb used to be largely smaller groups visiting big cities. But this summer, the most popular type of travel is families flocking to remote destinations from their big city homes. In fact, family travel* has spiked from 27 percent of overall nights booked in summer 2019 to 33 percent in summer 2021 globally, 31 percent in the US; and of that family travel, 42 percent of the nights booked are in rural destinations, up from 32 percent the summer of 2019.

The Great Outdoors trend way up

This great escape to rural is a trend were seeing across all groups and locations. In 2015, rural travel accounted for less than 10 percent of nights booked globally on Airbnb, and in 2021, it now accounts for more than double that and is oftentimes triple that in many countries, including Canada (43%), France (45%), the UK (48%), Australia (42%), and the US (28%).

Internationally, the typical top destinations are cities. Now, locations well beyond cities are the top destinations for summer 2021a departure from the top destinations just two years ago:

France: From Paris to Var

Italy: From Rome to Sardinia

Korea: From Seoul to Jeju

Spain: From Barcelona to Costa Blanca

UK: From London to Cornwall

Based on US guest bookings, rural stays near national and state parks, the Great Lakes and white sand beaches are all trending this summer compared to summer 2019**, with the top destinations on Airbnb for summer 2021 below:

Whitefish Mountain, MT (near Glacier National Park)

South County, RI

Bancroft-Madawaska, Canada (near Algonquin Provincial Park)

Panama City Beach, FL

West Yellowstone, MT (near Yellowstone)

Florida Panhandle

Northern Wisconsin (near Lake Superior and Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest)

Hilton Head Island, SC

Black Hills, SD (near Black Hills National Forest and Mount Rushmore)

Miramar Beach, FL

Park County, MT

Michigan Upper Peninsula (Great Lakes, Hiawatha National Forest)

Acadia National Park

Cities start to return with long-term stays

Though rural destinations are trending this summer, travelers are starting to return to cities and for longer periods of time. The top three destinations for long-term stays on Airbnb are all cities. In New York, 62 percent of summer nights booked in the city are for long-term stays, and in Seattle and Los Angeles, long term stays are at 40 and 43 percent, respectively, this summer***. This is true around the world, with other major cities leading their respective countries lists of most popular destinations for long-term stays:

Melbourne (Australia)

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Montreal (Canada)

Paris (France)

Berlin (Germany)

Rome (Italy)

Seoul (South Korea)

Mexico City (Mexico)

Barcelona (Spain)

London (United Kingdom)

To explore all the ways travel and living are evolving, download the full Airbnb Report on Travel & Living here, and learn more about how were preparing our service for some of these changes here: www.airbnb.com/2021.

For both 2019 and 2021, summer activity on the Airbnb platform is defined as June 1 through August 31.

*Family travel on Airbnb is defined as any reservation that includes an infant or a child, so the actual extent of family travel described in this post and in the Airbnb Report on Travel & Living may be underestimated.

**Based on Airbnb internal data comparing bookings for June-August 2021 to June-August 2019.

***As of April 30, 2021, 40%, 43% and 62% of nights booked for Seattle, Los Angeles and New York City, respectively, are prior to cancellations and alterations.
Opinion Article

25 May 2021

As vaccine distributions continue worldwide, the demand for traveling is returning as evidenced by airlines and hotel bookings. Tripadvisor says 67% of Americans plan to travel this summer, and the Big Four - United, Delta, American and Southwest - U.S. domestic airlines agree that leisure travelers are rapidly returning to air travel over the next couple of months.

So, the big question: when will business travel rebound? When will companies feel its safe or justified to resume business travel again?

The simple answer  when in-person events return.

While virtual meeting technology provides better efficiency for both time and money, nothing can replace the unique aspects of attending trade shows, events and business meetings in person. One of the biggest losses from virtual meetings is what happens before, around and after those main live events. Beyond the planned programming, business executives can network, catch up on long overdue discussions and book additional appointments around the city of the main event - all while masked and sanitized.

Lets look at three areas of lost networking opportunities when business travelers cant do in-person events, and then lets also look at which locations in the U.S. have live events planned on the horizon.

Informal Meetings

Sharing a Meal: Before or after the formal meeting, many smaller groups break out for dinner to allow for exponential returns of relationship-building or sharing of additional ideas. In fact, 77% agree that a main benefit of face-to-face meetings is the ability to read others body language and expressions - something not easily done via video conferencing or phone calls.

In the Halls: Between sessions, coffee breaks provide side meeting opportunities to connect with new contacts or catch up with old friends. The power of networking in the halls is invaluable and makes a difference when 50% of closed-won opportunities consist of two meetings or more.

Dedicated Time & Attention for Connections

Face-to-face meetings are of greater significance to all when some or all attendees traveled to the destination in order to participate. Events allow for carved-out time from typical office meeting schedules to talk business and help get the most ROI out of traveling. 84% of remote workers actually prefer to meet in person when possible to make these important connections.

These factors make the in-person meetings more impactful and produce better results, such as closing more sales, building better relationships and expanding your network, than the instant sign-on and sign-off of meetings. Furthermore, a TripActions survey reported 90% of respondents said that business travel is essential to company growth. The desire and organizational need for business travel is apparent, and now it will be put to the test.

The Good News: Events Are Coming Back

In the U.S, several cities are reopening to some degree for business trade shows, including Las Vegas, Orlando, Dallas and Atlanta:

Las Vegas is currently allowing meetings and conventions at 50% capacity or 250 people before June 30. Its been reported that statewide restrictions will lift June 1, except for face coverings, which will still be mandated.

Orlandos Orange County Convention Center is open, following CDC Guidelines, without reduced capacity requirements. Orlandos New6 reports the convention center will have 95,000 attendees for their upcoming spring and summer events. Interestingly, New6 notes that the convention center will also remain a regional COVID-19 testing and vaccination site, coinciding with forthcoming meetings and events.

Dallas Kay Bailey, Hutchison Convention Center, will host two events where I will be in attendance representing Nomadix: AAHOA 2021 in August and HITEC 2021 in September. The convention center has a full schedule of events starting in June of this year.

Atlantas GWCC and GICC are both open and follow CDC guidelines for social distancing.

These attendance numbers illustrate the demand and acceptance for moving back to in-person, traditional events. Conferences and events are the key to bringing business travel. And for those still a bit wary, the CDC provided guidance that assures fully vaccinated individuals may travel freely (domestically) without a need for testing before or after their flights, as long as they wear a mask, avoid crowds and wash or sanitize hands frequently. All of this is excellent news for the travel and hospitality industry.

The reopening of these top U.S. convention cities will not only kick off increased business travel but sustain it into the future as well. After an in-person large trade show, the business that originated there will continue with the appropriate mixture of business travel and video calls, all bolstered by a live experience.
Provided by Infinitum Electric

The electric motor company Infinitum Electric said Tuesday it had raised $40 million in Series C funding from several venture capital firms, including several based in Houston.

Energy Innovation Capital -- with offices in Houston, San Francisco and Seattle - led the most recent round of funding, along with Chevron Technology Ventures, the Cottonwood Technology Fund and Ajax Strategies. Infinitum Electric is headquartered in Austin.
Adrian Miller begins the introduction of his new book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue (University of North Carolina Press, April 2021), with the admission that he once canceled a blind date because he smelled like the barbecue he had had for lunch. The romance lasted only a few dates after Miller washed off the smoke, but his love of barbecue is still going strong.

Miller was born in Denver, and lives there now. His parents, from Arkansas and Tennessee, made barbecue on holidays, and Millers first full-time job was at a barbecue chain. A lawyer and public policy adviser by way of Georgetown and Stanford universities, Miller served as special assistant to President Bill Clinton and senior policy analyst for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr.

Today, he is best known as the soul food scholar for his work as a culinary historian and food writer. His books Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time (UNC Press, August 2013) and The Presidents Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas (UNC Press, February 2017) highlight Black peoples impact on American food.

The seed for Black Smoke was planted when Miller watched a barbecue special on the Food Network with Paula Deen that didnt include any Black pitmasters. And it wasnt just Deen: Miller noticed it was a problem across food media. He set out to return African Americans to the center of the narrative.

Black Smoke By Adrian Miller University of North Carolina Press 328 pages, $30 See More Collapse

His book starts by explaining how Native Americans invented open-fire cooking, eventually transferring those skills to enslaved African Americans when they became the main source of forced labor in the U.S. Through themed chapters, Miller shows the reader how intrinsic African Americans have always been to barbecue. They used it as a tool for resistance and liberation when enslaved, becoming specialists in their craft and eventually entrepreneurs, spreading it across the country.

Texas barbecuers are highlighted throughout the book but get their biggest nod in a chapter devoted to church culture, where Miller says he found more pastor-run barbecue joints in the state than anywhere else. I dont know what the correlation is between preaching the word of God and smoking meat, but if there is a promised land, its Texas, Miller said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. The book tells the story of holy barbecue destinations such as Davis Grocery and Bar-B-Q in Taylor and New Zion Missionary Baptist Churchs BBQ in Huntsville, which closed in 2019 after 40 years in business.

Miller also gives some love to the venison sausage and the smoked oxtail menudo at Gatlins BBQ, a Houston favorite. During a Zoom video chat with the Chronicle, he said he wants people to expand their definition of Texas barbecue beyond Central Texas, and discussed restoring Black peoples place in the smoked-meat conversation, how he researched his book, the nasty history of barbecue he wants readers to know and his favorite sides.

This interview was edited and condensed.

Q: At what point did you decide Black Smoke was a book you were going to write?

A: When I started writing a book on soul food 20 years ago, I always felt that I should start getting to know more about barbecue because so many soul-food restaurants have barbecue options, and so many Black-owned barbecue joints have soul-food sides. So I thought theres probably a synergy there, I probably have to write a chapter on barbecue. The more I looked at barbecue, I thought: Its really its own thing.

Q: The focus of the book is African American barbecue, but it also feels like the history of barbecue, period.

A: By the time you get to the mid-1700s, barbecue history was African American barbecue history because African Americans were the ones primarily doing it. Even though I argue that African Americans are not the originators of barbecue, I certainly believe they were the innovators and the standard bearers. Barbecue spread across the country because of African Americans. Either they were recruited to do barbecue in places, or they came to a community and kick-started its barbecue scene. I argue that the reason for that is that barbecue is very labor-intensive, and it was scalable. The racial dynamics at the time was if you wanted somebody to do a lot of work and you didnt want to pay them, you make enslaved African Americans do it. Later, if you wanted somebody to do a lot of work but you didnt want to pay them much, you had African Americans do it.

Q: You devote a chapter to the lack of Black barbecue representation in food media. Do you see your book as setting the record straight?

A: For at least 150 years, not only were African Americans given credit, you couldnt have legit barbecue unless an African American was involved. And even a lot of the white men who were giants in the field would admit that an African American taught them how to do it. And a lot of prominent white people in barbecue had all-Black staff, the people who were actually doing the cooking and the labor. Its just weird that were at a point now where African Americans dont even get mentioned.

Black Smoke is really two things: Its a celebration of African American barbecue culture, and its also a restoration of African Americans to the barbecue narrative. Its a thump on the head that says, look, if youre gonna talk about barbecue in the United States, youve gotta include Black people.

Q: In the book, theres a theme of resistance and also a theme of barbecue used as a weapon by whites and colonizers. Can you talk about that?

A: I had heard about the slave insurrections, but I didnt know that so many were planned over barbecue, so much so that you had whites saying: Hey, yall gonna need to stop letting African Americans barbecue unsupervised. We found out about barbecuers who actually fed the Union Army as a way of resistance.

And then the nefarious side is that in order to punish the enslaved, slaveholders would use barbecue. They would whip somebody and pour vinegar and red pepper into the wounds, which would cause excruciating pain. The oral histories of the enslaved exposed the sadism that was part of slavery. Somebody was basically barbecued as a punishment. There was a lynching that involved fire; it was called a barbecue. I just wanted people to understand that barbecue has complexity, and because barbecue was associated with Blackness, theres always gonna be a good and bad in this country, and I wanted people to see the bad, I didnt want people to think barbecue is just all joyous times.

And then you have stories that bring you joy because of people who were able to overcome, people who kept their family together, people who, in the most horrible circumstances, did remarkable things, so those testimonies of resiliency were very encouraging.

Q: Take us behind the scenes of researching the book.

A: The boon of my research has been historical newspapers because they chronicled history in a way that you dont find in other places, because newspapers are about capturing the daily life of the community. Theyre gonna spend more time chasing these personal-interest stories. Thats where you see a lot of details of barbecue emerge.

And then, just going through 3,500 oral histories of formerly enslaved people, looking for all references for barbecue, because I wanted to know how African Americans talked about barbecue. And then the last part was just going around and eating. I call it barbecue research. I did a number of trips.

Q: In Texas theres this focus on beef and brisket, but you say that African American barbecue is more about the pork, spare ribs especially.

A: Thats more of a national perspective; in Texas, it may be that beef is a much bigger draw. But these days when people say Texas barbecue, they immediately gravitate to Central Texas and the smokehouses run by Central European immigrants, and they dont give much love to South Texas, with the strong Latino traditions, and to East Texas, which is more African American-influenced. Im trying to expand what people think of when they think of Texas barbecue. In my experience, beef is part of it, but its presented in a different way, so instead of these well-manicured slices of brisket you see in Central Texas, in the East its gonna be chopped up, its gonna be messier, its gonna be sauced. Its just a different aesthetic.

Q: At the end of the book, you have a great cheat sheet with your favorite African American barbecue restaurants. In Houston, you list Burns Original BBQ and Rays BBQ Shack, then Fargos Pit BBQ in Bryan and Patillos Bar-B-Que in Beaumont. What about those places made them land on this page for you?

A: I wanted to pick places that, at the end of the meal, Im just sitting there going: Is licking the plate frowned upon in this establishment? Do yall have some pillows so I can take a nap? Those are the places that rose to the top.

Q: What are your go-to barbecue sides?

A: Definitely potato salad. Coleslaw without raisins. And then depending on how I feel I might get some greens.

Q: What do you hope Black Smoke achieves?

A: Two things. One is that I hope people have a deeper appreciation and love for African American culture and African American barbecuers. And then I just want to restore African Americans to the center of the barbecue narrative. We should not be on the sidelines. And Im not saying that nobody else can barbecue; my philosophy is theres plenty of room in the cookout for everyone. Theres a lot of money being made now in barbecue, and I want African Americans to enjoy the barbecue prosperity as well.

emma.balter@chron.com
Pastor Tabatha Whitten didnt want to believe she was depressed.

It was 10 years ago, and her mother had died. Whitten could feel herself spiraling, but she was determined to keep functioning in her daily life. In her job as a social worker, she had tough conversations with client families about their feelings.

But when she was struggling herself, Whitten hesitated to talk to anyone.

It was very difficult for me to think Im a little depressed  what is that about? There was something going on with my mental health that made me uncomfortable, Whitten said. But as much as we teach and train others about this, theres something in us that feels shame.

On HoustonChronicle.com: It's been one year since George Floyd's murder. How did it change you?

Whitten leads Remnant Ministries, a multicultural church in Houstons Fifth Ward. She has seen increased depression, nervous feelings and paranoia among her 100-member congregation since the first coronavirus lockdown measures began in March 2020.

Whitten said communities of color are private in their struggles, especially when it involves their mental health. Many in her community dont want to appear like they dont have it together.

We never want to be seen in a light thats less than our best, she said. We have this idea about people being in our business, so we dont tell anyone. We dont believe in counseling  that means youre crazy.

The COVID-19 pandemic, political division, depictions of police violence and financial problems have compounded feelings of anxiety and depression among communities of color, said Matthew Stanford, CEO of the Hope and Healing Center and Institute.

These groups typically do not have access to the same mental health care options that affluent white people do, Stanford added. And he said there are few opportunities for Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans to move beyond social determinants  lack of transportation, no health insurance and zero child care  that hold them back from accessing better care.

Because there is greater unemployment and less access to physical health care, many people of color do not believe mental health care is for them, Stanford said.

Since the pandemics start, 15 percent of Americans have reported depression disorders, while 30 percent said they feel more anxiety, said Dr. Biren Patel, behavioral health specialist at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.

On HoustonChronicle.com: As deaths by suicide continue to rise, mental health workers worry about the 2020 effect

Studies show that people of color now are disproportionately affected by world stressors, Patel said. Asian Americans have seen an increase in hate crimes and discrimination, while Black Americans have been bombarded with news of Black people being shot by police on a regular basis.

And while cultural stigmas surrounding mental health can account for why some people dont seek help, Patel believes there are just fewer affordable options available for Black, Latino and Asian American groups.

But there are ways to feel better.

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Going forward, the best thing Ive seen is people working together, Patel said. Whether youre Asian American, African American, Hispanic or even white, working together to help address these issues  thats where our real strength lies.

Thats part of the mission at the Hope and Healing Center where Stanfords team trains organizations and faith-based groups how to identify mental distress among their members. Whitten is one of those leaders.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How to be around people again: A guide for back-to-office anxiety and awkwardness

Data from the National Institutes of Health show people are more likely to go to a clergy member before a mental health care provider or physician. So, the Hope and Healing Center brought mental health care training to the clergy.

Weve seen this as a greater burden on faith communities because more people are going there for assistance, Stanford said. But frankly, theyre not trained to do these services.

Religion is a psychological and social resource that a 2020 NIH study called a source of resiliency for many racial and ethnic minority populations. Its a sustaining force as people push through hardships  one that the study says is deeply embedded in the culture, community life and group identity of many racial/ethnic majority populations, such as Black and Latino Americans.

A pastor has to be more than a spiritual leader, Whitten said. Oftentimes, faith leaders are friends, kinfolk and a wise voice in a community, and that differentiation is important for people who need someone to talk to.

The truth is, we deal in a method of counseling all the time  we talk to our cousins, grandparents, family members; the problem is we talk to people who arent properly trained, Whitten said. We continue a cycle thats in place because no one has been able to convey what really needs to be conveyed in a situation. Its continued crisis.

On RenewHouston.com: Language, distrust make it more difficult for Houston families getting immigrant parents COVID shots

Turning on the news in 2020 has become traumatic for many in Whittens congregation. Increased reports of police killings, violent protests and daily death tolls due to COVID-19 put their already-existing stressors in front of their faces, she said.

But older Americans  or, Generation Hush as Whitten calls them  and younger generations like millennials  Generation Tell-It-All  react differently to the images on the screen.

The older generation was taught to not say anything, just comply. But that was a different time, she explained. On one hand, there is post-traumatic stress being kicked up, and on the other hand, were dealing with a sense of liberation thats under attack as well.

Whitten has received training from Hope and Healing Center that helps her understand when her members are experiencing mental distress. She can work with them directly or work to refer them to a health provider.

I always like to start with telling people to give themselves permission to be wherever they are, Whitten said.

Give yourself permission to reach out to another person and be patient in the process. So many times, we want something fixed now, and were discouraged with the process because we want immediate gratification, she said. But the whole cake is not baked. Keep participating and have faith in the process.

julie.garcia@chron.com

twitter.com/reporterjulie
A federal judge has ruled against Montgomery County Judge Wayne Macks practice of opening his court with a prayer said by a member of a volunteer chaplain program.

Southern District of Texas Judge Kenneth Hoyt on Friday deemed the prayers violated the Establishment Clause, which is the Constitutional provision prohibiting an establishment of religion.

Mack did so by presenting himself before a captured audience of litigants and their counsel  to advance, through the Chaplaincy Program, Gods larger purpose, read Hoyts decision, which referenced a 2015 letter from Mack to supporters. Such a magnanimous goal flies in the face of historical tradition, and makes a mockery of both, religion and law.

Mack on Tuesday said he disagreed with Hoyts characterization, pointing to the U.S. Supreme Courts invocation, God save the United States and this honorable court. Mack presides over a misdemeanor and small claims courtroom in Willis.

Mack is being represented by the First Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas-based nonprofit that litigates First Amendment issues.

Justin Butterfield, deputy general counsel at the First Liberty Institute, said the group is going to appeal the ruling in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. A motion to stay will be filed to continue to honor the chaplaincy program in Macks courtroom, Butterfield added.

The chaplaincy program followed this countrys history of opening government meetings and solemnizing them with an invocation, Butterfield said. The tradition that Judge Mack is following has a long line, not just in the legislature but in the judiciary with the (U.S.) Supreme Court itself.

The suit was brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based nonprofit advocating the separation of church and state.

In their suit, FFRF argued the Supreme Courts invocation does not solicit the participation of attendees as Macks courtroom prayer does.

Mack views his courtroom as a missionary field. Sorry, but thats not why we have courts, said Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRFs co-president, on Monday. This is a rogue action by a rogue judge and he has been reined in properly by U.S. District Judge Hoyt.

Gaylor pointed out Judge Hoyt was appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

Were hardly dealing with a radical judge, she said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Historians decry Texas bill that would restrict school lessons on race, racism

Identified by the anonymous legal moniker John Roe, a co-plaintiff in the case was a Montgomery County lawyer who represented landlord and tenant disputes in Macks court between August 2015 and July 2017. Roe argued he felt he could not refuse prayer participation without producing prejudice from Mack toward his clients.

Another former Precinct 1 courtroom litigant testified in January 2020 that Mack was unprofessional and hostile toward him after observing his lack of prayer participation.

Mack did not watch who was praying or who wasnt praying. He has no idea how engaged any person was. It could not affect him because he just didnt know, Butterfield said in response.

But Gaylor said Macks courtroom prayer was coercive, intimidating and ostracized nonparticipants.

Everybody sees who they are. Theres no way to avoid it, Gaylor said. They say justice is blind. Well, not in this case. And the courts agreed with us.

The chaplaincy program includes different faiths aside from Christianity, such as Islam and Buddhism. But Roe stated of the 10 times he was in Macks courtroom, each prayer was Christian.

The suit cites the chaplaincy program, which it states consists of 75-100 volunteers, is 90 percent Protestant Christian, with one chaplain each from the Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon and Muslim faiths.

Mack said those numbers were incomplete, pointing out there is more than one Muslim chaplain involved in the program.

We have 100 percent of support from the chaplains that are involved and we have an overwhelming support of our community regarding the program and our opening ceremony, Mack said in response.

Elected in 2014, Mack instituted the chaplaincy program to counsel grieving families following a death. Aside from his judgeship, Mack as a north county justice of the peace responds to fatal incidents and executes death inquests in lieu of a coroner.

In 2020, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, lauded the chaplaincy programs implementation in recommendation letters submitted for a statewide award Mack received as JP of the year.

We not only believe everything were doing is not only Constitutional, but even our Texas attorney general has upheld what were doing, Mack said.

AG Ken Paxton has previously come forward in support of Macks courtroom prayer.

The lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt by a group to exclude religious freedom from public life, read a December 2017 statement from Paxton on an eventually dismissed FFRF suit against Mack.

That suit originally had three lawyers, including a Christian and an atheist, as plaintiffs. That suit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein in September 2018 on grounds Macks employment was the state judiciary and not the county, which FFRF was explicitly suing after the justice of the peace was previously dismissed as a defendant.

This latest suit was filed in May 2019 .

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
As the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission prepares to dedicate a Conroe memorial to the women pilots of World War II, lots of memories have flooded back to the Montgomery resident who planned the WASP Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in 2010.

Lt. Col. Ret. Roxi Montgomery was serving as a military advisor to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2009 when she was tasked with the mission of helping obtain a Congressional Gold Medal for the ladies of the Women Airforce Service Pilots program.

In World War II, the ladies flew non-combat missions to free up male pilots for combat. And while their sacrifices were great, they never saw recognition from the military until 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. At this time, they were finally given veterans status. They also became Congressional Gold Medal recipients under President Obama in 2009.

A ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2010 saw 300 WASPS finally recognized for their military service.

Montgomery calls the time frame from March 2009 to March 2010 the highlight of her military career and she still gets emotional when reflecting on what it took to have these lady pilots finally have their day in the sun.

She entered the U.S. Army in 1988 as an officer with a focus on finance. For the year 2009, she was selected to serve in Hutchinsons Washington office.

Shed been at Hutchinsons office a few months when they were visited by Col. Nicole Malachowski, the first female member of The Thunderbirds.

Malachowski was an advocate for recognition of the WASPS. She had an idea for a Congressional Gold Medal for them and she had written some legislation she hoped Hutchinson would support.

Malachowski had visited a museum that had a small WASP display when she was a girl and from that day knew she wanted to be a pilot.

Lt. Col. Ret. David Davis was Hutchinsons Chief of Staff at the time and he handed the project to Montgomery - and she passionately ran with it.

It normally takes three to five years to get something like this through Congress, she said. Dave Davis told me If you can get all of the Senate to sign on before your leave then its a success.

But in three months, they had all the required Senate signatures and all the required House signatures plus the WASPs Congressional Gold Medal had gone through committee and become a law.

She said she ran with the momentum of the project.

You get the key people to sign on first, then others want to sign on too, she said.

It was signed into law on July 1, 2009 by President Barack Obama.

She also credits Nancy Parrish with the success of the project.

Parrishs mother, Deannie, was a WASP and accepted the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the WASPS during the ceremony.

Nancy Parrish did extensive research on the WASPS and created a database of the WASPS.

When planning for some of the WASPS  many of whom are in their 90s  to be at the White House for the signing of the law, Montgomery tracked down two of the spunky ones.

One was hard to get in contact with as she was flying in an air race across the country. Another had just gotten a speeding ticket in her new convertible.

These are the kind of spunky women were talking about, Montgomery said. They had so much grit and determination and love for their country that they were going to persevere despite the discrimination they faced.

Male pilots did not want to be trained by females. The WASPS were also given sub-par equipment and had to pay their own way for their training. In the cases of those who died in their WASP service, their friends and family paid their own money to bring them back home.

As the law was close to passing, Montgomery also worked with the U.S. Mint to be able to present Congressional Gold Medals to each WASP.

Montgomery was also able to persuade Nancy Pelosi office to move the ceremony from the Capitol Rotunda to the Capital Visitors Center. More than 3,000 were in attendance for the ceremony with 300 WASPS on hand.

If they could travel, they did, she said. For those who could not travel, the representatives took the Congressional Gold Medals to their home town and presented it there.

Hutchinson held a ceremony in Dallas for the Dallas-area WASPS who could not travel to Washington DC.

Even today Montgomery can still not believe they were able to get the legislation done and put the ceremony together within a year.

When her tenure with Hutchinson was done, Montgomery worked at the Pentagon and then in Wisconsin serving as a liaison between the military and Congress.

She retired from the military in 2014 and returned to the area to be closer to family. She now owns her own accounting firm.

As the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission dedicates its Remembered Whispers monument on Memorial Day, a collection of Montgomerys WASP memorabilia will be on display at the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County.

Maybe this display will inspire another young girl, Montgomery said.

A dedication of the WASP monument and several others will take place at 11 a.m. on Memorial Day at the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park.

Visit heritagemuseum.us for more on the Heritage Museum and honoredmission.org for more on the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Most of the statewide elected officials in Montana are expecting a salary increase soon under a state law that requires comparative pay raises every other year.

The Montana Legislature passed laws in 1995 that require the state Department of Administration to conduct surveys comparing the salaries of the state's elected executive branch officials and justices with the same positions in Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, the Independent Record reported.

Under the law, the Supreme Court justices and district court judges will receive a 4.2% raise on July 1. The salary for the Supreme Court chief justice will increase from $151,486 to $157,784, or the average salary of the chief justices from the other states.

The lieutenant governor and Supreme Court clerk will not get a raise, according to the data.

The survey that determines any changes to the salary is conducted before the end of June each even-numbered year, officials said. The new salary then takes effect July 1 the following year.

The changes this year will be in effect until June 30, 2023. However, elected officials can choose to not accept all or part of the raise. It is not immediately known if any official has declined the raise.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, who will receive a more than $4,000 raise, said he will donate his entire salary to various philanthropies statewide. Those philanthropies have not yet been announced. His office released a statement on Friday saying he will make $122,693, which will be donated on a quarterly basis.

Gianforte said state employees outside the survey will get a 55-cent-an-hour increase during the next fiscal year under different legislation.




Hyunda Santa Fe 2020 / Korea Times file



By Yi Whan-woo



The latest recall of more than 390,000 Hyundai automobiles in the United States and Canada is prompting calls for the Korean automaker to focus more on boosting quality rather than cutting costs.



Following an order from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company has been recalling over 203,000 Santa Fe SUVs manufactured from 2013 through 2015 since early May after they were found to be leaking brake fluid that could lead to an engine fire in the worst case scenario.



Hyundai is also recalling nearly 187,000 vehicles with 2-liter engines, including Elantras manufactured from 2019 through 2020 as well as Konas and Velosters made from 2019 through 2021. Piston rings in the engines may not have been properly heat-treated, which can cause engine damage, oil leaks and possible fires.



Some industry sources argue that the recall is attributed to cost cutting and time efficiency being overly stressed by Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun as part of efforts to bolster quantity management.



After succeeding his father Chung Mong-koo and taking office in October 2020, the new chairman included cost cuts as a criterion in employee performance evaluations and also called for automobiles to be designed more quickly, in two years instead of three, according to the sources.



They added that engineers and factory workers were stressed out by Chung's management style, which disrupted their focus on ensuring vehicle quality.



"These were believed to be the main reasons behind faulty cars manufactured by Hyundai Motor Group," one source said, noting the conglomerate's other auto making affiliate, Kia, separately recalled over 147,000 Soul and Seltos models produced from 2020 through 2021 in April, in the U.S., due to piston ring problems.



Kia said it had four reports of fires potentially related to the issue.



Another source urged Hyundai Motor "to emphasize quality control in management," saying, "recalls are becoming increasingly more common."





Headquarters of Hyundai Motor Group in southern Seoul / Korea Times file
WASHINGTON (AP)  They mourned together and laughed together in the Oval Office  and spoke of what President Joe Biden called the hard reality that racism has long torn us apart.

The first anniversary of George Floyds death was supposed to be a milestone moment in Washington, a time to mark the passage of a policing law to make criminal justice more just. Instead, Floyds family met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Tuesday to commemorate their loss and continue to push for legislation.

It was a remembrance of what happened to my brother, Philonise Floyd said of the meeting with Biden, calling the president a genuine guy.

Biden told them he just wants the bill to be meaningful and that it holds Georges legacy intact, said George Floyds nephew Brandon Williams. Williams said Biden showed genuine concern for how the family is doing.

Biden took time during the meeting to play with George Floyds young daughter Gianna, who enjoyed some ice cream and Cheetos, the president said, after she told him she was hungry.

Now Playing: The family of George Floyd is visiting Washington on the anniversary of his death to mourn with President Joe Biden and prod Congress to act as they commemorate the loss of their brother, father and son one year ago. (May 25) Video: Associated Press

Later, she stood before the cameras outside the White House and softly called out, say his name. Family members chanted in return, George Floyd.

A sister, Bridgett Floyd, stayed away, aiming to come to Washington only when there is a bill to be signed into law.

Thats when I will make my way to D.C., she said from Minnesota.

She and several other family members joined Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and others marking the anniversary in the city where George Floyd died, and other events took place in New York, Los Angeles and other cities in the U.S. and abroad.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the day, Biden said he had spoken with congressional negotiators and was hopeful that sometime after Memorial Day well have an agreement.

With the proposed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act still pending, his family began the day meeting with legislators and headed back to Capitol Hill later from the White House.

They met Tuesday morning with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., who ushered the bill through the House. The Floyds met late in the day with Democrat Cory Booker of New Jersey and Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senates lead negotiators on the bill. The family then visited Black Lives Matter Plaza, the site near the White House where protesters gathered throughout last summer.

I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by their thoughts, Scott said of the family. I wish I was negotiating with them, he said, though he also repeated the line of the day that progress was being made.

Earlier at the Capitol alongside Pelosi and other lawmakers, Philonise Floyd declared of his brother: Today is the day that he set the world in a rage.

We need to be working together to make sure that people do not live in fear in America any more, he said.

The Floyd familys meetings with some of Washingtons most powerful officials produced plenty of comments about optimism and moving forward. Nonetheless, the lack of a final deal contrasted sharply with advocates high hopes just last month, when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvins conviction for Floyds killing and then Bidens nationally televised speech to Congress calling for action by May 25 gave supporters a sense of momentum.

The current standoff underscores the political complexities of an issue thats a top concern for many of both parties' voters  Democrats progressives and voters of color, and Republicans law-and-order conservatives.

Floyd died May 25, 2020, after police officer Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes while arresting him. His death sparked months of nationwide racial protests, a worldwide global reckoning over racism and a renewed debate over police reform. Chauvin was convicted last month of multiple charges.

Though a legislative response has been elusive, negotiators have displayed a steady solidarity thats unusual for such talks, never publicly sniping at each other.

Its a high-profile legislative fight in which Biden has notably taken a back seat, preferring to leave the work of crafting a compromise to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in contrast to his fevered advocacy, both public and private, for his infrastructure bill and COVID-19 relief package.

We have been respecting the space needed for negotiators to have these discussions, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

She and congressional negotiators declined to offer a new deadline for reaching an agreement. Bass, the top House Democratic bargainer, said talks would continue until we get the job done. Republican Scott said negotiations have a long way to go still, but its starting to take form.

The Democratic-controlled House approved a sweeping bill in March that would make it easier for individual police officers to be sued and charged with crimes. It would also ban chokeholds, limit no-knock warrants and create a national database of officers with histories of complaints and disciplinary problems.

That bill has gone nowhere in the Senate, where the 50 Democrats will need support from at least 10 Republicans to overcome a bill-killing filibuster.

GOP lawmakers have preferred more modest changes.

Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump said Biden told them "he doesnt want to sign a bill that doesnt have substance and meaning.

So he is going to be patient, to make sure its the right bill, not a rushed bill, Crump said.

White House advisers say Biden and his team have been in frequent touch with Capitol Hill negotiators over the legislation, but they believe this is an issue in which a high-profile public campaign by the president may do more harm than good.

But some activists say theyd like to see the president be more outspoken in advocating for the bill.

President Biden has left it to members of Congress, and its in their hands right now. But the president will need to step up to make sure we get it across the finish line, said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project, a racial justice organization.

The chief stumbling block has been qualified immunity, which generally shields individual officers from civil lawsuits. Democrats have wanted to eliminate that protection while Republican Senate negotiator Scott has proposed retaining immunity for officers but allowing lawsuits against police departments.

While progressives and many criminal justice reform advocates are insistent that the bill eliminate protections for individual officers, some Democrats, most notably House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, have said they could see a compromise on the issue. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he wouldnt support any bill that ended qualified immunity.

While the president is waiting for the bill to hit his desk, Biden's aides have said the administration is doing what it can to deal with the incidents of police misconduct.

The Biden administration has signaled that the Justice Department will shift its focus to prioritize civil rights and policing reform after a tumultuous four years under President Donald Trump. In the past few weeks, the department has announced sweeping investigations into the police in Minneapolis and Louisville and brought federal civil rights charges against the officers involved in Floyds death, including Chauvin.

On Tuesday, as Floyds family was preparing to meet with Biden, the Senate voted to confirm Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights, the first Black woman to hold the position.
PRESTON, Idaho (AP)  An Idaho Department of Health and Welfare office in the small town of Preston that helped people apply for Medicaid, food stamps, child care assistance and other benefits will close next month.

The state's lease for the space expires at the end of June. The office hasn't been open to the public for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A pilot has died after an aircraft operated by a military contractor out of Nellis Air Force Base crashed in a nearby residential area, authorities in Las Vegas said Monday.

A statement attributed to base spokesman Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry confirmed the crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. Florida-based company Draken US owned the aircraft, and said in a statement that the pilot, whose name has not been released, had died and no one else was on board.

It's unclear whether there were injuries to people on the ground.

The plane crashed in a yard where a neighbor, Alex Reyes, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he heard a loud thump and then saw black smoke billowing from the home.

Neighbor Eugenia Brackeen told the newspaper she heard a boom so loud that she couldn't hear her television. She said her power went out for a short time.

Witnesses posted online images of a plume of smoke not far from a southern fence to the base, of city and base fire crews arriving, and a helicopter circling.

In a Twitter post, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he and his wife, Kathy, were praying for all those involved in todays incident, including Nellis service members and first-responders.

Deputy Clark County Fire Chief Warren Whitney confirmed only that fire crews were called to the area in unincorporated county territory. He directed follow-up inquiries to Nellis.

Police cordoned off the neighborhood about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northeast of downtown Las Vegas.

Nellis is best known internationally as host of periodic training exercises where U.S. and allied pilots conduct mock battles over a restricted military reserve in central Nevada that is half the size of the state of New Jersey.

Aircraft based at Nellis include F-16 Falcon and F-22 Raptor fighter jets and A-10 Warthog attack jets.

The base also is home to the elite Thunderbirds flight demonstration team.

Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Novotny, who stepped down last year after commanding the 57th Wing at Nellis, told KTNV-TV that contract aircraft and pilots take part in some exercises as participants to train against.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator is traveling to site of the crashed Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1, the agency tweeted.

The crash was the first out of Nellis since Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bango of Valencia, California, died in April 2018 during a training flight over the Nevada Test and Training Range.

In September 2017, an Air Force pilot died after a crash about 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) northwest of Nellis.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The Security Council condemned killings and attacks against U.N. peacekeepers in the strongest terms Monday and called for prompt prosecution of those responsible.

The council underscored the critical importance of safety and security for the U.N.s more than 90,000 peacekeepers serving in 12 missions from Congo, South Sudan and Mali to the Middle East and India-Pakistan.

It said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and countries contributing troops and police to peacekeeping operations should work together to ensure that peacekeepers have adequate resources and are equipped and trained to mitigate threats, including from landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices.

The Chinese-drafted presidential statement was approved by all 15 council members at an open meeting where U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said peacekeeping missions operate in complex environments where they face an increasing number of attacks against their personnel by hostile actors.

Since Jan. 1, Lacroix said, 15 peacekeepers lost their lives due to malicious acts.

In addition to hostile environments and direct attacks, issues related to peacekeeper safety, such as vehicle accidents and illnesses, are also causing fatalities, and can significantly affect the ability of peacekeepers to deliver on their mandated tasks, Lacroix said.

In 2020, for example, 13 peacekeepers lost their lives to violent acts, compared to 15 due to accidents and 81 due to illness," he said. This has, of course, been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lacroix said technology has enhanced the preparedness and capabilities of peacekeepers, including early warning systems and drones.

The U.N. has also made progress supporting countries that host peacekeeping forces in their efforts to bring perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers to justice. he said. As examples, six people were convicted in Central African Republic in early 2020 and in March 2021 one person was convicted and eight others were convicted and sentenced in absentia, he said.

But Lacroix said, Despite the progress made, many factors continue to impede the safety and security of our peacekeepers on the ground.

He called for the deployment of uniformed peacekeepers without caveats on their activities that undermine the safety and security of other peacekeepers and the performance of our operations.

He urged countries to deploy commanding officers with significant operational experience, qualified military intelligence personnel and more female peacekeepers.

Lacroix also said countries should provide adequate equipment, especially armed and utility helicopters, medically equipped aircraft and forward-operating medical teams, quick reaction units and mine-protected vehicles as well as aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
ONSCENE TV

Officers discovered a body in a Missouri City apartment early Tuesday morning while helping a woman get her belongings from a man who assaulted her, according to police.

The woman asked officers to escort her to get her things around 3 a.m. from an apartment in the 16500 block of Quail Prairie Drive because she had been abused by a man who she had lived with in the home, Houston Police Department Investigator Joshua Horn said.
A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with intoxication assault for a crash that injured three people, including two Houston police officers, authorities announced Tuesday.

Norbert Achuo is accused of driving his car into a stopped Houston Police Department cruiser that was blocking two lanes for another crash investigation around 11:30 p.m. Sunday in the 7800 block of Interstate 45 South near Park Place.
IDEA Public Schools CEO JoAnn Gama and Chief Operating Officer Irma Munoz have been fired after a forensic review found substantial evidence that top leaders at the states largest charter network misused money and staff for personal gain, the organizations board president announced Tuesday.

In a letter to IDEA staff, Board President Al Lopez did not disclose details about the questionable spending and use of staff. Lopez did allege that staff members actions appeared to be done in a manner to avoid detection by the standard external audit and internal control processes that the Board had in place at the time.

Lopez said the findings will be reported to the appropriate authorities, and the organization has invited the Texas Education Agency to appoint a conservator or monitor to the district.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Vaccines during the school day? It's happening at Spring Branch ISD.

We will not be able to provide additional information regarding the review at this time due to the confidentiality of personnel matters and the involvement of the authorities, Lopez wrote to staff.

Efforts to reach Gama and Munoz were not immediately successful.

In a statement Tuesday, TEA officials said they recently were made aware of IDEAs forensic audit and subsequently opened an investigation.

We will pursue all corrective measures available under law to protect the taxpayers of Texas, the agencys statement read.

If state officials find violations of state laws or rules, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath could impose a wide range of sanctions. His options include appointing a conservator, who would have the authority to direct actions by IDEAs board and superintendent, or a monitor, who would have lesser powers in the district.

The firings followed an anonymous tip received after the departures last year of two other high-ranking IDEA leaders, former CEO Tom Torkelson and former CFO Wyatt Truscheit. Lopezs letter says the allegations of misconduct involve a small number of IDEA senior leaders, though it does not name any individuals alleged to have engaged in improper spending or use of staff.

IDEAs finances came under fire in late 2019, following the boards quickly-reversed decision to lease a private jet and the disclosure that the charter network spent money on luxury suites at San Antonios AT&T Center, among other decisions. Torkelson resigned in May 2020, agreeing to a $900,000 settlement payout with the charters board.

IDEA board members chose Gama, who co-founded IDEA in the late 1990s with Torkelson, as the organizations next CEO.

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Around the same time, IDEAs board members promised to make several financial and governance reforms, such as banning private air travel, curbing executive benefits, and ending business deals with leaders and their family members.

For several years, Munozs husband co-owned a company that served as IDEAs recommended uniform vendor in the Rio Grande Valley, home to 52 of the charter networks campuses. Munoz said her husband sold his 50 percent stake in the company at the end of 2019.

None of IDEAs financial arrangements detailed to date appear to have violated Texas law, though they have come under withering criticism.

Texas Education Agency officials, who have been supportive of IDEAs rapid expansion over the past decade, decided in September 2020 to approve 12 out of the networks 27 requests to add campuses in the upcoming school year. The decision came after TEA leaders raised questions about IDEAs administrative, governance and financial record.

Lopez said he will serve as acting CEO and the boards vice chair, Collin Sewell, will serve as acting COO for the time being.

Gama and Torkelson started IDEA more than two decades ago in the Rio Grande Valley, where both worked in traditional public schools. The network enrolls about 62,000 students throughout the state, including about 900 in Greater Houston.

IDEA boasts higher standardized test scores, graduation rates and college enrollment rates than neighboring traditional public schools. The charters leaders attribute the success to a rigorous, regimented approach to education that emphasizes advanced courses and reaching college.

IDEAs critics argue the network attracts higher-performing students and artificially filters out higher-needs children through its college-focused approach. Its opponents also say the recent instances of questionable spending illustrate a lack of accountability at charter schools, which are publicly-funded organizations governed by unelected boards.

Its time that our Legislature put a stop to promoting charter school chains and paving the way for their rapid expansion, Texas American Federation of Teachers President Zeph Capo said in a statement. The costs for our public schools and our taxpayers are much too high, particularly when we discover executives in our states largest and most sophisticated charter chain padding their pockets with our money.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
George Floyd became a household name when a video of his nearly 10-minute daylight killing  on a crowded Minneapolis street, under the knee of a police officer  swept the globe and sparked a racial reckoning. With much of the world locked inside amid a pandemic, people ventured outside to gather in cities and tiny towns for weeks to protest police brutality and insist more collectively than ever that, Black Lives Matter.

Former Officer Chauvin became the first white Minnesotan officer convicted of murdering a Black person. Three other officers accused of failing to intervene are awaiting trial. On the one-year anniversary of Floyds death, the Chronicle asked a cross-section of people how the killing of the long-time Houstonian changed their lives and their city.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez

Watching that video, time and time again, was simply heartbreaking. Its hard to imagine how anyone watching that would not be changed. I believe Houstonians are goodhearted people who are open to change and willing to change in the face of undeniable injustice.

James M. Douglas, president, Houston NAACP; interim dean, Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University

I was not changed by the death of George Floyd. I have lived with race in America my entire life and I truly understand this country s refusal to accept Black Americans as full citizens with full constitutional rights.

Monica Coronado, 21, Lone Star college student

I see a lot more awareness about police brutality, which is good. I went to a high school full of minorities so I kind of grew up seeing it, but I know a lot of people that werent very aware to it or they kind of looked the other way. I see those people pay more attention now.

Nabila Mansoor, executive director, Emgage Texas, a political empowerment organization for Muslim Americans

Once you understand the role race has to play in everyday life its hard to unsee that. George Floyds Houston connection is strong and his murder resonated with us on an intimate level.

Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

Douglas Griffith, president, Houston Police Officers Union

Houston has always been one of these places that its very  kind of a laid back atmosphere. People dont get riled up too easily. I like to say its our southern hospitality down here. There have been some changes, but as far as life in general, I think we dont have the issues here like they have up north.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

As Houstons mayor and as a Black man, George Floyds senseless and horrific death reminded me that the fight against racism and our struggle for civil rights and justice is far from over in this country. People worldwide will always connect Houston to the name of its native son, George Floyd. Thousands of Houstonians sent a clear message when people of all cultures, faiths, and backgrounds came together to march peacefully in George Floyds memory.

Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

Shirley Ledee, 54, waiting for her son outside Harris County probation office

I wouldnt say just George Floyd. Its all the deaths that shouldnt have taken place. I have three sonswhen they would go somewhere I would pray from the time they left until the time they got back: God, get my babies back home safely. I dont have faith in the system because the system is so messed up.

Daniel Reyes, 44, civil servant for federal government, Air Force Veteran

Just when I thought my opinion of people couldn't get any lower, the people who are opposed to the BLM movement lowered it even more.

It wasn't just the hate, but also the indifference to their fellow man....most of it coming from the "All Lives Matter," pro-life, Christian values folks.

Pastor Henry Price II, First Missionary Baptist Church of Houston

We all grew up together in the Cuney Homesand to be just decimated on national TV like that, thats what changed Houston as far as the Blacks, not only the Blacks, we have a lot of whites also that it shook their world.

Justin Gibbons, 39, uniformed worker collecting litter downtown, new to Houston

Im going to be honest with you, it didnt affect me at all because Im not into the Black Lives movement. I try not to follow everybody elses trend. The way I look at it, the police killing thing has been happening so long in the world, honestly theyre the biggest gang in the world. Because they all stick together, police officers.

Miah Mary Arnold, 48, author and founder of Grackle & Grackle writing workshops in the Heights

His death helped change the idea that protesting police violence against Black people is a radical act; more white people I know, throughout the country, notice the deaths more, and see how it is a terrible given that Black people are attacked with more violence and force... Our 10-year-old learned to speak up about it when he was disturbed it wasn't being discussed in his school.

Alex Donkeeboy Roman Jr., artist behind Floyd mural outside Scott Food Mart near Yates High School

It will forever be a moment that changed American history, in my mind. I think it brought an already amazingly diverse but close community together even more, showing our resiliency and our love for all fellow Houstonians.

Vaughn Dickerson, Floyds high school friend and teammate who runs 88 CHUMP, a nonprofit with three other of Floyds childhood friends

"It changed me by inspiring me to get more involved, more active in my community because I understood my voice can and needs to be heard and its respected in our communityRight after his death, we all came together and agreed were werent doing anything Ive been mentoring troubled teens and youth in our Third Ward community."

Cindi Walker, 64, retired therapist, via Facebook

His death moved me to actively stand vigil and to make the effort to read & understand institution racism, which I had not previously actively studied. Basically get off my white ass & do more.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis was a brutal, senseless and avoidable tragedy, and one our country has witnessed countless times before. In many ways, his death was the match that ignited nationwide conversations about the racial injustices that have existed in our country for generations. These systemic problems have led to inequalities in everything from education, to health care, to housing, and while each of these must be addressed, the most important place to start is with police reforms.

Jessica Hagen, 24, sitting on the sidewalk outside the inmate processing center downtown

I noticed that a lot of people are more family oriented now that that happened and they seem to look out more for other people as well. My husband hes changed a lot. He joined the Army. Hes very  patriotic. He wants to change the way people view cops and soldiers because they do a have a bad rep because of whats going on.

Derricka Sanders, 40, seated with Hagen

My opinion is more violence is happening. The police are treating us even worse because one of their kind has been penalized for it.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

People were truly hurt, they were truly brought to their knees at the death of George Floyd Its changed the nation and the world. In Houston and America, we saw people marching of all backgrounds, all racesit was a warm human experience that we dont have to travel this journey alone.

Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

C. Kim Hyatt, 63, captain of seagoing supply ships, Galveston, via Facebook

The death of George Floyd, and the subsequent rise of the BLM movement, stimulated my wife and I to come out in the streets, primarily in Galveston and Texas city, in support of the Black community and their struggles for justice. We hadnt realized how truly divided our communities were until we came face to face with the existence of such a vibrant society that had been here all along.

Judge Natalia Cornelio, Harris County District Court

His death reminded everyone why our justice system desperately needs to transform because lives are at stake.

Rabbi Dan Gordon, Temple Beth Torah, reform congregation in Humble

I was troubled that some of the demonstrations regarding George Floyds murder seemed to take on a tone of anti-police. In some ways, many Houstonians (including myself) have become more aware of how often people of color are treated unfairly.

Jie Wu, director of research management at Rice Universitys Kinder Institute, who publishes opinion research on urban inequality

George Floyds death is a wake-up call(helping immigrants learn) how to combat the racism and systematic discrimination prevalent in this country. Im glad to see more Asian Americans working together to advocate for their rights.

Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer

Rodney Ellis, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 1

I think Houston and our entire nation has changed. More people than ever are realizing that we cannot have a truly equitable society without radically changing the way we think about public safety.

Michael Fjetland, president, Armor Glass International, via Facebook

Oddly, between COVID and Floyds death, my business had a record year. We provide security by armoring the glass and because people were home and feared break-ins of their businesses and because of the riots we were fully booked all year.

Alysia Gradney founder of the Gudz marketing agency

Its motivated me to be unapologetically Black and unapologetic about centering Black and Brown bodies in marketing campaigns. Before I was afraid to express myself in a corporate environment.I can center these Black, Brown, queer bodies in these marketing campaigns.

Krishnaveni Gundu, cofounder and executive director, Texas Jail Project

George Floyds murder and the subsequent uprisings - rooted in grief and rage - reminded us how unstoppably beautiful and powerful open and communal mourning is It contributed to the cycle of trauma exploitation, and reinforced the idea that public outcry only comes when a murder is caught on video.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Reginald C. Adams, public artist who created a Floyd mural outside the Breakfast Klub in Midtown

George Floyds death helped me realize how fortunate I am to have a voice and platform, through public art, to express the hurt, frustration, anger, determination and resilience of a community thats tired of being sick and tired of watching their people being brutalized and killed at the hands of law enforcement.

Cindy Wiederhold Fluitt, 67, retired U.S. postal worker in Katy via Facebook

It changed America. All bad in my humble opinion. Reverse racism is more rampant. Old white hated ladies have zero chance!!"

U.S. Rep. Al Green

I am changed only in the sense that I am invigorated and have additional reasons to believe that  in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  we shall overcome. Something Black people have been calling to the attention of the public longer than Ive been alive had finally been realized by people who questioned the possibility that police violence of this magnitude actually happened.

Jerald Moore, former St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints running back, played football with Floyd at Jack Yates and 88 Chump organizer

It puts a lot of things in perspective for me. It made me think your life can change in the blink of an instant. It made me think about my own mortality. I never thought anything involving the police would hit this close to home or could happen to me. It really made me realize when Im driving my car that that could be me at any time.

Amber Elliott, Rebecca Schuetz, Lisa Gray, Olivia Tallet and Jasper Scherer contributed.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com
Julio Cortez, STF / Associated Press

A Katy man was arrested Tuesday for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol riot, according to the FBI.

Adam Weibling was taken into custody by FBI Bryan agents. He was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds as well as knowingly entering or remaining in restricted grounds without lawful authority. He is the seventh Houston-area resident to be arrested in connection to the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6.




A consortium led by the South Korean conglomerate LG will build a battery factory in Indonesia to supply parts for Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co.'s electric vehicles, according to industry sources Tuesday.







The LG consortium consists of three LG subsidiaries, including LG Chem Ltd., battery arm LG Energy Solution Ltd. and trading unit LG International Corp., as well as Korean steelmaker POSCO and Chinese cobalt company Huayou Holdings, sources familiar with the matter said.







The consortium is expected to announce more details as early as next week, the sources said. LG Energy didn't comment on the project.







Indonesia's Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has said in a statement that the state-run Indonesia Battery Corp. will cooperate with the consortium to build a $1.2 billion EV battery factory with an annual capacity of 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) in the eastern border of Jakarta.







Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, has set a goal of becoming a major player in the global EV supply chain, ranging from raw material mining to manufacturing batteries and EVs. (Yonhap)


NASA is designing satellite-based missions that will help monitor and combat climate change.

The announcement came Monday as part of a broader White House push to enhance climate change resilience. In addition to "next generation climate data systems at NASA," President Joe Biden's administration said it's directing $1 billion in pre-disaster mitigation resources to help communities prepare for extreme weather and other disasters.

The coming hurricane season: NOAA predicts another 'above-normal' Atlantic hurricane season

"The Biden-Harris Administrations response to climate change matches the magnitude of the threat: a whole of government, all hands-on-deck approach to meet this moment, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a news release. Over the past three decades, much of what weve learned about the Earths changing climate is built on NASA satellite observations and research."

NASA's new missions, part of the Earth System Observatory, will follow recommendations from the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. NASA said areas of focus for the observatory include:

Aerosols: Answering how aerosols affect the global energy balance.

Cloud, Convection, and Precipitation: Tackling uncertainty in future projections of climate change, air quality forecasting and prediction of severe weather.

Mass Change: Providing drought assessment and forecasting; associated planning for water use for agriculture.

Surface Biology and Geology: Understanding climate changes that affect food and agriculture, habitation and natural resources by answering questions about the fluxes of carbon, water, nutrients, and energy within and between ecosystems and the atmosphere, the ocean, and the Earth.

Surface Deformation and Change: Quantifying models of sea-level and landscape change driven by climate change, hazard forecasts and disaster impact assessments, including dynamics of earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, glaciers, groundwater and Earths interior.

NASA said the Earth System Observatory is funded for mission concept formulation, which will last roughly nine to 12 months. More information will be available when the full fiscal year 2022 president budget request is released.

Thus far in the NASA budget request, Biden is seeking $2.3 billion for Earth science programs. That's up $250 million from the current budget.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is returning to space, adding a few more days to the record 665 she already has spent in microgravity.

And this time, shell visit the International Space Station as a private citizen.

Houston-based Axiom Space announced Tuesday that Whitson will command its second commercial mission to the space station. John Shoffner, a champion racer who formed a GT3 motorsports endurance racing team with his wife, Janine, will take his first trip to space.

The first commercial mission: Houstons Axiom Space names three who will pay $55M each to visit the International Space Station

Their mission is expected to last eight to 10 days. Thats a blip for Whitson, 61, who holds the U.S. record for most cumulative time in space. Shoffner, 65, is simply excited to have his name on the list.

Its a decimal place for Peggy, Shoffner said. It will be my complete record, though.

The fact that its here now, commercially available as a private person, is astounding and very timely, he added. Im not getting any younger, so Im going to jump on the opportunity.

Shoffner grew up watching the Gemini and Apollo missions, becoming particularly interested when Ed White became the first American to walk in space in 1965. Its a moment he recreated in an oil painting at 11 years old.

Now Axiom Space is giving him access to that childhood dream.

It costs $55 million to buy a trip to space with Axiom. The company has not announced who else will ride on this second mission, though one seat might be reserved for the winner of the eight-part Discovery series Who Wants to be an Astronaut?

Axiom expects its first commercial mission will launch in early 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft. Its second mission, Ax-2, could launch six to seven months later.

The company said it will compete to fly the Ax-2 mission when NASA announces its next private astronaut mission opportunity.

Axiom is a full-service provider for these missions. Besides training  last week, Shoffner said he was in a centrifuge experiencing the forces and pre-recorded sounds of launch  Axiom contracts with launch providers such as SpaceX to get crews into space.

The company plans astronauts missions, provides services such as medical support throughout their time in microgravity, and offers research services to help clients conduct projects while in orbit.

Crew members on the Ax-2 mission, for instance, will work with life science technology company 10x Genomics to test the companys single-cell sequencing technologies in microgravity. Whitson said single-cell sequencing allows researchers to better understand how different cell types are working together or against one another in the same tissue.

These private crew missions are just one part of Axioms plan for low-Earth orbit. The company also is building a commercial space station. It plans to develop this station and train future crew members at a new headquarters its building at the Houston Spaceport.

Humankinds expansion off the planet, and the benefits it can bring back, will only be sustained by building and serving demand for expanded life and work in low-Earth orbit, Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini said in a news release. There is no one better than Peggy  who would be historys second private mission commander to the ISS  to lead the way on a mission so central to that plan.

Whitson, an Iowa native who got a doctorate in biochemistry from Rice University, began working with Axiom as a consultant about a year ago. She has been providing advice on how to train private crews, what exercises they should conduct in space, and what they should pack.

During her career with NASA, Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station. She participated in 10 spacewalks totaling 60 hours and 21 minutes, and she flew on both NASAs space shuttle and Russias Soyuz spacecraft.

Commercial space: What happens when NASA retires the International Space Station?

Axiom Space did not say what spacecraft its second commercial mission would fly on. But if its a SpaceX Crew Dragon, like the first Axiom mission, Whitson will get to fly on a third spacecraft.

Even more exciting than a new spacecraft is helping the transition to commercial space, Whitson said. She wants to build a future where more people can visit microgravity and conduct research or in-space manufacturing.

With Axiom, we are transitioning into what space can be as a commercial industry, Whitson said. Im looking forward to being part of that change.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder
Remember Jonathan Price of Wolfe City? Unless you have connections in Collin County, just north of Dallas, you probably dont.

Price was the 31-year-old African American man who, while trying to break up an altercation between a man and woman at a Kwik Chek convenience store last October, was shot and killed by a Wolfe City police officer who arrived on the scene. The 22-year-old rookie officer, one of three officers on the small-town force, was charged with murdering the well-known, well-liked former high school football star. He awaits trial.

Prices death came six months after a former Minneapolis police officer balanced his knee on the neck of a Black man lying prone and helpless on the street, calmly bore down for 9 minutes and 29 seconds and callously deprived the man of the precious breath of life. George Floyd, who was raised in Houston, was murdered on that day in May by the former officer, Derek Chauvin.

The fact that Chauvin was convicted of murder and awaits sentencing is a mark of progress. Often, officers are not held accountable.

Otherwise, not nearly enough has changed in the year since Floyds death, despite what may have been the largest protest movement against police brutality in American history, despite calls for police reform and despite African Americans, usually African American men, still dying at the hands of police. Price, the Wolfe City man, is barely remembered less than a year after a police officer killed him, in part because his name is one among many on a list that includes Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old shot in Chicago; Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old shot in a Minneapolis suburb; Andrew Brown, killed by police in Elizabeth City, N.C.; and Ronald Greene, shot on a Louisiana highway by state police two years ago.

The worldwide protests in response to Floyds death, protests borne of anger, frustration and anguish, were supposed to trigger dramatic reassessment and reform in this country. In Washington and in state capitals, including Austin, those ambitious efforts have not measured up to expectations. Fortunately, Houston and other cities have made some progress, although still not enough.

Opponents of reform quickly pounced on a provocative and unfortunate slogan, defund the police, as a convenient excuse to do little. In Washington, lawmakers have quailed in the face of police unions fighting to preserve qualified immunity, a decades-old legal defense that shields police officers and other government employees from being sued. Too often, qualified immunity allows police officers to get away with murder, literally. (U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is reportedly working on compromise legislation.)

In the Texas Legislature, the House failed to advance the Texas George Floyd Act, sponsored by state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston. House Bill 88 would have imposed strict discipline on officers guilty of misconduct, barred officers from arresting people for fine-only traffic offenses and required corroboration of undercover officer testimony.

Instead of the sweeping reform proposed by Thompson, both houses have instead advanced smaller reforms, some of which may actually pass. For instance, House Bill 929, which would require police officers to keep their body cameras activated during investigations, has passed the House and is likely to pass the Senate, where state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, chair of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee, has appeared to resist more ambitious reforms.

The House also found time to target conservatives favorite whipping boy, the city of Austin, by passing legislation that would financially penalize the states largest cities if they cut their police budgets. Austin was the only large city that cut its funding last year, although almost all of that decrease actually involved shifting money to different departments. Traditional police duties remained fully funded.

Houston, arguably, has been the most reform-minded Texas city. Earlier this month Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a package of reforms that include officially banning no-knock warrants for cases involving nonviolent offenses, setting a 30-day deadline for releasing body-cam footage when officers injure or kill civilians and strengthening a civilian oversight board with competent leadership, broader authority and a full-time investigative staff.

It was noteworthy that Turner made his announcement with the support of newly promoted Police Chief Troy Finner, the head of the police union and dedicated reform advocates. The company Turner kept that day underscored his commitment to building consensus around recommendations of his police reform task force, appointed after Floyds murder.

On this anniversary of Floyds death, we would like to think that reform discussions prompted by his needless death will continue, not only because too many Black men are dying at the hands of police, but also because there are potentially better, safer ways for police departments to do their jobs.

In our interviews last year with Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, he said police agencies ought to be open to the kind of burden-shifting Austin imposed, even if it means less funding for the departments. Thats because he understands as do most responsible police leaders that society now asks too much of police, and that sometimes other personnel  social workers or mental health professionals, for instance  are better equipped to intervene in non-violent crises than armed police officers.

Speaking of slogans, backing the blue means seeking out those opportunities and being open to at least discussing other reforms, too. Maybe the police need to de-militarize, for example. Maybe specially trained counselors need to ride shotgun  and take the lead  on some calls. Maybe they dont need to handle routine traffic matters.

Law enforcement is an honorable calling, to be sure. But lest we forget on this dismal anniversary, police officers are called to protect and serve the people, not the other way around.
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers on Tuesday asked Land Commissioner George P. Bush to reconsider his agencys move to deny Houston and Harris County any funds out of a $1 billion federal pot of flood mitigation aid stemming from Hurricane Harvey.

In a letter to Bush, 22 state representatives  the entire Harris County delegation, aside from state Reps. Briscoe Cain and Mike Schofield  wrote that they found the decision disappointing and asked that the General Land Office work to rectify this situation.

The GLO, which Bush oversees, is responsible for disbursing more than $4 billion in federal aid to fund flood mitigation projects across southeast Texas. In the first round of aid payout last week, four smaller municipalities in east Harris County were awarded $90 million, but the city and county received nothing for the more than $1.3 billion in applications they submitted for various projects.

We recognize there have been disagreements between local and state leaders on how to allocate various sets of federal funds around mitigation and recovery since Hurricane Harvey, the lawmakers wrote. (H)owever, no reasonable person could believe that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development intended or ... envisioned a scenario where a county of 4.7 million people and the fourth largest city in the United States, after experiencing three consecutive years of flood disasters, would not receive any of this $1 billion allotment.

The letters signatories included Republican state Reps. Sam Harless, Dan Huberty, Lacey Hull, Jim Murphy, Tom Oliverson, Dennis Paul and Valoree Swanson.

Bush and the General Land Office also have received criticism from the two Republican members of Harris County Commissioners Court, with Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle calling the decision absurd and saying it mocks common sense. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said the GLOs scoring metrics used to award mitigation funds were severely flawed and conservative voters would be outraged when they learned of the situation.

I have reviewed all nine scoring criteria developed by the GLO and the fix was in from the beginning, Ramsey said. As a conservative who wants government funds to be used for their stated purpose and meet congressional intent  this process failed.

In their letter, the state lawmakers asked Bush to reevaluate the process by which these funds are allocated to ensure the Houston area receives aid as soon as possible. Cagle said Bush told him privately he would support giving Harris County aid directly when the GLO distributes the remaining portion of the mitigation funds, rather than forcing local leaders to compete for the money.

City and county officials said their project applications were doomed by two metrics that disadvantage populous areas, including one that measured the share of the city or countys total residents who could benefit from the project. The state lawmakers called those scoring criteria particularly unwise.

A spokeswoman for the General Land Office did not respond to a request for comment.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
The Texas Legislature is nearing agreement on a sweeping set of energy reforms that experts say are encouraging but wont likely fix the biggest failures from this winters deadly outages.

Senate Bill 3 passed the House on Monday and is headed for negotiations between the House and Senate later this week; lawmakers have until Monday to send it to the governor.

While a final draft is still being worked out, neither Republican-controlled chamber has shown support for forcing natural gas suppliers to prepare for extreme cold. Most of the states power grid runs on natural gas, and disruptions in the gas supply were among the earliest and most significant causes of the blackouts.

The version of the legislation passed by the House calls for some winterization but limits it to wells and processing facilities that directly supply power plants  a hard designation to apply because gas from different sources is often combined as it enters pipelines. The measure also calls for minimal daily fines and tasks the industry-friendly Texas Railroad Commission to set and enforce the rules.

Energy experts had hoped that at least new gas wells would have to be insulated because they produce more than older wells. During Winter Storm Uri, the states gas production fell more than 20 percent over five days.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found last month that safeguarding new wells would be among the cheapest preventative steps for the state, costing between $85 million and $220 million annually. The financial toll from the February outages is estimated to be at least $80 billion.

FAILURES OF POWER: Collective amnesia: Texas politicians knowingly blew 3 chances to fix the failing power grid

Republicans in the House rejected amendments from Democrats that would have increased penalties for gas suppliers that dont winterize and would have required progress on winterization within six months of the measure becoming law.

Gas producers say they recognize the need to equip their operations for the cold but contend that mandates requiring them to do so are unnecessary.

The market can provide the signals that are necessary to make sure the product flows, said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association.

Doug Lewin, a clean energy advocate who runs the consulting firm Stoic Climate and Energy, warned that this leaves the state without protections heading into at least the next winter.

Everybody better buy their generators or their storage or whatever to put in their garage, because that basically means there would be nothing done to gas supply for this winter, he said. And I guess the Legislature is OK with that. I imagine most Texans arent.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, called SB 3 one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in recent memory.

The bill would require power plants to winterize, increase communication among regulators, improve oversight and create a statewide emergency alert system for future outages. It would also require gas companies to register certain infrastructure as critical so it doesnt lose power during emergencies.

This legislation will better ensure the reliability of our electricity market and make our grid more resilient in the face of extreme weather emergencies, and I applaud the House for their vital efforts to that end, Phelan said in a statement.

The Legislature has declined to mandate weatherization after past grid failures, arguing that suppliers would find it in their own best interest to do so without regulation. The practice is common in the North, where it freezes more often. It can cost between $20,000 and $50,000 to weatherize a well, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

This time, gas suppliers have been at the center of political debate over the winter outages, which killed more than 200 Texans. As drilling rigs froze and gas processing plants shut down, the price of gas exploded, leading to record profits for some suppliers as power plants struggled to secure fuel.

Michael Webber, an energy resources professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said the bill is a step in the right direction but mostly ignores the scarcity incentives at play.

Various gas companies have made a killing and a windfall, so why would they winterize now if its not required and its profitable not to do so? he said.

Webber said the bill also fails to increase energy efficiency and otherwise reduce consumption during peak periods or to incorporate climate change science to more accurately predict weather patterns.

Daniel Cohan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, described the gas reforms last week as a half step.

If you just winterize those lines that are directly carrying the gas to power plants, youre not going to address the other systemic problems of the system, he said. Its hard to see how this provides full coverage of the winterization that we need.

jeremy.blackman@chron.com
The news landed at the Texas Capitol last month like a bombshell: State police were investigating claims that a male lobbyist from one of the most influential firms in Austin had used a date rape drug on two female legislative staffers.

The Capitol quickly swung into outrage mode. Female legislators wore pink in solidarity with the victims. The House speaker condemned the disgusting, detestable allegations. After the alleged culprit was identified, some legislators banned his firm, HillCo Partners, from their offices. And new laws requiring that lobbyists receive harassment training were proposed.

Within a week, however, the Travis County district attorney and the Texas Department of Public Safety announced in a statement that they would not be bringing any charges. We have concluded there is not enough evidence to support these allegations.  No crime occurred in this instance, DPS and DA Jose Garza said.

Now, a DPS investigation has concluded that a legislative staffer fabricated the story of the date rape drug to cover up embarrassing personal behavior. No evidence or facts obtained during the investigation support the allegation, the 50-page report said.

In a separate audio recording obtained by Hearst Newspapers, the investigator went even further, describing the accused lobbyist, Richard Dennis  not the female staffer  as the victim in this case. She lied to me, the investigator, Special Agent Patrick Alonzo, can be heard saying. She orchestrated all this.

NO CHARGES: Authorities wont bring charges against lobbyist accused of drugging Capitol staffer

DPS turned over the results of its investigation to the district attorneys office indicating that the woman was deceitful in her dealings with the police, but prosecutors declined to charge her. Garza, a Democrat elected in 2020, did not respond to questions from Hearst Newspapers.

In a lengthy interview in the office of his attorneys, David and Perry Minton, Dennis said that when he learned he was the suspect in the drugging case, he felt like his career was over. At one point, he said, he thought about killing himself.

I contemplated, with my life insurance, maybe I am at this point better off not walking this earth, to my family, than I am walking in it, said Dennis, 42. She needed an alibi. For some reason, this is the story that she settled on.

A festering Capitol culture

The speed with which the story about Dennis was accepted as true and the difficulty his legal team has had in conclusively dispelling it illustrates the hyper-charged environment surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct in an era of well-earned suspicion.

Ignited by revelations that movie producer Harvey Weinstein sexually preyed on female employees and actresses for years, the #MeToo movement demonstrated that many women had similar stories that too often had been ignored, disbelieved or covered up.

Even that number is almost certainly low. Many women are reluctant to cooperate with police out of distrust, experts say. Studies have shown that other cases can be difficult to prosecute because trauma can cloud victims memories. Reported assaults that law enforcement initially dismissed as false have later been proved true.

Texas politics has not been immune. In 2017, a former Texas Observer reporter revealed the existence of The Burn Book of Bad Men, a log of male state politicians and support staff whose behavior toward their female colleagues ranged from uncomfortable to criminal, in a story in the Daily Beast. Yet few cases have been reported because of weak policies and distrust.

In response, lawmakers passed new, tougher sexual harassment rules. Yet a steady stream of stories and rumors continues to trickle out of the Capitol.

Gossip gets especially thick in the hothouse environment of the biennial legislative session, when lawmakers, staffers and paid special interest representatives are thrown together for long, intense hours in the rush to cram two years of work into five months. Boozy after-work sessions with eye-popping drink tabs, typically covered by lobbyists, are common pressure releases at the bars and restaurants surrounding the Capitol.

So when news broke that a lobbyist had slipped a date rape drug into a legislative staffers drink at an after-hours gathering, few seemed inclined to doubt it. House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, quickly condemned the allegations as a symptom of a culture that has been festering in this building for far too long.

Early on, during his years of working as a high-level legislative staffer inside the Capitol, Dennis conceded he was aware he had acquired a certain reputation among some at the Capitol. I am guilty of having an office environment that at times more resembled a locker room environment, as far as the discussions, the chitchat, the back-and-forth banter, he said. I absolutely participated in that and regret doing so. That I will own up to.

It was that reputation that would make him a target of the drugging allegations, according to the DPS report.

A grim text: Girls ODd

On the morning of April 24, Dennis received the same alarming text notification that many Capitol staffers, observers and reporters were also reading.

Two male lobbyists (unnamed so far) roofied/drugged two young Capitol staffers at the Austin Club, it said. Girls ODd and were hospitalized. Leadership has been briefed. Girls pressing all charges. All levels of law enforcement involved. Lots of cameras at the Austin Club. Should be in the press soon.

Dennis said he was skeptical of the allegations despite having spent years inside the Capitol. Prior to arriving at HillCo five years ago, he had worked for almost a decade as chief of staff for Rep. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound.

Still, he recalled feeling relief he hadnt been out drinking at the Austin Club anytime recently. The last time he had participated in a late night of drinking and legislative socializing had been three weeks earlier, he said.

About 6 p.m. that evening, however, his employer informed him that he was the prime suspect in an alleged crime that had occurred three and a half weeks earlier. I dont even know how to describe it, he said. I mean, my stomach just completely dropped.

The partying had begun early April 1, the Thursday afternoon before the long Good Friday weekend, he recalled. Dennis and a couple of HillCo colleagues decided to hit the Austin Club, known for its strong drinks, politically connected clientele and proximity to the Capitol. They were later joined at a part of the bar known as the HillCo Table by legislative staffers.

At this point, youre two-thirds of the way through the session, you can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel, Dennis said. Everyone was in a great mood, and everyone was enjoying each others company. The rounds were being refreshed frequently at the table. The lobbyists, as usual, picked up the tab.

The gathering wound down after about three hours, when Dennis, a male legislative aide and the staffer headed to the Caroline Restaurant, two blocks away, for some food. They were later joined by another male legislative staffer, he recalled.

After a few more drinks, Dennis said, he called for an Uber about 11 p.m. We said our goodbyes on the street corner, he recalled, and he went home.

The Austin American-Statesman was the first to break the story of the alleged drink drugging, confirming on April 24, a Saturday afternoon, that DPS, which oversees Capitol security, was investigating the incident. The news flew through the states political ecosystem.

Two days later, Texas Scorecard, an insider news website influential in conservative circles, named Dennis as the suspect in a drugging and an alleged sexual assault. It included his photo with the story. The photo has since been removed from the online version of the story.

I absolutely, definitively knew I did not date rape drug anyone, Dennis said. My biggest fear was that these two poor girls had been drugged, but drugged by someone else after they parted ways, he remembered thinking.

Yet its going to come down on me.

Story was deceitful

It was the female staffers co-worker, another female who works at the Capitol, who reported a drugging incident to DPS, the investigation shows. Over the next several days, DPS investigator Alonzo interviewed more than a dozen people who were at the April 1 gathering or who witnessed it.

The co-worker told investigators she had blacked out after only a short time at the Austin Club and woke up feeling much worse than she thought she should after only a few drinks. The next morning, she had gone to a nearby emergency room, where she was treated for dehydration and nausea, the report says.

The following account is from the DPS report:

The staffer told her friend that she, too, had blacked out later during the party. Another Capitol worker had taken the staffer to his home for the night. In texts to her boyfriend and her co-workers mother, the staffer said she had gone to a medical clinic where she tested positive for GHB, a common date rape drug.

They found GHB in my blood, she said in one of the texts.

In his visit to that clinic, however, Alonzo found that it did not test for GHB.

He encountered more inconsistencies in her story as he continued his investigation. The man who had taken the staffer home reported that she appeared inebriated but otherwise fine. The next morning, she felt poorly, he said, but the two had dismissed it as a combination of her recent COVID vaccination shot and the drinking.

The female staffer agreed to meet with Alonzo once, after which she stopped returning his calls. In her taped interview, she told the investigator that after her second drink she couldnt remember anything and had woken up the next morning at her friends East Austin apartment not knowing how she got there. Contradicting her earlier story, she said she was not tested for date rape drugs.

Yet she continued to speculate how she could have been drugged by Dennis, Alonzo reported.

Throughout the interview (she) attempted to sell SA Alonzo the reputation of Richard Dennis rather than articulate facts as to why Dennis or any other lobbyist or person at the table would have placed an adulterant into her or (her friends) drink, the investigator noted.

It was the co-workers mother who first suggested that the staffer might be trying to hide from her boyfriend a secret relationship she had been having with the man who took her home from Caroline that night.

She needed a cover story for her infidelity, the co-worker later added, according to the DPS report. She said the female staffer had been romantically involved for some time with the male staffer who took her home, unbeknownst to her live-in boyfriend.

Citing the inconsistencies, Alonzo concluded the staffer had been deceitful in her dealings with DPS. Agency medical staff said the combination of COVID vaccines the women had received that morning combined with the alcohol could explain their symptoms.

In a brief text exchange with Hearst Newspapers, the female staffer said, I didnt file a police report or accuse anyone of anything. She also said she didnt concoct any stories or orchestrate anything. She declined to answer questions.

The co-worker and the man who took the staffer home also declined to be interviewed by Hearst Newspapers. But Alonzos report said the co-worker who made the drugging complaint erupted into tears after learning of her friends deception. I dont think I wouldve filed anything if I wouldve known from the beginning it wasnt what I thought it was, she said, according to the report.

Dennis supervisor at HillCo, Bill Miller, said the story had caused lasting damage.

The alleged drugging incident at the Capitol where one of our employees was named a person of interest was quickly proven to be completely false and a total fabrication, perpetrated by unscrupulous people for nefarious reason to frame an innocent party, he said.

Alonzo presented his findings to DA Garzas office April 28. A former public defender, Garza had campaigned by criticizing what he said was then-DA Margaret Moores weak record of prosecuting sexual assault cases, which he vowed to pursue aggressively.

The next day, he released a statement that did not identify Dennis as the victim of a made-up story. Instead, Garza stressed that recent events have amplified the conversation in our community that women should have the right to feel safe at all times. This conversation is long overdue, and we are encouraged by the Texas Legislatures attention to these important issues.

Minton, Dennis attorney, said his client deserved a better response from the district attorney.

The district attorney should have immediately and definitively exonerated our client  rather than highlighting the issues that got him elected, Minton said. We hope that he will move forward investigating the person that deliberately and intentionally lied to investigators.

Cayla Harris contributed to this report.

jay.root@chron.com
Houston, MO (65483)

Today

Mostly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
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Do not interrupt a guilloche artist under any circumstances, warns the guilloche expert at the Breguet boutique. If he looks up while makes a series of lines, the regularity of the movement will be lost and he will need to start over again. Fortunately, we are here in an initiation workshop, with brass dials as our guinea pigs, instead of the usual Breguet gold, and I can question him at will before trying my luck.

The guilloche workshop at the Breguet Manufacture  Breguet

The Jedi Master of Engraving

To be introduced to guilloche at Breguet is to be in the company of THE historical reference in the field. For it was Abraham-Louis Breguet who was the first to combine guilloche and watchmaking, with the first known watch dating back to 1786. From then on, guilloche and watchmaking have been inseparable. Breguet loved this decorative technique with its classical sobriety that allowed him to deviate from enamel, a specialty of Calvinist Geneva, that was all the rage in his time. The technique also made it easier to read the information by defining different zones on the dial.



Today, the Breguet Manufacture claims to have the largest guilloche workshop in Switzerland. But it is not just a question of owning the machines, you need to be able to master them too. For my first day of apprenticeship, my master provided me with the guilloche machinein parts! By assembling them, I was able to understand its mechanics, says the shops craftsman with a smile. But what makes a guilloche artisan an expert in the field? He has to have a natural ability to concentrate and a love for precision. But, above all, he needs to understand the material in three dimensions, oh yes, and train for years.

The guilloche artisan at the Breguet boutique in Geneva working on a guilloche machine  Breguet

The patterns created by Breguet  whether traditional or more modern in the case of the Marea of the Marine Lady  are executed on the dial, case, oscillating weight, and/or bridges with great care. The Breguet craftsmen decorate gold, but also mother-of-pearl, a very fragile material. It is a question of scraping it to remove only the powder, without breaking the mother-of-pearl, he explains.

The mother-of-pearl guilloche of the Marine Ladys dial  Breguet

Becoming an Ace Guilloche Maker

After an initial demonstration, the guilloche artisan says Your turn. I am going to have to work on a straight-line guilloche machine from 1928  a model that Breguet produced until the end of the 1980s. Next to it sits a guilloche lathe from 1906 that is used to trace circular patterns. Today, my mission is to obtain a Clous de Paris decoration, with a precision of one-tenth of a millimetre, which is the minimum quality criteria at Breguet.

Guillochage  Breguet

I am secretly hoping for some beginners luck, but if I am honest, I expect things to be a disaster. However, Mr. Guilloche has seen it all before and he makes fun of me to lighten the atmosphere. He explains to me that for the guilloche students trained at Breguet, there is no school, they are also put to the test like this. The final test consists of making the dial of the Reveil du Tsar with its seven different guilloche techniques. Once the work is completed, the guilloche student will often present his work proudly to the workshop manager, who will point out the fact that the student has been carried away by the momentum of the guilloche machine on the final lines of the outer border and has crossed the space reserved for the inscription Swiss Guilloche Main  something he will remember for a long time to come.

A Multitude of Perfectly Pointed Clous

With my left hand on the crank to raise or lower the dial, and my right hand on the lever to provide the necessary pressure, I am ready. We usually make two passes: the first to remove 90% of the material and the second to refine the line. Because, if it is easy to remove material, it is obviously impossible to put it back. Under the movement of the chisel, the metal chip seems to peel away from the surface, like a shiny coil. The show is a pleasure to watch, captivating even. But the adrenalin and the pressure is there. You have to keep constant pressure before stopping sharply and precisely, then shift the chisel to the next line.

The first lines of the Clous de Paris pattern  Yannick Nardin

What if there was a small imperfection on a dial that didnt even distract from the aesthetics of the piece? For example, two guilloche patterns that had got switched on a counter? Never! declares the guilloche expert, sternly. It would give rise to speculation, which Nicolas Hayek, who bought Breguet in 1999, wanted to avoid at all costs. All that remains is to create the exception by inserting my own Clous de Paris decoration  a souvenir of this guilloche initiation  on a Breguet dial!
LS ELECTRIC Chairman Koo Ja-kyun, left, explains the technology used in its Cheongju smart factory in North Chungcheong Province to 10 ASEAN ambassadors. / Courtesy of LS ELECTRIC



By Kim Hyun-bin



LS ELECTRIC has invited ambassadors from key ASEAN nations to highlight its smart factory technologies and contemplate ways to expand its businesses and engage in technological cooperation with their respective countries.



LS ELECTRIC has invited 10 ambassadors of the ASEAN Committee in Seoul (ACS) to its factory in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday, one of the country's top tier smart factories, for discussions on technological and business cooperation in the ASEAN region, the company said.



ACS involves the 10 ASEAN member nations consisting of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The factory visit comes on the heels of a previous meeting held last month with LS Group and ASEAN ambassadors to help brainstorm ways to enhance mutual cooperation.



LS ELECTRIC Chairman Koo Ja-kyun met with the ambassadors including Thailand Ambassador Rommanee Kananurak, Singapore Ambassador Eric Teo Boon Hee and Vietnam Ambassador Vu Tung Nguyen at the Cheongju plant and introduced the G sector of the smart factory production line to the distinguished guests.



The factory's G sector consists of fully-automated production lines for tasks such as assembling electrical power equipment through to testing and packaging. The company states it is one of the top smart factories in the country.



The company has injected over 20 billion won starting in 2011 to establish the smart factory which has become a key business model for the firm.



"After establishing the smart factory, the device wait time was cut in half, while production rose over 60 percent," Chairman Koo said. "Energy usage was also reduced by more than 60 percent and the defect rate came out at 7 parts per million (PPM), so the smart factory has an effect of killing three birds with one stone."



Through the integration of technology and automation, it allows mass production or multi-production but is also capable of conducting customized flexible manufacturing, the chairman said, adding that "We want the systematic revolution in smart factory technology to be expanded to ASEAN nations."



LS smart factory



LS ELECTRIC's Cheongju factory produces the company's flagship low-voltage circuit breakers and electric switches.



The first floor of G sector produces 2.6 million commercial low-voltage circuit breakers annually with all processes utilizing a programmable logic controller (PLC). The PLC is interconnected to the PC as well as the manufacturing execution system (MES). The MES acts as the hub within the factory network and serves as a communication relay for different systems throughout the factory.



Automated guided vehicles (AGV) are utilized delivering components to the production line and moving the finished goods to the packaging line.



The packaging line is also fully automated through the weight inspection sensors, which inspect if all packaging is in order, while the packaging robot places the finished products in the right size box and puts labels on the boxes.



The second floor of G sector is capable of assembling 1.2 million electric switches annually through the smart production line.



LS ELECTRIC continues to introduce other technological features to the factory including cyber physical system (CPS) and Internet of Things (loT) to enhance simulation analysis to provide an optimized production system and offer top-level smart factory capabilities, the company said.



To strengthen CPS and Internet of Service (IoS) and IoT aspects, the company continues to foster professionals and implement related solutions in the field, while providing technology education and onsite visits for subcontractors to better expand and strengthen the smart factory supply lines.



"Through the smart production line, productivity and energy efficiency have been drastically enhanced while upping customer satisfaction, work environment and convenience factors," an LS Electric official said. "Currently, we are underway upgrading our mid-level production line to provide top-level smart production and want LS ELECTRIC's example to contribute to manufacturing innovation."


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Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, center, Trade Minister Moon Sung-wook, left, and Health Minister Kwon Deok-chul appear at the Seoul Government Complex, Tuesday, to brief about President's Moon Jae-in's visit to United States last week. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy



By Baek Byung-yeul



Korea and the United States will launch a COVID-19 vaccine expert panel by early June to specifically support the vaccine partnership agreed to by President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joseph Biden at their summit in Washington, D.C., last week.



"To support the Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership, the two countries agreed to set up a vaccine expert panel consisting of government officials and private experts," Health Minister Kwon Deok-chul said during an online conference at the Seoul Government Complex, Tuesday. Along with the health minister, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Trade Minister Moon Sung-wook held a joint press conference to announce results from the summit.



To address the vaccine supply issue, the two sides agreed to forge the partnership, and by combining the development technologies of U.S. biotech firms with the manufacturing capability of Korean companies, said they will work to speed up production and distribution.









Concurrent with this, Samsung Biologics signed an agreement with Moderna to manufacture the latter's COVID-19 vaccine at its plant in Korea starting in the third quarter. As first reported by The Korea Times, May 12, a health authority official confirmed that the U.S.-based biotechnology firm plans to build its own production facility here.





Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook gives a briefing on President's Moon Jae-in's visit to the United States last week at the Seoul Government Complex, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
Alonah Montgomery sits on the floor socially distanced from other children while going over a lesson as Laiyah Singletery reads at Pippen Palace Childcare Academy on Detroits west side on Aug. 13, 2020. New York rescinded a rule late Monday that required young children ages 2-5 to wear face masks at day care and other child care facilities, including summer camp. Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press
Synchtank panel addresses too much data issue

With and increasing uptick in the consumption of digital music, DSPs and right holders are struggling to deal with the ever increasing amount of data. Here, a Synctank looks at some of the causes, and possible solutions to the issue.

Guest post by Emmanuel Legrand of the Legrand Network

With the multiplication of digital platforms and the increasing consumption of digital music, DSPs and rights holders have to deal with an increasing amount of data that they could easily drown into, according to a panel of experts during the virtual Data, Rights & Royalties Summit, put together by metadata specialist Synchtank.

For so long it was so simple and now there is so much data that you are drowning in it, noted Janet Landrum from Synchtank.

Landrum said systems were created for dealing with licensing in a physical world, which was low volume, and the switch to digital meant that the transaction model led to lines of data, forcing rights holders, societies and platforms to build systems to ingest and digest high volumes of data.

A strain on rights management systems

For Michael Lau, Chief Operating/Chief Technology Officer at Round Hill Music and President of the New York Chapter of the Association Of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP), said the volume of data puts a strain on rights management systems, dealing with hundreds of thousands of lines of data. In addition, systems have to adjust to more platforms popping up, as well as more and more aggregators and DSPs. To keep up, we have to be more agile and quick, he said.

Mick Hayes, director of product management at ICE, the digital licensing hub set up by the UKs PRS for Music, Germanys GEMA and Swedens STIM, said the work of rights management organisations was complicated by the fact that there is now an even wider range of platforms to license, with different business models, and they all require dealing with high amounts of data. As a result, gone are the days when each society thought it could set up systems and deal on its own with the volume of data.

We have to stop being competitive on some elements, where we try to share the load so we are not repeating the same thing, said Hayes. But doing that requires a new mindset as opposed to the competitive mindset of the past.

The need for a single global database

One of the key issues discussed during the panel was the absence of an authoritative database of sound recordings and compositions, constantly updated, that would help speeding up the right management process with more accuracy. Hayes stated that he did not believe that the industry will be able to set up a Global Repertoire Database, but could get close to it as more collective management organisations work together.

We will never get all [the CMOs] to join the same club but we will get more consolidation of services and more processing hubs, said Hayes, for whom these hubs will reduce the number of databases around. Hubs make it easier because you go from 40 companies doing it to five, he said, taking as an example the recent collaboration between US societies ASCAP and BMI which will allow them to be more efficient.

Matt Phipps-Taylor, chief information officer at peermusic, said the independent music company was now dealing with 60 times the volume of data from five years ago. Its a a bit scary, really, because we are talking about substantial volumes of data, he said. And it is great in a way, because there are more different ways of licensing music, and more transparency and more details on how music is used. And we can pass this transparency to our songwriters.

Minimise human intervention

One of the ways to avoid drowning in data, said Phipps-Taylor, was to constantly improve the process, minimise the need for human intervention, and re-engineer the process to minimise duplication.

For Phipps-Taylor, one of the weakest links has been the CMOs through which a lot of money flows from different places, but  to use his comparison  where the plumbing has been notoriously leaking. He added: CMOs have the opportunity to be leaders in improving plumbing.

Phipps-Taylor welcomed the recent initiative from CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, to assign faster ISWCs, the identifiers for compositions and make it possible for rights holders to enrich database and contribute to an industry process.

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College Notes: April-May 2021



EZ Stride, left, was one of three innovations that won Grinspoon Spirit Awards at the Draper Competition at Western New England. Joseph Aberdale of Housatonic was part of a team at Western New England University that was recognized for innovation achievements at the Draper Competition and Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Aberdale, attending the College of Engineering, and College of Business students Kyra Palumbo of Albany, N.Y., and Sami Dion of Wilbraham developed EZ Stride, a self-tightening sneaker that helps adults with limited mobility increase independence, confidence, and self-sufficiency when dressing. EZ Stride has earned a position in the Draper Competition semi-finals and has been awarded a Grinspoon Spirit Award. This project has continued as a College of Engineering Senior Design project.

"This year we have representation from both business and engineering students who honed their innovative skills through the university's Product Development and Innovation course, which features cross-functional teams who take an idea through to a limited functional prototype in one semester," said associate professor of marketing and entrepreneurship Mary Schoonmaker.

Anthony Arace of Pittsfield, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was a member of a student team that recently completed an intense research project titled "Locating and Valuing Available Wood Sources" in Princeton with London Project Center. At WPI, undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to addresses an important societal need or issue. Elizabeth Bona, a Lasell University student from North Adams, recently earned the designation of "Certified Hospitality Department Trainer." The professional certification recognizes hospitality professionals for their knowledge and skills in training employees within any vertical of the hospitality industry. Hannah Walton of Lenox was accepted into the spring 2021 class at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington. Maria Povtin of Stamford, Vt., and Caraline Sprague of Readsboro, Vt., were recognized at the 12th annual Vermont Technical College Honors Celebration. These students were selected for having demonstrated the hard work, commitment and dedication needed to succeed in rigorous programs, and soon will be leaders in their professions, according to the college. Potvin received the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association Student Merit Award, the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year for Women's Cross Country, and the USCAA Academic All-American and YSCC Academic All Conference, also both for women's cross country. Sprague was recognized for Alpha Delta Nu and Phi Theta Kappa. Adam Hall of Williamstown was honored at Union College's annual Prize Day celebration. Students at the Schenectady, N.Y., were honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance. Hall, a graduating senior, was honored with the Ethel Kirchenbaum Memorial Prize and the Mortimore F. Sayre Prize. A total of 116 prizes were awarded.

Madeleine Soudant of Great Barrington Nichols College in Dudley, Madeleine Soudant of Great Barrington was awarded the second-place prize. Soudant is a freshman, double majoring in psychology and English, and is an aspiring high school English teacher. At this year's 9th annual Elevator Speech Competition atin Dudley, Madeleine Soudant of Great Barrington was awarded the second-place prize. Soudant is a freshman, double majoring in psychology and English, and is an aspiring high school English teacher. Soudant framed her one-minute speech around the idea of her versatility and the top question asked during an interview, "tell me a little bit about yourself." Soudant declares, "I thought, 'What is the best thing about me,' and I realized this -- I am a Swiss Army Knife, adaptable, flexible, resilient, and I am not this way by nature but by instinct." Being part of the competition was a valuable experience, says Soudant. "Honestly, it boosted my confidence a lot. Being a freshman is hard in the first place but then COVID-19 on top of it has made it hard to meet people. Doing the competition made me feel that if I can do this in front of a crowd of people, then I can talk to someone at a lunch table." Watch Soudant's full speech here starting at the 43-minute mark Hamilton College's annual Class & Charter Day took place on May 11. The following local residents were named among the students honored in this year's outdoor, socially-distanced ceremony in Clinton, N.Y.: Samuel Dils of Williamstown was named the recipient of the Frank Humphrey Ristine Prize Scholarship. Dils, a junior majoring in literature, is a graduate of Mount Greylock Regional High School. Riley Nichols of Pittsfield was named the recipient of the Babcock Prize in Philosophy and Pedagogy. Nichols, a senior majoring in philosophy, is a graduate of Pittsfield High School. Taylor Cornell of North Adams received the Up & Comer Award from Nichols College in Dudley. This award is presented to a first or second year student who has contributed significantly to the campus and has shown academic success in the classroom and leadership in the community. Steven Crouch of Adams, a senior, was named to the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. Graduations Jessie Tobin of Pittsfield graduated from the University of Tampa in Florida on Saturday, May 8. Tobin graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in advertising and public relations. The virtual commencement ceremony included 1,781 undergraduate and graduate candidates. The ceremony included remarks by UT President Ronald Vaughn, James S. MacLeod, chair of UT's Board of Trustees, the deans of UT's four colleges and student challenge speakers. Additionally, each graduate received a personalized video commemorating their achievement. Two local students were among the more than 450 members of St. Lawrence University's Class of 2021 earned their degree following the commencement ceremonies, held Sunday, April 18, at Newell Field House in Canton, N.Y. Julia R. Bronson of Monterey graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies. Bronson attended Monument Mountain Regional High School. Katherine M. Smith of Great Barrington graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in English and business in the liberal arts. Smith attended the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn. Lydia Barnaba of Great Barrington and Samantha El Saddik and Emma Sullivan, both of Pittsfield, were among the nearly 400 graduates who received a bachelor's degree during Assumption University's 104th commencement exercises on Sunday, May 9, at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. Pulitzer Prize-winning and nationally syndicated Washington Post columnist George F. Will delivered what he called the "last Assumption lecture for which you will be a captive audience" to the class of 2021, in which he urged the graduates to live in the present while also imagining the past. Patrick Curran Conlon of Lenox received his master of science in mechanical engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., on Dec. 31, 2020. The following students graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Durham over the weekend of Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23, with bachelor of science degrees: Devon Atwell of Becket, summa cum laude, environmental conservation and sustainability; Daniel Sheehan of Dalton, business administration and accounting; Connor Mathews of Dalton, cum laude, mathematics; and Hailey Kirchner of Pittsfield, magna cum laude, neuroscience and behavior.

Academic Lists & Awards

Bard College at Simon's Rock has named Tate Coleman, Nevaeh Colon, Abdul Haseeb Hamza, Skylar Karp and Jack Massee, all of Great Barrington, and Julian Edelman of New Marlborough were named to the dean's for the fall 2020 semester.

Lily Kronick of Cheshire has been named to the Elmira (N.Y.) College dean's list for the winter 2021 term.

Senior Amaya Smith of Williamstown was named to the winter head of school scholar honors list at Pomfret (Conn.) School.

The following local students recently were initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. They are Alexis Kays of Dalton and Shelby Davis of Dalton, attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Chelsea Moser and Abigail Sondrini, both of Pittsfield, and Elizabeth Hunt of Williamstown, all attending the University of Massachusetts.
Adams Planners Amend Pot Bylaws to Allow Industrial Park Cultivation

ADAMS, Mass.  The Planning Board approved an amendment last week to the town's marijuana zoning bylaws that would allow cultivation and manufacturing in the Adams Industrial Park.

Although there was some hesitancy among board members last Monday, the board ultimately made way for the new use in areas zoned IP with a special permit.

"This is a brave new world that we are in, and we have come a long way from the days of Arnold Print Work on that site," Town Administrator Jay Green said.

With increased interest from businesses wanting to cultivate marijuana or manufacture marijuana products in the industrial park, the Selectmen had asked the Planning Board to revisit the 2018 bylaws that did not allow this use in the park.

"We have had over two years' experience with the current bylaw and at the time it was created it was a good first effort, but the town wanted to monitor the bylaw over time," Special Projects Coordinator Donna Cesan said. "Over time, we wanted to keep an eye on the bylaw to make sure it really addressed the town's needs."

Most recently, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance to allow a cultivator to move into the former Burke's Construction property located at the park's entrance.

Cesan proposed a single amendment, that would allow the use in the park with a special permit. She promised this would still give the board plenty of power over what goes into the park and how it can operate within the park.

"The applicant would come to you, and you can impose conditions," she said. "It is an added level of review."

She said if an applicant cannot mitigate impacts, the board can outright deny a permit.

Attorney Dennis Eagan, representing Conserve Thru Control, a business that neighbors Burke's Construction, spoke in opposition of the amendment as he did at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting earlier this year.

"Simply put the town of Adams got it right the first time around when they excluded this use," he said.

Eagan first said his client is not opposed to marijuana cultivation but felt the use was not in line with uses within the industrial park and would be a better fit for industrial-zoned areas.

He cited potential odor, increased traffic, and the business's proximity to parks as a concern. He added that the town still does not have any experience with marijuana cultivation.

Attorney Joseph Colonna, representing Ian Purkayastha, the cultivator slated to open at Burke's, was also on the call, and said the very concerns Eagan had could be addressed in a special permit.

He also looked at current and prior uses in the park, including a pellet plant, and added as well that Specialty Minerals is not far from the park. He said the town allows and has control over these operations that he argued were more impactful.

Colonna reiterated that the proposed cultivator in Burke's has proposed a closed system with advanced filtration controls. He said the facility should produce next to no smells and that a condition demanding such sophisticated filtration could be placed on any incoming business through the special permit process.

Board members David Krzeminski and Sandra Moderski aired on the side of caution and were hesitant to open the door for a new use in the park that they were not convinced would fit.

Krzeminski felt he needed more proof that odor could be controlled and thought increased traffic would be problematic.

He pointed to his own research on possible odor and asked that the town reach out to other communities who have cultivation.

Building Inspector Gerry Garner first addressed traffic and considered it an ineffective argument. He said there are vacant buildings and lots in the park and that any new industrial use would create more traffic.

"It is an industrial park, you will have truck traffic, you will have car traffic, anything," he said. "You put anything down there and there will be an increase in traffic flow ... that is kind of a foolish thing."

Town officials did not want to allow retail in the park because it was felt this would create more through traffic but were confident that the impacts of cultivation traffic would be minimal.

As for odor, Garner warned against running a simple internet search and noted much of what can be found on the internet is negative. He suggested talking to actual communities that have cultivation in their communities. He said he was aware of no issues related to indoor cultivation in Berkshire County.

Cesan chimed in and said the town has to be open to different kinds of businesses if they want to grow the tax base.

"I hear all the time from people about how high their taxes are and we aren't going to solve that until we start growing the town," she said.

Moderski made a motion to table the item so the board could gather more information. Although seconded, the motion failed.

A second motion was made to approve the amendment. This motion received a majority vote from the board.

The amendment must clear one more hurdle and must be accepted by town meeting to become law.
Flames and smoke can be seen coming from Apkin's scrapyard on Tuesday morning. This image was taken from the other side of the Hoosic River.

Junked Car Pile on Fire at North Adams Scrapyard

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Firefighters from around North County are battling a massive fire at a scrapyard off State Street.

The blaze at George Apkin & Sons was started by a battery sparking during the scrapping of a junk car into baling unit. It spread to a pile of cars and car parts 100 feet long and two stories tall.

"Right now, it is considered a large-scale operation," said Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre during an update at 2 p.m. "We have multiple firefighters from all the surrounding areas."

The fire was called in at 10:10 a.m. as a motor vehicle fire with both North Adams and Clarksburg fire departments responding to the scene. Williamstown and Adams Forest Wardens were called in shortly afterward. Adams Fire was covering the North Adams station.

Billowing black smoke could be seen across the city. Witnesses reported flames and the sounds of explosions.

Apkin's is at the end of Christopher Columbus Drive and situated between the railroad tracks to the east and the Hoosic River to the west. It accepts a wide variety of scrap materials and covers about 5 acres.

Firefighters were working several sides of the blaze to bring it under control, including a tower truck with Clarksburg Fire in the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts parking lot shooting water over the railroad tracks toward the flames. Ashland Street is currently closed from Hoosac to Davenport Streets.

A smoky haze and the smell of burning materials settled over the downtown by noontime and officials have used the Code Red system several times asking residents to stay inside, keep their windows closed and not run their HVAC or air conditioning units. Mayor Thomas Bernard said this was being done out of caution and that a hazmat team was monitoring air quality at points throughout the city. Residents would be updated if there was any change.

MountainOne and Greylock Federal Credit Union closed their offices on Main Street for the day and MCLA has evacuated the campus. There are reports that the smoky haze was also affecting the town of Adams and that the smell can be discerned as far away as Readsboro, Vt. An image sent from a camera at Burlingame Hill in Adams showed the large plume of smoke.

"It is a large pile of scrap cars and parts that have been disassembled. [What is burning] is every material that is inside a vehicle  plastic, foam, oil, everything," Lefebvre said. "There is magnesium in there as well and magnesium is reactive to water so that's keeping things kind of hot."

He said an Apkin's employee was using equipment to pull the pile apart to get to the flames. There should not be any tires or fuel burning but, said the chief, it is a scrapyard and those materials may be in there.

The fire at about 2 p.m. had been contained to the pile and much of the smoke  and smell  had lessened in the area. Lefebvre said it had been "significantly watered down" and he did not believe there was a risk of it spreading. However, Bernard noted it would be a "prolonged firefighting event" that would at least go into tomorrow.



Firefighters spray a two-story pile of cars on fire at Apkin's. See more photos here.

The fire chief said a task forces from Franklin and Hampden county would be coming in Tuesday night to help spell firefighters working the scene today.

A new mutual aid tanker task force was put into operation with tankers from Adams Forest Wardens, Clarksburg, Florida, Hinsdale, Lanesborough and Peru filling up at the hydrant outside Sarah T. Haskins School and shuttling water to a pool set up at the fireground. Williamstown had been invited to bring in its new tanker christened on Saturday but the truck is not yet operational.

"We don't have an adequate supply of water in that area," said Lefebvre. "The hydrants are working at this point but because of the location, we just need more water. So they set up a portable tank for us to draft out of and we are shuttling water from tankers into that tanker."

This is the second major blaze in North County this week after the largest wildland fire in the state in 20 years burned 947 acres on East Mountain last weekend. Lefebvre said many of the same fire crews are working at this fire.

The next update is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Indonesia: Vietnam has not repatriated 500 fishermen

May 25,2021 | Source: RFA

More than 500 Vietnamese fishermen are stranded in Indonesia as Vietnam has not repatriated any since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian officials and the detained fishermen told BenarNews and sister entity Radio Free Asia.



The detainees are scattered in detention centers near ports across the country, said Pung Nugroho Saksono, an official at Indonesias Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.



The number has reached more than 500 people, because it has been almost a year since they have not been sent home, he said, adding that only ship captains are charged.



So far, our effort has been to inform the Vietnamese by sending a note complete with a list of fishermen who have not been subject to legal proceedings. However, there has been no response at all from the Vietnamese side.



Before the pandemic, Hanoi repatriated fishermen arrested for trespassing in Indonesian waters within two months, said Ahmad Nursaleh, spokesman for Indonesias Directorate General of Immigration.



The Director General of Immigration has communicated with the Vietnamese side every time there are additional Vietnamese detained, Ahmad told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Their number keeps increasing and there is no clarity about their return.



Vietnam, the flag country of the seized boats, is responsible for repatriation, he said.



We also cant enforce their countrys policies. The important thing is we make an effort to coordinate with all related parties, Ahmad said.



When asked if President Joko Jokowi Widodos and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had discussed the fishermen during their meeting last month at the Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java, Indonesian officials said they did not know.



Ahmed said that Indonesia would prefer if the Vietnamese fishermen went back.



Basically, we want them to return home immediately, but the current situation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, does not allow them to return to Vietnam because Vietnam itself is still on lockdown. There havent been any flights there yet, Ahmad said.



In mid-December 2020, Indonesian authorities said 225 fishermen had been detained that year  but 199 of them were cleared to return to Vietnam at any time.



The Vietnamese Embassy in Jakarta did not respond to at least three BenarNews requests for comment.



Meanwhile, some of the fishermen said that, because they have been housed in detention centers in Indonesia, they have not been able to support their families back home in Vietnam.



One Vietnamese fisherman who has been held at Tanjung Pinang detention center in the capital of Indonesias Riau Islands province since March 2020 told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that he had not been able to provide for his young children and his parents who are in their 70s.



His parents continue to work so they can send him about U.S. $45 a month so he can buy food, he said.



All of us at the detention center are having a hard life. Many are often hungry as we are provided with only a half bowl of rice each meal. We all want to return to Vietnam to live and earn money to support our families. Its miserable here, said the fisherman, who asked that his name not be used because of security concerns.



Nugroho Saksono, the Indonesian Fisheries and Marine Resources Ministry official, said the fishermen had enough to eat.



We feed them and there are quite a lot of them. Nobody is hungry, they can eat between three and four times a day, he told BenarNews.



In Vietnam, a woman who asked to be identified as Ms. Vy, and whose younger brother has been detained in Tanjung Pinang, said that her family had contacted her local Department of Foreign Affairs office many times.



The Department of Foreign Affairs here said that they had sent all [the related documents] to the embassy [in Jakarta], Ms. Vy told RFAs Vietnamese Service.



When I contacted the embassy, they said that we should wait. Weve been waiting for over a year but havent heard back from them.



She said many families have reached out to an unscrupulous broker to assist in efforts to free their kin.



I heard that around 100 families of the detainees had to borrow money, some even had borrowed money from evil gangs or banks to pay the broker, she said.



Many are now worried that the broker has been cheating them.



In December 2020, detainees at Tanjung Pinang sent videos of themselves to RFA to highlight their poor living conditions.



An inmate, who asked to be identified as Mr. Bien, said the Vietnamese officials had visited the detention center before the lunar New Year in early February 2021, to collect information after the videos had been published.



Before Tet, the Vietnamese Embassys staff came to interview us in person. I did ask them to help all of us to return and reunite with our families soon, he told RFA.



The Embassy staff said they would try their best to facilitate it at the earliest possible, but so far, we havent seen any progress.



In addition to Tanjung Pinang, Vietnamese fishermen were also being held at facilities in Pangkal Pinang, off the east coast of Sumatra; in Pontianak, West Kalimantan; and in the Natuna islands, according to Nugroho Aji, director of enforcement at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Genesis BBQ Chairman Yoon Hong-geun speaks during the company's 25th anniversary held at its research and development institute, Chicken University, in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in August 2020. Courtesy of Genesis BBQ



By Kim Jae-heun



The Fair Trade Commission has decided to punish BHC and BBQ for canceling their franchise contracts with restaurant owners who joined hands to deal with coercive and unfair demands made by the fried-chicken chains.



The top watchdog said it will impose a 15.3 billion won penalty on Genesis BBQ and a 500 million won penalties on BHC and ordered the companies to comply.



Fried chicken restaurant owners have established a council to negotiate with BHC and BBQ on even ground But the move irked the fried-chicken franchisers.



A BBQ restaurant owner in Saeteomaeul town in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, took the lead in forming the group together with six other restaurant franchisees in November 2018. They have been holding talks with Genesis BBQ, which was accused of forcing restaurant owners to comply with demands by headquarters.



From May 2018 until April this year, Genesis BBQ made it mandatory for its franchisees to purchase at least 16,000 advertorial leaflets to be passed out on the streets.



Those who did not follow the order from headquarters or failed to buy the exact amount of leaflets had their franchise contracts revoked instantly.





People walk by a BHC restaurant in Samseong-dong, Seoul, in September 2020. Korea Times file
Philippines and China to meet on aid for fishermen on board fishing boat Gem-Ver

by Sofia Tomacruz

May 25,2021 | Source: Rappler

After almost two years since Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver was rammed, sunk, and abandoned by a Chinese trawler in the West Philippine Sea, officials from the Philippines and China are finally scheduled to meet in June to discuss aid that's due Gem-Vers crew and owners.



Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters on Monday, May 24, that a meeting between the two countries has been scheduled for June 2 and 7, after compensation for Gem-Vers fishermen was discussed during a bilateral meeting on May 21.



As far as the Filipino fishermen are concerned, it is important that they recover fully their expenses for the boat repair and the income they lost while the boat was under repair, Guevarra said, adding that the discussions aim to "put a close to this festering issue."



Talks on compensation for the 22 fishermen of Gem-Ver and the vessel's owners, Felix and Fe dela Torre, will take place nearly two years from the day a Chinese vessel rammed and left Gem-Ver in pieces near Recto Bank (Reed Bank) on June 9, 2019.



Last year, officials from the Duterte government said they would help the owners and crew of Gem-Ver to seek compensation from the Chinese, though progress had gone only as far as estimating the cost of damages. Help for the 22 fishermen of Gem-Ver came only after they had tried every outlet they could access to request that the Philippine government help them file a case against the Chinese.



Based on an assessment done by the justice department last July to August 2020, civil damages were pegged at about P12 million. At the time, Guevarra said the amount covered expenses for the repair of the fishing vessel, loss of income, wages for 6 months, and moral damages.



Guevarra told Rappler that the P12-million amount would serve as the starting point for discussions with China in June. Diplomatic sources also told Rappler that among issues to be discussed is the necessary clarification on the differences in the legal systems of the two countries. They also said that once the remaining issues are ironed out, compensation could be completed.



The small group from the Philippines will be led by the Department of Justice and include representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.



The fishermen and owners of Gem-Ver have not received any compensation despite the governments earlier commitment to help them claim these from the Chinese. After spending about P2.1 million to repair Gem-Ver in late 2019, the Dela Torre family had hoped any damages they could claim would stop their financial bleeding.



In a public apology addressed to Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on August 28, 2019, the owner of the Chinese ship earlier offered to pay the Filipino fishermen. The apology was made on the same day President Rodrigo Duterte was set to leave for China for an official visit, where he was scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.



Since Gem-Vers sinking in 2019, the captain of the ship, Junel Insigne and other crew members had drifted apart, while other crew had been forced to find other ways to make a living since the coronavirus pandemic hit the Philippines.



The sinking of Gem-Ver had been one of the biggest crises to hit the Duterte administration and had put a spotlight on President Rodrigo Dutertes policy on the West Philippine Sea.



Testing Dutertes strong ties with Beijing, the sinking of Gem-Ver was also one of the most heated issues in the West Philippine Sea ever since the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff prompted the Philippines to file  and win  its historic case against China.



On the night of the sinking, a Chinese ship rammed Gem-Ver while it was anchored near Recto Bank in the middle of the night. The impact left a gaping hole at Gem-Vers tip, while the Chinese abandoned the Filipino fishermen.



The Filipino fishermen were later saved by a Vietnamese fishing boat after two of the Gem-Ver crewmen rowed for hours in the dark in search of help. The sinking prompted the Philippines to file a diplomatic protest.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
China bill amendment in US Senate targets seafood slavery

by DOUG PALMER

May 25,2021 | Source: Politico

A seafood provision is part of a larger trade package that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) plans to offer as an amendment to the proposed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260 (117), aimed at China.



It builds on a joint report from the Commerce and State departments last year that identified China as a significant offender in the use of forced labor in their fishing sector, with numerous reports known on Chinese-flagged and -owned vessels throughout the world. The same report listed 28 other countries accused of using forced labor to harvest seafood.



The seafood provision requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to issue new regulations within a year aimed at preventing forced labor seafood imports.



U.S. seafood imports from China totaled nearly $3 billion in 2018, but tumbled to just $1.6 billion last year largely because of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.



Its not clear how much of Chinas catch is obtained through forced labor. But Chinese seafood industry workers complain of excessive hours, poor living conditions, isolation at sea for months to years, verbal and physical abuse, nonpayment of wages and debt bondage, the joint report said.



The Wyden amendment also provides new criteria to help CBP prioritize all of its forced labor investigations and requires agency officials to brief the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees on their efforts every 90 days.



The amendment also requires USTR to produce a report on how China uses Hong Kongs preferential status under U.S. law to circumvent export controls, anti-dumping and countervailing duties and foreign sanctions.

 2021 POLITICO LLC

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
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Deb Roman works as an integrative family physician in Boise and is actively involved in local and national initiatives to enhance physician health and well-being, promote health equity and cultivate compassion in healthcare. She co-wrote this article with her grandpas oldest son (and her dad), Jerry Sheinbach. Deb and her dad, who turned 90 last month, have worked together on many projects to enhance community health and have written essays together since Deb was a young girl.
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A woman stands in a street booth in Shanghai, China, May 17. A growing number of China's Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010, are embracing a "laying flat" attitude about work and life as they throw in the towel in the face of tough competition. EPA-Yonhap




A child looks out at the United Airlines plane that had its inaugural landing on May 12 at the Joslin Field, Magic Valley Regional Airport, south of Twin Falls.
This picture shows the 300-metre SEG Plaza in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province on May 19, a day after it triggered widespread panic when it began shaking and was evacuated. AFP-Yonhap




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Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, former president Win Myint and doctor Myo Aung appear at a court in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, May 24, in this still image taken from video. Reuters-Yohap



Myanmar's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, appeared in court in person on Monday for the first time since the military arrested her when it seized power on Feb. 1.



Myanmar state television MRTV broadcast on its evening news program the first photo of Suu Kyi, 75, since the coup. It showed her sitting straight-backed in a small courtroom, wearing a pink face-mask, her hands folded in her lap. Alongside her were her two co-defendants, former President Win Myint and Myo Aung, the former mayor of Naypyitaw, Myanmar's capital.



One of their lawyers, Min Min Soe, told The Associated Press by phone that the three were able to meet with their defense team for about 30 minutes before the hearing began at a special court set up inside Naypyitaw's city council building.



Suu Kyi's only previous court appearances have been by video link and she had not been allowed to meet in person with any of her lawyers.



Min Min Soe said Suu Kyi wanted to tell Myanmar's people that her National League for Democracy party will stand by them.



She said that ''since the NLD was founded for the people, the NLD will exist as long as the people exist,'' Min Min Soe said after the hearing. She appeared to be referring to the ruling junta's threat to dissolve the party.



U.N. special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, called the military's attempt to ban the NLD ''unacceptable.''



''I also hope the NLD will survive because this is the will of the people,'' she told a virtual press conference at U.N. headquarters in New York, noting that the NLD received 82 percent of the vote in November's election.



Khin Maung Zaw, head of Suu Kyi's legal team, said ''she seems fit and alert and smart, as always.''



''Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is always confident in herself, and she is confident in her cause and confident in the people,'' he said, using an honorific for a respected older woman.



Thein Hlaing Tun, a lawyer representing Myo Aung, was arrested after the hearing on a charge of spreading information that could cause unrest.



Monday's hearing was largely procedural. The defense lawyers said their discussions with Suu Kyi involved all the charges against her. State television said the hearing concerned the charge against all three defendants of spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest.



Suu Kyi also faces two counts of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly violating COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign; illegally importing walkie-talkies that were for her bodyguards' use; and unlicensed use of the radios.



The most serious charge that Suu Kyi faces is breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a penalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment, but that is being handled by a separate court.





Lawyers of Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Khine Maung Zaw, left, and Daw Min Min Soe, speak to journalists in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, May 24. EPA-Yonhap
Attorney: Suspect arrested in drive-by shooting contributed to strife between Mattawa mayor and former police chief
In another hopeful sign that the travel industry is bouncing back in Washington after pandemic-induced lows last year, Amtrak says it's restoring daily service on 12 long distance routes, including two that run through Seattle
On 23 May, the Belarusian authorities forced a civilian plane to perform an emergency landing in Minsk, Belarus' capital and arrested Belarussian blogger Raman Pratasevich. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) have condemned what they call "an act of air piracy and state terrorism". They demand his immediate release and those of 28 journalists and media actors currently detained in Belarus.

Raman Pratasevich, 26, is a blogger and former editor of the popular opposition Telegram channel NEXTA and editor-in-chief of Belarus of the Brain, another Telegram channel. Both have covered protests against Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko's disputed election in August 2020. Pratasevich had fled Belarus in 2019, fearing prosecution and currently lives in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Raman had worked as a journalist and photographer in Belarus and international media before starting his own Telegram channel.

The Ryanair plane, flying between Greece and Lithuania and carrying over 100 passengers, was forced to land by a Belarusian military aircraft. Authorities arrested Pratasevich together with his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who was traveling with him.

In a video circulated by state TV channels on 24 May, Raman Pratasevich said he was arrested by officials of the Belarus Ministry of Internal Affairs at the national airport in Minsk. He said he was in good health and that he played a role in organizing mass protests in Minsk last year.

Some dark bruises were visible on his forehead.

EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez said: We call on the European Union, the Council of Europe and the OSCE to take measures against dictator Lukashenko and those responsible for the repression of press freedom and human rights.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: " We are witnessing the unacceptable act of hijacking a plane with the sole purpose of arresting Raman. The video released yesterday is another illustration of how far President Lukanchenko is ready to go to take his revenge on those who have reported on protests and opposition against him. We call for the immediate release of Raman, whose only crime is to have exercised his freedom of expression. We urge strong action against the government. If there is impunity for this act it puts at risk the liberty of any journalist or blogger the government wants to label a terrorist".

In a joint statement co-signed by several press freedom groups, IFJ/EFJ affiliate the Belarussian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said: "Raman Pratasevich is being persecuted by the Belarusian authorities against the backdrop of a profound human rights crisis, triggered by the launch of the presidential election last May and continuing to this day. His public activity is nothing but the peaceful exercise of the freedoms guaranteed by both the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and international human rights law (). We consider the persecution of Raman Pratasevich to be politically motivated, as it is related to the peaceful exercise of his opinion, and the detainee is therefore a political prisoner, in accordance with paragraph 3.1 (a) of the Guidelines on the Definition of Political Prisoners.

We call on the Belarusian authorities to:

immediately release Raman Pratasevich and drop the criminal charges he is facing;

release arbitrarily detained Sofia Sapega;

release all political prisoners and end political repression in the country."

EU leaders were meeting on 24-25 May in Brussels, Belgium and strongly condemned the detention of Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega and called for further sanctions.

The following journalists and media actors are detained at the moment in Belarus (updated list, here):

1. Raman Pratasevich

2. Katsiaryna Andreyeva

3. Daria Chultsova

4. Yulia Slutskaya

5. Alla Sharko

6. Siarhei Alsheuski

7. Petr Slutski

8. Ksenia Lutskina

9. Andrei Aliaksandrau

10. Dzianis Ivashyn

11. Andrej Pachobut

12. Maryna Zolatava

13. Volha Loika

14. Liudmila Chekina

15. Alena Talkachova

16. Anzhela Asad

17. Iryna Rybalka

18. Ala Lapatka

19. Darya Danilava

20. Maria Novik

21. Aliaksandr Daineka

22. Andrei Audzeyau

23. Katsiaryna Tkachenka (lawyer, under home arrest)

24. Iryna Kastsiuchenka (lawyer, under home arrest)

25. Aliaksandr Burakou (administrative case)

26. Uladzimer Laptsevich (administrative case)

27. Liubou Kaspiarovich (administrative case)

28. Arciom Mayorau (administrative case)

29. Ales Silich (administrative case)
Al Amin Hossain, the Meherpur district correspondent for Daily Business Bangladesh, was arrested under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for publishing a news report about a political leader last year. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urges the authorities to drop all charges against the journalist.

Al Amin Hossain was arrested on May 22 at his residence at Banshbaria in Gangni municipality in response to a case that was filed against him on May 13, 2020 by Sabuj Hossain, the nephew of the Gangni-2 constituency MP, Maqbool Hossain. The case statement filed at Gangni Police Station in Gangni Upazila contends that the journalist published a false news report against Maqbool Hossain in the Meherpur Protidin newspaper last year.

Al Amin Hossains piece accused Maqbool Hossain of occupying someone elses house for the last 26 years. Others charged over the accusation were MAS Emon, the publisher of newspaper Meherpur Protidin and its editor, Yeadul Momin.

Meanwhile, media reports that Meherpur Senior Judicial Magistrate Rafia Sultana granted bail to Al Amin Hossain at 5:30pm, the same day he was arrested. Earlier, Meherpur Chief Judicial magistrate had issued an arrest warrant for the journalist on March 9, following submission of a formal charge sheet issued from the police.

According to Article 19, a human rights organisation, more than 457 people were prosecuted and arrested in 198 cases filed under the Digital Security. Of this figure, 75 were journalists. Charges under the DSA carry a maximum penalty of 10 million taka (USD $118,000) and up to ten years imprisonment.

The IFJ said: The IFJ has long been advocating against the draconian Digital Security Act. We continue urging the authorities to release journalist Al Amin Hossain immediately and drop all charges against him. Silencing the voices of journalists is not acceptable.
The managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, Danny Fenster, has been detained by Myanmars military at Yangon Airport on May 24. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on Myanmars military to release Danny Fenster immediately.

Fenster was arrested on May 24 while attempting to board a flight to leave Myanmar. According to his brother, Fenster was travelling in order to visit his family in the United States. Authorities have provided no justification for Fensters arrest.

Frontier Myanmar, Fensters employer, said We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs.

There have been escalating attacks on the media by Myanmars military in recent months. IFJ reporting has found that since the start of the military coup on February 1, 87 journalists have been arrested, 45 have been detained and 44 have been prosecuted.

This is the second case of Myanmars military arresting a foreign journalist, after Japanese journalist Yuki Kitazumi was arrested in April and released in May.

The IFJ said:We call upon Myanmars military to release Danny Fenster. The press must have the ability to report in Myanmar during these tumultuous times and be given freedom of movement within Myanmars borders and beyond. Extrajudicial arrests are a stain on the soul of rule of law in Myanmar.
Epson has joined forces with National Geographic to promote the protection of the worlds permafrost  the frozen ground beneath the polar regions of the earth  in its newly launched Turn Down the Heat campaign.

The campaign comes as scientists predict the worlds permafrost will thaw entirely by 2100, drastically changing ecologies, raising global sea levels, and releasing over 950 billion tonnes of methane into the atmosphere. Together, Epson and National Geographic aim to raise awareness of how people can reduce their own impact of global warming, from homes to offices and other businesses.

Turn Down the Heat is fronted by National Geographic Explorer, Dr. Katey Walter Anthony, who oversees arctic observatories in Alaska and Russia to monitor the long-lasting impact of climate change. Her pioneering research into the protection of permafrost is featured in a series of videos, infographics and online content in collaboration with Epson and National Geographic and can be found at epson.com.ph/heat-free.

Dr. Anthony commented: The Arctic is literally melting before our eyes. We estimate that up to 10% of the projected global warming this century could come from thawing permafrost, and that affects the entire Earth. What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. Our choices really do matter in work and in life. And when businesses and people make smart decisions about what technology we use, that will also make a positive difference for our environment.

Saving energy is essential in the fight against global warming, but numerous technologies in both businesses and homes consume significant volumes of it on a daily basis. Epsons pioneering range of printers with Heat-Free Technology buck this trend, reducing environmental impact by using low energy and few replacement parts.

Epson global president Yasunori Ogawa commented: Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Epson, and we are committed to not only lowering our own environmental footprint but helping customers to do so too. We hope to make a difference in overcoming global environmental issues with our customers and business partners through our technologies.

Earlier this year, Epson Southeast Asia launched its sustainability campaign, Be Cool, to remind customers that productivity and sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive. Through the campaign, Epson Southeast Asia urges businesses to Be Cool and discover how Epsons printing technologies make the sustainable choice a simple one.

To promote awareness around sustainability to consumers, businesses and partners, Epson Southeast Asia will activate its teams in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam throughout the year for strategic in-market activities that will bring Be Cool and Turn Down the Heat closer to audiences, as well as support the realisation of UN SDGs No. 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 13 (climate change), which the region has identified as priorities.

We want to create environmental value across SEA to help achieve our global vision and regionally-defined UN SDGs, says Epson SEA Regional Managing Director, Siew Jin Kiat. Guided by these parameters, we will be working more aggressively with businesses across the region for a co-created journey towards greater sustainability using Epsons technologies.




The Hong Kong government will make vaccines available for up to 40,000 mainland Chinese citizens residing in the territory, it announced on Tuesday - while refugees will have to wait.







The government plans to start vaccinating its 13,000 officially recognized refugees from July, following a survey to "assess their intention for receiving vaccination," it said in a statement, without giving details.







Vaccines for?Chinese holders of an Exit-Entry Permit (EEP), who can travel between?Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, will be rolled out?on Friday.







"These EEP holders will stay in the community for a period of time. From a public health perspective, providing vaccination to them will not only protect them from infection, but also prevent the spread of the virus in the community and thus enhance Hong Kong's overall anti-epidemic capability," a government spokesman said.







According to the government, many?EEP holders?have encountered extra difficulties owing to the pandemic, such as having to take care of children or the elderly.







"They generally live together with Hong Kong residents who are eligible for vaccination," the statement said.







Safety concerns?and loss of confidence in the government have been blamed for a slow vaccination uptake, with just over a?million recipients having had their first dose and 9 per cent of the population fully inoculated.







Experts have warned the public not to leave getting the jab too late?because of the limited shelf-life of vaccines, as well as the planned end of vaccination programs in September. (dpa)


Sometimes, all you need to come up with a brilliant business idea is a little peace of mind. In 2013, after 30 days of meditation and journaling, Nnenna Stella identified a gap in the fashion accessories market: stylish head wraps. The Brooklyn-based waitress had been scouring the internet for a fashionable wrap after a "transformative" experience wrapping up her hair, but couldn't find anything that appealed to her.

"I wanted to express something new, beyond lipstick and earrings, so I put on a head wrap, and I loved the feeling," Stella says. "I didn't know a piece of fabric had the power to do that."

In 2014, she founded the Wrap Life, a hair accessories brand that sells head wraps, bandies, and turbanettes. And now, what began as a side hustle in her spare time has grown into a business with more than $5 million in lifetime sales. After years of working mostly with independent contractors, Stella has to hire her first full-time employees, a daunting task for the founder. Though 15 years of waiting tables in New York City and Los Angeles helped her become a master multitasker, for Stella, managing a team is uncharted territory.

Lisa Price knows what it's like to start from humble beginnings. The founder of beauty empire Carol's Daughter started her company in her Brooklyn kitchen in 1993, selling her homemade hair, skin, and body products at flea markets and from her living room. For years, growing the business was a lonely enterprise.

"There weren't many of us Black women who were entrepreneurs," Price says. "We didn't have places to congregate like conferences and Curlfest, and we also didn't have social media."

Though Price sold Carol's Daughter to L'Oreal for an undisclosed amount in 2014, she remains actively involved in the company. She also makes time to mentor a group of women entrepreneurs, most of whom are Black. "I feel that it's important to help where you can," she says.

While Stella may still be learning the ropes of entrepreneurship, the Wrap Life is well positioned to capitalize on a sizable market. In 2017, Black consumers spent six times more on ethnic hair and beauty products than non-Black consumers, including $473 million just on hair care, a $4.2 billion industry, according to market research firm Nielsen. Before the Wrap Life can claim a meaningful share of the Black beauty market, Stella will need to build a team and lean into leadership.

Stella: I'm about to start hiring full-time employees, but sometimes I think, who am I to lead? These people know what they're doing. Do you have any advice for me?

Price: Sometimes we have to hype ourselves up. You have enough income to provide someone with a livelihood. That is a privilege and an honor, and being able to do that means that you've done something pretty special on your own. You grew a company during a pandemic! You can feel blessed to have people work for you, but you don't want to give them the impression that they're the reason you're standing.

Stella: How do you avoid that?

"I think there's an opportunity with investment bankers and investors to say, 'Is there anyone within your investment group that is majority minority-owned that you can bring into this conversation?' " --Lisa Price

Price: You should respect your employees, but their existence is not your sustenance. I think what happens is you can feel beholden to people. That's OK, because it shows you're empathetic and caring, but maybe save it for their birthday or employee appreciation day, when you surprise everybody with a gift and say, "Thank you so much for helping me build my dream." And you have to think of your team as being fluid. Sometimes the universe will send you someone perfect for the next 12 months and 17 days, and then they've got to go and someone else will come in. It isn't meant to be that every person will be with you on this journey for the next 15 years. Some people are coming to you to help you, and some people are coming to you because they need you to help them.

Stella: How would you advise a Black female founder to go about finding like-minded people to work with?

Price: It's not an easy thing to do, especially if you're an introvert like me. When we went to an event people said was a great place to network, I would say, "Damn it!" Then I would look out into the room and select three people and walk up to each one and start a conversation. It's like any exercise you do for the first time. It sucks. You feel awkward. But the more you do it, the more you figure it out, and you come up with the typical questions that spark conversation.

Stella: Last winter, a woman who does work for me asked for 1 percent of my sales as compensation, and I wondered, how do I understand if this is a fair ask?

Price: I would start asking for lawyer referrals. If you did agree to pay that person 1 percent of sales, there would be a contract. Who would give that contract, and is it written in a fair way? The other thing is, it could be 1 percent of sales for a certain period of time. What if something really great happened and all of a sudden you have $50 million in sales? Is she really entitled to 1 percent of $50 million? So there should be parameters on that and a plan forward.

Stella: Being a person of color and in a new situation, I sometimes wonder if my lack of experience means I could be taken advantage of, or if that makes me prey to someone who knows more than I do.

Price: When we brought equity partners into my company and I was in a position to hire a COO who could make $200,000 and might have worked at Bath & Body Works for 12 years, my thought process was, they have way more experience than I do. I need to learn from them. When we're in this corporate setting, I'm going to defer to them as the operations person because they know more about this than I do. But we also have to put more weight on what we know about the brand and our consumer and not waver in that.

Stella: When a Black-owned brand is sold to a larger entity, there can be some backlash. How can founders create a space for celebration rather than anger when they sell their company?

Price: I think there's an opportunity with investment bankers and investors to say, "Is there anyone within your investment group that is majority minority-owned that you can bring into this conversation? If you want to invest in this Black woman's company and you don't want her to lose her customer base because it looks like she's selling out, whom do you have who's a person of color and can be added to the story?" Those kinds of conversations are beginning to happen. Nobody wants to make an investment in something and then deal with two months of bad press.

Stella: How do you prepare for the sale of your company and make sure you're properly compensated?

Price: To get to the point that you're selling your company, you would have to have acquired a certain number of advisers. It's important in building your business that there are people you can confide in. You need to have that person you can go to and say, "OK, how do I do this?"
Seth Rogen has said that he doesnt understand comedians who complain about cancel culture.

The actor and filmmaker told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (25 May) that he has accepted that some jokes in his older movies have aged poorly.

Asked by presenter Susanna Reid what he thinks about jokes in his films that leave some people uncomfortable today, Rogen said: I think there are certain jokes that for sure have not aged well  But I think thats the nature of comedy. I think conceptually those movies are sound and I think theres a reason theyve lasted. Jokes are not things that necessarily are built to last.

Rogen added that he neither complains about his poorly-aged jokes, nor thinks of them as a big deal or an example of cancel culture.

To me, when I see comedians complaining about this kind of thing, I dont understand what theyre complaining about, he said. If youve made a joke thats aged terribly, accept it. And if you dont think its aged terribly, then say that.

He added: Getting criticism is one of the things that goes along with being an artist, and if you dont like that, then dont be a comedian anymore. To me, its not worth complaining about to the degree I see other comedians complaining about.

Asked by Reid whether hes ever had to scrub his Twitter account of less enlightened jokes, Rogen said he was never that kind of comedian.

I was never a comedian that made jokes that were truly designed to target groups that were subjugated in some way, he explained. Have we done that without realising it? Definitely. And those things are in our movies and theyre out there, and theyre things that I am more than happy to say that they have not aged well.

Susanna Reid speaks to Seth Rogen on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (25 May) (ITV)

But in my career Ive never made a joke thats outwardly horrific in some way, and if you have, I would question why you did that. Saying terrible things is bad, so if youve said something terrible, then its something you should confront in some way, shape or form. I dont think thats cancel culture, thats you saying something terrible, if thats what youve done.

Rogen, who shocked fans with his unrecognisable appearance in a forthcoming limited series inspired by Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, has just released his first memoir, titled Yearbook.

In it, he claims that Tom Cruise once attempted to convince him to join Scientology, and that surreal character ideas pitched by Nicolas Cage during a casting meeting set off alarms.

During the GMB interview, he expressed the worry that Cruise wont be happy with the alleged encounter.
Matthew Perry has opened up about the very seriously emotional experience of returning to the Friends set.

The actor and his co-stars spoke (in two separate groups) to Good Morning America in the lead-up to the Friends reunion, coming to HBO Max on 27 May.

I knew it was going to be a really seriously emotional experience, and it has been, Perry told the ABC programme of the reunion.

The show was filmed on the original Friends soundstage at the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank, California. This means that Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow reunited on the same set where they took their final bow 17 years ago.

I dont think of us had any idea how emotional we would be when we walked onto the set, Cox said. To see it exactly the way it was ... it was so emotional that we just started crying.

The stars declined to give away specific teasers but said fans had a lot of fun surprises to look forward to.

Several guest stars are scheduled to make an appearance during the reunion, including Lady Gaga, James Corden, and Reese Witherspoon. David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and BTS will also be featured, alongside Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, and Malala Yousafzai.

UK viewers will be able to stream the special on NOW from 8am BST on 27 May, at the same time it will be released in the US on HBO Max. Friends: The Reunion will also air on Sky One on 27 May at 8pm BST.
An elite special cell of the capitals police on Monday visited the offices of Twitter India after the platform flagged a post by a ruling party member as manipulated media, leading to a public outcry amidst deepening fears of censorship.

The visit by the special cell of Delhi Police, which is tasked to investigate cases of terrorism, organised crime and other serious offences, has been described by the political opposition and some others on social media as intimidation.

The police, however, found that both the offices were closed as employees were working from home since the pandemic struck last year. However, Delhi Polices Public Relations Officer (PRO) Chinmoy Biswal maintained that the action was necessitated as we wanted to ascertain who is the right person to serve a notice, as replies by Twitter India managing director have been very ambiguous, reported the Indian Express.

The report quoted Delhi police as saying that notice was issued to Twitter after they got complaints from opposition Congress party leaders Rohan Gupta and MV Rajeev Gowda.

The police in Indias national capital works directly under the Indian governments ministry of home affairs. On Monday, the police teams visited the offices of Twitter India in Delhi and its neighbouring city of Gurugram in the state of Haryana.

Leaders of Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had tweeted accusing Congress of being the main architect behind a toolkit they said was meant to defame India during the Covid-19 emergency. Congress filed a police complaint against a few BJP leaders for their Twitter posts.

The tweets by BJP leaders were flagged by Twitter as manipulated media, that the federal government members reportedly objected to.

Delhi Police, last week, had issued a notice to the Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari that said: During the course of investigation, it has come to our knowledge that you (Twitter India) are acquainted with the facts of the matter and are in possession of information with regard to the same. The statement referred to the toolkit issue.

You are therefore requested to be present in the office of the undersigned for the purpose of investigation with all the relevant documents on 22 May, 2021 at 1 pm, the notice said.

Leaders of Congress and other opposition parties criticised the alleged raid, as an attempt to intimidate Twitter.

Rahul Gandhi, a senior member of the Congress party and a legislator, tweeted: Truth remains unafraid. #Toolkit.

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi called raid hilarious.

[Delhi Police], in a reverse gear investigation, instead of raiding the political party office that was caught faking documents, it has chosen to raid Twitter offices seeking proof. Who should be credited for this move? Home Minister or Lt. Governor? tweeted Ms Chaturvedi.

Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and a vocal critic of Indias ruling party, tweeted: This is the theatre of the absurd! First the BJP fabricates a Toolkit in Congress name. Then when Twitter flags it as manipulated, they get the Special Police to raid Twitter. India is fast becoming Alices wonderland!

This is not the first instance of the Indian government and Twitter finding themselves pitched against each other. Earlier, they had locked horns over the issues of farmers protests.

The word toolkit gained traction among Indian social media users after 22-year-old climate campaigner Disha Ravi was arrested by the Delhi Police in February this year in a case related to a Google document shared by Greta Thunberg in support of Indian farmers.
Mark Ruffalo has issued a late-night apology for posts he made during the recent Israel-Gaza conflict that suggested Israel was committing genocide.

He wrote in a Twitter post on Monday night: I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing genocide.

Its not accurate, its inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad. Now is the time to avoid hyperbole.

Ruffalo, who has 7.5 million followers on Twitter, has posted several times in recent weeks about the conflict, and has also spoken about it in detail in the past.

In a 2020 interview with NBC, the 53-year-old actor referred to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a kind of apartheid while speaking to host Mehdi Hasan.

He said at the time: My connection to Palestine came through Palestinians and hearing their stories and then watching this asymmetrical warfare being enacted upon them. That kind of inequality, that kind of oppression, that kind of apartheid.

Theres no reason why an ally of American should not be held to same the standard as we would hold any other nation in the world, he said. I was called an antisemite about it, for doing that - which was really tough to hear, he added.

More recently, along with sharing a Bernie Sanders tweet about understanding the war, the actor wrote: Bernie points out the depth of the problem and the beginning and end of the problem here. We need full equality and human rights for the Palestinian people to stop the rise of extremism on both sides. #PalestiniansLivesMatter.

Ruffalo has also voiced his support for Arab residents who were being evicted in Sheikh Jarrah, one of the flashpoints that started the latest conflict.

But he has strongly criticised the hashtag #HitlerWasRight after it started trending on Twitter, and urged the platform to stop antisemitism and anti-Muslim propaganda on this platform today.

Ruffalos apology was quickly and widely shared on Tuesday morning, and met with a backlash both from those who accused him of watering down his criticism of Israel and those suggesting it took him too long to do so.

One user wrote: If yall dont have the guts to stand by what you say and believe in, please dont bother speaking up and then backtracking. It invalidates their struggles and does more damage to the movement than not saying anything.

Another said: So you came to the conclusion that backing Hamas harms Jews? Whyd it take so long to realise that?
Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk has once again shaken up the cryptocurrency world with a hopeful tweet about the future of bitcoin mining, addressing growing concerns about the high energy usage of the process and its cost to the environment.

Spoke with North American bitcoin miners, he wrote on Monday evening. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising.

>> Follow all the latest updates with The Independents live coverage of the crypto market

Musk recently caused upheaval in the volatile digital currency markets by joking during a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live that dogecoin was a hustle and declaring on 12 May that Tesla had suspended vehicle purchases using bitcoin.

We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for bitcoin mining and transactions, which has the worst emissions of any fuel, he explained in a tweeted statement.

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.

Tesla will not be selling any bitcoin and we intend to use it for transactions as soon as mining transitions to more sustainable energy. We are also looking at other cryptocurrencies that use <1% of bitcoins energy/transaction.

His latest pronouncement has been met with an exasperated response from cryptocurrency investors like Magnetic managing director William Quigley, who implored people to ignore Musks contradictory pronouncements on the subject, which have veered far from his previously wild enthusiasm for the likes of dogecoin.

But there is no question that the Tesla boss is right to voice his concern about the unsustainable environmental impact of bitcoin mining, which climate scientists have warned could push global warming above 2C in just two decades.

The business of verifying crypto transactions is taken on by miners, who effectively act as auditors updating a ledger (known as adding a block to the blockchain).

To do this, miners race to guess a random number, one of which is released approximately every 10 minutes, a chase that involves huge quantities of computer processing power as their machines strive to solve complex but arbitrary mathematical equations in the hope of getting there first and being rewarded with a highly lucrative coin.

As the blockchain becomes ever longer, these proof-of-work calculations become ever more complicated, requiring the use of supercomputers to carry out the trial-and-error hunt for the solution.

More than 150 quintillion attempts at guessing the number are now carried out every second of the day all around the world, with sprawling aircraft hangars filled with computers working 24-hours a day far from uncommon.

These cryptocurrency farms require vast amounts of electricity to operate, given that a single bitcoin transaction leaves a carbon footprint of 360kg, compared to 500mg from an average Visa transaction, according to Digiconomist founder Alex de Vries.

Bitcoin is essentially the monetisation of energy, researcher Hass McCook told The Independent. It turns energy into hard money, meaning bitcoin miners are chasing the cheapest power in the world, not the cleanest. Unfortunately for the environment, that means most mining machines are in China, where the coal-generated electricity is cheap.

China accounts for 65 per cent of the told global electricity use from cryptomining, with the northwestern Xinjiang Province where coal is abundant serving as its heartland.

Chinese bitcoin mines are not only reliant on such finite resources but their huge electricity usage results in carbon emissions that are said to be accelerating so rapidly, according to one new study, that they will soon exceed the energy consumption of Italy and Saudi Arabia if urgent action is not taken to rein them in.

Beijing has recently made moves towards cracking down on the practice but, unchecked, the annual power consumption of the countrys bitcoin industry is forecast to peak at 297 terawatt-hours (Twh) by 2024, surpassing the carbon emissions output of the Czech Republic and Qatar.

For the planet as a whole, the computing power required to support bitcoins underlying network now requires nearly as much energy as the whole of Argentina.

Bitcoin mining computers at the Bitmain crypto farm near Keflavik, Iceland (Jemima Kelly/Reuters)

Analysis by the University of Cambridges Centre for Alternative Finance goes even further to suggest that bitcoin mining uses more than 121 Twh annually, which would place it in the top 30 electricity consumers worldwide if it were a country.

Another knock-on environmental impact from bitcoin mining stems from the fact that the technology is still dependent on short-lived hardware to process its calculations, which inevitably burns out and needs to be replaced, prompting a spike in demand for microprocessing chips and further emissions from their mass production.

But the potentially promising green solutions alluded to by Elon Musk to address the problem of bitcoins impact may already be out there.

The establishment of crypto farms in cooler countries like Iceland and Norway whose power supplies largely come from renewable energy sources, such as the hydropowered subterranean Lefdal Mine Datacenter on the Norwegian fjords, is a positive step, as is the example set by Inner Mongolia, which has moved to ban bitcoin mining outright for the sake of the natural world.

The Lefdal Mine in Norway was once used for a much more traditional type of mining operation (The Independent)

More eco-friendly altcoins like Cardano (ada) are also springing up, the latter claiming to be 4m times more energy efficient than bitcoin thanks to its proof-of-stake blockchain, which validates transactions based on how many coins are held by a network participant, not the amount of computational processing power they possess.

Cardano enjoyed a bounce in the aftermath of Musks tweet announcing Telsas revised stance on bitcoin and the Cardano Foundation even posted a tweet suggesting it was an obvious match with his company in light of its climate concerns.

But Cardano has a number of competitors like Litecoin making similar moves and others that have gone even further by not only minimising their energy usage but actively promoting cleaner ways of generating it.

SolarCoin, for instance, is intended to reward solar power installations and works by passing out new coins as a reward for producing energy, with every MWh of solar production rewarded with one SolarCoin.

Electric gluttony matters because the majority of the worlds power is generated using fossil fuels, and doing so creates humanity-wrecking greenhouse gas emissions, science writer Ketan Joshi wrote in his recent blog essay Bitcoin is a Mouth Hungry for Fossil Fuels.

Describing cryptomining as the computery equivalent of burning single-use plastic in incinerators to generate electricity, Joshi says there is no worse time in history for an energy-hungry, low-benefit industry that has a specific thirst for fossil fuels, underneath layers of greenwashing. Tomorrow will be an even worse time, as will the day after.

He argues that instead of constantly travelling the world hunting for and monetising bad grid design and fossil fuel waste, bitcoin miners must behave like every other energy intensive industry and participate in the complicated social, political and economic process of finding a place in a zero carbon, energy constrained world.

However, Joshi says this would require a significant cultural shift in a community currently dominated by a bunch of bros with laser-eye profile pictures among whom the climate debate frequently becomes poisonous and overrun with disingenuous arguments.

The libertarian-leaning bitcoin community is not equipped to deal with a threat that requires global government intervention, collective action and a calm, level-headed engagement with experts, science and complexity.

They react either with confused pleas (Bitcoin will incentivise renewable energy!), outright antagonism towards wind and solar, or just old school denialism. They close ranks and simmer in a puddle of outgroup hostility. They search for keywords on Twitter and dogpile doubters.

While Elon Musks flipflopping on cryptocurrencies might have alienated some of his most devout supporters, his influence will surely be crucial if bitcoin is to adapt to survive.
On 11 September 2013, two policemen showed up at Louise Grahams front door. Her mother, last seen in Spain, had been missing for several days. I was expecting Interpol to interview me for a missing persons report, she recalls. Graham had a complicated relationship with her mother and, three months previously, made the decision to temporarily cut her out of her life. She had been due to fly home that week; Graham was planning to attempt a reconciliation.

I saw [their] faces and immediately knew what they were there to tell me, Graham says. I shut the door on them and ran to the other side of my house. I didnt want to hear the news. After breaking into her home, the police informed Graham that her mother had died of a heart attack three days earlier. It was my biggest fear realised, she says.

It wasnt until four years later that Graham, now 36, would discover Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a form of therapy that would be the key to her recovery from the trauma of that day. EMDR has been in the news a lot recently. Last week, Prince Harry revealed he had been undergoing the relatively new therapy in his new series The Me You Cant See, as a way of helping him come to terms with the sudden death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car accident in August 1997.

Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in the third episode of the series, Prince Harry explains how EMDR was always something he had wanted to try. He reveals how being urged to walk behind his mothers coffin as part of her funeral procession to Westminster Abbey at the age of 12 turned London into a traumatising place. London is a trigger, unfortunately. Because of what happened to my mum, and because of what I experienced and what I saw, he tells EMDR therapist Sonja Oakley.

EMDR is a form of psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed by Francine Shapiro in 1989 as a way of alleviating the distress clients associate with traumatic memories. It differs from traditional talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT), because in addition to answering specific questions, it requires the client to recall their full sensory experience, from the emotions they felt to any smells they mightve noticed.

Its about revisiting what comes up in the body when the client is recalling a particular moment and once that has been activated, were kicking the brains digestive process into action to enable the client to re-process their trauma so that it is not as emotionally vivid. We are essentially rewiring the neural network, explains psychotherapist and EMDR specialist Claire van den Bosch, who runs the A Time To Hea l clinic.

Prince Harry undergoing an EMDR session on The Me You Cant See (Apple TV)

EMDR is often recommended to people who have experienced a singular incident of trauma. This can trigger something known as single onset PTSD, van den Bosch says. In these cases, it can take eight to 12 sessions in order to see an impact. Though, as was the case for Graham, many clients who seek EMDR with single-onset PTSD often end up also uncovering earlier traumas, thus resulting in them undergoing treatment for much longer periods of time.

After my mother died, I fell into clinical depression and experienced a complete loss of identity, says Graham. Soon, other issues began to come out of the woodwork. I had suicidal thoughts and completely disconnected from myself. The memory of seeing the police officers became attached to all sorts of other issues Id experienced in my childhood, from anxiety to abandonment. I was carrying around a lot of shame in my body, too.

The memory of seeing the police officers became attached to all sorts of other issues Id experienced in my childhood, from anxiety to abandonment Louise Graham

Graham initially sought out talking therapy alongside more alternative treatments, like the seven-day Hoffman Method founded by American entrepreneur Bob Hoffman. It worked, but after a severe panic attack on day three of the retreat, Graham realised she needed to dive deeper into her past. Thats when my therapist suggested I try EMDR, she says.

EMDR works thanks to a process known as bilateral stimulation, which generates the left and right stimulus in the brain to move back and forth. It can be conducted in several ways. The most popular is via the eyes, with the therapist asking the client to track their hand as they move it back and forth across their field of vision. It can, however, also be carried out using handheld buzzers, by tapping the knees, or through the butterfly tap method, which is what both Prince Harry and Graham have done. What Prince Harry does is exactly how my treatment works, she says.

While it remains unclear exactly how EMDR works on a clinical level there is plenty of evidence to support its efficacy - the NHS says its not clear exactly how EMDR works, but it may help you change the negative way you think about a traumatic experience. There are two primary explanations used by psychotherapists. The first is that, by thinking about your trauma while doing something else (such as moving your eyes from one side to the other) youre taxing your working memory in a way that forces the memory to dissolve, says van den Bosch. The idea is that you cant hold it in the mind in the same way while doing something else, so the memory starts to disintegrate, she adds.

The second explanation (and the one van den Bosch shares) is connected to sleep, specifically REM sleep, a type of deep sleep during which your eyes move rapidly in a range of directions. When we dream, were processing information from the day and filling it away in our mind, says van den Bosch. But when something traumatic happens to us, the brains normal filling process becomes overwhelmed, so it doesnt work as well. EMDR triggers it to work again. The thinking is that if digesting information  like we do in REM sleep  causes the eyes to move back and forth, then by moving the eyes back and forth, we prompt the brain to digest information.

When something traumatic happens to us, the brains normal filling process becomes overwhelmed, so it doesnt work as well. Hence why the trauma can have a lasting psychological impact Claire van den Bosch

After four years of EMDR, Graham reflects on that day in September 2013 very differently. When I talk about it now, it sort of feels like Im watching an episode of This Is Us, she says. Like, its a sad event, but it doesnt have any personal meaning anymore. It doesnt have any charge or narrative around it that impacts my mental health or how I think about my self-worth. Its just there.

But just because a clients most traumatic memories have been processed, that does not mean their experience with EMDR has come to an end. Graham is still doing it on a regular basis; though the way she uses it now is very different. We use it to tap into the positive experiences in my life, which I really love, she says. So if I come to a session and I share something Im excited about, we will use EMDR to tap into that as a way of reinforcing it and making it stronger. This way of using EMDR is important when it comes to boosting a clients overall psychological wellbeing in the long-run, says van den Bosch. Its not enough to just talk about whats negative, we also have to balance clients with positivity.

The transformative effects of EMDR are such that van den Bosch believes everyone could benefit from it. Whether weve been through a specific trauma or not, we all have some kind of overwhelming experience we havent processed properly. Van den Bosch believes that failing to deal with these experiences can chip away at you and inform many aspects of your life without you even realising.

For Graham, who has launched her own business in social entrepreneurship since starting EMDR, the treatment has been life-changing. I feel as if Ive just been born again, she says. I am so much more psychologically robust than I was before and really understand how to look after myself and set boundaries. The shame she was carrying around in her body has faded, too. EMDR has opened up so many possibilities for me, she adds. I feel as if it has given me my life back.

You can find out more about EMDR here.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Up to 8,700 patients died after catching Covid-19 in English hospital while they were being treated for other medical issues, according to official NHS figures obtained under freedom of information laws.

The figures from NHS trusts in England, obtained by the Guardian, showed 32,307 people had probably or definitely contracted coronavirus while in hospital since March 2020.

A total of 8,747 of those who caught Covid-19 in hospital died, according to the figures - almost three in 10 of those infected.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt told the newspaper that the data on infections within hospitals showed one of the silent scandals of this pandemic.

The NHS has done us all proud over the past year, but these new figures are devastating and pose challenging questions on whether the right hospital infection controls were in place, said Mr Hunt, who is also the chair of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee.

The figures were obtained from 81 of Englands 126 acute hospital trusts under freedom of information laws.

However, the data does not distinguish between those who died of Covid-19, with Covid-19, or from a different condition that may have been exacerbated by the infection.

An NHS spokesperson told the Guardian that data from the Office for National Statistics and other sources conclusively showed that the root cause of rising infection rates in hospitals was rising rates in the community.

They added that weekly reports by Public Health England (PHE) have consistently shown that outbreaks in hospitals are less common than in other settings, as there were robust infection control measures in place.

In February, a report by PHE and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the scale of coronavirus infections spreading within hospitals was so severe last year that it may have prolonged the first wave of the pandemic.

The paper found that the R-number for Covid-19 specifically in hospitals could have been as high as 14  meaning each infected staff member or patient passed the virus on to 14 other people.

The Independent also learned in February that several NHS hospitals were defying official rules by supplying higher grade masks to staff working in general wards, despite PHE saying only surgical masks were needed for protection.
Half of Black people in Britain (49 per cent) think race relations have stayed the same since George Floyds murder last year which sparked a resurgence in Black Lives Matter protests, an exclusive YouGov poll suggests.

The survey indicated that some 42 per cent of all ethnic minority groups are of this opinion and 45 per cent of respondents to a national representative survey, of predominantly white people, held this view.

The vast majority of Black respondents (91 per cent) who believe there have been improvements in race relations in the past 12 months said it had quicker than it previously had.

One third (33 per cent) of ethnic minority groups feel that racism has worsened during that time period.

Over 1,000 Black, Asian and minority ethnic adults, aged over 18, were involved in this poll.

Last summers protests saw thousands of people in cities across the UK march for greater equality following Mr Floyds death at the hands of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the US on May 25.

Mr Chauvin was found guilty of murder on 20 April and will be sentenced on 16 June.

These polling results come as activists said that racial equality in the UK has worsened since Mr Floyds death, pointing to the controversial Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Report and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill as examples of where the Government has undermined progress over the past year.

Speaking to The Independent for a special report, Black Lives Matter UK said it had been motivated by the resistance and organising over the past year as protesters connected the killing of a black American man in broad daylight with racism that characterised institutions in the UK. But much of what came was corporate and establishment lip service to solidarity.

A spokesperson added: We do not believe that lip service, or awareness equals liberation.

Meanwhile Marsha de Cordova, the shadow minister for equalities, said: The events of 2020 including the unequal impact of Covid on Black, Asian and ethnic minority people, the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement were a significant turning point.

Across the country, individuals, businesses and civil society are taking action to address racial injustice.

Worryingly the governments response has been to sow division and publish a divisive and offensive report which downplayed the impact of institutional and structural racism.
The former prime minister Gordon Brown has called on Boris Johnson to ditch wrecking tactics that threaten to derail Joe Bidens proposals for a new tax regime to ensure multinational corporations and tech giants pay their fair share.

When Mr Johnson hosts the US president and other world leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall next month, he must decide whether he wants to align the UK with tax havens or to help usher in a global minimum corporation tax rate that could raise more than $500bn for public services worldwide, Mr Brown said.

Writing in The Independent, the former PM said that the UK had emerged as the biggest obstacle to a successful negotiation on Mr Bidens proposals, which would block multinationals from shifting profits across borders to exploit the most attractive low-tax locations.

And he said it appeared that Mr Johnsons position was driven by the desire to protect tax avoidance practices in British overseas territories, rather than to promote the interests of UK taxpayers who stand to benefit by as much as $21bn (15bn) a year in additional revenues from super-profitable digital behemoths like Amazon.

Ministers last night defeated a Labour motion backing the plans, and campaigners say Mr Johnsons government has been lukewarm and evasive over a multilateral agreement that Mr Biden hopes could be reached by the autumn.

Ahead of the Carbis Bay summit, momentum has been building behind the proposal for a minimum corporation tax rate of as much as 21 per cent, with support voiced by G7 members Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan.

With finance ministers from the group of leading economies meeting virtually on Friday and in person next week to finalise their positions for Cornwall, Mr Brown said: It is time for the UK to take on the role the chair of the G7 should play and ensure an ambitious outcome.

It must abandon its current public stance, which looks more like a wrecking tactic, designed to protect the tax avoidance practices of British overseas territories, than a genuine attempt by the G7 president to break the impasse.

UK news in pictures Show all 51 1 /51 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters UK news in pictures 18 April 2021 Stephen Maguire (right) of Scotland interacts with Jamie Jones of Wales during day 2 of the Betfred World Snooker Championships 2021 at The Crucible, Sheffield PA UK news in pictures 17 April 2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburghs coffin, covered with His Royal Highnesss Personal Standard arrives by Landrover Defender at St Georges Chapel carried by a bearer party found by the Royal Marines during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Getty Images

Mr Brown wrote: Only an ambitious minimum tax will ensure multinationals pay what they should in the countries like the UK where they actually make their money. Rooting out this corporate tax abuse is in line with the British peoples priorities as consistently identified in nationwide polling.

If the UK continues to block, countries committed to acting as corporate tax havens will simply be left behind as a grand coalition of the willing take forward the Biden proposals.

And so, Boris Johnson has a simple choice to make. Will he align the UK with the tax havens and be left behind  or will he use the G7 chair to bring home what would be an unprecedented victory against tax dodging, with all the much-needed revenues that would raise?

Mr Brown said that a 21 per cent corporation tax rate would have doubled Amazons tax payments over recent years and would raise more than $500bn a year from the worlds biggest companies, with $21bn coming to the UK.

Even a compromise rate of 15 per cent floated by Washington would raise between $11bn and $15bn for the UK, while lower-income countries could garner sums equivalent to 20 per cent of their public health budgets.

Imposing worldwide the 25 per cent rate that Rishi Sunak has pencilled in for the UK in 2023 would bring the additional revenues close to $1 trillion and would be worth as much as $30bn to Britain, Mr Brown said.

The UKs presidency of the G7 gives Mr Johnson an unprecedented opportunity to shepherd in an agreement to end corporate tax abuse, said the Labour former PM.

The arguments are strong and pressing, he added. Curbing tax abuse would isolate tax havens that have been hiding billions offshore for too long, deliver a major revenue boost to fund pandemic recovery worldwide, and establish global Britain as a positive leader in a strong alliance with the Biden administration.
"Charlie bit my finger  again!" / Screen capture from YouTube



Another classic piece of internet culture has been auctioned off for a six-figure sum, the latest viral sensation from the 2000s to be eagerly snapped up by digital collectors of "non-fungible tokens" or NFTs.



The home video "Charlie Bit My Finger" sold for almost $761,000 on Sunday, the 14th anniversary of its debut.



In the 55-second YouTube clip from 2007, a British toddler named Harry holds his baby brother Charlie. But the adorable domestic scene takes a sudden turn when Harry puts his pointer finger into his brother's mouth, and to his surprise, Charlie clamps down, spawning the much-memed lines: "ouch, Charlie" and "Charlie, that really hurt".



With more than 883 million views, it's one of YouTube's most popular videos, though it will soon be removed from the platform. The Davies-Carr family announced they would delete it following Sunday's auction, saying the highest bidder would become "the sole owner of this lovable piece of internet history", though of course it has been copied, shared and reposted numerous times across the web.



The auction drew offers from 11 accounts and sparked a bidding war between users "mememaster" and "3fmusic", the latter of which eventually won with a $760,999 offer.



NFT collectibles, essentially digital assets with a certificate of authenticity created by the blockchain, have exploded in popularity over the past year.



While the idea of buying something endlessly reproducible may bewilder some, a manic appetite for NFTs has taken hold in markets all over the world as buyers vie for bragging rights to a certified original.



Early internet memorabilia, including memes, GIFs, photos and videos, have done particularly well.



In March, Twitter boss Jack Dorsey sold his first tweet, from 2006, which reads "just setting up my twttr," for $2.9 million to a Malaysia-based businessman.



An anonymous buyer snagged Nyan Cat, a 10-year-old animation of a flying, rainbow cat with a poptart body, for $590,000 the month before.



And "Disaster Girl", a 16-year-old photo of a slyly smiling toddler with a house on fire in the background, was bought by a Dubai-based music studio for 180 Ethereum last month, the equivalent of almost $500,000 at the time. (AFP)


A woman in North Carolina was arrested on Monday after allegedly striking protesters marching against the police killing of Andrew Brown, an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot in his car in his driveway last month.

Two Black women who were peacefully protesting and exercising their constitutional rights were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Elizabeth City Police Department.

The suspect, 41-year-old Lisa Michelle OQuinn, was charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of careless and reckless driving, and one count of unsafe movement. Police are also considering whether to bring hate crime charges against her.

Her first court appearance is on 27 May.

Video from the incident shows a white car with two people in the drivers and front passengers seats pulling up to an intersection before striking at least one person, who is seen falling to the street.

Other footage shows the same car speeding up to a person with a bicycle in the middle of the street, and driving away from the scene past at least one police officer before they are stopped and arrested.

Daily demonstrations  including Mondays incident, also on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the policing killing of George Floyd  have continued in the wake of the killing of Mr Brown, who was fatally shot by Pasquotank County sheriffs deputies on 21 April.

His death and a prosecutors decision not to bring charges against the deputies involved in the killing have revived national protests and debate about the lack of prosecutions for police and urgent demands for law enforcement reforms.

The three sheriffs deputies who fired at Mr Brown will keep their jobs, Pasquotank County sheriff Tommy Wooten II announced last week. Authorities also have been pressed to publicly release body camera footage from the incident.
When the family of Angelo Quinto called the police two days before Christmas, they thought they would be able to help the mentally distressed young man.

As it was, the officers would end up handcuffing him and pinning him to the floor for up to five minutes, as one officer held his legs and another knelt on his neck. His mother became alarmed as he became uncomfortable, allegedly saying: Please dont kill me.

Within minutes, 30-year-old Angelo Quinto lost consciousness, and three days later he would die in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Antioch, California.

I was watching it the whole time. I was there. I saw everything unfold in front of my eyes in our bedroom, his mother, Maria Cassandra Quinto-Collins, told The Independent.

She said she had discussed with the officers how her son had been acting erratically and had suffered a mental health episode. An ambulance was on the way.

Whatever they did, kneeling on his neck, the whole time, its all unnecessary, because he wasnt resisting, she added. He did not resist. He wasnt violent. He was calm.

Mr Quinto had been born in the Philippines, and came to the United States with his family. One of his dreams had been to join the US Navy, and he had passed the entrance test, until having to drop out because of an allergy, and was honourably discharged.

His family said he had not given up that dream, however, and had been considering if he could try out again.

As it was, the young Asian-American man who liked fishing and cooking, has become the latest of hundreds of unarmed young men, unarmed and seemingly offering no threat to officers, to die at the hands of police. In many cases, officers had been called to help someone with mental health issues, only for the incidents to suddenly escalate and end in tragedy.

Angelo Quinto was very keen to join the Navy (Family photograph )

These Antioch police officers had already handcuffed Angelo but did not stop their assault on the young man and inexplicably began using the George Floyd technique of placing a knee on the back and side of his neck, ignoring Mr Quinto pleas of please dont kill me, said the familys lawyer, John Burris.

This horrific incident provides a haunting reminder that a seemingly minor call for help from the police can have deadly consequences for the person in need of help when the police use force first without verbally assessing the situation. Its a sad commentary on policing when a call for help results in death for the person needing help.

The family said that for more than a month, the police failed to inform the civilian authorities of what had happened, and that elected officials only learned of it through a local newspaper, and then social media. A video that Mr Quintos mother took of him bloodied and unconscious after he had been handcuffed, later went viral.

At the time the tragedy was playing out before their eyes, the family did not know about the murder of George Floyd, killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

Yet in the days and weeks that have followed they have seen clear parallels between the killing of Mr Floyd, and the death of their son.

Yes, no doubt. It is like George Floyd, with the techniques that they used, said his mother.

His sister, Isabella, says had the family taken video at the time the incident was taking place, everybody would liken it to the case of the 46-year-old African American killed in Minneapolis a year ago.

Does the family believe race was a factor? Angelos stepfather, Robin Collins, who called him son, said it was difficult to untangle the various elements.

There are many things, right, he says. Perceived power, social status, race, how likely somebody is able to fight back

He said had Mr Quinto been someone else, someone better connected or more influential, he is sure the outcome would have been 1,000 per cent different.

But how do you separate out skin colour and all the other metrics [such as class] that we dont tend to talk about, he added. Whats really clear to me is that, you know, race tends to associate itself in our society with all these other metrics. People are generally judged by it  by a compendium of these things now.

Antioch police have rejected any wronging. At a press conference in March, police chief Tammany Brooks said police had gone to the house after being called by a family member.

At one point during the handcuffing, an officer did briefly for a few seconds have a knee across a portion of Angelos shoulder blade, which is a common control technique taught in California POST [Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training] approved police academies for prone handcuffing, Chief Brooks said.

At no point did any officer use a knee or other body parts to gain leverage or apply pressure to Angelos head, neck or throat, which is outside of our policy.

He said that among the findings of an autopsy were that Mr Quinto had injuries consistent with struggling with both his family and officers, but that none were fatal. A public hearing, or inquest has not yet been scheduled.

The towns recently elected mayor, Lamar Thorpe, who is African American, told an online symposium organised by the young mans family that Antioch, 60 miles southwest of Sacramento, was once considered a sundown community by Black people, in that it was not safe to be on the streets after dark.

He said some of the changes he was trying to push in the police force and elsewhere were hitting up against opposition. He said police forces had dated from 1705 when men were sent out to capture escaped slaves. As to the long delay in his office learning of Angelos death, the authorities had dropped the ball.

We have been working to fix historical wrongs, he added.

The family is seeking to have its own medical tests performed. It has also filed a wrongful lawsuit against the Antioch police department. It is also campaigning for the passage of legislation, Assembly Bill 490, that would ban police from using restraints, including the knee-to-neck restraint, that cause positional asphyxia, within the state of California.

The family is committed to trying to make it better, and making it so that other families dont have to experience the same thing, said Mr Collins.

But it seems to me there are a lot of senseless deaths, and if policing were done in a way, or maybe not having police involved it would be very helpful to preventing this tragic and unnecessary deaths.

His mother added: Angelo is not here with us anymore, but we will be his voice.
Police have killed at least 229 Black people among a total of 426 people of colour since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on 25 May, 2020. Each case is different, but many share core similarities: quick encounters, for low-level infractions, met with deadly force, leaving families and communities with unanswered questions.

For nearly five months, the family of Kurt Reinhold, a homeless Black man shot and killed by sheriffs deputies in Southern California last September, had no idea why he was killed.

At first, officials from the Orange County Sheriffs Department used the opaque vernacular common to police, describing how two experienced officers on the homeless outreach team contacted him in San Clemente, California  during their contact, a physical altercation occurred. Mr Reinhold was captured on surveillance footage allegedly reaching for an officers weapon, though officials noted it wasnt clear he ever got it out of its holster.

Given the current climate of police-community relations, I understand that this conversation is going to be a difficult one around this incident, Sheriff Don Barnes said at the time, a nod to that summers George Floyd protests. He warned people not to spread misinformation or latch onto a false narrative.

From these bare outlines, the official account seemed to be: a homeless man, perhaps mentally disturbed, attacked officers for no apparent reason, then tried to grab their gun and shoot them. This didnt add up for his family, or for community members, who soon launched protests.

What did Kurt do to deserve to be shot in broad daylight? Latoya Reinhold, his wife, asked at the time. None of this makes any sense.

 Video shows police tackling Kurt Reinhold during jaywalking arrest before fatal shooting

Then, in February, authorities released body camera footage, and the story became far less black and white.

Its still unclear why deputies began tailing Mr Reinhold, but the footage begins with them appearing to mock a stereotypical Black accent, with one saying, Hes see ya, copper, and another adding, He went to go get a drank, as they observe him exit a roadside mini-mart.

According to bystanders, just before Mr Reinhold met with police, he asked a woman at a flower stand for money, saying he was hungry and needed food.

Watch this, hes going to jaywalk, one of the deputies says.

Jaywalking, as with the fake $20 bill that triggered George Floyds interaction with police, is an infraction typically met with a ticket, not an armed arrest.

One of the officers is sceptical any infraction took place, even warning his partner, Dont make case law, before the squad car swings around and deputies confront Mr Reinhold, one soon appearing to draw his Taser.

Are you going to stop or are we going to have to make you stop? a deputy asks as they argue back and forth, Mr Reinhold refusing to be detained.

What the h is this? Do you see yourself? Mr Reinhold asks, incredulous, arguing he never jaywalked.

The argument continues to escalate until the deputies tackle him to the ground.

The man is refusing to obey the deputies commands to go back to the sidewalk, and is actively resisting to detain him, sergeant Dennis Breckner explained in a video accompanying the police footage.

If Kurt Reinhold didnt commit a crime in the first place, deputies would have no legal right to detain him, and refusing to be stopped unlawfully isnt the same as resisting a lawful arrest.

The officers continue battling with him until his hand appears to graze a deputys gun, and the other shoots him twice at close range.

Authorities have warned investigations into the shooting from the sheriffs department, county district attorneys office, and a police oversight board, could take up to another year.

His family isnt waiting that long, however. In March, they filed a federal lawsuit, accusing the officers and department of perpetuating a disturbing pattern of shootings of unarmed Black men by law enforcement officers in the United States.

Theyre targeting him because hes Black, John Taylor, an attorney for the family, told The Independent. If this persons white, same clothing, same backpack, same activities, does this person ever get stopped by these officers at the beginning? It never happens. It never happens.

The Orange County sheriffs department and district attorneys office have not responded to a request for comment.

No charges have been filed against either officer, later identified as Eduardo Duran, a 14-year vet, and Jonathan Israel, who had eight years experience. Both underwent de-escalation training and were put back on duty after killing Kurt Reinhold.

The homeless outreach team is supposed to officer assistance to, provide resources to people who are in some kind of crisis, or are in need of some kind of assistance. Kurt Reinhold didnt need anything. He was not committing any crime. He was not a suspect in having committed any crime, Mr Taylor continued. How do you end up with a guy whos gone in to buy something in the store, and within three minutes hes shot two times, unarmed?

Even after a year of civil rights protests, his family still doesnt know.
An Oregon fisherman was found alive by search and rescue after spending 17 nights in the wilderness alone.

Harry Burleigh, 69, from Roseburg, Oregon, was rescued on Sunday after searchers found his fishing equipment and a shelter on 16 May.

He was fishing in an area of the Umpqua National Forest on 6 May and failed to return home, when he was reported missing, officials said.

Officers from the Douglas County Sheriffs Office found his vehicle at the foot of a trail in recent days, but with no sign of the fisherman.

Soon after, a makeshift camp and fishing equipment belonging to Mr Burleigh were also discovered.

Searchers returned to an area of the forest, west of the Cascade mountains, at the weekend and found Mr Burleigh, officials said on Facebook.

Mr Burleigh was complaining of minor pain, but was in stable condition and was taken away by a helicopter for a medical examination, officials said.

This was the outcome we all have been looking for in this case, said Douglas County Sgt. Brad ODell.

It is because of our determined Search and Rescue Teams and the partnerships we have with other SAR (search and rescue) teams from around the state, that Mr Burleigh has been re-united with his family this evening.

The sheriffs office thanked search and rescue teams from neighbouring counties in Oregon, and federal agencies, for helping find Mr Burleigh.
Kristen Clarke will be the first Black woman to lead a key civil rights division at the US Department of Justice, where she will be charged with investigating discriminatory policing and threats to voting rights.

The Senate narrowly confirmed Ms Clarke largely along party lines on the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, whose death has galvanised international momentum for reforms and heightened scrutiny into law enforcement.

Senators approved Ms Clarkes appointment by a vote of 51-48. Susan Collins was the only Republican senator to support her confirmation.

Her appointment also follows nationwide attempts from Republican lawmakers to restrict ballot access and warnings from federal law enforcement about the rise in racist violence, white supremacism and domestic terror plots.

We need a champion now as much as ever, said US Sen Cory Booker.

Ms Clarke  a longtime civil rights advocate, whose career started at the Justice Department  emerged as a frequent critic of Donald Trumps administration as head of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which sued the former president over challenges to voting rights, immigration, the use of force against protesters outside the White House, and changes to the US Census.

Democrats have argued that GOP lawmakers fear her appointment to the Justice Department, along with the recent confirmation of civil rights lawyer Vanita Gupta as US Associate Attorney General, will upend American policing and strengthen civil rights and voter protections that Republicans across the US have sought to undo.

The Senate confirmed Ms Gupta by a vote of 50-49 to serve as the No 3 chief at the Justice Department following a deadlocked committee vote.

On Monday, Hawaii Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono said Republican objections have been part of a vicious smear campaign fearing that Ms Clarke will actually do her job.

They are afraid she will enforce our civil rights statutes, challenge discriminatory voting laws, combat systemic racism in policing and protect the LGBTQ community, she said in remarks on the Senate floor.

For several weeks, GOP lawmakers have sought to undermine her credibility, pointing to her statements surrounding defund the police debates, including an op-ed in which she advocated for funding to be re-allocated to social services. The Justice Departments civil rights division does not dictate police budgets.

Senator Tom Cotton claimed on Tuesday that a vote for Kristen Clarke is a vote to defund the police.

Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley have called Ms Clarke and Ms Gupta radicals.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said Republicans set their hair on fire to oppose Ms Gupta.

Now were back on the floor with Republicans aflame again, he said.

Democrats  who are supporting sweeping voting rights legislation  pointed to the urgency of Ms Clarkes confirmation, as state lawmakers pass bills to restrict ballot access and hand more elections oversight to Republican-dominated legislatures, backed by right-wing dark money groups drafting the legislation.

Put Jim Crow 2.0 against a DOJ civil rights division run by Kristen Clarke, and that dark money voter suppression operation has a problem, Senator Whitehouse said. These two women scare the daylights out of this dark money operations behind Republican voter suppression.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights hailed Ms Clarkes confirmation as an historic, important moment for our nation.

With Clarkes confirmation, DOJ is in superb hands as it continues to restore its role as chief enforcer of our civil rights, the group said.
Greg Kelly, a host on Newsmax, mocked Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for seeking therapy in the wake of the Capitol riot earlier this year.

Mr Kelly made the comments on Monday over a segment of b-roll that showed Ms Ocasio-Cortez giving a speech on the House floor, claiming she was "having a meltdown.

Newsmax is a conservative broadcaster that reports overtly pro-Donald Trump information.

Mr Kelly said she was "silly" and that "she's getting therapy and obviously she could use some.

Mr Kelly is an unabashed supporter of Mr Trump, and was recently lambasted for tweeting out a photo of himself with Mr Trump in which he's wearing $1,400 cargo pants.

In a recent interview for Latino USA, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said "I'm doing therapy, but also I've just slowed down.

"I think the Trump administration had a lot of us, especially Latino communities, in a very reactive mode," she said.

The congresswoman described the insurrection as "extraordinarily traumatizing.

"After the 6th, I took some time and it was really [Rep.] Ayanna Pressley when I explained to her what happened to me, like the day of, because I ran to her office and she was like, 'you need to recognize trauma'," she said in the interview.

She previously said she thought she "was going to die on the day of the riot, and said she hid in a bathroom with a staffer while rioters chanted her name.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez is a frequent focus of derision on the right, and has received death threats from conservatives.

The congresswoman has even become a target for other members of the House; Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has frequently harassed Ms Ocasio-Cortez since joining the legislature.

Ms Greene recorded herself yelling into the mail slot of Ms Ocasio-Cortez's office before entering politics, harassing her and her staffers.

More recently, the congresswoman yelled at Ms Ocasio-Cortez outside the House chamber, claiming she supported antifa and Black Lives Matter, which she called "terrorist" organisations. She also claimed she was a "chicken" for refusing to debate her about the Green New Deal.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that Ms Greene's actions could warrant review by the House Ethics Committee.
Texas lawmakers have passed a bill that would allow residents to carry handguns without a licence, background check, or training  sending the legislation to Governor Greg Abbotts desk to sign.

This measure has been long sought by conservative gun owners, despite previous objections from law enforcement and gun control groups about the risk this new legislation could pose to the public.

The Republican-run legislature approved the measure on Monday, thus sending the bill to the Republican governors desk for his signature.

Mr Abbott has already indicated that he would sign the bill once it reached his desk.

We should have constitutional carry in Texas, Mr Abbott told North Texas radio host Rick Roberts in April.

Current law in Texas requires gun owners to be licensed to carry a handgun, both concealed and open. Applicants are also required to submit fingerprints, complete four to six hours of training, pass a written exam, and then pass a shooting proficiency test.

But Texans are already allowed to openly carry a rifle without having a licence.

The new law, if signed by Mr Abbott, would be similar to what it is for rifles by allowing gun owners to openly carry a handgun without going through the requirements of needing a licence, background check, or any other training.

Businesses would still be allowed to prevent people from carrying guns into their establishment under the new bill. Federal law requiring background checks when purchasing specific guns would also still apply despite this new legislation in Texas.

Already Texas has some of the loosest gun laws in the United States for its more than 1.6 million handgun licence holders.

But that didnt stop gun owners from further pushing for legislation that would make owning and carrying the weapon more accessible.

This is a simple restoration of Texans constitutional right under the Second Amendment, a right of the people to keep and bear arms, the Senate sponsor, Senator Charles Schwertner, a Republican, said on Monday, the Texas Tribune reports. I think it is a bill that is the strongest bill Ive seen in my legislative career regarding the rights of our Second Amendment.

The Senate made several changes to the House bill prior to its passage in order to appease some concerns from law enforcement groups. This included striking an amendment that would have barred police officers from questioning someone based solely on them possessing a handgun.

But gun control advocates have expressed concern about this bills passage given the rise of mass shootings in Texas in recent years, such as the El Paso Walmart shooting and the Sutherland Springs church shooting.

Representative Joe Moody, an El Paso Democrat, expressed disapproval to lawmakers over the bill after the state legislature did nothing to alter gun laws following the Walmart mass shooting, which left 23 dead and an additional 23 people injured.

All [El Paso community members] wanted was something better. All they wanted was some accountability. Yet here we are, Mr Moody said on Sunday, the Texas Tribune reports. When the doors were closed, I heard lots of promises. I havent heard them since.

However, proponents of the legislation have pointed out that those mass shooting did not involve handguns.
The Manhattan district attorney has convened a grand jury to decide if President Donald Trump should be indicted on criminal charges related to his business dealings, The Washington Post reports.

The panel was convened recently, the publication reports, and will meet three days per week for the next six months to discuss the criminal probe into Mr Trump and other executives within the Trump Organization. They will likely hear other cases besides the one related to the former president during this time.

Manhattans current district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, has been investigating the Trump Organization for the last two years on a number of issues, including hush-money payments, tax filings, and property valuations.

Convening the grand jury was an indication that the criminal investigation has ramped up in recent months, and Mr Vance and his team could have evidence a crime has been committed either by Mr Trump or other business executives.

Prosecutors have not yet announced if they will bring criminal charges, but if they do then the grand jury will hear the evidence and decide whether or not to indict Mr Trump, according to The Washington Post report.

The inquiry into Mr Trumps business dealings span back to before he was president, and include a look into whether the Trump Organization broke any New York laws in the 2016 hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Investigators were also looking into whether the value of the companys expansive real estate portfolio was manipulated in an effort to defraud banks and insurance companies, according to previous court filings. Compensation to top executives, such as longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg, was also under investigation.

In February, Mr Trump experienced a major blow when the Supreme Court ruled that the Manhattan district attorneys office could access eight years of his tax returns.

Then it was revealed earlier in May that New York Attorney General Letitia James and her office would be joining the Manhattan district attorneys office for the criminal investigation into the Trump Organizations business dealings.

We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA, a spokesperson to the attorney general told CNN. We have no additional comment.

Mr Trump has not publicly responded to the latest report of the Manhattan district attorneys office convening a grand jury for the criminal probe. The Independent contacted the Trump Organization for a comment.

But the former president previously released a lengthy statement about the investigation after it was announced that the New York attorney general was teaming up with the district attorneys office.

There is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime. But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here, Mr Trump said.

Previously, Mr Trump has also accused the investigation of being politically motivated and a witch hunt.
A Wisconsin pastor who told his congregation to shun the Covid-19 vaccines has been asked by his bishop to step down for his divisive and ineffective behaviour.

Reverend James Altman of the St James The Less Roman Catholic Church in La Crosse in Wisconsin has accused the Church of cancelling him and said he will challenge the decision.

The pastor delivered a homily on 23 May and told parishioners that the La Crosse Bishop William Callahan had asked him to resign for being divisive and ineffective.

Father Altman had, in the past, attracted criticism for his comments. He had claimed, in a viral video during the 2020 presidential election, that faithful Catholics cannot be Democrats. He has also been consistently ignoring Covid-19 safety protocols. He has allegedly also made several anti-immigrant and racist remarks and over the years risen to the rank of a fire-brand right-wing pastor.

The La Crosse bishop Callahan had issued a warning in September last year that canonical penalties [against Altman] are not far away if my attempts at fraternal correction do not work.

In his sermon on Friday, that was posted on YouTube, Fr Altman said: If the left whines, like they do, like a spoiled brat often enough, they succeed in cancelling so many voices of truth. He added: And now that they are whining like, if I may say it, the pansy babies that they are, to cancel me.

He told the parishioners that Fridays sermon might be his last as a pastor even though he said that he will ask his lawyers to challenge Callahans decision.

In the sermon, he said: I am no expert on canon law, but understand only that while we are contesting the Bishops request  and we are  he could, in theory, appoint a parish administrator whilst I remain a pastor without duties until the appeal goes through Rome, which can take up to a year or more.

Fr Altman has also, previously, denounced the Black Lives Matter movement. He has made problematic claims about climate change and made false claims about racism and homophobia.

On Monday evening, the Diocese issued a statement and said that it was following the legal process on the matter.

It said: The Diocese of La Crosse will respond in accordance to the canonical process as needed for the removal of a priest from his office as pastor. It added that church officials have been working privately with the pastor to address the concerns.

Although attempts were made to allow Fr Altman the opportunity to respond to fraternal correction, a resolution of this situation has been unsuccessful. The Diocese called this a pastoral remedy and not a penal remedy.

Bishop Callahans decision to ask Father Altman to step down has spawned inflamed opinions from both his supporters and opponents.

A fundraising account for Fr Altman was set up by his supporters to help him with his legal fees. On Monday night, about $130,000 had been raised. The target initially was $20,000.

On the other hand, Faithful America, a national online Christian community, said in a statement that none of Altmans hateful words or dangerous actions speaks for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and now Bishop Callahan has thankfully made it clear that Altman does not speak for the Catholic Church, either.

Reverend Nathan Empsall, director of Faithful America, said: We pray for all who have fallen victim to the lies and bullying of false prophets like James Altman, and we encourage all our siblings in Christ to receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they can.
The Belarusian opposition journalist who was arrested after a Ryanair plane he was travelling on was forced to land in Minsk has appeared in a new video.

Roman Protasevich was travelling on a flight from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, when the plane was diverted to the Belarusian capital on the orders of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko.

The 26-year-old is known in Belarus for co-founding the opposition Nexta channel on the messaging app Telegram, which was used to mobilise street protests against the countrys government.

In a video released on Monday, Mr Protasevich claimed he was in good health and was being treated well - although some commentators warned that the clip appeared to be similar to a hostage video.

Yesterday, I was arrested by officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the national airport in Minsk, the journalist said.

I am in Detention Center No 1 in Minsk. I can say that I have no health problems, including with my heart or any other organs.

He added: The attitude of employees towards me is as correct as possible and according to the law.

I continue cooperating with investigators and am confessing to having organised mass unrest in the city of Minsk.

The footage came after the countrys opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya warned there was a high probability that Mr Protasevich was being tortured by Belarusian authorities.

Ms Tikhanouskaya, who fled the country last summer, told a press conference: We are really afraid not only for his freedom, but for his life.

We do not know where he is and in what condition. There is a high probability that at this very moment he is being tortured by the secret service staff.

Mr Protasevichs arrest has sparked widespread criticism across Europe, with EU leaders agreeing to a new set of sanctions against Belarus late on Monday.

The measures will include a ban on the use of the 27-nation blocs airspace and airports for what leaders have called a brazen hijacking of the Ryanair plane.

EU members have also called for Mr Protasevichs immediate release and an urgent investigation from the International Civil Aviation Organisation into the incident.

Additional reporting by AP
Berlin Governing Mayor Michael Mueller, left, and Vonovia Chief Executive Officer Rolf Buch during a press conference at the Red Town Hall in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday. Berlin Senate and the heads of housing companies Vonovia and Deutsche Wohnen gave a joint press conference in order to comment on plans of Vonovia to take over the Deutsche Wohnen. On Monday, Vonovia has announced its intention to acquire all Deutsche Wohnen shares in a voluntary public takeover offer to Deutsche Wohnen shareholders. EPA-Yonhap



Germany's top property group Vonovia said Tuesday it will sell around 20,000 apartments to the city of Berlin and limit rent increases in the capital following a planned 19-billion-euro merger with rival Deutsche Wohnen.



"The people of this city are not happy with our companies and the current state of the housing market, so we need a new start," said Vonovia CEO Rolf Buch at a joint press conference with Berlin mayor Michael Mueller.



In a move which Mueller called "hugely significant," Vonovia and Deutsche Wohnen pledged to limit rent hikes until 2026 in Berlin, which has been hit for years by runaway prices and a lack of affordable housing.



Vonovia said it had agreed to cap rent increases at one percent per year in the next three years, and also offer the city government 20,000 apartments.



The merger, announced late Monday, comes in the midst of a fierce ideological battle over housing in the German capital.



The Berlin government's flagship rent freeze policy was recently thrown out by Germany's highest court, while tens of thousands have signed a petition to expropriate assets from major property companies.



In Germany, where around 85 percent of residents are renters, Deutsche Wohnen and Vonovia play a premier role in the housing sector.



Vonovia has 10 percent of its portfolio in Berlin, while Deutsche Wohnen is by far the city's biggest player with 70 percent of its properties in the capital.



The merger between the two companies will give birth to a giant of more than 500,000 homes.



The proposed deal comes after two previous attempts failed to come off, the last having been rejected by Deutsche Wohnen in 2016.



But this latest offer prices Deutsche Wohnen shares at well above their current market value, which stood at 44.99 euros at close of trade Friday on the Frankfurt exchange.



Deutsche Wohnen shareholders will be offered 53.03 euros per share: 52 in cash and the rest as the company's dividend for the 2020 financial year, said the statement.



The previous purchase offer in 2016 saw Deutsche Wohnen oppose the merger, saying the proposed price was too low. (AFP)


A PR agency with alleged links to Russia has offered considerable amounts of money to European influencers if they discredit the Pfizer vaccine on their social media channels, it has emerged.

Leo Grasset, a French YouTuber with 1.1 million subscribers, was among those approached to take part in the smear campaign.

Someone reportedly working for an advertising agency called Fazze offered him a lucrative deal to post content criticising the Pfizer vaccine.

In particular, he was asked to promote the false claim that the mortality rate of the Pfizer vaccine is 3 times greater than the AstraZeneca in a 45- to 60- second video.

This is similar to the groundless rhetoric touted by Russia that mRNA vaccines such as Pfizers are not as safe as viral vector vaccines like AstraZenecas or its own Sputnik V jab.

German podcaster and YouTuber Mirko Drotschman, who has a total of 1.5 million subscribers, also posted a similar email he had received about an information campaign.

They both stood to make a lot of money, as a French trainee doctor with only tens of thousands of followers told the broadcaster BFMTV that he was promised 1,730 (2000) if he made a 30-second video on the same subject.

Talking of the propaganda attempts, French health minister Olivier Veran said: Its pathetic, its dangerous, its irresponsible and it doesnt work.

Fazze, the name of the PR agency involved in the propaganda campaign, gave a fake London address on its website, before this was later deleted. However, the firms LinkedIn page suggests that its bosses come from Russia.

The latest smear efforts come a month after the EU accused Russia and China of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns seeking to undermine the reputation of western-made coronavirus vaccines.

Additional reporting from AP
A fugitive Italian drug lord known as the cocaine king of Milan has been arrested by police in Brazil, the countrys Justice Ministry has announced.

Rocco Morabito, who is the suspected head of the powerful 'Ndrangheta criminal gang, had been one of Italys most wanted fugitives since the 1990s.

He was arrested in a hotel room in the northeastern coastal city of Joao Pessoa, along with two other foreigners, according to a statement from the ministry.

One of the foreigners was reportedly also a fugitive, although the statement gave no further information on their identity.

[Morabito] was considered the second most wanted criminal in Italy and accused of involvement with the 'Ndrangheta, considered one of the largest and most powerful criminal organisations in the world, the Justice Ministry said.

The ministry added that Morabito had already been sentenced to 30 years in prison in Italy.

Morabito had escaped from jail in Uruguay in 2019, when he and three other inmates fled through a hole in the prison roof while he was awaiting extradition to Italy.

The escape led to the resignation of Uruguays prison system director Alberto Gadea.

On Monday, the Federal Police added that Italian police traveled to Brazil for Morabitos arrest and were involved in the operation.

The capture of the Italian fugitive underlines the growing importance of Brazil in the transatlantic drug trade, as the country has become a key player with its gangs working with Italian, Dutch and Balkan criminal groups.

The 'Ndrangheta, which is based in the southern Italian region of Calabria, has surpassed Cosa Nostra to become the most powerful mafia group in the country and one of the largest crime gangs in the world in recent years.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Gaza could take years to rebuild, United Nations officials have warned, as rights groups say intense Israeli bombing of the strip has severely damaged health, education, water and energy facilities.

Hospitals, schools, desalination plants, power and sewage plants have been impacted, international NGOs and Gaza officials have said.

It has meant that swathes of the strip already have no water or electricity, while untreated sewage from some plants is pouring into the sea. Aid organisations have begun trying to raise tens of millions of dollars to help. Israeli officials have meanwhile accused Hamas of rocketing vital electricity power lines.

Speaking to The Independent, Tamara al-Rifai, spokesperson for Unrwa, the UNs Palestinian refugee agency, warned it could take years to repair the damage. She said that this was the fourth conflict in just 13 years on the tiny enclave that has been under a long blockade and hit by the pandemic.

Every time there is a conflict in Gaza, intense air bombardment pulverises basic infrastructure, homes, hospitals and factories, she said.

It then takes Unrwa and aid agencies several years to rehabilitate their premises, and many homes and livelihoods of Gazans are never rebuilt.

Israel maintains it does everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties or destruction to civilian infrastructure.

Ferocious cross-border fighting is now in its second week, although hopes have been raised that a potential ceasefire could be announced within the next few days.

So far, 230 Palestinians have been killed, including 65 children, according to the Gaza health ministry. Medics in Israel say the death toll has risen to 12, two of them children. Hundreds on both sides have been injured.

Israel said that Hamas, the militant group running Gaza, had fired over 4,000 rockets since last Monday, more than the total number of rockets fired at Israel during the entire seven-week war in 2014.

Hamas explosive experts remove an unexploded Israeli missile from a house in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip (AFP/Getty)

The rocket fire has hit homes, schools and a synagogue and sent families constantly running for bomb shelters. The militants have also fired anti-tank missiles into Israel, injuring an Israeli soldier.

In Gaza the UN says that more than 72,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting, with 2,500 made permanently homeless as some of the air raids hit populated areas, levelling multi-storey buildings Israel said contained Hamas military infrastructure.

On Wednesday, Unrwa launched a $38m appeal for Gaza and the West Bank to provide immediate food, non-food, and health and psychosocial support to Palestinians. The British Red Cross also launched a crisis appeal for both Israel and Palestine on the same day, saying hospitals in Gaza, already overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients, were at at risk of further collapse.

International aid groups sounded the alarm about the long-term problems now faced in Gaza, a tiny, congested enclave home to two million people

International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres called Israels bombardment of Gaza inexcusable and intolerable, saying that indirect fire had damaged several clinics in the Strip including destroying their own sterilisation room that provided treatment for hundreds of trauma and burn patients.

It said access to healthcare for casualties with life-threatening injuries is being severely restricted as Israeli airstrikes have damaged many roads leading to hospitals.

In addition, many medical staff are concerned for their safety while on their journeys to work and some medical supplies are running low.

Gazas health ministry has meanwhile appealed for nearly $50m in financial assistance, saying that in total 22 health facilities had suffered partial or complete damage in the bombardment. They added that there was now a high risk of rapid spread of Covid-19 in the shelters housing thousands of displaced people.

This week health officials reported that the only laboratory in Gaza which processes Covid-19 test results had become temporarily inoperable after an Israeli airstrike nearby.

It is not just health facilities that have been hit.

Water officials in Gaza said that half of the strip has no regular water supply because of a lack of fuel for the water pumps and damage to facilities.

Some cities were also almost completely cut off from water like Rafah, along the border with Egypt where water authorities were having to bring water in from outside.

Monther Shoblaq, director general of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, said the bombing had been so intense they were unable to repair and operate three waste water plants on the eastern side of the Gaza Strip, meaning they were pouring untreated sewage into the sea.

Three new offshore desalination plants, providing a third of the good quality water the authorities are able to make in Gaza, are also inaccessible and so not operational, he added.

Some areas havent had water for four days, Shoblaq told The Independent.

This time, because of the severe airstrikes it has been impossible to move around and repair the damage, he added.

Gaza is also on the brink of running out of fuel to power its only power station, and is currently relying on poorer quality fuel from private generators to power its turbines.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the Strip only have access to four hours of power already. Once the fuel runs out it will plunge homes and hospitals into darkness as well as massive water shortages as the pumps will stop.

Mohammed Thabeth, a spokesperson for the Electricity Distribution Company of Gaza, said the main crossing into Israel for fuel was still closed. Israeli officials told The Independent that Hamas mortars had been bombarding it, preventing the delivery of vital aid.

We managed to secure enough fuel from the private market to keep us going for two more days. But this fuel could cause technical problems for the plant, Thabeth said.

Two boys sit inside a damaged building in northern Gaza City (Getty)

Several power lines to Israel have also been cut, reducing electrical supply even further. Israeli security officials told local media that Hamas rockets falling short of the border were responsible for the damage, a point Gaza officials reject.

Schools were also hit.

According to Save the Children 50 schools in Gaza  or one in 15 schools  have been damaged by Israeli airstrikes over the past week, impacting over 41,000 children. Three further schools have reportedly been damaged in Israel by rockets from Gaza.

Attacking schools or hospitals is a grave violation against children, Save the Children said, urging all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and to protect them.

The brutal truth is that no child is left unscathed, and time and time again we see that childrens lives are the hardest hit by conflict, Jason Lee from the group added.

Additional reporting by Nedal Hamdouna in Gaza
Thousands of holidaymakers were forced to scramble back to the UK after Portugal was downgraded from green to amber in the latest traffic light review.

The Atlantic country was one of the initial green countries, for which quarantine is not required, when international travel was given the official nod on 17 May. It joined countries including Israel, Iceland and Gibraltar.

Airlines and tour operators piled on capacity to Portugal to take advantage of a bump in demand, as holidaymakers explored its golden beaches, cobbled streets and historic cities.

Follow live: No new countries to go green, reports say

However, the country fell from green to amber in the latest traffic light review on 3 June.

All amber arrivals must self-isolate for 10 days at home and take two post-arrival PCR tests.

With the change in colour band, what are the rules on travelling to Portugal this summer?

Heres everything you need to know.

Will British holidaymakers be allowed to travel to Portugal this summer?

A vintage tram in Lisbon, Portugal (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Yes, there is nothing to stop holidaymakers from travelling to Portugal, despite its place on the amber list. Travel is discouraged, but not illegal.

The Portuguese foreign ministry confirmed that UK holidaymakers would be welcome from Monday 17 May.

A statement read: The options are wide for the British Tourists to visit Portugal, from any point. People from the United Kingdom have visited Portugal and celebrated our culture, traditions, landmarks, history, and enjoyed our warm hospitality for decades.

We look forward to welcome all travellers coming from the UK.

Will I need to take a Covid test before travel?

A beach near Lagos in Portugals Algarve region (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Yes. Visitors must present a negative Covid PCR test taken within 72 hours of the departure of the flight. They will not need to quarantine unless they test positive for Covid-19.

Tourism minister Rita Marques recently said the country would try at all costs to avoid quarantines and additional Covid-19 tests for tourists, reports MailOnline.

She added that Brexit should not be an obstacle to British holidaymakers, saying: Portugal is still identifying many issues that need special care due to Brexit but the Portugal brand is strong, particularly among the British.

Will I need to have been vaccinated to visit Portugal?

Visitors to Portugal do not need to have been vaccinated to enter the country, but they must present a negative Covid PCR test taken within 72 hours of the departure of the flight.

Fully vaccinated visitors to Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic, need not present a negative PCR test.

What rules and restrictions are in place in Portugal?

The Dom Luis bridge in Porto, Portugal (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Measures remain in place throughout Portugal to control the spread of the virus. You are required to observe the following rules on social distancing when in public:

Keep a social distance of two metres

Use a face covering in enclosed spaces, and outdoors where a distance of 2m cannot be maintained

Wash your hands regularly

Your temperature can be taken on access to enclosed spaces, as determined by the health authorities.

In mainland Portugal, you must wear a mask while walking along promenades and in restaurants and cafes until you are seated. The use of a mask is also obligatory on entry and exit from beaches and while using shower and changing facilities. You must maintain a social distance of 1.5m from other groups on the beach and follow the access signs.

You can be fined up to 1000 (860) if you breach the regulations.

Shops and other commercial premises, restaurants and cafes may have shorter trading hours. Leisure and cultural activities may be banned or limited to smaller groups.

In Madeira and Porto Santo, a curfew remains in place from 11pm until 5am, including weekends.

Bars and restaurants will close at 10pm. Most supermarkets, shops and cultural events will open at 50 per cent capacity.

In the Azores, measures remain in place to minimise the spread of the virus, with areas categorised on five levels of risk. The majority of areas fall under the very low risk category, with only the parish of Rabo de Peixe categorised as high risk.

Will I need to self-isolate on return?

Yes, all travellers will need to self-isolate for 10 days on return to the UK, as well as take two post-arrival PCR tests.
UK aircraft have been ordered to stay away from Belarusian airspace, following Sundays forced diversion of a Ryanair plane.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said he has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to request airlines avoid Belarusian airspace in order to keep passengers safe.

The CAA has issued a notice to all UK-registered airlines requesting that they avoid overflight of any territory of Belarus.

One British Airways jet, flight BA261 from London Heathrow to Islamabad, has diverted north of the republic.

Belarus is on the most direct track between London and Asian destinations such as Bangkok and Singapore. While the nations airspace could normally be avoided, existing no-fly zones over eastern Ukraine make routings complicated.

A Ryanair Boeing 737 was flying in Belarusian airspace from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday afternoon when it was ordered to land at Minsk. The pilots were told a bomb threat had been made.

It appears the incident was staged by the government in Minsk so that a Belarusian dissident who was on board could be arrested.

The CAA has also suspended the foreign carrier permit of the Belarus national carrier, Belavia. The airline is currently scheduled to fly three times a week between London Gatwick and Minsk. The next departure, on Wednesday, will be cancelled.

No British carrier operates flights to Minsk.

Further cancellations wil occur if the European Union bans Belavia. The travel data and analytics firm Cirium calculates Belavia serves 20 EU routes from Minsk, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Rome.

Several EU leaders, including those of Lithuania and Poland, have called for bans to be imposed.

The Lithuanian prime minister called the incident an act of state terrorism directed against citizens of the European Union and other countries.

Ingrida Simonyte said: A civilian plane and its passengers have been hijacked by military force.

It is unjustifiable that ordinary international travellers have been held hostage to the regimes aggression.

She described the forced diversion as an unprecedented attack against the international community.

However, the Monday evening departure from Minsk to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, operated normally.
Muslim women didnt need a review into Islamophobia to tell the Conservative party that Boris Johnsons comments about Muslim women wearing the burqa were insensitive and had profound effects on their lives.

Johnson has apologised for any offence caused and has said that he would not use some of the offending language from his past writings today, now that he is prime minister. If he ever has to revert to journalism to earn his living  a possibility that still looms  it will be interesting to see if he reverts to using the same type of language once more.

This seems unlikely, as for over a year now the entire UK population has had to walk around looking like a letterbox or a bank robber  as Johnson described women wearing the burqa in 2018  in order to fend off Covid-19; even the prime minister.

The recent independent review into allegations of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party was led by Professor Swaran Singh, who concluded that Tory leadership ought to set a good example for appropriate behaviours and language.

Muslim women have experienced being mocked as letterboxes in supermarkets, and have had people refusing to sit next to us on the tube  so the Conservative party could have just asked us how Muslim women felt.

If they had, we would have given our lived experiences and reminded them of the fact that in this country, everyone has the right to choose what they want to wear. We have never mocked the Queen for wearing a headscarf, nor targeted teenagers for wearing hoodies or showing their underpants above their jeans. Yet targeting one specific religion in our multicultural society has only served to perpetuate stereotypes associated with Islam and created further division and suspicion.

In September 2019, a Tell Mama report found that Islamophobic incidents rose by 375 per cent the week after Boris Johnsons infamous letterboxes comment. In the same month, I wrote an article for The Independent about this, venting my frustrations at the irony of how Johnson, on one hand, opposes the banning of veils in public and yet wrote it was absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letterboxes.

There are numerous examples of anti-Muslim rhetoric, including a vile video published by a man hurling racist abuse at Muslim schoolgirls outside Central Foundation Girls School in Bow. The man commentating on the clip suggested that girls (aged between 11 and 18) should be sterilised in an experiment similar to those carried out by Dr Josef Mengele.

I have questioned whether the debate has become more about the objectification of Muslim women rather than their multifaceted identities, successes, and aspirations. I have spoken to so many Muslim women in my ward who have told me how they have been left out of conversations, with some people believing that they dont have anything to contribute, let alone have a voice of their own  in the workplace, at school and many other meeting scenarios.

Despite the fact that Muslim women in the UK are proud to be Muslim and proud to be British, they are still regarded as targets in a culture war by some who feel that their country is being taken over by people of colour.

Stereotypes and labelling have affected their confidence and empowerment, and these flawed assumptions attract discrimination and ostracisation. Instead, we should be challenging the stereotypes surrounding Muslim women, and dispelling the myths of subjugation and lack of professional ambition.

What the Conservative Party needs to hear is the lived experiences of Muslim women in living in Britain  not just a review.

Rabina Khans book, My Hair Is Pink Under This Veil ,offers a candid insight into the life of a hijab-wearing Muslim woman in modern Britain
Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community!

Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.
The UK government is losing little time in preparing for its trade negotiations with India. It has begun a 14-week public consultation process seeking views from businesses and key stakeholders. Official trade negotiations are expected to begin in autumn.

The UK is seeking a free trade deal (FTA) with India to tap into its US$2.6 trillion economy and a market of 1.4 billion consumers. Under the FTA, it wants the removal of direct and indirect barriers to doing business and trading with India, including the roll-back of tariffs on whisky (up to 150 percent) and British-made automobiles (up to 125 percent).

The UKs International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: We want an agreement that pushes new frontiers in industries of the future and helps us build a greener, more innovative and more services-led economy that will deliver higher-paying jobs across the country.

The UKs International Trade Minister, Ranil Jayawardena said: India is one of the worlds fastest-growing economies and we share much in common, so were natural partners A trade deal will break down barriers, making it easier for British businesses to sell their wares in India  and secure more investment, better jobs, higher wages, more choice and lower prices here at home.

Public consultation process begins

The 14-week public consultation process (you may download the trade consultation document here), announced May 25, seeks to cast the net as wide as possible with inputs wanted from consumers and businesses across a range of sectors.

Their views, concerns, and market access considerations will enable the UK to frame a sustainable deal facilitating closer cooperation in advanced industries, such as science, technology and services, as well as the creation of high-value jobs in the country.

The bottom line, however, is that the UK wants easier access for its goods and services catering to Indias significant middle-income population and digital consumers, meaning reduction in tariffs and indirect barriers.

Additionally, the UK government wants its services firms to be able to operate in the Indian market, an ask that will not be met easily if India does not enjoy reciprocal advantages.

(We cover specific areas of note for British exporters and industries looking at the Indian market here: How UK Businesses Can Take Advantage of the 2021 Enhanced UK-India Trade Partnership Deal)

UK-India trade deal timeline

Before formal trade negotiations start, both countries have to complete a pre-negotiation scoping phase, which involves a period of engagement with businesses and the public.

The public consultation process ends August 31, and includes a questionnaire that will gather information from participants about their experiences and priorities when doing business with India. Formal trade negotiations are expected to begin later this year, around autumn.

This follows the Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), first brought up in February and agreed to three months later at a virtual meet between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and PM Narendra Modi on May 4, where they launched a 2030 Roadmap. The roadmap provides a framework for fostering UK-India trade ties.

Last July, at the 14th UK  India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting, stakeholders agreed to prioritize five key areas, namely, life sciences, information communications technology (ICT), food and drink, chemicals, and services to address non-tariff barriers to trade. In terms of expected timeline, the countries were to first work out an enhanced trading arrangement, followed by comprehensive negotiations to a free trade agreement.

State of UK-India trade, investment

India is the UKs sixth largest non-EU trading partner after the US, China, Japan, Switzerland, and Norway. Bilateral trade in goods and services, in 2019, was around US$15.7 billion and US$18.9 billion, respectively, and are gaining economic importance. Although India enjoys a trade surplus with the UK, the latters exports to India have being growing steadily. The fastest expansion was in services. Through the trade deal, India and the UK look to double their trade by 2030. If the deal comes through, it will be Indias first major free trade agreement since 2011 when it inked an FTA with Malaysia. A minor FTA was also reached with Mauritius in February this year.

Britains business opportunities in India will improve as the latter continues to liberalize its foreign direct investment (FDI) policy.

Both countries have made significant investment into each others economies though there is space for further growth. Data released by the UK governments Department for International Trade in 2019 stated that India was the second largest investor in the UK, having invested in 120 projects and creating close to 5,429 jobs.

Meanwhile, the UK is the second fastest growing G20 investor in India over the last 10 years.

FDI inflow from the UK to India increased from US$898 million in 2015-16 to US$1.42 billion in 2019-20, according to the consultancy Grant Thornton. Broken down, 572 UK companies in India, with a combined turnover of INR 3.39 trillion (US$46.73 billion), have employed 416,121 people directly.

Advantage India

Dezan Shira & Associates are a British-owned consulting practice, advising foreign investors on market entry into Asia. Established in 1992, the practice employs several hundred professional staff and has offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Please contact the firm at india@dezshira.com for assistance. Our Doing Business in India 2021 Guide can be downloaded free of charge here.

Related Reading
With the second wave of coronavirus pandemic continuing to decline in the last few weeks in the capital, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government has started preparations for the next wave of COVID, which could require nearly 40,000 oxygen supported beds.

During the period April-May, when daily COVID cases were over 25,000 and the positivity rate was over 35 per cent, not only did the healthcare system of the capital almost collapse, but the Delhi government's COVID management system too was under total stress.

Delhi government will set up special task force to protect children from third wave of COVID-19: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 19, 2021

To meet the challenges, the state government had then deployed all its senior officials and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was appointed as the nodal minister for COVID management.

The second wave left hundreds of COVID patients without medical care.

Delhi lacked a number of ICU beds with inadequate stock of oxygen resulting in several deaths in and outside the hospitals, the state administration seems geared up to ensure that the same situation is not repeated, if a third wave of the COVID pandemic hits the capital.

6,000 oxygen cylinders; oxygen beds

The Kejriwal government has started augmenting the number of general, and ICU beds. It is also working to ensure that Delhi does not grapple with a shortage of medical oxygen again.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday visited the oxygen depot in Mayapuri, which has been prepared to store the consignment of the oxygen cylinders received from China. Kejriwal informed that around 6000 oxygen cylinders have been airlifted from China, out of which 4400 have been received and 1600 will be received within this week.

"These cylinders can be given to the individuals in need and if another wave emerges and the cases rise again then with these 6000 cylinders, the Delhi government can prepare 3000 oxygen beds, as two cylinders are needed on each oxygen bed," Kejriwal said.



The Chief Minister stated that for the country, this is the second wave but for Delhi this is the fourth wave, and this time, in the last week of April around 28,000 cases were recorded but now they have come down to 1500. The infection rate had also declined to 25 per cent. "It seems that this wave is subsiding but there has been no laxity in the efforts by the Delhi Government. We have already started preparing for the next, what is being called the third wave."

Twitter

Kejriwal said the Delhi government faced a lot of challenges in importing oxygen cylinders from China; however, it could be made possible with the help of the Centre.

"Apart from all these, Delhi government is in the process of importing concentrators on a big scale of which many have been received already. Oxygen Concentrator Banks have been installed across the various districts. Whosoever needs oxygen concentrators, they are provided. We are also going to buy oxygen tanks and are creating oxygen storage space. Whatever problems we face during this wave are now being resolved," Kejriwal said.

As of today, Delhi has 4380 beds for COVID patients in both government and private hospitals, out of which over 2000 are vacant. At present (till Monday, 6 p.m.) Delhi has a total of 2564 IBUC beds with ventilators, of which around 2000 are still occupied.
A woman can get vaccinated against COVID-19 anytime after the delivery of her baby, healthcare experts have said and stressed on the need to permit vaccination of even pregnant women to protect them from the infection.

The government recently allowed vaccination for lactating mothers.

The NITI Aayog Member (Health) has stressed that there is no problem in breastfeeding after vaccination and it must not be halted "even for an hour".

Unsplash

Healthcare experts have also said that a woman can get vaccinated against COVID-19 anytime after the delivery of her baby.

Dr Khan Amir Maroof, Professor, Department of Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, Delhi, said there is no risk to the neonate from a vaccinated, breastfeeding mother.

"There is no reason to delay the vaccination after delivery," he said.

No specific precautions need to be taken by lactating women in view of vaccination and the same precautions which apply to the general population are applicable to them as well.

Periods do not affect vaccination

Dr Loveleena Nadir, senior consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician at Fortis La Femme, Rosewalk Hospital and Apollo Cradle Royale, said vaccination can also be done during any phase of menstrual cycle.

iStock

"COVID-19 is not an indication for caesarean delivery but there has been an increased frequency of pre-term births and caesarean deliveries, probably due to maternal illness associated with COVID-19 infection. If one has recovered from Covid infection, defer vaccination for 3 months from date of recovery," she said.

She further said that if a patient has taken the first dose and later turned out to be pregnant, they are advised to continue the pregnancy.

"Pregnancy doesn't increase the risk of acquiring SARS-COV-2 infection but appears to worsen the clinical course as compared to non-pregnant women," she added.

Experts have stressed on the need to vaccinate pregnant women to protect them from the infection.

Maroof said the government guidelines has not yet recommended COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women.
A former foster child herself, Charity Chandler-Cole is the new CEO of CASA of Los Angeles.
The Chinese smartphone maker has finally revealed that they would be unveiling their Android-competitor Harmony OS on June 2, with a view to recovering the damages suffered by the smartphone maker due to US sanctions.

Huawei

Also Read: Huawei Reveals Harmony OS For Smartphones, Challenging The Might Of Google's Android

The new OS will signify the end of the brands reliance on Google's smartphone operating system. Huawei hasnt really gone into the specifics yet -- whether were going to see a new smartphone or whether existing Huawei phones are going to get the update.



The HarmonyOS will try to offer some sort of damage control to the company after the US sanctions even barred the Chinese smartphone company from gaining access to technologies originating in the US that impeded the ability for Huawei to design its own CPUs as well as source components from vendors.

The sanctions were laid by the previous Trump administration that claimed that Huawei posed a threat to the national security of the United States, blacklisting the Chinese company in 2019. Huawei has, from the very beginning, denied this.

The blacklist also didnt allow Google to provide technical support to new Huawei Smartphones and access to Google Mobile Services -- services upon which most Android apps are based.

Reuters

This brought the once largest smartphone maker to the sixth position globally, with just four percent market share in the first quarter of this year.



According to an internal memo accessed by Reuters, Huawei CEO, Ren Zhengfei asked his staff to date to lead the world in the field of software development and enter areas of business that can no longer be affected by US sanctions.

Also Read: 10 Things About Huawei HarmonyOS And How It Can Challenge Google's Android

Reuters

Previous reports have hinted that HarmonyOS will be based on a microkernel architecture and will offer the flexibility of running on not just smartphones but other smart devices too. The OS has been in development since 2017.



Even though its not open source for now, Huawei plans to go in that direction soon. It will also have its own app store that would host apps specially designed for the OS. Android apps wont be readily compatible with HarmonyOS.
Beating the world's richest man, Bernard Arnault and family, owners of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) have become the world's richest with a net worth of $186.2 billion, according to Forbes.

Bloomberg

In recent months, Arnault spent $538 million dollars in acquiring shares of his own French label brand controlled by him and his family. He had overtaken the world's second-richest person Elon Musk after reporting a first-quarter revenue of 14 billion in 2021, which surged by 32% as compared to the first quarter of 2020.

In January 2021, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), made the largest luxury fashion business deal by acquiring Americas largest jewellery maker Tiffany & Co. for $15.8 million.

Forbes

They recorded revenue of 44.7 billion in 2020, downfall in sales growth by 17%.

The fashion group also witnessed a decline in organic revenue by 16% in 2020.

Forbes

Under the LVHM umbrella, an empire of 70 brands including Louis Vuitton, Sephora, Tiffany & Co, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Christian Dior, Givenchy is independently managed.
You don't often witness two chokes being applied simultaneously in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), but that's what happened during a brawl in Kyrgyzstan when a referee was forced to strangle a fighter.

It all went down in a fight when Doolotbek Narmatov refused to stop choking surrendered opponent Saidburkhon Saidakbarova, prompting the referee to take matters into his own hands - literally, RT News reported.

Screengrab/Twitter

The bout between Narmatov and Saidakbarova was scheduled for three five-minute rounds, but lasted only 90 seconds as the former locked in a tight guillotine choke submission.



After a few seconds of struggle, Saidakbarova admitted defeat and tapped at least five times on his opponent's shoulder  but Narmatov held on to the choke for several seconds as the referee attempted to pry him off.

Also read: Referee Astonishingly Doesnt Believe Fighter Is Unconscious, His Opponent Has To Prove It

Screengrab/Twitter

Video from the bout shows the official apply a choke of his own to the offending fighter before Narmatov eventually released his foe and climbed to the top of the cage in celebration of his victory.



Remarkably, Narmatov was not disqualified, and with the victory, he advanced his pro MMA record to three wins (one knockout and two submissions).

Also read: Absolutely Insane! This MMA Fighter Lost 10 Kgs In A Day Before The Fight



Por que amigo, por que? Solta, ya ganaste #WEFSelection35 pic.twitter.com/zKOPSB8fkn  Barrele la pierna (@Barrelelapierna) May 19, 2021

After the fight, he was confronted by one of Saidakbarova's cornermen and despite his clearly illegal use of the submission, he seemed confused by the reaction of his opponent's team.



Narmatov even attempted to console his opponent for his loss after the fight, with that gesture also thrown back in his face.



It remains to be seen whether Narmatov will face any official sanction for holding on to the submission.



Last year in August, an MMA fighter choked his opponent but refused to release his grip, attacked the referee, and was then disqualified from a the match.

Ahmad Al Darmaki was on the cusp of victory after he had his opponent Bogdan Kirilenko submitted and beaten thanks to a rear-naked choke at the end of the opening round.



But he did not release his grip even after Kirilenko had tapped, and when the referee intervened, Al Darmaki shoved him.

It wasn't just one shove, though. It was two, followed by a forearm across the chest and neck, as Al Darmaki appeared intent to continue fighting.

Also read: The Broken Nose Of UFC Fighter Mike Perry Just Proves How Brutal Violent Sports Can Be For Athletes
A child looks on as doctors and medical workers wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) perform their chores inside a Covid care center where infected patients are treated on May 23, 2021 in New Delhi, India. Political commentator Asad Mirza writes that the government should ensure that the management and administration of hospitals is in the government's hands and not the private sector, so as to ensure providing cost-effective medical facilities to every citizen of the country. (Anindito Mukherjee/Getty Images)
An Indian health worker inoculates a woman with a dose of the Covishield vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus at the vaccination center in New Delhi on May 22, 2021. (Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images)
Forney, TX (75126)

Today

Clear skies early then increasing clouds with some scattered thunderstorms late. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Clear skies early then increasing clouds with some scattered thunderstorms late. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Stemming from an impressive technical and human epic saga pushing the limits of fine craftsmanship excellence, the creation of the American 1921 Piece unique watch mobilised the remarkable expertises of the Maisons Restoration workshop and the Heritage department for an entire year. This approach might be a first in the watch industry, reflecting Vacheron Constantins commitment to the conservation, transmission and continuous enrichment of its heritage and of traditional skills.

American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

Only 24 pieces of the reference dated 1921 were originally manufactured. Today only one of them is part of Vacheron Constantins private collection, making it an extremely rare and sought-after timepiece for collectors and watch connoisseurs. Some watches tell stories, inviting us to travel back in time, to retrace origins and immerse oneself in bygone eras. Faithfully recreated as if in 1921, the American 1921 Piece unique watch presented this year is a case in point, offering a journey into the creativity of the Roaring Twenties and reviving the beauty of artisanal skills as practiced a century ago. More than a jubilee watch, it is the fruit of a fascinating odyssey into the heart of the artisanal know-how cultivated by Vacheron Constantin for over 265 years.

Heritage and Restoration departments commitment to perpetuate the art of high watchmaking

When the idea of faithfully recreating an American 1921 model from the Vacheron Constantin private collection first took shape, the project looked set to be both exciting and ambitious.

American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

A bridge between the past and future of the Maison, the Vacheron Constantin Heritage department has a place of its own within the Manufacture. Spanning an exceptional timeline that began in 1755, and overseeing a unique collection, it is anything but a dusty museum. The research and expertise of the teams working there on a daily basis are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the creation of new collections and a masterful reference for the Restoration workshop. The department preserves 800 machine tools, workbenches and sets of watchmaking tools, along with substantial documentary and iconographic archives. No less than 420 linear metres are taken up by an infinite wealth of production and accounting registers comprising foreign sales, correspondence between associates, suppliers and clients, various documents and photographs. All contribute to shedding both historical and artistic light on Vacheron Constantins activity through the years and centuries. They represent a sum of written instruments serving to ensure the traceability of a creation since its origins, given that all the models produced are systematically referenced in the production registers. This unprecedent heritage helped retrace the history of the creation of the American 1921 and provided a solid basis for the Restoration workshop teams. The latter thus took up the authentic challenge of reviving some forgotten skills and combining today's techniques with yesterday's know-how.



Few Manufactures are able to restore all the watches that have come out of their workshops for centuries. That is why Vacheron Constantin makes it a point of honor to pass on this watchmaking know-how and to ensure that the great history of each of its timepieces continues. The skill and style of the Restoration artisans thus consists in showing respect for ethical considerations in their work. To achieve this, they can draw upon a substantial stock of components, adjust component blanks or entirely remake them  the latter being the most delicate task of all and calling for particularly complex size calculations. Experts in the art of maintaining Vacheron Constantin's oldest timepieces without altering their nature, the Restoration workshops seasoned watchmakers are thus accustomed to combining a historians perspective with scientific analysis, but until now they had never undertaken to reproduce an antique watch in its entirety. This unprecedented work of reconstitution, respectful of ethics because it is faithful and precise down to the smallest detail, called upon the multiple competencies of these artisans, who pursued an empirical approach throughout this year-long project.

Several months of research in the Manufacture's archives, weeks of reflection and observation, numerous experiments, as well as unsuccessful attempts and successful trials were necessary to produce such a work. The American 1921 Piece unique will be in the spotlight throughout 2021 through prolonged exposure in Vacheron Constantin boutiques around the world.

Antique machines and tools

In order to reproduce the hand-crafted operations performed back in the day, artisans had to work with some historical tools from Vacheron Constantins Heritage. A late 19th century facing lathe enabled them to faithfully recreate the elements composing the case; a rounding-up (topping) tool from the latter half of the 19th century served to modify the profile of wheel teeth and to adjust their diameter. Watchmakers used an 18th century upright drilling accessory to drill through the movements mainplate. To drive the jewels into their settings, they resorted to an early 20th century staking tool.

American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

These vintage machines were complemented by tools specially made for this project, such as custom-made milling-cutters and riveting tools in line with those of the early 20th century, enabling the artisans to work in a manner attuned to that period and closely reproducing the operations and development techniques of the time. The result of this remarkable stylistic exercise is an exceptional collector's item symbolising Vacheron Constantin's unwavering commitment to the transmission, enhancement and continuous enrichment of its production skills.

Rebirth of a vintage movement

While the watchmakers in Vacheron Constantin's Restoration workshop fully master the art of bringing back to life the most exceptional timepieces produced by the Manufacture in the course of its long history, never before had they been called upon to rebuild a vintage calibre from scratch.

American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

They began by disassembling and examining every single component of the original 11-ligne Calibre Nouveau powering the original model. Apart from the bridges and mainplate which had to be recreated, the Restoration workshop's stocks proved to be a goldmine for the artisans who thereby had access to all the necessary blank parts. This involved extremely laborious research, since a vintage case could contain an infinite number of components, all different in terms of size and shape. In order to identify them one by one, the first stage consisted in taking the measurements and dimensions of each of the 115 components of the original movement. This meticulous work of observation and comparison subsequently led watchmakers to make plans and mock-ups of the calibre, a particularly delicate task requiring extremely complex sizing calculations.



At this stage, the archive documents safeguarded by the Heritage department proved extremely valuable, notably in recreating the bridges and the mainplate according to the specificities of this vintage movement. How could each component be adjusted and calibrated prior to assembly? How should the vintage machines be regulated? How could the jewels be set on the movement, whereas they are now generally driven in? How could the exact colour of the gilding on the wheels be achieved? At what distance and at which height should they be placed in order to be faithful to the original calibre? These were all issues that the watchmakers had to resolve by assembling the components one by one, as any potential error could jeopardise the entire project.



Setting the jewels on the movement was also a real tour de force. Since the 1940s, it has been customary to drive in the jewels, and while the watchmakers in Vacheron Constantin's Restoration workshop are accustomed to replacing damaged jewels on very old timepieces, until now they had never had the opportunity to make the settings themselves. Successfully hollowing out the metal to the exact depth required to fit the stones to the nearest hundredth required multiple trials. Not to mention the patient research work required to develop the system for reproducing the unique ribbed pattern which, alongside various manual engravings, adorns the movement in the same way as was done at the time.

A dial and case distinguished by sophisticated craftsmanship

Accurately reproducing the exterior of the American 1921 also represented a real feat of manual workmanship. Here again, Vacheron Constantin's watchmakers had to provide answers to numerous technical questions by observing the 1921 timepiece in minute detail, while comparing it with archive documents, and then individually crafting each element of the case and dial.

American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

Some period components were available in the stocks of the Restoration workshop, such as rough blanks of the crown and hands. Others had to be entirely recreated, starting with the 31.5 mm case, according to the dimensions of the original American 1921. It was crafted by a Restoration workshop goldsmith from the specific gold alloy used for the historical model (18K 3N yellow gold), identified with the help of a spectrometer in order to reproduce its exact colour. Only a laser engraving applied to the case back, for customs purposes, distinguishes the American 1921 Piece unique watch from its ancestor.



The creation of the dial also called for highly specialised expertise on the part of the artisan responsible for restoring the grain and unique beauty of the original dial. Crafted in Grand Feu enamel, an ancestral technique considered to be one of the most delicate in the field of watchmaking ornamentation, it required numerous firings in the kiln at a temperature of over 800C. It features vintage numerals and logo, along with slender open-tipped hands that have been hand-blued by the Restoration workshop using the production techniques of the time.





American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

And since no detail is left to chance, the exercise in style has continued right the way through to the end of the strap, whose pin buckle in 18K 3N yellow gold (the same alloy as the original model) was also produced in the Vacheron Constantin workshop.

A tribute to the art of wearing a watch in 1921

Because it retains all the original properties of the original American 1921, this unique, identically recreated timepiece reflects a historian's approach.



It subtly mirrors the social and cultural context of the 1920s, the effervescence and the wind of freedom blowing across the United States and Europe at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties. Its distinctive design illustrates the stylistic creativity of Vacheron Constantin which revelled in expressing its classic with a twist style through multiple case shapes.

American 1921 Piece unique  Vacheron Constantin

It also tells the story of the early days when the wristwatch began to become more widespread. At that time, men's wristwatches were only just beginning to take precedence over pocket watches, until then regarded as more robust and accurate. Despite the considerable progress made by watch manufacturers in terms of movements resistance, reliability and miniaturisation, water-resistance requirements as we understand them today were not yet a reality. Choosing to wear time on the wrist thus meant exposing the watch to more risks in terms of shocks and external aggressions such as dust, humidity or water. In order to avoid any possible damage, watch owners took numerous precautions, notably including placing their wristwatch on the edge of the washbasin when they washed their hands. The watch was regarded as a life companion that was taken care of and had to be wound every day by hand.
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Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

A steady light rain early...then remaining cloudy with a few showers. Low 63F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

A steady light rain early...then remaining cloudy with a few showers. Low 63F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
A worker fell to his death from a scaffold at a building under construction in Queens, officials said.

Diego Lliguicota, 32, fell from a scaffold at 9:30 a.m. Saturday as he was trying to remove a ladder on the sixth floor of a building on Court Square in Maspeth, authorities said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The city Department of Buildings is investigating the death.

Safety must be the top priority on every construction site across our city, department spokesperson Andrew Rudansky said. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to find out how this tragic fall occurred, and if we find that safety rules were ignored, we will hold those responsible to account.

The fatal accident was the second involving a New York City construction worker in four days.

A worker was killed on Wednesday and a second worker was injured when the elevator they were in fell several floors at a building being renovated in the Bronx.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Construction
Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property/casualty insurance and reinsurance, announced that after eight years with the company and more than five decades in the industry, John Charman will retire from Sompo International at the end of his current contract in April 2022.

James Shea has been selected to succeed Charman in his role of executive chairman of the board of directors, Sompo International Holdings Ltd., and chief executive officer of Overseas Insurance and Reinsurance Business, Sompo Holdings Inc.

In addition, Shea will be appointed chief executive officer of Sompo International Holdings. All of Sheas appointments will be effective Sept. 1, 2021, subject to regulatory approvals. He will report to Kengo Sakurada, group chief executive officer of Sompo Holdings.

Shea has over 25 years of global insurance experience, most recently serving as the CEO of Commercial Insurance for Zurich Insurance Group and as a member of its executive committee in Zurich. Prior to his role with Zurich Insurance, Shea spent nearly 20 years at AIG in a variety of underwriting and leadership roles in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore.

I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished in a relatively short time at Sompo International. We have delivered on our promise of creating a truly formidable, integrated, global franchise that now has the scale, ratings, capital, talent and desire to compete and win in any market we choose to operate in, said Charman in a statement.

Having accomplished what we set out to do following the acquisition of Endurance by Sompo in 2017, I believe that the time is now appropriate for me to hand over the reins to Jim and to retire when my current contract expires, he added.

Shea will inherit the leadership of a segment that represents more than 30% of Sompo Holdings Groups projected adjusted profit, employs approximately 6,600 people in over 29 countries and regions and more than $12 billion in gross premiums. The segment includes SIs Commercial Property and Casualty operations led by CEO Chris Gallagher, and SIs Retail platform, led by CEO Katsuyuki Tajiri.

We are extremely grateful for the immense success and advancement that Mr. Charman has contributed to the Sompo Group, Sakurada commented.

He will leave our organization in a much stronger position than when he began and his dedication, accomplishments and legacy have impacted our company and industry significantly, Sakurada added.

Under his leadership, Sompo International transformed into a globally relevant, trusted partner to our brokers and clients and most importantly, a place where our employees are proud to work. We wish him all the very best in his upcoming retirement, he said.

I am delighted and honored to be joining Sompo at this historic point in time for the organization, Shea said. Building on the extremely strong franchise, significant balance sheet and the ability to transact complex business of scale on a global basis is energizing and I am looking forward to working with the talented and highly regarded executives and colleagues at both Sompo Group and Sompo International.

Source: Sompo International Holdings Ltd.
A Dutch court verdict against Royal Dutch Shell Plc will determine whether it has a legal responsibility for climate change, in a case that will be watched by Big Oil executives globally.

A panel of judges in a lower court in The Hague will rule on Wednesday in a case being followed closely by Big Oil executives worldwide. While the verdict is only legally binding in the Netherlands, its being closely watched as a new area of litigation and may guide deliberations by judges elsewhere.

Shell was sued by Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, whose lawyers spent two weeks in court earlier this year arguing that the company is violating human rights by extracting fossil fuels and undermining the Paris Agreements aim of limiting temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Oil companies around the world have a so-called duty of care they must respect in the countries they operate to avoid oil spills and other non-deliberate acts of pollution. A verdict holding them liable for greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels theyve extracted would be a landmark victory for environmental campaigners, whove increasingly turned to courts to seek reforms. At last count, there were close to 1,700 climate change cases targeting governments and companies, according to the climatecasechart.com database.

Without doubt, its a very important case, said Eric De Brabandere, a professor of international dispute settlement at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Not only because it directly targets such a big oil company but also indirectly attacks the whole oil extraction industry.

Shell acknowledges it has a role in dealing with climate change and says its doing so, but that its better achieved through cooperation rather than court action.

Addressing climate change is a huge, huge challenge and requires a collaborative and global approach, Shell Legal Director Donny Ching said at the companys annual meeting last week. I dont think litigation is going to help us.

17,000 Plaintiffs

Milieudefensie rounded up 17,000 people to sign on as co-plaintiffs in its complaint, which it says is the first time a court has been asked to order a polluting transnational corporation to emit less CO to save the climate.

Judges around the world are being confronted by climate change cases and are looking to other judges for points of reference, said Michael Burger, executive director of Columbia Law Schools Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

Recent decisions have not gone Shells way in both countries in which the Anglo-Dutch company is jointly listed. Thousands of Nigerians can sue Shell in London over environmental damage in the West African nation, the UKs top court said in February. A month earlier, a Dutch court ordered Shells Nigerian unit to compensate locals for oil spills 13 years ago in a case that was also brought by Milieudefensie.

New York City suffered a setback last month in its effort to make Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., BP Plc and other energy companies help cover the public costs of dealing with climate change, as a federal appeals court ruled the global problem demands political rather than legal action.

Holding a corporation liable for violating the Paris Agreement to which its not a signatory may not be compatible with international law. Although the case is being heard in The Hague, home to the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, its being held under Dutch law at a local court of first instance.

The test will be: to what extent does Shell have an obligation to reduce climate change, and thats not a given, De Brabandere said. International law doesnt really apply to companies, but to governments who then have a duty to apply it to companies.

A Dutch environmental group successfully sued the Dutch government in 2015, pushing it to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Dutch Supreme Court upheld the decision in 2019, saying the state is obliged to do its part.'

The International Energy Agency last week put the focus back on energy companies, telling them to stop developing new oil, gas and coal fields today or face a dangerous rise in global temperatures.

The days of fossil fuel extraction are numbered and traditional oil exploration companies will have to switch to green alternatives quickly, said Angus Walker, a partner at the London firm of BDB Pitmans. Shell may need to read the writing on the wall and catch up, whether or not it wins this case.

Photograph: Railway wagon bogies beside a Royal Dutch Shell Plc logo on an oil silo at the Shell Pernis refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. Photo credit: Peter Boer/Bloomberg.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Climate Change
This wrap-up of international People Moves details recent appointments at Ballantyne Brokers; Bahrains Trust International Insurance and Reinsurance Co., and specialty re/insurer Chaucer.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Ballantyne Brokers Ltd., the independent London broker, announced the appointment of Robert Ralf as divisional director, Financial Lines, reporting to Richard Spragg, co-founder and director of Broking.

Ralfs breadth of commercial insurance experience is not only focused on financial institutions but spans right across the specialty insurance sector, said Ballantyne in a statement. Most recently with AFL Broking Ltd., Ralf has worked for several leading brokers including Aon and Ed Broking.

Ballantyne has seen outstanding growth during our first year in business and we are on track to place gross written premium in excess of US$100 million in our first year of operation. With a proven leadership team in place, we are seeing impressive broker talent joining us at an accelerating pace, in addition to deepening our operational strength with hires across the account handling and claims teams, said Spragg in a statement.

I know that Roberts cross-class experience and track record of handling international clients of scale and complexity will significantly add to our ongoing growth, and I am delighted to have him on board.

Owned by its management, Ballantyne Brokers has investment support from K2 Insurance Services, LLC. Gross written premiums placed for 2021 are expected to be in excess of $100 million, made up of a combination of managing general agent program business domiciled in the U.S., Europe and Australia across a wide range of insurance lines including cyber, professional liability, healthcare, property, construction, accident & health and directors and officers.

***

Bahrain-based Trust International Insurance and Reinsurance Co. (Trust Re) announced the appointment of Yassir Albaharna as managing director and group chief executive officer.

With a renowned international profile and wide marketing network, Albaharna has more than 34 years of experience in the reinsurance industry. He was previously chief executive officer of Arab Insurance Group and he has been vice chairman of Trust Re since 2019.

Albaharna added It gives me great pleasure to join Trust Re which I have known for many years. I look forward to working with the whole team as well as our valued clients, business partners, local regulator and shareholders to re-shape a better future for the company.

***

Specialty re/insurance group Chaucer announced the appointment of Kelan Hunt to the role of deputy active underwriter for Syndicate 1084 as current head, Ed Lines, announces his plans to retire at the end of the year.

Hunt has worked in the insurance industry for over 30 years, joining London-based Chaucer in 2015 to assume leadership of the Energy division. In 2019 he took on the additional responsibility of leading the Marine and Aviation divisions. Prior to joining Chaucer, he gained extensive experience working for both major brokers and re/insurers, including almost a decade with Arch Insurance leading their Offshore and then Global Energy operations.

Hunt will replace Lines as active underwriter (subject to regulatory approval) following Lines decision to retire at the end of 2021 after more than 25 years of service at the firm. Hunt will work alongside Lines as deputy active underwriter until the end of the year, before assuming full responsibility as Active Underwriter from 1st January 2022.

Hunt is highly regarded by the market, with a deep understanding of Lloyds and the regulatory environment, making him the natural choice as Lines successor, said Chaucer in a statement. In addition to assuming the role of active underwriter, Hunt will retain his responsibilities for leading the Marine, Aviation and Energy divisions.

Eds contribution to Chaucer in his 25 years with the firm cannot be overstated. A formidable team leader, he has helped the firm go from strength to strength and we wish him all the best in his retirement, commented Nicola Stacey, chief underwriting officer at Chaucer.
A dust explosion at a central Iowa grain elevator earlier this month should not affect storage capacity or operations during this falls harvest, the company said.

Landus Cooperative grain elevator in Jefferson said in a news release that it expects grain receiving and corn drying to resume at the site by the fall harvest, the Des Moines Register reported. The company said storage capacity will be sufficient to meet farmer expectations.

Jefferson Police Chief Mark Clouse said the May 14 explosion did catastrophic damage to the elevator, nearby concrete storage bins and catwalks connecting the structures. It blew the tops off of at least four of the six storage bins, toppled walls and caused the catwalks to collapse. No injuries were reported.

We are now forging ahead with the planning to rebuild our Jefferson location to be bigger and better than before, Landus President Matt Carstens said in the release.

Ten people work at the grain elevator, which also holds crop protection products and seed, said spokesperson Kerrey Kerr-Enskat.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Iowa
A jury has awarded an Iowa Department of Human Services employee $790,000 in damages in her lawsuit accusing the department of fostering sexual harassment.

The jury handed down the award at the conclusion of the nearly two-week-long trial in a lawsuit brought in 2019 by Tracy White, the Des Moines Register reported.

White started working at the department in 2000 and has been a social work administrator and senior manager since 2008. She said in her lawsuit that she had suffered from anxiety, depression and physical ailments brought on by a workplace rife with sexual references and lewd, inappropriate behavior. That included including explicit comments from a male boss and IT worker about her and other employees, discrimination against female and LGBTQ workers, and hiring and promotion decisions based on attractiveness, she said.

Iowa Assistant Attorney General Kayla Burkhiser Reynolds, who represented the department, argued that state officials made an effort to respond to Whites complaints and that White had made too much of the comments.

Theyre spaced out, Burkhiser Reynolds said. It wasnt as though Tracy was going to work and having things happen every single day where people make pervasive sexual comments, sex jokes in the office.

Many of the complaints in Whites lawsuit centered on the behavior of her former boss, who was fired in 2019 after White complained directly to Gov. Kim Reynolds. Another DHS supervisor accused of grabbing an employees breast and making jokes about interracial sex was also fired in a separate investigation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Iowa
Three times this year, major pieces of U.S. infrastructure have failed: first the Texas power grid, then the East Coasts main gasoline pipeline, then a freeway bridge over the Mississippi River. The crises disrupted businesses and lives, cost billions and left more than 150 Texans dead.

President Joe Bidens $1.7 trillion infrastructure package wouldnt necessarily have prevented any of those failures.

It wouldnt have stopped the hackers who shut down the Colonial Pipeline for days, closing gas stations across the Southeast. While the hack may push the federal government to enforce pipelines cybersecurity, the administration bill is silent on that issue.

Fuel storage tanks connected to the Colonial Pipeline Co. system in an industrial area of the Port of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Fuel shortages are expanding across several U.S. states in the East Coast and South as filling stations run dry amid the unprecedented pipeline disruption caused by a criminal hack.

Tennessee officials could have applied under Bidens plan for funding to repair Memphiss Hernando De Soto Bridge, where the discovery of a cracked and almost-severed steel beam last week closed the Mississippi to barge traffic. But inspections failed to register the damage, even though its visible in drone footage from 2019.

As for Texas, the White House says part of the administration plan could help weatherproof the electrical grid. But its unclear whether that funding would extend to power plants and gas pipelines that malfunctioned during Februarys brutal cold snap, plunging millions into darkness. The companies that own those plants and pipes had ignored previous warnings to weatherize, deeming the work too costly.

The recent failures illustrate just how many ways the patchwork systems can break. Experts say they also illustrate a long-running flaw in the way the U.S. thinks about and pays for infrastructure: The country focuses more on building new things rather than maintaining what it has.

Much of the current debate in Washington has hinged on what actually counts as infrastructure in Bidens plan: Child-care centers? High-speed internet? But the arguments overlook the fact that neither public officials nor the invisible hand of the market has kept our existing steel and concrete intact.

We are not lacking financial resources here in the United States, in the slightest, to make the investments we need to avert many if not most of the most extreme infrastructure consequences, said Adie Tomer, a fellow at the Brookings Institution. All three of those examples are ones where we had the resources to avoid failures. Its prioritization.

Theres also the question of who controls spending  government, private industry or a combination of the two. All three approaches have blemished records, with public officials and corporate executives alike forgoing work for their own reasons. Republicans have balked at the scope of Bidens proposal, and are expected to offer a narrower alternative that would promote partnerships with companies. Interest on both sides of the aisle may yield a deal despite the hyperpartisan climate.

Theres as much urgency as we have ever had, at least in recent years, because Biden has focused on it, said Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIOs Transportation Trades Department. Its very rare you see a president set a goal in his first term and he isnt going to do everything in his power to make it happen.

Making up for deferred public spending is one reason the Biden plan carries such a hefty price. Government officials famously love to be seen opening a new bridge or road but often dont give maintenance the year-to-year funding it needs. Repaving streets or replacing tainted water pipes dont always seem like priorities.

One of the easiest things to defer, if your state or locality is having a bad budget year, is maintenance on your infrastructure  Well do it next year,' said R. Richard Geddes, founding director of the Cornell University Program in Infrastructure Policy.

The private sectors record is little better. The Texas power plants and gas pipelines knocked out in the February storm are, like most of Americas energy infrastructure, privately owned. When a similar cold snap 10 years ago triggered blackouts, owners were warned to winterize their plants and pipes. No one in the states government forced them to do the work.

The Colonial Pipeline also is in private hands, even though its essential to the U.S. economy. The 5,500-mile system, which supplies almost half the fuel consumed on the East Coast, is owned by an arm of Koch Industries, a Royal Dutch Shell Plc unit and a group of fund managers. The owners are responsible for protecting it from cybercrime, like the ransomware attack that forced the pipelines closing last week, shuttered gas stations and prompted fuel-hoarding. The owners paid $4.4 million to end the attack.

Bidens plan calls for boosting cybersecurity on the electricity grid, through $20 billion in grid modernization block grants. But the federal government doesnt oversee cybersecurity of gas pipelines. A manufacturing trade group this week called on Congress to fix that by giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority over pipeline cybersecurity and setting mandatory requirements for operators. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Wednesday that the federal government may need to impose such standards.

One wonders whether it is time we match what we are doing on the electric side with what we do on the pipeline side, Granholm told a congressional panel.

Broken Bridges

Bidens plan does focus much spending on repairing government-owned infrastructure that has slid into disrepair. The ill-starred De Soto Bridge illustrates why.

On May 11, an inspector spotted a gaping crack in a beam beneath the bridge, which carries I-40 over the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee. Auto traffic was halted, and the Coast Guard closed the river below. More than 1,000 barges, carrying grains and soybeans to New Orleans for export, lined up along the banks.

The Coast Guard let barge traffic resume Friday morning, but the timeline for restarting vehicular traffic over the span, where thousands of trucks typically cross each day, remains undetermined.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, criticized Bidens plan for designating only 5.6% of funds toward bridges and roads. While Congress ponders the definition of infrastructure, we call upon the federal government to prioritize the safety of actual roads and bridges, Lee said in a release.

Emilie Simons, a spokeswoman for the White House, said the administrations plan would help.

This bridge is the kind of regionally significant bridge that could be considered for funding under the large bridge program proposed by the American Jobs Plan, she said in an email. This is just one example of our nations significant and growing infrastructure needs resulting from decades of declining federal investment.

Tomer of Brookings said he sees signs that officials in both parties are starting to understand the need for a different approach, one that focuses more on outcomes rather than simply building something new.

These are generational, cultural changes that we need, he said. Theres too much of a manifest destiny mindset in American infrastructure  this idea that we will inherently grow outward. And that is not appropriate for the economic, demographic or environmental moment we live in.

With assistance from Bre Bradham, Gerson Freitas Jr., Sergio Chapa and Mark Chediak

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Numbers
I remember when the worst thing you had to worry about at work was a misdirected reply-to-all on an email.

Joann Lytle, a partner with the law firm McCarter & English in Philadelphia, knows things have changed and there are many ways for employees and businesses to get caught up in legal trouble these days using electronic communications and social media from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube to LinkedIn and more.

Jennifer Reno, risk manager at the shopping network QVC, notes that businesses use social media to market, provide customer service, conduct research and even hire employees. It is popular because it can be low cost compared to other forms of marketing.

But both experts warn that if its not properly managed or insured, low-cost social media can lead to unexpected high costs. The potential for abuse by employees, as well as employers, is considerable.

Employees using their personal email or other accounts for business purposes with their employers permission raises issues.

Reno and Lytle discussed some of the risks, management strategies and insurance issues during the 2021 RIMS virtual annual conference in a session entitled, Social Media in the Workplace: Litigation Risks and Insurance Coverage.

Basically, the speed and ease of communication is going to lead people to make impulsive ill-considered comments. Theres a lack of privacy, lack of filter. This is a permanent record and obviously regulations and case law are still at the formative stage and are evolving every day, Reno said.

Employees can be especially prone to misuse social media. They can engage in discrimination, harassment, talking about their employer, disclosing proprietary information, security breaches, union organizing, Reno added, noting that youthful indiscretions have a way of following people throughout their careers.

Privacy rights violations are among the most common risks.

A Minnesota woman sued a health clinic after a clinic employee posted a photo of her and the fact she had tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease. The employer was off the hook because the webpage where the photo and comment were posted was a personal page of the employee, and not one controlled by the employer.

You can imagine there would be a different result if the employee had done it on company property from her own mobile device, Lytle commented. She said employers who allow employees to use their own devices at work without any restrictions might want to think about the risks of such situations.

Reno cited a case where a hospital employee was fired for posting her boyfriends ex-girlfriends medical history on Twitter. Another involved a nurse posting on a Facebook anti-vaccine group about a child who was admitted to the hospital with measles. The nurses name and place of employment were on her Facebook profile. Parents whose child was a patient of the hospital shared the post to the hospitals Facebook page and the nurse was fired for violating the health privacy law (HIPPA).

An employer may violate privacy rights by viewing an employees restricted site and providing information from that site to others. Reno said that 26 states have enacted laws to prevent employers from requesting or requiring passwords to any employees personal internet accounts

Employees using their personal email or other accounts for business purposes with their employers permission raises issues.

Lytle referred to a 2019 case in which an employer authorized an employees use of a private Dropbox account for work-related matters. That password-protected Dropbox account contained both work-related and personal folders. Some of the personal photos were of parties and the employees boyfriend that one might consider to be borderline explicit, Lytle said. The employers IT administrator accessed the username and password of the Dropbox account, found the photographs, and forwarded them to executives in the company. The employee was forced to resign and later sued. While the employer argued that the Dropbox folder with the personal photos was a work account, the court said the employers actions clearly intruded on the employees private affairs.

The result might have been different if there were any claims that the employee had stored the photographs or even viewed the photographs from Dropbox on a work computer, which could change the expectation of privacy. So these are ways and employer can really get into trouble depending on what their employees are doing and what conduct the employer takes in response, Lytle said.

Lytle offered one other case from California where a school principal came across derogatory comments about the school posted on MySpace by a former student and shared them with the local newspaper. The former student and her family were forced to move after they received death threats. They sued the newspaper, the principal and school district. But the court dismissed the suit saying that, No reasonable person would have any expectation of privacy after posting something like that on MySpace.

Managing the Risk

Reno stressed the importance of employers establishing a framework to manage social media risk, even before worrying about insurance. She advises employers to draft a social media use policy and distribute it to employees.

You really do need to know what your company, your employees, your management, are they doing on social media, she said. Also, what is the purpose of your social media marketing platform?

Reading the entire insurance policy is necessary to understand how any exclusions might apply.

She suggests at least an annual training program on the authorized use of social media, posting, disclosure and other issues.

Its also important to have a monitoring program. You want to trust everybody, but you cant trust every single person. You also want to know how your employees are using [social media] and how theyre putting forth your brands into social media, she explained.

The framework should also include a complaint resolution process.

We monitor our social media on a minute-by-minute basis and we use it to make sure that if customers do actually complain even in the smallest bit about the format of a broadcast, something that someone is wearing, or about a reporter, that information is actually transmitted to a myriad of departments, she explained. If it is something that needs to be addressed, theyll respond to the poster and then make sure that the poster receives some type of resolution.

In managing situations where a companys reputation might be damaged by derogatory comments, Reno suggests it is best to act as quickly as possible. The most important thing is to take full responsibility. Make no excuses, have an immediate response. There should not be a days delay; it should really be within hours, minutes if possible. But also I think its important to not get into an ongoing conversation with other posters. You really need to shut it down.

Reno said the risk management piece should be done before even considering insurance because then an insured can present the best face forward to underwriters. So youre not just presenting garbage to them, but youre really presenting a thoughtful approach to social media, she said.

Beware Exclusions

Lytle stressed the necessity of reading the entire policy such as a standard ISO commercial general liability policy, with coverage for personal and advertising injury liability, in order to understand how any exclusions might apply. One exclusion is for injury caused by or at the direction of the insured, with knowledge that the act would violate the rights of another and would inflict personal and advertising injury. The CGL policy also has an exclusion for injury arising out of electronic chatrooms or bulletin boards over which the insured has control.

Its also important to check whether the the organization or the individual is actually an insured under the policy, Lytle added.

Faced with CGL exclusions, insureds may turn to other coverages such as employment practices liability insurance. This might come into play where an employer fires an employee after checking out his or her pages, or decides between two applicants after scanning their social media and learning one is pregnant, or an employee alleging a hostile work environment after some employees engaged in text harassment or cyber bullying.

Each of these examples could lead to a lawsuit for wrongful termination, discrimination or creating a hostile work environment, Reno said.

Specialized media liability insurance, which is important to QVC because it is a broadcaster, covers for defamation, libel, slander, infringement, plagiarism, piracy, misappropriation, or invasion or interference with an individuals right to privacy, she added.

Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance
Louisiana drivers would have to use a handsfree device or put their cellphones on speaker mode to talk on the phone while driving or risk a fine from police, under a proposal that won House backing.

Republican Rep. Mike Huval, of Breaux Bridge, has tried and failed for years to ban handheld cellphone use while driving. House Bill 565 passed the House with a 77-20 vote, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration.

All were trying to do is promote safe driving, Huval said.

Opponents questioned whether the measure would improve safety, and they suggested the bill would put a burden on the poor by requiring them to buy new equipment.

A lot of people dont have cars that have the ability to talk (on the phone) through the car, said Rep. Robby Carter, a Democrat from Amite.

State laws already prohibit texting or posting to social media sites while driving. Huval wants to extend that to bar manually using the phone in any way, such as making or receiving a call, transmitting electronic data or reading online sites. People could still make calls through a wireless connection, earpiece, speakerphone or other devices.

Under Huvals bill, exceptions to the hand-held cellphone ban would be made for law enforcement officers and firefighters while performing their duties.

Violators of the ban would face a fine of up to $100 on a first offense; up to $300 on a second offense; and up to $300 and a 30-day drivers license suspension on third and subsequent offenses. The penalties would begin on Jan. 1.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Personal Auto
A Dallas rehabilitation facility will pay $146,613 to settle charges that it unlawfully fired an employee because of her need for additional leave to recover from caesarean section, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Dallas-based Greenhouse Outpatient Center and its parent company, American Addiction Centers, agreed to pay the damages and provide other relief to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the EEOC.

The EEOC said the Dallas rehabilitation center had granted the pregnant employee, a behavioral health technician, a 30-day leave of absence for childbirth. After the employee delivered the baby by caesarean section, which requires abdominal surgery, the employees doctor indicated she needed eight weeks to recover before returning to work.

The employee was told her position could not be held open beyond the 30 days, however and she was fired, according to the EEOCs suit. In contrast, the defendants had granted leave during the past 30 days to non-pregnant employees for reasons unrelated to pregnancy.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy in the workplace. In this case, the EEOC sought back pay, plus compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief, including an order barring similar violations in the future.

The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, Case No 3:19-CV-02302, after first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement.

The two-year consent decree settling the suit prohibits future discrimination and retaliation and, in addition to the monetary relief, requires the employer to provide annual training regarding pregnancy and other forms of discrimination, and impose discipline, up to termination, on any manager who discriminates based on pregnancy or permits such conduct to occur under his or her supervision.

The decree also contains a provision noting that the defendants implemented a paid parental leave policy and general leave policy, and modified their existing personal leave policy, effective January 1. Among several changes reflected in these policies, the defendants new leave policies allow for leave in excess of 30 days.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Texas
For the people marching in the streets for more than a year after the killing of Breonna Taylor, a wide-ranging new federal investigation of policing in Louisville is seen as one more chance for justice.

The demonstrations big and small have led to lawsuits and complaints that police are abusing the people out protesting abuse. Most are still upset that no officers have been directly charged in the killing of Taylor on March 13, 2020.

Its been insult to injury the whole time for many of us protesting, said Shameka Parrish-Wright, a Louisville mayoral candidate who has been arrested during protests. Theyve started this civil unrest. Were out here because of them and weve been treated like trash.

The broadened patterns and practices probe announced last month by U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland could soon be led by a veteran Black civil rights lawyer who has criticized the handling of the Taylor case. Kristen Clarke is the Biden administrations choice to lead the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Her nomination narrowly advanced through a Senate committee this week.

Federal investigators are likely to review instances in which Louisville demonstrators were beaten and shot with pepper balls, as well as the killing of a popular barbecue stand owner as police and the National Guard, brought in to enforce a curfew, descended on his property.

Barbecue cook David McAtee thought he was under attack, his family said. Surveillance video showed authorities arriving at his restaurant and unleashing pepper balls without warning, striking around his grill and inside his kitchen. McAtee didnt realize they were non-lethal weapons fired by law enforcers, his familys lawyer said. He fired two rounds from a handgun through the door of his eatery, and was shot dead by a National Guard member.

The chief of police was later fired because Louisville officers on the scene failed to turn on their body cameras.

There was nothing going on at his place, no protesting going on, the familys attorney, Steve Romines, said in an interview. People were standing around eating barbecue.

Romines said he trusts the civil rights division to conduct a good faith review of the multiple bad actors in LMPD.

The Justice Department had already begun an investigation last year into the officers involved in the Taylor shooting and their chain of command for civil rights violations.

The pattern or practice investigation reflects a shift in priorities under the new Democratic administration, which opened a similar probe of the Minneapolis Police after the death of George Floyd. In both cases, the announced scope includes any violations of First Amendment rights and questions about illegal searches and seizures and equal protection under the law.

Louisvilles city leaders and new police chief  the fourth since Taylors death  welcomed the Justice Departments promise to examine the root causes of potential civil rights violations going back about five years.

I think our officers at LMPD really want to have the very best police department in the country, said David James, a city council member and former police officer. But I think there has to be some cultural change to take place in order for that to happen.

Police Chief Erika Shields, hired from Atlanta as a reformer, said Louisvilles officers want to get it right.

They want the community to be proud of them, Shields said after the probe was announced in April.

The city has banned controversial no-knock warrants, paid Taylors family $12 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit and fired two of the officers who shot at her. One of the fired officers has been charged for shooting recklessly into Taylors neighbors apartment. But after state officials declined to pursue criminal charges for Taylors death, demands for justice have persisted, as have clashes with police.

Parrish-Wright was arrested in September  on felony riot charges that were later dropped  after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that his grand jury process led to no officers being charged in Taylors killing. After enduring pepper balls, tear gas and rough arrests, she said she and other protesters are glad to see the federal response.

I think the DOJ is giving people hope that well see something positive happen, said Parrish-Wright, who leads the local chapter of the Bail Project, which has helped protesters get released from jail.

Clarke, who has been president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and previously managed the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney Generals Office, criticized Camerons handling of the case last year as a full-scale denial of justice.

The conflict continues: Just days before the new federal investigation was announced, a protester was recorded being beaten by a Louisville officer during an arrest downtown. Denorver Garret was demonstrating when officers ordered him to move out of the street. Then they put him on the ground and an officer punched him in the head and face.

I dont fear them, and Im not going to stop protesting, said Garrett, who is suing the officer. I have the right to protest and Im going to keep doing it. I couldve been a George Floyd yesterday.

Many Black Louisville residents say the police department has a long history of heavy-handed tactics in its dealings with their community. In Taylors case, detectives secured a narcotics warrant and knocked her door down, but a search for drugs and cash alleged by the warrant turned up nothing. Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, tweeted that with federal investigators now involved, she cant wait for the world to see Louisville Police Department for what it really is.

An audit conducted by a consulting firm hired by the city in the wake of the Taylor shooting said police have had generations of problematic relations with the citys Black community. It found issues with the departments warrant process and morale so low that many officers have considered quitting.

Louisvilles police union, River City FOP, expressed confidence that federal investigators wont find systemic violations of constitutional or federal statutory rights by the officers of the LMPD.

Instead, the union blames police and city leaders for officer shortages that have led to a spike in violent crime.

We look forward to meeting with DOJ investigators and assisting in this process in any way possible, the FOP statement said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A pulp and paper mill in South Carolina emits fumes that smells like rotten eggs and which nearby residents say have caused headaches and sore throats, a North Carolina homeowner says in a lawsuit.

Kenny White, who lives in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte not far from the South Carolina border, filed the private-nuisance, class-action lawsuit against New-Indy Containerboard of Catawba, South Carolina, in federal court in Rock Hill last week, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The plant, a joint venture that involves New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is specifically accused in the lawsuit of polluting areas of the Carolinas with noxious and harmful hydrogen sulfide emissions.

Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless and flammable gas known for its pungent rotten egg odor at low concentrations, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is highly toxic, OSHA says, and is used or produced in several industries, including oil and gas refining, and pulp and paper processing.

New-Indy intentionally stopped using pollution-control devices and instead sent all foul condensate to open-air lagoons, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit cites various government agencies that have found New-Indy responsible for the emissions wafting into neighborhoods in both states.

Residents in areas along the state line have said the pungent odor has infiltrated their homes, causing headaches and sore throats, according to posts on a Facebook page dedicated to the odor.

The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in compensation for the harm the mill has wreaked on residents.

A company spokeswoman didnt immediately reply to a request for comment by The Charlotte Observer.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Homeowners South Carolina
The Florida Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion last month further amending the federal summary judgment standard it officially adopted last year.

The move came as part of the courts Dec. 31, 2020 opinion In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure (Case: SC20-1490), in which the justices were asked to answer a certified question from the Fifth District Court of Appeal in the case Wilsonart, LLC v. Lopez. In answering the question, the court ultimately opted to adopt the current federal summary judgment standard that dates back to a trilogy of United States Supreme Court cases from 1986  Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp.

On April 29, 2021, the Florida Supreme Court further amended that summary judgment Rule 1.510, Fla.R.Civ.P. to align with Rule 56, Fed.R.Civ.P. These changes became effective May 1, 2021, and will significantly affect both pending and future litigation, particularly in first party property insurance.

Like the old Rule 1.510, The Court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Moreover, the amended rule specifically provides that the new summary judgment standard shall be interpreted in accordance with the Federal Rule 56 standard and case law. Thus, insurance company attorneys have a broad base of decisional law giving the Florida Judges much broader discretion in ruling upon these critical dispositive motions.

The are several key points of this new rule. First, Florida courts must now focus on whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury, in accordance with Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.

Second, the moving party that does not bear the burden of persuasion at trial can obtain summary judgment without disproving the nonmovants case. Thus, [I]f the nonmoving party must prove X to prevail [at trial], the moving party at summary judgment can either produce evidence that X is not so or point out the nonmoving party lacks the evidence to prove X (Bedford v. Doe).

And third, the new standard defines the correct test for the existence of genuine factual dispute as to whether the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party, per Anderson.

The new rule also modifies the procedure involved in such motions. Movants must now file the summary judgment motion at least 40 days before the hearing and the nonmovant must respond with its position at least 20 days before the hearing. Perhaps most importantly, the presiding judge must state on the record the reasons for granting or denying the motion.

The new standard applies to all summary judgment motions decided on or after May 1, 2021, and with respect to summary judgment motions denied under the old rule, the court should give the parties the opportunity to file a renewed summary judgment motion under this new rule.

This article was republished with permission from the newsletter of Lisa Miller & Associates.

Topics Florida
A Cowlitz County, Wash., man stands accused of faking injuries to collect nearly $300,000 in workers compensation benefits.

James Joseph Thomasson, 52, of Kalama, is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Thurston County Superior Court on one count of felony first-degree theft.

Thomasson is accused of falsely claiming that his on-the-job injuries were so severe that he couldnt work, enabling him to receive workers comp benefits for nearly four years.

A Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigation reportedly produced video of Thomasson dancing, walking normally, and performing various physical activities  but limping near a medical clinic and at times when he thought he was being watched, according to charging documents.

L&I launched the investigation in 2019 after receiving an anonymous tip that Thomasson was misrepresenting his injuries and working as a beekeeper.

Thomasson was reportedly injured while working as a logger in the fall of 2006. He was struck in the leg by a tree, suffering bruises and abrasions. A year later, he claimed he hurt his back while using a wedge to fell a tree in Shelton.

His medical provider reportedly told L&I that Thomasson could not work due to the workplace injuries. As a result, he was eligible to receive payments for part of his lost wages.

He allegedly collected more than $249,000 in wage replacement payments and nearly $50,000 in vocational and medical benefits from March 2016 through January 2020.

First-degree felony theft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, plus restitution.

L&I administers the state workers comp insurance system. The Washington State Office of the Attorney General is prosecuting the case.

Topics Workers' Compensation Abuse Molestation Washington
California workforce regulators will aim for a mid-June easing of workplace mask and social distancing requirements to conform with a broader state order, postponing a vote on whether to revise coronavirus safety rules for employees.

Cal/OSHAs staff said it would aim to make possible a targeted effective date of June 15, 2021, instead of proceeding with a proposal that would have made businesses wait until July 31 to ease some pandemic restrictions.

The same regulations also would impose new requirements that dozens of business groups called too onerous during a hearing Thursday by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

Having two conflicting enforcement dates would be a huge source of confusion and problems, California Chamber of Commerce policy advocate Rob Moutrie told the board.

The board delayed voting on the new rules after staff said they wanted to reconsider them based on last weeks U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that fully vaccinated people can now skip face coverings and distancing in virtually all situations.

California health officials said this week they will keep the states rules requiring indoor masking and distancing until the state more broadly lifts its pandemic restrictions on June 15, a date also endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

But Cal/OSHA board members said they are inclined to temporarily retain revised workplace safety rules perhaps past July 31, over the objections of some business groups. They set a June 3 hearing to consider revised rules.

I think we need to continue to have some COVID requirements in place  the crisis isnt over. But I think we need to recognize that its been mitigated to some extent, board member Chris Laszcz-Davis said.

Cal/OSHA regulations apply in almost every workplace in California, including those in state and local governments. Its emergency temporary standards related to the pandemic apply to all employees except those working from home or where there is a single employee who does not have contact with other people.

California has made a remarkably fast transition from being an epicenter for the virus at the start of the year to a record low infection rate of less than 1% and an economy with all sectors now reopened, albeit with restrictions. More than half the states population of nearly 40 million has received at least one vaccine dose.

Employers told the board that the improvement makes the rules less necessary, while worker advocates said having half the population unvaccinated means precautions are still needed.

Proposed additional employer mandates intended to make up for some relaxed regulations would create new unnecessary burdens and requirements, said Helen Cleary, director of the Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable, a coalition of large businesses.

Business groups are particularly upset with a proposal requiring that employers provide masks for voluntary use starting July 31.

That potentially means regularly providing N95 face masks to 2 million workers, CalChambers Moutrie said, assuming 20% of the states 20 million workers cant or wont be vaccinated and half of those work indoors. The rules also would require employers to provide free coronavirus testing during work hours to unvaccinated employees with COVID-19 symptoms.

Standards board chairman David Thomas later said he was inclined to permit less effective face coverings like his own blue surgical-style mask. But others said that easing some safeguards makes it more important that workers have the type of mask that provides the most protection.

Thomas, like other board members, said regulators must be cautious in lifting safety regulations for fear of triggering a new surge.

Hopefully were getting to a place where we can open things up, Thomas said, but weve seen this before and we just dont want to get, for lack of a better word, we dont want to get stupid.

Requiring employers to provide masks and make other provisions like installing partitions and air filters adds more burdensome obligations to employers just as the federal government is loosening restrictions and Californias Governor appears to believe California is on track to open in June, more than 40 groups said in a comment letter. They include organizations representing California cities and counties, retailers and restaurateurs.

More than 40 agricultural organizations separately objected that the state cannot reopen if businesses are still required to comply with strict and unnecessary COVID-19 restrictions.

But labor and other advocates urged caution in lifting workplace pandemic safety rules.

Every day we hear from workers about their fear of going to work, getting the virus and bringing it home to their families, said Eddie Sanchez of the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, which advocates particularly for workers who are immigrants or people of color. We know from experience now that employers will not do whats right or whats safe on their own.

Maggie Robbins, occupational health specialist with Worksafe Inc., an Oakland-based worker advocacy group, said Cal/OSHA shouldnt ease workplace rules just because the state is relaxing requirements in social settings, a development she said could lead to basically open season in the workplace for all controls to be relaxed.

The boards staff is now reconsidering rules that would require workers to wait until July 31 before they can stop wearing masks indoors and distancing, unless everyone in the same room is fully vaccinated and not showing coronavirus symptoms.

Exemptions for fully vaccinated employees will not work if 100% of the workforce must be vaccinated to benefit, Cleary said.

But Cal/OSHAs staff warned that some regulations are needed even as conditions improved. Even if the state is able to reopen fully in June, COVID-19 is likely to remain a significant workplace hazard for months to come, if not longer, they advised the board.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California
Burma Detained Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Moved, Kept in Isolation

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw in September 2020. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars detained elected leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to an unknown location and is isolated from the outside world, one of her lawyers said.

The 75-year-old has been under house arrest since the military staged a coup on Feb. 1. Until recently she was known to have been detained at her residence on Mya Nan Bontha Street in Naypyitaws Zabuthiri Township.

However, Daw Aung San Suu Kyis lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw said she told him she had been moved to another place on Sunday. On Monday she made her first in-person appearance at a special court in Naypyitaw and held her first meeting with her legal team.

She said she doesnt know where she is being detained because she was just moved [Sunday] night, said the lawyer, according to Voice of America Burmese service.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed to talk to her legal team for 30 minutes on Monday. Apart from issues relating to her legal case, the pro-democracy leader has been subject to an information blackout and knows almost nothing about what is going on in the outside world.

She said she has no access to newspapers, TV or radio. She has no idea about what is happening in the country, including the [protest-related] casualties, the lawyer said to the VOA.

However, the deposed State Counselor said she was aware of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the National Unity Government (NUG). The NUG is a parallel government formed by elected lawmakers from Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) and other ethnic representatives, while the CRPH is a parliamentary committee formed by the NLD lawmakers following the coup. Both have been outlawed by the regime.

She said she learned about them via police as they asked for her comments [on them], because her name was on the NUG list, U Khin Maung Zaw told The Irrawaddy. But she refused to give her impression, as she doesnt have thorough knowledge about them, he said.

Responding to the regimes plans to disband her party, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told her lawyer that the NLD will be there as long as the people are. The juntas electoral body said last week the party would be dissolved as it had failed to follow electoral and party registration rules.

The military regime has filed six legal cases against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw. They include possession of imported walkie talkies and breaching COVID-19 regulations, among others. The junta has also filed a separate case against her in Yangon under the State Secrets Act.



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Burma Five Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Kayah State as Home Minister Visits

Karenni Peoples Defense Force (KPDF) attacked a regime security checkpoint in Dawtawi, in Demoso Township, Kayah State on May 22.

At least five junta soldiers were killed during heavy fighting between civilian resistance forces and regime troops in Demoso Township, Kayah State on Tuesday morning. The militarys casualties came as the juntas Home Affairs Minister arrived in Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State, on Tuesday.

Two members of the Karenni Peoples Defense Forces (KPDF) were killed during the clashes near the Ngwe Taung Dam in Demoso Township.

The KPDF said the fighting lasted for nearly six hours and stopped at around 10am. The regime forces employed armored personnel carriers and artillery.

Five junta soldiers died. Two of our members who attempted to destroy the armored vehicles also died and three others disappeared when fighting with junta forces. But civilian resistance forces destroyed two armored vehicles, said a KPDF member.

Three villagers living near Ngwe Taung dam were also killed, although the cause of their deaths is not known, and many other villagers have fled their homes, he added.

Fierce fighting between the KPDF and regime soldiers broke out on Friday. More than 40 junta troops, including police, have been killed after the KPDF attacked and destroyed police stations in Demoso Township and Shan States Pekon Township and Moebyel Town.

A source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Irrawaddy that Lieutenant General Soe Htut, the Home Affairs Minister on the juntas governing body, the State Administration Council, arrived in Loikaw on Tuesday.

Lt-Gen Soe Htut has responsibility for police stations in Myanmar, but The Irrawaddy was unable to verify independently if he would be visiting the areas where police stations were attacked.

Junta forces fired randomly in Loikaw from 11pm to midnight on Sunday night. At least nine civilians died from the regime gunfire. The sound of artillery firing was also heard in villages outside Loikaw.

On Monday morning, a resident told The Irrawaddy that one civilian was killed by a shot to his head while his arms were tied behind his back in Loikaws Noh Koe Village. His body was dumped in a ditch.

Four civilians were also killed on Monday morning when regime forces shelled and shot at a Catholic church in Loikaws Kayan Thaya (South) Village. Their bodies were taken away by regime troops.

Civilians have been sheltering in the church since Sunday night, when fighting broke out nearby between civilian resistance forces and regime soldiers.

A civilian who was driving his motorbike was shot and killed on Sunday afternoon as well.

Loikaw residents have been staying in their homes since the city was attacked with heavy artillery on Monday.



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Myanmar Daily Post-Coup Update: May 24
Burma Hundreds of Kachin State Villagers Flee Myanmar Junta Artillery Strikes

A home in Momauk Township destroyed during fighting between the KIA and regime forces. / Bhamo Platform

Fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and regime forces flared again on Monday in two different locations in Momauk Township, Kachin State, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes after artillery strikes hit their villages.

Local residents said that fierce clashes erupted in the Tarwar Kone and Kone Law areas of Momauk Township and that villagers had taken refuge in the nearby hills.

We heard gun and artillery fire all day. As soon as artillery shells started landing in our village, we were forced to flee. But regime forces opened fire on us. Now we are hiding on the mountain near our village, a resident from Kone Law village said.

Almost 20 artillery shells landed in Kone Law village, according to residents.

We lost everything. Our homes were destroyed and our cattle killed by the artillery fire, said one resident. We are stuck here in the hills. We dare not go to town. The military will open fire on us as soon as they see us, he said.

A 13-year-old boy named Aung De was killed after his home was hit by an artillery shell on Monday afternoon in Momauk Township.

Clashes were also reported between the KIA and junta troops in Momauk Township on Tuesday morning. A bridge located on the Mandalay-Myitkyina Road in Kachins Mohnyin Township was also blown up early Tuesday morning.

Last Saturday, the KIA attacked two military and police outposts around the Hkamti jade mines in Sagaing Region, killing at least two police officers and taking nine police prisoner.

Intense fighting has been taking place between the KIA and regime soldiers since late March, when the KIA seized the strategic Alaw Bum base close to the border with China from junta forces. Over 7,000 residents in Momauk Township were forced to flee their homes then, according to local churches and monasteries.

Soon after the juntas coup, the KIA refused to recognize the military regime and warned it not to harm anti-coup protesters in Kachin State. But after junta forces killed two anti-coup protesters in the Kachin capital, Myitkyina, in March, clashes have intensified between the KIA and regime troops in Kachin and northern Shan states.

The KIA have since stormed dozens of military and police outposts across Kachin State in Waingmaw, Momauk, Hpakant, Tanai, Mogaung, Shwegu and Injangyang townships.



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Engagement Manager positions available with McKinsey & Company, Inc. US in Pittsburgh, PA. Lead teams of consultants to resolve complex business problems for a variety of clients in a variety of industries. Direct, plan & implement the approach & objectives for the entire engagement/study & dvlp communication strategy for clients. Confer with clients to set strategic direction of consulting engagement. Min ed reqs are a Masters in Bus Admin, Fin, Econ, or non-business advanced degree. Applicants for these positions must have 1 yr exp as an Associate-level management consultant with a major top-tier intl management consulting firm. Domestic & international travel typically required. Destination & frequency impossible to predict. Email your resume to CO@mckinsey.com and refer to PPG0523. No phone calls please. An EOE Engagement Manager positions available with McKinsey & Company, Inc. US in Pittsburgh, PA. Lead teams of consultants to resolve complex business problems for a variety of clients in a variety of industries. Direct, plan & implement the approach & objectives for the entire engagement/study & dvlp communication strategy for clients. Confer with clients to set strategic direction of consulting engagement. Min ed reqs are a Masters in Bus Admin, Fin, Econ, or non-business advanced degree. Applicants for these positions must have 1 yr exp as an Associate-level management consultant with a major top-tier intl management consulting firm. Domestic & international travel typically required. Destination & frequency impossible to predict. Email your resume to CO@mckinsey.com and refer to PPG0523. No phone calls please. An EOEEngagement Manager positions available with McKinsey & Company, Inc. US in Pittsburgh, PA. Lead teams of consultants to resolve complex business problems for a variety of clients in a variety of industries. Direct, plan & implement the approach & objectives for the entire engagement/study & dvlp communication strategy for clients. Confer with clients to set strategic direction of consulting engagement. Min ed reqs are a Masters in Bus Admin, Fin, Econ, or non-business advanced degree. Applicants for these positions must have 1 yr exp as an Associate-level management consultant with a major top-tier intl management consulting firm. Domestic & international travel typically required. Destination & frequency impossible to predict. Email your resume to CO@mckinsey.com and refer to PPG0523. No phone calls please. An EOE

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Burma Myanmar Daily Post-Coup Update: May 24

Yangonites take to the streets against the military regime.

To keep you updated on what happened in Myanmar in the last 24 hours, here are the main events of the day more than three months after the putsch.

Myanmars ousted civilian leader State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in person in a Naypyitaw court on Monday for the first time since the military coup. Through her lawyer, she said her party the National League for Democracy (NLD) will be there as long as the people are because the party was founded for the people.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi together with President U Win Myint and Naypyitaw Council chairman Dr. Myo Aung of the NLD government appeared at a court hearing at the Naypyitaw Council. The militarys broadcaster Myawaddy TV reported on their trial on its 8 p.m. evening news.

The NLD leader faces multiple charges under the Natural Disaster Management Law; Export and Import Law; Telecommunications Law; and Article 505(b) of the Penal Code for sedition, as well as the Official Secrets Act.

President U Win Myint faces charges under the Natural Disaster Management Law and sedition law, and Dr. Myo Aung under the sedition law.

After the court hearing, the military regime detained lawyer U Thein Hlaing Tun, who is acting for Dr. Myo Aung.

In Kayah State (also known as Karenni State), four locals who fled fighting between civilian resistance fighters and junta forces and were taking shelter at a Catholic church in Kayan Thar Yar (South) Village in the state capital Loikaw died when the church was shelled by junta forces.

The Progressive Karenni Peoples Forcea network of Karenni civil society organizations in Kayah Statesaid junta troops shot a detained civilian in the head in Loikaw.

In Demoso Township, buildings in the townships Rural Development Department office were set on fire. The Kayah Peoples Defense Force (KPDF) said it torched the houses of military collaborators and government offices operating under the military regime along the road from Dawh Ngan Kha Village to Ngwe Taung Village in Demoso.

The KPDF said it attacked a tank and troops of junta reinforcements heading to Ngwe Taung from Demoso using remotely detonated mines.

A police captain with Sagaing Regions No. 16 security police force was shot dead as a constable fired around 20 shots at him following an altercation.

In Kani Township, junta raids forced thousands of civilians to flee into the forest. People from Monywa continued their daily protests against the military regime. Educators, students and residents in Holamin also staged a protest against the education system under military rule.

People took to the streets against the military regime in Taze and Sar Taung too. And Shwebo residents called for a boycott of the education system under military rule.

In Mandalays Mogok, junta troops arrested a woman who is a member of a defense team of local anti-regime protesters.

In Pyigyitagon Township, a basic education primary school was set on fire. Locals said they saw junta troops enter the school just before the fire broke out.

People marched in protest at the military regime in Nyaung-U, Myingyan. Buddhist monks in Mandalay also staged a protest against the military regime.

Anti-regime protesters including students vowed to fight the military regime until the end. A night protest was also held in Tammawady calling for boycotting education under military rule.

In Kachin State, a 13-year-old boy working on a chicken husbandry farm in Momauk Township was killed in shelling by junta forces.

The ward administration office of Myay Myint ward in the state capital Myitkyina was set on fire, and a stun grenade exploded outside the house of the ward administrator. Students in Myitkyina called for boycotting education under military rule.

A bridge on the Mandalay-Myitkyina Highway in Hopin Township was blown up. Explosions were reported at electricity and education offices in Bhamo.

Daily street protests continued in the jade mining hub Hpakant. A night protest was held in Lone Khin village, Hpakant.

In Magwe Region, an explosion took place at a basic education school in Natmauk. The ceiling of the school was damaged, but no injuries were reported. There was also an explosion at a basic education school in Magwe, with no injuries.

In Myaing Township, people took to the streets calling for a boycott of education under military rule.

In Tanintharyi Region, street protests continued in the capital Dawei and Launglon.

In Mon State, people in Paung Township showed their support for the National Unity Government, a government formed to rival the military regime.

In Yangon, a tea shop protest was held along with street protests elsewhere in the town. Three explosions occurred near No. 4 Basic Education High School in Ahlon while a deputy director of the Education Ministry was holding a meeting on school enrollment.



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Burma Myanmar Juntas Troops Loot Villages Abandoned Due to Firefights

Villagers from Kani in Sagaing Region flee into the forest. / CJ

Junta troops looted foodstuffs and personal belongings of residents in Sagaing Regions Kani Township during a series of raids on several villages that had been abandoned when residents fled their homes

On Monday morning, junta troops raided about five villages while making their way to Kin village. They had been deployed at Myaunggon village for two nights. Those villages are located in the western part of Kani Township.

During the raids, troops also looted rice, money and liquor from the shops of villages and destroyed property essential to the basic needs of residents.

A female resident of Nansu village who fled her home May 16 told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the juntas soldiers stole three rice bags, three containers of cooking oils and other foodstuffs from her shop during the raid on Monday.

The juntas troops also destroyed other foodstuffs and stole two containers full of petrol from her shop in order to remove the residents access to food and transportation.

They poured out the petrol on the ground, the female villager said.

Currently, residents in the area are facing difficulties in transportation, faced with shortages of petrol for their motorbikes and vehicles.

They also destroyed all womens clothing after scouring the houses, the female villager said.

Their cruelties on the people are beyond limit, she said.

Due to the raids, about 5,000 residents from 12 villages in the area have been living in the forests for several days.

Because of the prolonged crisis in the area, homeless villagers are now facing a lack of food and water, another resident from Kin village said.

On Tuesday morning, about 50 of 100 junta troops that have deployed at a monastery in Kin village in Kani raided neighboring Michaungtwin village again.

After a firefight with civilian resistance fighters on the Kani-Mingin Highway on Saturday, the 100 troops and nine vehicles had deployed at the Myaunggone Village for two nights.

During the deployment, the juntas soldiers also looted food and generators and feasted upon the villagers chickens after scouring houses, a villager told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

In addition, a 35-year-old villager was shot dead by soldiers on Sunday morning while he was returning to his home in the village.

Shootouts between junta troops and civilian resistance fighters continued in Kani on Tuesday.

A firefight was also reported on the banks of Chindwin River near the Htu Pauk village in Kani at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Casualties were reported on both sides.

The Irrawaddy was not able to confirm the casualties independently.

Meanwhile, another shootout was reported Tuesday morning when civilian resistance fighters attacked the juntas troops on three vessels travelling to northern part of Kani on the Chindwin River.

There will be shootouts in Kani as long as they (juntas troops) are here, a civilian resistance fighter of Kanis People Defense Force told The Irrawaddy.

Shootouts between the junta troops and civilian resistance fighters started in Kani of Sagaing Region on April 2.



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Burma Myanmar Regime Police Chiefs Democracy Activist Brother Dies in Custody

Veteran pro-democracy activist Ko Soe Moe Haing. His brother Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, the regime's Home Affairs deputy minister and chief of police.

A veteran pro-democracy activist, who is a younger brother of the Myanmar regimes Home Affairs Ministry deputy minister and chief of police, died while in military custody in Bago Region.

The 53-year-old Ko Soe Moe Hlaing, also known as Ko Mae Gyi, was arrested Saturday in Zaung Tu village in Bago Region along with a few other villagers after a regime informant told troops about their whereabouts.

A friend said they were told by witnesses that Ko Mae Gyi was violently beaten over the head with rifle butts at the time of his arrest. On Monday night, his wife was informed by telephone that he was dead. The status of the other detained villagers is still unknown.

His friends believed that the activist was tortured to death for his strong political beliefs against the military regime.

Unlike with his notorious brother Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, who was promoted to deputy minister and chief of police following the coup and is one of the key people responsible for the brutal crackdowns on civilians, Ko Soe Moe Hlaing, a.k.a Ko Mae Gyi, had devoted his life to the countrys struggle for democracy since 1988.

He was also involved in All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) which was the first students army formed to oppose the then-regime in 1988.

Due to his political activism during and after 1988, he was jailed for 13 years after being arrested for taking part in a student movement demanding the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under the previous military regime.

After his release, Ko Mae Gyi actively worked on philanthropic projects and regional development in Bago. He also established a network in the region to offer free education to children.

The family was only allowed to see Ko Mae Gyis face after his body was placed inside a coffin at Mingaladon military hospital in Yangon, before a funeral on Tuesday evening.

Despite coming from a family with military background, he did everything he could throughout his life for the countrys democracy, from taking part in protest movements to joining the student army. He was a good leader, much experienced in political activism. I am so grieved to lose our good comrade, said a former political prisoner who was also one of his inmates in prison.

Ko Mae Gyi was married with five children.

In Sagaing Regions Kale Township, a detainee was also killed under detention. Ko Min Min, the father of two, died hours after being detained by junta forces on Monday afternoon. He was taken from his motorcycle workshop for questioning. On Tuesday, his body was returned to his family from a military hospital with knife wounds on his arms and bruises on his back and leg.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) which tracks killings and detentions, at least 20 civilians have been tortured to death in military custody since the coup.



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Burma US Journalist Seized at Myanmar Airport

A photojournalist covers a protest in downtown Yangon in the early days of the anti-regime protests in February. / The Irrawaddy

A US journalist working for a news magazine in Myanmar has been detained by the regime on Monday at Yangons airport shortly before he was due to board a flight to Malaysia.

Frontier Myanmar said in a statement on Monday that its managing editor, Danny Fenster, was detained ahead of a flight to Kuala Lumpur. No reason is known for his detention.

We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him since this morning, Frontier said, adding that it understood that he has been moved to Insein Prison where many political detainees are being held.

We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs, the magazine added.

Fenster is the third foreign journalist to be detained by the regime. Before him, two freelancers, Robert Bociaga from Poland and Yuki Kitazumi from Japan, were detained. Both of them were later freed and deported.

A court hearing of the two detained journalists from the Mandalay-based agency the Voice of Myanmar (VOM) was conducted online on Monday. Editor-in-chief U Nay Myo Linn and reporter Ko Shine Aung were detained by the regime on April 27 for questioning, leading the online news page to suspend operations.

The pair have been charged under Article 505(a) of the Penal Code, which criminalizes spreading false news and carries up to three years imprisonment.

Media under attack

Since the military takeover, the regime has targeted journalists with arrests, lawsuits, raids on newsrooms and violence to suppress coverage of its lethal crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters.

Around 85 journalists have been detained by the regime forces. Only some have been released and many are still detained and face charges under Article 505(a).

Arrest warrants have also been issued against 22 journalists.

In a further attack on Myanmars media, the military regime has revoked the publication licenses of eight outlets. The Irrawaddy has been sued by the regime under Article 505(a) for its coverage of the crackdowns.



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Specials Ex-Chief Justice Who Presided Over Drafting of Myanmars Pro-Military Charter Dies

U Aung Toe as the chief justice

Former Myanmar Chief Justice U Aung Toe, who headed the commission that drafted the 2008 constitution, which guarantees the military a leading political role in the country and bars pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the countrys highest office, died on Monday. He was 96.

He served as chief justice for 22-and-a-half years, making him the longest-serving head of the Supreme Court of Myanmar since independence.

However, he will be best remembered for his leading role on the military-appointed commission that drafted the 2008 constitution, which enshrines a prominent role for the army in the countrys political affairs. The charter reserves a quarter of the countrys parliamentary seats for military-appointed representatives.

It also dictates that any reform of the constitution must be approved by more than 75 percent of lawmakers, meaning that no change is possible without a nod from the men in uniform. In Article 59(f), its provision on the qualifications for the posts of president and vice-president, the charter disqualifies anyone with a foreign spouse. The stipulation was apparently aimed specifically at Myanmars popular leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose late husband was British. Unsurprisingly, the constitution was criticized as undemocratic at home and abroad.

It all started on a February evening in 2008, with Chief Justice U Aung Toes announcement on state TV of his commissions approval of the draft of the charter.

I hereby declare that the draft of the state constitution has been approved by this commission, he said.

He said the commission had followed the basic principles adopted in 2007 by the National Conventiona 14-year-long meeting between political parties and others orchestrated by the then regime to lay down principles for the charter. A closer look at the principles reveals that the charter was intended as nothing more than a shield for the then sitting military dictator Senior General Than Shwe, ensuring his safe retirement. With the army in control of politics and the countrys defense, what else would the old general have to worry about?

The commissions approval paved the way for the then junta to hold a referendum on the draft. The regime held it two months later, in the immediate wake of the devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 120,000 people in a single day in the countrys Irrawaddy Delta.

The regime ratified the charter on May 29, 2008, claiming the draft was supported by more than 92 percent of the countrys eligible voters.

The Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) government tried to amend the constitution after coming to power in 2016. But its attempts were in vain due to resistance from the military, which claimedin its capacity as the guardian of the constitutionthat the NLDs approach was unconstitutional.

Then came the latest military takeover in February. Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing claimed the election last year that earned the NLD another landslide victory was marred by massive vote fraud. In attempting to justify his action, and his declaration of a state of emergency in the country, he insisted he was merely fulfilling his constitutional duty to safeguard the genuine and disciplined democracy.

When announcing his commissions approval of the draft charter in February 2008, Chief Justice U Aung Toe stressed that when drafting the constitution, the commission adhered strictly to the six objectives, including giving the Tatmadaw [Myanmars military] the leading political role in the future state.

The former chief justice lived long enough to witness, exactly 13 years later, the countrys latest coup in February 2021, just a few months before his death. It would be interesting to know what he thought of the results of the leading role that his charter delivered to the militarynot least the killing of more than 800 civilians and counting since Feb. 1.



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Backup and data protection specialist Veeam has used its VeeamON 2021 online conference to reveal some of its plans for the year.

Before the year is out, Veeam intends to deliver new features for its cloud backup products, as well as the first integration of Kasten K10 for Kubernetes into Veeam Platform.

Veeam's single-platform, cloud-native backup for AWS, Azure and Google Cloud is gaining support for archive object storage.

This includes Amazon S3 Glacier and Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive, Azure Archive Storage, and Google Cloud Archive Cloud Storage.

Veeam Platform will also see expanded support for cloud-native backup and recovery of Amazon EFS and Azure SQL

Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v6 gains a self-service portal so users can recover their own data when needed. This speeds recovery as they don't need to wait for someone in IT to do the job, and those IT specialists are freed to work on more valuable tasks.

Version 6 also supports Azure Archive and AWS Amazon S3 Glacier and Glacier Deep Archive. A secondary copy of a backup can be quickly made from object storage to one of these services, allowing the 3-2-1 data protection rule to be applied to Office 365 data.

"Over the past 18 months, Veeam enjoyed its most prolific product launch period, bringing to market more than 20 new offerings such as Veeam V10 and V11, Veeam Backup for Google Cloud, updates for Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure, AWS and Microsoft Office 365 and many, many more," said Veeam CTO and senior vice president of product strategy Danny Allan.

"We are continually innovating and know customers are looking to protect their data across multi-cloud environments; with Veeam's single platform we are helping our customers ensure that every piece of data, every workload is safe, secure and easily recoverable no matter where they reside. We are proud of our success, and that we are now number two in the market, and we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Veeam announced support for Red Hat Virtualization (RHV) backup n response to customer demands from key verticals, large enterprises, and service providers. This is particularly important to customers in certain regions including APJ, Allan observed

It provides modern data protection for RHV from the existing Veeam control plane and storage repositories.

Support includes agentless, image-level backup and recovery of RHV virtual machines, taking advantage of RHV's Changed Block Tracking (CBT) for greater efficiency.

Veeam's acquisition of Kubernetes backup specialist Kasten has gone even better than expected. "That's been a very successful acquisition," said Allan.

The first step in integrating Kasten K10 for Kubernetes with the Veeam Platform will be to allow it to write to Veeam repositories, including immutable locations.

In addition to centralising the backup of Kubernetes and other workloads, this will help prepare for the even more widespread use of containers, something Allan sees as a major industry trend.

"With these demonstrations [at VeeamON], we are upping the ante for modern data protection, ensuring our customers can protect all workloads across all environments; Veeam continues to set the standard for the industry", added Allan.

"Veeam has proven itself to be in tune with customer needs  the feedback we have received for V11 proves that  and I am confident with these new solutions coming to market later this year, we'll yet again deliver on what our 400,000-plus customers require and help them drive their digital transformation journeys."

Veeam's recent milestones include:

Moving more than 100PB of data into its top three cloud object storage providers during the first quarter of 2021, after moving 242PB in the whole of 2020.

More than 1EB of data protected on object storage in the last two years.

Passing one million active Veeam Backup & Replication installations, including those using the community edition.

Fifteen million mailboxes protected by Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365, the company's fastest growing product for the past two years.

Seventeen new product releases in the last 12 months.

Validated support for 83 primary storage arrays, 85 secondary storage systems, 37 object storage systems (12 of which are immutable) including support across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Storage.

Thirteen consecutive quarters of double-digit growth.

"Although our history of solid growth and profitability is unrivalled in the industry, I believe that Veeam will become the number one industry leader in total revenue within the next two years," said Allan.
The migration of retailers and small businesses online has prompted Australian consumers to demand more multiple payment options, according to Mastercards latest study. However, the preferred payment method changes on their situation.

The preference of Australian consumers for seamless, convenient, and secure digital payment methods has continued to grow since the pandemic, driving retailers and small businesses to move online. The shift to a digital shopfront alongside bricks and mortar purchases has led consumers to demand multiple payment options as they embrace contactless payments and omnichannel commerce, according to the Mastercard New Payments Index: The Australia Forecast Report.

The report discloses almost three-quarters (71%) of Aussies surveyed said they now have access to more ways to pay than they did at this time last year.

From checking into venues through QR codes to businesses avoiding cash completely, there has been increased exposure and therefore acceleration of new and alternative payment methods.

Just under half (44%) of respondents said they have tried new payment methods in the last year they wouldnt have tried were it not for the pandemic. With so many choices available to them, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Australians said their preferred payment method changes based on the situation they are in.

Consumers want more ways to pay

Today consumers can pay with cryptocurrencies, biometric checkout, instalment plans and QR codes. Consumers interest in biometrics is growing, led by younger consumers and those who have already opted into other touch-free methods.

Ease of use and security remain top of mind for Australians when considering their method of payment, with 52% saying new payment methods like biometrics are more convenient. 42% said they feel safer using biometrics to verify a purchase than entering a pin.

There are still doubts in leveraging cryptocurrencies, with only 17% of Australians claiming to be comfortable using it. However, almost one in two Australians (45%) are expressing interest in learning more about cryptocurrency, and 44% of Australians being open to using it more if they understood it better.

The shift in payment methods has created an opportunity for retailers to increase the services they offer and build a stronger relationship with consumers. The study reveals that 59% of Australian consumers are more loyal to retailers that offer multiple payment options.

Richard Wormald, Mastercard Australasia division president, notes: Australians have made their preferences clear when it comes to how they want to pay for goods and services. Consumers expect choices that offer flexibility and security at every step of the way. If the last year has taught Australians anything when it comes to payments, its how secure and easy electronic payments can be.

Wormald claims: Merchants that provide access to multiple ways to shop and pay are best aligned to meet consumers needs.

The research says more (65%) Australians are open to using digital payment methods to help them save money, and over half say digital payment methods have already helped them save money (55%). This shows that Aussies not only want more choice in payments, but are looking to digital solutions to improve their financial health.

Consumers place trust in companies that provide tools that keep their financial information secure

Most Australians say they will consider using at least one emerging payment method in the future; however, security is still a top concern as 72% are only open to trying if they feel the payment method is safe.

Consumer perceptions of strong security are highest among familiar payment methods such as cash, inserting a card or tapping a contactless card, while emerging technologies such as cryptocurrency, biometrics, and mobile SMS, lag behind. The study notes it is particularly important for merchants to offer secure digital payment options, with 89% of Australians needing assurance their data is safe before spending.

Consumers have sent a clear messagethey value greater choice, security, convenience, widespread acceptance, and a seamless payment experience. In order to facilitate further adoption of digital payment technology, consumers need to be assured that their payments are safe and secure. Merchant transparency when it comes to processing and protecting payments is integral to supporting a payment system that gives consumers the choice they value, Wormald notes.

Wormald adds: Technology solutions such as tokenisation are game changers for retailers and consumers alike, offering a smoother and more secure shopping experience. Australia has some of the most sophisticated consumers in the world who expect and trust that merchants will provide tools that keep their sensitive information protected.

Which is why Mastercard continues to develop new, better ways to keep payments safe and is creating a future where all digital transactions are trusted, secure and frictionless, Wormald concludes.

Contactless transactions soar

Over the same period, Mastercard says it saw the total number of card-not-present transactions grow by over 30% globally while more than 100 markets saw contactless as a share of total in-person transactions grow by at least 50%.

In the first quarter of 2021 alone, Mastercard saw 1 billion more contactless transactions as compared to the same period of 2020, with particular momentum in India and Thailand where usage grew by 2x and 4x respectively year-over-year.

How Mastercard is facilitating the future of payments

Mastercard says it has strengthened its Digital First program in Asia Pacific to maximise safety, security and convenience of e-commerce, online banking and touchless transactions. By collaborating with different partners, the program offers consumers the ease of applying online, access to purchase, and flexibility and peace of mind while shopping. In addition, consumers enjoy an array of payment options spanning digital cards, direct payments from bank accounts via smartphones, smartwatches or any other digital device.
Tesserent's partnership with Claroty will help organisations strengthen their security and protect systems from cyber threats and downtime, and at the same time, improve their overall productivity.

Tesserent announces a non-exclusive reseller partnership with Claroty, strengthening security in utilities, critical national infrastructure, and manufacturing environments.

Tesserent says the partnership will help deliver strong cyber resilience by protecting customers critical systems from cyber threats and downtime, while also improving overall productivity with safer connections and deeper insights into industrial assets.

Kurt Hansen, Tesserent co-CEO, says the Claroty capability will be delivered by Tesserents cyber analytics practice, Rivium, which presently provides security monitoring and threat intelligence capability using Splunk.

Hansen says: We are delighted to add Claroty to Riviums portfolio, deepening our capabilities in the OT sector and providing opportunities for both new and existing customers in Australia and New Zealand. Claroty provides an industrial cybersecurity platform, driving visibility, continuity, and resiliency in the industrial economy. Additionally, Clarotys integration with Splunk enables our team of consultants to broaden their capabilities with this new toolset.

The Claroty platform reveals 100% of operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), and industrial IoT (IIoT) assets on enterprise networks and protects them from vulnerabilities, emerging threats, malicious insiders, and unintentional errors.

Its resilient threat detection model monitors the network for both known and unknown threats, automatically weeds out false positives, and gives clear direction on how to take action.

This is all enriched by Clarotys extensive ecosystem of third-party technical integrations, as well as the latest threat signatures and remediation guidance from the Claroty Research Team.

Powered by its Continuous Threat Detection (CTD) and Secure Remote Access (SRA) solutions, the Claroty Platform further enhances our portfolio by providing a full range of industrial cybersecurity controls that connect with customers existing infrastructure. These technologies will enable Tesserent and Rivium to broaden our OT and Smart Cities cybersecurity services and provide security monitoring and threat detection services, says Hansen.

Nick Nindra, Claroty head of channels and alliances, APJ, says: The industrial economy requires a strong ecosystem of partners in order to secure, detect, and manage assets in critical infrastructure environments. We are delighted to partner with Tesserent who will be pivotal to our success in bringing our strong capabilities in OT visibility, threat detection, risk, and vulnerability management, and secure remote access to Australian and New Zealand customers.

The Rivium team are experts in cyber analytics, machine generated data analysis, and threat intelligence. Working together we will protect our mutual customers from attacks on their industrial environments and deliver solutions and services that address their industrial cybersecurity needs, he notes.

Tesserents security analytics practice, Rivium, has developed extensive capabilities in security monitoring and threat detection with Splunk Enterprise Security (SIEM), Splunk User Behaviour Analytics (UBA), and Splunk Phantom (SOAR).

The integration between Claroty and Splunk extracts OT baselines, events, and alerts identified by Claroty CTD and populates them within Splunk Enterprise Security (ES).

This approach, says Tesserent, will help customers gain unified visibility across an organisations entire IT and OT portfolio, and manage alerts from a single viewpoint within Splunk ES and extend existing SOC workflows and capabilities into OT.

Riviums success with Splunk has been driven by a team of consultants who hold certifications and accreditations to the highest level of capability with Splunk. These credentials are complemented by the work experience of the team having more than seven years experience in deploying these solutions across Australia and New Zealand.
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Apple Home - Hardware System Integrator Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Hardware Summary

Posted: May 15, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200218356 We're a diverse collection of thinkers and doers, continually reimagining what's possible to help us all do what we love in new ways. The people who work here have pushed forward entire industries through the Mac, iPhone, iPad, AirPort, HomePod, and Apple TV, and do so by collaborating deeply with service partners, including iTunes, the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and Apple Pay. Join us in developing solutions the world doesn't know of yet. You will be a part of a hands-on development team at Apple's headquarters that has a significant role in the development of partner branded products that deeply integrate across Apple's product portfolio, including Home, AppleTV, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac. Our system integration team is looking for exceptional electrical engineers to complement our world-class system engineering team. In this role, you will contribute your deep understanding of camera, battery, audio, wireless, touch, display, power management or sensing technology domains to drive silicon decisions, provide technical leadership in driving product development and architecture, provide technical guidance during schematic and layout, teach and mentor engineers, and collaborate with a vast cross-functional team to deliver the world's best, most optimized, designs. Key Qualifications 3+ years overall experience developing sophisticated ARM architectures in products used by millions of loyal customers as a system integrator.

Demonstrate strong EE fundamentals, with an ability to mentor other engineers.

Your toolkit may include an understanding of touch, display, camera, acoustic, wireless (BLE, Thread, WiFi) or inductive power architectures.

Your ability to work across teams at Apple, while you collaborate in a flat organization with deep electrical and protocol knowledge of current and emerging technologies.

Experience designing products from an idea to production.

Expertise in board schematic and layout CAD tools, including Concept, Allegro, PADS, or Altium.

Expertise in various emerging sensing technologies and sensor design highly preferred.

Do you have knowledge of signal integrity, simulation, RF design for BT, BTLE, 802.15.4 and WLAN?

Knowledge of battery cell and pack design and development is a PLUS.

Proficiency in use of oscilloscopes, logic and protocol analyzers, and general lab equipment as it applies to debugging of electrical circuits Description As a member of our team, you will contribute to every aspect of system engineering. You will apply your engineering expertise and work with cross-functional teams to realize products that consumers will love. You will solve challenging engineering problems by driving component selection, directing schematic and layout, and bringing-up/debugging circuits in the lab. Expect to collaborate with multiple cross-functional groups, including PD, DFM, RF Design, BizOPS, Software, HW Test, etc. to bring a product from concept to mass production. You will define and influence custom, future silicon. You will go beyond the industry norm and demonstrate creativity in problem solving, ability to think dynamically and outside of standard convention, and adapt quickly to new technical areas. You will provide mentorship and technical leadership to our engineers. Occasional travel internationally to work with our manufacturing partners is expected. Education & Experience B.S., M.S., or PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering with relevant experience


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.
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Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.


AI/ML - Maps Domains Backend Engineer, Information Intelligence Seattle , Washington , United States Machine Learning and AI Summary

Posted: May 24, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200249852 Siri helps hundreds of millions of people find the information they are looking for. A critical part of that mission is helping them quickly find and discover local businesses, places of interest, and addresses. Users rely on us for relevant and easy access to local information like finding a favorite or romantic restaurant, business hours, nearby coffee shop addresses, and directions to prominent locations. As a member of our dynamic group, you'll have the rare and rewarding opportunity to craft upcoming products from Apple. We are looking for people with experience in building rich search experience powered by sophisticated, high-performance data ingestion pipelines. You will join a team that combines strong technical skills, product vision, and a love of all things local to bring together the pieces needed to deliver a world-class Maps experience in Siri and Spotlight. Key Qualifications You have 2+ years of experience writing high-performance server software on Linux/Unix

You want to deliver innovative new products to our users, and can design and build the systems to support them.

You are proficient in two of following languages: C/C++, Go, Python, Java, Scala

You have experience with RESTful services and supporting production environments

We partner with a variety of cross functional teams across the company. You will need excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively

BONUS

You have knowledge of Objective-C or Swift and knowledge of iOS development techniques and practices

You have worked with large scale search and machine learning systems Description Apple's Siri team is seeking a Software Engineer who will play a central role in developing search features for the Maps domain. This includes designing, developing and managing Maps features in Spotlight and Safari as well as conversational features in Siri. As a member of our fast-paced group, you'll have the unique and rewarding opportunity to shape upcoming products from Apple. We are looking for people with experience in creating rich user interfaces powered by sophisticated, high performance backend systems. THE POSITION HAS THE FOLLOWING RESPONSIBILITIES: - Architect & develop end to end systems to drive new capabilities in the Maps domain. - Collaborate with teams across Apple to ensure features are fully integrated across different platforms - Work closely with operations, design and project management teams Education & Experience MS Degree in Computer Science/Engineering, or equivalent work experience Additional Requirements Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.






Della A. (Kinkade) McGuire, 85, passed away at 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, June 10th, 2021 at the Presbyterian Manor in Parsons, KS, where she had lived for almost three years. On July 28, 1953, Della married Max E. McGuire. He preceded her in death on January 21, 1999. Della is survived by her 


General Function Manages and maintains operational readiness and integrity of the WWTP SCADA network, Microsoft Windows operating system, computerized maintenance management system and Microsoft Office applications. Analyzes and resolves network problems as needed. Provides desktop support for networked personal computer systems, printers, peripherals and their related software applications. Representative Essential Duties and Responsibilities REPRESENTATIVE ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES (Note  this list is intended only to illustrate the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements does not exclude them from the position.) Works closely and coordinates with the City of Bremerton Asset Manager and will be responsible for the organization and management of WWTP inventory. Performs maintenance activities at Wastewater Treatment Plant, Eastside UV/CSO facility, lift stations and odor control stations as required, and provides support during maintenance projects. Develops and maintains the CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) for all wastewater equipment, spare parts inventory, asset control, machinery history and preventative and corrective maintenance work order databases. Provides technical assistance and network support for maintaining and upgrading the WWTP and sewage pump station SCADA systems, and researches and evaluates new technology components for addition and/or modification of existing network. Administers and coordinates all server(s) and Microsoft Server Programs; DHCP, Systems Management Server, SQL servers and other Microsoft programs Ensures continuous uninterrupted operation of the WWTP computer network for SCADA alarm, data collection, and retrieval and reporting. Diagnoses and resolves systems, hardware and network problems relating to interfaces between hardware and software components. Works with City departments, CenturyLink, Comcast, and other vendors to ensure system reliability. Provides assistance in troubleshooting problems and in training department personnel in the use of the CMMS program. Installs, upgrades and supports server-hosted software applications. Diagnoses and resolves software and hardware issues, and maintains network servers, workstations and peripherals, repairing problems onsite or arranging for repairs through outside vendors. Performs weekly inspections of sewage pump stations and records integral data; performs inspections of the motors, pumps, valves and process equipment. Performs required preventative maintenance on equipment. Supports maintenance activities and fills in for maintenance staff as needed. Performs janitorial duties at the WWTP, lift stations, and odor control stations. Other Duties - Regular attendance is an essential requirement - Performs related work as assigned and/or required - Standby Duties Qualifying Education and Experience (Minimum Requirements) Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science or related field is desired. Two (2) years experience in maintaining and operating networked hardware and software, two (2) years experience with a CMMS, and two (2) years experience in the wastewater/water industry; or, any combination of experience and education which provides the applicant with the desired skills, knowledge and abilities to perform the work. Special Requirements Valid Washington State Drivers License

Requires working standby with a callback on a 24-hour basis.

Must be able to obtain a Washington State CPR/First Aid Certificate within 12 months of hire.

Must be able to obtain Rigging, Flaggers and Boom Truck Certificates within 12 months of hire.

A Washington State Wastewater Treatment Plant Group I license is desired Knowledge of: Detailed knowledge of CMMS, including work orders, parts inventory and equipment history databases.

Individual process equipment associated with a sewage pump station and wastewater plant, to include PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and motor controls.

Wastewater process control systems.

Motors, motor starters and motor control systems.

Potential mechanical and electrical hazards, and required safety precautions.

SCADA and telemetry systems.

Microsoft computer network operating systems and their components, functions and capabilities including TCP/IP and DHCP protocols, remote management/monitoring systems, hubs and network cabling.

Multi-user/multi-tasking computer systems. Relational database models and issues related to database maintenance. Operations of computers and peripheral equipment.

System analysis and troubleshooting techniques.

Network administrative skills. Ability to: Ability to operate individual process equipment associated with a sewage pump station and wastewater plant, to include PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and motor controls.

Operate all tools and equipment associated with normal operations and repairs in the wastewater treatment plant, ESTP, odor control stations, and lift stations.

Operate sewage pump stations.

Conduct emergency repairs while in an on-call status.

Communicate effectively both in writing and verbally.

Analyze, diagnose and maintain complex databases, programs, servers and operating systems.

Design and maintain computer network systems utilizing existing materials.

Formulate alternatives, cost estimates, priorities and recommendations.

Read and interpret blueprints, diagrams and charts.

Work independently with minimal supervision and continuously for long periods of time. Examination Process Applicants can apply on-line at http://www.BremertonWA.gov/169/Current-Jobs, or application packets may be obtained from the Human Resources Department, Cobweb, or by calling (360) 473-5348.



Required Application Materials: City application and personal resume are required. Incomplete application packets will not be considered. Required application materials must be returned to the Human Resources Office by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. The City of Bremerton is NOT responsible for errors of any kind with faxed or e-mailed application packets. Original signature is required on paper application forms. It is the responsibility of the applicant to carefully list all pertinent experience and training.



Appraisal of Experience and Education/Training: At this initial review, application packets may be evaluated entirely on the basis of information you provided in the completed City application form. Applicants should include all relevant information on the City application. Applicants education, training, and experience will be assessed. The passing score is 70%. The top qualifying candidates will be invited to participate further in the examination process. Meeting or exceeding qualifications does not guarantee the applicant will be invited to participate in the oral examination process.



Oral Examination: A panel will evaluate the applicants training, experience, and ability to perform the job.



Placement on the eligibility list is determined by weighted examination scores as follows:

Appraisal of application packet regarding Experience and Education/Training -

Passing Score 70% - Weight 40%

Oral Examination - Passing Score 70% - Weight 60%



Applicants must achieve a score of 70% or better on each portion of the exam in order to be placed on the hiring list.



NOTE TO APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES: Applicants with disabilities who will need special accommodation for examination must advise Human Resources no later than one (1) week prior to the scheduled examination so that appropriate arrangements can be made. (360) 473-5348.



LEGAL and REGULATORY EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS



Fair Labor Standards Act: The classification is non-exempt under the laws of Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage and overtime provisions.



Representation: The classification is included in the bargaining unit pursuant to the Recognition Article of the current labor agreement between the City of Bremerton and the Teamsters Local 589.



Civil Service: The classification is excluded from the City's Civil Service System.



Appointment and Removal Authority: The position is filled by appointment by the Department Head. Removal is by action of the Department Head in conformance with Human Resources Policies.



This classification specification does not constitute an employment agreement between the City and employee. It is subject to change by the City, with the approval of Human Resources, as the needs of the City and requirements change.



Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

It is the policy of the City of Bremerton to offer equal employment opportunity to all individuals. The City of Bremerton will administer all actions with respect to employment practices in compliance with federal, state and local laws, and will not discriminate in any employment practice on the basis of age (40+), sex, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation/gender identity, marital status, military status, or the presence of any physical, mental or sensory disability.



ADA Statement

The City of Bremerton does not discriminate on the basis of disability in programs and activities, which it operates pursuant to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and ADA Amendments Act. This policy extends to both employment and admission to participation in the programs, services and activities of the City of Bremerton. Reasonable accommodation for employees or applicants for employment will be provided.



The City of Bremerton is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse workforce.

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The Berkeley County court marshals gather outside the judicial center to join in the Pledge of Allegiance, a morning ritual that has occurred over the last few months as a sign of brotherhood and support.
Veronica McDade was one of 27 students honored with Shepherd Universitys prestigious McMurran Merit Scholar Award, an accomplishment her CCAP/Loaves & Fishes fellow volunteers said only further showcases the young womans passion for bettering her community, as well as herself.
Classes in the Wilkes County Schools will start on Aug. 23 and end on May 25 in 2021-22 as a result of a calendar approved by the Wilkes Board of Education on Feb. 1.
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As the companys name suggests, Bute Island Foods is based on the Isle of Bute, off the west coast of Scotland, where it employs around 180 people. It sells its plant-based cheese alternatives in blocks, slices and creamy and grated variants online, through independent retailers and via major supermarket groups including Sainsburys and Waitrose.

Saputo has not provided specific financial details for the deal. However, alongside the Bute Island deal, Saputo also announced the purchase of a facility from US firm Wisconsin Specialty Protein which manufactures ingredients such as goat whey and organic lactose  and said it had spent a total of approximately CAD187m (US$155.3m) on the two transactions.

Saputo, which in 2019 bought the UKs Dairy Crest, described Bute Island Foods as an innovative manufacturer, marketer and distributor of a variety of dairy-alternative cheese products for both the retail and foodservice market segments under the award-winning vegan Sheese brand, alongside private label brands.

Saputo CEO Lino Saputo said: Our commitment remains to expand our footprint in the dairy alternatives space to meet the changing demands of our customers and consumers. This investment marks an important milestone that will allow us to accelerate our growth in this area globally, putting innovation at the forefront of our priorities.

Just Food has asked Bute Island to comment on the deal.



Saputo said the acquisition of the facility from Wisconsin Specialty Protein will broaden and increase the value of its ingredients offering. The plant is located in Reedsburg in Wisconsin.
Australia on Tuesday abruptly announced it will shutter its embassy in Afghanistan this week, expressing fears over the increasingly uncertain security environment in Kabul as foreign troops withdraw.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the facility would close as an interim measure on May 28  in just three days  in light of the imminent international military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The United States and allied forces are in the final stages of withdrawing their remaining troops from Afghanistan, ending Americas longest-ever war, but heralding an uncertain future for a nation in the tightening grip of Taliban militants.

Around 80 Australian troops are also leaving, and without that small contingent and the larger US force as back-up, Morrison said there was an increasingly uncertain security environment.

The government has been advised that security arrangements could not be provided to support our ongoing diplomatic presence, he said in a statement.

The elected government in Kabul and Afghan security services remain fragile despite two decades of foreign capacity building, and their success is far from clear without continued US military support.

Western diplomats and military officials have been scrambling to work out how to provide security for their future civilian presence in Afghanistan with fears growing of a Taliban comeback.

The only incentive for foreign embassies to remain is the humanitarian work that they are involved in, but if their personnel are endangered then there is no point in remaining here, a foreign defence official based in Kabul told AFP.

Several other embassies will follow Australia in the coming weeks or months.

Nishank Motwani, an Afghanistan specialist based in Australia, said the Taliban would interpret Morrisons announcement as a victory.

The Taliban will see it as a clear sign that other NATO and non-NATO partner countries are likely to shutter their diplomatic missions because of the USs decision to exit Afghanistan and the security vacuum its departure will inevitably create, he told AFP.

In recent weeks, violence in the country has soared and Afghan forces have clashed with Taliban fighters not far to the east and west of Kabul.

President Joe Biden has said all American troops will leave by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the Al-Qaeda attacks that sparked the US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban.

 A sad indictment 

It was not clear whether there was a specific threat made against the Australian embassy, which is located in the heavily fortified Green Zone, not far from the US mission.

Afghanistans foreign ministry said it hoped Australia would review its decision, adding it was committed to offering security to diplomatic missions.

Key among the concerns of foreign embassies is making sure Kabul airport  the exit route for Western diplomats and humanitarian workers if security breaks down  can function securely.

The sudden closure of the Australian embassy surprised some experts.

It is not set in stone that this is going to be a Taliban roll-up in the next few weeks, said John Blaxland, Professor of International Security at the Australian National University.

This is not Saigon 1975, he added, a reference to the dramatic helicopter evacuation from the roof of the US embassy in South Vietnam as the Viet Cong and regular communist military forces seized the city.

Australias two-decade presence in Afghanistan was not without scandal.

A years-long Australian military inquiry recently reported evidence that elite special forces unlawfully killed 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners during the war.

A special war crimes prosecutor has been appointed to further investigate atrocities including summary executions and body count competitions and bring those responsible to justice.
At [age] two and a half, my mother was given a half an hours notice that I was going. She had knitted me my little clothes, ready if I ever should go. She had put those on me, and she walked me up the corridor to the nun who took me from there. And that was the last my mother was ever to see of me. I was handed over to two strangers, elderly strangers at that. And the nun came back and took my clothes back to my mother, who had so lovingly knitted them for me and said she wont be needing these. This was the kind of parting that really was such an emotional tragedy for women and children, recounts Mary Harney in an interview on 16 April 2021.

On 12 January 2021 a six-year enquiry into mother and baby homes run by the church or the Irish state over several decades last century, came to an end with the release of a 3,000 page final report. It found that dozens of thousands of unmarried women were forced into such mother and baby homes. Thousands of babies died, their bodies in some cases unburied, with no certification, some thrown into cesspits. Illegal adoptions  such as Harneys  were rife.

They stripped us of our identities. They changed our names. They changed our mothers names. We cant find our birth certificates. If youre an ordinary citizen in Ireland, you can go get your birth certificate. If youre an ordinary citizen in Ireland, you probably go and access my birth certificate, but we cant. So they stripped us of identity, dignity, human rights, says Harney, now 72 years old and a tutor at the Human Rights Law clinic at the National University in Galway.

The special committee concluded that Ireland was an especially cold and harsh place for women  at the time  mainly the 50s, 60s and 70s  and unmarried mothers suffered serious discrimination. Societal attitudes are blamed: Women who gave birth outside marriage were subject to particularly harsh treatment, it says. And the report makes clear that the abuse was supported by, contributed to, and condoned by, the institutions of the State and the Churches.

It is the last of several investigations set up by the Irish state over recent years into linked institutions: child abuse within industrial schools into which children born in mother and baby homes were later educated; and the Magdalene Laundries network in which many mothers were forced to work. The report found that around 9000 babies died, about 15%  one in six  of all the babies born in these institutions. The very high rate of infant mortality (first year of life) in Irish mother and baby homes is probably the most disquieting feature of these institutions. The death rate among illegitimate children was always considerably higher than that among legitimate children but it was higher still in mother and baby homes: in the years 1945-46, the death rate among infants in mother and baby homes was almost twice that of the national average for illegitimate children, it says.

Women were told they were paying for their sins

Yet the commissions work has come under serious and widespread criticism among survivors and experts. The Irish government is always making efforts to compartmentalise, to put boundaries around its investigations, explains Maeve ORourke, director of the Human Rights Law Clinic at the National University of Ireland, Galway. If you were born in one state-funded, church-run institution, you were very likely to have ended up in another one, if not another and another. Those affected have always made the point that its wrong to investigate on an institution-by-institution basis. But that is what the government has done, she says. Its a very piecemeal approach, notes James Gallen lecturer at Dublin City University and Expert Advisor on Transitional Justice to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on Mother and Baby Homes. Despite the clear network of practises that may be deemed abusive, he says, each survivor group or group of affected families has had to start again in some respects, he says, lobbying each time, to say to the state: our issue, our group, our institutional setting matters, is also significant, and warrants investigation.

Mary Harney was herself born in the Bessborough Mother and Baby home in 1949. In the year of 1944, the report says that up to 75% of babies born there died. Harney is outraged by what she sees as many defects in the committees report. The reports says that women admitted to the institutions ranged in age from 12 years old to women in their 40s. A 12-year-old is not a woman. It is a child, Harney says. The commission admits that they were due to either incest or rape, and we have no investigation, Harney points out. Her own mother was denied medical attention during the process of giving birth. Women were told they were paying for their sin, that they were now to pay for what they did in a few minutes or that kind of demeaning, degrading treatment of women. While the report admits the women did suffer emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks, and a cold atmosphere, it takes it no further. I was appalled by the contradictory statements that were made in that report. On the one hand, there was abuse, but on the other hand, it wasnt really abuse, says Harney.

Denying a respectful burial

The report says there was no evidence that the women were forced into institutions. To say that women werent incarcerated beggars belief, says Harney. These women had not committed any crimes. They were detained. This goes to the heart of human rights, enforced disappearance, trafficking of children by falsifying adoptions and falsifying information.

One example that has gripped the Irish public imagination around the abuses is that of the Tuam mother and baby home in County Galway, where, in 2014, a substantial amount of human remains  many hundreds of bodies  was found in the grounds. A local historian in Galway paid herself to gather every single death certificate that was in the general register office for a child who had died in the mother and baby home and then set about trying to find out where they were buried. We dont know how many of the babies are actually there but certainly there are many, says ORourke. The structure in which dead babies were buried was formerly a septic tank. Almost unbelievably, those babies are still in that place, she says. While the mother and baby home report talks about a process of respectful reburial, the process will not begin until 2022. There has been nothing done for the actual individual families who wish to know: is my relative in the ground either in Tuam or another institution? what is the cause of their death? ORourke continues. There are actually people wondering if that death certificate is correct or [if their] relative [could] actually be adopted somewhere else. Was it actually falsified or not? We know in Ireland that many peoples birth certificates were falsified. There was a whole process of illegal adoption. Peoples identities were completely obliterated. And so people are wondering: was that done with death certificates, as well in furtherance of transnational adoptions?

A secret enquiry

ORourke is also deeply disappointed by how the committee has dealt with survivor testimonies. The report suggests that some testimony is contaminated because the survivors seem to have met and spoken, but they dont say which bits of the testimony are contaminated [and] many of the survivors say that their testimony has not been repeated faithfully.

Gallen describes the enquiry process as ritualistic, designed to give survivors the feeling youve been heard. But really, were going to take back control once weve heard you. It was essentially a secret enquiry because when it was set up in 2015, none of those people affected were given legal representation, says ORourke. The enquiry refused entirely on a blanket basis to give any survivor access to any of the evidence it was gathering. And it refused even to give people like Mary [Harney] a transcript of the evidence that they had given. And it wouldnt give anybody their personal data, she says. I gave [an affidavit] to the confidential committee and I never got a copy of that statement back yet, confirms Harney.

The commission has made 53 recommendations, including compensation and memorialisation. But Harneys previous experience with another of the investigations into industrial schools makes her even more sceptical of the governments approach. The compensation there was based on whether or not you could prove you were in the institution, which is going to be hugely difficult with the mother and baby institutions, because we cant get our records to say that we were there.

Facing up to the past

The very first thing the survivors and victims of these gross and systematic human rights violations [need]  which absolutely include torture and enforced disappearance  is information, says ORourke. Ireland has a criminal justice system, a civil justice system, a system of coroners inquest, freedom of information and is part of the Europe-wise rules on protection of privacy and access to your own information known as GDPR. But survivors of these institutions have been systematically excluded from every single one of those systems, she says.

The investigations were characterized by private hearings, with no meaningful effort to see the sort of public outreach that you would see in transitional justice practise, notes Gallen. Without the sort of public theatrics of a truth commission hearing where survivors testimonies are led in a way that is sympathetic to them, the long, technical report is seen by the state as essentially an assessment of bureaucratic failure, he says.

Once the report came out, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, said he accepted that the Church was part of a culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected. He said: For that, and for the long-lasting hurt and emotional distress that has resulted, I unreservedly apologise to the survivors and to all those who are personally impacted by the realities it uncovers. The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheal Martin said the report described a dark, difficult and shameful chapter of Irish history to which we must face up as a society and that women and children were treated exceptionally badly.

For Harney the apologies are not enough. Its a whitewash, its no use. What we want is an apology that says successive Irish governments trampled all over [our] human rights. And when we get that apology and then the findings and the recommendations are based in international human rights, then thats a part of justice. What is of paramount importance to us is that we have free and unfettered access to our identities, she says. ORourke shares Harneys frustration and dissatisfaction: I just find it so upsetting that basically the survivors are actually in a worse position now than they were six years ago.
San Diego (CNS)-Authorities publicly identified a 60-year-old man on Monday who was killed in a traffic accident in an alley of Ocean Beach last week.

Before 11:30 on Friday night, Frank Thomas Neal of San Diego was found fatally wounded on the 4800 block of Niagara Avenue. Andra Brown said that the officer arrived and found a good Samaritan performing CPR on Neal.

The medical staff took over his life-saving attempt and then declared him dead at the scene.

Due to the suspicious nature of the death, the San Diego police homicide detective was called to the scene and began investigating the incident, the lieutenant said. During the investigation, the detective (Neil) learned was killed in a traffic accident. The investigation has been handed over to the Traffic Investigation Office for further follow-up.

The police did not provide any details about the crash, including the crash and the crash, and whether the driver has been identified.

City News Service, Inc. Copyright 2021.
U.S. President Biden thanked Egypt for its successful diplomacy and coordination with the United States to reach a ceasefire to end Israels 11-day military attack on the Gaza Strip and rocket shooting against Israel.

The White House said in a statement on Monday that Biden discussed reconstruction efforts after the deadly attack on the besieged Palestinian territories during a phone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdul Fatah Sisi.

The leaders of the two countries have discussed the urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need in Gaza and support reconstruction efforts in a way that benefits the people there rather than Hamas, statement read.

Mondays call came from Biden send US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken will meet with leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the region this week, and will visit Egypt and Jordan.

The Biden administration faces a wide range of challenges pressure, Including those within his own Democratic Party, prompted Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but the President of the United States and his senior officials agreed adhere to Behind the scenes diplomacy is a better way.

Egypt helped reach a truce between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on Friday, and the country sent delegations to Tel Aviv and the occupied Palestinian territories to closely monitor the execution of the deal.

Last week, El-Sisi pledged to provide 500 million U.S. dollars to help the reconstruction of Gaza.

During the 11-day Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, nearly 250 Palestinians, including dozens of children, were killed. Gaza also injured more than 2,000 people and destroyed many buildings and important infrastructure. .

Rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups from the Gaza Strip killed at least 12 people in Israel, including two children.

After Israel planned to forcibly evacuate Palestinian families from occupied East Jerusalem, violence broke out, and the attack on Palestinian believers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound provoked widespread protests in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and within Israel.

Hamas, the Palestinian faction that governs Gaza, said that in response to Israels crackdown, it began firing rockets at Israel.

The US State Department stated that Blincoln plans to focus on securing a Hamas-Israel ceasefire during the visit and to provide much-needed assistance to the Palestinians.

The Department of Defense said in a statement earlier on Monday that in the blink of an eye it will discuss important follow-up work to consolidate the ceasefire and reduce the risk of further conflict in the coming months.

Al Jazeeras James Beth reported in West Jerusalem on Sunday. He said: The bigger question of Blincolns visit is whether this will change the way the Biden administration calculates.

Since taking office, Biden and his senior officials have been trying to de-prioritize the Israeli-Palestinian issue among other foreign policy priorities. They will change this situation now and refocus on negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and will the United States actively pursue them? asked the Gulf.

At the same time, some progressive American lawmakers continue to call on Washington to cancel a The planned $735 million arms deal Relations with the Israeli government and readjusting relations with Israel.

During the Israeli bombing of Gaza, Washington lawmakers continued to push for unconditional questioning U.S. military assistance Israel, totaling 3.8 billion US dollars per year.

Egypt is the second largest recipient of U.S. aid after Israel. Human rights advocates have previously urge The Biden administration put pressure on El-Sisi, who presided over a wide range of Suppress Improve the opinions of journalists, activists and critics to improve the human rights record of their governments.
A man in New Jersey was fatally beaten outside a strip club, which is often the scene of other screen crimes on the popular HBO show The Sopranos.

Marko Guberovic, 38, was beaten by five men outside the satin doll strip club before 4 a.m. Saturday morning, which appeared on the HBO show as Bada Bing.

2 pcs Marko Guberovic was beaten by five men and then fatally shot in a car in New Jersey Credit: Facebook

Police said Guberovic only had an argument with these people on the shoulders of Highway 17, where they exchanged words before becoming weak.

The court documents stated that Guberovic was eventually beaten several times, fell, and fell on the fast lane, Voice of the day report.

At that time, the five people jumped into a 2006 Jeep Cherokee and walked out on the way away from the person.

Unfortunately, a 2020 BMW M8 was driven by a man who was drinking and was speeding at the time and torn down the street.

2 pcs These guys beat him outside the strip club that was well-known by the female high school music team Credit: Getty

The police said that a few seconds later, the car hit Guberovic and dragged him away from the strip club.

Police on Saturday arrested 22-year-old Kevin Agudelo and Christian Reyes, and 23-year-old Julio Pena, who committed serious manslaughter and threatened the injured victim and were detained in Bergen County Prison.

Brothers Ardian Hoti, 23, and Fero Hoti, 24, were also arrested on Long Island and detained in Nassau County while awaiting trial.

A kind GoFundMe Since the creation of the name Guberovic, it has almost reached its goal of $15,000.

The organizer wrote: Beloved son, brother, uncle and friend Marko unfortunately passed away at the age of 38.

He will illuminate any room he walks into with the infamous WOOOOOOOO, and put a smile on everyones face. He is the most sincere soul and will be deeply missed by many people.

VACC started Vaccines that are fully vaccinated in the UK will be quarantined after contact with people with Covid. exclusive Come back from the dead The neighbors screams were caused by the wild gang assaulting women after being asked to move. Race VID The bouncer said n ***** was more shocked than when he used a knife to pull him Newest Stop spreading The Surge Covid test was launched in Hampshire to capture cases of the Indian variant Killer explosion The explosion in which boy 2 died was caused by cutting a gas pipe inside the home Save the date Weddings, social distancing and mask updates are delayed due to PM taking more time

If you know Marko, you know that he will not hesitate to remove the shirt from your back for anyone in need. His kindness is unparalleled.

Go on, Marko does everything we can. This is our chance to do it for him and his family.

Please let them continue to pray. His mother, father and sister; but especially his niece Tessa, this is the absolute brilliance of his life.
A few days after a severe storm hit the countrys western coast and killed at least 140 people, Indias eastern coast was on alert before the Bay of Bengal was hit by a strong hurricane.

The Bureau of Meteorology of India said that Hurricane Yas is expected to make landfall on Wednesday and may bring continuous strong winds of 165 kilometers per hour. It said the storm is expected to hit the eastern states of West Bengal and Orissa.

Disaster relief teams have deployed potential rescue and recovery operations in two states and are evacuating coastal areas. The Indian Air Force and Navy indicated that they have prepared some helicopters and ships for rescue work.

After Hurricane Tauktae killed at least 140 people across the western states last week, Yaas will be the second storm to hit India in 10 days. During the storm, nearly 70 victims were anchored by barges and sank off the coast of Mumbai.

While India is battling the destructive coronavirus surge, a huge storm has occurred, making efforts to deal with both more complicated.

In neighboring Bangladesh, the authorities require all fishing boats and trawlers in the northern Bay of Bengal and deep sea to move closer to the coast in Yass.

Hurricane Tauktae, which hit the west coast of India earlier this month, killed at least 140 people earlier this month. (Rafiq Mabbur/Associated Press)

The countrys Meteorological Department issued a weather bulletin in Dhaka that ships should leave Nautical Chart, Mongla, Coxs Bazar and Peras sea ports.

Scientists say that cyclones in India are becoming more frequent, and changes in climate patterns make them more intense.

In May last year, nearly 100 people died in Hurricane Amphan, the largest storm that hit eastern India in more than a decade. It flattened villages in eastern India and Bangladesh, destroyed farms, and deprived millions of people of power.
San Diego-Dozens of residents gathered outside San Diego City Hall on Monday afternoon to protest a deal that signed a 20-year contract between the city and the San Diego Gas and Electric Company.

At the same time, solar companies are working to maintain solar net metering rules, which allow homeowners to charge SDG&E for the electricity that roof panels bring back to the grid.

Tara Hammond said: Rooftop solar reduces the bills of all taxpayers, reduces the number of transmission lines in the desert that must be paid by taxpayers, and reduces the risk of fire, which is what taxpayers must pay. La Hammond (Tara Hammond) said, environmental advocates.

Hammond said that if passed, AB 39 will make solar purchases more expensive and stop the strong growth of rooftop solar energy seen in San Diego.

They are doing their best to curb competition, and in this case, this is rooftop solar, Hammond said.

Net energy metering makes clean energy prices more than needed, said Deborah Howard, chairman of the board of directors of the California Association of Senior Lawyers.

The utility company said it needs to change the net meter deal it reached five years ago, because payers of low- and mid-range prices are now paying the cost of updating the grid, while solar owners just use their credit lines to pay for the costs. Rooftop solar panels.

The bill will be a controversial battle in the California State Assembly because, according to former city lawyer Mike Aguirre, poor rate payers using solar panels can maintain almost all the electricity they need, There is no need to go through public utilities at all.

He said the signs from the state government should worry solar supporters.

Agill said: The California Public Utilities Commission has changed from being a regulator of public utilities to a protector of public utilities.

Currently, 16% of San Diegans rooftops have solar panels installed.

The proposed franchise agreement with SDG&E will be voted on on Tuesday morning. A decision on net measurement is expected to be made on Wednesday.
Santiago-Santiago launched a national campaign to raise awareness of anti-Asian violence and discrimination.

On Monday, May 24, 2021, Lilly Cheng, director of the Chinese Cultural Center of San Diego State University.

In Mira Mesa, local leaders gathered on Monday to condemn hate crimes against Asian Americans and expressed support for the yellow whistle movement. Organizers said the work began last month in New York City, with yellow whistles as Self-protection and unity, people can use to ask for help.

Lilly Cheng, director of the Chinese Cultural Center of San Diego State University, together with others whistled to restaurant customers.

Cheng said: Asian Americans are usually very quiet, very silent-almost invisible. We want to use yellow (this is a very loud color) and whistle (this is a loud tool).

Now, we are screaming, speaking out loud. Thats a sign.

In recent months, many videotapes have appeared in communities across the United States that show attacks against Asian Americans (usually the elderly).

A 2021 report from the Center for Hate and Extremism Research in San Bernardino, California, found that 15 cities and counties in the United States have reported anti-Asian hate crimes to the police Increased by 169% in the first quarter of this year Compared with the same period last year. According to the report, some of the most reported cities in the United States have become reliable indicators of trends in the past decade.

The report also described an increase in hate crimes in Los Angeles and San Francisco compared to a year ago. The report shows that San Diego recorded only one hate crime incident in the first quarter of 2021.

A Del Mar resident living in Asia spoke to FOX 5 on the condition of anonymity. She said that she didnt see anyone they picked here.

The lady said: I am more comfortable here than there.

But local leaders said there are still concerns, because hate crimes are often not reported for various reasons.

Earlier this year, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was the first Filipino-American to hold the highest office in the city. He said the issue was deeply personal and joined a group of local leaders. , To provide resources for Asian companies.

District Attorney Summer Stephen (Stephan) also urged residents to use the Hate Crimes Hotline at 619-515-8805 or to report crimes through the following methods: This online form.

We usually remain silent, said Ron Joe of the Asia Pacific Islander-America Department of Public Affairs. We can no longer remain silent.
Teenage mother OG fans expressed concern that Mackenzie McKees child would be eaten by alligators.

What caused concern was the 26-year-old girls claim that her 7-year-old daughter, Jaxie, saw one in their home Florida backyard.

13 Fans of teenage mothers expressed their concern that Mackenzies children might be eaten by alligators. Image source: Instagram

13 She said that her daughter Jaxie found a crocodile in their backyard. Image Credit: Instagram / @mackenziemckee

13 Fans come to Reddit to discuss their concerns Credit: Reddit

This Music TV The star recently went to Facebook to introduce her life to her friends and fans.

After sharing the latest news about her father and husband Josh, Mackenzie Wrote: Jaxie is just screaming because they are the little crocodiles in our backyard, come to say hello.

In addition to Jaxie, Mackenzie and Josh are also parents of 9-year-old son Gannon and 4-year-old son Broncs.

Some attention Teen mom Fans are coming Reddit Discuss sightings of crocodiles, because many people worry about the safety of their children.

One person asked: Are there anyone else worried that their children will be eaten by crocodiles? She is too stupid to really protect her children or teach them to avoid danger.

13 Mackenzie made this request in a recent Facebook post Credit: Reddit

13 One person said they feel fear for the children Credit: Reddit

13 Fans agree that they are a little worried Credit: Reddit

13 Someone wants to know if its normal to find alligators in Florida Credit: Reddit

When they answered, the following agreed: This. I do feel scared of them.

The third fan tweeted: A few days ago, she posted the news that a fish caught by Canon came to her because he was fishing alone in the pond of their property. So, yes, a little worried.

When another person wrote, the relevant comments continued: Maybe its not that I am from Florida, so it sounds like crazy to panic me, but to be honest, alligators often see this fact in Florida. She Of children are rarely supervised, which makes me feel very anxious.

Just like between the lack of supervision and the seemingly no teaching of actions/consequences at home, it would not surprise me if one of her children tried to disturb a little crocodile at some point in the near future. injured.

Another Reddit user said: This is definitely a problem. I live in South Carolina (the bastard of Florida and Ohio), and people here are indeed attacked by alligators and are easier to adapt than those who are not here.

13 One person pointed out that alligators in Florida are a target of attention Credit: Reddit

13 Mackenzie has mentioned crocodile skin spots in the past Credit: Reddit

13 Many fans say that crocodiles are very common in the Mackenzie area Credit: Reddit

13 Mackenzie is a mother of three children Image credit: macenziemckee/Instagram

I think things like drowning and being bitten by a snake may be bigger for her child, but a crocodile attack is definitely possible.

The next person wrote: Ah, so there are crocodiles around her house. She posted a few days ago that Cannon was fishing alone in their pond.

a lot of Teen mom Fans confirmed that alligators are a serious problem in Florida, as others added: Yes, if you are in Florida, you can count on alligators in any fresh water (sometimes salt water) near you.

Last month, there was news in her town because someone was hissing on the porch.

13 She shares children with her husband Josh Image credit: Mackenzie McKee/Instagram

Absolute torture Game of Thrones star filming torture scene in The Worst Day of Life test Friendship test Think you are the ultimate fan of your friends?Take our Bumper Car Trivia Quiz The pain that shapes life Joey Essex says the sadness of losing his mother is preventing him from finding love Resolve in advance After the panic attack, EastEnders teased Zack Hudson with a frightening abuse plot I like him Stacey Solomon said that if Joe Swash finds someone else, she will be destroyed Spoiler Deadly dinner Emmerdales Kim Tates revenge plan was revealed when her poison was revealed

The three mothers attracted the attention of fans after being criticized for using racial insults when talking about the vice president earlier this year. Kamala Harris.

Mackenzie shut down a troll She is called a racist in the photo of her doing yoga poses on the beach.

She shot back: If you think that is why, then why follow me and waste time on my page?

This is the reason like you, all of us cant grow and move forward. And in fact, I dont like the reason for her. This is the beauty of life.

Mackenzie and co-star Cheyenne Floyd They have been in conflict since the healthy mother called Harris a woman of color.

13 Mackenzie was accused of being a racist after making comments about Kamala Harris Image Credit: Mackenzie Mckee / TikTok
The African Union stated later today that after the reorganization of the government, several months old soldiers arrested the Transitional President and Prime Minister of Mali. A few hours ago, nine months ago, in a coup, two military governments launched a coup in West African countries , Thus seizing power.

The African Union and the West African regional group known as ECOWAS have called for the immediate release of President Barnardwar and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

The statement said: They strongly condemn this extremely serious behavior, which is absolutely intolerable by the relevant regulations of ECOWAS and the African Union. They require the military to return to the barracks.

These developments have raised new alarms about whether Malis transitional government can proceed freely in accordance with the plan for organizing new democratic elections, which was promised in February next year.

The new Mali cabinet announced earlier Monday afternoon does not include Interior Minister Modibo Koni or Defense Minister Sadio Camara. There is no reason to exclude it, but this move shows that the transitional government will be responsible for organizing new elections.

At the same time, the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Bamako stated that it has received reports of increased military activity in Bamako. It urges Americans to restrict their movements there.

After the ruling military government agreed to transfer power to the Civil Administration Transitional Government under increasing international pressure, in September last year, NDaw and Ouane were sworn in.

After rebel soldiers surrounded the residence of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and shot into the air, the military government seized power a month ago. He later resigned from the national television station under duress, stating that he did not want to shed blood in order to continue his post.

The political developments on Monday marked the latest sign of democratic tensions in Mali, which has been fighting an Islamic rebellion that gained control after another military coup in 2012.

There is widespread concern that the unrest in Mali will further thwart efforts to contain militants associated with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State Group.

After the 2012 coup, Islamic extremists took control of the main towns in northern Mali. Only in 2013 under the military intervention led by the former colonial country France, extremists were driven out of these towns.

French and United Nations forces continue to fight extremist insurgents operating in rural areas and regularly attacking roads and cities.
Opinion analysis

after Jennifer Koh





At 7:21 p.m.

Supreme Court Monday Unanimous rule Against a non-U.S. citizen who is defending his prosecution for the crime of re-entering the country.

case, United States v. Palomar-San Diego, Involving a Mexican citizen, Refugio Palomar-Santiago, who became a legal permanent resident (ie, green card holder) in 1990. Eight years later, an immigration judge discovered that he was convicted of a felony for being affected in California. Federal immigration law. Palomar-Santiago gave up the right to appeal and was soon deported.But six years after being deported, the Supreme Court ruled Leocal v. Ashcroft According to relevant federal regulations, DUI convictions such as Palomar-Santiago do not aggravate felonies. As Judge Sonia Sotomayor admitted, Therefore, Paloma Santiagos severance order should never be issued.

In 2018, Palomar-Santiago was found living in the United States. He was prosecuted for illegally re-entering the country after being deported. Palomar-Santiago tried to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that his original deportation order was based on Leocal. Federal regulations criminalize re-entry and require the defendant to want to carry out a collateral attack on his accompanying deportation order to prove that three conditions have been met: (1) He has exhausted all administrative remedies that he may have obtained; (2) He was deprived of the opportunity for judicial review; (3) The deportation order is fundamentally unfair. Since the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that defendants like Palomar-Santiago who have no legal basis do not have to meet the first two conditions, the District Court rejected the indictment and the Ninth Circuit Court confirmed it.

But the Supreme Court disagreed with this statement in Sotomayors eight-page opinion. The court made its ruling a statutory text and considered all three conditions to be mandatory. When talking about Palomar-Santiagos claims, Sotomayor explained that the requirements for administrative exhaustion and judicial deprivation review were not met, simply because the non-citizen was removed from office because he was not actually removed from office because of a crime. Regarding the provisions of the Ninth Circuit, Sotomayor wrote: When Congress usesmandatory language in the administrative exhaustion provisions,the court may not justify exhaustion.

The court briefly introduced some of Paloma Santiagos arguments. First, Palomar-Santiago urges the court to rule that when an immigration judge incorrectly informs a non-citizen that a previous conviction constitutes a reversible crime, the administrative review of the deportation order should not be considered available, especially It takes into account the complexity of immigration laws. The court rejected the principle that the substantial complexity of legal arguments can determine whether administrative remedies are available. Second, Palomar-Santiago argued that when the non-citizens incidental question is based on the substantive invalidity of the order rather than a procedural defect, the statutory requirement should not apply. However, based on the original meaning of both challenge and collateral attack, although Paloma Santiago believed that the order was invalid at the time, the court did not persuade the substantively defective deportation order to not be challenged constraint. Entrance. In the end, the court insisted that the clarity of the statutory plan left no room for the application of the constitutional circumvention regulations. Paloma Santiago had asked the court to adopt the constitutional circumvention regulations to benefit the constitutional circumvention.

The direct meaning of the court ruling may be very narrow. The decision overturned the precedent of the ninth circuit courts collateral inquiries regarding reconvicts. By 2020, nearly a quarter of all re-entry prosecutions will be filed in the Ninth Circuit, accounting for a significant portion of the approximately 15,000 such cases, but by no means a majority. The opinion is brief, focusing on the text of the statute, without involving constitutional considerations. In fact, with regard to Palomar-Santiagos constitutional arguments that allow the outcome of administrative procedures to ultimately determine the outcome of criminal offences, the court asserted that these arguments do not fall within the scope of the narrow-sense question granted to narrow-sense terms.

On the other hand, the decision may have wider potential consequences for non-citizens. The Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement pursued the deportation order based on a criminal conviction, but later found that it contradicted the courts interpretation of the law.For example, the Supreme Court has repeatedly found certain crimes to be felonies, such as one-time drug use (in Lopez v Gonzalez), second possession of drugs (in Carachuri-Rosendo v. Holder), owning marijuana and intentionally spreading it (in Moncrieffe v. Holder) And legal rape (in Esquivel-Quintana v. Session)Does not constitute a serious felony. According to Mondays ruling, federal prosecutors are more likely to file criminal re-entry charges against non-citizens who have been illegally deported and increase penalties.
Palestinian witnesses said that Ahmed Fahd from the Amari refugee camp was shot and bleed to death by Israeli forces.

A few hours before U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken arrived in the country for talks, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by secret Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah early on Tuesday morning.

Palestinian witnesses said that Ahmad Jamil Fahd from al-Amari refugee camp was shot and killed by Mustaribeen unit in Umm al-Sharayit area and was bleeding to death before the ambulance arrived.

The bottom team is composed of Israelis disguised as Palestinians, and they often carry out raids to arrest or kill them.

According to a spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Fahd was shot multiple times at close range.

The killing took place on the same day in the blink of an eye. The blink of an eye said that his travel was to support the effort to consolidate the ceasefire. He met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. He plans to meet with Palestinian President Abbas later in the day.

An Israeli security official told AFP in an attempted arrest that attempted to arrest one of the terrorist activists in Ramallah who was killed by the border police.

At dawn today, Israeli special forces took part of the funeral of Ahmed Jamil, a martyr in the Al-Amari concentration camp, in the Umm Al-Sharayet neighborhood.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/TfQYtK3dGY -Palestinian Press Center (@PalinfoAr) May 25, 2021

Translation: Part of the funeral of Ahmad Jamil in al-Amari camp, who was shot and killed by Israeli special forces in the Umm al-Sharayit neighborhood at dawn.

However, an official of the Fatah movement from the Amari refugee camp told the local Palestinian media that Fahd was not wanted by Israel.

Amin Abu Radaha (Amin Abu Radaha) said that Fahd, a former inmate in an Israeli prison, left with friends in the Umm al-Sharayit neighborhood. 20 minutes by car to buy nafafh candies.

Abu Radaha said: As soon as he got back into the car, he was shot by Israeli secret forces and let him bleed until he was in trouble.

The official also said that the Israeli troops were wanted by the Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet after Fahds uncle.

Family representative Khalil Rizk said that Israeli forces committed a crime and executed Fahd.

Rizk told the Quds News network: Recently, the Israeli occupation has strengthened its enforcement policy against Palestinian youth under allegations of hunting down wanted individuals.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied the allegations that it fired cross-border shots at Armenian positions.

Armenia stated that one of its soldiers was killed in a border gun battle with Azerbaijani forces. Tensions remained high after the war against the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region last September.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that the gun battle took place on its eastern border with Azerbaijan.

It later stated that the situation was calm after a skirmish at the Verin Shorzha border point in the Gegharkunik region of eastern Armenia.

The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement: A soldier was killed as a result of a gun battle after the Azerbaijani army opened fire.

Late on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied Armenias allegations that it opened fire across the border at Armenian positions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said in a statement: According to our information, the incident involving the death of an Armenian soldier was an accident and has nothing to do with Azerbaijan.

A long-lasting Nagorno-Karabakh conflict broke out into a full-scale war in late September, killing approximately 6,000 people in the six-week fighting.

After driving Armenians out of their controlled territory in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region since the 1990s, Russia helped ensure a ceasefire in November.

Russia has a military base in Armenia and last year sent peacekeepers to the area to help implement the ceasefire.

It has strong ties and mutual defense treaties with Armenia, but it is also very friendly with Azerbaijan.

The ceasefire was basically maintained under the supervision of approximately 2,000 Russian peacekeepers, but tensions continued and several border incidents occurred.

Earlier this month, Armenia accused the Azerbaijani military of infiltrating across the southern border and siege a lake shared by the two countries.
The opposition has prepared a series of measures for lobbying European groups. Brussels should ban the EU from dealing with more than 20 state-owned Belarusian companies, block Minsks main exports, and ban new foreign investment in the country.

In response to the Belarusian Intercept According to a document seen by the Financial Times, during a Ryanair flight, EU sanctions should specifically target the countrys oil, petrochemical, potash, metal and wood industries, which account for about half of its merchandise exports.

The European Union is Belaruss second major trading partner, accounting for nearly one-fifth of Belaruss business In the cargo. Last year, China exported about 4 billion euros of goods to the EU, and imports amounted to slightly more than 6 billion euros. EU data. Russia is Belaruss largest trading partner, with a share of nearly 50%.

The EU is under pressure to announce Sanctions Given that the leader Alexander Lukashenkos regime caused a global uproar by intercepting the FR4978 flight carrying dissidents, the leader quickly called on them to deal with it without delay at the Brussels summit on Monday. Roman Protasevich With his girlfriend Sofia Sapega.

However, EU diplomats said that the EUs analysis of potential measures has only just begun, and there will be disputes about how to strike a balance between harming the regime and minimizing harm to ordinary Belarusian citizens (such as unemployment).

The opposition wants the EU to ban EU companies from dealing with about 20 Belarusian state-owned companies, including its largest potash producer Belkaskali, fertilizer group Grodno Azot and its main oil group Belneftekhim, several refineries and six banks.

The document also proposes to suspend new foreign investment in Belarus and new credit lines to the countrys banks. In 2019, the European Union invested approximately 400 million euros in Belarus.

European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Ukraine all agreed on Monday to ban Belarusian Airlines from entering their airspace. By Tuesday, EU airlines also stopped flying over the country.

The final decision on EU sanctions will be made by member states. Some countries (especially Germany) are reluctant to impose severe sanctions on the entire economic sector because they are worried about their effectiveness and durability against legal challenges.

In a series of diplomatic activities, France raised its hopes of inviting exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to the G7 summit to be held next month.

After Lukashenko brutally suppressed protests that he claimed to have won a presidential election that the European Union or the United States did not recognize, Tsikhanouskaya fled to Lithuania last year.

Protasevich left Belarus in 2019 and played a key role in reporting and directing the protests when he was the editor of an independent media group Nextida. On Monday night, he played a video in a Minsk prison with obvious bruises on his face, admitting that he organized a large-scale riot and could be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The opposition also urged the European Union to respond to the wave of arrests by overturning Belarus ban from Interpol, as well as imposing an embargo on the export of goods that may be used for oppression (such as riot gear and surveillance software), conducting trials and torture.

If the oppositions proposal is accepted, EU diplomats will no longer show credentials in Belarus, and the EU will refuse to authorize new Belarusian ambassadors to enter its member states.

Respected

The state-owned industry in Belarus is an important source of hard currency for the Lukashenko regime. Belneftekhims export revenue from January to the end of November last year was US$4.2 billion, while Belaruskali, which accounts for about 20% of the global potash market, sold US$2.4 billion overseas last year.

After the United States resumed sanctions on nine companies in April, some of them have come under pressure, including Belneftekhim and Naftan, the countrys largest oil refinery.

Katia Glod from a non-EU country said: It would be great if the EU started with these companies, because these companies do not have much trade with the US, so the US sanctions The impact is still very limited. The resident researcher of the European Policy Analysis Center of the think tank.

However, if the European Union joins, and European companies and banks that trade with these companies, it will deal a huge blow to Belarus.

As of April, the hard currency reserves of Belarus had fallen by more than 25% in more than a year to 6.9 billion U.S. dollars, of which only 2.8 billion U.S. dollars was liquidity. On Tuesday, the countrys 10-year sovereign bond yield increased by 2%.

Victor Mallets other reports in Paris
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday warned the U.S. and South Korea not to interfere in China's Taiwan issue, after leaders of the two countries agreed last week to "work together to seek peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits."

"China is concerned about the relevant content of the U.S.-South Korea joint statement, and we believe that the development of U.S.-South Korea relations should be conducive to promoting regional peace and stability and development and prosperity, and should not harm the interests of third parties, including China," Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the ministry, told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

"The U.S.-South Korea joint statement mentioned Taiwan, the South China Sea and other issues. Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affairs, and it concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which brooks no foreign interference," Zhao stressed.

"We urge the countries concerned to be careful in their words on the Taiwan issue, and not to play with fire."

Zhao said countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international laws, adding that "there is no problem at all," and the countries concerned know this well.
Stock Market News

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US President Joe Biden has sent his top diplomat to the Middle East a few days after the Egyptian agents attack Reach a ceasefire Ended the 11-day deadly Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and launched rockets at Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Tuesday for a four-day visit. During this period, he will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will then travel to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, in order to consolidate the ceasefire.

Blink will travel to neighboring Egypt and Jordan this week to discuss the follow-up actions necessary to consolidate the ceasefire and reduce the risk of further conflict in the coming months.

On the occasion of this visit, the Biden administration has exerted increasing pressure on the country, demanding that Israel be held responsible for the violation of Palestinian rights, and its support and criticism of the United States has increased. Arms sales The government of Israel.

But experts say that Brinkens trip to the Middle East was mainly for conflict resolution, not conflict resolution. This shows that the Biden administration has largely adhered to the decades-old U.S. foreign policy manual. Critics consider it a failure. Up.

The Brinken and Biden administrations have no answer to the Palestine-Israel conflict. They dont want to be attracted by tasks they consider impossible to accomplish, said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

In short, Landis told Al Jazeera that the purpose of Brinkens visit was to try to eliminate this situation, and the Obama administrations strategy appeared to be investing in the problem.

He hopes that the next war in Gaza will break out under the attention of others. Then he can pay some money for it, promise reconstruction, persuade Israel not to do anything really stupid, maybe slow down the settlements, or at least make It becomes less obvious, Landis said.

This is what he can do: continue to do this for his mother, provide some money to the Palestinians, and then buy them for another four years.

set objectives

Biden has previously stated that in the more urgent challenges in the early days of his administration, such as the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iran for nuclear agreement negotiations, the conflict between Israel and Palestine is not a priority.

However, the Israeli attack on Gaza forced the US President to resolve it.Biden and his senior officials have repeatedly emphasized in the past two weeks that Washington firmly supports Israels right to self-defense and even Stop the attempt The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire as the violence in Gaza intensifies.

Since the ceasefire was reached on Thursday, the US government has been touting its approach, saying that behind-the-scenes diplomacy has helped cement the deal.But critics questioned this, saying Biden Need to take a firmer stand Work with Israel to resolve the root causes of the conflict, such as Israels continued occupation and its 14-year blockade of Gaza.

A State Department official told reporters in the background that the main purpose of Brinkens visit is to ensure that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is maintained. The Palestinians controlled the enclave of the two million besieged people and improved the quality. peoples lives.

This includes working with the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to bring reconstruction assistance into the Gaza Strip-avoiding Hamas, which the United States considers to be a terrorist organization and has no direct dialogue with it.

We want them [Hamas] Understand that if there is assistance, it will be the way to do thisWe believe that doing so will set us on the way forward, and we ultimately hope to reintegrate into the Palestinian Authority in Gaza to some extent, the official said.

William Lawrence, a former American diplomat and professor of international affairs at American University, said that he did not want to talk about the peace process during his trip to Brinken, because discussthen disagreements on the peace process may themselves threaten a ceasefire.

Lawrence told Al Jazeera that he hopes that the Biden administration will give priority to finding ways to enhance the rights and welfare of the Palestinians in the peace process, adding that the US approach has changed.

During Israels attack on Gaza, US President Biden emphasized that his government insisted on Israels right to self-defense. [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

He said: The Biden administration talked about the reciprocity between Palestinian rights and welfare and Israeli rights and welfare, which changed the attitude of the United States to some extent, even though the United States tends to support the State of Israel.

I think this visit will further clarify this new argument that is vital to the lives of Palestinians.

The wedding is long

Imad Harb, head of research and analysis at the Arab Center in Washington, DC, said Brinkens visit was a positive step, as was the United States efforts to rebuild hundreds of buildings in Gaza. Damage and destruction In the recent Israeli attack.

I got there in the blink of an eye, which means that the government really wants to know how this thing develops, but on what basis? What is he going to provide? What can he provide? He said.

Habu told Al Jazeera that core issues such as Palestinian self-determination and national rights must be resolved-but he questioned whether Brinken had the right to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu to do anything the Israeli prime minister did not want to do.

Another key unknown is whether the Biden administration has formulated a plan after the reconstruction phase. We did provide materials and assistance to try to solve the problem, but what will happen afterwards? Habu said.

How does the government continue to talk about [a] The two-state solution when we know that Israel has basically closed [that option] As it continues to occupy, it continues to establish illegal settlements If we continue to talk about the two-state solution, we are just doing nothing  we are just repeating words, words and words. 

Sarah Leah Whitson, the Democratic Executive Director of the U.S. think tank Arab World Now (DAWN), said that Brinkens visit was an attempt to pretend that there is a two-state solution, and there is a peace process. , They will try to revive.

She told Al Jazeera: Its really like attending a wedding after the wedding.

For many years, the Palestinians have stated that it is impossible to establish a two-state solution, in which an independent Palestinian state will be established side by side with Israel because Israel continues to occupy Palestinian land and there is more than one country. 600,000 Jewish settlers In the occupied territories.

Whitson added, however, that recent speeches by Biden and other US officials mentioned the need for Palestinians to enjoy equal rights. She said this marked a subtle realization of the fact that a two-state solution is no longer feasible.

What needs to be done is that the Biden administration must act like a democratic government, a transparent government, and a thoughtful government to deal with the reality that I think is struggling: our attitude towards Israel is failing and harmful.
Warning: This story contains graphics and offensive language

As a woman and civilian working at the Navy Pier on the west coast of Canada, Krystina MacLean has experienced and experienced many things.

In the mixed South Asian ancestry, the captain of the Ministry of Defense tugboat often referred to her as the black bit of her colleague, and she was responsible for supervision.

The workplace harassment investigation later admitted that she was also referred to as Paki at work and had other racial and sexual assault clauses.

McLean said that when sanding the deck with her hands and knees, other male flight attendants often asked her to serve when they were laid off.

MacLean told CBC News: At the time I just felt I felt lonely. I felt scared to work with these people.

Over the years, the armed forces attention to sexual misconduct and racism has been focused on the actions of military personnel. This is a late social consideration that tends to cover up well-documented incidents of brutal abuse against civilian personnel in the Ministry of Defense. (DND).

McLean said that from 2006 to 2011, she endured five years of mockery. Even if she tried to laugh at the abuse, she felt guilty because she did not fight back and disappointed her father and mother.

The tipping point occurred ten years ago when the tug captain Alex Marjanovich (also a civilian) she served put down the drawer and exposed the back to the crew of another tug. The investigator later described this as a lunar incident. .

In 2012, the Canadian Army auxiliary ships Glendyne and Glendale together with HMCS Regina in Esquimalt, British Columbia (CPL Alex. W. Croskery / Canadian Forces Combat Camera)

An eyewitness who spoke with investigators said that the captains naked back was a feature often seen in his life at the Esquimalt Naval Base in British Columbia.

There has always been some kind of inappropriate situation, and I just accept it as the norm. Until Krystina filed a claim, said Malcolm Rodin, a retired marine engineer. He said that Marjanovichs antics are sometimes cheered by other dockers.

I think 90% of people see him pull his pants down [on a regular basis] Rodin said, And it gave him active support. I think everyone on the 250 crane barge, even the barge captain, will see him pull his pants down.

Marjanovich arrived by phone late Friday and said that military police had investigated him during the Moon Incident in 2011 and that he had done nothing wrong. There has never been an accusation.

He said: I am forgiven. I have a letter. Marjanovich also denied any wrongdoing involving MacLeans treatment before hanging up the phone.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Jody Thomas said that the Defense Department must stop covering up terms such asharmful andinappropriate sexual behavior. (Tang Poetry/Canada Press)

The case clearly shows that despite the recent series of dirty accusations involving senior leaders, the misconduct within the defense community is not limited to military uniforms.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Jody Thomas (Jody Thomas) pointed out that the Department of Defenses response to the ongoing crisis of misconduct must include civilian personnel.

Interviewed by CBC Radio trend On Tuesday morning, Thomas was not specifically asked about the MacLean case. Instead, he talked more broadly about the culture and why misconduct persists.

Thomas said she believes that although women have been in the war for more than 30 years, they have not really been included.

She said: I think there is a difference between integration and inclusion. People still have a strong sense of who has the right to get this institution and who is not eligible. She added that the department must hide inharmful After the words, and improper sex.

This is inappropriate behavior, time and we have to start calling things real because this changes the culture.

When asked about the Moon incident and McLeans efforts, DND said in a statement that improper behavior is unacceptable because these behaviors have a negative impact on our collective well-being, morale and behavior. [the] The combat effectiveness of the defense team.

DND spokesperson Dan LeBouthillier (Dan LeBouthillier) said: This situation is a serious and complicated labor relations issue that requires the joint efforts of the Department of Defense team and the Royal Canadian Navy.

The management takes these allegations very seriously. In order to ensure a fair review, appropriate measures have been taken and independent external investigators have been hired to investigate these allegations to ensure fairness.

The department did not disclose whether it would review the Macleans case again, but declined to disclose whether Marianovichs actions were subject to disciplinary action, for reasons of privacy protection.

LeBouthillier said: Based on the information available at the time, management took action in response to the independent investigation and acted on the advice of industrial relations professionals.

However, the way the DND and the Navy responded to the MacLean case was consistent with what military and civilian women working in the Department of Defense said they often face when reporting abuses.

The Moon incident in April 2011 prompted MacLean to file a written complaint-a formal challenge that ignited a series of ongoing labor struggles and human rights court complaints that ultimately dragged down three other supervisors.

Disgusting and seriously flawed

However, the day after the complaint was filed, it was MacLean who received disciplinary action for allegedly having a lewd encounter with her husband who was working on another ship at the time. This complaint was ultimately to no avail.

Some of MacLeans dissatisfaction prompted her to be temporarily suspended after conducting two separate military police investigations. She was accused of exaggerating her claims and harassing colleagues and making malicious statements about them. Neither investigation brought any charges against her.

MacLean subsequently lost her position on the tug in a harsh 2012 investigative report that invalidated many of her claims.

Her union leader later called the report disgusting and seriously flawed.

According to an investigation by her union, the captain admitted that the captain had pacified the other crew members and used racial insults, but stated that he did not target them at McLean.

It refuted the suggestion of sexual harassment, but admitted that she had faced personal harassment.

Finally, MacLean is the task undertaken by investigators, who described her way of expressing herself as exaggerated and exaggerated. They questioned her character and even her mental health.

June Winger, chairman of the Defense Employees Union, said the Krystina MacLean investigation was seriously flawed, and the person complained about the toxic environment around the Esquimalt Navy Pier in British Columbia. (CBC News)

In the end, this investigation report caught the attention of Jun Wenger, chairman of the National Defense Employees Union. She said that when she read it, she couldnt believe what she saw.

Wenger said: It seems to be the mentality of a mob. Everyone just jumps on top and hurts her over and over again. Also, whenever they go the wrong way and make the situation worse, the department Every chance of it must be corrected.

After investigating her complaint, Macleans was accused of harassing the supervisor she complained about and lodged an unreasonable complaint. She was subsequently suspended.

Later, for a period of time after the investigation, her task was to clean up the military septic tank.

The naval officer who authorized the suspension of the navy at that time was the superior of the navy. Captain Bob Auchterlonie (Bob Auchterlonie), now a brigadier general, will take over as the head of the Army Joint Operations Command.

Oxtellone said in a written statement: Since this matter was managed under the advice of the Labor Relations Group and has been resolved since then, it is not appropriate to comment further.

I was set as a target

MacLean was reassigned to the naval base in 2013. At the time, she said that the then senior navy commander (not Auchterlonie) told her that if you want to adapt, the rough, sometimes obscene culture in the dock is just something you have to accept. .

Three years passed before DND defended her and agreed to a settlement, and the terms of the settlement remained confidential.

Among McLeans colleagues, few except Rodin were willing to work for her, and the investigation work did its best to emphasize the extent of her rejection.

Rodin said that others, including another obvious minority tug captain, refused to participate in the investigation.

Although she had verbally complained about her treatment before 2011, she said that the move to file a formal complaint overwhelmed the department.

McLean said: I definitely feel that I am targeted. The worst thing is, I really believe that if senior management and employers set the tone at the beginning and figure out the beginning of things, they will do better. That will have completely different results. 

McLean said she felt completely abandoned, especially by the civilian leaders on the docks, including Doug Kimmett, the auxiliary fleet manager, who later suffered a now-suspended human rights complaint.

When asked for comment on Friday night, Kimmet said he did not want to intervene in the case again, but defended his decision in due course and was not biased.

He said: I took all complaints face-to-face and asked the relevant departments to investigate. We followed this procedure. It was properly investigated under the guidance of the federal government.

Rodin said that MacLeans experience is unacceptable in any work environment. He added that he was not surprised that he faced retribution for his speech.

Everyone knows what happened

Rodin said that he was not surprised to see their colleague throwing her off the bus on the beach because she had already ruined the status quo.

He said: She goes against the culture, so you have to gather everyone and call on the office staff to let this happen. They dont want them to be the focus of peoples attention. A lot of things happened to her, and I told her. Too many inappropriate things.

Rodin said that after sponsoring MacLean, he faced his own forms of condemnation and retribution, including harassment during sick leave, and these incidents prompted him to retire early.

He said that since the moment he talked to the investigator, he felt that he had a target on his back.

Its kind of ridiculous. If you dont tell the truth, how do you live with yourself? Rodin said.

Everyone knows what happened, they did nothing.

Wenger said that data released by the federal government to labor unions showed that in the first three months of this year, DND civilian employees filed 52 harassment complaints. Of the 420 people who admitted to some form or another of harassment in the Anonymous Departments workplace survey last year, this was only a small percentage.

Wenger said these figures tell her that civil defense employees are afraid to move forward.

Wenger said: This is a leadership crisis. Only leaders can prevent this.
Athens, Greece  Parwana Amiri initially noticed the concrete wall she had built around a refugee camp in mainland Greece a few weeks ago in the morning.

The 16-year-old Afghan refugee told Al Jazeera: It feels like they spread their wings when we sleep.

I think we cant even see cars driving across the road, nor can we see the grass in nature. We will see the surrounding walls, which is a suffocating feeling.

A three-meter (10-foot) gray wall is being built around the Ritsona refugee camp near Athens, and there are plans to build a separation wall around another 24 refugee camps in mainland Greece.

Amiri claimed that the authorities had told camp residents that the wall was to protect themselves.

She said: They told us it was for your safety. They said it wont change your life.

Although it is guaranteed that daily life in refugee camps will not change, the tender document issued by the government shows that extensive measures have been taken to expand security measures in refugee camps in Greece.

Aerial patrol drones, magnetic shutters with integrated thermal imaging cameras, X-ray machines and security cameras at entrances and exits are just some of the tools planned.

According to the Ministry of Immigration, there is also a proposal to close the camp gate around 9pm to prevent people from leaving.

According to the phone, these surveillance systems will be installed in 39 refugee camps across the continent and the Greek Islands; the European Internal Security Fund will bear 75% of the cost.

The wall alone cost about 28.4 million euros ($34.8 million), mostly funded by the European Commission.

Greens/EFA Group Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Tineke Strik told Al Jazeera: We cannot accept that EU funds are used to build concrete walls around refugee camps.

On the contrary, we need to invest in a better future for these people. Walls around the camp will only lead to less integration with the local community, less censorship by NGOs and journalists, and worse camp conditions. Its actually very simple: becoming a refugee is not Should lead to imprisonment.

Camp gates in certain locations will be closed at night to prevent people from leaving [Alexandros Avramidis/Al Jazeera]

Some residents of the besieged refugee camps described a higher sense of imprisonment.

I am a person and I dont need a wall. They make me feel like a prisoner, said 36-year-old Diar, who originally came from Iraq.

He has been living in the Diavata camp in Thessaloniki for three years.

Some people are afraid [but] Some people say this is great because we will be protected. 

Like Ritsona, the walls around Diavata are almost finished.

Amiri worries that the wall will deepen the differences between refugees and locals.

What I worry about is that I am a student and I go to school [outside the camp] What is the students opinion? What will they say to us? They will learn from their parents that Ritsona is a place surrounded by walls, it is a closed place, and we come from such a place. 

Petra Molnar, deputy director of the Canada-based Refugee Law Laboratory Think Tank, told Al Jazeera that the new security system is in line with the danger of strengthening border industrial zones through intrusive surveillance technology and physical separation walls. trend.

She is particularly worried about the planned use of drones.

She said: Autonomous technologies such as drones have also created a panoramic view of surveillance, and more and more immigration management is turning to technical solutions instead of relying on humanized responses to understand the complexity of peoples migration process.

The Ministry of Asylum and Immigration told Al Jazeera that the decision to enclose the wall has been approved by the European Commission, and the initial part of the project has been implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A spokesperson for the ministry said: The main purpose of the fence project and the integrated digital electronic and physical security management system is to protect local communities and residents.

This is the necessary supervision of the structure, safety, prevention of violations, fires and other unforeseen factors. This is the greatest possible control over who enters and who leaves the structure. Greece initially installed barbed wire, but the residents of the building It has been repeatedly damaged and continues to destroy the barbed wire. This is why it was decided to upgrade the fence.

The ministry added that everyone, including residents and NGO staff, must go through security checks at the camps entrance. They said that drones should only be used in the event of an unforeseen event.

Greece is home to thousands of refugees and immigrants [File: Giannis Papanikos/AP Photo]

The International Organization for Migration told Al Jazeera that under the decision of the Greek Ministry of Refugees, the construction of a separation wall around the camp is in support of the project.

The reason surrounding the wall is also to increase the safety of residents by preventing unauthorized individuals from entering or occupying the space reserved for asylum seekers, while still retaining free activities for residents. The vast majority of open camps in Greece Always surrounded by walls/metal mesh or a combination of the two.

The International Organization for Migration stated that it only participated in the fence project and did not participate in the use of any drone equipment.

With the approach of aerial patrol and surveillance by drones, people play volleyball outside the Diavata camp, which is now almost completely enclosed by a wall.

Diyar echoes life in many refugee camps across Greece.

He said: I just want a home.
Due to the increase in public spending and limited tax revenue due to Covid-19 restrictions, the amount of borrowing by the British government in April exceeded economists expectations.

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday showed that net public sector borrowing, excluding public sector banks, was estimated at 31.7 billion pounds last month.

This figure is the first figure for the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the second highest record of borrowing in April since the monthly record began in 1993, but it was 15.6 billion pounds less than the same month last year. The figure is higher than the 30.9 billion pounds expected by economists surveyed by Reuters, but lower than the 39 billion pounds estimated by the Office of Budget Responsibility.

For the fiscal year ending in March 2021, public borrowing was reduced by 2.8 billion pounds, but it was still the highest level since World War II, which exposed the cost of government support to the economy during the pandemic.

ONS shows that central government agencies spent an estimated 96 billion on daily activities in April. This includes spending on vacation plans, which can still protect millions of jobs.

At the same time, the central governments tax revenue is estimated at 58 billion pounds, which is an increase from April last year, but it is low by historical standards.

KPMG senior economist Michal Stelmach said that public finances may improve faster than after the financial crisis, when it took five years for the financial deficit to fall from its peak to half.

He said: In this crisis, once the support program ends, we may have foreseen this situation next year, although it may take longer to fully return to Covids previous financial situation.
The Peruvian authorities blamed the deadly violence on the dissident factions of the Maoist rebel group Bright Way.

Death toll attack Authorities said on Tuesday that in a remote mountainous area in Peru, the country has risen to 16 people because the countrys interim president has vowed to take responsibility for those killings with impunity.

The Peruvian authorities blamed the deadly violence on the dissident faction of Luminous Way, a Maoist movement that fought the government in the 1980s and 1990s.

Interim President Francisco Sagasti told reporters: We are making every effort to deploy the police and the army to effectively combat this plague.

We know that this is a rugged terrain, where there are many ravines, and the narcotic terrorists know this well.

The villagers-including at least two children-were killed in San Miguel del Ian in the valley where the coca is grown, which is home to members of the Road of Radiance organization.

Authorities claim that the Valle de los Rios Apurimac (VRAEM) mountainous area of ??Ene and Mantaro is where cocaine is produced, and the proportion in South American countries is 75%. The police accused Guangxi Lu as a bodyguard for drug dealers.

The attack occurred less than two weeks ago. The Peruvians will conduct a poll in the presidential election, bringing the left leader Pedro Castillo (Pedro Castillo) to the arrested former President Alberto Fujimori (Alberto Fujimori). The right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Fujimori, clashed.

In the early hours of Monday morning, neighbors were wary of the crime, and the police found bodies in two bars on both sides of a small river, some of which were burned.

Sagasti has ordered police and soldiers to go to the area, and a special terrorism unit has been ordered to investigate the murder.

Sagasti said: Many years ago, we defeated them in other parts of the country, but (Glory Road) is still moving forward in one place. We hope that through the decisive action of the armed forces, terrorism will be eliminated as soon as possible.

Both Castillo and Fujimori condemned the attack, and the Organization of American States (AOS) also condemned the attack, which said it rejected any form of intimidation of citizens.

The United Nations Office in Lima said in a statement on Monday: During the ongoing election process, we call on all actors to act responsibly to avoid hate speech exacerbating tensions.
ACTRESS Mayim Bialik will invite host Jeopardy! From May 31 to June 11.

Currently, the Big Bang Theory star has produced the Call Me Kat series on Fox.

3 Mayim Bialik is a neuroscientist, actress and writer Image source: AP: Associated Press

Is Mayim Bialik a neuroscientist?

Mayim Bialik, 45 years old, is a neuroscientist, writer and actress.

From acting to participating in studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, she took a 12-year sabbatical and obtained a degree in neuroscience in 2000.

Seven years later, Bialik received a doctorate in neuroscience.

Dialik Brain and life Regarding the inspiration for getting a degree in neuroscience, she praised her biology tutor as the main participant. She said: I am a hardworking student, but science is not natural to me.

3 Bialik accidentally played the neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler in the CBS sitcom Big Bang theory Credit: Getty

Therefore, I dont think this is a profession for me.

Added: When I was studying in the first semester of UCLA, I was particularly in love with the action potential and electrical properties of neurons.

I like to understand how we think, how we feel, and how we communicate, and neuroscience is the science of all of this.

She later played the role of neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory from 2010 to 2019.

Mayim Bialiks comment on hosting Dangerous? ?

Dialik people related Have a chance to host Danger! , Say: I think there is also a lot of iconic pressure. When I checked some scripts, I was thinking, how will Alex [Trebek] Say this?

Thats not what I expected, Alex Trebek, but in my mind, I am Alex Trebek-thats who I want to be.

She added: Its not like the cultural cornerstone of my parents and my lifes growth, but obviously I have seen it.

3 Bialik will invite guest Jeopardy!From May 31 to June 11 Image Credit: Instagram / Mayim Bialik

I have answered it twice, I think twice, its crazy.

She said that being on the podium will be a highlight of her career.

Bialik added: I always say this is indeed one of the most iconic things in my career.

It feels like Forrest Gump, like I was inserted into Danger! Outfit.

What is the net asset value of Mayim Bialik?

According to reports, Bialiks net worth is US$25 million.

exclusive The price paid Katie Price returns to bankruptcy court to avoid paying 3.2 million pounds in debt sick Rhian Sugden (Rhian Sugden) was horrified to discover that married fans were willing to provide her with a sleep fee of 200,000 Pictured Baby on board Jamie Redknapps pregnant girlfriend Frida reveals her baby bump Kick off An angry Lauryn Goodman accused the former Kyle Walker of bullying his son after the boots Can not wait Danielle Lloyd is pregnant with her fifth child-hope this is a girl Flash in pants Jake Quickenden fans swell wildly as they take off their pants

Since she was a child, she has been starring in Hollywood productions and starred in the 1988 horror film Pumpkin Head.

The actress went on to star in all 114 episodes of NBCs Blossom in the 1990s.

Her show Call Me Kat (Call Me Kat) was updated for the second season in May 2021.
We work with many multi-state operator (MSO) cannabis companies. there is always. Most of these companies are publicly traded, although other companies still maintain close holdings. With the emergence of more MSOs than ever before, now seems to be a good time to list the traps of MSOs, their decision makers, lenders, etc., because these companies cross state boundaries and even internationally.

Hire the wrong person

There are many cliches in the thinking that a company is only as strong as its employees. These cliches may feel bland, but they are also often true. Many cannabis MSOs have poor leadership skills, and inappropriate compensation structures may exacerbate this situation.this is A piece from last fallFor example, Aurora paid millions of dollars in administrative bonuses immediately after massive layoffs and reported losses of $2.3 billion. These numbers are too large, but this situation is common in cannabis companies of all sizes.

In other words, this is not only related to the c-level. Especially for newer and smaller MSOs, it is crucial to have strong personnel stationed. Some of our MSO customers have excellent grinders, they can communicate easily, quickly eliminate nonsense, establish correct local contacts, determine strong acquisition targets, etc. These MSOs understand the market they are buying and make wise choices. The same rules apply to local recruitment. For example, it is great to have a group of stores, but if these stores make the most profit, so much the better. Local management makes all the difference.

Buy the wrong thing

This is related to the above point. We have seen (and admitted helping) cannabis MSOs buying various items that shouldnt be purchased-at least not at the price paid. I helped MSO acquire companies and then sold them for a cent in US dollars two years later. I also helped companies that bought MSOs, and these acquisitions disappeared after a year or two. When the deal is concluded, I will give the client some general ideas, but at some point, the lawyers job is to hold his nose and the things on the paper.

Many times, MSO will buy things (with other peoples money), just to buy things. Companies are competing for market share; or MSO has publicly announced that it has locked in XYZs amazing deal; or MSO feels pressure to return funds to investors quickly; or it wants to look active to attract more investment; or leadership Not sure when another transaction will be realized in a particular jurisdiction; etc. Various forward competitive motives and pressures. However, if there is no coherent strategy in the market or operations, then the chance of success is very low.

Announce something that will never happen

This happens often! Everyone likes a good press release. Read them carefully. MSO has a state that cannot be named, and is always posting messages, rarely encounters, and will never make money. An example of this is the countless zombie cannabis companies on the Canadian Stock Exchange, which are changing their name to Psychedelics and/or starting last year to issue press releases on the psychedelic initiative.These press releases said: We have signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase [whatever psychedelic research company] Treat with its valuable formula [anorexia or depression or some other thing] after [issuing super cheap common shares or warrants and paying some cash], And the completion of the transaction will be subject to satisfactory due diligence. These announcements are designed to improve the companys image and attract investment. In the short term, the announcement may have a limited positive impact; in the long run, the fact is the opposite.

Lack of focus

This is the most common problem among all problems, and it is closely related to everything written above. A successful MSO will accurately understand: 1) Where are the discrete market opportunities; 2) How to execute; 3) When to execute (or not execute). People often ask me various questions in trading, such as market characteristics and trends in Oregon, and I am often surprised. Otherwise, I will be surprised to learn that other transactions that MSO is running at the same time, in other jurisdictions from other angles, and have no obvious synergy. Sometimes, a cannabis MSO will switch from one shiny award to another without a fundamental strategy or long-term vision.

Counseling

The true story: A few months ago, I received a call from a large out-of-state law firm that we have assisted for many years. This law firm does a lot of advertising in the marijuana field and is rated by Chambers. I like them. The lawyers hope to discuss the issue of last-minute disclosure at the end of the transaction. In the conference call, the lawyers explained how to link disclosure to the complex business structure they created, thus avoiding the non-resident ownership issue of the MSO acquisition. Friends-Oregon has no residency requirements for ownership of cannabis businesses in the past five years. That call was embarrassing, and I dont know what will happen next.

When our MSO customers move to other states, I never want to make these transactions anymore. I dont care if others can earn this fee. I dont know the local regulations. Even if I can study them, to get the maximum possible value, many things I need to know are not available online. Without exception, I will be handled by Harris Brickens lawyers (if we have an office in the state), or I will guide clients to find good local lawyers from other solid companies. However, I often see MSO believe that a lawyer or law firm is adequate for its transactions across the country. It is best to work with qualified people. The value will be there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that if Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, ending the 11-day deadly battle, it would make a very powerful response. bombardment Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu made the comment in West Jerusalem at a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken on Tuesday. Go to the area Support the initial ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli Prime Minister thanked the United States for its firm support for Israels right to self-defense in the violence. In the Israeli air strikes, Gaza killed at least 248 Palestinians, including 66 children.

In the fighting that began on May 10, at least 12 Israelis, including two children, were killed by rockets fired from Gaza by Hamas and other armed groups. The fighting broke out in Israel. Violent clashes broke out between them, and several Palestinians were killed in protests in the occupied West Bank.

We will also give meaning to our commitment to self-defense. If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful, Netanyahu said.

In turn, Brinken stated that the United States will work to ensure that international assistance to rebuild Gaza will not benefit Hamas.

Brinken said: We will work closely with our partners to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from reconstruction assistance.

The Secretary of State stated that his visit to the region has four aspects: to prove the United States commitment to Israels security; to begin efforts to achieve greater stability and reduce tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem; Benefit the Palestinian people; and continue to rebuild our relationship with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority.

Leaving Jerusalem today. Even though we are working with all parties and partners to reach a ceasefire, we are focused on the way forward, including steps we can take to build a better future for Israelis and Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/GQbg5AwkUS -Secretary Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 24, 2021

He also argued that President Joe Bidens government should have taken a more open and determined line with Israel earlier in the battle, and praised Washington for its strong, behind-the-scenes diplomacy in achieving a ceasefire. It was achieved through Egypt. Mediator, May 21.

He added that on the basis of the agreement, we must first realize that the losses on both sides are huge.

Treat with dignity

Brinken was scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Abdul Abbas later in the day, and then travel to Jordan and Egypt to meet with him on Wednesday. He also avoided pushing for the continuation of the broader Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and instead called for more gradual reforms.

Brinken said: We know that in order to prevent violence from happening again, we must use the space created to solve a wider range of potential problems and challenges.

This is first of all to resolve the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza and start reconstruction.

He called for measures to expand Palestinian opportunities by strengthening the private sector and expanding trade and investment.

He said: We believe that Palestinians and Israelis should also enjoy a safe and secure life, with equal freedom, opportunities and democratic measures. They must be treated with dignity.

These remarks are unlikely to satisfy human rights advocates. They have repeatedly called on the United States to condemn Israels actions in Gaza, which destroyed civilian buildings and infrastructure. Many observers believe this amounts to collective punishment.

U.S. before andseriously Blocked the UN Security Councils joint statement calling for a ceasefire during the violent conflict.

Didnt blink Address call Some US lawmakers have terminated military assistance and arms sales to Israel. Secretary of State Netanyahu (Netanyahu) on Tuesday praised the United States for its pledge to supplement Israels Iron Dome air defense system after the fighting.
Critics of the Kagame faction accused the French president of turning a blind eye to the repression before his historic visit to Kigale.

Two of Rwandas most prominent opposition leaders on Tuesday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of ignoring political repression and human rights violations in his country before his historic trip to Kigali.

Macron will arrive in Rwanda on Thursday and will meet with former rebel leader Paul Kagame. 1994 Genocide.

This will be the first visit of a French leader since 2010, and it will mark a step towards the thawing of diplomacy between the two countries. France has played a role in the killing of approximately 800,000 Rwandans for a long time.

However, government critics Victoire Ingabire and Bernard Ntaganda described his visit as an insult, who spent time in exile and prison. Its political party was banned in Rwanda.

French President Emmanuel Macron did not hesitate to bluntly condemn the dictatorship, but remained silent on the authoritarian rule and human rights violations of the Rwandan regime, 52-year-old Ingabir and Ntaganda said. Said in a statement.

So for President Emmanuel Macron, there are good dictators and bad dictators.

The head of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in Rwanda, Kagame, was accused by critics of suppressing opponents and ruled out of fear.

Ingabire returned from exile in 2010 to confront Kagame, but was arrested and imprisoned for eight years on terrorism charges, which has since been extended to 15 years. She was pardoned and released by the president in 2018.

Ntaganda-who also tried to challenge Kagame in 2010-was sentenced to four years in prison for inciting racial division.

Human Rights Watch said the charges against the two were politically motivated.

Ingabir and Ntaganda said: It is clear that today President Emmanuel Macron no longer discusses the theme of angering the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which is ruled with an iron hand.

Macron said his visit will establish a new relationship with Rwanda and will follow the Rwanda press release. Landmark report The conclusion reached was that France turned a blind eye to preparations for genocide and was overwhelmingly responsible for the killing.

Kagame, who has accused France of participating in the genocide in the past, has stated that he accepted the findings of the report and that both countries have good foundations for restoring ties.
Where should I go on holiday?

Astrologer Lisa Stardust and Foxy Bingo have compiled a perfect travel list based on your star rating symbol And you dont even need to leave the country.

Gemini: Connected Traveler

Lisa said: As a symbol of dual identity, Gemini people like to ride a bicycle or die in BFF travel, experiencing the juxtaposition of countries and the style of big city life. Once international travel is allowed, Paris is an amazing place to visit because of the countryside. Its a short train ride from Hee Hees city, so you can reach it all at once.

Before Paris re-emerges, Gemini should try to visit the city of Edinburgh. In this way, they can enjoy all the good times of city life, while being only a few steps away from the beautiful Scottish countryside.

Aries: independent traveler

Lisa said: As the most passionate sign in the zodiac, Aries I hope to travel alone within my budget while recording all the seven wonders of the world on Instagram. When exploring and seeing the wonderful places they dream of exploring, they will be interested in making new friends. 

While waiting for the world to reopen, Scotland is an excellent destination for personal exploration in the UK. With attractions such as Ben Nevis, Inveraray Castle and Falkirk Ferris Wheel, your Instagram feed will make all your friends envy.
Dr. Svetlana Paulson recently published her article, Face to Face with the Tsars Capital: American Diplomats and Urban Spectatorship in Imperial St. Petersburg, in the "Journal of Russian-American Studies."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Russian government is considering further sanctions against Belarus in response to a journalist arrested over the weekend, and the authoritarian regime announced that it would close its embassy in Ottawa.

On Sunday, due to bomb threats, Belarusian fighter jets ordered Ryanair flight 4978 from Athens to Vilnius Airport in Lithuania to transfer and land in Minsk.

After reaching the ground, the exiled Belarusian journalist Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega were taken off the plane and arrested before allowing the passenger plane to continue flying .

After his arrest, a brief video was shown on Belarusian State Television on Monday night, and Pratasevich was watched. He admitted that the authorities had made some charges against him.

Trudeau said at a news conference on Tuesday morning: The behavior of the Belarusian regime is cruel, illegal and totally unacceptable. This is a clear attack on democracy and freedom of the press. We condemn and call for his immediate release.

We also condemn this dangerous intervention in civil aviation. Canada has imposed current sanctions on Belarus and we will study further options.

Watch: Prime Minister Trudeaus sanctions on Belarus

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his views on Belarus forcing off the plane and arresting a journalist. 0:52

Trudeau said that Canada will work with allies and international institutions, including NATO, to put pressure on the regime and defend global journalists.

Last year, after Ottawa said it was subject to widespread wrongdoing and systematic repression and elections that violated human rights under the leadership of President Alexander Lukashenko, Canada announced sanctions against 55 Belarusian officials last year. .

The Belarusian Embassy posted a message on its official website stating that it will close its embassy in Ottawa on September 1 and will stop processing consular documents on July 10.

The embassy said: It is speculated that the consular functions of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Canada will be further performed by the Consulate General of the Republic of Belarus in New York, the United States of America.

Repression in Belarus continues

Since Sunday, airlines have diverted flights to avoid the countrys airspace, EU leaders have instructed officials to draft unspecified sanctions against Minsk, and may also ban Belarusian Airlines from the EUs skies.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (Grant Shapps) told British Airways on Monday to avoid entering Belarusian airspace. He also suspended Belavia Belarusian Airlines operating permits and banned flights to and from the UK without special permits.

Lukashenko was re-elected for the sixth term because he was rejected for re-election in the August 2020 election, sparking public protests for several months. Since the beginning of the protests, more than 35,000 people have been arrested and thousands more have been beaten by security forces.

Some people say that more sanctions will not help alleviate the situation, but will only bring Belarus closer to its main sponsor and ally Russia, and reduce the impact of the EU and other countries.

(CBC News)

Independent Minsk political analyst Alexander Kraskowski said: Lukashenko will become an increasingly easy prey for the Kremlin.

As a pariah country, Belarus will find it difficult to resist the Kremlins request for a single currency, deployment of air bases, and access to profitable Belarusian economic assets.

Although the West condemned Belarus, the repression continued. On Tuesday, Pavel Seviarynets, the leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Party, was sentenced to seven years in prison for organizing a large-scale riot.

Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna Human Rights Center, said: Most leaders of Belarus political parties have been sentenced to prison or forced to flee the country. Belarus is facing unprecedented political repression and is facing unprecedented political repression. There is a serious human rights crisis.

Pratasevich, who left Belarus in 2019, has become Lukashenkos number one enemy. A popular messaging app he runs played a key role in helping organize protests, and the authorities have tried to limit his influence.
Traditional leaders say that the former first lady broke local customs by burying Mugabe in his rural house.

After accusing the wife of the late leader of breaking local customs by detaining him in his rural house in 2019, a traditional chief in Zimbabwe ordered that the body of Robert Mugabe be excavated and placed in Kazakhstan. Funeral in the National Heroes Sanctuary in Larley.

Mugabe was deposed due to a coup, which brought Emmerson Mnangagwa to power in November 2017, and took place with the government of President Manangagwa on his final resting place. After weeks of disputes, he was buried in the yard of his house in his Kutama village.

A traditional chief in the Zvimba area, including Zutama, said he has received complaints from members of the Mugabe tribe about his burial method.

After presiding over a rural court ruling last week, Chief Stanly Wurayayi Mhondoro issued a ruling on Monday convicting Grace Mugabe of a violation The crime of traditional norms buried the husband in his own home.

The chief said in the ruling that the deceased Mugabe should be excavated and reburied at the National Hero Acre in Harare within 30 days or before June 1, 2021.

The ruling added: You have also been ordered to pack up your clothes and all his belongings and hand them over on or before July 1.

Grace Mugabe, who did not attend the hearing, was fined five cows and one goat. The former first lady was also ordered to provide compensation to the workers responsible for the excavation and burial of her husbands body.

Family spokesman Leo Mugabe, the nephew of the late president, immediately rejected the ruling.

He (the chief) has no jurisdiction over Kutamar. Even if the right chief makes this ruling, we will appeal to the court.

The chiefs of Zimbabwe have jurisdiction over their local subjects, but few order their families to excavate the corpses for re-burial.

The chiefs order is likely to be rekindled in Mugabes final resting place.

Mnangagwa had urged to bury Mugabe on the monument to the heroes of the Liberation War, but the family refused. He said Mugabe was worried about closing family members before his death, and some people who fired him would seek traditional ceremonies with certain people. Part of his body.

Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, died on September 6, 2019 at the age of 95.
BATON ROUGE, LA  Attorney General Jeff Landry and 46 of his colleagues are making a bipartisan push urging congressional leaders to support the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act. The act, comprised of the Stop Senior Scam Act and Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2021, will strengthen efforts to prevent elder fraud and educate citizens on the various scams being attempted.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the leadership of the Senate Committee on Commerce. Science, and Transportation  Attorney General Landry and his fellow attorneys general note the need for vigilance by industry and government and a comprehensive approach to preventing fraudsters from victimizing vulnerable elders.

Research shows that Americans aged 65 and older are the prime targets of scams and receive more mail and telephone solicitations than any other age group; whats more, 1 in 10 elderly Americans falls victim to elder fraud each year, said Attorney General Landry. With tactics used by fraudsters constantly evolving, we too must evolve our efforts to protect and educate seniors on the various schemes being used."

The Fraud and Scam Reduction Act is bipartisan legislation that will provide innovative ways to educate and protect citizens against elder fraud and scams. The legislation will establish the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group that is accountable to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The group will collect data from retailers, financial services, wire-transfer companies, and other stakeholders to educate employees on identifying and preventing scams that target seniors.

The act also establishes the Office for the Prevention of Fraud Targeting Seniors, housed in the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the FTC. The Office will complement the efforts of the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group by:

Monitoring emerging scams that target seniors through the internet, mail, robocalls, telemarketing and television;

Disseminating information on common fraud schemes; and

Sharing information on how to report suspected senior fraud scams to a national fraud hotline and the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network.

Protecting seniors should not be a Republican issue or a Democrat issue; it should be something that everyone can come together to do, concluded Attorney General Landry. So I hope our elected officials in Washington cast aside their partisan politics to support this important legislation and help protect our seniors.

Joining Attorney General Landry in the bipartisan letter to Congress are the attorneys general from Florida, New York, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming
HAMMOND, IN (KCTV) -- A 12-year-old boy from Kansas City who went missing on a trip with his family in Indiana has been found dead.

Kyrin Carter, who has autism, was last seen May 15 at the Best Western Hotel in Hammond, Indiana.

Kansas City boy with autism goes missing on family trip in Indiana A search is underway for a 12-year-old boy from Kansas City. Kyrin Carter has autism. He was on a trip with his family to Hammond, Indiana when he vanished.

A volunteer kayaker involved in the search for the missing teen found his body about 8:15 p.m. Monday in the Little Calumet River, according to the Lake County Indiana Coroners Office. A dive team removed his body just 300 feet west of hotel where he was last seen.

Boy, 12, with autism last seen on video leaving hotel 4 days ago Click here for updates on this story

On Friday, agencies temporarily stopped the flow of water into the Little Calumet River in an attempt to get as deep into the river as possible to search for Kyrin.
A Shawnee man is in the hospital following a boating accident that killed two of his children and their mother.
Due to popular demand, a famous online streaming platform, Netflix released a behind-the-scenes talk with the "Vincenzo" team.

Song Joong Ki, Park Jae Bum, and Kim Hee Won Shared More Details About "Vincenzo"

Netflix Korea dropped a twenty minutes video of Song Joong Ki, "Vincenzo" director Kim Hee Won and scriptwriter Park Jae Bum. The three reunited again for an exclusive talk where they speak about some of the important details in the record-breaking series.

But, since they have been working behind the lens for years, the two creatives behind the drama hide their identity by wearing masks. These familiar masks were used in one of the "Vincenzo's" episodes.

Director Kim Hee Won wears Inzaghi's mask while writer Park Jae Bum wears Hong Cha Young's mask. At this moment, Song Joong Ki, who played the character of Vincenzo Cassano, had the chance to meet again his beloved friend Inzaghi.

They talked about how and why they started casting the final casts of "Vincenzo." According to Kim Hee Won, she first casted actors Lim Chul Soo and Yang Kyung Won because she was impressed by their performances in the hit Korean drama "Crash Landing on You."

For Kwak Dong Yeon, Park Jae Bum was captivated by the young actor's eyes because he resembles the character of Al Pacino from "The Godfather 1." Plus, he is still young and perfectly fits the character of Jang Han Seo.

In Case You Missed It: Song Joong Ki Looks Daring In His New Pictorial With GQ Korea + History D&C Drops Special Interview

Inzaghi is the Most Popular Character in "Vincenzo"

When they were asked about who was the most popular character in "Vincenzo," Kim Hee Won immediately answered Inzaghi. But Song Joong Ki was surprised to know that it was his bird friend.

Park Jae Bum confessed that the bird symbolizes peace and he chose it as a contrast to Vincenzo's character. They also praised actors Lim Chul Soo and Kim Young Woong for even though they made lots of ad-libs during the shoot, they were able to make the story more fun without messing it up.

Song Joong Ki, Park Jae Bum, and Kim Hee Won take a closer look at their eight months journey of filming "Vincenzo." From casting, character development, favorite scenes, ad-libs, memorable lines, and how the whole production team became a one big family. All of these were talked about in the newly unveiled video of Netflix.

You Might Also Like: More of 'Vincenzo': Meet the Iconic Members of Cassano Geumga Family

If you can't still move on from the drama and want to know more about its casts and production, this is the perfect time for you to watch it.

Enjoy Watching the Behind-The-Scenes Talk of "Vincenzo" Team Here!

What do you miss the most in the drama "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.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a swipe at Big Tech on Monday as he signed a hot-button state bill targeting how digital platforms moderate online content.

The legislation marks one of the biggest steps yet by a Republican governor to act on allegations of online censorship at the hands of companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter.

But tech industry critics say the legislation is unconstitutional, setting the stage for a court battle over the law.

In public remarks on Monday, DeSantis blamed a "council of censors" in Silicon Valley for shutting down debate over Covid-19 lockdowns and the origins of the coronavirus.

"I would say those lockdowns have ruined millions of people's lives all around this country," DeSantis said. "Wouldn't it have been good to have a full debate on that in our public square? But that was not what Silicon Valley wanted to do."

The bill DeSantis signed prohibits tech platforms from suspending or banning political candidates in the state, with possible fines of $250,000 per day if the de-platformed candidate is seeking statewide office and $25,000 per day if the candidate is running for a non-statewide office.

The legislation also gives Florida residents the ability to sue tech companies for de-platforming. Similar bills have also been considered in states such as Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Utah.

Florida's bill comes as US lawmakers have proposed significant changes to the federal law that gives tech platforms the legal leeway to curate their platforms without being sued. The federal law, Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, has come under attack by Democrats who argue platforms benefit from the law's immunity protections without doing enough to rein in offensive content, while Republicans argue the platforms restrict too much content.

Tech industry officials have repeatedly denied blocking or removing content over political ideology. Many tech platforms have policies that prohibit the spreading of coronavirus misinformation or falsehoods about the 2020 election, and some high-profile Republicans, such as former President Donald Trump, have run afoul of those policies, resulting in their suspension from major online platforms.

Florida's legislation will force tech platforms to step back from moderating their sites due to the threat of litigation by "any internet user, from foreign extremists to disgruntled internet trolls," said the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group.

In an op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel, CCIA president Matt Schruers, wrote that lawsuits were sure to follow: "Florida taxpayers will also end up paying their share in the cost of enforcing new regulations, and for the inevitable legal challenges that will come along with the legislature's effort to adopt a law with glaring constitutional challenges."

CCIA also raised its eyebrows over a highly controversial provision in the bill that exempts the websites of theme park operators, which some critics have interpreted as a special carve-out for Disney. (Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal and operates the Universal Orlando theme park, may also appear to be covered by the exemption.)

Questions about the bill's constitutionality are rooted in First Amendment cases prohibiting the government from compelling speech by private entities.

"The First Amendment to the United States Constitution -- backstopped by Section 230 -- makes it abundantly clear that states have no power to compel private companies to host speech, especially from politicians," said Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a co-author of Section 230, in a statement regarding the signing on the Florida bill.
SALEM, Ore.  A bill passed by the Oregon Senate attempts to bar investigators from lying to a minor during an interrogation in order to gain a confession.

Senate Bill 418, if passed by the House and signed into law, would presume statements made by a minor to be involuntary if the investigator "used information known by the officer to be false to elicit the statement."

The bill would allow the presumption to be overcome if the state can prove "by clear and convincing evidence" that the statement was voluntary and not made in response to the false information.

Science, ethics and good law enforcement all agree, lying to kids during an investigation is a bad practice, said Democratic Senator Chris Gorsek, chief sponsor of SB 418 and a former police officer. Investigators should be doing the work to get the facts, not trying to trick a kid into a confession.

Supporters of the bill cited studies that demonstrate juveniles have fundamental brain differences from adults, making them more susceptible to police interrogation tactics and indicating that they are less likely to understand their Miranda rights. Another study found that juveniles are two or three times more likely than adults to confess to criminal acts that they didn't commit.

We know the data and we have the research, said Senator Gorsek. Tactics that include lying to youth during an investigation is not in the interest of justice. It can ruin lives, it erodes trust in the legal system, it is painful for victims and does not improve public safety. Its wrong and its a practice that needs to end.

Gorsek's office said that SB 418 received support from medical professionals, justice advocates, and some in law enforcement. The bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 24-4 and now goes on to the House of Representatives for consideration.
SALEM, Ore.  Thousands of Oregonians receiving unemployment will soon have to begin proving that they are looking for jobs, as the Oregon Employment Department puts back in place requirements that were suspended during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OED estimates that roughly 220,000 people will be covered by the reinstated work search requirement, though deadlines for registering will be staggered over the next five weeks. The requirements will first apply to people receiving regular unemployment or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).

Over the last 14 months, the Employment Department has played a critical role in supporting Oregonians," said David Gerstenfeld, acting OED director. "Putting work requirements on hold for more than a half million people during the crisis was the right thing to do, because these benefits provided a critical stabilizing force for families  and our economy. As the pandemic begins to fade and the economy changes, we are still focusing on how we can help fuel economic recovery, and help Oregonians overcome challenges related to employment."

People on UI will first need to register on OED's iMatchSkills system and create a Job Seeker profile. OED said that it will start mailing out notices with registration deadlines "on a rolling basis," contacting 35,000 people in each wave. If claimants don't register by their deadline, their benefits will be denied.

After that, claimants will have to start reporting their job-seeking activities on their weekly claims. The deadline is July 31 for all regular UI claimants, and must be submitted every week that they want to receive benefits.

"Some people will also be mailed a letter informing them they must complete a Welcome Conversation with WorkSource Oregon staff, virtually or in-person," OED said in a statement. "If they are selected for a Welcome Conversation and do NOT complete the tasks by the assigned deadline, their benefits will be denied."

Claimants who need assistance with iMatchSkills can call their local WorkSource Oregon office for additional help or the WorkSource Oregon Language Access Line at 833-685-0845 if they need help in a language other than English, and a step-by-step guide is available online.

Oregon is still offering the additional $300 weekly federal unemployment supplement, currently funded through September 6 by the American Rescue Plan. An increasing number of Republican-led states have pledged to discontinue the federal supplement, citing labor shortages.
Less: Just look at London, Ont.

Same: We hear more bad news.

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People take part in a protest called "Justice for Joyce" in Montreal, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, where they demanded justice for Joyce Echaquan and an end to all systemic racism. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
FILE - In this Thursday Sept. 21, 2006, file photo, Mali's Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Moctar Ouane addresses the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters. Mutinous soldiers arrested Mali's transitional President Bah NDaw and Prime Minister Ouane, Monday, May 24, 2021, hours after a government reshuffle left out two members of the junta that seized power in a coup nine months earlier in the West African nation, the African Union said late in the day. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
Jerry Ray Carwile was sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and given six years suspended imposition of sentencing for fleeing from police, and other charges.
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Well before I started medical school, I thought I wanted to be a gynecologist. I remember being absolutely obsessed with reproduction and reproductive health. I remembered learning about periods when I was 9 years old, and I knew I wanted to figure out how to be the doctor that did that work. When I stumbled on Black feminism as a young African American woman in a small college at the ripe age of 18, so many aspects resonated with me. Looking at every aspect of the human condition and knowing the inherent connections between race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, class, ability, reproduction, and reproductive health was absolutely fascinating, understanding that all of these things work together to define the human experience. I knew I had to be a doctor to help care for Black women in inherently poorer situations in the United States. And of course, like all of the young people who started medical school and assisted in a delivery in medical school, who understand the inherent magic of deliveries, I knew I had to be an obstetrician-gynecologist. I dont know that any of my desires, background, or understanding of inequities in the world ever would have prepared me for what I would do to a woman.

I was on a rotation in an inner-city, which I will allow to remain nameless for patient privacy. It was late at night, and I was with my senior and junior residents, eating Chinese food and talking about my career aspirations. The labor floor was quiet, and I was sipping water, hoping we might get at least two more deliveries that night. My junior resident received a page saying that one of the patients who had delivered approximately 36 hours prior was experiencing vaginal bleeding.

I pulled my mask back over my face and headed to the patients room with my team, and our attending physician met us there. The patient appeared to be completely fine, but her nurse was concerned as she pulled a soaked chuck pad out from under her body. She explained to us that the patients uterus has felt firm. I watched as, with no warning, my resident inserted her hand directly into the patients uterus and began giving a fundal massage. The patient began screaming, crying, kicking, and begging my resident to stop. There was no response, and my resident continued to massage and pull clots from the patient. My resident looked up at me and asked me to hold down her arms and legs. I wasnt sure what to doas a third-year medical student, I didnt have any power, and I continue to have limited power in decision making. I have to do what I am told, or else there are concerns about my ability to follow directions and work well with the team. I grabbed hold of the patients arm and leg as she continued to kick and scream. She scratched me several times and tried to bite me, begging all of us to stop. Her cries fell on deaf ears, and no one ever explained to her what was happening or even asked her if it would be okay for us to continue. No pain medication was offered. No social support was provided. A room full of masked medical persons, strapping her to a bed against her will as she screamed and kicked against us, begging us to stop hurting her.

I walked out of the room with my sparkly pink shoes covered in blood. I felt a strange sensation in my stomach. I was not sure what was happening. I was happy that I knew I had been involved in a potential life-saving treatment for someone, but I was fairly distraught about how this may have impacted her. I couldnt help to wonder if this woman had been white and in a different institution with fewer patients who used Medicaid to pay for her care if she would have been offered medications to ease the pain. I wondered if someone would have even tried to explain why we were doing what we were doing. I wondered if someone would have thought to help console her or explain what we were doing to her partner. I also wondered how I had betrayed myself and my own values by not asking to explain to her what was going on or even doing it myself to ensure her consent in this care as we knew she was capable of consenting.

I also wondered to myself how we got here. In a country which spends millions of dollars annually on health care and knowing that many people go into medicine wanting to be healers, how did we get to a point where so many good-hearted people had done something so egregious? And why werent there checks and balances to prevent this from happening? Did we all fail to recognize that we viewed this womandue to her gender, her race, and her class (which we assumed based on where she was) less worthy of knowledge about her condition, consent to treatment, and therefore agency over her body? It felt like we were giving the same care that J. Marian Simms gave to his slave patients Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy. Of course, he provided care to them, but it was suboptimal and grossly different from what a white woman of a different class in a different location might experience.

I also wondered where we go from here. I continue to wonder, and frankly worry, where we go from here. How does the medical community acknowledge the disparities that Black women experience in life and those at the hands of the medical community? How do we promote clear communication with Black patients, like we would with any White patient? How do we ensure that the medical community gives Black women agency and consent? And furthermore, as people who believe in the inherent equality of all people and fight for equity in health care and many other arenas, how do we allow these values to hold true in challenging situations, especially when power differentials are ever-present? I hope we have answers to these questions someday. And I hope that we continue to strive for completely destroying the health disparities we see today.

Micaela Stevenson is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
EUGENE, Ore.  A Eugene man found guilty of trying to murder a police officer is scheduled for sentencing in Lane County Circuit Court Wednesday.

A jury found Jordan Wilson, 56, guilty on charges of second-degree attempted murder with a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm.

The charges stem from an incident in July 2020 when officers were called for reports of a man menacing another man with a gun at a Eugene residence. Police said Wilson then ran to his home on Chambers Street. When police got there, Wilson opened his door and started to shoot at officers. Officers shot back but there were no injuries on either side.

RELATED: MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY SHOT AT POLICE OFFICERS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED

SWAT and the crisis negotiation team worked with Wilson to take him into custody.

Prosecutors said Wilson faces a presumptive sentence of more than 7 years in prison for the attempted murder charge.

Sentencing is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.

Separately, Wilson is also facing charges of kidnapping and sex abuse to which he has pleaded not guilty. That case is currently scheduled to go to trial in late June.
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- New information has emerged about a possible origin of the coronavirus.

This comes as Dr. Anthony Fauci even shared that he no longer believes the pandemic was sparked naturally.

US intelligence shows that researchers have reason to believe there is a link to a Wuhan laboratory. There are reports that a few staff members became sick in November 2019 and had to seek hospital care.

On Monday, KEZI spoke to Dr. Chunhuei Chi, who is the director at OSUs Center for Global Health. He said there is still a major divide about where the coronavirus originated from: nature or the lab.

Chinese researchers, including the CDC officials, knew about the contagiousness of this disease," Chi said. "Yet they kept it closed even to Chinese people -- so people in China suffered from the non-disclosure of information."

Chi said he has a friend who has close ties to a lab in Wuhan. He shared that he wouldnt be surprised if the origin of the virus tied back to the lab due to safety concerns and reports he has heard.

RELATED: OSU EXPERTS TALK NOVEL CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION

It is extremely difficult to get to the bottom of it, Chi said.

Dr. Chi explained that vaccination is essential. He said he's "cautiously hopeful" about the progress being made in the pandemic -- but there is still a lot of work to do.

Everyone wants our society and our country to go back to normal activity, Chi said. Right now the only tool that can help us to expedite that is vaccination. Vaccination is not only to protect ourselves but to protect our family, our loved ones, our community and our country.

Chi said that while the coronavirus is not the most contagious virus -- it is the most difficult to control.
EUGENE, Ore.  Greenhill Humane Society has two somewhat unusual pets that recently found their way to the animal shelter.

Monty is a young ball python who arrived at the shelter as a stray. He is ready to go home with a snake-savvy family who will give him a great life.

Professor Madness

Monty Monty Professor Madness

Ball pythons can live 30 years or more with the proper care, so Greenhill is looking for a family willing to make a long-term commitment. Monty will need an enclosure that keeps him happy, safe and warm.

Monty is a bit shy at first, but he is getting used to being handled and is ready for a home where he will get the care he needs. Montys fee is $85.

Another critter at the shelter this week is Professor Madness, a young Russian tortoise who also arrived as a stray. He is full of personality and loves to eat, dining on fruits and vegetables while waiting for a family to take him home.

This tortoise will not get as large as some tortoises, but he may live to be 40 years old. He needs a home where he can be active but also enjoy an enclosure where he feels safe, warm and protected. The fee for Professor Madness is $100.

Staff members will help potential adopters get all of the information and resources they will need to give these animals the best homes possible. If you are interested in Monty or Professor Madness more information is available here. A video of Monty and Professor Madness can be watched here.

Monty and Professor Madness were featured as Tuesdays Pet of the Week on KEZI 9 News. Every Tuesday, KEZI showcases a homeless pet on the Midday newscast at 11 a.m. and again at 4 p.m.

Greenhill Humane Society is located at 88530 Green Hill Road and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its phone number is 541-689-1503. Appointments are available. For more information visit its website.

To ensure a good match is made, potential adopters must go to the animal shelter in person to meet with the animal and kennel staff. All family members should be present to ensure the animal is compatible with everyone in the household.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore .-- Andrew Shearer was sworn in as the Springfield Police Department's interim police chief Monday and shared his vision for the police force, which has been involved in several recent controversies.

Shearer is taking the seat following former police chief Richard Lewis's retirement while on administrative leave. Lewis had been accused of mishandling a sex scandal involving a female police recruit and two veteran officers.

MORE: SPRINGFIELD POLICE CHIEF RETIRES WHILE ON LEAVE

The interim chief said that he hopes to develop a culture of transparency and accountability in the department and foster partnership with community members and other public safety stakeholders.

"I make a promise to you all that I will do everything in my power to ensure that we provide police service to the city of Springfield in a manner that increases trust and legitimacy through transparency, accountability and respect for every individual's constitutional rights," he said after being sworn in.

Shearer also said that he hopes that the community's pride in their police officers will help create collaboration to improve their performance.

RELATED: FORMER INTERNAL SPRINGFIELD POLICE INVESTIGATOR SAYS THE DEPARTMENT HAS 'HISTORICAL DYSFUNCTION'

"We will continually own and learn from our shortcomings, our mistakes and our failings. But most importantly, we will be relentless in our neverending pursuit of professional development," he said.

Mayor Sean VanGordon told KEZI 9 News that he is confident Chief Shearer can unite Springfield's politically diverse community behind a transparent and fair police force.

"Having a new chief in place is going to help the conversation quite a bit. This isn't about litigating things that happened in the past. It's about how do we bring the whole community forward," said VanGordon.
By KITSEPILE NYATHI

A Zimbabwean traditional leader has ordered the exhumation and reburial of Robert Mugabes remains at the national shrine, rekindling a row over the former strongmans final resting place.

Chief Zvimba accused former first lady Grace Mugabe of breaking local custom by interring Zimbabwes long-serving ruler at his homestead about 100 kilometres from Harare.

Mr Mugabe, who died in September 2019 two years after he was ousted in a military coup, was buried at his village of Kutama as his family resisted moves by President Emmerson Mnangagwas government to inter his remains at the Heroes Acre in Harare.

The family said they were respecting his deathbed wish that President Mnangagwa must not preside over his funeral following their fallout over the coup.

Traditional norms

Chief Zvimba on Monday presided over the case where the widow of Zimbabwes first black leader was found guilty of breaking traditional norms by burying her husband in the courtyard of his home.

Read more: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/chief-orders-exhumation-of-robert-mugabe-s-remains-3413224
By Juliet Nalwooga and Ritah Kemigisa

Civil Society organizations have commended the former speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga for the work well done and are now tasking the new speaker to work on MPs absenteeism and ensure objectivity.

Kadaga who only got 197 votes was defeated by her former deputy who polled 310.

The Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET) executive director Sylvia Namubiru says Kadaga has left an admirable legacy locally and internationally that leaders of the 11th parliament should emulate.

We as the women movement, we are grateful for the work she has done and we wish her the best, we are asking her to move with her head high irrespective of the smear character, thats just politics, she had done a great job and we are proud of her, says Ms Namubiru.

Namubiru meanwhile says the failure by NRM CEC to endorse Kadaga should serve as a lesson to all politicians to serve the interest of the people and not their parties.

She however tasks Oulanyah to put aside his party interests and serve for the good of the country.

Relatedly, the Anti- Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) executive director Cissy Kagaba is urging the new parliament leadership to avoid passing unnecessary supplementary budgets.

She however casts doubt on Oulanyahs performance.

The new speaker, I dont really see anything different, he is an NRM/regime fanatic, I highly doubt that he will able to stand the test of time, when it comes to the opposition and what people want to see done, he is going to be more aligned to what the regime wants than what the ordinary Uganda wants to see done, says Ms Kagaba.
Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Cheyenne, stands and speaks on a bill March 1 during the first day of the 66th Wyoming Legislature inside the state Capitol. The U.S. House candidate said he had a relationship with and impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18.
SPOKANE, Wash. - After a hearing on Thursday, it was announced Fairchild Air Force Base will not get the next round of new KC-46A tankers. Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey was announced as the primary base in contention.
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Small food businesses are today being encouraged to apply for funding under the LEADER Food Initiative  a 5 million investment aimed at assisting businesses to deal with the challenges posed by Brexit and COVID-19.

The final call for applications was made by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett.

The funding will help artisan, micro and small food businesses to respond to challenges posed by Brexit and Covid-19, while also supporting diversification in agriculture.

In December 2020, Ministers Humphreys, McConalogue and Hackett announced the extension of the LEADER Food Initiative into 2021.

As part of that announcement, the maximum rate of aid available to projects involving economic activity was increased from 50% to 75% for project applications received on or after April 1, 2021.

Announcing the final call for applications, all three Ministers urged small food businesses to submit their applications.

Minister Humphreys said:

I recently launched the Transitional LEADER Programme for 2021 and 2022, underpinned by 70 million in funding. Today, I am delighted to announce the final call for applications under LEADER Food Initiative.

Our Rural Future, the Governments ambitious new policy for the development of Rural Ireland, outlined the importance of the Agri-food sector for our country. This initiative is a key part of the Governments plans for our agriculture community - support artisan, micro and small food businesses, new or existing to develop their businesses.

Minister Humphreys continued:

Some 116 projects have been approved by the various Local Action Groups (LAGSs) to date. Since the launch of this programme in 2018, my Department and I have seen the really positive impact the LEADER Food Initiative funding can have on supporting local enterprises to expand and develop.

Supporting local enterprises and employment is a key focus of Our Rural Future. I would encourage local enterprises, who may qualify for this funding, to contact their Local Development Company to avail of this funding and support as we move into a post pandemic economy.

Along with Minister McConalogue and Minister Hackett, I will continue to drive forward with implementing the commitments in Our Rural Future as we strive to support our Agri-Food sector.

Commenting on the development, Minister McConalogue said:

I am happy to announce that the final tranche of the 15m funding allocated by my Department for the LEADER Food Initiative is now being made available for this final call for applications for artisan, micro and small food enterprises engaged in the agri-food sector. Following on from my announcement last year on extending the measure into 2021, I am pleased that applicants with eligible projects under this call can be eligible for consideration for the increased maximum funding limit now increased from 50% to 75%. The 5m funding now made available will help support farmers and food enterprises to develop premium, sustainable outlets for their products on the Irish market.

Minister Mc Conalogue added:

I hope that the increased maximum rates of aid will encourage these food businesses, who have shown great resilience during the past year, to apply for this funding support."

Minister Hackett continued:

"It is so important to help connect small food producers to the consumer. Thats why I am pleased that this funding is made available under the LEADER Food Initiative. The support will help local food enterprises to access advisory, investment and marketing support for those who wish to diversify into new products and to build efficient, sustainable routes to market that help connect small food producers to the consumer."

Contact details for all Local Action Groups and their Implementing Partners (Local Development Companies) can be located here
A preferred route option has been identified in the ongoing process to develop a road scheme to improve the transport connectivity of the N25 between Waterford and Glenmore.

Kilkenny County Council are working in partnership with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on the project. The preferred option has been identified as the navy option and is illustrated on the map below.



Currently the project is at the conclusion of Phase 2  Option Selection and as part of this process a non-statutory public display event is to be held seeking the publics feedback to the preferred option. Given that the Covid-19 restrictions are continuing, Kilkenny County Council is seeking the publics engagement through an online public display event accessible through the project website www.n25waterford2glenmore.ie.

The online public display event informing of the identification of the NAVY option as the preferred option is being held between May 26 and June 4 and members of the public are encouraged to make submissions via the website.

Further information including interactive mapping in relation to this public display event and detailed background information on the decision-making process for phase 2 is also available on the project web site.

Cllr Andrew McGuinness, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council welcomed the announcement.

The fulfilment of a long-standing objective to improve connectivity in the south of the County and South East Region, and looking forward to further progress on the design of the scheme in the months ahead," he said.

The project will complete the link between the Waterford City Bypass and the New Ross Bypass by providing a high-quality road thus improving local, regional and national accessibility and international connectivity via the Ports of Cork, Rosslare, Waterford and New Ross.

The identification of the preferred option is very welcome and long anticipated and I encourage everyone to participate in the on-line public display event," said Cllr Eamon Aylward, Chairman of the Municipal District of Piltown.

In accordance with the Public Spending Code requirements for capital expenditure, progression of the scheme will be subject to appraisal and Government approval and funding.
MASON CITY, Iowa - With the weather warming up, many are getting outside and enjoying a nice meal under the sun. This bodes good news for restaurant owners, many of whom have been dealt a heavy hand this last year.

The Iowa Restaurant Association initially predicted about 1,000 bars and restaurants would permanently close over the course of the last year. Now, that number is predicted to only be about 700 - roughly 12% - with many closures attributed due to a change in ownership.

Association President & CEO Jessica Dunker credits the state's quick thinking through keeping drive-thru and takeout options open last spring while dine-in was closed, as well as allowing cocktails to go (with Iowa being the first state to make it permanent), and state and national grant programs for restaurants to keeping the doors open.

"Our state government did a lot to help us, as an industry, get to the federal programs that came later. Even as recent as this year, there was a $40 million grant program specifically for restaurants and bars that really helped a lot of our local establishments."

While the restaurant industry has largely emerged from the other side, Dunker says there's still one big issue for such establishments - workers.

"We'd like to see more people get that first time opportunity with us. We're looking at how do we make ourselves attractive for everyone from a part-time teen, to somebody over 50 who wants some fun money to take a vacation."

Dunker says the restaurant industry is about 2 1/2 times more likely to hire those in the re-entry population after serving time. In addition, about 48% of adults have their first job in the industry.
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ROCHESTER, Minn. - Tuesday, May 25th marks one year since the death of George Floyd. The death sparked a national conversation about policing and a push for police reform. Since then, law enforcement departments across the country have made changes.

KIMT News 3 met with Rochester Police Department's Chief Jim Franklin to discuss changes RPD has made over the last year. He explains there are five organizational pillars to managing law enforcement: people, policy, training, supervision, and discipline. He says RPD has made significant enhancements to each one.

Over the past 12 months, new measures and programs have been introduced.

To be more transparent, RPD launched an accountability dashboard online. There, the public can find things like use of force statistics, complaints, and investigations.

To build relationships with the public, RPD began its community liaison program with the intent of engaging the marginalized community and problem-solve collaboratively. Franklin says he values a co-responding model. RPD's partnerships with social workers responding side-by-side with officers has grown from one social worker to four.

In three years, Rochester Police has hired about 30 people. 50% are women and/or people of color. Franklin tells KIMT RPD wants a police force that is reflective of the community it serves.

While there are minimum requirements to be a police officer in Minnesota, RPD set higher standards, including additional training hours with an emphasis on de-escalation and sanctity of life.

In the last year, RPD launched a new internal office, the Rochester Office of Professional Standards and Accountability. The lieutenant overseeing the office reports directly to Chief Franklin. The office looks at incidents involving police nationwide and considers how it would want Rochester officers to respond to that type of incident if it happened here.

Some changes at the department were already in motion before George Floyd was killed. For example, RPD was in the process of a complete policy review to take a look at every single one of its policies to ensure it's meeting community expectations. This review is expected to wrap up sometime this year.

"I'm very proud of this organization, the men and women who continue to put on this uniform and this badge to serve this community at a very high level. They come out here on a daily basis and serve this community and police with their hearts and I'm very proud of the men and women that serve this organization," says Chief Franklin.

Chief Franklin is looking forward to being able to have Safe City Nights this year, a series of public events for neighbors and police to get together. They were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Community engagement was a challenge during the pandemic, but it's looking good for 2021.
CLEAR LAKE, Iowa - A 79-year-old Clear Lake man is facing multiple felony sexual abuse charges involving a child.

Gary Davison was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail on Monday and is being held on $50,000 bond for charges of sexual abuse, second-and third-degree.

Court documents state that Davison abused a child between Oct. of 2017 to Oct. of 2020 and "committed several acts."
FOREST CITY, Iowa  A head-on crash that seriously hurt six people is sending a Lake Mills man to prison.

Michael Scott Olsen, 22, was sentenced Tuesday in Winnebago County District Court to up to five years behind bars. Olsen pleaded guilty to three counts of serious injury by vehicle for a collision on January 1, 2019.

Law enforcement says Olsen crashed his pickup truck into a car around 2:21 am on 120th Avenue, about five miles northwest of Forest City. The collision seriously injured Maya Barrientes, Taylor Pattison, Alex Fritze, Kayla Kittleson, Carter Hammervold, and Cole MIllsap.

As part of his plea deal, 11 other criminal charges against Olsen were dismissed.
WASIOJA TOWNSHIP, Minn.  A Dodge County woman is hurt after a car/semi collision on Highway 56.

The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened around 11:15 am Tuesday near 595th Street. Dana Marie Hickey, 49 of Dodge Center, was driving south she collided with the northbound semi driven by Grant Jacob Eipers, 31 of West Concord.

Hickey suffered what are described as non-life threatening injuries and was taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester for treatment. The State Patrol says she was not wearing a seat belt. Eipers was not hurt.

The Dodge County Sheriffs Office and Dodge Center Fire and Ambulance assisted with this accident.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  Shooting up a Floyd County motel room results in jail time for a Florida man.

Harry William Luciow II, 52 of Southport, FL, has pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal mischief and reckless use of a firearm. Charles City police say Luciow fired off a gun six or seven times inside a room at the Super 8 Motel on South Grand Avenue. Court documents state the gunfire on April 17 damaged the walls, motel electronics, and motel plumbing.

Police say none of the bullets went through the walls into an adjacent room.

Luciow has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and two to three years of supervised probation. He must also pay full restitution to the Super 8 Motel.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A North Iowa man is accused of selling heroin to a confidential informant of law enforcement.

Robert John Murphy, 41 of Mason City, is facing three counts of controlled substance violation. Court documents state Murphy sold a total of 2.4 grams of heroin to a law enforcement informant.

Investigators say the sales occurred in September, October, and November of 2019 and all took place in Mason City. Charges were filed against Murphy on May 18 and court documents state he was arrested on May 20.
ALBERT LEA, Minn.  The Minnesota Department of Education has given Albert Lea Area Schools the go ahead to operate an online school.

The school district says the Albert Lea Online Academy will be for students in grades 4 through 12. A press release states:

This online learning platform is for students who are self-motivated and enjoy learning in a virtual environment. Courses are all provided through the online platform using video modules, reading for learning in the subject matter, journaling, and other online resources. Albert Lea Area Schools teachers will guide students, check on their progress in the virtual lessons and assignments and communicate updates to parents. Parents and guardians will be the learning coach to ensure the child is attending and completing their daily work.

The school district says informational sessions on Albert Lea Online Academy are being planned for Brookside and enrollment will begin in June.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - It's becoming an issue across the nation: people donating broken or damaged items to re-sale stores.

There's been a large uptick in donors at the Rochester Area ReStore, which is great, but there are some things you need to remember if you want to donate items there.

The ReStore collects items and uses that money to build homes for families in the community. It also sells those items to the public. But when not-so-good items get donated, they have to toss them out and can't do anything with them. That then increases the ReStore's expenses because they have to pay for it.

The donations manager, David Cline, explained that's something they can't afford after a year of already tough finances because of the pandemic. "A good rule of thumb is if you needed to have this item and you're at a store or a garage sale, would you want to buy this item in this condition? So obviously, for furniture: stuff that doesn't have a rip in it or something that's not stained. If it's a coffee table or an end table: probably not if it's got a broken top or a missing leg," he said. "Things like that are pretty difficult for us to sell and costs us money to get rid of on our own."

Cline broke down the difference between donating your unwanted stuff versus just dumping it on the curb. "If you're bringing items here to us that you don't need anymore, obviously you're keeping it out of the landfill," he explained. "You're giving it a second chance. So if you have that furniture piece or those building materials that are in good condition, somebody else can use that."

Donations are accepted Tuesdays from noon until 4 in the afternoon. Then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon until 6 at night and Saturdays from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.

If you donate after hours, you can leave items on the shelf outside. Just be cautious of what you're dropping off.
KIMT-TV 3 NEWS  Public figures are speaking out on the one-year anniversary of George Floyds death:

Statement from Governor Tim Walz:

Today, we honor and remember George Floyd. In the days following his murder, Minnesotans raised their voices and called for real, meaningful change to prevent this from ever happening again. Those calls for action spread across the world as his memory sparked a global movement. George Floyd didn't ask to be an international symbol of the pain that Black Americans have faced for generations, and yet, in the words of his daughter, he changed the world.

We must honor George Floyds memory here in Minnesota by ensuring all peopleparticularly in our communities of colorare respected and protected by law enforcement. Let us recommit ourselves to seeking meaningful police reform and working together to make lasting change in Minnesota. The calls for action from Minnesotans across the state and people across the world cannot go unanswered.

To those who were closest to George, to his family, his friends, and his little girl, I know the pain of your loss will never fully subside. As you carry your grief forward, know that George will continue to be a catalyst for change, and together, we will ensure that his legacy leads to a better Minnesota for future generations to come.

Statement from Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan:

George Floyd should be alive today.

Since the day he was murdered by Derek Chauvin, we have been confronted with what many Black Minnesotans and Minnesotans of color have known for generations: Too often, your race and identity determine your safety in our state. The injustices in policing and public safety that people of color  especially Black people  face in Minnesota were exposed for the world to see for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. We heard the grief and anger and cries for justice in streets across the globe. It is our collective responsibility to move past Minnesota Nice and push through our discomfort; to listen and to act.

We took the first steps toward meaningful police reform in the Minnesota Legislature  but that can only the beginning. We have more work to do to ensure that every person in Minnesota is safe, valued, and protected in their communities. We have more work to do to ensure that this does not happen to anyone elses father, brother, cousin, friend, neighbor, or child. We must re-imagine how we approach the issue of public safety overall. I am very clear that if Minnesota is safer for the Black community, it is safer for all of us. We are linked  our pain and our joy, our futures are woven together, and we must support each other as relatives.

My heart is with the Floyd family and with Minneapolis. No amount of legislation or convictions will bring George Floyd back to his loved ones  to his little girl, Gianna. But his daughter was absolutely right when she said that her daddy changed the world. Now it is up to us to change our hearts and to do the work.

Statement from Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin:

One year ago today, George Floyd was slowly and agonizingly murdered under the knee of then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. George Floyd didnt ask to be a symbol and he didnt ask to give his life to motivate a mass movement, he just wanted to be able to breathe and we failed him."

While Floyds killer has been brought to justice, that is not nearly enough. We cannot content ourselves with justice after the fact because that leaves in place the unjust systems that brought about George Floyds death in the first place. We must make real, durable, and systemic change to protect Black lives in Minnesota and across America. I urge Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and I urge Minnesota lawmakers to build on last years work by passing the police reform measures put forward by House DFLers. Failing to act is simply not an option.

Statement from David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition:

One year ago today, George Floyd was murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer. Floyds death added fuel to an uprising throughout the nation, amplifying the movement for Black lives and a national reckoning with police violence rooted in systemic racism."

Since then, millions have marched, protested, and organized in the name of George Floyd. Congress drafted the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in response. While President Biden requested that the Senate vote on this bill for signage by today, the Senates vote has yet to take place. We urge Senators to do so immediately."

We honor George Floyd today and every one of our siblings killed because of racism and white supremacy in America. We will keep saying the names George Floyd, Nina Pop, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and too many others, in remembrance as we continue working for accountability and justice

Statement by Education Minnesota:

This is a day to remember the tragic murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, but it is also a day to re-commit ourselves to making a state where everyone can feel safe and thrive in their communities, said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota. Theres nothing we can do to take away the pain and trauma felt by George Floyds family and friends, but we can come together and insist the Legislature pass meaningful police accountability this year and demand that state and local lawmakers invest in Black communities that have been left behind for decades. This is not a day to settle for going back to normal. Today is a day for pushing for new approaches to public safety; healthier, well-resourced Black communities; and equal justice for everyone, no matter what you look like or where you live.

Statement from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison:

"George Floyd loved people and had the love of people all around him  especially the love of his family that was always there for him. Everyone who knew and loved him misses him to this day, and always will. None of the people who stopped and raised their voices one year ago  people of all backgrounds  even knew George Floyd, but they knew in their bones that what they were seeing was wrong. They knew it was their duty to care for Floyd in any way they could and bear witness to his death, even though they didnt know him."

"Floyds death one year ago today sparked a worldwide movement because it didnt happen in the flash of an instant: it took place over nine and a half excruciating minutes before people armed only with cell phones, who made sure it played out in front of the world. African American communities have been gaslit by people in authority for 100 years: they have been repeatedly told that state-sanctioned violence in their communities is their fault and that they are the criminals, not the ones committing the crimes against them. But this time, the witnesses to George Floyds death and everyone in the world who watched their videos refused to be gaslit. They believed their eyes."

"After 100 years of tragic incidents of police-involved deaths of African Americans and others, all fair-minded people want to fix the problem  but as James Baldwin said, Nothing can be changed until it is faced. We must face that for 100 years, we have been caught in a cycle of state-sponsored violence that leads to uprising and protest, that leads to commissions and studies, that dead-ends in inaction, that leads to more state-sponsored violence. Noted African American psychologist Dr. Kenneth Clark made exactly this point to the Kerner Commission in 1968, more than 50 years ago."

"We can break this cycle. The moment for making meaningful change is now. The moment for law-enforcement leaders to finally demand true accountability of their staff  and for officers to finally demand true accountability of each other  is now. The time for legislators at every level  federal, state, and municipal  to act is now. As the person who is leading the prosecution in the death of George Floyd, I know that guilty verdicts are important, but are not the total change that we need. I call on Congress to past the best version of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that can be passed, as soon as possible. Lives are depending on it."

"The time for prosecutors to commit themselves to equal justice for anyone who commits a crime whether they wear a badge or not, and to the proposition that no one is above the law and no one is beneath it, is now. And the time for all Americans of all backgrounds to do the hard work of ending racism and white supremacy once and for all is now."

"For a century, and despite the best efforts of many, America has chosen inaction over climbing this mountain. But the other side of this mountain is better  not only for African Americans, but for everyone. On the other side of this mountain, no one fears those who are sworn to protect them, so all communities are safer. On the other side of this mountain, safety and security in all communities leads to jobs, investment, and prosperity for everyone. On the other side of this mountain, all people live with dignity and respect, and liberty and justice are truly for all."

"Finally, my thoughts today are with the Floyd family as they mourn their beloved Perry. Every day during the recent trial, they came to the courthouse to bear witness in the spirit of justice and accountability. They stood not with vengefulness, but with dignity and respect for each other and all people. They faced their worst fears and have turned their loss into hope and optimism for a better society. When we all become more like the Floyd family, we will find the courage to climb the mountain and make the change we all need."
A cold front moving through the area Tuesday has been a bit slower to progress than expected. This has several implications for Tuesday, but one is that it increases our chances for severe weather in Southeastern Minnesota and Northeastern Iowa.

As of 7:45am Tuesday morning, far SE Minnesota and NE Iowa were under a SLIGHT (2/5) RISK for severe weather, with the primary threat being damaging wind, with hail and tornadoes as more secondary isolated factors. Other parts of southern MN and north Iowa were under a lesser marginal (1/5) risk for severe weather.

Clouds will slowly clear Tuesday as the sun begins to poke holes through the clouds from the west. High temperatures will rise into the low to mid 80s later Tuesday afternoon. Scattered storms are expected to ignite along the cold front between 3-5pm. This likely occurs somewhere in the close vicinity of a line drawn from Rochester to Mason City, with storms progressing east of hear thereafter. Storms are likely mostly into Wisconsin entirely by 7pm.

Temps drop into the 50s overnight as humidity is ushered out with the front. Wednesday's highs are only in around 70 degrees with sunny skies. Rain moves in on a gloomy Thursday with high temps in the 50s. An nice inch of rain will be possible Thursday.
US Dollar Breaks Below 90  Continue To Confirm Depreciation Cycle Phase

If youve been following my recent research posts, you already know my research team and I are expecting some very big volatility and trends in the US and global markets over the next 12 to 48 months.

The US Dollar Index fell below a critical support level above 90 recently. This move lower after attempting to bottom in early 2021 suggests our broad Appreciation/Depreciation cycle phase research is continuing to play out. This means we should start to prepare for bigger trends, more volatility, and the potential for broad market price rotation over the next few years. You can read about our Appreciation/Depreciation cycle phase research entitled Long Term Gold/US Dollar Cycles Show Big Trends For Metals and Metals Rally Early In 2021.

You Cant Fight The Market Tides  Get Ready For The Depreciation Cycle Phase

These broader market cycle phases act like lunar phases in ocean tides. There are always smaller waves that lap at the shore continually, but there are bigger trends, the lunar cycle trends, that drive larger excess tidal highs and lows. The global markets work in much the same manner with the longer-term Appreciation/Depreciation cycle phases (which usually last about 7 to 9 years in length). When we are in an Appreciation phase, precious metals fall out of favor as global traders and investors pile into strong global equity market trends. When we are in a Depreciation phase, precious metals tend to trend higher because global market volatility, a declining US Dollar, credit market and other concerns drive traders into more protective/hedging positions.

In short, the transition from a general market Appreciation cycle phase, which we believe ended in late 2019, into a new general market Depreciation cycle phase suggests the following general trends will take place over the next 5 to 7+ years and likely prompt the following types of price trends:

Precious Metals should continue to rally as broad market economic and credit market concerns become elevated.

Larger price volatility and bigger price rotations will likely drive traders to become more cautious of the buy and hold type of passive investing. These bigger price swings and how they related to sector trends will create a true traders marketplace.

Commodities usually rally to a peak near the end of an Appreciation cycle phase. You can learn more about these Commodities Super Cycles here.

Generally, global equities markets attempt to reprice true value within a Depreciation cycle phase. This happens because the end of the Appreciation cycle phase usually prompts a euphoric rally type of extreme peak. After that peak exhausts, the transition into the Depreciation cycle phase usually consists of a revaluing price phase which is followed by an ultimate bottom, then the start of a reflation phase.

Our technical levels on the US Dollar are 89.99 (which has already been breached) and 88.43. Once the 88.43 level is breached,the next major standout lows are near 84.47 and 79.74. These deeper support levels represent a further decline of -6% to -11% for the US Dollar. My belief is that the markets are transitioning into a new Depreciation cycle phase suggests that any move below the 88.43 level will likely confirm the cycle transition is persisting and that we can continue to expect bigger volatility and bigger trends in metals and within the global markets.

Start Preparing Now For The US Dollar To Breach The 88.43 Level

If our research is correct, the next 5+ years are going to become a traders marketplace  where the large rambling bullish price trends are less frequent and where active traders want to start executing strategic trades when the markets confirm real opportunity exists for profits  very similar to what happened between 2002 and 2011.

Be sure to sign up for our free market trend analysis and signals now so you dont miss our next special report!

This following example of the Gold Cycle Phase, as seen on the chart below, highlights the Appreciation/Depreciation cycle phases and shows key Fibonacci Extension price targets near $2100, $2600, and $3200 for Gold. Gold may rally much higher than the $3200 level if the current Depreciation cycle phase is aggressive in nature. Only time will tell what really happens because of this new cycle phase.

If my research is correct, the next 7+ years will test the skills of even the best traders. Youll need to really be on top of your strategies and fully understand the volatility and risks that are present because of this new Depreciation cycle phase. This is the type of market where huge opportunities exist if you can stay well protected from the risks and volatility while capturing the big trends. Are you ready for these exciting market trends? Want to know how we can help?

You can learn more about how I identify and trade the markets by watching my FREE step-by-step guide to finding and trading the best sectors. Of course, my BAN Trader Pro newsletter service does all the work for you, with my daily pre-market reports, proprietary research, and BAN trade alerts.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
HAMMOND, IN (KCTV) -- A 12-year-old boy from Kansas City who went missing on a trip with his family in Indiana has been found dead.

Kyrin Carter, who has autism, was last seen May 15 at the Best Western Hotel in Hammond, Indiana.

A volunteer kayaker involved in the search for the missing teen found his body about 8:15 p.m. Monday in the Little Calumet River, according to the Lake County Indiana Coroners Office. A dive team removed his body just 300 feet west of hotel where he was last seen.

On Friday, agencies temporarily stopped the flow of water into the Little Calumet River in an attempt to get as deep into the river as possible to search for Kyrin.
The friend of a Town and Country doctor who was shot and killed outside a hotel and restaurant in Brentwood Saturday says his friend was waiting for an Uber when he was shot.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) - Chaotic is how Washington Avenue residents are describing out-of-control party-goers from Saturday night.

Wow, I cant believe this was happening on the other side of my building, said resident Taylor Porter.

Videos show people dancing on top of St. Louis police car on Washington Avenue Social media videos circulating online show large crowds gathering outside on Washington Avenue early Sunday morning as bars were closing on the busy street in Downtown St. Louis.

According to 911 logs, there were calls for shots fired, officers in need of aid and disturbances on Washington Ave. between 15th and 18th Streets. A resident shared video with News 4 showing numerous police cars responding to the incidents. Other social media videos show people dancing in the street and several standing and jumping on top of a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) vehicle.

Police shared video and body camera footage of the incident, which they said started as they were called to disperse a large party from the rooftop of an apartment building. A citywide officer in need of aid call was issued as an officer was inside the patrol car as the mob danced, kicked and stomped on top. St. Louis police released the video, asking for information on any of the suspects.

St. Louis City Sheriff Vernon Betts tells News 4 he met with his Chief of Staff Monday about the possibility of returning his deputies to Washington Ave. for weekend patrols. Between October 2020 - April 2021, deputies were extra eyes for SLMPD, who needed the help because of understaffing concerns.

Weve taken guns off of folks, weve stopped fights, weve stopped the spinning around in the street with the cars, Betts said.

Betts says because their detail was approved by former Mayor Lyda Krewson, they stopped patrolling Washington Ave. on weekends when Mayor Tishaura Jones was elected. Betts believes if his deputies were still working weekends, their presence could have aided in dispersing of the crowd.

News 4 reached out to Mayor Jones office to see if theyll consider bringing deputies back to Washington Ave. A spokesperson says they are looking into this.

Jones released the following statement Monday:
The 25th May 2021 marks the 58th Anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity, which has since evolved into the African Union.

On this historic day, Mauritius reiterates its commitment to the values, principles and objectives as enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

The theme for Africa Day 2021 is Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want which is in line with Aspiration 5 of Agenda 2063 envisioning An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics.

The commemoration of Africa Day this year is of particular significance for Mauritius. Indeed, the Cultural Charter for Africa was adopted during the Thirteenth Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of Organization of African Unity held in July 1976 in Mauritius.This Cultural Charter laid down the foundation for Africa to streamline and harmonize cultural policies in line with the socio-cultural dynamics across the continent and beyond.

We take pride in our history as an African nation, and commit to honouring all chapters of this history. Our ancestry and cultural heritage have been, and continue to be, the backbone of our nations socio-economic development.

By celebrating our diversity, our shared cultural values and ancestry have not only evolved into a unique Mauritian culture and identity, but have also been instrumental in ensuring peaceful co-existence, inclusive growth and development in the country.

Africa, including Mauritius, has not been spared by the unprecedented and devastating effects of the global pandemic over the last two years. In this challenging time, our determination and strong resolve based on our common values and ideals have further strengthened our spirit of solidarity and cooperation to collectively address this scourge.

Africa Day 2021 is therefore yet another occasion for us to further reflect on where we are and how to shape our continental agenda through cooperation For The Africa We Want.

In the same vein, we must all collaborate to move forward with our commitment to successfully implement Agenda 2063, the blue print to forge a modern, integrated and peaceful Africa.

The coming into operation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063, on 1 January 2021 provides a real opportunity for Africas post COVID-19 recovery through enhanced intra-Africa trade. In this endeavour, all the stakeholders including the economic operators, must take advantage of the vast opportunities created by this Free Trade Area for the socio-economic development of the continent.

We once again express our deep appreciation to all AU Member States for their unflinching support to the ongoing struggle of Mauritius to complete its decolonization process so that it can effectively and fully exercise its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.

Let our cultural appurtenance empower us to forge an interconnected and unified continent, with common goals and aspirations.

Long live Africa! Long live Mauritius!

Alan Ganoo

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade

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Here's what you need to know today: Tuesday, May 25
An employee of Starbucks Korea shows off popular Starbucks goods. Korea Times file



Retail chain's cash reserved for eBay acquisition bid against Lotte Shopping



By Lee Kyung-min



Emart has decided to increase its 50 percent stake in Starbucks Korea to 70 percent, buying only a 20 percent stake from Starbucks International, which is selling off its full 50 percent stake.



This indicates Emart's parent company Shinsegae Group is holding onto the funds that would have paid for the remaining 30 percent stake, which likely will be reserved to beat Lotte Shopping in an ongoing bid to acquire eBay Korea valued at up to 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion).



The Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), a sovereign wealth fund of Singapore, will instead invest 800 billion won in Starbucks Korea to gain the 30 percent stake in the Korean unit of the global coffeehouse chain.



The decision to forgo full control of the fast-growing coffee chain, which has seen 20 percent year-on-year growth since 2016 continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic, came as competition for eBay heats up, with two of the four previously shortlisted firms practically withdrawing.



Aside from the two retail firms, MBK Partners, a local private equity firm, and SK Telecom expressed keen interest in what they considered to be a rare opportunity to change their profit models dramatically.



According to Statistics Korea data, eBay Korea is the country's third-largest e-commerce platform, with a 12 percent market share, following Naver (18 percent) and Coupang (13 percent).



Both Shinsegae and Lotte need at least 4 trillion won to enter the main bid scheduled for next month.



Their funding capacity will be determined by the amount of liquid, cash-like assets, the amount of funds borrowed, ability to generate cash, the amount borrowable from their affiliates and future investment plans.



Shinsegae's Emart reported an operating profit of 123.2 billion won in the January-March period, far exceeding market consensus and recovering past the important 100-billion mark for the first time in three years.



The figure for Lotte Shopping also increased by 18.5 percent in the same period, but stood at only 61.8 billion won, with the business prospects remaining uncertain at its money-losing e-commerce and movie theater units.



Yet liquid assets held by Lotte amount to 4.2 trillion won as of the first quarter, while Shinsegae holds liquid assets worth 2.4 trillion won. The amount borrowed by Lotte is 16.4 trillion won, almost triple the 6.2 trillion won borrowed by Shinsegae.



Their earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization divided by the amount borrowed is 9.3 for Lotte and 4.5 for Emart. These figures measure how quickly the firms can pay off the debt through corporate activities. The lower the figure, the higher the corporate value.



Meanwhile, Shinsegae and the GIC reportedly concluded that the value of Starbucks Korea would exceed 3 trillion won, prompting the sovereign wealth fund not to demand a guarantee of minimum return.



Starbucks Korea was established in 1997 as a joint venture between Emart and Starbucks International and has since reported 24 years of rapid growth.



The firm's sales first exceeded 1 trillion won in 2016 and soared further to over 1.9 trillion won last year, reaching nearly 2 trillion won in just five years.



Its operating profit increased to 164.3 billion won, up from 85.2 billion won, and net profit also rose to 99.6 billion won from 65.2 billion won in the same period.



Its "Siren Orders" and drive-thru services were key to weathering the pandemic-sparked nosedive in the face-to-face service industries. It has more than 1,500 stores nationwide.




By Kim Bo-eun





LG's battery manufacturing unit and Hyundai Motor will unveil a joint venture in Indonesia in early June, sources said Tuesday.



The two companies have been in discussion with Indonesian authorities over the investment for years, and Indonesian Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia appears to have visited Seoul for final arrangements before the venture plan is announced.



The minister met with LG Energy Solution CEO Kim Jong-hyun and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun on Monday, the first day of his four-day visit to Seoul.



Under the joint venture, LG is set to supply its batteries for Hyundai's EV models to be produced in Indonesia. Hyundai is constructing a factory in Bekasi, 20 kilometers east of Jakarta, capable of producing up to 250,000 vehicles on an annual basis. The plant is nearing completion and is set to launch operations within the year. Hyundai is seeking opportunities in the market dominated by Japanese carmakers. The Southeast Asian country is considered a lucrative market given its vast population exceeding 200 million.



Hyundai will start with internal combustion engine vehicles and introduce EVs in the coming years. The joint venture plant in Indonesia is set to serve as a strategic location for Hyundai to export its EVs to the potential markets of Vietnam and Thailand.



Hyundai Motor and LG have a decades-long history of working together with regard to batteries.



"We cannot comment until official announcements are made," an LG Energy Solution official said. Hyundai Motor provided the same comment.



Separate from the JV, the Indonesian government stated a consortium of LG affiliates including LG Energy Solution is setting up a $1.2 billion EV battery plant with its state-run Indonesia Battery Corporation. The factory with a capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours will be set up in Bekasi.



The Indonesian government said the consortium includes LG Chem, LG Energy Solution, LG International, Korea's steelmaker POSCO and China's cobalt producer Huayou Holdings. The plant is part of a larger package deal for LG to invest in the Southeast Asian country.



Indonesia's Minister Lahadalia was quoted as stating the plant will supply batteries for Hyundai Motor, but sources said Hyundai is set to source its EV batteries under its joint venture with LG.



A source said LG's investment in the form of a consortium with an Indonesian entity will likely take more time.



LG signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian government on investments into the Southeast Asian country in December.



The Indonesian Embassy in Korea did not provide an immediate response regarding the investments.



Indonesia is an investment destination for EV and battery makers due to the country's abundant resources for battery materials. Indonesia has the world's largest reserves of nickel, one of the key materials used in manufacturing batteries. Based on the reserves, the Indonesian government has actively been seeking to attract foreign investment into the country.


As you are aware, the Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO Mauritius) is conducting the Vaccination Campaign against Corona Virus (Covid-19).

In this context, the vaccination for the 2nd dose is being implemented as from the 10th April 2021.

Please note that the date and venue for those who had their 1st dose of COVISHIELD/ ASTRAZENECA Vaccine on 09, 12 and 15 March 2021, the scheduled dates, venues and time (in alphabetical order) for their 2nd dose are as the document below:

All persons attending the respective vaccination sites are kindly requested to bring their National Identity

Card and COVID-19 Vaccination Card on the date of appointment.

Communique for 25_05_2021



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By Kim Jae-heun







Daewoo Engineering & Construction has long been contributing to the local community to seek mutual growth. The construction firm's employees as well as their families and student ambassadors often pulled together to help those in need.







However, with the outbreak of COVID-19, the government put in place social distancing measures across the country that restricted people's outdoor activities. This led to fewer volunteers participating in community service and the number of people in need of help has increased considerably.







Daewoo E&C also faced some restrictions with its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities but it decided to adopt contactless programs to continue its social contribution.







Fixing homes for residents in need is one of the programs that the construction firm has long been undertaking together with Habitat for Humanity Korea. Daewoo E&C staff visit old houses and repair and replace floor covering and kitchen sinks. Over 2,000 employees have visited a total of 100 houses so far as part of the community service.







During the pandemic, the construction company decided to reduce the number of staff visiting the houses in need of repair to under five.







It also sent volunteer workers to childcare facilities in Seoul last November and December. At the same time, the staff fixed heating systems, water leaks and removed mold at the facilities to improve hygiene and safety.







In March, Daewoo E&C signed a memorandum of understanding with Habitat for Humanity to expand its CSR project overseas including to Vietnam. The construction firm aims to create synergy with the community service organization to eradicate housing poverty and regenerate urban cities.







Last May, 250 Daewoo E&C employees and their family members donated face masks and money to adoption agency Eastern Social Welfare Society.







They also joined a number of blood donation drives. Daewoo E&C has been participating in the blood donation campaigns since 2006. Last September, a total of 100 people donated blood.


Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 88F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
Butler, IN (46721)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 89F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early. Skies will become mainly clear overnight. Low 67F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Rebel Wilson is ready to date again.

The Pitch Perfect star split from Jacob Busch almost four months ago, and has said its now been a respectable amount of time since her split to begin dating again.

She told Extra: "It's been a respectable amount of time, you know, after a breakup. You have respect for the person you've broken up with, so now, yeah, out there looking."

The news comes after Rebel recently said her split wasnt ideal.

Rebel confirmed her breakup in February when she took to Instagram to share a picture of herself, in which she called herself a single girl.

She captioned the snap: Lots on my mind...aghhhhhh...#single-girl-heading-to-Super-Bowl! (sic)

A source close to the star then also commented on the news, saying the relationship had just run its course.

Rebel and Jacob were last photographed together during the Christmas holidays when they were on vacation together, which came three months after theyd confirmed their romance by attending Prince Alberts Planetary Health Gala together in Monaco in September.

When their romance was first revealed, it was reported the couple were helping each other in their health journeys as they were both striving to lose weight.

A source said at the time: They are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Hes a gentleman, has very old school manners and treats her well. He is also very health conscious and theyve been motivating each other with their health journeys.

And Rebel previously said that prior to meeting Jacob, she spent an entire year going on dates with anyone who asked [her] out in a bid to find love.

The 41-year-old star explained: I did an experiment where I dated anyone who asked me out.

"It was part of the rules of that year, not that I told people that was happening. I just had to give lots of people a chance and then I learned lots about myself.
By Du Baiyu

Recently, citizens in the ROK city of Busan have been holding protests, calling for the closure of the biochemical laboratory of the US military in the port of Busan and the removal of biochemical weapons from the ROK. For many years, the US military's shipment of biological warfare agents to the ROK has been repeatedly exposed, and their false remarks about biochemical experiments debunked, fermenting doubts, discontent and protests among the general public of the ROK.

About controversies over Americas biochemical lab in ROK, people are demanding answers to the following questions:

First, what is the US military's real intention of shipping biological warfare agents to Busan?

ROK's Yonhap News Agency reported lately that Busan Port's Pier 8 houses a biosurveillance project Centaur, which aims to hold the capabilities of NBC [nuclear, biological, chemical] threat awareness, understanding, and response, a continuation of the previous Jupitr program. While the United States Forces Korea (USFK) kept stressing that Jupitr is a defensive weapon system designed to respond to biochemical threats from DPRK by detecting, analyzing, and issuing warnings about toxic substances, ROK military experts still insisted that defense and research are two sides to a coin when it comes to bio-weapons, and the bacteria tests by the stationed troops are definitely not just for defense.

ROK media commented that the operation of Jupitr and Centaur system by US troops is turning the Korean peninsula into the center stage of Americas bio-weapon defense strategy. With such facilities in the ROK, the US military will test and validate bio-weapon samples for US bases all over the world in ROK instead of in the American soil.

Second, why is the US holding back the truth?

The US side adamantly denied its operation of a military biochemical lab at Busan Ports Pier 8 until the project was exposed by the media in 2016. In 2015, the US military claimed its shipment of biochemical warfare agents to ROK that year was the first time, which was belied later as investigations traced the secret shipment all the way back to 2009. What is the US trying to hide?

According to public opinions in the ROK, as a signatory to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the US has an obligation not to develop, produce or store microbial agents, toxins, and related weapons other than for peaceful purposes, but the US troops in ROK obviously didnt care about that.

Legality, transparency and security are the common requirements of the international community for US biomilitary activities. The US side should take concrete and credible actions to fully fulfill its obligations under the BWC and stop standing alone in blocking negotiations for a protocol that includes a verification mechanism to the BWC, so as to create conditions for addressing concerns and building mutual trust through verification. Unfortunately, the US side has turned a deaf ear to international concerns.

Third, why has the US ignored the health and safety of the local people?

It must be noted that there are four residential communities and several schools within a 500m radius of Pier 8 of the Busan Port. What if a biochemical disaster happens in such a populous district? Does the US side have an emergency response plan?

The American version of the story is that they chose to build the lab at Pier 8 to protect the Busan residents who lived in a densely populated area. This was immediately refuted by an immunologist and professor at the Seoul National University, who called bio-weapon experiments in downtown areas ridiculous.

ROK media also commented that although Seoul has paid trillions of won to share the expenses of local American troops, the US side, while paying the lip service of protecting its allies, is actually using it as a test field. As early as in 2014, Dr. Peter Emanuel of the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), who was responsible for the project in ROK, admitted in an interview with an American military magazine that (the US) could experiment anytime anywhere if it wanted to, and that it could, to some extent, control the consequences of a failed experiment. In response, angered ROK netizens demanded the US troops, which took ROK as cannon fodder, go back to their country on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

The truth is still buried under the iceberg, and controversies are raging. The US owes the world an explanation about its biochemical lab in ROK.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on Xinhuanet.com, and 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.
The swift closing of the deal came after Tribune shareholders on Friday voted in favor of the transaction, after a competing bid from a Maryland hotel magnate never quite came together. Aldens deal to buy Tribune for $17.25 a share was announced Feb. 16, but the hedge fund had been interested in acquiring the company since at least fall 2019. In November 2019, Alden bought out Michael Ferros 25% stake in the company and quickly built its ownership position to more than 31%.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education, which tracks transmission rates as a guide for schools and child care facilities in each county, reassigned Northampton County to the moderate transmission level a week after moving Lehigh County to the same level. Only five of the states 67 counties  Bradford, McKean, Potter, Venango and Wyoming  are still classified as having substantial coronavirus transmission. Cameron, Forest, Montour and Sullivan counties have low transmission rates.
The Louisiana House of Representatives in the state capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
WASHINGTON - An Army Private from Hamilton, Montana, who was captured and died as a prisoner during World War II, was accounted for March 30, 2020.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) made the announcement via release Monday of the soldier Wayne M. Evans, 21.

Evans was a Battery G, Fifty-ninth Coast Artillery Regiment member when Japan stormed the Philippine Islands in December 1941. Combat took place on the Bataan Peninsula until surrender on April 9, 1942 and on the Corregidor Island until May 6, 1942. DPAA said thousands of U.S. and Filipino soldiers were captured and imprisoned at prisoner of war camps, including Evans.

According to the release, the prison camp and historical documents indicate Evans passed away July 19, 1942. He was laid to rest at the Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery, in Common Grave 312, with the other dead POW.

The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) dug up the remains buried at the Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery, DPAA said, and the remains were transported to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum in Manila. AGRS tried to identify the remains in late 1947, but were unable due to the conditions of the POW deaths and burials, substantial commingling and restricted identification technology available at the time.

The DPAA examined and identified the remains at the DPAA lab at Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam, Hawaii in January 2018, DPAA said.

DPAA said scientists used anthropological examination, circumstantial evidence and mitochondrial DNA examination to identify Evans.

Evans' name was printed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial with other missing WWII service members, DPAA said; but, a rosette will be marked next to his name signifying he was accounted for. DPAA said the American Battle Monuments Commission diligently took care of his grave the for 70 years.

DPAA said Evans' burial will be in his hometown, but the date has not yet been decided.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that seeks to punish social media platforms that remove conservative ideas from their sites, though it is not clear if it would pass constitutional muster because it might violate the First Amendment.

The new law will enable the state to fine large social media companies $250,000 a day if they remove an account of a statewide political candidate, and $25,000 a day if they remove an account of someone running for a local office. It takes effect July 1.

Some of these massive, massive companies in Silicon Valley are exerting a power over our population that really has no precedent in American history, DeSantis said during a bill-signing ceremony at Florida International University in Miami. One of their major missions seems to be suppressing ideas.

But its questionable whether Florida will be able to enforce it. Federal law prevents internet companies from being sued for removing posts and federal law trumps state law when there is a conflict.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act exempts websites from being sued for removing content deemed to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable as long as the companies are acting in good faith.

DeSantis said big tech companies are controlling accounts to remove content that doesn't suit their ideology. Republicans have accused companies like Twitter and Facebook of censoring conservative thought. DeSantis pointed in particular to then-President Donald Trump being banned by Twitter while still allowing Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to maintain an account.

When you de-platform the president of the United States but you let Ayatollah Khamenei talk about killing Jews, that is wrong, DeSantis said to thunderous applause.

Twitter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Facebook declined to comment.

But the tech lobbying group NetChoice, which includes Twitter and Facebook as members, criticized the new law in a press release.

By forcing websites to host speech, this bill takes us closer to a state-run internet where the government can cherry pick winners and losers, said NetChoice vice president and lawyer Carl Szabo. By carving out companies like Disney and Universal, Floridas legislature revealed its anti-tech fervor and true intent to punish social media for allegations of anti-conservative bias.

The law will give Florida's attorney general authority to sue companies under the states Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It will also allow individual Floridians to sue social media companies for up to $100,000 if they feel they've been treated unfairly.

The bill targets social media platforms that have more than 100 million monthly users, which include online giants as Twitter and Facebook. But lawmakers carved out an exception for Disney and their apps by including that theme park owners wouldnt be subject to the law.

The law will require large social media companies to publish standards on how it decides to censor, deplatform, and shadow ban.

Regardless of the federal law, the new Florida law is constitutionally flawed, said Computer and Communications Industry Association President Matt Schruers.

Gov. DeSantis says that this bill is about protecting free expression, but an internet service saying, We dont want to host Nazis and people encouraging self-harm' is exercising its own First Amendment rights and that is one of the critical infirmities of this bill, Schruers said.

Democrats opposed the bill and defended the right of social media companies, as private entities, to control the flow of information on their platforms. Democratic Sen. Audrey Gibson said in a press release that the bill was passed in an effort to placate Trump.

These enterprises take responsibility for what appears on their platforms and have the right to do so, Gibson said. Vulgarity and inciting violence are not their business model and our legislature should appreciate rather than legislate against such a concept.

While similar bills have been filed in other states, DeSantis is the first governor to sign one into law.



AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report.



This story corrects the name of the Computer and Communications Industry Association.
Williams reassignment came after his colleague spoke with Morris in February 2017 about challenging Pawlowski. In that conversation, the colleague disclosed that Williams had given him advice, including Williams opinion that there was no rule to stop him from running for mayor. Morris concurred that there was no policy barring the officer from running and told him he would not prohibit the officer from running, the lawsuit alleged.
CODY, Wyo. (AP)  After one ski season under his belt, Sleeping Giant Ski Area owner Nick Piazza is looking to get ahead of the curve by further investing in his mountain this summer.

In my businesses I know things are running well if were not talking about things for tomorrow or next week, but were talking about things for two months from now, he said.

Piazza is forgoing the summer zip line season in order to focus on construction efforts for the mountain. Although the zip line has traditionally been the mountains biggest money-maker, he said it only makes sense to take a season off and come back in 2022 in a more prepared state.

It never really got big enough to really solve the issues of the ski season, he said of the zip line. So we had to make kind of a bet, and our bet was we really care about the ski season, so why dont we try to make that the best it can be rather than operate a whole other business and try to learn that again.

He said the mountain has already presented a 100-page analysis to the Shoshone National Forest on its plans to invest $2.5 million in the ski area over the next five years with a potential $1 million to be invested for this upcoming winter season. Its all part of his goal to make Sleeping Giant a place not only for ski and snowboard enthusiasts, but the entire community, the Cody Enterprise reported.

Piazza exceeded the expectations of many who told him the ski area could never be profitable, as he reported multiple months from this past season that were in the black.

Now we know what we can depend on from the community as far as revenue and skier numbers, he said. Were trying to build around those numbers.

Forefront on his to-do list is modernizing the base lodge, which has seen minimal changes in recent decades.

He said this will involve a kitchen upgrade, new interior and exterior paint, a second floor outdoor deck, and re-purposing the current deck as a music bandshell in the space where performers played this past winter on the snow.

There are also plans in the works for minor lift and electrical upgrades, new snowmaking equipment, Starlink internet service, more rental snow bikes and extensive trail clearing on the east side of the mountain with the possibility of a few new runs added next season.

We definitely want to extend trails where we can, in line with our Forest Service permit, he said.

Piazza also said lodging will be critical for the future of Sleeping Giant.

If we can somehow get people to stay for the weekend, then all of a sudden our business gets a lot more stable, he said. The next step is getting some destination skiers in.

He estimates the business needs to sell about 100 lift tickets per day to be profitable. Although this was certainly a doable task on certain weekend days that drew as many as 400 people to the slopes, drawing these numbers on Fridays and Tuesday nights was a more difficult task.

In the near future he hopes to gain Forest Service approval to add small cabins along the Shoshone River that would provide ski-in-ski-out lodging for tourists. Piazza estimates the mountain could double its revenue with this investment.

By focusing on the future, Piazza said he and his team will finally be able to get ahead of the curve after a winter season he said that sometimes felt as if he and his staff were running around with their hair on fire. He was only approved for ownership by the Forest Service shortly before the winter season started.

We took a little calculated risk because we felt the value of opening for the community this winter would be better than taking care of a lot of these small details, he said. This year we were kind of learning as we went.

Cody High School grad Kristen Mueller will be joining the team of Sleeping Giant leadership. She will help with financial oversight and management of its future construction projects and other property contracts, as she has a legal background and experience working as a federal compliance officer.

In the long term, Piazza is also eyeing an opportunity that may present itself from Snow King Mountain Resort in Jackson. That mountain will be replacing its main chairlift with a gondola this summer and may offer Sleeping Giant their chairlift at an affordable price. If an agreement can be finalized, Sleeping Giant will store the lift for a year while it determines if gaining Forest Service approval for installing this feature seems realistic, Piazza said. Sleeping Giant would be able to return the lift if denied a permit. He said this lift would go in above the Big Horn lift, providing extensive new terrain to the eastern portion of the mountain.

Were ready to do the work to get those approvals, Piazza said.

Adding the lift would enable SG to use more of the mountain, including the potential to more than double the vertical height of the ski slopes. Although Sleeping Giant has a permit to use up to around 3,000 acres for its business, it is only using about 150.

We kind of keep just putting one foot in front of the other and try to make it better, Piazza said.
MISSOULA, Mont. - Rumors are swirling in Western Montana about the potential sale of Marshall Mountain, a place where hundreds of Montanans go to bike, hike and ski throughout the year.

A portion of Marshall Mountain property was recently listed for sale and is under contract. Concerns are now growing among locals about potentially losing access to some of the area's trails.

According to the Missoulian, the Montana Back Country Alliance and the Montana Bike Association are hoping for another potential buyer who wants to keep the land open to the public, like the current owners have for city-run activities and recreationalists for the past decade.

"It's been a nice relationship we've had with public users and the land owner... And it would be sad to have that road closed off, gated, no trespassing signs, do not enter signs posted everywhere... It would feel vacant and depressing," Missoula resident Nathan Taylor said.

Entrances leading to the ski trails, like the main entrance, could be blocked for public access. The decision will solely be up to the new property owner.

Current property owner Bruce Doering could not provide comment regarding public access to these trails in the future.

There are currently hopes for discussion between city officials and property owners in the coming weeks.

We will bring you any new developments as they come in.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, the Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the following statement after President Biden signed the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act into law, which will allow cruise ship traffic to resume between the states of Washington and Alaska:

The legislation signed today provides a temporary waiver for the requirement that large cruise ships traveling between the states of Washington and Alaska stop in Canada, paving the way to allow these cruises to resume this summer. As long as the cruise operations are approved by the CDC and follow all relevant health and safety guidelines, the Puget Sound region will once again serve as the gateway to wild and scenic Alaska. This isnt just about inviting visitors to experience the unparalleled beauty of the Pacific Northwest, its also about getting people back to work in our restaurants, shops, and maritime support businesses that fuel our busy waterfront, Sen. Cantwell said.

More than a million cruise passengers travel through Washington state annually, with more than 70% of cruise passengers overnighting in the Puget Sound region before or after their cruises, benefitting local businesses.

Overall, the cruise industry accounts for $1 billion in direct purchases of goods and services and supports 22,750 jobs, paying $1.3 billion in wages in Washington state. The cancellation of the 2020 cruise season resulted in the loss of 5,500 Seattle area jobs and $900 million in economic losses.

This legislation was needed because many large cruise ships traveling from Washington state to Alaska are foreign flagged vessels, and therefore have to comply with specific laws to operate in the United States. One such law is the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which allows foreign-flagged vessels to travel between U.S. ports only if the vessel visits a foreign port during the voyage. For cruises departing Washington state for Alaska, ships have traditionally stopped in Canada.

On Oct. 30, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, a phased technical guidance for a safe return to sailing with a phase two update on April 2, 2021. However, the Canadian government has closed the maritime border to cruise traffic through February 2022.

In order to comply with the Passenger Vessel Services Act and resume cruise travel, this bill temporarily waives the requirement to stop in Canada until February of 2022. The bill also requires cruise operators to operate in accordance with all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and other requirements as a condition to resuming travel.
During a search of Armours home, investigators found sets of collectible coins, jewelry, foreign currency, designer watches and more than $30,000. A handgun that had been reported stolen from the home of an Asian American business owner in Allentown was also found. Investigators later determined several other items found in Armours home had been stolen from the Allentown home. Cellphone data showed Armour, Burton and Glasco contacted each other and were near the Allentown home around the time it was burglarized in January 2018, the complaint says.
The event will be a one-stop shop for people who need assistance, Makoul said. In addition to volunteer attorneys, representatives of several social service agencies and nonprofits, including Catholic Charities, PA Career Link and Treatment Trends Inc., will have tables set up. Local grocery stores have donated bags of food to be distributed, and visitors will be able to get information about companies that hire people with criminal records.
CATANIA, MAY 25 - A hospital at Caltagirone in Sicily was "occupied" by funeral firms trying to steal a march on rivals and get to the dead before them, a local prosecutor said Tuesday. Nine people have been arrested on charges of conspiracy, illicit competition with threats and violence, violation of tombs, aggravated theft and other offences. As well as threatening rival firms, the alleged culprits also stole objects from coffins, police said. Such so-called 'dear departed" scams are widespread across Italy. Consumer group Codacons said they generated a turnover of more than 3.5 billion euros a year. "This probe is a drop in the ocean, the phenomenon is very very widespread in Italian hospitals," they said. (ANSA).
ROME, MAY 25 - The uncle of Mattia, a five-year-old boy was was among the 14 victims of Sunday's cable-car disaster in Piedmont along with his parents, on Tuesday blamed Italy's politicians and compared the tragedy to the 2018 collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa that killed 43 people. "It should not be possible to die while you are taking your family to a quiet place or because a bridge collapses," Corrado Guzzetti told ANSA. "The condolences of politicians only make me more angry because they are responsible for these tragedies". Guzzetti, a restaurateur from the town of Vedano Olona, in the province of Varese, is the former brother-in-law of Vittorio Zurloni, 55, who died on Sunday along with Mattia and his 37-year-old wife Elisabetta Personini. Photo: Vittorio Zurloni. (ANSA).
ROME, MAY 25 - Two people were convicted Monday of Neapolitan Camorra mafia threats against Roberto Saviano, author of the Gomorrah expose, and Rosaria Capacchione, a journalist who has also exposed the crimes of the Naples Mob. The threats were made against Saviano, who has been in police protection since the publication of Gomorra in 2006, and Capacchione, who is also under police escort, in the Spartacus trial against the powerful Casalesi clan in 2008. Those convicted were clan boss Francesco Bidognetti, who got a suspended sentence of 18 months in jail, and lawyer Michele Santonastaso, who got 14 months, also suspended. Gomorra(h), which was turned into a 2008 film that won second prize at Cannes and subsequently a hit TV series, lifted the lid on the Casalesis and other clans in the Camorra, which is Italy's third-biggest criminal organisation behind Calabria's 'Ndrangheta and Sicily's Cosa Nostra. "They were real death threats against us," said Capacchione. (ANSA).
ROME, MAY 25 - A 64-year-old man in treatment for psychiatric problems killed his 63-year-old wife by bashing her head in with blunt objects while she was in bed Monday night, and then called his son to say he had found her unconscious, police said Tuesday. The man, who was found lying on the bed next to his wife's body, has been arrested. Carabinieri broke into the house with the help of the fire brigade. The man has been charged with murder. An autopsy has been ordered. (ANSA).
MILAN, MAY 25 - Two of several young women who says they were drugged and raped by Milanese pharmaceuticals manager Antonio Di Fazio told prosecutors Monday they had been held captive for days and weeks, judicial sources said Tuesday. Sources said they had told "horror stories" to the prosecutors. The two , who turned up for an interview for an internship at Di Fazio's firm, said they were given drugs that caused them to "remain in a state of psychological subjection" to the manager. Italian police say they have found images of other suspected victims of 50-year-old Di Fazio, who was arrested at the weekend on suspicion of drugging, raping and photographing a 31-year-old student who went to his office for a jobs interview. Police said they had found more than 50 photos on his phone but there were even more on his other devices, meaning that the victims are presumably much more numerous than the five initially thought. The images, like that of the student and another four young women, were found on Di Fazio's phone, PC and tablet. Police said he took them as "trophies" of his sexual violence. They said he slipped massive doses of tranquilizers into the women's drinks and then stripped them and raped them, before photographing them naked. Three students who are among the suspected victims were interviewed by the police Monday. Di Fazio declined to answer prosecutors' questions. His lawyer, Rocco Romellano, told reporters: "He's very confused and worn out, he isn't well, I've always known him to be a cordial, honest and calm person, but I can't know if he had a double life, nothing like that has come out". (ANSA).
With pandemic dining restrictions set to be lifted completely next week, Folino and other restaurant owners across Pennsylvania are looking forward to a return to normal and an end to the financial pinch caused by limits on the number of customers they can serve indoors. But before they can get back to full capacity, restaurateurs must contend with another obstacle created, at least in part, by the pandemic: having enough staff to work.
ROME, MAY 25 - Italy's trade unions were up in arms on Tuesday after the government dropped a proposal to extend a ban on dismissing workers due to the COVID-19 emergency until late in August. The ban is set to expire at the end of June. Labour Minister Andrea Orlando had proposed extending the ban for firms that have recently made requests for funding from the CIG Covid furlough fund until August 28. The proposal met opposition from business groups and centre-right parties within Premier Mario Draghi's government of national unity. "There is the risk that they will starting sacking people from July 1," Maurizio Landini, the head of Itay's biggest trade-union confederation, the left-wing CGIL, told RAI radio. "The message being given, having listened to (industrial association) Confindustria a little too much, is that the problems would be resolved with freedom to fire. "That's the wrong message". Pier Paolo Bombardieri, the leader of the UIL union. said the business associations were asking for "zero rights" for workers. "These are the same employers' associations that have taken 74% of State funding to companies over the last year," he added. "Hundreds and thousands of people risk losing their jobs". CISL Secretary General Luigi Sbarra said there was a risk of a "social tsumani". (ANSA).
ROME, MAY 25 - Two fugitive drugs traffickers for the 'Ndrangheta mafia were arrested in Brazil on Tuesday, officials have said. Rocco Morabito and Vincenzo Pasquino were on a list of most dangerous wanted people. The operation that led to their arrest involved the Carabinieri police, the FBI, the USA's DEA and the Brazilian police, sources said. Morabito, a senior 'Ndrangheta drugs figure, was arrsted in a house at Joao Pessoa after being followed throuhg the streets of the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraiba, police told a press conference later. 'Ndrangheta controls the European cocaine trade and is Italy's richest and most powerful mafia. (ANSA).
ROME, MAY 25 - Unions representing workers at the port of Ravenna said Tuesday that they had called off a strike on June 3 after the owner of a ship headed to Israel, which was initially expected to take on "one or more containers holding materiel to be used in war", said he had reversed his decision to take on the shipment. The unions had previously said Ravenna port workers would refuse to load any weapons, explosives or other materials that "could fuel the conflict between Israel and Hamas" The transport sections of CGIL, CISL and UIL unions said Tuesday that the workers "feel the moral responsibility to do what they can to show their commitment to peace and they refuse to be complicit in any way with this tragic conflict and in endangering the fragile ceasefire". (ANSA).


Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood," is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist and is nationally syndicated.
Two brothers, skilled craftsmen, treated the house as their own when they completely renovated the home in 2000.

According to Kukla, walls were stripped down to the studs and new copper piping and wiring were installed, as was granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms  all while keeping the maple trim and original wood doors and floorboards.

A natural fireplace offers warmth in the living room, while the screened porch looks out to the main pier.

The property is large enough for two piers, and the main pier has a large deck big enough for Adirondack lounge chairs and a covered boat slip.

In addition, off the end of the pier is an enticing springboard, and floating in between the two piers is a fun swim raft that is even equipped with a ladder, Kukla said.

There is also a billiards room and fitness center in the basement, plus a four-car garage with storage space.

Kukla said the property is a rare form of art on Geneva Lake, a mystical setting for family and friends to gather.
The money could also be used to help secure a year-round, permanent homeless shelter, said Bob Rapp, executive director of Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering. The shelter has operated during the winter at Christ Church United Church of Christ at 75 E. Market St. for the last four years, but complaints from neighbors and the potential sale of the church property have threatened the shelters existence, said Rapp, who also spoke during last Tuesdays meeting.
Officials from the Delavan-Delavan Lake Area Chamber of Commerce have canceled their annual Cars Time Forgot Car Show this year.

The car show was set to be held July 11 at the Lake Lawn Resort, 2400 E. Geneva St. in Delavan.

Eileen Cole, executive director of sales and marketing for the Lake Lawn Resort, said the chamber decided to cancel the show this year because of continued concerns related to the coronavirus.

When they were beginning planning in the spring, the COVID situation still was not clear, Cole said. I think with all of that and the planning that needed to go into it, it was canceled for this year.

In Walworth County, 37,767 people have been vaccinated with at least one coronavirus dose, which is 36.4% of the countys population.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has come out and said anyone fully vaccinated can go about most normal functions without a mask.

The chamber has indicated on its website, delavanwi.org, that it plans to host the car show July 10, 2022 at the resort.

Its canceled for this year, but hopefully it will be back on for next year, Cole said.
The couple is set to present plans for the new building to city officials in the near future. They plan to fill the area in with grass for the summer.

All theyve asked is to knock the building down thats there now, and theyre going to cover the whole place with greenspace for now, Alderman Tim Dunn said. They havent shown us drawings of what theyre thinking of building, but they really havent applied for a permit or anything yet. All they want to do right now is get rid of the existing building and making it empty space.

The 252 Center St. building once was the location of the Habecker-Derrick Funeral Home.

Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier asked if the couple has considered renovating the building instead of demolishing it since it has some historic significance to the community.

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Its an interesting architectural building with some features, Fesenmaier said. Im wondering about rehabbing it rather than razing it then starting over. Why do they need to raze it?

Alderwoman Shari Straube said she feels the building is not in good enough condition to renovate and feels the Georges will do a quality job constructing the new building.
The premier air date of an episode of the popular television series House Hunters featuring homes around Geneva Lake has been announced.

According to Diane Krause, the Lake Geneva @properties realtor who will be appearing in the episode, the locally filmed episode will be aired on HGTV May 25 at 9 p.m.

Throughout the episode, Krause will tour a couple through three homes that were for sale in the Geneva Lake area when the episode was filmed in February. Once the tours are complete, the couple will weigh the pros and cons of each property before making their final decision on which home to purchase.

Due to an agreement with the show, details regarding which homes were shown, the couples home budget and details regarding how the show was produced cannot be released prior to the airing, according to Krause.

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While unable to share details, Krause said she enjoyed her time working with the couple and producers of the popular real estate program.

It was fun, she said. It was definitely a new experience.

It is known however that a portion of the episode was filmed inside of the Williams Bay Steamers Coffee shop.
Supporters met at the Delavan Phoenix Park Bandshell on Monday, May 24 to protest the Delavan-Darien High Schools alleged silence of the bullying of Peter Cook-Lavariega.

The 17-year-old crashed into a tree on Lawson School Road April 20, which resulted in his death. Jeffrey Cook, Cook-Lavariegas father, said his son was repeatedly bullied, but the school did nothing about it. This led to his sons reckless driving, which many believe was suicidal.

On the day he died, Cook-Lavariega had a fight with a wrestler. Cook said this boy had been harassing his son for years and hurled an insult at Cook-Lavariega, who decided to fight. As a result, the school told Cook-Lavariega he would not graduate.

They covered up the bullying for years, said Cook. The bullies are sons of well-connected students, and one was in wrestling. I can prove negligence because they have a duty of care, in which they failed in. This is actually their fault. They knew what was going on. They did not do what they should have done ... They sacrificed my sons life to protect a bully.

He was a student who had problems, but they were never addressed. The school should have contacted me, but they never notified me there was a problem.
The leader of the Diocese of La Crosse has asked Catholic priest Father James Altman to resign amid continued controversial rhetoric over politics and the pandemic, Altman says.

Altman announced the news during his sermon Sunday, which was recorded and posted to YouTube later in the day, stating that his lawyer is challenging Bishop William Callahans request.

As the Bishop has stated to me: I am ineffective. So for the record dear family, Bishop Callahan has asked me to resign as pastor as of this past Friday, two days ago, because I am divisive and ineffective, Altman said.

Audible no sounds from the crowd can be heard during the video.

In response my canon lawyer asked for clarification, Altman continued, asked for the justification and a chance to review what was in my file that suggested I was so divisive and ineffective. And I say all this only because, Im no expert on canon law, but understand only that while we are contesting Bishops request  and we are  he could in theory appoint a parish administrator whilst I remain a pastor without duties until the appeal goes through Rome, which could take up to a year or more.
The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is investigating the influence of soil compaction on corn crop yield and yield stability. Severely compacted soils limit plant root development and can reduce soil function, particularly in wet seasons.

A new research project aims to address the question of whether wide variation in soil compaction severity across a field is directly proportional to variable crop yield within that field.

This soil compaction research project, led by Kitty ONeil, a soils and crops specialist with Cornell University Cooperative Extensions North Country Regional Ag Team, has begun collecting data on two farms in northern New York.

Soil health influences crop yield, farm economics, and ecological functions on farms, ONeil said. Quantifiable data on the role of soil compaction in soil health and crop performance is missing. This project is designed to fill that knowledge gap.

Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program Director Quirine M. Ketterings will provide data analysis. Ketterings earlier research has informed the design of this new project.

In a 2019 study of nine conventionally-tilled dairy farm corn fields in northern New York, compaction was found at the surface and at depths of six to 18 inches in all nine fields with consistent and highly variable levels of compaction within each field and among the fields.
Farmers of color are one step closer to debt relief.

The USDA Farm Service Agency published its first notice of funding availability for the project on May 21, and the agency plans to begin paying off loans in June.

The $4 billion forgiveness of certain types of federal ag loans was approved in the American Rescue Plan, a Democratic spending plan approved in March.

The payments are an attempt to make up for the difficulty that Black farmers and other racial minorities faced getting USDA financing in the past.

That historical inequality prevented Black farmers from growing their businesses to the degree that white farmers could, creating a competitive disadvantage that farmers of color still face, according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.

But the loan forgiveness faces at least two legal challenges saying it discriminates against white farmers.

The Farm Service Agency will pay up to 120% of eligible farmers loans to account for potential tax consequences of the debt relief.

In addition to the debt relief, the American Rescue Plan includes $1 billion to bolster technical assistance to minority farmers and examine USDA policies for vestiges of racism.
The successful first human spaceflight from Virgin Galactic reached space on Saturday morning after its launching at 8:34 a.m. from Spaceport America, near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The process that took two years is considered a major step in reaching Virgin Galactic's space tourism dream.

Space Tourism Dream

The SpaceShipTwo, an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type, was specifically designed for space tourism purposes. It was operated by Pilots Kelly Latimer and Michael Masucci. It carried VSS Unity, a suborbital rocket-powered crewed spaceplane, flown by Pilots C.J. Sturckow and Dave Mackay. Based on the company's projection, it will be used as part of the Virgin Galactic spaceline.

The company, Virgin Galactic, aspires to become the first-ever commercial spaceline. Its SpaceShipTwo carried VSS Unity to around 44,000 feet before the spacecraft detached at 9:26 a.m. and continued its space travel.

According to Border Report, Virgin Galactic mentioned in their news released that VSS Unity was able to achieve a speed of Mach 3 after its release from the mothership, VMS Eve. It reached space at an altitude of 55.45 miles before it glided smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America.

The successful flight on Saturday brings Virgin Galactic's space tourism dream closer to life, The Verge reported.

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New Mexico Reached the Stars

State government officials shared that New Mexico became the third state in the United States to send humans into space. The launching was attended by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Grisham stated that she was proud of New Mexico's role in achieving such innovation.

Moreover, Lujan Grisham shared that after so many years and hard work, the state of New Mexico has finally reached the stars. The New Mexico Governor also mentioned that their state's scientific legacy had been honored by the important achievement. She added that the move took guts and faith, and an unwavering belief in what New Mexico can achieve and is destined to achieve. Lujan Grisham also said that she cannot wait to see what comes next for the state.

In addition, on the exterior of the spaceship, Virgin Galactic mentioned that they put a Zia Sun symbol, and the crew flew green chile seeds, which is similar to the rich agricultural and culinary history of New Mexico.

Aside from the New Mexico Governor, the founder of Virgin Galactic and British billionaire Sir Richard Branson also attended the launching. He celebrated the successful launch together with a small group of individuals. In his social media account, Branson confirmed that two pilots and a research payload belonging to NASA had reached space.

Furthermore, during the successful flight, the company said that it completed a number of test objectives. The said objectives are part of the Flight Opportunities Program of NASA and its data collection that will be used as a requirement for spacecraft operator licensing, CBS News reported.

The successful launch came after numerous setbacks that the company has experienced in the past. The company explored the spaceline possibility for 17 years already.

RELATED ARTICLE: Albert Einstein Handwritten Letter With Famous E=mc2 Equation Sold at Auction for $1.2M

WATCH: Virgin Galactic Completes First-Ever Spaceflight from New Mexico - Virgin Galactic
Three identified Wuhan lab researchers were found to have been ill and sought treatment at a hospital in November 2019, according to a U.S. Intelligence report.

The discovery adds a new question to growing calls for a more comprehensive investigation of whether the COVID-19 virus originated and leaked from the laboratory, according to an NBC News report.

A Department of State fact sheet last year stated that the U.S. government had reasons to believe that some Wuhan lab researchers had fallen ill with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.

WIV senior researcher Shi Zhengli earlier claimed publicly that there was "zero infection" among staff and students of SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses.

U.S. intelligence agencies had not ruled out the theory that the virus had leaked from due to a lab accident, while the other possibility is that the virus was transmitted to humans through an animal host.

China has consistently denied the COVID-19 virus escaped from a lab despite the lab not releasing any raw data or records on its work with coronaviruses in bats.

Meanwhile, one spokeswoman for the National Security Council said the Biden administration still had questions about the origin of the virus, according to a Business Insider report.

READ MORE: Ex-CDC Head Robert Redfield Believes COVID-19 Came From a Wuhan Lab

COVID-19 Origin

The World Health Organization has said that more investigation is needed to completely rule out that the virus had escaped from the Wuhan lab.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that more research was needed although a lab leak was the least likely cause, according to a BBC News report.

A WHO report with Chinese experts released in March stated that the lab leak explanation was highly unlikely and the virus had possibly jumped from bats to humans.

The WHO director said that as far as WHO is concerned, all possibilities of the origin remain on the table.

The WHO report had raised concerns and urged China to provide full access to experts.

WHO investigation team leader, Peter Ben Embarek, said that his team was under political pressure. Embarek added that his team had found no evidence that any laboratories in China were linked to the outbreak.

Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory director, Yuan Zhiming, said that The Wallstreet Journal's report was a "complete lie." The Journal had first reported the incident of three researchers falling ill in November 2019.

Yuan said that the lab has not been aware of the situation and the claims were groundless.

Pandemic Started

The coronavirus had spread in December 2019 to nearly every country, affecting the personal lives of every individual and causing a global economic decline.

The WHO had then declared it a global pandemic.

In December 2020, countries have been scrummaging to secure vaccines with some of the Western Countries starting to inoculate their citizens to its most vulnerable populations, according to to The New York Times report.

In January 2020, the first cases were confirmed outside mainland China, while Chinese authorities decided to close off Wuhan by canceling planes and trains leaving the city.

Currently, the total number of cases had reached 167 million, while deaths have peaked at 3.47 million.

READ NEXT: Growing Evidence Shows COVID-19 Leaked From Wuhan Lab, Contrary to China's Claims

WATCH: Wuhan lab staff sought care before the pandemic, a media report says - from Reuters




Complaints about disinformation and the impact on society are not new. In 1807 Thomas Jefferson wrote, the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors.
Peru's military confirmed at least 14 deaths in the massacre that took place in a remote region of the country, weeks before the upcoming polls of presidential elections. Al Jazeera reported that the massacre took the lives of 14 people on Sunday, including two children.

Peru's military blamed the group "Shining Path" for being responsible for the killings which they label as an "act of genocide." However, the Military also reassured Peruvians of a secure electoral process in the coming weeks. The military furthered that the group responsible for the killings labeled such acts to be "social cleansing."

READ NEXT: Ecuador and Peru Continue Their Election Amid COVID-19 Crisis

14 Killed in Peru Massacre

On the site of killings, leaflets were reportedly scattered warning locals to boycott the presidential elections next month, The Guardian reported. The outlet noted that the leaflets were saying that anyone who voted for Keiko Fujimori would be considered a traitor.

Authorities underscored that the killings took place in a community in Vizcatan de Ene, an area of the Peruvian Amazon. The said area is believed by authorities to be the hideout of the remaining members of the Shing Path Movement that retaliated against the Peruvian government during the 1980s and 1990s. Al Jazeera highlighted that the community located in the mountainous region of Valle de Los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro (VRAEM) is where 75 percent of cocaine in the country is produced.

Condeno y repudio energicamente el asesinato de 14 personas en el Vraem. He ordenado el despliegue de patrullas de las FFAA y la @PoliciaPeru en la zona, para que esta accion terrorista no quede impune. (1/1)  Francisco Sagasti (@FSagasti) May 24, 2021

"I strongly condemn the murder of 14 people in VRAEM," said the interim president of Peru, Francisco Sagasti, adding that he deployed patrols of the armed forces and police in the area. However, Peru's Police Chief Cesar Cervantes said on Monday that more deaths will likely occur.

The United Nations also condemned the killings. In a statement, the UN office in Lima "called on all actors to act responsibly" and avoid the hate speech that heightens the tension. Furthermore, the bodies of the victims in the recent massacre have yet to be identified.

Peru Presidential Elections

The massacre in Peru happened two weeks before the second-round ballot between leftist teacher Pedro Castillo and three-time candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori who is now in jail.

Reuters noted that Pedro Castillo continued to gain popularity among voters. In the survey conducted by the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), Castillo obtained 44.8 percent support while Keko Fujimori gathered about 33.4 percent support. Castillo is a school teacher seeking the implementation of new taxes and royalties on the mining sector. Meanwhile, Fujimori was known to be a business-friendly conservative.

Castillo who also won the first round of the election was reported to have strong support among poor, and interior rural communities of Peru. However, Reuters highlighted that market watchers see Castillo's candidacy as a potential threat to the mining industry given the fact that Peru ranked second as the world's copper producer.

Meanwhile, demonstrators marched in Lima, Peru, and other major cities of the country on Saturday, as they expressed their opposition to Fujimori taking office.

READ MORE: Peru's Congress Bans Former President Following Vaccine Scandal Allegations

WATCH: Far-left candidate leads Peru into run-off presidential polls - from Al Jazeera English
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a law that will penalize social media companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, that ban politicians from their platforms.

The law seeks to hold Big Tech companies accountable for content moderation practices. According to The New York Times, DeSantis' signing the law was a direct response to Facebook and Twitter's bans of former President Donald Trump in January.

Ron DeSantis said the law would allow them to sue social media companies for up to $100,000 in damages for each proven claim.

In a press conference, the Florida governor also said that the measure would require companies to detail how they reach conclusions about content moderation, Fox News reported.

Aside from fines for barring candidates, the law also makes it illegal to prevent some news outlets from posting to their platforms in response to the contents of their stories.

Ron DeSantis noted that the measure would protect state residents from Big Tech's "power grab on speech, thought and content."

Legal experts and tech industry trade groups raised their concerns about the law's constitutionality. They warned that it gives the government too much power over online speech.

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Concerns on Penalizing Social Media Companies

Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University Law School in California, said it was a bad policy and some of its provisions are "obviously unconstitutional" as they restrict the editorial discretion of online publishers, The Washington Post reported.

Goldman added that some aspects of the measure would also be preempted by a federal Internet law, which shields Internet companies from lawsuits over posts, photos, and other content shared on their services.

The law professor said that it was performative and was never designed to be a law but to send a message to voters.

Kurt Opsahl, the deputy executive director and general counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, had his concerns as well, such as control over the Internet is critical. Opsahl said that it does not help to pass an "unconstitutional bill" that would be challenged immediately.

Meanwhile, trade groups for the tech industry said that the Florida law could make it more difficult for social media companies to take down possibly harmful speech on their platforms.

Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel at NetChoice, said it would allow lawful but horrendous contents to be posted by users, such as pornography, violence, and hate speech. NetChoice is a trade association for eCommerce whose members include Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

Florida Law on Barring Political Candidates

The Florida measure is set to take effect in July. The Biden administration has revoked a Trump executive order that called on the Federal Communications Commission to rethink the scope of its section.

The Texas Senate has supported a legislation similar to Florida that disallows large tech companies from blocking or discriminating against users based on their viewpoints. North Carolina and Louisiana state legislators also have the same bills.

The Florida House and Senate had voted to pass the legislation that will penalize social media firms banning politicians from their platforms last month. The Florida Senate approved the bill in a 23-17 vote, while the state's House voted 77-37 to support the bill.

READ MORE: As Trump Moves on After Impeachment Acquittal, Biden Says Charge 'Not in Dispute'

WATCH: Florida Law Seeks to Rein in Large Social Media Companies - From News4JAX
An Oregon fisherman was located and rescued by the authorities weeks after he went missing in the wilderness.

Harry Burleigh, 69, was reported missing by her wife after he failed to come back from his camping and fishing trip in Umpqua National Forest on May 6, NBC News reported.

According to FOX 59, Burleigh was in the Oregon wilderness for at least 17 nights or more than two weeks before the authorities found him on May 23 at around 3 p.m.

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Missing Oregon Fisherman Found Wilderness

The teams who were deployed to search for Harry Burleigh found two makeshift shelters in the forest. New York Daily News reported that search and rescue crews found the Oregon fisherman vehicle near a trail on May 8.

Authorities, who believed that Burleigh might have walked the trail to go fishing at Twin Lakes, left food and water on the tracks at certain times in case the Oregon fisherman passed by.

The first shelter and a tackle box that belonged to the Oregon fisherman were found in the Calf Creek area on May 16, but he was not there.

On May 23, the second makeshift shelter was discovered by the team in the forest and began calling out for the Oregon fisherman until Burleigh responded.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said that Burleigh was walking and complained of minor pain when found but in stable condition.

The Oregon fisherman was escorted out of the area through a small helicopter before transferring to a medevac helicopter. Burleigh was flown to a hospital to be examined. After a few hours, he was released from the hospital to reunite with his family.

"This was the outcome we all have been looking for in this case," Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Brad O'Dell said.

O'Dell added that their determined search and rescue crews and the partnership with other search and rescue teams from around the state reunited Harry Burleigh with his family.

Fox59 reported that the U.S. Coastguard and the U.S. Forest Service collaborated with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office during the search and rescue operation for the Oregon fisherman.

Oregon Fisherman Went Missing

Burleigh's wife reported him as missing on May 7 at around 10:15 p.m. after he failed to return from his camping trip in the Oregon wilderness.

The search and rescue teams started their search for the Oregon fisherman in the forest, where he was reported to fish and camp.

Authorities did not release full details regarding how Burleigh went missing. NBC News underscored that the wilderness or the Umpqua National Forest, where the Oregon fisherman went out, was reported to cover more than 983,000 acres or over 1,500 square miles east of Roseburg, where Burleigh resides.

READ MORE: California Wildfire: 2 Arsonists Suspected in Raging Pacific Palisades Blaze

WATCH: 17 Days Lost in a Forest, Missing Oregon Fisherman Found Safe - From CBS 17
Police in Mexico were attacked with weaponized drones from the Mexican drug cartels as they were in the middle of clearing blockades in El Aguaje in April.

The attack has led to the growing fear that these weaponized drones pose another obstacle in the global fight against illegal drugs.

Reports noted that the blockades were placed by organized crime groups who inhabited the area. El Aguaje lies in the west of Mexico and has become a known battleground for the Mexican drug cartels.

According to the Courier-Journal, as the Michoacan state police were doing a routine operation in the area, a drone flew over them and dropped a bomb filled with gun powder. The attack led to two members of the force being injured in the limbs.

READ NEXT: Jalisco Cartel Uses Explosive Drones to Attack Police, Hurts 2

Mexican Drug Cartels Upgrade their Weapon Arsenals

To allow more clearance in its drug flow into the United States, Mexican drug cartels such as the violent and powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, also known as CJNG, along with its rival Carteles Unidos, have their arsenals upgraded. The rival Mexican drug cartels are now utilizing drones in bombing their enemies, which poses a greater threat to Mexicans and Americans, InSight Crime reported.

Derek Maltz, who is a former agent in charge of the United States DEA's Special Operations Division, shared that he has been a strong advocate of designating the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups because they are acting like one. They are equipped with weapons like terrorist groups. Maltz added that the cartels are distributing record levels of drugs in the U.S.

Maltz further noted that drones are part of the larger strategy of the cartel in achieving their aims by arming themselves like rogue militaries. He said they are now using the latest technology that they can have in order to overcome adversaries and use it as a scout in finding better routes to funnel drugs into the U.S.

Meanwhile, a rookie drone operator who worked for Carteles Unidos told Courier-Journal that their drug cartel alone has an estimated 100 drones. But the drone operator refused to give out his name because of their criminal activities.

He added that once a cartel member would use a drone, he will receive training from a man nicknamed "Lord of the Skies."

Furthermore, the cartel member, who agreed to an interview in exchange for anonymity, also said that the man nicknamed "Lord of the Skies" has been training them since last year.

He noted that they have many drone models in their possession that can carry a considerable amount of explosives.

He added that the drones were not too advanced, but they came legally from the U.S. through groups in Michoacan that support them.

He also mentioned that they are deploying the drones in their territory for security purposes and sometimes use it in attacking their rival cartel. However, he clarified that they are not using drones in drug trafficking since it is inefficient in carrying a large volume of drugs.

Meanwhile, even a border patrol helicopter encountered a 'highly modified" drone. The incident occurred on Feb. 9 in the skies over Tucson. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the incident, The Drive reported.

READ MORE: Virgin Galactic Completes First Human Spaceflight in Two Years; New Mexico Takes Part in Space Tourism Dream

WATCH: BORDER PATROL HELICOPTER HAD BIZARRE ENCOUNTER WITH MYSTERIOUS "HIGHLY MODIFIED" DRONE - From Warthog Defense
An Ohio teacher's aide has been arrested and charged with rape after authorities alleged that she sexually assaulted a middle school student.

Mandy Davis was a part-time teacher's aide at the Teays Valley West Middle School in Commercial Point. The 33-year-old woman was taken into custody on Wednesday and was charged with gross sexual imposition and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor aside from rape, People reported.

In a statement, the Teays Valley Local Schools said that their practice is not to publicly discuss the specific facts since it is a pending personnel matter involving a district employee. They confirmed that the Ohio teacher's aide has been notified that the Board of Education no longer needs her services.

READ NEXT: Ohio State Students Hold Protest for Ma'Khia Bryant, Demand University to Cut Ties With Columbus Police

The Investigation on the Ohio Teacher's Aide

The Pickaway County Sheriff's office started the investigation when it received a tip from a concerned employee at the school, citing an "odd relationship" between Mandy Davis and a minor student, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Reports said that the Ohio teacher's aide repeatedly had sex with the 12-year-old student at her home between April 26 and May 11.

It is illegal in Ohio for adults to have sexual relations with anyone under the age of 16. It is also unlawful for educators to have sex with students of any age.

South Bloomfield Police Department and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) executed a search warrant at the home of the Ohio teacher's aide to secure additional evidence. No other information was released, including what was collected at Davis' home due to the victim's age, Daily Mail reported.

Pickaway County Municipal Court said that the bond of the Ohio teacher's aide is $250,000. She would also be required to wear a GPS monitor if she is released. The suspect is set to attend another court appearance on May 27 at 1 p.m.

The school district said in a statement that they take allegations very seriously and are very committed to the safety and well-being of their students. A copy of Mandy Davis' pay rate and personnel file was not made public.

High School and Middle School Students Are Victims of Sexual Assault

High schools and middle schools are also facing challenges as students fall victim to sexual assault. According to a U.S. News report, secondary school educators are raising concerns when it comes to handling allegations that one student had assaulted another.

The report noted that survivors at times continue to face harassment and victim-blaming among peers after the accusations are made. Victims said that the harassment from peers is even worse than the assault itself.

Neena Chaudhry, senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center, said that the problem, in general, seems to be that schools are not taking the right course of action once they have noted a potential sexual assault.

Federally funded colleges are mandated to report sexual assault statistics under Clery Act. However, there is no similar process of data collection requirement for high schools.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that 30 percent of female rape victims were first raped between the ages of 11 to 17.

Meanwhile, 20 percent of girls between ages 14 and 17 have been victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, according to Justice Department statistics.

READ MORE: Ohio Sues Biden Administration Over Stimulus Package

WATCH: How To Get High Schoolers To Rethink Sexual Consent And Assault (HBO) - From Vice News






California Veterinarian Jack Ray Synder was sentenced to six months in federal prison and six months on home detention on Monday after pleading guilty for tax evasion. The sentence was made by U.S. District Judge William Shubb from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of California. According to The Sacramento Bee, Judge Shubb permitted Synder to report to prison after working at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Synder, who treated horses in at least five Olympic games, had faced a prison term of up to five years. The U.S. Department of Justice noted that that the case filed against the veterinarian was a product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

READ NEXT: Netflix 'Tiger King': Authorities Seize Almost 70 Big Cats From Jeffrey Lowe's Zoo

California Veterinarian Goes to Tokyo Olympics Before Going to Prison

It was reported that Synder pleaded with Judge William Judge for sentence probation that would permit him to continue treating animals and still work for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The Sacramento bee noted that Judge Shubb agreed to allow Synder to report to prison on August 17, or nine days after the Tokyo Olympics.

Apart from the Tokyo Olympics permit, Synder's lawyer also pleaded with the court of California not to impose any jail time on the veterinarian, arguing that he can do better on society outside prison.

"I'm asking the court to not impose any jail time, put Dr. Synder's on probation, allow him to pay a fine," said Synder's lawyer, James Lassart. Lassart also argued that detaining Synders is not necessary, while committing that the veterinarian will not do the crime again. Lassart furthered that the veterinarin and his family has "suffered greatly" with humiliation.

However, The Sacramento Bee emphasized that Judge Shubb was not convinced with the arguments, asking Synder's lawyer how a sentence of probation would deter others from similar crimes.

California Veterinarian Sentenced for Tax Evasion

Apart from the probation sentenced to Jack Ray Synder, he was also fined $30,000 for tax evasion, South Tahoe Now.com reported. Moreover, the former Truckee, California resident was ordered to pay $134,497 in restitution and $100,000 for every eight counts in the original indictment.

According to court documents, Synder allegedly underreported his income for 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Department of Justice also noted that the veterinarian also deducted items that were not deductible between 2011 and 2014; hence, the additional tax liability of $134,497.

South Tahoe Now.com reported that during those years, Synder was the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the UC Davis Center for Equine Health.

In 2014, UC Davis sued Synder for making more than one million from outside the university while working for the school. The university claimed that Synder went to great lengths to hide the money.

The Sacramento Bee noted that initially, the California veterinarian blamed his assistant for his tax evasion trouble. Synder, who was permitted to attend the Tokyo Olympics, was reported to plead guilty in August.

READ MORE: Tiger Shark Bites Woman Swimming in Hawaii Waters

WATCH: Japan moves ahead for Tokyo Olympics amid concerns over new COVID-19 variants - from WION
Authorities apprehended the fugitive Italian drug lord Rocco Morabito in northeast Brazil on Monday. He escaped two years ago through the roof of a prison in Uruguay, where he was awaiting extradition to Italy.

Rocco Morabito is a top figure in 'Ndrangheta, a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in Calabria.

He was arrested with another Italian fugitive at a hotel room in the city of Joao Pessoa as a result of a joint investigation of Brazil's federal police with Italy, Daily Mail reported. The federal police said that the Italian police traveled to Brazil for the arrest.

In 2017, Rocco Morabito was arrested in Uruguay after decades on the run and was awaiting extradition to Italy for international drug trafficking charges.

Years later, the Brazilian police caught him, and he is now facing 30 years in prison. The Italian drug lord is dubbed as the "cocaine king of Milan."

READ NEXT: Jesus "El Rey" Zambada, Who Testified Vs. Sinaloa Cartel's "El Chapo," Removed From U.S. Sanction List

The Italian Drug Lord

Rocco Morabito was one of Italy's most wanted when he was arrested in 2017. He had lived 23 years under a fake identity in the Uruguayan resort town of Punta del Este.

In 2019, Uruguay's interior ministry announced that the Italian drug lord and three other inmates had escaped through a hole in the roof of their prison in Montevideo. It prompted a widespread manhunt and caused the resignation of Uruguay's prison chief.

Since 1994, Rocco Morabito had been wanted by Italy. He was caught paying $8 million to import nearly a ton of cocaine. An international arrest warrant was issued in 1995 with hopes of pinning down the Italian drug lord and bringing him back to Italy to serve his sentence.

The Justice Ministry of Brazil said that 'Ndrangheta was considered one of the largest and most powerful criminal organizations globally, Toronto Sun reported.

Brazil has become a main player in the trans-Atlantic drug trade, with its gangs having associations with Italian, Dutch, and Balkan players to move loads of cocaine to Europe, which has a growing demand.

The 'Ndrangheta has reportedly surpassed the notoriety of Cosa Nostra to become the most powerful mafia group in Italy and one of the largest criminal gangs in the world.

'Ndrangheta is believed to run much of Europe's cocaine trade from Calabria in the southwest. It is also involved in arms trafficking, prostitution, and extortion.

The 'Ndrangheta

Italian and German police recently carried out a series of raids across Europe, resulting in the arrest of 31 individuals believed to be members of the 'Ndrangheta mafia, according to a DW report.

Around 800 police officers and tax officials in both countries had taken part in the large-scale operation against international drug trafficking and money laundering.

Europol said that at least several hundreds of thousands of euros have been confiscated, as well as weapons, cocaine, two luxury cars, and jewelry.

The Europol statement noted that there is an ongoing review of cash amounts seized while bank accounts have been frozen.

The Italian-led operation was dubbed as "Platinum-Dia" and was said to have been a huge impact on 'Ndrangheta, according to Italian investigators.

READ MORE: El Chapo's Wife Emma Coronel Could Dismantle Sinaloa Cartel by Cutting Deal With U.S.: Report

WATCH: Archive Footage of Rocco Morabito Being Detained in a Hotel Room - From Daily Mail
Authorities are still looking for the suspect responsible for the death of at least five individuals in the Ohio mass shooting on Monday.

The said shooting incident occurred at an apartment complex on Jackson Street in West Jefferson, Ohio, WBNS reported. Police were alerted to the shooting by a passerby who called 911 at around 5:30 p.m.

READ NEXT: Father Grieves His California Kid's Death Due to a Recent Shooting in Orange County

5 Dead in the Ohio Mass Shooting

Upon arrival in the area where the mass shooting occurred, responding police found several dead bodies. Daily Mail Online reported that three people were found shot to death inside the apartment, while two people were found dead outside the building.

"Something brought somebody to a dead end street," said West Jefferson Police Chief Chris Floyd.

Floyd noted that horrible things like this do not happen in West Jefferson or small towns. He added that at this point, they are still trying to figure out whether it was a "robbery gone bad" or a different crime.

The chief pointed out that it was not a drive-by shooting since the apartment is at a dead-end street.

"There's no other way in or out, so it's not like there's a car randomly driving down the street," he said.

Authorities, who have yet to release any information on a suspect, noted that it could be a targeted event based on the building's location.

The West Jefferson police are leading the investigation on this latest Ohio mass shooting, with help from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

Teen Girl Dead in Another Ohio Mass Shooting

A female teenager died in another Ohio mass shooting at a DJ music party at the amphitheater in Bicentennial Park in Downtown Columbus late Saturday night.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that the party was held without a permit to hold the event in the area. Apart from the female teenager who lost her life, five other young people aged 15 to 19 years old were reported wounded, and two others were injured as they try to flee from the scene.

Police identified the 16-year-old victim as Olivia Kurtz, who was rushed to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center after being shot. Kurtz was pronounced dead at around 1:06 a.m. on Sunday.

A resident, who was on his balcony, witnessed the mass shooting and called 911 when he heard gunfire and saw that the crowd began "scattering like crazy."

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther expressed his disappointment and grief in a statement, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Ginther said that the "community must do better" to protect the children while police are still investigating the mass shooting.

Ginther noted that as a father, his heart aches, and he offered his sincere condolences to the teen's family. The mayor also asked anyone who has information to call the police.

READ MORE: Chicago Shootings Leave 2 Dead, 14 Hurt, Including Police Sergeant Shot in Face

WATCH: 3 Fatally Shot Inside West Jefferson Apartment, Multiple Found Dead Outside- From WBNS 10TV
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The ESB has confirmed that its staff have been prevented from accessing the substation site in Laois and have also refuted claims made by the group opposing the project.

The State-owned company issued the statement as a blockade continues at the Coolnabacca site.

ESB Networks can confirm that its crews and contractors were prevented from accessing its site at Coolnabacky near Ratheniska, Co Laois on a number of occasions last week.

ESB Networks regrets these developments. We recognise that there are some concerns locally relating to the project and to that end has worked over the past number of years to engage with the local community and provide reassurance around the project.

A comprehensive hydrogeological and hydrological review of the site at the proposed Coolnabacky substation, published in March and available here, found that the proposed development will not impact on local water sources, posing no significant risk and corroborating previous studies undertaken on the development, it said.

The company added that it is accessing the site to undertake works associated with the hydrogeologists recommendations, as well as other site enabling works and the Athy-Portlaoise overhead line diversion works.

ESB Networks also insists that these works on essential electricity infrastructure are being carried out entirely in line with Covid-19 protocols.

The statement said the 110m Laois-Kilkenny Reinforcement Project (which was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanala in 2014 following an Oral Hearing) is a vital upgrade of the electricity system in the Midlands and Southeast. It said the problems relate to the quality of supply across Laois, Carlow, Kildare and Wicklow and a security of supply issue that affects Co Kilkenny.

They are caused by weaknesses and a lack of reliability on the transmission network across the region as a result of continued growth in demand for electricity. The problems are starting to become critical.

The project is not being built to facilitate the development of renewable energy projects and no windfarms have applied to connect to the substation in Coolnabacky.

ESB Networks remains committed to completing this necessary project and at this point will review all options, including legal recourse, it said.

ESB Networks also said it wants to strongly refute the untruths it claims were made by the RTS Group in a press statement.

In the phone conversation between ESB Networks and an RTS representative, it was reiterated that the project is particularly significant to Portlaoise, where the electricity network will not be sufficient to meet future demand from industry and a growing population.

To be clear, as part of this phone conversation with RTS Group, it was reiterated that no windfarms have applied to connect to the substation in Coolnabacky.

There has been an application to connect into the substation from a nearby solar farm. This information on the need for the project and potential future developments  which flowed from the meeting with both CEOs, local TDs and the protest group - was prepared and shared with the group last year, and published online here.

Arising from engagement with EirGrid and ESB Networks Executives, Irish Rural Link was appointed by ESB Networks in 2019 and their resulting report made five recommendations, engaged with local politicians and the RTS Group, as well as others in the local community. All of these recommendations have now been implemented, it said.

The company said there is no substance to the claim that the ESB project manager also confirmed that the project would re-commence in the coming week.

It was pointed out to the RTS Group as part of the phone conversation on Friday 14 May that the works would commence in the coming days, said the ESB.

The company also addressed claims about the approach taken at the picket line.

Any suggestion that ESB Networks or contractors forced their way in in a heavy-handed way is completely inaccurate. To be clear, our staff and contractors mobilised to undertake works associated with the project and were blocked by protestors at the site entrance on a number of occasions last week.

Our staff withdrew in order to ensure no road safety issues ensued as a result of our vehicles being prevented from entering our site. There is no question of forced entry to the site.

To confirm, ESB Networks is not using any security staff on site. ESB Networks staff as well as those of our contractor attempted access on a number of occasions.

Our use of CCTV is as documented on the vehicle and in line with all data protection and GDPR legislation. It is being used to assure the safety of our staff and members of the public.
Plants to support biodiversity have been requested for the Portlaoise road verge in Abbeyleix, Laois.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly has asked Laois County Council to ask Transport Infrastructure Ireland to plant the large green verge areas on the N77 road.

We all see the benefits in Portlaoise at the new roundabouts. There are a lot of areas on the n77 that have big wide verges. They are no benefit to farmers. They could be beautiful with wildflowers, we could look at getting a pilot scheme, he said.

Cllr Fennelly is part of the award winning Abbeyleix Tidy Towns group.

It would be great coming into Abbeyleix. We have a big biodiversity plan it would really enhance it, he said.

Area engineer Wes Wilkinson undertook to make the request to the TII.
Residents living on the outskirts of Naas are canvassing public support for a campaign of opposition to a proposal for up to 76 battery storage units.

They claim that the development - which is being considered by Kildare County Council - will have adverse ecological, social, environmental and ecological effects.

Specifically its claimed that the batteries may lead to fires, explosions and the release of toxic combustion products upon failure.

However the developing company Strategic Power Products Ltd., trenchantly denies the claims.

Read more County Kildare news

The battery storage project envisages a compound with 76 battery storage units, each the size of a shipping container, which will be used to generate electricity.

The applications run in tandem with a preliminary application by the company for a 220kV substation and a grid connection at an existing sub station.

If approved it will be built at Dunnstown, near Two Mile House and Brannockstown, just off the route which connects the Naas-Kilcullen Road with Dunlavin.

Conor Maguire, a spokesman for the residents against the plan, says they are not opposed to planning for sustainable energy provision and we are keenly aware of the urgent need for reaching our sustainable energy targets.

But there are real and tangible concerns within our community that must be addressed.

He said each of the storage units will house tens of thousands of lithium-ion cells and there has been a troubling frequency of decimating fires linked to lithium-ion batteries that have occurred in the US, UK, South Korea and Australia.

These are no ordinary fires due to the chemical makeup of the batteries; the blazes are not easily treated, need specialist expertise to manage and can take days to get under control.

SPP representative Paul Carson said the company has many years of experience analyzing renewable energy and he said there are no safety issues associated with the project.

Ive been involved in renewable energy since 2010; we have a lot of experience and we approach these developments from a detailed and technical point of view. This will not have the impact that is suggested. We are categorically certain it will not have any impact, said Mr Carson.

He said similar plants have been constructed elsewhere without problem.

He also said that the only way that Ireland can meet climate targets in the future will be if it embraces renewable energy, be it wind or solar power.

Mr Carson also said that the only way that future electricity supply can be guaranteed is through developments like whats planned near Two Mile House.

He said it is imperative that Ireland moves away from fossil fuels as a source of energy and cited the example of a similar facility between Tullamore and Banagher in County Offaly which was opened without objection.

Battery technology is very advanced. It just so happened that Ireland is a little slow to embrace it.

He said the 220 kV substation is a requirement of Eirgrid, which develops and operates the national electricity grid.

The County Kildare Fire Service will, he added, also have to approve the development and this wont happen unless it is confident we can meet all the regulations.

Mr Carson said he has offered to meet with the residents.

The application also seeks to provide a control room, a switch room and switchgear unit as well as CCTV cameras and site access roads.

Submissions will be accepted by Kildare County Council up to June 9 and a decision is due on June 30.
The sister of a murdered Kildare woman said female family members werent allowed to search in case they found her body.

Popular Phyllis Murphy (23) was last seen at a bus stop in Newbridge on December 22, 1979  after spending a day Christmas shopping.

Her body was later found near the Wicklow Gap 28 days later after a massive search involving teams of gardai, the army and the Civil Defence.

After a gap of over 20 years, former soldier John Crerar from Kildare town was convicted and given a mandatory life sentence in 2002 after advances in DNA testing.

Maru Inar Measc, is a new true crime documentary series by Midas Productions for TG4 that shines a light on impact unprovoked murder cases have on families and communities in Ireland. The series was made with the co-operation of families telling their stories.

Sister of the late Phyllis, Barbara tells the programme on TG4 on this Wednesday at 9.30pm: All the lads met up on Christmas Day to go out searching. The lads didnt want us the girls going out, in case we found something.

She added: It was very hard. You could do nothing only wait at the window all day waiting for the lads to come back.

Dr Tom Boland from the Department of Sociology and Criminology UCC tells the programme: We must think: how did that feel for the local people.

Every house you went into every time you walked down the street, that suspicion is there: maybe thats the murderer. Perhaps the monster is in our midst. Maybe he lives on the same street.

In this case it was years before the murderer was caught, so that worry must have been there constantly.
The Irish SME Association (ISME) has today announced the election of Margaret ORourke Doherty as the new Chair of the National Council for the 2021-2023 term. Margaret is the CEO of the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (HABIC) and is the 17th Chair of ISME and the second female Chair.

Notably, the new Council elected today is the first with a female majority since ISMEs foundation in 1993 and is comprised of 56% female and 44% male members.

Margaret ORourke Doherty, Chair of ISMEs National Council and CEO of the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation said: I am delighted and proud to be elected as ISME Chair for the 2021-2023 term, having served as Vice-Chair for the past two years. Today also marks a significant day for ISME, as for the first time ever the National Council has a female majority, with fifteen women on the Council out of twenty-seven members. Female entrepreneurs and business owners are not often given due credit for the high number of businesses they run in the SME sector. Our new Council also reflects sectoral diversity, including service businesses, manufacturing, food, retail and technology.

Of the twenty-seven new members of the National Council, five members have joined from industry associations representing medical and pharmaceutical, childcare, retail, agriculture, and food and beverage sectors. These include: Healthstores Ireland, the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, the Irish Egg Association, the Association of Fine Jewellers, and the Irish Craft Artisan Distilleries Association.

Ms Doherty added: I am also pleased to welcome onto the National Council the heads of other trade groups in the childcare, retail, and artisan food and distillery sectors. Together, building on the achievements of our previous National Councils, we will cement ISME as the independent voice of small enterprise in the Irish economy.

With over 10,500 members nationwide, ISMEs new Council members are elected owner/managers of SMEs from all over Ireland and from a variety of sectors. 46% of members are based in Dublin, with 19% in the Midlands, 11% in both the North East and South East, 7% in both the North West and South West and 4% in the South of Ireland.
The death has occurred of Kathleen Barry (nee Purcell)

Of Elton and Ballyhea, Cork

On May 25, 2021

Predeceased by her husband Tom, brothers John-Joe and Mikey.

Deeply regretted by her loving family, sons Liam & John, daughters Mary (Fitzpatrick - Monaleen) and Anne, daughters in law Noreen & Geraldine, mother in law of the late George, grandchildren, niece, nephews, cousins, family, relatives, kind neighbours and friends.

Kathleen will be reposing at Davern's Funeral Home, Hospital, Co. Limerick V35XV96, this Wednesday, May 26, 202 from 12am until 7pm for anyone who wishes to pay their respects.

The family will not be present for this

Requiem Mass on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 11.30am in St. Mary's Church, Knockainey, burial afterwards in Knocklong Cemetery.

In compliance with Covid - 19 guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 50 people. Please adhere to social distancing advice.

May her gentle soul rest in peace

Mass cards can be posted to Daverns Funeral Home, Hospital, Co. Limerick.

*******

The death has occurred of Seanie Carroll

Of Athlacca

On May 23, 2021. Peacefully, at the University Hospital, Limerick. Very deeply regretted by his aunt Han, cousins Mike and Tom Carroll. The Moynihan Family Athlacca, relatives, kind neighbours and his many friends.

May he rest in peace

Seanie's funeral cortege will depart Mark Moynihan's residence Wednesday at 11.30am en route to St. John the Baptist Church, Athlacca, for 12noon requiem Mass (confined to family and friends, please). Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. As per Covid guidelines while adhering to government directions.

Mass cards and letters of sympathy can be posted to Daffy's Funeral Home, Kilmallock.

*******

The death has occurred of Tony Maher

Of Vizes Court, off St. Joseph's Street

Formerly of Fairgreen, Ballysimon.

Tony, died (peacefully) at his residence.

Very deeply regretted by his loving wife Rita, daughter Sinead, son Liam, son-in-law Stephen, daughter-in-law Jennifer, grandsons Sean, MJ, Conor, Niall and Eoin, brother Richard, sister Frances, other relatives and friends.

May he rest in peace

A private requiem Mass for family only, will take place at 11.30am on Thursday, May 27 in St Joseph's Church, O'Connell Avenue. Funeral afterwards to Mount St Oliver Cemetery.

In compliance with the current HSE guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 50 people. Please ensure social distancing and public health advice is adhered.

Cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick.

*******

The death has occurred of Thomas Nolan

Of Shanagolden

The death has suddenly occurred of Thomas Nolan, Waterpark, Shanid, Shanagolden. On May 23, 2021. Predeceased by his father William, mother Moira, brothers Noel & Liam. Sadly missed by his sisters Marina (Moyvane), Irene (Roscommon), Geraldine (Ardagh), Ann (Ballinasloe) and Laura (Shanagolden), sister-inlaw Rose (Shanagolden), brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, neighbours and his good friends.

May his gentle soul rest in peace.

In keeping with current government guidelines, Toms funeral Mass will be private to family and close friends only. Mass of the Resurrection will take place in St. Senans Church, Shanagolden on Thursday May 27 at 12noon. Burial afterwards in Knockpatrick Cemetery.

House strictly private please. The Nolan family thank you for your support at this time.

*******

The death has occurred of Pat (Paudie) Sheahan

Of the Hawthorns, Annacotty, Castletroy, Limerick

Pat (Paudie) died peacefully, at his residence, surrounded by his loving family.

Beloved husband of Mai. Dearly loved father of Emma and the late Tommy. Beloved grandfather of Tomas, Ellie-Mai and Millie. Predeceased by his brother Tomas and nephew Barry. Deeply regretted by his brother Sean, sisters Anne and Mary, nephews, nieces, daughter-in-law Catriona, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, relatives, friends and kind neighbours.

May he rest in peace

A private requiem Mass for family only, will take place at 11.30am on Thursday, May 27 in Mary Magdalene Church, Monaleen.

Mass will be streamed live at https://www.churchservices.tv/monaleen

Funeral afterwards to Kilmurry Cemetery, Castletroy.

In compliance with the current HSE guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 50 people. Please ensure social distancing and public health advice is adhered.

Cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick.
AN ambitious conservation project to save Swifts - a small migratory bird is underway in Limerick.

Swifts, which weigh as little as a Cadburys Cream Egg, are fascinating birds which spend most of their lives in constant flight only ever landing to nest.

A project that aims to entice Swifts to stay briefly and breed in purpose-build nest-boxes at five locations in Limerick city is underway.

In one of the first multi-stakeholder projects of its kind in Ireland, Limerick City and County Council is collaborating with several other organisations and groups to support the Awift population in Limerick as part of Limericks European Green Leaf City legacy projects.

The other organisation are: BirdWatch Irelands Urban Bird Conservation Officer, Limerick city parish (Church of Ireland), The Hunt Museum, Shannon Heritage, St Marys Parish Mens Shed, the Limerick Branch of BirdWatch Ireland and Limerick City Centre Tidy Towns.

The number of Swifts has declined by approximately 40% across Ireland in the last 10 years and the species has been moved onto the RED List in the recently released Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland 2020-2026 (4th edition).

The new nest boxes, which can accommodate up to 39 individual nests, have been installed at The Hunt Museum, St Marys Cathedral, City Hall at Merchants Quay, King Johns Castle Exhibition Centre and the Louvres of St Michaels Church on Barrington Street.

A spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council explained an unusual birdcall, which can be heard at each of he five locations, is, in face a lure licenced by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The lure emits the sound of the Swifts call attracting birds to the site.

"This increases the chances of attracting first time nesters to the sites. The volume on the lure is on a timer and set to normal birdsong levels," he said.

Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Michael Collins has welcomed the conservation project: Great credit is due to all of the organisations involved and I wish this collaborative project every success and hope that a new generation of Limerick Swifts will fledge in the summer of 2021," he said.

Ricky Whelan, Urban Bird Conservation Officer with BirdWatch Ireland added: Swifts only need to land to breed. They are summer visitors to Ireland from Southern Africa, arriving in May and remaining until early September. We cannot be sure that the nest boxes will be occupied in this year but fingers crossed they will occupy them in years to come. With wildlife projects you always need a little luck.

Limerick Branch of BirdWatch Ireland, Maura Tuner said the organisation is thrilled to have helped get the project underway. "We look forward to monitoring the nest-boxes over the summer of 2021. It may take a number of years for the Swifts to take up residence but we are committed to the cause and will keep working to conserve Limericks breeding swifts.

Helen ODonnell from Limerick City Centre Tidy Towns said: A Swift nest box project was recommended in our 2019 Tidy Towns Report. We would like to give a particular mention to St. Marys Mens Shed for building some of the boxes that are installed in St. Marys Cathedral. It is just wonderful to see a project like this come to fruition. Now, lets hope the swifts like what has been built for them.

As part of the Limerick City Swift Nest Box project the Councils European Green Leaf team along with the successful quoting contractor MP Joyce Contracting, Patrickswell, will be compiling a case study on the project which will allow other buildings in the city to build in Swift nest boxes as part of routine renovation works or as new builds.

Download the BirdWatch Ireland - Saving Swifts guide here.
SIGNIFICANT issues with the condition and safety of footpaths in Adare village have been identified and urgent action is needed, councillors have been told.

In response to complaints, expressed at a meeting of the Adare/Rathkeale Municipal District, Senior Executive Engineer Gerard OConnor said he is aware of the problem.

There is a significant issue with all of the footpaths in Adare, he said.

The meeting was told a number of projects, such as the building of a new footpath from the village to Murphys Cross cannot be progressed due to a lack of funding from Transport Infrastructure Ireland while the upcoming public realm plan has impacted routine maintenance works.

The footpaths on the N21 in Adare are in a very poor condition and we have submitted funding application after funding application to TII and for some reason they havent funded any of them to date, said Mr OConnor.

He added that he believes works to repair other paths in the village cannot be dependant on the public realm project.

He said he has specifically requested that the condition of footpaths in Adare be bought up at the councils next quarterly meeting with TII.

The paving flags, throughout the entire village are in a very very bad state and we cant wait for any future public realm plan and it needs to be addressed now. We have no problem doing it  the problem is accessing the funding to do it, he said.

Councillors were supportive of Mr OConnor and his efforts to progress matters.

There is an open awareness of the poor condition of the footpaths in Adare village, they have become extremely uneven and they have all gone lob-sided and there are people tripping and as far as I am concerned there are quite a few insurance claims coming in, commented Cllr Adam Teskey.

Cllr Bridie Collins, who lives in Adare, agreed that there are significant problems that need to be addressed.

The state of the footpaths in the village is quite deplorable. Its very difficult to see how we can wait for a public realm plan to get those sorted. I walk on those footpaths every day of the week and they need to be done straight away, she said.
MULTI-MILLION euro plans to provide flood defences to protect more than 1,200 homes across the city have taken a big step forward.

It comes following the appointment of RPS Consulting Engineers to work on the local flood relief scheme, after the Office of Public Works (OPW) sanctioned the appointment, with 60m provided through the National Development Plan.

The objective of this project is the identification, design and delivery of a flood relief scheme to alleviate the risk of flooding in communities right across the city centre and its environs.

As well as the city centre, Thomondgate, Corbally, Annacotty, Ballinacurra, Rosbrien, Ballysimon, the Old Cratloe Road, Westbury and Shannon Banks will benefit from the mammoth project, with OPW Minister and local TD Patrick ODonovan saying: The scale of the scheme is enormous" and much-needed.

"Its a huge step. We are talking about 1,200 residential units and almost 250 commercial units. Limerick has been identified by the OPW for some time. Its part of the flood risk management programme of the OPW. Im very anxious these are prioritised, said the Fine Gael man.

As well as this, the works will also see some of the public realm elements of the Worldclass Waterfront developed, with studies also due to be kicked off for greenways and blueways along the River Shannon and in Dooradoyle.

Separate flood relief schemes are also being developed for Castleconnell and Athea, with consultants set to be appointed for the Adare flood relief scheme later this year.

We have appointed RPS Consulting Engineers to work on the Limerick City and Environs Flood Relief Scheme after the Office of Public Works sanctioned the appointment with funding provided through the National Development Plan 2018-2030



Read more: https://t.co/t7JNb9tKUQ  Limerick Council (@LimerickCouncil) May 25, 2021

An initial public consultation period takes place later this summer where the initial thoughts of the public will be gathered, and proposed designs will be put forward.

Among the measures expected, Mr ODonovan said, are sluice gates, culverts, tidal gates, as well as the deepening and widening of channels, and a forecasting system which will improve the local authoritys ability to respond.

We are very conscious of the fact this is a vulnerable part of the country. Its tidal with a huge body of water flowing through it, the minister added.

Commenting on the signing of the contracts, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Michael Collins, said: The risk of being flooded is very real risk for many people across Limerick city. The appointment of these consultants will begin the process of developing flood defences for Limerick. It is hugely important that we protect ourselves from flooding and it must be done in a sensitive and environmentally appropriate manner."

Mayor Collins added: "Those devastating images and stories of people flooded in their homes have to become a thing of the past. We need to future proof our homes and businesses from the effects of climate change.

RPS Project Manager, Brendan Brice said RPS is delighted to have been appointed as Engineering and Environmental Consultants for the project.

"RPS is committed to the absolute delivery of our clients projects and we look forward to working with all key stakeholders over the coming years to develop a scheme that will reduce flood risk and be compatible with the Councils objectives for the public realm in the city.
By Peng Kuang

The 12th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting closed in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland, on May 20. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took advantage of this multilateral stage and held a meeting in Reykjavik on the evening of May 19. This is the first face-to-face meeting between Russian and American top diplomatic officials after the Biden administration took office.

With rising tensions, choosing the "Arctic Council" ministerial meeting as the venue for the talks between Russia and the US also reflects the special significance in multiple ways of "the Arctic" in international relations.

To start with, the Arctic serves as the "battlefield" of geopolitical competition. Both Russia and the US are no strangers to this area. During the Cold War, this area, from the sky to the water, was once the frontier of military confrontation. In fact, it still is. Since the earth is a sphere, the closest missile flight path between the two countries is neither via the Atlantic nor the Pacific, but over the North Pole. The ballistic missile nuclear submarine that can break out of the thick ice of the Arctic Ocean can easily deter most developed countries in the world. After all, most of them are geographically located in the northern hemisphere. From the perspective of military struggle, Russia and the US dare not underestimate the status and role of the Arctic.

In October 1986, the leaders of the US and the Soviet Union met in Reykjavik to discuss the proposal to drastically reduce nuclear weapons. Each move of the two military powers, including the meeting in the Arctic region this time, has become a "thermometer" for observing changes in the world situation.

Second, the Arctic is a "new stage" for economic and trade exchanges. The Arctic region has received more and more attention in recent years. The overall reason is that global warming has caused a large area of sea ice to melt, making some new navigation routes commercially viable options.

However, the prospects for commercial development of the Arctic route are subject to the "big climate" of the international situation. The unreasonable posture in the name of the so-called "freedom of navigation" of the US has also extended to the seas of the Arctic Ocean. Considering geographical factors, both Canada and Russia hope to adopt more stringent management measures for the corresponding waterways. However, the US put forward all kinds of unreasonable demands completely from its own perspective, which has cast a shadow over the commercial prospects of the Arctic route before it was even planned.

Finally, despite being in an extremely cold place, the Arctic is still a human "habitation place". With an area of more than 12 million square kilometers, the Arctic Ocean is larger than the size of Europe. The total area of more than 21 million square kilometers in the Arctic Circle accounts for 1/25 of the total surface area of the earth. The Arctic Council had eight member states when it was established. Today, it has developed into the most valued Arctic cooperation mechanism with an increasing number of "Near-Arctic States", related international organizations and institutions participating in various forms.

Human beings have only one earth, and the earth has only one Arctic. The Arctic should not become the "battlefield" of geopolitical rivalry. Whether it is a climate change plan that is vital to the Arctic or international cooperation under a multilateral framework, we need to pay attention to the real contributions made to the building of a community of shared future for mankind.
The forced diversion of a Ryanair Holdings PLC flight over Belarus threatens to undermine a set of safety procedures built up over decades between commercial airlines and the governments and militaries of countries they fly over, pilots and air-safety officials say.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday scrambled a jet fighter that escorted the Ryanair commercial aircraft to Minsk as it was passing through Belarus airspace. Belarus said it did so because of suspicion that explosives were on board.

Authorities there then arrested a prominent journalist and opposition activist onboard, before allowing the plane to continue its journey. The incident has sparked an international outcry and raised questions over the legality of the planes grounding and the ramifications for the airline industry.

The European Union, the U.K., Ukraine and Lithuania banned their own airlines from flying over Belarus. Approximately 3,000 flights each week transit Belarus, according to aircraft tracking firm Flightradar24.

The move to avoid the country adds to restrictions already in place in the east of Ukraine following the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet in 2014. While not presenting a major detour for most airlines, rerouting adds time and additional fuel expenses to flights predominantly between Europe and Southeast Asia.

British Airways flight from London to Kuala Lumpur, for example, without any restrictions, would fly directly over eastern Ukraine. The flight has been using Belarus airspace instead, before turning south toward the Malaysian capital. With the new restrictions, the airline now will need to fly farther north, taking a south turn over Russia.

On Monday, Belarusian transport authorities said Gazas governing militant group, Hamas, had sent an email to Minsk National Airport saying a bomb would explode on the Ryanair flight unless Israel ceased hostilities in the Gaza Strip, a claim that was dismissed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel as completely implausible." Gaza authorities didnt respond to a request for comment.

Aviation experts say that if Belarus made up the bomb threat and intercepted the jetliner to apprehend the dissident, it would undermine the Chicago Convention, signed in 1944, which restricts the use of military force against civilian aircraft in most cases. Industry executives and aviation-safety officials said they couldnt remember a recent precedent involving a commercial jetliner.

Were in uncharted territory," said Conor Nolan, chairman of the board of governors of the Virginia-based Flight Safety Foundation, which advocates for air safety. If we lose confidence in the ability to safely fly over states, its going to significantly damage trust in international commercial aviation." He and others called for a comprehensive probe into what happened.

Bomb threats are one of a commercial airline pilots most difficult challenges, and airlines and aviation regulators have spent years crafting protocols for handling them. Those procedures, encompassing how to authenticate and communicate a threat and what actions to take once one is thought to be real, are largely kept from public view, to discourage potential bad actors from exploiting or evading them.

But officials say they are built on trust between cockpit crew and authorities. If the Ryanair diversion is shown to be a ruse, that trust could erode not just over Belarus, but around the world.

This unprecedented act of unlawful interference will potentially upend all the assumptions about the safest response to bomb threats on flight and interceptions," the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations said in a statement.

A fundamental tenet of bomb-threat response is to land the aircraft at the nearest safe airport, pilots say. In the case of the Ryanair diversion, the jetliner turned around and headed for Minsk, Belaruss capital, when it was already close to the border with Lithuania, according to flight-tracking data. According to Eurocontrol, which manages air-traffic controllers across Europe, Vilnius in Lithuania, the flights original destination, would have been the operative airport to approach.

Ryanairs cockpit crew had little room to maneuver, pilots and aviation industry officials said. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on planes that crashed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, governments have increasingly felt they can assume a jetliner is a direct threat if it fails to respond to directions, and they can order military action to prevent calamity.

Lets be under no illusion, if there is a fighter jet off your wingtip clearly indicating instructions, the pilot of the commercial air transport aircraft has little option but to follow those instructions," Mr. Nolan said.

The Belarus interception isnt without some parallels. Russias government has dismissed the criticism against its ally Belarus, citing a 2013 incident in which Bolivias presidential plane, suspected of carrying former U.S. intelligence officer Edward Snowden, was prevented from entering France and Portugal airspace en route back to Bolivia from Moscow. It was forced to land in Vienna, where the aircraft was searched. That incident involved a government operated aircraft, though, not a commercial airline.

In 1985, the U.S. intercepted an EgyptAir passenger jet that was transporting four men who had orchestrated the hijacking of an Italian cruise ship. The flight, which had requested permission to land in Tunis, Tunisia, was instructed by American military jets to divert to a naval air station in Sicily, where the men were arrested.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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In order to curb the spread of novel coronavirus cases in the state and enhance the vaccination drive, Maharashtra cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh on Tuesday cautioned against lifting coronavirus-induced curbs without completing vaccination of half the adult population in the state.

He said lifting curbs without inoculating 50 per cent of the adult population against COVID-19 in Maharashtra, where lockdown-like restrictions are in place till June 1, may lead to a fresh wave of the infection.

Speaking to reporters, Shaikh said, It would be an invitation for (a fresh) coronavirus outbreak if lockdown is lifted without completing the inoculation of half the population in Mumbai and the state. The state cabinet is still mulling over how to introduce relaxations to provide some relief to traders and businesspersons."

The state COVID-19 task force is going to discuss all the aspects at its review meetings. The state is mulling over giving priority to certain shops to operate...which services should be preferred over others... shops with air conditioning should be allowed or not among other issues," he said, adding that a final decision will be taken after a comprehensive assessment of the prevailing situation, the minister said.

Since last month, the state, worst-affected by the pandemic in the country, is under a slew of curbs enforced to check the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, Maharashtra registered 24,136 new Covid-19 cases, 601 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the caseload and death toll to 56,26,155 and 90,349 respectively, according to the state health department's bulletin.

This is the sixth successive day that the daily new cases of Covid-19 in Maharashtra remained below the 30,000-mark.

Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded 1,037 new Covid-19 cases today that took its tally to 6,99,904, while 37 patients died of the infection and 1,427 recovered from it, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

With the latest casualties, the city's toll has risen to 14,708 and the count of recoveries has reached 6,55,425, the official said.

However, Amid attempts to check novel coronavirus surge in the state, Maharashtra government has shunned the option of home isolation for patients and instead made institutional quarantine must in areas that have a high Covid positivity rate.

"We have decided to stop home isolation for patients of 18 districts where the positivity rate is high. The patients from these districts will have to go to a quarantine center, won't be allowed home isolation," said Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

The 18 districts are Pune, Thane, Satara, Sindhadurg, Ratnagiri, Osmanabad, Beed, Raigad, Hingoli, Akola, Amravati, Kolhapur, Sangli, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Latur.

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The British government warned people to avoid traveling to coronavirus hotspots in England where the so-called Covid-19 variant from India is spreading, as officials in France consider further curbs on passengers arriving from the UK.

New guidance applies to eight areas including Hounslow in west London, the central England city of Leicester and the northwest towns of Blackburn and Bolton. People there should not meet up indoors or travel outside their districts, according the government said.

The localized action  combined with a threat of further restrictions on British travelers heading to France  will be a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnsons efforts to reopen the UK economy after three lockdowns and its deepest recession for 300 years.

After a rapid rise in cases of variant from India, Johnson has warned that the country is now in a tight race to get the population vaccinated more quickly than the virus can spread.

People should try to avoid traveling in and out of the affected areas unless its essential, for example, obviously for work," Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Parliament on Tuesday. Were trusting people to be responsible and to act with caution and common sense."

The UK has one of the most successful Covid vaccine programs in the world with more than 70% of people now having received at least one shot.

Johnsons officials have pointed to data showing a full vaccination course is effective against the variant first identified in India, but the spread of the new strain remains the biggest potential stumbling block to reopening the economy in full on June 21. Ministers are expected to consider new data on the variant before deciding if national restrictions can be lifted on schedule next month.

Alarming strain

The Indian strain is also alarming officials in neighboring France, where the government is likely to decide Wednesday whether extra restrictions are needed at its border with the UK to prevent its spread. Germany has also said it will impose a two-week quarantine on such travelers, even if they test negative for Covid.

The UK is trying to make a case to France that extra curbs arent necessary, citing the large share of its vaccinated population, a person familiar with the discussions said.

Spokespeople for the French ministry of foreign affairs didnt return multiple requests for comment. A spokesperson for the U.K. government didnt immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

In the U.K., the government was accused of introducing local lockdowns by the back door" with the new guidance against travel to hotspots, which was published without fanfare online late last week but didnt reach the attention of local leaders for several days.

Upsetting

Why was this guidance plonked on a website on Friday night and not communicated to everyone?" Jonathan Ashworth, the opposition Labour Partys health spokesman, who represents the district of Leicester South, asked Zahawi in Parliament.

Can the minister understand how upsetting it is, can he understand how insulting it is to have new restrictions imposed upon us?" Ashworth continued. Local lockdowns by stealth, by the back door, and the secretary of state doesnt even have the courtesy to come and tell us."

Andy Burnham, Greater Manchesters Labour mayor, called on ministers to issue an urgent clarification ahead of the bank holiday weekend. Schools were confused about whether trips could go ahead and amateur sport had been thrown into chaos, Burnham said at a press conference.

The row risks reigniting last years regional tensions after Johnson forced Greater Manchester into a localized lockdown because of a virus spike in the area. Furious local leaders accused the government of punishing northern England to protect the economy in the south and demanded further funds to support local businesses.

David Greenhalgh, the Conservative leader of Bolton council, said he had been reassured by central government that the new guidance was aimed at underlining personal responsibility in a Covid hotspot, rather than imposing fresh restrictions.

Johnsons official spokesman Max Blain batted away questions about whether the government could have better communicated its changes, and said people should use their judgment.

Extra risk

Weve been clear that people in these areas should recognize the extra risk posed by the variant," Blain told reporters on Tuesday. We are in contact with local authorities and that will continue."

Blain also rejected the idea that the government is imposing local lockdowns by stealth, saying the current guidance is substantially different" to the legal restrictions in place previously.

It is important to emphasize that this is guidance, these are not statutory restrictions placed on those local areas," he said.

Blain said there would be no extra financial support made available for the hospitality sector, local authorities or other businesses in the affected areas beyond the aid that is already available.

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Many children who develop a rare inflammatory syndrome after COVID-19 see their most serious symptoms clear up by six months, a new study suggests.

Although the study was small, involving fewer than 50 kids with the condition, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) , the authors say the results are encouraging.

"These findings can hopefully signal cautious optimism that many of the most severe effects of [MIS-C] appear to resolve within six months," study co-author Dr. Justin Penner, of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said in a statement. Still, some children did experience persistent fatigue and difficulty exercising that should be closely monitored, the researchers said.

Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science

MIS-C was first discovered in April 2020, and involves inflammation of multiple organs, such as the heart , lungs , kidneys, brain , skin , eyes and gastrointestinal tract, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Kids with the condition may experience fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea , usually after testing positive for COVID-19, and they usually need to be hospitalized. The condition is rare  after about 1 year, a total of 3,742 cases of MIS-C and 35 deaths have been reported in the U.S., according to the CDC ; while about 4 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics .

The new study, published Monday (May 24) in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health , is the longest study of MIS-C to date, following children for six months after their hospitalization. The researchers analyzed information from 46 children who were hospitalized with MIS-C at Great Ormond Street Hospital from April to September 2020.

At the time they were hospitalized, all of the children had body-wide inflammation, meaning they had increased levels of inflammatory markers in their blood. The vast majority, 98%, had gastrointestinal symptoms, 52% had neurological symptoms and 33% had heart symptoms.

However at six months, just one child (2%) still had systemic inflammation, two (4%) had heart abnormalities and six (13%) had gastrointestinal symptoms. None of the children died.

What's more, 98% of the patients had returned to school full time (virtual or in-person).

And scores on a test of muscle strength improved from 53 out of 80 (with higher scores indicating better strength) during hospitalization to 80 out of 80 at 6 months.

About 40% of patients showed subtle abnormalities on specific neurological tests, such as slight problems on tests of coordination, reflexes and eye movement. But these abnormalities didn't translate into "functional impairment," that is, the children didn't have problems with their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as walking, the authors said.

Still, some had trouble exercising, as measured by a test of how far they could walk in 6 minutes. Six months after hospitalization, about 40% of the children scored in the bottom 3% for their age and sex on the walking test.

But this finding is difficult to interpret because the study did not compare to the walking speed of children who were not hospitalized with MIS-C, the authors said. It's possible that during the pandemic, even healthy children experienced reductions in their exercise ability, given that lockdowns prevent people from exercising normally.

"The levels of fatigue and muscle weakness we found at six months follow-up are concerning and requires close monitoring, but it's difficult to determine whether this finding is caused directly by [MIS-C] or if it's a result of the disruption in childrens lives that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused on a wider scale," study co-author Dr. Karyn Moshal, of Great Ormond Street Hospital's Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, said in a statement.

The new study also cannot rule out the possibility that additional long-term effects might show up in the children more than six months after hospitalization (such as kidney disease , which sometimes appears more than six months after a severe illness), and so it is important to continue follow-up studies on MIS-C patients, the authors said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Homo sapiens is a species of highly intelligent primate that includes all living humans, who are often referred to as H. sapiens sapiens. There were once many species in the genus Homo, but all species and subspecies besides modern humans are now extinct. In 1758, Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus was the first person to give humans the name H. sapiens. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the term "homo sapiens" is derived from Latin and means "wise man."

Related: How many early human species existed on Earth?

The evolution of modern humans

About 6 million years ago, an ancestor species of humans, chimpanzees and bonobos lived on the continent of Africa. Around that time, one group of those ancestral apes began to differentiate itself and split from the rest, becoming the hominins, Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University explained in his article for the Nature Education Knowledge Project.

This hominin branch of the evolutionary tree includes modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors, including members of the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Ardipithecus, according to the Australian Museum.

Related: See photos of our closest human ancestor

"Some characteristics that have distinguished hominins from other primates, living and extinct, are their erect posture, bipedal locomotion, larger brains, and behavioral characteristics such as specialized tool use and, in some cases, communication through language," wrote Pontzer. Importantly, these traits are a mixture of physical and behavioral characteristics, which are the two major ways that researchers differentiate H. sapiens from all other species.

After hominins split from the other great apes, it was still a few million years before any Homo species began to emerge. "The earliest populations of the Homo lineage emerged from a still-unknown ancestral species in Africa at some point between approximately 3 and approximately 2 million years ago," William H. Kimbel and Brian Villmoare wrote in a 2016 paper published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Related: These 'creativity' genes allowed humans to take over the world

The origins of the Homo genus remain murky. The oldest Homo fossil found so far, reported in the journal Science in 2015, can be dated to about 2.8 million years ago, although scientists are not sure which species it belonged to. The next-oldest fossil, analyzed by researchers in a 2015 paper in the journal Nature, belonged to an individual who lived around 2.3 million years ago and may have been H. habilis. That fossil had stone tools associated with it, suggesting that the individual may have known how to use them.

What are the different Homo species?

In the last 15 years the number of known Homo species has more than doubled from four to nine, according to human evolution expert Chris Stringer of the British Natural History Museum. Now, the genus includes H. neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) and ancient species H. erectus (whose name translates to "upright man"). Scientists described the most recent addition, H. luzonensis, in a paper published in Nature in 2019.

"There's a H. sapiens fossil from Ethiopia that's about 195,000 years old, and it has the basic features of modern humans," Stringer told Live Science. "From 195,000 years onwards, we find fossils we can call H. sapiens reasonably accurately."

Related: 10 things we learned about our human ancestors in 2020

But there is possibly an even older example of H. sapiens: As described in a 2017 paper in Nature, fossilized remains found along with stone tools in a Moroccan cave suggest that "modern" humans may have appeared as early as 315,000 years ago.

There isn't a clear line between humans and our close relatives, and researchers use either anatomy or behavior to separate human remains from the rest. Anatomists argue that H. sapiens can be identified by their skeletons, while some archaeologists say that behavior is what defines modern humans.

Photo of a Homo erectus skull. Homo sapiens belong to the Homo genus, which also includes Homo erectus. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The anatomical definition of a human

Scientists do not agree on an exact definition of what constitutes the genus Homo, according to a 2015 review published in Science . That said, most Homo species have "a long, low braincase, and strong continuous brow ridge," as described in a 2019 review published in the Journal of Quaternary Science . However, H. sapiens have distinctive "modern" physical characteristics: a large rounded braincase, lack of a brow-ridge, a chin (even in infancy) and a narrow pelvis compared to other species in the Homo genus.

But early H. sapiens may not have had all the same features that modern H. sapiens do, Stringer said. "Humans like to classify and keep things simple, but nature doesn't recognize our definitions," he said.

The archaeological definition of a human

Some scholars believe that behavior is what sets H. sapiens apart from other Homo species  and all other species in the world, for that matter.

There are a number of behaviors that are categorized as "human." In a 2003 review published in the journal Current Anthropology, researchers listed traits that have historically been used to identify H. sapiens. These included evidence of behaviors such as burial of the dead, ritual art, decorations, worked bone and antler material, blade technology and fishing, among others. However, the authors of that review also pointed out that many of those behaviors are Eurocentric, and may not be applicable to H. sapiens found in other parts of the world.

Related: Oldest deliberate burial of a human in Africa discovered

"The current archaeological approach is to look at the set of skills as well as the behavioral implications," Silje Bentsen, project manager of SapienCE at the University of Bergen in Norway, told Live Science. SapienCE, which stands for the Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour, aims to "increase our understanding of how and when Homo sapiens evolved into who we are today," according to the group's website.

"There's been a long debate on what to call a modern human, and the debate is still ongoing," Bentsen said. Rather than a checklist of traits, archaeologists are rather looking at what certain traits imply about cognition. For example, engravings or symbols depicting seasons or animal migrations suggest that early humans were intelligent enough to understand those concepts. "It shows planning and advanced cognition," Bentsen explained. "It's a complicated behavior package."

Related: In photos: Neanderthal burials uncovered

However, the behavioral method of distinguishing modern humans is complicated by evidence that other Homo species, such as Neanderthals, have been shown to exhibit similar abilities. These stocky cave-dwellers used tools, buried their dead and controlled fire  activities once thought of as distinctly human. Indeed, Stringer dismisses behavior as a way to differentiate species. "Behavior is not a valid way of defining a species," he said. "Behavior is shared much more easily than anatomy."

Are humans a distinct species?

One definition of a species is: "Groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups," according to Encyclopedia Britannica. However, that definition may not apply for Homo species, as recent research describes evidence of interbreeding between Neanderthals, H. sapiens and H. denisovans (a hominin species discovered in Denisova Cave in Russia). For example, a 2018 paper published in the journal Nature reported evidence of multiple episodes of interbreeding between Neanderthals and H. sapiens. Another 2018 paper, also in Nature, described evidence of an ancient human hybrid, who had both Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA.

Related: Mystery ancestor mated with ancient humans. And its 'nested' DNA was just found.

This has led some scholars to argue that many Homo species, including ours, should be lumped together, Stringer said. In this paradigm, modern humans are H. sapiens sapiens, while Neanderthals are H. sapiens neanderthalensis and Denisovans are H. sapiens denisovans.

Stringer, however, maintains that humans and Neanderthals are separate species because their bone structure is different. "If Neanderthals and H. sapiens remained separate long enough to evolve such distinctive skull shapes, pelvises, and ear bones, they can be regarded as different species, interbreeding or not," he wrote in an article for the The Natural History Museum in London.

Additional resources
Want to see the Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse, but don't have an ideal viewing spot? Perhaps you're dealing with cloudy weather, or maybe you're located in a place that doesn't fall along the lunar eclipse's path.

Worry not, you can still catch the total lunar eclipse online. Here's a handful of places around the world that are livestreaming it for your viewing pleasure. This way, you can even see totality, when the moon is completely covered by Earth's dark shadow and turns a rusty red .

The entire lunar eclipse  from the point Earths shadow creeps across the moon to the moment it leaves  lasts for about five hours, from 4:47 a.m.  9:49 a.m. EDT on Wednesday (May 26). During that time, as the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly aligned, you can flip back and forth between webcasts, comparing what the eclipse looks like in Western Australia to Los Angeles, and Flagstaff, Arizona, to New Zealand.

Related: Glitzy photos of a supermoon

Unless clouds are in the local forecast, you should at least be able to catch the Flower supermoon, no matter where you are in the world. On May 26, the moon will be at its fullest at 7:14 a.m. EDT (11:14 UTC), but it will appear full for a few days before and after that. The Flower Moon is named after all the wildflowers blooming right now in the Northern Hemisphere, while the supermoon refers to the fact that this will be the closest full moon to Earth in 2021. Supermoons appear up to 14% larger and up to 30% brighter than the average full moon, NASA reported .

If you are in the eclipse's path (the best locations to see the entire eclipse, including totality, are Australia, parts of the western United States, western South America and Southeast Asia, according to timeanddate.com ), remember there are three main phases during the lunar eclipse. First, the moon will enter Earth's light shadow, known as the penumbra. However, this phase is hard to see with the naked eye, even with a telescope , as the sun's rays will still reach the moon.

Second, Earth's dark shadow, known as the umbra, will begin to fall on the moon. This phase will be visible to skywatchers along the eclipse's path, and the moon may appear as if it has a giant, circular bite mark on it. Finally, the moon will be completely covered by the umbra, at which point it will turn a rusty red color. This happens because some of the sun's rays bend around Earth and reach the moon. These rays are filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which, just like at sunrise and sunset, lets the long red wavelengths through to hit the moon.

Total lunar eclipse timetable on May 26 Eclipse stage Time: EDT Time: UTC Penumbral eclipse 4:47 a.m.  9:49 a.m. 08:47  13:49 Partial eclipse 5:44 a.m.  8:52 a.m. 09:44  12:52 Full eclipse 7:11 a.m.  7:25 a.m. 11:11  11:25 Maximum eclipse 7:18 a.m. 11:18

Griffith Observatory

Tune into the livestream from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The online broadcast lasts from 1:45 a.m. to 6 a.m. PDT (4:45 a.m.  10 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday. You can learn more about the broadcast at their homepage . Of note, Griffith's view will likely be stellar, but broadcasts from the middle of the Pacific and parts of Australia are better poised to catch the full visible eclipse, according to NASA's maps of the eclipse.

Lowell Observatory

The Lowell Observatory will broadcast the total lunar eclipse from Flagstaff, Arizona. This livestream lasts from 2:30 a.m. to 4:25 a.m. MDT (4:30 a.m.  6:25 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday. "Lowell educators will show you live views of the eclipse through our 14" Planewave telescope and wide-view portable Vixen telescopes," observatory staff said in a statement . "Educators will also discuss the science of eclipses, the best ways to view them, Lowells history with the moon and much more."

European Space Agency

The total lunar eclipse on Jan. 21, 2019. (Image credit: ESA/CESAR; M. Perez Ayucar; M. Castillo; M. Breitfellner)

The European Space Agency (ESA) livestream of the total lunar eclipse will go from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. EDT (09:30  11:30 UTC), ending just after totality is over. Granted, Europe isn't in the path of the lunar eclipse, so the ESA is taking viewers Down Under. One livestream will be broadcast from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), while another will be filmed from the ESA's facility in New Norcia, Western Australia.

Tune in, too, for " Lunch with the Moon ," an ESA program with a handful of scientists who will talk about the lunar eclipse. You can watch the livestreams here .

Virtual Telescope Project

Italy won't see the lunar eclipse either, but it will see the Flower supermoon. Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, who founded the Virtual Telescope Project , will broadcast the supermoon rising over Rome starting at 3 p.m. EDT (19:00 UTC). . Earlier Wednesday, he'll stream live views of the lunar eclipse from around the world, including in Australia, New Zealand and North and South America, starting at 6 a.m. EDT (10:00 UTC).

You can read more about virtual livestreams of the total lunar eclipse at Space.com, a Live Science sister site.

Editor's Note: Live Science would like to publish your Super Flower Blood Moon photos! If you snap an impressive shot of May's full moon and/or lunar eclipse, email us the image at community@livescience.com . Please include your name, location and a few details about your viewing experience that we can share in the caption.

Originally published on Live Science.
The prayer beads of infamous 16th-century ruler Mary, Queen of Scots have been stolen in a daring heist from Arundel Castle in England. The beads and other stolen items are worth around $1.4 million (1 million British pounds), but their historical importance is "priceless," according to a castle spokesperson.

Thieves broke into the castle, in West Sussex, on May 20, less than a week after the site reopened to the public after being closed during most of the COVID-19 pandemic . Police think the burglars entered through a castle window, smashed the glass cabinet displaying the artifacts and made off with the contents before security could respond to the alarm. The thieves likely used a 4x4 as the getaway vehicle and then set it on fire and abandoned it nearby, according to the BBC .

Mary, Queen of Scots, who briefly ruled Scotland and was considered by some to be the rightful heir to the English throne, reportedly carried the ornate set of gold rosary beads during her 18-year imprisonment at the hands of her paranoid cousin Elizabeth I, queen of England, and even held them during her execution in 1587, according to the BBC.

Related: 30 of the world's most valuable treasures that are still missing

"The rosary is of little intrinsic value as metal," an Arundel Castle spokesperson told the BBC, "but as a piece of the nation's heritage, it is irreplaceable."

The thieves also stole a set of coronation cups that Mary gave to the Earl Marshal, a royal title currently held by the owner of all the stolen artifacts, Duke of Norfolk Edward William Fitzalan-Howard.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the robbery to come forward.

An illustration of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, who is depicted holding the rosary beads. (Image credit: Print Collector/Getty Images)

Who was Mary, Queen of Scots?

Mary was born in 1542 and was the only child of King James V of Scotland, who died just six days after she was born, leaving the country to be governed by regents. At age 5, Mary was sent to France, the homeland of her mother, where she grew up in the court of King Henry II and eventually married his son Francis, who ascended the French throne in 1559. That made Mary the queen consort of France. However, Francis died prematurely just a year later, leaving Mary a widow at the age of 18, according to Britannica .

Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 to take her crown as queen of Scotland but was unpopular among the Scottish nobility. During her absence, Scotland had transitioned from Roman Catholic to Protestant, and many saw the openly Catholic and France-raised queen as a foreigner. After six years and two poorly chosen marriages by Mary, the first of which led to the birth of her son James, the Scottish nobility revolted and she was forced to flee to England to take refuge with her cousin Elizabeth I, the queen of England, according to Britannica.

Elizabeth resented Mary because she was next in line for the English throne, as well as being queen of Scotland, with some nobles even considering her to be the rightful queen. Elizabeth, therefore, had Mary tried and convicted of murdering her second husband, Henry Stewart, a crime that has never been proved by historians despite tensions between the couple at the time. Mary spent the next 18 years imprisoned at various English castles before being executed in 1587 at the age of 44. Her son James I later ascended the English throne after Elizabeth died without an heir, according to Britannica.

Originally published on Live Science.
A spherical unidentified flying object (UFO) hovers in midair, moves side to side like a ball in the "Pong" video game and then seems to dive into the ocean, in footage that was recently released online by a filmmaker who produces documentaries about UFOs.

Though a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. Navy did capture the footage, the spokesperson did not comment on where and when it was filmed.

On May 14, Jeremy Corbell described the mysterious object on his website , writing that "the US Navy photographed and filmed 'spherical' shaped UFOs and advanced transmedium vehicles"  craft that can travel through air and water  in 2019. Corbell also shared the footage on Instagram and YouTube .

Related: 7 things most often mistaken for UFOs

In the clip, which appears to have been shot off a monitor and has several edits, a dark, round blob sits above the horizon. Male voices are audible in the footage; one says "took off, bookin' it," as the object moves horizontally in the screen's crosshairs. The scene "reached a crescendo" with the blob entering the water, and one of the off-screen voices says, "Whoa, it splashed!" as the UFO disappears, Corbell wrote.

According to Corbell, the footage was filmed on July 15, 2019, at approximately 11 p.m. PDT, from within the USS Omaha's Combat Information Center, near the coast of San Diego. Radar images of the UFO show a solid ball, measuring about 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter, flying at speeds of 46 to 158 mph (74 to 254 km/h). Its flight lasted over an hour, culminating with the sphere vanishing beneath the waves. No wreckage was found at the location where the object went down.

"A submarine was used in the search and recovered nothing," Corbell wrote. "We do not know what, if anything, the Navy or Pentagon might be willing to say about the USS Omaha incident, but we are confident the incident is a legitimate mystery and look forward to whatever information might be forthcoming," he wrote on Instagram.

Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough confirmed that U.S. Navy personnel did capture the footage that Corbell posted, The Debrief reported on May 14. Gough told The Debrief in an email that the footage was included in "ongoing examinations" by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), a U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence program that investigates reports of unexplained aerial vehicles, according to The Debrief.

However, Gough did not comment on any of the other UFO details that Corbell included in his writeup, The Debrief reported. The footage is not classified, and stills of the spherical UFO were previously included in a UAPTF intelligence briefing from May 1, Corbell wrote in a tweet on May 14.

More UFO-related disclosures may be coming from the Pentagon in the coming weeks, as a new UFO report is scheduled for release in June, Live Science previously reported .

If you can't wait that long, you can start by catching up on more than three decades of the U.S. government's once-secret UFO records. A new online archive includes more than 2,700 pages of CIA-declassified reports dating to the 1980s; the documents were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and were uploaded as PDFs to The Black Vault website by author John Greenwald Jr., Live Science reported in January.

Originally published on Live Science.
Click here to read the full article.

The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) has called on the national government to allow the reopening of cinemas that have been closed under a state of emergency declaration.

In a statement, signed by executives of companies including Toho, Shochiku, Toei and Kadokawa, Eiren argues that the closure was ordered despite a lack of evidence that theaters are the sites of coronavirus clusters.

Without the ability to release films in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, which account for 35% of theatrical revenues, distributors are finding it hard to turn a profit. Some have delayed releases and written off marketing costs for the postponed films.

While recognizing government efforts to support the industry through subsidies, the statement says that such support does not begin to match revenues from normal business operations. The knock-on effect will be a reduction in film production and, eventually, theater closures.

The statement calls for a reopening of affected theaters on June 1, 2021, following the scheduled end of the present state of emergency on May 31.

The Japanese media, however, is reporting that the government is leaning toward extending the state of emergency, given the high levels of infections in Osaka and elsewhere. One likely scenario, according to sources familiar with the deliberations, is an extension to June 20. This would affect nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka.

The current SoE was declared on April 25 for Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto prefectures. Its end was later extended from May 11 to May 31, while expanding to include Aichi, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures.

Businesses affected by the SoE are not legally penalized for defying government requests to limit operating hours or close. The film industry has largely followed the advice, though, as the Eiren statement indicates, even major distributors are now reaching the limits of their patience.

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A U.S. Border Patrol agent reported his lane assignment to smugglers and allowed migrants to go through the Interstate 35 checkpoint without inspection several times, according to court documents.

Rodney Tolson Jr. would receive payment for taking part in the smuggling conspiracy, authorities said.

An indictment filed May 18 charged Tolson with one count of conspiracy to transport an undocumented migrant within the United States and two counts of transport and attempt to transport an undocumented migrant within the United States for financial gain.

Each count carries a punishment of up to 10 years behind bars and/or a $250,000 fine.

On Monday, Tolson made initial appearance via Zoom before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga. Tolsons bond was set at $75,000. He then waived the formal reading of the indictment, pleaded not guilty and requested jury trial. His arraignment is set for May 27.

As per the indictment, Tolson would coordinate the unlawful transportation of migrants.

It was part of the conspiracy that (Tolson), and others known and unknown, would coordinate lane assignments in order to facilitate and further the transportation and movement of (migrants) through the I-35 checkpoint, states the indictment.

Tolson, and others known and unknown, would fail to inspect and fail to declare the nationality and status of migrants transported and moved through the checkpoint. Tolson would receive monetary compensation and payment for the smuggling activities, according to court documents.

The case unfolded on Feb. 9, 2019, when Tolson used a cellphone to inform others of his inspection lane assignment. Tolson corruptly allowed others known and unknown to move or transport migrants through the checkpoint. Tolson along with others known and unknown received monetary compensation and payment for their smuggling activities, according to court documents.

Tolson did the same act on Feb. 16, 2019; March 2, 2019; March 10, 2019; March 23, 2019; and March 26, 2019; states the indictment.
BERLIN (AP)  German regulators have launched an investigation into Google's position in the market, and how the search engine and advertising giant handles user data.

The Federal Cartel Office, or Bundeskartellamt, said Tuesday that it has started proceedings against Google entities in Germany, Ireland and California based on new provisions in German competition law that apply to large digital companies. Similar probes were launched into the activities of Facebook and Amazon in recent months.

Google denied that its practices breach German competition rules.

Under provisions which came into force in January, the Federal Cartel Office can ban companies that are of paramount significance for competition across markets from engaging in practices deemed to be anti-competitive.

Due to the large number of digital services offered by Google, such as the Google search engine, YouTube, Google Maps, the Android operating system or the Chrome browser, the company could be considered to be of paramount significance for competition across markets, the head of the regulatory body, Andreas Mundt, said in a statement.

A second probe will examine Googles data processing terms, which are often lengthy and difficult for users to understand.

A key question in this context is whether consumers wishing to use Googles services have sufficient choice as to how Google will use their data, Mundt said.

The regulators said it would examine whether Google requires users to agree to the processing of their data if they want to use its services, without giving them sufficient choice as to whether, how and for what purpose such data is processed.

The cartel office said it would also examine how the companys data processing policy affects information it obtains on users from third-party websites and apps.

Google said it would cooperate with the probe, but insisted that it gives consumers easy means to control how their information is used and that it limits the use of their personal data.

People use Google because our services are helpful to them, not because they are forced to do so or because they can't find alternatives, said Google spokesman Ralf Bremer.
Courtesy photo

A man was airlifted to San Antonio following a two-vehicle crash reported on Saturday near the intersection of Bob Bullock Loop and Interstate 35, according to Laredo police.

The crash was reported at about 5:25 p.m. Paramedics arrived to find a tan Chevrolet Silverado that had rear-ended an 18-wheeler. Authorities identified the driver of the Silverado as Ismael Escamilla Jr., 20.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Protests over mass layoffs and Oman's poor economy spread Tuesday to cities across the sultanate, underscoring the financial challenge ahead for this nation a decade on from its Arab Spring protests.

Oman already faced economic trouble with tens of billions of dollars of outstanding debts and trouble finding enough work for its young people. Then came the coronavirus pandemic and repeated lockdowns that followed, further depressing growth in this nation of 4.5 million people on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

It is, I think, such a huge challenge. Its not even about the government being incapable of solving things, said Cinzia Bianco, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations who studies Oman. Its just the challenges are huge and theres a global crisis going on so there isn't much else they can do right now.

The demonstrations Tuesday appeared largely peaceful in videos posted to social media and images shared by activists. Sohar, a city some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Muscat, remained a flashpoint as it was during the Arab Spring.

But unlike Monday, which saw tear gas fired and demonstrators arrested, police handed out bottles of water to what appeared to be over 100 demonstrators who sheltered from the hot sun under an overpass in the northern city. The protest turned into a sit-in, with demonstrators holding noon prayers there as well.

Omanis shared videos of protests in the cities of Ibri, Nizwa, Rustaq and Sur as well.

The Gulf Center for Human Rights and the Omani Association for Human Rights said those earlier arrested had their mobile phones confiscated by authorities. The activists also said media outlets in Oman, which are tightly monitored, were warned by authorities not to report on the demonstrations.

The Omani government should immediately end the policy of silencing and restricting public freedoms, including freedom of peaceful protest and freedom of the press, the groups said.

State media did not acknowledge the protests, instead describing the situation Monday as the jobless coming to the Labor Ministry to expedite the treatment of their conditions. Oman's Al-Roya newspaper, however, published images of the demonstrations online for the first time Tuesday after columnists wrote broadly about the economic crisis the day before.

Omans Information Ministry and the Omani Embassy in Washington did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

On Tuesday night, Omani state television broke into programming to read an announcement saying Sultan Haitham bin Tariq had ordered 2,000 full-time government jobs be temporarily opened, as well as more part-time work hours be granted. Sultan Haitham's order also included stipends to create a planned 15,000 private-sector jobs for the next two years as well.

The demonstrations mark the first major unrest for Sultan Haitham, who took over in January 2020 after the death of the long-ruling Sultan Qaboos bin Said. State media on Monday referred to employment as among the most important priorities of Sultan Haitham.

The pandemic already saw many foreign workers lose their jobs and leave the sultanate, allowing Omanis to take over some work in the aviation, tourism and services industries. However, government statistics show 1.4 million foreigners still live in Oman.

Government debt, once 6% of Oman's gross domestic product in 2014, has spiked to 79%, according to the Fitch ratings agency. Sultan Haitham implemented value-added taxes of 5% last month like several other Gulf Arab nations, which once relied on their oil and gas wealth.

The social pressure resulting from the low employment rate of young Omanis is a risk to public finances and political stability, Fitch warned May 18. The economy and government budget revenues are still not diversified, despite ongoing structural reforms."

Kristin Smith Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, similarly warned: There are no easy solutions.

Sultan Haitham inherited an indebted state needing serious restructuring, both in its governing institutions and the broader economy, she said. The coronavirus pandemic has only made this worse severely hindering the global connections and investment the sultanate needs.

The protests so far haven't targeted Sultan Haitham directly, instead focusing entirely on economic issues. That's not to say it doesn't pose a risk. Demonstrations have taken place in areas that have festering grievances in the sultanate, including Salalah, which suffered through years of warfare in the Dhofar rebellion that ended in 1976.

The real danger is that short of a magic trick, the government cannot provide real quick and satisfying solutions to protesters," Bianco warned.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
Last week, the UISD Board of Trustees was given an update on the ESSER funds the district expects to receive. The district also outlined its 2021-22 instructional plan and made it clear that traditional on-campus instruction will be the norm. However, synchronous learning is not out of the picture yet.

With over $127 million expected by the district, Interim Associate Superintendent for Student Support Services Laida Benavides said that there are meetings with instructional departments for allowable expenditures.

One of the obligations set by the American Rescue Plan that district had was to host stakeholder meetings and receive input for what the funds can and should be used for. Meetings have been arranged with a number of teachers in the district, Benavides said.

She continued by saying that a presentation to the curriculum and instruction department was given that focused on how the funds would impact students.

The federal funds are mandated to be budgeted between now and Sept. 30, 2024; Benavides said that allocations are being considered throughout the district including the HVAC systems for better health safety protocols. However, 20% of the funds were also mandated to be spent on student learning loss as a result of the pandemic.

Come the June 4 meeting, we will have a lot more information on these funds as we start getting information from the different departments, Benavides said.

2021-22 Instructional Plan

As the state and the Texas Education Agency continue to encourage school districts to commit to a face-to-face school year, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction David Gonzalez said that UISDs plan will allow students to apply for the chance to enroll in a hybrid schedule, if permitted.

During the 2021 State Legislative Session, House and Senate Bills focused on giving permission for school districts to establish policies for admission in virtual learning that count in the average daily attendance will be reviewed.

This would see eligible students having three on-campus instruction days and two of synchronous learning. Gonzalez elaborates that the state will only choose 50 districts to enact the hybrid instruction plan. If chosen, he assures that UISD will have set guidelines and criteria for any qualifying students.

The session ends on Friday in which more information will be provided. But Gonzalez said that the instructional plan, with the hybrid model, has already been sent out to the TEA for approval.

Grant Applications

Dr. Edith Landeck, Director of Grants Administration, said that UISD will be submitting a number of grant applications over the next month. The grants will focus on a number of different aspects of the district.

These include:

The 2021-22 Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. FEMA for the winter storm damages. A bulletproof vest program.

The TEHCY grant is requesting $44,660 from TEA for a one-year accelerated learning academy in an effort to address the learning loss that may have resulted from the pandemic. Landeck also said that outreach will be conducted for parents that are a part of the McKinney-Vento families.

Continuing the VITA program in the district, UISD will be requesting approximately $50,000 from the Internal Revenue Service for the one-year program. This would allow free income tax preps to be conducted at all four high schools for low-income families.

Landeck added that while the reimbursement amount is still pending finalization of the application but says that the district can potentially receive $35,000 for reimbursement of the insurance deductible.

On the same note, Landeck and the UISD police department will file a grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice for reimbursement of a to be determined number of vests depending on the UISD PDs replacement needs.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
"This Week In Space" brings you whats new and exciting in space exploration and astronomy once a week, every week. From supernovae to SpaceX or Mars missions to black holes, if its out of this world, its covered here:

China has officially become an interplanetary nation. Last Friday, its Zhurong rover made history by touching down safely on the surface of Mars. The Peoples Republic is only the third country to ever accomplish this feat, following the US and Soviet Union.

"Zhurong," named after the god of fire and light, has landed in an auspicious place. Its nearby environs in the Utopia Planitia basin are rich with scientific opportunity. Though the rovers 90-day mission itinerary has not yet been released, it could do everything from looking for evidence of ancient oceans to scaling a mud volcano or delving for subsurface ice.

Zhurong joins another recently-landed rover on Mars, NASAs Perseverance, which has already spent 90 days since its arrival just performing the preparation phase of its full two-year mission.

3 1 of 3 Twitter / Show More Show Less 2 of 3 VCG/VCG via Getty Images Show More Show Less 3 of 3





In many ways, Zhurong is similar to Spirit and Opportunity, the twin Mars rovers that NASA launched in 2003. All three weigh in at about 500 lbs, and all were designed for 90-day missions, although Spirit lasted for over 5 years and Opportunity for over 14.

It remains to be seen exactly what science Zhurong will accomplish, or whether it will outperform expectations as NASA has done time and again with its rovers. For now, China is celebrating its achievement by taking two photographs of the red planet that is - for the first time - theirs for the exploring.

Astronomers announce new list of "most habitable planets"

Lev Savitskiy/Getty Images

Spanish astronomers have unveiled a new, state-of-the-art list of the most promising places to look for alien life in the galaxy. Two planets in their top ten are only 40 lightyears away, and will likely be subject to intense scrutiny over the coming years.

There are more than 4,000 exoplanetsplanets orbiting stars other than the sunknown today, but astronomers consider most of them to be inhospitable for life as we know it. Often, planets are considered potentially habitable if they have a rocky surface that could host liquid water. But we know that theres more to life than this: what if the planet has already boiled off its oceans, or even its atmosphere? What if it's bathed in deadly amounts of energy?

These are the sorts of things this new list takes into account. It concludes that the most likely places for us to find life outside the Solar System are the planets TRAPPIST-1e and LHS-1140b, both only 40 lightyears away. The next news of these systems will likely come once the James Webb Space Telescope takes a closer look at their atmospheres. In the meantime, you may want to remember these names: they could make headlines one day.

New Mars rover would traverse underground lava tube

Matteo Colombo/Getty Images

The Mars Astrobiological Cave and Internal habitability Explorer, or MACIE for short, would go where no other Mars probe has gone before: underground.

This past week, an international group of astronomers proposed a mission to send a probe beneath the surface of Mars through a lava tube - a cave carved by lava. It is only below ground that scientists expect any liquid water, or even microbial life, to have survived on Mars. MACIE is proposed as the ideal way to descend inside the red planet and look for them.

Most rovers on Mars probe the planets interior with a scoop that dips only a few inches beneath the surface. Although other missions are being studied that would try to drill deeper, the technology is risky. By traversing a cave system, MACIE would avoid these problems while reaching depths at least 20 times deeper.

As of last month, humankind has taken to the Martian skies. Now, the only frontier left unbroken lies below.
Lockport, NY (14094)

Today

Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 79F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low near 60F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the evening giving way to a few showers after midnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening giving way to a few showers after midnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

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A Longford man has admitted that he attempted to murder gangland criminal Wayne Whelan in a shooting in west Dublin nearly two years ago.

His three co-accused also pleaded guilty to conspiring with each other to murder the deceased.

Wayne Ryan, Darren Henderson and two other men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arraigned before the Central Criminal Court today (Monday, May 24).

Ryan (41), with an address at Lanna Aoibhann, St Michael's Road in Longford pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Whelan (42) at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, Co Dublin on September 4, 2019.

His co-accused, Darren Henderson (31), of Cleggan Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 admitted to conspiring with Ryan and the two other men to murder Whelan within the State on dates unknown between May 15 and November 15 2019, both dates inclusive.

The two other men also pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Whelan on the same occasion.

Bernard Condon SC, prosecuting, told Mr Justice Michael White that the four defendants could each be arraigned on the separate counts.



All four men were originally charged with the attempted murder of Whelan and due to stand trial together on June 21 this year, but that date was vacated today following their pleas.

Henderson and the two other men were also accused of committing arson of a Ford Focus which was allegedly set on fire at the Old Bog Road in Kilcock, Co Kildare on the same date.



Whelan, who survived the attack, was shot a number of times in his body, head and arms while he was sitting in his car in an estate in Lucan.

However, the Clondalkin man was subsequently shot dead in a vehicle two months later before it was set on fire with his remains inside at Mount Andrew Rise in Lucan on November 18, 2019. He was identified using DNA analysis.

Whelan from Rowlagh in Clondalkin in west Dublin was well known to the gardai for his involvement in serious and organised crime for more than two decades.

Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC, for Henderson, said today that he was not looking for any reports to be prepared on behalf of his client.

Mr Justice White remanded the four men in custody until July 12, for a sentence hearing.
The Irish SME Association (ISME) has today announced the election of Margaret ORourke Doherty as the new Chair of the National Council for the 2021-2023 term. Margaret is the CEO of the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (HABIC) and is the 17th Chair of ISME and the second female Chair.

Notably, the new Council elected today is the first with a female majority since ISMEs foundation in 1993 and is comprised of 56% female and 44% male members.

Margaret ORourke Doherty, Chair of ISMEs National Council and CEO of the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation said: I am delighted and proud to be elected as ISME Chair for the 2021-2023 term, having served as Vice-Chair for the past two years. Today also marks a significant day for ISME, as for the first time ever the National Council has a female majority, with fifteen women on the Council out of twenty-seven members. Female entrepreneurs and business owners are not often given due credit for the high number of businesses they run in the SME sector. Our new Council also reflects sectoral diversity, including service businesses, manufacturing, food, retail and technology.

Of the twenty-seven new members of the National Council, five members have joined from industry associations representing medical and pharmaceutical, childcare, retail, agriculture, and food and beverage sectors. These include: Healthstores Ireland, the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, the Irish Egg Association, the Association of Fine Jewellers, and the Irish Craft Artisan Distilleries Association.

Ms Doherty added: I am also pleased to welcome onto the National Council the heads of other trade groups in the childcare, retail, and artisan food and distillery sectors. Together, building on the achievements of our previous National Councils, we will cement ISME as the independent voice of small enterprise in the Irish economy.

With over 10,500 members nationwide, ISMEs new Council members are elected owner/managers of SMEs from all over Ireland and from a variety of sectors. 46% of members are based in Dublin, with 19% in the Midlands, 11% in both the North East and South East, 7% in both the North West and South West and 4% in the South of Ireland.

Athlone IT awards for four Longford students Thirty students, including four from Longford, received awards at Athlone Institute of Technologys Scholarship of Excellence ceremony on Monday, May 10  the highest number of recipients since the awards inauguration four years ago.
There's a new beginning for the Midlands and the Midwest as the name revealed for Ireland's newest technological university.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has confirmed the name of Irelands newest TU as the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest.

TUS, in Irish, denotes a beginning or start for the new university while Midlands Midwest represents the principal regions, whose geography and provenance are linked by the River Shannon. Inspired by Irelands longest river, TUS: Midlands Midwest represents the flow of knowledge and ideas.

The name of Irelands newest TU emerged from extensive independent research carried out with almost 3,500 students, staff, and regional stakeholders over several months.

Welcoming the announcement, the presidents of both institutes of technology, AITs Professor Ciaran O Cathain and LITs Professor Vincent Cunnane said this was another momentous step in the journey towards the opening of Irelands newest TU.

Commenting on the name reveal, President of LIT Professor Vincent Cunnane said, This is a new name that reflects a new beginning. TUS: Midlands Midwest brings a reality to our new TU, whilst TUS signifies a new beginning for our region and speaks to the connecting force of the River Shannon. The name represents a new beginning for our staff, our students, our communities, for the locations of our campuses and for the reinvention and reimagination of our region.

The legislation underpinning the technological university clearly sets out our remit and the role of our stakeholders in our future direction. To root the name of the institution in these stakeholders views signifies the intent of this technological university right at the very start of its existence.

I would very much like to thank all of those who took part in the naming process. We have now embarked on the process of fashioning a brand for the new institution that will reflect the findings of our research and will bring the new university to life.

President of AIT Professor Ciaran O Cathain said, This name marks the start of an exciting, bright future for the new university. TUS: Midlands Midwest speaks to our shared geography, heritage, and to the flow of knowledge and ideas that will bring TUS: Midlands Midwest to the cutting edge of higher education in Ireland and beyond.

As well as providing a cultural reference point to the Irish language, the River Shannon provides a feature of scale with which to communicate our international ambitions and our ability to impact regionally, nationally and internationally.

The naming signifies an important step forward in our journey to delivering a technological university for the Midlands and Midwest and stems from extensive engagement with stakeholders across both regions. Their passion, ambition and vision for the TU project has been its driving force and their voices have been instrumental in helping shape the new university.

The new university, which is set to open its doors later this year, will comprise a student population of more than 14,000 and a staff complement of approximately 1,200 people across six campuses in Athlone, Limerick (2), Clonmel, Ennis and Thurles.
Sports

Confident Tsitsipas heads to Paris with best Slam preparation

ATHENS, MAY 24 (AGENCIES): | Publish Date: 5/24/2021 3:08:12 PM IST

Greek StefanosTsitsipas is brimming with confidence and will be heading to Roland Garros this week with his best Grand Slam preparation after picking up his seventh ATP Tour title in Lyon on Sunday.

Basking in the glow of his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title last month at Monte-Carlo, the 22-year-old added the Lyon crown for his second title in 2021 and leads the 2021 season with most wins at 33.

Ive been feeling my game well; Ive been using my patterns really well, Tsitsipas told reporters. Ive been pressing a lot with my serve. Just consistent on court, consistent with my power and the way that I attack and way I (take) risks. I think it would be considered my best (preparation) so far pre-Grand Slam and now all the attention is on next week. I love playing in Paris. I find it mesmerising.

Patrick Mouratoglou, the long-time coach of Serena Williams, who is often seen in Tsitsipas player box at tournaments, is pleased with the consistency displayed by the Greek. Hes developing really well, Mouratoglou said of Tsitsipas, who is coached by his father Apostolos. Hes always been able to beat the best players, the Frenchman, who often works in an advisory role with Tsitsipas, told Reuters recently. He beat Rafael (Nadal) on clay several years ago already. He beat Roger at a Grand Slam, beat Novak at a Masters 1000 on hardcourt. But he was a bit up and down, and there were several reasons for that.

And I think hes getting more and more solid. Hes losing less and less. Hes slowly but surely, imposing himself as a top guy who doesnt lose to guys who are ranked under. Hes gained a lot of consistency in everything he is doing in his game.

Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals on the red clay at Roland Garros last year before falling to Novak Djokovic in five sets and Mouratoglou believes the two-time Australian Open semi-finalist was getting closer to a maiden major title.

Rafael and Novak are still at the top of the game. But I think their margin is getting smaller and smaller. Several young guys can beat them now. The margin is getting thinner, Mouratoglou added.

Every year Im asked about Roland Garros and I answer that the only thing we dont know about Roland Garros is who Rafael is going to beat in the final.

This year I can say Rafael is the favourite but some guys can beat him.
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(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers on AIM in London on Tuesday.







AIM - WINNERS







Shanta Gold, up 13% at 17.00 pence, 21-month range 10.5p-20.5p. The East Africa-focused gold firm says visible gold identified in seven different intersections across eleven holes drilled at Isulu deposit. "The intersection of 219.5 grammes per tonne over 6 metres in hole 237 has a grade x width of over 1,300 grammes per tonne of gold, the highest to date on this metric at the West Kenya project," notes Chief Executive Eric Zurrin.







Telit Communications PLC, up 11% at 224.00p, 12-month range 103.15p-225p. The internet-of-things firm agrees to be taken over by Trieste Acquisitions Holding Ltd in deal valuing Telit at GBP306.9 million. Telit shareholders will be entitled to receive 220p per share in cash, representing a premium of 59% to Telit's closing price on November 2, being the last business day before the previous offer period began, and 6.0% premium to closing price of 207.5p on March 17, the last business day before current offer period started. Trieste Acquisitions is owned by funds managed by DBAY Advisors Ltd.







Webis Holdings PLC, up 10% at 4.35p, 12-month range 0.92p-6.79p. Says its advanced deposit wagering business, WatchandWager.com LLC, receives one-year licence approval from West Virginia Racing Commission. The license will be renewable annually, and allows WatchandWager to accept wagers from the state's nearly 1.8 million residents. "West Virginia is the home of Charlestown Races and Mountaineer Racetrack for Thoroughbreds, as well as Tri-State Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island greyhound tracks," firm notes.







AIM - LOSERS







Chariot Oil & Gas Ltd, down 26% at 5.52p, 12-month range 1.55p-14.4p. Conditionally raises gross proceeds of USD16.5 million through placing and subscription of 212.6 million shares at issue price of 5.5p each. In addition to this, company proposes to raise up to further USD5 million in an open offer. "With the net proceeds, Chariot intends to accelerate the timeline of the Anchois Gas Development coming online, with a near-term appraisal well now in sight and the launch of Chariot's Transitional Power division, following the acquisition of AEMP earlier in the year in partnership with Total Eren," says Acting Chief Executive Adonis Pouroulis.







Hurricane Energy PLC, down 12% at 1.15p, 12-month range 0.59p-9.6p. The UK-based oil and gas company reports pretax loss of USD571.1 million for 2020, widening dramatically from USD1.8 million in 2019. Chunky loss due to impairment charges of USD567.1 million in respect of the Lancaster field and the company's exploration assets. Notes approval and implementation of proposed financial restructuring is outside of company's control, meaning there is "a material uncertainty" which may cast "significant doubt" over the company's ability to continue as a going concern. "As at the date of this report, more than 75% of bondholders (by value) had acceded to a lock-up agreement which incorporates general undertakings to support the proposed financial restructuring," it says.







By Lucy Heming;A lucyheming@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Pod Point has hired former Imperial Brands PLC chief executive Gareth Davis as non-executive chair as it plans an initial public offering, Sky News reported on Monday.

The appointment could be announced in the coming weeks, Sky reported, without saying where it got the information from.

Pod Point, an electric vehicle charging network, is hoping to become a public company this year after appointing Bank of America Corp and Barclays PLC to oversee its IPO plans, according to the report.

The firm could also public through a merger with a US special purpose acquisition company. Majority owner Electricite de France SA is expected to keep a large stake after a flotation.

Pod Point, which has nearly 4,000 charging points across the UK, is looking to gain from rising demand for electric vehicles.

On Monday, the UK energy regulator Ofgem said it will invest GBP300 million in charging points.

https://news.sky.com/story/pod-point-hires-city-grandee-davis-to-add-spark-to-london-float-12315758

By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - US President Joe Biden's proposals for a global minimum rate of corporation tax are a good start needing compromise, a UK treasury minister has suggested.

Jesse Norman quoted a comment piece from the Financial Times which welcomed the prospect of reform to ensure multinational firms, such as tech giants, pay a fairer share of tax.

The UK government has previously insisted it wants an international solution to the "tax challenges" posed by the rise of the tech giants and the digital economy but argued that reform should focus on making multinationals pay more tax in the countries where they make sales and operate.

Biden initially proposed a minimum global rate of 21%, but the US treasury department has put forward a plan for a "floor" of 15%, while calling for discussions to continue to "push that rate higher".

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has previously announced a plan to increase corporation tax from 19% to 25% for large companies by 2023.

MPs voted 364 to 261, majority 103, to reject a Labour amendment calling for a review of the impact of a global minimum rate of corporation tax.

It was considered as part of debate on the Finance Bill, which enacts measures in Sunak's last budget.

Shadow treasury minister James Murray argued the UK was "now the only G7 country not to back the US plan".

He added: "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grasp international agreement on the global taxation of large multinationals that has evaded our country and others for so long, yet rather than stepping up, our government is stepping away."

SNP economy spokeswoman Alison Thewliss said an "agreement will take place in spite of the UK Government's hesitancy, less global leadership more like pulling teeth".

But minister Norman told the Commons: "We have always made plain, we have stated in public, we have stated in this chamber, we have stated in public communications that this government is supportive of both parts of the OECD proposals."

He added: "(Opposition MPs) quote the Financial Times's recent article, I'd remind them it says the US proposals have now 'opened up room for a compromise', 'this is a good start'."

Norman said the discussions could result in "one of the landmark moments in global corporate taxation", noting: "That is what we're doing, and in so doing we're merely following up a tradition and a pattern of leadership that this government has exercised over several years."

The bill later cleared the Commons after it was given a third reading by 365 votes to 261, majority 104.

It will undergo further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date.

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
21 May 2021

Bahamas Petroleum Company PLC

("Bahamas Petroleum" or the "Company")

Change of Name to Challenger Energy Group PLC

Bahamas Petroleum, the Caribbean and Atlantic margin focused oil and gas company, with production, appraisal, development and onshore and offshore exploration assets across the region, is pleased to announce that, further to the passing of all resolutions at the Company's Extraordinary General Meeting on 17 May 2021, the Company's change of name has been effected by the Isle of Man Registrar of Companies. As such, the Company's shares on AIM, as of 08:00 a.m. today, will be under its new name Challenger Energy Group PLC ("Challenger Energy") and its new ticker of "CEG".

The Company's ISIN (IM00B3NTV894) and SEDOL (B3NTV89) remain unchanged. Shareholders should note that their shareholdings will be unaffected by the change of name. Existing share certificates should be retained by Shareholders holding ordinary shares in certificated form as they will remain valid for all purposes and no new share certificates will be issued.

The Company's website address will be updated later today to https://www.cegplc.com. Until then, the Company's website remains at https://www.bpcplc.com/ which includes the information required by AIM Rule 26.

Eytan Uliel, Challenger Energy CEO Designate, said:

"With the spud of the highly anticipated Saffron-2 appraisal well now just days away, we are pleased that in addition to the successful completion of our fundraising as announced on 20 May 2021, shareholders at the EGM supported all of our broader corporate reset objectives, including the change of name of the company to Challenger Energy, which has now taken effect. As Challenger Energy, our immediate strategic priority is to drive production and cashflow growth, through intelligent management and deployment of our resources. Our change of name, and the broader corporate reset currently underway, is in support of this strategic priority, which we see as the lynchpin for shareholder value growth both in the near-term and in the years ahead. All of us at Challenger Energy look forward to beginning the next chapter."

For further information, please contact:

Challenger Energy Group PLC Eytan Uliel, Chief Executive Officer designate Tel: +44 (0) 1624 647 882 Strand Hanson Limited - Nomad Rory Murphy / James Spinney / Rob Patrick Tel: +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited - Joint Broker Jerry Keen / Toby Gibbs Tel: +44 (0) 207 408 4090 Investec Bank Plc - Joint Broker Chris Sim / Rahul Sharma Tel: +44 (0) 207 597 5970 Gneiss Energy - Financial Adviser Jon Fitzpatrick / Paul Weidman / Doug Rycroft Tel: +44 (0) 20 3983 9263 CAMARCO Billy Clegg / James Crothers / Hugo Liddy Tel: +44 (0) 020 3757 4980

Notes to Editors

Challenger Energy is a Caribbean and Atlantic margin focused oil and gas company, with a range of exploration, appraisal, development and production assets and licences, located onshore in Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, and offshore in the waters of The Bahamas and Uruguay. In Trinidad and Tobago, Challenger Energy has five (5) producing fields, two (2) appraisal / development projects and a prospective exploration portfolio in the South West Peninsula. In Suriname, Challenger Energy has on onshore appraisal / development project. Challenger Energy's exploration licence in each of Uruguay and The Bahamas are highly prospective, and offer high-impact value exposure within the overall portfolio value.

Challenger Energy is quoted on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

https://www.cegplc.com

ENDS
Clinton Township police say they do not suspect foul play was involved in the case of a body found in a cemetery retention pond over the weekend.
Sports

Shapovalov pulls out of French Open with shoulder injury

LONDON, MAY 24 (IANS): | Publish Date: 5/24/2021 3:07:25 PM IST

Canadian Denis Shapovalov has pulled out of the French Open with a shoulder injury.

The 14th-ranked Canadian, 22, had recently hit form on the European clay. Shapovalov pushed 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal all the way in the third round in Rome, holding two match points, and he backed that up by reaching the final of the Geneva Open on Saturday.

But, after losing to Casper Ruud, Shapovalov underwent tests on a sore shoulder and has decided not to play in the years second grand slam, which starts on Sunday, DPA reports.

Shapovalov tweeted: Im saddened to share that after consulting with my medical team Ive made the difficult decision to withdrawal from @rolandgarros. Unfortunately my shoulder has been bothering me and while medical tests look good, it is for the best to rest. See you in 2022, Roland-Garros.

Shapovalov has played in the main draw at Roland Garros three times, with his best performances coming in 2018 and 2020, when he reached the second round.
A 23-year-old man who filmed women in bathrooms in Eastpointe and Roseville was sentenced Wednesday to one to seven years in prison.

Michael Capizzo, 23, previously pleaded guilty in Macomb County Circuit Court to two counts of filming an unclothed person, punishable by up to five years in prison, and one count of using a computer, a mobile phone, to commit a crime.

Judge Carl Marlinga agreed to stick with his prior agreement for the one-year term, noting Capizzo at that time will be eligible for parole and could be imprisoned longer by the Parole Board.

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Capizzo was arrested last Dec. 7 after he was caught filming the woman in a stall in the womens bathroom at the Big Lots store on 10 Mile Road west of Gratiot Avenue. He fled the store upon being detected but was captured shortly afterward.

He committed a similar act Nov. 25 in Roseville; further details were not provided.

Capizzo apologized and said he is trying to get help as he has a previous sex-crime conviction. In October 2018, he was charged with gross indecency, stalking and lewd behavior. .He pleaded guilty in 2019 to the indecency and lewd conduct charges for incidents in Eastpointe and was sentenced to one year in jail.

I would like to apologize to the victims, he told the judge. I know I have a problem. I know I invaded their privacy and they are probably traumatized from it.

I understand these charges are serious and I own up to them.

He said after he was released following his earlier incarceration, he was getting treatment. He said when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, his sessions went virtual, which he said were less effective.

For me, it wasnt the same as going face-to-face, he said.

He ensured the judge he did not distribute any of the images of the women.

Marlinga, who is the Mental Health Court judge, said he sympathized with Capizzos plight but added he and other people wonder why he is willing to take the risk, to be so dismissive of other peoples feelings and do this and know its wrong.

You havent been willing to work hard enough to control whatever these urges are, he said.

Assistant Macomb Prosecutor William Harding called Capizzos behavior predatory.

At some point he has to get control of his issues, he said. Fortunatley, they (acts) havent been more serious.

Capizzo also committed a parole vioaliton for his prior case and was sentenced to time-served.

He received 153 days credit for the current sentence.

Roseville man accused of luring underage girls to his home and raping them A 20-year-old man faces state and federal charges on accusations he raped two underage girls after meeting them over social media and convinci

Group names SERESA professional as national Dispatcher of the Year A 911 dispatcher for the South East Regional Emergency Services Authority (SERESA) who was named by Michigan APCO as the 2020 Telecommunicator

+3 Medstar honors workers during EMS Week Clinton Township-based Medstar is celebrating EMS Recognition Week this week, honoring its 800-plus employees with catered meals, gifts and ra
A health care worker receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the start of the program back in December. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new text messaging program to encourage more people to get vaccinated. MACOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO
Jefferson, GA (30549)

Today

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 89F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Critics of Francina Armengols government are pointing out that despite the islands having been subject to one of the toughest Covid restrictions regimes in Spain, they remain a UK amber list destination. Why the curfew? Why close bar interiors at 6pm? Why limit gatherings to six or eight? Why test travellers coming from the mainland? These measures cut no ice with the UK government and nor do the constant reminders of the low incidence rate.

The criticisms are unjust. The restrictions have been in place precisely because the Balearics have targeted a June opening-up of tourism and have sought fair treatment. Yes, fair treatment, as the UK is not playing fair. The UK is incoherent in its own advice.

Amber for the whole of Spain and yet non-essential travel to the Canaries is not advised against. How come? The incidence in the Canaries is twice that of the Balearics, where the incidence is slightly lower than Portugal.

So is it the vaccination programme? The Spanish percentage of the population to have received at least one dose is slightly higher than that of Portugal. In the Balearics it is lower. The critics argue that the Armengol government should have flown solo in acquiring its own vaccines or, at the very least, should have applied great pressure on Madrid for a speedier programme in the Balearics.

The critics have a point, but would this have made a difference? Who can say. Apart from the vaccination, no more, in truth, could have been done.
Manchester, TN (37355)

Today

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
It was more than 70 years ago. I was fresh out of high school and I was in love with flying.

My solution was to enlist in the former U.S. Naval Air Reserves. Before long I was flying as the plane captain on the Navys PB4-Y amphibious aircraft out of Grosse Isle, Michigan.

The PB4-Y was a twin engine search and rescue airplane which was popular in World War II. The craft had a front gunnery plexiglass unit that mounted twin .30 caliber machine guns. In the rear of the fuselage, there were two plexiglass blisters on either side of the airplane, these carried a single .50 caliber machine gun in each blister.

The plane captains duties entailed monitoring flight and engine conditions from a very small station incorporated immediately below the top mounted aircraft wing. It was a tight fit for me in the small wing mount structure, but it was an exciting task. I had good views through the port holes on either side of my small seat.

My flight experience included water landings of the Detroit River. My service was restricted to one weekend per month with a once a year two week full time excursion somewhere in the U.S. It was a time when military discipline was somewhat relaxed following the end of WWII. My training had been brief and limited for the serious responsibilities I was assigned.

It was my first two week summer tour at Naval Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island when it happened. We were flying out over the Atlantic Ocean on a practice gunnery mission. I had been assigned the additional duties as the chief gunners mate, which meant that I was in charge of all guns and their operation.

Besides the pilot and co-pilot, there were three enlisted men aboard including myself. It was my job, besides being the plane captain, to also manage the guns on our gunnery practice run.

Our gunnery run started with a run at low altitude where we would drop a die marker over the side to be used as a target on the surface of the water. We would then climb to a higher altitude and return to then dive on the target. On the dive, first the forward twin .30 caliber guns were fired and as we flew over the target, the rear .50 calibers were brought into play.

As the chief gunners mate, I had assigned one of the enlisted men to handle the forward .30 calibers and the second enlisted man to man to fire the port side of the rear .50 calibers. I operated the rear starboard .50 caliber.

Firing from the rear PB4-Y blisters meant that the blisters had to be opened to the airstream to allow the guns to access for firing at the target. It meant that the gunners were partially exposed to the airstream as the plane flew at 120 mph. It was noisy and the wind blast was offensive. As we fired the .50 calibers, we had our head down over the guns breech looking down the gun barrel for aiming. We fired over 10,000 rounds of .50 caliber in this manner.

By the time we returned, both the two of us firing the rear guns had hearing difficulties. I heard only a loud ringing in my ears, and I lost all hearing for three days. When, after those three days, my hearing returned, I thought everything was OK and normal.

But a couple of years later during my Naval officer commissioning physical, I found out that my hearing had deteriorated badly. Testing showed I had an 85 decibel loss at and above 4,000 cycles. This meant I was deaf above 4,000 cycles, well within the range of the human voice. The examining doctor said: It shouldnt be much of a problem. Youll just have a problem understanding the female voice. And thats not necessarily a handicap.

Well it has definitely been a handicap. Now at the age of 91, I have to wear hearing aids in both ears. The performance and result is pretty good, but hearing aids are expensive, and a real bother to deal with.

Point is: Protect yourself from excessive sound levels. Kids: Keep those earbuds music levels down. Avoid all loud music. My son-in-law lost his hearing to loud music as a youth. His loss is so severe that hearing aids dont help him very much.

Everyone: Avoid exposure to severe sound levels at all times no matter the source. Preserve your hearing. Its an easy thing to lose and when its gone, much of lifes pleasures go with it. Heres what the pros say:

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) describes noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) as a unique type of hearing loss that occurs due to repeated exposure to sounds above recommended decibel levels. NIHL can also occur from one-time exposure to extremely loud noises. According to the NIDCD, exposure to loud sounds can cause hearing loss by damaging sensitive structures in the inner ear.

Tom Nelson is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University. He is retired from Ford Motor Co. engineering management and a former Navy officer. Nelson has held leadership roles in several civic organizations; he resides in Manistee and Farmington Hills. He can be reached at tajnelson@earthlink.net.
Mankato, MN (56001)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
International

Wuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed: WSJ

Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the visit by the WHO team.

WASHINGTON, MAY 24 (AGENCIES): | Publish Date: 5/24/2021 2:54:53 PM IST

Three researchers from Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care in November 2019, a month before China reported the first cases of COVID-19, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a U.S. intelligence report.

The newspaper said the previously undisclosed report - which provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits - may add weight to calls for a broader investigation into whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory.

The Journal said current and former officials familiar with the intelligence expressed a range of views about the strength of the reports supporting evidence, with one unnamed person saying it needed further investigation and additional corroboration. The first cases of what would eventually be known as COVID-19 were reported at the end of December 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the advanced laboratory specialising in coronavirus research is located.

Chinese scientists and officials have consistently rejected the lab leak hypothesis, saying SARS-CoV-2 could have been circulating in other regions before it hit Wuhan, and might have even entered China from another country via imported frozen food shipments or wildlife trading.

Chinas foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said on Monday that it was completely untrue that three members of staff at WIV had fallen ill. The United States continues to hype up the lab leak theory, he said. Does it care about traceability or is it just trying to distract attention?

The Journal report came on the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organizations decision-making body, which is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Asked about the report, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said via email that the organisations technical teams were now deciding on the next steps. He said further study was needed into the role of animal markets as well as the lab leak hypothesis.

A U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman had no comment on the report but said the Biden administration continued to have serious questions about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins within the Peoples Republic of China. She said the U.S. government was working with the WHO and other member states to support an expert-driven evaluation of the pandemics origins that is free from interference or politicization.

Were not going to make pronouncements that prejudge an ongoing WHO study into the source of SARS-CoV-2, but weve been clear that sound and technically credible theories should be thoroughly evaluated by international experts, she said.

A joint study into the origins of COVID-19 by the WHO and China published at the end of March said it was extremely unlikely that it had escaped from a lab.

But China was accused of failing to disclose raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO team, and the United States, the European Union and other Western countries called on Beijing to grant full access to independent experts.

A State Department fact sheet released near the end of the Trump administration said the U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses. It did not say how many researchers.
Marietta, GA (30060)

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Isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High 87F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Atlanta, GA (30303)

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Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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A colony of wild African green monkeys inhabiting close to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport finally gets an origin story.

Chlorocebus sabaeus

Wild African monkeys that are much-beloved living close to the Fort Lauderdale airport are the offsprings of a group of zoo escapees from 1948. Local lore long believed that the monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) may have come from a private zoo that failed, but a recent genetic study and historical deep investigation into the history of the region now gives a confirmation that the monkeys' ancestors originated from the Darnia Chimpanzee Farm, which was closed in 1956.

The private zoo ship in monkeys so they can be used for animal research and also serve as a roadside attraction, complete with alligator fighting. Researchers headed by a biologist at Florida Atlantic University, Deborah "Missy" Williams, are presently making effort to conserve the small number of escapee descendants, they are just 36, living not too far from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and close to Dania Beach.

Williams and her team produced a database of the whole 36 monkeys' appearances and carried out a genetic analysis to identify where the ancestors of the animals originate from. Historical records proposed that Darnia Chimpanzee Farm shipped in its monkeys from Sierra Leone.

Also Read: Unusual Penis Leads to Discovery of New Monkey Species

Genetic Analysis

A genetic analysis of two fragments of DNA from the Y chromosomes of the male monkeys and a single fragment of mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only through the maternal line, disclosed that the monkeys are green monkeys, there were given the name because of the greenish tinge to their predominant brown fur.

Green monkeys are closely akin to vervet monkeys, and at times the terms are interchangeably used. The researchers reported on May 8 in the journal Primates that the ancestors of the Florida monkey came from western Africa.

The monkeys are also famous for their golden-tipped tales and, blue scrota in males. South Florida is also an abode to populations of two other monkey species: squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that are introduced. The manager of the parking lot revealed to Local10 News in January that the vervet monkeys inhabit close to the airport Park 'N Go, where they hardly cause trouble.

How the Monkeys Acclimatize to Their Environment

The senior author of the study and an anthropologist at Florida Atlantic University, Kate Detwiler said in a statement that the monkeys do rifle sometimes through windows of cars left open, in search of snacks. And that the species can adapt easily.

"Our study's data lays the groundwork for potential studies to look into new questions concerning the population's status and how the monkeys have acclimated to the industrial and urban environment of South Florida," Detwiler said. She added that the right taxonomic identification and history of the Dania Beach monkeys that were introduced is crucial for community outreach and management of wildlife, given the exceptional ability for Chlorocebus to flourish in many environments.

Related Article: Netflix for Monkeys: Scientists Streams Art Videos to Primates that Enjoy Watching Wriggling Worms

For more news, updates about monkeys and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
One Cedartown boy works with his mother to try to help his community


Extreme weather is rapidly destroying the limestone caves where people drew images first about 40,000 years ago.

The Oldest Human Art

The limestone caves and rock protection of Indonesia's southern Sulawesi island have the oldest human art and storytelling traces, dating back over 40,000 years. Paintings beautify the walls of not less than 300 sites in the karst hills of Maros-Pangkep, with more almost definitely awaiting rediscovery. But archaeologists say the oldest art of humanity is crumbling right in front of their very eyes.

Rustan Lebe, an archaeologist of Makassar's culture heritage department said: "We have documented speedy loss of hand-sized spall flakes from these prehistoric art panels over one season (not more than five months)."

The culprit is salt. As water runs through a limestone cave system, it takes minerals from the local bedrock along with it, and the minerals finally end up in the limestone. At the surface of the limestone, those minerals undergo oxidation into a case-hardened rocky crust. Almost all of the ancient rock art in Maros-Pangkep - like the world's oldest drawing that portrays a real object - is painted in mulberry-purple or red pigment on that hard external layer.

Also Read: Bizarre 50,000-Year-Old Life Forms Found Trapped in Cave Crystals in Mexico

Rocky Canvas

The rock is impervious to most weathering, providing a long-lasting canvas for the oldest artwork of humanity. But below the surface, the problem is brewing. Running water unloads minerals in the void spaces below the mineralized outer crust, and several of those minerals solidify into mineral salts. As those crystals form, gets bigger, and diminish, they push against the external layer of mineralized limestone.

Finally, the rocky canvas where people first made images of their world 40,000 years ago falls to pieces in hand-sized flakes. To assist in understanding the intensity of the problem and verify that salt is to blame, Griffith University archaeologist Jillian Huntley and her team took flakes from the ceilings and walls of 11 caves in the region, both Leang Timpuseng, which is the home of the oldest hand stencil.

Mineral Salts Discovered

They discovered mineral salts such as calcium sulfate and halite on the back part of flakes from three of the locations. And all 11 sites revealed increased levels of sulfur, which is a major constituent in many of the destructive salts that disturb rock-art conservators. Exfoliation is an old process, but archaeologists and custodians of sites in Maros-Pangkep say they have observed the process accelerate over the last few decades.

Some of the local people who run and safeguard the rock-art sites have continued with that for generations, and they report "more loss of panel from exfoliation over current decades than at any other time in living memory," wrote Huntley and her team.That's not a coincidence, according to Huntley and her team. Archaeologists and conservators to win the race will have to work at a little scale, observing conditions in individual caves and preserving individual paintings.

Related Article: Tampa Scientists Examines Holes In Greenland Called Moulin

For more news, updates about climate change and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Over the next decade, the North Sea's fast-growing renewable energy sector will overshadow the UK's half-century history as a leading offshore oil and gas center.

According to a report conducted by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland's oil capital, most of the UK's offshore energy employment will be in the low-carbon energy sector by 2030.

Green Jobs

According to the report, green jobs of the UK's coasts are expected to rise from 20% to 65% of the country's offshore energy market by the end of the decade, marking an "important transition for the offshore energy industry."

The offshore wind field, which is the world's biggest and will provide up to 90,000 jobs by 2030 under a new contract with the government to support a quadrupling of wind power production, could provide nearly half of the jobs in the UK's offshore energy industry.

By 2030

Meanwhile, by 2030, 40,000 workers in the offshore energy industry will be tied to other alternative energy industries, such as hydrogen production from green energy or trapping and storing carbon dioxide from factories and heavy industry under the seabed.

As the oil sector begins to decline, the number of workers provided by the North Sea oil and gas industry is projected to decrease to 40% of all offshore energy jobs, or just over a third of the total.

The results are a watershed moment for the UK's North Sea sector, which has prospered financially and created a large number of jobs in the UK economy for decades by extracting billions of barrels of oil since the 1970s.

Related Article: Sustainable New Normal: Green Energy Capacity Increases by 45% During COVID-19 Pandemic



Renewable Energy Employment

Prof Paul de Leeuw, a director at Robert Gordon University and the report's lead author, said the shift to renewable energy employment is a "material prize" for the UK since those already working in the oil and gas industry will be able to move their expertise to cleaner industries.

"With many of the skills and competencies available in the offshore energy industry being highly interchangeable, the energy revolution presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a modern world-class net-zero energy workforce," he added.

The government's new agreement with the North Sea industry, according to energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, "will ensure we have an energy skills base in the UK that is ready for the future." At the same time, the Green Jobs task force will advise on how to build the trained workers required for a low-carbon economy.

North Sea Green Energy

Europe is heading toward a climate-neutral, dependable, and sustainable energy grid. The North Sea is crucial in this regard. Initially, oil and gas production, and now, gradually, green energy production. Large-scale wind energy, hydrogen extraction, and underground carbon storage are all possibilities in the North Sea.

The North Sea Energy project, which involves more than 30 international actors, investigates how the North Sea's capacity can be harnessed for a climate-neutral energy grid using an integrated strategy. The software is looking into the advantages of smart connections between different energy functions in the North Sea. These advantages would save society money and resources, allow for more efficient space usage, and significantly reduce carbon emissions.

Also Read: Waste-To-Energy: Is This America's Best Tool To Combat Both Climate and Energy Crisis?

For more environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
According to a recent study, Facebook is fueling climate disinformation worldwide by encouraging false statements and climate skepticism to spread freely through its site.

To a Stop Funding the Heat Campaign report, the social media giant makes no mention of combating climate disinformation in its promotional policies or group expectations.

Fake Claims

Fake claims that freezing wind turbines were the key cause of Texas power outages and misleading rumors that bushfires in Australia were caused by arson are examples of disinformation widely circulated on Facebook.

Sean Buchan, the report's lead author, told Climate Home News, "Facebook is talking the talk but not walking the walk on climate disinformation."

"They claim to be doing a lot about it," Buchan said, "but we haven't seen any proof that they are battling climate disinformation with the zeal they claim."

Facebook told Climate Home News that its Climate Science Knowledge Centre, which launched in September, directly links over 100,000 users with credible information every day. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United Nations Environment Programme all contribute data and specialist advice to the center.

A Facebook spokesperson said, "We fight climate change disinformation by partnering with a global network of impartial fact-checking partners to review and rate content."

Spread of Disinformation

But, according to Buchan, the center would not go far enough to ensure that climate disinformation is not spread.

"Right now, it isn't enough. Climate disinformation will be on the rise as Cop26 approaches," Buchan predicted.

"It is a huge chance for Facebook to lead the way on this. Misinformation efforts have thwarted similar incidents in the past," he said.

Related Article: Elon Musk's Calls for Carbon Tax Receive Mixed Responses



Global Disinformation

From Australia to the United States, the study highlights the global scope of disinformation.

According to the paper, bots and trolls circulated misleading messages on Facebook during the Australian bushfires last year, alleging that conservation activists were to blame.

In February, false statements by conservative pundits in the United States were posted on Facebook without fact-checking stickers, claiming that frozen wind turbines were triggering widespread power outages in Texas.

Fact Checking

Snopes, a fact-checking website, has labeled these statements as "completely fraudulent." The failure of fossil fuel and nuclear power generation was the primary cause of power outages. According to the study, wind turbine shutdowns, far from being the primary cause, accounted for just a small portion of the total loss of electricity and power production.

The top ten Facebook posts about wind turbine accidents earned more than 15.8 million shares, according to the human rights organization Avaaz. According to Avaaz, Facebook refused to add a fact-checking mark to 42 entries, accounting for 45 percent of its estimated views.

End Climate Silence manager Genevieve Guenther has firsthand experience of Facebook's weak policy on climate disinformation.

Stop Funding the Heat demands that Facebook upgrades its community and advertisement policies to include climate misinformation and stop accepting funds from climate-denying organizations in its study.

Brands and advertisers, according to Buchan, are critical drivers of Facebook's anti-misinformation efforts. "A brand could stop advertising if it doesn't want to be associated with a particular piece of misinformation. "Brands will put Facebook's bottom line in jeopardy," he added.

Also Read: Environmental Justice: How and Why Environmental Activism Became Mainstream

For more news update about Environmental Action, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Marietta, GA (30060)

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Meadville, PA (16335)

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Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds light and variable..

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By Hu Shanmin, Yan Huiming and Hu Jiajie

BEIJING, May 25 -- A naval search and rescue flotilla under the PLA Northern Theater Command , together with surface ships, helicopter units, and local maritime search and rescue forces, carried out a 74-hour uninterrupted multi-course drill in actual combat context in waters of the Yellow Sea as scheduled from May 17 to 20, aiming to test the troops ability to perform submarine rescue mission and emergency treatment.

During the drill, the application of multi-type submarine rescue equipment has highlighted the breakthroughs made in the troops core rescue capabilities.

It is learnt that a total of one helicopter and nine vessels, including submarine rescue vessel Hongzehu (Hull No. 864), were jointly dispatched to participate in the drill, marking the largest multi-dimensional joint rescue drill in recent years.

Submarine rescue vessel Hongzehu (Hull No. 864)

Submarine rescue is a global problem worth solving and also the highlight of this drill. The joint search and rescue fleet carried out a search for a simulated disabled submarine under the water in late night. The divers on the Ship Hongzehu carried delivery tube to conduct supply and exhaust ventilation and dropped life supplies for the wrecked submarine.

On the next day, the sea tugboat BeiTuo 739 carrying a motorized submarine rescue chamber docked with the target and the simulated wounded personnel were able to be treated in time.

A motorized submarine rescue chamber is dropped from the sea tugboat BeiTuo 739 to dock with the simulated disabled submarine.
Mount Nyiragongo is never truly calm. A permanent lake of lava bubbling inside the summit crater of the mountainous volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the few locations on the planet.

Mt. Nyiragongo

Fractures opened up in the volcano's rocky walls, pouring fast-moving lava down its slopes, and conditions suddenly exploded late on May 22, local time. Any of it made its way to Goma, a six-mile-wide metropolis with a population of 1.5 million inhabitants. The night sky glowed crimson as lava, often three stories high, rushed through the streets of many villages surrounding Goma, swallowing any structures it came across and setting them on fire. There have been 15 reported casualties as of this writing, with the figure predicted to increase in the coming days.

According to figures, two early eruptions of Nyiragongo, in 1977 and 2002, were full-fledged disasters. lava floods killed between 600 and 2,000 people in 1977. Molten rock obliterated up to a quarter of Goma in 2002, displacing 120,000 people and killing about 250 people due to carbon dioxide asphyxiation, burns, and a lava-triggered gas station blast.

Volcanologists are worried every time Nyiragongo displays signs of life because of previous disasters. "It's one of Africa's most deadly volcanoes," says Benoit Smets, a geohazards specialist at Tervuren, Belgium's Royal Museum for Central Africa.

Related Article: Eruption of Congo's Mount Nyiragongo Leaves At Least 15 Dead, Thousands Displaced



Deadly Reputation

The dangerous reputation of Nyiragongo is attributed to a complete storm of causes. Because of the region's geologic complexity, the lava is surprisingly fluid, capable of moving at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Vast quantities of deadly carbon dioxide gas may also be released by eruptions. Since millions of inhabitants remain under the volcano's shadow, this is highly concerning.

When you factor in the region's political unrest and violence, Nyiragongo becomes a very difficult volcano to monitor. Despite the best efforts of the Goma Volcano Observatory, which was founded in 1986 in the city of the same name, no strong warning signals were observed before the most recent eruption.

According to Corentin Caudron, a volcanologist at the Institute of Earth Sciences in Grenoble, France, the fiery mountain is capable of causing "the kind of eruptions you really fear."

Magma Accumulating

The weight of accumulating magma or an earthquake pushes open fissures in the sides of the mountain at Nyiragongo, resulting in the disastrous draining of the lava lake or the explosion of magma deposited further underground.

Like the volcanoes that produce them, specific eruptions have their own distinct habits and properties, and no two are alike. Monitoring volcanoes for signs of impending paroxysms is challenging, and Nyiragongo's recent eruption is a prime example of these difficulties.

Before Erupting

Nyiragongo's summit crater continues to fill up with magma during eruptions, and it has been doing so since the 2002 eruption. A second vent opened at the summit in 2016. Volcanologists flown in by UN peacekeepers in 2020 found the lava lake was filling up faster than ever before, thanks to UN peacekeepers shielding the scientists from armed rebels in the region. While it is a concerning sight, scientists are unsure if the lava lake's height indicates the volcano's readiness to erupt.

Also Read: Darwin's Arch, a Rock formation Named After the British Scientist, Collapsed

For more environmental news updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Kejriwal said the Delhi government did not receive medicines for black fungus on Sunday, even as the number of cases crossed 500. "We did not receive the medicine yesterday. So how can we treat the patients without the medicine? The injection is administered four to five times a day. If we are not given the injection, how can we treat patients?" asked the chief minister.As of today Delhi needs around 2,000 injections per day for patients infected with black fungus, but the capital is being provided merely 400-500 injections, said Kejriwal."There is an extreme shortage of medicine and its production has to be increased. Since 4-5 injections need to be administered daily and there are around 500 patients, we need 2,000 injections every day but we are receiving only 400-500 injections," he added.Source: IANS
New campaign is aimed at the mobilisation by steering the collective consciousness of the society. It is time for us to stop looking at governments and take responsibility for the well-being of the people. Read More..

"One of our faculties lost a family member due to-non availability of Remdesivir injection that the doctors wanted. This got us thinking about the plight of those struggling to breathe without access to medicines," says Preeti M Surya, HOD, Journalism and Mass Communication, who is spearheading the campaign."Our campaign project is aimed at the grassroot mobilisation by steering the collective consciousness of the society. It is time for us to stop looking at governments and take responsibility for the well-being of the people in our immediate space," Surya added.Anoushka Sapra, Club President, said not only will they collect Covid medicines but will also ensure that the collected medicines reach those in dire need. "We cannot sit back and watch people die. There are days when our families are getting as many as five news of deaths." says Sapra.Source: IANS
Tiger 3, the latest upcoming installment of Salman Khan's Tiger franchise, looks to be another action-packed film that will involve India's foreign agency RAW once again come up against Pakistan's premier intelligence agency ISI.

 IMDB

What is even more fascinating for Sallu Bhai fans is that this film will welcome the addition of actor Emraan Hashmi, who will join the superstar roster that already includes Salman and Katrina Kaif.



 Pinkvilla

 Netflix

We hear that one of the most exciting things about this film will be that Emraan Hashmi's character, who is an ISI agent, will be pitted against Salman Khan's Tiger, who is a RAW official.

One can only see sparks fly when these two actors share the screen together and have an ultimate RAW-ISI face-off.

 Deccan Chronicle

According to a trade source speaking with Pinkvilla, Emraan will be a more than worthy opponent for Salman in the film.



"Emraan Hashmi plays the role of a Pakistani agent, who is pitted against RAW official, Tiger, played by Salman Khan. It's essentially Tiger vs Tiger, as the ISI describes Emraan as Pakistan's answer to Tiger aka. Avinash Singh Rathod. If you heard the late actor Girish Karnad, say, yeh kaam sirf ek admi kar sakta hai, Tiger its time to be introduced to the toughest and the only person who can play a nemesis to Tiger  ISI agent, Emraan Hashmi.

 Pinkvilla

Emraan, who in March started shooting for his part in the film, will play a character who is said to be street smart, stylish and someone who can really get into an ideological battle with Salman's Tiger.



His (Emraan's) look is also far off from the negative leads we have seen. In fact, its as stylish as it gets, said the source.
Former Bigg Boss contestant Yuvika Chaudhary found herself in major trouble for using a casteist slur. In a vlog posted by her, she used a term that was prohibited by the government many years ago. She used a term by saying 'she looks like them' which did not go well with people on the Internet.

One of the Twitter users shared the video by saying, Now she'll say she didn't know the meaning. Alright. This is how our industry is! Not shocked but disappointed. She is literate but as illiterate #ArrestYuvikaChoudhary #Casteist_Termite #munmunduttavideo @yuvikachoudhary."

Now she'll say she didn't know the meaning. Alright. This is how our industry is! Not shocked but disappointed. She is literate but as illiterate #ArrestYuvikaChoudhary #Casteist_Termite #munmunduttavideo @yuvikachoudhary pic.twitter.com/4S7JDlTJjK  Nivedita Bansal (@Nivbansal2403) May 25, 2021

People have lost their cool as the actor attacked a certain sect and they are demanding her arrest as they want to create an example for people who continue to use such casteist words. People also bashed her by saying that she is getting work in films and hence, she used such derogatory words to get in the news.

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

Soon after people started demanding her arrest, she issued an apology. Yuvika stated, "Hi guys, I didn't know the meaning of that word that I used in my last vlog. I didn't mean to hurt anyone and I can never do that to hurt someone. I apologize to each and everyone, I hope you understand. Love you all."

Well, her apology hasnt fixed the damage. One of the users tweeted, "We don't want your apology. Yuvika Chaudhary, you have committed an offense under section 153A of IPC which is a cognizable & non-bailable offense & for which you must be and will be arrested. #ArrestYuvikaChoudhary."

Earlier, actor Munmun Dutta had also used a casteist slur in a video and later issued a statement wherein she apologized to the people. Despite that, an FIR was registered against the actor.

What do you have to say about the entire fiasco? Let us know in the comments section below.
Soon after the release of The Family Man 2's trailer a few days back, the web series landed in trouble as it ended up upsetting a certain section of people who felt that the show is trying to portray Tamilians in a negative light. Rajya Sabha MP Vaiyapuri Gopalsamy, better known as Vaiko, sent a written complaint to Information and Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar and sought a ban on it.

An excerpt of his letter read, These descriptions have hurt the sentiments of Tamil people and Tamil culture and offensive against the Tamil community. The people of Tamil Nadu are raising serious objections over such act and are protesting against the Serial.

Now, Manoj Bajpayee who plays the lead in the show has shared the statement released by Raj and DK that says that the assumptions have been made based on just a few shots in the trailer and they have utmost love and respect towards Tamil people. In their statement, the directors of The Family Man 2, Raj and DK, said, "Some assumptions and impressions have been made based on just a couple of shots in the trailer. Many of our lead cast members and key members of the creative & writing team are Tamilians. We are very cognizant of the sentiments of the Tamil people and Tamil culture and have nothing but the utmost love and respect towards our Tamil people. We have put in years of hard work into this show, and we have taken great pains to bring to our audiences a sensitive, balanced and riveting story - much like we did in Season 1 of the show. We request everyone to wait and watch the show when it releases. We know you'll appreciate it once you watch it."

People came in support of the show and targeted the politicians for creating trouble for the team. They want the show to be released and a certain Tamilian Twitter users also went on to say that she is eagerly waiting for the show.

 Instagram/Manoj Bajpayee

 Instagram/Manoj Bajpayee

 Instagram/Manoj Bajpayee

The web series is set to release on Prime Video on June 4. Raj & DK have directed the second season with Suparn S Varma.



Well, we are really excited about the show. What about you? Let us know in the comments section below.
It seems that even the God Of Thunder isnt exactly immune to body image issues, and actually is very conscious about how people perceive his body.

 Instagram/chrishemsworth

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Chris Hemsworth revealed that people see him differently as an actor because of the physique he has had to bulk-up for his performances in the Marvel cinematic universe.

 Marvel

Said the Norse God of Thunder, I feel that people think there is a certain vanity attached to bodybuilding or bulking up. Had I been unhealthily skinny, or been required to put on unhealthy weight for my projects, I would be perceived as a serious actor. The training across 10 years of doing it is a full-time job. That and then a 12-hour shooting day - it's a real grind.

 Marvel

Hemsworth made headlines with his Fat Thor avatar back in 2018-2019, before Avengers: Endgame released. Later it was revealed that he was actually wearing a fat suit.

 Marvel

Eagle-eyed cinephiles would have noticed, that with each of the Marvel films since 2011, when he first appeared as Thor, Hemsworth has grown bulkier and muscular.

 Marvel

In the interview, he said that even though it is for the camera, actors like him need to bulk up in a certain way. One would assume that because of how films are shot, actors can sort of cheat and really get bulked up biceps.

 Instagram/chrishemsworth

That is far from the truth.



He said, That's what you see the most. We consider the costume and if it shows a lot of shoulders, or are we gonna see the bicep or the traps. You want it to be balanced. You don't want to look like Popeye with one section of the body blown up.

 Instagram/chrishemsworth

Given that its been 10 years since he took up the role of Thor, and that Robert Downey Jr & Chris Evans both have exited the Universe with their respective characters, Hemsworth feels that he says he wants to try new projects.

 Instagram/chrishemsworth

It seems that audiences too would love to see him in different stuff, along with his Marvel Projects. After all, Extraction had one of the highest watch times among all of Netflixs film releases last year.

 Instagram/chrishemsworth

Speaking about his upcoming projects, Hemsworth said that given the global lockdown, he has had plenty of time to prepare for Thor: Love and Thunder & Extraction 2, both of which will be shot in Australia.



This has allowed him to stay close to his family, and work out for both of his films.

He says that for Thor: Love and Thunder he is in the best shape of his life.

He said, Having this time at home meant I explored different methods, to see how I can manipulate my body with just the right amount of powerlifting and bodybuilding workouts.

 Instagram/chrishemsworth

What do you think about Chris statement, of actors who need to bulk up arent taken as serious actors? Do you agree with him, or do you have opposing views? Let us know in the comments below.


The owner of the fashion label Louis Vuitton, and all its subsidiaries, Bernard Arnault, recently pipped Jeff Bezos as the worlds richest man.

This is the second instance after tech mogul Elon Musk, that someone has challenged Bezos stake to the title.

 Wiki Commons

Arnault and his family own LVMH a Paris based French multinational corporation that owns and controls some of the most sought after luxury goods labels.



These include the likes of Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon, Fendi, Givenchy, Hublot, Bulgari, Gucci, Christian Dior & one of their most notable purchases of late, Tiffany & Co.

 Wiki Commons

As of writing this piece, Arnaults wealth stands at $186.2 Billion, just over a hair over Bezos $186 Billion. It is expected that Bezos net value will go on top again, within a day.



 Reuters

LVMH reported first-quarter revenue of 14 billion in 2021, which surged by 32% as compared to the first quarter of 2020.



The surge in revenue could be primarily attributed to the surge of shopping sprees in parts of the world where the concern over COVID seems to be receding.

 Reuters

These include certain markets in Europe and North America, but it is mainly fueled by China.



The fashion conglomerate recorded revenue of 44.7 billion in 2020, despite the fact that many reputable labels and boutiques had to shut shop because of the pandemic.

 Wiki Commons

The reason why LVMH was able to survive through the global turmoil, as opposed to a number of their competitors, was that they decided to get into manufacturing masks, PPE kits and hand sanitisers at their perfumeries, at a very crucial point in time.



 LVMH

Earlier this year, Teslas Elon Musk had pipped Bezos as the worlds richest, when his net worth surged to an unprecedented $193 Billion.



Ever since then, it has slipped gradually, mainly because of his antics on Twitter.

As of writing this article, the Forbes real-time billionaires tracker puts him at number 3, with a net worth of $152.5 Billion.

 Reuters

If youre worried about Bezos for some bizarre reason, dont be. Market experts speculate that this is just an aberration and that Bezos should be back on top by the end of the day.



As for Musk and his core fans, well, he needs to lay off of social media for a bit.
A controversy sparked off after Baba Ramdev claimed that medicines such as remdesivir approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for coronavirus treatment had failed. Lakhs of patients have died because of allopathic medicines rather than a shortage of oxygen, he claimed.

On Saturday, in a session, he called Allopathy a stupid science and attacked all the methods that allopathy uses to treat the deadly virus.

Yoga guru claiming Allopathy as stupid science. This pandemic brings new shock every day. pic.twitter.com/1W9ojVOIGY  Subhasree Ray (@DrSubhasree) May 21, 2021

After his statements were heavily criticized, he had to take down this video from his account.

He, then, posed 25 questions related to some of the most common diseases and asked for their solution and treatment in the allopathy and pharma industry. He said that theres no permanent a solution that allopathy can provide.

 Swami Ramdev Twitter

Just yesterday, he was asked to come on board for a live session on AajTak with IMAs Dr. Jayesh Lele and things took a dramatic turn after Baba Ramdev and Dr. Lele got into a verbal war.



Dr. Lele slammed him for his statements and told him not to use the news platform to advertise his medicine Coronil.

Heres a clip of the live session where Ramdev Baba was snubbed by Dr. Lele and it has been going viral.

"Apart from emergency treatments and life-saving drugs, I can provide solution for all illnesses": @yogrishiramdev, Yoga Guru



"Why is he commenting about allopathy? Everyone is laughing at his statements": Dr. Jayesh M Lele, Secy General, IMA#NewsTrack | @anjanaomkashyap pic.twitter.com/Fx9NptAQCM  IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 24, 2021

After the video went viral, people on social media started to hail Dr. Lele for his befitting reply to Ramdev Baba and flooded Twitter with memes.

Here are the reactions:

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However, some supporters believe that Ayurveda is the mother of healing, and questioning the system should not be criminalized.



 India Today Twitter

What do you have to say about this fiasco? Let us know in the comments section below.


Leave it to the people on Twitter to find something to smile about in the worst of situations. The social media platform that surprisingly turned as a medium to seek help and serve the needy in the worst of times during the second wave of Covid is now gearing for the third wave with humour and puns.

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Third wave is trending on Twitter and the reason will make you laugh real hard. There have been numerous speculations about third wave of coronavirus hitting India soon.



While the healthcare and state governments prepare for it with supplies and resources, Twitter is welcoming it with hilarious memes that are so relatable, we dont know whether to laugh or cry.

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Experts announced that a third wave is inevitable and might arrive earlier than expected. People who havent been able to book a slot for vaccination yet sure have something to panic about. And, these Twitter users are making sure they do, with these memes.



#ThirdWave arriving earlier than expected



meanwhile people with both vaccines doses taken: pic.twitter.com/gVv69MkB3N  Gaurav (@gauravb_9) May 24, 2021

Covid #ThirdWave is expected to come earlier than expected...



People who haven't taken even the 1st dose of vaccine to Govt. : pic.twitter.com/HF1vVrpkK6  UmderTamker (@jhampakjhum) May 24, 2021

#ThirdWave trending on twitter



Me who has not taken vaccine : pic.twitter.com/NkMbKRvyOu  Mr. Stark (@Mr_Stark_) May 24, 2021

Others who are just fed up of this unpredictable virus, unending lockdowns and a new disease like black and yellow fungus popping up every day, are channelling their disappointment and helplessness with these very relatable memes.

#ThirdWave is going to arrive early.



Le Indians : pic.twitter.com/CzyDMc4rPe  Harshit Rai  (@theharshitrai) May 24, 2021

#ThirdWave is going to arrive early.

Le Indians : pic.twitter.com/Cbr6z324Q5  Common Indian (@CommonIndian17) May 24, 2021

Among the lot were also some CBSE Class 12 students who were told earlier this week by the Education Minister that the exams of main subjects will be held. The final decision will come on 30th May.

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They shared their pain through memes in last attempt to get the exams cancelled. Also, because the third wave has been predicted to affect children below the age of 18 years.



We dont know how soon the third wave will arrive in India but these memes did crack us up.
Shon Willis says he's in a bit of a controlled panic.

The Meridian farmer is concerned that the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors may approve the building of a waste transfer station near his neighborhood.

He worries that once the transfer station is built in the Key Brothers Industrial Park, it will stay there.

Once its here, its here, Shon Willis said. So we want to do everything that we can to stop it from getting in place.

JWC Environmental, a waste management company, is hoping to build the facility to serve as a transfer location for recyclable material and garbage. The company had originally proposed placing the station at G.V. Sonny Montgomery Industrial Park, but Naval Air Station Meridian officials and other community members opposed the location.

For the station to be built, the board of supervisors would have to amend the regional Solid Waste Management Plan. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality would then have to approve the amendment.

The new proposed location for the transfer station is near Sweet Gum Bottom Road. Several residents who live in the community voiced their opposition to that location during a public hearing on May 17.

Shon Willis and his wife, Alicia Willis, are among those concerned citizens. Vultures already frequent the property where the Willis family raises livestock, and they are concerned that the transfer station could attract more vultures.

Several generations have farmed in Shon Willis family. His grandparents and great-grandparents grew crops and raised livestock.

About four years ago, Shon Willis started leasing a pasture on Sweet Gum Bottom Road. His home, which he and his wife built in 2012, is just down the road.

For the last few years, vultures have been a nuisance for the Willis family. Their farm is less than half a mile away from the Pine Ridge Landfill, which attracts large flocks of vultures.

We deal with buzzards literally every day, Shon Willis said.

The birds often perch on a gate, which is spotted with white vulture droppings. The buzzards also frequently stand by his livestock.

Shon Willis cattle drink water from a pond on the farm. When the pond dries up, he and his son use a hose to send water into a 100-gallon water trough. The vultures perch by the trough, and sometimes defecate in it.

Shon Willis and his son have to remove the water from the trough and replace it with clean water, which is time-consuming.

We cant give that nasty water to the cows, he said.

Its not fair"

Shon Willis believes that placing the transfer station in his community is an environmental justice issue. The EPA defines environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

Its not fair to put us between  a landfill and a waste station, Shon and Alicia Willis said.

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality guidance says that when local government officials review requests to modify a Solid Waste Management Plan, they should consider local issues such as zoning, land use and environmental justice.

Alicia Willis said the board of supervisors should have already been knowledgable about environmental justice before the May 17 public hearing.

If theyre really following those guidelines that DEQ has established, then thats something they should have been aware of already and taken into account, she said.

Shon Willis says the board was just checking a box off by holding the public hearing.

It was just a formality....They really didnt want to hear what we really had to say, he said.

District 5 Supervisor Kyle Rutledge said the board was open to hear what anyone had to say at the public hearing.

Anyone who wanted to speak was given at least five minutes, he said.

Rutledge added that residents can submit written comments to the board until May 28. The board has up to 90 days from the date of the May 17 hearing to take action on the matter.

Shon Willis is hoping that the board and JWC Environmental will find a location for the transfer station that is suitable for everybody.

YOUR VIEW: Opposes location of proposed waste transfer station Living in close proximity of the second proposed Garbage Transfer Station location, I am ex

Residents press Lauderdale County officials on waste transfer station Residents of the Sweet Gum Bottom Road community voiced their concerns about a proposed was

Not only do we not want it out here, but we dont want them to move to another place where other people there are impacted, he said. So were not only concerned about ourselves, but were concerned about everybody.
GANSBAAI, SOUTH AFRICA - OCTOBER 19: A Great White Shark is attracted by a lure on the 'Shark Lady Adventure Tour' on October 19, 2009 in Gansbaai, South Africa. The lure, usually a tuna head, is attached to a buoy and thrown into the water in front of the cage with the divers. The waters off Gansbaai are the best place in the world to see Great White Sharks, due to the abundance of prey such as seals and penguins which live and breed on Dyer Island, which lies 8km from the mainland. (Photo : Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

For those who have watched one too many Jaws movies, this might sound like a nightmare. But in reality, great white sharks are vital apex predators that maintain the balance of the ecosystem.

That is why California marine conservationists are celebrating a new milestone as these sharks now have now reached a population of about 300 in the Red Triangle area.

Marine Mammal Protection Act credited for shark success

Different types of conservation efforts all came together for this to happen. Fishing and bycatch deaths have often been a major cause of declining great white shark populations. Thus, laws had been introduced to illegalize them in the area.

On the other hand, another major contributor would not be the first thing that would come to most people's minds: The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

With campaign posters showing orcas, seals and dolphins, you would think the MMPA would not have anything to do with sharks. But one must remember, sharks feed heavily on marine mammals for survival. (In fact, the Red Triangle was said to have gotten its name from the blood of seals being eaten by them.)

It is thanks to the MMPA that seals and sea lions have also enjoyed a great boost in numbers and this, in turn, has naturally contributed to the health of the great white sharks. (It certainly is quite an achievement considering that the MMPA is enforced by a very small federal agency.)





Also read: Are Rare Sharks Being Killed for the Coronavirus Vaccine?

Great white sharks of California - a brief history

The great white shark is known to live as long as 70 years and has a history of migrating between California, Hawaii and even beyond that. But despite decades of research, tracking the population of these powerful predators has been difficult.

Fortunately, dedicated tagging and monitoring has allowed scientists to get a good grasp of their numbers in recent years. The bad news though is that this was also how they learned about the great white shark being in great danger.

Their reputation for vicious attacks and on-screen summer horror did not help. Great whites are often listed as the most common species in dangerous shark encounters. It is little surprise that a lot of today's research has been dedicated to clarifying misconceptions about the species.

For the most part, the truth depicts great white sharks as hungry, careful and curious creatures. Of course, they are certainly quite dangerous but the reasons for their behavior are poorly misunderstood.

Years of study have only confirmed that sharks only ever attack humans because of their resemblance to seals. In fact, the marine mammals are the de facto favorite of this ocean apex hunter and can get really vicious if they are hungry enough.

That said, the researchers who have been monitoring the steady rise in shark populations still assure the public that an increase in their population will not necessarily mean more conflict. So long as swimmers learn to stay close to the shallows and observe the right swimming schedules, there is no need to panic and grab a bigger boat.

Also read: Illegal Shark Fishing Significantly Rises in Protected British Waters
Services for Bonita Deweese will be held on Monday, June 14, 2021, at 15th Avenue Baptist Church, at 10:30 am. Visitation will be Sunday, 4-6 p.m., at Webb Funeral Home. View the obituary at www.jamesfwebb.com.
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POCONE, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 24: A giant river otter swims in the Pantanal on September 24, 2020 in Pocone, Brazil. Pantanal is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul and is the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. The region is considered by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage and Biosphere Reserve. Since the beginning of September, more than 5,000 fires have been registered. The main cause of the induced fires is the livestock activity to transform the region into pastures. The biome has been going through four months of drought, which makes fire control difficult. The situation severely affects the local fauna and flora, which consists of thousands of species, some even endangered. (Photo : Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

An appearance of a wild giant river otter on the Bermejo River in Argentina surprised conservationists of Fundacion Rewilding Argentina, having feared that these river otters have gone extinct in the country due to loss of habitat and hunting activity in north-east Argentina's Chaco province.

Sebastian Di Martino, director of conservation at Fundacion Rewilding Argentina was kayaking in the river of the Impenetrable national park when he saw the giant otter reared up with its white chest. He described the moment as an incredible feeling seeing an endangered animal on the Bermejo where none of it have been sighted for more than a century.

"I was incredulous, an incredible feeling of so much happiness. I didn't know if I should try to follow it or rush back to our station to tell the others," he exclaimed.

Possible Explanations for the Otter's Return

Pteronura brasiliensis or giant river otters are naturally huge. They can be as long as 1.8 metres long and are said to be 'trusting and curious'. Adult otters weigh over 30kg and live in lentic freshwater rivers, lakes and creeks and occasionally seen in agricultural canals, although they prefer sloped river banks with overhanging vegetation.

However, they had faced extinction globally. In the rivers and wilds of Argentina, they were last sighted way back 1980s.

Di Martino explained that there are two simple explanations for its return. One is that the otter came from a known population of giant otters in Paraguayan Pantanal which is over 1,000km away from Bermejo.

The second possibility is that there are small surviving group of their species somewhere in Argentina that is undiscovered. The Pteronura brasiliensis typically lives in family groups of 5-8 individuals. Di Martino assumes this particular one seen recently came from a certain group.

The Impenetrable national park consists 128,000 hectares (316,000 acres) of native forest and waterways which largely provided a notable biodiversity in one of the world's most endangered ecosystems, the Gran Chaco forest.

The lone otter's reappearance in the river could mean if protection of wild natural areas is bolstered, endangered animals returning and thriving again is a wide possibility.

Also read: 5 Disturbing Facts About Sea Otters: They're Not as Cuddly as They Seem

Otters Restore Balance in Nature

"Giant river otters, as top predators, exert a regulatory influence in the aquatic ecosystem," said Di Martino. Otters regulate population of fishes which is healthy for aquatic ecosystems. Their importance is widely recognized by conservationists, in fact, Rewilding Argentina has planned on restoring the otter population since 2018.

"You can bring back almost anything," said Kristine Tompkins, an American conservationist. As long as the major reasons why these animals thrive to exist have been removed and restoration projects are thoroughly constructed and exercised, the extinction crisis of certain species can be brought to an end.

Tompkins and her team focus on rewilding the America such as creating national parks and repopulate top predators or other species to their native habitats to restore balance. The biodiversity that is in Impenetrable national park can be a model replicated globally. With right supervision and maintenance, humans can contribute to nature's resilience.

Also read: Rise of Animal Cloning in 2021: Benefits, Risks, and Why It Matters
Elected officials representing the Upper Thumb at both the state and federal levels are calling for an end to extra federal unemployment benefits in order to get Michiganders back to work.

Its an unfortunate reality that these benefits are so great that theres little reason for many Michigan residents to return to work, State Rep. Phil Green, a Republican from Millington, said in a statement. Our local businesses want and need to reopen fully, but they are running into serious roadblocks when it comes to hiring workers.

Michigan currently offers up to $362 per week to unemployed workers, with an additional $300 per week coming from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Green said that $300 per week was because due to the way the federal bailout was structured, the executive branch is in control of that, not the state Legislature.

Green said that many local businesses have had to close down for a day or two because of the lack of employees.

I went to a local town and wanted to get something to eat, Green said. Virtually every restaurant was closed except for one fast food restaurant because of a lack of employees. People were still going in and wanting their services, and some people were getting upset because the services werent available, because they had the money. The problem is our communities also need the businesses to be open.

Seven Michigan Republican members of Congress, including Lisa McClain who represents Michigans 10th district, wrote a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer claiming that continued participation in getting unemployment compensation benefits is exacerbating the labor supply shortage and hindering economic recovery.

McClain spoke on the House floor about the need to incentivize people to get back to work, remarking how despite there being more than 8 million open job positions across the country, only 266,000 people returned to work in April.

The jobs are there, McClain said during her speech. The incentives to take those jobs are not. This nationwide problem is impacting Michiganders. In fact, the biggest complaint I hear from business owners is not about COVID restrictions, mask mandates or vaccines. They need workers.

Green said he understands that there are other factors that play into people not returning to work, such as figuring out who will watch children and concerns about health and well-being, but its more an ethical concern at the state level for him, given that the states Unemployment Insurance Agency is funded by businesses paying into it. With the federal tax dollars put into the UIA, it has been using taxpayer dollars to pay people to not work.

State law also says people can be on unemployment for 20 weeks.

I dont want you to go back to a job thats disrespectful of you, thats not paying what you think you deserve, Green said. But lets not have businesses pay you to not work. Do the honorable thing and get off unemployment.

Green added that much of the states population has been vaccinated and the presence of COVID-19 has substantially diminished.

If people dont return to work, our economy stands no chance at recovery, Green said. We have an opportunity to turn things around here in Michigan, but incentivizing people to stay home just inches us further away from that.

As of last week, 21 other states announced they will stop accepting federal unemployment benefits in June in an effort to get people back to work. These include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
NEW YORK (AP)  Paul Rudnick has written a romantic comedy with a royal twist.

In Playing the Palace, the playwright, screenwriter and novelist has a witty, engaging book about two unlikely lovers: A Jewish man from New Jersey and the crown prince of England.

Ive never written an all-out romantic comedy like this, says Rudnick, who put the finishing touches to the manuscript during the pandemic. It was so much fun to live in that world and to just try a complete celebration without a whole lot of trauma.

Playing the Palace is told from the slightly insecure perspective of Carter Ogden, a unhappily single associate event architect barreling toward 30 who adores Ruth Bader Ginsberg and IHOP. He believes that New Yorks St. Patricks Cathedral being located between a Tiffanys and a Saks is a sign of Gods admiration for high-end retail.

His chance meeting with the drop-dead gorgeous Prince Edgar, the Prince of Wales, triggers a romance with international implications and tons of snarky tabloid headlines. Can these two very different men make it?

Im a Jewish guy from New Jersey. I thought, OK, thats about as far away from the royal family as you can get, which made it sound like the most fun," says Rudnick. "I also wanted a story about people of wildly different social status.

Rudnick shares in the overwhelming fascination with the British royal family and weaves in references to Brexit, Buckingham Palace and "The Great British Bake Off.

What I really love about Paul is that he gives such specificity to his characters so that even if hes making them larger to life, they still feel very human and relatable because its the details that really bring them to life, said Cindy Hwang, his editor at Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

The book arrives on a wave of interest in the royals, especially in Prince Harry and his biracial American wife, Meghan, who are redefining who belongs in the House of Windsor.

It just felt like there was something in the air, says Rudnick. There was sort of a sense of inevitability that, OK, the royal family is progressing and this sort of romance is becoming far more possible.

Rudnick's plays include Jeffrey and I Hate Hamlet." His screenplays include Sister Act," Addams Family Values, Jeffrey and In & Out. With the new book, he painted a cheerfully progressive, LGBTQ-respecting world.

There are so many completely valid and very necessary stories of prejudice against gay people and the trauma of coming out and family oppression, he says. "But there also needs to be a balance of completely joyous queer love stories and stories about people who are wildly and openly gay and thats just a given.

The book is not the first to portray a same-sex American-British royal love  think Red, White & Royal Blue  but it sparkles with Rudnick's take, and his publisher hopes it attracts a large audience.

We really do feel like a lot of different kinds of people can enjoy this book for a lot of different reasons. Obviously, a traditional romance reader, yes, Hwang said. But a lot of people who dont really read romance I think would really enjoy this book.

Rudnick approached the sex scenes in the same way he did the rest of the novel, with humor and heart. I think sex scenes in any book can get very clunky and very embarrassing. And you want to avoid the cringe factor, he says.

In romance books, they can sometimes be absolutely pornographic or they can be completely only vaguely suggestive. I wanted to land somewhere in between the two.

Rudnick also uses the figure of Edgar  a witty, charming self-aware royal who jokes privately I could have you beheaded  to explore the isolating nature of mega-fame and the expectations put on pioneering gay figures.

Because hes the first openly gay royal, that comes with the enormous responsibility of representation, says Rudnick. You have to satisfy everyones dream of a very powerful gay figure.

Rudnick started thinking about a royal romance as long as two decades ago and even had the title. But he didn't always know what form it should take  stage play, movie or novel.

Nothing ever quite fit until I began working on it as a novel. And thats one of the very few things Ive learned in my career: Let the material dictate the form, he said. I always start from the point of OK, let the characters say where they want to make a home.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A family-friendly street festival, musical performances and moments of silence were held Tuesday to honor George Floyd and mark the year since he died at the hands of Minneapolis police, a death captured on wrenching bystander video that galvanized the racial justice movement and continues to bring calls for change.

Floyds sister Bridgett and other family members held a moment of silence at a Celebration of Life event at a downtown Minneapolis park that included music, food trucks, an inflatable bouncy house and a vaccination stand. A few miles away, at the site of the intersection where Floyd died, dozens of people kneeled around a steel fist sculpture for several minutes  symbolizing the 9 minutes, 29 seconds during which Floyd was pinned down.

Its been a troubling year, a long year, Bridgett Floyd told the crowd downtown. But we made it. ... The love is here. George is here."

Other members of Floyds family met in Washington with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who urged Congress to quickly pass a law in Floyds name that would bring changes to policing. A moment of silence to honor Floyd was also held in New York and a rally was held in Los Angeles. Globally, a rally took place in Germany and Floyd's death was marked by U.S. embassies in Greece and Spain.

Hours before the Minneapolis festivities, the intersection where Floyd died was disrupted by gunfire.

Associated Press video from 38th Street and Chicago Avenue  informally known as George Floyd Square  showed people running for cover as shots rang out. Police said a man, who they believe was injured in the shooting, went to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound. Police said he was in critical condition but was expected to survive. There were no immediate arrests.

Philip Crowther, a reporter working for AP Global Media Services, which provides live video coverage, reported hearing as many as 30 gunshots about a block from the intersection. Crowther said a storefront window appeared to have been broken by gunshots.

Very quickly things got back to normal, Crowther said. People here who spend a significant amount of time, the organizers, were running around asking, Does anyone need a medic?"

Like other major cities, Minneapolis has been struggling with rising gun violence, a problem made worse, in part, by many officers leaving the embattled force since Floyd's death. A 6-year-old girl was fatally shot and two other children wounded in recent weeks. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey last week unveiled sweeping public safety proposals aimed at fixing the problem. Other groups are pursuing a more radical remaking of the police department.

The intersection of 38th and Chicago has been barricaded since soon after Floyd's death. It quickly turned into a memorial  and also a challenging spot for the city, with police officers not always welcome.

The square was transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival, with food, childrens activities and music. At times, people danced in the street. Artwork and signs from protests after Floyd's death also were on display. One group hosted an open mic next to a greenhouse that community members constructed earlier this year to house flowers left by mourners. Nearby, a brass band played for passersby.

The celebration also included a candlelight vigil, capping several days of marches, rallies and panel discussions about his death and confronting racial discrimination.

Xavier Simmons, 24, from Racine, Wisconsin, chanted Say his name! as people kneeled. Simmons said he hopes people taking part in the festivities will both honor Floyds life and legacy and continue to uplift and empower this movement."

We got the verdict that we needed, but its never going to change until we make a change, he said.

Yall keep doing the work, because yall changing the world, Common, an award-winning rapper, actor and activist told the crowd of hundreds during a musical performance Tuesday night prior to the vigil.

After Common left the stage and day turned to night in George Floyd Square, people placed candles in every conceivable corner, lighting up the area.

Floyd, 46, who was Black, died May 25, 2020, after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for about 9 1/2 minutes. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.

Earl Vaughn, 20, of Minneapolis, attended the downtown event and said despite its celebratory atmosphere: For all this a Black man had to die, so thats really unfortunate."

In New York City, elected officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, joined the Rev. Al Sharpton in kneeling for 9 minutes, 29 seconds. As we took a knee, imagine how long that was on a human beings neck, Sharpton said. Never switched knees, just dug in. Its time we correct policing in this country.

On Tuesday evening, activists and demonstrators gathered with some families of people who had died in interactions with the New York Police Department at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They called for defunding the police, holding officers accountable and removing police officers from schools. Following the rally, they set off on a march through Brooklyn streets.

Several Floyd family members, including his young daughter Gianna, met with Biden and Harris earlier Tuesday. Biden, who previously pledged to continue fighting for racial justice, said he hopes the Senate can quickly pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and get it to his desk.

We have to act, he said of the legislation that would ban chokeholds and no-knock police raids and create a national registry for officers disciplined for serious misconduct.

Floyds brother Philonise told CNN he thinks about George all the time.

My sister called me at 12 oclock last night and said This is the day our brother left us,' he said, adding: I think things have changed. I think it is moving slowly but we are making progress.

Also Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights, the first Black woman to hold the position. In the last few weeks, the Justice Department under Biden has announced sweeping investigations into the police in Minneapolis and Louisville and brought federal civil rights charges against the officers involved in Floyds death.

Separately, the Floyd family announced the launch of a fund that will make grants to businesses and community organizations in the neighborhood, as well as broader grants encouraging the success and growth of Black citizens and community harmony. The money comes from $500,000 earmarked as part of the city's $27 million civil settlement for the Floyd family.

___

Associated Press writer Amy Forliti and Deepti Hajela in New York City contributed to this report.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
MIDDLETOWN  E Chiamamulu Paisanu! Primu Diu E Sammastianu!

This Italian phrase, which translates to Hes one of our own! First God and then St. Sebastian, will be heard once again on the streets of Middlefield and Middletown for what will be the centennial anniversary of the St. Sebastians Church event.

Organizers have tentatively scheduled the feast, festival and parade from Sept. 17 to 19, a delay of a few months, due to COVID-19. The event was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

We expect there will not be any more surges, Common Council Majority Leader and feast chairman Gene Nocera said in a prepared statement. We are optimistic. It is a historic event, and very rare, because of the centennial anniversary.

This will be a very special year for us, commemorating this milestone event of our faith, devotion, heritage and culture, festival second chairman Salvatore Nesci said in a press release issued by Frank Logiudice. The I Nuri will be participating, and my hope is to have more involvement and enthusiasm around this celebration than ever.

There will be a centennial anniversary Mass Sept. 19, and invitations have gone out to representatives of St. Sebastians Church in Melilli, Sicily, after which the Middletown church was modeled. Once Mass is over, the runners will enter the church, shouting praises to God and St. Sebastian for their help during the year, according to the news release.

In addition to religious observances, there will be food booths and rides, as well as an hour-long laser show Sept. 18 at 9 p.m.  similar to what is done at Disney World, Nocera said. It will be amazing, he said in the news release. Everything will be connected to the 100th anniversary theme.

The festival committee will be following state and federal protocols COVID-19 regarding safety, with hand-washing stations and other measures, in accordance with health department regulations and safety guidelines from the Diocese of Norwich.

There may not be a food auction this year, because people are restricted from bringing in food, Nocera said. There is a possibility the food auction may still occur because applicable restrictions may be lifted by September.

You can expect music, authentic food, amusements and spiritual devotion, including our Sunday Mass and procession, Nesci said.

The high Mass will be broadcast live on radio stations WLIS/WMRD-AM 1150 and 1420. A program for the festival will be available soon.

For information, visit Saint Sebastian Church, Middletown on Facebook.
EAST HAMPTON  The remains at the yellow COVID-19 alert level, as its case rate continues decline.

East Hampton had nine new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the last two weeks, which brings the two-week average daily positivity rate to 5 per 100,000 population, according to a press release, which cites data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Earlier this month, the rate was 8.9 per 100,000.

The two-week rate equates to less than one new case each day, Chatham Health Director Russell Melmed said in a news release. Residents are urged to continue safe practices to protect themselves and others. A significant part of the effort to be safer and to eliminate the need for masks is the vaccine, he said.

As of May 20, DPH information shows that about 57 percent, or almost 7,400, of residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccines, Melmed said. Detailed information shows that virtually all town residents over 65 are vaccinated, and more than 65 percent of residents between 45 and 64 are vaccinated. About 54 percent of eligible residents between 15 and 45 have been vaccinated, the news release says.

All eligible residents are encouraged to be vaccinated as soon as possible, Melmed said. The Chatham Health District is holding clinics for 18 and older. Those younger than 18 interested in the vaccine (which must be Pfizer) should seek information via the states COVID information portal at portal.ct.gov.

Mask wearing is required in most noneducation-related town facilities for those who are fully vaccinated, the release said.

Certain town programs and activities, including those presented by the Recreation Department, Library and Senior Center, have slightly different policies depending on the population served, number of participants or , and those policies will be communicated to participants, the health director said.
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP)  A funeral service will be held Thursday for a Louisiana oilman and philanthropist who died when his small stunt jet crashed into a lake.

The service for Fred L. Phillips, whose SubSonex plane crashed Sunday into Cross Lake in Shreveport, will be at Bnai Zion Congregation in Shreveport, the family's obituary said.

His philanthropy included The Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center, which his parents founded. He created The Electra Churchill Foundation to focus on burns and on trauma awareness after his longtime partner, Electra Churchill, died in a house explosion and fire in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, in 2019. Phillips was seriously burned in that fire.

There is peace knowing that he was doing what he loved and is reunited with his true love, the obituary said.

It said that although Phillips had dedicated his life to the oil business, his passion was aviation, and he had been a pilot since he was 19. He would have turned 74 in June.

Sonex Aircraft LLC GM Mark Schaible described the SubSonex in a 2016 news release as an airplane that satisfies the wildest flying dreams of most pilots: to own and fly a little aerobatic jet fighter."

The accident on Sunday is among at least five fatal small plane crashes in eight days, all of which are being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

A young crop duster died May 18 near Clayton, Louisiana; one person died Friday near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; two died when their plane crashed on Saturday near Winterville, North Carolina; and one died Monday in a fiery crash in Vancleave, Kentucky.

The agency also is investigating the crash that killed the pilot of a military contract jet on Monday in a Las Vegas neighborhood.

An investigator arrived in Shreveport on Monday, and will be requesting radar data and other information including air traffic control communication, airplane maintenance records and the pilots medical records, board spokesman Keith Holloway said Tuesday.

The investigator will also check and interview any witnesses that may be able to provide some insight on what may have occurred. None of that information is available from the NTSB currently, he said in an email.

Several witnesses reported the crash, the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office said Sunday.
According to a press release published by Northrop Grumman on May 25, 2021, MQ-8C Fire Scout, the U.S. Navys only ship-based autonomous helicopter program, passes the initial fit check aboard the USS Anchorage (LPD-23) at Naval Base San Diego demonstrating the aircraft suitability for the U.S. Marine Corps amphibious warfare mission.

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MQ-8C Fire Scout aboard USS Anchorage (Picture source: Northrop Grumman)

MQ-8C Fire Scout, which has integrated the AN/ZPY-8 radar, is expected to reach Initial Operating Capability in this new configuration this summer and begin.

The Fire Scout is an unmanned helicopter system that provides real-time Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), target-acquisition, laser designation and battle management to tactical users without relying on manned aircraft or space-based assets.

The MQ-8C Fire Scouts airframe is based on the commercial Bell 407, a mature helicopter with more than 1,400 airframes produced and over 4 million flight hours. The MQ-8C Fire Scout is an upgrade to the existing B variant, which first deployed in 2009. With its larger airframe and its ability to autonomously take-off and land on any aviation-capable ship, the C can fly nearly twice as long and carry three times more payload than its predecessor.

Fire Scout autonomous helicopters like the MQ-8C already demonstrated targeting capabilities at sea, overland, teaming with manned assets, and integrating new technologies.

Teamed with the manned MH-60 helicopter, the MQ-8 Fire Scout extends the range and endurance of ship-based operations. It provides unique situational awareness and precision target support for the Navy.

The USS Anchorage (LPD-23) is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock and the second ship of the United States Navy to be the namesake of the U.S. city of Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage's keel was laid down on 24 September 2007, at the Avondale Shipyard near New Orleans, Louisiana, then owned by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. The ship was launched on 12 February 2011. She was christened two months later, on 14 May  the first ship christened by Huntington Ingalls Industries since Northrop Grumman spun off its shipbuilding divisions as a separate company. The ship was formally delivered and accepted by the U.S. Navy on 17 September 2012. Anchorage was commissioned 4 May 2013, in her eponymous city.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Republican leaders forcefully condemned GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday, calling her comments comparing COVID-19 safety measures like mask-wearing to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany appalling.

Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling," House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a statement, which stopped short of calling for Greene to face disciplinary measures. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling."

Greene, a conservative firebrand from Georgia and ally of former President Donald Trump, has thrived on stirring controversy, pushing conspiracy theories and forcefully confronting her colleagues since taking her seat in the House in January. But, until now, Republican leaders have proven hesitant to criticize her and refused to join with Democrats earlier this year when they voted to strip her of committee assignments.

Their rebuke Tuesday came after Greene made an appearance on a conservative podcast, The Water Cooler with David Brody, released last Thursday. In her interview, Greene excoriated safety protocols adopted by House Democrats, including a requirement that masks be worn on the House floor. She also called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentally ill and suggested that the rules were comparable to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

You know, we can look back in a time and history where people were told to wear a gold star. And they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany, Greene said on the podcast. This is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about.

After her remarks sparked a firestorm of online criticism, Greene leaned in to the comparison further.

On Tuesday, she tweeted out a news story about a grocery store chain that plans to allow vaccinated employees to go maskless. Those who do would have a logo on their name tags indicating they had been vaccinated.

Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star, Greene tweeted.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Greene's comments one of her "frequent outbursts that are absolutely outrageous and reprehensible. Still, he said any disciplinary action against her would have to come from the House.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 House GOP leader, said equating mask wearing and vaccines to the Holocaust minimized "the most significant human atrocities ever committed.

Democrats said Greene should face more than just a public rebuke.

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., proposed censuring Greene. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called on her to change her rhetoric and behavior if she intends to remain a Member of the House. Pelosi, who previously suggested that Greene could face an ethics inquiry, called her comments so beyond reprehensible that they should have no place in our country.

The furor is just the latest provocative chapter in the activist-turned-lawmaker's brief tenure in the House.

Earlier this month, Greene followed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., off the House floor, shouting that the Democrat supported terrorists and doesnt care about the American people. She also appeared in Facebook Live video filmed outside Ocasio-Cortezs office, taunting the congresswoman through the mail slot of a locked door to get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens.

Before her election, Greene supported Facebook posts that advocated violence against Democrats and the FBI. In one 2018 post, she speculated that lasers or blue beams of light controlled by a left-wing cabal tied to a powerful Jewish family could have been responsible for sparking California wildfires.

And in February 2019, Greene appeared in an online video filmed at the U.S. Capitol, arguing that two Muslim lawmakers werent really official members of Congress because they didnt take the oath of office on the Bible.
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP)  A New Mexico man who pleaded no contest in the 2016 killings of his wife and their four daughters ages 3-14 faces five consecutive life sentences.

Juan David Villegas-Hernandez's pleas to five counts of first-degree murder ended his trial on May 13 and he was sentenced May 19 by state District Judge Dustin K. Hunter.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A broad tax cut proposal from North Carolina Senate Republicans that began its advance in the chamber on Tuesday also contains federal COVID-19 relief money to give more aid to businesses that previously received federal or state pandemic assistance.

GOP finance leaders unveiled an amended version of its tax plan, some of which was already revealed in March and contained an individual income tax rate reduction and more generous standard deductions. The latest edition also would increase the amount of per-child deductions by $500. If approved, more low-income individuals would pay zero income tax, and all individual filers would see their monetary tax burdens reduced.

Republicans have made rate reductions and deduction increases a cornerstone of their fiscal policy since a landmark overhaul in 2013 consolidated taxes to one flat rate and scaled back credits.

We are proposing yet another tax cut because we believe people spend their money better than government does, Sen. Paul Newton, a Cabarrus County Republican and Senate Finance Committee co-chairman, said during a news conference. Allowing North Carolinians to keep their own money is the best form of stimulus our economy could have.

The new version also attempts to assist business owners and some nonprofits that received the federal forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans and other government assistance to keep employees hired during the pandemic. State law prevented PPP recipients from treating loan proceeds as business expenses that could be deducted, leaving an otherwise higher tax burden that business owners say would impair their recovery. The House passed legislation that would allow the deductions, resulting in smaller tax bills.

The Senate GOP tries to address that monetary loss instead by creating a program that would set aside $1 billion of North Carolina's share of American Rescue Plan funds to send grants automatically to any entity that received PPP loans or awards from four other business relief programs. These grants would be based on aid received but capped at $18,750.

Newton said the grant proposal would benefit as many as 400,000 businesses, or potentially double what the House plan would assist.

We believe that its a better alternative, he said. It also gets legislators who received PPP loans out of the uncomfortable position of voting for a law that would directly reduce their company's taxes.

The new version also envisions doing away with the corporate income tax, currently at 2.5%, by 2028. The latest reductions wouldnt begin until 2024. The rate was 6.9% in 2011. A zero rate has been a goal of Senate Republicans for a decade, saying it would provide a permanent way to attract new companies to North Carolina. The measure also would adjust how the business franchise tax is calculated in a way that will favor North Carolina-based businesses.

The bill was heard in the Senate Finance Committee later Tuesday, and was expected to reach the chamber floor in the next week or two for a vote. It likely will end up in the Senate version of its two-year budget and would be negotiated with the GOP-controlled House, which in recent years has taken a more cautious view on tax breaks.

Any final tax changes would go to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who has vetoed past budgets because he said they disproportionately cut taxes for corporations and high-wage earners while education needs are great.

Senate Republicans went to great pains on Tuesday to show that that K-12 per-pupil spending has grown since Republicans took control of the legislature 10 years ago, and that lower-income families would see a greater percentage decline in income taxes than high earners. A family of four making the states median household income of $54,602 would see a 21% decline in taxes, according to GOP leaders.

Still, Cooper's office quickly panned Tuesday's measure, contrasting it with the once-in-a-generation opportunity to spend pots of money on critical needs and provide tax cuts for families who really need it.

The last thing we need is more sweeping tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest among us instead of investments in our hard working families and communities, Cooper spokesman Ford Porter wrote in an email.

The updated tax proposals would result in the state collecting $2 billion less that it would otherwise bring in through mid-2023, according to the legislatures fiscal analysts. Senate Republicans said the states positive fiscal picture will keep its coffers full despite the tax reductions.

The plan would decrease the individual income tax rate of 5.25% to 4.99% next year, and increase the amount of income not subject to taxes for all filers. For example, the standard deduction for a married couple filing jointly would increase from $21,500 to $25,500 in 2022.
COLD SPRING, Minn. (AP)  Leaders of a rural, central Minnesota school district say they plan to reexamine policies on bullying and discipline following reports that students of color have been targets of racist harassment.

Andrea Robinson says her Black children have repeatedly been targets of racist behavior in Rocori public schools.

Robinson said theyve been called a racial epithet by other students, and have been singled out unfairly for discipline when they lashed out in response, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

School board chairman Jason Wesenberg says members will meet and develop an action plan.

For that, I apologize to the community and the hurt that this has caused, Wesenberg said at a board meeting last week. But Im very hopeful and encouraged that the outcome of this event will result in a very positive and growth opportunity for our district.

Superintendent Brad Kelvington said the district won't tolerate harassment and bullying and that it's working to improve on that.

Efforts he cited include forming a district-wide equity committee, increasing staff training and student discussions focused on inclusiveness, providing mental health support to students and a tip line where they can anonymously report bullying.

The Rocori school district has about 2,000 students, who come from the Stearns County towns of Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond. About 87% of students in the district are white.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP)  More than 500 students in Connecticut walked out of school Monday to protest against racism after a classmate was arrested and charged for allegedly posting a racist slur on Snapchat with the photo of a Black student.

The students from two high schools in Fairfield, Connecticut, rallied for about three hours, hearing speeches and sharing their own experiences, the Connecticut Post reported.

The arrest of the student last week on a state hate crime charge of ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race was unusual and raises questions about the free speech rights of students.

The student arrested has not been identified. Judith Medor, whose son, Jamar, was the target of the Snapchat post, said school officials told her the other student was expelled from school. The school said the student is being held accountable but citing student privacy rights, declined to comment on whether the student was disciplined.

The day after the Snapchat post appeared online, Jamar Medors brother was called racist slurs in a phone call, the family has said. The police say they are investigating.

Its encouraging that people decided to walk out, said senior Sophia Mughal, one of the organizers.

She said a local group has asked for a meeting with the school board to discuss changes proposed in December including moving to restorative justice processes in schools, revising the curriculum to include diverse perspectives and hiring more teachers who are people of color.

Im really proud of our students for taking a stand for something that really matters, for change to happen in their community, said Fairfield Ludlowe Principal Greg Hatzis. If we cant allow that opportunity for students to have the chance to speak, then the dialogue cant continue and thats a really important step.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday convened and within seconds ended a special session called by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to expand Medicaid, dashing chances for the state to receive a one-time bonus of $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding.

The Senate and Assembly gaveled in and adjourned the special session in mostly empty chambers with only a handful of lawmakers in attendance.

The Assembly session lasted all of about 40 seconds, while the Senate was done in less than 10 seconds. There was no debate, let alone any votes taken, on the bill Evers called on the Legislature to pass. It marked the latest in a long line of defeats for Democrats on the issue.

Democrats have for years advocated in vain to expand eligibility for the state's Medicaid program known as BadgerCare Plus. This time, with the $1 billion in federal stimulus money at play, Democrats said it made no sense not to join 38 other states in accepting expansion.

Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz said rejecting Medicaid expansion was absurd and that no private business would make the same decision with so much federal money on the table.

Wisconsin has essentially been handed a $1 billion dollar lottery ticket," Hintz said. "The only acceptable answer is to cash it by expanding BadgerCare, and then invest it in our economic recovery.

Republicans who have long opposed expansion called the latest attempt a political stunt. Republicans say they don't want to move people from private insurance to the BadgerCare Plus plan and that they worry the federal money will dry up, forcing the state to pay a higher share for coverage.

Evers called the special session last week, promising to use $850 million of the $1 billion in federal money for a host of economic development projects. He called for saving the other $150 million.

Republicans have said if Evers wanted to fund those projects, he could instead tap some of the $2.5 billion coming to the state under the coronavirus stimulus bill.

Evers, in a statement after the vote, called it breathtaking that Republicans would turn down the $1 billion.

I think we should be doing everything we can to make sure our economy bounces back from this pandemic, and this special session was about finding common ground and getting bipartisan support for our efforts, Evers said. Clearly, its disappointing Republicans dont seem to take that responsibility seriously, and theyll have to explain to Wisconsinites why they made the decision they did today.

Republican legislative leaders defended their action in a letter to Evers, saying anyone just above the poverty rate can purchase affordable federally subsidized insurance through the marketplace.

Expanding Medicaid as you have proposed is unneeded and even reckless, the lawmakers wrote. The letter was signed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMaieu and the co-chairs of the Legislatures budget committee, Sen. Howard Marklein and Rep. Mark Born.

Accepting federal money available through the Affordable Care Act would increase the minimum income threshold to qualify from 100% of the federal poverty rate to 138%, which would increase the income eligibility for a single person from $12,880 a year to $17,774.

That would make about 91,000 more people eligible for BadgerCare Plus in Wisconsin.

In addition to the one-time $1 billion approved under the coronavirus stimulus bill, Wisconsin would see about $635 million in additional savings over the next two years due to a higher federal reimbursement under Medicaid expansion, based on estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Wisconsin would have seen an additional $2.8 billion in savings between 2013 and 2019 had it accepted full Medicaid expansion, according to the Fiscal Bureau.

___

Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this report.
ESSEX  Officials are seeking public input on a proposed decade-long plan for conservation and development along the Lower Connecticut River Valley, which, for the first time, will encompass an expanded region of towns along the river.

The plan, drafted over the course of the last year with the assistance of a Hartford-based consulting group, attempts to address regional concerns among residents of towns along the river and shoreline, such as population loss and the threat of climate change.

The Essex-based Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments, referred to as the RiverCOG, formally submitted the plan, looking for public comment from member towns earlier this month.

There will be a virtual hearing June 30.

The council consists of the chief elected officials of each of the municipalities within the region.

If adopted later this year, the plan will go into effect, although it is nonbinding for local governments. It will also be used by the RiverCOG, which has some statutory duties to advise its towns on proposed zoning changes.

RiverCOG was formed in 2012, following the merger of two smaller regional associations. The state-mandated decennial Regional Plan of Conservation and Development is the first developed by the combined organization, which stretches from Middletown to Old Saybrook on both sides of the Connecticut River.

FHI Studio, based in Hartford, served as a consultant on the project.

We want this to be a tool, and something that is of use to the land-use commissions as they consider new proposals, as they amend their zoning regulations, as they update their town plans, said Sam Gold, the executive director at RiverCOG.

While the plan is nonbinding, the draft does weigh in on some politically fraught issues. Addressing housing costs, the draft plan calls on towns to accommodate a variety of household types and needs, something lawmakers in Hartford declined to mandate this session.

Another section, dealing with climate change, lists global warming and sea level rise as threats to the region, and advocates for resiliency planning in shoreline communities.

Frank DeFelice, chairman of the Durham Planning and Zoning Commission, who also oversees RiverCOGs regional planning committee, said Monday that regardless of views about the legislatures efforts on housing reform, the issue is at the forefront for local officials in the river valley.

They all recognize that there is a need, a real need for affordable housing and diverse housing stock, DeFelice said. Having just one type of housing, or two types of housing in a town, can affect the ability to have volunteers that will work in the volunteer fire department, in the ambulance, or even serve on boards and commissions in our towns.

In Old Saybrook, Republican First Selectman Carl Fortuna said he preferred having potentially contentious planning issues addressed at the local level or through advisory policies rather than statewide mandates. While he had not read the draft plan, he encouraged RiverCOG to jump on issues, such as housing.

We work a lot better through the [RiverCOG] than having state government determine whats best for us, Fortuna said.

According to research conducted for the draft report, the 17-town region covered by RiverCOG saw a declining population over the last decade, while the median age increased 18 percent, to 45.6 years old.

Gold said the trend was not unusual for Connecticut, which was among the slowest-growing states in the country, according to the results of the 2020 census.

Were concerned about our demographics, making sure that our region, our towns and our cities, Middletown, are welcoming to younger adults, welcoming to younger families, because those people are our future workforce. Those people are our future entrepreneurs, and theyre also our volunteer firefighters, theyre our planning and zoning commission members, Gold said.

Following the comment period, Gold said the plan will be revised to address some of that input before a final version is submitted to the RiverCOG for ratification around September.

Following its publication earlier this month, the conservation and development plan was opened to public comment until the final hearing at the end of June. Members of the public are encouraged to read the plan and submit comments rivercog.org.
PORTLAND  A Hartford man faces second-degree manslaughter and numerous driving-related charges in connection with a fatal crash last November, according to police.

The crash happened on Route 17, Glastonbury Turnpike, near its intersection with Apple Tree Lane on Nov. 5, 2020.

Traci Carey, 51, of Main Street in Portland, was killed when she was hit head-on by a vehicle that crossed the double-yellow line, police said at the time.

The driver of the other car, identified by police as Adam Lopez, was pulled from his burning vehicle by a police officer. Lopez was flown to the hospital, where he was initially in critical condition.

Portland police listed Lopezs April 22 arrest on their website.

Lopez, 41, of Harbison Avenue in Hartford, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, failure to drive in a proper lane, unsafe passing, operating a unregistered motor vehicle, illegal operation of a motor vehicle under suspension and illegally operation of a motor vehicle without minimum insurance.

Gerald Klein, Lopezs attorney, said his client was horrendously injured and, while it looks like he was the cause of the accident, he believes he was drastically overcharged. He said Lopez was going to fast, but had minimal drugs or alcohol in his system.

Which, to me, doesnt come close to manslaughter, but well see how it shakes out in court, he said.

Klein said it would be up to a jury to decide whether Lopezs actions amounted to recklessness, criminal negligence or negligence, which distinguish the different types of crimes someone can be charged with after a fatal motor vehicle accident. He said he anticipates Lopez will plea not-guilty.

Lopez was held on a $250,000 bond and was not released from custody, court documents on the judicial branch website show. Hes expected to enter pleas on the charges during a June 25 court appearance.


THOUSANDS of people, mostly Zanu PF supporters, yesterday gathered in defiance of COVID-19 safety protocols in central Harare for the unveiling of the statue of Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana.

This was the third time inside a week that President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a State function without adhering to World Health Organisation-prescribed safety protocols.

Last Friday, he addressed a huge gathering at Chief Njeleles homestead in Gokwe South, in the Midlands province, where some of the attendees were not wearing masks.

The next day, he attended the memorial service of the late Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri in Chikomba district, where he attracted a sizeable gathering. Shiri succumbed to COVID-19 in July last year and was buried at the National Heroes Acre.

This comes as the country is under threat of a third wave, with the deadly Indian variant of the disease having already claimed one life and infected nine people in Kwekwe.

Yesterday, traditional leaders performed rituals at the unveiling of the statue of the revered spirit medium where they described President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the chosen leader for the country.

Thousands of Zanu PF supporters clad in party regalia, chanting revolutionary songs thronged the site where Mbuya Nehandas statue stands at the intersection of Julius Nyerere Way and Samora Machel Avenue in Harare.

The Zanu PF youths threatened to beat up opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his supporters in Harare.

Mnangagwa, who was flanked by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and several Cabinet ministers during the unveiling ceremony, said the country would continue to push for the return of Mbuya Nehandas remains from the United Kingdom for proper burial.

His remarks come after suggestions by some sections of society that government should have repatriated Mbuya Nehandas skull from the UK before erecting a statue in her honour.

Norton MP Temba Mliswa (Independent) said it would have been prudent for Mbuya Nehandas remains to be repatriated home before the statue was mounted in her honour.

During the unveiling ceremony, some six traditional leaders knelt and performed traditional rituals at the site, claiming that Mnangagwa was chosen by the spirit a long time ago as the leader of the Second Republic.

We ask you to bless us because we have remembered your spring that you hit with a stick and water gushed out, the chiefs said during the ceremony.

This is what your great grandson has done, the angel of the country. We have remembered you, so please give us the gift from the deepest of your spring. Your sons, the chiefs, are here and being led by our war veterans and those we elected as you said a long time ago that he who I will name will lead you in the second journey of the children of Zimbabwe.

We have Mnangagwa, you told us he was your chosen one and you told us that, we as chiefs, should respect him for you have chosen him. Please give our leaders the brains and the power to lead us.

After the function, Mnangagwa handed over 18 vehicles to traditional leaders to enable them to conduct their duties effectively.

The same traditional leaders once declared that the late former President Robert Mugabe should rule for life before the veteran leader was deposed in November 2017 via a military coup orchestrated by Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, his former loyalists.

In his address, Mnangagwa said: The towering Mbuya Nehanda statue we are gathered here to unveil is a reflection of heroic people of our country from Zambezi to Limpopo who sacrificed for the freedom we enjoy today.





We are a people who we are, and where we come from and where we intend to go.

In her heroic defiance to the brutal hanging, she declared that mapfupa angu achamuka (my bones shall rise). Present and future generations must correctly contextualise that emphatic declaration, Mnangagwa said.

In choosing the site, Mnangagwa said it was the spring where Mbuya Nehanda would drink water from and rest.

You see those trees there, there is a church. A long time ago when she was fighting the oppressors, it was there where there was a well she would drink from, he said, adding that his government was seeking to tell the correct history of the country and was setting the record straight.

It is not a place where young boys and girls will loiter around with their lovers hand-in-hand. We must respect the place, he said. Newsday
A pilot with aerospace defense contractor Draken International died after one of its aircraft assigned to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, crashed in north Las Vegas around 2:30 p.m. local time, according to base officials.

The aircraft was owned and operated by Draken U.S., and used in support of adversary air training, base officials said Monday.

The Florida-based company confirmed that the pilot died in the crash.

The pilots identity has not yet been released; no other personnel were on board, Draken said in a separate statement. The men and women of Team Nellis send our deepest condolences to the teammates, friends and family of our Draken wingman.

Draken did not identify the type of jet involved in the accident. The company is cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies as they conduct their crash investigation.

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The Clark County Fire Department and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to the scene, according to Fox 5 KVVU-TV News. Videos posted on social media show a black plume of smoke near a residential area roughly four miles south of the base.

Nellis Air Force Base is home of the annual Red Flag training exercise, which prepares pilots and crew for warfighting scenarios across the globe. The base is also home to the Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 demonstration team.

Multiple defense companies also operate from the base for aggressor training, in which pilots -- often U.S. military retirees -- simulate fighting as enemy "red air" forces against active-duty Air Force pilots in air-to-air training.

In March 2020, Draken announced it had begun Dassault Mirage F1M fighter jet missions in support of Air Force combat readiness training at Nellis.

"The fully modernized Mirage F1Ms, predominantly flown by the Spanish Air Force in the past, now challenge U.S. and coalition fourth-and-fifth generation fighters over the skies of the Nevada Test and Training Range in the development of warfighter's tactics, techniques, and procedures," Draken said in a release at the time.

In 2019, the Air Force issued a contract for assault and combat training to Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, a subsidiary of Textron Airborne Solutions; Air USA Inc.; Blue Air Training; Coastal Defense; Draken International; Tactical Air Support, known as TacAir; and Top Aces Corp.

Outsourcing the work to these companies cost $6.4 billion, according to the contract announcement.

Since then, a number of companies have been expanding their aggressor fleets.

In February, a Mirage F1B fighter crashed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; that aircraft belonged to Textron's Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, known as ATAC.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs is intensifying efforts to end veteran homelessness after three years of no progress. But it could soon be overwhelmed by a tsunami of need as the full effects of a year-long pandemic and ending a moratorium on evictions become clear.

While no complete count has been made of the homeless population this year, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge said in a March statement that her department's 2020 report of 37,250 homeless veterans was "devastating" enough.

"We know the pandemic has only made the homelessness crisis worse," she added.

Fudge and VA Secretary Denis McDonough pledged improvements in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, or HUD-VASH, program to provide vouchers for rental assistance and case management from the VA for homeless veterans.

More than 104,900 vouchers were issued between 2008 and 2019, according to HUD, but the program has been limited by the time-consuming process of verifying veterans' status and then determining their eligibility for the vouchers.

In a joint statement issued April 12, McDonough and Fudge said that one of their "new approaches to serving veterans for whom prior efforts may have fallen short" will be to expand voucher eligibility to those with less-than-honorable discharges and speed the process with a new digitized system.

The secretaries also made a markedly candid admission about the failure of their efforts to date, saying "progress towards ending veteran homelessness has stalled" despite the work of multiple federal agencies, cities, states and more than 2,100 nonprofits since 2010. It's a far cry from the confidence with which then-President Barack Obama and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced in 2009 they planned to end veterans homelessness entirely by 2015.

The question remains: Will new efforts make a difference in light of a homelessness epidemic expected to balloon as the pandemic ends?

An annual survey overseen by HUD estimated there were 37,000-plus homeless veterans, out of a total homeless population of about 580,000, each year from 2018 to 2020. The 2021 survey was cut short by pandemic restrictions.

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HUD estimates that 37,878 veterans were either living on the streets or in emergency shelters in 2018; 37,085 in 2019; and 37,252 in 2020.

The VA and HUD secretaries also pointedly noted that the 37,000-plus figure "does not account for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has added to the nation's housing challenges."

Veterans who have experienced homelessness told Military.com that getting off the streets and into permanent housing is a long-lasting struggle that requires personal resolve and a range of support services to get past the panhandling and dumpster diving that many use to survive.

Former Air Force Sgt. Keven Kinsey and former Marine Corps Cpl. Jeff Stout count themselves among the lucky ones who got off the street before the pandemic hit.

Kinsey had scrounged a tent and was living in a Los Angeles alleyway, where police mainly gave him a pass as a harmless alcoholic.

"Nobody wanted to deal with 'Drunk Kevin' [as he was known on the street]. He was a fool," Kinsey said of his former self.

In Rochester, New York, drugs took over Stout's life. Back problems that began in the service led to surgeries, job loss, a failed marriage and then what he called a "downward spiral" from painkillers to heroin and cocaine use.

He lived where he could. "Sometimes under a bridge; sometimes in somebody's car. Sometimes, somebody let me spend the night someplace. Just poppin' all over the place, man," he said.

Kinsey and Stout were among several current or formerly homeless veterans who spoke to Military.com on the homeless veteran issue -- which three previous administrations and now the Biden administration have pledged to eliminate. Some gave their full names, while others spoke on a first name-only basis.

Both Kinsey and Stout eventually kicked their drug habits and got off the street with some help before the pandemic took hold in early 2020. It brought on an economic downturn that officials and advocacy groups fear has led to a major surge in homelessness nationwide, although there currently are no reliable estimates on the scope of the problem.

However, the VA signaled in May 2020 just how bad the situation had become during the pandemic by issuing a plea for public donations to assist homeless veterans.

Despite its own budget of more than $240 billion, the department asked the public to write checks, donate food and contribute mobile phones to help homeless veterans and those at risk of eviction during the pandemic.

Then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said, "These donations can make a critical difference in the department's ability to protect and serve vulnerable veterans during this public health emergency."

Housing First, Everything Else Later

In their April 12 statement, McDonough and Fudge announced a series of initiatives to tackle veteran homelessness, with an emphasis on a "Housing First" policy to move vets into apartments or shelters quickly and deal later with the underlying issues of unemployment, addiction and mental health through supportive services.

The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 12 includes $10 billion in funding for the homeless or those at risk of homelessness, they said.

Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan "would invest $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than two million affordable homes," the secretaries said, although passage of the bill is problematic in a deeply divided Congress.

Even if the money becomes available, the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, has warned that the VA may lack the continuing supportive services necessary to keep veterans housed and to overcome the reluctance of landlords to rent to those who may have addiction or mental health issues.

In a May 2020 report, the GAO said, "Shortages in VA case managers may limit the number of veterans they are able to serve. ... High housing costs and limited stock make it difficult to find affordable housing for homeless veterans."

HUD attempted again this year to get a grasp on the scope of the homeless problem through its Annual Homeless Assessment Report, a point-in-time survey conducted each January mainly by volunteers and community groups, but the effort was severely limited by the pandemic. A number of cities, including New York and San Francisco, declined to participate because of COVID-19 restrictions.

As a result, HUD and the VA have no reliable current estimates or projections on the number of homeless veterans, or a breakdown on those counted as "sheltered" and "unsheltered."

The agencies classify sheltered veterans as those living in emergency shelters provided by cities and community groups, while the unsheltered are in places "not fit for human habitation," such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings or the squalid tent cities that pop up nationwide.

"HUD does not have projections on the impact of COVID-19 on veteran homelessness at this time," a HUD spokesperson said in a May 10 statement to Military.com. statement to Military.com this month. The lack of data is more pronounced for unsheltered veterans.

In the statement, a HUD spokesperson said, "We don't have good data on the number of veterans who have not been served by HUD-VASH due to discharge status" in the past. Last year, Congress expanded HUD rental voucher eligibility to those with other-than-honorable discharges.

Only about one-third of the communities that normally participate in annual assessment "conducted some form of an unsheltered count" this year because of COVID safety concerns, the HUD statement said.

A Looming Evictions Crisis

Christine Pietryga, chief operating officer of Pittsburgh-area nonprofit Veterans Leadership Program, said the organization had seen "something of a surge" in evictions during the pandemic despite the federal eviction moratorium enacted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

"We try to be proactive in getting [veterans] up-to-date on rent," she said. But some individuals "have fallen significantly behind on rent during COVID."

Landlords currently are restricted from giving eviction notices to those who have fallen behind on rent, Pietryga said. But there is concern that evictions will skyrocket with the moratorium due to expire June 30.

In a May 5 ruling on a lawsuit brought by landlords from several states, Judge Dabney Friedrich in federal district court in the District of Columbia vacated the CDC's moratorium order on May 5. The CDC's administrative action exceeded its authority, she said in her ruling.

"The question for the court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not," Friedrich said.

On May 14, Friedrich stayed her ruling to allow for an appeal, but the prospect still looms that millions of Americans nationwide who have fallen behind on their rent could face eviction. Two vets helped by the Veterans Leadership Program could be among them.

Former Army Spc. 4 Gerald, from a small town north of Philadelphia, met the demanding standards of the service's "Old Guard," the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, during his time in the military. He said he was one of the sentinels assigned to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, and also served in firing parties, casket carrying and flag foldings at funerals and at White House and Pentagon ceremonies.

"It was a high-pressure unit, with all the spit and shine and that," Gerald said. "I just couldn't take it anymore. I figured I'd do my time and then get out." But, he said, "I just didn't adjust to civilian life."

"I was living with my parents, drinking, taking Dilantin [an anticonvulsant]. I started blacking out," he recalled.

When one of the blackouts turned violent, "Mom called the staties on me," Gerald said, adding that he ended up serving 13 years in prison for aggravated assault and firearms possession.

When he got out in early 2020, "I thought, 'This is not the world I left behind.' This pandemic has screwed up everything," he said. He lived in a motel until he ran out of money but insisted that he was never on the street.

Gerald said he hooked up with the Veterans Leadership Program through a friend last November. Through VLP, he recently moved into an apartment with a roommate in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and said he is looking forward to "getting my life back together. I always look to the future."

Former Petty Officer 2nd Class William came to the VLP by a different route, which took him through several states after serving 10 years in the Navy, with deployments aboard the amphibious transport docks La Salle and Nashville, and the amphibious command ship Mount Whitney.

"I had thought about making [the Navy] a career, but life kinda got in the way," William said. He was married with a child while in the service. "They couldn't always deal with that, so I got out. I kinda wish I had stuck it out, but it wasn't in the cards."

He left the Navy in 1996, and then his marriage fell apart.

"I guess you could say I was homeless for probably four years. I wasn't on [the] street all those years, maybe staying here and there with family. But as far as a stable place to live -- nothing."

He said his main problem was "probably alcoholism, maybe PTSD a little bit."

"I ended up on the street, stayed in Norfolk [Virginia] for a while, moved to Maryland with my sister, moved to Florida for a little while, then Louisiana. Then moved to Pittsburgh in 1998," William said. "For a little while then, my Mom took me in, helped me get on my feet. [I] got an apartment on my own two years later." He landed a union job.

Then, his second marriage broke up about two years ago. "I guess you could say I found myself homeless again," William said. Then, he was laid off from his job when COVID hit.

His sister referred him to the VLP. He managed to find an apartment and get assistance from the HUD-VASH program.

"I didn't know those things existed," he said. "So technically, I wasn't homeless." HUD-VASH helped with utilities.

"They've been paying my rent, I think, going on five months now," William said. VLP aides also "dropped off some food a couple of times, boxes of food. They've been really helpful."

"I feel the homeless situation has gotten worse since COVID," he said. "We had the eviction moratorium, but some people fell through the cracks on that.

"I'm fortunate because I have a really compassionate landlord" and the assistance of the Veterans Leadership Program, William said. "I'm really not sure where I would be right now if it wasn't for that. I might be one of those people [out on the street again]. That could very well be my situation."

An Accurate Count

To speed the process, the VA has digitized its Status Query and Response System, or SQUARES, program for getting online information on a veteran's status and eligibility for vouchers and other benefits to the more than 1,200 authorized homeless service organizations nationwide who work with the VA and HUD.

Previously, the organizations had to go through a cumbersome paperwork process to establish the veteran's identity and eligibility for HUD-VASH and other benefits with the DD-214 form, the record of a service member's time in the military and discharge status.

The new system also takes the onus off the veteran for providing verification, said Monica Diaz, executive director of the Veterans Health Administration Homeless Program Office.

"It's a significant change," she said. Homeless veterans often will not have their DD-214 or other required paperwork, or know how to get it. But with the new system, providers can access the information directly, she explained.

"The veteran will not have to be carrying around the paperwork," Diaz said. "That's a big difference" in getting veterans the benefits and services they rate.

SQUARES has already won praise from organizations working with the VA and HUD to assist homeless veterans.

"This has really solved a big problem. This can let us know in minutes [the veteran's status and eligibility]," said Ken Leslie, founder of Veterans Matter, an organization that helps make up the difference when a veteran comes up short for rent or deposit.

Hard Times from New York to LA

"We're probably going to see a huge spike" in the number of homeless veterans when the eviction moratorium ends and unemployment benefits run out, said Laura Stradley, a former Army staff sergeant and executive director of the Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester, New York. "Our major concern is on the flip side of the moratorium."

She said an "odd phenomenon was at play" during the harsh winter months that helped keep homeless veterans off the streets.

Families tend to be more willing to allow relatives dealing with unemployment or mental health issues to stay with them in the winter, but they lose patience as the weather warms, Stradley said.

"We're kind of all bracing for this onslaught on needs that will be present that we may or may not be able to meet. It's going to be, I think, a pretty heavy lift," she said. "If we have an onslaught of people coming in that are in great need -- will we be able to provide that level of care and service to each person that comes in when the time comes? I mean, we'll do everything in our power to make that happen, but it's going to be a challenge."

Stout, the former Marine, has been staying at the Richards House shelter in Rochester, run by the Veterans Outreach Center, since he kicked the drug habit on his own after hitting bottom.

"I thought I was OK, but the drugs kept getting really bad to the point that I was done. That led me to the Richards House," Stout said. He now receives 80% disability pay from the VA and is looking forward to moving into an apartment on his own.

"That place saved my life, man, they really did," he said of the Richards House. The staff made him feel "like I wasn't out there all by myself. It's hard coming out of the service. I felt lost everywhere, like I just didn't connect with anything."

"People didn't understand, of course. How would they understand? Unless you've been in and gone through it, you don't get it," Stout said. "Richards House really helped." He said it made him realize "I'm not in this alone. I can't say enough about the staff there. They saved my life. I love those people."

The plight of the homeless in Rochester is mirrored in Washington, D.C., where even Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has taken notice of the tent cities that pop up around the District and has pledged to get involved.

Powell said he was stunned last month while driving to work past 30 to 40 tents that sprang up on the sidewalk near Federal Reserve headquarters off Constitution Avenue on the National Mall.

He later mentioned the homeless problem and what it might mean for the country's economic recovery in a "60 Minutes" interview and at an International Monetary Fund panel.

The tent city near the Federal Reserve was gone a few days after Powell took notice, but he said at an April 28 news conference on monetary policy that he planned to meet with the homeless.

"I have met with homeless people many times ... and I think it's always good to talk to people and hear what's going on in their lives," he said. "It's an important thing to engage in, and we bring that understanding into our lives and, frankly, into our work."

Across the country in Los Angeles, there's a federal district judge who goes a step further than Powell by meeting with the homeless at their encampments on the city's "Skid Row" and pressing the city and state to expand affordable housing programs through his rulings on lawsuits brought by advocacy groups.

Khe Sanh Marine Gets on LA's Case

The VA and HUD have been forced to desperate measures in California, where HUD estimates that one in four homeless veterans now resides.

On a visit to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center in May 2019, then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie watched in amazement as cars pulled into the parking lot on the facility's sprawling grounds to spend the night there with the permission of the hospital.

"It was the saddest sight I have ever seen," Wilkie said a year later in an address to the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans. "I watched at dusk cars come into that wonderful, wonderful facility, and veterans did not get out of the cars.

"I was told that they all had jobs. They were contributing to the tax base and the prosperity of America's second-largest city, but because of government policy, there was no place for them to afford a decent living," Wilkie said.

The West LA VAMC has since expanded its parking program to allow a tent city for veterans on the grounds. And it provides services aimed at getting them apartments in LA's tight housing market.

In a recent interview, Stephen Peck, president and CEO of the nonprofit U.S. Veterans Initiative, said about 40 to 50 veterans are living in tents on the grounds of the West LA VAMC. His group is leading efforts to build permanent housing for 2,100 veterans on the West LA VAMC grounds.

"We're part of the principal development team" for the permanent housing, said Peck, a former Marine lieutenant who served with an artillery unit in Vietnam.

"We started construction last September, [but] we don't know where all the money is coming from [to complete the project]," he added.

"We all expect a surge" in the number of homeless veterans from the pandemic and the end of the rent moratorium, Peck said.

Advocacy groups face an additional problem: Veterans can sometimes be choosy about where they'll agree to stay.

"Veterans don't want to come off the street into congregate living," Peck explained. "In transitional housing programs, there are two or three to a room. They don't want to do that. They're either staying out on the street or taking advantage of additional funding to be put in hotels."

Peck has been aided in his efforts by Kinsey, the former Air Force sergeant, who now works for the U.S. Veterans Initiative after kicking his alcoholism.

"You have to make the decision on what you want to do and stick to it. For me, I had to go cold turkey so I could start receiving some instructions on how to live," Kinsey said. "For me, my step was to stop using, do what those who I trusted told me to do, follow some instructions. Once I did that, I received employment." He said he worked at Kmart and then at a center for at-risk youth before coming to the U.S. Veterans Initiative.

One of his tasks now is to work with incarcerated veterans, he said.

"A lot of veterans are in county jails. A lot of veterans go to jail from homelessness, so we go down there and try to provide them with an opportunity to do something different when they get out of the situation they're in," Kinsey said. "We provide letters for courts. We have alcohol and drug programs if a guy has that issue. Then, we start working on housing goals and employment goals."

Both Kinsey and Peck lauded Judge David O. Carter for holding the city and state to account on addressing the homelessness issue.

"He's a no-nonsense guy," Peck said of Carter, a Vietnam veteran who earned a Bronze Star with combat "V" and a Purple Heart as lieutenant with the 1st Battalion, Ninth Marines, in the 1968 battle of Khe Sanh.

"[Carter] really feels this to his core. What he's doing is acting as the conscience of homeless people in LA, ordering LA to do what it has avoided doing for many years," Peck said.

In a scathing 110-page ruling last month on a lawsuit brought by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, Carter ordered the city and county to house all of the homeless on "Skid Row" in central Los Angeles, believed to be the nation's largest homeless encampment.

"All of the rhetoric, promises, plans, and budgeting cannot obscure the shameful reality of this crisis -- that year after year, there are more homeless Angelenos, and year after year, more homeless Angelenos die on the streets," Carter wrote. Los Angeles County quickly filed a notice of appeal on the ruling.

In his ruling, Carter also ordered Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to come back to him with a detailed accounting of how he plans to spend about $1 billion in available funding to address homelessness in the city.

Carter laced his ruling with numerous historical references, citing the Gettysburg Address, in which Abraham Lincoln spoke of the "last full measure of devotion" given by those who died on the battlefield and the "unfinished work" the nation faced in the cause of freedom.

"Virtually every citizen of Los Angeles has borne the impacts of the city and county's continued failure to meaningfully confront the crisis of homelessness," Carter wrote. "The time has come to redress these wrongs and finish another measure of our nation's unfinished work.

"There can be no defense to the indefensible," he added. "For all the declarations of success that we are fed, citizens themselves see the heartbreaking misery of the homeless and the degradation of their city and county.

"Like Abraham Lincoln's call to action in his Gettysburg Address, it is for us 'to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far nobly advanced,' Carter said in the ruling. "Let us pick up that flag, and have the courage of those who fought so long ago, to act so that we can become a better nation and people."

Editor's Note: Richard Sisk was in the same Marine 1967 training class with David O. Carter at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: Female Veterans Are Fastest Growing Segment of Homeless Veteran Population
After two dead fin whales were removed from the hull of the HMAS Sydney, an Australian destroyer conducting exercises off the coast of San Diego on May 8, U.S. Navy officials emphasized that the service takes protective measures to mitigate environmental risks, according to a statement to Military.com.

"Whenever the U.S. Navy trains and/or tests, it employs protective measures that have been developed in coordination with the NOAA Fisheries," a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet told Military.com. "Those measures include using qualified lookouts; reducing power or halting active sonar transmissions when marine mammals get within a predetermined safety range; establishing safety zones around detonations; and maneuvering vessels to avoid marine mammals/endangered species."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency that shapes international ocean policy and addresses threats to natural resources, has taken several measures to prevent vessel strikes, including establishing speed restrictions and tracking vessel strikes through carcass examinations with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

Navy officials released a statement in the days immediately following the incident, saying, "The Navy takes marine mammal safety seriously and is disheartened this incident occurred."

In a letter last week, the Center for Biological Diversity announced its intent to sue the U.S. Navy and the National Marine Fisheries Service for what it called "violations" of the Endangered Species Act.

The incident is under joint review by U.S. and Australian agencies.

Five vessel strikes off the coast of California between 2018 and 2020 involved fin whales, according to federal data.

Though an analysis of data from the International Whaling Commission ship strike database indicates that approximately 239 marine mammals were hurt by vessel strikes in U.S. waters since 1820, research from NOAA suggests that marine mammal populations across the western coast, including California, are stable.

"Many marine mammal stocks in the West Coast Region are stable and/or increasing," research from NOAA's Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program states.

Despite best efforts to mitigate environmental damage, vessel size and speed can contribute to inadvertent vessel strikes, according to NOAA.

"Marine animals can be difficult for a vessel operator to see because they are not always clearly visible from the surface," information on vessel strikes from NOAA states. "And even if the operator sees the animal clearly, there may be no time for either of them to avoid a collision.

The Navy attaches long-term satellite tags to fin whales to study their movement patterns and help reduce the risk of vessel strikes, according to information from the Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing, or HSTT.

In addition to its own mitigation measures, the Navy utilizes the Early Warning System in various parts of the country to reduce ship strikes on whales, a study on vessel collisions reports.

Though mammal injury is possible when operating large ships, like the HMAS Sydney, research from HSTT indicates that the majority of incidents happen during training and testing activities and do not result in injury.

"Less than 0.03% of all estimated [incidents] would result in permanent threshold shifts or injury  or mortality," a 2017 HSTT environmental impact statement found.

It adds that temporary shifts in animal behavior -- including marine mammals acknowledging the sound, changing their vocalization and avoiding naval activity -- were the most common response, accounting for 99.97% of all interactions.

Available research indicates that "extremely high-risk" areas for marine mammals in North America "are attributable mainly to large commercial ships near major ports."

Analysis of 134 vessel strikes with a known vessel type in a NOAA technical memorandum found that Navy ships accounted for 17.1% of whale strikes; container/cargo ships/freighters, 14.9%; whale-watching vessels, 14.2%, cruise ships/liners, 12.7%, ferries, 11.9%; Coast Guard vessels, 6.7%; tankers, 6.0%; recreational vessels and steamships, 5.2%; fishing vessels, 3.0%; and other vessels, 0.75%.

However, the data may be somewhat skewed because Navy and Coast Guard vessels are required to report animal strikes, while other ships are not.

"Strikes of large whales by military vessels have been reported in U.S. and Canadian waters fairly often relative to other vessel types," the research found. "The data are skewed relative to other vessel types, however, because in the [U.S.], military vessels are required to report whale strikes as a condition of permitting certain naval exercises."
Fewer military members divorced in 2020 compared to other recent years, new data from the Pentagon shows.

But rather than signaling better marriage relationships for military families, the dip is likely simply linked to less accessible divorce proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Benjamin Karney, a researcher who has long studied military marriages for Rand Corp. Closed offices and delayed court proceedings made filing for and getting divorced harder, he said.

"Divorces are costly, and divorces require you to do stuff. You've got to go and meet with lawyers, you've got to sign paperwork, and when the country and the world is shut down, all of those things are harder," Karney said.

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Rather than those divorces being completely eliminated, he said, researchers instead expect the rate for 2021 to bounce back and then some.

"What you'll likely get for 2021 is all the divorces that were postponed for 2020 and all of the normal divorces for 2021," Karney said.

Of the 671,809 military members married at the start of 2020, 2.8%, or 18,494, got divorced, compared to the 3.1% who divorced over 2019, according to Defense Department personnel data released to Military.com. Among married Army enlistees, the largest subsection of troops at over 165,000, that rate fell from 2.9% in 2019 to 2.5% in 2020. For enlisted female soldiers, the largest subgroup of women at about 25,000, the rate fell from 8.2% in 2019 to 6.9% in 2020.

The military divorce rate is measured by calculating the number of troops married at the start of the fiscal year against the number of who reported a divorce to the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. The data is separated further by service, gender and officer versus enlisted.

For example, the 2020 divorce rate among all military officers was 1.7%, compared to 3.1% among all enlisted service members. The 2020 rate among all women was 6.5%, compared to 2.5% among all men.

The rate among female service members is typically two to three times higher than that among male troops, likely caused by a combination of factors including stress of service and their comparatively small total number, Karney said. Additionally, research shows that more than two-thirds of all divorces, both military and civilian, are initiated by women. That means the rate of divorces among female troops would appear disproportionately high compared to those of their male counterparts, he explained.

The military divorce rate and the overall U.S. divorce rate are not comparable thanks to how they are tracked, Karney said. The U.S. rate, measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, is calculated per 1,000 marriages and does not factor in several states, including California, because they do not compile the information.

The national rate sat at 2.9% in 2019, the latest year for which data has been released. The rate was also 2.9% in 2018, according to the CDC.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.

Related: Understanding Divorce in the Military
KABUL, Afghanistan  Australia is shutting its embassy in the Afghan capital later this week, citing security concerns ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops in what U.S. President Joe Biden has called the end of America's forever war.

Australia announced the temporary closure on Tuesday, and it is to take effect at the end of the week. A number of other embassies in the beleaguered Afghan capital have sent home non-essential personnel, warned their nationals against travelling to Afghanistan and urged those already in the country to consider leaving.

Several embassies contacted by The Associated Press declined to give details of their plans, but many are reported to have scaled back non-essential personnel. That includes the U.S. Embassy, which last month ordered home its non-essential workers.

The last of the 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops and 7,000 NATO allied troops will be gone by Sept. 11, generating fears that their departures could increase the chaos and insecurity already plaguing the capital. Violent attacks, many of them unclaimed, have targeted journalists and in many cases the country's minority Shiite Muslims. The U.S. blames those attacks on an upstart Islamic State affiliate.

Embassies in the Afghan capital are located in a so-called Green Zone, considered the most heavily protected. Giant blast walls, barbed wire and steel gates hide the embassies from public view. Streets in the capital have been closed to traffic to protect the buildings.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday it was committed to providing the embassies with securit. But there is a widespread concern about the ability of the government to provide that protection in a city overwhelmed by lawlessness, criminal gangs and insurgent activity.

Australian government lawmaker Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, said the reasons for the embassys closure were temporary and really related to the ability to secure our staff and personnel when our defense contingent leaves.

Whatever we need to do in the short term to protect our people, of course I support, but longer term I think this is a relationship we should and must be in for the long haul, he said in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Australia has 80 soldiers still in the country but at its peak there were 15,000 Australian troops deployed to Afghanistan. Australia's military has been embroiled in allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan and Australia has established an investigative agency to build criminal cases against special forces suspected of committing crimes from 2005 until 2016.

Obaidullah Baheer, a political analyst in Kabul, was critical of Australia's decision to close and of other embassies to scale back, saying it undermined faith in the abilities of the Afghan government to provide security.

Such a move will be seen as a sign of the Australian governments lack of faith in the republic to defend itself against the Taliban," he said.

However Taliban's political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press it would not harm diplomats and would cooperate to ensure their security.

They should not have any concerns, he said.

_______

Associated Press Writers Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia and Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report

This article was written by 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.
Less than a month after the anniversary of 20-year-old Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen's disappearance, Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., reintroduced the "I Am Vanessa Guillen Act" on May 13, reigniting calls to take prosecution authority away from military commanders.

The legislation proposes sweeping changes to the military's policies surrounding missing service members and reports of sexual harrassment and sexual assault. The act would make sexual harassment a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and move prosecution for sexual assault and harassment outside of the military chain of command.

Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., endorsed removing sexual assault prosecution authority from military commanders in a statement Sunday.

"Sexual assault and harassment are pervasive problems in the U.S. military and American culture, and we must take comprehensive action to halt sexual violence, hold violators accountable, and support survivors," Reed said.

Efforts to reform the sexual assault prosecution process are also central to the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act, introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. The bill has 62 cosponsors and would also bolster security at military installations and increase military sexual assault training and education.

Guillen was sexually harassed on two occasions, but her supervisor and other leaders did not take appropriate action, an Army report found. The Guillen family alleges that she was harassed by multiple soldiers before she was killed.

A Defense Department report on sexual assault found that, of 363 court-martial cases for sexual assault offenses that proceeded to trial, 264, or 73%, "resulted in a conviction of at least one charge at court-martial" during fiscal 2019.

Based on the most recent data in the report, though, an estimated 20,500 service members experienced sexual assault in the year prior to FY 2018. About 13,000 were women.

Of the 92 cases where nonjudicial punishment on a sexual assault offense "served as ground for a subsequent discharge" for service members, more than two-thirds, or 69.6%, were discharged under general or honorable conditions. Just under one-quarter, or 23.9%, of those eventually were discharged on a sexual assault offense were discharged under other than honorable conditions.

The bill has received bipartisan support from over 170 cosponsors.

Speier, who chairs the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee, said in a news release, "We must send a message to all servicemembers about the nation's expectations for their conduct and the culture of the military.

"One year after the senseless murder of SPC Vanessa Guillen, and after two damning reviews, the need for fundamental reform of the military's approach to sexual assault and sexual harassment has never been more urgent," she added in the release. "Military leadership has had decades to solve this problem, yet continues to fail. Toxic command climates, rampant sexual violence, lack of accountability, and retaliation against survivors continue to worsen."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expressed her support for the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act during an event for the bill's reintroduction.

"Justice is needed for Vanessa and for the many service members facing an epidemic of sexual harassment and assault in our armed forces, too often in the shadows," Pelosi said. "Led by Jackie Speier, we will not stop until we pass the bill and until we finally, fully end this epidemic, in the military, in the workplace and in all places."

Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, took to Twitter to express his support of the act.

Mullin said Congress' response to sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military should be bipartisan.

Calls are mounting outside Congress to remove prosecution authority from commanders. But some, including Dave Schlueter, a law professor at St. Mary's University, and Lisa Schenck, an associate dean at the George Washington Law School, call such proposed changes "drastic" and "statistically unsubstantiated" in an op-ed in The Hill.

"Commanders, not lawyers, make the final decision because signaling to a unit that the commander, not lawyers, are in charge is critical during periods of training as well as combat," they wrote in the op-ed.

Retired Col. Don Christensen, former chief prosecutor of the U.S. Air Force and president of Protect Our Defenders, wrote in a May 16 op-ed in The Hill, "When it comes to sexual assault in the military, prosecutions and convictions are almost non-existent."

Christensen added that removing prosecution authority from commanders is key to military justice reform.

"It is time to finally admit that the power to prosecute serious cases in the military should be in the hands of seasoned prosecutors -- a conclusion the majority of Congress has now reached," he said. "To try and stop military justice reform that would help address the military's sexual assault epidemic based on faulty statistics is a disservice to the men and women in uniform.

As Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, reintroduced the I am Vanessa Guillen Act in the Senate, she said it "addresses long-standing systemic problems in the way that the military responds to sexual harassment and sexual assault."

"How long will victims of sexual harassment and assault continue to be afraid to report their abusers?" Hirono asked. "It seems that the military justice system is rather the military system without justice where survivors of these crimes cannot have confidence to know their reports will be confidential, taken seriously, and adjudicated properly."
The U.S. Army's largest hospital overseas is offering a procedure new to Germany that's been shown to help allergy sufferers and others with chronic rhinitis, officials said.

Doctors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center last month began performing intranasal cryotherapy, a technique that uses extreme cold to freeze and disrupt inflamed nerve endings in the back of the nose associated with rhinitis, or allergy-like symptoms that last more than a month.

The procedure has been available for about two years in the United States. But it only gained approval in Germany late last year. The coronavirus pandemic underscored the urgent need to help those suffering with allergies and allergy-like symptoms, said Army Lt. Col. Jessica Peck, a facial plastic surgeon and chief of LRMC's ear, nose and throat clinic.

"If you have a chronically runny nose, it's difficult to wear a mask," Peck said.

Rhinitis can be caused by an allergy to substances like pollen or triggered by something in the environment, like dust or weather changes.

"The nerve is kind of always overreactive and overstimulated," she said.

The condition can worsen in spring and summer in Germany, where about 20% of adults suffer from seasonal allergies, Peck said.

The cryotherapy procedure is recommended for patients who have post-nasal drip, congestion, nasal itching and other symptoms of rhinitis that last more than a month, she said, and where medication has been insufficient or ineffective. It can help patients reduce their medication and become more physically tolerant of their environment.

Using an endoscope with a camera, doctors guide a handheld device with a long probe inside the nasal cavity, said Dr. Christopher Tonn, an Air Force major.

Tonn and Peck introduced the procedure to LRMC and helped train a German doctor who is teaching others. They have at least six procedures scheduled at LRMC in the next month.

The probe cools the target tissue with liquid nitrogen, a process that takes about 30 seconds and is repeated in the other nostril, Tonn said.

The procedure is covered by Tricare and is available by referral to U.S. military personnel and adult family members.

"Because we move around so much in the military  you find that there are things you are allergic to that you weren't at your last duty station. That can make it frustrating to keep your symptoms under control as you move," Peck said.

Not being able to breathe through the nose can restrict physical activity, impair sleep and affect job performance, she said.

Diana Bryant, an LRMC nurse and spouse of an Air Force retiree, has been on medication for more than 20 years to treat nonallergic sinus problems.

Bryant, 56, was Germany's and the hospital's first patient to undergo the procedure last month.

"I immediately felt like I could breathe better," she said.

Bryant said her only side effect was a headache that lasted four or five days. She no longer needs a daily nasal spray, her post-nasal drip is almost gone and she's sleeping better, she said.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world's crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo.

While no country has claimed the Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the 5.6-kilometer (3.5 mile)-long island years ago links back to the United Arab Emirates.

Officials in Yemen's internationally recognized government now say the Emiratis are behind this latest effort as well, even though the UAE announced in 2019 it was withdrawing its troops from a Saudi-led military campaign battling Yemen's Houthi rebels.

This does seem to be a longer-term strategic aim to establish a relatively permanent presence, said Jeremy Binnie, the Mideast editor at the open-source intelligence company Janes who has followed construction on Mayun for years. It's possibly not just about the Yemen war and you've got to see the shipping situation as fairly key there.

Emirati officials in Abu Dhabi and the UAEs Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, called the base "a reminder that the UAE is not actually out of Yemen.

The runway on Mayun Island allows whoever controls it to project power into the strait and easily launch airstrikes into mainland Yemen, convulsed by a yearslong bloody war. It also provides a base for any operations into the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and nearby East Africa.

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. obtained by The Associated Press showed dump trucks and graders building a 1.85 kilometer (6,070-foot) runway on the island on April 11. By May 18, that work appeared complete, with three hangars constructed on a tarmac just south of the runway.

A runway of that length can accommodate attack, surveillance and transport aircraft. An earlier effort begun toward the end of 2016 and later abandoned had workers try to build an even-larger runway over 3 kilometers (9,800 feet) long, which would allow for the heaviest bombers.

Military officials with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which the Saudi-led coalition has backed since 2015, say the UAE is building the runway. The officials, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity as they didn't have authorization to brief journalists, say Emirati ships transported military weapons, equipment and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks.

The military officials said recent tension between the UAE and Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi came in part from an Emirati demand for his government to sign a 20-year lease agreement for Mayun. Emirati officials have not acknowledged any disagreement.

The initial, failed construction project came after Emirati and allied forces retook the island from Iranian-backed Houthi militants in 2015. By late 2016, satellite images showed construction underway there.

Tugboats associated with Dubai-based Echo Cargo & Shipping LLC and landing craft and carriers from Abu Dhabi-based Bin Nawi Marine Services LLC helped bring equipment to the island in that first attempt, according to tracking signals recorded by data firm Refinitiv. Satellite photos at the time show they offloaded the gear and vehicles at a temporary beachside port.

Echo Cargo & Shipping declined to comment, while Bin Nawi Marine Services did not respond to a request for comment. Recent shipping data shows no recorded vessels around Mayun, suggesting whoever provided the sealift for the latest construction turned off their boats' Automatic Identification System tracking devices to avoid being identified.

Construction initially stopped in 2017, likely when engineers realized they couldnt dig through a portion of the volcanic islands craggy features to incorporate the site of the island's old runway. The building restarted in earnest on the new runway site around Feb. 22, satellite photos show, several weeks after President Joe Biden announced he would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led offensive against the Houthis.

The apparent decision by the Emiratis to resume building the air base comes after the UAE dismantled parts of a military base it ran in the East African nation of Eritrea as a staging ground for its Yemen campaign.

While the Horn of Africa has become a dangerous place for the Emiratis due to competitors and local war risks, Mayun has a small population and offers a valuable site for monitoring the Red Sea, said Eleonora Ardemagni, an analyst at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. The region has seen a rise in attacks and incidents.

The Emiratis have been shifting from a power-projection foreign policy to a power-protection foreign policy, Ardemagni said. It increases "their capacity to monitor what happens and to prevent possible threats by non-state actors close to Iran.

The expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was said to run a similar operation on a cargo ship long stationed nearby off Yemen before being apparently targeted by an Israeli attack.

Mayun, also known as Perim Island, sits some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) off the southwestern edge of Yemen. World powers have recognized the island's strategic location for hundreds of years, especially with the opening of the Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

The British kept the island up until their departure from Yemen in 1967. The Soviet Union, allied with South Yemen's Marxist government, upgraded Mayun's naval facilities but used them only infrequently, according a 1981 CIA analysis. That's likely due to needing to bring water and supplies onto the island. That will affect the new air base as well as Mayun has no modern port, said Binnie, the Janes analyst.

The base still may interest American forces, however. U.S. troops operated from Yemen's al-Anad Air Base running a campaign of drone strikes targeting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula until the Houthi advance forced them to withdraw in 2015. The Defense Department later acknowledged on-the-ground American troops supported the Saudi-led coalition around Mukalla in 2016. Special forces raids and drones also have targeted the country.

The U.S. military's Central Command did not respond to a request for comment. The CIA declined to comment.

___

Associated Press writer Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.

This article was written by JON GAMBRELL from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
Sailors enlist to be at sea, says Capt. Brian Carmichael, commander of USS Bataan  but the mostly first-time seafarers he led on deployment last year didnt necessarily expect to do so for 155 straight days when the pandemic erupted.

A core group of that now-seasoned crew is leading another set of new sailors through what Carmichael thinks is one of the toughest challenges on a warship  from shipyard to heading out to sea.

Sailors dont sign up to join a ship in the shipyard, they sign up to be on a ship at sea, he said.

Bataan is nearing the end of a months-long stint at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard. Carmichael, who led the crew through the last shipyard-to-deployment cycle in 2019, likes what he sees as he watches how those experienced sailors work with new arrivals.

The chief (Command Master Chief Shawn D. Isbell) has been saying, Tell your stories, Carmichael said.

Those stories make the chores of life in the shipyard seem less arduous by pointing how sailors work now makes their work later go better.

For some of our sailors, theyve never worked as hard before, Carmichael said I always say to be best, youve got to do it on the deck-plate. Hard work now, instead of just doing the minimum, means everything is easier later.

Carmichaels been on 12 deployments in his 36-year Navy career, during which he worked his way up in just 10 years to become a chief petty officer before he was tapped for a commission.

The last deployment was challenging.

Bataan set out from Norfolk a few weeks before COVID-19 became news. Most of the crew was on its first deployment after joining a ship that was finishing some 18 months in the shipyard.

Carmichael had led crew members through the usual crawl-walk-run, of learning their jobs on the ship, learning how to operate in a amphibious strike group, practicing the challenges of landing Marines on hostile shores  and getting them off safely to head home when the mission is complete.

They were ready ... after all that, deployments really the fun part, he said.

But by March of last year, and their first two port calls in Europe and Bahrain, things werent quite as much fun. The Bataan was considered a bubble  because it had left home, and then Bahrain before COVID hit, there was no risk of exposure as long as the ship didnt stop elsewhere.

The crew didnt need to wear masks, as other sailors deploying from Norfolk or Little Creek later that year did. They did have to step up cleaning.

The four at-sea replenishment of supplies  when two ships sail side by side while cargo is swung over from one to the other  had to be handled with an eye for possible infection. Sailors who joined the ship during deployment, including Master Chief Isbell, had to be quarantined.

I was caught up in COVID, moving my family from Memphis to Norfolk, trying to figure out how to get out to Bataan, Isbell said.

Since the Navys usual practice of dispatching family and fleet support specialists to a deployed ships final port call to conduct return and reunion sessions wasnt possible, that was a chore Isbell took on.

For sailors, it can feel like coming back the day after you left, But you leave in December and come back in July and things have changed, the kids have grown ... you have to think about reintegrating with family life, he said.

The long run at sea also meant tasks that deployed ships crews havent had to do in years  like the time Bataan anchored off the United Arab Emirates so sailors could climb up its masts to makerepairs usually handled by contractors in port.

They also worked on Bataans steam plant.

Its pretty old, and it needs more maintenance, Carmichael said.

Taking on tasks that sailors dont usually do meant more work  but it had a payoff, too, he said.

I think it meant sailors had more of a sense of our ship and what goes into it, Carmichael said. I think they had a better sense of our mission ...

We had to be self-reliant. We were resilient.

This article is written by Dave Ress from Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) 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 newly released details take the fact sheets observations to another level, The Wall Street Journal reported, since it reveals the number of researchers stricken and the timing, plus the fact that they went to the hospital, which the State Department fact sheet did not reveal. In addition, its all being released just as the World Health Organizations decision-making body begins meeting to discuss the next phase of the investigation into how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, originated. The first official case there was logged on Dec. 8, 2019.
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Popular Ghanaian musician, Kwaw Kese has heaped praises on organises of Ghana Music Awards USA, for staging an efficient unveiling show.

According to him, the masterful event put up by the organizers of the event during the unveiling of nominees recently, was a testament to their commitment to delivering quality.

In an interview with MzGee of TV3 during the unveiling, Kwaw Kese pointed out that he had been overwhelmed by the production put in place by the team.

He revealed that ahead of the event, he was discouraged by many not to attend the launch, however, he was blown away by the turnout.

I never thought I would meet this massive turnout, I was taken by surprise, he said.

Also, he added that from all indications, the programme looks good and his confidence in the event has soared.

GMA-USA is designed to celebrate and honour Ghanaian entertainers in and outside the country and project the countrys musical heritage.

This years edition is scheduled for August 21, at the Celebrity Theater  Claridge Raddison Hotel inside Atlantic City, New Jersey in the USA will reward music works released between January and December 2020 in more than 34 categories.

The maiden edition of the GMA-USA held in October, last year, saw Sarkodie taking home the Artiste of the Year award and Nana NYC crowned as the US Based Artiste of the year.
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I am comparing cultures and Biblical teachings with regards to anklets.

In the cultures of the Egyptians they did wear a pair of anklet or each on a foot and even the Prophet Isaiah used it and taught them about the attitude and behaviour of the daughters of Zion and reprove and warn them of their sins in Isaiah 3:16-24.

Nearly, all jewellery accessories have a rich and vibrant history, and the anklet is not different. According to fashion historians, women wore anklets as early as 6,000 B.C.-3100 B.C. These early people constructed anklets from precious stones and metals found in nature and wore them to denote status and social rank. Slaves wore leather anklets, while affluent brides and wives flaunted lavish anklets made of precious metals and gemstones.

It is never wrong among the Krobos, Ewes and some tribes in Ghana to put on anklets however it comes in pair or wore on both ankle or foot just like the Egyptians' culture.

The Ghanaian society does not see anything wrong when it is worn on both legs or ankle, but this is the societal meaning of the single-use ones- I am single and searching for a man. Again, society perceived that these single ones are used or wore by prostitutes.

Not long ago, the past Attorney General in Ghana between the year 2016-2020, Miss Gloria Akufo was seen wearing a single anklet in Parliament and this became the topic of the day because of how society perceived the use of single anklet. Miss Gloria Akufo had this response to Lexis Bills, the DriveTime host of Joy Fm - It is not just anklets really, I love beads and coming from Dangme I grew up wearing beads. This anklet was given to me by a young lady friend of mine. So it is a token I wear in remembrance of that young lady who found me inspiring enough as a mentorso I am wearing it for her really. So the intention of the wearer is also another factor to be considered but how will our society read the wearer's intention? "Asem sebe".

However, to add to the Bible quotation above, verse 18 of Isaiah chapter 3, you will see - tickling ornaments about their feet. And feet is the plural form of the word foot. It means even the Egyptians were not putting on single ones as we see in our African settings.

These pairs are commonly used by the Akan mothers on their babies. Traditionally, these are used to check the growth of the babies. Women who perform the "Adowa" dance among the Ashantis in Ghana are usually seen with a beautiful anklet on each leg or ankle. So this should tell you that the society we live in do not see anything wrong when the anklet is putten on both foot or ankle but has a negative perception about the single-use of anklet or in other words putten on just a leg.

The Christians must also note that it is not written anywhere in the Bible that putting on pair of the anklet is a sin, but the wearer's intention that matters. However, the wearer has society perception to battle with.

Moreover, If you feel your intentions are right why don't you wear these single anklet to a job interview as a young graduate searching for a job and let's see whether you will get the job! Or wear it to meet your boyfriend's parent for the first time.

Our African society cannot be judged for its negative perception of the single-use of anklet because individuals who first used or introduced the single-use of these anklets were commercial sex workers in the early days. This was a means of inviting their clients or advertising themselves to the general public of their status due to the stigma associated with their means of survival, prostitution.

These days commercial sex trading has taken a new dimension that you do not need to put on a single anklet to make a sign of your statuses. Just a swap of your phone or a browse of the internet and you're booked!

The single anklet on your foot

What beauty will a single anklet add to your beauty? Beauty is mostly defined by the lady's depth of knowledge, attitude and behaviour, culture and appearance i.e. shape and complexion. As a man, before any lady speaks to me the first thing that attracts me or catches my attention on a woman is her shape and complexion before her attitude and behaviour, not what she is having on her legs. The beauty of a lady's feet is the shape or curve, how smooth the skin is and sometimes the hairs on them.

Clearly, these anklets do you add anything to your beauty but makes society look down, disrespect, degrade you and put you in a class or status you do not belong. My dear friends, wives, and sisters, you can do without these single-use anklets! You're even more beautiful without them! Do not let others or society perceive you as "such". An opportunity they say comes but ones. Do not let any opportunity pass you by because of anklet! A word to a wise is enough!

Kasim Smith writes

[email protected]
Member of Parliament for (MP) for Asawase in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak has rubbished rumors he has been admitted to the ICU of the 37 Military Hospital.

In the last 24 hours, there has been speculation that the lawmaker has fallen sick and in critical condition.

Having taken notice of the rumours, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak has released a statement to set the records straight.

According to the Asawase MP, he is currently in South Africa on an assignment and doing very well.

I wish to state that it is not true and should be treated with contempt. Alhamdulillah am doing very well and currently in South Africa attending to Pan African Parliament with my colleagues, part of a statement from the MP reads.

The statement concludes, I wish to thank family, friends, and love once who show concerns by calling to check on me.

Below is the full statement from Hon. Muntaka Mubarak:

My attention has been drawn to a rumor circulating around that I have been admitted to the ICU 37 Military Hospital.

I wish to state that it is not true and should be treated with contempt. Alhamdulillah am doing very well and currently in South Africa attending to Pan African Parliament with my colleagues.

I wish to thank family, friends and love once who show concerns by calling to check on me. Thank you

BY MP for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak
The boss of the World Health Organization has lamented that a small group of countries have monopolised Covid vaccines, as he demanded that at least ten percent of the population of every country be vaccinated by September.

More than 75 percent of all vaccines have been administered in just 10 countries, declared WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of the annual assembly of health ministers from the body's 194 member states.

The leader of the UN health body gave a blunt assessment of the situation. There is no diplomatic way to say it, he said. A small group of countries who make and buy the majority of the world's vaccinescontrol the fate of the rest of the world.

He stated that if the number of vaccine doses so far administered worldwide had been distributed fairly, every health worker and elderly person in the world might have been vaccinated.

He called on leaders to support a campaign to vaccinate at least ten percent of the population of each country in the world by September with the aim of reaching 30 percent worldwide by December.

The WHO, in collaboration with the Gavi vaccine alliance, set up Covax, a mechanism to provide vaccines to poor countries. But the programme lacks vaccine doses because rich countries, keen to vaccinate their entire populations, have bought up much of the supply.

Covax has so far delivered 72 million doses to 125 countries and economies since February  barely enough to cover one percent of their respective populations, according to Tedros.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that India, where many of the doses for Covax are manufactured, has halted vaccine exports in order to provide for its own population, as infection rates spiral.

115,000 health professionals died from Covid

Tedros also told the gathering that throughout the world, an estimated 115,000 health professionals had died from Covid-19.

Meanwhile, in a pre-recorded message to the WHO gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that a key lesson from the pandemic was that countries must work together.

He called for the WHO to be empowered to visit countries rapidly in the case of outbreaks with the potential to spark a pandemic, and to access data.

Macron also appealed to leaders to ensure better funding for the WHO so that it might be less dependent on several big donors.
Malian officers upset with a government reshuffle have detained the president and prime minister at an army camp outside the capital, triggering broad international condemnation and demands for their immediate release.

President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane lead an interim government that was installed under the threat of regional sanctions following a putsch in August, and the detentions on Monday raised fears of a second coup.

Two senior officials, who declined to be named, told AFP that soldiers had taken Ndaw and Ouane to the Kati military camp on the outskirts of the capital Bamako.

Their detentions followed a sensitive government reshuffle earlier on Monday that was designed to respond to growing criticism of the interim government.

The military kept the strategic portfolios it controlled during the previous administration in the reshuffle.

But two coup leaders -- ex-defence minister Sadio Camara and ex-security minister Colonel Modibo Kone -- were replaced.

Coup leaders and army officers have wielded significant influence over the government, casting doubts on a pledge to hold elections by early next year.

The reshuffle came at a time of growing political challenges in the capital Bamako and pressure to stick to the deadline for promised reforms.

Speculation of a coup swirled around Bamako late on Monday, but the city remained relatively calm.

Coup leader Assimi Goita (C) is currently serving as interim vice president. By MICHELE CATTANI (AFP/File)

Briefly reached by phone before the line cut, Prime Minister Ouane told AFP that soldiers "came to get him".

EU leaders condemned what they called the "kidnapping" of Mali's civilian leadership, said council president Charles Michel.

"What happened was grave and serious and we are ready to consider necessary measures," he told reporters after a summit of the bloc's 27 leaders, describing events as "the kidnapping of the president and the prime minister".

Earlier, a joint statement by the United Nations, African Union, Economic Community of West African States, the European Union and the United States condemned the arrests and called for their "immediate and unconditional liberty".

'Send a message'

Young military officers ousted Keita on August 18 after weeks of protests over perceived government corruption and his handling of Mali's jihadist insurgency.

After the 15-nation West Africa bloc ECOWAS threatened sanctions, the military junta handed power to a caretaker government that pledged to reform the constitution and stage elections within 18 months.

Coup leader Assimi Goita was appointed as vice president of the caretaker administration, and the interim president, Bah Ndaw, is a retired army officer.

Many have doubted whether the military-dominated government has the will, or the ability, to stage reforms on a short timescale.

Among other problems, the vast nation faces a major logistical and security challenge, as swathes of territory are in the hands of jihadists.

Doubts remained despite the interim government last month pledging to hold a constitutional referendum on October 31, with elections to follow in February next year.

On May 14, amid growing anger, the government then said it would appoint a new "broad-based" cabinet.

An official at Mali's interim presidency, who requested anonymity, said the reshuffle was designed to send a message that "respect for the transition deadline remains the priority".

He also underscored the necessity of replacing the defence and security ministers.

"They are not emblematic figures of the junta," the official said, referring to the newly appointed ministers.

In an example of mounting unease, the opposition M5 movement -- which spearheaded protests against Keita in 2020 -- this month urged dissolving the interim government and demanded a "more legitimate" body.

But the M5 is divided. Two members of the Union for the Republic and Democracy party -- part of the M5 -- were appointed interim ministers Monday.

Civil disputes in Mali are also adding to the pressure created by political feuding.

The country's largest union, UNTM, called a second week of strikes Monday after pay negotiations with the interim government collapsed.
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The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital chapter of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS-KATH), says it will only go to the negotiation table with the management of the Hospital when there is an assurance their demands would be met.

The Laboratory Scientists at KATH began a one-week sit-down strike last week to protest the posting of two medical specialists to the Laboratory Services Directorate of the hospital.

Calls by the Ministry of Health and management of KATH for the scientists to resume work for dialogue to begin, have yielded no results.

Authorities have resorted to other private laboratories to meet the needs of patients who require such services.

The national Association of the Laboratory Scientists has also threatened to escalate the strike nationwide.

In an interview on Eyewitness News, the Chairman of the Association at KATH, Ernest Badu-Boateng, insisted that the Association cannot dialogue with a management that is unwilling to fulfil its part of the bargain.

Yes, we believe in dialogue, but we cant dialogue with a management that has taken an entrenched position. They [Management] want us to call off the strike. That is fine. But we need to have neutral grounds, we want the doctors to be reassigned, we have made this point clear enough. Once this is done, we can sit and talk.

They cant keep insisting that the doctors have the right to be there and expect us to agree to negotiate with them. What will we be negotiating over?

The Laboratory Scientists at KATH boycotted a meeting with management of the hospital on Monday, May 24, 2021.

Explaining the reason behind their action, Mr. Badu-Boateng said the union did not see the essence of going for the meeting.

They [management] have made it clear to us that the issue is beyond them, and lies with the Ministry, he added.

The solution for now lies with the Ministry of Health, they must instruct management of KATH to reassign the two physicians. That way, there will be a level playing field for us. We cant go for the meeting with one party, being on the losing end.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission (NLC) , Ofosu Asamoah, says the Commission plans to meet the association, the management of KATH and the Ministry of Health next week to find an amicable solution to the standoff.

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The Pru East District Police Command is looking for six robbers who shot and killed a military officer on the Prang-Kintampo Highway in the Bono East Region.

The military officer, Sgt. Job Kwame Odei, is reported to have been killed when he stumbled on an operation by a gang of robbers on Friday.

The deceased officer is said to have been travelling from Sunyani to Yeji to visit his family when the incident occurred.

The body has since been conveyed to the Mathias Catholic Hospital Yeji Morgue.

Sgt. Odei, believed to be in his early 40s, was a military officer with the Third Battalion Infantry in Sunyani

Information available to Citi News indicates that the unfortunate incident occurred at about 9:00 pm last Friday on a section of the road between Prang and Adjalaja, a farming community on the main Prang-Abease road.

Though it is unclear what the military officer was doing in the area, sources state that he was in charge of the unregistered Great Wall Wingle Pick and was travelling from Sunyani to Yeji to visit his relatives.

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The Center for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana has urged Government to revisit the Emile Short Commission's recommendations on reforms at the National Security Ministry.

CDD believes that the need for broad reforms of the National Security architecture has become imperative, owing to recent incidents of heightened abuse of citizens, including journalists, by national security personnel.

A Senior Programmes Officer at CDD Ghana, Nana Kwabena Abrampa Mensah said the government must urgently facilitate the action to ensure that such incidents are curbed.

The report, among other things, urged the government to be particular about how personnel are recruited into the ministry and ensure that there is regular training of the personnel.

The Ayawaso West Wuogon incident brought up the Commission that was chaired by Mr. Emile Short, and one of the recommendations it made was that there was the need for a holistic reform of the national security ministry, including the appointment structure and the training, especially repeated training with human rights inculcated into the training curriculum. Weve seen increasingly that human rights abuses at the national security and invading peoples premises is becoming too [prevalent] in the country. So to think that this issue is coming up again, we need to go back to the Emile Short report and implement the aspect that has to do with the retraining of the personnel of the ministry.

Nana Kwabena Abrampa Mensah said his outfit will track and ensure that the necessary reforms are realised.

We intend to track all these things. We want to help the system reform itself, he added.

The operations of the National Security Ministry have once again come into national focus following the arrest and abuse of Citi FMs Caleb Kudah and raiding of the companys premises to arrest another journalist, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo.

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As you read this, many of my Nigerian friends who had gone into exile to escape from the wrath of the brutal dictator, General Sani Abacha, have either returned home, or are about to do so. Among them is Wole Soyinka, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.

Soyinkas escape from Abacha was as dramatic as a scene in one of his plays. After his passport had been seized by Abachas goons, he tried to leave Nigeria with a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco)travel document. But this was also seized  illegally  at the airport.

Soyinka became convinced that despite his renown, Abacha was really anxious to put him away. Having returned to his home in a sullen mood, he hatched the following plot: he began to spend a lot of time in the forests around Abeokuta, hunting. He would leave at mid-morning and come back in the late afternoon, having bagged a grass- cutter, a pheasant or an antelope. His triumph would be noisily celebrated by his household and his friends.

This gave the State Security Service lookouts who followed him everywhere, something to write to their bosses about, to calm their fears about Soyinkas propensity to carry out rabble-rousing among the Nigerian populace.

Then, one morning, Soyinka went into the forest as usual, and never returned. In fact, he had secretly arranged with the driver of a kabu-kabu (motorbike taxi) to meet him in the bush and, lodged precariously on the pillion seat of the tiny machine, he was ferried along esoteric bush paths, known only to the elite of Nigerias cigarette and alcohol smugglers, all the way across the border, into neighbouring Benin.

Soyinka contacted the Unesco office there and obtained fresh documentation. He then made a spectacular appearance in Paris, mobbing the media in his inimitable way.

A number of Abachas security men have never been able to smile since. Moral: when youre a member of the literary elite, cultivate solidarity linkages to the elites of other strata of society. You never know when a hunting expedition will need to be transformed into a motocross grand prix or safari race.

The Nigerian politicians who were unable to give Abachas security men the slip, and subsequently spent some pretty terrible days in his prisons, include another colourful figure, the former head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

When he first burst on to the Nigerian scene, as General Murtala Muhammeds chief of staff in 1975, Obasanjo distinguished himself by sporting the lowest-hung beer belly in the group photograph taken of the ruling military council. Those who have seen him since his release say he has one thing to thank Abacha for: he doesnt ever need to worry about the size of his paunch again.

Apparently Obasanjo wants to run for the presidency in the election to be held in February next year. If Obasanjo really does run he will have a few of his own words to eat. For with his usual reserve, his answer, when asked what he thought of a fellow former head of state who wanted to make a comeback, was this: What did he forget in the state house that he has only just remembered now to go back and pick up?

Moral: never be caustic when commenting on the actions of members of your own trade union. Your sarcasm will earn interest in the check-off stakes.

Obasanjo is not the only Abacha victim who wants to run for the presidency. In West Africa, most politicians want to start with a declaration for the top post, and then work their way downwards. That way they can always hand over their supporters  all five of them  to a better-placed candidate. Provided the price is right.

I once made a foray into Ghana politics, which taught me what can happen when the price is right. Having just returned from exile, I was naive about local politics. So, when I reached the primary contest, I just campaigned vigorously in my constituency without bothering to go to see the officials at party headquarters in Accra.

On the day of the contest, I was shocked to find that the returning officer sent down from Accra was some nondescript fellow of whom Id never heard. As soon as we were introduced, the guy turned to me and asked: Where is your voter registration certificate?

Strange question. I was away in the United States when registration was done! Someone had gone to Accra and briefed the guy.

But I thought it was of no consequence, for the requirement was that a candidate should be qualified to be registered as a voter, not that he should actually be registered. Ha, when I told the guy this, he pronounced with the finality of a petty dictator: If you are not registered, then I am sorry but you are disqualified!

I protested all the way to the party leader in Accra. The leader agreed that the guy had misinterpreted the regulations. But he said he would let the result stand, because there had been too many similar protests. Thus, he said, the impression was gaining ground that the party was not united and this could cost it the election.

The man who defeated me spoke only once in that Parliament. Although I was naturally interested in what he had to say, I cant remember a word of it. The guy can always say he is a former MP. But I cant, can I?

Moral: the path to democracy can be extremely undemocratic.
For lack of knowledge, my people perish, so the bible says. Similarly, for lack of historical knowledge amid abundance ignorance, some Ghanaians accuse Asantehene and do hold him accountable for the obvious multitude of wrongdoings by his Asante chiefs. On the other hand, out of sycophancy, partisanship and quest to associate with so-called important persons and institutions in the hope of acquiring fame, some Ghanaians do rally behind Asantehene and his chiefs whether rain or shine. They do not analyse and treat each issue or occasion on its own merit but jump at the gun.

First and foremost, be it known to all Ghanaians that Asantehene does not have any binding authoritative power, be it traditional or legally written, vested in him, over the paramount chiefs of Ashanti region, or to be precise, the Asanteman, formerly the Asante Confederacy or Asante Kingdom. He is outwardly seen by many and acknowledged as the Overlord of Ashanti, but indeed, he is simply a Ceremonial Head of Asanteman.

Before proceeding any further, let me define the words CEREMONIAL and NOMINAL.

Ceremonial means (of a post or role) conferring or involving only nominal authority or power and Nominal is defined as (of a role or status) existing in name only.

Such is the reality of the position of Asantehene since the return of Asantehene Otumfuo Agyemang Prempeh I, from his exiled captivity in Seychelles in 1924. In order not to bore down my readers who might neither have read nor taken interest in my Ghana internet news portal publications with any lengthy narratives, let me quote excerpts from my previously published article on the present status of Asantehene. Asantehene here is not only referring to the current occupant of the Golden Stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II (born as Kwaku Duah) but any occupant of the Golden Stool.

My said article was published on both Modernghana. Com and Ghanaweb.com on 25 January 2015 under the heading, Kumawu & Other Stools Can Break Away from Asanteman.

When the British conquered and captured Asantehene Nana Agyemang Prempeh I in 1896, deported him to Sierra Leone and then to Seychelles Island, the Kingdom collapsed as per the intent of the Colonial British government of then Gold Coast. When the Ashanti Confederacy was broken by the British in 1896, upon the capture and deportation of Asantehene Nana Agyemang Prempeh I, the British instituted the policy of balkanization. They broke the links between the six important nuclear states of the Asante Confederacy  Kumasi, Bekwai, Juaben, Mampong, Kokofu and Nsuta. (Balkanize means to divide (a country, territory, etc.) into small, quarrelsome, ineffectual states. Each was viewed as a separate state headed by its Omanhene.

When the British captors released Nana Agyemang Prempeh I from his captivity, he was repatriated to Gold Coast as a private citizen in 1924. He was later granted permission by the British Colonial government to become Kumasehene in October 1926. This was even upon the sole idea of effectively implementing their indirect rule over the Asantes.

During the restoration of the Asante Confederacy in 1935, the balkanization was somehow maintained as confirmed by a document of Draft by the Ashanti Confederacy Council signed on 21st day of March 1938.

The document states among other things, Arising out to the Council discussion on Item 7 of the Agenda the following declaration of custom is submitted to the Council for discussion and for signature if approved. 1) all land in Ashanti is the property of the stools of the various chiefs.

This said document was signed by Asantehene, Asantehemaa, Mamponghene, Juabenhene, Nsutahene, Bekwaihene, Kokofuhene, Adansihene, Kumawuhene, Essumenjahene, Offinsohene, Ejisuhene, Agonahene, Bandahene, Wenchihene, Nkoranzahene, Jamanhene, Mohene, Abeasehene, Berekumhene, Denyasehene, Asokorehene, Oyokohene of Kumasi, Kyidomhene of Kumasi, Gyasehene of Kumasi, Ankobiahene of Kumasi, Adontenhene of Kumasi, Benkum Clan of Kumasi, representative of Akwamuhene of Kumasi and Korentihene of Kumasi

Read More: Kumawu & Other Stools Can Break Away from Asanteman

Subsequently, it is wrong for anyone to insult or attack Asantehene for failure to exercise some autocratic powers to call his errant, greedy, myopic and self-centred Asante Council chiefs deeply involved in the ongoing devastating illegal surface and alluvial mining, thus, galamsey, on their soils, to order. He has no power over them to compel them to do anything. They are independent members of a loose organization, if I should put it rightly so. This is why he has never been able to put his foot down to stop the chiefs from allowing the ramification of destructive galamsey activities on their soils, in case he is not involved in it himself or supportive of the activity.

However, he can be chastised for not convening a meeting of his chiefs, thus Asanteman Council, to deliberate and collectively agree on terms to fight galamsey from their soils. Asantehene, who is rightly Kumasihene, can only exercise absolute traditional powers over Kumasi same as any paramount chief exercises power over their divisional paramountcy.

You can attack, insult or advise the individual chiefs on whose watch galamsey is taking place on their soils. Asante lands were demarcated to the paramount chiefs by Fuller during the colonial days.

Rockson Adofo

Tuesday, 25 May 2021
But the world did not wake up. We should have known India would happen after seeing what happened in Latin America. And now looking at Asia, we should know this will happen in some of the big cities in Africa, she added.
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has commended the contractor working on the Oti Landfill in the Ashanti Region, describing work done so far as very impressive and beautiful.

She consequently encouraged the contractor to work on schedule to enable the government showcase the end product to the good people of Kumasi and its environs.

We all saw the history from the beginning, and I must say that work done so far is very impressive and beautiful. I am praying that we do work on schedule to showcase what we intend for the good people of Kumasi, because this is the biggest landfill site, I will say, in Ghana, Mrs Dapaah gladly expressed when she visited the Oti Landfill site on Thursday, May 20, 2021, to climax her four-day working tour which begun in Eastern Region to the Ashanti Region.

As part of the tour, the minister inspected various water bodies in the two regions and also water treatment plants of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) sited close to these water bodies.

The water bodies were Rivers Birim in the Eastern and Oda, Barekese and Owabi all in the Ashanti Region.

According to Mrs Dapaah, the essence of the Oti Landfill project was to change the face of landfill in the country.

When we normally talk about landfill it is where we go and put the waste.

However, she pointed out that the Oti Landfill project was being engineered, giving it layers of cover to eliminate completely rodents, reptiles any bad odour.

and then we go ahead to also decommission part of it to put to other uses.

She said a large portion of the land would be used for a recreation or an event centre, adding that the communities' input in all of this will be taken into consideration.

From time to time we don't sit in the officewe come out to make sure we see for ourselves at firsthand what the contractors are doing on site as well as the consultant, she said.

I must also commend the whole team, the workers working on the site, and we hope that when we finish this will be a showpiece for West Africa, she expressed.

Mrs Dapaah reiterated that her outfit always insist on value for money, stating that all the work being done on the landfill is being evaluated and valued by our in-house technical team as well.

so we are working closely to make sure we achieve the best for Ghana, she said.

In this regard, she praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his visionary leadership.

And we want to commend His Excellency, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his visionary leadership because we all knew what it was and how it was, before he gave his approval for us to engage a local contractor as well as a local consultant to carry out this beautiful work, she said.

Mrs. Dapaah was accompanied on her tour by her deputy Minister-designate, Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, the Managing Director of GWCL, Ing. Dr Clifford Braimah, and the Executive Director of Water Resources Commission (WRC).

The rest were Mr Ben Yaw Ampomah, the Chief Director of MSWR, Mr Noah Tumfo, the Public Relations of GWCL, Mr Stanley Martey, and the head of CWS.

It would be recalled that the MSWR in 2019 announced that the government had awarded the Oti Landfill (which is double the size of Kpone Landfill40 acres) to local contractor, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, for upgrading.

According to the ministry, major works of the project would include reshaping of the slopes, improving all access roads and liquid waste treatment facilities at the site.

It also indicated that the entire project would be funded by the government.
The Deputy Director, Public Health (DDPH) in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Michael Rockson Adjei, has emphasised that Larval Source Management (LSM) was a crucial malaria control intervention.

He admonished Ghanaians to embrace this measure when its implementation begins.

Dr Adjei made the statement while speaking to journalists at the end of a one-day LSM training held for health workers in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, on Friday, May 21, 2021.

The training, which came off in Kumasi, was organised by Zoomlion Ghana Limited in partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) under its National Malaria Control Programme (NAMCOP) and Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).

It brought together one hundred and sixty (160) various health workers from eighteen (18) districts and one (1) sentinel in the region.

The districts were Asokore Mampong, Asokwa, Ashanti Mampong Municipal, Kwabre East, Ejisu, Old Tafo, Manhyia North, Manhyia South, Atwima Mponua, Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Kwanwoma, Sekyere East, Kwadaso, Bosomtwe, Suame, Bekwai, Oforikrom, Offinso and Obuasi as sentinel.

Dr Adjei explained that LSM was basically to control the vector that carries the malaria parasite.

It is also to ensure how to control the anopheles mosquito in limiting the number of vectors.

This LSM intervention, he further noted, will help decrease the burden or number of malaria cases, we see at a particular time or in a month.

He said LSM application of larvicide was done at various mosquito breeding sites that could be dredged.

"For example, you may have a very big water body like a lake that it cannot readily drain or even a marshy area that serves as a source or breeding site for mosquitoes," he added.

According to him, the application of larvicide was crucial in fighting the development state of the vector, adding that it will enable us to reduce the population of mosquitoes.

Mosquito is the key vector that transmits malaria amongst the population, he said.

Dr Adjei emphasised the need for an intense collaboration between GHS, ZGL and the communities.

The Regional Environmental Health Officer, Ashanti Region, Mr Don Awantungo, who was very satisfied with the training, said the LSM training will help in controlling malaria cases in the region.

"In fact, this particular programme would help so much in tackling mosquitoes from the larvae stage," he said.

He, therefore, commended the organisers for putting together the training programme, pointing out that we need to equip field workers so that they can do their work well.

The Zoomlion General Manager, Ashanti East, Mr Franklin Ofori Akuffo, indicated that the LSM was one of the best interventions in the control of malaria.

According to Ofori Akuffo, this LSM can help to move from one place to another in controlling every work done.

He reiterated his outfits commitment to supporting the government to improve the lot of the citizenry.

"I encourage our workers to give in their utmost best because at the end of the day they are going to pay for whatever they are doing. And once you have been paid for it, we need to go out there and do our best so that the programme would be a success," he urged.
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has commended the contractor working on the Oti landfill in the Ashanti Region, describing work done so far as very impressive and beautiful.

She consequently encouraged the contractor to work on schedule to enable the government to showcase the end product to the good people of Kumasi and its environs.

We all saw the history from the beginning, and I must say that work done so far is very impressive and beautiful. I am praying that we do work on schedule to showcase what we intend for the good people of Kumasi, because this is the biggest landfill site, I will say, in Ghana, Mrs Dapaah gladly expressed when she visited the Oti Landfill site on Thursday, May 20, 2021, to climax her four-day working tour which begun in the Eastern Region to the Ashanti Region.

As part of the tour, the minister inspected various water bodies in the two regions and also water treatment plants of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) sited close to these water bodies.

The water bodies were river Birim in the Eastern and river Oda, river Barekese and river Owabi all in the Ashanti Region.

According to Mrs Dapaah, the essence of the Oti landfill project was to change the face of landfill in the country.

When we normally talk about landfill, it is where we go and put the waste.

However, she pointed out that the Oti landfill project was being engineered, giving it layers of cover to eliminate rodents, reptiles any bad odour.

She said a large portion of the land would be used for a recreation or an event centre, adding that the communities' input in all of this will be taken into consideration.

From time to time we don't sit in the officewe come out to make sure we see for ourselves at first-hand what the contractors are doing on-site as well as the consultant, she said.

I must also commend the whole team, the workers working on the site, and we hope that when we finish, this will be a showpiece for West Africa, she expressed.

Mrs Dapaah reiterated that her outfit always insists on value for money, stating that all the work being done on the landfill is being evaluated and valued by our in-house technical team as well.

So we are working closely to make sure we achieve the best for Ghana, she said.

In this regard, she praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his visionary leadership.

And we want to commend His Excellency, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his visionary leadership because we all knew what it was and how it was before he gave his approval for us to engage a local contractor as well as a local consultant to carry out this beautiful work, she said.

Mrs Dapaah was accompanied on her tour by her deputy Minister-designate, Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, the Managing Director of GWCL, Ing. Dr Clifford Braimah, and the Executive Director of Water Resources Commission (WRC).

The rest were Mr Ben Yaw Ampomah, the Chief Director of MSWR, Mr Noah Tumfo, the Public Relations of GWCL, Mr Stanley Martey, and the head of CWS.

It would be recalled that the MSWR in 2019 announced that the government had awarded the Oti Landfill (which is double the size of Kpone Landfill40 acres) to local contractor, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, for upgrading.

According to the ministry, major works of the project would include reshaping the slopes, improving all access roads and liquid waste treatment facilities at the site. It also indicated that the entire project would be funded by the government.

---citinewsroom
The Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba, has lambasted the Ghana Armed Forces for the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman, as the Commanding Officer of the 64 Infantry Battalion.

Mr. Amaliba insists the appointment is shameful and an insult to Ghanaians.

The temporary transfer of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman and three police officers to the Ministry was terminated for inappropriate conduct following the arrest and assault of Citi News' Caleb Kudah, and the harassment of Zoe Abu Baidoo Addo, also a Citi FM journalist.

The statement that announced the decision of the National Security Ministry also directed that Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman and the other officers must be probed further for the necessary actions to be taken.

It is unclear for now whether this further probe has taken place.

As a result, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyemans new appointment has come as a surprise to many Ghanaians who have criticized it.

Mr. Amailiba, speaking on Citi TVs Breakfast Daily programme on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, called on the Ghana Armed Forces to withdraw his appointment and ensure that he (Mr. Agyeman) is probed and sanctioned for his actions.

Lt. Col Agyemans appointment is not just a disrespect to Ghanaians, but an insult to Ghanaians. Why Am I saying this? This is a gentleman who was seconded to the National Security and committed offences at the Secretariat and has been released of his duties at the Ministry, and then he goes back to his mother unit, and he is appointed rather than asking him to step aside so that investigations are conducted. This is shameful, an insult, and a disrespect to Ghanaians, and we should not allow this to happen.

---citinewsroom
James Akwasi Laar and Aaron Nana Tweneboah in police custody

Listen to article

Two workers of a hotel at Teiman in Adentan Municipality of the Greater Accra Region have been arrested by the police for allegedly stealing from their employer.

The two identified as James Akwasi Laar, 29, and Aaron Nana Tweneboah, 35, were captured on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera breaking into a safe containing cash both local and foreign, at the office of the manageress on May 17, 2021.

The two are currently in the custody of Kuottam police being investigated.

The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Efia Tenge who confirmed the arrest to Daily Guide said manageress of the hotel reported the theft to the police

She had discovered that an uninstalled safe containing an unspecified amount of money, foreign currencies, cheque booklets, a wallet and personal documents had gone missing.

A review of the CCTV camera in the hotel captured the two suspects committing the act.

DSP Tenge said police investigations showed that Laar was still working at the hotel but his accomplice, Tweneboah had stopped working at the place.

Upon interrogation, suspect Akwasi Laar admitted to the offence but Tweneboah denied his involvement, she said.

She said on May 18, 2021, police took Tweneboah to his house around 4:30pm to conduct a thorough search and in the process, discovered an amount of GHC205,910, four cheque booklets of different banks all belonging to the hotel, a passport and other personal documents also belonging to the CEO.

Tweneboah after the discovery confessed that they had caused damage to the safe and later disposed it off to a scrap dealer.

They took the safe into Tweneboah's car and drove out of the premises without the knowledge of the private security on duty.

DSP Tenge said the two suspects are being processed for court.

---Daily Guide
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tarkwa Nsuaem, Benjamin Kessie has revealed that some 10 dredging machines used in illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey have been destroyed.

He said two JCB excavators have been impounded at Dompim Pepesa.

Mr. Kessie who doubles as Chairman of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Security Council embarked on the operation which led to the burning of dredging machines on the Bonsa River on May 24, 2021.

He made this known in an interaction with New Day FM monitored by DGN Online.

According to him, some recalcitrant miners were not ready to support the agenda dubbed, Protecting Our Red Zones but rather indulging in illegal mining despite the presidents ban on illegal mining.

He said the assembly will not condone the illegal activities of the miners, thus, calling for a halt of their operations.

Mr. Kessie bemoaned the deadly destruction of the water bodies in the municipality, saying the activities of illegal mining form silt which muddies the waters and in turn blocks the machines that pump water by Ghana Water Company.

He said the fight against galamsey could not be won by only the government, am urging the public, media, and other stakeholders to support the coalition to nib the practice in the bud.

The Public Relations Officer for the Municipality, Nana Frankaa Korsah Deborah also urged Ghanaians to devoid politicizing the fight against illegal mining and come into agreement with the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo to Protect Our Red Zone Areas.

Giving assurance on the way forward of securing the safety of our environment and the water bodies, she said, the Assembly will do everything possible to save our water bodies and the forest reserves.

---DGN online
Struggling with poverty and a jihadist insurgency, Mali also finds itself in a deepening political crisis after its interim president and prime minister were sacked less than 10 months after a military coup.

From riches to poverty

Modern Mali is the biggest country in West Africa and one of the poorest on the continent, with more than 40 percent of its population of close to 20 million living in extreme poverty.

But it also boasts desert cities of exotic legend and a long imperial history.

The mainly arid nation, partly irrigated by the Niger River, became the hub of the Ghana empire for more than five centuries from around 700 AD while Islam spread into the region.

In the north where Mali juts deep into the Sahara, the city of Timbuktu grew into a centre of glittering scholarship and cultural exchange just as it became an important post for traders in gold, salt and slaves.

Mansa Musa, Mali's 14th-century emperor, is regarded as the richest man who ever lived.

Double whammy

Despite being the world's fourth largest exporter of gold and a major producer of cashew nuts, Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, ranked 184th out of 189 by the UN.

The double blow of last year's coup and the pandemic shrank growth to two percent from 5.1 percent in 2019.

The World Bank warns that both its rapid population growth and climate change threaten agriculture and food security.

The fall in cotton production and the poor performance of the agricultural sector have also contributed to worsening poverty levels.

Jihadist insurgents

Tuareg tribes, one of Mali's around 20 ethnic groups, have long been nomads in the Sahara. Some have pushed for independence for the northern region they call Azawad.

In 2012, Tuaregs of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) rose up and were joined by the Islamic extremists of Ansar Dine, who piggy-backed on the rebellion in an uneasy alliance.

Swathes of the country fell to jihadists, including the three main northern towns of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, sparking global concern for the fate of historical monuments and manuscripts.

International operations

In January 2013, France intervened militarily to help recapture the north from the Islamists.

The MNLA and Ansar Dine were driven out of Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal.

But armed groups remain active in the north, carrying out guerilla attacks, while conflict has spread to central Mali.

The UN peacekeeping force MINUSMA was deployed in Mali in 2013.

In 2017, five French-backed nations agreed to an anti-jihadist force, the G5 Sahel, bringing together Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger as well as Mali.

Despite this the violence continues. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed, hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes while the jihadists have also spread terror to Niger and Burkina.

Political turmoil

The former French colony became independent in 1960 and was led by Modibo Keita for eight years before he was ousted in a military coup by Moussa Traore, who was in turn toppled in 1991.

The following year Alpha Oumar Konare became Mali's first democratically elected president.

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, known as "IBK", came to power in 2013 and was re-elected five years later.

He was ousted by young army officers on August 18, 2020 after weeks of protests over perceived government corruption and his handling of Mali's jihadist insurgency.

After the 15-nation West Africa bloc ECOWAS threatened sanctions, the military junta handed power to a caretaker government that pledged to reform the constitution and stage elections within 18 months.

But on Monday, disgruntled army officers upset with a government reshuffle detained the transitional president, Bah Ndaw, and his prime minister, Moctar Ouane.

On Tuesday, strongman Assimi Goita, the colonel who led Keita's overthrow, said the pair had been stripped of their duties for seeking to "sabotage" the transition.
A former army man, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe has kicked against the promotion of Lt. Col. Frank Agyeman, a day after his secondment was withdrawn from the National Security Ministry for assaulting Citi FM's Caleb Kudah.

Lt. Col. Frank Agyeman reportedly kicked Caleb Kudah in his groin who was arrested for filming some grounded MASLOC vehicles at the premises of the National Security Ministry, a security zone.

A document sighted by this portal indicates that Lt. Col. Agyeman appointed as the Commanding Officer of the 64 Infantry Battalion on 21 May 2021.

This, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said with all his experience in the Ghana Armed Forces and knowledge about its workings, he has never seen nor heard that a withdrawn soldier had been promoted.

Speaking on Class91.3FMs Class Morning Show on Tuesday, 25 May 2021, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said, Lets take the case of Lt. Col. Agyeman: Im a soldier and I know exactly how the laws there operate. No soldier, who has been pitched anywhere and for one reason or the other is withdrawn, is sent back to a higher position.

I have never heard it, he insisted, adding: Not when I was in the army.

And this is happening and this is not good for the nation and nobody says anything. Particularly, in the military, we have other officers there. [Lt. Col.] Agyeman is not the only officer in the Ghana Armed Forces. There are other officers wholl be carefully watching what happens.

He continued, So, in a situation like that, what good example are you really setting? Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe asked, wondering: Do you really think the people in this country are good for nothing that anything at all can be said or done and no one will say anything? This is dangerous for our society. Very very dangerous.
An officer with Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who was charged with killing a protester during the breakup of the 2019 sit-in in Khartoum has been sentenced to death.

Major Youssef Mohieldin al-Fiky was found guilty of ramming Hanafy Abdel-Shakour, 22, with his car in June 2019 during the breakup of the protest in front of the army headquarters.

More than 120 people were killed during the violent dispersal of the protesters, although human rights groups indicate that the numbers are higher.

The sentence was handed down on Monday.

The sit-in was held two months after the military deposed President Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled the country for 30 years.

The RSF came from the paramilitary forces called the Janjaweed, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur under Bashir's orders. The group has been absorbed into the Sudanese military.

According to state SUNA news agency, the trial started in July 2020 in Khartoum's Judicial and Legal Science Institute, more than one year after the murder.

While protesters had repeatedly called for an international, independent investigation into the deaths and disappearances during the sit-in breakup, a panel assigned to the probe after the African Union-brokered agreement in 2019 has frequently missed its deadlines.

In 2019, a military prosecutor said that eight officers were to blame for the crackdown, charging them with crimes against humanity. But no trial or even detail on their possible detention has been revealed.

The verdict can be appealed in a higher court.
Angry residents of Sisaala East, Wa East and Sisaala West districts in the Upper West region has given President Nana Akufo-Addo a two-week ultimatum to include them in the 35 million roads rehabilitation project in the region or face their wrath.

The angry residents demanded from government their share of the road infrastructure ongoing across the country.

Minister of Roads and Highways Kwasi Amoako-Atta, on Tuesday May 18, 2021 cut the sod for the rehabilitation of 670 km of feeder roads linking food production areas and market centres across eight Municipalities and Districts in the Upper West Region.

The 35 million roads rehabilitation project is one of the components of the larger 145 million European Union-Ghana Agricultural Programme (EU-GAP).

But Sisaala East, Wa East and Sisaala West districts were missing in the beneficiary list when the roads minister cut the sod for the project even though they claim to be the food basket of the region.

Information gathered from the Upper West Regional Department of Food and Agriculture indicates that Sissala districts are the leading producers of maize and other foods in the region.

The Sissala districts produced a total of 103,474.42 metric tones of maize in 2019 farming season.

Residents of the affected districts described farm road network in the districts as the most poorest and wondered how they were not part of the rehabilitation of 670 km of feeder roads linking food production areas and market centres in the Upper West region.

A forum organized by Chiefs and smallholder farmers at Tumu expressed worry over government snubbing and exclusion of the districts in the Sissala area.

The personal bias of the selection committee that resulted in the total exclusion of Wa East , Sissala West and Sissala East districts which are the leading producers of food crops in the region is so unfair and insensitive to the farming communities, they said

The residents demanded that the Ministry of Roads and Highway should publish the selection criteria that formed the basis for the inclusion or exclusion of beneficiary districts under EU funded 670 project.

Again they demanded that in the spirit of fairness, social justice and non-discrimination, the selection of farm access roads be done based on production levels.

We further demand that the Ministry of Roads and Highway should immediately find additional resources to create, rehabilitate and maintain abandoned farm roads in the excluded farming districts under the EU funded 670 km farm access roads project.

Residents of affected districts embarked on a peaceful demonstration to register their displeasure over poor roads in the area.

The demonstrators burnt car tyres and embarked on a peaceful demonstration with placards with inscriptions  This discrimination has gone on since the creation of the Upper West; We are giving the president 2 weeks to act or the worse would happen; Dr. Gylele bring back our roads, We need our share of the roads; Food basket district denied roads among others.

---DGN online
Grasset said he was contacted by someone who called themself Anton who had a quite considerable budget to wage the campaign. Anton asked for a short video on either Instagram, TikTok or YouTube that included the phrase the mortality rate of the Pfizer vaccine is 3 times greater than the AstraZeneca and to ask why the European Union was buying more of the Pfizer vaccine than other approved medications.
A founder member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe says the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Sarah Adwoa Safo should have resigned the moment a superior authority forced her to reinstate Ghana School Feeding Coordinator, Mrs Gertrude Quashigah, just a couple of days after terminating her appointment.

The Ghana School Feeding Coordinator, Mrs Gertrude Quashigah was relieved of her position in a letter signed by Adwoa Safo.

Few days later, the Dome Kwabenya lawmaker in a letter addressed to Mrs Quashigah titled: Withdrawal of Termination Appointment and dated Thursday, 20 May 2021 said: I write in respect of the above subject matter.

Speaking on Class91.3FMs Class Morning Show on Tuesday, 25 May 2021, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe told Kofi Oppong Asamoah that he wonders why Mrs Adwoa Safo is still at post when her authority has been undermined by a higher authority.

She [Mrs Quashigah] had been released from her position, disgraced to the entire world, and then you [Adwoa Safo] come back and tell us you are reversing your own decision, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said.

Now, I know Adwoa Safo would never had done that without any higher authority [asking her to]. Adwoa Safo, I believe, is a well-educated person, somebody I know in the party  not very much. But I was expecting Adwoa Safo, the moment that superior element came to tell her reverse it, what she should have done is to take her pen, resign from the government.

Believe me: that would have put her on a different pedestal as far as the politics of this country is concerned, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe argued.
The headmistress of Efutu M/A Basic school has prevented five final year pupils from writing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for being pregnant.

According to the students, the headmistress, Evelyn Efua Panyin, does not allow final year students who are pregnant to write their final exams.

One of the victims complained that The headmistress made us aware that she will not allow any pregnant student to write final exams. But I faulted and should not be prevented to write my final exams. Last year she prevented a final year student from writing because she was pregnant, I dont want to stay home I want to write the exams and finish up this year with my colleagues.

Mother of one of the girls told Starr News it is unfair for the headmistress to jeopardize the future of her child because she is pregnant.

its a mistake she has done and they cant abort it knowing the criminality of that action. We went to the school and the headmistress says she will not allow her to write because thats against her rules in the school. We are appealing to the GES and the authority to come through for us.

The family believes that the headmistress is not going by the Ghana Education Service regulation which says pregnant students must be allowed to write the exams.

The students are appealing to the GES and leaders of Central region and the general to come to their aid.

---starrfm
Former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Small Scale Mining, Mr. Charles Onuawonto Bissue, says there are top politicians from the circles of both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) frustrating the efforts government in clamping down illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey.

According to him, throughout his tenure with the taskforce against the galamsey, he rejected a lot of inducements from top officials seeking to buy their way through to engage in the act.

He said when they tried him and failed, they started sabotaging him and government making reference to the Anas galamsey video just to discourage him.

Mr. Charles Bissue, who is currently on a visit in the USA was speaking on UTV morning Show hosted by Afia Pokuaa Vim Lady.

Mr. Bissue corroborated recent revelations made by Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and Abronye DC that the real galamsey kingpins are top politicians.

Mr. Bissue further indicated that for the renewed fight against the galamsey menace to succeed, there is an urgent need to de-politicise it and deal with the issue once and for all.

"The Galamsey menace is similar to the drug cartel, I say this because it does not have any political colouration. Therefore, the fight against this canker would require a collective effort and the support of Ghanaians and all stakeholders," Mr. Bissue stated.

He commended the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, for the effort in the galamsey fight.

Charles Bissue stated that he was proud of President Akufo-Addo particularly for the confidence he reposed in him at the time he was in office which was tasked to deal with the galamsey.

"I think we did our best and I thank the President for the confidence he had in me and so on any day, I'm ever ready to serve in any capacity again to help in the development of the country."
UN Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, 27 May 2021.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,000 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948 and will preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjold Medal will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their life serving under the UN flag last year and in the first month of this year.

Among the fallen peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously are two from Ghana: WO1 Patrick Ackah who served with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL); and Mr. Emmanuel Mac Kwasi Dorbi who served in a civilian capacity with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The two Ghanaians will be honoured at a ceremony to be presided over by the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in New York on 27 May 2021 as part of events marking the 2021 International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Ghana is the 10th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently deploys nearly 2,300 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Mali, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan and the Western Sahara.

During the ceremony, the Secretary-General will also award the 2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Major Steplyne Buyaki Nyaboga a Kenyan military officer who served with the African Union  United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, (UNAMID). Created in 2016, the Award recognises the dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

In Ghana, a virtual youth engagement will be held in commemoration of the Day. Tributes will be paid to Ghanaian peacekeepers serving to ensure the maintenance and sustenance of peace and those who have lost their lives in the cause. Participants at the virtual event will interact with two young Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the UNIFIL. They will share their experiences with the goal of inspiring young people to champion the cause for peace and security.
Following the death of NDCs founder Jeremiah John Rawlings, the National Democratic Congress party has become poorer for it, this comes at the time when the party still grieves it former President who died while in power and the sad loss of it immediate past Vice President. This shock has left the party deeply divided as followers of these political juggernaut run in many directions in search of a new idealogue.

Political party all over the world pride on their heritage and her ability to tap into the human resource capacity of its past. A party that loses two (2) former Presidents and a vice President has not only lost its most significant history but also risks a vacuum which can be of a dire political consequence to its future. Its no surprise then, that the biggest opposition party in Ghana today seems to be in a dilemma similar to that of the CPP, which has supervised a decline of its political fortunes since 1992 out of the abundance of lack of Nkrumahs replacement and charisma.

A recent poll, conducted by modernghana.com, an online and digital media outlet in Ghana, revealed that, Ghanaians will have confidence in the NDC, even if the party replaces its immediate past flagbearer in 2024. This reaffirms a similar outcome as was reported by EIU and EPPI on the need for a new candidate to lead the NDC in 2024 elections. While John Mahama & Janes ticket placed a close lead ahead of Dr Kwabena Duffour & Haruna a former finance minister and Governor of the Central Bank, the margins were highly negligible error by a little above 100 votes. One with the slightest political antanne will be minded to look closely at the Duffour ticket.

As many in the NDC are concerned about the future of the party, a grin of hope points to a renewed faith in new leadership, yet many expect to see John Mahama winning from the backbenches as the partys only bona fide living president. The expectation, no matter how unwelcoming they might sound, voters doubtlessness will have more certitude if former President John Mahama fills the deep god-father role and becomes the patron of the party.

The NDC as a political party has steamed its hope and pollical goodwill from the Northern and Volta regions of Ghana. However recent data points to rather a sadden demise of that goodwill. The New Patriotic Party has since 2000 proven to have a stronger strategic bid in these two regions while consolidating its base in Ashanti, Eastern and other parts of the country. One need not be a fount of political knowledge to understand the political impact of Dr Bawumia in the Northern regions in the recent elections in Ghana. A Northern Muslim Vice President from Walewale who likely is the next Presidential candidate of the ruling NPP if the polls are anything to go by, this can only be a source of worry for the NDC.

Many argue that, with the emergence of Dr Bawumia onto the pollical sphere, the NDC must switch strategy by picking a Northern Mulism in the stature of the current minority leader in parliament to level the fields against the Bawumias religious impact raging in the region. If this happens, the NDC must look southwards into Ashanti and compete fairly with a stronger force. This will be difficult but a bold step to take the fight into the NPPs base just like Bawumia is doing in the Northern regions of Ghana.

As it stands, the NPPs strategy to compete everywhere seems to have delivered a magic blow in Hohoe and many constituencies in the Northern regions and more of such will come unless the NDC and its leadership turn the wheel.

To achieve this transitional process, the party must be willing to make serious sacrifices, the first of it will demand former President John Mahama taking a backstage after a long political career, this will be one of the most important sacrifices required of him if truly the NDC wants to win the 2024 elections. This suggestion may seem absurd to the pro-Mahama advocates, but like Edward Deming put it without data, youre just another person with an opinion. What the recent moderghana.com polls suggest can only point to one outcome, a new candidate with a fairer regional and religious balance will be the NDCs magic wand.

If Bawumia becomes the first Muslim Presidential candidate on the ticket of a major political party since the fourth republican constitution, the NDC will not only compete for its Zongo communities which forms the base of the partys support, religion will be an issue on the ticket that votes must make decision on. But with John Mahamas backing acting of a new candidate in the party, Haruna Iddrisu, a Dagomba-Muslim, one of the largest ethnic groups in Northern Ghana will balance a ticket of a southern figure likely to be someone with necessary business acumen, academic scholarship and an unblemished public service record. This description strikes a Duffour-Haruna counterweight.

Like a friend like to put it, HOPE IS NOT A PLAN. The data speaks for itself, he who has an ear should listen.

Writer: John Nasir Yakuba
The NDC Member of Parliament for Twifo Atti Morkwa in the Central Region, David Vondee has been granted bail in the sum of GHC2million for allegedly defrauding a company by the High Court on Tuesday, May 25.

He was charged with two counts of defrauding by false pretence contrary to section 131 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, (Act 29) and money laundering contrary to section 1(2) (c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, Act 2020 (Act 1044).

The MP is to produce two sureties both of whom are to be justified.

He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail by the court after the charges were read to him on Tuesday May 25.

On the money laundering charge, the charge sheet stated that David Vondee, between August 2015 and July 2016 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region, took possession of the sum of $2,400,000 knowing it to be proceeds of crime.

The AGs Department said that knowing that his company had not completed their financial obligations toward their grantors and therefore, had no title to any portion of the land, the accused proceeded to prepare an indenture covering about 20 acres of the land in favour of the complainants company.

The accused also presented a land title certificate number GA 44978 to the officials of Africa REI Ghana Ltd. as evidence of his companys ownership of the said land, even though there had been no valid registration of the land.

Sometime in 2016, after the complainants had lodged a complaint of fraud against the accused to the police, the accused attempted to settle the matter amicably by granting to the complainant ten 10 acres of land as payment of the money taken from the complainants company. An official search at the Lands Commission, however, revealed the 10 acres of land did not belong to the accused or his company, it added.

---3news.com
Mali's strongman on Tuesday pushed out leaders tasked with steering the return to civilian rule following a coup, as former colonial power France warned it could lead a charge to impose sanctions against the regime.

Assimi Goita, who headed a junta which seized power less than 10 months ago, said that transitional President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane had been stripped of their powers, and he promised elections in 2022.

The announcement marks the latest crisis to hit the vast West African country, burdened by poverty and struggling with a brutal jihadist insurgency.

Ndaw and Ouane have been heading an interim government that was installed in September under the threat of regional sanctions, with the declared aim of restoring full civilian rule within 18 months.

But in a move that sparked widespread diplomatic anger, the pair were detained on Monday by army officers disgruntled by a government reshuffle.

Mali's President Bah Ndaw was detained along with the prime minister. By Michele Cattani (AFP/File)

In a statement read on public television, Goita said Ndaw and Ouane had been stripped of their duties for seeking to "sabotage" the transition, which would "proceed as normal."

"The scheduled elections will be held in 2022," he said.

Monday's government reshuffle, designed to respond to growing criticism of the interim government, saw the military keep the strategic portfolios it controlled during the previous administration.

But two other coup leaders -- ex-defence minister Sadio Camara and ex-security minister Colonel Modibo Kone -- were replaced.

Colonel Goita, who holds the rank of vice president in the transitional government, accused Ndaw and Ouane of failing to consult him on the reshuffle.

Assimi Goita led a coup last August that overthrew Mali's elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. By MALIK KONATE (AFP/File)

"This kind of step testifies to the clear desire of the transitional president and prime minister to seek to breach the transitional charter," he said, describing this as a "demonstrable intent to sabotage the transition".

The transitional charter, a document largely drawn up by the colonels, sets down principles for underpinning Mali's return to civilian rule.

Mounting anger

Coup leader Assimi Goita is currently serving as interim vice president. By MICHELE CATTANI (AFP/File)

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the detention of Ndaw and Ouane as an "unacceptable coup d'etat."

"We are ready in the coming hours to take targeted sanctions" against those responsible, Macron said after a European Union summit.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament in Paris that France had called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the crisis.

On Monday, the United Nations, African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the EU and United States issued a rare joint statement, attacking the detention and demanding the pair be released, a demand that was echoed by Britain.

Brewing crisis

Young military officers ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18 after weeks of demonstrations over perceived government corruption and his handling of the jihadist insurgency.

Map of Mali locating the capital Bamako where soldiers detained the president and prime minister on Monday.. By (AFP)

ECOWAS, a 15-nation regional bloc, threatened sanctions, prompting the junta to hand power to a caretaker government that pledged to reform the constitution.

Goita was appointed as vice president of the caretaker administration, and the president, Ndaw, is a retired army officer.

But many have doubted whether the military-dominated government had the will -- or the ability -- to stage reforms on a short timescale.

Among other problems, the nation faces a major logistical and security challenge as swathes of territory are in the hands of jihadists.

Public discontent

Monday's reshuffle came amid signs of discontent among the public, which had initially hailed the army for bringing down Keita.

The opposition M5 movement urged dissolving the interim government and demanded a "more legitimate" body.

France has sent soldiers to help Mali combat a jihadist insurgency. By DaphnA BENOIT (AFP/File)

On May 14, the government said it would appoint a new "broad-based" cabinet.

In the streets of Bamako, life seemed to continue as normal on Tuesday despite the ouster of Ndaw and Ouane, and many people interviewed by AFP said they were resigned to events.

Tahirou Bah, a civil society activist, attacked "putschist colonels.... (who) fight to the death for power" at a time when "80 percent of our country is under the control of terrorists, drug traffickers and bandits of every kind."

But, he said, many people simply focussed on day-to-day living -- "This is survival for many Malians."

burs-yad/ri/spm
The two persons accused of stealing blood at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have been granted bail.

They were granted bail to the tune of GHS 20,000 with two sureties.

Kwabena Adu Twum and Wilfred Tortsie were last Saturday arrested for attempting to steal several pints of blood that had been mobilized for various surgical procedures.

The two, who were put before Her Worship Nana Adwoa Serwaa Adonteng, of the District Magistrate Court, Adjabeng Accra, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The accused persons are to reappear before the court on July 12, 2021.

In addition, they are to report to the police every Wednesday.

The arrest of the suspects was effected in a special operation by the security personnel of the health facility.

Management of the hospital said the nefarious activities of the duo came to the attention of its security officers upon a tip-off.

Consequently, surveillance was mounted leading to their arrest at about 2:00 am on Saturday, May 22, 2021.

They were arrested on the Surgical third floor when they made the attempt to steal several pints of blood that had been mobilized for various surgical procedures, the hospital's administration said in a statement.

One of the suspects was seen wearing a laboratory coat in disguise as a health professional.

He was in possession of some stolen pints of blood, while his other accomplice sat in a 2018-registered Daewoo Matiz outside waiting for him at the car park around the administration block of the hospital.

---citinewsroom
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The fate of ECOWAS citizens of Mali still hangs in the balance and the fingers point at the deficiencies of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of the West African States) authority in living up to the aspirations of West African electorates. While the EU is proving leadership on all matters relating to its citizens and to all its member countries, the ECOWAS is always playing catch up.

It is not surprising to hear of another coup detat in Mali. The military in Mali are said to have detain President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, who are serving as interim government after the overthrow of the last democratic administration nine months ago.

The detention of the two leaders is said to be a danger to the transition the ECOWAS authority has been working hard to see through. The incidence is said to have occurred on Monday 24th May 2021 after a government reshuffle left out two soldiers who were part of the leadership of the coup in August last year.

As expected of the international community, the UN and the AU reacted to the new development in Mali by issuing a statement. It is however worrying to have the ECOWAS authority joining the UN and AU in making a joint statement on the Malian development, for the news to gain global recognition, at the expense of ceasing the opportunity to provide independent leadership West African eagerly look up to her for.

This political instability in Mali translate significantly into economic instability, leading to all sorts of socio-cultural challenges experience by the 20 million population of Mali in their daily lives, for years. Every Malian wish is to be relieve of this political burden.

The political challenge Malians face leading to all other complications, from the freedom of which people of nations outside the African continent take for granted, are not different from the very challenges all West Africans countries face, for which the ECOWAS was form. The fact is, the ECOWAS authority as it currently operates, largely excludes the very West African whose daily challenges the ECOWAS authority was in place to address.

The ECDRA (ECOWAS Citizens Democratic Right Advocates) associates the poor connectivity between the people and the ECOWAS institutions with the omission of having the Malian electorates voting directly in the election of their ECOWAS MPs, to the regional parliament (ECO PAL). The mandate West African electorates will be delegating to their ECOWAS MPs, by having the REGIONAL legislatures elected directly by the electorates across all the fifteen member states, is all that it will take for the regional authority to be very effective in addressing the challenges daily face by West Africans.

The challenges as it seems, is like the authorities of the elected political leaders of the member countries of West Africa by their respective electorates, are not interested in providing the necessary leadership to their respective citizens. But this is far from the truth! The real challenge is in the poor support the regional body is making in giving essential backup to member countries. The ECOWAS authority capabilities does not allow it to give its member countries effective support, resulting from the nature of mandate the electorates of the ECOWAS delegate to the institutions of the authority, by the nature of the mandate to the ECOWAS MPs.

The failure of the ECOWAS institutions had the UN, AU, United States of America, United Kingdom, France and Germany, joining the ECOWAS to sign statement condemning the Malian coup. The ECOWAS is said to be sending a delegation to the Malian capital Bamako, on Tuesday 25th, according to the statement.

Kofi Ali Abdul-Yekin
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The participation of women in Governance has been a major issue of inclusion, around the world. The seriousness of this is enshrined in Millennium Development Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women.

The European Union in Ghana and The Institute for Democratic Governance on Friday, May 21, 2021, held a webinar on the theme Strengthening Womens Inclusion in Governance and the Urgency of the Affirmative Action Bill: Progress, Challenges and Way Forward.

The event was used as a platform by the Speaker of Parliament to assure the esteemed female panelists and guests of parliament's commitment to pass the affirmative action bill. Ghanas Parliament is looking forward to the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill, which aims at offering women 50 percent quota, Hon. Alban S.K Bagbin affirmed.

The event featured Ghanaian women in civil society such as Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin of Abantu for Development and Sheila Premo-Minkah Managing Consultant of Apex Law Consult, who spoke on the effort of the The Coalition of the Affirmative Bill in the bid to expedite the passage of the Affirmative Bill into Law.

Members of the diplomatic corps such as H.E Alicia Rico (Spanish Ambassador), H.E Mrs. Diana Acconcia (Head of European Union Delegation to Ghana.) and H.E Dr. Alssa Kirabo Kacyira (Rwandan Ambassador) brought a voice to the discussions and shared their international experiences.

Former Minister Nana Oye Bampoe stated while delivering her remarks at the event that, Early Engagement with Parliament is recommended for the passage of the Bill

Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah (MP and Chairperson for Committee of Gender, Children and Social Protection), stated that she learnt a lot at the "very interesting program" and hoped that on the heels of a successful discussion, "we would go further and push this particular agenda".
Pardon implies guilt. If there be no guilt, there is no ground for forgiveness. It is an appeal to executive clemency. It is asked as a matter of favor to the guilty. It is granted not of right but of grace. A party is acquitted on the ground of innocence; he is pardoned through favor, the court wrote.
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Law is one of the social institutions that binds all citizens; both young and old. This is because from cradle to grave, man is governed by laws. That is to say that the law regulates the entirety of man's existence, activities, properties and general conduct throughout his lifetime and beyond. This observation aligns with the lucid thought of Antiedu which he shared at the launch of his law book titled Reading the Law. The author noted that: Were born into the law; we live within the law and we die according to the law.

The fact of the indispensability and iniquitousness of law in our lives requires every member of society of sound mind and legal age to have full knowledge of the laws of the country and to obey all the laws. Thus, a person of legal age and sound mind who fails to access the law and to know its contents cannot be availed by his or her ignorance of the law if found to be in conflict with the law. This is because ignorance of the law is no defence in law.

The rule that ignorance of the law is no defence gained considerable currency during the trial, conviction and incarceration of Rosemond Brown a.k.a. Akuapem Poloo in April 2021. She was charged for publishing obscene material and engaging in domestic violence against her son. The actress made a striking remark after her successful bail application pending appeal and release from jail. She said: I didnt know that taking a photograph with my son in that manner would put me in trouble.

The purpose of this article is to inquire into the question of whether or not an ordinary Ghanaian can plead ignorance of law if found to be in conflict with the criminal laws of Ghana.

The rule that ignorance of law is no defence

Ignorance of law means a lack of knowledge of the law. The rule is that everyone is fixed with knowledge of the law and liable to be punished for disobeying the laws of the country. Hale (1680) explained the rule more lucidly in the following words:

"Ignorance of the municipal law of the Kingdom, or the penalty thereby inflicted upon offenders, doth not excuse any, that is of the age of discretion and compos mentis, from the penalty of the breach of it; because every person of the age of discretion and compos mentis is bound to know the law, and presumed so to do: [ignorantia juris non-excusat].

The rule depends on the general proposition that ignorance of things that everyone is bound to know shall not excuse anyone. For this reason, a person who fails to know the law and acts in breach of the law is punished as if he knew of the law. Thus, the law takes the position that since the consequences of conduct are obvious to anyone, a person who disobeys the law must be fixed with knowledge of such consequences.

The rule that ignorance of law is no defence is reflected in our Ghanaian criminal jurisprudence, and finds expression in Section 29(2) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). This provision stipulates as follows:

A person shall not be exempt from liability to punishment for any activity on the ground of ignorance that the act is prohibited by law."

Thus, in Ghana, all persons (including ordinary Ghanaians) are presumed to know the laws of the country and are bound to comply with them, and those who disobey the law will be liable to punishment as if they knew the law. Accordingly, the law would not accept a plea of a defence that is founded on the premise that he lacked knowledge of the law so breached.

The rationale behind the rule of ignorance of the law is no defence

The rationale for this maxim is that, if ignorance of the law is accepted as an excuse, any person charged with a criminal offence or sued in a civil action would claim that he or she was unaware of the law in question just to avoid the liability attached to that breach. It is furthered feared that even the highly educated when caught up in breach of the law would plead ignorance of the law to avoid legal liability. The effect would be that no one would obey by just pleading that he or she did not know the law. To avoid this kind of situation and to achieve the ends of the law, there is a general imputation of law that all persons who are subject to a law know the law and would be held to account whenever there is a default in compliance.

Mistake of fact distinguished

Ghanas Criminal Law distinguishes between ignorance of law and mistake of fact. Thus, in Ghana, while ignorance of the law is not a defence to a criminal conduct, mistake of fact is a complete legal defence. Mistake of fact arises in a situation where the accused person acted in honest belief that what he did was a lawful activity. This defence is justified on the ground that a person who acts in honest belief of lawfulness of his actions lacks the guilty mind (mens rea) required to establish a criminal offence.

Mistake of fact as a legal defence is expressed in Section 29(1) of Act 29 as follows:

A person shall not be punished for any act which, because of ignorance or mistake of fact in good faith, he believes to be lawful.

An authoritative decision of the Supreme Court on the subject is the case of Nyameneba & Others v The State. The facts were that the Appellants were members of a religious sect and had been growing and using a certain kind of plants they called herbs of life for about four years. They used the herbs publicly for invocation at their place of worship, for food and medicinal purposes. Upon report to the Police against the activities of the sect, the Police investigated and found the herbs to be Indian hemp. At the trial Court, the accused person pleaded ignorance of fact as their defence. They maintained that they did not know at all that the herbs were Indian hemp but their plea was rejected and convicted. They appealed successfully to the Supreme Court, which found that the Appellants were honestly ignorant of the fact that the herbs they had used for about four years were Indian hemp and as such, a plea of mistake of fact under Section 29(1) of Act 29 ought to avail them. The Supreme Court, speaking through Ollennu JSC, also affirmed that ignorance of the law is no defence but a mistake of fact is a complete defence.

Implications of the rule that ignorance of the law is no excuse

This rule implies that all members of society have unfettered access to the laws of the country and also have the capacity to understand them. While this rule may be unquestionably applied in jurisdictions that afford citizens with ready access to the laws and their comprehension, the same cannot be said in jurisdictions that lack these provisions such as ours. The strict enforcement of the rule in our jurisdiction would cause a manifest injustice if we prosecute and punish persons who lack both ready access to the laws and comprehension of their contents. The ordinary Ghanaian falls into this category of persons who lack both ready access to the laws of Ghana and knowledge of their contents.

On the basis of the above concern, the question is often asked whether the ordinary Ghanaian can plead ignorance of the law when he comes into conflict with the law to escape liability. It is argued that it would be pointless to punish a person for breaking a law that he knows not of its existence or contents.

The Ordinary Ghanaian and the Law

The rule that ignorance of the law is no excuse is predicated on the presumption that the people have full knowledge of the laws of the land or that they have unfettered access to the laws but they have refused to acquaint themselves with the laws. As earlier alluded to, this cannot be said to reflect the state of affairs in Ghana. Despite the giant gains made in educating our people, there remains a majority of the illiterate population including the ordinary Ghanaian. They rely solely on discussions on the law by the media principally television and FM stations which are not adequately done given their time limitations and their capacity to convey full legal knowledge. This accounts largely for the high level of legal illiteracy in the country. Sadly, through no fault of theirs, they are required to comply with a law they are oblivious of and cannot even be heard to plead that they did not know the law or its existence at the time they come into conflict with the same.

The writers have identified three categories of Ghanaians who have little or no knowledge of the laws of Ghana and their contents. The first group comprises illiterates, who presumed not to know the laws of Ghana as well as their contents, and the 2010 Population and Housing Census puts their percentage at 27.5 per cent (drawn from Ghanas literacy rate of 71.5 per cent). The second group of Ghanaians are made up of the percentage of Ghanaians who are literate but have no reasonable access to the laws of Ghana. The third group consists of literate Ghanaians who have reasonable access to the laws of Ghana but who do not read these laws.

Access to law remains is a big problem. Lawyers and other educated members of our society continue to battle with lack of immediate access to new legislations passed by Parliament. The situation is worsened by the fact that we fail to incorporate amendment laws into their parent legislations.

Conclusion and recommendations

While endorsing the purpose of the rule to ensure that the law works to achieve its objects, the writers also recognise the fact that the strict application of the rule would occasion a manifest injustice against ordinary Ghanaians who may be punished for a crime they knew nothing about.

The writers, therefore, strongly recommend for the establishment of system that would ensure that there is a continuous public legal education to address the knowledge gap and also make the law more accessible to the citizenry. This system, which would be led by the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), should take advantage of the opportunities offered by information and communication technology including social media platforms for the education of the public and for making the making the laws more accessible to the people. This system would promote obedience to law, protect innocent citizens from breaking laws unknown to them, create a peaceful country and enhance the welfare of the people of Ghana.

Benjamin Tachie Antiedu, Private Legal Practitioner & Author

Goodnuff Appiah Larbi, Legal Researcher

REFERENCES
Ghanas President Akufo-Addo has said the prosperity of the African people lies in the massive transformation of the economies of their respective countries.

To this end, he has advised his colleague Presidents on the continent to collectivize efforts and take a bold step towards turning their socio-economic development around.

In his message to commemorate the African Union (AU) Day on Tuesday, May 22, 2021, Nana Akufo-Addo said let us join together to make it possible within our generation, and let us work together towards fulfilling, in our time, the pan-African dream of a United Africa.

While wishing all Africans well on the day, he admitted the numerous challenges bedevilling the continent, but egged them to make their own unique contribution to the growth of world civilization by unleashing their considerable energies and huge potential.

I urge all of us, on this day, also to rededicate our energies, within the confines of the African Unions Agenda 2063, titled The Africa We Want, to the implementation of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. They represent the most ambitious plan the global community has yet devised to eradicate global poverty, and, hopefully, leave no one behind., Nana Akufo-Addo added.

AU Day, formerly known as African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day, is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 25th May 1963.

The organization was later transformed into the African Union on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25th May. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world.

This year's AU Day, which is under the theme Africa Day is Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want, is being celebrated in the wake of a number of issues including the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected the African economy.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has emphasized the need for African leaders to give the continents young people greater access to resources and opportunities to prosper.

Although Africa has the youngest population in the world, the majority of the continents youth are not gainfully employed.

While reminding Africans to work harder, the former President in a message to mark African Union (AU) Day also called on various governments on the continent to improve on the legacy of past leaders.

Today also reminds us of the need to work harder as a people and governments to improve on the legacy bestowed on us. As the world's youngest continent, Africa must ensure that our young people have greater access to resources, have a stronger voice in decision-making, and are not discriminated against.

AU Day, formerly known as African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day, is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 25th May 1963.

The organization was later transformed into the African Union on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25 May. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world.

This year's AU Day, which is under the theme Africa Day is Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want is being celebrated in the wake of a number of issues including the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected the African economy.

Mr. Mahamas comments come days after he withdrew his acceptance as the AU envoy to Somalia.

While thanking the AU for the confidence reposed in him, Mr. Mahama told the Chairperson of the AU Commission in a letter that the high political importance of the proposed assignment requires that the High Representative enjoys the unalloyed support and co-operation of all political stakeholders.
Greetings Mr. Adadevoh. I have a problem with the poor MTN network in Ho and other parts of Volta Region. I am not a telecommunication expert so I will speak my mind in a laymans voice. I will go straight to the point without mincing words and I am an aggrieved subscriber to MTN, the Telco for which you are the CEO.

The performance of the MTN network in Ho and many other parts of the Volta Region is nasty. I am sure your organisation is aware about the problem but you are apparently not concerned hence, you have not proffered a remedy yet. The bad network in Ho and other areas in the Volta Region is not only a disrespect to MTN customers but also a way of cheating them. It appears to me that your company is complacent because it is the giant in the telecommunication industry here in Ghana. The complacency might be the germane cause of the neglect of customer concerns in Ho.

Mr. Adadevoh, some of us have been loyal customers to your Telco over the years and we witnessed its metamorphoses from Spacefon through Areeba to MTN yet we still use the network. Do you and your team really care about such loyal customers? I am aware that the network is equally bad in other regions. Is the problem unsurmountable for your team?

Nye Bro CEO, what a company exists to do is its mission and MTN has a mission. MTNs mission statement reads, To make our customers lives a whole lot brighter. If this is so and your team is truly committed to it, then the MTN network in Ho and other parts of the Volta Region will not be this bad. With the horrible MTN network in Ho, I think some aggrieved MTN users would compellingly re-write the MTN mission statement to read, To make our customers lives a whole lot darker and full of frustrations.

Apart from the mission statement, MTN has brand values, which I think are the same as the organisational core values. They are captioned under leadership, innovation, integrity, relationships and can do. Notable among the specific brand values are:

Leading the way through connectivity enablement. We are, because of you, our customer. Creating possibility.

It is sad to observe that the horrible MTN network in Ho, its environs and other parts of the Volta Region gives credence to the fact that your company only pays lip service to the brand values. Certainly, MTN is rather impeding connectivity enablement in Ho, MTN does not have customer satisfaction at heart and the network is rather creating impossibility in mobile phone usage in the Volta Region. Customers feel the reverse forms of your brand values in Ho and its environs. What are your Brand Managers and Technicians doing?

MTN CEO, I write from an embittered and frustrated heart. Undoubtedly, you are aware that people use their mobile phones for daily transactions such as mobile money services, mobile health services, Zoom and other online conferences. Imagine that in this era of unemployment in Ghana, someone applied for a job and he is being invited for a job interview but the potential employer cannot get the job applicant via phone to inform him about the interview. Mr. Adadevoh, that will be a missed opportunity, a misfortune and a missed fortune caused by poor MTN network, which you superintend over at its zenith.

CEO Adadevoh, what makes the MTN network horrible in Ho as I keep saying? You place a call and you do not hear a tone let alone get the calls through. You get a call through to the other party and the call drops repeatedly. You are talking on phone and you only hear a generator or whatever sound. You are in a phone conversation with a friend and you keep talking without knowing that the line dropped. You buy data bundle but you are unable to use it to access the internet and social media. You get a social media video and for hours, you cannot download. There are times that the network is virtually non-existent for a whole day. How can such a poor service make MTN realise its vision, which states, To lead the delivery of bold, new Digital World to our customers. Or is the MTN vision a low- hanging fruit?

Nye Bro MTN CEO, you need to swiftly dispatch your technical teams to resolve the poor MTN network problem in the Volta Region. Permit me to repeat this clarion call for remedy in Pidgin English. Masa, you for make your people coma solve the problem wey your network dey cause for Ho cum other places in Volta oo. You for take quick action. You hear me so? Na network nu wo What is accurately measured can be improved appropriately so move into assessment and required remedial action. The MTN slogan is everywhere you go. This slogan must translate into quality service rather expanding weak mobile network coverage to the people. As the MTN CEO, the bus stops with you so do something.

~ Asante Sana ~

Author: Philip Afeti Korto

Email: [email protected]
France condemned the ousting of transitional leaders in Mali on Tuesday, as Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss the case.

"France condemns with the greatest firmness the violent act that occurred in Mali yesterday," Le Drian told parliament on Tuesday.

"We demand the liberation of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane after strongman Assimi Goita stripped them of their powers, he said, characterizing their detention as violent acts.

The transitional leaders were initially installed after the military coup d'etat in August order to return the country to a civilian government after the coup.

Le Drian demanded their safety and called the immediate resumption of the transition process, that is slated to restore civilian rule within 18 months.

Sanctions

French President Emmanuel Macron is pulling out all the stops using diplomatic channels to condemn the coup, including threatening sanctions by the European Union.

"We are ready in the coming hours to take targeted sanctions" against those responsible, Macron said in Brussels after a summit of bloc's 27 leaders.

On Twitter, European Council President Charles Michel said he had spoken to Ghana President and current Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc chair, Nana Okufo-Addo.

"The EU stands directly behind the mediation efforts of ECOWAS," tweeted Michel.
President Akufo-Addo has reiterated that Africans have what it takes to transform their economies.

He made this known in his Africa Day message on May 25, 2021.

According to him, as I indicated to the Pan African Parliament on Monday, 24th May 2021, we have it within us to transform our economies, and bring prosperity to our peoples.

So, let us join together to make it possible within our generation, and let us work together towards fulfilling, in our time, the Pan-African dream of a United Africa, he urged.

Below is his full statement:

---DGN online
The 6 th InstinctBusiness Finance Innovation Awards (IBFIA) is set to hold on the 4th of June 2021 at the Movenpick Ambassadors Hotel at exactly 6PM.

This years edition of the awards will unveil Top 25 Finance CEOs and Top 25 Finance CFOs on an African wide basis. This list comprises the best in the business of Finance on the African Continent which was meritoriously put together by the awarding board.

The awards ceremony will see the gathering of top finance industry players. Previously known as the Ghana Finance Innovation Awards (GFIA), the awards scheme has rebranded into InstinctBusiness Finance Innovation Awards (IBFIA), to identify and reward excellence in the financial industry on an Africa-wide scale.

The finance industry is a dynamic sector with immense impact on Africas overall economy and the relevance of the sector has been seen now more than ever through the innovative ways by which players in the industry have handled the outbreak of the pandemic and kept economic activities running.

IBFIA will also recognize leading finance experts, teams and top finance organizations, whose outstanding leadership and practices have raised the standards of accountability within the profession, showcased brilliance in managing organizations wealth as well as promoting economic growth and sustainability.

Given the adverse impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on Africas economic development, the IBFIA will recognize those businesses that have gone beyond responding and recovering, but transforming and rebuilding their organization in the new norm occasioned by the pandemic for a stronger future.

InstinctWave Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Akin Naphtal, expressed his excitement about the 6th edition of the awards scheme, describing it as an impetus that propels human motivation in terms of contribution to the growth of African economy at large. We cannot underestimate the role of the financial sector and its importance to national development and the development of the entire continent of Africa. We are excited to honor and celebrate with organizations at the forefront of promoting economic growth and lifting the veil on individuals and firms that have contributed immensely to the sector, Naphtal said.

He added that it is the belief of his company that the awards will inspire a new generation of robust work ethics, industry leaders and desired processes in the finance sector.
The Omanhene of the Agogo Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region, Nana Akuoko Sarpong, says Africans should be proud of themselves but must also learn from China in order to grow rapidly.

As Africans across the world are marking African Union (AU) Day, the Agogo Paramount Chief in an interview with Citi News stressed that Africa has enough resources to make it develop, and must take advantage of it.

The real beauty of Africa lies in the continent itself. The sun, energy, and others are things we must be proud of. They are God-given gifts. This makes us different from others, and we must be proud.

Also, we have all the resources that should make us rich. What we need is to put our energies together and this will make us productive, and our continent will be great. We should learn from the experiences of China. Education is the key. The Chinese have a long history of education and are now reaping the benefits. We have so much to learn from China, he added.

AU Day, formerly known as African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day, is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963.

The organization was later transformed into the African Union on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25 May. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world.

This year's AU Day, which is under the theme Africa Day is Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want, is being celebrated in the wake of a number of issues including the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected the African economy.

---citinewsroom
The Pentecost Child Development Centre in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare has organized a sensitisation programme at Duayaw Nkwanta Community Centre to consider a number of activities which could help the communities manage a child.

The theme for the said programme was "Child Protection, Stakeholders Involvement."

The District pastor of the church of Pentecost, Mawuena Komla Akoto said children are gift from God. He indicated that improper management of child by parents could bring curse to the child's parents or society.

He urges all parents irrespective of their worth to cater for their children, it is the responsibility of parents to provide the needs of the children, teach the children the words of God, allow God to superintend the family among others.

Mr. Komla admonishes parents to implement gender equality principles and make sure the children are given equal opportunity when it comes to sharing and exercising views on matters of national interest.

The Tano North Municipal Director of Social Welfare, Madam Lovelace Eyiram touched on societal decline of morality and blamed parents for not teaching their children the commandments of God. She said the bad behavior adopted by some parents has induced the younger generation to engage in immoral activities such as drug abuse, armed robbery, sex trade among others. She urged all citizens to report both criminal and abuses to the appropriate quarters like police and social welfare for necessary action to be taken.

The Ahafo Regional Director for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mr. Eric Adu called on all and sundry to play a strategic role as stakeholders for protecting the development of every child in the country. He reiterated that a survey on love for the development of children has shown that many parents do not care for the development of their children. He however said the poor upbringing of children would jeopardize the Countrys developmental growth.

On Child protection Act, Mr. Adu cited the 1992 constitution article 28 and informed all parents to comply with the provisions in the aforementioned Act.

The Ahafo Regional Director for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mr. Eric Adu addressing the gathering called on all and sundry to play a strategic role as stakeholders. According to him, the love for the development of children have now diminished indicating that the deplorable state of children upbringing would ruin the future of the countrys developmental growth because the wellbeing of children translate into adulthood who later take the mantle of leadership.

Mr. Adu stressed that every child is unique and if the country failed to have well trained and well-cultured development of children for the future the country would not achieve its accelerated growth.

In referring to the 1992 constitution article 28 which talked about protection of every child and child maintenance, he draws the attention of the society to know that the child right and their responsibility is still paramount.

He gave statistics on a research conducted in 2003 on Child's development and revealed that about 800,000 children were seen on the streets, 51% slept on the street and 49% of them go home once in a while.

The programme was attended by school children, teachers, religious leaders, parents, staff of the Department of social welfare, NCCE, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service and Ghana Library.
Serial digital entrepreneur and Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has called on all aggrieved parties in Imo State to embrace peace, noting that no form of progress can take place in an atmosphere of unrest or insecurity.

He made this known while speaking at the Imo State Government House during a courtesy visit to Governor Hope Uzodinma on Monday, May 24, 2021.

The Zinox boss, who has been pained by recent developments regarding insecurity in Imo State, had decided, based on reportage and discussions with various stakeholders, to visit the state for a personal assessment of the situation, even as he noted that the facts on ground show that the situation was not as bad as portrayed.

I think it is a temporary pain as activities were on full gear during the day and I hope night life shall soon return to what was a very peaceful state before this challenge, he stated.

Ekeh, however, seized the opportunity to call for a cease-fire from all concerned parties.

The most critical thing to note is that peace is essential to the progress of any society. No meaningful progress can take place in a state where there is a high level of unrest, insecurity or a break-down of law and order. I wish to use this opportunity to plead with everyone to embrace peace, especially because this is not a time for division, but a time for all of us to band together and usher in progress in our dear state, he declared.

The foremost digital disruptor, who hails from Mbaitoli LGA, decried the loss of lives and property in the state, noting that the situation may scare away potential and existing investors, if not curtailed. Furthermore, he pleaded with the people of Imo State, to save the state from such a scenario and see dialogue as a better option.

Imo youths are very brilliant kids and street smart, but they must have faith in their future. This may be the right time to reskill to alter their destinies. Violence solves no problem. Instead, it makes a bad situation even worse. Rather than resort to violence, it is better to dialogue or find a middle ground. I plead with you all to consider this whenever issues arise. I also understand that the governor is a busy man. In such cases, you can reach out to people like some of us to speak with him.

I urge you all not to allow yourself to be used to destroy the state. Remember that any actions we take today may also destroy the future of our children and unborn generations.

Also speaking at the event, Gov Uzodinma, who reassured the Zinox boss that things had normalized, disclosed his commitment to ensuring peace and security in the state as a means of creating a conducive environment for progress and for businesses and other entrepreneurial pursuits to thrive.

While speaking with journalists on the sidelines of an event, Ekeh restated his love for Imo State, noting that he would continue to support every government in power in the state, irrespective of the status, party or identity of the governor.

I am not a politician and shall never be one in this my life time. My single interest is supporting any government in power for the progress of the state. I can tell you the Governor assured me that he is putting a lot in place to revive the economy. I frankly think the Federal Government, well-meaning Imo indigenes no matter where they reside, our friends and corporates operating in Imo state, should support in whatever little ways they can for absolute peace to return. I shall also do my bit.

In addition, the digital entrepreneur, who remains one of the biggest employers of graduates from Imo State, disclosed plans to enhance his investment in the state. Stating that the coronavirus pandemic was a huge challenge to businesses and individuals worldwide, Ekeh noted that Nigeria was also experiencing the bitter pangs of the pandemic, having being ill-prepared for the crisis.

The truth is that no government or religious leader anticipated this disaster, Ekeh disclosed.

He advised all to draw closer to God, even as he disclosed that God is the only distinguishing factor.

Ekeh, a renowned philanthropist, has touched millions of lives in Imo State and across Nigeria through his support for the less privileged, churches, educational institutions and other segments of the populace. Through the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation, his personal foundation, Ekeh has granted scholarships to many indigent students, constructed markets, provided Medicare for many and also set up an interest free N1.5bn revolving loan scheme for entrepreneurs, among many other noble interventions.
There were well over a thousand people who were in custody at the MDC during this crisis, said attorney Betsy Ginsberg. This decision ensures that they will have their claims heard by a judge and that they will all be represented by counsel.
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If Nananom, to be precise, Asante chiefs, were more serious to go by the prevailing Asante tradition and custom, they had better arrest the proprietor of Oheneba Media. Asante custom demands that if someone insults a chief behind his back, he who reports it to him is the one insulting him. Thus, if say, Kofi tells a group of people in secret or public that Omanhene Kwaku is stupid and a womaniser, but behind Omanhenes back, he who goes from the group to inform Omanhene of what Kofi has said is the one cited for arrest. Traditionally, he is the one directly insulting Omanhene Kwaku but not Kofi. This is how the tradition is; and it must be applied as such.

On about three occasions that I am aware of, a certain guy residing either in Germany or Belgium, who is the proprietor of Oheneba Media, one of these mushroomed but mostly irrelevant social media operated by Ghanaians all over the world, has acted very irresponsibly and in contravention of a standing revered Akan custom relating to insults on chiefs.

He started by revealing the phone number and residential address of a certain Ghanaian woman residing in Switzerland. He said, the woman was repeatedly insulting Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, by posting voiceover clips with still pictorial stool and kente-cloth at the background.

He over-exaggerated the womans alleged insults so much so that it got to the hearing of Asantehene himself. I understand the woman is from Kumawu. She was peeved at Asantehene's needless and uncustomary meddling in ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy dispute contrary to Kumawu tradition and custom and by extension, agreed Asanteman custom and procedures. She was telling the truth, although emotionally.

In another instance, he conducted investigations to reveal the whereabouts of one Ohene David in Germany. Yes, Ohene David out of his seeming concern about the plight of Ghanaians come about as a result of the misdeeds of the Ghanaian leadership, has emotionally been venting his anger on both the traditional and the public leaders. Overwhelmed by the intentional desire of the Ghanaian leadership not to serve the people as their mandate require but to be served amid robbing the nation in broad daylight, his posted video clips are often overflowing with expletive language.

Although in public domain his videos are, it could happen that they have not come to the attention of Asantehene or the chiefs or the public personalities he talks about. Therefore, for Oheneba Media to approach the chiefs mentioned with the content of Ohene Davids messages, incite them to perform traditional rituals with intent to kill Ohene David, it is Oheneba Media that is insulting the chiefs. He maliciously records his interactive interviews with the chiefs, posts them on YouTube for the whole world to see and comment on.

In another most recent occasion, he arranged a female team member of his Oheneba Media to meet the Nifahene of Asantehene. The woman informed the chief about the insults one Twene Jonas, a Ghanaian male residing in the USA, has rained on Asantehene. The Nifahene expressed his dissatisfaction at the attitude of Twene Jonas, telling how he would personally deal with him. He went on to say, Twene Jonas should consider himself banished from Ghana for should he ever be sighted in Ghana, he would be dealt with mercilessly. At the same time, the chiefs would invoke all the river gods, spirits and fetishes in Ghana to curse Twene Jonas.

Ever since the Nifahenes reaction as posted on social media, a lot of radio and other media houses have picked it with commentators expressing their anger and negative views about the chiefs. The whole issue has gone viral more than it would have, had Oheneba media not diabolically as usual got involved.

All the comments passed are in support of the actions by those voicing out against the negligence of duty by our chiefs and public office holders.

Has Oheneba media not made matters worse? He is the one rather seeking to make capital gain out of the actions of the woman in Switzerland, Ohene David in Germany and Twene Jonas in the USA.

Oheneba media must by tradition be arrested for his frivolous, if not malevolent, actions. He is the one rather directly insulting Asantehene to his face by always reporting in verbatim what others have said, to the chiefs, going by the said Akan custom. He is not helping the chiefs he runs to with what others are saying about them. He is the one making money out of it, the chiefs must bear that in mind.

Rockson Adofo

Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corp (KDMC) has become the second municipal corporation in Maharashtra to provide COVID vaccine jabs to people disabled due to leprosy. BrihanMumbai Municipal Corp (BMC) was the first to offer COVID vaccine to leprosy patients.

Last month, BMC started vaccination for leprosy patients at its Acworth Municipal Hospital in Wadala. According to a senior healthcare professional, till date the vaccination centre has provided COVID vaccine to 47 destitute, and disabled leprosy patients.

He says, "A team of three doctors, one medical social worker, and one paramedic staff started the process of enrolling eligible leprosy patients, who had the required documents on 1 March 2021 and within few days we enrolled 33 patients."

"All of them are senior citizens with disabilities. Hence it was very risky to send them to other vaccination centres for vaccination. So, we initiated the process to start vaccination at the Acworth Municipal Hospital for Leprosy itself," the healthcare professional says.

On 21 April 2021, Aaditya Thackeray, minister for tourism and environment in Maharashtra inaugurated the vaccination centre at Acworth Municipal Hospital.

As per our information, there are additional 50 leprosy patients at the Wadala vaccination centre, who could not get the jab due to lack of documents. These people do not have any identification document like Aadhaar number or permanent account number (PAN) card, which is mandatory for registration for the COVID vaccine.

These people are waiting for the policy decision from the government so that they can be permitted to get vaccine without any documentation.

Coming back to KDMC, there is an old settlement in the Hanuman Nagar area of Kalyan for leprosy patients. Many of them are disabled and cannot register or go out to get COVID vaccine. Gajanan Mane, a social worker raised the issue with Dr Vijay Suryawanshi, the municipal commissioner. Dr Suryawanshi immediately responded to the request and asked the health department to set up a COVID vaccine centre near the settlement.
Names of two candidates, who were said to be the front runners for the post of director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), were dropped after chief justice of India NV Ramana cited a guideline from the Supreme Court on appointment of police chiefs.



According to sources, chief justice Ramana pointed out the apex court's guidelines in the Prakash Singh case of March 2019, which made it clear that an officer with less than six months to retirement, should not be appointed as chief of police.



The source said that the chief justice was insistent on this point, and received support from Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha. This made prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi, who heads the three-member committee, to follow.



This means, two senior police officers YC Modi, the chief of National Investigation Agency (NIA), who is set to retire at the end of May and Rakesh Asthana, who is currently heading the Border Security Force (BSF) and will retire in July this year, were out of race for the top post of the CBI.



Sources said that YC Modi and Mr Asthana were among the top contenders for the post of CBI director.



However, after their names were dropped, the PM-led Selection Committee discussed names of three IPS officers. This includes Subodh Jaiswal, chief of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), KR Chandra, director general (DG) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and VSK Kaumudi, special secretary in the ministry of home affairs (MHA).



A senior officer wishing not be named pointed out that chief justice Ramana has set a new bar in the selection of director of CBI.



He said that the Prakash Singh judgment was about appointment of DGPs of state police.



"However, CBI appointments are more guided by the Vineet Narain judgment, the CVC Act and the Lokpal Act," he said.



The chiefs of CBI have a fixed two-year term. However, this is for the first time that the condition of six-month tenure left before appointment, has been followed.



In March 2019, while hearing the petition filed by former UP DGP Prakash Singh, a bench headed by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi had said, "We, therefore, clarify that recommendation for appointment to the post of director general of police by the union public service commission (UPSC) and preparation of panel should be purely on the basis of merit from officers who have a minimum residual tenure of six months i.e., officers who have at least six months of service prior to the retirement."

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.
Covid-19 related labour unrest is slowly brewing in the automobile sector in Tamil Nadu, with workers demanding shutting down of the factories during the lockdown period and maintaining social distancing at work.

On Monday, workers of country's second largest car maker Hyundai Motor India Ltd stopped production demanding closure of the factory as about 750 workers turned Covid-19 positive during April and May.

"In the last two months, 750 workers have turned Covid-19 positive. Seven workers have succumbed to coronavirus. Hence today all the workers protested. Initially the management did not agree on factory closure. But when the workers started maintaining social distance at their workstations, production stopped automatically," Hyundai Motor India Employees Union (HMIEU) President E. Muthukumar told IANS.

Later Hyundai Motor India agreed to close the factory for five days, from May 25 to May 29.

Muthukumar said Hyundai Motor India has 16,450 workers - about 2,450 permanent, and about 12,000 contract labour/apprentice and others.

Similarly, the Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS) on Monday put the Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd's management on notice saying that the workers will boycott duty from May 26 onwards.

RNITS' Joint Secretary T.Tamizh Kumaran, in a letter to the management, said that unless their safety is ensured at the plant, workers will not come to work.

Citing the Madras High Court order which states steps to be taken to reduce the footfall in office and factories, the union said that the company has not taken any steps to reduce the footfall in the company's plant to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Renault Nissan Automotive is a joint venture car manufacturing plant of French auto major Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Company.

"Five workers have died and about 850 have been infected with coronavirus at Renault Nissan Automotive since last year," RNITS President K.Balaji Krishnan told IANS.

He also said in 2021 alone, about 420 employees have tested Covid-19 positive.

"All our workers are young and they are dying. There is no social distance maintained at the factory. We had suggested reducing the number of cars produced per hour. This in turn would reduce the number of workers per workstation. But the management didn't agree," Krishnan said.

There are about 8,550 workers/staff/apprentices/contract labour (about 3,547 technicians/workers, about 2,000 staff, about 2,000 contract workers and about 1,000 apprentices) employed at the Renault Nissan Automotive plant near here.

It is also learnt that worker dissatisfaction is brewing at Ford India Private Ltd's car plant near here.

Workers cite Japanese two wheeler company India Yamaha Motor as a responsible one as it has announced closure of its two plants from May 15 to May 31 due to Covid-19 spread, citing "the health and safety of its employees is the top priority for the company".

According to Krishnan, the RNITS had requested the factory to be closed till the workers are vaccinated or the demand for beds at the hospitals come down.

Though the automobile and the component makers did not function during the March 2020 lockdown, they are allowed to operate with the state government bringing them under the continuous process industries.

A worker said the paint shop and the foundry is classified as a continuous process and hence the automobile factories are classified as a continuous process industry.

Krishnan said the Tamil Nadu government's order classifying automobile manufacturers as Public Utility Service ended this February.

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.
In a major relief for the Piramal group, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed DHFL administrator and the lenders, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has stayed the earlier order issued by Mumbai bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The Mumbai bench NCLT had directed lenders of beleaguered Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) to consider to consider the former promoter Kapil Wadhawan's settlement offer. Piramal group, which had won the bid for DHFL had also separately moved NCLAT to challenge the NCLT order. Kapil Wadhawan is currently in judicial custody for his alleged misdeeds.

On Tuesday, the division bench, headed by Justice AIS Cheema and VP Singh in an oral order stayed the directive passed by the NCLTs Mumbai bench on 19th May.

The NCLAT has also agreed to hear pleas by the Committee of Creditors (CoC) and DHFL's RBI-appointed administrator and the Piramal Group challenging the Mumbai NCLT order. The pending appeals will be heard on 25th June 2021. NCLAT has also clarified that its order or the pending appeals should not come in the way for NCLT to decide the approval of the plan (Piramals plan) selected by the CoC of DHFL. Piramals resolution plan is currently awaiting the final nod from the NCLT.

It may be recalled that R Subramaniakumar, the RBI-appointed administrator for DHFL, and the lenders had yesterday moved the NCLAT against the NCLT order. The tribunal had given the CoC a period of 10 days to consider his offer and come back to the court with its decision by 31st May.

In January this year, the CoC voted in favour of selling DHFL to the Piramal group under the bankruptcy process. The NCLAT's direction today came over an urgent petition moved by the Union Bank of India on behalf of the CoC of DHFL.

In its appeal before the NCLAT, Piramal group pointed out that NCLT had reserved judgement in granting nod to Piramal resolution plan in January 2021. In its appeal, the Piramal group affirmed that the NCLT order will cause havoc and destroy the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) fabric and, hence, it must be stayed. It was also noted that Mr Wadhawan's proposal is neither a settlement offer, nor a resolution plan. Lenders too have written an appeal along similar lines.

In his appeal to NCLAT filed late on Sunday night, the DHFL administrator had also questioned the timing of the NCLT order. The appeal says The impugned order has the effect of creating a disruption from the strict discipline of the timelines set out under the CIRP and has the effect of compelling the CoC to vote on a settlement proposal offered by Kapil Wadhawan, which the CoC in its commercial wisdom had chosen not to.

DHFL had gone bankrupt in 2019 with more than Rs 90,000 crore in debt to various lenders, including banks, mutual funds and retail investors who invested in the companys fixed deposits (FDs) and non convertible debentures (NCDs).

DHFLs lenders have been reluctant to consider Mr Wadhawans offer after careful consideration of the legal advice from their counsel. Lenders have also cited lack of credibility. Wadhawan too has not sent any formal proposal with valuations attached to proposed asset sales.
In a significant move, the Maharashtra government on Monday informed the Bombay High Court that it will treat all patients suffering from mucormycosis at designated hospitals free of cost besides planning to cap the treatment rates in private hospitals.

The treatment will be given at pre-identified hospitals and nursing homes in the state under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana and the Pradhan Mantra Jan Arogya Yojana.

The government also informed a division bench at the Aurangabad Bench, comprising Justice R.V. Ghuge and Justice B.U. Debadwar that a GR to this effect has been issued on May 18.

While 130 hospitals in the state are notified under these two schemes, another 1000 shall be empaneled and the medicines required for mycormycosis treatment shall be provided free of cost, it said.

Given the high cost of treatment for the disease, the state is also planning to cap the treatment cost in private hospitals.

"It is thus, apparent that the state of Maharashtra has come up with a specific policy to treat mucormycosis. Private hospitals too will be restrained from raising astronomical bills," the judges noted.

It further said that it expects the state government to accord wide publicity to this policy so that the poorest of poor, the illiterate or semi-literate and persons in remotest or tribal areas become aware of the same.

According to Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Maharashtra has till date witnessed over 1,500-plus mucormycosis cases and more than 100 deaths, both highest in the country, besides shortages of the drug Liposomal Amphotericin-B used to treat the disease.

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.
HELENA, Mont. - Memorial Weekend is the unofficial start to summer in Montana and as boaters venture out to our rivers and lakes, Fish Wildlife & Parks asks you to keep in mind the rules aimed at protecting our waters and preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species.

All boats must stop at all open watercraft inspection stations they encounter. Failure to stop at inspection stations could result in a fine of up to $500.

All watercraft coming into Montana from out of state must seek out an inspection prior to launching.

Non-residents transporting watercraft into Montana must purchase a Vessel AIS Prevention Pass before launching. The fee is $30 for motorized and $10 for nonmotorized watercraft. The pass is valid until Dec. 31.

All watercraft travelling west across the Continental Divide must be inspected.

All watercraft launching anywhere within the Flathead Basin that were last launched on waters outside of the Flathead Basin must be inspected.

Watercraft leaving Tiber Reservoir must be inspected at an FWP decontamination station.

Montana FWP and partner agencies operate more than 25 road-side watercraft inspection stations across the state. Typically, boat inspections are brief and include a short interview and check to make sure watercraft are not transporting mud, water, plants or invasive organisms. Larger or more complex boats may require additional time for an inspection.

FWP says watercraft owners can make their inspection quick and easy if they consistently practice Clean, Drain and Dry every time they leave an access area:

Clean all mud and debris from the watercraft and trailer.

Pull drain plugs and make sure all compartments, bilges, ballasts and livewells are drained.

Allow time for watercraft and gear to dry before the next trip.

FWP inspectors and enforcement staff are working to make sure everyone knows the AIS rules and has a safe and fun time on the water.

To find a watercraft inspection station or to learn more, go to CleanDrainDryMT.com or call the FWP Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau at 406-444-2440.
MISSOULA, Mont. - The former East Helena chief of police suspected of child pornography distribution made an initial court appearance Tuesday.

According to a release from Department of Justice U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Montana, William Daly Harrington, 42, of Helena, faces five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release if found guilty.

The FBI arrested Harrington, who surrendered voluntarily, Tuesday morning.

According to the DOJ, charging documents filed in September 2020 allege Harrington created and managed a Facebook account under a fake name, and distributed child pornography to another Facebook account multiple times.

The FBI, Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office, Bozeman Police Department and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case.
Hong Kong: Hospital Authority refutes article

The Hospital Authority today refuted a newspaper commentary mentioning an incident involving an eye injury patient in 2019.

The authority said it had co-operated with the police investigation and provided the relevant medical records to the force in accordance with the law, adding that it was aware the incident had entered legal proceedings and that both the authority and relevant departments had to respect and abide by the restrictions of the procedures.

It reiterated that it treats all patients equally, upholds the principle of respecting personal privacy and complies with legal requirements.

The authority or public hospitals will not disclose a patients specific clinical details to the public or the media without the patient's consent.

It also disagreed with the commentary and emphasised that allegations of a deliberate cover-up and fraudulent disclosure of a patients condition were unfounded.

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Female scions of major conglomerate families are claiming the spotlight with their impressive management skills. They have shed the classic images of pampered daughters and have leapt to the frontline of the business world.

Promoted to president of the Hotel Shilla last week, Lee Boo-jin, the daughter of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee, came to the fore when it was announced that a Louis Vuitton shop is being opened in the Shilla duty-free emporium at Incheon International Airport. She made many visits to Paris to meet Bernard Arnault, the CEO of the world's largest luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Group to conclude the deal.

Chung Yoo-kyung, the daughter of Shinsegae chairwoman Lee Myung-hee and vice president of Shinsegae Department Store, has expanded her sphere of influence since she rose to her current position last year. As an adviser on advertising and marketing, she is in charge of the design and marketing aimed at VIP customers.

Chung stepped into the limelight by spearheading the Centum City shopping mall project in Busan, which opened in 2009. For research, she crisscrossed the globe, traveling to about 30 shopping malls in Dubai, Tokyo and Orlando, Florida since 2006.
Shes been remanded, but let me tell you this, when you look in that courtroom and see that woman, she doesnt look evil, but the words she said the night before were hurtful, Lynch said. She doesnt look evil, but her actions created evil. She has to answer for what shes done. She has to pay for the consequences that those hateful words and those evil actions caused to a police officer and his family. She knows she did it because she confessed to it. Shes in prison now because she ran. She meant to run. She didnt care about any other police officers or the public.
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May 25, 2021

Iran Election Preview

The Guardian Council of Iran, which preselects candidates for the presidential election, has today announced the names of those who have passed its tests:

The list of seven presidential hopefuls was unveiled by Iranian state media on Tuesday. The candidates have been picked from nearly 600 people who submitted their bids for approval. The list is dominated by political hardliners, including judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, believed to be a very close figure to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a favorite in the upcoming polls. Raisi ran for president before, losing to the incumbent president, Hassan Rouhani, back in 2017 by a wide margin of nearly 20% of the votes. Rouhani is barred from running for office again due to legal limitations, as he has already served the maximum allowed two consecutive four-year terms.

Two candidates who I would have liked to see running were disqualified.

One was former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani on the reformist side who had supported the current President Rouhani in the Majles (parliament). The reformists, who had banked on the nuclear deal, lost support when Trump shunned it and sanctions brought the economy down. The Majles now has a conservative majority and the upcoming presidential elections will likely also trend towards a conservative candidate.

But if Larijani had been allowed to run the election would also have been a real contest between the conservative and reformist side. Without such a contest the voter participation in the election will be on the lower side. That might damage the system's legitimacy.

Golnar Motevalli @golnarM - 11:19 utc  May 25, 2021 Fars news says the latest poll indicates participation in Iran's presidential election will be 53%.

Of those who said they will definitely turn up and vote, 72.5% said they'll pick Raisi.

On the conservative side I would have liked to see the former president (2005-2013) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being allowed to run. While the establishment - in Iran and in the 'west' - despised his style, working class people in Iran tend to like him. A February poll by the University of Maryland asked "who would you want to be Irans next president". 28.2% named Raisi while 15.1% named Ahmadinejad. All other candidates had much lower values.

A confusing aspect of Iranian politics is that the socially conservatives, which the west unfairly calls 'hardliners', are on the social-democratic left on economic issues while the socially liberal reformers tend to favor the bazaari and capitalists. Still, it is not yet clear to me what Raisi's economic preferences and policies are.

The election will be held on June 18. Meanwhile the U.S. and Iran are still negotiating about the U.S. return to the nuclear deal. The Biden administration has been very slow to work on the issue and thereby destroyed all election hopes for the reformists in Iran. It also made it more likely that the attempt to return to the deal will fail as the soon ruling conservatives in Iran will likely oppose any condition the U.S. is trying to attach to it.

Posted by b on May 25, 2021 at 17:26 UTC | Permalink

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@MJ_JournalRick on Twitter

Richard Payerchin covers Lorain City Hall, business news and other interesting stories for The Morning Journal. Reach the author at rpayerchin@MorningJournal.com or follow Richard on Twitter: @MJ_JournalRick.
But a source familiar with the estate indicted its value could increase dramatically in the years ahead given the popularity and depth of the catalogue left behind by DMX, with rap classics like Party Up (In Here), Slippin and Get At Me Dog.
The Permian Basin is hundreds of miles from the nations seaports, but boosting exports overseas will be an economic boon to the landlocked region.

Rep. August Pfluger, the Republican who represents Midland as part of his District 11, and Rep. Henry Cuellar, the Democrat whose District 28 includes Laredo, Mission and San Antonio, have teamed up to introduce the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act to expand expedited approval of liquefied natural gas export permit applications.

Im excited about this bill, Pfluger told the Reporter-Telegram in a telephone interview Monday afternoon.

He noted that he sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and fellow members may wonder what energy exports have to do with foreign affairs. He explained that there are countries, particularly in Eastern Europe  Romania, Latvia, Lithuania to name a few  that need US oil and gas products.

We need to get the federal government out of the way and let private companies export to any country thats not subject to sanctions or trade restrictions, he said.

The bill has garnered bipartisan support from the industry and from both Republicans and Democrats in the House, and Pfluger said he is working to build more industry support as well as support from Senate Democrats and Republicans to the companion bill introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Industry associations like the Permian Basin Petroleum Association have offered their support for the bill. Ben Shepperd, PBPA president, said in a statement when Pfluger and Cuellar introduced the bill, The Permian Basin is the most prolific oil producing region in the world and is the second largest natural gas producer in the United States. The Natural Gas Export Expansion Act will help to fully utilize the Permian Basins natural gas resources as a national security tool, promote safer and cleaner natural gas and expand worldwide markets for Permian Basin natural gas. These efforts will also help to reduce global emissions.

It involves educating Democrats and explaining why promoting LNG exports by cutting red tape, regulations and the time it takes to build and put a facility online benefits the country, he said.

It supports not just our economy but the billions of people around the world without reliable power, he said. There are 800 million people without electricity. Thats one-eighth of the planets population. This addresses energy poverty.

Pfluger said he believes the bill has a chance of being enacted into law.

Ive had a few conversations with the administration and they are concerned about our trade alliances, he related. This could help the Permian Basin but the administration can also see this has tangible benefits in helping our trading partners and allies.

The Permian Basin could directly benefit by having increased access to markets for natural gas, which in turn would reduce flaring, he added.

Pfluger acknowledged he has concerns about the Biden administrations actions regarding the oil and gas industry. For instance, he said he is very concerned about the revocation of the permits for the Keystone XL pipeline, which he said has cost thousands of jobs. We have to be able to show the impact of those actions, he said.

The export expansion act  as well as an earlier bill to bar the federal government from enacting bans or moratoriums on oil and gas leasing or drilling permits on federal lands  are actions Pfluger said he was elected to take.

The way he sees it, hes fighting not just for his district but for the country, calling oil and gas an important part of the nations gross domestic product and vital to national security.

Im committed to our national security, and theres nothing more important to our security than providing oil and gas, he said.
BAGHDAD (AP)  Clashes between security forces and protesters left one person dead and over a dozen injured Tuesday after hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad to protest a rise in targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists.

Violence erupted near Tahrir Square in the early evening following a largely peaceful demonstration. Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse the crowds and demonstrators hurled stones at riot police, witnesses and Iraqi security officials said.

One protester was shot and died in a hospital and over a dozen were injured, a security official and the semi-official High Commission for Human Rights said.

The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The shooting began after security forces first used tear gas to disperse the crowds. The demonstrators responded by throwing stones, and on some occasions bricks at police, according to an Associated Press videographer on the scene.

Earlier, demonstrators gathered in the square amid heavy security, among them protesters from southern provinces including Dhi Qar and Karbala. Tensions there have mounted in recent weeks over the increasingly frequent targeted killings.

Todays protests took place because the weak government did not keep its promises to bring the murderers to justice, said activist Kamal Jaban at Tahrir Square.

Many waved Iraqi flags and raised portraits of Ehab Wazni, a prominent activist assassinated in Karbala, among three targeted killings this month alone. Protesters had given the government two weeks to hold his killers responsible.

The government did not deliver, we had to march, said Jaban.

The High Commission for Human Rights reported nearly 35 activists have been killed in Iraq since an anti-government protest movement swept Iraq in October 2019. There have been nearly 82 attempted killings since them.

In the last year alone, 15 Iraqis were killed and there were 30 attempted killings recorded by the commission, said spokesman Ali al-Bayati.

Protesters expressed outrage that despite launching several investigations into the killings, Iraqi authorities have not named any perpetrators. They widely believe the killers to be linked to Iran-backed militia groups and that the government is powerless and unwilling to identify them.

Impunity comes from the failure of state institutions to bring the perpetrators to account, said al-Bayati. This gives them the green light to continue.

Many expect the killings to continue as Iraq plans to hold early elections in October, which had been a key demand of anti-government protesters.

Now, some of those same protesters are calling for the elections to be canceled as the death toll from targeted killings rises, saying they have no faith in the current system.

We will not delay the elections if we get fair and safe chances to participate in them, said Jaban. We will boycott the elections unless there are positive changes.

A recent Human Rights Watch report raised concerns that without justice the killings could prevent Iraqis from participating in the election.

If the authorities are not able to take urgent steps to stop these extrajudicial killings the palpable climate of fear they have created will severely limit the ability of Iraqis who have been calling for change to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, wrote senior researcher Belkis Wille.

Heavy security deployments were seen in central Baghdad ahead of the Tuesday protest.

Iraqi security forces arrested four infiltrators near Tahrir Square in the morning, according to an Iraqi military statement. The individuals were reportedly carrying weapons and sought to incite violence.

Tens of thousands of protesters, most of them Iraqi youth, took to the streets in October 2019 to decry corruption, poor services and unemployment. Demonstrators camped out in Tahrir Square for months.

But the movement petered out by February last year owing to the governments heavy handed response and the coronavirus pandemic. Over 500 people died because security forces used live ammunition and tear canisters to disperse crowds.

Though protests have waned, targeted assassinations against civil society groups and outspoken activists continue to create a climate of fear. Many activists have left Baghdad to seek refuge in the Kurdish-controlled northern region, or sought asylum in Turkey.

___

Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj in Baghdad contributed.
HOUSTON (AP)  Three female deputies filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing a Texas constable of turning the office's undercover operations into a booze-fueled playground for sexual exploitation."

The deputies, who either work or worked for the Harris County Precinct 1 Constables Office in Houston, alleged women were subjected to unwarranted touching and kissing, molestation and sexual ridicule during their work with the offices human trafficking unit.

The lawsuit alleges the office of Constable Alan Rosen set up undercover sting operations that were supposed to ultimately arrest those behind sex trafficking businesses. But those operations turned more into parties where officers drank heavily and the female deputies, who were given little to no training in undercover work, were fondled and kissed by their supervisory officer or were told to give lap dances to other male deputies.

MORE TEXAS NEWS: GREG ABBOTT NAMES 'OFFICIAL HANDGUN' OF TEXAS FOR SOME REASON

The lawsuit alleges that in another undercover operation at a massage parlor, one of the female deputies was told that to make an arrest she needed to be sexually assaulted by a suspect. The deputy did not get any support from the constables office after her assault, according to the lawsuit.

Cordt Akers, one of the attorneys for the women, called the allegations some of the most unspeakable sexual police misconduct that any of us have ever seen.

The lawsuit alleges Rosen and the Harris County District Attorneys Office were told about what was happening by a victims advocate working with the human trafficking unit, but they took no action.

We need to end corruption and (complicity) in people in power, Jacquelyn Aluotto, the victims advocate and who filed the lawsuit along with the deputies, said at a news conference. Aluotto alleges she was essentially fired as her hours were cut to zero after she told authorities what happened to the deputies.

In a statement, Rosen said an internal affairs investigation his office conducted found no violations of law or policy and the women who filed the lawsuit never submitted a formal complaint in the case.

I have a zero-tolerance stance against sexual assault and sexual harassment and would never allow a hostile work environment as alleged," Rosen said. This lawsuit is an effort to impugn the good reputation of the hard-working men and women of the Precinct One Constables Office. I believe our system of due process works and that justice and truth will prevail as facts in this case come to light."

In this matter, our sex crimes division quickly asked Constable Pct. 1 Internal Affairs to investigate whether there was evidence of a crime and Ms. Aluotto has represented she contacted the Texas Rangers. Nothing has been presented to prosecutors by either agency, said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

Constables and their deputies are licensed peace officers who have the same powers as regular police officers but also have the added responsibility of civil law enforcement. Rosens office covers parts of central and north Houston.

The lawsuit alleges that to make human trafficking arrests, the constables office set up bachelor party stings in which the female deputies would pose as prostitutes in order to arrest sex workers and lead authorities to their handlers.

But the undercover operations became sexually-charged stings and a way for an assistant chief and others to fondle, kiss and ridicule the female deputies, according to the lawsuit.

What began as an idea for bachelor party prostitution stings soon grew into a booze-fueled playground for sexual exploitation in which young, untrained deputies were subject to disgusting abuse, according to the lawsuit.

Aluotto learned the female deputies were being victimized and that the human trafficking unit was not focused on solving cases and helping victims but on organizing the bachelor party stings, according to the lawsuit.

Aluotto said she and the deputies have already received threats to their careers.

We will not be silenced. We will continue to advocate and we will fight for our rights and others, she said.
There's been an unusual sighting at Padre Island National Seashore.

On Monday, PINS said a young American alligator from Lousiana ended up on its beach shores near Malaquite Beach. In a Facebook post, PINS officials wrote tags on the reptile's feet showed it came from another state.

READ ALSO: Drone photos show ridiculously long line for oversold concert at Cowboys Dancehall

After consulting with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, PINS transported the animal to a rehabilitation facility to recover from its long journey, the post stated.

While alligators are primarily freshwater animals, they can tolerate saltwater for a few hours or even days, according to the National Ocean Service. Don't worry, you probably won't find them in the ocean, as they primarily stick to swampy areas, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.

The TPWD told MySA.com their team is still working on getting more information about the alligator in terms of exactly how far it traveled. However, the department did say sometimes alligators get moved around in cases of flooding, like areas of Louisiana and East Texas have experienced over the past week.

The department said it isn't sure if that was the case for this globe-trotting gator.
When I saw a recent photo of him online it all came flooding back to me. This is not possible  how terrible this is for Roberta and for my grandson. I hate that they will have to know and live with the fact that their father is a medical rapist. I am angry that I was violated in this manner, said Bianca Voss, who lived in the Upper West Side in the 1980s.
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Muskogee, OK (74401)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Some progress is being made. The Addabbo centers Far Rockaway branch has been vaccinating between 30-80 people a day. Earlier this month, it began offering additional vaccine slots on weekends, which is helpful to capture the working-class people who cant afford to take off a weekday, Anderson said. Addabbo is seeing results from the weekend sessions. In one weekend alone in mid-May, more than 200 people got the vaccine at the clinics Far Rockaway location.
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An effort to grow the city of Loris  both its population and geographically  could have a direct impact on revenue coming into the city.

Over the last two months, the city has been engaging area property owners about their land being annexed into the city limits. City officials have had some success. The owners of more than one dozen parcels, mostly just north of the city, have shown interest.

We want to make the city bigger. These folks [living in unincorporated areas] have lived here for years, they are already going to our high school, said Keith Massey, Loris city clerk. We want to work with people. We want to grow our city.

Municipalities across South Carolina sometimes encourage neighboring property owners to embrace annexation.

Its not unusual for a city or town to pursue annexation, said Scott Slatton, director of advocacy and communications with the South Carolina Municipal Association. The reasons of course are to expand a tax base, maybe they are trying to, you know, make their service delivery more efficient. Mostly its an attempt to increase population and increase the tax base.

Slatton said opponents of annexation would say being part of a municipality means higher taxes and fees.

What they overlook is the benefits those residents are gaining, he said.

Residents of municipalities are likely to receive better representation from a city or town council member, Slatton said, rather than a county council member who has many more constituents. Residents also receive zoning and land use protections when living in incorporated areas.

Massey agrees a common consensus of residents who live in unincorporated areas just outside of city limits do not want to pay city taxes, though some residents in the unincorporated areas use city water services. The water rate is higher for those not living in city limits.

In fact, to apply for the citys utility services, in-city residents pay a total of $4,000 for water and sewer connection fees and impact fees, while out-of-city residents pay $8,200. This application is for both new homes being built and existing homes.

How the annexation process works

State law requires properties to be contiguous, or adjacent to a property that is within city limits.

In the last two months, there have been declarations of covenant to annex signed for 13 parcels to be annexed into the city.

Another property owner in south Loris has shown interest in annexing two parcels, though it has not been finalized, according to the city.

These particular parcels are not contiguous and therefore have to go through the pre-annexation process. Once the properties become contiguous, each will be annexed into the city.

Among these properties are Fox Bay Estates, which includes 10 parcels for 10 planned homes on Fox Bay Road, and three lots on Allen Street.

Properties that are contiguous have to file a petition, which has to ultimately be passed by city council before being annexed.

The city currently has one petition, filed by Ashwood Holdings LLC, for a 1.74-acre parcel on Perrin Drive to be annexed. Ashwood Holdings intends to build about five homes on the parcel, and the petition is contingent on the property being zoned residential. The property is adjacent to two properties that are already within city limits  one of those properties zoned residential, the other zoned forest-agricultural.
A Meredosia man facing first-degree murder charges has asked for a new judge  causing a switch in judges three times in the past month  over claims he could not get a fair trial otherwise.

Attorney Tom Piper on April 21 asked that Morgan County judges Chris Reif and Jefferey Tobin be recused from hearing the case against Dustin A. Finlaw, 21, of Meredosia.

Reif has been the judge presiding over the case since 2018.

[Finlaw] believes that Judge Christopher E. Reif and Judge Jeffrey E. Tobin are so prejudiced against him that he cannot receive a fair trial  [and] respectfully prays this court to allow a substitution.

Reif granted the motion April 22 and the case was transferred to Scott County Judge David Cherry. The state on April 28 asked that another judge be appointed.

States Attorney Gray Noll said someone facing a murder charge has the right to ask for a different judge up to two times.

He exercised that right to recuse Reif and Tobin, and then the state exercised the right to have Judge Cherry recused, Noll said.

The case is now assigned to Sangamon County Judge Jack Davis.

The court found Finlaw fit to stand trial after he was treated by the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Finlaw is charged in the stabbing death of Robert L. Utter, 42, of Rushville, who was found dead May 24, 2018, in a car in Meredosia. Finlaw also is facing charges of aggravated assault on two police officers, resisting arrest and obstructing justice/destroying evidence.
Lutsenko was a key source for Giuliani as he dug for information on Biden that was favorable to Trump, according to impeachment testimony. Lutsenko also urged Giuliani to push for Trump to remove Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Yovanovitch was fired by Trump in May 2019  a key episode in the impeachment saga.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  In a cramped house with mice in the kitchen and music booming outside from passing cars, Keldy Mabel Gonzales Brebe lays bare her three-year journey from Honduras to the United States and all that lies ahead to adapt to life as an immigrant.

She fled the Central American nation with her family and a price on her head to seek asylum at the U.S. border. Instead, U.S. officials separated her from her children, jailed and deported her under President Trumps zero-tolerance policy to prosecute adults entering the country illegally. While the boys were allowed to live with relatives in Philadelphia, their mother made her way back from Honduras to Mexico, where she struggled to join them.

Keldy missed celebrating birthdays and holidays together. She watched from afar as her teenagers filled out and grew facial hair.

There were times I thought I would never see them again, she said.

Three years later, America has jettisoned many of Trumps hardline immigration policies.

Keldy was one of four parents who returned to the United States during the first week of May with temporary legal status to join their children. Her familys ups and downs illustrate what many parents and children may encounter as they try to make up for lost time.

Keldy and her family lived on the north Caribbean shore of Honduras, a tourist area. Her husband was a guide, taking American tourists to a region of tropical rainforest, pine savannah and marsh called La Mosquitia, or whitewater rafting on the Cangrejal River.

Keldy described herself as middle-class housewife. She would cook for the tourists on the expeditions.

Drug trafficking gangs controlled some areas and required payments from businesses and people for protection. For those who didnt pay, the penalty was death.

Hit men killed four of her siblings. When she testified against the killers in one case in 2011, she received numerous threats and was told there was a price on her head.

The whole family fled to Mexico in 2013 but were deported by the Mexican government right away.

Back in Honduras, they fled to a rural mountainous area called El Naranjo in attempt to hide from the gangs. Her husband left again, making it into Texas. Then in 2017, as neighbors warned that people were asking uncomfortable questions about her, she also left with the boys.

She crossed the border with her youngest son Erick, now 17, and her middle child Mino, now 19, in the fall of 2017.

Keldy flagged down a Border Patrol cruiser, and she and her sons were taken together to a cell in a detention center in Deming, New Mexico, 35 miles north of the border. Then she was handcuffed, and separated from the boys.

The children were both soon released, and family members paid for their flight to Philadelphia. Their older brother, Alex, now 21, eventually became the legal guardian of his brothers and cared for them while they went to school, working construction.

But Keldy was kept in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Paso, Texas, for a year and a half and then deported to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in January 2019.

She traveled back north and settled in Tapachula, Ascension and then Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, waiting for a chance to enter the United States. She got by with money sent to her by her kids, her sisters and her husband. She video messaged with her boys, and remembers with pain of missing graduations and other big moments.

Finally, last month, Linda Corchado, director of legal services at the non-profit Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, contacted her: Bidens task force was working to reunite families separated at the border. Keldy needed to get passport photos.

Keldy entered on May 4, in a car with Corchado, through the Bridge of The Americas, then flew to Philadelphia.

A video shows the family reunion on May 4 in the Philadelphia home of a niece, with Keldy crying while her kids hug her. Hola mi amor, amor mio (Hello my love, my love), she says, her face buried in the arms of her sons.

Keldy counts her blessing to be a family, free from death threats in Honduras and and pain of separation.

But there are many difficulties. Keldys son, Mino, dropped out of school to help pay the rent on the house that six of them share, where Keldy sleeps on the living room sofa. She wants to get a job, but is caring for her 7-year-old autistic niece and an unsteady 75-year-old mother, along with cooking and cleaning for the family. She sees drug use and hears gunshots in the streets of the Kensington section of Philadelphia where they live.

Its enough, now, to be with her children. She knows that is more than many of her fellow migrants have.

Everyday I pray to God for other mothers to be able to come in. They cry for their kids, she said. They ask me do you know anything new? and I tell them to have patience. And I tell them they will succeed.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Parents and siblings of Black men killed by police urged people during a discussion in the city where George Floyd was killed a year ago to join them in pursuing legal changes they say can make similar deaths less likely in the future.

The panel, convened Monday in Minneapolis and organized by the George Floyd Memorial Foundation founded by Floyds sister Bridgett and moderated by prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, was part of a series of events marking the one-year anniversary of Floyds death on May 25.

Family members of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Daunte Wright and other Black men slain by police gathered for a discussion about the state of policing in the U.S. and racial inequities in the frequency of fatal encounters with law enforcement.

The families also discussed the role of lawmakers in making changes to hold police accountable and how community members can support the loved ones of those killed by police.

You dont have to actually lose a child in order for you to have that passion, said Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin. We need allies, we need people to support us and lift us up when weve fallen down and when you all have fallen down we need to lift you all up.

Gwen Carr, Garner's mother, described her meetings and conversations with lawmakers over six years to get legislation passed that bans the use of chokeholds, among other measures, after an officer used the technique in the death of her son. One instance involved Carr and other mothers in New York bringing makeshift coffins to the state Capitol in 2015 after failed attempts to meet with Gov. Andrew Cuomo in person.

I don't believe in writing letters. I don't believe in phone calls. I do like to get right up in their face... I tell them what my demands are  not my asks, but my demands, she said.

Several states moved to prohibit or severely limit the use of chokeholds and neck restraints after Floyd's death last year. At least 17 states, including Minnesota, have enacted legislation to ban or restrict the practice, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The families also discussed the rarity of convictions in cases of Black men killed by police and whether convictions alone amount to substantial accountability. Allisa Findley, whose brother Botham Jean was killed in his own home in September 2018 by ex-Dallas officer Amber Guyger, said the families, activists and citizens need to keep applying pressure despite the conviction of Derek Chauvin  who was convicted of murder and manslaughter last month  for Floyd's death to prevent similar killings in the future.

I don't look at a conviction as justice. The conviction is accountability and what should happen, she said. The fact that we celebrate the few convictions is sad. A conviction should be mandatory if you commit murder so I think there's still a lot of work left to be done."

Later in the day, outside the Capitol in St. Paul, a handful of activists and family members of victims held a news conference and demanded that lawmakers pass legislation that holds authorities accountable in the future and reopens police abuse cases from the past.

There are so many things up on the table now that people can be passing and signing to prevent stuff like this from happening, said Katie Wright, Daunte Wrights mother. But everyone is just taking their time on it. And if we continue to take our time and we continue to stay silent, I dont want somebody elses family to stand here with me next week or the week after because its happened to them.

Johnathon McClellan, president of the Minnesota Justice Coalition, complained that Congress has failed to pass the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act and Minnesota lawmakers have failed to make any substantive changes despite being ground zero.

Following the speeches, dozens of protesters led by a group of Native American dancers began a march around the Capitol grounds and streets in the area, starting with the chant, No justice, no peace.

___

Mohamed Ibrahim 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.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iran named the hard-line cleric running its judiciary and six others Tuesday as approved candidates in its June 18 presidential election, barring prominent candidates allied with its current president amid tensions with the West over its tattered nuclear deal.

The announcement carried by state television puts judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, who is linked to mass executions in 1988, in the dominant position for the upcoming vote. Hes the most-known candidate of the seven hopefuls, with opinion polling previously showing his anti-corruption campaign drew Iranian support. He's also believed to be a favorite of Iran's 82-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

But perhaps most notable was who Iran's Guardian Council barred from running. Chief among them was former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, a conservative who allied with Rouhani in recent years. Larijani had been positioning himself as a pragmatic candidate who would back Rouhanis signature 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Diplomats in Vienna are now trying to negotiate a return of both Iran and the U.S. to the agreement.

Larijani seemingly signaled he wouldn't fight the decision.

I have done my duty before God and the dear nation, and I am satisfied, Larijani wrote on Twitter. Thank you to all those who expressed their gratitude and I hope you will participate in the elections for the promotion of an Islamic Iran.

Ali Motahari, Larijani's brother-in-law and a former lawmaker, separately wrote on Twitter that the Guardian Council rejected him because his daughter lives in the U.S.

Within Iran, candidates exist on a political spectrum that broadly includes hard-liners who want to expand Irans nuclear program and confront the world, moderates who hold onto the status quo and reformists who want to change the theocracy from within. Those calling for radical change find themselves blocked from even running for office by the Guardian Council, which also refuses to allow women to run, citing Iran's constitution.

Also barred Tuesday was former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad ignored a warning from Khamenei in 2017 and registered, only to be rejected then as well by the Guardian Council, a 12-member panel under Khamenei. Ahmadinejad maintains a following in Iran due to his populist policies and has threatened to boycott the election if he wasn't allowed to run.

During an earlier session of parliament Tuesday, lawmaker Ahmad Alirezabeigi described Ahmadinejad's home as being under siege by security forces since the day before. He also warned that the decision would suppress turnout. Iran's theocracy since its 1979 Islamic Revolution has based its legitimacy in part on turnout in elections.

Rouhanis senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, the most prominent reformist to run, similarly found himself disqualified.

I consider the disqualification by the elites is a serious threat to widespread participation and fair competition by all political parties, especially reformists, Jahangiri wrote on Instagram.

State TV earlier quoted Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesman of the Guardian Council, as saying only seven had been approved out of some 590 who registered by the panel of clerics and jurists overseen by Khamenei. In 2017, 1,630 hopefuls registered to run.

Raisi wrote on Twitter  a service technically banned by Iran since the 2009 unrest that surrounded Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election  that he wanted authorities to reconsider the decision to bar some of the candidates.

I have made contacts and I am holding consultations to make the election scene more competitive and participatory, he said, though the disqualifications Tuesday only boosted the likelihood of him taking the presidency.

As the head of the judiciary, Raisi oversees a justice system in Iran that remains one of the worlds top executioners. United Nations experts and others have criticized Iran for detaining dual nationals and those with ties abroad to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

Then theres the 1988 mass executions that came at the end of Irans long war with Iraq. After Irans then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border in a surprise attack.

Iran ultimately blunted their assault, but the attack set the stage for the sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as death commissions. Some who appeared were asked to identify themselves. Those who responded mujahedeen were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic, according to a 1990 Amnesty International report.

International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed, while the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq puts the number at 30,000. Iran has never fully acknowledged the executions, apparently carried out on Khomeinis orders, though some argue that other top officials were effectively in charge in the months before his 1989 death.

Raisi, then a deputy prosecutor in Tehran, took part in some of the panels at Evin and Gohardasht prisons. A tape of a meeting of Raisi and his boss meeting prominent Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri leaked out in 2016, with Montazeri describing the executions as the biggest crime in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Raisi never publicly acknowledged his role in the executions while campaigning for president in 2017. After his loss, Khamenei appointed him as head of the judiciary in 2019.

Others named as candidates Tuesday include Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator; Mohsen Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guard commander; Ali Reza Zakani, a former lawmaker; Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh, a current lawmaker; Mohsen Mehralizadeh, a former provincial governor; and Abdolnasser Hemmati, the current head of Irans Central Bank.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Gordon Sondland, the Trump administration's ambassador to the European Union and a pivotal witness in 2019 impeachment proceedings, sued former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday in an effort to recover $1.8 million he racked up in legal expenses.

Sondland alleges in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, that Pompeo had committed to reimburse his legal expenses after he was subpoenaed by House Democrats to testify in an impeachment case that accused then-President Donald Trump of withholding military aid from Ukraine while demanding an investigation into political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Instead, Sondland says, Pompeo reneged on his promise after learning the details of Sondland's testimony.

With the contractual commitment of Pompeo having been abandoned apparently for political convenience, Ambassador Sondland turns to this Court to reimburse his attorneys fees and costs and make him whole, Sondland's lawyer, Mark Barondess, wrote in the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Pompeo called the lawsuit ludicrous and said Pompeo was confident the court will see it the same way.

In testimony that Sondland's lawsuit describes as highly fraught, highly charged and highly risky with tremendous consequences, the then-ambassador described for investigators how Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, explicitly sought a quid pro quo with Ukraine, leveraging an Oval Office visit for political investigations of Democrats.

Trump was impeached by the House but acquitted in February 2020 by the Senate.

Sondland was fired days after Trump's acquittal simply for telling the truth, according to the lawsuit. Since then, the complaint says, the government has bobbed and weaved in the face of every attempt by Sondland to be fully reimbursed for the legal expenses.

The suit says the unwillingness to cover Sondland's legal fees not only represented a breach of commitment and normal convention but was also especially problematic in this instance because the amount of preparation needed to comply with the subpoenas was staggering."

Ambassador Sondland retained a Washington, D.C. law firm well experienced in Congressional investigations that possessed the capacity to assist him, along with his long-time personal counsel, in preparation for his critically important testimony, the lawsuit states. Ambassador Sondland continued to rely on Pompeos individual promise, on behalf of himself and the Government, in seeking outside counsel and incurred nearly $1.8 million in attorneys fees and costs.

The lawsuit was first reported by The Washington Post.

____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Mutinous soldiers arrested Mali's transitional president and prime minister Monday hours after a government reshuffle left out two members of the junta that had seized power in a coup nine months earlier, the African Union and United Nations said.

A joint statement issued along with the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS and other members of the international community called for the immediate release of President Bah NDaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, who were taken to the Kati military headquarters.

Those who signed on to the joint statement called for Mali's political transition to resume its course and conclude within the established timeframe."

The international community rejects in advance any act of coercion, including forced resignations, the statement said. They emphasize that the ill-considered action taken today carries the risk of weakening the mobilization of the international community in support of Mali.

The developments raised new alarm about whether the transitional government would be able to move ahead freely with plans to organize new democratic elections as promised by next February in Mali, where the U.N. is spending $1.2 billion a year on a peacekeeping mission.

The two leaders were sworn in last September after the ruling military junta agreed to hand over power to a civilian transitional government under growing international pressure.

The junta had grabbed power a month earlier after mutinous soldiers encircled the home of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and fired shots into the air. He later resigned on national television under duress, saying he did not want blood to be shed in order for him to stay in office.

The soldiers then went on state television hours later calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People and promising a swift return to civilian rule. However, Monday's developments appeared to throw that promise into question.

The arrests came just an hour or so after a new government Cabinet was announced. Notably it did not include Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone or Defense Minister Sadio Camara, both junta supporters. No reason was given for their exclusion, but the move suggested mounting divisions within the transitional government.

There has been widespread concern the upheaval in Mali over the past year has further set back efforts to contain the militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State groups.

Islamic extremists took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by the former colonial power France pushed extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremist rebels, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.

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Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed reported this story in Bamako and AP writer Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal.
Overnight reports from Jacksonville police:

 Police are investigating a report that a wrench was used to damage the rear window of a car parked in the 400 block of West College Avenue at 8:18 p.m. Monday.

 Joshua M. King, 41, of 728 N. East St. was cited on a charge of operating an uninsured vehicle after an unoccupied vehicle was hit in a parking lot in the 600 block of North Main Street at 8:22 p.m. Monday.

 Police are investigating a report filed at 11:17 p.m. Monday that someone was punched while inside a business in the 200 block of East Morton Avenue.

 Darren Iozia
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Bidens infrastructure plan is hitting roadblocks. A policing overhaul after the killing of George Floyd is up in the air. Even a seemingly bipartisan effort to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol faces the blockade of Republican opposition in Congress.

It's a pivotal time for many aspects of Biden's ambitious agenda. Rounding the first quarter of his presidency, the White House and Congress have been unable to meet key Memorial Day deadlines set by the administration on crucial priorities.

While lawmakers quickly approved Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package and senators confirmed the top ranks of the administration with Biden's nominees, the next legislative priorities on the White House's agenda will be a longer slog.

The sweeping infrastructure investment, in particular, faces a crucial moment: The White House is assessing whether the president can strike a bipartisan deal with Republicans on his American Jobs Plan, a top domestic priority, or try to go it alone with Democrats if no progress is made over the next week. Biden's allies in the House and Senate are preparing for all scenarios.

"This is going to feel like a tightrope walk all the way until it gets to Bidens desk, said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank.

Presidents are often judged not only by the goals they achieved, but whether their proposals were popular with the public and the leadership in trying to muscle the bills into law. The White House appears to be taking those factors to heart as Biden makes his case to the public and conducts extensive outreach for his agenda on Capitol Hill.

The administration is signaling that its important not just whether Biden can push his infrastructure and other proposals into law, but how he does it. By this reasoning, voters  and some moderate Democratic lawmakers  are more likely to be on board if Biden at least tries for bipartisanship.

The White House said Monday that Biden is awaiting an infrastructure counteroffer from Senate Republicans after a core group of GOP negotiators rejected his latest $1.7 trillion proposal, leaving the fragile talks on a compromise at a standstill.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president is eager to engage" and would welcome more talks with the senators. But she said the Republicans have a ways more to go to find common ground. Biden dropped $500 billion from his initial $2.3 trillion offer, and Psaki said the Republicans raised their $568 billion offer by about $50 billion. Republicans have rejected Biden's plan to pay for the road and broadband spending with a corporate tax increase.

The ball is in the Republicans' court, Psaki said at the White House briefing.

At the same time, key congressional negotiators are working behind the scenes on a bipartisan police overhaul in response to a nationwide reassessment of law enforcement practices sparked by Floyd's death a year ago Tuesday in Minneapolis. Biden had hoped to have the legislation ready by the anniversary.

In a rare joint statement Monday, negotiators Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Ca., said, "This anniversary serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change. While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal.

But other priorities on gun violence, voting rights and immigration law face long odds with the narrowly split Congress and robust opposition from Republicans. Democrats hold only a slim majorities in the House and evenly divided Senate, and much of Biden's agenda would require broader support to reach the 60 votes under the rules to advance past a Senate filibuster.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said repeatedly that 100% of my focus is on stopping Bidens agenda.

The West Wing believes its bargaining position is strong. Aides point to Bidens high poll numbers and the popularity of his proposals, all while believing that they have the option of muscling the infrastructure plan to passage under special budget reconciliation rules that require only a party-line vote.

But there is a growing sense of urgency within the White House and among Democrats. After a burst of legislative accomplishment, including the sweeping COVID relief bill, the pace has slowed dramatically. And the future may hinge on a few select senators.

After Biden was elected on the heels of a campaign promise to work with Republicans, the White House has been quick to defend his bipartisan record of accomplishment.

Aides have pointed to how quickly the president's Cabinet was confirmed  one choice, Neera Tanden, withdrew after it was clear she would not get support.

Along with Bidens chocolate-chip cookie diplomacy  inviting lawmakers to the White House, treating them with sweets on the way out  the administration has been conducting vigorous outreach to Capitol Hill. The White House has had nearly 1,000 phone calls or meetings with lawmakers or their staffs, including more than 200 with Republicans on the jobs plan and the related American Families Plan  the president's stalled proposal to invest in preschool, child tax credits and other so-called human infrastructure.

Still, the partisan tensions are stark, showing the limits of Biden's ability to bridge the divide.

This week, legislation passed by the House to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is likely to face a filibuster by Republicans in the Senate. GOP leaders argue the panel is unneeded as they try to move past the deadly riot by supporters of Donald Trump who laid siege to the Capitol in a failed effort to overturn Bidens election.

As the administration assesses next steps on Biden's infrastructure proposal, White House aides have not thrown in the towel on landing a bipartisan agreement with the GOP senators, but their optimism cooled, according to Biden advisers. The group led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., rejected Bidens counteroffer in a sharply-worded statement late last week.

Psaki insisted no decisions had been made on whether the administration will go it alone as it awaits a counteroffer from Republicans. Were not quite there yet, she said. We're eager to see their proposal and see what they have to offer.

The GOP senators have not said if they were preparing another proposal, but kept the door open late Monday.

"Im not ready to call it quits," Capito told reporters on Capitol Hill.

___

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Dear eldest and most expensive daughter,

Well, the time has finally come for you to graduate from high school, spread your wings and discover exciting, new ways to spend my cash in college.

It seems like only yesterday that you were first hinting to your parents (especially me) that you were really the one in charge and that you just planned to humor us for the next 18 years.

Now that I look back, it was pretty clear that you always had me completely outmatched. I still remember one time when you had just finished your bottle, and I lifted you up over my head to make you giggle. It was such a precious moment for me as I laughed along with you, looked up into your beautiful eyes  and watched you spit up directly into my mouth. Ill never forget that taste of partially digested Similac, and Im so glad I could share it with you.

Then there was the time when you were around 3 years old and requested a doctor set for Christmas  not one of those inexpensive plastic ones made by Fisher-Price, but a real doctor set. (When I was that age, I was still trying to determine whether dirt was edible.) I spent a good part of early December that year browsing through the local medical supply shops looking for the perfect bedpan and learning that the kidney-shaped vomit bowl is really called an emesis basin. Good times.

Throughout your pre-teen years, I watched in amazement as you would happily get us up at 5 a.m. to attend horseback riding competitions, knowing even back then that I could scarcely perform basic bodily functions at that time of day. And throughout high school, you have been so admirably involved in National Honor Society, academic competitions, Zonta Club, and your dance and drill team. In contrast, I spent most of my high school years grooming my mullet and fruitlessly trying to convince a girl  any girl  to make out with me under the bleachers.

In a few short days, Ill swell with pride when I watch you graduate with honors in the top 10% of your high school class, remembering that I graduated with horrors at the thought of trying to calculate percentages.

I know Im not quite the same dad I was when you were little, as the years have taken their toll. My joints are constantly committing acts of insurrection against the rest of my carcass. The other day, Im pretty sure I hyperextended my earlobe while shaving. And as I sit writing this column, I do so with searing pain radiating down my neck from reaching too far in the shower to shampoo my back hair. Heck, these days, a simple sneeze puts my entire musculoskeletal system at risk of collapse.

Along with my physical descent into fossilization, you have been so patient as youve grown up with my ongoing grouchiness, vanity, embarrassing dad jokes, and title as the Grand Master of Cringey Boomers.

No, Im afraid you didnt win the lottery when it came to dads. In fact, you barely won the dad version of a free squirt of hand sanitizer available at the entrance of Walmart.

But I do love you more than life, and I cant tell you how proud your mom and I are of your accomplishments. I thank the Lord every day that He gave you to us  our brave, determined girl  and I pray that as you and the other seniors in the Class of 2021 take your journey through adulthood, youll remember to laugh a lot, love a lot, and keep your mouth closed when you lift your baby over your head someday.

Congratulations.

Love,

Dad/The Grand Master of Cringey Boomers

Jase Graves is distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. He can be reached at susanjase@sbcglobal.net.
Im very pleased with the progress that NYPD is making and the efforts they are continuing to make in apprehending the remaining suspects, Borgen told the Daily News Monday. Im improving day by day, Im getting better and better, and the fact that the wheels of justice are in motion is making my recovery even quicker.
Malis coup leader wrests back control of the government View Photo

BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  The man who ousted Malis president from power last year regained control of the West African country Tuesday by deposing the president and prime minister of the transitional government, a move France decried as another coup detat.

While Col. Assimi Goita pledged to go ahead with holding new elections in 2022 as previously promised, his display of force casts doubt on whether the vote will go ahead without significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president last August.

The move also raised concerns that the new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control Malis long-running Islamic insurgency. The United Nations now spends some $1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali and Frances military has spent eight years trying to stabilize its former colony amid the ongoing threat.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the government takeover as a coup detat and warned of repercussions.

We are prepared to take targeted sanctions on the protagonists, he said in a tweet.

The EU also warned that it was ready to consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition.

The militarys announcement on the state broadcaster Tuesday came a day after President Bah NDaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested by soldiers and brought to the military headquarters in Kati, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) outside the capital. Both men remained in detention Tuesday and there was no immediate word about their conditions.

Their arrests prompted an outcry by the international community, which put out a strongly worded statement warning Malis military leaders that their actions could undermine global support for the country. That joint statement made by the African Union, United Nations, the E.U., France and the U.S. among others called for the immediate release of the president and prime minister.

The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which also endorsed the statement, said Tuesday afternoon that it was sending a delegation to Bamako as the political crisis escalated. The regional body previously threatened the junta with sanctions if it did not install a civilian president and prime minister, and shorten the transitional period to 18 months.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for calm and the immediate release of the detained civilian leaders, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA is trying to gain access to the detainees as soon as possible and to ascertain their conditions and obtain guarantees of their fundamental rights and freedoms, as enshrined in international human rights law, the spokesman said.

This action has serious consequences for Mali and the region as a whole, Dujarric said, expressing the U.N.s hope that the ECOWAS delegation will play an important role in putting the transition back on track.

The new government announced on Monday had left out two men who were prominent junta members: Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara. About an hour after the new Cabinet was named, the military rounded up the president and prime minister.

Goita, who led the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has served as Malis vice president in the transitional government formed last September. He has held that position despite initial calls from the international community for an entirely civilian-led transition.

In announcing the removal of the civilian president and prime minister of the transitional government, the military also said that it would be relieving others from their duties including everyone implicated in the situation.

Still, the military insisted: The transition is following its normal course and elections will be held as anticipated in 2022. Following international pressure last year the junta had promised to organize that vote by next February, 18 months after the coup detat shook the country.

The overthrow of democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came amid mounting military casualties in the fight against Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

The extremists first took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by the former colonial power France pushed extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremist rebels, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.

___

Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed reported this story in Bamako and AP writer Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. AP writers Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

By BABA AHMED and KRISTA LARSON

Associated Press
Key events in Mali that led to a coup and rule by junta

DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  A timeline of key events in Mali that led to another power grab in the troubled West African nation.

August 2018  President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is re-elected to a second five-year term after receiving 67% of the Aug. 12 runoff vote, beating opposition leader Soumaila Cisse who received more than 32%. The Constitutional Court rejects motions of fraud filed by the opposition party.

Keita was first elected president in 2013, after a French-led military operation ousted Islamic extremists from power in northern Malis towns. He won elections organized after a military coup.

July 2020  Demonstrations against Keitas presidency escalate bringing him to urge dialogue with his opponents who call for his ouster.

Despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers, and French and regional forces backing Malian troops, extremist groups continue to mount attacks, killing hundreds of soldiers. Those losses prompt criticism of Keitas handling of the crisis.

August 18, 2020  Soldiers detain Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse after surrounding the presidential residence and firing into the air.

August 19, 2020  Keita resigns. Soldiers calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, led by Col. Assimi Goita, say they are in control and vow they will eventually hand over power to a transitional civilian government but give no timeline.

The 15-nation West African bloc ECOWAS says it will stop all economic, trade, and financial flows and transactions between member-states and Mali. Mediators begin negotiations.

Global leaders urge Malis junta to release ousted 75-year-old Keita and step up their calls for a return to civilian rule.

September 12, 2020  Malis military junta agrees to an 18-month transitional government headed by a military or civilian leader that will pave the way to elections. The regional bloc ECOWAS warns the junta that it must designate a civilian leader to lead the transition within a week or face further sanctions.

Sept. 21, 2020  The head of Malis military junta, Col. Goita, says he will serve as the vice president in a transitional government. He also says retired Col. Maj. Bah NDaw has been named president.

Sept. 25, 2020  The transitional government is inaugurated.

Sept. 27, 2020  Malis transitional president appoints former minister of foreign affairs, Moctar Ouane, as the West African nations prime minister.

October 2020  The appointment of a civilian prime minister brings the West African regional economic bloc, ECOWAS, to lift sanctions. The transitional government says elections will be held in February and March 2022.

May 14, 2021  Malis interim government pledges to form a new and more broad-based Cabinet amid growing criticism of the dominance of the army in the government and slow reforms.

May 24, 2021  Malis new Cabinet is announced and does not include major leaders of the former junta, including Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara.

Hours later, the transitional president and prime minister are taken to the Kati military headquarters outside the capital. The African Union, the U.N. mission in Mali, ECOWAS and other members of the international community call for their immediate release.

May 25, 2021  Col. Goita retakes control of the government, firing the president and prime minister saying they named the new Cabinet without his consent. He vowed to hold elections in 2022 as promised earlier.

By CARLEY PETESCH

Associated Press
India on alert ahead of second powerful cyclone in 10 days

India on alert ahead of second powerful cyclone in 10 days View Photo

NEW DELHI (AP)  Indias eastern coast is on alert ahead of a severe cyclone brewing in the Bay of Bengal, days after a powerful storm battered the countrys western coast and killed at least 140 people.

Cyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall on Wednesday and could pack sustained winds of up to 165 kilometers per hour (102 miles per hour), the India Meteorological Department said. It said the storm was forecast to hit the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha.

Disaster relief teams have already been deployed in the two states for potential rescue and recovery operations and the coastal areas are being evacuated. Indias air force and navy said they have kept some of helicopters and vessels ready to carry out relief work.

Yaas will be the second storm to hit India in 10 days after Cyclone Tauktae killed at least 140 people across western states last week. Nearly 70 victims were on a barge that ripped free of its anchors in the storm and sank off Mumbais coast.

The massive storms come as India is battling a devastating coronavirus surge, complicating efforts to deal with both.

In neighboring Bangladesh, authorities asked all fishing boats and trawlers over the north Bay of Bengal and the deep sea to move closer to the coast ahead of Yaas.

A weather bulletin from the countrys Meteorological Department in Dhaka said that ships should leave maritime ports of Chattogram, Mongla, Coxs Bazar and Payra.

Scientists say cyclones in India are becoming more frequent and changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense.

Last May, nearly 100 people died in Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit eastern India in more than a decade. It flattened villages, destroyed farms and left millions without power in eastern India and Bangladesh.

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Associated Press journalist Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.
Belarus isolation grows after journalists dramatic arrest View Photo

BRUSSELS (AP)  Belarus isolation deepened Tuesday as commercial jets avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and officials expressed concern for the welfare of an opposition journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a plane that was diverted to Minsk in what the West called a state-sponsored hijacking.

The dramatic developments put a spotlight on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkos iron-fisted rule and suppression of dissent  but it was not clear what effect more sanctions or other measures would have.

Additional sanctions? Will this be sufficient? I absolutely cant say today, said French President Emmanuel Macron. But, he added: The unacceptable character of what happened  justifies them.

After his detention, opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich was seen in a brief video clip on Belarusian state television late Monday, speaking rapidly to say that he was confessing to some of the charges authorities have leveled against him.

The spokesperson for the U.N.s human rights office, Rupert Colville, said Pratasevichs appearance likely was not voluntary and that he seemed to have bruising to his face, although it was difficult to tell from the video.

Asked about the video, German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it was worrying and disturbing and makes the EU demand for his release all the more urgent.

And we will use all channels at our disposal to do this, she added.

The 26-year-old journalist and activist was arrested Sunday after Belarusian flight controllers ordered the Ryanair jetliner he was aboard to land, telling the crew that there was a bomb threat against the flight. A Belarusian fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane to Minsk, just before it was to land in Vilnius, Lithuania, from Athens, Greece.

In an unusually swift response to the arrest and flight diversion, EU leaders agreed Monday to ban Belarusian airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc and impose sanctions on officials linked to the diversion.

The measures of restricting flights in particular  are extremely biting on the Belarus system, Macron said.

The EU demanded Pratasevichs release and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to investigate the diversion, while recommending European carriers avoid Belarus airspace. Polish carrier LOT and Baltic airlines began bypassing the country, while Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and others said they will follow suit.

Belarus has defended its actions. Its Transport Ministry said Tuesday it has invited international aviation, U.S. and EU authorities to investigate the diversion.

In the wake of the brazen move, Belarus first post-Soviet leader, Stanislav Shushkevich, urged the West to introduce even tougher sanctions.

Belarus has become a black hole of Europe with repressions reaching a catastrophic scale and its dictator scrambling fighter jets and threatening the entire world, Shushkevich told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The West must understand that only increasing pressure and really tough sanctions could impact Lukashenko and limit repressions.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will introduce more sanctions targeting businesses and economic entities that are financing this regime.

Added Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte: We know that in this country, the major state companies make the money. This is going to hit them and everything is targeted towards making them feel the sting..

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Lukashenkos action is hard to beat in terms of perfidy.

The lives of more than 170 passengers were endangered here to arrest a journalist. Its a threefold attack  an attack on the safety of air traffic, on press freedom and the European citizens on board, he said.

Lukashenko has faced unprecedented pressure at home with months of protests triggered by his reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. But he has only doubled down on repression, and more than 35,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, with thousands beaten.

Some say more sanctions will do little to alleviate the situation and will only push Belarus even closer to its main sponsor and ally, Russia, and reduce the influence of the EU and others.

Lukashenko will become an increasingly easy prey for the Kremlin, said Alexander Klaskouski, an independent Minsk-based political analyst. As a pariah country, Belarus will find it much more difficult to fend off the Kremlin demands for the introduction of a single currency, the deployment of air bases and access to lucrative Belarusian economic assets.

Even as the West condemned Belarus, the crackdown continued Tuesday. Pavel Seviarynets, the leader of the opposition Christian-Democratic Party, was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots.

Most leaders of Belarus political parties have been either jailed or forced to flee the country, said Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights center. Belarus is facing an acute human rights crisis  amid unprecedented political repressions.

Pratasevich, who left Belarus in 2019, has become a top foe of Lukashenko with a popular messaging app he ran playing a key role in helping organize the huge protests, and authorities have increasingly tried to limit his influence.

The Telegram apps Nexta channel that he co-founded has been labeled extremist by Belarusian authorities. Stsiapan Putsila, another co-founder of Nexta, told AP that he and his colleagues have received thousands of threats in the past to blow up their office in Warsaw.

Pratasevich had been charged in absentia with staging mass riots and fanning social hatred. Those carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, and some fear Pratasevich could face more serious charges, including some that carry the death penalty.

Colville, the U.N. human rights official, said Pratasevichs appearance on Belarus state TV was not reassuring, given the apparent bruising to his face, and the strong likelihood that his appearance was not voluntary and his confession to serious crimes was forced.

Pratasevichs 23-year-old Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who also was removed from the flight and detained, spoke in a video from custody shown on state TV. In it, she said she had been working as the editor of a Telegram channel that revealed personal data about Belarus security officers amid the protests. Her lawyers had said earlier in the day that she has been jailed for two months, pending an investigation.

The main opposition candidate in the last election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who left the country immediately after the vote under official pressure, said she urged the U.S. to move to suspend Belarus membership in the ICAO and Interpol.

Tsikhanouskaya also pushed for the G-7 to invite a Belarusian opposition delegation to its summit in London next month and thanked Macron for supporting her bid. But Max Blain, a spokesman for the British prime minister, said the invite list for G-7 is already set and wasnt aware of any request from Macron to invite the opposition.

The France-based media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with the prosecutor generals office in Vilnius against Lukashenko and any other persons the investigation would identify as liable for instigating or committing the crime. It noted that under Lithuanian law, the use of force against a civilian aircraft to force it to change its route under the false pretext of a bomb threat constitutes the crime of hijacking.

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Karmanau reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Samuel Petrequin and Lorne Cook in Brussels, Jill Lawless in London and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed.

By YURAS KARMANAU and RAF CASERT

Associated Press
The Latest: Haiti imposes curfew, mask use for pandemic View Photo

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico  Puerto Rico has ended a nightly pandemic curfew after more than a year in force and will allow vaccinated visitors to enter the island without a negative coronavirus test result.

The island has been under a curfew since March 2020, when the first coronavirus case was reported. Even when the curfew was sometimes changed, it mostly stayed between midnight and 5 a.m.

Arriving visitors who are not vaccinated will still be required to present a negative coronavirus test or promise to offer a test result within 48 hours. The government intends to impose a $300 fine to those who dont comply with the testing.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 India passes another grim milestone : 300,000 lost to the virus

 Stories of the virus from a poor U.S. city that has been hit hard

 Japan opens mass vaccination centers in Olympics runup

 First steps to reopening for Berlins clubs

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Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti  Haitis government has imposed a nightly curfew and other restrictions under an eight-day health emergency meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

All outdoor activity will be banned from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. under the decree issued Monday by President Jovenel Moise.

The decree also makes the use of face masks mandatory for anyone out in public, while temperature checks and handwashing stations are required for all public or private buildings such as banks, schools, hospitals and markets. Social distancing in public places is set at 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet).

The president also has ordered public institutions to reduce staff on duty by 50%, while he is encouraging that other employees work from home.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed legislation banning so-called vaccine passports as Alabama becomes the latest state to try to prohibit proof of a coronavirus vaccination to enter a business, school or event.

The legislation by Republican Sen. Arthur Orr of Decatur would prohibit government entities from issuing vaccine or immunization passports or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying immunization status although standard child immunization forms would be excluded.

It would also prevent people from being denied entry to businesses, universities, and state agencies if they have not been vaccinated for COVID-19. However, the legislation does not specify any penalty for violations.

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ROME  The tiny island nation of Malta says it has administered at least one coronavirus vaccine to 70% of its population to lead Europe in the inoculation race.

Health Minister Chris Fearne said 42% of Maltas people had been completely inoculated. The achievement has led to a 95% decrease in patients being admitted to Maltas COVID-19 hospital, he said.

With a population of about a half-million, Malta is the smallest European Union member state. It has been using the four vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency.

According to the ourworldindata.org website, Malta leads even Israel and Britain in administering at least one shot of the vaccine to its population.

Malta has reported some 30,000 cases and 417 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

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JUNEAU, Alaska  About 60% of applications for a pandemic rent relief program must still be processed nearly three months after the application deadline.

KTOO Public Media reports the pending applications are among the roughly 25,200 that cleared initial income and documentation hurdles by the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. are awaiting processing.

The program is aimed at helping people who qualify by covering up to a year of rent and utility payments. The application deadline closed in early March. An official with the corporation administering the program says it is moving quickly and noted the high interest in the program.

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LOS ANGELES  The huge Los Angeles Unified School District will start the new school year next fall with on-campus, in-person instruction for all students five days a week but will retain an online option, Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday.

Elementary school students will have full days of instruction with their teacher and classmates while middle and high school students will change classrooms for each period, said Beutner, who leads the nations second-largest school district.

After-school programs will be available to students from the end of the school day until 6 p.m.

Beutner said, however, that an online option must remain in place for the next school year for students who are unable or choose not to come to schools for in-person instruction.

Some students and some staff members may need to stay at home until all at schools are vaccinated due to health reasons because they live with an immune-compromised family member, Beutner said, adding that he expects the majority of students and staff to be at school every day.

Students and staff will wear masks until more children are vaccinated, he said.

The superintendent reiterated his assertion that Los Angeles Unified has in place the highest safety standards of any school district in the nation.

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ORLANDO, Fla.  Florida is joining a growing list of Republican-led states that plan to end participation in a federal program that gave an extra $300 per week in benefits to the unemployed during the pandemic.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced Monday that the state will withdraw from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program effective June 26.

State labor officials said private-sector employment increased by 18,800 jobs last month and more than 460,000 online job postings were made throughout the state for job seekers.

Floridas employers are also seeing employment growth, as more Floridians, including some who completely left the workforce, are now eagerly reentering the workforce, said Dane Eagle, Secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Transitioning away from this benefit will help meet the demands of small and large businesses who are ready to hire and expand their workforce.

At least 22 other states also have announced plans to end the enhanced benefits early.

Florida will continue to participate in other federal pandemic-related unemployment programs aimed at the self-employed, people who already have exhausted their unemployment benefits and gig workers. These federal benefit programs are set to expire in early September.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lankan government on Monday extended the on-going travel ban for another two weeks as health experts warned of a possible breakdown of the countrys health system due to the current state of the infection.

Sri Lanka is currently under a weeklong travel ban which was scheduled to be eased on May 28. But on Monday, the government announced that the lockdown-style ban will continue until June 07. During this period, the ban will be eased for several hours on two days to allow people to buy food and other essentials from any outlets within the walking distance.

However, the ban will not apply to those engaged in essential services such as health, food supply and power sector and those seeking medical treatment while others are banned from leaving their houses.

The fresh restrictions were imposed as the islands key medical associations cautioned that the infection is rampant across the country and that the actual number in the community is more than three times the number detected.

According to the latest statistics of the health ministry, Sri Lanka has 161,242 positive cases with 1178 fatalities.

Doctors have predicted that the number of patients could rapidly rise in the next two weeks because of the last months celebrations and shopping by the people to mark the traditional new year.

Sri Lanka has halted public transport, banned public gatherings, parties, weddings and closed schools and universities.

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SAN FRANCISCO  The ride hailing companies Uber and Lyft have started providing free transportation to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites in the United States.

Uber said Monday that it will provide four rides valued at up to $25 each through July 4 while Lyft has said that it is offering two rides of up to $15 each.

The federal government said earlier this month that it would partner with the ride-hailing companies to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated as the pace of the shots nationally started to decline.

President Joe Biden has set a goal of delivering at least one dose of vaccine to 70% of adult Americans by Independence Day and fully vaccinating at least 160 million by then.

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GENEVA  French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among those rallying around efforts to strengthen the World Health Organization and the fight against pandemics as the U.N. agency opened its annual assembly with a draft resolution in the works that acknowledges missteps in the response to COVID-19.

The European Union and Vanuatu are behind the resolution that would create a working group on strengthening WHOs readiness and response to health emergencies.

We have to have institutions that are up to the task, that meet our ambitions, Macron said by video during the mostly virtual meeting. WHO, he said, must be robust and flexible in times of emergency and crisis. And it must be completely transparent to make sure that people trust the organization.

Merkel threw her backing behind the idea of a global health threat council and said leaders should provide WHO with lasting financial and personal support.

The resolution would set up a six-person working group to report to the assembly next year. The text acknowledges serious shortcomings in the worlds ability to prepare, prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies.

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LONDON  British health officials expressed optimism Sunday that the coronavirus restrictions remaining in England can be lifted in June after an official study found that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines offer effective protection against the variant first identified in India.

Authorities in Britain have expressed concern in recent weeks that increasing cases of the Indian variant could jeopardize the U.K.s so-far successful plan to reopen its economy. More than 2,880 cases of the Indian variant have been recorded in England, figures show.

The government has said the variant appears to be more transmissible, but there was still uncertainty about how concerning this was.

Jenny Harries, chief executive of the U.K. Health Security Agency, said officials in England are on track to proceed with the final stage of unlocking the country from June 21 if the public remains cautious.

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PARIS  The French foreign minister says its possible that France will introduce stricter coronavirus restrictions for British visitors when tourism reopens this summer, to prevent the spread of a worrying virus variant first detected in India and causing concern in Britain.

The minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, suggested that Britain could be put in a health category of its own, somewhere in between the strictest measures that France is imposing on visitors from India and 15 other countries, and more relaxed requirements being readied for visitors from elsewhere.

Speaking Sunday, Le Drian said health measures that are a bit stronger could be applied for British tourists.

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ISLAMABAD  Pakistans federal authorities on Sunday reported a decrease in COVID-19 deaths and new cases and decided to reopen tourist resorts from Monday but only for those who have either tested negative or got vaccinated.

As per the earlier decision of federal body, schools and higher education institution to open by Monday as well except for the southern Sindh province which opted to keep them closed for another two weeks.

Federal authorities reported 74 deaths due to COVID-19 and just over 3000 new cases of the virus in a single day.

The national body countering the spread of the virus urged people continue to adhere to the precautionary measures of mask wearing and maintaining physical distance at public places and during travel in public transport. They also stressed that people should get vaccinated.

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BRASILIA, Brazil  Brazils health minister said the government is concerned about the coronavirus variant first identified in India after the first cases of it were confirmed in the South American country.

Marcelo Queiroga denied, however, that there was community transmission of the variant, which was first identified in Brazil in the northeastern state of Maranhao, where 100 people are being monitored. A case was also confirmed Saturday in Ceara state.

According to Queiroga, 600,000 rapid tests will be sent to Maranhao to monitor the variants possible spread and he said health barriers would be implemented at airports, highways and roads in Maranhao to contain its movement. All passengers passing through airports or borders in the northeastern state will have to take the rapid test.

Brazil suspended flights from India last week following the recommendation of the National Health Surveillance Agency.

By The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Gunmen ambushed the director of state police in the cartel-plagued northern Mexico state of Sinaloa and killed him Monday, authorities said.

State Public Safety Secretary Cristobal Castaneda said Joel Ernesto Soto was found dead in his bullet-riddled car on a highway near the state capital, Culiacan. Castaneda called it a cowardly attack.

A bodyguard who was with Soto was missing.

Soto was an army lieutenant colonel who was on leave while heading the state police.

Sinaloa is home to the cartel of the same name. The cartel has been riven by internal differences, and is also engaged in turf battles with the Jalisco cartel.
Haiti imposes curfew, orders mask use for pandemic emergency View Photo

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Haitis government imposed a nightly curfew and other restrictions Monday under an eight-day health emergency meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

All outdoor activity will be banned from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. under the decree issued by President Jovenel Moise, who was in Ecuador on Monday for the inauguration of that countrys new president.

The decree also makes the use of face masks mandatory for anyone out in public, while temperature checks and handwashing stations are required for all public or private buildings such as banks, schools, hospitals and markets. Social distancing in public places is set at 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet).

The president also ordered public institutions to reduce staff on duty by 50%, while he encouraged that other employees work from home.

Residents of Port-au- Prince seemed to take little regard of what was expected of them under these new rules as street markets continued to be crowded as was public transportation. Most people were not wearing masks and social distancing was not followed.

According to official government statistics, Haiti has had 13,906 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in March 2020 and 288 deaths related to COVID-19. But a recent surge in daily cases of contagion has prompted authorities to declare the state of emergency.

Haiti has not yet begun to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus. The government recently announced its expects to begin giving the shots in June.
Covid-19 Regional Report Monday View Photo

Calaveras County  The Calaveras public health reports one new COVID death for a total of 56 deaths since the pandemic began. No other details are available. There are eight new cases in Calaveras since Friday with the countys total COVID cases at 2,159. Active cases decreased one to eight and recoveries increased eight to 2,095 total. No Calaveras residents are hospitalized with COVID. The total number of people over 65 years old identified with COVID is 453 since the pandemic began. Calaveras reports 34,047 vaccinations given and 42,796 COVID tests conducted.

Tuolumne County  Tuolumne County Public Health reports four new community cases from Saturday and 1 new case today for a total of five new cases all in unvaccinated individuals since Friday. The new cases are a boy and a girl age 17 or younger, a woman age 18 to 29, a man age 40 to 49, and a woman age 70 to 79. One resident is hospitalized with COVID. A total of 10 cases are considered active.

Tuolumne County has a total of 4,159 cases split between 2,742 community cases and 1,417 Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) inmate cases, the California Department of Corrections reports no active cases. Total community cases released from isolation is 2,665 and the total number of tests administered is 96,990. The county reports 18,562 fully vaccinated residents and 4,025 individuals partially vaccinated.

Mariposa County  Mariposa County Public Health reports one new case. One case is hospitalized and two cases are currently active. There are a total of 452 cases since the pandemic began. Mariposa public health responded to questions about masks on Friday noting they are still getting a lot of questions. They state Dont forget that masks are still required in indoor public settings (with a few minor exceptions) whether you are fully vaccinated or not. They share the California Department of Healths guidance noting, In indoor settings outside of ones home, including public transportation, face coverings continue to be required regardless of vaccination status, except as outlined below.

As defined in the CDPH Fully Vaccinated Persons Guidance, fully vaccinated people can: visit, without wearing masks or physical distancing, with other fully vaccinated people in indoor or outdoor settings; and visit, without wearing masks or physical distancing, with unvaccinated people (including children) from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease in indoor and outdoor settings

Exemptions from face covering requirements: Persons in a car alone or solely with members of their own household, persons who are working alone in a closed office or room, persons who are obtaining a medical or cosmetic service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service,

Workers who wear respiratory protection, or Persons who are specifically exempted from wearing face coverings by other CDPH guidance. You can read the full guidance here: https://bit.ly/2SgdwnR

Testing  The Mother Lode Fairgrounds testing site is open Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 7 AM to 7 PM. The Groveland site is at the Youth Center, 18950 Hwy 120 on Thursdays from 7 AM to 7 PM. Individuals can select the site location when making their appointment at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. More details, including Calaveras testing information, are in our events calendar here. Public Health is coordinating a new location for the State testing site in Sonora. The site is expected to move from the fairgrounds by May 30th and details will be shared when the move is confirmed.

Vaccines  Tuolumne is holding a COVID-19 vaccination clinic Tuesday, May 25 at the Sierra Bible Church for anyone age 12 and older. For more details and to register for an appointment, visit www.myturn.ca.gov. Residents are also able to attend clinics being held in other neighboring counties. Calaveras and Mariposa have clinics, register at www.myturn.ca.gov to schedule appointments. You can also call 833-422-4255 if you dont have an email (Mon to Fri 8 AM to 8 PM, Sat and Sun 8 AM-5 PM) for assistance.

Vaccine eligibility is open to everyone 12+ (Pfizer) and 18+ (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) with photo ID, not currently sick with COVID-19 or had a flu shot within the last 14 days. More information about the local pharmacies and other places offering the vaccine are here.

Tier Levels  California will end the tier system and many COVID restrictions as detailed here, on June 15th. Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne remain in the Orange Tier of the States Blueprint for a safer economy.

County/Date

Tier Color Active

Cases New Cases

Total Cases COVID

Deaths Amador 5/21 12 3 1,789 38 Calaveras 5/24 8 8 2,159 56 Mariposa 5/24 2 1 453 7 Mono 5/24 6 3 1,031 4 Stanislaus 5/24 320 61 56,009 1,064 Tuolumne 5/24 10 5 4,159 67 For other county-level statistics view our page here.
The officers were responding to a call to the Boost Mobile store on E. 174th St. and Vyse Ave. in East Morrisania when they came across Peterkin outside. He had an ongoing dispute with the stores workers, and was waving a gun at them, police said.
Columbia, CA  The Columbia College Foundation is offering a program that helps students who are at least halfway from completing a degree or certificate.

The foundation will soon be awarding 20 scholarships of up to $5,000 per year ($2,500 per semester) beginning in the Fall of 2021. In addition to being halfway through a program at Columbia College, students must have a grade point average of 2.5, qualify for a state fee waiver, and be able to enroll full-time while receiving the award. Financial need will be a consideration.

The Finish Line Scholarship program is a life-changing opportunity for our students, said Columbia College Foundation President Jeff Warren. So many are juggling family, jobs, and other responsibilities. This program aims to give them significant support so they can focus full time on school, and complete their educational goals here, whether thats career training or an associates degree that takes them on to a four-year university. This helps them prepare for better jobs and better futures.

The foundation plans to offer the Finish Line Scholarship Program over each of the next four years as part of a partnership with the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Columbia is one of 34 community colleges in the state which benefit from a $100-million gift awarded by the Jay Pritzker Foundation.

The deadline to submit an application for the initial year of the Finish Line Scholarship Program is June 1. Click here for more information.
Qatars top diplomat visits Egypt amid improving ties View Photo

CAIRO (AP)  Egypts president met Tuesday with Qatars chief diplomat amid improved relations since Egypt and three Gulf nations ended their dispute with the energy-rich country in January.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatars Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, meeting in Cairo, agreed on intensifying joint consultation and coordination to boost bilateral ties between the two nations, el-Sissis office said in a statement.

El-Sissi also received an invitation from Qatars emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to visit Doha. It would be the first for the Egyptian leader to the Gulf state since he led the militarys overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013 amid mass protests against his divisive one-year rule. El-Sissi was defense minister at the time.

The Qatari chief diplomat also held talks with Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry that discussed the positive development in ties between the two countries, according to a statement by Egypts Foreign Ministry.

A January declaration put an end to a diplomatic crisis that began in 2017 with a rift between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other.

The four countries had jointly boycotted Qatar and hoped an embargo and media blitz would pressure it to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran. Egypt and the UAE view the support by Qatar and Turkey of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as a security threat. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were primarily concerned about Qatars ties with Iran.

The countries accused Qatar of cozying up to Iran and financing extremist groups in the region, though Doha denied the charges. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera was at the center of the dispute. The four nations demanded its closure among other measures, which Qatar rejected.

Egypts Foreign Ministry said the ministers discussed taking further measures to promote the positive atmosphere in their bilateral ties. It did not elaborate on details.

Shukry said in televised comments Friday that the implementation of the January agreement between the five nations would further accelerate restoring ties between Cairo and Doha.

Tuesdays statement by the Foreign Ministry said joint committees concluded a new round of talks and would continue discussing lingering issues to fully implement that agreement. It did not elaborate.

The two countries formally began rapprochement earlier this year, but it was not clear how far or how quickly, that would go, in real terms, said H.A. Hellyer, scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Cambridge University.

This latest visit confirms that there is indeed more than a simply signing of letters, as it was. The Egyptians and the Qataris want to move to another stage, which certainly impacts the existing geopolitical arrangements of the region, he said.

The two diplomats also discussed other regional topics, including a decade-long dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over a massive dam Ethiopia is building on the main tributary of the Nile River, the statement added. Egypt and Sudan deem the Ethiopian dam a major threat to their water security.

The Qatari foreign minister then left to Doha. He had arrived in Cairo late Monday from a trip to Khartoum where he met with Sudanese officials, his first visit to Sudan after an uprising led to the militarys ouster of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Al-Bashir, an Islamist, was an ally to Qatar.

The Qatari foreign minister also traveled to Libya earlier this week. He met with the newly appointed transitional government in Tripoli that has been struggling to unite the divided North African country before an election scheduled in December. Egypt and Qatar have been backing opposing sides in war-torn Libya.

By SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press
Israel media urge Twitter, Facebook to stop anti-press hate View Photo

JERUSALEM (AP)  Major Israeli news outlets Tuesday called on Facebook and Twitter to halt what they said were social media posts inciting violence against journalists after a rash of attacks and death threats targeting reporters.

In letters sent to the social media giants, over a dozen newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations said journalists have become a target for incitement, which has put them in clear and present danger.

Israel has gone through a tumultuous month that included heavy-handed police crackdowns against stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, mob violence between Israeli Jews and Arabs and an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Bystanders attacked journalists covering the unrest in Israeli cities, and news anchors and reporters covering the fighting in Gaza faced intense verbal attacks and death threats online.

There have been countless tweets calling for physical harm to Israeli journalists or labeling them as traitors or enemies of the state in a manner that encourages or justifies violent action against them, the letter sent on behalf of 14 Israeli news outlets said.

The posts and tweets highlighted include calls for sexual assault and murder and accusations of treason.

Since the Gaza war erupted on May 10, the Union of Journalists in Israel said it has documented at least 14 cases of verbal and physical attacks on journalists by police, officials and members of the public. At least two people have been charged for assaulting TV reporters in Tel Aviv.

Veteran Channel 12 reporter Rina Matsliah said in a televised monologue this month that while press criticism is necessary, whats happening now isnt criticism  Whats happening now is an assassination attempt.

The station hired bodyguards to protect Matsliah and several other journalists after they were threatened.

Last week, the journalists union and Israel Democracy Institute issued a similar call to the countrys attorney general and Facebook. They said violent calls that started on social networks have progressed to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and private Facebook groups, leading to physical attacks on journalists.

Earlier this month, a Telegram channel displaying the emblem of a Jewish ultranationalist group swelled from a few hundred members to more than 6,000 in just a few days. It was used to mobilize mobs of Israeli Jews to flashpoints, including the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam, where a crowd pulled an Arab man from his car and beat him severely.

Facebook and Twitter said they were both committed to cracking down on incitement.

While we allow criticism of public figures, such as journalists, we dont allow people to threaten or harass them, and we remove this content whenever we become aware of it, Facebook said.

Twitter said it has a clear policy in place which prohibits people from issuing violent threats against others on the service.

Where we identify clear violations, we will take robust enforcement action, it said. This work is constantly evolving as new challenges emerge and we recognize we have to work hard to stay ahead of those who intend to undermine the public conversation.

Dozens of ultranationalist Jewish activists in Israel, including the wife of lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, said Tuesday that they had been blocked from using Facebooks WhatsApp messaging app.

Opponents of Ben-Gvir accuse him and his allies of inciting followers to violence.

In its 2020 report, advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said that journalists in Israel are exposed to open hostility by politicians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial for corruption charges, routinely accuses the media of being on a witch hunt against him. Critics say he has done little to stop supporters from harassing or threatening journalists.

Anat Saragusti, a union official in charge of press freedom, told The Associated Press that there has been a precipitous rise in online hate speech directed at journalists in Israel.

She said that much of the atmosphere that enables hostility toward reporters is generated by politicians, including Netanyahu.

While Netanyahu has not explicitly called for violence against reporters, the longtime Israeli leader has repeatedly blasted what he calls a biased media that distorts facts.

By ILAN BEN ZION

Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP)  Lawyers for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are urging a judge to toss out a rewritten indictment against her, saying prosecutors just want to blame her for the sex crimes of former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. But prosecutors say their complaints that the government acted in bad faith are not true.

The papers, dated May 7, were filed publicly Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. They are among numerous approaches  so far unsuccessful  that defense lawyers have taken to try to nullify charges alleging their client recruited teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 for Epstein to sexually abuse.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty and awaits a November trial from her jail cell, where she has remained since her arrest last July. Three efforts to get her freed on bail, twice with a $28.5 million bail package, have been rejected by a judge. A federal appeals court has also refused to grant bail.

In the newly released document, defense lawyers brought up many of the same challenges they raised when she was first indicted, including that a non-prosecution agreement Epstein signed with federal prosecutors in Florida in the late 2000s protects her as well.

But they said the rewrite of the indictment that adds a fourth accuser and extends the span of the indictment from 1997 through 2004 demonstrates just how far the government is willing to go to get Ms. Maxwell and disingenuously blame her for the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

No longer content to charge a 25-year-old case based on purported conduct in the 1990s, the government now sweeps in the 2000s through the allegations of one personAccuser-4, they wrote, using a pseudonym in place of the actual identity.

They said the womans allegations were known to prosecutors after the woman made her accusations more than a decade ago and yet Maxwell was not charged or named as a co-conspirator when authorities in Florida pursued cases against Epstein.

In a filing of their own late Tuesday, prosecutors defended their superseding indictment, saying they did not get a chance to speak to the fourth accuser by video until last summer and in person until January.

The defendants argument that the Government acted in bad faith  to the extent she is making such an argument  is based on no evidence whatsoever, and for good reason: it is not true, they wrote in a document dated last Friday.

They said the woman was interviewed only once by federal prosecutors in Florida in the 2000s and was not asked any questions about Maxwell.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges. He took his own life a month later in a Manhattan federal jail.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

Associated Press
Citizenship agency eyes improved service without plan to pay View Photo

SAN DIEGO (AP)  Less than a year after being on the verge of furloughing about 70% of employees to plug a funding shortfall, the U.S. agency that grants citizenship wants to improve service without a detailed plan to pay for it, including waivers for those who cant afford fees, according to a proposal obtained by The Associated Press.

The Homeland Security Department sent its 14-page plan to enhance procedures for becoming a naturalized citizen to the White House for approval on April 21. It involves U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of Homeland Security and operates entirely on fees.

The plan describes changes that reflect a realistic assessment of our aspirations and limitations, including more video instead of in-person applicant interviews, authorizing employees to administer citizenship oaths versus relying on federal judges, and promoting online filing to reduce processing times.

Homeland Security says it can be done without the approval of Congress, where consensus on immigration has proven elusive.

Taken together, the changes mark a complete break from the Trump administration, when the agency focused on combatting fraud and adjusted to shrinking immigration benefits.

The plan also seeks to give potential U.S. citizens the benefit of the doubt. For instance, it specifies that an immigrant who mistakenly registers to vote in U.S. elections before becoming a citizen wont be punished. Doing so now can lead to deportation or criminal charges, likely ending a persons chance for citizenship.

The issue has been in the spotlight amid a recent surge in automatic voter registration and former President Donald Trumps repeated unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally in 2016. Last year, Illinois automatic voter registration program mistakenly registered hundreds of people who said they werent U.S. citizens. At least one voted.

The agency will improve the citizenship process to encourage full participation in our civic life and democracy and to deliver services effectively and efficiently, according to the document.

It doesnt provide cost estimates for the proposed changes, though there are options on the table and some measures appear designed to save money and achieve efficiencies. It also acknowledges success depends on long-term financial stability, which includes asking Congress for money.

Under the plan, the agency would continue subsidizing the costs of becoming a citizen to make sure the process is available to as many people as possible. The administration recognizes that the cost of fees can be a barrier so other fee-paying applicants and petitioners will continue to subsidize this policy decision to ensure full cost recovery, the document reads.

Asked about the status of the proposal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said its reviewing policies and practices.

Under the Biden Administration, the agency has made considerable strides in reallocating our resources and priorities to fulfill this mission and address challenges like the ones caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, spokesman Joe Sowers said in a statement Tuesday. Ultimately, USCIS is committed to administering our nations legal immigration system in a way that empowers immigrants to pursue citizenship and the privileges that accompany it.

Immigration attorneys called the proposed changes a welcomed shift after the Trump administration.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations for the American Immigration Attorneys Association, said expanding video interviews would be more efficient and convenient for people far from immigration offices, some of which continue to operate at reduced capacity because of the pandemic.

They have a huge backlog they need to work out of, she said. Having those creative solutions, will help them dig out of that backlog.

Danielle Spooner, head of the union representing agency workers, said video would benefit employees whove been working from home, but administering the oath, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, should be left to judges.

Questions about how the agency would fund the changes made her uneasy, saying employee morale remains low since last summers near financial catastrophe.

Thats when the agency threatened more than 13,000 furloughs to tackle a projected $1.26 billion shortfall. But a few tense months later, it said it didnt need the money after all and would end the year with a surplus. Agency leaders said application fees rebounded more than expected as offices reopened from coronavirus shutdowns and contracts were reviewed for cost savings.

The anticipated shortfall first surfaced in November 2019, when the agency proposed major fee increases  well before COVID-19 threatened finances.

The budget whiplash raised doubts about how the agencys finances deteriorated so rapidly then suddenly recovered. Ur Jaddou, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in April to lead the agency and has a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, was among those with questions.

Jaddou, who served as the agencys chief counsel under President Barack Obama, said in October that the agency needed a financial audit. She questioned some Trump administration changes, including justification for a major expansion of an anti-fraud unit, since abandoned by Biden.

It really is a bunch of bureaucratic red tape, she said when discussing agency financial woes.

Fees were set to increase by an average of 20% last October but a federal judge blocked them. The wait to process a citizenship application grew to more than a year by the end of Trumps presidency from less than eight months four years earlier.

Emilio Gonzalez, a former agency director who oversaw massive fee hikes under the second Bush administration, said the agency should avoid going to lawmakers for funding.

By having your own budget, you can be very nimble, he said. Losing your budget leaves you at the whim of Congress and all of a sudden immigration gets politicized.

One potential avenue for boosting revenue is expanding the use of so-called premium processing. For a hefty fee, it allows limited applicants a 15-day turnaround on some paperwork. Under emergency legislation in October, the agency raised it from $1,440 to $2,500 and allowed revenues to be used for operating expenses. USCIS appears on board, allowing the expedited option in February to some Australian nationals.

Broadening it to more eligible forms could generate up to $626 million annually, according to an analysis co-authored by Doug Rand, a former Obama administration official who founded an organization that helps people with immigration.

When USCIS is plagued with problems and not delivering the services it is supposed to in a reasonable time, thats not just bad news for immigrants, it is bad news for U.S. citizens navigating the system, Rand said.

___

Tareen reported from Chicago.

By ELLIOT SPAGAT and SOPHIA TAREEN

Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Two U.S. Postal Service employees pleaded guilty Monday to charges they purchased postal money orders with thousands of dollars in California unemployment benefits obtained through false claims of pandemic-related job losses, prosecutors said.

Christian Jeremyah James, 31, and Armand Caleb Legardy, 32, each pleaded guilty in separate hearings to one count of use of unauthorized access devices, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a statement.

Prosecutors said the two, who worked at different LA-area post offices, obtained debit cards that had been issued by the California Employment Development Department based on applications submitted under 10 stolen identities.

As part of a plea deal, James and Legardy admitted they used the EDD-issued debit cards in other peoples names to purchase or cash money orders from the Postal Service and to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash from bank ATMs, the statement said. The defendants also admitted that they deposited fraudulently purchased postal money orders directly into their own bank accounts, according to prosecutors.

When sentenced later this year, each defendant could face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

The criminal complaint did not accuse James or Legardy of submitting the fraudulent applications to the EDD.

Officials have discovered billions of dollars in fraud in Californias unemployment system in the past year.
As drought intensifies, California seeing more wildfires View Photo

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  As California sinks deeper into drought it already has had more than 900 additional wildfires than at this point in 2020, which was a record-breaking year that saw more than 4% of the states land scorched by flames.

The danger prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose spending a record $2 billion on wildfire mitigation. Thats double what he had proposed in January.

Clearly we recognize we need to step up our efforts here in the state of California and thats what we began to do early this year, he said Monday.

Californias mountains and foothills are expected to see above-normal wildfire potential from June through August and possibly into the fall, which is the usual peak fire season, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center and the Southwest Coordination Center.

While some parts of the Southwest saw cool and moist conditions over the past month, that wasnt the case in California. said Chuck Maxwell, a meteorologist and predictive services manager with the Southwest Coordination Center in Albuquerque. About 94% of California has drought conditions ranging from moderate to exceptional, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor that measures conditions.

This years fires so far have burned nearly five times as much acreage as they did last year at this time. But the 24 square miles (62 square kilometers) scarred by about 2,600 fires this year is a small portion of last years totals of nearly 10,000 fires and an astronomical 6,653 square miles (17,231 square kilometers) burned. The fires killed 33 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures.

Last years epic fire season lasted so long that it slowed Cal Fires attempts to set its own fires  the prescribed burns that they want to make an increasing part of their long-term efforts. Theyve been able to deliberately burn about 17 square miles (44 square kilometers) through April 30, down about 40% from last year.

Even a dry winter would have allowed for the prescribed burns, but officials got a late start due to the extreme fire activity the second half of last year, said Christine McMorrow, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Prescribed burns are a big part of our strategy, said Newsom, who included $50 million for them in his proposed budget.

Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter called them our best and most cost effective tool for clearing both overgrown areas and invasive non-native plants. But he cautioned that not every piece of California is ready for prescribed fire yet with a lot of areas where its not safe to put fire on the ground under any circumstances.

Smoke from deliberate burns is also an issue, he said, though the state tries not to burn near sensitive locations like hospitals. And the state cant intentionally allow fires to burn on private land without permission and safeguards in place, Porter said, although it is trying to get blanket approval from large forestland owners to allow fires to continue in a safe manner once theyve started.

That means in many areas officials will have to continue using hand crews, machinery or animals to clear overgrown areas.

Once we have safe areas to burn we will reintroduce fire and that will be the primary tool in the future, but Im talking about decades out, Porter said. We have to build that over an incremental basis over the next many, many years to get to the right place and the right combination.

The budget proposal that lawmakers will consider before June 15 includes more than $48 million to phase in a dozen new Cal Fire Fire Hawk helicopters and seven large C-130 air tankers like those Newsom highlighted at a Sacramento-area firefighting airbase Monday. It has nearly $34 million to replace two state helicopter bases and create a new emergency operations center in Southern California.

More than $182 million would go for an additional 33 fire crews as the state makes up in part for a dwindling number of inmate firefighters amid earlier releases because of the coronavirus pandemic and years of easing criminal sentencing laws. The money includes hiring an additional 1.399 seasonal firefighters. That will bring the total of seasonal firefighters to nearly 4,000, augmenting nearly 3,400 permanent firefighters, Cal Fire said.

Lawmakers this year already approved $536 million so the state could quickly start approving local contracts to build fuel breaks near vulnerable communities or manage forestlands, with more money going toward efforts to make homes less likely to burn.

The rest is in the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, although Porter said most of the firefighters already have been hired.

___

Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan contributed to this story from Albuquerque, N.M.

By DON THOMPSON

Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP)  A federal judge has ruled that a Georgia law requiring some people to sign an oath involving Israel is unconstitutional.

A documentary filmmaker who refused to sign the oath sued the state last year, saying the law is in violation of free speech rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
There is a COVID-19 side effect that I don't think anyone could have expected.

Macroglossia is a condition in which the tongue grows abnormally large in comparison to other oral structures  and a Houston doctor is trying to figure out why at least nine COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized from it.

IS THERE A REASON? Why are side effects more intense with the second COVID-19 vaccine dose?

"It is psychologically depressing because they are looked at as an oddity," said Dr. James Melville of UTHealth School of Dentistry, per Newsweek's Aristos Georgiou. "They have to be on a feeding tube, a permanent tracheostomy for an airway, and there is an infection risk. The tongue completely dries out, so you have to wrap it to keep it moist so it doesn't crack and bleed."

All nine patients had been intubated in a hospital, with eight of them being African-American. Two of the patients had strokes before developing macroglossia, and the remaining seven had been hospitalized with COVID-19, as reported by Whitfield.

It usually occurs as a result of an underlying disorder that can be present at birth, but in rare cases, can also occur as a standalone congenital feature.

The direct link between the virus and the disease remains a mystery, but inflammatory cells detected on the patient's tongue proves there's something about the virus that makes some people more susceptible to this rare disease.

READ THIS: If you're still skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccine, this is for you

Drooling, speech impairment, difficulty eating, stridor, snoring, airway obstruction, abnormal jaw and tooth growth, ulceration, and/or dying tissue on the tip of the tongue are all symptoms of macroglossia.

Dr. Melville, who believes the condition "has a lot to do with where the virus is attaching itself and the bodys immune response to it is currently working on a study to see if the patients' genes have a common link, per KHOU-11's Stephanie Whitfield.
Jerk Shack, the local and national favorite, is expanding in San Antonio with a third location opening at Hemisfair next summer.

Owner and chef Nicola Blaque is months away from opening her Northwest Side location, which is the second brick-and-mortar for the brand, and is now preparing for the summer 2022 launch of the newest downtown restaurant.

According to the May 25 announcement, the third installment of the Caribbean-inspired eatery will be an "elevated" take with a full bar, something not currently offered at the other restaurants. While the menu will feature Jerk Shack classics that earned it nods from GQ and Eater, the new restaurant will also offer steakhouse-like fare.

RELATED: Raising babies and restaurants with rave reviews, San Antonio mom and chef does it all

The 1,740-square-foot restaurant will be housed in the Schultze House on the Hemisfair property.

Andres Andujar, CEO of Hemisfair, said the park has been a fan of Jerk Shack since the original location opened and is "over the moon" that Blaque and her team are joining downtown.

RELATED: New Pearl food hall Caribbean restaurant Mi Roti from San Antonio's Jerk Shack folks opening Thursday

Blaque said it's the San Antonio support that's allowed Jerk Shack, which started as a walk-up restaurant, to thrive. Blaque also owns Mi Roti, a Caribbean street food restaurant, at the Pearl's Bottling Department.

The response to The Jerk Shack has been amazing, which has allowed us to expand across the city, she said in the announcement. Our fans and customers have been extremely supportive of our growth so were looking forward to bringing The Jerk Shack to Hemisfair.

The original Jerk Shack is open at 117 Matyear. The 10234 State Highway 151 is expected to open this summer.
Four of my brothers were in the building. My dad and my mom were in there and my cousin too, Kassin, 18, said. I feel really bad. This is the first time this has ever happened to us.
Join us online right here on Friday, June 4th at noon to watch our 2021 Salute to Nurses program. This special edition program will be featuring a keynote speech from Dr. Nelson Tuazon, DNP, DBA, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, CPPS, CPXP, FNAP, FACHE, FAAN and Vice President & Associate Chief Nursing Officer, University Health.

Our Salute to Nurses program will also include messages of appreciation from our amazing sponsors, and an award ceremony highlighting 14 local San Antonio nurses in various healthcare fields. The program will be available online after the noon premier on June 4th at www.mysa.com/STN.

Nurses are the lifeblood of our community. Words do not begin to describe how thankful we are for their sacrifices over the past year. They should be honored. The Express-News has a program, Salute to Nurses, that has honored nurses over the years.

This year we have restructured the program to make sure that we celebrate and honor these humble health warriors in the best way possible.

They have cared for so many of us when we were at our most vulnerable. We know there are great stories of sacrifice during the fight against COVID-19, and we are beyond grateful for the sacrifices they have made for our community. We thank you.

We believe that these humble health warriors deserve recognition. That's why this year, based on input from the public and health professionals, we want to celebrate San Antonio nurses through our Salute to Nurses program.

A panel of experienced judges, provided by Texas Nursing Association, picked 14 local nurses across various healthcare fields to be highlighted in our June 4th virtual event and in our June 6th special section.

All nominated nurses will have their names listed in our virtual event and printed in the Salute to Nurses special section, publishing June 6.

We thank you for celebrating and honoring the nurses in your life. They help keep our families and loved ones healthy. They provide a special kind of care when we are in our most vulnerable state and continue to keep up the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses give us comfort and hope for the future. To put it simply, they are incredible.

Thank you, San Antonio, for continuing to support local journalism and important programs like these. Thank you to our sponsors: Monster, Baptist Health System, Post Acute Medical, Methodist Healthcare, University of the Incarnate Word, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Wellmed.
VENICE, Italy (AP)  In the time it has taken to prepare for the Venice Biennale, violence in the Middle East has overtaken a Palestinian family farm in Gaza featured in one of the exhibits. It gives real-time urgency to the question posed by the Biennale curator: How will we live together?

The 17th International Architecture Exhibition opens Saturday after a one-year pandemic delay, during which time architecture has emerged as one of the key disciplines in the global coronavirus response.

One exhibit Border Ecologies and the Gaza Strip, looks at how Israeli control of the border impacts the Qudaih family farm in the Gaza village of Khuza'a. It recounts, for example, that 20 of the Qudaih familys olive trees were bulldozed to create a buffer zone, and a greenhouse necessary to grow tomatoes has been repeatedly destroyed.

Since 2014, the village had been more or less quiet, said curator Malkit Shoshan.

But as she prepared for the Biennale opening, violence erupted anew. The farm, near the border fence, has been destroyed by bombs and the family is sheltering in their home, which has been damaged by shells, about a mile away, said one of the sons, Amir Qudaih, who lives in the United States and who helped put the exhibit together.

Qudaih, a 27-year-old recent engineering graduate, was supposed to be in Venice for the opening. But he said he is too anguished by the bombing and uncertainty over his familys safety to travel. Communications are spotty due to interruptions in electricity and the internet, and his last contact was earlier in the week.

My family cannot access the farm anymore because it is very close to the border and no one can leave the house. They are running out of the food," which mostly comes from the farm, Qudaih said by phone. Every time I text them or call them, it could be the last call because things are happening 24/7 there. It is very stressful.

Not every exhibit in Biennale carries the same immediacy, but the issues driving it are fundamental to shared existence, also with other species.

The event curated by Hashim Sarkis also examines how architecture can address other global issues, ones that helped him formulate the title question well before the pandemic: climate change, political polarization, increasing inequalities and population displacement.

Exhibits look at how climate change and an international presence is affecting Antarctica; illustrate how global warming endangers sea life and how rising seas may be left as hollow spaces without life; and trace the architecture of man-made infrastructure on the outside of a globe, while making a more utopian proposal on the inside of how it might look under a regime of strategic preservation.

The strongest lens for this Biennale, though, is the pandemic.

More than ever before, architecture is present in our lives, and in our thinking, said Sarkis, a Lebanese architect who is the dean of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's architecture and planning school. We are now able to measure with our eyes what a meter is, what two meters are. That is a new skill everyone has had to acquire.

Some architectural responses to the pandemic have already emerged in everyday life: Zoom meetings have replaced conference rooms, giving new importance to virtual architecture, restaurant tables have taken over sidewalks, parking spots and traffic islands while public and private spaces from train stations to art galleries are being repurposed as vaccine centers. People are more aware of the impact of ventilation systems, and everyone has become an interior decorator, Sarkis noted.

Even the new rituals on public behavior that have emerged during the pandemic, and are part of Biennale protocols, signal a paradigm shift that emphasizes architecture: Visitors must maintain social distancing, have their temperatures checked and wear masks.

Some 112 architects from 46 countries are participating in the main show curated by Sarkis, while 61 countries have organized national pavilions. Some projects had to be rescaled, due to pandemic complications on shipping, with some architects sending plans for Italian artisans to construct projects out of locally sourced materials.

Due to rolling travel restrictions around the globe, a handful of pavilions will open late and the arrival of some participants and jury members has been delayed. Sarkis decided, as a result, to delay the awarding of prizes, which usually happens on opening weekend, until August. The Biennale runs until Nov. 21.

After a year when public assembly has been mostly outright banned, the idea of presence is key in several exhibits.

The Canadian pavilion is covered with a green textile, and visitors can download a smart phone application that uses CGI technology to transform the pavilion into the backdrop of a film that used a Canadian city as a stand-in for other places, from Tokyo to Moscow or Paris. The opening backdrop scene is from the The Handmaids Tale.

Germany facilitates virtual visits to its pavilion, which is empty apart from some QR codes on the interior walls, putting virtual users on the same footing as physical visitors. Both wander the virtual pavilion with avatars that can interact and even speak with each other.

The Venice Biennale also is seen as a neutral place that creates space for dialogue.

Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, who curated the 2016 event, has created a space where he hopes Chileans and the Mapuche indigenous people can meet to discuss age-old disputes over land.

The architecture created by his Elemental studio meets criteria stipulated by Mapuche tradition: that it be circular with an eastward orientation, and made of wood placed vertically. Aravena said the Mapuche accepted the design.

Aravenas team took wooden piles of the sort used to support Venetian palaces and criss-crossed them in a circular pattern to create an interior courtyard.

It has been built on the side of a canal inside the Arsenale, the spiked tops of its piles visible from a distance, with the hopes that both Mapuche and Chileans could travel to Venice and hold a parley, or traditional negotiation. But COVID has made that uncertain.

It is not clear if they will come at some point during the Biennale. If not, this thing is traveling back to Chile in any case, Aravena said.

If all goes well, this could be one concrete legacy to the question: How will we live together?
CPS Energy officials are considering a price hike that would take effect this fall if enacted  meaning your electricity bills could be higher.

During a Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, May 25, the utility's board and officials discussed the proposed fiscal plan for 2022 in the wake of Winter Storm Uri and the pandemic.

According to the Express-News, CPS CEO Paula Gold-Williams said the announcement is the company's way of remaining transparent with their consumer base.

Eventually, it is an inevitability that you have to [raise rates] to sustain operations," Gold-Williams said.

Here's what to know about the possible bill increases:

It's partially due to the pandemic and winter deep freeze

Many of the utility's customers have not paid their bills during the pandemic. But CPS hasn't cut off power for non-payment, due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The company has kept the lights on for those not paying bills since March 2020, which has racked up millions in past due bills. At the Monday night meeting, officials said there's currently around $100 million in past due bills  a debt could take half a decade to pay off.

And the winter storm debt from crazy surcharges from ERCOT and other power suppliers? That debt could be spread out on customers bills over a shocking 25 years, according to Diego Mendoza-Moyers of the Express-News.

RELATED: CPS asks San Antonio residents to stop harassing, threatening employees

The need for a hike is also due to the fact that the Alamo City is growing in population so quickly. Between 4 percent and 4.5 percent of the rate increase was reported to be due to growing operations costs due to a larger customer base. CPS is also projected to make less money this year selling wholesale electricity.

Bills could rise 6.5 to 9.5 percent

For average customers, that would mean paying about $9.70 to $14.60 per month, according to the Express-News. That would mean $116.40 dollars per year more on the low side, and a maximum of $175.20 per year.

But I would also continue to tell you that you cant go the grocery store and always pay the exact same price you paid seven years ago," Gold-Williams said of the pricing.

If approved, the hikes might start in the fall of 2021

Officials are hard-pressed to cement a plan that would star paying off debt and ensure that they address what they've called aging infrastructure. According to the San Antonio Report, Gold-Williams said they could begin as early as this fall.

RELATED: Watch: CPS Energy discusses power outages with Express-News editorial board

Some activists want big corporations to take on the debt

Gold-Williams said keeping power on for those who can't pay their bills would put the financial burden on other customers. Some activists want to push against that by arguing that the burden should fall on large businesses and industrial facilities in San Antonio.

Not set in stone, CPS said they will continue talks on the price increase. In a Monday press release, CPS announced they will continue to update price estimates and figures.

"The utility will revisit this plan in the Fall and will look at various factors to update these estimates before deciding on next steps."
Yves here. The official declaration that Covid is behind us also means an end to various relief measures, even one that are supposed to be not yet over. Independent of a Federal court striking down the CDC Covid eviction moratorium as an over-reach (the ruling is being appealed), landlords were already moving to defenestrate tenants in arrears and having some success at it. This trend will only accelerate, since its not hard to imagine that landlords will invoke the new CDC Covid guidelines in court as proof that the public health emergency is over to contest state-level bans.

By Benjamin Larsen, Research Associate, Idaho Policy Institute, Boise State University and McAllister Hall, Research Associate, Idaho Policy Institute, Boise State University. Originally published at The Conversation

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho, like many states across the country, faced rising housing costs, low home-vacancy rates and increasing efforts by landlords to evict tenants.

Thanks to increased unemployment benefits, federal stimulus checks and eviction moratoriums  all part of the governments pandemic response  renters lives improved slightly in 2020. But with those programs decreasing or disappearing, many Idahoans and other Americans who rent their homes will still struggle to pay rent and face imminent risk of being evicted.

Our analysis of eviction rates across the state of Idaho finds that numbers were down in 2020 but are poised to return to  or even exceed  pre-pandemic levels in the coming months as economic support for renting families runs out.

Similar trends in other states could spark a rise in evictions across the nation.

Idaho Evictions

In 2016, 2,037 or 1.1% of all renting households in Idaho faced an eviction filing  when a landlord formally requests an eviction order from a court. The courts ordered evictions for 1,107 households, or 0.6% of the states renting households that year.

Eviction filings that do not end in an ordered eviction may be a result of renters reaching a settlement with the landlord before eviction. Even when dismissed or settled, filings affect a tenants record, potentially making it challenging to find new housing for years into the future.

By 2019, eviction filings increased to affect 2,673 households, 1.4% of the states renting households, with 1,611, or 0.8%, ultimately facing a court-ordered eviction. Between 2016 and 2019, housing prices in Idaho increased by 34.7%, while the median income increased by only 17.7%. When housing costs outpace income, affordable housing stock decreases with a likely increase in evictions.

In 2020, however, eviction numbers dropped  1% of Idahos renting households, 1,893 families, had an eviction filing and 1,127, or 0.6%, were formally evicted.

Unlike other states, Idaho did not have a statewide eviction ban, but there are potential reasons for these decreases.

From March 25 through April 30, 2020, state courts were closed, except for essential hearings  which could have included evictions relating to illegal activity. Most other eviction proceedings would have been delayed. In addition, some landlords may have decided to seek resolutions other than eviction, especially as cash aid came in from federal and state governments.

However, when the courts reopened in May 2020, eviction filings and formal evictions spiked. And monthly statistics show the rates rising almost back to 2019s levels. This raises the question of the ability of federal bans alone to decrease eviction rates.

Federal Eviction Moratoriums

When the pandemic hit, an estimated 15.9 million people across the country lost their jobs and faced difficulty affording their housing. Public health officials needed people to stay at home to limit the spread of the virus, so governments took action to curb the evictions many feared were imminent.

Federal relief legislation included direct cash payments to most American households, additional unemployment payments, emergency rental assistance and bans on evictions.

The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, banned evictions from March 24 through Aug. 24, 2020, but applied to only the relatively small number of renters using federal assistance programs to pay their rent, or living in properties with federally backed financing.

A broader eviction ban, ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, took effect on Sept. 4, 2020, and is set to expire on June 30, 2021. It covers more renters, including people who are at risk of moving to overcrowded lodging or becoming homeless. But its not automatic protection: Tenants must prove their eligibility.

The CDCs eviction ban also faces several court challenges; it was most recently struck down by a federal court in Washington, D.C.  though the decision is on hold pending appeals. So its protection may not last very long.

Making matters more stressful for renters, neither eviction ban forgave unpaid rent, so renters are still responsible for back rentand may face eviction in the future if they cannot pay.

State and Local Eviction Moratoriums

States and cities across the U.S. that set up their own eviction-prevention programs are seeing lower eviction rates than those where tenants were protected only by the federal rules.

Princeton Universitys Eviction Lab Tracking System gathers eviction data in five states: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Minnesota and Missouri, as well as 28 cities around the country.

Like Idaho, Missouri did not have a statewide eviction ban and saw a similar dip and spike in cases in April and May 2020. Delaware and Indiana had statewide bans and saw sharp increases in eviction filings after the bans expired. Connecticut and Minnesota both have ongoing bans, and eviction rates are far below pre-pandemic levels.

In cities the Eviction Lab tracks, places with local eviction bans saw eviction rates drop dramatically until the local protections expired.

Other Efforts to Help

In Idaho, Republican Gov. Brad Little allocated $15 million in federal CARES Act funds to provide rental assistance to households struggling to pay rent because of the pandemic. Another $200 million was added to that fund through the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021. Payments go directly to landlords to offset current and back rent, depending on a households specific circumstances.

Once these funds run out and the CDC eviction ban expires or is overturned in court, renters throughout the country will have no remaining pandemic-related protections from eviction filings. However, those households may still be feeling the pressure from the pandemic  and may not be able to come up with current rent, much less months of back rent they might also owe.

The aid may be coming to an end, but the potential for an eviction crisis remains  in Idaho, and around the nation.
So why are journalists not covering it?

Michael Capuzzo, a New York Times best-selling author , has just published an article titled The Drug That Cracked Covid. The 15-page article chronicles the gargantuan struggle being waged by frontline doctors on all continents to get ivermectin approved as a Covid-19 treatment, as well as the tireless efforts by reporters, media outlets and social media companies to thwart them.

Because of ivermectin, Capuzzo says, there are hundreds of thousands, actually millions, of people around the world, from Uttar Pradesh in India to Peru to Brazil, who are living and not dying. Yet media outlets have done all they can to debunk the notion that ivermectin may serve as an effective, easily accessible and affordable treatment for Covid-19. They have parroted the arguments laid out by health regulators around the world that there just isnt enough evidence to justify its use.

For his part, Capuzzo, as a reporter, saw with [his] own eyes the other side [of the story] that has gone unreported, of the many patients in the US whose lives have been saved by ivermectin and of five of the doctors that have led the battle to save lives around the world, Paul Marik, Umberto Meduri, Jose Iglesias, Pierre Kory and Joe Varon. These are all highly decorated doctors. Through their leadership of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care (FLCCC) Alliance, they have already enhanced our treatment of Covid-19 by discovering and promoting the use of Corticoid steroids against the virus. But their calls for ivermectin to also be used have met with a wall of resistance from healthcare regulators and a wall of silence from media outlets.

I really wish the world could see both sides, Capuzzo laments. But unfortunately most reporters are not interested in telling the other side of the story. Even if they were, their publishers would probably refuse to publish it.

That may explain why Capuzzo, a six-time Pulitzer-nominated journalist best known for his New York Times-bestselling nonfiction books Close to Shore and Murder Room, ended up publishing his article on ivermectin in Mountain Home, a monthly local magazine for the of the Pennsylvania mountains and New York Finger Lakes region, of which Capuzzos wife is the editor. Its also the reason why I decided to dedicate todays post to Capuzzos article. Put simply, as many people as possible particularly journalists  need to read his story.

As Capuzzo himself says, I dont know of a bigger story in the world.

Total News Blackout

On December 8 2020, FLCCC member Dr Pierre Kory gave nine minutes of impassioned testimony to the US Homeland Security Committee Meeting on the potent anti-viral, anti-inflammatory benefits of ivermectin. A total of 9 million people (myself included) saw the video on YouTube before it was taken down by YouTubes owner, Google. As Capuzzo exhaustively lays out, both traditional and social media have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep people in the dark about ivermectin. So effective has this been that even in some of the countries that have benefited most from its use (such as Mexico and Argentina) many people are completely unaware of its existence. And this is no surprise given how little information is actually seeping out into the public arena.

A news blackout by the worlds leading media came down on Ivermectin like an iron curtain. Reporters who trumpeted the COVID-19 terror in India and Brazil didnt report that Ivermectin was crushing the P-1 variant in the Brazilian rain forest and killing COVID-19 and all variants in India. That Ivermectin was saving tens of thousands of lives in South America wasnt news, but mocking the continents peasants for taking horse paste was. Journalists denied the world knowledge of the most effective life-saving therapies in the pandemic, Kory said, especially among the elderly, people of color, and the poor, while wringing their hands at the tragedy of their disparate rates of death.

Three days after Korys testimony, an Associated Press fact-check reporter interviewed Kory for twenty minutes in which I recounted all of the existing trials evidence (over fifteen randomized and multiple observational trials) all showing dramatic benefits of Ivermectin, he said. Then she wrote: APS ASSESSMENT: False. Theres no evidence Ivermectin has been proven a safe or effective treatment against COVID-19. Like many critics, she didnt explore the Ivermectin data or evidence in any detail, but merely dismissed its insufficient evidence, quoting instead the lack of a recommendation by the NIH or WHO. To describe the real evidence in any detail would put the AP and public health agencies in the difficult position of explaining how the lives of thousands of poor people in developing countries dont count in these matters.

Not just in media but in social media, Ivermectin has inspired a strange new form of Western and pharmaceutical imperialism. On January 12, 2021, the Brazilian Ministry of Health tweeted to its 1.2 million followers not to wait with COVID-19 until its too late but go to a Health Unit and request early treatment, only to have Twitter take down the official public health pronouncement of the sovereign fifth largest nation in the world for spreading misleading and potentially harmful information. (Early treatment is code for Ivermectin.) On January 31, the Slovak Ministry of Health announced its decision on Facebook to allow use of Ivermectin, causing Facebook to take down that post and removed the entire page it was on, the Ivermectin for MDs Team, with 10,200 members from more than 100 countries.

In Argentina, Professor and doctor Hector Carvallo, whose prophylactic studies are renowned by other researchers, says all his scientific documentation for Ivermectin is quickly scrubbed from the Internet. I am afraid, he wrote to Marik and his colleagues, we have affected the most sensitive organ on humans: the wallet As Korys testimony was climbing toward nine million views, YouTube, owned by Google, erased his official Senate testimony, saying it endangered the community. Korys biggest voice was silenced.

The Most Powerful Entity on Earth

Malcom X once called the media the most powerful entity on the earth. They have, he said, the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and thats power. Because they control the minds of masses. Today, that power is now infused with the power of the worlds biggest tech and social media companies. Together social and traditional media have the power to make a medicine that has saved possibly millions of lives during the current pandemic disappear from the conversation. When it is covered, its almost always in a negative light. Some media organizations, including the NY Times, have even prefaced mention of the word ivermectin  a medicine that has done so much good over its 40-year lifespan that its creators were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2015  with the word controversial.

Undeterred, many front-line doctors have tried to persuade their respective health regulators of the unparalleled efficacy and safety of ivermectin as a covid treatment. They include Dr. Tess Lawrie, a prominent independent medical researcher who, as Capuzzo reports, evaluates the safety and efficacy of drugs for the WHO and the National Health Service to set international clinical practice guidelines:

[She] read all twenty-seven of the Ivermectin studies Kory cited. The resulting evidence is consistent and unequivocal, she announced, and sent a rapid meta-analysis, an epidemiolocal statistical multi-study review considered the highest form of medical evidence, to the director of the NHS, members of parliament, and a video to Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the good news that we now have solid evidence of an effective treatment for COVID-19 and Ivermectin should immediately be adopted globally and systematically for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Ignored by British leaders and media, Lawrie convened the day-long streaming BIRD conferenceBritish Ivermectin Recommendation Developmentwith more than sixty researchers and doctors from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, England, Ireland, Belgium, Argentina, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Australia, and Japan. They evaluated the drug using the full evidence-to-decision framework that is the gold standard tool for developing clinical practice guidelines used by the WHO, and reached the conclusion that Ivermectin should blanket the world.

Most of all you can trust me because I am also a medical doctor, first and foremost, Lawrie told the prime minster, with a moral duty to help people, to do no harm, and to save lives. Please may we start saving lives now. She heard nothing back.

Ivermectins benefits were also corroborated by Dr. Andrew Hill, a renowned University of Liverpool pharmacologist and independent medical researcher, and the senior World Health Organization/UNITAID investigator of potential treatments for COVID-19. Hills team of twenty-three researchers in twenty-three countries had reported that, after nine months of looking for a COVID-19 treatment and finding nothing but failures like Remdesivir we kissed a lot of frogs Ivermectin was the only thing that worked against COVID-19, and its safety and efficacy were astonishingblindingly positive, Hill said, and transformative. Ivermectin, the WHO researcher concluded, reduced COVID-19 mortality by 81 percent.

Why All the Foot Dragging?

Yet most health regulators and governments continue to drag their feet. More evidence is needed, they say. All the while, doctors in most countries around the world have no early outpatient medicines to draw upon in their struggle against the worst pandemic in century. Drawing on his own experience, Capuzzo describes the absence of treatments for COVID-19 as a global crisis:

When my daughter Grace, a vice president at a New York advertising agency, came

down with COVID-19 recently, she was quarantined in a COVID hotel in Times Square with homeless people and quarantining travelers. The locks on her room door were removed. Nurses prowled the halls to keep her in her room and wake her up every night to check her

vitalsnot to treat her, because there is no approved treatment for COVID-19; only, if her oxygen plummeted, to move her to the hospital, where there is only a single eective approved treatment for COVID-19, steroids that may keep the lungs from failing.

There are three possible explanations for health regulators refusal to allow the use of a highly promising, well-tolerated off-label medicine such as ivermectin:

As a generic, ivermectin is cheap and widely available , which means there would be a lot less money to be made by Big Pharma if it became the go-to early-stage treatment against covid.

, which means there would be a lot less money to be made by Big Pharma if it became the go-to early-stage treatment against covid. Other pharmaceutical companies are developing their own novel treatments for Covid-19 which would have to compete directly with ivermectin. They include ivermectins original manufacturer, Merck, which has an antiviral compound, molnupiravir, in Phase 3 clinical trials for COVID-19. That might explain the companys recent statement claiming that there is no scientific basis whatsoever for a potential therapeutic effect of ivermectin against COVID-19.

which would have to compete directly with ivermectin. They include ivermectins original manufacturer, Merck, which has an antiviral compound, molnupiravir, in Phase 3 clinical trials for COVID-19. That might explain the companys recent statement claiming that there is no scientific basis whatsoever for a potential therapeutic effect of ivermectin against COVID-19. If approved as a covid-19 treatment, ivermectin could even threaten the emergency use authorisation granted to covid-19 vaccines. One of the basic conditions for the emergency use authorisation granted to the vaccines currently being used against covid is that there are no alternative treatments available for the disease. As such, if ivermectin or some other promising medicine such as fluvoxamine were approved as an effective early treatment for Covid-19, the vaccines could be stripped of authorisation.

This may explain why affordable, readily available and minimally toxic drugs are not repurposed for use against Covid despite the growing mountains of evidence supporting their efficacy.

Ivermectin has already been approved as a covid-19 treatment in more than 20 countries. They include Mexico where the mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Scheinbaum, recently said that the medicine had reduced hospitalisations by as much as 76%. As of last week, 135,000 of the citys residents had been treated with the medicine. The government of India  the worlds second most populous country and one of the worlds biggest manufacturers of medicines  has also recommended the use of ivermectin as an early outpatient treatment against covid-19, in direct contravention of WHOs own advice.

Dr Vikas P. Sukhatme, the dean of Emory School of Medicine, recently wrote in a column for the Times of India that deploying drugs such as ivermectin and fluvoxamine in India is likely to rapidly reduce the number of COVID-19 patients, reduce the number requiring hospitalization, supplemental oxygen and intensive care and improve outcomes in hospitalized patients.

Four weeks after the government included ivermectin and budesonide among its early treatment guidelines, the country has recorded its lowest case count in 40 days.

In many of Indias regions the case numbers are plunging in almost vertical fashion. In the capital Delhi, as in Mexico City, hospitalisations have plummeted. In the space of 10 days ICU occupancy fell from 99% to 70%. Deaths are also falling. The test positivity ratio slumped from 35% to 5% in just one month.

One of the outliers of this trend is the state of Tamil Nadu, where cases are still rising steeply. This may have something to do with the fact that the states newly elected governor, MK Stalin, decided to exclude ivermectin from the regions treatment protocol in favor of Remdesivir. The result? Soaring cases. Late last week, Stalin reversed course once again and readopted ivermectin.

For the moment deaths in India remain extremely high. And there are concerns that the numbers are being under-reported. Yet they may also begin to fall in the coming days. In all of the countries that have used ivermectin widely, fatalities are the last thing to fall, after case numbers and hospitalizations. Of course, theres no way of definitively proving that these rapid falloffs are due to the use of ivermectin. Correlation, even as consistent as this, is not causation. Other factors such as strict lockdowns and travel restrictions no doubt also play a part.

But a clear pattern across nations and territories has formed that strongly supports ivermectins purported efficacy. And that efficacy has been amply demonstrated in three meta-analyses.

Indias decision to adopt ivermectin, including as a prophylaxis in some states, is already a potential game-changer. As I wrote three weeks ago, if case numbers, hospitalizations and fatalities fall in India as precipitously as they have in other countries that have adopted ivermectin, it could even become a watershed moment. But for that to happen, the news must reach enough eyes and ears. And for that to happen, reporters must, as Capuzzo says, begin to do their job and report both sides of this vital story.
Bug Expert Explains Why Cicadas Are So Loud WIRED

Once Nearly Extinct, The Florida Panther Is Making A Comeback NPR

Two Peregrine Falcon Chicks Hatched Atop Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge Bklyner

Chile: 35 anos de exitosa recuperacion de los loros tricahue Monga Bay (timotheus). Google translation: Chile: 35 years of successful recovery of the Tricahue parrots. With many spectacular photos.

Cryptocurrency Has Yet to Make the World a Better Place WSJ. The deck: An innovation that has failed to catch on for legal transactions proves invaluable to ransomers. Something about which elites are very sensitive.

The Rise of Private Equity Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture

Dont Blame David Swensen for 2-and-20 Hedge Funds John Authers, Bloomberg

SoftBank Answered Critics With a Strong Turnaround. Its CEO Explains What Comes Next. Barrons

Silicon Valley Wants Dogs to Live Longer So Humans Can, Too Bloomberg. With injections of puppy blood?

Are children dying like dogs in effort to build better batteries? Desert News (Re Silc).

#COVID19

China?

Myanmar

India

Syraqistan

New Cold War

For 94% of those who died from Covid, staying at home wasnt an option Mexico News Daily

Haitis Critical Weeks Ahead Americas Quarterly

Haitians protest their president in English as well as Creole, indicting US for its role in countrys political crisis The Conversation

Biden Administration

2020

Our Famously Free Press

Police State Watch

The US city where police went an entire year without firing a shot Sky News

Boeing

At its heart, the legal battle between Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games is about whether or not the iPhone is a computer Business Insider

Florida governor signs ban on deplatforming by tech companies NBC (Furzy Mouse).

Class Warfare

Controversial forestry experiment will be largest-ever in United States Nature

Shes a fighter pilot who saw a UFO. For real. WaPo. The URL was this-fighter-pilot- and-working-mom -saw-a-ufo-for-real, so I see the editor decided to dial back the propaganda just a touch.

Antidote du Jour (via):

Bonus antidote:

Pure joy of reaching that delicious bamboo Happy Sunday everyone. pic.twitter.com/D5KeUJ6GY1  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) May 23, 2021

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
I hate to have to belabor the obvious, but having seen first hand how shallow the notion of freedom of the press is in the US,1 it is instructive to watch the hissy fit and rapid moves to inflict punishment on Belarus for crimes against journalists (or rather a journalist) and forcing a passenger plane in its airspace to land. This story is the lead item in the Financial Times:

And getting plenty of attention in other major platforms:

European Union leaders have agreed on new sanctions against Belarus, including a ban on the use of EU airspace and airports, over its forced diversion of a plane to the capital of Minsk in order to arrest an opposition journalist. https://t.co/7EDDhdc7sf  The Associated Press (@AP) May 24, 2021

Needless to say, this reaction came with impressive speed. By contrast, there admittedly was some consternation (or was it morbid interest?) about the butchering of Jamal Khashoggi, but no rush to impose sanctions, even though it was widely believed that Mohammed bin Salman authorized Khashoggis execution.

Muhammad bin Salman used a bonesaw to silence Jamal #Khashoggi while #Erdogan used his police to silence Faruk Omar #Gergerlioglu but make no mistake both Khashoggi and Gergerlioglu were SILENCED! #Turkey #HumanRights pic.twitter.com/ckAenTRuMB  @Hevallo (@Hevallo) April 6, 2021

The Saudis also threatened UN investigator Agnes Callamard.

Mind you, we are not saying the Belarus government is a nice lot. They did force a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilinus carrying opposition leader/journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega to land. The pink paper suggests that Protasevich has been roughed up:

A pro-Lukashenko channel on the messaging app Telegram published the first footage of Protasevich since his arrest as the EU leaders were meeting. The activist appeared disheveled and said he was in a jail in Minsk but claimed he was being treated well, despite the bruises visible on his face. I am also co-operating with the investigation and giving evidence of my guilt in organising mass disturbances, he said. He faces 15 years in prison on the charges.

The US is apparently too convinced of its moral purity to see that we are in pot calling the kettle black mode. Our government is determined that Julian Assange rot in a dank pit for his sin of posting footage that showed US armed forces perpetrating a war crime. Its one thing to hear allegations, quite another to have the goods. That was compounded by his later sin of publishing allegedly hacked documents that Hillary Clinton believes were the fruit of Russian dastardliness and cost her the 2016 election.

Independent parties have no trouble seeing what is going on:

Exactly, Assange is guilty of journalism and truth.  PaulShilly  (@shillcock_paul) April 11, 2019

And thats before getting to Assange having been a de facto prisoner in the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years, at a cost to his health, before being incarcerated in the UK, largely in punitive solitary confinement while awaiting trial, then being given the Hannibal Lecter treatment in court. This is the lot that sees fit to judge other countries on how they treat dissidents?

Glenn Greenwald is all over another layer of this hypocrisy, the consternation over the diversion of the Ryanair flight. As he points out in As Anger Toward Belarus Mounts, Recall the 2013 Forced Landing of Bolivias Plane to Find Snowden:

U.S. and E.U. governments are expressing outrage today over the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger jet flying over its airspace on its way to Lithuania. The Ryanair commercial jet, which took off from Athens and was carrying 171 passengers, was just a few miles from the Lithuanian border when a Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet ordered the plane to make a U-turn and land in Minsk, the nations capital [Belarus long-time authoritarian leader Aleksandr] Lukashenkos own press service said the fighter jet was deployed on orders of the leader himself, telling the Ryanair pilot that they believed there was a bomb or other threat to the plane on board. When the plane landed in Minsk, an hours-long search was conducted and found no bomb or any other instrument that could endanger the planes safety, and the plane was then permitted to take off and land thirty minutes later at its intended destination in Lithuania. But two passengers were missing. Protasevich was quickly detained after the plane was forced to land in Minsk and is now in a Belarusian jail, where he faces a possible death sentence as a terrorist and/or a lengthy prison term for his alleged national security crimes. His girlfriend, traveling with him, was also detained despite facing no charges. There is little doubt that the forced landing of this plane by Belarus, with the clear intention to arrest Protasevich, is illegal under numerous conventions and treaties governing air space. Any forced landing of a jet carries dangersThis act by Belarus merits all the condemnation it is receiving. Yet news accounts in the West which are depicting this incident as some sort of unprecedented assault on legal conventions governing air travel and basic decency observed by law-abiding nations are whitewashing history. Attempts from U.S. officials such as Blinken and E.U. bureaucrats in Brussels to cast the Belarusians behavior as some sort of rogue deviation unthinkable for any law-respecting democracy are particularly galling and deceitful. In 2013, the U.S. and key E.U. states pioneered the tactic just used by Lukashenko. They did so as part of a failed scheme to detain and arrest the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. That incident at the time caused global shock and outrage precisely because, eight years ago, it was truly an unprecedented assault on the values and conventions they are now invoking to condemn Belarus.

Please read Greenwalds account in full. He gives a detailed history of the disgraceful diversion and 12 hour seizure of the plane of Bolivian president Evo Morales, including Morales himself. Morales had made the mistake, during an official visit to Russia, of saying Bolivia would be willing to give Edward Snowden asylum during the time when Snowden was holed up in the international transit zone in Moscow. Morales jet was forced to divert not due to interception by a military plane, but by EU nations on its flight path revoking its right to use their air space. The presidential plane was forced to backtrack and make an unscheduled landing in Vienna, where it was boarded in violation of international law. He concludes:

None of what happened with this Morales incident has any bearing on the justifiability of what Belarus did on Sunday. That the U.S. and its E.U. allies committed a dangerous international crime in 2013 does not mitigate the criminal nature of similar actions by Belarus or any other country eight years later. The dangers of forcing down airplanes in order to arrest someone who is suspected to be on that plane are manifest. The danger increases, not decreases, as more countries do it. But no journalist, especially Western ones, should be publishing articles or broadcasting stories falsely depicting Sundays incident as an unprecedented assault that could be perpetrated only by a Russian-allied autocrat. The tactic was pioneered by the very countries who today are most vocally condemning what happened.

More incisive comments:

Western media solidarity against official Nato enemy Belarus in sharp contrast to media solidarity with Nato ally Israel, and against AP journalistsafter IDF deliberately bombed Gaza media center to vent its frustrations.

This isnt amnesia, this is fucking dementia.  Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) May 24, 2021

And finally, from Craig Murray:

The USA, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Austria combined to force down President Eva Morales jet in Vienna in 2013 after the CIA falsely reported whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board. The monumental cynicism of these nations in sanctioning Belarus for a directly comparable action is sickening, even by the standards of western hypocrisy. Indeed, to force down a Presidential jet covered by diplomatic immunity is a greater offence to international law than Belarus forcing down the Ryanair flight. Both actions are wrong. You will excuse me also for pointing out that there is no sanction on Israel for targeting over 30 news organisations in Gaza and bombing them. Perhaps I might go still further and mention that as I am about to go to jail for dissident blogging, I see the western powers as having limited moral authority to complain of Belarus jailing dissident bloggers?

This is not the behavior of confident leaders. Sadly, we have found you dont even have to rise to the status of being a dissident blogger to get on an official enemies list.2

________

1 Some of the stories from the sorry PropOrNot episode:

2 H.R.1 (the For the People Act) Legitimizes WaPos McCarthy-ite PropOrNot Reporting, Institutionalizes Ballot Marking Devices, and Cripples Minor Parties
I was really puzzled, said Maloons Salomon, who was not home for the stabbing but whose wife was around for it. He [Williams] just started cussing at him [Thomas], saying stuff about his wife, to really provoke him.
(Natural News) A renowned medical doctor revealed that the U.S. government has concealed an unprecedented number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination deaths. Dr. Peter McCullough claimed that authorities barely lifted a finger to investigate the many deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccines. He also slammed the governments approach to battling the pathogen through immunization.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 3,544 deaths in its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). It also recorded 12,169 serious injuries related to vaccines. These events occurred between Dec. 14 of last year and April 23 this year. These figures would have merited an investigation by federal health authorities, McCullough told journalist Alex Newman during an interview.

But this would not be the case. According to the doctor, federal authorities took but a glance at the figures and carried on without scrutinizing the data. Under normal circumstances, treatments that cause such a high number of deaths would have been immediately discontinued and pulled off shelves. He elaborated: A typical new drug at about five  unexplained deaths [could] get a black box warning. [People] would see it on TV, saying it may cause death. And then at about 50 deaths, its pulled off the market.

McCullough remarked that the amount of vaccine-related deaths were indeed alarming. He pointed out that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines linked to most of these fatalities have not been fully approved. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for the two mRNA vaccines in December 2020.

McCullough continued that about 77 million people had been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of late March 2021. Out of the 77 million Americans immunized, 2,602 people subsequently died. He compared this to the 20 to 30 yearly fatalities recorded to VAERS related to the flu vaccine, out of 195 million who received it.

Then on March 8, the CDC announced  that they had reviewed about 1,600 deaths with unnamed FDA doctors and they indicated not a single death was related to the vaccine. I think that was concerning in the academic community, he said.

Its unprecedented how many deaths have accrued, McCullough ultimately remarked.

McCullough noted a whitewash of historic proportions with Big Pharma and the government behind it

The doctor came from a position of expertise with his remarks. McCullough has testified before Congress and won numerous awards during his distinguished medical career. He has been cited more than 600 times in the National Library of Medicine for COVID-19 treatment studies, the only doctor to have this honor.

During a November 2020 testimony before the U.S. Senate, he said that sequenced oral multi-drug therapy could have saved about 85 percent of patients who die of COVID-19. But authorities instead focused on vaccines. Were sitting on, right now, the biggest number of vaccine deaths  all attributable to the vaccine, and going strong, McCullough said.

He named the CDC, FDA, National Institutes of Health (NIH), World Health Organization, Big Pharma and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as having made a commitment to mass vaccination to address the pandemic. Mainstream media and Big Tech have also tied up to suppress any news about vaccine dangers through the Trusted News Initiative (TNI). (Related: Coronavirus plandemic finalized merger between Big Tech and Big Pharma.)

A BBC report said the TNI was first formed in 2020 to combat fake news on elections circulating online. BBC Director-General Tim Davie said that the year saw the rapid spread of harmful disinformation and a growing number of conspiracy theories online. The head of the U.K. broadcaster added: Whether its a threat to our health or a threat to our democracy, there is a human cost to disinformation.

McCullough told Newman that TNI aims to bar news about vaccination to fight so-called vaccine hesitancy. However, its actual goal is to suppress the truth about the mRNA vaccines under the guise of dangerous disinformation. The doctor said: The [TNI] is really troublesome because were now at record numbers of deaths, [and] they continue to occur every day. If Americans got any type of fair, balanced coverage on safety events  then they simply would not come forward and get the vaccine.

The doctor also insinuated an incestuous relationship between the U.S. government and pharmaceutical firms. This relationship causes regulators to turn a blind eye when confronted with safety issues, he continued. McCullough elaborated: A lot of Americans dont understand how tight these stakeholders are. Keep in mind that the NIH is a co-owner of the Moderna [vaccine] patent, so they have a vested financial interest in keeping these vaccines going. (Related: Fascism on display: The NIH owns HALF of Modernas new coronavirus vaccine.)

Visit VaccineDeaths.com to read more about the U.S. government sweeping COVID-19 vaccine deaths under the rug.

Sources include:

LeoHohmann.com

LibertySentinel.org

BBC.com
(Natural News) Who is Michael Daugherty? He is the man who fought the Deep State for a decade, and won.

(Article republished from CreativeDestructionMedia.com)

In 2008, Daugherty was running his medical lab company in GA, minding his own business, when he got a phone call saying his patients data had been found available on the internet, a violation of Federal law. The software firm on the other end of the phone call demanded money to fix the problem.

To make a long story short, Daugherty fought back, didnt give up, wrote a book about his experience, and over a decade later, discovered it was the FBI who had given powerful surveillance software to Tiversa who then hacked his computers and demanded payment to make it all go away. In short, the Fast and Furious of Cybersecurity. Tiversa pulled this charade again and again with hundreds of organizations, yet the Federal Trade Commission came after Daugherty, rather than Tiversa, demanding he admit he ran a company with shoddy data security practices.

Daugherty wouldnt play ball, blowing the whistle on the corruption, so the FTC came at him hard with years of relentless investigation and litigation. The FBI and FTC covered up extortion racket created, executed and covered up by good-old Uncle Sam. His business, LabMD, having treated over 700,000 cancer patients, was destroyed. Daugherty eventually prevailed in court and is starting to sue the pants off everyone involved.

Now, in this season of election fraud and government duplicity, Daugherty wants to force election integrity in the Peach State, filing a Trojan horse case that is making its way through the legal system. The cabal is so worried about his filing that it has parachuted Perkins Coie into Georgia to, once again, make it all go away.

Daugherty is also the founder of The Justice Society, an entity in Atlanta with the mandate to end persecution through process by training Davids to defeat Goliaths. The Justice Society is taking up this challenge. (TheJusticeSociety.com @JusticeArsenal)

Daugherty vs. Raffensperger is the only existing case that can change the outcome of the 2020 national elections by challenging as invalid the GA U.S. Senate races, says Daughertys legal team.

The case alleges the runoff election for the GA U.S. Senate seats, which was certified in February of this year, was illegally executed on many levels and so does not accurately reflect the will of GA voters. The lawsuit calls for a new election based on paper ballots as provided in Georgia law.

You can read the legal filing on the tab below:

The case does not rely on the anecdotal evidence of ballot harvesting, dead citizens voting, or stuffed ballot boxes to seek to overturn the GA Senate election. This case is different because it involves a solid, objective examination of whether the voting machines used in the election meet the required GA statutory standards. The answer is  they do not. Since they do not, the election must be invalidated, declared Daugherty.

I involved myself because many people in the Georgia political establishment feel free to break election law and theyve done it for a long time, said Daugherty to CDMedia. Daugherty added Honestly, I do not understand how some of these people think they can disregard the law and act as they feel expedient for their own interests, vilifying anyone who disagrees.

You cant ignore election law violations by anyone, much less the political establishment. While there needs to be a high bar, deadlines and finality, the politicos today feel they can violate every rule there is; to them the ends justify means. Frankly the widespread disregard for the law is disgusting.

The Trump cases had to have proof before engaging in discovery in order to challenge the results, but there was so little time. The system is simply rigged to permit fraud to flourish and succeed. But we have had the luxury of time. Weve had time to lay the groundwork to go after everyone, and this will surely include the outrageous Stacey Abrams consent decree, the astonishing Dominion agreement, and potentially Dominion itself. Voters who were not registered to vote or did not vote in November suddenly voted in January. That was also illegal, and we are going to bring all this to light and hold the actors accountable.

Daugherty quietly filed his case on a Sunday night in February. Biding his time, his team has held their fire until now. But then Perkins Coie, known as the Democrat storm lawyers of election mayhem, parachuted into the Daugherty case.

With the recent ruling that takes the case out of Fulton, things will start moving fast. The impetus of this case is not political, nor for either side. Its simply about free and fair elections. We cannot survive as a nation with voter fraud, systemic fraud and national distrust of election integrity. This destruction of American democracy has to be stopped.

Daugherty is the perfect storm, an iron man of the force of will and in possession of a sharp legal mind.

With the tide turning in public opinion across the land regarding election fraud, this case is one to watch.

Read more at: CreativeDestructionMedia.com and Corruption.news.
(Natural News) Not enough people are willingly getting injected for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), so Bloomberg writer Clara Ferreira Marques is suggesting fines and prison time for the refuseniks whom she believes are putting the rest of society at risk.

Even though getting the vaccine admittedly does not even stop the spread of the Chinese Virus, or do much of anything beyond supposedly minimizing the risk of symptoms for those who get it, Marques is adamantly opposed to the idea that there should be any type of freedom of choice when it comes to Wuhan Flu shots.

Marques has adopted a different kind of science where Chinese Virus injections only work if everyone gets them. She also mistakenly believes they prevent the spread of the virus when both Anthony Fauci and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say otherwise.

Nevertheless, Marques wants the injections to be plunged into peoples arms at gunpoint, if necessary, to keep everyone safe. Anything less and many could die, she suggests, so tyranny could be the only option.

Its uncomfortable to argue for obligatory jabs, even in a pandemic that has devastated families globally, she writes. 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.

Liberals want to save lives by forcing injections at gunpoint

When donuts, fast-food hamburgers, and gift certificates to chain restaurants fail to convince at least 70 percent of the population to get injected, Marques suggests first trying the cash bribery approach.

Governments, she says, could simply withdraw large sums of cash from the coffers and hand it out as an incentive to those who are vaccine hesitant. Ohio launched a program like this recently that involves giving $1 million cash lottery prizes to five people who get the jab.

If that is still not enough, Marques says governments could try withholding access from the unvaccinated to schooling and shopping. Failing to procure a vaccine passport on demand would limit access to basic goods and services, effectively starving to death those who refuse the vaccine.

According to Marques, the only way to save lives is to take lives through medical fascism. This is what passes for progress over at Bloomberg.

Vaccines are the greatest gift to public health after clean water, she contends, using this claim as an argument to suggest that the government may have to consider delivering Wuhan Flu shots at gunpoint.

Full compulsion  which implies fines or even prison, as opposed to simply not getting a benefit or public service  isnt easily embraced, she says.

But the harm principle also suggests that intervention is necessary when there is real or potential injury to others, and the harm here is great  3.4 million lives lost to date.

Marques conveniently papered over the fact that nobody last year died of anything other than covid, hence how she arrived at that 3.4 million lives lost figure. There was no influenza, heart disease, or any other ailment in 2020, as the Chinese Virus magically became the exclusive cause of death throughout this saga.

According to Marques, every death last year could have been prevented if only there had been injections readily available. Based on this conspiracy theory, she believes it may be necessary to force them on people when that time comes, especially in wealthy nations like the United States where there is heavy resistance to the injections.

More related news about Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Archive.fo

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Americas failing infrastructure caused 47 train cars to derail and explode in Iowa over the weekend, once again highlighting the collapse of our nation under the Biden regime.

Firefighters worked to extinguish the burning rubble, which piled up near the town of Sibley. Thick plumes of polluting black smoke were seen bellowing out of the pile of twisted metal, though no injuries were reported.

Located about 200 miles northwest of Des Moines, Sibley, population 3,000, had to be mostly evacuated in order to deal with the mess. Some of the train cars were carrying hazardous, explosive materials.

Union Pacific spokeswoman Robyn Tysver said first responders had to work through the night to try to contain the blaze. Some of the hazardous materials identified at the site included hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide, and asphalt. An empty car on the track had been carrying liquid ammonia nitrate.

The cause of the derailment remains under investigation, the railroad reported, but witnesses say a bridge collapse was responsible.

Robin Eggink told the Des Moines Register that she and her husband were eating dinner at Pizza Hut near Sibley when they noticed a huge cloud of black smoke. They drove over to the site and saw the train split in two on both sides of the bridge, which collapsed before firefighters ordered everyone to leave the vicinity.

How many catastrophes need to happen before Americans hold their politicians accountable for the nations failing infrastructure?

Nearly a decade ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued a warning about Americas crumbling infrastructure.

The United States received a failing grade from the ASCE for the health of its bridges, roads, dams and levees, which are in pitiful shape  and getting worse  for a country that claims to be part of the first world.

Just the other day at the Arkansas and Tennessee border, the entire I-40 bridge had to be shut down after a large crack was reportedly noticed on one of the structural beams. That section of the highway will remain closed indefinitely.

The perpetual decay of Americas infrastructure is often blamed on lack of funding, but as we all know there is plenty of that to go around for endless wars in the Middle East, free stuff for illegal immigrants, and congressional paychecks and pensions.

It would seem as though Americas tax disbursement priorities are out of whack and in need of a retune. Something has to be done unless we want to see more catastrophes like the train wreck, the failing I-40 bridge, and whatever else might come next.

The problem is endemic to both red and blue states, by the way, making the mismanagement of taxpayer funds a bipartisan affair. It is time to step up, America, and demand that these politicians of ours fix the infrastructure problems that plague our once-great nation.

Biden closed the pipeline, which is the most cost-efficient and carbon footprint-effective means of transportation, noted one commenter at Fox News. He did this to force people to other forms of energy where he is heavily invested. Impeach him for being compromised by money.

Isnt it great that the oil from Canada will now be moved by trains and trucks? asked another sarcastically, making the same point about how pipelines are far safer for transporting hazardous fuels than trains and trucks.

Now that the Keystone XL pipeline is canceled by Biden, the world is supposedly greener. Really? Fact is, its the opposite. It is much less safe and efficient to ship by trucks and trains, which cause more accidents.

To keep up with the latest news about the collapse of America, visit Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

FoxNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Cottleville, Mo., near St. Louis is reportedly segregating its unvaccinated members from the rest of the congregation by forcing them to worship and take communion in their own separate area of the building.

All non-vaccinated members of St. Josephs are now prohibited from using the parish hall and must wear a mask at all times when elsewhere inside the facility. Members who received a Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection, on the other hand, have full worshipping privileges and can participate in all religious ceremonies and rituals as normal.

In accordance with guidance issued from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, any Roman Catholic who receives either an experimental mRNA (messenger RNA) injection from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or a viral vector injection from AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson (J&J), is welcome with open arms at St. Josephs. Everyone else will have to sit at the back of the bus.

A schematic of the new sanctuary layout  see this link  shows that two roped-off sections have been reserved for the filthy unvaccinated to sit socially distanced from others. The rest of the sanctuary, which is open and free, is reserved exclusively for the vaccinated.

The body of Christ has now become two bodies: injection and non-injected

The initial plan from Msgr. James Callahan was to force the unvaccinated into two winged sections of the sanctuary that would have disallowed them access to Holy Communion. After outcry from congregants, the unvaccinated section was moved to the back of the room so communion can be administered to these people separately.

Hilariously, the updated plan massively expanded the unvaccinated section of the sanctuary, suggesting that most of the congregation at St. Josephs is not getting the vaccine. It would appear as though a small handful of whiny vaccinated congregants demanded separate seating areas because they seemingly do not trust that the vaccinations they received provide adequate protection.

For the immediate future, the use of the Parish Hall will be restricted to organizations or groups who have been fully vaccinated, Callahan further explained to the congregation in a May 19 email. As the restrictions lessen, the Parish Hall will be more widely available.

LifeSiteNews attempted to contact St. Josephs for comment, only to be laughed at over the phone and told that no comment would be given at this time. LifeSiteNews, by the way, is a Catholic-affiliated news outlet.

Neither the parish nor Callahans email indicated how churchgoers would be verified for their vaccination status. The only thing Callahans email stated is that he hopes people would truly be honest and sit in their segregated areas.

Nothing says Christian unity quite like this separate seating area setup for people with differing vaccination status (that was sarcasm, by the way).

While LifeSiteNews did not receive any direct communication at all from Callahan, it did obtain a communique from Callahan urging all parishioners to get the experimental injections as soon as possible in order to continue worshiping at the facility.

We have a vaccine that will end COVID-19, Callahan further wrote. Please take the time to be vaccinated.

Callahan added that these vaccines are remarkably effective and safe, though he did not explain where he received his medical degree or how he came to such a conclusion, especially in light of the tens of thousands of deaths that have already been reported from the injections.

It is important to note that it is illegal for anyone, including church leaders, to try to force others to take these experimental injections. By doing so, they are opening themselves up to potential lawsuits.

More of the latest news about Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection tyranny can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Are you an American who thinks China is a rising power and becoming a huge national security threat to America?

Do you believe China poses a significant economic threat to our country?

Are you angry that the Wuhan coronavirus, a.k.a. COVID-19, was exported to America from a Chinese lab?

Are you upset enough about all of these and other things related to China and want to publicly express your God-given, constitutionally guaranteed opinion about these things?

Well, youd better get ready to pay a legal price if you do, thanks to legislation just passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress and signed by a geriatric figurehead of a Democratic president.

According to news reports, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was signed by Joe Biden on Thursday after surprisingly high bipartisan support in the House and Senate because, were told, Asian hate crimes rose significantly during the pandemic (more on that in a moment).

My message to all of those who are hurting is we see you. The Congress said we see you. And we are committed to stop the hatred and the bias, Biden said.

NBC News adds:

The legislation directs the Department of Justice to expedite the review of Covid-related hate crimes that were reported to law enforcement agencies and help them establish ways to report such incidents online and perform public outreach.

The DOJ and Department of Health and Human Services are also required to issue guidance that seeks to raise awareness about the spate of anti-Asian hate crimes over the last year. The bill also creates grants for states that they can use to establish reporting hotlines.

The outlet went on to report that in the crowd were the relatives of Heather Heyer, who was killed when a man intentionally drove his car into a crowd protesting white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va, and Khalid Jabara, a Lebanese-American shot in front of his home.

I commend my colleagues in the House for taking action to combat the despicable and sickening acts of hate and violence against Asian Americans, and for having the Asian American communitys back as we fight this xenophobia and racist attacks, said Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), who authored the bill with Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

See? The law was so vitally necessary because white supremacists (Trump supporters in todays left-wing media vernacular) are hating on Asian Americans now more than ever following COVID-19.

Put quite simply and quite bluntly, that is BS.

The race of Americans who most assault Asians are blacks, and by a long shot (and Asians know this). But of course, these lying, gaslighting Democrats will never say that.

While there are some violent perpetrators who are white, conservative, or Trump supporters, FBI statistics suggest that most anti-Asian violence has come from black perpetrators. Refusing to look at these statistics represents a refusal to take seriously the lives and security of Asian Americans, The Washington Examiner reported in April, after Democrats used a single incident  a white guy afflicted with a sex addiction who killed eight mostly Asian employees in Atlanta-area massage parlors  to try and claim that this is an exclusively white problem.

According to the Justice Department, 27.5% of all violent crimes against Asian Americans in 2018 were committed by black people. Thats over 50,000 incidents in a single year. White criminals and Asian criminals each accounted for 24.1% of all attacks on Asians, the outlet continued.

This bears note in light of the Lefts narrative that white Trump supporters are propelled toward violence against Asian Americans because of xenophobia, racism, and Trumps usage of China virus when speaking about the coronavirus. The narrative falls apart very quickly when observing the data, the outlet added.

Yes, it does. But when have Democrats ever cared much about the truth?

Sources include:

WashingtonExaminer.com

NBCNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) European Union nations are expected to adopt uniform entry requirements that will allow fully vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries to enter France, Spain, Italy and other hotspots in the bloc.

The United States and the United Kingdom are expected to be included in the EUs expanded green list as the blocs ambassadors lean in favor of confirming a European Commission proposal to lift restrictions on well-vaccinated nations.

Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that fully vaccinated American tourists would be allowed to visit the bloc this summer, though she did not specify an exact date. The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines. This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union, she said.

She noted that the U.S. was on track and making huge progress with its campaign to reach herd immunity  the vaccination of 70 percent of adults  by mid-June.

Non-essential travel to the EU has been officially banned with the exception of visitors from a shortlist of countries with very low caseloads of the virus, including Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

But diplomats from EUs tourist destination countries have argued for weeks that the blocs criteria for determining whether a country is a safe origin purely based on low cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) are fast becoming irrelevant. This, they say, is because of the progress made by vaccination campaigns in the U.S., UK and some other countries.

EU set to rollout digital vaccine passport

The EU is working on a coordinated response, including the rollout of a digital vaccine passport. The latter will provide proof via a QR code that a person been vaccinated with an EU-approved vaccine  either Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca  has had a recent negative test result or has recovered from the virus. The vaccine passport is expected to be in place by the end of June or earlier.

It will be ready for summer to facilitate safe traveling, so it will be ready to use by the end of June, said Christian Wigand, a European Commission spokesman.

Another spokesman, Johannes Bahrke, added that 18 EU countries plus non-member Iceland would test the digital vaccine passport over the next two weeks.

The EU digital vaccine passport will initially be used only for travel within the European bloc. But the European Commission is working on it being mutually recognized with certificates from non-EU countries, particularly the U.S.

France, Malta and the Netherlands are among the countries test piloting the EUs health pass. The test involves making sure that digital keys used to authenticate the passes work correctly, and that it is interoperable across different countries systems.

The digital pass, while mostly designed to be accessed via a smartphone app, also has to be available in paper form. The technology was developed by German companies T-Systems and SAP. A vaccine passport would contain digital proof of whether a bearer has been successfully tested and vaccinated.

All member states will connect to the system during June, most of them at the mid-June, Bahrke said.

UKs NHS app updated to become vaccine passport

Member states are also expected to prepare digital portals that will allow Britons to use the National Health Service (NHS) app as a vaccine passport. (Related: UK vaccine records to be linked with travel passports, but they dare not call them vaccine passports.)

It comes following a change to the NHS app that allows people to prove whether they have had the COVID-19 vaccine  effectively making it a vaccine passport. The change has Members of Parliament and privacy campaigners in the UK voicing fears that such a system could be discriminatory and a breach of human rights.

The app, which is separate from the NHS COVID-19 app for contact tracing, can already be used to request repeat prescriptions, book doctor appointments and view medical records. The updated app is designed to allow people to meet foreign countries requirements for visitors.

But Britons are still not encouraged to travel. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Britons should not travel to amber or red list countries or territories unless they have an exceptional reason.

The amber, red and green lists reflect the risks of infection associated with specific countries. Traveling from a country in the amber list means that you have to quarantine at home when you return, the red list means you have to quarantine in a hotel when you return and the green list means the place is safe to travel and you dont need to quarantine when you return.

British government urged to open up air travel

British Airways Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle called on the British government to open up air travel to low-risk countries. Doyle also noted that data on vaccination and infection rates for countries including the U.S., Spain and Greece made a compelling case for putting them on the green list for quarantine-free travel from early next month. The U.S., Spain and Greece are currently on UKs amber list.

Britain lifted a ban on international travel on Monday, May 17, but the government has designated only 12 countries and territories safe for quarantine-free travel on its green list. Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the quarantine-free travel green list will not be expanding very rapidly.

Heathrow had 11,000 people flying out during the limited reopening on Monday. This was up from 7,000 a day last week but well below the 120,000 typical at this time of year pre-pandemic. (Related: Heathrow Airport in London testing covid-19 passport technology that will force air travelers to submit to vaccines.)

We will certainly be making sure that people traveling abroad will be subject to all the tests and constraints to prevent the virus from being reimported, Johnson said.

Thats why its such a tiny list of countries and I dont expect we will be adding to it very rapidly. We will be maintaining a very, very tough border regime for the foreseeable future. It is just too early to talk about exactly what the summer will be like.

At least 18 airport executives signed a letter urging Johnson to initiate a more meaningful restart of travel.

We believe the current extremely limited green list of countries demonstrates that the UK is being overly cautious and will fail to grasp the opportunities resulting from the successful rollout of the vaccine, they wrote.

There are a million jobs in aviation, with a further half a million jobs relying on aviation in the tourism sector. This is quite apart from the many sectors that need aviation in order to trade with both existing and new, developing markets. With the current restrictions the government is applying, those jobs remain at very high risk.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to vaccine passports.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYTimes.com

Reuters.com
(Natural News) After repeatedly denying such, Anthony Fauci is once again flip-flopping on the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) narrative by claiming that he is not convinced the virus came from bats at a wet market.

Just hours after being grilled by the honorable Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) concerning his involvement in illegal gain of function research on coronaviruses, Fauci quickly backpedaled on his earlier lies and suddenly agreed that the Chinese Virus may, in fact, have come from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

According to Fauci as of May 24, the Wuhan Flu was likely developed in a lab. Last year, Fauci claimed the exact opposite before it was widely known that he was sending American taxpayer dollars to communist Chinese scientists to develop coronavirus bioweapons.

During an appearance on United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking, Fauci was asked by Politifacts Katie Sanders if he was still confident that the Chinese Virus came about naturally by chance, to which he responded:

No, actually. I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened.

Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out. So, you know, thats the reason why I said Im perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus, Fauci added, nervously.

Slip of the tongue: Fauci admits that he had a collaboration with Chinese communists

During his conversation with Sanders, Fauci accidentally let slip out the fact that his agency, using American taxpayer dollars, collaborated with Chinese communists to develop coronavirus bioweapons.

Fauci quickly caught himself and changed it to Chinese scientists, but he clearly was in the process of saying Chinese communists before his lie machine kicked in once again to backpedal this Freudian slip.

It is now undeniably obvious, based on Faucis own admissions, that he did, in fact, direct funding to Chinese communists to conduct work on their bioweapons research programs. He is now desperately trying to come up with some new narrative that absolves him of the treason he clearly committed, but it is not working so well.

Fauci is now pretending as though he has always held the position that the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) was likely manufactured intentionally, even though earlier statements he made on the record and on camera debunk this claim.

Fauci is also visibly shaken by the fact that Sen. Paul outed him as a liar who worked against the interests of our nation to help the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) develop a bioweapon to cripple the United States both economically and socially.

The World Health Organization (WHO) apparently missed the memo about the new narrative because it is still claiming that the Chinese Virus originated in tainted bats at a Wuhan wet market. There is still no proof whatsoever to support this wild conspiracy theory.

The WIV, meanwhile, openly admits that it participated in gain of function research in partnership with the United States government, as well as U.S.-based universities and institutions.

His voice is even more repulsive than his face, wrote one commenter at Zero Hedge about Fauci and his endless antics.

When gain of function research was banned in 2015 Fauci signed off on a grant, as head of NIAID, for the Wuhan lab to study bat viruses and in effect continue the gain of function research, noted another.

More related news about Faucis Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) lies can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

Newspunch.com

NaturalNews.com
The attacker ran off when the train pulled into the station with the victims wallet, which had $20 in it, police said.
(Natural News) If you are a supporter of President Donald Trump and never believed that it was plausible for others of his supporters to participate in a riot, and particularly at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., your instincts were correct.

According to reports this week, the Justice Department has moved on John Earle Sullivan, an avowed Black Lives Matter supporter and professional domestic terrorist who has admitted that he goaded people who attended Trumps Jan. 6 rally in D.C. into entering the Capitol.

But more than that, Sullivan  who took the viral video of unarmed Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt being shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer inside the building at the height of the riot  also tried to profit from his underhanded plot.

Reuters reported:

U.S. authorities have confiscated roughly $90,000 from a Utah man who sold footage of a woman being fatally shot during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, according to court filings.

Prosecutors also have filed additional criminal charges against the man, John Earle Sullivan, a self-described political activist who is accused of entering the Capitol building and participating in the riot, the filings unsealed on Thursday showed.

Sullivan now faces a total of eight criminal counts, including weapons charges, related to the riot. Sullivans lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sullivan had sold the footage to CNN and NBC, reports added.

In all, prosecutors have charged more than 440 people in connection with the riot  far more than federal officials have charged any Antifa or BLM rioters who caused billions in damages last summer and into this year, injured hundreds of police officers, and caused more than a dozen deaths  as the media continues to pretend as though Donald Trump started it and the incident was actually an act of insurrection (despite the fact that nobodys actually been charged with that crime).

The media also continue to perpetuate the lie that five people died as a result of the riot but that has been debunked time and again by journalists who actually care about providing Americans with the truth.

What most of the media is also ignoring, however, is the fact that Sullivan is essentially a professional activist.

He has a history of promoting violence, according to court filings. On his Capitol video, he can be heard urging invaders to burn the Capitol. At an August Black Lives Matter protest in Washington, he urged the crowd to pull President Trump from the White House, the Washington Times reported earlier this month. And at a George Floyd protest near his Provo, Utah, home in June, he threatened to assault a woman driver while blocking traffic and associating with a gunman, according to a police affidavit reviewed by the paper.

Prior to the Jan. 6 riot, according to federal court documents, Sullivan took to social media to encourage supporters and followers to come to the nations capital to help kick Trump out of office because hes a fascist. While in D.C. on that day, however, he is seen in video dressed as a Trump supporter and goading people to attack the Capitol building itself, the Times added.

There are so many people. Lets go. This s**t is ours! F**k yeah! he said at one point, according to prosecutors federal court filings. We accomplished this s**t. We did this together. F**k yeah! We are all a part of this history.

Later he said, Lets burn this s**t down. We gotta get this s**t burned.

Its our house, motherf**kers! he continued. We are getting this s**t.

Now, clearly an agitator seems like more of a threat to the public safety than, say, the hundreds of legitimate Trump supporters who merely got busted for trespassing, right? So how come a federal court let Sullivan out pending trial, but those other hundreds of Trump supporters remain behind bars?

Sources include:

Reuters.com

BizPacReview.com

WashingtonTimes.com
(Natural News) Luis Elizondo, a retired officer at the Department of Defense (DOD), claimed that the U.S. government is in possession of exotic material recovered from UFOs.

In a recent interview on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight, Elizondo said he believes there is physical evidence of UFOs and urged the government to be more transparent about it. When asked whether UFOs left any debris, he responded in the affirmative without elaborating.

The United States government is in possession of exotic material and Ill leave it at that, Elizondo, who headed the DODs Advanced Aerospace Thread Identification Program (AATIP) from 2007 until its dissolution in 2012, told host Tucker Carlson.

He added that more analysis needs to be done since there is enough uniqueness in the recovered elements. Im not going to say what those elements are because Im worried about the same type of reprisal that Im facing, Elizondo said. But there are pockets of people that are willing to do the right thing.

The ex-DOD official led the investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)  the governments preferred term for UFOs  as part of the AATIP. After the program ended, he continued to investigate UAPs for the Pentagon but resigned in 2017, he revealed in a separate interview with CBS News.

UFOs are a thousand years ahead of US technology

In an interview with Chris Cuomo this week, retired Navy pilot Sean Cahil claimed that the Tic Tac-shaped UFO spotted in 2004 was several years ahead of U.S. technology. Navy pilots recorded the fast-moving object on video, which was among the UFO videos leaked in 2017.

The technology that we witnessed with the Tic Tac was something we would not have been able to defend our forces against at the time, said Cahil, who was Chief Master-at-Arms at one of the Navy ships involved in the incident. What we saw in the Tic Tac  indicates a technology that outstrips our arsenal by at least 100 to 1,000 years at the moment.

Navy pilots witnessed the aircraft flying off the coast of southern California in November 2004. The vehicle lacked control surfaces and any visible means of propulsion despite traveling at hypersonic speeds, according to Cahil. The way it moved led to speculation that the vehicle was a UFO, becoming a key piece of evidence for those who believe extraterrestrial intelligence exists.

Last week, investigative filmmaker Jeremy Corbell leaked a UFO video that showed a spherical object disappearing into the sea off the coast of San Diego, California. The footage was recorded in the USS Omahas Combat Information Center in July 2019.

Officers speaking in the video could be heard saying, It splashed. Corbell told Daily Star that there were serious discussions among officials that the craft on the video might have come from an underwater base. (Related: FAA mystified by blue UFO that disappeared into the sea in Hawaii.)

Christopher Mellon, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Intelligence under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, raised the possibility that some sightings involved alien technology.

Speaking alongside Cahil in the same interview, he said that the idea of UFOs being extraterrestrial shouldnt be ruled out, noting that somebody might have found us before we found them.

Mellon urged the government to pay more attention to UFOs because unidentified vehicles had repeatedly intruded into restricted American airspace over the last several years. Theyre very capable, in some cases more capable of anything in our own inventory. This has been going on for years. The truth is just emerging, he said.

These interviews came as the Pentagon and other intel agencies are due to present Congress a report on UFOs next month. The report would detail sightings that are difficult to explain, according to former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.

Read more bombshell UFO disclosures at UFOs.news.

Sources include:

DailyStar.co.uk

CBSNews.com

DailyMail.co.uk

Twitter.com

TheGuardian.com
(Natural News) The Harvard Kennedy School  a public policy-focused graduate school  has collaborated extensively with various propaganda arms of the Chinese Communist Party seeking to influence Western organizations to adopt positions supportive of Beijings preferred policies.

(Article by Natalie Winters republished from TheNationalPulse.com)

Communist Vacation

One of Americas premier institutions, the Harvard Kennedy School, has partnered with the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) on studies and research reports for over a decade.

CUSEFs Founding Chairman doubles as the leader of the highest-ranking entity overseeing the Chinese Communist Partys United Work Front, which according to the U.S.-China Security and Economic Review Commission, seeks to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party and influence overseas Chinese communities, foreign governments, and other actors to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijings preferred policies.

It has set out to effectively disseminate positive messages to the media, key influencers and opinion leaders, and the general public regarding the Chinese Communist Party, according to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings with the Department of Justice.

A summary of the partnership on CUSEFs website reveals the Chinese Communist Party-linked organization partnered with the university on trips to China.

Delegations, comprised of 18 Harvard Kennedy School graduate students, spend 10 days on an annual study trek to China. A summary reads:

The delegation visited Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai, participating in substantive meetings to achieve a better understanding of Chinas global engagement as well as the opportunities and challenges the nation faces on the world stage. Through discussions with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Affairs Department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in addition to regional organizations and businesses such as the Sichuan Provincial Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and NIO Shanghai, the students gained greater awareness of the ways in which China collaborates with foreign nations and received a first-hand experience of the unique economic and global state of affairs China finds itself in today.

In addition to meeting with Chinese Communist Party officials and state-run think tanks, schools, and influence groups, delegation members reveal theyve also toured Huawei facilities.

CUSEF brochures contain pictures of the delegation, showing students being lectured by professors at state-run Peking University and by a former Major General of the Peoples Liberation Army.

Propaganda.

The CUSEF site also contains students glowing reviews for the trips, oftentimes including praise for the Chinese Communist Party.

These unearthed testimonials follow FARA filings revealing CUSEF has also paid for Western journalists to travel to China in exchange for favorable coverage and to effectively disseminate positive messages to the media, key influencers and opinion leaders, and the general public.

A member of a 2016 Harvard-CUSEF trip wrote a reflection entitled The Foreign Media Doesnt Do Justice To China, which was published on the organizations site. The student noted that the trip reversed the negative connotations in me about Chinas aggressions in the region, Chinas oppression, Chinas pollution

What I found was astonishing and rather positive, they noted before adding that communism was the only possible system to lift the country from massive poverty to incredible growth:

Chinese officials are not the autocratic rulers that are depicted in some of the press. Obviously, China is not a democracy and there still are many human rights topics to be solved, including censorship and freedom of the press. However, in the many officials we have met, I found that they all shared a pragmatic approach to solving public policy problems. Using more analytics and less politics is their motto and the United States may greatly benefit from relying further on analytics and less on politics given the current gridlock in our system. The political system in China, with its many weaknesses, has probably been the only possible system to lift the country from massive poverty to incredible growth.

The delegation member notes they will do what I can, throughout my professional career in life, to promote further collaboration.

Another student who participated in a 2019 trip wrote:

I found fascinating how all of this is transformed today in a modern and advanced country which is searching its space and role in the world. China has resources to implement ambitious projects related to poverty reduction, environmental protection, urban planning, and regional integration. During the past decade alone, it has undergone impressive changes which are shifting Chinas role and narrative: from developing to developed country; from an occupied territory to regional/world power.

CUSEF promotional brochures also feature testimonials from students, including praising China as a country that has made such incredible progress:

Arm of the State.

While on the trip, Harvard delegation members also met with the Chinese Peoples Association with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), another component of the Chinese Communist Partys United Front.

The U.S. State Department has described the group as seeking to directly and malignly influence U.S. state and local leaders, is led by the daughter of a former Chinese Communist Party paramount leader, and is avowedly an arm of the party-state.

A delegation visited in 2019, meeting with the Director-General of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs who noted that youth exchanges are the most important channel for the friendship between the two countries and serve as the solid foundation for our future cooperation.

We hope that the young leaders from Harvard will broaden their horizons, deepen their understanding of China through this visit, so as to be the future ambassadors of friendly exchanges between China and the U.S., the CPAFFC leader added.

The head of the delegation and graduate student of Harvard Kennedy School, Sanjay Seth, said that the delegation hopes to deepen their understanding of Chinas development through this visit and are willing to try their best to make positive efforts to deepen the friendship between the peoples of the U.S. and China and to enhance bilateral youth exchanges, a summary described.

The Deputy Director-General of the CPAFFC also met with a Harvard Kennedy School delegation in 2016.

Pictures from CUSEF promotional brochures reveal the group met with the organization in 2014 when they attended the 60th Anniversary of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Read more at: TheNationalPulse.com and CommunistChina.news
(Natural News) A new report from an ex-employee at Microsoft has claimed that the company was rife with sexual assault and harassment and that this toxic culture flowed from the top after co-founder, former chairman and CEO Bill Gates picked out women to fulfill himself.

This report was made back in 2015 by Katherine Moussouris, who worked as a computer researcher at Microsoft from 2007 to 2014 and filed a lawsuit against Microsoft. It came to light as claims of Gates using his position as the head of Microsoft to pursue female employees emerged. Many women are now speaking out about how they were abused and degraded by men who assaulted and harassed their female co-workers by groping and spanking them.

It was a culture of testing women poorly with impunity and I think these revelations have shown that to the world, said Moussouris. Not only did he choose his wife from his employees, he chose to target several other women to fulfill himself with no consequences. (Related: Gates and Epstein traded advice on Bills toxic marriage, Jeffs pedo image rehab during secretive mens club gatherings.)

It felt like this culture flowed from the top and it was a culture of paying lip service to diversity and inclusion and not really supporting women in sexual assault claims or their career progression.

Microsofts culture helped cover up hundreds of sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaints

According to the lawsuit initiated by Moussouris and several other women, there were 238 complaints filed with Microsofts human resources department between 2010 and 2016, all from women. Of these complaints, 108 were regarding sexual harassment in the workplace and 118 about gender discrimination. Only one of the gender discrimination complaints was ever proven.

The complaints range from inappropriate touching to sexual assault. There were even three complaints filed by women who alleged that they were raped by their co-workers.

Employee complaint logs in the lawsuit claim that the co-workers the women were accusing got away with their behavior because Microsoft had a culture that not only tolerated the abuse and toxic behavior, especially towards females, but actually accepted it.

In one of the complaints, one man was accused of groping four different women in a single night at a work function. The subsequent internal investigation into the incident allegedly did not find any breaches in any anti-harassment regulations. His actions were written off as poor interpersonal awareness.

One other incident involved one woman who claimed that a male colleague repeatedly touched her inappropriately during multiple work events in 2012. She claimed he also made unprovoked comments regarding the size of her boyfriends genitals.

The accused, on the other hand, told the internal investigation team at Microsoft that she was very flirty and that she had crossed the line first. A second woman reported this man for making lewd comments about her body.

The most serious of the complaints involved three allegations of rape and sexual assault. One male intern was accused by a female co-worker of raping her. He was reportedly offered a full-time job at Microsoft despite these allegations. The woman threatened to file a restraining order against the rapist, but was told that she would be removed from the team if she did so.

One other woman claimed that one of the managers grabbed her buttocks in an unwelcome manner in front of the group.

Another woman claimed she received multiple unwanted and suggestive messages from a co-worker. When she told him to stop, he replied: Dont make me come over there and spank you. After telling him she does not want that, he answered: Good because then you will enjoy it and you will start misbehaving all the time. I can help but you have to do your part.

The lawsuit filed by Moussouris and other female former employees at Microsoft was dismissed in Nov. 2020 after the presiding judge ruled that the complaints were not a class action matter. Their appeal had also been rejected.

Moussouris alleged that Microsoft attempted to settle, but she refused as the settlement would force her to sign a gag order. Moussouris had since dropped the lawsuit.

Gates was allegedly inappropriate towards his employees

The internal complaints started coming out after reports that Gates was forced to quit by the Microsoft board after he had an affair with a female staffer and propositioned female employees while he was still married.

Board members apparently carried out an internal investigation into Gates romantic relationship with one Microsoft engineer in late 2019 after the woman claimed in a letter she had been engaged in a relationship with the billionaire for several years at that point. The board decided that this relationship was inappropriate.

The reports also claimed that Gates pursued several women in his office right after he got married to his now-estranged wife Melinda in 1994. The reports detailed two alleged instances when Gates asked women who worked for Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on dates with him.

The members of the board decided it would not be best for the companys image for Gates to remain as a director in the company he founded. But Gates apparently stepped down before the investigation was completed and before the members of the board could make their decision official.

His spokeswoman said that Gates decision to leave the board was in no way related to his alleged affair or the accusations of inappropriate activity. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier, the spokeswoman said.

Learn more about the many crimes of tech giants like Bill Gates by reading the latest articles at TechGiants.news.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

DailyMail.co.uk

MEAWW.com
(Natural News) Residents who live in dark red northeastern Oregon are fed-up with the left wing lunacy emanating out of population centers like Portland and Salem, and they want out.

So they are voting with their feet. Or trying to.

Several counties voted earlier this month to consider joining Idaho, which has long been far more conservative (and sane) than its uber liberal neighbor, though admittedly, the prospect of actually getting to join Idaho is a long-shot (if the current rules are followed, that is).

The Epoch Times reports:

Voters in Malheur, Sherman, Grant, Baker, and Lake counties approved various measures that require county officials to take steps to look into moving the Idaho border west to incorporate the counties.

The grassroots group Move Oregons Border for a Greater Idaho is aiming to have the eastern countieswhich are mostly ruraljoin Idaho because they believe they would be better off with Idahos more conservative political leadership.

This election proves that rural Oregon wants out of Oregon, lead petitioner Mike McCarter said in a statement. If Oregon really believes in liberal values such as self-determination, the Legislature wont hold our counties captive against our will. If were allowed to vote for which government officials we want, we should be allowed to vote for which government we want as well.

Last year, McCarter told the Oregonian that the effort to leave the state for the less regulatory, more self-reliant atmosphere of Idaho is based on a lifestyle/values judgment that divides urban and rural residents.

The secession effort, which is really what this amounts to, began last year when voters in Jefferson and Union counties in Oregon approved measures to move to Idaho. In fact, the Move Oregon initiative also wants to take in some Northern California counties for the same purpose  they are mostly rural and their values of constitutional freedom and liberty more align with those of Idahos residents.

In an interview last year with Fox News, Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little said that many Oregonians are looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere and our values.

But its not just Oregonians who want to be in Idaho. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Gem State grew at the second-fastest pace over the past decade.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 1,839,106 million people now call themselves Idahoan. The Gem States population grew by 17.4% since the 2010 Census, when Idaho was the nations fourth-fastest growing state and had a population of 1,567,582, KTVB reported.

The bid, however, appears to be a long shot as it would require a formal vote in the Democratic-controlled Oregon legislature. If that goes through, Oregon and Idaho would have to come up with a deal, which would then have to be ratified by the U.S. Congress, The Epoch Times added.

Fat chance of any of that happening, of course. But, as The Epoch Times adds, its not unprecedented: In 1792, Kentucky was created from Virginias territory, Maine was created from Massachusetts in 1820, and West Virginia in 1863 was admitted into the United States when Union states and counties separated themselves from the Confederate ones during the Civil War.

When Virginia seceded to become the seat of the Confederacy, residents in the western portion did not want to leave so they seceded from Virginia; the state was never formed and ratified in the traditional manner.

So could counties in parts of Oregon and California essentially do the same thing today? No  not if they followed the rules as they currently exist.

But what if the diabolical deep state changes the rules again in the 2022 and 2024 elections and steal more elections? Wouldnt that amount to a betrayal of the existing system?

Sure it would. And right now, frankly, if Americans in authoritarian states and enclaves want to be free again, they may just have to do what our founders did and declare themselves so.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

KTVB.com

Resist.news
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrations continued across Europe this past weekend despite a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The protests are one result of the Middle East violence that has divided European Union member states and left some fearful of unrest at home. Thousands joined rallies in Paris and other French cities Saturday -- demonstrations echoed in other European capitals in solidarity for the Palestinian cause. At the Place de le Republique in the French capital, protesters chanted "Palestine will conquer," and "Israel, assassin" -- voicing outrage at the recent clashes between Israel and Hamas, which mostly killed Palestinians. Attending the Paris rally, Eric Conquerel, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed party, said he was ashamed of his government for allegedly being soft on Israel. His views reflect a broader political divide here, with many on the French left sympathetic to the Palestinians, and the right supporting Israel. The European Union's only permanent member on the United Nations Security Council, France, worked with Egypt and Jordan last week to help push a cease-fire -- finally struck between Israel and Hamas on Friday.

But overall, some analysts say, the EU has been marginalized in this latest spike of Middle East violence, partly because of its fractured response. Countries like Germany, Hungary and Austria are strongly supportive of Israel. Others like Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden are more critical. Still, some analysts note a marked pro-Israel tilt across Europe in recent years.



Interviewed Sunday by French media, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denied the EU's alleged lack of influence. He called for a policy of small steps to prevent the latest bout of Israeli-Palestinian violence from firing back up.



Internal dynamics are also shaping Europe's fractured response. Countries with large Muslim and Jewish populations are fearful of Middle East tensions playing out at home.



Germany has seen several recent attacks on synagogues, along with anti-Jewish slurs. In France, with Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, the government banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration earlier this month for fears it would spill into violence.



So far, says Francis Kalifat, who heads the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, or CRIF, things have stayed generally under control. But Kalifat notes the surge of anti-Jewish attacks in recent years, including several deadly ones. We've experienced this situation before, he said, and we know it can happen again.
Overall, shootings are up 78.6% in the five boroughs this year through May 16, according to the NYPDs CompStat data. There have been 552 shootings this year compared with 309 in the same period in 2020, when gun violence spiked during the pandemic.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal judge Tuesday to strike down a new Arkansas law that made the state the first to ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the new prohibition, which is set to take effect on July 28. It prohibits doctors from providing gender confirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18 years old, or from referring them to other providers for the treatment.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of four transgender youth and their families, as well as two doctors who provide gender confirming treatments. The lawsuit argues the prohibition will severely harm transgender youth in the state and violate their constitutional rights.

If the health care ban goes into effect, it will have devastating consequences for transgender youth in Arkansas," the lawsuit said. These young people will be unable to obtain medical care that their doctors and parents agree they need  and those already receiving care will have their treatment abruptly halted  which could have serious and potentially life-threatening consequences."

Republican lawmakers enacted the ban in April, overriding a veto by GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The governor vetoed the ban following pleas from pediatricians, social workers and the parents of transgender youth who said the measure would harm a community already at risk for depression and suicide.

Hutchinson said the law went too far, especially since it wouldn't exempt youth already receiving the care. Gender confirming surgery is not performed on minors in Arkansas.

Hutchinson on Tuesday said he wasn't surprised by the lawsuit, but said he had not read the filing and didn't have a comment on the case.

Neighboring Tennessee is the only other state to enact a similar ban on gender treatments for youth, though that state's law is limited to providing gender-confirming hormone treatment to prepubescent minors.

Arkansas' prohibition has already caused pain and confusion for families in the state whose children are receiving treatments. At least six transgender adolescents in the state attempted suicide in the weeks after the ban was approved, according to the lawsuit.

The ban has also prompted some families to look at moving out of Arkansas to continue care for their children.

As a parent, it's been incredibly distressing because my thoughts are constantly on, what am I going to do for my son if this... takes effect and he can no longer receive the gender affirming care that has made him the happy, confident, thriving kid that he's been?" said Joanna Brandt, who along with her 15-year-old son Dylan are listed as plaintiffs in the suit

Dylan, who started taking testosterone in August, said he hoped the lawsuit would send a message to the state about the impact the ban will have on him and other transgender youth.

It's obviously taken a toll on me not knowing what's going to happen, seeing that people in my state don't necessarily want me here and keep trying to run us off," he said. That's why we're fighting."

Supporters of the ban have said transgender youth should wait until theyre 18 to make such decisions. Some compared the prohibition to other ones minors face, such as for smoking or drinking.

But health professionals say that argument is leaving a false impression that these treatments are available on short notice and with little thought. Multiple medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose the bans and experts say the treatments are safe if properly administered.

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a Republican, vowed to aggressively defend Arkansas' ban.

I wont sit idly by while radical groups such as the ACLU use our children as pawns for their own social agenda," she said in a statement.
New Castle, PA (16103)

Today

Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm after midnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.


Walsingham Way provides new route for pilgrims Walsingham Way provides new route for pilgrims

A new waymarked walking route between Norwich and Walsingham is being launched to celebrate the tradition of pilgrimage.

Called the Walsingham Way, the new 37-mile path is inspired by a network of pilgrimage routes that once crossed the county as pilgrims from across Europe travelled to north Norfolks Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Founded in 1061, it is thought to be the oldest shrine in the world dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.



The Bishop of Norwich, The Rt Revd Graham Usher, said: I walked the Walsingham Way last year at the end of the first lockdown. As I walked the lanes and fields of Norfolk there was an inner unwinding from the tensions of the pandemic. As I approached Walsingham, I was conscious that I was in step with countless others through history, singing with Mary that my spirit rejoices in God. I hope that many people will put on their walking shoes and set out. May this new pilgrim route help them find joy and hope.



The project to waymark the Walsingham Way has been made possible thanks to a partnership enabled by Norwich Cathedral and involving many different organisations and individuals.



The modern-day Walsingham Way route  which will take about three days to complete on foot - can be started from either Norwich Cathedral or the citys Roman Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist.



Walkers will be guided by signs featuring the new Walsingham Way logo of two linked Ws that together form the letter M. The M, which is adorned with a crown, is a tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom the Walsingham Shrine is dedicated.



Along the way, walkers will enjoy beautiful views of the Norfolk countryside, including the river valleys of the Wensum and Stiffkey, and pass by many of the countys villages and historic churches, before reaching Little Walsingham. Known as Englands Nazareth, the village is today home to both an Anglican and a Roman Catholic shrine as well as the ruins of the original priory church.



The project has been supported by funding from the European Union LEADER funding for rural economic development, the Diocese of Norwich, the John Jarrold Foundation, and Norfolk County Council, and by the considerable goodwill of volunteers, landowners and parish councils.



Volunteer groups along the route have also already started projects to welcome new pilgrimage visitors. At Great Ryburgh, for example, the church has established an area for campers and will offer hospitality to walkers.



More information about the Walsingham Way can be found at www.walsinghamway.blog



Pictured top is the launch of the Walsingham Way at Walsingham Abbey. Elizabeth Meath Baker, centre, with from left: Father Kevin Smith, Gail Mayhew, Revd Dr Peter Doll and Mgr Philip Moger. - Credit: Norwich Cathedral/Bill Smith.

Eldred Willey, 25/05/2021
Hutchinson, 22, is said to have told police that he and his 30-year-old wife had been quarreling over the rodents for days, leading up to a May 10 fight in which she allegedly bashed him in the head with a laptop. According to the report, Hutchinson said she then grabbed a knife and the pair began to struggle until he subdued Edwards by kneeling on her back and neck.
Business users looking for an upgrade to the very latest Wi-Fi standard, also known as Wi-Fi 6E, now have the option of Arubas new AP 635, the company announced this morning.

Wi-Fi 6E works much the same as Wi-Fi 6, sharing that standards improved ability to handle dense client environments, high throughput, and advanced multi-user and multi-antenna functionality. The new feature is the ability to use the 6GHz spectrum that the FCC opened in April 2020 to unlicensed users, representing a two-fold increase in the spectrum available for WI-Fi. That added spectrum means that Wi-Fi users can take advantage of much wider channels, leading to commensurately higher throughput.

Support for 6GHz frequency bands was already baked into the Wi-Fi 6 standard, but chipmakers didnt begin to create hardware capable of using those bands until the FCCs decision last year.

The new Aruba 630 series will feature backwards compatibility for 2.4GHz and 5GHz clients, support for existing PoE standards, and Arubas usual suite of security and failover features, the company said in a statement. The first model to be released will be the AP 635, an indoor-use AP that the company describes as more or less a standard enterprise access point.

Steve Brar, senior director of product marketing at Aruba, said that the company expects to see uptake in the higher education, healthcare and large-venue spaces, but added that Wi-Fi 6E capability should be a draw across the board.

For a lot of customers today, they may not be pushing the limits of what their existing Wi-Fi can do, but any customer thats considering a network upgrade should be looking at Wi-Fi 6E for future-proofing, he said.

Michael Fratto, a senior research analyst on the applied infrastructure and DevOps team at 451 Research, agreed that uptake of equipment using the new standard was likely to be general.

Its just going to naturally occur, he said. With the higher bandwidth, for all practical purposes, youre talking about multiple gigabits per second, so real-time broadcasts, streaming, anything where you want more capacity with lower latency.

Its worth noting, Fratto added, that Wi-Fi 6E can only operate in a fully unlicensed way using a low-power mode. Thats likely to be sufficient for most standard uses, especially in an indoor setting, but wide-area use in outdoor settings could require the use of standard power mode. That mode has to be used in conjunction with an external service called an automated frequency controller, to minimize interference with incumbent users in the 6GHz band. Its similar to the three-tiered system in use for CBRS frequencies, which is split between incumbents, priority access license holders, and general unlicensed users.

Basically, what the AFC does is it knows what the channel usage is in an area, and itll tell you which channels you can use to avoid interfering with an incumbent, said Fratto.

Wi-Fi 6E could also create slightly different challenges for site surveys and physical deployments, he said. Given its somewhat higher frequency than the 5GHz Wi-Fi bands currently in use, 6GHz signals are likely to propagate differently, and 6GHz-dependent use cases could affect where APs can be placed.

Theres probably going to be some lessons that need to be learned, Fratto said.

Aruba said that the AP 630 line will likely debut in the third quarter of this year. Specific pricing was unavailable.
Ampere, the chip startup building Arm-based server processors and led by former Intel exec Renee James, has updated its product roadmap and announced new customers.

The biggest news is that the company is designing its own custom cores for release in 2022. Ampere Altra processors are already on the market but use the Neoverse core from Arm. When it introduces the next generation Ampere built on a 5nm process next year, it will be with a homegrown core optimized around cloud workloads.

"If you go back to the objectives we had, which were delivering predictable, high performance, scalability and power efficiency, we really need to develop our own cores ... to be able to actually focus in on the exact way that the cloud wants single-threaded performance," Jeff Wittich, chief product officer for Ampere, told Network World.

"This also helps us from a power efficiency perspective. We're able to really hone in on having a very, very efficient core that is purpose-built for the cloud. And so having our own cores is really the only way that we're able to deliver those innovative features," he said.

Ampere's focus is on running scale-out workloads that are popular in a cloud environment. Altra and Altra Max come in 80-core and 128-core configurations, respectively, but they don't use hyperthreading like Intel Xeon and AMD Epyc use.

Wittich said hyperthreading isn't as reliable.

"We designed everything to be single-threaded. While hyperthreading does help you to utilize all the resources in the core, it also has a bunch of negatives. It creates less predictability and performance, because now you have multiple threads fighting for the same resources. You use those resources, all the time, but now you've got multiple users or applications fighting for the same resources. And so it creates an inherent unpredictability in the performance," Wittich explained.

For its next generation of Altras, Ampere plans to go beyond 128 cores, but it would not disclose as yet the next level of core count.

Ampere inks big partnerships

On the customer side, the company is making some big gains, with Microsoft, Oracle, and Tencent as partners. Other customers include CloudFlare, Equinix, Scaleway, and several Chinese cloud providers, including ByteDance.

Microsoft is obviously hedging its bets, as it also uses Marvells ThunderX Arm processor. Conspicuously absent are AWS, which has its own Arm home brew called Graviton, and Google and IBM, neither of which has committed to Arm.

Among the partners, only Oracle had made a prior commitment to Ampere. Microsoft, Tencent, and the others are newcomers. In particular, Equinix and CloudFlare are pretty big gets.

Wittich said that even though Ampere is all about the cloud, from hyperscale data centers out to the edge, Ampere is also targeting on-premises private clouds. "Anyone that's running a cloud is going to benefit from our processors. Azure Stack would work," he said.
Newburyport, MA (01950)

Today

Chance of a morning shower. Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 71F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 57F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Arshad Khan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: From 3 lakh passengers a day in mid-February, the average number of daily flyers has now fallen below 50,000, highlighting the extent of damage caused by second Covid-19 wave on the countrys aviation sector. According to data from the Airports Authority of India and ICRA Research, the average daily number of departing passengers in March 2021 stood at 2.49 lakh and declined by 28% month-on-month in April 2021 to 1.79 lakh. There was a further dip of 56% from May 1 to May 16, compared to the average of April 2021. For the week ended May 23, the average number of daily flyers stood at just 49,000.

In addition to passengers being apprehensive about air travel, increase in infections forced many state governments to implement strict Covid-19 restrictions during last two months on air travel. The second wave of Covid-19 infections is likely to delay recovery in traffic, said Shubham Jain, senior vice-president (corporate ratings), at ICRA. He added, The passenger traffic growth is now estimated at 80-85% in FY22 against earlier projection of 130-135%.

The rating agency expects domestic air travel to recover to pre-Covid levels by FY23 and international by FY24.Aviation consultant firm CAPA says the crisis in the Indian aviation sector caused by the second wave has reached a point of no return. To survive the pandemic, a few airlines have taken the radical route of cutting and deferring salaries of its workforce. SpiceJet has deferred up to 50% of the April salary of a significant section of employees. Some other airlines are also continuing with salary cuts it had implemented last year.

On Sunday, SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh told his staff that this year has been especifically difficult. While greeting his employees as the airline completed 16 years, Singh noted that India is battling a brutal second wave of the pandemic and the aviation sector is flying at less than 10%of its pre-covid capacity, hinting that recovery will take more time than earlier thought.
By PTI

HYDERABAD: Ocugen, Bharat Biotech's American partner for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, has submitted a "Master File" to the US Food and Drug Administration prior to seeking an emergency use authorisation in that country.

"The company is currently evaluating the clinical and regulatory path for COVAXIN in the United States including obtaining Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Also, eventually biologic license application (BLA) approval in the United States, as well as the company's commercialization strategy, if authorized or approved," Ocugen has said in a recent regulatory filing.

Ocugen has submitted key information and data to date including preclinical studies, chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC), and clinical studies as a Master File for FDA review and input prior to a planned EUA submission.

The company is currently awaiting additional data from Bharat Biotech from the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial for a EUA submission, it further said.

ALSO READ: WHO says 'more information' required from Bharat Biotech for emergency use listing of Covaxin

Bharat Biotech on February 2 said it has entered into a definitive agreement with OcugenInc, a US-based biopharmaceutical company, to co-develop, supply, and commercialise, the Indian vaccine maker's Covaxin for the US market.

Under the terms of the agreement,Ocugenwill have US rights to the vaccine candidate and will be responsible for clinical development, regulatory approval including Emergency Use Authorisation and commercialization for the US market.

The Indian governments temporary suspension of the export of COVID-19 vaccines may require Bharat Biotech to focus its resources, including Covaxin supply, on domestic requirements and thereby prevent it from shipping supply of the vaccinesabroad, including to the United States, the American company said in the risk factors.

"We are currently waiting for additional data from Bharat Biotech from the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial for an EUA submission.

Due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases in India, this process is taking longer than anticipated.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and intend to file the EUA submission as soon as practicable.

Any significant delays could adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition," Ocugen said.

In an investor presentation, Ocugen said it is expecting the vaccine to be rolled out in the US during the second half of the current year.

The initial US supply will be done by Bharat Biotech upon receiving authorisation from the FDA and also there will be technology transfer to US facilities.

Ocugen is targeting 100 million doses per annum beginning 2021.
In all, Alissa now faces 10 counts of first-degree murder, 27 counts of attempted first-degree murder of civilians, 20 counts of attempting first-degree murder of law enforcement, one count of first-degree assault, 10 counts of using a prohibited large capacity magazine during a crime and 47 counts of crime of violence, a sentence enhancer, according to KUSA-TV. The assault charge is related to the injury of a woman who fractured a vertebrae when she fell as she was fleeing, KUSA said.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up eight help desks at all the dedicated Covid hospitals in the city to provide information of patients to their kin. Executives of the desks have made 10,471 calls in the last five days.

The help desks, which started functioning on May 18, are working in two shifts from 8 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 8 pm. Each help desk shift is led by a doctor who guides the executives in deciphering the health status data provided by the hospitals so that the latter can explain to the kin of the Covid patients in a better way.

While four help desk executives are working in each shift at SUM, Hi-Tech and KIMS Covid Hospitals along with a doctor, two executives in each shift are working along with a doctor at Aditya Ashwini, Blue Wheel, Neelachal, Sparsh and KIDS hospitals. At present, 16 doctors and 44 executives have been deployed and the number may go up depending on the requirements.Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) is managing and monitoring the functioning of the facilities.

BMC Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Singh said, We always wanted an effective information dissemination system on health status of the patients admitted to DCHs. The help desk executives could create a link between the family members and the Covid hospitals across the city during this difficult time.
OMJASVIN M D By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: While the country is battling Covid-19s second wave, black-fungus infection or Mucormycosis, a rare but a potentially life-threatening fungal attack, is on the rise. Recently, the Union health ministry had asked all states to classify the infection as a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Though there were indeed such infections in the past, the recent outbreak has raised a lot of questions due to the high mortality rate found in Covid-19 patients who contract the fungal infection. In conversation with The New Indian Express, Dr V Ashwin Karuppan, Consultant (Internal Medicine), Critical Care and Diabetology at Gleneagles Global Health City, shares his insights.

Q. What are the characteristics of Mucormycosis, and what are the symptoms patients who have this infection exhibit?

The fungus has been in existence for a long time, and it affects immunocompromised patients, those with uncontrolled diabetes, undergoing chemotherapy, having arthritis, and those who underwent organ transplantation. It spreads through the air and enters the sinus. Symptoms include swelling of face and eyes, blocked nostrils, brownish or black discharge from nostrils, low-grade fever, and redness of face.

Q. Do Covid-19 patients contract this infection because of the immunosuppression resulting from excessive use of steroids? Is this related to Covid-19 treatment? If so, how?

Steroids definitely play a role. When you give steroids to Covid-19 patients, you reduce inflammation in the body. But, it is a drug that will increase your blood-sugar levels as well. Steroids and diabetes causing immunodeficiency are the two primary reasons for the fungal-infection outbreak. Covid-19 patients are, thus, susceptible to the fungal infection.

Q. How is the fungal infection playing out differently during the second wave than during the first wave?

Firstly, we did not use this much oxygen in the first wave. We did not look into where the oxygen was produced back then, especially the industrial oxygen. This can also come from impurity of oxygen and from using old and unclean cylinders. Secondly, we have used a lot of drugs this time and the infection affects the immunocompromised patients more. The source of Mucormycosis needs to be identified to contain the outbreak.

Q. What is the mortality rate of this infection and does it spread to other parts of the body?

The mortality rate of Mucormycosis, in its advanced stages, is 80-90 per cent. Where there is an involvement of paranasal sinuses, palate, and eyes, the entire portion needs to be resected. This is the reason why mortality is high even in treated Mucormycosis cases. The infection can affect eyes, lungs, intestine, and skin too. Only when it gets closer to the brain and eye does it become difficult to treat. We have been treating it successfully in lung and organ-transplant patients in its early stages itself.

Q. Does this affect only those with co- morbidities or are healthy young people also susceptible to it?

Normally, people with co-morbidities with uncontrolled diabetes are the most affected. But, young people with immunosuppression can also contract the infection.

Q. How important is the drug Amphotericin B? What is the time duration within which this needs to be administered to the patient. And, how much might the treatment cost?

It is an important drug in the treatment of Mucormycosis and is usually given from 4 to 6 weeks. Improper use of the drug, however, can affect the kidneys and other parts of the body, causing more damage than the disease itself. It is also an expensive drug starting from Rs 7,000. Resection is also an expensive treatment. Early detection might help in better treatment.

Q. What is the duration of the course of treatment for patients with Mucormycosis?

Usually, around 6 to 8 weeks is sufficient for the therapy. Sometimes, it goes up to six months. It depends on how invading the fungus is. Even after therapy, we check other places in the body for lesions.

Q. With simultaneous disease outbreaks such as what we are witnessing, how should the public health surveillance strategy improvise itself in the coming years?

Firstly, the source of infection must be identifiedwhether it is from industrial oxygen or not. It is not a contagious disease and is spread only through some sort of source. Secondly, people need to be aware that the infection is out there. The government should also regulate steroid use; they must not be used left, right, and centre. They should be given to only those patients who actually need it. The government must also make available adequate amounts of drugs for the treatment of the infection. Studies need to be done on where the affected patients come from, how many patients are affected, where the clusters are. That is how we should fight the outbreak.

Q. What are some steps that people can take to keep themselves safe from Mucormycosis?

The best thing to do is to keep yourself healthy. Have adequate food and ensure other diseases like diabetes are under control. Patients need to find out when steroid use needs to be stopped and patients must watch out for symptoms of Mucormycosis. It is completely curable.
Sahaya Novinston Lobo By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: A school teacher who was accused of sexual harassment by students and alumni was arrested by the Chennai city police on Monday midnight.

The Ashok Nagar All Women Police in the early hours of Tuesday arrested G Rajagopalan, the teacher accused of sexual harassment. He was brought to a magistrate who remanded him in judicial custody.

The incident came to light after Kripali, an alumni of the school collated and shared screenshots of many students sharing their ordeals of being allegedly harassed by the teacher. One of the screenshots shows a picture of him topless with only a cloth around his neck.

The management of PSBB School on Monday noon suspended G Rajagopalan, a class 12 Commerce and Accountancy teacher from the KK Nagar Branch. This happened after several students and alumni alleged that he sexually misbehaved with them. The accusations included actions like showing up in online classes with just a towel, touching students inappropriately, asking them out for movies at off-hours, sharing pornographic links on groups and passing comments of sexual nature on female students.

In the suspension memo, the PSBB management said, "Some very serious allegations of misconduct have been alleged against you and the same has come to the knowledge of the management from and through social media (sic)." The school added that the teacher will be suspended pending further enquiry.

Rajagopalan was arrested under POCSO Act Sections 11 (When a person commits sexual harassment on a child by uttering words, showcasing his body, etc.,) and Section 12 (Whoever, commits sexual harassment upon a child shall be punished with imprisonment), under IPC Act 354 (a) (Sexual Harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) and 509 (intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any words, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object); under IT Act section 67 and 67(a) (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form)

The police sources said that they are filing a petition to take the accused under custody.

Earlier on Monday, the police had said that the administration did not co-operate properly and later received a complaint on Monday night. The police after enquiries apprehended Rajagopalan in the early hours of Tuesday
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Essential workers between the ages of 18 and 45 will be vaccinated on a priority basis, the city corporation said in a statement on Monday. Among those in this category are newspaper distributors, milk suppliers, roadside vendors, staff in grocery stores and pharmacies, auto, car and bus drivers, electricity board staff, local body staff, government staff, construction workers, those working in essential industries, teachers in schools and colleges, transport department staff, and those working in ships and airlines.

Organisations willing to vaccinate their staff may either contact the zonal authorities or provide details at the office of the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue & Finance), or register through https://forms.gle/Bb5VGvRxUXuvmEvi8 or through WhatsApp at 94983 46494. Those who get vaccinated will receive a no objection certificate from the city corporation to travel.
Somrita Ghosh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The 2DG (2-Deoxy-D-glucose) drug will be equally effective on corona patients, believes Professor Dr Vinay Jain, former director of the Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), who played an instrumental role in introducing the drug in India for the treatment of brain cancer patients. 2DG has been given nod by authorities for treating Covid-19 patients.

The metabolism of both tumour and Covid-infected cells is almost the same. Once the virus enters the cell, it replicates itself and uses a cell machiner. It is the same as what a tumour does in the human body. The energy requirement of the Covid virus is much similar to how the tumour functions. Hence, the drug will play a crucial role in treating corona patients, Dr Jain said.He further noted that the drug has the potential to resist entry of the coronavirus into the body, though more verification is needed on that aspect.

2DG will not only work on moderate and severe patients but there also is a possibility that those in early stages can also be given the drug. However, that depends a lot on availability. The metabolism of it is such that the drug can resist the entry of the Covid virus in the body, as per theoretical studies, although more verification is needed, he added.

Before retiring, Dr Jain had been extensively working on the benefits of 2DG. He had first begun studying and researching the 2DG at the Goethe University in Frankfurt from 1970 to 1973. After coming back, he joined AIIMS and continued the research.

Under the framework of Indo-Gerrman collaboration, in AIIMS we tried 2DG to thyroid cancer patients. We got good results. But since 2DG was not available and is costly, it had to be stopped at that time. I and Dr AK Banerji (a neurosurgeon at AIIMS) wanted to generate interest for 2DG amongst radiotherapists. We came together to use it on brain cancer patients which yielded results, he said.

Dr Jain stated that when Covid-19 started, he had recommended the then INMAS director Tarun Sekhri to use 2DG on patients.Sekhri said he will talk to experts and then will let me know. DRDO was convinced and took permission for clinical trials from DGCI and ICMR for phase 1. Then, DRDO with Dr Reddy started working on it who was given the patent. After the initial results were good, DGCI gave permission. Now demand has increased for this drug, added Dr Jain.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: "Appalling" is how the Delhi High Court termed the Delhi government's conduct of asking the widow of a custodial death victim to approach the inquest court for the MLC, post mortem report and charge sheet in connection with her husband's death, when these documents were to be provided to her by the government as per judicial orders.

"This stand of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) is really appalling. I do not appreciate it. It is in the teeth of the order of the court," Justice Rekha Palli said.

The court said all these documents would be available with the police and therefore, "why should she go here and there for it".

It directed the Delhi government to ensure the woman receives the documents within 10 days and listed the matter for hearing on August 11.

The court on May 4 had directed the Delhi government to supply all relevant documents which are available in respect of the death of the deceased to his widow.

However, the government instead sent her an e-mail stating that the documents can be obtained from the inquest court and this prompted the high court to term the conduct as "appalling".

The court was hearing a plea moved by the wife of the deceased who was arrested by the police on November 11, 2020 in connection with the alleged theft of a vehicle.

When the deceased was produced before the Magistrate, the Magistrate recorded that his physical condition was not good and that he was unable to even stand, the high court had noted in its March 8 order.

"However, the deceased was remanded to judicial custody. Shockingly, on November 12, 2020, he passed away while he was still in judicial custody," the high court had said.

The wife has alleged that her husband was tortured by the police and has sought compensation from the authorities as he has left behind two minor daughters aged 6 years and five months.

"On the other hand, it is recorded in the remand order of the Magistrate that the deceased was beaten by the public," the high court had noted in its March 8 order.

On Tuesday, the DSLSA said an interim compensation of Rs 50,000 would be released to the petitioner in the next few days.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday refused to look into the issue of proposed march by farmers into the national capital on Wednesday (May 26) as it marks six months of their protest against the new farm laws.

An oral mention was made to stop farmers from moving towards Delhi borders and directions for the police to enforce COVID guidelines so that the event does not turn into super spreader.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said the issue concerning farmers protest was being looked into by the Supreme Court and the high court will not examine it.

The matter was mentioned before the bench when it sat for hearing pleas concerning COVID-19 issues.

Advocates Dhananajay Grover and Praveen Sharma submitted that around one lakh farmers have arrived in Delhi and more are coming to participate in the protest scheduled for Wednesday and if it is not stopped, the site will become a super spreader of COVID-19 infection.

They said there could be roadblocks and oxygen supply could be disrupted and sought directions to the Delhi Police and Centre to stop farmers from coming here and holding the protest.

The court, however, declined to entertain the prayer and observed that oxygen supply is going on.

As May 26 marks six months since the farmers protest began in November last year against the Central government's controversial farm laws and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has given a call to the farmers to march to the capital.

"Tomorrow, May 26 will mark six months of farmer protests. Harvest season is over. BKU and farmer unions are coming to Delhi," the counsel said, adding that there is a need to look at preparedness in facing potential issues that could arise due to the march.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for last six months against the three laws -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: As part of its preparations against a probable third wave of Covid-19, Delhi government has imported 6,000 oxygen cylinders from China. These cylinders will be stored at three depots and used in case of a third wave of coronavirus, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday. Around 6,000 oxygen cylinders have been airlifted from China, of which we have received 4,400. The remaining 1,600 will arrive within two to three days, he told reporters.

The chief minister thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Beijing for the assistance in importing the oxygen cylinders. These can be given to people in need and can be used to create additional oxygen beds at hospitals, he said.In case of a third wave, these cylinders can be utilised to prepare 3,000 oxygen beds. Perhaps, this is the largest such consignment brought to India since the pandemic began, he said. He said HCL and Give India Foundation donated for this purpose.

We are also purchasing oxygen concentrators on a large scale. Oxygen concentrator banks have been set up in all the districts. We are also going to buy oxygen tanks and are creating oxygen storage space. Whatever problems we faced during this wave are now being resolved, he said.Kejriwal said the number of cases has reduced to around 1,500 from a high of around 28,000 in April. The infection rate has also dipped to around 2.5 per cent, he said. It seems that this wave is subsiding but there has been no laxity in our efforts. We are already preparing for the next wave, he said. With PTI inputs
By Express News Service

KOCHI: A salary of Rs 1 lakh, free food and accommodation, and appointments with leading hospitals within a week of reaching Dubai. These were the promises made by Feroz Khan, 42, of Nettoor, who allegedly duped around 500 people after offering them nursing jobs in Dubai, the police said. He was arrested on Sunday along with his aide, Sathar, 50, of Cherthala.

To win trust amid the pandemic, he told aspirants that the recruitment was being made to hospitals providing Covid treatment. Those who fell prey to the fraud realised it only when they got stranded in Dubai with neither job nor accommodation.

They collected an advance of Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh from each aspirant. Only nine complaints have been received, but around 500 people lost money to the fraud, an officer said.Feroz invested the money thus received in vehicle sales and purchased luxury cars, the police said. Though arrested earlier, he operated the fraud while on bail. He started another firm named Take Off at Kaloor and published advertisements of recruitment under the banner of the firm, said the officer.

His aide in Dubai too will be arrested soon, the police said. The accused had no recruiting licence and was planning to arrange jobs through other agencies, which withdrew from deals with him as they never got paid. That led to the job aspirants getting stranded in Dubai. An investigation is under way to recover the vehicles Feroz had bought.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: Kochi Metros last-mile connectivity bikes have proved to be extremely useful for many frontline workers during the lockdown. A month after its launch in April, the service provided by MyByk is witnessing positive patronage from residents across the city.

Despite the financial loss we suffered, we are happy that service is playing a crucial role in the fight against. Since public transport has become inaccessible, many health workers are utilising the bikes to travel from their rented houses to hospitals, said Aadith Venugopal, Kerala head, MyByk.

Aadith added that though most modes of transport were shut down, MyByk decided to stay operational after getting several calls from customers checking availability. Some use it for fitness, few to commute. We are getting around 10 rides a day these days, he said.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

As of May 8, MyByk has gathered unparalleled support from the residents. A total of 5,170 rides have been made across the city. Around 1,900 individuals have registered in the MyByk app. Of this, 1,899 subscribed to the membership. Around 3,481 of the total rides started from metro stations. The rest of the 1,689 rides were taken from docking stations outside the terminals. Interestingly, 1,587 hourly rides were made without subscriptions which cost a minimum of C10 for four hours. The peak time for pickups was 6-9am and 6-9pm.

Major stations in demand (As of May 8)

Panampilly Nagar Walkway 519 rides

JLN Stadium amenity centre 377 rides

JLN Stadium Station 304 rides

Maharajas College Station 261 rides

MG Road avenue centre 251 rides

Town Hall Metro Station 219 rides
Alcohol, arguing and weapons are a recipe for disaster. Thankfully the injuries the victims sustained do not appear life-threatening and we hope they can make a full recovery. I understand all of this started because Laso was looking for a date, well, now he has one  with the judge.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Crisis brings out the best in people and a man from Mumbai has proved it as he has set up a community kitchen from his own savings for the poor migrant workers suffering due to the COVID-19-induced restrictions.

Faiyaz Shaikh, who is in his mid 40s, lost his job in August last year, but that did not stop him from helping the poor families in Ambujwadi slum locality at Malwani in suburban Malad.

Now, his community kitchen is providing food to around 500 people every day, Shaikh told PTI.

He is also providing them ration and medicines since last year, he said.

Over one lakh migrant workers live in the Ambujwadi locality and their livelihood is dependent on daily wages.

Shaikh said during the lockdown last year, he got help from some NGOs for ration and medicines, but this time, he had to manage things on his own.

"After I lost my job, I got around Rs 10 lakh from my company. I am utilising that money to offer food to the migrants through the community kitchen and also providing them medicines," he said.

Shaikh said he came up with the idea of a community kitchen after seeing the sufferings of slum dwellers in Malwani.

"The kitchen must continue to feed the children and the needy," he said.

He said the community kitchen has also helped in providing employment to locals and at the same time, hygiene is also maintained.

Shaikh said his wife has also been running an English medium school in the area since the last 11 years where around 350 students are enrolled.

"The fees of students was waived off for three months last year, and now for the entire year," he said.

The locality where the school is situated comprises daily wagers and they don't give priority to the education of their children, he said.

"If the fee waiver was not allowed, there would have been dropouts from school, endangering the future of these children," he said.

When Cyclone Tauktae brushed past the Mumbai coast last week, strong winds blew away roofs of several houses in the slum colony.

At that time, the Shaikhs provided shelter to these families in the school and made sure they were well-fed.

Asked how he is managing his own livelihood, Shaikh said, "For the last 11 years, I have two families- my own and this slum colony. I can't differentiate between the two. I will continue to look after both till I can manage."
By PTI

HYDERABAD: Popular Telugu actor Jr NTR on Tuesday said he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

The 38-year-old actor, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on May 10, took to Twitter to inform his fans that he has recovered and thanked them for their wishes.

"Happy to state that I've tested negative for Covid 19. Thank you everyone for all the wishes," he wrote.

The actor also expressed his gratitude to the team of doctors at the city's KIMS Hospitals and Tenet Diagnostics.

"Their excellent care helped me a lot," he said.

Happy to state that I've tested negative for Covid 19. Thank you everyone for all the wishes



I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my doctors -Dr Praveen Kulkarni & my cousin Dr Veeru from KIMS Hospitals,as well as Tenet Diagnostics. Their excellent care helped me a lot  Jr NTR (@tarak9999) May 25, 2021

The "Aravinda Sametha" star believes "will power" is the biggest weapon in the fight against the deadly virus.

"Covid 19 needs to be taken very seriously. But it is also a disease that can be beaten with good care and a positive frame of mind. Your will power is your biggest weapon in this fight. Stay strong. Do not panic," he said, urging everyone to wear a mask and to remain indoors.

Jr NTR will next be seen in filmmaker SS Rajamouli's period action drama "RRR", slated to be released in theatres on October 13.
G Subhash Chandra By

Express News Service

CHITRADURGA: Milan Rafiq, who runs an old furniture shop in Hiriyur town, is not allowed to park his Maruti Omni in front of his house, and neither do his neighbours visit him. For he has converted his Omni into a hearse, and ferries bodies of Covid patients to graveyards and crematoriums. He also completes the last rites, and has cremated and buried more than 200 bodies, of which around 80 were of Covid patients. His aim is to give people a final dignified departure, surprising at a time when friends and families are known to abandon both the living and dead.

Covid has killed humanity. People are not ready to take care of their near and dear ones, including ailing parents on their deathbeds, said Rafiq. He saw disowned bodies lying in the mortuary of Hiriyur Taluk Hospital, and it disturbed him so much that he decided to take on the last duties himself, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. He doesnt charge any money, only accepting whatever is given to him, which he uses for the next burial or cremation.

Before taking the body, I ask the family to get the grave dug, so we can bury the body and close the grave. On an average, I cremate two bodies every day. On Sunday, I cremated four bodies in Chitradurga and Hiriyur, Rafiq told The New Indian Express.

His has carried out cremations in Chitradurga, Bengaluru and Kolar districts, ferrying bodies from Bengaluru to Kolar, and Madhugiri in Tumakuru. At a time when ambulances charge exorbitant rates, Rafiq just asks where the body should be ferried and sets out in his Omni. The cost of petrol and repairs is met by his group of friends, standing solidly behind him ever since he took up these humanitarian duties.

I am also using my fixed deposit, I cannot ask families for money when they are in pain. It would be a sin, he said. Rafiqs wife Shahtaj Begum, son Mohammed Zubair and son-in-law Mohammed Ali support him and even help him with the last rites. They wear masks and PPE kits, and sanitise the Omni after work is done. He cites a recent ordeal where there was no one to give them even a glass of water.

My son, son-in-law, and I conducted the last rites and drank water only after returning to Hiriyur, he said. Rafiq freely gives his number -- 7259859407 -- for anytime, anywhere burials and cremations.
Pragna GR By

Express News Service

MADIKERI: It is not common for an actor to share his mobile number across social media. But Bhuvan Ponnanna, the Sandalwood actor and native of Kodagu, has done just that even as he is working relentlessly to extend a helping hand to the needy during the pandemic.

Through his four-year-old Bhuvanam Foundation and initiative Feed Karnataka, Bhuvan with support from actress Harshika Poonacha on Tuesday handed over 200 food kits to the Madikeri City Municipal Council Commissioner Ramdas. These kits will be handed over to needy families across the city. Further, the home guards, police and a few journalists also received food kits from the foundation.

ALSO READ: Madikeri COVID hospital becomes hub of theft, kin of victims file police complaints

The actor has also taken a unique initiative where food kits and medicines will be home delivered to needy residents across Kodagu. Two vehicles equipped with food kits and medicines will start doing the rounds across Madikeri, Gonikoppal and Virajpet areas from May 26 and the needy can avail food kits from the foundation following verification. The medicines will be supplied with display of prescriptions only. To avail the services, the eligible beneficiaries can contact the helpline number 9945008004.

Also, the initiative helps local farmers by buying vegetables from them and distributing it to the needy along with the food kits. Many donors including doctors have donated to the foundation and the organisation has so far distributed over 2000 food kits to the poor across Karnataka.
By Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: After Moderna, another Covid vaccine manufacturer Pfizer has refused to send direct vaccination to Punjab, citing its policy to only deal with the Central government, state nodal officer (vaccination) Vikas Garg said on Monday.

Following this development, the state government wrote a letter to the Centre urging the latter to intervene and ask these companies to supply the vaccines to the state government.

"Today we have written to Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, who deals with vaccination, to deal with these companies on our behalf so that these vaccine manufacturers can supply us the vaccines at the earliest," he said.

Garg said the company, in a communication to the state, said: "Pfizer is working with federal governments across the world to supply its Covid vaccine for use in national immunisation programmes.

ALSO READ | 'Important but impractical': Experts on vaccinating class 12 students before board exams

"Our supply agreements at this time are with national governments and supra-national organisations with allocation of doses and implementation within the country being a decision that governments take based on relevant health authority guidance. This approach Pfizer has followed across the world," the pharma major said.

Garg said that all vaccine manufacturers were approached for direct purchase of various Covid vaccines. We had approached manufacturers of Sputnik V, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson as per the directions of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to explore possibilities of floating a global tender for the procurement of vaccines from all possible sources to ensure early inoculation in the state.

He said that now the State is still hoping for a positive reply from Sputnik V and Johnson and Johnson.

The state was forced to stop vaccination for Phase I and II categories in the last three days because of non-availability of the vaccine.

Punjab has so far received about 45.3 lakh vaccine doses from the Centre.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Decorated veteran of the 1971 war Col Panjab Singh on Monday passed away at Command Hospital, Chandigarh, due to post-Covid complications. He was 79.

"Recently, Col Panjab Singh, had successfully recovered from Covid-19 but due to some medical complications post-Covid, left for heavenly abode," the Army said in a statement.

Born on February 15 1942, Colonel Singh, a Vir Chakra awardee, was viewed as an institution in the Sikh Regiment for his incisive tactical acumen and welfare-oriented approach towards veterans till the end.

He was commissioned into 6th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment on December 16, 1967.

In the 1971 war, during 'Operation Cactus Lilly', the sixth Sikh occupied 13 km of the area along the heights above Poonch covering two strategic points, the loss of which would have directly threatened Poonch, the Army said in a statement.

Col Panjab Singh, then a Major, was commanding a company deployed at Tund which had been actually limited to a platoon with the company headquarter, it said.

The statement further said the enemy attacked the position with more than a battalion on December 3, 1971, supported by artillery and mortar fire.



Enemy attacked the position with more than a Battalion on 03 December 1971, supported by artillery and mortar fire. The next 72hours were classical defensive battle fought by the fierce soldiers of 6 Sikh under the inspiring command of Col Panjab Singh.

"Col Singh with complete disregard for his safety moved from trench to trench and ensured that all weapons under his command engaged the assaulting force till the attacking force retreated leaving behind their dead and weapons," the Army said.

He went on to have the honour of commanding the prestigious battalion from October 12 1986 to July 29 1990.

Explaining the significance of Col Panjabs role in 1971 war, Major General AK Das, SC (retd) said: As company commander, he displayed outstanding tactical acumen, combat leadership and personal gallantry of very high order. His contributions led to battalion succeeding in beating back repeated attacks by numerically superior force for which, 6 Sikh was decorated with battle honor of "Defence of Poonch".

Subsequently, as instructor at military academies and during regimental service, he groomed a very large number of officers and men who went on to command very senior ranks and formations of the Army, added General Das, who was adjutant of the battalion when Col Singh was the Commanding Officer.

Post retirement, Col Panjab Singh continued to work for the welfare of the ex-servicemen. He joined as the Director of Sainik Welfare, Himachal Pradesh. He was also the vice president, Indian Ex-Service League, Himachal Pradesh of Southern Area.

His elder son Anil Kumar had also succumbed to Covid on May 21.

Col Singh is survived by his wife Vidya Devi, their daughter Usha, son Ajay Kumar, son-in-law Lt Gen DP Pandey, daughters-in-law Smriti, Suman, and grandchildren.
Sumi Sukanaya Dutta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Covaxin has reached private hospitals in 30 cities within a month of the liberalised and decentralised Covid vaccination policy coming into effect, its manufacturer Bharat Biotech said on Tuesday.

The fresh stock of the countrys first and only indigenously-developed Covid vaccine arriving in hospitals assume significance in the wake of acute scarcity of this vaccine, which had delayed vaccinations of thousands of beneficiaries, due for their second doses.

Apart from the metropolitan cities, the cities where the vaccine has become available in private hospitals include Amritsar, Mohali, Calicut, Ernakulam, Guntur, Raipur, Vizag, Warangal and Kanpur among others. It is, however, not clear how many doses of the vaccine have been supplied to these cities.

So far, nearly 21.9 crore vaccine doses have been available for the countrys Covid vaccination drive but of this only about 4-4.5 crore doses have been that of Covaxin while Covishield, produced by the Serum Institute of India has been the mainstay of the inoculation drive.

Last week Bharat Biotech has said that it is looking at ramping up the production of the homegrown Covaxin with another plant in Gujarat-Chiron Behrin-- where 200 million doses of Covaxin could be produced per annum.

As of now, the company is producing just about 1.5 crore doses of the vaccine per month which is likely to go up to 4-5 crore doses per month by July this year.

Bharat Biotech said had said that Covaxin production at Chiron Behring, will effectively take the volumes of Covaxin to nearly 1 billion doses per annum, produced at the company's own established campuses specialised for manufacturing inactivated viral vaccines under the highest levels of biosafety.

The company, at the behest of the Union government which is under huge pressure to fulfil huge demands for Covid vaccines in the country, has tied up with three public service undertakings to scale up the production of Covaxin.

These undertakings, however, could take quite a few months before actual productions start.

ALSO READ | COVID doesn't remain active in nasal, oral cavities 12-24 hours after death: AIIMS forensic chief

The government a few days back had announced that 51.5 crore doses of Covid vaccine are to be available for use in India but given that by May end, this number has not reached even 25 crore mark, it is not clear how 25-30 crore additional doses will be available within a span of two months.

The Centre had also claimed that 55 crore doses of Covaxin will be available in India between August-December but many experts tracking the vaccine development consider it a tall order.

There is also a pressure on Bharat Biotech to publish its phase 3 efficacy data in a peer reviewed scientific journal, especially as it has just announced through a press statement that the second interim analysis of the late stage trial showed the vaccine to be 78% effective against infection and 100% effective against severe disease.

Meanwhile, the company in a statement said that it has submitted an application for emergency use list by the WHO and regulatory approvals are expected in July-September.

The clarification comes amid concerns that people vaccinated with Covaxin may not be allowed for international travels, especially to countries insisting on allowing in only vaccinated individuals, as the WHO does not recognise it yet in the absence of published phase 3 clinical trial data.

The firm however also said that regulatory approvals for Covaxin are in process in "more than 60 countries" including US, Brazil and Hungary among others, adding that It also said most countries recommend vaccinations against Covid19 but unvaccinated travellers can travel with negative RTPCR tests in the absence of any other country-specific travel restrictions.

At a meeting on Tuesday with the government on the status of its application before WHO, the company reportedly said it was on track and had submitted "90 per cent of the documentation required" for the world health bodys authorisation.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: Amidst a pandemic-induced crisis in the country, the first consignment of well-known GI-certified 'Shahi Litchi' was sent from Bihar's Muzaffarpur district to the United Kingdom on Monday via a special flight.

Shahi Litchi is cultivated in over 15,000 hectares of land in Muzaffarpur. The consignment is being exported by Cira Enterprises to H&J Veg at London after purchasing from the farmers in Muzaffarpur.

According to the official statement from the department of agriculture here, Shahi Litchi was given the GI tag in 2018 along with three other agriculture products which included Jardalu' mango, Katarni variety of rice, and the Magahai-paan (betel leaves).

Shahi-Litchi is cultivated in Vaishali, Samatipur, Champaran, Begusarai and Saran districts as well.

Meanwhile the world famous Litchis have now bagged the 'Phytosanitary Certificate' from the state for the first time, and now it will be globally known as Bihar's Litchi.

The phytosanitary certificate is issued by only a public officer who is technically qualified and authorised by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO). Earlier, the Bihar government had obtained the phytosanitary certificate either from either Kolkata or Mumbai.

Sale of Shahi Litchis rakes in an estimated Rs 1000 crores annually from all over Bihar with nearly 50% of the revenue coming from Muzaffarpur alone.

The East Central Railway, headquartered at Hajipur, has also provided a special transportation facility by specially designed rail parcel wagons from Muzaffarpur to other states included Maharashtra, Delhi and Pune, which sees a huge demand for Bihars Shahi-Litchi.

Ravindra Singh of Muzaffarpur, who has a Litchi orchard of over 10 hectares of land, said that the demand for Shahi Litchi has not been affected even with the pandemic going on, although the lack of transportation facilities for farmers are a hurdle.

This time, the fruit of Shahi-variety of Litchi is well shaped, and red, which indicates that the fruits are sweeter and juicier, he said.
By ANI

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said that the state government has classified black fungus as a notified disease.

Addressing the media, Tope said, "There are 2,245 cases of black fungus in the state. The state government has classified black fungus as a notified disease."

"Under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, patients of black fungus will receive free treatment at state-run hospitals," the Maharashtra Health Minister further said.

Several states and UTs have declared mucormycosis, also called black fungus, as an epidemic under the Epidemic Diseases Act (1897).

Tope also said that the current COVID-19 positivity rate is 12 per cent and the recovery rate is 93 per cent in the state.

Talking about the state's global tender for Covid-19 vaccines he said, "We haven't received any response to the global tender for vaccine procurement. We are requesting the Central govt to float tender and provide us vaccines," he added.

Meanwhile, the state on Monday reported 22,122 new #COVID19 cases, 42,320 recoveries and 361 deaths in the last 24 hours. There are 3,27,580 active cases in the state.

Tope also said the state would get 60,000 vials of Amphotericin-B, the key drug for the treatment of mucormycosis patients, from June 1 onwards.

There are 2,245 patients of mucormycosis, also known as the black fungus, in Maharashtra, Tope told reporters after attending a review meeting on the mucormycosis and COVID-19 cases in the state.

Tope said the state has floated a global tender for procuring Amphotericin-B vials for the treatment of mucormycosis.

"The state would get 60,000 vials of the medicine from June 1 onwards. It will be an additional supply apart from the current allocation of the medicine by the Centre," he said.

The minister said there are 2,245 patients of black fungus in the state and out of them, 1,007 are already covered under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), he said.

"The entire cost of the treatment of mucormycosis patients under the MJPJAY will be free of cost, including the cost of the medicine. The state is also trying to cap the cost of treatment of mucormycosis patients who are admitted in private hospitals," he said.

Tope said the Maharashtra government has issued a GR (government resolution) regarding such treatment and the finance department has allocated Rs 30 crore for the same.

There have been several cases of mucormycosis, a rare but serious fungal infection, among COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra and some other states.

(With PTI Inputs)
By ANI

RAIPUR: Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhaghel on Tuesday alleged a political-criminal conspiracy in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack case and said that the state government will investigate the matter.

"The state government wants that this matter to be investigated, as it was purely based on political-criminal conspiracy and contract killing. Unfortunately, the Central government does not want the investigation to be carried out by the state government," the Chief Minister told reporters here.

Baghel said that several Congress leaders lost their lives after their convoy got attacked by Naxals on May 25, 2013.

"8 years ago, on May 25, several Congress leaders lost their lives after their convoy got attacked by Naxals. It was our Congress government at the Centre in 2013 that had handed over the investigation to National Investigation Agency at that time. However, due to pressure created by the current Central government, neither the NIA nor the State government is allowed to investigate upon the matter."

On September 29, 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea of the Chhattisgarh government against the refusal for examining additional witnesses by the Judicial Commission set up to probe the 2013 Jheeram Ghati Naxal attack in which 29 people, including leaders of state Congress, were killed.

Taking a dig into the ongoing toolkit controversy, Baghel said, "On one hand, they immediately go to the Twitter office over Toolkit matter, but it neither investigates this nor lets us investigate. Everybody believes it's a conspiracy and it should be exposed. But some people are trying to cover it up, which is very unfortunate."

Hours after sending a notice to Twitter over a "manipulated media" tag used on tweets alleging a Congress "toolkit" against the Central government, a team of Delhi Police Special cell yesterday carried out a search at the Twitter India offices in Lado Sarai, Delhi and Gurgaon.

Three months ago, the Delhi Police sent a communication to Google seeking registration details and activity log of the account through which a "toolkit" related to the farmers' protest was created and uploaded on the social media platform.
The Interstate 75 chase reportedly spanned several counties before moving onto a state road, where cops used a PIT (pursuit intervention technique) maneuver to bring a 2009 Cadillac sedan being driven by Rachael Lynn Stefancich to a stop over the weekend.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: A Unicef estimate says nearly 75 lakh children in Bihar will experience learning loss in the midst of Covid-induced lockdown. This is so because as many as 31% of school students do not have access to digital devices to avail online classes.Nearly 7 lakh students are not expected to return to their schools, the Unicef study said. The adolescents (14-18-year-old), comprising nearly 5.49% girls and 0.26% boys, are expected to drop out of schools.

In a presentation to education officials, Prassana Ash, monitoring and evaluation specialist, and Pramila Manoharan, education specialist in Unicef Bihar, highlighted the scenarios related to the Covid-19 second and third wave and its impact on childrens learning.Citing some key point-estimations, they said nearly 75 lakh children in Bihar will experience learning loss; assuming 31% students do not have access to digital devices; 3 per cent or nearly 7 lakh students are not expected to return to school.

Bihar additional chief secretary, in-charge of education department, Sanjay Kumar also spoke about strategies and solutions to ensure continuity of learning for the most marginalized children in Bihar in light of the pandemic and continued lockdown and school closures. We are aware that a vast majority of children cannot access online classes or e-resources. We are looking at solutions and have requested the Centre to provide devices to bridge the digital divide in education.

Terry Durnnian, Chief of Education, Unicef India, said all efforts should be made to ensure that the most marginalized groups of children can continue their learning. Nafisa Binte Shafique, chief of Unicef Bihar, made a strong plea for safe re-opening of schools with complete adherence to safety protocols.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked its highest-ever number of teams for deployment in Odisha and West Bengal as part of its preparations for the impending cyclone Yaas, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

The federal contingency force has committed a total of 112 teams for deployment in five states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which are expected to be affected by the cyclone developing in the Bay of Bengal.

Out of these, the highest the number of 52 teams are designated for Odisha followed by 45 teams for West Bengal.

The rest of the teams are being stationed in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

NDRF Director General S N Pradhan said in a tweet that this was this was the "highest ever" commitment of its teams in the two states of Odisha and West Bengal.

A senior official said the number of NDRF teams earmarked for these two states during past cyclones have never been this high.

Teams in these two states can also be enhanced if the states require or situation demands, he added.

ALSO READ | Cyclone Yaas: Red alert issued in four Odisha districts

Cyclonic storm Yaas is likely to make a landfall near Balasore in north Odisha sometime around Wednesday noon.

It can possess a speed of 155 kmph-165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, the Met department had said on Monday.

Each NDRF team has 47 personnel who are equipped with tree and pole cutters, communication gadgets, inflatable boats and basic medical aid.

These teams, along with various disaster combat and mitigation units, are presently carrying out evacuation and awareness drives in the affected areas so that no lives are lost, the senior officer said.

Pradhan had told PTI on Monday that at least 50 more teams have been kept as backup at its various country-wide bases and they can be airlifted for cyclone Yaas duties as and when required.

The two power utilities of West Bengal on Monday claimed that they are better prepared for Cyclone Yaas, which is likely to hit the state and Odisha on May 26, than they were before last year's storm, Amphan.

The state-owned West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) and private utility CESC Limited, which supplies power to Kolkata and adjoining areas including Howrah, said they aim to minimise inconvenience to consumers.

"This year we are better prepared than the time of Amphan. Then we had a shortage of manpower as many of them had gone to their hometown due to the lockdown during the first wave."

"But this year we have 2,500 people on the ground, which is more than double that we had last year," CESC Vice President (Distribution) Avijit Ghosh said.

ALSO READ | As Cyclone Yaas nears landfall, Odisha govt makes arrangements to evacuate 7.5 lakh people

He said that it will keep restoration gangs at police station levels and ward levels across CESCs network.

Some 20 per cent of the network of CESC is overhead, which is more prone to disruptions.

The number emergency facilities have gone up this year as Covid-19 vaccine cold chain centres and temporary Covid points have been set up, Ghosh said.

"We will try to ensure uninterrupted services," he said.

The coordination with other agencies like the police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is better this time following the experience of Cyclone Amphan which had hit the state in June last year.

A WBSEDCL official said that priority will be given to the restoration of power lines to the medical establishments such as hospitals, safe homes, vaccine storage areas, drinking water lines, mobile towers and crematoriums.

ALSO READ | Cyclone Yaas: AAI reviews safety measures at airports

Leaves of all employees have been suspended, and at least three gangs will be deployed at each block of the state under its distribution area, the official said.

Both CESC and WBSEB set up emergency call centres to receive complaints.

For CESC, the numbers are 3501-1912/4403- 1912/18605001912.

The dedicated numbers of WBSEBs round-the-clock control room are 8900793503 and 8900793504.
By Express News Service

JAIPUR: A fake godman, accused of raping four women, has been arrested by the Jaipur Police on Tuesday.

Three women from the same family had alleged that the 'Tapaswi Baba' raped them in his ashram after giving them 'prasad' mixed with cannabis.

The real name of the accused is Yogendra Mehta, according to Bhankarota SHO Mukesh Chaudhary.

"After an FIR was registered by the family on May 5, Mehta absconded.

According to the police, the main victim is a 45-year-old married woman. She got married in 1998 at Bindayaka Industrial Area in Jaipur. The 'kul-devta of her in-laws is Tapaswi Baba whose ashram is in Mukundpura. The family had been visiting Baba's ashram for 25 years.

Yogendra Mehta eventually took over the throne of the Tapaswi Baba Baba and opened the ashram in his name. Mehta's ashrams are located at Ratalya Sikar Road and Delhi Road apart from Mukundpura.

Soon, Mehta began to describe himself as the Tapaswi Baba. The victim's family too started visiting the ashram. It was later revealed that eight to 10 women stayed daily at the ashram at night. The woman alleged that one day Mehta invited her to a room and gave her 'prasad' which made her intoxicated. Mehta then forced himelf on the woman and later threatened her to not tell anyone about it. A woman, who lived at the ashram as a regular help to him, has also been accused of cooperating with Mehta in his activities.

It was also found that Mehta had raped the two other women of the family as well. When the men of the family called Mehta, he threatened to ruin them.

Another woman devotee of Mehta had also accused him of raping her.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), has gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda.

For the first time, Choksi's counsel advocate Vijay Aggarwal confirmed that he is missing in the island nation.

In an exclusive statement to ANI, his lawyer said, "Mr Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. Family is in the dark and worried about his safety."

There were media reports in Antigua that the police have launched a manhunt for Mehul Choksi. It was reported that Choksi left his home last evening to go for dinner at a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island and was never seen again. His vehicle was discovered in Jolly Harbour later in the evening, but no sign of him, reported Antiguan newsroom.

Choksi has been involved in a legal battle to stop his extradition back to India to answer fraud charges against him. Police are yet to issue a statement on the matter, reported Antiguan newsroom.

Earlier, on the media reports regarding his citizenship revocation issue, advocate Vijay Aggarwal had citizenship by an Antiguan civil court, his Advocate Vijay Aggarwal had clarified that "My client Mehul Choksi has clarified that he is very much an Antiguan citizen. His citizenship has not been revoked."

Earlier, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne had said, the citizenship of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, an accused in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank scam, will be revoked and he will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted.

Choksi, 61-year-old is an Indian-born businessman, residing in Antigua and Barbuda and wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Earlier, Choksi in an interview with ANI had claimed that he is innocent and all allegations against him are false, baseless, and motivated by political expediency.

Choksi holds Antiguan citizenship and is the owner of Gitanjali Group, a retail jewellery company. An arrest warrant for Choksi has been issued in connection with the alleged Punjab National Bank fraud case. He was allegedly involved in stock market manipulation in 2013.

Recently Nirav Modi, nephew of Choksi was ordered to be extradited to India from the United Kingdom to face charges of conspiring to defraud PNB of more than a billion dollars, a UK judge ruled.
By PTI

PANAJI: The Goa government on Tuesday challenged the acquittal by a sessions court of Tehelka magazine founder editor Tarun Tejpal in the sexual assault case in the Bombay High Court.

On May 21, a sessions court in Goa had acquitted Tejpal of the charge of sexually assaulting a former woman colleague inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in the state in 2013.

Goa Advocate General Devidas Pangam told PTI that the state government has challenged the order before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court.

He said the HC is yet to assign the date for hearing the appeal.

Tejpal had faced the trial under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376(2)(f) (person in a position of authority over women, committing rape) and 376(2)k) (rape by a person in a position of control) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was acquitted of all the charges by Additional sessions judge Kshama Joshi.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said his government would file an appeal against Tejpal's acquittal in the High Court as it was confident that there was evidence against the journalist.

The alleged incident had taken place on November 7, 2013.

Tejpal stepped down as editor-in-chief of Tehelka in the wake of sexual assault allegations.
By PTI

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Congress MLA Indraj Gurjar on Tuesday showed his allegiance to former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, saying he is with him and will remain with him.

"Not everything has a political significance. My leader is my pride, I was with and will be with him. Sachin Pilot Zindabad, Congress Party Zindabad," Gurjar, who represents Virat Nagar in the Rajasthan assembly, tweeted along with a photo of him with Pilot.

Pilot was removed from the post of state Congress president and deputy chief minister after he rebelled against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state last year.

Gurjar's remarks came on Tuesday after Chief Minister Gehlot laid the foundation stone of a road project, costing Rs 30 crore, from Virat Nagar to Chilapali.

During the event, MLA Gurjar praised Gehlot and said in the three budgets of the present government, Virat Nagar assembly constituency has received several development works, including road development works worth Rs 125 crore.

Expressing gratitude towards the chief minister on behalf of people of the area, Gurjar said that the road project is a wonderful gift for the people of Virat Nagar.

Gurjar is believed to be a part of the Pilot camp but there was lot of speculation on social media after he praised Chief Minister Gehlot, following which the MLA tweeted.
By PTI

GUWAHATI: The Congress and the Raijor Dal of Akhil Gogoi on Tuesday separately described the statement of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the assembly that the jailed anti-CAA activist and MLA is a patient of mental disease as "highly inappropriate" and "insulting".

The state Congress said that the chief minister's comment is extremely unfortunate as society is still fighting against the stigma on mental health issues.

"Such a statement on the mental health condition of an opposition leader who is not even present in the august house is highly insensitive, undignified and unbecoming of a person who is occupying the highest position in the state," the Congress said in a release.

Accusing Sarma of violating a patient's right to privacy by divulging his ailments publicly, the Raijor Dal formed by Gogoi ahead of the assembly election said that the matter will be taken up with the appropriate authority.

"He (Gogoi) was informed that he is not in a sound mental state. He is getting treatment for psychological issues. He is getting treatment on emotional imbalance and mental disease," the chief minister said in the assembly on Monday, the last of a three-day session.

On May 21, the first day of the session, the RTI activist-turned-politician came to the assembly to take oath as an MLA after obtaining permission from a Special NIA Court.

He is currently in judicial custody.

The NIA had arrested Gogoi in December 2019 for his alleged role in violent anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests across the state.

He was last year admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treating COVID-19 and he remains there for other ailments.

On May 21, he requested Speaker Biswajit Daimary to write to the authorities concerned for allowing him to attend the remaining two days of the session.

The next day, a letter from the Home and Political Department headed by the chief minister advised Gogoi to approach the NIA court as his case is sub-judice, Raijor Dal working president Bhasco de Saikia said in a video message to the media.

He accused Sarma of misleading the Assembly by informing it that there is no law and order issue in Akhil Gogoi attending the House but the Independent MLA was not allowed as he is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

"Now who are we to believe the Home Department or the government? The Home Department must have issued the letter after consulting its head who is the chief minister," he said.

On the chief minister's "attempt to prove" Gogoi's mental illness by saying that the Raijor Dal leader violated COVID-19 protocols as he went to each members seat to greet them, Saikia asked, "Should one assume that Sarma is also mentally ill as he met people at various places in violation of COVID protocols?" "Whether Gogoi should be in jail or in hospital or whether he is fit enough to be present in Assembly is to be decided by the court as the matter is sub-judice," the Congress said in the release.

Assam Congress president Ripun Bora termed the chief ministers statement as unparliamentary and inappropriate, the release said.

Gogoi, who defeated the BJP's Surabhi Rajkonwari from the Sibsagar constituency, is the first Assamese to win an election from behind the bars without any physical campaigning.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: Popular matrimonial portals could be on the radar of Pakistans Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) handlers to help their plans for spying in India.

Ongoing police investigations into the suspected links of two young sisters of Madhya Pradeshs cantonment town Mhow with ISI handlers-operatives has bared a new phenomenon  Pakistan-based defense officers and ISI handlers targeting Indian girls, who are scouting ideal grooms through popular matrimonial websites.

Questioning of the two young sisters aged 28 and 32, has revealed that three men from Pakistan established contacts with them over social media, after viewing their profiles on a prominent matchmaking web portal.

Around six-eight months back, the two girls (whose father was an ex-serviceman) had uploaded their profile on the leading matrimonial portal, scouting for ideal matches, preferably men working with the army or other wings of defense services.

Just a few days after they registered with the marriage portal, the two sisters based in Gawali Parasia area of Indore became friends over social media with a Pakistani man, who told them that he was an army officer and had found their contact from the popular marriage portal, sources privy to the ongoing investigations confided to The New Indian Express.

The man who claimed to be a Pakistan army officer subsequently connected the two sisters to two other men, one of whom claimed to be a naval officer. But all three of them could actually be ISI operatives or handlers based in Pakistan.

Since both young girls were themselves from an army background and wanted to marry men from army or defense force background, the handlers across the international border found them ideal targets for spying into vital and strategic security installations in MP, particularly Mhow. One of the Pakistani men, with whom they connected through video call and chats of major social media platforms, even promised to quit his job in Pakistan and settle with them India, just to prove to one of the two sisters, how badly he was in love with her, a key source connected with ongoing probe maintained.

Its quite possible that the ISI handlers-operatives could well have registered themselves with the popular matchmaking services and are looking for ideal targets to honey-trap or aid their spying operations in India, sources added.

Names of the three Pakistani men with whom the two Mhow sisters were connected over social media for months, importantly, have emerged in the past also during investigations into other spying cases, including ISI honey trap cases.

The investigators have so far found evidence of around 1500-2000 chats or video calls between the Pakistani men and the Mhow sisters and are now zeroing in to figure out any possibilities of the two women having sent to the Pakistani men pictures or live videos of various army facilities in Mhow, including the Army War College, to which they had access, owing to their father being an ex-serviceman.
By PTI

RANCHI: Jharkhand on high alert over severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas" has evacuated people from vulnerable areas in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and other districts bordering West Bengal and Odisha to safer places while the operation is going on to deal with the crisis, a top official said.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a high-level meeting reviewed the preparedness of the state and asked officials to be on high alert to deal with the situation and act on war-footing.

"The state has deployed eight units of the NDRF in areas likely to be affected by the cyclone...The cyclone is likely to severely impact Kolhan division that comprises East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan. Bokaro and Khunti are also likely to be severely impacted...All those in thatched houses and huts in bordering areas with West Bengal and Odisha are being shifted to shelter homes," Secretary, Disaster Management Department, Amitabh Kaushal told PTI.

State capital Ranchi is likely to be lashed with heavy rainfall.

Kaushal said eight teams from NDRF have been deployed in areas like East Singhbhum, Saraikela and Kharsawan bordering West Bengal and Odisha.

"All necessary efforts are being made to ensure zero loss of life due to cyclone," he said.

Director General Police, Jharkhand Neeraj Singh told PTI that the police machinery was on high alert to deal with any contingency in the wake of the storm.

"This is the first time in the history of Jharkhand that such a severe cyclonic storm is likely to impact it. We are ready to deal with likely accidents caused on account of it and forces have been asked to be alert," Sinha said, adding forces have been kept in standby in districts where it is likely to impact the most.

Meanwhile, East Singhbhum administration has asked people to stay indoors and has suspended Covid-19 vaccination drive on May 26 and 27 in view of heavy rainfall and lightning besides high-speed wind which is likely to uproot trees.

Sub Divisional Officer, Ghatshila told PTI: "We have evacuated 300 to 400 people so far into panchayat buildings and schools" and proper deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been done.

A sizeable tribal population is there in these areas Santhal and Sabar and awarness campaign has been launched in thier languages.

The Disaster Management Department has alerted authorities to take immediate action in view of cities like capital Ranchi likely to be flooded due to heavy rainfall.

Forest, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Electricity etc officials have been asked to be ready with alternative plans to deal with electric and water supply disruptions besides restoration of movement in case of uprooting of trees besides ensuring satellite phones and wireless communication as communication networks are likely to be hit badly.

All hospitals have been asked to ensure back-up arrangements for electricity and oxygen and other essential supplies.

Disaster Management Department Secretary Kaushal said: "As per the forecast, Kolhan division would witness the maximum impact of the cyclone along with Bokaro and Khunti.

Senior Scientist, IMD Dr RK Jenamani told PTI: "Jharkhand is likely to witness squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph to 60 kmph on May 26 noon and increase gradually to a windspeed of 110-120 kmph."
By PTI

BHOPAL: The COVID-19 positivity rate in Madhya Pradesh has dropped to 3.39 per cent from 13.8 per cent on May 13, according to the state government.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who is also the state government's spokesperson, said the positivity rate in 11 districts of the state is less than one per cent, while the rate in four districts is above five per cent.

"The positivity rate has come down to 3.39 per cent in the state," he said.

On May 13, he had said the COVID-19 positivity rate in the state was 13.8 per cent.

"On Tuesday, the total number of positive cases reported is 4,222 while the count of those who recovered is 7,873. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state is 92.6 per cent," Mishra said on Tuesday.

On May 23, the recovery rate was 91.45 per cent, according to the minister.

The positivity rate is less than one per cent in 11 districts - Bhind, Alirajpur, Mandla, Jhabua, Agar, Dindori, Khandwa, Barwani, Singrauli, Kanti and Narsinghpur, while it is above five per cent in Indore, Bhopal, Sagar and Neemuch, Mishra said.

"Considering this, the corona curfew is gradually being relaxed in a number of districts in the state," he said.

The state government on Monday allowed "restricted relaxations" in the 'corona curfew' in districts where the positivity rate was less than five per cent.

Mishra also alleged that those part of the (Congress-led) United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had earlier spread false information about vaccines against COVID-19, but now they are saying that they are not getting doses for inoculation.

On Monday, a war of words broke out between Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Congress president Kamal Nath following registration of an FIR against the latter for allegedly creating panic over the COVID-19 pandemic through his remarks.

Chouhan asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take action against Nath for his "Indian variant" and other remarks related to the pandemic.

On the other hand, Nath said an FIR cannot suppress his voice and asserted he will keep fighting for people and raise issues of public interest.

To a question on the attack on a vaccination team in Ujjain district on Monday, Mishra urged citizens to cooperate with the health teams and police personnel who were enforcing the COVID-19 norms for their benefit.

The state government has also made the facility for on-the-spot registration of people in the 18 and above age category for vaccination, he added.
In what turned out to be some of the final weeks of his life, Lavigne agreed to participate in hours and hours of recorded interviews with state investigators, NBC Boston reported. Gulluni said the former priest admitted that he brought the boy to the riverbank, physically assaulted him, left him there and then returned later to see him floating in the water.
By PTI

JALNA: A worker was injured in a blast at a steel manufacturing unit in Maharashtra's Jalna district, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place when a boiler exploded at Sapashrungi Steel Mill in the new MIDC area late on Monday night, the official said.

A worker who was injured in the blast has been admitted to a hospital in Aurangabad for treatment, he said, adding that no case has been registered in this regard.

According to eyewitnesses, the impact of the explosion was such that nearby buildings developed cracks.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: Militants attacked security forces with a grenade in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.

No loss of life or injury has been reported in the incident so far, they said.

About 1820 hours, the militants hurled a grenade upon a CRPF party at Tral town in Pulwama, causing an explosion, a police official said.
By ANI

DEHRADUN: No company has, so far, responded to the global tender floated by the state government to procure COVID-19 vaccines, the Uttarakhand government informed on Tuesday.

"So far, no company has responded to the global tender for COVID19 vaccines procurement by the state government. The time for submission of interest for tender has been extended till May 31 May", informed an official statement by State Health Department.

The Uttarakhand government on May 15 floated a global tender for procurement of COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinate people in the state.

Amid the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines supply, the Uttarakhand Government on May 11 constituted a 5-member committee that aimed to work towards procuring vaccines through global tenders.

"It has become necessary to vaccinate the people of the state immediately against COVID-19 in order to contain the outbreak. Considering the shortage of Covishield and Covaxin, a committee has been formed to import these vaccines like Sputnik V from different countries. The committee will work towards procuring vaccines through global tenders", the state government order had informed.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand reported 3,194 fresh COVID-19 cases, 6,173 discharges and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the state health bulletin on Monday. To curb the number of Covid-19 cases, the government has imposed a lockdown in the state till June 1.
By PTI

GUWAHATI: Assam Police on Tuesday described as 'fake news' a viral post attributed to a French Nobel Laureate about Covid-19 vaccines and urged people not to forward it.

"A misleading quote attributed to a French Nobel Laureate about Vaccines is being shared on Social Media with a false context," a Twitter post from Assam Police said.

Accompanied by a screenshot of the misleading quote, stamped 'FAKE NEWS, the tweet came with a hashtag: #ThinkBeforeYouShare.

"We request citizens to not promote these unverified forwards. Remember, Misinformation can be as deadly as the virus itself," the police said.

The disparaging post attributed to the Nobel Laureate has gone viral on social media.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the GST Council meeting, Congress leader and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman raising several concerns and seeking timely and comprehensive action on the GST.

In his five-page letter to the finance minister, he said even though the GST Council is meeting after eight months, the agenda for it is "mundane"' and does not deal with substantive issues that have been raised in the past.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting is scheduled on May 28.

Badal also said that bureaucratic decisions are setting dangerous precedents of subverting the process of law and stressed that the GST Council is a sum total of the Central and State legislatures for the purpose of GST and cannot be short circuited in important decisions.

The Punjab finance minister also highlighted that life-saving items for COVID-19 have Basic Custom Duties of up to 20 per cent and GST of up to 18 per cent, and said they need to be tax free.

"In view of the prevailing position the country finds itself in today, we need to take some urgent measures on the pandemic front.

It is baffling that despite the crisis our country currently finds itself in, with millions of people suffering consequences of Covid and inadequate health infrastructure, taxes this high continue to apply on basic essentials needed to overcome this life-threatening disease," Badal said.

He also raised the issue of GST Implementation Committee bypassing and subverting state laws and said no meaningful prior consultation is held with states while the dispute resolution mechanism is totally missing in the GST.

Badal also raised the issue of extending validity of certain exemption notifications, enactment of new restrictions on availment of tax credits by amending Rule 36 and insertion of rule 86B (payment of minimum tax in cash even while tax credit is available in certain cases) and cancellation and suspension of registration on additional grounds by amendment of Rules 21 and 21A.

He also highlighted the issue of restrictions on validity of E-way Bill, amendment in various rules placing additional burden of compliance on tax-payers, extending compliance burden of e-invoicing on mid-sized entities with turnover between Rs 100-500 crore and waiver of penalties in certain situations.

"Most of these decisions require an amendment to rules that would also require placing them before State legislatures. I fear that substantive benefits cannot be withdrawn or restrained by subordinate law and some of them may have ideally warranted a process of enactment of law," he told the finance minister.

"We are thus setting dangerous precedents of subverting the process of law making to officers, clearly a case of excessive delegation and running the risk with judiciary of being struck down. We should keep in mind that GST Council is sum total of the Central and State legislatures for the purpose of GST and thus cannot be short circuited in important decisions," he noted.

The Punjab finance minister, who is a member of the GST Council, said the GST is being increasingly perceived to be causing "excessive harassment and arbitrariness (eg freezing of productive assets of business, suspension of registrations, and denial of eligible tax credits) and moving away from a fair and non- adversarial tax system" that forms the foundation for a progressive tax.

"It would have been desirable to hold a discussion within GSTC about striking the right balance between the needs of facilitation and enforcement before going for these changes. To guard against such abuse we should define and notify formally powers of the GIC," he said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also said, "My colleague MS Badal has raised critical concerns in his letter to FM Nirmala Sitharaman. Will Madam FM listen to voices of reason?".

Badal also noted he has always hoped that GST will provide the foundation for a strong and vibrant India.

He said while Punjab had even gone ahead with grave risks to its revenue agreeing to subsume Purchase Tax in GST, "our fears were not unfounded as have been proven with a somewhat dubious distinction of topping the States with highest shortfall. While we shall grapple with our deficit as best as we can, we don't wish to see our sacrifices go waste for the nation. All hopes pinned on you."
By PTI

AGARTALA: The High Court of Tripura has asked the state government to submit details on the Triage system that helps COVID-19 patients to receive information on emergency services, availability of oxygen, medicines, and ventilators.

The notice was served to the state on Monday by a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice A Kureshi and Justice S Talapatra after hearing a PIL filed by an advocate Bhaskar Debbarma.

"We have demanded a localised Triage system in Tripura, by which information on the availability of hospital beds with and without oxygen supply and ventilators should remain in the public domain. In Maharashtra, such a system was devised to provide healthcare services to the COVID-19 affected persons, which helped them immensely," Advocate Rumela Guha, who represented the petitioner said.

After hearing the petition, the court asked the state to submit details in a week.

The court also said that the petitioner has made suggestions based on medical and scientific data collected by him to enable the state administration to deal with the situation more effectively.
By PTI

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday told officials to strictly conduct COVID test of passengers coming to the state by trains and buses from West Bengal having high positivity rate.

Kumar gave this direction while conducting a virtual high-level meeting on the COVID situation with the health department officials as well as the district magistrates during the day.

According to official sources the positivity rate of Bengal is more than 10 per cent.

The Bihar chief minister said positivity rate is falling in the state but still clinical examination for coronavirus should be further scaled up.

Positivity rate in Bihar which was in the excess of 10 per cent in the beginning of the month has dropped to around 3 per cent now.

The chief minister emphasised on aggressive testing for infection in the rural areas.

He told officials to pay special attention to spread of ther virus in rural areas.

He instructed officials to conduct household survey for the infection in the rural areas.

The chief minister said there should be no leniancy in providing medicines and taking carer of COVID patients recuperating in home isolation.

Kumar ordered that ex-gratia amont of Rs 4 lakh should be paid to families of coronavirus victims without delay.

Additional chief secretary Health Pratyaya Amrit briefed the meeting about latest situation of coronavirus in the state.

Meanwhile, Bihar recorded 104 fresh COVID deaths on Tuesday, taking the toll to 4746.

Total 3306 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours in the state spiking the tally of coronavirus cases to 6,95,726.

Recovery rate of COVID patients has risen top 95.27 per cent in Bihar.

The state has a total of 35129 active caseload at present.
By PTI

PANAJI: A trial court in Goa gave the benefit of the doubt to journalist Tarun Tejpal while acquitting him in a sexual assault case and observed that there was no evidence to support the allegations made by the complainant woman.

The order copy of the May 21 court verdict in the November 2013 case was made available on Tuesday.

Tejpal, Tehelka newsmagazine's founder-editor who was charged with sexually assaulting a former woman colleague inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in the state, was acquitted by the Sessions Court here on last Friday.

Judge Kshama Joshi, in her detailed written order, has said that "upon considering evidences on record, benefit of doubt is given to the accused because there is no corroborative evidence supporting the allegations made by the complainant girl."

In the 500-page order, the court has observed that the Investigating Officer or IO (Crime Branch officer Sunita Sawant) did not conduct investigation on vital points of the eight-year-old case.

"It cannot be lost site (sight) that rape causes the greatest distress and humiliation to the victim but at the same time a false allegation of rape can cause an equal distress and humiliation and damage to the accused as well," the judge noted.

Rejecting the assertion that the victim was traumatised, the court has said some of the WhatsApp messages of the woman show she was not traumatised as claimed and had plans to stay in Goa after the official event (organised by the magazine) where the alleged crime was committed.

The court has said the statement of the woman's mother "do not corroborate or support the statement of the complainant girl that she was in trauma due to alleged rape, as neither the complainant girl nor her mother changed their plans."

The judge observed that the complainant has made many conflicting statements.

"There are many evidence on record which create doubt on the truthfulness of the complainant girl," the court said.

Pointing out loopholes in the probe, the judge said it is the fundamental right of the accused to have a fair investigation but the IO has committed omission and commission while conducting the investigation.

The judge has said the Investigating Officer destroyed crucial piece of evidence in terms of CCTV footage of the 1st floor of 7th block of the hotel, which was clear proof of innocence of the accused.

"Sunita Sawant being the (initial) complainant (Goa police took suo motu cognisance of the allegations) can not be Investigation Officer in the case but she did not move any proposal to her superiors to hand over the investigation to other officer," the court noted.

The court has not ruled out the possibility of tampering with some CCTV footage inside the hotel.

The judge said the Investigating Officer did not verify the operation and functioning of the lift panel of block 7 (of the hotel) to prove that opening of lift can be stopped or not.

"IO did not investigate whether the lift can be prevented from opening or can be kept in circuit by pressing a button as alleged by the complainant girl," the court said.

"The IO did not investigate the fact that there is an incoming phone and an emergency stop button to use in the emergency situation," the judge has further said.

The order has said the CCTV footage indicates that the lift in fact opened twice on the ground floor whereas the woman claimed the lift did not open at all.

"The IO has admitted that there is contradiction between CCTV footage and statement of the complainant girl, yet IO did not record supplementary statement," the trial court said.

"It is crucial to note that the contradictions are often so glaring that the exact opposite of what the complainant girl is claiming yet IO did not question the complainant girl. It is settled proposition that acquittal of the accused can not result due to defects in the investigation, the evidences have to be scrutinised independently," the judge said The court said the prosecution has failed to discharge the burden proving the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Goa government challenged the acquittal order in the Bombay High Court.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Moderna is expecting to launch a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India next year and is in talks with Cipla among other Indian firms, while another US giant Pfizer is ready to offer 5 crore shots in 2021 itself but it wants significant regulatory relaxations including indemnification, sources said on Tuesday.

While Moderna has conveyed to Indian authorities that it does not have surplus vaccines to share in 2021, there are limited prospects of Johnson & Johnson exporting its jabs from the US to other countries in the near future, the sources privy to discussions added.

Two rounds of high-level meetings chaired by the Cabinet Secretary were held last week on the availability of vaccines in the global as well as domestic markets as it was felt that there is an urgent need to procure the jabs at a time the country is reeling under an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 and a widening gap between supply and requirement.

ALSO READ: Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine works in kids as young as 12

Currently, the country is using two 'made-in India' jabs -- Covishield and Covaxin -- to inoculate its billion-plus population and has administered 20 crore doses since launching the world's largest vaccination drive in mid-January.

A third vaccine, Russian-made Sputnik V, has been approved by the government and is being used on a smaller scale at present.

In the high-level meeting officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, NITI Aayog, Department of Biotechnology, Law Ministry and Health Ministry were present.

It was discussed that Moderna doesn't have surplus vaccines to share in 2021 and that it plans to launch its single-dose vaccine for the Indian market only in 2022, for which, they are in discussion with Cipla and other Indian companies, a source said.

It is learnt that Cipla has already evinced interest in procuring 5 crore doses from Moderna for 2022 and has requested confirmation from the central government in respect of stability in regulatory requirements/policy regime.

ALSO READ: After Moderna, Pfizer too says no to Punjab on vaccine supply, state urges Centre to intervene

The Health Ministry has also been asked to take an early decision on Cipla's request regarding support required by them for procurement of Moderna vaccines.

In the case of Pfizer, the US pharma giant has indicated availability of 5 crore vaccine doses -- 1 crore in July, 1 crore in August, 2 crore in September and 1 crore in October --for supply to India in 2021 and that it will deal only with Government of India and payment for vaccines will have to be made by GOI to Pfizer India.

The central government will make its own arrangement for further channelization of procured vaccines in the domestic market.

According to another source, for the supply of vaccines to India, Pfizer has asked for indemnification from the Government of India and a document in this regard has been received from Pfizer Inc.

Further, Pfizer has also sought certain relaxations in the regulatory regime, including relaxation in the requirement of post-approval bridging trials and dispensing the requirement of testing their vaccines in CDL (Central Drugs Laboratory).

ALSO READ: Now, Pfizer, Moderna refuse to sell COVID-19 vaccines to Delhi government directly

Taking into consideration the track record of the company, similar arrangements done with other countries in the world and the current pandemic situation, an overall view may be taken to indemnify the company by the government, officials said but flagged that in case a view is taken to indemnify the company, similar demands may be made by other companies.

As per the information furnished by Pfizer, around 116 countries in the world including the USA have signed the indemnification document.

Further, considering that over 14.7 crore doses of Pfizer had been administered worldwide without any significant reports of adverse effects, a view needs to be taken to indemnify the company in order to supplement the availability of vaccines in India, officials discussed at one recent meeting.

It was suggested that a decision on the issue of Pfizer Inc may be taken at the earliest and that NEGVAC (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19) may hold a meeting immediately on these issues.

At a press conference on Monday, in response to a question on states being unable to procure vaccines directly from Moderna and Pfizer, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal had said, "Whether it is Pfizer or Moderna, at the Centre-level, we have been coordinating with them."

"Also, the order book of both Pfizer and Moderna is full so it depends on their surplus that how much they can provide in India...they will come back to the Centre and we will help in facilitation to states," he said.
By PTI

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress heavyweight and senior West Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee was on Tuesday discharged from a hospital here and returned home where he would be kept under house arrest in the Narada sting tape case till further orders of the Calcutta High Court.

Mukherjee went to Presidency Correctional Home, where he was lodged before being admitted to the SSKM Hospital, to complete formalities, officials said.

He then reached his Ballygunge residence in a Kolkata Police vehicle.

He, minister Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former party leader Sovan Chatterjee were arrested in the case on May 17 and they were taken to the correctional home after the Calcutta High Court stayed their bail granted by a CBI court on the same day.

Chatterjee, Mukherjee and Mitra were later admitted to the hospital after their health condition deteriorated.

Hakim had been shifted to a healthcare facility in the correctional home after he developed fever.

The Calcutta High Court on May 21 ordered their shifting to house arrest from jail incarceration.

However, they will continue to remain in judicial custody.

Only Hakim was sent home on that day while others remained in the hospital.

Chatterjee, who had quit the party to join the BJP only to leave it before the recently concluded assembly election, was discharged from the hospital late on Saturday evening on personal risk bond.

Mitra is still undergoing treatment in the hospital.

The sting operation was conducted by journalist Mathew 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 arrested politicians were ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government.

The sting operation was made public ahead of the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.
American research funding is provided by the American taxpayer for the benefit of American society  not as an illicit gift to the Chinese government, said Demers. The American people deserve total transparency when federal dollars are being provided for research, and we will continue to hold accountable those who choose to lie about their foreign government affiliations in an attempt to fraudulently gain access to these funds.
Vineet Upadhyay By

Express News Service

DEHRADUN: After controversy erupted over Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev's comment about allopathy being a 'Stupid Science' and over 10,000 doctors have died even after taking both the doses of Covid 19 vaccine, his aide Acharya Balkrishna has come up with a conspiracy theory.

Balkrishna in his Tweet said, "As part of the conspiracy to convert the entire country into #Christianity, #Yoga and #Ayurveda are being maligned by targeting @yogrishiramdev jee. Countrymen, wake up now from the deep slumber otherwise the generations to come will not forgive you."

As part of the conspiracy to convert the entire country into #Christianity, #Yoga and #Ayurveda are being maligned by targeting @yogrishiramdev jee. Countrymen, wake up now from the deep slumber otherwise the generations to come will not forgive you. pic.twitter.com/L9ONOJgy9v  Acharya Balkrishna (@Ach_Balkrishna) May 24, 2021

In a series of tweets, Balkrishna accused Dr. Johnrose Jayalal, president of the Indian Medical Association, that he is involved in the conversion of people to Christianity. To support his claims, Balkrishna tweeted some news clippings too.

Medical doctors reacting to the Tweet said this is unacceptable and instead of taking responsibility for unwarranted, unsubstantiated comments about life-saving medicine stream, Ramdev and his aides have resorted to a smear campaign.

Dr. DD Chaudhary, a member of the central working committee of the Indian Medical Association commenting on the issue said, "This is unfortunate that such people with a big following are making statements like this. At this hour, there should be nothing like this to create confusion and divide among the masses. People will be confused and suffer."

The tweet left the netizens divided with some supporting Ramdev and Balkrishna and others slamming and opposing them.

A user wrote, "Indian Medical Association doctors often mock Ayurveda as a pseudoscience may be out of competition or ignorance."

Another user Tweeted, "Glad that Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev isnt taking this lying down. The fact is IMA Chief advocated Christianity and thats the root for their enemies with Ayurveda."

One of the users who slammed the Yoga Guru and his aide wrote, "Low life pathetic guys you both are, you target allopathy branch to promote your concoction which is untested and now give it a communal angle."

Another user who criticized the duo tweeted, "By exploiting sentiments of ordinary Indians over Yoga & # Ayurveda, Baba Ramdev alias Baalkishan Yadav & Modi have formed a criminal nexus. Modi is using his reach to gain votes & in return awarding him government lands in BJP ruled states to expand his business."

Responding to the queries related to Balkrishna's Tweet, SK Tijarawala, spokesperson of Patanjali Yogpeeth said, "This is as per best of information in social media etc. These things (conversion allegations) must be looked into and investigation must be initiated against a person who is electoral head of an organisation of noble professionals."

Uttarakhand chapter of the Indian Medical Association is mulling to file defamation case against Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev following his remarks about allopathic medicine.

A notice has been already sent to the Yoga Guru and if a satisfactory reply is not received, a case will be filed against him.

Ramdev withdrew his statement in reply to union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who called his remarks 'inappropriate'. However, he also asked 25 questions to the IMA.

Earlier, a video went viral in which Ramdev can be seen reading out a message that has gone viral on social media.

Meanwhile, another video of the Yoga Guru surfaced on Monday in which be can be heard saying that more than 10,000 doctors in India have died even after getting both doses of Covid 19 vaccine.
Pradip Phanjoubam By

On an incremental basis, friction between Manipurs many ethnic communities is taking a new visage. At the moment, this is centred around the contentious exclusive rather than inclusive administrative demarcation between its hill and valley. This is especially so in the foothills, which during the British days had come to be designated as the Sadar Hills, affiliating its administration to neither the hills or the valley fully. Indeed, much of Manipurs land administration mechanism is a legacy from the British days.

While similar frictions over the idea of land and land ownership among indigenous communities is common throughout the Northeast, arguably none is more complex and sensitive than in Manipur. The states peculiar geography and history predicate this. It is a small state of 22,327 sq. km, mostly mountains except for a central fertile valley of 1,864 sq. km.

After taking over Manipur, the British introduced its tested administrative strategy in its province of Assam in this kingdom as well. Assam was annexed into the British province of Bengal in 1826 after the Treaty of Yandaboo with Ava Kingdom (Burma) that had occupied it a few years earlier. It became a separate Assam province under a chief commissioner in 1874, but a year earlier, the British introduced the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873, which created the Inner Line, clearly dividing its revenue land in the plains from the non-revenue hills.

The territory beyond the Inner Line was designated first as Backward Tracts, and after 1935 as Excluded Areas and Partially Excluded Areas. These hill tracts were also not brought directly under the newly introduced modern administration but left unadministered under the broad gaze of the Governor of the province. There probably was no other way. Imagine having to deal with several hundred different small villages, each independent and sometimes hostile to the others. The British would have seen it as a better option to partner with existing states that already exercised control or can control these small villages, and this is precisely what they did.

At about the same time, Christian missionaries found this out their own way too. It became obvious to them how impossible it would be for them to preach or translate the gospel in all the different languages, so they also ended up uniting these tribes into larger identities, promoting a single lingua franca for them, etc. It cannot be a mere coincidence that the penetration of Christian missionaries into these non-state spaces beyond the Inner Line and the expansion of British colonial administration into them always was a parallel process. The stories of Miles Bronson in Assam hills or William Pettigrew in Manipur hills are evidences of this, and this is repeated across what has come to be termed by scholars like Willem Schendel and James Scott as the Zomian landscape, spanning Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and beyond.

In 1891, the British took over Manipur but they left the kingdom as a Protectorate State, though after ousting the then rulers who opposed them and installing a new ruler from a different royal bloodline. The new king designate, Sir Churachand, was only five years old then; so a British political agent was made regent till the boy completed his education at Mayo College in 1907 and was officially made king. The new pattern of land administration of the British was introduced at this point, with the British political agent, who thereafter also assumed the title of President, Manipur State Darbar, taking the role of the Governor in Assam and briefed to keep a broad gaze on the unadministered hill territories.

The demarcation between revenue and non-revenue lands in Manipur coincided with its valley and hills, and the legacy from this is the somewhat more hardened hill-valley divide in the state today. The foothills, then designated Sadar Hills and now Kangpokpi district, were not clearly in either category; therefore even today this is not a reserved constituency unlike all other hill constituencies.

In recent times two ugly flare-upsfollowing a hill communitys claim to ownership of land acquired by the government for construction of the National Sport University, and in the objection to developing a mountain peak, Koubru, considered a sacred worshipping place by the valley peoplehave yet again pointed to the need for overhauling the land revenue administration in the state. As of now, while the revenue land in the valley is open to ownership by anybody, people in the valley who have come to be classified as non-tribals by virtue of a majority of them following the Hindu faith, cannot do so in the hills, even though the hills have been rid of the colonial era unadministered area tag.

The Koubru tussle also highlighted a peculiar history of the people of the state, both those in the valley as well as in the hills. Brought to the fore is also the difference in the indigenous outlook to the homeland and the modern state. In the former, it is a sense of belonging and attachment to land, while in the latter it is more about possession of the land and its resources. Homelands also overlap without contradiction, for there is no friction regardless of how many identify with and love the lakes, rivers, mountains and valleys, unlike in the latter where these abstract qualities are temporalised and commodified, and therefore can only have very definite owners. It is in the inevitable transition from the former to the latter that frictions are caused.

The reverence for Koubru is also often interpreted as an indication of how those in the valley were also once in the hills while the valley was waterlogged, as told in the folklore of the place, and that the hilltops that valley people now worship were their last stations before descending to settle. A revisit and reset of the notion of land and belonging to synchronise them with the modern state is what Manipur and the Northeast need urgently at the moment.

Pradip Phanjoubam

Editor, Imphal Review of Arts and Politics

(phanjoubam@gmail.com)
Phanindra Papasani By

Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Do you remember braveheart Lavanya Reddy Janga from Telaprolu village in Krishna district, who survived an attack by a robber in Chennai on February 12, 2018?

Despite several surgeries and medication for the past two years, she is far from returning to normal. With three more surgeries to go, the software engineer who was honoured with the title Thanga Tharagai (Golden Woman) by Tamil media house, is now looking desperately for financial help. She has made an appeal seeking financial support from the government and generous people to meet the cost of her medical treatment.

On that fateful day, Lavanya, an employee of Newt Global Technology, went for a client meeting at Olympia Tech Park in Chennai, finished the meeting around 11:30 pm and started returning to her flat at Siruseri on a vehicle. When she slowed down at a curve on Thalambur -Perumbakkam Road, a miscreant suddenly attacked her with a sharp object and took away her gold chain, mobile phone and vehicle. She suffered severe injuries on the face and hand fracture in the attack.

Lavanya, mother of a two-year-old girl, said she spent more than six months in hospital and underwent eight surgeries which exhausted their family savings. She lost her job due to Covid-19. Having learnt about Milaap, she made an appeal for crowdfunding for her medical treatment. I appealed to the people to fund my treatment, she told TNIE.

Link for donation: https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-lavanya-31
By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: A major fire broke out in the Visakha refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) here on Tuesday. According to local residents, there were a couple of blasts before the fire broke out. A huge column of smoke was billowing out from the plant.

According to information reaching here, the fire broke out in the old terminal of the refinery. There were about 100 personnel on duty when the incident occurred around 3.15 pm.

There were, however, no casualties or injuries to workers who were evacuated as the sirens went off immediately alerting them. However, the huge fire and smoke triggered panic among people in Sriharipuram and Malkapuram areas.

HPCL officials are reportedly using latest technology to douse the flames. Authorities have vacated the employees from the plant premises as a precautionary measure.

Official sources said the fire broke out in a waste gas plant in the refinery. Though the fire was brought under control, smoke was billowing out from the plant when reports last came in. The reasons for the fire are not yet known.
By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: One child died and seven others, all migrant workers from Odisha state, were feared drowned when two country boats capsized in Sileru river in the district on Monday midnight.

Three people swam to their safety.

All the victims, who were migrant labourers from Kondukuda in Malkangiri district in Odisha, reached Sileru from Hyderabad. They chose water route as they feared they may be stopped at the border of Odisha in view of the restrictions imposed by the neighbouring State to prevent the movement of people from other places to contain the spread of covid-19.

According to reports reaching here, around 35 workers reached Sileru from Hyderabad and set off in five country boats to cross over to Odisha.

When the first country boat capsized, some of the occupants tried to catch hold of the second country boat but the second boat also overturned. While three of

them swam to shore eight others have gone missing. The body of a child was recovered by local villagers on Tuesday morning and authorities have launched a search operation to trace the remaining seven missing persons.

Meanwhile, minister for health Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas asked the district authorities to take up rescue operations. He also asked the officials to ensure proper treatment to the victims.

Expressing shock and grief over the incident, the minister asked the Viskahapatnam district collector and superintendent of police to speed up the rescue and relief operations.
By PTI

BENGALURU: With rural areas witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday directed Ministers and officials to enforce strict measures there, aimed at controlling the spread of infections.

The Chief Minister Tuesday held a meeting with senior Ministers of his cabinet and top officials regarding the COVID-19 situation in the state.

"There is decline in the number of COVID cases in cities and similar strict measures should be implemented (in rural areas)," Yediyurappa was quoted as saying by his office in a release.

He said there is a spike in cases in rural areas and strict vigil has to be maintained there.

Pointing out that there are reports about people in some villages being hesitant to undergo COVID test, Yediyurappa said they should be convinced to undergo the test.

Home quarantine should not be allowed in rural areas and those infected should be shifted to Covid Care Centres, he added.

The Chief Minister will interact with select gram panchayats reporting high caseload, via video conferencing on Thursday, regarding containment measures.

Karnataka on Tuesday reported 22,758 new cases of COVID-19 and 588 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 24,72,973 and death toll to 26,399.

Total number of active cases in the state stood at 4,24,381.

Noting that it has already been decided to treat patients infected with mucormycosis or black fungus, free of cost at all district hospitals, Yediyurappa said, instructions have been given to procure required medicine and vaccines for the treatment.

Based on the experience regarding how the black fungus infection spreads among patients recovered from COVID, a discharge protocol has to be prepared and should be followed, so that it can be controlled, he said, adding that the protocol should be followed in consultation with ENT specialists.

Karnataka has reported 446 Mucormycosis or black fungus infections and 12 related fatalities as on Monday.
Pragna GR By

Express News Service

MADIKERI: The Kodagu Police have arrested a print journalist for allegedly generating fake RTPCR reports.

Identified as Azeez MA, the journalist employed with Vijayavani publication, has been booked under IPC 420, 471 and under the epidemic act.

According to the information reaching here, the accused was generating fake RTPCR test reports to enable inter-state travels between Kodagu and Kerala.

These reports would be created for petty money in his photo studio at Siddapura.

The incident came to light when the police at Kutta Checkpost scanned the QR code of two commuters who were travelling to Kerala from Nellihudikeri.

While the physical report displayed the commuters to be negative for covid, the QR Code scanning turned the result positive.

Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra was immediately alerted on the issue and Siddapura police immediately took up investigation that revealed the name of Azeez.

Sources confirmed that stringent actions are likely to be taken against the accused journalist under the Epidemic act.

Karnataka government has mandated travellers from Kerala to produce a negative RTPCR report to enter the state.

Stringent measures are in place in Kodagu to check the same across Kodagu-Kerala border since February this year.
M P Prashanth By

Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: People's representatives, leaders of Muslim organisations and political parties have joined a Save Lakshadweep campaign, raising objection to the alleged move to impose the RSS agenda on the island.They have lashed out at Administrator Praful Khoda Patel, who was the minister of state for home in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the chief minister, for trying to destroy the culture of the island with his arbitrary decisions.

The BJP, on its part, termed the campaign as the handiwork of the vested interest groups to create communal rift in the society. Party state president K Surendran tweeted that the campaign is supported by radical Islamist organisations. The Union Territory of Lakshadweep is an integral part of India. Condemn the move by CPI (M) and INC to portray it as a separate entity, he said.

It all began after Patel was posted as the administrator on the island in December 2020. It was alleged that he was angry to see the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) posters and banners on the island two years ago. There are apprehensions over the move to ban beef, lift the ban on sale of liquor, enforce the Goonda Act and the proposal to ban persons who have more than two children from contesting elections to the local bodies.

It is also alleged that all animal husbandry units on the island have been asked to shut down to pave the way for corporates in the dairy field to take roots and a number of contract workers have been sacked unilaterally.

Muslim League MP E T

Muhammad Basheer said he had warned about such a possibility in his speech in the Lok Sabha on February 12, 2021. Moves have already begun to ban animal slaughter in a society where around 99 per cent are Muslims. Ban on cow slaughter is also on the anvil, he said in a Facebook post.

Elamaram urges Prez to recall administrator

CPM leader Elamaram Kareem, MP, wrote to the President alleging that the administrators unilateral decisions have created unrest among the people of Lakshadweep and requested him to recall the official.

Due to cultural and religious reasons, there was a restriction on the use of alcohol in the UT of Lakshadweep, but the current Administrator unilaterally lifted the restriction, Kareem said.Lakshadweep MP Muhammad Faisal told media that there was absolutely no need for the Goonda Act as the place is known for peace and tranquillity. The island was immune to the first wave of Covid-19 because the people strictly maintained the protocol.

He said the new administrator has arbitrarily lifted the restrictions in the name of attracting more people to the island. And the result was the surging cases of Covid-19 on Lakshadweep, the MP said.Meanwhile, many Muslim organisations have come up with statements denouncing the actions of the administrator. Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulema asked the government to desist from taking steps that would destroy the tradition and culture of Lakshadweep.Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, Makazudawa, Wisdom Islamic Mission, Sunnis Students Federation, Sunni Yuvajana Sangham and others have also protested the administrators moves.

BREWING ISSUES oN THE ISLAND

Govt allowed to take over any land under the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation

Move to ban beef and lift the bar on sale of liquor, which would be insensitive to the Muslim community

Fishing sheds destroyed under Coast Guard policy

Plan to bar those who have more than two children from contesting polls
By ANI

KOCHI: Youth Congress Kerala President and Congress MLA Shafi Parambil on Tuesday wrote to the Chief Minister of Kerala, Opposition Leader and the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly requesting to pass a resolution "as a solidarity of the Malayalee community to the struggle of the people of Lakshadweep" against the new 'authoritarian decisions' taken by the current Administrator of Lakshadweep Praful Patel.

In the letter, Shafi said, "I request to unanimously pass a resolution as a solidarity of the Malayalee community to the struggle of the people of Lakshadweep against the Sangh Parivar agenda being implemented under the administrative rule of the Central Government without showing any democratic decency."

On Monday, Congress had written to President Ram Nath Kovind alleging that the current Administrator of Lakshadweep Praful Patel had taken "authoritarian measures" and demanded his recall.In a letter written to the President, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that there is apprehension among the people of Lakshadweep and resultant widespread protests "owing to the authoritarian measures taken by the current Administrator Praful Patel".

Venugopal alleged that Patel, who was appointed as the Administrator of the UT of Lakshadweep on December 2, 2020, has "unilaterally imposed" a series of measures that have "caused immense disturbance and disquiet in the livelihood and the unique culture" of the islands.

"This includes the curtailment of the powers of democratically elected district panchayats and unilaterally taking over their power. As per the reports, hundreds of contract labourers working under different departments have been terminated from service until now. It is also alleged that the current Administration is imposing restrictions on the traditional food habits, apart from lifting the restriction on the consumption of alcohol which has been put in place due to religious and cultural reasons," the letter said.

Congress leader and Kerala MP Hibi Eden has also written to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah urging them to "protect the interests and culture of the islanders."

Patel, who was appointed as the Administrator of Lakshadweep in December 2020 is facing opposition over policies introduced by him from the people of the union territory and politicians, both from within Lakshadweep and neighbouring state Kerala.

In his letter, Eden said that the people of Lakshadweep are ethnically similar to Keralites and thousands of students from the Island depend on Kerala for their higher education and the appointment of Patel as the new Lakshadweep Administrator in December 2020 and the reforms followed by his appointment has drawn protest among the islanders.

The Congress MP listed four "discriminative decisions" taken by Patel and said they are "against the interest of Lakshadweep Islands".

Eden raised objection on Lakshadweep Administrator's decision to take over the control of the Administrative powers of elected zilla panchayat regarding-- Education, Health care, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.(ANI)
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police on Tuesday arrested the son of late Malayalam actor Rajan P Dev in connection with the suicide of his wife Priyanka.

Dev's son Unni P Rajan was arrested by a police team led by Nedumangadu DySP from his house in Angamaly.

Priyanka had committed suicide at her house near Vembayam on May 12 after returning from Angamaly, where she was residing with Unni.

Priyanka's family had alleged that Unni used to physically harass her for dowry. Priyanka had lodged a complaint with the Vattappara police in this regard a day before her death.

Her family had reportedly handed over digital evidence to the cops as proof that Priyanka was a victim of domestic violence. The police started the probe after Priyanka's brother approached them with a complaint.

Unni's arrest was recorded after detailed questioning and he has been taken to Thiruvananthapuram. He has been charged with abetting suicide and dowry harassment.
Its not clear how many victims were discovered outside the white building, located at the top of a cul-de-sac on Jackson St., according to the Columbus Dispatch. None of their names have been released and the exact number of victims has yet to be confirmed.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The National Green Tribunal has appointed a joint committee to delve into allegations of unauthorised construction activity taking place in Mekedatu where the Karnataka government had proposed to construct a dam across the Cauvery River.

Acting on its own (suo motu) based on a news report published on April 15 this year, a bench comprising Justice K Ramakrishnan and expert member Dr K Satyagopal directed the panel to submit a report on or before July 5.

"It is alleged in the newspaper report that some steps are being taken and materials have been collected near the proposed project area," the bench said.

Referring to the project being deferred twice by the Cauvery Water Management Authority in the past and lack of necessary clearances, the bench said, "We are satisfied that there arises a substantial question of environment, which requires the interference of this Tribunal. So, the matter is admitted."

ALSO READ | Chitradurga man on mission to bid dignified adieu to disowned Covid dead

"If the project is to be implemented without conducting Environmental Impact Assessment and without obtaining necessary clearance, if any required, then it will be an unauthorised act affecting the environment, then this Tribunal will get jurisdiction of interfering with the same," it said.

The bench directed the committee to see whether any construction activity has been started without obtaining clearances.

"If there is any construction made and if any damage has been caused to the environment, they are directed to assess the damage caused to the environment and environmental compensation payable by the respective authorities who are responsible for the same," the order said.

The bench also assigned the responsibility of providing necessary logistic support to the committee to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Department of Forests, Karnataka).

The bench has sent notices informing the same to the Union Environment Ministry, Department of Water Resources, Central Water Commission, Chief Secretaries of Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, among others.


By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Central government on Monday informed the Madras High Court that about 216 crore vaccines will be available by the end of the year for every Indian to get inoculated. However, the court observed in its order that the planned allocation of Covid vaccines by the Central government to the State appears somewhat disappointing.

Though the Centre maintains that the allocation is based on the population of a State, positivity rate prevailing in such State and other objective factors, the allocation to Tamil Nadu, as indicated in the Centres affidavit, may require to be revisited, observed the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy.

Additional Solicitor General R Shankaranarayanan submitted that as per the Centres plan, 216 crore doses of the vaccine should be available by the end of the year for every Indian to be fully vaccinated. The bench recorded the submission and said, There have been cases of mucormycosis in the State and the required drugs are in short supply. The Centre has indicated that measures have been put in place to manufacture the drugs immediately and in bulk upon reducing the quantum of production of other medicines for the moment.

However, there is hope that vaccines would be available in greater numbers upon the various manufacturing units augmenting their production facilities, the court added. The court was also assured that the possible disruption due to Cyclone Yaas has been taken into consideration by the Centre considering the oxygen supply. During the hearing, a section of advocates told the court that the vaccination drive should be extended to other professions, classifying them as frontline workers.

The court then said, Suggestions have been made that personnel involved in delivering food, the remaining police personnel, healthcare workers, and even advocates and judges who come in contact with litigants, should be earmarked for prioritised vaccination. It will be open to the State to take a considered decision in such regard.
By Express News Service

THOOTHUKUDI: Multi-specialty expert doctors have been teamed up to research black fungus cases and actions will be taken on their advise, said Tamil Nadu Health minister Ma Subramanian while inspecting COVID19 treatment centres in the rural areas of Thoothukudi.

The minister inspected the COVID19 care centres, primary health centres, vaccination drives and the infrastructure available for treating COVID19 patients in the presence of district collector Dr K Senthil Raj, Social Welfare Minister Geetha Jeevan and Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan.

After inspecting vaccination drive at SPIC campus, he told reporters that COVID-19 positivity has started reducing citing the rate of 36000 cases reported 10 days ago, to 33800 cases on Monday. In Chennai, the positivity had reduced from 7000 positive cases every day to 4900, he said.

On the medical oxygen availability, the minister said that the state is currently stable with a sufficient stock of oxygen now, and that the state had recovered from precarious situation with the arrival of oxygen loads from Rourkela and Jamshedpur following steps taken by Chief Minister MK Stalin. The CM is also analysing the situation to upgrade the infrastructure for oxygen production in the state so as to tide over the crisis, in case of a third wave, he said.

Subramanian added that the state government had administered over 70 lakh vaccines out of the 80 lakh vaccines reached the state. For vaccinating those between 18-44 age groups, over 12 lakh vaccines were procured for Rs 46 crore which is being administered with priority for newspaper boys, differently abled persons, vegetable vendors, destitute on roadside and other marginalised sections of the society.

For those above 44 years old, over 1.8 lakh vaccines reached Monday and had been distributed across the state. "The vaccine is being administered to people above 45 years uninterruptedly, he said while denying rumours on stopping vaccination drives for those above 45 years of age. The international tender call for 3.5 crore vaccines from worldwide suppliers will include vaccines such as Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik, and the winner will be given orders, he added.

On the cases of fast spreading Black fungus, white fungus and yellow fungus among COVID 19 patients, he said that these complications had affected chronic diabetes patients in the past. While a section of experts opine that those undergoing dialysis and taking steroids are affected by black fungus, however, it was not reported in European countries where steroids are given for all treatments, he said.

As there are suspicions on inhalation of industrial oxygen and the poor quality oxygen made using contaminated water, leads to such infections, it needs research by a team of medical experts.

"In order to provide effective ideas to the government on such issues, a team of 10 multi-speciality experts have been formed to research the cases, and actions will be taken based on their advise, he said.

When asked about the suppression of Covid death data, the minister denied it. We maintain transparency on the deaths happened due to COVID-19 data so that it doesnt frighten the public and creates awareness, he said.
By Express News Service

SALEM: Former Chief Minister and leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday urged the state government to increase oxygen beds and find ways to bring down Covid deaths.

Palaniswami made the statement after he visited the Salem Collectorate on Tuesday evening along with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) MLAs and meeting the District Collector S Karmegam. They discussed the Covid-19 spread in the district and the measures to control it. Later he went to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital (GMKMCH) and met the hospital dean Valli Sathiyamoorthy and discussed the treatment provided to the patients.

Speaking to media persons, Edappadi K Palaniswami said that it is unfortunate that Tamil Nadu has the most number of daily cases in the country at the moment.

ALSO READ: TN reaches out to US civil rights leader to help state with vaccine supply



"The need for oxygen has increased. If we reduce oxygen scarcity, we can control the deaths. The state government must talk with the Union Government and ensure additional amounts of oxygen and supply it to Government and private hospitals. Already I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard. If the present Government follows our steps, they can control the pandemic. While AIADMK was in power, 6,500 people tested positive per day. But now more than 35,000 people are testing positive per day," he added.

He also alleged that only the same number of beds with oxygen support, which were available under the previous AIADMK government, are now available in the district.

"At a time when 800 people are testing positive every day in Salem, the oxygen beds should be increased. The Salem Steel Plant Covid Care Centre should admit patients soon. Treatment should be given to patients immediately who are unable to breathe properly. During the AIADMK regime, 3,500 fever camps were conducted daily across the State. If fever camps are conducted like that they will help control the pandemic. At municipalities and in panchayats, door-to-door checking is a must. The state government must increase swab tests to three lakhs per day and announce the results within 24 hours. Now three days are being taken to provide Covid test results," Palaniswami said.

"As far as we are concerned, our MLAs inspect Government hospitals in their constituencies and give their views to control the pandemic. The State Government should provide Rs 2,000 to unorganised workers as Covid relief fund. The State Government should take steps on a war footing to increase the medical infrastructure to treat the patients," Palaniswami urged.

ALSO SEE:
Debjani Dutta By

Express News Service

PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Lt Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan got some sample 2-DG drugs, the indigenously developed anti-Covid-19 drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG from Telangana to Puducherry on Tuesday

The 2-DG drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), New Delhi, a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Hyderabad-based pharma company Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL).

The drug is effective and Covid patients improved symptomatically and became free from supplemental oxygen dependence, said Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, who herself is a medico.

The medicine which is given for 10 days, provided an early relief from oxygen dependence gradually after four days. Stating that she has held discussions through video conferencing with the producers and requested them to provide the medicine to Puducherry when it is made available in all states in a week or two.

The Lt Governor also handed over corona relief items such as masks, face shields, and PPE kits, oxygen concentrators, disinfectants, provided by various charities in Hyderabad to the Health Secretary Dr. T Arun at the Puducherry Airport in the presence of other health officials.

Stating that the Sputnik vaccine is being manufactured at three locations in Telangana, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan urged the manufacturers to set up a manufacturing unit in Puducherry. This will provide employment to youths in Puducherry and at the same time the vaccine would be made available to people in Puducherry and its neighboring areas, she said.

The Lt Governor said that she had gone to Telangana for a major event and had approved the appointment of Vice-Chancellors of 10 Universities.

She said that the state of Telangana had received a lot of help from various charities there and had appealed to them to provide for Puducherry. Responding to her request, many charities had made their contribution by donating and providing relief items to Puducherry, she said.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has reached out to US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson (Sr) to help ensure that at least 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the excess reserves in the US are shipped to India at the earliest.

In an appeal to Jackson on the direction of CM MK Stalin, Finance Minister Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan held a zoom call meeting on May 21, and urged Jackson to request US President Joe Biden to expeditiously release an allotment of AstraZeneca vaccines for India (including a portion earmarked to the State of Tamil Nadu) from the 80 million vaccines that the US has offered to donate to foreign countries, according to a statement issued by the Rainbow Push Coalition.

The statement quoting the Finance Minister saying that Tamil Nadu has inexplicably received a very low allotment of vaccines, as a proportion to its population (6.5% compared to around 16.5% for Gujarat for example). It appears that additional allotments in the future are not likely either. Therefore, the only possibility of mitigation is the acquisition of a large quantity of vaccines from abroad, he had stated.

The finance minister stated that Tamil Nadu has the best medical infrastructure with one medical doctor for every 300-400 people, and access to primary Health Care in almost every village. This can ensure that mass vaccinations of AstraZeneca will be administered effectively in a timely manner, he said.

On Monday, Jesse Jackson Sr., conveyed a personal message to the Chief Minister: "Help is on the way. We stand by you. Keep hope alive. We will do our best to ensure that the state of Tamil Nadu gets its due share of covid vaccines soon.

ALSO READ | Preparing for third Covid wave, Delhi imports 6,000 oxygen cylinders from China

According to a release from Rainbow Push Coalition, Jackson Sr., founder and president, Rainbow Push Coalition, along with Dr Vijay G Prabhakar, National Chairman, American Association of Multi Ethnic Physicians, United States and the Global Ambassador of Rainbow Push Coalition are camping at Washington to ensure that the vaccines are shipped to India.

Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Rainbow Push Coalitions Global Ambassador & President of World Federation of Tamil Nadu, informed the Finance Minister that Jackson Sr., is in touch with US President and Vice President Kamala Harris to facilitate state governments' of India being able to purchase AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines from the manufacturers.

It is learnt that during the interaction, the Finance Minister explained the History and Evolution of the Dravidian movement in South India and drew a parallel with the US Civil Rights movement. He stated his deep respect and admiration for Rev Jesse Jackson Srs life-long efforts for civil rights, and as the fourth-generation of his family to work for the Dravidian ideals of Social Justice and Inclusive Growth stated it was a great privilege to meet and work with Reverend Jackson Sr. on this initiative.

Parthiban Shanmugam, General Secretary, World Federation of Tamil Youth, Atlanta, Georgia, Padmanabhan Venkatesan, Treasurer, World Federation of Tamil Youth, Phoenix, Arizona, Alli Dhanaraj, Deputy General Secretary, World Federation of Tamil Youth, Neperville, Illinois, Vijayakumar Jaganathan, Executive Vice President, World Federation of Tamil Youth, Indian Chapter, Bangalore, India, and Shree Gurusamy, Human Services Chair, U.S Congressman Danny K. Daviss Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force took part in the zoom meeting.
Donita Jose By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: As was the case with beds, Remdesivir injections or vaccines, there is an acute shortage of the preferred medicine to treat black fungus or Mucormycosis  Amphotericin B. As a result, officials are being forced to find alternative drugs to counter the infection.

Unofficial estimates peg the number of black fungus cases at 400 in Telangana. Of these, nearly 226 are at the ENT Koti hospital  the nodal treatment centre for the infection. The other cases are at private hospitals.

The average drug supply for just the detected cases must be nearly 32,000-40,000 vials of Amphotericin B. But, only 2,000 vials have been received in two installments from the Centre until now. Hence, officials are now looking at other drugs. A senior official from ENT Hospital, Koti, said, There is short supply of Amphotericin B  the drug of choice  at the manufacturing level itself and so we are using it judiciously. For instance, for 20 patients we treated, Amphotericin was given only for the first three days of treatment instead of seven days.

For the rest of the treatment period, we are using medicines like Posaconazole, which are abundantly available. In private hospitals too, less than five doses are given to patients, after which they are told to procure i t themselves. Amjed Ullah Khan, from the political outfit Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), said, Syed Asadullah, 66, contracted Mucormycosis and has been advised 20 days of medicines. He applied for the same to the DME last week, and is still waiting. While the government says there is no shortage, not even one vial has been available for the past one week.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud on Monday chased a Mahindra Bolero involved in a hit-and-run incident and caught the driver in Mahbubnagar district.

A biker named Srinivas, who was injured in the accident, was rushed to hospital and the vehicle driver was handed over to police for further action.

On Monday, Srinivas Goud was on his way to Mahbubnagar from Hyderabad.

When his convoy was at Rajapur village, a Bolero going towards Karnataka hit a bike and sped away. The motorist, identified as Srinivas of Muddireddipalli, fell from the bike and received severe injuries. Despite this, the Bolero driver did not stop.

The Minister noticed this and directed his driver to chase the Bolero. In the next few minutes, around 3 km away from the accident spot, the Ministers vehicle intercepted the Bolero and the driver was apprehended. Meanwhile, Srinivas who was first treated at Rajapur PHC, was shifted to Mahbubnagar and later to Hyderabad for better treatment, as his condition was critical. Police have registered a case against the Bolero driver.
By Associated Press

KABUL: Australia is shutting its embassy in the Afghan capital later this week, citing security concerns ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops in what US President Joe Biden has called the end of America's "forever war."

Australia announced the temporary closure on Tuesday, and it is to take effect at the end of the week.

A number of other embassies in the beleaguered Afghan capital have sent home non-essential personnel, warned their nationals against travelling to Afghanistan and urged those already in the country to consider leaving.

Several embassies contacted by The Associated Press declined to give details of their plans, but many are reported to have scaled back non-essential personnel.

That includes the U.S. Embassy, which last month ordered home its non-essential workers.

The last of the 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops and 7,000 NATO allied troops will be gone by Sept. 11, generating fears that their departures could increase the chaos and insecurity already plaguing the capital.

Violent attacks, many of them unclaimed, have targeted journalists and in many cases the country's minority Shiite Muslims.

The U.S. blames those attacks on an upstart Islamic State affiliate.

Embassies in the Afghan capital are located in a so-called Green Zone, considered the most heavily protected.

Giant blast walls, barbed wire and steel gates hide the embassies from public view.

Streets in the capital have been closed to traffic to protect the buildings.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday it was committed to providing the embassies with securit.

But there is a widespread concern about the ability of the government to provide that protection in a city overwhelmed by lawlessness, criminal gangs and insurgent activity.

Australian government lawmaker Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, said the reasons for the embassy's closure were temporary and really related to the ability to secure our staff and personnel when our defense contingent leaves."

"Whatever we need to do in the short term to protect our people, of course I support, but longer term I think this is a relationship we should and must be in for the long haul," he said in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Australia has 80 soldiers still in the country but at its peak there were 15,000 Australian troops deployed to Afghanistan.

Australia's military has been embroiled in allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan and Australia has established an investigative agency to build criminal cases against special forces suspected of committing crimes from 2005 until 2016.

Obaidullah Baheer, a political analyst in Kabul, was critical of Australia's decision to close and of other embassies to scale back, saying it undermined faith in the abilities of the Afghan government to provide security.

"Such a move will be seen as a sign of the Australian government's lack of faith in the republic to defend itself against the Taliban," he said.

However Taliban's political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press it would not harm diplomats and would cooperate to ensure their security.

"They should not have any concerns," he said.
We dont frequently see seizures of this size, but they are certainly a risk in the cargo environment, Anne Maricich, acting CBP director of field operations in San Diego, said in a statement. Stopping over 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine is a critical act for the security and health of our nation.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is appealing a judge's order directing it to release in its entirety a legal memo on whether President Donald Trump had obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. But it also made public a brief portion of the document showing senior Justice Department leaders concluded that the evidence could not support an obstruction prosecution.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson earlier this month ordered the Justice Department to release the March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization. She said the department, under Attorney General William Barr, had misstated the purpose of the document in arguing that it was legally entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

In a motion filed late Monday, the deadline for deciding whether it would comply with the judge's decision or appeal it, the Justice Department said that it continued to believe that the full document should be exempt from disclosure. The lawyers asked Jackson to put her order on hold while it appeals the ruling to a federal appeals court.

At issue is a March 24, 2019 memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that was prepared for Barr to evaluate whether evidence collected in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation could support an obstruction of justice prosecution of the president. Barr has said he looked to that opinion in determining that Trump did not illegally obstruct the Russia probe.

The Justice Department turned over other documents to CREW as part of the group's lawsuit, but declined to give it the OLC memo. Government lawyers said they were entitled under public records law to withhold the memo because it reflected internal deliberations among lawyers before any formal decision had been reached.

But Jackson said those arguments were disingenuous because the memo was prepared for Barr at the same time as a separate Justice Department letter informing Congress and the public that Barr and senior department leaders had concluded that Trump had not obstructed justice.

She said the OLC memo could therefore not have been predecisional in nature if the Justice Department had already decided that there would be no obstruction case.

In its motion Monday, Justice Department lawyers said the government never meant to mislead the court but acknowledged that some of its language could have been clearer.

The department said the decision before the attorney general was not whether to prosecute Trump since the indictment of a sitting president is precluded by longstanding Justice Department policy. Rather, the question that the memo set out to address was whether the facts gathered by Mueller could warrant a criminal case. That question, the government says, was a genuine decision that had to be made.

The Attorney Generals determination on that point  and on what, if anything, to say to the public about that question  undoubtedly qualifies as a decision, even if it could not have resulted in an actual prosecution of the sitting President, Justice Department lawyers wrote.

There was no legal bar to determining that the evidence did or did not establish commission of a crime, a determination the Attorney General made and announced," they added.

The brief portion of the memo that the department agreed to disclose shows that two senior Justice Department leaders advised Barr that, in their view, Muellers evidence could not support beyond a reasonable doubt the conclusion that Trump had obstructed justice.
By Associated Press

BRUSSELS: EU leaders agreed Tuesday to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations by the end of the year as supplies steadily rise across Europe.

Gathered in Brussels for a two-day summit, the 27 leaders backed a text in which they pledge to continue effortS "to increase global vaccine production capacities in order to meet global needs."

Leaders also called "for work to be stepped up to ensure global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines" and reiterated their support for the U.N.-backed COVAX programme.

COVAX aims to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 shots for low-and middle-income countries.

The programme suffered a major setback last week when its biggest supplier, the Serum Institute of India, announced it would likely not export any more vaccines until the end of the year due to the COVID-19 crisis on the subcontinent.

Leaders acknowledged that vaccination has finally picked up across their continent following a painfully slow start compared with the successful drives in the US, Britain and Israel.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen presented data to the leaders suggesting that 300 million doses will have been delivered in the region by the end of May, with about 46 per cent of the adult population in the bloc of 450 million getting at least a first dose of vaccine.

But as vaccination campaigns continue to progress in the Western world, poorer countries are struggling to acquire supplies.

During a health summit in Rome last week, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said that nearly 1.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered in over 180 countries worldwide.

Yet only 0.3 per cent were in low-income countries, while richer countries administered around 85 per cent.

In addition to the donation of shots, leaders pledged to help countries in need to develop vaccine production locally.

It was unclear which vaccines from the EU's portfolio would be donated.

Coronavirus vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency, the bloc's drug regulator, include Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

The agreement came after the US said earlier this month it will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world on top of a prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.

Leaders also welcomed the compromise found last week with European Union legislators for launching COVID-19 certificates before the height of the summer holiday season, a move aimed at boosting travel and tourism following the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.

The EU plans to have the trans-border passes up and running by July 1.

They will be delivered to EU residents who can prove they have been vaccinated, as well as those who tested negative for the virus or have proof they recovered from COVID-19, and should serve to avoid quarantines and more testing upon arrival.
By Associated Press

ZA CITY: A few hours after the latest cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger  a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip.

The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists in Gaza who confirmed their Whatsapp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists  working for Al Jazeera  confirmed their accounts had been restored.

The incident marks the latest puzzling move concerning WhatsApp's owner Facebook Inc. thats left Palestinian users or their allies bewildered as to why theyve been targeted by the company, or if indeed theyd been singled out for censorship at all.

Twelve of the 17 journalists contacted by the AP said they had been part of a WhatsApp group that disseminates information related to Hamas military operations. Hamas, which rules over the Gaza Strip, is viewed as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, where WhatsApp owner Facebook is headquartered.

It's unclear if the journalists were targeted because theyd been following that group's announcements on WhatsApp.

Hamas runs Gazas Health Ministry, which has a WhatsApp group followed by more than 80 people, many of them journalists. That group, for example, has not been blocked.

Hassan Slaieh, a freelance journalist in Gaza whose WhatsApp account is blocked, said he thinks his account might have been targeted because he was on a group called Hamas Media.

This has affected my work and my income because I lost conversations with sources and people, Slaieh said.

Al Jazeeras chief correspondent in Gaza, Wael al-Dahdouh, said his access to WhatsApp was blocked around dawn on Friday before it was reinstated Monday. He said journalists subscribe to Hamas groups only to get information needed to do journalistic work.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company bans accounts to comply with its policies to prevent harm as well as applicable law. The company said it has been in touch with media outlets over the last week about its practices. We will reinstate journalists if any were impacted, the company said.

Al Jazeera said that when it sought information regarding its four journalists in Gaza impacted by the blockage, they were told by Facebook that the company had blocked the numbers of groups based out of Gaza and consequently the cell phone numbers of Al Jazeera journalists were part of the groups they had blocked.

Among those affected by the WhatsApp blockage are two Agence France-Presse journalists. The Paris-based international news service told the AP it is working with WhatsApp to understand what the problem is and to restore their accounts.

The 11-day war caused widespread destruction across Gaza with 248 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, killed in the fighting. Israel says 12 people in Israel, including two children, also died.

It's not the first time journalists have been suddenly barred from WhatsApp. In 2019, a number of journalists in Gaza had their accounts blocked without explanation. The accounts of those working with international media organizations were restored after contacting the company.

Facebook and its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram were criticized this month for removing posts and deleting accounts by users posting about protests against efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalems Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It prompted an open letter signed by 30 organizations demanding to know why the posts had been removed.

The New York Times also reported that some 100 WhatsApp groups were used by Jewish extremists in Israel for the purpose of committing violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

WhatsApp said it does not have access to the contents of peoples personal chats, but that they ban accounts when information is reported they believe indicates a user may be involved in causing imminent harm. The company said it also responds to valid legal requests from law enforcement for the limited information available to us.

The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, or 7amleh, said in a report published this month that Facebook accepted 81% of requests made by Israels Cyber Unit to remove Palestinian content last year. It found that in 2020, Twitter suspended dozens of accounts of Palestinian users based on information from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Al-Dahdouh, the Al Jazeera correspondent, said although his account was restored, his past history of chats and messages was erased.

The groups and conversations were back, but content is erased, as if you are joining a new group or starting a new conversation, he said. I have lost information, images, numbers, messages and communications.

Al Jazeera said its journalists in Gaza had their WhatsApp accounts blocked by the host without prior notification.

Al Jazeera would like to strongly emphasize that its journalists will continue to use their WhatsApp accounts and other applications for newsgathering purposes and personal communication, the news network told the AP. At no time, have Al Jazeera journalists used their accounts for any means other than for personal or professional use.

The Qatar-based news network's office in Gaza was destroyed during the war by Israeli airstrikes that took down the high-rise residential and office tower, which also housed The Associated Press offices. Press freedom groups accused the military, which claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence, of trying to censor coverage of Israels offensive. The Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate.

Sada Social, a West Bank-based center tracking alleged violations against Palestinian content on social media, said it was collecting information on the number of Gaza-based journalists impacted by the latest WhatsApp decision.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden will meet with the family of George Floyd at the White House Tuesday on the one-year anniversary of his death.

But beyond the meeting, Biden has yet to offer concrete action for the family of the man whose death at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked a global reckoning over systemic racism and movement for police reform. The path forward on Capitol Hill for Floyds namesake bill, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, remains unclear, but negotiators say theyve made progress and expressed optimism this week about its prospects.

Its a high-profile legislative fight where Biden has notably taken a backseat, preferring to leave the work of hammering out a compromise to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in contrast to his fevered advocacy, both public and private, for his infrastructure bill and the COVID-19 relief package.

The Floyd family will have their own opportunity to weigh in on the congressional efforts Tuesday. In addition to their visit to the White House, the Floyd family is expected to meet Tuesday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Karen Bass, the lead House negotiator on the policing bill.

While Biden set the anniversary of Floyds death as the initial deadline for the bill to reach his desk, the issue of police reform is a particularly politically thorny one, and Hill negotiators have struggled to hammer out a compromise that would make it through an evenly divided Senate.

Still, speaking on Tuesday on CNN, Philonese Floyd, Floyds brother, expressed optimism at the chances for an eventual bill to pass the Senate. I think things have changed. I think it is moving slowly but we are making progress, he said.

Ben Crump, the Floyd familys lawyer, echoed his comments, calling on Biden to reiterate that we need to get it passed.

Its in line with the sentiment shared by many criminal justice advocates, who say the onus is on Congress, not the president, to act.

Its absolutely vital that members of Congress put partisan politics aside and pass meaningful reform to hold police officers responsible who act outside of their oath to protect and defend, said Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, in a statement to the AP.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes, while Floyd repeatedly said he couldnt breathe. His death sparked months of nationwide protests focused on systemic racism and a renewed debate over police reform in the U.S. Chauvin was convicted last month on multiple charges stemming from Floyds death.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would ban chokeholds by federal officers and end qualified immunity for law enforcement against civil lawsuits, as well as create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. It passed the House in March, but faces a much tougher road in the evenly-divided Senate.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the White House still sees the George Floyd Act as the appropriate vessel for police reform. She added, What weve seen from the negotiators  and weve been in close touch with the negotiators as well  is that they still feel there is progress being made.

White House advisers say Biden and his team have been in frequent touch with Capitol Hill negotiators over the legislation, but that this is an issue in which a high-profile public campaign by the president may do more harm than good, because of the political challenges surrounding the bill.

The biggest point of contention remains the issue of ending qualified immunity, which shields officers from legal action taken by victims and their families for alleged civil rights violations.

While progressives and many criminal justice reform advocates are insistent that it remain in the final version of the bill, some Democrats, most notably House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, have said they could see a compromise on the issue. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he wouldnt support any bill that ends qualified immunity.

Congressional negotiators are largely staying tight-lipped on the details of a compromise, but theyve been working near daily on their efforts to hammer out a bill, and this week some sounded optimistic about its future. Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who has been working with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey to hammer out a compromise, said Monday that I think were starting to see a frame for the final legislation.

We had good progress over the weekend, I thought. And I think we can see the end of the tunnel, he said.

On qualified immunity, Scotts proposal would allow individuals to pursue legal action against police departments instead of individual officers, as a compromise, but its unclear if advocacy groups would get behind such a proposal.

Booker echoed Scott's comments on CNN, saying he was encouraged and that Im really hopeful that we can get something done in the weeks ahead, not months.
By PTI

COLOMBO: India has dispatched two Coast Guard vessels and an aircraft to help the Sri Lankan Navy douse the flames on a container ship that caught fire off the coast of Colombo last week, amid intensified efforts by the coastal command to extinguish the fiery wreckage.

The 25 crew members- of Philippine, Chinese, Indian and Russian nationality- on the ship have been rescued.

Official sources said at least five Indians were among the crew rescued.

The cargo vessel, X-PRESS PEARL', was carrying a consignment of chemicals and raw materials for cosmetics from Hazira in Gujarat to Colombo Port.

It caught fire 9.5 nautical miles from the coast here where it was anchored outside the port of Colombo on May 20.

The Indian High Commission in a tweet on Tuesday said, "Help on way! Responding promptly as ever to the request by Sri Lanka, India dispatches ICG Vaibhav, ICG Dornier and Tug Water Lilly for fighting the fire".

A major operation was launched to extinguish the flames of the ship.

A special team of the Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Marine Environment Protection Authority reached the fire-hit container ship on May 21.

Officials said a loud explosion was heard on Tuesday morning, possibly the fire remains in the sub sections of the vessel where a load of nitric acid is stored.

The Navy, in a statement released on Tuesday, confirmed the forthcoming Indian assistance.

The fire was made worse by the strong winds.

However, the crew of the ship and the members of the emergency response team have been safely brought ashore as of now, it said.

It said that due to rough seas and bad weather, the ship is now tilted to the right.

As a result, some of the containers on board have tumbled to the sea and some of the containers have sunk.

The Navy said it has warned the fishing community to stay away.

As the ship was carrying chemicals, the Marine Environment Pollution Authority warned the public not to touch or open any material or packages from the ship that could be floating around the western coastal areas of Colombo and Negombo.

The Navy said efforts are underway to completely extinguish the flame.

Eight cargo containers fell into the sea during the operations, officials said.

Tug boats have been deployed to reduce the heat surrounding the container, the Navy said.

The Sri Lankan Air Force was pressed into service with a helicopter.

Two offshore patrol vessels -- Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Sagara, Sindurala -- and a fast attack craft are using dry chemical powder to contain the fire.

Navy Spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said the fire was caused by a chemical reaction.

The vessel is registered under the flag of Singapore.
By Associated Press

BAGHDAD: Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest what they say is the impunity of those behind a rising number of targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists.

Demonstrators gathered in the capital's Tahrir Square amid heavy security, among them protesters from southern provinces including Dhi Qar and Karbala. Tensions there have mounted in recent weeks over the increasingly frequent targeted killings.

Todays protests took place because the weak government did not keep its promises to bring the murderers to justice, said activist Kamal Jaban at Tahrir Square.

Many waved Iraqi flags and raised portraits of Ehab Wazni, a prominent activist assassinated in Karbala, among three targeted killings this month alone. Protesters had given the government two weeks to hold his killers responsible.

The government did not deliver, we had to march, said Jaban.

The semi-official Independent High Commission for Human Rights reported nearly 35 activists have been killed in Iraq since an anti-government protest movement swept Iraq in October 2019. There have been nearly 82 attempted killings since them.

In the last year alone, 15 Iraqis were killed and there were 30 attempted killings recorded by the commission, said spokesman Ali al-Bayati.

Protesters expressed outrage that despite launching several investigations into the killings, Iraqi authorities have not named any perpetrators. They widely believe the killers to be linked to Iran-backed militia groups and that the government is powerless and unwilling to identify them.

Impunity comes from the failure of state institutions to bring the perpetrators to account, said al-Bayati. This gives them the green light to continue.

Many expect the killings to continue as Iraq plans to hold early elections in October, which had been a key demand of anti-government protesters.

Now, some of those same protesters are calling for the elections to be canceled as the death toll from targeted killings rises, saying they have no faith in the current system.

We will not delay the elections if we get fair and safe chances to participate in them, said Jaban. We will boycott the elections unless there are positive changes.

A recent Human Rights Watch report raised concerns that without justice the killings could prevent Iraqis from participating in the election.

If the authorities are not able to take urgent steps to stop these extrajudicial killings the palpable climate of fear they have created will severely limit the ability of Iraqis who have been calling for change to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, wrote senior researcher Belkis Wille.

Heavy security deployments were seen in central Baghdad ahead of the Tuesday protest.

Iraqi security forces arrested four infiltrators near Tahrir Square in the morning, according to an Iraqi military statement. The individuals were reportedly carrying weapons and sought to incite violence.

Tens of thousands of protesters, most of them Iraqi youth, took to the streets in October 2019 to decry corruption, poor services and unemployment. Demonstrators camped out in Tahrir Square for months.

But the movement petered out by February last year owing to the governments heavy handed response and the coronavirus pandemic. Over 500 people died because security forces used live ammunition and tear canisters to disperse crowds.

Though protests have waned, targeted assassinations against civil society groups and outspoken activists continue to create a climate of fear. Many activists have left Baghdad to seek refuge in the Kurdish-controlled northern region, or sought asylum in Turkey.
By PTI

KATHMANDU: Nepal has inaugurated its fifth diplomatic mission in China with the opening of its Consulate General Office in the southwestern city of Chengdu, as the two neighbouring countries stepped up their bilateral relations.

With the consulate office in the capital of Sichuan province, Nepal has now established the most number of diplomatic missions in China, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Apart from its embassy in Beijing, Nepal has offices of the consulate general in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province and in Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region of China.

Ambassador of Nepal to China Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and Vice-governor of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government Li Yunze jointly inaugurated the Consulate General's plaque in Chengdu on Monday.

Pandey said trust, understanding and good neighbourliness were the key features of Nepal-China ties since ancient times and the two countries supported one another in peace, prosperity and development.

The establishment of the Consulate General in Chengdu would help promote all-round exchanges and bilateral cooperation as well as contribute to further enhancing the friendly relations between Nepal and China, he said.

Sichuan Vice Governor Li said the establishment of the Nepalese mission in Chengdu would facilitate the promotion of trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two neighbouring countries.

Nepal and China established diplomatic relations on August 1, 1955.

China opened its Embassy in Kathmandu in July 1960 and Nepal opened its Embassy in Beijing in September 1961.
By Associated Press

TOKYO: An international rights group on Tuesday urged Japan to change a law that it says puts abusive and outdated burdens on transgender people seeking to have their gender change legally recognised, including sterilization surgery and a psychiatric diagnosis.

The report by New York-based Human Rights Watch said such requirements are inhumane, unnecessary and discriminatory.

Tokyo officials should embrace public opinion and local-level policies and update the law to reflect current medical and legal perspectives, Kanae Doi, the group's Japan director, said in a statement.

The report comes as activists in Japan push for the passage of an equality act, which would remove such barriers as well as legalize same-sex marriage.

The legislation faces resistance from conservative members of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's ruling party.

The Japanese public has slowly shown increased support and awareness of sexual diversity, but there are still a lack of legal protections for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Pressure to conform still forces LGBTQ people in Japan to hide their sexual identities out of fear of discrimination at school, work and even from their families.

The current law dating to 2004 has several requirements for a transgender person to have their gender change legally recorded in official documents, including being older than 20, unmarried and not having any children under the age of 20.

Most burdensome, activists say, is the requirement that they also must remove their reproductive organs or have reproductive organs that don't function.

Human Rights Watch said these requirements contradict Japan's international human rights obligations and are opposed by the World Health Organization and other medical organisations.

The group said the medical requirements are especially problematic and are based on an outdated notion that a transgender identity is a mental disorder.

The required surgery forces transgender people to undergo lengthy, invasive and irreversible medical procedures" to get legally recognized, it said.

Hiroyuki Taniguchi, a law professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, said the law is designed to force transgender people into the existing legal system rather than ensuring them to live according to their own gender identity.

More than 9,600 people in Japan have legally changed gender since 2004 including about 950 in 2019, according to the latest available Justice Ministry data.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has continued his predecessor Donald Trump's policy on suspending security assistance to Pakistan and there is no clarity if the administration will change its stance in the future, the Pentagon has said.

Former US president Trump suspended all security assistance to Pakistan in January 2018, arguing that he was not satisfied with Islamabad's cooperation and role in the fight against terrorism.

"At this time, the US security assistance to Pakistan is still suspended. I will not get into speculating one way or another about if or whether that will change going forward," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

He was responding to a question on if the new Biden administration has reviewed the policy of the previous Trump administration and if there are any changes in it or if this issue was on the table during talks with the Pakistani leadership.

Earlier in the day, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss shared regional interests and objectives, Kirby said.

"During the call, the secretary reiterated his appreciation for Pakistan's support to the Afghanistan peace negotiations and expressed his desire to continue to build on the United States-Pakistan bilateral relationship," he said.

"I reiterated my appreciation for the US-Pakistan relationship and my desire to continue to work together to further regional security and stability," Austin said in a tweet.

A day earlier, US National Security Advisor Jek Sullivan met his Pakistani counterpart Moeed Yusuf in Geneva.

"Both sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, and ways to advance practical cooperation.

They agreed to continue with the conversation," spokesperson of the National Security Council Emily Horne said.

In a first in-person high-level meeting, the Pakistani and US national security advisers held wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

"Both sides had a positive conversation on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to advance practical cooperation on these issues," a joint statement issued by Yusuf's office said in Islamabad.

The meeting took place as both sides have been trying to bring peace to Afghanistan.

Pakistan is also trying to rebuild ties with the new US administration under President Biden who has announced the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by September 11.

Yusuf was appointed as National Security Adviser this month and it was his first high-level meeting with any of his counterparts.
By Associated Press

HOUSTON: Three female deputies filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing a Texas constable of turning the office's undercover operations into a "booze-fueled playground for sexual exploitation."

The deputies, who either work or worked for the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office in Houston, alleged women were subjected to unwarranted touching and kissing, molestation and sexual ridicule during their work with the office's human trafficking unit.

The lawsuit alleges the office of Constable Alan Rosen set up undercover sting operations that were supposed to ultimately arrest those behind sex trafficking businesses.

But those operations turned more into parties where officers drank heavily and the female deputies, who were given little to no training in undercover work, were fondled and kissed by their supervisory officer or were told to give lap dances to other male deputies.

The lawsuit alleges that in another undercover operation at a massage parlor, one of the female deputies was told that to make an arrest she needed to be sexually assaulted by a suspect.

The deputy did not get any support from the constable's office after her assault, according to the lawsuit.

Cordt Akers, one of the attorneys for the women, called the allegations some of the most unspeakable sexual police misconduct that any of us have ever seen.

The lawsuit alleges Rosen and the Harris County District Attorney's Office were told about what was happening by a victims' advocate working with the human trafficking unit, but they took no action.

"We need to end corruption and (complicity) in people in power," Jacquelyn Aluotto, the victims' advocate and who filed the lawsuit along with the deputies, said at a news conference.

Rosen's office said it planned to issue a statement on the lawsuit later Monday.

"In this matter, our sex crimes division quickly asked Constable Pct. 1 Internal Affairs to investigate whether there was evidence of a crime and Ms. Aluotto has represented she contacted the Texas Rangers. Nothing has been presented to prosecutors by either agency," said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Constables and their deputies are licensed peace officers who have the same powers as regular police officers but also have the added responsibility of civil law enforcement.

Rosen's office covers parts of central and north Houston.

The lawsuit alleges that to make human trafficking arrests, the constable's office set up bachelor party stings in which the female deputies would pose as prostitutes in order to arrest sex workers and lead authorities to their handlers.

But the undercover operations became sexually-charged stings and a way for an assistant chief and others to fondle, kiss and ridicule the female deputies, according to the lawsuit.

"What began as an idea for bachelor party' prostitution stings soon grew into a booze-fueled playground for sexual exploitation in which young, untrained deputies were subject to disgusting abuse," according to the lawsuit.

Aluotto learned the female deputies were being victimized and that the human trafficking unit was not focused on solving cases and helping victims but on organizing the bachelor party stings, according to the lawsuit.

Aluotto said she and the deputies have already received threats to their careers.

"We will not be silenced. We will continue to advocate and we will fight for our rights and others," she said.
A lot of people call me a hero even though I dont see myself as one. I was just in the right place at the right time, Frazier wrote. Behind this smile, behind these awards, behind the publicity, Im a girl trying to heal from something I am reminded of every day. Everyone talks about the girl who recorded George Floyds death, but to actually be her is a different story.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A suspicious package sent to the Kentucky home of Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul appears to contain a non-toxic substance, the local sheriff's office said.

Paul, a libertarian-leaning former presidential candidate, tweeted Monday that he takes any such threats immensely seriously and said he has been targeted multiple times.

The senator also lashed out at detractors who he said have made him a target on social media.

As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family, Paul said. "Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this powder filled letter.

Paul was responding to caustic comments that Marx, a singer-songwriter, made on social media.

The senator was injured in 2017 when a neighbor tackled him while the lawmaker was doing yard work. Paul suffered broken ribs and eventually underwent lung surgery after he had struggled with what turned out to be a lingering infection in the damaged lung.

The FBI is providing forensic and technical assistance in working with the Warren County Sheriff's Office and Capitol Police, Tim Beam, a spokesman for the FBI's Louisville office, said Tuesday.

The Warren County Sheriffs Office said in a social media post that it was contacted by Capitol Police on Monday regarding a suspicious package delivered to Paul's home in Bowling Green.

The package was taken to the Bowling Green Fire Department and a preliminary analysis identified the substance as non-toxic, the sheriff's office said. It did not identify the substance.

The substance and package will undergo further analysis, the sheriff's office said.

Paul's wife, Kelley, tweeted that she got the death threat letter and called the FBI.

This kind of violent threat is fomented against Rand daily, she tweeted.

Paul, an ally of former President Donald Trump, has been outspoken during the coronavirus pandemic, saying that masks should no longer be necessary after vaccination. Paul tested positive for the virus in 2020. He recently said he wont be getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but added that he might change his mind if people who previously contracted the disease are getting reinfected at a greater rate than those who are vaccinated.

Paul is running for a third term in next year's elections.
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About 40 percent of the target population have not fixed an appointment with only less than 10 days left before their booking deadline on June 3.

Bookings for AstraZeneca vaccinations started for people aged 60-74 on May 6 but the uptake rate stood at a mere 55.9 percent as of Monday.

According to health authorities on Monday, the AstraZeneca uptake for people aged 70-74 stood at 66.1 percent, for those aged 65-69 at 59.9 percent, and for those aged 60-64 at just 47.4 percent as of early Monday morning, in stark contrast to 86 percent of over-75s who were offered the Pfizer vaccine.

The main reason is fear of side effects, which have been reported by a vast proportion of recipients, especially younger people.

Jeong Eun-kyeong, the chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "The fatality rate per 100,000 vaccinated people associated with AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccinations is similar, and our statistics arent very different from those of other countries like the U.K."

As of May 22, 2.29 million Koreans had been given AstraZeneca jabs and 60 had died, while 3.24 million people had been given Pfizer shots and 88 had died. That makes for a death rate of 2.62 and 2.71 deaths per 100,000 population. However, there has been no confirmation that the deaths were caused directly by the vaccines.

In the U.K., some 23.9 million people have so far received AstraZeneca shots, about double the 11.79 million who have received Pfizer shots, and the death rate for AstraZeneca has been 3.29 per 100,000 population compared to 3.19 deaths for Pfizer.

In Germany the death rates are much lower with 0.84 for AstraZeneca and 2.63 for Pfizer.

"There may be infections with coronavirus following vaccinations, but no one has died" as a direct result of vaccinations yet, Jeong added. "Don't hesitate to get vaccinated."
The news wasnt so good for the searched cars driver, Colton James Thompson. After arguing with police, he was allegedly discovered to be in possession of methamphetamine, which he reportedly tried to hide from officers when the trio was taken into custody.
Pikeville, KY (41501)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning. Partly cloudy skies late. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

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Following a funeral that started at 11 a.m. today in Decatur, a police procession for Champaign Officer Christopher Oberheim is on its way to Monticello, where he will be laid to rest.
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Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
The indictment details allegations from patients who sought his care from 2009 to 2018, but it does not include any additional victims even though more than 300 have accused him of improper behavior in recent years. Many of them accuse him of making sexually suggestive comments during consultations, touching them sexually without wearing gloves and simulating intercourse with an ultrasound probe.
Jim Dey, a member of The News-Gazette staff, can be reached by email at jdey@news-gazette.com or by phone at 217-393-8251.
The initial results of the CombivacS trial found that the antibody levels in individuals increased by 150 times when the Pfizer messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine was given after a first dose of the AstraZeneca severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine, with only mild common side effects.

Introduction

The AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine was suspended by several countries in the European Union following reports of blood clots leading to deaths in some people who had previously received the vaccine. The halt in AstraZeneca vaccinations has led many to question how they will complete vaccinations for people who have already received the first dose of this vaccine.

The Carlos III Health Institute, a research body under the Spanish government, conducted a clinical trial called CombivacS to evaluate the safety and efficacy of giving a second dose of an mRNA vaccine after the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The trial was launched to support decisions for completing the vaccinations for those who have already received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The study aimed to understand if enough antibodies were generated with a single dose or if a second booster dose is required.

The use of an mRNA vaccine combined with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the latter of which uses a chimpanzee adenovirus, may be beneficial because of the different technologies that are employed by these vaccines. To this end, both the AstraZeneca and mRNA vaccines have different mechanisms for eliciting the generation of antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus responsible for causing COVID-19. Moreover, the researchers were also interested in understanding whether a combination of these two vaccines could be highly potent in neutralizing the virus.

Preliminary results positive

The CombivacS trial is a Phase 2 clinical trial and was conducted in five hospitals across Spain starting in April of 2021. The study included a little over 600 participants below the age of 60 who had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at least eight weeks before the start of the trial.

The participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group of 441 people received the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, whereas the control group of 232 people did not receive a second vaccination. The antibody levels in the groups were evaluated after 14 days and follow-up will be continued for a year.

Recently, the trial's preliminary results were presented and demonstrated that a combination of the different vaccines, which is called a heterologous regimen, is highly effective in eliciting an immune response. In addition, there were no reports of adverse reactions upon using the combination. A heterologous vaccination strategy has been used for other vaccinations, such as for the Ebola virus.

An analysis of the antibodies in 663 people 14 days after a second dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine showed an increase of about 150 times in the antibody levels. The effect was already evident after a week, with the antibody increase being more than 100 times at this point. More specifically, the antibody titers increased from a median value of 58 to about 9,000. There was no change in the antibody levels of participants in the control group.

Flexibility in vaccinations

The trial also assessed the efficacy of the produced antibodies in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. The researchers used a neutralization assay utilizing pseudoviruses with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. To this end, pseudovirus was incubated with the participants sera to evaluate the ability of the antibodies to inhibit infection by the virus.

These experiments demonstrated that the neutralizing antibody titers increased by more than seven times after patients received the second dose with the mRNA vaccine. Importantly, these antibody levels are higher as compared to those reported using two doses of the same vaccine.

There were also no serious side effects reported. Some mild side effects were reported, including headache, chills, mild nausea, cough, and fever, all of which were similar to those seen in other COVID-19 vaccinations.

These preliminary results indicate the possibility of mixing and matching different vaccines to combat COVID-19. Different countries in Europe like Germany, France, and Sweden are already recommending a combination of vaccines for people under the age of 60 who have previously received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Another trial called Com-COV using vaccine combinations is underway in the United Kingdom. Preliminary results suggest a slight increase in the rates of common side effects of vaccination as compared to the side effects that are seen after individuals receive two doses of the same vaccine.

Given the short supply of vaccines faced by many countries, the limit of manufacturing capabilities, as well as the speed of production by certain manufacturers, using a combination of vaccines with different mechanisms and from different manufacturers will allow more flexibility in vaccination strategies for different countries.
China has made remarkable gains in reducing the number of women who die during childbirth and boosting child survival rates over the past 70 years, according to new review.

The Lancet report brought together China's health research institutions alongside its international colleagues from Australia, the UK and the US to review the country's progress in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition since 1949.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Professor George Patton, one of the international researchers, said over the past 70 years China had made a remarkable transition from where the survival of women and children was the priority to one where children and adolescents now have similar health profiles to young Australians.

"This progress has been driven by rapid socioeconomic development and reducing poverty, the country's capacity for top-down leadership such as the reorganisation of social health insurance and systematic public health planning," he said.

"China population policy over the past seven decades, including its previously one-child policy, has profoundly affected its age structure. But its growing focus on the health of children and young people reflects a need to invest in its next generation. This is something that we will increasingly see in other countries across the region including Australia."

The study found rapid reductions in the maternal death ratio from about 1500 cases per 100,000 births in 1949 to 17.8 cases per 100,000 births in 2019. The infant death rate has lowered from about 200 cases per 1000 births in 1949 to 5.6 cases per 1000 births in 2019.

Professor Patton said in some aspects China was a model for what other low- and middle-income countries could achieve.

"Some elements of China's success such as good quality antenatal and postnatal care, scaling up of childhood vaccination and delivering a good health education in schools are relevant almost everywhere," he said. "But it's questionable how successful China's strategies might be in countries with different cultural norms and political systems."

However, the report also found a series of emerging or neglected conditions in China that now required a greater focus including infertility, advanced maternal age, stillbirth, child protection, mental health, and sexual and gender-based violence, as well as emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Professor Patton said several barriers remained in addressing maternal depression and child and adolescent mental health.

Mental health problems are still poorly understood and stigmatised in China. Pregnant women are reluctant to seek help and mental health problems among children and adolescents are neglected. There is also a shortage of health service providers including child psychiatrists and counsellors, especially in rural areas where the mental health problems of children left-behind by parents migrating to the cities for work are considerable." George Patton, Professor and International Rresearcher, Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Professor Patton said maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health would continue to be vital for the healthy development of the next generation in China.

"The next 10 years will be crucial for China's goal of universal health coverage, particularly in addressing disparities and inequities in marginalised and disadvantaged communities," he said.
Tired of waiting for federal action to reduce prescription drug costs, Colorado is acting on its own  even if it must do so with one arm tied behind its back. Unable to set prices or change patent protections, the state is exploring creative legislative and administrative approaches to lower out-of-pocket costs on medications.

While none of the efforts alone would result in broad-based, deep cuts, state officials estimate the combined impact of the various measures could save Coloradans between 20% and 40% in out-of-pocket costs.

"That's why it's so important to have a variety of levers," said Kim Bimestefer, executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. "You start stacking all these up, and it's remarkable how much we can drive down the cost."

Like many other states, Colorado has been looking to lower drug prices for several years, issuing a report late in 2019 that explained why the state spent more than $1 billion annually on drug purchases. Although the pandemic derailed action last year, the state updated the report in January, and state agencies and the legislature are working to implement some of the proposals.

One bill would create a prescription drug affordability board, which could review prices of medications sold in the state to consumers and set payment limits. The legislation, backed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, has already passed the Colorado Senate and is making its way through the House. The board would be charged with ensuring those savings are passed on to consumers.

Drugs would qualify for an affordability review under various triggers, including when prices increase by more than 10% per year, or exceed either $30,000 a year for brand-name drugs or $100 a month for generics per person. Patients or consumer advocates could also nominate drugs for review.

State officials estimate those categories probably cover 100 to 125 medications, but the board would be permitted to set limits for only 12 drugs per year. The board could review affordability of more drugs and make recommendations for other types of administrative or legislative action to lower their costs.

"It is inherently limited," said Isabel Cruz, a policy manager with the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to lower health costs for state residents. "That's the political reality that we had to accept."

The bill is intended to help patients like 18-year-old Koen Lichtenbelt, of Ridgeway, who was diagnosed with a rare autoinflammatory disease in kindergarten. The condition damaged his nerves and, in December, doctors prescribed the drug Hizentra, with an out-of-pocket cost of $10,000 per month. His parents footed the bill for three months before their insurance plan agreed to cover the drug.

His mother, Cat Lichtenbelt, said, that's "$30,000, which is the price of a car, but, you know, this is our sons life."

Once on the medication, Koen, who had been missing half of his school days over the course of his education, was able to graduate this year. He's been accepted to Colorado State University but is taking a gap year to work as a first responder at a local fire department. Had he not had access to the drug, Lichtenbelt said, her son would likely be reliant on state aid now.

"There is a need for pharmaceutical companies to continue to develop medications and drugs to improve peoples lives," she said. "However, what is the price point at which there is access to actually being able to use those drugs?"

In addition to opposition from the state's hospital and pharmacy groups, the pharmaceutical industry is throwing its weight against the bill, including threats not to sell in Colorado the drugs facing payment limits.

"Creating a board of unelected bureaucrats with the authority to arbitrarily decide what medicines are worth and what medicines patients can get would be a disaster for patients," said Hannah Loiacono, a spokesperson for the national Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America industry group.

The Colorado BioScience Association warned that setting payment limits could reduce the funding available for new pharmaceutical discoveries.

"If passed, this bill will create unpredictability for the startups and development-stage companies in Colorado's life sciences ecosystem, making it harder for them to raise funds," said Jennifer Jones Paton, the group's president and CEO. "Investors will look elsewhere for opportunities."

Nonetheless, the bill is expected to pass. Proponents said it's unlikely a manufacturer could carve out specific drugs or states from its supply chain and pointed out that drug companies already sell their highest-cost drugs at lower prices to Medicaid, community health clinics and charity hospitals.

The governor's office is also implementing changes on its own. On July 1, it is formally launching a tool embedded in electronic medical records allowing doctors and other prescribers to see what patients with public or private health plans would pay for a medication. Bimestefer said 80% of prescribers in the state have the tool enabled, and 37% are using it ahead of the official start date.

The state is also pursuing contracts with drug companies that would link prices to the effectiveness of the drugs, measured, for example, by whether they reduce hospitalizations or heart attacks.

The Colorado legislature had previously approved importing drugs from Canada for consumers to purchase at lower costs and, now with federal approval, the state is reviewing bids from contractors to make that happen. The state estimates Canadian imports would reduce costs for 50 common drugs by 63%. But the state found that importing drugs from Australia and France could save 78% to 84%. Colorado would need an adjustment to federal law to expand importation to those countries but could rely on the same infrastructure being built for Canadian imports.

"If we open up other countries, we could increase the supply of the drugs coming in," Bimestefer said. "This will actually help us battle pharma if we can turn on the spigot full, full, full throttle."

Colorado's efforts are part of a national trend by states that started in earnest about five years ago, said Megan Olsen, a principal in the policy practice at Avalere, a health care consulting firm in Washington, D.C. The lack of federal action, as well as exploding Medicaid and state employee health plan budgets, encouraged states to tackle the issue.

"Early on the focus was on transparency," she said. "Now what we're seeing is sort of a progression from those transparency bills into more of trying to regulate prices or control prices in different ways."

According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, which provides draft health policy legislation to states, nearly every single state and U.S. territory is considering some sort of prescription drug cost bill this year. There are 14 prescription drug affordability board bills, 24 foreign drug importation bills and 58 bills addressing prescription drug coupons or cost sharing. And, following a December U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing states to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, the go-between companies that control the drug prices paid by insurance companies, states are considering 97 separate PBM measures. Colorado legislators, for example, are debating a bill that would force those companies to compete to service state health plans.

Trish Riley, executive director for the academy, said states serve as 50 health policy laboratories, experimenting with policies that can set precedent for other states, prove the viability of various approaches and put pressure on the feds to act. Some national policies, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program, started as state measures.

"We're on the front lines," Bimestefer said. "And we can see some of the solutions more readily."

While a patchwork of state regulations can add administrative burdens for drug companies, Riley said it can also spur federal action.

"I would argue chaos theory," Riley said. "The more differentiation between states, the more there's pressure on the federal government to make a more consistent system."
Many of the companies with the largest number of employees say they'll do almost anything to encourage their employees to get vaccinated. But a survey of some of them found that none would be inclined to mandate shots as a condition for holding a job.

Almost all 15 companies surveyed  among the largest and most influential Fortune 500 companies  have strong pro-vaccine messages from their corporate leadership, emphasizing that the shots can both help protect individuals and bring the pandemic to a close.

CVS Health, which administers covid vaccines as part of the federal pharmacy distribution program, says it strongly encourages the shots for its employees "from a public health standpoint" but won't mandate them. Starbucks is also encouraging the shots "to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but also doesn't mandate them.

Some companies are giving employees paid time off to either get shots or stay home if they have side effects, a trend that could increase now that the Biden administration has announced tax credits for smaller companies to offer up to 80 hours of paid sick leave until Sept. 30.

Target is giving hourly employees up to four additional hours of pay if they get the vaccine (two hours per shot). Amazon is offering $40 a shot for hourly workers, and Kroger is giving employees $100 if they receive both doses.

"Vaccination, in our view, is absolutely the only way out of the pandemic, both for us to get to normalcy and also for the country," said Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and chief medical officer for Amazon's covid response.

Amazon, like other large retailers, has experienced covid outbreaks at its workplaces throughout the pandemic. In October it revealed that nearly 20,000 out of the company's 1.37 million front-line employees had tested positive or were presumed to have been infected with the covid virus.

The company, which includes Whole Foods Market, distribution warehouses and data centers, has organized vaccination events for employees such as delivery workers in at least 29 states, and is among the giant companies doing the most to bring shots to its workers. But for now, Amazon isn't making vaccines mandatory.

Target, the only company among those surveyed that is offering financial incentives, extra paid time off and vaccinations at the worksite, has no plans to mandate the vaccinations.

However, the pandemic has brought a stream of fast-changing policies and recommendations from federal health authorities, and some companies, while declining mandates for now, indicated that could change.

"I don't have a crystal ball, and I can't predict the future, but that's what our message is now," said Carrie Altieri, vice president of communications for covid strategy at IBM.

Legal and public health experts caution against any mandates before the Food and Drug Administration fully licenses the shots, which could happen this summer. The vaccines were authorized by the FDA for "emergency use" and as such employers can't require them, some legal experts have argued. Even post-licensure, though, companies could spark a backlash if they require employees to get them, said Joanne Rosen, senior lecturer and associate director at the Center for Law and the Public's Health at Johns Hopkins University.

A mandate could anger certain employees while only marginally increasing the number of vaccinations, Rosen and others say. It would be more prudent to focus on "carrots instead of sticks," she said.

"If the purpose of a mandate is to ensure that the largest number of people get vaccinated, a backlash to a mandate, in which you have more reluctance or opposition to vaccination, is the opposite of the outcome you want to get," she said.

Post-licensure, employers would face fewer legal challenges to vaccine mandates, especially if staff members work with medically vulnerable or at-risk patients, as in nursing homes or prisons. Aside from these special sectors, employee mandates aren't necessarily a good idea from a public health perspective, said Michelle Mello, a professor of law and medicine at Stanford University.

Hard-line vaccine opponents likely wouldn't be swayed by an employment-based vaccine requirement, and it could risk alienating some in the "wait and see" contingent, she said.

About 6% of Americans not yet vaccinated against covid said they would accept a shot if it was required, according to an April survey from KFF. An additional 15% who hadn't gotten a shot expressed a "wait and see" attitude toward vaccination. And 13% flatly refused to be vaccinated.

Gains in the small group who say they'd get a shot if it's required might not be worth the uproar a mandate could foment, Mello said.

Mandates risk further politicizing covid vaccines in U.S. society, said Brian Castrucci, CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, a charity focused on public health.

Polling conducted by de Beaumont and GOP pollster Frank Luntz on April 15 found that 36% of those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election agreed it was important for American businesses to encourage and incentivize the vaccines, versus 54% of Joe Biden voters. The survey also found that 41% of Trump voters believed that businesses should not be involved in covid vaccinations at all, compared with 18% of Biden voters.

"Mandating vaccination will hit every button there is on the political right," Castrucci said.

Once public health tools and strategies become politicized, local governments can choose to simply take them off the table as an option. A new Florida law bans businesses and government entities from requiring proof of a covid vaccination. The law builds on Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order, which he signed April 2.

"Vaccine verification can be a useful tool," Castrucci said. "Now it's no longer available in Florida."

Despite the potential backlash, the financial case for covid vaccinations is clear, said Aaron Yelowitz, an economics professor at the University of Kentucky, given how effective the shots are.

Taking into account the costs of a shortened life span, mental health conditions and lost income due to illness and shutdowns, the covid pandemic has cost the average American family of four almost $200,000, according to an analysis by researchers at Harvard.

Some of these costs may be borne by businesses in the form of lost productivity and higher health insurance prices, said Yelowitz. Financial incentives for the shots are thus an extremely tempting trade-off, he said.

Incentives for vaccination  like a $25 gift card or free Uber ride  are "surely worth it in terms of savings," Yelowitz said. In the same vein, he also called Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's $5 million vaccine lottery "innovative and imaginative."

But for now, employers are sensitive about what they can and can't demand of workers, said Lindsey Leininger, a clinical professor of business administration at Dartmouth College. The tight labor market and the fraught, ongoing negotiations over when and how to bring employees back to the office makes some companies wary of asking too much of their workers, said Leininger, who advises smaller businesses on covid vaccines and other issues.

"All of the businesses I work with have a general preference for carrot versus stick types of approaches," she said. "How many things do you want to mandate of your employees right now?"
I have paid the most ultimate and painful price for my poor judgment and I have to live with this devastation every single day, Gernon said. I will never forgive myself. If I could, I would go back and do everything different. This is a nightmare that doesnt go away once I open my eyes in the morning. We just dont understand how this could happen to such a bright and cheerful kid.
Coronaviruses have caused zoonotic outbreaks throughout history. In the first two decades of this century alone, we have seen the emergence of three highly pathogenic coronaviruses: the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the causative pathogen of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. SARS and MERS share similarities with SARS-CoV-2, and exploring common weaknesses could aid in the development of therapeutics for COVID-19.

Researchers, at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and Seoul National University in South Korea, demonstrated that low-micromolar concentrations of 6,6-difluoro24 aristeromycin (DFA), an adenosine nucleoside analog, strongly inhibits the replication of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a cell-based infection assay.

The teams study, which appeared on the pre-print server bioRxiv*, shows promise in finding a potential broad-spectrum antiviral compound against coronaviruses.

Coronavirus outbreaks

The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) in China in 2003 and the MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia in 2012 highlights the potential pandemic threat posed by this type of zoonotic pathogens. About a decade apart, these outbreaks cause global health crises that take a toll on the healthcare system.

Due to the nature of these viral pathogens and the severity of the diseases caused by these coronaviruses, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided priority status to them. This status allows for the urgent development of prophylactic and therapeutic treatment strategies.

In late December 2019, a novel coronavirus emerged in China, causing the current pandemic. To date, more than 167 million individuals worldwide have been infected by SARS-CoV-2, while over 3.46 million have died. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and its burden on public health globally emphasizes the critical nature of finding highly effective anti-coronavirus drugs.

There are currently various drug classes under evaluation as inhibitors of coronavirus replication, including those targeting viral functions such as viral proteases and the RNA polymerase.

DFA inhibits MERS-CoV

The research team used cell-based assays for MERS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, chikungunya, and Zika virus replication in the current study. The team described the potential of a set of adenosine and selenadenosine analogs for inhibiting these pathogens.

They derived these compounds from aristeromycin, a popular carbocyclic nucleoside compound inhibiting S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (SAH hydrolase or SAHH). It also has antiviral, anti-cancer, and anti-toxoplasma properties.

Further, these aristeromycin derivatives are nucleoside analogs made to target viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and indirectly target the methylation of viral RNA by inhibiting the host SAH hydrolase.

The researchers evaluated a library of more than 80 adenosine and selenoadenosine analogs to arrive at the study findings that were previously considered for its antiviral activity against MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) using cell-based cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction assays.

From there, the team has identified DFA as the most potent inhibitor of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV replication. It is also found to be more effective in decreasing the progeny titers of MERS-CoV than those of SARS-CoV-1, when treating Vero cells with DFA.

Using two-independent cell-based assays, a dose-response assay, and a CPE-reduction assay, the researchers assessed the antiviral activity of DFA against MERS-CoV in a more detailed way.

From this library, we identified 6,6-difluoro-aristeromycin (DFA) as the aristeromycin derivative that inhibited MERS-CoV replication most efficiently in cell-based assays, the team explained in the study.

The team hypothesizes that DFA affects viral cap methylation by inhibiting the viral enzymes or binding to the SAH hydrolase. They examined the antiviral activity of DFA against the other betacoronaviruses and revealed that it has a limited effect on their replication.

Nevertheless, our results justify the further characterization of DFA derivatives as an inhibitor of MERS-CoV replication, they added.

To date, there is a lack of antiviral drugs that are effective against human coronavirus infections, including the MERS-CoV that is endemic in the Middle East, the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and potential future zoonotic coronaviruses.

The current study sheds light on the need to investigate novel drug targets and identify antiviral compounds with potential multivalent activity against coronaviruses. Though finding that DFA has potential as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent, further studies are still needed.

Meanwhile, the team combined the results with a previous study showing that DFA can inhibit Zika virus and chikungunya. The team urged scientists to look at DFA, not only for coronaviruses but also for other viral infections.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv 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.
Extra funding should be made available for early years care in the wake of the pandemic, researchers say.

Experts at the University of Leeds, University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University have made the call after assessing the benefits of early childhood education and care (ECEC) for children under three during COVID-19.

They found children who attended childcare outside the home throughout the first UK lockdown made greater gains in language and thinking skills, particularly if they were from less advantaged backgrounds.

And now they are making several policy recommendations including

A sustainable funding model for nursery provision

Promotion of funded places in target areas where take-up is low

Removal of administrative barriers to the take-up of places

Dr Catherine Davies, Associate Professor in Language Development in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, who co-authored the study, said: "Our data clearly show that children from all backgrounds benefit from attending childcare for all or part of the week. Their cognitive skills become stronger, which will help them in their later learning and development, too. Government investment in sustainable, high-quality early years education and care is crucial so that all families can access this support."

Part of a nationally-funded project on Social Distancing and Development, the aim of the study was to analyse the impact of attending childcare - and of missing out - on children from different backgrounds, and to provide evidence for policymakers planning for further lockdowns and disruptions to early education and care.

The researchers worked with 189 UK families with children aged 8 to 36 months old during spring and winter 2020, when nurseries were closed to all children except those of critical workers or those classed as vulnerable. Between March and June 2020, nursery attendance dropped to less than 10% of usual levels. This was followed by an extended period of quarantine measures, reduced attendance, and disruption to sessions.

The families answered questions about their use of formal childcare such as nursery and childminders before, during and between lockdowns, informal childcare from family members or friends, and about their income, level of education, occupation and neighbourhood. Parents completed surveys about the number of words that their child said or understood, and their child's early thinking skills, or executive functions - the control of attention, behaviour and emotion. They followed up six months later, reporting again on their child's language ability and thinking skills.

Parents were asked to record their child's understanding and use of words across categories such as animals, vehicles and food. They were also asked how often their child exhibited different behaviours, and then played games designed to elicit skills such as waiting, finding, and sorting.

The team then explored associations between time spent at ECEC, the families' socioeconomic background, and children's growth in language and thinking skills.

Their findings showed that a child who regularly attended ECEC one day per week during the pandemic could be expected to understand an average of 24 more new words over the Spring-Winter 2020 period compared with their peers, while a child regularly attending two days could be expected to understand 48 more new words than their peers over the same period, and so on. This effect was greater among children from less affluent backgrounds. Overall, the results suggest that those children who could not attend nursery were disadvantaged by the social distancing measures.

In addition, children from all backgrounds who continued to attend nursery displayed boosted growth in thinking skills.

Lower-income families have been disproportionately impacted by infections, deaths, unemployment, and mental ill-health during the pandemic - all stressors which are likely to negatively affect home interactions with children. We have demonstrated that early childhood education and care boosts these children's vocabulary skills, and all children's thinking skills." Dr Alexandra Hendry, Study Co-Author and Research Fellow, University of Oxford

"Solid abilities in these areas are likely to have cascading positive effects as children move through their preschool years and beyond. To maintain these benefits for child development and for levelling inequalities, properly-funded, high-quality early childhood education and care is crucial."

The project lead for the Social Distancing and Development Study, Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University, noted "Our findings add to the evidence base that providing access to properly-funded, safe, and high-quality early childhood education and care may be a way to level some of the inequalities experienced by children from less privileged background, while still benefiting all children."

The paper, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) during COVID-19 boosts growth in language and executive function, is published in Infant and Child Development.

The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of its rapid response to COVID-19.

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' chief executive Kamini Gadhok MBE says: "This important research provides clear evidence that young children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a worrying impact on their language development.

"Given the importance of language skills for young people's life chances, it's imperative that governments across all four nations put support for children's communication and language development at the centre of education recovery plans. This must include action and funding in the early years which supports pre-school settings to work in partnership with speech and language therapists."
A team of scientists from Germany has recently evaluated the reactogenicity profile of heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 prime-boost vaccination among healthcare workers. The findings reveal that a 12-week interval regimen of heterologous vaccination is well-tolerated among participants. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is by far the largest pandemic in modern history, with over 167 million confirmed infections and more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide. The only possible way to control the pandemic is rapid and widespread vaccination. To meet the increasing demand for vaccines or to overcome vaccine shortages, heterologous prime-boost vaccination is becoming the topic of international interest.

Because of rare blood clotting events associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), healthcare advisory bodies of many countries are now recommending that people previously vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 should receive a second booster dose of most preferably mRNA-based vaccines, such as BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech). However, not enough data is currently available on the immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimen.

In the current study, the scientists have investigated the reactogenicity of homologous BNT162b2/BNT162b2 and heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 prime-boost vaccination regimens in a group of 326 healthcare workers from Berlin, Germany.

Study design

In the entire study cohort, the reactogenicity data after the first vaccination with BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 were available for 178 and 148 participants, respectively. Similarly, the reactogenicity data after homologous BNT162b2/BNT162b2 and heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 prime-boost vaccinations were available for 159 and 71 participants, respectively.

In the heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 prime-boost vaccination group, two doses of respective vaccines were administered at an interval of 12 weeks.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified criteria were used to grade vaccine-associated reactogenicity.

Important observations

No significant difference in frequency or severity of local reactions was observed after homologous or heterologous prime-boost vaccination. However, considerable differences in systemic reactions were observed between the tested vaccination regimens. The most frequent systemic reactions were observed after prime vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (86%), followed by homologous BNT162b2/BNT162b2 (65%) and heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 (48%) prime-boost vaccinations.

Solicited local and systemic reactions of different vaccine regimens reported until seven days after vaccination. (A, B) Proportion of participants reporting any local reaction (A), and indicated local reactions grouped by severity (B). (C, D) Proportion of participants reporting any systemic reaction (C), and indicated systemic symptoms grouped by severity (D). (E) Proportion of participants reporting intake of antipyretic medication within 24 hours (top) and seven days (bottom) after vaccination. BNT; BNT162b2 (Comirnaty), ChAdOx; ChAdOx1- nCoV19 (Vaxzevria). Definition of severity according to a modified Food and Drug administration (FDA) criteria.

Compared to heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 prime-boost vaccination, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 prime vaccination was associated with more frequent severe systemic reactions including fatigue, myalgia, headache, chills, and high fever. The highest intake of antipyretic medicines was observed before (protective) and after (curative) ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 prime vaccination. In contrast, significantly lower consumption of antipyretic medicines was observed among participants belonging to other vaccination groups.

Study significance

The study findings reveal comparable reactogenicity for homologous BNT162b2/BNT162b2 and heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 prime-boost vaccinations. Among study participants, heterologous prime-boost vaccination exhibits a well-tolerated profile.

Based on the study findings, the scientists recommend that immunizing people with the 1st dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and 2nd dose of BNT162b2 vaccine at an interval of 12 weeks can significantly reduce vaccine-associated reactogenicity.

*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.
KA Imaging has signed a distribution agreement in the USA with Alpha Imaging. Hospitals, medical facilities, and practices from 14 states can now acquire Reveal 35C through Alpha Imaging, one of the largest distributors of medical imaging equipment in the country.

Robert Moccia, VP of Sales for KA Imaging in the United States and Canada, is thrilled to have made this agreement.

Our partnership with Alpha is a big step towards KA Imagings vision to bring innovative X-ray everywhere. Alpha Imagings 30+ year track record of providing Imaging equipment to some of the most prestigious healthcare institutions in the US gives KA Imaging the access and credibility to excite the market with our technology and ultimately improve patient care said Moccia.

The addition of KA Imagings Reveal 35C adds yet another advanced imaging technology to our robust portfolio of medical imaging offerings. Single exposure subtracted chest imaging will provide clients with a low dose and cost-effective alternative to traditional dual- energy systems. We are excited to partner with KA Imaging. Michael Perrico, CEO of Alpha Imaging

Reveal 35C is the worlds first and only portable dual-energy X-ray detector. The detector provides radiologists with three unobstructed images in a single shot that are free from motion artifacts. Reveal is currently being used in two clinical trials, for detecting both lung cancer and pneumonia (including COVID-19) with great initial success.

About Alpha Imaging:

Alpha Imaging LLC, headquartered in Ohio, is one of the largest independent sales and service providers of advanced medical imaging equipment in the United States.

Alpha is celebrating over 30 years in the imaging industry and Alpha Imaging partners with leading global manufacturers to deliver state-of-the-art products and services that meet the clinical, operational and economic needs of the U.S. healthcare market. One of Inc. Magazines fastest growing companies for 10 straight years, Alpha Imaging builds customer loyalty with a personal touch rarely seen in todays medical imaging marketplace.

About KA Imaging:

A spin-off from the University of Waterloo, KA Imaging specializes in developing innovative X-ray imaging technologies and systems, providing solutions to the medical, veterinary, and non-destructive test industrial markets. For more information, visit www.kaimaging.com.
A new manifesto created by LGBT+ youth groups and sociolinguistics experts at the University of Nottingham has been launched to call for a more inclusive society in the UK.

The manifesto presents a 12-point plan to address the many situations and problems young LGBT+ people face every day of their lives.

The project is showcased on a new website and in a social media campaign arguing for changes to better support LGBT+ youth.

The LGBT+ Youth Manifesto has been developed as part of language research which examines gender and sexual identity and has been funded by the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust.

Dr Lucy Jones from the School of English has worked closely with groups of young people aged 12 to 20 in four socioeconomically and culturally distinct regions of the North and Midlands of England. The research has explored how young people navigate the norms and ideologies of gender and sexuality in their everyday lives.

Lucy carried out interviews and focus groups with four LGBT+ youth organisations in 2018-19 and during lockdown last year further online workshops with more than 40 additional young people from these groups. The resulting awareness campaign combines important points made by the participants, who helped to write and design the final manifesto and its website.

The 12 steps being promoted by the manifesto include:

Regular open talks about LGBT+ identities in school

Better provision of and access to LGBT+ youth groups

More inclusive changing rooms and toilet facilities

Schools to take LGBT+ hate crime more seriously

A government ban on 'conversion therapy

Many of the participants gave comments for use in the manifesto: "LGBT+ people shouldn't be treated like mythical creatures. They should be valued, recognised and respected for who they are, and included."

"The youth group is a place where I can be myself and not be judged."

"Most of us have feelings of depression and sadness, but the group is a small bit of happiness in the week."

"My teachers have asked me to talk to younger kids about being LGBT because they weren't comfortable doing it themselves."

"If there's no LGBT sex education then kids will think it's not normal to be gay."

Anna, a volunteer youth worker from Nottingham, said: "Young LGBT+ people today are growing up with a huge burden, so it's more important than ever that their voices are not just heard, but actually listened to."

This manifesto represents the views of a range of young people who, because of their gender and/or sexual identities, are often marginalised in our society. We know that young LGBT+ people are potentially very vulnerable, but there's still a huge lack of knowledge around how best to support them. We all need to be better educated about the barriers they face to being happy, healthy young people - and we can start by asking them what they need. That's what the LGBT+ Youth Manifesto is all about." Dr Lucy Jones, Project Lead, University of Nottingham

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and People, Professor Sarah Sharples, said: "The LGBT+ Youth Manifesto is a prime example of how academic research can give real power to younger generations, giving them a voice in important issues affecting their daily lives.

As Lucy notes, we know that LGBTQ+ students are more likely to experience depression or anxiety than non-LGBTQ+ students; the Youth Manifesto is a very valuable tool to help all those who work with and support LGBTQ+ young people to do their best".
Covid-19 is opening the door for researchers to address a problem that has vexed the medical community for decades: the overtreatment and unnecessary treatment of patients.

On one hand, the pandemic caused major health setbacks for non-covid patients who were forced to, or chose to, avoid tests and treatments for various illnesses. On the other hand, in cases in which no harm was done by delays or cancellations, medical experts can now reevaluate whether those procedures are truly necessary.

Numerous studies have shown that overtreatment causes unnecessary suffering and billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs.

But never before, said researcher Allison Oakes, has there been such a large database to compare patients who received a particular test or treatment with those who did not.

Oakes was a principal author of an October paper in Health Affairs by the Research Consortium for Health Care Value Assessment. The paper noted that covid provided an important new measurement  examining outcomes for patients who received treatment before hospitals canceled care because of covid and those who had their care canceled.

Areas ripe for study, said Oakes: colonoscopies done on patients older than age 85; hemoglobin blood work for Type 2 diabetes patients; semi-elective surgeries, such as knee arthroscopy for articular cartilage surgery; and yearly dental X-rays. All were done less often because of covid, she said.

"There are two sides of the pie: low-value care and care that people get in trouble if they don't get," said Oakes, who expects researchers to take advantage of all the data provided from covid on "both types of care."

One recent study looked at Veterans Affairs patients who had elective surgeries canceled because of covid. The study found they were no more likely to visit hospital emergency departments than patients who had undergone those surgeries in 2018.

Dr. Heather Lyu of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School said much testing and care was cut back by patients' fears of contracting covid in a medical setting and because medical facilities and staffers were fighting just to keep up with covid cases.

"There are some procedures, tests, and exams that cannot be delayed in any situation," Lyu said in an email. For example, she pointed to the screening, surveillance and treatment of cancer patients.

However, she said other tests and treatments can be delayed or canceled without negative effects. Lyu oversaw a 2017 survey of 2,000 physicians, with half the doctors saying the percentage of unnecessary medical care was higher than 20.6% and half saying it was lower.

Unnecessary treatment or overtreatment can result from several factors, the doctors in Lyu's survey said. Concerns about malpractice lead doctors to test even for unlikely problems to avoid missing something, they said. Sometimes health providers have difficulty assessing patients' prior medical records. Then there is the incentive for the health industry to boost revenue, sometimes to help pay for expensive testing equipment, the doctors said.

Leaps in technology are a major factor.

Dr. Jill Wruble, a radiologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, said a CT scan that provided 30 or 40 images when she began practicing in the 1990s now provides thousands of high-resolution images.

"We now see things that we would have never seen before, like a lesion that may never become a problem," Wruble said.

Wruble said some patients still opt for aggressive medical treatment for things like that questionable lesion.

"Patients  often resist advice to 'watch and wait' and will demand surgery even when the operation itself comes with potentially dire consequences," Wruble said. The consequences are not only higher costs but potentially years of physical discomfort and pain, along with diminished physical abilities, she said.

Susan Gennaro, dean and professor at the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College, said covid provides not only opportunities to study unnecessary medical care, but also opportunities to examine areas of insufficient care. She cites a lack of mental health resources for covid patients suffering through difficult treatment and even facing death without friends or family.

"When we are thinking of new ways to treat, we all need to think about our fascination with surgery and invasive procedures and start thinking more holistically about health," Gennaro said.

Covid's upending of scheduled non-covid care hit hard in March and April last year, when the pandemic first began to overwhelm hospitals. Cancer surgery scheduled in April for Krista Petruzziello, for example, was postponed due to the focus on covid care.

Instead of surgery, the 49-year-old real estate agent from Lowell, Massachusetts, received hormonal treatment usually reserved for breast cancer patients with larger tumors.

"It was concerning for sure," said Petruzziello. "Who knew a year ago how long it would be until surgery would be available for patients like me?"

It was only about six or seven weeks later when she had successful surgery to remove a tumor shrunken by the hormonal treatment. A recent follow-up scan found her clear of cancer, she said.

"Maybe there will be cases where the tumor disappears altogether [from hormonal treatment], allowing the surgery to be canceled," Petruzziello said. "Wouldnt that be a good thing?

Dr. Harold Burstein, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who treated Petruzziello, said breast cancer surgery will remain a key component of treatment for the foreseeable future. But he said hormone treatment "before surgery" can shrink the tumor and "hopefully make for less extensive surgery."

Covid, he said, forced health care providers to "think outside the box."
In a study funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) researchers examined whether depression, either before or during pregnancy, affects the mother-infant relationship. The research was published today (Tuesday 25 May) in BJPsych Open.

Researchers looked at the quality of mother-infant interactions eight weeks and 12 months after birth in three groups of women; healthy women, women with clinically-significant depression in pregnancy, and women with a lifetime history of depression but healthy pregnancies.

The study used a sample of 131 women: 51 healthy mothers with no current or past depression, 52 mothers with depression referred to the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Perinatal Psychiatry Services, and 28 'history-only' mothers with a history of depression but no current diagnosis.

Quality of interaction

At both eight weeks and 12 months, mothers and babies in the depression and history-only groups displayed a reduced quality of interaction. Specifically, at eight weeks, 62% in the group of mothers with depression during pregnancy and 56% in the group of mothers with a history-only of depression scored in the lowest category of relationship quality, where therapeutic interventions are recommended, compared with 37% in the healthy group.

All mother and baby groups improved in their quality of interaction between 8 weeks and 12 months which researchers say indicates that with time all mothers and their babies can become more attuned to each other.

At six days, new-born babies of mothers in the depression and history-only groups had decreased social-interactive behavior, which, together with maternal socio-economic difficulties, was also predictive of a reduced quality of interaction, while postnatal depression was not.

Our findings suggest that perinatal mental health professionals should offer support not only to women with depression during pregnancy, but also to pregnant women with a history of depression, as they may also be at risk of interaction difficulties. Future research should try to understand why a history of depression, despite a healthy perinatal period, may impact the developing relationship." Dr Rebecca Bind, Study Lead Author and Research Associate, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London

Senior author Carmine Pariante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London and Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:

"We recommend that healthcare professionals provide pregnant women at risk of interaction difficulties with examples of positive caregiving behaviors, and with ways to engage their babies and understand their needs, all of which could be incorporated into parenting and birth classes and health visits.

We also suggest that interventions that can help the mother-infant interaction should be made more widely available, such as video feedback, where a clinician and mother discuss what behaviors work best to engage and comfort the baby, and structured mother-baby activities, such as art and singing groups. This is especially important because we know that the early years are vital for future mental health and wellbeing."

The relationship between mothers and infants was assessed using the Crittenden Child-Adult Relationship Experimental-Index which assesses 'dyadic synchrony', a term that describes the quality of the relationship as a whole. Researchers analyzed films of three-minute interactions filmed at eight weeks and 12 months postnatal.

Mothers played with their babies while researchers scored the relationship based on seven aspects of behavior: facial expression, vocal expression, position and body contact, affection and arousal, turn-taking contingencies, control, and choice of activity. The researchers are grateful to the women and their infants who participated in the PRAM-D study and to everyone on the study team who recruited, collected, and analyzed data.
A recent qualitative study of rehabilitation professionals caring for people with spatial neglect enabled researchers to identify interventions to improve rehabilitation outcomes.

Experts reported that implementation of spatial neglect care depends on interventions involving family support and training, promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration, development of interprofessional vocabulary, and continuous treatment and follow-up assessment through care transitions.

The article, "Barriers and Facilitators to Rehabilitation Care of Individuals with Spatial Neglect: A Qualitative Study of Professional Views" was published online in Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation on March 31, 2021.

The authors are Peii Chen, PhD, and Jeanne Zanca, PhD, of Kessler Foundation; Emily Esposito, MS, of University of California, Riverside; and A.M. Barrett, MD, of Atlanta VA Health Care System and Emory University School of Medicine. Drs. Chen and Zanca also have academic appointments at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

After a stroke or other type of brain injury, many people experience spatial neglect, a disabling complication that disrupts a person's 'internal GPS', causing them to have difficulties in navigating the environment. As a result, people may have trouble with balance, attention span, reading, memory, and navigation, and are at higher risk for injuries caused by falls, collisions, and other accidents. Spatial neglect contributes to prolonged recovery and poor rehabilitation outcomes.

To understand this problem, researchers conducted a qualitative study to ask rehabilitation professionals what challenges and helpful factors they encounter as they provide treatment to people with spatial neglect.

In six focus group sessions with 15 occupational therapists and 14 physical therapists, all of whom treated patients with spatial neglect in a rehabilitation hospital system, researchers learned that while a range of barriers need to be addressed, ample opportunities exist to improve spatial neglect rehabilitation.

The therapists reported having support of peers and senior faculty, other clinical and service staff, and the management leadership.

Spatial neglect care was facilitated by access to many if not all facility and equipment resources (e.g., specific treatment devices, availability of private space, feasibility of rearranging the physical setup of the room), a flexible schedule to meet individual patients' needs, the freedom to try new treatment approaches, and various channels to gain knowledge (e.g., grand rounds, journal clubs, and collaborations with researchers).

Successful treatment for spatial neglect also depends on patient and family-related factors as well as insurance reimbursement.

Increasing patients' self-awareness of their own deficits and improving their engagement and participation in therapy is an important first step in improving treatment outcomes. Supportive family members are also key facilitators to successful rehabilitation. Having an engaged, informed, and prepared caregiver can have enormous benefit." Dr. Chen, Study Lead Author and Senior Research Scientist, Center for Stroke Rehabilitation Research, Kessler Foundation

"By taking steps to detect spatial neglect and intervene early, rehabilitation facilities can help individuals recovering from stroke get maximal benefit from their stay," concluded Dr. Chen. "Ensuring continuity of care through transitions and supporting patient education and continuing education for therapists will contribute to improvement in long-term outcomes after stroke."
Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, many different variants of its causative virus  severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)  have emerged. Through increased viral fitness, some of these have risen to predominance over earlier variants in a remarkably short period of time. New research, by a team of scientists at major institutions in France, examines the reasons behind this phenomenon in one such variant of concern (VOC), the so-called UK variant.

A pre-print version of the study is available on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

Background

Also known as the B.1.1.7 variant, the UK variant reproduces up to 90% more rapidly to produce secondary cases and may soon become the dominant lineage worldwide. The underlying biology responsible for this is unclear but may include a higher viral load and a longer infectious period.

Viral shedding is closely related to infectious potential, and is known to be higher in B.1.1.7, which also shows a longer infectious period and a higher viral load. The current study focuses on the viral infectivity of this strain compared to others.

Study details

The researchers examined the virus and cytokine loads in over 400 nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR). This test looks for genetic material  namely, viral ribonucleic acid (RNA).

The swabs were from individuals infected by both UK and non-UK strains and were obtained at different days from symptom onset.

The presence of the viral antigen was evaluated by a lateral flow antigen rapid diagnostic test (RDT). In addition, antibodies to the virus, both IgG and IgA, were measured in the samples. Finally, the titers of 48 cytokines were assessed.

Viral infectivity was measured by allowing the virus to infect cells expressing the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that binds the viral spike antigen, allowing viral entry. The cells were tagged with a fluorescent marker that lit up when the cells fused together to form syncytia, as expected following infection.

The cells were engineered to express TMPRSS2, an enzyme that increases susceptibility to this virus by priming the spike glycoprotein.

Two sample sets of NP swabs were tested, one with 200 samples with PCR cycle thresholds (Ct) <40, collected in the period before the UK variant emerged. These sequences were assumed to belong to non-UK lineages.

The second came from a later period, with ~23- samples that had Ct < 33, and seven with Ct > 33. This consisted of both UK and non-UK strains, at 70 and ~160 each.

Detection of infectious virus, antibodies and cytokines in nasopharyngeal swabs. a. Study design. A retrospective series of 427 RTqPCR+ nasopharyngeal swabs from COVID-19 patients, harboring non-B.1.1.7 or B.1.17 variants, was analyzed. Four tests were performed: a lateral flow antigen rapid diagnostic test (RDT), anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA were measured with the flowcytometry based S-Flow assay, infectious virus was titrated with the S-Fuse assay, and 46 cytokines were quantified in a subset of 202 swabs (70 non-B.1.1.7 and 132 B.1.1.7 samples) by Multiplex or Simoa assays. b. Titration of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in the swabs. Left panel: Titration was performed with S-Fuse-T cells, which become GFP+ after infection. S-Fuse-T cells were exposed to serially diluted swabs (10-1 to 10-5) or to purified viral stocks (red dots) as a control. 12 RTqPCR- (white dots) and 17 RTqPCR+ (black dots) samples were first analyzed. An infectious titer was calculated in Infectious Units (IU)/ml, after automatic scoring of the area of GFP+ cells at each dilution. Right panel: correlation between titers measured in Vero cells (in DCP50/ml) and S-Fuse-T cells (in IU/ml). c. Representative images of S-Fuse-T cells exposed to the indicated dilutions of nasopharyngeal swabs. Samples from one non-B.1.1.7-infected and one B.1.1.7-infected individuals are shown. Scale bar: 400m. d. GFP (green) and S (red) expression in S-Fuse-T cells exposed to one infectious swab analyzed by immunofluorescence. The Hoechst dye (blue) stains the nuclei. Scale bar: 40 m. e. Neutralization of infectious virus by mAb48. Swabs (n=19) were preincubated 30 min at RT with mAb48 (1 g/ml) and added to S-Fuse-T cells. Result from one representative experiment out of 3 is shown. A Wilcoxon paired t-test was performed **** p<0.0001.

What were the results?

Both variants had Ct values below 22. In those carrying infectious viruses, the Ct was 17 and 19 for the UK and non-UK strains, respectively. Viral shedding occurred at a median of 2 days after symptoms began.

In both cases, antibodies were detected only after 5 days, but before 10 days, in most cases, in NP swabs. Thus, the presence of antibodies seems to prevent the further presence of infectious virus, limiting viral shedding. This corroborates earlier findings that impaired antibody production allows prolonged viral shedding.

The results in the first pre-B.1.1.7) samples set showed that samples varied widely in their infectivity. Over half had detectable infectious virus, though the viral loads ranged from 0 to 105- 6Infectious Units/mL (IU)/ml). The median titer was 1000 IU/mL.

The higher the infectious titer, the lower was the SARS-CoV-2 RNA load, as assessed by PCR Ct values. Conversely, the antigenic RDT was positive in over 90% of samples containing viable virus. That is, a positive RDT detected 93% of samples with detectable viable virus. A negative RDT would have 78% specificity, implying it would not report 22% of the negative samples correctly.

RDT correlates with infectious virus content

Ct values were lower, at a median of 22, in samples with a positive RDT, compared to 31 in the positive cohort. This indicates that samples containing infectious virus have a more than 600-fold higher viral RNA content.

Two out of three individuals were most likely to be infectious within the first few days of symptom onset, at a median of 2 days, when the Ct values were below 22.

In the second sample set, RDT was positive in about 72-73% of samples, for both variants. Similarly, infectious virus was detectable in about 40-42% of samples with both variants. The presence of infectious viral particles predicted a positive RDT in 97% of cases.

Extent of viral shedding

Viral shedding is known to begin up to six days before symptoms begin, but viral loads fall steadily thereafter. On day 2, detectable virus was present in similar fractions of the UK and non-UK variant groups.

However, the UK variants tended to fall faster, perhaps indicating that peak infectivity occurs before symptoms began. This could not be confirmed as no pre-symptomatic samples were available and may be the result of somewhat lower viral titers, overall, with this variant.

Cytokine responses

In both sample types (containing the UK and non-UK variants), cytokines were evaluated, showing that some were increased in critical COVID-19 patients compared to those without such severe illness. For some cytokines, such as IFNa2, the levels were lower as Ct values rose for both UK and non-UK variants.

Further analysis revealed that this increase in the number of cytokines occurred mainly in patients infected with the UK strain. These included beta-interferon, granzyme B, several interleukins such as IL-10, IL-13 and IL-15, and the growth factor GM-CSF that stimulates the growth of white cells other than lymphocytes in the blood.

What are the implications?

The study used a novel cell culture with a reporter system with enhanced susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection via TMPRSS2 expression by forming fluorescent syncytia within 24 hours. This assay is also more convenient since it is partly automated, and can be applied to different clinical samples.

In addition to infectious virus, RT PCR, RDT, antibody titers and cytokine concentrations were also measured to visualize how long infectivity persists in NP swabs, with either UK or non-UK variants. The determinants of such shedding were also evaluated.

The findings show that about half the patients were infectious at the time of sample collection. This is in contrast to an earlier study that shows less than 10% infectivity in hospitalized patients, though another, presumably less efficient, assay was used for viral detection.

However, viable virus is shed only until antibody production begins, and long-term shedding may comprise viral remnants rather than infectious viruses. Viable virus particles were mostly detected within ten days, with a few samples going up to 14 days, indicating a longer period of infectivity than earlier observed.

This contrasts with earlier studies, where live virus has not been observed beyond 8-9 days, though this may be due to the low sensitivity of the cell-based assay method used. Exceptions to this were in patients with impaired immunity and one patient with severe COVID-19.

Though the different variants failed to show any marked differences in peak infectivity and viral shedding, the B.1.1.7 variant appears to show a faster decrease in infectivity over time.

Most importantly, higher levels of cytokines were obvious in samples containing B.1.1.7. This indicates that this variant may produce a more intense inflammatory reaction leading to more severe disease.

This reflects the findings of some animal studies, where IL-6, IL-10 and IFN- were much higher in hamsters infected with the UK variant but not with three other strains.

Further studies should look into the correlation between cytokine levels and transmissibility or viral shedding. Also, the comparability of NP cytokines with levels in blood samples should be examined, as immunologic studies suggest that immune responses to the infection tend to be localized to the infected tissue.

Larger studies, including asymptomatic patients, will help to assess whether these findings remain valid, since these individuals are responsible for most of the viral spread at the community level.

*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.
CAR-T cell therapy offers the hope of a cure to a number of cancer patients. Yet, in spite of the great effectiveness, more attention has been paid to the toxicity of the therapy known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS).

This article is aimed at summarizing the main points of assessment, grading and management of CRS in CAR-T Therapy and provide answers to the following questions:

How to identify the onset of CRS clinically?

What is CRS management?

What is the ASTCT CRS consensus grading

How to use tocilizumab in CRS management

Assessment, grading and management of CRS in CAR-T therapy

In recent times, many cancer patients are hopeful for a cure in relation to CAR-T cell therapy. However, even though the treatment is extremely effective, the inherent toxicity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a significant obstacle.

Subsequent to the administration of CAR-T into the human body, T lymphocytes are activated and rapidly proliferate, which leads to an excessive release of cytokines including TNF-, IFN-, IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12.

This effect can lead to complications including fever, hypotension, blood coagulation disorders, dyspnea, myalgia and end-organ dysfunction. The result could mean permanent damage to tissues and organs and be fatal in severe cases.

To summarize, CRS is an acute systemic inflammatory syndrome that is associated with CAR-T cell therapy [1]. However, there are many influencing components that can influence the occurrence of CRS, including treatment procedure, disease state and drugs [2]. (Table 1)

Table 1. Risk factors for CRS. Source: ACROBiosystems

How to identify the onset of CRS clinically?

CRS patients usually have levels of serum CRP and ferritin that are higher than normal.

They can be used as biomarkers to identify the development of CRS. Yet, these markers, including ferritin, CRP, LDH, AST, ALT and creatinine only appear after the clinical manifestations of CRS. Thus, it is not possible to determine the onset of CRS using these biomarkers.

A majority of hospitals cannot monitor real-time cytokine levels; they can only detect the clinical manifestations. Factors that include the type of CAR-T therapy and the disease state and condition of the patient typically decide when the CRS is going to occur.

For patients taking Kymriah, which contains the costimulatory domain of 4-1BB (CD137), the peak of CRS happens on the 3rd and 7th day after administration.

However, for patients taking Yescarta or Tecartus, which include the costimulatory domain of CD28, the CRS can occur earlier, usually on the second day of administration. But a number of delayed CRS cases were reported three weeks after administering CAR-T administration.[2]

In 2019, the American Society for Transplantation and Cell Therapy (ASTCT) drew up a grading guideline for CRS consensus (Table 2). The guideline stipulates that the presence of a fever (38C) is a requirement: with or without hypotension and/or hypoxia, the conditions can become more severe.

Table 2. ASTCT CRS Consensus Grading. Source: ACROBiosystems

Studies have demonstrated that the ASTCT grading system can offer a rapid, accurate, objective and repeatable clinical assessment of the severity of CRS.[2-3]

Grade 1) CRS patients showing fever and other non-specific symptoms but no hypotension or hypoxia are placed into a grade 1 category. The strategy for treatment is intravenous infusion of antipyretic drugs.

Grade 2) Defined as CRS grade 2 patients show fever (38.0C) with hypotension, yet not requiring vasopressors and/or hypoxia necessitating the use of oxygen supplied via low-flow nasal cannula (6 L/minute) or blow-by.

However, it crucial to note that CRS patients are at high risk of edema as a result of vasodilatation and capillary leakage. Thus, fluid infusion must be carefully monitored. Tocilizumab, which inhibits IL-6, can be issued to grade 2 patients.

Studies have demonstrated that early administration of tocilizumab can reduce the severity of CRS and organ failure while conserving the efficacy of CAR-T therapy.

Grade 3) For patients showing signs of grade 3 CRS, that is, patients that have fever, low blood pressure and no response to fluid infusion, while requiring high-flow oxygen (6L/min), admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) should be considered.

Condition management and careful use of Belizumab and glucocorticoids (dexamethasone, etc.) for treatment, and it is recommended to use vasopressor (such as norepinephrine) and/ or high-flow nasal cannula (>6 L/minute) in order to prevent visceral damage and further deterioration.

Additionally, as high-grade CRS patients are susceptible to cardiac dysfunction, it is advised to continuously monitor cardiac function.

Grade 4) This grade of CRS is defined as fever (38.0C) with hypotension which necessitates several vasopressors (excluding vasopressin) and/or hypoxia requiring positive pressure (e.g., CPAP, intubation, bilevel positive airway pressure, mechanical ventilation) not ascribed to another cause.

It is recommended to use methylprednisolone at a dose of 1g/day, in addition to following the steps of the grade 3 CRS treatment. Studies show that with early intervention, high-grade CRS is reversible.

In 2017, the FDA approved the drug Roche's tocilizumab (trade name Actemra): developed for the CRS caused by CAR-T therapy through the blockage of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL -6).

Clinical guidance of tocilizumab [4]:

(1) Tocilizumab should be considered in the early stage of CRS for patients with severe complications or the elderly.

(2) Tocilizumab can be administered for children with grade 3 CRS and adults with grade 2 CRS.

(3) Tocilizumab can be administered to pediatric patients who show grade 2 CRS but are intolerant to fever.

(4) If the conditions do not improve for adults and children administered with one dose of tocilizumab, the second dose should be combined with glucocorticoids. If there is still no improvement in the patients condition, consider Anakinra, Siltuximab and a high dose of methylprednisolone.

Researchers are grafting hard to find preventative solutions or appropriate treatment for CRS. In 2018, Nature published two articles on the same day that discussed a new way to control CAR-T toxicity.

The research demonstrated that the inhibition of IL-1 limits the macrophage-induced CRS. In 2019, Michel Sadelain, director of the Cell Engineering Center of Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, published an article printed in Science translational medicine.

Sadelain determined that a functional switch was present in CAR-T cells, which prevented incidents of CRS in mouse models.[5] In January 2020, an article in Science Immunology was put forward by a research team from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

This article presented the process of pyrolysis as a result of CAR-T therapies and CRSs mechanisms. From the clarity of the microscope images, it is possible to observe the entire process of CRS triggered by CAR-T cell therapy.[6]

With the ongoing clinical research of CAR-T therapies and CRS, breakthroughs are expected in the near future.

ACROBiosystems developed a series of CAR-T target proteins, including CD19, BCMA, CD22 MSLN and EGFR. We have all these proteins in different forms like non-labeled, biotin-labeled and fluorescent-labeled, etc. We also provide the flow cytometry protocols for CAR expression detection.

ACRO FITC-labeled CD19 protein (Cat. No. CD9-HF2H2) is exceptionally specific and sensitive in anti-CD19 CAR detection assays. Another antibody (Cat. No. FM3-FY45) was developed to target the antigen-binding epitope of FMC63 scFv. This product facilitates an additional technique for Anti-CD19 (FMC63) CAR detection.

ACRO FITC-labeled BCMA protein (Cat. No. BCA-HF254) offers excellent sensitivity. This product has been used extensively across a variety of assays and is well-known throughout the industry.

Product list

CD19

BCMA

Anti-FMC63 mAb

Case study

Image Credit: ACROBiosystems

Staining 1e6 of the anti-CD19 CAR-293 cells with 100 L of 1:50 dilution (2 L stock solution in 100 L FACS buffer) of PE-Labeled Human CD19 (20-291), His Tag (Cat. No. CD9-HP2H3). PE Streptavidin was utilized as a negative control.

Image Credit: ACROBiosystems

2e5 of Anti-CD19 CAR-293 cells were stained with 100 L of 1:50 dilution (2 L stock solution in 100 L FACS buffer) FITC-Labeled Monoclonal Anti-FMC63 scFv Antibody, Mouse IgG1 (Cat. No. FM3-FY45) and isotype control sequentially. FITC signal was utilized to assess the binding activity.

Image Credit: ACROBiosystems

PE signal was utilized to evaluate the binding activity while 1e6 of the Anti-BCMA CAR-293 cells were stained with 100 L of 1:50 dilution (2 L stock solution in 100 L FACS buffer) of PE-Labeled Human BCMA Protein, His Tag (Cat. No. BCA-HP2H2) and negative control protein respectively.

References

https://www.cn-healthcare.com/articlewm/20190306/content-1047067.html . Schubert ML, Schmitt M, Wang L, et al. Side-effect management of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Ann Oncol. 2021;32(1):34-48. Freyer CW, Porter DL. Cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity following CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2020;146(5):940-948. Maus MV, Alexander S, Bishop MR, et al. Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immune effector cell-related adverse events. J Immunother Cancer. 2020;8(2):e001511. Mestermann, Katrin, et al. "The tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib acts as a pharmacologic on/off switch for CAR T cells." Science translational medicine 11.499 (2019). Liu, Yuying, et al. "Gasdermin Emediated target cell pyroptosis by CAR T cells triggers cytokine release syndrome." Science immunology 5.43 (2020).

About ACROBiosystems

ACROBiosystems is a leading manufacturer of recombinant proteins and other critical reagents to support the development of target therapeutics. The company employs an application-oriented development strategy, with a particular focus on product design, quality control, and solution-based support. Our products and services enable anyone in the field of drug development to have a more intuitive and streamlined process.

To respond to the coronavirus pandemic, ACROBiosystems has developed SARS-CoV-2 antigens specifically designed and optimized for serological test kits, including Spike-derived antigen S1, RBD, and Nucleocapsid protein. Proteins have been supplied to diagnostic companies in large quantities.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
Fleming appeared to be caught on cellphone video ranting and raving outside the Chabad of South Broward on Friday. After leaving on an electric bike, Fleming returned a few hours later with a bag of pillowcase containing human feces that he dumped outside the building while shouting Jews should die, according to a police report.
Jeffersonville, IN (47130)

Today

Sunny along with a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
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(Newser)  Defrocked Catholic priest Richard Lavigne died before he could face justice for the murder of 13-year-old altar boy Danny Croteau almost 50 years agobut the victim's older brother believes Lavigne is now facing a higher power. Danny was found dead in a Springfield, Massachusetts, river on April 14, 1972. The boy, who was still wearing his Catholic school uniform, had been bludgeoned to death. Lavigne died Friday, and Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Monday that the case is now closed, WCVB reports. He said that hours before the 80-year-old Lavigne's death, he had authorized investigators to present evidence to a judge and obtain an arrest warrant. "Danny Croteau died at the hands of Richard Lavigne," Gulluni told reporters.

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Lavigne, long the only suspect in Croteau's death, was found guilty of molesting boys in 1992 and was sentenced to probation and sex-offender counseling, the AP reports. He was defrocked in 2003. Investigators believe the priest killed Croteau because the boy had threatened to disclose sexual abuse, MassLive reports. Lavigne was interviewed in a hospital bed by a state trooper in April and early May. He admitted bringing the boy to the river and assaulting him but stopped short of a full confession. Gulluni said other evidence included a bizarre typewritten letter speaking of "terrible compulsions" Lavigne claimed to have received anonymously from the real killer. The DA said the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield didn't share the letter with authorities until 2004, when they were subpoenaed as part of a separate investigation. (Read more Massachusetts stories.)
(Newser)  The origins of COVID-19 remain under investigation. But anyone following stories on the topic has likely noticed a big shift in consensus over the last few weeks: The idea that the virus escaped from a lab in China, once generally denounced as a conspiracy theory, is now very much in play. At this point, the idea is merely an unconfirmed theory, as is the competing notion that the virus jumped to humans from an animal such as a bat. It's just that both are now being taken seriously. A look at the how and why of the shift in thinking:

At New York, Jonathan Chait has a comprehensive analysis on the "failures" of the mainstream media here. He suggests the media recoiled against the lab theory as a knee-jerk reaction to former President Trump's "dissembling" on the issue. He writes that Trump kept raising the possibility of a Chinese lab leak because he was trying to deflect from his own COVID failures, and the media lumped this in with falsehoods and inaccuracies voiced by the president.

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There was a key distinction, however. At one point, Trump suggested that China leaked the virus deliberately. The media rightly disavowed this, but seemed blind to the possibility that the leak could have come from a lab accidentally, writes Chait.

Some were supporting the lab theory all along. Nicholson Baker wrote a New York story in January arguing that an accidental leak was more plausible than people realized. And GOP Sen. Tom Cotton has been saying this from the start, "so the history books will reward him if he turns out to be right," writes Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler, who has a timeline of the entire controversy.

The tide began to shift this month. A group of prominent scientists published a letter in Science calling for a new investigation because "theories of accidental release from a lab" were plausible. Former New York Times science reporter Donald G. McNeil wrote an essay in Medium along the same lines.

The respected PolitiFact, which once labeled the lab idea a "debunked conspiracy theory," has appended a note to its report: "When this fact-check was first published in September 2020, PolitiFacts sources included researchers who asserted the SARS-CoV-2 virus could not have been manipulated. That assertion is now more widely disputed. For that reason, we are removing this fact-check from our database pending a more thorough review. Currently, we consider the claim to be unsupported by evidence and in dispute." The site has a new "what we know" article on the controversy.

The Wall Street Journal continues to do in-depth reporting on the issue, with its latest story raising questions about the illnesses of miners in a cave dating back to 2012.

(Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  A San Antonio woman was about to drive her three children to school Monday morning when she was fatally shot as the kids looked on. The 28-year-old was found dead behind the wheel of her car, with the 10-year-old, 6-year-old, and 2-year-old inside, KTSA reports. A witness told police they saw the woman's 30-year-old estranged husband approach the car before the shooting. KSAT reports a 30-year-old suspect was taken into custody by police, and authorities say they are "relatively certain" he is the woman's estranged husband, who had violated a protective order multiple times since 2018 and was out on bond Monday. The children are in their grandmother's care. (Read more Texas stories.)
(Newser)  Ecologist Rolf Peterson remembers driving remote stretches of road in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and seeing areas strewn with deer carcasses. That changed after gray wolves arrived in the region from Canada and Minnesota. "When wolves moved in during the 1990s and 2000s, the deer-vehicle collisions went way down," said the Michigan Tech researcher. Recently, the AP reports, another team of scientists has gathered data about road collisions and wolf movements in Wisconsin to quantify how the arrival of wolves there affected the frequency of deer-auto collisions. It created what scientists call "a landscape of fear," they found. "In a pretty short period of time, once wolves colonize a county, deer-vehicle collisions go down about 24%," said Dominic Parker, a natural resources economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-author of their study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Both thinning of the deer population by wolves and behavior changes in fearful deer are factors in the drop-off, Parker said. "When you have a major predator around, it impacts how the prey behave," he said. "Wolves use linear features of a landscape as travel corridors, like roads, pipelines, and stream beds. Deer learn this and can adapt by staying away." Gray wolves, among the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. But in other regions of the US, gray wolves have dispersed naturally; the population in the lower 48 states now totals about 5,500. The study said the presence of wolves, maligned by ranchers whose livestock suffers predation, also can save money by indirectly reducing deer-vehicle collisions. In 2008, a study for the US Department of Transportation estimated those crashes cost more than $8 billion annually. "If anything, the researchers underestimated the value of the deer-vehicle crashes," Peterson said, pointing out the cost of medical bills and even human fatalities.

(Read more wolves stories.)
(Newser)  The Biden administration said Monday that it would appeal a judge's order directing it to release in its entirety a legal memo on whether President Trump had obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. But it also agreed to make a brief portion of the document public, the AP reports. US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson earlier this month ordered the Justice Department to release the entire March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization. She said the department, under Attorney General William Barr, had misstated the purpose of the document in arguing that it was legally entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. In a motion filed late Monday, the deadline for deciding whether it would comply with the judge's decision or appeal it, the Justice Department said that it continued to believe even that the full document should be exempt from disclosure.

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Though the department agreed to release one section of the document, the lawyers asked Jackson to put her order on hold to give a federal appeals court a chance to review the ruling. The Justice Department turned over other documents to CREW as part of the group's lawsuit, but declined to give it the March 24, 2019 memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that was prepared for Barr to evaluate whether evidence collected in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation could support an obstruction of justice prosecution of the president. The brief portion of the memo that the department agreed to disclose shows that two senior Justice Department leaders advised Barr that, in their view, Mueller's evidence could not support an obstruction conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt. (Much more here.)
Floyd, 46, was taken into custody on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. He became unresponsive under Chauvins knee and was in cardiac arrest with no pulse when the white officer finally relented, according to testimony at Chauvins recent murder trial.
(Newser)  A pilot has died after an aircraft operated by a military contractor out of Nellis Air Force Base crashed in a nearby residential area, authorities in Las Vegas said Monday. A statement attributed to base spokesman Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry confirmed the crash occurred about 2:30pm, the AP reports. Florida-based company Draken US owned the aircraft, and said in a statement that the pilot, whose name has not been released, had died and no one else was on board. It's unclear whether there were injuries to people on the ground. The plane crashed in a yard where a neighbor, Alex Reyes, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he heard a loud thump and then saw black smoke billowing from the home.

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Neighbor Eugenia Brackeen told the newspaper she heard a boom so loud that she couldn't hear her television. She said her power went out for a short time. Witnesses posted online images of a plume of smoke not far from a southern fence to the base, of city and base fire crews arriving, and a helicopter circling. In a Twitter post, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he and his wife, Kathy, were praying for all those involved in todays incident, including Nellis service members and first-responders. Deputy Clark County Fire Chief Warren Whitney confirmed only that fire crews were called to the area in unincorporated county territory. He directed follow-up inquiries to Nellis. Police cordoned off the neighborhood about 7 miles northeast of downtown Las Vegas.

(Read more Air Force stories.)
(Newser)  Another norm has been shattered that coulddepending on how Western nations reactput political dissidents and travelers at greater risk. When Belarus forced an airliner down so it could seize a dissident on board, a basic standard was lost, Anne Applebaum writes in the Atlantic. Until now, pilots could trust the instructions from air traffic controllers, no matter what their nationality or political affiliation. But Belarus aviation officials became accomplices in dictator Alexander Lukashenko's hijacking when they told a Ryanair flight that a bomb was on board and it needed to land in Minsk. The crime compares to those committed by Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran against opponents, Applebaum says. "All of these cases form part of what is becoming a new norm: Authoritarian states in pursuit of their enemies no longer feel the need to respect passports, borders, diplomatic customs, ornowthe rules of air-traffic control."

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"In this new world, dictators are ever more prepared to arrest or murder political dissidents anywhere, no matter what citizenship they might have or which foreign laws or bureaucratic procedures might theoretically protect them." Other nations, including the US, spoke out against the hijacking, and Applebaum expects steps to be taken against Belarus shortly. Autocrats everywhere are waiting to see whether the West puts a stop to this now. If not, they have a new weapon and a message for dissidents, Applebaum writes: "You are never safe. Not even if you live in a democracy; not even if you have political asylum; not even if you are sitting on a commercial plane, thousands of feet above the ground." You can read the full piece here. (The father of the journalist taken from the plane worries about torture.)
(Newser)  A flight attendants union is pleading for more travel safeguards after an attack against a crew member on a Southwest flight over the weekend. Per a letter from Lyn Montgomery, president of Transport Workers Union Local 556, to the airline's CEO, a flight attendant was "seriously assaulted" by a passenger on a flight from Sacramento, Calif., to San Diego on Sunday morning, which caused injuries to the flight attendant's face and the loss of two teeth, reports USA Today. A Southwest spokesman confirmed the verbal and physical assault and said the passenger was taken into custody. "Unfortunately, this is just one of many occurrences," Montgomery wrote, noting an "unprecedented number" of passenger misconduct incidents in recent weeks that are now at an "intolerable level," with passengers becoming more and more aggressive. According to union statistics, there have been 477 such incidents on Southwest flights between April 8 and May 15.

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Southwest isn't the only airline facing these issues: The FAA says it's received about 2,500 reports of unruly passengers since Jan. 1, with about 1,900 of them tied to passengers not complying with face mask rules. A typical year sees 100 to 150 such reports. The agency has already proposed stiff fines for a number of the alleged offenders. The Southwest flight attendants union is asking management for backup, especially as more people start flying again and consuming alcohol in an "already volatile environment," per Montgomery's letter. Among the union's demands: an increase in the number of federal air marshals on flights; consistency in consequences for those who violate airline policies; and better communication with passengers that "egregious behavior" could lead to fines, jail time, and a lifetime ban from flying Southwest. "We ask that you take a strong stance to ensure that unruly passengers are not welcome to travel with us. Period. Full stop," the letter notes. (Read more Southwest Airlines stories.)
In this Aug. 28, 2020, file photo, people carry posters of George Floyd as they march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

In this Aug. 28, 2020, file photo, people carry posters of George Floyd as they march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
(Newser)  President Biden will meet face to face with Vladimir Putin, the man he recently labeled a "killer," next month in Switzerland. The meeting will take place June 16 in Geneva, and the New York Times expects it to focus heavily on nuclear arms. But the pair should have plenty of other topics to discuss, including US intelligence agencies' belief that Russia interfered with US elections, the persecution of Alexei Navalny, Russian hackers' attacks on the US, and the occupation of Crimea, per Axios. The outlet notes that the meeting will be a test of Biden's pledge to hold Russia accountable for all of the above.

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This will be the pair's first meeting since Biden became president, but they met before in 2011 when he was vice president. The Washington Post recounts that Biden said at the time that he looked into Putin's eyes and said, "I don't think you have a soul." According to Biden's telling, Putin smiled and responded, "We understand one another." Despite the appearance of rockier relations between the two compared to Putin and former President Trump, Biden has said the two nations must have "stable" and "predictable" ties. (Read more Vladimir Putin stories.)
(Newser)  An Oregon man who failed to return from a fishing trip has been found alive after 17 days lost in the wilderness. Harry Burleigh's wife reported him missing May 7 after he failed to return home the previous day. The Roseburg resident's vehicle was soon located at a trailhead leading into Twin Lakes in Umpqua National Forest on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains, per CNN. A week later, searchers with Douglas County Search and Rescue located Burleigh's fishing gear along with a shelter, built from a downed log, bark, and some ferns, per KATU. But Burleigh was nowhere to be found. Joined by other agencies, searchers were again looking for the 69-year-old on Sunday when they came up against tough terrain that halted their efforts. It was while leaving the area on a different route that they came across a second shelter.

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This time, Burleigh was with it. "The search crews called out to Mr. Burleigh who responded back," according to the sheriff's office. He didn't just respond. Sgt. Brad O'Dell says the man was "handing out hugs," per KATU. Whisked to a hospital by helicopter after complaining of minor pain, he's listed in stable condition. He'd apparently lost the trail sometime during darkness and spent the remainder of his time searching for safe drinking water and food. "He survived off of what resources he could find" and told his rescuers that "he kept doing this 'one day at a time, one step at a time,' for love for his family and everything else," says O'Dell. "So that mindset, that winning mindset, I think played a big role." "By any standards this is a feat," Steven Beri, the forests acting public affairs officer, says of the survival, per KEZI. Crews noted it snowed in the area just last week. (Read more rescue stories.)
(Newser)  Saying that Amazon keeps marketplace prices up by preventing sellers from offering better deals on other sites, the District of Columbia has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company. The provisions, called "most favored nation" clauses, won't allow sellers to even offer lower prices on their own websites, DC Attorney General Karl Racine said. "Amazon wins because it controls pricing across the online retail sales market, putting itself at an advantage over everyone else," Racine told reporters, the Wall Street Journal reports. "These restrictions allow Amazon to build and maintain monopoly power." The suit wants such pricing practices ended and asks for damages and penalties, as well as actions to thwart anti-competitive practices generally, per CNBC.

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"The DC Attorney General has it exactly backwardssellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store," Amazon said in a statement Tuesday, adding that "like any store we reserve the right not to highlight offers to customers that are not priced competitively." The company argues the actions sought in the suit, which was filed in DC Superior Court, would actually increase prices. The suit argues Amazon's practices not only reduce competition but innovation. The market's reaction to the suit was muted, with Amazon shares off 1% Tuesday afternoon. The marketplace now accounts for more than half of Amazon's overall sales. (Google faces multiple antitrust challenges.)
(Newser)  The Stone Mountain Memorial Association board has voted to make some changes at Stone Mountain Parkthough none of them involve getting rid of the country's largest Confederate monument. The resolutions approved Monday include a new "warts and all" museum exhibit that will look at the carving's history and the Georgia site's connections to the Ku Klux Klan, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The park 15 miles northeast of Atlanta will also remove Confederate flags from a busy walking trail, though Georgia law bans the park from removing them entirely. The flags will be moved to an area of the 3,400-acre site that already has numerous other Confederate symbols.

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The Rev. Abraham Mosley, the board's first Black chairman, described the changes as a good "first step" at the park, where revenues have plunged in recent years. The site, which officially opened in 1965, includes a 190- by 90-foot carving of Gen. Robert E. Lee and other Confederate figures, the Smithsonian reports. CEO Bill Stephens has acknowledged that changes need to be made, but he says the park shouldn't "cancel history." At Monday's meeting, former DeKalb County NAACP President John Evans said the park needed to do more, including renaming streets named after Confederate generals. "We need to take down the flags. We need to change all the street names and do what we said we were going to do: eliminate the Confederacy from Stone Mountain Park," Evans said, per the AP. (Read more Confederacy stories.)
(Newser)  Bill Shakespeare, who joyfully became the first man and second person in the world to receive the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine after its approval, has died of an unrelated illness. He was 81 and had suffered a stroke before his death Thursday, the BBC reports. Margaret Keenan, 91, had been given a Pfizer shot just before Shakespeare last December at University Hospital in Coventry, England. He described the vaccination experience as "wonderful." Joy Shakespeare said her husband appreciated the chance to receive the vaccine and took advantage of his global fame to encourage others to have the shots. "It was something he was hugely proud ofhe loved seeing the media coverage and the positive difference he was able to make to the lives of so many," she said.

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Bill Shakespeare had worked at Rolls-Royce and been a local government official for 30 years, per the Mirror, whose legacy includes tree plantings and the creation of wooded areas. Mourners include members of the Labor Party, in which he was active for decades. Bill was a lifelong campaigner, so he was delighted to be able to help" with the vaccine effort, a friend and colleague said. "Bill will be remembered for many things," she posted online, "including a taste for mischief." He died at the same hospital where he was vaccinated. Keenan is still feeling and doing well, per TMZ. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
(Newser)  Four months after Donald Trump issued a pardon in the final hours of his presidency, the fraud case against his former chief strategist has been dismissed. US District Judge Analisa Torres ruled Tuesday that the Trump pardon of Steve Bannon was valid and dismissing an indictment accusing him of defrauding donors to a "We Build the Wall" campaign was "the proper course," reports Reuters. Prosecutors said Bannon and three other men defrauded hundreds of thousands of people who donated money to a private campaign to build a border wall, with Bannon allegedly receiving $1 million.

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The dismissal follows month of legal wrangling over how the pardon should be treated while the case was unresolved, the Washington Post reports. Bannon lawyer Robert Costello argued that the indictment should be dismissed, but prosecutors said the judge should "administratively terminate" the case by dismissing Bannon as a defendant while leaving the possibility of future action open. Bannon's three alleged co-conspirators did not receive pardons and will still go on trial. In her ruling, the judge noted that Bannon's pardon implies guilt, the New York Daily News reports. "Issuance of a pardon may carry an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it," she wrote. (Read more Steve Bannon stories.)
In addition to prosecuting former officer Kim Potter, who resigned after killing the 20-year-old, Ellison will review the criminal charges. Ali had supported the charges of second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 shooting, according to The Associated Press, while public pressure has been strong to upgrade them to murder.
Experts say there's only an "extremely low" chance the Melbourne COVID-19 outbreak has spread here, but closing the bubble is still the right thing to do.

Though there are just nine cases in the city of 5 million people, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins on Tuesday said there are "several unknowns" about where it originated, so put a 72-hour pause on travel between the state of Victoria and here.

University of Auckland disease modeller Shaun Hendy told Newshub it was the right call, "given that the Victorian authorities haven't yet got to the bottom of this cluster".

"Although there's a presumed genomic link to a case that came in from South Australia, the precise chain of transmission is not understood at the moment. That does mean there could be other cases out there in the community."

There is a genomic link to an overseas traveller who caught COVID-19 during a stay in managed isolation in Adelaide, South Australia, before returning home to Melbourne, but no epidemiological link - that is, no known chain of transmission between them and the nine people who have tested positive.

"It is reassuring in a sense that we can trace it back to the origin, [but] it is suggesting there are other cases out there," said Dr Hendy.
He pleaded guilty to all three charges.



It's Wylie's second appearance after he was arrested and charged in April.

Newshub revealed in May Wylie had allegedly been stealing shoes from his coworkers at Number One Shoes, defiling them by spitting, or ejaculating into them and then posting pictures of the shoes on a fetish site.

While studying to be a secondary school teacher at Massey University in Palmerston North last year, Wylie also worked as a student teacher in Manawatu high schools - some girls have told Newshub they were targeted by Facebook profiles they believe Wylie was behind.

In response to the allegations, the Ministry of Education sent out a traumatic incidents team to help counsel those who may have been impacted.

Wylie will reappear in court for sentencing on 7 July.
A group claiming to be behind the cyber attack on the Waikato District Health Board (DHB) says "most" of the backups were deleted, and the systems can't be restored without their help.

The group, which emailed Newshub on Tuesday, also said they obtained "a lot of personal info of employees and patients" as well as financial details.

"For Last 3 days we tried to contact them, and we offered help with restoring the network [sic]," the email - signed 'Judith Williams', presumably an alias - said.

"With our help they could restore it for 1 day. Without our help they will have to rebuild their network from the beginning. They decided to ignore us and torture their employees and patients. It is only their fault that DHB is still offline. They can't use their backups. We deleted most of it."

The DHB's computers were targeted in a ransomware attack a week ago, believed to have been triggered when someone opened an attachment they shouldn't have. Waikato DHB chief executive Keven Snee has previously said they wouldn't pay any ransom but getting everything back online has taken longer than first expected.
Late on Wednesday night, for the first time in 40 years New Zealanders will get to see a 'blood supermoon', weather permitting.

To astronomers, it's technically a full lunar eclipse at the perigee of the moon's orbit around the Earth. But what does that mean in English?

Let's break it down.

'Supermoon'

The term 'supermoon' has gained in popularity in recent years, describing a time when a full moon coincides with our only natural satellite's closest approach to Earth.

"The moon goes around the Earth in an ellipse, not a circle, so sometimes it's closer to the Earth than at other times, and this is one of those times," University of Auckland physics lecturer Nick Rattenbury told Newshub.

An ellipse is an oval. The distance from the Earth to the moon varies considerably - at its closest, the perigee, it's just 363,396km away; and at its apogee, it's more than 405,000km away.

Three or four times a year the moon is at its perigee at the same time it's full.

"It's fun that we have a full moon at a time that it's also close to the Earth, and this is an occasion which people call a 'supermoon'," said Dr Rattenbury. "It appears a little bit larger and somewhat brighter in the night sky."

About 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than when it's at the apogee, to be precise.
Judith Collins claims the Government is teaching children and adults to "feel guilty" about being white - and says the real privilege is "having parents who love and care for you".

The Leader of the Opposition continued her campaign of condemning the Ministry of Education's initiative to recognise white privilege, saying it's "absolutely disgraceful".

Collins told The AM Show on Wednesday she has been given documents that show outside consultants are teaching workshops on white privilege in some Wellington Government agencies.

She declined to give further information about which agencies were supposedly doing these workshops, or what the documents said.

"It's the kind of nonsense that a lot of New Zealanders would say 'what the hell is this?'" says Collins.

White privilege refers to the societal advantages afforded to white people just for being white.

It is the absence of suspicion, prejudice and other negative behaviours that people who are often targeted by racism experience.

Despite declining to give detail on the Government's alleged program, Collins says it will be an expensive undertaking.

"It'll be big money but we're just trying to find the facts."
South Africa said on Tuesday that consensus had been reached to hold a special ministerial session of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of the year to consider negotiating a new international treaty on pandemic preparedness.

The WHO, whose handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is under scrutiny, has endorsed a proposal, initially made by the European Union, to negotiate a global treaty as a way to ensure countries' political commitment to fighting outbreaks of new or particularly dangerous diseases.

The WHO's World Health Assembly will meet from November 29 to December 1.

A report by an independent panel faulted China for being slow to apply public health measures when the first COVID-19 cases emerged in late 2019, and the WHO for waiting too long to declare an emergency a month later.

South African ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, speaking on behalf of 26 main sponsors of the resolution, told the WHO's annual ministerial assembly that the special session would "consider the benefits for such a convention, agreement or other international instrument".
From ancient Greece to medieval Europe

There are numerous surviving scientific discussions of eclipses written by Christians from across the medieval period.

In the 7th century, St Isidore of Seville explained in his encyclopedic Etymologies a lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon, not having its own light, moves into the shadow of the Earth. He also knew lunar eclipses could only occur on the 15th lunar day as they happen only when the moon is full.

Isidore drew on classical sources that translated the theories of ancient Greek astronomers into Latin, the language of the medieval Church in western Europe.

The monk Richard of Devizes, considering a solar eclipse seen in England on June 23, 1191, recorded that witnesses who didn't understand the science of such things wondered what it might portend, while those who studied the world and its workings knew perfectly well that such lunar and solar phenomena are not omens.

In the 12th century, the translation of more Greek, Arabic and Hebrew scientific works into Latin introduced a new wave of natural philosophical material to European Christians.

Messages from God

Even when there was a scientific understanding of the eclipse, however, it was believed to have been caused by God.

As was written in the Bible: There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. (Luke 21:25)

Eclipses - being caused by natural processes set in motion by God at the Creation - could be understood to signify future or otherwise distant events.

The Latin Christian sources for the crusades are especially rich in the discussion of celestial phenomena. Western Christians believed the crusaders were fulfilling God's will, or even contributing to the advent of the apocalypse, and celestial events were seen as a form of communication from God.

In his account of the First Crusade (1096-1101), Albert of Aachen describes how the crusaders witnessed a blood red moon as they drew closer to the city of Jerusalem. Those who had knowledge about the eclipse as a signal of God's will, Albert tells us, comforted the fearful.

To Albert, a lunar eclipse signalled the destruction of the crusaders' enemies. Solar eclipses, however, signalled disaster for the crusaders.

According to the Annals of Magdeburg, when an eclipse transformed the sun into the shape of a sickle in October 1147 and cast a terrible darkness across the land, witnesses saw it as a sign that a time of bloodshed was upon them.

The 12th-century polymath John of Salisbury issued a warning against the practice of astrology and horoscopy, which he lumped together with fortune telling, soothsaying, and other "unsavoury" practices.

John knew lunar eclipses were caused by the Earth obscuring the Moon. He accepted there was merit in the study of astronomy when it was understood these phenomena could be signs from God, but believed people crossed the line when they thought the celestial bodies had their own power to influence the world.

By granting the celestial bodies their own power, John said, people were detracting from the power of God.

Not an age of ignorance

While scientific explanations were increasingly available to educated, literate ecclesiastes and some (probably aristocratic) laypeople, it is not clear how far these ideas circulated among the broader population.

In an early 11th-century chronicle, Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg advised all Christians that eclipses were not caused by evil incantations or the celestial bodies being eaten, and they were powerless to bring an eclipse to an end by their actions.

This has been cited as evidence that some people believed that lunar eclipses were caused by magicians or moon-hungry monsters.

However, it is important to remember this comes from a source written by an educated churchman who may have exaggerated evidence of superstitious beliefs in order to then condemn them.

Yet even if we allow for these beliefs, the range of ideas surrounding lunar eclipses in medieval Europe reveal it was not the dark age of superstition and ignorance it is often assumed to have been.
As if rising sea levels weren't already enough of a threat, there are now concerns that melting glaciers could leak deadly mercury into the world's oceans, and from there into the food supply.

Researchers looking at rivers and fjords connected to the Greenland Ice Sheet - the second-biggest in the world, behind Antarctica - have found levels of mercury "comparable to rivers in industrial China".

"There are surprisingly high levels of mercury in the glacier meltwaters we sampled in southwest Greenland," said Florida State University scientist Jon Hawkings, who led the new study, published this week in journal Nature Geoscience.

"That's leading us to look now at a whole host of other questions such as how that mercury could potentially get into the food chain."

Mercury - chemical symbol Hg - is toxic to humans, and its presence in the environment has significantly worsened "due to anthropogenic pollution", particularly in the Arctic, where concentrations in marine animal and plant life "have increased by an order of magnitude over the past 150 years".
Fiame said she'll be writing to all government departments, including the head of state.

"They should begin to do a transitioning, so I think that's the next step. But it's not going to be easy."

It's not easy because on Monday the ceremony was labelled a "coup" and an act of "treason" by Tuilaepa.

Continuing his attack on Tuesday, he said his opponents had "disgraced our country".

Tuialepa also attacked the integrity of the Judiciary, accusing it of bias, saying the Chief Justice was related to Fiame.

Fiame said it's clear Tuilaepa has no respect for the law.

"I think I need to remind him that Court decides on the merits of the case. I would have to say either he's been very badly advised or he's taking that usual power trip where his expectation is whatever he says goes," she said.

Political commentator and Samoan journalist Mata'afa Keni Lesa said he thought the election would be tough, but never expected this.

"I did not expect it to be this ugly and this nasty," he told Newshub.

He warned there was the potential for violence but given Samoa is a prayerful nation, he hoped it would not eventuate.

Mata'afa also criticised Tuilaepa, saying it was ironic he was attacking FAST and accusing it of illegal behaviour when his political party -HRPP - has disregarded multiple Supreme Court rulings.

"That really reflects badly on his leadership. If you follow the rule of law, Fiame is the Prime Minister of Samoa."

Auckland University Samoan Lecturer Lemoa Henry Sevesi Fesulua'i said Tuialepa still has strong local support and he doesn't think he'll concede.

He said the New Zealand Samoan community is worried.

"The only thing communities here (in New Zealand) are worried about is that it doesn't escalate to another level and we're all praying for them and hoping they'll see this through in a peaceful manner," he said.

Fiame said the current crisis has serious risks.

"If we don't value the rule of law and the foundations that were provided for by our ancestors, we are heading back into chaos," she told Newshub.

She said while at the moment things appear to be just arguments between politicians, "we are sliding into the abyss".

The UN said it "stands ready" to assist.

The Secretary-General urged both sides to find solutions "in the best interests of the people and institutions of Samoa".

Meanwhile, Samoa's Attorney General, who was appointed by Tuialepa's HRPP Party, has filed a complaint with the Supreme Court over yesterday's swearing-in ceremony, claiming it was "illegal".
Guy Kfir, the head elephant keeper at the zoo, said "this is a natural behaviour".

Whenever they feel a threat, something going on, immediately they put the young in the middle and they circle them, he said. "They make sure there is no danger coming".

"They also do this... when a female is giving birth".

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the group which rules the Gaza Strip, is currently holding.
Kyrin Carter, from Kansas City, Missouri, was in town with family visiting relatives when he wandered out of the Hammond hotel, near Chicago, where they were staying on May 15, according to police. Hotel cameras caught Kyrin running away from the hotel and toward the Little Calumet River.
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Passengers with residence permits can still enter Bahrain according to latest travel advisory

Passengers with residence permits can still enter Bahrain according to latest travel advisory

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.co

People have been widely misinterpreting the recent travel advisory issued by Bahrain for passengers arriving from countries on the Red List.

According to Bahrains Civil Aviation Affairs, only Bahraini citizens and people with a valid Bahrain residency visa will be allowed on flights from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal from yesterday (May 24).

They must also present an approved negative PCR result with a QR code administered within 48 hours from the scheduled departure and quarantine for 10 days upon the arrival.

However stopover passengers from these countries, whose final destination is not the Kingdom of Bahrain, and visit visa holders will not be allowed to board a flight to Bahrain.

This is based on the recommendations of the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

However, since this travel advisory was issued, news has been spreading that all flights from these countries have been temporarily stopped, which is not true.

The confusion is supposed to have happened after an Arabic write up of the travel advisory was Google translated apparently saying that flights from the Asian countries have been suspended altogether, creating unnecessary panic among expatriates with valid Bahrain residency visas and are now in their home countries, thinking that they may not be allowed to return.

Meanwhile, all other non-vaccinated passengers arriving into Bahrain as their final destination are subject to quarantine for 10 days at a government-approved facility or at their residence. Proof of residence owned or rented by the passenger or direct family member or proof of a prepaid reservation at a designated quarantine facility is required.

The above 10 days quarantine requirements shall not apply to passengers arriving in Bahrain from countries, not on the red list who present vaccination certificate recognised by the government of Bahrain. Passengers with valid vaccination certificates issued by public health authorities in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore or the EU are exempt from mandatory quarantine requirements but must undergo a PCR test upon arrival and an additional test on the 10th day of their stay in Bahrain.

Red list countries are modified based on an assessment made by the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus and is periodically reviewed in line with international developments.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The government is calling on citizens and residents to be responsive to its constant call to follow all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). With the number of infected cases rising in the past weeks, the Cabinet emphasised the importance of everyone continuing to strictly follow all health protocols to keep oneself safe from the virus and safeguard the Kingdoms community.

During yesterdays weekly Cabinet meeting, held remotely and chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak, it noted that the health and safety of citizens and residents remains a priority.

It stressed the importance of ensuring national efforts to combat COVID-19 continue to be successful in safeguarding the health of all.

In this regard, the Cabinet commended the efforts and commitment of the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus and the many frontline workers guaranteeing the safety of everyone.
TDT | Abu Dhabi

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Supreme Council for Women Secretary-General Hala Al Ansari has affirmed that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas unwavering support for Bahraini women, through the SCW, has made Bahrain a centre and a reference in women-related issues.

The royal support has also enhanced Bahrains status as a developed country that is committed to contributing effectively to regional and global efforts to consolidating the empowerment of women, following up on their advancement and leading initiatives in this regard in cooperation with international organisations, citing the Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifas Global Award for Women Empowerment, she added.

In an interview with the Abu Dhabi TV channel during the Hatha Ana (This Is Me) talk show presented by Nada Al Shibani, Al Ansari asserted that the adoption of a specialised national plan for the advancement of Bahraini women by the head of the state, represented by HM the King, is a first-of-its-kind initiative at the Arab and international levels, making the plan a national framework in which all state departments work together to consolidate Bahraini womens participation in the national action process, along with men.

She added that the SCW is constantly updating the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women to ensure the effectiveness of its implementation mechanisms, in line with the sound directives of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and SCW President.

Al Ansari cited the SCWs efforts to not only continue its support for Bahraini women during the spread of COVID-19 but also develop the mechanisms to deal with the pandemic to mitigate its negative effects on family stability and civic peace.

In another context, Al Ansari called for reformulating the discourse of GCC and Arab countries to the West and international organisations, based on the national achievements in all development fields, including women issues, so that they recognise GCC and Arab accomplishments in this regard.

The SCW Secretary-General hailed the progress made by women in GCC countries across various fields, highlighting their landmark contributions to their home countries and region.
The couple is also accused of murdering Tammy Daybell, Chads first wife, who was found dead in October 2019. Her cause of death was originally ruled natural causes, but her body was later exhumed as police expanded their investigation into Vallow and her fifth husband.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Follow health guidelines strictly to protect ourselves, loved ones and the entire community from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In the face of rising active cases, health authorities have constantly made this appeal to citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain to contain the spread of the virus.

They remind people to not abandon all public health measures just because they have been vaccinated.

Those fundamentals include: wearing face masks, maintaining physical distance, avoiding large crowds, doing more outdoor activities and washing hands frequently.

In addition, the protective effect of a vaccine may take at least one month, if not slightly longer, according to health experts.

This is the reason why one should wear a mask. Properly wearing a mask can help keep one safe.

As weve learned throughout this pandemic, the most common way COVID-19 spread is through person-to-person contact.

When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, they produce respiratory droplets that can travel about six feet and can land in the mouths or noses of those nearby.

COVID-19 can also be spread by people who dont know they have the virus since they arent experiencing any symptoms.

Because of this, health professionals recommend wearing masks or cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of the virus.

In these circumstances, a mask can add an extra layer of protection.

While wearing a mask may not keep you from getting COVID-19, it can help lower the odds.

If youre sick, a mask can help keep your germs from infecting others. If youre healthy, a mask can help keep respiratory droplets from someone who is sick from landing in your nose and mouth and remember, social distancing and hand washing are still very important safety precautions too that everyone should follow in addition to facial protection.

Studies show that even a distance of three feet significantly decreases the spread of the coronavirus from one person to another.

At six feet, the risk decreases even further, at nine feet even further than that, and so on, particularly in an indoor setting.

Indeed, prescribed protective measures help prevent people from spreading COVID-19, and from being infected themselves.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A Bahraini man has been jailed for five years for conning victims out of a half-million Bahraini dinars after deceiving them that he was a consultant at a ministry.

According to court files, the majority of the defendants victims were women, who were interested to invest their money. The defendant claimed that he was a high-ranking consultant at a ministry, and he offered his victims the opportunity to invest their money and take advantage of his influence and authority.

Moreover, he also scammed other victims that he could employ them at ministries, and they paid him for this too. However, they discovered that this was a trick too. The defendant reportedly searched for women who were having family troubles to embezzle the money from them.

He came under the limelight after he transferred BD85,000 to Europe, and he claimed that the money went to a European woman, with whom he was in love.

The man was a retiree and he denied during questioning before prosecutors conning his victims, claiming that he received several loans, part of which he transferred to the European woman and bought the cars. He also claimed that was working as a broker in selling vehicles. The Bahraini man was also fined BD20,000.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Would you like to see the best Filipino-made fashion and other lifestyle products using traditional and contemporary textiles from different parts of the country?

The Embassy of the Philippines in the Kingdom of Bahrain is inviting the public  citizens and foreign residents  to an exclusive preview and online shopping experience at the Online Fair organised by the International Bazaar Foundation Inc. in cooperation with the HABI Textile Council of the Philippines entitled HABI KALAYAAN ONLINE FAIR from 10 to 11 June.

The event, which is a showcase of sustainable fashion and other lifestyle products from the Philippines, aims to bring the community together to showcase locally made products and Philippine culture.

The online fair may be accessed through www.shophabifair.com from 12am on 10 June until 23.59 pm on 11 June.

Culture and art

Since its establishment in 2009, HABI Fair strives to promote the best Filipino-made products from different parts of the country. Bringing Philippine culture and art to the forefront of the lifestyle industry has been its goal for the longest time.

And even in the face of a global pandemic, the Filipino artisans fair stays true to that mission. Last year, the fair took a leap as it went digital for the first time.

Weaving enthusiasts and local merchandise aficionados got to see the vibrant Filipino artistry in its new e-commerce site www.shophabifair.com, from Oct. 21 to 27.

Over 30 merchants representing various weaving communities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao showcased sustainable and ethical fashion and lifestyle products at the online market fair. Since we are not allowed to gather in large groups because of the pandemic, the online edition of the Likhang HABI Market Fair is our way of helping to sustain the local weaving economy, says HABI president Adelaida Lim.

We urge our HABI friends to join us in this endeavour. As many industries are looking at sustainability as a necessary business step to take, theyre are also recognising the importance of the Philippines traditional weaving.

Long before textile production has been a commercial business, weaving has been among the many ways Filipino indigenous groups preserve their traditions, centring their craft on sustainability by paying respect to the resources and their ancestors.

Main goal

There are many beautiful fabrics from the different areas in our country, says HABI chairperson Maribel Ongpin. One of our main goals is to make sure that our traditional textiles will still be a part of our modern lifestyle as we transition to the new normal.

HABI also continues its long-term commitment and advocacy of reviving the use of pure Philippine cotton, a fiber that is very much a part of the Filipino culture.

It has partnered with the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority to give local weavers organic cotton seeds and threads for its Cotton Adoption Project to boost its position in the industry.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Four Asian men resorted to a new trick to smuggle marijuana, using face masks in order to deceive customs officials, the High Criminal Court heard.

The defendants reportedly hid the illicit drugs in a professional manner to avoid being captured and sent to the Kingdom through the air.

However, their attempt failed as the customs officials discovered that the face masks were sewed in a way to conceal the drugs. The defendants were notified to come and receive their package.

And once they arrived, police officers were there to arrest them, after which they were questioned by the Public Prosecution.

It was discovered that the first two defendants were tasked with importing the drugs, while the other two were responsible for distributing them in Bahrain.

The defendants have been charged with smuggling and peddling outlawed drugs. They are being tried before the High Criminal Courts.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Ministry of Health called on citizens and residents to register for and take the booster doses of the Coronavirus vaccinations.

Vaccinations are our best protection against COVID-19, in reducing infection rates and reducing the severity of symptoms and complications that may lead to death.

Our data shows that those who were unvaccinated accounted for 95% of the total number of deaths in the Kingdom of Bahrain due to complications from the virus, which confirms how important the role of vaccination is in raising levels of immunity and immunization.

The Ministry of Health expressed its sincere condolences to the families of all those who have died as a result of the impact of the virus including the families of the 28 people who died today. The Ministry also expressed hopes for a full and rapid recovery of all the existing COVID-19 cases receiving treatment.

The Ministry called on citizens and residents to adhere to the precautionary measures and register for vaccination or booster shots to raise the level of immunization and community immunity. The Ministry also reiterated the importance of adhering to the standards of social distancing, staying at home except for necessities and limiting gatherings within the same family.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking ahead of a trip to the Middle East, reaffirmed yesterday US support for a two-state solution as the only way to provide hope to Israelis and Palestinians that they can live with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity.

His remarks came days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire, halting 11 days of mutual bombardment that killed more than 200 Palestinians.

If there isnt positive change, and if we cant find a way to help Palestinians live with more  with more dignity and with more hope, this cycle is likely to repeat itself, and that is in no ones interest, Blinken said.

The State Department announced that Blinken will travel to the Middle East in the coming days, with plans to meet with Israeli, Palestinian and regional counterparts.

Blinkens support for a two-state solution  the vision of Israel and a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side  restates a long-time US goal, though he conceded that this was not necessary for today.

But his remarks about equal measures for Israelis and Palestinians seemed to shift the tone from Donald Trumps administration, which cut aid to the Palestinian Authority and issued a Middle East peace plan with strong Israeli backing but no support from Palestinians.
Patt Lilly, president and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday he will retire at the end of the year.

Lilly has headed the chamber for almost 19 years during the course of two stints as the organizations leader. He first worked at the chamber from 1996 to 2006 before leaving to become the chief administrative officer for Triumph Foods from 2006 to 2013. He then returned to the chambers top position in 2013.

Lilly came to St. Joseph from Texas in 1990 to be the city manager, a post he held until moving to the chamber in 1996.

The decision to retire is something Lilly has discussed with the chambers board of directors for the last couple of years, and he said he made them aware of his final decision a couple of months ago. Lilly will turn 67 this year and he said he feels its the right time to retire.

The decision is a difficult one because its typically not a decision Ive had to make before, Lilly said. I enjoy what I do. I feel good about where we are as a chamber and certainly enjoy being part of the community.

Lilly said there is a lot of pride and pleasure he and the rest of the team at the chamber feel working on behalf of the community, and that became more evident having gone through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The way we had to reposition ourselves and do things we hadnt done in the past, the ability to pivot and go in a different way says a lot about the people that work here at the chamber, Lilly said. Ill miss the people I work with every day. Were a group of 10 here. Were kind of like family.

The chamber will work through a transition period to find the successor to Lillys position. Bill Severn, chairman of the chambers board of directors, outlined plans to find Lillys successor.

We will conduct a comprehensive executive search to fill the president/CEO position, said Severn, who serves as an executive vice president at BERKS Group, a division of the News-Press & Gazette Company. We anticipate having someone onboard prior to Lillys departure. The chamber board appreciates Patts long tenure and dedication to the chamber and community, and we wish him the best in his well-earned retirement.

Lilly says he plans on staying in St. Joseph with his family post-retirement and will look for volunteer opportunities in the community. He believes his involvement will remain in his DNA.
Businesses soon will have protection from lawsuits by those alleging they caught COVID-19 at an establishment in most cases.

Missouris COVID-19 liability bill, Senate Bill 51, goes into effect Aug. 28. After that date, the only way to bring a lawsuit will be to prove the business or entitys recklessness or willful misconduct caused the COVID-19 exposure and the actual exposure caused personal injury to the plaintiff.

Missouri Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer is the bills sponsor.

This is the time when these types of frivolous lawsuits are going to start to get filed, and so we absolutely need this bill in order to protect our economy, Luetkemeyer said. As we start to reopen the economy, we need to make sure that were protecting our frontline health care workers or small businesses or schools.

Discussion on the legislation actually began a year ago during a special pandemic-related session, and it has been a top priority of Gov. Mike Parson. An emergency clause would have begun the bills authority as soon as Parsons signature was placed on it, but that measure was defeated.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce was the first entity to call for the special session to discuss the approaching legal matter. Dan Mehan is the president and CEO of the organization.

It provides certainty ... to employers out there  small, medium and large  that they can open without the fear of reprisal  Secondly, look at the states around us. Pretty much every one of them have done something on this front, Mehan said. Senate Bill 51 just raises that legal standard that someone has to meet in a lawsuit to prove that they caught COVID at your grocery store.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce would have preferred legislators in Jefferson City had agreed to the bill sooner, because of the liability gap between now and August, Mehan said.
Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor, bestselling author and columnist for The Atlantic, will be the featured speaker at the 28th annual R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues.

The event will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in the M.O. Looney Complex Arena on the campus of Missouri Western State University.

The Convocation, which began in 1993, was started as part of an overall commitment at Missouri Western to offer enriching experiences to students while bringing together the college and community. Last years event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The talk by Brooks, titled Love Your Enemies: Uniting a Divided America, will be free and open to the public. Brooks also will be the guest of honor and participate in a question-and-answer session during the annual Convocation Luncheon at noon Sept. 30. Ticketing information for the luncheon will be announced at a later date.

There can be few if any critical issues facing our society today greater or more concerning than the divisiveness, hatred and political discord we see each day, said Dan Boulware, former chair of the Missouri Western Board of Regents (now the Board of Governors) in whose honor the Convocation is held each year. We are in need of coming together for the betterment of everyone. For this reason, I wanted to address the issue at our Convocation. I believe Arthur Brooks message will resonate with everyone.

Brooks is the author of 11 books, including the national bestsellers Love Your Enemies (2019), The Conservative Heart (2015), and The Road to Freedom (2012). He is also a columnist for The Atlantic, host of the podcast The Art of Happiness with Arthur Brooks and the subject of the 2019 documentary film The Pursuit, which Variety named as one of the Best Documentaries on Netflix in August 2019.

Previous Convocation speakers include Colin Powell, Bob Woodward, James Carville and Mary Matalin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Newt Gingrich and Martin Luther King III.
A Hale, Missouri, man has died following a crash that happened on Sunday night in Livingston County.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Charles Plummer, 75, was traveling north on Route JJ one and a half miles north of Avalon, Missouri, when he struck the back of a stopped vehicle which then hit a pedestrian.

Susan Bachman, 63, of Chillicothe, Missouri, had stopped and was in front of her car to use a leaf blower to remove grass from the highway when the incident happened, the patrol report said. Bachman was transported to the Hedrick Medical Center and later airlifted to St. Lukes in Kansas City with serious injuries.

Plummer also was transported to Hedrick Medical Center then flown to Liberty Hospital. It is unknown if Plummer was wearing a seat belt.
Arnold was shot not far from where he was raised and became a sheriff after a friend of his overdosed. In his career, Arnold received two Distinguished Service Awards and an Award For Valor. When he was injured over five years ago, he was awarded a Purple Heart and will soon be given a posthumous Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office Medal of Honor.
NEW FAIRFIELD  An ordinance to address excessive and disruptive noise problems in town has been in the works for months, and its fate may soon be up to voters.

The Board of Selectmen started considering regulatory noise enforcement last year following countless, unresolved complaints from residents both on and off Candlewood Lake.

Although the ordinance Selectman Khris Hall originally drafted has been revised numerous times, its main objective has stayed the same: to protect the health, welfare and quality of life of people in New Fairfield.

Each person has a right to an environment free from noise that may jeopardize their health, safety or welfare, reads the first section of the proposed ordinance  the current draft of which can be found at http://bit.ly/NFdraftnoise.

Designed to regulate activities that cause excessive, unnecessary, unreasonably loud noises or disturbances in town, the ordinance includes guidelines and rules pertaining to certain activities and other sources of potentially disruptive sound.

If enacted, the ordinance would be enforced by police  and possibly the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection when it comes to Candlewood Lake or at Squantz Pond State Park.

First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said proposal is modeled after an ordinance in the Hartford County town of Rocky Hill, which she said DEEP has had success enforcing.

A provision in the Invasive Species Act essentially makes the most stringent noise ordinance of the lake towns enforceable by DEEP, Del Monaco said, and if New Fairfield enacted a noise ordinance, the goal would be for the agency to enforce it on the lake.

A first-time violation would be punished by a fine of up to $100, and second-time violators would be fined $150. Each subsequent violation would result in a $250 fine.

Under the proposal, sound reproductive devices in or on a motor vehicle, boat or person that can be heard within 100 feet of the source and lasts for more than 15 minutes in any 24-hour period would be prohibited.

One exception would be music played at a commercial entity within the towns business/commercial zone. Such music could be played between 5 to 10 p.m Sundays through Thursdays and from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays as long as its not unreasonably loud.

Motor vehicles, off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles would also be subject to the ordinance.

Motor vehicles that exceed the states noise standards and decibel levels would violate the towns ordinance, as would off-road motorcycles that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decibel level limits.

With the exception of those used for snow removal purposes, all-terrain vehicles that are plainly audible within at least 500 feet from the vehicle would also be banned.

Nighttime construction and property maintenance noises that can be heard within a 100-foot radius would be prohibited, as would continued or frequent noise from domesticated animals.

Animal noises that are plainly audible for more than 15 minutes at a time within 100 feet of the animal owners property line would violate the ordinance.

The animal noise provision would not apply to chickens and other fowl.

We are going to be relying on zoning ordinances to deal with that issue, Hall said during the Board of Selectmens May 13 meeting.

The proposed ordinance includes a number of exclusions to its maximum noise level limits, including  but not limited to  natural phenomena, snow removal equipment, building clock, school or church bells or chimes, and activities sponsored by, specially licensed, or under permit from the town or school district.

Emergency vehicle or alarm system sirens and whistles or bells would also be excluded from the ordinances noise limits  but intrusion alarms on buildings lasting longer than 30 minutes and motor vehicle alarms lasting longer than 10 minutes would not.

People living or doing business in New Fairfield would be able to apply for variances to provisions within the ordinance.

An applicant would need to submit a written request to the towns health director at least 60 days prior to the activity for which he or she seeks the variance. If it is denied, the applicant would be able to appeal the decision to the Board of Selectmen.

A town meeting will be needed for the ordinance to go into effect.

The Board of Selectmen  which has decided to hold at least one more discussion on the ordinance before setting a town meeting date  will next meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Two stolen hand-carved religious artifacts, sandstone lintels dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries, were returned to the Thai government on Tuesday in a ceremony more than 50 years overdue.

The 1,500-pound (680-kilogram) antiquities had been stolen and exported from Thailand  a violation of Thai law  roughly a half-century ago, authorities said, and donated to the city of San Francisco, authorities said. They had been exhibited at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.

San Francisco, which owns the museum, agreed to hand over the ancient sandstone slabs following a three-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a civil lawsuit. The lintels had been structural parts of two religious sanctuaries in northeastern Thailand.

Records showed that the lintels had been obtained by a collector in galleries in London and Paris in the 1960s, according to the civil complaint. The collector, Avery Brundage, was apparently aware that at least one of the lintels had been illegally taken out of Thailand, the complaint states. Brundage, a former controversial president of the International Olympic Committee who donated the art to establish the museum, died in 1975.

The museum, however, contends that authorities conflated the two lintels with a third  which Brundage actually returned to Thailand in 1970 when he found out it may have been illegally removed from the country, according to Robert Mintz, deputy director of the Asian Art Museum.

The third lintel was never part of the San Francisco art collection, Mintz said, and museum officials say there's no evidence Brundage knew the other two lintels may have been stolen.

The Thai government had been trying to get the museum to return the other artifacts since 2016. The Los Angeles Times reported the mystery surrounding the lintels, and various attempts to return them to Thailand, in March.

Mintz said the curators are entrusted with artifacts held for the public and it was their responsibility to determine if any challenges to provenance are valid.

Mintz said the museum followed its bylaws  which stipulate certain steps must be taken  and did not seek to delay the return of the lintels.

We're very happy that the Thai lintels have officially returned, he said. The two lintels really are going to where they belong."

But the museum still maintains that the lintels may not have been stolen. The artifacts left Thailand under circumstances that are very unclear, Mintz said, and turned up in Europe, where Brundage bought them.

No documentation regarding their export from Thailand has ever been found  which U.S. and Thai authorities say is evidence they were stolen. But Mintz says that a lack of evidence does not mean there is proof of that a crime was committed.

The case prompted the museum to review the provenance of its other artifacts.

The San Francisco city attorney, which represented the museum in litigation, did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

U.S. officials stressed the importance of repatriating stolen cultural artifacts. The repatriation ceremony, which included Thai dancers and prayers, was held in Los Angeles because the consulate is in the city  which also has the largest Thai population in the U.S.

The Thai ambassador to the U.S., Manasvi Srisodapol, called the ceremony part of the lintels' sacred journey back home" and acknowledged the ongoing illegal trade of Thai artifacts in the black market.

I do wish that the story of the Thai lintels will help raise public awareness to prevent removal of historic, religious and cultural treasures form their original sites in local communities," he said.

David Keller, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent who oversaw the repatriation case for nearly four years, said officials believe European dealers illegally exported the lintels out of Thailand. The antiquities' combined estimated value is $700,000.

Tatum King, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Francisco, said the case reinforces the need for museums and art collectors to inventory their items and see if any are in fact stolen artifacts.

Museums are often the front line of this, and we need their help, King said.
Professor Jo Neill and Parminder Singh bring psychopharmacology and IP protection & licensing expertise to a company pursuing psilocybin-based therapies

VANCOUVER, BC, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Albert Labs, an innovative developer of psychedelics-based therapeutics addressing urgent and unmet mental health indications through Real World Evidence (RWE) studies in the UK and across Europe, is pleased to announce the chairs of its Clinical and Scientific Advisory Boards. The company welcomes Professor Jo Neill as the Chair of Albert Labs' Clinical Advisory Board and Parminder Singh Chair of its Scientific Advisory Board.

"We are delighted to have such authority with Jo and Parminder, they bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in each of their disciplines and we look forward to working with them in driving our Clinical and Scientific Advisory boards" said Graeme McFarlane, Chief Commercial Officer of Albert Labs.

As Chair of the Clinical Advisory Board, Prof. Neill will help guide decisions on the running of our RWE trials programme. Mr. Singh and the Scientific Advisory Board, working directly with the company's laboratory team, are responsible for IP protection and development of novel manufacturing technologies through natural cultivation, extraction, formulation and delivery.

"This is truly a welcome addition to an already enviable team, and over the course of the coming month we expect to announce the complete advisory board members" added Dr. Malcolm Barratt-Johnson.

It is expected that the complete boards will be announced soon with additional expertise in psychology, psychiatry, palliative care and oncology. As well as mycology, Medicinal Plant Licencing and compliance on the scientific side.

Albert Labs leverages Real-World Evidence (RWE) studies across Europe to accelerate access to its proprietary psilocybin-based therapy for patients with urgent, unmet mental health needs. For more information about the company, please see below:

PROF. JO NEILL BSc Pharmacology, PhD in Psychopharmacology

Jo is Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Manchester (Division of Pharmacy & Optometry). She is Chair of the Medical Psychedelics Working Group for Drug Science, a scientific advisor for Heroic Hearts UK, the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group, Psychedelic Experience and Beckley Psytech. She is co-founder of b-neuro, a University based Contract Research Organisation developing new treatments for mental illness through animal models. Jo is past President of the British Association for Psychopharmacology (President 2016-2018). She served on the Research Excellence Framework panel for Unit of Assessment 3 (Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy) in 2014. Jo is working with Policy at Manchester to educate the public about the urgent need for drug law reform and suspension of Schedule 1 restrictions to enable research into the medicinal properties of currently illegal drugs.

PARMINDER SINGH

Parminder Singh is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of technical, operations, international business, and management experience in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. He has worked in a variety of senior management roles that span from undercapitalized start-ups to Fortune 100 multinational corporations. His background includes hands-on industry experience in software development, product development, intellectual property, innovation commercialization, medical devices, and satellite systems.

Parminder's previous experience includes his role as CEO of LifeLens technologies, an innovation company dedicated to transforming advanced research and development in health technologies into commercially viable products that improve the human condition. Prior to serving as the CEO of LifeLens, Parminder served as president of Intellectual Ventures Canada; a $6B private equity fund that invested in early-stage disruptive technologies companies whose technology was protected or protectable with the help of patents. As part of the executive management team at IV, Parminder worked hand-in-hand with world-class patent attorneys and partner companies to find, formulate, protect, license and commercialize dozens of novel technologies and processes. Prior to Intellectual Ventures, Parminder served as the Managing Director of the Microsoft Canada Development Centre; a center that specialized software and product development with more than 380 engineers, programmers, and scientists. In 2018 Parminder founded his own consulting firm, Taal Innovation Advisors, where he specializes in business strategy, IP protection & Licensing and execution and product commercialization.

Business of Albert Labs Inc.

Listen to Albert Labs' Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Malcolm Barratt-Johnson introduce Albert Labs and their mission here ( https://youtu.be/_yMkrZgeU7k ).

Albert Labs is the first psychedelic company to leverage Real World Evidence Studies to accelerate access to psychedelic medicines in hospital settings across the UK and Europe for niche indications with urgent and high unmet needs.

A laboratory based, clinical research and drug development enterprise, focused on improving patient access to psychedelic assisted therapies. Starting with cancer-related anxiety, depression and existential crisis, Albert Labs will bring psilocybin-assisted therapy to the UK and Europe before expanding globally. Albert Labs are going through an RTO with a listing expected soon. More details can be found in our previous news release.

Albert Labs has submitted applications for psychedelic research and a dealer's license which will allow the Company to test, possess, buy and sell MDMA, psilocybin, psilocin, DMT and mescaline in its lab in Burnaby, BC Canada. These Health Canada licenses will also allow the company to export, test, and conduct R&D on these controlled substances.

Watch a short "About Albert Labs" video and hear more of the investment opportunity here ( https://youtu.be/otQezIvmIXI ).

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ALBERT LABS INC.

Dr. Michael Raymont, CEO

Accelerating patient access to safe and effective psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Cautionary Statement

This news release includes forward looking statements that are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward looking statements, including without limitation any statements concerning the Company's intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs or expectations regarding the future. Although the Company believes that any such intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs and expectations in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such intentions, plans, beliefs and expectations will prove to be accurate.

The Company cautions readers that all forward looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements.

Any forward looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward looking statements. The Company assumes no obligations to update any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by the applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Albert Labs Inc.

For further information: Tel: +44 7828 008237, Email: [email protected]; 21 Marylebone High St, Unit 6, Marylebone, London W1U 4PE, UNITED KINGDOM; 6996, Merritt Ave, Burnaby, BC, V5J 4R6, CANADA
MONTREAL, May 25, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Auxico Resources Canada Inc. (CSE: AUAG) is pleased to announce that it has signed a joint venture agreement ("JV" or "Agreement") with Impact Global Solutions Inc. ("IGS") for the processing of tantalum ores that may also contain niobium, iridium and other minerals.

Under the terms of the Agreement, Auxico will provide ores to IGS and bear all of the transportation costs for delivery to the IGS facility located in Delson, Quebec, just south of Montreal. Auxico will also provide the working capital necessary to launch this joint venture, including the financing of equipment and infrastructure, all of which will be located at the Delson facility. In return, IGS will provide the location for the JV operations in Delson, as well as the metallurgical and processing expertise.

Auxico had previously signed a technology and licensing agreement with Central America Nickel ("CAN") for the use of CAN's proprietary technology for the extraction of metals, call the Ultrasound Assisted Extraction ("UAEx") process. Through Auxico, IGS will have access to UAEx for the processing of ores.

As per the Agreement, Auxico will retain 80% of the net profits of the JV, and IGS will retain the remaining 20%. Net profits are defined as total earnings from the JV less all expenses (including depreciation and taxes), as well as a 2% royalty payable to CAN for the use of the UAEx process.

On April 19 and 20, 2021, the Company issued news releases concerning agreements that it had signed with parties in Bolivia and Ivory Coast, respectively, for the export of high-grade tantalum ores. These samples also had significant grades of niobium and iridium. (Please consult these news releases on SEDAR or on the Company's website.)

Auxico will send ore from Bolivia and Ivory Coast to IGS for metallurgical analysis.

About Auxico Resources Canada Inc.

Auxico Resources Canada Inc. ("Auxico") is a Canadian company that was founded in 2014 and based in Montreal. Auxico is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

About Impact Global Solutions Inc.

Impact Global Solutions is a private company based in Delson, Quebec, that provides consulting, metallurgical testing and analytical services to the mining industry. IGS specializes in the processing and extraction of metals.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 signed   signed  Pierre Gauthier Mark Billings CEO, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. President, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. [email protected] [email protected] Cell: +1 514 299 0881 Cell: +1 514 296 1641

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

SOURCE Auxico Resources Canada Inc.

For further information: Additional information on Auxico can be found on the Company's website (www.auxicoresources.com) or on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under "Auxico Resources Canada Inc."
GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, NL, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - The health and well-being of Canadians are the top priorities of the governments of Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador. But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than our personal health. It is having a profound effect on the economy.

That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done.

Strategic investments in modern water and wastewater infrastructure will play a key role in ensuring Newfoundland and Labrador residents have access to reliable services to support healthy communities.

Today, Scott Simms, Member of Parliament for Coast of BaysCentralNotre Dame; on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; and the Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, announced more joint funding for drinking water and wastewater projects in 21 communities in Central Newfoundland.

Grand Falls-Windsor will see the construction of a new ultraviolet disinfection building. This new infrastructure will benefit the community by increasing its capacity to treat and manage wastewater while meeting the provincial effluent quality requirements. Residents of 9 other municipalities will also benefit from upgrades to their wastewater infrastructure including new and improved lift stations, and water and sewer main replacements.

In addition, 12 municipalities will see improvements to their drinking water systems which include the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply mains and connections, new hydrants for improved fire safety, a new pump house building in the Town of Jackson's Cove-Langdon's Cove-Silverdale, and a new chlorination system in the Town of La Scie.

Together, these improvements will ensure residents continue to benefit from safe and reliable water and wastewater services for years to come.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $5.5 million, and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing over $6.2 million in these projects through the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The municipalities and communities are contributing more than $3.4 million towards their respective projects.

Quotes

"Investments in essential public infrastructure are vital to building healthy and resilient communities. The upgrades to the water and wastewater systems in these 21 communities will ensure residents benefit from safe and reliable essential services for years to come, while also protecting the environment. Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."

Scott Simms, Member of Parliament for Coast of BaysCentralNotre Dame, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"We are always happy to work with town councils and our partners in Ottawa. This funding helps ensure that communities in our province have safe and reliable water and wastewater infrastructure."

The Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

"Significant milestones have been reached in recent years in efforts to increase access to safe and reliable water and wastewater systems. Over three years, our government has approved approximately 300 water projects through $100 million in provincial funding. The funding announced today for 21 communities throughout Central Newfoundland supports their efforts to improve their infrastructure and respond to their unique needs and challenges."

The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Related product

Backgrounder: Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador invest in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure to protect public health and the environment

Joint federal, provincial, and municipal funding through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan will support 22 infrastructure projects in 21 communities in Central Newfoundland.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $5.5 million in these projects through the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing over $6.2 million, while the municipalities and communities are contributing more than $3.4 million in total.

Project Information:



Location Project Name Project Details Federal

Funding Provincial

Funding Municipal

Funding Badger Rehabilitation of

hree Lift Stations The replacement of three lift stations on Maple Street, Kinsmen Drive and the Trans-Canada Highway. The Project will benefit the community by increasing its capacity to treat and manage wastewater. $288,948 $361,185 $146,451 Beachside Main Street

Water and Sewer

Upgrades The installation of approximately 300 meters of water and sewer main along Main Street will benefit 12 residences. $162,208 $202,760 $82,214 Bishop's

Falls Greenridge Road

Waterline Loop The supply and construction of 225 meters of local water pipes to connect the waterlines on Greenridge Road and First Avenue to create a looped network. The project will benefit the community by increasing access to potable water. $44,838 $44,838 $33,935 Botwood Water Main

Replacement and

Associated

Upgrades -

Sacrey's Road The rehabilitation of 930 meters of water main and upgrades to 930 meters of road upon completion of the water main installation. Replacing the existing undersized water main will benefit the community by increasing access to potable water and by improving the quality of road infrastructure on Sacrey's Road. $443,541 $443,541 $335,690 Burlington Water Main

Extension The expansion of the current water system includes extending the watermain by 670 meters to include services to four more residences. In addition, four new fire hydrants will be installed to ensure fire safety as well as the ability to flush the watermain when necessary. $168,497 $210,621 $85,401 Cottlesville Retrofitting Two

Sewage Lift

Stations The rehabilitation of two sewage lift stations including the replacement of all mechanical and electrical 10components will result in a more reliable and efficient pumping station that will better serve the community. $90,683 $113,354 $45,962 Crow Head Mutford's Cove

Road - Water and

Sewer - Phase 2 The installation of approximately 700 meters of sanitary sewer and 200 meters of forcemain. New sewer services for 16 residences, and placement new asphalt in the Town of Crow Head. $438,895 $548,619 $222,450 Embree Water Street Lift

Station Upgrade The replacement of the internal mechanical and electrical equipment in the lift station will make it more efficient, improving the community's ability to treat and manage wastewater. $63,658 $79,573 $32,265 Glenwood Water and Sewer

Upgrades - Shea

Ave. - Glenwood The rehabilitation of approximately 180 meters of sanitary sewer and water main as well as new water and sewer services for eight additional residences will provide better access to potable water and increase the community's capacity to manage wastewater. $105,585 $131,981 $53,515 Grand Falls

- Windsor Construction of an

Ultra Violet

Disinfection

Building The construction of a new Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection building. The new UV disinfection system will help address both future increase in wastewater flows requiring treatment as well as improve the effluent quality to meet provincial requirements. The project will benefit the community by increasing its capacity to treat and manage wastewater. $922,686 $692,015 $928,999 Harbour

Breton Upgrading Storm

& Sewer

Infrastructure -

Godwin's

Hill/Canada Drive,

Harbour Breton The replacing of 910 meters of sanitary and storm drainage pipes will increase capacity to manage wastewater by eliminating drainage problems. The installation of a fire hydrant will provide residents with better fire protection. $482,709 $603,386 $244,657 Jackson's

Cove-

Langdon's

Cove-

Silverdale Pump house and

Water Intake

Upgrades The construction of a new pump house building, wet well, 20 meters of water intake pipes, installation of new pumps, and a new hypochlorination system and associated works in the Town of Jackson's Cove-Langdon's Cove-Silverdale. The Project will benefit the community by increasing access to potable water. $100,215 $125,268 $50,793 La Scie New Chlorination

System The construction of a chlorination building and the purchase and installation of a chlorination system will provide access to potable water for the community. $191,886 $239,858 $97,256 Lewisporte Pond Road Water,

Sewer and Road

Upgrade The replacement of approximately 200 meters of storm lines, approximately 200 meters of sanitary sewer lines, and upgrading approximately 400 meters of water lines on Pond Road. The scope will also include reinstating the asphalt and the curb associated with the project. The project will benefit the community by improving access to potable water and by improving the community's capacity to treat and manage wastewater and stormwater. $223,420 $223,420 $169,093 Port Anson Rowsell's Point

Road and Port

Anson Road The construction of 680 meters of new water mains including services, hydrants, and road reinstatement on a portion of Port Anson Road and on Rowsell's Point Road. Once complete, residents will have improved access to drinking water and sufficient main pressure for fire safety. $291,294 $364,117 $147,640 Smith's

Harbour Water Supply

System Upgrade The supply and construction of a water pumping system at Round Pond will allow water to be pumped into the municipal reservoir. The project will supply the community of Smith's Harbour with better and more reliable access to potable water. $116,383 $145,479 $58,988 Springdale Booth Avenue

Rehabilitation The replacement of sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and water line infrastructure to provide clean, safe drinking water to the community of Springdale. $173,889 $217,362 $88,134 St. Alban's Wet Well Pump

House

Improvements Upgrades to the pump control system to reduce water overflow. In addition, a more efficient pump sequencing pattern of the three pumps will decrease energy usage and an aging deep well pump will be replaced. $145,113 $181,392 $73,549 Summerford Strong's Island

Water and Sewer

Phase 1 The installation of 1600 meters of water and sewer lines will provide better access to potable water and increase the community of Strong Island's capacity to manage wastewater. $742,744 $928,430 $376,454 Summerford Water and Sewer

Improvements -

Valves and

Hydrants The replacement of valves and hydrants will ensure the continued functionality of the community's water distribution system. $21,740 $27,175 $11,019 Triton Water and Sewer

Upgrades - Lift

Station Retrofits

and New Booster

Pump Upgrades to the existing lift stations, the installation of a new water booster pump and pump house will increase the town's capacity to treat and manage wastewater and stormwater and increase access to potable water. $212,832 $266,040 $107,872 Twillingate Sewage Lift

Station Retrofits Two sewage lift stations will be fully retrofitted, eliminating the risk of sewer backups impacting nearby properties and preventing overflows from entering the ocean. $90,683 $113,354 $45,962

Quick facts

Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure 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.

infrastructure 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. $26.9 billion of this funding is supporting green infrastructure in Canadian communities.

of this funding is supporting green infrastructure in Canadian communities. The Government of Canada has invested more than $521 million towards over 675 infrastructure projects across Newfoundland under the Investing in Canada plan.

Associated links

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Federal infrastructure investments in Newfoundland and Labrador:

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-nl-eng.html

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

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]; Emily-Jane Gillingham, Manager of Media Relations, Transportation and Infrastructure, 709-729-1758, 730-4607, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154; Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca


Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), alongside Irek Kusmierczyk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, announced a $25.27 million insured loan to help construct 99 new rental units in the Town of Tecumseh.

The units are part of a new project, titled Tecumseh Gateway Tower, and is located at 11870 Tecumseh Road East in Tecumseh Ontario. The project includes a 6-storey multi-residential building consisting of 99 residential units, with 14 of those units being one-bedroom units and the remaining 85 being two-bedroom units. The building will feature several amenities, including a gym and an outdoor landscaped area.

A minimum of 31 units will have rents affordable at or below 30% of Household Median Income in the area.

The project received funding through CMHC's Rental Construction Financing initiative (RCFi), a National Housing Strategy program that supports rental housing construction projects to encourage a stable supply of rental housing for middle-class families in expensive housing markets.

Quotes:

"Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That's why our government is taking action to increase the supply of rental housing through projects like the one we are announcing today in Tecumseh. This new affordable rental housing will provide families better access to jobs, services and the amenities they need."  The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

"By providing funding for new housing builds like we have for Tecumseh Gateway Tower, our government is taking action to not only increase the supply of new rental developments, but to also provide housing options that are closer to jobs, services and amenities for middle-class families here in Tecumseh, and across Canada."  Irek Kusmierczyk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

"I am incredibly thrilled to be bringing this purpose rental project to The Town of Tecumseh. We have many projects we are working on, but I am very proud to be part of this project to serve a need for more Affordable Housing Product in Windsor & Essex County."  Peter Valente, President, Gateway Tower Inc.

Quick facts:

Through the RCFi, the Government of Canada is encouraging the construction of more than 71,000 new rental housing units.

is encouraging the construction of more than 71,000 new rental housing units. A stable supply of rental housing is critical to ensure that more Canadians have access to housing that meet their need and that they can afford. This is a great option for middle class Canadians who are experiencing affordability pressure in many markets with high home prices and lack of rental supply.

Launched in April 2017 , the RCFi has generated significant interest in the industry, which has led to an expansion of the program. Through Budget 2019, the Government of Canada increased the total amount available in loans to $13.75 billion .

, the RCFi has generated significant interest in the industry, which has led to an expansion of the program. Through Budget 2019, the Government of increased the total amount available in loans to . Given the high demand for the program, the Government again expanded the RCFi in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement by adding an additional $12 billion over 7 years, starting in 2021-22. The program now totals $25.75 billion in low-cost loans.

over 7 years, starting in 2021-22. The program now totals in low-cost loans. Budget 2021 proposes that $300 million over two years (2021-22 and 2022-23) from the RCFi be allocated to support the conversion of vacant commercial property into 800 units of market-based rental housing. As the demand for retail and office space has changed due to COVID, some landlords, particularly in major urban cores, are facing higher vacancies. This is an opportunity for property owners and communities to explore converting excess space into rental housing, enhancing the livability and affordability of urban communities.

over two years (2021-22 and 2022-23) from the RCFi be allocated to support the conversion of vacant commercial property into 800 units of market-based rental housing. As the demand for retail and office space has changed due to COVID, some landlords, particularly in major urban cores, are facing higher vacancies. This is an opportunity for property owners and communities to explore converting excess space into rental housing, enhancing the livability and affordability of urban communities. Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call homethis includes more than $13 billion committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call homethis includes more than committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. To help Canadians find affordable housing, Budget 2021 proposes to provide an additional $2.5 billion over seven years in new funding and a reallocation of $1.3 billion in previously announced funding to speed up the construction, repair, and support over 35,000 additional housing units.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

For further information: Media contacts: Mikaela Harrison, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, [email protected]; Audrey-Anne Coulombe, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]

Related Links

www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca


Paul was the first U.S. senator to be diagnosed with COVID-19 and has been criticized over the course of the pandemic for comments on vaccines, masks and the origin of the virus, The Courier Journal noted.
BC venture backed companies raised $1.20 billion , equaling to the total VC raised by Ontario and Quebec companies combined ( $1.24 billion )

, equaling to the total VC raised by and companies combined ( ) Dapper Labs' US $304 million financing is Canada's largest VC financing all time

financing is largest VC financing all time BC cleantech and advanced agri-tech companies raised $277 million , representing 71% of All Canadian cleantech and advanced agri-tech disbursements

, representing 71% of All Canadian cleantech and advanced agri-tech disbursements US investors invested $1.51 billion , accounting for 54% of the total disbursements

, accounting for 54% of the total disbursements Investors from US, Germany , BVI, Hong Kong , and UK rounded up the top five foreign funding sources, together accounting for 67% of the total disbursements

, BVI, , and UK rounded up the top five foreign funding sources, together accounting for 67% of the total disbursements US Private VC, US Corporate VC, US Hedge Fund, Canadian VC and Foreign Corporate VC ranked as the top five leading investor types

US Private VC invested $626 million ; 2.5 times of the total invested by Canadian Private VC

; 2.5 times of the total invested by Canadian Private VC Dentons Canada LLP led all VC law firms with 17 VC deals

All dollar ($) figures in Canadian dollar unless otherwise noted.

TORONTO, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadian venture capital started 2021 with a blast, raising $2.78 billion from 192 financings in first quarter (Q1) of 2021, according to the Canadian Venture Capital Report released today by CPE Analytics, a division of CPE Media & Data Company.

Both the number of financings and the total amount are historically high.

Q1 2021 is all about British Columbia from an investment destination perspective and about US investment from an investment source point of view.

Q1 2021 British Columbia Venture Capital Disbursements

BC led all Canadian provinces in venture capital disbursements in Q1 2021, raising $1.20 billion from 57 financings.

Vancouver's Dapper Labs led all financings with the blockbuster US $304.4 million financing. Dapper Labs financing is the largest Canadian venture capital deal all time (for clarification - Verafin's $515 million financing in 2019 is a combination of PE recap/VC secondary and senior debt financing).

BC ICT, Biotech and Life Sciences companies raised $453 million and $424 million, representing 33% and 60% of the Canadian total disbursements.

It is important to note that cleantech investment alone in Q1 stood at just under 10% of the total, BC cleantech, advanced agri-tech/agri-food companies have been quietly leading all Canadian companies, raised $277 million or 78% of the total disbursements by all Canadian cleantech and agri-tech companies in Q1 2021.

Q1 2021 US Investments in Canadian Venture-backed Companies

Investors from 33 countries or regions invested in Canadian companies in Q1, 2021. US investors led with $1,510 million, contributing 54% of total amount raised by Canadian companies.

US Private VC, US Corporate VC and US Hedge Fund invested $626 million, $283 million and $276 million respectively, together accounting for 43% of the total disbursements.

US investors play a dominant role in Ontario, Quebec, BC and Atlantic Canada in Q1 2021, accounting for 61%, 56%, 55% and 50% of total provincial disbursements respectively. Prairie is the only region raised less than 50% of total capital from US investors.

"The Q1 2021 data reveal the astonishing dominance of US and foreign funds in the Canadian venture capital market place. On the one hand, this feature is testament to the vibrancy of the technology sector in Canada that is evident in both private and public capital markets. On the other hand, this data is likely to reinforce the concerns of those who have expressed fears that Canada may be continuing to export its future business champions as the leading market share of US funds at the growth stage seems to now encompass multiple stages of venture investing. As well, the robust investing volume in Q 1 masks ongoing weakness in the cleantech sector - which may be a priority for public authorities but is clearly not one for the private sector venture industry as a whole in Canada," Commented Richard Remillard, President of Remillard Consulting Group (RCG).

Q1 2021 Canadian Venture Capital Disbursement Highlights

Companies from 40 Canadian cities secured venture capital funding. Vancouver was the only $1 billion plus city, securing $1,058 million .

was the only plus city, securing . Top 11 cities with $30 million or more VC funding, Vancouver , Toronto , Montreal , Quebec City , Calgary , Burnaby , Halifax , Winnipeg , Kitchener , Surrey , and Victoria , collectively raised $2,629 million or 94% of the total disbursements.

or more VC funding, , , , , , , , , , , and , collectively raised or 94% of the total disbursements. ICT companies raised $1,393 million or 50% of total amount; Biotech companies received $711 million or 26% of total amount; Cleantech companies raised $255 million or 9% of the total amount.

or 50% of total amount; Biotech companies received or 26% of total amount; Cleantech companies raised or 9% of the total amount. Series A, B, C financings raised $484 million , $295 million and $399 million respectively.

, and respectively. Companies with less than 50 employees raised $1,614 million or 58% of the total disbursements.

Q1 2020 Canadian VC Funding Source Highlights

US investors invested $1,510 million (54%), Canadian investors contributed $764 million (28%), and investors from 32 other countries/regions contributed $509 million (18%).

(54%), Canadian investors contributed (28%), and investors from 32 other countries/regions contributed (18%). Top 10 funding foreign countries/regions: US, Germany , BVI, Hong Kong , UK, Singapore , Chile , Australia , Netherlands , Japan .

, BVI, , UK, , , , , . Top 10 Individual investor types: US Private VC, US Corporate VC, US Hedge Fund, Canadia Private VC, Foreign Corporate VC, Canadian Angel Investor , US Angel Investor, Foreign Family Office, Canadian Government, Foreign Private VC.

Q1 2021 US and Foreign Investment Regional Breakdowns

All regions with exception of The Prairies raised over half of the capital from US and foreign investors.

The Prairies raised 42% of the total capital from US and foreign investors.

BC attracted the highest share of US and foreign investments with 80% of total raised.

Q1 2021 Fundraising by Canadian VC Firms

18 VC funds raised $1,152 million .

Q1 2021 Top VC Law Firms

Top five active VC law firms: Dentons Canada LLP, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Osler , Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, LaBarge Weinstein LLP, Torys LLP.

Full summary report can be downloaded from financings.ca website: https://www.financings.ca/reports/

Remillard Consulting Group (RCG)

Remillard Consulting Group (RCG) is a uniqe, Ottawa-based, bilingual consulting firm specializing in providing private sector, government & trade association clients with creative, research-grounded solutions to business issues and public policies involving the Canadian financial services industry. For more information: [email protected]

https://remillardconsulting.com/

CPE Analytics

CPE Analytics is Canada's leading all financing intelligence provider. We provide comprehensive and unbiased information and unmatched insights and intelligence on public financings, private financings, initial public offerings (IPOs), M&As, professional investment firm fundraising activities.

CPE Analytics is the data analytics division of CPE Media & Data Company. More Info: https://cpeanalytics.ca, https://financings.ca

CPE Media & Data Company

Founded by Canada's most experienced private capital and financing research experts, CPE Media & Data Company is Canada's leading all financing news and intelligence provider. More information: https://cpecompany.ca/

SOURCE CPE Media Inc.

For further information: Ted Liu, President & CEO, CPE Media & Data Company, 647-782-8818, [email protected]

Related Links

https://privatecapitalnewswire.com/


"We are really excited to open our newest Ultimate Kitchens for Hamiltonians to enjoy. And we are more excited to introduce both The Burgers Priest and Fresh Restaurants to the local community." says Frank Hennessey, CEO, Recipe Unlimited.

Featuring a fully integrated digital takeout and delivery experience, Ultimate Kitchens is revolutionizing mealtime for Hamilton residents, offering Guests the ability to mix and match their favourite items from their favourite restaurants, all in one seamless order. Food feuds will be a thing of the past as Hamiltonians will no longer have to pick just one brand or cuisine for takeout or delivery - they can have it all.

About Recipe

Founded in 1883, Recipe Unlimited Corporation is Canada's largest full-service restaurant company. The Company franchises and/or operates some of the most recognized brands in the country including Swiss Chalet, Harvey's, St-Hubert, The Keg, Milestones, Montana's, Kelseys, East Side Mario's, New York Fries, Prime Pubs, Bier Markt, Landing, Original Joe's, State & Main, Elephant & Castle, The Burger's Priest, The Pickle Barrel, Marigolds & Onions, and 1909 Taverne Moderne.

RECIPE's iconic brands have established the organization as a nationally recognized franchisor of choice. As at September 27, 2020, Recipe had 24 brands and 1,355 restaurants, 84% of which are operated by franchisees and joint venture partners, operating in 10 countries (Canada, USA, Bahrain, China, India, Macao, Oman, Panama, Saudi Arabia and the UAE). RECIPE's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RECP. More information about the Company is available at www.recipeunlimited.com .

SOURCE Recipe Unlimited Corp.

For further information: Yianni Fountas | Recipe Unlimited, Sr. Director | Emerging Brands & Partnerships, Strategic Projects and Business Insights, E: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.recipeunlimited.com


Previously announced fieldwork was recently completed at Sierra's 3 properties, Glitra-Sat, Betty East, and B&C Springs-Mildred, located in the northern part of the Walker Lane trend of west-central Nevada. The focus of the work was on soil geochemistry, with totals of 813, 332, and 645 soil geochemical samples collected from the Glitra-Sat, Betty East, and B&C Springs-Mildred properties, respectively. Including blank samples submitted for QA/QC, a total of 1,805 soil geochemical samples were submitted. The aim on each property was to provide more or less complete coverage of the properties via wide-spaced sampling (50 to 100 metres between samples) along lines oriented across known mineralized and/or altered trends separated by 100 to 200 metres. Preliminary analyses for gold pathfinder elements (e.g., As and Sb) along with base metals (e.g., Cu, Pb, Zn) were obtained through use of a portable XRF instrument. This approach appears to have highlighted both known trends and a number of new areas worthy of follow-up. Complete assay results from this soil geochemistry program via gold fire assay and multi-element ICP are expected to be received from ALS's laboratory in Reno within approximately one month, and will be released following compilation and interpretation in light of what is known of the historical exploration at each property.

Sonny Janda, President and CEO, commented, "The completion of this program is an important step. Collecting the baseline data for these properties is a precursor to advancing to the drill-testing stage. We look forward to releasing results as they are available. In addition to the ongoing exploration at our existing prospects, we continue to evaluate other opportunities in the region with the aim of building a regional land package in western Nevada."

Next Steps

Should results from the recently completed soil geochemistry program prove encouraging, it will likely be succeeded by geological mapping and prospecting, along with airborne magnetic and ground-based induced polarization ("IP") geophysical surveys in a second phase of exploration, leading to the ultimate objective of delineating targets for first-pass reverse circulation ("RC") drilling.

About the Nevada Projects

Mildred/ B&C Springs

The Mildred claims, the historical Mildred mine, and the nearby B&C Springs property are located in the southern Paradise Range in west-central Nevada, within the Fairplay Mining District, which is readily accessible from nearby Hawthorne or Tonopah via highways and well-maintained gravel roads and off-road trails (Figure 1). Exploration at B&C Springs was previously focused on skarn and vein occurrences hosting molybdenum, copper, and silver, which were interpreted to be genetically associated with Triassic-Jurassic intrusions such as the nearby Buzzard Peak stock. Historical workings are ubiquitous across the property, and on the contiguous Mildred property, precious metals mineralization within the host sedimentary rocks is associated with calc-silicate horizons, fault zones and dikes of probable Tertiary age. The possibility that a secondary epithermal event has overprinted an earlier porphyry/skarn mineralizing event will be evaluated. The area encompassed by the B&C Springs-Mildred properties total approximately 1,450 acres.

Glitra/Sat

The Glitra/Sat claims are located in Pershing County, western Nevada, in the Seven Troughs Range of the Farrell Mining District, which hosts numerous historical and modernday mineral occurrences and deposits (Figure 1). The properties are 45 kilometres northwest of Lovelock, a fully serviced town on Interstate 80, and are accessible via paved and wellmaintained gravel and dirt roads. Both the Glitra and Sat properties have seen historical smallscale mining and limited amounts of modernday exploration, most recently in the 1980's and early 1990's, when trenching and limited shallow RC drilling was undertaken. Several known gold showings with attractive epithermal-style alteration and veining occur on the property. They are commonly associated with felsic dikes and lie along a mineralized trend that links the historical Seven Troughs mining area immediately south (Timberline Resources), with the Wildcat property (Waterton Global Resource Management) immediately north. At Sat, an extensive and high-tenor gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly lies along a sub-parallel trend that was outlined by previous operators and is similarly associated with epithermal-style alteration and local veining. The total area encompassed by the Glitra and Sat properties equals roughly 1,130 acres.

Betty East

The Betty East property is located in west-central Nevada, approximately 40 miles north of the town of Tonopah, in Nye County. The claims, which cover 403 acres, lie at the southern end of the Manhattan Mining District, immediately north of Liberty Gold's Baxter Springs project and less than 20 km south of the world class Round Mountain mine (2020 gold equivalent production of 324,277 ounces, proven and probable reserves as of December 31, 2020 of 2.245M oz Au, and >15 million ounces of total production1). Work on the Betty East property by Nevada Goldfields in the 1990's outlined a north-northwest trending gold-mineralized zone on the core claims that coincides with a number of historical pits, shallow shafts, and adits and this trend will be the initial focus for the Betty East exploration program. The property is readily accessible from Tonopah via state highway 376 and a network of well-maintained gravel roads.

1. https://kinrossworld.kinross.com/en/location/round-mountain/ (Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily representative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties.)

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Sonny Janda"

______________________

Sonny Janda, Director

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release includes certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including without limitation, statements that address the timing and content of certain agreements and development. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks, including the ability of the Company to raise the funds necessary to fund its projects and, accordingly, may not occur as described herein or at all. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include Covid-19 restrictions, market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for information on these and other risk factors, available at www.sedar.com. Investors 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. The forward- looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company 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 expressly required by applicable securities legislation."

SOURCE Sierra Growth Corp.

For further information: on the Company, please contact Sonny Janda, Director, Telephone: 604-357-3741 or at [email protected]

Related Links

https://www.sierragrowth.com/#:~:text=Sierra%20Growth%20is%20a%20junior,%2C%20copper%2C%20gold%20and%20molybdenum.


TORONTO, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Superior Gold Inc. ("Superior Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV: SGI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Chris Jordaan as President, Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Director, effective July 1, 2021. Ms. Tamara Brown will step down as Interim CEO but remain on Superior Gold's Board of Directors (the "Board").

Mr. Jordaan is an accomplished mining executive with 30 years of international processing and mining experience; building, managing and optimizing large-scale mining operations as well as leading large teams in his previous CEO role. Mr. Jordaan holds a Masters degree in both Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration, and has an extensive career operating underground and open-pit mining operations and leading business transformation across Australia, PNG and South Africa.

"We are excited to have an individual of Chris's caliber joining the team to lead the future growth and development of Superior Gold from Perth, Western Australia," commented Mark Wellings, Chairman. "It is a testament to the opportunities and upside potential at Plutonic. Chris has a proven track record of operational transformations and has the ideal experience necessary to execute on the strategy we have laid out to create significant shareholder value. We would also like to thank Tamara Brown for stepping in, articulating our growth strategy and working with the team to start the turnaround at our operations."

Chris Jordaan stated: "I am thrilled to be joining Superior Gold, working closely with the Board and leading the Superior Gold team as we continue the transformation progress made to date at the Plutonic Gold Operations. Together, we will be focused on achieving the Company's strategic goals of sustainably growing our gold production from both underground and open pit operations, combined with the opportunity for belt consolidation in one of the world's most prolific gold mining camps located in the Yilgarn goldfields of Western Australia."

The appointment of Mr. Jordaan as President and CEO is the conclusion of Superior Gold's review of strategic alternatives previously announced by the Company.1 The Board believes that the execution of the Company's business plan under Mr. Jordaan's leadership is the best path forward to maximize value for shareholders.

Chris Jordaan Biography

Mr. Jordaan brings 30 years of international processing and mining industry experience. He has extensive management and operations expertise at global senior and mid-tier mining companies. Mr. Jordaan was most recently with Newcrest Mining Ltd., Australia's largest gold miner, as Programme Director for transformation of PNG operations, General Manager of Lihir Gold Mine, one of the worlds largest gold mines and Chief Performance Officer. Prior to that, he was the CEO of International Ferro Metals Limited, an LSE listed chrome mining and smelting company, with over R2 billion rand in revenue and more than 1,600 employees.

____________________________________ 1 Refer to the Company's News Release on July 30, 2020 for additional information.

About Superior Gold

Superior Gold is a Canadian based gold producer that owns 100% of the Plutonic Gold Operations located in Western Australia. The Plutonic Gold Operations include the Plutonic underground gold mine and central mill, numerous open pit projects including the Plutonic Main Pit push-back project, the Hermes open pit projects and an interest in the Bryah Basin joint venture. Superior Gold is focused on expanding production at the Plutonic Gold Operations and building an intermediate gold producer with superior returns for shareholders.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Forward-looking information includes information with respect to guidance as to projections, outlook, guidance, forecasts, estimates, and other statements regarding future or estimated financial and operational performance, gold production and sales, revenues and cash flows, and capital costs (sustaining and non-sustaining), including projected cash operating costs and all-in sustaining costs) as well as statements with respect to the mine-plan, exploration, drilling, operating and organizational matters and activities relating to the Plutonic Gold Operations and the Company generally, including its liquidity and capital requirements and financial results. Such Forward-looking information also includes information related to the Company's previously announced strategic review process, the potential outcome of such process and the intended maximization of shareholder value that the Company believes may result from such process. By identifying such information in this manner, the Company is alerting the reader that such information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Annual Information Form of the Company for a discussion of other risks including outbreaks or threats of outbreaks of viruses, other infectious diseases or other similar health threats, such as the novel coronavirus outbreak, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company by causing operational and supply chain delays and disruptions, labour shortages, shutdowns, the inability to sell gold, capital markets volatility or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. The Company cannot accurately predict what effects these conditions will have on the Plutonic Gold Operations or the financial results of the Company, including uncertainties relating to travel restrictions to the Plutonic Gold Operations or otherwise and business closures that have been or may be imposed by governments. If an outbreak or threat of an outbreak of a virus or other infectious disease or other public health emergency occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information as no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, and if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange not its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Superior Gold

For further information: Superior Gold Inc.: Brian Szeto, Vice President Corporate Development or Kate Stark, Director of Investor Relations, [email protected], Tel: 647-925-1293

Related Links

https://www.superior-gold.com/


Sri Lanka parliament passed a law introducing a powerful economic commission for Chinese-built port in the city of Hambantota. Sri Lankan decided to postpone a debate on Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill. India raised diplomatic concerns. Sri Lanka government sees the project as a lifeline for an economy fighting hard through coronavirus pandemic. The concerns were raised to the high risk that Sri Lanka would lose control of the territory. With this escalating tension Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promises to balance diplomatic issues between India and China also defending Chinese infrastructure projects in the country saying, We will not jeopardize Indian security and at the same time, ties with China will continue. Additionally, We are aware of the world power rivalry and regional power dynamics, but our foreign policy is to remain neutral, President said while addressing Nikkeis Future of Asia conference. We will not jeopardize Indian security, he emphasized and at the same time, ties with China will continue, Rajapaksa added.

As Chinas influence grows in Sri Lanka, the Lankan parliament on Thursday passed a law introducing a powerful economic commission to regulate enormously Chinese luxury oceanside development after hampering the elements of the bill for Chinese-built port in the city of Hambantota.

Sri Lankan with a kick start on becoming Chinese colony decided to postpone a debate on the controversial Bill submitted for the port city called the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill. All party leaders in the House agreed on rescheduling of debate, as the Supreme Courts determination on the bill had not yet reached Parliament.

Whereas, the government wants to get it passed as quickly as possible to compensate the heavy burden of loan the country took.

Also read: Details of Wuhan Lab staff emerge; Is China hiding the truth of the origin of corona virus?

Meanwhile, Sri Lankas government sees the project as a lifeline for an economy fighting hard through coronavirus pandemic, has raised concerns in Sri Lanka and neighboring India that the development could become a virtual Chinese colony. Also concerns raised by the opposition parties said that, they want the port city project to succeed but the risk is high that Sri Lanka would lose control of the territory.

With this escalating tension Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promises to balance diplomatic issues between India and China also defending Chinese infrastructure projects in the country and claimed that the project was decided on the basis of equality and consultation.

The former Sri Lankan foreign secretary Jayanath Colombage expressed his concern saying, the government in the terms of strategic security has highlighted that Sri Lanka will be following India first policy.

Additionally, he said, as we are very concerned of the vulnerability of the world power rivalry and regional power but, also we need to ensure our balance in foreign policies as well, while addressing a conference of Nikkeis Future of Asia . He announced ensuring India that, they will not in any case jeopardise the Indian security and he emphasised up on the continuation of the ties with China at the same time.
On February 25, the Electronics and Information Technology Ministry gave social media platforms a three-month deadline to comply with the new rules. However, except Koo, no other platform has complied to the new rules yet.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had issued new guidelines for social media companies, Over the Top (OTT) platforms, and digital media publishers, as well as a three-tier grievance redressal framework, on February 25, 2021. The ministry gave social media platforms a three-month window to comply with the new guidelines at the time of the announcement. The deadline is Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

Except for Koo, no other platform has yet complied with the new guidelines. If social media giants, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, do not comply with the deadline, the government may take criminal action against them.

What is the new rule all about?

The rules include the appointment of India-based compliance officials, giving their name and contact address in India, complaint resolution, monitoring of objectionable content, compliance report, and removal of objectionable content

The oversight mechanism will be comprised of a committee comprised of representatives from the ministries of Defence, External Affairs, Home, I&B, Law, IT, and Women and Child Development, according to the new laws. It will have suo moto powers to call hearings on complaints of Code of Ethics violations if it so desires.

The government will also appoint an officer with the rank of Joint Secretary or higher as the Authorised Officer who will be able to direct content blocking. If an appellate body believes that the content violates the law, it has the authority to refer the matter to a government-controlled committee for the issuance of blocking orders.

Also Read:Black fungus rise in various states; Union health ministry list out DOs and DONTs
The leaders of the U.S. and South Korea reached substantive agreements during their summit in Washington, from North Korea policy and human rights to China, South Korean missiles and economic cooperation. The agreements could have a big impact on South Korea's national security and signal a correction of the wobbles in the alliance seen over the last four years. U.S. President Joe Biden promised to vaccinate South Korean soldiers who work with the U.S. Forces Korea, sending a signal that joint filed maneuvers can finally resume on a reasonable scale. Until now President Moon Jae-in has kept dragging his heels over their resumption, sometimes citing a worthless inter-Korean military agreement from 2018, but his defenses seem to have been weakened by Biden's charm offensive. Vital military exercises must not be used as a diplomatic bargaining chip, as they were when Biden's predecessor Donald Trump halted them as a gift to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and doing so has set a bad precedent for North Korea to abuse. Hopefully they resume soon.

The two presidents also paid at least lip-service to improving the horrible human rights situation in North Korea, a subject Moon has been treating as taboo until now, to the point of refusing to sponsor three UN resolutions calling for human rights improvements in the North. That has embarrassed South Korea in the eyes of the world. Moon must now go further and revoke the scandalous law banning the dispatch of propaganda leaflets to the North by defector groups.

Moon must also ditch the illusion that Kim will scrap his nuclear weapons if only he gets to shake hands with the U.S. president a few more times or if sanctions are eased. Kim has absolutely no intention of giving up his nuclear weapons unless his very survival depends on scrapping them. Reaffirming the U.S.' firm resolve to maintain the sanctions, Biden also made it clear he will believe no promises from Kim unless they are followed by actions. Moon will have to resign himself to that reality. He will also have to let the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery and support infrastructure be fully set up at long last without worrying about China's reaction and the epic nimby protests in the area. He can tell Beijing that THAAD will be unnecessary the moment North Korea's nuclear threat disappears.

It remains to be seen whether Moon will uphold his side of the agreements he made with Biden. It is not at all impossible that he only made concessions in the wording of their joint statement because he wanted to wheedle Biden into shaking hands with Kim just like his predecessor Donald Trump had done, and that if his hopes of a photo op are disappointed he will resort to stalling and obstreperousness again.


The last time they spoke was just prior to her disappearance, when Reyes said he booked a Lyft for her from the DoubleTree hotel in Newark, where she was staying, to the conference. Reyes added that he has not spoken with the missing woman since.
The Mehul Choksi saga has taken a new turn, with the fugitive businessman reportedly going missing from his Antigua hideout. Sources claim that he has fled to Cuba but theres no certain evidence so far.

Mehul Choksi, the 62-year-old fugitive diamantaire wanted by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate in connection with a 14,000 crore PNB loan fraud and money-laundering case, has gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda, a Caribbean island nation where he fled in 2018.

Vijay Aggarwal, Mr. Choksis lawyer, has confirmed on Tuesday morning that his client is missing and that his family is looking for him. He also stated that Antiguan police had launched a manhunt for him.

According to Antigua Newsroom, Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney stated that his officers were following up on the whereabouts of Indian businessman Mehul Choksi.

The media reports have stated that Choksi left his home Monday evening to go to dinner at a restaurant in the islands south. He hasnt been seen or heard from since. His vehicle was later discovered, but there was no sign of him, according to local news outlets.

Also Read:#PLAHacksUSProg: China infiltrates U.S. Military Biodefense Program; Xis Covid lies busted?

Mehul Choksi is involved in a protracted legal battle to prevent his extradition to India.

Choski is currently an Antiguan citizen. Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne stated last year that citizenship would be revoked once all legal options had been exhausted.

Mr. Choksis lawyer responded in March to media reports that his citizenship had been revoked by an Antiguan civil court. Mr. Aggarwal stated that Mehul Choksi is still an Antiguan citizen.

Mr. Choksi has claimed time and again that the charges against him are false, baseless, and motivated by political expediency. Mr. Choksis nephew, billionaire jeweler Nirav Modi, 50, is also wanted in the PNB scam case. Modi, like his uncle, fled India in 2018 and is now in the United Kingdom.

The British government approved Nirav Modis extradition to India last month. Mr. Modi, on the other hand, can still challenge the extradition order in the UK High Court.
As the new report again sparked the controversy, Biden's white house backed the Covid-19 origin probe. In a recent statement issued by Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary said that an international inquiry led by the World Health Organization is something that they've really been pushing for several months in collaboration with a number of partners around the world.

Its been more than 1 year since the outbreak of the Covid-19 but the mystery surrounding its origins has yet to be solved. As the new report again sparked the controversy, Bidens white house backed the Covid-19 origin probe. In a recent statement issued by Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary said that an international inquiry led by the World Health Organization is something that theyve really been pushing for several months in collaboration with a number of partners around the world.

A US intelligence document gained by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reigniting rumours that the Covid virus was inadvertently released from Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). It has also revealed the number of scientists affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits. Though China rejected all the allegation on Monday and accused USA of exaggerating the hypothesis that the coronavirus escaped from a lab in Wuhan.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the story of three people getting sick is completely untrue. Furthermore, he also questioned the USA and asked Does it care about traceability or is it just trying to distract attention? Even the director of Wuhan lab, Yuan Zhiming, also told Chinese state media that the story was inaccurate. I read it, and its a total lie. On Monday, Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary also said that the United States does not have enough evidence and facts to make a decision at this moment. However, the question remains: Is China really working with the international community to determine the sources of the Covid-19, or is it attempting to shift responsibility to other countries?

Read More: Details of Wuhan Lab staff emerge; Is China hiding the truth of the origin of corona virus?
Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, a number of travel industry executives and experts are expressing confidence that many Americans will be ready to hit the road and take to the skies again this summer.

Their bullishness reflects the proliferation of COVID-19 vaccines, the abatement of the pandemic across the country and data showing a significant number of Americans intent to resume traveling after facing social distancing restrictions in the past 15 months. A rebound cannot come soon enough for the leisure and hospitality sector, one of the industries most acutely affected by the global health crisis.

People who live in the U.S. are very lucky to be in a place where, thankfully, things are a lot different and people can travel very easily now, Glenn Fogel, CEO and president of Norwalk-based online travel services giant Booking Holdings, said Monday during the virtual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference.

In the first quarter of this year, Booking saw its revenues plummet 50 percent year over year to about $1.1 billion. The No. 210-ranked company on last years Fortune 500 list operates in more than 220 countries and territories, primarily through Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda.com, Rentalcars.com, Kayak and OpenTable.

But Booking and other travel companies are seeing numerous signs of customers growing desire to travel. Ahead of National Road Trip Day on Friday, Priceline released last week the results of a survey that found that nine in 10 Americans have taken at least one road trip in the past year. During that span, 75 percent took more than four.

Those in the northeastern U.S. were the most adventurous: 95 percent of survey respondents from that region have taken a road trip in the past year.

In another auspicious sign for the industry, four in 10 Americans plan to take at least one vacation this summer  a percentage similar to the activity during the summer of 2019, according to a report published Tuesday by professional-services firm Deloitte.

The need for a post-lockdown getaway, cited by nearly half of Americans planning leisure trips, is the top motivation for travel this summer, Deloitte officials wrote in the report. A smaller share, 41 percent, said that they are regular summer travelers. Clearly, so-called revenge travel, a term first coined when China emerged from local lockdowns and saw a domestic travel surge, has come to America.

Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

A resurgence in travel would also benefit Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, where activity has dropped precipitously since the pandemic began. A total of about 2.4 million travelers passed through Bradley in 2020, down 64 percent from 2019. In the first three months of 2021, about 590,000 passengers frequented the airport, down 54 percent year over year.

Officials at the Connecticut Airport Authority, the owner-operator of Bradley, anticipate 43 percent fewer passengers in the lead-up to Memorial Day compared with the 2019 Memorial Day travel timeframe. Memorial Day weekend does not rank among Bradleys busiest periods because CAA officials said that they do not typically see a lot of air travel during that period.

Our anticipated passenger traffic leading up to the Memorial Day holiday is in line with what we have been seeing this entire month in terms of passenger volume, said CAA spokesperson Alisa Sisic. With the continued vaccine rollout and relaxing of travel related restrictions across the country, we are hopeful the traffic will continue to improve over the summer.

Despite its struggles, Bradley has announced a number of new routes in the past few months. The new Breeze Airways said last week it would launch this summer four nonstop routes connecting Bradley with Charleston, S.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Norfolk, Va.; and Pittsburgh. Also last week, Sun Country Airlines committed to starting nonstop service between Bradley and Minneapolis.

As noted by CAA officials and many others in the travel industry, COVID-19 vaccinations have greatly helped in restoring confidence in the safety of mass transit. In the past week, Connecticuts total number of doses administered for every 100,000 people ranked No. 3 among the states, according to the CDC.

People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization can travel safely within the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website.

The CDC defines people as fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when two weeks have passed since receiving the second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks have gone by since getting a single-dose vaccine such as the Johnson & Johnson immunization.

At least 75 percent of travelers are considering factors such as CDC guidelines and vaccination status when choosing their vacation destination, according to the Deloitte report.

But as the pandemic persists, many are still reticent about venturing farther afield. Among non-travelers, 41 percent said health concerns would keep them home, while nearly 30 percent cited financial concerns, Deloitte found.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
Connecticut State Trooper First Class Gene Baron was among the tens of thousands of first-responders who searched through the rubble of Ground Zero following the Sept. 11 attacks.

In the following days, the Derby native would serve as a liason for families in Connecticut whose loved ones were still missing.
KALISPELL, Mont. (AP)  Amtrak's Empire Builder train has resumed daily service from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, including a dozen stops along Montana's Hi-Line, after cutbacks made due to the pandemic.

The Empire Builder makes stops in Wolf Point, Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Shelby, Cut Bank, Browning, East Glacier Park, Essex, West Glacier, Whitefish and Libby in Montana.

Whitefish is the busiest stop, with more than 55,000 passengers boarding or disembarking there in a typical year, the Daily Inter Lake reported.

Whitefish depends on the reliable service  and economic boost  that the Empire Builder route brings, and we are thrilled that service is returning to seven days a week, Whitefish Mayor John Muhfeld said in a statement. With travel season right around the corner, this is just the shot in the arm our economy needed as we work to build back after the pandemic.

Amtrak reduced service on most of its long-distance routes to three days a week in October as ridership dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester introduced legislation to restore full funding, Amtrak was provided $166 million in the most recent federal stimulus bill to return to normal operations and reinstate about 1,200 workers.

Tester, a Democrat, had called the reduced service an unacceptable attack on our frontier communities because the route is relied on by some Montana residents in rural areas to connect with the rest of the country.

Daily service resumed Monday on the Empire Builder along with the California Zephyr from Chicago through Denver and Salt Lake to San Francisco; the Coast Starlight from Seattle and Portland to Los Angeles; and the Texas Eagle from Chicago through St. Louis and Dallas to Los Angeles.
A top general has lost her command and multiple soldiers have been reprimanded following a monthslong investigation into allegations that an Illinois-based Army Reserve unit mishandled sexual assault complaints for years, Army officials said Tuesday.

The Army launched a review of the 416th Theater Engineer Command in January 2020 at the request of Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. The senators' request followed an Associated Press story about allegations of improper internal investigations into sexual assault complaints within the unit and retaliation against a whistleblower.

Army officials released the findings from the investigation on Tuesday. The probe concluded that multiple leaders in the 416th lacked basic knowledge of how to handle sexual assaults and harassment and failed to properly staff offices designed to support victims.

The 416ths commanding general, Miyako Schanely, was suspended last summer as part of the probe. Pentagon officials said in a news release Tuesday that she has relinquished her command.

The investigation found that Schanely failed to publish an updated sexual assault policy for the 416th for more than two years; didnt convene a sexual assault review board for 15 months even though the Department of Defense requires such meetings be held monthly; left a sexual assault response coordinator position vacant for nine months; and failed to conduct a survey of the units command climate.

Twelve soldiers have been reprimanded or been given counseling statements. The Pentagon also took administrative actions against two senior leaders. Three civilian employees face administrative action as well. Army officials did not identify them or elaborate on their violations, citing privacy concerns, and names were largely redacted from the investigatory findings.

Rachel VanLandingham, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who teaches national security law at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, said generals could decide to remove a reprimand from a soldiers file if their behavior improves, or use it to justify tougher punishment if problems continue. They also could place the reprimand in the soldiers permanent human resources file, which could hurt an officers chances at promotion, she said.

She described counseling statements as a tiny slap on the wrist and called them practically meaningless.

The 416th, based in the Chicago suburb of Darien, provides technical and engineering support for U.S. military forces and serves as the headquarters for nearly 11,000 soldiers in 26 states west of the Mississippi River.

Problems within the unit came to light in January 2020 when Amy Braley Franck, a civilian sexual assault victim advocate with the 416th, told the AP that commanders launched internal investigations into at least two sexual assault cases, one in 2018 and another in 2019. Federal law and Department of Defense policy require that commanders refer sexual assault complaints to criminal investigators in their respective branches to avoid biased investigations. Commanders who don't follow the proper channels can face reprimand, removal from command or a court martial.

Braley Franck also alleged that the 416th went months without holding a sexual assault management meeting and unit commanders placed a woman on the firing range with someone she had accused of sexually harassing her, causing her to fear for her life. Braley Frank's commanders suspended her in November 2019 in what she believes was retaliation for alerting Army criminal investigators to the internal probes.

The Wisconsin National Guards top commander, Adj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, resigned in December 2019 after a federal review found he ran internal sexual assault investigations rather than forward complaints to the National Guard Bureau.

Braley Franck said the investigation confirmed her claims are true. She remains suspended but has a hearing set for July on a grievance she filed with the Department of Defense and the investigation's findings should help her there, she said.

Everything substantiates my claims, she said.

Durbin and Duckworth issued a joint statement Tuesday afternoon saying the issues that led to mishandling sexual assault cases in the 416th are unacceptable anywhere in the U.S. military. They said the investigation shows the Army is trying to improve how it handles sexual assault allegations.

We will continue to support programs that improve the military justice system, increase training for command leaders and offer support for sexual assault and harassment survivors, they said. Service members cannot be silenced or abandoned for seeking justice and accountability.

___

Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1
Alex Brandon/AP

TULSA, Okla. (AP)  President Joe Biden will visit Tulsa next week to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1921 massacre that claimed up to hundreds of lives in the city.

The White House said Tuesday that Biden will visit Tulsa on June 1. His appearance will follow a weekend of events including a keynote speech from Stacey Abrams and a performance by John Legend.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  Billings police are searching for two women as they investigate an assault on a female member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council and a man at a downtown hotel, officers said Tuesday.

Silver Little Eagle was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the May 16 assault, police said. Her family called the assault a brutal unprovoked attack spurred by jealousy and hate.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Republicans who control Pennsylvania's Legislature began Tuesday to advance hot-button bills to restrict abortion rights and expand gun rights, although the bills faced opposition by Democratic lawmakers and certain veto by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Since he took office in 2015, Wolf has battled the Legislature's Republican majorities over guns and abortion, vetoing a number of bills on the topics, including two firearms bills as recently as last fall.

On two pieces of abortion legislation that passed the House Health Committee on Tuesday, Wolf vowed a veto and reiterated his support for abortion rights.

While members of the Legislature continue to play politics around health choices, I will not let the commonwealth go backwards on reproductive rights or access to health care," Wolf said in a statement. "I will veto any anti-choice legislation that lands on my desk.

The bills passed on a party-line basis.

One would outlaw abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, possibly as early as six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. It was the first time such a bill has emerged from a committee in Pennsylvania's Legislature. It carries an exception for when an abortion is medically necessary to protect the mother.

The bill is similar to laws in more than a dozen other states, although federal courts have mostly blocked states from enforcing the measures.

The other bill would prohibit an abortion on the basis of a Down syndrome diagnosis. Wolf vetoed something identical in 2019, and such laws have, in past years, been blocked by federal courts in every state where it was challenged.

However, former President Donald Trumps judicial appointments have begun to change that, and court rulings already have allowed enforcement of the laws in Missouri, Tennessee and Ohio.

Pennsylvania law allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy for any reason except to select a gender, with exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.

In the House Judiciary Committee, Republicans passed a bill to allow people to carry a loaded firearm openly or concealed, without a permit, and revived legislation to make it easier for people or gun-rights organizations to sue municipalities over firearms ordinances that are stricter than state law.

Every Democrat and one Republican opposed the measures. Wolf opposes both bills, his office said, and in a statement he urged lawmakers to take up bills to fight gun violence, including so-called  red flag  legislation and a bill to end a background check exception for private sales of shotguns, sporting rifles and semi-automatic rifles.

Pennsylvanians are generally allowed to openly carry loaded firearms, although the law is silent on it. Only in Philadelphia is a permit required for it.

The bill also would remove the requirement for people to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon, including storing it in their car. People under 21 cannot get such a permit, although the law allows anyone 18 and older to own a gun.

The Pennsylvania State Police reported just over 311,000 licenses to carry firearms were issued by county sheriffs' offices and the city of Philadelphia in 2020, a 35% increase over 2019.

A second bill would revive legislation long-sought by gun-rights organizations to expand standing in court to sue a municipality over a firearms ordinance. A similar bill was signed into law in 2014 by then-Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, but later struck down in court on a technicality. Wolf threatened to veto a previous bill, in 2016.

Court precedent has held that someone only has standing to sue if they were prosecuted for violating such an ordinance, although the state Supreme Court has a case in front of it challenging that precedent.

Pennsylvania has long prohibited its municipalities from enforcing firearms ordinances that regulate the ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of guns or ammunition. But gun-rights groups complain municipalities often ignore the decades-old prohibition by approving their own gun restrictions.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter.
The FAA is seeking fines ranging from $9,000 to $15,000 against five airline passengers accused of interfering with or assaulting flight attendants. One of those people is a JetBlue passenger who was flying from Orlando, Fla., to New York City in March, according to the agency. The passenger allegedly refused to comply with the mask mandate and shouted profanities at a flight attendant who had repeatedly asked him to do so.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A high school student reported that a Kansas House member working as a substitute teacher manhandled him and kicked him in the testicles during class, and the lawmaker told authorities that God told him to do it, according to a sheriffs deputys written statement.

The deputys affidavit, released to reporters Tuesday, said the boy showed him a golf ball-sized road rash and a 3-to-4 inch scratch on his back that he said appeared after Republican state Rep. Mark Samsel, of Wellsville, pushed him up against a classroom wall on April 28.

Samsel, 36, was charged last week with three misdemeanor counts of battery following his rude, insulting or angry interactions with two students, ages 15 or 16, during an art class at Wellsville High School. He has pleaded not guilty. Each of the charges is punishable by up to six months in jail.

The affidavit said Samsel acknowledged during an interview that he had demonstrated a kick after one boy disrupted class. He told the deputy he did not kick the boy and that the student had embellished the heck out of it.

The boy told the deputy that after Samsel pushed him against the wall and kicked him, his back and testicles were in pain for approximately 15 minutes, the affidavit said.

I would just say that all an affidavit is, is a very brief recitation of allegations, and that they're all allegations at this point," said Samsel's attorney, Christopher Scott. He is innocent unless proven guilty.

Samsel did not answer a phone call, and it was not possible to leave him a message Tuesday.

The Wellsville school district has banned Samsel from its property and events for a year.

There's no indication that Samsel might face disciplinary action from the House, which can censure or expel a member, and its top Republican leaders have said the courts must be allowed to work.

On Monday, Scott asked the magistrate not to release the affidavit, but the judge released a redacted version.

The sheriff's deputy said in the document that he asked the lawmaker why he had put his hands on the boy, and Samsel pointed to the ceiling. When the deputy asked Samsel whether God told him to do so, Samsel answered, Twice.

He stated he knew it was wrong and he shouldn't do it, he stated he did not want to do it, the affidavit said. He stated, The whole world is telling me not to do it, God said, Yes. Mark believes this was God's plan.

Samsel told the deputy that he didnt want to do any of the things I did right there and suggested he might end up in a psychiatric hospital because it has all the appearance of a psychotic episode or manic episode, the affidavit said.

Videos shot by students and provided by a parent show Samsel talking about suicide, God and sex in a noisy classroom.

The deputy said a female student told him Samsel at one point grabbed her by her shoulders, though he was not aggressive. She said he asked her: Do you have mental problems?

A Franklin County magistrate ordered Samsel to undergo a mental health evaluation. His next court hearing is set for July 12.

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
NEW HAVEN  Donna Monticone, a former nurse at a Yale reproductive clinic, replaced the painkiller fentanyl with saline, taking the drug for herself, exposing dozens of women to agony, according to federal officials.

One described it Tuesday as more pain than I could ever imagine.

Monticone testified that she had been through infertility treatment herself, and knew all that it required. She had built relationships with the victims, serving as their nurse as they sought the aid of science to bear children.

At the same time, she was agonizing over the fate of her own children, who had been the subject of a years-long custody battle.

The Department of Children and Families had gotten involved; Monticone, struggling with addictive tendencies and pain, turned to drugs. The future of her children, were she to be incarcerated, would become even more uncertain.

U.S. District Court Judge Janet C. Hall considered questions of Monticones acts and her circumstances in federal court Tuesday, ultimately sentencing Monticone to four weekends in prison, three months of home confinement and three years of supervised release.

Hall, Assistant Federal Defense Attorney Allison Near and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller all Tuesday described the difficulty of the case during Monticones sentencing hearing, as they discussed and argued the relative factors involved and Monticone and the victims in the case spoke to their pain.

Near argued that Hall should deviate from federal guidelines, which recommended a sentence of 54 to 61 months in prison, in light of Monticones familial circumstances, her unequivocal acceptance of responsibility, and her past, which included no prior criminal offenses and prompted family and friends to offer letters of support.

The offense was serious, Near acknowledged; the victims in the case had suffered, and any suggestion of complicating factors was not designed to undermine the validity of their pain. Mere words, she suggested, would not be enough to convince them of Monticones remorse.

But Monticone cooperated with authorities throughout the case, Near said, including supplying information they would not otherwise have had. She had gone to Alcoholics Anonymous daily since being arrested; she had sought the aid of a therapist.

Near said Monticone was a mother going through a difficult and protracted divorce, who, instead of turning to those who loved and supported her, had hidden her struggle, striving to be all things to all people, and reached a breaking point.

She had essentially been living a double life, said Near. Youre not going to see her again. ... She created this, and she knows that.

Monticone, speaking during the proceedings, told the victims that she would struggle with their pain each day for the rest of her life.

With tears in her voice, she apologized to them, to her colleagues at the reproductive clinic, to the greater Yale community, to her friends and family she said had raised her well, with a sense of morality.

My regret and shame runs deep, said Monticone. Every day, I wish I could turn back time. ... Every day (in the future), I will do whatever I can to make amends.

Monticone offered advice to anyone else struggling with hidden pain: Speak to others before reaching a moment of crisis; dont let it spin out of control. A problem shared is a problem halved, she said.

Miller noted that the court proceedings Tuesday were not, ultimately, being held because of Monticones familial circumstances or the way she chose to cope with them. Indeed, if she had just used drugs on her own, it likely would not have risen to the level of a federal case, he said.

Instead, Monticone had knowingly, intentionally, repeatedly replaced the painkillers used in an expensive and intimate medical procedure, causing incredible suffering, he said.

Monticone had known the procedure well, Miller said; she previously underwent it herself. She had known the names and the faces of the victims personally, speaking to them as they underwent the fertility treatment process.

He said she made a knowing choice and caused suffering.

Three victims addressed the court Tuesday, all speaking anonymously. One had been scheduled to speak prior, while the other two made an impromptu decision, driven by the conversation before them.

The first woman, a doctor , said she was familiar with fentanyl. She administered it every day, to people who had been shot or stabbed. She previously had undergone the fertility treatment, and received the painkiller appropriately that time .

On the day her life had been affected by Monticone, she said, she knew what was happening in real time. The nurse administered a vial; she felt no effect. She asked for another; still nothing. She tasted saline in her mouth; she knew what she was about to endure.

You hurt me. You hurt me on that day, the woman said. It was more pain than I could ever imagine.

Afterward, the woman said, she had been treated like a drug addict. She had noted her pain; the doctors, reacting to the idea that fentanyl had not curbed the sensation, asked about her past drug use. She went to her home hospital to seek further care, but could only moan in agony. The nurse who received her, a daily colleague, had not recognized her.

To me, youre the big winner here, the woman said, noting that Monticone had obscured her own pain and had three children, which was a gift those in fertility treatment would love to have. Ms. Monticone, you kicked us while we were down.

The second woman said she had woken up during the surgery, screaming in pain. Afterward, she was told she had been hallucinating.

Monticone had risked her childrens future by taking fentanyl, the woman noted. An overdose could have killed her. Now, she said, the idea she had to care for them rang hollow.

I dont feel thats an excuse. She has traumatized us to another level, said the woman. For her to do this was completely wrong. ... We trusted her. She violated us to another level.

The third woman said she endured the pain and had gotten pregnant after going through the fertility treatment. She carried the child for 17 weeks before losing the pregnancy; she understood the love that Monticone was struggling with. She would have died for that unborn child, she said.

But now, shes trying again. She has panic attacks before surgery now, including for another recent procedure. She said she wanted Monticone to know her pain.

She hurt me. She hurt my family, the woman said. I needed her to see me and know that this hurts.

During her deliberations, Hall said she was struggling to balance factors of the case.

The public would be protected, she said  Monticone would be barred from ever working with narcotics again. Deterrence, she said, was trickier, as addiction was involved, but the arrest would serve as some guidance to others.

But, as she said to Near during the proceedings, it was difficult to find a path forward that balanced all the perspectives to achieve justice.

Monticone had caused harm. In the midst of an expensive, emotionally draining procedure, she breached the trust of those who looked to her for care and wreaked such pain. It was a very strong criminal case, Hall said during the proceedings.

But it was aberrant, Hall noted; Monticones past had been clear, with a loving, supportive family.

The difficulty of Monticones family life could not truly be contextualized at this point, Hall said. Her children had been in difficult circumstances, but specifics of the relationship with their father could only be outlined by DCF and court records, not truly ascertained.

Theres no answer, said Hall. Forget about whether theres a good answer or right answer.

She settled on the four weekends of incarceration under the oversight of U.S. marshals, as well as three years of supervised release, which will include three months of home confinement, as well as prohibitions against further offenses or unlawful possession of controlled substances.

Monticone needed a taste of prison, Hall said, but her familial circumstances were extraordinary, warranting an exception from federal guidelines and justifying the sentence.

I do think that you need to experience incarceration, said Hall. Im sure (the victims) think Ive made a mistake. I dont know if I have, myself, or not.

Monticones children are cared for by their father on some weekends, as he has visitation rights, Hall noted. The weekend stints in prison should end in time for Monticone to pick them up.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
LENEXA, Kan. (AP)  A man was killed in an early Tuesday morning shootout with officers at a hotel in suburban Kansas City, Kansas, police said.

Police said the shooting happened shortly after 5 a.m., when officers were called to the Extended Stay America hotel in Lenexa for reports of a man and woman arguing loudly in one of the rooms.
NEW HAVEN  Tweed New Haven Regional Airport will hire McFarland Johnson Inc., the same firm that did the airports 20-year master plan update, to do an environmental assessment that is needed before two key projects to lengthen Tweeds runway and build a new 74,000-square-foot terminal can go forward.

The environmental assessment is a requirement that must be done before the Federal Aviation Administration signs off on proposed projects to lengthen the airports runway from 5,600 feet to 6,635 feet and build a new terminal where the east end of Tweeds former crosswind runway is now.

In a May 6 press conference, Tweed and its longtime manager, Avports, announced that Avports would invest $100 million over the next 43 years, including $70 million over the next two years to finance the runway extension and a new four-gate terminal (expandable to six), with a new entrance to the airport off Proto Drive in East Haven. As part of the deal, Avports will lease the terminal property for that period of time.

At the same press conference, they announced that a new start-up airline, Avelo Air, will begin service to and from Tweed in the third quarter of this year, with destinations still to be announced.

The runway extension would be accomplished by paving previously-constructed runway safety areas at either end of the runway.

The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, by what appeared to be a unanimous voice vote, authorized Executive Director Sean Scanlon Wednesday to negotiate a contract with McFarland Johnson, based in Binghamton, N.Y.

McFarland Johnson was first-ranked among the two consultants that responded to Tweeds request for qualifications, according to the resolution the authority approved.

The price, reimbursable by the FAA, is one of the things to be negotiated, Scanlon, also a Democratic state representative for Guilford and Branford and House chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, said Thursday.

A lawyer representing Tweed, Peter Kirsch, said the resolution it approved Wednesday is the first of a number of resolutions that will come before the authority in the coming months related to the changes it announced May 6.

The environmental assessment is a federal and state process that we need to go through ... in order to secure state funding. Scanlon will now negotiate a price and a scope of services, he said.

Cost is part of the overall package that we talked about at the last meeting ... in which Avports is providing a loan that will be largely reimbursed by the FAA, Kirsch said.

Tweeds only service right now is 5-day-a-week American Eagle service to Philadelphia. American currently only is committed to stay at Tweed through September.

The U.S. Supreme Courts denial of the states request to consider an appeal of a July 2019 federal courts ruling gave Tweed the right to expand.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruling cleared the way for runway extension on the grounds that federal policy superseded a 2009 state statute barring runway expansion. The statute was passed following a legal settlement between New Haven and East Haven.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
The governor and legislative Democrats have a plan that would increase the price of gas and another that would result in you paying more for everyday services and goods such as groceries. With help from dozens of residents, we sent them a very public message in Wallingford last week: Enough is enough.

Were writing to thank those who joined us at our local rally against their new Transportation and Climate Initiative gas tax as well as their proposal to install a mileage-based tax on heavy trucks. These plans under consideration right now come at the worst possible time  as our state embarks on what could be a long and fragile economic recovery.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 79F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Since 1988, Merchant has been confined to a wheelchair as he was a paraplegic. He did not act for many years and had been working as an inventor, acquiring two patents for his inventions.
The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, has reacted to the statement by the Presidency which faulted the ban on open grazing issued by...

The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, has reacted to the statement by the Presidency which faulted the ban on open grazing issued by governors of the southern region.

The Presidency had described the ban and other resolutions reached by the governors as acts of politicking intended by its signatories to demonstrate power.

The Presidencys position is contained in a statement titled, President Buhari okays deep rooted solutions to herdsmen attacks, clears way for ranching and revival of forest reserves, signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

Reacting to the statement, Okowa who is the Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum, faulted the Presidency.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, he said nothing was wrong in the southern governors demonstrating their executive power.

He stated, They said act of politicking and so what? If they want to call it politics, it is nothing to us.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Enugu State on Monday, arrested six suspected internet fraudsters in th...

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Enugu State on Monday, arrested six suspected internet fraudsters in the State.

A statement on the EFCC website identified the suspects as Tochukwu Okoro, Okechukwu Ejechie, Nwankwo Okeke, Edeh Emmanuel, Emeka Chukwunonso and Kenechukwu Ekunie.

It said the suspects were arrested at Bricks Estate, Independence Layout, Enugu.

They were arrested following credible intelligence on their alleged criminal activities.

A Toyota Camry car with registration number YAB 418 AZ was recovered from Tochukwu Okoro while other incriminating materials including laptops and mobile phones were recovered from the other suspects.

The commission added that the suspects will be charged to Court as soon as the investigation is concluded.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, has disclosed that the Federal Gover...

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, has disclosed that the Federal Government will source funds from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Sukuk bond as well as other sources to finance substantial part of the Calabar-Itu Road project next year.

He noted that the plan became necessary due to insufficient funds for the project in the 2021 budget.

Enang disclosed this on Tuesday while inspecting a four-kilometer portion of the Calabar-Itu Road already completed by Julius Berger Plc.

He commended the company for the quality of road adding that the standard was in accordance with the design by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

He said, This is the portion which has been completed by Julius Berger, its only about three to four kilometers of the 22 kilometers that they have completed on both sides with the pavement. Not that nothing has been done, just that they havent completed and gone far.

We appreciate the quality of the road, if you see the width and everything is as designed by the federal ministry of Works and Housing, and they have completed it according to standard.

We are trying to get funds from the Niger Delta Development Commission, from other sources and of course from Sukuk bonds to be able to complete these sides.

I want the people of Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Abia States to commend and appreciate the President, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and we want to assure that the rest of the project will be funded more in the next budget.

There is money in the 2021 budget, but it is not much to go far for this, but the one were anxious to commence is the aspect of the road that was awarded to CCECC which they are yet to commence because we are yet to mobilise them.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has accused the Presidency of a hidden agenda. Ortom made the remark while faulting President...

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has accused the Presidency of a hidden agenda.

Ortom made the remark while faulting President Muhammadu Buharis insistence on grazing reserves.

The governor said that the Federal governments insistence on grazing reserves in the country was a misplaced priority.

A statement by Garba Shehu, Buharis spokesman had said the Federal Government would next month commence rehabilitation work on grazing reserves in the country.

However, a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, the governor said: We read a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in which he said the Federal Government will commence rehabilitation work on grazing reserves in the country next month.

We find the move not only shocking and curious but also a misplaced priority. At a time the country is worried about the worsening security situation and many Nigerians are calling for national dialogue to address the fundamental issues that have led to the present state of affairs, the Federal Government considers the reopening of cattle grazing routes as the only solution available to it.

It is now clear that there is a hidden agenda which only the Presidency knows. Otherwise, all the regions of the country have accepted the fact that open grazing of animals is no longer fashionable and should be banned to pave way for ranching, yet, the government at the centre is insistent that grazing reserves/cattle routes must be created across the country.

On February 9, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) met and agreed that the current system of herding mainly by open grazing is no longer sustainable, in view of growing urbanisation and population of the country.

The Forum consequently resolved to sensitize herders on the need to adopt ranching as the new method of animal husbandry.

The 17 Governors of Southern Nigeria rose from their meeting in Asaba on May 11 also this year, with a ban on open grazing in the entire region. The Southern Governors equally adopted ranching as the alternative method of rearing animals.

However, Ortom added: As it stands, the Presidency is the lone hand pushing for the continuation of open grazing and the return of cattle routes of 1950s and 60s. The Presidency has, by its endorsement of open grazing, emboldened armed herders who lay claim to all lands in Nigeria as belonging to Fulani, hence their invasion of farming communities and killing of original owners of such lands.
The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has lambasted the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Muhammad...

The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has lambasted the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Garba Sheu, over the latters recent comment on the resolutions of the 17 southern governors made at a meeting in Asaba Delta State.

Shehu, in a statement allegedly from the presidency, was quoted to have gone against the resolutions of the 17 southern governors.

Akeredolu, who described Shehu as an agent provocateur, said the presidential media aide was not speaking for President Buhari on the ban on open grazing which is one of the resolutions of the SGF.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale, on Tuesday, title Mr Garba Shehu: On the trail of an agent provocateur.

The statement read, Anyone who has been following the utterances of this man, as well as his fellow travellers on the self-deluding, mendacious but potentially dangerous itinerary to anarchy, cannot but conclude that he works, assiduously, for extraneous interests whose game plan stands at variance with the expectations of genuine lovers of peaceful coexistence among all the peoples whose ethnic extractions are indigenous to Nigeria.

Mr Garba must disclose, this day, the real motive(s) of those he serves, definitely not the President. He cannot continue to hide under some opaque, omnibus, and dubious directives to create confusion in the polity. The easy recourse to mendacious uppity in pushing a barely disguised pernicious agendum is well understood. The declaration that the recommendations of the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, a mere political appointee like Garba Shehu, are now the lasting solutions which eluded all the elected representatives of the people of the Southern part of the country, exposes this man as a pitiable messenger who does not seem to understand the limits of his relevance and charge.

Mr Garba contends that their announcement is of questionable legality, referring to the 17 Governors of the Southern States, but the decision of certain elements to take the ancestral lands of other people to settle their kinsmen, including the gun-wielding killer herdsmen and their families, and provide veterinary clinics, water points for animals, and facilities for herders and their families including schooling through these rehabilitated reserves for which the Federal Government is making far-reaching and practical changes allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side, does not appear to him as a comprehensive plan for land grabbing, a precursor to internal colonialism. He wants to revive forest reserves but seems particularly uninterested in the current position of the same law, that he and his cohorts often misinterpret to serve parochialism and greed. Governors no longer have powers over the lands in their territories. They must take instructions from appointees of the Federal Government on such matters.

It is superfluous, and that is being charitable, for anyone to remind us of the constitutional right of bona fide citizens to enjoy rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 States (and FCT)-regardless of their state of birth and residence. There has never been any contention on this provision. It is clear that Mr Garba seems to have issues understanding the difference between licentious criminality and qualified rights under our law. It is our duty to continually nudge him off his current state of cognitive dissonance. His pronouncement betrays dubiety and mischief.

Most traditional families in Nigeria have occupations. Pastoralism is not an exception. Any ethnic group still trapped in anachronism may be assisted to embrace modernity. Dispossessing communities of their ancestral lands, encouraging denizens of the forests to overrun lands belonging to other people, and forcing alien bands of migrants on the local populace to live side-by-side with other communities cannot be for the purpose of animal husbandry. It raises suspicion on a grand, deliberate, persistent, and insidious design to use naked force to subjugate the real owners of the land. Mr Garba Shehu is a major supporter of the current pervasive anarchy in the land.

The statement warned Shehu and his cohorts to desist from hurling insults at the elected representatives of the people, saying he lacks the authority to make policy statements for the Federal Government, unless directed, expressly. His acts are clearly those of an agent provocateur. Other closet dreamers, aspirers to colonial fantasies, must be weaned off their delusion. 

He also declared that no inch of the space delineated and known, currently, as South West, and indeed the whole South, will be ceded to a band of invaders masquerading as herdsmen under any guise.
New Yorkers and small businesses in every corner of the State were devastated by the pandemic, and as we continue to recover and rebuild we need to make sure they have the resources they need get back on their feet and succeed in a new, reimagined economy, Cuomo said in a statement. This critical funding will help ensure New Yorkers who are experiencing financial hardship through no fault of their own will not be thrown onto the streets, while also providing stability for small businesses so they can help play a role in New Yorks economic resurgence.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 81F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.
A tugboat drags the Panama-flagged ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal after the ship was successfully freed and re-floated on March 29. Handout/DPA/Zuma Press/TNS
Alonah Montgomery sits on the floor socially distanced from other children while going over a lesson as Laiyah Singletery reads at Pippen Palace Childcare Academy on Detroits west side on Aug. 13. New York rescinded a rule late Monday that required young children ages 2-5 to wear face masks at day care and other child care facilities, including summer camp. Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/TNS
Cannataro is the citywide administrative judge for the civil court of New York City. He was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2017 after being appointed as supervising Judge in the Civil Court of the City of New York from 2016 to 2018. He has worked in different courts in Manhattan and the Bronx since being elected in 2011 to city civil court.
A visitation for Officer Jeremy Brinton is set for Tuesday, June 1 at Nogales High School. The public is welcome from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The next day, a Mass celebration will be held at NHS at 10 a.m.
If you know anything about the Beauregard-Keyes house, its that former Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard and celebrated Dinner at Antoines author Francis Parkinson Keyes once lived there.

(Not at the same time, though.)

You might also know that the house, at 1113 Chartres St., dates to 1826 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, regarded as one of the French Quarters best-preserved structures, a blend of Creole and American building styles.

What you might not know is that between the time Beauregard rented it for two years, from around 1866 to 1868, and Keyes took up residence and restored it, between 1943 and 1970, it was the site of a bloody showdown that shines an intriguing light on the Italian-American experience in early 20th century New Orleans.

Starting in the 1880s, Sicilians began immigrating to south Louisiana in numbers. With the citys wealthier residents moving to more fashionable neighborhoods upriver, the newcomers settled in what had become a fairly rundown French Quarter.

There were enough of them for some to begin referring to the French Quarter as Little Palermo.

People being what they are, it also didnt take long for anti-Italian sentiment to boil over.

The collective image of local Italians suffered a particular blow with the emergence in the late 19th and early 20th century of the so-called Black Hand Society, a criminal organization rooted in the old country and specializing in extortion.

In a nutshell, Black Hand operatives would send a letter demanding cash to someone, often another immigrant. Failure to deliver the given sum would leave the person, their family or their property at risk.

Newspapers had a field day with the number of Black Hand schemes playing out around the city, as well as with the often violent aftermath. Buildings were being dynamited. Children were being abducted. People were being killed.

It was against this backdrop that Pietro Giacona, a Sicilian immigrant, bought the Chartres Street house around 1904 as a family home.

More Greek in influence than other buildings in the Quarter, its built on a ground-level basement, with living quarters located one story up. Out back, overlooking a courtyard, is a rear gallery running the length of the house.

Its on this rear gallery that a bloody drama played out late the night of June 17, 1908. Thats when Giacona, who made and sold wine out of the houses basement, was approached by Giovani Barreco and Ciro Cusimano, identified by police as Black Hand operatives.

Giacona knew the two men, having previously done business with them. It wasnt a warm relationship, though.

They often failed to pay him what they owed. They also often showed up at his house demanding food, beds or money. Fearing they might hurt his family, Giacona generally gave in.

Or, he did until that night in June 1908. As described in The Picayune, Barreco and Cusimano had shown up around 9 p.m. with two men Giacona said he didnt know.

The four were being belligerent, but Giacona played it cool, entertaining them in the basement for a while and then, when they insisted they be fed, moving to the back gallery, where he asked his adult son, Corrado, to whip up some eggs.

Soon enough, Cusimano was demanding $50 from Giacona. Barreco chimed in, demanding $100 for himself.

Giacona, who had previously received  and ignored  two Black Hand letters, had enough. He excused himself, went inside and grabbed a recently purchased Winchester rifle.

While he was gone, Cusimano and Barreco continued trying to shake down Corrado Giacona. When Cusimano reached for a gun, Corrado sprang to his feet and dashed for the door. Cusimano shot at Corrado but missed  just as old man Giacona was returning with his rifle.

He did not miss.

Ten minutes after the shots were fired, when the police reached the scene, the gallery was flowing with blood, while two bodies lay still and stark, an old man stood with rifle in hand, with his son beside him, and down in the yard, at the foot of the stairway leading from the gallery to the court, was another body, read The Picayunes account.

The dead men were Barreco and Cusimano, as well as one of the two men unknown to Giacona. (His name: Nuzio Barreco, a cousin of Giovannis). The other unknown man, wounded, had fled.

The next day, the city was abuzz with news of the shooting, with many in the Italian community praising the Giaconas for standing up to the Black Hand.

+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 

Peitro and Corrado Giacona were indicted by a grand jury and tried for the murder of the men, but they were found innocent. The family held onto the house until the 1920s.

By the 1940s, Keyes had moved in and began restoration of parts of the main house, a project she continued until her death in 1970.

Today, the Beauregard-Keyes House is a museum where visitors familiar with its history can stand on the very spot where Giacona made his.

Thanks to reader Robby Earl Brennan for suggesting the Beauregard-Keyes House as a topic. 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 Times-Picayune archives, Library of Congress, National Register of Historic Places
I dont have any advice this week. Rather, I clearly need some. Twice in the past few months, I have ordered flowers from a florist. Twice I have been disappointed. Once I didnt get the flowers I ordered. The other time, I didnt get what I paid for, in my opinion.

Am I doing something wrong, or is the florist to blame? I needed to know. So I got some professional help, which Lord knows I should do more often. I called three floral industry insiders to get the dirt.

Meet my therapists:

Juan Palacio owns BloomsyBox, an online subscription flower service he started in 2015. A Colombia native, Palacio moved to Miami 24 years ago, when he was 21, and started selling flowers imported from his native country to Miami Hotels. Today, he ships more than 100,000 BloomsyBoxes of fresh-cut flowers a month.

Farbod Shoraka is CEO and co-founder of BloomNation, a 10-year-old company that connects consumers directly to approved florists nationwide then gets out of the way to let them work together. A former mergers and acquisitions executive, Shoraka, of Santa Monica, California, had a client in the flower industry and an aunt who was a florist. I saw the struggles, and a light bulb went off on how to fix it.

Sally Kobylinski and her husband have owned In Bloom Florist, a large Orlando area flower shop with two locations, for 31 years.

I had long conversations with each about value and expectations. I shared my saga.

My first disappointment occurred in February. I ordered flowers for my cousins funeral, which I could not attend due to COVID-19. The funeral home recommended two florists. I visited their websites and chose one that featured a lovely arrangement called Treasured and Beloved that looked perfect. I called. I ordered. I paid $134.

What arrived was not at all what I ordered. They used half as many stems, and cheap filler flowers, in this case, chrysanthemums, which is the oldest trick, because they take up a lot of space, Palacio said.

+4 12 pro tips on making your home lighter, brighter, and more sellable Most savvy buyers of real estate know the popular mantra Location, location, location. However, fewer know that on the other side of the tab

The second disappointment came a few weeks ago. I ordered a small arrangement for my assistant, who was graduating from college. I went to a local flower shop. I met the owner and her daughter, who works there. I met their dog. I tried to make a good impression.

We discussed what I wanted. Because they had lovely arrangements on their website for $60 and less, I suggested $60 as a price. I provided a vase, which they said would increase my flower budget by $5. Great. I asked if they had peonies. They were getting peonies in the next day. Perfect. They cost $7 a stem. Noted. I figured, using Marni math, that should cover four or five stems, plus a few background flowers.

The flowers arrived. My assistant was happy. I was not. The bouquet had only two peonies, four stems of mini green hydrangea, and alstroemeria, a cheap flower. I felt ripped off not only because of the number and caliber of flowers but also because of the lack of design. I can put flowers in a vase.

In both cases, I called the florists. The first blamed the misrepresentation on the fact that Valentines Day was coming. (It was four days away.) She offered no other consideration. I left a two-star review. The second florist just said, Im sorry you were disappointed, adding that Mothers Day was that week.

My experts listened, then explained what was going on behind the scenes. Turns out, fault lies with florists, with consumers, and also with the industry overall. Starting today, I will share their insider knowledge in a three-part series tackling each group.

+2 Fix it and flip it: Pros offer tips on choosing houses, planning updates and working with contractors You do know you are living many peoples dream, dont you? I said to Matt Lavinder over the phone. Lavinder is the founder and president of 

So sit down with a glass of your favorite libation, and learn alongside me. We start this week with eight petitions consumers want from florists:

1. TELL THE TRUTH: Be clear when filling orders. Tell us what we will get for our money, and let us decide if we need to pay more. If we ask you to match something featured on your website, tell us if you dont have the flowers in stock, and what you can do.

2. DON'T BAIT AND SWITCH: Give us what we ordered. Florist No. 2 told me of a customer who was unhappy because she ordered a bouquet of white daisies. The shop sent a bouquet of yellow daisies, which were beautiful, the florist said. No doubt, but the customer had every right to be upset. Ask us if any flowers in the desired bouquet have special meaning, or whether you can substitute flowers to achieve the same look.

3. DON'T USE THE HOLIDAY AS AN EXCUSE: Cancer doesnt care that its Valentines Day. Mothers Day and May graduations happen every year. Stock up and staff up. If youre too busy to do my order right, dont accept it.

4. NO LEFTOVERS: Dont clean your cooler out on my dime.

5. DON'T FORGET TO DESIGN: I can buy flowers and put them in a vase. Im paying you to do something special.

Latest lifestyle trend finds city life losing its luster in favor of bigger, greener suburban homes From their two-bedroom condo in a high-rise residential tower in downtown San Francisco, Kristina and Grayson Dove enjoyed all the Golden Gate

6. LIMIT YOUR OFFERINGS: Dont put 100 photo-shopped stock photos of flower arrangements you didnt make on your website. Post only what you can realistically replicate for the price you say. BloomNation requires the shops it works with to post only arrangements the shop has designed.

7. OFFER RECOURSE: Beyond saying were sorry youre not happy, offer a credit, send another arrangement, offer to add flowers.

8. REMEMBER YOUR JOB: We hire you to convey a feeling  love, hope, gratitude, sympathy, joy  through flowers. Our job, as Kobylinski put it, is to convey emotions by providing a design and an experience that doesnt take away from that moment. We cant forget that people are behind those orders.

Join me next week when we look at what consumers can do to get the flowers they want.

Marni Jameson can be reached at www.marnijameson.com.
MOBILE, Ala.  Thousands of joyful revelers, many without masks, competed for plastic beads and trinkets tossed from floats as Alabama's port city threw a Mardi Gras-style parade Friday night, its first since Carnival celebrations were scrapped earlier this year by the COVID pandemic.

Many lined up shoulder-to-shoulder and several deep along sidewalks, shouting and cheering as nearly 30 floats and several high school marching bands crossed a stretch of downtown Mobile. With both COVID-19 hospitalizations and vaccinations ebbing, many partied with abandon.

+14 House float becomes a permanent tribute to the women of New Orleans music Mardi Gras may have passed, but Tricia Diamonds house float isnt going anywhere. The design, titled New Orleans Queens of Sound and Soul, 

It was definitely not a Mardi Gras parade: Those can only be held during Mardi Gras, the period before Lent. But it felt a lot like one, which was a big part of the goal after months of lockdowns, illness, deaths and face masks.

Call it Tardy Gras, perhaps.

James L. Hurst said he was jubilant to be out partying after a difficult year. Many had no face coverings amid an upbeat mood sweeping the crowd on a balmy spring night with clear skies. Some took part in small house parties near the parade staging point. Others on the route eagerly held up hands, aiming to catch cheap beaded necklaces tossed by riders atop the floats.

We didnt get a chance to celebrate our Mardi Gras last year because it was canceled because of the COVID-19, Hurst told The Associated Press. It feels great to be out! We have our vaccines and we are ready to go!

He called it the start of a new era, adding, My momma had the COVID and it was like three months before I got to see her before she got over it. She made all of us get our vaccines.

Rex rolls into its 150th anniversary year with a special seal, looking ahead to Carnival The venerable Rex Organization kicks off the krewe's 150th anniversary with a special seal launched 300 days prior to the 2022 ride of the hal

Christopher Robinson, a longtime Mobile resident and a king of one of the parade groups  called krewes  said he was raised on Mardi Gras in this port city and was just glad to be able to celebrate again after such a year.

Oh, we hate the pandemic, Robinson said. But you know what? It brung us back to a great season to be able to celebrate and come back even louder than before. Celebrations, friends, family, having a good time. This May 21st is bringing us back together as we would normally do it.

Police officers on the parade route cheerfully picked up beads and trinkets from the streets and handed them to children in the crowd, which was kept back behind barricades. The booming high school marching bands, together with shouts from the crowd, provided a soundtrack for the party. The events of the day included a ship commissioning and nighttime fireworks.

During the past 14 months to 16 months or so its been very difficult to make it all work, but this is a real blessing, Stephen Toomey, who owns a Mardi Gras supply company, told WALA-TV.

Endymion Extravaganza 2022 to take place in Superdome, superkrewe says New Orleans officials have not yet determined whether to allow parades next year

Statewide hospitalizations from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, are at the lowest point since April 2020, although more than 11,000 have died in Alabama and more than 540,000 have been infected. With only about a quarter of the state's population fully vaccinated, the state's immunization rate has trailed the nation for months.

Vaccination rates in Mobile County roughly mirror those of the state, with about 25% of the area's more than 400,000 residents immunized. Some feared in advance that, despite the latest federal guidelines about face masks, large numbers of unvaccinated, unmasked people could clog the parade route.

Dr. Bernard Eichold, the Mobile County health officer, said earlier that health officials hoped people would follow safety recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, al.com reported.

Like during a traditional Mardi Gras event, everyone needs to exercise personal safety and have a safe and wonderful event, he said.

Mobile police said about 64,000 people attended the festivities. Officers responded to 13 complaints and made two misdemeanor arrests.

New Orleans, where Mardi Gras celebrations also were canceled this year to slow the spread of the coronavirus, has not attempted a similar event.

The original parade route was expanded because of the high level of interest, organizers said, and 21 Mardi Gras societies were participating with downtown hotels nearly sold out. Restaurants and bars were planning special events and deals.

While the parade's theme is Celebrating Mardi Gras and Mobile, it was actually meant to mark the commissioning of the Navy's new ship USS Mobile, a shallow-water combat vessel manufactured in Mobile. Aside from the parade, receptions, a breakfast and a commissioning ceremony were also part of the plans.

Were absolutely excited about having Mardi Gras in May, certainly unexpected, Elizabeth Broughton, co-owner Debris Po Boys, told WALA-TV.

By GERALD HERBERT, Associated Press.
A Louisiana Senate committee narrowly advanced a bill 3-2 Tuesday that would remove the possibility of jail time for possessing small amounts of cannabis, a week after the effort to fully legalize the drug failed on the House floor.

Earlier this month, the House easily passed House Bill 652, by Rep. Cedric Glover, a Shreveport Democrat, which would reduce the penalty for possessing 14 grams or less of cannabis to $100, without jail time. If the court deemed it necessary, it could allow for the fine to be paid in installments or have the person complete up to four hours of community service instead.

One thing that I think that we have found common ground around is the belief that the simple possession of small amounts of marijuana, amounts that currently in statute would be considered for personal use, should no longer lead to two things, Glover said. It should not lead you to jail, and it should not lead you to becoming a felon.

But the bill barely made it out of the Senate Judiciary C Committee. Sens. Franklin Foil, a Baton Rouge Republican, and Rick Ward, a Port Allen Republican, joining Sen. Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat, in voting for it. Sens. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, and Beth Mizell, R-Bogalusa, voted against the bill, and Sen. Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, was not in the room.

Currently, under Louisiana law, being caught with 14 grams or less of cannabis could land someone a fine of up to $300, imprisonment for up to 15 days or both. HB 652 does not change penalties for more than 14 grams, which is a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to six months or both, nor does it change penalties for the distribution of cannabis.

The committee voted after little public testimony. Peter Robins-Brown, policy and advocacy director at Louisiana Progress Action, and Edgar Cage of Together Louisiana testified in support of the bill.

Robins-Brown told the committee he was caught with .03 grams of cannabis when he was 20 years old and had to spend the night in jail. While he said he ultimately got the charge expunged from his record, he had to pay fines and was disqualified from federal student loans. Still, he said, some people have it worse than he did as a white man.

Most who are criminalized for possession don't fit that profile, he said. They're the people who can least afford it, and it represents one of the ways that we sometimes criminalize poverty in this state.

Testifying in opposition to the bill was Will Hall, director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Hall said he wasnt opposed to decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of cannabis, but he thought there should be different penalties depending on the THC content of specific strains of the drug, which he worried would fry the brains of young people.

The bill now heads to the Senate floor. If it passes there, itll still need Gov. John Bel Edwards signature to become law.

Louisiana House advances bill that would reduce penalties for small amounts of cannabis The Louisiana House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday 67-25 that would loosen penalties for possession of up to half an 
A key supplier of materials for the Hard Rock Hotel construction project tried to warn the builders they needed more steel supports on the upper floors, but those supports were never added before the partially built 18-story high-rise collapsed, according to records obtained by WWL-TV.

The Oct. 12, 2019 collapse happened just eight days after the last batch of concrete was poured into metal decking on the rooftop. The concrete and steel pancaked, killing three workers, injuring dozens more and shutting down a major section of downtown New Orleans for more than a year.

Federal and local agencies have been investigating what went wrong ever since. A brief report from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, assessing violations of safety regulations is the only official findings of fault so far.

The recently obtained records largely support the primary OSHA finding: that Heaslip Engineering, the firm that designed the hotel, committed serious violations related to the building's support structure of steel beams and columns on portions of its upper floors.

Heaslip has appealed the OSHA violations to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, which assigned his case to a judge in Atlanta in March. James Heaslip, the project's engineer of record, also said in a prepared statement that the firm denies any wrongdoing.

We have denied and are contesting all allegations of fault and negligence asserted in the legal proceedings related to the Hard Rock Hotel collapse, and we stand behind our companys track record of designing projects that meet applicable engineering standards, the statement said.

+5 1 years after Hard Rock Hotel collapse, these New Orleans streets set to reopen The intersection of Canal and North Rampart streets in New Orleans, closed since the Hard Rock Hotel collapsed more than 1 years ago, is expe

Injured workers, neighboring property owners and even the developers of the Hard Rock Hotel project are suing Heaslip and other contractors and consultants that formed the construction team. WWL-TV obtained tens of thousands of pages of construction plans, emails, meeting minutes and material specifications that were turned over as discovery evidence in those civil lawsuits. Such documents are generally kept secret unless they are used at trial.

Michael Bradbury, a California-based structural engineer, reviewed the records at the request of WWL-TV. Bradbury is an independent professional engineer and former municipal building plan reviewer who has served as an expert witness in similar civil cases but is not a part of the Hard Rock litigation.

+4 Video: Hard Rock Hotel worker shows bent support posts, slams engineering before collapse A video posted on Facebook by a local contractor purports to show the concrete slab above an upper level of the since-collapsed Hard Rock Hote

Bradbury said no single engineering failure could have caused the collapse, but a change to the metal decking  the corrugated metal pans where concrete is poured to form the upper stories of the building  may have been a major contributing factor.

Emails between suppliers and building contractors show what happened when that change was made in January, 2019.

On Jan. 18, 2019, New Millennium Building Systems, an Indiana-based supplier of metal decking and other construction materials, sent the Hard Rock projects steel contractor a quote for 18-gauge metal decking. According to Bradbury, that heavier, sturdier grade would have been appropriate based on Heaslips plans to use steel beams spaced more than 26 feet apart to support the decking.

Using heavier decking would cost more money, but the New Millennium project manager, Trent Fowler, wrote in an email Jan. 18, 2019, that the Hard Rock team could still switch to cheaper, lighter 22-gauge decking if you are adding supports. (Lower gauge metal is thicker than metal with a higher gauge.)

William Bridges of steel contractor Hub Steel responded six days later. He wrote that the engineer of record for the Hard Rock project, James Heaslip, had made a mistake in requesting the heavier gauge.

I spoke with the EOR (engineer of record) today about this and he sent a revised submittal over. His marks were made based on using an inaccurate load table chart. Sorry I did not catch this mistake sooner, Bridges wrote.

The lighter deck should have been able to support heavy concrete and additional heavy loads, but only if the spans between beams didnt exceed 23 feet, 7 inches, Bradbury said after reviewing New Millenniums product manuals.

Bradbury also looked at the last set of structural plan revisions filed with the construction team on Oct. 11, 2019, the day before the collapse. Bradbury compared those most recent plans, which called for the lighter decking, with plans from June 2018 that were approved by the city of New Orleans permitting office and called for the heavier decking. He said the spans between support beams on both sets of plans were identical.

He said that suggests Heaslip never added more steel beams to support the lighter decking in the sections along North Rampart Street that collapsed.

They've got some 26-foot spans, which the (lighter) deck wouldn't have been able to handle, Bradbury said.

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Bradbury also noted several places on Heaslips stamped plans where more support beams should have been used for a cantilevered balcony over Rampart Street. He also said Heaslips plans for the cantilevered balcony should have included steel rebar running through the concrete in the balcony and into the supported portion of the floor, to reinforce the concrete and keep it from shearing apart at the edge.

He designed it, he should have known, Bradbury said.

+4 Hard Rock hotel collapse: Metal decking changed for concrete floors, city never approved The concrete floors that gave way on Oct. 12 atop the Hard Rock Hotel as it rose above Canal Street were poured into a different kind and size

The documents also included written minutes from weekly meetings held by the prime contractor, Citadel Builders, with the 19 subcontractors working on the project. According to the minutes from Sept. 17, 2019, about three weeks before the collapse, Citadels lead manager, Tim Thornton, complained to Hub Steel that metal plates on the edges of the decking were too high.

Then on Sept. 24, 2019, a Hub Steel employee named Dean Maple said he would start cutting the metal plates where the balconies are off due to out of plumb columns, according to the minutes. A week later, just 12 days before the collapse, the minutes again noted that plates needed to be cut where the balconies are off due to out of plumb columns.

OSHA cited Hub Steel for failing to properly connect columns to beams at the 16th floor in accordance with the construction plans. Hub Steel managers, including Bridges, did not respond to requests for comment.

Bradbury said the issue with out-of-plumb columns was another potential warning sign of a structural weakness that was never properly questioned, either by construction crew leaders or by city inspectors.

A joint WWL-TV/Times-Picayune investigation in February 2020 found three city building inspectors failed to show up in-person to look at decking and rebar before the concrete slabs were poured on the upper floors, instead using photos taken by the construction team and passing them off as their own.

+2 New Orleans inspectors who OK'd parts of Hard Rock Hotel weren't properly certified: records Some of the New Orleans city building inspectors who signed off at key points of the construction of the Hard Rock Hotel before it pancaked a

Bradbury has worked as a plan reviewer for the cities of Austin and Denver. He said he would always check the structural drawings to make sure each building was designed properly. But public records suggest the city of New Orleans never challenged the design of the Hard Rocks steel-framed upper floors.

In response to a public records request, the city produced several documents in which plan reviewers questioned the buildings mechanical and electrical plans, as well as the design of its foundation. But the citys plan reviewers did not question any of the Hard Rocks plans for steel beams and columns to support the upper 10 floors.

They're just letting the engineer do what they want, he said. It's the wild, wild West, and that's not the right way to do things.

Former New Orleans Safety and Permits Director Jared Munster, who left the post in 2018, said the citys plan reviewers do check to make sure structural designs are up to code. But he said the city has never had any engineers on its permitting staff to double-check the work of private engineers.

During that planning review process, it is certainly part of that review to look at structural issues, Munster said. But it's not traditionally been the city's role to second guess the engineer.

City spokeswoman LaTonya Norton added: The structural plans submitted were stamped by a structural engineer, licensed in the state of Louisiana, as required by the municipal ordinance  all of which was verified in the plan review process.

"Municipalities are not required to retain structural engineers to do detailed review of these types of plans. It is incumbent on the professional of record to prepare plans that are code compliant and provide a standard of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the public, she said.

In the case of the metal decking on the Hard Rock, the city never even had the opportunity to review it. The last set of plans approved by the city were dated June 2018. Those called for sturdier 16-gauge metal decking. Those plans were revised to go with the thinner, lighter 22-gauge decking in February 2019, shortly after the emails between the construction team and New Millennium.

The city confirmed it never received those revisions.

There was no way that the plan review section of safety and permits could know what got changed in the field if nothing was ever presented to the city for review, Munster said.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story provided an incorrect gauge for the metal decking in plans dated June 2018. Those plans called for 16-gauge metal decking.
Slidell Memorial Hospital and Ochsner Health partnered recently with Northshore Technical Community College and Tri-Parish Works to offer students a Certified Nursing Assistant program at no cost to them.

The first class of 15 students graduated April 19.

Potential program participants interview with Tri-Parish Works, the workforce development arm of the Louisiana Workforce Commission that serves St. Tammany, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Eligible candidates then meet with Slidell Memorial representatives to be screened for the program. Slidell Memorial and Ochsner require candidates to complete background checks, drug screenings and CPR certification, all which are provided at no charge. Through a federal grant, Tri-Parish Works provides funding for tuition and supportive services to qualified candidates. Students who complete the course will graduate with a Certified Nursing Assistant certificate.

Its a win-win-win for Slidell Memorial, Ochsner, the students and our community, said Sandy Badinger, CEO of Slidell Memorial and Ochsner-Northshore.

Each of our partners has really understood the needs of our hospital in developing a workforce who can meet the health care needs in our area. Our goal is to not only set up students in our community for success, but its also to help build a resource pool here in Slidell so that we can offer the best, highest-quality care for our patients.

A critical need for nursing assistants locally was identified last fall, a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemics impact on the workforce. After reaching out to NTCC, who then brought in Tri-Parish Works, the collaborative program launched within 15 weeks.

The students have worked very hard to learn the skills and earn the certification required to be an essential health care employee and fill the nurse assistant employment gaps at SMH and Ochsner-Northshore, said NTCC Director of Workforce Training and Development Bridget B. LaBorde.

For more information on the customized nursing assistant/phlebotomy program, call Tri-Parish Works at (985) 646-3940.

Vinsanau named PIO for parish government

Veteran journalist and communications specialist Michael Vinsanau has been named director of public information/public information officer for St. Tammany Parish government.

Vinsanau will handle media inquiries, disseminate important information to the public, manage the parish's social media accounts, help populate the parish government website www.stpgov.org and oversee government access channel, STPG-TV.

I am elated to bring in Michael to serve and lead our outstanding communication team, said St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper. I look forward to working with Michael to promote all that St. Tammany has to offer, in addition to engaging with our community. I believe his creativity and passion will take our team to new heights.

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I appreciate President Cooper and St. Tammany Parish for entrusting in me to guide the public information office, Vinsanau said. Im eager to get to work to bring new ideas to life, increase public engagement and serve the community that most of my family calls home.

Vinsanau, a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University and Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, previously served as north shore bureau chief with WDSU-TV and as a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Track economic data with St. Tammany Corp.

St. Tammany Corporation has created a digital tool for people to easily track data relevant to the parish's economic standing and forecast in relation to the coronavirus pandemic.

The online tool, at www.sttammanystats.com, uses data from St. Tammany Corporation's monthly snapshot of COVID-19 data. It shows how more than a year into the pandemic, the economic landscape in St. Tammany has changed, and it also provides context essential to economic recovery.

The tool can be of particular use to economic developers, public officials and business professionals, but also to any resident wanting to track and understand economic trends.

"St. Tammany Corporation is continually enhancing our organizational sophistication and capacity, and this dashboard tool enhances our ability to provide timely, relevant, easy-to-understand data directly to a wide range of audiences in an accessible and innovative manner.

The website is led by Elizabeth Lee, the research and policy analyst for St. Tammany Corp.

Frieman tapped for GOP honor

State Rep. Larry Frieman was chosen by the national GOPAC organization for its 2021 Emerging Leaders program, one of 24 legislators from across the U.S. to be selected.

Frieman, an attorney who lives in Abita Springs, is serving his first term in the Louisiana Legislature, representing District 74. The district includes parts of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes.
Now he will present that info to the grand jury and try to persuade the members to indict, so that he can formally charge the defendants and move the case forward, Tobias said. I think that it is a major development, and my sense is that it could well lead to criminal charges against Trump.
U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge James Dennis, a Monroe native who often voted in dissent from the courts conservative majority, announced earlier this month that he will take senior status, setting up a vacancy for President Joe Biden.

Dennis, 85, will enter a form of semi-retirement once his seat on the New Orleans-based court is filled. In his new role he will take some cases but be prevented from participating in other activities.

Dennis was appointed to the court by Bill Clinton in 1995 after 20 years as a Louisiana Supreme Court associate justice.

The empty seat on the court, which handles appeals from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, comes as Biden begins to put his mark on the federal judiciary in the wake of former President Donald Trumps successful effort to appoint conservative judges. Counting Dennis, only five of the courts 17 active judgeships are held by Democratic appointees, according to the American Constitution Society, a liberal legal organization.

Biden could find a template in Dennis, who stood in opposition to conservative judges on hot-button issues like abortion rights. In one important decision in October, for example, he wrote for a panel of judges that a Texas law restricting the use of a common abortion procedure forces abortion providers to act contrary to their medical judgment and the best interest of their patient.

Dennis also cast important votes in cases outside of hot-button social issues. He was one of three appellate judges in 2016 to deny former Mayor Ray Nagins attempt to have his conviction and sentence on bribery charges thrown out. Dennis wrote the opinion, which called the appeal meritless.

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Clinton nominated Dennis for the circuit court judgeship in January 1995, but it took nearly eight months for the U.S. Senate to confirm him after his selection was bogged down in a controversy over Tulane Universitys legislative scholarship program.

Dennis had voted on a state Supreme Court case involving a public records request about the program from the Times-Picayune, even though his son received one of the coveted scholarships.

Since his confirmation, Dennis has gained a reputation as a highly respected jurist, according to Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.

Tobias said he expects that the Biden administration will adhere to tradition and nominate another person from Louisiana to fill the post. Biden will have a chance to push back against the circuit courts conservative leaning, but not by much, Tobias said.

Trump did name a number of people -- two from Louisiana and three from Texas, all of whom I think it's fair to say are quite conservative, and at least the Texans are fairly young, as well, Tobias said. You have to counter those five, so one is not going to make a whole lot of difference, but it'll make some.

Biden will likely consult with Louisianas two Republican senators in making an appointment to the judgeship, Tobias said. He believes the district court in New Orleans could provide a potential roster of nominees for the new president.

Five other judges on the circuit court are currently eligible to take senior status, based on their age and years on the bench, according to the Vetting Room, a legal blog.
An Orleans Parish grand jury handed up second-degree murder charges on Monday in three separate killings, including the shooting of a 19-year-old on Christmas morning.

Brothers Samuel Hunter Jr., 28, and Danny Hunter, 34, were charged with second-degree murder in that killing, of Anthony Bridges in front of a home in the 1500 block of Monroe Street in the Leonidas neighborhood. Police said a fight on the sidewalk preceded the shooting, which happened about 9:30 a.m. Christmas Day.

The Hunters are also accused of obstruction of justice and being felons in possession of a firearm.

Michael Kennedy, the attorney for Danny Hunter, said he was "deeply disappointed" in the indictment and said he will enter a not guilty plea at his arraignment.

"It is our belief that any evidence that would connect my client to this crime would also indicate any role he had in it to have been self-defense," Kennedy said.

Separately, Carlos Brown is charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 27 fatal shooting of Anthony Davis, 45, which also left two people wounded, including an infant girl.

Why Jason Williams charged 2 teens with murder in adult court -- despite DA campaign rhetoric In a break with his campaign rhetoric, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams on Monday announced a second-degree murder indictment a

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Brown, 28, is accused of opening fire in a parking lot in the 3400 block of Kabel Drive in Algiers on Jan. 27. Law enforcement sources previously said they suspect that Brown and Davis met there to trade cash and prescription pills and began to argue over money.

First responders found Davis dead in a parked car. Also wounded were a woman and the infant girl, who was shot in the leg. Brown faces two counts of attempted second-degree murder in connection with their injuries. He also faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and obstruction of justice.

Meanwhile, 36-year-old Paul Bickham is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Joshua Bates on Jan. 27. Police say Bickham was arguing with Bates, his girlfriend's brother, about "domestic issues" between Bickham and the woman before the shooting.

Bates, 33, was shot in the 2200 block of North Galvez Street in St. Roch. Paramedics brought him to University Medical Center, where he died.

Bickham was also charged with obstruction of justice.

All four men indicted on Monday face sentences of life without parole if convicted as charged. The cases had yet to be allotted to sections of court as of Tuesday morning.
In a break with his campaign rhetoric, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams on Monday announced a second-degree murder indictment against two 15-year-olds accused of killing a woman during a botched carjacking attempt.

Williams said he had thought hard about whether adult court was the appropriate venue for the youths, who are charged in the January shooting death of 52-year-old Anita Irvin-LeViege, but he ultimately concluded that to do otherwise would send the wrong message.

My decision to prosecute this murder and armed robbery committed by juveniles in Criminal Court is not at all taken lightly, but it is right and it is just, Williams said. We refuse to ignore the egregiousness of their actions and we must pursue appropriate accountability. The limitations of the juvenile sentencing guidelines would be inadequate in holding young people accountable for heinous crimes.

Boy, 15, arrested in killing of woman delivering groceries to in-laws, NOPD says The father of a 15-year-old boy turned his son in to New Orleans police Thursday after learning that the teen is accused of killing a woman de

Investigators accuse the youths, Quedyn Growe and Demond Thomas, of attempting to steal Irvin-LeVieges car near the intersection of Morrison Road and Martin Drive on Jan. 3.

Irvin-LeViege was on the phone with her in-laws, to whom she was delivering groceries, when one of the attempted carjackers opened fire with a rifle. Emergency responders found her and her dog dead in her car, which crashed into another vehicle two blocks away.

Less than an hour later, police received word that another woman had been carjacked in the nearby Laguna Run apartment complex. Growe and Thomas are charged with armed robbery in that stick-up, Williams said.

The DA said there was ample evidence that Growe and Thomas were at fault. Authorities say Growe confessed and his father turned him in to police.

"The NOPD reports make it pretty crystal clear what happened on this particular day," Williams said. "There is camera footage and numerous amounts of other evidence."

If convicted, the youths would face a sentence of life imprisonment. But Williams also noted that given their age, they would be eligible to seek parole after 25 years.

Growe and Thomas have yet to be arraigned in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

The indictments secured Monday come amid continuing concern over juvenile crime in New Orleans, which is still roiled by the homicides, shootings and armed robberies that soared several months after the coronavirus pandemic began.

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Some residents have questioned what Williams' office is doing to stem the trend, and Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson complained last week that juveniles involved in violent crimes feel like there will be no consequences for their actions.

+12 Shootings rise in New Orleans while COVID spread slows; see 2021 data on homicides, carjackings On Friday morning, as Antonio Woodards mother sat on the front porch of the Upper 9th Ward house where he died, she cradled the program from 

However, while Williams may quell criticism in some quarters with an adult indictment in Irvin-LeViege's slaying, it appears to stand at odds with commitments he made while running for district attorney last year.

For years, Williams hammered former DA Leon Cannizzaro for transferring juveniles' cases to adult court, and during the election he secured progressive support by taking bright-line positions on criminal justice issues. When asked on one progressive group's questionnaire whether he would "never prosecute children in adult court, Williams responded in the affirmative.

Aaron Clark-Rizzio, the executive director of the juvenile legal aid group the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights, said that the indictment was clearly contrary to the commitment he made on the campaign, but I think more important than that, is just that its turning to an ineffective policy and one thats not going to make us safer.

Studies have shown that youths whose cases are handled in juvenile court are far less likely to reoffend than if their cases go to adult court, Clark-Rizzio said.

Clark-Rizzio was previously chief of staff for Williams, when Williams served on the New Orleans City Council.

But Williams, who was flanked by two top deputies in a press conference at office headquarters on Monday, said both that the penalties available in juvenile court would not be appropriate and that he had to follow state law.

In Louisiana, youths convicted in juvenile court can be held in the states youth prisons only until their 21st birthday. Williams said that did not match the gravity of Irvin-LeViege's killing, and that he feared creating a cottage industry of young killers coerced into crime by adults who knew they would not face serious punishment.

First Assistant District Attorney Bob White pointed to state law, which divests juvenile court of jurisdiction once youths have been indicted on murder charges. However, Clark-Rizzio's group says there are ways to keep murder cases against youths in juvenile court, such as when defense attorneys stipulate to a probable cause finding.

We considered everything in this case, we looked at every single option," Williams said. "We are not going to do anything that would exacerbate or create a situation where adults could prey upon the underdeveloped brain of a young person."
A Metairie mother of three who authorities say was shot to death by a man who later killed himself in a Houston hotel room was described by a friend Monday as a woman with "a beautiful soul" who often closed out conversations with the simple words: "I love you."

Natalie Riley, 37, died of multiple gunshot wounds Friday night, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office detectives say Riley was killed by Larry Richardson Jr., 40, of Metairie, the father of her youngest child.

Richardson fled to Houston where authorities said he was found dead in a hotel room Sunday. Richardson died of an apparent suicide, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesperson.

Friends were left shaking their heads.

"Natalie didn't deserve this," said friend Delores Williams, 35. "She was just an all-around sweet person. She had a beautiful soul."

The shooting occurred just after 7 p.m. Friday at a residence in the 3400 block of Mole Cottage Street in Old Jefferson, according to the Sheriff's Office. Deputies found Riley wounded and lying on the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The relationship between Riley and Richardson had been off and on, according to Williams, though Riley had most recently said they were not together.

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The Sheriff's Office did not say whether there had been any previously reported domestic abuse or other problems.

Williams and other friends aren't sure why Richardson took Riley's life. Williams described her friend as easy-going person who got along with everyone.

Riley leaves behind three children between the ages of 4 and 18, according to Williams. She was especially devoted to her mother, who always helped care for the children.

"Natalie loved her mother," Williams said. "Her mother meant the world to her."

Williams recalled that no matter what, Riley always closed out a phone call, a conversation or a social media post with the words, "I love you."

"She had a big impact on a lot of people's lives," Williams said. "She is definitely going to be missed."
Until a year ago, I didnt know the name George Floyd. Now, Im one of hundreds of thousands of people who say his name.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, when a group of Minneapolis police officers responded to a convenience store call about a counterfeit $20 bill. Not exactly a life-threatening situation, yet Floyd was killed.

Since his horrific death, there has been some progress but not great success.

The name George Floyd added emotional and thoughtful fuel to criminal and social justice movement embers and smaller fires, as so many of us were outraged by what we saw on the cellphone video shot by Darnella Frazier, 17.

Black folks in particular felt that the video backed up what we suspect far too often: Police file false statements, outright lying about what happened during police-involved incidents or leaving out key details. Witness the Louisiana State Police and the Ronald Greene death on May 10, 2019. What was recorded on the police reports in each instance was far different from what our eyes saw.

In March, Minneapolis agreed to what Floyd family attorney Ben Crump called the largest civil rights pretrial settlement. The city settled a wrongful-death lawsuit for $27 million. Something good from Floyds death.

In April, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. It was not a happy, joyful day for the Floyd family or those seeking justice. It was a day that brought a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Minnesota Attorney Keith Ellison and his team prosecuted the Chauvin case so thoroughly that it was obvious to all who watched the trial that there could be no other verdict  though we held our breaths with uncertainty. Thank goodness Frazier and other witnesses, including police officers, were honest about what happened, something we dont normally see with cases like this.

A year later, we have questions and problems.

Three other officers were with Chauvin the day Floyd was killed. Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Chauvin is scheduled to be sentenced this summer. It remains to be seen what happens at the joint trial for the three, a case now scheduled for spring 2022.

Far far too many people see this as an us-and-them issue based on race. According to Mapping Police Violence, an ad hoc group focused on monitoring police-involved incidents, more than 400 people have likely been killed by police this year. More than 180 of them were Black people. We should consider all of this appalling.

Significant justice and police reform should have been a goal long before Floyd died, but his death awakened our backburner thinking about it and were much closer. Closer. But not close.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 would not be a cure-all, but it would be helpful. Why is it such a problem to get the political support, and will, to get this done? The Floyd Act would likely reduce wrongful police use of force and misconduct and racial and other bias because it would ban some commonly used police techniques and prohibit providing federal funds to police agencies and departments that fail to eliminate them.

The measure would ban no-knock warrants in drug cases, like the one that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, 26. It would eliminate chokeholds and carotid holds, often connected to deadly force. It would include community programs and more police training. We would have a national police misconduct registry, making it difficult for bad actors or fired police officers to get other policing jobs. It would limit police agencies acting like and looking like our military units by limiting military-like equipment local and state police agencies can have. The Floyd Act would enhance pattern and practice investigations of police departments by granting the Justice Department subpoena power and establishing grant programs for state attorneys general to conduct their own probes.

One big issue is whether to end, or significantly change, qualified immunity, a court-established approach that protects local and state officials, and officers, from personal liability. Certainly, we can find a way to make this work. This is a solution. We need the act passed.

We lost Floyd a year ago. We continue to lose people to unnecessary and questionable police force. Im tired of choking back tears and praying that it will stop. The questions can be answered. The problems can find solutions. We just need the will.
Norman, OK (73070)

Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Lock Haven, Pa. - Lock Haven University will host in-person weekday visits and open house events throughout the summer.

An open house is planned for Sat., June 5, on the campus of LHU. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. Prospective students are encouraged to attend to learn more about what LHU has to offer.

During the program, prospective students will hear from an admissions counselor, current students, faculty and more.

The interactive event will provide information about the application process, admissions requirements, academic majors and departments, financial aid and scholarships, student life, housing, dining, downtown Lock Haven and more.

Space is limited and registration is required. To schedule a visit or register for the open house, visit www.lockhaven.edu/visit or call 570-484-2027.

Due to social distancing efforts, each registered student is permitted to have two guests to attend with them. Facial coverings are required to be worn on campus at all times. Visitors exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, those that have been exposed or advised to quarantine are not permitted on campus.

For more information on Lock Haven University, visit Lock Haven University, or email admissions@lockhaven.edu, or call 570-484-2011.

Lock Haven University is a small, public university located on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in the scenic mountains of Pennsylvania.

LHUs experience-based approach to learning prepares students for a lifetime of success. The university features outstanding academic programs taught by experienced faculty.

Since 1870, The Haven has provided an unbeatable combination of quality, affordability and value to the region, the commonwealth and beyond.
Harrisburg, Pa. - Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) introduced legislation that would establish a Pennsylvania Bureau of Election Audits under the office of the states Auditor General.

Even a shred of uncertainty in the results of our elections is enough to shake the bedrock of what we stand for in this country, Cutler said. We must make strides to grow trust in our processes, and a thorough, independent audit of every election in our Commonwealth is a step toward ensuring the publics trust.

The bureau would be required to conduct result-confirming audits of each election in the Commonwealth, completed by the third Friday following the election.

The audits would comprehensively examine all future elections, looking at all aspects of the process and results, including equipment, absentee and mail-in ballots, performance audits of election systems at least every five years, and any other audit deemed necessary by the Bureau of Election Audits to ensure the public trust in the outcome of each election.

Additionally, the bureau would be required to provide corrective action plans to address any errors or deficiencies discovered in the audit.

The bureau would be established with a new appropriation in the state budget of $3.1 million.

Pennsylvanians rightly deserve and expect elections to be secure and accurate, Cutler added. An investment that ensures the publics trust in our electoral process is worth every penny.

The bureau would not look back at previous elections, and if the standing auditor general is running for re-election, or any other office, he or she would be required to appoint an independent auditor to oversee the bureau for that general or primary election.

The legislation will now be considered by the House State Government Committee.
Every New Yorker must stand up to say we will not accept the destiny of our children being determined by the zip code they grow up in  by the color of their skin, he said. We need to invest in every child in every community.
Rome, GA (30161)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms in the morning. High 89F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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A few clouds from time to time. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
Calhoun, GA (30701)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning. Partly cloudy skies late. High 89F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Local

Apartment development in North Rome rejected by City Commission

Doug Walker Robert Owen was among several residents who spoke against a proposed apartment complex off Gibbons Street at the Rome City Commission hearing Monday night.

A standing room only crowd came out Monday to oppose plans for an upscale 36-unit apartment complex on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Gibbons Street.

The Rome City Commission split evenly, which means it failed for lack of a majority.

The vote was 4 to 4, with Mayor Craig McDaniel abstaining because he works in the same real estate office as the applicant, Patrick Cash. In favor were Commissioners Jim Bojo, Mark Cochran, Jamie Doss and Randy Quick. Voting against the project were Commissioners Bonny Askew, Bill Collins, Sundai Stevenson and Wendy Davis.

Dozens of North Rome residents attended the public hearing to register their opposition before the vote.

This is how gentrification starts, said the Rev. Bernard Young of Thankful Baptist Church.

Stevenson chided Cash for not working with the Five Points community.

Why have you not asked these people what they need? Give them some respect, she said.

Askew said a development of that size is not appropriate for the area, and said the community  Romes historic Black business district  didnt get any consideration when it was split apart by urban renewal efforts 50 years ago.

In other actions, the board unanimously approved rezoning requests to expand the Cherry Hill townhomes off Lee Avenue in East Rome and use a building at 202 Lavender Drive as a single-family home. They rejected a special use permit for backyard chickens at 2 Sagewood Drive.

A proposed agreement covering Rome City Schools operation of the city-owned Barron Stadium was sent back to the General Administration Committee for review.

Superintendent Lou Byars is asking for clarification of the language on who pays security and cleans up after events that are sanctioned by the city. City Manager Sammy Rich said the expenses would not be borne by the school system.

The board also expanded the 8% hotel motel tax to include short term rentals, such as Vacation Rentals by Owner and Airbnb.

Commissioners also suspended the beer and wine package license for Calhoun EZ Stop, 608 Calhoun Ave., for two weeks and levied a $500 fine after it sold alcohol to an underaged person during a state sting in March.
We need to get this taken care of, Philonise Floyd, George Floyds younger brother, said after he and other members of his family met with a group of House Democrats on Capitol Hill. We need to be working together to make sure that people do not live in fear in America anymore.
Rome, GA (30161)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.
The court filing marks Trumps first legal response to the lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), one of the many lawmakers who had to flee to safety while a mob of Trump supporters overwhelmed police and marauded through the Capitol.
We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him since this morning, the statement continued. We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs.
Anybody who hears this voice should kindly help us. We are currently in a training... and reporters just barge in and say we are having an LGBT conference and they are taking pictures and things of us. Kindly help us. Spread this message, a message sent by one of the detained people reportedly read.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G tablet in Germany. Some of its key specs include a 12.4-inch WXQGA (2,560 x 1,600) LCD panel, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and a 10,900mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging. Its price is set at EUR 649 (US$792).

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There had been quite some debate around what Samsung's upcoming tablets would be called. Now, we know for sure that Samsung has settled on Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G. As its name somewhat suggests, it is a watered-down version of the full-fat Galaxy Tab S7 and is priced accordingly at EUR 649 (US$792) for the German market. That number could vary depending on the region, though.

Moving on to the Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G specs, we get a 12.4-inch WXQGA (2,560 x 1,600) LCD panel clocked at 60Hz, as opposed to 120Hz on the Galaxy Tab S7. HDR10+ support seems to have been axed, too. Its cameras have also been nerfed. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G packs a single 8MP rear camera sensor and a 5MP selfie snapper. It also supports S-Pen inputs, and Samsung includes one in the box, too, along with a six-month subscription to Clip Studio.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G powers the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. One can expand the storage further via a micro SD card. The tablet only supports sub-6GHz 5G networks, with mmWave support likely reserved for higher-end SKUs. Lastly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G draws power from a colossal 10,900mAh battery that supports fast charging at 45W.

While the Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G does offer some significant improvements compared to its non-FE sibling, its asking price still seems a tad high, especially for a device that packs a non-flagship chipset and a camera subsystem usually found in cheaper tablets. Nonetheless, we only know about its German price and should know more about it later. Rumour has it that there is a non-LTE version of the tablet in the works, too.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 on Amazon
Other employees at the company, located in the town of Erding in southeast Germany, noticed the cocaine in the trash on May 10, according to the AP. The company called the cops, who estimated the coke was worth 1 million euros (about $1.2 million).
Gov. Eric Holcomb is visiting Israel just days after the Jewish state and Hamas militants ended 11 days of fighting that killed more than 200 people, primarily Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

The governor's office did not provide advance notice of Holcomb's first trip abroad since September 2019 when Holcomb led an Indiana trade delegation to Japan, South Korea, China and India prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, the announcement of Holcomb's Israel trip came Tuesday after he already was in the Middle Eastern nation. He's due to return to Indiana on Thursday, according to the governor's office.

The Republican chief executive said he was specifically invited to visit Israel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he plans to meet with Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and other Israeli leaders during his whirlwind visit.

Holcomb also said he's proud to be the first U.S. governor to visit Israel in 2021.

"I stand in support of Israel and look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue forging an even stronger Israel-Indiana bond," Holcomb said.
His Senate Bill 334, which never got a hearing during the regular legislative session, would boost the minimum wage to $10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2022, and by an additional $1 per hour every New Year's Day until the rate hits $15 per hour in 2027.

It also would allow localities to set a minimum wage higher than the state rate to enable Northwest Indiana to better compete for workers with Illinois, where the minimum wage already is $11 per hour outside of Cook County, $13 per hour in suburban Cook, and $14 per hour in Chicago.

"Senate Democrats are following the data," Melton said. "Raising the minimum wage would improve our economy and create better life outcomes for working class Hoosiers across this entire state."

The Democrats pointed out even a $15 per hour minimum wage generates just $31,200 in gross annual income for a full-time employee, barely enough to live on in many parts of Indiana  especially if the worker must pay for child care while at their job.

"The Republican Party is not respectful of the hardworking Hoosiers we know across our state who are paid wages that are far below what their work deserves," said Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis.
For Double Track, options include using single high-level boarding platforms at stations where two have been planned, or deciding not to build planned storage tracks, relying instead on existing ones at Gary Metro Station.

Changes could also include having the railroad purchase rail and ties for the project upfront, removing that purchase and risk associated with price uncertainty, from the contractor. Arrangements that remove price risk for the construction company for commodities like copper, a significant need for the project, can also help reduce cost, Noland said.

Additional funding will come from the American Rescue Plan, which allocates money to projects in the federal New Starts grant program like the South Shore's, with Double Track slated for $24.6 million and West Lake $44 million.

The South Shore's current timeline calls for a new bid package to be issued as soon as late June, with bids due 60 days later in hopes of beginning construction work late this year.

Also Monday, the railroad's administration told the board:

 Some schedule revisions may be made to make service more predictable during Double Track work.
Gary native Freddie Gibbs will play Lollapalooza, which returns to Grant Park in Chicago's downtown Loop between July 29 and August 1 this year.

The rapper, who grew up as Fredrick Tipon on Gary's east side and is now often known as Gangsta Gibbs, just got his first Grammy Award nomination for best rap album for "Alfredo," a collaboration with The Alchemist that features guest verses from Rick Ross and Tyler, the Creator. The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vulture and other publications called the "Godfather"-themed record one of the best of the year.

Gibbs previously performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago's Union Park in 2010 and again in 2015. He's hitting the summer festival circuit again as coronavirus pandemic restrictions are lifted, also playing the Governor's Ball Music Festival in New York City and the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas this year.

After a hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, Lollapalooza is returning with the Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, DaBaby, Meghan Thee Stallion, Modest Mouse, Young Thug, Band of Horses, Jimmy Eat World, Roddy Ricch, Steve Akoi, Subtronics, Journey, Illenium, Peach Tree Rascals and many others.
This article has been corrected to reflect the nature of the shooting.

LAKE STATION  A report of a man firing a gun as a woman was leaving home led to a standoff with Northwest Regional SWAT members overnight Monday, an official said.

The man, 53, had barricaded himself inside the home and eventually surrendered himself to police before being taken into custody, said Lake Station police Capt. Dave Johnson.

Lake Station police responded about 9:04 p.m. to the home, in the 4700 block of East 26th Place, for a welfare check after receiving a report that the man fired a single shot and was in the basement with a gun, Johnson said.

The woman had already exited by the time officers arrived.

When officers arrived, the man refused to come out of the home, prompting them to set up a perimeter and request the SWAT team, Johnson said.

He surrendered later, between midnight and 12:30 a.m., and was arrested without further incident, Johnson said.

Lake Station police have presented a case to the Lake County Prosecutor's Office for review.

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The state played more videos of Gee and the SUV. A Hammond police officer with the FBI's Gang Response Investigative Task Force testified about Ronald Gee's cellphone location data.

Robin Gee testified Ronald Gee was upset with her the day before the fire, because it was his weekend to watch their children and she decided not to return to the home they shared in Chicago the night of April 13, 2018.

She had filed for divorce from Ronald Gee and was dating Poole's son, Michael Young, she said.

Robin Gee said Ronald Gee threatened to take her children away from her and she said, "Over my dead body." Ronald Gee replied, "That can be arranged," she said.

In response to questions from defense attorney Kerry Connor, Ronald Gee testified he and his estranged wife had no agreements about who would watch the children., other than to "work around each other as much as possible" because "money was always a problem."
CROWN POINT  A Highland man was wanted on a warrant for felony theft Wednesday when he led police on a chase with four children in his SUV and got into a rollover crash, resulting in one child being airlifted to an Illinois hospital, records state.

Nicholas Miller, 30, came to the attention of police Wednesday after several passersby called police to report Miller was dragging a woman to an SUV and possibly hitting her and the children, according to court records.

Highland police spotted Miller driving a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer north on Kennedy Avenue at 179th Street and attempted to stop him, records state.

Miller drove onto the ramp to westbound Interstate 80/94 with an officer in pursuit. At the exit ramp to Indianapolis Boulevard, Miller lost control while driving on a shoulder to pass traffic, records state.

The Trailblazer rolled down a grassy embankment. The woman, who was pregnant, and four children, ages 7 months to 8 years old, were taken to Community Hospital, court records state.

The 7-month-old was flown by helicopter to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment of a broken arm, skull fractures and blunt force trauma to her liver, records state.*
The only agreement they had was to "work around each other as much as possible," because "money was always an issue," he said.

Robin Gee worked one day a week at one job and had recently started working four to five days a week at a second job, he said.

"She left the 12th," he said. "She told me she was going to work, and she would be home after to help with the kids."

Robin Gee previously testified it had been Ronald Gee's weekend with the kids, and she decided to spend the night with Young on April 13, 2018, in Hammond.

When Robin Gee informed Ronald Gee she would not be home the night of April 13, 2018, they "got into a little exchange" via text message, he said.

He called his mother, who picked up the children and took them April 13 into April 14, he said.

According to Ronald Gee and his co-worker, he installed a furnace for a customer the evening of April 13 and returned to work about 10:30 a.m. April 14 to complete the job.

He admitted he drank 10 beers at a bar in Lyons, Illinois, after work April 13 and claimed he picked up a friend, who spent the night with him at his Chicago home. He said he dropped the friend off just before 10 a.m. April 14 on his way to work.
LANSING  A man was found shot to death inside an apartment early Tuesday after police responded to a report of several shots fired, an official said.

The 25-year-old man suffered several gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene, Lansing police Lt. Al Phillips said.

Officers found the man after responding at 1:08 a.m. to the 2100 block of 177th Street, Phillips said.

Police disclosed little information Tuesday but noted that the shooting did not appear to be random. They are investigating it as a homicide.

The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigators are assisting Lansing police in their investigation.

Anyone with more information is urged to contact the Lansing Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 708-895-7150.

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The previous record for largest purple-pink diamond ever sold at auction was held by the 14.8-carat The Spirit of the Rose, last November. The Russian-mined vivid bauble sold for more than $27 million at a Sothebys auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
PORTAGE  A 30-year-old local resident is accused of twice firing a gun during a dispute outside his home Sunday night striking a vehicle just a short distance from where another man had been standing, police said.

Adam Kozuszek faces felony charges of criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm and intimidation, and misdemeanor criminal mischief, Portage police said.

Police said they were called out shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday to the 6400 block of Kristina Avenue where Kozuszek told him he twice fired his semi-automatic .22-caliber rifle at another man because he felt threatened during a dispute.

Kozuszek said he fired the first round into the ground 15 feet away from the man approaching his home and then fired the second round closer as the man continued walking toward him, according to the incident report.

The other man told police he was standing by his vehicle in the roadway when both shots were fired. He said Kozuszek was the one approaching and the second shot struck and broke the vehicle window where the man had been standing.

There was a woman in the vehicle when it was shot, police said.
"As a parent, I'm helpless. We are counting on our elected officials to protect us," parent and Waterside Crossing resident Alicia Henley said while crying.

Henley told board members her then-9-year-old daughter was catcalled by two men in the home while riding her bike last summer.

"What happens? It just takes one person to hurt someone, and that's all it takes. We're not willing to take that chance on our kids. So we're begging you, please send back an unfavorable recommendation," Henley said. "We don't want this in our neighborhood. We don't want this for our family. We don't want this for our community."

Despite more than an hour of back and forth between the parties, city officials said they still had more questions than answers.

"I came here, and I'm more confused; I have more questions today than I did yesterday," said BZA Chairman Nick Nochevich.

Nochevich said later the board wants to ensure it "totally" understands how the facility will operate before putting the matter to a vote.
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, is now working to combat child sexual abuse at the national level after leading the Region's response to the scourge during his 15-year tenure as trustee of Lake County's North Township.

The first-term congressman recently testified before a House subcommittee in favor of appropriating $10 million for child sexual abuse prevention research to be conducted next year by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Mrvan told the panel an estimated 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States are victims of child sexual abuse while growing up; a traumatic experience he said is associated with long-term physical and mental health issues over the course of their lifetimes.

Moreover, Mrvan said international data show the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the frequency of child sexual abuse, due in part to abusers having more access to victims and children having fewer options for reporting abuse and receiving treatment.

Mrvan explained the funding he's asking be included in the annual federal spending legislation, set to be approved later this year by the Democratic-controlled Congress, will support research clarifying risk factors leading to child sexual abuse and protective factors that prevent it.
Seven-day positivity rates in Northwest Indiana were down from the previous day in most counties. Rates included 6.2% in Lake County, no change; 6.6% in Porter County, no change; 7% in LaPorte County, down from 7.5%; 8.1% in Newton County, down from 8.3%; and 9.4% in Jasper County, down from 9.5%.

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 42% of Indiana's total population have been fully vaccinated. To date, 2,444,568 Hoosiers have been fully vaccinated.

Appointments and walk-ins are welcome at the former Roosevelt High School in Gary, which is offering both the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines. The Gary clinic, which runs through June 2, is offering vaccinations from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 2401 Harrison St., Gary.

A mobile clinic is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Thursday at First Church, 5387 Ind. 10, in Wheatfield.
MERRILLVILLE  Legacy Foundation, Lake Countys community foundation, announces its partnership with Merrillville-based law firm, Burke Costanza & Carberry on the launch of the BCC Edward L. Burke Law Scholarship.

The award will provide $2,000 for students entering their second or third year of law school.

We created this annual law scholarship for law students who have grown up in Northwest Indiana. This scholarship has been named in honor of one of our founding partners, Edward L. Burke, said Tory Prasco, managing partner at Burke Costanza & Carberry.

Ed has always been a gentleman, a pillar of the community, and a great mentor to young lawyers by teaching them how to practice law effectively while still being collegial. We are pleased to honor Ed with this scholarship and we look forward to someday seeing the worthy recipients of this scholarship practice law, Prasco said.

Eligible students must have graduated from a high school in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper or Newton counties, have a current cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater and intend to practice law in Northwest Indiana upon graduation.
HAMMOND  The discovery late Monday of a body identified as 12-year-old Kyrin Carter brought to a tragic end the more than weeklong search for the boy, who had gone missing from a Hammond hotel.

The boy's body was pulled about 10 p.m. Monday from the Little Calumet River adjacent to a hotel he had been staying at with his family. He was pronounced dead by the Lake County coroner's office around the same time that night.

Hammond police and multiple surrounding agencies, including the Hammond Fire Department, Lake County Sheriff's Department, Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police and the Porter County Search and Rescue team, had been searching since the weekend of May 15, when Kyrin was reported missing from the Best Western hotel at 3830 179th St.

Kyrin, who had autism, lived in Missouri and was in the Region to visit relatives when he disappeared.

Eric Smith, a Hobart man who police say is the volunteer who first came across Kyrin's body, said he never expected to be the one to make the discovery.

"There were so many people out here  a lot of boots on the ground," Smith said. "They covered this whole area."
But time was stretching on, and alternatives were running out.

McDermott just wanted to make sure the family heard from the city first.

"I didn't want the family to hear it from anyone other than us," McDermott said. "That's why when we saw the body last night, I was the one who broke the news to Mr. Carter. We didn't know at that point if it was Kyrin or not. ... It was the hardest thing I ever had to tell anybody. It was one of the hardest things I've had to do in my life. ... When I told them we found a body in the water, the family took it very hard."

Police and volunteers focused their search on the Little Calumet River because the family told them Kyrin slipped out earlier and ran straight for the water a day earlier before his grandmother stopped him. Security camera footage from a nearby business showed him sprinting straight toward the river again after he was last seen at 12:30 p.m. May 15. A surveillance camera recorded him going straight down the bank by the water's edge before he was out of the frame.

"The second time Kyrin ran for the water he was not caught," McDermott said. "It was a sprint basically. It seemed like a very fast pace going straight toward the river. The first time he was caught, the second time he was not caught."
Cogswell is scheduled to face a hearing in August and could face up to two years in prison, CTV reports. Canadian troops are reportedly allowed to consume marijuana, though not within 24-hours of handling ammunition.
TULSA, Okla. (AP)  On a recent Sunday, Ernestine Alpha Gibbs returned to Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Not her body. She had left this Earth 18 years ago, at age 100. But on this day, three generations of her family brought Ernestines keepsakes back to this place which meant so much to her. A place that was, like their matriarch, a survivor of a long-ago atrocity.

After her community was leveled by white rioters in 1921 -- after the gunfire, the arson, the pillaging -- the high school sophomore temporarily fled Tulsa with her family. I thought I would never, ever, ever come back, she said in a 1994 home video.

But she did, and somehow found a happy ending.

Even though the riot took away a lot, we still graduated, she said, a smile spreading across her face. So, we must have stayed here and we must have done all right after that.

Not that the Gibbs family had it easy. And not that Black Tulsa ever really recovered from the devastation that took place 100 years ago, when nearly every structure in Greenwood, the fabled Black Wall Street, was flattened -- aside from Vernon AME.
It's a pivotal time for many aspects of Biden's ambitious agenda. Rounding the first quarter of his presidency, the White House and Congress have been unable to meet key Memorial Day deadlines set by the administration on crucial priorities.

While lawmakers quickly approved Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package and senators confirmed the top ranks of the administration with Biden's nominees, the next legislative priorities on the White House's agenda will be a longer slog.

The sweeping infrastructure investment, in particular, faces a crucial moment: The White House is assessing whether the president can strike a bipartisan deal with Republicans on his American Jobs Plan, a top domestic priority, or try to go it alone with Democrats if no progress is made over the next week. Biden's allies in the House and Senate are preparing for all scenarios.

"This is going to feel like a tightrope walk all the way until it gets to Bidens desk, said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank.
President Joe Biden on Monday said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was a direct affront to international norms" and condemned the action as an outrageous incident."

Biden made the statement  and joined calls for an international investigation  as the European Union imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports in the 27-nation bloc in reaction to Sunday's forced diversion of the Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight. The flight had originated from Greece, but was forced to land in Minsk.

Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Raman Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko, that aired on Belarusian state television Monday night.

In the video clip, Pratasevich, 26, said his treatment in custody was maximally correct and according to law. He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.
Not long ago, The Times decided to return to covering our Illinois neighbors, an excellent move in my view! My family lived in Calumet City until I was almost five, when we moved from the 200 block of State Street, just on the edge of the infamous "Sin Strip", to the 800 block of State in Hammond about 1.5 miles to the east. The rest of my life until I graduated high school, it seemed we were in Cal City at least one day a week visiting relatives.

We went to some restaurants there. We shopped there. We were there often. My first assigned route for my first real job as an ice cream man was in Cal City between State Line and Burnham. Later in life when we moved back to Northwest Indiana from California, my company, Neighborhoods Inc., did many, many successful projects there.

I have personally known the past four mayors there, including newly elected Thaddeus Jones.I have more relatives who attended TF North than attended Hammond High! So, I was happy to see Illinois coverage renewed, especially seeing that one of your veteran ace writers, Mike Clark, is covering top stories.

Thanks for keeping us informed about our neighbors just across the border.

Keith Speaks, Highland

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SPOOKED

The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies

By Barry Meier

In Spooked, the former New York Times investigative reporter Barry Meier makes clear he has some big and important ambitions: to probe deeply into the murky world of private spies, he writes early on, and the oversized impact they were suddenly having on politics, business and our personal lives.

In what feels like a curt 278 pages of text  as an investigative reporter, I craved a deeper dive  Meier focuses much of his narrative on the now-notorious Steele dossier, the elaborate handiwork of Christopher Steele, a former MI6 spy. Steele had been hired by Fusion GPS  one of these newfangled private spy outfits, which was started by former Wall Street Journal reporters, and which was hired by the Democratic Party to dig up kompromat on Donald Trump before the 2016 presidential election. Also making cameos in Spooked are the investigative company Black Cube and the nefarious role it played in the revolting tale of Harvey Weinstein, along with Rob Moore, a freelance spy working out of the London office of K2 Intelligence, a firm started by Jules Kroll, the industry pioneer, and his son Jeremy. Everywhere one looked, Meier writes, operatives-for-hire seemed to be running amok.

Meier is at his best telling the tale of Glenn R. Simpson, a former and somewhat celebrated Wall Street Journal reporter. Following 9/11, Simpson wrote about how terrorists got the money they needed to operate; then, after becoming a foreign correspondent based in Brussels, he abandoned journalism because, according to Meier, he saw a void in the corporate intelligence industry and an opportunity to fill it with a different type of firm  one that embraced the values and ethical standards of journalism while working for private clients. This ambition led Simpson to start SNS Global, with Sue Schmidt, another Journal reporter. SNS Globals intent was to take assignments only from good guys  nonprofits, public interest groups and companies with legitimate legal gripes. But SNS Global failed after a year; Meier reports that Simpson and Schmidt had different personalities, different political views and different ambitions.

Fusion GPS was Simpsons second coming. He started it with Peter Fritsch, yet another Journal reporter. Like SNS Global, Fusion GPS would tap Simpsons and Fritschs investigative reporting skills for nonjournalistic purposes: both to work on projects with more explicit political goals and to get consistently higher paydays. Disseminating Steeles unsubstantiated tales of Trumps questionable behavior while in Moscow was meant to thwart his presidential aspirations.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration sent Senate Republicans an offer on Friday for a bipartisan infrastructure agreement that sliced more than $500 billion off the presidents initial proposal, a move that White House officials hoped would jump-start the talks but that Republicans swiftly rejected.

The lack of progress emboldened liberals in Congress to call anew for Mr. Biden to abandon his hopes of forging a compromise with a Republican conference that has denounced his $4 trillion economic agenda as too expensive and insufficiently targeted. They urged the president instead to begin an attempt to move his plans on a party-line vote through the same process that produced his economic stimulus legislation this year.

Mr. Biden has said repeatedly that he wants to move his infrastructure plans with bipartisan support, which key centrist Democrats in the Senate have also demanded. But the president has insisted that Republicans spend far more than they have indicated they are willing to.

He also says that the bill must contain a wide-ranging definition of infrastructure that includes investments in fighting climate change and providing home health care, which Republicans have called overly expansive.
Shakespeare died Thursday, but the cause of death was not immediately known, according to the BBC. The Coventry resident had reportedly worked at Rolls Royce and served as a parish councilor for many years in the citys Allesley community.
But if theres been a massive online campaign of progressive allyship with Jews, Ive missed it. If corporate executives have sent out workplace memos expressing concern for the safety of Jewish employees, Ive missed it. If academic associations have issued public letters denouncing the use of anti-Semitic tropes by pro-Palestinian activists, Ive missed them.

Its a curious silence. In the land of inclusiveness, Jews are denied inclusion.

One response to the attacks that I have seen coming from the left is that attacks on Jews are wrong because an American or British or German Jew should not be held responsible for the actions of the state of Israel. Thats true, and fine as far as it goes.

But it doesnt go far enough. Would the assaults in Los Angeles and New York have been more justifiable if the victims had been Israeli citizens  even, say, Israeli diplomats? Is hatred of an entire country and threats or violence to its people acceptable as long as the hate is untainted by some older prejudice?

It is especially despicable when Israel is singled out in ways that apply to no other country. To take just one example, when was the last time you heard of a campus demonstration or a call for boycotts and divestment in response to Turkeys 47-year occupation of northern Cyprus or its routine bombardment, using American-made jets, of Kurdish militants in Iraq?
What would you do for love? The man I love was trying to topple a dictator. And then he went to jail for it. So I did what any loyal wife would do. I ran in his place. I have no interest in politics. My dream is just to be a good mother and a great wife. And now Im leading a revolution against Europes last dictator. [MUSIC PLAYING] (CHANTING) Sveta! Sveta! [GUNFIRE] My name is Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. And Im from Belarus. We are run by a dictator, Alexander Lukashenko. Hes oppressive tyrant who has been in power for 26 years. Europes closest equivalent to North Korea. Accused of human rights abuses, stifling dissent, and running sham elections. A lot of people who disagree with him just disappeared. The president had ordered his assassination. DW News has spoken with a man who says that he was a member of the death squads. When COVID came, he asked, Do you see this COVID around? I dont see it. So it doesnt exist. Belarus has one of Europes highest per capita infection rates. Thousands of people died because of it. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] Our president doesnt respect his people at all. My husband went around the country just talking to usual people, asking how they were living. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] He was touched by ordinary people who didnt have good conditions for working. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] And it became so important for him. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] He was showing all these videos on his YouTube channel, A Country for Life. His subscribers started to ask him to run for presidency because he knew all the problems from inside. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] I was sitting at home with my children. And I was worrying about him. Authorities knew that he will be a serious opponent for Mr. Lukashenko. And he was jailed. So I collected documents for myself and brought these documents to Election Commission. At that moment, I didnt think about country. Maybe it sounds wrong. But, at very that moment, I was thinking only about my husband, to support him. But I was sure that they know who I was. And they will never, never allow me to be registered. And it was great surprise when they did. Im sure that they did this just to laugh at me. They were sure that people will never vote for a woman, for unknown person, for housewife. We went around Belarus. Ive never talked to such amount of people. I was afraid that I will forget all the words. I understood how dangerous, in our country, to run for presidency because youre like a bug in front of tractor. Hundreds of opposition activists have reportedly been arrested, among them the presidents main challengers. I understood that Im not ready to lead the country because Im not economist. Im not a politician. So I promised that I will be president no more than half a year, just to organize new elections, thats it. [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] During all this election campaign, I had a lot of moments when I wanted to step away because I was frightened. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] I got telephone call from unknown person who told me that, if I continue to run this campaign, I will be jailed and my children will be put in orphanage. And the next city, it was Minsk. About 60,000 people came. And, at that very moment, I understood that I cant step away. (CHANTING) Sveta! Sveta! Sveta! Sveta! Sveta! [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] So many people just came to show that they are with me. They are tired to live under pressure. They dont want this dictator anymore. We had a lot of observers at every polling station. And we saw that the majority voted with me. Till the end, there was a tiny hope that they will count honestly. But it was so tiny that it just disappeared. NARRATOR: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] Official result was 80% for Mr. Lukashenko and 10% for me. He stole all the peoples voices. 100,000 of Belarusian people went out for peaceful demonstrations. [GUNFIRE] Police just was going around and beating and beated and beated all of them. People were just beaten so hard. Thousands have been imprisoned, beaten, and tortured. NARRATOR: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] This footage was recorded by a Belarusian journalist who was beaten on the streets and then became a patient in this hospital in Minsk. The ward is full of so many different people with the exact same injuries and very similar stories. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] And some of these patients were not even protesters. One patient was just going to buy vinegar at his local shop. Even worse, some protesters said they were raped. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] This is what Lukashenko does to his own people. [MUSIC PLAYING] After the elections, I had to leave Belarus. Belarusian opposition leader has been filmed speaking under duress. Tikhanovskaya was forced to flee the country. At that moment, I had to think about family, about husband. I was ready to step away because it was difficult to accept this violence. So I really was ready to give up. Only, Belarusian people didnt give me chance to step away. I became like a symbol of freedom. (CHANTING) Sveta! Sveta! Sveta! I started to meet with the leaders of different countries. Honorable members of the European Parliament It is very important that people around the world are talking about us. We wish you all strength and persistence in the struggle for democracy. Authorities were sure that such violence will calm down people. But vice versa happened. [? [CROWDS CHANTING] ?] - [CHANTING IN RUSSIAN] There were people of different professions, of different ages. - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] - [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] Old people, usually, is considered to be electorate of Mr. Lukashenko. But, at last, they understood. Even those people who were still apolitical workers who work in factories, they are usually apolitical they started strikes. - [PROTESTING IN RUSSIAN] Its unbelievable for Belarus. I always considered myself to be a weak woman. But when my fate laughed at me, when it put me in such obstacles that I had to look for the strength, maybe this strength already was inside of me. You know, the same as me, Im sure every person has strength in himself or herself. They just didnt know they have this strength because we were so frightened by one person. But now they woke up. This revolution is not over. To the international community, we need new and fair elections. They can be run by the OSCE. And we need an investigation into the human rights abuses to my people who have been on the streets for weeks. [SPEAKING RUSSIAN] Our revolution is not geopolitical. Its not a pro-Russian revolution nor [? pro-European-Union ?] revolution. It is a democratic revolution. And I want my husband back. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Violence between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East is often accompanied by spikes in anti-Semitic activity in the United States, but whats happened over the last week or so has been different.

As Jonathan Greenblatt, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, put it to me, Jewish organizations are somewhat inured to, say, pro-Palestinian graffiti on a synagogue following a protest. Whats new, and more reminiscent of the sort of anti-Semitic aggression common in Europe, is flagrant public assaults on Jews  sometimes in broad daylight  motivated by anti-Zionism.

In Los Angeles, for example, a caravan waving Palestinian flags stopped near a sushi restaurant in West Hollywood, where men got out and attacked diners sitting outside. A witness recalled them asking, Whos Jewish? In New York, a 29-year-old Jewish man on his way to a pro-Israel rally was beaten and pepper-sprayed by a group of men hurling anti-Semitic slurs. In southern Florida, men in an S.U.V. reportedly pelted a visiting Jewish family with garbage and shouted: Free Palestine and Were going to rape your daughter. Were going to rape your wife.

Whats distinct about these attacks, said Greenblatt, is the brazenness and the boldness.

These apparent hate crimes are, first and foremost, a catastrophe for Jewish people in the United States, whove just endured four years of spiking anti-Semitism that started around the time Republicans nominated Donald Trump in 2016. It feels like its a new front opening up against the American Jewish community, said Greenblatt.
His unorthodox approach to activism has drawn widespread attention. He staged sit-in protests at drug paraphernalia shops. He painted over liquor billboards in poor neighborhoods. He paid prostitutes for their time so he could preach to them and help them find a path out of poverty and drug addiction.

In 2008, he was briefly placed on leave after he mocked Hillary Clinton in a sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ, President Barack Obamas former church. On New Years Eve in 2020, he led a silent march in Chicagos most expensive shopping district to call attention to the more than 750 homicide victims in the city that year.

After the abuse allegations surfaced in January, Father Pfleger agreed to cooperate with investigators and to live away from the parish during the investigation, the cardinal wrote.

At the time, Father Pfleger wrote on Facebook that he was devastated, hurt and yes angry but I am a person of faith, I Trust God. He also said church officials had asked him not to speak out, adding: Pray also for the person, my life is more than a 40 year old accusation, and on that and my Faith I will stand.

Mr. Hollander said his clients had spoken at length with church investigators. They described details only a person who had visited the pastors bedroom would know, he said.

No one was supposed to be in the bedroom of a priest at a rectory, period, Mr. Hollander said. And these brothers were granted access, as well as the other victim, and they can recall all of these details which someone off the street, perhaps a parishioner of St. Sabina, would have no knowledge about that.
The good news is that they listened, Representative Sylvia R. Garcia, Democrat of Texas, said of officials at Health and Human Services. Ms. Garcia, a former social worker, said she saw red flags at the Houston shelter, a repurposed warehouse, before it even opened. The plan was to house about 500 girls between the ages of 13 and 17. Ms. Garcia said the facility did not have enough bathrooms and there was no clear space for the children to eat or for recreation.

They were concerned about the kids. They were concerned about their care  every single one of them, Ms. Garcia said of the officials she spoke with. The shelter opened on April 1 and closed on April 17. They were not going to put children at risk.

Ms. Escobar, whose district includes the largest emergency shelter in the Health and Human Services network, at Fort Bliss, said she raised concerns about conditions early on. And on a visit there on Friday, she said she saw significant improvements over six weeks ago.

But, she said, there are still things that are not acceptable to me.

For one, the staff could not answer some of Ms. Escobars questions, such as how long children were staying there. She said children told her they had been there for 48 days. Thats unacceptable, she said.

Ms. Escobar also said the shelter was too big and should be broken into multiple shelters on the Fort Bliss campus. She said she raised this concern about mega-sites with Xavier Becerra, the secretary of health and human services, on a recent call with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mr. Castro said he shared Ms. Escobars concerns, though he dismissed worries about the size of the shelter and said, during a call with reporters on Monday, there had to be a plan for how to house these children when they arrive at the border.

He also said that the conditions at the emergency facilities were not only better than those at the border facilities, but its better than what these kids were experiencing before they were in the hands of border agents.
WASHINGTON  President Donald J. Trumps former White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, has agreed to testify behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee sometime next week about Mr. Trumps efforts to obstruct the Russia investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Lawyers for House Democrats, the Justice Department and Mr. McGahn had tentatively struck a deal to provide the testimony earlier in May. But the scheduling was delayed for weeks while they waited to see what Mr. Trump, who was not a party to the agreement, would do.

Mr. McGahns agreement to testify  with President Bidens permission  was contingent upon there being no active legal challenge to his participation in the matter, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the legal and political sensitivity of the matter.

Immediately after the deal was announced this month in a court filing, a lawyer for Mr. Trump had conveyed that the former president intended to intervene. Former presidents can invoke executive privilege, although courts weigh that against the view of the incumbent president, and Mr. Trump could have sought a court order blocking Mr. McGahns testimony.
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga.  The Confederate flags that have long flapped at the base of Stone Mountain, placed there by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, will be moved to a less prominent area, joining other relics of the Civil War. New exhibits will offer a fuller and more complicated description of the parks history, attempting to reach beyond the war it memorializes to the role the Ku Klux Klan and resistance to desegregation played in its creation.

But the enormous monument at the center of the park  Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson carved into stone as a Confederate equivalent to Mount Rushmore  is not going anywhere.

Officials in Georgia voted on Monday to modernize Stone Mountain Park, prodded to update what has long been one of the states most popular tourist destinations as it confronts staggering financial losses and major vendors pulling out after the coronavirus pandemic and racial justice protests last year.

Yet the solution approved by the parks governing board has frustrated critics on all sides. Activists who want to strip out, or at least try to downplay, the specter of the Confederacy over the park viewed it as a half-measure. Supporters of the monument have resisted any changes to what they see as a precious homage to their Southern heritage.
BAMAKO, Mali  Military officers in Mali detained the president, prime minister and defense minister of the interim government on Monday, according to diplomatic and government sources, just nine months after a military coup ousted the previous president.

President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defense Minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital, Bamako, hours after two members of the military lost their positions in a government reshuffle, the sources said.

Their detentions followed the military ouster in August of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and could worsen instability in the impoverished West African country, where violent Islamist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State control large areas of the desert north.

Political instability and military infighting have complicated efforts by Western powers and neighboring countries to stabilize the situation in Mali, contributing to regional insecurity.
Taiwans government on Monday criticized the World Health Organization for capitulating to China after it failed to secure an invite to an annual health meeting convened by the international agency.

For months, Taiwan and a coalition of supporters, including the United States, had been intensely lobbying for the self-governed island to be granted observer status at the meeting of the World Health Assembly, or W.H.A., which began today and will be held virtually through June 1.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has blocked the island from participating in the assembly since 2016. But Taiwans calls for inclusion have gained international attention in light of its successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic for nearly a year and a half.

This month, the countries of the Group of 7  Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States  for the first time voiced their joint support for Taiwans bid for observer status in the W.H.A., the top decision-making body of the W.H.O. Chinese officials condemned the G-7 announcement as gross interference in its internal affairs.
The chorus of condemnation and outrage from across the European Union swelled on Monday as leaders began discussing possible penalties they could direct at Belarus for its forcing down of a civilian passenger jet.

The actions at their disposal are, however, somewhat limited, given that there are already E.U. sanctions against Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the brutal and erratic leader of Belarus who has clung to power despite huge protests against his government, and dozens of his immediate associates.

In a summit taking place Monday evening, European leaders were expected to discuss adding aviation-related sanctions.

The options may include designating Belarusian airspace unsafe for E.U. carriers, blocking flights from Belarus from landing in E.U. airports, and imposing sanctions against the national flag carrier, Belavia.
While Republicans no longer hold the Senate majority or the presidency, their votes are still required to enact any change at the federal level. Democrats own bill, the Justice in Policing Act, has much in common with Scotts Justice Act. Democrats should follow the example set by more than two dozen states legislatures and make a compromise. Since Floyds murder, some 25 states and Washington D.C. have enacted legislative changes to their laws governing police use of force, officers duty to intervene in cases of police misconduct, and to statewide policies for reporting badly-behaving cops.
Employees at yet another of New York Citys major museums have taken steps to form a union.

This time the organizing effort is taking place at the Brooklyn Museum, where a proposed union would represent a mixture of full- and part-time workers. The Technical, Office and Professional Union, Local 2110, U.A.W. filed a petition Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a vote on the union.

The proposed bargaining unit includes about 130 employees, Maida Rosenstein, the locals president, said. Among them are curators, conservators, editors and fund-raisers, who have full-time salaried jobs; and part-time educators, visitor services workers and gift shop employees, she said, adding that there may be others who are misclassified as independent contractors when they are technically part-time employees.

Natalya Swanson, a conservator at the museum who has taken part in the organizing effort, said that workers are concerned with, among other issues, job security, pay equity and having a clear path for promotion.

People see many advantages to having a more democratic voice in the institution, she said. We recognize that we have the ability to advance the conditions for everyone in the workplace.
Mark York, an actor best known for playing a character on the NBC sitcom The Office who, like him, was a paraplegic, died on May 19 in Dayton, Ohio. He was 55.

His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by the Montgomery County coroners office. Mr. Yorks family said in an obituary that he died after a brief and unexpected illness.

Mr. York appeared in four episodes of The Office, from 2006 to 2009, as Billy Merchant, the property manager of the office park where Dunder Mifflin, the fictional paper company at the center of the series, made its home. His character was introduced in the second season when Michael Scott, the bumbling branch manager played by Steve Carell, brought him to the office for a cringe-inducing meeting on disability awareness.

In that scene, Billy gamely answers Michaels clueless questions about his use of a wheelchair. But when Michael tries to equate it with burning his foot on a George Foreman grill, Billy interrupts: You know what, Michael? Let me stop you right there  and leave.
Early on, Mr. Chadabe (pronounced CHA-da-bee) commissioned Bob Moog, who had just started developing a commercial synthesizer, to build one for the studio. He could initially afford only part of the synthesizer (which he powered with a car battery), but after securing enough funding he asked Mr. Moog to create what he called a super synthesizer. The result, known as CEMS (Coordinated Electronic Music Studio), was a system that filled an entire room at the university and offered a vast range of sonic capabilities. Students were soon lining up to experiment with it.

Before long, Mr. Chadabe found himself mesmerized by the machine as well. At night, he would wait for the campus to clear out so that he could sequester himself with the synthesizer, twisting its knobs to generate soundscapes. He went on to compose electronic music prolifically and to release several experimental albums, including After Some Songs (1995), which featured his abstractions of jazz standards, and Many Times  (2004).

Mr. Chadabe hosted concerts at the university, to which he invited avant-garde composers like Alvin Lucier and Julius Eastman to perform works. In 1972, John Cage visited the studio to tape Bird Cage, a sound collage that featured shrill chirps that he had recorded in aviaries. Mr. Chadabe also acquired an early Synclavier for the school, a digital synthesizer that was later used by artists like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and Genesis.

Reviewing a 1983 concert performance in The New York Times, Bernard Holland wrote, Mr. Chadabe seemed everywhere to be asking gentle, unassertive questions about who will lead and who will follow in this new marriage between humans and their computers, about how fully and how well people will cope with the potential riches and intimidating complexities of this newest addition to our family of musical instruments.

In the 1980s, Mr. Chadabe began developing compositional software programs that musicians could use to make electronic music at home. He founded a company called Intelligent Music, which released programs like M, Jam Factory and UpBeat, which the band New Order used in recording its 1989 album, Technique.
For Pinault, the project represents a long-held ambition to house some of his more than 10,000 works by artists including Cy Twombly, Cindy Sherman, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Marlene Dumas in a Paris museum. That effort began about 20 years ago with plans, later aborted, to take over a disused Renault car factory in the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.

Although Shermans work is on prominent display  including a haunting photograph of a platinum-blonde woman, back turned, standing on a deserted American highway with her suitcase beside her in a shadowy half-light  the exhibition does not dwell on the giants of the Pinault Collection, as if the main aim were to jolt Parisians emerging from months of coronavirus lockdown with an injection of the new and little known in France.

Pinault said he had met David Hammons, a generally reclusive artist who came of age in the 1960s and 70s, more than 30 years ago. Hammons learned that Pinault was the uneducated son of a peasant from a small Breton village. He said we were alike, and I burst out laughing and told him, Well, not exactly!

So was an unlikely friendship born. Its fruit is the more than 25 Hammons works on show at the Bourse de Commerce.

But what of those murals glorifying European colonization, with Christopher Columbus sweeping down from the sky in a caravel to find half-naked Native Americans? We were convinced for a long time that we constituted civilization, the most evolved people, Pinault said. I never accepted that. In the frescoes, he added, was the beginning of global commerce, but dominated by Europe and France  in short, everything that a David Hammons detests.
3. Music Trivia Games

You know when you go to a bar and they have a little computer and you can do music trivia? Or on some flights with the screen on the seat in front of you where you can play other people on the plane? I will play that. [Years ago] I played music trivia from L.A. to New York game after game after game and beat everybody.

Join Times theater reporter Michael Paulson in conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda, catch a performance from Shakespeare in the Park and more as we explore signs of hope in a changed city. For a year, the Offstage series has followed theater through a shutdown. Now were looking at its rebound.

4. HappyCow

I am vegan and one of the fun elements to touring for me is finding plant-based restaurants everywhere I go. People are convinced you cant eat plant-based or vegan unless youre in L.A. or New York, or its just something celebrities do. Theres this app called HappyCow, and you can find the nearest plant-based restaurant.

5. Chrissie Hynde and Stevie Nicks T-shirts

Ive been going to concerts since I was maybe 13 and have a collection of concert T-shirts. And when I wear them, Im constantly asked: Oh, where did you get that? Did you get that on Melrose? Did you get that on Sunset? And its like: No, I got that at the Stevie Nicks concert. No, I got that at Van Halens concert.

One of my favorite concerts was the first time I saw the Pretenders live, and the second Chrissie Hynde walked out onstage, I didnt know what to do with myself. I have the T-shirt from that tour. One of my favorite T-shirts is my Stevie Nicks T-shirt. I was on a talk show with her a year and a half or so ago, and when I saw that she was also a guest, I ran home after soundcheck and grabbed my Stevie Nicks T-shirt and put it on and wore it on the episode. And she signed the back.

6. Vintage Motorcycles

I have two  a 1969 Honda CB350 and a 1970 Honda CB350. One is gold, and she is Goldie Honda. And the blue one is Kurt Russell. I havent ridden them in eight years, but I still have them. And I think as long as Goldie and Kurt are together, I might keep my motorcycles together.

7. Time Capsules

Anything thats of interest to me or important, Ill pack it away. Then Ill do my yearly sorting through my life and belongings, and Ill open a time capsule and reminisce.
ARCADIA

By Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam

Translated by Ruth Diver

The difference between a cult and the society from which its members seek refuge can be viewed as a question of scale. Successful cults make exclusive and very particular a recognizable scheme involving rules, systems, norms and, perhaps above all, a wildly confident leader. Though they advertise ultimate freedom, cults mostly offer sweet constraint. They tend to have especially rigid ideas about sex and gender  ideas that inevitably reflect the sect leaders pathologies. No matter whether a cult demands celibacy (Peoples Temple), desexing (Heavens Gate) or the rampant sexual exploitation of women (Nxivm), the stories from those involved generally turn on the revelation of the guru as apex predator: Hell take your money, sure, but hes really here for your body, if not your life.

If we are to believe young Farah, the freewheeling narrator of Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tams Arcadia, none of the above applies to life at Liberty House, the fictional commune at the center of the novel, where 30 or so genteel burnouts live in the hills of eastern France, ruled by a benevolent hedonist and funded by rich old ladies.

Arcadia is Bayamack-Tams 12th novel, but it is her first to be published in English, translated here by Ruth Diver. The book, which won Frances Prix du Livre Inter in 2019, appears engineered for extreme relevance: In addition to its celebration of off-grid communal living, the novel presides over hot topics that include gender, queer and intersex identity; consent and statutory rape; and Europes African migrant crisis.

When we meet Farah, she is a 6-year-old arriving at Liberty House. Her parents have joined the commune hoping to offset the electromagnetic hypersensitivity that is a part of her fragile mothers intolerance to everything. Farah is enchanted by her new surroundings, an Edenic quiet zone where inhabitants abandon their birth names, walk about nude and live in nostalgia for Paradise before the Fall.
KING RICHARD

Nixon and Watergate  An American Tragedy

By Michael Dobbs

Lets bracket Donald Trump until we get a little historical distance on him. For now this much is safe to say: Watergate was the greatest presidential scandal in American history, the direct cause of the only presidential resignation and the most serious constitutional crisis since the Civil War. Yet for a spell in the late 20th century, some commentators and a few historians imagined that this dark stain on our democracy would quickly fade away. Some of Richard Nixons loyalists predicted that his foreign policy would soon overshadow his lawlessness. Self-styled contrarians, sizing up the liberal climate and the Congress that had kept Nixons conservatism in check, misread this consummate opportunist as a supporter rather than an enemy of the Great Society, spinning out apologias for his domestic policies. Tricky Dicks rehabilitation, Newsweek promised us in 1986, was nigh.

But it never came. No Republican Party convention ever invited him to speak. Retrospective rankings of our chief executives always placed him low. Younger generations came to know him as popular culture  from Dick to Futurama  fairly depicted him: petty, vindictive, mendacious and corrupt. In the history books he stands as the only president ever to resign  forced out by as strong a bipartisan consensus as Washington ever enjoyed in the post-World War II era. At his funeral in 1994, statesmen uttered some predictable banalities, but those meretricious words registered only because they conspicuously omitted or masked so much. After the moment for decorum passed, Nixon reverted to being Americas quintessential political villain.

In time Donald Trump may rival or displace Nixon as an emblem of presidential misconduct, but its worth noting that in the last four years Watergate has served as a lens through which we often made sense of  and found precedent for  Trumps transgressions. Trumps first impeachment (the one for the Ukraine skulduggery, not the one for stoking the Capitol riot), which was rooted in his own plan to rig his re-election contest, directly recalled Nixons illegal meddling in the 1972 presidential race by bugging and otherwise sabotaging Democratic candidates who might defeat him. When Trump fired one official investigating him (James Comey) and plotted to fire a second (Robert S. Mueller III), the specter of Nixons 1973 Saturday Night Massacre danced across the editorial pages. Then, too, Trumps appeals to a silent majority, his wars on the news media, his battles to limit the independence of the federal bureaucracy  all drew on efforts Nixon had begun a half-century earlier. Even questions about Trumps mental stability and whether to remove him under the 25th Amendment echoed similar doubts about Nixons unraveling in 1973 and 1974.

Its not surprising, then, that those Reagan-era tracts perversely touting Nixon as an unsung liberal languish in bins while a new crop of histories about Nixons nefarious side finds audiences. In February of 2020, Jill Wine-Banks published The Watergate Girl, a well-received memoir of her youthful service on the Watergate prosecution team. Last summer, the former Washington Post journalist Lawrence Roberts published Mayday 1971, a deeply researched narrative of Nixons mass arrest of the thousands of protesters who flooded the capital in the darkest days of the Vietnam War. Now Michael Dobbs, another Washington Post veteran, has given us King Richard: Nixon and Watergate  An American Tragedy, a smart and highly readable chronicle of a critical 100-day phase in Nixons downfall.
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE.

A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice

By Anita Diamant

Mad cow disease. The curse. Aunt Flo. Little sister. The English have landed. Across centuries and continents, the euphemisms for menstruation vary from descriptive stand-ins to metaphors that ascribe shame and mandate silence. Inspired by the Academy Award-winning short documentary of the same title, produced by the American nonprofit the Pad Project, Anita Diamants Period. End of Sentence. focuses on cultural and religious attitudes about menstruation, period poverty and humanitarian efforts to make menstrual products accessible to anyone who needs them.

Organized into five sections that arc toward making visible what has often been regarded as unspeakable, the book begins with an exploration of the stigmas that surround menstruation, showing how harmful euphemisms such as the curse have been encouraged by communities, codified into religious laws and legitimized by the medical establishment.

Throughout, Diamant  the author behind such novels as The Red Tent and The Boston Girl  draws on historical examples that are at once horrifying and ridiculous. Writing in first-century Rome, Pliny the Elder claimed that contact with menstrual blood would bring on an oddly specific series of catastrophes, from souring wine and killing crops to rusting metal and dulling ivory. A horrible smell fills the air, the scholar wrote. To taste it drives dogs mad and infects their bites with an incurable poison. The imagery has persisted: Centuries later, in the 1920s, the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet agreed that, in Diamants words, the touch of menstruating women caused cut flowers to wilt. That the respected publication doubled down with yet another outlandish claim in 1974 (a permanent wave would not take in the hair of menstruating women) is testament to how deeply rooted superstitions about menstruation can be.

Image

Period. End of Sentence. is most impactful where it highlights how various forms of solidarity have evolved around an experience that had long been marked by shame. Diamant posits celebratory traditions among the Indigenous Maori people of New Zealand and others as proof that humiliation is not a universal, let alone necessary, part of menstruating. Welcome, come forward, a Maori poem reads, The potential for life, / The menstrual blood; / Let life grow, / Life itself, it lives. Diamant shows how such acts of defiance and kindness across disparate societies provide respite for people who have been confronted with situations and practices meant to shame them into silence about menstruation. Realizing that there was no blessing in Judaism for menstruation, Rabbi Elyse Goldstein created her own, removing the not from the following line in the daily morning liturgy: Blessed are You, Adonai our God  who has not made me a woman. When a South African taxi driver named Kamogelo Mampatla Betha discovered toilet paper and bloodstains in his back seat, he realized that some of the girls couldnt afford pads, Diamant writes. So he bought some and left them out on his dashboard, free to all.
1. One year ago today, George Floyd went to buy cigarettes. What followed was an uprising for racial justice nearly unparalleled in American history.

Floyds family visited the White House on the anniversary of his death, more than a month after a white former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of murdering Floyd, who died after the officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.

Today is the day that set the world in a rage and people realized whats going on in America and we all said Enough is enough, Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, said.
More airlines responded on Tuesday to the brazen decision over the weekend by Belaruss president to force a commercial flight to land in an effort to arrest a dissident journalist.

Fallout was swift as the countrys strongman president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, drew reprimands and flight bans from countries and airlines around the world.

The European Union on Monday called on airlines based in the bloc to stop flying over Belarus as it also worked to ban the countrys airlines from flying over E.U. airspace. Britain imposed similar restrictions, while several major airlines said they would stop traversing the country altogether, effectively severing Belaruss direct air connections to Western Europe.

Heres the latest response from airlines on Tuesday:

Air France and KLM later said they too would suspend flights going through Belarus airspace, Reuters reported.

Finnair said it would do the same. The change will make flight time a bit longer, the Finnish national carrier said on Twitter.

Due to the current dynamic situation, we are suspending the operation in Belarusian airspace for the time being, Tal Muscal, a spokesman for Lufthansa, said Monday in a statement.

The German airline was joined by Austrian Airlines in stopping flights over Belarus.

Though not a major European hub, Belaruss capital, Minsk, is served by several international airlines, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlines. U.S. airlines like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines offer flights to Minsk through partnerships with European carriers and Belavia, the Belarusian airline.
This baby-splitting precedent continues to suppress New York votes. State lawmakers codified it in 2009 but also required poll workers to direct lost voters to the correct location so their ballots would count. In Ohio, courts set a similar rule.But a new report released by VoteEarlyNY reveals that this technicality disqualified more than 13,800 ballots cast in the correct county in Election 2020  the largest source of disqualified affidavit ballots from duly registered voters. While nearly 1,000 were disqualified in or around Buffalo, a disproportionate majority (69%) were cast in New York City, where approximately one in 187 Bronx voters cast a ballot at another Bronx site.
Monopoly matters

For the past three weeks, Apple has been defending itself in federal court against claims brought by Epic Games, the maker of the blockbuster video game Fortnite, that Apple abuses its power by charging app makers unfairly high commissions to appear in its App Store. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said she hoped to deliver a verdict in mid-August.

The crux of the case is about market definition. Since Epics games are played on many non-Apple devices, its complaint about Apple as a monopolist is not clear-cut; a company that relies exclusively on Apple for distribution may have a stronger claim.

To that end, this case could be seen as a dress rehearsal for future antitrust cases, even if the judge rules in Apples favor. And if the judge finds for Epic, it would probably not force immediate changes to the $100 billion market for iPhone apps, since any ruling is set to be tied up in appeals for years. Regardless, the evidence revealed in the past few weeks is likely to feature in court battles to come.

After the trial wrapped up yesterday, DealBook spoke with Kellen Browning, a technology reporter for The Times, about the companies arguments, what the judge said and how a sometimes-naked banana became a topic of debate in the California courtroom. Here is an edited version of the discussion.
HOUSTON  Exxon Mobils management will face a big challenge over its climate change policies at an annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday as activists contest the election of one-third of the companys board.

Analysts who follow the company said they could not recall an election in which board candidates nominated by Exxon had lost. A defeat for even one of its nominees would be a rebuke to Darren W. Woods, Exxons chairman and chief executive.

Led by Engine No. 1, an activist hedge fund, a coalition of investors concerned about the environment has argued that Exxon has not invested enough in cleaner energy, which will hurt its profits in the future. These investors argue that the company should follow European oil companies like BP and Total that have begun investing heavily in renewables like wind and solar energy.

Much depends on whether much larger Exxon shareholders back Engine No. 1s campaign. All eyes are on BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager, which has cast itself as a leader in efforts to press companies to do more to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause global warming.
When Allegra Brochin and her boyfriend adopted Sprinkles, a feisty white Maltese, last year, they set about finding pet care.

I immediately started looking, said Ms. Brochin, 23, who works as a communications coordinator for Michael Kors in New York.

She saw ads for Bond Vet pop up on her Instagram feed, and when she took in Sprinkles for her shots, she was won over by the look and feel of the clinic, especially when its for a pet you care about and feel responsible for, she said.

Ms. Brochin is not alone in her devotion to her pandemic pet. More than 12.6 million households adopted animals from March to December of last year, according to the American Pet Products Association, helping to propel an increase in visits and revenue to veterinary offices, as new owners took pets in for their first checkup.
If those numbers are realized, it could make the California coast one of the largest generators of wind power in the world. The new coastal Massachusetts wind farm is expected to have up to 84 giant wind turbines. By comparison, Mr. Newsom estimated that the California sites could hold more than 300 turbines.

Administration officials declined to say when the areas might be leased to companies. Asked to offer a timeline, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said, This is a priority for us and were excited about it.

While the offshore wind industry has boomed around the world, particularly near the coasts of Norway and the United Kingdom, it has flourished where the water is shallow and turbines can be anchored to the ocean floor. By contrast, the Pacific Ocean floor drops steeply from the coastline, making the water too deep to anchor wind towers. As a result, some companies have built floating turbines. There are currently about 20 such small floating turbine farms around the world, and none at the scale envisioned by Mr. Newsom.

But the California governor said that he has already heard from potential developers. Weve had not just international companies but governments reach out to us, he said. We expect an enormous amount of interest.

ENBW, a German electric utility that owns and operates four wind farms off the coast of Germany, intends to bid on leases to build a floating wind farm in Morro Bay, said the companys spokesman, Damian Bednarz. The project, called Castle Wind, would consist of dozens of floating turbines, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes, he said.

While it would be the first time ENBW has produced floating turbines, the company has been working with the federal government and the state of California for the past five years in hopes of clearing the way for the Castle Wind project, Mr. Bednarz said.
Ms. Wolf and Mr. Foreman are aware of their position as high-end restaurateurs in a city beset by poverty and racial inequities. Ms. Wolf talks proudly of nurturing the careers of Everardo Florentino, Charlestons chef de cuisine, and Mario Cano Catalan, the executive chef at Bar Vasquez, both Mexican immigrants first hired as teenagers.

The partners describe the unrest after Freddie Gray died in custody of the Baltimore police in 2015 as a transformative experience, for themselves and the city. Of the Black Lives Matter signs posted at all of their restaurants, Mr. Foreman said, Cindy and I both think the same about that: Lets just tell them how we feel.

At Charleston, Ms. Wolf set out to bring Lowcountry cuisine to a wider audience, and to draw connections between the cooking of the coastal Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic. An April menu struck the balance the restaurant always has between Southern dishes developed outside professional kitchens (many, like shrimp and grits, with African roots) and French haute cuisine, like pan-roasted sea scallops with fresh peas and fava beans.

A new soup fuses the styles: Sea Island white rice and red peas, cooked in guinea fowl stock and enriched with fresh black truffles. Ms. Wolf said she was considering making the soup a permanent menu item. She is proud, even protective, of dishes that make the cut. She was upset to discover that cornmeal fried oysters  a Charleston staple, the same recipe she made for Julia Child  were on the menu at Johnnys.

I dont want them serving my oysters there, she said. Thats my signature dish.

Ms. Wolf traces her interest in Southern cooking to the childhood years she spent in North Carolina. When she was 9, her family moved to northern Indiana. Soon after, her father, Robert, a restaurant-chain executive, began taking her to prestigious French restaurants in Chicago, like Le Perroquet and Le Francais.

Most cooks dont have the opportunities I had growing up, Ms. Wolf said. I know to be grateful for that.

Her parents moved to Charleston, S.C., when Ms. Wolf graduated from high school. She followed them after dropping out of University of Evansville, having decided that she wanted to become a chef.
Now Mount Sinai and Pershing Square are hoping to expand. On Tuesday they announced the Mount Sinai Covid Lab initiative, inviting additional charter schools, as well as local businesses and organizations, to sign up for the saliva-based testing program. They are putting the finishing touches on a new laboratory that they say will be capable of processing as many as 100,000 coronavirus tests a day and are preparing a formal proposal to take the program to New York Citys public schools this fall.

The announcement comes the day after Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city planned to fully reopen schools, eliminating remote learning, in the fall.

The way you keep a school safe, the way you make teachers feel comfortable with the reopening of schools, the way you make parents feel comfortable sending their kid, is you have a testing program, said William A. Ackman, a hedge fund manager who founded the Pershing Square Foundation.

The testing program originated in December, when Mr. Ackman decided that he wanted to find a way to get New York City children back to school and approached Mount Sinai with a proposal: What if he provided funding for the hospital to build a laboratory that could process 100,000 coronavirus tests a day? The hope was that the lab could devote some of that capacity to corporate clients, such as businesses that wanted to test their employees, and use the revenue to fund wide-scale testing for New York City schoolchildren.

Mount Sinai quickly agreed. We began on a concerted effort that people at Mount Sinai have really rallied around, said Dr. David Reich, president and chief operating officer of Mount Sinai Hospital. Its just one of those projects where you never have to worry about people wanting to show up for your Zoom meeting  theyre all there, and theyre all smiling.
It was in 2006, during their collaboration on a collection of essays by Native American women, that Kauanui first heard rumors about Smiths identity. By then, the two had grown close, even as the trajectory of their careers had diverged. They had both graduated with doctoral degrees and landed jobs at well-regarded universities: Kauanui at Wesleyan University and Smith at the University of Michigan. But while Kauanui was developing a narrow expertise on Hawaiian indigeneity, Smith had become nothing less than an icon of Native American feminism, as the publication Colorlines later called her. She co-founded the national organization Incite! Women of Color Against Violence; was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work; and aligned herself with prominent activists, including her dissertation adviser Angela Davis and Winona LaDuke, who later wrote the introduction for Smiths first book.

That fall, a friend of Kauanuis  aware of her friendship and ongoing collaboration with Smith  reached out and asked whether Smith was really Cherokee. Oh, no, shes totally Cherokee, Kauanui told that friend. She wondered whether the concern was that Smith was not Native enough because she grew up off the reservation.

But the next year, Kauanui was shown confidential emails that complicated the narrative. In early 2007, an official from the Cherokee Nation began emailing Smith, asking about her connections to the Cherokees given that she wasnt enrolled  a word used for citizens in a tribal nation. Smiths responses were evasive, and reading them, Kauanui couldnt figure out why she didnt just clarify who her relatives were. It was, she came to realize, the first moment she really doubted Smith. But as so many others would later do, she brushed her concerns aside.

In the months that followed, Kauanui was distracted by her work helping to organize a conference that spring at the University of Oklahoma. The conference was a step toward starting a national organization to bring together scholars working on Native and Indigenous issues. Smith was at the conference, too, and one afternoon during a panel session, she pulled Kauanui outside, saying she needed to talk to her about something serious. I just went home to Long Beach, and I found out from my mother that Im not actually enrolled, she said, according to Kauanuis memory of the conversation. I have to try to figure this out because there are people from the Cherokee Nation who are going to meet with me here.

The two were on a bench on the Norman campus. Smith seemed anxious and Kauanui wanted to help, but again she was confused: From the emails, she knew that Smith had already been told she wasnt enrolled. Kauanui couldnt mention them  shed been sworn to secrecy  and she still thought there had to be an explanation. She told Smith to share the names of her relatives with tribal officials, sure that they would be able to straighten things out.

But Smith told her that it wasnt that simple. And indeed, it wasnt. Being enrolled in an American Indian tribe essentially means being a legal citizen of that tribal nation. Its a status that can be passed down by parents who are also enrolled but also one that can be claimed, depending on the citizenship rules of each tribe, if an individual can prove he or she is a child, grandchild or at times even great-grandchild of someone who was a tribal member. As the Cherokee genealogical researcher David Cornsilk would later tell me, Smith couldnt even do that: She had known since the 1990s that her family had no identifiable Native American roots, because Smith had hired Cornsilk to look for them and he found nothing.

Although he can no longer recall the exact dates, Cornsilk says Smith first asked him to research her mothers side of the family in the early 1990s, when she was working as a Native organizer in Chicago. Near the end of the decade, she hired him again to look into her fathers side  around the time she was starting graduate school at Santa Cruz and introducing herself as Cherokee and also after she accepted the first of two Ford Foundation fellowships then earmarked for underrepresented groups in academia.
Recently, I asked my chiropractor if he had received his Covid vaccine. He said no. He and his assistant do wear masks, but they see patients in a small room with a closed door. When I asked him again several weeks later, he said: Well, we have to talk. I am not going to get the vaccination. I dont believe in vaccinations. My family and I are all healthy and see no need for it. On my way out, I asked his assistant if she had been vaccinated, and she replied: No, and I dont plan to. Its a personal decision. I called the next morning to explain that I wouldnt be coming back to their practice because they werent vaccinated. Later that day, the chiropractor called and asked me if I would please respect his privacy and not tell anyone else about his decision not to be vaccinated.

I was appalled. Isnt this an unethical request? He is a health care provider during a pandemic. Shouldnt his patients be aware that he has chosen not to get a vaccine, as recommended by the C.D.C.? Doesnt his personal decision affect others in a potentially dangerous way? By asking me to hide his decision, doesnt he make me an accomplice to his duplicity? Name Withheld

A number of questions have recently arisen about how we should negotiate a social and professional world in which vaccination against Covid-19 is both common and contested. Whats clear is that many people think that getting vaccinated is simply about protecting yourself. And we do have what a philosopher would call a reason of prudence for getting vaccinated  a reason thats more compelling the older we are. Yet theres also a public-spirited, altruistic reason for getting vaccinated: Theres now bountiful evidence that vaccinated people are much less likely to transmit the virus to others.

When masks were first recommended, medical authorities emphasized their benefits not to the wearer but to others; only after some months, and additional studies, was it made plain that masks helped both parties. Its the opposite story with vaccines. Vaccine approval depended on trials designed to show benefits to recipients, so officials were at first hesitant to say what now is clear: that they help others too. The broader point is one Ive made before: When many people accept a small inconvenience  like wearing a mask or getting vaccinated  we can achieve something of great value to us all.
Before her brothers death, Crutchers life was not necessarily leading to one of social-justice activism. But after his family buried Terence, they decided they needed to fight for the justice he did not receive. We still marched, Crutcher says. We still took it to the streets. We still prayed, you know? We praised the Lord, and Reverend Al came in, she says, referring to Al Sharpton. The march on Sept. 27, 2016, was one of the largest ever in Tulsa. For a while, after Shelbys indictment, Crutcher says, we were moving in the right direction. Because officials had released the video publicly, because they were trying to be transparent, because the police chief had said that justice would be achieved, because the mayor-elect had said he would make it his mission to seek justice for the Crutchers, she says, I thought that we would do the right thing here in Tulsa.

But Shelby was acquitted on May 17, 2017. When the judge announced the jurys verdict, I went numb, Crutcher says. The familys attorneys and the assistant district attorney who prosecuted Shelby had tears in their eyes. After leaving the courtroom, her mother waited until they were in an elevator before crying out, She killed my baby! Crutchers father rallied them to prayer.

Afterward, it was time to address the news media. I finally mustered up enough, I guess, strength to make a statement, Crutcher says. Thats when I made a vow and a promise that I wouldnt rest until I transformed Tulsas corrupt policing department. And until I receive justice, I said, its not over. She told reporters that day, Terence Crutchers name is going to be that name that opens change. At another news conference that summer, Crutcher announced the creation of the Terence Crutcher Foundation. In the words of its mission statement, the organization would change the narrative that perceived Black men as BAD DUDES and pipeline them into a community of achievers.

She had started with hopes that justice would follow her brothers killing. But it was in the dashing of those hopes that, Crutcher says, her journey to justice began. We in Tulsa, Okla., arent going to sit by and say, It is what it is, she said at one of the news conferences. The very narrative Crutcher has committed herself to undoing  one that says Black people are inherently bad people  is one that goes back a hundred years in her hometown, when one part of the community destroyed another part of the community, a place whose prosperity and potential belonged to, but was taken from, her ancestors.

Crutchers childhood revolved around the institution that anchors life for many of Tulsas Black residents: the church. Her father, the Rev. Joey Hobart Lewis Crutcher, would play the organ and piano at congregations around the city and the country, but mainly at the New Heights Christian Center; her mother, Leanna Crutcher, directed choirs and also played the piano. Crutcher recalls always being in spaces where there were white kids and Black kids. She remembers they just flowed together  we were pretty close. I had white kids, or classmates, that came to my house and played and spent the night, and I went to their houses.

As a student at Langston University, Oklahomas lone historically Black college, in the 1990s, Crutcher met other Black students from all over the country. Oh, wow, Black Wall Street, they often said when they heard she was from Tulsa. They knew the name of the part of town where Black people began settling in the early 20th century, what became variously known as Black or Negro Wall Street  terms given to several prosperous Black communities across America  as well as Greenwood, Black Tulsa and Little Africa. Some students also mentioned the Tulsa race riot. Crutcher had never heard of any such riot. It was not something that had been discussed at home. But after hearing constant references from schoolmates who had often never been to Tulsa, she finally pressed her father for answers during breaks from school.

In 1921, he told her reluctantly, after prolonged prodding, that the neighborhood that stood where Tiffany grew up, a thriving Black community, had been destroyed by a mob of white Tulsans. He told Tiffany that buildings had been leveled and people killed or forced to flee. And the destruction in lives and property was more than just history; it was personal. His own grandmother, her great-grandmother, Rebecca Brown Crutcher, had to run away out of fear for her life. Crutcher was filled with regret when she heard this. I didnt get a chance to ask her questions, she says, because she was so young when Mama Brown passed away. Her father told her that he didnt know about what had happened to Black Tulsa until he was not much older than she was then, when he returned from the Vietnam War. Crutcher learned that her fathers own discovery of the familys history also came with a warning  a deep fear that it would happen again. For Black Tulsans, consciously recalling the pain came with risk. The white rioters, Crutcher told me, scared them so bad and told them if they ever talked about it again, that they would either be lynched or that it would happen again.
Its been one year since the world watched the traumatizing video of George Floyd literally begging for his life, saying I cant breathe over and over again as former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyds neck for what we now know was more than nine minutes. One year since the beloved father, son, brother, cousin, uncle and friend was taken from us in such a horrific manner. Over the past year, we have witnessed (and organized) massive demonstrations demanding police reform, and we watched as Chauvin was convicted of second-degree and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. There have been a range of emotions over the course of the last year, and some breakthroughs, but the fight for federal legislation continues and we are as galvanized as ever.
One lawyer, Michael Rosas, argued that his client should be released.

Hes trying to change his life, Mr. Rosas told the judge. This is something that happened two years ago. Hes presumed innocent.

In denying bail, the magistrate judge, James B. Clark III, noted the seriousness of the charges.

Peoples homes are their castles, Judge Clark said, and when homes are invaded by burglars I cant conceive of too many things that are more troubling, more invasive.

After identifying homes owned by people of Asian descent, the men would surveil the property and enter when they thought no one was home, often using ladders to climb through unlocked second-story windows, prosecutors said.

The device used to track vehicles to some of the homes that the defendants burglarized was created from magnets and cellular telephones, according to the criminal complaint.

Three of the men charged were arrested during burglaries in process in Old Bridge, N.J., and Hazlet, N.J., the authorities said.

In at least two incidents, the homes were not empty when intruders entered.

In December 2018, an Asian resident of a home in Kenilworth, N.J., fought with a male intruder, who dropped a walkie-talkie that the authorities said contained traces of DNA that helped lead to the arrests.

Investigators interviewed a participant in the burglary ring who told them that the thieves would search the internet for Indian and Chinese restaurants. Their owners were targeted, according to the complaint, because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences.
The two Republicans running for mayor of New York City used to be friends. They are both first-time candidates, long shots for the job and tabloid fixtures who perk up when they see a news camera.

And now they are at war.

At an in-person debate this spring, Fernando Mateo, a restaurateur, threatened his old friend Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, for what he said were attacks on his character and warned that he had damaging information about his opponent.

I have enough dirt to cover your body 18 feet over, Mr. Mateo said.

Mr. Sliwa had called Mr. Mateo a de Blasio Republican and accused him of breaking the law in his fund-raising efforts for Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat.

Shame on you, Mr. Mateo responded, calling the allegations fake news.

They will meet again on Wednesday, this time virtually, at the first official Republican debate, which will be broadcast on NY1.
Here are some answers to common questions.

How do I register to vote in New York City?

The deadline to register to vote was May 28. You can check to see if you are registered on the State Board of Elections website.

Am I eligible to vote?

If youre a United States citizen who has been a New York City resident for at least 30 days, is not currently incarcerated for a felony, and is registered with a political party, youre eligible to vote in the primary.

What if Im not a citizen?

Currently, people who are not citizens cannot vote in municipal elections.

But a bill before the City Council could change that by allowing lawful city residents to cast ballots for candidates running for city offices. Supporters of the measure estimate that it could enfranchise some one million New York City residents.

The push has earned the support of many mayoral candidates. One who initially opposed it, Andrew Yang, expressed skepticism about its legality during a forum this month, but he ultimately came out in favor.

What if I have been convicted of a crime?

The state enacted a law this month automatically restoring voting rights to people convicted of felonies who have been released on parole, part of a nationwide movement to enfranchise formerly incarcerated people.
Ms. Ali, who lives in Brooklyn, said she didnt apply to colleges more than five hours away from home because she wanted to stay close to her family, who immigrated from Pakistan when she was a year old. Ms. Ali helps care for her 4-year-old sister, who has autism, and she said that experience has made her want to study disability rights, as well as immigration law.

Enlik Tagasheva had to grow up quickly. When she was 5, her mother, who had left their home in Kazakhstan to come work in the United States as an interpreter, suffered a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. Ms. Tagasheva came to the United States soon after and has spent much of her childhood caring for her mother.

Now 18 and headed to Bard College, she dreams of starting a Kazakh youth group to host safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and sexual assault survivors. Shed also love to open a museum dedicated to Kazakh art and history, she said, because all we have is Borat.

As a child in Estonia, Alex Koiv said he did not receive a particularly creative education and he did not have many opportunities to branch out. But as a high school student in New York City, he found he had the option to choose his electives and discovered a love for robotics and coding.

Inspired by the movie Yes Man, he adopted the habit of saying yes to just about everything while in high school to push himself out of his comfort zone. Mr. Koiv, 18, plans to study computer science at Cornell and hopes to eventually work at NASA or SpaceX.

Jailene Sinchi, 17, is determined to receive the type of education her parents could not. Growing up in East Harlem, Ms. Sinchi listened to her parents stories of living in Ecuador and the sacrifices they made to survive.

Ms. Sinchi said she was anxious about moving from El Barrio to Ithaca, N.Y., which is far less diverse, to attend Cornell. On the way there to visit, she said she saw Confederate flags. Still, she looks forward to studying psychology and eventually becoming a doctor.
Schools will fully reopen this fall, and remote learning will be eliminated, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday. The complete return to in-person classes is a major indicator of the citys economic recovery.

Its time to do things the way they were meant to be done, Mr. de Blasio said during a news conference. All the kids in the classroom together.

[New York is one of the first big cities to remove remote learning this fall.]

Heres what you need to know:

The details

Schools will fully reopen, without a remote-learning option but with safety precautions. Masks will still be required, and schools will follow social-distancing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The city is not yet requiring staff members and students to be vaccinated before returning.

Parents will be able to tour schools during open-house events in June.
Anand Giridharadass 2018 book, Winners Take All, coined a new term for the market-led, corporate-friendly approach to philanthropy that donors like the Gateses have championed for years: marketworld. He sees it as misplaced faith in the ability of markets to resolve poverty, when the richer investors in the market get, the poorer the rest of us become.

Both of the Gateses live in marketworld, even though its sometimes conveniently forgotten that Melinda has prime property there too. In media coverage after the divorce announcement, she has been upheld as the more humane brake on Bills techno-solutionist approach to global health and development. But I dont think theres much evidence of any deep divide between them when it comes to seeing the market as a panacea.

The best evidence that we do have is the observable track record of the foundation, both good and bad. Ultimately, any organizations most senior management is responsible for its operations  and that includes Melinda. So when the foundation pours nonrepayable, tax-privileged grants on the worlds wealthiest pharmaceutical companies, or when it defends a global patent system that makes lifesaving medicines needlessly expensive in both poor and rich nations, the buck doesnt just stop with Bill, but with Melinda too.

In April last year, the University of Oxford was reportedly considering offering a Covid-19 vaccine developed by its scientists on a nonexclusive basis, which would have made it possible for manufacturers across the world to produce it more cheaply and widely. But then, Kaiser Health News reported, Oxford  urged on by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  reversed course. It signed an exclusive vaccine deal with AstraZeneca that gave the pharmaceutical giant sole rights and no guarantee of low prices. A spokesperson for the University of Oxford denied that there were any conversations between Oxford and the Gates Foundation on this matter.

This dealmaking left many people aghast. It seemed to conflict with the Gates Foundations stated mission to improve global access to medicines, but its not surprising to those whove long followed the foundations proclivity to lend Big Pharma a helping hand. Recently, Melinda told The Times that vaccine makers like Pfizer and AstraZeneca should make a small profit, because we want them to stay in business.

Define small. AstraZeneca paid nothing toward Oxfords basic research on the vaccine, yet the company now has exclusive distribution rights, standing to make billions from the deal brokered by the Gates Foundation.

Both of the Gateses seem to be feasting at the same table at Big Pharma, swallowing a core fallacy perpetuated for years. Thats the insistence that companies need to charge astronomical prices to pay for research and development, as Representative Katie Porter put it recently, even though the amount they spend on manipulating the market to enrich shareholders completely eclipses whats spent on R&D.

The best thing to come out of a sad event like this divorce is recognition that todays global problems are ours to tackle, we the people  interdependent, global members of the public  through solidarity and shared science. We cant relinquish this task to unaccountable philanthropists. The age of deference to them is over, and its about time.

Linsey McGoey is a professor of sociology and director of the Center for Research in Economic Sociology and Innovation at the University of Essex. She is the author of No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy.

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Oppressed castes are a minority within this minority, and they continue to be subject to forms of caste discrimination and exploitation, as the two lawsuits make clear. Together, these cases show how caste operates within Americas racially stratified work force to create largely hidden, yet pernicious patterns of discrimination and exploitation. In both, the litigants are members of the oppressed caste Dalits.

One case is a discrimination suit filed in June 2020 against the technology conglomerate Cisco Systems Inc. and two supervisors by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on behalf of a Dalit engineer. According to the lawsuit, Cisco failed to adequately address caste discrimination by two privileged-caste supervisors. The Dalit engineer alleges that one of the supervisors outed him as a beneficiary of Indian affirmative action. The lawsuit says that when he complained to the human resources department, both supervisors retaliated by denying him opportunities for advancement.

The plaintiff and one of the supervisors are graduates of the Indian Institutes of Technology, a set of elite public technical universities. When the Indian government extended caste-based affirmative action to these colleges in 1973 and 2006, students admitted through the quotas were met with fierce opposition and stigmatized as unworthy of an elite education. The fear of exposure has forced many Dalit students in India to pass as non-Dalits.

The Cisco case appears to shed light on the same patterns of caste discrimination in the U.S. tech sector. By allegedly outing the Dalit engineer, the supervisor marked his caste and, in effect, deemed him unworthy of his position at Cisco. The company has denied the allegations and said that its investigation found no grounds to support claims of caste discrimination or retaliation.

The other case shows how stark differences of caste power and status may be carried over from South Asia to America, a situation that can lead to labor exploitation. In May 2021, lawyers representing a group of Dalit workers filed a lawsuit against the Hindu sect known as BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) and related parties. The workers allege that they were brought to the United States on visas designated for religious workers to help build a temple in New Jersey. They claim that they were forced to work for more than 87 hours a week for $450 a month, or less than $2 an hour. Furthermore, they said they were not allowed to leave the temple property unaccompanied, were constantly monitored and were threatened with pay cuts, arrest and expulsion to India if they spoke to outsiders. BAPS has denied the allegations.
One flaw in the Philadelphia and Virginia models, and in the rules in some other jurisdictions with similar requirements, is that landlords are required to apply for tenant aid only if they are pursuing an eviction for failure to pay rent. It is relatively easy to skirt that requirement by citing a different cause, like maintenance issues or noise complaints. It would also be easy to fix this problem by uniformly requiring aid applications.

Limits on eviction vary across the country. The federal government has prohibited evictions from properties with government-backed mortgages through June 30. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has banned evictions through June 30 involving households that cannot pay rent because of economic hardship caused by the pandemic. Many state and local governments have imposed broader bans, some of which are scheduled to remain in place at least through summer. In New York State, the current expiration date is Aug. 31.

During the pandemic, allowing people to stay in their homes has saved lives, according to a study published in Nature Communications. As the pandemic wanes, however, so does the justification for asking landlords to bear the cost of unpaid rent.

About 47 percent of rental units are owned by individual investors. They have bills to pay, too.

The federal aid is meant to pass through tenants to their landlords. But tenants may be unaware of the aid program, or may struggle to complete the application. So long as moratoriums remain in place, landlords may need the money more urgently than their tenants do. At a hearing in the District of Columbia on Friday, landlords testified that some tenants wont apply for aid because there are no immediate consequences for failing to pay the rent.

The fact remains that people in general wont do something until they absolutely have to, even if it is in their best interest, said Richard Bianco of the Small Multifamily Owners Association.

Mr. Bianco's observation, however, also applies to landlords. Some states are preparing for a summer wave of evictions by providing tenants with legal assistance. Washington State, whose eviction moratorium is set to expire on June 30, recently became the first state to guarantee a lawyer to low-income tenants facing eviction. But such programs do not go far enough because they dont require landlords to help.

Across the country, many tenants are trying as hard as they can to pay what they owe and stay where they are. Many landlords have behaved with admirable forbearance. For the minority of cases where good will is not enough, Philadelphia has the right idea.
Lord knows, I sympathize with President Bidens desire to avoid getting dragged into mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas made something crystal clear to me: Unless we preserve at least the potential of a two-state solution, the one-state reality that would emerge in its place wont just blow up Israel, the West Bank and Gaza; it could very well blow up the Democratic Party and every Jewish organization and synagogue in America.

Yes, thats what I learned last week.

I dont expect Biden to summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Camp David. As long as both are in power, no serious compromise is possible. But it is vital that Biden urgently take steps to re-energize the possibility of a two-state solution and give it at least some concrete diplomatic manifestation on the ground.

Because without that horizon  without any viable hope of separating Israelis and Palestinians into two states for two peoples  the only outcome left will be one state in which the Israeli majority dominates and Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank will be systematically deprived of equal rights so that Israel can preserve its Jewish character.

If that happens, the charge that Israel has become an apartheid-like entity will resonate and gain traction far and wide. The Democratic Party will be fractured. A rising chorus of progressives  who increasingly portray the Israeli armys treatment of Palestinians as equivalent to the Minneapolis Police Departments treatment of Black people or to the treatment by colonial powers of Indigenous peoples  will insist on distancing the United States from Israel and, maybe, even lead to bans on arms sales.
This information can be delivered most effectively by the small grass-roots groups that have worked and lived in these communities for years. It is imperative that the message to vaccinate is delivered by someone who understands the nuance of peoples experiences with the health care system, who can meet them where they are.

These grass-roots nonprofits not only can have a greater impact on vaccination rates but also will cost less money than large government contractors with no ties to the communities. And funding these groups to deliver trusted health care information will move us along the path of improving peoples engagement with the system itself.

Marcella J. Tillett

Brooklyn

The writer is vice president of programs and partnerships for the Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Using Sickle Cell as a Cover-Up

To the Editor:

Re For the Police, a Genetic Alibi Provides Cover (front page, May 16):

The use of sickle cell trait to cover up the deaths of Black people while in police custody is abhorrent and has no scientific or medical merit. Your reporting uncovered the unprofessional misuse of science that further contributes to racial bias and social injustice in our country.

Its medically inaccurate to claim sickle cell crisis as the cause of death based on the presence of sickled cells in an autopsy. Millions of American men, women and children with sickle cell trait lead normal, healthy lives, and there have been no well-controlled studies on collapse due to exertion that would provide evidence to cite sickle cell trait as a cause of death by the police.

These false assertions should not be used as a smokescreen to explain in-custody deaths. Further education and training are necessary to end this injustice.

Martin S. Tallman

Washington

The writer is president of the American Society of Hematology.

Why Its Time for Justice Breyer to Retire

To the Editor:

Re Can Breyer Be Prodded to Retire? Probably Not (news article, May 18):

I was shocked by the combination of naivete and cynicism reflected in the various pundits comments about the possibility of Justice Stephen Breyers retirement.
You can, of course, appeal deletions, but the review can take upwards of 48 hours; when hundreds of rockets were being fired daily at civilians, 48 hours makes an enormous difference, especially when many of our posts are related to projects which save lives. One Israel Funds posts are aimed at reaching out to donors and its vital that we reach them with timely information to underscore the importance of our safety initiatives in Israel. We work to enhance surveillance, provide emergency medical equipment, ambulances and more  all work geared towards saving lives, and yet our posts were deleted and our ads often rejected based upon some unknown or undefined technicality.
The neural network tied two of the human analysts for accuracy and beat the other two, the researchers found.

The machine was also far more efficient. Because the task was dull, none of the human analysts wanted to go through all 3,000 photographs without stopping, Dr. Pawlowicz said. So even though they probably could have completed the task in three hours, each conducted the analysis through several sessions over three to four months.

The neural network whipped through thousands of images in a few minutes.

Not only was the computer program more efficient and as accurate as the archaeologists, it was also able to better articulate why it had categorized shards a certain way compared with its living, breathing competitors. In one case, the computer offered up a smart sorting observation that was new to the researchers: It pointed out that two similar types of pottery with barbed line design elements could be distinguished by whether the lines connected at right angles or were parallel, said Leszek Pawlowicz, an adjunct faculty member at Northern Arizona University and another author of the study.

Machine also outshined humans in offering only one answer for each classification; the participating archaeologists often disagreed on how items were categorized, a known issue that often slows archaeological projects, the authors said.

Phillip Isola, an electrical engineering and computer science professor at M.I.T. who was not involved in the study, said he was not surprised that the neural network performed as well as  or sometimes better than  the archaeologists.

Its the same story weve heard a few times now, Dr. Isola said. In the field of medical imaging, for example, researchers have found that neural networks rival radiologists at identifying tumors. Academics are also using similar tools to categorize plant and bird types.

This is also far from the first time archaeologists have turned to artificial intelligence. In 2015, researchers in France applied machine learning to classifying medieval French ceramics. A group of archaeologists and computer scientists from five countries is also developing a digital tool to categorize pottery shards. Neither of these projects explicitly pits human against machine, however.
Night owls in California and other points out west are in for a treat on May 26 as the moon enters Earths shadow and turns a blood red color during a total lunar eclipse, the first in more than two years visible from the United States.

And if you hear anyone calling this a super blood moon, thats because the moon will also line up in its closest approach to our planet, an event some call a supermoon.

Youre actually getting to see the solar system working, and Newtons laws of gravity in operation before your own eyes, said Edwin Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

Where and when can I see the lunar eclipse?

This months event will be visible primarily from Australia, East Asia, islands in the Pacific and the Western Americas. People on the West Coast of the United States, from Southern California up through Washington State, can expect the action to commence around 1:47 a.m. Pacific time on May 26.
Covid News: C.D.C. Chief Urges Caution for Unvaccinated Ahead of Memorial Day Despite gains against the virus, the C.D.C. director said the large segment of Americans who arent vaccinated must remain careful. Moderna announced that its Covid-19 vaccine was powerfully effective in 12- to 17-year-olds.

Puerto Rico, recovering from a spring surge, lifted a curfew that was in effect throughout the pandemic. Posing for photos near the cruise docks in San Juan, P.R., in April. Credit... Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times As Puerto Rico recovers from a spring coronavirus surge and cases decline, the U.S. territory is steadily relaxing pandemic restrictions, including lifting a nightly curfew that was in effect since March 2020. The island is taking a big step toward returning to normal not long after experiencing its worst outbreak. Toward the end of April, Puerto Rico was reporting over 1,000 cases a day, up from about 200 new daily cases in mid-March. Since then, its case numbers have drastically decreased, as they have around the United States with the steady advance of vaccinations, which Dr. Carlos Mellado Lopez, the head of Puerto Ricos Department of Health, credited for the turnaround. Puerto Rico is averaging 146 new coronavirus cases daily over the past seven days, an almost 60 percent decrease over the past two weeks, according to a New York Times database. Just over 30 percent of the islands population has been fully vaccinated and 45 percent has been given at least one vaccination, numbers that lag behind the U.S. averages of 39 and 49 percent, respectively. The easing of restrictions took effect over the past two days, starting with the end of the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on Monday. Another change affects fully vaccinated travelers on domestic flights, who no longer need to present a negative coronavirus test before entry and instead must present proof of vaccination, such as a vaccine card. Puerto Rico will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to any visitors who arrive at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, starting Friday, according to The Associated Press. Other changes include increased capacities for businesses from 30 percent to 50 percent, a reopening of the islands stadiums at 30 percent capacity and a lifting of mask requirements for fully vaccinated people at parks and beaches. On the mainland, state governments have been rapidly loosening restrictions. Louisianas governor said on Tuesday that the state would remove capacity restrictions for businesses and a mandate requiring students to wear masks at schools, starting next school year. New Jerseys governor said on Monday that fully vaccinated people would no longer have to wear masks indoors. In Hawaii, Gov. David Ige said on Tuesday that all people, vaccinated and unvaccinated, would no longer have to wear masks outdoors. In Puerto Rico, experts say many factors led to the islands spring surge, including the arrival of coronavirus variants, a return to in-person work and dining, tourists flocking to the island for spring break season and gatherings to celebrate Holy Week. As cases soared, worries simmered over hospital bed capacity and the dearth of medical professionals needed to address a swell in sickness.

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Moderna says that its vaccine is effective for 12- to 17-year-olds and that it will seek F.D.A. authorization. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:49 - 0:00 transcript Fauci Optimistic Over Moderna Vaccine for Teenagers Moderna said Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine was 100 percent effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 17. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the infectious disease expert, was optimistic about the vaccines ability to ensure in-person school in the fall. The significance of the Moderna press release that they will have 12 to 18-year-old  that they will have an application in next month. Yeah, well, certainly thats one of the things we would like to have, because if you put the Pfizer together, which already will be able to vaccinate, and are vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds, together with the recent data from Moderna, which likely would lead as we enter into the beginning of the new fall term, that hopefully well be able to get adolescent vaccine. I mean, high school students vaccinated actually before they enter the fall term, which is really very good news. So now we have not only a single company, Pfizer, but it looks very much like well have the source of another similar vaccine in mRNA for Moderna. So all good. Moderna said Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine was 100 percent effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 17. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the infectious disease expert, was optimistic about the vaccines ability to ensure in-person school in the fall. Credit Credit... Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times Moderna said on Tuesday that its coronavirus vaccine, authorized only for use in adults, was powerfully effective in 12- to 17-year-olds, and that it planned to apply to the Food and Drug Administration in June for authorization to use the vaccine in adolescents. If approved, its vaccine would become the second Covid-19 vaccine available to U.S. adolescents. Federal regulators authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this month for 12- to 15-year-olds. The Pfizer shot was initially authorized for use in people 16 and older, while Modernas has been available for those 18 and up. Proof of the vaccines efficacy and safety for adolescents is helping school officials and other leaders as they plan for the fall. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that all public school students in New York City, the largest school system in the United States, would return to in-person learning in the fall. New Yorks move comes as several states have indicated that they will restrict remote learning, including Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The Moderna results, which the company announced in a statement, are based on a clinical trial that enrolled 3,732 people ages 12 to 17, two-thirds of whom received two vaccine doses. There were no cases of symptomatic Covid-19 in fully vaccinated adolescents, the company reported. That translates to an efficacy of 100 percent, the same figure that Pfizer and BioNTech reported in a trial of their vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds. These look like promising results, said Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. The more vaccines we have to protect adolescents from Covid, the better. Moderna also reported that a single dose of its vaccine had 93 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease. Those cases that did occur between the two doses were mild, which is also a good indicator of protection against disease, Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist at George Mason University, said in an email. The side effects were consistent with what has been reported in adults: pain at the site of the injection, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and chills. No significant safety concerns have been identified to date, the company said. The adolescents in the study will be monitored for a year after their second dose. The results were announced in a news release that did not contain detailed data from the clinical trial. And Dr. Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, said that the vaccines efficacy can be trickier to evaluate in children, who are less likely to develop symptomatic disease than adults. Nevertheless, she said, the results are in line with what scientists expected and suggest that adolescents respond to the vaccine comparably to adults who receive it. Moderna said it planned to submit the data for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

The C.D.C. wont investigate all post-vaccine infections, just those that result in hospitalizations or deaths. Receiving a coronavirus vaccine in Miami last week. Credit... Saul Martinez for The New York Times Federal health officials have stopped investigating breakthrough coronavirus infections in vaccinated people unless the cases cause serious disease that leads to a hospitalization or a death. The Centers for Disease Control, which announced its decision earlier this month, will continue to gather data about mild breakthrough cases that are reported to the agency voluntarily by local health departments, but will only investigate the most serious cases of breakthrough infections  about one in 10. Until May, the agency was monitoring all cases. A report issued Tuesday said that as of the end of April, when some 101 million Americans had been vaccinated, the agency had received 10,261 reports of breakthrough infections from 46 states and territories, a figure it said was probably a substantial undercount. Of those, 995 people were known to have been hospitalized, and 160 had died, though not all as a direct result of Covid-19, the new study said. Although the agency will continue to carry out vaccine effectiveness studies, it will focus on specific populations like health care workers, essential workers, the elderly and residents of long-term care facilities, a C.D.C. spokeswoman said. Some scientists have criticized the retrenchment, saying it is wasting an opportunity to learn about the real-world effectiveness of different vaccines and to pick up on when vaccine protection begins to wane, whether variants play a significant role in breakthrough infections, and whether some patients are more susceptible than others to a post-vaccine infection. We are driving blind, and we will miss a lot of signals, said Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington who spent many years as a senior scientist at the C.D.C. The C.D.C. is a surveillance agency, Dr. Mokdad said. How can you do surveillance and pick one number and not look at the whole? But other scientists said they support the C.D.C.s pivot to concentrate on the most serious cases. We have to prioritize what were doing, and the priority is to understand the cases associated with severe disease, said Dr. Kathryn Edwards, a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine who studies vaccine safety and effectiveness. Some people who were infected with the virus when they thought they were protected by the vaccine are troubled by the lack of interest in their cases. Dont people want to know about this? asked Julie Cohn, a 43-year-old mother from Short Hills NJ., who was infected after she was fully vaccinated, and is still suffering lingering effects of Covid-19 nearly two months later. Where do people like me go? What happens next? The practitioners in my life have been shocked and are trying to figure out how to move forward, but there are so many questions. And if no one is studying this, there wont be answers.

While it kept the virus at bay, Taiwan was a haven for the arts. Now cases are surging. Charles Neidich, an American clarinetist, traveled to Taiwan to perform, but his concert was abruptly cancelled when a surge in coronavirus cases prompted performance venues to shut down. Credit... I-Hwa Cheng for The New York Times For much of the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan was a sanctuary for performing artists: A rare place that was almost Covid-free, where audiences could attend live dance festivals, full-fledged theater productions and classical music recitals in person. But a recent surge in cases  Taiwans worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic  has brought a halt to cultural life on the self-governing island, forcing performing arts centers, concert halls and museums to shut their doors, just when those kinds of facilities are starting to come back to life in many other countries. Taiwans experience is a reminder of the continuing uncertainty of life in the pandemic, the threat posed by the virus and its power to upset even the most carefully crafted of plans. Semi-staged performances of Verdis Falstaff have been called off. The French musical Notre Dame de Paris has been postponed. Everything blew up, said the American clarinetist Charles Neidich, who recently made the 7,781-mile trip to Taipei from New York, only to have his first live performance in more than 400 days canceled. Though the number of cases in Taiwan is low compared with many parts of the world  283 new cases were reported on Tuesday, fewer than in New York City  the islands authorities are doubling down on restrictions, hoping that lockdowns can bring the virus under control within weeks or months while Taiwan tries to speed up its lumbering vaccination program. Taiwans closing of its borders early in the pandemic and its strict public health measures, including mask mandates and extensive contact tracing, turned the island of 23.5 million into a coronavirus success story. But the emergence of more contagious variants in recent months, a relaxation of quarantine rules and a vaccine shortage gave the virus an opening. The government has provided tens of millions of dollars in subsidies to arts groups during the pandemic, but some performers say the grants have not been enough to offset losses. Officials say restrictions on large gatherings are necessary to curb the rising rate of infections. Performers from Taiwan and abroad have been caught in the middle, grappling with lost income and an avalanche of canceled engagements. But many artists are optimistic that concerts, dances, plays and museum exhibitions will soon return.

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Americans abroad can now enter the U.S. on expired passports. Americans whose passports expired overseas during the pandemic can use them to get home, the State Department said. Passengers walked through the baggage claim area at the Las Vegas airport. Credit... Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times American citizens abroad who saw their passports expire during the Covid-19 pandemic are now able to return to the United States before renewing their travel documents, a shift of policy announced by the State Department on Monday. The decision, which applies to Americans who are currently outside the country and hold passports that expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, comes after reports that more than 100,000 Americans abroad are struggling to obtain consular appointments. In many countries, American citizens who need to renew their passports must apply in person at a U.S. embassy or consulate. But many of those offices remain hobbled by Covid-19 restrictions and staffing reductions, and some are closed for all but emergency services. Difficulties and delays in getting appointments for renewals have left many Americans without a path back to the United States. Some American expatriates have turned to immigration lawyers for help. Others have paid high fees to bootleggers and passport courier companies to obtain hard-to-get embassy appointments. The State Departments new exception for expired passports applies both to adults, whose documents are valid for 10 years, and to children, whose passports expire after 5 years. It applies only when entering the United States; travelers leaving the country will still be required to have current documents. New parents should note that the exception does not apply to babies born overseas who have not yet been issued a passport or an official record of a childs claim to U.S. citizenship, known as a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. To take advantage of the exception, citizens must be in possession of their expired passport, and must be flying to the United States, either directly or on a connecting flight with a short layover. Expired passports cannot be used for travel from one foreign country to another. All American citizens returning to the country must still show proof of a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure.

An Indian couple is under investigation over a chartered flight linked to their wedding. The couple chartered a plane operated by SpiceJet, an Indian carrier. Credit... Dibyangshu Sarkar/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images The authorities in southern India are investigating a couple who are reported to have chartered a plane and performed a marriage ritual in midair in front of scores of guests, a breach of Covid-19 guidelines in a country that is being devastated by a second wave of the coronavirus. The couple had intended to tie the knot in front of family and friends at a hotel in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, but coronavirus restrictions capped the guest list at 50 people. Instead, according to reports in the Indian news media, the couple chartered a commercial aircraft operated by SpiceJet, an Indian carrier, and boarded the plane on Sunday morning along with about 160 people. The flight traveled from Madurai in Tamil Nadu to the city of Bangalore, a journey of more than an hour. Family members of the couple, whom the authorities have not named, told the airline that they had already gotten married and were taking their guests on a postnuptial joy ride. As the aircraft flew over the Meenakshi Amman Temple, spread over about 14 acres on the southern bank of Madurai, the bride and groom stood along with other passengers. A video shared on social media showed the groom placing a traditional ornament around the brides neck while passengers cheered and took photos. The bride wore flowers and jewelry, traditional wedding attire for Hindus, while the groom wore customary southern Indian clothes. Guests were pictured maskless and crowded close together on the nearly packed flight. A SpiceJet spokesperson said that the airline had informed the passengers about pandemic guidelines, including requirements that they wear masks and refrain from photography onboard. The agent and the guest passengers were briefed in detail, both in writing as well as verbally, on social distancing and safety norms to be followed as per Covid guidelines both at the airport and onboard the aircraft throughout the journey, the airline said in a statement. India on Tuesday reported more than 196,000 new cases and 3,511 deaths from the virus, a slight decline from the global highs of recent weeks. For the 12th consecutive day, the number of people recovering from the virus outnumbered new infections, according to national data, although experts believe that Indias tallies of infections and deaths are significantly lower than the true toll. Tamil Nadu has Indias fourth-highest coronavirus caseload. The state is averaging 34,000 new cases daily, and recorded 422 deaths from the virus on Monday.

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Children with Covid inflammatory syndrome may overcome their most serious symptoms. Mayson Barillas, 11, recently recovered from Covid-19 multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Credit... Rosem Morton for The New York Times Children who get sick from the rare but serious Covid-related inflammatory syndrome may surmount their most significant symptoms within six months, but they may still have muscle weakness and emotional difficulties at that time, a new small study suggests. Published in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health on Monday, the study appears to be the first detailed look at the health status of children six months after they were hospitalized with the condition, called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C. The syndrome typically emerges two weeks to six weeks after a coronavirus infection, often quite a mild one. MIS-C can result in hospitalizations for children with severe symptoms involving the heart and several other organs. A major question has been whether children who survive MIS-C will end up with lasting organ damage or other health problems. The new study, which looked at 46 children under 18 who were admitted to a London hospital for MIS-C (it has a different name and abbreviation, PIMS-TS, in Britain), suggests that many of the most serious problems can resolve with time. To be honest, I think we all didnt know what to expect, said Dr. Justin Penner, a pediatric infectious disease physician at the hospital involved in the study, Great Ormond Street Hospital. We didnt know which body systems would require assistance or become a problem one month, three months, six months down the line. The children in the study were hospitalized between April 4 and Sept. 1, 2020, part of the first wave of the inflammatory syndrome. They all had systemic inflammation, and most had symptoms involving multiple organ systems, such as the heart, kidneys or circulatory system. Forty-five had gastrointestinal symptoms, and 24 had neurological symptoms like confusion, memory problems, hallucinations, headaches or problems with balance or muscle control. Sixteen of the children were placed on ventilators, 22 needed medication to help their hearts pump more effectively and 40 were treated with immunotherapies like intravenous immunoglobulin. All survived. Six months after they were discharged from the hospital, one child still had systemic inflammation, two had heart abnormalities and six had gastrointestinal symptoms. All but one were able to resume school, either virtually or in person. Still, 18 were experiencing muscle weakness and fatigue, scoring in the bottom 3 percent for their age and sex on the six-minute walking test, a standard test of endurance and aerobic capacity. And 15 were experiencing emotional difficulties like anxiety or severe mood changes, according to questionnaires answered by either the parents or the children.

GLOBAL ROUNDUP As the Tokyo Olympics near, the U.S. warns against travel to Japan, and other news from around the world. Older people waiting to receive a coronavirus vaccine in Tokyo on Monday. Credit... Carl Court/Getty Images The State Department on Monday warned Americans against traveling to Japan as the country experiences an increase in coronavirus cases less than two months before the start of the Tokyo Olympics. The move has little practical effect, as Japans borders have been closed to most nonresident foreigners since the early months of the pandemic. But the warning is another blow for the Olympics, which are facing stiff opposition among the Japanese public over concerns that they could become a superspreader event as athletes and their entourages pour in from around the world. The Japanese authorities have insisted that they can carry off the Olympics safely, and the State Department declaration is unlikely to affect the United States decision to send its athletes to the Olympics, whose organizers are not requiring participants to be inoculated. The United States added Japan to a list of dozens of nations that have received its highest-level travel warning  do not travel  after the countrys virus incidence rate rose to a threshold that triggers such a declaration. Starting in late April, large parts of the country entered a state of emergency as more contagious variants of the virus drove a rapid increase in case numbers. Although the numbers in Japan are low by global standards  averaging about 4,800 new cases daily, according to a New York Times database  fewer than 5 percent of residents have received a first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, putting Japan last among major developed nations in its vaccination campaign. In other news around the world: In Australia , the authorities in Melbourne are racing to contain a coronavirus outbreak after four people tested positive on Monday and another five on Tuesday. The outbreak, the first in Victoria State in three months, is believed to stem from a man who was infectious in the state in early May. Officials announced new restrictions on indoor gatherings and renewed pleas for Australians to get inoculated. So far, 3.6 million vaccine doses have been given in Australia, which has a population of 26 million. In response to the new cases, New Zealand said it would pause travel to and from Victoria for three days.

Health experts in Hong Kong are urging residents to be inoculated before millions of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine expire within roughly three months. Less than one-fifth of the citys 7.5 million people have received a dose amid mistrust of the government, fears over side effects and a lack of urgency as the Chinese territory records few new infections. Thomas Tsang, an adviser to the governments vaccine task force, said on a radio program on Monday, What we have is probably all we have for the rest of the year. Ben Dooley, Yan Zhuang and

The pandemic spurred tens of thousands of New Zealanders to return. Will they now stay? Cat Moody, a New Zealander, and her American husband, Eric Mills, returned to her homeland during the pandemic. Credit... Cornell Tukiri for The New York Times Like many New Zealanders before her, Cat Moody chased the broader horizons of life abroad, unsure whether she would ever return to a homeland that she saw as remote and limiting. But when the pandemic arrived, fresh air, natural splendor and a sparse population sounded more appealing, as did the sense of security in a country whose strict measures have all but vanquished the coronavirus. In February, Ms. Moody, 42, left her house and the life she had built in Princeton, N.J., and moved back to New Zealand with her husband, a U.S. citizen. She is among more than 50,000 New Zealanders who have flocked home during the pandemic, offering the country a rare opportunity to win back some of its best and brightest. New Zealand typically posts a net loss of thousands or tens of thousands of citizens each year, with its overall population growth fueled by migrants. In 2020, New Zealand posted a yearly net gain of thousands of citizens for the first time since the 1970s. The question is how long the edge will last. Those returning face some of the same pressures that provoked their departure, like sky-high housing costs, lagging wages and constricted job prospects. And fewer than 153,000 people in the country of five million have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

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From the magazine Readers ask: Is it OK to ask health care providers whether theyre vaccinated? A doctor at a hospital near Paris wearing a button that says, I am vaccinated against Covid-19. Credit... Mohammed Badra/EPA, via Shutterstock In this weeks Ethicist column in The New York Times Magazine, Kwame Anthony Appiah answered readers questions about dealing with people who have differing views on vaccination against Covid-19. Here is one example of the queries, with the response, edited and condensed for clarity, below: Recently, I asked my chiropractor if he had received his Covid vaccine. He said no. He and his assistant do wear masks, but they see patients in a small room with a closed door. When I asked him again several weeks later, he said: Well, we have to talk. I am not going to get the vaccination. I dont believe in vaccinations. My family and I are all healthy and see no need for it. The chiropractor later called and asked me if I would please respect his privacy and not tell anyone else about his decision not to be vaccinated. I was appalled. Isnt this an unethical request?  Name Withheld A number of questions have recently have recently arisen about how to negotiate a social and professional world in which vaccination against Covid-19 is both common and contested. Many people think that getting vaccinated is simply about protecting yourself. Yet theres also a public-spirited, altruistic reason for getting vaccinated: Theres now bountiful evidence that vaccinated people are much less likely to transmit the virus to others. Moving from the chiropractors ethics to yours, Id point out that he didnt tell you about his decision in confidence, which means you dont have a duty to respect a later request to stay mum. Why does your chiropractor want you to keep this to yourself?

With pandemic tensions rising, the Indian police visit Twitters New Delhi offices. Police personnel outside the gate of Twitters office in New Delhi. Credit... Prakash Singh/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images When police officers from Indias elite antiterrorism unit descended on the New Delhi offices of Twitter on Monday night, the visit sent a clear message: Indias powerful governing party is becoming increasingly upset with the social media giant because of the perception that it has sided with critics of the government. With anger growing across the country over Indias stumbling response to the pandemic, people are turning to Twitter to broadcast their complaints, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have struggled to control the narrative of how the crisis is being handled. As a result, top Indian political leaders have applied increasing pressure on Twitter, as well as on Facebook and other social media platforms. This month, the government ordered social media platforms including Twitter to take down dozens of posts critical of the governments handling of the pandemic. The action on Monday was mostly symbolic: Twitters offices were closed because of Indias devastating coronavirus outbreak. The police acknowledged that they were there not to make arrests, but merely to deliver a notice disputing a warning label that Twitter had placed on some tweets by senior members of the ruling party. Regardless of the clumsy manner in which it was conducted, this raid is an escalation in the stifling of domestic criticism in India, said Gilles Verniers, a professor of political science at Ashoka University near New Delhi. Sameer Yasir and
This personal reflection is part of a series called The Big Ideas, in which writers respond to a single question: What do we believe? You can read more essays by visiting The Big Ideas series page.

Being Asian-American  or Asian-anything  in the West often means living the paradox of being invisible while standing out. Its a broad racial category in which many different nations, ethnicities, classes, cultures, histories, communities and languages have to vie to be recognized. The construct of a single persons identity may vary based on personal experience, but it is always tied to societys deep racial hierarchies, which are based on unfounded beliefs and irrational fears perpetuated by stereotypes.

Confoundingly, the opposite experience  living in the majority while still being erased  is just as commonplace elsewhere in the world. Growing up in the 1980s in Lahore, Pakistan, I saw the legacy of a singular, colonial interloper as it whitewashed the nuances and history of local and national identities. I attended an English-medium school, which at the time was seen as culturally advantageous. No one questioned the dated English curriculum, a residue of the British colonial era, or why examination papers were sent to Cambridge to be graded. Textbooks did not reflect local realities or languages. To this day, I need help reading Urdu poetry, and I never became fluent in Punjabi.

When I went to the National College of Arts in Lahore, traditional miniature painting was stigmatized as kitsch and derivative. Miniature, a colonial term, encompassed premodern Central and South Asian manuscript painting. There were barely any students studying it, although interestingly, the subject was initially taught as part of an English colonial project meant to revive Indian crafts. The schools first principal was the British colonial official and artist John Lockwood Kipling, the father of the author Rudyard Kipling.
The officers from Indias elite antiterrorism police unit descended after dusk on the New Delhi offices of Twitter, with television news cameras in tow. Their mission: Start an argument over fake news.

The offices sat empty, closed amid Indias devastating coronavirus outbreak. And the police acknowledged that they were there to deliver nothing more legally binding than a notice disputing a warning label that Twitter had assigned to some tweets.

But symbolically, the visit by the police on Monday night sent a clear message that Indias powerful ruling party is becoming increasingly upset with Twitter because of the perception that the company has sided with critics of the government. As anger has risen across the country over Indias stumbling response to the pandemic, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have struggled to control the narrative.

As a result, top Indian political leaders have applied increasing pressure on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms that people are using to air their complaints. In doing so, they are following the path of some other countries trying to control how and where messages can spread on social media. In March, for example, the Russian government said it would slow access to Twitter, one of the few places where Russians openly criticize the government.
Then, in March, Aruba teamed up with JetBlue, which offers about 40 weekly flights from the United States to the island, to debut CommonPass, the worlds first digital vaccine passport. Those with the digital pass may take a virtually supervised at-home PCR test within three days of departure, upload results and cut through immigration lines. Uniteds Aruba flights from Newark and Houston also use the pass, with plans for additional routes in the near future.

We wanted to create a way to make it easier on travelers and more efficient for our air travel partners, said Shensly Tromp, director of development and technology at Aruba Airport Authority N.V., without compromising the safeguards we have in place around health and safety.

Vaccination information will be added to CommonPass as early as June.

Before the pandemic, almost three-quarters of the islands gross domestic product and nearly 85 percent of jobs had been rooted in tourism, according to W.T.T.C. analysis. Now, with tourism up 53 percent from February to March, Dangui Oduber, the minister of tourism, public health and sport, noted a continual uptick since Arubas dual CommonPass and vaccine rollouts.

Aruba too is a world leader in vaccinations. As of mid-May, almost 57,500 Arubans were at least partially inoculated, with the island optimistically reaching herd immunity this summer, Mr. Oduber said.

Vaccines

Reaching the end zone in the U.S.V.I.

Even when Americans were shut out of most of the world, the borders to the U.S. Virgin Islands never closed. Lured there with slogans like Reconnect with Paradise and the chance for anyone to get vaccinated, even before many could get a shot back home, visitors have recently crowded the American territorys beaches and restaurants.

Hotel occupancy rates in the U.S.V.I. are almost triple that of the region and seven times that of the Bahamas, according to recent analysis by STR, a global hospitality data and analytics company.

Visitors are required to get tested but not to quarantine. With tourists swarming, the U.S.V.I. prioritized hospitality workers early in its vaccine rollout. So, in February Sandy Colasacco, a nurse practitioner who runs the Island Health and Wellness Center, a nonprofit clinic serving many of St. Johns uninsured population, reached out to most restaurants and hotels there to schedule appointments.
Darnella Frazier, third from right, recording with her cellphone as Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyds neck on May 25, 2020.

Darnella Frazier, the young woman who took out her cellphone on a Minneapolis street to record a video of a white police officer as he knelt on George Floyds neck that would ricochet around the world, released a powerful statement on Tuesday addressing the first anniversary of Mr. Floyds death.

A year ago, today I witnessed a murder. The victims name was George Floyd, she wrote in a Facebook post. I knew his life mattered. I knew that he was in pain. I knew that he was another black man in danger with no power.

Ms. Frazier was just 17 at the time, she said, and was walking her 9-year-old cousin to the corner store, unaware of how drastically her life would be altered.

It changed me. It changed how I viewed life. It made me realize how dangerous it is to be Black in America, she wrote. We shouldnt have to walk on eggshells around police officers, the same people that are supposed to protect and serve.

Ms. Frazier, who is now 18, recounted what she went through after Mr. Floyd was killed. She would wake up to reporters at her door. She couldnt sleep well for weeks, and used to shake so badly at night that her mother would have to rock her to sleep. She had panic and anxiety attacks every time she saw a police car.

Though its a little easier now, she said, she nonetheless carries the burden of that day with her.

I still hold the weight and trauma of what I witnessed a year ago, she said. A part of my childhood was taken from me.

Ms. Frazier recorded the video and uploaded it to Facebook, igniting international protests over racism and police abuse. She testified at the trial of the officer, Derek Chauvin, and said in March that she feels regret for not physically engaging the officers, but that they were the ones ultimately at fault.

A lot of people call her a hero, she noted in her statement on Tuesday. But she doesnt see herself as one  she was just in the right place at the right time, she said.

Behind this smile, behind these awards, behind the publicity, Im a girl trying to heal from something I am reminded of every day, she said. Everyone talks about the girl who recorded George Floyds death, but to actually be her is a different story.

She added, My video didnt save George Floyd, but it put his murderer away and off the streets.

And at the end of her post, she spoke directly to Mr. Floyd.

George Floyd, I cant express enough how I wish things could have went different, but I want you to know you will always be in my heart, Ms. Frazier wrote. Ill always remember this day because of you. May your soul rest in peace. May you rest in the most beautiful roses.

Here is her full statement:

A year ago, today I witnessed a murder. The victims name was George Floyd. Although this wasnt the first time, Ive seen a Black man get killed at the hands of the police, this is the first time I witnessed it happen in front of me.

Right in front of my eyes, a few feet away. I didnt know this man from a can of paint, but I knew his life mattered. I knew that he was in pain. I knew that he was another Black man in danger with no power.

I was only 17 at the time, just a normal day for me walking my 9-year-old cousin to the corner store, not even prepared for what I was about to see, not even knowing my life was going to change on this exact day in those exact momentsit did. It changed me.

It changed how I viewed life. It made me realize how dangerous it is to be Black in America. We shouldnt have to walk on eggshells around police officers, the same people that are supposed to protect and serve. We are looked at as thugs, animals, and criminals, all because of the color of our skin. Why are Black people the only ones viewed this way when every race has some type of wrongdoing? None of us are to judge. We are all human. I am 18 now and I still hold the weight and trauma of what I witnessed a year ago. Its a little easier now, but Im not who I used to be.

A part of my childhood was taken from me. My 9-year-old cousin who witnessed the same thing I did got apart of her childhood taken from her. Having to up and leave because my home was no longer safe, waking up to reporters at my door, closing my eyes at night only to see a man who is brown like me, lifeless on the ground.

I couldnt sleep properly for weeks. I used to shake so bad at night my mom had to rock me to sleep. Hopping from hotel to hotel because we didnt have a home and looking over our back every day in the process. Having panic and anxiety attacks every time I seen a police car, not knowing who to trust because a lot of people are evil with bad intentions. I hold that weight.

A lot of people call me a hero even though I dont see myself as one. I was just in the right place at the right time. Behind this smile, behind these awards, behind the publicity, Im a girl trying to heal from something I am reminded of every day.

Everyone talks about the girl who recorded George Floyds death, but to actually be her is a different story. Not only did this affect me, my family too. We all experienced change. My mom the most. I strive every day to be strong for her because she was strong for me when I couldnt be strong for myself.

Even though this was a traumatic life-changing experience for me, Im proud of myself. If it werent for my video, the world wouldnt have known the truth. I own that. My video didnt save George Floyd, but it put his murderer away and off the streets.

You can view George Floyd anyway you choose to view him, despite his past, because dont we all have one? He was a loved one, someones son, someones father, someones brother, and someones friend. We the people wont take the blame, you wont keep pointing fingers at us as if its our fault, as if we are criminals. I dont think people understand how serious death ..that person is never coming back.

These officers shouldnt get to decide if someone gets to live or not. Its time these officers start getting held accountable. Murdering people and abusing your power while doing it is not doing your job. It shouldnt have to take people to actually go through something to understand its not ok. Its called having a heart and understanding right from wrong.

George Floyd, I cant express enough how I wish things could have went different, but I want you to know you will always be in my heart. Ill always remember this day because of you. May your soul rest in peace. May you rest in the most beautiful roses. - Darnella Frazier
Tracking post-vaccination infections

It has been five months since the first Covid-19 vaccine was administered in the U.S., and so far the data on vaccinations suggests that they are highly effective. Breakthrough infections, which happen after a person is fully vaccinated, are few and far between.

By the end of April, when some 101 million Americans had been vaccinated, the C.D.C. had received 10,262 reports of breakthrough infections. A study found that of those cases, about 995 people were hospitalized and 160 had died, although not always because of Covid-19. The median age of those who died was 82.

Going forward, however, the federal government will have a lot less data to work with.

Our colleague Roni Caryn Rabin, who covers health for The Times, reports that this month the C.D.C. stopped investigating breakthrough infections except for the most severe cases.

The move has been controversial. Some scientists support the decision, saying that the government should focus on cases that cause deaths and tax hospitals. They argue that theres only a marginal value to tracking mild breakthrough cases because they cant overwhelm hospitals, and they are unlikely to result in transmission of the coronavirus (although the scientific evidence for that is not conclusive). When asked to explain the change, the C.D.C. said that the number of breakthrough cases was small and that no significant demographic trends among them had been identified.
And at an event in a downtown park in Minneapolis, Bridgett Floyd, one of Mr. Floyds sisters, said she had boycotted the meeting with Mr. Biden because the president had been unsuccessful in getting Congress to pass the legislation.

He broke his promise but I am going to give him a couple more weeks, she said, noting that many other people have been killed by the police since her brothers murder. There were a lot of names added after my brothers death. Not much is being done.

The several days of events surrounding the anniversary of Mr. Floyds death have been not just a moment of uplift, but also a time to remind the nation of its unfinished business in addressing a history of racism and inequity that the killing laid bare.

For the first time I feel like folks in power are realizing something is wrong, said Vernon Rowland, who lives two blocks from the street corner where Mr. Floyd was killed, a space that he called holy ground. This was the first time the world stopped and noticed and recognized this was murder. The response from white people has been a new experience. That is incredibly encouraging. Have we gone far enough? No.
June 2020

June 1

Protesters are cleared for President Trumps photo op.

Demonstrators who gathered outside the White House to protest police brutality are cleared from Lafayette Square in Washington by police officers and National Guard troops using flash-bang explosions, tear gas and other munitions. The area is cleared so that President Trump can have his picture taken holding a Bible outside St. Johns Church.

Demonstrators marching peacefully in Philadelphia enter a major highway and are trapped by police SWAT teams at the front and rear of the march. The authorities start using pepper spray and tear gas on the trapped protesters, who say they cannot breathe.

A nightly curfew is put in place in New York City.

June 2

Confederate symbols become a target of the protests.

A 131-year-old statue commemorating Confederate soldiers is taken down from public display in Alexandria, Va., one of more than 160 public symbols of the Confederacy that are removed or renamed in 2020 after the death of Mr. Floyd  more in the previous four years combined, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

June 3

New charges are laid against the Minneapolis officers.

Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota announces new charges in the death of Mr. Floyd: Second-degree murder for Mr. Chauvin, and aiding and abetting second-degree murder for the three other Minneapolis police officers who were present and failed to intervene.

June 4

Buffalo police officers are suspended after shoving 75-year-old protester.

Two Buffalo police officers are suspended without pay after a video shows them shoving a 75-year-old protester, who was hospitalized with a head injury. Several other officers are seen walking by the man, motionless on the ground, without checking on him.

Hundreds of people gather at a Minneapolis chapel for a public memorial for Mr. Floyd, who is remembered as a friend and father and uncle to those closest to him, and also as a victim of racial injustice whose death in police custody drew legions of people into the streets.

In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam orders the removal of a towering statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond.

June 5

Black Lives Matter is painted near the White House.

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington has city workers paint Black Lives Matter in giant yellow letters down a street near the White House that had been at the center of the confrontations between law enforcement and protesters.
Liz Cheney might hold political beliefs that millions of Americans find abhorrent, but its clear to most fair-minded people that, unlike the former president and the very worst of his apologists, she also appears to genuinely love America, and wants to see the country thrive. That said, it does her  and the nation she has pledged to serve  no honor to pretend that her recent act of loyalty to the Constitution was somehow heroic. She voted to affirm that, according to the article of impeachment, Trumps conduct demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.
President Biden will meet on Tuesday with relatives of George Floyd to mark the anniversary of his death and the start of a nationwide racial reckoning against police brutality.

The meeting at the White House will be private, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a news conference on Monday. Several members of the family, with whom Ms. Psaki said Mr. Biden had developed relationships, will attend, including several siblings, and his daughter, Gianna.

A video of the killing of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis  which showed an officer kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds  sparked the largest racial justice protests in generations and brought a sense of urgency to negotiations over police reform in Congress . The officer at the center of Mr. Floyds killing, Derek Chauvin, was convicted last month of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

But police reform legislation, known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, has languished in Congress, as parties spar over a measure that would alter a legal shield known as qualified immunity that protects police officers in brutality cases. The White House had set its own deadline for Congress to pass the legislation, which Ms. Psaki acknowledged on Monday will not be met.
Manchin and Sinema Implore Republicans to Back Creation of Jan. 6 Commission The maneuvering by the moderate Democrats amounted to a long-shot effort to salvage what may be the best chance at a full, bipartisan accounting for the attack on the Capitol and the security failures around it.

Manchin and Sinema implore Republicans to back Jan. 6 inquiry, fearing filibuster fight. Senator Joe Manchin, right, and Senator Kyrsten Sinema spoke at the Capitol in Washington earlier this month. The senators are attempting to drum up Republican support for the Capitol riot investigation. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times A pair of moderate Senate Democrats pleaded with Republicans on Tuesday to drop their opposition to creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, in an 11th-hour attempt to prevent its collapse on the floor. The Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, called the formation of a 9/11-style inquiry a critical step to ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again. Behind the scenes, they were working to tweak the legislation in hopes of attracting the 10 Republicans needed to advance it. We implore our Senate Republican colleagues to work with us to find a path forward on a commission to examine the events of January 6, the senators wrote in a joint statement. The maneuvering amounted to a long-shot effort to salvage what may be the best chance at a full, bipartisan accounting for the most violent attack on the Capitol in centuries and a stunning series of security failures around it. Modeled after the panel that studied the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the proposed commission would produce a report of its findings and recommendations to prevent a repeat. It was also bipartisan; crafted with the input of a key Republican, the commission won 35 Republican votes in the House. Still, G.O.P. leaders have moved swiftly to try to destroy its chances in the Senate amid fears of political fallout for their party of any close examination of the assault by a pro-Trump mob. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, blasted the commission on Tuesday as a purely political exercise by Democrats merely trying to debate things that occurred in the past. They would like to continue to litigate the former president into the future, Mr. McConnell said. We think the American people going forward and in the fall of 22 ought to focus on what this administration is doing to the country. A handful of Republican senators, including many who voted to convict former President Donald J. Trump during his impeachment trial for inciting the violence, have indicated they are willing to support the 10-person commission anyway. Among them are Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Others, like Senators Susan M. Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania want to tweak the legislation to ensure Republicans have more say in who the committee hires as staff and to put a hard stop on its work in December, before entering an election year. Mr. Manchin and Ms. Sinema are working with Ms. Collins to try to address those concerns, but lawmakers in both parties say there is no guarantee that such changes would yield enough Republican support for passage. Whats more, Democratic leaders are skeptical of the changes themselves. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said a proposal like Ms. Collinss could lead to two warring staffs of conservatives and liberals, undermining the inquiry. Mr. Manchin and Ms. Sinema have their own motivation for running up Republican support, as well. Without 10 Republicans, the bill is likely to become the first of the year to be blocked by a filibuster, because of the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to overcome one. The two moderates are the two most outspoken proponents of the filibuster in their caucus, and the commissions failure would only ratchet up pressure on them from the partys left flank to cave and change the rules so that legislation could move on a simple majority vote. Mr. Manchin was adamant on Tuesday that he would not change the rules around the commission vote. No, he told reporters. I cant take the fallout.

Blinken meets with Abbas and Netanyahu amid effort to secure a lasting cease-fire. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks on Tuesday during a joint statement with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah in the West Bank. Credit... Pool photo by Alex Brandon Americas top diplomat came to the seat of the Palestinian government on Tuesday with promises of additional aid, a reopened consulate in Jerusalem and a broad sympathetic pledge to rebuild ties that had been severed by the previous administration in favor of Israel. With the raw emotion of deaths and wreckage from an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants still fresh in the minds of both Israelis and Palestinians, the actions by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken represented, in tone at least, an attempted revival of Americas former role as a more neutral arbiter in the Middle Easts most protracted conflict. But it also carries big risks. The Biden administration says it will help finance an enormous reconstruction effort in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, a militant group considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and many other countries. While pushing for calm, the Biden administration has also been careful not to rupture relations with Israel. The United States was the lone holdout at the United Nations Security Council, where it blocked any attempt to blame Israel in its recent war with Hamas. Mr. Biden had also publicly supported Israels right to self-defense in the conflict. In fact, only a few hours before meeting with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who also thanked the Biden administration for its backing in the fight against Hamas. On Wednesday, Mr. Blinken will travel to Egypt, which prodded Hamas to agree to last weeks cease-fire, and then on to Jordan, the custodian of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Islam. He would not comment Tuesday on whether he had secured specific commitments from Israel to ease security around the Aqsa Mosque or to halt the eviction of Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Tensions in both places helped trigger the escalated hostilities that ended in military conflict this month. Lara Jakes and

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Republicans are planning a counteroffer to Bidens latest infrastructure pitch as talks stall. President Biden met with Republican senators  including Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, center  and Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo, right, on infrastructure proposals this month. Credit... T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times With bipartisan negotiations faltering, President Biden and Senate Democrats are facing difficult decisions about how to salvage their hopes of enacting a major new infrastructure package this year, and waning time to decide whether to continue pursuing compromise with Republicans or try to act on their own. Senate Republicans who have been negotiating with White House officials said on Tuesday that they would produce a counterproposal to Mr. Bidens latest $1.7 trillion offer, promising a plan by Thursday that could amount to $1 trillion in public works spending over eight years. But it is unclear whether the two sides can reach common ground, and a group of centrist senators in both parties were quietly discussing a backup option should the talks stall. Several Democrats are eager for party leaders to abandon the effort to win over Republicans and instead try to use the fast-track budget reconciliation process to muscle through Mr. Bidens $4 trillion economic plan  which includes both a sweeping infrastructure investment and an expansion of child care, education and work force support  with a simple majority. But that option, too, faces opposition from moderate Democrats who have pushed Mr. Biden and other party leaders to find an accord with Republicans  or at least try to  before resorting to the same approach Democrats used to pass the stimulus relief bill in March without any Republican votes. Theres no magic date and theres no magic time, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a key Democratic vote, said on Tuesday. We have to find something reasonable, and Im always looking for that moderate, reasonable middle, if you can. The president has set Memorial Day as a soft deadline to gauge whether the talks have a chance of producing a deal. The thorniest issues remain, including how to define infrastructure and how to pay for the legislation. Emily Cochrane and

The Justice Dept. will fight to keep secret most of a Barr-era memo on whether Trump obstructed the Russia inquiry. Attorney General William Barrs decision to clear former President Trump of ever being prosecuted on charges of illegally obstructing the Russia investigation was widely criticized. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times The Biden administration has decided to fight to keep secret most of a Trump-era Justice Department memo related to former Attorney General William P. Barrs much-disputed declaration in 2019 clearing President Donald J. Trump of illegally obstructing justice in the Russia investigation. In a late-night filing Monday, the Justice Department appealed part of a district-court ruling that ordered it to make public the entire memo. It was written at the same time that Mr. Barr sent a letter to Congress claiming the evidence in the then-still secret report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, was insufficient to charge Mr. Trump with a crime. The Justice Department did release the first page and a half of the nine-page memo. While Mr. Mueller had declined to render a judgment about what the evidence added up to because the departments policy was not to charge a sitting president, the memo said Mr. Barr was justified in making a decision in order to shape public understanding of the report. The Mueller report itself  which Mr. Barr permitted to become public weeks after his letter to Congress had created an impression that the fruits of Mr. Muellers inquiry cleared Mr. Trump of obstruction  detailed multiple actions by Mr. Trump that many legal specialists say were clearly sufficient to ask a grand jury to consider indicting him for obstruction of justice. Those actions included attempting to bully his White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, into falsifying a record to cover up an earlier attempt by Mr. Trump to fire Mr. Mueller, and dangling a potential pardon at Mr. Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, to encourage him not to cooperate with investigators. The new Justice Department filing also apologized for and defended its Barr-era court filings about the memo, which Judge Amy Berman Jackson had labeled disingenuous, saying that they could have been written more clearly but were nevertheless accurate. The government acknowledges that its briefs could have been clearer, and it deeply regrets the confusion that caused, the Justice Department said. But the governments counsel and declarants did not intend to mislead the court, and the government respectfully submits that any missteps still did not warrant releasing the entire memo. Mr. Barrs claim  which he made weeks before releasing the Mueller public  that the evidence gathered showed that Mr. Trump did not commit a chargeable offense of obstruction has been widely criticized as deeply misleading. Among other fallout, a government watchdog group, CREW, filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in the United States District Court in Washington seeking disclosure of an internal memo about the matter. Earlier this month, Judge Jackson issued a scathing ruling in that case saying that the Barr-era Justice Department had been disingenuous to this court about the nature of the memo in court filings by arguing that it could be lawfully kept secret under an exemption for pre-decisional deliberations. She wrote that she had made the discovery after insisting that she read it herself. While the Barr-era Justice Department told her the memo concerned deliberations about whether Mr. Trump should be charged with obstruction, the memo itself showed that Mr. Barr had already decided not to do so, and the memo was instead about strategy and arguments that could be mustered to quash the idea. She ordered the entire document released. The Biden-era Justice Department had until Monday to respond. In its filing, it acknowledged that its earlier filings could have been clearer, and it deeply regrets the confusion that caused. But it also insisted that its declarations and briefs were accurate and submitted in good faith. The decision that Mr. Barr was actually making, the department said, was about whether to decide whether the evidence was sufficient to charge Mr. Trump someday  not whether he should be charged at that moment, since longstanding department legal policy is to consider sitting presidents temporarily immune from prosecution while they are in office. And, it said, the legal analysis in the second part of the memo  the portion it is appealing to keep secret  was, in fact, pre-decisional, even though the memo was completed after Mr. Barr made his decision, because it memorialized legal advice that department lawyers had previously provided to the attorney general.

Even as Floyds family meets with Biden, police reform legislation languishes. Members of George Floyds family after their meeting with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Tuesday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times In an April phone call after a former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of killing George Floyd, President Biden promised Mr. Floyds family that he would win passage of a police reform bill in his name. That and a lot more, Mr. Biden pledged that day. Mr. Biden has so far failed to make good on that promise, even as he met with Mr. Floyds family in a private Oval Office session on Tuesday to mark the day when a white police officer pressed his knee on Mr. Floyds neck for more than nine minutes, killing him. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The closed-door meeting lasted for over an hour on Tuesday afternoon. In a speech to Congress last month, the president used the emotional power of Mr. Floyds death, and the national movement it helped spark, to urge lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by May 25, the first anniversary of Mr. Floyds death. It was, the president implored Democrats and Republicans, a moment to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice, real justice. But Washington missed the moment. The legislation bearing Mr. Floyds name  which would ban the use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing  has languished in Congress as lawmakers spar over a series of issues, including a measure that would alter a legal shield known as qualified immunity that protects police officers in brutality cases. After meeting with the Floyd family on Tuesday, Mr. Biden reiterated his commitment to passing a police reform bill, calling the conviction of Mr. Chauvin another important step forward toward justice, but one that was not enough. To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between the vast majority of the men and women who wear the badge honorably and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect, Mr. Biden said. We can and must have both accountability and trust and in our justice system. Though both sides say they are optimistic that a deal may still be possible in the weeks ahead, the stalemate is a reminder for Mr. Biden of the limits of presidential power, and of the deepening lack of any real bipartisanship in the nations capital, even in the face of the largest racial justice protests in generations. He was a son. He was a father. He was a brother. And we failed him, Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said Tuesday on the CBS This Morning program. We have to make progress here. We cannot lose this moment. A now-famous video of the killing of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis, which showed Mr. Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, accelerated a nationwide racial reckoning against police brutality and fueled demands for justice and policing reform. The Biden administration said on Tuesday that Mr. Biden will travel next week to Oklahoma to attend the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. Before arriving at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, the Floyd family made stops with key lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who renewed her partys commitment to get a bill signed into law. Today is the day that set the world in a rage and people realized whats going on in America and we all said enough is enough, said Philonise Floyd, standing with his family and lawmakers beneath a portrait of George Washington. Among those who are attending the meeting with the president, according to Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, are: Gianna, Mr. Floyds daughter; Roxie Washington, Giannas mother; Bridgett Floyd, his sister; Philonise Floyd, his brother; Kita Floyd, his sister-in-law; Rodney Floyd, his brother; Terrence Floyd, his brother; and Brandon Williams, his nephew. Before the meeting, Mr. Biden praised the family on Twitter, saying that Mr. Floyds relatives have shown extraordinary courage and calling the conviction of Mr. Chauvin a step towards justice for Mr. Floyd. But he added: We cannot stop there. We face an inflection point. We have to act.

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American troops are expected to be out of Afghanistan by July, even as unresolved issues linger. The wreckages of Afghan police vehicles, most of them destroyed by Taliban roadside bombs, litter a parking lot in Panjwai, Afghanistan in March. Credit... Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times United States troops and their NATO allies intend to be out of Afghanistan by early to mid-July, well ahead of President Bidens Sept. 11 withdrawal deadline, military officials said, in what has turned into an accelerated ending to Americas longest war. But the race to the exits, which has picked up steam as planeloads of equipment and troops are flown out of the country, leaves the United States grappling with huge unresolved issues that officials had thought they would have more time to figure out. The Pentagon still has not determined how it will combat terrorist threats like Al Qaeda from afar after American troops leave. Nor have top Defense Department officials secured agreement from allies about repositioning American troops in other nearby countries. And administration officials are still grappling with the thorny question of whether American warplanes  most likely armed Reaper drones  will provide air support to Afghan forces to help prevent the countrys cities from falling to the Taliban. The rapid withdrawal has exposed a variety of complex problems that have yet to be resolved and are provoking intense concern. Officials have yet to decide how to ensure security for Kabuls international airport, an issue that could determine whether other nations can maintain a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. Australia announced on Tuesday that it is shutting down its embassy in Kabul until the security situation in the country improves. Around 17,000 private contractors  more than 6,000 of them U.S. citizens  are expected to leave along with U.S. and allied military forces, potentially leaving Afghanistans military, and especially its air force, without vital support. A U.S. Army document outlining the contractor withdrawal, dated April 20, called the move G2Z, or Go to Zero. Nobody wants to have a contractor left behind or be the company that is highlighted on 60 Minutes as the company that lost employees in Afghanistan, the memo said. But as U.S. officials confront what the future of Afghanistan will look like without a foreign military presence, it has become readily apparent that the Afghan military is not ready to be without private contractors, especially for its air force, which relies almost completely on them for maintenance. Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Eric Schmitt and

Kristen Clarke is the first Senate-confirmed woman of color to lead the Justice Dept.s civil rights division. Kristen Clarke spoke at the announcement of her nomination for attorney general for the civil rights division in Wilmington in January. Ms. Clarkes nomination was confirmed on Tuesday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Kristen Clarke to lead the Justice Departments civil rights division, making her the first woman of color to be confirmed by the Senate to do so. Ms. Clarke was ceremonially sworn in shortly before 7 p.m. in a brief ceremony at the Justice Department. Ms. Clarkes mother, Pansy Clarke, held the Bible as Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath of office. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered brief remarks. The deputy attorney general, Lisa O. Monaco, and the associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta, were also in attendance. Ms. Clarkes confirmation comes at a time when the Biden administration has vowed to revitalize the division as part of its promise to combat systemic racism, hate crimes and restrictive voter laws. Ms. Clarke was confirmed by a vote of 51 to 48, largely along party lines. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, broke with her party to support Ms. Clarkes confirmation. Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, did not vote. A number of Republicans took to the Senate floor to argue Ms. Clarke supported reducing police department budgets. But Ms. Collins said that she believed that Ms. Clarke would not support such efforts, after studying Ms. Clarks professional record, including her work as a prosecutor during the George W. Bush administration. Ms. Collins said that Ms. Clarke gave her a letter saying she was committed to to ensuring that law enforcement officers have the resources that they need. The daughter of Jamaican immigrants who rose from a Brooklyn housing project to earn degrees from Harvard and Columbia Law School, Ms. Clarke is best known as a leading advocate for voting rights protections. Her expertise will make her a key player in the administrations effort to push back on laws that could restrict access to the ballot box. During her confirmation hearing, Ms. Clarke, 46, said that she would use all of the tools at her disposal, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Citizens Voting Act, to ensure that eligible Americans continued to have the right to vote. In supporting her nomination, Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and chair of the Judiciary Committee, said that Ms. Clarke was poised to become the first Senate-confirmed woman of color to lead the civil rights division on the one-year anniversary of Mr. Floyds murder by the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. He said that Ms. Clarkes breadth of experience defending the civil rights of all made her singularly qualified to lead this division, particularly at this moment in history. The civil rights division has already been involved in some of the Justice Departments most high-profile work under the Biden administration, including the recently announced investigations into police practices in Minneapolis, Minn., and Louisville, Ky., and the federal indictment of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd. The work of the civil rights division is also likely to dovetail with the administrations efforts to stem the threat of domestic terrorism, as numerous national security officials have testified that white supremacists currently pose the greatest domestic extremist threat. Republicans largely opposed Ms. Clarke. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, said that she was a partisan and radical nominee who had sharply criticized centrists like Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, and Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia.

Biden and Putin will meet face to face in Geneva in mid-June. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia attended a meeting with cabinet members and high range military officials in Sochi on Tuesday. President Biden will meet with Mr. Putin in Geneva in June. Credit... Pool photo by Sergei Ilyin President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia have agreed to meet on June 16 in Geneva for a face-to-face encounter that comes at a time of fast-deteriorating relations over Ukraine, cyberattacks and a raft of new nuclear weapons Mr. Putin is deploying. The summit is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Mr. Biden became president. The one-day meeting is expected to focus on ways to restore predictability and stability to a relationship that carries a risk of nuclear accident, miscalculation and escalation. Geneva was also the site of the 1985 summit between Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan that was focused on the nuclear arms race. The meeting comes at the worst point in Russian-American relations since the fall of the Soviet Union about 30 years ago. To say that the two leaders have a tense relationship is an understatement: Mr. Biden called Mr. Putin a killer in a television interview in March, leading Mr. Putin to dryly return the accusation and wish the new president good health. White House officials say they expect no major breakthroughs. Instead, they argue that Mr. Putin and Mr. Biden must begin to engage on the few issues where there is room for cooperation, like fighting climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Gorbachev  the Soviet leader, now 90, whose 1985 summit with Mr. Reagan in Geneva helped defuse Cold War tensions  said on Tuesday that he was happy to hear Mr. Putin would meet Mr. Biden, whom he cast as a more reliable counterpart than Mr. Trump. Theres a new president in the White House now, and you can negotiate with him, Mr. Gorbachev said, according to the Interfax news agency. The prior team turned out to be unreliable. David E. Sanger, Michael Crowley and

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Greene repeatedly compares vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany, drawing rebukes from her own party. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has compared mask and vaccine mandates to actions by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times House Republican leaders on Tuesday broke nearly a week of silence about comments by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia comparing mask and vaccine mandates to the treatment of Jews by Nazis during the Holocaust, condemning her language but stopping short of punishing her. The slow response by Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, to Ms. Greenes string of anti-Semitic statements reflected the reluctance of top Republicans to take on the first-term congresswoman, who had previously endorsed violent and racist conspiracy theories and whose combative style has made her a favorite of former President Donald J. Trump and his far-right supporters. The Republicans reaction was a contrast to their swift ouster this month of Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, whom they forced from her leadership post after she enraged her colleagues by vocally repudiating Mr. Trumps election lies. Instead, Mr. McCarthy issued a sternly worded statement that rebuked Ms. Greene but also referred to anti-Semitism on the rise in the Democrat Party and made no mention of further consequences. His statement was quickly followed by condemnations by the other two top House leaders and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, who denounced Ms. Greenes statements as outrageous and reprehensible. In a series of posts on Twitter, Ms. Greene has railed against decisions made by private businesses to impose vaccine mandates or drop mask requirements only for vaccinated individuals. Her comments came amid an uptick in anti-Semitic attacks on Jews across the nation. Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star, she wrote in one post on Tuesday. In another, referring to a university barring unvaccinated students from attending classes in person, she wrote: It appears Nazi practices have already begun on our youth. Show your VAX papers or no in person class for you. This is exactly what I was saying about the gold star. After Ms. Greene was met with a wave of public criticism, she refused to apologize, arguing that she had never compared mask mandates specifically to the Holocaust, which killed six million Jews, only the discrimination against Jews in the early years. The condemnations by Republican leaders came after a rebuke from the Republican Jewish Coalition, a prominent organization whose political action committee contributes generously to the party. Please educate yourself so that you can realize how absolutely wrong and inappropriate it is to compare proof of vaccination with the 6million Jews who were exterminated by Nazis, Matt Brooks, the executive director, wrote on Twitter in response to one of Ms. Greenes broadsides.

The White House is backing plans to open up the California coast to wind farms. A new plan would allow offshore wind farms in an area off the coast of Morro Bay, Calif. Credit... Drew Kelly for The New York Times The notion of wind farms churning in the Pacific Ocean, creating clean energy to power homes and businesses, has long been dismissed because of logistical challenges posed by a deep ocean floor and political opposition from the military, which prefers no obstacles for its Navy ships. But changing technology and a president determined to rapidly expand wind energy have greatly shifted the prospects. On Tuesday, the Navy abandoned its opposition and joined the Interior Department to give its blessing to two areas off the California coast that the government said could be developed for wind turbines. The plan would allow commercial offshore wind farms in a 399-square-mile area in Morro Bay along central California, and another area off the coast of Humboldt in Northern California. The announcement came weeks after the Biden administration approved the nations first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, to be built off the coast of Massachusetts. About a dozen other offshore wind projects along the East Coast are under federal review. The administration estimates that wind turbines in Morro Bay and near Humboldt could eventually generate enough electricity to power 1.6 million homes. If those numbers are realized, it could make the California coast one of the largest generators of wind power in the world. The new coastal Massachusetts wind farm is expected to have up to 84 giant wind turbines. By comparison, Gov. Gavin Newsom estimated that the California sites could hold more than 300 turbines.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure becomes the first Black administrator confirmed to lead Medicare and Medicaid. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure testified before the Senate Finance Committee during her nomination hearing to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in Washington in April. Credit... Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc., via Getty Images The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, a former Obama administration health official, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, one of the most powerful posts at the Department of Health and Human Services. The vote was 55 to 44, with five Republicans joining Democrats to support her confirmation. As the official charged with overseeing providing services to poor and older Americans in Medicare and Medicaid, Ms. Brooks-LaSure will manage roughly $1 trillion of the federal budget in addition to the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplaces and regulations. Ms. Brooks-LaSure, the first Black administrator confirmed to lead the agency, comes to the job with extensive experience in federal health policy. She was a senior official at the agency under President Barack Obama in the years after the health care law passed, working to expand coverage. She also worked on health issues as a congressional staffer and member of the White Houses budget office. She was a managing director at the health consulting firm Manatt before President Biden nominated her as Medicare chief. The agency is key to fulfilling Mr. Bidens health care agenda. His administration and a Democratic-controlled Congress are aiming to engineer the first substantial reforms and expansion of the Affordable Care Act since its passage, in part through billions of dollars in the American Rescue Plan. The administration opened a highly publicized special enrollment period in February that allowed the uninsured to sign up for coverage right away, drawing in over a million Americans. Her nomination was challenged by Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, who opposed a recent Medicaid policy decision affecting his home state. Biden administration Medicaid officials withdrew the approval of a waiver that would have given hospitals more than $100 billion in federal dollars over a decade for treating patients without insurance. The officials said the waivers approval, which was granted in the closing days of the Trump administration, had been rushed. The agency has also begun rolling back state Medicaid work requirements approved in some states during the Trump administration. Ms. Brooks-LaSures predecessor, Seema Verma, feuded bitterly during the Trump administration with the H.H.S. secretary, Alex M. Azar II, and she attracted inspector general and congressional investigations into her agencys lavish spending on outside consultants who worked to polish her personal brand. Noah Weiland and

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President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia have agreed to meet on June 16 in Geneva for a face-to-face encounter that comes at a time of fast-deteriorating relations over Ukraine, cyberattacks and a raft of new nuclear weapons Mr. Putin is deploying. The summit is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Mr. Biden became president.

The one-day meeting is expected to focus on ways to restore predictability and stability to a relationship that carries a risk of nuclear accident, miscalculation and escalation. Geneva was also the site of the 1985 summit between Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan that was focused on the nuclear arms race.

The meeting comes at the worst point in Russian-American relations since the fall of the Soviet Union about 30 years ago. To say that the two leaders have a tense relationship is an understatement: Mr. Biden called Mr. Putin a killer in a television interview in March, leading Mr. Putin to dryly return the accusation and wish the new president good health.

Russia, despite its aggressive language toward the West, has shown optimism about the talks. For Mr. Putin, a high-profile presidential summit can help deliver what he has long sought: respect for Russia on the world stage. And he is sure to repeat his message that the United States must respect Russian interests  especially inside Russia, where the Kremlin claims Washington is trying to undermine Mr. Putins rule, and in Eastern Europe.
Criminal investigators are only supposed to investigate crimes, said Joel Hirschhorn, a veteran defense lawyer who has represented several clients charged in political riots. But a commission is better suited and better able to look at the political reasons behind Jan. 6.

The question of motive

As many as 500 rioters may face charges in connection with the Capitol attack, prosecutors have said. Many questions will eventually be answered: How did all of those people get to Washington on Jan. 6? What exactly did they do on the grounds of the Capitol? And what happened once they went back to their homes?

But one important question, crucial to understanding the events of that day, is not likely to be answered  at least not by the government  even in the hundreds of cases. And that is why those charged with crimes took part in storming the Capitol.

While the issue of motive is a staple of police procedurals on TV, it is less important at actual trials in real-life courtrooms. Defense lawyers may decide to discuss their clients motives with the judge at a sentencing hearing in an effort to reduce potential penalties, but prosecutors in their public statements are much more likely to stick to the facts of who did what when rather than delving into why they might have done it.

In criminal prosecutions, the issue is generally one of behavior inferred by circumstance and corroborated by evidence like documents, emails and cooperating witnesses, Mr. Hirschhorn said. Motive is never really an issue when the government is trying to make its case at a trial and prove guilt or innocence. Its just not relevant.

The big picture

Even though prosecutors have charged an unprecedented number of people in the riot, that does not mean they are looking at the big picture  exactly what a commission would be asked to do. Indeed, at the urging of judges and under pressure from defense lawyers, investigators in the inquiry have taken pains to treat each of the 450 or so people charged so far as individual defendants.

The job of a prosecutor is to prosecute the cases directly in front of them, not to zoom way out and give their views on the totality of the events in question, said Alan Rozenshtein, a former Justice Department official who now teaches at the University of Minnesota Law School. It would go against their training to just start freestyling in a courtroom about the broad state of American democracy.
WASHINGTON  Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, was hurrying to a vote through the Capitols cavernous underground tunnel system on a recent Thursday when his phone rang. It was Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, calling for a quick briefing before an infrastructure meeting he had scheduled with a group of Republican senators.

Mr. Coons brushed off the reporters trailing him, propped his computer tablet against a railing next to the Senate subway track, and began typing away, taking notes, as he lowered his voice to share the skinny on the Republicans.

These are Republican senators he doesnt know, Mr. Coons said of Mr. Buttigieg after the two hung up. So its just sort of tactical advice about specific members. What are their interests? Whats the background? Do you think theres room for progress?

Before the end of the day Mr. Coonss phone would ring several more times, with various White House officials on the other end  seeking counsel, scuttlebutt and insight that President Biden needed to navigate his agenda through the Senate. Steve Ricchetti, Mr. Bidens counselor, wanted to talk through various complaints Republican senators had raised. Louisa Terrell, who runs the White Houses Office of Legislative Affairs, called for one of their frequent debriefing sessions.
In a speech to Congress last month, the president used the emotional power of Mr. Floyds death, and the national movement it helped inspire, to urge lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by May 25. It was, Mr. Biden implored Democrats and Republicans, a moment to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice, real justice.

But Washington missed the moment.

The legislation bearing Mr. Floyds name  which would ban the use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing  has languished in Congress as lawmakers spar over a series of issues, including a measure that would alter a legal shield known as qualified immunity that protects police officers in brutality cases.

Though both sides say they are optimistic that a deal may still be possible in the weeks ahead, the stalemate is a reminder for Mr. Biden of the limits of presidential power, and of the deepening lack of any real bipartisanship in the nations capital, even in the face of the largest racial justice protests in generations.

To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between the vast majority of the men and women who wear the badge honorably and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect, Mr. Biden said in a statement after his meeting with the Floyd family. We can and must have both accountability and trust and in our justice system.

Mr. Biden later told reporters that he was hopeful that after Memorial Day there might be a deal.

A now-famous video of the killing of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis, which showed the officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, accelerated a nationwide racial reckoning against police brutality and fueled demands for justice and policing reform.
One of the most interesting new alliances in the Senate these days is between Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, and Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, who have been working together on the Senate Armed Services Committee on possible solutions to sexual assault in the military.

Mr. Hawley has repeatedly praised Ms. Gillibrand for her work on the issue culminating in bipartisan legislation to change the way those crimes are handled. Ms. Gillibrand has often sought out Mr. Hawley, a first-term lawmaker and vocal supporter of former President Donald J. Trump, directly for such work, even though the two are on opposite ends of nearly all things political.

The two are planning on Tuesday to introduce a bill designed to improve one of the militarys sexual assault response coordinators, which came under scrutiny after the killing of a soldier at Fort Hood, and an ensuing report that showed many members of the coordination team lacked training to help victims of assault.

Under their measure, the Defense Department would have to more carefully evaluate the programs and report their findings to Congress, and increase training and other resources to professionalize the military justice system. It is one of a few initiatives Ms. Gillibrand and Mr. Hawley have joined together on  and attracted bipartisan support for  to try and make the military more accountable.
Roll the clock back a few decades, and the longtime junior senator from Delaware was often at the heart of negotiations on Capitol Hill.

He helped to shape legislation on violence against women, crime and foreign policy. And though he was a Democrat, he took pride in his friendships with members of the Republican Party  relationships that often served him well when it came time to reach across the aisle in search of votes.

Back then, that senators name was Joe Biden. But today, a similar dynamic is at play with his successor, Senator Chris Coons, who came of age under Mr. Bidens wing, won election to Mr. Bidens former seat in 2010, and is now one of the presidents closest confidants in the chamber. Like Mr. Biden, Mr. Coons is a relative moderate with a proclivity for bipartisan deal-making, and as the administration navigates the politics of an evenly divided Senate, he has been working with both Democrats and Republicans to advance the White Houses agenda.

But four months into the administration, major bipartisan legislation continues to prove elusive, and with the 2022 midterms approaching fast, Mr. Coons admits that the clock is ticking. Will he be able to help Mr. Biden bring enough Republicans on board to reach the 60-vote threshold on legislation around infrastructure? Or criminal justice? Or competition with China?
The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Kristen Clarke to lead the Justice Departments civil rights division, making her the first woman of color to be confirmed by the Senate to do so.

Ms. Clarke was ceremonially sworn in shortly before 7 p.m. in a brief ceremony at the Justice Department. Ms. Clarkes mother, Pansy Clarke, held the Bible as Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath of office.

Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered brief remarks. The deputy attorney general, Lisa O. Monaco, and the associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta, were also in attendance.

Ms. Clarkes confirmation comes at a time when the Biden administration has vowed to revitalize the division as part of its promise to combat systemic racism, hate crimes and restrictive voter laws.
Hazel came home the other day and we were in the kitchen and she goes, Are you famous? the Golden Globe winner told the Sunday Times. And Id never heard herWeve never said that word [famous] in our house. We dont talk about it... Someone at school had clearly said it.
Mr. McCarthy, who declined to strip Ms. Greene of her committee assignments for anti-Semitic and violent statements she made before she was elected, has remained loath to punish her since she came to Washington, in part for fear of elevating her platform and also to avoid alienating voters enthralled by her conspiratorial brand of politics.

In an interview with a conservative television host last week, Ms. Greene compared Speaker Nancy Pelosis insistence that lawmakers get vaccinated before removing the Houses mask mandate to how Jews were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany.

In the past week, Ms. Greene has continued to equate universities barring unvaccinated students from attending classes in person to the Holocaust and referred to four progressive congresswomen  all women of color, two of whom are Muslim  as the jihad squad, equating their vocal critiques of Israels government and support for Palestinian rights to anti-Semitism and backing for Hamas.

Republicans on Tuesday quickly tried to shift attention from Ms. Greenes comments to Democrats, whom they have tried to paint as insufficiently supportive of Israel, introducing resolutions in the House and Senate condemning anti-Semitism. But their job was made harder by the congresswoman, who refused to apologize for her comments and insisted that she had never compared mask mandates specifically to the Holocaust  only the discrimination against Jews in the early Nazi years.

The condemnations by Republican leaders came after a rebuke from the Republican Jewish Coalition, a prominent organization whose political action committee contributes generously to the party. Matt Brooks, the executive director, called Ms. Greene an embarrassment to yourself and the G.O.P.

Please educate yourself so that you can realize how absolutely wrong and inappropriate it is to compare proof of vaccination with the 6million Jews who were exterminated by Nazis, he wrote on Twitter in response to one of Ms. Greenes broadsides.

Still, in a reflection of how eager Republicans were to shift the unwelcome spotlight to Democrats, Mr. Brooks  who recently pinned a message on his Twitter feed imploring voters to remember in November that there is only ONE pro-Israel party  said in an interview that party leaders had responded appropriately to Ms. Greenes comments.
A Cleveland judge declared a mistrial on Tuesday in the murder trial of Tevin Biles-Thomas, the brother of the Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles, who was charged last year in the fatal shooting of three people at a New Years Eve party in 2018.

A new trial will begin on Wednesday with jury selection.

The surprise turn in her brothers case comes days after Ms. Biles became the first woman in history to execute a Yurchenko double pike on vault  a dangerous and difficult move that drew praise from many, including LeBron James and Michelle Obama. Ms. Biles, who has spoken and written in the past about her upbringing with her siblings in foster care, is heading to the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.

The trial was abruptly ended after jurors told the judge, Joan Synenberg of Common Pleas Court in Cuyahoga County, that they had mistakenly seen legal briefs among the trial evidence, Cleveland.com reported.

It was not immediately clear how the legal briefs became mixed with the evidence. The briefs reflected debate between prosecutors and Mr. Biles-Thomass defense lawyers regarding whether he acted in self-defense, Cleveland.com reported.
People who had never held a gun in their lives would be legally authorized to carry those guns almost everywhere, said Ari Freilich, a state policy director with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The new legislation essentially extends the permissions available to carriers of rifles to handguns. It also removes the requirement that handguns be kept in a belt or a shoulder harness, but they must be in a holster.

People with criminal histories that would bar them from owning a handgun under federal law would still be barred from carrying a weapon. And the measure requires the Texas Department of Public Safety to offer a free online course on gun safety.

Versions of such a law had been proposed periodically over the last decade but had not garnered much support, and the idea of constitutional carry was largely dismissed as a remote dream of the far right. But the 2020 election changed all that, several analysts said, as the Republican Party in the state shifted further right and moderate legislators feared being outflanked by hard-core conservatives.

Clearly the political terrain has changed, said James Henson, the director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. The new legislation, he said, is a big hit among the far-right wing of the party, and those are the voters that the legislators have their eyes on.

It is a marked change from the fall of 2019, when after a series of mass shootings in El Paso, Odessa and elsewhere, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on Fox News that he was willing to take an arrow as he pushed back against the National Rifle Association and joined calls for strengthened background checks. This year, Mr. Patrick helped to facilitate the new legislations passage.

There have not been signs of strong public support for a substantial easing of gun licensing requirements. In a recent poll conducted by the University of Texas and The Texas Tribune, nearly 60 percent of voters said adults should not be allowed to carry a gun without a permit or license.
Just over a third of the people in the first two groups did the exercise. But in the group that made a plan for when and where to work out, 91 percent followed through.

In other research, 90 students in Germany were asked to test a new bus route. In the control group, 31 percent followed through on their promise. But in a group that was asked to set an implementation intention  naming the specific time they would take the bus and the stop they would use  53 percent followed through.

Another study found that having a plan was just as effective as a monetary reward in convincing people to follow through on their goals. In that study, 300 students in Germany were asked to buy organic food. Half the students got a voucher for 2.5 euros, but one group was asked when and where they planned to buy the food. In the group that made a specific plan, 50 percent followed through, compared to just 34 percent of those who didnt make plans. The researchers raised the amount of the voucher to see if money was a stronger motivator than making a specific plan. They found that giving more money wasnt more powerful than setting an intention. Fifty percent of the people who got more money bought the food  the same percentage as those with less money who made a specific plan to shop. When people were given both options  more money and instructed to name the time and place they would shop  the follow-through was highest: 61 percent did as promised and purchased the organic food.

Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School and author of the new book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, said its important to create specific cues that can remind you of your goals. Making a plan, picking a time to do it and putting it on your calendar are all cues that can help you follow through on an intention and achieve a goal.

Vague intentions are easy to put off, said Dr. Milkman. If you make a vague plan to exercise more, and youre feeling lazy, you can tell yourself, I still plan to exercise, and Ill do it later.' But cue-based plans are harder to put off.
Military officials in Mali ousted the countrys interim civilian leaders on Tuesday, setting up a new crisis for the West African nation, just nine months after the previous president was forced out in a military coup.

The leaders  Bah NDaou, the president, and Moctar Ouane, the prime minister  were appointed last year to lead a transitional government to prepare for new elections. They were both detained by the military on Monday and taken to a base outside the capital, Bamako. On Tuesday, they were officially stripped of their duties, the military said.

President Emmanuel Macron of France denounced the ouster as a coup on Tuesday and threatened to impose sanctions on the military leaders. France has remained involved in the affairs of Mali, a former colony, intervening in 2012 to fight an Islamist insurgency there and in the broader Sahel region.

Boubacar Sangare, an independent journalist and researcher in Bamako, said that military interference in politics was a recurring problem in Mali.
WARSAW  Since his teenage years as a rebellious high school student in Belarus and continuing into his 20s while in exile abroad, Roman Protasevich faced so many threats from the countrys security apparatus  of violent beatings, jail, punishment against family members  that we all sort of got used to them, a fellow exiled dissident recalled.

So, despite his being branded a terrorist by Belarus late last year  a capital offense  Mr. Protasevich was not particularly worried when he set off for Greece from Lithuania, where he had been living, earlier this month to attend a conference and take a short vacation with his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega.

But that sense of security was shattered on Sunday when they were snatched by Belarus security officials on the tarmac at Minsk National Airport after a MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to intercept his commercial flight home to Lithuania from Greece. Mr. Protasevich, 26, now faces the vengeance of President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the 66-year-old Belarusian leader from whom he once received a scholarship for gifted students but has since defied with unflinching zeal.

In a short video released on Monday by the authorities in Belarus, Mr. Protasevich confessed  under duress, his friends say  to taking part in the organization of mass unrest last year in Minsk, the Belarus capital. That is the governments term for weeks of huge street protests after Mr. Lukashenko, in power since 1994, declared a landslide re-election victory in an August election widely dismissed as brazenly rigged.
Prosecutors in Italy can try four Egyptian security agents on charges of kidnapping, torturing and murdering an Italian doctoral student whose brutalized body was found on the outskirts of Cairo in 2016, a judge in Rome ruled on Tuesday.

The agents from Egypts National Security Agency will be tried in absentia in the death of the student, Giulio Regeni, after the legal authorities in Rome were unable to talk to them or find their addresses in Egypt.

The judge, Pier Luigi Balestrieri, ruled that, given the attention given to the case in the Italian and international media, it was impossible for the defendants to be unaware of the legal proceedings against them, and ordered a trial to start in October.

It took us 64 months, Alessandra Ballerini, the lawyer for Paola and Claudio Regeni, the parents of the murdered student, told reporters before leaving the court. But today is a good finish line and a good starting point.
Ms. Whittome, whose father is of Punjabi heritage, has been an outspoken advocate for many causes, from social justice to womens rights, a role that has sometimes drawn criticism from those on the other end of the political spectrum. After activism during widespread protests against a controversial policing bill earlier this year and the Black Lives Matter protests last year, she detailed a torrent of abuse.

In an interview with the news outlet The Independent last year, she spoke of the hate mail and racist abuse on social media that had become the norm, and of having to report a series of death threats to the police.

The abuse she detailed, particularly on social media, has become typical for many women in Parliament. Female lawmakers, and in particular women of color in Parliament, have long faced abuse, both online and in person, at a disproportionately higher rate than their male counterparts, reports have shown. Before the last general election in 2019, in which Ms. Whittome won her seat, some women chose not to stand in the election, citing the abuse.

Her office is still open and staff are still working while she takes leave.

And while the details behind Ms. Whittomes trauma were not given, her frank discussion of her mental health struggle also highlights a broader issue, mental health experts said.

David Crepaz-Keay, the head of applied learning at Britains Mental Health Foundation, a charity that has been carrying out a nationwide study of the pandemics impact on mental health since early last year, said it was also indicative of a shift in public discourse.

Weve noticed a huge change in the kind of broader public willingness to engage in talking about mental health, even over the last five years, he said, pointing to societys long history associating shame and disgrace with mental illness.

But more recently, public acknowledgment of mental illness  including by other members of the British Parliament and lawmakers elsewhere like Kjell Magne Bondevik, who took a leave of absence as prime minister of Norway in 1998 and spoke openly about his depression  has helped to normalize the struggle.
RAMALLAH, West Bank  Americas top diplomat came to the seat of the Palestinian government on Tuesday with promises of additional aid, a reopened consulate in Jerusalem and a broad sympathetic pledge to rebuild ties that had been severed by the previous administration in favor of Israel.

With the raw emotion of deaths and wreckage from an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants still fresh in the minds of both Israelis and Palestinians, the actions by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken represented, in tone at least, an attempted revival of Americas former role as a more neutral mediator in the Middle Easts most protracted conflict.

It amounted to a sharp turnabout from the policies of former President Donald J. Trump, who had made no secret of siding with Israel by closing a political channel with the Palestinian Authority and cutting off humanitarian assistance to millions of Palestinians.

But it also carries big risks. The Biden administration says it will help finance an enormous reconstruction effort in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, a militant group considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and many other countries.
Authorities said that officers responded to a 911 call by a citizen who was flagged down by a Jimdar at a nearby gas station. She claimed she had been assaulted for several hours by her husband, who she identified as Gray.
BAGHDAD  Who killed me? the signs asked, alongside images of dead men and women, among the roughly 80 Iraqi activists murdered since late 2019. Young demonstrators held aloft the posters in Baghdads Tahrir Square on Tuesday, illustrating both the enduring spark and diminished strength of Iraqs anti-government protest movement.

The demonstrators (publicly) and Iraqi officials (privately) say they know who killed many of the activists: Iran-backed militias that have essentially crushed a grass-roots anti-corruption movement that blames Iranian influence, and the militias, for many of Iraqs ills. In a country where militias  nominally a part of the security apparatus  operate with impunity, the killers have gone unpunished.

The several thousand young men gathered in Baghdads central square Tuesday constituted the biggest protest in the Iraqi capital since the anniversary last October of demonstrations in 2019 that swept Baghdad and southern cities and brought down a government. The movement is driven by anger at the governments failure to make promised reforms, including curbs on Iranian-backed militias.

But in the shadow of assassinations, kidnappings and intimidation of people who criticize the Iraqi government and Iranian interference, turnout on Tuesday was far smaller than organizers had hoped.
Official counts 26.9 million Reported cases 307,231 Reported deaths Data as of May 24 A conservative scenario 404.2 million Estimated infections 600,000 Estimated deaths 15 infections per reported case with an infection fatality rate of 0.15% A more likely scenario 539.0 million Estimated infections 1.6 million Estimated deaths 20 infections per reported case with an infection fatality rate of 0.30% A worse scenario 700.7 million Estimated infections 4.2 million Estimated deaths 26 infections per reported case with an infection fatality rate of 0.60%

The official Covid-19 figures in India grossly understate the true scale of the pandemic in the country. Last week, India recorded the largest daily death toll for any country during the pandemic  a figure that is most likely still an undercount.

Even getting a clear picture of the total number of infections in India is hard because of poor record-keeping and a lack of widespread testing. Estimating the true number of deaths requires a second layer of extrapolation, depending on the share of those infected who end up dying.

In consultation with more than a dozen experts, The New York Times has analyzed case and death counts over time in India, along with the results of large-scale antibody tests, to arrive at several possible estimates for the true scale of devastation in the country.

Even in the least dire of these, estimated infections and deaths far exceed official figures. More pessimistic ones show a toll on the order of millions of deaths  the most catastrophic loss anywhere in the world.

Why official data underrepresents Indias pandemic

Indias official Covid statistics report 26,948,800 cases and 307,231 deaths as of May 24.

Even in countries with robust surveillance during this pandemic, the number of infections is probably much higher than the number of confirmed cases because many people have contracted the virus but have not been tested for it. On Friday, a report by the World Health Organization estimated that the global death toll of Covid-19 may be two or three times higher than reported.

The undercount of cases and deaths in India is most likely even more pronounced, for technical, cultural and logistical reasons. Because hospitals are overwhelmed, many Covid deaths occur at home, especially in rural areas, and are omitted from the official count, said Kayoko Shioda, an epidemiologist at Emory University. Laboratories that could confirm the cause of death are equally swamped, she said.

Additionally, other researchers have found, there are few Covid tests available; often families are unwilling to say that their loved ones have died of Covid; and the system for keeping vital records in India is shaky at best. Even before Covid-19, about four out of five deaths in India were not medically investigated.

A conservative scenario

If the real number of infections is 15x higher 404.2 million Estimated infections Reported number of cases: 26.9 million as of May 24. And the infection fatality rate is 0.15% 600,000 Estimated deaths 2.0x the current reported total of 300,000 as of May 24.

To arrive at more plausible estimates of Covid infections and deaths in India, we used data from three nationwide antibody tests, called serosurveys.

In each serosurvey, a subset of the population (about 30,000 of Indias 1.4 billion people) is examined for Covid-19 antibodies. Once researchers have figured out the share of those people whose blood is found to contain antibodies, they extrapolate that data point, called the seroprevalence, to arrive at an estimate for the whole population.

The antibody tests offer one way to correct official records and arrive at better estimates of total infections and deaths. The reason is simple: Nearly everyone who contracts Covid-19 develops antibodies to fight it, leaving traces of the infection that the surveys can pick up.

Even a wide-scale serosurvey has its limitations, said Dan Weinberger, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. Indias population is so large and diverse that its unlikely any serosurvey could capture the full range.

Still, Dr. Weinberger said, the surveys provide a fresh way to calculate more realistic death figures. It gives us a starting point, he said. I think that an exercise like this can put some bounds on the estimates.

Even in the most conservative estimates of the pandemics true toll, the number of infections is several times higher than official reports suggest. Our first, best-case scenario assumes a true infection count 15 times higher than the official number of recorded cases. It also assumes an infection fatality rate, or I.F.R.  the share of all those infected who have died  of 0.15 percent. Both of these numbers are on the low end of the estimates we collected from experts.

The result is a death toll roughly double whats been reported to date.

A more likely scenario

If the real number of infections is 20x higher 539.0 million Estimated infections Reported number of cases: 26.9 million as of May 24. And the infection fatality rate is 0.30% 1.6 million Estimated deaths 5.3x the current reported total of 300,000 as of May 24.

The latest national seroprevalence study in India ended in January, before the current wave, and estimated roughly 26 infections per reported case. This scenario uses a slightly lower figure, in addition to a higher infection fatality rate of 0.3 percent  in line with what has been estimated in the United States at the end of 2020. In this scenario, the estimated number of deaths in India is more than five times the official reported count.

As with most countries, total infections and deaths are undercounted in India, said Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy. The best way to arrive at the most likely scenario would be based on triangulation of data from different sources, which would indicate roughly 500 to 600 million infections.

A worse scenario

If the real number of infections is 26x higher 700.7 million Estimated infections Reported number of cases: 26.9 million as of May 24. And the infection fatality rate is 0.60% 4.2 million Estimated deaths 13.7x the current reported total of 300,000 as of May 24.

This scenario uses a slightly higher estimate of true infections per known case, to account for the current wave. The infection fatality rate is also higher  double the rate of the previous scenario, at 0.6 percent  to take into account the tremendous stress that Indias health system has been under during the current wave. Because hospital beds, oxygen and other medical necessities have been scarce in recent weeks, a greater share of those who contract the virus may be dying, driving the infection fatality rate higher.

Explore the numbers

If the real number of infections is 10x higher 269.5 million Estimated infections Reported number of cases: 26.9 million as of May 24. And the infection fatality rate is 0.10% 260,000 Estimated deaths 0.9x the current reported total of 300,000 as of May 24.

Because there are two different unknowns, there is a wide range of plausible values for the true infection and death counts in India, Dr. Shioda said. Public health research usually provides a wide uncertainty range, she said. And providing that kind of uncertainty to readers is one of the most important things researchers do.

Explore possible scenarios for yourself in the interactive above.

How we estimated case multipliers

So far, India has conducted three national serosurveys during the Covid-19 pandemic. All three have found that the true number of infections drastically exceeded the number of confirmed cases at the time in question.

Results of Indias three national serosurveys Confirmed cases

at that point Est. actual

infections Est. over

confirmed 226,713 6,460,000 28.5x 5,490,000 74,300,000 13.5x 10,400,000 271,000,000 26.1x Note: The estimated over actual figure is calculated by comparing the number of estimated infections with the cumulative case total at the end of the serosurvey period.

At the time the results of each survey were released, they indicated infection prevalence between 13.5 and 28.5 times higher than Indias reported case counts at those points in the pandemic. The severity of underreporting may have increased or decreased since the last serosurvey was completed, but if it has held steady, that would suggest that almost half of Indias population may have had the virus.

Dr. Shioda said that even the large multipliers found in the serosurveys may rely on undercounts of the true number of infections. The reason, she said, is that the concentration of antibodies drops in the months after an infection, making them harder to detect. The number would probably be higher if the surveys were able to detect everyone who has, in fact, been infected, she said.

Those people who were infected a while ago may have not been captured by this number, Dr. Shioda said. So this is probably an underestimate of the true proportion of the population that has been infected.

Like nearly all researchers contacted for this article, however, Dr. Shioda said the estimator provided a good way to get a sense of the wide range of possible death tolls in India.

Jeffrey Shaman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, said that the slider, or sliding calculator, is useful for exploring the consequences of different values for the infection fatality ratio and the ratio of the real number of infections to confirmed cases. Those are the two measures that need to be estimated, Dr. Shaman said.

How we estimated death rates

Many of the infection fatality rate estimates that have been published were calculated before the most recent wave in India, so it could be that the overall I.F.R. is actually higher after accounting for the most recent wave. The rate also varies greatly by age: Typically, the measure rises for older populations. Indias population skews young  its median age is around 29  which could mean I.F.R. is lower there than in countries with larger older populations.

There is also extreme variability within the country in terms of both infection fatality rate and seroprevalence. In addition to the three national serosurveys, there have been more than 60 serosurveys done at the local and regional level, according to SeroTracker, a website that compiles serosurvey data from around the world.

Serosurveys conducted in India Serum positive prevalence in 61 serosurveys conducted from April 2020 to February 2021. 10% 20% 30% 40% Delhi Mumbai Chennai Kolkata

In a paper examining infection rates using serosurvey data from three locations in India, Dr. Paul Novosad, an associate professor of economics at Dartmouth College, found huge variability depending on the population being sampled. We found that age-specific I.F.R. among returning lockdown migrants was much higher than in richer countries, he said. In contrast, we found a much lower first-wave I.F.R. than richer countries in the Southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

In a country as large as India, even a small fluctuation in infection fatality rates could mean a difference of hundreds of thousands of deaths, as seen in the estimates above.

While estimates can vary over time and from region to region, one thing is clear beyond all doubt: The pandemic in India is much larger than the official figures suggest.
Mojie Ringo is a Japanese technique of harnessing the power of the sun to create beautifully decorated apples without the use of any sort of chemicals.

For centuries, apple growers in Japans Aomori Prefecture have been creating stunning heirloom apples by using the mojie ringo technique. The process is fairly simple, as basically implies depriving the apples of sunlight for a period of time and then applying stencils to ensure that some portion of the apple peel remains discolored. Most often than not, mojie ringo apples are decorated with messages and symbols of good fortune and prosperity, and are offered as gifts.

Large apple varieties like Mutsu or Stark Jumbo are most suitable for mojie ringo, as they provide more surface area for intricate design. Preparation begins in January, with a pruning operation, to ensure that remaining blossoms receive plenty of sunlight. Then, growers use fluffy wands to hand pollinate each of the apple tree flowers, and then once fruits begin to form, they are covered with multi-layered plastic bags to both protect them from pests and shield them from sunlight.

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Keeping the apples in the dark for long periods of time increases their photosensitivity, so when the plastic bags are finally removed, they begin to produce anthocyanin, a component that turns the skin red. During the final stage of the mojie ringo process, stencils are applied on the surface of the apple to ensure that only the skin around the stencil turns red.

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The stencils are removed during harvesting, to expose the almost white peel underneath. The stencils need to be flexible, because the fruits continue to grow, and otherwise the designs could be compromised.

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According to Culture Trip, the mojie ringo technique was perfected by Aomori farmer Haruo Iwasaki, whose son, Chisato Iwasaki, is widely regarded as one of the most talented apple artists today.

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Although the mojie ringo technique seems fairly straightforward, it requires a lot of work and patience over long periods of time, and for many growers the effort and attention just arent worth it from an economic standpoint. That is why the old tradition is slowly fading, with only a few Aomori orchards producing the eye-catching fruits.

The mojie ringo technique is also very popular in China and other Asian countries under the name apple tattooing.
Washington Women in Public Relations names its 2021 class of Emerging Leaders Awards. The awards honor five women between 25 and 35 who have excelled in public relations and related fields, and given back to the industry by contributing their skills and talents to innovative initiatives and projects. Curley Company vice president Stefani Alexander won in the Small/Boutique Agency category, and Edelman senior account executive, corporate affairs Rosemary Girard took home the award in the Mid- to Large-Sized Agency category. The government award went to Rachel Stephens, press secretary, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives; Maggie McClain, senior director of communications, Food Allergy Research & Education, was recognized for her work in the non-profit sector; and the award for in-house work went to Emily Newman, Senior Speechwriter, National Association of REALTORS

Jonny and Paddy Davis

Allied Global Marketing acquires Honey + Buzz, a Dublin-based experiential marketing agency that was an early adopter of virtual and hybrid events. The acquisition is intended to bolster Allieds existing North American experiential marketing business and expands its global footprint. As a part of Allied, Honey+Buzz will service existing and new clients in Europe and beyond. The team at Honey+Buzz shares our vision, and they have an excellent track record of breakthrough creativity and continuous innovation, said Allied CEO Clint Kendall. As the demand for in-person live experiences returns, the combination of Allied and Honey+Buzz is uniquely positioned to bring our clients the best of integrated live and digital experiences, said Honey + Buzz co-founders Jonny and Paddy Davis.

Blue State has launched a multidisciplinary political practice directed toward inspiring and turning out voters. Blue State Campaigns will provide multi-channel fundraising, strategic communications, paid media, and general consulting to Democratic and progressive campaigns, candidates and organizations across the country. The agency as a whole will continue to work with nonpartisan institutions. Blue State Campaigns will be led by Tessa Simonds, who most recently served as senior advisor for digital organizing on the Biden-Harris National Coordinated Campaign at the Democratic National Committee. Blue State Campaigns will help run smart, integrated programs rooted in progressive values that focus a campaigns time and money on reaching the voters and mobilizing the grassroots supporters they need to win, said Blue State founder and CEO Joe Rospars.

TrailRunner International opens an office in Nashville. Headquartered in Dallas/Fort Worth, the communications and strategic advisory firm also has offices in New York; San Francisco; Washington, DC; Shanghai and Truckee, CA. Sarah Grubbs, director at TrailRunner International and a Nashville native, has relocated from the firm's New York office to open and serve as the head of the Nashville office. She will be joined by TrailRunner International managing director Johanna Hoopes. "Nashville has a fantastic talent base and thriving economy, and the city reflects the very best in leadership. We are proud to expand into this important growth market," said TrailRunner International founder Jim Wilkinson.
Jane Genova

The Black Swan of COVID is phasing out in the U.S. Like other Black Swans (unpredictable events that are beyond what is normally expected) cited by Nassim Taleb, who introduced the concept in 2007 in his book by that title, it has disrupted civilization.

Now, businesses are preoccupied with the challenges emerging post-COVID. How long a timeframe the term post-COVID will designate is open-ended. The pandemics impact has been such a game-changer that the language of post-COVID could become a permanent marker, like A.D. or after-the-birth-of-Christ, to signify a new era.

Of course, the experts have been busy publishing reports about how post-Covid will play out. They range from McKinseys How COVID-19 is changing consumer behavior  now and forever to Euromonitor Internationals Top Global Consumer Trends 2021.

The reality is that no one knows what will occur in any sector post-COVID. There are too many new variables and they create additional new variables as they interact with each other. For example, the acceleration of automation during COVID forces more early retirements which can glut the market with houses for sale.

But one thing is known. And that is that the trends created primarily or in part by COVID are what businesses are struggling to accommodate. At the top of the list are the new kinds of branding, operations, political, legal, governance and stock price questions generated by the mandate in the court of public opinion for corporate social justice. That one issue in itself can come to symbolize how effectively or ineptly the public relations industry serves clients in a time of so much change and myriad uncertainties.

As is well-known, Starbucks stumbled when banning Black Lives Matter logo apparel. Coca-Cola became embroiled in unwanted controversy in how it managed its diversity initiative. Both were creamed in the media. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had threated businesses with serious consequences if they continued to leverage their economic power in support of far-left causes, such as opposing the voting law in Georgia. In addition, in a polarized society, there is the potential for violence.

One way to override that turbulence with calm problem-solving is to apply the framework of that Black Swan derivativethe Grey Swan.

Essentially, as Investopedia defines the term, Grey Swan designates a development which is considered possible but not probable. That is unlike a Black Swan which was never even conceivable. No one anticipated an internet or a pandemic which took the form of COVIDboth Black Swans. Also, unlike Black Swans, the Grey ones are not game-changers but can have significant impacts. Social activism could change a lot but is unlikely to have the scope of the coming of the internet.

Black and Grey Swans are such useful concepts because they let society off the hook from regret, blame and shameat least the lions share of those kinds of distraction. How could business X or Y prepare for the internet if imagining the existence of such an entity was downright impossible? With Grey Swans, who can expect a business to include in its strategic planning everything that could be possible, but not probable? The risk analysis would be downright comical. So, internally and in the media, if public relations loops in successfully, the context could be blame-free.

Professional services firm Aon already leverages the concept of the Grey Swan. In an article in Business Insider, for example, it discusses how companies can approach the challenges in their supply chains created by COVID as Grey Swans. Obviously, that puts the focus directly on solutions. It is total pragmatism: Here is what the pandemic created. Now deal.

There are all kinds of ways in which a Grey Swan can form. And will form post-COVID.

For social activism, a key driver had been that the pandemic fostered a strong social cohesiveness in communities. The meme was: We are in this together. As Deloittes Covid-19 Induced Business Trends: Preparing for the new normal documents, business was integrated into that collective consciousness. The expectation was that it would have a political and social stance, just like humans. That value system was to be transparent. Other sources triggering corporate social activism range from socially conscious consumers, especially Millennials, to socially conscious investment firms. Regarding the latter, that way of screening investing, called ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) in itself is a Grey Swan.

Obviously social activism introduces complex risk factors, including legalities. No surprise then, business is aligning with law firms on this one. Major law firms such as Paul Weiss launched practices to help their clients address the emerging realities. Paul Weiss Sustainability & Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Practice has as its mission: to increase [clients] resilience while simultaneously addressing social issues of importance to stakeholders. Those stakeholders are not just investors. They include employees, contract workers, business partners, communities and planet earth.

However, the play-out of Grey Swans is not limited to managing risk. There is also the potential for huge opportunity. A classic example is when Grey Swan international competition upended the U.S. auto industry in the late 1970s. In response, at what was then called Chrysler, Chief Executive Officer Lee Iacocca adapted new systems such as just-in-time supply chains, installed an organizational culture in which all employees understood their job was to sell cars and put on the market the breakthrough minivan.

Sure, along the way there was bad press, including lots of doom and gloom that Chrysler was going to go out of business. But the leadership at Chrysler shook that off and put their attention on experimenting, doing course correction and developing best practices. Regret, blame, shamethere was not much of that. Optimism dominated. And top business schools did case studies on the lessons learned.

The combination of public relations and other sectors including law can guide business through Grey Swans such as social activism. Leveraging the Grey Swan concept for how to view the moving parts and address wrenches in the works can replace the old notion of a crisis. There might no longer be crises. Instead, those guiding business will size up the situation as simply a Grey Swan. Crisis has negative connotations, imposing blame on the business. Gray Swan is positioned and packaged as neutral.

***

Jane Genova is a ghostwriter, marcom results-getter and coach (janegenova374@gmail.com).
Finn Partners has picked up North America PR duties for Agriturismo Casetta, a 270-year-old luxury farmhouse, located in Italy's Tuscany region as borders begin to reopen from the COVID-19 shutdown.

The firm's New York team will handle a branding program, media relations, social media programming and partnerships.

"Casetta and its surroundings reflect the special appeal of Tuscany and Finn has the right skills and sensibilities to bring new appreciation to the property, Xenia Lemos, owner of the property, said in a statement.

Virginia Sheridan, head of Finn's North America travel & lifestyle practice, said her team was enchanted from the start with Casetta" and called Lemos "a warm and welcoming host whose singular joy is creating memorable experiences for her friends and guests."

She added that Italy, Florence and Tuscany make up "the American dream vacation, especially as we emerge from pandemic-imposed isolation."

Finn's travel group includes Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dubai Tourism, I Love NY, Turkish Airlines and Allianz Travel.

The firm is O'Dwyer's No. 3 ranked travel firm with 2020 fees of $10.4M.
"Greenwashing" is on the rise as a growing number of companies use PR to burnish dubious green credentials.

Wall Street has joined the fun as asset management firms roll out funds that put their money into companies committed to environmental, social and governance issues.

Since ESG is a subjective matter, it's all a crap shoot.

The Securities and Exchange Commission rolled out guidance to public companies regarding existing disclosure requirements as they apply to climate change matters in 2010.

Much has changed over the past decade.

The SEC staff is updating that guidance and is engaging with public companies on these issues, and absorbing critical lessons on how the market is currently managing climate-related risks, according to its website.

The Economist surveyed 20 top ESG funds and found some of their lofty claims were nothing but hot air.

Each invested in 17 fossil-fuel producers. Six of them invested in ExxonMobil, the favorite whipping boy of the environmental community.

Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, followed ExxonMobil in the ESG portfolio.

The Economist suggests that investors should dodge ESG claims, since only 30 percent of companies generate the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

And five percent of that group (oil companies, cement and mining companies) generate 80 percent of emissions.

Environmental investors should focus on pure-play renewable energy companies or firms with promising earth-saving technologies and avoid all the green PR hype.

Congratulations to supremely talented Chris Foster for landing the CEO job at the Omnicom Public Relations Group.

As OPRG interim chairman John Doolittle noted in the press release, "Chris comes to us with significant, hands-on agency leadership experience."

Left unsaid is the name of that agency: BCW and its predecessor Burson-Marsteller, which is owned by WPP.

Omnicom employs hundreds of PR people at FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli, Cone, Portland, Marina Maher Communications and Mercury.

It's remarkable that Omnicom CEO John Wren had to reach out to an outsider to run the PR operation.

Of course, Wren may have felt the need for an outsider's perspective to restore some zip to the PR unit, which suffered a 4.9 percent drop in Q1 revenues to $317M. That performance followed a 1.9 percent dip in Q4 revenues to $351M.

Wren also took his sweet time filling the OPRG CEO spot, which was not exactly a ringing endorsement of PR.

Former OPRG CEO Karen van Bergen left in January 2020 for the dean job of Omnicom University. She was a homegrown talent, serving as CEO of Porter Novelli and executive VP at FleishmanHillard.

Perhaps Wren was right to raid the ranks of BCW.

Vladimir Putin isn't going to be inducted into the PR Hall of Fame any time soon.

His latest PR shenanigans involved destroying the reputation of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, apparently to boost the prospects of Russia's Sputnik V shot.

The Guardian reports that a shady London-based PR firm staffed with management from Moscow and founded by a Russian entrepreneur allegedly offered cash to bloggers and influencers to trash the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Fazze, which had called itself an "influencer marketer platform," claimed it was based on Percy Street though it was not registered there.

After reports surfaced about Fazze's skullduggery, it closed its website on May 24 and made its Instagram private.

On to the next PR hit job?
25/05/2021 - Today Costa Rica has formally become an OECD Member, the 38th country to do so in the Organisations 60-year history.





Costa Rica has now completed its domestic procedures for ratification of the OECD Convention and deposited its instrument of accession. This brings to a successful conclusion an accession process that began in April 2015.





OECD Member countries formally invited Costa Rica to join the Organisation in May 2020, following a five-year accession process during which it underwent in-depth technical reviews by 22 OECD Committees and introduced major reforms to align its legislation, policies and practices to OECD standards. These spanned a wide range of policy areas and included a comprehensive reform of competition policy and enforcement, a redesign of the national statistics system, the introduction of criminal liability of legal persons for foreign bribery and the establishment of a register of shareholders to ensure tax transparency.





Welcoming the news, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said: We are delighted to welcome Costa Rica into the OECD family at a time when multilateralism is more important than ever. We have been impressed that the cross-party commitment to OECD accession that we witnessed during the accession process continued into the ratification phase, despite the pandemic. This reflects the importance of working together for designing and implementing better policies, and Costa Rica will no doubt represent a new beacon for the OECD in the region, Mr Gurria said.





Costa Ricas accession will extend the OECDs membership to 38 countries. It will be the fourth Member country from the Latin America and Caribbean region to join following Mexico, Chile and Colombia.

Further information on Costa Ricas engagement with the OECD.





Media requests should be directed to the OECD Media Office (+33 1 4524 9700)

Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

_________________

Note to Editors:

The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people worldwide. It provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to the economic, social and governance challenges they face.

The OECDs 38 members are: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Sewage is bubbling through manhole covers in Tullamore town centre.

That's according to Fianna Fail councillor Declan Harvey said he had very little faith in Irish Water and claimed they were only interested in the wealthier areas of Dublin.

Councillor Harvey had earlier spoken this month's meeting of Tullamore Municipal District about raw sewage bubbling up through a manhole on Tyrells road (Convent View) in Tullamore.

''Everytime we have heavy rain the sewerage comes up on the path. There is a gully both sides of the road and one the other side of the canal. It's going on 30 years or more. I don't have great faith in Irish water, I do in Offaly County Council, and everyone that does their job. This has been going on for years. I'm asking you to investigate it again. It's going to cost a lot of money to do it but it needs to be done,'' he said.

The local councillor also asked about a report into the water capacity on the north side of the town which has been awaited for a number of years.'

'I remember when it started we were told it would be eight months, then we were told it would be another while. It's going on so long. That's Irish Water, they tell you one thing and do another. Irish Water don't seem to consider jobs here. If it was up in D4 these issues would be dealt with.''

Director of Services Tom Shanahan said the only problem with the water is a network issue. He pointed out that Tullamore has a waste water treatment plant and a good water supply.

He said the plan had four stages, three of which were complete. He said it was extremely technical and work would be undertaken on an incremental basis in terms of doing the improvements including Tyrells road.

''At the moment Irish Water has identified bottlenecks in the network and they now know what needs to be done. The next task is to come up with options to remedy those situations, it can take place in various areas around the town, there will be four reports."

Mr Shanahan said what the council has received so far from Irish Water has been very ''helpful in terms of planning applications.''
DESPITE the construction of social homes in Tullamore, Edenderry, Birr and elsewhere around the county, there are still 529 applicants for housing in Offaly, last week's meeting of the County Council heard.

A further 849 households are being assisted under the Housing Assistance Payments scheme.

At the end of April 20 single people and four families were in emergency accommodation.

A total of 27 new houses provided by the Tuath housing body were allocated at Killane Court, Edenderry recently and on Monday the council gave the green light for the construction of 38 units in Clara.

In Tullamore, work is scheduled to start this month on 41 houses at Kearney's Field and 19 at Clonminch.

The building of eight units in Daingean has resumed, as has work on eight in Mucklagh, 28 at Bog Road, Portarlington, 34 at Woodfield, Birr, four in Walsh Island, five in Tullamore and three in Cloneygowan.

Cllr Sean O'Brien, Tullamore, called for an increase in house construction and said that in addition to the long waiting lists, private tenants had been hit by hikes in rents which had reached 1,143 per month in the county town.

These will be the first generation in Ireland that will be poorer than their parents, said Cllr O'Brien. You meet the need by increasing supply.

The houses at Killane Court, Edenderry, were allocated by Tuath Housing to people on the Offaly County Council housing waiting list.

"Tuath is delighted to have worked in partnership with the Council on this Tuath led direct build development consisting of 22 three-bed houses and 5 two-bed houses. These new homes have been funded via private finance from the Housing Finance Agency and a loan from the Department of Housing," a statement from Tuath said.

Tuath already manages 71 homes in the county and currently has over 6,800 homes in management nationwide catering for over 19,000 people, with plans to deliver a further 1,800 new homes throughout 2021.

Sean OConnor, CEO of Tuath stated: We are delighted to be working with Offaly County Council to provide new social homes in the County. It is fantastic to see this collaborative effort resulting in 27 families moving into their forever homes today. We will continue to work in partnership with local authorities nationwide to deliver more homes to more people.

Cllr John Carroll, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council joined with Cllr John Foley, chairperson of the Municipal District of Edenderry in welcoming the development and wished all the families well in their new homes and in building their community together.

Anna Marie Delaney, chief executive of Offaly County Council acknowledged the role played by Approved Housing Bodies in helping to deliver quality social housing for those on the councils social housing list.

Barry O'Leary, Chief Executive Officer of Housing Finance Agency commented: The HFA is very pleased to support the important development of these fantastic homes at Killane Court, which will provide 27 families in the Edenderry area with the certainty and comfort of having their own place to live.

"The availability of low cost, long term fixed rate finance from the HFA was an important component in making the project viable and the HFA will continue to support the strong growth in activity by Tuath and other approved housing bodies across the country.

Tuath Housing is a not-for-profit approved housing body, providing long-term, quality housing. The organisation currently has over 6,800 homes under management and are active in every county throughout Ireland.

Speaking at Monday's meeting of the council, Cllr Robert McDermott also welcomed the Killane scheme.

There were 27 very happy families in Edenderry last weekend when they were handed their keys, said Cllr McDermott.
In an official statement announcing the partnership weeks later, Gaps global head Mark Breitbard commented: We are excited to welcome Kanye back to the Gap family as a creative visionary, building on the aesthetic and success of his YEEZY brand and together defining a next-level retail partnership.
THE late Offaly jockey Pat Smullen was honoured over the weekend at the Curragh racecourse when a special room was opened in his honour.

Legend Pat Smullen was a Champion Jockey on no fewer than nine occasions and rode almost 2,000 winners worldwide.

He was stable jockey to Dermot Weld for 20 years and the Curragh was his second home. Even after all his success at the Curragh as a jockey, it was out of the saddle that he had perhaps his finest day when he was the driving force behind the Pat Smullen Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland on Longines Irish Champions Weekend 2019, which raised 2.5 million for Cancer Trials Ireland for their work into pancreatic cancer trials and research.

The Pat Smullen Jockeys Room mosaic mural tribute was designed by Pats wife Frances and her artist sister Monika Crowley who worked with Richie Buttle from ProPhoto in Co Wexford to develop the artwork. The mosaic mural is made up of over 400 photos of Pat which were donated from many of Pats friends and colleagues. The unveiling coincides with Pats birthday.

There will be a formal opening of the jockeys room when the Curragh welcome back racegoers.

Padraig McManus, Chairman of the Curragh Racecourse, said: ''It is very important that there should be a lasting memory of Pat in the Curragh so that we and future generations can be reminded of his wonderful achievements.
A man from the Midlands has admitted that he attempted to murder gangland criminal Wayne Whelan in a shooting in west Dublin nearly two years ago.

His three co-accused also pleaded guilty to conspiring with each other to murder the deceased.

Wayne Ryan, Darren Henderson and two other men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arraigned before the Central Criminal Court today (Monday, May 24).

Ryan (41), with an address at Lanna Aoibhann, St Michael's Road in Longford pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Whelan (42) at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, Co Dublin on September 4, 2019.

His co-accused, Darren Henderson (31), of Cleggan Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 admitted to conspiring with Ryan and the two other men to murder Whelan within the State on dates unknown between May 15 and November 15 2019, both dates inclusive.

The two other men also pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Whelan on the same occasion.

Bernard Condon SC, prosecuting, told Mr Justice Michael White that the four defendants could each be arraigned on the separate counts.



All four men were originally charged with the attempted murder of Whelan and due to stand trial together on June 21 this year, but that date was vacated today following their pleas.

Henderson and the two other men were also accused of committing arson of a Ford Focus which was allegedly set on fire at the Old Bog Road in Kilcock, Co Kildare on the same date.



Whelan, who survived the attack, was shot a number of times in his body, head and arms while he was sitting in his car in an estate in Lucan.

However, the Clondalkin man was subsequently shot dead in a vehicle two months later before it was set on fire with his remains inside at Mount Andrew Rise in Lucan on November 18, 2019. He was identified using DNA analysis.

Whelan from Rowlagh in Clondalkin in west Dublin was well known to the gardai for his involvement in serious and organised crime for more than two decades.

Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC, for Henderson, said today that he was not looking for any reports to be prepared on behalf of his client.

Mr Justice White remanded the four men in custody until July 12, for a sentence hearing.
The Irish Enterprise Awards, run by EU Business News, has named AllPro Recruitment in Tullamore the Best Boutique Recruitment Agency - Midlands in this years awards.

AllPro Recruitments founder, David Gleeson said, It is an honour for the AllPro Recruitment team to be recognised for their hard work over the past year.

The Irish Enterprise Awards recognise and highlight enterprises that are thriving across the entirety of Ireland. AllPro Recruitment was selected by an assessment panel following in-depth evaluation of AllPros performance, achievements, skill-set and reputation.

This is the first year that AllPro Recruitment has been recognised in the Irish Enterprise Awards, coinciding with AllPros fifth year in business.

AllPro Recruitment specialise in offering the highest level of service for both temporary and permanent staffing solutions in Construction, Manufacturing, Office Support, Accountancy & Finance, Engineering, Energy and Healthcare across the Midlands region.

Its been a very challenging year for the midlands, but we are very proud that we have been able to help businesses and job seekers through this past year. And we are now focusing on further improving our services so we can better support employers and job seekers going forward," says Andrea Scally, Commercial Director of AllPro Recruitment.

Speaking about the winners recognised as part of this programme, Awards Coordinator Katherine Benton commented: Congratulations to all the winners of the Irish Enterprise Awards. It is with great pride and joy that we showcase the best of the best from across the entirety of Ireland. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of 2021 ahead.
New guidelines will be released later today signalling the planned return of indoor dining in Ireland. Indoor dining resumed in Northern Ireland on Monday with business owners here calling for greater clarity on the easing of restrictions south of the border.

When is indoor dining likely to return?

Outdoor dining will only return in Ireland on June 7 with health chiefs and government likely to analyse any impact on Covid-19 cases, particularly with the arrival of the highly transmissible Indian variant here, before allowing outdoor dining.

Soundings from the Cabinet table suggest outdoor dining in pubs and restaurants will return some time in July but there is no clarity on whether that will be early or later in the month.

What will the rules be?

Leo Varadkar has already indicated that there will be no requirement to buy a 9 meal in a pub when they re-open, nor will there be a limit of 15 patrons. Capacity allowed with be based on venue size.

There will be some rules, however, with a maximum of six people from any number of households allowed at one table. One or two-metre spacings will be required between tables depending on other safety factors.

Servers will still be wearing masks while patrons will too be required to wear a mask when away from their table and upon entering and leaving the premises.

It's understood there will be an emphasis placed on ventilation in new Failte Ireland hospitality guidelines due for release today. It may be required that windows and doors are left open when people are availing of indoor dining.

The issues

Restaurants owners have been venting about their return date with hotels allowed to accommodate indoor diners (residents only) from June 2. Restaurant owners believe this disparity in dates is unfair and damages their efforts to save their year with both outdoor and indoor diners, particularly this summer.

The guidelines may also be adjusted depending on government decisions on restrictions with the Taoiseach set to announce more details of the broader re-opening plan and easing of restrictions later this week.
AMID allegations of sell-outs, underhanded activity, exaggeration and emotional rhetoric, Offaly councillors voted by the narrowest of margins against a proposal to exclude Lemanaghan Bog entirely from an area in the county where wind farms may be permitted.

Instead of adopting a motion from Cllr Ken Smollen for Lemanaghan's outright exclusion, the council opted by nine votes to eight to pass an amendment tabled by Cllr Frank Moran which seeks to create a turbine-free zone at least 700m wide around the monastic site founded by St Manchan.

Indications that a bitter split was looming on the issue came as early as Monday morning when Cllr Sean O'Brien accused Cllr Moran of jumping ship already when it was revealed that along with Cllr Declan Harvey, he would not be supporting Cllr Smollen's motion.

Cllr Moran, Fianna Fail, responded angrily to what he called Cllr O'Brien's snide remark, indicating his belief that the two Independent members, Cllrs Smollen and O'Brien, had gone ahead with their proposal without him.

I'm most certainly not jumping ship, this ship sailed without its original signatories from Tullamore so how dare you turn around and say to me I'm jumping ship. I'm not jumping any ship, said Cllr Moran.

Instead, Cllr Moran tabled his own counter proposal, seconded by his party colleague, Cllr Harvey, calling for a 2km buffer around the Lemanaghan monastic site and a ban on large scale industrial development within 20m of the bog itself to preserve any national monuments there.

The heated exchanges between the councillors occurred during a debate on the draft county development plan which will govern development in Offaly between 2021 and 2027.

The draft was previously published for public consultation and on Monday councillors were considering a report from council chief executive Anna Marie Delaney on the public reaction to it.

Part of west Offaly, known as Area 5 in the county wind energy strategy, has been designated as suitable for turbines since 2009 and Lemanaghan Bog lies within it.

However, no turbines have been erected in west Offaly anywhere north of Lough Boora but crucially, Bord na Mona now have a proposal to build a wind farm at Lemanaghan Bog between Ballycumber and Ferbane.

The Bord na Mona bog is located very close to the early Christian site of St Manchan which is at the junction of the Ballycumber-Ferbane-Pullough roads and is one of the county's best known heritage assets.

The draft development plan once again includes Area 5 as an area open for consideration for wind energy.

The motion from Cllrs Smollen and O'Brien aimed to exclude Lemanaghan Bog from Area 5 in an effort to protect the monastic site, plus associated medieval sites such as St Mella's Cell, a network of trackways and the Pilgrim's Path (Sli Mor).

Proposing his motion, Cllr Smollen said Lemanaghan Bog had not been mentioned specifically in any of the development plans and because it was not specifically mentioned in the text of the new draft local residents were denied the opportunity to make submissions to Offaly County Council.

James Condron, planning official with the council, had earlier confirmed that there were no submissions from the public but the issue was opened up for discussion once the motion was tabled.

Lemanaghan is a place of natural beauty and is extremely rich in heritage for over 1,400 years. It is a sacred place of great antiquity and it has a long tradition of devotional practice, said Cllr Smollen.

He said it was listed as a special area of conservation and would have to be protected from destruction.

The councillor said he visited the Lemanaghan the previous day. I find it particularly concerning that Offaly County Council are unaware of its historical importance and would even consider large scale developments such as wind farms in Lemanaghan.

He described it as Offaly's present day version of Dublin's Wood Quay, much of which was destroyed for ever in the late 1970s in the name of corporate progress with the construction of ugly mass concrete buildings beside the river Liffey.

We must now allow the same destruction to happen on our own doorstep in an area that's possibly of equal historical importance as that of Clonmacnoise.

He warned of the consequences for tourism and said: Future generations will never forgive us if we allow this area of great archaeological and historical importance to be disturbed in any way and once the damage is done it can never, ever be undone.

Seconding the motion, Cllr O'Brien echoed many of those points but also referred to the existence of a house at Derravane in the area, a residence of the O'Connors dating from the mid-19th century which was used as a field hospital for IRA active service units during the War of Independence.

In the decade of centenaries I think it would be a shame to say we'd demolish this house and slap a wind turbine on it, said Cllr O'Brien.

Offaly should be protecting its heritage and exploiting the tourist potential of an area which was also rich in biodiversity.

The hand of history lands on our shoulders here today, said the Tullamore councillor.

After denying the jumping ship remark, Cllr Moran set out the context for his counter proposal.

We would caution against exaggerated claims about the implications of wind farms when we discuss possible locations, he said.

Our debates on policy must be informed and be rooted in facts rather than emotional rhetoric.

He also cautioned against the unintended consequences of tying our hands.

He said it was council policy to protect and manage monastic sites and while a site might be within an area deemed suitable for turbines, that does not mean automatic approval.

Each proposal for development will be considered on its individual merits.

Cllr Moran also indicated that national policy might have a role to play if Offaly County Council took certain decisions on planning: It would be disingenuous to suggest to the people of Offaly that we as elected members have the full and final say in what is being proposed here today.

He said a buffer zone where no turbines would be permitted within 2km of the monastic site would address the vast majority of concerns raised by residents.

He also pointed out that An Bord Pleanala had refused a planning application for a two-storey family dwelling in 2018 because it would have a negative visual impact on the amenities of the area.

While the 2km buffer was based on a similar zone put in place for towns and villages, the proposal to ban development within 20m of the bog was based on another planning decision involving the discovery of a national monument when permission was being sought to build a bungalow near a small hill.

Cllr Mark Hackett, Green Party, backed the original motion, summing up his approach to the area as leave it alone.

This is a very important area for environmental interests. It supports a large number of species, habitats and biodiversity and it needs to be protected, said Cllr Hackett.

After another Fianna Fail member, Cllr Peter Ormond, suggested an adjournment for 15 minutes so his group could discuss the matter again, Cllr Smollen re-entered the discussion.

He said there had been very underhanded efforts and pressure had been put on to scare local residents into accepting proposal from Cllr Moran.

He said residents had been visited one day before this was going to be discussed, as in yesterday to tell them about this 2km radius from the monastic site.

I think it's very unfair, said Cllr Smollen.

When Cllr Harvey put it to him that he had also visited the area himself the previous day, Cllr Smollen said he had not spoken to anyone.

I simply visited to see for myself what we are protecting and what we should protect, he said.

I met a good few people but I did not speak to them about the submission or about today. This is the usual sell-out by Fianna Fail.

He said to put turbines even within five miles of the site would be unthinkable and asked how the vast amounts of concrete and the turbines would be put there.

They might, by helicopter. They are going to destroy huge areas around here.

Further discussion of the matter was adjourned until Monday afternoon and while Cllr O'Brien consented to the break, he claimed Cllr Moran's proposal had been foisted on the meeting only that morning.

The councillors then moved on to consider another controversial topic, the buffer zone preventing the construction of wind farms within 2km of towns and villages, and after a vote they opted to remove the buffer as they had been required to do by the Office of the Planning Regulator.

When they returned to consideration of Lemanaghan Bog, Cllr Moran said he had to amend his own proposal because of the earlier 2km buffer decision.

The Clara man's final proposal, which was again seconded by Cllr Harvey, was for a protection zone, 500m north of the disused railway line, known locally as the Banagher line, and 700m in each direction from the Lemanaghan/Pullough junction, east towards Ballycumber and west towards Ferbane.

We think this is a fair balance, said Cllr Moran.

Cllrs O'Brien and Smollen voiced their opposition to the new amendment. Cllr O'Brien again referred to the importance of heritage and said that the council's own heritage officer, Amanda Pedlow, had been on the steering group which published the conservation policy for Lemanaghan and Tom Shanahan, a council director of service, had been acknowledged for the role he played in the publication.

He also claimed that turbines up to 220m high could be located in Lemanaghan, saying they would be higher than Bellair Hill, 111m, the Dublin Spire, 121m and the Statue of Liberty, 93m.

He said Offaly would have to set its own policy and drew on Irish history and referred to the poetry of Yeats.

Offaly was a planted county, he said and: For once we stop tipping our cap to the landlord.

He remembered the poet referring to those fumbling in the greasy till and concluded: 'Old Ireland is dead and gone, it's with O'Leary in the grave'. Are we going to bury Lemanaghan and leave it there for ever?

Cllr Smollen said it was not just Offaly that had to be saved, but Ireland, and he found the comments of those proposing the other motion insulting and condescending.

Not only towards me and those who support my motion but to the people of the area and the people of Offaly and the decent people of Ireland.

He said the democratic process is majorly flawed if the Office of the Planning Regulator could overturn a decision made in Offaly and he accused certain councillors of a total cop-out and a 360-degree about turn on what they said before.

They admitted how important Lemanaghan is, said Cllr Smollen.

His motion was supported by Cllr Clare Claffey, Social Democrats, who said that though she backed an expansion of wind energy, it would have to be done in partnership with communities.

Cllr John Clendennen, Fine Gael, indicated he would back the removal of Lemanaghan Bog from the wind strategy area too, saying that a masterplan for tourism should be developed for the whole area from Lough Boora across to Clonmacnoise.

He also echoed a point made by Cllr Moran earlier which was critical of how Bord na Mona had handled their introduction of their wind farm proposal, saying it was very disappointing and more clarity could have avoided the entire dispute over Lemanaghan.

The Cathaoirleach, Cllr John Carroll, who reminded members that whatever decision they took, the public would be having their say on it again, then put the matter to a vote and Cllr Moran's amendment was carried by nine votes to eight.

Those who voted for Cllr Moran's amendment were the other Fianna Fail members, Cllr Eamon Dooley, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, Cllr Declan Harvey, Cllr Tony McCormack, Cllr Robert McDermott, Cllr Peter Ormond, Cllr Danny Owens, plus Cllr John Carroll (Independent).

Cllr Smollen was supported by two other Independent members, Cllr O'Brien and Cllr John Foley, the Fine Gael members Cllr John Clendennen, Cllr Noel Cribbin and Cllr Liam Quinn, plus Cllr Clare Claffey, Social Democrats and Cllr Mark Hackett, Green Party.

Cllr John Leahy, Independent, and Cllr Neil Feighery, Fine Gael, absented themselves from the debate because of conflicts of interest with wind energy and Bord na Mona.

The amendment to the draft development plan will go out to the public for consultation again from June 11 to July 16.

The chief executive will deliver her report on the consultation on August 11 and after that the councillors will discuss it again, before the full plan's final adoption on September 20.
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The diversion of a Ryanair flight to Lithuania by Belarus, leading to the arrest of an opposition journalist who was a passenger, has sparked international outrage and calls for tough sanctions against the former Soviet nation.
As Senator, Vice President, and now President, your self-promoted/displayed empathy has a problem. You cant seem to connect the Israeli military powerhouses occupation to the oppression and destruction of innocent Palestinian civilians, illegal seizure of Palestinian land/water, and daily violations of U.S. and...
After the Belarus hijack of Ryanair to bring the dissident journalist Roman Protasevich to Minsk, the international community was concerned about his welfare.
Austria is banning direct flights and tourist visits from Britain because of the prevalence of a highly infections coronavirus variant first found in India, the health ministry has said.
An Italian mafia boss known as the "cocaine king of Milan" has been arrested in Brazil nearly two years after escaping prison in Uruguay.
Eurasia Review 27 May 2021

Saudi Arabias foreign minister and the US Secretary of State discussed on Thursday the cease-fire in Gaza.

During a..
Italian prosecutors and police cheered the capture in Brazil of a leading mafia boss who has skirted justice in Italy for nearly 30 years.
Watch VideoThere are concerns for the safety of an American journalist after he was arrested in Myanmar and sent to one of the country's most notorious prisons.



Danny Fenster, an editor for Frontier Myanmar, was detained at the airport when he was trying to leave the country.



The news organization said in a statement it...
Belarusian authorities were on Tuesday accused of torturing the journalist seized from a plane after they released videos in which both him and his girlfriend 'confess' to crimes against the state.Roman Protasevich, the former editor-in-chief...
We all deserve a safe and nurturing environment to raise our family, and that will take responsibility and accountability on the part of law enforcement but also on the part of the community, he said. You have to build relationships to be able to do that. ... I think that George Floyd is a clear representation of what you get when you dont have your best and brightest in one of Americas most noble professions.
FOX Sports 12 Jun 2021

Christian Yelich went 1-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Milwaukee Brewers in their 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Do Duy Khai comes from a farming family in Ha Giang (a northern mountainous province of Vietnam) as a child Do Duy Khai has little exposure to mass media tools, so the music he hears is just folk verses and tunes. It wasn't until Do Duy Khai went to high school that he was more exposed to modern music genres. And since then, the music has had a strong appeal 
Carrum Downs, VIC, Australia | May 17, 2021 -- For individuals who have attended funerals before, there is knowledge and understanding that this is very much an experience that no one relishes being a part of. However, the drive and determination to be able to honour and say goodbye to those that are loved after they have passed on is what essentially more or less ensures that funerals are actively 
Islamabad  May 2021. The UK in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) delivered cash assistance to 47,891 of the poorest and vulnerable families impacted by recurrent and recent disasters. The pandemic, loss of livelihoods, and further devastation due to heavy floods and locust invasion in the targeted districts harmed the ability and capacity of vulnerable populations to access basic services. Cash assistance was provided to vulnerable families in Jhal 
Oskaloosa, IA (52577)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
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
Entwined with the civics push is a new proposed state rule that would keep teachers from trying to indoctrinate students. The rule, DeSantis and Corcoran have said, is their way to ban critical race theory. Its an academic idea that isnt taught in Florida schools but has become a hot-button political issue nationwide, with GOP leaders in about a dozen states this spring pushing to ban it.
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Calvary Baptist Academy senior Elaiyna Schwartzkopf is one of 20 high school seniors throughout Michigan to have been selected to receive Lake Michigan Credit Union's annual Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship, which is worth $2,000.

Applicants were required to write a 750-1,500-word essay on the topic, A Day in the Life. Describe one day in your life from the past year.

Essays were evaluated by a panel of independent judges, with the greatest emphasis placed on passion for the topic, creativity, clarity, and originality.

Since 1990, the Lloyd F. Hutt Scholarship has provided over $460,000 in scholarships to 272 high school seniors. This year, 1,346 students entered their essays.

The scholarship program honors the legacy of LMCU founder Lloyd F. Hutt and his lifelong commitment to education and community involvement.

Schwartzkopf's essay follows:

"A Flood of Emotions"

"My hand, shaking in fear, grasped the cold metal of the doorknob. As my family stepped into our home, the smell of sewage, mold, and rot immediately assaulted my senses, causing me to become dizzy. We surveyed the main floor and felt a wash of relief as we perceived no damage; the same could not be said for the basement, however.

As we rounded the corner to our basement stairs, the smell intensified, heightening our anxiety. There was no electricity; we could barely see anything. As we turned on our phone flashlights, we gasped in unison as the water sat less than a quarter of an inch from the main floor. The basement was demolished. I was prepared for a few inches of water. I never expected over 8 feet.

As I stared into the murky water, I lost my grip on conscious thought and began to replay the events of the past few days. Over a hundred thousand gallons of water had rushed into the homes of the unsuspecting. When the official warning came, my parents and I were at the grocery store picking up a nice dinner for Family Movie Night. My twelve year old brother was home alone.

When the warnings came, we didnt know how much time we had. For all we knew, it couldve been minutes away and we were stuck in the busiest part of town with my brother home alone. Dropping our bags immediately, we ran out of the store as fast as possible in an effort to beat traffic. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea and traffic seemed thicker than rush hour in New York. When we finally got home, we didnt know where to begin.

We packed a small suitcase of clothes, threw them in the car, and drove. Thankfully, my grandparents lived close, but far away enough that the flood wouldnt directly hit them. By the time we arrived, it was almost midnight. We had little more than the clothes on our backs and enough fear to last a lifetime. The next morning, we knew, would be a day we would never forget.

When we drove back to our house, we were rerouted a couple times due to road destruction, debris, and bridge collapses. The city was in shambles: porches floated down rivers, sofas were lodged in trees, and buildings were just gone. We could have never imagined the sheer amount of devastation that happened that night. After our long, heart-wrenching ride, we parked the car fairly far away from our house as the water still had not receded enough to pull into our driveway.

The sight was something other-worldly. Such vast amounts of water did not belong where houses resided. It surrounded the base of our home, making our house appear like it was floating in the middle of a lake, nothing holding it to the Earth. The reflection of our house on the water was like a distorted mirror. From the outside, the house looked serene, but in our hearts we knew the inside was destroyed.

For the next few days, my mind could not wrap around the idea of my house being flooded. I saw the house, covered in water, and yet I still believed that when I entered and it would be normal. For many families, losing the basement would be the most ideal of floors to lose as they are often unfinished and excess space. For my family, our basement was our entire life's storage. We kept nothing on the main floor but the necessities. We lost nearly everything we owned.

We sat and stared at the muddy water, thinking of everything that was gone. My parents' wedding videos, our childhood photographs, furniture, my first baby-doll, all of my brothers toys, everything was destroyed. I snapped back to reality when I felt the pressure of my moms hand on my shoulder, preparing to enter the house for the first time since the flood, and felt her hands shake in fear as well. So much had happened in such a small amount of time. It was a lot to take in. Continuing to replay past events, however, wouldnt fix the current situation.

It was time to begin work.

With that much destruction, we didnt even know how to begin. As the water had begun receding, a few family friends came to see the damage. They brought muck-suits, masks, and head gear and literally jumped into our basement. It was a strange sight, watching people swim into my basement.

Trip after trip, they began to haul out floating bins and boxes, saving as much as they possibly could. We would have saved nothing if it were not for those men. Though they saved only a little, anything recovered meant the world to my family. When my parents finally deemed it safe, my brother and I checked out the damage in the basement. As we headed down the stairs, each step squished and sloshed, causing the water to quickly fill our socks and shoes.

The walls were no longer solid, but mashy and bubble-filled. My brother, ever-curious, poked one. With barely any pressure applied, it burst open and spilled out chunks of dry wall and debris. Laughing, yet concerned, he turned to me and exclaimed, Well, I wont do that again!

We laughed, but there was a sadness in that moment that hurt my heart. As we continued down the stairs, I glanced at the ceiling and became transfixed for a minute. Glittery paper stars were indented like ninja throwing-stars into the ceiling. They seemed to almost mock us with their

cheerful sparkle. At first I was confused as to how those stars got there, until I turned the corner.

Dozens of bins, boxes, totes, and bags littered the floor. It was as if a great hurricane took the bins and slammed them against each other. The damage was purely overwhelming. So much so, that I could not cry. I couldnt comprehend what I had lost, how this would affect my family, or what this meant for my future. I just stared at my wreck of a home and swallowed back my fear.

Suddenly, my moms phone began to ring. Then, my dads. Countless people offered food, supplies, and physical help over the next few hours. The aid was overwhelming. Every shovel-full dug by a volunteer was one shovel-full my family didnt have to worry about. Eventually, the basement was cleared and the reconstruction began.

My family lost nearly everything, but that is not why we cried. We cried looking at the overwhelming sense of love and hope our community showed us. In a time of fear, concern, and stress, the people of our city fought back their differences to come together for the greater good. Not only did they help those in need, but they hurt with us. Many times complete strangers would show up at my home to help work. As I went over to greet them, our eyes met and I could see, over the top of their mask, their eyes brimming with tears. I did not know these people, yet they cried with us over our losses.

Smiles slowly crept back onto our tired faces as we thought of all the wonderful volunteers that came to help us. Somehow we knew, looking at the support from those around us, that we were going to be okay. Love allowed the healing process to begin. I am forever changed due to this ordeal as I am now encouraged to be the help that was given to me. When tragedy strikes, I will no longer wonder what to do. Instead, I will be the first to help. For the remainder of my life, I will strive to bring light into dark moments and a smile to the faces of those most in need."
NEW YORK (AP)  Dan Frank, a revered and longtime editor at Pantheon Books who worked with such prize-winning authors as Cormac McCarthy, Oliver Sacks and Jill Lepore, died Monday at age 67.

Frank had been Pantheon's editorial director since 1996 and his death was announced by Reagan Arthur, executive vice president and publisher of Knopf, Pantheon, and Schocken, who noted that Frank was so identified with the imprint it was known to some as Dantheon. He died in Manhattan, but the cause of death was not immediately available.

"For decades, Dan has been the public face of Pantheon, setting the tone for the house and overseeing the list," Arthur wrote in a company memo shared with The Associated Press. He had an insatiable curiosity about life and, indeed, that curiosity informed many of his acquisitions. As important as the books he published and the authors he edited, Dan served as a mentor to younger colleagues, endlessly generous with his time and expertise."

Lepore, the historian and New Yorker staff writer, wrote in an email to The Associated Press that Frank was the finest of men, and the best of editors. He found delight in ideas and beauty in prose, and he helped put them there.

Survivors include Frank's wife, Patty; three sons and a grandson.

Frank's books at Pantheon and its sister imprint Alfred A. Knopf ranged from McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winning The Road to Cynthia Ozick's most recent novel, Antiquities. He worked on Revolutionary War history by Joseph Ellis and several scientific books by Oliver Sacks, including Hallucinations and Musicophilia. He had a special interest in comics and graphic books, including Marjane Satrapis acclaimed memoir Persepolis, which Frank was able to acquire for the U.S. market because he could read it in its original French.

Frank was a native of New York City who attended Haverford College as an undergraduate and received a master's degree from the University of Chicago. He was editorial director at Viking, where he worked with James Gleick and Bruce Chatwin among others, before joining Pantheon in 1991. Pantheon had been home to Jean-Paul Sartre, Studs Terkel and Gunnar Myrdal among others, but at the time the publishing community wondered if Pantheon  and publishing itself  was on the decline. Its gifted, iconoclastic head Andre Schiffrin had been forced out amid a dispute with Random House executives over budgeting and creative control. Several editors left with him, and Terkel and E.L. Doctorow were among the authors who criticized Random House.

Pantheon continued to release acclaimed books under Frank, including works by Lepore, Art Spiegelman and Charles Baxter. Pantheon published last year's winner of the National Book Award for fiction, Charles Yu's Interior Chinatown, and a 2019 nominee for best translated literature, Yoko Ogawa's The Memory Police.
Life experiences can influence a students academic aspirations, a premise that Dallas Gibson, a Gladwin native, can attest to as he prepares to graduate cum laude from Ferris State Universitys College of Health Professions with a bachelor of science in nursing.

Observing what went on as my grandfather was treated for a heart condition, going in and out of different care facilities, that proved to be a strong motivation for my efforts in higher education, Gibson said. I began my pre-med studies at a college in Cleveland, Ohio, and found, over time, that I had more concerns about my direction, in terms of my place in the caregiving process than having feelings of hope and confidence by following that charge.

When an opportunity presented itself, Gibson was ready.

I saw an opportunity in nursing as that place where I could make a hands-on contribution to the care and healing of others, so I pursued my options in that field, he said. I was very encouraged by the feelings I had about the structure of Ferris program and am thankful that I made this decision and selection.

Gibson came back to Michigan and Ferris as an upperclassman and spent his first year preparing to apply to the nursing program. He acknowledged he is part of an under-represented male population enrolled in the bachelor of science nursing program, believing he and his four peers are helping to dismiss a long-held stereotype.

Gender considerations that people presume, whether it is from history, media or other influences, are not really accurate, Gibson said. We can give care and consideration to our patients, just as anyone with a desire to serve as a nurse can do. It is especially clear after completing my clinical rotation that becoming a nurse will allow me to make the contributions and feel the personal rewards that I have sought.

To limit his collegiate debt, Gibson has held off-campus jobs that claim his weekends. Still, he believes he enters his professional life with a better understanding of a work-life balance thanks to putting in those hours on the job.

It is definitely a challenge, balancing work schedules and requirements with my studies, but I was always able to get into a groove and work past any limitations, Gibson said. I was always focused on my studies, proud to be a member of the Sigma Tau Theta nursing honor society, in the Kappa Epsilon chapter for West Michigan nursing programs. I am proud of my semesters on the Deans List and my Sigma Tau Theta and Honors cords that I will wear, for commencement. It is also important to take care of yourself, so I was mindful of that component of being successful and made sure that I was healthy and happy, as I worked toward my degree.

Like peers across the country, Ferris students experienced significant changes in Spring 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gibson said virtual instruction is far from his favorite learning mode, but he accepted and met that challenge.

Zoom sessions were definitely impactful on our curriculum, Gibson said. I was able to set my frustrations aside and steel myself to pursue and complete my assignments for those online classes. It helped me to realize how much I love nursing. As I made my way through the clinical rotations, I itched to be more involved in offering patient care, beyond learning from the observations that we gain as students.

Gibson said his clinical rotations offered him great opportunities in experiential learning. However, it was a significant effort to travel with others to the Grand Rapids area for stints in the Progressive Care and Critical Care wards of Spectrum Health-Butterworth.

I was intrigued by my grandfathers care when he required this level of assistance, Gibson said. I went into the rotation wanting to learn all I could about this kind of treatment and was thankful that what I hoped to pursue professionally was all that I believed it would be.

The professionals in that ward found themselves impressed with Gibsons interest and abilities.

I had a conversation with a nurse-manager in the Clinical Advanced Cardio-Pulmonary department, where I received direction to apply for an open position, Gibson said. It was a successful application and interview process, and I am proud to say I am joining the Spectrum Health-Butterworth nursing staff in July.

His small-town upbringing and collegiate experience, including his time in clinical rotation, find him comfortable with the challenge and anxious to settle in and learn more about his new home.

I am excited to be returning to a larger city, to enjoy what it can offer in terms of learning, culture and enjoyment, Gibson said. I have been a big fan of museums for a long time, so I am very looking forward to all that Grand Rapids can offer me.

Gibson also reflected on his move from Gladwin, where his adoptive mother gave up her career position at Dow Chemical Company to become a substitute teacher, which gave her greater opportunity to raise her family. He expressed appreciation for her sacrifices and those he made to pursue his dream and begin his professional life in the healthcare field.

It is a different feeling, to complete my studies and focus on the patients who will be in our care, at the Meijer Heart Center, Gibson said. I am planning to live alone in Grand Rapids, which will very much suit my lifestyle. I wish I had met and gotten to know more of my nursing classmates, heading out to start their careers. There are certainly many options to pursue in the healthcare industry, even with a bachelors degree. I cant wait for this next chapter to begin.
Community Action Month is a celebration of the accomplishments of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the country. CAAs are a robust state and local force, reaching individuals and families in 99 percent of Americas counties with life-changing services that create pathways to prosperity.

As part of the CAA network, Mid Michigan Community Action Agency (Mid Michigan CAA) serves Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Mecosta, Midland, Muskegon, Oceana, and Osceola Counties. Over the past year, our communities have faced unprecedented challenges including a pandemic and a 500 year flood event. In the face of these obstacles, Mid Michigan CAA has adapted to serving clients through largely virtual means while continuing to administer all programs and even adding additional services as new and increased needs arose.

Last year, Mid Michigan CAA distributed 48,441 food boxes or 750 tons of food. As a response to increased food insecurity due to the pandemic, they were able to distribute 55 more tons of food than the year before.

Despite swift changes to the programs, Mid Michigan CAAs Head Start and Early Head Start programs served 533 children last year. These programs provide support for children and families. They use a curriculum that supports school readiness and coordinate with area public schools to facilitate smooth transitioning for each child.

In the 2019 income tax season, Mid Michigan CAA processed returns for 440 households, bringing $478,566 in returns back into Clare, Gladwin, Mecosta, and Osceola Counties.

Last year, Mid Michigan CAA weatherized 44 homes through the Weatherization Assistance Program. An additional 23 households received roofing repair assistance through the Housing Preservation Grant. These services make homes safer, healthier, more comfortable, and more affordable for the residents.

In 2020, Mid Michigan CAA administered the Eviction Diversion program, helping residents in 180 households stay in their homes.

The last year brought changes and challenges we could never have imagined. In response, we were able to expand our services and add new programs to address the needs of our communities. We are energized at being asked to serve our communities in ways weve never done before, said Jill Sutton, executive director of Mid Michigan Community Action. And while there is still work to be done, we are proud to continue helping people, changing lives.

Mid Michigan Community Action guides local residents on the path to self-sufficiency through empowerment, education and community enrichment. Connect with us online at www.mmcaa.org for more information on our programs and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube @MidMichiganCommunityAction for news and updates.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Ecologist Rolf Peterson remembers driving remote stretches of road in Michigans Upper Peninsula and seeing areas strewn with deer carcasses. But that changed after gray wolves arrived in the region from Canada and Minnesota.

When wolves moved in during the 1990s and 2000s, the deer-vehicle collisions went way down, said the Michigan Tech researcher.

Recently, another team of scientists has gathered data about road collisions and wolf movements in Wisconsin to quantify how the arrival wolves there affected the frequency of deer-auto collisions. They found it created what scientists call a landscape of fear."

In a pretty short period of time, once wolves colonize a county, deer vehicle collisions go down about 24%, said Dominic Parker, a natural resources economist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and co-author of their new study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Both thinning of the deer population by wolves and behavior changes in fearful deer are factors in the drop-off, Parker said.

When you have a major predator around, it impacts how the prey behave, he said. Wolves use linear features of a landscape as travel corridors, like roads, pipelines and stream beds. Deer learn this and can adapt by staying away.

Gray wolves, among the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. But in other regions of the U.S., gray wolves have dispersed naturally; the population in the lower 48 states now totals about 5,500.

The new study said that the presence of wolves, maligned by ranchers whose livestock suffers predation, also can save money by indirectly reducing deer-vehicle collisions. In 2008, a study for the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated those crashes cost more than $8 billion annually.

Most economic studies of wolves have been negative, focusing on livestock losses, said Dave Mech, a senior research scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Minnesota, who was not involved in the new study and praised it. "But wolves also reshape ecosystems in many ways, although thats hard to measure economically.

Some studies have looked at tourism revenue generated by wolf-watchers in Yellowstone, but that money doesnt flow directly to communities living alongside wolves, said Jennifer Raynor, a natural resources economist at Wesleyan University and a co-author of the new study.

We wanted to look at other ways the wolves impacted the region," Raynor said. These auto collisions are happening, or not happening, in rural areas, and so are livestock damages.

Michigan Tech's Peterson, who was not involved in the research, said, If anything, the researchers underestimated the value of the deer-vehicle crashes. The deeper dimension of these collision costs can include large medical bills and, sometimes, human fatalities.

A 2016 study found that cougars decreased the number of deer-vehicle crashes in parts of the eastern U.S. by about 22%.

The wolf study adds to growing awareness that scientists should consider both the costs and the benefits of having large carnivores on the landscape, said Adrian Treves, a University of Wisconsin conservation biologist not involved in the study.

___

Follow Christina Larson on Twitter: @larsonchristina

___

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.
To the editor:

I protest attempts at politicizing Michigan's polling process. Our state had a record turn-out at the last election, and the record shows that the results were fairly and accurately counted. There was nothing to improve! And yet we suddenly have 39 bills being proposed to "fix" the election system. Some of these stand out for their ignorance of both current events and impartial poll-taking:

For example SB 279 allows more partisan poll challengers into the process. This politicizes a system that is meant to be impartial  as the 2020 election was  and free of party rancor. In addition SB 290 through 294 propose these challengers serve a party, be appointed by a candidate, and even prohibits non-partisan challengers to participate. This only adds heat and confusion at our polling stations.

And here is what's most galling: SB 309 grants these party-appointed poll challengers expanded rights and authority over clerks and poll workers. Can this be? Giving political parties the right to interfere with  even commandeer  the legitimate polling process?

These bills don't make elections fairer or more accurate. Heating up the polling stations with partisan aggression cannot improve our elections. It can only lead to strife and inaccuracy. Could this be what our legislators want? Perhaps it gives them plausible deniability if an election doesnt go their way? Possibly.

But I see it as serving their political party, not Michigan's citizens who pay their salary. Please stop these bills, and any further attempt to politicize our electoral process.

PETER ANDERS Ph.D.

Midland
The vacation-rental boom spawned by Airbnb and similar services is undeniable, and there is seemingly no end in sight. If you are thinking of taking advantage by purchasing a summer cottage with the expectation of recovering the costs or even turning a profit, be careful.

For some buyers this investment works out just fine, but for others, the venture will end in civil infractions, costly lawsuits and financial loss.

You would think that some pre-purchase due diligence could save these investors from trouble, but unfortunately, even savvy buyers are asking the wrong questions of the wrong people.

Short-term rental pitfalls

Most people think they can just ask their local zoning and planning department whether local ordinances allow the property to be rented short term and get an answer they can rely on. They will typically get an answer, but not one they should rely on, even when it is the zoning administrators word. Their interpretation of the ordinance is not binding on the local government.

As soon as a neighbor complains, the local government or neighbor can sue to enforce a different interpretation than the one given by the zoning administrator. If the courts agree short-term rentals are prohibited under that ordinance, it is game over. It will not matter what you were told before you purchased the property.

Another mistake would-be cottage-owners make is thinking that if local ordinances do not expressly prohibit short-term rental of property, then it is allowed. Not true. With zoning ordinances, it works exactly the opposite.

If the zoning ordinance does not say a particular use is allowed, then it is prohibited. Even some zoning administrators fail to fully grasp that concept, which is another reason why relying on the staffs interpretation can be a bad idea.

On top of that, discerning whether the ordinance actually does allow short-term rentals can be tricky. Last year, the Michigan Supreme Court just took up that question for Spring Lake Township and concluded all four lower court judges who reviewed the case had misinterpreted the zoning ordinance.

Purchasers sometimes fail to realize that even if the local zoning ordinance clearly allows short-term rental of the property, that right may not be one they can purchase with the property. For example, deed restrictions may limit property rights by prohibiting anything but residential use, or the property may be subject to association rules that ban rentals.

As with local ordinances, it is not always readily apparent in reading those restrictions and rules that the terms mean short-term rentals are prohibited. Michigan courts sometimes give the words a meaning that is not obvious.

How to avoid problems

Do not despair. There are ways to avoid winding up with a doomed investment.

First, share your intentions for the property with your real estate attorney. Not your realtor, not your friends  your real estate attorney, whose practice is focused on real property law. If you need to know the property can generate revenue before you purchase it, then you need the assurance of legal counsel that the law does not stand in the way.

Second, get a binding interpretation of the zoning law from the zoning board of appeals if there is any question. The local government will be legally required to abide by its decision.

For associations, there are ways to get greater assurance from the association board as to what the rules mean. An argument could be made that those assurances are binding in court, if they induced you to purchase the property.

The old adage that it is easier to seek forgiveness than permission does not apply to short-term rentals. The law is unforgiving: you either have permission or you do not. So above all else, find out whether or not short-term rentals are permitted before you make that purchase.

Gaetan Gerville-Reache is a partner in the law firm Warner Norcross + Judd LLP who focuses his practice on appeals, real property litigation and environmental litigation. He regularly argues in the Michigan Supreme Court, including on short-term rental issues. He can be reached at greache@wnj.com.
Reginald Collins, a 23-year-old healthcare program specialist, found a home in the Zebra Coalition after being kicked out of his family home for being gay. He stayed in a Sumter County homeless shelter and couch surfed with friends until he was provided a bed at the coalition in 2017. Collins said it helped him learn how to become a young adult in a world thats built against him.
Livingston, TN (38570)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
An informal memorial service for George Alvin Kerschner, 74 of Palestine will be held Friday, June 11, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Bailey & Foster Chapel. Arrangements have been entrusted to Bailey & Foster Funeral Home. Please feel free to come and go as you please. To view online
PONTIAC  If the federal Food and Drug Administration does go through with a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, Leo Melik, the owner of Leo's Tobacco in Pontiac, expects that his store will suffer a 30-40% hit in revenue.

"I doubt that we can make up for that," he said. "Obviously, it will be a big hit and I'm not sure how we will be able to recoup or get that profit margin up again."

Melik has been in the tobacco business for 12 years, which means this isn't the first time he's heard of the FDA proposing to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. While the FDA formally announced it was "working toward" a ban on "menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and ... all characterizing flavors (including menthol) in cigars" on April 29, the discussion isn't new.

The agency was granted the authority to regulate "the manufacture, distribution and marketing of all tobacco products" by Congress via the Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act in 2009. Talks of banning menthol cigarettes have been ongoing ever since.

While that law forbade the sale of all other flavored cigarettes, advocates say effective opposition from the tobacco industry blocked menthol from being included under the ban.

"The tobacco industry argues that menthol is unique  that it's not a flavoring," Illinois American Lung Association Advocacy Director Kristina Hamilton said. "It is a very lucrative part of the tobacco market and there was a lot of very, very strong opposition."

The ALA, along with other, similarly minded advocacy groups, Hamilton said, has been waiting since 2009 for the FDA to reevaluate the sales of menthol cigarettes "and whether they should continue to be on the market."

"It did take some time, as policy change often does, but (the announcement) is different and is unique because it wasn't included in the 2009 law," she said. "No FDA, to my knowledge, beforehand, under previous administrations, have made announcements that they want to end the sale of menthol cigarettes."

At least symbolically, public health leaders call it a win.

"The biggest question, when it's all said and done, is: 'Does this move benefit the public health?'" said University of Michigan associate professor David Mendez. "Time and time again, we come to the conclusion that if you weigh the benefits versus the potential costs, there are more benefits than costs and this is a move that will benefit the public."

Mendez is the co-author of a study that concluded menthol cigarettes contributed to 378,000 premature deaths in the U.S. from 1980-2018, building upon previously-established data that shows those products, in particular, are more harmful than unflavored counterparts.

"The issue with menthol is that it is not a substance that is innocuous. Menthol has a property of masking the roughness of smoking, so it can get young people who are experimenting to transition to regular smoking more easily than regular cigarettes  and then you have more smokers. They start with menthol and they are more addicted and have more difficulty quitting."

It's a multifaceted issue for Black smokers: from 2011-2018, there was a decline in the use of menthol cigarettes among white teenagers, but no such decline was seen among Black or Hispanic/Latino youth, according to data from the FDA. While 30% of white smokers favor menthol, nearly 85% of Black smokers use those cigarettes in particular.

"There's also a disproportionate impact of menthol cigarette use on the Black community  in particular, the very targeted, predatory marketing of menthol cigarettes back in the 1950s and 60s," Hamilton said. "They have really been effective in getting millions of Black smokers addicted to their product."

In announcement regarding the proposed ban, the FDA said it was considering a study that projected a ban on menthol would "lead an additional 923,000 smokers to quit, including 230,000 African Americans in the first 13 to 17 months after a ban goes into effect." Another estimated that, overall, "about 633,000 deaths would be averted, including about 237,000 deaths averted for African Americans."

Critics say a menthol ban is tantamount to Prohibition and will create underground markets that, in turn, could affect people of color.

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"I think they have not been honest about the fact that this will impact neighborhoods of color," Illinois Retail Merchants Association vice president Tanya Triche Dawood said. "African American neighborhoods are the ones that are dealing with this thriving underground market that is, generally, run by street gangs and contributes to all of the ills that a lot of African American neighborhoods are suffering with right now. Why would do something that would flood the market with more illegal activities?"

The American Civil Liberties Union, concerned the ban would lead to more police encounters with people of color, issued a letter to the FDA urging the agency to "avoid solutions that will create yet another reason for armed police to engage citizens on the street based on pretext or context that does not pose a threat to public safety."

In its announcement, FDA officials said enforcement of the ban would extend only to "manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, importers and retailers."

"The FDA cannot and will not enforce against individual consumer possession or use of menthol cigarettes or any tobacco product," the announcement reads.

The ACLU's four-page letter assumes the FDA's proposed ban has a shot at becoming law  something not everyone thinks is likely.

"It requires Congress to put public health ahead of lobbying and campaign money," University of Michigan assistant professor Erik Gordon said. "There's a sense in which, I think, it's a tragedy at the level of every new kid who becomes a smoker, and it's a tragedy at the national level because of all the money we spend on health care. Here's something that we could do that would be costless  and we won't do it, because of the lobbying power of an industry."

Industry sales representatives who check in regularly with Melik at his strip mall-based shop told him not to get too worried about the proposal.

"They were saying that they don't worry about it," he said. "This happened many times before and it's just, like, a stand by the government, saying that they are serious about menthol and it will just go away again. I'm not sure, and I'm just quoting their words  that's what they told me."

Robust revenue allows Illinois to repay federal loan early Illinois Democratic leaders announced Thursday that they have agreed to repay federal pandemic-relief loans more than a year earlier than scheduled, saving taxpayers $100 million in interest.

Exploring the impacts of menthol cigarettes, Gordon said, is a moot point, since "the public health answer seems to be pretty clear."

"They don't need more data: It's a political issue," he said. "But the FDA gets its budget from Congress, and when pharmaceutical companies or medical device companies or the tobacco industry cranks up their lobbying efforts, Congress makes it clear to the FDA where to back off."

Gordon, who's taken an interest in monitoring the tobacco industry for decades, said he's seen the issue proposed so many times that he doesn't believe the FDA will end up banning menthol when the matter is said and done.

"I think the FDA is well-intentioned, but I don't think they're going to be able to pull it off," he said. "Fighting the tobacco industry is a fight you'll rarely win. I think, in the end, the FDA is not going to issue a final regulation, because the tobacco industry will be successful in pushing the FDA back  either directly or via pressure through Congress."

Congress isn't the only option for pushback against the sale of menthol cigarettes.

4 issues the Illinois General Assembly could address before spring session ends The clock is ticking in Springfield. Here are four issues that could come up in the final 10 days of the Illinois legislative session.

"The American Lung Association is still encouraging state and local governments to pass their own menthol cigarette laws to end the sale at the local level," Hamilton said. In Illinois, the village of River Forest and Chicago are the only municipalities with tobacco product bans in place, although both bans only apply to flavored electronic cigarettes.

If the ban does become law, it will take some time before it can be enforced on any level, at all.

"Once it's proposed, there will likely be a 90-day comment period and after that, the FDA will take some time to review all of those comments," Hamilton said. "Once the final rule is released. .. it will not take effect for another year.

"As a lobbyist, I am used to this taking a while; it comes with the territory that policies take time to create, develop and implement," she added. "But again, we've been advocating for the FDA to make this decision since the 2009 law was passed, so that means this was more than a 10 year effort to get here."

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BLOOMINGTON  Three retired chief judges of the 11th judicial circuit will head three bipartisan panels that will each draw a redistricted map for the McLean County Board to adopt.

Former Chief Judges Beth Robb, Kevin Fitzgerald and John Freese will each lead a panel of eight members to propose new district maps, as the county board must draw new maps every 10 years based on census numbers.

The 24 panel members consist of small business owners, farmers, teachers, and administrators from State Farm, Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University.

The three new maps will be available for public view by July 8, and the 24-member advisory committee will conduct a public input meeting afterward.

The full county board will vote to adopt a new map at its July 15 meeting.

The appointments by McLean County Board Chairman John McIntyre came with input from Board Vice Chairman Jim Soeldner, R-District 2, and county board member Elizabeth Johnston, D-District 5.

McIntyre said McLean County is leading the way in the state, as it will be the first time the county draws new district maps without board members and instead from an independent, bipartisan panel. He also pledged a transparent process.

No secret room. No closed doors. No unrecorded conversations on the taxpayers dime, McIntyre said in a statement. This process takes the power away from elected board members to draw map boundaries.

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McIntyre announced the creation of the so-called Red, White and Blue Ribbon committee at the boards May 13 meeting, two days after the board agreed to keep its current format of 10 districts with two members representing each.

The original intent was to have one eight-member panel draw three maps, but Johnston said that seemed like a daunting task, and plans were changed last week.

Soeldner said they had nearly 90 names to choose from between recommendations from him, Johnston and McIntyre.

As we started going through the names we found out thatto get a diverse committee as far as gender, ethnicity and party affiliation or whatever, we needed more than eight members, Soeldner said.

Johnston said they wanted to capture a wider sense of what McLean County looks like.

While Soeldner and Johnston agreed that the committee is diverse, they also agreed about having a hard time reaching younger people.

Age was a little more difficult, Johnston said. We did find that there were more people who were available who were retired to be able to commit to something like this, but weve done our best to try to make sure that weve got people from every walk of life.

The committees first task is to decide which census data it should use to draw the maps with, McIntyre said in a statement, but Johnston said as of now the group is limited to one option  the 2010 census.

She said 2019 American communities surveys do not provide as precise data down to each block as they would need to re-draw maps, therefore, the group will use the same data that current maps are based on.

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To get on the 2022 ballot, the committees would need to submit 891,589 valid petition signatures for each initiative and receive approval of the proposed ballot wording from the Florida Supreme Court. Lawmakers last month approved a bill (SB 1890) that is designed to make the process harder by placing a $3,000 cap on contributions to committees trying to put initiatives on the ballot.
LANSING, Mich.  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration on Monday rescinded a rule that limits restaurant tables to no more than six people, a day after she apologized for ignoring the COVID-19 regulation while gathering with friends at an East Lansing bar.

The Democratic governor has said tables at the Landshark Bar & Grill were pushed together as more people arrived in her party of roughly a dozen fully vaccinated people.

A revised gatherings and face mask order, issued by the state health department, no longer includes the six-patrons-per-table provision, effective June 1. Whitmer had announced last week the planned easing of capacity restrictions on June 1 but had not specified if other changes would be coming in the new order, which was released as expected Monday.

The governor also signed a revised workplace safety order that immediately no longer requires 6 feet of separation between tables.

"It was an honest mistake. I have apologized for it," Whitmer told reporters.

Violations of coronavirus orders are enforced against employers, not customers. State regulators have fined more than 280 employers.

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Asked if the Landshark should be fined and, if not, if she would lift fines on other businesses, the governor said the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has "specifically not gone forward and penalized businesses that are trying to do the right thing. It's those that have flouted and put people's safety at risk that are the most concerning."

Later Monday, the Ingham County Health Department reported having received a complaint about a party at the Landshark exceeding six guests, but said it decided against enforcement action because "non-critical restaurant complaints are initially treated as education/consultation for the owner/manager."

"The matter is considered resolved given conversation with the owner, and the owner's assurance that parties will be limited to no more than six guests in the future," spokeswoman Amanda Darche said. "There is no history of similar complaints with the Landshark."

Republicans in the GOP-led Legislature said Whitmer should rescind fines that were levied on businesses. They previously complained that the six-person limit keeps large families from eating together.

Whitmer also has come under criticism for waiting to release information about a flight to see her elderly father in Florida, which occurred weeks before two top aides traveled south for spring break as COVID-19 cases soared.

In May 2020, Whitmer acknowledged that her husband dropped her name in an effort to get his boat in the water for Memorial Day weekend but said it simply was a "failed attempt at humor."

"Michiganders deserve more than a hollow apology after a year of 'rules for thee but not for me' from their governor," Tori Sachs, executive director of the conservative Michigan Freedom Fund, said in a statement. "We are calling on Whitmer to end her orders today, pardon every individual accused of a similar offense, rescind every violation issued by state and local officials, and refund every fine the state's collected."

Last week, Whitmer announced that capacity and crowd restrictions will be lifted July 1, citing vaccinations and new federal guidance on masks.
SPRINGFIELD  Republican senators on Monday raised concerns about four Prisoner Review Board members who have continued to serve for almost two years despite not being confirmed by the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, a constitutional requirement in the state.

In a news conference in Springfield, Republican Sen. Steve McClure, of Springfield, said Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who initially appointed the members in 2019, is using shady practices in allowing the appointees to serve unconfirmed, keeping the Senate from fulfilling one of its essential obligations.

McClure was joined at the conference by fellow Republican members of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, Sen. Jason Plummer, of Edwardsville, and Sen. Terri Bryant, of Murphysboro.

The PRB, an independent 15-person body appointed by the governor, imposes release conditions for incarcerated individuals being released from prison.

The board has the authority to grant, deny or determine conditions of parole and notify victims and families when an inmate is going to be released from custody. The board also makes recommendations for clemency petitions to the governor.

The appointees in question include Aurthur Mae Perkins, Joseph Ruggiero, Oreal James and Eleanor Wilson. All four were appointed members of the Prisoner Review Board by Pritzker in March and April of 2019, but were never confirmed by the Senate.

Pritzkers press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said the Republicans were grandstanding by calling the news conference.

For the Prisoner Review Board to be able to undertake its difficult and complex mission, members must be able to make parole determinations entirely independently, she said in an email statement. Subjecting members to political grandstanding sets a new and dangerous precedent for this constitutional function.

The members appointments and votes are transparent, and their meetings are open to the public. Additionally, the Senate Executive Appointments Committee sets the schedule for confirming gubernatorial appointees, and it is routine practice for appointees to be withdrawn so that the Senate has more time to consider the appointments, she added.

McClure said Pritzker is skirting a constitutional requirement and he said he believes the Executive Appointments Committee is allowing it to happen.

They are manipulating the process and providing the governor cover for what is looking more like an obvious and intentional maneuver to hide these individuals from question and scrutiny, McClure said at the news conference.

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In accordance with the Illinois Constitution, the appointees are required to testify before the Senate Executive Appointments Committee to be confirmed or rejected within 60 legislative session days of their appointment.

As the 60 session days deadline for confirmation approached in March 2021, Senate Republicans said Pritzker withdrew the four appointments and reappointed each of them days later, which reset the 60 session days.

Perkins and Ruggiero were both appointed to the PRB by former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Perkins was appointed by Rauner in 2015 and reappointed by Pritzker when her term expired in 2021, according to the governors office. Ruggiero was appointed by Rauner in 2018 and reappointed by Pritzker. According to the governors office, Ruggiero was not confirmed prior to his terms expiration in early 2021, when Pritzker reappointed him.

Plummer said he has shared his concerns publicly both in committee and on the floor with Democratic Sen. Laura Murphy, of Des Plaines, chair of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, to no avail. He said Senate Republicans have also sent Murphy a letter outlining their concerns.

In the news conference Monday, Bryant urged Murphy to post a hearing for the individuals so they can make their case for being on the parole board.

These individuals were appointed over two years ago and have been making tough, serious life-altering and even controversial decisions, all without having to go through the necessary process that's already in place to ensure that they are the right individuals for the job, Bryant said.

Murphy was unavailable for an interview, but issued an email statement to Capitol News Illinois.

The Executive Appointments Committee follows a 60-session-day clock on all appointees, and well ensure no appointee is in danger of their time expiring before they are brought before the committee. We ask that everyone be patient during this process until the time is appropriate for these appointments to be considered, Murphy wrote.

The committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, but Senate Republicans noted none of the PRB appointees are scheduled to testify in that hearing, marking the 11th committee hearing since the appointments were first made.

Aside from urging Murphy to take up the four appointees before the end of session, Senate Republicans have filed their own legislation through an amendment to Senate Bill 1475.

SB 1475 would require members of the PRB to be confirmed by the Senate within 30 session days or 90 calendar days after the appointment, whichever occurs first. Failure to make a decision within this time period would result in a rejected appointment, according to a release.

The bill would also prohibit the governor from withdrawing a member of the PRB and reappointing them within two years. Under the bill, once an appointment to the board is withdrawn, the member is not eligible to be reappointed for at least two years after the date of the withdrawal.

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Illinois reported fewer than 1,000 COVID-19 cases Monday, the first time that the state has seen consecutive days of fewer than 1,000 cases since July 2020.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 933 new cases Monday, following 943 cases reported Sunday. It marks the first time since July 13-14, 2020 that Illinois had reported two consecutive days of fewer than 1,000 cases of the virus. The state also reported 10 new deaths.

The state also reported 49,200 tests being reported on Sunday and 33,010 reported Monday.

Testing combined with fewer cases means a lower positivity rate with IDPH reporting a positivity rate at 2.7% Monday with the rate as a percentage of tests staying steady at 2.2%.

The state saw a peak number of daily cases on November 6, 2020, when 18,049 new cases were reported that day. Since that day, daily cases have declined 95% and the positivity rate has dropped from 11% then to the current just under 3%.

IDPH also announced Monday that it would be implementing a new program that would allow officials to monitor early warning signs for COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater. The program, started in association with the Discovery Partners Institute of Chicago, will begin in 10 counties across the state, with Cass, Macon, Montgomery, Vermillion, Carroll, Franklin, Fulton, Jefferson, Lawrence and Livingston counties each being analyzed at the outset.

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Eventually, the program will expand to 35 counties by the summer, with all counties across the state having some form of this system by the end of the year. IDPH will spend $5.5 million to implement the system statewide throughout the year.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of IDPH, said that the new system would provide for a better warning system for possible COVID-19 outbreaks, as the virus is visible in fecal matter almost immediately after infection.

"Data generated through sampling wastewater will help public health officials better understand the extent of COVID-19 infections in communities," Ezike said. "Measuring the virus levels in untreated wastewater can serve as an early indicator of increasing infections in a community and can inform our public health actions."

Another hiccup in the vaccination reporting system led to a smaller-than-expected number of shots reported Monday, as CVS Pharmacy did not report their vaccines into the system in time for release. IDPH said that CVS' numbers would be included over the next few days.

IDPH reported 36,358 new vaccinations Monday, with the seven-day average remaining steady at 76,133 vaccinations per day.

Overall, Illinois has provided 10,940,769 vaccinations, with 5,085,890 being fully vaccinated, making up 39.92% of the population. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also state that 65% of all Illinois adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 48% being fully vaccinated.
The Hamas terrorist group ruling the Gaza Strip is finally doing what it could always have done, namely ceasing fire on Israel, meaning that Israel is ceasing fire, too. If Hamas had never started sending thousands of rockets to light Israels skies, there would not have been an 11-day war, hundreds would not have been killed, infrastructure would not have been smashed and there would be more hope in the world.

But then, the Palestinians have been playing this game for decades even as people have said Israel should not shoot back because, for one thing, Israel now has whats called the Iron Dome, a protective system that takes out thousands of the Gaza Strips rockets with thousands of its own. Critics have then growled that Israel kills more civilians than Hamas and doesnt need to. It would in fact be insane for Israel to just fold its hands and wait for the worst to pass.

An inhumane terrorist trick, after all, is to use civilians as a shield, to launch weapons from schools, for instance, so as to thwart return damage to the launching mechanisms. Failing to destroy those mechanisms has a price, and is Israel supposed to just yawn when a 5-year-old Israeli boy gets killed in his aunts apartment? Applaud as living conditions are devastated by shrapnel? Shrug its shoulders when a block of homes is destroyed?

Egypt arranged this peace agreement that may or may not last, and congratulations. But meanwhile Israels critics should understand that Palestinians do not recognize Israel as a nation, and that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader of this stretch of land between Israel and Egypt  25 miles long and 6 miles wide  once made it clear that, in his mind, the issue is not whether Israel will be wiped out. The issue is when that will happen.

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There have been Israeli-Palestinian wars aplenty, and Hamas is not without allies, such as Iran, which helps supply weapons as part of its ambitions to conquer the whole Middle East, murdering the innocent with its usual enthusiasm.

President Barack Obamas nuclear deal with Iran made its conquest of others more likely and President Donald Trump not only took the deal apart but helped initiate the Abraham Accords through which Israel began to fashion closer relationships with Arab countries. President Joe Biden has sought to reinstitute and reshape the nuclear deal, and Iran is slaving away to enrich uranium sufficiently to make nuclear weapons.

After World War II, Israel was lucky to have a good, strong Western friend, namely Britain, which worked with the United Nations to strengthen Israels hold in the Middle East and facilitate expansion as immigrants poured in from all over owing to anti-Semitic torture, including the Holocaust.

A war ensued as Arabs tried to hold back this idea and Israel was able to keep land it had been granted as well as take some land granted to the Arabs. There have been other wars, all kinds of negotiations, varied agreements and no end to terrorism. Its not as if Israel has never taken wrong steps, but a chief objective has been self-defense and preservation of what is seen as a sacred land while its chief enemies have often been evil, totalitarian dictators mistreating their own people.

Israel has established alliances with Egypt and Jordan and lately with other Arab nations understanding that Iran is their enemy and Israel a valuable trade partner with needed military muscle. A major Trump step was recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, something Obama once endorsed and apparently forgot. Israel is important to the Middle Easts future, the United States is important to Israels future and we should be careful not to open the door and let wisdom walk away.

Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Email speaktojay@aol.com.

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Today, TELUS Health, the largest Canadian-owned provider of personal emergency response services (PERS) announced it is revolutionizing how Canadians experience wearable emergency support in Canada by launching TELUS Health Companion on Apple Watch. Telus is one of Canada's largest national telecommunications companies.

It's a 24/7 emergency monitoring service provided through TELUS Healths LivingWell Companion national response service combined with the Apple Watch Fall Detection API and proactive monitoring functionalities, this new service enables more Canadians with health issues or who may be at risk of falling to experience improved safety and peace of mind.

TELUS Health is helping advance innovation in the PERS industry by making it accessible through the modern and powerful intelligence of Apple Watch, while offering greater independence and a sense of security to those who want to live independently for longer.

Juggy Sihota, vice president Consumer Health, TELUS: "Supporting Canadas vulnerable population that is at risk of falling or having a medical issue is fundamental at TELUS Health as we strive to deliver innovative technologies that put patients first. Through collaborating with Apple, were proud to be the first in Canada to transform how personal emergency response is experienced. We value our role in helping Canadians, particularly those who are aging, to live independently while giving them and their caregivers peace of mind knowing that they are connected to support 24/7."

The new TELUS Health Companion service leverages the fall detection and location sharing capabilities of Apple Watch; if Apple Watch detects that the user has taken a hard fall, this information is sent to TELUS Healths national Central Monitoring Station. Trained operators will immediately contact the customer to confirm the emergency, then alert the customers designated emergency contacts, and can dispatch emergency support if needed.

According to a recent study by the National Institute of Aging, in partnership with TELUS Health, a strong majority of Canadians, particularly those 55+, said they intended to maintain active, independent lifestyles as they age, but nearly one in three Canadians dont feel prepared to deal with medical emergencies while alone.

At launch, customers with an Apple Watch Series 4 or later can simply add the TELUS Health Companion service for only $30 per month. New users can purchase a cellular-enabled Apple Watch with TELUS Health Companion monitoring service starting from only $54 per month, a $120 in savings on Apple Watch. All users must have a post-paid wireless TELUS plan with an iPhone 6s or later, and have the latest iOS installed.

For more information or to purchase TELUS Health Companion on Apple Watch, customers can call: 1-888-505-8002 or visit: telus.com/companionwatch to learn more.
In Orlando and surrounding areas, one in three hospitality industry workers are an immigrant, said Idler Bonhomme, chairman of the Greater Haitian American Chamber of Commerce in Orlando. Im grateful to the Biden administration for extending the TPS for Haitian nationals, but more can be done. We want all immigrants to have the same opportunity  a path to permanent residency.
On Tuesday, Arm announced details of the first Cortex-X2 CPU and Mali-G710 GPU cores that will drive future Arm-based smartphones and PCs in 2022. In the latter category, Arm is already making fairly aggressive claims against Intel.

Specifically, Arm claims that its new flagship performance core, the Cortex-X2, should be 40 percent faster in single-threaded performance than an Intel 11th-gen Core i5-1135G7 at 15Wessentially as fast as 2020s mainstream Tiger Lake CPU, in other words. Arm also revealed a new big core, the Cortex-A710, as well as a new little power-sipping core, the Cortex-A510. A choice of three new Mali GPUsthe Mali-G710, the Mali-G510 and the Mali-G310will also be integrated inside the chip.

Arm is calling these total compute chips, which will combine all three Cortex cores and a Mali GPU inside them. Theyre all the first of the Arm v9 generation, which Arm announced in March. (The new Cortex-A710 is the Matterhorn chip the company announced then.)

Arm executives said its possible that its licensees will have these chips in production by the end of this year, though PCs and handsets will probably wait until 2022. [Arm] is giving you the opportunity to do what you want, when you want, all with absolutely no compromise in performance, battery life, and security, said Paul Williamson, general manager of the client line of business at Arm, in a press briefing. Thats freeing device designers to innovate in form factors, and pioneer into new markets.

Arm Combined, a gaming device that includes the new Cortex chips plus the new Mali GPUs should generate these performance improvements, Arm says.

Arms Cortex-X2 leads the charge

Remember, the Arm system-on-a-chip that makes up the chip inside of your smartphone or PC is made up of several CPU cores, all working together. There's the heavy-lifting performance core, or Cortex-X2; three or so big cores balanced for performance and efficiency, or the new Cortex-A710; and four or so energy-efficient little cores, now known as the Cortex-A510. The Mali GPUs then step in to assist with graphics processing.

One of the advantages of the Arm architecture is that less intensive tasks are routed to the more efficient, lower-power little cores. Because of this, overall performance estimates can be a challenge. However, as a gaming device, Arm estimated that its new Arm v9 CPUs and Mali GPUs would yield an overall 33 percent CPU performance improvement, a 20 percent performance improvement in graphics, and 15 percent better power efficiency than the previous generation.

Arm Arms three new Cortex CPUs, led by the Cortex-X2 performance core.

Arm also made specific claims about its individual cores, too. PCs will largely be driven by the new Cortex-X2 core, which Arm claims will deliver 16 percent more performance than the prior Cortex-X1. Arms Cortex-A710 will deliver about 10 percent more performance than the older Cortex-A78, and offer 30 percent more energy efficiency. Arms Cortex-A510, its first new little core in four years, offers a substantial 35 percent more performance versus the older Cortex-A55. Put another way, the little -A510 offers almost as much performance as the previous big core, Williamson noted.

Machine learning (ML) has also become a critical point of improvement, as phones depend on them for AI-powered portrait modes, speech recognition, and more. All three members of the new v9 Cortex CPU family include at least double the machine-learning uplift of their predecessors, and support the Arm v9 SVE2 instructions that will allow app developers to tap those capabilities.

What we dont know about are some of the other intriguing features of the v9 instruction set, including whether or not these new v9 CPUs and GPUs will include the virtualized Realms containers or the hardware raytracing features that Arm announced at the end of March. From a security standpoint, the new Cortex cores will support memory tagging, the technique that Arm co-developed with Google to secure the phones own memory.

Mali GPUs deliver graphics improvements

Arm said that the Mali GPUs will include their own performance enhancements. (In PCWorld tests of laptops like the Samsung Galaxy Book S, the Mali cores inside the Qualcomm Snapdragon chips tend to hold their own.)

Arm Here are Arms new Mali GPUs, each with their own particular performance improvements.

Arm said that the flagship Mali-G710 will offer a general 20 percent performance improvement, a 20 percent drop in power consumption, and a 35 percent uplift in machine learning. The Mali-G510 actually doubles performance over the prior Mali-G57, based upon a broad range of content, including benchmarks, Williamson said.

Executives also said that the Cortex CPUs and Mali GPUs were decoupled enough that a laptop maker could certainly build a laptop with a Cortex CPU as well as a third-party GPU, such as an Nvidia GeForce chip. (Nvidia is in the process of buying Arm, but the sale isnt expected to close until possibly by the end of 2021, if approved.)

Everything will be tied together by the new CoreLink CI-700 and the CoreLink NI-700. The former is a coherent interconnect that ties together all of the high-bandwidth components of the chip, like the CPU and GPU. The NI-700 connects everything else, including the peripheral devices.

Arm Arm imagines various combinations of Cortex CPUs and Mali GPUs in various devices.

Arm licensing: The difference between Apple and Qualcomm

In the PC space, the two most famous Arm licensees are Apple and Qualcomm. Apple, of course, has developed the powerful M1 chip, which appears in both its Mac computers as well as its iPad Pro tablets. Qualcomm, however, has designed the Snapdragon line of Arm chips for PCs, which has tended to struggle to catch up to AMDs Ryzen and Intels Core chips.

Why such a difference in performance? Arm licenses its CPUs in two different ways: either as just the instruction set itself, or as a set of Cortex CPU designs which the licensees can implement and possibly tweak. The difference is what each company licenses, as Tirias Research analyst Kevin Krewell pointed out.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon chips use Arm Cortex CPU cores designed by Arm, Krewell said via an instant message. The Apple M1 chip uses Arm cores designed by a team at Apple. Apple only licenses the Arm instruction set, not the Cortex CPU cores. Arm hasnt said whether Apple has signed a v9 license, however.

Arm

When Arm launched the v9 instruction set in March, it predicted that per-core performance would increase by 30 percent over the first two Arm v9 CPU generations, starting with these news chips. Arm said Tuesday that the new Cortex-X2 delivers 16 percent more performance versus the Arm Cortex-X1.

The older Cortex-X1 became the foundation for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 as well as the Samsung Exynos 2100, both of which were designed into the well-reviewed Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone. (Samsung ships Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S21 handsets to U.S. customers and uses Exynos to power the Galaxy line most everywhere else.)

In other words, that means that theres a good chance that youll see the new Cortex-X2 cores in future Android flagships and Arm-based Windows laptops, while Apples designers will continue down their own path with future derivatives of the M1. (Krewell noted that Qualcomm bought a startup called Nuvia in January that was building its own Arm CPUs, and will use the designs in future Snapdragon processors.)

Arm executives stressed that what these new Cortex and Mali cores offer are just the promise of future enhancements to PCs and phones. Performance will be dependent upon the customer, how they implement the design, and what manufacturing technology they use to fabricate it. On the other hand, the benchmark claims Arm is making should be the minimum level of improvement these devices achieve, which should herald exciting times ahead.
In line with its commitment to empowering local businesses to thrive in the midst of COVID-19, Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) has hosted the second edition of its Adesua Series to educate its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) clients on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) opportunities.



The virtual event, themed Time with Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Import/Export Procedures and AfCTA Opportunities, aimed at removing ambiguity about procedures and also to encourage CBG SME customers to follow the laid down procedures to avoid paying penalties or being taken advantage of by Clearing Agents.



Reiterating CBGs commitment to support SME clients in the wake of the COVID pandemic, Deputy Managing Director of CBG, Thairu Ndungu, said the bank is committed to being at the forefront of supporting SMEs. He said, We pledge to be at the forefront of servicing SMEs with products and value propositions designed to grow their businesses. We continually engage in strategic partnerships with Organizations such as Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Enterprises Agency, GHIRSAL, Exim Guarantee and many more to help our SME customers.



Speaking on the three important facilities to support SMEs, Albert Akurugu, Esq., Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Customs Division of GRA said, Under the AfCTA Secretariate, the Secretary-General has announced 3 important facilities to support SMEs including finance facility where the AfCTA has provided a 1-billion-dollar fund for SMEs in Africa, a Pan African payment platform aimed at reducing the cost associated with exchanging currencies into dollar in order to transfer and pay for goods and services. Again, we have created an AfCTA app to enable interconnectivity for expansion of businesses, reach potential customers, and access information on trade.



On non-payment duty, he stated that any country in Africa that has signed on to the AfCTA is enjoined by the agreement to continue to dismantle their tariffs over a period of 10 years to ensure that a 0 % rate is reached by the tenth year.



On his part, General Manager for Business Banking at CBG, Michael Quansah, said CBG has alternative payment channels for Customs duty payments. He said, It is exciting that over a period of 10 years, AfCTA is looking to eliminate Customs duty payments among intra-Africa trades. CBG has several payment channels for payment of Customs duty including in-branch payments and Ghana.gov on *222#.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Ernestine Kabuo returned home after fleeing the lava flow in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, to find that her husband had not survived.



The 68-year-old was unable to carry her sick husband out of their house and she found him burnt to death, she told Reuters news agency.



At least 22 deaths have been confirmed following Saturday's eruption of a nearby volcano, Mount Nyiragongo.

But the lava stopped short of the city's built-up area.



This avoided the level of death and destruction witnessed in 2002. It did, however, hit the Buhene district, where Ms Kabuo's home was.



"I said to myself: I can't go alone, we've been married for the best and for the worst," she told Reuters reflecting on what happened on Saturday.



"I went back to at least try to get him out but couldn't. I ran away and he got burned inside. I don't know what to do. I curse this day."



Five people died of asphyxiation while trying to cross the lava when it was cooling in a place just north of Goma.



A sixth person is in hospital with breathing difficulties, civil society leader Mambo Kawaya told the AFP news agency.



Since then, the authorities have tried to prevent people from visiting places where the lava is cooling, Goma journalist Esdras Tsongo told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme.



Other Goma residents, a city of 670,000 according to UN estimates, are searching for missing loved ones as the city, and the region, continue to experience earthquakes.



More than 170 children are feared to be missing and 150 others had been separated from their families, the UN's children's agency, Unicef, said, adding that centres would be set up to help unaccompanied minors.

Source: BBC









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The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Trustees of the late Edward Osei Boakye of Boakye Mattress fame in connection with a legal tussle over a commercial building owned by the late business magnate.

In a unanimous decision last Thursday, [May 20, 2021] a three-member panel of the court dismissed a review application by one Yaw Boakye who was seeking to invalidate the terms of settlement reached between him and the Trustees with regard to the building.



Review application



Yaw Boakye wanted the apex court to set aside an order by a single judge of the court, who adopted the terms of settlement between him (Yaw Boakye) and the Edward Osei Boakye Trust Fund in 2014.



According to him, the judge had no jurisdiction to adopt the terms of settlement of the parties.



In dismissing the review application, the court held that the single judge who adopted the terms of settlement between the two parties as consent judgment, had jurisdiction to do so.





It further held that the single judge did not breach any rule or procedure of court.



Also, the highest court of the land held that it would be disingenuous for the applicant (Yaw Boakye) to rush to court seeking to overturn the terms of settlement when he had already benefitted from it for more than six years.



The review panel was presided over by Justice Yaw Appau, with Justices Professor Nii Ashie Kotey and Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu as members.



Background



The property under dispute is located at Airport just before the Shell filling station at 37.



Following the death of Mr. Edward Osei Boakye in 2006, a dispute arose between Executors of the Estate and the Trustees who operate under the name Edward Osei Boakye Trust Fund represented by three Trustees, and Yaw Boakye over the ownership of the property.



The dispute travelled from the High Court to the Court of Appeal where Yaw Boakye lost in a judgment delivered in 2011 and was ordered to vacate the property.



He filed an appeal at the Supreme Court during which the parties agreed to settle the matter amicably leading to a consent judgement in 2014.



As part of the terms of settlement under the consent judgement, the Trustees of Mr. Edward Osei Boakye decided to sublease the property to Yaw Boakye for a period of 15 years for a monthly rent payment of $35,000 payable annually in advance.



Trustees fight back



The Trustees filed a case at the High Court that after payment of one year rent, Yaw Boakye defaulted in the payment of rent as agreed in the consent judgement, with outstanding rent amounting to $1,260,000 covering the period May 2016 to April 2019.



In view of non-payment of rent since 2016, the Trustees went to court seeking to recover the commercial property from Yaw Boakye and his tenants, recover unpaid rent and also damages for breach of contract.



As part of their case, they prayed the court to order the tenants on the property not to pay rent to Yaw Boakye but to the court until the final determination of their suit and also for the court to inspect the property to ascertain the number of tenants and also whether or not they had been paying the rent.



High Court order



On July 22, 2019, the High Court, presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, upheld the application of the Trustees.



He, therefore, ordered the Registrar of the Court to inspect the property to ascertain the number of tenants there and also to inspect the tenancy agreement and the rent receipt books.



It is further ordered that future rent due first respondent (Yaw Boakye) should not be paid to him but be paid into court and the rent placed into an interest bearing account till the final determination of the suit or some such time as the court May direct, Justice Kyei Baffour ordered.



Dissatisfied with the decision, lawyers for Yaw Boakye filed an application for stay of execution pending appeal against the decision of the High Court. It was dismissed by the High Court.



He then appealed to the Court of Appeal, but on December 10, 2019, the Court of Appeal dismissed it and held that granting the application would prejudice Yaw Boakyes appeal against the decision of the High Court.



Yaw Boakye then appealed to the Supreme Court and filed an application for the suspension of the order made by the High Court.



However, on April 20, 2020, a five-member panel of the apex court dismissed his application as incompetent and slapped cost of GH5,000 against him.



Yaw Boakye followed with numerous applications which were all dismissed, the latest being the review application challenging the consent judgement.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, has praised Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, saying that the business environment in the country had changed "dramatically" under her leadership.



"Things have opened up and I can assure you that wherever I go I will be the champion of Tanzania and will tell people that things have changed and everybody should come and invest here," the Nigerian businessman said.



Mr Dangote said he was looking into several areas of investments, including fertiliser.



Tanzania's government spokesperson shared a video of Mr Dangote speaking to reporters after meeting President Samia.



Mrs Samia came into office in March after her predecessor John Magufuli died of heart complications.



The former president had a contentious relationship with foreign investors.



His supporters said that he was a defender of Tanzanian interests but some said his abrasive tactics while dealing with investors had sullied the country's reputation as an attractive business environment.









Mambo yamebadilika Tanzania, kila mmoja aje awekeze zaidi hapa Tanzania - Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mwekezaji. pic.twitter.com/yPyTcAriGd

 Gerson Msigwa (@MsigwaGerson) May 24, 2021

Source: BBC









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This years edition of the World Meets In Ghana Forum, which was successfully organized in Ghana in 2019, has been postponed to August 2022  the organizers have announced.



E ON 3 Group, initiators of the event have attributed the postponement to the COVID pandemic, with Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City announced to host the 2022 edition.



Under the theme, Exploring Investment Opportunities in Ghana as a Gateway to Africa, the 2022 event, just like the maiden edition - is expected to target the key sectors in the country including Energy, Agribusiness, Oil and Gas Extraction, Mining and Quarrying, Banking and Finance, Aviation and Manufacturing. Other sectors are Information (Media and IT), Real Estate Development, Business Process Outsourcing, Educational Services, Import/Export Wholesale and Retail Trade and Project Finance.



https://youtu.be/BFrCbIg7vRk?list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b



The idea is for participants to interact and discuss policies and programmes as well as positive ideas that generate vibrant businesses opportunities and help create wealth and improve the livelihoods of people in all communities in Ghana.



The Group has also announced the touring of about 15 countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, China, Turkey and the United Arab, Emirates, among others, to sensitize businesspeople about the 2022 event.



Mr Richard Adjei Mensah Ofori-Atta, the Executive Director of E ON 3 Group, has said the World Meets In Ghana Investors Forum and Executive Dinner Ball is an international event, hence the world tour.



https://youtu.be/BGamZSR7rwA?list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&t=2





According to him, it was appropriate and important for the Group to create awareness regarding the rollout of the programmes for the second edition across the globe to replicate the successes chalked during the maiden event in Kumasi.



He also said, before the world tour, his group would liaise with all the relevant government Ministries, Departments, Agencies, MDAs as well as industry players and identify their investment opportunities to connect them to the right investors.



https://youtu.be/8QTOhuECOlk?list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&t=2



Mr Richard Ofori-Atta mentioned a 20-year vision of the World Meets Investors Forum, which would be launched during the 2022 event. The concept starts from 2022 to 2042 and seeks to spread business opportunities across the African continent.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhYoGG7R3A&list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&index=7



According to him, the organizers of the event have also decided to rotate the host of the elite among the African countries to help fulfil the Groups vision of spreading wealth across the continent through business forums. He stated that the next African country to host the 2024 edition of the forum would be announced during the 2022 event in Accra, after an open and transparent draw to select the next host country.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO0KPijfUlw&list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&index=4



Dr Francis Ashong-Katai, the Project Coordinator of E ON 3 Group, on his part, said Ghana has reaped several benefits, following the first edition.



He touted Ghana as a stable country with high democratic credentials, with sterling capacity globally to attract investors. In addition, he pointed out, the siting of the headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) in Accra adds impetus to Ghanas credentials.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEvQAyTvz1Q&list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&index=5



He noted that the E ON 3 Group has strategic programmes to make Ghana the gateway to Africa in the area of business and investments, stressing that his groups positive plans for the country was on the right course.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBTvqBQUIV4&list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&index=6&t=2004s



In his speech during the maiden edition in 2019, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, lauded E ON 3 Group for its vision to organize the forum and stressed that, in organizations such as the World Meets Forum, the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda is sure to have its vision realized in record time.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYshr_kChtk&list=PL74z-QG-QNVCpt2cltoSz-Hy7OcVAqL_b&index=8





This forum will showcase Ghana as an investment destination and the gateway to Africa...Therefore thumbs up for the E ON 3 Group for contributing your quota to accelerate national development through business, he said.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndRD7bhkA4g&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=1



The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in his succinct remarks, said the forum would give a rare opportunity to the government to get the right and unbiased feedback, regarding the governments policies and programmes. This is necessary for supporting the government to attain its vision of industrialization and the resultant creation of jobs and livelihoods.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uauSncRHrbk&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=2



Prof. Tal Edgars, Group Executive Chairman GBSH Consult, on his part, said Ghana is among the top ten attractive destinations for business and investment, citing Ghanas peace in a sub-region of instability as key in attracting investors into the state.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUfaXzUlYI4&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=6



Mr Edward Effah, the Chairman of Fidelity Bank of Ghana, also stated that the forum would definitely expose Ghana to the rest of the world and also attract the needed investors, thereby helping to improve the economy and create wealth.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBfGLn_VSgc&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=3





The Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Elsie Awadzi, who was very brief in her remarks, highlighted the numerous interventions by her outfit, which has helped to strengthen the banking sector in the country.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIdk7fSJymM&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=4



Fidelity Bank, Barclays Bank (now Absa Bank), Access Bank, Bank of Africa, Exim Bank of Ghana, GNPC, GIPC, Ghana Gas Company, Goil, Ghana Free Zones Authority, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, B5 Plus Limited, Omni Diagnostic Ltd and Angel Group of Companies supported the 2019 edition.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNmaRKdOgdw&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=7





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVU_z_uT2BQ&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=8





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiT9-yX9dik&list=PL74z-QG-QNVDmVeW99fj5esGD-hdmikF_&index=9





Click on the links below to see the investors' forum pictures



https://www.worldmeetsinghana.com/investors-forum/





https://www.worldmeetsinghana.com/investors-forum/







Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The vociferous Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong has named someone he alleges was involved in the death of the journalist, Ahmed Hussein Suale.



In a television interview with Adinkra TV in New York, on Monday [May 24, 2021], Mr Agyapong said the suspect [name withheld] was a resident in the Ashanti Region.



He asked the security agencies to pick him up as part of their investigations into the case.



Mr Agyapong himself has been named as a suspect in the case.



Before Suale's death, Mr Agyapong, in various television and radio interviews had issued threats to expose journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, with whom the late Ahmed Suale worked with.



Anas Aremeyaw Anas per his modus operandi has always appeared in public with his face covered but Mr Agyapong in a campaign insisted on exposing him and his modus operandi including his team members from TigereyePI.



The undercover investigator and a key member of Anas Aremeyaw Anas' TigereyePI team, Ahmed Hussein Suale was shot dead in January 2019 unidentified men who were reportedly riding a motorbike.



He was shot three times; twice in the chest and another in the neck while driving to his Madina residence.



It has been more than two years since Suales death.



The police have since been on the tails of his killers much to no avail yet.



What Ken Agyapong said



Mr Agyapong's name has come up as part of investigations and while the nation awaits closure on the gruesome death, Mr Agyapong in the Adinkra TV New York interview on Monday dropped the name of the new suspect, whom he alleged the police has been trailing for more than one year.



Mr Agyapong said in the interview that: "Ahmed Suale, when I condemned Anas for a deal they were engaged in, the person who killed him is in the Ashanti Region."



He alleged that he [Agyapong] was told by police officers who said they did not know how his name [Agyapong] came up, to exercise restraint and stay away from commenting on the case.



But Mr Agyapong said he could not stay away any longer as the police was delaying with their investigations.



He alleged that the mentioning of his name as a suspect went to the extent that a Congressman in the US reported him, and that when he arrived in Houston [USA] in November 2019, he was stopped at the airport and told he was a suspect in a murder case in Ghana.



He said the police have the report on the said suspect in the Ashanti Region and went further to mention the name [withheld] in the interview.



He said the police have shown him pictures of the said suspect and over a year they have still not arrested him, "and my name is still out there [as a suspect]."



And the sad story they told me whilst showing me a photo of the tall "guy" with his back showing was was that, anytime they picked information on his location and they informed the police in Kumasi, by the time they [police in Accra] reached the destination, the guy had been tipped off and he had fled, he said.



He accused the police in Kumasi of being complicit in the investigation.



He said he was on a British Airways flight with the police officer who first informed him about the suspect and that a new commander who had taken over the case also confirmed the same suspect to him [Agyapong].



He said he was asked not to put out the name of the suspect and the police appealed to him to exercise restraint since they were yet to complete the forensic report.



Mr Agyapong insisted that it has been over four months since then, adding that he cannot wait any longer but to drop the name of the new suspect publicly so as to save him from the "embarrassment, accusation everywhere when they (police) know the killer."







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 High Commissioner of Rwanda to Ghana, Dr Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, has appealed to the international community to stand up for justice by bringing the planners and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda to book.



The High Commissioner expressed worry that 27 years after the tragic incident, there were many suspected masterminds and perpetrators who continue to enjoy protection from some governments and powerful institutions.



Therefore, dear leaders and members of the international community, Rwanda will continue to count on you to stand up for justice in honour of the memory of the innocent lives lost, bringing the planners and perpetrators of the genocide to book, and uniting the fight against the denial, revision and trivialisation of the genocide against the Tutsi, she said.



Commemoration



Dr Kacyira was speaking at a ceremony in Accra last Saturday (May 22) to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.



Organised by the Rwanda High Commission in Ghana, in collaboration with the Rwanda Community in Ghana, Benin, Cote dIvoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the event was on the theme: Remember, Unite, and Renew.



Dubbed : Kwibuka 27, the event offered a platform to honour the lives of the over a million lives that were lost and renew commitment towards the prevention of any form of genocide in any part of the world.



Solemn ceremony



The solemn ceremony was characterised by candle lighting, which signified hope and resilience of Rwanda, solidarity messages, and accounts of survivors who escaped death throughout the 100 days of brutal killings.



In attendance were members of the Diplomatic Corps, government officials, sympathisers, and members of the Rwandan community in Ghana.



Distorting the facts



Dr Kacyira said the genocide against the Tutsi was not a reactive event as claimed by some distortionists but rather a culmination of decades of hate propaganda and targeted killings that were well planned and executed.



Telling the truth about the genocide offers us, among other things, an opportunity to honour and uphold the resilient human spirit of Rwandans and the contributions of many friends of Rwanda to the reconstruction of post genocide Rwanda, she said.



Ghana commended



She commended the Government of Ghana for its decision to maintain its contingent in Rwanda during the genocide at a time the country needed the assistance of the international community.



The decision taken by Ghana, she added, enabled the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) to save more lives in the heat of the genocide.



For Rwanda and Ghana, it became a seed for a deep sisterly relationship that we continue to nourish and cherish to this day, she said.



Rwandas resilience



In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mrs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, commended the people of Rwanda for their strength and resilience and demonstrating that they had the ability to transform their lives regardless of their history.



She emphasised that the most important means to prevent loss of innocent lives like what happened in Rwanda and similar atrocities in the past was to ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous crime were brought to justice.



Not much change in the world



The officer who led the Ghanaian contingent deployed to serve in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, Major General (rtd) Henry Kwami Anyidoho, expressed concern that not much had changed in terms of preparations towards the prevention of genocides in Africa.

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.

Featured Video
The opportunities for investors to play a part in Africas social and economic development by providing more of its rapidly growing population with clean, reliable power are highlighted in a new Growth & Recovery video produced by Oxford Business Group in partnership with the world-class solutions provider JESA.



Titled Powering Africa: Green Opportunities and available in English and French, the video can be viewed at https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/powering-africa-green-energy-opportunities-rapidly-growing-region



OBGs Growth & Recovery videos are among the latest additions to the companys suite of research tools, providing essential information on developments across key economic segments and their prospects for future growth, as the global economy moves towards recovery.



In the video, OBGs narrator noted that Africas fast pace of growth had heightened the need to bridge the significant gaps in power provision across the continent.



Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with a population projected to more than double, from 1.1bn in 2019 to around 2.5bn by 2050. Today, more than half of the regions population has no access to powerhe commented.



He also said that Africa was well placed to make renewables a key part of its future energy mix, boasting considerable potential across the solar, wind, hydro and geothermal segments. Focusing on sustainability, he added, would help the continent capitalise on its sources of renewable energy.



Hicham Kabbaj, JESAs Managing Director, said rapid population growth and the ongoing urbanisation under way across much of Africa had heightened the need to make new power infrastructure there a priority.



The potential for developing green sources of power generation in the region is huge, as the solar and wind projects already established in both cities and rural communities show, he said. Moves to boost the role of renewables in the energy mix will also help with broader efforts to make new growth both sustainable and equitable at a time when investors are keen to seek out projects that have given weight to ESG principles.



Commenting ahead of the launch, Marc-Andre de Blois, OBGs Director of PR and Video Content, agreed that while Africa faced several challenges in its efforts to develop the regions power infrastructure, the potential rewards were considerable, as the Groups Growth & Recovery video showed.



Our broadcast highlights the positive developments under way in Morocco, which has already built major industry expertise following the countrys pledge to make more than half of its capacity renewable by 2030 he said. As well as highlighting the hurdles Africa faces in terms of infrastructures, weve been able to shine a spotlight on a renewable energy ecosystem that has succeeded in gaining the confidence of a wide range of stakeholders.



The Growth & Recovery video on Africa forms part of a series of tailored broadcasts that the global research and advisory company is currently producing with its partners, alongside other highly relevant, go-to research tools, including a range of country-specific outlook articles and interviews.



Click here to subscribe to Oxford Business Groups latest content: http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/country-reports

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Featured Video
Oswego, NY (13126)

Today

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Thunder possible. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Thunder possible. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
The Ghana Police Service has alerted the public to the circulation of fake recruitment advertisements because it is currently not taking any applications.



In a statement signed by its Public Affairs Director, Superintendent Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman, the Police said recruitment notices will be published in daily newspapers including the Daily Graphic.



It also urged the public to report peddlers of such notices to the nearest Police Station.



The statement added that the Police Administration has also not created any portal for protocol recruitment, "neither has it authorized any individual or group to facilitate recruitment for the service so any person who falls victim to any advertisement purporting to recruit on behalf of Police Service does so at his or her own risk".



"The Police Administration warns the public against fake recruitment advertisements. The Police Service has not advertised recruitment, neither is it taking applications from potential applicants. Any press statement, advertisement or poster calling for interested persons to apply or pay to join the Police Service is false," the statement said.



"The Police Administration further warns that it has not created any portal for protocol recruitment, neither has it authorised any individual or group, within or outside the Police Service to recruit or facilitate recruitment for the Service. Any application for recruitment into the Police Service and requisite qualifications for this year 2021 would be published in the national dailies, particularly in the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times in due time. Until then, any person who falls victim to any advertisement purporting to recruit for or on behalf of the Ghana Police Service does so at his/her own risk.



"The public should report any person, group or entity which advertises police recruitment to the nearest Police Station. Persons found culpable of such acts would be arrested and prosecuted".

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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has intensified Ghanas election bid as a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2022 to 2023.



The election, slated for June 11, has two Non-Permanent Seats at the UNSC available for the Africa Region which is been contested for by three countries  Ghana from West Africa, and two other countries from Central Africa.



Of the trio, Ghana however, has been endorsed by ECOWAS and the African Union (AU).



Ghanas campaign document, which was made available by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to the Ghana News Agency, is on the theme, Enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Peace Development.



The theme defines Ghanas role within the UNSC while actively pursuing the global critical agenda of international peace and security, guided by the globally agreed objectives in the areas of preventive diplomacy and sustainable development and Security Council reforms and human rights, as well as the strengthening of partnerships between the UN and regional organizations such as the AU and ECOWAS, in the maintenance of peace and security.



The document said Ghana had strong credentials, political maturity and independent thinking, respect for the rule of law, and human rights, active advocacy for international law, socioeconomic successes, previous experience as a Non-Permanent Member of the Security Council, all of which constitute an attestation of the countrys resolve to play an active role, as well as fully contribute to the work of the Security Council.



It noted that Ghanas active involvement with the UN commenced from the period of decolonization of the African continent, during which Ghana used the UN as a platform to advocate for freedom from colonialism, and to formulate joint African positions.



In reiterated that 64 years thereon, the continent had transformed significantly, and Ghana continues to play an active role in the continents advancement.



The document said in line with her commitment to multilateralism, Ghana since 8th March, 1957, had consistently pursued balanced and principled positions on a wide range of issues on the agenda of the UN, guided by the principles and objectives of the UN.



Ghanas commitment to the promotion of international peace and security, is demonstrated by her continuous contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations, starting from the Congo in the 1960s to the present, it said.



Currently, Ghana is ranked 10th among the top UN troop-contributing countries and its security personnel are highly respected for their professionalism.



With regards to Ghanas vision as a Non-Permanent Member of the UNSC, the document noted that Ghana was committed to the critical agenda of conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction, and multilateralism at heart of the UN peace and security agenda.



It said this should naturally include appropriate measures for early warning of emerging crises, and bringing the three pillars of the UN together in early warning, analysis and planning to prevent the outbreak, escalation, recurrence or continuation of conflict.



It said Ghana would bring her perspectives, influence and experience in sustainable development, peace and security and the promotion of human rights in advancing the work of the UNSC, especially at a time when the UN was mobilizing all Member States towards combating COVID-19 pandemic.



It recounted that Ghana had recently obliged to play a supportive role in an internationally coordinated response to the pandemic, adding that having undertaken a similar assignment during the outbreak of the Ebola Virus in 2014.



It said Ghana would seek to contribute effectively to addressing the security implications of health pandemics and to champion multilateral approaches to combating the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering and building back better.



It intimated that Ghana would continue to advocate for the implementation of the actions recommended by the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, such as improved strategic planning with a strong focus on the primacy of politics, better force generation, enhanced safety and security, strengthened efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse, the continued development of performance standards and the comprehensive reform of the UN policing.



The document said Ghana would use her membership of the UNSC to address conflicts caused by environmental factors such as land degradation, desertification, drought and climate change.

Source: GNA









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More than 100,000 people have received their second dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as of Sunday, 23 May, data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has shown. The exercise, which began on 19 May, is expected to inoculate about 360,000 persons who received their first jab from 1 March to 9 March, this year.



Dr Franklin Asiedu-Boeko, director of Public Health at the GHS, said those who received their first jab from 10 March, would have their second dose in the next phase.

He told the Ghana News Agency(GNA) in an interview in Accra that 380,000 doses of vaccine had been specifically allocated to those in the first phase and said the exercise would not end on 26 May as stated earlier.



Dr Asiedu-Boeko described the exercise as impressive despite the failure of an online application introduced to make the exercise more effective.

We are happy about the process so far because, despite complaints about the side effects of the vaccine, people are still interested in getting inoculated, he said.



Dr Asiedu-Boeko assured the public that the government was still making efforts to acquire more vaccines to get more people vaccinated.

He assured the public that the plan to vaccinate 20 million Ghanaians before the end of the year was on course.



Dr Asiedu-Boeko reiterated the need for the public to keep adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols by wearing face masks, using alcohol-based hand sanitisers, coughing or sneezing into tissues, and washing of hands with soap under running water.

Ghana, on Tuesday, 2 March 2021 kicked off its mass COVID-19 vaccination exercise in 42 selected districts in the Greater Accra, Kumasi, and Western regions.



As of Friday, 30 April, a total of 849,527 AstraZeneca vaccines had been administered to the public. Ghana recorded its first case of COVID-19 on March 12, 2020. So far 92,513 cases have been confirmed with 783 deaths. There are 1583 confirmed cases.















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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There is an African proverb: Birds sing not because they have answers but because they have songs. As we celebrate Africa Day on May 25, we are reminded of this thinking. Samsung believes the African continent is set to go beyond the questions asked of in terms of plans for future growth.



It beats to the drum of its own songs  as it embraces the potential of new technology to solve old problems, and the inherent ingenuity of its diverse people to build on the solutions to create an anthem for success. Samsung, which was last year acknowledged as the number 1 Most Admired Technology brand in Africa*, has first-hand experienced the massive strides forward many African countries have made, as they harnesses the power of technology to fuel the growth of entrepreneurship, education and to connect communities in new ways.



The application of new technology to improve processes can very well become a commodity that Africa exports. There are already inspiring examples to be found such as in Ghana. The country is using drone technology to deliver medical supplies in remote areas. Ghana's drone service makes on-demand emergency deliveries of 148 different vaccines, blood products and lifesaving medications to health facilities in the country, 24 hours a day. The drone service also delivered Covid-19 test samples in the countrys two largest cities, Accra and Kumasi, making it the first time in history that autonomous drones have been used to make regular long-range deliveries into densely populated urban areas.



The technology strides in Cameroon has been very exciting. There are only 50 heart specialists in Cameroon, and the rural and undeveloped areas make it difficult for patients and doctors to connect. With this problem in mind, Arthur Zang invented the Cardio Pad, a handheld device used by healthcare workers to send cardiac test results to relevant doctors via mobile phone connection. The implications of this are vast and there is a belief that these pads could become a part of every heart patients treatment everywhere in the world



African innovation in agriculture is also yielding results. In Sudan, where satellite images are being used to obtain data about crop performance, this data is shared with farmers by way of their mobile phones. And drones are being used in Nigeria to search for areas that could be used for rice cultivation. All of these examples use smart technology integrated with long standing industries, as a means of applying new and existing knowledge to improve processes. Smartphones are also fuelling the growth of entrepreneurship. This is increasingly seen as one of the keys to economic growth in Africa. Its generating new sources of income for many and inspiring novel solutions to old problems.



New technology creates new possibilities. For entrepreneurs to realise the potential of their ideas they need the tools to bring them to life. Many inventive start-ups are doing exactly that and in doing so they are inspiring a new generation that are embracing technology - a clear path to prosperity.



Together with governments across the continent, Samsung is also striving to transform communities and open-up skilled, well-paying job opportunities for youth with an interest in electronics. With this in mind, Samsungs Engineering Academies provides students with the necessary engineering acumen, that will help give the graduates a head start in the workplace, making them valued recruits for Samsung and the industry at large. By doing so, communities can overcome the critical need to address skills, education and entrepreneurship through technology. This, in turn, stimulates employment, positively impacting the lives of the people most in need. The engineering academies across Africa have already seen thousands of students graduate with hands-on, practical skills at no cost, enabling them to move into jobs after they graduate.



In a few years time, the new world of connected devices and services based on artificial intelligence will be able to better connect Africa with the world, and the world with Africa. There is every reason to believe in Africas ability to lead the technological revolution in many inventive ways. Afica is indeed a continent on the rise, says Dudu Mokholo, Chief Marketing Officer At Samsung Central Africa.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) today launched the Italy-Ghana Agribusiness Digital Lab project to bring together Italian and Ghanaian companies in the agribusiness sector to develop mutually beneficial business relationships.



The project will introduce Italian expertise and technology in the agribusiness value chain to the Ghanaian agribusiness market, with a focus on the following key areas: Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization; Logistics; Inputs and Agrochemicals; Irrigation; and Agro-Processing and Packaging. About 27 Italian companies with expertise in these areas will be presented to the Ghanaian market.



The project will also expose Ghanaian agribusiness entrepreneurs to Italian initiatives in agribusiness training and skills development.



The highlight of the project will be a series of virtual business-to-business (B2B) meetings to be held on June 22, 2021, between Italian agribusiness companies and their Ghanaian counterparts.



To facilitate the meetings, the ITA has established a portal, https://ghana-italy.digital.ice.it/, which offers detailed information on the participating Italian agribusiness companies and technologies, and where Ghanaian agro-related enterprises can register to participate in the virtual B2B meetings with the Italian companies.



Italy is a global agribusiness industry leader and has a number of household names in the supply of agribusiness inputs, machinery, and technologies, said Alessandro Gerbino, the ITA Director for West Africa. The Digital Lab project therefore aims to connect these Italian companies with Ghanaian firms along the agribusiness value chain to facilitate commercial partnerships that will strengthen trade and investment between the two countries.



The Digital Lab project is targeted at all Ghanaian enterprises operating along the agribusiness value chain, such as input suppliers, farmers/growers, agricultural trading companies, agro-processors, and retailers.



The Ghanaian entrepreneurs who participate in the B2B meetings will also be given the chance to compete for two scholarships for MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The MBA is a degree programme offered by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and E4Impact Foundation, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan (Italy), starting in September 2021.



Italian Trade Agency is the governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investment in Italy.



With a motivated and modern organization and a widespread network of overseas offices, ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion and training to Italian small and medium-sized businesses. Using the most modern multi-channel promotion and communication tools, it acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy in the world.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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NPP stalwart, Nana Fredua has heaped praises on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey over his determination to rid the Capital City of dirt and indiscipline.



The Minister has kickstarted an operation aimed at making Accra work by ensuring all residents comply with the laws of the land as well as keep the city clean.



He has since succeeded in whipping some residents in line by his strict measures that see to it that no one breaches the right way of living in the Capital City.



The Minister once set out to Madina in Accra where he disciplined any person caught not using the footbridge but making a shortcut escape by crossing the road which poses danger to both pedestrains and vehicular drivers.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Nana Fredua complimented the Regional Minister and egged him on not to relax his measures.



"I applaud the Regional Minister and commend him for his good job. The work he's doing has benefited me and my staff including my community. So, we compliment him and his superiors over his good works. He should continue," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the decision of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to boycott the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings.



John Boadu claims the decision by the largest opposition party shows how immature they are.



The NDC has justified the rationale behind the partys decision to boycott the two-day IPAC meeting last week.



The partys Director of Election, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah stated that political parties who did not partake in the last should not be given the platform to present reform proposals.



According to him, it is not fair that the EC proposes reforms without considering the position of the NDC, the biggest opposition party.



But John Boadu on NEAT FMs morning show said their justifications are pointless.



Why are they [NDC] giving childish complains? he questioned.







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has denied media reports that his failure to investigate some National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs for allegedly taking double salaries led to his resignation in 2020.



Describing the reports as barefaced lies, Amidu is pointing fingers at the current Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame, as being behind what he describes as politically inspired propaganda to tarnish his image.



In a six-page statement to the media, Amidu said the case was never referred to him while in office, adding any experienced and ethical person who has ever occupied the office of Deputy Minister of Justice under the Constitution knows that the Attorney General never sends a docket to another independent investigatory or prosecutorial agency without a covering letter.



He said: The effigy of the Attorney-General published alongside the concocted falsehoods of me resigning without prosecuting a case which was never handled by my office during my tenure as the Special Prosecutor demonstrates how shamefully low the hitherto respected ethical Office of the Attorney-General which I had the privilege of serving in for over fourteen years of my career has descended into since 7th January 2021.



Below is his full statement:



THE MPs DOUBLE SALARY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DOCKET WAS HANDLED BY THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND NEVER BY MARTIN AMIDU AS SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: BY MARTIN A. B. K. AMIDU



Introduction



On 17th May 2021, a friend called my attention to the fact that he had heard a radio discussion on Oman FM in which I was being blamed for the Governments inability to prosecute the Members of Parliaments double salary case which the Office of the Attorney General had allegedly transferred to my office for prosecution, and I had failed or refused to prosecute same before my resignation. This was certainly a deliberate and knowing concoction of fake news from the newly minted Office of the Attorney General to assassinate my integrity and character.



My researches led me to the Daily Guide Network report in its publication of 10th May 2021 under the heading: MPs Double Salary Bounces Back in which it attributed the inability of the Attorney-Generals Office to prosecute the suspects in the case that has come to be known as the Members of Parliament Double Salary Scandal to the infantile and banal fact that: the Office of the Special Prosecutor which was headed by former Attorney General Martin A.B.K. Amidu, took over the case to do the prosecution but the process was not completed until he resigned late last year.



Attorney Generals Politically Inspired Propaganda To Tarnish Amidus Integrity On MPs Double Salary



The politically inspired propaganda against my integrity which sought to link my resignation to the failure or refusal of this irredeemably corrupt Government for four whole years to deal with the simple offence of double salary or stealing (as the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Service put it), are false, infantile and barefaced lies intentionally concocted and put out by the Office of the Attorney-General to the unsuspecting public under the sub-heading Godfred Yeboah-Dame. The effigy of the Attorney-General published alongside the concocted falsehoods of me resigning without prosecuting a case which was never handled by my office during my tenure as the Special Prosecutor demonstrates how shamefully low the hitherto respected ethical Office of the Attorney-General which I had the privilege of serving in for over fourteen years of my career has descended into since 7th January 2021.



Throughout my tenure as the Special Prosecutor, the respected former Attorney General, Ms. Gloria Akuffo, never referred this case to me for further investigation or prosecution. Any experienced and ethical person who has ever occupied the office of Deputy Minister of Justice under the Constitution knows that the Attorney General never sends a docket to another independent investigatory or prosecutorial agency without a covering letter forwarding the docket with requisite instructions or requests.



Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, the young and inexperienced Attorney General should know now that he is the Attorney General that there are no records in his office or the Director of Public Prosecutions office showing that the Attorney-General, Ms. Gloria Akuffo, old enough to be Mr. Dames mother, sent any docket on this case to me as Special Prosecutor to prosecute. No such letter was ever received by me when I was the Special Prosecutor, and no records exists in the Office of the Special Prosecutor of receipt of such a letter or docket from Ms. Gloria Akuffo.



Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame under whose name the Daily Guide Network reports and attributes the infantile lies that: the Office of the Special Prosecutor which was headed by former Attorney General Martin A.B.K. Amidu, took over the case to do the prosecution but the process was not completed until he resigned late last year ought to have developed the capability of asking the Director of Public Prosecutions as to the status of the case instead of linking to my resignation to a matter which never came under my watch just to assassinate my character.



President Akufo-Addo Determines Criminal Prosecutions  Not The Attorney General



The credible information I received on the case is and was that the then Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions had both perused the case docket and had come to the conclusion that charges be filed against some of the suspects for prosecution. The Attorney General was instructed not to do so by the President who unconstitutionally usurped the investigatory and prosecutorial constitutional authority of the Attorney General on grounds of political expediency of having the suspects agreeable to play ball in Parliament for the Government.



This view is consistent with the clear unconstitutional usurpation of the independent exercise of prosecutorial discretion of the Attorney General by President Nana Akufo Addo in his response to a question asked by Kweku Dawuro of Kingdom FM on the governments fight against corruption on 13th December 2019, particularly the prosecution of the double salaries and other criminal cases. The President unconstitutionally assumed the status of the Attorney General of Ghana and shockingly said, inter alia, on the members of parliament double salary cases as follows:



The double salary and members of parliament: it is not a straightforward allegation of misappropriation that some people think. There is a whole lot of double counting, to what extent people were taking money vis- a-vis the emolument of the article 70 and all that, and I am thinking that unless the thing is really clear cut and it has not been made quite clear to me, to rein a whole lot of parliamentarians and the list is quite a lot, to rein a whole lot of parliamentarians on a fifty -fifty case, for myself I dont think that we will be doing the public interest of our country any service in that way. So the process of seeing to what extent the set off can be, there is been ongoing, there is a group doing that work and when they finish we be in a position to let the country know what the final outcome of the double salary thing is.



The framers of the 1992 Constitution followed the hallowed tradition of Anglo-Ghanaian jurisprudence by enshrining the prosecutorial powers of the Republic of Ghana in an Attorney-General who is professionally responsible for prosecutorial decisions made on a non-partisan basis and not the President. I served as Deputy Attorney General and Attorney General for almost fourteen years and can testify to the fact that no Head of State or President ever sought to direct or interfere with the prosecutorial discretion of the Attorney General during that period. The Presidents response at the media encounter of 13th December 2019 is the first time I ever heard, in my life, a President unashamedly and publicly usurping an independent prosecutorial constitutional discretion of an Attorney General. The allusion by the President to a group performing the constitutional duties of the Attorney General to enable the President to decide, and be in a position to let the country know what the final outcome of the double salary thing is shows beyond every reasonable doubt the interfering role of this President in the administration of criminal justice in deciding who must or must not be prosecuted for crime and not the Attorney General. The Attorney General regrettably became a poodle of the President by ceding his or her constitutional prosecutorial mandate to the usurping President.



The Double Salary & Other Criminal Cases Were Negotiated for Ministerial Approvals



The political propaganda reportage from the Office of the Attorney General alongside the effigy of the Attorney General contained in the Daily Guide Network of 10th May 2021 also attributed the following words to the Office of the Attorney-General:



The AGs Department is said to have recently resumed working on the establishment of a prima facie case against the ex-appointees and then swing into action.



I say with all the knowledge and information at my disposal on this matter that the statement is merely intended to divert the minds of suffering patriotic Ghanaians, particularly the youth championing the #FixTheCountry from the abysmal failure of the Government in bringing the country to its present sordid state of suffering while its operatives enrich themselves through illegal gold mining called Galamsey. It is not accidental that the Daily Guide Network of 10th May 2021 also carried a news report in which the Minister of Finance was desperately trying to convince Ghanaians that the woes of the country were inherited even in the second term of a Government that promised bread and butter for every Ghanaian when elected into power.



The statement attributed to the Office of the Attorney General about recently resuming working on establishing a prima facie case against the ex-appointees and then swing into action cannot also be reflecting any factual truth because of negotiations led by one of the former Ministers of Finance of the NDC on behalf of this Government which resulted in the NDC party outside Parliament instructing the NDC in Parliament to approve all the Ministerial nominees of the Government including the Minister who was yet to supply further and better particulars to the appointments committee for consideration before his approval or disapproval by the Committee and by Parliament.



This compromising agreement led to some NDC contractors being paid for the first time for work done prior to 7th January 2017 before the ministerial approvals were made as a show of good faith to the NDC. My informants and agents within the executive and parliamentary NDC are certain that the MPs Double Salary cases and other pending criminal cases involving some NDC Members of Parliament formed part of the negotiation and compromises that paved the way for the resolution of the ministerial approval impasse with the NDC in Parliament. It is an open secret, for those who care to find out that the second batch of NDC contractors have submitted their request to the appropriate quarters, through a representative of the NDC in Parliament, who is to facilitate payments as part of the agreed compromise.



In concocting falsehoods intended to tarnish my reputation the Office of the Attorney General disgracefully and unethically tied up my former position of Attorney-General with my later appointment as the Special Prosecutor to which President Nana Akufo-Addo invited me to his office on 10th January 2018, pleaded with me and persuaded me to accept to be nominated under the mutually agreed understanding of my guaranteed independence to assist him fight the canker of corruption. The Office of the Attorney General also deliberately and disingenuously further linked my service under the Presidency of the late Dr. J. E. A Mills to the Government of John Dramani Mahama of which I was not a member when the Daily Guide Network reports that:



. it had emerged that the case involving former ministers and appointees in the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government who were caught in the alleged double salary scandal, has not been dropped. It states that its sources say a docket is being worked on once again following concerns that the privileged in society, particularly politicians, are committing offences with impunity.



The police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) prepared the initial docket and forwarded to the Attorney Generals Department for advice. However, the office of the Special Prosecutor which was headed by former Attorney General Martin A.B.K. Amidu, took over the case to do the prosecution but the process was not completed until he resigned late last year.



I am proud to have served the Government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) beginning February 1982 to 6th January 1993 and in the Constitutional Governments of the NDC1, NDC2 and NDC3 until I fell out with that Government over the Waterville/Woyome, and the Isofoton scandals.



Martin Amidu s Appointment As SP And President Akufo-Addos testimony On His Competence And Integrity



In producing its concocted story to be told by the Daily Guide Network, the present Office of the Attorney General took no account of the notorious fact that it was because of my distinguished services and incorruptibility under the PNDC/NDC Governments terminating in January 2012 that led President Nana Akufo-Addo to seek me out and persuaded me to accept nomination from his Governments as its first Special Prosecutor to the Office of the Special Prosecutor. The then Attorney-General, Ms. Gloria Akufo, purported to have nominated me as Special Prosecutor for the Office of the Special Prosecutor on 11th January 2021 without ever having met or spoken with me until at the forum for my fanfare introduction to Ghanaians on the same day.



The President was unequivocal in his introductory statement about me on 11th January 2018 when he stated that:



Mr. Amidu has the requisite integrity and independence of character to occupy such challenging office.. The President added that: I have done so because I am fully convinced that Mr. Martin Amidu, a prominent legal personality who held the high office of the Attorney General of the Republic in the government of the late President John Evan Attah Mills has the requisite integrity, competence, courage and independence of character to discharge effectively the responsibilities of this office. (Emphasis supplied)



The President, Nana Akufo-Addo, in whom I had placed my sincerest confidence as the person to keep his promise to support me to fight pervasive canker of corruption in the body politic had the following words to say at my swearing-in ceremony on 23rd February 2018 at the Jubilee House amidst fanfare:



The overwhelming, popular acceptance by the good people of Ghana, and the strong consensus approval by Parliament, of Mr. Amidus nomination justifies the confidence I repose in him. Indeed, his eloquence and grasp of issues, displayed to the public during his recent vetting, is further testimony of the soundness of his appointment. I want to assure him that not only will the Executive, including the Attorney General, respect scrupulously the independence of his Office, but will also provide him whatever assistance is required to enable him discharge his high duties effectively, in the interest of the Ghanaian people. (Emphasis supplied)



The President then bore personal testimony to the tenacity with which he has known me over the years to hold to my views when he stated that:



I have known Martin Amidu for several years. Indeed, I was his opposing counsel in many of the landmark constitutional cases in the early years of the 4th Republic in the 1990s and can personally testify to the tenacity with which he holds on to his views. That tenacity has now to be exercised in favour of the Ghanaian people in his new office.



The Then Darling DCOP Mrs. Mamme Tiwaa Addo-Danquah (Now COP) of CID Handled This Investigations





The Members of Parliament double salary case broke out when I had not been considered for approval as the Special Prosecutor and the case was immediately entrusted to the care of the then darling Deputy Commissioner of Police Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Head Office, Mrs. Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah. As the Daily Guide Network reported, the CID in April 2018 said the double salaries saga is contrary to Section 124 (1) of the Criminal and other Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) as amended in 2012 (Act 849). Section 124 relates to the offence of stealing.



The first time I spoke on the subject of the then on-going CID investigations into the double salary alleged stealing case was on 19th April 2018 when I granted an interview to Citi News Umaru Sanda Amadu in which I said that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), should be allowed to investigate the matter and not sweep it under the carpet.



I also said that:



 Why should a Special Prosecutor be prosecuting ordinary Ghanaians and your honourables will be involved in these things; then they will be talking to the president to wash it up. Then I have no need sitting here. I wont even have the conscience to continue. Will I have the conscience to prosecute any other body for corruption if the CID finds something prosecutable and are not allowed to prosecute because Members of Parliament are involved? That is not fair,



Indeed, the Daily Guide Network which the Office of the Attorney General is using for its shameful unconstitutional campaign to tarnish my reputation had reported my interview with Umaru Amadu Sanda on 21st April 2018.



Propaganda By the Office Of the Attorney-General and The Media Subverts The Constitution





When the Office of the Attorney General descends into the gutter of political propaganda contrary to its mandate under Article 88 of the Constitution using a media that knowingly abdicates its journalistic ethics on a matter it has previously reported upon, constitutionalism and the rule of law are seriously subverted as no rights under the Constitution can survive. This is the gravest danger this country faces today under the Gestapo Government of President Nana Akufo-Addo, as Mr. Charles Wereko-Brobby put it mildly. There is a present danger to the liberty of the citizen under the 1992 Constitution when the Office of the Attorney General assumes the role of the Presidents poodle.



Akufo-Addo blackmailing NDC double salary MPs to do his bidding  Joy



In researching this rejoinder article I came across a news report by mynewsgh.com on Ghana Web dated 31st March 2021 with the heading: Akufo-Addo blackmailing  NDC double salary MPs to do his bidding  Joy which underpins the diversionary political propaganda being undertaken by the Office of the Attorney General and the Daily Guide Network. Mr. Jacob Osei Yeboah is reported to have asked a rhetorical question about what is happening in Parliament and answered as follows:



Whats Happening in the 8th Hung Parliament? Nana Addo is holding the balls of key double salary NDCs MPs in the 8th Hung Parliament. You all know that when a mans balls are being squeezed, his mind and actions are incoherently bizarre. So NDC rank and file be calm and understand Gen. Mosquito and Elders. .. NDC is now on Political Dialysis in the 8th Hung Parliament whilst Nana Addo keeps on squeezing the balls of all double salary NDCs MPs and corrupt high ranking members intermittently. Can NDC survive till 2024?



Conclusions



My resignation as the first Special Prosecutor was the result of the endemic attitude of President, Nana Akufo Addos penchant to usurp the constitutional authority of investigators and prosecutors in criminal justice administration as he tried to do in the Agyapa Royalties Transaction Anti-Corruption Risk Assessment Report implicating him. My old school ethics and integrity as a lawyer of more than four decades standing guided me to resist the Presidents unconstitutional interference and resigned my office instead of being his poodle. It had nothing to do with the Members of Parliament double salaries which I never saw nor handled during my tenure. The Presidents responses to the media on 13th December 2018 is evidence, if evidence be needed, that this President determines who may be prosecuted for crime and not the Attorney General or Special Prosecutor as his pronouncements on the Members of Parliament double salaries amply demonstrates. God save Ghana from Corruption under this regime. Ghana First!



Martin A. B. K. Amidu















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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Former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Small Scale Mining, Mr Charles Onuawonto Bissue, has revealed that there are top politicians from the circles of both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) hell-bent on frustrating the efforts at clamping down on illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey.



According to him, throughout his tenure at the mainstream taskforce against the Galamsey menace, he rejected a lot of juicy inducements from top officials seeking to buy their way through to engage in the act.



He said, when they try and they don't succeed, they start to sabotage you and the government and made a special reference to the Anas Galamsey video.



Mr Charles Bissue, currently on a visit in the USA was speaking to UTVs Afia Pokuaa on Critical Issues.



Mr Bissue corroborated recent revelations made by Kennedy Agyapong, Assin Central MP and Abronye DC that the real galamsey kingpins are top politicians.



Mr Bissue recommended that for the renewed fight against the galamsey menace to succeed, there is an urgent need to de-politicise it and deal with the issue once and for all.



"The Galamsey menace is similar to the drug cartel, I say this because it does not have any political colouration. Therefore, the fight against this canker would require a collective effort and the support of Ghanaians and all stakeholders," Mr Bissue stated.



He commended the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, for such a bright start in the galamsey fight and ensuring that Ghana's natural resources are saved from the talons of these illegal gold miners.



Charles Bissue stated that he was proud of President Akufo-Addo particularly for the confidence he reposed in him at the time of his office that was mandated to deal with the galamsey.



"I think we did our best and I thank the President for the confidence he had in me and so on any day, I'm ever ready to serve in any capacity again to help in the development of the country."



It would be recalled that President Nana Akufo-Addo, recently reaffirmed his commitment towards a renewed political will to deal with illegal mining that is causing massive depletion of Ghana's water bodies and natural resources.



It is against this background that Charles Bissue continues to lend his support in getting rid of this grave environmental canker.





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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President Akufo-Addo has warned government appointees, including Ministers of State, against using sirens to escape traffic in the country.



A letter from the presidency said only designated vehicles listed in the law can use the sirens, as stipulated in the Road Traffic Regulation 74 (3) of L.1 2180.



Government vehicle used for official purposes by the Head of State, a police vehicle, fire service vehicle, ambulance, vehicle used by other recognized government security agencies and a bullion vehicle registered by the Licensing Authority can use sirens, the letter further indicated, adding any person caught acting contrary to the law, is liable for prosecution.



Meanwhile, Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has given persons who don't fall within Regulation 74 (3) of L.1 2180 to remove their sirens by end of July.





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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Ghanaian filmmaker and actress, Yvonne Nelson has taken to the streets of Twitter to share insights on how one can easily become rich in Ghana.



Yvonne Nelson who has been speaking to power protesting for better governance and was actively involved in the #FixtheCountry campaign about two weeks ago revealed that one can enrich their life by doing politics or going into full time ministry.



According to the mother of one, politicians and pastors especially head and founding leaders of churches are able to afford a good life therefore she suggested starting a church or delving into the business of politics as one of the surest way to making wealth.



She tweeted;



"Wanna enrich yourself fast? Try politics. Start a church"

Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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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Malian police gather outside the Bourse du Travail where striking workers gathered to protest the arrest of President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane by military personnel in Bamako, Mali, Tuesday May 25, 2021. Their detentions came just hours after a government reshuffle left out two members of the junta that seized power in a coup nine months earlier. The African Union, United Nations and West African regional bloc are calling for their immediate release. (AP Photo)
The last thing you expect to see while spending a quiet day fishing is a Bigfoot moving about on the shoreline and throwing rocks. A Kentuc...
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Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent.

This is a broad generalization, and it must be stated that there have always been alternative points of view and actions. But the ideas of white superiority and the scientific progress have been intertwined for three centuries, if not more, she said. If we are to create a more inclusive society, we have to first create an idea of mutual respect and humility.

Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent.
FILE - In this May 29, 2020, file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf meets with the media at The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa. A federal judge on Monday, Sept. 14 struck down Gov. Tom Wolfs pandemic restrictions that required people to stay at home, placed size limits on gatherings and ordered non-life-sustaining businesses to shut down, calling them unconstitutional. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP, File)
The Giant Company along with The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia recently presented a $414,000 donation to the School District of Philadelphia at the James R. Ludlow School.-Photo courtesy of The Fund for The School District of Philadelphia.
Travel Tuesday presented by Brevard

How does Travel Tuesday work?

Simply enter your name below and click "Enter" for your chance to win a trip for two adults to Brevard.

Prize Details

Whats included:



 3 nights in a cabin at

 Meals for the entire stay

 Bike Rentals for 3 days from

 Swag Bag courtesy of

 US $500 for travel expenses

 Total prize value = $3,645 USD



 3 nights in a cabin at Pilot Cove at the entrance of Pisgah National Forest Meals for the entire stay Bike Rentals for 3 days from the Hub and Sycamore Cycles  Swag Bag courtesy of DD Bullwinkels CognativeMTB and Squatch Bikes  US $500 for travel expenses Total prize value = $3,645 USD

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**May 18, 2021 at 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST) to June 1, 2021 at 11:59 AM PST (the Contest Period)

***Contest is open to residents of the United States. Must be 18 years or older at the time of travel. Must be eligible to travel in the United States.

Welcome to Brevard, the cycling capital to the South, with more than 300 miles of single track get ready to shred! You'll spend 3 nights in a special cabin at Pilot Cove at the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest. Bike rentals from the Hub and Sycamore Cycles will provide you need to ride the ridgelines and creek crossings in DuPont or tackle the gnarliest rides in the Pisgah. Fuel up before and after your rides at one of our numerous restaurants including an authentic soda shop lunch from Rocky's. All meals included as well as a $500 travel voucher to help get you here. You'll have a great package of swag including guide books on the Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest, 2 pint cups from DD Bullwinkels with your choice of what's on tap upstairs in the Map Room. Squatch Bikes has got you covered with tee shirts, jerseys, pairs of socks, caps and a couple of packs of stickers. And you'll be ready to ride with 2 brand new jerseys from CognativeMTB Learn more at explorebrevard.com


KAMPALA  Unknown goons on Monday morning brutally killed a retired employee of United Nations-UN in Uganda in Kyankyima Zone in Kasangati town council Wakiso district.

Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire identified the deceased as Barnabas Kakyaama Muwonge.

According to Owoyesigyire  Muwonge met his death in the wee hours of Monday morning. His lifeless body was found by one of his relatives covered in a Polythene bag outside his compound.

Owoyesigyire said that the assailants took off with the deceaseds mobile phones, saying that they are treating the case as an aggravated robbery.

The deceaseds son and a journalist with Vision Group  Earnest Kyazze, revealed that his father had just recovered from a stroke following his retirement from the United Nations where he served as a driver for over 30-years.

We spent sums of money in hospitals including Case clinic and Mulago National Referral Hospital. He had recovered as well and was doing his normal business, but were all shocked by people who intruded into the house and killed our father, said Kyazze.

A tearful Kyazze revealed how his father who has been staying alone had no misunderstanding with anybody in the village that could have led to his death. He called for police investigations to find his fathers killers.

Edward Muryanga Musoke, the area local council chairperson explained that they last saw the deceased on Sunday evening and it was a big shock to get information about his brutal attack.

The body has been conveyed to the city mortuary Mulago as investigations are ongoing in the gruesome murder.

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Sam Greenwood Reaches Back-to-Back Super MILLION$ Final Tables

May 25, 2021 Matthew Pitt

Sam Greenwood finished second in last week's GGPoker Super MILLION$ tournament and walked away with $248,747. He now has another bite at the cherry after reaching back-to-back final tables, and doing so with the overall chip lead.

Watch This Star-Studded Final Table Unfold Who will win this week's Super MILLION$? Find out right here Head to GGPoker's YouTube channel

Super MILLION$ Final Table Chip Counts

Place Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Sam Greenwood Canada 4,726,058 118.2 2 David Coleman Canada 3,924,249 98.1 3 Antonio Mirotta Austria 1,805,444 45.1 4 Zhuang Ruan Japan 1,710,443 42.8 5 Bruno Volkmann Brazil 1,081,802 27 6 Joakim Andersson Austria 1,061,698 26.5 7 Michael Addamo Canada 948,376 23.7 8 Joao Vieira Luxembourg 600,734 15 9 Elio Fox Mexico 341,196 8.5

Greenwood returns to Super MILLION$ duty with a colossal stack of 4,726,058 chips, which is the equivalent of 118.2 big blinds. Having so many chips, especially with how the remaining stacks are distributed at the final table, means this is Greenwood's best chance of becoming the Super MILLION$ champion. Best of all, Greenwood won his seat in this event via a $1,000 satellite so is already guaranteed a huge ROI.

David Coleman takes his seat at the Super MILLION$ final table in second place, his 3,924,249 stack containing 98.1 big blinds at the restart. Coleman was the runner-up in the GG Spring Festival edition of this tournament almost exactly a month ago. What Coleman would do for a similar result this evening.

There are some fresh faces among the players in the chasing pack, Austria's Antonio Mirotta being one of them. Mirotta has only played in three Super MILLION$ tournaments to date, but already has two cashes. Today sees Mirotta battle it out at his first Super MILLION$ final table. Will he celebrate his first win, too?

Super MILLION$ Final Table Payouts

Place Prize 1 $319,830 2 $253,440 3 $200,831 4 $159,142 5 $126,107 6 $99,930 7 $79,186 8 $62,749 9 $49,723

Japanese grinder Zhuang Ruan currently occupies fourth place at the final table. Ruan navigated his way to a third-place finish in this tournament on March 14 and collected $245,244. Ruan needs second place or better to beat that impressive prize. Do not write off his chances, even if he does have half the number of chips as Coleman.

Bruno Volkmann is one of a handful of finalists who has won this tournament previously. The Brazilian came out on top of a star-studded field back in September 2020 and saw his bankroll swell by $564,947. This is the 13th time Volkmann has finished in the money in the Super MILLION$, and his seventh final table. Volkmann sits down with 27 big blinds at his disposal, and quite a bit of work to do as a result.

Sixth-place when play resumes belongs to Joakim Andersson, who is a two-time Super MILLION$ champion. Andersson had $1,543,646 in earnings from the Super MILLION$ alone. He is guaranteed to add at least $49,723 to that impressive total, but is only eight eliminations from banking a $319,830 score.

Niklas Astedt Clinches Second GGPoker Super MILLION$ Title

Below Andersson you find a trio of stars who, despite being the shorter stacks, still have a legitimate chance of winning this tournament. Michael Addamo, who has three outright victories in this event, returns in seventh place with 23.7 big blinds.

Joao Vieira has reached his seventh Super MILLION$ final table, although he only has a 15 big blind stack. Vieira was last at a Super MILLION$ final table on March 21. He has won another $1 million at GGPoker since then!

Bringing up the real is Elio Fox who only has 8.5 big blinds available. Fox's previous two Super MILLION$ final tables have ended in a fifth and sixth place finish. He'd probably take a similar result right now if you offered it to him as he is on life support from the moment the first cards are pitched.
GRANTS PASS, Ore., May 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, May 14, Dutch Bros Coffee will mark its 15th annual Drink One for Dane day. Dutch Bros will donate a portion of proceeds from all of its more than 400 shops to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), the leading non-profit organization in ALS research, care, advocacy, educational and professional programming.
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S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday said the state is primed for cybersecurity investments and leadership, citing powerful relationships between universities, business communities, the Savannah River National Laboratory and Fort Gordon, the Armys cyber center of excellence in neighboring Georgia.

We are, probably, ahead of most other places in the structure, the kind of infrastructure and brainpower, that we need to put this together, the Republican governor said at a virtual conference hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

I think, he continued, South Carolina is positioned to be enormously competitive.

McMaster and the University of South Carolina earlier this year announced an in-depth review of the states cyber capabilities and climate  an early step toward dominance in the increasingly important field.

Were really on the edge of something that is just fantastic and probably couldnt have been dreamed of 10 years ago, McMaster said at the time. But here we are now, were right at the front.

The statewide evaluation is ongoing, the governor said Tuesday.

The draw of cyber is hard to miss in and around Aiken County; cyber pursuits are underway at the Energy Departments Savannah River National Lab, for example, and a pair of multimillion-dollar installations, the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and the DreamPort cybersecurity complex, is expected to radically alter the USC Aiken skyline and teaching environment.

Cyber  a smorgasbord of offensive and defensive military operations and computer networks and resiliency, among other things  has certainly enhanced the region, Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Will Williams said at the same Tuesday conference. And, he added, we continue to work closely on both sides of the river so that we can make this area a circle of success, rather than a semicircle of success.

McMaster expressed similar sentiments, at one point Tuesday describing Aiken as well positioned.

It is just all coming our way so well that theres nothing to change, the governor added. Weve just got to take advantage of it, to be aware of it.
A Pawleys Island couple who thought they bought a home with an elevator has been awarded $4.4 million by a jury that found the seller failed to disclose the feature actually was a converted dumbwaiter that wasn't suitable for human use.

The verdict puts home sellers on notice, attorney Chris Romeo said, that defects aren't the only things that need to be disclosed under the state's Residential Property Condition Disclosure Act, especially in a hot real estate market like the one along the South Carolina coast.

"A lot of people think you only have to let buyers know about problems with the house," said Romeo, who represented the Steurers in the Georgetown County case. "You also have to let them know about substantial changes that have been made to the property."

Mate and Holly Steurer bought the oceanfront home in 2015 from Patricia Lacy, who featured the "private elevator" in real estate listings. Court documents show that throughout the sale process, Lacy never told the Steurers about the history of the elevator, which originally was used to move groceries from the ground floor to the kitchen upstairs.

On the first time Mate Steurer used the elevator, the support cables snapped and the structure crashed into a concrete pad below. He suffered significant injuries from the incident and had to put his career as an Alaska Airways pilot on hold for about three years.

"He required significant care and he was completely unable to enjoy life the way in which we were accustomed," his wife said in an affidavit. "I can tell that he is often in pain, which he will have for the rest of his life."

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A jury on May 19 determined that Lacy should have told the Steurers the elevator had once been a dumbwaiter. The jury also found the Steurers partly at fault because they failed to have the elevator inspected before buying the home. That knocked an initial verdict of nearly $6.8 million down to $4.4 million.

David Banner, the attorney who represented Lacy, said his client is considering an appeal of the verdict.

"This was a very emotional case," Banner said. "They Steurers are very fine people, and Mr. Steurer suffered significant injuries that were very unfortunate. My client was an 82-year-old widow who in her heart of hearts felt like she had done nothing wrong. I knew from the beginning it was going to be an all-or-nothing case."

Romeo said a confidential settlement was reached with the real estate agent who, according to Lacy's deposition, advised not to disclose the elevator's past as a dumbwaiter.

"My clients have two boys  one was four at the time, the other seven  and there's a lot of loss of memories of Dad during his recovery," Romeo said. "It really hit home with the jury. The bulk of this verdict was really the economics of pain and suffering, and the loss of memories."

In addition to the jury verdict, Romeo filed court documents on May 24 seeking nearly $1.6 million in attorney's fees an costs.
Tickets sold out in hours for Spoleto's limited-capacity chamber music series  for all 33 in-person shows spanning from May 28 to June 13.

However, that's not the only way patrons can tune in to the 11 popular programs that will run during the Charleston festival. There will also be belated radio broadcasts and video snippets of the performances.

The chamber music series is one of Spoleto's only indoor events this season, with most pivoting to outdoor stages to accommodate for the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The showcases take place at Dock Street Theatre to 115 attendees, and there will be six world premieres from some of the best players in the world during the series.

Spoleto's Artistic Director for Chamber Music Geoff Nuttall, of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, said livestreaming has become a force in his world during the last year but it will be terrifically refreshing to play to a live, in-person audience.

"We've played a lot of Zoom concerts but so much of what makes live music so great is the reaction of the audience," Nuttall said. "It's an experience that cannot be duplicated over any technological device we have. There's nothing like feeling other humans  that emotion and focus."

Chamber music is, in a nutshell, going on a journey with the audience, Nuttall said. The immediate feedback is integral and has been missing during the pandemic.

Being able to perform inside is also essential.

"Chamber music couldn't really work anywhere else," Nuttall said.

The humidity and heat would be worrisome for old instruments, such as one Stradivarius violin from 1694 that will be used. And that's aside from the background noise that would distract from the intimate performances that hinge on silence and space.

It's "hard to have that magical, almost religious experience" with intrusive ambient noise, offered Nuttall.

"We forget about how little silence in our lives we have," he said. "It's like that quote by Mozart ... 'The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.'"

James Austin Smith, an oboist who will be performing one of the world premieres this Spoleto ("Ballade"), noted that even though the shows are sold out, those tuning in to the radio and video broadcasts will still be able to feel the magic.

"Thanks to (our live audience) and their electricity, our audience watching and listening virtually will experience an even more switched-on set of performances," Smith said.

Participating musicians have already been practicing hours a day for months preparing for the concerts.

"I don't think people realize how hard these musicians work," said Nuttall.

On top of performing, the artists are rehearsing five to six hours each day to prepare for the next program, some pulling 16-hour days for the 17-day Spoleto stint.

Nuttall and Smith, hailing from San Francisco and New York City, respectively, said they will both, nevertheless, be taking time to celebrate returning to their second home in Charleston.

"I can tell you this: I will be celebrating on stage," Smith said. "One of my very first performances of 2021, a return to Charleston after two long years away and the joy of playing baroque music with some of my most treasured colleagues for one of the greatest audiences in classical music."

For those tuning in to the late morning radio broadcasts, which air on South Carolina Public Radio at 11 a.m., or video premieres which air on social media and will be shared via email with festival subscribers at 5 p.m., the participating Spoleto musicians have offered drink options to pair with the various programs.

It wasn't a far reach for Smith to suggest some pairings, since for his project Tertulia Chamber Music, he transforms restaurants into concert halls, placing chamber music between courses of a delicious meal.

And it's clear from these drink pairings that our musicians have distinguished palates in addition to trained ears.

Whether you're looking to indulge in a late-morning sipper or happy hour aperitif, here are drinks to match each showcase.

Program 1

Performance highlights: Source of Joy by Jessica Meyer, played by Jessica Meyer, viola/loop pedal

Video release: 5 p.m. May 29

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 4

Drink selection: Jessica Meyer's "The Frisky Kitty" (equal parts white tequila and mezcal; fresh lime juice; cayenne-infused simple syrup)

Program 2

Performance highlights: World premiere of "She Sailed the Savage Seas" by Jessica Meyer, written for the St. Lawrence String Quartet

Video release: 5 p.m. May 31

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 7

Drink selection: 1989 Armagnac (the birth year of the St. Lawrence String Quartet)

Program 3

Performance highlights: "From Our Ashes," world premiere by Jessica Meyer, performed by Livia Sohn, violin

Video release: 5 p.m. June 1

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 8

Drink selection: Champagne (Livia Sohn's favorite drink, "always a celebration")

Program 4

Performance highlights: Kegelstatt Trio for clarinet, viola and piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by: Gilles Vonsattel, piano; Todd Palmer, clarinet; Ayane Kozasa, viola

Video release: 5 p.m. June 3

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 9

Drink selection: Cosmopolitan (chosen by Todd Palmer)

Program 5

Performance highlights: Oboe Concerto in G minor by George Frederic Handel, performed by: James Austin Smith, oboe; Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichord; Geoff Nuttall and Livia Sohn, violin; Ayane Kozasa, viola; Paul Wiancko, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass

Video release: 5 p.m. June 4

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 10

Drink selection: Negroni (chosen by Pedja Muzijevic) or Riesling (chosen by James Austin Smith, "Id say a Gruner Veltliner, but Handel was German, not Austrian, so hunt down a flinty, bone-dry, ever-so-slightly effervescent Riesling")

Program 6

Performance highlights: "American Haiku" by Paul Wiancko, performed by: Ayane Kozasa, viola; Paul Wiancko, cello

Video release: 5 p.m. June 6

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 11

Drink selection: Paul Wiancko's "Torontonian Roulette" (two parts scotch, one part Amaro, much ice)

Program 7

Performance highlights: "Milonga" world premiere by Osvaldo Golijov, performed by: Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Inon Barnatan, piano; Beethoven septet

Video release: 5 p.m. June 7

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 14

Drink selection: Inon Barnatan's "Naked and Famous" (equal parts mezcal, Aperol, yellow chartreuse and lime juice)

Program 8

Performance highlights: Concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra by Max Bruch, arranged by Todd Palmer, performed by: Todd Palmer, clarinet; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Jennifer Frautschi, Geoff Nuttall, Livia Sohn, Eva, violin; Ayane Kozasa, viola; Paul Wiancko, Arlen Hlusko, Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass; James Austin Smith, oboe; Monica Ellis, bassoon; David Byrd-Marrow, horn

Video release: 5 p.m. June 9

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 15

Drink selection: Hsin-Yun Huang's "The Misha" (tequila; Cointreau; spicy syrup made with orange peel; star anise and chili; dash of pineapple juice; smoked orange slices)

Program 9

Performance highlights: Ballade fur Oboe world premiere by Siegfried Thiele, performed by James Austin Smith, oboe; "Nonet in F minor" by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, performed by: Pedja Muzijevic, piano; Jennifer Frautschi, Geoff Nuttall, violin; Ayane Kozasa, viola; Arlen Hlusko, cello; James Austin Smith, oboe; Todd Palmer, clarinet; David Byrd-Marrow, horn; Monica Ellis, bassoon

Video release: 5 p.m. June 10

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 16

Drink selection: Kamikaze (chosen by Monica Ellis) or old fashioned (chosen by Jennifer Frautschi)

Program 10

Performance highlights: "Archduke" piano trio by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by Inon Barnatan, piano; Geoff Nuttall, violin; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Video release: 5 p.m. June 12

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 17

Drink selection: A bottle of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc (chosen by Geoff Nuttall)

Program 11

Performance highlights: "Variations on a Rococo Theme" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arranged by Todd Palmer, performed by: Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Jennifer Frautschi, Geoff Nuttall, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Arlen Hlusko, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass; James Austin Smith, oboe; Todd Palmer, clarinet; David Byrd-Marrow, horn

Video release: 5 p.m. June 13

Radio broadcast: 11 a.m. June 18

Drink selection: David Byrd-Marrow's "The Rasheed" (3 oz. ginger beer, 1.5 oz. dark rum, lime and bitters to taste, 1/4 teaspoon overpeated scotch on top)

For a full schedule and program information, visit spoletousa.org/events/chamber-music.
GEORGETOWN  Georgetown's five primary Democratic city council candidates Sheldon Butts, Tupelo Humes, Ronald McInnis, Lee Padgett and Dennzon Winley debated on May 24 topics such as bringing jobs that pay living wages to the city.

Because there are five Democrats vying for only three at-large city council seats, there will be a Democrat primary election June 8. The three top vote getters will go up against the two Republican candidates  brief incumbent Jonathan Angner and Jimmy Morris  in November.

Because there are only two Republicans running, there is no need for the party to have a primary vote.

Deb Smith, moderator of the debate and Georgetown Democratic Party's former chairperson, started the debate by asking the candidates which party platform values  inclusion, justice, compassion, dignity, ensuring safety and livelihood of the youth, accessible voting, economy and balancing growth with protecting the environment  would influence their policy most.

McInnis and Padgett both emphasized the importance of making Georgetown a safe and empowered place for children to grow up.

"We can promote nonprofits that pour into our youth through after school programs, empowering them in their soft skills," McInnis said, emphasizing his experience in the city and county working with children through his work at Helping Hands.

Winley, a political newcomer and the youngest on the panel, said while he agreed with what the candidates before him said about youth empowerment, what mattered more to him was ensuring equity across the city.

If elected, Winley said he would focus on ensuring any project receives equitable investment in the community, particularly communities that have previously been underserved.

"We still live in the South of the United States, inequality is rampant," Winley said.

The second question discussed how many say there is not only a racial divide in Georgetown, but an economic and infrastructure divide, too. The candidates were asked whether or not they agreed with this, and if so, how they'd work to address it.

Butts said there is, in fact, a socioeconomic divide in Georgetown, agreeing to the statement. Anyone who doesn't see the divide, he said, has not really seen Georgetown.

"We have to be able to call an ace an ace, and a spade a spade ... We can deal with (the socioeconomic divide) as long as we can say it is true," Butts said, referencing Padgett, who spoke before him, saying he didn't think the city is as divided as others may.

Humes, an incumbent to council, said the key to overcoming the divides in the city is working together. While the divide does exist, he said, it is the job of elected officials to work to bridge it in the best way possible for all.

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"If we're fighting about partisan and nonpartisan and strong and weak forms of governments, what do we expect from our citizens? It starts with us," Humes said.

The third question dealt with how to bring jobs that pay living wages to the city. Padgett said Georgetown has huge potential to have high paying jobs in it, but it has to work to make sure businesses want to come and build in it.

"We've got a huge corporate influence and we've got to fight back and get back to the basics," Padgett said, adding that shopping and eating local is essential to the city's economy.

In Winley's response, he addressed what he called "the elephant in the room": Liberty Steel. Winley said having a plan for what to do if the land goes for sale is vital to bringing jobs into the city, and he believes the plan should involve bringing young professionals in and guiding them on how to be successful.

Whether or not the steel mill makes it, Humes said dredging the Georgetown Port is a viable option for the city's success. Winley questioned if the economic vitality of the city truly depended on the port dredging, to which Humes did not reply.

The fourth and final question addressed local businesses specifically, and how the candidates would work to help revitalize the small businesses in the city after the tumultuous year and a half they had because of the pandemic.

Butts said adding parking meters into downtown could bring income to the city to help alleviate economic stress on small businesses. Humes said before the pandemic, he really saw no small businesses struggle, so the end of the pandemic should see a natural revitalization of small businesses.

Building relationships and encouraging residents to support their neighbors who are local business owners is key, McInnis said, though he also said he doesn't know the best way to support small businesses, specifically downtown.

Padgett said cutting fees and taxes would be the best way to help small businesses, but given the proposed 2021-22 city budget, which includes many fee increases, he doesn't see that as a feasible option.

"Prayer, right now, for everybody that owns a business to be able to overcome this is a huge thing," Padgett said.

Voters can check their registration and polling place ahead of the June 8 election with the Georgetown County elections and voter registration office or on scvotes.gov.
GEORGETOWN  Time and again, Marilyn Hemingway said Georgetown's Gullah Geechee community has not had the opportunity to honor its enslaved ancestors.

The reinterring and recognition of their commingled, previously mishandled remains is a good place to start, she said.

"This isn't healing everything, at all, but I do believe this gives us an opportunity to create a process on how we honor and respect our ancestors," said Hemingway, president of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce.

Holy Cross Faith Memorial Church in Litchfield's Rev. Will Keith and lead forensic analyst of the remains Bill Stevens attended a reintering ceremony May 23 to pray over and speak on the history of the enslaved.

The names of these individuals and the full stories of their lives are unknown. But they are not forgotten, said Georgetown County Administrator Angela Christian. Its time to lay them to rest again with all the dignity and respect they deserve.

The remains were originally unearthed and commingled during residential construction on Hagley Plantation in 2006, according to a press release about the event. The developer alerted the county of its findings and according to the county, that is when Stevens, Richland County deputy coroner and forensic anthropologist, was brought in to analyze the remains further.

Through Stevens' years of research alongside Georgetown County's coroner at the time, Kenny Johnson, he and Johnson found that the remains were originally buried at what was St. Mary's Chapel on the plantation. The chapel is believed to have been built in 1859 by an enslaved master carpenter named Renty Tucker.

Stevens said Tucker's enslavers, the Weston family, sent him to England to learn how to build intricate and beautiful chapels such as St. Mary's. The Westons, like many other slave-owning families, were of Episcopal faith.

The Westons were known to be less cruel than other slave families, Stevens said, which is why they likely wanted him to learn master carpentry. Stevens emphasized, though, that this does not excuse the fact they still enslaved people such as Tucker.

Hemingway said owners such as the Westons are believed to have instilled their faiths onto their slaves, though, as a form of oppression, complicating the idea that the Westons wanting Tucker to know carpentry is a positive one.

"These slaves more than likely were Islamic, not Christian," Hemingway said, emphasizing the importance of understanding slave culture and heritage.

Tucker's chapel was burned in 1931, though the head stones and grave markers of the cemetery remained. Stevens found that while the remains were unearthed in 2006, the grave markers were bulldozed in the late 1970s by the funeral home that was contracted to move them by the residential developer.

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Unfortunately, Stevens said, that moving of the remains never happened.

"(The developer) hired the services of a funeral home to ... relocate the cemetery to another location, but we don't believe that that happened," Stevens said.

Hemingway said that in the past, Holy Cross Faith Memorial Church was a predominantly Black church, and Keith explained that the church came to be after the Emancipation Proclamation when former slaves gathered to educate their children.

It was from those school houses the church was born, Keith said. While the church's makeup is quite different now, it is an important mission for Keith to continue to honor his church's heritage and be inspired by it rather than halted by it.

Keith also said he understands the Episcopal faith was sometimes oppressively instilled onto slaves. Because of this, while he looks forward to honoring the remains of the enslaved, he hopes to not be the spotlight of the ceremony.

"I don't know if it's my place to be front and center, and luckily in our worship tradition the leader of the service certainly doesn't have to be in the spotlight," Keith said. "The mechanics of (the service) are my responsibility, but as far as the issues related to race, I think others will speak better on it."

Hemingway is grateful those who found the remains in 2006 gave them to the county, and that the county wants to honor her Gullah Geechee ancestors. She hoped that this reinterring would be the beginning of a conversation on how to form an official process for honoring slave remains that are found during development.

With the high volume of development in Georgetown County, specifically in the Waccamaw Neck, this won't be the last time remains are found, she said.

"I think if we develop a process for who should be involved when bones are discovered  from the cultural point of view, the heritage point of view  then moving forward we can continue to have these events that will lead to closure on a certain part of our history," Hemingway said.

While the remains were laid to rest, Stevens said DNA had been collected from them and will continue to be tested. Stevens said he hopes to register the DNA in public databases so they can be found on sites such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com.

Maybe, Stevens said, folks can research their lineage easier this way, and better understand and appreciate their ancestors and heritage.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening with a few showers possible late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Greeleyville Elementary School was established in 1903. The school currently serves approximately 300 students from child development through fifth grade. Greeleyville Elementary School was the first school in Williamsburg County School District to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. The Title One school met AYP, Adequate yearly progress consistently. GES was the recipient of the SC State Literacy award. Currently, GES is the recipient of the 21st Century grant.

Photo Provided
CONWAY  Over one-third of Horry County School District in-person students have chosen to opt-out of wearing a mask as of May 21, according to Spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.

This comes after Gov. Henry McMaster ordered South Carolina schools to allow parents to opt their children out of mask-wearing on May 11 with a Department of Health and Environmental Control's form.

In Georgetown County, one-sixth of in-person students have chosen to opt-out of mask-wearing.

Citing widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines, McMaster's order aimed to end mask mandates across the state. While COVID-19 vaccines are readily available throughout the state, health officials are concerned about the levels of vaccine skepticism.

The S.C. Department of Education said May 12, McMaster did not have legal grounds to remove school district mandates. However, it later pulled its face-covering policy, rather than battle between elected officials, students and families.

While close to 40 percent of Horry County's brick-and-mortar students have chosen to opt-out of wearing face coverings, students can continue to submit the form until the end of the school year. HCS school year ends June 17.

Teachers and staff can also opt-out of wearing masks as long as they submit a form. But, Bourcier said bus drivers must wear masks while they drive due to the federal mandate.

As COVID-19 restrictions began to lessen and children as young as 12 can get vaccinated, many places are going back to pre-COVID regulations.

But for students who are uncomfortable attending in-person class with the removal of mask mandates, they have the option to finish the semester independently at home.

The deadline to study independently was initially May 17, right after McMaster's order, but the deadline was extended to 5 p.m. on May 21.

"We offered an extension to allow more time for families to make a decision," Bourcier said in an email.

About 3 percent of Horry County students chose to finish the semester at home.

These students will not be a part of the K-12 HCS Virtual Program as it was too late in the semester, Bourcier said May 12 in a press release. Instead, the 1,289 students will be required to submit things via Google Classroom and SeeSaw.

"Even though these changes in COVID-19 mitigation efforts have been directed by state authorities, HCS encourages students and employees to continue with SCDHEC guidance to include maintaining social distancing, hand sanitizing and the wearing of face coverings," Bourcier said in the May 12 press release.
SUMMERVILLE  Face coverings will still be a requirement for the remaining few days in the Dorchester District 2 school year. But parents still have the option to exclude their children from the policy.

The Dorchester district, along with all other school districts in South Carolina, was ordered by Gov. Henry McMaster to give parents the choice of having their children opt out of any masking requirements.

Meanwhile, some parents still seemed concerned that DD2 would ignore the executive order during a May 24 school board meeting.

The district's current policy will still be in place. However, school officials reiterated they would still be accepting the face covering waiver specifically drafted by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Superintendent Joseph Pye said the district received the waiver news the same time the parents saw it. Ignoring the order isn't an option, he said.

"This is a mandate from our governor," he said.

The waiver does not apply to the mask requirements on school buses. Mask-wearing in that instance is a federal requirement.

As of May 24, about 4,000 students had supplied official mask mandate waivers. This is out of roughly 24,000 students. So around 83 percent of the student population is still under the current mask policy, according to Pye.

Pye and other officials expect the number of waivers to continue to increase as the district edges closer to the last day of school on June 16.

Over the past couple of weeks, groups of parents have continued to make trips to the DD2 board meetings protesting the mask requirements. Some cited issues around nosebleeds and fears for children's mental health.

During a May 10 board meeting, officials had to continue to go into recess to manage some of the tension between parents and officials. Tanya Robinson, a DD2 board member, said she has been disappointed by some of the parents' actions.

"That's not how our community has ever been," she said. This has been a dividing point that has never happened before.

Keith Johnson, a teacher at Rollings Middle School of the Arts and DD2 parent, said he wants to see the district push more on a policy around zero tolerance for harassment.

"What we can do is set a good example," he said. Ive watched the wildest board meetings Ive ever seen this year.

Most of the parents who spoke up during the recent board meeting disagreed with harassment accusations. According to Phillip Hall, the parents were just passionate about protecting their children.

While DHEC has drafted waivers for parents to use, the department still recommends staff and students to wear masks.

Now is not the time to let up the pressure," said Jane Kelly, assistant state epidemiologist with DHEC. Now is not the time to back down on wearing masks.

Over the next couple of weeks, DD2 is slated to read over its current mask policy to revise it for any potential future use.
New York, US (PANA) - UN blue helmets face an increasing number of attacks throughout the complex environments in which they work, the head of the Organizations peacekeeping operations told the Security Council on Monday
NORTH CHARLESTON  In a nondescript strip mall, tucked between a coin laundry and a florist, the massage parlors unassuming sign simply reads: Spa.

The decorations are sparse, the blinds are closed in early afternoon and a surveillance camera monitors the buildings exterior from when it opens at 9 a.m. until close at 10 p.m. seven days a week.

It may not look like much, but the customers seem to love it. It is rated 4.5 out of five stars in 33 reviews on Google, with one customer reporting: Best massage in town.

To the trained eye of Logan Fey, a State Law Enforcement Division special agent, the closed blinds, surveillance camera and long hours all point to one thing: human trafficking.

Fey is a member of the divisions human trafficking unit, and he wants consumers to know what warning signs they should look for when it comes to the crime.

The biggest thing we want is community assistance, he said.

Human trafficking  whether it is for labor or sex  happens all across South Carolina. In hotels, convenience stores, residential homes and restaurants, victims are forced to perform sexual acts or work long hours for little to no pay. In the case of massage parlors, sometimes victims are forced to do both.

The problem has gotten the attention of state and federal officials.

The South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of various law enforcement and regulatory agencies, was founded in 2012 to study and combat the crime. The task force noted in its most recent annual report that human traffickers are active in communities across South Carolina, targeting victims of all ages, genders, races and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Task Force reported 139 cases of human trafficking in 2020. Ten people were charged with 13 charges of human trafficking in the South Carolina state courts. Horry County had the highest number of human trafficking reports, followed second by Charleston County.

Before resigning in February, U.S. Attorney Pete McCoy said he wanted to make human trafficking the highest priority of his office.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rhett DeHart said in a statement he has personally prosecuted human trafficking cases with the U.S. Attorney's Office, so he understands the dire need to stop such crimes.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office in South Carolina will always place a high priority on seeking justice for victims of human trafficking, he said.

Last week, Homeland Security Investigations Charleston field office launched operations to combat the crime in the Charleston area, part of a larger effort to promote awareness of the issue among residents and build partnerships with local authorities.

HSI is the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Though less well-known than the FBI or the Drug Enforcement Agency, HSI has broad authority to conduct criminal investigations into transnational crimes, including money laundering, narcotics smuggling, financial fraud, human rights violations and other crimes.

Scott Crabb, assistant special agent in charge of the Charleston field office, said HSI agents and local law enforcement partners are knocking on hotel doors, boarding boats and searching airports for potential human trafficking victims.

His office has also trained hospitality workers, truckers, nurses, bank employees and others on how to spot signs of human trafficking through the departments Operation Lighthouse program.

Crabb said when he took his post last summer he recognized human trafficking was a problem in the area that needed to be addressed, and there was a willingness by local and state partners to tackle it.

Law enforcement, and the public, should watch for signs of human trafficking, Crabb said.

Victims are predominantly women, but men and children are also victimized by traffickers. Traffickers often target vulnerable people  runaways, people with unstable living situations or those facing poverty, people with drug dependencies or undocumented immigrants.

Sex traffickers control their victim through myriad tools: violence, threats, drug dependency, blackmail and even romance. Labor traffickers may control victims by withholding their identity documents.

Victims may show signs of physical abuse. They may not be allowed to speak freely, or travel without guards. Labor trafficking victims may live in dangerous, overcrowded or otherwise inhumane conditions provided by an employer.

Resources To get help in South Carolina, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, or text HELP or INFO to 233733. Additional information about human trafficking can be found by visiting polarisproject.org or humantrafficking.scag.gov.

The victims may want to leave the situation but are scared or unable to cut ties with the trafficker.

An important component of Operation Lighthouse is the agencys victim-centered approach, according to HSI Supervisory Special Agent Abbey Kepf.

Law enforcement officers want to rescue and support victims, regardless of whether it results in charges against the trafficker.

Kepf said sometimes victims may not realize they are victims. Sexual acts begin consensual but then become nonconsensual over time. Drug dependency and romantic affection can also complicate the issue.

Kepf said the agency and its local partners can help victims through housing, drug treatment and other services. The agency can also help victims who seek relief from possible deportation.

Special Agent Ken Hawsey has worked in HSIs Charleston office since 2008. He spends his days monitoring the areas seedier hotels, watching for rooms where sex trafficking could be taking place.

If people leave after only five minutes, it is likely a drug sale, Hawsey said. If it takes a half-hour, then it is more likely sex.

Hawsey has seen it all  drug-addled victims, complicit motel workers, customers robbed and beaten. He said he once saw a sex worker try to sell an M4 rifle to a person in a motel room.

Drugs, particularly heroin, fuel much of the misfortune. The victims often begin as drug addicts but are then coerced into sex work by pimps, Hawsey said.

Not all sex workers are trafficked, however. Hawsey said some women engage in the sex trade consensually.

A common belief about the commercial sex industry is that the victims made bad decisions and therefore deserve what happens to them, Hawley said, but no one deserves what happens to sex trafficking victims.

The physical and emotional abuse is tremendous, Hawley said. But victims are resilient.

Even though they are broken and beaten, they are still tough, he said.
Authorities investigating the deaths of two people in a Dorchester County neighborhood near North Charleston believe a man fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.

According to the Dorchester County Coroner's Office, Mario Anton Walker, 40, shot his wife, 36-year-old Kimberly Renee Walker, before taking his own life on May 24.

They were pronounced dead at 9:14 p.m., according to the Coroner's Office.

Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call at 7:44 p.m. on Honeysuckle Lake Drive, said Lt. Rick Carson, a Dorchester County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The street is in the Peppertree subdivision, an unincorporated area of the county off Ashley Phosphate Road.

A neighbor told dispatchers she head a couple arguing followed by gunshots, according to an incident report.

Deputies entering the residence found Mario Walker on the floor dead from a gunshot wound, the report states. Kimberly Renee Walker was found laying in bed dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

A large group gathered at the residence as police investigated. A man at the scene told deputies a juvenile moved the firearm used in the shooting to a truck outside the residence for safekeeping, the report states.

Charleston County sheriff's deputies, North Charleston police and North Charleston firefighters also responded to the call.
The "most super" supermoon of 2021 will fill the sky this week, and along with it comes a lunar eclipse.

On May 26, NASA said a super flower blood moon will enter Earth's shadow. And when it is not in the planet's shade, it will look bigger and brighter than normal.

This particular supermoon has a loaded name with a much simpler meaning. College of Charleston astronomy professor Dr. Joe Carson said "flower" is part of the name simply because it occurs in May.

"And the 'super' part of it comes from the fact that the moon is not in a perfectly circular orbit. This causes it to get a little bit closer to Earth and then a little bit farther away from Earth as it moves around the Earth," Carson said.

Right now, the moon is at the nearest point it'll get to Earth this year, which causes it to look about 10 percent larger than normal and 15 percent brighter, Carson said.

The lunar eclipse associated with this moon is caused by the Earth getting in the way of sunlight. Some of that sunlight filters through the planet's atmosphere causing the moon to take a reddish hue, hence the name "blood moon."

People in South Carolina may not be able to see the eclipse this week because it is projected to start right around the time the moon will begin to set.

"I think we'll maybe see like a partial, a little bit of the moon be eclipsed, but it's probably not great viewing," Carson said. "As it's disappearing below the horizon, we may see it get that red color to it."

The moon begins to get the reddish hue around 5 to 6 a.m. May 27. It'll set a little after 6 a.m., around the same time the sun begins to rise. Because of the timing, experts are unsure how likely it'll be for people to see the moon's red color.

The lunar eclipse will have its biggest impact on the Lowcountry through tides. Carson said on days when there are full moons and supermoons, there are usually extreme tides, too.

May 26 should be the day of the strongest tides of the year, he said.

Melissa Griffin, South Carolina's assistant state climatologist, said a round of king tides will affect the Palmetto State's coast through May 28. People can help the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control record data from coastal events by downloading the MyCoast mobile app.
NORTH CHARLESTON  The city has begun discussing how it wants to spend $12 million in COVID-19 relief funds, hoping to financially support nonprofits that help people in need.

North Charleston received the money last week from the U.S. Department of Treasury, said Warren Newton, the city's finance director. The funds are a component of the federal government's American Rescue Plan, aimed at revitalizing local economies.

The city said it is awaiting guidance from the Treasury Department on how the money can be spent, particularly on whether it can be used for items such as community centers and sidewalks.

But ideas floated by city staff and council members during the May 20 Finance Committee meeting included city reimbursements for lost revenues from the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center, and hospitality and accommodations taxes.

"We could probably take $5 million of it immediately and reimburse ourselves," Newton said.

Permitted uses of the money include offsetting economic losses, supporting small businesses and nonprofits, funding public health infrastructure, providing premium pay to essential workers, and investing in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

Overall, the city believes it lost roughly $25 million in revenue during the pandemic, Newton said.

Mayor Keith Summey said he'd like to see some money spent to support nonprofits that have aided the city's homeless community during the COVID-19 crisis.

He also said North Charleston wants to work with Charleston County to transform the old prisoner prerelease center on Leeds Avenue into a space that could house homeless individuals.

It's going to take some renovations," Summey said.

The mayor also committed to supporting the Community Resource Center, a nonprofit with locations in Summerville and North Charleston. The North Charleston site hosts regular food distributions on the city's southern end. Summey said the city plans to give the group $25,000 as a start and will see how the center uses the funds.

I will ensure you the first check thatll be written will be written to them," Summey said at the finance meeting.

North Charleston Councilman Jerome Heyward was pleased to hear the mayor's plan to support the facility.

"Those guys reach thousands of people a week," Heyward said.

Jonathan "Shakem" Thrower, co-founder of the North Charleston resource center, said the facility is well-deserving of the financial support.

While many businesses and nonprofit organizations shuttered doors amid the pandemic, the resource center remained open, even putting its volunteers' lives at risk to help those in need, Thrower said.

The need for food was especially prevalent when the virus began its spread throughout the state. The North Charleston center, located in a federally designated food desert due to the lack of access to healthy foods, saw a dramatic increase in the center's number of attendees.

We went from doing 200 cars to 800 to 900 cars a week," Thrower said.

The new funding will not only help the Community Resource Center sustain its food giveaways, but the center also plans to reinstate initiatives that halted during the pandemic, including the facility's afterschool program and financial literacy courses.

Itll help us go back to our original business model," Thrower said.

Regarding city operations, North Charleston will also look at a way it can reward hourly employees who stuck with the city, Summey said.

It wasnt easy for them, but they did," he said.

Overall, the city expects $24 million in pandemic relief money. A second tranche of $12 million is expected to arrive in May 2022, Summey said.

North Charleston has until December 2024 to spend its first batch of funds.
NORTH CHARLESTON  The grassy field is overgrown and littered with empty beer bottles and cans, the only remaining signs of what happened here the night of May 22.

It's tucked away, nestled between homes along West Jimtown Drive in the city's Deas Hill neighborhood. There's only one road leading into this tight-knit community. Residents like it that way. It's kept outsiders from coming in and causing trouble.

But on that night, residents say outsiders brought alcohol, guns and flaring tempers, changing their community forever.

"The sweetest child in this neighborhood gets taken away," Junelle VanHannegeyn, a longtime resident, said. "Why her?"

Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal said Ronjanae Smith, 14, died of a gunshot wound at 6:54 p.m. May 23 at Medical University Hospital, almost a day after she was shot.

The teen and 13 others were struck by bullets at an unsanctioned concert held in the grassy field along Jimtown, police said. Shooting began around 10:30 p.m. May 22 in the field near Piggly Wiggly Drive.

There had been people in and out of the field all day. What began as a children's event turned into what residents and authorities described as a cookout and concert complete with stage and string lights. There were food booths and a table with a sign that said Tiki Bar.

Authorities said organizers didnt notify them about the event.

A police incident report released the night of May 24 said civilians and security guards alerted officers that Ronjanae had been wounded and was in a field next to 2168 Gaillard Road.

The bullet entered behind her right ear and exited through her left cheek, the report said.

Officers arrived three minutes after the shooting started, rushing into the neighborhoods narrow and winding streets as partygoers and victims fled. The carnage and extent of the gunfire was overwhelming, forcing North Charleston police to call Berkeley County Sheriffs Office crime technicians to help piece together the evidence.

Quincy Grant, whose home is next to the field where the party was held, said Deas Hill is normally a quiet neighborhood, but chaos broke out when the gunfire started.

People scattered, some broke through Grant's backyard fence.

The roughly one-year resident of the neighborhood said people also threw guns in his yard, which officers recovered.

On the afternoon of May 24, he showed reporters with The Post and Courier the aftermath, describing how fleeing partygoers slammed through his fence, ran through his yard and left empty alcoholic beverage containers strewn about.

Laverne Jefferson was visiting her daughter and grandchildren who live on Jimtown and said the event started as a family-oriented pool party that afternoon, but the environment changed by nightfall.

Jefferson said she and some of her relatives were planning to go back to the event, which had morphed into an unsanctioned concert with teenagers and alcohol, when she heard gunshots.

All of the kids were crying and running, she said. Some of them bloody. Some of them not.  It was like a damn war zone."

Jefferson said she made sure her grandchildren stayed inside and then ran over to see if anyone needed help.

When she got there, she found Ronjanae on the ground.

"She was afraid of the dark," Jefferson said. "I got out my phone and turned on the light. I held her hand."

Foot and vehicle traffic from people trying to leave the area clogged Piggly Wiggly Drive, the only road in or out of the neighborhood, for several minutes, delaying paramedics and other emergency services, she said.

Jefferson recalled Ronjanae asking for her mother, and asking, "'Where are the people coming to help me?'" Jefferson said.

"I get sad now talking about it," she said on May 24. "I saw the child die and I could do nothing about it."

Ronjanae celebrated her 14th birthday about two weeks prior to the shooting that took her life, said VanHannegeyn, whose son was a friend of the fallen teen.

She and her mother, Annette VanHannegeyn, sat in a living room facing the field where the shooting broke out.

The pair described how frightened teens ran toward their homes. Junelle VanHannegeyn said she opened up her home so the fleeing minors could seek shelter from the gunfire.

Annette, who was raised in the neighborhood and lives in the home she grew up in, said nothing like the recent melee had ever happened before.

"No," she said. "Weve never had nothing like this around here."

Ronjanae was an eighth grader at Morningside Middle School, said Andy Pruitt, a Charleston County School District spokesman.

"She was known for her love of fashion and her great personality," Pruitt said. "We are profoundly saddened by her death, and our hearts go out to her family, especially her parents."

Guidance counselors and the district's crisis response team were deployed to the campus on May 24 and "will be available as long as our school community needs their assistance," he said.

North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess told The Post and Courier he did not have any additional information about the case he could disclose.

Officers are working to determine who was responsible for putting on the event that descended into gunfire and are working to identify who fired shots.
Some Charleston County property owners could see a tax increase with the approval of the school district's proposed 2022 budget.

At a meeting on May 24, the Charleston County School Board voted 7-2 to initially approve a $613.3 million general operating fund budget, which covers salaries, materials, learning services, reserves and payments to charter and private schools.

The proposed budget is a $27.3 million, or 4.7 percent, increase from 2021's $585.9 million. It also includes a tax increase of about $20.40 for non-owner occupied homes assessed at $100,000 or $102 for commercial property assessed at $500,000. People who live in their homes rather than renting them won't see an increase on their property taxes.

Most of the increase in the budget is being used to help the district cover state-mandated salary bumps for teachers, half of which is required to be funded by the district.

Those salary increase include a $1,000 increase in teacher pay, which will be deliberated by the SC Legislature in a series of special sessions in June.

The Legislature also passed so-called "step increases," which are teacher pay increases based on an individual's experience and degree level. Those step increases amount to about 2 percent of a teacher's salary.

For the district, the state-mandated increases total over $13 million in spending.

The proposed $613 million budget gives the district spending room while minimizing a hike in taxes, which make up around 97 percent of the district's general operating revenues, Chief Financial Officer Don Kennedy said.

The proposed budget anticipates $592 million in revenue for 2022 and will use over $21 million from the district's funding balance, which acts as a savings account for district funds. In addition to making up for state-mandated costs, the budget prepares to cover 13 bilingual secretaries in an effort to improve access to Spanish-speaking families as well as 27 additional special education teachers to meet demand.

The board will vote on the final budget June 28.

Millions in federal aid

The board only voted on the general operating fund budget at the May 24 meeting. That budget does not include the billions in federal COVID-19 relief money being sent to school districts across the state.

In total, Charleston County is receiving over $249 million in federal aid, the second-highest allocation next to the Greenville County School District.

The money is being doled out in three packages. The district has already received the funds for the first two packages. The first package, $13.4 million, and some of the second package, $72.6 million, were geared toward operational needs for the pandemic, such as upgraded air filtration systems and personal protective equipment.

Remaining funds in the second package are also being used to help address learning loss. At the meeting, district officials said the second package is tentatively planned to be used to improve curriculum and support social-emotional learning and mental health support among other initiatives.

Included in those initiatives is a plan to use $4.2 million to pay for 59 additional full-time employees. The added employees will help the district minimize or eliminate dual-model teaching and avoid having central office staff cover for teaching gaps in the schools.

Around $1.3 million from the second package will also be used to fund the district's participation in the Lowcountry Virtual Academy, the online school program offered to remote students as part of the Low Country Education Consortium. And $6.7 million is planned to help fund the district's summer school efforts.

"We believe this projected revenue will help us, for the most part, for one year fortify and solidify what we're doing in terms of recovery and rebounding from this pandemic," said Michelle Simmons, associate superintendent for elementary learning.

Community input

Two-thirds of the money from the third package, which in total came out to $163.1 million for Charleston, flowed into the state on May 24. The district has until late August to develop and submit a plan to the S.C Department of Education.

In the plan, the district must include information about how it will spend at least 20 percent of that funding to address learning loss.

Each district has the freedom to go about developing its plan in its own way.

In Charleston, Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait said the district will be creating a committee comprised of district officials and teachers. That planning committee will work with a third-party facilitator, who will determine how the planning group will involve community input.

"We'll do a needs assessment based on the data we have available to us," Postlewait said in an interview May 14. "We will make that data available to the planning group, who will then summarize the recommended areas they think the community will need to consider."

The district will then hold a series of feedback meetings with the community, which will inform its final plan for the money that will be presented to the board, Postlewait said.
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.
We were reminded this spring of how badly legislators are abusing state planes, using them to attend conferences of questionable public value, often in resort areas, often accompanied by spouses or girlfriends. Again.

The reports of high-flying lawmakers prompted the predictable outrage from a few legislators, and a knee-jerk proposal to just sell off the state planes  which might save the state money and might in fact cost it money but in any event was a sledgehammer-to-kill-a-gnat proposal since most flights do not involve legislators.

And then something amazing happened. Just as we had urged, the Senate voted to put some restrictions on legislators use of the planes.

State law already limits the state planes to official business, which isn't defined except to explicitly exclude travel to or from legislative meetings, news conferences, bill signings and political functions. The proviso added to the do-not-fly list "conferences"  which have been legislators' favorite way to use the planes as a perk instead of a tool since the restrictions were imposed. (Before then ... well, thankfully, those days are over.)

Columbias State newspaper reported this spring that House Democratic Leader Todd Rutherford took 34 flights on state planes since 2012, often to vacation destinations, where he was speaking at a conference or had some other type of business that was tangentially related to his job as a legislator. He was accompanied on six trips by his girlfriend and now wife, whose presence apparently wasnt even tangentially related to legislative business.

The newspaper reported that Rep. John King took 24 flights and Rep. Carl Anderson took 14, while 17 legislators hitched a ride on a state plane between three and 10 times; 15 lawmakers flew twice and one once.

There are occasionally legitimate reasons for state legislators to use a state plane, which costs $1,000 to $1,500 per hour to fly; thats why state law allows it, as long as they sign a form stating that they're on official state business. But most of Mr. Rutherfords trips  like many other legislators trips  were for conferences of the sort that lawmakers have agreed count as official state business but that certainly arent an essential part of their jobs.

Although banning travel to conferences will have the most direct impact, the proviso approved by the Senate  proposed by Republican Leader Shane Massey, Republican Sens. Wes Climer and Penry Gustafson and Democratic Sen. Dick Harpootlian  includes other provisions that should further scale back the abuse: Legislators could use the planes only with prior approval by the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House or if they were invited to tag along on a trip arranged by one of the agencies in the governors Cabinet  and then only if the Cabinet director certifies in writing that the legislators attendance is in furtherance of the official business of the State.

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That means if legislators find a way to abuse the planes again, the speaker or president or the governor would be on the hook to explain why he authorized that abuse  and thus, we hope, unlikely to approve questionable trips.

Additionally, legislators guests would have to pay for flights at commercial rates within 30 days, with penalties assessed against the legislator every 30 days if the payment isnt made.

Theres plenty of room to improve those provisions. For instance, wed like to see legislators (and other flyers) explain why its essential to reserve the state plane, rather than driving, or flying commercially, for instance by showing its less expensive to use a state plane than to take a commercial flight. And this is a small thing, but why not require lawmakers to file a written explanation of their travel before they climb aboard rather than within 24 hours after a flight?

But outlawing the most common abuse, and requiring legislative leaders and the governor to take ownership for the trips, should reduce the frequency of lawmakers' flights.

Of course, its easy for the Senate to pass such a change, since the most frequent flyers are House members: Only five of the 36 legislators who reserved the state plane between January 2012 and March 2021 were senators. Two of those senators have since retired, and among them the five took a total of 15 flights, which is fewer than half the trips taken by Mr. Rutherford.

What will happen next isnt clear, since the poster child for abusive flights has a surprising amount of pull in a body that doesnt need any Democratic votes to pass  anything.

But we know what should happen next: House budget writers, who are taking their second pass at the budget this week and next, should accept the Senate proviso, and build on it. And if they dont, then other representatives should propose that during full House debate in two weeks.
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
COLUMBIA  An attorney told the S.C. Supreme Court the 21-year-old law preventing local governments from taking down or altering historic memorials  including Confederate monuments  should be struck down as unconstitutional.

Lawyers representing the state's top Republican lawmakers countered that the law, adopted as a compromise when the Legislature took the Confederate flag off the Statehouse Dome in 2000, falls within legislators' political prerogative and should remain intact.

During oral arguments May 25 over the future of the state's Heritage Act, the high court's five justices peppered both sides with a litany of questions in the hourlong hearing but did not give an indication of when they may issue a ruling.

The act requires the Legislature to pass a law by a two-thirds supermajority on deciding whether to allow the removal of most any war monument, rather than a simple majority like most other bills.

Opponents have long contended the two-thirds supermajority requirement unconstitutionally ties the hands of future Legislatures by making them clear an unfairly high threshold to pass laws dealing with monuments.

Attorney Matthew Richardson said the supermajority requirement "makes legislative redress futile" for people like widow Jennifer Pinckney, who wants to construct a memorial for her slain husband, former state senator and Emanuel AME pastor Clementa Pinckney, or Columbia City Councilman Howard Duvall, who may seek to alter monuments in his city.

Kenneth Moffitt, the assistant clerk of the S.C. Senate arguing on behalf of body president Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, noted that the state constitution does not explicitly block lawmakers from setting a higher threshold than a simple majority for laws to pass.

"It is an accepted principle and an accepted premise that that is how the General Assembly operates and that has been how the General Assembly has operated," Moffitt said. "But there's no prohibition on the General Assembly doing anything different."

But even South Carolina's Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson took issue with that line of reasoning in a non-binding 2020 opinion, pointing to a 2011 S.C. Supreme Court ruling that said "absent a constitutional provision to the contrary, the legislature acts and conducts business through majority vote."

Much of the arguments focused on whether the issue is "ripe"  in other words, whether there is an active dispute for the court to address or whether they are merely dealing with a hypothetical that does not yet warrant legal intervention.

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Attorney Jim Gilliam, arguing on behalf of S.C. House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville, said the petitioners "say they may do something in the future that may implicate the Heritage Act, but that's not going to be enough to demonstrate ripeness."

Gilliam and Moffitt noted that no bills to change a monument have received a simple majority vote without also clearing the two-thirds threshold.

The justices appeared to view that claim skeptically, suggesting that lawmakers may not bother to take up a bill if they do not expect it to get a two-thirds vote.

"If this lawsuit had been filed in the fall of 2000, I don't think anybody would raise the question of ripeness," said Justice John Cannon Few. "We'd simply be talking about whether or not the General Assembly can enact an unconstitutional statute. They can't, and when they do, it's ripe."

The justices also spent extensive time exploring whether the rest of the law could remain constitutional even if they strike down the two-thirds requirement.

Gilliam and Moffitt pointed to a provision included in the bill that stated the Legislature's intent for constitutional parts of the law to remain in place even if other parts were blocked by the courts. But Richardson countered that the two-thirds requirement was an essential component of the law that could not be separated from the rest of it.

Finally, the justices probed whether the law's inclusion of 10 specific wars, including the Civil War, and two ethnic heritages  African American and Native American  violates a prohibition against arbitrary classifications.

Chief Justice Donald Beatty asked why, for example, the law did not include protections for monuments or memorials of Jewish Americans.

"It's not to minimize any other ethnic group, but the challenges that African Americans and Native Americans have faced in the state are just different," Gilliam, the lawyer for the House speaker, responded.

Regardless of whether the list is unreasonably specific, Richardson suggested any attempt to change a monument, according to the Heritage Act, would require the passage of another law that, in and of itself, would be unconstitutionally specific  an argument that Justice Few said he found "very interesting."
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambia's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concern about a spate of violent crimes in the urban areas of the West African nation stating that communities no longer feel safe
Insights

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
Another round of international military training is set to begin in the coming days, according to the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

The countrys military branch confirmed a team of airmen will be on Guam for a two-month detachment at Andersen Air Force Base. Fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and personnel from Singapore will train with American allies to sharpen and hone our professional competencies, the RSAF wrote on a Facebook post announcing the deployment, which added the U.S. Navys VAQ-132 aircraft squadron, based out of Whidbey Island, Washington, is also set to take part in the exercises.

The visiting RSAF said it has been working closely with U.S. counterparts to take necessary health and safety precautions during the detachment. Safe management measures implemented include pre-departure restriction of movement and pre-and post-deployment swab tests. The RSAF wrote it will ensure its personnel abide by the U.S.' health and safety measures to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Overseas training such as this is important for the RSAF as we face airspace constraints in Singapore, the Singapore Air Force stated, later adding: This training opportunity in Guam is a testament to the trust and cooperation between our armed forces, as well as the excellent and long-standing bilateral defense relations between Singapore and the U.S.

Andersen Air Force Bases public affairs office told The Guam Daily Post they will be releasing more about the visit as the weeks continue. Fighter aircraft from Singapore have been deployed to Guam for rotational training since 2017, according to the RSAF.
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New York, US (PANA) - Attacks on water and sanitation facilities in conflict zones around the world are putting the lives of millions of children around the world in danger, and are a much greater threat than violence itself, warns the UN Childrens agency, UNICEF, in a report released on Tuesday
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Carl Hessler Jr. is a multi-media reporter who writes about crime and justice from the Montgomery County Courthouse for 21st Century Media Newspapers Greater Philadelphia area publications. Follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews
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Evan Brandt has been a staff reporter for The Mercury for more than 20 years. He covers municipal, school district, political, state government, federal government and environmental news.
The dishing out of benefits based on skin color is becoming a huge issue in America. A practice that once seemed mostly confined to admission to college now extends as far as access to interviews with the mayor of Chicago.

And, most significantly, it extends to the receipt of dollars from the federal government.

Blacks say they are tired of being taken for granted by Democrat politicians. So Democrats are determined to reward them with lucre. Key Dems may also have internalized the noxious teachings of critical race theory.

Pandemic relief provides the occasion for the current round of doling out dollars to Blacks. But one senses that any excuse will do.

The New York Times has just run a story about one group of Blacks now benefiting from government largesse  farmers. The piece centers around a farmer in Missouri named Shane Lewis. He stands to have a $200,000 debt written off, pursuant to a $4 billion federal program, because he is Black.

The Times doesnt put it this way. It says the debt relief program was created by Democrats to help farmers who have endured generations of racial discrimination.

But the Times story refutes this claim. The farmer in question began farming ten years ago. There is nothing in the story that suggests his family farmed  all indications are to the contrary  and thus no basis for concluding that he suffered from generations of discrimination against black farmers. Nor does Bidens program appear to require evidence of that.

Past societal discrimination has not been upheld as a constitutional justification for the government awarding benefits to members of one race in preference to members of other groups. Actual victims of past racial discrimination can, of course, seek relief. And in the case of black farmers, they have.

The Obama administration agreed to a $1.25 billion settlement for a class of them. Perhaps there is a historical basis in fact for a settlement of that magnitude. There is no historical basis for forgiving the debts of farmers like Mr. Lewis.

He complains that hes had trouble getting credit. Banks scoffed at his plans, he says. But nothing in the Times article indicates that race had anything to do with this. Plenty of entrepreneurs of all races have grievances against loan officers at banks.

White farmers in Lewis neck of the woods arent pleased that the Biden administrations debt relief is available only to Blacks. In fact, the title of the Times article is, You Can Feel the Tension: A Windfall for Minority Farmers Divides Rural America.

Of course it does. Of course theres tension.

Nor is it likely that resentment against handing out money to Blacks because of their skin color exists only in rural America. The Times notes that the area where Lewis lives consists overwhelmingly of Trump supporters. But distaste for racial spoils systems extends far and wide.

Liberal California just rejected racial preferences by that state. And this was against a backdrop of the issue of racial preferences in things like college admission. Its questionable that California voters were even thinking about the more offensive practices of racially-based cash handouts and debt relief.

Voters throughout America probably will soon have to think about these practices. Democrats arent likely to be happy about what they conclude.
We continue our preview of the new (Spring) issue of the Claremont Review Books with Mary Eberstadts review/essay Girls will be boys. Subhead: The trans-kid craze must be stopped.

The lefts war on nature has manifested and taken root in the transgender movement with astonishing speed and success. Eberstadt takes up the new books by Abigail Shrier and Debra Soh that challenge it in its trans kids aspect (specifically, minor girls who want to be boys). Eberstadt compares the transgender/trans kids mania to the QAnon cult and lands here:

Someday, the self-dealing authorities who stoke the trans-kid craze will answer for itthe corrupt doctors and politicos, the rubber-stamping gender theorists, the online voyeurs, the merchants, including Planned Parenthood, who make a buck off this pathos. Meanwhile, fellow citizens can step up. If destroying the reproductive organs of healthy adolescents isnt objectionable, not much is. Social conservatives are doing their part to protect against the trans-kid craze. Now others can help, too. May the individual Ls, Gs, Bs, and adult Ts who want no part of this experiment repudiate the claim that they endorse it. May the landmark Keira Bell lawsuit in the United Kingdomwhich resulted in prohibiting kids from access to puberty blockers without court approvalbe the first of many. Now that we have [Shriers] Irreversible Damage and [Sohs] The End of Gender, its past time to stand up for the obvious.

Read the whole thing here.
The deification of George Floyd, armed robber, drug addict and petty criminal, continues apace. Yesterday Minnesotas Governor, Tim Walz, sent this letter to all state employees:

Walz refers to generations of systemic racism that have plagued our state. Can he possibly be serious? What on Earth is he talking about? As recently as 1980, Minnesotas population was barely 1 percent African-American. Since then the black population has grown somewhat, mostly as a result of lavish welfare benefits and the states welcoming attitude toward tens or hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees. What, exactly, did the generations of systemic racism consist of?

Presumably systemic racism has been manifested in the states public institutions. Tim Walz has been governor since 2019. Is he presiding over a systemically racist state government? If so, he should resign. Democrat Mark Dayton was governor for eight years preceding Walz. Is he a racist? Was his administration systemically racist? Come on, Tim, lets name names.

Most African-Americans live in Minnesotas cities. Is the administration of the City of Minneapolis systemically racist? Should Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey resign? There is not a single Republican on the Minneapolis City Council. Are the current Council members racists? Should they all resign?

Moreover, Minneapolis has not had a Republican Mayor since 1973, and the memory of man (or Google, anyway) does not record when Republicans last controlled the Minneapolis City Council. So the generations of racists in power in Minneapolis have all been Democrats. Maybe Tim Walz should switch parties.

In fact, Walzs claim that Minnesota has been plagued by generations of systemic racism is ludicrous. I assume he doesnt actually believe it, but rather is using systemic in the usual sense of non-existent. When it comes to race, Democratic politicians have taken leave of their senses. That is manifested, too, in the current paeans to George Floyd.
Star Tribune reporter Rochelle Olson covered Minnesota District Court Judge Patrick Schiltzs show-cause order triggered by apparent leaks of grand jury information to the New York Times and the Star Tribune in this May 21 story. The show-cause order implicates Star Tribune reporter Andy Mannixs April 29 story reporting that federal civil rights indictments were forthcoming against Derek Chauvin et al. The indictment against Chauvin and his former colleagues was unsealed on May 7.

Insofar as Mannixs story reported the then forthcoming federal indictment, it was based on a single unidentified source whose affiliation Mannix did not even hint at. Mannix, moreover, gave readers no idea why his sources identity could not be disclosed. I noted at the time that the professional misconduct involving the leak conflicted with the excited tone of Mannixs story.

Judge Schiltzs May 5 order was not linked in Olsons story. I tracked down Judge Schiltzs order via the PACER filing system used by the federal courts and have embedded it below via Scribd. I urge all interested readers to check it out themselves.

In his order Judge Schiltz reveals that he has been supervising the Blue Grand Jury since it was impaneled in June 2019. The Blue Grand Jury must have handed up the federal indictment of Chauvin et al. The order provides this background (footnotes to the cited articles omitted):

On February 23, 2021, the New York Times published an article headlined With New Grand Jury, Justice Department Revives Investigation Into Death of George Floyd. On April 29, 2021, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune published an article headlined Feds plan to indict Chauvin, other three exofficers on civil rights charges. Both articles provide reason to believe that matter[s] occurring before the grand jury were disclosed to reporters in violation of Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e).

This is the heart of the order:

A knowing violation of Rule 6, or of any guidelines jointly issued by the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence under Rule 6, may be punished as a contempt of court. Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)(7). Courts are authorized to initiate criminal contempt proceedings and, if necessary to the interests of justice, to appoint a private attorney to act as a special prosecutor in those contempt proceedings. Fed. R. Crim. P. 42(a)(2); Young v. U.S. ex rel. Vuitton et Fils S.A., 481 U.S. 787, 793 (1987). To assist the Court in determining how to proceed with respect to the apparent violation of Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e), the Court will order the United States and the State of Minnesota to provide the Court with a list of every person to whom a matter occurring before the Blue Grand Jury was disclosed by an employee or agent of either sovereign. The Court will also order the United States to show cause why it is not in the interest of justice for this Court to appoint independent counsel to investigate and possibly prosecute criminal contempt charges relating to the apparent disclosures of matters occurring before the Blue Grand Jury.

This is serious business. One might think that it calls for some explanation on the part of the Star Tribune. Olson herself offered this, which was tweeted out by Mannix himself:

Star Tribune Managing Editor Suki Dardarian said, I have no comment on the courts actions, but I will say that the Star Tribune stands resolutely behind its pledge not to reveal the identities of anonymous sources.

Dardarians statement suggests that, if called as a witness in the investigation, Mannix wont be talking. The law affords Mannix no immunity from compulsory process. If Mannix were called as a witness and refused to testify, he is the one who would be subject to serving time for contempt of court, not Dardarian. Ask my friend Judy Miller, or read her memoir The Story.

I wrote tawdry Suki yesterday afternoon:

Dear Ms. Dardarian: I write for the site Power Line and have been covering the Chauvin prosecution and related cases. I have written a lot about the fair trial issues. I was struck by the jaunty tone of Andy Mannixs April 29 story that is part of the investigation undertaken by Judge Schiltz. News of the planned indictment reported in Mannixs story relied on one unnamed source (a source said) with no affiliation even hinted. No reason for protecting the sources anonymity was given in the story. Judge Schiltzs show-cause order asserts that Mannixs story provides reason to believe that matter[s] occurring before the grand jury were disclosed in violation of Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e). But for Judge Schiltzs show-cause order, your readers would have no idea of the professional misconduct and possible contempt of court underlying the leak. Your quoted statement in Rochelle Olsons story relates solely to the Star Tribunes commitment to protect its sources. The interests protected by grand jury secrecy bear in part on the rights of third parties that Mannixs Star Tribune story arguably compromised. The federal civil rights indictment was bound to become public in short order in any event. I wonder what public purpose the story served and how your editorial policies take them into account. I intend to write about this tomorrow. I would appreciate any comment you may have for public consumption. Thank you for your courtesies.

I dont anticipate hearing back from Dardarian. If I do, I will post her response in full.

Blue Grandjury by Scott Johnson on Scribd
New York, US (PANA) - The UN chief on Monday commended an award-winning Kenyan peacekeeper for her gender-mainstreaming work while serving in the restive Darfur region of Sudan
On Saturday, the State Department sent a memo to all diplomatic and consular posts regarding the celebration of the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd. The memo is embedded below; you pretty much have to read it to believe it. This is the Departments summary:

May 25 marks one year since the brutal murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last year, the horrific video of Mr. Floyds final 9 minutes and 29 seconds went viral and spurred Black Lives Matter protests worldwide, in response to his senseless killing and to demand an end to systemic racism and police brutality. One year later, many in the international community will honor Mr. Floyd and acknowledge the long journey nations face to advance racial justice. Leading up to May 25, the Department has issued guidance on the use of Black Lives Matter language, banners, and flags.

So the State Department has bought the CRT, BLM narrative hook, line and sinker, and will propagate that narrative overseas through our embassies and consular offices. Why, exactly, will this be good for the United States? This is the Departments explanation:

This effort is a top priority for the Administrations domestic and foreign policy; the United States cannot credibly message on human rights abroad if it does not address these same issues at home.

The Biden administrations line on human rights in the USA is identical to the Chinese Communist Partys line on that subject.

The U.S. State Department specifically endorses the divisive, racist and often violent precepts and actions of the Black Lives Matter movement:

The Department supports the use of the term Black Lives Matter in messaging content, speeches, and other diplomatic engagements with foreign audiences to advance racial equity and access to justice on May 25 and beyond. We encourage posts to focus on the need to eliminate systemic racism and its continued impact.

The State Department also encourages its employees to engage in Black Lives Matter-related activities while on duty or in the workplace. It further contemplates that as part of our national effort to honor George Floyd, US embassies and consulates may want to hang BLM flags and banners. The memo does remind recipients who fly Black Lives Matter flags that they should fly the U.S. flag on top:

The Black Lives Matter flag, and/or any other types of affinity flags, should be treated as pennants of societies in accordance with this provision, and accordingly, when displayed alongside the U.S. flag either indoors or outdoors, should always be placed in a subordinate position.

Glad they cleared that up, otherwise God knows what State Department personnel overseas might have done.

The election of Joe Biden has already proved to be a disaster. The State Departments full-on embrace of BLM and CRT is just one more data point demonstrating that America is being run by people who hate her. Here is the memo:
We are writing with unfortunate frequency about the spread of the racial spoils system in the U.S. That system first took hold in college admissions policies. The Supreme Court could have stopped it in its tracks, but declined early on to do so. Since then, it has continued to tolerate blatant racial discrimination against Whites and Asian-Americans.

Now, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to address the problem it helped create. The Court can do so if it agrees to hear the case filed by a group of Asian-American students against Harvard for its racially discriminatory admissions policy. (That case is Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.)

The editors of the Wall Street Journal urge the Court to hear the case. They point out, as we have, that:

In America today the principle that drove the civil rights movement  equality for all  is fast giving way to the view that race must be a dominant factor in every decision from college admission to eligibility for federal farm programs to the make up of corporate boards to who get priority for a Covid vaccine.

The editors acknowledge that the Court has already agreed to hear cases on the hot-button issues of abortion and guns. It might be tempted to conclude that this is enough white-hot controversy for one term.

However, the editors submit that taking the Harvard case is arguably even more important than deciding the gun and the abortion cases. They warn:

If the Justices abdicate on the race question now, the virus of racial separatism will spread even more deeply into American life. In a few years it may be much harder to eradicate without considerable social harm. The U.S. would slide toward the racially divisive politics of countries like Malaysia, where government bias is ingrained in law to unhappy effect.

This, indeed, is where we are headed  and fast. Lets hope that the Supreme Court steps up and stops the rot.
I have watched with bemusement an online medium which is fast becoming a synonym for dis-information and mis-information rolling out an agenda seeking to discredit me.

For the sake of my partners and the many people who support my work in many ways and the young journalists that I mentor, I have decided to put the record straight.

I do NOT currently own a property in Kaduna, although I was born there and spent, at different times, parts of my life there.

Like every Nigerian I have a legitimate right to apply for land and property anywhere in Nigeria in line with laid down rules and regulations which are open and transparent.

I decided, at the beginning of this year, to apply to the Kaduna State government for either land or a property as part of their much advertised sale of public assets.

I made two applications in my name, one application was for land and one for a property. . I followed due process and using laid down procedure for my applications. I did not use a proxy, company or a pseudonym as my application was completely above board. I had no need to hide my identity.

My application for a property was approved and I was issued a letter.

The allocated property was worth almost N25 million and I was expected to pay within two weeks, an amount I was unable to put up on short notice in the light of my financial commitment to my current media business.

I borrowed 10 percent of the amount and paid it to the government with the hope of funding the balance via a mortgage or loan before the expiry of the deadline. I was unable to secure the loan before the deadline and was compelled to write to the Kaduna State government seeking an extension.

Although I am yet to receive a formal response to my letter informal feedback suggests that it is unlikely to be approved as it is against policy and I am told it is likely my deposit has been forfeited.

My real hope for getting a home in Kaduna, the place I was born, now rested with my second application for land which was subsequently approved. I got a modest piece of land. The payment for that was more affordable. After paying, I was made aware of the strigent condition that requires that the land be developed within six months to one year as it is part of an accelerated development programme or it would be forfeited. If I am unable to come up with the funds to build this land, it will amount to a total of three times that my applications have been approved but in which I have lost money deposited due to my inability to pay the outstanding amounts required.

These are the facts of this matter but those interested in discrediting me have an agenda and so facts dont matter to them.

The work I do is not popular. Powerful people are not used to being held accountable and especially not publicly and so it is not uncommon for those who ask the difficult questions to become targets of smear campaigns.

That I also refuse to be quiet about dangers of identity politics and the dangerous path Nigeria is threading also means I have made enemies of agents of destablization. I know fully the risk I took when I started on this path. To do journalism properly is to court danger.

The journey I started as a young producer at the BBC in 1992, first as part time staff and subsequently as a full time staff, will not end because people dont like the hard questions I ask and the uncomfortable conversations I anchor.

For the sake of those who dont know my history, it is perhaps important to recap my background . After 14 years at the BBC where I produced some of the leading programmes on Africa (like Focus on Africa and Network Africa), interviewed newsmakers across the continent and reported from places like South Africa, the United Nations and Eritrea during the war with Ethiopia, I returned to Nigeria.

Not long after, I was head hunted as Managing Editor by Pulitzer winning Journalist Dele Olojede to run NEXT Newspapers. We broke the mould, we did investigative reporting the like of which had not been seen in Nigeria in a long while. I was Managing Editor and then Editor, leading a news room of bright, dedicated, honest and courageous reporters many of whom I personally mentored and who till tomorrow lead the industry in Nigeria.

In that time, I was hauled in by both the DSS and the police as a result of our work. I am glad to say we didnt buckle. As for the number of times people attempted to bribe us to kill a story, it is difficult to put a number. Our work at NEXT is part of Nigerias public record.

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Even after NEXT wrapped up, I was determined to find a way to do the kind of journalism which I believe is critical to nation building so working with a partner, we created the critically acclaimed Straight Talk, a TV programme in which I asked hard questions of powerful people and had the sort of conversations that make people uncomfortable.

Again those programmes are in the public domain and stand as testimony to my work.

In the last 14 years since moving back to Nigeria, I have done work designed to hold power accountable, provide Nigerians with information that will enable them make informed choices about their lives and those who lead them and promote nation building in line with democratic processes and ideals. I have used my time to teach and mentor younger journalists on not just the skills required to do this important work, but on the need for professionalism, for nuance , balance and the honesty and courage to declare conflict where it exists and to always work with facts, not half truths, not innuendo and certainly not to become paid hacks who do hatchet jobs for unscrupulous powerful people who dont like being held accountable.

It is not the sort of journalism that endears you to people who are normally so powerful, many cower in their presence.

So this smear campaign is designed to do one thing, put a question mark on my credibility with the intention of shutting me up so my work comes to a grinding halt. It is likely this wont be the last attempt.

However, I know the majority of Nigerians will see through these shenanigans.

Let me reassure everyone, that my work, will not stop. It will not cease. I will continue to ask the hard questions and have the difficult conversations while being so unashamedly pro Nigeria that I will also continue to challenge champions of ethnic politics which have done nothing but polarize us, making it impossible for us to unite and fight bad governance and a system that has let the majority of our people down.
The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has engaged a new American lobbying firm to help the group win the support of the U.S. government.

The one-year deal is slated to run for 12 months and is costing Mr Kanu and IPOB $750,000, which is over N300million at the current official exchange rate of N410 to one U.S. dollar.

PREMIUM TIMES is in possession of the contract papers which Mr Kanu signed with the BW Global Group (BWGG LLC, in February.

The firm, co-owned by Jeffrey Birrel and Alan White, is registered in Washington D.C, the U.S. capital, which has a high concentration of top government officials, lawmakers, policymakers, and opinion leaders, who IPOB is trying to engage on the rightfulness and necessity of its cause.

The agreement, which took effect from March 1, 2021, came months after an earlier one struck by Mr Kanu with another U.S.-based lobbying entity, Mercury Public Affairs LLC, expired.

Under the old contract, IPOB, through Mr Kanu, paid $85,000 per month beginning September 23, 2019, in addition to a $5,000 one-time compliance fee.

That means Mr Kanu paid $1,025,000 for the 12-month contract, which is approximately N400million, based on the prevailing official exchange rate at the time (N380 to a dollar).

In June last year, the Nigerian government fumed at the deal, which it claimed was aimed at discrediting the country in the U.S. and Europe.

PREMIUM TIMES got the details of both the old and new deals from the contractors registration statements and agreements filed at the Foreign Agents Registration Unit of the U.S Department of Justice.

The registration, mandatory under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 and for public disclosure, entails filing documents, including completed predesigned forms marked Exhibits A and B, and the agreements stipulating the full details of the contract.

Failure to provide this information is subject to the penalty and enforcement provisions established in Section 8 of the Act, FARA says in one of the documents reviewed by this reporter.

The services Nnamdi Kanu wants

The terms of the successive contracts with a strict focus on the U.S appear to be part of Mr Kanus quiet but broad efforts to win the support of the U.S. government, Congress, policymakers, and opinion leaders for IPOB.

The filings by BW Global Group (BWGG) after negotiations were concluded in February show that the firm was engaged by Mr Kanu to undertake political activities in the U.S. on behalf of IPOB.

The activities include engaging the U.S. government, Congress and the Department of State, (the equivalent of Foreign Affairs Ministries in Nigeria and other countries) and engaging policymakers on behalf of IPOB.

The registrant (BWGG) expects to advocate on behalf of IPOB within the US Government (including the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of State) and otherwise engage policymakers and opinion leaders, a part of the registration statement marked Exhibit B, read.

The agreement, signed on February 24, 2021, by Mr Kanu, another representative of IPOB, Rita Eze, and a co-owner of BWGG, Mr White, provides further details of what the job entails.

BWGG shall provide the IPOB with services relating to the promotion of human rights and democracy and shall otherwise act as an advocate for the indigenous people of Biafra, the document reads in part.

It added that BWGG may also undertake other similar services that might be referred to BWGG from the IPOB from time to time by mutual agreement.

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The deal has the same scope as the expired contract executed by Mercury Public Affairs, LLC.

Under that agreement, Mercury provided strategic consulting and management services specific to issues facing the client in the areas of government relations and issues management.

The payment mode

BWGG is expected to provide the agreed services under the new agreement to IPOB for a period of one year from March 1, 2021, through February 28, 2022.

The firm is to receive its payment for professional services of $750,000 in monthly instalments.

But $100,000 is to be paid at the signing of the agreement covering the first two months  March and April 2021  leaving a balance of $650,000.

The balance of $650,000 will be paid in monthly instalments of $65,000 USD per month commencing on May 1, 2021, and paid successively on the 1st of each month until the total fee of $750,000 USD has been paid to BWGG by the client.

Payment to BWG shall be by bank wire or bank draft, the document added.

The firm, under the agreement will provide monthly status reports as deliverables regarding the progress and status of the project.

Nnamdi Kanu and the separatist campaign

Mr Kanu, a British and Nigerian national, has a relatively strong footing in the U.K.

His engaging lobbyists to win the support of the U.S. appear to be part of a broader move to win the buy-in of western powers in the separatist cause of IPOB.

IPOB, known for its agitation for an independent Republic of Biafra, has had a series of violent confrontations with Nigerias security agencies.

Weeks of deadly encounters between the groups members and soldiers culminated in a military invasion of Mr Kanus home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, the Abia State capital, in September 2017.

Mr Kanu, who wants the Igbo-speaking states in Nigerias South-east carved out of Nigeria, fled the country in the wake of the military invasion.

Following that encounter with IPOB militants, the Nigerian government obtained a court order on September 20, 2017, to designate the organisation a terrorist group and to proscribe it.

But the British government has yet to recognise IPOB as a terrorist group. There is even suspicion by some officials of the Nigerian government that Britain facilitated Mr Kanus return to the U.K after he escaped the military invasion of his home. PREMIUM TIMES has yet to independently verify that claim.

With the charges of treasonable felony still pending against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Nigerian government has repeatedly fumed about the protection he and other IPOB members appear to be getting from the British government.

Since fleeing Nigeria, Mr Kanu continues to engage IPOB members through his social media channels, with the government often attributing escalating violence in the Southeast region to IPOB.

Many local and international human rights organisations have also condemned years of military attacks on the group that started as a peaceful organisation pursuing the rights of its members to self-determination.
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The Central Bank of Nigeria has adopted the Nafex rate as the governments official exchange rate for the naira, effectively devaluing the currency by 7.6 per cent.

The bank posted the I&E rate on Monday on its website two weeks after it deleted the previous official fixed rate of 379 naira.

The currency exchanged 410.25 for a dollar on the relatively flexible Nafex or Investors and Exporters window.

This is coming almost two weeks after the CBN erased from its website the exchange rate that for about a year was seen as the governments official rate.

In March, the CBN had denied devaluing the naira after the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said the government had adopted the Nafex rate used by investors and exporters.

At the time, CBN governor Godwin Emefiele reiterated that the apex bank still maintained the official rate of N379, while the Nafex rate of N410 was adopted for certain government businesses.

He said the CBN was operating a managed float policy, which allows it to watch market dynamics and intervene in the market whenever necessary.

The Nafex rate has oscillated between 408 and 412 for months, a significant fall from the 379 the CBN listed as the exchange rate on its website.

However, the local currency gained slightly against the U.S. dollar at the I&E window of the foreign exchange market on Monday.

The latest move indicates an effort by the Nigerian government to unify the exchange rate for naira, a key requirement put forward by the World Bank for Nigeria to access a $1.5 bilion credit.

Nigeria before now operated three rates, namely, the CBN fixed rate, the Nafex rate and the parallel market.

Naira fell at the black market on Monday to 486 a dollar, a mark it had not touched for months.
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At least, 440,000 healthcare workers have received their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria, an official has said.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr Shuaib said the 440,000 health workers represent 23 per cent of people that have received first shots of COVID-19 vaccines.

He also said 1,929,237 Nigerians representing 96 per cent of the targeted population have so far been vaccinated against the virus which has claimed over 3 million lives globally and over 2,000 lives in Nigeria.

Shuaib said the administering of second doses of the vaccine have also begun and over 4,000 people have received theirs.

Those individuals currently eligible for second doses will have received their first dose 6 to 12 weeks ago, he said.

He urged all Nigerians to receive the second dose of the vaccine to gain full protection against the virus.

Vaccination campaign

Nigeria commenced vaccination of its citizens against COVID-19 on March 5, beginning with healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers are often at risk of exposure to infections, including COVID-19, as they are the first responders to patients.

Cyprian Ngong, a medical doctor, was the first person to receive a jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in Nigeria. Three other health workers also received jabs during the flag-off event in March.

To achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, Nigeria had set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 40 per cent of its over 200 million population before the end of 2021, and 70 per cent by the end of 2022.

The vaccination exercise will be done in four phases, according to the NPHCDA boss.

About 70 per cent of the total population needs to receive the COVID-19 vaccines to completely eradicate the virus, Shuaib said in January ahead of the vaccine rollout.

Mr Shuaib said about 40 per cent will be vaccinated in 2021, while the remaining 30 per cent will be covered in 2022.

Everybody will be vaccinated

Speaking at the briefing, a representative of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said there were ongoing efforts to get vaccines to hard-to-reach areas in Nigeria.

Nobody is safe until everybody is vaccinated. We can not underestimate the steps taken and the challenges ahead, Mr Hawkins said.

He also urged governors, traditional and other leaders to encourage their people to come out and be vaccinated for the safety of all.
A bill to stop the payment of pension to former governors and their deputies in Lagos State has passed the second reading in the Lagos House of Assembly.

The bill was submitted to the House of Assembly on November 20, 2020, by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor.

With the bill, Mr Sanwo-Olu seeks an amendment to the Payment of Pension Law (2017), a move to stop huge amounts paid to former governors and their deputies.

The second reading of the bill held on Monday and was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa.

Largesse

At least 24 states across Nigeria enacted laws providing generous pensions to their former governors and their deputies.

In Lagos, for instance, the two elected officials are entitled to houses in Abuja and Lagos, six new cars every three years, 100 per cent of the incumbent governors basic salary (for the governor), and free healthcare for their family members, among others.

If enacted, the bill will scrap payment of these benefits to former governors in the state, including Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Second Reading

Several arguments arose from the second reading of the bill by members of the House, with some in support of the bill.

Rotimi Abiru, representing Shomolu II, said the The public office holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007) should be amended rather than repealed.

For a person who has served as chief executive of a state, I do not think it is nice denying them of their benefits.

I can appreciate that some of them move to other appointments. For these people, there can be a caveat. But for those who serve in that capacity and do not have any other thing to do after office, it may not be something elaborate, but something may be coming to them periodically, Mr Abiru said.

Speaking on the bill, Oluyinka Ogundimu, representing Agege 2, said the bill puts into consideration the countrys current economic challenges.

Mr Ogundimu said the bill should be amended in a way that will not negatively affect the security the public officials, adding that if the original law is repealed, it would mean withdrawing all security agents and domestic staff earlier attached to them.

The lawmaker argued that governors and their deputies should be made to enjoy some benefits no matter how little, and should include retaining their security agents and domestic staff.

Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa 2 and the Chairman, Committee on Economic Planning and Budget, said the bill is timely as Lagos State is not very rich.

Mr Yishawu said his position in the committee on economy had given him the opportunity to check the finances of the state, and it is time the state begins to look inward in relation to cost of governance.

Meanwhile, Tobun Abiodun, a lawmaker representing Epe 1, said a repeal of the pension law will give room for corruption in office, and especially when public officials know they have no benefits to enjoy after leaving office.

Other lawmakers also supported an amendment of the pension law, instead of a repeal.

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Rounding off the reading, Mr Obasa, the speaker of the house, said repealing the law in totality would expose former governors and deputies to security challenges.

I dont think we should trash it in totality, he said.

The speaker gave the bill to the House Committee on Establishment for examination and gave them them two weeks to submit a report.
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An official of the Ebonyi State Government said the state branch of the South-east security outfit known as Ebubeagu has arrested 37 suspected criminals for allegedly planning to attack police stations and some offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

Stanley Okoro-Emegha, the commissioner for Internal Security, Border Peace and Conflict Resolution, told reporters on Monday in Abakaliki that the suspects were arrested in Agubia, in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state on Sunday.

Ebubeagu security outfit in a midnight operation, on Sunday, May 23 apprehended a total of 37 suspected criminals in Agubia axis in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi.

The arrest was made in a joint operation coordinated by the commissioner and the Ikwo Local Government Council Chairman, Steve Orogwu, Mr Okoro-Emegha said.

Police operatives from Ikwo Divisional Police Station assisted the security outfit in the arrest, according to Mr Okoro-Emegha.

He added that those arrested were indigenes of Ebonyi and those of neighbouring states in the South-east.

Some of the suspects are not from Ebonyi but they have been handed over to the police for further investigation.

Among (the) things recovered from the hoodlums is a map of some areas they were preparing to attack and the areas include police stations and some INEC offices in the state, he stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) could not immediately get a reaction from the police in Ebonyi.

Police and INEC facilities in Ebonyi and other states in the South-east region of the country have been the target in what appears to be coordinated and sustained attacks by hoodlums.

(NAN)
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The House of Representatives Committee on Customs has faulted the plans by the federal government to purchase four new scanners for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The NSC is planning to purchase scanners, while refusing to repair the existing ones.

However, the same committee had earlier okayed the purchase of the scanners when it approved the budget of the organisation.

In April, the House had warned against China made scanners and advised the apex bank to get German or American products.

Rescission of decision

Even though the House already approved the purchase, the committee, on Monday, made a U-turn and called for the repairs of the existing scanners instead.

The resolution was reached at the investigative hearing on the need to investigate lack of transparency in the transfer of the technical know-how from Cotecna destination inspection limited and Global Scan System limited to the Nigeria Customs Service.

Stephen Okon, the representative of the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said the government decided to buy new scanners because the manufacturer and service provider failed to provide spare parts.

This claim was countered by a representative of Smith Detection, manufacturers of the alleged faulty scanners, Manoj Jagtiani, who said the scanner can work perfectly for 20 years.

He noted that the same type of scanner was installed at the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly.

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, who was represented by Assistant Comptroller General, Aliyu Saidu, insisted that not all necessary equipment for the scanners were provided by the manufacturers.

Earlier, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, while declaring hearing open, expressed dismay with the slow pace of the modernisation of the sector.

Our purpose here today is to ascertain what happened to those machines, and to determine why despite the massive investments in the sector, we did not achieve the modernisation objectives that motivated the investment.

The chairman of the committee, Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi), said the use of scanners at the borders reduces bribery and corruption if properly installed.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned an extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other sub-regional leaders participating in the summit include the Presidents of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum and Central African Republic, Faustin Touadera.

Others are Mahamat Idriss Deby, President of the Transitional Military Council of the Republic of Chad, while Cameroons President Paul Bryan, was represented at the meeting.

Other participants at the summit include representatives of Mohamed Al-Menfi, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, and the Sudanese President.

NAN reports that the leaders would be discussing the growing security threats in Sahel and Lake Chad region, political relations and economic ties as well as the situation in Chad.

The Executive Secretary of ICBC and Head of mission of the Multinational Joint Task Force are expected to make presentations on the situation in Chad.

The Chadian leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby, would also address the summit on developments in his country as well as other relevant issues.

NAN reports that President Buhari, who is the Chair of leaders of LCBC member-countries, had asked for a minute silence in honour of late Chadian President, Marshal Idriss Deby, who was killed by Chadian rebels on April 19.

NAN also reports that the extraordinary summit would deliberate on the issue of islamic state and the challenges that they pose to the member states as well as the lake Chad environment.

The leaders are also expected to discuss the issue of transfer of water from the Central African Republic into the Chad Basin.

NAN observed that the resilience of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in the Lake Chad Basin had been unprecedented in recent times.

NAN reports that a communique on the outcome of the summit is expected at the end of the deliberations of the sub-regional leaders later today.

(NAN)
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudan on Tuesday dispatched a high-level delegation, including the Prime Minister, Dr Abdalla Hamdok, and two members from the collective presidency or the Sovereign Council, to take part in peace talks with the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army-north (SPLM/A), kicking off in Juba on Wednesday
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The police in Enugu State have confirmed that four of their operatives were killed on Tuesday during a gun attack at Iwollo Police Division, Enugu State.

The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki.

Mr Ndukwe, an assistant superintendent of police, stated that the assailants attacked the station in large numbers at about 4a.m., killed the operatives and set parts of the station ablaze.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu, had visited the station with his management team and operational/tactical commanders for an on-the-spot assessment.

The hoodlums opened fire on police operatives on duty, but were gallantly resisted and in the ensuing gun duel, several of the assailants escaped with bullet injuries.

Unfortunately, four police operatives, who sustained severe gunshot injuries, were later confirmed dead in the hospital, he stated.

Mr Ndukwe further stated that the commissioner had condoled with the family and relations of the deceased.

The commissioner has ordered that the already launched discreet investigation be intensified to fish out the assailants and their cohorts.

He appealed to law-abiding residents of the state to promptly volunteer useful information that will assist the command in the investigation.

He also called on them, especially operators of medical facilities in the state, to promptly report to the police any person(s) found with gunshot injuries, Mr Ndukwe stated.

NAN recalled that yet-to-be identified gunmen shot and killed two police operatives during a similar attack on April 21 on Adani Police Station in Enugu State.

(NAN)
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Nigerian car owners, on Twitter, shared bitter experiences they had with mechanics in several parts of the country,

The car maintenance business is largely informal in Nigeria with many mechanic workshops being individual standalone businesses.

However, the Nigerians that shared their experiences, suggested that while the mechanics may not be working in groups, they share similar traits in cheating or defrauding car owners.

I gave mechanic my car to fix the A/C, nigga went to drop my car as a collateral for his debt, a Tweeter user, Emmy Walker wrote. How do you drop an ES350 for a 1.5m debt, he said.

The man who collected the car as collateral completely refused to release the car. He has chosen violence and was even threatening, he said

The part that kills me with Lagos mechanics is the fuel. If I had a full tank sef, the car will always always come back empty, said Ms Jinaidu recalling her experience with a Lagos mechanic.

I started leaving the bare minimum petrol in my car before they pick up the car and the mechanic actually had the gut to complain, she added.

Ayoola Abiola said: What of Mechanics that remove the catalytic converters from cars that are brought to them for general checkup? Most mechanics are into this practice and unsuspecting car owners will notice a change in the exhaust sound but cant figure out whats wrong.

Iyke Kolie tweeted: I gave an AC guy my car to fix the AC He decided to change the entire sensor on the dashboard. It turned out he used it to settle another guy whose sensor I suspected he may have damage.

An electrician sold my brothers car and disappeared, another user said. It was the buyer that was disturbing the electrician for the car docs that saw an old photocopy of NDL in the car and called the no, that was when my brother knew that his car had been sold, though he has since recovered it, he recalled.

A user who identified himself as Oladipo said he Gave mechanic the ECU of a car to help check for a replacement & gave him 35k for the same,

According to him, the mechanic later suggested that the issue with the car may not be the ECU, that other diagnoses be made.

Ok, return the money; it took 3 weeks for him to transfer, he said. Return ECU; stopped taking my calls.

Jamike Toch tweeted, one dark skinned mechanic boy called Sunday at Awoyaya , told me my catalyst is bad, that he would remove it and work on it.

I didnt know he was lying until I told him to bring the bad catalyst after removing them. He and the supposed catalyst disappeared. Fear Sunday mechanics, he said.
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The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, Ovie Omo-Agege, says the report of the committee would be presented to the National Assembly in July.

He also said funding was not in any way a challenge to the ongoing review of the document.

Mr Omo-Agege, who is also the Deputy Senate President, stated this on Monday in Abuja at a press conference on the ongoing exercise.

He said though the committee was still working with funds appropriated in the 2020 budget, funding was not a challenge to the all-important national assignment.

In the 2021 Budget, we have not received an appropriation yet. I believe it was an oversight. So we are still working with the 2020 Budget.

We are hoping that during the supplementary exercise, we will be accommodated, he said.

According to him, the committee has received over 250 memoranda which have been analysed.

The committee has held several consultations and meetings to deliberate on the process and submissions in preparation for the public hearings at the national and zonal levels.

Following from the analysis of the memoranda submitted, the issues have increased from 13 to 16, including Gender Equity/Increased participation of Women and Vulnerable Groups in governance, the Federal Structure in governance and Power Devolution, among others.

He said the zonal public hearings would be held simultaneously at all the six geo-political zones on Wednesday, May 26 and Thursday 27.

To bring the process closer to the people, the hearing will take place in two centres in each of the six geo-political zones: North Central having Jos, Plateau and Minna, Niger as centres.

North East: Gombe and Bauchi centres; North West: Kaduna and Sokoto centres; South-East: Enugu and Owerri, Imo centres; South-South: Asaba, Delta and Bayelsa centres while South-West: Akure, Ondo and Lagos centres.

After the zonal hearings, there will also be a National Public hearing in Abuja on Thursday, June 3 and Friday to give opportunity to those. especially government agencies and other stakeholders. who could not attend the zonal hearings, he said.

On the fairness of all the senators who are to chair the centres, Mr Omo-Agege said: what we are seeking to do is to collate views of members of the public on their positions on respective submissions already made.

The chairman of the North-central zone, Sen Abdullahi Adamu is standing in for me in that centre.

He is standing in for me at the centre. His job like any other chairman is to collate these views, prepare reports and bring all of those to us as a committee. We will take a look at it, meet with our consultant and based on these reports, we will reduce those collations into bills that we take before the Senate.

(NAN)
Im Eze Ebuka, a welder, and the first in a family of three.

This is my SARS story.

Around 1 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2020, my sleep was disturbed by loud knocking on the door of the main entrance of my home in Ekwulobia, a town in Anambra state.

Five officers of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police had come in over the fence, with guns and machetes, screaming my name.

My mother opened our door, asking why they were calling me at that hour. They said they had a message for me.

My mother asked why they did not wait till daybreak. They did not answer, and instead forced their way past my mother, and into our house. They barged into my room  meeting me in my shorts. The officers asked me to throw on some clothes, then scattered my room, looking for something.

I did not know what they were looking for but it was clear they didnt find it. They then handcuffed me, told my mother they had come from the Central Police Station (CPS) in Nnewi, 25 kilometers west of Ekwulobia. The officers said my mother would have to go to CPS if she wanted to know why I was being arrested.

On the way to the station, the officers asked me to provide names of five cult members if I wanted to be released. I told them I wasnt a cultist and did not know any cult members. But they accused me of lying and said they would make me confess at the station.

Forced confession

We got to the station at 3 a.m. and I was taken into custody with five other boys they had arrested that morning. I was told I would be the first suspect to be tortured for me to confess my cult membership.

I was led somewhere within the station where I was asked to sit on the ground. They asked again if I was a cultist, and I continued to defend myself. I told them that I had a legitimate job that occupied me from the early hours of the day into late night. I told them I had nothing to do with cultists, and I knew of no other family member associated with cultism.

They didnt believe me. They started to torture me. They bound my legs and hands behind my back, with my head facing the ground. Two of the officers then put rods between my hands and legs, which they used to lift me so Id be suspended in the air.

Nightmare

Let me tell you, it was a nightmare.

The rod started to injure my hands and legs, so I started crying. It was unbearable, and I remember shouting for help. Some officers came in, and I told them, out of desperation, that I was a cult member. I had no choice. I just wanted the torture to end.

Do you belong to Aromate (a notorious cult group that usually causes trouble around the Ekwulobia town)? they asked.

Yes, I responded. I was at my breaking point.

When did you join the cult? they asked.

January, I replied.

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How many members were there when you got initiated?

Five, I lied in response.

They then told me that I had my finger punctured for a blood covenant as part of my initiation process. This was not a question  they were establishing it and asking me to accept it as truth. They were telling me what to say to suit their agenda.

After they were satisfied that I was not resisting, they brought me down. They tortured the other five boys, most of whom were quick to admit to being cult members to escape being tortured.

We were then asked to write statements, which was further torture for me as my hands and fingers had become numb.

Horrible cell experience

Inside the cell, we were beaten by the other inmates. At night, I could not sleep, not only because I was in pain, but also because there was no space for me to even lay my head.

The cell conditions were terrible. Inmates urinated and emptied their bowels at the same place they slept. The officers did not care whether we ate or not  I only drank water, as they didnt allow my people to bring me food.

All the officers cared about was when our relatives would come to bail us, or if we wanted to make calls to our relatives at a fee they would charge us.

Most people I met in the cell seemed to have stories that suggested they had been wrongly arrested. Some of them told me they had been arrested in place of their sons, whom SARS officers had come in search of and hadnt found.

Frustrated attempts at bail

I later learned that three of my uncles drove for one hour to the station on the evening of the day of my arrest, but the SARS officers had told them that the officer in charge (OC) was not around.

My uncles had to leave and come back again, only to be told the same story. The officers said the OC was yet to return and that it was not possible to obtain bail on a Sunday. My uncles tried again on Monday, then Tuesday, all without success.

One of my uncles got annoyed and threatened to sue unless the officers provided evidence of my cult membership, to which the officers responded by revealing that their OC had miraculously returned.

They asked my family to pay N200,000 before they would let me go. My family raised half the money, but the officers claimed it was not enough, especially as it was a cult case.

After three days of detention, the officers accepted the 100,000 naira and let me go.

Back to a difficult life

My mother cried when I returned home.

Before my arrest, I had been saving up to buy my own tools to help me grow out of my apprenticeship, but my savings were pumped into negotiating my freedom.

Following my injuries from the torture, I was stuck at home for three weeks, unable to work.

In my neighbourhood, people really believed that I was a cultist, after hearing that I had confessed to being one. They said I was a sheep in wolfs clothing, a cult member pretending to be a holy boy.

To clear my name, I had to go to the local government office to get a court affidavit rejecting cultism. But not even this could change what people thought of me.

I will never forget what I went through. I doubt if I am over it. SARS wounded my body and destroyed my reputation.

It was not a funny experience.

_______

This story is part of a multimedia project by Tiger Eye Foundation and media partners across Nigeria, documenting police brutality in Nigeria, and advocating for police reform.
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Gunmen in the early hours of Tuesday attacked Iwollo Police Division in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigerias South-east.

The police station was set ablaze during the attack, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mohammed Aliyu, confirmed the attack in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mr Aliyu, who could not give details of the incident, said he was already on ground to ascertain the level of destruction and casualties.

More information will be pushed out to the public as soon as we conclude our preliminary investigation, he said.

A witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NAN that the hoodlums attacked the division in their large numbers in the wee hours of the day.

The witness said the attack caused panic in the Iwollo community throughout the night.

They succeeded in completely razing down the buildings in the divisional station.

The hoodlums might have also killed probably five gallant police personnel that confronted them when they attacked.

NAN recalled that on April 21, unknown gunmen shot two police operatives dead during an attack on Adani Police Station in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The station was also set ablaze at about 2:30 a.m. during the attack

(NAN)
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The desk officer of the response team for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), federal capital territory (FCT), Ngozi Ike, has disclosed out of 444 SGBV cases reported in the city, only one conviction has been secured.

The official, who blamed the development on slow trials, advocated special courts for cases of sexual violence in the country. She said the slow conviction of perpetrators is threatening progress made against the vice.

She spoke during a media dialogue on Tuesday, in Abuja, saying the special courts would help to speed up the process of justice delivery on cases of SGBV.

Ms Ike said; We lack special courts in Nigeria to hear such delicate cases. When you take these cases to the regular courts, they linger for a long period of time and this is not good at all.

If we can push for the establishment of special courts that will preside over sexual and domestic violence cases, it will go a long way in dispensing justice to survivors.

The dialogue, which was on Ethical Reporting and Advocacy to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls in the FCT, was organised by Spotlight Initiative Nigeria, in collaboration with the European Union, National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Child Right Information Bureau of the ministry of information and culture.

SGBV

Speaking at the dialogue, UNICEFs Child Protection Officer, Tochi Odele, said about 30 per cent of women and girls between the ages of 15-49 experience different forms of sexual abuse.

Ms Odele said six per cent of women experience violence during pregnancy, while one in four women and girls have experienced some form of sexual violence.

She said women and girls with disabilities are twice as likely to experience violence of any form.

According to Odele, violence against women and girls usually occur in most trusted environments- mostly by family members, caregivers and people who society hold in very high esteem.

It is important to note that violence is rarely an isolated case and the majority of children experience violence in their homes and familiar environments, she said.

In her remarks, Mary Tanko, FCT Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) calls for collective action to expose perpetrators of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the country.

Ms Tanko said VAWG has been on the rise in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world.

She noted that poor commitment of security agencies to residents, as well as stigmatisation against survivors, pose a major threat to curbing the rise of SGBV in the country.

Ms Tanko said; We have (a) few police presence in some communities, poor commitment of security agencies and stigmatization of survivors has been a big challenge to our fight against gender-based violence.

The rise of violence against women and girls calls for action, a collective action to ensure that the cases are reduced.
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Police operatives are currently engaged in a gun battle with some hoodlums in Owerri, Imo State.

The hoodlums, according to a report by the Vanguard newspaper, set ablaze a police facility in Orji, Owerri, before the police moved in to engage them in a shootout.

The paper quoted a witness as saying that the attack on the police facility occurred at about 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, and that the hoodlums wore red and black attire.

A clip of the incident posted around 1:43 p.m. on Twitter showed thick black smoke billowing from a building  apparently, the attacked police station.

A background voice in the clip said the gunmen were holding their position, while the police had retreated.

See unknown gunman! a voice that sounded frightened could be heard shouting in the video.

Let the army come out nah, another voice responded.

The Owerri attack comes a few hours after similar attacks on police facilities in Anambra and Enugu states, all within Nigerias South-east region.

About five police operatives are said to have been killed in the Enugu attack. The police are yet to confirm the number of casualties, however.

Facilities belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have also been attacked and set ablaze by hoodlums in the different states in the South-east.

Meanwhile, a former senator, Shehu Sani, has urged residents in the states in the South-east to resist the continuous attacks against police facilities and INEC in their areas.

The attacks on Police formations and INEC facilities in the south-east must be resisted by the people of the South-east to prevent the region from finding itself in the situation of the North-east, Mr Sani, who had represented Kaduna Central District, said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

Crippling law enforcement is a prelude to anarchy, terrorism and disorder, he added.
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A man suspected to be suicide bomber was on Tuesday blown into pieces when a suicide vest he was wearing exploded on his body.

The incident happened in Afikpo town, Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigerias South-east.

A resident in the area said the incident happened around 12 noon.

He made an attempt at entering Amaizu/ Amangballa Primary School but was turned back by the school security since he couldnt justify his reason for visiting. He immediately started running inside a nearby bush before a big bang was heard, the resident said.

People around the area scampered for safety when the bomb exploded, he said.

They, however, went to the scene of the incident a few minutes later, only to discover the suspected suicide bomber lying dead in a pool of his blood.

The upper part of the suspected suicide bombers body was completely destroyed from the impact of the bomb.

The incident, which occurred close to the Eke Market, Afikpo, said to be the biggest market in the area, caused panic in the community.

The Commissioner for Internal Security in Ebonyi State, Stanley Okoro confirmed the incident, but said he was yet to get details of what happened.

There have been attacks on police stations and facilities belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission in less than 24 hours ago in Anambra, Enugu, and Imo states.

About five police operatives are said to have been killed in the Enugu attack.

The police are yet to confirm the number of casualties, however.
Peter Nkanga, the BBC reporter who shot the documentary on Ahmed Isah, Berekete Family show presenter, has said the documentary was done to provide a balanced and objective profile of the work Ahmed Isah, the Human Rights radio and the (work) Berekete Family show does.

He also said he has received death threats since the controversial documentary was released to the public.

Mr Nkanga told a PREMIUM TIMES reporter that the BBC reached out to Mr Isah in 2020 to spotlight the failed justice system and how Nigerians have resorted to alternatives for solutions to their problem.

We said to Ahmed, we want to document what you are doing, we want to understand why people are not going to the government but coming to Ahmed and the human rights radio because they believe they can get justice there instead of the government and government institutions.

According to Mr Nkanga, Mr Isah agreed to the proposal of having them (BBC) document his everyday intervention.

In the course of documenting how Ahmed operates, we got to speak to critics and hear criticisms from people who felt that the way Ahmed went about delivering justice is unethical. We told Ahmed about it and gave him the right of reply for balance but he never responded.

When this reporter asked Mr Nkanga about the criticisms received against Mr Isah, he directed this reporter to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Human Rights Commission whom he said the reports went to.

NBC speaks

When this reporter reached out to NBC to confirm Mr Nkangas claims, Armstrong Idachaba, acting Director General of the commission, said complaints have come to the commission regarding Ahmeds conduct on air.

We told the BBC that we have received complaints from various groups and individuals; they came here to make enquiries in the process of their documentary. That is what we deal with everyday, it is not only Ahmed, we receive complaints from across the country concerning broadcasts that are actually offensive or are not fair to certain persons 

Mr Idachaba added that on many occasions, the commission has asked Mr Isah to offer the right of reply to persons involved in cases brought to him. He said Mr Isa has apologised and offered a right of reply.

Death threats

Mr Nkanga complained that since the documentary went public, he has been receiving death threats from Ahmeds loyalists. He said on two occasions, his numbers were announced on air, and due to the threats, he has gone into hiding.

I am being threatened for doing my job as a journalist; for asking questions; numerous times, Ahmed was given the right of reply but he refused. We want to hold people accountable, we as journalists also need to be accountable. How can this be accountability when you release my number to the whole world to harass me?

I hand Nkanga over to God- Isah

This reporter spoke briefly with Mr Isah on the phone while he was at the police station on Tuesday after a reported invitation by the FCT police.

He said Mr Nkangas number was never announced on his programme.

 the damage he (Peter) has done is not enough and he wants to do more. I did not announce his phone number. I do not have any business with Peter; he has done what he has done and I hand him over to God, he said briefly. He did not give further details on the reason for the invite or the controversy.

The BBC had said in an official statement to PREMIUM TIMES, it will not take the threats against its reporter lightly and will involve the police, if neccesary.

Since the BBC Africa Eye film has aired our reporter has been subjected to abuse and threats which we are taking seriously and will report to the police. It is completely unacceptable that journalists should suffer abuse for doing their jobs.

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Prior to broadcasting the film the BBC repeatedly reached out to Ahmed Isah offering a right of reply to questions regarding accusations from his critics but he declined. Since the BBC investigation has aired Mr Isah has apologised for his assault on the woman in the film.

The film also showed the positive outcome Mr Isah achieved for a child who had been badly burnt and demonstrated the help and support he provided for her family. BBC Africa Eye is valued as a trustworthy and impartial source of news across the region and we will continue to report without fear or favour.

Meanwhile, responding to an allegation levelled against him by Mr Isah that he tried to set the broadcaster up with his wife, Mr Nkanga told this reporter that both families have known each other since 2012 and so he would not understand why his wife is dragged into the issues emanating from the documentary.

Background

Mr Isah came under public scrutiny after a BBC documentary which premiered on May 17, 2021, showed him losing control and slapping a lady identified as Susan.

Susan was accused of burning her little nieces hair whom she claimed is a witch. From the documentary, the little girl suffered burns on her head. She is now undergoing treatment courtesy Mr Isah and concerned Nigerians.

After a public outcry, Mr Isah on Wednesday morning during the show apologised to Nigerians for his violent reaction. He was joined by several listeners, some of whom called in to apologise on his behalf.

Meanwhile, while apologising on the Brekete show, Mr Isah accused some unnamed persons, whom he said were being aided by Mr Nkanga and his BBC crew of plotting to kill him.

Mr Isah, who did not provide any evidence, said someone called to warn him not to visit Anambra to follow up on an investigation mentioned in the documentary as there were plans to attack him.

According to him,  I got a security call from someone in Anambra asking me not to come, that the people who were pressuring me had planned to kill me

During the show, Mr Isah said the warning made him abandon the plan to visit Anambra. He also said he became suspicious when Mr Nkanga appeared to be unusually interested in the Anambra investigation.

Mr Isah was referring to a story of eight young boys who were allegedly abducted from their homes in Anambra State 20 years ago by an ex-senator from Anambra North.

According to the BBC documentary, these boys were taken from their homes for allegedly throwing fireworks at the ex-senator who responded by sending vigilantes to round them and since 2001, no one has seen them.

Mr Isa also accused Mr Nkanga of trying to set him up with his wife.

Peter Nkanga, because he knows I like women, it appeared he wanted to set me up with his wife who at a time called me continuously saying some kind things and when I asked she told me she was his wife and a lawyer, said Mr Isa.

The BBC has dismissed Mr Isahs allegations.
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is calling for the release of the Malian interim president, Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane who are reported to have been detained by soldiers on Monday, triggering fears that another coup could be underway in the West African country
Nigerias Commodity Exchange recently commissioned cashew nuts processing and warehousing facilities at Egume/Ochaja, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State to minimise losses incurred as a result of delayed export of the crop.

The facilities are to serve as the point for stacking, weighing, and evacuation of cashew nuts from Niger, Edo, Benue, Kwara, and Kogi States for export.

Nigeria has about 600,000 surviving cashew trees spread across the country, in all parts of the country. Currently, 75 per cent to 80 per cent of cashew nuts produced in Nigeria are exported, as only very few companies are involved in the local processing of the produce. The industry is also a vibrant employer, providing about 600,000 jobs and an annual trade worth N24 billion. The cashew industry is a major contributor to the nations non-oil GDP.

The governments liberalisation policy on commodity crops has impacted significantly on the prices and demand for raw cashew nuts in the recent past. The role of local buying agents in the supply chain did not only increase the supply of the product but also healthy competition.

Also is the increase in holding capacity of the product through the expansion of warehouses by the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX). The NCX commissioned 12 delivery warehouses in 2020. These additional warehouses spread across the six geopolitical zones have a combined capacity of more than 26,000 metric tonnes.

Impediments

Despite the above, several factors hinder Nigeria from achieving its full potential in the cashew sector.

For one, the process of handling the product has its impact on the final quality. The export market is stringent about products meeting the required standards. The United States, for instance, has a high regulation set by the American Food Industry. This standard cannot be compromised when importing food products into the country. The same applies to European countries.

Unekwuojo Edime, president of Cashew Farmers Aggregators and Processors of Nigeria, said a major factor impeding the production of cashew in the country is the lack of a domestic market.

He said Nigerias cashew has low patronage at home and high demand abroad. He said the crops consumption at home is not big enough to compensate farmers for their investment, because the quality specification of the cashew in Nigeria does not meet the export requirement.

He explained that the varieties that have been planted in Nigeria over the years are wild, not improved varieties and so the yield is reduced and some of these trees are aging.

Data from Food and Agricultural Organisation, shows that Nigerias cashew production averaged 255,416 tonnes annually between 2010 and 2019. On yearly basis, the total output of the country declined from 2010. Interestingly, 2010 remains the year for which the country recorded the highest output in the years under review.

The total output of cashew declined from 2010 to 2015 when the country recorded an output of 97,149 tonnes. Output increased to 98,291 tonnes in 2016 and 100,000 tonnes in 2017. The countrys output stabilised at 100,000 tonnes.

Garba Kontagora, a cashew farmer, and national coordinator of Cashew Farmers North said although cashew is an income generator for the country, and an international business, it lacks government support which is a major problem.

Yunusa Enemali, a cashew farmer and the national publicity secretary of the Association of Cashew Farmers Aggregators and Processors of Nigeria told PREMIUM TIMES that the Ministry of Agriculture is paying lip service and not doing anything about cashew production.

He said cashew production is faced with a lot from planting, preparation, harvesting, and handling. He said there is no support from the government, by way of incentives or funds.

Ajani Ezekiel, a cashew farmer in Oyo State said, Middlemen buy cashew nuts at prices theyre willing to buy, and as farmers, we do not have a choice but to sell. Lack of capital to purchase fertilisers and no empowerment from the government .

Ejim Nnenna, a cashew farmer and national vice president of the Association of Cashew Farmers Aggregators and Processors of Nigeria, lamented that she has not received any support from the government, coupled with difficulty to acquire land for the cultivation of cashew, and getting improved seeds.

Surmounting the challenges

There are numerous opportunities to take advantage of in the cashew sector, only if the challenges are dealt with.

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Cashew is used for jam, cooking oil, biscuits, bread, bio-gas, jet fuel, hydraulic, brake fluid, paints, shoe polish, and more.

Edime said: We have been working with NIRSAL on their Agro cooperatives for cashew development. We begin with the maintenance of existing plantations. Because when those cashews were planted, the knowledge out there was not much. Through interventions programmes and improved varieties can also be planted.

We have been talking to institutional players in the Agro sector so that they can establish industrial or commercial plantations because as it is over ninety per cent of cashew farmers are smallholders.

Mr Edime told PREMIUM TIMES that he was aware that the Ministry of Agriculture is working on extension services for different cooperatives. He said he hoped it will be extended to the cashew industry for improvement in the primary value chain and increase in knowledge.

We have being building capacities of farmers, and forming them into cooperatives where they can be managed better at the village level so that funding can go directly to the farmers and manage their plantations well and get good quality for their cashew nuts for a better price, Mr Edime said.

Idachaba Ebenezer, head of the Department of Laboratory Management at Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service said: Before now, most of the cashew we were getting were indigenous that grew on their own, not as planted plantations. What we are doing now is a lot of advocacy and to substitute the old ones for hybrids, and following good agricultural practices.

Everyone that passes through the quarantine services, particularly when it comes to hygiene, we ensure its treated. For now, we dont have rejections, the only issue of quality we have is in the size and not bad cashew. For the control of pest and hygiene is good for now, Mr Ebenezer noted.

Hemense Orkar, Vice President Commercials at AFEX said he deals directly with cashew traders and aggregators to add value to the supply chain, in which market access is then provided.
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The police in Ebonyi State said the man killed in a Tuesday explosion in Afikpo was a police operative, and not a suicide bomber as reported in the media.

The police spokesperson in the state, Loveth Odah, said the victim of the blast was a mobile police officer on special deployment to Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

She said the officer, identified as Idi Aminu, died as a result of an accidental explosion from a hand grenade.

The incident, which occurred opposite Amizi Amangbala Primary School in Afikpo North, had created panic among residents.

He mistakenly hit the lead of his grenade which was hanging on his waist with his elbow, resulting in the deadly explosion, Ms Odah said.

The spokesperson said the remains of the police operative have been taken to a mortuary.

Some residents in Afikpo had told reporters that the incident happened around 12 noon when the man tried to gain access into a school.

READ ALSO: Suspected suicide bomber dies in Ebonyi

He made an attempt at entering Amaizu/ Amangballa Primary School but was turned back by the school security since he couldnt justify his reason for visiting. He immediately started running inside a nearby bush before a big bang was heard, a resident said earlier.

The upper part of the mans body was completely destroyed form the impact of the bomb.

Attacks against police facilities and buildings belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission have continued in Ebonyi and other states in Nigerias South-east.
The Federal Capital Territory is set to build public toilets along highways in the city in order to reduce open defecation.

This was made known on Tuesday by the Deputy Director Head of Water Supply of Federal Capital Territory Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Chinelo Ebrike

Ms Ebrike said the agency would also build public toilets in schools, health centers and markets to fight the menace.

She disclosed this in Abuja at the premiere of a video documentary, Echoes of the People, a two-year engagement in grass-root communities by HipCity Innovation within the six area councils in the FCT documenting their needs and telling their stories with the aim of getting a desired solution from the government.

Some people believe that to defecate in the open, they want to receive fresh air. You see some people when they visit their villages, they have toilets but they will take a walk into the bushes and defecate. For some, it may be the non-availability of toilets. In the city, we do not have public toilets for people to defecate.

We are having an approach as we have come on board now, we are going to build toilets in all those institutions. In the schools there should be toilets, in health care centres there should be toilets, in the markets there should be toilets and on the highways, if you are moving from Kubwa to the city, there is no toilet along the road and somebody can be pressed. We are coming with all these things but we need to liaise with other sister agencies and development control to be able to give the land, she said.

Ms Ebrike noted that RUWASSA started operating in January 2021 and has since visited 10 communities in Bwari Area Council out of which three have been declared open defecation free.

We are taking it to wards, then from area council to area council. We started in Bwari and we have visited about 10 communities. We started preaching behavioural change and we have been able to declare some of these communities open defecation free such as Kuchigoyi, Zuma 1 and Zuma 2. The other seven are ongoing and have achieved at 80% stage of achieving its open defecation free status, she said.

To determine if a community is open defecation-free, she said the national or state, or local government task force on sanitation will go round to ascertain if open defecation has been stopped within a certain period of time.

According to her, the agency also assesses communities sanitation facilities and provides time for when they can build their toilet.

Meanwhile, at the screening, Bassey Bassey, executive director HipCity Innovation Centre, disclosed that the area councils except Abuja Municipal Area council do not have functioning websites.

He recounted the challenges encountered by the NGO in accessing public documents and government officials of the area councils.

The six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory include Bwari, Kuje, Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

We have six area councils in the FCT. Maybe AMAC at one time had a functional website but the other five do not have a website or social media platform and often times if we try to write letters, they get lost in transit. These are the challenges.

There are a lot of private organisations that want to work with you but you are not opening up your doors to them. We have gotten to a time where we will name and shame. We are not saying it is easy but we want the people to be included in the processes, Bassey said.

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES after this claim showed that all the area councils except AMAC do not have websites. Although Kwali, Bwari, and Abaji opened Facebook accounts, they were last active on March 9, 2020, May 14, 2020, and October 29, 2019, respectively.

Mr Bassey noted that before local government areas or area councils are granted autonomy, one basic question they must answer is what they have done with the funds disbursed to them over the years.

I tell you that in the last two years, each time we try to access the budget of an area council, you either have to find someone who works within the area council and tip the person to photocopy the budget. You wont find the budget anywhere, he added.

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Mr Bassey said documentary was about gathering peoples voices to let the government know their plights because more attention is placed on the federal and state governments and not on the local government that drives grassroot development.

Residents across the six area councils in Abuja have complained about governments continued neglect to provide them basic amenities for survival.

The documentary indicated the concerns of residents across the area councils from lack of clean water, electricity supply, health facilities affecting women and children alongside poor road network especially in the rural areas.
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The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday, appeared before the committee investigating the status of recovered loots.

Mr Malami was earlier scheduled to appear before the committee on Monday but failed to show up.

He was invited to appear before the committee alongside others.

Upon his appearance on Tuesday, Mr Malami blamed the non-passage of the crimes bill, an executive bill, which was forwarded to the National Assembly in 2017, for the lack of coordination of the recovered loots.

When we came in, we realised that there was no legislative framework on recovered loots. We resolved to send a bill to the National Assembly. I regret to state that the legislative framework has not been passed. If the National Assembly had passed the bill, we will not be in this position, Mr Malami said.

He noted that the existing legislations are not helpful.

The Office of the AGF was indicted by the lawmakers for receiving funds from the recovered loots, instead of the Consolidated Revenue Funds.

Adejoro Adeogun, the chairman of the committee, accused Mr Malami of being complicit in the funding of the budget of his office with money from the recovered loots instead of the consolidated revenue.

Mr Adeogun said, The law is that every revenue should be transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Account. Has the office of the attorney general ever received any fund from the recovered loots account?

Mr Malami responded, The office of the attorney general has never at any time received any kobo from that account, not even the cost of collection. The office of the attorney general is not a recipient of a dime from the recovered loot.

He was, however, confronted with evidence that his office solicited and received looted funds.

I am going to show you a statement of account from the CBN, showing payment to your office on the 20th February 2017, Mr Adeogun stated.

Mr Malamis explanation was unable to explain his position satisfactorily to the lawmakers.

However, the Accountant General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, who was present during the back and forth, came to his aid.

Mr Idris said the attorney general did no wrong, explaining that under the Tertiary Single Account (TSA), all accounts are the same.

According to Mr Idris, the consolidated account and recovered loots are all subsets of the TSA.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Finacial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) are billed to appear before the committee on Wednesday
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European leaders on Tuesday agreed to ban Belarus state airline from European Union airports as well as impose economic sanctions targeting companies and individuals accused of financing the regime.

The EU called for the immediate release of journalist and activist Roman Protasevich who was arrested from a Ryanair flight that was forced to land in Minsk on Sunday.

Mr Protasevich, 26, is the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which helped mobilise anti-Lukashenko protests. He was charged last year with organizing mass riots and group actions that grossly violate public order.

Since then, he has been on a government wanted list for terrorism.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the incident a state hijacking and an attack on European sovereignty.

She warned that Belarus would face severe consequences for its actions.

This is an attack on democracy, the commission president said. This is an attack on freedom of expression. And this is an attack on European sovereignty. And this outrageous behaviour needs a strong answer.

She added that a 3 billion euro investment and economic package for Belarus will remain on hold until Belarus turns democratic.

EU leaders will discuss further sanctions, she said, including against business and economic entities that are financing the regime and against the aviation sector in Belarus after the hijacking of the flight.

The European Unions foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement the arrest constitutes yet another blatant attempt by Belarusian authorities to silence all opposition voices.

In carrying out this coercive act, the Belarusian authorities have jeopardised the safety of passengers and crew. An international investigation into this incident must be carried out to ascertain any breach of international aviation rules, he noted.

This situation will be raised at the upcoming meeting of the European Council. The EU will consider the consequences of this action, including taking measures against those responsible.

In reaction to the incident, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the United States strongly condemn the Belarusian regimes brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight to arrest a journalist.

We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps, he wrote on Twitter.
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The police in Ebonyi State have confirmed the accidental shooting of an officer by his colleague in front of the old Ebonyi Government House, Abakaliki.

The state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

Mr Garba said the injured officer was responding to treatment in a hospital.

A resident of Abakaliki, who is familiar with the incident, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that both officers manned the entrance of the old Government House, Abakaliki.

The officer who accidentally shot his colleague, was reported to be servicing his gun but accidentally released bullets from its chambers which hit the victim.

The officer was immediately demobilised by other officers and taken to the command while the wounded officer was immediately attended to.

The victim was eventually evacuated to a hospital in a government house clinics ambulance, the resident said.

Francis Nwaze, a media aide to the Ebonyi state governor, has issued a statement, urging residents not to panic over the incident.

We urge the public to disregard fake news which can cause panic and also realise that such are actionable, Mr Nwaze said.

Facilities belonging to the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission have been the target of attacks in Ebonyi and other states in Nigerias South-east region.

Four police operatives were killed in a Tuesday attack in Enugu State.

(NAN)
As world leaders condemn the latest coup in Mali, the military has said that both interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane have been stripped of their positions.

The junta accused both of sabotage in the transition quest of the country.

It added that it would proceed as normally, and the scheduled elections will be held in 2022.

This came a day after the military seized both men alongside defence minister Souleymane Doucoure in an apparent coup in the unstable West African nation.

This is Malis second coup in nine months.

Messrs Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule which was billed to end with an election next year March.

But the leader of the latest coup, Assimi Goita, a colonel, in a televised statement on Tuesday, accused the civilian leaders of misrule for failing to avert the countrys nationwide strikes that have lingered for over a week.

Mr Goita was also behind last years coup. He buckled down to international pressure by putting in place a transitional government which he made himself the vice-president.

The strongman has once again seized power and reneged on the agreements from last year.

Mondays coup came after the civilian government had a cabinet reshuffle that replaced two military officers.

Mr Goita said the government should have consulted him before announcing a new cabinet.

Nigeria, Others Condemn Coup

His rhetorics and actions have drawn wide condemnation from world leaders, some of whom have threatened to slam sanctions on him and other officials.

.@JY_LeDrian "condamne avec la plus grande fermete" le putsch qui s'est deroule au #Mali. "Le caractere civil de la transition est une condition sine qua non de sa credibilite", assure-t-il, exigeant la liberation du president et du Premier ministre.#DirectAN #QAG pic.twitter.com/VELdItglLU  LCP (@LCP) May 25, 2021

Nigerias federal government said the militarys action was totally unacceptable and might derail the peace building efforts and timetable for the return of democratic governance m Mali.

https://twitter.com/NigeriaMFA/status/1397107435098316802

Abuja further demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the detained leaders.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also called for the release of the leaders and the respect for the Malian constitution.

Communique des Presidents des Commissions de lUnion Africaine et de la CEDEAO sur la situation au Mali (24/05/2021) pic.twitter.com/c1zF3cB66d  ECOWAS-CEDEAO (@ecowas_cedeao) May 24, 2021

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French President Emmanuel Macron described the arrests in the francophone African country as a coup detat which is unacceptable and could warrant targeted sanctions on the protagonists.

Au Mali, ce qui a ete conduit par les militaires putschistes est un coup dEtat. Cest inacceptable. Nous sommes prets a prendre des sanctions ciblees sur les protagonistes.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 25, 2021

United Nations chief, Antonio Guterres, called for calm while representatives from ECOWAS, AU and other international actors broker a civilian transition.

Profondement preoccupe par la detention des dirigeants civils de la transition malienne. J'appelle au calme et a leur liberation inconditionnelle. Mon Representant special travaille avec la CEDEAO, l'UA et les acteurs internationaux soutenant la transition politique en cours. https://t.co/82dIXDcAD4  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 25, 2021
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To further reduce the menace of Tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria, some experts in the health sector have called for the integration of TB services into state health insurance schemes.

Speaking at the 4th annual legislative summit on health in Abuja on Tuesday, Emeka Ogbuabor, a board member of Stop TB Partnership, said the move has the potential to yield additional funding for service delivery and eliminate user fees for TB patients.

The two-day summit, which began on Monday, is themed; Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Health Security; Two Sides of a Coin for an Efficient Health System.

Mr Ogbuabor said there is an existing huge funding gap in TB management, even as the disease kills 18 persons per hour in the country.

We have about 70 per cent funding gap. Of the 30 per cent funds we used in 2019, 23 per cent were developmental assistance funds; only 7 per cent were domestically mobilised, he said.

He said it is important for the country to prioritise TB if the country is to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030.

From the UHC perspective, that means we need to increase coverage, improve access and use, and then improve quality of TB care. This way we can guarantee improved TB outcomes.

Challenges

Mr Ogbuabor said one of the key challenges in TB domestic resources mobilisation is how to integrate the disease into health insurance schemes.

He said; many states have not done their analysis and cannot say how much it would cost additionally on their premium to support this process.

How can we get the various state legislatures to include this in their agenda, and interface with their various state governments to get the required funds to do an actuarial study to find out how much it will cost, and use it as an advocacy tool to push for the equity funds to be released and fill the funding gap.

He said TB should top political agenda in the country, making it a development issue.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that is caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that often affects the lungs.

Nigeria remains one of the 30 countries globally with the highest burden of TB. She ranks first in Africa with the number of undetected cases.

Although TB is one of the vaccine-preventable diseases which is also curable, statistics from the WHO shows that every year, around 245,000 Nigerians die from TB, and about 590,000 new cases occur.

Of the 590,000 new cases, experts say around 140,000 are also HIV-positive.

Data released by Stop TB Partnership in March shows that global treatment and diagnosis of TB cases witnessed a drastic decline in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected millions of people worldwide.

The report also indicates that disruptions in services caused by the pandemic have led to further setbacks in progress already made against the disease.
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There is nothing subversive about self-determination. The post-colonial state can pretend it is absolute, it is not. People are transcending it, bypassing it, subverting it and renegotiating their existence in it or their exit. The most enduring is the ethnonational model of contestation. Switzerland has a clause of secession.

Nigeria may bury its head in the sand, but self-determination is the issue of our time. Events are moving fast. The crowd pulling stunt by Sunday Igboho in Akure, Governor Rotimi Akeredolus response, and the self-promoting Southwest APC summit in Lagos show that self-determination has become the key issue for the Yoruba. No matter the pretence, no leader worth his or her name can ignore it. Those who are seeking to blunt its edges have no sense of history. To the Yoruba, self-determination has propelled thought and action in western Nigeria since the treaty that ended the civil war among the Yoruba. After the war, the Yoruba established its federal ethos long before the creation of Nigeria. The Kiriji war treaty was unambiguous; interaction in Yoruba land will be on the basis of a federal arrangement, the constituents will have a hold on their resources and pay from that, to maintain security at the centre. The Yoruba people have at no time repudiated that treaty and it is reflected in the 1951 MacPherson constitution, which devolved power and formally constituted a regional arrangement. Chief Obafemi Awolowo propagated this position in his landmark works and thoughts on the constitution.

The Yoruba thinking is also reflected in the administration of Lagos; that the hitherto Lagos colony should be part of an Oduduwa formation, as against the divisiveness of the self-serving Gedegbe lEko Wa. Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe divisions were incorporated into the Western Region, which itself ended at Fadeyi bus stop. Notable that these areas were developed by the Western Region, as evident in Ilupeju industrial layout. At the time, tax evaders who were running from the law often sought refuge after Fadeyi. That is one of the pertinent reasons why we must repudiate the arrant nonsense that Lagos, pre-1966, was developed by the centre.

It must be recognised that the Western Region was faithful to the Kiriji treaty by INSISTING on an opt-out clause, a treaty of secession at the Lancaster House constitutional conference. The refusal of the East to go along with the West and the North robbed us of that opportunity. Even after the abrogation of the Republican constitution in 1966, and deliberate balkanisation through state creation, the Yoruba have remained resolute in the support of a federal arrangement and resource control.

A united front cannot be forged with cryptofascists on one hand; that is, empire builders who have subordinated the superstructure of the state to their interests and fifth columnists and agent provocateurs like Muric on another. All these people are working against the ethos of the Kiriji treaty.

To those who are not interested in a just and an amicable solution; history tells us that struggle and adversity define the Yoruba. When challenged, the Yoruba would often marshal robust response to adversarial stimuli. Contemporary struggles of the Yoruba date back to the West African Students Union (WASU) founded by Yoruba nationalists  Ladipo Solanke and Herbert Bankole-Bright in 1925. WASU mopped up a whole generation of students from the 1930s into the firmament of the independence struggle. Virtually every student of that era went through WASU. The organisation was more of a Yoruba, Gold Coast (Ghana), and Saro (Sierra Leone) preserve than anything else. Like the Indian students in British universities in an earlier era, they had a vision, not just for independence but for a post-colonial society based on progressive social democracy and the sort of federal arrangement in Australia, Canada, etc.

There is nothing subversive about self-determination. The post-colonial state can pretend it is absolute, it is not. People are transcending it, bypassing it, subverting it and renegotiating their existence in it or their exit. The most enduring is the ethnonational model of contestation. Switzerland has a clause of secession. Vladimir Illich Lenin in On The National Question did not see the newly created USSR lasting for more than sixty years. Milovan Dilas as the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia sought a confederation to avoid a bloody cataclysm. Josip Broz Tito responded by jailing the brilliant lawyer, one of the best minds of a generation, for eighteen years. Dilas lived long enough to see the bloody disintegration of the Balkans. The lesson therein is that the National Question cannot be wished away. It is a fools errand to do so.

I cannot end this without addressing the Trojan horses of division among the Yoruba. A united front cannot be forged with cryptofascists on one hand; that is, empire builders who have subordinated the superstructure of the state to their interests and fifth columnists and agent provocateurs like Muric on another. All these people are working against the ethos of the Kiriji treaty.

A special Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)-type special legislative session to take out 55 items from the Exclusive Legislative List in Nigerias 1999 Constitution. Any legislator from the South-West who does not sign up must be recalled.

What Is To Be Done?

The immediate solution is to make the following demands:

1. A special Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)-type special legislative session to take out 55 items from the Exclusive Legislative List in Nigerias 1999 Constitution. Any legislator from the South-West who does not sign up must be recalled.

2. A new revenue allocation formula reflecting resource control, as reflected in the 1960 Independence and 1963 Republican constitutions. The 1963 constitution was backed by a plebiscite, which has not been repudiated.

Failure to do these will amount to buying time while the bomb ticks. May God guide us to light, justice and peace.

Bamidele Ademola-Olateju a farmer, youth advocate and political analyst writes this weekly column, Bamidele Upfront for PREMIUM TIMES. Follow me on Twitter @olufunmilayo
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Beyond our review of responses to this tragedy, what remains is to raise questions about what needs to be done to check the crisis of repeated crashes afflicting the Nigerian Airforce. Three aircraft belonging to the military have been involved in accidents within the last 90 days, this year alone. The affected aircraft were not involved in combat. They did not crash in theatres of war.

The Nigerian Air Force is the youngest arm of the Nigerian military, having been established only on April 18, 1964. In the course of its 57 years of operation, defending the air space of Nigeria and the countrys territorial integrity, the NAF has seen action in many theatres of operation: the Nigerian civil war, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, the Gambia and Nigerias zone of terror, the North-East, producing in the process some of the finest officers that have served their country in the best traditions of military service. Modern warfare is no longer all about boots on the ground or physical combat. Advancements in technology and Artificial Intelligence have motivated more countries to invest more in technology, brain power and air power, in the same manner in which having a large navy was the fashion at the turn of the 19th Century.

In terms of military aircraft strength, Nigeria is ranked 65 out of 140 countries in a 2021 Global Firepower Index, far behind Egypt (10), Algeria (22), Morocco (40), Sudan (51), Tunisia (58) and Kenya (59). But whereas it is generally agreed that Nigeria needs to re-tool, fund, and re-position its military, especially in the face of the spread of terrorism, the more urgent concern is the manner in which Nigerian Air Force aircraft have been crashing from the skies. The Nigerian Air Force operates Nigerias Presidential Fleet. Either now or in the past, whenever an aircraft under the control of the Air Force crashes, much anxiety is necessarily expressed about an arm of the Nigerian military, whose motto is WillingAble..Ready. The question is reasonably asked: how able or ready is the Nigerian Air Force?

Air accidents no doubt occur, and there have been over 60 of such accidents in Nigeria since 1925 when the first aircraft flew across Nigerian skies. This could be due to technical error, sabotage, inclement weather, or an act of God. Where a military aircraft is involved, conspiracy theories are generated. A quick look at the history of air mishaps involving the Nigerian military indicates, until now, a pattern of occasional, even if tragic occurrences. On September 26, 1992, a Nigerian Air Force Hercules C-130 crashed just a few minutes after taking off from the Lagos Airport, leading to the death of all 158 persons on board. On September 12, 1997, a Dornier 228-212 belonging to the NAF also crashed with 10 persons on board. Nobody survived. Nine years later, precisely on September 17, 2006, a Dornier 228 military plane crashed at Vandekiya, Benue State, killing 14 military officers, including 10 Generals. In August 2015, another Dornier 228-212, NAF 030 crashed in Kaduna, and all seven persons on board died. On September 28, 2018, a Nigerian Air Force Pilot died after two aircraft crashed around Katampe Hill, Abuja, while rehearsing for the nations 58th Independence Day celebrations. In each of these incidents, valuable men were lost; families were thrown into sorrow. In at least two incidents, it was widely speculated that the officers who lost their lives were victims of sinister power play within the military. Each time such an accident occurs, the public is told that investigations would be conducted and that the Accident Investigation Bureau had taken charge of the famous Black Box. But nobody ever shares the secrets in that Black Box with the public, whether the air mishap was civilian or military.

There is, however, a need to insist on transparency. Air mishaps involving the Nigerian military have now become so regular, and so unbelievable. The latest occurred on Friday, May 21, when a Beechcraft KingAir 350i, NAF 203 crashed near Kaduna International Airport. Eleven military officers, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, lost their lives in that mishap. General Attahiru assumed office on January 26. He was appointed by the President along with the current Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Oladayo Amao. The Irabor squad hit the ground running, with Attahiru visiting the war front immediately to address his troops. He was a hands-on General, He had fire in his belly. His voice echoed the amplitude of his position. It was as if he needed to prove a point, having been removed previously, rather unceremoniously, as Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, by the man he succeeded, that is his former boss, now retired General Tukur Buratai.

With Attahiru in that ill-fated aircraft was Brigadier General Abdulkadir Kuliya, then acting Chief of Military Intelligence, described by his colleagues as a detribalised Nigerian with a kind heart; Acting Provost Marshall of the Army, Brigadier General Olatunji Olayinka; Chief of Staff to the COAS, Brigadier-General Mohammed Abdulkadir; Aide-De-Camp to the COAS, Major Lawal Aliyu Hayat; Major Nura Hamza and the pilots. Flt Lt. Taiwo Olufemi Asaniyi was looking forward to his wedding. Flt. Lt. A.A. Olufade got married only two months ago! Sergeants O.I. Adesina, Umar Saidu and ACM Olamide Oyedepo also had a bright future ahead of them. Sgt Opeyemi Adesina of Iddo Community, Egbedore LGA, Osun State died three weeks after his daughters dedication. But now all that is ended. Gone. Flt Lt. Olufades father is devastated. Who wouldnt be? Asaniyis fiancee has posted a touching tribute on social media. It is heart-breaking. Hopes aborted. Potentials unfulfilled.

While the big men dropped the ball, their wives picked it up. We must commend Mrs Aisha Buhari and Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo for their empathy, compassion, and beyond the-other-room responsible citizenship. Mrs Osinbajo, the Vice Presidents wife, visited the wives of all the seven Abuja-based officers, from Niger Barracks to the NAF Base.

Nigerians are outraged that the Federal Government did not handle the tragedy well. They expected the President to attend the funeral. He wasnt there. They thought if the President could not make it, then the Vice President would show up. Here, the problem is that the Vice President can only represent the President if he is directed to do so. He cannot go on a frolic of his own without the Presidents permission. The President sent the Minister of Defence, General Bashir Magashi to represent him, but this particular representative only ended up adding petrol to public anger. General Magashi could not deliver a written speech in a fluent manner. He expressed displeasure on behalf of the President. Displeasure that a funeral ceremony was taking place? He mixed up titles in a rather windy protocol list. He ruined it all by conveying heartless felt condolences on behalf of the President. Heartless! Magashi obviously was not prepared. He probably did not read the script. People find themselves in important positions in line with Peters principle and when they do not rehearse before engaging in the task of public communication, they stutter and descend to lower depths. Magashi is a lawyer and was a distinguished soldier in his earlier career. But all geriatics in government who may have issues reading prepared speeches should just be allowed to speak vernacular going forward. General Magashi could just have spoken Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba and have someone translate it for him. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages are officially recognised in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, in Section 55. Why struggle with the English language under difficult circumstances, when you can just speak one of the three languages recognised by the Nigerian Constitution! As if that was not enough, it took the Federal Government till Monday, May 24 to direct that the Nigerian flag be flown at half mast in honour of the dead. The gesture was so belated, it was seen as an afterthought. And then the President declared a May 24 holiday for men of the Nigerian Air Force in the middle of a war in the North-East. Nigeria is probably the only country where a whole division of the Armed Forces would be directed to go on holiday for 24 hours!

One of the spokespersons for President Buhari has offered the explanation that the President could not attend the funeral ceremonies for the fallen officers for security reasons. We have been told that the President needs 48 hours notice before he can move from the Villa. Are we being told that the President is now being held hostage? Or what? He is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, for crying out loud. He has an entire Brigade of Guards protecting him and the Federal Capital Territory. What 48-hour security clearance does the President require to protect his movement between the Villa and the National Cemetery to honour his own troops who fell while on official duty? It also took the Vice President more than 24 hours to issue a condolence message via Twitter. Was that also for security reasons? Governance is about substance, symbols and gestures. The consensus among Nigerians is that the President showing up at the funeral ceremony would have been a morale booster for the military. I think so too.

We had a guest on The Morning Show, Arise TV on Monday, May 24, Retired Air Commodore Abayomi Balogun, a NAF pilot for more than 30 years. He was of the firm opinion that nobody should worry about the morale of the troops. Soldiers, he said, know what they signed up for. They are ever prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice. And whether or not the President attends a funeral of fallen men, the task of defending Nigeria goes on. Commodore Balogun is a very articulate man who knows his field like the back of his hands. That was how he came across. But upon further reflection on his views, I disagree with him. Loyalty to ones country, serving and dying for it, is not an automatic obligation. Soldiers are human beings. They also have families. They expect to be appreciated for their sacrifice. That is why recently, they have been bold enough to complain about their welfare, rebel against their commanders, and post uncomplimentary videos on social media about the Nigerian military. A strong morale emboldens the soldier. We need to be more sensitive to their needs, feelings and concerns.

And this: While the big men dropped the ball, their wives picked it up. We must commend Mrs Aisha Buhari and Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo for their empathy, compassion, and beyond the-other-room responsible citizenship. Mrs Osinbajo, the Vice Presidents wife, visited the wives of all the seven Abuja-based officers, from Niger Barracks to the NAF Base. She was accompanied by Senator Remi Tinubu and others. First Lady, Mrs Buhari also visited the wife of the late Chief of Army Staff. She was accompanied by her children and others. President Buhari has now made phone calls to some of the affected families. We are glad he finally got security clearance for that.

Beyond our review of responses to this tragedy, what remains is to raise questions about what needs to be done to check the crisis of repeated crashes afflicting the Nigerian Airforce. Three aircraft belonging to the military have been involved in accidents within the last 90 days, this year alone. The affected aircraft were not involved in combat. They did not crash in theatres of war. They were engaged either in a reconnaissance operation or utility transportation. Three months ago, that is on February 21, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i plane belonging to the NAF developed engine failure on its way to Minna. It was asked to return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from where it commenced its journey. It crashed on its way back. All seven personnel on board died. On March 31, NAF Alpha Jet 475 on a reconnaissance mission was declared missing. Its wreckage was later found in Bama, Borno State. The body of one of the pilots (Flt. Lt. Chapele Ebiakpo) was found intact. The other pilot (Flt. Lt. John Abolarinwa) could not be found. Two months later, there has been no word from the Air Force authorities.

The standard response from the Nigerian military is to deny any wrong-doing. Spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Commodore Edward Gabwet, has said that the aircraft involved in the 2021 mishaps were all brand new. Really? Is he sure? New things can crash, yes, but how new? We would like to know. Safety is the first consideration in aviation. How safe are the NAF planes? How often are they maintained?

In Nigeria, accident peril is treated as top secret. This must stop. Secrecy in matters involving the loss of human lives breeds distrust of the system, and promotes speculations. The May 21 crash that took the life of the former Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru has been linked to the self-immolation, a few days earlier, of Ibrahim Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram, who was reportedly cornered and ambushed by the rival Islamic State of the West African Province, and who chose to commit suicide. Could the NAF plane crash of May 21 be a form of reprisal attack? Did the Nigerian military know anything about the reported death of Ibrahim Shekau? The Presidency said President Buhari had to stay away from the funeral of the dead officers for security reasons. Is there something we should know that no one is willing to tell us?

Whatever anyone is thinking, nobody can live forever. There will be people today who will be calling the former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, to congratulate him on his good luck of having been removed from office. Attahiru and his team were on their way to Kaduna to attend the Passing Out Parade (POP) of recruit officers. That could indeed have been Buratai performing the same function. That is life. Exits and entrances. Each man at his own time. But one thing: Attahiru and his crew would not have died in vain if every effort is made to check the emerging trend of Air Force planes crashing in non-combatant situations. Not even in Colombia do military aircraft drop from the skies like this! The Nigerian government must institute an independent inquiry and review beyond the preliminary findings of the Accident Investigation Bureau, which appears to be part of an entrenched culture of secrecy.

The standard response from the Nigerian military is to deny any wrong-doing. Spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Commodore Edward Gabwet, has said that the aircraft involved in the 2021 mishaps were all brand new. Really? Is he sure? New things can crash, yes, but how new? We would like to know. Safety is the first consideration in aviation. How safe are the NAF planes? How often are they maintained? It is not enough to blame the weather, the most convenient fall-guy in situations like this. How well does the NAF maintain its aircraft? How capable are its personnel? Is the NAF willingable..and ready?

Finally, the coffins of the fallen soldiers had not yet been sealed before those interested in their positions began to jostle for space and opportunity, with stories and permutations  ethnic, class and religious  about who should emerge as the next Chief of Army Staff. It is the prerogative of the President to choose his own lieutenants. He should act swiftly, decisively and wisely. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased.

Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos.
Analysts have increased their target price for the post and parcel carrier to 801p from 685p, noting that its recent full-year results had highlighted a sharply better price/mix and confirmation of material [year on year] cost savings

Analysts at JP Morgan are encouraging investors to just buy ( ) as the investment bank said it is struggling to understand why the share price has not reacted more positively to its full-year results.

In a note on Monday, analysts increased their target price for the post and parcel carrier to 801p from 685p and retained an overweight rating, commenting that the results had highlighted a sharply better price/mix and confirmation of material [year on year] cost savings.

The bank also said the companys UK business had delivered a margin of 9.8% during the year, although the segment doesnt need to generate a margin of anywhere near 9.8% for Royal Mail to be materially undervalued.

Analysts added that they would not be deterred if UK profits fell in the second half of the 2022 financial year, and also expected a sharp increase in the first half to more than offset this.

JP Morgan also increased its forecasts for Royal Mails operating profit by around 12% for FY22, driven by stronger parcel revenue.

Shares in the company jumped 3.2% to 543.4p in late-morning trading.

READ Royal Mail: is it as ludicrously cheap as JPMorgan seems to think?
It is my hope that NLC, the Kaduna State House of Assembly members and other relevant stakeholders would re-channel their focus and energies towards ensuring that Kaduna State government (KDSG) fulfills its promise of expediting the payment of benefits to those entitled following the rightsizing.

Kaduna had recently dominated the news after the countrys main labour group, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), instituted an industrial action in the State, shutting it down for three days. This came as a result of the publicised intention (and in some quarters, implementation) of the Kaduna State government (KDSG) to retrench some staff as part of its Public Service Revitalisation and Renewal Programme. The Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on several occasions and in press releases had explained the justification for the rightsizing of the states public and civil service, emphasising that the State cannot sustain the use of 84.97 per cent to 96.63 per cent of its monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) transfers on the settlement of personnel costs.

To understand the situation, lets do some analysis.

There are majorly two ways by which a State government derives its income  the FAAC allocation and the internally generated revenue (IGR). And the projected population of Kaduna State is about 8.9 million people (Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, KDBS).

As at March, Kaduna State government published its wage bill, which suggested that the government had in its employment a total civil service workforce of 31,064 staff.

Lets use the month of March for this analysis: N4.819 billion was paid to the State from FAAC and the IGR target for the year 2021 is N50.6 billion, according to the 2021 approved budget. Since there isnt any accurate data (publicly published) on the IGR generated for March, we can take an average from the yearly target to ascertain a presumptive monthly IGR value, thereby giving us about N4.2 billion for the month.

In summing the revenues from the two major State sources , i.e. N4.8 billion (from FAAC) and N4.2 billion (from the IGR), we would have N9 billion.

As published by the governor on his Facebook page, N4.498 billion out of the N4.819 billion FAAC transfer was used to settle the total wage bill of the State (excluding Local Government employees). That is roughly 93 per cent of the FAAC allocation.

By extrapolation, that means the wage bill (personnel costs), which ought to be roughly 17 per cent of the total budgetary expenditure (since it is about 50 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure, which is supposed to be about 34 per cent of the total budgetary expenditure), according to the budget, is now gulping 48.9 per cent (almost three times higher) of the total monthly government revenue from FAAC and IGR.

And that means, state civil servants, which are less than 1 per cent of the total population of the State are gulping almost 48.9 per cent of its revenues (from the IGR and FAAC), leaving other government expenses, liabilities (like the overheads, standing orders, security, etc.) and the essential social investments and services for the remaining 99 per cent of the population, with the just the remainder of 51.1 per cent of the total monthly revenue.

Now that doesnt make sense!

But its still a dilemma because we are dealing with people here, and sacking a number of them (even if they are redundant) would mean stripping them off their livelihoods. However, Governor El-Rufai has countlessly asserted that the State government would do its very best to expedite the payment of due benefits to the rested workers. He has also made it public that Kaduna State is executing a number of agricultural and entrepreneurship development initiatives, which the affected people can leverage on.

In one of the statements signed by the governors special adviser on media and communications, it was affirmed that the Government realises that the disengagements may have short-term psychological and financial impacts on the persons to be affected. Therefore, KDSG will not only work with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to expedite payments of any contributory pension benefits due to those so entitled to them but will also give preferential treatment to those disengaged that are willing to take advantage of the state governments various agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes.

The NLC was expected to complete the five-day warning action, and it was also expected to hold the conciliatory meeting with government while still observing the strike (or perhaps do a partial call off targeting sectors like power supply). This would have established an impression of strength and determination. However, their withdrawal gave an impression of weakness

Despite the above, the NLC went on a five-day warning strike. And the aim was basically to challenge the legality of the rightsizing process and force the governor to backtrack from implementing the said public and civil service rightsizing. The governor, however, had made it categorically clear that nothing would force him to backtrack. This generated a serious rift between the two parties.

However, the strike has since been called off due to an intervention by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour, and a conciliatory meeting has already taken place.

It is on this basis that people are asking: Who is the victor and who is the vanquished in the impasse?

First, when NLC announced the commencement of the strike, its leaders categorically stated that the warning strike will spill over to a total one if there is no remorse on the part of the state government. However, the NLC suspended the strike before the five days were through, and this was not because the State government showed remorse but due to the intervention of the Federal Government. However, an intervention by the Federal Government is in no way a warranty of the outright suspension of the strike, especially a warning industrial action that was stipulated to hold for a certain number of days. ASUU, for example, has entered into countless dialogue sessions during the period of its industrial actions but never backed out until an agreement was struck.

The NLC was expected to complete the five-day warning action, and it was also expected to hold the conciliatory meeting with government while still observing the strike (or perhaps do a partial call off targeting sectors like power supply). This would have established an impression of strength and determination. However, their withdrawal gave an impression of weakness, especially as it came just two days to the due date. And it gave Governor El-Rufai an advantage to capitalise on.

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Secondly, it was established during the conciliatory meeting that the impasse was caused by communication gap between the State Government and NLC occasioned by both the local chapter and even the Kaduna State Government Officials. NLC alleged that the issues that led to the strike included, Retrenchment of workers by the Kaduna State Government; Compulsory Retirement of workers on Grade Level 14 and above; Compulsory Retirement of workers who have attained the age of 50 years, irrespective of their Grade Levels; Reduction of the staff strength of Local Government to 50 in each of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs); and Casualization of workers on Grade Level 1-6.

The Kaduna State officials, however, debunked all the five issues raised, tagging them as mere propaganda driven by the political opponents of the current leadership of the state government. This suggests that NLC acted on unsubstantiated information, as communicated to it by Kaduna State affiliate Unions and Negotiating Councils.

Yet, even before the strike commenced, KDSG had countlessly debunked the above raised issues through several press releases and media chats. In one of such press releases, the governors SA on Media and Communications stated that, The stories circulating in the social media about pruning local government personnel to 50, converting junior staff to casual staff and the like are false and should therefore be disregarded. These false claims are a rehash of the contents of a forged letter that was circulated just prior to the 2019 elections. Going ahead to act on the basis of misinformation, even after this was already debunked, was obviously another flaw on the part of the NLC.

Thirdly, in the same meeting, it was clearly established and resolved that an employer holds the right to retrench workers for as far as due process is followed. KDSG had however made it clear on several occasions that, Each and every decision taken will be in full compliance with the Kaduna State Public Service Law and any regulations made pursuant thereto, and other extant laws.

Lastly, the major takeaway from the conciliatory meeting was the resolution that the government must adhere to and comply with the Principle of redundancy, as enshrined in section 20 of Labour Act, Cap L 1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), while executing the rightsizing. And a lot of people think this is a win for the NLC, if this provision of the Labour Act can actually force the governor to abandon his rightsizing mission.

I think the major point of concern should be how to ensure that the retrenched workers are paid off handsomely and expediently. And this is the aspect the NLC ought to strategically hammer on. The government has already pronounced that it would work with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to expedite payments of any contributory pension benefits due to those so entitled to them.

Section 20 of Labour Act, Cap L 1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN)states that;

(I) In the event of redundancy 

(a) the employer shall inform the trade union or workers representative concerned of the reasons for and the extent of the anticipated redundancy;

(b) the principle of last in, first out shall be adopted in the discharge of the particular category of workers affected, subject to all factors of relative merit, including skill, ability and reliability; and

(c) the employer shall use his best endeavours to negotiate redundancy payments to any discharged workers who are not protected by regulations made under subsection (2) of this section.

(2) The Minister may make regulations providing, generally or in particular cases, for the compulsory payment of redundancy allowances on the termination of a workers employment because of his redundancy.

(3) In this section redundancy means an involuntary and permanent loss of employment caused by an excess of manpower.

By analysing the laws critically, one would notice that almost every provision in the redundancy section favours El-Rufai and the KDSG.

For example, the definition of redundancy, as provided in Nigerias Labour Act is too broad, hence, subject to different interpretations. This is unlike in the laws of other countries like the United Kingdom, where the definition of redundancy covers and specifically spells out almost every possible situation that could lead to loss of employment. This gives KDSG the advantage and opportunity to define redundancy in such a way that suits the objectives of the state governments Public Service Revitalisation and Renewal Programme.

Secondly, the Last in First Out (LIFO) principle is also looked upon as a provision that could prevent KDSG from rightsizing the civil service (as it has already started this), because due to this principle, most of the employees that KDSG is targeting for retrenchment would be somewhat protected. The principle provides that retrenchment should be done in such a way that the last person employed gets retrenched first. However, further in the subsection, it states that the adoption of the LIFO principle is Subject to all factors of relative merit, including skill, ability and reliability. This relative merit condition renders the subsection less rigid, as an employee who is last to be employed might possess a higher level of skill, ability or reliability and in this case would be retained, while some of those employees who were employed before him but do not hold the relative merit advantage, would be susceptible to retrenchment. This, therefore, is also another advantage El-Rufai can leverage on to reaffirm his current stand on the rightsizing process.

Thirdly, while the law speaks of the redundancy payment, it still does not stipulate the detailed procedure of the redundancy/severance payment calculation. This is also unlike labour laws of other countries like the United Kingdom. Although the subsection stipulates that, The Minister may make regulations providing, generally or in particular cases, for the compulsory payment of redundancy allowances, it has been established that there are currently no regulations made by the minister which regulates or gives a guide on redundancy process and the calculation of redundancy sum in Nigeria pursuant to the provision of S20 (2) of the Labour Act. This is also another advantage to KDSG as NLC would have no option but to accept the State governments preferred mode of redundancy payment, since theres no clear regulation or compensation guide in this regard.

Having done the above analysis, I would leave the verdict of who the victor and who the vanquished is between NLC and KDSG to the reader.

But while you do that, I think the major point of concern should be how to ensure that the retrenched workers are paid off handsomely and expediently. And this is the aspect the NLC ought to strategically hammer on. The government has already pronounced that it would work with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to expedite payments of any contributory pension benefits due to those so entitled to them. The government had mentioned that its commitment towards the clearing of gratuity and death benefit backlog that had piled up since 2010 and is to the tune of N13 billion is a testimonial of its determination to pay benefits to those entitled. It had also mentioned that there are relief systems in place, as the government has made provision for a number of agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes like the Kaduna Start-Up and Entrepreneurship Programme (KADSTEP), the Kaduna State Women Empowered Programme (KADSWEP), AGRA, Kaduna State Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) etc. that the victims of the rightsizing could particularly leverage on.

It is my hope that NLC, the Kaduna State House of Assembly members and other relevant stakeholders would re-channel their focus and energies towards ensuring that Kaduna State government (KDSG) fulfills its promise of expediting the payment of benefits to those entitled following the rightsizing. It is also expected that they would rigorously embark on educating and orienting the victims on the several development schemes and the process for application and ensuring that they leverage on these opportunities to mitigate the resultant strain from the sudden loss of their employments.

Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim, a political and public affairs analyst, writes from Zaria and can be reached through haleemabdul1999@gmail.com
one thing is clear, it is time for our national archives to dump paper-based research and preservation methods and fully embrace technology. Digitisation of Nigerias historical records is long overdue. The dingy, poorly-lit and poorly-ventilated reference/search rooms are also in dire need of an overhaul.

The National Archives of Nigeria, which is a Department under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, houses public records and historical information. Its headquarters is in Nigerias capital city of Abuja; three zonal offices are located in Ibadan, Kaduna and Enugu; while branch offices can be found in several state capitals, such as Abeokuta and Calabar.

Over a period of two years and as recent as last March, I visited four offices of the organisation in Ibadan, Abeokuta, Kaduna and Enugu. As a historian and writer, I have a responsibility to share my experience, as well as highlight the parlous state of Nigerias archives.

The buildings hold the key to Nigerias colonial history. A typical office comprises reference/search rooms, record production rooms, the bindery, library, and repository, etc. Tons of catalogues and documents are stored on shelves, in files and boxes. To access a file and its documents, one has to comb through catalogue after catalogue of serial numbers and fill in forms to place orders for materials. The files and their documents hold different pieces of history and the contents range from conference reports, letters, memoranda, comments, telegrams to notices of meetings, proceedings of meetings, public notices, electoral announcements, etc.

A wide variety of the documentation offers thrilling insights into Nigerias past. Most of the letters are type-written and meticulously numbered; but there are also hand-written jottings on Continuation Sheets. Some of the correspondence typically begin with: I am directed by the Governor and conclude with the author declaring: I have the honour to be, Sir, Your Obedient Servant!

Some of the content could be memoranda sent from the seat of government at the Nigerian Secretariat in Lagos to the various provinces. Indeed, from the available records, history on a variety of subjects and topics covering a period of almost one hundred years, can be pieced together.

I found some discussions to be fascinating, more so because they are still on-going in contemporary times. The contents provide deep insights into the mind-set of British colonial civil servants. According to one letter, dated May 1922, there was a debate on the employment of African Lady Clerks  Question of Appointment in Civil Service. A circular letter was despatched from the Honourable, The Chief Secretary to the Government, Lagos to the Southern Provinces, to gauge opinions.

the process of research at the National Archives is time-consuming, laborious and tedious. The entire process, from the search room to the production of records is conducted manually. Researchers and workers alike are clearly overwhelmed by the stacks of paper-based records they have to work with and this affects productivity.

In his view, Officer L. Butterworth noted that, African women get married, as a rule, at an early age; and I consider it a sine qua non that as soon as a woman clerk gets married, she should resign her appointment. His colleague, D. J. Jardine, wrote:

His Excellency does not consider that it is necessary to attempt to deal with the general question of the employment of West African women in the Nigerian civil Service in consequence of a solitary application.. there must surely be a good deal of scope for women of some education in the teaching profession in Nigeria.

These snippets provide clues into some relatively unknown aspects of our history and assist us in building a comprehensive picture of the subject at hand.

The National Archives also host shelf after shelf of bound copies of newspapers, some piled ceiling high. They date back to the 1940s and 50s and include the Daily Service, West African Pilot, Nigerian Spokesman, Nigerian Tribune, Southern Nigerian Defender, Nigerian Citizen and the Daily Times. More recent newspapers can be found as well. These include the Morning Post, Daily Sketch, Nigerian Statesman and Nigerian Observer. A collection of local language newspapers such as Gaskiya, Zuma, GbounGboun etc., are also available.

Each in its own way provides a rich historical account of news, opinions and editorials. Some views from the past actually sound familiar. A January 1949 editorial in the Daily Service lamented about what it called the Ibadan Motor Traffic.

People from all walks of life patronise the National Archives  scholars, lawyers, students, researchers, journalists and member of ruling houses from across Nigeria. Foreigners also regularly visit from Europe and America. Historical gems abound for scriptwriters and filmmakers.

Combing through piles of dusty boxes and files to retrieve material for clients increases the risk of mishandling already decomposing material. From what one observed, in some of the offices, returning used files and newspapers to their original shelves is also a problem. Hence, it was not unusual see piles of files and torn newspapers on the desks and office floors.

However, the process of research at the National Archives is time-consuming, laborious and tedious. The entire process, from the search room to the production of records is conducted manually. Researchers and workers alike are clearly overwhelmed by the stacks of paper-based records they have to work with and this affects productivity. Not all files can be found and there is no doubt that materials have been lost too. Worse is the fact records are gradually being lost. Yes, paper decomposes! Documents are frail, faded, torn and falling apart at the centre and edges, taking with them valuable information. Some have been nibbled by insects and other pests; others, as a result of the humidity, have disintegrated. Indeed, many of the pages of the early newspapers transform into powder on the slightest touch, no matter how carefully one tries to leaf through, taking with them information that forms part of our history and heritage. Those slightly more intact, bear holes and the information therein is incomplete. Photocopying fragile old-style broadsheets no longer makes any sense, as the pages so readily crumble on the machine. Nigerias primary sources of history are fast disappearing.

Combing through piles of dusty boxes and files to retrieve material for clients increases the risk of mishandling already decomposing material. From what one observed, in some of the offices, returning used files and newspapers to their original shelves is also a problem. Hence, it was not unusual see piles of files and torn newspapers on the desks and office floors. This may account for why researchers and scholars lament the loss of material. A British academic/author recalled how over many years, he looked for information on the man-leopard murders: The file itself exists, but its empty, he said to me.

The members of staff are not insensitive to the difficulties of the archives and agree that digitisation of records would foster efficiency and preservation. However, they point to the lack of funding from their supervising Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. This, they say, has stymied the research process, as well as the proficient production and conservation of records. Others believe the Archives Department should be reformed by an act of legislation to become an independent agency, so it can focus directly on some of its problems. They cite the National Commission on Museums and Monuments, the body empowered to Collect, preserve, study and interpret the material evidence of the people of Nigeria and Nigerians in the Diaspora as a template.

Whether it remains as a department under the Ministry or becomes an independent agency, one thing is clear, it is time for our national archives to dump paper-based research and preservation methods and fully embrace technology. Digitisation of Nigerias historical records is long overdue. The dingy, poorly-lit and poorly-ventilated reference/search rooms are also in dire need of an overhaul.

The Archives are a national treasure, as they contain our rich history and open windows to the past. We must do our utmost to preserve and honour them.

Tayo Agunbiade is the author of Emerging From the Margins: Womens Experiences in Colonial and Contemporary Nigerian History.

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The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has kicked against the plan of the federal government to begin rehabilitation of grazing reserves in the country next month.

We find the move not only shocking and curious but also as a misplaced priority, the governor said through his spokesperson, Terver Akase.

Mr Akase stated that at a time the country is worried about the worsening security situation, the federal government considers the reopening of cattle grazing routes as the only solution available to it.

It is now clear that there is a hidden agenda which only the Presidency knows. Otherwise, all the regions of the country have accepted the fact that open grazing of animals is no longer fashionable and should be banned to pave way for ranching, yet, the government at the centre is insistent that grazing reserves/cattle routes must be created across the country.

On February 9, this year, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) met and agreed that the current system of herding mainly by open grazing is no longer sustainable, in view of growing urbanisation and (the) population of the country. The Forum consequently resolved to sensitise herders on the need to adopt ranching as the new method of animal husbandry.

The 17 Governors of Southern Nigeria rose from their meeting in Asaba on May 11 also this year, with a ban on open grazing in the entire region. The Southern Governors equally adopted ranching as the alternative method of rearing animals.

The Benue governor said the Presidency is the only one supporting the continuation of open grazing and the return of cattle routes of the 1950s and 60s.

The Presidency has, by its endorsement of open grazing, emboldened armed herders who lay claim to all lands in Nigeria as belonging to Fulani, hence their invasion of farming communities and killing of original owners of such lands.

Speaking on the feasibility of the project, Mr Ortom noted that routes that used to be for grazing in the past have been taken over by airports, roads, schools, hospitals, amongst others.

He then suggested ranching, stating that the state will not be part of the federal governments plan.

The countrys land mass has also reduced to less than 923 square kilometers with the excision of Bakassi to Cameroon. Besides, the international best practice of animal husbandry is ranching; and thats the stand of Benue State.

We in Benue have embraced ranching as the viable alternative to open grazing and there is no going back on our resolve. Our ranching law, which prohibits open grazing, is Benue peoples reaction to the incessant killings, and it is also an instrument of development.

The law was enacted by representatives of the people in the Benue State House of Assembly, in exercise of its powers as provided for by Section 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Part 2 of the Second Schedule reinforces the power of the State House of the Assembly providing that a House of Assembly may make laws for the State with respect to industrial, commercial or agricultural development.

While we may not stop the Federal Governments plan to rehabilitate grazing reserves or create cattle routes in other states, we wish to make it clear that no land in Benue State has been gazetted for grazing routes, grazing reserves, cattle colonies and Ruga settlements. Benue is therefore not part of the grazing reserves rehabilitation programme of the Federal Government.

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Monday, announced Mr Buharis approval of the rehabilitation of grazing reserves, stating that it will commence in June.

The move is aimed at curbing the bloody clashes between herders and farmers across the country.

The president also questioned the legality of the recent ban on open grazing in the southern region of the nation, saying that his administration is working on other alternatives to bring peace between farmers and herders.
The Kaduna State government has said it has been revoking and reallocating land with a view to accelerating the development of allocated plots in the state under its urban renewal programme.

The government stated this on Monday through a statement by the spokesperson of the governor, Muyiwa Adekeye.

The statement was in apparent reaction to a report by Peoples Gazette newspaper alleging that Governor Nasir El-Rufai reallocated land seized from senior civil servants to his family members and cronies.

According to the statement, plots were revoked from persons who had held on to them for years without developing them.

Many of these plots in prime areas are being reallocated to individuals and corporate bodies with a strict mandate to develop them within six months to one year.

The government said plots in the Millennium City were also being actively allocated as part of the deliberate focus on fast-tracking the development of the Eastern Sector of Kaduna metropolis.

It said the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) has also allocated 4,359 plots in Kaduna, from which the names of persons who sought accelerated development plots are being bandied about, in muddled up lists around with baseless innuendos are being woven. The persons on the accelerated development list constitute less that 1% of all allotees.

The statement said Mr El-Rufai also specifically directed that KADGIS should allocate plots of land to as many government workers and citizens who demonstrate active interest by applying.

Rare is the public function during which guests from the private and public sectors are not actively invited by KDSG to apply for land in Kaduna State. The state is being actively positioned as a lower cost alternative to Abuja for active workers, and a cheaper retirement option for senior citizens.

Read below the statement in full:

KDSG has allocated 4,359 plots as it pursues accelerated development

In June 2019, Malam Nasir El-Rufai initiated the urban renewal programme, an unprecedented investment to build, expand and maintain infrastructure in the state. This infrastructure project began with the Kaduna Urban Renewal Programme and has since spread to the two other major cities in the state, Kafanchan and Zaria. Its overall goal is to improve the economic competitiveness of the state and to make our cities attractive places in which to live, work and play. The implication of having its three major cities among the top 10 most populous cities in Nigeria is continuous investment.

This effort to remake the urban landscape and improve the quality of life in our cities continues the deliberate programme that began in 2015 with the establishment of the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS).

As part of its primary mandate for land administration and the creation and management of a digital land registry, KADGIS has has issued 51,302 Certificates of Occupancy since 2017, for new allocations and the recertification of previous titles. KADGIS has also allocated 4,359 plots in Kaduna, from which the names of persons who sought accelerated development plots are being bandied about, in muddled up lists around with baseless innuendos are being woven. The persons on the accelerated development list constitute less that 1% of all allotees.

In addition, Malam Nasir El-Rufai specifically directed that KADGIS should allocate plots of land to as many government workers and citizens who demonstrate active interest by applying. Rare is the public function during which guests from the private and public sectors are not actively invited by KDSG to apply for land in Kaduna State. The state is being actively positioned as a lower cost alternative to Abuja for active workers, and a cheaper retirement option for senior citizens.

This active canvassing of land applications is connected to a desire for accelerated development of allocated plots. Plots have been revoked from persons who have held on to them for years without developing them. Many of these plots in prime areas are being reallocated to individuals and corporate bodies with a strict mandate to develop them within six months to one year. Plots in the Millennium City are also being actively allocated as part of the deliberate focus on fast-tracking the development of the Eastern Sector of Kaduna metropolis.

KDSG has also sold 2,028 of its non-essential residential houses, 80% of which were bought by the civil servants who were the sitting tenants in the houses. All the houses were sold by competitive bids, based on their open market value.

KDSG has been made aware of attempts to put a needless stain on its intensive efforts to develop the state. It has happened before. As Minister of the FCT, Malam Nasir El-Rufai allocated 27,000 plots to applicants, some of whom had waited for decades. He promoted the accelerated development programme which took land from speculators and allocated to those ready to develop them within set times. He supervised the sales of 30,000 government houses, enabling many federal civil servants to own houses.

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After his tenure as FCT Minister, there were attempts to question his powers as minister to allocate plots as lists, including any person with Rufai in their surnames, were circulated to smear him and his record in democratising access to plots of land and houses in Abuja. The YarAdua and Jonathan governments later used that as basis for criminal prosecution. That ended in emphatic acquittal by the courts which upheld the power of the Minister of the FCT to allocate and revoke plots of land.

Land, whether in Abuja, Kaduna or anywhere else, is a valuable asset which assists development only when used. Its allocation should be based on clear rules that assure equal outcomes to all who meet the criteria, whatever their names, filial affiliations or other status might be. Applying for, securing and paying for a plot of land whose development the allottee must accelerate is a positive transaction.

KDSG is proud of the quality and number of persons who have applied for land in Kaduna. It is concrete evidence that major investments in improving this city are being noted and embraced. However, those who seek scandal should not defame persons who have applied for land, who will pay the premium for the plot allocated to them and develop them according to set deadlines.

Signed

Muyiwa Adekeye

Special Adviser to the Governor (Media & Communication)

24th May 2021
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The All Progressive Congress (APC) chairman in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Yakubu Ibrahim, was on Monday beaten up by aggrieved members of his party.

The development followed an announcement by Governor Muhammad Badaru of the names of partys candidates for the local council elections in the state scheduled for June 26.

According to a statement by the governors spokesperson, Auwal Sankara, Bala Chamo was picked as the chairmanship candidate of the party for Dutse Local Government Area.

But some members said Mr Chamos choice was against the preference of the majority of party members in the council area.

The angry members invaded the party secretariat during a meeting, dragged out the APC chairperson and tore his clothes.

The 70-year-old Mr Ibrahim was reportedly hospitalised following the incident.

The police commissioner in the state, Usman Gomna, told reporters that two persons had been arrested over the incident and debunked speculations that the official was kidnapped by gunmen.

The police chief said the incident was just an intra-party crisis.

Jigawa LG elections

The Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) has fixed the local government elections for June 26.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse, on Sunday, the JISIEC Chairman, Adamu Ibrahim, said the commission would organise free and fair elections in the 27 council areas.

We have 287 wards in the 27 Local Government Areas of Jigawa State and we have 3,527 polling units, Mr Ibrahim said, explaining that the commission also had 11,357 ad-hoc staff that would be involved in the elections.

As of now, we have 18 political parties that have indicated interest to participate in the elections and I know others are coming. The main parties are All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and some others, Mr Ibrahim said.

The chairman also said the sale of nomination forms for the office of the chairpersons and councillors would commence from Monday, May 24, and screening of the candidates would follow later.

NAN reported that the commission had fixed N500,000 as nomination fees for the office of chairman and N250,000 for the office of councillor.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed as false a report in the local media that Governor Udom Emmanuel was planning to defect from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Mr Emmanuel, who is doing his second term as governor, has also denied the report.

Akwa Ibom is not like any other state, we are people of integrity and cannot be swayed or distracted from our responsibilities by false speculations, the governor said on Tuesday in Oron where he was inaugurating roads constructed by his administration.

Akwa Ibom is PDP and PDP is Akwa Ibom and all the development (projects) in Akwa Ibom are by the PDP government.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the PDP in Akwa Ibom, Borono Bassey, said Mr Emmanuel remained a committed leader of the PDP in Akwa Ibom.

The intendment of this pernicious rumour which unfortunately has arrived at the most inappropriate of moments is targeted at misleading Akwa Ibom people and perhaps causing an unnecessary agitation in our polity.

As a party, we wish to affirm that Mr Emmanuel, a leader with a towering record of integrity and performance, remains a very committed and dutiful leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Bassey said in the statement.

He urged people in Akwa Ibom to disregard the rumour.

As a party, we reiterate that no performing PDP Governor would leave our Party to join a party that has visited untold hardship on Nigerians.

Akwa Ibom State, under the leadership of Gov. Udom Emmanuel is marching forward with the PDP and no form of hallucinations from men of the Broom-wielding coven can change this resolve, the PDP spokesperson said.

The rumour that Mr Emmanuel was planning to move to the APC has been fueled by the recent defection of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State from the PDP to the APC.
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A tanker loaded with diesel went up in flames at Banire bus-stop, Egbeda in Lagos on Tuesday.

Confirming the incident, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Director-General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said the incident was caused by a brake failure.

Contrary to the news making round the social media that properties were destroyed due to the explosion, the agency said there was no destruction of properties.

On arrival at the above incident by first responders, it was observed that a fully loaded tanker with diesel had a brake failure and subsequently lost control, falling off the road which caused an explosion and fire outbreak, the agency said.

The fire has been successfully subdued by men of the LASEMA Fire service unit, LASG Fire service, NPF and other first responders while damping down is ongoing.

There are no casualties and no property has been damaged by the blaze.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said post-incident assessment will be carried out and the wreckage will be removed from the thoroughfare.

Ibrahim Farinloye, the Acting Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-west, said the tanker involved had no registration number and loaded at Abule Ado.

The official said the driver of the tanker and his motorboy have been arrested and handed over to the police.

The tanker with no registration number is still half filled with PMS and cross(es) the major highway.

Efforts are on to decant and transload the content to another tanker before road can be opened for traffic, Mr Farinloye said.

There have been several incidents of tanker explosions in different parts of Lagos.
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The 400-level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Olayinka Toyinbo, and two others abducted on Saturday by suspected kidnappers, have regained freedom.

FUNAABs Head, Directorate of Public Relations, Kola Adepoju, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Tuesday.

Mr Adepoju said that Mr Toyinbo, a student of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, College of Environmental Resources Management, was released by his abductors on Monday night unharmed, safe and sound.

He said Mr Toyinbos release had thrown the entire university community and particularly the students, who had, in the early hours of Monday, staged a peaceful protest, into a frenzy.

Mr Adepoju, however, hinted that details of the students release were still sketchy and within the purview of the state police command.

The management of the university, on behalf of the entire academic community, is deeply grateful to security agencies, both the conventional and the unconventional.

We are particularly grateful to the state police command, the media, traditional rulers, other stakeholders, and the public in general for their concern and efforts which culminated in the freedom of our student, he said.

The police spokesperson in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi , confirmed Mr Toyinbos release in a telephone interview, adding that he and others had been reunited with their families.

Police operatives had been in the forest for those three days. The student and the two others were released yesterday night (Monday) and they have all been reunited with their families, he said.

NAN reports that students of the institution had, on Monday, taken to the streets to protest the kidnap of their colleague.

The placard-carrying students took their protest to the state secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abeokuta.

NAN reports that Mr Toyinbo was, on Saturday, kidnapped by suspected gunmen at a private farm in Abule-Itoko, Odeda Local Government Area, about 25 minutes drive from the institution, around 8 am.

A friend of the abducted student, who claimed to have witnessed the scene, said Toyinbo was kidnapped by the gunmen at the private farm, where he had been living and working as a practising livestock farmer for the past three years.

Other sources, however, said the two other persons reportedly kidnapped alongside the student were the owner of the farm and a 17-year-old Togolese lady.

(NAN)
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State says the state will soon pass the whistleblower protection law to make the job of its anti-corruption agency easier.

Mr Makinde disclosed this on Tuesday during a training workshop organised for board members, management and members of staff of Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA) in Ibadan.

The News of Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the personnel were trained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The governor, who was represented by the states Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oyelowo Oyewo, said the law would act as a motivating factor of getting information from the people.

Mr Makinde said the state would support OYACA in terms of logistic and operational mechanisms to ensure that the agency achieved its aims and objectives.

He said There is regime of law that you pass to complement each other in securing financial management and control of the state.

We will be passing the whistleblower law with the reversed audit law.

In auditing, sometimes, some things may look normal but are not normal for those that are involved in it.

So, we need insider information to expose those abnormalities and that is why the work of the whistleblower is very important.

The law will protect and intensify the whistleblower to come out to give information. If we have whistleblowers participating with us, we will recover more money for the state.

Mr Makinde also said the training would equip the agency on how well to investigate anyone who violates the financial law and mismanages the resources of the state.

In her remark, the Chairman of OYACA, Eni Esan, commended ICPC for joining forces with the government to successfully fight corruption in the state.

Mr Eni, a retired judge, said the training was aimed at developing the participants skills and expertise in the area of focus and bringing renewed vigour, zeal and commitment to take the agency to greater heights.

The chairman commended Mr Makinde and Mr Oyewo for their support for the agency.

Delivering lecture on the topic: Leading with the Integrity Pointers for Corruption Free- Agency, Chairman of ICPC, Bolaji Owasanoye, said corruption was endemic in Nigeria and could not be eradicated by ICPC and EFCC alone.

Mr Owasanoye called on officials of OYACA not to compromise or act at liberty to break the law, saying it was one of the problems destroying the country.

The ICPC chairman further urged them not to use their offices as opportunity to make more money, saying that doing so would tarnish their image and that of the agency.

People that will come to you are very influential, be courageous, determined and dont disappoint the agency, he said.

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(NAN)
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A mentally challenged woman, whose identity is still unknown, has been lynched and set ablaze by a mob at the Abule Ado area of Lagos on Monday, the police have said.

The woman was alleged to have been in possession of a stolen baby and three AK 47 rifles before she was lynched.

But the police described it as a case of murder and jungle justice because they did not retrieve any baby or AK 47 rifles from the deceased.

Muyiwa Adejobi, the police spokesperson in Lagos, said in a statement Tuesday that an investigation has been instituted into the case with the aim of arresting the culprits and charge them for murder.

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigation into the killing and setting ablaze of a mentally challenged woman, who was alleged to have been in possession of a stolen baby and three (3) AK 47 rifles at Abule Ado, under bridge, Festac Area of Lagos State on Monday 24th May, 2021.

Based on preliminary investigation, it was discovered that the mentally challenged woman had been living in the area for several years before she was lynched and set ablaze by some hoodlums in the area on the allegation of being in possession of a baby and three AK 47 rifles.

The Command wishes to state categorically that the woman was just murdered for reasons best known to the perpetrators of the heinous crime as investigation revealed that no baby and AK 47 rifles were found in her possession neither were they recovered by the perpetrators or the police. Its just a clear case of murder,  the police said.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how a 22-year-old man, Olamide Omolede, was killed by hoodlums in Ajah, after he was wrongly accused of stealing a mobile phone. After being killed by hoodlums, the body of the victim was thrown into the lagoon.

Reacting to the Monday incident, Hakeem Odumosu, the Lagos police commissioner said the perpetrators must be brought to book. He directed that the matter be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba-Lagos for proper investigation.

Mr Odumosu also warned Lagos residents against jungle justice, saying it is a criminal offence and the police will not spare perpetrators.
The company believes the current drill program could provide a material increase to the stated overall graphite resource size and average grade.

( ) has started drilling at Maniry Graphite Project in southern Madagascar targeting additional high-grade resources to boost the current JORC resource of 20.2 million tonnes at 6.51% total graphitic carbon content (TGC).

This follows the completion of preparatory planning and trenching with the initial 1,000 metres of diamond drilling targeting Razafy Northwest which was identified as a high priority target following initial trenching completed in early 2019.

The company plans to release an updated resource estimate in the third quarter of 2021 and an expanded JORC resource can position BlackEarth as one of the largest graphite concentrate developers in Madagascar.

Only scratched the surface

BlackEarth managing director Tom Revy said: We are extremely pleased with what our current exploration activities have presented us to date.

Recent and ongoing trenching is allowing us to target our diamond drill program with significant confidence.

What this program is clearly demonstrating to us, is that we have only scratched the surface of what is a very large graphitic system.

In Q1 of 2019, BEM undertook trenching at Razafy Northwest which returned assays that included 48 metres at 10.22% TGC and 12 metres at 13.32% TGC.

The results highlighted the potential for further high-grade resources proximal to the defined Razafy resource and ultimately the potential to further enhance the value of the project.

"Extraordinary" potential

BlackEarth is working towards supplying the predicted massive growth in demand from the growing electric vehicle (EV) market and other alternative energy markets.

Revy added: As the company continues its path through the Maniry DFS, the potential of our graphite project is extraordinary  the size of the district, the quality of outcomes to date and the value that lies before us.

The three-prong strategic approach we have adopted - focused exploration, completion of the DFS and downstream processing - is all starting to come together nicely.

The drill program will also provide further detail to downstream processing partners for planned future product supply.

Projected growth in demand for graphite.

Downstream processing plans

Successful completion of the current drill program will also assist the company in finalising and further developing its downstream processing plans.

Expanding the companys resource of large and jumbo, and also fine flake product, allows additional value to be attributed to the assessment of downstream graphite production options.

As of today, the company continues to assess a number of downstream processing options and the additional value of an upgrading resource will assist the company and its MOU and sales and marketing partners to advance these plans.

The demand for graphite continues to grow and expand, and the company is well-positioned to enter a number of supply markets with its superior and premium products.

Meeting massive global demand

Madagascar achieved the highest growth of graphite exports globally with an increase of almost 50% for the period 2012-2019 to achieve 9% of the total worldwide export market.

This compares to Chinas increase in exports for this period of 4%, according to Global Trade Magazine.

The market share is likely to increase given recent project developments in Madagascar and the ongoing world demand for large and jumbo flake graphite which is largely sourced from Madagascar.

Madagascar graphite region developing

The southern Madagascan region continues to grow and develop as a premium precinct for large and jumbo flake graphite.

This region has a favourable climate, with less interruption to production and infrastructure by seasonal climatic changes and the cyclone season that often impacts the north and east of the country.

The southern Madagascan corridor has, over the past decade, enjoyed massive levels of exploration and development of potential mining sites including those held by the company and the developing Molo Project held by Nextsource Materials Inc ( ) ( ) (FRA:1JW) which has a current market capitalisation of circa A$186 million.

Rio Tinto Limiteds (ASX:RIO) (OTCMKTS:RTNTF) $1 billion minerals sands project is also within the southern Madagascar development region. Adjacent and closest to the companys projects is the port city of Fort Dauphin which was the first French port city developed in Madagascar.

The port is a modern deepwater port built by the World Bank and Rio Tinto in 2009 and is well designed and suitable to the cost-effective export of graphite concentrate.

The company is in discussions with port operators and is well-positioned to secure exclusive access agreements as and when required.

Map of Madagascar and proximity of the companys projects to developed infrastructure and other progressed graphite sites.

Donnelly River update

At the Donnelly River Nickel-Copper-PGE Project in Western Australia, processed data was received last week from UTS Geophysics following the completion of the VTEM program.

This survey incorporates chargeability, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurement simultaneously to better understand/characterize the rocks undercover and at depth.

The processed data is now with Southern Geoscience Consultants for analysis and interpretation, with an aim of delineating the next phase of exploration at Donnelly River.

This report is expected to be received within the next three weeks with outcomes and future activities to be announced in due course.
Edsel Ford, Dearborn High and Crestwood competed in the Division 1, Region 5 meet, which was hosted by River Rouge.

Track events were held on Friday at Rouge while field events were held the day before at Wyandotte Roosevelt.

On the girls side, Edsel Ford finished third with 73 points, behind only first-place Northville (164) and second-place Plymouth (87). Dearborn (11) tied for 13th and Crestwood (3) was next in 15th place. A total of 15 schools competed at the meet.

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Edsel accounted six state-qualifying finishes on the girls side and Dearborn had one.

To earn a spot at the state meet, competitors must place in the top two in an event or beat the additional qualifying time/distance. This years D1 state meet is set for Saturday, June 5 at East Kentwood High School

BreeAna Bates won the 100-meter dash for the Thunderbirds with a time of 12.16 seconds and she was first in the 200m (25.55). The University of Michigan signee will head into the state meet as the No. 6 seed in the 100m. As a sophomore, at the 2019 state finals, she finished third in the state in the 100m and sixth in the 200m, earning all-state honors in both events.

Reem Damli was tops in the 400m (58.51) on Friday and she placed second in the 200m (26.08). In addition, Kyla Lockhart was runner up in the 100m hurdles (17.30).

Bates, Damli, Lockhart and Lydia Marano ran first in the 4x200 relay (1:46.64).

In addition to the state qualifiers, the T-birds had two more top-finishes.

Damli, Lockhart, Marano and Delaney took third in the 4x400 relay (4:15.49) and Marano was fourth in the 400m (1:01.59).

For Dearborn, Sydney Smith punched her ticket to states with a runner-up finish in the 300m hurdles (49.92).

-

On the boys side Dearborn (51.5, 6th) led the three local teams, followed by Crestwood (6, 14th) and Crestwood (2, 15th).

Dearborn qualified in two events, as Charlie Frank was runner up in both the 1600m (4:19.57) and the 3200m (9:35.82).

Dearborn had five more top-five finishes along the way.

Ryan Elhasan was third in the 100m (11.60) and he was on the third-place 4x200 relay (1:33.09) and fourth-place 4x100 relay (45.19).

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Elhasan, Mohammad Elsayed and Noah Dobert were on both, joined by Adam Rammouni on the 4x200 and Kasem Sayhi on the 4x100.

In addition, Mohammed Obeid was third in the high jump (5-08.00) and Ethan Rosbury took fifth in the 400m (53.45).

Neither Edsel nor Crestwood had a state qualifier on the boys side.

The Chargers had one top-five finish, as Chris Wright ran fifth in the 100m (11.73).
Sterling Heights, MI (48312)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
The public is invited to bring lawn chairs and continue Dearborns long tradition of commemorating Memorial Day by attending a solemn remembrance ceremony followed by the Motor City Brass Bands patriotic concert at 7:30 p.m. May 30.

The free outdoor program will be presented at the Veterans Park and War Memorial in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave.

The public is asked to follow safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to come with their own chairs.

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The Sunday night remembrance ceremony will be in conjunction with the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council (DAWVC), Dearborns longtime partner in hosting Memorial Day events. World War II veterans will receive special acknowledgement during the ceremony.

Concert includes song written for Dearborn WWII soldier

The Motor City Brass Band will add meaning to the Sunday night event by premiering a concert march composed in honor of Staff Sgt. Robert A. Godfrey, who died in World War II and is one of Dearborns 347 fallen heroes.

The concert march was composed by Sandor Hendriks, a musician who lives in The Netherlands and who cares for Godfreys grave in a military cemetery in that country, a longstanding practice to express gratitude for the sacrifice American soldiers made in Europe. Godfrey served with the 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division Anti-Tank Company.

Lisa Lark, founder of the Dearborn Memorial Project, was researching Godfreys life and discovered the concert march, which is called Angels from the Sky.

During its 60-minute concert, the MCBB will also be playing American Salute, God Bless the USA, Midway March and the Armed Forces Salute, among other noteworthy pieces.

347 luminaries honor Dearborns War Dead

A meaningful part of the Sunday night commemoration will be the lighting of 347 luminaries lining the border of the Veterans Park and War Memorial, representing Dearborns 347 fallen heroes from WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

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Dearborns patriotic tradition

The Sunday, May 30 program will stand in for Dearborns Memorial Day Parade, which had been presented for 95 years through 2019. It was cancelled due to COVID-19 safety concerns in 2020 and 2021.

More information

For more information on the Sunday, May 30 program, call 313-943-2285 or visit www.cityofdearborn.org

For more information on the Motor City Brass Band, visit http://www.mcbb.org/

For more information on the Dearborn Memorial Project, visit https://www.dearbornmemorialproject.com/

The Dearborn Memorial Project can assist families, organizations and businesses with creating their own tribute to one of the 347 Dearborn people who died in service to our country. A photo and a graphic template can be provided to those wanting to make lawn signs or social media posts featuring an individual from Dearborns War Memorial. Contact Lisa Lark at lisaalark@gmail.com,

Source: City of Dearborn

Vehicle doors disappear in Dearborn Heights All four doors of a white 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited were reported stolen May 12 by a 22-year-old woman living in the 24500 block of Hass St

+2 Wyandotte art fair canceled for second consecutive year due to pandemic While many outdoor events are returning to Downriver communities this summer, the Wyandotte Street Art Fair will not be one of them.

Chrysler 300S impounded after driver ticketed in Dearborn Officers observed a Red Chrysler 300S driving erratically in the area of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer at about 9 p.m. May 18, and initiated a 
Wayne County Commissioners today called for the state to end its tax on menstrual products, calling the tax an especially unfair burden on people of limited means.

In approving the resolution, commissioners noted that menstrual products,

including tampons and sanitary napkins, are considered luxury items under the existing state tax code, instead of necessities.

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Commissioner Melissa Daub (D-Canton), who sponsored the resolution, also noted that studies have indicated that a lack of access to such products forces nearly 20 percent of young women to miss school days each year and that period poverty disproportionately affects women of color and immigrants.

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Two Michigan Senate bills, S.B. 153 and S.B. 154, were introduced this year to eliminate the tax, but neither has received a public hearing yet. The state also faces a lawsuit alleging the tax violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The resolution also noted that 20 other U.S. states currently do not tax menstrual products.

The tax was among the initial items discussed by the Wayne County Womens Commission, which was formed this year to address issues of concern to women in Wayne County.

Commissioner Daub is the county commissions representative on that 15-member body, which also features appointees from every county commission district.

RESOLUTION

By Commissioner Daub and Co-sponsored by Commissioners Anderson, Baydoun, Clark-Coleman, Killeen and Baker McCormick

WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census, as of 2019, there were 166.7 million women in the United States of America, and of that number, 5.017 million women were located in Michigan, and 907,127 of those made up the total population of women in Wayne County; and

WHEREAS, the average person spends 3,500 days menstruating, which equals 11,000 menstrual products used over a lifetime, and despite being a necessity, 30 states, including Michigan, still tax period products, only 6 states require them to be provided by schools and only 13 states require them to be provided in jails; and

WHEREAS, Michigan is not one of those states. Michigan Senate Bills 153 and 154 and House Bills 4270 and 4271 were introduced in February to ban the tampon tax, none of which have received a hearing, and Michigan is currently being sued by residents who state that the tampon tax is a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution; and

WHEREAS, period poverty is a public health crisis, as 1 in 10 college students face period poverty, and 1 in 5 girls miss school due to a lack of access to menstrual products, and it is known that period poverty disproportionately affects people of color and immigrants; and

WHEREAS, alternatives to period products create a heightened risk for urogenital infections, such as urinary tract infections and bacterial vaginosis, and are also associated with outcomes such a skin irritation and vaginal itching; and

WHEREAS, the emotional toll accompanying lack of access is related to poor mental health outcomes, such as elevated anxiety, depression and distress scores; and

WHEREAS, further, we can be grateful to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, as people can now use their health savings accounts to purchase period products because Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits cannot be used for period products. However, more needs to be done because those who do not have a health savings account do not have such privileges. Now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Wayne County Commission on this 20th day of May, 2021 calls upon all municipalities, the State of Michigan and Congress to take more progressive measures to end the tampon tax to alleviate the toll it takes on women every day. Let a copy of this resolution be shared with all 43 Wayne County municipalities, the entire Michigan Legislature and Congress.

Source: Wayne County Commission

+3 Rotary Club of Dearborn Heights honors police, fire and late mayor with Paul Harris Fellow honors Two first responders and the late Mayor Dan Paletko were among those honored for their service to the community by The Rotary Club of Dearborn

+5 First responders receive parade of thanks from staffers at Beaumont Hospital, Taylor First responders who are used to driving up to Beaumont Hospital, Taylor, when an emergency arises were there Thursday evening for a much light-hearted reason  to receive some appreciation from hospital staff.

Storm door shattered on Dearborn house Police were called to the 7800 block of Appoline May 13 for a report of an attempted breaking and entering.
White Bear Lake, MN (55110)

Today

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
PLATTSBURGH [mdash] Anthony Tarricone, 94, of Plattsburgh, passed away Monday in his home with his loving wife by his side and under the care of hospice. He was born in Yonkers on Aug. 13, 1926, the son of George and Nancy Tarricone. He graduated Horton High School in Yonkers. He also gradua
Court dates have been fixed for early and late June

( ) said it has court dates in June for its proposed share capital reduction.

The exploration and development company said it has been notified that court dates have been fixed for early and late June and it will provide an update to the market, including detail of its future dividend policy, in early July.

"With court dates now set for June, we look forward to providing the market with an update on this process and the company's future dividend policy as soon as we are able, which I expect will be in early July, said managing director Dr Kerim Sener.

We remain confident that the proceedings will complete as intended and will notify the market of any significant developments as and when they occur," he said.

The proposed capital reorganisation, announced February 8, will enable the company to pay a special dividend following completion of the joint venture with Ozaltin Holding and Proccea Construction Co.
- Technological advancements, rise in prevalence of chronic diseases, and surge in the aging population drive the growth of the global personal mobility devices market.

PORTLAND, Ore., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Personal Mobility Devices Market by Product (Walking Aids, Wheelchairs, and Scooters) and End User (Hospitals, Homecare and Others) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027." According to the report, the global personal mobility devices industry generated $7.70 billion in 2019, and is projected to garner $14.59 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 7.1% from 2020 to 2027.

Download Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/11482

Prime determinants of growth

Technological advancements, rise in prevalence of chronic diseases, and surge in the aging population drive the growth of the global personal mobility devices market. However, high cost and complications regarding the usage hinder the market growth. On the other hand, upsurge in demand from emerging countries creates new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

New challenges in terms of balancing supply and demand of personal mobility devices components occurred due to disruptions in the supply chain and lack of availability of human resources due to lockdown imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patients suffering from chronic and physical disabilities were unable to follow the social distancing norms and guidelines as they require continuous assistance from caregivers or medical helpers. This posed risks to attendants as well. This impacted the usage of these devices.

The wheelchairs segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on product, the wheelchairs segment contributed to the highest share in 2019, accounting for nearly three-fourths of the global personal mobility devices market, and is estimated to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. Rise in the number of spine injuries that led to increased usage of wheelchairs. However, the mobility scooters segment is expected to portray the highest CAGR of 7.6% from 2020 to 2027, owing to surge in awareness and adoption in developed countries.

Enquiry for Short-term and Long-term Impacts of COVID-19 at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/11482

The homecare segment to maintain its leadership status during the forecast period

Based on end user, the homecare segment held the highest share in 2019, contributing to more than three-fourths of the global personal mobility devices market, and is expected to maintain its leadership status during the forecast period. Moreover, this segment is expected to manifest the largest CAGR of 7.2% from 2020 to 2027. This is attributed to increase in the geriatric population, rise in cases of disabilities, and increase in prevalence of arthritis & developmental disabilities among children.

North America to continue its dominant share by 2027

Based on region, North America accounted for the largest share in terms of revenue in 2019, contributing to more than two-fifths of the global personal mobility devices market, and is projected to continue its dominant share by 2027. This is attributed to rise in prevalence of diseases such as osteoporosis, spinal cord disease, and rheumatoid arthritis within the region. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period. This is due to presence of a large patient population and surge in awareness regarding mobility aids.

Leading market players

Briggs Healthcare

Carex Health Brands, Inc.

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare

GF Health Products, Inc.

Invacare Corporation

Medline Industries Inc.

Pride Mobility Products Corp.

Rollz International

Stryker Corporation

Sunrise Medical LLC

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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.

Similar Reports:

Patient Mechanical Lift Handling Equipment Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027

Patient Centric Healthcare App Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2027

Event-Driven Patient Tracking Systems Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2027

Patient Monitoring Systems Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027

Patient Safety and Risk Management Software Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027

Wheelchairs Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027

Medical Device Manufacturing Outsourcing Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027

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. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. 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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The coffee shop layout is designed to demonstrate East-meet-West culture, reminiscent of the country and people of Vietnam. Grab & Go area provides convenience and comfort to visitors. The coffee shop's arrangement ensures that it complies with current Covid-19 regulatory from the States like mask mandate, social distancing and disinfection of the store frequently.

The hand-crafted drink is made entirely with coffee beans imported from Vietnam and around the world. Besides hand-crafted coffee, King Coffee also offers various meal options - Vietnamese Beef Pho, Banh Mi, Ham & Swiss Croissant, Caesar Salad together with more than 20 options of popular pastry. With a broad menu selection, King Coffee is a one-stop station for any time of the day - breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. In addition, visitors can purchase King Coffee's products directly at the store as well.

"The opening of the first restaurant in the United States marks a strong development of TNI King Coffee in the world market," said Ms. Le Hoang Diep Thao - Founder and CEO of TNI King Coffee brand. In 2020, the TNI King Coffee international market is expanded from 60 countries to more than 120 countries and territories. Revenue and market share increased by 200%. The Russian market alone grew by up to 350% despite the on-going global pandemic.

The opening of TNI King Coffee cafe-chain in Anaheim California marks the very first global expansion plan for the coffee magnate in the United States. The company plans to open additional 20 stores this year and 100 stores by 2022 in the United States through franchising.

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SOURCE King Coffee
Designed for manufacturing industry, the solution improves visibility, security & service of Operational Technology assets

MUMBAI, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Larsen & Toubro Infotech (BSE: 540005), (NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, has launched ServiceNow based Operational Technology Management solution for the manufacturing industry. The solution aims to address the latent demand of the industry to have digital workflows for Operational Transformation (OT) Service Management.

The solution leverages LTI's tech and domain expertise along with digital workflow enabling capabilities of ServiceNow, to deliver a scalable and secure solution for manufacturing operations using the Now Platform. This will help manufacturers embrace the concept of OT Management, in addition to IT Service Management (ITSM) practices. The solution also secures critical infrastructure from potential external threats and attacks, by helping ensure the foundational elements of OT cybersecurity.

With insights from this solution, manufacturers can derive business benefits such as assured systems availability and rapid resolution of issues through a common service data model for manufacturing operations. Key features of the solution include:

OT Visibility: Enabling digital view of all OT assets along with location, configuration and health

OT Service Management: Improved response time to OT service requests

OT Security and Governance: Reduction in risk and improved compliance

Nachiket Deshpande, Chief Operating Officer, LTI, said, "At LTI, we firmly believes there are exponential opportunities in the convergence of physical and digital worlds. This shift is accelerated by demands of the new economy that largely operates in a virtual mode, enabled by cloud. We are confident that this pioneering solution developed in partnership with ServiceNow will transform operations management for manufacturers worldwide."

Binoy Gosalia, Global Head of Industry Partnerships at ServiceNow, said, "LTI's expertise in Factory Floor and Enterprise Operations Management combined with ServiceNow's continued innovation across the Now Platform helps ensure that OT Management addresses all of the current needs for manufacturers. Our combined collaboration will improve overall visibility, response times and security across the entire manufacturing value chain."

LTI is an elite partner of ServiceNow with implementations across Fortune 500 companies and expertise across ITSM, ITOM, ITBM, HRM, CSM, IRM, SecOps, and platform management services. In its recent report, Information Services Group (ISG) has named LTI a Leader in ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners across all services in their 2021 ISG Provider LensTM report for the US.

About LTI:

LTI (NSE: LTI) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 400 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 31 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation with LTI's Mosaic platform enabling their mobile, social, analytics, IoT and cloud journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unparalleled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 35,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations and deliver value to their customers, employees and shareholders. Follow us at @LTI_Global

Connect with LTI :

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ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.



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SOURCE LTI
MIAMI, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Search engine optimization is one of the most effective forms of digital marketing. The goal of any e-commerce SEO campaign is to increase the domain authority of an e-commerce website so it will rank higher on search engine results pages for keywords relevant to its industry. SEO is not an overnight process; it can take months to climb all the way to the coveted first page for competitive keywords. Hiring an e-commerce SEO agency like 1Digital is the best way for e-commerce businesses to get the most out of their SEO campaigns.

1Digital Agency

Since it first opened its doors in 2012, the team at 1Digital has specialized in providing e-commerce SEO services. Over the years, the team of e-commerce SEO experts has developed proprietary marketing strategies for getting the most out of every SEO campaign they work on. They specialize in serving as an e-commerce growth agency for enterprise-scale businesses who are trying to get the most out of their digital marketing campaigns. For businesses looking for a Miami SEO campaign or a national campaign, the 1Digital team is the perfect choice.

One of the biggest advantages of using SEO is the increased organic traffic. While paid marketing campaigns are a great way of increasing traffic, businesses still have to pay for every click, including bounces. SEO increases an e-commerce site's visibility organically so businesses can start enjoying more traffic and conversions without having to pay for every visitor.

The backbone of e-commerce SEO is content. Publishing quality content with backlinks is one of the best ways for online stores to increase their authority. That's why 1Digital has a team of expert writers who know how to craft the kind of content that search engine algorithms love to see. Having well-crafted content that is backed by expert keyword research will help ensure that e-commerce stores draw in qualified traffic with their SEO strategies.

The combination of quality content, on-page optimization, constant monitoring, and dedicated project management is what sets 1Digital apart from other e-commerce agencies. It is constantly working to make sure that every campaign it works on is achieving the best possible results.

In addition to offering SEO marketing services, the team at 1Digital specializes in all things e-commerce. It offers e-commerce design, development, support, and migration services so businesses can get everything their website needs. Everything it does, from improving user experience to designing a sire architecture is always built with digital marketing in mind. Many of its clients are so satisfied with their experience that they come back to 1Digital for their next project.

Businesses interested in increasing their organic traffic with expert marketing services should reach out to the e-commerce SEO experts at 1Digital. Just give them a call at 888.982.8269 or send an email to [email protected] to get in touch with a member of their team.

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SOURCE 1Digital Agency

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AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical is now officially open in Austin, TX. Abacus has served generations of Texans as one of the leading home service providers in the state since 2003, and is excited to start helping Austinites with all of their plumbing, air conditioning and electrical needs.

Alan O'Neil Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning and Electrical Grand Opening

Abacus' grand opening celebration was held on Friday, May 7th at their new Austin headquarters located at 2105 Denton Drive in North Austin and streamed online via Facebook. Abacus' Founder and CEO, Alan O'Neill cut the official grand opening ribbon. "We're just super excited to be in Austin. It's an amazing town, it's a great place to be and it's an even better place to come for work," says O'Neill. "We've been in Houston for 18 years and we felt it was time to spread out wings a little and as we looked around Texas we thought, what better place to be than Austin."

Mr. O'Neill spoke about the incredible partnerships that Abacus has already established within the Austin community. Among them is Abacus' partnership with Austin FC and the announcement that Abacus will serve as the organization's official plumbing, air conditioning and electrical partner. Alison Roscoe, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships with Austin FC, was in attendance and presented Abacus Plumbing with the team's first official, signed Austin FC jersey to mark the beginning of this partnership.

Duane Moore, General Manager of Abacus in Austin, spoke, saying, "I'm thrilled to be launching with two great partners; Austin Pets Alive and Austin FC. We're already having extraordinary results and our main goal is to provide five-star service to all our fellow Austinites.

Abacus is also a strong supporter of the work Austin Pets Alive (APA) is doing in the Austin community. A representative from the non-profit was also in attendance and Mr. O'Neill presented a $1,000 donation to APA as a symbol of their growing partnership and support. Austin Pets Alive was able to bring a dog that is up for adoption to the grand opening that goes by the name of "Charlie Brown", which Mr. O'Neill noted is the same name of the first employee he ever hired to work for Abacus and who to this day continues to be a valued employee with the company.

Mr. O'Neill also unveiled an official grand opening proclamation plaque from Governor Greg Abbott. Abacus guests, employees and partners were able to mingle and enjoy lobster rolls from Garbo's Fresh Maine Lobster food truck and were in attendance as a lucky viewer of the virtual ceremony was names as the winner of two tickets to a much coveted Austin FC home game. Visit www.abacusplumbing.com/austin-grand-opening to watch the recorded event as well as more videos and photos highlighting the day.

ABOUT ABACUS PLUMBING

Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical has been serving Texas since 2003. Founded by master plumber Alan O'Neill, Abacus Plumbing maintains an A+ rating and has earned multiple years of Awards for Excellence with the Better Business Bureau. Abacus only hires licensed and certified technicians who pass a rigorous drug and background check. All pricing is provided up front and offers a 100 percent job satisfaction guarantee. Abacus is part of Wrench Group, LLC, a national leader in home repair, replacement and maintenance services specializing in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, water, and electrical services. Wrench Group collectively serves over 700,000 customers annually across twelve markets and sixteen brands in the United States. For more information, please visit us at wrenchgroup.com. To learn more about Abacus Plumbing in Houston, visit abacusplumbing.net or for Austin, visit abacusplumbing.com.

Licenses: ALAN O'NEILL M-20628 | TACLB82488E | TECL

Media Contact:

Michelle Lamont

214-228-9135

[email protected]

SOURCE Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning and Electrical

Related Links

http://abacusplumbing.com


"The last 14 months have certainly tested us, in every imaginable way, in terms of keeping our residents and teams safe and healthy," said Aegis Living President Kris Engskov. "Today, we are emerging stronger as a company and are doubling down on our commitment to helping older adults live more vibrant and full lives." Constance will help us propel this work forward in so many ways and we couldn't be more thrilled to bring her skills, experience, and vision to our team."

From the earliest days of the pandemic, Aegis Living acted quickly and proactively to put the right protocols and protections in place, ensuring it did everything possible to shield its most vulnerable from the coronavirus. The company formed a Coronavirus Advisory Council, appointed a head of Safety & Infection Control, brought in the latest virus and disease-fighting technologies, and created safe ways to bring residents and families together through its Outdoor Living Room. As it looks ahead, the company is committing to taking the next step in delivering more integrated clinical care to residents and to complement the wellness program currently in development and being piloted at Aegis Living Bellevue Overlake. Today, nearly 100% of Aegis Living residents and 90% of staff are vaccinated and the company is mandating vaccinations for all employees starting July 1.

"I often talk about the importance of weaving the quiltbringing together the right mix of diverse talent and experience to create the best possible team for Aegis Living," said Founder, CEO, and Chairman Dwayne Clark. "We have always prided ourselves on delivering exceptional resident care and I am confident Constance's experience and drive will bring this level of care to an even higher standard, while pushing us to innovate and think in new ways."

In addition to overseeing all nursing and care, Schein will be responsible for managing and developing existing and new healthcare partnerships, enlisting new technology to improve resident care, and supporting Aegis Living general managers in hiring, developing, and retaining the best talent across Aegis Living's nursing and care teams. Schein will play an equally critical role in the development of wellness programming at Aegis Living.

Prior to joining Aegis Living, Schein served as Vice President of Clinical and Ancillary Services at Westminster Communities, one of the country's largest non-profit, senior-focused healthcare organizations. At Westminster, Constance led the nursing and care teams in its life plan and assisted living communities and was responsible for the leadership, development, and oversight of health, quality, reimbursement, and clinical Health Information Management (HIM) programs. Schein was also previously the National Director of Health Systems at The Goodman Group in Minneapolis, MN, one of the country's leading skilled nursing operators. Schein spent several years serving in a variety of senior leadership positions, including Director of Clinical Services and Director of Nursing within the Benedictine Health System (Winona, MN).

"The last year has taught us just how important our role in caring for some of our most vulnerable older adults is," said Schein. "I couldn't be more excited to continue pushing new boundaries for what is possible in senior care. The mission- and innovation-driven culture here at Aegis is the perfect place to bring this vision to reality."

Schein earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin and attended Canada's prestigious McGill University, where she received a master's in nursing. More information on Aegis Living's Senior Leadership Team can be found here.

About Aegis Living

Aegis Living is a national leader in senior assisted living and memory care. With nearly 25 years of experience, Aegis Living is known for its approach for supporting residents along the continuum of care, from light assistance to advanced dementia; innovative programming and a focus on upscale, purpose-built design; and an employee-centric company culture. With every community, Aegis Living creates a living environment where residents can feel at home and inspired to live life to the fullest. The privately held company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and operates 33 communities in Washington, California and Nevada, with 8 additional communities in development. For more information, visit www.aegisliving.com. Follow the company on Twitter @Aegisliving and Facebook at www.facebook.com/AegisLiving.

SOURCE Aegis Living

Related Links

www.aegisliving.com


VANCOUVER, BC, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Angold Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AAU) (FRA: 13L1) (OTCQB: AAUGF) ("Angold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received further assay results for five holes from the Lajitas area at the Company's Dorado project in the Maricunga belt of Chile.

Key Highlights

Lajitas Drilling Results:

248 m at 0.75 g/t Au beginning at 168 m in hole DO-21-03

beginning at in hole DO-21-03 30 m at 1.24 g/t Au beginning at 408 m in hole DO-21-02

beginning at in hole DO-21-02 84 m at 0.40 g/t Au beginning at 166 m in hole DO-21-04

Significant Step-Out: Results from the upper portion of hole DO-21-03 have extended mineralization 80 m to the north-east from DO-21-01 which intersected 302 m at 0.71 g/t Au beginning at surface (see news release dated February 16, 2021).

Extensive Mineralization: Gold mineralization at Lajitas has now been confirmed over a vertical extent of at least 400 m beginning from surface, in deeper portions and between the East and West Zones.

Open in Multiple Directions: This first phase of drilling in the Lajitas area has both confirmed historical work and expanded the zones of mineralization which still remain open in multiple directions and warrant significant drilling.

Assays Pending and Further Drilling Scheduled: Results are pending for 3 additional holes and the Company is planning a significant second drill program for later in 2021. Infrastructure remains at site for further 2021 drilling.

Undrilled Targets Remain: The recently identified Lajitas South target features multiple overlapping anomalies consistent with other major deposits in the Maricunga Belt and will be drilled later in 2021.

Angold's CEO, Mr. Adrian Rothwell, stated: "Results from drilling continue to confirm continuous mineralization, with long intercepts, and new zones. By stepping out from historic mineralized zones with core holes, we have improved our understanding of the potential size of, and controlling structures at, Lajitas. Discovery of mineralization at Lajitas South also confirms the possibility of multiple deposits. The Dorado project certainly has the potential to be a major deposit in the region."

Drilling Context and Geology

Together, these drill holes demonstrate depth and strike continuity of the mineralization at Lajitas. Additional holes are planned to test extensions of mineralization at depth and along strike to the northeast and southwest (Figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1. Map of Angold's Dorado drill results.

Figure 2. Cross section looking north at Angold Dorado drill results and historical drilling.

Gold values are consistently controlled by the presence of both porphyry-style and epithermal-style veins. The presence of two distinct types of gold-bearing mineralization in the Lajitas deposit expands the scope of exploration on the project, providing multiple deposit types to target.

Gold mineralization in all drill holes is controlled by the presence of both porphyry-style and epithermal-style veins. Porphyry-style veins consist of banded quartz veins with variable amounts of magnetite, typical of Maricunga-type gold-copper porphyry systems. Epithermal-style veins also carry gold in the Lajitas drilling; these veins are dominantly quartz and show textures such as colloform and crustiform banding indicating formation at lower temperatures and shallower depths in an epithermal setting. Epithermal veins overprint and came later than porphyry veins.

Targeting is currently underway for expansion of the Lajitas deposit and evaluation of other mineralized settings on the Dorado project.

Assay results from holes DO-21-07 through DO-21-09 are in progress (Table 2).

DRILL RESULTS

Drill hole DO-21-02 was drilled from east to west and intersected mineralization in an area below previous drilling between the West and East zones of mineralization, suggesting potential for additional tonnage in this area (Figure 2). This intercept was extended by 24 m and now encompasses 30 m grading 1.24 g/t Au. The higher grade of this deeper intercept compared to surrounding drill results is encouraging for the prospects of increasing grade at depth in the deposit. Some assayed grades were up to 4.06 g/t gold (over 2 m). See the Company's news release dated March 16, 2021.

Drill hole DO-21-03 was drilled from northwest to southeast below holes DO-21-01 and DO-21-02, and extended mineralization to the northeast and at depth beyond historical drilling. The hole was also intended to refine the structural trend of mineralization, and confirmed mineralization to have a prominent northeast trend, with good depth potential: these new results add 108 m below the interval previously reported.

Drill hole DO-21-04 was drilled from east to west to verify historical data in nearby holes and to test the depth extension of the West Zone of mineralization. In addition to 84 m @ 0.40 g/t Au in the East Zone, the hole intersected two intervals of mineralization in an area previously undrilled between the West and East Zones of mineralization, and approximately 80 m below previous drilling. Like hole DO-21-02, these intervals suggest additional tonnage of mineralization between the two zones.

Intended to test the depth extensions of both the West and East Zones, drill holes DO-21-05 and 05A were drilled from west to east. Although both holes were lost in a fault zone with swelling clays, the combined assays from the two holes confirmed near-surface oxide mineralization in this area. Similarly, hole DO-21-06 encountered the deeper portions of this same fault and did not reach its intended target, the southern and depth extensions of the West and East Zones.

Table 1: Assay Results

Hole ID Length, m g/t Au From, m To, m Notes DO-21-01 302 0.71 0 302

including 34 0.90 76 110

and 68 1.30 156 224

DO-21-02 16 0.35 58 74

DO-21-02 16 0.38 116 132

DO-21-02 110 0.75 200 310

including 30 1.04 228 258

and 32 1.11 270 298

DO-21-02 30 1.24 408 438 Extended DO-21-03 248 0.75 168 416 Extended including 74 1.25 194 268

and 26 1.12 348 374

DO-21-04 84 0.40 166 250 New, extended DO-21-04 18 0.25 324 342

DO-21-04 14 0.21 358 372

DO-21-05/5A 12 0.60 78 90 Hole Lost, Targets Not Tested DO-21-05/5A 14 0.31 102 116 Hole Lost, Targets Not Tested DO-21-06 40 0.27 2 42



Table 2. Dorado drill-hole collar table.

Hole ID Collar

East WGS84 Collar

North

WGS84 Collar

Elev m Collar

Az Collar

Dip Total

Depth m DO-21-01 507080 6980110 4,562 120 -60 540 DO-21-02 507350 6979975 4,555 290 -45 484.5 DO-21-03 507093 6980248 4,583 164 -54 513.7 DO-21-04 507200 6979970 4,521 282 -70 518 DO-21-05 506893 6980142 4,525 110 -60 95 DO-21-05A 506893 6980146 4,525 110 -60 116 DO-21-06 506758 6979876 4,466 102 -55 309 DO-21-07 507355 6979972 4,585 316 -55 630 DO-21-08 507000 6979900 4,485 115 -60 402 DO-21-09 507445 6980055 4,585 316 -55 647 Total









4,254

QAQC Statement

All of Angold Resources' drill sample assay results have been independently monitored through a quality assurance/quality control ("QA/QC") protocol which includes the insertion of blind standard reference materials, blanks, and duplicates at regular intervals. Logging and sampling of the Dorado drill samples were completed at Angold's core handling facilities located in Copiapo, Chile. Drill core was diamond sawn on site and half drill-core samples were securely transported to ALS Laboratories' ("ALS") sample preparation facility in Copiapo.

Gold content was determined by fire assay of a 50-gram charge with atomic absorption finish (ALS method Au-AA24). Thirty-three other elements were analyzed by ICP methods with four-acid digestion (ALS method ME-ICP61m). ALS Laboratories is independent of Angold Resources and its facilities are ISO 17025 accredited. ALS also performed its own internal QA/QC procedures to assure the accuracy and integrity of results. Parameters for ALS' internal and Angold's external blind quality control samples were acceptable for the samples analyzed. Angold is not aware of any drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of its drill results data.

Qualified Person

David Smith, CPG, a Qualified Person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Angold

Angold is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in the proven districts of the Maricunga, Nevada and Ontario. Angold owns a 100% interest in the Dorado, Cordillera and South Bay-Uchi projects, and certain claims that append the optioned Iron Butte project.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ANGOLD RESOURCES LTD.

"Adrian Rothwell"

Chief Executive Officer

Further information on Angold can be found on the Company's website at www.angoldresources.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting the Company by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (866) 852 8719.

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.

Forward Looking Statements: 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 and includes expectations of the resumption of trading of the Company's common shares on the Exchange. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "appear", "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "approximate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "would" and similar expressions. 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, timelines and information contained in this news release.

SOURCE Angold Resources Ltd.

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https://www.angoldresources.com/


PORTLAND, Ore., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arnerich Massena, a Portland, Oregon-based boutique investment firm announced two promotions that further strengthen the firm's already experienced, diverse, and talented leadership team. The promotions include Shelly Kapoor to Chief Operating Officer, and Ryland Moore to Managing Principal, Business Development.

Kapoor first joined the Arnerich Massena team in 2019 and brings more than 20 years of experience to the firm. Her elevation to the C-Suite strengthens what is already a passionate, veteran group that is inclusive across gender, background, and ideas, and will continue to be the bridge that connects Arnerich Massena's leadership, employees, and business processes to deliver optimal results. In her new role, Kapoor will guide the company's day-to-day operations, facilitating information flow, efficiency, and scalability for cross-departmental coordination of client and internal deliverables.

Moore has been with Arnerich Massena for more than eight years, finding and connecting the individuals and organizations the firm can best serve with its unique approach. Moore works directly with clients as an investment advisor as well, developing and executing client investment plans and managing client portfolios. In addition to his new role, Moore, a shareholder and board member of the firm, also acts as a subject matter expert for the firm in review of non-traditional investments, with a particular emphasis on energy, water, and agriculture.

"We are very excited for the promotions of Shelly and Ryland," said Reegan Rae, co-CEO of Arnerich Massena. "They each have brought a unique and different perspective to our leadership team, and reflect the exceptional client service, as well as the unbiased and award-winning research and investment advice, our firm is known for. Arnerich Massena prides itself on having an ownership, leadership, and advisory team that is gender diverse and we look forward to seeing them continue to excel in their new roles."

In addition to Shelly and Ryland's new roles, the firm also gained invaluable experience and expertise with the addition of David Janec, as a Senior Investment Advisor, and Danielle McDonald, who joined the Operations team.

Arnerich Massena has built a best-in-class team of advisors, leaders, analysts, and staff. The firm prides itself on having an ownership, leadership, and advisory team that is gender diverse. Currently nearly one-third female-owned, the firm is also among the largest women-owned firms in the greater Portland area.

For more information about Arnerich Massena, please visit https://arnerichmassena.com/.

ABOUT ARNERICH MASSENA

Arnerich Massena is an independent investment firm based in Portland, Oregon. Dedicated to building lasting legacies to serve a higher good for its clients, the company has been around for three decades and has an AUM of $ $2.7B (as of 3/31/2021). With a focus on serving wealth management clients and endowments & foundations, the firm is distinguished by its exceptional client service, unbiased, proprietary research, and a long history of providing creative, high-quality investment advice.

SOURCE Arnerich Massena
Oil price A rapid about turn from the oil price yesterday, the US seemed to indicate that the Iran deal was not that far down the road yet which settled the bulls and also data from them and the UK was more positive. As well as that the US recorded air passenger levels of 2m and reported a big increase in mainly domestic travel although corporate and international numbers were slowly rising.

Oil price, Chariot, UJO/Reabold, Serica, Hurricane, Touchstone. And finally

WTI $66.05 +$2.47, Brent $68.46 +$2.02, Diff -$2.41 -45c, NG $2.89 -2c, UKNG 63.3p +0.55p

Oil price

A rapid about turn from the oil price yesterday, the US seemed to indicate that the Iran deal was not that far down the road yet which settled the bulls and also data from them and the UK was more positive. As well as that the US recorded air passenger levels of 2m and reported a big increase in mainly domestic travel although corporate and international numbers were slowly rising.

Chariot Oil & Gas ( )

Chariot has announced that further to the Companys announcement released at 4.56 p.m. on 24 May 2021, the Bookbuild has closed and the Company has conditionally raised gross proceeds of US$16.5 million (11.7 million) through the successful Placing of and Subscription for 212,553,929 of New Ordinary Shares, at the Issue Price of 5.5 pence per Ordinary Share.

In addition to the Placing and Subscription, and as set out in the Launch Announcement, the Company proposes to raise up to a further US$5 million (3.5 million) by the issue of New Ordinary Shares pursuant to an Open Offer to Qualifying Shareholders at the Issue Price on the basis of 1 Open Offer Share for every 6 Existing Ordinary Shares held on the Record Date. Qualifying Shareholders subscribing for their full entitlement under the Open Offer may also request additional Open Offer Shares through the Excess Application Facility. Details of the Open Offer and the action to be taken by Qualifying Shareholders to subscribe for Ordinary Shares under the Open Offer will be set out in the Circular, which will be sent to Shareholders on 28 May 2021.

Magna Capital LDA (of which Adonis Pouroulis is a substantial shareholder) has conditionally agreed to underwrite the Fundraising, ensuring that the total fundraising will equate to approximately US$23 million (16.3 million) before expenses, by subscribing, in two tranches on or before 31 January and 28 February 2022, for new Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price. Mr. Pouroulis has personally sub-underwritten the Underwriting Commitment. The Underwriting Commitment is transferable at Magnas sole discretion and shall reduce in equal proportion to any funds received separately by the Company from the Open Offer, a farm-in or a fundraise.

The gross proceeds includes US$3.4 million (2.4 million) conditionally raised from certain of the Companys Directors, as part of the Subscription. The Placing Shares and Subscription Shares represent in aggregate 54.7 per cent. of the Companys Existing Ordinary Shares. The Issue Price represents a discount of approximately 29.58 per cent. to the mid-market closing price on the London Stock Exchange of 7.81 pence per Ordinary Share on 21 May 2021.

The net proceeds of the Fundraise will be used to drill an appraisal well at the Anchois Gas Development offshore Morocco to confirm the discovery, progress work programme on the acreage surrounding the Anchois gas discovery for future development, to integrate transitional power team and existing project, fund near-term power project and for general working capital purposes.

Adonis Pouroulis, Acting CEO of Chariot, commented:

We are excited to announce the completion of todays Placing and Subscription, subject to shareholder approval at the forthcoming General Meeting. This successful fundraise marks a key turning point in the evolution of the Company, as we seek to build a transitional energy business in Africa, that we believe will deliver value for all stakeholders. With the net proceeds, Chariot intends to accelerate the timeline of the Anchois Gas Development coming online, with a near-term appraisal well now in sight and the launch of Chariots Transitional Power division, following the acquisition of AEMP earlier in the year in partnership with Total Eren.

This fundraise will turbocharge our growth ambitions in both our transitional gas and transitional power businesses which are highly scalable in terms of both the prospective gas resources offered in Anchois and surrounding area, and in the pipeline of projects to provide clean power to mining and industrial clients in Africa.

We encourage and welcome existing shareholders to join us on this exciting journey through the Open Offer and look forward to providing further updates on our progress in due course.

This news today is most important and Im sure will cement Chariot as a key player in Africa for both gas and renewable energy. Indeed I would suggest that the moves that have been made by Adonis Pouroulis since he took over have made Chariot a unique story in Africa and with potentially substantial upside.

The moves that have been made since then have the effect of considerably de-risking Chariot, at Anchois, where significant work has been done looks a lot more robust now that this raise confirms a well will be drilled this year. The cost of drilling this well seem to be lower than the expectations next year and that this year provides the company with a window of cheaper costs.

Apart from Anchois, the moves that they have made with regard to the partnership with Total Eren look to me to be able to be bracketed in that rare company maker situation. The opportunities in the African mining industry and the use of renewables will be found by the management and financed by access to Totals inexpensive debt makes this, exclusive deal seem copper bottomed to me. Talk of 500 MW or even a GW are not impossible and with 1.2bn people on the continent rising to 2bn mean that sustainable, green ESG compliant energy will be the place to be.

This financing is clearly significant for Chariot and whilst the discount has been commented on I feel that the ability to get some institutional investors on board is a justifiable price worth paying. Indeed the fact that this management has delivered a lot this year, and at this stage the CEO is putting a substantial amount to take part in the raise via direct investment, as well as his underwriting of what looks like an attractive offer which has been structured so that existing investors can participate at the same price looks eminently backable to me.

The deals this year, combined with the opening up of Chariot into being a major player in gas and renewable power for Africas huge mining industry and operating in at least 17 countries with an existing presence assured, plus the backing of the exclusivity of the partnership with Total looks like a no-brainer to me. A unique story, without doubt I would say that weans Morocco off coal for power and supplies a huge basic industry with renewable power.

Union Jack ( ) / ( )

Union Jack and Reabold have provided an update on mobilisation of associated equipment and planned test activities at the West Newton B site. The licence area is within the western sector of the Southern Zechstein Basin. The West Newton A-1, A-2 and recent B-1Z discoveries are on-trend with the prolific offshore Hewett gas complex.

Rathlin Energy, the Operator, has provided the JOA partners with the following guidance. On Monday 24 May 2021, equipment required to complete and test the West Newton B-1Z well commenced mobilisation to site. This equipment includes a workover rig, well test package, Certified Ultra-low Emission Burners, a wireline unit and other related materials.

The equipment will be riggedup during the first week of operations, after which completion activities including perforation and well treatment operations will commence. The well test will follow these operations. Overall, the duration of the West Newton B-1Z completion and testing operations are expected to take approximately six weeks.

All operations are being conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements, permissions, planning conditions and Covid-19 restrictions and guidance.

Initially, site activities including rigging up and completion operations will be conducted during daylight hours (07:00-19:00), however, once well testing operations are underway site activities will move to 24-hours a day, seven days a week. HGV and delivery traffic will be planned for daytime hours (07:00-19:00), Monday to Saturday and will follow the approved traffic management route. The site will have a manned security presence and wellsite supervision 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

The West Newton B-1Z completion and testing operations are targeting and fully appraising hydrocarbons within the conventional Kirkham Abbey Formation reservoir.

Following the completion of operations on the WN B-1Z well, it is the Operators intention to mobilise equipment and personnel to the West Newton A site to re-commence testing of the WN A-2 well, also appraising hydrocarbons within the Kirkham Abbey reservoir.

David Bramhill, Executive Chairman of Union Jack, commented:

The planned testing programmes at the West Newton B and A sites are the next milestone events in determining the development potential of West Newton.

The results to date continue to support the Boards belief that West Newton is a large-scale, conventional onshore hydrocarbon asset with potential offshore-sized reserves and resources in place.

Stephen Williams, co-CEO of Reabold, commented:

We are pleased to see continued progress being made at West Newton, with testing of the B-1z well key for the future development of the licence and, in particular, for indicating the optimal location for the drilling of the horizontal B-2 well. We look forward to keeping shareholders abreast of developments over the next few months, in what could be a transformational period for the Company.

There is little doubt that the companies at West Newton are heading for the most important 6 weeks of the entire programme. The industry is split and the Zechstein is about to be tested, the process has taken a long time and the jury is out, for what its worth I have nailed my positive colours to the mast and feel that UJO and RBD will be successfully be rewarded in six weeks time.

Serica Energy ( )

Serica has provided a Columbus and R3 operational update this morning. The Columbus development well was spudded in mid-March and drilled, as planned, to a total measured depth of 17,600ft. A 5,900ft horizontal section was drilled through the reservoir formations of the upper Forties and encountered a sequence of sands and shales, in line with pre-drill expectations.

The well requires sand screens to be installed to prevent fine particles being produced; difficulties were encountered while running the screens and it was ultimately not possible to install them. As a result, the reservoir section of the well will be side-tracked and re-drilled, using data collected during initial drilling to optimise its trajectory and avoid the difficulties encountered running the screens in the original well.

According to the company the additional operations are expected to take around 3-4 weeks at a net cost to them of around 3 million. It is important to realise that these operations are not expected to affect the timing of production start-up which is still expected during Q4 2021.

Separately, the R3 well has now been cleared of all equipment installed when it was originally completed in 2005. Reservoir access has been regained thus allowing new completion equipment to be run in preparation for production. The new completion is currently being installed prior to performing a flow test on the well, which is expected to be carried out in June. A diving support vessel has been contracted to install the subsea control equipment required so the well can start producing in Q3 2021.

Mitch Flegg, Chief Executive of Serica Energy, commented:

Whilst frustrating, the additional operations on Columbus are not expected to affect the timing of first production and the economic returns of the project remain very attractive for the Company.

I remain confident that both the operations at Columbus and at R3 are substantially on track to provide significant bottom line growth for Serica. Occasional irritating operational bugs serve to remind us that these things dont always go without modest hitches but the overall economics of the project remain intact, note that the reservoir formations are in line with pre-drill expectations. SQZ remains right at the top of the Bucket List of preferred stocks and at these levels look way too cheap to me.

Hurricane Energy (LON:HUR)

Full year results from HUR this morning, Lancaster produced an average of 13,900 bopd in 2020, supported by 98% production uptime from the Aoka Mizu FPSO. However, production was significantly less than expected due to the field materially underperforming relative to pre-production expectations.

The Company recorded a loss for the year of $625.3 million, including impairment charges totalling $567.1 million in respect of the Lancaster field and the Companys exploration assets and an associated deferred tax write-off of $54.2 million.

In addition an internal technical review of the Lancaster field reservoir model resulted in significant downgrades to Lancaster Reserves and Contingent Resources. This revised interpretation was broadly consistent with a Competent Persons Report by ERC Equipoise published in April 2021, and also negatively impacted the resource potential of the Companys other discoveries. What it does not say is how it is humanely possible for consecutive CPRs to show such differences, surely the point is that they are tough on the company so that this shouldnt be able to happen.

Net free cash of $111.4 million at 31 December 2020 (31 December 2019: $133.6 million) was significantly less than anticipated due to lower oil prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as lower Lancaster production than anticipated. Net debt at year-end was $118.6 million (31 December 2019: $96.4 million)

In combination, lower than expected cash generation during 2020 and significantly reduced potential future cash flows from Lancaster means the Company will not be in a position to repay its $230 million of convertible bond debt at maturity in July 2022. After exploring all possible alternatives, the Company announced a proposed restructuring of the Companys Convertible Bond debt on 30 April 2021. Material uncertainties regarding the Companys ability to continue as a going concern have been identified, pending the results of the proposed financial restructuring process.

If duly approved and implemented, the proposed financial restructuring is expected to take effect in June 2021. This would deliver a viable balance sheet from which to execute the Companys revised strategy of maximising cash flow from the existing Lancaster wells and infrastructure to pay down debt. In parallel, the Company will continue to develop the technical and commercial case for further development opportunities at Lancaster and, if supported by its Bondholders, execute any further investment as efficiently as possible.

Antony Maris, CEO of Hurricane, commented:

This has been a profoundly difficult period for Hurricane and its stakeholders. The understanding of the West of Shetland fractured basement play has changed significantly. As a result, the potential of the Lancaster field is much smaller than originally thought and cannot support the level of debt in the Company which was sized for a much larger Reserves and Contingent Resources base.

Against this extremely challenging backdrop, the Company has explored all potential options to resolve the Companys financial situation, with the proposed financial restructuring ultimately being deemed the best possible outcome. We understand the impact this will have on our shareholders and the strong feelings that have been expressed as a result, but this was a necessary move in order to secure the Companys future.

If the proposed restructuring is approved and implemented, we will focus our efforts on maximising Lancaster cash flows to pay down debt, as well as making the case for further development of our West of Shetland asset base

It is interesting that the CEO says that the company is unable to support its debt and therefore a restructuring is needed that would wipe out the equity shareholders in order to pacify the bondholders. It makes it sound like this is the only option and in my view that may not be the case. Production of say, 14,000 b/d at $70 and a fairer restructuring between debt and equity might just be doable but its not on the cards.

I am aware of the moves by Crystal Amber as major equity holders which seems to me to be pretty sensible under the circumstances, other shareholders would probably be wise to see what they are doing. Indeed I dont know where Kerogen stand on this, if they still have a substantial holding it must be in their interests to join with CA, and unless they have been buying the debt to offset their risk they should fight. So, I suspect that the retail holding being pretty substantial may be enough to vote the board down if it went that far.the alternative is not worth thinking about

Touchstone Exploration ( )

The company provides an operational update, highlighted by the recovery of pressure gauges from the Cascadura Deep-1 well on the Companys Ortoire onshore exploration block in Trinidad. The results from the test were solid and confirmed that the formation was damaged whilst drilling but still gave up 23 mmcf/d of flow back.

This seems to me to be very positive as it should increase on production and the damage should be minimised over time, it is a significant sized reservoir that sure, will take a bunch of wells to fully evaluate, in the meantime there is much more pay to analyse and this is already a properly big find. The Touchstone share price should be massively above here and when the market gets it an upwards adjustment will be made.

Paul Baay, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented:

I am pleased to report that the downhole gauges recovered from Cascadura Deep-1 have provided excellent data, and the information has increased our confidence in the substantial size of the pools reserves and its potential deliverability. The data is consistent with the previous testing performed at Cascadura-1ST1, and we are encouraged by the lack of any boundary limits observed on the reservoir.

The team continues to move all of our projects forward under the COVID-19 restrictions that were recently enacted in Trinidad. We continue to have a comprehensive COVID-19 protocol in place in collaboration with our industry partners, and we are committed to the safety and well being of our employees, contractors and the residents of the communities we operate in. For the most part, our routine operations remain uninterrupted, and we will recommence the affected operations as soon as we can safely do so.

I remain confident that we will spud Royston-1 in June despite recent construction delays due to COVID-19 emergency health measures. The drilling of Royston-1 will complete the first phase of our exploration program at Ortoire. The second phase is expected to include the Steelhead and Guabine prospects targeting the Herrera and Karamat Formations, as well as our Cretaceous prospect at Kraken. The phase two exploration program is anticipated to be performed in parallel with development programs at our confirmed Ortoire discoveries. Our future capital projects are anticipated to commence following the start of production from Coho and Cascadura, as these discoveries are expected to provide the funding for our future development and exploration programs.

And finally

Today Gareth Southgate was meant to announce his squad for the Euros championship but with the Boropa Cup Final tomorrow and the Champions League on Saturday he has named 33 players to be whittled down to 26 next Monday.

And last night in Scotland Dundee edged Killy out of the SPL.
BOSTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB), the parent company of Berkshire Bank, a socially-responsible community-dedicated bank with locations primarily in New England and New York, today announced that Heather Lashway, a ten-year Berkshire veteran was promoted to Senior Vice President Director of Retail Banking reporting to CEO Nitin Mhatre. Tami Gunsch, current Senior Executive Vice President Head of Consumer Banking is stepping down from her position as of June 30, 2021 to spend more time with her family. After June 30th, Ms. Gunsch will stay on as a consultant for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition to her successors, Ms. Lashway and another to be named soon.

"I want to thank Tami for her years of hard work, dedication, professionalism and commitment to all of Berkshire Bank's customers and employees. On behalf of the entire Berkshire Bank family we wish Tami all the best in this next chapter." stated Nitin Mhatre, CEO of Berkshire.

In her role as Director of Retail Banking Ms. Lashway will be responsible for all aspects of the retail banking consumer experience, including branch banking, branch and deposit operations, call center, virtual teller, MyBankers and Sales & Service Delivery. She will work to optimize, digitize and enhance the Bank's retail banking strategy in support of Berkshire's Exciting Strategic Transformation (BEST) plan to deliver enhanced value for all its stakeholders.

"Heather is a proven leader with deep knowledge of Berkshire Bank, our employees, customers and communities. She has consistently demonstrated superior performance in key roles and that experience will be instrumental in the execution of our BEST plan where we will optimize, digitize and enhance our consumer banking franchise to deliver a best-in-class customer experience," added Mhatre.

Ms. Lashway is a senior leader with more than 25 years of retail banking expertise, most recently serving as Berkshire's Senior Vice President Retail Distribution where she oversaw the Bank's sales and service delivery initiatives. Prior to joining Berkshire Bank, Heather spent 11 years with Citizens Bank in senior Retail Banking roles inclusive of Director of Sales, Division Training Manager and Regional Sales Manager. Ms. Lashway holds a Bachelors in Accounting & Finance from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont and was previously an Albany Business Review 40 under 40 honoree.

ABOUT BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP

Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent of Berkshire Bank, which is transforming what it means to bank its neighbors socially, humanly and digitally to empower the financial potential of people, families and businesses in its communities as it pursues its vision of being the leading socially responsible omni-channel community bank in the markets it serves. Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire operates 118 banking offices primarily in New England and New York.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document 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. You can identify these statements from the use of the words "may," "will," "should," "could," "would," "plan," "potential," "estimate," "project," "believe," "intend," "anticipate," "expect," "target," and similar expressions. There are many factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from expectations described in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of such factors, please see Berkshire's most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect our expectations only as of the date of this document. Berkshire does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.berkshirebank.com


Throughout game broadcasts, Blue Cross' mental health quick tips appear as animated banners on the screen. The practical tips offer advice for improving mental well-being, including practicing intentional breathing exercises, taking the time to connect with a friend and more. During the 7 th inning stretch, game hosts discuss the role stretching can play in improving moods and reducing stress. Blue Cross' mental health campaign is also integrated into gameplay, with hosts taking advantage of passive time like timeouts to encourage viewers to take their own timeout for mental health each day.

"At Blue Cross, we believe that mental health is just as important as physical health, and as the need for mental health support continues to grow, it's crucial to find ways to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with it," said Kathy Klingler, chief consumer experience and marketing officer at Blue Cross. "Opportunities like this allow us to meet people where they are, and in coordination with other efforts like expanded access to care, help address a critical need at an all-important time."

Additional mental health resources for members and customers

Blue Cross is deeply committed to supporting the mental health of its members, customers, employees and the community year-round, and is highlighting several specific initiatives in May in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness month. These include:

Events

Deploying in-house clinical experts to offer mental health advice via webinars. Dr. Ken Duckworth, senior medical director for behavioral health at Blue Cross, participated in the Boston Business Journal's webinar about managing mental health at work and led a Blue Cross webinar on how to support the mental health of caregivers. Both videos are available for replay on the Blue Cross YouTube channel.

Supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walks Your Way event as a sponsor. Funds raised will ensure that local NAMI programs continue to benefit Massachusetts communities.

Hosting a family-friendly Inspirational Speaker Series. This month's session will take place on May 26 and will feature Tom Smith , the first person in medical history to be paralyzed three separate times and recover. Smith will discuss, in part, the role mental health has played during his injuries and recoveries.

Other mental health resources

Updating the company's robust Mental Health Resource Center, designed to help members better understand their mental health care options, find clinicians, and explore self-guided tools for managing stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia.

Continuing to produce original content for Coverage, Blue Cross' award-winning news service, with advice on a range of mental health topics including how to support kids as they return to in-person learning and tips for older adults seeking mental health support.

Promoting exclusive member discounts on classes that support mindfulness and wellness, including yoga and meditation

Supporting Blue Cross employees' mental health

To support its employees' mental health, Blue Cross has rebranded and expanded its paid sick time with "wellness days." Employees are encouraged to take wellness days not just for illness but also to recharge and support their own emotional health when needed.

Blue Cross members who need assistance finding mental health and/or substance use support options can visit the company's mental health resource center or call the dedicated mental health line at 1.888.389.7764. Blue Cross representatives can help guide members to the right support for them and, in some cases, help locate appropriate clinicians who are accepting new patients and even assist with setting up the first visit.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable, equitable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Related Links

http://www.bluecrossma.com


MCLEAN, Va., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluestone Investment Partners, LP ("Bluestone"), a McLean, Virginia-based private equity firm, is pleased to announce the completion of an investment in CTI (the "Company"). CTI is a technology company that utilizes open and government open software and systems development to provide advanced, user-focused systems for command and control, electronic warfare, cyber-spectral operations and other complex military and security applications. CTI primarily performs this work in support of the Combatant Commands, Theater Special Operations Commands, Service Components, and Department of Defense Programs of Record across the services.

Dustan Hellwig, CEO of CTI said, "We are incredibly excited about partnering with Bluestone and their support will greatly enhance our ability to meet and exceed our strategic priorities. CTI and Bluestone are well aligned in vision and intent and I am certain that the expectations of both organizations will be exceeded as we move forward. I am proud of how CTI has been built and cannot wait to see what this next stage of growth and positive adaptation bring to our set of core values."

"CTI is the very definition of a mission-focused company," said John Allen, Managing Partner of Bluestone. "The Company's commitment to open architecture systems ensures that its military and intelligence community customers have access to the latest technology at a fraction of the costs relative to the traditional proprietary approach of large systems integrators. The acceptance of CTI's open-source business model is evidenced by the explosive growth the Company has experienced."

About CTI's Solutions and Services

CTI's solutions are the preferred standard in the mission space due to CTI's unique application of agile methodologies, utility-driven design, and iterative, hands-on development with users. CTI is focused on building solutions on open-source and open government-owned platforms. This corporate philosophy ensures that industry proprietary software or hardware tools do not stand in the way of the right capabilities being brought to bear on the battlefield. Paired with our "Rapid" approach to solutions development, service delivery, and business execution, CTI continues to grow and thrive in the defense marketplace. CTI is headquartered in California, MD and has offices in San Diego; Camarillo; and Santa Barbara, CA as well as Denver, CO, Honolulu, HI, and Chantilly, VA. Please visit www.ctic.us to find out more.

About Bluestone Investment Partners

Bluestone is a private equity firm investing exclusively in lower middle-market companies in the defense and government services arena. Bluestone's principals have a long and successful track record owning, operating, investing in, and advising companies in the defense and government services sector. www.bluestoneinv.com.

SOURCE CTI
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Donna White has been selected to lead the DC site of Break Through Tech , a national initiative aimed at achieving gender equality in tech. Earlier this year, Break Through Tech expanded to the DC metro area to propel more women and underrepresented groups into tech education, careers, and leadership in partnership with George Mason University and the University of Maryland, College Park .

White, who started as director of Break Through Tech DC on May 25, 2021, brings more than two decades of experience leading initiatives that focus on women and girls, with a particular emphasis on introducing tech tools in classrooms to create a more engaging, inclusive, and individualized learning experience. Her skills include scaling programs, developing curricula, and nurturing talent.

"Donna has successfully overseen tech education programs and built relationships with industry partners throughout the country to expand opportunities for young women in tech," said Debbie Marcus, senior director of Break Through Tech. "I am excited for her to work with the exceptional teams at both George Mason University and the University of Maryland to build deep cross-university partnerships, reinforce the universities' connection to the local tech ecosystem, and inspire more women to study computing and enter tech careers."

As director, White will play a critical role in developing the growth strategy for and leading the execution of Break Through Tech programs at Mason and UMD. She will serve as public spokesperson for the DC initiative, with a focus on developing and deepening Break Through Tech's relationships with corporate and academic partners and volunteers.

"Break Through Tech is a crucial step in increasing opportunities for women earning computer science degrees and their future positions as leaders," White said. "I firmly believe diversity is critical to ensuring equity in the tech field from entry-level developers to creating decision-makers as senior leadership, founders, and investors."

White comes to Break Through Tech from Black Girls CODE , a nonprofit committed to increasing the number of women of color in the digital space, where she served as regional program director. Prior to Black Girls CODE, White worked in education and youth leadership development with the AnBryce Foundation.

"Intentionally creating meaningful opportunities has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of my approach in driving effective programs," White said. "I've spent my career working to ensure students from varied backgrounds have the level of accessibility that promotes change, not just checks a box. Young people who understand and know early in their education journey that they are valued and their experience is appreciated and supported seem to have better outcomes."

White received an M.S. in urban studies and nonprofit administration from Georgia State University, as well as a B.A. in international studies from Emory University.

About Break Through Tech

Launched at Cornell Tech, with support from Pivotal Ventures, Cognizant U.S. Foundation, and Verizon, Break Through Tech provides curriculum innovation, career access, and community building for women in tech. The program originated in 2016 as a program called Women in Technology & Entrepreneurship New York (WiTNY), created at Cornell Tech in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) and a broad set of industry partners. Now Break Through Tech is replicating the highly effective ecosystem model originated in New York City to increase women's representation in computing graduates across the United States. To date, the program is in New York City, Chicago, and the DC Metro Area.

About Cornell Tech

Cornell Tech is Cornell University's groundbreaking campus for technology research and education on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Our faculty, students and industry partners work together in an ultra-collaborative environment, pushing inquiry further and developing meaningful technologies for a digital society. Founded in partnership with the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the City of New York, Cornell Tech achieves global reach and local impact, extending Cornell University's long history of leading innovation in computer science and engineering.

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, DC, Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit gmu.edu .

About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students,10,000 faculty and staff, and 297 academic programs. As one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners and 58 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.1 billion operating budget and secures more than $1 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit umd.edu .

SOURCE University of Maryland
KINGWOOD, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Burn Boot Camp, a leading boutique fitness franchise, has reached a major milestone in its national expansion strategy and celebrated its 300th gym opening in Kingwood on Monday, May 24. Located just outside of Houston, the state-of-the-art facility joins Burn Boot Camp's roster of 13 existing gyms in the state as the brand continues to seek out growth opportunities in Texas cities like Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin.

The Kingwood Burn Boot Camp is owned and operated by Rebecca and Eric Parsons, a husband-and-wife team that are local to the area and both passionate about fitness. As part of the brand's commitment to the health and safety of its teams and members, this location will be one of the first to feature a ventilation system complete with sanitizing UV lights via its supplier partnership with Big Ass Fans.

"The timing of this opening couldn't be more perfect as many people have already started to attend more in-person fitness camps," shared Rebecca Parsons, who will run day-to-day operations at the Kingwood gym. "Our team is incredibly excited to build a strong community here in Kingwood  one that's rooted in inclusivity, health and wellness. We encourage anyone that's interested in checking us out to drop by for a tour."

Even after one of the most challenging years the fitness industry has faced due to the pandemic, Burn Boot Camp continues to experience incredible growth, including a freshly signed area development deal to join its robust list of 30 gyms secured this year alone. While COVID-19 restricted in-person activities, Burn Boot Camp innovated to engage its member base via live streamed work outs, mobile app enhancements and more. In addition to its milestone 300th opening, the brand recently signed multiple franchise agreements to open locations in its 39th state, New Mexico, which is all part of an overarching expansion plan to have 400 gyms open and operating by the end of 2021.

And, the growth and investment value aren't going unnoticed, as the brand was recently ranked in the top 100 on Entrepreneur's highly sought-after Franchise 500.

"Now, perhaps more than ever, people want and need the support of a community," said Devan Kline, CEO and Co-founder of Burn Boot Camp. "And, that community is what allowed our brand to further its momentum. The pandemic hit plenty of industries hard, including fitness, but our dedicated membership base continued to show up, paving the way for growth in the midst of a challenging year. Even as we hit this incredible milestone, our team remains committed to innovating and adapting while also strengthening our Burn Boot Camp community  we're already planning for the next 300 franchises."

Burn Boot Camp is much more than a gym, it's a community focused on the whole individual. The brand features flexible membership options and is camp-based, scheduling members for 45-minute sessions that target different muscle groups each day of the week. Memberships also include access to its Childwatch program, helping even the busiest of parents to prioritize their wellness. Memberships also include access to focus meetings, which pairs members with a trainer to share nutrition guidance and more. No two workouts are the same and each workout promises to challenge each and every member, regardless of fitness level.

To become a part of the ever-growing #burnnation community, interested individuals can expect a total investment ranging from $181.8K-$447.9K with discounts available for military veterans and multi-unit signings.

For more information about Burn Boot Camp, visit: burnbootcamp.com

About Burn Boot Camp

Founded in 2012 by husband wife duo Devan and Morgan Kline, Burn Boot Camp is a national fitness concept where like-minded men and women can come together, build confidence and inspire one another through fitness. The national franchise started as a female-focused boutique gym franchise with a mission and passion for empowering communities. Recently, Burn Boot Camp has cultivated a following from both men and women alike, giving an opportunity to families to work out together while taking advantage of free Childwatch services that are provided exclusively to Burn Boot Camp members. Burn Boot Camp offers 45-minute circuit style workout camps through highly innovative daily programs crafted by certified personal trainers. For more information, visit burnbootcamp.com

SOURCE Burn Boot Camp

Related Links

https://burnbootcamp.com


VENTURA, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- President Joe Biden's inability so far to forgive the promised $10,000 of student loans has once again brought student loan debt to the forefront of media attention. The solution to student loan debt is not to force young people into debt in the first place. Meet Kevin Paffrath for Governor has proposed preventing student debt with Future Schools. Future Schools are where students will be given a financial, vocational, college, and high school education all at once, for free. Students will have the choice to attend a regular high school or Future School. This way, students at Future Schools can graduate at 18 with a career, not debt.

Meet Kevin Paffrath For Governor

High school graduation rates are going down in California. This is not the fault of teachers or students: Kevin Paffrath says it is the State of California's fault and, specifically, Gavin Newson's fault. Paffrath says California schools are failing their students and that it is obscene that approximately 30% of students graduating at 18 cannot get a job and even fewer are able to find one that pays a living wage.

Paffrath believes the solution is to teach practical skills and increase the quality of education students receive. Future Schools will teach practical skills designed for each career path a student chooses in partnership with small, medium, and large businesses throughout California. This means businesses are incentivized to teach teachers the skills they need and, in return, schools provide educated workers, with the specific skills businesses need, by 18 years old. With an emphasis on online lectures and in-person, hands-on training, California can pay its teachers over $120,000 each per year and increase the effectiveness of schooling by eliminating redundant lecturing. Should students still choose to attend a University of California or California State University after attending a Future School, admission will be based on the student's performance in the Future School, not ACTs or SATs. Businesses hiring students from Future Schools will also be required to operate within California. Paffrath says the flight of talent out of California needs to be stopped.

The first two years will be more generalized so that students can fine-tune their career path while learning business acumen, financial education, sales skills, business communication skills, and basic accounting skills. The last two years will be focused on skills and career training. This means that, by 18, students will be able to graduate with a career, licenses, certifications, and no debt.

Interview requests: [email protected]

View full plan: www.meetkevin.com

Related Files

Student Debt Press Release.pdf

Related Images

image1.jpg

SOURCE Meet Kevin Paffrath For Governor
NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Captivate has officially announced the launch of Captivate | RESIDENTIAL  a network of customized digital signage solutions for multifamily properties across the U.S. Best known for their 13,000 elevator and large format screens in office buildings throughout North America, Captivate is bringing its 25 years of tenant communication expertise into a home setting. Captivate | RESIDENTIAL is currently available in nearly 100 apartment buildings with rapid adoption across the country.

In the wake of Covid-19, home became the most trusted environment for residents, requiring property managers to develop both effective and creative building communication plans. Captivate | RESIDENTIAL now provides a competitive advantage for real estate partners to maintain a sense of trust and community that in turn improves resident retention. The network features a user-friendly messaging portal that allows property managers to create and publish community messages in real-time from their desktop or mobile devices. These state-of-the-art digital signage displays also feature hand-curated content tailored to multifamily audiences seven days per week. Both global and hyper-local updates are provided by notable content providers including AccuWeather, USA Today, Billboard, Grub Street and Everyday Health.

"For 25 years, we've built a strong foundation with the real estate community, providing amenity-rich digital solutions and real-time communication to enhance the building environment," said Nicolas Beaver, Head of Real Estate at Captivate. "We are thrilled to offer this expertise to the multifamily housing industry to address the needs of both our property partners as well as their residents. From product type and aesthetic to a variety of effective messaging templates, we are looking forward to serving this channel and modernizing existing communication practices."

Captivate | RESIDENTIAL is available to real estate partners via large format HD screens or Captivate | GO  a plug-and-play device that can be connected to any HDMI capable display. The network is currently live in 19 U.S. markets across a wide variety of resident building types owned by partners like Brookfield, Greystar and Nelson.

About Captivate

Known for its vast network of nearly 13,000 elevator and lobby displays located in 1,700+ premier buildings across North America, Captivate is a turnkey property management system that fuels effective communication solutions. With 25 years' experience in increasing tenant satisfaction and achieving property goals, Captivate redefines the building experience and elevates property status. Founded in 1997, Captivate is owned by Generation Partners. For more information, please visit captivate.com/residential.

For additional information and interview opportunities, please contact:



Raquel Hudson

VP, Marketing Communications

Captivate

[email protected]

SOURCE Captivate

Related Links

www.captivate.com


CARLISLE, Pa., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Consistent with Carlisle's commitment to ESG, Carlisle TyrFil (www.CarlisleTyrFil.com) announced today that it will further its long-standing collaboration with the country's oldest conservation organization, American Forests. Through its One Tote, One Tree sustainability program, the TyrFil brand will provide the financial support to help plant 300,000 new tree saplings in the longleaf pine forest region in the state of Florida.

The longleaf and slash pine forest area located in the Lake Walks Ridge, Big Shoals, John M. Bethea and Welaka State Forests has witnessed a devastating decline in its old-growth longleaf habitat that once blanketed 90 million acres across the southeastern United States. Much of the original forestation has been lost or damaged due to agriculture and the suppression of natural, low-intensity wildfires, which together have dealt an unprecedented blow to biodiversity and the natural forest health of the region. Many birds and animals have been negatively impacted, especially the red cockaded woodpecker, which relies on the loosely spaced longleaf pine for its survival. The survival of the woodpecker is critical to many other species, such as chickadees, flying squirrels, wood ducks, and owls. Through their industrious pecking, the woodpeckers create habitats for these species where none would otherwise exist.

Through Carlisle TyrFil's One Tote, One Tree program, these forests will get the boost they need to once again prosper. One Tote, One Tree is a central element of TyrFil's sustainability platform that enables the company and its extensive dealer, OEM, and distributor network to team up and work together to donate one new tree sapling for every tote of product purchased. Collectively, over the course of the past decade, TyrFil has planted nearly a quarter of a million new trees through its partnership with American Forests to help reforest many of the country's treasured wilderness areas that have been devastated by wildfires or other disasters.

"Carlisle TyrFil is pleased to continue its ongoing commitment and collaboration with American Forests," said Matt Pearson, Vice President of Global Sales for Carlisle TyrFil. "This initiative is part of our long-established support of environmental sustainability. Across the TyrFil brand's 50-year history, we have heavily invested in R&D to develop environmentally supportive products and have led the industry in next generation technology that significantly reduced the usage of oil, toxic metals, petrochemicals, and other environmentally harmful compounds. We thank our valued customers for joining us in this effort to replenish America's natural terrains for more than a decade."

For more information on Carlisle TyrFil and the One Tote, One Tree program, please visit www.carlisletyrfil.com and www.onetoteonetree.org.

About Carlisle TyrFil

Carlisle TyrFil is a brand of Carlisle Construction Materials, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carlisle Companies (NYSE: CSL). TyrFil flatproofing, also known as "foam fill", can be pumped into Off-the-Road (OTR) pneumatic tires to replace air with a resilient, synthetic elastomer core that eliminates dangerous and costly tire flats on heavy equipment vehicles. Despite cuts and punctures, filled tires will keep performing, therefore increasing productivity and eliminating costly downtime for field operators. Carlisle TyrFil - "We Keep the World Rolling."

About Carlisle Companies Incorporated

Carlisle Companies Incorporated is a diversified industrial company with a global portfolio of niche brands that delivers energy efficient and highly engineered products and solutions for its customers. Driven by our strategic plan, Vision 2025, Carlisle is committed to generating superior shareholder returns by investing in high-ROIC businesses and maintaining a balanced capital deployment approach, including investments in our businesses, strategic acquisitions, share repurchases, and continued dividend increases. Carlisle is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its worldwide team of employees generated $4.2 billion in revenues in 2020.

SOURCE Carlisle TyrFil

Related Links

http://www.carlisletyrfil.com


SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global cell and gene therapy clinical trials market size is expected to reach USD 45.4 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 22.3% from 2021 to 2028. Increasing funding, investments in research and development, and successful product launches are boosting the market growth.

Key suggestions from the report:

By phase, the phase II segment held the largest share of over 50.0% in 2020 owing to the large number of therapies currently in development in phase II

Based on indication, the oncology segment held the largest share of 47.0% in 2020 as oncology alone contributed to 600 CGT clinical trials out of around 1,000

North America dominated the global market with a share of 48.3% in 2020. This is largely attributed to a large number of clinical trial activities in the U.S. and favorable government support

The Asia Pacific region is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 23.1% over the forecast period owing to the increasing number of biotechnology companies focusing on CGTs

Read 120 page research report with ToC on "Cell And Gene Therapy Clinical Trials Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Phase (Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV), By Indication (Oncology, CNS, Cardiology), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028'' at:https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cell-gene-therapy-clinical-trials-market

Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) signify the next great movement of therapeutic innovation and have resulted in the development of promising therapies around the world. Although a few of the early therapies have got marketing approval in the U.S., there are numerous promising therapies in development across the world.

The market of cell and gene therapy has witnessed significant growth over the past few years with pharma firms partnering to create effective and accessible therapies for patients. As reported by PhRMA in 2019, there were 362 cell and gene therapies in clinical development in the U.S. representing a 20% increase from 2018. In addition, by the end of 2019, there were more than 1,000 cell and gene therapy clinical trials in the process including 452 gene-modified and cell-based immune-oncology, 352 gene therapies, 216 cell therapies, and 46 tissue engineering.

Besides, investment is rolling into companies of various types, ranging from startups to major acquisitions by significant biopharmaceutical companies. In 2019, 19 deals of M&A worth over USD 156 billion were completed. The largest of these was the acquisition of Celgene and its pipeline of numerous cell therapy assets by Bristol-Myers Squibb for USD 74 billion is expected to boost its participation in oncology treatments. Hence, representing a noteworthy increase since 2015, when M&A activities in these are totaled about USD 4 billion.

Grand View Research has segmented the global cell and gene therapy clinical trials market based on phase, indication, and region:

CGT Clinical Trials Phase Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Phase I



Phase II



Phase III



Phase IV

CGT Clinical Trials Indication Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Oncology



Cardiology



CNS



Musculoskeletal



Infectious diseases



Dermatology



Endocrine, metabolic, genetic



Immunology & inflammation



Ophthalmology



Hematology



Gastroenterology



Others

CGT Clinical Trials Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



China





Japan





India





Australia





South Korea



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina





Colombia



Middle East & Africa

&

South Africa



Saudi Arabia



UAE

List of Key Players of Cell And Gene Therapy (CGT) Clinical Trials Market

IQVIA

ICON Plc

Covance

Charles River Laboratory

PAREXEL International Corporation

Syneos Health

Medpace Holdings, Inc.

Novartis

Novotech

Veristat, LLC

Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research:

Gene Delivery Technologies Market  The global gene delivery technologies market size was estimated at USD 2.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% from 2021 to 2028.

in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% from 2021 to 2028. Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market  The global advanced therapy medicinal products market size was valued at USD 7.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% from 2021 to 2028.

in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% from 2021 to 2028. T-cell Therapy Market  The global T-cell therapy market size was valued at USD 4.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.2% from 2021 to 2028.

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NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blumberg announces an important update to their New York State Power of Attorney Forms. This update complies with amendments to the Power of Attorney Statute that takes effect June 13, 2021. For over 100 years courts have relied on Blumberg Powers of Attorney forms. The distinctive boilerplate and usage in countless transactions have become the trusted choice of attorneys and the financial, real estate, business, and healthcare communities.

Blumberg Power of Attorney Forms

The changes to the existing law are meant to simplify a very complex area of law. They will make it easier for everyone involved in a transaction that includes a power of attorney to comply with the law.

The new forms do away with the "Statutory Gift Rider" provision and permit such gifts to be included within the form itself.



The amount permitted to be given by the designated agent is increased from $500.00 to $5,000.00 annually.



to annually. The amendment permits a third party to sign on behalf of a principal who is unable to sign on his/her own behalf, so long as the person signing has been directed to do so by the principal.



The statutory form is required to be accepted by banks and other financial institutions. whereas previously such institutions could impose their own rigid requirements and standards of acceptance. Now, any institution which unreasonably delays/refuses to uphold or act upon a duly executed form may be subject to sanctions by a court.



Under the amended law, the powers of attorney forms need not contain language that is identical to the statutory form, so long as they substantially conform to that language.

These changes will make it easier for individuals to appoint an attorney, for the attorney to act upon the power and for the recipient to rely on the validity of the power of attorney. However, it will also require a knowledgeable professional to adhere to the basic requirements. It also requires that great care be taken to ensure that the form's execution is made properly and with the principal's knowledge and consent.

The Blumberg power of attorney forms can be completed and downloaded in PDF format at www.blumberglegalforms.com:

Form 43 - Statutory form, modified, non-durable, affidavit of attorney, 6-21, 6 pp.

Form 44 - Statutory, durable, without affidavit of attorney, 6-21, 5 pp,

Form 49 - Statutory form, durable, modified, effective at a future time, with affidavit of attorney, 6-21, 7 pp.

Form 51 - Statutory form, durable, with affidavit of attorney, 6-21, 7 pp.

Blumberg printed forms are available from office products dealers and Blumberg:

Form M44 - Statutory, durable, without affidavit of attorney, 6-21, 5 pp.

Form M51 - Statutory form, durable, with affidavit of attorney, 6-21, 7 pp.

BlumbergExcelsior, Inc., established in 1887, is a leading vendor of legal products, corporate kits, and services used by the legal profession, business world and consumers.

Media Contact:

BlumbergExcelsior, Inc.

Eddie Burlem

800 221-2972 x1612, [email protected]

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Blumberg Power of Attorney Forms

Blumberg Power of Attorney Forms



SOURCE Blumberg
Earlier this month the company won the coveted international Red DotDesign Award, one of the worlds largest global design competitions for outstanding product design in 2021.

Spacetalk LIFEs potential to support the journey of ageing provides reassurance and peace of mind to family and friends.

( ) has developed an all-in-one smartphone watch and GPS tracker that connects wearers with their families at the push of a button.

Developed to keep senior citizens safe during COVID-19, the 4G smartphone watch called Spacetalk LIFE incorporates two innovations that work in tandem.

Safety call-back

The first is 'safety call back', which initiates a return call when a senior is unable to answer due to a fall or other mishap.

Safety call back enables an approved contact to use an app to initiate a voice call from the device to check on a seniors well being.

The device alerts the wearer that a call is about to be made with the option to cancel the call. Otherwise, a connection is made and the safety of the wearer can be established.

Location by request

The second innovation is 'location by request' to deal with emergencies, enabling approved contacts to instantly track and pinpoint their senior.

If the wearer wishes to retain privacy, a request can be rejected from the device.

Wearers have ultimate control over who can see their location.

Partnership with aged care organisation

The popularity of Spacetalk LIFE has led to a partnership between the company Spacetalk and one of Australias leading aged care organisations ACH Group.

ACH employs more than 1,800 staff and supports more than 20,000 older people in South Australia and Victoria, whether they live at home or in residential care.

Spacetalk LIFEs potential to support the journey of ageing  enhancing independence, healthy living, social connectivity and safety  provides reassurance and peace of mind to family and friends.

The company has attracted significant interest from aged care and home care providers, NDIS providers and occupational therapists.

Filling gap in the market

ACH Group chief executive officer Frank Weits said: ACH Group recognised that LIFE could fill a gap in the market.

Together, with its newly incorporated suggested improvements, we believe this high quality, stylish smartphone-watch will offer peace of mind to older people.

LIFE can increase an older persons confidence and their safety while supporting independence, healthy living and social connections.

New BSB2C distribution channel

Spacetalk chief executive Mark Fortunatow said: Our commercial arrangement with ACH Group to sell the device and the accompanying Spacetalk app opens an exciting new B2B2C distribution channel for LIFE and broadens its market reach.

Earlier this month the company won the coveted international Red Dot Design Award, one of the worlds largest global design competitions, for outstanding product design in 2021.

Record quarterly revenue

During the March quarter, Spacetalk reported record group revenue of $3.9 million, up 110% on the prior corresponding period.

Record wearables revenue of $3.2 million in the quarter represented a 241% increase on the corresponding quarter of 2020 while device sales were up 354%, the companys highest-ever quarter, to $2.6 million.

Annualised recurring revenue from Spacetalk app monthly subscriptions grew 72% to $2.7 million and app revenue grew by 70% in the quarter to $600,000.

Spacetalk reported a healthy gross profit margin of 69% while the company had $4.9 million in the bank on March 31, 2021.
REHOVOT, Israel, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FoodTech start-up ChickP Protein, Ltd. is expanding into Asia Pacific with the launch of a new office in Singapore. The strategic move is in response to the rapidly growing demand for plant-based products in the region. The new subsidiary will bring the start-up closer to its Asian customers to better support its community of enthusiastic plant-protein consumers.

ChickP Announces Strategic Asia-Pacific Initiative

ChickP appointed Moy Teo as the company's Business Development Director for Asia. Moy will be leading the venture's business development and marketing activities. With 20 years hands-on experience in the food ingredient space within the APAC region, she joins the ChickP team to lead their foothold in Asia with their patented and highly functional chickpea isolate that boasts a 90% protein content. This move follows the acquisition of her distribution business by a group in the Netherlands.

"I'm excited to start this journey with ChickP in the alt-protein ingredient segment," says Moy. "Chickpea is a well-known and highly venerated crop in Asia. The region makes up more than 85% of chickpea consumption globally, only behind India."

Traditionally, chickpea is consumed as beans or ground into flour for infusion into a variety of foods and is esteemed for its nutritional value and versatility. "ChickP's 90% chickpea isolate has unique functional and organoleptic qualities making it applicable for a full spectrum of food and beverage formulations," adds Moy.

ChickP experienced a significant jump in demand for its chickP protein in the Asia-Pacific region. The new local office will include a warehouse to alleviate the logistical bottlenecks experienced throughout the pandemic era that slowed supplies to its APAC-based customers in 20 countries. "We believe in strong customer relations and partnerships in product development," explains Ron Klein, CEO of ChickP. "While plant-based products pose many functional and flavor challenges, getting closer to your clients advances development, helps control the supply chain, and shortens time to market. Singapore has become the center of plant-based products and alt-protein, and ChickP is there to help its clients."

Asia's craving for plant-based protein

APAC is a key consumer of plant-based protein. Meat and dairy analogues are no new concepts, having long traditions ranging from the use of tempeh as a meat substitute and dairy milk analogs from soy. Meat alternatives have been particularly prominent in low socioeconomic areas where access to meat is restricted, or in regions where religious beliefs discourage it. Plant-based foods presents an affordable, functional, and nutritious source of protein for all consumers for reasons of health and environmental responsibility.

"Asia is an important market for ChickP; we already partner with local food companies to advance plant-based innovations," notes Itay Dana, VP of Sales and Business Development of ChickP. "This move is part of ChickP's global extension beyond the joint market development agreement with Socius Ingredients, Inc. in the US. We also signed a contract with a distributor in South Africa, with the next step in the European market."

About ChickP

ChickP was founded in 2016 by Ram Reifen, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist and professor of human nutrition. Building on patented technology developed following 20 years of research at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Reifen devoted years of research to the nutritional importance of the whole chickpea and its value in combatting malnutrition in children and mothers. The company started commercial operations producing several types of chickpea protein isolates and chickpea starch to meet flourishing demands.

For further information, please contact:

SOURCE ChickP Protein, Ltd.
NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Minnesota, one of the largest pediatric health systems in the US, is collaborating with avoMD, a next-gen clinical decision support platform, to enhance its evidence-based clinical guideline offering. Clinical guidelines are recommendations based on the latest science that are used by providers to help treat common conditions to achieve optimal patient outcomes.

avoMD

"By integrating avoMD with Children's Minnesota's evidence-based approach and expertise, our clinicians will be better equipped to deliver standardized, quality care with greater efficiency." - Dr. Gabrielle Hester, Children's Minnesota.

The two parties will be digitizing Children's Minnesota's guidelines into digital, interactive formats which will be made available on clinicians' phones via the avoMD mobile app. The collaboration will focus on specific guidelines, including venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis, febrile infant, multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), across the ambulatory, emergency, and inpatient care settings. Additionally, avoMD will leverage its analytics capabilities to offer Children's Minnesota valuable clinical and quality insights.

"Children's Minnesota is committed to improving children's health by providing the highest-quality care, and adopting avoMD only underscores that commitment," said Dr. Gabrielle Hester, medical director of quality improvement at Children's Minnesota. "By integrating avoMD with our evidence-based approach and expertise, our clinicians will be better equipped to deliver standardized, quality care with greater efficiency."

"We are thrilled to partner with Children's Minnesota, a leading children's health care system doing incredible work in evidence-based medicine," said Dr. Yair Saperstein, CEO of avoMD. "Our team is excited to provide the tools to help Children's Minnesota support its clinicians with usable, point-of-care technology and reduce variation in care."

Please contact [email protected] for press/interview inquiries.

About Children's Minnesota

Children's Minnesota is the seventh-largest pediatric health system in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's Minnesota serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children's Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital.

Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Twitter and Instagram @childrensmn. Please visit www.childrensMN.org.

About avoMD

avoMD is a next-gen platform for interactive clinical guidelines and decision support. Provider organizations use avoMD to digitize their clinical content and put them in the hands of their providers instantly. The technology is offered via standalone web/mobile apps and EHR integrations. Trials and live deployments have shown that avoMD dramatically increases clinical guideline usability and utilization. Led by a team of physicians and informaticians from Harvard, Yale and Mount Sinai, avoMD's partners include Children's Minnesota, PM Pediatrics, and Samsung Medical Center.

Please visit www.avomd.com

Download the free mobile app on the App Store / Google Play

Follow avoMD: LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter.

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SOURCE avoMD
BEIJING, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the guidance of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Global Institute (CGI) of China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC, 3908.HK, 601995.SH) and the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC) co-hosted on May 25 the Belt and Road Forum on Green Finance and Low-carbon Development in Beijing. Senior government officials and prominent domestic and overseas scholars attended the Forum and held in-depth discussions about the green, sustainable recovery from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. CICC Global Institute issued at the Forum its White Paper on BRI Research in 2021, while BRIGC rolled out its Green BRI and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Almost 200 representatives from government departments, international organizations, financial institutions, research institutions and thinktanks participated in the Forum.

Shen Rujun, Chairman of CICC, extended his gratitude to the guests and highlighted his expectation for the Forum to serve as a platform for the sharing of insights into and in-depth discussions about the prospect and pathways of creating synergies between green finance and low-carbon development. Mr. Shen believes that such discussions will produce valuable suggestions and proposals for the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in a changed world, underpinning solid, steady and substantial progress in the construction of the green Silk Road. The Chairman said that CICC is keen to collaborate with all relevant parties to support green and low-carbon development of the BRI, as the company has been committed, since inception, to providing services and support for China's economic system reform and capital market development.

Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Convener of the BRIGC Advisory Committee, stressed in his speech that the transition to a green, low-carbon development pattern will be the "only way" to achieve sustainable development and the "optimal solution" to facilitate a green recovery of the world economy from the aftermath of the pandemic. The Vice Minister emphasized that China unswervingly follows a green, low-carbon and high-quality development path that prioritizes ecological conservation, and the country has been working diligently to fulfil its responsibilities in the international community. The joint efforts of China and relevant parties to build a green Silk Road are based on and aligned with the world's objective for sustainable development. The Vice Minister stressed China's determination to contribute its wisdom and strengths to global development, and expressed his high hopes for progresses in the construction of a green BRI based on closer green partnerships, substantial cooperation achievements, and effective implementation of green investment concepts.

Prominent Domestic and Overseas Guests Sharing Insights into Green Silk Road

Keynote speakers at the Forum include Jin Liqun (President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank), Su Wei (Deputy Secretary-General of the National Development and Reform Commission), Andrew Steer (BRIGC Co-Chair, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund), and Guo Jing (Director General of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment). The speakers provided comprehensive analysis of the green Silk Road's prospect and development paths from a wide range of perspectives, such as construction of a green financial system for the BRI, investment and industrial cooperation under the BRI, as well as international collaboration on green development.

Other speakers at the Forum include Hazri Hassan (Director of the International Policy Division of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore), Kate Hampton (CEO of Children's Investment Fund Foundation), and Sun Zhuangzhi (Director-General of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences). These speakers shared with us their insights and unique views on a variety of hot topics about the green Silk Road, such as green energy, green infrastructure and green finance.

CGI and BRIGC jointly launched at the Forum an initiative for thinktank cooperation on green Silk Road research. The initiative calls for research collaboration, development of communication platforms, and applications of research findings. Participants in the initiative include the Silk-Road Planning Research Centre and the BRI Research Institute of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

The event also featured two thematic sub-forums: "Green Silk Road and Low-Carbon Development", and "Green Silk Road and Green Finance". Domestic and overseas experts exchanged views and had in-depth discussions on relevant topics in both sub-forums.

CICC Issues the 2021 Edition of its Annual White Paper on BRI Research

Wu Huimin, Managing Director of CGI and Head of CGI BRI Research Center, stressed that CICC, as an investment bank with Chinese roots and international reach, has been committed to supporting and facilitating the implementation and advancement of the BRI. CICC rolled out at the Forum the 2021 edition of its White Paper on BRI Research, an annual publication that the company has been issuing for four consecutive years since 2018. The White Paper consists of four parts: Macro Perspective, Micro Investigation, Thematic Research and Country Observation, all of which are based on principles of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and development.

Wu Huimin pointed out that countries participating in the BRI collectively account for about 30% of the world's total carbon emissions, and their carbon emissions may continue to rise along with industrialization and urbanization. In the context of the global endeavor to reach carbon neutrality, development of a green Silk Road is of vital significance to BRI-participating countries and the whole world. Based on BRI-participating countries' latest targets on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and data on investment, electricity generation and installed capacity, CICC Global Institute's bottom-up assessment indicates that the total amount of green investment in these countries may reach US$5.7 trillion over the next 10 years, of which US$2.5 trillion may be invested in renewable energies. Looking ahead, we believe that construction of the green Silk Road should focus on two key issues: 1) Formulation of a systematic program to align objectives of the green Silk Road with China's targets for carbon emissions peak, carbon neutrality and development of the "ecological civilization"; 2) Alignment of BRI project cooperation and construction with the NDCs of BRI-participating countries, so as to better support the green and low-carbon development of the BRI.

BRIGC Issues the Green BRI and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Zhou Guomei, Deputy Secretary-General of BRIGC and Director-General of the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, highlighted that efforts to build the green Silk Road are consistent with the prevailing trend of green and low-carbon development emphasized by the international community. The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that construction of the green Silk Road will help meet the demand for sustainable economic and social development in BRI-participating countries, and is highly consistent with and mutually complementary to the concepts, principles, and goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since 2018, BRIGC has been working on a series of studies on the "Green Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", which proposed clear principles, targets and roadmaps for BRI green development. The studies also focus on key issues such as biodiversity conservation, green investment and green finance so as to translate concepts of green BRI development into concrete actions.

The Deputy Secretary-General noted the growing international consensus on green BRI development, the improving platform for policy dialogues, as well as the increasing capabilities for decision-making and risk prevention in ecological and environmental protection since 2013. Going forward, green investment and financing should fully play their critical roles to support and ensure green development of the BRI. Information-based tools should be developed for the screening and assessment of environmental risks in BRI investment projects. It is also important to facilitate the mainstreaming of key environmental considerations throughout entire project life cycles, including response to climate change, environmental protection, and biodiversity conservation.

China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC):

China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC, 601995.SH, 3908.HK), as the first joint-venture investment bank in China, provides comprehensive one-stop investment banking services for domestic and overseas companies, institutions and individuals. Since its inception in 1995, the Company has adhered to the core values of "by the people and for the nation, professionalism and diligence, innovation and entrepreneurship, client first, and integrity", and committed to making itself a first-class international investment bank based in China and a critical player in the future financial system. The Company is qualified for both domestic and overseas securities business operations, having set up a broad range of international business network. Headquartered in Beijing, the Company has set up a number of branch companies and subsidiaries in Mainland China, owns more than 200 securities branches in 28 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, and established offices in a series of international financial hubs including Hong Kong, New York, London, Singapore, San Francisco, Frankfurt, Tokyo etc., which enables the Company to provide one-stop domestic, overseas, and cross-border financial services. The Company has a comprehensive and balanced business structure including investment banking, equities, FICC, asset management, private equity investment, wealth management and research.

SOURCE China International Capital Corporation Limited
HANGZHOU and SHAOXING, China, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX code: 1672) today announces that following the consultation with China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the clinical trial application of ASC40 combined with bevacizumab to treat patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) has been accepted for review by China NMPA.

Lipid metabolism has been reported to play a critical role in various cancers. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is one of the most important proteins which regulate lipid metabolism. Many solid and hematopoietic tumors overexpress FASN, including rGBM, non-small cell lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, pancreatic cancers, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

ASC40 (known as TVB-2640 outside China) is a potent, selective and safe oral small molecule inhibitor of FASN. The positive results were demonstrated from the investigator sponsored Phase II trial of ASC40 (TVB-2640) in combination with bevacizumab in patients with first relapse of high-grade astrocytoma i.e. rGBM, which was completed in the United States (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03032484). The data from this Phase II trial have shown that the overall response rate (ORR) for ASC40(TVB-2640) plus bevacizumab was 65% including the complete response (CR) of 20% and partial response (PR) of 45%. Furthermore, the data indicate that the progression-free survival at six months (PFS6) observed for ASC40 (TVB-2640) plus bevacizumab was 47%, representing a statistically significant improvement in PFS6 over historical bevacizumab monotherapy (BELOB16%, P=0.01). ASC40 (TVB-2640) in combination with bevacizumab was safe and well tolerated in such patient population.

"Since the announcement on March 30 this year for investment escalation in R&D of cancer lipid metabolism and oral checkpoint inhibitors, this is a key step forward for the Company's oncology pipeline." said Dr. Jinzi J. Wu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis.

About Ascletis

Ascletis is an innovative R&D driven biotech and listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1672.HK). Ascletis is committed to developing and commercializing innovative drugs in the areas of NASH, cancer lipid metabolism and oral checkpoint inhibitors, viral hepatitis and HIV/AIDS for unmet medical needs in China and globally. Led by a management team with deep expertise and a proven track record, Ascletis has developed into a fully integrated platform covering the entire value chain from discovery and development to manufacturing and commercialization.

Ascletis has three marketed products and seventeen R&D pipeline drug candidates or combination therapies (eleven of them developed in-house). 1. NASH: Gannex, a wholly-owned company of Ascletis, is fully dedicated to the R&D and commercialization of new drugs in the field of NASH. Gannex has three clinical stage drug candidates against three different targets  FASN, THR-beta and FXR, and three combination therapies. 2. Cancer lipid metabolism and oral checkpoint inhibitors: focus on a pipeline of oral inhibitors targeting FASN which plays a key role in cancer lipid metabolism and a pipeline of oral PD-L1 small molecule inhibitors as the next generation checkpoint inhibitors. 3. Viral hepatitis: (i) Hepatitis B: focus on breakthrough therapies for HBV clinical cure with subcutaneously injected PD-L1 antibody - ASC22 and Pegasys as cornerstone drugs. (ii) Hepatitis C: successfully launched all oral regimen of ASCLEVIR and GANOVO combination (RDV/DNV regimen); and ASC18 fixed dose combination (FDC) is an upgraded version of RDV/DNV regimen with bridging study finished. 4. HIV/AIDS: ASC09F is a FDC treatment of HIV targeting protease. The clinical trial application of ASC09F has been approved. For more information, please visit www.ascletis.com.

SOURCE Ascletis Pharma Inc.
BEIJING, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CNPIEC (China National Publication Import & Export Group Co., Ltd.) reached an e-book distribution agreement with Bolinda (Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd.) on May 17, 2021, and will soon distribute over 3,000 Chinese titles through Bolinda's platform to public libraries in Commonwealth countries.

CNPIEC is committed to the global distribution of Chinese digital content. CNPIEC has reached distribution collaboration with leading international digital content distributors such as OverDrive, ProQuest, Gardners, etc. CNPIEC's the Chinese digital content has reached over 1,003 institutional users in 106 countries around the world.

'We are very happy to be working with Bolinda to distribute our content to the Commonwealth countries.' Digital Content Sales Director Jason Yuan said, 'As one of the first publication import and export companies in China, we have very close business relationship with all major Chinese publishers. We are looking forward to seeing their valuable content reaching new readers through Bolinda's global distribution networks.'

'We are very excited to be able to offer our customers a great range of Chinese content from CNPIEC' said Tracy Leeming Business Executive at Bolinda, 'We are constantly being asked by our customers for high-quality Chinese eBook content and were unable to supply this until now. We are looking forward to working with CNPIEC going forward.'

The cooperation between CNPIEC and Bolinda will broaden CNPIEC's international distribution network for digital content, especially for strengthening the coverage of the institutional market in the Commonwealth countries.

China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC) is the largest importer-exporter in the Chinese publishing industry. Focused on evolving into a world-class digital distributor and wholesaler, CNPIEC is creating a group structure encompassing activities including publications import and export, digital resource services, international exhibition services, print on demand, and international publishing,.

Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd is a comprehensive international media company integrating electronic library distribution, printing and other diversified operations. It has been deeply involved in the Commonwealth National Public Library for more than 20 years and has branches in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and other places.

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SOURCE CHINA PUBLICATIONS IMPORT AND EXPORT (GROUP) CORPORATION
PLEASANTON, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumer adoption of digital and contactless payments has accelerated over the last year, Blackhawk Network and Ibotta have teamed up to connect digital gift cards and mobile payments in a seamless way. Through the collaboration, Blackhawk is powering a connected commerce solution that enables Ibotta users to pay for fuel by purchasing a Chevron or Texaco eGift Card through the Ibotta app, with the benefit of receiving instant cash back on the eGift Card purchase. Chevron is bringing this innovation to life for the first time via its pay-at-the-pump mobile apps, which launched 2019.

The new solution allows Ibotta users to pay for fuel from the comfort of their car when they purchase Chevron and Texaco eGift Cards through the Ibotta app and use them as a contactless payment option directly at the pump via the Chevron and Texaco mobile apps. Additionally, Ibotta users can get cash back when they purchase Chevron and Texaco eGift Cards through the Ibotta app as an eGift Card transaction.

"As consumers become more accustomed to their loyalty and cashback programs living on their phones, mobile payment services must be able to seamlessly host additional useable payment options across technology, retailers and buying experiences," said Brett Narlinger, head of global commerce at Blackhawk Network. "With many consumers trying omni-commerce solutions for the first time over the past year, they still maintain their existing expectations of the highest levels of service and functionality. We're proud to deliver on those expectations as a partner with Chevron's pay-at-the-pump platform alongside Ibotta."

With the increased flexibility in purchasing eGift Cards as payment options via Ibotta, the Chevron and Texaco apps provide near-touchless transactions at the pump. Consumers simply choose a pump at a Chevron or Texaco station, select their preferred payment option, and receive an electronic receiptall within the app and from the comfort of their car. They only need to exit their car to select their fuel grade and pump gas. Chevron and Texaco eGift Cards are redeemable only through the Chevron and Texaco mobile apps for fuel and car wash purchases made at the pump.

"In the last year, contactless payments became something that many consumers quickly adopted and retailers saw an increasing demand for," said Jill Rosen Campbell, VP Partnerships, Ibotta. "This collaboration provides a compelling way to reach Chevron and Texaco consumers by tapping into the equity of Ibottawhich provides them with instant cash back on their Chevron and Texaco eGift Card purchasewhile offering a near-touchless payment experience at the pump."

2020 saw a year of immense growth in digital wallet usage, with 88% of surveyed shoppers in eight markets using a digital wallet of some kind1. In the U.S., 78% of surveyed consumers expect permanent changes to shopping experiences as a result of COVID-19. These factors show a major interest from consumers in new payment options for a variety of their purchases and shopping habits, including at the pump.

The Ibotta, Chevron, and Texaco apps are available for download on both Apple iOS and Android devices, with the contactless payment functionality deployed across stations in the Chevron and Texaco network.

Known for being a pioneer in bringing together disparate payments and shopping experiences, Blackhawk is a driving force in innovating tomorrow's digital experiences. To learn more about Blackhawk Network's suite of innovative payment solutions, please visit blackhawknetwork.com.

About Blackhawk Network

Blackhawk Network delivers payment programs to meet our partners' business objectives. We collaborate with our partners to innovate, translating market trends in branded payments to increase reach, loyalty and revenue. With a presence in 28 countries, we reliably execute payment programs worldwide. Join us as we shape the future of global branded payments. Blackhawk is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. For more information, please visit blackhawknetwork.com.

About Ibotta, Inc.

Headquartered in Denver, CO, Ibotta ("I bought a") is a free-to-use cash back rewards platform that has delivered nearly $1 billion in cumulative cash rewards to its users for making purchases in-store, on mobile apps, via websites or through Gift Card purchases. Launched in 2012, Ibotta has more than 40 million downloads, is one of the most frequently used shopping and payments apps in the United States, and offers cash back on purchases at more than 1,500 leading brands and retail partners. Ibotta was named to the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for the third year in a row after debuting on the list in 2018, and the company has also been named as a Top Workplace by The Denver Post four consecutive times.

About Chevron

Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces, and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company's operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, California. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

1 "BrandedPay: How People and Brands Connect Through Payments" is based on the findings of an internet-based survey conducted by Leger on behalf of Blackhawk Network between February 12 and March 17, 2020. The sample size included over 12,000 respondents in eight countries.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Geoff Renstrom

208-871-9280

[email protected]

SOURCE Blackhawk Network

Related Links

https://blackhawknetwork.com


Dealerships must personalize each customer's path to purchase and cater to their diverse needs at all touchpoints. Tweet this

"When it comes to automotive sales personalization can be very powerful, but dealers have to make the most of the tools available to reap the rewards," said Bob George, assistant vice president of Product Management at Dealer.com. "By delivering a personalized experience to consumers according to their unique preferences, the faster you can serve your online visitors and help them achieve their goals. This ultimately leads to better retention rates and better word-of-mouth for your brand."

With recent transformations including a Search Results page and guided retailing experience redesign, Dealer.com continues to make car shopping and buying more effective with the following additional features:

New Homepage Design: Dealer.com's updated Homepage design meets the evolving needs of current market trends and conditions. The "Remote Sales and Service" transitions traditional website browsing and shopping into a true Digital Storefront experience. During a time when consumers are more hesitant to step into a dealership's physical location, the website must function as both a sales tool and a relationship builder. A successful homepage must effectively communicate and facilitate the new shopping patterns of today's consumer.

Remote Sales and Service Marketing: Many dealerships that introduced remote services during the pandemic have continued to offer them thanks to popular demand. A recent Cox Automotive study found that 86% of shoppers interested in remote services are likely to choose a dealership based solely on their availability. However, surprisingly only 22% of customers currently know that many dealerships offer services like pickup and delivery. To bridge this communication gap and help connect dealerships with remote customers, a new "Remote Services" widget is an option within the homepage design, on the VDP, and across the website. The customizable widget makes it easy for dealerships to showcase how they are catering to customers based on their preferences to do business safely and conveniently.

Enhanced Site-Wide Search: This capability gives shoppers the freedom to search for vehicles and dealership services however they wishpredictive recommendations ensure consumers will find exactly what they are searching for. Some searchers are confident in what they want and can be frustrated by website experiences that force them into predetermined paths that do not meet their primary motivations. To make it faster and easier for customers to find the right information, site-wide search features suggestions that are revealed as the shopper types. Especially helpful in the current low-supply reality, shoppers can now search the full site more easily, including non-inventory pages that assist customers who might be interested in fixed operations or other services. This upgrade makes navigating dealership sites easier for the customer and lends to more qualified buyers. In a time when shoppers are willing to look further to find the perfect vehicle, it's an ideal option to give dealerships a competitive advantage.

A dealership's success depends on its ability to offer frictionless, personalized digital experiences that continue to improve and evolve along with customer expectations. Together, Dealer.com's latest innovations facilitate more meaningful interactions that lead to both dealer and consumer satisfactioncatering to diverse customer needs across all touchpoints, helping dealerships make digital marketing and eCommerce simple and profitable.

About Dealer.com

Dealer.com is the premier digital marketing solution for the automotive industry. Providing an integrated platform of Websites, Advertising, Digital Retailing and Managed Services, Dealer.com allows OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology, data and insights to deliver the shortest, fastest and most personalized path to customer engagement. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of progress, with a focus on community, health, and wellness. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company's more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Dickinson Fleet Services, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com

1 Dealer.com Study January 2020  June 30, 2020

SOURCE Dealer.com

Related Links

www.dealer.com


Coinciding with National Missing Kids Day, the campaign in each city will feature a different missing child's case across Clear Channel Outdoor's digital out of home (DOOH) displays. The child's photo is included in each message, and in some cases, the child's age progression photo is shown if the child has been missing for an extended period. Each child's image will run across multiple digital billboards in each city 1,250 times per day on each display. The campaign will generate millions of impressions daily during the month-long campaign.

In perspective, the Texas Department of Public Safety Missing Persons Clearinghouse received 49,110 missing person reports in 2020, including 37,023 juveniles. CCOA is providing this month-long public service campaign at no cost in partnership with the Texas Center for the Missing, Houston's Amber Alert Provider.

"The purpose of this campaign is not only to highlight these four cases but to bring attention to the 37,023 missing children in Texas," said Beth Alberts, CEO, Texas Center for the Missing.

In recent years, teens in San Antonio and Houston featured in previous digital billboard campaigns with CCOA and its partners, were found and returned home to their families. In 2019 San Antonio teen, Mariah Garcia, was featured in this program and was found and returned home in October of that year. A similar result happened in Houston with the safe return of Evanegelys Colon, 16, who went missing in 2019. Mrs. Angelica Colon Padua, Evanegely's mother, credited the digital billboards and subsequent media coverage for bringing her daughter home.

2021 Missing Children Cases featured in this program include:

Houston: Thalia Macias, has been missing since December 2019 and was 15 when she disappeared. She may have been lured away from Mayde Creek High School in Katy, TX. She is an Hispanic female, now age 17 with brown hair and eyes, 5'1" tall and weighing 70 lbs.

San Antonio: Alani McCaslin has been missing since May 15, 2015. She has frequently been in the Perrin Beitel area and was last seen on the 9000 block of Cordes Junction. Clear Channel Outdoor will broadcast Alani's photo on a rotating basis on its digital billboards throughout the San Antonio region thousands of times over the campaign creating millions of market impressions. Alani McCaslin is a 14-year-old female weighting 110 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a medical condition and was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans.

El Paso: Steven Campbell was allegedly abducted by his mother, Karla Campbell in 2011 at age three. A felony warrant for kidnapping was issued for Karla Campbell on August 9, 2012. They may have travelled to Mexico. This case was featured in previous campaigns and is being featured again in hopes of generating more leads.

Dallas Region: Maria Elizalde has been missing from the Dallas area since 2015. She may still be in the Dallas, Cedar Hill or Balch Springs area. She is biracial, Hispanic and American Indian, 5'0, weighing 140 lbs. This case was featured in this program in 2018.

Programs like these are a reminder to all parents and guardians of the need for high-quality photographs of their children for use in case of an emergency, and, for the need for everyone to pay close attention to posters and photographs of missing children.

About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is one of the world's largest outdoor advertising companies with a diverse portfolio of more than 500,000 print and digital displays in 31 countries across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, reaching millions of people monthly. A growing digital platform includes more than 17,000 digital displays in international markets and more than 2,000 digital displays (excluding airports), including more than 1,400 digital billboards, in the U.S.

Comprised of two business divisions  Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA), the U.S. and Caribbean business division, and Clear Channel International (CCI), covering markets in Europe, Latin America and Asia  CCO employs approximately 4,700 people globally. More information is available at investor.clearchannel.com, clearchanneloutdoor.com and clearchannelinternational.com.

SOURCE Clear Channel Outdoor

Related Links

http://www.clearchanneloutdoor.com


Developing technologies to produce critical minerals from coal resources in the South Appalachian Basin of TN, GA and AL Tweet this

The two-year Southern Appalachian initiative is part of 13 projects totaling $19 million recently announced by DOE in traditionally fossil fuel-producing communities across the country to support production of rare earth elements and critical minerals vital to the manufacturing of batteries, magnets, and other components important to the clean energy economy. Facing persistent shortages in domestic supply, the U.S. has been forced to rely on imported materials, leaving clean energy technology production at greater risk of disruption.

"This IACMI project will assess the Southern Appalachian Basin's coal resources and identify strategies for developing technologies to cost-effectively produce valuable non-fuel, carbon-based products from coal resources," said John Hopkins, IACMI Chief Executive Officer. "Project success in the South Appalachian Basin could revitalize distressed South Appalachian coal communities, reduce reliance on foreign imports, and create good-paying advanced manufacturing jobs producing coal-derived products."

Hopkins said rare earth elements are present in varying degrees in some coal waste. These elements have potential product applications in the automobile industry, particularly in the emergence of electric vehicle manufacturing. The southeast is home to a strong base of automotive manufacturers and suppliers who are transitioning assembly plants to electric transportation. Vehicle electrification is anticipated to drive unprecedented growth in the demand for carbon fibers and critical materials, both of which can be potentially made from coal at a lower cost than conventional materials.

Coal-derived products can also be factored into the development of a more resilient infrastructure that can withstand natural events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods that frequently occur in the Southeastern United States.

IACMI's diverse and experienced member network, including founding members and core innovation partners the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), positions the Institute to lead critical project components accounting for economics analysis, market demand, technology, supply chains, infrastructure, workforce and national security.

Initial product priorities include methods to extract critical materials from the region's high volume of coal ash, as well as carbon fibers and graphite made from coal. The project is guided by Charles Sims, Director of the Energy and Environment program at UT's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and associate professor in the Department of Economics in UT's Haslam College of Business.

For this project, IACMI will leverage a consortium network, including UT, ORNL, Southern Company, State Geological Surveys of Alabama and Tennessee, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Roane State Community College, and several other stakeholders that are informally supporting the project.

About IACMI  The Composites Institute

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation's energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI's partners. Learn more at IACMI.org. Follow @IACMIhq on Twitter, or LinkedIn, or @IACMI on Facebook.

SOURCE IACMI - The Composites Institute

Related Links

http://www.iacmi.org


Founded in 2000, LineDrive is today the industry-leading outsourced sales and marketing company for workplace safety and compliance in the U.S. In a new independent survey of manufacturer customers, LineDrive enjoyed a 100% satisfaction rate with their customers, 92% of which described LineDrive as "better than the competition."

Representing the industry's most renowned manufacturers such as DuPont Protection Technologies and Robert Bosch Tool Corporation, LineDrive's turnkey solution lowers manufacturers' costs to serve while elevating their brand and scaling growth. Their nationwide team of more than 60 consultants increases safety awareness and cost-saving efficiency while facilitating the needs of world-renowned end-user corporations. The cornerstone of the company's success is their unique value proposition, dubbed the "LineDrive Way" which enables manufacturers to accelerate awareness at every level of the supply chain:

An HQ sales team to get the product on the shelves of distributors

A field and inside sales team to build awareness amongst end-users

Sales enablement to evangelize the brand and engage the masses

A Landmark Partnership:

Mauve's interest in LineDrive was immediate, due to LineDrive's unique value proposition and methodology, both of which were a natural fit with Abdella's background in sales and marketing. With an MBA from the University of Michigan, and a decade's worth of experience innovating and implementing 21st century sales and marketing solutions, and dedicated implementation of data analytics solutions, Abdella's career has been devoted to driving record sales growth at companies such as Huntington National Bank and ADP.

Mauve's investment is nevertheless unprecedented in the industry. Newly minted CEO Michael Abdella commented, "It's a story of firsts. Jim and the rest of the leadership team at LineDrive built an original and leading company in the industry, and we're now pairing their vision with another industry first with Mauve's investment. The combination offers opportunities to embrace new technologies, expand our team, target vertical markets, and increase capabilities without losing the dynamic edge that has made LineDrive an industry frontrunner. All of which means our manufacturers can grow with us at an accelerated and unparalleled pace."

Jim Johnson, one of the founders and President at LineDrive, said: "This is an extremely exciting day for LineDrive. Mauve gives LineDrive fresh perspective and capital for growth in our current core strength areas as well as the ability to launch new services. Mauve is vital for LineDrive to consistently exceed market growth faster and more cost effectively than any other solution."

Media inquiries regarding this release please contact Anthony Crissie, COO, at (847) 531-0512 or via email at [email protected].

About LineDrive:

LineDrive is a privately owned, nationwide consulting agency focused on driving profitable growth for the best industrial brands by making each the #1 choice of distributors and users for safety and productivity. Our business model is defined by industry leading innovation and consistent growth for over 20 years. LineDrive is trusted industry and nationwide for "Elevating Brands and Creating Raving Fans". For more about LineDrive's services and solutions please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearelinedrive

About Mauve Partners:

Mauve Capital Partners is a privately held investment firm organized to partner with and operate an established privately held business in North America with annual revenues between $5 and $25 million. We aim to provide a meaningful partnership for business owners who care about the legacy of the business they have created. For more about Mauve Capital Partners visit: https://www.mauvecapitalpartners.com/about

SOURCE LineDrive

Related Links

https://www.linedriveu.com/


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"All of us at MDA are incredibly grateful to the leadership of Travis Boersma and Katie Hutchinson at Dutch Bros for rallying the support of their community to truly come together with our families, researchers, medical teams, staff and Board of Directors on May 14, to create a movement to find a cure to end this devastating disease, ALS," said Donald S. Wood, Ph.D, President and CEO of MDA. "The amount of awareness, and funds raised is essential at this critical moment when so much progress and momentum is underway with clinical trials for people diagnosed with ALS, and it brings so much hope for cures in the near future," he continued.

Drink One for Dane began after Dutch Bros co-founder, Dane Boersma, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). While Dane passed away in 2009, his fight to end ALS continues through his family and the Dutch Bros' annual giveback, Drink One for Dane. The Boersma family and Dutch Bros started Drink One for Dane as a way to increase awareness of the disease, raise support for those affected, and to support research to find treatments and cures for ALS.

"There aren't enough words to describe how grateful I am to the customers who came out to support Drink One for Dane," said Travis Boersma, co-founder of Dutch Bros. "This day holds a special place in my heart. It's so humbling to see our customers, broistas, operators and franchisees come together to make a difference in the lives of everyone impacted by ALS."

To date, Dutch Bros has raised more than $10.3 million to support MDA's ALS-designated multidisciplinary care centers for patients, as well as to fund research for a cause and cure.

"We're incredibly grateful for how our communities rally around Drink One for Dane day," said Katie Hutchinson, vice president of philanthropy at Dutch Bros Coffee. "We couldn't continue the fight to help end ALS without the support of our amazing customers."

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is a drive-thru coffee company dedicated to making a massive difference one cup at a time. Headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, it's now sharing the "Dutch Luv" with more than 450 locations in 11 states. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, a private-label Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish.

In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Dutch Bros Foundation and local franchisees, the company donates several million dollars to causes across the country each year.

To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit www.dutchbros.com and follow Dutch Bros Coffee on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , & TikTok and download the Dutch Bros app to earn points and score rewards!

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care . As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best-in-class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. MDA Advocacy supports equal access for our community, and each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA's COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19 . For more information, visit mda.org .

SOURCE Dutch Bros Coffee

Related Links

https://dutchbros.com/


ORANGEBURG, N.Y., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynarex Corporation, a leading durable medical equipment and disposable medical products company, is pleased to announce its innovative new line of premium respiratory productsDynarex Resp-O2.

Meeting the Needs of Caregivers

Working closely with respiratory therapists and industry experts, Dynarex conducted in-depth research to develop a robust selection of high-quality respiratory products to serve the evolving needs of both patients and caregivers.

"In these challenging times, we recognize the growing demand for high-quality disposable supplies in the respiratory space," said Dynarex CEO Zalman Tenenbaum. "We listened to respiratory caregivers, medical providers, and specialists. We heard their specific needs, challenges, and concernsand we responded with top-of-the-line solutions to help them provide the highest quality care."

After all, as Mr. Tenenbaum pointed out, respiratory issues today are more critical than ever, "That's why medical professionals and caregivers are looking for the safest, most reliable supplies available. Because the well-being of both the patient and caregiver are more important than everwe must protect both the patient and the caregiver at all times."

A Patient-Centric Approach

Dynarex Resp-O2 products were designed to provide greater comfort and as well as safety, Mr. Tenenbaum explained, "For example, our cannulas are constructed with cushion tips to minimize irritation. Our closed-suction system is designed to minimize exposure to germs and bacteriaprotecting both the patient and the caregiver."

To meet increasing demand for these quality products, Dynarex operates six warehouses across the United States, demonstrating its commitment to providing its distributor partners with critical supplies in a timely manner.

About Dynarex

Dynarex is a leading medical supply company providing premium medical products and durable medical equipment at exceptional value  for an unparalleled one-stop shopping experience. Founded in 1967, Dynarex's guiding principle "We Care Like Family" exemplifies the outstanding customer service that sets the company apart in the marketplace. Today, Dynarex continues to expand its footprint with numerous warehouse locations throughout the United States and distributor partners in all 50 states as well as Canada, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, South America, and the Middle East.

To learn more visit dynarex.com or call 1-888-DYNAREX (1-888-396-2739). Follow us on facebook.com/DynarexCorp, twitter.com/dynarexcorp, linkedin.com/company/dynarex-corporation, and instagram.com/dynarexcorp

Dynarex Corporation

10 Glenshaw St, Orangeburg NY 10962

www.dynarex.com

SOURCE Dynarex Corporation
Since the company's formation 5 years ago, and in partnership with Aquiline Capital Partners, a New York and London based private investment firm with over $6 billion dollars of assets under management, Elm Street Technology has pursued an aggressive growth acquisition strategy, acquiring eight high-performance companies in its short tenure. Today's announcement serves to maintain and build off the previous momentum with the following appointments: James Tallman as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Robyne Gaudreau as Chief Financial Officer and Madison Davis Kelly as Executive Vice President of M&A.

"Our entire leadership team is hyper-focused on corporate growth, market leadership and serving our customers," stated Prem Luthra, President and CEO of Elm Street Technology. "As we strive to service our real estate clients with a centralized, consolidated technology solution, we are thrilled to welcome Jim to our Board of Directors, and Robyne and Madison to our executive team. Their deep industry knowledge and respective expertise will serve as incredible assets as we continue pursuing both organic and inorganic growth opportunities over the coming years."

As the new Chairman of the Board, Mr. Tallman brings over 40-years of experience in executive leadership, investment management and corporate governance roles. He offers a wealth of knowledge related to vertically-focused software and services companies, with a proven track-record of driving growth and market leadership. His tenure includes serving on the boards of Innovative Interfaces, Zift Solutions, Lexitas and Kukui Corporation. Mr. Tallman's expertise spans across enterprise SaaS software, library management systems, legal software and services, B2B ecommerce, and technology consulting services. His is well-suited to work with next stage growth companies to scale their businesses.

Ms. Gaudreau joins Elm Street Technology with over 20 years of experience in managing financial strategy for high-growth companies. She most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of SimplyWell. She previously served as Chief Financial Officer for Viverae, and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Aguirre Roden, Inc.

Ms. Kelly brings in-depth knowledge of SaaS providers and extensive experience in M&A strategy and execution that will further bolster Elm Street Technology's M&A efforts. She previously drove the execution of more than 50 acquisitions across several portfolio companies of Greater Sum Ventures, a growth equity firm that invests in lower-middle market tech-enabled service companies.

"I was immediately attracted to the Elm Street Technology story," stated Mr. Tallman. "The united corporate vision, the leadership culture, and the commitment to overcoming challenges in the real estate industry are all refreshing changes to other players in the space. When you have a strong foundation like this, the sky's the limit in terms of growth potential."

About Elm Street Technology, LLC:

Elm Street Technology offers a growing portfolio of real estate technology and marketing services with the goal of providing one vendor and one point of contact, fully fused into one singular platform  Elevate - to capture and nurture more leads into closed business. Elevate allows busy real estate professionals the ability to streamline and automate their marketing and day-to-day business objectives by offering high-end IDX websites, lead generation tools, a powerful CRM, email, social, text and blog marketing automation, recruiting and retention tools, and more. For more information, please visit tryelevate.com .

About Aquiline Capital Partners LLC:



Aquiline Capital Partners, founded in 2005, is a private investment firm based in New York and London investing in businesses across financial services and technology, business services, and healthcare. The firm had $6.1 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020. For more information about Aquiline, its investment professionals, and its portfolio companies, please visit https://www.aquiline.com/.

SOURCE Elm Street Technology

Related Links

https://tryelevate.com/


The recipient is nominated and selected by peers from the brain tumor community through use of digital and social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Instagram, Twitter, websites) and through online support groups. This annual award is presented to a patient who embodies inspiration, courage, and HOPE in the face of a brain tumor diagnosis.

Presentation of the Award to the 2021 winner marks the end of the initial stage of this awareness and outreach campaign & initiative. Our intent is to build on the momentum generated during National Brain Tumor Awareness Month (May) and continue this campaign & initiative through July 21, 2021, which is GBM Awareness Day.

The goal is to advance awareness & outreach about all treatment modalities and in doing this, to create HOPE for patients diagnosed with brain cancerand to inspire those that are surviving and fighting this disease.

One recent National HOPE Award recipient was Ken Whitley, EBCI's 2018 winner. Ken continues to thrive and live life to the fullest and was recently featured in a story published by Spectrum News 1, Charlotte NC.

Ken's breakthrough came in the form of a bacterial toxin injected into the brain by at that attaches to the receptors of the tumor cells, stopping the tumor cells from dividing, a Phase II Clinical Trial led by Oncologist Dr. Annick Desjardins, at Duke Cancer Institute.

Ken, pictured with his wife Cathy, credits science for making this lifesaving treatment available.

"The EndBrainCancer Initiative and I are honored and humbled to have the opportunity to feature the 2021 National HOPE Award finalists in our upcoming 'Know Your Treatment Options' Virtual Patient Education Meeting and Event. It is always a thrill to announce the winner and share their story with the brain tumor community," commented EBCI President & Chair, Dellann Elliott Mydland.

"The EndBrainCancer Initiative and I are truly grateful to honor those who embody inspiration, courage, and HOPE in the face of a brain tumor diagnosis and for the opportunity to inspire others who are facing similar challenges. As important as disease education, awareness, and outreach are to the extension of life and eventual survival of this debilitating disease, it's equally important to provide examples of those who have 'walked in their shoes.' We thank all the 2021 nominees for their willingness to share their story, and most of all for helping us understand the very personal meaning that HOPE can have in the face of difficult circumstances."

The EndBrainCancer Initiative would like to thank long-term sponsor of this awareness campaign, Novocure with Disease Education Support from Karyopharm Therapeutics.

About the EndBrainCancer Initiative

The EndBrainCancer Initiative (EBCI, formerly the Chris Elliott Fund) is a national brain tumor patient advocacy and services organization and 501(c) 3 social enterprise with offices and its "Direct Connect" Center & Referral Clinic located in Redmond, Washington. Now celebrating 19 years of service, EBCI remains committed to extending survival and bringing HOPE to the lives of patients and their families.

Since its inception, EBCI has assisted thousands of patients, caregivers, and their families in their brain tumor journey and is acknowledged as a premier resource for the brain cancer community globally. 2021 marks an exciting new chapter for EBCI as it builds on past successes to pivot to a sustainable business model that supports greatly expanded programs, services and continued global leadership.

You can support EBCI's efforts, programs and services through providing a gift, designating funds, a sponsorship or grant; contact us today at [email protected] or www.endbraincancer.org.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EndBrainCancer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndBrainCancer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endbraincancer/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chris-elliott-fund/

Media Contact: Dellann Elliott Mydland

425.785.8489 | [email protected]

SOURCE End Brain Cancer Initiative (EBCI)

Related Links

https://endbraincancer.org/


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FOMO ETF (Cboe: FOMO) will start trading on Cboe today. FOMO offers investors the chance to invest in current market trends.

"The problem with most thematic ETFs is they only invest in one area of the market, they don't rebalance frequently enough to stay in harmony with what is going on in markets, and they tend to be too highly concentrated," says Matthew Tuttle, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Tuttle Capital Management LLC ("TCM"), who serves as the Adviser to FOMO. "FOMO can shift exposure to whatever happens to be trending at the time, it rebalances weekly so it can stay in harmony with market trends, and it weights holdings appropriately."

"The Covid lockdowns have energized the retail investor to look beyond traditional market cap weighted index investments into the thematic space," Tuttle commented. "As technology evolves, investors will continue to look for exposure to new areas of the market. FOMO is positioned to dynamically shift exposure to current market trends."

FOMO ETF (FOMO) starts with an investment universe of what is currently trending in the market. It then combines trend following methodologies to have exposure to the strongest potential stocks with counter trend methodologies to have exposure to stocks that are currently oversold. Portfolio positions are rebalanced weekly.

For more information, please visit FOMOETF.com

About Tuttle Capital Management

TCM is an industry leader in offering thematic ETFs that utilize informed agility to manage portfolios in a more dynamic manner. As of May 19, 2021, TCM managed thirteen strategies with AUM of $270 million. Please visit www.tuttlecap.com for more information.

Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. A Fund's share price will fluctuate with changes in the market value of its portfolio securities. When you sell your Fund shares, they may be worth less than what you paid for them and, accordingly, you can lose money investing in a Fund. The following risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of a Fund and your investment. The risk descriptions below provide a more detailed explanation of the principal investment risks that correspond to the risks described in each Fund's Summary section of this Prospectus. As an ETF, the fund may trade at a premium or discount to NAV. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. The Fund is new with a limited operating history.

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the FOMO ETF. This and other important information about the Fund are contained in the prospectus, which can be obtained at www.FOMOETF.com or by calling 866-904-0406. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. FOMO ETF is distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC, member FINRA. Tuttle Capital Management is not affiliated with Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

Media Contact:

Matthew Tuttle

Tuttle Capital Management

(347) 852-0548

[email protected]

SOURCE Tuttle Capital Management
AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Forcepoint, a global leader in data-first cybersecurity solutions that protect critical information and networks for thousands of customers throughout the world, today announced new executive appointments to strengthen its global commitment to customers. The company has named Peter Brant as Senior Vice President of North America Sales and Myles Bray as Senior Vice President of EMEA Sales, both bringing to Forcepoint extensive experience enabling enterprises to adopt cloud-delivered security alongside current hybrid technology investments.

Brant and Bray will be responsible for driving forward the company's customer-first strategy that helps organizations of every size unlock the power of existing cybersecurity to protect critical data in today's hyper-distributed world. They will report to Chief Revenue Officer John DiLullo.

"As security and business leaders continue adapting to today's distributed enterprise, they shouldn't have to choose between frictionless growth or airtight security: they can have the best of both worlds," said John DiLullo, Chief Revenue Officer. "Organizations have made significant investments in their security architectures, and a 'rip and replace' approach to modernize isn't an option. Peter and Myles are world-class sales leaders with the vital experience, strategic mindset and passion to help customers start from any point on their path to deliver security wherever data is accessed, which defines Forcepoint's Data-first SASE platform."

Typical distributed enterprises today are comprised of thousands of employees working remotely from anywhere. Forcepoint's Data-first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform enables distributed enterprises to safeguard critical data and intellectual property that is the lifeblood of business. It goes beyond bringing web and cloud security togetherat its core, Forcepoint's industry-leading data loss prevention technology provides visibility and control over data no matter where it resides. Forcepoint's Data-first SASE platform reduces the operational burden on teams and cuts ownerships costs by up to 30 percent while prioritizing a frictionless user experience. And Forcepoint's specialized "start anywhere" SASE migration pathways enable enterprises of every size to protect remote workers and branch offices without disrupting on-premises operations.

"When there is a 10X increase in data breach severity in just the last year alone, it's clear that traditional security solutions just aren't keeping up. The silver lining is that cybersecurity is now recognized as business-critical and the stakes are high for every organization to get cybersecurity right," said Brant. "I've met with thousands of customers on their security priorities and only Forcepoint has the comprehensive portfolio and simplified step-by-step approach to deliver on the promise of modern security. The opportunity is enormously exciting as we chart the next industry milestone to reshape the future of cybersecurity for the benefit of customers worldwide."

Brant brings to Forcepoint more than 20 years of global enterprise sales leadership and experience at companies such as F5 Networks, Fortinet and SonicWALL. He is a growth oriented, people-centric leader with a history of navigating change in disruptive, high-velocity markets. While leading the Americas sales efforts at F5 Networks, Brant drove the company's transformation from an on-premises Fortune 500 hardware vendor to a security-focused, software and cloud solution provider  all while maintaining double-digit revenue growth rates. Similarly, at Fortinet and SonicWALL, Brant successfully grew Fortinet's Americas sales 500 percent during his tenure and 300 percent while at SonicWALL.

"CEOs and CISOs understand that cloud-based security has been available for years. What's game-changing about Forcepoint's approach is the laser focus on protecting the integrity of the business and its critical data across today's hyper-distributed workforce," said Bray. "I'm excited to help customers and partners drive both full protection and frictionless growth in a seamless way that only Forcepoint can deliver, with our converged, cloud-native platform that brings together secure access and data security."

Bray is a hands-on technology sales leader with a track record of driving strategy and execution across product, marketing and global sales in public, private and venture-backed companies. He has spent more than 10 years in the security industry, most recently as Chief Revenue Officer at Arqit, a cybersecurity start-up delivering next generation cloud-based quantum encryption. Prior to Arqit, Bray led the EMEA and Channel Sales efforts at Forescout. Under his leadership, Forescout's European sales grew more than 300 percent in less than four years, underpinning the company's successful IPO and market leader status of the EMEA Secure Access Control market. Bray has also served in EMEA Sales leadership roles with F5 Networks, VCE the Virtual Computing Environment Company, Impact Group Europe and EMC.

About Forcepoint

Forcepoint is the global leader for data-first cybersecurity. Forcepoint's behavior-based solutions adapt to risk in real-time and are delivered through a cloud-native SASE security platform that protects users, devices, and networks as people access the web and cloud, prevents the theft or loss of sensitive data and intellectual property no matter where people are working, and eliminates breaches caused by insiders. Based in Austin, Texas, Forcepoint creates safe, trusted environments for thousands of enterprise and government customers and their employees in more than 150 countries. www.forcepoint.com

Media Contacts

Rachael Lyon

[email protected]

(512) 664-1724

SOURCE Forcepoint

Related Links

www.Forcepoint.com


SALT LAKE CITY, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Leader Group, a global professional development and management consultancy firm dedicated to inspiring leaders to live and lead deliberately, is pleased to welcome, Cassius F. Butts as Senior Partner and Managing Director of Board Practice. In his role Butts will be acting as a mentor, helping the company grow while focusing on generational growth leadership programs and connecting underrepresented talent in their next role.

Cassius has worked alongside domestic and international heads of states, United States presidents and corporate CEOs, said Jonathan Nabrotzky, founder and CEO, Global Leader Group. His vast experience in creating pipeline opportunities for professionals and organizations is second only to his genuine interest in elevating careers for others and making human connections.

Butts sees his new role as a chance to further his passion for helping others succeed. "I am excited to be a part of this tremendous opportunity to lead with some of the world's most accomplished executives. This once in a lifetime role will enable me to share my experiences and knowledge while inspiring leaders to succeed with transformational lasting impressions.

Butts career included executive roles with leading financial institutions, and four presidential administrations, leading highly strategic efforts in the finance, strategy, housing, and small business sectors.

In 2011, he was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to serve as regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) where he managed five record-breaking years ($30 billion) for SBA lending within the eight southern states. Under the George W. Bush Administration, Butts served as a Presidential Management Fellow within the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) where he assisted in HUDs multimillion dollar marketing process.

A man who believes that the best conversations are those where we all learn from one another, Butts is a familiar voice to many entrepreneurs and aspiring leaders through his talk to Cassius podcast which launched earlier this year. www.talktocassius.com

About Global Leader Group

Global Leader Group is a professional development and management consultancy firm of world- leading executives dedicated to helping organizations and individuals excel through a strategic approach to leadership. Its services include practitioner consulting, leadership development, executive search, sales training, and organizational development and strategic HR.

Media contact: Elizabeth Oates, [email protected]

www.globalleadergroup.com

SOURCE Global Leader Group
FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 17; Released: May 2021 Executive Engagements: 1814 Companies: 116 - Players covered include Alliance Laundry Systems, LLC; American Dryer Corp.; BAWE Textile Cleaning GmbH; CMV Sharper Finish, Inc.; Dexter Apache Holdings, Inc.; Dexter Laundry, Inc.; EDRO Corporation; Forenta LP; GE Appliances; Girbau S.A.; Hoffman/New Yorker, Inc.; JLA Limited; Miele Inc.; Pellerin Milnor Corporation; Qualitex Company; Shanghai Sailstar Machinery (Group) Co., Ltd.; Unipress Corporation and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Product Segment (Washers, Commercial Dryers, Presses, and Dry Cleaning Equipment); and End-Use (Hotels, Laundry Homes, Hospitals, and Other End-Uses) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

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ABSTRACT-



Global Commercial Laundry Machinery Market to Reach $5.9 Billion by 2026

Equipment intended for commercial laundry applications is built for heavy-duty usage and high volume washing at institutions and businesses. Manufacturers of commercial laundry systems pay more attention to construction rather than aesthetics to enhance durability and reliable operations during frequent usage. The equipment is generally arranged in long rows for user convenience while keeping adequate space at the back of the equipment for maintenance and repair work. Though commercial laundry systems have limited features in comparison to domestic laundry equipment, they sometimes include features not available in their counterpart consumer laundry systems.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Commercial Laundry Machinery estimated at US$4.2 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$5.9 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 3.9% over the analysis period.Washers, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 3.3% CAGR to reach US$2.7 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Commercial Dryers segment is readjusted to a revised 3.9% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 21.9% share of the global Commercial Laundry Machinery market.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.3 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $954.6 Million by 2026

The Commercial Laundry Machinery market in the U.S. is estimated at US$1.3 Billion in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 29.42% share in the global market. China, the world second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$954.6 Million in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 3.7% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 3.6% and 3.3% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 3.8% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$986.7 Million by the end of the analysis period.

Widespread deployment of commercial laundry machinery in laundromat facilities, the coin-operated or self-service laundry units; multi-housing laundries, the vended laundry units for apartment buildings, dormitories, and academia; and on-premise laundries, intended for in-house laundry needs of commercial and industrial entities, has accelerated overall momentum in these regional markets. Manufacturers' efforts aimed at offering advanced systems at affordable pricing schemes is also positively influencing market prospects. Especially, technology advancements in terms of performance and design have given massive impetus to market growth in recent years.

Presses Segment to Reach $955.8 Million by 2026

Presses are appliances designed to facilitate finishing quality to laundry. Laundry press includes a polished metal head and a fixed padded buck, which is attached firmly to a metal frame. The buck acts as the worktable and thus its shape and size vary depending upon the function it is designed for. In the global Presses segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 4.7% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$523 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$719.3 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$204.6 Million by the year 2026. More



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MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Herzing University, an accredited, private nonprofit institution with locations in seven states and a nationally recognized online division, today announced two new members are joining its Board of Trustees  Joseph Hill of Atlanta and Dr. John Lopez of Denver, who are national leaders in higher education, healthcare and diversity, equity and inclusion.

"The higher education expertise of Mr. Hill and Dr. Lopez will bring valuable perspective to our board," said Herzing Board of Trustees Chairperson Joseph Froehlich. "Their passion for our mission of serving and advancing a diverse student base of adult learners will be most welcome, and we are excited about their future contributions to our institution."

Hill is managing partner of Jbrady5, which specializes in strategic leadership consulting, DE&I and community engagement projects. He also has served as senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health in Philadelphia; vice president and chief diversity officer at Froedtert and The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee; managing director  diversity and inclusion at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta; and senior diversity manager at AT&T Mobility (formerly Cingular Wireless) in Atlanta.

Hill earned a bachelor's degree at Virginia Union University (where he currently serves as a board member), a master's at Howard University and a certificate in Diversity Healthcare Management at Georgetown University.

"My goal is to help Herzing expand its footprint and move forward with diversity, equity and inclusion on all levels," Hill said. "This includes helping Herzing students succeed and to fulfill employers' need for a diverse workforce."

Dr. Lopez is a senior consultant and senior education improvement specialist at Marzano Research in Denver and is president of Lopez Research and Consulting. He also served as chief administrative officer and director of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder, Colo.; and vice president of government affairs for Apollo Education Group in Phoenix. He also served in roles at the University of Arizona, University of Phoenix and University of Nebraska at Omaha.

A Navy veteran, Dr. Lopez is the Amazon bestselling author of An Immigrant in the CSuite: From the Journey, Lessons for the Business Community. He earned his master's degree in educational administration from the University of NebraskaLincoln and his doctorate in higher education specializing in management and policy from the University of Arizona. He also received the Institute for Education Management certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

"I look forward to sharing the range of experiences from my years in the higher education industry, including in state and federal compliance, grants and accreditation," Dr. Lopez said. "As an immigrant, I can understand what students who are facing similar challenges are going through and how Herzing can help them be successful."

Both Hill and Dr. Lopez will attend their first Herzing Board of Trustees meeting in June 2021.

"The Herzing leadership team is very excited to work with two nationally renowned higher education experts who embrace our mission and understand the potential of our students," Herzing President Renee Herzing said.

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
PHOENIX, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a year full of challenges, a select group of Hispanic business owners and entrepreneurs had to wait a few extra months for a well-deserved celebration and some formal recognition for their contributions to the community in 2020. Unfortunately, social distancing and restrictions at public event venues put the brakes on many annual awards shows produced by active networking organizations. However, those obstacles could not diminish the significance of the many accomplishments and goals that they achieved.

Creando Alianzas Martha Llamas and Sofia Mariscales

One such organization is Creando Alianzas, a dynamic network of Hispanic women in business, which hosted its yearly gala on May 18th. "Every year, we recognize those women entrepreneurs who distinguish themselves within our national platform in a variety of categories," says Sofia Mariscales, founder of Creando Alianzas. "This year, we were proud to present Martha Llamas with our highest award for outstanding leadership. Her ability to continue innovating while running a successful business and offering unwavering compassion and commitment to helping the Hispanic community was truly outstanding," Mariscales continues. "With her contributions, and the growing enthusiasm for what our team is producing, we have expanded our facilities and now have offices in Arizona, Colorado, and Puerto Rico. We are so excited for what the future holds for all Hispanic business owners, especially women."

More info at Creanco Alianzas https://creandoalianzas.com/

Martha Llamas, a multi-award-winning recipient and owner of a large commercial cleaning company in Arizona shares her experience. "We put so much effort into driving new business and inspire people to create their own success stories in 2020," says Martha Llamas. "We had to pivot and add new training and services to meet the demands of our clients who were affected by the pandemic. We also decided to assemble a great team led by award-winning Creative Director, Ron Gerson . We've launched a creative video production company to develop and publish content for advertising and education. We are now leveraged to inform people about who we are and what we are doing."

More info on Llamas Productions https://marthallamas.com/production/

The Association of Latin American Entrepreneurs in Arizona also held its annual event at the end of April. It offers continuing education in leadership and business development for its members. The awards for Premios Nosotros were distributed to The 40 most outstanding entrepreneurs and Hispanic leaders of the year.

More info at AELA http://www.aelarizona.com/

"I was thrilled to participate in this event as well," says Llamas. "We were asked to list our contributions in 2020, so we put together a short video showing our community involvement. In the end, we realized that we didn't slow down at all; we sped up!"

Link to Llamas 2020 Premios Nosotros event video

Llamas continued, "The recognition and presentations are all great, but the true joy is in seeing members of our community gather together to overcome their struggles in what proved to be such an unprecedented and unpredictable year. Now more than ever, we are leveraged for success!"

Martha Llamas currently employs over 60 people in the Phoenix Metro Area. Her remarkable life story has been featured on international television shows, newspapers and magazines, radio shows, and podcasts. It is truly inspiring and a great example of what hard work, determination, and strength of character can accomplish, even in the wake of seemingly impossible odds.

For more info visit:

https://marthallamas.com

Contact: Martha Llamas, Founder

M&R, Inc.

480-577-9574

[email protected]

SOURCE Martha Llamas
First shipment from the companys Butcherbird Manganese Project material to offtake partners is expected in June 2021.

( ) has executed a multi-user access agreement with Pilbara Port Authority to use Port Hedland Utah Point facility for the bulk export of manganese from the companys 100%-owned production facility at the Butcherbird Project.

Terms of the agreement are commercial in confidence but in line with Pilbara Port Authoritys normal operating terms and satisfy the companys capacity requirement for the first stage of operations up to 390,000 tonnes per annum.

The company anticipates the first shipment from its world-class Butcherbird Project, which has current JORC resources in excess of 263 million tonnes of manganese ore, next month.

Shares were as much as 10.5% higher intra-day to $2.41 while the company's market cap is approximately $322.9 million.

Milestone on path to first shipment

E25 completed a pre-feasibility study (PFS) to develop the deposit to produce manganese concentrate for export to generate early cashflow with a modest capital requirement.

Robust economics and a low capital hurdle of less than A$17 million for the first stage of development of Butcherbird have allowed the company to deliver first production from the project in less than 12 months from the publication of the PFS.

E25 managing director Justin Brown said: This is another important milestone on the way to our first sale of manganese concentrate, and we are excited to be closing in on our first shipment of Butcherbirds material to our offtake partners.

Sustainable high purity manganese production

The company has completed extensive research & development and laboratory test-work into the production of high purity manganese products including battery-grade manganese sulphate (HPMSM) and High Purity Electrolytic Manganese Metal (HPEMM).

This work has highlighted that the Butcherbird ores are highly amenable to an ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure leach process, resulting in a very efficient extraction of the manganese into solution - the key requirement for the cost-effective and sustainable production of HPMSM and HPEMM.

Manganese is emerging as an increasingly important ingredient for EV batteries, with potential supply constraints for nickel and cobalt forcing battery manufacturers to look to high manganese cathodes to produce the vast amount of cathode material required by the EV industry in coming years  and Butcherbird is ideally placed to feed this potential demand.

Advanced flowsheet development work in 2019 and 2020 confirmed a simple, unique, ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure leach process for E25 ores which, when combined with offsets, will target the worlds first Zero Carbon Manganese for EV cathode manufacture.

The company also plans to integrate renewable energy into the power solution over time to target a zero-carbon footprint for the project, which is expected to also reduce energy costs.

E25 is confident that a cleaner, lower carbon flowsheet and high penetration renewable energy will place Butcherbird at the forefront of sustainable high purity manganese production.
IRVING, Texas, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kerrane Storz, P.C. received a major win last month in a Texas arbitration against Coventry Homes for a Houston Area Townhome Association.

The Association is a 36-unit townhome community in the Woodlands, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Texas. Coventry Homes constructed the townhomes between 2007 and 2008. By 2012, homeowners reported several roof leaks. Over subsequent years, the community's problems worsened with leaks occurring at balconies and soffits below windows. In addition, the exterior patio fireplaces began collapsing because Coventry Homes failed to install the necessary waterproofing.

Ultimately, a three-arbiter panel from the American Arbitration Association determined that, contrary to Coventry Homes' brochure describing the quality of the construction of the townhomes in glowing terms, Coventry Homes negligently supervised the work of its subcontractors and breached its written warranty by refusing warranty service to homeowners and the Association. These breaches resulted in significant physical damage to the community. The arbiters awarded the Association $1,222,525 for its reasonable cost of repairs, litigation expenses, attorney fees, and prejudgment interest. The Award, which has been completely paid by Coventry, will be used by the Association to pay approximately $363,000 in engineering fees, $252,000 in contractor fees, $160,000 in court costs and other litigation expenses, $100,000 in attorney fees, and approximately $345,000 in future repairs to balconies and other assemblies contributing to water intrusion issues.

The claims against Coventry Homes were made more complicated by the failure of the Woodlands to have adopted any specific building codes at the time of construction that would have established a standard of care for the construction.

"I am glad to see this Association prevail over a large production homebuilder like Coventry Homes," said Danita Glenn, Kerrane Storz, P.C.'s lead attorney for the Association. "Texas homeowners have such an uphill battle to hold developers and builders responsible when they breach their own warranty obligations. It is fortunate this Association will soon be able to start making much needed repairs."

This arbitration is almost certainly one of the first major construction defect awards in Texas conducted entirely over the Zoom teleconferencing platform because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The arbiters virtually presided over the final evidentiary hearings on the merits from January 5-15, 2021.

Coventry Homes is a tradename used by McGuyer Homebuilders, Inc. and MHI Partnership, Ltd. Coventry Homes has built over 55,000 residential units in Texas, including Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio.

The law firm of Kerrane Storz, P.C. represents Texas and Colorado homeowners and community associations in construction defect matters.

Contact: Danita Glenn [email protected] www.kerranestorz.com

SOURCE Kerrane Storz, P.C.

Related Links

kerranestorz.com


MEXICO CITY, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. ("Volaris" or the "Company") (NYSE: VLRS and BMV: VOLAR), an ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States of America and Central America, informs that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America (FAA) has today determined that the safety oversight applied by Mexican Federal Civil Aviation Authority (AFAC) does not fully adhere to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and has downgraded the country's safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2. Under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, the FAA audits peer aviation authorities to determine whether their oversight programs comply with ICAO annexes.

The FAA action pertains only to AFAC, and this is not an assessment of Mexican carriers. Volaris' safety profile remains unchanged and we believe it is in line with best industry standards from both safety and security standpoints. Volaris is committed to the safety of our passengers.

Current Volaris services will remain in place. However, during the period in which AFAC addresses the FAA findings, new services and routes cannot be added, and Volaris will be unable to add new aircraft to its FAA operations specifications. However, Volaris' fleet may continue to grow, as the FAA action does not limit Volaris from incorporating any additional aircraft into its Mexican Air Operators Certificate, nor does it preclude Volaris from deploying such aircraft to Mexican and Central American markets.

Additionally, our codeshare partner Frontier will remove its code from flights operated by Volaris, although customers will still have the option to purchase flights from Volaris and Frontier through the companies' websites.

Volaris understands that AFAC has been working closely with the FAA to remedy any technical or regulatory issues. Volaris will support the efforts of both regulatory authorities with the objective of restoring Mexico's safety rating to Category 1.

The information included in this report has not been audited and it does not provide information on the Companys future performance. Volaris future performance depends on many factors and it cannot be interred that any periods performance or its comparison year over year will be an indicator of a similar performance in the future.

About Volaris:

*("Volaris" or the "Company") (NYSE: VLRS and BMV: VOLAR), is an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC), with point-to-point operations, serving Mexico, the United States and Central America. Volaris offers low base fares to build its market, providing quality service and extensive customer choice. Since beginning operations in March 2006, Volaris has increased its routes from five to 181 and its fleet from four to 87 aircraft. Volaris offers more than 425 daily flight segments on routes that connect 43 cities in Mexico and 25 cities in the United States with one of the youngest fleet in The Americas. Volaris targets passengers who are visiting friends and relatives, cost-conscious business and leisure travelers in Mexico and in selected destinations in the United States and Central America. Volaris has received the ESR Award for Social Corporate Responsibility for eleven consecutive years. For more information, please visit: www.volaris.com.

Investor Relations contact: Maria Elena Rodriguez / Investor Relations / [email protected] / +52 55 5261 6444

Media contact: Gabriela Fernandez / [email protected] / +52 55 5246 0100

SOURCE Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. - Volaris

Related Links

http://www.volaris.com


CORONA, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Ikanik Farms, Inc. (CSE: IKNK.U) (FSE: DFMA) (the "Company" or "Ikanik Farms") announces that further to its press release dated May 7, 2021, its financial team and auditors are continuing to work diligently to complete the audit of the annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the "Audited Financial Statements") of Ikanik Farms, Inc., the reverse takeover acquirer in connection with the Company's reverse takeover transaction which closed March 30, 2021 (the "Transaction"), to enable the Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC") to revoke the FailuretoFile Cease Trade Order issued against the Company (the "FFCTO") on May 6, 2021. The Company intends to file the Audited Financial Statements by no later than May 31, 2021.

Upon completion and submission of the Audited Financial Statements, under National Policy 11-207, such filing will automatically initiate a review process by the OSC, without any application by the Company. Following such review, the Company expects the FFCTO would be revoked by the OSC shortly thereafter.

The Company confirms there has been no material change to the information relating to the Company's delay in filing the Audited Financial Statements since its news release on May 5, 2021 that has not been disclosed.

About Ikanik Farms

Ikanik Farms is a California based, Multi-National Operator (MNO) who is building a dynamic portfolio of brands, inspired by its passion for health and wellness, action sports, and supported by its vertically integrated retail, distribution and cultivation in CA and its medical grade cultivation and laboratory in Colombia. The Company's leadership brings decades of expertise in R&D, cultivation, retail, branding, and corporate finance. Ikanik Farms' operation in Colombia, through its pharma division Pideka, holds both GMP-PHARMA and (GACP) Good Agricultural and Collection Practice certifications for its Casa Flores operating facility.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and United States securities laws (together, "forward-looking information). All information, other than statements of historical facts, included in this news release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future is forward-looking information. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "believe", "should", and similar expressions, are forward-looking information, including, but not limited to: statements with respect to the Audited Financial Statements, including the anticipated delay in filing the Audited Financial Statements and timing to complete the Company's audit.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: changes in laws, a change in management, the inability to obtain additional financing, increased competition, hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and, regulatory or political change.

There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in the forward-looking information may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this news release is made as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and the Company does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Ikanik Farms Inc.

Related Links

https://ikanikfarms.com/

SOURCE Ikanik Farms Inc.

Related Links

https://ikanikfarms.com/


Suited for every type of guest, the hotel is situated in downtown Silver Spring, a bustling city full of wonderful charms and attractions where guests have the choice of an extended stay or standard hotel room type - all in one location. It's a perfect match for business professionals, tourists, family vacations or residents just needing a staycay.

"Dual brand hotels are all about giving options," said Jim Spitzig, President of Level 3. "These types of hotels are becoming more and more prevalent, and beautiful cities like Silver Spring will reap all the benefits. It's a great alternative for those who don't want the busyness of Washington, DC during their stay, but are still a stone's throw away from it," he said.

The expansive, yearlong project was led by Level 3's Senior Designer Lindsay Clarke, and Michelle Wilson, Director of Purchasing.

Level 3 Design Group, recognized nationally as a Top 10 hospitality design and purchasing firm and winner of the 2019 Renovation of the Year award by Marriott International, offers services in design, purchasing, construction, FF&E installation and millwork in partnership with its sister company, JAC Construction. For more information, contact 213.955.5881.

Useful Links:

Level 3 Design Group:

www.level3designgroup.com

Portfolio:

https://www.level3designgroup.com/portfoliotype/hampton-inn-homewood-suites-silver-spring-md/

Media Contact:

Megan Caldera - [email protected]

SOURCE Level 3 Design Group

Related Links

http://www.level3designgroup.com


Heather Pigg of Wickshire says, "We thought it would be an awesome way to give back to our community and our youth by donating signs to the Graduating Class of Deer Park High School. We have 86 personalized signs in our front yard right now and our residents will be sharing messages of hope and congratulations on our social media channels to support the 2021 High School Seniors." The signs will be delivered to the graduates' homes on Tuesday where they can proudly display them further.

Wickshire's philosophy is that it's not about residents, associates and family members separately but about being part of a whole community. They strive to provide purpose, connection, and community involvement. In addition to "Seniors Celebrating Seniors," Wickshire also donates regularly to Meals on Wheels and provides breakfast and lunches to First Responders on Wickshire Wednesdays.

For more information on Wickshire Senior Living, visit https://www.wickshireseniorliving.com/communities/deer-park/ or email [email protected].

For more information on the "Seniors Celebrating Seniors" Campaign, visit Wickshire on Facebook.

Media is invited for photo opportunities and interviews.

WHEN: Tuesday May 25, 2021

WHERE: Wickshire Senior Living

3801 E Galbraith Rd

Cincinnati, OH 45236

SOURCE Wickshire Senior Living

Related Links

https://www.wickshireseniorliving.com/


WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest and largest civil rights Hispanic organization in the United States, with the support of established partner Hornitos Tequila, today has announced their collaboration to develop and publish the landmark community outreach kit, education and call-to-action further supporting their Vacunate Hoy Project. The newest effort is aimed at increasing the rate of vaccinations against the coronavirus among Latinos, who are suffering the health impacts of COVID-19 at disproportionately higher levels, coupled with a historical disparity in quality health care accessible to members of this community.

LULAC Expands Vacunate Hoy Project to deliver vital, COVID-19 Vaccine Related Information and Resources to the Spanish Speaking Community. Mural in Chicago, IL by Latinx artist Joel Colon. LULAC Expands Vacunate Hoy Project to deliver vital, COVID-19 Vaccine Related Information and Resources to the Spanish Speaking Community. Mural in Los Angeles, CA by Latinx artist Nina Paloma.

LULAC designed the resource kit in partnership with Hornitos to translate relevant information about the COVID-19 vaccine for Spanish speakers. The toolkit includes vetted information on how the vaccines work, their development processes, safety protocols and an interactive map on finding a vaccination center nearest to them. Visitors of the online toolkit can also opt-in to receive updates directly from both LULAC and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The online resource kit can be downloaded by visiting www.vacunatehoy.org/afairshot.

"There is a continuing gap in many states between the rate of Latinos infected with COVID-19 and those who are being reached, engaged and are able to access a vaccine," said Sindy Benavides, LULAC National Chief Executive Officer. "In partnership with Hornitos, Vacunate Hoy is our concerted effort to help educate millions of Spanish-speaking Latinos in the U.S. about this critical topic and provide accessible information that could potentially save their life or the life of a loved one."

"Hornitos was established with the belief that nothing great ever happens without taking a shot in life - and this 'shot' in particular is so important," said Rashidi Hodari, Managing Director at Beam Suntory. "We have learned from our partners at LULAC that nearly six in ten Hispanic adults are saying they do not have enough information about the vaccine and where to receive it. This gap in information helps drive our continuous support of LULAC's efforts to deploy these critical, life-saving resources in the native language."

In addition to the online toolkit, Hornitos has enlisted two Latinx artists Nina Paloma and Joel Colon, to help spread awareness for the Vacunate Hoy Project. The artists have created murals in Chicago and Los Angeles depicting colorful, encouraging scenes illustrating vaccine advocacy and prompting viewers to learn more about receiving the vaccine. The murals will each feature a QR code directly linking to the resources and online toolkit for easy reference.

For more information about LULAC, visit www.lulac.org, follow @LULAC on Twitter and Instagram or like LULAC on Facebook. For more information about Hornitos Tequila, visit www.hornitostequila.com, follow @HornitosTequila on Twitter and Instagram or like Hornitos Tequila on Facebook.

About LULAC

Established in 1929, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation's largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC's programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.

About Hornitos Tequila

Hornitos Tequila has a history of breaking tradition dating back to 1950 when founder Don Francisco launched the brand in honor of Mexican Independence Day. The Hornitos family of tequilas keeps Don Francisco's legacy alive, using the same high standards to cultivate the best and most flavorful agaves, molding them into premium tequilas that everyone can enjoy. He brought the celebrated spirit to new heights with the agave-robust Reposado, broke the rules to create a crystalline Plata, went above and beyond tequila standards to make an ultra-smooth and aromatic Anejo and pushed the boundaries of tequila innovation with whiskey barrel aged Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila and Hornitos Cristalino.

70 years later, Hornitos inspires its fans to adopt the same boundary-pushing mindset through its "A Shot Worth Taking" campaign that highlights the extraordinary things that can happen when people are willing to take a chance. Since the inception of "A Shot Worth Taking" in 2017, Hornitos has empowered fans to take their shot and provided funds and opportunities to make their aspirations achievable.

Drink Responsibly. Hornitos Tequila, 40% alc./vol. 2021 Sauza Tequila Import Company, Chicago, IL

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Hornitos Tequila
"It's been a tough year for most of us, and we can all use a recharge," said Steve Adkins, Chairman of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). "Miami Beach is the ultimate wellness destination, and we're inviting travelers to discover experiences, rituals, and mantras that will allow them to return home with a sense of renewal and inner peace."

According to Expedia, 64 percent of Americans currently deem themselves 'vacation deprived,' proving the growing demand for travel. Travelers can escape to Miami Beach, a city like no other place in the world, and discover a number of activities, amenities, and eateries that can help align their chakras this summer, including:

Third Street Beach Yoga :

Discover a new morning routine that can help strengthen, detox, and exhilarate the body and mind at 3 rd Street Beach Yoga. Become one with nature by focusing on awareness, learning breathing techniques, and practicing stillness while watching the sunrise and listening to the relaxing sounds of crashing waves. Classes start at 7 a.m. daily and, while sessions are free, donations are encouraged.





Discover a new morning routine that can help strengthen, detox, and exhilarate the body and mind at 3 Street Beach Yoga. Become one with nature by focusing on awareness, learning breathing techniques, and practicing stillness while watching the sunrise and listening to the relaxing sounds of crashing waves. Classes start at daily and, while sessions are free, donations are encouraged. Carillon Miami Wellness Resort :

Rid yourself of fatigue, chronic pain, and inflammation and boost the immune system through advanced cryotherapy treatments at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. For an invigorating full-body experience, visitors can book the Whole-Body Cryotherapy treatment to balance the nervous system and stimulate metabolism. To combat stress and help improve respiratory health and hygiene, visitors can take advantage of the Halotherapy and Infrared Sauna at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort.





Rid yourself of fatigue, chronic pain, and inflammation and boost the immune system through advanced cryotherapy treatments at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. For an invigorating full-body experience, visitors can book the Whole-Body Cryotherapy treatment to balance the nervous system and stimulate metabolism. To combat stress and help improve respiratory health and hygiene, visitors can take advantage of the Halotherapy and Infrared Sauna at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. Miami Spa Month :

Starting July 1 st  August 31 st , 2021, visitors can indulge in luxury spa treatments from destination hotels, including The Setai, Miami Beach , and Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Locals and visitors can receive up to 50 percent off and choose from a host of pampering options. The complete list of participating spas will be available starting June 1 st .





Starting  , 2021, visitors can indulge in luxury spa treatments from destination hotels, including The Setai, , and Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Locals and visitors can receive up to 50 percent off and choose from a host of pampering options. The complete list of participating spas will be available starting . Plnthouse :

Choose from various options, including the SBX Burger, Everglades Tomato Gazpacho, and Ceviche  a gluten-free favorite. Visitors can choose to dine in the light and airy interior or on the beachfront deck, taking in unlimited views of sand and surf.





Choose from various options, including the SBX Burger, Everglades Tomato Gazpacho, and Ceviche  a gluten-free favorite. Visitors can choose to dine in the light and airy interior or on the beachfront deck, taking in unlimited views of sand and surf. Anatomy at 1220:

Beach-goers can take fitness to a new level at Anatomy on Miami Beach , a destination fusing all aspects of fitness and offering services like age management, chiropractic care, IV nutritional therapy and beauty, group fitness, personal training, and both hot and cold recovery areas. This integrated health and wellness community allows visitors to connect, sweat, and recover.

"We look forward to welcoming locals and visitors for a relaxing summer getaway," said Grisette Marcos, Executive Director, MBVCA. "Visitors are welcome to dip their toes in the sand, enjoy our destination spas and restaurants, and return home rejuvenated after their unforgettable escape to Miami Beach."

Wellness-seeking travelers can look to Miami Beach all year long and stay up-to-date by following @ExperienceMiamiBeach on Facebook, Instagram and @EMiamiBeach on Twitter, and downloading the Miami Beach App at http://www.miamibeachapi.com/app/.

Contact: Elisabeth Denil [email protected]

SOURCE Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority

Related Links

http://www.miamibeachapi.com


MIAMI, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- As Benjamin Whorf says "Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about." CEO and Co-founder of smartBeemo - Michel Edery thought of leveraging the Spanish language for the good and bringing a ray of hope for the Latin Americans. In a world where English is in a class of its own, there are people who are still having a hard time understanding the language, and in turn, it acts as the major barrier in their learning process. Michel recognized this problem and developed smartBeemo only for such people, breaking the language barriers that affect their learning.

smartBeemo is an educational platform with thousands of students all around Latin America and the world. Their expertise includes educating the students about digital marketing, social media influencer marketing, e-commerce, and much more. They are helping to accelerate the data transformation in the Spanish-speaking communities.

Sharing his views, the CEO says, "Today, entrepreneurship is booming in Latin America. The pandemic has brought a positive revolution in the area, and now everybody knows that it's quite easy to connect to the internet and launch their own brand in e-commerce and other sectors. Over here, there is a bridge between e-commerce and digital marketing major due to the language barriers as all the great content out there is in English. But now I think people are starting to learn and understand more about social media, e-commerce and I can now see thousands of people launching their businesses. Even in my own country-Columbia, with the increasing response from business enthusiasts, it's starting to look like a 'Little Silicon Valley.'"

smartBeemo is an independent educational platform, and that's why it's easy for them to understand where the needs are in the market and what is trending. The courses last for over 12 months depending upon the student's needs. And not just that, smartBeemo also comes up with new exceptional courses for students in a timespan of just a week. The marketing sector moves super fast and new strategies, concepts, and content are added every other moment. And thereby, when these educational institutions launch their programs, everything has been changed and some content even becomes outdated.

smartBeemo arranges pre-recorded diplomates, integrated by courses for the students. Tutors discuss the latest content and ongoings in the respective fields to keep them updated with every detail. In addition to this, students can access live Q&A sessions, and live chat with their academic tutors for doubt resolution. People seek YouTube videos as a major source of studying programs, but they lack the curriculum or the syllabus that is required with well-structured content covering every concept from A to Z. It is very important to learn with logic, that includes the introduction, the fundamentals, and then practice the knowledge gained. The YouTube videos further have certain limitations, and the student often misses out on some key knowledge areas.

These days, educational academies are established merely for profits. Students pay at smartBeemo, but they charge for their services, and every single day, they are working to make the services better. The customers and students see that difference in production, content, new teachers, superior experience, and much more.

With 2.5x growth per year, and more than 60,000 paid students, they are one of the fastest-growing online schools in the Spanish-speaking communities. Every program on the smartBeemo platform covers all the steps and content right from the building phase to the end result. For example, if the student is learning an e-commerce program, then their first step begins from how to find the products, how to build a website, how to buy products from a country, or how to do dropshipping and how to market the product in the end. In a nutshell, each program has a lot of courses, and each course has lots of models to offer the students. Thereby, they can study online at their own pace. smartBeemo also conducts weekly sessions online for the students wherein the tutors answer each and every question, doubts, or further queries within a timeframe of 30 seconds once the student has raised his/her hands from 8 AM to 8 PM. The entire idea is to give a classroom experience to the students.

Not every great content exists in English and that's why smartBeemo welcomes everybody who wants to learn including Spanish-speaking and Latin Americans to their platform and leverage the best from it.

Watch smartBeemo Pressful Video Interview

Media Contact:

Pressful

[email protected]

415-741-5111

SOURCE smartBeemo
CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Momentum Funding, a division of Legal Business Services, a premier legal, medical, and transportation finance company, is excited to announce Jeff Moskowitz, Esq new Director of Business Development. He will oversee business in the Chicago Metropolitan market and surrounding areas.

In 2017, Mr. Moskowitz founded and successfully ran his own company until acquired by Momentum in 2021. He is a trial attorney with comprehensive litigation experience that has successfully advocated for clients throughout the Illinois court system and the Northern District of Illinois federal court.

Moskowitz currently serves as the Chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Young Lawyer Section, the chair of nominations for the College of Law Alumni Engagement Board, and is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at DePaul. He also serves on the Board of Managers for the Decalogue Society of Lawyers and is an attorney mentor in the Justice Entrepreneurs Project.

Momentum Funding's core business is pre & post-settlement funding, focusing on assisting plaintiffs with their financial needs while their legal claims are pending. They also provide medical funding to plaintiffs pursuing litigation, directly paying for medical procedures, surgeries, deductibles, and health insurance policies.

Mr. Moskowitz will consult and assist lawyers and their firms through the legal funding process to offer a streamlined experience that is unmatched in the industry.

"Jeff brings a new energy to our Midwest markets," says Charlie Platt, Esq., CEO of Legal Business Services. "He has first-hand experience evaluating legal claims, and his deep knowledge and expertise as a trial lawyer are assets for attorneys and their clients. The legal funding he can provide with that experience and expertise will give them a distinct advantage in their lawsuits."

For more information about their plaintiff funding, medical funding, or transportation service, please reach out to Jeff Moskowitz, Esq. at 855-855-FUND(3863) or visit www.momentumfunding.com.

SOURCE Momentum Funding

Related Links

www.momentumfunding.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Newport Healthcare, a national network of evidence-based healing centers for teens and young adults with primary mental health disorders, has announced a three-year agreement with Managed Health Network (MHN) to provide services in California. With this agreement, families in California with MHN health coverage will have more local mental health professionals to choose from to receive quality care. This increase in access to care is good news for families with children; the new contract coincides with recent data indicating that some COVID-19 mitigation measures have contributed to increases in mental health disorders among young people nationwide.

"Expanding access to in-network care is critical to help the growing number of teens and young adults who are desperately struggling as a result of the pandemic and even prior to it," said Joe Procopio, CEO of Newport Healthcare. "We are pleased to partner with MHN to provide their members with proven, sustainable healing."

MHN, as the behavioral health part of Health Net, provides comprehensive behavioral change solutions for more than three million members in California. MHN's members will now have access to Newport's network of treatment programs including residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient (IOP) services.

In addition to addressing the nation's steadily rising mental health issues with teens and young adults, this timely partnership will serve to help those who have been severely impacted by COVID-induced isolation and its impacts to their mental health. In a recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 63 percent of 18- to-24-year-olds reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, with 25 percent reporting increased substance use to deal with that stress, and 25 percent saying they had seriously considered suicide. Other recent data suggests that self-harm has nearly doubled in teens ages 13-18, and anxiety and depression have also seen marked increases. Pre-pandemic, in California, 45 percent of youth between the ages of 12-17 reported struggling with mental health issues, with nearly a third of them experiencing serious psychological distress that could interfere with their academic and social functioning. Sadly, about two-thirds of California youth with major depression do not get treatment.

Newport's family-systems approach with individualized, integrated programs that encompass clinical therapy, academic or career support, and experiential practices, address mental health issues including anxiety, depression, trauma, and suicidal ideation. Recently released outcomes data compiled in collaboration with Drexel University revealed statistically significant, industry-leading improvements of patient symptoms following treatment at Newport.

For more information about Newport Healthcare, visit NewportHealthcare.com.

About Newport Healthcare

Newport Healthcare, including Newport Academy and Newport Institute, provides evidence-based healing centers for teens, young adults, and families struggling with primary mental health issues. Newport offers a family-systems approach, providing gender-specific, individualized, integrated programs that encompass clinical therapy, academic or career support, and experiential practices. Offerings include residential treatment centers, Partial Hospitalization Programs, and Intensive Outpatient Programs. Newport nurtures the physical, psychological, social, educational, and spiritual needs of individuals, from a foundation of compassionate care, clinical expertise, and unconditional love. Newport's primary mission is to empower lives and restore families.

SOURCE Newport Healthcare

Related Links

http://NewportHealthcare.com


Brent crude oil futures for July gained 2.9% to US$68.40 a barrel after a new deal to lift sanctions against Iran became less likely than it was last week.

Mizuhos Bob Yawger said, The Iranians and western powers cannot get the details worked out that will get this deal signed and delivered.

S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) has lifted 0.65% to 7091.7 points by about 1 pm following a strong lead from Wall Street.

The mood is upbeat as the weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating rose by 1.5% to a 19-month high of 114.2 (long-run average since 1990 is 112.6).

Local technology stocks were up by about 2% per cent, chasing Wall Streets gains which were led by technology shares and reopening plays.

Bank, tech majors rise

The Big Four banks gained, with Commonwealth Bank ( ) touching an all-time high of $99.65.

Afterpay ( ) shares surged as much as 4.5% while biotech major CSL Ltd ( ) gained 0.86%.

Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) rose 1.5% and BHP Group (ASX:BHP) gained 1.2% even as iron ore prices fell overnight.

Plenti loan growth

Plenti Group ( ) reported a surge in car loans for FY21, helping the fintech achieve a 64% increase in full-year loan origination.

Car loans jumped 301% to $231 million for the year ended 31 March 2021 while renewable energy loans grew 33% to $57 million. However, personal lending decreased slightly to $182 million.

Top gainers

Todays top gainers on the ASX include Carnavale Resources Limited ( ) (+16.67%), Emmerson Resources Limited ( ) (+11.27%), . ( ) (+10.00%), ( ) (+18.99%), ( ) (+18.18%), Triangle Energy (Global) Ltd ( ) (+14.81%) and Imugene Limited ( ) (+8.64%).

Proactive news headlines:

Emmerson Resources higher on striking high-grade near-surface gold at Blake Snake in Tennant Creek JV

Emmerson Resources Limited ( ) (FRA:42E) is trading higher after delivering new high-grade gold results from drilling at Black Snake prospects within the Tennant Creek joint venture in the Northern Territory.

receives further Greenland Government validation through Ivittuut licence extension

Ltd ( ) has received further indication of the Greenland Governments support for its Ivittuut Project through confirmation of a four-year extension to the mineral exploration licence.

Musgrave Minerals turns up the heat at Cue Gold Project with results up to 2 metres at 38.7 g/t from 10 metres at regional prospects

( ) ( ) (FRA:6MU) has received high-grade reverse circulation (RC) drilling results from White Heat and Numbers prospects within the flagship Cue Gold Project in Western Australia, demonstrating the potential for further gold discoveries.

acquires option to boost equity interest in near-production JWD Iron Ore JV to 60%

( ) is seeking to lift its exposure to the near-production JWD Iron Ore Joint Venture in Western Australia by acquiring additional equity interest for a 60% stake.

Nanollose dispatches first shipment of microbial cellulose to Birla Cellulose pilot facilities in India

( ) has dispatched the first shipment of refined microbial cellulose (MC) to Birla Celluloses pilot facilities in India for further processing and testing prior to being blended with other cellulosic feedstock and spun into lyocell fibre.

Element 25 secures access agreement for manganese exports from Utah Point Port

( ) has executed a multi-user access agreement with Pilbara Port Authority to use Port Hedland Utah Point facility for the bulk export of manganese from the companys 100%-owned production facility at the Butcherbird Project.

BlackEarth Minerals begins extensive drilling aimed at boosting high-grade Maniry graphite resources

( ) has started drilling at Maniry Graphite Project in southern Madagascar targeting additional high-grade resources to boost the current JORC resource of 20.2 million tonnes at 6.51% total graphitic carbon content (TGC).

Anteris Technologies $2.3 million placement strongly supported by Top 10 institutional shareholders

( ) (FRA:DDF) has received strong validation of its next-generation structural heart solutions by raising A$2.3 million in a placement to predominantly existing Top 10 institutional shareholders.

Spacetalk develops all-in-one smartphone watch and GPS tracker to help keep seniors safe

( ) has developed an all-in-one smartphone watch and GPS tracker that connects wearers with their families at the push of a button.
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the January 6 attack on the Capitol Building and the alarming Capitol Police report of a "107% increase in threats against Members [of Congress] compared to 2020," National Safety Shelters is repurposing its line of Hide-Away safety pods and proposing that Congress consider acquiring them to protect Members and their staff from future violent attacks.

INSTANT NEAR-ABSOLUTE PROTECTION



Safety Solution for Government Buildings National Safety Shelters

The Hide-Away safety pods are bolt-together steel structures that provide instant access to safety from violent attacks and certain natural disasters (tornadoes, earthquakes). Fabricated using military-grade ballistic American steel, they protect against rounds shot from commonly used firearms and semi-automatic weapons like the AK47 and AR15. They also offer protection from the blast and shrapnel of IEDs.

Originally designed to withstand the forces of EF-5 tornadoes and falling debris from earthquakes, the Hide-Away pods have since been installed in K-12 schools to protect students and staff from active shooters and tornadoes (in tornado prone areas). They are the only safety measure currently available that provides instant access to near-absolute protection.

Small pods can be placed in personal offices and homes to protect from one to several individuals, whereas larger models can accommodate from dozens to hundreds of occupants, depending on the need. Each can be custom configured to fit into just about any available space.

With a safety pod in each office, Members and staff can now have an unprecedented level of security that no other safety measure can achieve - instant protection. In addition to their use at the Capitol Complex, Members could also install them in their homes and district offices.

This economical security safety net would only require a minute fraction of the $1.9 billion spending bill that Congress is currently proposing for security upgrades.

SECURITY WITHOUT LIMITING BUILDING ACCESS



Notably, the Hide-Away safety pods and shelters satisfy the recommendations outlined in the Capitol Security Review released on March 5, 2021 by Task Force 1-6 led by retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore. The recommendations seek "to improve the security of the Capitol, Members, and staff" in ways that will not reduce "physical access to the Capitol Complex."

Being that the pods would be installed either inside personal offices or at other easily accessible interior locations throughout the Complex, there would be no impact on physical access to either the Capitol Building or other office buildings within the Complex. Should a violent attack occur, casualties could virtually be eliminated.

In view of the current threat level to Members and the uptick in mass shootings this year (212 as of 5/13), National Safety Shelters is in the process of introducing this innovative security safety net to all 535 Members of Congress, federal security and law enforcement agencies and all 50 state governments.

For more information please contact Sarah Corrado at 1-772-248-0236 or [email protected]

Related Files



2021 Office Flyer_Front.jpg



2021 Office Flyer_Back.jpg

Related Images



u-s-capitol.jpg

U.S. Capitol

Related Video



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqJRBlKTo_M

SOURCE National Safety Shelters
SALT LAKE CITY, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NetDocuments, the leading secure cloud-based content services and productivity platform for law firms, corporate legal teams, and compliance departments, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to receive a significant investment from Warburg Pincus, a leading global growth investor, along with existing investor Cove Hill Partners, L.P. ("Cove Hill"). Warburg Pincus is acquiring Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.'s ("Clearlake") interest in NetDocuments.

Warburg Pincus' investment alongside Cove Hill will support the Company's continued rapid growth and innovation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

For more than two decades, NetDocuments has delivered innovation through its world-class content services and productivity platform. NetDocuments is used by over 3,150 professional services firms and corporate legal departments and recently announced unprecedented growth in Q1 2021, continuing its record setting sales momentum. The Company will continue to be led by Chief Executive Officer, Josh Baxter, and the rest of the current management team.

"The partnership with Warburg Pincus provides tremendous potential to not only strengthen existing customer relationships but tap into new opportunities and markets to become the foundational software for legal professionals," stated Josh Baxter, NetDocuments CEO. "We are excited to work with Warburg Pincus and Cove Hill on the Company's next phase of growth and would like to thank Clearlake for their close partnership with our team and for their strategic insight over the years."

"NetDocuments effectively serves as the platform of productivity for the legal community and is uniquely grounded in its commitment to customer service. The Company's strong track record, paired with a talented leadership team, has positioned it well for the accelerating shift to cloud," said Andrew Park, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. "We look forward to partnering with Josh, the team at NetDocuments and Cove Hill to bring the Company to its next chapter of growth," added Alex Stratoudakis, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus.

"Cove Hill is excited to welcome Warburg Pincus as investors in the Company. We are thrilled to partner with them and the strong management team at NetDocuments to drive growth over the long term," said Jane Levy Vance, Principal at Cove Hill.

"We have greatly enjoyed our successful partnership with NetDocuments over the past four years, as the Company has grown into a leading SaaS platform for the legal industry," said Prashant Mehrotra, a Partner at Clearlake. "Over that time, NetDocuments has executed on a strategy to rapidly expand its product portfolio through organic R&D investments and extend its go-to-market reach by bolstering the Company's sales and marketing leadership and resources. We thank the Cove Hill team for a successful collaboration, and we wish the NetDocuments team every success for the future."

Baxter concluded: "This is about capitalizing on the momentum of the business and our reputation as the cloud platform for content and productivity. With a strong focus on growth and global reach, Warburg Pincus represents a great new partner. The investment will accelerate us both organically as well as through M&A, domestically and internationally. With the continued support of Cove Hill, we have an exciting future ahead of us."

William Blair & Company LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to NetDocuments.

For more information about NetDocuments, please click here.

About NetDocuments

Founded in 1999, with more than 3,150+ enterprise customers worldwide, NetDocuments is the legal industry's most trusted cloud-based content services and productivity platform. Complete with state-of-the-art built-in security, compliance, and governance solutions, NetDocuments offers document management, email management and collaboration technology complete with disaster recovery, enterprise search, and matter centricity features. For more information about NetDocuments, please click here.

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $60 billion in private equity assets under management. Warburg Pincus has invested more than $22 billion in technology companies since inception and is one of the most active growth investors in enterprise technology and cloud-based platforms. Notable technology investments include, BEA Systems, Nuance Communications, CrowdStrike, Avalara, Modernizing Medicine, and Clearwater Analytics in the U.S., eSentire and Assent Compliance in Canada, Ziggo in the Netherlands, Network International in EMEA, and Bharti Telecom in India. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 19 private equity funds, which have invested more than $90 billion in over 930 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com.

About Cove Hill Partners

Cove Hill Partners is a long-term oriented private equity firm focused on partnering with outstanding management teams to build market-leading technology and consumer companies. The Boston-based firm currently manages long-duration funds with over $2.5 billion of commitments from its investors and founders. The firm was founded in 2017 by seasoned private equity investors to invest their personal capital alongside a small group of like-minded investors. Cove Hill has an innovative structure that provides the flexibility to enable a patient, concentrated, and value-add approach in a small portfolio of long-term investments. More information about Cove Hill Partners can be found at www.covehillpartners.com.

About Clearlake Capital

Founded in 2006, Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake currently has approximately $35 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

Media contacts:

NetDocuments:

Jobst Elster

Envision Agency

+1 850-459-4947

[email protected]

Warburg Pincus:

Sarah McGrath Bloom

Warburg Pincus

+1 212-878-6378

[email protected]

Cove Hill:

Lara Moskowitz

Cove Hill Partners

+1 857-245-6060

[email protected]

Clearlake Capital:

Jennifer Hurson

Lambert & Co.

+1 845-507-0571

[email protected]

SOURCE NetDocuments

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LONDON, TORONTO, MOSCOW and LISBON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - ICER, a not-for-profit organization, is comprised of scientists, academics and leading UFO/UAP researchers from 27 countries on 5 continents who are unanimous in their recognition that we are not alone in the cosmos.

Based on more than 75 years of research, ICER acknowledges that the UFO/UAP phenomenon is real; it acts with intelligence and is likely to be extraterrestrial/non-human in origin.

ICER RESEARCHERS INCLUDE:

Professor Lachezar Filipov , Bulgaria's National Representative, a Space Astrophysicist who supervised the training of their first astronauts.

, National Representative, a Space Astrophysicist who supervised the training of their first astronauts. Dr Eamonn Ansbro , National Representative for the Republic of Ireland and an astronomer who is set to feature in a book with Harvard Professor Avi Loeb due for release in late 2021.

Both Filipov and Ansbro ardently believe it is time to purge the stigma that has plagued the UFO phenomenon for decades and embark on serious scientific studies.

BACKGROUND

The organisation's launch comes in the wake of recent verified events:

A New York Times article from 16 th December 2017 revealed a hitherto secret UFO/UAP research program into the phenomenon between 2007-2012 with a $22 million budget.

article from 16 revealed a hitherto secret UFO/UAP research program into the phenomenon between 2007-2012 with a budget. This article confirmed that US Navy fighter pilots had captured astonishing footage of unidentified aerial vehicles operating in the airspace of the United States in a series of infrared videos taken in 2004 and 2015.

in a series of infrared videos taken in 2004 and 2015. Significantly, the objects observed were unlike anything the pilots had seen before and moved in spectacular ways that appeared to be technologically far beyond anything man has yet developed.

In June 2020 , a US Navy Task Force was created to investigate these objects which pilots are encountering with increasing frequency. The Task Force is due to submit a highly anticipated report to the US Congress by June 25, 2021 .

ICER  PREPARING FOR CONTACT

ICER believes all countries now need to prepare for confirmation that the Earth is being engaged by non-human intelligences and proposes 'awareness' programs be established to deal with the profound issue of Contact and its global implications.

ICER aims to take this discussion to the highest levels of governance, including the United Nations.

Journalists and other interested parties are invited to visit ICER INTERNATIONAL MEDIA EVENT to participate in ICER's global press conference on May 26th.

Website: https://ICER.network

SOURCE International Coalition for Extraterrestrial Research (ICER)

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BOSTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Student Assistance ( ASA ), a national nonprofit focused on fostering students' understanding of post-secondary education and career pathways, announced during a virtual ceremony May 11 the "Futuristic Illusionists" had won second place in the inaugural national ASA Solve Together : contest. The "Tomorrow's Leaders Tackling Today's Challenges" competition allowed a team of middle school students from New Hyde Park Road School to submit a winning idea. The school was awarded $5,000, and the team of students won $1,000.

ASA Solve Together is a national competition designed to encourage career exploration and skill-building for middle school students through project-based learning and teamwork. Each proposed challenge is aligned to grade-level standards so educators can incorporate them into daily learning and help students build critical foundational skills like communication, critical thinking and collaboration. Student teams select a career role -- such as the role of a government official, restaurateur, nonprofit leader, engineer, scientist, architect -- identify a challenge, develop a solution, and build and present their project.

With the guidance of teacher Jennifer Coaker, the team of five sixth graders developed and submitted a website, a game and video to demonstrate solutions to addressing the challenges of building a colony and sustaining human life on Mars.

"There are many challenges that come with the potential of living on Mars," said Aaron George, sixth grade student, New Hyde Park Road School. "The contest allowed us to think creatively about how to overcome these challenges by taking on the role as future colonists. Throughout the process, we had the opportunity to explore many careers, including spacecraft engineer, an urban planner and architect, climate scientist, and lawmaker."

Through and extensive research, the "Futuristic Illusionists" designed innovative solutions that could prepare humans for all aspects of life on Mars. In addition to addressing the challenges of radiation exposure, toxic soil and cold temperatures, the students created a model colony via Roblox Studio, developed a set of laws, and designed a 3D concept of a rover that residents would use to explore Mars. Learn more about their work here.

"Students from all backgrounds crave learning that feels relevant to their daily lives. Providing equitable access to project-based learning and career exploration opportunities is critical in enabling educators and schools to prepare students for long-term success," said ASA President and CEO Jean Eddy. "The Futuristic Illusionists demonstrated critical thinking, collaboration and communication skillsets needed not only to survive on Mars, but to succeed in the modern workforce. We're eager to see how these bright young students will advance their STEM talents and how they will evolve into future leaders."

The team was selected from 189 total submissions from 23 schools across 12 states. The submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges that included representatives from the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) and ASA. AMLE is a premier partner of ASA Solve Together.

In addition to bragging rights and the cash prize, the students received a trophy to put in their classroom and a banner for their school.

"We are excited that our sixth-grade students, along with their teacher, have been recognized for their innovation, creativity and leadership," said Kim LaRegina, principal at New Hyde Park Road School. "In a challenging school year, American Student Assistance's Solve Together contest provided our students with an engaging opportunity to collaborate and communicate while creating a solution to a problem. Our students aligned their work to the attributes that we hope that every child in our district has an opportunity to explore. They are true leaders, and we look forward to seeing their incredible career pathways."

To learn more, go to asasolvetogether.org.

About American Student Assistance (ASA)

American Student Assistance (ASA) is a national nonprofit committed to helping kids know themselves, know their options, and make informed choices to achieve their education and career goals. ASA has a 60-year legacy of working directly with students to increase their access to higher education through loans and financial education. ASA has turned its experience into impactful solutions for students in grades 6-12 to help them pursue their dreams. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-us .

SOURCE American Student Assistance

Related Links

https://www.asa.org


NEW ORLEANS, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey from Mitch Landrieu's E Pluribus Unum (EPU) organization finds support from Southerners, regardless of race, for major police reforms now one year after the murder of George Floyd sparked a new, national conversation on systemic racism and policing. Still attitudes and perceptions about the police, systemic racism, and the public protests after the murder continue to diverge sharply along racial and partisan lines in the American South. Notwithstanding some divergent views, a majority of white, Black, and Latino respondents believe lawmakers have not done enough to address the killing of unarmed Black people and other people of color by police officers.

One year after George Floyd's murder, EPU commissioned the 1,200-person survey (400 Black respondents, Latino respondents, and white respondents each) to track attitudes on systemic racism in policing and police reforms in the South. This is the fourth in a series of EPU surveys looking deeply at issues of race and systemic racism focused on the American South. To view the survey's key findings, comprehensive analysis, and topline results, visit https://www.unumfund.org/policereformsurvey2021/ .

"One year after the murder of George Floyd, southern communities and the nation as a whole are still reckoning with the pervasive nature of systemic racism, particularly in policing and criminal justice," said Mitch Landrieu, founder, and president of E Pluribus Unum and former mayor of New Orleans. "On the positive side, there is clear support for major police reforms that can keep communities safe, hold police accountable, and address the systemic racism in policing. But this survey also underscores the hard work that needs to continue in educating and informing white and Latino audiences on the scope and scale of systemic racism that blocks the South and our nation from achieving true justice and opportunity for all Americans."

As has been in the case with past surveys, the largest divides continue to be the different views between Black and white adults, while Latino adults' attitudes tend to fall in the middle. Depending on the issue, there are many instances  particularly on questions related to systemic racism  where Latino Southerners' views are closer to white Southerners than Black Southerners. There are additional notable dynamics based on gender, partisanship, age, and level of education.

Key Findings

On Perceptions of Police : Majorities of Black (66 percent), Latino (78 percent), and white (84 percent) Southerners have favorable views of the police in their community. Perceptions of the police change significantly among Black adults when respondents are asked their favorability toward "police in the United States ." Favorability drops to 40 percent among Black Southerners and has modest shifts among Latino Southerners (64 percent favorable) and white Southerners (75 percent favorable).

Majorities of Black (66 percent), Latino (78 percent), and white (84 percent) Southerners have favorable views of the police in their community. Perceptions of the police change significantly among Black adults when respondents are asked their favorability toward "police in ." Favorability drops to 40 percent among Black Southerners and has modest shifts among Latino Southerners (64 percent favorable) and white Southerners (75 percent favorable). On the Derek Chauvin Verdict: An overwhelming majority of Black, Latino, and white Southerners agree with the jury's verdict that found Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd . Black (91 percent) and Latino (80 percent) adults overwhelmingly agree with the verdict, and a large majority of white adults (66 percent) agree as well. White and Latino adults share similar views on whether the Chauvin verdict is a step in the right direction that will impact how police conduct themselves (60 percent of whites; 62 percent of Latinos) instead of not having any impact (29 percent of whites; 32 percent of Latinos). Black adults are not as optimistic about the impact of the verdict (53 percent step in the right direction;42 percent will not have any impact).

An overwhelming majority of Black, Latino, and white Southerners agree with the jury's verdict that found guilty of murdering . Black (91 percent) and Latino (80 percent) adults overwhelmingly agree with the verdict, and a large majority of white adults (66 percent) agree as well. White and Latino adults share similar views on whether the Chauvin verdict is a step in the right direction that will impact how police conduct themselves (60 percent of whites; 62 percent of Latinos) instead of not having any impact (29 percent of whites; 32 percent of Latinos). Black adults are not as optimistic about the impact of the verdict (53 percent step in the right direction;42 percent will not have any impact). On Actions Taken to Date: Most people, across race, do not think lawmakers have done enough to address the killing of unarmed Black people and other people of color by police officers, including a 47 percent plurality of white Southerners, 59 percent of Latino and 83 percent of Black respondents.

Most people, across race, do not think lawmakers have done enough to address the killing of unarmed Black people and other people of color by police officers, including a 47 percent plurality of white Southerners, 59 percent of Latino and 83 percent of Black respondents. On Expectations of Police Encounters: Divergent attitudes and perceptions, not surprisingly, begin with the different personal experiences that individuals have encountered or expect to encounter with the police in the United States . Unlike white (14 percent) and Latino (37 percent) Southerners, Black Southerners (71 percent) express deep concerns about whether a family member or themselves will be a victim of police brutality.

Divergent attitudes and perceptions, not surprisingly, begin with the different personal experiences that individuals have encountered or expect to encounter with the police in . Unlike white (14 percent) and Latino (37 percent) Southerners, Black Southerners (71 percent) express deep concerns about whether a family member or themselves will be a victim of police brutality. On Systemic Racism in Policing: Black Southerners express concerns over systemic racism on a variety of measures, while white Southerners do not. Latino attitudes about systemic racism are in the middle, but often lean closer to white attitudes. White Southerners divide evenly on whether the deaths of Black people and other people of color during encounters with police are signs of a broader problem in policing (43 percent) or isolated incidents (44 percent). A plurality of Latinos (49 percent) think these deaths are signs of a broader problem instead of being isolated incidents (36 percent). A large majority of Black Southerners (71 percent) think the deaths are signs of a broader problem, not isolated incidents (18 percent). Similarly, 87 percent of Black Southerners think the criminal justice system discriminates against Black people and other people of color, compared to 58 percent of Latinos and 35 percent of whites.

The Pathway Forward

Despite the different views among Black, Latino, and white Southerners on issues related to policing and systemic racism, there is a great deal of common ground on a range of policy proposals to reform policing and the criminal justice system. The common ground we found on policy proposals to reform policing distinguishes itself from differing views about the pervasiveness of systemic racism. The strongest reforms center on addressing the use of force, holding police accountable, and increasing the funding and training hours for police officers. These policies receive strong support across race.

There is broad support across racial groups for requiring officers to step in when other officers are using excessive force (91 percent white, 92 percent Black, and 87 percent Latino respondents). This level of support is largely consistent if not increased compared with October 2020 responses . It was the most popular proposal tested.

. It was the most popular proposal tested. Among the most debated topics on police reform in Congress right now, the public supports ending immunity for police officers and prosecuting them civilly if they break the law, including 69 percent of white, 81 percent of Black and 73 percent of Latino Southerners. An overwhelming 65 percent of White Republicans strongly or somewhat favor ending immunity for police officers.

There is also broad support, regardless of race, for requiring police departments or police officers to carry liability insurance that other professions like teachers and social workers have, so taxpayers do not have to pay for expensive settlements when found guilty of misconduct. This measure was supported by 69 percent of white, 81 percent of Black, and 71 percent of Latino respondents.

There is strong support across racial groups for broader criminal justice reforms, such as ending the War on Drugs and legalizing recreational marijuana including 63 percent of white, 67 percent of Black, and 57 percent of Latino Southerners.

Open-ended responses in the survey on the question of how to bridge the police-community divide also reveal a desire for doing what is necessary to have well-trained police who will do their job properly and end the mistreatment of Black people. This tracks another popular proposal to increase the funding and training for police officers across the country with 88 percent of white, 81 percent of Black, and 85 percent of Latino respondents favoring.

Landrieu closed, "Despite the many divisions and clear challenges to bridge racial differences, the survey reveals a pathway forward on police reform that will keep our citizens safe and ensures respect for all of us. Our work at the local, state, and federal levels will continue to provide policy makers the tools they need to address systemic racism in policing and close these gaps."

E Pluribus Unum's policy and advocacy team has prioritized police reform as an area of focus, advocating for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Congress as well as various reform and accountability measures at the state and local level across the 13 southern states. In addition to state level advocacy, EPU recently released a policy brief and case study on a duty-to-intervene policy pioneered in New Orleans named EPIC.

A comprehensive analysis, key findings, and topline results of the E Pluribus Unum's police reform survey is available at https://www.unumfund.org/policereformsurvey2021/.

GBAO Strategies of Washington, D.C. conducted the survey on landlines, cellphones, and text-to-web from May 14-18, 2021. The margin of error for each racial group is +/- 4.9 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

ABOUT E PLURIBUS UNUM

Founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2018, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to build a more just, inclusive and equitable South, uprooting the barriers that have long divided the region by race and class. EPU's focus is on cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are focused on racial equity, changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism and championing transformative policy change. To learn more, visit www.unumfund.org .

SOURCE E Pluribus Unum

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HVCP, a community choice aggregation (CCA) program, enables participating communities to leverage the collective buying power of residents and small businesses at large enough scale to dictate the terms of how they buy energy. The empowered municipalities negotiate for renewable electricity at fixed rates that are priced lower than otherwise available. CCA is promoted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) as a priory climate action. CCA programs, like HVCP, promote renewable energy generation, cut costs for consumers, and provide consumer protection.

Results

The inaugural two-year supply contract will be in effect through June 2021. Over the first eighteen months, the more than 24,000 participants receiving 100% renewable electricity contributed to the avoidance of more than 218,600 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of amount of carbon sequestered by 276,844 acres of forest.

New Supply Contract

The new contract will run from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. Nine municipalities chose 100% renewable electricity from Columbia Utilities as their default energy option. Eight of nine communities will also offer a fixed rate standard supply option. Eligible residents and businesses will be automatically enrolled, but may withdraw, at any time, without incurring fees or penalties. Prior to July 1st, eligible Central Hudson customers will receive a letter from their local government that includes information on how to opt out. Those who opt out will receive basic electricity supply service from Central Hudson at the variable utility rate. Regardless of program participation, Central Hudson remains responsible for delivery, repair service, and billing.

Hudson Valley Community Power Rates effective July 2021

Customer Class HVCP 100% NYS

Renewable Fixed Rate (per kWh) HVCP Standard Fixed

Rate (per kWh) Residential $0.06573 $0.05968 Small Commercial $0.07112 $0.06215

"This program is the result of a competitive procurement process," said Joule Founder Mike Gordon. "The partnership of communities selected Columbia Utilities as their default supplier because they were offered a unique combination of competitive pricing, consumer protection, and 100% renewable power."

"Marbletown is excited to continue participating in the CCA," said Supervisor Rich Parete." Our residents are enthusiastic about the program and are proud to support clean energy."

Village of New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers commented, "In New York State, we're working hard to move towards carbon-free electricity. CCAs that purchase 100% renewable energy are an important piece of this energy solution."

Neil Bettez, Supervisor of the Town of New Paltz said of the CCA renewal, "I'm happy the Town has once again decided to take advantage of this competitive pricing for our residents, and we're looking forward to continuing to work with Joule to promote the use of renewable energy for our community."

"The Town is a supporter of helping increase the use of renewable electricity generation without impacting our scenic and rural countryside while benefitting the world," stated Clinton Supervisor Raymon Oberly. "It is a no-brainer as fossil fuel and nuclear electric generation facilities are being taken offline now and in the future."

"We are excited to have this partnership that will enable us to continue driving the business forward and support our sustainable growth. We look forward to developing strong results," said Columbia Utilities CEO Robert Palmese.

Maximizing Savings with Solar

Earlier this year, Marbletown was the first Hudson Valley municipality to pass a resolution to approve community choice solar as a way to include the guaranteed savings community solar delivers as a default energy option. The eight other HVCP communities soon followed suit. Just as Joule solicited competitive bids from electricity suppliers on behalf of the participating municipalities, Joule issued, in March, a Request for Information (RFI) from solar project developers. The new community solar offering is expected to be available later this year.

Tom Konrad, Chairman of the Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission stated, "Marbletown is thrilled to be extending an expanding our partnership with HVCP. This partnership is a key enabler of Marbletown's groundbreaking 100% Renewable Action Plan for cost effectively transitioning Marbletown's residents, businesses, and government to 100% renewable energy through energy efficiency and electrification of buildings and transportation. We're particularly excited about the community choice solar program that will bring the cost savings of solar to everyone in Marbletown, not just those residents who can afford to put solar on our roofs. Programs like this are what make the transition to renewable energy the right thing to do for economic as well as environmental justice.

About Columbia Utilities

Columbia Utilities is a family owned and operated energy supply company offering electricity and natural gas throughout New York State. Established in Brooklyn in 1938, Columbia Utilities was created to provide fuel oil with quality service to New York City residents and businesses. Three generations later, the same family continues to own and operate the company and has expanded to offer electricity and natural gas services to 16 markets. Our personalized service, along with our knowledgeable and dependable staff, ensure you have a viable choice for your energy needs. For more information, visit www.columbiautilities.com or call (877) 726-5862. Follow Columbia Utilities on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About Hudson Valley Community Power

Formed in partnership with Joule Community Power, Hudson Valley Community Power is a community choice aggregation program comprising communities in New York's Hudson Valley. The program enables participating communities to pool local electricity demand in order to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and small businesses in effort to secure more favorable energy supply rates, protect consumers, and designate renewable generation sources. The participating communities include City of Beacon, Town of Clinton, Village of Cold Spring, Town of Fishkill, Town of Marbletown, Town of New Paltz, Village of New Paltz, Town of Philipstown, City of Poughkeepsie, and Town of Red Hook. As of July 1, 2019, the default energy supply to homes and small businesses in the participating communities is 100% renewable. To learn more, visit hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com.

About Joule Community Power

Joule Community Power (Joule) works with municipalities and local partners to empower communities and facilitate their goals of providing residents and businesses with cleaner and cheaper energy. With no upfront cost to a municipality or its residents, Joule's first-of-kind, integrated Community Power program helps municipalities and consumers (1) save money by gaining leverage to procure less expensive electricity for residents and businesses, (2) make money by creating new revenue opportunities through participation in energy markets, and (3) go green by gaining local control to opt for clean and renewable generation sources. Joule's distinctive expertise in designing and implementing new consumer-protective energy supply contracts was instrumental in the creation of New York State's first community choice aggregation (CCA) energy program. Joule is the only company in NY State offering CCA administrative services with a Public Service Commission-approved implementation plan that integrates community solar projects; and only Joule has the expertise, relationships, and experience to effectively design, implement, and manage such a program. Joule's innovative renewable energy strategy is driving new regulation and encouraging the NY State Public Service Commission to rapidly advance innovative solutions. Having created the blueprint to guide communities through a smooth and empowering decision process, Joule aims to scale its Community Power model across NY State and beyond. Joule also offers capacity tag management services to businesses wishing to reduce their electricity costs by strategically managing their energy consumption. Joule Community Power is a division of Joule Assets. To learn more, visit joulecommunitypower.com.

SOURCE Joule Community Power

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TULSA, Okla., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE) president and chief executive officer, Terry K. Spencer, announced today that he will retire on September 30, 2021, after 20 years with the company, including more than seven years as president and CEO.

Pierce H. Norton II, currently president and chief executive officer of ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE: OGS) will succeed Spencer as president and CEO of ONEOK on June 28, 2021, at which time he will also join the ONEOK Board. Spencer will remain in his current role until Norton rejoins ONEOK, at which time he will become an Advisor to Norton, allowing for a smooth leadership transition. Spencer will continue as a member of the ONEOK board of directors until his retirement.

"The Board of Directors and I would like to thank Terry for his leadership as our CEO these past seven years and his dedication to ONEOK these last two decades," said John W. Gibson, Chair of the ONEOK Board of Directors. "Under Terry's leadership, the company has experienced tremendous growth and success, even through unprecedented challenges, and is well positioned for years to come."

Spencer expressed his appreciation to ONEOK's employees for their dedication and the Board for its guidance and support. "It is the interaction with my management team, employees, directors, investors, industry associates and key stakeholders that I will miss." Congratulating Norton on his selection, Spencer stated, "I have known Pierce for the better part of four decades and worked closely with him during his prior 10 years here at ONEOK. His extensive operational and commercial expertise in the midstream business and sound business judgment will be a great asset to the company, and his proven CEO experience have prepared him for this role."

Today's announcement was the result of an ongoing succession planning process, which was led by the company's lead independent director, Julie Edwards. "Pierce's CEO experience, his familiarity with the people and culture of ONEOK, and his understanding of the natural gas and natural gas liquids business were highly valued by the Board," said Edwards. ONEOK Directors who also serve on the ONE Gas Board of Directors recused themselves from the selection of Norton.

"I want to thank Julie Edwards and the other independent directors for the work they have done in the succession process," Gibson said. "It was a challenge to navigate this process in the midst of a pandemic and with the recusal of myself and the other ONE Gas directors, but Julie led a very effective process with the same degree of diligence and professionalism that we have seen her demonstrate for years."

Gibson continued, "I have seen Pierce's leadership when he was an executive at ONEOK, watched him grow as the CEO of ONE Gas, and I'm excited to see him bring his talents and abilities back to ONEOK."

Pierce H. Norton II

Pierce H. Norton II is president and chief executive officer of ONE Gas, Inc. and serves as a member of the ONE Gas board.

Norton previously worked for ONEOK for almost 10 years having joined the company in 2004. Prior to the separation of ONE Gas in January 2014, Norton served as executive vice president, commercial, of ONEOK and ONEOK Partners.

His other roles at ONEOK included, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ONEOK and ONEOK Partners, responsible for the company's natural gas gathering and processing, natural gas pipelines, natural gas liquids, natural gas distribution and energy services business segments. Norton also held the position as president of ONEOK Distribution Companies  Oklahoma Natural Gas, Kansas Gas Service and Texas Gas Service.

Norton began his natural gas industry career in 1982 at Delhi Gas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Texas Oil and Gas Corporation. He later worked for American Oil and Gas with operational responsibilities for natural gas gathering and processing, and for intrastate and interstate pipelines. He then worked for KN Energy as vice president and general manager of the Heartland Region, before moving to Bear Paw Energy as vice president of business development. In 2002, he was named president of Bear Paw Energy, now ONEOK Rockies Midstream.

Norton is a member of the American Gas Association's ("AGA") board of directors, and served as the chairman of the AGA board in 2017. He also is a board member of the Tulsa Community Foundation and currently serves as the chair of the audit committee. Lastly, concerning current boards, Norton is a director of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice. He is a past board member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, the Texas Pipeline Association, the North Dakota Petroleum Council and the Western Alliance.

An Alabama native, Norton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1982 from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He also is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.

Terry K. Spencer

Terry Spencer has served as president, chief executive officer and director of ONEOK since January 30, 2014, when ONEOK separated its natural gas distribution business into the stand-alone publicly traded entity, ONE Gas, Inc. Spencer previously served as president and CEO of both ONEOK and ONEOK Partners until June 30, 2017 when ONEOK finalized the merger with ONEOK Partners.

Spencer joined ONEOK in 2001. Prior to his term as president and CEO, Spencer served in increasing levels of responsibility at ONEOK, including as president of ONEOK and ONEOK Partners and as a member of the ONEOK Partners board of directors. As did Norton, Spencer began his natural gas industry career at Delhi Gas Pipeline in 1982.

Spencer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering in 1981 from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

ONEOK, Inc. (pronounced ONE-OAK) (NYSE: OKE) is a leading midstream service provider and owner of one of the nation's premier natural gas liquids (NGL) systems, connecting NGL supply in the Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent and Permian regions with key market centers and an extensive network of natural gas gathering, processing, storage and transportation assets.

ONEOK is a FORTUNE 500 company and is included in S&P 500. For information about ONEOK, visit the website: www.oneok.com.

For the latest news about ONEOK, find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Some of the statements contained and incorporated in this news release are forward-looking statements as defined under federal securities laws. The forward-looking statements relate to our anticipated financial performance (including projected levels of quarterly and annual dividends), liquidity, market conditions and other matters. We make these forward-looking statements in reliance on the safe harbor protections provided under federal securities laws and other applicable laws.

Forward-looking statements include the items identified in the preceding paragraph, the information concerning possible or assumed future results of our operations and other statements contained or incorporated in this news release identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "guidance," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "project," "scheduled," "should," "will," "would" and other words and terms of similar meaning.

One should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Those factors may affect our operations, markets, products, services and prices. These and other risks are described in greater detail in Item 1A, Risk Factors, in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the other filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Any such forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, other than as required under securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or change in circumstances, expectations or otherwise.

Analyst Contact: Megan Patterson

918-561-5325 Media Contact: Brad Borror

918-588-7582

SOURCE ONEOK, Inc.

Related Links

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nalu Bio, Inc., developers of a proprietary chemical synthesis platform that produces ultra-pure, consistently performing cannabinoids, announced today that opioid addiction expert Dr. Christopher "Dino" Beckett is now an advisor to the company. Dr. Beckett, who has been on the front lines of the opioid crisis for the last decade, is nationally recognized for his expertise in combating opioid addiction. He will provide invaluable guidance to Nalu Bio on how synthetic cannabinoids can be used to achieve an opioid-sparing effect, and potentially replace opioids in the treatment of chronic pain.

Nalu Bio's chemistry cannabinoid platform has the potential to stop the opioid crisis.

The opioid epidemic in the US remains a crippling crisis, with 191 million prescriptions written to treat the 30% of Americans living with chronic pain. Many of these patients become dose tolerant, requiring more medication to achieve pain relief. The result is that 1 in 3 patients are driven to misuse opioids, resulting in 128 deaths per day.

Study findings and physician experience have shown that non-addictive CBD (cannabidiol) is an effective treatment for chronic pain, with the potential to reduce opioid misuse. However, an insurmountable barrier to realizing the full therapeutic potential of CBD has been the inability to achieve pharma-grade standards of purity and consistency in hemp-based CBD.

Randall Ussery, Co-Founder of Nalu Bio, offered his personal insight into how the inherent inconsistency of hemp-based CBD can impact patients. "My father has multiple sclerosis, and was taking a regimen of drugs to modulate his chronic pain. Looking for alternatives, we introduced CBD, and saw some really positive effects, but it was completely inconsistent. We never knew what to expect - and this was with the same product!"

Nalu Bio's synthetic CBD will eliminate purity and inconsistency issues by providing an ultra-pure CBD with uniform performance  one physicians' will be able to prescribe with confidence, and medical researchers can use to validate CBD as a therapeutic for addiction, pain management, anxiety and other indications.

Dr. Beckett agrees. "There's lots of promise with CBD. Studies have shown that it can reduce drug cravings and anxiety in patients being weaned off opioids, and I've seen that in my practice. A synthetic CBD is an outstanding breakthrough, because it assures purity and predictable dose-to-dose performance."

Matthew Roberts, CTO of Nalu Bio, explained, "Nalu Bio is committed to enabling the better treatment of major medical challenges like addiction, pain management, and mental health issues. We see our CBD as a bridge that, when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy and lifestyle support, can safely transport patients from a life of chronic suffering to one of fulfillment. Dr. Beckett's expertise and shared vision makes him a perfect partner for us in achieving that goal, and we are thrilled to have him on our team."

About Nalu Bio

At Nalu Bio , we learn from nature, and deliver through chemistry. Nalu Bio is creating a new category of cannabinoids and wellness ingredients that offer great therapeutic promise for more effective management of chronic pain and the treatment of opioid addiction, among other critical health needs. Nalu Bio's proprietary organic synthesis platform promises to set a new industry standard for purity, consistency, and quality, because it removes the risk of contamination from pesticides, heavy metals, and THC inherent in hemp-extraction. Our unique, scalable platform has the ability to keep pace with anticipated market expansion, and will reliably deliver high quality and widely-accessible cannabinoids to global retail and pharmaceutical markets.

About Dr. Christopher "Dino" Beckett

Dr. Christopher Dino Beckett, OD, is a graduate of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. He is the Founder and CEO of the Williamson Health and Wellness Center in Williamson, West Virginia, a leader in medication-assisted treatment for individuals struggling with an opioid addiction. The Center offers a full continuum of care, providing a blend of therapies and the use of safe and effective medications, to treat the entire problem of addiction, not just a piece of it. Dr. Beckett's success with a holistic, hands-on approach to addiction and pain management has made him a sought after participant on regional, state and White House panels focused on defeating opioid addiction.

SOURCE Nalu Bio, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.nalubio.com/


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: IFHI), a financial holding company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has qualified to trade on the OTCQXBest Market. Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. upgraded to OTCQX from the Pinkmarket.

Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "IFHI." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Graduating to the OTCQX Market represents an important milestone for Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. as they continue to bring future-thinking ideas and product accessibility to their clients and partners. The OTCQX Market enables financial service companies to maximize the value of being a public company by providing transparent trading and easy access to company information for shareholders. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

Eric Bergevin, President & CEO of Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc., said, "It has been our vision to systematically build out integrated financial service capabilities and assets all under one roof as we continue to grow. Joining the OTCQX market is yet another step in the right direction for our Company and not only supports our mission to increase long-term shareholder value, but also to reshape the future of the financial service industry on a broader stage."

Raymond James & Associates, Inc. acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor.

About Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc.

Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. is a financial holding company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Company changed its name from West Town Bancorp, Inc. in the third quarter of 2020. The Company is the holding company for West Town Bank & Trust, an Illinois state-chartered bank. West Town Bank & Trust provides banking services through its full-service office located in the greater Chicago area. The Company is also the parent company of: Windsor Advantage, LLC, a loan servicing company; West Town Insurance Agency, Inc., an insurance agency; Patriarch, LLC, a real estate management company; SBA Loan Documentation Services, LLC, a loan documentation origination company; and Glenwood Structured Finance, LLC, a loan broker and large loan syndication company. The Company is registered with and supervised by the Federal Reserve. West Town Bank & Trust's primary regulators are the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the FDIC.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQXBest Market, the OTCQBVenture Market and the PinkOpen Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC LinkATS 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


BOSTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Student Assistance ( ASA ), a national nonprofit focused on fostering students' understanding of post-secondary education and career pathways, announced during a virtual ceremony May 11 the "Galactic Girls," a team of middle school students from Plouffe Academy in Brockton, Mass., had won the inaugural national ASA Solve Together: Tomorrow's Leaders Tackling Today's Challenges contest. The school was awarded $10,000, and the team of students won $1,500.

ASA Solve Together is a national competition designed to encourage career exploration and skill-building for middle school students through project-based learning and teamwork. Each proposed challenge is aligned to grade-level standards so educators can incorporate them into daily learning and help students build critical foundational skills like communication, critical thinking and collaboration. Student teams select a career role -- such as the role of a government official, restaurateur, nonprofit leader, engineer, scientist, architect -- identify a challenge, develop a solution, and build and present their project.

With support from guidance counselor John MacDonald, Ph.D., the team of five seventh graders took on careers as scientists, developing comprehensive blueprints and models for hydroponic farms to sustain a colony on Mars.

Through extensive research, a visit to the Boston Science Museum, and an interview with former director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Galactic Girls designed innovative solutions that could prepare humans for life on Mars. They developed and tested a model of their hydroponics infiltration system with a paper tube and tissue paper and staged a Mars dust simulation with a box, model Mars rover, graham crackers, and a blow dryer. Learn more about their work here.

"We are fascinated with the idea that we could someday live on another planet like Mars, which is why we wanted to further investigate how we could sustain life there using solutions that are available today," said John MacDonald, guidance counselor, Plouffe Academy. "We knew taking on the role as scientists and botanists would be challenging with Mars' limited water supply, so we had to develop a creative solution through a lot of brainstorming, collaboration, teamwork, as well as insights gained from the interview that we conducted with the NASA scientist."

"Students from all backgrounds crave learning that feels relevant to their daily lives. Providing equitable access to project-based learning and career exploration opportunities is critical in enabling educators and schools to prepare students for long-term success," said ASA President and CEO Jean Eddy. "The Galactic Girls illustrated the tremendous potential that can be tapped when students are afforded critical work-based learning experiences. Our future is in good hands with these bright young women, especially if they end up pursuing careers in STEM."

The winning team was selected from 189 total submissions from 23 schools across 12 states. The submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges that included representatives from the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) and ASA. AMLE is a premier partner of ASA Solve Together.

In addition to bragging rights and the cash prize, the school will receive a trophy and a banner to acknowledge their achievement.

"We are deeply appreciative to ASA for providing our students this meaningful, hands-on, and exciting learning opportunity. I'm excited our students were able to showcase their intelligence and creativity on the national stage," said Michelle Nessralla, principal at Plouffe Academy. "American Student Assistance's Solve Together contest provided a fun and challenging opportunity for our students to apply what they've learned in the classroom and think creatively about how they can use their skills and talent to contribute to the future."

To learn more, go to asasolvetogether.org.

About American Student Assistance (ASA)

American Student Assistance (ASA) is a national nonprofit committed to helping kids know themselves, know their options, and make informed choices to achieve their education and career goals. ASA has a 60-year legacy of working directly with students to increase their access to higher education through loans and financial education. ASA has turned its experience into impactful solutions for students in grades 6-12 to help them pursue their dreams. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-us .

SOURCE American Student Assistance
The search for Nickel Sulphides is one of the most challenging for geoscientists in the mineral exploration industry. For this reason, investors, in general, find it hard to comprehend what is required to make a discovery.

Many investors feel that ( ) is making "slow progress" as they have not made a discovery. In this episode of Coffee with Samso, Brad Underwood, Chairman and Managing Director of the company share with us the methodical manner in which they are going about the business of locating the "Holy Grail", otherwise known as a Nickel Sulphide ore body.

Brad outlines how the company is doing things in a step-by-step way to vector their drilling on the best case target. This is one of the most comprehensive episodes on understanding the process of nickel exploration. Here are some topics that Brad shared with us:

How magnetic surveys work and the information it gives explorers The use of gravity and electromagnetic surveys The science behind all these geophysical surveys

In this episode, Brad also shares with us the thinking and the science behind the new Palladium target in Norseman.

Watch the interview: Coffee with Episode 87

The historical data in Norseman has shown that there is a potential PGE mineralisation existing in the current project.

The share price of the company has taken a rough ride but looking at the eagerness to punt prior to drilling programs tells me that there are a lot of believers out there. Galileo has quality management and that is always going to be useful in good or bad times.

PODCAST

About Galileo Mining Limited ( )

Galileo Mining is a resources company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the code GAL and is exploring for base metals in south-east Western Australia. The company has 100% ownership of its Norseman Project and has Joint Ventures with the Creasy Group over highly prospective tenements in the Fraser Range.

The Norseman Project is located adjacent to the regional town of Norseman in an infrastructure-rich area of Western Australia. A bitumen highway runs parallel to the project area and is less than 10km from the Companys current JORC cobalt-nickel resources. The Norseman Project includes numerous areas with potential for further cobalt discoveries as well as additional nickel and copper prospects.

The Fraser Range Project covers two zones of the extensive Fraser Range geological belt. The Fraser Range is known for the world-class Nova nickel-copper-cobalt mine discovered by Sirius Resources in 2012. Galileos northern Fraser Range tenement is 80km from the operating Nova mine while the southern tenements are just 30km from the mine.

Galileo is targeting Nova style nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation in the Fraser Range and has a deep level of experience in the region.

The company was originally privately owned by renowned prospector Mr. Mark Creasy, and Galileo Managing Director Mr. Brad Underwood spent eight years as General Manager of the Creasy Groups exploration at the Fraser Range and Norseman.

Galileo Mining listed on the ASX in May 2018, raising $15 million in IPO funding.

Mr. Creasy continues to be the largest shareholder, controlling approximately 31 percent of the company. ASX-listed miner Independence Group (ASX: IGO) and Mineral Resources founder Chris Ellison are included within the Companys top five largest shareholders.

Galileo Key Milestones:

2003  Registered as a private company wholly owned by Mark Creasy

2004  Acquired the Norseman project

2006  Initial drilling conducted at Norseman

2017  Maiden JORC Resource completed at Norseman

2018  Acquired interest in the Fraser Range project

2018  Launched on the ASX as a public company

It has been nearly two months since I last spoke with Mr. Underwood, Managing Director of Galileo Mining Limited. Click on the podcast below for an update on nickel exploration. The science and techniques of nickel exploration process are easy but there are potential issues. As we speak, the company is undergoing its first diamond drilling program at its Fraser Range Nickel Belt in Western Australia.

About Brad Underwood

Brad Underwood is the Chairman and Managing Director of Galileo Mining. Mr. Underwood is a geologist with over 18 years of experience in exploration, prospecting and mining. He has been involved in copper, gold, nickel and cobalt discoveries and the development of numerous prospects over a variety of commodities.

Please let Samso know your thoughts and send any comments to info@Samso.com.au. Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel, Samso Media and the mail list to stay informed and make comments where appropriate. Other than that, also feel free to provide a Review on Google.

For further information about Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talks visit: www.samso.com.au

About Samso

Samso is a renowned resource among the investment community for keen market analysis and insights into the companies and business trends that matter.

Investors seek out Samso for knowledgeable evaluations of current industry developments across a variety of business sectors and considered forecasts of future performances.

With a compelling format of relaxed online video interviews, Samso provides clear answers to questions they may not have the opportunity to ask and lays out the big picture to help them complete their investment research.

And in doing so, Samso also enables companies featured in interviews to build valuable engagement with their investment communities and customers.

Headed by industry veteran Noel Ong and based in Perth, Western Australia, Samsos Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talk interviews both feature friendly conversations with business figures that give insights into Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, related concepts and industry trends.

Noel Ong is a geologist with nearly 30 years of industry experience and a strong background in capital markets, corporate finance and the mineral resource sector. He was founder and managing director of ASX-listed company Siburan Resources Limited from 2009-2017 and has also been involved in several other ASX listings, providing advice, procuring projects and helping to raise capital.

He brings all this experience and expertise to the Samso interviews, where his engaging conversation style creates a relaxed dialogue, revealing insights that can pique investor interest.

Noel Ong travels across Australia to record the interviews, only requiring a coffee shop environment where they can be set up. The interviews are posted on Samsos website and podcasts, YouTube and other relevant online environments where they can be shared among investment communities.

Samso also has a track record of developing successful business concepts in the Australasia region and provides bespoke research and counsel to businesses seeking to raise capital and procuring projects for ASX listings.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is the writers personal opinion and is provided for information only and is not intended to or nor will it create/induce the creation of any binding legal relations. Read full disclaimer.
RC Hill Mitsubishi-DeLand, which opened in 2003, received high marks for its customer relations practices, in-store concierge services and online vehicle shopping options, including ClickShop, MMNA's 24-hour new car online showroom , and vehicle service and maintenance experience for new and returning customers.

RC Hill also operates a second location in Ocala, Florida  a testament to the success and dedication of the entire RC Hill Mitsubishi team and its commitment to the growth of the Mitsubishi brand in the region.

"We are proud to recognize dealers who are redefining the Mitsubishi customer experience and congratulate the RC Hill MitsubishiDeLand team for their excellence in representing the Mitsubishi Motors brand," said Mark Chaffin, COO, MMNA. "In a year when we have much to be excited about, including the launch of the all-new 2022 Outlander and redesigned 2022 Eclipse Cross, RC Hill MitsubishiDeLand's effort to provide a high-quality customer experience raises the bar for our entire dealer network."

The new National Customer Experience Award combines Customer Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) and Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) program scores. Previously, Mitsubishi awarded two separate honors for SSI and CSI, and for the past two years, RC Hill MitsubishiDeLand took home the award for highest CSI scores. The dealership will officially be presented with the inaugural award later this month.

"RC Hill Mitsubishi is dedicated to providing unmatched customer service. It is an honor to be recognized by Mitsubishi Motors for the hard work of our entire team," said RC Hill, dealer principal, RC Hill MitsubishiDeLand. "We are excited to welcome a new generation of Mitsubishi products to our showroom floor and to deliver the first-class customer experience RC Hill Mitsubishi is known for to a new generation of customers."

RC Hill Mitsubishi-DeLand is located at 1960 S Woodland Blvd, DeLand, FL 32720, and can be reached by phone at (386) 736-3638, or online at www.rchillmitsubishi.com.

For more on Mitsubishi Motors and its U.S. dealer network, please visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. MMNA was the top-ranked Japanese brand in the J.D. Power 2020 Initial Quality study, ranking sixth overall and experiencing the greatest year-over-year improvement of any brand.

With headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, and corporate operations in California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Florida and Virginia, MMNA directly and indirectly employs more than 8,000 people across the United States.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at 615-257-2698 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

Contacts

Jeremy Barnes

Senior Director, Communications and Events

[email protected]

Mobile: 714-296-1402

Lauren Ryan

Manager, Communications and Events

[email protected]

Mobile: 404-862-8286

SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
"What we are seeing as therapists is significantly more depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and addiction," said national family expert Patricia Caldwell, MFT LPC CAADC CCDP-D CCTP, who serves as Vice President of Family and Clinical programming at King of Prussia -based Recovery Centers of America, a national network of evidence-based treatment centers for SUD and co-occurring mental health conditions. "Simultaneously it is extremely difficult to find a therapist as there is a nationwide shortage. "

To help support individuals, families, and communities with mental health and addiction issues both during and in the aftermath of the pandemic, RCA has launched a full spectrum of weekly mental health and addiction educational seminars to help support, connect, and educate families and the community about these issues at no charge. Created originally to help those in acute need including RCA patient families in six states, the programming now offers continuous information needed by the community at large to help build solutions to the nationwide mental health crisis, one family at a time.

Community members are encouraged to join these inspiring and informative webinars, filled with empowering speakers sharing their stories of hope, connection and tools for coping.

Virtual classes and seminars designed by Caldwell, a national speaker on addiction and mental health, are now offered to anyone in the community who is interested, free of charge, to assist struggling individuals and families. The webinars feature different topics each week by Caldwell and top experts in the mental health and substance use disorder field such as: "The disease model of addiction," "How to set up boundaries with a loved one in recovery," "Understanding ADHD," and "How complex PTSD affects individuals."

"We are opening our doors to everyone who wishes to participate," said Caldwell. "Because of the great need for mental health education in our communities, we wanted to have a larger conversation with families and individuals about mental health and substance use disorder. By reducing stigma through education and providing knowledge and tools to people, we hope to assist family members in addressing these issues and help prevent crisis in our communities."

RCA's successful Seeds to Recovery family program, for those whose loved ones have an addiction or are in recovery, as well as other special programming for first responder families, called Badges to Recovery, are among the virtual programs being offered to the community on some Thursdays and Saturdays. RCA also hostswebinars on the important topic of Medication Assisted Therapy facilitated by RCA medical directors and the VP of Family and Clinical programming.

The social distancing and isolation demanded by the pandemic has been especially difficult for young adults. According to the Center for Disease Control , the majority of adults with substance use disorders started using substances during their teen and young adult years and also experience higher rates of physical and mental illnesses, diminished overall health and well-being, and potential progression to addiction. Accordingly, some RCA programming accessible to all in the community focuses exclusively on the young adult age group who have been disparately impacted by mental health issues and addiction while challenged simultaneously with a nationwide shortage of therapists.

"The decline in mental health among young adults during the pandemic is in part due to blocked social development caused by isolation. At that age, peer relationships become a priority and provide outlets for emotional dialogue. However, the pandemic stripped these young people of the ability to socialize in a way that is needed for brain development by curtailing social outings and in person interaction. Inherently this caused more young adults to withhold how they feel because of the absence of their peers who would normally be there."

Families can tune into special panel discussion events featured by RCA throughout the year, such as "Mental Health Awareness in Light of the Pandemic  Ways to Address Anxiety and Depression for You and Your Family," ( 5/26 at 5:30 E.T.) and other topics relevant to mental health. Registration link here.

For those already in recovery from an SUD, dozens of monthly events and programs centered around sobriety and social engagement, both live and virtual, are also offered by RCA to assist both graduates of RCA treatment called Alumni and others in recovery who wish to participate.

Continuing education courses for professionals in the treatment industry through the RCA Academy for Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals are accessible at no charge several times a month. Last year, RCA Academy had 9,165 attendees for a wide variety of certified RCA classes. This year, so far, over 5000 total attendees have participated in RCA Academy continuing education classes on a plethora of relevant topics.

"We are committed to being a part of the community solution in the fight against addiction and mental health issues play a large part in substance use disorders. This past year has been difficult for so many families and community members because of isolation, unemployment rates, and anxiety associated with the pandemic. RCA wants people to know that they are not alone, that communities and families are stronger when they are united, and RCA is pleased to offer access to important information and help at no cost to individuals, families, and substance use disorder professionals in addition to our RCA alumni." said Caldwell.

For information on programming, please see links above and for media interviews, please contact [email protected].

About Recovery Centers of America

Recovery Centers of America (1-800-Recovery) is based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and provides evidence-based addiction care at 10 inpatient treatment centers, 8 outpatient facilities, and 5 opioid treatment programs spanning Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Chicagoland. Four RCA substance use disorder treatment facilities were recently named as 2020 best U.S. treatment facilities that focus on addiction by a leading national statistics firm and media outlet. RCA has also pioneered a successful comprehensive telehealth addiction treatment program to expand services to patients. For media interviews, contact [email protected] .

SOURCE Recovery Centers of America

Related Links

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STILWELL, Okla., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Redbird Bioscience, a licensed medical cannabis operator that produces pharmaceutical-grade products for patients, today announced that the Company has entered into a licensing agreement with legendary performer Jim Belushi and his Oregon-based cannabis company, Belushi's Farm, to debut its products in Oklahoma. Products will be available for medical license holders at select Redbird locations across the state starting this week.

This is the first time Belushi's Farm's branded products will be offered in Oklahoma through its collaboration with Redbird.

Blues Brothers Baby Blues: 0.25 gram baby pre-rolls, 6 per pack

Blues Brothers Flip Top and Fly: 0.7 gram pre-rolls, 5 per pack

Blues Brothers Rocket 88: 1 gram pre-roll, 1 per tube

"RedBird and Belushi's Farm share a similar mission to provide superior cannabis products to patients as well as a compassionate approach to educating and treating patients with alternatives to highly addictive pharmaceuticals," said Bill Thurman, Redbird Founder. "RedBird will grow Belushi's Farm products using RedBird premium, lovingly-crafted flower in Redbird's most popular strains as well as Jim's favorite strains."

"Cannabis is care  a pathway to healing  and we're excited to work along with Redbird on the quality and consistency we appreciate and they are so skilled at producing," said Jim Belushi. "They're passionate farmers with some of the best flower anywhere in the U.S. As our great cannabis community grows, we're on this 'Mission from God' together, and the Redbird spirit rises."

To find nearest location offering Belushi's Farm products visit here.

RedBird's distribution arm is one of the only operators in Oklahoma that has the ability to grow, process and distribute RedBird products as well as other processors products. Redbird Bioscience's specially selected genetics and extensive product line is designed to treat an array of medical conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety, sleep disorders and numerous other clinical indications.

About Redbird Bioscience

Redbird Bioscience is a licensed Oklahoma medical marijuana operator with an emphasis on large-scale cultivation and processing as the cornerstone of building out distribution and brands in the legal cannabis industry. The company provides cultivation, extraction and processing to provide pharmaceutical grade cannabis in the state of Oklahoma, which is accessible to patients in neighboring states. For more information, please visit: www.redbirdmmj.com.

About Belushi's Farm

What began as a meager 48 plants during Oregon's medical marijuana program in 2015, today Belushi's Farm encompasses a sprawling and spiritual 93 acres along the Rogue River, playing home to a range of offeringsfrom Belushi's Secret Stash, to The Blues Brothers, to Captain Jack's Gulzar Afghanica (a rare strain from the Hindu Kush region that became known in the '70s as "The Smell of SNL"), and GROWING BELUSHI on The Discovery Channel. Having suffered the loss of his brother John to an overdose, and his own journey learning and healing through cultivating cannabis, the farm's proprietor, performer Jim Belushi, is a proponent of the plant's beneficial properties across a spectrum of uses. From enhancing joy and quality of life, mitigating trauma and managing pain, to a harm reduction approach and rebuttal of the opioid abuse epidemic, Jim advocates for patient rights and adult-use legalization while empowering newcomers to access the profound spiritual and healing powers of quality cannabis. For more information, please visit: www.belushisfarm.com.

SOURCE Redbird Bioscience
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation has partnered with award-winning actor, best-selling author, and former US presidential appointee Hill Harper for the launch of North America's first Black-owned Digital Wallet and financial capacity-building technology: The Black Wall Street.

Harper and The Black Wall Street are hosting a financial literacy campaign and bus tour, "The Digital Financial Revolution," which commemorates the 1921 massacre of Blacks in Tulsa, Okla. and the destruction of Black Wall Street by reclaiming the name for community empowerment.

The 33-market charitable tour kicked off in Los Angeles and will culminate with centennial activities in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Okla. on May 31, and June 1, 2021.

The Nashville stop is a hybrid rally to be held at the R.H. Boyd corporate office on May 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Registration is required to attend either in person or online.

"The need is vast for financial literacy in our community. As the wealth gap widens, our people are left behind continually and the only way to change that is through education, empowerment, and action," said Dr. LaDonna Boyd, president/CEO. "As R.H. Boyd celebrates our 125th anniversary, our commitment is to hold true to these principles for the next 125 years."

Another component of R.H. Boyd's commitment to education and empowerment is the 2021 Vision Conference, a premier leadership event offering resources that are crucial to our communitiesincluding financial literacy, business advice/mentorship, youth engagement, women's empowerment, and continuing education credits through access to the urban leadership program Seminary Now at Northern Seminary.

The conference will take place June 16-18, 2021, in conjunction with the 115th annual session of the National Baptist Congress. The conference theme, "Reset, Renew, and Rebuild" (1 Peter 5:10) focuses squarely on empowerment principles.

R.H. Boyd Publishing and the National Baptist Congress, a consortium of churches and organizations focused on Christian education and leadership, birthed the Vision Conference in 2020 to meet the needs of today's believers.

Conference sponsorship opportunities are available to support the R.H. Boyd Company and the R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund, both 501(c)(3) organizations. This endowment invests resources in churches, organizations, and deserving students to achieve goals for the betterment of their communities.

Free registration for The Black Wall Street rally is available at rhboyd.com/pages/black-wall-street. Follow us on Instagram @rhboydco for periodic updates. To register for the free Vision Conference or learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit visionconference.org and follow us on Instagram @visionconference_official.

Contact: Emmanuel LeGrair, [email protected]

SOURCE R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Related Links

https://rhboyd.com/


FREDERICKSBURG, Texas, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cable Car Wine Tours, owners of the largest private fleet of San Francisco Cable Cars, is bringing their famous Cable Car Wine Tours to Texas. The world-famous open-air cable cars have been the best way to see wine country for many years and now Texans will be able to experience that famous ride in Fredericksburg, TX. Historic and replica San Francisco cable cars make up the fleet, with many having been taken straight off their rails and converted over to gas powered vehicles.

Texas Vehicle

Cable Car Wine Tours will operate shared group tours 7 days a week in Fredericksburg, where guests can purchase tickets for an all-inclusive day that includes a ride on one of their cable cars, wine tastings, and lunch. They are also available to book for private tours or special events like bachelorette parties, weddings, or corporate outings for anyone looking for a private experience or to customize their stops and duration.

In addition to their wine tours, they have partnered with the #1 ghost tour in America according to USA Today in 2020, Nightly Spirits, to offer haunted tours in the evenings around Fredericksburg. These tours include beer flights and a hop on/off style ghost tour around Fredericksburg, where you will hear spooky stories and see haunted buildings. During Halloween season, they even bring out their famous haunted Cable Car #10 that has its own murderous past in San Francisco.

Ryan Trenkle, Wine Tour Director, "It's pretty exciting to bring our world class experiences to Fredericksburg and we think that Texans will be excited to ride in something that isn't just another limo bus, but in a type of vehicle that they can really see Hill Country. Nothing beats clear open views facing out towards the wineries when hearing about the history and experiencing the best wineries in Texas."

About Cable Car Wine Tours: Founded in 2006 in Temecula, CA, Cable Car Wine Tours is now a division of the Eat Drink Scare Tour Co., owners of Nightly Spirits and Cable Car Wine Tours, with Headquarters in Fredericksburg, TX. Cable Car Wine Tours operates tours in California and Texas, which tour tens of thousands of people a year through different wine regions.

To Learn More: Visit https://texaswine.tours or call 830-999-7099

Media Contact: [email protected]

Related Images

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Tours

Texas Vehicle

SOURCE Cable Car Wine Tours
TORONTO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UTU.ONE, the blockchain-powered social app built to redefine social, is pleased to announce that fitness mom and model Sarah Stage is set to join the social platform as a key influencer in preparation for the social app launch.

Recognized as an international fitness model, Sarah is one of the most sought-after talents in the modeling world, collaborating with well-known brands such as Buffalo, Guess Jeans, Kohl's, Jockey Underwear and Puma. She has also appeared in commercials for Kia, Budweiser and Samsung. A certified trainer and influencer, Stage continues to escalate her career while balancing her new life as a mom by developing fitness classes for her millions of social media followers.

By joining UTU.ONE, Stage will continue to expand that social reach through her own DAC (Decentralized Autonomous Community) designed and made exclusively available on the UTU.ONE social app, a platform where the value of social is returned to users, and the value of creative content is shared between the creator and the supporters. "I'm excited to be a part of UTU and look forward to sharing more fitness and lifestyle content with my most dedicated fan-base," shares Stage.

Designed with user-friendliness, UTU.ONE is the next generation social media platform for real people and offers unique features such as: facial recognition sign-up and reward tokens designed to benefit UTU.ONE members for interacting with the platform and other members. Users can begin preregistering now through the following link:

UTU beta sign-up link: utu.one/request-beta-access

The company has made a total commitment to privacy, security and transparency by making a significant investment in the EOSIO blockchain to develop a platform that is scalable, reliable, eco-friendly and most of all, secure. This is the UTU commitment that our User-to-User community (UTU) can expect from UTU.ONE. We would like to remind everyone the value of privacy and real connections. Together we will create amazing user experiences designed to redefine social values for the benefit of everyone. We look forward to welcoming you to UTU.ONE - Gordon Weiske, VP of PR and Marketing.

For all media inquiries, contact: [email protected]

About UTU.ONE - The company originated in Australia and Canada with a group of experts in Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, with business executives from IBM, Alibaba, Apple, and Deakin University's Blockchain Innovation Lab. The company developed the world's first DAC app for iOS and Android on EOSIO and many other blockchain business solutions and decentralized applications. In 2020, UTU.ONE made the strategic decision to establish its HQ in Toronto, Canada, to further the company's business expansions worldwide.

Information on the company can be found at: www.utu.one.

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Sarah Stage and UTU.ONE

SOURCE UTU.ONE
OREM, Utah, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityMetrics has won the following awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the cybersecurity industry's leading electronic information security magazine:

Most Innovative in Security Team of the Year(Threat Intelligence Center)

Most Innovative in Vulnerability Assessment, Remediation and Management

"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 Matt "Heff" Hefflefinger, Director of SIEM Operations at SecurityMetrics.

"SecurityMetrics 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.

See a complete list of winners here.

Please join us virtually on demand at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2021 here: https://www.rsaconference.com/usa .

Press Contact: Meagan Elguera at 801-372-1705 or [email protected]

About SecurityMetrics

SecurityMetrics helps customers close data security and compliance gaps to avoid data breaches. They provide managed data security services and are certified to help customers achieve the highest data security and compliance standards.

As an Approved Scanning Vendor, Qualified Security Assessor, Certified Forensic Investigator, and Managed Security provider SecurityMetrics guides organizations through data security testing and compliance mandates (PCI, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST). With over 21 years of forensic investigations, penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and compliance audits, SecurityMetrics has tested over 1 million systems for vulnerabilities. The privately held company is headquartered in Orem, Utah where it maintains a Security Operations Center (SOC) and 24/7 multilingual technical support.

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.

CDM Media Inquiries:

Contact: April Palanca, Director of Marketing

Email: [email protected]

Toll Free (USA): 1-833-844-9468

International: 1-646-586-9545

Website: www.cyberdefensemagazine.com

SOURCE SecurityMetrics

Related Links

http://www.securitymetrics.com


ST. PAUL, Minn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Senserva, LLC, a leading Cloud Security provider that delivers Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) with enhanced visibility into Role and Privilege Governance, today announced it has joined the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), an ecosystem of independent software vendors and managed security service providers that have integrated their solutions with Microsoft to better defend against security threats.

Senserva joins Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA)

The integration delivers alerts, risks, and remediation information to Microsoft Azure Sentinel from Senserva's patent pending technology, which automates security by identifying and recommending optimal risk-based remediation to enable fixing the highest impact objects first. Through machine intelligence, Senserva's Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) platform provides continuous cloud security, enabling rapid detection and remediation of risks, vulnerabilities, and adherence to compliance.

"Senserva is delighted that it was invited to join the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA)," says Mark Shavlik, Senserva CEO. "This is a win-win situation of bringing together members of the community and peers to enhance our customers' protection against the expanding attack surface."

"Members of MISA, like Senserva, offer solutions that extend Microsoft security to quickly identify and remediate security incidents before they cause business impact," said Eric Burkholder, PM, Technology Partnerships, Azure Sentinel at Microsoft Corp. "The integration of Microsoft Sentinel with the Senserva's award-winning Cloud Management Solutions allows us to work together to enhance customers' security posture with less complexity."

About Senserva

Senserva, a Globee named Startup of the Year in Security Cloud/SaaS Management, provides Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) that automates the process of empowering enterprises to reduce data breaches, escalation of privileges and configuration drift through continuous identification and prioritization of risks. Unlike other solutions, Senserva's patent pending technology and industry experience led by Microsoft expert Mark Shavlik allows customers to identify cloud risks in less time with reduced complexity.

For additional information, please visit us at https://www.senserva.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact: Jeff Kushner, [email protected], 281-467-5877

SOURCE Senserva, LLC.

Related Links

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NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating MMA Capital Holdings, Inc. ("MMAC" or the "Company") (MMAC) relating to its proposed acquisition by an affiliate of Fundamental Advisors LP. Under the terms of the agreement, MMAC shareholders will receive $27.77 in cash per share they own.

The investigation focuses on whether MMA Capital Holdings, Inc. and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/mma-capital-holdings-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, over the years the firm has recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you owned common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

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KINGMAN, Ariz., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge International, part of the University of Cambridge and the world's largest provider of international education programs, announced that 64 high school students from Arizona will receive Cambridge Scholar Awards. The Cambridge Scholar Awards celebrate high school students who have shown exemplary achievement on Cambridge International exams (IGCSE and Advanced). Cambridge International serves schools across 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as schools in over 160 countries.

Cambridge International places students at the center of their education programs. Students studying Cambridge programs develop the higher order thinking skills needed for success in higher education. These include problem solving, critical thinking, independent research, and collaboration. Students in Arizona who demonstrate college readiness on Cambridge exams can also earn the Grand Canyon Diploma.

In addition to demonstrating their hard work, knowledge, and skills, Cambridge exam results are important to students because they can provide opportunities to earn college credit and scholarships. More than 850 U.S. colleges and universities recognize Cambridge courses and examinations, including Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University (NAU), Mesa Community College, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, to name a few in Arizona. Other institutions throughout the U.S. such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Duke University, New York University, University of Virginia and University of Washington, also recognize Cambridge exams for credit and placement. Cambridge students can also use their exam results to gain places at leading universities around the world.

"We congratulate all of our students on their exceptional level of achievement this year. Cambridge International is an international education standard for our students," Margaret Stevenson Smith, M.Ed., Cambridge Coordinator at Kingman Unified School District. "When our students take on the learning opportunities of our Cambridge courses, and receive those exams scores, they gain confidence when they can reflect on their own learning. We are proud to offer the Cambridge program as a learning opportunity at Kingman Unified School District. Our families can be confident that students are getting a world-class educational experience."

"Even in the most challenging of times, student achievement remains high in Arizona. We are confident that the Cambridge curriculum has prepared Arizona students for success," said Mark Cavone, Cambridge International Regional Director, North America. "The Cambridge curriculum challenges and engages students across achievement levels and we are pleased to see Arizona students having the opportunity to develop their skills. Congratulations to all the students on their success, and to their teachers and families who supported them."

Each year, nearly 1 million students study in Cambridge programs worldwide, making more than 2 million exam entries. First introduced in the U.S. in 1995, the Cambridge International program has grown rapidly in popularity. Over the past decade, Cambridge Advanced exams in the U.S. have grown by over 200%. More Cambridge Advanced coursework and exams are now taken in the US than in any other country.

About Cambridge International

Cambridge International prepares school students for life, helping them develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. We are part of Cambridge Assessment, a department of the University of Cambridge. Our international qualifications are recognized by the world's best universities and employers, giving students a wide range of options in their education and career. As a not-for-profit organization, we devote our resources to delivering high-quality educational programs that can unlock learners' potential.

SOURCE Cambridge International
The Kooline Project area is under-explored and covers an almost 50-kilometre strike corridor linking the historical, high-grade, lead-silver workings of the Kooline mining centre (over 30 mines), as well as other lead-silver, copper-gold and gold only workings and historical mines.

The company has also secured $150,000 co-funding for drilling from the WA Government.

's ( ) (FRA:GBL) re-processing and interpretation of geophysical data has identified the potential for a large intrusive related silver-lead to copper-gold system immediately along strike from its very-high grade Kooline Silver-Lead-Copper Project in Western Australia.

The tenements include the previously mined high-grade lead-silver +/- copper lodes of the Kooline Mineral Field where previous rock chip sampling of exposed lode structures produced grades of up to 55.3% lead and 249 g/t silver from the Bilrose workings and up to 2.62% copper and 12% lead from the Phar Lap workings.

Previous channel sampling of the Kooline lead-silver workings produced very high-grade silver-lead grades with increasing copper grades to the west.

These results include:

36 g/t silver, 30.9% lead and 1.23% copper (Rainbow);

249 g/t silver and 55.3% lead (Bilrose);

170 g/t silver, 48.1% lead and 0.93% copper (June Audrey);

232 g/t silver, 79.3% lead and 0.13% copper (June Audrey); and

78 g/t silver, 12% lead and 2.62% copper (Phar Lap  western side of field).

Testing exciting new target area

Notably, the company has been granted $150,000 of drilling co-funding by the WA Government to drill-test this key copper-gold target below/along strike from the Kooline lodes.

Surefire managing director Vladimir Nikolaenko said: Through re-processing and interpretation of geophysical data the company has identified potential for a major silver-lead and copper-gold system at Kooline.

A series of deep drill holes have been planned to test this exciting new target area, to be co-funded by the WA Government through the EIS program.

We have also identified potential for high-grade gold similar to the one-million-ounce Paulsens deposit, and we will look to advance these targets in parallel with testing the major base and precious potential identified.

VTEM depth slice at Kooline Silver-Lead Field showing mineralised trends and key target area.

VTEM conductors identified

Data from a previous Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetics (VTEM) survey has been reprocessed and interpreted, highlighting a large intrusive body and a series of VTEM conductors along strike to the west of the Kooline Mineral Field.

The VTEM conductors are on the south-eastern side of the interpreted intrusive body, possibly representing a heat and potential mineralised magmatic fluid source for an intrusive related intracratonic magmatic copper-gold or IMCG system.

High-grade lead-silver lodes at Kooline are interpreted to represent the distal (cooler) zone of this IMCG mineralised system that shows increasing copper content in workings on the western side of the mineral field, projecting into an area of cover closer to the intrusive.

The VTEM conductors between the intrusive and the Kooline workings may indicate copper-gold mineralisation close to the intrusive, representing a key target for the discovery of a major copper-gold system.

Exploration incentive scheme

The key target area includes VTEM conductors within a 2x2 kilometre area, that correspond with an area of deep erosion/transported cover immediately along strike from the silver-lead workings.

This area is essentially untested and a series of deep pre-collared diamond drill holes have been planned and approved by the WA Government for Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) co-funding of up to $150,000 direct drilling costs.

The drilling will target both high-grade extensions of the silver-lead lode structures as well as copper-gold mineralisation closer to the interpreted intrusive.

Regional 1st Vertical Derivative (1VD) magnetics with interpreted structures and prospect locations.

Previous rock chip results

In addition to the major VTEM targets, interpretation of detailed aeromagnetics has identified extensions to major crustal scale fault structures  including the Baring Downs Fault, that continue into the northern end of the Kooline tenements.

Interpreted splays from this major structural corridor are associated with a key gold corridor, where previous rockchip results from sub-cropping quartz veins of up to 38 g/t Au have been located.

These veins project into an area of untested cover, representing a key target corridor for high-grade orogenic gold of the Paulsens style.

Evidence of high-grade veining projecting into covered, untested, areas will be targeted by aircore drilling currently being planned.
GREENVILLE, S.C., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX), a leading provider of distribution, systems design and integration services for the technology industry, and SYNNEX Canada Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SYNNEX, announced today they were each honored as Aruba's 2021 Distributors of the Year for the US and Canada. The annual Top Channel Partner awards recognize the achievements of the leading Americas channel partners and distributors for Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, in the area of sales, expertise in delivering Aruba solutions and commitment to customer service.

"We are honored to receive this award from Aruba, a strategic partner in our network and security business," said Steven Flynn, Vice President, Product Management, SYNNEX. "This award is a testament to our joint teams' strong collaboration, commitment and performance within the channel. Together, we can help our partners deploy comprehensive, secure and reliable networks for businesses small and large."

SYNNEX has the largest dedicated support team in the channel, earning recognition for strong growth in the SMB market, leading market share, and maintaining its position as a distributor for Silver Peak. SYNNEX Canada was also recognized by Aruba for its outstanding performance in 2020, including significant growth in WLAN, Instant On, and Silver Peak; leading market share position; and an increase in Business & Proximity business partners. The awards were presented at Aruba's Atmosphere '21 Partner Forum event.

"As workplaces become more mobile and organizations demand more of their network, we remain dedicated to helping our partners deliver innovative solutions to their customers," said Mitchell Martin, President, SYNNEX Canada. "Our longstanding relationship with Aruba allows us to collectively help our partners grow and provide exceptional customer service through value-added services."

"Aruba's annual awards program is a chance to celebrate the achievements of our world-class partners, who are quite simply, the best in the business," said Jim Harold, Vice President of North America channels for Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. "As organizations contend with the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting 'work from anywhere' normal, and as they make progress with their digital transformation and see an ever-increasing amount of IoT devices connecting to their networks, they need not just access to innovative, industry-leading intelligent edge solutions, but also to partners that understand their unique business and technology challenges and who are committed to solving them. We congratulate SYNNEX for being named a 2021 Top Channel Partner and thank them for their dedication to their customers' success."

To learn more about SYNNEX Corporation, visit synnex.com.

About SYNNEX Corporation

SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX) is a Fortune 200 corporation and a leading provider of a comprehensive range of distribution, systems design and integration services for the technology industry to a wide range of enterprises. Founded in 1980, SYNNEX Corporation operates in numerous countries throughout North and South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Additional information about SYNNEX may be found online at synnex.com.

About SYNNEX Canada Limited

SYNNEX Canada Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX), is a leading distributor of technology products to resellers and system builders across Canada. Committed to driving growth and profitability for its resellers and vendor partners, SYNNEX Canada offers great product selection at competitive prices and supports customers with dedicated sales resources, unique financial services, expert technical support, progressive e-business tools and fast and accurate delivery with warehouses in key cities. For more information, visit synnex.ca.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking, such as features and capabilities of products and services, security product offering expansion, technology trends, and general success of collaborations, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to be materially different from any future performance that may be suggested in this release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release.

Copyright 2021 SYNNEX Corporation. All rights reserved. SYNNEX, the SYNNEX Logo, and all other SYNNEX company, product and services names and slogans are trademarks or registered trademarks of SYNNEX Corporation. SYNNEX, the SYNNEX Logo, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. Other names and marks are the property of their respective owners.

SNX-G

Media Contact :

Bill Fox

Hughes Agency

For SYNNEX Corporation

(864) 271-0718

[email protected]

SOURCE SYNNEX Corporation

Related Links

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TORONTO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Tegria, a healthcare technology and consulting company founded by Providence in the United States, officially launched as Tegria Canada today on the eve of the 2021 eHealth Canada Conference. A platinum-level sponsor of the event, Tegria Canada also announced the appointment of Steven Wilson as its CEO and Managing Director.

Steven Wilson, CEO & Managing Director, Tegria Canada (CNW Group/Tegria Canada)

Wilson has held leadership roles at TELUS, Canada Life, Info-Tech Research Group, and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. He brings a strong track record of success in business and technology strategy across a broad range of industries that include pharmaceutical, banking, insurance, and the public sector.

"Tegria has been serving clients in Canada since 2013, through several of its offices in the US. Now, Tegria has positioned itself to make significant long-term commitments here by investing in a direct presence in Canada," said Wilson. "Our mission is to improve the health of all of our communities and transform the business of healthcare through our innovative strategies, technologies, education, and services."

"We're a 100 percent healthcare innovation firm," continued Wilson. "We don't just apply industry best practices or the latest technology that may not translate into day-to-day healthcare operations. Instead, we take the principles of best practices and technology advances, and apply them locally with our clients to address their unique healthcare challenges."

Tegria Canada strives to become the partner of choice for governments and healthcare organizations working to transform their healthcare strategies and delivery capabilities, as well as the patient and family experience. They are committed to building a more integrated and tech-enabled healthcare ecosystem with comprehensive, sustainable solutions that modernize and simplify healthcare delivery now and into the future.

Tegria Canada's immediate plan is to continue to build its footprint of locations as well as a growing bench of expertise to support its Canadian clients and work alongside its diverse US teams.

To learn more, visit tegria.ca or follow us on LinkedIn, @Tegria-Canada and Twitter, @TegriaCA.

About Tegria Canada

Tegria Canada helps healthcare organizations of all sizes accelerate technological, clinical, and operational advances that enable people to live their healthiest lives through a unique patient-centered care approach that is evidence-based, informed by data, powered by technology, and rooted in healthcare.

With locations in Vancouver and Toronto and teams throughout Canada and the United States, Tegria has more than 3,000 strategists, technologists, healthcare service providers, and scientists dedicated to delivering value for healthcare providers and their clients. Founded by Providence, Tegria is committed to creating health for a better world. To learn more, visit tegria.ca.

SOURCE Tegria Canada
LA JOLLA, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of the Americas will convene a two half-day, virtual forum June 2-3, 2021 to examine Central America's Northern Triangle region's (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) challenges and opportunities. Admission is free but registration is required.

Central America's Northern Triangle countries are experiencing a historic diaspora to the southern border of the United States and to neighboring countries. The exodus is precipitated by an unprecedented economic contraction. Back-to-back Category 4 hurricanes, a historic pandemic, heightened crime, violence, official corruption and weakening democratic institutions, have produced desperation feeding unprecedented migration.

The United States is a primary destination for Central American migrants. The Northern Triangle diaspora is also regional, affecting neighboring nations. The search for solutions and/or relief is multi-national and increasingly urgent. The Biden Administration's recent four-year, $4 billion commitment of direct foreign assistance and a renewed focus from the IDB, IMF and World Bank hope to provide pandemic relief as well as support to strengthen democratic institutions and the economies of the region. If effective, they could help stem regional diaspora and, importantly for U.S. foreign policy, diminish the increasing attractiveness of investments from China. These commitments face equally historic challenges due to the region's steadily weakening rule of law, rise of autocratic rulers, collapsing economies, insecurity and rapidly rising public needs at a time of steeply declining government revenues.

A consensus has developed that only a regional multi-pronged strategy to strengthen both democracy and the economies of Central American countries provides plausible hope for relief. Meaningful progress could take years, comes with risks and will most likely require a sustained commitment by multilateral partners providing foreign aid, funding from multilateral development banks, private foreign investment as well as support from the philanthropic sector.

The objective of the Institute's forum is to discuss ideas on how to get from here to there with sessions focused on addressing security, justice & governance issues in Central America; COVID impact & regional economic outlook; the Northern Triangle's regional business climate and the role of direct foreign assistance, philanthropy and impact investing towards catalyzing community development, economic opportunity and social enterprise.

Keynote speakers include Congresswoman Norma Torres, Co-Chair of the House Central American Caucus representing California's Inland Empire and Congressman Juan Vargas, Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee representing the border region of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

Other speakers include: Alan Bersin, former Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; former Vice President of INTERPOL for the Americas Region; Adriana Beltran, Director of Citizen Security, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA); Eric L. Olson, Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation; Metodij Hadzi-Vaskov , Regional Resident Representative, Office of Central America, International Monetary Fund (IMF); Fernando Quevedo, Manager, Central America, Panama, Haiti, Mexico & DR, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB); Pedro Luis Rodriguez, Lead Economist-Central America, The World Bank Group(WB); Juan Carlos Zapata, Executive Director, FUNDESA; Juan Pablo Carrasco, President, American Chamber of Commerce, Guatemala; Claudia Kattan de Jordan, President, American Chamber of Commerce, Honduras; Claudia Romero de Ibanez, President, American Chamber of Commerce, El Salvador; Caroline Boyd Kronley, President, The Tinker Foundation; Eliza Brennan, Senior Program Officer, Migration & Education, International Community Foundation; and Richard Ambrose, Managing Partner, Pomona Impact, Antiqua Guatemala.

For complete forum agenda and to register: https://www.iamericas.org/challenges-opportunities-in-central-americas-northern-triangle-region/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=94d3e2c0-4296-470d-83e7-fabf2fcd0f4b

About the Institute of the Americas:

Established in 1981, the Institute of the Americas (IOA) is an independent, nonpartisan Inter-American institution devoted to encouraging social and economic reform in the Americas, broadening communication and strengthening political and economic relations between Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and Canada. For more information: https://www.iamericas.org

Contacts:

Richard Kiy, President & CEO, Institute of the Americas: [email protected]

Ernesto Grijalva, Practitioner in Residence, Institute of the Americas: [email protected]

Related Images

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Institute of the Americas

SOURCE Institute of the Americas
SHENZHEN, China, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Transpring, a leader in the design and manufacturing of plant extract vapes, has completed a six-month heavy metal testing overseen by BelCosta Labs, becoming the first vape producer to do so following the release of the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) standards.

All tested products successfully passed 180 consecutive days of analysis, demonstrating that Transpring's vape cartridges contain less lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury than the high standards set out by the state. This far exceeds the industry practice of single tests that deliver results within seven days, reflecting Transpring's strong commitment to product quality and consumer safety.

As one of Southern California's principal license cannabis testing labs, BelCosta Labs is dedicated to driving growth in the science community. For this first cooperation with Transpring, products were selected at random from each batch and subsequently tested for heavy metals onsite at the lab in Long Beach, California.

Frank Chen, Transpring founder and CEO, said, "Transpring relies solely on expert data when assessing the quality and safety of its products. While cooperating with a lab to conduct heavy metal testing may seem novel, it is part of Transpring's overriding focus on product quality and our mission to deliver exceptional products that meet the highest standards to ensure consumer safety."

To deliver extraordinary products to consumers, Transpring is continuously optimizing and enhancing its offer. Its flagship product, the A10 cartridge, features the exclusive, next-generation, 3.0mm ceramic Hcore developed by Transpring, which provides a greater heating surface area and higher vaporizing efficiency nfor a consistently rich taste and an optimal experience. The cartridge produces 15% more vapor than other similar products and is compatible with a wide range of vape mouthpieces and materials to suit consumers' personal preferences.

In May, Transpring launched the new A18 cartridge, which features an all-ceramic design and Hcore. Please stay tuned for more information.

About Transpring

Founded in 2012, Transpring combines technological innovation, intuitive design, and customer insight to create cutting-edge plant extract vapes. In 2014, the company created the A3 cartridge, the very first cartridge in the world to adopt glass as the oil tank. In 2015, Transpring entered the US market. With its extensive industry expertise and forward-looking vision, Transpring is dedicated to continuously enhancing the vaping experience for customers among the niche market.

SOURCE Transpring

Related Links

www.transpring.com


SAN MATEO, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Turvo, provider of the world's leading collaboration application designed for the supply chain, wins "Best in Show" at FreightWaves LIVE @Home.

Turvo Wins Best In Show at FreightWaves LIVE @Home Spring 2021

FreightWaves LIVE @Home featured industry thought leaders and executives from the world's largest logistics companies and moderated discussions on the future of the supply chain. During the event, 28 companies participated in rapid-fire demos to showcase their software solutions to the global audience of brokers, 3PLs, and shippers. This was followed by a live poll of attendees who were asked to select the "Best in Show". Turvo was voted "Best In Show" for its third consecutive FreightWaves event, securing its place as a leading disruptor and innovator in the supply chain technology sector.

Turvo delivers actionable visibility across the entire supply chain and enables organizations to collaborate effectively with each other. The Turvo Collaboration Cloud's unique architecture, cloud-native platform, powerful APIs, and easy integrations unify the supply chain into a single network that creates a single source of truth.

"All TMS, WMS, OMS, and all other data, including customer data, becomes visible within Turvo and in one place," said Anastasia Martynovich, Product Manager at Turvo and presenter of the award-winning 7-minute demo . "[In the supply chain] you need to work with lots of people, both inside and outside of your business. But most of the tools and processes that have been around don't make things easier. In fact, they make it harder. Information gets stuck in siloed systems. We could see a better way to work, so we created the Turvo Collaboration Cloud."

Winning the FreightWaves award for the third time demonstrates Turvo's thought leadership and market interest that supply chain leaders need visibility beyond parcel or shipment tracking. They need actionable visibility that covers the breadth of the supply chain including inventory, orders, financial settlement, analytics, and more.

For more information on how to unify your supply chain and provide a better way to work, learn to Turvo at https://turvo.com/demo .

About Turvo

Turvo provides the world's leading collaboration application designed specifically for the supply chain. Turvo connects people and organizations allowing shippers, logistics providers, and carriers to unite their supply chains, deliver outstanding customer experiences, collaborate in real-time, and accelerate growth. The technology unifies all systems, internal and external, providing one end-to-end solution to execute all operations and analytics while eliminating redundant manual tasks and automating business processes. Turvo customers include some of the world's largest, Fortune 500 logistics service providers, shippers, and freight brokers. Turvo is based in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in Dallas, Texas, and Hyderabad, India. (www.turvo.com)

For media inquiries, please contact Cameron Galbraith, 949-214-8245, [email protected]

SOURCE Turvo

Related Links

https://turvo.com


CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this U.S. online pharmacy market report.

The U.S. online pharmacy market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 19% during the period 20202026.

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

COVID-19 has positively impacted the US online pharmacy market. In order to prevent shortage of medicines in the later stages many patients refill their prescriptions, many flu medicines where purchases in prior advance, this increased the demand for the online pharmacy. Prescription segment dominated the drug type segment, and it is expected to grow at a faster rate with a CAGR of over 19% during the forecast period. Many patients preferred taking teleconsultation and e-prescriptions were given by the physicians and patients preferred purchasing these medicines through the online pharmacy, which was seen as a new normal during the pandemic. Medication segment dominated the product segment. There were a large number of patients taking up their prescriptions, in addition an increase in the number of chronic patients also contributed largely to this. Mobile app-based pharmacies dominated the market. Increase in the number of patients using mobile phones is one of the major reasons for this and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 19% during the forecast period. Online branches of brick-and-mortar pharmacies dominated the pharmacy type segment. Many big retail pharmacy chains, independent retail shops are coming up with their own online channels, home delivery strategies to attract the tech savvy customers in the market. However independent online pharmacies are expected to grow at a faster rate with a CAGR of around 19%.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20202026

Market Dynamics  Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by drug type, product, modality, and geography

Competitive Landscape  5 key vendors and 25 other vendors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/united-states-online-pharmacy-market

U.S. Online Pharmacy Market  Segmentation

The prescription-based US online pharmacy market is likely to cross USD 132 billion by 2026. A significant factor driving the growth of prescription-based medicines via online mode is cost-efficiency. Consumers prefer to purchase drugs from online stores as they offer medications at a low price than retail outlets.

by 2026. A significant factor driving the growth of prescription-based medicines via online mode is cost-efficiency. Consumers prefer to purchase drugs from online stores as they offer medications at a low price than retail outlets. In 2020, the medication segment accounted for approx. 76% in the U.S. online pharmacy market share. The increase in the patient population along with the increased geriatric population is increasing the demand for medications. There is an increase in consumers preferring online pharmacy platforms to purchase medicines due to high purchase convenience. Many customers and patients prefer using online pharmacies for refilling long-term medications.

The mobile app-based segment will likely grow at a CAGR of over 19% from 2020 to 2026. Mobile applications play a significant role in the global online pharmacy market. They help online pharmacies to get in touch with consumers directly, thereby increasing the patient base. Mobile applications help online pharmacies to position their pharmacies effectively.

U.S. Online Pharmacy Market by Drug Type

Prescription

OTC

U.S. Online Pharmacy Market by Product

Medications

Health Wellness & Nutrition

Personal Care & Essentials

Others

U.S. Online Pharmacy Market by Modality

Mobile Applications

Websites

U.S. Online Pharmacy Market by Pharmacy Type

Online Branch of Brick & Mortar

Independent Online Only Pharmacies

Partnership Sites with Neighborhood Pharmacies

U.S. Online Pharmacy Market  Dynamics

Online pharmacies are shifting their focus toward the direct-to-consumer (DTC) model of working. DTC advertising is seen as a big weapon for online pharma marketing and a successful trend in the US online pharmacy market. The patients come across medicines through social media platforms and fill in their details, get appointments with doctors, and discuss their medical history. After a day or two, the medicines are delivered directly to the patients' doorsteps. This simplified process saves a lot of time and eliminates unnecessary steps involved in procuring medicines. Online pharmacies play a significant role in this process by partnering with companies to distribute their products as per the patient's requirement. The DTC is more suitable for low-risk products, such as generic medications that are used to treat conditions that can be diagnosed virtually. However, the scenario has changed as DTC has included other medicines, which is attributable to the evolving consumer behavior and the growing opportunity to engage directly with patients.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Increase in Demand for Advanced E-commerce Technologies

High Adoption of E-prescriptions among US Customers

Increasing Teleconsultation and Diagnostic Support

Growing Penetration of Internet and Mobile Applications

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/united-states-online-pharmacy-market

Major Vendors

Kroger

CVS Health

CIGNA (Express Scripts)

Walgreens Boots Alliance

Rite Aid

Other Prominent Vendors

Alto Pharmacy

Blink Health

BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy

Batell Drug

Carepoint Pharmacy

Foundation Care

Fruth Pharmacy

Giant Eagle

Gogomeds.com

Healthwarehouse

Hi-School Pharmacy

Hims & Hers Health

Henry Ford Health System

Kinney Drugs

KwikMed

MedVantx

Medicure

Medly Pharmacy

Northwestpharmacy.com

OptumRx

PillPack

Ro Pharmacy

Rx-24-online.com

Walmart Stores

Woori Pharmacy

Explore our healthcare & lifesciences profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

Mail: [email protected]

Call: +1-312-235-2040

+1 302 469 0707

SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
DENVER and THORNTON, Colo., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The vaccine of the future is here. Designed from the atoms up, this disruptive technology platform enables; thermally stable, combined-dose, time released, single injection vaccines!

Forge Nano platform technology is being used to develop innovative vaccines that can withstand higher temperatures, combine multiple doses, and release over time, all in one injection. Using Atomic Layer Deposition, these vaccine formulations can be controlled at the atomic level.

Forge Nano's Atomic Layer Deposition tool PANDORA

VitriVax, Inc. a Colorado based formulation technology company, utilizes Forge Nano's Atomic Layer Deposition platform technology to engineer thermostable, single-shot vaccines across a broad range of indications. Using the cGMP certified PANDORA ALD tool, developed and manufactured by Forge Nano, VitriVax uses its proprietary Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA) technology platform to enable thermostable, single-shot vaccines, that can be applied to a wide variety of antigens and adjuvants to project against thermal and chemical degradation, and enable controlled release, incorporating prime doses + additional booster doses in a single-shot administration.

"In light of the current global pandemic, vaccine storage, distribution, and efficacy has never been more important. We are proud to see our platform being used to make vaccines that can be more easily transported, with more efficient and precisely controlled doses. Future technologies are being enabled by controlling things at the atomic level. Our platform is being used every day to enable precision and control at the atomic scale." Dr. Paul Lichty- CEO Forge Nano.

Forge Nano specializes in optimizing the way surfaces interact at the atomic level. Using proprietary technology, Forge Nano can apply nano coatings onto the surface of virtually anything. Forge Nano's platform technology unlocks a level of precision and control that is unrivaled by other surface engineering technologies.

About Forge Nano:

Based near Denver, CO., Forge Nano is a global leader in surface engineering and precision nano-coating technology, using Atomic Layer Deposition. Forge Nano's proprietary technology platform makes angstrom-thick coatings fast, affordable and commercially viable for a wide range of materials, applications and industries. Forge Nano's suite of ALD and PALD products and services covers the full spectrum from lab-scale tools to commercial-scale manufacturing systems.

For more information visit www.ForgeNano.com

About VitriVax, Inc:

Based in Boulder, CO, VitriVax's mission is to eliminate barriers to global vaccination. Through its ALTA formulation platform, and driven by a world-class team of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs with expertise in vaccine development, virology and chemical engineering, VitriVax is dedicated to significantly increasing the availability of human and animal vaccines around the world.

For more information visit www.vitrivaxbio.com

CONTACT

Michael Talarico

Marketing Director

[email protected]

(720) 259-8579

SOURCE Forge Nano Inc.
SCRANTON, Pa., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Penn Foster today announced that Dr. Jim Hurrell, its Veterinary Technician Director Emeritus, has joined the Board of Directors for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). Dr. Hurrell will serve as the first-ever liaison to the AAVMC from the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE), the leading membership organization for the Veterinary Technician Educators community.

"I'm looking forward to working with Dr. Hurrell in the coming years and hearing the perspective of AVTE, which will enrich and inform our Board discussions," said Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.

In this new role, Dr. Hurrell will be bringing the perspective of the entire Veterinary Health Care Team to AAVMC, helping both organizations to better collaborate on educational topics in the future. Before joining Penn Foster in 2012, Dr. Hurrell started the Veterinary Technology Program at Delgado Community College in Louisiana and was also Program Director at Macomb Community College in Michigan. In all, he has been a veterinary technology program director for over 30 years at three AVMA-accredited programs and has seen over 2,500 of his students graduate from these programs.

"As the landscape of veterinary education continues to change, it's more important than ever to create tighter connections between education providers of all kinds," said Dr. Hurrell. "This is about bringing together the vet tech and veterinary education communities to share best practices, spark new and creative ideas, and ensure the highest quality of care."

Penn Foster's training programs in middle-skill fields, including vet tech, allied health, and skilled trades, are used by more than 300,000 learners each year. Through partnerships with leading employers and workforce organizations, including Banfield Pet Hospitals, Neighborly, and the Adecco Group, Penn Foster provides training and reskilling programs that help job-seekers and frontline workers chart new paths to economic mobility.

About Penn Foster

Penn Foster is bridging the gap between education and economic opportunity to build the workforce of tomorrow. We partner with employers to design and deliver digital and blended learning programs that attract, upskill, and retain workers in America's fastest-growing fields and professions. With more than 40,000 graduates each year, Penn Foster helps individuals discover pathways to opportunity through accredited diploma, certificate and degree programs that matter in the world of work. For more information, visit https://www.partners.pennfoster.edu.

SOURCE Penn Foster

Related Links

https://www.pennfoster.edu


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fine wine importer Wilson Daniels is pleased to announce the addition of Quinta da Corte to its national portfolio, marking its first venture into Portugal. Situated in the heart of the Douro Valley in Cima Corgo, the 19th century estate encompasses the core values of Wilson Daniels  a family-owned producer of historical significance crafting terroir-driven wines.

With the first plantings recorded on the estate in 1814, Quinta da Corte remains committed to producing indigenous grape varietalsnamely Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barrocaacross its 25 hectares of classification A vineyards. Owned by the Austruy familywhose historic Provence winery Commanderie de Peyrassol joined the Wilson Daniels portfolio in AprilQuinta da Corte adheres to a philosophy that prizes sustainable viticulture to encourage the natural balance between the vines and the land.

"I'm excited to expand our working relationship with the Austruy family and to welcome Quinta da Corte to Wilson Daniels," said Rocco Lombardo, President of Wilson Daniels. "Philippe and his team take exceptional care to produce wines that are expressive of a sense of place and thus represent the pinnacle that can be achieved in a region. Entering the Douro with Quinta da Cortewho is deeply committed to terroir expression, minimal intervention, and hospitalitymade perfect sense for our portfolio."

Quinta da Corte was maintained by the same local farmer until 1927, when the Pacheco e Irmaos family purchased the vineyards. At the time, the grapes were sold to the major port-producing families of the region who crafted them into single-vineyard, small production vintage port.

Then in 2012, Philippe Austruy traveled to the Douro, where he swiftly fell in love with the Quinta. With its northern exposure and distinctive schist soils, he recognized the vineyard's propensity for producing red wines of great opulence and purchased the estate. Austruy carefully and methodically renovated the historic vineyard, winemaking facilities, and La Casa, a 19th century structure on the estate containing guest accommodations and an on-site restaurant for visitors.

The Quinta produced its first wine under its own name with the 2013 vintage  an elegant Douro red displaying the excellence of the terroir. Today, Quinta da Corte offers a boutique collection featuring two dry red wines, along with an exclusive, late bottled field blend and a selection of premium tawny wines. In the very best of years, the family also produces a masterfully crafted vintage port.

"Quinta da Corte has been a labor of love from the beginning," said Philippe Austruy, Proprietor of Quinta da Corte. "It's been 15 years since we embarked upon this adventure in the Douro, and our drive to produce high quality wines in the fine Portuguese tradition has remained steadfast. The Wilson Daniels team understands and appreciates this dedication, and has already proven themselves to be an equally-committed partner, first with Peyrassol and now with Quinta da Corte."

Wilson Daniels will launch the full range of dry red wines and ports from the Quinta this May, including Princesa 2018, the flagship Quinta da Corte 2016, Porto Vintage 2015, Porto Late Bottled Vintage 2015, Porto Tawny 10 Years, and Porto Tawny 20 Years.

About Wilson Daniels

Founded in 1978, Wilson Daniels is a fully integrated, family-owned marketing and sales company representing a highly selective portfolio of the world's most distinctive wines. Wilson Daniels continues to pursue and elevate the standards of excellence set by founders Win Wilson and Jack Daniels through developing long-term, strategic partnerships with luxury producers that possess profound respect for terroir and are benchmarks in their region. To learn more about Wilson Daniels, visit www.wilsondaniels.com.

About Quinta da Corte

Located in the golden triangle which contains the world's most prestigious Quintas, the Quinta da Corte takes pride in its unique personality. Purchased by Philippe Austruy in 2013, the Quinta has been the object of a substantial program of investment aimed at achieving the level of excellence which this superb terroir is capable of producing. By treating the land with respect and using traditional methods updated in the light of the latest advances, Quinta da Corte produces wines with great depth of character. Its authentic style bears eloquent testimony to a combination of great native varieties and schist soils. To learn more about Quinta da Corte, visit www.quintadacorte.com.

Media Contact:

Claire Gibbs

Media Relations and Communications Manager

[email protected]

212.823.6261

SOURCE Wilson Daniels

Related Links

http://www.wilsondaniels.com


Located close to Maltepe's business district, several nearby recreational areas and with convenient access to Istanbul's city center, the 80-room hotel is slated to open later this summer as travel demand is expected to pick up. It will be complemented by the 176-room Days Hotel by Wyndham Istanbul Esenyurt, a new construction hotel that is part of a mixed-use development scheduled to open in the second part of the year.

Days Inn by Wyndham is one of the largest and most recognized economy hotel brands in the world, with a global portfolio of 1,600 properties.

The new additions are the latest in Wyndham's expansion in Turkey, where the company is the largest international hotel chain with 80 hotels across the country including cities, resorts and up-and-coming destinations, and a development pipeline of over 2,000 rooms, including five hotels expected to open this year.

Days Inn is the eighth hotel brand Wyndham has launched in Turkey, following the recent debut and expansion of the La Quinta brand in Istanbul, Giresun and Bodrum.

Dimitris Manikis, EMEA President, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said: "Around the world, Days Inn is renowned for delivering a warm, reliable hospitality and guest experience. With many beautiful and diverse destinations that suit and inspire any type of travelers, Turkey has incredible potential for development. Launching new brands is a key part of our expansion strategy and growth commitment for Turkey, and we are thrilled to introduce Days Inn and bring even more accommodation options into this exciting country."

The newest additions in Turkey build on the Days Inn brand's growing presence across Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA), including over 50 hotels across the UK, France, Germany, The Netherlands, India, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Azerbaijan, Jordan. The brand is also set to debut in the UAE later this year, with the opening of Days Hotel by Wyndham Dubai Deira.

Details on the new hotels in Turkey include:

Days Hotel by Wyndham Istanbul Maltepe

Conveniently located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, close to the city's business hubs and international airports, the Maltepe Park and Hilltown shopping centers, as well as the Tuzla Marina, Days Hotel by Wyndham Istanbul Maltepe is the perfect getaway for leisure as well as business travelers. The hotel is only a few minutes away from Gulsuyu metro station, connecting visitors with Istanbul's downtown and historic areas, including Kadikoy, Taksim and Sultanahmet districts. Days Hotel by Wyndham Istanbul Maltepe boasts comfortable and well-appointed guest rooms and a plethora of amenities such as a spa, steam room, sauna, a Turkish bath, fitness center, three restaurants, as well as a lobby lounge. The hotel also offers five meeting rooms, a ballroom and ample event space for up to 350 guests.

Days Hotel by Wyndham Istanbul Esenyurt

Situated in an up-and-coming area of Istanbul, near the TUYAP Exhibition and Conference Center, and three shopping centers, Days Hotel by Wyndham Istanbul Esenyurt is part of a new mixed-use development, appealing to both leisure and business travelers. The new hotel will boast modern rooms, an indoor swimming pool, spa and health club as well as a 250-seat rooftop restaurant, lobby lounge and additional access to leisure and food and beverage amenities of the mixed-use development. The hotel will also offer two meeting rooms and indoor parking.

Wyndham's hotel brands in Turkey include Ramada, Ramada Encore, La Quinta, TRYP, Wyndham, Wyndham Grand, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham and now Days Inn.

Wyndham hotels in Turkey and around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, the world's most generous hotel rewards program with thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide range of rewards, including free nights, gift cards, merchandise and more.

About Days Inn by Wyndham

With 1,600 locations across 23 countries, Days Inn by Wyndham is one of the largest, most well-recognized hotel brands in the world. Welcoming guests with a warm smile and a clean, inviting room, most locations offer fast, free Wi-Fi, swimming pool or fitness center and more. Whether it's small town or downtown, a trip with family or a getaway with friends, count on Days Inn by Wyndham for a great stay paired with a little extra sunshine along the way. Seize The Days and book your next stay at www.daysinn.com.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with over 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 797,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers 87 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.

Contacts:

Silvia de Candia

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts EMEA

+44 796 63 88 208

[email protected]

Scott Carman

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

+1 (973) 753-6590

[email protected]

SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Related Links

http://www.wyndhamhotels.com


There is potential for high-grade mineralisation extending below the former producing mine, as the majority of the mine has not been drill-tested at depth, which would provide a strong scale opportunity for the company.

Assays from the 73 drill holes for 2,087 metres are pending.

Variscan Mines Limited ( ) shares jumped as much as 211% after assay results from underground drilling at San Jose Mine, part of the Novales-Udias Project in Spain, revealed new zinc-rich mineralised lenses.

The lenses are below areas of known mining activity in two separate north-south trends of the Central Zone, with multiple horizons identified and mineralisation occurring as a series of vertically stacked, flat-lying lenses.

This is consistent with the generally stratiform-stratabound character of sulphide ore bodies in MVT lead-zinc districts.

Visible high-grade zinc

A total of 73 drill holes for 2,087 metres have been drilled during this campaign to date, with drilling now complete in the Central Zone and South West Zone.

Assays are pending, however, the Southward extension of the La Caseta Trend has been drill-tested with multiple reports of visible high-grade zinc mineralisation from core logging.

Shares have been up 11.5 cents, a new high of more than three years, with more than 149 million shares changing hands.

Potential to discover additional lenses

Variscan managing director and CEO Stewart Dickson said: The discovery of new high-grade mineralised lenses below the main gallery is a major development for Variscan.

It suggests significant potential for discovering additional lenses throughout the San Jose Mine as the remainder of the mine has had barely any drilling to test for lower-lying lenses.

In aggregate, that could provide considerable scale and tonnage potential.

Additionally, it reinforces the conceptual model of San Jose as a multi-layered orebody, consisting of multiple vertically stacked, sub-horizontal high-grade mineralised lenses of variable thickness and geometry, separated by intervals of dolostone.

This is typical of a classical MVT style deposit and similar to the nearby, world-class Reocin Mine; this further illustrates the quality of this deposit.

Plan view of selected mineralised intersections in the La Caseta and 168-177 Trends

Exploration outlook

There is potential for high-grade mineralisation extending below the former producing mine, as the majority of the mine has not been drill-tested at depth - providing strong scale opportunity.

The zinc-dominant mineralisation is strongly structurally controlled by a system of steeply-dipping north-south and east-west oriented feeder faults.

It occurs as pervasive replacement of favourable shallow-dipping carbonate horizons that were both chemically reactive and permeable to the mineral-bearing fluids, as well as open-space filling of paleo-karstic cavities, breccias and fractures, and as disseminated sulphides.

This is consistent with the nearby (~9 kilometres) Reocin Mine which is the largest known strata-bound carbonate-hosted zinc-lead deposit in Spain and one of the worlds richest MVT deposits.

Next steps

Dickson said: We will be following up these excellent drill results with further assays from drilling over the southward extent of the lower lens below the La Caseta Trend promptly.

The companys immediate focus is progressing with the following key activities:
PALO ALTO, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 4me, a SaaS provider of next-generation Enterprise Service Management (ESM) solutions, has secured $2.3 million in funding from Tornado Capital and Storm Ventures.

This investment comes after a very successful year where 4me saw revenue growth of over 50% and closed with a small profit. The additional funding will be used to grow all business areas from development and support to customer success, sales and marketing, primarily in the EMEA and APAC regions.

The 4me Service Management Solution

A team of service management experts developed 4me to help organizations stay in control of the services they outsource to managed service providers. 4me combines ITSM with ESM and SIAM capabilities, making it possible for all internal departments, such as IT, HR and Facilities, to collaborate seamlessly with each other and external providers.

The 4me service management solution is fast, intuitive and ready-to-use. In addition, their cloud-based application service supports any organization in optimizing their service management processes, allowing employees to focus on their actual jobs: creating value for their customers.

4me was recently recognized as Customers' Choice 2021 by Gartner Peer Insights' Voice of the Customer' in the category 'IT Service Management Tools'.

"4me is one of the few service management solutions that can handle the requirements of very large multinationals and the only one able to do this for large conglomerates," Cor Winkler Prins, CEO and co-founder of 4me, explained. "As organizations go through their digital transformation, employees expect to be able to obtain adequate support whenever they get stuck. What we provide is one place where employees can go to get help. It is their portal, and they know it is there for them. 4me ensures that their requests are routed to the right teams, whether internal or external. It can be a payroll question, an IT-related question or even a question about a coffee machine that broke down. What matters is that the employees feel supported, making them feel more confident and making them more productive."

Funding Round Led by Tornado Capital

This latest funding round was led by Dutch venture capital firm Tornado Capital BV and Storm Ventures, the well-known Silicon Valley firm that led the previous funding round, also opted to participate.

Roel de Hoop, Partner at Tornado Capital, is a well-known investor in the Netherlands with over 20 years of venture capital experience. One of his more notable successes was as a partner at Prime Ventures when he served on the board of Mendix, which was subsequently acquired by Siemens for about $700M.

Roel will now be serving on 4me's board of directors, joining CTO Laurens Pit, CEO Cor Winkler Prins and Arun Penmetsa of Storm Ventures. Roel de Hoop joins the board with significant industry knowledge, having worked together with both Laurens Pit and Cor Winkler Prins at Dutch software vendor Prolin before HP acquired it.

Companies are increasingly willing to invest in fast, ready-to-use enterprise service management tools that help their people feel supported and be more successful. 4me helps drive employee and enterprise productivity. Roel de Hoop - Partner at Tornado Capital

"I've been closely following 4me since the beginning, and they have done really well with their unique and innovative focus on enabling outsourcing," said Roel de Hoop. "It is apparent that companies are increasingly willing to invest in fast, ready-to-use enterprise service management tools that help their people feel supported and be more successful. 4me helps drive employee and enterprise productivity."

"I am very excited about this next phase, in which we intend to build on the success and further boost 4me's growth."

About 4me

4me, Inc. is the provider of 4me, a SaaS service management solution that allows large enterprises to collaborate seamlessly with their managed service providers while gaining real-time insight into the level of service they receive. Founded in 2010, 4me (an Alchemist Accelerator alumnus) is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information, visit www.4me.com.

About Tornado Capital

Tornado Capital is a recently founded venture capital firm in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The fund invests in Growth Stage Enterprise SaaS companies and likes to get actively involved in the investments it makes. More information about Tornado Capital can be requested at [email protected].

About Storm Ventures

Storm Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based VC firm focused on building enterprise leaders as the first or early investor. Storm's current enterprise software investments include Algolia, AtScale, Digital Shadows, Engagio, Guidespark, MobileIron, Pipedrive, SourceClear, Swiftstack, and Talkdesk. For more information, visit: www.stormventures.com

For further information, please contact [email protected].

Related Images

image1.png

SOURCE 4me, Inc.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of the hardest-hit industries during COVID, healthcare facilities and hospitals were forced to reconfigure operations rapidly and effectively. With patient loads in North American hospitals returning to pre-COVID levels, hospitals must now re-evaluate and adjust to new realities in patient care and facility management.

To make these adjustments most effective for patients, staff and visitors, ID Signsystems recommends that hospitals examine three strategic approaches for updated wayfinding and sign delivery.

Map New Nomenclature: Start planning for permanent changes in destinations, including naming conventions and address systems. Review the effectiveness of the proposed new systems by conducting role plays with a stakeholder group of patients and employees to identify which approaches work best.

Deep Dive Decluttering: Conduct a new survey of every wall and outside area, focusing on the accumulated information clutter from the last year. Remove or rationalize any information clutter in the facility; what should stay and what should go. In particular, use formal frame displays or digital signs for important information and design a strategy for continued updates.

Build Back Simpler: Do not find the need to make every update at once. Start with a conceptual design vocabulary and then plan for execution in stages based either on the most important experiential items or the areas of greatest needs. Executing in stages allows for more time for testing for accurately designed signage systems. ID Signsystems recommends leading with exterior wayfinding , maps, ADA destination signs and signs to the most common or used areas for the best return in visitor experience.

Change can be time-consuming and challenging, but thoughtful and complete planning, testing, and stakeholder review will yield the best benefits. ID Signsystems are experts in healthcare wayfinding systems . We deliver a full-service solution from consultation and planning, design and testing, to fabrication and installation.

For more information on ID Signsystems, visit www.IDSignsystems.com and find ID Signsystems on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn .

About ID Signsystems: ID Signsystems has been designing and building innovative sign solutions nationally and internationally since 2005. Headquartered in Rochester, NY, IDS offers client-focused solutions in architectural signage, design and lighting. United by a multi-layered understanding of materials and industry best practice, the IDS team are powerful partners for businesses and organizations developing both their brand and environment.

Media Contact:

Paul Dudley

(585) 266-5750 x 208 (office)

(585) 245-2189 (cell)

[email protected]





SOURCE ID Signsystems

Related Links

http://www.IDSignsystems.com


AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) congratulates newly confirmed Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and pledges its continued support to help end the COVID-19 pandemic and expand access to high-quality health care.

"On behalf of the more than 325,000 licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United States today, AANP congratulates Administrator Brooks-LaSure," said Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, president of AANP. "NPs stand ready to work with CMS, Administrator Brooks-LaSure and the administration by sharing our expertise in addressing the critical health care needs of Medicare-eligible seniors and Medicaid enrollees amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond."

NPs have worked tirelessly on behalf of seniors, uninsured and underinsured patients and local communities throughout COVID-19, and they are at the forefront of efforts to distribute and administer the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable patients. Approximately 1 in 3 Medicare patients receives services from an NP. More than 80% of full-time NPs are currently seeing Medicare patients, and 79% are seeing Medicaid patients. With approximately 70% of all NP graduates delivering primary care, the profession represents approximately one-quarter of the primary care workforce.

"The NP community is committed to serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and strengthening their access to high-quality, timely, patient-centered care. We urge CMS and the administration to make permanent the temporary waivers that have benefitted patient care throughout COVID-19, so that NPs can work to the top of their profession ensuring that all seniors and underserved communities have direct access to the health care provider of their choice," said AANP CEO Jon Fanning. "Amid the pandemic and the systemic health disparities that COVID-19 has laid bare, NPs recognize there is little time to waste. AANP looks forward to working with CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure, and we offer our support and the expertise of our nation's NPs to address these urgent health care challenges."

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 325,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. For COVID-19 information from AANP, visit aanp.org/COVID19.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners

Related Links

http://www.aanp.org


PHILADELPHIA, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund (NYSE: ACP) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund, announced today that it will pay a distribution of US $0.10 per share on June 30, 2021 to all shareholders of record as of June 4, 2021 (ex-dividend date June 3, 2021). As announced on September 10, 2020, the Fund reduced its monthly distribution from $0.12 per share to $0.10 per share.

In January 2022, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders, which will state the amount and composition of distributions and provide information with respect to their appropriate tax treatment for the 2021 calendar year.

The Fund is managed and advised by Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited. The Fund's shares trade on the NYSE under the symbol "ACP".

You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution.

In the United States, Aberdeen Standard Investments is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments Australia Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) Ltd., Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact [email protected]

aberdeenacp.com

SOURCE Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund

Related Links

http://www.aberdeenacp.com/


CARMEL, Ind., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ADESA, a business unit of global wholesale used vehicle digital marketplace operator KAR Auction Services, Inc. d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), announces the launch of its proprietary "% to Retail" functionality. All 24/7 bid/buy vehicle listings on ADESA's digital marketplace now showcase the current bid of the vehicle compared to the estimated national used retail market price. "% to Retail" is powered by autoniq, a sister company to ADESA and a leading source for app-based vehicle pricing and evaluation information. The new feature is aimed at helping dealers quickly analyze vehicle pricing and make better informed decisions on the best inventory for their lot.

"Our customers are experiencing unusual market dynamics across North America, so having instant access to real-time intelligence on vehicle valuation has never been more helpful and important," said John Hammer, chief commercial officer of KAR Global and president of ADESA. "With the '% to Retail' feature, we're making it easier and faster for dealers to identify vehicles priced right for their wholesale-to-retail strategy. Our digital marketplaces are expanding the pool of fresh inventory accessible to buyers, and '% to Retail' will help them make better, faster and smarter bidding and buying decisions."

The "% to Retail" functionality uses KAR's proprietary data science capabilities to evaluate data from across ADESA and KAR's other digital marketplaces along with the latest industry, market and economic data to accurately estimate potential vehicle profitability. Buyers can filter their searches on ADESA by "% to Retail" range to focus their bidding and buying on vehicles within a particular rangeand each listing will tell the dealer the estimated margin between the wholesale price/bid and the estimated retail sale. Vehicles with a lower percentage to retail present the greatest opportunity for retail profit while those with higher percentages are closer to the estimated retail market price. ADESA's industry-leading search capabilities allow buyers to sort and/or filter vehicles by additional specifications like proximity, make and model, and condition to showcase all vehicles that are available.

"Dealers who piloted the '% to Retail' functionality consistently found it easy to use and beneficial for finding the best, most competitively priced vehicles," said Rick Griskie, president of digital marketplaces at KAR Global. "This new feature allows our dealers to find the exact inventory that supports their overall retail strategy, and we've already seen early success with our dealers using the tool showing a 20% higher success rate in finding vehicles to purchase compared to those who did not use the tool."

ADESA is a leading provider of digital marketplaces for wholesale used vehicles supported by more than 70 vehicle logistics center locations across North America. ADESA's progressive technology, data-driven tools and industry leading customer support are helping make wholesale easy so its OEM, financial institution, rental, fleet, and franchise and independent dealer customers can be more successful. Learn more about ADESA here.

KAR Contacts

Media Inquiries: Analyst Inquiries: Jill Trudeau Mike Eliason (317) 796-0945 (317) 249-4559 [email protected] [email protected]

About KAR

KAR Auction Services, Inc. d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), provides sellers and buyers across the global wholesale used vehicle industry with innovative, technology-driven remarketing solutions. KAR Global's unique end-to-end platform supports whole car, financing, logistics and other ancillary and related services, including the sale of nearly 3.1 million units valued at over $40 billion through our auctions in 2020. Our integrated physical, online and mobile marketplaces reduce risk, improve transparency and streamline transactions for customers in about 75 countries. Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, KAR Global has employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, United Kingdom. and Europe. For more information and the latest KAR Global news, go to www.karglobal.com and follow us on Twitter @KARspeaks .

SOURCE KAR Global

Related Links

https://www.karglobal.com


KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CRB, an international leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, construction and consulting solutions to the food and beverage and life sciences industries, today announced that Alan Jones has joined the company as its new Vice President of Business Development. Jones  who has deep experience in establishing long-term client relationships across design, construction, manufacturing and other industries  will report to Lance Nordbak, CRB's Chief Operating Officer for Regional Operations.

The appointment marks Jones' homecoming at CRB, where he served from 2003-2010 as Director of Business Development. During that tenure, he helped scale up the company's then-new construction management division in the southeastern United States, expanding the scope of his role to oversee three business units in design and another in construction management.

Jones returns to CRB from Duke Energy, where he served as Director of Business Recruitment, leading a team of managers across multiple electric-intensive industry sectors; data centers, automotive/battery, aerospace and defense, life sciences, food and beverage, advanced manufacturing, and logistics.

"Alan will be responsible for helping deliver high client value as well as profitable and sustainable business growth in all of CRB's markets," Nordbak said. "Every organization served by Alan has seen significant growth under his leadership  including our own  and we are excited to bring him back to CRB."

Said Jones: "CRB's preeminent teams of designers and constructors use cutting-edge technology and collaboration tools to meet and exceed client expectations. Our integrated delivery approach  led by our flagship ONEsolution offering  takes projects from conception to commission at a high quality, on time and on schedule. I'm excited to join CRB's talented professionals in consistently delivering value to clients."

About CRB:

CRB is a leading provider of sustainable engineering, architecture, construction and consulting solutions to the food and beverage and life sciences industries. Our more than 1,400 employees provide world-class solutions that drive success and positive change for our clients, our people and our communities. CRB is a privately held company with a rich history of serving clients throughout the world, consistently striving for the highest standard of technical knowledge, creativity and execution.

MEDIA CONTACT INFORMATION:

Chris Clark: 816-200-5234

SOURCE CRB

Related Links

http://www.crbusa.com


LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alter Agents, Snap, Inc. and Publicis Media today released the findings of new research into the influence of augmented reality (AR) on the way people shop and engage with brands. The study found that AR adoption is on the rise, and that consumers - particularly Snapchatters - are seeking this technology out during their shopping experiences.

Study uncovers how AR influences shopping behavior, impacts purchase decisions and increases brand engagement

"Consumers are expecting more from brands, and this research proves that AR supports these expectations by not only delighting customers but also positively influencing the purchase decision-making process," said David Roter, VP of Global Agency and Brand Partnerships, Snap Inc. "Brands need to consider the utility and widespread appeal of AR-based experiences when developing marketing and engagement strategies, as the data shows that it's becoming critical to long-term success."

Alter Agents conducted a three-part study in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia. Research included in-depth interviews with AR experts to explore AR's evolving dynamics; mobile ethnographies with daily diary entries; and a quantitative survey among 1,000 people ages 13-49 in each market (n = 4,000) who are smartphone owners and AR non-rejectors.

Key findings from the study included:

Purchase decisions are spurred by AR: Branded AR experiences increase the likelihood to purchase, particularly in categories like home decor (73%), product personalization (73%), virtual try-on (72%) and product demonstration (70%).

High AR awareness and adoption: More than half of people aged 1349 claimed to have used AR in the past, and nearly one-third have used branded AR. Snapchatters are 56% more likely than non-Snapchatters to have used branded AR.





More than half of people aged 1349 claimed to have used AR in the past, and nearly one-third have used branded AR. Snapchatters are 56% more likely than non-Snapchatters to have used branded AR. Increasing role of AR in shopping landscape: More than three in four believe AR technology will play a role in how people shop in the next five years. Two in three who say they would use branded AR for shopping also agree they are likely to purchase after a branded AR experience.

Consumers are looking for AR: 54% actively search for AR experiences, most commonly seeking out branded AR by searching within the camera on digital platforms like Snapchat.





54% actively search for AR experiences, most commonly seeking out branded AR by searching within the camera on digital platforms like Snapchat. AR shareability heightens impact: 61% say the ability to easily share branded AR experiences is important to them.

The study indicates that branded AR experiences can positively impact and influence consumers at multiple points along the shopper journey, informing purchases, boosting positive brand perceptions and educating consumers.

About Alter Agents

Alter Agents is a full-service market research consultancy reimagining research in the age of the constant change. With a long history of brand strategy and communications experience, the company focuses on collaborating with brands to reveal consumer needs, priorities, and context. Alter Agents specializes in reframing the context for consumer research to yield powerful insights for its clients, including brand giants such as Entercom, YouTube, Activision, Viking Cruises, and many more. www.alteragents.com @Alter_Agents

About Publicis Media

Publicis Media is a division of Publicis Groupe. It is comprised of Starcom, Zenith, Spark Foundry and Performics, and powered by digital-first, data-driven global practices that together deliver client value and business transformation. Publicis Media is committed to helping its clients navigate the modern media landscape.

About Snap Inc.

Snap Inc. is a camera company. We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. We contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. For more information, visit snap.com.

Media contact: Marie Melsheimer, 541-815-3951, [email protected]

SOURCE Alter Agents
These comprehensive services will begin with case opening and investigation and extend through monitoring and support during isolation and quarantine for those individuals. AM TRACE staff will conduct phone interviews for each new positive case, as well as symptom monitoring, data entry and quality assurance. AM TRACE will work with management at businesses, schools, and outpatient health care facilities, and additionally provide public health recommendations and operational guidance. The Company will also advise Vermonters and people traveling to the state with the appropriate quarantine and testing guidance to keep themselves and the people around them safe.

"We are honored and excited to have an opportunity to partner with the Vermont Department of Health to bring additional support services to the state," commented Erin Joanna Thames, Chief Operating Officer at AM TRACE. "We know that contact tracing is critical to reducing spread of the COVID-19 virus and protecting the health of Vermonters. Working in collaboration with the Health Department, we look forward to applying our evidence- and community-based model to support all Vermonters."

AM TRACE is currently working nationwide with multiple states and public health agencies on testing, contact tracing and vaccination programs. Counties, states, or K-12 partners that are interested in joining AM TRACE for COVID-19 mitigation support should contact Dr. Christopher K Orlea at [email protected].

For information about COVID-19 in Vermont, including prevention, testing and getting vaccinated, visit healthvermont.gov/covid-19.

About AM TRACE

AM TRACE was purpose built to work with local public health agencies and community organizations to address large-scale public health challenges. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, AM TRACE is able to design and quickly deploy tailored and scalable workforce solutions to help your local public health departments with all aspects of contact tracing, testing, and vaccine quality assurance. Learn more at https://am-trace.co/.

Media Contact:

Dr. Christopher K Orlea | [email protected] | 832.867.5277

SOURCE AM LLC

Related Links

www.appliedmemeticsllc.com


"Sustainability isn't just something we practice; it is part of who we are as a company and as global citizens," said Jonathan Thomas, American Century president and chief executive officer. "With an ownership structure that directs over 40% of its profits to fund medical research, we attract employees motivated to make a difference and develop investment teams who make Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria a fundamental part of their analysis. Matt and Patricia's appointments as leaders of our corporate sustainability efforts and our new sustainable investment council, respectively, demonstrate our commitment to evolving and growing in this important area."

Matt Oldroyd, Head of Corporate Sustainability

In his new role, Oldroyd will champion sustainability initiatives that support the firm's brand and culture by working with leaders across the firm in human resources, legal, distribution and marketing, facilities, and in concert with American Century's diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) committee, sustainable investment council and ESG and investment stewardship team. He will support American Century's goals to be a responsible corporate citizen, with direct financial impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3 (good health and well-being).

"Corporate sustainability and ESG investing are fast-evolving topics around the globe; Matt will be responsible for understanding the external environment and funneling insights back into our firm," Thomas said.

In addition to his new responsibilities, Oldroyd manages a team of client portfolio managers who represent portfolio management in communicating investment strategies and results to the firm's clients and investors. He also is a member of American Century's expanded management committee and its investment leadership team who provides governance to ESG initiatives for the firm. Previously, he has held roles as client portfolio manager for global value strategies and as relationship manager for institutional clients. Before joining American Century Investments in 2000, Oldroyd was at J.P. Morgan in asset management. He has worked in the investment industry since 1994. Oldroyd earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and German from American University and spent a year on post-graduate scholarship at the University of Cologne in Germany. He is a CFA charterholder, holds the CAIA designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association.

Patricia Ribeiro, Chair of Sustainable Investment Council

As council chair, Ribeiro will lead a select group of portfolio managers who represent all the firm's investment disciplines. The council provides a platform to bring client insights back into the investment organization to accelerate the teams' progress in sustainable investing. It will also partner with American Century's dedicated ESG and investment stewardship team to further leverage its expertise, augment training and enhance investment capabilities.

"Patricia is recognized by clients around the world as a leader in both ESG and impact investing," said Zhang. "She brings credibility and authenticity to our ESG investing practices, coupled with significant industry experience."

Sustainable investing remains a strategic focus and firmwide commitment, according to Zhang. "We continue to add resources and adapt processes to optimally support this initiative," he said. "Establishing the council, comprised of investment practitioners, is the next step in this evolution. We believe our portfolio managers are in the best position to engage with clients on their evolving ESG needs and objectives, understand the practical application of sustainable investing and drive best practices throughout their teams. We anticipate continuing to grow and add talent around sustainable investing."

Ribeiro joined American Century Investments in 2006 and has nearly 30 years of investment experience. As senior portfolio manager, she leads a seven-member team overseeing both ESG-integrated and impact strategies focused on emerging markets. Ribeiro is a member of American Century's expanded management committee and its DE&I committee. Prior to joining the firm, she was an independent consultant for Medley Global Advisors, LLC, in New York and Black Arrow Capital Management, LLC, in Greenwich, Conn. Prior to that, she was head of Latin American research at Citigroup Asset Management, a team she created and managed as part of the firm's global research group. She also served as head of Latin American equity research for J.P. Morgan Investment Management. She has worked in the financial industry since 1984. Ribeiro holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Rutgers University.

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.

A strategy or emphasis on environmental, social and governance factors ("ESG") may limit the investment opportunities available to a portfolio. Therefore, the portfolio may underperform or perform differently than other portfolios that do not have an ESG investment focus. A portfolio's ESG investment focus may also result in the portfolio investing in securities or industry sectors that perform differently or maintain a different risk profile than the market generally or compared to underlying holdings that are not screened for ESG standards.

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. There are many different approaches to Sustainability, with motives varying from positive societal impact, to wanting to achieve competitive financial results, or both. Methods of sustainable investing include active share ownership, integration of ESG factors, thematic investing, impact investing and exclusion, among others.

*Assets under supervision as of 5/24/21.

2021 American Century Proprietary Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact: Laura Kouri

(816) 516-7729

SOURCE American Century Investments

Related Links

http://www.americancentury.com


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amidst a new spike in physical attacks on Jews, American Jewish Committee (AJC) has launched #WheresTheOutrage, a social media campaign that aims to mobilize people of good will to speak out against the horrific targeting of Jews.

"The number of Jews attacked on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Chicago and other U.S. cities is growing," said AJC CEO David Harris. "Antisemitism, the world's oldest hatred, is not solely a Jewish problem. It is a societal problem, and we urge elected officials, civic leaders, and others to stand up and speak out. History has taught us that silence and indifference are never the answer."

AJC is encouraging individuals to take action against antisemitism by posting #WheresTheOutrage on social media, and take these actions:

Contact elected officials  members of Congress, governors, mayors  to urge them, if they haven't yet done so, to take a stand clearly and unequivocally against antisemitism in their communities and nationally.

Contact local media outlets and urge them to cover antisemitic attacks.

Contact non-Jewish organizations and partners and ask them to publicly support the Jewish community at this time.

In addition, visitors to #WheresTheOutrage on the AJC website are encouraged to complete a form to describe why and how they are speaking out against antisemitism.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

https://www.ajc.org/WheresTheOutrage


Fortitude fits the bill for investors seeking dividends

CEO Jason Reid and chairman Bill Conrad previously steered

Golden Mile could become Fortitude's second open-pit heap leach gold mine

What does:

Corp ( ) is a junior gold producer with operations in the goldfields of Nevada, one of the worlds top mining-friendly jurisdictions. It has five high-grade gold properties in Nevadas Walker Lane Mineral Belt, with the Isabella Pearl mine in current production.

All five properties  Isabella Pearl, Golden Mile, Mina Gold, East Camp Douglas, and County Line  are in a 30-mile radius of one another within Nevadas prolific Walker Lane Mineral Belt. Fortitudes business strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial dividends.

Fortitudes flagship 9,000-acre Isabella Pearl mine produced its first gold in April 2019, some 10 months after the firm broke ground on the project. The companys 2,400-acre County Line property is 14 miles northeast of the Isabella Pearl project.

Meanwhile, Fortitudes 10,611-acre Golden Mile property was acquired in June 2020 and contains two known zones of mineralization  the Golden Mile and Spring areas. It is located on five patented claims and includes a database of more than 100 historic third-party exploration drill holes.

Additionally, the firms 1,200-acre Mina Gold property has the potential to be a future open-pit heap leach gold operation. Lastly, Fortitudes East Camp Douglas gold property covers 5,600 acres consisting of 289 unpatented claims, and 16 patented claims.

Fortitudes Nevada mining unit was established in 2014. In 2020, Fortitude based in Colorado Springs was spun out of . Fortitude CEO and director Jason Reid previously served as that companys CEO. Under Reids tenure, Gold Resource achieved over a decade of production, generated over $1 billion in revenue, and returned over $116 million in dividends to shareholders.

How is it doing:

It has been a busy spell for Fortitude so far in 2021.

Most recently, on May 12, Fortitude reported its first results as a standalone public company showing sales of $20.7 million and a net profit of $2.4 million in the first quarter from its Nevada gold operations. The revenue came thanks to an increase in production from its Isabella Pearl mine, which produced 11,572 gold equivalent ounces during the three-month period ended March 31, 2021, compared to the 3,814 ounces it produced in the same period in 2020 when it was part of Gold Resource Corp.

Other highlights from the new companys balance sheet included $7.3 million cash from operating activities and a $35.3 million cash balance. The firm had $55.6 million in working capital. Isabella Pearl continued to be a low-cost operation, producing gold at a cash cost of $534 per ounce after by-product credits. Realized metal prices during the quarter averaged $1,804 per gold ounce. Fortitude said it is maintaining its 2021 outlook, targeting 40,000 ounces of gold production.

Earlier in May, the junior gold producer said it had increased its monthly dividend by 50% to $0.03 per share, or $0.36 annually. The company's board said the cash dividend increase reflected Fortitudes ability to generate significant free cash from Isabella Pearl. The company added that it is delivering on strong operational performance, solid production numbers and an increasingly strong financial and cash position.

At Isabell Pearl, Fortitude has locked up 10-kilometers along a mineralized corridor and expects to find additional deposits on-trend. The Scarlet target is on this trend, and has returned some exciting mineralized widths and high-grade gold drill results.

On April 26, Fortitude shared exploration drill results from Scarlet, including 16.76m grading 2.23 g/t gold, and 24.38m grading 1.60 g/t gold. Fortitude said it is prioritizing Scarlet with its upcoming drill campaign, looking to delineate enough mineralization to advance the target towards a production decision. It said it also has numerous other targets along the 10-kilometer trend at Isabella Pearl.

Additionally, on April 7, Fortitude shared promising resource delineation drill results from its Golden Mile property in Nevadas Mineral County. "Drilling over 20 meters of 3.60 grams per tonne gold less than one meter below the surface underscores Golden Mile's potential to become an open-pit mine," the company said. Golden Mile could potentially become Fortitude's second open-pit heap leach gold mine.

Inflection points:

Delineation of known mineralized areas in Isabell Pearl and turning them into deposits

Reaching its 40,000-ounce gold target for 2021 (36,000-40,000 gold ounce range)

Pursuing a production decision on Golden Mile and a second drill campaign

What the boss says:

In a recent interview with Proactive, Fortitude Gold CEO and director Jason Reid said: We have made the transition from project ramp-up phase to our targeted annual run rate of 40,000 gold ounces per year for 2021. During 2021, we target moving about 7.5 million tonnes, in 2022 about 2.5 million tonnes and in 2023 about 1 million tonnes, while keeping our targeted production rate at 40,000 gold ounces per year.

He added: As we move fewer tonnes each year, taking advantage of the high-grade gold, our costs will move lower while production remains strong. This equates to healthy project margins and is expected to enable us to execute on our business plan of organic growth and substantial shareholder dividends.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
ORANGE, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reservations will be required on select weekends for Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains that travel between San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Additional train cars are being added when possible to increase the number of available seats on select trains. However, the number of seats onboard each Pacific Surfliner train is limited. To safely manage capacity during periods when more travelers are anticipated, customers will need a reservation to travel on the following dates:

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Will Require Reservations for Peak Travel Weekends This Summer

Memorial Day Weekend: May 28  June 1, 2021

 Fourth of July Weekend: July 2  July 5, 2021

 Opening Weekend of Del Mar Races: July 16  July 19, 2021

 Labor Day Weekend: September 3  September 7, 2021

Additionally, the Rail 2 Rail program will be suspended on most of the dates above, during which monthly Metrolink and COASTER passes will not be accepted onboard Pacific Surfliner trains.

Amtrak monthly and 10-ride passes may still be used. However, multi-ride ticket holders will be required to confirm each trip (train and date) through the Amtrak RideReserve program on Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app, or an Amtrak agent prior to traveling during the reservation period; thus, ensuring travelers have the safest and most comfortable journey possible.

Passengers are encouraged to follow safety measures and any important public health orders in place during their trip and at their destination. This includes wearing a mask at stations and onboard trains at all times, washing hands or using sanitizer often, and staying home if they are feeling sick. Per federal law and Amtrak policy, all customers and employees must wear a face mask or covering that fully covers the entire mouth and nose, fits snugly against the side of the face, and secures under the chin at all times while onboard and in stations.

More dates may be added where a reservation is required, depending on travel demand throughout the summer. For the latest information, please visit www.pacificsurfliner.com/schedules.

SOURCE Amtrak Pacific Surfliner
Angeles and Clearlake formed ACS in 2018 in partnership with Chief Executive Officer James Drexinger through the acquisition of three leading regional LBM distributors, creating a scaled platform with a national distribution footprint. Since its inception, ACS has successfully acquired and integrated nine businesses. ACS now operates a building materials distribution network of more than 70 locations across the nation, focusing on some of the highest growth regional markets in the United States.

"We are exceptionally proud of James Drexinger and the entire ACS team for their impressive execution of the Angeles and Clearlake investment thesis over the last three years. Jim has been a valuable advisor to our firm since its inception and we're delighted to have worked with him again. We believe the ACS platform advantages built on a foundation of local customer relationships and personalized service position the Company well for continued growth," said Tim Meyer, Angeles Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Sam Heischuber, Principal at Angeles. "We have significant experience in this sector, and committed substantial operational and M&A resources to realize our investment thesis in ACS. The operational results we were able to achieve are, in our view, a testament to our value creation model."

"The strategic transformation we have executed at ACS in partnership with James Drexinger and Angeles is an exciting success story for our O.P.S playbook," said Jose E. Feliciano, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Clearlake, and James Pade, Partner and Managing Director at Clearlake. "Several years ago, Angeles and Clearlake identified the LBM space as a highly fragmented market ripe for disciplined consolidation with a focus on higher value niches. We believed we could build a differentiated platform that would benefit from a commercial strategy geared towards custom home builders, as well as an emphasis on key growth markets, and a focus on the residential renovation market. US LBM is a perfect home for ACS, and we look forward to the Company's future successes."

"ACS joining US LBM is an outstanding outcome based on the alignment of our shared strategy to preserve longstanding local lumberyard brands and operations while delivering a great customer experience. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to partner with Angeles and Clearlake, and are grateful to our customers, suppliers, leadership team, salespeople, and associates for their support," said James Drexinger, CEO of ACS. "Together we have built a significant industry platform while simultaneously honoring the 100+ year heritage of the local brands and family legacies we have acquired. None of this would have been possible without the value-added sponsorship of Angeles and Clearlake, whose deep building products, distribution, and operating expertise accelerated our growth trajectory."

Moelis & Company LLC and Jefferies LLC served as financial advisors to ACS on the transaction, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Sidley Austin LLP served as legal advisors to ACS.

ABOUT ANGELES EQUITY PARTNERS

Angeles Equity Partners, LLC is a private equity firm that invests in companies across a wide range of sectors and specifically targets businesses which it believes can directly benefit from the firm's strategic, operational, and M&A capabilities. The Angeles skill set drives the firm's investment philosophy and, in its view, can help businesses reach their full potential. Learn more online at www.angelesequity.com.

ABOUT CLEARLAKE

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a leading investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are industrials, consumer and technology. Clearlake currently has approximately $35 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

ABOUT AMERICAN CONSTRUCTION SOURCE

American Construction Source is an LBM distributor with 70+ locations in 9 states serving the needs of custom home builders, repair & remodel contractors, and DIY consumers. ACS provides lumber and building materials businesses the resources, leverage, and focus to make their ideas happen. Recognizing the value and heritage of deep, local customer relationships as a strong foundation for growth, ACS's best practices are designed to leverage shared strengths, drive operational excellence, and motivate performance to create a leading building products distributor with a national footprint and a great customer experience. ACS is backed by Angeles Equity Partners and Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. Learn more online at www.acs-lbm.com.

ABOUT US LBM

US LBM is a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty products, including windows, doors, millwork, wallboard, roofing, siding, engineered components and cabinetry, US LBM combines the scale and operational advantages of a national platform with a local go-to-market strategy through its national network of locations across the country. For more information, please visit www.uslbm.com.

Media Contacts:

For ACS and Angeles:

Trenton Waterhouse

(623) 523-1672

[email protected]

For Clearlake:

Jennifer Hurson

Lambert & Co.

(845) 507-0571

[email protected]

SOURCE ACS American Construction Source; Angeles Equity Partners, LLC; Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.

Related Links

http://www.angelesequity.com


STOCKHOLM, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Klarna the leading global bank, payments provider, and shopping service is pleased to confirm that Roger W. Ferguson Jr will join the Board of Directors. Mr. Ferguson is the former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, past President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, the Steven A Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and served on President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness as well as its predecessor, the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Mr. Ferguson will join the board chaired by Michael Moritz, partner at Sequoia Capital as well as recent appointments of other new members: Omid R. Kordestani, former executive Chairman of Twitter, Lise Kaae of Bestseller Group, and Sarah Smith, a senior advisor at Goldman Sachs.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna: "I am honoured that Roger is joining the Klarna board. Roger brings tremendous leadership experience in the very top tiers of economics, finance and policy, his global perspective and expertise will be of immense value to Klarna at a time when the business is gaining such strong momentum, especially in the United States. We are at a true inflection point as consumers are actively turning away from inferior services to those that better meet their needs and the Klarna team is looking forward to working closely together with the board on our mission to become the world's favorite way to shop, pay and bank."

Roger Ferguson: "I am excited to join such impressive colleagues on the Board of Klarna. Sebastian and the entire team have already demonstrated how Klarna provides a payment service that millions of consumers value and hundreds of thousands of merchants rely on. I look forward to participating in the Klarna board in the continued successful implementation of the company's strategy."

During his tenure at the U.S. Federal Reserve System, Mr. Ferguson represented the Federal Reserve on several international policy groups and served on key Federal Reserve System committees, including Payment System Oversight, Reserve Bank Operations, and Supervision and Regulation. Prior to joining TIAA in April 2008, Mr. Ferguson was head of financial services for Swiss Re, Chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corporation, and a member of the company's executive committee. Mr. Ferguson served on President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness as well as its predecessor, the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and he co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on the Long-Run Macroeconomic Effects of the Aging U.S. Population.

Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and co-chairs its Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education. He also serves on the boards of Alphabet, Inc.; Corning, Inc, General Mills, Inc and International Flavors & Fragrances. He serves on the boards of The Conference Board, the Institute for Advanced Study, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Columbia University's Teachers College. He is a fellow of the American Philosophical Society and a member of the Economic Club of New York, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Group of Thirty, and the National Association for Business Economics. Mr. Ferguson holds a B.A., J.D., and a Ph.D. in economics, all from Harvard University.

The Klarna Board will comprise of:

Michael Moritz (Chairman of the Board)

Sebastian Siemiatkowski (CEO and Board member)

Roger Ferguson Jr

Lise Kaae

Omid Kordestani

Sarah Smith

Mikael Walther

The appointment is subject to SFSA approval.

****************************************

About Klarna

We make shopping smoooth. Klarna's offering to consumers and retailers include payments, social shopping, and personal finances. Over 250,000 retail partners, including H&M, Macys IKEA, Expedia Group, The North Face, Samsung, Etsy, ASOS, Peloton, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress have enabled Klarna's innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is the most highly valued private fintech in Europe with a valuation of $31 billion, and is one of the largest private fintechs globally. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 3,500 employees and is active in 17 countries. Klarna has been backed by Sequoia Capital since 2010 and more recently, Dragoneer, Ant Group, Silver Lake, Permira, Bestseller Group, Permira, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Visa, Atomico, HMI Capital, TCV, Merian Chrysalis Investment Company Limited, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock amongst others. Klarna is ranked number five on the 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50 list. For more information, visit klarna.com.

Contact:

Klarna

Aoife Houlihan

[email protected] or [email protected]

+46 (0) 72855 8047

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/r/announcement-of-the-appointment-of-roger-w--ferguson-jr-to-klarna-board,c3353226

SOURCE Cision AB

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https://www.cision.com/


LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys Arash and Benny Khorsandi from Arash Law and Michael Yadegaran from Avenue Law APC have been retained to represent a local hero and victim of a hate crime that occurred outside a popular Los Angeles sushi eatery last week. The hero's selfless conduct has received international and national media coverage in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and across cable news.

On the evening of May 18, 2021, a group of assailants arrived at the restaurant in a caravan, seeking out Jewish diners for verbal assault and physical attack. The group screamed anti-Semitic epithets and initiated a violent physical altercation against the restaurant's Jewish diners. The hero, who is not Jewish, nonetheless came to the defense of his Jewish friends and other Jewish patrons at the restaurant and sustained severe bodily injuries in the process.

As reported by national media, one of the attackers was arrested in a joint special operation by the United States Marshal Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Los Angeles Police Department. Law enforcement has requested that the assailant's bail be enhanced due to the "crime being motivated by hatred."

Due to ongoing threats, this hero is receiving, we are keeping his name anonymous for his own protection and safety.

If you or anyone you know has any information or witnessed the incident, please contact Michael Yadegaran at [email protected] or Benny Khorsandi at [email protected].

Contact:

Arash Khorsandi

The Law Offices of Arash Khorsandi

2960 Wilshire Blvd. #308

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 805-7789

[email protected]

Benny Khorsandi

The Law Offices of Arash Khorsandi

2960 Wilshire Blvd. #238

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 808-0200

[email protected]

Michael Yadegaran

Avenue Law APC

2425 Olympic Blvd, Ste 4000W

Santa Monica, CA 90404-4099

(310) 882-7960

[email protected]

Related Images

arash-law-injury-lawyers.png

Arash Law Injury Lawyers

SOURCE Arash Law
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for LION-101 to proceed in a Phase 1/2 clinical study. LION-101 is a novel recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) based vector being developed as a one-time intravenous infusion for the treatment of patients with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I/R9 (LGMD2I/R9).

LION-101 will be evaluated in a Phase 1/2 multicenter study to evaluate a single intravenous (IV) infusion in adult and adolescent subjects with genotypically confirmed LGMD2I/R9. AskBio plans to initiate dosing for the LION-101 Phase 1/2 clinical study in the first half of 2022.

"In preclinical mouse models, LION-101 therapy demonstrated both dose-dependent efficacy and tolerability, providing a clear approach to study this novel AAV vector in clinical trials," said Katherine High, MD, President, Therapeutics, AskBio. "Currently there are no approved therapies for LGMD2I/R9, and with limited treatment options that only address symptoms of the disease, the patient burden is profound. We are excited to begin clinical trials with this novel therapy, and to hopefully bring a new therapeutic option to patients and families in the LGMD2I/R9 community living with this devastating disease."

"Clearing of the LION-101 IND to proceed underscores our commitment to address unmet needs in musculoskeletal disorders, where very few or no treatments exist today, while we continue to advance our broad therapeutic pipeline of novel AAV gene therapies," said Sheila Mikhail, CEO and Co-Founder, AskBio. "With this clearance, we have now advanced five of our pipeline programs into Phase 1/2 clinical development. We look forward to advancing these clinical programs to bring much needed gene therapy innovation and potential treatments to patients and their families who live with devastating conditions like LGMD2I/R9."

About Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD) and Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I (LGMD2I/R9)

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is a term for a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and wasting of the muscles in the arms and legs.1 The muscles most affected are those closest to the body (proximal muscles), specifically the muscles of the shoulders, upper arms, pelvic area and thighs. The severity, age of onset, and features of LGMD vary among the many subtypes of the condition and are often inconsistent, even within the same family. Signs and symptoms may first appear at any age and generally worsen with time, although in some cases they remain mild.

Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I (LGMD2I/R9) is a form of LGMD and is caused by mutations in the FKRP gene.2 In LGMD2I/R9, signs and symptoms often develop in late childhood and may include difficulty running and walking. The symptoms gradually worsen over time towards significant disability, and affected people generally rely on a wheelchair for mobility approximately 23-26 years after onset. Currently, there is no treatment that modifies the disease progression, and treatment is based on the signs and symptoms present in each individual. Visit the National Institutes of Health Medline Plus website to learn more about Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy and Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I.

About AskBio

Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG acquired in 2020, is a fully integrated AAV gene therapy company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines that have the potential to cure genetic diseases. The company maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neuromuscular, central nervous system, cardiovascular and metabolic disease indications with a clinical-stage pipeline that includes therapeutics for Pompe disease, Parkinson's disease and congestive heart failure, as well as out-licensed clinical indications for hemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. AskBio's gene therapy platform includes Pro10, an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process, and an extensive AAV capsid and promoter library. With global headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and European headquarters in Edinburgh, UK, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary third-generation AAV capsids and promoters, several of which have entered clinical testing. Founded in 2001 and an early innovator in the gene therapy field, the company holds more than 800 patents in areas such as AAV production and chimeric and self-complementary capsids. Learn more at www.askbio.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses, before special items, amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Find more information at https://pharma.bayer.com/

Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pharma.bayer

Follow us on Twitter: @BayerPharma

AskBio Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the AskBio's LION-101 program. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," "intends," "potential," "possible" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding AskBio's pipeline of development candidates. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond AskBio's control. Known risks include, among others: AskBio may not successfully bring a new therapeutic option to patients and families in the LGMD2I/R9 community, advance LION-101 as or when expected, be able to execute on its business plans and goals, including meeting its expected or planned regulatory milestones and timelines, its reliance on third-parties, clinical development plans, manufacturing processes and plans, and bringing its product candidates to market, due to a variety of reasons, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, possible limitations of company financial and other resources, manufacturing limitations that may not be anticipated or resolved in a timely manner, potential disagreements or other issues with our third-party collaborators and partners, and regulatory, court or agency feedback or decisions, such as feedback and decisions from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Any of the foregoing risks could materially and adversely affect AskBio's business and results of operations. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. AskBio does not undertake any obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements based on events or circumstances after the date hereof.

1 National Institutes of Health  Medline Plus: Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy - Description. Accessed May 7, 2021. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics

2 National Institutes of Health -- National Center of Advancing Translational Sciences: Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I  Summary. Accessed May 7, 2021. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD)  an NCATS Program (nih.gov)

SOURCE Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc.

Related Links

www.askbio.com


HOUSTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston plastic surgeon C. Bob Basu, MD, MBA, MPH, FACS has announced that the application deadline for the Basu Plastic Surgery Advancing Care Scholarship for Adult Learners has been extended through Fall of 2021 in response to unforeseen impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education.

The Advancing Care Scholarship supports Texans over the age of 30 who are pursuing a graduate degree as a licensed medical practitioner, physician, nurse, or other qualifying medical profession. * This $1,500 award will assist one qualified adult learner with the cost of tuition and supplies necessary for continuing their education in the medical field. Applications for the scholarship will now be accepted through November 19, 2021, and can be downloaded here .

Dr. Basu is passionate about supporting non-traditional adult students: "Adults over the age of 30 are underrepresented in higher education and are juggling many responsibilities, which makes returning to college extremely challenging. There is always a demand for dedicated medical practitioners, and I believe this unique group has many gifts and life experiences to offer the medical field. Alleviating the costs of education and training is one small way we can encourage adult Texans to follow their calling," he says.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a widespread negative impact on most college and university systems, creating a nationwide decline in postsecondary student enrollment. While enrollment in healthcare majors has fared better than many other undergraduate majors, the pandemic has created what the American Council on Education calls "a crisis of almost unimaginable magnitude."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, millions of adults canceled their plans to take postsecondary courses because of financial constraints, as reflected in recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. With millions of families facing financial hardship due to employment loss or pay reduction, the pursuit of undergraduate and graduate education has become a luxury that many adults cannot afford.

While Dr. Basu's scholarship emphasizes student merit over financial need, it stands out from other scholarship programs because of its flexible award terms. The award can be used at any college or university to offset the cost of educational expenses, including but not limited to: tuition and training, supplies, textbooks, computers, transportation, housing, and more. The scholarship's application process is straightforward and efficient in order to accommodate busy adults and increase equity among applicants.

"By offering this scholarship, I hope to introduce more adult healthcare workers from a variety of backgrounds to our state and help adult learners see their dreams come to fruition. Through more diverse perspectives and leadership, we can create a healthier, more vibrant future for all Texans," says Dr. Basu.

*Eligible degrees for the Basu Plastic Surgery Advancing Care Scholarship include: Doctorate (MD, DO, DPM, DDS, DMD, DPM, DMD, OD, PsyD, PharmD, DCM, DS, DPT, DSN, PhD, DNP), Nursing (RN, NP, CNM, CRNA, LPN), Master's (MPH, MM, MMS, MN, MNA, MPharm, MPAS, MSN, MSM), and Physician's Assistant (PA, PAC).

About Dr. Bob Basu: Dr. Basu is a board-certified plastic surgeon in the Houston, Texas area who has performed over 15,000 cosmetic procedures. Both in and out of his practice, Dr. Basu is renowned and respected for his kind demeanor, surgical skill, and commitment to providing patients with safe, quality treatment. His practice, Basu Aesthetics + Plastic Surgery, is located at 9899 Towne Lake Pkwy Suite 100, Cypress, TX 77433; (713) 799-2278. For more information, visit www.basuplasticsurgery.com .

Media Contact: Zach Melendrez, Basu Aesthetics + Plastic Surgery, (713) 799-2278, [email protected]

SOURCE Dr. Bob Basu

Related Links

http://www.basuplasticsurgery.com


Essentially, you can't achieve racial economic equity without setting equitable economic goals. Tweet this

Blackstar Excels In Spite of Low Diversity and Inclusion Goals

In April, Know Your Price author and Senior Brookings Institute Fellow, Andre M. Perry, penned an article offering a practical solution to two problems expressed in President Biden's American Jobs Plan . Obviously, the first problem is fixing America's aging infrastructure. Secondly, the plan promises to create more opportunities for small businesses with the lofty goal of advancing racial equity in the process. Perry suggests more investment in Black businesses would essentially kill two birds with one stone. Blackstar believes the first step to doing this is by increasing the minimum Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goals for infrastructure projects with the ultimate goal of being comparable with the demographics of the community.

For example, the Lafayette project had an estimated construction cost of just over 7 million dollars. Yet, the DBE goal was only 4%. Blackstar alone generated over $400,000 on that project. While that sounds great, Lafayette Parish is roughly 27% Black, according to 2019 census estimates . The same is true for the Baton Rouge job, which had an 8% DBE goal on a roughly 1.9 million dollar project estimate. As of July 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates Baton Rouge to be roughly 55% Black. Both goals are approximately one seventh of the overall population. Again, Blackstar overachieved bringing in over $250 thousand in gross revenue for the project. Combining these two projects with ongoing work for the City of New Orleans, Blackstar has generated over a million dollars in revenue in 2021, which is 20% of projected overall 2021 revenues.

In a previous December 2020 report , Perry noted Black businesses represent only 2.2% of American businesses. Bringing that number to parity with the Black population would mean an almost 7x increase in Black businesses. Furthermore, bringing Black businesses to parity with non-Black businesses from an average revenue perspective, would have a similar impact on total revenue for Black businesses. While government entities can't guarantee revenue for businesses, they can standardize DBE goals on demographics. Essentially, you can't achieve racial economic equity without setting equitable economic goals.

Blackstar Brings Light Manufacturing to the City of New Orleans

Last summer, Blackstar closed on a commercial property that will serve as a light manufacturing facility for electrical control, integrated medium voltage, and custom enclosure mounted equipment assemblies. Blackstar's Gulf Coast location will allow the firm to take advantage of Federal Opportunity Zone, Regional Enterprise Zone, and New Markets Tax Credit Zone investment opportunities. Earlier this year, Blackstar finalized a partnership with International Motor Controls, a leading electrical systems manufacturer for infrastructure. This partnership will help Blackstar re-establish a manufacturing middle class in New Orleans East providing jobs for the local skilled labor force comprised of people who don't necessarily hold college degrees.

About Blackstar

Blackstar is a system integration and infrastructure lifecycle firm founded by a Howard University alum, with sales offices in Baltimore and Nashville, and manufacturing operations in New Orleans. Specializing in UL508 and UL845 distribution equipment along with engineered customization of electrical and traffic control equipment, Blackstar is positioned perfectly for a surge in infrastructure spending. Blackstar's vision is Powering the Future of Construction with an intense focus on manufacturing hardware for renewable power distribution and process improvement software for small businesses in the public infrastructure sector.

Connect with Blackstar

Follow Blackstar on Twitter

Connect with Blackstar on LinkedIn

Related Links

http://www.blackstardiversified.com

SOURCE Blackstar Diversified Enterprises, LLC
BOULDER, Colo., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bobo's, the Colorado-based snack brand that puts love at the center of everything, has partnered with three talented artists from the LGBTQ+ community to design the limited-edition packaging of the brand's third annual Pride Bar. Ludi Leiva, Shanee Benjamin and Cheyne Gallarde were handpicked by the brand for their unique and inspired artistic styles and were provided with Bobo's Pride Bar packaging as their canvas to deliver their own creative expression of Pride for the LGBTQ+ community. Each of the three artists' designs will be featured on Bobo's Pride version of the popular Lemon Poppyseed Oat Bar and will include a personal statement from each artist on what pride means to them. Along with partnering with these artists to celebrate and give back to the LGBTQ+ community, Bobo's is baking up change by donating 100% of profits of this bar to national partner, PFLAG National for a second year, and is continuing their partnership with local Colorado non-profit, The Center on Colfax. This bar will be available throughout 2021 and will help provide critical support and materials to LGBTQ+ individuals and families.

Bobo's Pride Bar 2021 Ludi Leiva, Shanee Benjamin, Cheyne Gallarde, LGBTQIA+

Bobo's mission for this cause bar is to illustrate inclusion, acceptance and above all else  love, towards others. 'Love wins' has been the brand's motto since the company began and it goes beyond just loving those around you but also embracing and celebrating everyone for who they are. Highlighting the work of these influential LGBTQ+ artists is a small action that can help to encourage others in the community to continue to pursue their passions and be themselves. Each artist was given the freedom to share their interpretation of Pride through their eyes and design a unique, specialty piece that goes beyond the traditional Pride rainbow. Bobo's is also extremely thankful for the continued partnership of The Center on Colfax and PFLAG for another year. PFLAG is the first and largest organization for LGBTQ+ people and their families, has over 250,000 members and supporters, and aligns with Bobo's family values for making the world a more respected and valued place for all. The Center on Colfax is a collaborative leader in creating a safe, healthy, inclusive, equitable and affirming Colorado for all LGBTQ+ community members. The organization works to further statewide initiatives to reduce harassment and discrimination.

"Loving others like family has always been at the heart of everything we do, and our entire team is more excited than ever to be collaborating with so many wonderful partners for our third annual Pride bar," said TJ McIntyre, CEO of Bobo's. "These talented artists deserve the spotlight and we can't wait for our consumers to fall in love with the beautiful designs they've created for our Pride packaging this year. We're also constantly blown away by everything The Center on Colfax and PFLAG have accomplished for the LGBTQ+ community every year so we couldn't think of better partners to give back to."

"To have Bobo's as a partner with us for yet another year is very encouraging and we're looking forward to supporting even more local LGBTQ+ individuals and families," said Rex Fuller, CEO at The Center on Colfax. "We are thankful to have a partner within the community that promotes our mission through the work that they do."

"COVID-19 has created significant challenges for so many communities, including LGBTQ+ people and their families. We are happy to have the continued support of Bobo's," said Brian K. Bond, Executive Director of PFLAG National. "Our team is looking forward to another year of partnership, which will help enhance advocacy efforts nationwide."

The limited-edition 2021 Lemon Poppyseed Pride Bar is available online now through Bobo's website. The bars are available in a six-pack featuring a varied assortment of each artists packaging for $14.94. For more information on Bobo's, the pride bar and the artists who designed this year's bar, please visit www.eatbobos.com/pride. For more information on The Center on Colfax and how you can support their organization, please visit www.lgbtqcolorado.org. To find out more about the work PFLAG is doing and how you can support their work please visit www.pflag.org.

About BOBO's

Bobo's has been making people everywhere feel like family with fresh-baked, wholesome snacks since 2003 when BOBO and her mother decided to whip up their favorite homemade oat bar recipe in their Boulder, CO kitchen. Sticking true to the brand's beginnings, every Bobo's treat is still made with an extra helping of love using the same recipe, the same pan, in the same small-batches, and the same simple wholesome ingredients found in your everyday kitchen. Today, the Bobo's family of products include the original bars and has expanded with oat bites, nut-butter filled bars, toaster pastries, stuff'd bites and nut butter protein bars that can be found in natural and conventional grocers around the country. Every healthy Bobo's treat is still 100% gluten free, kosher, and non-GMO certified. To learn more about Bobo's and how the brand stays committed to feeding everyone like family, visit ww.eatbobos.com or follow @eatbobos on social media.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jillian Wong / Sonja Melin

[email protected]

2135162479

www.startrco.com

SOURCE Bobo's Oat Bars

Related Links

https://eatbobos.com/


BRISBANE, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- US-based food and agriculture biotech startup Boost Biomes announced additions to its Board of Directors. Joining the board are Micki Seibel, VP of Product at Unfold, the vertical farming seed and services company; and Neal Gutterson, PhD, Chief Technology Officer and Partner at Radicle Growth, and recently retired Chief Technology Officer at Corteva. Gutterson will become the Chair of The Board.

Micki Seibel currently serves as VP of Product at Unfold, the company that is amplifying the "seed to table" capability of vertical farming. She previously worked on the investment side of agriculture, most recently at Radicle Growth, as well as at Social Capital. Seibel is a veteran of digital tech as a product manager on the Netscape browser, first head of product at eBay, and Head of Product for 4 start-up companies including two exits. "I'm excited to work with the Boost team developing their suite of product offerings, to fully leverage their category-defining platform technology," Seibel said.

Jamie Bacher, CEO and Director of Boost Biomes added, "Micki's deep experience with product development and startups, and broad view of the food and ag spaces will accelerate Boost's trajectory. We look forward to better exploring novel ways to better and more broadly deploy our platform technology to increase overall food abundance, security and safety."

Added Erkki Aaltonen, Director on Boost's Board, and Head of Yara Growth Ventures, part of Yara International ASA, "We're honored to have industry veteran Neal Gutterson join our board. We know that his many years of leading top organizations in the industry will allow him to bring a level of insight and understanding unparalleled in the field."

Neal Gutterson will Chair the Boost Biomes' Board, having led innovation efforts, specifically focused on bringing value to farmers through a global, integrated R&D organization, at DuPont Pioneer and later Corteva Agriscience where he served as CTO. Before that, he served at Mendel Biotechnology in a variety of executive roles from VP R&D to CEO. "Boost Biomes' platform technology, through the breadth of its current and potential applications, offers a real opportunity to address significant challenges in the food and ag ecosystem. I'm excited to join the team at this critical time, as we guide the first products to market." Neal serves today as Partner and CTO at Radicle Growth, and on the System Board of the CGIAR. Neal served previously on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including, Grassroots BioTechnology, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

Boost's two leading products have highly-valued crop protection properties. Both are expected to reach the market in 2023. Boost technology enables an advanced understanding of microbial interactions, which Boost uses to engineer novel microbial products that expand the range options to improve crop yield and quality. Furthermore, Boost is using its technology to develop products that prevent post-harvest diseases and improve produce safety.



About Boost Biomes, Inc.

Boost Biomes is developing new products to address critical needs in food and agriculture, to increase crop yields and reduce post-harvest waste. Underlying the products is a proprietary microbiome technology platform that enables Boost a unique understanding of interactions within microbiomes, leading to superior products that are effective, safe, organic and natural. For more information, visit http://boostbiomes.com/

For more information, please contact:

Boost Biomes: Julie Rice, Director of Operations

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Boost Biomes

Related Links

boostbiomes.com


NORTH CANTON, Ohio, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD), a global leader in driving connected commerce for the retail and banking industries, has expanded its strategic partnership with bp to provide an integrated solution comprised of hardware, software and managed services.

bp extended its multi-year, managed services agreement with Diebold Nixdorf and will leverage DN AllConnect ServicesSM globally to drive its transformation journey as it looks to reduce the operational complexity associated with managing thousands of retail sites. bp will rely on Diebold Nixdorf's comprehensive service integration to ensure optimal availability of its site systems at more than 17,000 locations worldwide.

As part of the managed Services agreement, bp also sought to make its payment channels more agile, efficient and fully integrated with the digital experience by deploying AEVI's global payment platform (AEVI Motion) at thousands of locations across key European markets. bp can consolidate its payment infrastructure into a single solution and move to a cloud-based payment platform.

Marco Ryan, senior vice president, Digital Customers & Markets, at bp said: "Diebold Nixdorf's managed services enable us to bring greater automation to our retail sites across the globe. Their integrated solutions, combined with their expertise in the fuel and convenience industry, make them the ideal partner to help drive our transformation journey. We look forward to collaborating with them further to accelerate and underpin our consumer centric journeys, innovation and operational excellence."

Hermann Wimmer, senior vice president, Global Retail, at Diebold Nixdorf said: "Our objective is to equip our customers with innovative, consumer-centric solutions that meet the unique demands of the fuel and convenience industry. We're proud to continue our partnership with bp as we help them advance their offerings to simplify processes across multiple countries and enhance the consumer experience at their fuel and convenience stores."

Martin Stefan, senior vice president, AEVI Motion, at AEVI said: "We are glad to join bp and Diebold Nixdorf on this transformational journey by helping to simplify and digitalize the payment experience across channels and countries."

About bp

bp's purpose is to reimagine energy for people and our planet. It has set out an ambition to be a net zero company by 2050, or sooner and help the world get to net zero, and a strategy for delivering on that ambition. Partnering with countries, cities and corporations to provide innovative energy, mobility and decarbonization solutions as they shape their paths to net zero is a core part of this strategy. For more information visit bp.com.

About AEVI

AEVI, provides merchant-facing businesses  banks, acquirers, PSPs, ISOs, ISVs and others - with a platform that enables merchants to run their business smarter by giving them easy access to any payment technology and business solution for the best in-store customer experience. AEVIs cloud-based platform empowers them to upgrade to more agile and data-driven propositions, driving greater efficiency, more innovation, and an improved customer journey across all channels. aevi.com

AEVI operates across Europe, Australia, and the Americas with offices in London, Prague and Paderborn. AEVI was formed through a carve-out in 2015 as a subsidiary of WINCOR NIXDORF International GmbH prior to the acquisition of the former Wincor Nixdorf AG by Diebold (now Diebold Nixdorf). Mastercard, HPE Growth Capital and Schroder Adveq completed minority investments in AEVI.

About Diebold Nixdorf

Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce. We automate, digitize and transform the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world's top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, our integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information.

Twitter: @DieboldNixdorf

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/diebold

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DieboldNixdorf

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dieboldnixdorf

DN-R

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SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.dieboldnixdorf.com/


The government has confirmed a four-year extension to the mineral exploration licence as well as heavily reduced minimum expenditure commitments for the first year of tenure.

The Ivittuut mine provided 3.8 million tonnes of high-grade cryolite when in production.

Ltd ( ) has received further indication of the Greenland Governments support for its Ivittuut Project through confirmation of a four-year extension to the mineral exploration licence.

The extension of MEL2007-45 to December 31, 2024, is also validated by the government through heavily-reduced minimum expenditure commitments for the first year of tenure.

This follows Greenlands Minister for Mineral Resources Naaja Nathanielsen signing addendum No 6 to the licence document granted to Eclipse, providing the updated conditions.

Historic cryolite mine

Eclipse acquired the Ivittuut project in January 2021 and the project area hosts the historic Ivittuut cryolite mine and undeveloped mineral resources, including a large REE-bearing carbonatite deposit.

Between 1865 and 1985, the Ivittuut mine produced 3.8 million tonnes of high-grade cryolite, used in the aluminium industry, from the world's largest known mineable resource of naturally occurring cryolite (Bondam, J. 1991).

Resources very important

Earlier this month, the Minister said mineral resources were very important for the new government in order to diversify the Greenlandic economy to the benefit of all.

She said: Mining remains an industry that the new government intends to develop and prioritise in the future  both for international companies as well as local entrepreneurs.

The government is very keen to see all types of mining projects progress, except uranium with the Minister stating: The new coalition does not support the exploitation of uranium.

Program of work

Eclipse has submitted a program of work for Ivittuut for 2021 and is expected to receive approval by early July.

The companys executive chairman Carl Popal said: Ivittuut is an industrial mineral and REE project with no uranium mineralisation.

"We are looking forward to working with the Ministry of Mines and Greenlands Mineral Licence and Safety Authority to progress the development of the Ivittuut project.

"Ivittuut has more than 120 years of mining history, and the project has great commercial prospects.

"We look forward to exploring this potential and working with the new government to develop a new mine or mines in Southwest Greenland."
LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Braille Institute is pleased to offer more than 110 Spring/Summer courses that are available for free to anyone who is blind or visually impaired, worldwide. During the pandemic, many of those with disabilities have felt especially isolated and have found it difficult to socialize and connect with others. Individuals who are blind or have limited vision and utilize tactile cues such as touch, have found it particularly challenging.

"We are thrilled to offer courses in technology, cooking, art, music, exercise and even peer support groups for anyone who is visually impaired. Individuals can call-in to classes from their home using a computer, smartphone or even a traditional phone," said Lisa Jimenez, Vice President of Programs and Services. Presently, more than 1,500 people are participating in classes and workshops remotely from all over the U.S. and even from as far away as England and Australia.

Classes and workshops are "live classes" allowing for students to speak with the instructor and socialize with fellow classmates. For certain classes, activity kits are mailed to students in advance so they can work on specific skills to keep them active and independent. Ron P., a Braille Institute student from San Diego, has been attending remote classes for more than a year. He said, "I really enjoy the online experience. For me it has probably been as good as face to face. All the instructors have been wonderful. It has been a huge help to me especially during the pandemic."

Class offerings range from mindful courses such as Laughing Yoga to technology classes on helpful apps like Instacart for grocery delivery to outside speakers discussing timely topics like COVID-19 scams. Select classes and workshops are also offered in Spanish.

The Spring/Summer semester runs from May 3  August 13, 2021. Participants can join anytime throughout the semester. Call 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553) to receive a free class catalog or visit brailleinstitute.org/classes-events for a full listing of available workshops.

Videos of Braille Institute students discussing their online class experience are available to use:

Ron P - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGCchl-cXhY

Karen B. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdi-tgRgHSc

Nelly E. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKVKehglphM

SOURCE Braille Institute of America
AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, known for its award-winning, hand-crafted sandwiches, has announced a newly signed franchise agreement that will bring four new locations to the Lone Star State  specifically to the Austin market. The first location, a ghost kitchen facility for pickup and delivery service only, opened on April 26 at 5610 N. IH-35 with the first brick-and-mortar location set to open at 1200 Barbara Jordan Boulevard later this year. A second shop is planned for the Hill Country Galleria and will open in December.

The four-store agreement is spearheaded by restaurant industry veteran, Julian King. Since graduating from Cornell University in 2003, King has gone from working as a Senior Manager at restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory to becoming the Director of Operations for Austin-based Via313 Pizzeria. Now, he has fulfilled his ultimate goal: owning his own restaurant. With the help of his business partner, Warren Shu, King will bring Capriotti's high-quality, hand-crafted sandwiches to the residents of Austin.

"Warren grew up in Delaware and has enjoyed Capriotti's extraordinary food since he was a child," said King. "When the opportunity presented itself to Warren and I to go into business together, it was a no-brainer that Capriotti's was the right investment for us. A loyalty to the brand coupled with Capriotti's outstanding corporate support made our decision to open four locations in Austin very simple."

In search of a concept that would stand out from the typical barbeque-style restaurants Austin is known for, King and Shu quickly realized that there was a pent-up demand for great sandwiches in Austin. "When looking at the big picture, there are immense growth opportunities for Capriotti's in the Austin market," added Shu. "We are excited to bring something unique, quick and convenient but offer the quality of a full-service concept to Austin residents."

"Bringing in franchise owners like Julian and Warren is a dream-come-true for our brand," said David Bloom, Capriotti's Chief Development Officer. "Their passion for our brand and bringing something new and exciting to the market is a recipe for success. We can't wait to see Capriotti's win over fans in Austin."

Founded in 1976, the Las Vegas based franchise is most famous for its 40-year nightly tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house and hand-shredding them each morning to feature in a variety of subs. This includes The Bobbie, the shop's acclaimed best-seller, made with homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo on a soft roll.

With the top 25 percent of shops averaging $1.1 million average unit volume and an initial average investment of $420,000 with high growth potential, Capriotti's is a profitable and rewarding franchise investment. The brand is backed by a corporate leadership team that offers a continuous support program for franchisees, called CAPMastery. This online and field program provides significant support to franchisees for marketing, retail sales, operations and growth strategies through every stage of their ownership. Looking ahead, Capriotti's focus will be to continue being an extraordinary franchise, whose franchise partners earn exceptional returns by selling the best tasting, highest quality food.

For more information about the Capriotti's franchise opportunity, please visit http://www.ownacapriottis.com.

About Capriotti's Sandwich Shop

Founded in 1976, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop is an award-winning national franchised restaurant chain that remains true to its 40-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house every day. Capriotti's cold, grilled and vegetarian subs, cheese steaks and salads are available at more than 100 locations across the United States. Capriotti's signature sub, The Bobbie, was voted "The Greatest Sandwich in America" by thousands of readers across the country, as reported by AOL.com. Capriotti's fans can also download the CAPAddicts Rewards app for iOS and Android, where they can earn and redeem rewards. Capriotti's plans to grow to over 500 locations by 2025, and was ranked #17 on Fast Casual's Top Movers & Shakers List for 2020. For more information, visit capriottis.com. Like Capriotti's on Facebook, follow on Twitter or Instagram.

Media Contact: Julianne Stevenson, Fishman Public Relations, 847-945-1300 or [email protected]

SOURCE Capriotti's Sandwich Shop

Related Links

http://www.capriottis.com


In addition to the practice ranking, two Miles & Stockbridge health care lawyers are also ranked and recognized in Maryland as notable practitioners in the latest edition.

Robert Wells, Principal

Miles & Stockbridge Principal Robert Wells has practiced for nearly 25 years and has broad experience working with clients throughout the health care industry to meet their business objectives while complying with complex health care regulations, and he particularly "is sought out for his experienced counsel on Maryland's healthcare regulatory regime." One of the interviewees said, "He has an incredibly wide knowledge of the law and approaches it in a very practical and connected way. He is very knowledgeable and calm." Another shared, "He is excellent in the GPO space, a subject matter expert."

Peter Parvis, Senior Counsel

Miles & Stockbridge Senior Counsel Peter Parvis is named a Senior Statesperson for his close links to clients and many contributions to the firm's success. Chambers describes Parvis as having "longstanding experience advising clients on the regulatory and corporate aspects of healthcare law. He remains a trusted adviser to hospitals, healthcare providers and physicians."

Miles & Stockbridge also announced that 22 of the firm's lawyers and nine of its practices in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and USA - Nationwide are recognized as industry leaders in the 2021 edition of Chambers and Partners USA. Click here to read the full news release.

Health Care Practice Group

The health care practice at Miles & Stockbridge is led by Lisa Keenan and covers the full scope of legal matters that arise in health care, including regulatory compliance, transactions and litigation. With health care industry clients that include hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, insurers, vendors and nursing and assisted living facilities, as well as providers, employers, pharmaceutical companies and various small and large businesses, Miles & Stockbridge has earned a reputation for successfully helping clients thrive in this highly regulated environment.

In addition, Miles & Stockbridge lawyers have decades of experience conducting internal investigations on behalf of health care companies and medical device manufacturers; assisting individuals in connection with comprehensive internal investigations; and defending companies and individuals against civil False Claims Act allegations and government civil and criminal investigations and prosecutions.

During the last four years, the Miles & Stockbridge health care practice has grown exponentially. In 2017, Lisa Keenan, Molly Ferraioli and other colleagues joined Peter Parvis and Jen Coyne to launch the Miles & Stockbridge health care group. Less than a year later, Robert Wells joined from health care tech company Integra Connect, where he served as general counsel. In December 2019, Christopher Dean joined Miles & Stockbridge from Baker Donelson.

The team's ability to comprehensively handle any government health care-related investigations is further enhanced by the inclusion of Holly Drumheller Butler, a principal and litigator who joined the firm in 2017. She co-leads the firm's White Collar, Fraud and Government Investigations practice with former Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Tom Zeno, who joined in 2020. Zeno, as the Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, supervised the investigation strategies of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit regarding health care offenses.

About Chambers USA

Chambers USA ranks the leading firms and lawyers in an extensive range of practice areas throughout America. The research is in-depth and client focused and the guide is read by industry-leading companies and organizations throughout the U.S. and worldwide. It is also widely used by law firms for referral purposes.

About Miles & Stockbridge

Miles & Stockbridge is a leading law firm with offices across Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. Its lawyers help global, national, local and emerging business clients preserve and create value by helping them solve their most important problems. For more information, please follow Miles & Stockbridge on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook .

SOURCE Miles & Stockbridge

Related Links

http://www.milesstockbridge.com


Cleancult has had a powerful, measureable impact in the United States that it hopes to replicate and expand on in Canada. For example, the brand has offset 1,200 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions to date, and can save an average household from tossing 44 lbs. of plastic into the environment each year. Cleancult's products feature plant-based cleaning formulas for every room of the home, including All Purpose Cleaner, Liquid Hand Soap, Liquid Laundry Detergent, Liquid Dish Soap and more. The brand's zero waste innovative refill system is comprised of recyclable, paper-based milk carton refills and stylish, shatter-resistant glass bottles to act as reusable vessels. Cleancult is the only zero waste cleaning brand living on shelves in Canada, and the products are now available in over 150 Canadian retail doors, at Peavey and TSC Stores and London Drugs locations, as well as through online marketplaces including Well.ca and Amazon.ca.

"We're so proud to expand our retail footprint and make our products available for Canadian consumers," said Ryan Lupberger, Co-Founder and CEO of Cleancult. "Canada has been a pioneer in sustainability and reducing the use of disposable plastics, and we're thrilled that these retailers remain committed to offering consumers accessible, zero waste solutions. We look forward to further developing Cleancult's brand presence throughout the Canadian marketplace, and for more consumers to try our products and reduce their carbon footprints in the process."

The brand's expanded availability into the Canadian market reflects the country's ongoing dedication to reducing single-use plastics, with retailers continuing to make zero waste solutions a priority. The partnership with retailers like London Drugs, for example, is natural for both brands as the chain has a substantial four-pillar approach to sustainability, which includes waste reduction, energy and operations, upstream purchasing and communication and education, along with a Responsible Purchasing Policy. Similarly, as Cleancult continues to grow, it also remains committed to offsetting its own carbon emissions through its partnership with Carbonfund.org, which makes product shipments sustainable and carbon-neutral.

For more information on Cleancult, visit www.cleancult.com.

About Cleancult

Cleancult is the most sustainable cleaning system from start to finish. Founded with the promise to redefine clean, Cleancult offers a revolutionary zero-waste refillable system for its high efficacy plant-delivered formulas. With irresistible natural scents, Cleancult is packaged in sustainable milk-cartons and non-disposable bottles that are shatter-resistant. Cleancult is the only company in the world that has mastered putting soap into milk cartons without leaking. Manufactured in the USA, they use no-nonsense ingredients, powered by the anti-fungal properties of coconuts and supplemented by the scent of essential oils. The brand is composed of a team of PhD. scientists based in San Juan, Puerto Rico that are responsible for its research and development and have dug deep to find natural ingredients that are tough on grit and grime, but easy on the environment. In partnerships with Carbonfund.org, they work to reduce carbon emissions. In 2019, Cleancult received a carbon offset certificate by the Fund confirming they had reduced 144 tons of CO2 emissions. As seen on the Today Show, CNN, Fast Company, Glamour, Real Simple, Parents Magazine, Health Magazine, and more. To learn more about Cleancult's mission to redefine clean, visit their website at www.cleancult.com or @Cleancult.

SOURCE Cleancult

Related Links

https://www.cleancult.com


SmartRock, utilized by Sundt Construction, deep inside of the sustainability award-winning San Diego International Airport Project

OTTAWA, ON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the day of the Climate Leadership Exchange event hosted by the Climate Leadership Conference, Giatec, the leader in concrete testing technology and concrete software applications, is proud to highlight award winners of the Climate Leadership Awards recognizing the San Diego International Airport project's sustainability.

Giatec Scientific Inc.

In the construction of a three-million-gallon underground stormwater containment reservoir for the San Diego International Airport, Sundt Construction Inc. utilized Giatec's wireless concrete sensor SmartRock. Construction professionals around the world are choosing SmartRock to ensure their projects meet sustainability targets through the sensor's ability to reduce concrete waste by predicting concrete performance and monitoring concrete properties in real time.

"Giatec has one of the best products out there," says Dinesh Allam, Project Manager, Sundt Construction Inc. With consistent temperature monitoring in real time, Allam's team saved 40 percent in cooling materials on the airport project.

Through Giatec's SmartRock concrete sensors and artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, the company plans to help the industry cut at least 400 million tons annually of GHG emissions. Pouria Ghods, Giatec co-founder and CEO, says, "Our mandate and our vision are that, within three to five years, we will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of concrete."

SmartRock is the most widely used wireless concrete sensor, currently being implemented in over 8,000 construction projects across 80 countries worldwide. As the first truly wireless sensor introduced to the market in 2015, SmartRock is the leading concrete maturity sensor for accurate monitoring of concrete curing and hardening. Unlike time-consuming and error-prone break tests, or cumbersome wired sensors, Giatec's patented maturity sensor uses a highly accurate ASTM-approved testing method. Together with the Giatec 360 platform and SmartHub remote monitoring system, this has enabled faster, safer, and more economical concrete construction.

The Climate Leadership Awards, held during The Climate Leadership Conference, recognizes and incentivizes exemplary corporations, organizations, and individuals leading the way in managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their operations and supply chains, as well as integrating climate resilience initiatives. The San Diego International Airport project is behind the Individual Leadership Award and the Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management Award.

The Climate Leadership Conference brings together influential climate, energy, and sustainability professionals to exchange new ideas and best practices for addressing climate change through policy, innovation, and business solutions.

ABOUT GIATEC

Giatec is a global company revolutionizing the construction industry by bringing smart testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every jobsite. Giatec's suite of hardware and software products has leveraged advanced technologies such as AI and Internet of Things (IoT), including wireless concrete sensors, mobile apps, and advanced non-destructive technologies (NDT) to drive innovation throughout concrete's lifecycle and reduce concrete's carbon footprint.

MEDIA CONTACT

Dobrila Moogk, Vice President, Marketing

Tel: +1 (877) 497-6278 ext. 9280

[email protected]

Related Images

smart-construction-technology-and.png

Smart Construction Technology And The Climate Leadership Awards

SOURCE Giatec Scientific Inc.
SOMERSET, Pa., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Community LIFE, an all-inclusive program tailored to meet the healthcare needs of seniors, will open its eighth Health and Wellness Center at 118 Shaeli Drive in Somerset, Pa. on June 1. Participants in the program have access to individualized, coordinated medical care, therapies, and in-home services.

Originally designed to be an alternative to nursing homes, Community LIFE is a certified Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), operating under a special agreement with Medicare and the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance program.

Community LIFE integrates long-term care, medical care, prescription drug and transportation services all in one program with no co-pays or deductibles. Community LIFE manages care for each participant and provides a center for wellness, recreational and social activities.

"There can be many gaps and challenges for an older person who needs help to stay in their current home," said Community LIFE President, Richard DiTommaso. "Getting to appointments, coordinating between different doctors, understanding coverage rules, not knowing where or how to get help with one's personal needs, just generally being rushed through everything. Loneliness and loss don't help. The LIFE program is a holistic solution - health care, plus the help people need between appointments and at home, provided by one organization. After several years of planning, we are so excited to bring these greatly needed services to Somerset County."

The 13,000-square-foot Somerset Health and Wellness Center will serve approximately 150 individuals. A community Open House will take place on August 11 from 3-6 p.m.

About Community LIFE

Community LIFE is dedicated to helping older adults stay healthy and at home. With eight Health and Wellness Centers in five counties we continue to fulfil our mission of helping older adults live independently at home. Community LIFE is an all-inclusive program tailored to meet the healthcare needs of seniors. Participants in the program have access to individualized, coordinated medical care , therapies, and in-home services . They may enjoy a variety of activities at one of our Health and Wellness Centers and take advantage of our convenient transportation options. Community LIFE is among 139 organizations, which are part of the national PACE initiative.

SOURCE Community LIFE

Related Links

http://www.commlife.org/


DENVER, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Concept3D, a leader in creating immersive online experiences with 3D modeling, interactive maps and virtual tour software, today announces the launch of its latest product, 360 Map, which takes interactive mapping to the next level by creating true 3D models for significantly enhanced wayfinding, appearance and functionality.

Concept3D launches 360 Map in collaboration with Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hawaii Convention Center, and Baldwin Wallace University, demonstrating the potential of the new software for sporting arenas, major event and conference centers, higher education, and tourism. A major advancement from traditional 3D rendered maps which only allow the user to view a building or location from a single, fixed perspective, the structures, grounds, and even the trees in Concept3D's new 360 Map can be viewed from North, South, East and West, providing a realistic experience unlike any mapping system available.

A major advancement from traditional 3D rendered maps which only allow the user to view a building or location from a single, fixed perspective, the structures, grounds, and even the trees in Concept3D's new 360 Map can be viewed from North, South, East and West, providing a realistic experience unlike any mapping system available.

Because of the precision used in developing the 3D models, 360 Map is extremely accurate, with pinpoint visuals creating a visually precise point-to-point wayfinding experience that now easily guides users around the 3D models to their destination. The new system is compatible with many of Concept3D's other advanced features, including directions, sharing, wayfinding, rendered interiors, virtual map tours, and pop-ups.

Concept3D launches 360 Map in collaboration with Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hawaii Convention Center, and Baldwin Wallace University, demonstrating the potential of the new software for sporting arenas, major event and conference centers, higher education, and tourism.

Since 2006, Concept3D has been an innovator in developing interactive mapping and virtual tour software, and powers the interactive maps and tours of major theme parks, conference and event locations, hotels and hospitality, higher education institutions, and businesses. 360 Map is the latest innovation from the company, giving its clients a whole new tool to help their audiences explore, wayfind, and get the information they need.

"360 Map was years in development and is a major advancement in online mapping with unmatched accuracy, stunning 3D models that can be viewed from any angle, and the ability to spin, tilt and rotate," said Gordon Boyes, CEO, Concept3D. "People light up when they experience the ability to fly around meticulously modeled 3D buildings and grounds, and it creates a lasting impression that we know will help our clients market their locations, as well as significantly improving wayfinding because now you can see all sides of a structure or location. We've seen the early potential in working closely with Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hawaii Convention Center and Baldwin Wallace University, each with different goals and needs that 360 Map addresses."

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, spans more than 550 acres.

"Capturing the epic scale of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can be a challenge but with 360 Maps, our visitors can dive right in and explore the world's largest sporting venue," said Brad Lee, Director of Business Solutions, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Located in the heart of metropolitan Honolulu, the 1.1 million square foot Hawaii Convention Center - which uses the Concept3D interactive mapping platform for both exterior and interior mapping - has added the new 360 Map system to further enhance the online experience.

"The 360 Map shows our building from every angle, giving our clients and their attendees an unparalleled digital view," said Teri Orton, General Manager, Hawaii Convention Center.

Concept3D has been supporting the needs of higher education institutions for decades, and its 3D interactive map and virtual tour software are the choice of thousands of different universities, colleges and schools in North America and across the globe to support marketing, wayfinding, parking and transportation, and helping people navigate and explore campuses. Baldwin Wallace University selected Concept3D's 360 Map software to provide students and parents with an in-depth way to explore its campus online.

Explore 360 Maps:

Indianapolis Motor Speedway: https://map.concept3d.com/?id=1790# !

Hawaii Convention Center: https://map.concept3d.com/?id=1878#!ct/0

Baldwin Wallace: https://map.concept3d.com/?id=1894#!ct/

The new 360 Map functionality is built atop Concept3D's proven mapping software and can be added to any Concept3D map, or an entirely new interactive map built around it. Using Concept3D's content management system (CMS), images and information can be assigned to buildings and locations, which are highlighted when a map user clicks on that location. Additionally, categories can easily be created so map users can quickly find what they are looking for, from parking to concessions, classrooms and special event information.

Learn more about Concept3D's 360 Map at: https://www.concept3d.com/360-maps

About Concept3D:

Founded in 2006, Concept3D is a leader in creating immersive online experiences with 3D modeling, interactive maps and VR enabled virtual tour software. Concept3D software brings any physical location into an intuitive and navigable digital format, providing clients with a powerful competitive edge through applications like data visualization, wayfinding, virtual reality, and real time data feed integration. Concept3D clients include convention centers and event spaces, data centers, healthcare and retirement facilities, large commercial sites, resorts, hotels and theme parks, and universities and colleges, among many other locations. Learn more at https://www.concept3D.com.

Contact:

Matt Bennett

[email protected]

(303) 647-5570





SOURCE Concept3D

Related Links

https://www.concept3D.com


SAO PAULO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CSU CardSystem S.A. (CARD3: BZ), a leading company in the Brazilian market in state-of-the-art technological solutions for payment means, customer experience and clients' loyalty and incentives - continues to stand out in business, starting to operate with a new platform for payment means, scheduled to start operating in the second half of 2021, aiming to strengthening and further modernizing its fronts focused on digital payment services.

Aiming at the development of the emerging payment and credit markets linked to the emergence of the PIX instant payments, payment accounts and other new electronic transaction tools, CSU incorporates the Glic platform into its processing ecosystem.

"We carry out the long-term licensing of Glic (glic-solutions.com/en), which combined with the VisionPLUSTM solution, integrate our Hybrid Processing Platform , with a higher resolution of hyperconnectivity for the processing payment means" says Mr. Fabiano Droguetti, COO at CSU.

This new CSU project is focused on the specific demands of our clients and according to the characteristics of each of its products.

Now, in addition to the VisionPLUSTM platform, which has a worldwide use in the processing of payment means and offers high conditions of robustness and security for expressive business projects, CSU now also has the Glic platform, with greater agility and flexibility of implementation for the most innovative or initial projects of our customers.

The Glic platform will be used by CSU in its operations, based on a public cloud for projects of cards of debit, credit and prepaid from Visa, Mastercard and Elo flags, as well as private label solutions.

This new project that CSU adds to its processing infrastructure has already been implemented in more than 20 countries, including Brazil, with several active clients in the national territory.

"The Glic platform has more than 100 insertions in the market, most of which are in situations of migration to other platforms, given its qualities and innovations. For all its complete operational characteristics and adjusted to the business trends in payments, it will serve our clients in all their demands", says Mr. Droguetti.

With this new operation, CSU enters in short list of processing services companies worldwide to have its card processing ecosystem on hybrid platform (mainframe, distributed platform and cloud). Thus, CSU.CardSystem solutions will be even more agile and flexible, maintaining the robustness and security, traditional features of the company and widely recognized by the market.

CSU starts to adhere to new market development trends, with the potential to better serve new customers segments such as startups, fintechs and new financial institutions. And so, it opens spaces for a greater growth of the company.

Another differential highlighted by Mr. Droguetti, is the experience of its clients with this new improved configuration. "With the Hybrid Processing Platform , we will accompany the journey of customers in their development and business expansion. We should carry out your deployments using the most appropriate platform for your products, and carry out possible evolutions in our processing solutions if appropriate, without difficulties. Evolution to be carried out in about two months, instead of migrations taking up to two years, as traditionally occurs in the market, involving different processors. With this new platform, we eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming migrations", says the executive.

The value that the Hybrid Processing Platform brings to the market at this time, is of greater adaptation to new issuers with different demands. "CSU now has a truly innovative condition in the market", says the executive.

"A client of ours will be able to travel through the processing of his card portfolio from one platform to another, in a much more fluid and fast way, according to his specific needs and always operating in the best structure. This entire process is within CSU, and with that, we reinforce our positioning of the growth partnership with customers, delivering flexible solutions that adapt to changes. We may even have the status of a client with a processed VisionPLUSTM portfolio and a new specific project in which it is appropriate to be installed in Glic. This entire operation will be carried out with high integration", highlights Mr. Droguetti.

Our Results: The company presented, in 2020, net revenue of R$ 457 million and EBITDA of R$ 131 million, with the CardSystem unit contributing substantially to the good results, representing 50% of revenues and 77% of EBITDA in the year. "Only in the first quarter of 2021, this business unit again presented significant results, reaching an EBITDA margin of 47.4% against 41.6% in the same quarter of the previous year, with an increase of 5.8 percentage points", informed Mr. Ricardo Leite, CSU's Investor Relations Officer.

About CSU: Created in 1992, CSU is a leading company in the Brazilian market in state-of-the-art technological solutions for payment means, customer experience and clients' loyalty and incentives. CSU has about 6,000 employees, in the offices of Sao Paulo, Barueri, Recife and Belo Horizonte. Acting in a pioneering way, in 2006 CSU was the first company in its segment to go public on B3, becoming part of the highest corporate governance level, the Novo Mercado segment, under the ticker CARD3.

SOURCE CSU
"Southwest proudly supports the vaccination efforts taking place around the country. We are excited to have played a small part in showing our Mile High Heart for the city of Denver and its surrounding communities," said Helen Limpitlaw, Director of Marketing at Southwest Airlines. "We look forward to celebrating those special moments with the people we love at the places that matter most in their lives."

Celebrating Moments with Southwest Getaway Tunnel

In true Southwest Spirit, the airline turned the moments that followed the vaccinations into a celebration, through its 45 ft. (length) by 34 ft. (width) Southwest Getaway Tunnel; a drive-thru experience, which featured music and destination centric videos on large LED screens, creating excitement for reuniting people with the places they've missed.

48 Million Rapid Rewards Points Giveaway

Southwest brought its unique Hospitality onsite to surprise & delight each participant with 5,000 Rapid Rewards points to thank them for doing their part in the vaccination effort, totaling 48 million Rapid Rewards points given away during the five-day activation.

Making a Difference, One Shot at a Time

In support of the vaccinations, Southwest invites participants to share their joy from being fully vaccinated, by posting a vaccine selfie on their Facebook page, or tag @SouthwestAir on Twitter and Instagramdon't forget to include #SouthwestHeart.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

In its 50th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 56,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs, Calif.; Steamboat Springs; and Montrose (Telluride/Crested Butte), Colo. Thus far in 2021, Southwest has initiated service to Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/ Bradenton, both on Feb. 14; Savannah/Hilton Head and Colorado Springs, Colo., both on March 11; Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif., both on April 12; Fresno, Calif., on April 25; Destin/Fort Walton Beach on May 6; as well as Myrtle Beach S.C., on May 23; and will begin service to Bozeman, Mont., on May 27; Jackson, Miss., on June 6; and Eugene, Ore., on Aug. 29. The Company also has announced an intention to initiate new service to Bellingham, Wash., later this year.

The carrier issued its Southwest Promise in May 2020 to highlight new and round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest Promise are available at Southwest.com/Promise.

Southwest coined Transfarency to describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees, though fare differences might apply.

Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the carrier gives back to communities across the world by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.

Related Links

http://www.southwest.com


DENVER and MANCHESTER, Conn. and WATERBURY, Conn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DispatchHealth, a provider of in-home medical care, today announced a partnership with two Connecticut health systems, Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) and Waterbury HEALTH, to bring patients same-day, in-home medical care. This partnership will enable the Connecticut health systems to provide their patients a new way to receive convenient medical care in the comfort of their own homes.

ECHN and Waterbury HEALTH, both part of Prospect Medical, a national network, serve more than 30 local communities across Connecticut by providing patients the right care, at the right time, and in the right setting. DispatchHealth offers a robust platform for delivering, coordinating, and providing in-home medical care to patients. ECHN and Waterbury HEALTH's innovative partnership with DispatchHealth will provide patients and providers in eastern and western Connecticut the ability to request DispatchHealth's medical care for a broad range of common to complex injuries and illnesses. Additionally, identified high-risk patients will have access to proactive in-home care 24-72 hours post-discharge from an acute care hospital stay. This service, known as DispatchHealth Bridge Care, helps identify gaps in care and bridge the patient back to their primary care physician or specialist in the community.

"DispatchHealth is redefining what is possible for a patient's health care journey. We believe health systems see our unique service offerings as a way to extend their reach to even more patients," said Dr. Mark Prather, CEO and co-founder of DispatchHealth. "We are excited to partner with ECHN and Waterbury HEALTH to bring high-quality care that patients have come to know from these two health systems but with the proven convenience of effective care at home."

Deborah Weymouth, CEO of ECHN shared, "At ECHN, our foundation was built on nurses making house calls to support the local communities. For the last 100 years, we have provided high-quality, compassionate, patient-centered care in a variety of settings. While we have come a long way from those early days of house calls, we are thrilled to bring our patients the option of in-home care through our partnership with DispatchHealth. Through their on-demand and integrated service, we are expanding the access to care we can provide our patients and the communities in which we serve."

"Waterbury HEALTH is focused on ensuring our patients have a first-rate experience by providing them with excellent care. If this past year has taught me anything, it has amplified our desire to provide holistic care and meet the patients where they are," said Lester Schindel, CEO of Waterbury HEALTH. "We believe our partnership with DispatchHealth will enable us to expand our offerings beyond our traditional methods while remaining focused on an excellent patient experience and high-quality care."

DispatchHealth began servicing the Hartford community in September 2020, and now the partnership with ECHN and Waterbury HEALTH will expand the company's reach to more patients in Connecticut. Patients can request care via phone, DispatchHealth's mobile app or website. Once requested, an expertly trained medical team typically arrives at the patient's home within a few hours, equipped with the necessary tools and treatments, no referral needed. DispatchHealth is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, including holidays. For more information, visit DispatchHealth.com.

About DispatchHealth

DispatchHealth is building the world's largest in-home care system to deliver trusted and compassionate care to all. DispatchHealth offers on-demand acute care and an advanced level of medical care for people of all ages in the comfort of their own homes. DispatchHealth's emergency medicine and internal medicine trained medical teams are equipped with all the tools necessary to treat common to complex injuries and illnesses. DispatchHealth works closely with payers, providers, health systems, EMS, employer groups and others to deliver care in the home to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, hospital stays and readmissions. Acute care medical teams are available seven days a week, evenings and holidays and can be requested via app, online or a quick phone call. DispatchHealth is partnered with most major insurance companies. For more information, visit DispatchHealth.com.

About Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN)

ECHN is a community healthcare system serving 19 towns in eastern Connecticut. Its network of affiliates includes Manchester Memorial Hospital, Rockville General Hospital, Woodlake at Tolland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, ECHN Medical Group, Women's Center for Wellness, Visiting Nurse & Health Services of CT, Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute, and more. Visit our website at www.echn.org for more detailed information about the health system.

About Waterbury HEALTH

Waterbury HEALTH, which includes Waterbury Hospital, Alliance Medical Group, Cardiology Associates of Greater Waterbury, VNA Health at Home and Access Rehab Centers, Greater Waterbury Imaging Center, offers comprehensive healthcare services including primary care, emergency and acute care, and home healthcare. Serving Waterbury and 11 surrounding communities in Western Connecticut, Waterbury HEALTH is a member of Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc., a national family of hospitals and healthcare networks.

About Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc.

Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc., a growing healthcare services company, offers a unique and innovative healthcare delivery model, known as Coordinated Regional Care, which emphasizes coordination of care and population health management, with an emphasis on wellness and preventive care. CRC helps coordinate quality care for patients through integrated networks of primary and specialty physicians, in affiliation with hospitals, clinics, other community-based providers and health plans. Prospect owns and operates 20 hospitals, as well as over 165 clinics and outpatient centers. Prospect also manages the provision of healthcare services for more than 435,000 members enrolled in its networks of over 11,000 primary care physicians and specialists. Prospect's operations are located in diverse areas in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. For more information, visit www.pmh.com.

SOURCE DispatchHealth
The company has enhanced its portfolio with a novel CD19 expressing oncolytic virus from City of Hope to be developed in combination with CD19 CAR T cell therapy.

A phase-1 clinical trial is anticipated to commence in 2022.

Imugene Ltd ( ) ( ) has boosted its finances by A$2.524 million following the exercise of options by the company's managing director and executive chairman.

Executive chairman Paul Hopper has exercised 25 million options at a value of A$1.07 million and managing director and CEO Leslie Chong exercised 36.2 million options.

The value of Chong's exercising of options was A$1.517 million with a remaining 13.8 million options to be exercised in the near future.

Imugene will use the additional funds to further its research and development activities.

Licensing agreement with City of Hope

Imugene recently entered into a licensing agreement with City of Hope for the patents covering a novel combination immunotherapy.

This therapy unleashes a CD19 expressing oncolytic virus to enable CD19 directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies to target solid tumours, which are currently otherwise difficult to treat with CAR T cell therapy alone.

The worldwide exclusive licence of the patents covering the cell therapy technology, which includes CF33-CD19, known as onCARlytics, or an agent that tags cancer cells for CAR T cell destruction, was developed at City of Hope.
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynatos, a leading strategic partner for optimizing and automating financial business processes, strengthens its position in the Nordics with the acquisition of ENTIQ AS. The Norwegian company will continue as Dynatos AS and will be part of the Dynatos Nordics region, next to the existing subsidiary in Denmark.

"With a new subsidiary in Norway we can serve our customers in the Nordics better, and it enables us to market our broader solution portfolio," said Gert-Jan de Vries, CEO of Dynatos. "Through the acquisition of ENTIQ AS, we serve over 350 customers and partners in the Nordics in total . We notice that the Nordics region is a frontrunner in digital transformation, our customers and partners are looking for the next step in financial process automation and have a high adoption of cloud solutions".

"ENTIQ has a strong customerportfolio of both local and international companies. Just like in our other regions these customers are using financial process automation solutions consisting of Kofax and ReadSoft technology. In our other regions our customers are using integrated solutions inside SAP for Purchase-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash automation. We believe this is a value add for the ENTIQ customers and the Norwegian market, as many of the SAP users might not get the most out of their SAP system. Also, we see a strong demand for enhancing the existing solutions with solutions such as sourcing, procurement and e-invoicing. With this demand and automation potential, we truly believe the Nordic market is a perfect fit with the Dynatos solution portfolio and expertise, Gert-Jan de Vries continuous."

"Making use of the team and expertise of Dynatos, we can support the Norwegian customers and the Norwegian market with a broader, state-of-the-art solution and software offering. We have strategic partnerships with market-leading financial automation software providers such as Coupa Software, the leading Business Spend Management platform for Source-to-Pay and Procurement processes. We are a platinum reseller and Master VAR for Kofax in Europe, where we combine Kofax technology with our own software, Routty, for electronic invoicing and processing in order to drive digital transformation. We have a complete portfolio for financial process automation and related services, with a strong focus on SAP. Besides automation, we focus on financial process optimization, through our partner agreement with Minit for process mining. We have developed plug and mine packages that are compatible with Kofax solutions for SAP. It enables us not only to automate processes but also to discover optimization potential."

The Dynatos Norway team will led by Vlad Alexandru Stoian, working for years within the software industry, previous for Basware and Kofax. The Norwegian team has over 25 years of experience with the implementation of financial process solutions and SAP. "We strive for the best expertise in financial automation and are excited to onboard the Norwegian team," said Gert-Jan de Vries.

Vlad Alexandru Stoian, VP Operations Norway, says, "I look forward working with the Dynatos team and expanding our operations further within the market. We strive to make our customers achieve their targets by working smarter and efficiently through digitalization and competence. Together with the expertise of Dynatos, we can serve a complete portfolio of financial automation solutions and services which enables us to be a true strategic partner," Vlad Alexandru continuous. "Together with the other Dynatos experts in the Nordics, we have the experience and knowledge to create value within financial process automation and to serve the complete Nordic region."

Jesper Tinggaard Rasmussen, VP Operations Nordics, added, "Together with the team from Norway, we have a great asset in the Nordic market. We notice a growing demand for financial process automation, and we have a lot of International customers and partners in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. With the acquisition of ENTIQ, we incorporate lots of additional knowledge in our software offering and industry."

"With the start of Dynatos Norway, we are delighted by the continuous growth of Dynatos in EMEA and the Nordics. We look forward to growing the current operations in the region and expanding our National and International footprint of value-adding automation services together with our customers and our valued partners," Gert-Jan de Vries closed.

Dynatos is a leading expert in optimizing and automating financial processes. With over 700 international customers and offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Norway, and Denmark, Dynatos helps customers streamline all aspects of the financial department, making repetitive tasks obsolete giving employees more time to work on value-adding activities. With Dynatos' solutions and approach, it aims for a long-term partnership as a trusted advisor. Dynatos is a rapidly growing worldwide certified solution provider for Financial Process Automation solutions.

For more information, please visit www.dynatos.com and www.dynatos.no.

SOURCE Dynatos
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Electromedical Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: EMED) (the "Company"), a pioneer in the development and manufacturing of bioelectronic devices, including the FDA cleared WellnessPro Plus, is pleased to announce that following a successful Facebook Live WellnessPro Plus testimonial event with a noted chiropractor, the Company is launching two weekly marketing events, beginning Wednesday, May 26, 2021. EMED Sales Director Kathy Strand R.N leads the marketing event series with practitioners, thought leaders, patients, and EMED executives as part of the Company's strategic plan to foster broad product awareness and utilization, increase sales, and on-board new EMED distributors.

Each Wednesday, Electromedical Technologies will host Facebook Live events featuring doctors and patients sharing their respective successful experiences when using EMED's WellnessPro Plus bioelectronic device to treat chronic pain (https://www.facebook.com/electromedtech). Thursday events include new distributor on-boarding and training as a critical tool to on-board 200 active distributors by year-end 2021.

Matthew Wolfson, Founder and CEO of Electromedical Technologies, noted, "We are pleased our initial Facebook Live event was a success and are excited to keep the momentum going with two weekly online social media-driven webinars. Enabling clinicians and patients to directly discuss their experiences and benefits when using the WellnessPro Plus  device each week is a key method to teach participants how the device has helped change users' lives. Plus, the weekly training sessions should serve as an opportunity to on-board and educate new distributors, thereby potentially driving increased sales. For questions on how to become a Wellness pro distributor contact our office at [email protected]."

About Electromedical Technologies

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Electromedical Technologies, Inc. is a commercial stage, FDA cleared, bioelectronic medical device manufacturing company initially focused on the treatment of various chronic, acute, intractable, and post-operative pain conditions. Through University collaboration agreements, the Company is working to develop a comprehensive research program in defining the effects of electro-modulation on the human body. By studying the impacts of electrical fields in cell signaling and effects on virus assembly and immune responses, the Company's goal is to reduce pain and improve overall human wellbeing. The Company's current FDA cleared product indications are for chronic acute post traumatic and post-operative, intractable pain relief. For more information, please visit www.electromedtech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance or guarantee that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to: adverse economic conditions, competition, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, international governmental regulation, inadequate capital, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans, loss or retirement of key executives and other specific risks. To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, including statements as to revenue projections, business strategy, outlook, objectives, future milestones, plans, intentions, goals, future financial conditions, events conditioned on stockholder or other approval, or otherwise as to future events, such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made.

Corporate Contact:

Electromedical Technologies, Inc.

Hanover International

Tel.: +1-888-880-7888

Email: [email protected]

https://electromedtech.com

SOURCE Electromedical Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

https://electromedtech.com


Elixirgen Therapeutics Announces First Dosing of COVID19 Vaccine EXG-5003 in Phase 1/2 Trial at Fujita Health University Tweet this

Akihiro Ko, CEO of Elixirgen Therapeutics, said "We are pleased to begin our Phase 1/2 study for EXG-5003, which has been in development since March of 2020. There is an ongoing global need for COVID-19 vaccines, and we believe in the importance of contributing to the public health effort."

The Phase 1/2 clinical trial is being conducted at Fujita Health University Hospital in Aichi, Japan, and it will assess the safety and immunogenicity of EXG-5003 in 60 adult participants aged between 20 to 55. Fujita Health University is funded by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development for this clinical trial.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04863131

About Elixirgen Therapeutics, Inc.

Elixirgen Therapeutics, Inc. is a Baltimore-based biotechnology company which is focused on curing humanity's ailments through innovations in cell and gene therapy and vaccine development. Elixirgen Therapeutics, Inc. is now applying its mRNA platform to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information visit www.ElixirgenTherapeutics.com

About Fujita Health University

Fujita Health University plays a major role in treating COVID-19 patients and conducting its clinical trials in Japan. For more information visit www.fujita-hu.ac.jp/en/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking" statements, including statements regarding the potential to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and our planned clinical relationship with Fujita Health University. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in vaccine research and development. Any forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and Elixirgen Therapeutics undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements in the future, even if new information becomes available.

Contact:

Media Relations

Elixirgen Therapeutics, Inc.

Phone: (443) 451-5300

[email protected]

SOURCE Elixirgen Therapeutics

Related Links

https://elixirgentherapeutics.com/


HOUSTON, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EnVen Energy Corporation announced today that it closed a transaction to acquire 35% ownership interest in the Neptune field from BHP Billiton Petroleum (Deepwater) Inc. ("BHP") through its affiliate, EnVen Energy Ventures, LLC ("EnVen"). EnVen will increase its ownership interest in the Neptune field from 30% to 65% and assume the role of operator after regulatory approvals.

With a strategic deepwater infrastructure portfolio and an expansive inventory of quality subsea tieback projects, EnVen is committed to the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. This acquisition aligns with EnVen's strategy to own and operate infrastructure with steady production and nearby exploration prospects. The Company possesses a material leasehold position comprised of 85 leases with 44 primary term leases and 41 leases held by production. EnVen was the second highest acquirer of acreage in the most recent federal lease sale.

"We are excited to acquire Neptune which is consistent with our proactive and disciplined strategy to acquire assets that are accretive and provide optionality around operated and non-operated subsea tieback opportunities. These opportunities, coupled with company-owned infrastructure, provide tremendous potential to bolster near-term reserves and production growth," said Steve Weyel, EnVen's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Additionally, EnVen's Lobster redevelopment program has surpassed expectations in terms of wells drilled, production rates and reserve adds. Over the last 4 years EnVen has drilled 18 wells and recompleted 3 wells, with additional projects on the schedule to continue the development program into 2021. EnVen owns a 67% ownership interest in the Lobster field and is the operator, with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. as a 33% ownership interest partner.

About EnVen

EnVen is an independent energy company engaged in development, exploitation, exploration, and acquisition of strategic infrastructure in the deepwater region of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. As a primary operator in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, EnVen is proud to produce in an area that contributes some of the safest and most environmentally sustainable production in the world.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements. When used in this release, the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on EnVen's current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, EnVen disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by this statement, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Investor and Media Relations Contact:

EnVen Energy Corporation

609 Main Street, Suite 3200

Houston, Texas 77002

713-335-7335

Related Images

image1.png

SOURCE EnVen Energy Corporation
DUBLIN, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "AI-powered Voicebots Turbocharging European Customer Journeys, 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report predicts a sharp growth in voicebot applications over the next few years in the European market to the point where voicebots will become part of people's routine life.

The voicebots market is still in its early stages in Europe but is one of the fastest-growing within the field of information and communication technology (ICT). By enhancing customer interactions and customer experience (CX), voicebot offerings seem ready to become one of the most valuable business solutions in the CX space.



Latest advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have fueled some important progress for bots and speech technologies (particularly around natural language understanding) which, in turn, have shaped a growing, robust ecosystem for voicebot development.

The voicebot offering is basically divided between large global providers, European vendors that use their own platform to develop enterprise-level bots, entry-level voicebot vendors, and individual developers/designers that rely on voicebot frameworks and publicly available application programming interfaces (APIs) to build custom voicebots.



End-user preference for voice over text channels and human-like interaction to handle cases and solve problems are some of the many reasons why the market for voicebot solution sees high demand. In addition, voicebots deliver high value to companies in complementary areas to customer services such as helpdesk support, human resources, and inventory management.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the European Voicebot Industry

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

2. Growth Opportunity Analysis, Voicebots

Definitions

Evolution of the Contact Center

What are Voicebots?

How Voicebots Work

Basic Voicebot Architecture

Voicebots and the Evolution of Conversational Agents

Towards User Acceptance

Voicebot Features

Voicebot Environment

Voicebot Ecosystem

European Voicebot and Voice-tech Market Challenges

Growth Drivers and Restraints

Uses for Voicebots, Value throughout the Organization

Benefits of Voicebots

Limitations of Voicebots

Points to Consider When Choosing a Voicebot Vendor

Vendor and Developer Challenges

Major Trends

3. Voicebot Provider Profiles

Vendor Profile, Calldesk

Vendor Profile, Do You Dream Up (Dydu)

Vendor Profile, Telecats

Vendor Profile, Vozitel

4. Growth Opportunities

Growth Opportunity 1 - Partnerships with Leading Players, CX Solution Providers, and Integrators, 2020

Growth Opportunity 2 - Integration with Multiple ASR and NLP Engines, 2020

Growth Opportunity 3 - Emphasis on Security and Data Compliance, 2020

Growth Opportunity 4 - Provide Customers with Curated Guidance to Conversational AI, 2020

Growth Opportunity 5 - Augmented Intelligence Services, 2020

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bpenjn

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

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ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amidst May Mental Health Month, mental wellness startup Even Health has announced their partnership with industry leader, Ochsner Health, to make available Cabana, the first digital counseling platform designed for anonymous group support. This groundbreaking solution tackles some of the most critical issues troubling healthcare workers since the pandemic, including strictly anonymous and hyper accessible group support. Ochsner Health will be introducing Cabana through a staggered roll out to all 30,000 employees starting this month. Ochsner staff, as well as any Cabana user, will be able to connect with peers from healthcare systems across the country  not just within their own organization  on issues they face individually and as a healthcare professional.

This month's Mental Health Awareness Month has drawn much-needed attention to the prevalence and stigma of mental health around the country and, in particular, the mental health challenges faced by frontline workers in the healthcare industry.

"As all of our employees have stepped up for our community and weathered the delivery of care amidst COVID-19 over the past year, we observed a dynamic scale of stressors due to the sustained strain of performing at a high operational tempo for 12 months straight," Dr. Nigel Girgrah, chief wellness officer for Ochsner Health, highlights the issues.

Melissa Love, vice president of professional staff services at Ochsner Health, adds, "When COVID hit, we realized that we had to broaden our focus on professional wellbeing to encompass all employees across the organization."

Depression already affects 350 million people worldwide, including healthcare professionals. But, while telemedicine is projected to grow at 15 percent through 2027, mental health support for healthcare workers themselves is still largely inaccessible due to stigma.

Dr. Girgrah commented, "If we can work with Cabana to connect our employees with peers from other healthcare organizations anonymously who, now more than ever, are united around a common challenge, then we are one step closer to reducing the risk of COVID-19 having a mental health impact similar to previous pandemics."

Connecting in groups is critical to combating mental health issues. Especially for healthcare workers who are always offering mental health services to their patients but who don't necessarily have people to whom they can turn themselves.

"We know social support can help, but we have to create the tone and space for this to occur," Even Health CEO and cofounder, David Black, agrees. "For many of our everyday heroes in healthcare, there is a real risk to sharing our thoughts publicly. But there's also a power in knowing that you're not alone in how you feel. So we're focused on creating a safe space for these connections and vulnerabilities."

Even Health has been testing their VR technology in a military setting with great results. Now, in the midst of mental health prioritization, they have been launching group sessions across Ochsner Health's departments throughout May with similar positive results.

That's why Cabana is launching programs like this nationwide, creating communities of support a world away! This means that Ochsner staff, as well as any Cabana user, will have access to peers across the country  not just within their own organization.

Contact Information:

[email protected]

About Even Health

Even Health is a mental wellness company focused on helping individuals find balance and connection during life's expected and unexpected challenges. Even Health is the creator of Cabana, the first digital counseling platform designed for difficult conversations through anonymous group support based in virtual reality safe spaces. Even Health is currently working with our military and healthcare communities, featured in Fast Company's World Changing Ideas 2021, and has been offered a spot in the coveted 1501 Health startup accelerator for established companies pioneering healthcare innovation. For more information, visit www.even.health .

About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Ochsner Health has healed 900,000 people from across the globe in 2020, providing the latest medical breakthroughs and therapies, including digital medicine for chronic conditions and telehealth specialty services. Ochsner Health is a national leader, named the top hospital in Louisiana and a top children's hospital by U.S. News & World Report. As Louisiana's leading healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. Ochsner Health is innovating healthcare by investing in new technologies and research to make world-class care more accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner's team of more than 32,000 employees and 4,500 providers are working to reinvent the future of health and wellness in the region. For more information, visit www.ochsner.org .

SOURCE Even Health

Related Links

https://www.evenhealth.com


ATLANTA, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstView Financial (FirstView), a premier provider of fintech solutions, announced today the launch of a new corporate website. The new website was designed with an emphasis on an enhanced visitor experience and includes a more modern design, streamlined navigation, additional functionality, and the improved ability to view the company's innovative payment capabilities. The launch is part of a broad brand refresh supporting FirstView's recent growth and emergence as a leader in the payment solutions industry.

"Our new website is a key component in communicating our mission of delivering convenience, transparency and control of digital payments for companies and people transacting in complex markets," said Bob Raffo, president and CEO of FirstView. "We are passionate about innovative fintech solutions that meet the needs of the customers and consumers we serve. It's imperative for our brand to reflect and promote our company values and vision while clearly demonstrating our emergence as a thought leader in the fintech industry."

FirstView's new website will be updated on a regular basis with industry updates, client resources, corporate news and other valuable insights and information. Visit FirstViewFinancial.com to visit the new website and learn more about the company's innovative fintech solutions.

Media Contact:

Diane Greco

FirstView Financial

Tel: +1.914.666.4150

[email protected]

About Firstview, LLC Based in Atlanta, Georgia, FirstView is an innovative fintech solutions provider excelling at making the process of receiving and sending digital payments simple, seamless and near real-time. The company provides advanced fintech solutions to pharmaceutical manufacturers and health care providers, enabling them to deliver enhanced patient services through innovative digital payment processing. FirstView also partners with consumer finance companies to streamline payments and remittances through its comprehensive suite of digital payment services and industry-leading, omni-channel and real-time transaction programs. For more information, visit www.firstviewfinancial.com.

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FirstView Financial Announces Launch of New Website

SOURCE FirstView Financial
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) General Counsel, Robert P. Charrow, has returned to the Washington, D.C. office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Charrow joins as senior chairman of the firm's Health Care & FDA Practice.

"Bob is a proven leader and key figure in the health care industry. Indeed, he was previously a valued leader and part of the firm's cultural and quality fabric his first time with us. Having him rejoin at this time speaks to his and our commitment to Washington, D.C. and to the many stakeholders in an industry thrust into the limelight by the global health crisis - as well as our ability to serve the many private equity investors so active in the space," said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Greenberg Traurig's Executive Chairman. "Bob's return to Greenberg Traurig is one aspect of our strategy to grow in elite areas of practice in which we are already recognized as best in class, and which are important to our clients across sectors and markets."

In January 2018, Charrow was sworn in as HHS general counsel. In that role, he led an office of more than 600 lawyers and oversaw the chief counsel for the various agencies within the department, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the various Public Health Service agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Charrow, in his HHS role, helped the U.S. government navigate the legal aspects of its response to the global health crisis. He also actively participated in formulating department policy with respect to Medicare reimbursement, fraud and abuse, the Affordable Care Act, the PREP Act, drug and device approvals, drug pricing, including 340B issues, tort liability, and technology transfer. Bob was a board member of Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership initiated by the United States government to accelerate the development, production, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

"This is an extraordinary time in our country, including in the development of health care legislation and litigation. It also is an exciting time at Greenberg Traurig. I am fortunate and excited to return and look forward to working closely with former and new colleagues, particularly the co-chairs of the firm's Health Care & FDA Practice Nancy E. Taylor and David C. Peck," Charrow said.

"There are few entities today not touched by the various aspects of health care and its impact on a global economy, national, and multinational corporations, governmental and non-governmental agencies and functions, and individual employers. Bob's experience is a source of pride for the firm and will undoubtedly prove to be of value to our clients," Taylor said.

In private practice Charrow focuses on research, biotechnology and health care issues. He represents health care providers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, universities, research institutes and other entities with respect to regulatory and litigation matters arising under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Public Health Service Act, including the PREP Act, Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act, and fraud and abuse issues that may arise under the False Claims Act and other federal laws. He also participates regularly in preparing Supreme Court briefs and certiorari petitions.

Charrow holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College. Charrow has written extensively in the area of science and the law, and in particular on the effects of the legal system on scientific research, product development and health. Charrow was a writer of a brief that was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark 1993 decision, Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, which set standards for the admissibility of scientific evidence at federal trials.

The Washington, D.C. office also recently welcomed John Eliason who joins the firm as global co-head of the Energy Project Finance Practice. Charrow and Eliason are the most recent of several additions to Greenberg Traurig's Washington, D.C. office which has experienced growth in core practice areas in the past year, with the following additions: Smith (Smitty) W. Davis as shareholder and Rodney P. Frelinghuysen as senior director in the Government Law & Policy Practice; Kyle R. Freeny and Adam S. Hoffinger as shareholders in the White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice; Matthew L. Kanna as shareholder and Friederike S. Gorgens and Claudia D. Hartleben as of counsel in the International Trade Practice; Chia-Feng Lu as shareholder, Andrew Tsui as of counsel, and Tyler Scandalios as an associate in the Health Care & FDA Practice; Benjamin M. Saul as shareholder in the Financial Regulatory & Compliance (FRAC) Practice; Robert J. Hollingshead as shareholder in the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice; Charles Andres, Ph.D., RAC as shareholder and David G. Mata, Ph.D. as an associate in the Intellectual Property & Technology Practice; Gary Lombardo as of counsel in the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Practice; Jack T. LeBris Erffmeyer as an associate in the Energy & Natural Resources Practice; and Christopher O'Brien as an associate in the Government Contracts Practice.

About Greenberg Traurig's Health Care & FDA Practice: Greenberg Traurig's multidisciplinary Health Care & FDA Practice provides strategic counsel to a diverse group of companies and other organizations, helping them to respond proactively to the rapidly changing healthcare marketplace. The group combines dedicated experience in health care regulatory compliance and operational matters with the firm's capabilities in corporate & securities, finance, tax, antitrust, ERISA, commercial and governmental litigation, restructuring, intellectual property and biotechnology, to provide a wide range of legal services.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT), has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: www.gtlaw.com

Click here to learn more about Greenberg Traurig's Washington, D.C. Office.

Media Contact:

Lourdes Brezo Scholl

Director of Media Relations and Communications

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

T +1 212.801.2131 | [email protected] | www.gtlaw.com

SOURCE Greenberg Traurig

Related Links

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A record total of 244 entries from more than 35 universities across the U.S. and Canada were submitted under the theme of "Design for the Next Generation," which called for students to interpret their design vision for a variety of post-pandemic commercial settings using products from the 2021 Specialty Collection by Formica Corporation. The winning students will receive cash prizes and the grand prize winner will see their design come to life and be displayed at NeoCon 2021 .

The winning designs were chosen by a jury of influential industry professionals:

Alda Ly , founder and principal, Alda Ly Architecture & Design

, founder and principal, Alda Ly Architecture & Design Cheryl Durst , executive vice president and CEO of IIDA

, executive vice president and CEO of IIDA Cindy Allen , editor-in-chief of Interior Design Media

, editor-in-chief of Interior Design Media Renee Hytry Derrington , managing principal of design at Formica Corporation

, managing principal of design at Formica Corporation Sarah Kuchar , owner and creative director of Kuchar Studio

, owner and creative director of Kuchar Studio Vern Yip , award-winning designer, TV host and author

"This competition exemplified the vitality of 'the voice' of the next generation of designers  students," said Durst. "Their insight into craft, form, functionality, brand and user-centric design demonstrates discipline and design literacy."

Grand prize: Martin Gonzalez Godoy and Benedicte Laurent of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, are the grand prize winners for their joint entry "Toboom," a multiuse children's design. In the future, teleworking parents will need places for children that are versatile and allow for independence. This design encompasses an area for children to work, play, relax and have storage, and is designed with fluidity and dynamic curves; the absence of corners makes it safe for children and enhances cleanliness. The piece's duality can be seen in its integrated seat and writable surface for flowing creativity. It also features a slide for expelling energy and encouraging playtime. Gonzalez Godoy and Laurent are second-year students at the University of Montreal and their winning design will be created and showcased at NeoCon, Oct. 4-6, 2021, at the Mart in Chicago.

Second prize: Maria Rodriguez of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded second prize for her "Portal Desk" design, which rethinks the design of modern workspaces. Rodriguez recognized that today's employees are on video calls more than ever and designed an all-encompassing workspace set up strategically for these calls with ample lighting and writable surfacing for notes. The space is semi-enclosed to ensure safe social distancing between colleagues. Rodriguez is a student at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Third prize: Ryan Todys, from Milford, Ohio, was awarded third prize for his "You, Me and a Tree" bench design. Created from the inspiration of two words  "collaboration" and "biophilic"  this design connects people to nature and is meant to welcome all with an interchanging space for a live tree, allowing for more social distancing between patrons. Todys is a student at the University of Cincinnati.

Honorable mentions: Simon Boudreau and Marc-Olivier Desjardins from the University of Montreal for their "ILO" desk design and Eva Lloyd from North Carolina State University for her "LiveCycle" table design.

For more information about the winning students' designs, please visit www.formica.com/studentcompetition.

Please Note: Formica and the Formica Anvil Logo are registered trademarks of The Diller Corporation. 1-800-FORMICA is a trademark of The Diller Corporation. All rights reserved. 2021 The Diller Corporation.

Contact:

Owen Serey

513-786-3121

[email protected]

SOURCE Formica Corporation

Related Links

www.formica.com


FORT WORTH, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- So you grabbed that elusive college diploma and you're on top of the world. Now comes reality: you need a joband you need it today.

AcademicInfluence.com can help make that college-to-workforce transition smoother with this information-packed guide for soon-to-be or recent college graduates:

Got the college diploma. Next step, get a great job. This online guide from AcademicInfluence.com can help you optimize your job search

Guide to Getting a Job After Graduation

This comprehensive guide includes tips on how to:

Set yourself up for success

Consider the career prospects for your degree

Go where the jobs are

Get certified

Consider an internship

Write an effective cover letter

Write an eye-catching resume

Give a successful interview

Prepare for your first day on the job

Each topic goes into detail regarding multiple best practices and proven actions graduates can take to improve their chances of successeverything from developing a professional online presence to connecting with trade associations to understanding certification programs in their field. Graduates can find more than 100 useful tips within. And incoming college juniors and seniors can use the information in the guide to lay a foundation for the job they want after they graduate.

"Jobs may be plentiful right now, but a newly minted college grad still needs to impress an employer to land a fulfilling position," says Dr. Jed Macosko, academic director of AcademicInfluence.com and professor of physics at Wake Forest University. "Our guide is just one of several insightful resources that we hope graduates will add to their arsenal in pursuit of a satisfying job."

For those students who may not be thinking immediate employment and who want to take their undergraduate degree to the next level, AcademicInfluence.com also offers a plethora of rankings, guides, articles, and resources covering graduate school, including:

The Pros and Cons of Going to Graduate School

Custom College Rankings for Graduate Schools

"As a college professor, I've witnessed students get mired in job worries when they should be elated at successfully completing college. We don't want graduates to stress because of employment fears," says Macosko. "That's why we've channeled our experience into better equipping students with the skills and information they need to maximize their opportunities and enter the professional workforce with confidence."

AcademicInfluence.com is the preeminent technology-driven rankings site dedicated to students, researchers, and inquirers from high school through college and beyond, offering resources that connect learners to leaders. (Visit the AcademicInfluence.com About page for further details on the capabilities and advantages of this unique ranking technology and on the people who make it possible.) AcademicInfluence.com is a part of the EducationAccess group, a family of sites dedicated to lifelong learning and personal growth.

Contact:

Jed Macosko, Ph.D.

Academic Director

AcademicInfluence.com

[email protected]

(682) 302-4945

SOURCE AcademicInfluence.com

Related Links

http://www.AcademicInfluence.com


's ( ) Adonis Pouroulis talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam about their new 11.7mln of new capital to fund an appraisal well at the Anchois Gas Development offshore Morocco.

Funds will also support work in the acreage surrounding the Anchois discovery, to set up the additional resources for development in the future. Pouroulis says this 'transitional energy company focused on the African continent' has 'very strong ESG credentials, very relevant to today's world'.

He says the successful fundraise marks a key turning point in the evolution of the company, as we seek to build a transitional energy business in Africa, that we believe will deliver value for all stakeholders.
FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 16; Released: May 2021 Executive Engagements: 3462 Companies: 136 - Players covered include Beaulieu International Group; CLASSEN Group; Daiken Corporation; Der International Flooring Co., Ltd.; FausFloor; Home Legend, LLC; Kaindl Flooring GmbH; Mannington Mills, Inc.; Mohawk Industries, Inc.; Robina Flooring Sdn Bhd; Shaw Industries, Inc.; SWISS KRONO Group; Tarkett, Inc.; Wickes. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: End-Use (Residential, and Commercial) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-

Global Laminate Flooring Market to Reach $22.9 Billion by 2026

Laminate flooring is a synthetic floor covering that has appearance similar to flooring made of wood or stone. A key factor driving the adoption of laminate flooring is its cost-advantage over other types of flooring products that are made of stone, wood, ceramics, and vinyl. Popular laminate products available in the market provide solutions for drying out; insect damage; moisture retention; breakage; warping and rotting. Growth in the global market is also attributed to the development of advanced designs, and easy installation, relative ease in maintenance. High Pressure Laminates (HPL) offer superior quality, long-lasting durability as well as low maintenance costs which optimizes operational efficiency in the long run. Laminate flooring also derives benefits from the product being an eco-friendly flooring option.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Laminate Flooring estimated at US$19.1 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$22.9 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 3.2% over the analysis period. Residential, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 3.3% CAGR to reach US$14.4 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Commercial segment is readjusted to a revised 2.9% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 39.7% share of the global Laminate Flooring market. The increase in floor renovation and replacement activities in residential construction is expected to augment demand in residential end-use market. Given its easy cleaning, cost-effective and hypoallergenic characteristics, laminate flooring is finding increased acceptance in commercial sector as well as in institutional buildings such as educational institutes, healthcare facilities, and religious units.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $5.3 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $4.4 Billion by 2026.

The Laminate Flooring market in the U.S. is estimated at US$5.3 Billion in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 27.1% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$4.4 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 5% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 1.9% and 2.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 2.4% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$4.6 Billion by the end of the analysis period. In the developed regions, demand continues to emerge in new constructions as well as flooring replacement and renovation programs. Uptrend in construction and industrial activity, inclination towards easy-to-install, low-maintenance, and low-weight building solutions, and adoption of new building codes are primary factors steering the demand for laminate flooring in the developed world. Technology advancements, improved moisture resistance capabilities, and development of glueless laminates have contributed considerably to interests in laminate flooring products in the developed regions. Industrialization, urbanization, and changing lifestyle trends are some of the major factors driving growth in the developing regions. Increase in building construction spending and rising income levels of population is expected to bode well for market growth. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.



CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]



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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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TSX: GPR | NYSE American: GPL

VANCOUVER, BC, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Great Panther Mining Limited (TSX:GPR; NYSE-A:GPL) ("Great Panther" or the "Company"), a growing gold and silver producer focused on the Americas, reports that wall movements have been detected in the west wall of the south-central portion of the Urucum Central South ("UCS") open pit at Tucano, the Company's wholly-owned mining operation in Brazil. Heavy rainfall, well above seasonal average, triggered higher phreatic levels in the west wall impacting slope stability. In order to ensure health and safety for workers, mining activities in UCS were temporarily halted. The mill will continue to receive ore from the Urucum North open pit and from stockpiles.

"We are working with our consultants to make operations safe, with the expectation that mining of the higher-grade gold ore in the UCS pit will start back up again in the third quarter of this year," stated Rob Henderson, President & CEO of Great Panther. "As a consequence, 2021 consolidated guidance is being reduced by 10,000 ounces to 125,000 to 140,000 gold equivalent ounces."

Activities are underway to improve wall stability, including unloading additional waste material and improving drainage from the upper benches. The Company expects this additional waste movement will impact ore mining in UCS throughout Q2 and Q3 2021. These activities are being carried out with monitoring of movement by radar and within strict safety protocols. Water levels are being monitored closely, and preparations are being made for horizontal drainage holes that may be required in the lower part of the west wall.

The Company's preliminary assessment is that 2021 production at Tucano will be reduced by approximately 10,000 gold ounces ("Au oz") to 100,000  110,000 Au oz. The second half of 2021 is expected to account for 60% of this guidance. All-in-sustaining costs (excluding corporate general and administrative expenses) ("AISC") are expected to increase to $1,450  $1,550 per Au oz sold. Revised 2021 consolidated guidance is stated in the table below.

Revised 2021 Consolidated Guidance



Tucano Mexico Consolidated

Budget Revised Budget Revised Budget Revised Au eq oz(1) 110,000 

120,000 100,000 

110,000 25,000 

30,000 25,000 

30,000 135,000 

150,000 125,000 

140,000 Ag oz (000)   1,500  1,600 1,500  1,600 1,500  1,600 1,500  1,600 Au oz 110,000 

120,000 100,000 

110,000 8,000  10,000 8,000  10,000 118,000 

130,000 108,000 

120,000 AISC ($/Au oz sold)(2) $1,350  1,450 $1,450  1,550 N/A N/A $1,350  1,450 $1,450  1,550

(1) Gold equivalent ounces for 2021 are calculated using a 1:85 ratio of the silver price to the gold price, which is representative of the average ratio for the respective metal prices and approximate ratios for the price per ounce of gold to price per pound of lead and zinc. (2) AISC refers to all-in sustaining cost per gold ounce sold, excluding corporate general and administrative expenditures, and reflects the AISC at the Company's operating mines. The calculation starts with cash cost net of by-product revenue and adds accretion of reclamation provisions, lease liability payments, sustaining exploration, evaluation and development expenses, and sustaining capital expenditures for the operating mines. Sustaining expenditures are those costs incurred to sustain and maintain existing assets at current productive capacity and constant planned levels of productive output. AISC is a non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principle ("non-GAAP") measure. This measure is widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance but does not have a standardized meaning as prescribed by International Accounting Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as an indicator of performance and may differ from methods used by other companies with similar descriptions. Refer to the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2021 for a reconciliation of AISC to the Company's financial statement measures. The Company's AISC guidance assumes a Brazilian real to US dollar exchange rate of 5.30. Actual results may differ. (3) The revised production and cost guidance for 2021 assumes no COVID-19 related shutdowns, the Company being able to successfully regain and maintain geotechnical control/stability of the UCS pit and access of the mineralization in the UCS pit, based on completion of the planned additional technical work and in accordance with the revised Tucano mine plan, such that ore mining can recommence in the UCS pit in Q3 2021 and continued thereafter without additional costs or significant interruption, as well as permitting of additional tailings storage capacity at the GMC before June 30, 2021.

The revised production and cost guidance estimates are forward-looking statements and information. They should be read in conjunction with the Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements section at the end of this news release. The Company may revise guidance during the year to reflect actual results to date and those anticipated for the remainder of the year.

ABOUT GREAT PANTHER

Great Panther is a growing gold and silver producer focused on the Americas. The Company owns a diversified portfolio of assets in Brazil, Mexico and Peru that includes three operating gold and silver mines, four exploration projects, and an advanced development project. Great Panther is actively exploring large land packages in highly prospective districts and is pursuing acquisition opportunities to complement its existing portfolio. Great Panther trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR and the NYSE American under the symbol GPL.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Scientific and technical information contained in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Neil Hepworth, Chartered Engineer UK, Chief Operating Officer, a Qualified Person, as the term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (i) expectations of the Company's revised 2021 Tucano and consolidated production and cost guidance in this news release, ability to meet such production and cost guidance and the assumptions underlying; (ii) expectations regarding the success of the Company's plan to regain and maintain geotechnical control of the UCS pit and the related slope stability and the Company's ability to successfully access the mineralization in the UCS pit; (iii) expectations regarding the amount of unloading of waste material, drainage or other technical work that will be required to achieve stability of the UCS pit and the related expectations of costs associated with such technical work; (iv) expectations that the unloading and drainage will result in an increase in stability such that mining can recommence in the UCS pit as planned; (v) expectations regarding the timeline to achieve geotechnical control and stability of the UCS pit, including the expectation that ore mining will be impacted throughout Q2 and partially in Q3, 2021; and the related timeline to recommence ore mining of the UCS pit in Q3 2021; and (vi) the Company's plans to pursue acquisition opportunities to complement its existing portfolio.

These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include: the assumptions underlying the Company's revised 2021 Tucano and consolidated production and cost guidance continuing to be accurate, including the accuracy of the geological, operational and price and exchange rate assumptions (Brazilian real to US dollar exchange rate of 5.30) on which the revised guidance is based; continued operations at Tucano in accordance with the Company's revised mine plan, including the expectations that the Company will be able to regain and maintain geotechnical control of the UCS pit and related slope stability and that the Company will be able to successfully access the mineralization in the UCS pit as planned; that the amount of unloading of waste material, drainage and other technical work associated with the UCS pit will be as currently estimated at the costs currently budgeted for such work; that unloading and drainage will result in an increase in stability such that ore mining can recommence in the UCS pit as planned in Q3 2021 and continued thereafter without additional costs or significant interruption; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals for the Company's operations are received in a timely manner on favourable terms, including the granting of permits for the expansion of the GMC tailings storage facility ("TSF") in time (before June 30, 2021) without condition which if not granted or conditioned, could result in an interruption to operations; the sufficiency of the Company's tailing storage facilities; operations not being further disrupted by issues such as pit-wall failures or instability, mechanical failures, labour disturbances and workforce shortages, illegal occupations or mining, seismic events, and adverse weather conditions; continued operations at all three of the Company's mines in 2021 without significant interruption, additional costs, workforce or supply shortages due to COVID-19 or any other reason; prices for gold, silver, and base metals remaining as estimated; currency exchange rates remaining as estimated; the accuracy of the Company's Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates and the assumptions upon which they are based; ore grades and recoveries; national and international transportation arrangements to deliver Tucano's gold dore to international refineries continue to remain available, despite inherent risks due to COVID19; international refineries that the Company uses continue to operate and refine the Company's gold dore, and in a timely manner such that the Company is able to realize revenue from the sale of its refined metal in the timeframe anticipated, despite inherent risks due to COVID19; assumptions regarding the cost of capital, decommissioning and reclamation, energy inputs, labour, materials, and supplies and services (including transportation); Tucano will be able to continue to use cyanide in its operations; the ability to procure equipment and operating supplies and that there are no material unanticipated variations in the cost of energy or supplies; and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to be materially different. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to: risk that the Company may not be able to regain or maintain geotechnical control or stability of the UCS pit as planned and on the timeline expected such that it will not be able to achieve its revised Tucano mine plan and Tucano and consolidated production and cost guidance, generate the anticipated cash flows from its Tucano operations and/or be able to access the UCS Mineral Reserves, each of which risks could have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to continue to generate anticipated revenues and cash flows to fund operations from and ultimately achieve or maintain profitable operations, meet scheduled debt payments when due or meet financial covenants to which the Company is subject; risk that the Company may experience unforeseen additional costs and delays associated with additional technical work required for the UCS pit; operational and physical risks inherent in mining operations (including pit wall collapses, tailings storage facility failures, environmental accidents and hazards, industrial accidents, equipment breakdown, unusual or unexpected geological or structural formations, cave-ins, flooding and severe weather) may result in unforeseen costs, shut downs, delays in production and exposure to liability; the Company's ability to obtain all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in a timely manner on favourable terms, including the granting of permits for the GMC TSF in time without condition which if not granted or conditioned could result in an interruption to operations at the GMC; gold, silver and base metal prices may decline or may be less than forecasted; fluctuations in currency exchange rates (including the U.S. dollar to Brazilian real exchange rate) may increase costs of operations; the potential for unexpected costs and expenses or overruns; the Company's ability to appropriately capitalize and finance its operations, including the risk that the Company is unable to renew or extend existing credit facilities that become due which may increase the need to raise new external sources of capital; or unable to access sources of capital which could adversely impact the Company's liquidity and require the Company to curtail capital and exploration program, and other discretionary expenditures; developments with respect of COVID-19 that may impact the Company's ability to operate as anticipated, including the risk for further workforce and supply shortages, and unplanned partial or full shutdown of the Company's mines and processing plants, whether voluntary or imposed, including the risk that shortages in purchased oxygen supply will decrease recovery rates and throughput; the inherent risk that estimates of Mineral Reserves and Resources may not be accurate and accordingly that mine production will not be as estimated or predicted; risk that dilution and mining recovery estimates used in the Mineral Reserve estimation do not accurately reconcile with the Company's ability to recover the tonnage, grade and metal content estimated in the Mineral Reserves; as the Company's mines, including, but not limited to its Mexican operations, do not have established Mineral Reserves, except for Tucano, the Company faces higher risks that anticipated rates of production and production costs, such as those provided in this news release, will not be achieved, each of which risks could have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to continue to generate anticipated revenues and cash flows to fund operations from and ultimately achieve or maintain profitable operations; employee and contractor relations; relationships with, and claims by, local communities; there is no assurance that the Company will be able to identify or complete acquisition opportunities of, if completed, that such acquisitions will be accretive to the Company; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in respect of Great Panther, in the MD&A and its most recent annual information form and material change reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and reports on Form 40-F and Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

There is no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove accurate or that actual results will not vary materially from these forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described, or intended. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements and information are designed to help readers understand management's current views of our near- and longer-term prospects and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not intend, nor does it assume any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, changes in assumptions, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.

SOURCE Great Panther Mining Limited

Related Links

www.greatpanther.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 25th, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Drain waterless trap seal can help people protect their health while they are in their homes. When people are in the comfort of their own homes, they may not think about the pathogens that could enter their homes through drains.

"The Green Drain is important in your home for your health and well-being. It prevents aerosols from escaping the drainage system," said Jason Bocchino, CEO of Green Drain.

It is not only gases that pose a threat. Ants and roaches could be more prevalent with the summer months approaching. These hungry pests can stream in through unprotected drains, invade pantries and cupboards, and spread diseases. Green Drain's silicone skirt can prevent this scenario from occurring.

The summer months also mean potentially higher energy and water bills. Children are home from school and an increasing number of adults are working remotely. Higher usage leads to higher bills.

Green Drains can help save time, money, and water in the long run. Unlike traditional trap primers, which must be replaced frequently, The Green Drain takes seconds to install and can double as a barrier trap protection.



Green Drain's waterless trap seals are often referred to as "green" because they do not require refilling on a regular basis, thereby complementing water conservation efforts. The Green Drain is used to seal the opening in floor drain bodies' outlet connections or the inside of floor drain strainers. This prevents odors, sewage gases, and insects from entering through the grate.

The Green Drain's four flexible silicone sealing ribs make it simple to mount the drain seal into openings of varying sizes, making it possible for private use at home. When there is no water flow, the Green Drain will open to allow drainage and then close. The Green Drain can also be used in applications where trap primers have never been built.

With the many certifications Green Drain has earned, users can feel at ease installing it in their homes. The certification from the Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) indicates that the drain seal plays a role in environmental conservation. The product also earned an HACCP certification.

From sinks, garbage disposals, and bathrooms, the threat is imminent and worse with people spending more time at home this summer. Green Drain prevents costly maintenance visits, unwelcomed pests, and the entry of dangerous chemicals.

About The GREEN DRAIN

The GREEN DRAIN is an environmentally friendly water-free trap seal that can be installed in basically all floor drains without the use of tools.

Media Inquiries:

[email protected]

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SOURCE Green Drain
NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com), the world's premier authority on asset valuation, monetization, and advisory solutions, announced today that it's commercial-industrial team has acquired all of the assets of Sutton Leasing, a large fleet leasing company based in Sterling Heights Michigan, in a multi-million-dollar transaction which closed on May 7, 2021.

The Hilco Commercial Industrial (www.hilcoci.com) team plans to operate the company, managing the fleet lease portfolio which consists of over 7000 cars, trucks, and other transportation equipment. The new company will be called H19 Sutton Leasing and will be added to the H19 group of companies which includes the Indianapolis-based H19 Capital, which Hilco acquired in 2020 and specializes in truck leasing.

H19 Sutton Leasing will remain one of the top ten fleet management companies in the United States, having additional offices in Northbrook, IL. and Vandalia, OH, while maintaining the headquarter operation in Michigan. Huron Consulting Services served as Financial Advisor and its registered broker dealer affiliate served as Investment Banker in the matter.

Steven Tanzi, President of Hilco Performance Solutions said, "We are uniquely positioned for the acquisition of Sutton Leasing due to the success we've had with last year's purchase of H19 Capital as there are considerable operational and administrative synergies between Hilco's H19 truck leasing operation and assets and the acquisition of automobile focused Sutton Leasing. These synergies provide knowledge and services that will help dramatically improve the company's financial performance going forward.

The transaction was structured using a combination of debt and equity. Hilco Commercial Industrial closely aligned with Wells Fargo to close the transaction and financial details have not been disclosed. Steven Tanzi  Hilco Performance Solutions said, "Wells Fargo has been an outstanding bank, working collaboratively to help us structure the deal and close very quickly and efficiently."

"It was a pleasure to work with the innovative Hilco Global management team for this important financing," said Lindsay Gray, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Capital Finance. "We were able to structure a flexible financing solution and execute a seamless, quick process to close within 15 days to meet the customers' demands. It was a great collaboration between all parties."

H19 Sutton Leasing customers will experience a smooth transition as the new company plans to retain most of the staff at this time. The new entity will be called H19 Sutton Leasing and will be led by Steven Tanzi, President of Hilco Performance Solutions who will serve as Chief Executive Officer. Other leaders that will be managing the business are the following: David Dye, Managing Director of Hilco Performance Solutions who will serve as Chief Financial Officer; Bryan Courcier Senior Vice President Hilco Valuation Services will serve as Chief Operating Officer; and Buddy Beaman Executive Vice President at Hilco Receivables will serve as Chief Commercial Officer.

About Hilco Global : Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com) is a privately held diversified financial services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing the value of assets for both healthy and distressed companies. Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to help companies understand the value of their assets and then monetize that value. Hilco Global has over a 30-year track record of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any transaction. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing them strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has 600 professionals operating on five continents.

About Sutton Leasing: Sutton Leasing, Inc. operates as a fleet leasing company. The Company provides automotive leasing, purchasing, and maintenance services, as well as offers open and close end lease, self-funding, and equipment financing services. Sutton Leasing serves its clients in the United States.

SOURCE Hilco Global

Related Links

www.hilcoglobal.com


Guests who were booked on Westerdam cruises automatically will be rebooked on the same departure date aboard Eurodam in a comparable stateroom. As a Signature Class vessel, Eurodam has a slightly larger capacity and will be able to accommodate all Westerdam guests ( Eurodam 2,104; Westerdam 1,964).

Holland America Line previously announced Eurodam would restart cruising in the Mediterranean Aug. 15, 2021, and offer three seven-day departures roundtrip from Piraeus and one seven-day cruise from Piraeus to Venice.

Mediterranean Cruise Itineraries (all cruises are 12 days):

Sept. 12 : Venice ; Zadar and Hvar, Croatia ; Kotor, Montenegro ; Argostolion, Crete , Rhodes (overnight), Mykonos and Piraeus (overnight), Greece .

: ; Zadar and Hvar, ; Kotor, ; Argostolion, , Rhodes (overnight), Mykonos and Piraeus (overnight), . Sept. 24 : Piraeus; Istanbul (overnight) and Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey ; Sarande, Albania ; Dubrovnik, Korcula and Rijeka, Croatia ; Koper, Slovenia ; Venice (overnight).

: Piraeus; (overnight) and Kusadasi (Ephesus), ; Sarande, ; Dubrovnik, Korcula and Rijeka, ; Koper, ; (overnight). Oct. 6 : Venice ; Katakolon ( Olympia ), Piraeus, Rhodes (overnight), Santorini and Crete, Greece ; Kotor; Korcula; Venice (overnight).

: ; Katakolon ( ), Piraeus, Rhodes (overnight), Santorini and ; Kotor; Korcula; (overnight). Oct. 18 : Venice (overnight); Dubrovnik; Kotor; Corfu and Katakolon, Greece ; Naples , Civitavecchia ( Rome ), and Livorno ( Pisa / Florence ), Italy ; Cannes and Marseille (Provence), France ; Barcelona .

: (overnight); Dubrovnik; Kotor; Corfu and Katakolon, ; , Civitavecchia ( ), and Livorno ( / ), ; and (Provence), ; . Oct. 30 : Barcelona , Cartagena, Malaga ( Granada ) and Cadiz ( Seville ), Spain ; Lisbon, Portugal ; Funchal, Madeira; Ponta Delgada, Azores; Fort Lauderdale .

The 12-day cruises can be combined to form epic 24-day Collectors' Voyages that offer in-depth exploration of the region. The Mediterranean itineraries were designed to offer nonrepeating ports on back-to-back itineraries to enable guests to visit more ports and more countries on one extended voyage. Booking a Collectors' Voyage represents a significant savings off booking the two itineraries separately.

Immediately following the transatlantic crossing, Eurodam is expected to begin its scheduled Caribbean season of cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. From November 2021 through March 2022, guests can embark on seven-, 10- and 11-day itineraries that explore the eastern, southern and tropical Caribbean, as well as partial Panama Canal cruises that spend a day on Gatun Lake.

Cruise and Stay Healthy

These Holland America Line cruises in 2021 to the Mediterranean are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination.

Holland America Line guests will be required to comply with all health and safety protocols in place at the time of departure for travel to and from the ship, as well as all onboard protocols and procedures for visiting ports. Travelers are encouraged to regularly check hollandamerica.com since updates will be posted as new procedures are finalized and existing protocols evolve.

Full details, including information on shore excursions, are being finalized and will be shared in the coming weeks at hollandamerica.com. Attractive airfares will be available through Holland America Line's FlightEase program. Flexible cancellation terms, including COVID-19 Protections, are offered through "Book with Confidence" when booked by June 30, 2021, for sailings through Dec. 31, 2021. The cruise line's Cancellation Protection Plan allows cancellation up to 24 hours in advance of departure.

Fares for Eurodam's 12-day Mediterranean cruises begin at a "Have It All" premium package rate of $2,299 per person that includes four high-value amenities: two shore excursions, a Signature Beverage Package, one night specialty dining in both Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind, and a Wi-Fi Surf Package to stay connected throughout the cruise. Cruise-only fares start at $1,699 per person, double occupancy. Taxes, fees and port expenses are additional.

Holland America Line previously canceled eight Europe cruises in July and August aboard Nieuw Statendam and Volendam, as well as two Caribbean cruises in October and November on Eurodam. The Caribbean cancellations were made to accommodate the Mediterranean cruises Eurodam will now operate.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon more than 70 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, is under construction and will join the fleet in July 2021.

The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently enhancing health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described in marketing materials. Review our current Cruise Updates , Health & Safety Protocols and CDC Travel Advisories.

SOURCE Holland America Line

Related Links

http://www.hollandamerica.com


The Rise of America looks at the U.S. monetary system, outlining weaknesses we must address if we want to outpace China Tweet this

"The mainstream media in America tends to project a lot of doom and gloom about the direction of things, from the failure of the great American experiment to the collapse of the U.S. dollar. The reality is quite the opposite," Katusa says. "Don't get me wrong, there will be major economic dislocations, changes in patterns of international trade, new political alignments and tensions, etc. But the winner is going to be America."

In The Rise of America, Katusa looks at the history of the U.S. monetary system and its struggles, outlining clear weaknesses in our infrastructure that we must attend to if we want to outpace China's growth in manufacturing, supply chains and technological training. Katusa asserts that, because of the current power of the U.S. dollar in the global market, Americans are in a unique position to ensure our dominance with a series of smart, strategic choices by policymakers and investors alike.

"There is strong potential for technology invented in the U.S. and Israel, in conjunction with American SWAP allies, combined with funding impetus from the Federal Maritime Commission, to create an engine capable of powering the planet's future," Katusa says. "The result could pull people everywhere out of poverty."

About Marin Katusa

Marin Katusa is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Colder War and The Rise of America. Over the last two decades, he has become the largest independent financier in the resource sector globally. Katusa has visited over 500 resource projects in over 100 countries. His insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and CNBC. He publishes his unique resource strategies and research at www.katusaresearch.com.

Scribe Media

Scribe Media is a professional publishing and media services company that helps entrepreneurs, executives and other business professionals write, publish, and market their book, while avoiding the time-consuming process of traditional or self-publishing.

Contact: Jordan Grenadier

Scribe Media

Phone: 210-315-7527

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Scribe Media

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DUBLIN, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cassava Starch Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cassava starch market reached a production volume of 8.8 Million Tons in 2020. Cassava starch, or tapioca, is procured from cassava roots through the process of washing and pulping. It is rich in iron, folate, manganese, carbohydrates and calcium. In comparison with its alternatives, cassava is a relatively cheap raw material containing a high concentration of starch. Moreover, cassava starch offers numerous advantages such as neutral taste, high level of purity and excellent thickening characteristics. It also has a high paste clarity, freeze-thaw stability and paste viscosity. Owing to this, cassava starch finds applications in diverse industries like food, beverage, fuel, textile, sweeteners and paper. Looking forward, the publisher expects the global cassava starch market to exhibit moderate growth during the next five years.



Being a rich source of carbohydrates, cassava starch is used as a major ingredient in a number of food products. The global food industry is currently growing at a rapid pace due to urbanization, expanding working population and rising household incomes, especially in the emerging nations like India and China. This is has led to an increase in the demand for ready-to-eat food products which has stimulated the growth of the cassava starch industry.



Earlier, the usage of cassava starch was largely confined to food applications, however, owing to its easy availability, it is also being utilized for non-food applications like manufacturing pharmaceuticals, adhesives, papers, etc. Growth in these end-use industries is providing a thrust to the market growth.



In the textile industry, cassava starch is used for sizing, finishing and printing due to its flexibility, resistance to abrasion and the ability to form a bond with the fiber. In finishing, cassava starch is utilized to cover blemishes or defects and provide a finishing look to the end product. Increasing westernization is fueling the growth of the textile industry, in turn, boosting the cassava starch market.



The growing health consciousness along with the rising cases of diabetes have stimulated the demand for artificial sweeteners across the globe. The increasing demand for these sweeteners is expected to drive the cassava starch market in the coming years.



Competitive Landscape:



The competitive landscape of the cassava starch industry is fragmented in nature due to the presence of numerous small and large players.

Some of the leading players operating in the market are:

TCS Tapioca

Eiamehang Tapioca

Sunrise International

PT Buda Starch & Sweetener

& Sweetener SPAC Tapioca

This report provides a deep insight into the global cassava starch industry covering all its essential aspects. This ranges from macro overview of the market to micro details of the industry performance, recent trends, key market drivers and challenges, SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, value chain analysis, etc. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant. The study analyses the processing and manufacturing requirements, project cost, project funding, project economics, expected returns on investment, profit margins, etc. This report is a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the cassava starch industry in any manner.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global cassava starch market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regions in the global cassava starch market?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global cassva starch market?

What are the key end-use segments in the global cassava starch market?

What are the price trends of cassava starch?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the global cassava starch market?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the global cassava starch market?

What is the structure of the global cassava starch industry and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the global cassava starch market?

What are the profit margins in the global cassava starch market?

What are the key requirements for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

How is cassava starch manufactured?

What are the various unit operations involved in a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What is the total size of land required for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the machinery requirements for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the raw material requirements for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the packaging requirements for cassava starch?

What are the transportation requirements for cassava starch?

What are the utility requirements for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the manpower requirements for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the infrastructure costs for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the capital costs for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What are the operating costs for setting up a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What will be the income and expenditures for a cassava starch manufacturing plant?

What is the time required to break-even?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology

2.1 Objectives of the Study

2.2 Stakeholders

2.3 Data Sources

2.3.1 Primary Sources

2.3.2 Secondary Sources

2.4 Market Estimation

2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach

2.4.2 Top-Down Approach

2.5 Forecasting Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Cassava Industry

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Market Breakup by Region

5.4 Market Breakup by End-Use

5.5 Market Forecast



6 Global Starch Industry

6.1 Market Overview

6.2 Market Performance

6.3 Market Breakup by Region

6.4 Market Breakup by Feedstock

6.4.1 Corn

6.4.2 Wheat

6.4.3 Cassava

6.4.4 Others

6.5 Market Breakup by End-Use

6.6 Market Forecast



7 Global Cassava Starch Industry

7.1 Market Overview

7.2 Market Performance

7.2.1 Volume Trends

7.2.2 Value Trends

7.3 Price Trends

7.4 Impact of COVID-19

7.5 Market Breakup by Region

7.6 Market Breakup by End-Use

7.7 Market Forecast

7.8 SWOT Analysis

7.8.1 Overview

7.8.2 Strengths

7.8.3 Weaknesses

7.8.4 Opportunities

7.8.5 Threats

7.9 Value Chain Analysis

7.9.1 Raw Material Suppliers

7.9.2 Processors

7.9.3 Distributors

7.9.4 Exporters

7.9.5 End-Users

7.10 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

7.10.1 Overview

7.10.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

7.10.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

7.10.4 Degree of Competition

7.10.5 Threat of New Entrants

7.10.6 Threat of Substitutes

7.11 Key Market Drivers and Success Factors



8 Performance of Key Regions

8.1 Production

8.1.1 Asia

8.1.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.1.2 Market Forecast

8.1.2 Africa

8.1.2.1 Market Trends

8.1.2.2 Market Forecast

8.1.3 Latin America

8.1.3.1 Market Trends

8.1.3.2 Market Forecast

8.1.4 Others

8.1.4.1 Market Trends

8.1.4.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Consumption

8.2.1 China

8.2.1.1 Market Trends

8.2.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2.2 Indonesia

8.2.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2.2 Market Forecast

8.2.3 Malaysia

8.2.3.1 Market Trends

8.2.3.2 Market Forecast

8.2.4 Japan

8.2.4.1 Market Trends

8.2.4.2 Market Forecast

8.2.5 Philippines

8.2.5.1 Market Trends

8.2.5.2 Market Forecast

8.2.6 Others

8.2.6.1 Market Trends

8.2.6.2 Market Forecast



9 Market by End-Use

9.1 Sweeteners

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 MSG/Lysine

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Food Industries

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Paper Industries

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Modified Starch

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast

9.6 Sago Pearl

9.6.1 Market Trends

9.6.2 Market Forecast

9.7 Textile

9.7.1 Market Trends

9.7.2 Market Forecast

9.8 Others

9.8.1 Market Trends

9.8.2 Market Forecast



10 Competitive Landscape



11 Cassava Starch Manufacturing Process

11.1 Product Overview

11.2 Detailed Process Flow

11.3 Various Types of Unit Operations Involved

11.4 Mass Balance and Raw Material Requirements



12 Project Details, Requirements and Costs Involved

12.1 Land Requirements and Expenditures

12.2 Construction Requirements and Expenditures

12.3 Plant Machinery

12.4 Raw Material Requirements and Expenditures

12.5 Packaging Requirements and Expenditures

12.6 Transportation Requirements and Expenditures

12.7 Utility Requirements and Expenditures

12.8 Manpower Requirements and Expenditures

12.9 Other Capital Investments



13 Loans and Financial Assistance



14 Project Economics

14.1 Capital Cost of the Project

14.2 Techno-Economic Parameters

14.3 Product Pricing and Margins Across Various Levels of the Supply Chain

14.4 Taxation and Depreciation

14.5 Income Projections

14.6 Expenditure Projections

14.7 Financial Analysis

14.8 Profit Analysis



15 Key Player Profiles

15.1 TCS Tapioca

15.2 Eiamehang Tapioca

15.3 Sunrise International

15.4 PT Buda Starch & Sweetener

15.5 SPAC Tapioca

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/25cc6h

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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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


PRINCETON, N.J., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Learning Ally is proud to partner with Assemblyman Dan Benson (NJ) to sponsor Assembly Bill 5601. This bill, which was introduced on May 5, 2021, directs the New Jersey Commissioner of Education to establish the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative in an important step towards the mission of providing all students with equal and equitable access to education.

The New Jersey Equity and Literacy Initiative strives to enhance the statewide support system for county offices of education, school districts, and charter schools to connect students with specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, to innovative, university-based, early intervention services. According to Benson, "This legislation will help to improve literacy outcomes for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, and provide educators and schools with the resources to meet student learning needs."

Assemblymember Benson demonstrates his commitment to dismantling barriers that prevent children from learning to read through championing this bill. "Students who struggle with reading and other forms of specific learning disabilities often go undiagnosed until they are failing in school. Some are never diagnosed nor receive services. Early identification and intervention with students showing signs of dyslexia are critical for improving their outcomes".

Patrick Brennan, Learning Ally's Vice President of Government Relations, explains, "By improving literacy outcomes for New Jersey's early learners, we can empower, equip, and support our teaching force to ensure struggling learners become proficient readers."

The most effective treatment for students who struggle with reading and related language problems is early diagnosis and skilled teaching. It is critical that educators receive evidence-based practices and strategies informed by research to reduce the impact on long-term educational outcomes. Assembly Bill 5601 aims to provide the necessary support and training to effectively equip teachers to help all students, regardless of background or disability.

Assemblymember Benson acknowledges the positive impact the Equity in Education Initiative could have on the state. "I look forward to seeing the investment this legislation will make in building capacity in New Jersey's educational system to enhance all students' reading and writing outcomes come to fruition."

Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit education solutions organization dedicated to equipping educators with proven solutions that help struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allow us to support more than 1.5 million students and 200,000 educators across the US. The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution is our cornerstone award-winning reading accommodation used in more than 18,500 schools to help students with reading deficits succeed. Composed of high quality, human-read audiobooks and a suite of teacher resources to monitor and support student progress, it is designed to turn struggling readers into engaged learners. For more information, visit www.LearningAlly.org.

Media Contact:

Valerie Chernek

410-960-4060

[email protected]

SOURCE Learning Ally

Related Links

http://www.LearningAlly.org


ADELAIDE, Australia, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IVF Life Group, a leading group of IVF clinics across Spain, UK, and Germany, will be among the first in Europe to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to non-invasively assess embryos to determine their genetic integrity. The AI product Life Whisperer, developed by global healthcare company Presagen, uses images of embryos to assess their quality to assist with embryo selection, and ultimately improve IVF outcomes for patients.

Currently, PGT-A genetic testing is one of the most used techniques that requires careful removal of three to five cells from an embryo to analyse its genetic integrity. As the procedure is still not available in some countries, and is quite invasive, Life Whisperer and its AI technology can also assist with this assessment.

Life Whisperer Genetics, which this month received CE Mark in Europe, requires only standard camera images of embryos to assess their genetic integrity. In a US study simulating 91,500 individual patient embryo cohorts, Life Whisperer Genetics ranked the genetically normal (euploid) embryo top in 82% of the patient cohorts. Furthermore, in 96% of the cohorts Life Whisperer Genetics ranked the at least one genetically normal embryo in the top two embryos.

Presagen's first product Life Whisperer Viability assesses the same images of embryos to determine their likelihood of leading to a pregnancy, and is already in use in IVF clinics globally.

Founder & President of IVF Life Group, Dr. Jon Aizpurua said "For the next two months, IVF Life will offer all patients, at no additional cost, the use of both Life Whisperer Genetics and Life Whisperer Viability. Although patients may still elect to use PGT-A testing, Life Whisperer offers an important pre-screen to help us select the best embryos for further genetic testing, transfer, or freezing."

Presagen CEO, Dr Michelle Perugini said "We are excited to be working with IVF Life to enable patients across Europe to access the latest AI technology to help improve their chances of a healthy pregnancy, whilst reducing treatment costs."

Life Whisperer is already authorised for sale in the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, Thailand, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

SOURCE Presagen

Related Links

https://www.presagen.com/


- NVIDIA DGX-Ready status enables Kao Data to support and host the latest NVIDIA accelerated computing technology

- Provides a dedicated technical environment for start-ups, scale-ups and world-leading organisations utilising GPU-accelerated computing on an industrial-scale

- Architectural requirements of its OCP-Ready facility provides seamless integration with NVIDIA DGX systems, and establishes a home for HPC and AI within the UK Innovation Corridor

LONDON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kao Data, the specialist developer and operator of advanced, carrier neutral data centres for high performance colocation, has today announced it has become NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certified. This step further reinforces its capabilities as a world-class data centre operator and highlights its expertise in delivering customised architectures for high-performance computing (HPC), AI and supercomputing environments.

The DGX-Ready Data Center status officially certifies Kao Data's capability to support and host the latest breakthroughs in NVIDIA GPUs such as the NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPU, an area in which the organisation is seeing increased adoption through its work with customers in Cambridge and the UK Innovation Corridor. This also includes NVIDIA's DGX SuperPOD, which provides the digital foundations for comprehensive advances in machine learning and deep learning technologies.

"DGX-Ready Data Center architectures are quickly changing both the dynamics and capabilities of data centres built for HPC, AI and supercomputing," said Gerard Thibault, CTO, Kao Data. "From inception, Kao Data was precision engineered to deliver a dedicated, robust and resilient environment for intensive computing. Whether a solo DGX system, or something far larger like the acclaimed NVIDIA Cambridge-1 supercomputer, Kao Data is the perfect home for these forms of advanced computing."

Designed to be ultra-energy efficient, Kao Data offers a design Power Utilisation Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2 and provides data halls with concrete slab-flooring, wide containment aisles, and no columns. Kao Data allows data halls to be customised to suit air-cooled HPC architectures with various rack power densities. NVIDIA customised Kao Data's power and cooling infrastructure to easily accommodate a DGX A100 SuperPOD deployment, such as the NVIDIA Cambridge-1, which is expected to rank among the world's top 5 most energy-efficient supercomputers on the Green500 list, being both efficiently cooled and powered by renewable energy.

"Cambridge and the UK Innovation Corridor is a transformative technology hub, and a significant growth region for HPC and AI," said Marc Hamilton vice president of solutions architecture and engineering at NVIDIA. "Having a DGX-Ready Data Center partner such as Kao Data within this digital ecosystem is a crucial step that reinforces our customer commitments and supports them throughout the journey."

For more information visit kaodata.com.

About Kao Data

Founded in 2014, Kao Data develop and operate advanced data centres for high performance colocation. From our hyperscale inspired campus in the heart of the UK Innovation Corridor between London and Cambridge - we provide cloud, HPC, AI and enterprise customers with a world-class home for their compute.

Our Harlow campus - built on the site of Sir Charles Kao's pioneering discovery of fibre optic cable in 1966 - is a development of four state-of the-art, OCP-Ready, carrier neutral data centres. When fully completed the 15 acre, +230m campus will support an ITE load of over 40MW, across 150,000sq ft of technical space  all powered by 100% renewable energy.

Backed by Legal & General and Goldacre - Noe Group, Kao Data is one of the largest campus developments in the UK and represents the future in sustainable, efficient and scalable computing - providing an industry blueprint to develop further best-in-class data centres.

kaodata.com

SOURCE Kao Data

Related Links

https://kaodata.com


CO2 Delivery Solutions systems create a saturated CO2 solution that, when misted onto plants, provides growers that cannot use CO2 gas with the opportunity to increase plant yields

Applying saturated CO2 also suppresses the development of pathogens such as E.coli and powdery mildew, helping reduce crop losses

( ) ( ) (FRA:4021) has announced a commercial installation sale of its CO2 Delivery Solutions system to a US distributor.

CO2 Delivery Solutions systems create a saturated CO2 solution that, when misted onto plants, provides growers that cannot use CO2 gas with the opportunity to increase plant yields by up to 30% and profits by up to 100%, the company said.

Applying saturated CO2 also suppresses the development of pathogens such as E.coli and powdery mildew, helping reduce crop losses.

"We are very happy to announce another sale of a CO2 Delivery Solutions system. Sales & Strategic VP Aaron Archibald said in a statement. We are carefully building our sales force in the US, which includes distributors, who have extensive sales networks in the market. This enables us to accelerate sales and deployment of our technology. As our sales force and distributor network expands, we look forward to increasing sales in the US."

Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel
PARK CITY, Utah and GREENWICH, Conn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- L Catterton, the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm, today announced that it has acquired Kodiak Cakes ("Kodiak" or the "Company"), a fast-growing food business built on a mission to inspire healthier eating and active living. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Kodiak's existing shareholders, including Sunrise Strategic Partners, Trilantic North America, and the Company's founders and management team, will continue to own a significant minority stake in the Company going forward.

Kodiak traces its roots back to 1982, when eight-year-old Joel Clark began selling his mother's hand-milled pancake mix door-to-door from a little red wagon. Since then, Kodiak has achieved consistent and remarkable growth to become a leading food brand for the active, modern consumer. Today, the Company fulfills its "Nourishment for Today's Frontier" brand promise by virtue of a product portfolio that is 100% whole-grain, powered by protein, and above all, delicious and craveable.

The Company has since become a leading player across pancake and waffle mixes, frozen waffles and pancakes, oatmeal, baking mixes, and a variety of snacking products. Kodiak Cakes has also expanded its distribution partnerships and today works closely with a number of blue-chip retailers, including Target, Walmart, Costco, Publix, Safeway, and many more on a nationwide basis. In 2013, Kodiak appeared on Shark Tank, and has since proven to be one of the most valuable "ones that got away" during the show's 12-year run. Since the Company's appearance on the show, its revenue has grown more than 50x.

Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Kodiak is led by Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Joel Clark and Co-Founder and President Cameron Smith.

"In identifying a partner for Kodiak's next phase of growth, it was important to find a team with the experience and capabilities to support our mission of providing an unbeatable array of great tasting and nutritious products for our consumers who are actively navigating today's frontier," said Mr. Clark. "L Catterton shares our vision, and their track record of helping grow iconic CPG brands makes the firm an ideal partner for Kodiak as we continue to propel our business forward."

"Since its first wagonload of flapjack mix, Kodiak has brought an authenticity and commitment to simple, wholesome ingredients that has allowed it to become one of the most disruptive food platforms in America," said Andrew Taub, Managing Partner at L Catterton. "We look forward to working closely with the entire Kodiak team to grow the brand together and inspire more consumers to pursue healthier eating and live an active, outdoor lifestyle."

"We are thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Joel and his exceptional leadership team for the next chapter in Kodiak's evolution," said Matt Leeds, Partner at L Catterton. "We look forward to supporting Kodiak's continued success in the years to come, and we are honored to welcome such a beloved brand into the L Catterton family."

L Catterton has significant experience investing globally in CPG brands. Current and former CPG investments include Cholula, The Honest Company, Kettle Chips, Zarbee's, Home Chef, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, Plum Organics, Wellness Pet Food, YoCrunch, Ferrara Candy Company, and Sweet Leaf Tea.

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Kodiak.

About Kodiak

With a delicious portfolio of 100% whole-grain, protein-powered pancake and waffle mixes, frozen waffles and pancakes, oatmeal, baking mixes, and a variety of snacking products, Kodiak provides its loyal consumers with "Nourishment for Today's Frontier." Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Kodiak was built on a mission to enable healthier eating and active living. The brand began when eight year-old Joel Clark began selling his family's hand-milled flapjack mix door-to-door from a little red wagon, and Kodiak is now proudly sold in 26,000 doors nationwide.

About L Catterton

With over $27 billion of equity capital across its fund strategies and 17 offices around the world, L Catterton is the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm. L Catterton's team of nearly 200 investment and operating professionals partners with management teams around the world to implement strategic plans to foster growth, leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad partnership network. Since 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in leading consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit lcatterton.com.

Contact

Kodiak Cakes

Monique Dinor

Lippe Taylor Group

(917) 697-0016

[email protected]

L Catterton

Andi Rose / Julie Hamilton

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

+1 212-355-4449

SOURCE L Catterton

Related Links

https://www.lcatterton.com


"It is always exciting when companies choose to invest and grow in Missouri," Governor Mike Parson said. "With the opening of its facility here in Moberly and the recent announcement of its new facility in Columbia, Swift Prepared Foods has shown a commitment to the people of this state. We are proud that Missouri is home to great companies like this one and look forward to working together for many years to come."

Swift Prepared Foods joins more than 400 food companies already operating in the state. Its new Missouri facility will produce ready-to-eat, fully cooked bacon. The investment will create nearly 200 new jobs in the region.

"This is a great day for Swift Prepared Foods, and we are proud to call Missouri home as we continue to grow our company and create opportunity for our team members," said Tom Lopez, President and Chief Operating Officer, Swift Prepared Foods. "This milestone marks our entrance into the region, and we look forward to making Moberly an even better place to live and work."

"Moberly and Randolph County are fortunate to welcome such a quality employer to our area," Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation President Michael Bugalski said. "We extend our sincere thanks to Swift Prepared Foods for choosing our community for this substantial investment. We look forward to a long relationship with Swift Prepared Foods and are thankful for the opportunity to bring new jobs and investment to the area."

Swift Prepared Foods provides high-quality protein products and innovative prepared foods throughout the U.S. This is the company's sixth facility in the country.

"Missouri is a great place to do business. With modern energy laws, we are partnering to attract businesses and job growth to our state, such as with the new Swift Prepared Foods facility in Moberly," said Marty Lyons, President of Ameren Missouri. "In Missouri, new and expanding businesses can get one of the best economic development rate incentives in the country. It's just one way we are helping communities with the Ameren Missouri Smart Energy Plan."

Swift Prepared Foods highlighted Moberly's strategic location, as well as support from the community and state as key reasons for their decision to expand into the region.

"We are thrilled that Swift Prepared Foods chose to invest in Missouri," Missouri Partnership CEO Subash Alias said. "Missouri Partnership was honored to partner with Austin Consulting, and our friends at the Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation, Ameren Missouri, Missouri Department of Economic Development, and the Missouri Development Finance Board to bring this project to Missouri."

In recent months, companies such as Carlisle Construction Materials LLC, Chewy, Inc., and Melaleuca, Inc., have invested more than $500 million in new facilities across the state.

Media Contact: Janelle Higgins, [email protected]

SOURCE Missouri Partnership

Related Links

www.missouripartnership.com


NESCONSET, N.Y., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LifeVac, the revolutionary airway clearance device (ACD), recently announced a partnership with the New York State PTA as a part of its new Strategic Alliance program.

Airway Clearance Device

"The goal is to continue to raise awareness about the dangers of choking and what to do in a choking emergency to those that are statistically most vulnerable." Said Arthur Lih, CEO and Founder of LifeVac. "One child chokes to death every five days in the United States. Partnering with the NYS PTA will empower the parents of school aged children to ensure all schools in New York are prepared to respond to choking events using all available tools, including LifeVac." said Lih. "We are excited about the alliance program and look forward to working with PTA groups all over the state."

NYS PTA Executive Director, Kyle Belokopitsky offered, "As an EMT and a twice choking victim myself, I know that the Heimlich Maneuver doesn't always work. We will be providing videos, available to all of our members, that detail LifeVac and how it can be a game changer in a choking emergency."

Link to partnership announcement - https://youtu.be/nHFz-B4_Vsk

About NYS PTA| www.nyspta.org

NYS PTA is one of the oldest and largest child advocacy associations in New York State, established in 1897 to make every child's potential a reality. With nearly 300,000 members in New York State, PTA is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child. To learn more about NYS PTA, please visit www.nyspta.org .

About LifeVac - LifeVac is a non-invasive, non-powered, portable (ACD) airway clearance device developed to clear an airway obstruction from a victim in a choking related emergency. For more information or to learn about LifeVac success stories visit www.lifevac.net SAVE A LIFE

Media Contact:

Heidi Felix

[email protected]

877-LIFEVAC

SOURCE LifeVac LLC

Related Links

http://www.lifevac.net


This year, lychee from Guangdong welcomes another good harvest. They will be exported to Canada, the United States, Chile, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Nigeria, South Africa and other countries. In early June, the lychee will arrive at supermarkets in these countries.

What kind of fruit it is? Is it edible, or sweet?

The 66-year-old John has been to Guangdong China this year. "Lychee is popular in China. It has been cultivated for a long time. It may be beyond your imagination that thousand-year-old trees can bear these bright reddish fruits," he said. The fruit is sweet and fragrant with white flesh in red armor, and it will grow on people.



Genzi Town, Gaozhou City, Maoming in Guangdong China, is known as the home of lychee. It has been two thousand years since this town planted lychee. As early as the Tang dynasty, lychee from Gaozhou was a tribute to the imperial court of ancient China. There is an old lychee orchard in Baiqiao Village, Genzi Town, called Gongyuan Orchard. It's said that the lychee that Gao Lishi, a eunuch from Tang dynasty paid tribute to beauty Yang came from this Orchard.



The flesh contains up to 66 percent glucose. Besides, there are protein, multiple vitamins, organic acid and other nutrients. People may have a question about how to eat lychee. John said, "It smells well, but we do not directly gnaw its thick rough skin. Remove it and bite the while flesh. Let the sweet juice fill your mouth, like the taste of first love."



Visitors are invited to taste this sweet fruit grown out of the thousand-year-old trees.



Image Attachments Links:

Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=392001

Caption: Lychee from Guangdong, China appeared on landmark screens in North America,

Southeast Asia, Middle East and other regions.



SOURCE Xinhua Screen Media Co., Ltd.
Built on more than a decade of measurement and over 3 million surveys completed to-date, the nationally representative dataset comprising Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index is the most comprehensive assessment of community health in the country. The 2020 research assessed the well-being of more than 450,000 respondents spanning all 50 states across a range of individual health risk factors  their physical health, community and social bonds, ability to manage their finances to achieve their goals, and strength of purpose in daily life  and analyzed more than 600 elements of social determinants of health to identify those most associated with community health outcomes  healthcare access, food access, resource access, housing and transportation, and economic security.

Massachusetts, Mississippi bookend state rankings

For the first time, Massachusetts ranked No. 1 in the community well-being rankings, followed by Hawaii, a veteran top contender. For the second year in a row, Mississippi took the last position in the rankings, joined by six other Southern states in the bottom 10.

Massachusetts can attribute its top ranking to strong scores across both social determinants of health and individual health risk factors. The state ranked among the top 10 for eight out of 10 well-being domains -- financial well-being (#5), social well-being (#7), purpose well-being (#6), physical well-being (#5), community well-being (#6), housing and transportation (#2), healthcare access (#1), and food access (#7).

Meanwhile, Mississippi ranked among the bottom-performing states on all measures of well-being except resource access (#17).

Community Well-Being by State, 2020

Top 10 States

1. Massachusetts

2. Hawaii

3. New Jersey

4. Maryland

5. New York

6. California

7. Connecticut

8. Washington

9. Colorado

10. Utah

Bottom 10 States

41. Indiana

42. Tennessee

43. Louisiana

44. Alabama

45. Oklahoma

46. Kentucky

47. West Virginia

48. New Mexico

49. Arkansas

50. Mississippi

Best and worst ranked states on Community Well-Being Index closely correlate with 2020 U.S. presidential election results

During a turbulent year that saw political fault lines drive apart the country over economic, social, and public health issues, nine of the top 10 states for community well-being were won by President Joe Biden in the November presidential election, while nine of the bottom 10 states went to former President Donald Trump.

The top nine states  Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, California, Connecticut, Washington, and Colorado  all have populations with generally lower-than-average individual health risk factors and better-than-average social determinants of health. Unlike their bottom-ranked peers, most residents of these states say they enjoy supportive relationships and love in their life; have the tools to manage their economic life to increase financial security and reduce stress, regardless of income; and have access to high-quality healthcare and jobs, on top of their better physical health.

Community Well-Being and US Presidential Election Results by State, 2020

Top 10 States

1. Massachusetts, Biden

2. Hawaii, Biden

3. New Jersey, Biden

4. Maryland, Biden

5. New York, Biden

6. California, Biden

7. Connecticut, Biden

8. Washington, Biden

9. Colorado, Biden

10. Utah, Trump

Bottom 10 States

41. Indiana, Trump

42. Tennessee, Trump

43. Louisiana, Trump

44. Alabama, Trump

45. Oklahoma, Trump

46. Kentucky, Trump

47. West Virginia, Trump

48. New Mexico, Biden

49. Arkansas, Trump

50. Mississippi, Trump

Physical and social well-being increase, financial well-being decreases

Between 2019 and 2020, community well-being across the U.S. remained essentially unchanged, increasing from a score of 60.2 to 60.5, as measured on a scale ranging from 0 (lowest possible well-being) to 100 (highest possible well-being).

Overall community well-being held steady thanks to resilience in key individual health risk factors. Despite including measures of mental health, physical well-being significantly increased over the course of 2020. Positive trends in the strength of Americans' personal relationships, as measured by social well-being, and other areas of individual health also shielded community well-being.

Notably, financial well-being decreased amid the economic challenges brought on by the pandemic.

"From coronavirus to civic unrest and the fight against systemic racism, 2020 tested our resolve, not only as a country but also as individuals," said Elizabeth Colyer, senior vice president and head of the Community Well-Being Index at Sharecare. "Despite differing trends noted across states and regions, the latest Index results broadly demonstrate the resilience with which Americans responded to adversity: While financial well-being declined, community well-being held steady with improvements in areas such as physical and social well-being, demonstrating the positive influence that non-physical factors can have on individuals' health, including the critical impact that outlook and leadership have on our subjective evaluation of health and well-being."

"This first analysis of 2020 data from Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index paints an initial picture of the well-being landscape amid one of the most difficult years in recent memory," said Dr. Kimberly Dukes, executive director of BUSPH's Biostatistics & Epidemiology Data Analytics Center. "Future investigations will advance our understanding of the distribution of community well-being by uncovering statistically significant trends in counties and metropolitan statistical areas."

To arrive at these results, Sharecare and BUSPH conducted web and mail surveys with 453,705 U.S. residents aged 18 and older across 2020 and analyzed more than 600 elements of social determinants of health. Results are nationally representative. To read the full report and to learn about the project's methodology, visit https://wellbeingindex.sharecare.com/reports/.

Later this summer, Sharecare and BUSPH will release 2020 community well-being figures from metropolitan statistical areas and counties as well as a special analysis of community well-being outcomes for BIPOC communities.

About Sharecare

Sharecare is the leading digital health company that helps people  no matter where they are in their health journey  unify and manage all their health in one place. Our comprehensive and data-driven virtual health platform is designed to help people, providers, employers, health plans, government organizations, and communities optimize individual and population-wide well-being by driving positive behavior change. Driven by our philosophy that we are all together better, at Sharecare, we are committed to supporting each individual through the lens of their personal health and making high-quality care more accessible and affordable for everyone. To learn more, visit www.sharecare.com.

About the Boston University School of Public Health

Founded in 1976, the Boston University School of Public Health is one of the top five ranked private schools of public health in the world. It offers master's- and doctoral-level education in public health. The faculty in six departments conduct policy-changing public health research around the world, with the mission of improving the health of populationsespecially the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerablelocally and globally.

SOURCE Sharecare

Related Links

sharecare.com


HAYWARD, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Microvi is teaming up with Murraysmith + Quincy to deliver high-quality drinking water through its MicroNiche Engineering (MNE) solution to more communities in the United States.

Microvi Murraysmith + Quincy Collaboration

With contaminants such as ammonia, nitrate, perchlorate, chlorinated solvents, 1,4-dioxane, and many others threatening public health and environmental sustainability, engineers need to embed water treatment infrastructure with affordable and reliable purification technology. The MNE platform does just thisproviding clean drinking water cost-effectively and simplyall without producing a significant secondary waste stream. Microvi MNE is a single pass biological water treatment system that requires minimal startup, operation, and maintenance time with a smaller footprint than similar, alternative treatment methods.

"This new technology could be a game-changer for our clients and the communities that they serve. Not only could the Microvi MNE solution save clients millions of dollars right off the bat, but it could also allow for their communities to have access to clean drinking water at a lower cost. Murraysmith is eager to work with existing and new clients to integrate this cost-effective and reliable technology into our water treatment plant designs," said Lee Odell, Principal Engineer at Murraysmith + Quincy Engineering.

"We continue to best position our MNE solutions for long-term profitable growth. This strategic partnership with MurraySmith + Quincy enables us to create a more focused business around our technology offering for nitrogen removal in the drinking water sector. We will also boost our innovation and business development efforts to capture emerging trends in the drinking water market," said Dr. Fatemeh Shirazi, CEO of Microvi.

Murraysmith + Quincy Engineering was founded in 1980 with a key mission to provide high-quality municipal engineering services to public agencies. With 18 offices around the western United States, they work with communities of all sizes to design cost-effective water, wastewater, and stormwater solutions.

Partnerships between Microvi and engineering firms who design public water infrastructure will provide end-to-end solutions that can treat a myriad of groundwater contaminants for complex public water projectsmaking clean and safe water more accessible to communities around the world.

About Murraysmith + Quincy Engineering

Founded in 1980, Murraysmith is a public infrastructure engineering firm of over 300 staff helping to craft the communities they live in. Founded with the key mission of providing high-value engineering services to public agencies, 99 percent of the firm's current business is for public sector clients. With 18 offices located in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Colorado, public agencies in the western US depend on Murraysmith to provide high-quality solutions to their complex public works engineering projects. Personally invested in client success, Murraysmith works as an extension of public agency staff to help communities prosper. In May 2019, Murraysmith and Quincy Engineering merged to enhance their technical expertise and abilities to serve their clients. As a combined firm, they currently serve local public agencies with a full range of civil engineering and planning services. For more information, visit www.murraysmith.us.

About Microvi

Microvi is a transformative biology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that delivers next-generation biotechnologies for the water, wastewater, bio-based chemicals, biofuels and biopharma industries. Microvi offers commercial technologies around the world to reduce waste, increase productivity and provide disruptive economics across the value chain. Learn more at www.microvi.com.

Contacts:

Karin Kidder

VP Marketing, Microvi

+1 (510) 344-0668

Erin Reed

Marketing Director, Murraysmith + Quincy Engineering

+1 (503) 225-9010

SOURCE Microvi

Related Links

http://www.microvi.com


CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Miller Lite and HACU are announcing $191,900 in college scholarships and leadership development opportunities through HACU's Adelante! Leadership Institute. This is the 17th year the brewery has partnered with HACU on the scholarship program. Eligible Latino students in the United States and Puerto Rico can now apply online for the scholarship until July 30 at hacu.net/Scholarships .

Eligible Latino students 21+ in the U.S. and Puerto Rico can now apply online for the scholarship until July 30. Tweet this Miller Lite is offering over $190K in scholarships to Latino students 21+ in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The pandemic has negatively impacted higher education enrollment among Latino students. According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse, there has been a 5.3 percent decrease among Latino undergraduates in spring 2021. This is why the commitment from Miller Lite and HACU to provide scholarships for Latino students carries a higher significance than ever before.

A total of sixty-three scholarships between $2,500 and $5,000 will be awarded to Latino college students in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico. Eight scholarships of $5,000 will be awarded in Houston and 18 of $2,500 to other cities in Texas. Scholarships are open to college students who are over 21 years of age, attend a HACU-member institution in a participating market, and are U.S. citizens, permanent residents or DACA recipients.

"Now that the world is opening back up, our mission is to help everyone reconnect with the people most important to them, and that may include college friends and peers," said Catherine Pastiak Miller Lite Associate Marketing Manager at Molson Coors. "We're incredibly proud of our company's 17-year-long relationship with HACU and we hope to continue our partnership to help Latino students in their journey of becoming the leaders of tomorrow."

Those who are awarded will also hold a spot at the HACU Adelante! Leadership Institute, an annual conference which will be held virtually on October 24 to October 27, 2021. Recipients will have the opportunity to join workshops focused on leadership and professional development and participate in networking opportunities.

"In the past four years alone, Miller Lite and HACU have been able to award 177 scholarships totaling to $618,900," said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. "We hope to continue this relationship and keep impacting the lives of Latino students across the country."

Visit hacu.net for more information on the scholarships and full eligibility criteria. Follow HACU at Facebook.com/HACUnews, or @HACUnews on Twitter and Instagram.

For more information on Miller Lite, visit MillerLite.com, Facebook.com/MillerLite, and follow @MillerLite on Twitter and Instagram.

About Miller Brewing Company

Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Frederick J. Miller when he purchased the Plank Road Brewery in Milwaukee, a city he chose as the best place for a brewery given its access to great water. Miller Lite, the original great-tasting light pilsner beer, (MillerLite.com, Facebook.com/MillerLite, @MillerLite on Twitter, YouTube.com/MillerLite) was introduced nationally in 1975 and is among the top-five selling beers in the United States. The brewery's oldest enduring beer is Miller High Life (MillerHighLife.com, Facebook.com/MillerHighLife, @MillerHighLife on Twitter). Known as the Champagne of Beers, it was introduced in 1903 and still is brewed with the same yeast strain that Miller carried in his pocket from Germany. Miller Genuine Draft (MGD.com, Facebook.com/MillerGenuineDraft, @Miller_Global on Twitter), introduced in 1986, is the original cold-filtered, packaged draft beer. Miller Brewing Company is part of the North America business unit of Molson Coors Beverage Company. Learn more at MolsonCoors.com, at Facebook.com/MolsonCoors or Instagram and Twitter through @MolsonCoors.

About HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association's headquarters are located in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington, D.C. This year, HACU celebrates its 35th Anniversary since its founding.

SOURCE Miller Lite

Related Links

https://www.millerlite.com


The project will play a major role in Vale's efforts to achieve its corporate sustainability goals. Once operational, the Sol de Cerrado solar project will provide 13 percent of the company's total energy needs in Brazil and offset GHG Protocol Scope 2 emissions by up to 136,407 tons of CO 2 / year. The company plans to produce 100 percent of the energy needed for its Brazilian operations by 2025 and reach carbon neutrality across its global footprint by 2050.

"Our decision was based on Nextracker's proven performance after a thorough due diligence process," said Marco Braga, Vale's Global Procurement Director. "We are very confident of Nextracker's experience and the reliability of its products to support Vale in solving the challenges of this important project."

Nextracker's regional office in Brazil will support the project with engineering, commissioning, and asset management services as well as advanced data analytics for preventive maintenance. Installation crews will attend Nextracker's PowerworX Academy installer training program to learn best practices on site and at the company's training center in Sorocaba, Sao Paulo.

"Vale's Sol de Cerrado project is yet another example of how the mining industry is embracing renewables as a reliable source of generation to power operations and offset greenhouse gas emissions," said Alejo Lopez, Nextracker vice president of sales for Latin America. "We look forward to working closely with Vale and deploying our smart solar trackers and software to maximize plant performance while minimizing operational costs for the 30-year-plus lifetime of the plant."

The Sol de Cerrado project is the second major Brazilian market win for Nextracker this year and the latest addition to its growing portfolio in the country. The company also recently secured a contract to supply its bifacially optimized trackers to the 830 MW Janauba solar project in Minas Gerais and is mining industry's solar tracker of choice in Australia.

Brazil is one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the Latin American region, due in part to its high irradiation levels and solar-friendly policies. The country has 7.4 gigawatts of cumulative solar installations to date. Minas Gerais is the top Brazilian state for solar power capacity in the nation.

See here to learn more about Nextracker's advanced wind engineering design and bifacial technology capabilities.

About Nextracker

Nextracker, a Flex company, is a leader in the renewable energy transition, providing critical yield-enhancing PV system technology, expertise and strategic services to capture the full value and maximize the efficiency of solar plants. Delivering the most comprehensive portfolio of intelligent solar tracker and control software solutions for solar power plants, Nextracker is transforming PV plant performance with smart technology, data monitoring and analysis services. For more information, please visit Nextracker and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Vale S.A.

Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) is a Brazilian multinational corporation focused on the metals, mining, and transportation sectors in Brazil and the world. The Company is also one of the largest logistics operators and manufacturers of iron ore, nickel, coal, manganese, ferroalloys and copper in the world. In addition to mining, Vale operates key transportation activity within Brazil including railways, ports, terminals and state-of-the-art infrastructure for energy and steel manufacturing. Vale operates in over 30 countries. For more information, go to www.vale.com.

SOURCE Nextracker
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harris OnPoint business unit of Harris Computer welcomes Mount Sinai South Nassau as a new AcuityPlus partner. As a facility that has established a tradition of excellence in the delivery of patient-centered, compassionate care built on intuitive alignment and deployment of their nursing staff, Harris OnPoint is thrilled to support this continuous improvement organization in their goal of raising this standard, to the next level with the implementation of AcuityPlus.

Mount Sinai South Nassau

According to Karen Mellin, Executive Vice President, Harris OnPoint, "We are excited about having Mount Sinai South Nassau join the Harris OnPoint family and are looking forward to helping them utilize AcuityPlus to reach their goals of exemplary patient care."

Through this partnership, Mount Sinai South Nassau looks to AcuityPlus to provide it's evidence-based methodologies, which have been mapped and integrated into their system, to ensure the quantity of care (acuity) and type of care (complexity) are tailored to the needs of each patient. Eliminating duplication in data entry, balancing workload for nursing staff, and objectively classifying patients will decrease cognitive stacking for RNs, improve data validity and enhance documentation, thereby ensuring the best outcome for their patients. The system will enable nurses to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place, at the right cost.

"AcuityPlus inpatient methodology combined with the emergency department module will provide us both acuity and complexity of care measures for every patient," says Stacey Conklin, RN, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, Mount Sinai South Nassau. "This real-time data and information will empower us to deliver high quality patient-centered care that raises staff satisfaction, ensures appropriate length of stay, enhances bed management and results in optimal patient satisfaction, outcomes, and cost."

If you find that you are facing similar challenges at your facility, or would like to learn more about how an acuity-based staffing solution could help manage staff and improve patient outcomes, while staying within budget, Harris OnPoint invites you to schedule a demonstration with one of our product experts to discuss how AcuityPlus can address your needs.

ABOUT ACUITYPLUS

AcuityPlus, an acuity-based staffing solution of Harris OnPoint, provides the information needed (through evidence-based workload measurement methodologies) to make sound staffing, budgeting, and patient care decisions, helping to improve patient care and increase nurse satisfaction, while effectively managing cost.

ABOUT HARRIS ONPOINT

Harris OnPoint, a business unit of Harris Computer, delivers elite and innovative software solutions that solve real client problems in the ever-changing world of healthcare. Through our vendor-agnostic solutions, we use technology to bridge gaps in communication, workflows, connectivity, safety, and efficiency; helping healthcare organizations optimize their time for what's most important  patient care.

ABOUT MOUNT SINAI SOUTH NASSAU

The Long Island flagship hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai South Nassau is designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care. Mount Sinai South Nassau is one of the region's largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. It also operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island's only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department, which is based in Long Beach.

Media Contact

Karen Cyr

Harris OnPoint

(706) 402-2439

[email protected]

SOURCE Harris OnPoint

Related Links

https://harrisonpointsolutions.com/


The use of renewable natural gas and mitigated flare gas will make it possible to reduce the lifecycle footprint of Nacero's cost-competitive, zero sulfur gasoline to zero over time. Nacero's products will be sold to retailers in Texas and the Southwest, and through Nacero-branded outlets.

"We are thrilled to partner with Bechtel for our flagship facility in Penwell. Bechtel's experience with large-scale projects and commitment to excellence is second to none," said Jay McKenna, Nacero's President and CEO. "For America to achieve its domestic energy and climate change mitigation goals we need big vision and laser-focused execution. Bechtel is center stage in helping us get there."

"We are delighted by this opportunity to support Nacero's pioneering approach to delivering lower carbon fuel with our record of large-scale project success," said Paul Marsden, President, Bechtel Energy. "This project is truly a game-changer. It will give everyday American drivers a chance to participate in the energy transition and will be a model for the kind of environmental improvement America is looking to bring about."

On completion of the FEED, Bechtel will deliver a lump sum, turnkey EPC price proposal. Bechtel will employ its range of sustainable design and execution tools to bring about carbon reduction in the supply chain and reduce the carbon footprint of the project during construction. Bechtel and Nacero have a shared commitment to best in class environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.

Nacero's Penwell project is one of the largest energy transition infrastructure opportunities in the United States. The project is expected to employ 3,500 skilled construction workers on site at peak during the four years first phase construction. The second phase of construction will take an additional two years and bring plant capacity to 115,000 barrels per day. When fully operational, the plant will employ 350 full-time operators and maintenance personnel. The University of Texas has estimated that the Penwell facility will add more than $25 billion to the economy of the Odessa region during its 50+ year operating life.

About Nacero

Based in Houston, TX, Nacero Inc. is bringing a new gasoline to market, one that is made from natural gas and renewable natural gas, not crude oil. The Company plans to build production facilities where it can create environmental and economic benefit for its consumers, host communities, commercial counterparties, and shareholders. Founded in 2015, Nacero is led by a team with more than 500 years of combined successful large project experience across power, renewables, LNG, fuels, and chemicals. Find out more at www.nacero.co.

About Bechtel

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; and Mining & Metals markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com

Media contact:

Bechtel

Mat Ovenden

+1 346 241 6701

[email protected]

Nacero

Lisa Cohen

+1 310 395 2544

[email protected]

SOURCE Bechtel

Related Links

http://www.bechtel.com


Solid Gaming will add and market Playgon's proprietary mobile-first live dealer and E-table offerings under the Vegas Lounge brand to its content library for distribution to all of Solid Gaming's global client base

The agreement is for three years with license fees based on commercial revenue sharing rates

Inc ( ) ( ) (FRA:7CR) said it has signed, through its distribution partner, a software license and distribution agreement with Isle of Man-based Solid Gaming.

Under the agreement, Playgon said Solid Gaming will add and market Playgon's proprietary mobile-first live dealer and E-table offerings under the Vegas Lounge brand to its content library for availability and distribution to all of Solid Gaming's global client base.

The agreement is for three years with license fees based on commercial revenue sharing rates, said Playgon, noting that integration work is already complete and client on-boarding will start immediately.

"Playgon has enhanced Live Dealer casino games by bringing a highly innovative product with cutting-edge features and functionality to the mobile generation of live gaming, said Ben Wood, director of Solid Gaming, in a statement. They fit perfectly in our goal of offering a game for everyone and we believe will resonate very well with our clients."

Formed in 2017, Solid Gaming, a subsidiary of London-listed , has become a market-leading aggregator that provides operators with digital content and supports some of the largest gaming brands in the market, with an emphasis on Asian-market focused operators.

"Partnership with Solid Gaming is a major achievement for our company and significant validation of the innovation we are bringing to the live dealer market," said Darcy Krogh, president and CEO of Playgon Games.

"This partnership will give our Company an extensive reach in highly lucrative key markets, and we expect it will play a significant role in our revenue growth this year. Our live dealer technology is garnering the attention of some of the largest operators globally. As our growth journey has recently commenced, we are already seeing a clear path to rapidly scale our business through our current signed partnerships and numerous other active discussions," Krogh added.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), whose member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers throughout the U.S. and Canada, has named independent creative and media agency Cutwater as its global agency of record. In this new collaboration, Cutwater takes the helm to lead development of the Discover Boating brand platform and consumer campaign.

"As a company named after the leading edge of a boat, we couldn't be more thrilled to work with the leading association representing the recreational boating industry in North America," said Christian Hughes, President of Cutwater. "We are avid boaters ourselves and are excited to work with the National Marine Manufacturers Association to encourage more people to experience life on the water."

"We are thrilled to have found an ideal partner in the Cutwater team, as their expertise and shared passion for life on the water will help guide the industry's Discover Boating brand and boat shows through an exciting evolution as we welcome more people to boating," said Ellen Bradley, NMMA's chief brand officer and senior vice president of marketing and communications. "Cutwater has a deep understanding of our customers, stakeholders and the role of a brand's voice on behalf of an industry, all of which will help us elevate our brand experience as we work together to make boating the preferred choice in recreation."

New work from Cutwater for the NMMA, their 14 annual boat shows and the industry's Discover Boating brand will launch in 2022.

About National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA)

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is the leading trade organization for the North American recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, marine accessories and gear used by millions of boaters in North America. The association serves its members and their sales and service networks by improving the business environment for recreational boating including providing domestic and international sales and marketing opportunities, reducing unnecessary government regulation, decreasing the cost of doing business, and helping grow boating participation through the Discover Boating program. As the largest producer of boat and sport shows in the U.S., NMMA connects the recreational boating industry with the boating consumer year-round. Learn more at www.nmma.org.

About Cutwater

Cutwater is an independently owned full-service creative and media agency with offices in San Francisco and New York City. They pride themselves on crafting distinctive ideas that cut-through, stand apart, and drive business growth. Client experience ranges from iconic legacy brands like Russell Stover, Brawny, and Levi's, to inspiring start-ups with lofty goals like Unison, Strava, and American Giant, and just about everything in between. Cutwater is led by Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Chuck McBride, and Principal and President, Christian Hughes. For more information, visit www.cutwateragency.com.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Cutwater

Related Links

http://cutwatersf.com/


WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Science scores of fourth-graders declined since 2015, according to results from The Nation's Report Card released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), while science scores of eighth-graders and high school seniors did not change between 2015 and 2019.

The decline in the overall score for fourth grade was driven by declines for lower- and middle-performing students, while the scores for higher-performing students held steady. NCES has reported similar patterns of divergence between lower- and higher-performing students recently across the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and mathematics assessments, as scores for lower-performing students have generally declined while scores for higher-performing students have held steady or improved.

"Once again, the lowest-performing students are falling further behind," said Peggy G. Carr, the associate commissioner of assessments at NCES, which runs NAEP, known as The Nation's Report Card. "This is a repeated pattern across multiple subjects and grade levels. We need a renewed focus on the educational needs of our struggling students."

Among high school seniors, there was no change overall or for lower-performing and higher-performing students from 2015. However, 41 percent of 12th-graders scored below the NAEP Basic achievement level and the scores of the lowest-performing students declined in the content areas of physical and life science.

"Among 12th-graders, we saw declines in specific science content areas, similar to what occurred at fourth and eighth grade," said Lynn Woodworth, the commissioner of NCES. "Perhaps more troubling is that, compared to earlier grades, higher percentages of high school seniorsabout four in 10are unlikely to know key principles, facts, laws, and theories in science. Far too many students will leave high school with only passing familiarity of science fundamentals."

Widespread Declines Among Lowest-Performing Fourth-, Eighth-, and 12th-Graders Across Science Content Areas

At fourth grade, scores declined overall and in two of the three science content areas compared to 2015, and scores declined for lower-performing students in all three science content areas (physical science, life science, and earth and space sciences). However, scores for higher-performing students held steady in each of the three science content areas.

At eighth grade, there was no significant change in scores for eighth-graders in all three science content areas compared to 2015. Scores declined for the lowest-performing students in all three science content areas, while scores for higher-performing students increased in physical science and life science.

At 12th grade, there was no significant change in overall scores across content areas compared to 2015, but scores for the lowest-performing students declined in two content areas: physical science and life science.

Gender Gap Now Eliminated at Eighth Grade

Eighth-grade girls closed the gender gap in 2019 after fourth-grade girls had previously closed the gender gap on the 2015 assessment, marking the first time there was no gender gap between both fourth- and eighth-grade girls and boys in science. Score gains for fourth- and eighth-grade girls have outpaced improvement for boys at both grades since 2009.

"Over the past decade, the gender gap in eighth grade closed while the performance of both girls and boys improved, which is the best way to close an achievement gap," Carr said.

Though 12th-grade boys continued to score higher than 12th-grade girls overall, there was no gender gap among students who were taking advanced science courses.

"While boys outperform girls at 12th grade, this score difference disappears among boys and girls who have completed Advanced Placement classes," Carr said. "This shows that girls who take challenging science courses perform as well as boys."

Racial/Ethnic Achievement Gaps Narrow Since 2009

Overall, the scores of fourth-graders and eighth-graders increased from 2009 to 2019, and achievement gaps for several racial/ethnic groups narrowed over that 10-year period. The gaps closed because the scores of racial and ethnic minorities increased more than scores of White students.

At grade 4, gaps narrowed between White students and Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and students of Two or More Races. Scores for Asian/Pacific Islander students also rose, and these students now score the same as their White counterparts, on average.

At grade 8, scores improved for students of all racial/ethnic groups between 2009 and 2019. Gaps narrowed between White and Black students, White and Hispanic students, and White students and students of two or more races, while Asian/Pacific Islander students now score the same as their White counterparts, on average.

At grade 12, there were no statistically significant changes in scores for these student groups and no narrowing of achievement gaps between 2009 and 2019.

Results by Grade

Grade 4: The overall performance of fourth-graders declined by two points since 2015. Since 2009, scores for fourth-graders increased by one point. In 2019, 36 percent of fourth-graders were at or above NAEP Proficient, which was two points lower than in 2015 and two points higher than in 2009. In 2019, 27 percent of fourth-graders were below NAEP Basic, which was higher by three points than in 2015 and the same as 2009.

Grade 8: The score of eighth-graders has not changed since 2015, but it has increased by four points since 2009. In 2019, 35 percent of students scored at or above NAEP Proficient, which was not statistically significantly different compared to 2015 (34 percent), and the percentage of eighth-graders reaching NAEP Proficient was four points higher in 2019 than in 2009, when 30 percent of eighth-graders reached that achievement level. One-third of eighth-graders were below NAEP Basic, which was not different than in 2015 and was lower than 2009.

Grade 12: Scores of high school seniors were not measurably different in 2019 compared to 2015 and 2009. Twenty-two percent of 12th-graders scored at or above NAEP Proficient in 2019, which was not different from either 2015 or 2009. Forty-one percent were below NAEP Basicthe same as previous years.

How Results Are Reported

Student performance on the NAEP assessments is reported in two ways: scale scores and NAEP achievement levels.

Scale scores represent the average performance of students on a scale of 0 to 300. Science scores are reported at the national level and for groups of students based on racial/ethnic groups, gender, eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, and other demographic characteristics.

NCES also reports scores at five percentiles: the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th. Students at the 10th and 25th percentiles are considered "lower-performing" students, while those at the 75th and 90th percentiles are considered "higher-performing" students.

Student performance on NAEP is also reported by the percentages of students reaching three NAEP achievement levels: NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced. Students performing at or above the NAEP Proficient level on NAEP assessments demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter. The NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade-level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards.

The NAEP achievement levels are set by the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the NAEP program. The NAEP achievement levels are used on a trial basis and, therefore, should be interpreted with care to ensure a proper understanding of performance.

About the Assessment

In 2019, NCES assessed a total of 88,200 students in science across all three grades on a digital platform for the first time. The assessment included scenario-based tasks that required students to solve scientific problems simulating a natural or laboratory setting, as well as hands-on tasks that challenged students to apply their scientific knowledge in real-world contexts.

The NAEP science assessment measures students' knowledge of three broad content areasphysical science, life science, and Earth and space sciencesand four science practicesidentifying science principles, using science principles, using scientific inquiry, and using technological design. These four practices describe how students use their science knowledge by measuring what they are able to do with the science content.

The science assessment was revised in 2009 based on new frameworks developed by the National Assessment Governing Board. The changes reflected new science standards as well as advances in science and cognitive research.

Visit https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ to view the report.

The National Center for Education Statistics, a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project. Policy for the NAEP program is set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Since 1990, NAGB has been developing achievement levels, which are being used on a trial basis.

CONTACT:

Grady Wilburn, NCES, [email protected], (202) 245-8159 OR

James Elias, Hager Sharp, [email protected], (202) 355-4417

SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics
Dr. Margareth Legaspi, NetRef's Chief Education Strategy Officer and former state education leader in the District of Columbia, guided the development of the new Internet Bandwidth Report. According to Dr. Legaspi, "The internet is used for instruction in increasingly diverse ways. As educators utilize technology for daily instruction, inadequate connectivity/bandwidth can significantly disrupt teaching and learning. Robust broadband is essential for equitable access in schools for all students, as bandwidth capacity determines which digital instructional materials and educational applications students and educators can leverage at home and in the classroom. With the data this report provides, educators can use alternative learning opportunities supported by the level of connectivity each student has. It will also aid school districts in connecting families to programs like the FCC's Emergency Broadband Benefit Program that can help pay for internet access."

"We believe it's our responsibility as an EdTech company to help educators close the digital equity gap," says Harrison Parker, NetRef's Vice President of Operations. Data about who has access and who doesn't is the first step in improving connectivity for students so that regardless of their ZIP code, they have the bandwidth to access the wealth of learning resources and tools that are available."

To generate the data that powers the Internet Bandwidth Report, school districts must add the NetRef app to students' school-owned devices. Bandwidth for each student is calculated multiple times to provide an accurate measurement of their average available bandwidth over a chosen date range. Interested schools and school districts can reach out to [email protected] to learn more.

As districts across the country look ahead to the next school year and beyond, NetRef is committed to helping ensure digital equity with their innovative EdTech solutions and tools like the Internet Bandwidth Report. Alongside educators and families, NetRef continues to work toward more equitable learning environments for all students  inside and outside the classroom.

About NetRef

NetRef is an all-in-one EdTech management solution used in schools in more than 30 states that helps educators minimize distractions and maximize learning. With simple controls and robust reporting, IT teams, administrators, and teachers use NetRef to inform and manage digital instruction, to know that their investments in EdTech are being used to improve teaching and learning, and to keep students focused on learning.

NetRef is a spin-out of Verite Group Inc., which for more than 17 years has provided Subject Matter Expert (SME) services, tailored tech solutions, and managed network infrastructure for government programs, corporations, and educational entities. The NetRef team is committed to helping educators ensure safe, productive, and equitable learning environments in which learners can explore, create, and grow. Learn more about NetRef and follow @NetReferee.

SOURCE NetRef
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lee esta historia en espanol aqui.

NASA will initiate a new competition for the 2021-22 school year, providing student teams a chance to design, build, and launch experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloon flights. NASA and Future Engineers, the challenge administrator, will offer a series of virtual events for educators to hear from agency experts and learn more about this exciting opportunity for students.

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge will begin accepting entries in August. Teams of sixth- to 12th-grade students can submit ideas for climate or remote sensing experiments to fly on a high-altitude balloon, and space exploration experiments to fly aboard a suborbital rocket.

The winning teams each will receive $1,500 to build their payloads, as well as an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored commercial suborbital flight. Balloon flights will offer more than four hours of flight time, while suborbital rockets will provide around three minutes of test time in microgravity conditions.

"This competition is an exciting opportunity for students across the country, whether they're already passionate about space exploration or looking for a new challenge," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). "Student teams will get hands-on experience creating and building their own experiments and then get to see them fly to suborbital space, just like NASA engineers and university researchers."

The contest aims to inspire a deeper understanding of Earth's atmosphere, space exploration, coding, and electronics, as well as a broader understanding of the value of test data. The challenge also will allow students to engage with NASA and technology communities, and expose them to potential careers in science, technology, and space exploration fields.

Before the competition opens in August, educators can hear from NASA experts and learn more about the opportunity through a series of virtual activities.

The challenge kick-off event, part of the Department of Education's eighth annual ED Games Expo, will occur Tuesday, June 1 , at 6 p.m. EDT . Educators can register to participate in the event. The two-hour session will stream live at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

NASA TechRise educator summer workshops will dive into the basics of electronics, coding, and designing for flight. The first workshop will take place July 28 and repeat Aug. 11 .

"NASA is committed to providing students with hands-on experience and real-life problems the agency faces," said Mike Kincaid, NASA associate administrator for STEM engagement. "These challenges are a fun and educational experience for the future STEM workforce to develop the necessary skills for NASA to continue to be successful. I am confident they will go on to accomplish great things."

NASA is working with three flight providers to support the competition. The student payloads will fly on one of the following:

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge will be open to student teams affiliated with U.S. public, private, and charter schools, including in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all other U.S. territories. NASA's Flight Opportunities program, based at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and part of STMD, manages the challenge.

For challenge details and to pre-register for the competition, visit:

https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


MELVILLE, N.Y. and UNION, N.J., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) has joined the team at Union Surgery Center, part of Atlantic Health System's Overlook Medical Center  Union Campus, to provide reliable, expert anesthesiology care for ambulatory surgery patients.

Starting on May 17, 2021, NAPA anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) began providing anesthesia and perioperative care at Union Surgery Center in Union, NJ. NAPA is the largest single-specialty anesthesia and perioperative management company in the United States, with more than 5,000 clinicians providing anesthesia at hundreds of hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers from coast to coast.

The state-of-the-art Union Surgery Center is located at 1000 Galloping Hill Road, Union, NJ. Overlook Medical Center's Union Campus is a multi-specialty health care complex, including a full-service, 24-bed emergency department that has received the Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association four consecutive times.

NAPA providers are in-network with nearly all major insurance providers, including those with which Atlantic Health System is also in-network.

Paul Marmora, CPA, MBA, Vice President, Ambulatory Care, for Atlantic Health System, said, "The development of the Union Campus has been built on the clinical excellence of its numerous services and centers, and Union Surgery Center is a perfect example of that. NAPA shares our constant focus on patient safety and a team-oriented atmosphere and will be an enhancement to the impeccable care provided at Union Surgery Center."

Jay B. Lee, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, Clinical Services, for NAPA's New Jersey and New York regions, said, "Thanks to this new partnership, we are pleased to expand NAPA's presence in the Union County area. Both Union Surgery Center and NAPA seek to provide the patients of Union Surgery Center with best-in-class surgical care in a convenient location, with a high focus on quality, safety, and efficiency."

Nora Branconi, Vice President, Business Operations, for NAPA's New Jersey and New York regions, said, "We on the operational side welcome this new partnership and look forward to using our operational expertise to support our clinical colleagues at Union Surgery Center as we do all our New Jersey partners."

About North American Partners in Anesthesia

As a clinician-led organization, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) is redefining healthcare, delivering unsurpassed excellence to its partners and patients every day. Since its founding by physicians in 1986, NAPA has grown to become one of the nation's leading single-specialty anesthesia and perioperative management companies. Our 5,000+ clinicians serve more three million patients annually at 500+ healthcare facilities in 20 states. For more information, please visit NAPAanesthesia.com.

About Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children's Hospital in Morristown, NJ, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ.

Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.

Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 16 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.

Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium  Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research  a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across five health systems in the region.

Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.

SOURCE NAPA Management Services Corporation
SEATTLE, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation recognizes the anniversary of George Floyd's death, many corporate executives who vowed to change the course on diversity, equity and inclusion are still trying to figure out how to take bolder actions to create more diverse and inclusive companies, according to experts at Fierce Conversations, a leadership development and training company.

Kaplan Mobray, an author, leadership and diversity expert who has spoken to dozens of corporate leaders over the past year, offers six best practices that can help more corporate leaders to transform their companies.

"The death of George Floyd opened the door to long overdue conversations about race and culture within their organizations," says Mobray, who leads a 3D simulation training session on "Microaggressions in the Workplace" for Fierce Conversations. "Now, post-George Floyd, [corporate leaders] are really focused on workplace culture and creating an inclusive culture for their organization and employer brand."

According to a recent survey of employees in the workplace, nearly 80% believe that diversity, equity and inclusion attract high quality talent and improve the company's reputation with customers. On the other hand, the survey points out at that "34% of employees - including 39% of leaders" - believe that DE&I initiatives are a waste of organizational time, effort and money. The survey included 1,527 of full-time employees in companies across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

"This data exposes the fact that while we have begun to make progress, there is still much more work to do to drive inclusion within the workplace," Mobray says. "Training and conversations need to continue to keep the momentum and create new norms for inclusiveness within the workplace."

Ed Beltran, president and CEO of Fierce Conversations, adds, "We know that when executives practice how to have better conversations with each other and with team members, they can transform an organization's culture into a place where more people feel welcomed."

Mobray says he has seen more corporate leaders conducting training to address microaggressions, unconscious bias and continuing the work by having difficult conversations everyday - not just "one and done" training sessions. Mobray offers the following best practices to help corporate leaders move forward on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the months ahead:

Innovation. Setting up innovation labs around diversity, equity and inclusion. Create ongoing forums, "conversation labs," where employees of all backgrounds can share their experiences at work and develop listening and learning opportunities to address microaggressions in the workplace. Conversations are what create new learning for inclusive behavior. Difficult conversations around race, inclusion, and achieving fairness must become as prevalent as difficult conversations around revenue growth, risk, and market share. Culture change. Create a culture where employees feel valued and are encouraged to be their true selves, celebrating each individual's uniqueness. That's what enables talent acquisition, retention, and career advancement. Corporate leaders need to set the example by leading conversations on how to improve workplace culture and fix processes that are not fair or equitable. Impactful events. Creating a "Day of Expression" can provide employees an opportunity to express their passion for a social justice cause that is important to them. Organizations and leaders that encourage and support their employees' connection to social justice, racial equality and other causes demonstrate that they value the "whole self" of each employee and that sets a true example of inclusion where employees are celebrated for authenticity. Speaking out. Empower social justice and giving employees opportunities to use their voices to stand up for their beliefs and concerns. Companies should embrace taking a stand and communicating their values, especially how they align with social justice concerns and causes. Strategic values. Realign corporate strategic values to emphasize your organization's commitment to take bold steps to achieve equity in representation, access and advancement. Commissioning enterprise-wide efforts to evaluate the existing processes around hiring, career advancement and mobility, and workforce programs are necessary. Representation and Board Diversity. Take bold steps to achieve inclusion and representation in areas where it may not have previously existed, including corporate boards, leadership positions, hiring processes, etc. Many CEOs issued mandates to take more direct steps to create access, expand opportunity and ensure fair representation of women and people of color in positions of influence throughout their organizations.

To interview Mobray or learn more about his 3D simulation training session, contact: Neil Foote, [email protected], 214.448.3765.

Related Images

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SOURCE Fierce Conversations
LUTZ, Fla., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic put mental health issues in the forefront of the American consciousness, and students, teachers, and staff will continue to feel the effects of COVID-19 when they return to school this fall. Their job will not be easy. PARtalks: Mental Health Amid a Pandemic is a FREE daylong virtual event that brings together authors, subject matter experts, and thought leaders to equip school professionals with the information they need to do what they do besthelp students.

PARtalks will take place online on Thursday, June 3. Designed for a target audience of school psychologists, psychologists, counselors, and social workers, PARtalks is aimed to help professionals prepare for the return of in-person schooling.

"The pandemic has caused schools to rethink the way they deliver services while facing an increase in the number of students who need services," said Kristin Greco, PAR CEO. "PAR has been able to bring together the foremost experts in the field to present the latest information on issues of stress, trauma, student evaluations, and teleassessment as well as resilience and healing. School mental health workers will leave these sessions armed with valuable tools and actionable insights to bring back to their school and help students to thrive."

The event kicks off with a welcome by Greco followed by the keynote address "Healing Together: Mental Health, Trauma, and Resilience in the Wake of a Global Pandemic," presented by Kirby Wycoff, PsyD, NCSP. Afterward, three sessions, each worth 1 NASP CPD, address aspects of a post-pandemic return to school. Sessions include:

The Neuropsychology of Stress and Trauma: How to Develop a Trauma-Informed Assessment

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, DEd, and Terri Sisson , EdS

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, DEd, and , EdS Learning Disability Evaluations During and After a Pandemic

Presented by Peter K. Isquith , PhD, and Theo Miron , PsyS, NCSP

Presented by , PhD, and , PsyS, NCSP Ethics in Psychological Tele-Assessment with Children

Presented by A. Jordan Wright , PhD, ABAP, and Carrie Champ Morera , PsyD, NCSP, LP

Learn more about PARtalks or register for this important event.

Founded in 1978, PAR is a leading publisher of psychological assessment instruments, software, and other related materials. Over the past four decades, PAR has earned a reputation for providing customers with innovative assessment solutions and unparalleled customer service.

SOURCE PAR, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.parinc.com


AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To help customers and developers take advantage of Arm technology, Oracle is providing tools, solutions, and support to fuel Arm-based application development. Oracle today also announced that its first Arm-based compute offering, OCI Ampere A1 Compute, is available on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Now, customers can run cloud-native and general-purpose workloads on Arm-based instances with significant price-performance benefits. Oracle is the only major cloud provider offering Arm-based compute instances at only one cent per core hour, the industry's lowest cost per core, with flexible VM sizing from 1 to 80 OCPUs and 1 to 64 GB of memory per core or as a bare-metal service with 160 cores and 1 TB of memory. Customers can now deploy Arm-optimized applications on containers, bare metal servers, and virtual machines in the Oracle public cloud, or Dedicated Region [email protected].

"We see increasing demand for server-side Arm computing and adding Arm-based compute instances to our extensive portfolio of offerings enables customers to pick and choose the right processors for their workloads," said Clay Magouyrk, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. "Now customers who need an Arm platform for development can get the flexibility, scalability, and price-performance they need. We're also making it really easy for developers to move their apps and develop new ones on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure."

"Ampere instances on OCI is a breakthrough for developers. Oracle's Free Tier is a great offering that allows them to test the OCI Ampere A1 compute platform and experience the first-cloud native processor that delivers predictable performance, scalability and power needed," said Renee James, founder, chairman and CEO, Ampere Computing. "The Oracle Cloud has all the tools developers need to try new technology, get excited about new platforms and develop new applications."

"The infrastructure industry has been bound to a one-size-fits-all approach to computing, but the next era of compute relies on secure and powerful purpose-built processing," said Chris Bergey, SVP and GM, Infrastructure Line of Business, Arm. "By bringing to market Arm-based OCI Ampere A1 Compute instances, Oracle is giving customers and developers a choice that is flexible and able to deliver a new level of price-performance to further enable innovation in the cloud."

New Arm Accelerator Program, Oracle Cloud Free Tier, and App Development Ecosystem

Oracle is investing in the Arm ecosystem, providing developers with more choice in compute instances and superior price-performance compared to any other x86 instance on a per core basis. Three distinct offerings are available to developers to get started on OCI. With Oracle Cloud Free Tier, developers receive US$300 in free credits for 30 days. The Always Free Arm access gives developers four Ampere A1 cores and 24 GB memory  one of the industry's most generous offerings. Lastly, with the newly launched Arm Accelerator program, open source developers, ISV partners, customers and universities with Arm-based development projects that need more resources beyond what the Oracle Cloud Free Tier provides, can apply to receive Oracle Cloud credits for a 12-month period.

Oracle's development stack is available on Ampere A1 instances, including Oracle Linux, Java, MySQL, GraalVM, and the Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes (OKE) service. To make it easy for developers to get started, Oracle created an Oracle Linux Cloud Developer image which enables customers to install, configure, and launch a development environment that includes OCI client tools, utilities, and common programming languages such as Java, GraalVM, Python, PHP, Node.js, Go and C/C++. The developer image is easily accessible and can be deployed from the OCI console.

To help customers take advantage of the latest in Arm technology, Oracle is working closely with a wide variety of technology and open source partners, such as GitLab, Jenkins, Rancher, Datadog, OnSpecta, NGINX, and Genymobile. To help grow and enrich the Arm developer ecosystem, Oracle also announced that it is joining the Continuous Delivery Foundation (CDF), an open source, vendor-neutral community for sustaining the fastest growing CI/CD open source projects.

New Ampere Altra Processor Running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Arm architectures are extremely efficient, scalable and flexible, making the processor suitable for everything from smartphones, IoT devices, PCs, automotive and industrial applications, to supercomputers and servers. From the edge to the cloud, customers can take advantage of Oracle's range of compute options, its powerful bare metal servers and one of the industry's first Arm-based flexible virtual machine shapes so they can right-size their workloads. Now customers can more precisely build their virtual machines to match workload requirements, so they can get the best performance while optimizing costs. These compute shapes are truly general purpose and suitable for running a diverse set of compute-intensive workloads including:

General Purpose: The OCI Ampere A1 Compute provides superior price-performance for general purpose workloads, such as web servers, application servers and containers. These shapes offer balanced performance and an optimal price point for cloud-based scale-out workloads, such as NGINX and web applications.

The OCI Ampere A1 Compute provides superior price-performance for general purpose workloads, such as web servers, application servers and containers. These shapes offer balanced performance and an optimal price point for cloud-based scale-out workloads, such as NGINX and web applications. In-memory Caches and Databases: From databases to analytics, Arm processors deliver predictable performance for databases such as Redis and MySQL. Memory-heavy workloads and multithreaded applications such as in-memory databases and key-value stores, experience superior performance.

From databases to analytics, Arm processors deliver predictable performance for databases such as Redis and MySQL. Memory-heavy workloads and multithreaded applications such as in-memory databases and key-value stores, experience superior performance. Mobile Application Development: Ampere Altra's high core count (up to 160) is ideal for the density and scale needed for mobile application development and testing. In addition, developing iOS or Android-based applications on the OCI Ampere A1 Compute eliminates the need for an emulator or nested virtualization, leading to superior performance.

Ampere Altra's high core count (up to 160) is ideal for the density and scale needed for mobile application development and testing. In addition, developing iOS or Android-based applications on the OCI Ampere A1 Compute eliminates the need for an emulator or nested virtualization, leading to superior performance. Computationally-intensive and Scientific Applications: Arm processors provide the price-performance benefits that make it a commonly used platform for high-performance, compute-intensive and scientific applications such as AI/ML inferencing, media transcoding, and running HPC stacks like CFD, WRF, OPENFAM, GROMACS, BLAST, BeeGFS, and NAMD.

Powered by Ampere Altra processors, the OCI Ampere A1 Compute is the only flexible Arm-based virtual machine shape in the industry that can be customized based on memory and core requirements. It is one of the industry's first penny-core server in the cloud at only $0.01 per core per hour and $0.0015 per GB of RAM per hour. Ampere's choice of using a single threaded core, plus sustained 3.0Ghz maximum frequency, results in linear scaling with respect to the cores. This means performance-per-core scales well as the core count increases, helping ensure customers get exactly what they pay for. Ampere's Altra processors can run all cores at the maximum frequency, ensuring that each A1 core offers predictable performance. In addition, the cores are completely isolated from the noisy neighbor impact of other workloads running on the same processor. Each core is single threaded by design with its own 64 KB L1 I-cache, 64 KB L1 D-cache and a huge one MB L2 D-cache. This helps ensure as much isolation as possible and guarantees predictable performance. The single threaded design also ensures that each thread has its own core and its own resources, eliminating the potential core sharing thread-security issues that have been demonstrated recently. The OCI Ampere A1 Compute shapes are available as both virtual machines up to 80 cores and bare metal instances up to 160 cores.

In terms of benchmarks, when running x264 video encoding workloads on OCI Ampere A1, Oracle saw up to a 10 percent performance increase, and up to a 22 percent price-performance benefit compared to x86 based systems. For NGINX reverse proxy workloads on OCI Ampere A1, Oracle saw up to a 46 percent performance increase, and up to a 62 percent price-performance benefit compared to x86 based systems.

What Customers, Analysts and Partners are Saying

"In our research, we need quick access to the latest computing technologies to help us solve complex scientific problems at breakneck speed. With Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, we have gained early access to the latest Arm-based Ampere A1 Compute to get the superior performance and power efficiencies needed to scale our high performance computing workloads instantly. In terms of performance per dollar and in terms of cost, it gets even more compelling, which is very exciting," said Simon McIntosh-Smith, Head of the HPC Research Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol.

"Heterogeneous computing is the next front for Cloud Service Providers. As customers shift to cloud native approaches for their performance intensive computing applications, they will no doubt increase their investment in Arm-based instances from such providers. Oracle's announcement on Arm-powered instances for OCI and [email protected] is a timely move to tap into companies in the midst of this shift," said Ashish Nadkarni, GVP, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group, IDC.

"The Oracle-Ampere collaboration has resulted in a compelling Arm-based platform for developers and enterprises alike. With low entry cost, variable deployment size and the ability to deploy in the public cloud or on premises with [email protected], the A1 Compute instance offers the best mix of long-term scalability and near-term accessibility. As the Arm ecosystem continues to develop, the breadth of deployments and use cases will only continue to grow with it, enabling further adoption of Arm-based infrastructure. The A1 instance is a great first step for OCI towards bringing that future forward," said Kuba Stolarski, Research Director, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group, IDC.

"The need to optimize applications so they can deliver price, performance, and energy efficiency has seen attention shift from x86 to Arm-based processors. OCI with the Ampere Arm offering provides choice to Oracle customers, and the free for life offering is ideal for developers to use. With 4 cores and 24 GB RAM, developers have a really usable free offering for AI/ML training use cases," said Roy Illsley, Chief Analyst, Omdia.

"Arm-based wafers are ten times the volume of any other chip design, which drives the fabrication learning curve quicker, makes the processors faster and lower power, and dramatically lowers the cost of compute. In addition, Arm has developed many different types of specialized SoC processors which can perform over ten times faster for specialized workloads," said David Floyer, CTO and Co-Founder, Wikibon. "The Ampere A1 Compute processor is designed for cloud providers with hundreds of cores with consistent performance easily shared between large numbers of users. Oracle has migrated its OCI codebase and tools to Arm. A small investment by users to migrate and test their applications will lead to 20 percent plus faster performance and 40 percent plus lower price-performance  one cent per core hour. Wikibon recommends OCI users try it out on their high-cost workloads."

"We at CDF believe that Jenkins adding support for the new Ampere A1 Compute offering on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is an important step forward. Jenkins automation support for the new Arm architecture on OCI will jumpstart the development of Arm native applications and drive more innovation," said Tracy Miranda, executive director, Continuous Delivery Foundation. "Support of Jenkins on Oracle Cloud's Intel, AMD, and Arm compute shapes is an example of Oracle's laser-like focus on meeting customer requirements."

"The Ampere A1 Compute platform on OCI with Genymotion gives developers the ability to build, test and deploy natively all on the same infrastructure. It provides better accuracy, performance, code coverage, and density of virtual devices on servers. We believe so strongly in the value proposition of Arm-based servers that we ported Genymotion software to Arm over a year ago. Genymotion customers who are using our platform for sales, demonstrations, VMI, gaming and social media use cases could experience a performance increase, in some cases as much as 10x, using OCI Arm-based Ampere A1 compute shapes," said Tim Danford, CEO, Genymobile.

"We're happy to announce the availability of Jenkins automation software on the Ampere A1 Compute platform for building, deploying, and automating projects on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure," said Olivier Vernin, Infrastructure Officer, Jenkins. "Now developers can use Jenkins and start building the next generation of applications easily on the latest Arm-based processors in Oracle Cloud."

"We are excited to announce that GitLab has extended and added CI/CD support for Arm Ampere A1 Compute shapes. Teams using Oracle Cloud can now easily deploy GitLab using the 'Deploy to Oracle Cloud' button, allowing developers to quickly build and deploy applications on both Arm and x86 platforms," said Mayank Tahilramani, director of partnerships and alliances at GitLab. "With this capability and using the Always Free Arm on Oracle Cloud, customers can easily gain access to a cloud environment to build, test, and run continuous integration and deployment of Arm-based applications for as long as they want."

"NGINX Plus for Arm-based deployments just got a lot easier. Developers using OCI Ampere A1 Compute instances can now quickly deploy NGINX Plus on both Arm and x86 platforms," said Stuart Shader, senior manager, business development, NGINX. "With this capability and using the Always Free Arm on OCI, customers can gain access to a cloud environment to deploy NGINX Plus Arm-based applications for as long as they want."

"GitHub Actions provides developers powerful, flexible, secure automation right in GitHub. We are excited to work with Oracle to bring choice to developers by ensuring GitHub Actions is supported for the OCI Ampere A1 Compute platform. GitHub Actions runners support Arm architectures, and we are encouraged to see partners like Oracle validate this technology to bring GitHub Actions to more developers and teams," said Joe Bourne, director, product management, GitHub.

"Customers are increasingly demanding multi-architecture support within the cloud-native environmentsOracle Cloud Infrastructure introduces innovation with Arm on this front. Our goal is to extend our Arm support even deeper with the new release of SUSE Rancher by adding support for provisioning multi-arch OKE clusters. When it comes to Arm, we simply want to say yes to most use casesincluding Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, on premises or at the edge with Oracle Cloud Hybrid options," said Keith Basil, vice president, product and cloud native infrastructure, SUSE.

"OnSpecta offers a Deep Learning Software Inference Engine (DLS) which optimizes and accelerates the performance of a customer's Oracle Cloud Inference Instance when deployed on Ampere Computing Servers up to 10x. The Ampere A1 Compute platform is a great fit for AI inference workloads because its Arm-based architecture delivers superior performance per watt of power, resulting in a meaningfully lower total cost of ownership. Oracle cloud inferences, powered by Ampere Altra servers with OnSpecta's inference engine deliver 3x the cost performance of Graviton and 2x the cost performance of Intel x86," said Indra Mohan, CEO, OnSpecta.

"We're excited to extend Datadog support to the new OCI Ampere A1 Compute shapes on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. We've seen a growing number of Datadog customers choose the Arm platform to improve application performance and lower costs," said Jimmy Caputo, director, product management, Datadog. "With the Datadog Agent for Ampere A1 on OCI, Oracle customers can use Datadog to determine the best shapes for their workloads, track migrations from other compute platforms, and get a unified view into the health and performance of their environment."

"We chose OCI Ampere A1 for the enormous processing power it gives API AutoFlow, which allows our customers to run an unlimited number of microservices, transform data in real-time, and expose them through custom APIs," said Peter Jung, Chief Product Officer, Interactor.

"Elotl is obsessed with enabling enterprises to consume right-sized cost-effective compute for Kubernetes applications. We are thrilled to see the arrival of the OCI Ampere A1 Compute in the cloud compute market! The Ampere A1 Compute provides a fantastic low-cost, high-performant commodity compute option for our customers like Ronin - we cannot wait to put them to use," said Madhuri Yechuri, Founder and CEO, Elotl Inc.

"Ronin is working to significantly impact cancer treatment with data. We must take advantage of all healthcare-specific cloud-agnostic IaaS and PaaS offerings as they become available. We are thrilled to see Oracle's newly released faster and cheaper Ampere A1 Compute instances and the ability to use these effortlessly via the Elotl interface," said Denali Lumma, vice president, Engineering, Project Ronin.

"Canoncial's Anbox Cloud solution now benefits from the performance and density associated with the new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Ampere A1 Compute instances. Ubuntu is now also available on the Ampere A1 instances. We're excited to see Oracle take part in the expansion of the developer ecosystem and it's great news, as running hundreds of Android containers for automation use cases just became so much easier and cost effective," said Regis Paquette, vice president, Global Alliances, Public Cloud and Channels, Canonical.

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.

Additional Resources

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle

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"Abbe is a passionate leader who brings decades of proven experience, business understanding and a commitment to ensure all voices are heard, especially across a globally distributed workforce," said Otis President & CEO Judy Marks. "I am confident that Abbe's contributions to our leadership team and our 69,000 colleagues will have lasting impact on how people connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world."

Luersman joins Otis from Ahold Delhaize, a Netherlands-based international food retail group, where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and worked to develop and drive the organization's enterprise-wide people strategy; shaping culture, implementing learning and development programs, and championing talent and diversity. Prior to that, Luersman held positions at Ahold and Unilever. She began her career on the factory floor at Whirlpool and concluded 16 years with the company as Vice President, HR Total Rewards & HR Solutions.

"I have had the privilege to work with great companies during my career, and I'm honored to now join Otis  an industry leader with a rich legacy and bright future," said Luersman. "I am ready to partner with the talented team already in place as we work together to make a difference for our passengers, customers and all my new colleagues."

Luersman will become a member of the Otis Executive Leadership team, reporting directly to Otis President & CEO Judy Marks. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Art in Human & Organizational Development from Miami University in Ohio. She sits on the Board of Directors of Caroo. She is Co-Chair and on the Board of Directors for Gartner's CHRO Global Leadership Board and is Vice Chair and on the Board of Directors of the Network of Executive Women (NEW).

About Otis

Otis is the world's leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company. We move 2 billion people a day and maintain more than 2 million customer units worldwide, the industry's largest Service portfolio. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 69,000 people strong, including 40,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. For more information, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @OtisElevatorCo.

Media Contact: Katy Padgett

+1-860-674-3047

[email protected]

SOURCE Otis Worldwide Corporation

Related Links

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Moreover, over the past few years, labour costs in China are also becoming less competitive. Governmental support for foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia is also becoming more sophisticated and attractive. Most importantly, particularly in Thailand, investors are able to capitalise from the numerous regional and bilateral free trade agreements that Thailand has concluded with its partner countries. All these factors are of vital importance at times when investors need to lower the risk of supply-chain disruptions.

The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is also a strong competitive advantage for investors in Thailand, thanks to its well-established and functioning supply chains, developed infrastructure, investment privileges and incentives, and availability of a skilled and affordable workforce. Moreover, the EEC Policy Committee is redefining target industries and strategies to boost opportunities to attract foreign investment.

With an added focus on S-Curve and New S-Curve industries, the committee focuses on industries in which the EEC has a distinct competitive edge.

There is no one-size fits all. Foreign investors need to dive deep into information before embarking on any planned relocation process. Hence, a tailor-made approach is required for each industry as per its requirements. And this is where Thailand can make a difference, because customised service is exactly what the Board of Investment (BOI) can provide for its clients.

Preparing the field for a wider, market outreach

Currently, the government is eyeing measures to upgrade Thailand's business environment for foreign investors. In order to do this, key laws will be improved or repealed to remove obstacles, such as capping personal income tax for foreigners at no more than 17%, making Thailand more attractive compared to other countries in the region.

The government also aims to put Thailand on the World Bank's list of top 10 countries in ease-of-doing business over the next few years. Recently, Thailand moved up six places to 21 out of 190 countries in World Bank's 2020 ranking.

In addition, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement signed on November 2020 by leaders of ASEAN countries, plus Australia, China, Japan, Republic of Korea and New Zealand, will benefit the region significantly in the post-COVID era.

The RCEP agreement, targeted to enter into force in January 2022, is Asean's biggest free-trade pact to date. It covers a market of 2.2 billion people worth USD26.2 trillion or 30% of the world's GDP.

According to Thailand's Department of Trade Negotiations, the country will benefit from lower trade barriers on industrial and agricultural goods, reduction of tariffs, expansion of market access in RCEP members states, strength of supply chain connectivity as well as RCEP's favourable rules of origin.

The agreement will enable significant growth in trade among RCEP members. In 2019, Thailand's total trade flow between RCEP members accounted for 56.9% of its imports-exports.

The pact will also make Thailand a preferred manufacturing base in Asia. RCEP supports strategies where businesses set up production facilities for their supply chain in several countries to diversify risk caused by disruption and to become more competitive.

Favourable Incentives for Investmentno one does it like Thailand

Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary-General of the Board of Investment (BOI), explained that Thailand has strong supply chains in several industries, especially food, automotive, electronics/electrical appliances and medical supplies. Moreover, upgraded investment incentives are a major factor that attract investors to the Kingdom.

In December 2020, BOI approved a series of measures to accelerate investment, particularly in target industries, and to encourage businesses to adopt digital technology. The package promoting large-scale projects was designed to boost investment in the post-COVID-19 period.

Under measures to accelerate investment in target industries, projects with realised investments of at least THB100 billion (USD3.3 billion) within 12 months from the promotion certificate issuance, will be eligible for an additional 50% corporate income tax (CIT) deduction over a period of five years, over and above the standard five to eight years of CIT exemption. Qualified projects have between January 4 and the last working day of 2021 to submit their application.

The electronics industry, particularly, is flourishing thanks to an increase in investments in IT infrastructure to support continuous adoption of advanced technology, including Big Data and 5G. Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to commercialise 5G technology.

Between July 2018 and September 2020, 170 foreign direct investment applications were submitted to the BOI with investment adding up to about THB1 billion (USD3.3 million). Most of the investors hailed from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, who wanted to shift their production facilities for smart electronics, auto parts and metal products to Thailand.

Kriangkrai Thianukul, vice president of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said meetings with investors from Japan, the US and Europe earlier this year revealed that many companies were planning to move out of China to cut down on future risks. Thailand is among the top choices in Southeast Asia because it has several seaports and geographically stands at the heart of the region.

Jitti Tangsithpakdi, president of the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, told Nikkei Asia that Chinese investment has flooded into Thailand over the past two years, as investors seeking to avoid higher U.S. tariffs were attracted by Thailand's policy to attract Chinese businesses.

An eye on switching bases

Japanese investors have for decades been the top foreign investor in Thailand, and the Japanese government continues to support their business people to establish production bases in the Southeast Asian country. The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) also says that that several Japanese manufacturers have received financial support from their country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to relocate production facilities to Thailand. In April 2020, Japan earmarked a USD 2.2 billion economic stimulus package to help its manufacturers move out of China as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains. Among them are Amtech, San Alloy, Nadaka, Nikkiso, NikkiFrom, and Riki.

However, a report from Mitsui & Co Global Strategic Studies Institute shows that direct investment from China has been increasing steadily since the second half of 2018, especially in the manufacturing sector.

American technology firms like Apple, Google and Microsoft are also looking to move some hardware production facilities from China to other countries, including Thailand and Vietnam. Nikkei reported that Google has asked a manufacturing partner in Thailand to prepare production lines for its smart-home products, such as voice assistant-enabled speakers. Other big companies that have relocated to Thailand include Casio Computers, Daikin Industries, Sony, Sharp and Delta Electronics.

Capitalising on opportunity

Industrial estate developers are also making moves to tap the growing demand. The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) is planning to invest THB800 million (USD26.7 million) to build the first phase of Smart Park Industrial Estate in 2021, which is scheduled for completion by 2024. The authority will also accelerate the adoption of 5G technology at all its five industrial estates, namely Map Ta Phut, Laem Chabang, Bang Pu, Lat Krabang, and the Northern Region Industrial Estate in Lamphun. Over the next three years, 5G will significantly transform the manufacturing process into a digital platform mainly controlled by the use of robots and automation.

In addition, the IEAT board of directors approved a proposal from private firms to establish three new industrial estates in the EEC area worth a total investment of over THB80 billion (USD2.7 billion). These projects include the 2,000-rai (790-acre) Rojana Industrial Estate and 2,600-rai (1,028-acre) Asia Clean Industrial Estate, which are both in Chon Buri, as well as the 650-rai (258-acre) Egco Industrial Estate in Rayong.

In mid-October 2020, WHA Group, one of Thailand's leading providers of integrated logistics and industrial facilities, introduced its first e-commerce park to enhance logistics in the EEC area. Covering an area of more than 200,000 square metres in Chachoengsao's Bang Pakong district, it has been designed as a smart park equipped with top technology including automated loading doors, robotics and logistics solutions to facilitate distribution and online trading services.

The bar has been set high for any government wanting to attract foreign direct investment due to the new black swans of the century such as trade wars and a pandemic of unpredented scalesbut it appears Thailand has thought ahead of its time, and is prepared for any unknown disruptions ahead, come what may. Any keen investor looking to come to Southeast Asia should definitely look this way. For more information, just write us and we'll connect you to the right people. [email protected]

SOURCE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand
CEO Nikolas Matysek said Snowline is excited to put the initial drill holes in at Einarson's Mars NE zone and Rogue's Valley zone, which have significant potential

Snowline has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Yukon government to support its initial exploration of the Ursa project

Snowline Gold Corp ( ) (OTCPINK:SNWGF) has said that it will initiate a fully funded 2021 exploration program in the first week of June at its flagship Einarson and Rogue projects in Yukons metal-rich Selwyn Basin, in Canada.

The Yukon territory-focused gold exploration company said that discovery-stage drilling at Einarson and Rogue is designed to follow up multiple zones of high-grade gold found on surface, which included up to 34 grams per metric ton (g/t) of gold (Au) at Einarson, and up to 152 g/t Au at Rogue.

Geological programmes will also include the assessment of structural and lithological controls on mineralization in the region, said the company.

Separately, Snowline said its coronavirus (COVID-19) operational plan has been approved by the Yukon government and will safeguard its employees and the communities in which it operates.

Significantly, Snowline noted that it has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Yukon government to support its initial exploration of the nearby Ursa project.

"We have a lot to look forward to this season," Snowline Gold CEO Nikolas Matysek said in a statement. "Our initial exploration campaign is set to test some very low hanging fruit, including some previously untested areas. We're excited to put the initial drill holes in at Einarson's 'Mars NE' zone and Rogue's 'Valley' zone, both of which have significant potential."

Meanwhile, Snowline Gold's COO Scott Berdahl pointed out that limited exploration to date in the broader Rogue, Einarson and Ursa area has focused largely on constrained targets and deposit models.

"We've recognized the potential for a continuum of near-surface gold deposit types across these three adjacent Selwyn Basin projects, said Berdahl. Possible end-member analogues include some of the world's better-known districts and deposits, like Nevada's Carlin trend and Australia's Fosterville and Bendigo districts for Einarson, Alaska's Fort Knox deposit for Rogue, and Russia's Sukhoi Log deposit for Ursa."

Snowlines seven-project portfolio covers more than 90,000 hectares (222,394 acres). The company noted that it is well funded to explore its Einarson and Rogue gold projects with drilling in June.

The 2021 drill program will test the Mars NE zone, a 3-kilometre zone of anomalous gold in soils accompanied by three interpreted source areas for mineralized quartz float, which assays in the range of 1 to 7 g/t Au, up to a maximum of 25 g/t Au, said the company.

Early season geochemical, drone surveying, trenching and mapping work at Mars NE will allow for efficient use of the drill and increase the odds of a successful drill discovery. Additional mapping and sampling will identify the source area for another mineralized quartz float train in the Avalanche Creek zone, said the company. Twenty-two grab samples of the float train averaged 7.8 g/t Au and graded up to 34.2 g/t Au.

Meanwhile, at the 11,000-hectare (27,181-acre) Rogue project, grid and contour geochemical sampling is planned to infill data gaps at the Valley zone, prior to the start of drilling later in the summer. Here surface grab samples with visible gold have assayed up to 152 g/t Au and a single soil line yielded a gold-in-soil value of 4.6 g/t Au.

Drone supported, high-resolution orthophotography and digital elevation model generation will provide a baseline for mapping and geochemical sampling, said the company. A second drone survey will provide detailed magnetic information over the Valley zone. The information will be used for targeting first pass drilling in the Valley zone.

Contour soil sampling, prospecting and geological mapping will be performed across the greater Valley-Gracie trend, and on secondary claim blocks, to assess for additional targets, said the company.

Meanwhile, Ursa's proximity to Snowline's Rogue and Einarson projects will allow for "efficient exploration" during the 2021 field season, said the company. Geochemical sampling, prospecting, and mapping are planned to better understand the sources of the gold and base metal anomalies.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
"With our collectible cup campaign, we hope to raise money and awareness about the incredible work being done by our friends at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," said Pollo Campero Director of Marketing Federico Valiente. "As a restaurant founded on family serving families, we are proud to showcase the patients' art and support St. Jude's mission to provide medical care to children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, regardless of their families' ability to pay."

"Partnerships with brands like Pollo Campero and creative fundraising campaigns like this help make our ongoing mission possible," said Steve Froehlich, Chief Revenue Officer of ALSAC, the fundraising awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "The halls throughout St. Jude are filled with patient artwork, and sharing this creative collection is our way of bringing a little bit of St. Jude directly to our supporters. Generous support from Pollo Campero and its customers helps ensure St. Jude can continue leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases."

This year marks the third year of the Pollo Campero partnership with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in the United States. In 2019, St. Jude named Pollo Campero Emerging Partner of the Year.

In Guatemala and El Salvador, Pollo Campero has supported the fight against childhood cancer since 2001, raising over US$32 million to date.

About Pollo Campero

Founded in Guatemala in 1971, Pollo Campero is a fast service chicken restaurant brand specializing in uniquely flavorful chicken and a wholesome menu offering individual and family meals. Using family recipes passed down from generation to generation, Pollo Campero offers tender, juicy, hand-breaded fried chicken and citrus flavor-infused grilled chicken that is always fresh and hand-prepared daily. Since its beginnings as a tiny, family-owned restaurant, Pollo Campero has grown to more than 350 restaurants around the world. To learn more about Pollo Campero, visit us.campero.com and follow the flavor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food  because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

Media Contact:

Kendra Byrd or Kim Cooper

[email protected] or [email protected]

817-329-3257

SOURCE Pollo Campero

Related Links

https://us.campero.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualified, the conversational sales and marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce, today announced $51 million in financing led by Salesforce Ventures, with additional participation from existing investors including Norwest Venture Partners and Redpoint Ventures. The investment reinforces Salesforce's commitment to Qualified as the only conversational sales and marketing platform purpose-built for Salesforce Sales Cloud, and comes shortly after Salesforce CMO Sarah Franklin joined Qualified as a board of directors observer and former Salesforce SVP Dan Darcy joined Qualified as Chief Customer Officer. The funding will be used to fuel product innovation and expand the Qualified team in all key functions including engineering, sales, marketing and customer success. Qualified plans to more than double its headcount by the end of the year.

Since its Series A funding in August 2020, Qualified has:

Closed a record-breaking fiscal year with 800% revenue growth

Recorded an unprecedented 175% net customer revenue retention rate

Launched the tenth major version of its groundbreaking platform with Qualified X

Seen industry leaders like Adobe, Matterport, Poly, Sodexo, SurveyMonkey, Talend, Tech Data and VMware join its growing roster of enterprise customers

Announced new and expanded partnerships with Salesforce, as well as Slack, Microsoft Teams, 6sense, Demandbase, Marketo, HubSpot, Oracle Eloqua, Clearbit, ZoomInfo and Outreach

Virtual selling is here to stay: By 2025, Gartner expects 80% of B2B sales interactions to occur in digital channels. As companies doubled down on digital engagements this past year, they realized the untapped potential of their biggest digital channel  the corporate website. Qualified alerts companies the moment an important buyer arrives on the website, arming sales teams with the tools to meet with them instantly via live chat, chatbots, voice calls and screen sharing. With Qualified, the corporate website is no longer only marketing real estate; it's now the place to have sales conversations with important buyers. Qualified customers report massive ROI: Within months of go-live, OwnBackup generated over $6 million in pipeline, Gamma generated over $13 million in pipeline and Bitly reported a 6X increase in pipeline.

"Conversational sales and marketing is no longer a 'nice to have.' It's mission critical for fast-growing businesses, and table stakes for modern buyers," said Kraig Swensrud, co-founder and CEO at Qualified. "The world's top CMOs and demand gen leaders are turning to Qualified as a new way to meet with their most important buyers the moment they arrive on the website. There's no better partner than Salesforce Ventures to help us accelerate Qualified's growth and bring this solution to Salesforce customers around the world."

"Qualified represents an entirely new way for B2B companies to engage buyers," said Bill Patterson, EVP of CRM Applications at Salesforce. "When marketing and inbound sales teams use this solution with Sales Cloud, the #1 growth platform for sales, they see a notable impact on pipeline. We are thrilled about our growing partnership with Qualified and their success within the Salesforce ecosystem."

To learn more about Qualified's conversational sales and marketing solutions, visit qualified.com.

About Qualified

Qualified is the conversational sales and marketing platform for revenue teams that use Salesforce. Leading B2B brands such as Adobe, Bitly, SurveyMonkey, ThoughtSpot and VMware trust Qualified to grow their pipeline by tapping into their greatest sales & marketing asset  their corporate website  to identify their most valuable buyers, understand their intent and instantly start a sales conversation. Customers that use Qualified report a 10X increase in sales meetings, a 4X increase in lead conversion, and a 6X increase in pipeline. Qualified runs natively on Salesforce to give companies a 360-degree view of their website visitors, and is ranked #1 in its category on the Salesforce AppExchange. Headquartered in San Francisco, Qualified is led by former Salesforce CMO Kraig Swensrud and former Salesforce product SVP Sean Whiteley, and funded by Norwest Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures and Salesforce Ventures. To learn more, visit qualified.com.

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce is the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age. Salesforce Ventures, the global investment arm of Salesforce, invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Platform. Salesforce Ventures is building the world's largest ecosystem of enterprise cloud companies and extending that technology to customers. Portfolio companies receive funding, strategic advisory, and operating support, and can easily join Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 400 companies, including DocuSign, GoCardless, Guild Education, nCino, Twilio, Zoom, and others across 22 countries since 2009. For more information, please visit www.salesforce.com/ventures.

CONTACT:

Mission North for Qualified

[email protected]

SOURCE Qualified.com

Related Links

http://www.qualified.com


For the first time, Radiflow's ROI-driven OT risk assessment and management platform enables CISOs to custom-optimize their ICS cybersecurity expenditure to meet their security goals and budget constraints

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Radiflow has earned industry-wide acclaim for its unique, fully IEC62443-compliant Cyber Industrial Automated Risk Analysis Platform (CIARA) , which enables CISOs to optimize their cybersecurity expenditure by non-intrusively simulating breach attempts in industrial automation networks and prioritizing the most effective mitigation measures.

The new version of CIARA allows users to further customize their cybersecurity optimization with additional operational and budgetary criteria, in line with Radiflow's consistent vision of "Taking the guesswork out of OT cybersecurity."

Radiflow CEO Ilan Barda announces the new features: "CIARA was accepted in the market with great enthusiasm as the first-of-its-kind OT BAS solution (breach attack simulation). Since its release, we have witnessed increasing demand for risk prioritization in the dynamic OT/ICS threat landscape. Our new version addresses the critical need for data-driven decision-making. We are proud to empower CISOs to build the best budget-driven mitigation plan."

With the new version, CIARA users can:

Customize their OT-security optimization: Users can now select between different criteria to balance between security, compliance, and budget. CIARA prioritizes the security requirements for mitigation measures (SRs) that match the chosen criterion, toward maximizing their cybersecurity ROI. Current optimization criteria include among others:

Zone impact : What's the financial impact of a disruption in that zone?

: What's the financial impact of a disruption in that zone? Tolerable risk : Which zone has the lowest tolerable risk (as defined by the user)?

: Which zone has the lowest tolerable risk (as defined by the user)? Compliance gap: Which zones have the highest discrepancy between actual security measures and those prescribed in the IEC62443 standard?

Include new supply chain threats in attack simulations: Supply chain attacks, such as the SolarWinds breach, exploit vulnerabilities in vendors' networks. In addition to the fundamental requirement control groups in IEC62443, CIARA users can now add a security control group for Supply Chain attacks (NIST 800-161) which will include such attack tactics in CIARA's breach simulations and prioritize the effectiveness of relevant mitigation measures.

Budget and Plan:

CIARA's new OT security project planner automatically generates a complete quarterly mitigation plan based on the user's optimization preferences, which balances the estimated cost of mitigation controls vis-a-vis quarterly budget constraints.

About Radiflow

These new features solidify Radiflow's mission to take the guesswork out of OT security. Radiflow is dedicated to empowering CISOs to prioritize their actions with industrial threat detection and risk management solutions.

Please visit www.radiflow.com and follow the company on LinkedIn to find out about its newest product features and advancements.

For more information contact us.

Press contact: Keren Alleson Gerberg [email protected]

Related Images

image1.png

SOURCE Radiflow
CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this global regenerative medicine market report.

The regenerative medicine market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 30% during the period 20202026.

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

The percentage share of gene therapy in the global market is more than 40% in 2020, which is expected to double by the year 2026. As CAR-T therapy is widely popular these days for the treatment of chronic cancers, the key vendors in the market are increasing their focus on developing the products in CAR-T cell therapy. In February 2021 US FDA approved Breyanzi, a CAR-T cell therapy product to treat adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The US is dominating the global regenerative medicine market with the highest absolute growth of more than 600% and growing at a double digit CAGR. Mergers and acquisitions are increasing across the regenerative medicine market, the key players in the industry are acquiring the small developing companies, these companies are also more ready to merge with key players to enjoy the marketing benefits. To sustain in the highly competitive market, the key players are increasing their focus on consistent product innovation in the field of regenerative medicine by investing huge amounts in the drug development processes. The oncology therapeutic area dominates the regenerative medicine market, by capturing the market share of more than 30% in the year 2020 and is expected to capture the market share more than 50% by 2026, growing with the absolute growth of more than 700%. This is due to the increasing number of cancer cases around the globe where gene and CAR-T therapies are the popular treatments in curing the cancers.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20202026

Market Dynamics  Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by application, products, end-users, and geography

Competitive Landscape  7 key vendors and 32 other vendors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/regenerative-medicine-market-size

Regenerative Medicine Market  Segmentation

Oncology constitutes the largest portion of the global regenerative medicine market share. The development of curative therapies by CAR-T and cell and gene therapies is widely popularized in the oncology therapeutic area. The increasing global prevalence rates and the increasing rates of different types of life-threatening cancers are the most important key factors that drive the oncology segment.

Consistent innovations in gene therapies due to the increased number of clinical trials and pipeline products are driving the growth prospects. Hence, the increased inflow of funding for the development of gene therapy is one of the driving factors for the sector growth Cell therapy is the major revenue contributor.

Hospitals are likely to remain a dominant revenue contributor to the global regenerative medicine market. Around 50% of therapeutic surgeries performed in the US annually, including cardiovascular and musculoskeletal, occur in hospitals. Cancer care centers are likely to witness an incremental growth of approx. USD 10 billion by 2026. As cancer is the second leading cause of death across the globe, which is responsible for approx. 10 million deaths annually, the scope of cancer centers is growing.

Regenerative Medicine Market by Application

Oncology

Genetic Disorders

Dermatology

Musculoskeletal

Others

Regenerative Medicine Market by Product

Gene Therapies

Cell Therapies

Tissue-Engineered Therapies

Regenerative Medicine Market by End-Users

Hospitals

Cancer Care Centers

Wound Care Centers

ASCs

Others

Regenerative Medicine Market  Dynamics

Regenerative medicine is expected to evolve and impact the overall healthcare industry in a positive way in the coming years. Among the global pharmaceutical companies, nearly 1000 companies are working on gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue-engineering therapeutic products. Many companies worldwide have been developing a wide array of scaffolds that can be used in different tissue engineering applications, which cater to patients who require tissue and organ substitutes. The advances in scaffolds are attributable to several innovations in tissue scaffolds, bone scaffolds, and dental scaffolds. Tissue scaffolds basically act by integrating local cells in the desired shape of the scaffold after implantation. The scaffolds are of different types, such as cellusponge scaffolds in which cells are distributed in sponge pores and start growing. Collagen scaffolds have a unique porous network that allows diffusion of nutrients for cell growth, while hydrogel scaffolds have water content similar to natural tissue. Nanofiber scaffolds are transparent and ease cell imaging and quantification of cells.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Robust Product Pipeline of Regenerative Medicine Companies

Strategic Acquisitions by Regenerative Medicine Companies

Increase in Acute, Chronic, & Genetic Disorders

Increasing Demand for CAR T-cell and Gene Therapies

Regenerative Medicine Market  Geography

In 2020, North America accounted for a share of over 62% in the global regenerative medicine market. The region is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period due to the highest number of RM companies in the world. The region has nearly 534 of the 987 RM companies worldwide. The growth is primarily attributable to the increasing incidence rates of different types of cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma of the skin, leukemia, and rare disorders, including Spinal muscular atrophy and multiple sclerosis. Cancer is the leading cause of death in North America. In 2018, nearly 1.9 million new cancer cases were reported in the North American region, along with 693,000 deaths. In the North American region, the US shows the highest prevalence rate for cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other life-threatening rare diseases.

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/regenerative-medicine-market-size

Regenerative Medicine Market by Geography

North America

US



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



UK



Italy



Spain

APAC

Japan



China



Australia



South Korea



India

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico

Middle East & Africa

Turkey



Saudi Arabia



South Africa



UAE

Major Vendors

Novartis

Gilead Sciences

Amgen

Organogenesis

Bristol Myers Squibb

Vericle

Osiris Therapeutics

Other Prominent Vendors

Anges

Orchard Therapeutics

Orthofix

Integra Life Science

MiMedx

bluebird bio

Mesoblast

Avita Medical

Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Medipost

TissueTech

Misonix

J-TEC

Stempeutics

CO.DON

GC Pharma

Orthocell

Tego Science

Nipro

S-BIOMEDIC

APAC Biotech

Bio Solution

Chiesi Farmaceutici

Collplant

Corestem

Human Stem Cell Institute

JCR Pharmaceuticals

JW CreaGene

Nuvasive

Sibiono GeneTech

Shanghai Sunway Biotech

Terumo

Explore our healthcare & lifesciences profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

Mail: [email protected]

Call: +1-312-235-2040

+1 302 469 0707

SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
LONDON and DAEGU, South Korea, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Organising Committee is delighted to announce that registration for the highly anticipated 28th World Gas Conference (WGC2022), taking place on 23-27 May 2022 in Daegu, Korea, is now open and the Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has registered as the first registrant of WGC2022.

Owned by the International Gas Union (IGU) since 1931, WGC2022 continues to thrive with the tremendous support from the Government of Korea, Daegu Metropolitan City, the National Organising Committee, hosted by the Korea Gas Union and host partner KOGAS.

With 12,000 estimated attendees set to visit WGC2022, the industry will embark on a journey to discuss the core theme of the triennial conference A Sustainable Future Powered by Gas and promote the role of natural gas in a greener future. The programme will look at tackling critical issues in the global energy discussion such as meeting increasing demand by improving accessibility and availability, enhancing affordability while lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.

"In the last few months, we have been actively building a pioneering program incorporating strategy, collaboration and innovation in the sustainable energy future," said Bong Kyu Park, Chairman of the National Organising Committee for WGC2022. "The industry has made great achievements despite unprecedented challenges and WGC2022 in May 2022 will be the perfect platform to reconnect and share our experiences, discuss these exciting opportunities on energy transitions, the latest innovations and technical forces shaping the evolution of the gas and energy industry."

The WGC2022 programme will discuss the different perspectives and insights under the event theme and examine the ever-evolving gas industry across the globe. The Current Debates agenda explores the impact of Covid-19 on future energy demand, the state of global climate action under the Net-Zero Challenge, global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market dynamics, the continuing role of new technologies to meet decarbonization goals and more.

The latest Call for Papers session topics will uncover policy and financing to support continued investment in developing economies and examine the opportunities for the industry to adopt business models that advocate decarbonization and net-zero emissions. Submissions for the Call for Papers close on 27 September 2021.

WGC2022 is a first-class experience where you can meet with representatives from the entire energy and gas industry along the entire value chain including policy makers, business leaders, decision makers, customers, NGOs, media and members of the global financial community. Over 500 speakers will present in 90 sessions across a 4-day programme and more than 350 energy and gas related companies will host stands in the EXCO exhibition space.

About WGC2022

The World Gas Conference, conducted by the International Gas Union (IGU) since 1931, is the world's largest and most important global gas industry event where thousands of industrial and political leaders, gas executives, specialists and exhibitors gather together every three years.

The 28th World Gas Conference (WGC2022) takes place in Daegu, the energy city of Korea and home to the headquarters of KOGAS, in May 2022. Hosted by the Korea Gas Union, the event's core aim is to promote the role of natural gas in a sustainable future. WGC2022 is underpinned by a wealth of supporting organisations and corporations in Korea including host partner KOGAS, the Central and Local Government, and a National Organising Committee made up of 50 global institutions. From 23-27 May 2022 Daegu, Korea will host 12,000 attendees and 350 exhibitors representing 500 companies from more than 90 countries.

For more information, please visit www.wgc2022.org

About the Owners and Hosts of WGC2022

International Gas Union (IGU)

The International Gas Union (IGU) was founded in 1931 and is a worldwide non-profit organisation. The members of the IGU are associations and corporations which represent over 95% of the global gas market. www.igu.org

Host Association - Korea Gas Union

The Korea Gas Union (KGU) was founded in 1985 to promote the development of the natural gas industry in Korea and to cooperate with energy related international organisations include the IGU. KGU now represents more than 60 gas-related member companies in Korea. www.kgu.or.kr

Host Partner  Korean Gas Corporation (KOGAS)

KOGAS was founded in 1983 and has grown to become the world's largest LNG importer. As the nation's sole LNG provider, the Corporation is fully committed to providing clean, safe and convenient energy to the people of Korea. In keeping with this mission, KOGAS currently operates four LNG terminals and a nationwide pipeline network spanning over 4,857 km in order to ensure stable supply for the nation. www.kogas.or.kr

Contact:

Julia Blundell

Media Partnerships / Marketing & PR, WGC2022

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 20 7978 0068

SOURCE World Gas Conference (WGC2022)
DENVER, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SafeGraph, a data company that specializes in providing high quality data on places, announced that they have expanded their coverage into the United Kingdom with over 1.3M points of interest (POI) now available. After much success in the United States and Canada, SafeGraph is thrilled to expand globally and provide its customers with broader coverage to help meet their expanding global needs.

"Our expansion into the United Kingdom is a huge win for our organization's ability to provide value to our current customers who have a global footprint, as well as international organizations who have been asking for this data," said SafeGraph's VP of Product, Lauren Spiegel. "The United Kingdom was the most heavily requested country from our customers and it has been an exciting challenge to discover how to create incredibly precise POI datasets as we move across the globe."

SafeGraph UK data includes:

1.3M points of interest (POI) and growing

points of interest (POI) and growing Coverage for over 500 of the most popular brands

POI categories including restaurants, grocery stores, retail locations, airports, stadiums, and more

SafeGraph Core POI and Geometry datasets

Instant access to the data on safegraph.com

SafeGraph recently raised a Series B funding round of $45M and has aggressive goals for 2021 to rapidly expand their brand coverage of POIs to many additional countries. Learn more about SafeGraph in the UK at SafeGraph.com/UK.

About SafeGraph

SafeGraph builds truth sets for physical places, powering analytics at leading organizations like Ares Management, Sysco, Goldman Sachs, Verizon Media and the CDC. SafeGraph's high-precision places data covers business listings, building footprints, and aggregated foot traffic data for millions of points of interest (POI) and thousands of brands in the US, Canada and the UK. With detailed brand affiliation, spatial hierarchy, and other key business details, SafeGraph data informs market analytics, investment research, site selection, and more. To learn more or try it for yourself, visit: safegraph.com

SOURCE SafeGraph

Related Links

http://www.safegraph.com


DUBLIN, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Disruptive Technologies Will Propel the Scandinavian PPE Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is required at worksites with any type of physical, electrical, heat, or chemical hazard. PPE of 7 major categories (above-the-neck protection, respiratory protection, hand protection, protective clothing, foot protection, fall protection, and gas detection) protects a user against workplace injuries and illnesses.

This research presents an assessment of the current status and future prospects of the Scandinavian PPE market. Scandinavia in many definitions includes Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The publisher added Finland, which is part of the larger Nordic region. The study period is 2017 to 2025, with the base year 2020. It includes a breakdown of industrial sector employment numbers for each country in 2020.

The healthcare industry is excluded from this project. The publisher has done a separate study that considers the COVID-19 pandemic's major impact and implications on healthcare. End-use industries considered here include construction, utilities, manufacturing, mining, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and firefighting.

Companies in the region put an emphasis on quality and are more open to higher-priced product innovations, resulting in an above-average degree of technical change. PPE vendors compete on technology and performance (including ergonomics) rather than price. The pandemic caused a surge in demand for disposable N95 respirators, which reduce a wearer's exposure to airborne particulate hazards including respiratory droplets that contain minute virus particles.

Technological advancements with the application of cloud computing and data analytics will influence growth opportunities for product segments including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR), and fixed and portable gas detectors.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the Scandinavian PPE Market

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

2. Growth Opportunity Analysis

Key Findings

PPE Market Outlook

What Drives the PPE Market?

Scope of Analysis

Revenue Breakdown by Product Type

Revenue Breakdown by Country

Key Competitors

Growth Metrics

Distribution Channels

Growth Drivers

Growth Restraints

Forecast Considerations

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast Analysis

Competitive Environment

3. Overview of Scandinavian Population, Industries, and Demography

Scandinavia: An Overview

Unemployment Rate

Industrial Sector Employment Breakdown

Sweden : Employment by Industry

: Employment by Industry Denmark : Employment by Industry

: Employment by Industry Norway : Employment by Industry

: Employment by Industry Finland : Employment by Industry

: Employment by Industry Top Industrial End-user Markets for PPE

PPE Requirement and Usage by End-use Industry

4. Growth Opportunity Analysis by Product Type

Forecast by Product Type

Above-the-Neck Protection

Respiratory Protection

Hand Protection

Protective Clothing

Foot Protection

Fall Protection

Gas Detection

5. Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1: Need for Connected Safety Technology Over Conventional Gas Detection

Growth Opportunity 2: Market Penetration through Mergers and Acquisitions

6. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5c13yv

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

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LONDON, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Partners LLC (" Seadrill " or the " Company ") announces today (the " Effective Date ") that it has emerged from Chapter 11 after successfully completing its reorganization pursuant to its Chapter 11 plan of reorganization (the " Plan "). All conditions precedent to the restructuring contemplated by the Plan have been satisfied or otherwise waived.

The Plan has equitized approximately $2.8 billion in funded debt obligations, leaving the Company debt free on emergence. As part of the Plan, New Management Services Agreements were entered into for the management of the Company's offshore drilling units and a Transition Services Agreement was agreed to with the Company's prior manager that provides for a safe and efficient transition. Additionally, the Plan has resolved all potential claims against the Company alleged by related parties, secured and unsecured creditors.

The Plan leaves the Company well positioned to secure drilling contracts and invest in its high specification ultra-deepwater, harsh environment and tender rig fleet going forward.

Issuance of Shares of the New Common Stock

On the Effective Date, existing equity interests in the Company will be canceled, released, and extinguished and will be of no further force or effect. The Company will issue 20 million shares of the New Common Stock, which will be allocated as set forth below, in accordance with provisions of the Plan and issued on the Effective Date:

31.8% of the New Common Stock held by holders of super senior term loan claims against the Company and certain of its Chapter 11 debtor affiliates; and



68.2% of the New Common Stock held by holders of TLB secured claims against the Company and certain of its Chapter 11 debtor affiliates.

Any questions regarding these distributions should be directed to the Company's claims and noticing agent, Prime Clerk, at the numbers provided below.

New Board of Directors

In accordance with the Plan, a newly constituted Board of Directors of the Company was appointed today, consisting of Steven L. Newman (CEO/Director), Alan S. Bigman, John Bishop, Daniel C. Herz, and N. John Lancaster, Jr.

The Company was principally advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, & Hampton LLP, Jackson Walker LLP, M3 Advisory Partners, LP, and Evercore Group L.L.C.

CONTACT:

Prime Clerk

US and Canada Toll Free: 877-329-1894 International: 347-919-5756

Email: [email protected]

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.

CONTACT:

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

SOURCE Seadrill Partners
Securitas officers will have access to specially-designed NCMEC training modules and resources to raise awareness... Tweet this

"As a security company, Securitas understands what it means to help protect others," said Cal Walsh, co-host of the Investigation Discovery television series "In Pursuit" and child advocate for NCMEC. "The Securitas purpose statement is 'We help make the world a safer place.' That's perfectly aligned with our mission at NCMEC and makes our partnership such a great fit. Securitas brings so many unique and powerful resources to help us achieve that goal."

Securitas officers will have access to specially-designed NCMEC training modules and resources to raise awareness around issues relating to missing and exploited children and child safety. They will also attend a tailored e-learning event covering endangered runaways, child sex trafficking, preventing child abduction and recognizing indicators of child endangerments.

"From our hundreds of local branches to our pervasive feet on the street, we're eager to contribute to the important work done by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children," said Securitas President and CEO, North American Guarding, Greg Anderson. "This partnership is so meaningful to all of us, and we are proud to be able to put our resources to work in a way that can truly make an impact on the lives of children and families."

Securitas and NCMEC will also share resources to build awareness within the organizations and externally through media outreach and thought leadership. Together, they are committed to addressing child safety and advancing NCMEC's mission.

For more information on the partnership between Securitas North America and NCMEC, visit www.securitasinc.com or www.missingkids.com.

About Securitas: Securitas is the world's leading intelligent protective services partner. Our guarding, electronic security, fire and safety, and risk management solutions enable more than 150,000 clients to see a different world. We are present in 48 countries and our innovative, data-driven approach makes us a trusted partner to many of the world's best-known companies. Our 355,000 employees live our values of integrity, vigilance and helpfulness, and fulfill our purpose to "Help make your world a safer place."

About NCMEC: Since 1984, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has served as the leading private, nonprofit organization helping to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent future victimization. As part of its work as the clearinghouse and resource center on issues relating to missing and exploited children, NCMEC operates a 24/7 hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted in the recovery of more than 348,000 missing children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline, a mechanism for reporting suspected child sexual exploitation, which has received more than 86 million reports. To learn more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.org.

SOURCE Securitas North America

Related Links

http://www.securitasinc.com


OSAKA, Japan, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sekisui House, Ltd., Japan's leading housing company, announced the roll-out of a "TRIP BASE STYLE Ambassador Program" starting from April 2022 for Fairfield by Marriott Michi-no-Eki Hotels--part of the innovative "Trip Base" project previously launched in 2020 in collaboration with Marriott International to revitalize rural Japan by encouraging tourism--to promote experiential travel in Japan's undiscovered destinations and attractions. One Ambassador will be appointed from among applications due on September 30, 2021, 11:59 pm (JST), and the selected Ambassador will be funded with 10 million Japanese yen provided by Sekisui House to journey across Japan for a year and to share adventures with the world through social media posts. A dedicated application website ( https://tripbasestyle.com/ambassador-en/ ) is now available.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106644/202105114724/_prw_PI1fl_P4wYsKlq.jpg

Photo1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106644/202105114724/_prw_PI4fl_9nD9I91r.jpg

YouTube: https://youtu.be/oTniDWIj29k

Photo2:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106644/202105114724/_prw_PI2fl_cWJ0H2cA.jpg

Applicants must be 20 years or older, enthusiastic about travel and Japan, environmentally conscious, and are able to follow infection prevention procedures. Those living abroad with a valid visa in Japan or foreign nationals residing in Japan are also entitled to apply. Applicants must have a Twitter or Instagram account and post what they would like to do as an Ambassador with a hashtag #MyTripBaseStyle. The content of the application with the dedicated hashtag as well as one's regular social media posts will be taken into consideration during a selection process. The Ambassador may continue regular work if it is manageable remotely while participating in this program.

Photo3:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106644/202105114724/_prw_PI5fl_1uhb5V5N.jpg

The TRIP BASE STYLE Ambassador will design his/her own adventure to encounter people, culture, cuisine, and attractions that are unique to surrounding areas of Michi-no-Eki stations. The Ambassador could learn new recipes using local ingredients, plant rice with local farmers, and take part in local festivals. With Fairfield by Marriott Hotels being a basecamp for rural travel, the Ambassador can take a stroll from one Michi-no-Eki to another discovering the true character of Japan's unique and stunning destinations ( https://candlewickcoltd.egnyte.com/dl/Vc1q1Pz7s2/ ).

Photo4:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106644/202105114724/_prw_PI6fl_SqW0P42g.jpg

To see details of TRIP BASE STYLE Ambassador Program, please visit: https://tripbasestyle.com/ambassador-en/

SOURCE Sekisui House, Ltd.
Drill results included 8.2 metres of 10.3% zinc, 4.5% lead, 66.2 grams per tonne (g/t) silver and 1.7 g/t gold

District Metals said the high grades of polymetallic mineralization it encountered in its first three drill holes at Tomtebo have exceeded company expectations

District Metals Corp ( ) (OTCMKTS:MKVNF) (FRA:DFPP) has reported assay results for the first three holes from the initial drill program at the companys polymetallic Tomtebo property in Sweden.

Drill results included 8.2 metres (m) of 10.3% zinc, 4.5% lead, 66.2 grams per tonne (g/t) silver, 1.7 g/t gold, and 0.08% copper starting at a depth of 65.3m.

By any metric the high grades of polymetallic mineralization we have encountered over significant widths in our first three drill holes at Tomtebo have clearly exceeded our expectations, District Metals CEO Garrett Ainsworth said in a statement.

We are especially pleased to see significant silver and gold grades as high as 1,430 g/t silver and 7.4 g/t gold from discrete drill core samples returned from the Steffenburgs and Oscarsgruvan zones, which is important as almost 50% of the 2020 revenue from Boliden's highly productive polymetallic Garpenberg Mine was attributed to silver and gold, Ainsworth added. Our high grade polymetallic mineralized drill intercepts remain wide open at depth and along strike, which sets us up to expand mineralization with follow-up drilling.

The company noted that the first three drill holes at Tomtebo have successfully encountered what it called significant semi-massive to massive polymetallic sulphides.

District Metals also revealed that the second and third holes in the program intersected volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization about 175m northeast of hole one, which the company said is a similar style of mineralization to that of the nearby Garpenberg mine.

As well, District Metals said all three drill holes returned low concentrations of deleterious elements and dominantly coarse-grained polymetallic sulphides, which are favourable attributes from a metallurgical standpoint and are consistent with other polymetallic mines in the Bergslagen Mining District.

The Tomtebo property is located in the Bergslagen mining district of south-central Sweden and comprises 5,144 hectares between the historic Falun mine and Boliden's Garpenberg mine.

District Metals sees a number of geological similarities between Garpenberg and Tomtebo, from host rocks, structure, alteration, and mineralization styles. Historic production at Tomtebo comprised 120,000 tonnes at 4.4% copper intermittently for over 200 years, but the area has seen little to no exploration in the intervening period.

Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com
HOUSTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sewa International will be funding the installation of 100 oxygen generation plants in hospitals across India to ease oxygen scarcity in the country. It has ordered 20-tonn Zeolites (molecular sieves that absorb nitrogen and produce oxygen as a product) from Honeywell to establish up to 30 plants immediately. As a part of these efforts, it has placed purchase orders for 15 oxygen generation plants to be set up in the next 8-12 weeks at a cost of about $1.8 million.

Image of an oxygen generation plant from one of Sewa's suppliers Image of an oxygen generation plant from one of Sewa's suppliers

Sewa International has started a fundraising campaign to construct these oxygen plants. A donation of $61,000, $81,000 or $121,000 will help install one oxygen plant of a desired sizeThe campaign will help distribute oxygen generation capability to different parts of the country equitably bridging the urban-rural divide in India's healthcare sector.

"Based on our reading of the current situation, we have made a strategic decision to start building oxygen generating plants in India to enhance India's capacity to face the present COVID-19 crisis. This will make India future-ready to face a possible third wave of the pandemic," said Arun Kankani, President of Sewa International.

Sewa has identified three vendors from India to supply machinery required to build these plants. The first fifteen plants will be a mix of 250 LPM and 500 LPM capacity and each can support about 20 to 40 ICU beds. Sewa International is working with forty to fifty hospitals across India to establish these plants, and the number of hospitals is expected to grow to more than one hundred depending on donor support.

"The primary target for installing these oxygen generation plants are charitable hospitals in rural and tribal areas and hospitals in 2nd and 3rd tier cities. The plants, with good care and maintenance, have a life of twenty years. One 500 LPM plant can support a 200-bed hospital with 40 ICU beds or can produce 110 cylinders of oxygen a day. Including site preparation expenses and taxes, one such plant will cost about $121,000," Mukund Kute, Project Manager for Sewa's oxygen generation plant initiative said.

About Sewa International

Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c)(3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

CONTACT:

Vidyasagar Tontalapur  1 - 720-526-9939

Viswanath Koppaka  1- 404-304-0563

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.sewausa.org

SOURCE Sewa International
NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Danimer Scientific, Inc. ("Danimer" or the "Company")(NYSE: DNMR) and certain of its officers and directors. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and docketed under 21-cv-02708, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Danimer securities between December 30, 2020 and March 19, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased Danimer securities during the Class Period, you have until July 13, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Danimer was formerly known as "Live Oak Acquisition Corp." ("Live Oak"), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company. In December 2020, Live Oak consummated a business combination with Meredian Holdings Group, Inc., doing business as Danimer Scientific ("Legacy Danimer"), a performance polymer company specializing in bioplastic replacements for traditional petrochemical-based plastics (the "Business Combination"). Following the Business Combination, Live Oak changed its name to "Danimer Scientific, Inc.," changed its business to Legacy Danimer's business, and replaced its management with Legacy Danimer's management.

Since 2020, Legacy Danimerand, following the Business Combination, Danimerhas sold polyhydroxyalkanoates commercially under its proprietary "Nodax" brand name for usage in a wide variety of plastic applications including water bottles, straws, and food containers, among others. The Company has touted Nodax as a 100% biodegradable, renewable, and sustainable plastic, which is purportedly superior to traditional plastics because of its advanced biodegradability. The Company attributes Nodax's advanced biodegradability to microorganisms in nature that eat the bioplastic.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants 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) Defendants had overstated Nodax's biodegradability, particularly in oceans and landfills; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On March 20, 2021, the Wall Street Journal ("WSJ") published an article entitled "Plastic Straws That Quickly Biodegrade in the Ocean, Not Quite, Scientists Say" addressing, among other things, Danimer's claims that Nodax breaks down far more quickly than fossil-fuel plastics. The WSJ article alleged that, according to several experts on biodegradable plastics, "many claims about Nodax are exaggerated and misleading." While Danimer reportedly asserts its claims are factual, the article cites at least one expert as stating that making broad claims about Nodax's biodegradability "is not accurate" and is "greenwashing."

On March 22, 2021, the first trading day following the publication of the WSJ article, Danimer's stock price fell $6.43 per share, or 12.87%, to close at $43.55 per share on March 22, 2021.

Following the end of the Class Period, on April 22, 2021, Spruce Point Capital Management ("Spruce Point") published a report on Danimer, noting, among other red flags, various inconsistencies with Legacy Danimer's (and Danimer's) historical and present claims regarding the size of its operations, Nodax's makeup and degradability, and the Company's expected profitability.

Following the publication of the Spruce Point report, Danimer's stock price fell $2.01 per share, or 8.04%, to close at $22.99 per share on April 22, 2021.

Then, on May 4, 2021, Spruce Point published another report on Danimer alleging that the Company had "wildly overstated" production figures, pricing, and financial projections based on documents Spruce Point had acquired from the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Department of Environmental Protection under the Freedom of Information Act, all of which cast serious doubt on the integrity of the Company's internal controls.

Following the publication of this second Spruce Point report, Danimer's stock price fell $1.49 per share, or 6.31%, to close at $22.14 per share on April 22, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

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NEW YORK, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Cimarex Energy Co. ("XEC" or the "Company") (XEC) relating to its proposed merger with Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, XEC shareholders will receive 4.0146 shares of Cabot per share they own.

The investigation focuses on whether Cimarex Energy Co. and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/cimarex-energy-co. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, over the years the firm has recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you owned common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

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NEW YORK, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Enterprise Financial Services Corp. ("EFSC" or the "Company") (EFSC) relating to its proposed acquisition of First Choice Bancorp (FCBP). Under the terms of the agreement, FCBP shareholders will receive 0.6603 shares of EFSC per share they own.

The investigation focuses on whether Enterprise Financial Services Corp. and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/enterprise-financial-services-corp. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you own common stock in First Choice Bancorp and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

http://www.monteverdelaw.com


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Romeo Power, Inc. ("Romeo" or the "Company") (f/k/a RMG Acquisition Corp.) (NYSE: RMO) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 21-cv-04058, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired the publicly traded securities of Romeo between October 5, 2020 through March 30, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased Romeo securities during the Class Period, you have until June 15, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants represented that for 2020 Romeo estimated revenue of $11 million, and for 2021 Romeo estimated revenue of $140 million. Defendants further represented that Romeo had "key partnerships" and close relationships with LG Chem, Samsung, Murata and SK Innovation, which manufacture battery cells, a key component in Romeo's battery modules and packs and that they were supplying Romeo with battery cells. Furthermore, Defendants represented that Romeo had the capacity and supply to meet end-user demand for Romeo's products, that Romeo was not beholden "to any level of the value chain", that its supply was hedged, and that it did not see any material challenges that would hamper growth.

Unknown to investors, Romeo was suffering from an acute shortage of high quality battery cells, which are key raw materials for Romeo's battery packs and modules, because of supply constraints. Contrary to Defendants' representations: (i) Romeo had only two battery cell suppliers, not four; (ii) the future potential risks that Defendants warned of concerning supply disruption or shortage had already occurred and were already negatively affecting Romeo's business, operations, and prospects; (iii) Romeo did not have the battery cell inventory to accommodate end-user demand and ramp up production in 2021; (iv) Romeo's supply constraint was a material hindrance to Romeo's revenue growth; and (v) Romeo's supply chain for battery cells was not hedged, but in fact, was totally at risk and beholden to just two battery cell suppliers and the spot market for their 2021 inventory. Given the supply constraint that Romeo was experiencing during the Class Period, Defendants had no reasonable basis to represent that the Company had the ability to meet customer demand and that it would support growth in revenue in 2021.

On March 30, 2021, after the market closed, Romeo issued a press release and filed a report with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 8-K that disclosed its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2020, and conducted a conference call with investors and analysts. Defendants shocked investors by disclosing that the Company's production had been hampered by a shortage in supply of battery cells and that its estimated 2021 revenue would therefore be reduced by approximately 71-87%.

During a conference call with investors after the disclosure of Romeo's financial results and projected results, Defendant Lionel E. Selwood, Jr. ("Selwood, Jr.") disclosed that the Company had been relying solely on Samsung and LG for its supply of power cells.

On March 31, 2021, Morgan Stanley issued a research report in which it downgraded Romeo's target price per share from $12 to $7.

Also on March 31, 2021, Romeo shares declined from a closing price on March 30, 2021 of $10.37 per share to close at $8.33 per share, a decline of $2.04 per share, or almost 20%, on heavier than usual volume of over 20 million shares.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against SOS Limited ("SOS" or the "Company") (NYSE: SOS), and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States ("U.S.") District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 21-cv-07454, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired SOS American depository shares ("ADSs") between July 22, 2020 and February 25, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased SOS ADSs during the Class Period, you have until May 31, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

SOS is a technology company that purportedly provides marketing data, technology, and solutions for emergency rescue services. When the Company went public in April 2017, it was known as "China Rapid Finance Limited" and claimed to focus on a peer-to-peer, micro-lending business. The Company later changed its name to "SOS Limited" in July 2020 and sold its peer-to-peer, micro-lending business in August 2020, rebranding itself into an emergency services business. In January 2021, the Company again shifted its business focus, this time to cryptocurrency mining.

Critical to SOS's purportedly successful transition into a cryptocurrency mining business were the Company's claims to have entered into an agreement with HY International Group New York Inc. ("HY"), which calls itself the "world's largest mining machine matchmaker," to acquire 15,645 mining rigsi.e., personal computing machines built specifically for cryptocurrency miningfor $20 million, and the Company's plans to purchase FXK Technology Corporation ("FXK"), a purported Canadian cryptocurrency technology firm.

In addition to rapidly changing its business focus, SOS has also rapidly changed the location of its headquarters. According to the Company's SEC filings, the address of the Company's principal executive offices has changed no less than five times since the Company went public in April 2017.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) SOS had misrepresented the true nature, location, and/or existence of at least one of the principal executive offices listed in its SEC filings; (ii) HY and FXK were either undisclosed related parties and/or entities fabricated by the Company; (iii) the Company had misrepresented the type and/or existence of the mining rigs that it claimed to have purchased; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On February 26, 2021, Hindenburg Research ("Hindenburg") and Culper Research ("Culper") released commentary on SOS, claiming that the Company was an intricate "pump and dump" scheme that used fake addresses and doctored photos of crypto mining rigs to create an illusion of success. The analysts noted, for example, that SOS's SEC filings listed a hotel room as the Company's headquarters. The analysts also questioned whether SOS had actually purchased mining rigs that it claimed to own, as the entity from which SOS purportedly bought the mining rigs appeared to be a fake shell company. The analysts further alleged that the photos SOS had published of their purported "mining rigs" were phony. Culper noted that photographs of SOS's "miners" did not depict the A10 Pro machines that the Company claimed to own and instead appeared to show different devices altogether. Hindenburg, for its part, found that the original images from SOS's website actually belonged to another company.

On this news, SOS's American depositary share ("ADS") price fell $1.27 per share, or 21.03%, to close at $4.77 per ADS on February 26, 2021.

After the end of the Class Period, between February 27 and March 3, 2021, Hindenburg subsequently provided additional information on SOS that further supported its earlier allegations, including pictures, highlighting, inter alia, how SOS had allegedly taken steps to hide the misconduct noted in the February 26, 2021 corrective disclosures.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


Under the agreement, both companies will exchange information and expertise, and cross pollinate ideas and develop joint projects in the field of space technologies over a period of two years.

SpaceChain will explore collaborative opportunities with its partners in the global space industry in leveraging the existing space facilities and infrastructure in Kazakhstan. ESV will facilitate communication with the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, also known as Gharysh Sapary, on behalf of both companies.

"We are establishing a valuable partnership with SpaceChain to not only help showcase what Kazakhstan has to offer as an international space hub, but more importantly, to help organizations discover space as an innovation platform for competitive advantage and success," said Shukhrat Ibragimov, founder of ESV. "By combining and integrating expertise and knowhow in blockchain and space from both companies, we are very excited to have taken the historical step with SpaceChain in driving innovation and further development in the democratized space sector."

For a start, ESV will operate and manage two joint space projects co-developed with SpaceChain for digital currency exchange Biteeu , which will be deploying SpaceChain's on-orbit space-grade infrastructure to perform ultra-secure Bitcoin multisignature transactions and data back-up; and Divine - a community project that leverages space technologies to broadcast the Quran audio complimentary to Muslims and anyone looking to understand the Sacred Text of Islam across the world.

"We are entering a new era of space exploration and harnessing space technologies as a platform for business innovation. Partnering with ESV will complement our continuous efforts in building out an open-source blockchain-based satellite network that is secure and immutable for fintech and decentralized applications," said Zee Zheng, SpaceChain co-founder and CEO. "We will continue to identify more commercial use cases for space technologies, and it is our firm belief that the collaboration with ESV will help accelerate the process."

About SpaceChain

SpaceChain fosters decentralized infrastructure for the New Space Economy. By combining space and blockchain technologies SpaceChain is making the development of space applications easier and making space more accessible. For more information, visit www.spacechain.com .

About Eurasian Space Ventures

ESV's mission is to attract the commercial space industry's leading companies, technologies and specialists to Kazakhstan as well as to serve as a one-stop-shop for the new projects and developments in the industry. For more information, visit www.eurasian.space

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516973/SpaceChain_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516972/Eurasian_Space_Ventures_Logo.jpg

SOURCE SpaceChain; Eurasian Space Ventures
SINGAPORE, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SpaceChain today announced two launch missions slated for June 2021 which will see the successful deployment of its decentralized satellite infrastructure and multisignature services by corporate customers, including digital asset management firm Nexus Inc., digital currency exchange Biteeu, and community project Divine.

Scheduled for June 3, 2021, the space node designed by SpaceChain will be launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and installed at the International Space Station (ISS). This will be SpaceChain's fourth blockchain payload launch into space, and the first demonstration of Ethereum technology integration into its hardware on ISS. The mission is made possible by Nanoracks and its Space Act agreement with NASA.

The Ethereum blockchain is one of the most popular open-source platforms as it offers easy deployment of decentralized applications and smart contracts. With Ethereum's smart contract platform running in space orbit, the node offers added physical security for the transmission of digital assets.

The security of space infrastructures also ensures the independence of Ethereum contract operation from centralized terrestrial servers, thus providing more efficient smart contract operation and greater application scenarios.

Once installed, tested and activated, the space node will enable SpaceChain customer Nexus Inc. to further develop its blockchain capabilities for enterprise business applications, including e-commerce management. It will also afford Nexus Inc. customers the ability to perform highly secure on-orbit Ethereum multisignature transaction services, especially since all data will be uplinked and downlinked directly through a dedicated space encrypted communication network.

"The launch missions are paving the way for the commercialization of space-based innovations as we see more enterprises share the same vision in leveraging the new space economy for heightened security and immutability," said Zee Zheng, SpaceChain co-founder and CEO. "As a leading solutions provider in integrated blockchain and space technologies, we are delivering our expertise to benefit more companies and a wider community as we forge ahead to establish more use cases for blockchain-based satellite networks in space. We are also very excited to offer our platform to the Ethereum community, and we look forward to helping more companies integrate their blockchain into our system."

The second launch mission will take place on June 24, 2021, where the space nodes created for Biteeu, Divine and Nexus Inc. will be installed on a YAM-2 satellite carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket under the rideshare program. The mission will be operated by Loft Orbital .

For this launch, Nexus Inc. will be implementing SpaceChain's Bitcoin hardware wallet technology into its system, enabling ultra-secure multisignature transactions for its customers. With this, the Nexus Inc. platform will be able to utilize both Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains for its portfolio of services such as asset custody, suite of e-commerce products, and data security.

Biteeu will leverage the high security of space-grade infrastructure deployed by SpaceChain for ultra-secure Bitcoin cryptocurrency transactions and data back-up, the first of its kind in the industry.

The Biteeu space node will have the capacity to process Bitcoin transactions across multiple blockchains and perform multisignature transactions. Driven by the remoteness of the node and end-to-end encrypted satellite communication, Biteeu is set to enhance the security of its customers' data and transactions by multiple folds through the seclusion of outer space, as opposed to other digital currency exchanges with land-based servers hosted on Earth.

The other project tapping on SpaceChain's technology is Divine. The community project under the I AM PART OF global charity foundation leverages space technology to broadcast the teachings of the Quran to people all over the world.

Upon successful activation on-orbit, the Quran files that are stored in the SpaceChain payload will be transmitted from space to several platforms built for the Divine project. They include the Divine official site, as well as Android and iOS mobile applications.

Both Biteeu and Divine will be operated and managed by Eurasian Space Ventures (ESV). Located in Kazakhstan, ESV aims to serve as an international hub for space projects and related organizations looking to capitalize on the well-established space infrastructure and ecosystem in the country.

SpaceChain and ESV have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for ongoing collaboration and developing joint projects in the field of space technologies over a period of two years.

"We congratulate Biteeu, Divine, and Nexus Inc. for taking the bold step in harnessing disruptive technologies to uncover boundless opportunities and fulfill their purpose. They truly are pioneers and forerunners that are not afraid to take risks to disrupt the industries they are operating in by doing things differently," said Jeff Garzik, SpaceChain co-founder and CTO. "The integration of blockchain and space technologies can open up new paradigms that were once impenetrable. We look forward to more partnerships and collaborations that will inspire generations to come as the growing adoption of space-as-a-service among enterprises and communities unfolds."

ISSUED IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONSENSUS BY COINDESK

About SpaceChain

SpaceChain fosters decentralized infrastructure for the New Space Economy. By combining space and blockchain technologies SpaceChain is making the development of space applications easier and making space more accessible. For more information, visit www.spacechain.com.

SOURCE SpaceChain

Related Links

https://www.spacechain.com


KILKENNY, Ireland, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Spinal Stabilization Technologies, Ltd. (SST), Kilkenny, Ireland announced today that it has earned the CE Mark and the FDA's "breakthrough designation" for its PerQdisc Nucleus Replacement System.

PerQdisc is the only commercially available lumbar nucleus replacement system in the world. The PerQdisc device replaces the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc in the L1 - S1 spinal region in patients with single-level discogenic pain. The patient may have single or multi-level degenerative disc disease (DDD) but the discogenic pain must be limited to a single level.

The PerQdisc procedure has delivered impressive pain relief when used as indicated in patients with severe, debilitating back pain. Patients with mild to moderate degenerative disc disease with severe back pain have been offered surgical treatment with spinal fusion or total disc replacement. These procedures have inherent limitations and can be associated with complications that can be difficult to manage. "Nucleus replacement with the PerQdisc is a better option for these patients," said Michael Hess MD, Coordinating Investigator.

Many companies have tried to develop nucleus replacement devices but never fully commercialized their devices globally. "Our technology, combined with new surgical and imaging techniques, allowed SST to solve the complex challenge of lumbar spine nucleus replacement," said Mark Novotny, SST's CEO.

This novel procedure is a minimally invasive surgery compared to spinal fusion or a total disc replacement procedure. Our procedure is done with a small incision that minimizes the risk of blood loss and results in a custom implant that fills the patient's disc space. Patients are usually in the hospital overnight and can go home the following day. "When used as indicated, the results are impressive and patients can have significant reductions in pain immediately after the surgery," commented Jeff Golan, MD, SST's Medical Director.

The PerQdisc device and the surgical procedure are not yet FDA approved. "SST is working with the FDA to develop a comprehensive clinical trial program," adds Novotny. "As part of that process, the FDA recently designated the PerQdisc as 'breakthrough technology.' In the meantime, with the CE Mark approval, SST has plans to launch sales of its device in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia including China."

About Spinal Stabilization Technologies, Ltd

Spinal Stabilization Technologies, Ltd (SST) is an Irish limited company, headquartered in Kilkenny, Ireland. Its US headquarters are located in Westminster, Colorado. SST develops novel technologies for treating patients with lumbar discogenic back pain. The company has an extensive worldwide intellectual property. The products and techniques SST develops are based on the philosophy that less invasive surgery may be associated with better clinical outcomes. These products and techniques could improve the lives of many patients that have limited options for treating their back pain. The company is focused on evidence-based medicine and plans to conduct numerous clinical trials.

For more information, physicians may visit https://www.sstspine.com/home

SOURCE Spinal Stabilization Technologies

Related Links

https://www.sstspine.com/


PETAH TIKVA, Israel, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, Strauss Group (TASE: STRS) published its GAAP and non-GAAP financial statements for the first quarter of 2021. Similar to the results for FY 2020, the results for the current quarter were largely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which transformed the patterns of our lives, the economy and consumption everywhere in the world. Like other international food corporations, the first quarter of 2020 was marked by increased consumption of food products as large parts of the world were subjected to lockdowns. By contrast, the first quarter of 2021 was marked by great variance  in some countries where the Group operates the impact of the pandemic had already declined, whereas in other regions, such as Europe and America, we continue to witness its effects on economic activity and consumption.

Despite the record sales in the first quarter last year, which were the result of a sharp temporary increase in March sales following the outbreak of coronavirus, Strauss Group's revenues in Q1 2021 remained stable and amounted to approximately NIS 2.06 billion, reflecting an organic decrease (excluding foreign currency effects) of around 0.4% compared to the first quarter last year. The stability in sales was, on the one hand, the result of growth in Strauss Water's revenues in Israel and in China and stable revenues in Strauss Israel and Strauss Coffee in local currency, and a decline in sales at Sabra in the US, largely as a result of the impacts of COVID-19.

Organic EBIT rose 11.8% and amounted to approximately NIS 289 million  14.0% of revenues. The Company has concluded the first quarter with a net profit of approximately NIS 206 million to its shareholders, reflecting an organic increase of around 25.6% compared to the corresponding quarter in 2020  10.0% of revenues.

Excluding foreign currency effects and the profits of the investees in the Group's incubator, organic growth in operating profit and net profit attributable to shareholders was 0.5% and 7.8%, respectively.

In the quarter, three of the companies in the Group's FoodTech incubator, The Kitchen, completed funding rounds at an aggregate amount of approximately NIS 40 million. As a result of these rounds, in the current quarter the Company recognized gains on the decrease in holding rate and on loss of control, at a total of NIS 30 million. One of the companies, Flying SpArk, completed an IPO on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in the quarter. On March 31, 2021, the total value of the Company's investments in the incubator investees on the financial statements was approximately NIS 44 million (according to the equity method). The fair value of these investments is around NIS 149 million.

In the first and second quarters, the prices of raw materials, spare parts and packaging materials used in manufacturing the Group's products rose. Among others, the prices of green coffee (on global exchanges and in Brazil in particular) increased, as did the prices of sugar, raw milk (the "target price"), energy, plastic packaging, metals and others. Furthermore, sea freight costs rose sharply in this period, impacting all world trade.

In addition to the above, as a result of worldwide crises in the international transportation of goods, many companies are dealing with availability and production challenges. The company has defined the maintenance of business continuity and the regular functioning of its supply chain as a primary goal. The company is also monitoring the effects of the increase in the prices of the different inputs on its business and reviewing plans and courses of action, including product development and improvement, working capital management, operational and logistic efficiency enhancement, commodity price hedging policy, expansion and diversification of suppliers and raw materials, pricing policy, etc.

Strauss Group President & CEO, Giora Bardea, referred to the results this morning. "All things considered, we have wrapped up a satisfying quarter. This is the fifth sequential quarter in which our results are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on sales channels, products and consumer behavior. The first quarter of 2020, when the pandemic began, and the month of March in particular, was marked by exceptional sales by all food companies. Now, however, there is a disparity: in the first quarter this year some geographical regions, first and foremost Israel and China, already showed signs of the end of the pandemic, in regions such as North America and Europe a gradual emergence is evident, and in regions like South America the pandemic is still raging and affecting society and the economy.

"In this quarter too, we see that our broad global dispersion, category diversification and business flexibility, product development and innovation have enabled us to maintain stable revenues, and even improve our profit and profit margins. As part of this innovation concept, in Israel we recently launched new, advanced IOT water bars of the Edge series; FoodTech startups in The Kitchen incubator raised tens of millions of shekels in the quarter; and in early May, the water company's manufacturing facility in China became operational, and we expect it to contribute to growth in the Group's business going forward.

"Israeli society has recently experienced events involving incitement and violence that have ripped the delicate fabric of co-existence between Jews and Arabs in the country. We profoundly believe in the business sector's role, responsibility and impact on the communities in which we operate, not only in Israel but everywhere we do business. Strauss has for many years championed a diversity and inclusion discourse and actions and employs people of all population segments, religions and beliefs. Strauss will continue to be a company that is a symbol of partnership, cultural diversity and the advancement of a shared language and way of life. We have a commitment and aspirations to create a company where there is no segregation or differentiation between people on the grounds of religion, nationality, race or gender."

Strauss Israel grew its market share in the quarter, which rose to around 12.5% of the food and beverage market in Israel, reflecting 0.3% market share growth. In the first quarter this year the company recorded approximately NIS 974 million in revenues, a decline of around 0.9% compared to the corresponding period last year, which was marked by a sharp rise in sales due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Most of the growth was observed in dairy products and dairy alternatives, including yogurts, milk and milk beverages, and since we began to distribute Alpro products. The products of the confectionery division recorded a decline in sales in the quarter, largely as a result of a decrease in impulse product purchases away from home. The company's operating profit grew by about 3.8% to NIS 129 million, around 13.2% of sales.

Strauss Coffee's business was marked by great variance in the quarter, with each country demonstrating unique features. For example, the coffee company in Israel experienced a decline of 10.9%, which was largely the result of the closure of the Elite Cafe points of sale in the first quarter. The coffee business in Brazil, operated through the Tres Coracoes joint venture, delivered 10.0% organic growth in local currency mainly as a result of price increases while retaining market share, but was negatively affected by exchange differences. Russia and Ukraine experienced sales growth in local currency following price increases. Romania recorded stability, while Poland experienced a temporary decline in sales as a result of negotiations with a customer, to which sales were resumed in April.

In Sabra, the largest dips and spreads company in the US with a market share of 61.4%, the prior quarter trend persisted. The Company was mainly harmed in its sales to the AFH market, which includes restaurants and airports, and in combo packs intended for on-the-go consumption. The company concluded the current quarter with sales of approximately NIS 287 million (reflecting 100% ownership), a decline of 19.2% compared to the corresponding period in 2020. Obela wrapped up the first quarter of the year with NIS 44 million in sales, an increase of 9.8%.

Strauss Water has maintained the positive momentum experienced in 2020 in Israel and China in the first quarter of 2021 as well. During the quarter, the company recorded revenues of approximately NIS 170 million, reflecting impressive growth of 18.2%, as a result of growth in the installed base as well as the number of appliances sold. HSW's business in China yielded revenues of approximately NIS 154 million in the current quarter, reflecting a sharp rise of 44.1%, due to the low sales in the first quarter last year following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Non GAAP Figures (1)







First Quarter

2021 2020 Change Total Group Sales (NIS mm) 2,061 2,168 -4.9% Organic Sales Growth excluding FX



-0.4% Gross Profit (NIS mm) 812 878 -7.5% Gross Margins (%) 39.4% 40.5% -110 bps EBITDA (NIS mm) 373 354 5.3% EBITDA Margins (%) 18.1% 16.3% +180 bps EBIT (NIS mm) 289 268 7.6% EBIT Margins (%) 14.0% 12.3% +170 bps Net Income Attributable to the

Company's Shareholders (NIS mm) 206 171 20.5% Net Income Margin (Attributable to

the Company's Shareholders) (%) 10.0% 7.9% +210 bps EPS (NIS) 1.77 1.47 20.2% Operating Cash Flow (NIS mm) 178 106* 68.1% Capex (NIS mm) (2) 63 63 0.1% Net debt (NIS mm) 1,843 2,017 -8.5% Net debt / annual EBITDA 1.4x 1.6x (0.2x)

* Restated.

(1) The data in this document are based on the company's non-GAAP figures, which include the proportionate consolidation of jointly controlled businesses and do not include share-based payment, mark-to-market at end-of-period of open positions in the Group in respect of financial derivatives used to hedge commodity prices and all adjustments necessary to delay recognition of gains and losses arising from commodity derivatives until the date when the inventory is sold to outside parties, other income and expenses, net, and the tax effect of excluding those items, unless stated otherwise.

(2) Investments include the acquisition of fixed assets and investment in intangible assets.

Note: Financial data were rounded to NIS millions. Percentages changes were calculated on the basis of the exact figures in NIS thousands

Non GAAP Figures (1)



















First Quarter

Sales (NIS

mm) Sales

Growth vs.

Last Year Organic

Sales

Growth

excluding

FX EBIT (NIS

mm) NIS

Change in

EBIT % Change

in EBIT EBIT

margins Change in

EBIT

margins vs.

2020 Sales and EBIT by Operating

Segments and Activities















Strauss Israel:















Health & Wellness 639 3.6% 3.6% 76 10 15.6% 12.0% +130 bps Fun & Indulgence (2) 335 -8.4% -8.4% 53 (5) -9.6% 15.6% -20 bps Total Strauss Israel 974 -0.9% -0.9% 129 5 3.8% 13.2% +60 bps

















Strauss Coffee:















Israel Coffee 209 -10.9% -10.9% 59 (2) -4.1% 27.8% +200 bps International Coffee (2) 542 -11.0% 4.0% 40 (6) -14.2% 7.4% -30 bps Total Strauss Coffee 751 -11.0% -0.7% 99 (8) -8.5% 13.1% +40 bps

















International Dips & Spreads:















Sabra (50%) (2) 144 -19.2% -13.4% 16 (4) -19.0% 11.0% -- Obela (50%) (2) 22 9.8% 3.1% (3) (1) -61.4% NM NM Total International Dips &

Spreads 166 -16.2% -11.5% 13 (5) -25.6% 8.1% -100 bps

















Strauss Water 170 18.2% 18.2% 22 7 46.7% 12.8% +250 bps Other (2)(3) 0 NM NM 26 22 673.5% NM NM Total Group 2,061 -4.9% -0.4% 289 21 7.6% 14.0% +170 bps

(1) The data in this document are based on the company's non-GAAP figures, which include the proportionate consolidation of jointly controlled businesses and do not include share-based payment, mark-to-market at end-of-period of open positions in the Group in respect of financial derivatives used to hedge commodity prices and all adjustments necessary to delay recognition of gains and losses arising from commodity derivatives until the date when the inventory is sold to outside parties, other income and expenses, net, and the tax effect of excluding those items, unless stated otherwise.

(2) Fun & Indulgence figures include Strauss's 50% share in the salty snacks business. International Coffee figures include Strauss's 50% share in the Tres Coracoes joint venture (3C)  Brazil  a company jointly held by the Group (50%) and by the local Sao Miguel Group (50%). International Dips & Spreads figures reflect Strauss's 50% share in Sabra and Obela. Strauss Water EBIT figures include Strauss's share in Haier Strauss Water (HSW) in China (49%).

Note: Financial data were rounded to NIS millions. Percentages changes were calculated on the basis of the exact figures in NIS thousands. Total figures for International Dips & Spreads were calculated on the basis of the exact figures for Sabra and Obela in NIS thousands.

Condensed financial accounting (GAAP) First Quarter

2021 2020 Change Sales 1,509 1,545 -2.3% Cost of sales excluding impact of commodity hedges 878 896 -2.0% Adjustments for commodity hedges 1 14

Cost of sales 879 910 -3.4% Gross profit 630 635 -0.8% % of sales 41.7% 41.1%

Selling and marketing expenses 321 336 -4.6% General and administrative expenses 104 108 -4.1% Total expenses 425 444 -4.5% Share of profit of equity-accounted investees 68 48 40.0% Operating profit before other expenses 273 239 14.2% % of sales 18.1% 15.4%

Other income (expenses), net 4 (1)

Operating profit after other expenses 277 238 16.2% Financing expenses, net 3 (10) -133.7% Income before taxes on income 280 228 22.9% Taxes on income (59) (57) 3.5% Effective tax rate 21.1% 25.1%

Income for the period 221 171 29.5% Attributable to the Company's shareholders 203 156 30.7% Attributable to non-controlling interests 18 15 16.4%

Note: Financial data were rounded to NIS millions. Percentages changes were calculated on the basis of the exact figures in NIS thousands

Conference Call

Strauss Group will host a Zoom conference call in Hebrew on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 14:00 (Israel time) with the participation of company management to review the financial statements of the company for the first quarter of 2021. Following is information for those wishing to join the conference:

Meeting URL: https://strauss-group.zoom.us/j/94124216403?pwd=MDArcE9aNitqeHBJSVBBeDFqaERJZz09

Meeting ID: 941 2421 6403

Password: 804055

Strauss Group will also host a Zoom conference call in English on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 15:30 (Israel time) (13:30 UK, 08:30 EST) with the participation of company management to review the financial statements of the company for the first quarter of 2021.

Meeting URL: https://strauss-group.zoom.us/j/94631263402?pwd=YjEwU3QyZmdDK3JHckJtQWtVZ1kzQT09

Meeting ID: 946 3126 3402

Password: 361024

A recording of the calls will subsequently be available on the company's website at: https://ir.strauss-group.com/company-presentations/conference-call-recordings/

The financial statements of the company for the first quarter of 2021 and the presentation that will accompany the conferences will be available prior to the conference calls on the following websites:

https://ir.strauss-group.com/company-presentations/quarterly-presentations/

https://ir.strauss-group.com/earning-releases/

For further information, please contact :

Daniella Finn Director of Investor Relations Strauss Group Ltd. 972-54-577-2195 972-3-675-2545 [email protected] Osnat Golan VP Communications, Corporate Brand & Sustainability Strauss Group Ltd. 972-52-828-8111 972-3-675-2281 [email protected]



Or





Shlomi Sheffer External Communications Director Strauss Group Ltd. 972-50-620-8000 972-3-675-6713

[email protected]



The data in this document are based on the company's non-GAAP figures, which include the proportionate consolidation of jointly controlled businesses and do not include share-based payment, mark-to-market at end-of-period of open positions in the Group in respect of financial derivatives used to hedge commodity prices and all adjustments necessary to delay recognition of gains and losses arising from commodity derivatives until the date when the inventory is sold to outside parties, other income and expenses, net, and the tax effects of excluding those items, unless stated otherwise.

[1] Excluding the impact of M&A and the effect of foreign currency translation differences.

SOURCE Strauss Group Ltd.
The company reported significant silver intercept grading of 2,208 grams per ton silver over 0.45 meters at a downhole depth of 548.43 meters

As a result, the company is increasing the current drill program to 60,000 meters to explore the extension

Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc ( ) (OTCMKTS:CCWOF) (FRA:4T9B) has announced a major new vein discovery in the Robinson West area of Ontario.

This latest intercept, Vein 7, is about 650 metres (m) west of the Robinson Zone Discovery hole CA-1108, the company said in a statement.

Highlights include:

Significant silver intercept grading of 2,208 grams per ton (g/t) silver (64.4 ounces per ton) over 0.45m at a downhole depth of 548.43m.

New corridor with a significant potential silver mineralized strike distance of 710m, striking towards the Robinson Zone.

Increasing the current drill program to 60,000m from 50,000m to explore the extension.

The company notes that silver and cobalt mineralization in hole CS-21-50 (2208 g/t Ag) is in close proximity to its "Gold Zone. It said it will take a new strategic outlook to further develop this corridor.

Along with the orientation of the vein, Canada Silver Cobalt said there is additional information to support a continued trend to the east.

Based on the successful discovery of multiple veins to date, the company said it is increasing the current 50,000-meter drill program to 60,000m. The company has now completed 66% of the 50,000m, so far.

In addition, the company said geochemical surveys will be undertaken this summer to help define some of the Archean lithologies and structures that have had little work due to overburden cover.

Historically, the Nipissing diabase mafic intrusive lithology has been the focus of exploration in the Miller Lake Basin. The company is developing models to cover not only the silver-cobalt veining within the Nipissing but to include the Archean basement having identified both silver and gold mineralization there. To date, only orientation geochemistry surveys have been completed.

Canada Silver Cobalt said follow-up drilling is underway to intersect this vein both above and below CS-21-50 to determine the extent, grade, and mineralization variability.

Also, ongoing drilling in the area between the Robinson and Robinson West zones is geared toward identifying new veins to enable significant expansion to the existing resource panels.

"With this major new vein discovery highlighting the potential of geophysics to aid in the targeting of new veins, and the ability of geochemistry to identify potentially significant lithological changes near-surface, Canada Silver is excited to evaluate the entire lithologic package and expand the mineralogical potential of this ever-expanding prospectivity," said President Matt Halliday.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
BEIJING, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), a leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021.

First Quarter 2021 Financial and Operational Snapshots

Net revenues were RMB694.3 million ( US$106.0 million ), representing a 22.9% increase year-over-year.

( ), representing a 22.9% increase year-over-year. Gross billings (non-GAAP) were RMB593.7 million ( US$90.6 million ), representing a 14.9% increase year-over-year.

( ), representing a 14.9% increase year-over-year. Gross profit was RMB587.9 million ( US$89.7 million ), representing a 25.6% increase year-over-year.

( ), representing a 25.6% increase year-over-year. Net loss was RMB53.3 million ( US$8.1 million ), representing an 18.7% decrease year-over-year.

( ), representing an 18.7% decrease year-over-year. Net loss margin, defined as net loss as a percentage of net revenues, decreased to 7.7% from 11.6% in the first quarter of 2020.

New student enrollments were 145,525, representing a 107.6% increase year-over-year.

As of March 31, 2021 , the Company's deferred revenue balance was RMB2,902.5 million ( US$443.0 million ).

[1] New student enrollments for a given period refers to the total number of orders placed by students that newly enroll in at least one course during that period (including those students that enroll and then terminate their enrollment with us, excluding orders of our low-price courses). In June 2020, we introduced low-price courses, including "mini courses" and "RMB1 courses," to strengthen our competitiveness and improve customer experience. We offer such low-price courses mainly in the formats of recorded videos or short live streaming.

"We are encouraged by our first quarter operational and financial metrics. Our net revenues increased 22.9% year-over-year to RMB694.3 million in the first quarter of 2021. We saw new enrollments surge to 145,525, a 107.6% year-on-year increase. This stellar performance was driven by our continued efforts to diversify product offerings, raise brand awareness and improve student satisfaction," said Mr. Tongbo Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Sunlands. "driven by this exceptional growth in new enrollments, our gross billings rose to RMB593.7 million during the quarter, representing a year-over-year growth rate of 14.9%.

"As a result of Sunlands' consistent focus on expanding and refining its master's degree-oriented programs, gross billings for these programs grew 73.6% year-over-year. New enrollments in Sunlands' master's degree programs jumped 72.8% year-over-year in the first quarter, significantly outpacing the market growth rate. Our master's degree programs cater especially to students with full-time jobs, who are more financially secure but have relatively limited time and demand more customized assistance for learning. Students with full-time jobs tend to be more dependable and are more eager to attend test-prep courses like those offered by Sunlands. This, coupled with Sunlands' continued investment in enhancing brand awareness and optimizing course offerings, has provided and will continue to provide thrust for a wider market share and future growth for the Company.

At the same time, we have continued to focus on market opportunities for our professional certification, and we are making significant progress in expanding course offerings. Looking ahead, we will continue to develop our master's degree-oriented and professional skills programs, while solidifying our market leading position in STE programs. We are committed to delivering the best learning experience to our students so they can have the best career prospects, while also creating value for all stakeholders," concluded Mr. Liu.

Ms. Selena Lu Lv, Chief Financial Officer of Sunlands, commented, "We are pleased to see our first quarter net revenues beat guidance once again and hit a record high, as rising brand recognition for our master's degree and professional skills programs bolstered our topline growth momentum. Our ongoing diversification from STE programs and our commitment to optimizing student experience affirms our confidence in sustaining this momentum. We also managed to lower costs, witnessing 52.2% and 16.3% reductions in G&A and R&D expenses, respectively. As a result, first quarter net loss narrowed 18.7% year-over-year to RMB53.3 million. As we look ahead, our marketing team will continue to explore avenues to promote brand awareness, while our sales team will target a higher referral rate and sales conversion rate to fuel future growth. And most importantly, our management will keep implementing optimal strategies that deliver the best returns for all shareholders."

Financial Results for the first quarter of 2021

Net Revenues

In the first quarter of 2021, net revenues increased by 22.9% to RMB694.3 million (US$106.0 million) from RMB565.1 million in the first quarter of 2020. The increase was mainly driven by the year-over-year growth in gross billings since the second half of year 2020.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues increased by 9.8% to RMB106.4 million (US$16.2 million) in the first quarter of 2021 from RMB96.9 million in the first quarter of 2020. The increase was mainly due to an increase in compensation expenses.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased by 25.6% to RMB587.9 million (US$89.7 million) in the first quarter of 2021 from RMB468.2 million in the first quarter of 2020.

Operating Expenses

In the first quarter of 2021, operating expenses were RMB666.6 million (US$101.8 million), representing a 17.4% increase from RMB567.8 million in the first quarter of 2020.

Sales and marketing expenses increased by 32.5% to RMB606.4 million (US$92.6 million) in the first quarter of 2021 from RMB457.9 million in the first quarter of 2020. The increase was mainly due to increases in (i) compensation expenses related to our sales and marketing personnel; and (ii) spending on branding and marketing activities, including more marketing promotion activities to diversify student acquisition channels.

General and administrative expenses decreased by 52.2% to RMB42.3 million (US$6.5 million) in the first quarter of 2021 from RMB88.5 million in the first quarter of 2020. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in compensation expenses.

Product development expenses decreased by 16.3% to RMB17.9 million (US$2.7 million) in the first quarter of 2021 from RMB21.4 million in the first quarter of 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in the compensation expenses incurred related to our product and technology development personnel.

Other income

Other income decreased by 26.7% to RMB21.3 million (US$3.2 million) in the first quarter of 2021 from RMB29.0 million in the first quarter of 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in value-added tax exemption offered by the relevant authorities as part of the national COVID-19 relief effort.

Net Loss

Net loss for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB53.3 million (US$8.1 million), compared with RMB65.6 million in the first quarter of 2020.

Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share

Basic and diluted net loss per share was RMB7.87 (US$1.20) in the first quarter of 2021.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had RMB826.6 million (US$126.2 million) of cash and cash equivalents and RMB306.5 million (US$46.8 million) of short-term investments, compared with RMB760.7 million of cash and cash equivalents and RMB517.8 million of short-term investments as of December 31, 2020.

Deferred Revenue

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had a deferred revenue balance of RMB2,902.5 million (US$443.0 million), compared with RMB3,024.4 million as of December 31, 2020.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures were incurred primarily in connection with IT infrastructure equipment and leasehold improvement necessary to support the Company's operations. Capital expenditures were RMB1.7 million (US$0.3 million) in the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB 7.0 million in the first quarter of 2020.

Outlook

For the second quarter of 2021, Sunlands currently expects net revenues to be between RMB600 million to RMB620 million, which would represent an increase of 17.1% and 21.0% year-over-year.

The above outlook is based on the 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 substantial uncertainty.

Exchange Rate

The Company's business is primarily conducted in China and all revenues are denominated in Renminbi ("RMB"). This announcement contains currency conversions of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB6.5518 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate for March 31, 2021 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on March 31, 2021, or at any other rate.

Conference Call and Webcast

Sunlands' management team will host a conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time, (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time) on May 25, 2021, following the quarterly results announcement.

The dial-in details for the live conference call are:

International: +1-412-902-4272 US toll free: +1-888-346-8982 Mainland China toll free: 400-120-1203 Hong Kong toll free: 800-905-945 Hong Kong: +852-3018-4992

Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. When prompted, ask to be connected to the call for "Sunlands Technology Group." Participants will be required to state their name and company upon entering the call.

A live webcast and archive of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of Sunlands' website at http://www.sunlands.investorroom.com/.

A replay of the conference call will be available 1 hour after the end of the conference call until June 1, 2021, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

International: +1-412-317-0088 US toll free: +1-877-344-7529 Replay access code: 10156425

About Sunlands

Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), formerly known as Sunlands Online Education Group, is the leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education. With a one to many, live streaming platform, Sunlands offers various degree and diploma-oriented post-secondary courses as well as online professional courses and educational content, to help students prepare for professional certification exams and attain professional skills. Students can access its services either through PC or mobile applications. The Company's online platform cultivates a personalized, interactive learning environment by featuring a virtual learning community and a vast library of educational content offerings that adapt to the learning habits of its students. Sunlands offers a unique approach to education research and development that organizes subject content into Learning Outcome Trees, the Company's proprietary knowledge management system. Sunlands has a deep understanding of the educational needs of its prospective students and offers solutions that help them achieve their goals.

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We use gross billings, EBITDA, non-GAAP Operating cost and expense, non-GAAP loss from operations and Non-GAAP net loss per share, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.

We define gross billings for a specific period as the total amount of cash received for the sale of course packages, net of the total amount of refunds paid in such period. Our management uses gross billings as a performance measurement because we generally bill our students for the entire course tuition at the time of sale of our course packages and recognize revenue proportionally over a period. EBITDA is defined as net loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense, interest income, and income tax expenses. We believe that gross billings and EBITDA provide valuable insight into the sales of our course packages and the performance of our business.

These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, their most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to their respective most directly comparable GAAP measure has been provided in the tables included below. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to their respective most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. As gross billings, EBITDA, operating cost and expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, general and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, sales and marketing expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, product development expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, non-GAAP net loss exclude share-based compensation expenses, and basic and diluted net loss per share excluding share-based compensation expenses have material limitations as an analytical metric and may not be calculated in the same manner by all companies, it may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. In light of the foregoing limitations, you should not consider gross billings and EBITDA as a substitute for, or superior to, their respective most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Sunlands may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 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. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sunlands' beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: Sunlands' goals and strategies; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services; its ability to retain and increase student enrollments; its ability to offer new courses and educational content; its ability to improve teaching quality and students' learning results; its ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness; its ability to engage, train and retain new faculty members; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to maintain and improve technology infrastructure necessary to operate its business; competition in the online education industry in China; relevant government policies and regulations relating to Sunlands' corporate structure, business and industry; and general economic and business condition in China. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Sunlands' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Sunlands does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media enquiries, please contact:

Sunlands Technology Group

Investor Relations

Email: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

Email: [email protected]

Yang Song

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

Email: [email protected]

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)









As of December 31,

As of March 31,



2020

2021



RMB

RMB

US$ ASSETS











Current assets











Cash and cash equivalents

760,710

826,648

126,171 Short-term investments

517,815

306,501

46,781 Prepaid expenses and other current assets

117,637

135,980

20,754 Deferred costs, current

158,092

134,032

20,457 Total current assets

1,554,254

1,403,161

214,163 Non-current assets











Property and equipment, net

511,092

888,456

135,605 Intangible assets, net

1,211

2,060

314 Land use right, net

13,564

13,496

2,060 Right-of-use assets

488,877

478,602

73,049 Deferred costs, non-current

170,160

152,733

23,312 Long-term investments

64,093

64,646

9,867 Deferred tax assets

13,015

8,553

1,305 Other non-current assets

444,628

45,569

6,955 Total non-current assets

1,706,640

1,654,115

252,467 TOTAL ASSETS

3,260,894

3,057,276

466,630













LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT

























LIABILITIES











Current liabilities











Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (including accrued expenses











and other current liabilities of the consolidated VIEs without recourse to











Sunlands Technology Group of RMB175,900 and RMB166,473 as of











December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

607,789

607,241

92,683 Deferred revenue, current (including deferred revenue, current of the consolidated VIEs











without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of RMB435,254 and











RMB362,279 as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

1,463,165

1,528,911

233,357 Lease liabilities, current portion (including lease liabilities, current portion of the











consolidated VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of RMB15,833 and











RMB13,280 as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

30,702

28,040

4,280 Payables to acquire buildings (including payables to acquire buildings of the











consolidated VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of nil and nil











as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

61,540

61,540

9,393 Long-term debt, current portion (including long-term debt, current portion of the











consolidated VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of nil and nil as of











December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

32,500

32,500

4,960 Total current liabilities

2,195,696

2,258,232

344,673















UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS-continued

(Amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)









As of December 31,

As of March 31,





2020

2021





RMB

RMB

US$

Non-current liabilities













Deferred revenue, non-current (including deferred revenue, non-current of the













consolidated VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of













RMB468,577 and RMB407,383 as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021,













respectively)

1,561,278

1,373,540

209,643

Lease liabilities, non-current portion (including lease liabilities, non-current portion of the













consolidated VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of













RMB340,763 and RMB330,074 as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021,













respectively)

532,538

518,828

79,189

Deferred tax liabilities (including deferred tax liabilities of the consolidated













VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of RMB3,203 and RMB2,750 as of













December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

15,220

10,409

1,589

Other non-current liabilities (including other non-current liabilities of the consolidated













VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of RMB135 and RMB135 as of













December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

7,664

6,862

1,047

Long-term debt, non-current portion(including long-term debt, non-current portion of the













consolidated VIEs without recourse to Sunlands Technology Group of nil and nil as of













December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

160,625

152,500

23,276

Total non-current liabilities

2,277,325

2,062,139

314,744

TOTAL LIABILITIES

4,473,021

4,320,371

659,417





SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT













Class A ordinary shares (par value of US$0.00005, 796,062,195 shares













authorized; 1,978,621 and 1,995,939 shares issued as of December 31, 2020













and March 31, 2021, respectively; 1,792,560 and 1,809,878 shares













outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

1

1

-

Class B ordinary shares (par value of US$0.00005, 826,389 shares













authorized; 826,389 and 826,389 shares issued and outstanding













as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

-

-

-

Class C ordinary shares (par value of US$0.00005, 203,111,416 shares













authorized; 4,110,248 and 4,092,930 shares issued and outstanding













as of December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, respectively)

1

1

-

Treasury stock

-

-

-

Additional paid-in capital

2,367,168

2,367,057

361,283

Accumulated other comprehensive income

96,490

98,912

15,097

Accumulated deficit

(3,675,129)

(3,728,058)

(569,013)

Total Sunlands Technology Group shareholders' deficit

(1,211,469)

(1,262,087)

(192,633)

Noncontrolling interest

(658)

(1,008)

(154)

TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT

(1,212,127)

(1,263,095)

(192,787)

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT

3,260,894

3,057,276

466,630



















UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)





















For the Three Months Ended March 31,





2020

2021





RMB

RMB

US$

Net revenues

565,099

694,298

105,971

Cost of revenues

(96,912)

(106,422)

(16,243)

Gross profit

468,187

587,876

89,728

















Operating expenses













Sales and marketing expenses

(457,855)

(606,429)

(92,559)

Product development expenses

(21,395)

(17,916)

(2,735)

General and administrative expenses

(88,502)

(42,298)

(6,456)

Total operating expenses

(567,752)

(666,643)

(101,750)

Loss from operations

(99,565)

(78,767)

(12,022)

Interest income

6,820

5,861

895

Interest expense

(3,187)

(2,557)

(390)

Other income, net

29,028

21,283

3,248

Loss before income tax expenses

(66,904)

(54,180)

(8,269)

Income tax benefit

1,494

348

53

(Loss)/gain from equity method investments

(153)

553

84

Net loss

(65,563)

(53,279)

(8,132)

















Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

(52)

(350)

(53)

















Net loss attributable to Sunlands Technology Group

(65,511)

(52,929)

(8,079)

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders of













Sunlands Technology Group:













Basic and diluted

(9.62)

(7.87)

(1.20)



Weighted average shares used in calculating net loss













per ordinary share:













Basic and diluted

6,809,383

6,729,197

6,729,197



















UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Amounts in thousands)





















For the Three Months Ended March 31,





2020

2021





RMB

RMB

US$

Net loss

(65,563)

(53,279)

(8,132)

Other comprehensive income, net of tax effect of nil:













Change in cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments

19,363

2,422

370

Total comprehensive loss

(46,200)

(50,857)

(7,762)

Less: comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

(52)

(350)

(53)

Comprehensive loss attributable to Sunlands Technology Group

(46,148)

(50,507)

(7,709)



SUNLANDS TECHNOLOGY GROUP RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (Amounts in thousands)









For the Three Months Ended March 31,





2020

2021





RMB

RMB

Net revenues

565,099

694,298

Less: other revenues

(6,794)

(15,422)

Add: tax and surcharges

35,203

37,494

Add: ending deferred revenue

3,105,517

2,902,451

Add: ending refund liability

175,006

232,207

Less: beginning deferred revenue

(3,228,770)

(3,024,443)

Less: beginning refund liability

(128,478)

(232,859)

Gross billings (non-GAAP)

516,783

593,726





































Net loss

(65,563)

(53,279)

Add: income tax benefit

(1,494)

(348)

depreciation and amortization

9,158

8,479

interest expense

3,187

2,557

Less: interest income

(6,820)

(5,861)

EBITDA (non-GAAP)

(61,532)

(48,452)



SUNLANDS TECHNOLOGY GROUP RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (Amounts in thousands)





For the Three Months Ended March 31,



2020

2021



RMB

RMB Cost of revenues

96,912

106,422 Less: Share-based compensation expenses in cost of revenues

(31)

(51) Non-GAAP cost of revenues

96,881

106,371









Sales and marketing expenses

457,855

606,429 Less: Share-based compensation expenses in sales and marketing expenses

(152)

(155) Non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses

457,703

606,274









General and administrative expenses

88,502

42,298 Less: Share-based compensation expenses in general and administrative expenses

(388)

95 Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

88,114

42,393









Operating costs and expense

664,664

773,065 Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(571)

(111) Non-GAAP operating costs and expense

664,093

772,954









Loss from operations

99,565

78,767 Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(571)

(111) Non-GAAP loss from operations

98,994

78,656









Net loss attributable to Sunlands Technology Group

65,511

52,929 Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(571)

(111) Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Sunlands Technology Group

64,940

52,818









Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders of







Sunlands Technology Group:







Basic and diluted

9.62

7.87 Non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders of







Sunlands Technology Group:







Basic and diluted

9.54

7.85









Weighted average shares used in calculating net loss







per ordinary share:







Basic and diluted

6,809,383

6,729,197 Weighted average shares used in calculating Non-GAAP net loss







per ordinary share:







Basic and diluted

6,809,383

6,729,197

SOURCE Sunlands Technology Group

Related Links

www.sunlands.com


TORONTO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Superior Gold Inc. ("Superior Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV: SGI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Chris Jordaan as President, Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Director, effective July 1, 2021. Ms. Tamara Brown will step down as Interim CEO but remain on Superior Gold's Board of Directors (the "Board").

Mr. Jordaan is an accomplished mining executive with 30 years of international processing and mining experience; building, managing and optimizing large-scale mining operations as well as leading large teams in his previous CEO role. Mr. Jordaan holds a Masters degree in both Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration, and has an extensive career operating underground and open-pit mining operations and leading business transformation across Australia, PNG and South Africa.

"We are excited to have an individual of Chris's caliber joining the team to lead the future growth and development of Superior Gold from Perth, Western Australia," commented Mark Wellings, Chairman. "It is a testament to the opportunities and upside potential at Plutonic. Chris has a proven track record of operational transformations and has the ideal experience necessary to execute on the strategy we have laid out to create significant shareholder value. We would also like to thank Tamara Brown for stepping in, articulating our growth strategy and working with the team to start the turnaround at our operations."

Chris Jordaan stated: "I am thrilled to be joining Superior Gold, working closely with the Board and leading the Superior Gold team as we continue the transformation progress made to date at the Plutonic Gold Operations. Together, we will be focused on achieving the Company's strategic goals of sustainably growing our gold production from both underground and open pit operations, combined with the opportunity for belt consolidation in one of the world's most prolific gold mining camps located in the Yilgarn goldfields of Western Australia."

The appointment of Mr. Jordaan as President and CEO is the conclusion of Superior Gold's review of strategic alternatives previously announced by the Company.1 The Board believes that the execution of the Company's business plan under Mr. Jordaan's leadership is the best path forward to maximize value for shareholders.

Chris Jordaan Biography

Mr. Jordaan brings 30 years of international processing and mining industry experience. He has extensive management and operations expertise at global senior and mid-tier mining companies. Mr. Jordaan was most recently with Newcrest Mining Ltd., Australia's largest gold miner, as Programme Director for transformation of PNG operations, General Manager of Lihir Gold Mine, one of the worlds largest gold mines and Chief Performance Officer. Prior to that, he was the CEO of International Ferro Metals Limited, an LSE listed chrome mining and smelting company, with over R2 billion rand in revenue and more than 1,600 employees.

____________________________________ 1 Refer to the Company's News Release on July 30, 2020 for additional information.

About Superior Gold

Superior Gold is a Canadian based gold producer that owns 100% of the Plutonic Gold Operations located in Western Australia. The Plutonic Gold Operations include the Plutonic underground gold mine and central mill, numerous open pit projects including the Plutonic Main Pit push-back project, the Hermes open pit projects and an interest in the Bryah Basin joint venture. Superior Gold is focused on expanding production at the Plutonic Gold Operations and building an intermediate gold producer with superior returns for shareholders.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Forward-looking information includes information with respect to guidance as to projections, outlook, guidance, forecasts, estimates, and other statements regarding future or estimated financial and operational performance, gold production and sales, revenues and cash flows, and capital costs (sustaining and non-sustaining), including projected cash operating costs and all-in sustaining costs) as well as statements with respect to the mine-plan, exploration, drilling, operating and organizational matters and activities relating to the Plutonic Gold Operations and the Company generally, including its liquidity and capital requirements and financial results. Such Forward-looking information also includes information related to the Company's previously announced strategic review process, the potential outcome of such process and the intended maximization of shareholder value that the Company believes may result from such process. By identifying such information in this manner, the Company is alerting the reader that such information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Annual Information Form of the Company for a discussion of other risks including outbreaks or threats of outbreaks of viruses, other infectious diseases or other similar health threats, such as the novel coronavirus outbreak, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company by causing operational and supply chain delays and disruptions, labour shortages, shutdowns, the inability to sell gold, capital markets volatility or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. The Company cannot accurately predict what effects these conditions will have on the Plutonic Gold Operations or the financial results of the Company, including uncertainties relating to travel restrictions to the Plutonic Gold Operations or otherwise and business closures that have been or may be imposed by governments. If an outbreak or threat of an outbreak of a virus or other infectious disease or other public health emergency occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information as no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, and if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange not its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Superior Gold

Related Links

https://www.superior-gold.com/


WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Surgical Care Coalition (SCC) released the following statements after the confirmation of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, American College of Surgeons Executive Director said: "The Surgical Care Coalition congratulates Chiquita Brooks-LaSure for her successful confirmation as CMS Administrator. With decades of experience on the frontlines of health policy, Ms. Brooks-LaSure is a tireless advocate for improving health equity and access to quality care. Surgeons across the country look forward to working with CMS leadership and the entire Biden-Harris administration on advocating for patients and improving access to high-quality surgical care."

John K. Ratliff, MD, FAANS, Chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Washington Committee said: "Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has a track record of addressing our nation's most significant health care challenges. Her deep experience and commitment to improving health care on behalf of patients are needed as our country faces many significant health care policy decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond."

[email protected]

SOURCE Surgical Care Coalition
GREENSBORO, N.C., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT), a leader in the outlet industry, today announced the appointment of Steve Dworkin as Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Steven Silverstein as Assistant Vice President of Leasing. In these roles, Dworkin will be responsible for real estate and new development, while Silverstein will oversee leasing strategy and new development.

"I am delighted to welcome Steve Dworkin and Steven Silverstein to the team," said Stephen Yalof, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Both bring invaluable industry knowledge and insight to their respective roles, and will drive concrete results for the company. Tanger will benefit considerably from their experience delivering consistent results while motivating and inspiring their teams."

Dworkin brings over 20 years of experience across large-scale real estate development and acquisition throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Asia to his role. His expertise in new shopping center development and proven success monetizing excess land to existing portfolios will drive continued growth for Tanger.

"Tanger Outlets has a strong reputation in the industry and was a pioneer in the outlet business," said Dworkin. "I look forward to building upon the company's great tradition of and preeminent place in open-air outlet shopping."

Silverstein's more than 30 years of industry experience will be key to driving prospecting for a new variety of Tanger tenants. Previously, he oversaw a diverse group of major retail and commercial portfolios, including Brookfield Properties and Cousins Properties.

"Creativity and entrepreneurship have been at the core of my leasing efforts over my career, and I'm excited to join Tanger Outlets at a time when the company is leaning into this approach," said Silverstein.

For more information about Tanger Outlets, please visit www.tangeroutlets.com.

About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. is a leading operator of upscale open-air outlet centers that owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 36 centers. Tanger's operating properties are located in 20 states and in Canada, totaling approximately 13.6 million square feet, leased to over 2,500 stores operated by more than 500 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 40 years of experience in the outlet industry and is a publicly-traded REIT. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's website at www.tangeroutlets.com.

Media Contact:

Alexandra Hasenauer

KWT Global

[email protected]

SOURCE Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tangeroutlets.com


CLEVELAND, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations of all sizes are moving toward a digital supply chain, which is rapidly becoming the predominant distribution model  a shift accelerated by COVID-19  according to an industry report released by the Industrial Technology investment banking team from Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL). Supply chain and customer procurement trends, including eCommerce, have been fast-tracked in the pandemic, highlighting the need for participants in the industrial marketplace to consider an expanded use of digital technologies to remain competitive in response to unprecedented market changes.

Supply chain and customer procurement trends, including eCommerce, have been fast-tracked in the pandemic. Tweet this Organizations of all sizes are moving toward a digital supply chain, which is rapidly becoming the predominant distribution model  a shift accelerated by COVID-19  according to an industry report released by the Industrial Technology investment banking team from Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL).

Access the BGL Industrial Technology Insider  Transforming Supply Chains: http://bit.ly/BGLtechinsider

BGL examined trends driving growth in Warehouse Automation, a $14 billion market that is projected to reach $30 billion by 2026, representing 14% compounded annual growth. The report documents a favorable outlook, citing technology innovation which is enhancing the capability, integration, and performance of supply chain automation solutions and making them increasingly more cost-efficient.

Cloud computing, robotics, and inventory/network optimization have seen sizable increases in terms of supply chain investment and are expected to be among the technologies to see the highest adoption over the next five years. Robotics and automation are predicted to be industry disruptors or sources of competitive advantage.

Cloud platforms have dramatically reduced the cost to set up a foundation for connected systems. Data is being collected from IoT and sensors throughout the supply chain and turned into actionable insights, assisted by advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence. Companies that are able to capitalize on collecting and assimilating data streams are making better decisions and driving quantum improvements in their supply chains.

Growing eCommerce sales are driving warehouse automation growth. U.S. online sales surpassed $800 billion in 2020 and are forecasted to reach $1 trillion by 2022. To accommodate growing customer demand, automation can help companies improve order accuracy, expedite order fulfillment, and overcome labor challenges.

Consolidation of material handling equipment providers is increasing as traditional players see acquisition of technology leaders as an increasingly attractive way to enhance competitive positioning in response to changing market trends. Acquisitions by KION (Dematic), KUKA (Swisslog), Toyota (Vanderlande, Bastian Solutions), Hitachi (JR Automation), Honeywell (Intelligrated, Transnorm), Korber (Cohesio Group), and Teradyne (MiR, Energid, AutoGuide Mobile Robots) are some of the recent examples of this consolidation.

About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com.

SOURCE Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

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www.bglco.com


AKRON, Ohio, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blending deep community partnership with intentional strategic initiatives and national philanthropic and placemaking funding support, The Well CDC, located in the heart of the Middlebury community in Akron, OH, has become a beacon for collective redevelopment in the United States, thanks to its largest initiative designed to restore housing.

The Well CDC

Once a thriving city hub, Middlebury saw local industry disintegrate, which led to a steady decline in population, high unemployment rates, and concentrated poverty. Middlebury became one of many case studies for rust belt neighborhoods that have suffered from sustained disinvestment.

Today, however, it is a national case study for a different reason: community development through the built environment.

A driving force behind this change, The Well CDC was officially formalized in 2016, and now it supports three key programmatic pillars:

Creative Economy : Supporting entrepreneurship, career pathways, and partnerships with anchor neighborhood institutions.

: Supporting entrepreneurship, career pathways, and partnerships with anchor neighborhood institutions. Supporting Place: Connecting families to stable houses and career pathways

Connecting families to stable houses and career pathways Restoring Housing : Developing a healthy housing pipeline that provides residents the power to choose the type of housing that fits their current context and future aspirations.

Within the Restoring Housing program, The Well CDC rehabilitates, rather than demolishing, historical structures in its community and then provides quality, affordable rentals to local residents. It acquires and manages housing with a long-term outlook on property development while supporting new-build developments that honor the historic nature of its community.

This year, 60 families in the Middlebury community will be able to have safe, affordable housing in their neighborhoodlike Dreama and Antoinette Jones.

"The Well has had a tremendous impact on our family," states Middlebury resident Dreama. "Earlier this year, our family home caught fire and things could have gotten worse but The Well staff was very supportive and able to get us back into our home. Along with housing, The Well keeps us informed of opportunities that are available to us. All around, we are grateful to be a tenant of theirs. We are looking forward to the opportunity to purchase our home with their help."

Before the end of 2022, The Well CDC team set out to restore 60 homes in 60 months. But with 57 homes currently finalized or in the process of being rehabbed, it will hit its goal by December 2021, a full year ahead of schedule60 homes in 48 months.

"With neighbors leading the way on this initiative for improving our built environment, we've seen momentum and action in Middleburya place with resiliency in its bones," states Zac Kohl, founder and executive director of The Well CDC. "Pair that with significant investments from major funders, and something really special is happening here. We're out to prove that you shouldn't have to leave your neighborhood to find a better one."

The Well CDC is proving that the best support for a disinvested neighborhood is simple: investment. And the community organization has earned investment in the form of grants from major international philanthropic players and local grantmakers alike.

In 2019, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided a $2 million grant to support The Well CDC's housing initiative in Middlebury. In 2021, global venture philanthropy firm, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, which supports early-stage, high-impact social enterprises tackling some of the world's most challenging problems, also added $300,000 in grants plus additional strategic support.

Other critical housing funders and local funders include the City of Akron, PNC Bank, Huntington Akron Foundation, Tim & Pam Knight, Roger & Sally Read, Summa Health, Fifth Third Bank, Akron Community Foundation, The Mary S. & David C. Corbin Foundation, Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, Welty Family Foundation, Charles E. & Mabel M. Ritchie Memorial Foundation, The Vine Fellowship Church.

As investments made in Middlebury become actualized in the neighborhood, The Well CDC will continue to focus on encouraging a thriving community with intentional, community-led investments into housing, placemaking, and economic development initiatives all designed to create quality housing, good-paying jobs, opportunities for entrepreneurship, and social cohesion.

Press Contact: Kat Allen, [email protected], 330-344-9100 Ext. 3

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Zac and Dreama

SOURCE The Well CDC
WATERBURY, Conn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Therap has designed the Business Intelligence dashboards to aggregate agency-wide data for insightful reports. Using this tool, provider agencies in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and the broader Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) settings are able to create meaningful aggregate data reports that allow identification of trends, execution of quality assurance activities, and assessment of overall agency performance in supporting individuals.

Organizations in the human services field can create visually impactful reports across several Business Intelligence dashboards from the captured aggregated data for use at various levels of an agency. Users can visualize the data easily with comparative graphs and charts to help identify trends as well as analyze outcomes which can then help determine quality assurance and assess overall agency performance. Therap's intuitive Business Intelligence dashboards also help agencies to make data-driven decisions which can lead to informed decisions that affect individual outcomes. The reporting dashboards that are currently available for agencies are General Event Reports (GER/Incident Reports), Demographics, Health Tracking, Billing and Data Driven Outcomes (DDO). Each of these dashboards contain standard configurable reports based on the data that users need to view in order to assess agency performance.

Therap provides role-based access which can be extended to agency personnel and external stakeholders. Selective user access based on their roles promotes efficiency and strengthens accountability through enhanced communication. By using the Business Intelligence dashboard, agencies can create meaningful reports that can help them understand how efficiently and effectively they are providing services to the individuals they serve. This can further help them to identify areas where improvements are needed. The use of these dashboards allows agencies to aggregate multiple individuals' goal progress across various data points for comparison with identified agency outcomes and objectives. This also helps users to measure personal outcomes and performance-based outcomes. In conclusion, assessing overall agency performance using Therap's Business Intelligence tools can help organizations distinguish themselves as quality service providers in the industry.

For more information on Therap's Business Intelligence tools, please visit https://www.therapservices.net/business-intelligence-platform/

About Therap

Therap's comprehensive and HIPAA-compliant software is used in human services settings for documentation, communication, reporting, EVV and billing.

Learn more at www.therapservices.net .

SOURCE Therap Services

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http://www.therapservices.net


SAN JOSE, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a part of its 50th anniversary celebration, Togo's , the West Coast's favorite sandwich brand, is introducing a new Cheese Steak Melt at its nearly 200 locations starting on May 28, 2021.

The sandwich, available for a limited time only through the end of September, is Togo's unique take on the classic Philly cheese steak sandwich. Made from scratch in Togo's restaurants, it features over a 1/4 pound of warm, tender steak combined with sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers and sliced onions covered with melted American cheese and just enough chipotle mayo to kick up the flavor.

"For the past 50 years, our delicious sandwiches have been the key to our success, so we thought it was only fitting to introduce another exciting flavor to celebrate our milestone anniversary," said Togo's CEO Glenn Lunde . "We hope limited time creations like our new Cheese Steak Melt, in addition to our signature menu staples, will give our loyal customers more reasons to keep coming back."

The new menu offering is just one of a series of special treats Togo's is offering in May in order to reward its loyal customers as the brand celebrates 50 years of success.

Guests who sign up for Togo's rewards emails will receive exclusive 50th anniversary offers, including $5 off purchases of $25 or more through May 28. New rewards members also get $2 off their first purchase. In addition, guests who follow Togo's on Facebook or Instagram can enter to win e-gift cards worth up to $50 in July.

In honor of its 50th anniversary, Togo's is also offering rewards for its franchise partners. Both existing and aspiring franchise owners will have the opportunity to cash in on Togo's new Development Incentive Program, which includes a 50% savings on the initial franchise fee plus 50% off the first year of franchise royalties. The program will be offered to a limited number of qualified candidates who enter a single- or multi-unit agreement as a Togo's franchisee.

With nearly 200 locations open and under development, Togo's offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to own, build and grow their own businesses with the backing of a proven concept and business model.

Founded in 1971 near San Jose State University in California, Togo's sandwiches are made with only the highest-quality ingredients, including fresh artisan breads, hand-sliced premium pastrami, turkey and roast beef, as well as Hass avocados hand-mashed in-house daily.

Since its introduction, Togo's has continued to raise the bar in the sandwich segment of the restaurant industry, consistently giving its loyal customers a reason to continue to go out of their way to enjoy a Togo's sandwich.

"Togo's has experienced phenomenal success over the past 50 years," said Lunde. "We're excited to continue innovating and growing."

The current initial investment for a Togo's franchise ranges from $216,500 to $451,500, which includes a $15,000 to $30,000 franchise fee. For more information, visit https://www.togos.com/franchising.

ABOUT TOGO'S EATERIES, LLC

Togo's Sandwiches was founded in 1971 in San Jose, California, by a young college student with a large appetite and little money who was looking to make sandwiches the way he liked them  big, fresh and meaty. Today, that spirit of the founder and the original sandwich shop continues. Like the first days of the brand, Togo's products are still made with only the highest quality ingredients, including fresh artisan breads, hand sliced premium pastrami, turkey and roast beef, as well as Hass avocados hand-mashed in-house daily. Togo's is a franchised business that offers entrepreneurs a terrific opportunity to own their own business. With nearly 200 locations open and under development throughout the West, the brand is a restaurant staying ahead of the pack. For more information, to find your closest Togo's location, or to order online, please visit www.togos.com .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Cassidy McAloon

Mainland

[email protected]

312-526-3996

SOURCE Togo's
True Beacon serves over 250 ultra high net worth and high net worth individuals in India, and is headquartered in Bangalore. The company's flagship Fund, True Beacon One, delivered a 32% outperformance of the Indian equity index, NIFTY50, in 2020. True Beacon Global will mirror the flagship Fund's strategy for global institutional and individual investors.

True Beacon Global is based in GIFT City, a special economic zone in Ahmedabad, offering zero taxation on derivative gains, with a single unified regulator equating it to global financial hubs such as Dubai and Singapore.

Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder and CIO, said, "The establishment of True Beacon Global in GIFT City is an exciting new chapter for us, building on our investment track record."

Richard Pattle, Co-founder and CEO, said, "India is one of the most compelling investment destinations for ultra high net worth individuals and institutional investors globally. The company looks forward to playing its part in attracting foreign investment into the country."

About True Beacon

True Beacon operates hybrid funds for strategic investors investing into the Indian capital markets. The flagship fund is open-ended, with zero management fees and a 10% annual performance reward on gains achieved by the company.

True Beacon is creating a community of ultra high net worth and high net worth individuals in India and overseas, driving strategic value through global deal flow, co-investment opportunities, philanthropic initiatives, and next generation educational programmes.

About Nikhil Kamath



Nikhil dropped out of school at 14 to play chess for India and started equity trading 3 years later. In 2010, he co-founded Zerodha, which is now India's largest retail brokerage accounting for 15% of the daily equity volume in India. The company has a valuation of over 2 billion USD and is wholly owned by Nikhil and his brother, Nithin. The brothers recently pledged 100 million USD to climate change. Nikhil is the youngest member of Forbes India's Rich List, 2020.

About Richard Pattle LVO



Richard has been travelling to and working in India for the past 30 years. He spent 18 years as a combat helicopter pilot in the British military, including a year on exchange with the Indian Armed Forces. He worked for the British Royal Family from 2004 to 2014 as Equerry then Master of the Household to Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Before co-founding True Beacon, Richard was Vice Chairman of Standard Chartered Private Bank for 5 years, covering 250 ultra high net worth families globally.

Contact:

Kudrat Khalon

[email protected]

https://truebeacon.com/

SOURCE True Beacon
SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juice Labs, a startup building a drop-in software solution to boost GPU availability and utilization for graphics and computing workloads, is announcing that it has raised $1.75M in seed funding.

Founded in 2020, the company is led by CEO Steve Golik and CTO Dean Beeler. Golik was an early executive at GetFeedback and Turnitin, helping lead both to acquisitions. Beeler comes from Facebook/Oculus, where he invented the now-standard graphics technologies Async Spacewarp (ASW) and VR Direct Mode.

"GPUs and other emerging accelerators are a precious resource that companies are increasingly relying on to fuel innovation and build value, in a wide variety of spaces from machine learning to manufacturing to game development," Golik said. "But Moore's law is dead - supply won't be able to keep up with demand, and despite this crunch, there's tremendous inefficiency in how GPU is being used."

Most business leaders are unaware that the GPUs they're buying or renting are running at only 10-15% capacity because of technical constraints.

"Our drop-in-anywhere software solution gives companies near-100% utilization from the GPUs they already use, dropping costs dramatically and buying time for global capacity to catch up with the massive value creation we all expect from accelerated computing," he added.

Beeler compared the startup to VMware, suggesting it will transform the usage of GPU like virtual machines did for CPU computing. "This is all about leverage," he said. "A company's scarcest and most precious hardware assets shouldn't be squandered by these terribly inefficient configurations."

Juice is currently working with companies in data annotation, manufacturing, and game development to allow multiple client machines (which would normally each lock up an entire GPU) to share the same GPU remotely, layering workloads together to drive up utilization.

As Juice Labs grows, Golik said, they're expanding to cover all possible use cases for accelerators. "Our core tech isn't fundamentally tied to any device, operating system, API, chip vendor, or deployment environment. Especially as demand for edge acceleration rises, we're seeing some very exciting applications for efficient, shareable GPU starting to emerge."

He added, "Our vision is to make accelerated computing as accessible, omnipresent, effortless, and affordable as electricity."

The funding was led by Outsiders Fund, with participation from Krafton Ventures, Twitch founder Kevin Lin, and Oculus founders Brendan Iribe and Nate Mitchell.

"Computing has come to rely on the flexibility of virtual machines for operating systems and network-attached storage for data, but incorporating GPUs into otherwise-dynamic modern computing infrastructure is still awkward and limited," said Outsiders Fund partner and Datto founder Austin McChord in a statement. "There is no bigger scarcity in computing right now than GPU cycles, and the team at Juice Labs has figured out how to broadly optimize access to these cycles."

Contact: [email protected]



.

SOURCE Juice Labs

Related Links

https://www.juicelabs.co


US Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas): I understand from whats been testified to the Forest Service and the BLM [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. We know theres been significant solar flare activity, and so  is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moons orbit, or the Earths orbit around the sun? Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate.

Jennifer Eberlein, associate deputy chief for the National Forest System, responded that she would have to follow up with you on that one, after a brief pause.

Gohmert: Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service can make that change, Id like to know.
Chancellor Brian Cole said, "As a respected working director, producer and award-winning filmmaker, Deborah has a passion and enthusiasm for the craft. She has an out-of-the-box collaborative style that will provide UNCSA students with the skills to navigate the changing entertainment landscape and better position them for successful careers in the film, television and streaming content industries."

LaVine said, "It's an exciting time to be at the UNCSA School of Filmmaking. From day one, the school offers students a hands-on approach to learning through innovative programs and utilizing state-of-the-art facilities. I am especially excited by the juxtaposition of experimental art and creating a sustainable future for students. There is a unique opportunity at UNCSA with five arts conservatories on one campus for cross-collaborative experiences that mirror the way the industry is evolving. We've seen more disruption in the filmmaking space than ever before, and students must be prepared to think differently and find new ways to tell stories. I'm inspired by the creative possibilities at UNCSA and honored to lead the program."

LaVine is a working filmmaker and is currently partnering with "Coda" lead Troy Kotsur to develop a project they will co-direct. She has directed numerous award-winning short films including "Unintended" and "Lost Music," as well as the feature film "Wild Prairie Rose," which is available on multiple platforms and has received awards at film festivals across the United States and Canada. She has also directed a multitude of theatrical productions, including Deaf West Theater's highly touted Los Angeles production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" staged in English and American Sign Language.

LaVine comes to the UNCSA School of Filmmaking from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) where she was program director of the graduate-level film directing program. LaVine developed an international exchange program between the film directing program and RISEBA University of Business Arts and Technology in Riga, Latvia; the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB); and the Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague, Czech Republic. She also developed the Guest Artist Workshop, hosting industry luminaries Chloe Zhao, Darren Aronfsky, Alfonso Cuaron, Ewan McGregor, Terence Nance, Nanfu Wang, James Mangold, Ramin Bahrani and more.

LaVine is the second woman to lead the UNCSA School of Filmmaking, which has had a majority female incoming class for the past two years. As dean, she will serve on the board of directors of RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem and the advisory board of the UNCSA Media + Emerging Technology Lab (METL). LaVine succeeds Susan Ruskin who served as dean from 2013-2019.

"I could not be more thrilled to welcome Deborah to an all-star team of leaders at UNCSA who will take our conservatory into the next era of cinematic storytelling," said Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Patrick J. Sims. "Her background in telling diverse stories as well as her ability to be a powerful role model for the entire student body in the School of Filmmaking will be invaluable."

About UNCSA School of Filmmaking



Consistently recognized as among the nation's best training programs for filmmakers, the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts has produced some of today's most creative storytellers, including Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Zach Seivers, Brett Haley, Rebecca Green, Jody Hill, Jeff Nichols, Vera Herbert, Martha Stephens, Aaron Katz and Zoe White.

The award-winning faculty in the School of Filmmaking have decades of real-world experience and a passion for mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in concentrations that include animation, cinematography, directing, film music composition, picture editing and sound design, producing, production design and visual effects, and screenwriting. The film school's Media + Emerging Technology Lab (METL) is dedicated to the exploration and production of immersive storytelling content.

An annual trip to Los Angeles to screen thesis films helps connect students to the industry to launch careers, and partnerships with the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem and the Sundance Film Festival provide crucial practical opportunities.

During the pandemic, the School of Filmmaking at UNCSA maintained in-person instruction and continued producing student films, which were created using industry standard safety protocols and employing safety monitors. Students in the School of Filmmaking make more than 130 films a year with all equipment and financing provided by the university. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UNCSA has showcased third- and fourth-year films online, expanding the audience worldwide.

Several UNCSA alumni are associated with this year's Oscar-nominated films: Zach Seivers was sound recording mixer and sound supervisor for Best Picture winner "Nomadland," and Kaitlyn Ali was key editing production assistant for "The Trial of the Chicago 7," nominated for six awards, including best achievement in film editing. Seivers also received a BAFTA nomination.

Two 2021 graduates of the undergraduate directing program were chosen for prestigious fellowships. Jo Hatcher was one of 11 screenwriters selected to participate in the Sundance Institute's ninth annual Screenwriters Intensive in March, and Travis Stewart is one of 50 filmmakers nationwide who will participate in the Television Academy's Summer Fellows program.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is America's first state-supported arts school, a unique stand-alone public university of arts conservatories. With a high school component, UNCSA is a degree-granting institution that trains young people of talent in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem ("The City of Arts and Innovation") in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system when it was formed in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.

Images are provided by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for editorial use by the news media.

Please visit our online newsroom to read more news about UNCSA.

SOURCE University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Related Links

http://www.uncsa.edu


Specialty building materials distributor US LBM to grow in Midwest and California and expand to Colorado and Washington. Tweet this

"With the addition of the ACS portfolio, US LBM will strengthen our position in the Midwest and California, and expand our reach to Colorado and Washington, two quickly growing construction markets," said US LBM President and CEO L.T. Gibson. "We look forward to working with the ACS team and their local operators to continue leveraging their strong relationships, experience and teams to grow in their respective markets."

"ACS joining US LBM is a perfect outcome based on the alignment of our shared strategy to preserve longstanding local lumberyard brands and operations while delivering a great customer experience," said James Drexinger, CEO of ACS. "We are grateful to our customers, suppliers, leadership team, salespeople and associates for their support. Together we have built a significant industry platform while simultaneously honoring the 100-plus year heritage of the local brands and family legacies we have acquired."

US LBM has completed more than 65 acquisitions since it was founded in 2009, including four since being acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity in late 2020. On May 3, US LBM announced the acquisition of Higginbotham Brothers, a building products dealer with 40 locations in Texas and Oklahoma.

Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including requisite regulatory approvals.

Debt financing for the transaction is being led by Barclays and Credit Suisse. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to Bain Capital Private Equity.

About US LBM

US LBM is a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty products, including windows, doors, millwork, wallboard, roofing, siding, engineered components and cabinetry, US LBM combines the scale and operational advantages of a national platform with a local go-to-market strategy through its national network of locations across the country. For more information, please visit www.uslbm.com.

About American Construction Source

American Construction Source is an LBM distributor with 70+ locations in nine states serving the needs of custom home builders, repair & remodel contractors, and DIY consumers. ACS provides lumber and building materials businesses the resources, leverage, and focus to make their ideas happen. Recognizing the value and heritage of deep, local customer relationships as a strong foundation for growth, ACS's best practices are designed to leverage shared strengths, drive operational excellence, and motivate performance to create a leading building products distributor with a national footprint and a great customer experience. ACS is backed by Angeles Equity Partners and Clearlake Capital Group. Learn more online at www.acs-lbm.com.

Contact: Timothy Wirth

US LBM Communications

484-886-5705

[email protected]

SOURCE US LBM

Related Links

https://uslbm.com


NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Khaled Salem, the popular candidate running for the U.S. Senate against Chuck Schumer in 2022, today implored the United Nations and the State of Israel to "finish the job" by ending efforts of the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza and the West Bank by destroying all missiles and the illegal tunnels used to transport weapons. The range of the deadly rockets and missiles launched by Hamas make clear how dangerous and capable the terrorists are of bombing Israeli cities and the West Bank settlements.

Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate and CEO of American Human Rights Organization Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate and CEO of American Human Rights Organization

Khaled specifically calls on President Joseph Biden, the United States Congress and NATO to support Israel and its people and to not give in to terrorist-sponsored Palestinian protests instigated by Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. The terrorist-sponsored nations know that Israel is the first line of defense for western civilization against radical Islam.

"It is in the best interest of all peaceful nations to understand the dangerous, growing range of terrorist missiles launched at Israeli citizens from Gaza. I commend the Israeli military and admire its efforts over 11 days of fighting as Israel defends its citizens. The missiles pummeling Israel have a longer reach every year, now up to 150 km, because of Iranian-sponsored terrorist technology. Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, Iran, various Arab nations and Turkey are behind the scenes and intent on Israel's demise. I believe that it is crucial for America to support the Jewish State's governance of the West Bank, as 70% of Israel's Jewish population and 80% of Israel's industrial base are located within a 100 square mile area."

As Khaled explained, if Hamas and Hezbollah gain access to the West Bank, Israel could be decimated in hours. Iranian-made rockets can now reach Northern Israel and the Lebanon border, which is especially troubling.

Khaled also brought another issue to light after having traveled to Ukraine. On a recent trip, he was penalized and detained at the airport, because of his place of birth even his holding U.S. citizenship. Khaled is sending a strong message to the U.S. State Department of State to allow the option of omitting the place of birth on U.S. passports to protect dual citizens abroad from discrimination.

In further policy announcements, Khaled plans to introduce re-education and training Bills for Americans affected by COVID-19 job loss. He will ask Congress to create a subsidy for Americans able to return to work after having received their vaccinations but are hesitant to lose unemployment insurance, in order to guarantee that their families will be fed and safe.

Key global policy positions from Mr. Salem include:

 Free university education for American students with a $0 budget from the government to support this plan.

 Laws and procedures to reduce domestic violence nationwide.

 The establish a home loan program for middle class single parents with no penalty for credit history.

 Freeing US citizens who are allegedly detained abroad.

 Free medical insurance for American people.

* Reduce the NY State Sales Tax for six years until the state recovers from COVID-19 economic hardship.

Khaled asks New York Voters to look not at his religion or where he came from, but rather what he offers to the citizenry in terms of policy.

Khaled policy positions argue for free university education for American students with a $0 budget from the government to support this plan.

Salem is running in the next general election, scheduled for November 8, 2022. Thirty-four of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested in these elections.

visit https://www.khaled2022forcongress.com/

https://www.instagram.com/khaled2022forcongress/

Media Contact

U.S. Senate Candidate Khaled Salem

[email protected]

1-518-348-6868



SOURCE U.S. Senate Candidate Khaled Salem
Request a Free Sample Report to Know More

End-user sectors such as the hospitality and the healthcare industries in some regions will create opportunities for catering service providers mainly because of the lower penetration of organized catering services. This will contribute to spend growth in the global catering industry.

The report also offers information on the upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth.

Download Our Free Sample Report

Catering Market in India: Key Price Trends

Labor costs are expected to increase year-over-year globally during the forecast period, ultimately impacting the costs of services in the catering industry.

However, the competitive nature within the catering industry will compel suppliers to bear some of their production costs even at the expense of their profit margin. This will help stabilize the price hike.

Insights Offered in this Catering Market Report

Supplier relationship management practices in the catering industry

Supplier margins and selection criteria in the catering industry

Top catering service providers and their cost structures

Top catering service providers in the US and their cost structures

Catering industry spend analysis in the US

Explore more about market opportunities: Enquire about the report before purchasing

Some of the top Catering suppliers listed in this report:

This Catering procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

ISS AS

US Foods Inc.

Sodexo Group

Compass Group Plc

Aramark

Performance Food Group Co.

Regional Analysis

Further breakdown of the market segmentation at requested regions.

Market Player Information

Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players, vendor segmentation, and vendor offerings.

Know the strategies adopted by vendors during the COVID-19 Recovery Phase.

Speak to our Analyst for a Customized Report

Related Reports on Facility Management Market:

Commercial Laundry Machinery - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report: Leading global suppliers can assist buyers in realizing high-cost savings through their efforts on areas such as backward integration, supplier synergies, reducing total ownership cost, conference participation, managing commodity price volatility, negotiate on pricing and contractual terms, ad-hoc spend management, operations automation, and cost of quality impact.

Report: Leading global suppliers can assist buyers in realizing high-cost savings through their efforts on areas such as backward integration, supplier synergies, reducing total ownership cost, conference participation, managing commodity price volatility, negotiate on pricing and contractual terms, ad-hoc spend management, operations automation, and cost of quality impact. Intelligent Evacuation System - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on experience, width of product portfolio, flexibility, and ability to provide excellent maintenance and support. In addition, suppliers are also shortlisted based on business needs, technical specifications, operational requirements, security compliance, and more.

Kitchen Equipment - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The kitchen equipment will grow at a CAGR of 4.72% during 2020-2024. Prices will increase by 2.5%-4% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market.

To access the definite purchasing guide on the Catering that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis:

Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Catering TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

How is the price forecast expected to change? What is driving the current and future price changes?

Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities?

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

To know more https://www.spendedge.com/request-for-demo

Contact

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

Report: www.spendedge.com/report/catering-services-market-procurement-research-report

SOURCE SpendEdge
A Mindful State is fueled by the lived experiences of Washingtonians sharing personal stories of their own struggles and triumphs. It offers practical advice from experts and advocates in mental health and a growing list of resources to find help and hope.

"This campaign offers a people-powered experience," explains Lyle Quasim, member of the Governor's Social Supports Community Leaders Group, "A Mindful State has woven together a rich tapestry of personal stories and expert advice that show we are not alone, but part of something bigger than ourselves  and connected in ways never realized."

An estimated 50% to 60% of Washingtonians (three to four million people) are expected to have clinically significant mental and behavioral health symptoms resulting from the impact COVID-19 has had in their lives and communities. Clinically significant symptoms are substantial enough to impair social, occupational or other areas of functioning.

"The issue of emotional well-being is a growing concern," notes Sonya Campion, Social Supports Community Leaders Group Chairperson, "but the good news is these statistics suggest there are three to four million more people who can help others who are struggling. We want to encourage people to simply check-in with five people a week. You don't have to be an expert to make a difference  you can be there for people, listen and help them know you care,"

A Mindful State is supported by an integrated communications campaign designed to reach all Washingtonians  particularly historically underrepresented groups. A Mindful State is available to everyone and people everywhere are encouraged to listen, learn and share their own stories.

Any content or material shared by A Mindful State is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional help for people in crisis.

Connect with A Mindful State at:

A Mindful State  Facebook  Twitter - Instagram

Learn more about the Governor's Social Supports Community Leaders Group

Contact: Holly Rosenfeld

M: (206) 566-1037

[email protected]

SOURCE Washington State Department of Health
EXTON, Pa., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), a global leader in innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, today announced that management will present at the Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference at 2:30 PM ET on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

A live broadcast of the event will be available at the Company's website, www.westpharma.com, in the "Investors" section under "Events".

About West

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-quality injectable solutions and services. As a trusted partner to established and emerging drug developers, West helps ensure the safe, effective containment and delivery of life-saving and life-enhancing medicines for patients. With almost 10,000 team members across 50 sites worldwide, West helps support our customers by delivering over 40 billion components and devices each year.

Headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, and in business for nearly a century, West in its fiscal year 2020 generated over $2.15 billion in sales. West is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: WST) and is included on the Standard & Poor's 500 index. For more information, visit https://www.westpharma.com/.

All trademarks and registered trademarks used in this release are the property of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. or its subsidiaries, in the United States and other jurisdictions, unless otherwise noted.

SOURCE West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.westpharma.com/


AHMEDABAD, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The best SEO company in India - Studio45 - is using advanced Search Engine Optimisation in the right way with numerous SEO tactics to attract potential customers to a website. Started in 2007, Studio45 has made its way to create a place for its clients on the internet with approximately 3.5 billion searches on Google every single day.

SEO Comapany in India

For companies like pest control, Managed IT solutions, online jewellery stores, eCommerce, construction, manufacturing, etc., Studio45 is dedicated to getting clients ranked on the first page of Google, Yahoo, Bing, and various other search engines. Pinku Ranpura said, "If anyone wants to escalate their website to the first page of Google SERP, SEO is the only solution to make it happen."

Studio45 is one of many search engine optimisation entities operating in the heart of India - Ahmedabad. The company supports using various strategies for a single project in the right way, pace with the latest SEO trends & needs regarding keyword research, voice search, Google's BERT, video marketing, artificial intelligence, featured snippet, EAT/branded SEO, and influencer SEO.

Studio45 focuses on the latest SEO techniques that Google just launched in 2020, such as three metrics: Core Web Vitals to measure user experience, which includes website loading time, visual stability, and interactivity. All of these strategies focus on page speed. Hence, the website development, designers, and SEO experts of Studio45 ensure the fastest loading website of their clients. Perhaps, that's what makes them the best SEO agency in India .

Their development services comprise:

Website

WordPress

Shopify Development

PSD to HTML

E-Commerce

Web API Integration

They also have a team of dedicated developers of PHP, WordPress, and advanced website designers.

With deep knowledge in various fields of their experts, the company offers its services in Australia, India, the U.S.A., Dubai, and many other areas on the world map.

Their expertise is the reason why the company is listed as the top SEO agency In India on Clutch, and the dedication of each employee has led Pinku Ranpura to hold the entire brand 'high' internationally. They also help newbies establish their small business in the market and strengthen the brand identity with steadfast SEO services. There is a lot more to be offered by Studio45 such as a whole package of website creation and maintenance.

To know more or to explore Studio45's services, visit their website here: https://studio45.in

Related Images

seo-comapany-in-india.jpg

SEO Comapany in India

SEO Comapany in India

SOURCE Studio45 IT Services PTY LTD
SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wohler Technologies announce two new features to their flagship iAM-12G-SDI AV Monitor, the world's first 2U 16 channel 12G to offer the option of Dolby ATMOS monitoring.

With the introduction of an optional 'plug-in' AoIP card, Wohler has further enhanced the flexibility and available choice of signal sources. Offering primary & secondary RJ-45 Ethernet ports for hitless SMPTE 2022-7 support for Dante, Ravenna and SMPTE 2110-30 signals, the new card also benefits from a MADI input on BNC, a TOSLINK (SPDIF) input and 8 channels of balanced analog inputs.

Newly added "Output Routing" allows channels to be either routed, or combined and routed, in custom ways to various destination outputs. It may be applied to signals being monitored directly from the front panel, or by using presets that have been created to apply the Output Routing. This feature will be released as a free upgrade to existing users and included in all new shipments.

"These new features are important additions that allow our customers to benefit from additional routing capabilities and the IP signal source options they need today. The AoIP card offers an easy upgrade path for additional signal sources when required. Wohler's successful product development continues to be led by working closely with our users, incorporating their valuable feedback into our roadmap," says Kim Templeman-Holmes, VP of Sales and Marketing.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

Photos:https://www.prlog.org/12870876

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Wohler Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

https://wohler.com


IronRidge also has a very attractive portfolio of West African gold projects

( ) has hit additional broad and high-grade lithium pegmatite drill intersections at new targets adjacent to the Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana.

At Ewoyaa IronRidge has already defined a resource 14.5mln tonnes grading 1.31% lithium oxide (Li2O) in the inferred and indicated category, including 4.5mln tonnes at 1.39% Li2O in the indicated category.

Highlights from the recent drilling include 50 metres at 1.36% Li2O, 24 metres at 1.3% Li2O, 21 metres at 1.29% Li2O, and 17 metres at 1.48% Li2O.

The current drilling programme, which is ongoing, is designed to add resource tonnes within the immediate Ewoyaa resource area and to test new exploration targets within the adjacent Saltpond license, as well as to test new spodumene-bearing pegmatites.

"We are highly encouraged with the ongoing results received, which continue to confirm additional high grades in new exploration targets tested, said Vincent Mascolo, chief executive of IronRidge.

"The Board is delighted to have defined a new mineralised structure at the Ewoyaa North target, where broad pegmatite intersections, including 50 metres at 1.36% Li2O, have been reported, which remains open along strike and is within 210m of the currently defined resource footprint. We are confident the additional exploration targets will increase resource scale and improve project economics.
A look at the major movers on the London market on Tuesday

Shareholders in ( ) were shaking with excitement after a positive update.

The company, which specialises in software aimed at the advertising market, said it had turned in a record performance for the first quarter, which is traditionally a quieter period for the business.

Revenues jumped 96% to US$63mln while profits soared from US$0.5mln to US$27.5mln.

Tremor added that it was confident in its medium to long-term prospects and was well placed to benefit from the "ongoing resurgence in the global digital advertising industry".

The company also said it intended to list in the US on the Nasdaq Global Market via an offering of American Depositary Shares.

Its Aim-listed shares meanwhile have risen 10.2% to 778p.

3.09pm: Food business flounders

Greencore PLC ( ) shares were looking stale after the food producer revealed a drop in first half revenes.

They fell 19% to 577mln as people bought fewer ready-made sandwiches during lockdown, pushing the business into a 2mln loss compared to a 27mln profit.

But the company said things were picking up in the first seven weeks of the second half, with revenues 64% better than the year before.

If the UK continues on course for easing restrictions, it believed full year profits should come in higher than the 2020 figure.

But its shares have dropped 16.86% to 142p.

Neil Wilson at Marketscom said: "Shares have enjoyed a good run so a bit of profit-booking on the results can be expected, but the reaction in the share price looks overdone  this is very much backward-looking data. Indeed, these results kind of underscore what we already know  anything up to the end of March was incredibly tough, but since then things are improving quickly."

1.56pm: E-commerce business raises nearly 6mln

PLC ( ) is in fashion after a successful fundraising.

The online womenswear brand raised 5.77mln through an oversubscribed placing and offer at 20p a share.

The company's co-chief executives Ali Hall and Julie Lavington said: "We are delighted to have completed our successful fundraise, with both new and existing shareholders showing their support for the business and our growth plans...

"Over the past twelve months we have demonstrated our agility by delivering increased sales, better cost efficiencies, increased engagement with customers and an expanded product range despite a very challenging and volatile market backdrop. It is clear that we have an offering that is resonating well with our customers and the desirability of our product range has been shown by being chosen to appear on the platforms of three major British retailers.

"We see many opportunities for growth both on our own site and through retail partners in the coming months and beyond. The proceeds from the placing will provide us with the balance sheet flexibility to enable us to capitalise on these opportunities."

The company's shares have climbed 15% or 3p to 23p on the news.

11.46am: Blockchain business boosted

( ) is in demand after it announced the opening of an office in Gibraltar.

The blockchain research and development company said Gibraltar offered a number of benefits including access to EU membership, tax-free income, a low annual renewal fee and freedom to conduct business globally.

Chief executive Clem Chambers said: "Online Blockchain is particularly suited to such a benign and forward-thinking jurisdiction, and can capitalise on the many opportunities that Gibraltar affords."

The company's shares are up 16.05% to 47p.

10.50am: Car dealership benefits from re-opening

( ) has turned in a strong performance since its car dealerships reopened on 12 April.

Lile for like sales in the first four months of the year rose 26.6% compared to the overall market rise of 16.2%.

So it now expects full year profits to "comfortably exceed" the current analysts forecast of 34mln, despite the continuing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

Chief executive Mark Raban said: "It's encouraging to see our strong trading momentum continuing with a very positive customer response following the reopening of our dealerships. The steps we have taken to evolve and enhance our digital offer are being well received and we have a number of further developments in the pipeline."

Lookers is ahead 7.19% or 4.6p at 68.6p.

9.54am: Drug development specialist sees shares slip back

Drug development group ( ) has fallen back after continuing setbacks due to the pandemic.

It said COVID-19 continues to delay the final preclinical studies for its SDC-1801 molecule for autoimmune disease, which it needs to complete before filing a clinical trial application.

It now expects these toxicity and safety studies to be completed in the third quarter of this year, rather than the middle of 2021. It expects to file a clinical trial application in the fourth quarter, given no further delays, which would mean the first studies could start early in 2022, subject to financing.

Meanwhile the UKRI-funded COVID-19 research project for SDC-1801 is expected to complete on schedule with the experimental phases finishing in June and the data analysis to complete shortly thereafter. It said initial results from this research were encouraging and demonstrated that SDC-1801 reduced the levels of cytokines associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in human lung cells infected with SARS-CoV-2.

If the completed studies are successful, the Company plans to explore the possibility for further UK government funding from the recently launched AGILE clinical development platform, which has been established to fund Phase 1 trials and fast-track the development of potentially ground-breaking Covid-19 treatments.

Sareum shares are down 8.49% or 0.23p to 2.42p.

8.48am: Business services group buoyant

( ) is in demand after beating expectations and unveiling a couple of deals.

The legal and business services group said full year revenues grew 13% to 338mln and profits of 34mln were around 15% better than the City had been expecting.

It also announced it was paying 1.8mln for Zing 365, a compliance training business, and 2.2mln for a Canadian loss adjuster, BCA Claims & Consulting.

DWF shares have climbed 8.79% or 8.4p to 104p.

8.27am: Betting firm jumps on US licence agreement

Shares in PLC ( ) are looking a good bet after the gaming and technology group received a key US licence.

The company's advanced deposit wagering business, WatchandWager.com, has received a one-year approval from the West Virginia Racing Commission, a licence which will be renewable annually.

The licence allows WatchandWager to accept wagers from the state's nearly 1.8 million residents. West Virginia is the home of Charlestown Races and Mountaineer Racetrack for Thoroughbreds, as well as greyhound tracks. WatchandWager can now accept wagers from 25 states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Washington.

Ed Comins, president of WatchandWager, said: "We are delighted to receive this licence from the West Virginia Racing Commission for WatchandWager. We believe that this licecse will be mutually beneficial to both the company and the state in the forms of revenue and taxes generated from wagering. We are equally pleased to support West Virginia's horse breeding industry by making contributions to purse funds that reward the racing and ownership of West Virginia-bred horses and greyhounds."

Webis shares have jumped 17.47% or 0.69p to 4.64p on the news.

Also heading higher is ( ).

Its shares are up 6.98% or 0.3p to 4.6p after it announced a 12.5% or 19mln tonne upgrade for its Kallak iron ore project in northern Sweden.

Chief executive Kurt Budge said: "I am delighted with the results of this upgraded Mineral Resource Estimate and the doubling of the Exploration Target, which clearly demonstrate the potential for a mine at Kallak to supply high-quality iron ore over several decades for fossil-free steel production in Sweden."

The Kallak mine however remains controversial, with claims it would do environmental damage, and a final decision has yet to be given.

Proactive news headlines

s ( ) ( ) ( ) major clinical trial programs planned for CimetrA, CannEpil and CogniCann in 2021 are actively progressing across Australia, Israel and Brazil.

( ) said the first three telecoms companies offering bundled Xbox cloud gaming subscriptions in Europe are using Bangos payments platform.

( ), the UK property investment company, has sold a retail unit in Nottingham at auction for 0.7mln, in line with the most recent valuation.

( ) said it is on track to roll out its first consumer cannabidiol product range in August this year followed by a product range for the after-sport recovery market next spring.

Silence Therapeutics PLC (LON:SLN, NASDAQ:SLN) said it has received the final US$40mln from an US$80mln cash and equity investment from , adding that it expects to be working on up to five drug targets in the next three years with the Anglo-Swedish giant.

( ), a mobile gaming content developer and licensor, said it has been awarded an interactive gaming manufacturer licence by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, marking the group's third US state licence.

(LON:TILS, ) said it has begun treating a patient with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis using nasally-administered Foralumab, the companys fully-human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody.

( ) said it has joined the newly-formed Bitcoin Mining Council (BMC), an organisation comprised of North American cryptocurrency miners designed to promote energy transparency and improve sustainable mining practices.

( ) has begun the second phase of drilling on the Hancock licence, part of the Hamersley direct shipping iron ore project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The programme follows on from a highly encouraging maiden drilling program recently completed.

( ) said the next few years are set to be transformational for the company as it targets moving into new areas. In its results statement covering 2020, the iodine producer confirmed that last year was a record-breaking one for the company while the first quarter of 2021 saw record revenues, partly as a result of the sale of excess inventory.

( ) told investors that equipment to complete and test the West Newton B-1Z well, in Yorkshire, has now been mobilised.

( ) has updated on the Cascadura Deep-1 well, in the Ortoire block in Trinidad, which has been boosted by new well pressure data.

( ) has hit additional broad and high-grade lithium pegmatite drill intersections at new targets adjacent to the Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana. Highlights include 50 metres at 1.36% Li2O, 24 metres at 1.3% Li2O, 21 metres at 1.29% Li2O, and 17 metres at 1.48% Li2O.

( ) provided an updated JORC-compliant bankable feasibility study for its Tulkubash oxide gold project in the Kyrgyz Republic and said it is in the process of starting exploration works for the 2021 season.

The AIM-quoted company also said it was in talks to complete the financing package for the project, but warned that this could be affected by current events in the mining sector of the former Soviet republic.

AfriTin Mining Limited ( ) said the outstanding balance of the 2019 convertible loan note has now been settled in full, with 2.2mln of the 3.8mln converted into shares and the balance settled in cash, with the outstanding 2020 loan note facility of 2.25mln also settled in full, in cash. The Orange Trust will, after converting its 2019 notes, increase its holding in the company from 5.9% to 6.6%.

( ) will use the Investor Meet Company platform to allow shareholders to follow proceedings of its annual general meeting on June 3, and hear from the company via the live presentation and Q&A session immediately following the AGM. The Company will also provide an online recording, available on the platform and the company's website after the meeting.

( ) announced that it will attend the 'Mello Healthcare; Invest in Good Health' online conference on Tuesday, 25 May, from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Chief executive Richard Hullihen will present and take questions from participants.

Group PLC ( ) chief executive Ian Simm and chief financial officer Charlie Ridge will give a presentation its results for the six months to 31 March 2021 in a webinar on Friday 28 May 2021 at 11.45 am BST. The online presentation is open to existing and potential shareholders and registration is free.

( ) has shared its annual report and accounts ahead of its annual general meeting on 16 June, with shareholders urged to register their proxy appointment electronically and attend the meeting remotely. The company provided clarification on the final dividend, which will be paid on 23 July 2021 to shareholders on the register as at 25 June.

( ) chairman Peter George purchased 30,000 ordinary shares in the company at a price of 62.5apiece for his Individual Savings Account on 21 May 2021.

( ) announced that on 24 May senior independent non-executive director David Turner acquired 124,500 ordinary shares at an average price of 113.51p apiece.

( ) announced that its previously advised ex-dividend and record date for the declared final dividend of 1.05p have been updated, with the ex-dividend date now 17 June 2021 and the updated record date will now be 18 June.

( ) highlighted encouraging evidence of oil as it provided an operations update for its projects in Alaska.

( ) has commissioned consultant Xodus Group Ltd for an updated competent person's report (CPR) to assess the Barracuda field, in Nigerias Niger Delta.

( ) has raised 11.7mln of new capital to fund an appraisal well at the Anchois Gas Development offshore Morocco.
Moscow court fines Google $55,000 for refusal to delete banned content

 flickr.com/mjmonty

16:35 25/05/2021

MOSCOW, May 25 (RAPSI)  A magistrate judge of the Tagansky District Courts judicial district in Moscow on Tuesday fined Google LLC 4 million rubles ($55,000) for refusal to delete information prohibited by Russian law, the courts press service told RAPSI.

The company was found guilty of failure to delete banned information twice. Thus, the court imposed on the defendant two fines in the amound of 2 million rubles each.

In early April, a magistrate court imposed three fines on Twitter totaling to 8.9 million rubles ($120,000). The company failed to delete statements calling minors to take part in illegal rallies. The ruling came into force.

Previously, Russias communications watchdog Roskomnadzor reminded that after the notification, the platforms failed to block the prohibited information within 24 hours and could face fines ranging from 800,000 to 4 million rubles (10,500  55,000). In case of the repeated violation the social network would face an increased fine, according to Russias communications watchdog Roskomnadzor.




( ) Technical Director Dr. Satinder Purewal joins Proactive London to explain why they have commissioned Xodus Group Ltd, a leading global energy consultancy, to produce an updated Competent Persons Report on the Barracuda Field.

Purewal also introduces himself, with 40 years' experience in global exploration and production experience for big projects, including four years in Nigeria.

He was the head of European reserves assurance and global reserves training in Shell.

The firm is hoping the independent report will provide a full technical and economic review of the Barracuda Field, assessing the latest data to define the assets geological profile and overall potential.
The CMA has opened an invitation to comment until 3 June for parties involved

PLCs ( ) proposed US$39bn (27.5bn) acquisition of , Inc. is now under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The watchdog said it is considering whether it is or may be the case that this transaction will become a merger. If so, it may result in a substantial lessening of competition across the relevant markets, it added.

The CMA has opened an invitation to comment until 3 June for parties involved.

The FTSE 100 pharma giant has received approval in the US, Canada, Brazil, Russia but was still waiting for the green light from the UK, the EU and Japan.

The megadeal, announced in December, would allow the Anglo-Swedish group to boost its growing presence in immunology.

The deal will see Alexion shareholders paid US$175 for each share, made up of US$60 in cash and 2.1243 American depositary shares (ADSs), which each represent one-half of one ordinary share.

Shares in the firm were flat at 8,111p on Tuesday morning.
Work is well underway on a 13,000 metre program led by contractors ESAFOR and FORACO

Madaouela is a uranium project located in north central Niger in one of the most significant areas of producing sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the world

Inc ( ) ( ) said it has started drilling at its Madaouela uranium project in Niger ahead of a planned feasibility study.

The junior resource company told investors that work is well underway on a 13,000 metre program led by contractors ESAFOR and FORACO.

The five-month program is designed to also cover infrastructure, tailings, geotechnical studies, and reconfirmation of water supply from the recently published updated pre-feasibility study on the project, GoviEx CEO Daniel Major said in a statement.

We have already shipped a one tonne metallurgical sample that is currently on route to South Africa for further confirmatory feasibility study-level metallurgical test work. With the continually improving uranium price, and two already Mine Permitted projects at Madaouela in Niger and Mutanga in Zambia, it is a very exciting time to be moving our projects forward as we work to create value for all stakeholders," Major added.

Vancouver-based GoviEx plans to drill to a 50-metre grid spacing within the planned open pit shape to confirm an indicated resource for molybdenum mineralization, with final corroboration of the geotechnical slope design for the Miriam deposit on the property.

The firm is also hoping to verify whether dewatering Miriam will support process water requirements rather than developing a standalone field, which would potentially reduce operating costs and environmental impacts.

Madaouela currently hosts 79.4 million pounds of indicated contained uranium and 31.4 million pounds in the measured category. A preliminary economic assessment pegged the initial mine life at 21 years, while pre-production capital was US$359 million, with total life-of-mine-costs pegged at US$36.4 per pound of uranium.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
Panaji, May 25 : Amid reluctance among people in the age group above 45 years to vaccinate themselves, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has announced another outreach programme.

It will involve government officials fanning out across villages and municipal areas to reach out to nearly 40 per cent of the population of 45-plus who have eluded the Covid shot.

Sawant's Tika Utsav 2.0 will be launched on Wednesday, even as top officials claim that the ongoing Covid curfew and the aftermath of cyclone Tauktae appear to have deterred people above 45 years from appearing for vaccination.

"Through the Tika Utsav 2.0, we will reach everyone (above 45 years) and get them vaccinated. From May 26, the Tika Utsav will reach all gram panchayats and municipalities. We had started Tika Utsav in 168 places last time, we will cover more places now," Sawant said.

Sawant said that the Tika Utsav 2.0 was aimed at giving the first vaccination dose to the 40 percent of the population above 45 years and would not facilitate administering of the second dose.

"We have seen that in the 45 and above years category, we have not been able to cover 100 per cent.

After the Goa government started Tika Utsav, almost sixty per cent in this category had got themselves vaccinated. Nearly forty percent in this category still need to be vaccinated," Sawant said.

The Tika Utsav concept was first launched on a pan-India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April to maximise vaccination coverage during the outset of the second wave of infections.

Sawant said that all elected representatives including MLAs, village panchas and city councillors would be involved in the Tika Utsav 2.0 exercise.

The follow-up initiative has been undertaken, Sawant said, because the government was "getting a poor response at our vaccination centres".

According to Jagdish Kakodkar, who heads the department of Preventive Medicine at the Goa Medical College and the member secretary of a state government's experts' panel related to Covid, there was a reluctance among people at large to get themselves vaccinated.

"Perhaps due to the curfew, perhaps due to stormy weather, people are not coming in the required number for vaccination. Vaccines are the best hope. Wherever there are more vaccines (administered) the deaths are low and cases are less," Kakodkar said.
Moscow: Russian RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems are seen on the Red Square for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Moscow, May 25 : Russia has published a document listing the number of aggregative strategic offensive arms in its possession and that of the US under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) as of March 1.

According to the latest figures provided by the Foreign Ministry here on Monday, Russia possessed 517 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and deployed heavy bombers, while the US possessed 651, reports Xinhua news agency.

Additionally, the US had 1,357 warheads on deployed ICBMs and deployed SLBMs, and nuclear warheads counted for deployed heavy bombers, while Russia had 1,456, the Ministry said.

It added that while Russia possessed 767 deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs and SLBMs, and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers, the US had 800.

The New START treaty, signed in April 2010 by the two countries, limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 and deployed missiles and bombers to 700 for each country.

It entered into force on February 5, 2011, and would have expired on February 5, 2021.

On February 3, the two countries announced a five-year extension of the treaty.

The former administration of US President Donald Trump tried to conclude a shorter extension of the treaty last year after rounds of negotiation with Russia, but the two sides failed to finalise a formal agreement.

Immediately after taking office, President Joe Biden proposed a full five-year extension of the treaty, a move welcomed by the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 29 signed a bill into law ratifying the extension.
Chennai, May 25 : The Indian Oil Corporation has sourced 140 tonnes of oxygen from Singapore which will reach the state on Tuesday. The containers carrying oxygen are being moved from Vishakapattanam port and are likely to reach Chennai and Salem by Tuesday, according to a statement from the Indian Oil Corporation.

The oxygen was brought from Singapore via sea.

The oxygen will be kept at Chennai and Salem and the state government would move it to other locations where it is required.

The Union government has increased the per day allocation of oxygen to Tamil Nadu to 650 MT from 519 MT. The first bench of the Madras High Court comprising Chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthil Ramamoorthy had earlier called upon the Union government to increase oxygen allocation to Tamil Nadu as the Covid-19 cases in the state were on the surge.
Kathmandu, May 25 : As the current spring season draws to an end, climbers and expedition organisers have reported more Covid-19 cases on the world's tallest peak, Mt. Everest, while an official from the Nepali Department of Tourism has denied it, saying no written reports were presented yet.

Damian Browne, a former Irish professional rugby player who attempted to summit the peak this year, announced in a social media post on May 22 that four climbers of his team, including himself, were infected with the Covid, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Of the four-team members evacuated and sequestered, two including me have symptoms and two don't," he wrote.

"For me, learning that I have Covid was in a way a relief and answered many questions I had, but for the guys showing no symptoms and feeling strong, this evacuation and quarantine must be unbelievably frustrating." Expedition company Climbing the Seven Summits (CTSS) had organised the climb for the team involving Browne.

TAG Nepal, a local partner of CTSS, also confirmed the infections of four climbers.

Sagar Poudel, director at TAG Nepal, told Xinhua on Monday that Browne and three others tested positive in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

"In fact, 11 members of the expedition team who were tested positive with rapid test kits, were brought to Kathmandu but only four of them tested positive in PCR examination," he said.

A total of 39 climbers from the CTSS expedition came to summit Everest.

"So far, 10 have already scaled the world's tallest peak, with at least one of them having tested positive in antigen test but later tested negative in PCR," said Poudel.

On May 15, Lukas Furtenbach, managing director of Furtenbach Adventures, an Austria-based mountaineering expedition company, announced that the firm had cancelled its current expedition to Mt. Everest due to increasing coronavirus infections at the base camp of the world's tallest peak.

Furtenbach, currently in Kathmandu, told Xinhua that he submitted the evidence of climbers infected with coronavirus at the base camp to the Nepali authorities on Sunday.

"I produced evidence of 10 infections to the Department of Tourism after I was asked to submit a full report including our evidence," he said.

According to Furtenbach, at least 100 infections have been confirmed by doctors, insurance companies, expedition leaders and evacuated climbers themselves.

Eight members of his team had contracted coronavirus as well.

"In other teams, up to 30 people have been infected," he said.

Although reports about Covid cases at the Everest base camp have been making international headlines, Nepali authorities have not spoken of the issue explicitly.

Officials at Nepal's Tourism Department, which issues climbing permits to climbers, have continued to insist that they have not been officially informed about anybody being infected with the virus.

"We are also hearing about the infections but no expedition company or climber has given us a written notification about the infections so far," Mira Acharya, director at the department, told Xinhua on Monday.

Other officials at the Department told Xinhua that they were verbally notified about the issue but they were not sure about the number of infections.

Norwegian climber Erlend Ness became the first to test positive for Covid-19 at Mt. Everest base camp and was flown by helicopter to Kathmandu for treatment.

He told the press last month that he tested positive on April 15.

Despite concerns about the outbreak, a large number of climbers have remained on the mountains.

"We have got reports about around 350 mountaineers reaching the top of Mt. Everest so far since early May in the spring season," Acharya said.

Officials at the Tourism Department said they allowed climbers to set for Mt. Everest only after they tested negative in PCR tests in Kathmandu.

Furtenbach believes, however, the rules were not enforced strictly.

"There were no health protocols from the authorities for (Mt. Everest) base camp. Only PCR test in Kathmandu and that was not enforced as many teams left Kathmandu to Khumbu (base of Mt. Everest) without PCR," he added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Auckland, May 25 : New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert, who was one of four Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players to test positive for Covid-19, said his heart sank the moment he first heard result of his test and struggled to accept that he was the only overseas player stranded.

"I got pulled aside and told I'd tested positive and my heart sank straight away when everyone left. I was the only overseas player basically still left in India out of the whole tournament. That's when things got a little bit real," Seifert was quoted as saying by New Zealand Herald on Tuesday.

Seifert, who is isolating in Auckland after returning from India, has another week before he returns home on June 2 or 3, just under a month after his first test yielded positive result.

"The world stops a little bit, I just couldn't really think what was next and that's the scary part of it - you hear about things, and I thought that was going to happen to me," said the 26-year-old.

"My room looked over the entrance of the hotel so when they were leaving I was waving goodbye to them," he added.

As time went by, he started to come to terms.

"Once a few days had gone by, everything had kind of died down a little bit... I just knew it was a time of getting through it, looking at the positives. I'm getting married in two months so that's exciting. My fiancAe Morgs - she's quite happy that I'm back a bit earlier so I can help plan for that," said Seifert who has played three ODIs and 35 T20 Internationals.

"It definitely was hard and I couldn't thank Brendan [McCullum] and [Stephen] Fleming enough, they made everything a lot easier. Making sure things would be put in place and the KKR, the CSK support staff, management, CEO of KKR -- they made life easy for me to know that everything would be alright and when that time was to come home, they would do everything to get me home safely and on time," he further said.

He said that quarantining was the toughest part and not the virus itself since he had a very mild infection.

"From my point of view of going back, I'm very lucky that having Covid has very minimal-mild symptoms. From having the virus and how I'm feeling, if that was going to be the whole time then I'd be happy. It's more about the process of quarantining, being stuck in a room knowing that if I get it I could get it worse, other people could get it worse," he added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New York, May 25 : An Indian-origin family that owns a store in Massachusetts is being hailed for their honesty for returning a $1 million lottery ticket to the woman who had bought it because their elders in India advised them, "we don't want that money".

"I was a millionaire for a night," the owner's son Abhi Shah, who discovered the winning ticket, joked as he recounted his brief Midas touch, WBZ TV reported on Monday.

Although he had thought of buying a Tesla car, he decided to return the ticket to Leas Rose Fiega, who had bought the ticket from his mother Aruna Shah.

"Who does that? They're great people. I am beyond blessed," Fiega told Salem News.

Maunish Shah, who owns the Lucky Spot store in Springfield, Massachusetts, told WWLP TV that after the ticket was found, "we didn't sleep two nights".

But they decided to consult his parents in India.

Abhi Shah told WBZ: "My grandmother said, 'let's not keep the ticket. It's not right. Just give it back to them. If it's in your luck, you'll get it anyhow'." So he went to locate her.

"He came to my office and said, 'my mom and dad would like to see you'. I said, 'I'm working', and he said, 'no you have to come over'. So I went over there and that's when they told me. I was in total disbelief. I cried, I hugged them," Fiega told Salem News.

Maunish Shah said: "I handed her the $1 million ticket and she freaked out and cried like a baby. She sat down on the floor right here." The Massachusetts State Lottery's Diamond Millions tickets have squares with numbers that are hidden and when the coverings are scratched off they reveal the numbers that could be the winning combination.

But Fiega had not scratched the squares properly.

"I was in a hurry on lunch break, and just scratched it real quick, and looked at it, and it didn't look like a winner, so I handed it over to them to throw away," Fiega, who had purchased the ticket from Abhi Shah's mother, told Salem News.

Abhi Sahh told WWLP: "One evening, I was going through the tickets from the trash and (noticed) that she didn't scratch the (right) number. I scratched the number and it was $1 million underneath." Congratulatory messages and praise have flooded the Shah family.

A customer told WBZ: "They're just purely good people. You can tell by just talking to them." WBZ reported that the family "is fielding congratulatory calls and interview requests from across the country".

Abhi told the station that "i I had kept that million, I wouldn't have been this famous. So I'm glad I gave it back".

WBZ concluded: "He could have bought a lot of things with that money, but it would have cost him his soul."
May 25 : Sonu Sood shared yet another video of his fans pouring milk on his photos. Although the actor thanked his fans for their gesture to show respect, he requested them not to waste milk.

The actor took to Twitter and retweeted a video that featured a number of clips of fans pouring milk on his pictures as a gesture of respect. The incidents took place in Kurnool and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, when fans of Sonu Sood showed respect to the actor as a token of appreciation after he set up oxygen plants in the cities.

Reacting to the video, Sonu tweeted that he feels humbled by the love shown by his fans but wrote, Request everyone to save milk for someone needy.

Humbled 

Request everyone to save milk for someone needy. https://t.co/aTGTfdD4lp  sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 24, 2021

Last week, when Sonu shared a similar video featuring fans pouring milk on a life-size poster of the actor in Andhra Pradesh, he tweeted and wrote, "Humbled." People on social media took note of the wastage of milk and condemned the act. Netizens poured in comments as one wrote, Humbled toh theek hai Sir but mana karo unhe (humbled is fine, sir, but asked them not to do it). Wasting milk over this is not good."

TV actor Kavita Kaushik also criticised the act, and wrote, "We love @SonuSood and the nation will be indebted to him forever for his selfless acts, but I'm sure even Sonu will be unhappy with this foolish and uninspiring act of wasting milk in times where people are dying of hunger.. why are we so extra always with everything ??!!"

Since last year, amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, Sonu has been helping out people in whichever way he can. While he helped the migrants to reach their home town amid the lockdown, this year he is actively helping people to get medical resources like hospital beds, oxygen, medicines, vaccines as well as food.

He also meet several people outside his home, who seek help from the actor, outside his residence. At times, the actor also feels helpless when he is unable to save people who had sought his help. Taking to Twitter, the actor shared his thoughts and wrote, Losing a patient u have been trying to save, is nothing less than losing your own. It is so hard to face the family whose loved one u had promised to save. Today I lost a few. The families u were in touch with at least 10 times a day will lose touch forever. Feel helpless.
Russian Supreme Court backs creation of state judicial service

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

11:41 25/05/2021

MOSCOW, May 25 (RAPSI)  The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation still backs the initiative to establish state judicial service in the country, the bodys Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev said on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court Chairman expressed his support of the initiative addressing a plenary session of the Council of Judges of the Russian Federation, stressing that the respective bill was still relevant despite the reluctance on the part of the government.

The adoption of this bill, according to Lebedev, will create a full-fledged professional environment for the judiciary, which will be attractive to qualified young professionals.

The decision to submit to the State Duma draft law "On the State Judicial Service of the Russian Federation" was adopted on November 15, 2016, by a Plenum of the Supreme Court. The main part of the document is devoted to the rules of admission to and career in the judicial service.

To improve the status of employees of the court apparatus, the Supreme Court proposed to separate the judicial service into an independent type of public service, including establishing special requirements, prohibitions, and guarantees. In addition, the bill introduces special class ranks of the judicial service and retains justiciary class ranks for employees who fill positions, the qualification requirement for which is legal education.
Vienna, May 25 : Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said othat a temporary arrangement reached with Iran in February that allows it to continue with necessary verification and monitoring activities will be extended for a month until June 24.

Apart from the extension, Grossi told reporters here on Monday that the IAEA and Iran have agreed that information collected by the technical equipment at different locations in Tehran is going to be saved and will continue to be under the custody of the Agency, reports Xinhua news agency.

Iran stopped the implementation of the voluntary measures as envisaged in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, on February 23.

On February 21, the IAEA said that it had reached a temporary bilateral technical understanding with Iran, under which the Agency could continue with its necessary verification and monitoring activities for up to three months.

Grossi said on Monday that this understanding was "even more important now" because a number of things have been happening in Iran since February, in terms of the activities there that have increased "qualitatively and quantitatively".

He clarified to reporters that the information collected has not been handed over yet, but he also stressed that the agency is not practically "flying blind" since they know what equipment is there and have their own calculations and estimations of what is going on.

"This is not ideal. This is like an emergency device that we came up with in order for us to continue having these monitoring activities." Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to international organisations in Vienna, called Monday's agreement a "commendable step".

"It will help maintain businesslike atmosphere at the Vienna talks on JCPOA and facilitate a successful outcome of the diplomatic efforts to restore the nuclear deal," he added.

Since April 6, the JCPOA Joint Commission, chaired by European Union official Enrique Mora and attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and Iran, have conducted meetings in Vienna to continue previous discussions in view of a possible return of the US to the deal and on how to ensure its full and effective implementation.

The Joint Commission last week ended the fourth round of talks.

The participants agreed to meet again this week.

The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 25 : Google has announced that from June 1, any new high-quality photos and videos you back up will count toward the free 15GB of free storage that comes with every Google account, or the additional storage youve purchased as a Google One member.

The company said that your existing high-quality photos and videos are exempt from this change.

"Any photos or videos backed up in high quality before June 1, 2021, will not count toward your Google Account storage. These photos and videos will remain free and exempt from the storage limit," Andy Abramson, Director, Product Management, Google Photos, said in a statement late on Monday.

The company estimates that more than 80 percent of the users should still be able to store roughly three more years of memories in high quality with your free 15GB of storage.

As your storage nears 15GB, Google will notify you in the app and follow up by email.

"If you don't see an estimate, you may not have uploaded many photos and videos to Google Photos, you may be close to your storage limit (making it difficult to predict how many months your remaining storage will last) or your account is provided through work, school, family or another group," Google informed.

Google said that it is also rolling out a storage management tool in the Photos app to help you easily manage photos and videos you've backed up that count toward your storage quota.

"The storage management tool surfaces photos or videos you might want to delete - like blurry photos, screenshots and large videos - so you can get the most out of your storage. You can also purchase more storage through Google One where available," the company said.

Google said it is also renaming its high-quality storage tier to Storage saver.
Kabul, May 25 : Afghan army soldiers took part in a military operation against Taliban militants in Mehterlam, Laghman province, amid an increase in violence across the war-torn country.

Taliban militants have intensified activities in eastern Laghman and northern Baghlan provinces over the past weeks, Xinhua news agency.

They are attempting to tighten noose around important highways linking Kabul to the northern and eastern provinces.

Chief of Army Staff General Mohammad Yasin Zia visited Laghman's provincial capital Mehterlam on Monday, saying the militants' attempts to gain ground had been foiled and the security situation there has been improved.

More than 50 militants were killed and some 60 others injured during clean-up operations in Laghman, the provincial government said in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, another clean-up operation is underway in Baghlan as some three dozen militants were killed and injured since Sunday in the restive province, an army statement confirmed.

The Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, district centres and larger security bases following the drawdown of international forces in Afghanistan, which started on May 1.

Since then, they have been able to take control of four districts in Afghanistan, one of which is only a few kilometres from Kabul.

After 20 years of international troops in the country, the withdrawal, due to be completed by September 11, leaves Afghanistan to a potentially bleak future amid rising attacks by Taliban insurgents.

The Islamic State terror group is also active in the country.
Chennai, May 25 : For the first time in the Tamil Nadu management-labour dispute over wage revision, bonus payment, reinstatement of dismissed workers is sought to be settled by arbitration.

This is being tried out at Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd, the car production joint venture between French company Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Company, said a senior advocate.

The arbitrator will be retired Madras High Court Judge P. Jyothimani.

Queried about the reason for opting arbitration V.Prakash, senior advocate for Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS) told IANS: "The various pending issues between the union and the management were at the conciliation. At that time the company filed a Writ petition in the Madras High Court to prevent the union from going on strike stating that automobile manufacturing is a Public Utility Service." During the course of the case in the High Court the two parties agreed to go for arbitration and the arbitrator was also agreed upon, he said.

"The Tamil Nadu government has to notify the arbitration agreement so that the arbitration proceedings can begin," Prakash said.

Meanwhile the RNITS on Monday put the Renault Nissan Automotive's management on notice saying that the workers will boycott duty from May 26 onwards.

RNITS' Joint Secretary T.Tamizh Kumaran, in a letter to the management, said that unless their safety is ensured at the plant, workers will not come to work.

Citing the Madras High Court order which states steps to be taken to reduce the footfall in offices and factories, the union said that the company has not taken any steps to reduce the footfall in the company's plant to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"Five workers have died and about 850 have been infected with coronavirus at Renault Nissan Automotive since last year," RNITS President K.Balaji Krishnan told IANS.

He also said in 2021 alone, about 420 employees have tested Covid-19 positive.

"All our workers are young and they are dying. There is no social distance maintained at the factory. We had suggested reducing the number of cars produced per hour. This in turn would reduce the number of workers per workstation. But the management didn't agree," Krishnan said.

There are about 8,550 workers/staff/apprentices/contract labour (about 3,547 technicians/workers, about 2,000 staff, about 2,000 contract workers and about 1,000 apprentices) employed at the Renault Nissan Automotive plant near here.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

-- Syndicated from IANS
New York, May 25 : Simply monitoring respiration rate and blood-oxygen saturation at home can cut the risk of death due to Covid-19, finds a study.

According to the current guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with Covid-19 must seek medical attention when they experience overt symptoms such as "trouble breathing" and "persistent pain or pressure in the chest" -- indications that may be absent even when respiration and blood oxygen have reached dangerous levels, said researchers from the University of Washington in the US.

For some people with Covid-19, by the time they feel bad enough to come to the hospital, a window for early medical intervention might have passed, they noted.

"Initially, most patients with Covid don't have difficulty breathing. They can have quite low oxygen saturation and still be asymptomatic," said fellow cardiologist Nona Sotoodehnia at the varsity's School of Medicine.

"If patients follow the current guidance, because they may not get short of breath until their blood oxygen is quite low, then we are missing a chance to intervene early with life-saving treatment," Sotoodehnia added.

For the study, published in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, researchers examined the cases of 1,095 patients aged 18 and older who were admitted with Covid-19 to UW Medicine hospitals in Seattle or to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago between March 1 to June 8, 2020.

Compared to those admitted with normal blood oxygen, hypoxemic patients (low blood-oxygen saturation; 91 per cent or below) had a mortality risk 1.8 to 4.0 times greater, depending on the patient's blood oxygen levels.

Similarly, compared to patients admitted with normal respiratory rates, those with tachypnea (fast, shallow breathing; 23 breaths per minute), had a mortality risk 1.9 to 3.2 times greater.

Nearly all patients with hypoxemia and tachypnea required supplemental oxygen, which, when paired with inflammation-reducing glucocorticoids, can effectively treat acute cases of Covid-19.

"We recommend that the CDC and [World Health Organization] consider recasting their guidelines to account for this population of asymptomatic people who actually merit hospital admission and care," the researchers said.A

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, May 25 : IBM on Tuesday announced that it will allow over-the-cloud access to its quantum systems for top-tier educational institutions in India to accelerate advanced training and research in quantum computing.

The faculties and students of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune and Thiruvananthapuram; Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras; Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology in Delhi; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai; University of Calcutta and Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata will be able to access IBM quantum systems, quantum learning resources and, quantum tools over IBM Cloud for education and research purposes.

This will allow them to work on actual quantum computers and program them using the Qiskit open-source framework.

The collaboration will be part of the IBM Quantum Educators programme that helps faculty in the quantum field connect with one another and provides them with resources to enable quality educational experiences.

"Quantum Computing is a paradigm-shifting technology that can power countless innovations in the future. By providing access to our systems over cloud, IBM is enabling India's brightest minds to learn the skills to prepare for this disruptive future," said Gargi Dasgupta, Director, IBM Research India and CTO, IBM India/South Asia, in a statement.

"IBM is committed to growing a quantum-ready workforce and building an ecosystem to nurture the quantum community in India. With this engagement, we can take it a step further to scale up this ecosystem in India, for India and the world," she added.

IISER Thiruvananthapuram, ISI-Kolkata, and IIT-Madras will host Quantum Computing Lab courses for their advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students.

These courses will include lab sessions using IBM quantum systems.
Hyderabad, May 25 : After a gap of 10 days, the second dose vaccination for beneficiaries above the age of 45 years resumed in Telangana from Tuesday.

The eligible beneficiaries above 45 years due for second dose were being given the jab at government-run vaccination centres.

There were long queues of people at vaccination centres in Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and other places in the state. There was a confusion among beneficiaries due to the lack of information about the availability of doses.

Those who came to take second jab of Covishield were seen returning disappointed from centres which displayed boards that only Covaxin is available.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had on Monday directed the officials to start the second dose vaccination programme from Tuesday. He asked the people who have taken the first dose of vaccine and are eligible for the second dose to go to the government vaccination centre nearby and take the vaccine.

The health authorities had on May 15 suspended vaccination in view of inadequate stocks and non-receipt of fresh stocks from Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Early this month, they had stopped vaccination for new beneficiaries among 45 above group and have been focusing only on second dose.

The state 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, was administering 30,000 to 40,000 vaccines daily due to the shortage. On May 14, the health authorities administered about 34,000 vaccines.

As on May 14, the state had administered 56,25,920 doses. A total of 11.37 lakh beneficiaries received the second dose.

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.

Rao on Monday asked Finance Minister Harish Rao to prepare guidelines to identify the super spreaders and organise special vaccination centres for them.
Quetta, May 25 : Five people were injured after a bomb went off at a busy road in Pakistan's Quetta city, a Balochistan government official said.

The blast on Monday was caused following the detonation of an improvised explosive device, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying.

A vehicle of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) passing by the blast site might be the target of the explosion, Quetta police told local media.

The injured people including an FC official were shifted to Civil Hospital, Quetta and the condition of all of them is stable.
New Delhi, May 25 : Launched in 2020, 'Graphic Travelogues' proves to be a remarkable stage for comics and graphic novels portraying travel. Their culinary section is a trans-regional platform that documents the travel experiences of comic artists across geographies and highlights and identifies recurring topics and new artists, thus presenting and creating treasures in this field of art.

The 'Graphic Travelogues Culinary', a project by the Goethe Institut, uses ingredients to serve the most flavoursome dish that will feed your soul, nourish your mind, and delight your palate. The immersive project presents travel experiences of artists from India, Bangladesh and Germany.

Stories of travel and food are documented on this globally accessible platform, facilitating intercultural experiences through comics and graphic novels.

As travel blogs become increasingly popular, garnering millions of hits every second -- it taps the potential of comics to engage with graphic travel blogs on social media.

According to Goethe Institut, GT Culinary is a one of its kind expedition where professional chefs and avid travel bloggers from different cultures and cities come together for a tryst with gastronomy, travel, and comics.

Through vivid experiences and resulting sketches, the project demonstrates graphic cooking and delivers the most amazing recipes artistically. At the forefront of the culinary journey are teams comprising a chef or an influencer and an illustrator that give life to the cooking, exploring and illustrating aspects of the project. It also urges the public to follow the teams' cookery and artistic expedition and see the world through their eyes -- from shopping for ingredients to preparing the dish step by step in times when physical travel seems like a distant reality.

The website gives an interesting sneak peek into Team India: "The famous Indian blogger-duo Delhi FunDos has seen that food of a region reflects the local culture, the life-philosophy of the people. With illustrator Kruttika Susarla, they embark on the GT #Culinary journey together in Dehli. The adventure begins at a Bengali market in Mini Kolkata. There they shop for Shukto and Methi Chicken -- one dish from Punjab, and one from Bengal." Team Germany (Berlin Biryani) consists of cjeg Felicitas Then, Chef and food blogger; and Alexandra Klobouk, Author and culture and content Illustrator. Whereas Team Bangladesh (Fried Loitta Fish) consists of Sameera Hussain Wadood, Chef; and Sayeef Mahmud, Illustrator.

Safurat Balogun, Project Manager and Head of Library Services, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi, says, "When we launched Graphic Travelogues last year in the middle of the pandemic, we imagined that the next phase of the project would include bringing artists together through residencies. We quickly realised that it couldn't happen anytime soon so we had to brainstorm alternatives. This is how Graphic Travelogues #Culinary was born. Food, travel and comics -- is what we are holding on to this year to bring together the finest chefs, travel bloggers and comic artists for a unique culinary adventure. Three cities, three teams, three recipes -- one experience." The culinary and artistic journey can be accessed at www.goethe.de/India/graphictravelogues/culinary.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
Ramallah, May 25 : Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah and discussed the situation in the Palestinian territories following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire brokered by Cairo.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said that during the meeting on Monday, Abbas briefed Shoukry on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the contacts that the leadership is holding with the US, reports Xinhua new agency.

WAFA said that Abbas welcomed the Egyptian efforts in cooperation between the Arab states and the US administration "to stop the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people", reports Xinhua news agency Abbas also thanked Shoukry for donating $500 million towards the reconstruction of what had been destroyed in the recent Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

The President also explained to Shoukry that the leadership is in contact with the Hamas on forming a unity government that will abide by the international legitimacy.

He also explained to Shoukry that after stabilising the ceasefire, the Palestinian side wants to start a political process under the supervision of the International Quartet.

"The Palestinians seek a process that ends the Israeli occupation and leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of international legitimacy decisions," Abbas said.

Meanwhile, Shoukry said that Egypt will continue supporting the Palestinian cause at all levels and will continue its efforts to achieve a Palestinian unity and end of internal division.

"I conveyed a letter from President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. It is a letter of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority," the Foreign Minister said.

He went on saying that the joint goal of all Arab states is to fully coordinate with the Palestinian Authority to achieve justice and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On May 22, Abbas held talks with an Egyptian security delegation that visited Palestine to stabilise the ceasefire, after 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas-led militants in Gaza.

At least 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children, 39 women, and 17 elderly people and 1,900 others were injured in the bloodshed.

On the Israeli side, there were 12 fatalities, including two children, with more than 300 injuries.
Wildlife conservationists will use detailed weather forecasts to predict when, where and how elephants could come under threat, as part of a new project led by the University of Reading.

Using accurate weather and climate data, Dr Vicky Boult will aim to predict the threats facing African elephants, such as food shortages or threats from poaching, weeks or months in advance  allowing conservation groups to take action to save them.

The project follows the success of other forecast-based action schemes which have helped humanitarian agencies such as the Red Cross deliver aid to people, before natural hazards such as floods have struck. The approach has been used to save lives, protect property, and distribute limited aid resources to the people and places most in need of it  before tragedy hits.

The project is part of a 161,000 NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship, along with partners Save the Elephants, Big Life Foundation, Kenya Red Cross Society, Kenya Meteorological Department, the National Drought Management Authority and the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre.

Dr Boult said: Most efforts to address the impacts of climate change on biodiversity have so far focused on how and where species will live due to different climatic conditions by the end of the century.

However, extreme weather events, expected to increase in frequency and severity under climate change, mean species could become extinct in some areas, not just at some point in the future, but right now. If we really want to curb the impacts of climate change on the natural world, we need to do more to help individual species cope with the increasing extremes of weather that climate change is bringing.

Extreme weather poses many conservation challenges, one of which is human-elephant conflict. This tends to increase during drought, when elephants engage in crop-foraging behaviour and come into close contact with herders and livestock at limited water sources. In some regions, human-elephant conflict is a major driver of elephant population decline and threatens the lives and livelihoods of local people.

Dr Boult will explore the potential for forecast-based action to reduce human-elephant conflict. She will draw on her interdisciplinary experience at Reading, from research conducted in the School of Biological Sciences, in which she studied the impacts of food availability on elephants, and her current work in the Meteorology Department, where she develops drought forecasts for the African humanitarian and agricultural sectors.

It is hoped the project will not only help conservation of elephants but could also act as a proof-of-concept for the use of forecast-based action in wildlife conservation more widely, helping to make at-risk species better able to withstand the effects of climate change.

Image caption: Elephant in Kenya. Credit Vicky Boult
Tehran, May 25 : Iran is still enriching uranium at the purity of 60, 20 and 5 per cent, and it has already accumulated over 90 kg of 20 per cent enriched uranium, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said.

The official made the statement Monday after a telephone conversation with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Xinhua news agency reported.

During the phone call, Salehi reportedly informed Grossi of Tehran's decision to extend a temporary agreement regarding the IAEA's monitoring of Iranian nuclear activities for one month until June 24.

According to a law passed by Iran's Parliament in December 2020, the AEOI is required to accumulate 120 kg of 20 per cent enriched uranium every year, Salehi noted.

Nevertheless, Iran is obliged under the 2015 nuclear agreement to limit its uranium enrichment to a 3.67 per cent purity and to stockpile no more than 300 kg of the material.

Iran started gradually reducing its commitments to the agreement one year after former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the country out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

Iran's reserves of 60 per cent enriched uranium have by now exceeded 2.5 kg, and the 5 per cent enriched uranium reserves are over five tonnes, Salehi added.

The three-month agreement between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog was reached right before a law passed in December 2020 by Iran's parliament came into effect.

The law mandates Iran's executive branch to stop implementing the IAEA's Additional Protocol if sanctions on Iran that should be lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement continue to be in place by February 23.

Representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and Iran are expected to meet later this week in Vienna to continue negotiations aiming at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
New Delhi, May 25 : The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police on Tuesday took two-time olympian Sushil Kumar to Chhatrasal Stadium and his flat in the national capital to further probe the case of the death of wrestler Sagar Dhankar.

The Crime Branch sleuths took the wrestler first to the Chhatrasal Stadium here and questioned him. The police sleuths asked Kumar about the chain of events on May 4, when ther brawl took place, in which Dhankar was badly injured.

Dhankar had succumbed to his injuries in the hospital later.

The police also took Kumar to the parking lot, where the brawl took place.

Later, the forensic team joined the Delhi Police sleuths and collected material from the spot.

The Crime Branch team them arrived at Kumar's Model Town flat and questioned him again.

Kumar was arrested on Sunday morning along with his aide Ajay Kumar, on the run for more than 18 days in several states after the death of wrestler Dhankar after the brawl on May 4 at Chhatrasal stadium here.

According to Delhi Police officials, Kumar had travelled to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana during the 18-day-long cat and mouse chase game.

He was finally arrested from Delhi's Mundka area on Sunday morning, when he had come to collect some cash and also borrowed a scooty from a national level player. The Delhi Police had also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh on Kumar and Rs 50,000 on his aide Ajay.

Kumar was sent to six days' custody by a Delhi court.

On May 18, Kumar had moved an anticipatory bail plea in New Delhi's Rohini court, but the court rejected it.

On May 4, two groups of wrestlers clashed with each other at Chhatrasal Stadium leading to the death of 23-year-old Dhankar due to injuries he sustained during the brawl. A Delhi court had also issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Kumar.

The Delhi Police had also issued a lookout notice for Kumar who won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and silver in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
New Delhi, May 25 : With the deadline to comply with the new IT rules meant for big social media platforms in India ending on Tuesday, Facebook said that the company aims to comply with the provisions of the new intermediary guidelines and is working towards it.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had asked the social media platform to abide by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 by May 25, or face strict action.

A Facebook spokesperson said that the company is putting operational processes in place to meet the new IT rules.

"We aim to comply with the provisions of the IT rules and continue to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

"Pursuant to the IT rules, we are working to implement operational processes and improve efficiencies. Facebook remains committed to people's ability to freely and safely express themselves on our platform," the spokesperson added.

Twitter was yet to speak officially on the May 25 deadline.

The MeitY had announced its draft new IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules for social media platforms on February 25.

As per the new rules, the social media platforms will have to remove offending content within 36 hours after a government directive or a legal order.

The new rules mandate that the intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, must establish a grievance redressal mechanism for receiving/resolving complaints from the users or victims.

Only homegrown micro-blogging platform Koo has met the compliance requirements of the new IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2021.

Koo said it has also implemented a due diligence and grievance redressal mechanism supported by an Indian resident Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Officer and Grievance Officer.

"Complying with the new social media guidelines published by the government of India within time clearly shows why it's important to have Indian social media players thriving in the country," said Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-Founder and CEO of Koo.
Ahmednagar : , May 25 (IANS) After the success of Hivare Bazaar, another small village in Ahmednagar, Bhoyare Khurd has achieved 'zero-Covid' status after practicing isolation and other Covid-appropriate behavior, officials said here on Tuesday.

The development comes close on the heels of Nanded's Bhosi village earning the Centre's laurels after its 6,000-strong population managed to isolate the coronavirus and notched success as the country is battling the second wave of the pandemic.

Bhoyare Khurd, with 1,500 people, on the outskirts of Ahmednagar town is located in a hilly, drought-hit region of the otherwise prosperous and green district.

A majority of the villagers are migrants working in Mumbai, Pune and other big cities, but after the lockdowns were imposed many chose to return home.

Initially, barely 3 or 4 Covid-19 cases were detected in the village after which the Gram Panchayat and Health Department launched a full-fledged drive to test the families of the infectees, suspects and symptomatic patients were immediately isolated.

Not wanting to become scourge-hit, the villagers resolved to keep themselves safe and the village itself free of the virus with a series of initiatives.

Accordingly, all families were checked regularly with the help of ASHA and Anganwadi workers, any found infected were immediately isolated and other treatment was continued.

"If they were found with symptoms of fever, cough or fatigue, they were subjected to Antigen tests and quarantined," said Dr. Savita Kute, the village medico involved in the effort.

The village authorities also launched a widespread awareness campaign at the temple loudspeakers to convey Covid-appropriate behaviour daily in the morning and evening, they were informed about the disease, how to take care of self and families, stressing on wearing masks, physical distancing, washing hands, hygiene, regular checkups, etc, said Dr. Kute.

In fact, after the state-wide lockdown was announced last month, Bhoyare Khurd Gram Panchayat implemented its own 'Gaon Band' campaign to prevent any further spread of the virus, said the Sarpanch Rajendra Ambekar.

"The suspected persons were persuaded to stay at the isolation centre in the village which helped break the virus chain and now we have become a 'Corona-free' village If other villages adopt our village's examples, they can also quickly drive away the virus," said Ambekar.

Initially, it was difficult to convince people to undergo isolation, but later they understood the threats and accepted the reality after which it was easier to quarantine the patients, said village volunteer Nand Kishore Devkar.

With this, Bhoyare Khurd becomes the third village after Hivare Bazaar (both in Ahmednagar district) and Nanded's Bhosi which are now flying the 'corona-free' flags.

Maharashtra has till date recorded 89,212 Covid-19 fatalities and 56,02,019 cases, besides 327,580 'active cases' with nearly 28-lakh people in home or institutional quarantine.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 25 : The worldwide socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 epidemic has been devastating. In India there are millions of Covid-positive cases and, as of mid-May, a staggering 2.87 lakh reported deaths.

In 2017, before the current pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) labelled India the world's "most depressing country". It was estimated that one in seven Indians suffer from some form of mental illness. This number has undoubtedly grown as the second coronavirus wave sweeps through the country and an overwhelmed health care system struggles to provide even basic care and assistance.

Stress, anxiety, and depression are endemic, as individuals and families attempt to preserve their health and safety. As one student recently confessed, "I feel like I am thrown back to April 2020 without my consent! It feels like history is repeating itself even before we could really metabolise the existing one." Social separation and isolation can be especially problematic, evoking fear, anger, irritation, melancholy, boredom, and resentment. Moreover, there has been an upsurge in abusive behaviour due, at least in part, to the close sheltering in place that many families must maintain. Indeed, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women recently declared violence against women an ongoing shadow pandemic.

The WHO recommends at least three mental health professionals per 1,00,000 people. In India, today, the estimate for psychologists-social scientists that study human mental processes and behaviour-is approximately 0.07 per 1,00,000. This dearth of psychological professionals and mental health care is of enormous concern and will only grow as the incidence of covid-related mental distress continues to rise. As such, there is great demand for young people to study psychology in higher education, gaining the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to understand mental wellbeing and provide aid and treatment to those suffering from mental illness in all its myriad forms.

In August 2021, the Jindal School of Psychology & Counselling (JSPC) at O.P. Jindal Global University will welcome its inaugural batch of students. The three-year B.A. (Hons.) Psychology programme is open to grade 12 students from any stream. JSPC graduates will have the opportunity to pursue a variety of career paths, including, but not limited to: Counselling and Clinical Psychology, Neuropsychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Forensic and Criminal Psychology, and Educational Psychology.

Despite current challenges, the unprecedented nature of the covid pandemic offers the opportunity to grow support for the discipline and break new ground. Psychology graduates will be ideally positioned to extend our understanding of the human mind and move the field forward in the development of new treatment options for mental anguish and illness. Such knowledge and assistance will benefit India in normal times and, critically, will also better prepare the country for the next mental health crisis.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, May 25 : Actress Yuvika Chaudhary and her husband Prince Narula individually apologised on Tuesday after the hashtag 'Arrest Yuvika Choudhary started trending on Twitter. Yuvika drew netizens ire for posting a video featuring Prince on YouTube where she made a casteist remark.

In the video, Yuvika can be seen filming Prince as he gets a haircut. She refers to a certain community and says he looks like them.

This led to the hash'ag 'Arrest Yuvika Choud'ary' trending on Twitter.

A user "aid: "Yuvika Choudhary should be arrested. Example has to be set There are many like her and Munmun "ut"a." "Hey #yuvikachoudhary you sd be ashamed of your words. The people you addressed are actually keeping this nation presentable. they sd be respected. you senseless people create chaos in "ociety," another tweeted.

The actress has now posted an apology on Instagram.

" She wrote: "H' guys I didn't kw the meaning about that word wt I used in my las' vlog I didn't mean to hurt anyone and I can never do that to hurt someone I apologise to each n every one I hope you understand "ove you all." Prince, too, took to his Instagram stories to apologise to fans.

Recently an FIR was filed against @Taarak Mehta K" Ooltah Chashmah" actress Mun Mun Dutta for using casteist slur in a YouTube video.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Srinagar, May 25 : Police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested two persons accused of raping a minor girl within 24 hours after the complaint was lodged in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Police said the victim approached police station Mirbazar with the complaint that she had been wrongfully restrained and raped in a truck on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Nipora village near a petrol pump.

"The accused was identified as Mudasir Ahmad who had been helped by another person, Manzoor Ahmad.

"After registering an FIR based on the complaint investigation was started.

"Using all available means the investigating team arrested the two accused and also seized the vehicle in which the crime was committed," police said.
Lucknow, May 25 : Jayant Chaudhary has been unanimously elected president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) at virtual meeting of the party's national executive, held on Tuesday.

The name of Jayant Chaudhary was proposed by RLD general secretary Trilok Tyagi and supported by former MP Munshi Ram Pal. All the members supported the proposal.

Later addressing the national executive, Jayant appealed to all supporters of his father Chaudhary Ajit Singh and grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh to come together and strengthen the party organization.

Jayant reiterated his party's support to the ongoing farmers' agitation and appealed to party cadres to work for the upcoming assembly elections next year.

He expressed satisfaction at the party's performance in recent panchayat elections.
Patna, May 25 : A woman in her early 20s was abducted and gang raped by 4 men in Bihar Saharsa district.

The incident occurred on Monday night when the victim, along with her friend, was returning home from a marriage function on a motorcycle.

The four accused spotted them travelling on a deserted road, and intercepted them in a car.

They thrashed the victim's friend and kidnapped her in the car near Baluaha canal under Sadar police station. The accused took her to an isolated area in Saharsa and raped her one by one.

After committing the crime, the accused threatened her with dire consequences and released her. The victim reached home in the morning hours and revealed her ordeal to her parents.

The victim's parents immediately contacted Sadar police station and filed a written complaint against them.

"We have raided the houses of all four accused by four separate teams but managed to arrest only one accused -- Upendra Yadav alias Santosh, a resident of ward 13 in Saharsa," said Santosh Kumar, DSP of Saharsa (Sadar).

"We have identified other three accused named Mohamad Hasim, Prabhash Kumar and Vijay Yadav. They are absconding. We have constituted separate teams to nab them," the officer said.

In another incident, a 6 year old minor girl was raped by a 22-year-old youth in Bhagalpur district on Monday evening.

The incident took place in Champa Nagar under Nath Nagar police station. The accused took her to an under construction three-storey building and raped her. The victim was recovered bleeding profusely. Her mother spotted her and when she enquired, the victim revealed the identity of the accused.

Mohamad Sahjad, the SHO of Nath Nagar police station said: "We have conducted the medical of victim which confirms rape. An FIR under POCSO act has been registered and efforts are on to nab the accused."
Bhopal, May 25 : The Covid-19 situation in Madhya Pradesh is improving gradually as the positivity rate in the state has reached below 10 per cent across all districts. The state government has, however, set a target to further bring the positivity rate to zero by May 31.

A meeting with a core group set up for controlling Covid-19 in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the state's positivity rate was 3.9 per cent on Monday. Indore's positivity rate was 8.1 per cent while that of Bhopal was 7.6 per cent.

Chouhan has said the Covid management strategy implemented for prevention and controlling the infection is turning out to be a success. Public participation played an important role in this direction. The spread of Covid-19 is slowly reducing.

Those villages and gram panchayats which will be completely free from the infection, the public representatives or members of the Covid Crisis Management Committee would declare them Covid-free. The Disaster Management Committees which performed well would be rewarded on August 15, he added.

The Chief Minister said the campaign to eradicate Covid-19 must continue so that people with symptoms of Covid-19 are identified and appropriate treatment could be provided to them.

Chouhan said the 'Corona curfew' should be strictly followed till May 31 so that zero per cent positivity rate could be achieved. Citizens can avoid contracting the infection by following Covid-appropriate behaviour. The pandemic will still remain while economic activities will also remain operational with necessary precautions. Micro containment zones must be created.

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Kinshasa, May 25 : The death toll from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano located on the outskirts of Goma city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has increased to 32 and it likely to further rise, authorities said.

Among the victims, nine were burned to death when the lava hit their homes, and five died from inhaling smoke or toxic gas when walking across the cooling lava, Xinhua news agency quoted Joseph Makundi, head of civil protection of North Kivu province, as saying on Monday.

Another 14 people were killed in a truck rollover accident, while four other victims were prisoners trying to break the Munzenze central prison in Goma, capital of North Kivu, added the official.

A government delegation arrived in Goma on Monday to assess the situation and provide humanitarian, health and security services.

Although the lava flow has stopped short of Goma, seismic movements are still noticeable, causing cracks in local households.

Provincial authorities have urged residents of the red zone to follow orders and not to return to their homes.

Following the eruption on May 22, some 3,000 people fled Goma for neighbouring Rwanda, while others headed for villages surrounding the city.

Right after the volcano erupted, the electricity supply across much of the city was cut off.

Goma is home to two active volcanoes -- Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo.

The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless.
New Delhi, May 25 : There is both good news and bad news on the economic front for India that is looking to come out from the second and deadlier wave of Covid pandemic.

The good news is that the country's GDP is expected at faster pace than expected in January-March quarter of 2021 as a pick up in economy activity during the period of fading pandemic surge has resulted in higher than expected output from various sectors.

But the bad news is that Covid 2.0 and continuing lockdowns in various parts of the country may push all hopes of faster economic recovery in FY22 downwards with GDP only managing to grow in single digit this year rather than high double digit growth projected earlier.

As per an Ecowrap report prepared by a research team from SBI headed by banks group chief economic adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh, GDP growth for Q4 (FY21) would be around 1.3% (with downward bias) as against NSO projection of a negative -1%.

With this, the report has projected that GDP decline for the full year would now be around 7.3% (compared to our earlier prediction of -7.4%).

"However, due to renewed lockdowns in almost all states since April, 21 owing to rise in infections, we believe that real GDP growth for FY22 would be in single digits as against our earlier forecast of 10.4%," the SBI Ecowrap report said.

The report's assertion on higher Q4 growth has also been based on corporate performance during the period. It said that corporate results so far also reinforce the fact that Q4 growth would be much better than the Q3 growth. The corporate GVA of 625 companies has expanded by 62.04% in Q4 as compared to 12.98% growth in Q3 (of 4164 companies ).

"However the entire projection for Q4 FY21 is dependent on how much the past data will be revised by NSO. Past experience on data revision indicates that apart from providing data for Q4 NSO also revises quarterly data for present/previous fiscal year and annual GDP estimate," Ecowrap report said.

Though the country-wise real GDP data indicates that the situation has improved over one year (after battling from second/third wave of Covid-19), most of the countries are still in recession and their Q1 2021 (or Q4 FY21) real GDP growth was in contraction mode. The decline of average real GDP for 24 countries has improved from 2.9% in Q4 2020 to a decline of 0.3% in Q1 2021. Very few countries exited recession in Q1 2021 with contraction ranging from (-)6.1% (UK) to 18.3% (China).

Interestingly, had India's growth rate crossed 1.7% in Q4FY21, India would have been the second fastest country after China in terms of GDP growth, and going by Ecowrap reports estimate of 1.3% GDP growth, India would still be the 5th fastest growing country amongst 25 countries (that have released their GDP numbers so far).

"We hope for such optimism in terms of Covid-19 numbers and vaccination soon," the report said.
Chennai, May 25 : Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramaniam has said that the government has roped in multi-specialty experts and doctors to carry out a detailed study on Mucormycosis or Black Fungus. He said further action of the government will be based on their inputs.

He also said that around 70 lakh vaccines out of the 80 lakh vaccines allocated have reached the state and added that for those vaccinated in the age group of 18-44, over 12 lakh vaccines were bought for an amount of Rs 46 crore.

The minister said that these vaccines were being administered on priority basis to newspaper boys, vegetable vendors, destitutes and differently abled people.

Subramniam told IANS from Thoothukudi, where he was inspecting the Covid-19 measures: "I am on a visit to rural Tamil Nadu including Thoothukudi to get direct information regarding the working of Covid-19 care centres. The health department is taking the advice of a team of multi-specialty doctors regarding black fungus and will take further action based on their reports." The minister said: "A section of experts are of the opinion that those undergoing dialysis and taking steroids are affected by black fungus, however in places like Europe where steroids are given for treatment, the disease is not seen." The minister said that there are suspicions on inhalation of industrial oxygen and the poor quality oxygen made using contaminated water leads to such infections and hence a detailed research is required.

He said that the government has constituted a team of 10 multi-specialty experts to research the cases.

In fact the Covid-19 positivity has started reducing, he said comparing 33,800 cases on Monday with the 36,000 cases a day 10 days ago. He also said that in Chennai the positive cases have come down to 4,900 a day from the 7,000 positive cases a day ten days back." The minister also said that the oxygen situation in the state is much better compared to the precarious position a few weeks ago. He said that the state has recovered following the arrival of oxygen from Rourkela and Jamshedpur after the steps taken by the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

Subramaniam said: "The Chief minister is taking feedback on the infrastructure required to upgrade the production of oxygen in the state so as to overcome the crisis if a third wave of the pandemic takes place." The minister inspected the Covid-19 care centres, primary health centres, vaccination drive centres as also infrastructure available for treating Covid-19 patients. He was accompanied by the Social Welfare Minister Geetha Jeevan, Fisheries minister Anitha Radhakrishnan and Thoothukudi district collector, K. Senthil Raj.
New Delhi, May 25 : The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people live, work and socialise, accelerating demand for innovation, as retailers, consumer goods, and travel companies shift from reacting to the crisis to reinventing products and services, according to findings of a new global survey from Accenture.

After a year of lockdowns, 98% of survey respondents in India said they made at least one change to their lifestyle that they expect will be permanent. Working from home, changing travel patterns, and a growing desire to shop locally are challenging industries to fundamentally rethink how they cater to the pandemic-adapted consumer.

The latest survey of more than 9,650 people in 19 countries including more than 500 people in India, supports Accenture's previous findings that many changes in behaviour will likely be long-term.

"The past year has been a tough one for consumers and consumer-facing industries. Evolving consumer preferences and behaviours have led to huge demand fluctuation, making it imperative for consumer goods and retail companies to stay agile and resilient. As companies shift from reaction to reinvention, they need to harness digital's full potential across the value chain at speed and scale," said Anurag Gupta, managing director and lead - Strategy & Consulting, Accenture in India.

Covid-19 has led to compressed transformation, with companies simultaneously transforming multiple parts of the enterprise and reskilling people in what previously would have been longer-term step-by-step programmes. Many consumer-facing companies have re-platformed their businesses in the cloud, addressed cost pressures, and continued to build resilience and security, putting the infrastructure in place to enable innovation and position them for future success.

Manish Gupta, managing director and lead for Products practice, Accenture in India said, "To succeed in a post-pandemic economy, companies need to digitally reinvent themselves and strategically invest in technology, people and supply chains. Adoption of digital technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, combined with a well-defined purpose, can help companies to not only reach out to consumers in innovative ways but also adapt faster to the evolving market demands." The pandemic forced a rapid shift to employees working from home, with many expressing that they want flexibility in how and where they work moving forward. More than 87% of respondents in India said they would like to occasionally work from a "third space" - a location other than their home or place of employment. This highlights a potential opportunity to grow revenue for the hospitality and retail industries.

The desire to work from a "third space" is accompanied by a shift in attitudes towards business travel. Nearly 57% of respondents in India said they have no business travel plans post-pandemic, or they intend to cut previous business travel by half. How long this view will hold firm remains to be seen, but the current outlook indicates that the return to travel will resume principally within the leisure market, pushing the industry to adapt and become even more efficient to make up for lost income.

Not only do people think some of their work habits and travel plans have likely permanently changed, many also think their shopping habits have evolved for the long haul. The latest research supports Accenture's previously released findings that the dramatic rise in e-commerce is likely to remain or accelerate further. For instance, the proportion of online purchases for products such as food, home decor, fashion, and luxury goods by previously infrequent e-commerce users - defined as those who used online channels for less than 25% of purchases prior to the outbreak - has increased 667% since the outbreak in India.

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Quito, May 25 : Ecuador's new conservative president, Guillermo Lasso has called for national unity and promised democratic renewal.

"We will remain humble, we will rule for everyone, not just for a privileged sector," the conservative head of state said during his inauguration at the national parliament here on Monday.

"We are starting the fight to win back our democratic soul," Lasso, a former banker, asserted.

He said the time for autocratic leaders was over, reports dpa news agency.

Ecuador was recently rocked by tough political conflicts between leftist and right-wing forces.

Lasso won the presidential election in the South American country last month.

The 65-year-old stands for a liberal economic policy and wants to create jobs and attract foreign investors.

In terms of social policy, he represents conservative values.

Ecuador, which has around 17 million inhabitants, is in a deep economic crisis due to the drop in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic.

Gross domestic product was down by 7.5 per cent last year.

Around one third of Ecuadorians currently live in poverty, and the proportion has increased significantly since the pandemic began.
New Delhi, May 25 : Two-time Olympian Sushil Kumar, who was arrested by the Delhi Police on Sunday in connection with the death of wrestler Sagar Dhankar, has been suspended until further orders, officials said on Tuesday.

Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said, "A case against Sushil Kumar, (Adhoc)JAG/ IRTS, on premature repatriation to Northern Railway from NDMC, in respect of a criminal offence, is under investigation. He was detained in police custody on May 23 for a period exceeding forty-eight hours." "Now, therefore Sushil Kumar JAG/ (Adhoc) IRTS is deemed to have been suspended with effect from the date of detention i.e. May 23, 2021 in terms of Rule 5 (2) of (D&A) Rules, 1968 and shall remain under suspension until further orders," he said.

Kumar was arrested after staying on the run for 18 days after the death of wrestler Dhankar.

According to Delhi Police officials, Kumar had travelled to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana during the 18-day-long cat and mouse chase game.

He was finally arrested from Delhi's Mundka area on Sunday morning, when he had come to collect some cash and also borrowed a scooty from a national level player. The Delhi Police had also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh on Kumar and Rs 50,000 on his aide Ajay.

Kumar was sent to six days' custody by a Delhi court.

On May 18, Kumar had moved an anticipatory bail plea in New Delhi's Rohini court, but the court rejected it.

On May 4, two groups of wrestlers clashed with each other at Chhatrasal Stadium leading to the death of 23-year-old Dhankar due to injuries he sustained during the brawl. A Delhi court had also issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Kumar.

The Delhi Police had also issued a lookout notice for Kumar who won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and silver in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Sydney, May 25 : The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) will adopt affirmative consent as part of a reform to its sexual assault laws, Attorney General Mark Speakman announced on Tuesday.

Speakman said the state government was adopting or adopting in principle 44 recommendations made late last year by a state commission reviewing consent in relation to sexual offences, reports dpa news agency.

He also pointed to two key reforms relating to consent that go further.

The first is that there cannot be consent unless the party has done or said something to communicate it.

The second is that for an alleged perpetrator to have a reasonable belief that consent was given, they will have to have taken active steps to obtain it.

"You just can't assume through lack of resistance or lack of protest that consent has been given," Speakman said.

"It's very simple, consent has to be communicated by the other party saying or doing something.

"To have a reasonable belief, an accused will have to have taken steps. The accused will have to have done something or said something, reasonable in the circumstances, to ascertain consent.

"We want to make it clear a thought process is not such a step, a reasonable step has to be an act or something said to ascertain the complainant's consent," he said.

The Attorney General added that the reforms will also reaffirm that consent is given voluntarily, can be withdrawn at any time, that consent for one sexual act is not consent for another and that self-intoxication of the accused is not an excuse for failing to form a reasonable belief that consent was given.

He said the change was about holding perpetrators to account but also about changing community behaviour so consent is sought.

The commission's review was sparked by the advocacy of Saxon Mullins, who has been calling for changes to consent law since going public with her story of alleged sexual assault in 2018.

A court had found Mullins did not consent, but an appeals judge ruled the alleged perpetrator had the mistaken but genuine belief that she had consented, according to Australian newswire AAP.

"In 2017 I walked out of the NSW High Court feeling lost, alone and powerless," Mullins said in a statement non-profit group Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy (RASARA), where she is now co-director of advocacy.

RASARA called Speakman's announcement a "huge leap forward".
Chennai, May 25 : Tamil Nadu Chief minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday conducted a meeting of officials and ministers and directed them to ensure that supply of milk and vegetables to the people of the state should continue during the lockdown.

Stalin reviewed the supply of essentials in the state and specifically in Chennai during the a meeting which was held at the Secretariat. He also called upon the officials to ensure that the vegetables and fruits be available to the people at a fair price.

An official release said that on Tuesday, vegetables and fruits to the tune of 6,509 MT were supplied by 13,096 vehicles. On May 24, around 4,900 MT of fruits and vegetables were supplied using 6,296 vehicles.

The chief minister also directed the officials to ensure a regular and continuous supply of vegetables and fruits to rural Tamil Nadu just like it's availability in urban areas.

MK Stalin directed the officials to ensure proper coordination between Horticulture Department and Agriculture Department and Greater Chennai Corporation and other local bodies in the state to ensure that the supplies reach the public.

Water Resources Minister S. Duraimurugan, Agriculture Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu and other officials were present during the meeting.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 25 : The Covid 19 pandemic, which continues to be a cause for concern for South Asian as well as Southeastern countries, is set to provide a common thread for a Bay of Bengal ( BIMSTEC) bloc to move ahead even as several contentious issues remain. Besides, the importance of BIMSTEC, set up in 1997, will increase in the coming years as the grouping can get geopolitically enmeshed in the growing Indo-Pacific community which is coming into its own following a security threat from an expansionist China, experts said.

Amid the pandemic and the rapidly changing regional China-driven geopolitical contours, the importance of smaller regional blocs which until now remained dormant has come to the fore, analysts said.

Establishing BIMSTEC's linkages with a broader Indo-Pacific region could be a game-changer.

"The rekindling of BIMSTEC, somewhat, had started around 2018 before the outbreak of Covid 19 but with the pandemic is likely to give it a further push. Covid 19 induced issues such as health, education besides social factors must be taken up by the BIMSTEC bloc," Nazneen Ahmed, Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) told India Narrative.

"Instead of one step backward, we can now take one step forward by focusing on the commonalities among the countries. Taking up the softer issues and enhancing exchange of knowledge and know-how on various health related issues would help in reviving BIMSTEC," Ahmed said, adding that complex issues relating to trade could be kept aside for the time-being.

A study by the East West Center underlined that the pandemic has brought up the need to strengthen regional cooperation in the public health sector and related services in the region while enhancing trade facilitation to augment supply chain resilience, and restoring economic growth. "The key message is that measures to mitigate Covid-19-related challenges must serve to reduce the costs of the pandemic in the region," the study noted.

BIMSTEC, which started as an economic bloc between Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation was later rechristened Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation after the entry of Nepal and Bhutan in 2004.

According to the Observer Research Foundation, despite many concerns that plague the BIMSTEC, there are grounds for optimism with the resurgence of strategic and economic interests besides the thrust on Indo Pacific, the bloc has gained salience as a promising sub-regional grouping.

The recent resurgence of strategic and economic interests in the Bay, as part of a larger maritime strategic space, namely, the Indo Pacific, has helped BIMSTEC gain salience as a promising sub-regional grouping. the bloc can become an important relay for the development of new supply chains that exclude China. Already India, Japan and Australia--comprising the Indo-Pacific core--have started a dialogue of building new post-Covid supply chains, which could leverage the strengths of BIMSTEC members along the way forward.

An analyst said that the post Covid world will present a different picture with the thrust on regional factors. "Many had written obituaries of BIMSTEC but the region has suddenly become the focus with geopolitical contours changing," he said.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

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New Delhi, May 25 : The Congress on Tuesday urged Twitter to affix 'manipulative media' tag to 11 Union Ministers for spreading false and malicious propaganda.

Congress Chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Urgent need to affix 'Manipulative Media' tags to the tweets of Union Ministers in the Modi Government for spreading false and malicious propaganda." The Congress alleged that the forged Toolkit document is created by certain BJP leaders to gain undue and wrongful political advantage by spreading potentially dangerous, false and fabricated material through their Twitter handles, against the Indian National Congress and its leaders.

The Union Ministers against whom Congress wants manipulative media tag include Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani and nine others.

The congress gave the list of Twitter handles of various Union Ministers along with the specific URLs of the Tweets made by them on May 18.

"Any information that is put up directly by a Union Minister of the Government of India through his/her official/verified Twitter account, hence, it becomes all the more imperative to tag, 'manipulative media', on all such tweets made by Ministers of the Government of India on the above referred forged toolkit document created by the BJP," Surjewala said.

The Congress informed Twitter that an FIR has been registered in Chhattisgarh.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hong Kong: HK sees no major captital outflow

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Hong Kong is performing well in finance and banking and has not witnessed any significant outflow of capital as a result of the implementation of the National Security Law.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the statement before attending this mornings Executive Council meeting.

We have 9,000 Mainland and overseas companies based in Hong Kong, including many of them which are using Hong Kong as a regional headquarters or regional office.

We have not seen any significant outflow of capital. The securities market is doing very well. The banking sector is very stable. And generally, life goes on.

I had meetings with business chambers, both based in Hong Kong and also overseas, through webinars in the past two months. Generally, the initial concerns and anxieties about the national security legislation have subsided.

Mrs Lam also pointed out that the business communitys current focus is on capitalising on the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The first and foremost topic raised by the business community was the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. How could we go into the Greater Bay Area? How could we make use of the support measures for Hong Kong under the 14th Five-Year Plan in order to grow our business?

What more favourable policies would there be from the central government in order to facilitate the free flow of goods, capital, people and data between Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Areas Mainland cities?

So these are the general sentiments that we have received from the business community at large.

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
New Delhi, May 25 : The Israel-Palestine conflict has opened up a can of worms revealing that when it comes to Pakistan and Turkey, their support for Muslim causes is selective, opportunistic and in the end based on cynical geopolitical calculations. Both countries are trying to champion Palestinian rights-an effort which was visible in plain sight during the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas, which is confined to Gaza.

But given their embrace of China, the leadership of the two countries remains petrified, unable to displease Beijing, despite the violation of human rights on an industrial scale of the Uyghur Muslim community in Xinjiang. Some countries have labelled the mass incarceration of the Uyghurs by China as genocide.

Pakistan's double standards on supporting Islamic causes were on public display when Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi flew all the way to Turkey on a two-day visit and then to New York to discuss the Palestine issue and the rights of the Muslims in Israel. On his Europe to US flight, he was accompanied by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Palestine and Sudan to lend a collective voice to the repression of the Muslims.

In New York, when asked by CNN as to why Pakistan was not raising the issue of 'genocide' of Uyghurs in China, the Pakistan foreign minister fumbled to answer the question. All that Qureshi could manage was: "... You know China is a very good friend of Pakistan. They have stood by us through thick and thin. And we have means of communication. We use our diplomatic channels. We do not discuss everything in public".

To Qureshi's discomfiture, the CNN journalist remained insistent and asked again: "... But you can't just turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in one country. Are there discussions behind the scenes by your Prime Minister Khan?" A re-faced Qureshi could only say: "Ma'am, there's always a way of doing things. And we are not oblivious of our responsibilities." The Pakistan foreign minister made it clear that he could not speak against a powerful totalitarian country like China even if it was in the thick of carrying out a 'genocide' of Muslim brethren.

This hypocrisy is not limited to Pakistan alone. Turkey-the other aspirant to global Muslim leadership-sails in the same boat. What is worse is that both the nations have instead helped China in a crackdown upon the runaway Uyghurs. Over the last many years, the two Muslim countries have hounded and deported Uyghurs back to China. It is not difficult to guess what fate awaits the deported Uyghur men and women in China.

Just last month, Human Rights Watch in a 53-page report said that China has detained up to a million Muslim people in its western region as it carries on a campaign of repression against the minority. The report says: " As many as a million people have been arbitrarily detained in 300 to 400 facilities, which include "political education" camps, pretrial detention centres, and prisons. Courts have handed down harsh prison sentences without due process, sentencing Turkic Muslims to years in prison merely for sending an Islamic religious recording to a family member or downloading e-books in Uyghur." Emboldened with the hypocritical attitude of the Islamic nations, China is exploring an extradition treaty with Turkey. Expectedly, this has sent a shiver among the Uyghur community that has escaped to Turkey.

Media reports suggest that Turkey has agreed to deport Uyghur Muslims in return for covid-19 vaccines. Dilxat Raxit, a spokesperson for the World Uyghur Congress, told AFP earlier this year: "This extradition treaty will cause worry among Uighurs who have fled China and do not yet have Turkish citizenship." Through Turkey has denied these allegations, it is under constant pressure from Beijing about deporting Uyghurs who managed to escape. Over the years it has been sending back the activists that China wants.

In another instance, Uyghur women activists made allegations of rape, torture and forced sterilisations against China on this International Women's Day. They also alleged that Uyghur and Turkic women are forced to marry ethnic Han men. Such serious allegations against the mistreatment of the ethnic minority did not evoke condemnation from the Islamic world.

This curious sentiment of looking the other way over Uyghur rights is now being investigated by the international media. After a new report came out on the human rights violation of the Uyghur community, The Washington Post asked, 'Why do some Muslim-majority countries support China's crackdown on Muslims?' Uyghurs-this is one Muslim issue on which both Pakistan and Turkey muffle their high-volume global voices even as they carry on a crusade for the rights of Muslims in other countries. It is important to take up these two countries because Pakistan shares a land link with Xinjiang-the homeland of the persecuted community in China while Turkey hosts the largest Uyghur community with which it shares a common ethnicity.

Like Turkey, Pakistan has been abetting China in its human rights abuses of the Uyghurs. It too sends the escaped Uyghurs back to the Communist regime. With a massive $62 billion project under China's Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan is one of the few all-weather friends of China. Even when asked on international platforms about the plight of the Uyghurs, the Pakistani government has ended up praising their treatment at the hands of China.

While Pakistan has been vociferous over raising issues like the Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet in the French media and other perceived insults or violation of rights of the Muslim community in other countries, it has not shown the same courage against China on behalf of the Muslim Uyghurs.

It is not just hypocrisy at play.

The answer lies in both-the power of fear and the lure of money that keeps self-appointed leaders of the Muslim world like Pakistan and Turkey cosy up to China. Both have made the protection of Islam a convenient weapon, which they unleash or keep sheathed as they wish to. The liberal and democratic nations are however a convenient and soft target.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
Kabul, May 25 : The Afghan government is committed to ensuring safety and security of foreign organisations and diplomatic missions, the Foreign Ministry here said on Tuesday following Australia's announcement to close its embassy in Kabul.

"Based on the international laws and conventions, and within the framework of agreements with friendly countries, the Afghan government remains obligated to ensure the security of diplomatic missions and the safety of diplomatic and consular representatives," the Ministry said in a statement.

The statement came after Australia decided to close its embassy in Kabul amid increasingly uncertain security situation.

"We hope, as mentioned in the Australian government statement, that this measure will be temporary, and Australia will soon resume its permanent presence in Afghanistan," the Ministry added.

Australia's embassy building will close on Friday, with officials in future visiting Afghanistan from a post elsewhere in the region, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a joint statement.

The government said Australia would revert to diplomats using visiting accreditation for relations with Afghanistan, as was the case before the Kabul embassy opened in 2006, dpa news agency reported.

"It is Australia's expectation that this measure will be temporary and that we will resume a permanent presence in Kabul once circumstances permit," the statement read.

Canberra cited the "increasingly uncertain security environment" that has come with the imminent departure of international forces and said the government had been advised security arrangements could not be provided to support an ongoing diplomatic presence.

The move "does not alter our commitment to Afghanistan or its people", Payne and Morrison said.

Afghanistan is in a state of uncertainty after US President Joe Biden announced that American troops will pull out from the country by September 11, 2021 after almost 20 years.

NATO agreed to follow suit.

Almost 10,000 NATO soldiers from the Resolute Support training mission, including 2,500 soldiers from the US and around 1,100 from Germany, the two biggest contingents, are due to leave the country.

Australia has 80 troops remaining in Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission.

Since the withdrawal officially began on May 1, the Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, districts, bases and checkpoints.
Manila, May 25 : Five suspected communist rebels were killed on Tuesday in a clash with government troops in central Philippines, an army spokesman said.

Soldiers were on combat patrol when they encountered the guerrillas in a village in Bilar town in Bohol province, about 400 km south of Manila, dpa news agency quoted army Major Cenon Pancito as saying.

One soldier was wounded in the firefight, he added.

Troops were responding to reports by civilians of the presence of suspected communist rebels in the village when the clash erupted, Pancito said.

"Bohol was once declared as an insurgency-free province, but there is an effort on the part of the New People's Army to recover Bohol," he said.

"We are working together with the local government units and the public to thwart these efforts." The New People's Army is the armed wing of the rebel Communist Party of the Philippines.

Pancito said the army also received intelligence reports that a group of rebels was planning to assassinate government forces and others allied with the government.

"It turned out the reports are true, and the troops caught the group based on documents seized from the slain rebels," he added.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

In November 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte terminated peace talks with the communist rebels amid unabated attacks by the guerrillas.

Efforts to resume the negotiations have so far failed.
Mumbai, May 25 : Telugu star Jr NTR took to Twitter on Tuesday to inform fans that he has recovered from Covid-19. Along with the health update, the actor also tweeted thanks to doctors for their support.

"Happy to state that I've tested negative for Covid 19. Thank you everyone for all the wishes. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my doctors -Dr Praveen Kulkarni & my cousin Dr Veeru from KIMS Hospitals, as well as Tenet Diagnostics. Their excellent care helped me a lot," he wrote on Twitter.

Requesting people not to panic, the actor suggested that Covid can be beaten by staying positive mentally and proper care.

He advised in a separate tweet: "Covid 19 needs to be taken very seriously. But it is also a disease that can be beaten with good care and a positive frame of mind. Your will power is your biggest weapon in this fight. Stay strong. Do not panic. Wear a mask. Stay at home." In the second week of May, Jr NTR had informed that he has contracted Covid.

"I've tested positive for Covid19. Plz don't worry, I'm doing absolutely fine. My family & I have isolated ourselves and we're following all protocols under the supervision of doctors. I request those who've come into contact with me over the last few days to pl get tested. Stay safe," the actor had tweeted.

Jr NTR will next be seen in SS Rajamouli's period drama "RRR". The film will also feature Telugu star Ram Charan and Bollywood stars Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 25 : Global alcohol major Pernod Ricard India has initiated a unique strategy to not just deal with Covid's present resurgence but even its after-effects.

Accordingly, PRI's two pronged strategy focuses on one hand to augment medical infra such as oxygen plants, mobile inoculation and healthcare units to deal with the current resurgence and then to ensure that these systems are used beyond the second wave to deal with Covid's after effects.

The company is specifically focusing on rural India. It has invested about Rs 18 crore since 2020 and plans to substantially increase this amount to over Rs 50 crore in the coming period.

In a conversation with IANS, Thibault Cuny, Managing Director, Pernod Ricard India, and CEO, Pernod Ricard South Asia emphasised: "The second wave has impacted India in an inconceivable way. We are battling a situation we have never seen before." "The battle is challenging one, particularly for rural India, and that's where the healthcare system will need the maximum support." According to Cuny, in a novel approach the company's 14 mobile healthcare vans as well as 4 ambulances will reach out to more than 600 villages a year even after the current wave subsides.

"Over the next three years, the 'Mobile Health Vans', ambulances will continue to reach out to more than 600 villages each year, providing doorstep access to quality primary healthcare, free medicines and accurate information to the rural poor; especially the women, children, elderly, persons with disabilities and those who may have emerged victorious in their fight against the virus but will need long term recovery support," he said.

"The vans will also aid the local healthcare centers in scaling up the community vaccination efforts in rural India." Besides, the healthcare vans the company has stepped up efforts to install 'Pressure Swing Adsorption' (PSA) units in large multi-specialty government hospitals.

At present, PRI is setting up eight PSA unit in hospitals; out of which five are in Uttar Pradesh, and one each at PGIMS Rohtak, one in Nashik, and one was donated through the French government.

Furthermore, it has supported setting up isolation wards as well as providing over 350 oxygen concentrators through the state health departments along with 'BIPAP machines and HFNCs'.

Till date, PRI has provided critical care support infrastructure in public hospitals, withAmore than 100 'Intensive Care Ventilators', 105 HFNC (High Flow Nasal Cannulas) 140 'Intensive Care Unit' (ICU) beds, 35 'Multi Para Monitors', along with preventive healthcare support for personal and public hygiene with sanitisers, and masks across 17 states.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)

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Hyderabad, May 25 : With the arrival of three more Oxygen Express trains in Hyderabad on Tuesday, the Indian Railways have so far supplied over 1,000 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to Telangana.

In a short span of 23 days, Indian Railways supplied a total of 1,194 tonnes of LMO to Telangana through 14 trains loaded with 70 tankers. These trains arrived from three states.

The medical oxygen was brought through a combination of both container tanker trains as well as Ro-Ro (Roll Off Roll On) Service, wherein trucks with tankers are transported through Railways. While, these tankers are arranged by the states, the same are transported by the Railways, South Central Railway (SCR) said on Tuesday.

These Oxygen Express trains to Telangana have started from both the Eastern and Western parts of the country originating from Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat. While 10 trains have come from Odisha, two trains each from Jharkhand and Gujarat.

The 13th Oxygen Express to Telangana arrived at Sanath Nagar in Hyderabad with 44 tonnes of LMO in 3 container tankers from Mundra Port in Gujarat Earlier, the 12th Oxygen Express reached Sanathnagar with 120 tonnes of LMO in 6 Containers from Tata Nagar, Jharkhand, South Central Railway (SCR) said.

The first Oxygen Express for Telangana with five tankers loaded with 124.26 tonnes of LMO had reached Hyderabad on May 2.

To meet the Medical Oxygen requirements of the states at the fastest possible time, Railways have been operating these trains along the Green Corridors to ensure minimum transportation time. Multi-disciplinary teams have also been formed to ensure that the Oxygen trains reach at the least possible time. As a result, the average speed taken to transport these trains has been over 60 kmph.

Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SCR complimented the cfficers and staff of the zone for transporting more than 1000 tonnes of LMO to the state of Telangana. He said that these trains are being operated with a highest sense of urgency so as to ensure that Medical Oxygen to the States reaches in the fastest possible time frame. He advised the team to continue same level of monitoring so as to provide hassle-free and seamless operation of these trains.
Damascus, May 25 : A top Syrian opposition figure on Tuesday slammed the upcoming presidential elections in the country as a blatant attempt by the incumbent regime to undermine the ongoing political process.

"These elections contradict what (the UN Security Council resolution setting out a political settlement in Syria) calls for, which is the holding of free and fair elections in accordance with a new constitution administered under UN supervision," Hadi al-Bahra, co-chair of the opposition Syrian Constitutional Committee, told dpa news agency.

He stressed that "the illegal elections" that are due to be held on Wednesday will prolong the suffering of the Syrian people.

"Currently there is no safe and neutral environment that enables all Syrians to exercise their right in casting their vote," the opposition figure said.

Meanwhile, all preparations and measures for the Syrian presidential elections are ready, state media reported.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted Interior Minister General Mohammed al-Rahmoun as saying that a total of 12,102 polling stations have been set u.

He added that the number of the citizens who have the right to vote inside Syria and abroad is estimated at 18 million.

Syria's current president, Bashar al-Assad, 55, is expected to win a fourth seven-year term in office in Wednesday's vote that the opposition has dismissed as a sham.

The Supreme Constitutional Court has approved three candidates to run in the presidential race, including al-Assad.

The two others are Abdullah Salloum, an former government minister, and Mahmoud Marai, an opposition figure.
Hyderabad, May 25 : Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday lauded the efforts of the Indian Diaspora for their role in extending relief material to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Respecting their roots and with great love for the motherland, many organisations and individuals supporting Indians all over the world are extending great help to the needy back home," she said.

The governor was speaking while handing over 300 oxygen concentrators, donated by the IT Serve Alliance, Dallas, Texas, USA, to their representatives in Hyderabad at Raj Bhavan, here.

The oxygen concentrators will be distributed to the needy IT Serve Alliance staff and their family members working here.

On the occasion, the governor virtually interacted with the IT Serve Alliance national president Raghu Chittimalla and the organisation's Dallas chapter president, Viswa Kandi.

Tamilisai Soundararajan said that their timely response to provide a total of 500 oxygen concentrators and 20 ventilator beds to the people in India was truly appreciable and inspiring to many others.

She said that it was time that we all rise to the occasion to help the suffering mankind and help it overcome the pandemic through our collective efforts.

Governor's Secretary K. Surendra Mohan, IT Serve Alliance, Hyderabad chapter, representatives Ravi Teja, V. Adinarayana Reddy, D. Rama Krishna, K. Adi Narayana Reddy and others were present.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Dhaka, May 25 : Bangladesh has reported a patient who recovered from the coronavirus infection in Satkhira as the first case of mucormycosis or black fungus, a top official said on Tuesday.

The person was diagnosed with mucormycosis while undergoing tests at BIRDEM General Hospital in May, bdnews24 quoted Director General MKI Quayyum Choudhury as saying to the media.

"The patient was earlier diagnosed with coronavirus in Khulna." When queried if the patient had travelled to India, Choudhury did not provide any information.

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection, which is rare but can be fatal.

In 50 per cent of the cases, this fungal infection causes death.

A patient suffering from the black fungus can be saved only by removing the bone around the eyes or jaw.

Neighbouring India, which is still battling a devastating second wave of the Covid pandemic, has reported thousands of black fungus cases.
New Delhi, May 25 : Consumer electronics brand TCL on Tuesday unveiled a new range of smart TVs in India in association with e-commerce marketplace Flipkart.

With this launch, TCL expands its current partnership with Flipkart which began with the successful launch of its sub-brand iFFALCON three years ago.

"We are elated to associate with Flipkart and look forward to this partnership," Mike Chen, General Manager, TCL India, said in a statement.

"The launch of our products on India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace Flipkart marks the expansion of TCL's e-commerce business and we will be taking forward our relationship in the years to come," Chen added.

The new smart TVs include P715 4K UHD AI TV, C715 4K QLED TV, C815 4K QLED TV.

The P715 4K UHD AI TV features the latest technologies like micro dimming, dynamic colour enhancement, etc.

It will available in 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch, priced at Rs 29,999, Rs 38,999, Rs 42,999 and Rs 64,999, respectively.

The C715 4K QLED TV comes with built-in Google Assistant and Chromecast, hands-free voice control and works with voice assistants as well.

The Android TV will be available in 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch, priced at Rs 49,999, Rs 56,999 and Rs 88,499, respectively.

The C815 4K QLED TV also comes with the same features as C715 mentioned above, including hands-free voice control, Quantum Dot Technology, Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, etc.

The cutting-edge device will be available on Flipkart in 55-inches, 65-inches and 75-inches and will be priced at Rs 78,499, 114,999 and 129,999, respectively.
A day after the Delhi Police's Special Cell reached the doorsteps of Twitter India offices in Delhi and Haryana's Gurugram in connection with alleged Congress toolkit probe, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a potshot at the government saying, "truth remains unafraid".

In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, "Truth remains unafraid."

His remarks came a day after the Special Cell sleuths arrived at the offices of Twitter in south Delhi's Lado Sarai and Haryana's Gurugram to deliver notices to its officials. However, the offices of the Twitter were found shut.

In a statement, Delhi Police said, "Delhi police team went to Twitter office to serve a notice to Twitter, as a part of routine process. This was necessitated as we wanted to ascertain who is the right person to serve a notice, as replies by Twitter India MD have been very ambiguous."

Delhi Police has launched a preliminary enquiry into the alleged Congress toolkit and had served notice to Manish Maheshwari on May 21. On Monday, Delhi Police had said, "We are inquiring into a complaint in which clarification is sought from Twitter regarding the classification of a tweet by (BJP spokesperson) Sambit Patra as 'manipulative'."

The statement said that "it appears that Twitter has some information which is not known to us on the basis of which it has classified it as such".

"This information is relevant to the inquiry. The Special Cell, which is conducting the inquiry, wants to find out the truth. Twitter, which has claimed to know the underlying truth, should clarify," the statement added.

In its notice to Twitter India MD, Delhi Police had asked Maheshwari to be present in the office of the Special Cell on May 22 at 1 p.m. with all the relevant documents, but he did not turn up.

Twitter had described the tweet of BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra as "manipulated media" last week. Patra had shared the alleged toolkit of the Congress, accusing it of trying to defame the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The alleged toolkit sparked a row last week as Congress approached Delhi Police to register an FIR against Patra, BJP national President J.P. Nadda, party leader B.L. Santhosh, Union Minister Smriti Irani and others for forgery.

The Chhattisgarh Police also registered a case on the complaint of NSUI over the alleged toolkit and recorded the statement of former Chief Minister Raman Singh and also served notice to Patra.
Yangon, May 25 : Authorities in Myanmar detained an American journalist, an employee at a local English-language publication, at the Yangon airport shortly before boarding a flight back home, according to his employer on Tuesday.

Danny Fenster, 37, has been taken to prison, dpa news agency quoted his employer, Frontier Myanmar, as saying in a statement.

The charges against Fenster are unknown.

"We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him since this morning. We are concerned for his well-being and call for his immediate release. Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs," the statement said.

Frontier Myanmar's chief, Thomas Kean told dpa news agency that Fenster had worked at the newpaper since August 2020 and that he had been on his way to the US for personal reasons.

The military leaders of Myanmar have cracked down hard on anyone they view as an opponent ever since grabbing power in February.

There have been reports of more than 5,400 detentions since the start of their rules, including of many journalists.

Many reporters have already fled the country, though foreign correspondents had been viewed as enjoying a degree of protection.

"This unlawful restriction of a foreign journalist's freedom of movement is the latest grave threat to press freedom in Myanmar," read a statement from the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Chandigarh, May 25 : Joining the farmers to raise black flags to lodge protest against the three controversial farm laws enacted by the Central government, Punjab Congress legislator Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday hoisted the black flag at his ancestral residence in Patiala town.

Appealing to every Punjabi to support the farmers, Sidhu, accompanied by his wife Navjot Kaur, in a video posted on his Twitter handle, said: "From the past three decades, Indian farmers are worried due to rising debts and dropping income.

"Farmers have been lied to, and now these new black laws have proved to be the last nail in the coffin.

"I protest against these laws, and stand in solidarity with my father and brothers." The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, has announced it will observe May 26 as 'black day' to mark six months of their protest at Delhi's borders against the farm laws.

Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal has appealed to people to raise black flags at their houses, vehicles and shops on May 26 to lodge the protest.

Sidhu's protest is contrary to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's stand who has urged the state's prominent farm union the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) not to go ahead with their proposed sit-in protest, which could turn into a "super-spreader of the contagion" amidst the pandemic.

He said his government was the first to pass amendment laws in the state Assembly to negate the farm laws.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
May 25 : Bhumi Pednekar played an important role in leading from the front to save many lives during the coronavirus pandemic. The Pati Patni Aur Woh actress also launched a social media initiative called COVID Warrior, and now the actress has joined hands with global spiritual icon Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his The Art of Living Foundation to help the people of the country who are suffering from COVID-19.

The Art of Living Foundation has launched a pan-India volunteer-driven service called Mission Zindagi to send relief to COVID-19 affected people. The volunteers serve people across the country who are affected by COVID-19. They ensure the availability of hospital beds, oxygen supply, cooked food, doctor consultation, as well as guidance on mental health to people affected by the disease.

In a statement, Bhumi said, India has been going through a critical time as we are battling the worst phase of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, it is important for all of us to unite and help each other in this moment of crisis. Im deeply honoured to collaborate with Gurudev and his Art of Living's #MissionZindagi to bridge the gap between those in need with the relevant resources that can aid and help save lives. COVID Warrior is an initiative that is close to my heart and with Gurudevs help, we can now help so many more people across the country.

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar has taken on himself to help 3600 dancers from the film industry with monthly ration amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These artists have been affected as due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become jobless as film shoots have come to a halt.

Reportedly, Akshay promised to help these dancers as a gift to choreographer Ganesh Acharya on his 50th birthday. On Ganeshs request, the Sooryavanshi actor has promised to help 1600 junior choreographers and aged dancers and about 2000 background dancers with a months ration. Through Ganesh Acharya Foundation, the choreographer distributes ration to COVID-19 affected people.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 25 : In light of the continuing pressures on healthcare, frontline workers, individuals and families, MetLife Foundation has donated $ 1.2 million, to support relief efforts and alleviate the strains on India's healthcare system.

The donation will be channelled through not-for-profit organizations that are working in close collaboration with central and local governments: Habitat for Humanity, American India Foundation, Healing Fields Foundation and Trickle up.

Through Habitat for Humanity, the funds will support deployment of around 600 beds, medical equipment and other supplies such as oxygen concentrators and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, across four key states of Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai and Wasim), Karnataka (Bangalore) and Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow and Varanasi).

Through its partnership with American India Foundation and in collaboration with other donors, a shipment of 30,000 portable ventilators is being provided, free of cost, to multiple states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Delhi.

Through Healing Fields Foundation, tele-consultation assistance, food supplies, medicines and other home-isolation and management support will be provided to 500 villages covering a population of 625,000 people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

And in rural Odisha, Trickle Up will provide much needed essential food supplies and healthcare awareness to more than 1,000 of the most vulnerable families.
Mumbai, May 25 : Actor Manu Punjabi, who was battling Covid-19, says he reached out to his industry friends Arshi Khan and Rubina Dilaik for help and advice.

"I'm much better now. While I was battling the virus, apart from my doctors, Arshi and Rubina guided me with health tips. They have also recently recovered from the virus. Having such beautiful friends in life is a blessing," he says.

Manu was missing his family during this time. "My sister stays in Jodhpur. I didn't inform her about my health, but she had an idea from my voice. I was also missing my late mother as she was my world. I had quarantined myself, and I didn't even let my househelp in. I did everything myself, which was really tough. I have almost recovered now, but I am missing my energy. I hope to get it back soon," he says.

Besides participating in "Bigg Boss", Manu has hosted a reality show called "A Date To Remember" and also featured in a Bollywood film called "Miss Masala Dosa".

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 25 : The two candidates, who were said to be the front runners for the post of Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), were dropped after Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana cited a Supreme Court guideline on appointment of police chiefs.

According to sources, CJI Ramana pointed out the top court's guidelines in the Prakash Singh case of March 2019, which made it clear that no officer with less than six months to retirement, should be appointed as police chief.

The source said that the CJI Ramana was insistent on this point, and he also got support from Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, which made the Prime Minister to follow his demand.

With the citing of the SC order by the CJI, it was made clear that NIA chief Y.C. Modi, who is set to retire at the end of May and Rakesh Asthana, who is currently heading the BSF and all set to retire in July this year, were out of race for the top post of the CBI.

Sources said that Y.C. Modi and Asthana were among the top contenders for the post of Director, CBI.

However, after their names were dropped, the PM-led Selection Committee, which includes CJI and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha during a meeting in Monday evening, discussed names of three IPS officers, which included CISF chief Subodh Jaiswal, SSB DG K.R. Chandra and Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) V.S.K. Kaumudi.

A senior officer wishing not be named pointed out that CJI Ramana has set a new bar in the selection of Director, CBI.

He said that the Prakash Singh judgment was about appointment of DGPs of state police.

"However, CBI appointments are more guided by the Vineet Narain judgment, the CVC Act and the Lokpal Act," he said.

The chiefs of CBI has a fixed two-year term. However, this is for the first time that the condition of six month tenure left before appointment, has been followed.

In March 2019, a bench headed by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi while hearing the petition filed by former UP DGP Prakash Singh had said, "We, therefore, clarify that recommendation for appointment to the post of Director General of Police by the Union Public Service Commission and preparation of panel should be purely on the basis of merit from officers who have a minimum residual tenure of six months i.e., officers who have at least six months of service prior to the retirement."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, May 25 : Bharat Biotech has supplied its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin to 30 cities in India within 30 days, a top company official said on Tuesday.

"Covaxin reaches 30 cities within 30 days," tweeted Suchitra Ella, Co-founder and Joint Managing director of Bharat Biotech.

"All our employees are committed, working 24x7 through lockdowns for the country's immunisation - please send your prayers to their families, some are still quarantined and off work," she wrote.

The Hyderabad-based firm dispatched vaccine doses to private hospitals in 30 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Pune, Amritsar and Guwahati.

Earlier on May 12, Suchitra Ella had said that it was disheartening to hear some states complaining about Bharat Biotech's intentions regarding supply of Covaxin.

"Covaxin dispatched 10/5/21. 18 states have been covered though in smaller shipments. Quite disheartening to the teams to hear some states complaining about our intentions," she had tweeted.

"Fifty of our employees are off work due to Covid, yet we continue to work under pandemic lockdowns 24x7 for you," she wrote.

The vaccine maker had earlier announced that it is directly supplying Covaxin to 18 states since May 1.

The company, however, has not come out with details of the supplies like the number of doses supplied to the states.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, May 25 : With hundreds of them in many automobile units getting infected with coronavirus in the second wave, workers want factories to shut down to break the Covid-19 chain spread.

With the Tamil Nadu government classifying automobile units as Public Utility Service, workers want the companies to treat them as Covid-19 frontline workers and pay a compensation of Rs.50 lakh to the family of the workers who die due to coronavirus.

Terming the classification of automobile units as a continuous process industry as illogical, workers want the Tamil Nadu government to change it.

Some units like India Yamaha Motor and Hyundai Motors India Ltd have already started shutting down their operations and others have also started to shut down their shutters.

Two wheeler maker Eicher Motors that rolls out Bullet and other bikes has decided to close down its plants near here for three days between May 27-29 and restart production on May 31 which is a Monday.

Eicher Motors told its workers that the short break will help to tame the Covid-19 curve to some extent.

"About 600 workers tested positive for Covid-19 out of 1,480 workers at Oragadam factory," a worker told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

According to a worker, production at the factory has halved due to issues with component supplies. Normally the production per shift will be about 450-500 units and has come down to about 250 per shift.

As regards covering health care expenses, the worker said the company provides medical insurance for Rs.250,000 for the family.

"Normally a two minute silence will be observed if any company employee dies. Two employees have died due to Covid-19, but no such silence was observed as the company did not officially announce the deaths," the worker said.

With the Tamil Nadu government stipulating that industries have to ferry their workers in buses/vans, the company has not made any arrangement for the workers who come to work in their two wheelers, the worker said.

"At Ford India Private Ltd's car plant near here over 200 workers out of about 2,700 workers have been infected with coronavirus and two persons died," a worker preferring anonymity told IANS.

According to workers, the factory started operations on May 24 after being closed from May 11.

Prior to that the plant was closed between May 1 and 5 to break the infection chain, they said.

A Ford India worker said, requests have been made to the management to implement social distancing norms like 50 per cent occupancy in factory buses, four metre gap between tables in canteen, sensor based taps and others.

The workers have also requested Ford India to treat them as frontline Covid warriors as they are risking their lives during the pandemic period to roll out cars. If they die due to Covid-19 their families should be paid a compensation of Rs.50 lakh.

"The company can take out a life insurance policy or pay out of its pocket," a Ford India Union Official told IANS.

Ford India's plant near here rolls out models like EcoSport and Endeavour.

"The management has been responsive to our requests. In turn they have asked us to support one shift operation," a Ford India Union Official added.

The company provides two masks daily for its workers unlike many other automobile units that provide cloth masks once in a couple of months.

On Monday the Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS) put the Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd's management on notice saying that the workers will boycott duty from May 26 onwards.

RNITS' Joint Secretary T.Tamizh Kumaran, in a letter to the management, said that unless their safety is ensured at the plant, workers will not come to work.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 25 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed it did not approve of dharna by the Chief Minister of West Bengal and her law minister laying siege of the CBI office in Kolkata, and also thronging of the trial court with supporters.

The top court's observation came during the hearing of a CBI plea challenging the house-arrest order of four Trinamool Congress leaders in the Narada sting operation case.

The CBI, however, withdrew its appeal in the top court challenging the Calcutta High Court. The CBI opted to go back to the high court to raise all contention against order of house arrest.

A bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai told the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, "Why should the accused persons be made to suffer because of a dharna by the chief minister and law minister? "Proceed against them if you wish to." The bench added that it does not appreciate such dharnas by the chief minister to pressurize the agency, but can the accused be made to suffer.

The bench said, "We do not like to mix liberty of citizens with whatever illegal acts of politicians. We will not do that." Citing the Calcutta High Court's five-judge bench was already hearing the matter, the top court asked the CBI whether it would want to withdraw the appeal against the High Court.

Mehta requested for a pass-over to discuss and get back to the court. The top court posted the matter at the end of the board. Later, Mehta informed the top court that CBI would withdraw its appeal against the High Court order, which ordered house-arrest of TMC leaders.

Kolkata witnessed high drama May 17 after CBI sleuths arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee -- along with present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay -- in connection with the 2016 Narada sting tapes case, in which several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash for providing unofficial favours to a fictitious company.
New Delhi, May 25 : Europe's consumer technology brand Thomson is offering big discounts on its range of smart TVs and home appliances during 'Big Savings Day Sale' from May 27 to 29 on Flipkart.

Early access starts on May 26 that will offer a Thomson 40 inch LED TV at Rs 18,999 for Flipkart plus users.

"Keeping the ongoing situation in mind we are offering an honest & fair pricing without trying to burden our customers," Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, SPPL, exclusive brand licensee of Thomson TV's in India said.

The sale will also see THOMSON offering its latest range of large screen TVs on discount. It's 75 inch television is being offered at a price of Rs 1,05,999. The prices have also been dropped in company's range of washing machines and air coolers.
The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP in Rajasthan got engaged in a war of words on Tuesday over Covid vaccines.

While Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused the Central government of creating vaccine crisis in the nation, saying a possible third wave of the pandemic can create havoc for children if vaccines are not arranged on time, the state BJP accused the Rajasthan government of hiding its failures by putting all blames on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"What is the status of the global tenders floated for availing Covid vaccines as 50 per cent of vaccination is the responsibility of the state," asked BJP state unit chief Satish Poonia.

"You cannot hide your corona mismanagement by making false accusations against Prime Minister Modi. Under his leadership, about 20 crore people have been vaccinated in the country, and one crore people in the age group of 18 to 44 have been inoculated in the third phase," Poonia added.

Earlier in the day, Gehlot had shot three tweets warning the Central government that a possible third wave may create havoc in the state if vaccines for each and every citizen are not arranged on time.

"PM Narendra Modi and (Union Health Minister) Harsh Vardhan should have kept vaccine production on priority. If a third wave infects our children, the nation will never forgive us," Gehlot said.

"In a country with over 130 crore population, the situation can turn serious if vaccines are not arranged for everyone and if kids fall victim to the third wave. Oxygen and medicine crisis will be at their worst in that situation," Gehlot added.

However, Poonia accused the state government of mismanaging the Covid situation in the state and "hiding the exact figures of deaths and the number of Covid patients", especially in the rural areas, leaving the health system "in the hands of God".

"Neither sufficient number of staff has been deputed in the hospitals, nor have oxygen plants been installed with the funds allocated by PM Narendra Modi a year back. Also, Gehlot failed to stop black marketing of hospital beds and medicines in the state," Poonia alleged.

"Is it the Ashok Gehlot model in which death figures are being hidden? Neither the patients are getting timely treatment, nor are medicines being made available to them. Also, private hospitals are refusing admission to patients through the Chiranjeevi scheme, a medical insurance programme launched by the state government. The hospitals are also charging exorbitant rates from people in the name of treatment," Poonia said.
Dhar, May 25 : To overcome vaccine hesitancy among the rural population, a non-government organisation 'Youth For Children' has launched a door-to-door campaign across all villages in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.

This youth group has been spreading awareness among the common people encouraging them to get themselves vaccinated as it is the only potent weapon to combat coronavirus.

Nalchha village in Dhar district is a tribal dominated area and the people living here fear coronavirus infection but are still not ready for vaccination.

There are various misconceptions among people here. To prepare the tribal population for vaccination, the volunteers of 'Youth for Children' have been visiting the village.

The volunteers are going door-to-door in every village to check the oxygen level of the people, distributing face masks as well as spreading awareness to frequently wash their hands. They have been encouraging people to get vaccinated and their efforts are yielding positive results as people are now getting vaccinated.

The villagers are being advised not to panic in case of a fever, cough or common cold and must consult an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) or a doctor. They must take the medicine at the right time, receive two vaccination doses and take special care of their children along with their eating habits.

The 'Youth for Children' team visited the fields in Malipura, Kirnapura and Bhilbarkheda as well as 'Chaupals' to spread awareness among people about following Covid-19 protocols and discussed the benefits of vaccination with them.

Gayatri Parmar of 'Youth for Children' said she is engaged in the vaccination campaign with the cooperation of Dhar Collector Alok Singh, Anil Gulati of UNICEF and Dr Arora of Nalchha Health Department. Along with the team of Seva Bharati and state Health Department, the volunteers are trying to change the outlook of the people towards vaccination. A doctor Mahesh Yadav says that people are now coming forward for vaccination.
New Delhi, May 25 : FarEye, an end-to-end global delivery management platform, has raised $100 million in its series-E funding round led by TCV and Dragoneer Investment Group.

Existing investors -- Eight Roads Ventures, Fundamentum and Honeywell -- also participated in the round.

The funds will be used to accelerate the company's mission of empowering brands to provide Amazon Prime-like delivery experiences and redefining how products are delivered across diverse logistics networks, said a company statement.

FarEye will further focus on expanding its software platform capabilities, drive European and North American expansion, and continue to attract world-class talent.

As part of the transaction, GopiVaddi, General Partner at TCV, will join FarEye's board of directors.

Founded in the year 2013 by Kushal Nahata, Gaurav Srivastava and Gautam Kumar, FarEye is addressing a multibillion-dollar delivery management market that continues to show double digit year on year growth.

CEO and co-founder Nahata said: "The funding is very timely for the delivery and logistics sector as we have seen consumers spending $861 billion online with US retailers in 2020, up 44 per cent from $598 billion in 2019." The growth and the digital transformation in the logistics sector has created an opportunity for software platforms like FarEye to provide a superior customer experience, Nahata added.
Islamabad, May 25 : The Pakistan foreign office has asked at least 12 officials of the Indian High Commission (IHC) to immediately quarantine themselves after the wife of one of the officials tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival from India.

As per reports, the family member of an IHC official tested positive for Covid-19 along with the driver, after undergoing rapid antigen test on their arrival.

As per Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, "Twelve Indian High Commission officials and a group of their families had entered Pakistan through the Wagah border on May 22 where they were tested. The reports have confirmed that the wife of an official had contracted coronavirus." The test reports were later reviewed by the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), which advised all the 12 officials, including their family members and drivers, to undergo mandatory quarantine.

The directives were given as per the mutual understanding between India and Pakistan, who decided that if any diplomatic staff or their family members test positive of coronavirus, they will be asked to quarantine or they may be asked to return to their respective country.

As per the latest protocols in Pakistan devised by the NCOC for inbound passengers, a mandatory testing at the Pakistani airports along with 10 days' quarantine has been imposed.

In case of a passenger tests positive, the person will be shifted to a quarantine facility where he/she would be tested against after nine days. And if the report is positive again, the person will be shifted to a hospital.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Hyderabad, May 25 : The Telangana government on Tuesday permitted all the designated private hospitals in the state to start administration of Covid vaccines to people above 18 years.

The private hospitals, which are designated Private Covid Vaccination Centres (PCVCs) in Telangana, can now give the Covid vaccine jabs to eligible individuals.

Director of public health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday issued orders permitting the private hospitals designated as PCVCs to carry out the vaccination. They can also carry out the vaccination at workplaces or on requests made by institutions/companies/gated communities etc.

However, individuals will have to register on the CoWin portal. The PCVCs will have to follow Covid vaccination guidelines.

Vaccination for those between 18 and 44 years was launched across the country on May 1. However, the Telangana government kept the rollout for this group in abeyance due to shortage of vaccines.

Due to non-receipt of stocks from the Centre, the state since early this month limited vaccination to only those beneficiaries in the above 45 age group who were due for a second dose.

The vaccine shortage forced the authorities to suspend even the second dose. After a gap of 10 days, the process resumed on Tuesday.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had last month announced free Covid vaccination for all the eligible beneficiaries in the state. This is estimated to cost Rs.2,500 crore to the state exchequer.

He said the state has a population of nearly 4 crore, including people from different states who have come to work in various sectors.

Over 56 lakh people have already been vaccinated in the state.

The state has a population of 1.72 crore in the 18-44 age group and it needs nearly 3.6 crore doses of vaccine to complete the programme. The officials say Telangana has a daily vaccination capacity of 10 lakh people but lack of adequate supplies from the Centre is hindering the vaccination.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 25 : French virologist and Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier called mass vaccination against the coronavirus during the pandemic "unthinkable" and a historical blunder that is "creating the variants" and leading to deaths from the disease, LifeSite News reported.

"It''s an enormous mistake, isn't it? A scientific error as well as a medical error. It is an unacceptable mistake," Montagnier said in an interview translated and published by the RAIR Foundation US.

"The history books will show that, because it is the vaccination that is creating the variants," the report said.

Many epidemiologists know it and are "silent" about the problem known as "antibody-dependent enhancement," Montagnier said.

"It is the antibodies produced by the virus that enable an infection to become stronger," he said in an interview with Pierre Barnerias of Hold-Up Media earlier this month.

While variants of viruses can occur naturally, Montagnier said that vaccination is driving the process. "What does the virus do? Does it die or find another solution? "It is clear that the new variants are created by antibody-mediated selection due to the vaccination." Vaccinating during a pandemic is "unthinkable" and is causing deaths, the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine said.

"The new variants are a production and result from the vaccination. You see it in each country, it's the same: in every country deaths follow vaccination," he said, as per the report.
Washington, May 25 : US researchers have found that people who have had mild illness due to Covid-19, go on to develop antibody-producing immune cells that can last for a lifetime and give them protection against the virus.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, US, found that during a viral infection, antibody-producing immune cells rapidly multiply and circulate in the blood, driving antibody levels sky-high.

Once the infection is resolved, most such cells die off, and blood antibody levels drop.

However, a small population of antibody-producing cells, called long-lived plasma cells, migrate to the bone marrow and settle in, where they continually secrete low levels of antibodies into the bloodstream to help guard against another encounter with the virus.

"We found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after the first symptoms. These cells will live and produce antibodies for the rest of people's lives. That's strong evidence for long-lasting immunity," said Ali Ellebedy, Associate Professor at the varsity's School of Medicine. The findings of the small study are published in the journal Nature.

For the study, the team involved 77 participants whose antibody levels in blood samples were assessed at three-month intervals starting about a month after initial infection. The team obtained bone marrow from 18 of the participants seven or eight months after their initial infections.

For comparison, the scientists also obtained bone marrow from 11 people who had never had Covid-19.

Of the bone marrow samples, 15 contained antibody-producing cells specifically targeting the virus that causes Covid-19. Such cells could still be found four months later in the five people who came back to provide a second bone-marrow sample.

None of the 11 people who had never had Covid-19 had such antibody-producing cells in their bone marrow.

"Mild infection by Covid-19 will also trigger the immune response as it will lead to immune stimulation both cell mediated and antibody linked creating lasting immunity. In fact, this is the principle of vaccination that triggers the immune response by stimulating the antigen induced reaction giving rise to immunity of the body.

"It has also been shown that the reinfection rate of people already having mild infection is only two per cent which is very less," Praveen Gupta, director and head, neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram told IANS.

"Based on this fact the principle of herd immunity was developed, if a large number of people will get a mild clinical infection that will lead to the development of herd immunity," he added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
London, May 25 : Anti-Pakistan sentiments is fuelling anger among the locals in Afghanistan and its nationals living abroad, as killings of innocent people in various incidents in Afghanistan have been blamed on terror infiltration from across the Pakistan border.

Expressing their increasing anger against Pakistan, a group of Afghan protesters on Monday staged a demonstration outside the Pakistani High Commission building in London, carrying banners and raising anti-Pakistan slogans.

The protest turned aggressive and violent after some of the protesters attacked the building by pelting stones and throwing water bottles at the Pakistan High Commission premises.

Footages of the protest, which went viral on social media, showed protesters throwing objects at the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) premises, which is located on the Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge.

The police authorities present at the site could also be seen trying to stop the protesters.

The Pakistan High Commission, taking notice of the incident, has lodged a complaint with the UK government, asking it to take strict action against the culprits, who damaged the building of the high commission.

"The video footage of the damage has been shared with the authorities and a request for strict security arrangements has been submitted," confirmed the PHC officials.

Pakistan has also reminded the UK government of the protest in 2019, when an ethnic group had vandalised the commission's building. However, no action was taken against the culprits.

It is believed that the protest was led by a group called 'The Watan', which had also called for a protest on Sunday outside the Pakistani High Commission in London.

The protest was about the killings in Afghanistan, blame for which has been put on Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that The Watan group shared an address with the Afghan Embassy in London, at Princess Gate, SW7.

Anti-Pakistan sentiments have been on the rise among the Afghan nationals as the Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of continuing to support the terror groups and allowing them to carry out attacks inside Afghanistan, which has resulted in loss of innocent lives.

Pakistan, however, has rejected the Afghan accusation and stated that Pakistani soil is not used by any terrorist group to destabilise Afghanistan and the Afghan peace process.
New Delhi, May 25 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the CBI is free to take action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her law minister or anyone who attempted to subvert the rule of law.

The apex court was hearing the CBI's appeal challenging the house-arrest of four TMC leaders in the Narada case by the Calcutta High Court.

According to the CBI, the West Bengal chief minister had rushed to its office on May 17 and passed several derogatory and defamatory comments about the probe agency. She sat on dharna for six-long-hours, while an unruly mob continued to swell in an organized way, causing obstruction to the proceedings that were to be carried out by the investigating officer post arrest of the accused persons, the agency said.

The CBI added thousands of followers of Trinamool Congress laid siege on the CBI building at Nizam Palace in Kolkata last Monday, constantly trying to disrupt the process of law by engaging in stone pelting.

A bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, it did not approve of the conduct of the chief minister and law minister in laying siege of the CBI office, and also supporters thronging the trial court.

The bench noted that there is ample remedy in the Constitution to address such situations, and remarked, "We are not here to advise the government or CBI." The bench told Mehta: "Why should the accused persons be made to suffer because of a dharna by the chief minister and law minister?...Proceed against them if you wish to." The bench noted it does not appreciate such dharnas by the chief minister to pressurize the agency, but can the accused be made to suffer?

The bench said: "We do not like to mix liberty of citizens with whatever illegal acts of politicians. We will not do that." However, the top court queried CBI, who is more in a position to influence the witnesses, those who were chargesheeted or those who have not been?"

On CBI's contention to move the matter to another state, the bench observed that it may demoralize the High Court.

The top court insisted that Calcutta High Court's five-judge bench was already hearing the matter, and queried CBI whether it would want to withdraw its appeal.

Mehta submitted "it is happening periodically in the state that the CM barges into investigating agency office to help the accused". The bench reiterated, "if chief minister or law minister has taken law into their hands, proceed against them".

However, the CBI withdrew its appeal from the top court.

Kolkata witnessed high drama on May 17 after CBI sleuths arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee -- along with present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay -- in connection with the 2016 Narada sting tapes case, in which several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash for providing unofficial favours to a fictitious company.

The Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court had on Friday constituted a five-member bench to hear the interim bail plea of the four Trinamool heavy-weights.

The matter was referred to the five-judge bench after the two judges of the high court division bench differed with each other.
Seoul, May 25 : South Korean tech giant Samsung has come out with three new short ads, where it promotes its Galaxy S21 Ultra over the iPhone 12 Pro Max in the campaign, "Your phone upgrade shouldn't be a downgrade".

This is not the first time Samsung has mocked the iPhone in its advertisements and these ads mainly focus on the cameras in the S21 Ultra.

In the first ad, for example, Samsung highlights its 100x Space Zoom, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max only offers a 12x digital zoom. In the video, it is the classic comparison of the Moon shoot, 9To5Google reported on Monday.

The second ad is about Samsung's 108MP main sensor over iPhone's 12MP lens. After taking a photo of a hamburger, Samsung says the S21 Ultra looks better with crispier details after zooming in the image.

Finally, Samsung highlights its Single Take feature over iPhone's Live Photo.

With Single Take, an S21 Ultra user can capture up to 14 types of photos and videos from within 3 to 10 seconds of capture time, while Live Photo only records three seconds of video of a picture.

Apart from Samsung, recently Intel also attacked Apple over the M1 chip -- and even the iPad as a hybrid computer.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, May 25 : The Telangana government on Tuesday decided to launch a special drive to administer Covid vaccine to all potential 'super spreaders'.

A high-level meeting decided to take up special drive to vaccinate all the LPG delivery staff, fair price shop dealers, petrol pump workers, auto and cab drivers, vendors in rythu bazaars, fruit, vegetable and flower markets, kirana shops, liquor shops, and non-vegetarian markets.

Finance Minister T Harish Rao along with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held a meeting to discuss the issue of vaccinating all super spreaders, and issues relating to identification of super spreaders and other logistic arrangements were deliberated.

Health and Family Welfare Secretary Syed Ali Murtuza Rizvi, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Lokesh Kumar, CDMA Satyanarayana, Transport Commissioner M.R.M. Rao, Director, Public Health, Srinivas Rao and other officials attended.

The meeting was held a day after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao directed Harish Rao to prepare guidelines to identify the super spreaders and organise special vaccination centres for them.

After a gap of 10 days, the state on Tuesday resumed vaccination programme. Only those above 45 years and due for second dose are being given the jab.

In another development relating to vaccination, the Health Department permitted private hospitals in the state to start administration of Covid vaccines to people above 18 years.

The private hospitals, which are designated Private Covid Vaccination Centres (PCVCs), can now give the Covid vaccine jabs to eligible individuals.

Director of Public Health Srinivas Rao on Tuesday issued orders permitting the private hospitals designed as PCVCs in the state to carry out Covid vaccination in the hospitals. They can also carry out Covid vaccination in workplaces or on requests made by institutions/companies/gated communities etc.

This will be subjected to registration on the CoWin portal. The private hospitals have been asked to follow Covid vaccination guidelines.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)


The deadline to comply with the new legal rules meant for big social media platforms, which were issued by the government three months ago, is ending on Tuesday, threatening the operations of the likes of Twitter in India. According to top official sources, social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and others, which were required to abide by the rules notified in the gazette of India on February 25 under Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, have failed to comply on many accounts till date. The government's rules will come into effect from May 26. "If social media companies do not obey the rules, they may lose their status and protections as intermediaries and may become liable for criminal action as per the existing laws of India," top official sources said. Except one Indian social media company, Koo, sources said that none of the top social media intermediaries have appointed a resident grievance officer, a chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person yet. Sources said the failure of social media companies to make these appointments in three months has not gone down well with the government. With arbitrary suspensions of accounts and inaction over abuses and bigotry on social media platforms, users in India have been persistently complaining against tech giants like Twitter, Facebook and others. In the latest alleged Congress toolkit controversy, Delhi Police visited Twitter India's local offices in the National Capital Region on Monday after Twitter had marked one of the tweets of BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra as "manipulated media". Twitter's presumptive judgement has triggered widespread outrage among Indian users across the country. Sources said the social media platforms which were required to furnish monthly reports as to how many grievances were filed and settled, have failed to do so. Some of the platforms, sources said, have sought more time of up to six months for furnishing compliance. For some platforms, sources said, the standard reply has been that they will await instructions from their company headquarters in the US, who in turn on their own will have an "expert assessment" to take a view. The US-based social media platforms have grown huge, thanks to their massive user base and profitable revenues in democracies like India. However, none of the platforms have shown any inclination to comply with India's domestic laws. Instead, social media platforms have refused to be transparent about their fact-checking mechanism and their criteria to label tweets.




New Delhi, May 25 : The Congress on Tuesday said that the internal issues in Rajasthan will be resolved amicably and the state unit is in touch with all the leaders.

Congress General Secretary In-charge Rajasthan, Ajay Maken said, "the state unit is talking to each of the leaders and its issues are like between family which will be resolved soon." The rift in the Congress opened almost a year after former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot revolted against the party. This time Pilot's confidant and 6-time Congress MLA Hemaram Choudhary has sent his resignation to the Assembly Speaker.

The Rajasthan Congress again seems split into two camps headed by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Dy CM Sachin Pilot, issuing their own different statements.

While Pilot termed Choudhary's resignation as a worrying factor for the ruling party, Rajasthan PCC chief and state minister Govind Singh Dotasara said that the party has given a lot to Choudhary in the same manner as he has nurtured the party since long.

Choudhary is known to be from the Pilot camp and stood firmly with him during the rebellion in July last year.

Choudhary sent his resignation to Assembly Speaker CP Joshi a few days back asking him to accept it on the same day. However, his resignation is yet to be accepted.

Pilot, speaking on the contributions made by Choudhary to the Congress party, said, "There might not be any second example as of Choudhary when it comes to honesty, simplicity and humble nature." "He is one amongst the most senior MLAs of Rajasthan who has contributed a lot to Congress. He served as Leader of Opposition as well as cabinet minister and has also served as MLA for six terms," Pilot added.

PCC chief Dotasara said the Congress has also given many senior positions to Choudhary in the same way as he dedicated himself to the party.

"He is a senior member and the party and government shall continue respecting him for his seniority. We have spoken twice with him and shall try to resolve all his grudges." Talking about another MLA Ved Prakash Solanki from the Pilot camp who also spoke in favour of Choudhary two days back, Dotasara said, "We shall ensure completion of each worker's job and that no work is delayed."
New May 25 : The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the administrator of the Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep is trying to destroy the cultural heritage of the UT and urged the President to remove the administrator Praful Khoda Patel, a former minister in Gujarat.

Addressing a press Conference virtually on Tuesday, Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken alleged: "For the the first time in history, a politician had been appointed as administrator only to implement the BJP's agenda." The administrator has introduced a proposal to implement the anti-social Activities Regulation bill, 2021, which is called Goonda act even as the Union territory is one of the places where the crime rate is already very low,the Congress has demanded recall of the law.

The Congress has alleged that the government also took over the control of the local administrative powers of the elected district panchayat.

The new proposal will also bring changes in panchayat regulations and will make any person with more than two children ineligible to contest panchayat elections.

The Congress has objected to permission being granted to open liquor bars in the island, a non-alcoholic zone due to its Muslim population, along with an impending proposal to introduce a beef ban.
Chandigarh, May 25 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said Punjab needed speedy vaccination to win the fight against Covid-19 and requested Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to make a special allocation of Rs 1,000 crore to purchase vaccines.

He also called for giving a monthly pension of Rs 6,000 to all families who had lost their breadwinners to Covid, besides free education to Covid orphans as well as waiving off power and water bills for all sections of society for a six month period.

The SAD President told the media here that Amarinder Singh should not look at the Centre alone for vaccines but should use state funds to source them quickly on the pattern of the Shiromani committee which had procured Covaxin doses within one week of placing the order.

He said even a corporation like the Mumbai one had purchased vaccine doses worth Rs 600 crore to vaccinate the entire city in one go.

"If need be, the Chief Minister should call an emergency meeting of the state Cabinet to clear the proposal for speedy procurement of vaccine doses." Badal said simultaneously the government should make necessary preparations to cope with an expected third Covid wave.

"The state needs to order at least 2,000 ventilators and install them within three months along with hiring the necessary staff to man them." He said this was of utmost importance because 17 out of 22 districts did not have ventilator facilities.

The SAD President also maintained that Punjab could fight the war against Covid effectively if the Chief Minister and all his ministers led from the front.

"Sadly, this has been missing till now and that it why Punjab has witnessed 4,000 deaths in the last three months alone." Badal also requested the Central government not to levy GST on vaccines, saying it should not try to earn money from the sale of vaccines. He also called for doing away with GST from ventilators and life-saving drugs needed to treat Covid.

On the completion of six month period of the Kisan Andolan on Wednesday, Badal said he had urged the party rank and file to hoist black flags to demand repeal of the three agricultural laws as well as show solidarity with protesting farmers.

He called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to adopt an intransigent attitude towards the farmers by putting conditions for further talks with them and requested him to hold direct unconditional talks with the farmers.

Badal also requested the Punjab government to ensure all 400 martyrs of the Kisan Andolan were given adequate compensation as well as government jobs.

He said right now only 189 farmers had been given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each and none of the affected families had been offered government jobs.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 25 : The West Bengal government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that three persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged killings of two BJP workers in the violence that erupted in the state after the announcement of Assembly election results on May 2.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing the West Bengal government, submitted before a bench of Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai that the matter is already under the investigation after the lodging of an FIR on a complaint filed by the victims' family members.

Luthra pointed out that a five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has also decided to take up all the cases related to post-poll violence, and hence the top court may not need to hear the matter at this juncture.

The top court granted the state government time to file a counter affidavit to a petition filed by Biswajit Sarkar, the brother of slain Bengal BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar.

Luthra cited the high court order of May 18, which asked the victims of post-poll violence in Bengal to lodge complaints with the National Human Rights Commission, which can be shared with the state DGP for appropriate action.

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing the petitioner, contended that the violence was unleashed at the behest of the state administration.

The top court gave two weeks to the West Bengal government and others to file their replies to the petition, and adjourned the matter.

On May 18, the Supreme Court had sought reply from the West Bengal government on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the killings of two BJP workers in the post-poll violence in the state.

The plea was filed by Biswajit Sarkar and co-petitioner Swaranalata Adhikari, whose husband was also killed in post-poll violence.

The plea urged the top court to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder of Avijit Sarkar and Haran Adhikari, a booth-level BJP worker. The petitioners stated that they were eyewitnesses to the incident.
Cennai, May 25 : The Madurai corporation on Tuesday commenced the vaccination drive for people in the age group of 18-44 years.

To carry out the drive, special camps have been organised at the corporation building, Pudur, Ansari Nagar, Munichalai and Thideer Nagar.

The camps were conducted for volunteers, drivers and those working during the lockdown period, including vegetable vendors. These people are considered high-risk group.

Corporation officials said that they received 57,000 doses to vaccinate the 18-44 category. The doses for the 18-44 age group are purchased by the state government, while those for the 45+ age group are sponsored by the Union government.

State Commercial Taxes Minister P. Moorthy inspected the vaccination drive at the Madurai corporation main building.
New Delhi, May 25 : Delhi Food and Supply Minister Imran Hussain on Tuesday directed officials to ensure that free ration (food grains) is being distributed at the scheduled times from all Fair Price Shops across the capital.

The officials in the Food and Supply Department, who are field in-charges, have been directed to visit all these shops under their jurisdiction and ensure that food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are being distributed to the beneficiaries at free of cost in May and June.

The directives came during a meeting with the senior officials, wherein the Minister expressed his displeasure on the process of distribution of food grains from Fair Price Shops. Hussain has been regularly inspecting these shops and has found several of them in areas such as Shalimar Bagh, Sultanpuri and Mustafabad closed even during the scheduled time.

"In case FPSs are found closed during prescribed working hours (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.), strict action will be taken against not only the erring FPS dealers but also against the officials concerned," he said.

The Minister also asked senior officials to ensure that FPS dealers do not indulge in other malpractices such as misbehaviour, diversion of foodgrains, hoarding, black-marketing, short dispensing of ration etc.

"If any of the dealers is found indulging in such malpractices, strict and swift action shall be taken against the erring FPS dealers as per law." Hussain also informed that Delhi government will shortly start distribution of 5 kg of foodgrains (4 kg wheat and 1 kg rice) per person, free of cost, for the months of May and June 2021, to non-PDS beneficiaries who do not possess any ration card.
Puducherry, May 25 : All India NR Congress (AINRC) MLA K. Lakshminarayanan, who has been appointed the pro-term Speaker in the Puducherry Assembly, will assume charge on Wednesday.

Lieutenant Governor (additional charge) Tamilisai Soundarrajan will administer the oath of office and secrecy to him at the Raj Bhavan.

After assuming charge, Lakshminarayan will administer the oath of office to the elected and nominated members of the Puducherry Assembly at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

The incumbent pro-term Speaker was elected for the fifth time in a row from the Raj Bhavan constituency in the Assembly elections held in the Union Territory on April 6, the results of which were declared on May 2.

While he was elected twice on a Congress ticket in 2011 and 2016, Lakshminarayan had won on the ticket of Congress splinter groups, Puducherry Makkal Congress in 2001 and Puducherry Munnetra Congress in 2006. Ahead of the Assembly elections in 2021, he quit the Congress and joined the AINRC.

The AINRC headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the elections following which AINRC chief and former Chief Minister N. Rangasamy was sworn-in as the CM.

Immediately after the swearing-in, the Chief Minister developed Covid-19 symptoms and was treated at a private hospital in Chennai.

In the elections, the AINRC-led NDA won 16 out of the 30 seats with AINRC winning 10 seats and the BJP securing the other six seats.

The Cenral government nominated three BJP leaders to the House, taking the toll of the party to nine the 33- member Puducherry Assembly.

In the opposition camp, the DMK won six seats while the Congress could manage just two seats. As many as six seats were won by Independent candidates.
Mumbai, May 25 : Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday asked heads of select private sector banks to boost credit flows to retail and small business borrowers and quickly implement all the measures announced by the apex bank on May 5 as part of Covid-relief measures.

Das met met the MD & CEOs of select Private Sector Banks through video conference in a meeting that was also attended by Deputy Governors M. K. Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael D. Patra and T. Rabi Sankar.

In his opening remarks, the Governor recognised the crucial role played by the private sector banks as important stakeholders in the Indian banking sector.

He impressed upon the banks to quickly and swiftly implement the measures announced by RBI on May 5, 2021 in right earnest. He also advised the banks to ensure continuity in provision of various financial services including credit facilities to individuals and businesses in the face of challenges brought on by the pandemic.

On May 5, the RBI governor had announced a slew of measures to counter the impact of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on banks and financial institutions as also their borrowers.

During the meeting, the RBI governor urged bankers to continue focusing on efforts to further strengthen their balance sheets proactively.

The meeting also took time to make an assessment of current economic situation and the state of the banking sector. It also focused on credit flows to different segments of the economy, particularly to small borrowers, MSMEs.

Das also heard the banks over their progress in the implementation of Covid Resolution Framework 1.0, Monetary policy transmission and liquidity scenario; and Implementation of various Covid-related policy measures taken by RBI.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, May 25 : Omidyar Network India on Tuesday pledged to donate Rs 13 crore each to online donation platform Give Foundation and collaborative non-profit platform United Way Bengaluru.

The funds will be used by the Give Foundation to help strengthen the capacity of institutions, health care staff, volunteers, and caregivers to enable a more effective response that maximises available infrastructure; focus on rural areas that have been severely underserved; and encourage retail donors to contribute to the Covid-19 relief effort by matching their funding.

United Way Bengaluru, through its partnership with ACT Grants (a movement by India's start-up community to combat Covid-19) will use the funding for purchase and distribution of oxygen concentrators across the country; financing the set-up of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants to help with demand for oxygen; combining telemedicine and home health care solutions to help decongest hospitals; and helping support the national vaccination effort Meanwhile, smartphone maker OPPO India on Tuesday distributed 1,000 oxygen concentrators across various hospitals in cities like Lucknow, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Baghpat, Bulandshahar, Shamli, and Agra to support the Covid-relief measures.

Expressing their gratitude to the frontline workers for their relentless service, the brand has also donated 5300 OPPO Band Style to frontline warriors of the Delhi Police, Greater Noida Authority, and Cyberabad Police.

In addition, OPPO India has also announced the extension of the repair warranty of all of its products until June 30 applicable to products whose warranty expires during the lockdown period. The scheme is applicable across product categories including smartphones and accessories such as chargers, data cable, and earphones.

Further, platform for healthcare procurement solutions Medikabazaar on Tuesday initiated a mask awareness initiative to educate the citizens on the importance of wearing masks through their campaign #DontShowMeYourFace, through which they are donating over 1 lakh masks to various government organisations and NGOs.

Medikabazaar also distributed 50,000 masks to the Mumbai Police, which will be further distributed as 500 masks per police station across all 100 police stations in the city.

Private life insurer Bajaj Allianz Life has introduced several initiatives to help its employees navigate the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. The key initiatives include a Covid-impacted family assistance programme, where it will offer financial support up to Rs 1 crore to the family of employees impacted by Covid-19 pandemic; a Covid Helpline to support its employees and their families for emergency support on hospitalisation, oxygen, medicine; and doctor consultations.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Patna, May 25 : Liquor mafias are active in Bihar despite the state government imposing a lockdown in the state till June 1 to check the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A fresh case of liquor smuggling surfaced in Muzaffarpur district on Tuesday after the police seized more than 25 cartons of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), kept in a makeshift box underneath a tractor trolley.

Muzaffarpur police seized the tractor trolley during a raid at Bhikhanpur village under Ahiyapur police station.

"We had received a tip-off about a liquor consignment about to be smuggled in a tractor trolley. Subsequently, we went to the village and spotted a tractor coming from the opposite direction. We signalled it to stop and during checking when we pulled the hydraulic trolley, the liquor cartons were found underneath," said Sunil Kumar, SHO of Ahiyapur police station.

"During questioning, the driver of the tractor revealed the name of the owner of the consignment. Both the driver and the owner have been arrested. Further investigation is on to find out the nexus," Kumar said.

Sale of liquor is banned in Bihar since April 2016.
Astronomers the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on ESOs Very Large Telescope have observed UGC 10738, a nearby, edge-on Milky Way-like galaxy, and found that it has distinct thick and thin disks similar to those of our own Milky Way Galaxy. This suggests, contrary to previous theories, that such structures are not the result of a rare long-ago collision with a smaller galaxy; they appear to be the product of more peaceful change.

Our observations indicate that the Milky Ways thin and thick disks didnt come about because of a gigantic mash-up, but a sort-of default path of galaxy formation and evolution, said Dr. Nicholas Scott, an astronomer at the University of Sydney and the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D).

From these results we think galaxies with the Milky Way particular structures and properties could be described as the normal ones.

It was thought that the Milky Ways thin and thick disks formed after a rare violent merger, and so probably wouldnt be found in other spiral galaxies, he added.

Our research shows thats probably wrong, and it evolved naturally without catastrophic interventions. This means Milky Way-type galaxies are probably very common.

It also means we can use existing very detailed observations of the Milky Way as tools to better analyze much more distant galaxies which, for obvious reasons, we cant see as well.

Dr. Scott and his colleagues used the MUSE instrument on ESOs Very Large Telescope to observe UGC 10738, a spiral galaxy located some 334 million light-years away in the constellation of Ophiuchus.

They found that this galaxy, like the Milky Way, has a thick disk consisting mainly of ancient stars, identified by their low ratio of iron to hydrogen and helium, and that its thin disk stars are more recent and contain more metal.

Although such disks have been previously observed in other galaxies, it was impossible to tell whether they hosted the same type of star distribution  and therefore similar origins.

Using MUSE, we were able to assess the metal ratios of the stars in its thick and thin disks, said Dr. Jesse van de Sande, also from the University of Sydney and ASTRO 3D.

They were pretty much the same as those in the Milky Way  ancient stars in the thick disk, younger stars in the thin one.

Were looking at some other galaxies to make sure, but thats pretty strong evidence that the two galaxies evolved in the same way.

This is an important step forward in understanding how disk galaxies assembled long ago, said Professor Ken Freeman, an astronomer at the Australian National University.

We know a lot about how the Milky Way formed, but there was always the worry that the Milky Way is not a typical spiral galaxy.

Now we can see that the Milky Ways formation is fairly typical of how other disk galaxies were assembled.

This work shows how the Milky Way fits into the much bigger puzzle of how spiral galaxies formed across 13 billion years of cosmic time, said Professor Lisa Kewley, director of ASTRO 3D.

The findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Nicholas Scott et al. 2021. Identification of an [/Fe]-Enhanced Thick Disk Component in an Edge-on Milky Way Analog. ApJL 913, L11; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/abfc57
Kolkata, May 25 : For the last three days, 55-year-old Gurucharan Das, a resident of Nilpur near Digha in West Bengals East Midnapore district, couldn't go to the sea.

Das, a fisherman by profession, was restricted from venturing into the sea because of the very severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' that is likely to make landfall in the region by Wednesday noon.

Though Das was barred from going to the sea, he went with his fishing net and sat on his boat hoping that the police might allow him for two to three hours.

Even after several requests, he was reluctant to go to the cyclone centre, the alternative arrangement made by the district administration to relocate the villagers in the wake of the cyclone threat. Finally on Tuesday evening, the local police convinced Das to shift him and his family to the cyclone centre, some 3 km from his home.

"Initially, I didn't want to go to the cyclone centre because I will have to stay there unless the administration allows me to return home, and in that case, I cannot go to the sea. I cannot survive without catching fish. It is my only means of livelihood.

"Today the police came to my house and requested that I should go to the cyclone centre. They assured me that they would let me go me once the storm is over. Moreover, they will provide all the necessary things, including food and medicine, which is very important," Das said.

Das is not alone, as several villagers living in Haropur, Alankarpur, Daha Daya, Purba Mukundapur, Begundiha, Raypur and Jhaoa -- all located in and around Digha -- were reluctant to go to the cyclone centres or the temporary shelters set up in schools.

"Most of them live in makeshift huts, which are thatched with hay or something like that. They will become the first victims of the storm if they are not relocated," a senior district official said.

"It is the priority of the administration to minimise human casualty and for that we must make Digha tourist and fishermen-free. The coastal guards and marine police have been continuously keeping a vigil to see whether anyone is left out. So far, we feel that there is no one in the sea. We have also ensured that no one stays in the boats or near the sea," an officer from the Digha police station said.

Cyclone Yaas, which is likely to make a landfall on Wednesday noon, is keeping the state administration on its toes.

Learning lessons from Cyclone Amphan that devastated Bengal last year, the state government is taking no risks this time.

People are being evacuated from Sagar islands, from villages like Akshyanagar, Bamanagar, Bhubannagar, Chandipur - all in and around Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district where the storm is likely to have a widespread impact.

"We are working for the last 24 hours and trying to reach out to the remotest parts of the villages. We are using high-sounding sirens to alert the people so that they come out of their homes and go to the cyclone centres. In most cases, these centres are close to their homes, and in case they are far, we are providing vehicles to take people to the centres," a senior district official said.

So far, the state government has been successful in evacuating more than nine lakh people from the low-lying areas against a target of relocating more than 10 lakh people.

Chief minister Mamaata Banerjee, who has decided to stay overnight in the control room at the state Secretariat, has instructed all the concerned officials to work 24x7 to avoid any kind of casualty.

The state has prepared a unified command that will coordinate with a task force of more than three lakh people, including government officials, workers, policemen, teams of NDRF, SDRF, teams for restoration of electricity and telecommunication etc.

This extended workforce will work in close coordination so that the damages caused by the storm can be mitigated at the earliest.
New Delhi, May 25 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will start a campaign from Wednesday, "Zimmedar Kaun" (Who is responsible) on the Covid pandemic. She has sought feedback and suggestions from the people.

In a Facebook post she said that during the second wave of the pandemic, when the country was devastated and the people were struggling for medicines, beds and oxygen the government was in mute mode.

She will daily ask questions from the Union government that when the country needed vaccine then it was exported and people lost their loved ones. And when the pandemic is subsiding due to natural causes the government is again visible in the media.

She said asking questions is mandatory so that the government should be prepared for the next Covid wave.

India's daily coronavirus cases fell below the 2-lakh mark for the first time since April 14. The country reported 1,96,427 fresh Covid cases on Tuesday and 3,511 fatalities, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry said.

On April 14, India had recorded 2,00,739 cases. This is for the first time after April 14 that the cases have gone below the two-lakh mark.

On Monday, India crossed the three-lakh mark of fatalities due to the coronavirus infections, becoming the world's third country after the US and Brazil to record over three lakh deaths.

India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,69,48,874 with 25,86,782 active cases and 3,07,231 deaths so far.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Hyderabad, May 25 : Bharat Biotech has said on Tuesday that it is expecting regulatory approvals from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin by July-September 2021.

The Hyderabad-based company stated that application for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) has been submitted to WHO, Geneva and regulatory approvals are expected by July-September 2021.

It also said regulatory approvals for Covaxin are in process in more than 60 countries including the United States, Brazil and Hungary.

"Emergency use authorisations have been obtained in 13 countries with more to follow," it said.

Most countries recommend vaccinations against Covid-19. Unvaccinated travellers can travel with negative RT-PCR tests prior to travel, in the absence of any other country specific travel restrictions, it added.

Bharat Biotech's statement came out amid reports that people who have taken Covaxin and plan to travel abroad were nervous as it is not in the list of WHO approved vaccines.

With countries gearing up to resume travel and tourism, intending travellers from India who have taken Covaxin jabs will be anxiously waiting for Covaxin's approval by WHO.

Pfizer, Moderna and Covishield are on WHO's approved list and people who have taken these vaccines may not face any restrictions while travelling. Those who have taken vaccines which are not on the approved list of WHO may have to undergo quarantine on landing in the destination countries.

Bharat Biotech is reported to have submitted 90 per cent of the documentation to the WHO for EUL.

WHO's EUL is expected to open the doors for Covaxin to be accepted by countries around the world.

Covaxin and Covishield are the two vaccines which are currently included in the Covid vaccination programme in India. Russia's Sputnik is soon likely to join the vaccination drive.

In January, India's drug regulator had approved Covaxin for emergency use but the move came under criticism as the full data from its clinical trials was not available. This was believed to be one of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy among the target groups in the initial stages of the vaccine drive.

Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) claimed last month that Covaxin had shown overall interim effectiveness of 78 per cent.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Kolkata: Veteran CPI-M leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee being discharged from a private hospital nearly a week after being admitted, in Kolkata on Dec 14, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Kolkata, May 25 : Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was rushed to a private hospital here on Tuesday after his oxygen level suddenly started to fall. The veteran CPI (M) leader had tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

The latest medical bulletin issued by the hospital said that the condition of the 77-year-old Left Front leader is stable and he is responding to treatment.

"Former Chief Minister of West Bengal admitted on May 25 at 12.32 pm in Woodlands Hospital critical care department under Dr Koushik Chakraborty, Consultant Physician, Dr Dhrubo Bhattacharya, Consultant Physician, and Dr Soutik Panda, Consultant Critical Care. The Medical Board also has his home physician Dr Somnath Maity, Chest Specialist Dr Ankan Bandopadhyay and Cardiologist Dr Saroj Mandal," the bulletin said.

"He presented with drowsiness and shortness of breath. He was detected SarsCov2 positive on 18/5/2021. He is on BIPAP with 3 litres of oxygen, SpO2 maintaining at 92%. He is conscious, alert, communicating verbally and otherwise blood pressure, pulse is stable. Urine output is satisfactory. CT scan Brain and HRCT thorax has been done on admission. All necessary Blood investigations have been sent. Treating doctors are on constant vigil on his health condition and will take appropriate measures from time to time," the bulletin added.

Last week, the former Chief Minister and his wife Mira Bhattacharjee had tested Covid positive. Considering her condition, Mira Bhattacharjee was shifted to the hospital but the veteran Left Front leader was being treated at home.

On Tuesday morning, Bhattacharjee suddenly felt unwell and his oxygen level started to plummet. The doctors treating him referred him to the hospital and he was immediately rushed to the Woodlands Hospital.

In a tweet, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Concerned to hear that former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has been hospitalised with breathing problems. Praying for his speedy recovery and wishing him well." Governor Jagdeep Dhankar tweeted, "Wishing speedy health recovery of Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya admitted in Hospital. Getting update from hospital authorities." Bhattacharya, who was the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011, has been suffering from breathing problems and other age-related ailments for some time now. He had stepped down from the CPI (M)'s politburo, the central committee as well as the state secretariat in 2018.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Chennai, May 25 : Coimbatore South MLA and national president of BJP Mahila Morcha, Vanathi Srinivasan, wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday, urging him to constitute a high-level team to assess and assist the Tamil Nadu government in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.

The senior leader said in the letter that Coimbatore district is witnessing an unprecedented spike in Covid cases at more than 4,000 per day, putting a huge strain on the resources of the state.

The BJP leader said that Coimbatore is the industrial hub of the state and more than 70 per cent of those testing positive are from the industries sector. She also said that there is an urgent need for vaccination to prepare the region for an anticipated third wave of the pandemic.

She said that Coimbatore is facing an acute shortage of vaccines and people above the age of 45 with comorbidities are the most vulnerable population, which is not able to get vaccinated.

The Coimbatore South MLA in the letter called upon the minister to sanction special doses of vaccine to Tamil Nadu with a portion earmarked for Coimbatore specifically.

She also requested Harsh Vardhan to constitute a high-level team from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to assess and assist the government of Tamil Nadu in resource allocation and help it handle the situation emerging out of the surge in Covid cases effectively.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Guwahati/Agartala, May 25 : With no let up in the Covid surge, the Assam and Tripura governments on Tuesday extended the corona curfew till June 5.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the curfew to contain Covid-19 infection would continue till June 5.

"Earlier, curfew started in rural areas from 5 p.m. Now curfew in villages will start from 2 p.m. The curfew in urban areas would be from 12 noon. Both in urban and rural areas, the curfew would remain enforced till 5 a.m.," he told the media.

Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah, notifying the fresh order on Tuesday, said that all offices, both government, semi-government and private would shut at 1 p.m.

The order said that there will be a total ban on the movement of people from 2 p.m. to 5 a.m., with exemptions for those going for vaccination, medical emergencies or involved in providing essential services.

"All shops and commercial establishments must be shut by 11 a.m. on all days in the urban areas and those within 5 km radius of the periphery of municipal bodies and revenue towns. All shops have to be closed in rural areas by 1 p.m. on all days," the order said.

Inter-district movement will also be restricted till June 5.

Assam has, so far, registered 3,75,404 Covid positive cases and deaths due to the infectious disease stand at 2,823 with recovery and death rates of 84.86 per cent and 0.75 per cent respectively.

In Agartala, Tripura Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that the corona curfew was extended in the entire state upto June 5 and it will remain enforced from 12 noon to 6 a.m.

Plying of all vehicles will be banned except health and security vehicles.

Nath said that in the Agartala Municipal Corporation areas, the positivity rate has increased to 22.82 per cent from 17.22 per cent in the past seven days.

The minister said that with a 12.32 per cent positivity rate, the Covid situation in Tripura is the worst in West Tripura district among the state's eight districts.

Nath said that in view of the Corona curfew, the state government would provide financial aid of Rs 1,000 to seven lakh out of the state's total 9.29 lakh families.

The state so far recorded 47,298 positive cases and death due to the disease is 470 with the recovery rate at 83.47 per cent. Fatality rate is 0.99 per cent.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Madrid, May 25 : Luis Suarez has slammed Ronald Koeman for lacking personality and also hit out at former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu after winning La Liga with Atletico Madrid.

The 34-year-old striker was controversially allowed to leave Barca for domestic rivals Atletico after six successful seasons at Camp Nou.

Suarez responded by firing in 21 goals in 32 league matches for Atletico, including two in their final two matches in priceless wins against Osasuna and Real Valladolid, reports DPA.

The Uruguay forward has regularly discussed how hurt he was by his Barca departure and looked at it from a fresh angle after showing his emotion when Atletico got over the line to claim league glory.

"I will always be grateful to Barcelona and I'm never going to go against Barcelona, they have given me everything and allowed me to get to the elite," Suarez said.

"But obviously the president [Bartomeu] said everything in the press instead of calling me.

"Then the moment they wanted Leo [Messi] to stay they called me to use me to convince him, to talk to [Antoine] Griezmann -- so why didn't they call me when they wanted me to leave? "Koeman told me I wasn't in his plans, then he said, 'If we don't figure this out by tomorrow, you're back in my plans and I'm counting on you against Villarreal'.

"I saw then that the man had no personality. He was not strong enough to tell me I was not needed.

"No one [from Barca's management has] congratulated me, but I nearly sent them a photo!" Suarez added he would find it "impossible" to leave Atletico ahead of next season, the club having confirmed he will stay for the second year of his contract should he wish to do so.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone, meanwhile, has discussed the circumstances around signing Suarez, insisting he was not going to let the opportunity slide.

"I was very happy from the first day I spoke with him, I had already spoken with him when he was at Liverpool, in an effort for him to sign with us but he chose Barcelona," Simeone said.

IANS akm/rkm
New Delhi, May 25 : BMW Group India on Tuesday said it has pledged a total of Rs 8 crore towards the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

The group will contribute an additional Rs 5 crore on top of the company's earlier commitment of Rs 3 crore.

"BMW Group India's efforts are dedicated towards augmenting healthcare infrastructure and medical services in Gurugram (Delhi NCR) and Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu)," the group said in a statement.

"Associations with government and non-government organisations have been initiated for on-ground implementation. 150 oxygen concentrators have been imported by BMW Group India for critical care of Covid-19 patients. The concentrators will be utilised by an oxygen bank in Gurugram (Delhi NCR) operated by GiveIndia, a non-governmental organisation." According to the company, BMW India Foundation has been contributing significantly towards strengthening healthcare infrastructure.

"An Isolation Ward and PCR Lab have been created at Chengalpattu Government Hospital with further commitment to provide RT-PCR lab equipment and microbial detection systems to expand Covid-19 testing." "The Foundation has worked closely with the Gurugram district health administration for sample collection and vaccination program by providing mobile vans and rapid antigen kits. Critical care equipment has been provided to the Gurugram Civil Hospital and an Isolation Ward has been created for police at Manesar."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, May 25 : Arjun Kapoor says he was like an apprentice under filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee for three months before they started shooting for "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar" (SAPF). The actor feels the director has extracted the best out of him.

Arjun said: "There comes a stage in an actor's life where one has to walk the path less travelled to make a different kind of mark and, for me, SAPF will always be that film. I'm grateful for the love that the film and my character is getting." He added: "I was like an apprentice under Dibakar for three months before we started shooting and it definitely shows in the film. He has extracted the best out of me and I will be indebted to him for his belief." The actor shared that the film pushed him to experiment. "SAPF will always be a special film in my career. It pushed me to experiment and get out of my comfort zone and I'm glad that it is paying dividends for me. As we all know, Dibakar is a visionary director and he created a world that was raw, unhinged and highlighted the underbelly of Delhi. I will always be thankful that he saw me to be a part of this world and made me the vehicle of chaos in the film," he said.
Panaji, May 25 : Days after a trial court in the state acquitted former Tehelka Editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal of all charges, including rape, in a 2013 case, the Goa government has filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging the verdict.

"The government has filed an appeal against the acquittal with the Bombay High Court bench in Goa," an official said.

The former Editor-in-Chief of the Tehelka investigative magazine had been accused by a junior colleague of sexually assaulting her at a five star resort in Goa.

Tejpal had been booked under sections under Sections 376 (rape), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) 354A (sexual harassment) and 354B (criminal assault), of the Indian Penal Code.

On May 21, the Additional District and Sessions Court in North Goa had acquitted Tejpal from all the charges.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had described the order as "unfortunate" and had said that his government would challenge it in the High Court.
Fletcher Building Limited announces that it will undertake a capital return to shareholders of up to NZ$300 million through an on-market share buyback. The buyback will commence in June 2021.

Fletcher Building CEO Ross Taylor said: Fletcher Buildings balance sheet is in a strong position, with leverage expected to remain below our target range in the medium term. This position provides us with capacity to recommence capital management and distribute up to NZ$300 million to shareholders, with the most effective method being an on-market share buyback.

Ross Taylor said: We continue to make material progress on executing our strategy and achieving key financial targets. We are seeing a broadly stable market environment with trading conditions in the second half of FY21 largely consistent with the first. Despite some supply chain constraints and input cost pressures, we continue to see good margin performance from the business. Forward indicators for market activity are pointing to ongoing robust volumes in New Zealand and Australia, with our businesses focused on delivering above market growth and improved profitability in this environment.

The announcement coincides with Fletcher Buildings virtual Investor Day for investors and analysts from 11:00am NZT to 4:00pm NZT today.

Fletcher Building management will present on the Company Strategy, Group Financial Performance, Safety, and People, Innovation and Sustainability; as well as in-depth presentations from the six Operational Divisions on key drivers of performance and growth across the business. Attached are the slide presentations in order of presentation.

Included in the Group Financial presentation is an update on guidance for FY21 EBIT (before significant items) which is expected to be in the range of $650 million to $665 million, at the top end of the previous guidance range.

Please see the links below for details

Fletcher Building Investor Day Presentation

Media Release

Source: Fletcher Building Limited

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Mumbai, May 25 : Actress Bhumi Pednekar has teamed up with global spiritual icon Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his The Art of Living Foundation to aid people suffering from Covid-19 in India.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said: "At this juncture, it is pertinent that all of us come together and extend our hand to help restore the physical health, mental health and vibrancy of our people. Keeping this in view (we are) announcing #MissionZindagi. It will provide a platform to those who are in need of help." The Art of Living Foundation has launched Mission Zindagi, a pan-India volunteer-driven initiative for Covid relief.

"India has been going through a critical time as we are battling the worst phase of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. At this time, it is important for all of us to unite and help each other in this moment of crisis," Bhumi said.

She added: "I'm deeply honoured to collaborate with Gurudev and his Art of Living's #MissionZindagi to bridge the gap between those in need with the relevant resources that can aid and help save lives. Covid Warrior is an initiative that is close to my heart and with Gurudev's help, we can now help so many more people across the country."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Container ship turns into floating inferno off Colombo, ICG on way. credit : Twitter/ Sri lanka air force Image Source: IANS News

Container ship turns into floating inferno off Colombo, ICG on way. credit : Twitter/ Sri lanka air force Image Source: IANS News

Container ship turns into floating inferno off Colombo, ICG on way. credit : Twitter/ Sri lanka air force Image Source: IANS News

Container ship turns into floating inferno off Colombo, ICG on way. credit : Twitter/ Sri lanka air force Image Source: IANS News

Container ship turns into floating inferno off Colombo, ICG on way. credit : Twitter/ Sri lanka air force Image Source: IANS News

Chennai, May 25 : The Indian Coast Guard has rushed two of its ships with capability to fight fire and undertake pollution response to douse the major fire on container carrier MV X-Press Pearl near Sri Lanka's Colombo port, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the Coast Guard, a major fire broke out onboard the container carrier ship anchored about nine nautical miles from Colombo port.

"The vessel was enroute from Hazira to Colombo and loaded with 1,486 containers carrying about 25 tons of hazardous nitric acid and other chemicals.

"The ship was manned by 25 crew including five Indians, all of whom have been evacuated," the Coast Guard said.

The Indian coastal security agency said that the ship had caught fire on May 20 but it was brought under control by the next day.

However, on May 21, the fire re-ignited after an explosion onboard, reportedly due to the collapse of few of the containers due to rough weather.

About 8-10 containers reported to have fallen overboard post the explosion and the fire.

The vessel is holding about 325 metric tons of fuel in its tanks, which is likely to pose a threat of oil spill, Coast Guard said.

Sri Lankan authorities have sought Indian Coast Guard assistance towards fire fighting and for augmenting pollution response measures in light of the oil spill.

According to the Coast Guard, its assets at Kochi, Chennai and Thoothukodi are on standby for immediate assistance for pollution control.

Further Coast Guard aircraft are being brought to Thoothukodi from Chennai and Kochi for aerial surveillance and pollution response.
Jaipur, May 25 : The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP in Rajasthan got engaged in a war of words on Tuesday over Covid vaccines.

While Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused the Central government of creating vaccine crisis in the nation, saying a possible third wave of the pandemic can create havoc for children if vaccines are not arranged on time, the state BJP accused the Rajasthan government of hiding its failures by putting all blames on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"What is the status of the global tenders floated for availing Covid vaccines as 50 per cent of vaccination is the responsibility of the state," asked BJP state unit chief Satish Poonia.

"You cannot hide your corona mismanagement by making false accusations against Prime Minister Modi. Under his leadership, about 20 crore people have been vaccinated in the country, and one crore people in the age group of 18 to 44 have been inoculated in the third phase," Poonia added.

Earlier in the day, Gehlot had shot three tweets warning the Central government that a possible third wave may create havoc in the state if vaccines for each and every citizen are not arranged on time.

"PM Narendra Modi and (Union Health Minister) Harsh Vardhan should have kept vaccine production on priority. If a third wave infects our children, the nation will never forgive us," Gehlot said.

"In a country with over 130 crore population, the situation can turn serious if vaccines are not arranged for everyone and if kids fall victim to the third wave. Oxygen and medicine crisis will be at their worst in that situation," Gehlot added.

However, Poonia accused the state government of mismanaging the Covid situation in the state and "hiding the exact figures of deaths and the number of Covid patients", especially in the rural areas, leaving the health system "in the hands of God".

"Neither sufficient number of staff has been deputed in the hospitals, nor have oxygen plants been installed with the funds allocated by PM Narendra Modi a year back. Also, Gehlot failed to stop black marketing of hospital beds and medicines in the state," Poonia alleged.

"Is it the Ashok Gehlot model in which death figures are being hidden? Neither the patients are getting timely treatment, nor are medicines being made available to them. Also, private hospitals are refusing admission to patients through the Chiranjeevi scheme, a medical insurance programme launched by the state government. The hospitals are also charging exorbitant rates from people in the name of treatment," Poonia said.

"Who is misleading the people of the state? Isn't 50 per cent of vaccination the responsibility of the state? Patients are dying at the doors of the hospitals due to medical mismanagement. The people of the state will never forgive the Chief Minister," Poonia added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 25 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Delhi government on a plea seeking compensation for the next of kin of a Covid-19 patient, who allegedly died without getting proper medical attention.

In the plea, the family members of the deceased person sought compensation due to the "complete mismanagement" and "criminal negligence" of the authorities.

The plea claimed that the victim's oxygen level was very low and his condition was critical, yet the doctor at the hospital did not recommend admission and due to his negligence, the man died while waiting for an ambulance.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh also asked the Delhi government-run Rao Tula Ram Hospital to respond to the plea.

After going through the Supreme Court order, which noted that the authority has fixed minimum ex gratia compensation payable to the next of kin of the deceased on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, the high court made NDMA a party in the petition.

Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi government, submitted that it is proposing to give ex gratia relief to families of Covid-19 victims and it will be placed before the Cabinet next week.

The plea was filed by the parents and wife of Naveen, who died of Covid-19 on the intervening night of April 26-27, allegedly due to doctor's negligence and want of medical attention.

The petitioners, represented through advocates Anuj Chauhan and Anand, submitted that the deceased person's oxygen level was recorded at 60 in the Rao Tula Ram Hospital, yet he was denied medical treatment.

The family kept waiting for an ambulance to shift the deceased to another hospital after he was denied admission. The family claimed to have dialled 100 seeking police help and also the Delhi government's cab service, but it did not get any response, even as the patient succumbed to the disease.

The high court asked the Delhi government, the hospital and the NDMA to file counter affidavits on the plea and scheduled the matter for further hearing in July.

The petitioners also sought the court's direction to the authorities to bring on record whether oxygen was available at hospital on April 26.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Srinagar, May 25 : Over 200 armed forces veterans have volunteered for Covid duty in Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.

The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole, said that as many as 212 armed forces veterans have been deployed for Covid duty across the 10 districts in Kashmir.

Divided into teams, the volunteers include 191 persons deployed for general duty and 21 as medical staff at various hospitals and Covid-19 related mitigation facilities.

These volunteers have reported to the respective district collectors and were subsequently employed to augment the manpower at the district hospitals and for crowd control.

The Kashmir Division has a total of 8,308 ex-servicemen, out of which 1,412 have volunteered to come to the rescue of the already overburdened civil medical infrastructure.
New Delhi, May 25 : Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged that the city's Municipal Corporations have failed to provide text books for students enrolled in the schools they run.

AAP's MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak, addressing a press conference, said the all three civic bodies, governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, have not provided books to around 7 lakh students who study in the MCD schools.

He claimed the civic bodies have not even started the tendering process to procure text books for students. "Books should have been provided in April, however, we can understand that since the first week of April, there was the Covid wave, and there must have been a problem. But if the books that were to be given in April, the process of their purchase should have started earlier. Yet, till now, the MCD has not begun even a single process," he said.

However, the three civic agencies have denied AAP's claims as "false".

North MCD Mayor Jai Prakash said that the civic body has already placed an order on April 6, along with advance payment of Rs 4,38,75,630 to the Delhi Bureau of Text Books, under the Delhi government.

He also accused the AAP government of not releasing funds for procuring text books for students. "AAP Government did not provide even a single penny for the facilities like text books, uniforms, school bags, note books etc," he added.

He claimed the North MCD had initiated the process for procuring text books immediately after a financial assistance of Rs 6 crore was provided by the Union Education Ministry.

South MCD's Standing Committee Chairman Narendra Kumar Chawla told IANS: "Allegation made against the SDMC is baseless, because the fact that books are to be procured from Delhi Bureau of Text Books, which is under the Delhi government. We made several requests to the Delhi government to release funds under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programmes but we did not receive them so far. We also wrote a letter to Delhi government and suggested that, if you not releasing fund directly to SDMC for this purpose, then you (Delhi govt) can transfer it to DBTB, which functions under the Delhi government. SDMC has already submitted its requisition of text books to DBTB."
New Delhi, May 25 : IPS officer Subodh Kumar Jaiswal was on Tuesday named the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In an order, the Department of Personnel and Training said: "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has, based on the panel recommended by the Committee, approved the appointment of Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, IPS, (Maharashtra 1985) as Director, CBI for a period of two years from the date of assumption of the charge of the office or until further orders whichever is earlier." The appointment of Jaiswal comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-header Committee comprising also of Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury discussed the names of the new CBI chiefs.

Jaiswal, who is currently the Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force, was considered the front runner for the post.

He also has served as Mahrashtra's Director General of Police and has a stint in India's external intelligence agency, R&AW.

The CBI had got an acting Director in the form of Praveen Sinha after the term of R.K. Shukla ended on February 3 this year.
New Delhi, May 25 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined urgent listing of a bail plea filed by a police officer from Tamil Nadu, who has been chargesheeted by the CBI in the case related to the custodial death of father-son duo Jayaraj-Bennix in June 2020.

A bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai noted that this was a case where a father and his son were brutally "beaten black and blue" to death in custody for merely violating lockdown norms.

"This is a very bad case. This is a case for which you should be in jail for some time," said Justice Saran, after senior advocate Anjana Prakash pressed for an urgent listing of the bail plea filed by P. Raghu Ganesh, who was the sub-inspector of the Sathankulam police station, where Jayaraj and Bennix were subjected to custodial torture in June 2020.

Prakash, representing the petitioner, submitted that her client was not present at the station during the time of the crime. The counsel argued that one of the accused died due to Covid while in custody, and pressed for consideration of the bail plea during the vacation.

However, the bench declined to grant urgent listing of the petition during the summer vacation.

The top court noted that the records show that there was an eyewitness for Raghu Ganesh's involvement in the crime.

Raghu Ganesh had moved the top court challenging a Madras High Court order, which dismissed his bail application.

The top court bench has listed the matter for hearing after the summer vacation, which ends on June 28.

On June 19 last year, Jayaraj and Bennix were taken into custody on the allegation that they had kept their mobile phone shop open beyond the permissible hours during the lockdown.

After their death in custody, the Tamil Nadu government handed over the investigation to the CBI, which chargesheeted nine police personnel in connection with the case.

"Our investigation revealed that the father-son duo was arrested on the evening of June 19 and was allegedly tortured at the Sathankulam police station by the accused in the evening as well as in the intervening night, consequent to which both of them succumbed to the injuries and died in the intervening night of June 22 and June 23," The CBI had said.
Bengaluru, May 25 : In the wake of a surge in the number of Covid and black fungus cases in the rural parts of the state, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyruappa said on Tuesday that ministers and health officials must take steps to increase the number of Covid tests in these areas by encouraging people to get themselves tested, especially those hesitant to go for tests.

After holding a meeting with the concerned ministers and officials, Yediyurappa said, "We have to implement this plan with a single minded focus. At the same time, the bureaucrats at the grassroots level must act sympathetically with those people in the rural areas who are refusing to undergo tests." The CM said the state cannot be oblivious to the fact that cases in rural areas are surging like never before, and it must be contained.

On rising black fungus cases in rural areas, Yediyurappa said the health department must have all the discharge protocols in place to fight this deadly infection.

"Although this is not an unknown infection, the government and its entire machinery must be equipped to contain this infection," he said, adding that instructions have also given to set up special wards in all the districts for the treatment of black fungus.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mangaluru, May 25 : Indian Navy ship INS Shardul on Tuesday sailed into Karnataka's Mangaluru port with over 300 tonnes od liquid medical oxygen from the Gulf region, an official said.

The ship arrived at the new Mangaluru port with 319 tonnes of oxygen from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a defence spokesman said.

INS Shardul was deployed on May 3 to bring medical oxygen in eight containers, two semi-trailers and 1,200 cylinders from Kuwait and in three containers from Fujairah (the UAE).

"The ship will unload 7 containers, 2 semi-trailers and 1,200 cylinders at Mangaluru port and take the remaining 4 containers to Kochi," the spokesman said.

As part of operation 'Samudra Setu II', the Indian Navy has deployed various ships to ferry medical oxygen and associated medical equipment from other countries for the nation's fight against Covid-19.

On May 11, INS Kochi and INS Tabar brought about 100 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen from Kuwait, while 30 tonnes of the gas was shipped on May 10 to the port city on May 10 in INS Kolkata in 2 containers and 400 cylinders from Kuwait and Qatar.
Kiwi insurer, Tower Limited has today reported half year profit of $12m, down from $14.9m for the half year 2020. Underlying profit before large events was $18m, 5% lower than the prior year.

Positive growth and ongoing reduction in management expenses have been offset by several factors that Tower has taken decisive action to address. These include an increase in large events and large house claims, rising building costs, and lower investment income.

The large events comprise a $9.3m impact before tax, up from $2.8m in HY20, and included the large fire at Lake Ohau village and severe flooding in Napier in late 2020.

Recognising increasing house claims cost and reducing investment income, Tower has revised its underlying net profit after tax FY21 guidance to a range of $25m to $27m, assuming large events of $9.7m.

Tower is well capitalised and confirmed its first dividend in five years

Tower confirmed a dividend of 2.5 cents to be paid on 14 July, reflecting resolving legacy issues and consistent growth. Under Towers dividend policy, the full year guidance would equate to an approximate full year dividend payment in the range of 5 cents to 5.5 cents per share.

As at 31 March Towers (New Zealand Parent) solvency ratio was 309% and the company was holding $97m above the regulatory solvency requirement.

Tower has signed an agreement with one of the worlds largest insurers, Allianz Partners to introduce new products including travel and pet insurance to our customers. This will support revenue growth and retention.

Tower also expanded its cover over the half to include growing markets such as electric vehicles, e-bikes and escooters and is digitising its online boat experience.

Please see the links below for details

Tower Limited Half Year 2021 Results Announcement

1. Media Release

2. Results Announcement

3. Tower Interim Financial Statements

4. Results Announcement Presentation

5. Results Announcement Call Script

6. NZX Distribution Notice

Source: Tower Limited

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Bengaluru, May 25 : Service on 7.5km new line on the east-west corridor of the Bengaluru metro rail would commence in July, said Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Tuesday.

"Commercial operations on the 7.5-km extended line of the metro rail project will begin in July between Nayandahalli and Kengeri on the city's western outskirts," Yediyurappa told reporters after a ride on the new line.

Revenue Minister R. Ashoka, who accompanied the Chief Minister, said the metro operator was waiting for the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety to inspect and clear the new extended line.

The extended line on the purple line of the Bengaluru Namma Metro service was built at a cost of Rs 1,560 crore by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), a joint venture of the state and Central governments.

BMRCL has been operating service on the 18-km east-west corridor from Baiyappanahalli to Nayandahalli through the central terminal in the city centre since November 2015.

"The ridership on the east-west corridor will increase to 75,000 commuters a day when service on the extended line is commissioned," said Yediyurappa.

The elevated section of the extended line has 6 stations from Nayandahalli to Kengeri on the Bengaluru-Mysuru route.

"Parking is provided at Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnanabharati and 2-level facility at Kengeri bus terminal, with bus bays on both sides of the station," the BMRCL said in a statement.

Fare for travelling 25km from Baiyappanahalli to Kengeri will be Rs 56 and Rs 60 from Kengeri to Silk Institute on the north-south corridor with inter-changing at the Kempegowda metro station in the city centre.

The automatic fare collection system on the extended Line has been installed to enable usage of 'One Nation One Card', as part of the national common mobility card and QR system," said the statement.

Each metro station rooftop has been designed to install 250kilowatt capacity solar power.

"Further extension of the new line from Kengeri to Challagatta is under construction for completion by this year-end," added the statement.

The metro rail service across the east-west and north-south corridors in the city has been suspended since April 27 due to the extended lockdown imposed amid the pandemic's second wave.
Bengaluru, May 25 : Karnataka minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday that Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will lay focus on creating micro-containment zones in the villages to curb the spread of the pandemic in the rural areas during his interaction with a select group of panchayat officials on Wednesday.

Bommai told reporters here that the Chief Minister would virtually interact with a select group of panchayat officials from the villages which are reporting high Covid cases on Wednesday, focusing on creating micro-containment zones.

The Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that with the Covid situation showing signs of improvement in Bengaluru, the epicentre of the pandemic in the southern state, the state government is now focusing on the rural areas to contain the virus spread.

"Therefore, the district administrations have been given a free hand, including the authority to announce lockdown measures locally," Bommai said.

The minister added that instructions have been given to the panchayat development officers (PDOs), health workers and police officers for micro-contaminant in the rural areas.

"The panchayats will also be asked to ensure ration and medicine supplies for the needy," he said.

On black fungus infection, Bommai said the state ministers have held discussions with Union minister D.V. Sadananada Gowda, who has assured that the Centre will supply 1,000 vials of medicine for the treatment of Mucormycosis (black fungus).

Bommai also said that directions have been given to make special arrangements, including setting up ICUs at paediatric wards in the district hospitals, for the treatment of children in the days to come.

On increasing Covid related deaths despite the number of cases gradually coming under control, Bommai said that the mutating virus in the second wave is spreading fast and within two to three days of infection, many are experiencing drop in oxygen level besides developing pneumonia-like symptoms, among others, unlike last time.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, May 25 : Much to the embarrassment of Karntaka's ruling BJP, a purported close aide of its Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy was arrested on Tuesday by the Bengaluru police's Central Crime Branch police in connection with the alleged bed scam - exposed by the ruling party members earlier this month with much fanfare.

On May 4, Bangaloe South MP Tejasvi Surya, accompanied by his uncle and Basavangudi MLA, L.S. Subramanya, Bommanahalli MLA Reddy and Chickpet MLA Uday Garudhachar stormed into Begaluru south Covid war room of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to flag the scam.

Surya, who had also read out a list of 17 Muslims working there and questioned their appointment, had alleged that hospitals in Bengaluru "blocked" beds in fake names to make money, at a time when Covid cases were rising in Karnataka. He claimed that officials of the BBMP "colluded" with private nursing homes and hospitals to block beds and allocate them for exorbitant fees.

The CCB police statement said that Babu, 34, a resident of Roopena Agrahara in Bommanhalli, was arrested on Monday evening after his role of blocking beds and selling them at higher price for Covid patients came to light.

A senior police officer, who did not want to be identified, said that the arrested is a personal assistant of Bommanahalli MLA Reddy.

Babu's role of blocking beds in BBMP hospital came to light when they examined the CCTV footage of the war rom and the statements given by the staff members, the police said.

The Karnataka government had ordered reserving 80 per cent of the beds in the private hospitals for Covid patients. The BBMP was assigned to allot beds for the Covid patients seeking treatment in private hospitals. However, due to the alarming rise in Covid cases, most of the beds were fully occupied even as the demand was growing manifold.

The CCB police has already arrested five people -- Nethravathi, Rohith, Venkat Subba Rao, Manjunath and Punith -- in connection with the case. The sleuths had conducted searches in the war room and obtained technical data. Doctors, who are in charge of each zone war room, had also been questioned.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
United Nations, May 26 : India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has offered India's support to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his re-election during a meeting in New York at which they discussed a range of issues from Covid-19 vaccine to terrorism.

In a tweet after the meeting on Tuesday, Jaishankar said that he told Guterres that India "values" his leadership and conveyed its support for his election to a second term.

The global crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic featured prominently in their discussions.

Jaishankar tweeted that they emphasised the importance of finding "urgent and effective global vaccine solutions" and the critical need to ramp up the vaccine supply chain to "ensure greater production and fairer distribution." With India set to assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council in August, their meeting covered a wide range of issues.

In a series of tweets on the meeting, Jaishankar said that they talked about "regional challenges in India's neighbourhood" and "shared our concerns about ensuring that the gains of the last two decades in Afghanistan are adequately protected." US President Joe Biden is pulling out the nation's troops from Afghanistan after a 20-year deployment even as terrorist activities continue raising fears of regional instability.

In his tweets Jaishankar said, "Countering terrorism and radicalisation remain priorities for the entire region." Jaishankar said that he "highlighted India's constructive role" in the Security Council and "conveyed priorities of our Presidency in August." He added, "Maritime Security and Technology for Peacekeeping address the needs of the day." A spokesperson for India's UN Mission said that India planned to hold high-level meetings on those topics during its presidency.

Jaishankar also noted that Guterres expressed "appreciation of India's Peacekeeping operations including at Goma, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) recently." India peacekeepers based in Goma have been involved in rescue operations after the eruption of the Mount Nayargongo volcano displaced several thousand people in the region last week. Several hundred people are also missing following the calamity.

Climate change, a topic that Guterres gives top priority to, also was discussed, Jaishankar tweeted. "Greater resources are essential for larger ambitions (in setting goals for combatting climate change). Financing will determine our seriousness and credibility," he added.

The spokesperson for India's UN mission said that Jaishankar "apprised the Secretary General of India's efforts to meet its Paris commitments (on curbing greenhouse emissions), enhance renewable energy goals, as well as its leadership role in the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure." Jaishankar "underlined our strong development partnership with Africa, Small States and Small Island Developing States," the spokesperson said.

"The Secretary-General conveyed his appreciation for the consistent role played by Indian peacekeepers in support of international peace and security. Their response in aiding the people of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the volcanic eruption was recognised," the diplomat added.

In the discussion of fighting Covid-19, they felt that "the proposal by India and South Africa for a temporary waiver of vaccine patents "can also contribute to greater production and more equity," the spokesperson said.

The US has agreed to the waiver, but it is facing opposition from several countries including Germany.

Guterres's Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that they "discussed a number of issues relating to peace and security" but said he had no further details on those topics.

He also said that they discussed the Covid situation and the development of vaccines.

Guterres is running for re-election with no credible opposition and in the election India gets two votes, one in the Security Council and another in the General Assembly.

A Canadian of Indian descent, Arora Akanksha, has declared she is running for the office, as have at least five others, but lacking a government sponsorship, their candidacy has not so far been accepted officially.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, May 26 : Moderna, Inc. said on Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine was effective in children age 12 to 17 years old in a new study, and is planning to ask health regulators in the United States and other countries early next month to expand the shot's use to this age bracket.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company said that the vaccine induced immune responses among children that were comparable to those seen in a study of adults last year, a finding that could clear the way for a second shot for use in adolescents after Pfizer-BioNTech, the Xinhua news agency reported.

There were no cases of symptomatic Covid-19 among vaccine recipients, Moderna said, suggesting 100 per cent vaccine efficacy in adolescents, though overall very few among the 3,700 children in the study got sick.

Based on the results, Moderna said that it plans in early June to request that regulators in the United States and other countries authorize the use of its vaccine in children age 12 to 17 years old.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could make a decision within weeks of the request if it follows the same kind of timetable if took with Pfizer Inc.'s PFE shot. The agency took about a month to clear Pfizer's request for use of its Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents, said The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

Immunizing children is crucial to developing the communitywide immunity needed to move fully past pandemic precautions, health specialists were quoted as saying.

Proof of the vaccines' efficacy and safety for adolescents is helping school officials and other leaders as they plan for the fall. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that all public school students in New York City, the largest school system in the United States, would return to in-person learning in the fall, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

In December, the FDA authorised use of Moderna's shot in people 18 years and older, and the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE was cleared for 16 and 17 years old, along with adults. Earlier this month, the FDA authorised the Pfizer shot for use in children age 12 to 15 years old.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
B&E Teksystems has been our top producer in China for years, and we are looking forward to continuing our great relationship. The company is already very active in academic research, and we expect them to provide significant support to clinical trials as well.

ActiGraph, a leading global provider of medical-grade wearable technology solutions for pharmaceutical and academic research, is pleased to announce its new, non-exclusive partnership with B&E Teksystems. Headquartered in Beijing, B&E Teksystems is a supplier of life science equipment and technical services for Mainland China. They are ActiGraphs first official reseller in China, a region that is experiencing rapid growth in clinical research opportunities.

B&E Teksystems has been our top producer in China for years, and we are looking forward to continuing our great relationship, says Milan Brunet-Sabastia, ActiGraph Channel Sales Manager, EMEA. The company is already very active in academic research, and we expect them to provide significant support to clinical trials as well.

This partnership has been made successful as a result of B&E Teksystems local business expertise and customized service offerings combined with ActiGraphs high quality, science-backed technology.

B&E Teksystems provides clients with timely, localized services, such as technology implementation, training, and after-sales support. We help customers better understand the applications for ActiGraph equipment, says Chen Yuanchun, B&E Teksystems Executive Director and Manager. Although there are a lot of wearable devices available, ActiGraph products rely on professional algorithms supported by scientific literature, making them favored by many researchers. This sets ActiGraph apart from other personal wearable devices. We are very happy to formalize our partnership with ActiGraph and look forward to expanding the market for their technology in China even more in the future.

About B&E Teksystems - Founded in 2010, B&E Teksystems specializes in importing and selling life science equipment and technical services. The company primarily focuses on medical research in the fields of physiology, pharmacology, toxicology and neuroscience. The team at B&E Teksystems is able to apply years of industry experience toward helping customers find solutions in these therapeutic areas. They pride themselves on high quality products and superior customer service. Learn more at bandetek.com

About ActiGraph - ActiGraphs mission is to bring life to digital data. Built on more than twenty years of remote data capture expertise, ActiGraph is the leading provider of medical-grade wearable motion sensors for the global scientific community. ActiGraphs FDA-cleared biosensors and flexible technology ecosystem deliver high quality, continuous digital data, providing valuable insights into the real world behaviors of clinical trial participants. Appearing in more than 17,000 published scientific papers to date, ActiGraph is the industrys most experienced, knowledgeable, and trusted wearable technology partner. Learn more at theactigraph.com
For drivers in the Lompoc, CA area that are looking for an exceptional driving experience in a vehicle that doesnt break the bank, Toyota of Lompoc is the place to visit!

For drivers in the Lompoc, CA area that are looking for an exceptional driving experience in a vehicle that doesnt break the bank, Toyota of Lompoc is the place to visit! They are offering a wide range of amazing models at a relatively low price, letting interested individuals have a great deal without hurting their wallets. What are some of the excellent models offered at this dealership? Continue reading to find out some examples.

Starting out our small list of amazing models offered at Toyota of Lompoc is a 2017 Toyota Prius Prime Premium! This vehicle has only 83,053 miles on it and is listed at a relatively low price of $17,400. It features a CVT transmission, a 1.8-liter DOHC engine, and other amazing systems. Overall, its a great pick for those that want a compact driving experience.

Secondly is a 2017 Toyota Corolla SE, a slightly larger model. This vehicle is priced at $18,995, making it more expensive, and only has 49,975 miles on it. This vehicle is perfect for those that are more fuel concerned, as it achieves a fuel economy of 28 MPG in the city and 35 MPG on the highway due to its excellent CVT transmission and 1.8-liter I4 engine system.

Finally, a third model explored here today is a 2017 Jeep Cherokee 75th Anniversary Edition. This is a strong SUV, featuring a 3.2-liter V6 engine and 9-speed automatic transmission system. Drivers can expect a ton of horsepower with this model, as well as a decent fuel economy of 21 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on the highway. This vehicle is priced at $18,499 and has only 78,149 miles on it.

Overall, Toyota of Lompoc offers several amazing models in the under $20,000 range. To learn more about them, or to take them for a test drive, we encourage interested individuals to reach out to the dealership. They can be reached online at https://www.toyotaoflompoc.com/, by phone at 805-739-1295, or in person at 203 East Ocean Avenue, Lompoc, CA!
La-Vawn Simons, a dental hygienist who was born on the beautiful island of Bermuda and attended the Howard University School of Dentistry in Washington, DC, has completed her new book First Name Ginger, Last Name Vitis: an entertaining book with an invaluable lesson on oral hygiene for readers of all ages.

Simons writes, Hi, my name is Ginger, and I hope for your sake you never have the pleasure of seeing all the destruction I can do to your mouth. You see, despite the warnings, some of you have chosen to neglect your mouth by not brushing and flossing. The constant neglect from you makes me very angry. Beware, beware, I tell you, because when I get angry, I turn the bright color red and start to grow, which makes me get really puffy as I start to spread throughout your mouth. I move so fast and oh so quick that sometimes you are not even aware that I am present in your mouth. Yes, I am in your mouth, invading and destroying, which is what I do best. After all, I am Ginger, last name Vitis.

Published by Page Publishing, La-Vawn Simonss engrossing book is a thought-provoking cautionary tale warning of one of the dangers of poor oral hygiene.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase First Name Ginger, Last Name Vitis at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Big Blue Swim School, one of the nations fastest growing swim school franchises, has announced the appointment of real estate industry veteran Edgar Cepuritis as the brands West Coast and South real estate lead.

Cepuritis will play an instrumental role in the brands efforts to open 170 locations by 2025.

Cepuritis has led an impressive career in real estate. Over the last 30 years, he has worked as a broker, leasing manager, real estate manager, vice president of real estate, owner, and consultant for a range of emerging and growing brands, including Cafe Zupas, Noodles & Co., Potbelly Sandwich Works, Einstein Bagels, and Kinko's.

Cepuritiss career highlights include opening 265 stores in a six-and-a-half year period at Potbelly, opening 100 stores for Noodles & Co. just before its IPO, and overseeing a 20% annual new-store growth rate with Cafe Zupas.

I have been running development for various retail and restaurant concepts since the late 90s, with experience throughout the country, said Cepuritis. I am excited to bring that expertise to Big Blue Swim School and help the brand grow its portfolio on the West Coast and in Texas.

Founded by U.S. National Champion swimmer Chris DeJong, Big Blue Swim School takes a holistic approach to swim instruction, helping students develop critical life skills, including confidence and self-esteem. The brand is leveraging an experienced leadership team and solid investment model to emerge as a leader in the swim school industry.

"As we gear up for massive expansion over the next decade, Edgar will be instrumental in finding the perfect real estate for our stores, helping our franchise partners become ingrained in their communities and putting locations in the path of least resistance for our future customers," said Big Blue CEO, Scott Sanders.

Real estate has always played a critical role in Big Blues business model, and Sanders says the brand is well positioned to take full advantage of a new real estate landscape marked by uncommon opportunities.

The move to e-commerce, which has accelerated over recent years and is now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has forced several big box retailers into systemwide closures, said Sanders. This has enabled Big Blue to source opportunities for spaces that did not previously exist, and it has created the ability to grow the brand quickly across a wider variety of cities and locations.

Unlike many of its competitors, who often default to the least expensive real estate options, Big Blue sources only Class A real estate. The brand utilizes a data-driven real estate selection process to find sites that align seamlessly with clients daily routines, supporting overall convenience and increasing brand awareness.

The franchise has also proven to be a strong prospect for commercial-property landlords because Big Blue brings families to their properties on a consistent basis. Big Blue is an experiential brand that teaches a vital life skill that can not be replicated online and is largely recession-resistant.

In his role, Cepuritis helps franchise partners leverage this Amazon-resistant and data-driven real estate strategy and promote franchise growth on the West Coast and in Texas.

The Big Blue team has identified the potential for 50 new sites across California, with the majority of sites to be located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Big Blue has already signed a franchise agreement for three stores in Austin, Texas, and the brand plans to add approximately 50 locations in the Lone Star State over the next five years, with sights set on expanding in the Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio markets, along with closing out Austin.

With a unique concept and the addition of Cepuritis as the brands real estate lead in prime markets across the country, Big Blue is in a strong position to fulfill its goal of growing to open 170 units by 2025.

ABOUT BIG BLUE SWIM SCHOOL

Big Blue Swim School was founded in 2009 by competitive swimmer Chris DeJong. The first location opened in Wilmette, Illinois, followed by four additional Chicagoland schools. In 2017, Level 5 Capital Partners acquired a stake in the brand. In 2020, the brand expanded its presence to Atlanta. Big Blue is currently growing through franchising with plans to have a minimum of 150 pools sold by the end of 2021. Big Blue Swim School's real estate expertise, strong brand, proprietary technology, and leadership support, coupled with its best-in-class consumer offerings, position its franchise partners for long-term success. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Big Blue Swim School, visit http://YourBigMomentStartsHere.com.


Brosnan Risk Consultants Logo My thanks to the professionals at Brosnan Risk Consultants for their hard work on the Save a Child program. Together Brosnan and our Department of Social Services can better protect the children of Rockland County from predators and traffickers.-Rockland County Executive Ed Day

Brosnan Risk Consultants has launched a new initiative that will expand efforts to investigate and find missing and exploited children.

The Save a Child public-private partnership is part of the Brosnan Cares campaign and harnesses the security firms integrated national network of analysts, investigators and security officers to rescue children who go missing and fall victim to predatory trafficking and exploitation. In 2020 alone, the FBIs National Crime Information Center recorded 365,348 entries for missing childrenand the actual number is likely much higher.

Brosnan field security officers have been trained to spot behavioral and physical red flags indicating that a child may be trafficked or exploited; and company security analysts and investigators have received training modeled on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's curriculum. Under the program, Brosnan is sharing intelligence data at no cost with law enforcement and government agencies tasked with protecting and locating missing and exploited children.

Brosnan is ramping up its efforts to keep Rockland County and the New York City metropolitan area safe as the nation marks National Missing Children's Day on Tuesday, May 25. The Save a Child program is overseen by John Ryan, former president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Our employees are on the front lines every day, protecting sporting events, transportation hubs, hotels and retail locations, said Brosnan Risk Consultants CEO Patrick Brosnan. This uniquely positions our analysts, investigators and security officers to identify potential victims, or those recruiting victims, and involve the proper authorities to help protect these vulnerable children.

The Save a Child initiative operates out of Brosnans state-of-the-art, 24/7 Global Security Operations Center in Pearl River, Rockland County. This command center as part of the Save a Child program continues to analyze data from Brosnans network of intelligence sources, social media monitoring, Geo- fencing, GPS tracking, mobile command center vehicles, and an ever-expanding range of boots on the ground.

This all-encompassing approach to keeping children safe leaves Brosnan well positioned to share real time data with law enforcement and officials who work each day to protect children.

National Missing Children's Day is designed to encourage parents, guardians and caregivers of children to make child safety a priority and is an occasion to honor those dedicated to this cause, said Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco III. Brosnan Risk Consultants Save a Child initiative is an example of a company dedicated to working with families, law enforcement and social service agencies, to safely return missing children home. Through their generosity and expertise, Brosnan is able to leverage their nationwide reach to assist law enforcement in recovering missing children.

Brosnans visionary endeavor has gained traction with a wide range of public officials. The security firm is partnering with the New York City Administration for Children Services and several New York counties, including Rockland. Brosnan is also assisting the National Child Protection Task Force and Polaris, the nations designated tip line for reporting cases of exploited victims.

Adding momentum to the program is the County of Rockland, whose officials recently approved a contract with Brosnan to implement its Save a Child program with the Rockland County Department of Social Services.

Given my background in law enforcement and my time spent in our local PTA, child safety issues have long been an important focus, said Rockland County Executive Ed Day, a veteran of both the NYPD and Baltimore Police Department. My thanks to the professionals at Brosnan Risk Consultants for their hard work on the Save a Child program. Together Brosnan and our Department of Social Services can better protect the children of Rockland County from predators and traffickers.

Brosnan Risk Consultants CEO Patrick Brosnan is available for interviews and the media is invited to tour the firms Global Security Operations Center at Blue Hill Plaza in Pearl River. Visit brosnanrisk.com/saveachild for information.

About Brosnan

Brosnan Risk Consultants is a full-service security and investigative firm serving global brands in all sectors. Brosnan works in complex, high threat and emerging markets, providing risk mitigation services that secure clients employees, assets and reputation. Its security professionals deliver flexible, discreet and best-in-class protective services. Founded in 1996 by Patrick J. Brosnan, Brosnan Risk Consultants is the largest privately held provider of technology-driven security services.
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We wanted to bring authentic Greek cooking products to at-home chefs, giving consumers an exclusive journey into each region of the country. Im excited to share these Greek culinary products as its a look and taste into my passion, travels and family history.

Chef Pano I. Karatassos debuts his exclusive line of signature, curated cooking products imported from Greece titled Chef Pano at Natural Products Expo West Virtual 2021. The line, available nationwide, includes Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Purple Olives from Kalamata, Green Olives from Chalkidiki, Forest Honey from Mount Olympus and Wild Thyme Honey form the Aegean Islands. Inspired by his grandmother who taught him the fundamentals of Greek cuisine, Chef Pano traveled throughout Greece to source each product. The nationwide availability of Chef Panos specialty Greek product line is the latest accomplishment for the Atlanta culinary scene pioneer  other recent successes include the publication of his debut cookbook, Modern Greek Cooking, and defeating Bobby Flay on The Food Network show, Beat Bobby Flay.

We wanted to bring authentic Greek cooking products to at-home chefs, giving consumers an exclusive journey into each region of the country, said Chef Pano I. Karatossos, founder, Chef Pano. Im excited to share these Greek culinary products as its a look and taste into my passion, travels and family history.

The Chef Pano line includes:



Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete  750 ml bottle; robust and fruity, great in vinaigrettes and used as the finishing touch in many recipes. Considered to be one of the best in the Mediterranean, Chef Panos olive oil is cold pressed meaning the olives never exceed a certain temperature during the entire pressing process - around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the olives cooler ensures maximum quality.

Greek Forest Honey from Mount Olympus  Deeply sweet with malty notes & a dark amber color, the Oak Tree Raw honeydew honey is produced in Greece by artisan bee-keeper, Alexandros Gousiaris. Oak tree honey has a complex taste and is less sweet compared to nectar honeys - enjoy with traditional Greek yogurt drizzled on top of manouri or simply spread on a warm slice of sourdough.

Greek Wild Thyme Honey form the Aegean Islands  An exceptional honey harvested from wild thyme, which grows on the dry rocky slopes of the Aegean Islands, thyme honey is renowned for its intense, spicy aroma and herbal, savory flavor. Pair with Greek yogurt or drizzle on Greek donuts called Loukomades.

Kalamata Olives  Kalamata olives are abundant in the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Known for their bold taste and low acidity, black or deep purple Kalamata olives are harvested in December when fully ripened in the valley of Messina, near the town of Kalamata. Kalamatas are served well as a tapenade spread or as an ingredient in a Greek salad.

Green Olives from Chalkidiki  There are two basic varieties of Chalkidiki olives  green and black. In fact, these belong to the same type of olive. They are only harvested at different times. Green olives are harvested while still young, in mid-September. The time for black olive harvesting comes around two months afterward, when olives reach maturation. Olives are rich in Vitamin E, which eliminates free radicals.

Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil  3-liter can; restaurant pack version. Greece produces the highest quality olive oils in the world made from the most sought after olive, the Koroneiki Olive. This Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is robust and fruity, great in vinaigrette's and used as the finishing touch on many recipes. This is a high poly-phenol oil with a superior rating of 0.2% Free Fatty Acidity, so it is extremely healthy.

In addition to Amazon, Chef Panos signature product line is available for purchase via chefpano.com. Also available nationwide is Chef Panos cookbook, Modern Greek Cooking. Written in collaboration with his cousin, Sophia Perpera, one of the world's leading authorities on Greek wines, the cookbook includes photography by acclaimed food photographer Francesco Tonelli and a forward by longtime friend and mentor, Thomas Keller.

For more information about Chef Pano products, visit: http://www.chefpano.com.

About Chef Pano

As executive chef of Atlanta's acclaimed Kyma restaurant, Chef Pano I. Karatassos has redefined the taste, style and ingredients that comprise what he refers to as Modern Greek Cooking. Chef Pano grew up in the kitchen, watching and listening as his Yiayia (Grandmother) prepare traditional foods and work magic with traditional Greek ingredients like olives, olive oil and honey. In the 1980s and 90s, Pano I. Karatassos watched his father, Pano Karatassos, founder and CEO of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, trail blaze the Atlanta culinary scene and at 16, the younger Pano began working in his fathers kitchens. He refined his culinary calling with degrees in hospitality management from Florida International University and from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Working in renowned restaurants like the French Laundry, Jean-Georges and Le Bernardin, Pano learned from some of the worlds most influential chefs: Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Eric Ripert, respectively. In 2001, he opened the award-winning Greek restaurant Kyma in Atlanta. In late 2018, Chef Pano debuted his cookbook, Modern Green Cooking, and in August 2019, he defeated Bobby Flay by preparing his signature dish, Lamb Pie, on The Food Network show, Beat Bobby Flay. For more information, visit: http://www.chefpano.com.
Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. is based in Los Angeles and provides outstanding value and customer service to clothing manufacturers and designers nationwide. Clothing brands that have unique causes or messages should utilize every marketing opportunity available to share their mission with customers.

A May 14 article on Forbes reports on Marcella, a New York City fashion brand committed to empowering women through their business and philanthropic partnerships. The article notes that the brand offers high-quality clothing at affordable prices and pays its majority-female staff with higher-than-average wages and benefits. Furthermore, the article says that every sale from the brands fashion line pays for five days of schooling for a girl in Africa, which includes everything from tuition and uniform to personal items and books. Los Angeles-based manufacturer Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. says that clothing brands like Marcella that have unique causes or messages should utilize every marketing opportunity available to share their mission with customers.

Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. says that many companies only focus on advertising their brands vision via traditional methods such as on their website, on signage around physical stores, and through social media posts. However, the Los Angeles company says that fashion designers should be sure to include information about the causes they support on clothing tags and labels too. Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. says that this ensures that consumers are reminded of the brand and the organizations or messages they support throughout the shopping process and each time they wear the item, further increasing the likelihood that theyll return for future purchases.

The label manufacturer says that the durability of fabric tags is just as important as the quality of the clothing material. For the tags and labels to be effective at advertising a brand long term, they need to remain intact and legible through multiple cycles in a washing machine and dryer.

Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. says theres another factor for retailers and designers to consider: even though there might be multiple items in the same collection, different types of tags and labels may be required for individual pieces to ensure maximum comfort. The Southern California manufacturer says that while stronger woven labels pair well with looser-fitting outerwear, items that are more likely to come into direct contact with the skin, such as t-shirts, should have labels that are soft and comfortable to wear, like cotton tags. Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. notes that this decreases the chances that customers will cut off the clothing tags out of discomfort or irritation.

Readers interested in learning more about Los Angeles-based manufacturer Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. and its offerings can call (213) 746-7772 or visit its website at https://www.fabriclabels.com/.


CI had a great quarter, investing in some of the most promising technology companies in the state.

Connecticut Innovations (CI), Connecticuts strategic venture capital arm and the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticuts innovative, growing companies, today announced that it invested $9.4 million across 36 transactions during the third quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, ending March 31, 2021.

In terms of investment breakdown, CI invested approximately $6.5 million in bioscience and healthcare information technology companies and $1.8 million in IT companies. The additional funds were allocated to companies spanning a variety of industries.

The investments leveraged an additional $124 million in outside capital. CIs largest investments of the quarter went to Enko Chem, Inbox Health, Lumeda and ThayerMahan.

CI had a great quarter, investing in some of the most promising technology companies in the state, said David Wurzer, executive vice president and chief investment officer at Connecticut Innovations. We continue to see investment opportunities across all technology sectors and look forward to accelerating momentum through the end of the fiscal year.

About Connecticut Innovations

Connecticut Innovations (CI) is Connecticuts strategic venture capital arm and the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticuts innovative, growing companies. CI provides venture capital and strategic support for early-stage technology companies, financial support for innovation and collaboration, and connections to its well-established network of partners and professionals. For more information, please visit http://www.ctinnovations.com.
Cybereason, the leader in future-ready attack protection, today announced it has been named to CNBCs 2021 Disruptor 50 list of the most disruptive private global companies. Cybereason landed in the #32 spot and is one of only two cybersecurity companies on the list. Cybereason was chosen from a record number of nearly 1,600 nominations.

The past 12 months have been record setting for Cybereason with the company recently named a Visionary in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms. The company also topped the recently released MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations due to the superior prevention and detection capabilities of the Cybereason Defense Platform. Cybereason was also recently voted one of the 2020 Top Places to Work by the Boston Globe.

Cybereasons operation-centric security approach is helping defenders combat sophisticated and persistent threats to their businesses. While other companies have analysts chasing alerts without truly offering valuable insight, Cybereason helps organizations around the world leverage our technology each day to outthink and outpace threat actors, said Lior Div, CEO and Co-founder, Cybereason.

The annual CNBC Disruptor list showcases the top 50 private companies whose innovations are revolutionizing their industries and our everyday lives. SpaceX, Spotify and Uber are previous winners. Read more about Cybereason and other disruptors at:

https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-disruptors/

In the face of unprecedented challenges over the past 12 months because of the global pandemic, the never-give-up attitude of our employees is the reason we continue to grow at a record-setting pace. We are out to build a company that matters. One that can end cyber attacks from endpoints to everywhere and return defenders to high ground above adversaries, added Div.

About Cybereason

Cybereason is the champion for todays cyber defenders providing future-ready attack protection that unifies security from the endpoint, to the enterprise, to everywhere the battle moves. The Cybereason Defense Platform combines the industrys top-rated detection and response (EDR and XDR), next-gen anti-virus (NGAV), and proactive threat hunting to deliver context-rich analysis of every element of a Malop (malicious operation). The result: defenders can end cyber attacks from endpoints to everywhere. Cybereason is a privately held, international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 30 countries.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Media Contacts:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

(929) 259-3261


New Diversified CPC International Chief Operating Officer David Burks

Diversified CPC International (DCPC) is pleased to announce that David Burks has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, Burks will ensure DCPC is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of its global customer base by advancing the companys focus on safety and sustainability through the Power of Purity.

David joined the Diversified CPC International Team as Executive Vice President in September 2018, after a 25-year career at Worthington Industries. While at Worthington, he held several key management roles in sales, commercial, and manufacturing operations. He also led the integration of several key strategic acquisitions in the companys refrigerant and industrial gas cylinder business.

David has a proven record of achieving consistent year over year top and bottom-line growth, said DCPC President and CEO Bill Auriemma. Since joining the DCPC executive management team, he has demonstrated the skills and foresight to execute our long-term growth targets while maintaining a focus on safe manufacturing and logistics operations, quality customer service, and sustainable business practices.

I am thrilled to take on this new challenge and to help the company strengthen its position as a global leader in the design, production, and distribution of the highest quality aerosol propellants, hydrocarbon refrigerants, and specialty applications, Burks said. DCPC will continue to distinguish itself in the marketplace by offering value-added services including product innovation, outstanding operational and technical excellence, and unmatched end-to-end customer service. I look forward to working with the entire team to identify new opportunities for continuous improvement and future growth.

Burks has also served on several boards and industry trade groups throughout his career. Most recently, he was appointed to the Household and Consumer Products Association Board of Directors and the Alliance for Consumer Education Board of Trustees. He is a former member of the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, the Gas and Welding Distributors Association, and the Heating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Distributors International group.

ABOUT DCPC INTERNATIONAL: Diversified CPC International, a Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) Portfolio Company, is a global leader in the design, production, and distribution of the highest quality aerosol propellants, high purity hydrocarbon refrigerants, biomass solvent extraction products, and specialty fluids. In addition to industry-leading products, the company maintains an unmatched focus on customer satisfaction and environmental safety in all of its business operations. They also offer an array of value-added services, including safety and process consulting, storage tank sales and installation, and supply chain management, which provide DCPC clients with a unique competitive advantage in the marketplace. For more information, please visit diversifiedcpc.com.
Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority joins the MITN Purchasing Group Registered vendors can access bids, related documents, addendum and award information.

The Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority has officially joined the MITN Purchasing Group, one of BidNets regional e-procurement solutions, providing vendors throughout Michigan easy online access its upcoming solicitations. The Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority invites all vendors to register online at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn.

The regional purchasing group connects local governments with vendors looking to do business with public agencies. On the MITN Purchasing Group, vendors seeking business with 250 participating agencies can register online to gain access to a single point of entry for opportunities throughout Michigan. By posting upcoming bids and RFPs on the MITN Purchasing Group, the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority ensures an entire community of vendors can view their solicitation, download documents, and receive notification of addenda. The vendors self-register and ensure their contact information is up to date.

The Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority invites all local vendors to visit http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn and register to receive access to its upcoming solicitations as well as the upcoming bids and RFPs from 249 other public agencies participating on the MITN Purchasing Group. Registered vendors have the option to upgrade their service to receive customized bid alerts, notification of term contract expiration, and notification of a real-time addendum

About the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority:

DUWA is a public body corporate organized pursuant to Act 233. DUWA took on the major responsibility of owning the Downriver Sewage Disposal System (DSDS) in late September 2018, when the system was transferred from Wayne County to DUWA. The DSDS consists of a wastewater treatment plant which is situated on a 34 acres site in the City of Wyandotte, Michigan, along with several miles of interceptor pipe and a wet weather tunnel system, which is used to convey wastewater from 13 Communities.

For more information about DUWA, visit: https://duwauthority.org/

About BidNet Direct:

BidNet Direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. BidNet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the MITN Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers
CEO Misha Govshteyn and his leadership team are unlocking the $29 billion dollars in manufacturing volume that is currently stranded in North America.

Edison Partners, the growth equity investment firm, today announced leading a $15 million growth capital investment in Houston-based MacroFab, a leading platform in the electronics manufacturing-as-a-service market. The financing round includes strategic investment from Altium Limited, a publicly traded electronics design software company. MacroFab will use the funds to accelerate sales and marketing of its cloud manufacturing platform for mid-market industrial, energy IoT, robotics and computing enterprises.

The $156 billion global market for mid-volume electronics manufacturing production is expected to grow at a forecasted CAGR of 8% through 2025, with the market shift to onshore likely to drive North American growth faster than the global trend. MacroFab aggregates unused capacity at 75+ factories in the US, Canada and Mexico to give mid-market manufacturers end-to-end production and an alternative to offshoring, where capacity is increasingly constrained and lead times are impacted by supply chain shipment disruptions.

MacroFab is at the forefront of building supply chain resilience as the trend to nearshoring and multi-source shoring continues with rising costs in Asia, component shortages, and the increasing need for agile production. By optimizing both factory capacity and breadth of capability while digitizing that interface, CEO Misha Govshteyn and his leadership team are unlocking the $29 billion dollars in manufacturing volume that is currently stranded in North America. All this, plus expanding economic opportunities and job creation in local factory markets, said Daniel Herscovici, Partner, Edison Partners, who led the investment. Herscovici will join MacroFabs Board of Directors.

Many customers rely on MacroFab to scale from prototype, through pre-production and into full production. The company has experienced a 2x growth in both revenue and headcount in 2020 and is on pace to do the same in 2021.

Trying to fit smaller volumes in factories designed to do millions of units is a pain point for mid-market manufacturers. MacroFab unlocks access to a curated marketplace of factories that meet their need for agility, response time and transparency, said MacroFab CEO Misha Govshteyn. Further, MacroFab addresses the reshoring trend accelerated by the challenges of 2020. Dans domain expertise and the Edison teams counsel will be invaluable as we accelerate our platform and factory footprint.

An Edison Partners X investment, MacroFab is Edisons 270th investment since inception in 1986. This is also the sixth investment for Daniel Herscovici, who started his career on the floor of a plastics injection molding factory and later led mobile phone manufacturing operations teams at Lucent Bell Labs and Motorola.

MacroFab is the second Texas-based supply chain transformation leader Edison has invested in, alongside Austin-based Overhaul. MacroFab also joins the good company of Edisons vertical marketplace investments including Austin-based LawnStarter, Boulder-based The Pros Closet, and NYC-based Yieldstreet.

The investment comes on the heels of Edison achieving its fourth consecutive record year for total exit proceeds. In the last six months, Edison investments and exits have spanned behavioral intelligence company Jornaya, remote patient monitoring leader Health Recovery Solutions, go-to-market solutions platform Terminus, and ad tech leader TripleLift.

About MacroFab

MacroFab is a cloud-enabled electronics manufacturing platform designed to make it easier, faster, and less expensive to get new electronics manufactured while providing complete transparency in the process. MacroFab's technology takes information directly from the customer, via a modern easy-to-use web interface or via REST APIs, to the manufacturing floor reducing the up-front cost and complexity of getting manufacturing jobs running. All assembly is performed on MacroFab's manufacturing line in Houston, TX. Founded by a team of entrepreneurs and electronics engineers in 2013, MacroFab is angel funded and based in Houston, TX. For more information, visit http://macrofab.net/.

About Edison Partners

For 35 years, Edison Partners has been helping CEOs and their executive teams grow and scale successful companies. The firm's investment team brings extensive investing and operating experience to each investment. Through a unique combination of growth capital and the Edison Edge platform, consisting of operating centers of excellence, the Edison Director Network, and executive education programs, Edison employs a truly integrated approach to accelerating growth and creating value for businesses. A team of experts in enterprise solutions, financial technology, and healthcare IT sectors, Edison targets high-growth companies located outside Silicon Valley with $10 to $30 million in revenue; investments also include buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts and secondary stock purchases. Edison's active portfolio has created aggregated market value exceeding $10 billion. Edison Partners is based in Princeton, NJ and manages more than $1.4 billion in assets.


My students experience less stress while studying, more confidence in knowledge, and longer recall of information studied. I would absolutely recommend Picmonic to students, especially visual learners.

EdTech Awards from EdTech Digest, the largest recognition program in educational technology, shined the spotlight on Picmonic as a Cool Tools 2021 finalist in the higher education solution category. Past winners include Blackboard, Discovery Education, Edmodo, Edthena, Flipgrid, Freshgrade, Promethean, Scholastic, Schoology, SMART Technologies and more.

The worldwide pandemic put education and training to the test, but remote learning and workingin many unexpected waysultimately brought us closer, said Victor Rivero, who as editor-in-chief of EdTech Digest, oversees the program. Solutions, such as Picmonic, have helped students continue to thrive in the midst of trying times.

To date over 1 million healthcare students worldwide have used Picmonic video-quiz lessons to support their learning, resulting in 37 million video plays and more than 115 million quiz questions answered. In addition, Picmonic has been used in over 6,200 schools, in their medical, nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy and other healthcare specialty programs.

Students explain why Picmonic is a leader and innovator in the category. (Picmonic) puts what is being studied into nicely compacted bits of important information that is much easier to retain, according to a medical student. Students also appreciate the fun and engaging approach to learning. According to a nursing student, Picmonic is the best way to learn. I am watching cartoons and getting smart. When I was doing my test, my brain just started to replay the material necessary to answer my question. Hundreds more students have written in to explain how Picmonic helped them become more successful students.

Educators also explain the innovative power of Picmonic to improve learning outcomes for students. My students experience less stress while studying, more confidence in knowledge, and longer recall of information studied. I would absolutely recommend Picmonic to students, especially visual learners, says Julia Young, Professor of Science at Delaware Technical Community College.

Picmonics online learning system is research-proven and aligned to core healthcare curriculum and textbooks, and includes video-quiz lessons featuring visual mnemonic flashcards and low-stakes recall quizzes that make it easier for students to remember hard-to-remember and frequently-tested facts. In 2014, a randomized, subject-blinded, controlled study compared the Picmonic Learning System to text-based material (like textbooks and lecture notes) and found that students improved by 331% in long-term memory retention and increased test scores 50%.

About Picmonic

After launching Picmonic for Medicine in 2012, Picmonic expanded their product line to include material covering nursing school courses (RN, LPN, NP), and courses for physician assistant, pharmacy, paramedic, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pre-health students, as well as an introductory medical terminology course. To date, over 1 million students have used the Picmonic Learning System to improve grades and increase board/licensing exam scores on their way to becoming successful healthcare professionals.

About EdTech Digest:

EdTech Digest is a leading source of cool tools, interviews, and trends showcasing the future of learning  annually honors the best and brightest people, products and groups working in edtech with The EdTech Awards. Cool Tool, Leadership, and Trendsetter honorees span the K-12, Higher Ed, and Skills & Workforce sectors.
Enso Nutraceuticals' Zo CBD Oil is made from our non-GMO hemp grown on our farm in Colorado using pesticide-free natural farming methods. There are more than a dozen bioactive compounds in hemp, we utilize a proprietary process to ensure we include as many as possible. This isnt the cheapest way to process hemp. This doesnt give us the greatest quantity of oils. But it does give us the best QUALITY.

Enso Nutraceuticals, LLC proudly announces the creation of its first product, which they feel is the most scientifically sound and effective CBD offered today, Zo CBD Oil. With so many CBD products on the market, the choices are almost overwhelming. These choices create more confusion than confidence as many products are mislabeled, the same product has multiple different names, no real CBD is in some bottles, some have celebrities add-ons and very little if any provenance is proven with the productas you see more and more Hemp coming in from overseas. After asking many physicians, veterinarians and health care workers if they get asked to recommend a CBD, we received an overwhelming YESwe get asked often, but NOwe wont recommend oneas they have no idea where the CBD comes from. We intend to change that and give them a better choice they can now have confidence in, Patrick Farley, CEO Enso Discoveries, LLC explains as to why Zo CBD Oil was developed.

Our Solution: First lets start with the hempZo CBD hemp is grown with non-GMO, pesticide-free farming methods and harvested at our family farm in Colorado. Using only natural fertilizers and our own quality-tested ground water sourcewe test continuously to ensure our soil and products are free from pesticides and heavy metals. We then continue to test at every stage of the process until the CBD is bottled. The Certificates of Analysis (COA) can be read with a simple scan of the barcode found on each bottle and will change accordingly with each new batch produced and bottled. After the hemp is processed into CBD oil using our very proprietary formulated processing methods at a new state of the art multimillion dollar, fully licensed and inspected facility in Kansas, our CBD oil is moved to an in-house laboratory here at Enso Nutraceuticals, LLC in Manhattan, Kansas for bottling.

This is yet another way Zo CBD is differentwe dont simply open a box of bottles and start filling them. After all, do we really know where they have been? We start by autoclaving (i.e., sterilizing) all of the bottles and cleaning all droppers to be used. Next, we fill, cap and seal each bottle in our laboratory, most often within our Class II Biosafety Cabinet. Finally we seal the top of each bottle and place them in an airtight package, explains Mr. Farley. He goes on to say, Lastly, we simply could not understand why CBD is often sold in such a variety of concentrations with fancy, often confusing names and for all price ranges. As a physician for example, would you call in five different bottles of aspirin with different amounts of tablets for the same patient? Of course not. After consulting with many physicians, we agreed that one full-spectrum, legal concentration bottle with COAs on demand by scanning the bottle barcode is all you need. In this manner, the consumer can control their own dosage with regards to their specific needs and with a physicians recommendation.

As a pain management physician, I get asked everyday by patients if I can recommend to them a CBD product. Until Enso Nutraceuticals created the product called Zo CBD Oil, I never had an answer, as I simply could not recommend anything without understanding where it came from. Now that I offer the Zo CBD Oil bottles in my clinic, not only are many of my patients happy and having great success, but myself and two of my nurses use it with great success as well.  Steve Peloquin, M.D., Board Certified in Pain Management and Anesthesiology

Zo CBD Oil seems to be a home run with me! My headaches from Tinnitus are more manageable and Im sleeping very well again. Im a convert for sure.  Scott Giebler, Veterinary Executive

There are more than a dozen bioactive compounds in hemp, we utilize a proprietary process to ensure we include as many as possible. This isnt the cheapest way to process hemp. This doesnt give us the greatest quantity of oils. But it does give us the best QUALITY. We are a science-driven company, and we choose quality over quantity.  J. Corey Orava, CSO, Enso Discoveries, LLC

Only using one high level bottle of CBD and managing the dose with the healthcare industry in mind, rather than so many products from which I have no idea where it came from is really a great idea for physicians! My patients love it.  Andrew Pope, MD

As a veteran myself, helping other veterans is so important to me. Im proud to say we have partnered with an Army officer, three-time combat tour veteran and Blackhawk pilot, CW3 Frank Kirby (Retired) who will exclusively focus our Zo CBD Oil* products solely on military Veterans and service members in need. If you are a veteran and need help, please visit http://www.Dustoff06.com. We will never forget the price you paid for the freedom we as Americans enjoy. Don't Suffer in Silence.  Patrick Farley, CEO, Enso Discoveries, LLC

Enso Discoveries and its various divisions, including Enso Doctors and Enso Nutraceuticals, is a biotech company focused on enhancing the lives of humans and animals through the development of relevant, cost-effective, novel technology that allows their valued customer, the physician and veterinarian, to keep their hard-earned business in house. We support our products and services with scientific proof, national distribution partners, and a worldwide network of industry experienced contacts. To learn more about Enso Nutraceuticals proprietary blended, full-spectrum Zo CBD Oil visit https://zocbd.com/

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult with your Doctor before using our products.

*Because our full spectrum product contains a trace amount of THC (less than 0.3% under FDA regulations for legal hemp based products), there is a possibility of getting a positive result on a drug test. If you work for a company and/or organization that requires drug screening, please check with the proper authorities to find out if you can take CBD.
Fox & Seeker Distilled Goods London Dry Gin and Texas Vodka We refuse to shortcut our passion, so we source grain from Texas farmers to mash, ferment, and distill everything in-house. We maintain the highest standards throughout our operations; from sourcing the finest Texas grains, to implementing a systematic approach to brewing, distilling, and bottling.

One of Houstons newest distilleries, Fox & Seeker Distilled Goods, is now distributing its Texas Vodka and London Dry Gin to retail stores, bars, and restaurants throughout the Houston metro area. The Fox & Seeker team intends to raise the bar by creating the best grain-to-glass craft spirits possible, made using locally sourced, quality ingredients and its consistent distilling process. The distillery marries a deep respect for tradition with innovative distilling techniques to create spirits with classic flavors and a sense of place that never fail to delight.

We started Fox & Seeker with the commitment to build community by pairing great spirits with great people, said Sean Anger, Fox & Seeker president and co-founder. Many distilleries, particularly start-ups, purchase bulk, pre-made neutral grain spirits as the base for their vodka and gin as a great way to save money. There is a business-case for this approach, but it doesnt inspire us. We refuse to shortcut our passion, so we source grain from Texas farmers to mash, ferment, and distill everything in-house. We maintain the highest standards throughout our operations; from sourcing the finest Texas grains, to implementing a systematic approach to brewing, distilling, proofing, aging, and bottling.

Fox & Seekers distillers bring a precision-minded approach, drawing on professional backgrounds in engineering and manufacturing, and apply it to state-of-the-art distilling technology to produce award-winning spirits. The compact distillery located in North Houston currently has the capacity to produce almost 1,800 cases of grain-to-glass spirits a year by utilizing a modular setup of 2,000L fermenter and two stills, with the ability to expand quickly. The distilling team uses sophisticated iStill hybrid stills that provide powerful technology and the ability to distill any type of spirit with exact intent. The hyper-modern still is programmable with automated controls that ensure quality and repeatability to produce high-quality spirits more efficiently.

Fox & Seeker Distilled Goods currently has three products available with plans to add grain-to-glass whiskey to the portfolio soon. The current spirits include:

Texas Vodka

Fox & Seeker Texas Vodka Inspired by hard-working Texas farmers, we meticulously source 100% Texas grains for our Vodka. Fox & Seeker mashes, ferments, and distills its Texas Vodka in its Houston distillery giving the distilling team full oversight into its creation. The result is a vodka of uncompromising quality that does not require back-sweetening or charcoal filtering. It is distilled from 80 percent yellow dent corn and 20 percent soft winter wheat grown in Denton Co., Texas. The use of local grains creates a flavorful vodka that is light and refreshing with sweet tones of vanilla and citrus.

London Dry Gin

Fox & Seeker London Dry Gin is inspired by traditional gin styles made with a focused selection of botanicals that combine perfectly in your favorite cocktails. The base spirit is distilled from 80 percent yellow dent corn and 20 percent soft winter wheat grown in Denton Co., Texas. Select botanicals including juniper, coriander, and angelica root are included in a second distillation to create an exquisite gin with layers of complexity that will make your favorite gin cocktail shine. It is excellent in a Gin & Tonic, Martini, Negroni, or any other traditional gin cocktail. Fox & Seeker London Dry Gin has aromas of fresh spruce with a little lift of lemon. It has subtle berry flavors from the juniper, a lemon-pepper pop, and is laced with just the right amount of spruce.

Meridian Gin

Fox & Seeker Meridian Gin was released just in time for summer and is currently only available at the distillery. It is distilled using the same locally sourced grains as the Fox & Seeker London Dry Gin, but with a different selection of botanicals staring hibiscus, rosemary, and chamomile. Juniper and coriander are distilled in a way to enhance the floral characteristics of hibiscus and chamomile. The prominent floral sweetness is followed by a subtle, but refreshing mint character from the rosemary, finishing with just enough earthy juniper to tie it all together. Meridian Gin is lovely as a summer sipper over ice or in refreshing herbal cocktails.

Fox & Seeker is proud to call Houston home is excited to share its spiritual vision and thoughtful, bespoke spirits with friends and neighbors throughout the Bayou area and beyond.

Availability

Fox & Seekers spirits are available in 750ml bottles at the distillery and at retail stores such as Total Wine & More and Specs throughout the greater Houston metro area. A full list of retail stores can be found using the location finder.
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As we shift to value-based care, Jvions AI-enabled insights will help hospitals across the state of Georgia minimize penalties, raise quality scores, and improve the lives and wellbeing of patients.

Jvion, a leader in clinical artificial intelligence (AI), today announced a partnership with Georgia Hospital Health Services (GHHS), a subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA), to promote Jvions All-Cause Readmissions product to member hospitals across Georgia. GHA is a longstanding Jvion customer, providing data analytics to its 160+ members. Today, GHA offers aggregate analytics to its current members that are derived from Jvions AI CORE. GHHS will now actively support and promote the use of Jvions All-Cause Readmissions solution as a means for state hospitals to reduce their exposure to readmissions penalties and more effectively manage patient populations.

Readmissions remain a challenge from both a health outcome and financial perspective: In 2020, half of Americas hospitals were fined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for readmitting too many patients. Leveraging clinical, socioeconomic and behavioral data, Jvions prescriptive AI CORE not only identifies patients at risk of readmission in the next 30 days, it also empowers providers and care navigators with decision support to address patients barriers to care and risk factors earlier and more effectively.

Jvion has demonstrated their ability to help hospitals take proactive and meaningful steps towards reducing readmissions. Our goal is to provide resources and education to our hospitals that enables them to deliver optimal care to their patient populations, said Bill Wylie, Senior Vice President Business Operations at GHA. As we shift to value-based care, Jvions AI-enabled insights will help hospitals across the state of Georgia minimize penalties, raise quality scores, and improve the lives and wellbeing of patients.

With hundreds of member hospitals, state hospital associations such as GHA are uniquely positioned to help educate and drive health care transformation. As hospitals begin to resume their analytics strategies stalled by COVID-19, now is the time for state hospital associations to be a catalyst for change and use their collective influence to encourage members hospitals to adopt innovative prescriptive AI solutions such as the Jvion CORE to help meet their value-based care goals.

This partnership is indicative of where the industry is going, said Lizzy Feliciano, Jvions Chief Marketing Officer. Now more than ever, there is a need for hospitals to have AI at their fingertips to inform proactive and preventive strategies that drive better outcomes for their patients and their operations. GHA is stepping up to help build an AI-enabled value-based care vision for the hospitals it supports.

In 2020, a peer-reviewed study in Applied Clinical Informatics found that Jvions All-Cause Readmissions solution, the same solution now promoted by GHHS, successfully reduced readmissions at a Wisconsin hospital by 25% over the course of six months. Similar results have been achieved at more than 300 other hospitals using Jvions solution, reducing all-cause readmissions by 20% on average.

About Jvion

Jvion, a leader in clinical artificial intelligence, enables providers, payers and other healthcare entities to identify and prevent avoidable patient harm, utilization and costs. An industry first, the Jvion CORE goes beyond predictive analytics and machine learning to identify patients on a trajectory to becoming high-risk. Jvion then determines the interventions that will more effectively reduce risk and enable clinical and operational action. The CORE accelerates time to value by leveraging established patient-level intelligence to drive engagement across healthcare organizations, populations, and individuals. To date, the Jvion CORE has been deployed across hundreds of clients and resulted in millions saved. For more information, visit https://www.jvion.com.

About GHA

Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 170 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgias citizens. The mission of GHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities by serving as the leading advocate for all Georgia hospitals and health care systems. GHA represents its members before the General Assembly and Congress, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, and is an allied member of the American Hospital Association. For more information, visit https://www.gha.org.

About GHHS

GHHS, Inc. is a for-profit subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association. Founded in 1989, GHHS serves member hospitals by offering various types of programs. GHHS may either create a program to serve a membership need, exclusively market a program for GHA members, endorse services and assist in creating awareness plans. Programs may also be placed in product lines. All programs typically offer a discounted rate and/or additional benefits not readily available to non-member hospitals. GHHS subjects each potential program to a rigorous due diligence process and partners only with companies and programs that are of high quality, provide a benefit to our members and fit within GHAs strategic plan.
Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine at Houston's HOPE Clinic With access to this equipment, we can act quickly to reach people in our community and vaccinate them against COVID. By getting more people vaccinated quickly, we can return to school, return to work and see smiles again. The vaccines are our passport to freedom

GMED Global LLC., an international health care organization specializing in medical education and health care workforce development, today announced that it has provided HOPE Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Clinic, with a professional-grade freezer system to enable safe storage of vaccines and to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts among Houstons most vulnerable communities. The donation of the ultra-cold chain storage unit enables HOPE Clinic to safely store doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which has recently been approved for people ages 12 years and older. GMEDs endowment provides HOPE Clinic with the equipment needed to provide critical health services to the uninsured, under-insured, those with limited English proficiency, and low-income patients and vulnerable communities, while advancing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The population we serve is often marginalized and face many barriers as a result of immigration status, language barriers, or healthcare coverage, said Dr. Andrea Caracostis, HOPE Clinics Chief Executive Officer. With access to this equipment, we can act quickly to reach people in our community and vaccinate them against COVID. By getting more people vaccinated quickly, we can return to school, return to work and see smiles again. The vaccines are our passport to freedom.

GMED has long supported HOPE Clinics outreach efforts. At the beginning of the pandemic, GMED provided HOPE Clinic with rapid COVID testing equipment to facilitate early detection and treatment of the virus. Through their partnership with GMED, HOPE Clinic was able to quickly ramp up testing efforts and slow the spread of COVID-19 among the communities they serve across four Houston clinics. GMED has also backed HOPE Clinics fundraising efforts through donations to their building fund.

We are honored to partner with HOPE Clinic and are proud to support their efforts by providing them with the equipment they need to serve Houstons most vulnerable people during the current health crisis, said Dr. Arvin Bagherpour, Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of GMED. Over the years weve enthusiastically supported HOPE Clinics capital campaigns and donated in-kind services to help them provide quality healthcare to more than 20,000 people in the greater Houston area each year. We continue to be inspired by their efforts and positive impact on our community.

HOPE Clinic has provided more than 5,000 vaccines and sees over 150,000 patient visits a year in the greater Houston area.

To learn more about HOPE Clinics COVID-19 vaccination outreach, please visit https://www.hopechc.org/vaccine-info/.

For more information about GMEDs global health solutions visit https://www.globalhealthresponse.com/.

About HOPE Clinic

HOPE Clinic is a full-time Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), serving over 20,000 unique patients with over 100,000 patient visits per year. HOPE Clinic provides health care services to all people, regardless of the patients ability to pay. In particular, HOPE Clinic serves the uninsured, under-insured, those with limited English proficiency, and low-income patients. A unique characteristic of HOPE Clinic is its capacity to provide services in 30 different languages, including: Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Burmese, Arabic, and Spanish. HOPE Clinics mission is to provide quality healthcare without any prejudice to all people of Greater Houston in a culturally and linguistically competent manner. To learn more about HOPE Clinic visit https://www.hopechc.org/.

About GMED Global

GMED Global, LLC works across the globe to support NGOs, hospitals, medical schools, and governments in establishing training and development programs in healthcare and medical education. Based in Houston, the GMED network has a global reach, with offices in Miami, New York, New Haven, Toronto, Kazan and Riyadh. Through a unique partnership with the Royal College of Canada, GMEDs Kazan State Medical University offers a pathway for future doctors to practice medicine in North America. GMEDs subsidiary businesses span the scope of the healthcare industry, including mobile hospital development, healthcare logistics and supply chain staffing, contact tracing, and education and testing. For more information visit https://www.globalhealthresponse.com/.
Marc Kiner is offering new, virtual offerings and training sessions for professional advisors. This new way of providing information brings professional advisors closer to the kind of current, accurate and succinct information they need so they can continue to counsel clients on how to maximize Social Security income, said Marc Kiner, partner at Premier.

Premier Social Security Consulting of Cincinnati, which teaches the National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) program to professional advisors, has announced a lineup of new, virtual offerings and training sessions for professional advisors.

The first-of-its-kind programming includes virtual coffee events; exclusive content delivered on LinkedIn; and continued live webinars and on-demand videos.

We were already offering live webinars and on-demand videos as a part of our NSSA certificate program, but over the past year, weve added more flexibility and more interactive, digital content for professional advisors across the nation, said Marc Kiner, partner at Premier.

This new way of providing information, which includes short videos and sometimes Q&A formats, brings professional advisors closer to the kind of current, accurate and succinct information they need so they can continue to counsel clients on how to maximize Social Security income. This information increases their value to clients, resulting in greater sales and profits for their businesses, said Kiner.

Premiers NSSA program is the nations only accredited Social Security education certificate program. Accreditation is provided by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) in Washington, D.C. The NSSA Advisor certificate is awarded to professional advisors who take the NSSA course and pass an assessment.

More than 2,500 professional advisors have received the National Social Security Advisor certificate since the program began in 2013.

Another digital offering from Premier is its recently launched Coffee with Marc event series featuring one-on-one sessions with Kiner. Coffee with Marc has been well received by advisors who have enrolled in the NSSA program in the past, as well as advisors who have never been a part of the program, said Kiner.

The private, one-on-one virtual meetingsheld by appointment over coffeeprovide a space for advisors to share information about their businesses and learn specific strategies on how to find greater success. For advisors who have not taken our courses, were able to talk about actionable ways they can grow revenue and use Social Security to connect with Baby Boomer clients, said Kiner.

The conversations also provide another opportunity for NSSA certificate holders, financial advisors, insurance agents, CPAs, tax preparers and human resource professionals to get Social Security questions answered by Premier. Ultimately, it's an engaging experience that serves as another opportunity for advisors to become even more comfortable with questions and issues their clients have today, explained Kiner.

Additionally, on LinkedIn, Kiners personal channel offers his connections new strategies, relevant videos and timely information that top advisors should know about to help clients navigate everything related to Social Security.

LinkedIn allows us to give hyper-focused content and in-depth information on the hottest areas and issues related to Social Security, he said. It also gives Premier a real-time format to provide the most up-to-date information advisors should know about. No matter what situation a client presents an advisor with, were able to answer those questions in an interactive way on LinkedIn.

Similar to 2020, the NSSA Advisor certificate training in 2021 is offered in webinar format where attendees can view from any location. These sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 28; Wednesday, July 14; Wednesday, Aug. 18; Thursday, Sept. 16; Tuesday, Nov. 16; and Wednesday, Dec. 29. The sessions will also be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, May 10 and Tuesday, May 11; Saturday, June 12 and Saturday, June 19; Monday, July 26 and Tuesday, July 27; Tuesday, Oct. 12 and Wednesday, Oct. 13; and Wednesday, Dec. 15 and Thursday, Dec. 16.

Live, in-person classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm local time on Friday, Sept. 10 in Cincinnati and Thursday, Sept. 30 in Chicago.

NSSA Certificate Program tuition includes Social Security education and Premiers Gold Standard of Support. NSSA certificate holders receive ongoing support and resources, including more webinars, throughout the year.

Premier also offers private, on-site classes for organizations that need to provide in-house Social Security training to multiple professional advisors. Costs vary for each type of instruction and additional, ongoing support, with pricing and dates are listed at http://www.premiernssa.com.

Kiner, a 41-year certified public accountant who sold his CPA firm to concentrate on Social Security education, and Premier partner Jim Blair, a 35-year veteran of the Social Security Administration, joined forces twelve years ago to help baby boomers understand and maximize their Social Security benefits.

We continue our dedication to educating and supporting advisors as they navigate the Social Security system, and our evolving digital platforms to reach and connect with advisors reflect that focus, said Blair. Advisors tuning in to this online content recognize that Social Security consulting and education are extremely important for them to stay up to date as they serve the needs of our nations estimated 76 million baby boomers.

To learn more about the National Social Security Advisor certificate program and a complete listing of webinar dates and prices, visit http://www.nationalsocialsecurityassociation.com or http://www.premiernssa.com or call Kiner at (513) 218-8505. To learn more about Coffee with Marc and to connect with Kiner on LinkedIn, visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/ssrainmaker.
Shaun and Cynthia are part of our strategic plan to build out our Corporate Practice with talented lawyers, deepen our bench, and grow with our clients, which remain enduring objectives of the Firm, said Ejim Peter Achi and Scott J. Bornstein.

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has expanded its award-winning Corporate Practice with the addition of Shaun Levor and Cynthia A. Marian as shareholders in New York. Mr. Levor joins from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Ms. Marian joins from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP, both on the heels of recent strategic additions Jim Cross and Jaclyn Ruch for our New York Corporate Practice.

Shaun and Cynthia are part of our strategic plan to build out our Corporate Practice with talented lawyers, deepen our bench, and grow with our clients, which remain enduring objectives of the Firm, said Ejim Peter Achi and Scott J. Bornstein, co-managing shareholders of Greenberg Traurigs New York office, in a joint statement. Achi is also co-chair of the New York Corporate Practice, and Bornstein is also co-chair of the firms global Intellectual Property & Technology Practice and of the firms global Patent Litigation Group.

Peter H. Lieberman, co-chair of the firms Global Corporate Practice, commented: There is a lot to be excited about here. We are committed to growing our practice with top-level talent for our private equity and fund clients. Shaun brings great private equity deal experience for some of the biggest names in the business and Cynthia brings terrific fund formation, structuring, and regulatory compliance experience, also for some of the biggest names in the business. These are great additions for us, particularly with the continued significant activity in the deal and fund marketplace.

Mr. Levor represents private equity sponsors, as well as public and private companies in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and other transactional matters. He earned an LL.B., magna cum laude, from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where he was a recipient of the Law Faculty Scholarship, and a Bachelor of Business Science, with first class honors, where he also received the Commerce Faculty Scholarship. During his time at the University of Cape Town, he was also a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, placed on the Deans Merit List and the winner of the Universitys moot court prize.

Ms. Marian works closely with large, complex, well-known asset managers, private equity fund sponsors, and hedge fund managers on the formation, structuring, and offering of private funds globally. She also has extensive private fund manager experience, honed during her years in-house as general counsel and chief compliance officer with three investment management firms, and thereafter advising multiple private equity and hedge fund managers as an outsourced general counsel and senior compliance adviser. Ms. Marian received her J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. She also holds a B.S. in Commerce from McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and completed a B.A. in Economics in the Universitys College of Arts & Sciences. Ms. Marian speaks at investment management industry conferences regularly and is a member of the Regulatory Compliance Associations Board of Governors and co-chair of its Compliance Subcommittee. Additionally, she will represent clients globally, working from the firms Miami office. Ms. Marian is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, and not admitted to practice in Florida.

About Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice: Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice comprises more than 450 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America who regularly advise public and privately held companies, entrepreneurs and investment funds on global mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, underwritten and syndicated offerings, commercial finance and syndicated lending, cross-border transactions, and general corporate matters. The groups industry experience includes transactions in a wide range of fields, from the pharmaceutical, medical devices, and life sciences fields, to representations involving clients in the aviation, banking, consumer products, energy, food and beverage, health care, manufacturing, media, technology, and telecommunications sectors.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com



To learn more about Greenberg Traurigs Mergers & Acquisitions Practice, click here.

To learn more about Greenberg Traurigs Private Equity Practice, click here.

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Contact Person: Elaine Walker

Telephone: 305-579-0832 / Email: walkere@gtlaw.com


In 2011, Terry and her husband, Clyde, set off from Texas to enjoy early retirement in Panama. "If you slash your cost of living by half (or more)you can retire years earlier than you expected. And most folks whove done it say they live better than they ever did back home."

Our correspondents on the ground have noticed more younger expats refusing to postpone retirementopting, instead, to retire early overseas in places where the cost of living is a small fraction of what it is in the States or Canada, says International Living Executive Editor, Jennifer Stevens.

The average American hasnt saved nearly enough for a comfortable retirement Stateside, Stevens says. Conventional wisdom says: Work longer, save more, and lower your expectations for retirement.

But in the right places overseas, you don't have to do any of that. If you slash your cost of living by half (or more)you can retire years earlier than you expected. And most folks whove done it say they live better than they ever did back home.

An example, according to International Livings new report, The Joys of Early Retirement, How To, Why and How We Did It is Terry Coles and her husband, Clyde who, in 2011, set off from Texas to enjoy an early retirement in Panama.

Like most people in the U.S., we were living the American dream, says Terry. Two cars with hefty monthly payments, a mortgage on a house with extra expenses for property taxes, flood and hurricane insurance, utility bills, gym membership, and plenty of credit card debt. We had little to no money in the bank saved for a rainy day, let alone any saved for retirement.

Clyde was a career firefighter and paramedic for thirty years in Corpus Christi, Texas where Terry worked in medical offices.

Although Clyde loved what he did for a living, he also knew that running into burning buildings was not something that an old man should be doing, Terry says. Throughout his career, he had always dreamed about retiring early and had the number 57 etched in his brain, when I would be just 51.

The Coles combined income was around $85,000 and the couple knew their health insurance was going to cost $1,400 a month, which left them around $2,800 per month to live on, if they retired early as planned.

Then Clyde had a brainstorm and approached me with the idea., Terry explains. He said, if I can find a place outside of the U.S. where we can live comfortably on my pension, would you go? I said, sure, where are we going and when?

Panama seemed like the best choice for us. It offered a hot, year-round climate which we were used to having lived in south Texas, was close to the U.S., offered a great retirement program, and good healthcare, says Terry. Neither Clyde nor I had ever traveled internationally before which made this dream of ours sound even crazier. But after just one exploratory scouting trip to Panama, we decided to make the move.

Our first rental in Panama was a three-bedroom, private house that was just three years old at the time. It was lovely with shiny, white tiled floors throughout, fruit trees outside, and the costjust $300 a month. After enjoying life there for six months we found the perfect house to buy with the money that we had managed to save prior to the move.

For just $90,000, we bought an older home with four bedrooms and three bathrooms on an acre of land with plenty of fruit trees and tropical plants.

We lived like royalty on Clydes small pension with extra money to spare. I could see an English-speaking doctor for around $20, a mammogram cost just $25, and I had a full hysterectomy for $4,500 paying out of pocket, which included three days in the hospital. Healthcare was good, affordable, and many doctors spoke English.

For five years, the Coles enjoyed warm, tropical breezes, made plenty of new friends, and achieved a basic understanding of Spanish. They were enjoying their new life and thought they would stay there forever, until they took a vacation to Europe and fell in love with the romantic notion of living there.

Life in Panama was wonderful until I convinced Clyde to take our first-ever trip to Europe, says Terry. We fell in love with the idea of travel and knew that it was time to move on and live somewhere else. Moving abroad had given us the guts to explore more of the world.

For the next two years, they lived as nomads, owning nothing except what was in their small suitcases. The profit made from selling their Panama house would help to fund their travels around the world. But to travel inexpensively they became house and pet sitters. They were given free accommodations and in turn, they cared for a home and pets, while exploring whatever country they were in.

Our friends on social media thought that we were rich because we could afford to travel the world, Terry says. But what they neglected to understand is that we owned nothing and had no monthly expenses.

In 2018, a house-sit took them to Portugal and they knew theyd found a place they wanted to call home. After a spell living on the Silver Coast, theyre now enjoying expat life in the sun-soaked Algarve region.

For the past three years, we have enjoyed living as Europeans in a country with warm, welcoming locals, gorgeous beaches, stunning landscapes, and affordable, old-world charm.

Clyde and I were able to retire early because we left the U.S, gave up our stuff, and were willing to embrace a new lifestyle. Still today we have no debt, credit card, or otherwise. We live within our means or below it, to save money for future travel.

My advice to anyone thinking about early retirement abroad is this: Move abroad with an open mind, plenty of patience, and be willing to embrace the differences. And remember, just because something is different doesnt mean that its wrong, just different, Terry says.

The past 10 years of my life have been something that only dreams are made of. I have absolutely no regrets about leaving all that I knew to jump head-first into the unknown. If we could do it so, can you, if you dare to take the plunge. A life of adventure, affordability, and leisure is waiting.

More information on retiring earlyand for lessoverseas, including more stories from expats who are already enjoying an early retirement overseas  can be found, here: The Joys of Early Retirement, How To, Why and How We Did It.

Members of the media have permission to republish the article linked above once credit is given to Internationalliving.com.

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For information about InternationalLiving.com content republishing, source material or to book an interview with one of our experts, contact Editorial Director for Web Content, Social Media, and PR, Donal Lucey, dlucey@internationalliving.com.

About International Living

Since 1979, InternationalLiving.com has been the leading authority for anyone looking for global retirement or relocation opportunities. Through its monthly magazine and related e-letters, extensive website, podcasts, online bookstore, and events held around the world, InternationalLiving.com provides information and services to help its readers live better, travel farther, have more fun, save more money, and find better business opportunities when they expand their world beyond their own shores. InternationalLiving.com has contributors traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for travel, retirement, real estate, and investment.
Global communications company Infobip today announces the launch of its Infobip Startup Tribe program. The program will be led by newly appointed director Nikola Pavesic who joins from one of the world's largest business media publishers and Financial Times parent company  Nikkei. Mr. Pavesic is based in Japan where he headed Nikkeis startup and investor relations, alongside leading the largest tech conference series in Japan.

Infobip Startup Tribe is a bespoke program aimed at finding and bringing together the worlds most innovative startups to help fast-track their growth and development.

Qualifying startups will be able to apply for substantial credit allowances on Infobips products and services worth up to $60,000 that will enable them to grow their customer base through omnichannel communication. Further on, Infobip plans to provide hands-on support in the sales and product fields though Infobips vast global teams. The Infobip Startup Tribe will also have at their disposal the resources of Infobips 65+ global offices, wherever available, and a special relationship with Infobip Shift  the newly acquired leading developer conference.

With this valuable program, Infobip shows it is ready to invest in the community beyond what a more traditional tech company would do, not only through capital and credits, but through all other resources at its disposal, its global presence and network. The tech sector is an exciting game-changer and we want to boost local and regional ecosystems throughout the world. Working with startups allows us to access new ideas, ways of thinking and approaches that enable companies to better leverage their own resources, assets and technology for greater impact. I am excited to have joined Infobip as it builds out its developer and startup organization and look forward to bringing value through startup collaboration.  says Nikola Pavesic.

In addition to Infobips offerings, the program tapped external expertise to assist qualified startups, first with a unique Advisory Council comprising of top investors and entrepreneurs from all over the world.

Furthermore, Infobip has also confirmed partnerships with the worlds leading accelerators like Y Combinator, 500 Startups, Techstars and many other venture capital funds. Startups that apply for the Infobip Startup Tribe program, which are already funded by partnered VCs and accelerators will be receiving additional credits and benefits within the program.

Startups have always been a personal passion of mine, with Infobip Shift originally being a Startup Conference, its really great to, as part of our new Developer Experience Department, get back to my roots and help the community, albite this time it is the global community.  said Ivan Burazin, Chief Developer Experience Officer at Infobip.

Infobip has purposely ensured flexible application criteria ensuring it casts a wider net for startups consisting of up to 100 employees or those that have not received more than $5M in funding, subject to exceptions for whomever demonstrates impact and high-growth potential.

Interested startups can learn more and quickly apply by visiting https://startups.infobip.com/.

About Infobip

Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobips omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact center solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty.

With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to 65+ offices across six continents. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and things in 190+ countries connected directly to over 650 telecom networks. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutic, Roberto Kutic and Izabel Jelenic.

Recent award wins include:


We have adopted EBSCO FOLIO ERM with the aim of improving the functionality of EDS and the integrated system of bibliographic research and services.

University of Ferrara (Unife) and University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) are the first two Italian universities to choose EBSCO FOLIOs Electronic Resource Management (ERM). This transition to the EBSCO FOLIO ERM is the first step for libraries looking to fully adopt the FOLIO Library Services Platform (LSP).

The EBSCO FOLIO ERM allows libraries to manage the entire cycle of electronic resources  from initial evaluation to user access. The ERM integrates with the EBSCO Knowledge Base, which contains all library holdings, and EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS), which ensures users have immediate and seamless access to the library's electronic resources.

EBSCOs Vice President of Sales Latin Europe and Israel Gianluca Di Bella says this is a step forward in creating more choice and interoperability for Italian university libraries. The EBSCO FOLIO ERM can be implemented before fully migrating to the full FOLIO system. Libraries including Unife and UNIMORE will benefit from simplified workflows, reduced manual work for staff and improved services for their users.

Marina Contarini, Head of the Transversal Library Services Pole of the University of Ferrara, explains that the EBSCO FOLIO ERM has accelerated the expansion of the university's digital content, optimizing its use for the academic community, as well as facilitating the flow of management. "We have adopted EBSCO FOLIO ERM with the aim of improving the functionality of EDS and the integrated system of bibliographic research and services. Thanks to the ERMs activation/deactivation procedure of the electronic collections integrated with the usage statistics, and the automatic population of data, we were able to eliminate the need for manual entries, thus making the acquired resources immediately available to users.

UNIMOREs Director of University Library System Maria Raffaella Ingrosso says that 2020 highlighted the importance of remote resources for students, making the need for e-resources widespread and transition imperative. The constant migration from diverse and abundant print materials to online has only made it more difficult to manage resources with our current tools. We found FOLIO was the perfect solution to our needs, specifically functions including direct activation/deactivation of holdings, link usage statistics, linking individual resources to platforms, management tools and access credentials.

EBSCO is one of the original founders of the FOLIO project and provides implementation, hosting and support through EBSCO FOLIO. Unife and UNIMORE are the first university libraries in Italy to begin transitioning to the FOLIO LSP and will serve as an example of how Italian universities can benefit from the innovativeness and flexibility of EBSCO FOLIO.

About the University of Ferrara

The University of Ferrara is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in 1391 by Marquis Alberto V d'Este with the permission of Pope Boniface IX. Today, the university is organized in 12 independent departments, 37 research centers and several libraries covering the biomedical area, the scientific-technological area and the humanistic area. The University of Ferrara offers 60 bachelor's and master's degrees to its approximately 23,000 students, 80% of whom are students from outside the province. The Library System has subscribed to several EBSCO resources, including the Discovery Service and Curriculum Builder, the integration plugin with e-learning platforms and Professional services "Holding management in ACNP", for the periodic updating of the electronic periodicals collections in the National Periodicals Collective Archives.

About the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

The university is located in Emilia Romagna and has about 1,000 faculty members and 20,000 students from all over Italy and abroad, with a prevalence of students from the region. The richness of the territory is reflected in the richness of the degree courses: the university in Modena offers courses in Mechanical Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, with the possibility of internships in famous car manufacturers such as Ferrari; courses on food and agriculture, taking up the tradition of balsamic vinegar from Modena; in addition, the Reggio Emilia campus offers courses on many topics, from the most futuristic, such as robotics to those more traditionally linked to the territory, such as ceramics. Over time, the university has decided to offer the best and most modern tools to its students and faculty, such as EBSCO eBooks, electronic journals, Full Text Finder and databases including Business Source Complete, CINAHL Plus, EconLit, Philosopher's Index, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection. In addition, through EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS), the university provides its students and faculty with access to the entire library collection through a single platform.

About EBSCO Information Services

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the preeminent provider of online research content and search technologies serving academic, school and public libraries; healthcare and medical institutions; corporations; and government agencies around the world. From research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and development, EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries, Inc., a family-owned company since 1944. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: http://www.ebsco.com.

###

For more information, please contact:

Kathleen McEvoy

Vice President of Communications

(800) 653-2726 x2594

kmcevoy@ebsco.com
It is time we leave equality to the human rights field and start treating people as unique beings and not as cogs in a productivity machine.

Within a family unit you find little in the way of equality, as first-born children have clear advantages over succeeding siblings. First-born children are higher achievers, born leaders, and have higher IQs on average. They are 30% more likely to be CEOs because those first born are doubly blessed  lavished with their parents attention and then entrusted to act as the rules enforcer of the family, which builds in them intelligence, discipline, and leadership qualities.

Thomas Sowell, economist, social theorist, and senior fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution extrapolates on this reality when he asks, If you cannot achieve equality of performance among people born to the same parents and raised under the same roof, how realistic is it to expect to achieve it across broader and deeper social divisions? If there is not equality of outcomes among people born to the same parents and raised under the same roof, why should equality of outcomes be expectedor assumedwhen conditions are not nearly so comparable?

Instead of focusing on equality of outcomes in the workplace or on equality in general under the guise of the belief that we are all the same, we should focus our efforts in growing and developing employees unique gifts and talents.

Former attorney, Elad Sherf Ph.D., currently an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, published in Management Innovation Exchange an article titled We Are Not Equal Lets Stop Treating Each Other as If We Are.

In his text, Sherf states that we have different talents, skills, perspectives, life experiences, likes and dislikes, and work habits. All men are not born equal but all men deserve an equal opportunity to excel and use their comparative advantage, maximizing it and letting other people do what they are better at than them.

Sherf proclaims, It is time we leave equality to the human rights field and start treating people as unique beings and not as cogs in a productivity machine.

Five changes to management are proposed by Sherf to maximize individuals abilities in the workplace:

1. Change the options for development so management is not the only option to develop in a company.

2. Focus on making the most out of the uniqueness of each individual instead of trying to make everyone be mediocre at everything.

3. Treat each employee differently in line with their needs (especially time).

4. Stop practices that are based on the pretense of equality (everyone speaks equally for example). In some areas and some situations some people are more important than others.

5. Stop apprising each employee on a standard scale and focus on ways in which each employee could make the most of his/her unique talents and skills.

Sherf asserts that implementation of such changes will result in each employee getting a chance to use their comparative advantage where they can contribute much more to the company. It would also result in happier and better-engaged employees, and brings better and more innovative solutions as true diversity is tapped. These changes would allow employees to leverage their unique skills as they get the specific support they need in lieu of standardized support. Most importantly, it would create a real connection between people as it implies that each of us is special.

Its time we focus not on seeing each other as a collective, needing everything to be doled out equally as if we are ants maintaining an ant hill, but rather as unique individuals with gifts, talents and intelligence that we want to develop and contribute to the workplace.

Jon Henschen is founder of Henschen & Associates, an independent broker-dealer recruiting firm located in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Jon is a staunch advocate for independent financial advisors, and is widely sought after by both reps and broker dealers for his expertise and advice on independent broker dealer topics. He is frequently published and quoted in a variety of industry sources, including WealthManagement.com, ThinkAdvisor, Investment Advisor Magazine, Wealth Management Magazine, Financial Advisor IQ, Financial Advisor Magazine, Investment News and others.
Weve come a long way since Arthur saw a need and took action in 1961, and we look forward to powering our clients growth and success for the next six decades with the tools and advice the industry needs to thrive.

Keypoint Intelligence, the worlds most trusted source for testing services, market intelligence, and tools to the document imaging industry, is proudly celebrating its 60th anniversary. Since its founding in 1961, the company has kept pace with the rapid evolution of the technologies, business models, and strategies that have taken place across the industrychanges that could hardly be imagined six decades ago.

Arthur Kallet, legendary founder of Consumer Reports, saw the need for businesses to have access to third-party, testing-based analysis on major product purchases and he subsequently started Buyers Lab in Hackensack, NJ. What began as a consumer-based publication about office equipment quickly became an all-encompassing business-to-business (B2B) resource for unbiased test data and competitive selling tools for the document imaging space. In 2015, Buyers Lab and InfoTrends, a leading global market research consulting firm, came together to form Keypoint Intelligence.

Keypoint Intelligences core product, bliQ, started as a book that was published and sent monthly to customers and has grown into an online database platform to deliver sophisticated and proprietary analytical testing capabilities, lab and field test reports, product evaluations, and outsourced testing services. Most recently, the company introduced UVERCE, a cloud-based B2B e-commerce and sales enablement system that gives dealers and resellers in the print industry the ability to connect with clients in an ever-growing digital world. UVERCE combines a turnkey and maintenance-free portal with embedded virtual communication capability (chat/video) as well as bliQ testing and product intelligence into one tech-enabled selling tool.

It gives me great pride to join Keypoint Intelligences colleagues and customers in celebrating our 60th anniversary, said Mack Brothers, CEO and President of Keypoint Intelligence. The need for objective sources of information and insight has never been more critical as companies deal with operational and strategic challenges driven by the shift to digital business models rooted in new technology and fast-changing customer expectations. Weve come a long way since Arthur saw a need and took action in 1961, and we look forward to powering our clients growth and success for the next six decades with the tools and advice the industry needs to thrive.

Cyrus Nikou, Founder and Managing Partner of Atar Capital, a private investment firm that acquired Keypoint Intelligence in October 2019, commented, The Atar team congratulates Keypoint Intelligence on 60 years of accelerated growth, built on its recognized expertise for offering independent and reliable business and product intelligence that fuels customer success. We look forward to supporting Keypoint Intelligences talent and innovations as the company forges new market opportunities.

Keypoint Intelligence is headquartered in Fairfield, New Jersey, with offices in Weymouth, Massachusetts; Wokingham, United Kingdom; Tokyo, Japan; and Hong Kong, China.

About Keypoint Intelligence

For 60 years, clients in the digital imaging industry have relied on Keypoint Intelligence for independent hands-on testing, lab data and extensive market research to drive their product and sales success. Keypoint Intelligence has been recognized as the industrys most trusted resource for unbiased information, analysis and awards due to decades of analyst experience. Customers have harnessed this critical knowledge for strategic decision-making, daily sales enablement and operational efficiency improvements to increase bottom lines. With a central focus on clients, Keypoint Intelligence continues to evolve as the industry changes by expanding our offerings and updating methods, while intimately understanding and serving manufacturers, channels and their customers transformation in the digital printing and imaging sector.

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"LaserShip is proud to expand to Tennessee to help our retail partners build flexible, more resilient supply chains that respond to evolving consumer expectations, said Josh Dinneen, Chief Commercial Officer at LaserShip.

LaserShip, the largest regional e-commerce parcel carrier in the U.S. and leader in last-mile delivery, has expanded to Tennessee with the opening of three new branches in Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville. LaserShip began deliveries in early May as part of its broader expansion, which increases delivery coverage by nearly 18% to reach an additional 979 new zip codes across 16 states. The expansion occurs as the pandemic has forced retailers to balance the rise in e-commerce against higher delivery costs and capacity constraints implemented by national carriers.

While online sales dramatically accelerated in 2020, retailers had to overcome capacity constraints, cost increases, and the struggle to meet consumer expectations of fast and reliable delivery, said Josh Dinneen, Chief Commercial Officer at LaserShip. LaserShip is proud to expand to Tennessee to help our retail partners build flexible, more resilient supply chains that respond to evolving consumer expectations. We also look forward to welcoming more employees into the LaserShip family and growing our involvement within the local communities.

The state-of-the-art Nashville branch located at 3827 Logistics Way is the largest of the three and will facilitate millions of deliveries to almost 2 million consumers in the greater Nashville metropolitan area. LaserShip is creating more than 200 jobs to help meet local delivery demand, while boosting economic growth across the regions.

Were excited about LaserShips expansion into Tennessee, said Stephanie Coleman, Chief Growth Officer of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. The Nashville region is a magnet for innovative companies like LaserShip looking to make their mark and grow their footprint. The companys investment in our region will increase last-mile delivery services available to e-commerce businesses, product-supply businesses, and consumers, creating more opportunities for our growing, vibrant community.

The Tennessee expansion enables consumers to take advantage of the benefits of LaserShips proprietary delivery platform, including its Visual Proof of Delivery (vPOD) service that improves visibility and transparency by providing a photo confirmation with virtual time stamp when package deliveries have been made.

LaserShip delivers competitive advantage to leading retailers and businesses with fast, reliable, cost-efficient last-mile delivery that acquires customers and builds brand loyalty. LaserShip has 35 years of delivery experience and is continuously innovating to better serve its customers through its investments in technology, automation, and machine learning to stay ahead of the evolving e-commerce landscape.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Manu Aggarwal, pr@lasership.com.

To stay up-to-date on Laserships latest news, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About LaserShip, Inc.

LaserShip is the leader in last-mile delivery for retailers and shippers that desire reduced transit times and increased flexibility within their supply chain. Founded in 1986, LaserShip has evolved into the leading provider of same-day and next-day delivery services in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. for premier e-commerce and product-supply businesses, including five of the largest retailers in the U.S. For more information, visit https://lasership.com.
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Letters may be mailed to the Editorial Department, South Bend Tribune, 635 S. Lafayette Blvd., Suite 138, South Bend IN 46601; emailed to vop@sbtinfo.com, faxed to 574-236-1765, or submitted through our online form here.

Due to volume, it is not possible to print all submissions. Except in special circumstances, we do not print poetry or thank-you letters. We do not print letters announcing events to come, extensive quotations from other material, open letters or form letters.
"By approaching transfer strategically and transparently, forward-looking institutions like Norwich University and Goodwin University are giving students more realistic and fluid educational experiences along their individual pathways toward a degree or certificate" - CollegeSource CEO Kerry Cooper

Through its New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) partnership, CollegeSource today announced that Connecticuts Goodwin University and Vermont-based Norwich University have expanded their implementations to include Transferology delivering increased access and transparency of the entire transfer credit process.

Building on their respective use of CollegeSources TES transfer evaluation and articulation system, both institutions decided to implement Transferology to help students find and evaluate flexible and varied paths to earning degrees. By harnessing the powerful combination of TES and Transferology, institutions like Norwich University and Goodwin University can experience more efficient student transfer, mitigate students course credit loss and increase overall transparency across the full transfer process.

Priding ourselves as a college that supports course transferability, it is incredibly important to offer solutions that provide transparency for students enabling them to make educated decisions when transferring higher education and prior learning credits, said Cynthia Suter, Registrar, Norwich University. TES and Transferology afford us the ability to track and manage evaluations and equivalencies more efficiently while providing students a clear picture of their earned and transferred credits.

Added Goodwin University Registrar Allison Misky, As the first Connecticut institution to adopt Transferology, Goodwin is able to efficiently manage approximately 1,000 equivalency decisions per month and give students an accurate view of what credits will actually transfer through a self-service tool. Students want to know how long it will be until they can walk across the graduation stage  with TES and Transferology, we can give them a clearer picture of how their already earned achievements are contributing toward a degree.

Transferology  the only nationwide open transfer network with comprehensive course data  is a cloud-based solution that provides student access to millions of course-to-course and program-to-program transfer equivalencies. This information helps college advisors, students and parents make informed decisions when transferring higher education and advanced high school credit.

An all-in-one, institution-facing solution, TES enables registrars, transfer coordinators, faculty, and department chairs to research transfer credit, and track evaluations and manage equivalencies through a built-in workflow. Using TES, staff are able to quickly locate course descriptions, route and track through the evaluation process, store, manage, group and publicize the resulting equivalencies, and employ powerful algorithms to generate lists of equivalencies between different institutions. Both TES and Transferology can be fully integrated to allow credit evaluators to make decisions based on real student usage data, thus creating a seamless and holistic transfer experience.

By approaching transfer strategically and with a focus on transparency, forward-looking institutions like Norwich University and Goodwin University are giving students more realistic and fluid educational experiences along their individual pathways toward a degree or certificate, said Kerry Cooper, CEO, CollegeSource.

TES and Transferology are complementary tools for institutions participating in NEBHEs grant-funded initiative, the New England Independent College Transfer Guarantee (the Guarantee). The Guarantee is developing systematic pathways from community colleges into independent institutions in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for students who hold associate degrees. Both TES and Transferology increase access to transfer information, strengthen efficacy of transcript evaluation and streamline the transfer process for participating institutions. The CollegeSource NEBHE partnership supports NEBHEs goal to increase higher education access, opportunity and degree attainment irrespective of a student's, socioeconomic status, race or zip code and buttresses other transfer initiatives currently underway.

About Goodwin University

Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Founded in 1999, Goodwin University is focused on serving a diverse student population in a dynamic environment that aligns education, commerce and community. Its innovative programs of study prepare students for professional careers while promoting lifelong learning and civic responsibility. As a nurturing university community, Goodwin challenges its students, faculty, staff and administration to fully realize their highest academic, professional and personal potential. To learn more about Goodwin University, please visit http://www.goodwin.edu.

About Norwich University

Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees. Norwich University was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army and is the oldest private military college in the United States. Norwich is one of our nation's six senior military colleges and the birthplace of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) http://www.norwich.edu.

About CollegeSource

CollegeSource is the higher education industrys trusted SaaS provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions. For nearly 50 years, CollegeSource has led market-changing transformation by re-investing in its solutions to aid university and college registrar, advising, and admissions staff as well as students in their quest to plan and complete their academic careers. As the archiver of the nations extensive higher education course catalogs, CollegeSources degree audit, academic planning, and transfer credit evaluation and articulation solutions are depended on by more than 2,000 institutions globally and millions of individuals worldwide. Founded and led by higher education and technology veterans, CollegeSource is a privately-held company based in San Diego with offices in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, please visit collegesource.com.
We are helping ensure that mothers in vulnerable populations receive the care they need, regardlesss of risk.

Babyscripts, the leading virtual care platform for managing obstetrics, announced today that they are entering into a partnership with the Asian American Health Coalition, dba HOPE Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving the community of Houston, Texas. The partnership provides pregnant patients who receive care at HOPE Clinic access to the Babyscripts myJourney app and remote monitoring solutions during the entirety of their prenatal journey and beyond.

This partnership reflects a commitment by HOPE Clinic and Babyscripts to target and reduce systemic racial and ethnic inequities in both maternal and infant outcomes in Houston, where rates of maternal mortality and morbidity exceed the Texas state average by 20 percent according to the most recent data. Out of the total deliveries in Harris County, one in five women (22 percent) had at least one condition that put them at higher risk for severe maternal morbidity, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity and mental illness, including depression and other conditions.

The Babyscripts program offered through HOPE Clinic addresses these issues through digital education and remote patient monitoring, leading to reductions in overall healthcare costs and improved outcomes for both mom and baby. The program involves the delivery of the Babyscripts myJourney app, fully customizable by practice, to every pregnant patient at HOPE Clinic. Babyscripts myJourney enables access to gestational age appropriate content, email campaigns, satisfaction surveys, appointment reminders, and weight monitoring, in English and Spanish, at various literacy levels to improve accessibility. The app also delivers evidence-based guidelines approved by the patients obstetrician in the form of daily nutritional, medical and lifestyle action items.

In addition to the use of the Babyscripts myJourney app, HOPE Clinic will offer their pregnant patients maternal health monitoring experiences powered by Babyscripts. Using an internet-connected blood pressure cuff, mothers can remotely monitor their BP levels from the comfort of their home, potentially reducing office visits while still capturing vital data that can lead to life-saving interventions, a critical efficiency for mothers struggling with barriers to access. Remote BP monitoring will also be available to mothers in the postpartum period to monitor for and manage postpartum hypertension, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. Through a unique trigger alert system, abnormal BP readings are communicated back to the provider, enabling management and intervention.

HOPE Clinic is funded to provide care for indigent patients  often unfamiliar with the healthcare system, struggling with barriers to care like low literacy and social determinants of health, said Dr. Andrea Caracostic, MD, MPH, and CEO of HOPE Clinic. Through this collaboration with Babyscripts, we are helping ensure that mothers in these vulnerable populations receive the care they need regardless of risk, closing these gaps in care for our mothers by expanding care far outside the clinic.

The past year has really brought the problems of health equity into the spotlight, and the barriers facing minority and low-income women especially, said Juan Pablo Segura, President and Co-founder of Babyscripts. Technology has the potential to be an equalizer, and it should come at no cost to the patient. By offering Babyscripts Virtual Maternity Care to their patients, HOPE Clinic is committing to delivering the best in maternity care to the underserved, so that no mother has to go without.

Mothers will be able to use the Babyscripts myJourney app and devices to stay connected to their care team, be informed about their pregnancy, and send health data remotely and securely to their health care provider, providing additional flexibility and transparency between moms and clinical teams. Patients will be kept abreast of changing policies and emerging protocols around COVID-19 and beyond through custom campaigns delivered by HOPE Clinic via the myJourney app, to ensure that patients are receiving the most up-to-date information available.

Babyscripts has spent the last seven years building a clinically-validated, virtual care platform to allow OBGYNs to deliver a new model of prenatal care. Using internet-connected devices for remote monitoring, Babyscripts offers risk-specific experiences to allow providers to manage up to 90% of pregnancies virtually, allowing doctors to detect risk more quickly and automate elements of care.

About Babyscripts

Babyscripts is delivering a new model for prenatal and postpartum care that is transforming the way expectant mothers use technology to work with their healthcare providers. Weve spent the last six years delivering the most-implemented mobile clinical solution for remote monitoring in pregnancy, with the mission to eliminate maternal mortality and improve access to care for all mothers. Babyscripts was named to the 2020 Digital Health 150, CB Insights annual ranking of the 150 most promising private digital health companies in the world. For more information on our virtual care solution and to request a demo, visit http://www.babyscripts.com.

About HOPE Clinic

The Asian American Health Coalition established HOPE Clinic in 2002 as a four-hours-a-month, volunteer-run, non-profit clinic, providing culturally and linguistically competent care for Houstons under-served, and linguistically isolated Asian communities. HOPE Clinic became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in 2012 and in 2017 achieved the highest level of recognition for the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Level 3. To date, HOPE Clinic is four sites strong, expanding its reach from the southwest Houston area to northeast Houston with over 120,000 patient visits annually.

HOPE provides health care services to all regardless of the patients ability to pay. In particular, HOPE Clinic serves the uninsured, underinsured, those with limited English proficiency, and the low-income. A unique characteristic of HOPE Clinic is its capacity to provide services in 25 different languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Burmese, Arabic and Spanish.
Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys voted #1 in the Northwest Indiana region for Best Law Firm and Best Customer Service. We feel extreme gratitude for those who voted us #1 and that have given our team the opportunity to prove how dedicated we are to helping the injured by offering the highest level of customer service and legal representation.

The Northwest Indiana Times annually asks its readers to vote for their favorite local businesses to be named Best of the Region. Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys Northwest Indiana and Chicago area legal team was voted #1 in the region for the 2021 categories of Best Law Firm and Best Customer Service.

Voting for Northwest Indiana (NWI) Times Best of the Region 2021 took place February 27, 2021 through March 31, 2021. Readers had the opportunity to vote once per day online and once per day via text per category during the voting period.

On behalf of our Merrillville, Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois legal teams, Glen Lerner, Jonathan Faust, and I share our appreciation for those who voted our law firm number one in the categories of Best Law Firm and Best Customer Service, stated personal injury attorney Kevin Rowe. We know that there are other legal options out there. That is why we feel extreme gratitude whenever our team is given the opportunity to prove how dedicated we are to helping the injured by offering the highest level of customer service and legal representation.

More About Lerner and Rowe

Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys is a powerhouse law firm in representing personal injury clients. Attorneys Glen Lerner and Kevin Rowe have grown their law firm into one of the largest personal injury firms in the country, with over 50 attorneys and nearly 400 support employees located in Indiana, Illinois, Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Alabama, New Mexico, and Tennessee. The law firms continuous exalted levels of success can be attributed to the high levels of respect and dignity shown to victims and family members hurt in an accident.

For those injured outside one of the previously listed states, Lerner and Rowe has an established network of attorneys across the country, ready to help. The firm takes pride in nourishing these relationships as they know a personal injury attorney can make all the difference in obtaining fair compensation for the pain and suffering inflicted upon the victims of tortious conduct.

For more information about Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys in Chicago, please call 708-222-2222. To learn more about the law firms Merrillville office, please call 219-227-4993. To connect with the law firm socially, follow Lerner and Rowe on Twitter and Instagram, or like their Facebook page.

Also, be sure to visit LernerAndRoweGivesBack.com to learn more about the many other community services that the lawyers and legal support team of Lerner and Rowe actively support.

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We are committed to advancing the diversity, equity and inclusion of the architecture, design and engineering disciplines.

Integrated design firm LPA Design Studios today announced the first recipients of a new scholarship program that will provide long-term financial aid and mentorship to students in historically underrepresented demographics pursuing a degree in architecture, engineering, interior design or landscape architecture.

The LPA Interdisciplinary Diversity Scholarship Program awarded five high school seniors in California and Texas with $5,000 scholarships, renewable for four to five years, depending on the degree. In addition to financial aid, students will be matched with LPA designers in their respective disciplines as mentors with the opportunity for paid summer internships at LPA.

Developed through the LPA Foundation with Scholarship America, the program is targeting the industrys well-documented lack of diversity. Earlier this year, LPA pledged to disclose its workplace practices through the International Living Future Institutes JUST Program, a nationwide initiative to promote social equity and enhance engagement in the workplace.

This scholarship program reflects our larger efforts to support a more diverse generation of professionals who will help foster a greater design perspective, said Wendy Rogers, CEO and Chief Talent Officer at LPA Design Studios. We are committed to advancing the diversity, equity and inclusion of the architecture, design and engineering disciplines.

The program seeks to build a long-term relationship with the students, supporting them as they continue their design studies. Throughout the process, students will be introduced to a multi-discipline approach to design, which focuses on collaboration and cooperation across disciplines.

The passion and dedication of these students is incredible, and we are proud to help support their academic and professional endeavors, said Brien Graham, chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Council and project manager at LPA Design Studios.

Beyond the financial support, the program will help students to develop a peer group in professions where they often dont see people who look like them, Graham says.

We are trying to build transformational relationships that will help them develop their own cohort and support groups as they advance in their careers, Graham said.

This years scholarship recipients include:



Diego Riverbay (Mechanical Engineering, UC Berkeley  Berkeley, CA)

A senior at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, Riverbay was inspired to become a mechanical engineer by his ingenuity building things around the house, love of problem solving and desire to make an impact on the community.

I know that engineers make an impact on the world. They make peoples lives better and easier. I know that I will have the opportunity to create change and improve someones life.

Elisabeth Gutierrez (Architecture, Penn State University  State College, PA)

A senior at Sidney Lanier High School in San Antonio, Texas, Gutierrez dreams of owning her own architectural firm. She aspires to design buildings and houses that will be safe and cost-efficient for families struggling with their finances.

Being able to give back to my community and other communities around me is one of the many things I will accomplish as I continue to grow throughout my career.

Aisha Lizaola (Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas  Austin, TX)

A senior at Akins High School in Austin, Texas, Lizaolas goal is to aid in the development of safer and more equitable spaces through her love for STEM. She aims to change the status quo in urban planning in an effort to improve the health and livelihood of residents.

I will do everything I can to uphold and implement the pillars of sustainable development represented by LPA's work. As I embark on the next step of my educational journey, LPAs contribution to my future will allow me to devote my all to embodying the company's values and spirit in my professional endeavors.

Elsie Lappin (Civil Engineering, Southern Methodist University  Dallas, TX)

Lappin is majoring in civil engineering and architectural studies at Burleson Centennial High School in Burleson, Texas. She plans to pursue a career in urban planning.

In retirement, I would love to serve as a mentor to help inspire future generations of engineers.

Hunter Aguilar (Civil Engineering  San Jose State University  San Jose, CA)

Currently a senior at Inderkum High in Sacramento, California, Aguilar is extremely focused on academic success. He plans to seize every opportunity that presents itself as he enters college and take advantage of the resources hes been given to further his educational goals.

The magnitude of this scholarship will allow me to make my goals and dreams a reality in spite of financial limitations. I hope one day Ill be able to give back and help other students achieve their goals.

The LPA Foundation was founded in 2015 to support the firms charitable giving and volunteer efforts, and advance integrated design through research, education and sustainability. The Foundation supports a wide variety of education programs, including the Built Environment Education Program (BEEP), which introduces K-12 students to all aspects of the built environment, and the ACE Mentor Program, which teams students with LPA design professionals for one-on-one mentorship in architecture and engineering.

LPAs Interdisciplinary Diversity Scholarship Program is administered by Scholarship America, the nations largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals.

About LPA Design Studios

Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and improve peoples lives. An integrated design firm with six locations in California and Texas, LPAs team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
M-Files unveils new onboarding and training programs. "By providing world-class training and best practices that meet the highest quality standards, M-Files equips us with the tools that offer our customers assurance and ensure their success," said Niall McConnell, commercial director, Convergent.

M-Files, the intelligent information management company, today announced a new partner program on the heels of record-breaking global channel sales growth. The company unveiled new onboarding and training programs, coupled with four new certifications for channel partners that verify competencies and reinforce successful delivery of M-Files information management solutions for customers.

M-Files has nearly 400 partners in 91 countries and has launched an improved process to support the onboarding of 50 partners in 2021. The company is expanding its channel team by 25 percent over the next 12 months to support the critical regions of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, and has added new personnel in Asia-Pacific.

Sales driven by global partners grew 78 percent from the first quarter of 2020 through the same period this year, said Scott Erickson, senior vice president of channel sales at M-Files. This was a result of the great relationships and partner-built trust with customers who turned to them during the pandemic for technology solutions in the new normal. Todays announcement re-affirms our strong commitment to providing partners with best-in-class resources that heighten customer confidence in M-Files solutions and drive successful outcomes."

In 2020, 34 percent of M-Files revenue was generated by partners. The new partner program offers innovative sales incentives to help partners build new and expanded revenue leveraging the company's software as a service (SaaS) business model. M-Files offers its partners best-in-class applications to help streamline operations with them. Notably, the M-Files Campaign Center - a campaign management tool - provides partners with self-serve demand generation tools and assets to generate leads and opportunities effectively.

In April, M-Files unveiled certifications available globally to value added resellers (VARs), System Integrators (SIs) and services subcontractors, including the following:



Certified M-Files Solution Engineer

Certified M-Files Developer

Certified M-Files Solution Architect

Certified M-Files Trainer

"The continued investments M-Files makes to enable and support their partners is what truly differentiates them," said Niall McConnell, commercial director, Convergent. "The M-Files Certified Delivery Partner accreditation helps us showcase our exemplary proficiency in delivering M-Files solutions. By providing world-class training and best practices that meet the highest quality standards, M-Files equips us with the tools that offer our customers assurance and ensure their success."

To provide a world-class partner onboarding and support experience, M-Files technical customer success consultants now offer advanced training utilizing proven best practices for delivering the companys ECM and collaboration solutions. M-Files Implementation Services teams provide key lessons learned for delivering the best return on investment from M-Files solutions.

About M-Files Corporation

M-Files AI-powered intelligent information management solution connects all documents and information, across every platform and repository, then analyzes them to place them in context. This makes it possible to serve up the right information to the right people right when they need itand automate information-driven business processeswhile maintaining complete control and compliance. Thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries (including NBC Universal, OMV, SAS Institute, and ThyssenKrupp) use M-Files to manage their business information and processesand give their employees A Smarter Way to Work. For more information, visit http://www.m-files.com

Media Contact:

Debra Dekelbaum

Senior Manager, Corporate PR & Analyst Relations

debra.dekelbaum@m-files.com

+1 (972) 516-4210, ext. 272
I love seeing Haritha continue to develop locations in Indiana, said CEO, Mark Otter. She has been a great addition to the MassageLuXe family. Its been wonderful getting to know her and seeing her grow and prosper.

MassageLuXe, a fast-growing luxury spa franchise, congratulates Haritha Kommineni on continued expansion into Indiana. The newest spa location will be the fourth location for Area Developer Kommineni.

Originally an IT Consultant for multiple healthcare firms, Kommineni worked across the street from a MassageLuXe location. While expecting her son, she had frequented the location for prenatal massages. After a few sessions, she grabbed a franchising brochure.

I loved the ambiance of the spa, said Kommineni. I loved everything about MassageLuXe. I really wanted work-life balance with my husband working full time and raising two kids. It took two years to commit, but we love owning a franchise.

In fact, Kommineni loves owning a franchise so much, shes an Area Developer for the brand. The same way an HR rep may recruit a great candidate for a job, Kommineni is looking to recruit enthusiastic entrepreneurs to join the franchise in Indiana. Currently, Kommineni has another location in downtown Indianapolis opening early this Summer.

I didnt think Id have more than one store, says Kommineni. Expanding our business has been an incredible journey. All of our spas are in small communities. I love creating jobs for the people in our area.

According to MassageLuXe CEO Mark Otter, the company has a goal to reach 250 locations in the next five years. I love seeing Haritha continue to develop locations in Indiana, said Otter. She has been a great addition to the MassageLuXe family. Its been wonderful getting to know her and seeing her grow and prosper.

MassageLuXes mission is to deliver the highest quality massage, facial and waxing services in an environment that is both luxurious and relaxing to all of the guests. With the brands unrivaled franchisee support and training, and continued expansion across the country, this mission is achievable for any entrepreneurial spirit looking for their next endeavor.

If youre thinking about joining MassageLuXe  do it! said Kommineni. MassageLuXe is a great company to partner with. From corporate to franchisees in the system, everyone is helpful. Easily one of the best decisions I have made.

Kommineni currently has MassageLuXe spas in Edwardsville and Springfield, Illinois, and Carmel, Indiana.

For more information about MassageLuXe, please go to https://massageluxe.com/

For franchising information about MassageLuXe, please go to https://franchise.massageluxe.com/

About MassageLuXe

Founded in 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri, MassageLuXe is a fast-growing franchise-based spa company with a mission to provide an unparalleled experience that supports and encourages health, well-being, and quality of life. MassageLuXe delivers the highest quality massage, facial, and waxing services in a comfortable, relaxing, and luxurious environment.

Massage is a service that improves health, promotes relaxation and overall well-being for the consumer, and has been practiced throughout the world for thousands of years. MassageLuXe currently has 69 locations across 16 states and is planning to expand to 250 locations in the next five years.
MKs Credit Card Origination System connects customers through our website, providing another dimension to our digital presence.

MK Decision (MK), a California FinTech company offering digital account opening and loan origination, has partnered with Citizens Alliance Bank, a $934 million-asset community bank in Minnesota and Montana, to offer their customers a mobile-first onboarding experience for credit cards.

After being introduced by ICBA Bancard, the payments subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), Citizens Alliance Bank implemented MKs Credit Card Origination System (CCOS). Through the platform, Citizens Alliance Bank will offer a more seamless application process for customers and reach a broader audience for their credit card program.

The credit card application process can be overwhelming, Steven Condon, senior vice president and chief credit officer at Citizens Alliance Bank said. MKs Credit Card Origination System connects customers through our website, providing another dimension to our digital presence. We want our customers to bank with us for the long term. This implementation allowed us to support our customers through life's biggest moments, whether they are moving away for college or growing their businesses to new communities.

By implementing CCOS, Citizens Alliance Bank now offers their customers an online Store to browse, shop, and apply for their preferred card. The applicant utilizes Checkout for an intuitive application process with electronic Signatures, automated Messaging on status updates, and digital Documents.

Citizens Alliance Bank has set itself apart with an online shopping experience and seamless credit card application process, said MK Chief Executive Officer Har Rai Khalsa. By adding a key component to the banks website, Citizens Alliance Bank has demonstrated its dedication to innovating its customer experience. MK's platform focuses on building product interest and converting applicants digitally so bank employees can dedicate more resources to improving internal operations. Online financial services are no longer a consumer want but a need, one that Citizens Alliance Bank has committed to delivering.

About MK Decision

MK Decision's mission is to help community financial institutions thrive by receiving more deposits and more loans. With a commitment to strengthen local economies, MKs platform gives community banks and credit unions a competitive advantage through simple, beautiful customer experiences and streamlined banker workflows. The MK platform supports a variety of financial products including checking & savings accounts, credit cards, and consumer, commercial, small business, and indirect loans. So far, MK has helped over 250 community financial institutions acquire customers online. MK was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

About Citizens Alliance Bank

Citizens Alliance Bank was originally chartered as the German American Bank on November 15, 1902. The Bank operated as a Company Bank under the name of German American Bank until the year 1909 when it was incorporated and given a Minnesota state charter. In 1955, C.R. (Kelly) Forstrom and his wife Norma moved to Clara City from Willmar where they purchased a minority interest in the Bank. In 1982, Forstrom Bancorporation, Inc. was formed as a holding company to be used as a conduit for future Bank acquisitions. At that time, all the stock of Citizens Alliance Bank was transferred from C.R. Forstrom to the holding company. On December 31, 1990, Forstrom Bancorporation was sold to Kelly and Normas four sons (Philip, Paul, Perry, and John).

Over the years Citizens Alliance Bank has acquired a number of locations in Minnesota and Montana.
Nancy A. Peterman, chair of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLPs Chicago office Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice, will speak at the USA Growth & Deals Forum held in conjunction with the Top USA Women Dealmakers 3rd Annual Networking & Awards Ceremony. She will participate on the Deal Outlook: Healthcare panel on May 25 at 2:30 p.m. EST and she will also receive the award for Top USA Women Dealmaker on May 26 at an evening virtual awards ceremony.

The Top USA Women Dealmakers 3rd Annual Networking & Awards Ceremony, which is sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, is a virtual program that honors some of the most talented, respected, and brilliant dealmakers from the private equity, investment bank, legal mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring transactional communities in the United States, according to Global M&A Network website. The forum will take place over two days and conclude with a women awards ceremony.

Peterman focuses her practice on complex corporate restructurings and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions involving special situations and distressed companies, whether implemented in court or out of court. She has represented private equity funds, debtors, sellers, purchasers, investor groups, and creditors in these matters. In addition, Peterman has experience in numerous industries, including manufacturing, real estate, retail, and gaming, with a focus on health care.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com

About: Global M&A Network is a diversified digital media, information and world-class connecting company, headquarter in New York, USA. The company produces educational forums and the worlds most prestigious M&A ATLAS AWARDS, TURNAROUND ATLAS AWARDS, and the WOMEN LEADERS & DEALMAKER AWARDS - from New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai to London. Info, visit: https://globalmanetwork.com/
Alex Potteiger Alex was a natural fit for us. The combination of his previous experience, confidence in his own skill sets, his leadership qualities and go-get it attitude were exactly what we were looking for in this role. We expect him to really take our Atlanta service center to the next level.

Hulls Environmental Services, Inc. (Hulls) recently appointed Alex Potteiger as the new Area Operations Manager for the Atlanta area service center. He will be responsible for operational oversight, health & safety compliance, income and expense management, personnel management and new business development.

Alex Potteiger has been in the hazardous materials and environmental industry for over 17 years. He began his career like many environmental professionals, serving his time in the field as a technician, slowly taking on more responsibility, larger projects, longer hours and eventually rising through the ranks into upper management. His perseverance, experience and tenacity helped him elevate to Environmental Project Manager prior to joining Hulls.

Alex has extensive experience in remediation, waste management, large scale excavations, demolition, industrial cleaning and confined space entry and rescue. He has worked on numerous major environmental projects all over the United States, including both natural and man-made disasters. He has past experience working with one of the top train derailment response companies and helped lead their environmental team.

Because of his work ethic and commitment to excellence, he has forged many relationships in the environmental industry. He can effectively manage small jobs up to multi-million-dollar, complex projects. He has been recognized by past employers and customers for outstanding management and successful completion of his projects.

Tony Payne, Executive Vice President, explained, Alex was a natural fit for us. The combination of his previous experience, confidence in his own skill sets, his leadership qualities and go-get it attitude were exactly what we were looking for in this role. We expect him to really take our Atlanta service center to the next level.

About Hulls Environmental Services:

Hull's Environmental Services, Inc. is a certified SBA, woman-owned small business operating from locations in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Throughout the southeast and southcentral United States, Hull's performs a variety of environmental services including emergency spill response for oil, fuel and hazardous materials, contaminated site remediation, hazardous & non-hazardous waste transportation & disposal, industrial cleaning & maintenance, vacuum truck services, tank cleaning and a wide variety of other related services for both the public and private sector.


As a Christian, I am fascinated by the gap that can exist between what we say we believe and how we apply that in daily life.

My passion has always been to find a way to integrate life experience and faith, values, and beliefs  seeing them as one human story and avoiding the fragmentation wrought upon us today by so many complex systems. Throughout all this work, the desire was to work professionally, deeply, and effectively with people who come from different faith backgrounds with different values and beliefs in areas struggling for development and wholeness. Christine Anderson FCJ states.

In Discerning the Gold in Human Experience: Leadership Faith and Organizations (published by AuthorHouse UK), she shares a passionate and enthusiastic account of her life as a religious sister in the 21st century. As an educator and organizational consultant, she draws on the resources of professional skills in leadership training, facilitation and consultancy and integrates them with discernment for action.

True to the charism and mission of her congregation of the Faithful Companions of Jesus, based on the spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola, Anderson writes with energy and vast experience about practical ways of living faith in action. She demonstrates the importance of social justice, collaboration, inclusion and partnerships with teams and the responsibility to work at sustainability for the future.

As a Christian, I am fascinated by the gap that can exist between what we say we believe and how we apply that in daily life. It has been my lifes work to explore the meaning of experience in life, to search new questions, to open up closed subjects, and to allow freedom of expression in a culture that at times can try to shut this sort of attitude down, Anderson says. In this book, I have reflected with the readers on part of my own story, a life lived in a religious congregation.

When asked what she wants readers to take away from the book, Anderson answers, The courage to ask their own questions. The belief that they have the resources within themselves to fulfil their dreams and respond to some of the complex questions of today. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/821998-discerning-the-gold-in-human-experience

Discerning the Gold in Human Experience: Leadership Faith and Organizations

By Christine Anderson FCJ

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 114 pages | ISBN 9781665585002

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 114 pages | ISBN 9781665584982

E-Book | 114 pages | ISBN 9781665584999

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Christine Anderson FCJ is a member of the Society of the Faithful Companions of Jesus. She is the founder of Faith and Praxis for Global Leadership in Rome, Italy and Craighead Institute of LIfe and Faith in Glasgow, Scotland. She studied Pastoral Theology at Lumen Vitae International Institute in Brussels, attended an in depth formation in Ignatian Spirituality at the Gregorian University in Rome and trained as an organizational role analyst at the Grubb Institute of Behavioural Studies in London. She has worked as a facilitator and organizational consultant to many intercultural groups throughout the world.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.co.uk or call 0-800-014-8641.
Setting the world record price for a pup achieved an official sale was Welshman Glynne Jones, of Pentir, near Bangor in Gwynedd, with his March 12-born Pentir Lassie, an unusually lilac coloured bitch, which smashed the previous record of 6,100 established at Skiptons previous online sale in January for an 11-week- old black and white bitch, Bet, from another well-known Welshman David Evans, who also clinched 13,800 top call at the latest renewal.

Lassie, described as a lively, confident and healthy pup, is a product of outstanding parents, coming from the first litter of pups by Reiver Gray, bred by well-known shepherdess, Emma Gray, now farming in Scotland on the Isle of Bute.

Lassies dam, Graylees Cet, has been owned and trained by Mr Jones since being purchased as an eight-week-old pup in August, 2014, to lay a very solid foundation for his Pentir Sheepdogs breeding programme. As well as Lassie, who is from Cets sixth and last litter, the outstanding mother has produced a number of ISDS pedigree pups with Tweeddale Jamie, described as an amazing match from the outset.

Full-time sheep and cattle farmer and sheep dog enthusiast, Mr Jones farms 100 acres in and around Pentir, nestled in between the Snowdonia mountain ranges and the North Wales coast. Lassie was his first offering at Skipton. He said: My aim is to breed top quality working sheepdog pups from the best DNA tested bloodlines in the UK. Im obviously over the moon. Lassie is a dog with everything in my opinion.

Her new owner is Damian Barson, of Tessleymoor Gundogs, a dog behaviourist and gundog trainer based in Woodplumpton, near Preston, who is now taking an increasing interest in sheep farming, running a flock of Ryelands, with plans to diversify into Herdwicks  and seeking a high-class four-legged companion to assist.

Put in touch with Glynne Jones, Mr Barson explained: I have trained dogs all my life and have my own pack, so I wanted to get the best, a dog with both style and character. It was all down to colour and breeding. I just had to have the wee pup, though I do think I went a bit wild!

Top dogs yet again on price were Powys father and son breeding and trialing legends David and Kevin Evans, who between then sold six fully broken and unbroken dogs for a combined 50,000-plus.

David Evans, of Penclyn Farm, Brecon, was May sale topper at 13,800 with a November, 2017, black and white dog, Pen-y-Borough Spud, by son Kevins Kemi Ross, a member of both the 2015 and 2016 Welsh National teams, also a 2016 European Nursery finalist, as well as running in the same years International.

Spud, better known at home as Buddy, is another impeccably bred dog from the Evans fold, being a grandson of dual European Nursery and Royal Welsh Champion, Tanhill Glen, while the dam, Derwen Wot, bred locally by Shaun Richards, of Pen-y-Borough Sheep Dogs in Eldroth, near Settle, is a full sister to another top-notch Evans trials dog, Derwen Doug, a European Nursery Champion and dual Welsh and International Brace Champion.

Already boasting multiple trials placings to his name, Buddy fell to American buyers Kellie Herrington and her husband, Terry Dear, who are located in Ponder, Texas. Kellie is a small animal vet who enjoys trialing and Buddy was purchased purposely for her husband to both trial and use at home, where he is currently is raising a small set of Fullblood American Dorper sheep.

Kevin Evans, of Llwynfedwen Farm, near Brecon, then achieved second top call of 12,800 with his smart 16-month-old black and white dog, Wyverne Brodie, another fully trained son of Derwen Doug, out of David Meeks Wyverne Meg, herself a daughter of a twice International Champion. The solid nursery prospect also travelled abroad when joining a buyer from Norway, Jon Arnesand, of Lier in Viken County.

A Derwen Doug daughter also made 9,900 for Kevin. His June, 2019, black and white bitch, Pat, herself out of a daughter of Netherlands-based former World Sheep Dog Trials champion Serge van der Sweeps Gary, fell to a buyer from the West Midlands, Oldburys Laura Field.

A slightly younger September, 2019, black and white bitch from the same home sold with a 6,200 price tag. Foxridge Layka is a daughter of Kevins Supreme Champion, Hybeck Blake, while her dam is DW Edwards Tanhill Lilly, a full sister to top stud dog Tanhill Glen, bred by Kirkby Stephens Alec Baines and acquired by Kevin at just 15 months. Glen is now eight-years-old and still going strong. Layka found a new home north of the border with William Tod (note correct spelling), of Langholm in Dumfries & Galloway.
We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with Onfido, one of the world's largest and most respected digital identity platform providers, to work together to make the internet a much safer place to be our real selves.

FaceTec, Inc., U.S.-based provider of world-leading 3D Liveness and 3D Face Matching software for remote identity platforms, and U.K./U.S.-based Onfido, a global leader in identity verification, have announced today a partnership to combat the growing problem of digital fraud.

"We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with Onfido, one of the world's largest and most respected digital identity platform providers, to work together to make the internet a much safer place to be our real selves," said Kevin Alan Tussy, CEO of FaceTec. "Our 3D Face Authentication software has already proven liveness for over 180,000,000 unique users on six continents, and features the strongest Level 1-5 Presentation Attack, Deepfake Detection & Camera Bypass Detection available, with no observable bias and support for all modern smart-devices and webcams. With the launch of Onfido Face Authenticate, now every month millions more users can access the most reliable and trusted face authentication AI."

One-time passwords (OTP) are inefficient, phishable, add friction, increase costs, and still dont positively identify the user. Avoiding these compromises and potential dangers, Onfido's smart, device-agnostic platform focuses on the customer experience, while providing unmatched security by utilizing the most innovative anti-spoofing technology available. For this task, Onfido chose to leverage FaceTec's advanced 3D Liveness Detection AI, which has achieved NIST/NVLAP PAD Level 1 & 2 Certification and is the only Liveness technology backed by an ongoing $100,000 Spoof Bounty Program. The technology partnership ensures, to the highest possible level of confidence, that the legitimate user is present and alive for every authentication session.

Onfido will also leverage FaceTec's 3D Face Matching technology to achieve a class-leading False Acceptance Rate of up to 1/12.8M at a less-than 1% False Reject Rate, even when operating on very low-end devices with low-resolution cameras, and in environments that plague other solutions, such as bright outdoor lighting or even complete darkness.

Offering Onfido Face Authenticate in tandem with our biometric identity verification product, Verify, provides a more complete identity lifecycle solution for businesses, said Sarah Munro, Director of Biometrics at Onfido. Partnering with FaceTec ensures we can go beyond just safely onboarding new users for KYC or compliance purposes, and now offer a safe and frictionless way for users to prove their identity to access their account or provide transaction authorizations within seconds, while allowing businesses to unlock new revenue opportunities for additional digital products and services.

FaceTec and Onfido, both members of the Better Identity Coalition (BIC), support the commendable initiatives for finding new solutions that not only address security and fraud concerns, but also constantly improve privacy and make it possible to offer new and better trusted services to a growing online population requiring safe access.

About FaceTec

Founded in 2013, with team members in the United States, Brazil, Portugal, and Singapore, FaceTec is fast becoming the global standard in 3D face verification biometrics, powering remote identity platforms on six continents for government agencies like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Canadian Parliament, SmartDubai, and DataPrev Brazil; and for private organizations like Mercado Libre, Nubank, BBVA, MeetGroup, Voice.com, and hundreds more.

FaceTec's internationally patented, industry-leading 3D Face Authentication software anchors the chain of trust in mobile digital identity ecosystems with the world's strongest Certified Liveness Detection, and most accurate 3D Face Matching and Age Estimation.

For more information and business inquiries, please visit http://www.FaceTec.com. For media inquiries, please contact John Wojewidka at JohnW@FaceTec.com.

About Onfido

Onfido is setting the new identity standard for digital access. The company digitally proves a user's real identity using artificial intelligence (AI), by verifying a photo ID and comparing it to the person's facial biometrics. This means businesses can see their customers for who they are, without compromising on experience, inclusion, privacy or security. That's how Onfido gives companies the assurance they need to onboard customers remotely and securely.

Recognized as a global leader in AI for identity verification and authentication, Onfido is backed by TPG Growth, Crane Venture Partners, Salesforce Ventures, M12 - Microsoft's venture fund, and others. Onfido has raised $200m in funding, and with over 400 team members across seven countries, is enabling digital access for some of the largest companies around the world.

http://www.onfido.com

http://www.linkedin.com/company/onfido

http://www.twitter.com/onfido
P2 Science Inc., a green chemistry company, announced that Professor Vania Leite has joined the companys scientific advisory board (SAB).

Leite is a professor of cosmetology at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and holds the position of Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia. She is also Board Chairman at ABC (Associacao Brasileira de Cosmetologia)  the Brazilian Society of Cosmetology and Committee Member 1 of the IFSCC (International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists).

With Vania now on our SAB, we benefit from her deep expertise in the field of cosmetology and her amazing background in the global business of cosmetics, said P2 CEO, Neil Burns. Hers is the sort of experience and perspective that is unique and incredibly enriching for us.

Leite has a doctorate in cosmetic science from the University of Sao Paulo and has done postdoctoral work at the University of Queensland, Australia. Also, she has more than 20 years of experience within the industry, with an emphasis on research and development of cosmetics, involving research, development and validation of new methodologies and technologies for evaluation of cosmetic performance.

Leite resides in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

About P2 Science:

P2 Science is a green chemistry company, co-founded by Professor Paul Anastas, head of the Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and Dr Patrick Foley. P2 has developed and patented technologies for converting renewable feedstocks into high-value specialty products. Investors in P2 include BASF Venture Capital, Xeraya Capital, Elm Street Ventures, Connecticut Innovations, Ironwood Capital, HG Ventures and Chanel. The company started up its first manufacturing plant in September of 2018 which produces novel renewable aroma chemicals and cosmetic ingredients. For more information, visit http://www.p2science.com
The Toyota brand has long been a staple in the pickup truck industry. As one of two options, the Toyota Tacoma has provided both reliability and versatility for both workers and families alike. Those in the Columbia, TN area have access to the models wide range of trim levels right in their back yard at Roberts Toyota. Currently, the dealership has nearly 20 new 2021 Toyota Tacoma models available.

Found in six different trim levels, the 2021 Toyota Tacoma comes with a wide range of standard equipment. Like other Toyota models, the pickup offers standard Toyota Safety Sense P to support safe driving. Meanwhile, the interior offers a standard seven-inch touchscreen with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capabilities.

As for power, the 2021 Toyota Tacoma provides two engine options with a wide range of capabilities. Base models receive a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine. With its 159 horsepower, the engine can support up to 6,400 lbs. of towing capacity. Specialty models  such as the TRD Off-Road, TRD Sport, and TRD Pro trim levels  have access to the powerful 3.5-liter V-6 engine that provides 278 horsepower.

Customers interested in exploring the 2021 Toyota Tacoma in the Columbia, TN area are welcomed to visit Roberts Toyota. The dealership has a team of qualified associates who can help you find a vehicle youre looking for. You can check out the companys online inventory at https://www.robertstoyota.com/. Otherwise, you can speak to an associate at 931-388-3006 or visit the dealerships location at 1027 Nashville Highway in Columbia.


As of last year, there were more than 24 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, accounting for about 36% of all Medicare beneficiaries. The range of Medicare plans makes it possible to tailor healthcare coverage to a given seniors budget and needs far more effectively than any one-size-fits-all solution could do.

As of last year, there were more than 24 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, accounting for about 36% of all Medicare beneficiaries. Along with this growth in acceptance has come a growth in the number of Medicare Advantage options; the average enrollee can select from among 33 different plans in 2021.(1) Additionally, if you have the original Medicare (Part A and Part B), you can add Medicare Supplement to help defray the costs. However, each plan is mutually exclusive from the other.(2) Dave Rich, CEO of Ensurem, a Florida-based insurance technology and product distribution firm, says, Increasingly, seniors are seeking expert guidance to help them custom-fit Medicare solutions to their own particular needs and lifestyles.

Todays seniors tend to seek information digitally whenever possible. Rich notes, this reflects the heavy presence of digitally active Baby Boomers among Medicare recipients. During the 1980s and 1990s, when computerization took over the American workplace, these people were in their thirties and forties, helping set the stage for todays world. Digitally savvy as they may be, however, says Rich, when it comes to making Medicare coverage decisions, seniors increasingly find themselves faced with more detailed information than they can easily sift through and make decisions about.

For example, Rich notes that insurance companies offer six different approaches to Medicare Advantage plans: as an HMO (health maintenance organization), a PPO (preferred provider organization), an HMOPOS (HMO Point of Service), a PFFS (private fee-for-service), a MSA (Medicare Savings Account) or an SNP (special needs plan). Throughout the selection process, there are tradeoffs to be made. If you want prescription drug coverage and youre choosing an HMO or PPO, its important to select one that includes prescription drug coverage, because if you have an HMO or PPO Advantage plan, you cant buy standalone Medicare Part D drug coverage.(1)

To further complement the issue, seniors have to also contend with Medicare Supplement Plansalso known as Medigap plans. Medicare Supplement plans carry the letters from A to N to designate a specific coverage level meant to help pay for gaps in Original Medicare. These include plans that pay for some or all of your deductibles, copays and coinsurance. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Plan F and Plan G are the most popular. However, as of January 1, 2020, Plan F is no longer available to new Medicare enrollees. Plan G covers all the same gaps as Plan F with the exception of the Medicare Part B deductible.(3)

One important factor for seniors to consider is enrollment limitations. Medicare beneficiaries are subjected to certain enrollment periods during which they can join or switch plans. In most cases, Medicare beneficiaries can enroll into any plan during their initial enrollment period (IEP) when turning 65. However, if they miss their IEP or they are unhappy with their coverage and want to make changes, they could be forced to wait until the Annual Enrollment Period from October 15 through December 7. Medicare Supplement plans on the other hand, are available year-round; however, beneficiaries may be subjected to medical underwriting when enrolling outside of their IEP.

Looked at from one angle, says Rich, health coverage for seniors lies amidst the best of all possible worlds: widely available government-supported healthcare, augmented by a wealth of carefully targeted private options. From another angle, it looks like a confusing federal bureaucracy made more confusing by the competing offers and requirements of a host of for-profit businesses. Its both, says Rich, and thats a good thing: the range of Medicare plans makes it possible to tailor healthcare coverage to a given seniors budget and needs far more effectively than any one-size-fits-all solution could do.

However, he adds, its still a lot to deal with. The complexity of the Medicare Advantage and Supplement landscape, and the need for seniors to make the most of it, is, Rich says, changing the role of the insurance broker. Customers, he notes, still have a lot of questions, but more and more the relationship has moved from question-and-answer to a dialogue, in which seniors seeking exactly the right coverage for their particular needs interact both with Ensurems staff of in-house brokers and its AI-driven digital resource, Agent E.

Weve become Medicare consultants, says Rich. We dont charge for consultation, but its an increasingly important part of what we offer. We think its what the industry needs, and we know, from the conversations were having with our insurance customers, that its what the seniors need. Its become an integral component of our business.

About Ensurem:

Ensurem, headquartered in Clearwater, FL, is a leading technology and product distribution company serving carriers and consumers within the massive U.S. senior market. The company provides end-to-end solutions for carriers, including product development, digital marketing, and consumer-centric front ends and back end. For more information, please visit Ensurem.com.

1. Medicare Advantage (Part C) Health Plans. Medicareresources.org, 9 Dec. 2020, medicareresources.org/medicare-benefits/medicare-advantage/#

2. Medicare; Medigap and Medicare Advantage Plans; Accessed 21 May 2021; medicare.gov/supplements-other-insurance/whats-medicare-supplement-insurance-medigap/medigap-medicare-advantage-plans

3. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Medigap; Accessed 17 May 2021; cms.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/Medigap
The Navy is excited to work with STS and their partners to leverage AI/ML to help identify corrosion. We anticipate this approach will help the Navy and industries around the world address corrosion on various systems, said Steve McKee, Naval Enterprise Sustainment Technology team lead.

Simple Technology Solutions ( STS), an 8(a) & HUBZone company specializing in multi-cloud engineering and applied artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), has been named a 2021 ACT-IAC Innovation Award winner. Working with Google Cloud in coordination with the Navys Small Business Innovation Research Office, STS developed redOx, an AI/ML corrosion detection and analysis solution.

The redOx solution uses Google Cloud infrastructure and native computer vision capabilities to detect, prioritize and predict maintenance needs using drone-captured images. Platform corrosion (on vessels, aircraft, and infrastructure) currently costs the Department of the Navy over $6.8 billion annually, and the Department of Defense almost $17 billion annually. The current corrosion inspection process is highly manual and dangerous, requiring inspectors to climb in fuel tanks and other hard-to-reach places on vessel interiors and exteriors.

By automating both the data collection (via commercial drones) and analysis (via AI/ML) processes, redOx can currently detect and analyze corrosion in aerial images of vessels with 90% accuracy and very few false positives. STS is currently expanding the solution to include aircraft and tanks by incorporating additional sensors like infrared and multi-spectral. Additionally, STS is adding a front-end user interface with 3D modeling capabilities to easily tie instance detection to platform location in real-time in the field. Model training and validation is iterative and ongoing based on newly ingested data.

The Navy is excited to work with STS and their partners to leverage AI/ML to help identify corrosion. We anticipate this approach will help the Navy and industries around the world address corrosion on various systems, said Steve McKee, Naval Enterprise Sustainment Technology team lead.

This award captures perfectly the power of commercial cloud capabilities, and the benefits of automation - saving time and money while liberating human beings for higher level cognitive duties, said Aaron Kilinski, chief technology officer, STS. We chose to work with Google Cloud AutoML because it allows our engineers to train and test high-quality models quickly. Google Cloud provides an unrivaled degree of specification to meet tough business objectives in compliance with FedRAMP High and were excellent partners on this project."

Work on redOx began as a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project due to the technology innovation and potential for commercialization. With a goal of modernizing depot maintenance activities and autonomous non-destructive inspections, STS was selected given the pioneering software-based approach. Phase II work will continue through at least December 2021.

The official award ceremony will take place during the ACT-IAC Emerging Technology and Innovation Conference, held on May 25-26. More information can be found here.

About Simple Technology Solutions

Simple Technology Solutions(STS) is an 8(a) & HUBZone company specializing in multi-cloud engineering and applied AI/ML. STS delivers automated (everything-as-code), scalable, and secure solutions in all layers of the cloud technology stack. The company is expert in leveraging and augmenting cloud native services to maximize operational efficiencies and mission value, applying a library of proven, cloud-agnostic accelerators that automate key operations and maintenance and application migration activities. In 2021, STS was voted a "Best Place to Work" by Washington Business Journal, ranked #28 on the Inc 5000 2021 list of the 250 fastest growing private companies in the DC metro area and was ranked #2 on G2Xchange's list of fastest growing private companies  D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.


Regional Executive Director Timothy Bayly of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital accepts SmartEquips $250,000 donation from CEO Fern Pinera. Raising this money is great for the cause, but also for the SmartEquip team, said Fernando Pinera, CEO of SmartEquip. Its a great opportunity for all of us to reconnect and grow as a company and a community.

SmartEquip Executive Chairman Bryan Rich and CEO Fernando Pinera recently presented a $250,000 donation to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital (http://www.stjude.org/) to support its mission: Finding cures. Saving children.

"Im ecstatic SmartEquip can deliver a substantial contribution to a cause my family and I have been advocating for decades, said Rich.

SmartEquip participates in a Workplace Giving program (http://www.stjude.org/get-involved/workplace-giving.html) for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital that offers employees the opportunity to donate a portion of their salaries to St. Jude. SmartEquip then matches 50 cents to every dollar contributed. In addition to this program, there are various fundraising activities and volunteer opportunities for its employees to join with the other companies in the SmartEquip Network.

I am grateful for our partnership with SmartEquip and humbled by the commitment of its generous employees who donate their time and money to support the kids at St. Jude, said Timothy Bayly, Regional Executive Director of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. Their partnership and participation in our workplace giving program helps ensure St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital can continue delivering its pioneering research and lifesaving treatment for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Thanks to generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food  because all they should worry about is helping their child live.

Raising this money is great for the cause, but also for the SmartEquip team, said Fernando Pinera, CEO of SmartEquip. Its a great opportunity for all of us to reconnect and grow as a company and a community.

SmartEquip launched its giving program in January 2020 and has long-term plans to continue raising awareness and support for the families at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.

About SmartEquip

SmartEquip (http://www.smartequip.com) is the leading technology standard for equipment lifecycle management, service and procurement support for the construction industry. The platform provides a seamless brand-enhancing experience for fleet owners, manufacturers, and distributors of complex equipment. SmartEquip enhances ROI for all Network participants by increasing equipment uptime, improving both technician wrench time and transaction accuracy, while reducing the total cost of equipment ownership. The SmartEquip Network currently supports more than 600 OEM brands, with over 95,000 users across more than 42,000 equipment locations globally. The Network supports over $1 billion in parts transactions annually and the company is led by veterans of construction, technology and data sciences. Founded in 2000, SmartEquip is positioned to define tomorrow's dynamic and evolving equipment industry.

Follow us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/smartequip) & LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/smartequip) and Like us on Facebook (http://www.smartequip.com/SmartEquipBeReady).

About St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital

St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude wont stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food  because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire (http://www.stude.org/inspire.html) to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org (http://www.stjude.org/get-involved/school-fundraising-ideas/epic-challenge/inspiration4-st-jude-science-fair.html), liking St. Jude on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/stjude), following St. Jude on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/stjude), Instagram and TikTok (http://www.tiktok.com/@stjude), and subscribing to its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/MyStJude).
Im eager and excited to join the Spectrum Board at a pivotal time in the companys growth. I look forward to leveraging all of my experience to provide insights and help Spectrum achieve its full potential.

Spectrum Automotive Holdings announced that the company has appointed Alan Batey to its Board of Directors. Most recently, Alan Batey served as executive Vice President and President of North America for General Motors, also the global brand chief for Chevrolet, a division of General Motors. Batey joins Spectrum with automotive industry experience that spans more than 40 years and he has held executive and senior management positions in operations, sales and marketing on an international scale.

Im eager and excited to join the Spectrum Board at a pivotal time in the companys growth. I look forward to leveraging all of my experience to provide insights and help Spectrum achieve its full potential.

Spectrum Automotive Holdings includes a portfolio of premiere automotive specialty companies, partnering with organizations within the industry to provide effective growth strategies. With a leading market position, Spectrum maintains their commitment to shareholder value through an integrated business model, while heightening customer experience through exceptional brands and unprecedented support and service.
Staffing Industry Analysts Report: The Virtual Assistant Landscape After strong growth in the SMB market, larger mid-market and enterprise businesses are embracing VA services for their expertise in management, flexibility and productivity benefits.

Prialto, a leading provider of managed virtual assistant services, announced the release of a report by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) that studies the state of the U.S. virtual assistant (VA) industry. The report, The Virtual Assistant Landscape: An emerging part of the Workforce Solutions Ecosystem, commissioned by Prialto, is the first analyst study to assess the growth drivers, service models, and the outlook of the VA industry.

Key findings include:

The Virtual Assistant (VA) market was in robust health before the onset of COVID-19 in Q1 2020.

VA firms took an initial hit to demand, but growth for many is now back to pre-COVID levels.

After strong growth in the SMB market, larger mid-market and enterprise businesses are embracing VA services for their expertise in management, flexibility and productivity benefits.

Up to now, the market for Virtual Assistants has been rather neglected and under-researched but is an interesting and emerging category of contingent labor, said John Nurthen, SIA's Executive Director Global Research. The market is well-established with more than 170 vendors globally (and a large cohort of sole traders) and is set to benefit from compelling secular business trends, not least of which is improving attitudes towards remote work."

"The study confirms that virtual assistant and remote staffing services have come of age and represent a growing category in the broader staffing ecosystem," said Prialto founder and CEO Eric Taussig. "That enterprise businesses embrace the virtual assistant role is a testimony to the efficiency and productivity gains we can bring to their teams."

The report, "The Virtual Assistant Landscape: An Emerging Part of the Workforce Solutions Ecosystem," charts the evolution of the virtual assistant and where the concept now sits within the broader staffing marketplaceincluding the rising use of VAs by enterprise businesses. Issues covered include:

The Virtual Assistant Marketplacewhere the virtual assistant industry fits in the larger Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

Business Portfolios and Differentiationthe different services and business models provided by virtual assistant companies.

Virtual Assistants v Temporary Workers v Freelancersa comparison of service delivery models.

Outsourcing v Offshorethe pros and cons of offshore, nearshore and U.S.-based businesses.

Market Trends and Impact of COVID-19how the pandemic and shutdowns impacted the virtual assistant industry.

Enterprise-Level Servicesthe migration of virtual assistants from SMB to enterprise services.

Legal Issuesthe legal concerns surrounding overseas employees and part-time workers.

Outlookwhat's ahead for the virtual assistant industry in the context of continued digital transformation, especially for enterprise businesses.

This custom research report was originally commissioned by Prialto. All research was conducted by SIA. To download the report, visit https://www.prialto.com/sia-va-landscape-report

About Prialto

Prialto provides virtual administrative assistants to executives, small businesses, and large enterprises. Their virtual executive assistant services are curated and managed from their headquarters in Portland, Oregon, with creative insights from their global staff in Asia and Central America. Their global telecommuting enables talented people from anywhere in the world economy to do meaningful work with dynamic business professionals in amazing places like San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Austin, and Los Angeles. For more information, please visit prialto.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn @Prialto.

About Staffing Industry Analysts

Founded in 1989, SIA is the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. Our proprietary research covers all categories of employed and non-employed work including temporary staffing, independent contracting and other types of contingent labor. SIAs independent and objective analysis provides insights into the services and suppliers operating in the workforce solutions ecosystem including staffing firms, managed service providers, recruitment process outsourcers, payrolling/compliance firms and talent acquisition technology specialists such as vendor management systems, online staffing platforms, crowdsourcing and online work services. We also provide training and accreditation with our unique Certified Contingent Workforce Professional (CCWP) program.
"Users can set a retention period for immutable backups stored on supporting cloud platforms. Within this immutable retention period, backups cannot be deleted by any user, even if ransomware or a malicious actor acquires the root credentials, said JG Heithcock, Retrospect, a StorCentric Company

Retrospect, a StorCentric company, today announced the general availability of Retrospect Backup 18 and Retrospect Virtual 2021, featuring new ransomware protection and security enhancements designed to enable businesses to further fortify themselves against accidents and malicious threats. The industry's most flexible backup solution also includes a smooth new first launch experience, deeper reporting and cloud data protection across Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage and more.

Ransomware attacks are increasingly sophisticated, having the capability of watching for cloud account credentials, deleting backups and cloud storage, and then encrypting everything and demanding a ransom. It's imperative to build defenses against this escalating attack risk. SMBs, large businesses, and enterprise organizations need a backup target that allows them to lock backups for a designated time period. Many of the major cloud providers now support object locking, also referred to as Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) storage or immutable storage. Users can mark objects as locked for a designated period of time, preventing them from being deleted or altered by any user.

Retrospect Backup v18 has been uniquely engineered to integrate seamlessly with this new object lock feature to create immutable backups. Users can set a retention period for immutable backups stored on supporting cloud platforms. Within this immutable retention period, backups cannot be deleted by any user, even if ransomware or a malicious actor acquires the root credentials, said JG Heithcock, General Manager, Retrospect, a StorCentric Company. Retrospect Backup 18's powerful policy-based scheduling allows it to predict when those backups will leave the retention policy and protect any files that will no longer be retained, ensuring businesses always have point-in-time backups to restore within the immutable retention policy window.

Included in Retrospect Backup 18



Ransomware Protection - Enables users to set immutable retention periods and policies within Amazon S3, Wasabi, and Backblaze B2 and supports bucket-level object lock in Google Cloud Storage and Microsoft Azure.

Enhanced Data Management Platform

o Security Reporting - Surfaces the wealth of data it can see into a broad set of reporting improvements to bring security to the forefront. Retrospect Backup now includes the same detailed backup report for Windows, Mac, Email, Export and the Management Console, ensuring a clear, consistent experience across each product.

o Geo Tracking  Retrospect Management Console supports geo tracking with a worldwide map of all users, Retrospect Backup servers, and remote clients, down to the city.

o Simple, Easy to use Monitoring - Monitor all backups and seamlessly implement a full system backup recovery for your entire environment.



Significantly Improved Ease of Use - Includes a completely redesigned first launch workflow. With just a single click, all sources and possible destinations can be viewed and added. IT can now also send a single download link for a 1-click install to the entire company/organization or specific individuals.

Cloud-Native - Deployment and protection on Amazon S3, Google Cloud and now Microsoft Azure enables businesses to protect their cloud infrastructure with the same set of tools they use to protect their on-premise infrastructure, while lowering costs and optimizing bandwidth.

Included in Retrospect Virtual 2021:

 Faster Backups - Up to 300% faster backups.

 Improved Backup Server Performance - Optimized resource utilization (memory, CPU, cache) for better performance with less resources required.

 Increased Security - Support for password age and complexity requirement for system and sub admin users and a new feature to prevent session hijacking by forcing a logout if the session IP changes.

 Deeper Data Integrity - Automated and enhanced data integrity checks to ensure data is never lost.

 Broader Platform Support - Support for VMware ESXi and vCenter 7.0, Microsoft SQL Server 2019, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Oracle 19c, and MariaDB.

Channel Partner Validation

"Retrospect is a highly sought-after data protection solution. I've had many divisions of the military specifically request Retrospect software. If the United States military trusts them, so do I!"



Teressa Karl, Account Manager, TJR Global

"Ransomware and data attacks are on the rise, but there is now protection in a tried and tested solution from Retrospect. In addition to users backing up exactly what they want, they can also worry less by creating a backup policy to ensure that the retrieval of data/files will be unchanged from their original form."



Terry Noonan, Software License Specialist, License My Software

Customer Validation

"Ive been using Retrospect in deployments from a single server & 10 clients to dozens of servers & hundreds of clients and its an amazing product for the price point. Nothing Ive tried has ever been better. No company or product covering such a critical component of IT has kept my mind at ease since I came across it at version 9.0. Orders of magnitude less expensive than other products, far more configurable, easier to understand, setup & maintain than anything Ive used in 20 years of IT contracting. Technical support is top notch. Basic configuration to highly technical issues that resulted in bug reports then near immediate interim version releases with specific fixes is unparalleled for such an amazing product."



Thomas Winters, Torr Technologies Inc.

Pricing and Free 30-Day Trial

For Retrospect Backup pricing details, please visit: https://www.retrospect.com/en/store. To request a free 30-day trial, please visit: https://www.retrospect.com/en/store/trial?locale=en.

Tweet this: @RetrospectInc, a @StorCentric Company, Premiers Retrospect #Backup v18 and Virtual 2021- Featuring New #Ransomware Protection and #Security Enhancements https://www.retrospect.com/en/press #Faster #Easier #LessExpensive #Safer #Microsoft #Azure #AmazonS3 #GoogleCloud #Storage

About Retrospect

Protecting 100 Petabytes in over 500,000 homes and businesses in over 100 countries, Retrospect is dedicated to providing reliable backup and recovery tools for professionals and small- to- midsize businesses with Retrospect Backup and Retrospect Virtual, covering physical servers and endpoints, virtual environments, and business applications. With three decades of field- tested expertise, Retrospect meets the needs of organizations that require the highest level of recoverability. Retrospect is a proud member of the StorCentric family of brands. For further information, please visit: http://www.retrospect.com.

About StorCentric

StorCentric provides world-class and award-winning data management solutions for Enterprise and SMB customers. Between its Drobo, Nexsan, Retrospect, Vexata and Violin Systems divisions, the company has shipped over 1M data management solutions and has won over 100 awards for technology innovation and service excellence. StorCentric innovation is centered around customers and their specific data requirements, and delivers quality solutions with unprecedented flexibility, data protection, and expandability. For further information, please visit: http://www.storcentric.com.

2021 StorCentric. StorCentric, Nexsan, Drobo, Retrospect Backup, Vexata, and Violin Systems are registered trademarks of StorCentric. The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
"We have seen almost limitless opportunities for AI to disrupt all points of the healthcare spectrum  from medical records to drug discovery. But we need to focus on where we can have the most tangible impact now and what to work towards in the long term, said Brandon Allgood, chair of AAIH.

The Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) today announced the enrollment of multiple new members in Q1 2021, growing the organization to nearly 50 companies across the healthcare, life science, and technology industries. Joining on to support the advancement of AI in healthcare are Amicus Therapeutics, BioSig Technologies, CancerLinq, Celeris Therapeutics, Gain Therapeutics, Google, Hub Security, Lifebit, and Roche, joining founding members that include Recursion, Insilico Medicine, Valo and Janssen, the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Founded in 2018, AAIH is the leading international advocacy organization for the responsible adoption and application of AI/ML technologies across the healthcare umbrella. By bringing together stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and finance, AAIH seeks to foster changes that result in the best outcomes for patients.

Over the last few years, we have seen almost limitless opportunities for AI to disrupt all points of the healthcare spectrum  from medical records to drug discovery. But we need to focus on where we can have the most tangible impact now and what to work towards in the long term, said Brandon Allgood, Ph.D., Chief AI Officer, Valo Health, and chairperson of AAIH. We are excited to welcome such well-recognized thought leaders and look forward to hearing their perspectives on how we can make a more substantial impact in the use of AI technologies.

In 2021, AAIH established four primary focus areas as the most immediate priorities: (1) Data Access, Quality, and Usability; (2) Fairness and Equity in the Application of AI; (3) Establishing an Effective Regulatory Framework; (4) Data and Technology Standards for AI/ML. Working groups have been stood up and progress reports are planned throughout the remainder of the year. Those interested in participating should direct membership inquiries to info@theaaih.org.

In Summer 2021, AAIH will host its second annual IMAGINE: AI + Healthcare Leadership Summit, which convenes global thought leaders to tackle key issues and elucidate promising opportunities towards the shared mission. For more information and to register for future updates on the summit, please visit our website.

ABOUT AAIH

The Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) is an international advocacy organization dedicated to the responsible adoption and application of AI/ML in healthcare. Our members represent all healthcare sectors, including drug R&D, digital health, medical devices, healthcare delivery, data science & technology providers with a shared goal of improving the state of healthcare globally through AI-enabled solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.theaaih.org
Tripism Founder, Adam Kerr Traveler reassurance is critical as we return to travel. The Tripism partnership provides a platform for our clients to engage with their travelers and build confidence, said Yannis Karmis, Sr. Vice President, Product Planning & Development at BCD Travel. As travel increases in 2021, information

Tripism, a company providing a leading business travel planning platform, today announces a partnership with BCD Travel, one of the worlds largest corporate travel management companies. Through this partnership, Tripism will use BCD Travels Travel Data API to integrate joint client booking data back into its platform.

With access to this trip data from BCD Travel, Tripism can identify when a traveler is returning from a trip, triggering a communication at the perfect time to solicit feedback. From there, its very easy for a traveler to share reviews, feedback on Covid-19 safety measures and other insights to enable better travel planning. This information is invaluable for building traveler confidence and stronger supplier relationships as travel returns.

The complexity and rate of change in the information that travel teams now need to communicate to travelers is beyond traditional, high-touch approaches. Many organisations are struggling to maintain an intranet of travel information that can capture and organise the information employees need to travel safely. Tripisms personalised platform seamlessly brings together information from multiple sources and presents it in a compelling way, engaging travelers and ensuring they have the information that they need, when they need it.

Through this new partnership, Tripism also becomes part of BCD Travels SolutionSource Marketplace. The SolutionSource Marketplace enables BCD Travel clients to shop and choose third-party solutions that easily plug into their travel program, to meet their corporations unique needs.

Traveler reassurance is critical as we return to travel. The Tripism partnership provides a platform for our clients to engage with their travelers and build confidence, said Yannis Karmis, Sr. Vice President, Product Planning & Development at BCD Travel. As travel increases in 2021, information is more vital than ever, and changes on an hourly basis. Tripism allows dynamic, travel-critical data to be organized in a simple and relevant way, making it easy for our customers and their employees to make informed choices when planning their trips.

Tripism and BCD Travel believe strongly in the value technology can bring to the future of travel management, said Adam Kerr, Tripism CEO. This partnership gives more corporations access to all the trip planning information employees need to safely re-enter the world of business travel, making travel once again a productive, enjoyable and safe part of working life.
Twelve12 works in animation and video production were recognized These awards signal to us that the world is moving forward, and that despite the difficulties weve had to overcome as a global community, much about what we do remains unchanged.

Twelve12, a Southern California institution in the creative branding space, has announced two gold awards from Muse Creative Awards, for its recent work in video production and animation for clients Get-A-Quote and HashAtIt, respectively. Both projects were completed in-house, from ideation, to production, to editing, showing off the broad scope of capabilities of the creative agency.

One gold award was given to Twelve12s video, Need a Quote? Getaquote.com!, a light-hearted yet inventive piece set in a library, where a hilarious misunderstanding leads to a good amount of shushing from librarian and patrons alike. It is all conceived to show off the novel insurance shopping tool, Get-A-Quote. Its a tech-forward tool to connect consumers with better insurance quotes from anywhereeven the public library. Part of a broader online marketing campaign, this video, in addition to shorter social media spots, has resulted in a strong initial rollout for the client.

The second gold award was given for an animated spot for the online hashtag search tool HashAtIt. The search engine, for which Twelve12 also did a complete rebrand, a construction of a custom website, as well as other social media, marketing, and video production work, has used the animation as a part of a broader online marketing campaign, which has produced substantial new traffic to the website. Its a flashy, up-beat animated piece, which was impressively executed by Twelve12s in-house design team. The message of the piece is one of empowerment and optimism in a time where many of us are spending way too much time being bombarded with negative content online. HashAtIt enables users to sort through content with more intention and enjoyment.

Twelve12 director Ike Elimsa discussed the unique environment that 2020 presented for creators. Its meaningful, after the upsets of the past year in production and other areas of business, to be recognized for the quality of work we do. These awards signal to us that the world is moving forward, and that despite the difficulties weve had to overcome as a global community, much about what we do remains unchanged: world-class video production, done at a great value.

More awards are yet to be announced for 2021, and Twelve12 looks forward to further recognition.

About Twelve12

Specializing in strategic planning, branding and marketing, Twelve12 was founded in Orange County with the mission to help companies grow. Twelve12 regularly assists companies develop across a wide spectrum of traditional and non-traditional marketing venues, producing a range of video content, digital and traditional marketing, and award-winning websites, always ensuring brands have a unified, unforgettable voice.


Upward Media Partners Releases COLOR LINES: From Phillip to Floyd  A Limited Podcast Series Exploring the American Tragedy of Race, Police Shootings and the Search for Justice In looking back at past instances of police violence against racial minorities, the COLOR LINES podcast series points people forward, using the power of narrative to catalyze change.

Today, Upward Media Partners releases COLOR LINES: From Phillip to Floyd, on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, SoundCloud and Stitcher. Featuring voiceover by the Emmy-winning Keith David, the podcast limited series explores the American tragedy of race, police shootings and the search for justice. The series features firsthand accounts, insights, and perspectives from the most prominent voices in civil rights and police reform -- from U.S. Senator Cory Booker to Congresswoman Karen Bass to the Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights attorney DeWitt Lacy, activist Nupol Kiazolu and others.

Podcast Journey Starts in 1990s New Jersey

Starting with a look back into the past with journalist Mike Kellys book COLOR LINES, the podcast investigates a 1990 police shooting in Teaneck, New Jersey, a community renowned as a national model of racial unity and peace, which became embroiled in a confrontation over race and dignity and fairness after a white police officer shot and killed a Black teenager. More than three decades later, the story is illustrative to Americas current moment, demonstrating both the intractability of racial justice in America and the prospect that lasting change may now be possible.

The killing of Phillip Pannell in 1990 by a white police officer in Teaneck, New Jersey was an American tragedy that continues to resonate today, Kelly laments.

Podcast Raises Troubling Questions

In the series of interviews throughout the podcast, hosted by Brittany Hanrahan, Kelly poses the questions for listeners on Why do these kinds of police killings continue? What changes need to be made?

Those questions were also posed to readers when as an author, Kelly examined Pannells death and wrote COLOR LINES: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town, which The Washington Post called American journalism at its best.

America is still asking those questions as it struggles to understand the murder of George Floyd and far too many other African Americans in questionable encounters with police, said Kelly.

UCLA Alumni Producers Tap Power of Story in Narrative Podcast

In looking back at past instances of police violence against racial minorities, the COLOR LINES podcast series points people forward, using the power of narrative to catalyze change.

Alumni of the UCLA School of Theater, Film & TV masters program, Kathy Berardi and Walter Richardson are the producing team behind the podcast. Focused on the power of story, Richardson explains both their inspiration as well as motivation for producing the podcast at this moment in time:

While statistics, news coverage and social media discussion reflect the trauma and importance of the past year, this podcast is narrative-driven, relying on individual stories to shape and encourage the conversation about equity and justice in the year following the tragic and preventable death of George Floyd, he said.

As filmmakers and content creators, we are focused on sharing new perspectives to bring untold stories to light that empower and inspire. We are also listeners ourselves, and we believe these stories will help facilitate critical conversations that can impact our collective present and future. While our podcast focuses on a tragedy, our mission is to empower listeners to be a part of the resolution for how this tragedy ends in America as more people become aware and activated to be a part of lasting change, said Berardi.

Prominent Speakers Join Podcast Lineup

COLOR LINES: From Phillip to Floyd features interviews with prominent policy makers, activists, law enforcement, renowned civil rights attorneys and todays leading cultural voices. Guests get up close and personal with listeners, sharing their own personal experience  with racism as well as the impact of todays cultural season of change, from activists as well as progressive law enforcement leaders about their motivation to move forward and affect change.

As America grapples with the implications of todays racial reckoning, these conversations are critical to our understanding of this moment, empowering listeners to learn from the past while forging a better path for a better future together, said Richardson.

About Upward Media Partners

Upward Media Partners is a film and content development and production company with an empathy-driven storytelling style. The company brings classic stories to light from new perspectives, empowering underrepresented voices and narratives that encourage audiences to embrace each other by embracing the story of another. For more information visit http://www.upwardmediapartners.com.

About Author Mike Kelly

Mike Kelly is a veteran journalist and book author who has told stories from many corners of life -- from the sands of Iraq to the streets of Ramallah, Belfast and Havana and desolate tenements, dingy courtrooms and the countless homes of ordinary people who struggle from day to day to hold on to the American Dream. His first book, COLOR LINES: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town was called American journalism at its best by The Washington Post. His most recent book, The Bus on Jaffa Road, which chronicles the search for justice after a terrorist bombing in Jerusalem, was praised by Bob Simon of 60 Minutes for delving deep below the rhetoric on the war on terror. Kelly is an award-winning columnist for The Bergen Record and for the USA Today Network. To learn more, visit http://www.mikekellywriter.com.
Kelley and Rob Massingill Caring Transitions is a unique business because we are really a one-stop shop for everything you need for a life transition, whether its downsizing, moving into assisted living, clearing an estate or just relocating across town. - Rob Massingill

Local couple Kelley and Rob Massingill are excited to announce that they will be using their leadership, operations, sales and marketing experience to serve the community in a new way through their new business  Caring Transitions of Dothan.

Caring Transitions is the professional choice for moving, downsizing and hosting online estate sales. Caring Transitions specially-trained professionals handle every detail of their clients transition including decluttering, cleanouts, packing, move management, unpacking, resettling into your new home with both in-home and online estate sales. The Massingills and their team serve clients in Dothan, Enterprise, Gordon, Hartford, Headland, Midland City, Newton, Newville, Fort Rucker, Pansey, Slocomb, Webb and the surrounding communities.

Caring Transitions is a unique business because we are really a one-stop shop for everything you need for a life transition, whether its downsizing, moving into assisted living, clearing an estate or just relocating across town. All of those events can be extremely stressful, especially if a senior is involved or youre grieving, and we are here to help walk you through the process as compassionately and efficiently as possible, Rob said.

Caring Transitions services are perfect for managing the many aspects of a senior move. The company also helps busy families with downsizing, rightsizing, and clearing out the home of a loved one who has moved into assisted care or has passed away. All of Caring Transitions services are customizable, so clients choose the solution that best fits their needs.

Rob is a 27-year United States Army veteran. He retired as a CW4 with more than 20 years of experience in training, logistics and maintenance management. Kelley graduated from Emporia State University with a degree in business and marketing. She has more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and business management. Shes an active member and past Ambassador of the Dothan Chamber of Commerce. Shes also a rotary member and a board member of the Wiregrass Food Bank. The Massingills journey to Caring Transitions started when Kelley and her sister moved their father.

In the summer of 2020, we were called home to Kansas to help my father move into assisted living after it became clear that he wasnt thriving in his home. Then, in February, he passed away. My sister and I spent a lot of time trying to coordinate services and manage the details. As Rob and I were thinking about starting a business and we found Caring Transitions, I realized how much time I would have been able to spend with my dad if I hadnt been focused so much on the move and the logistics, Kelley said. What we really give people is time and peace of mind.

Caring Transitions of Dothan is bonded and insured and all employees are background checked. For additional information, call 334-547-7777, email kmassingill@caringtransitions.com or visit http://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com.
The project engineer required a permanent solution to prevent any moisture penetration from ground water.

The November 2020 inauguration of the expanded Galvatech factory in Cape Town, South Africa is an important step in the companys growth plans. The Penetron System was specified to waterproof the factorys all-important concrete water tanks.

Located in Bellville South Industrial in Cape Town, Galvatech provides a range of corrosion protection services including metal galvanizing, sandblasting, coating services (epoxy powder, PVC, FBE) and metal spraying. The current construction project was undertaken to upgrade and expand the companys factory infrastructure  and increase output. The Galvatech site is located in the Cape Flats, a formerly estuary-like environment area with a high-water table.

A crucial part of the project was the expansion of the water tank system, used in the various metal treatment processes. Merlicon Projects, the project engineers, required a concrete waterproofing solution that was durable, absolutely reliable, and did not require maintenance.

Maintenance and Repair Not an Option

Because of the nature of the work carried out at the factory and importance of absolute risk avoidance, maintenance and repair of the water tanks was not an option, explains Adriaan Erasmus, Technical Engineering Support at Penetron Africa. The project engineer required a permanent solution to prevent any moisture penetration from ground water.

After contacting the Penetron Africa team, it became apparent to Merlicon Projects that no conventional waterproofing method or system under consideration for the Galvatech project could match the Penetron performance specifications that would provide the much-needed protection from the hydrostatic pressure caused by the groundwater levels.

Protecting Concrete from Moisture and Groundwater

The Penetron System was specified for all concrete water tanks, which are used to retain spillage from the factory machinery, etc. PENETRON ADMIX- treated concrete, supplied by Ciolli Brothers, the ready-mix concrete supplier, was used for the tank walls to protect the concrete and also prevent groundwater from seeping into the tanks. PENEBAR SW waterstop strips were installed to permanently seal the horizontal and vertical construction joints. LPG Waterproofing, Penetron-approved applicators, waterproofed the concrete floor slabs of the water tanks with a layer of PENETRON, a topically applied crystalline material. PENECRETE MORTAR was used to fill form-tie holes, all construction joints (over the PENEBAR SW-sealed joints for double protection) and fill any cracks (larger than 0.5 mm) in the new concrete.

Easily mixed in during batching, PENETRON ADMIX quickly becomes an integral part of the concrete and lasts for the life of the concrete. Topically applied to concrete, PENETRON and PENECRETE MORTAR also provide the same self-healing capabilities as PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete. All hairline cracks that form throughout the service life of the concrete will now automatically self-heal in the presence of water, minimizing the amount of maintenance required over the lifespan of the concrete.

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs, and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives, and distribution channels.

For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
With 2021 marking the centenary of the May 31, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a number of books are being released this year to commemorate what is regarded by many as one of the darkest events in American history, when white vigilantes torched a prosperous Black community in Tulsa, Okla. The offerings include five books for children, ranging from a picture book for the youngest readers to a wide selection for older readers, including graphic nonfiction, two historical narratives, and a YA novel.

While historians estimate that up to 300 Black people were murdered in Tulsa, Okla., on that Memorial Day weekend 100 years ago, and approximately 10,000 left homeless, relatively few Americans knew of the incident until it was depicted in two HBO series: The Watchmen in 2019 and Lovecraft Country in 2020. Not many accounts about it have been published for adult readers, and even fewer for children: Anna Myers wrote about it in a 2002 middle grade novel, Tulsa Burning (Walker & Co.).

The first book published this year inspired by the Tulsa Race Massacre was released in January: Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink (Feiwel and Friends). Earlier this year, Pink told PW that she learned of the massacre only two years ago and was inspired to write about it because of the redlining that is still prevalent to this day in cities across the U.S. Feiwel and Friends associate publisher Liz Szabla recalled that when Pink proposed a YA novel set during the massacre, she braced herself. What I didnt expect alongside the intense tragedy was a love story, she said, a book about young love and about the love of a place. Randi Pink felt that love so strongly that she included a chapter narrated by the town of Greenwood itself; it is one of the most beautiful pieces of prose Ive ever read.

As for the challenges of publishing a book for teen readers depicting the slaughter of 300 Black people, associate editor Foyinsi Adegbonmire maintains that young readers can handle learning about racial violence, explaining that while one might feel that one should wait until children are mature enough to discuss certain subjects, the younger they are the easier it is for them to learn, usually because they arent as stuck in their ways.

Also, she added, There are children who dont have the luxury of just learning about traumatic incidents because theyve lived or are living them. There were children who lived in Greenwood during the massacre. When their neighborhood was under attack, it wasnt like, Oh, theyre too young to go through this. When you work on childrens books, especially books like this, you have to find a way to not overwhelm young readers while also not downplaying the horrors of a particular incident. Its a constant balancing act and Randi found a way to do it.

In February, Lerner Publishing Group issued a picture book under its Carolrhoda Books imprint, Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Coopera native Oklahoman whose grandfather was an eyewitness to the massacre.

Like Adegbonmire, Weatherford believes that its never too early to raise an anti-racist. She wrote the first draft of Unspeakable while attending the 2018 National Council of Teachers of English conference, and pitched it to Carolrhoda associate editor Carol Hinz over breakfast one morning.

Two key challenges in producing a picture book on such a topic, Hinz explained, are deciding how much to tell readers in the text and how much to show in the illustrations. What makes this book work is the fact that it is not solely a book about the massacre, she said. Its also a testament to the glory of the Greenwood that once was. Carole spends the first half of the book recreating Greenwood prior to the massacre. In writing about the violence that took place, Hinz added, Weatherford is honest with readers about what happened but doesnt linger over it. And Coopers sepia-toned illustrations brilliantly highlight faces and emotions, letting us feel what happened while keeping the violence at a distance.

Another challenge, Hinz noted, was how to conclude a picture book about an event that simply does not have a happy ending. You need to be able to offer readers a bit of hope, she said, noting that Unspeakable winds up in the present, with a scene of Tulsas John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, which memorializes the massacre.

The young readers edition of The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Masacre of 1921, adapted by Hilary Beard from Tim Madigans 2001 account for adult readers (Holt, May), came into being because Henry Holt Books for Young Readers senior editor Kate Farrell viewed The Watchmen with her teenage son.

The opening scenes depicting the Tulsa massacre were so brutal, she recalled. My son asked me, Is this real history? This really happened? I told him I would find out, there must be a book we can read about it. Upon reading The Burning, Farrell said that she realized she did not understand the history of racism in the U.S., and I had grown up in a system that wanted it that way. I thought maybe if we could adapt this book for younger readers, and find the right person to do the adapting, wed have done something good.

Farrell acknowledged that she worried over every detail of the violence and brutality, and thought about the impact that each wordand certain words in particularmight have on a young reader. She praised the adaptation, saying that Beard gets to the heart of the matter in her introduction, when she writes: The fact that something is upsetting to us doesnt mean that we should not engage it. Facing the truth empowers us to understand ourselves, our neighbors, and our world more accurately; to make appropriate choices and decisions; to heal our past and present and build a more promising future. Together.

Another May release targeting teen readers, Across the Tracks: Remembering the Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street written by Alverne Ball and illustrated by Stacey Robinson (Abrams ComicArts), is being published in a graphic nonfiction format. The book was conceived last year, Megascope curator John Jennings told PW, when he and ComicArts founder Charles Kochman were engaged in conversation about the many diverse issues that have been negatively affecting American society. After Jennings noted that the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Masscare had just passed, Kochman suggested publishing a primer in graphic format to educate readers, while also celebrating the accomplishments of Greenwoods residents. We started putting together a proposal for a book that could come out before the centennial of the massacre, Jennings recalled.

While the greatest challenge for the publisher was confronting an extraordinarily tight production schedule, another major obstacle proved to be the dearth of either primary or secondary sources about the massacre.

Jennings also disclosed that another challenge was putting together the right creative team who would be sensitive to the content and have enough expertise and acumen as storytellers to get across the narrative without it focusing on the death and destruction. The goal was to make a hopeful book about the event, a book that was educational but uplifting in spite of all the systemic issues that still plague Black American citizens to this day.

Another childrens book commemorating the massacre will be released this fall: Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert (HarperCollins/Balzer +Bray, Oct.) is a nonfiction narrative by an author better known for writing fiction than nonfiction.

Colbert explained that she wrote Black Birds because, although she grew up in southwest Missouri, just three hours from Tulsa, she didnt know about the massacre until fairly recently.

After learning about it, Colbert told PW, I started thinking about all the vital historyparticularly Black American historythats been intentionally erased from American textbooks, and I knew I wanted to write a nonfiction book for young readers about the massacre and all the factors that contributed to it. Even though she found it emotionally difficult to research and write about such a traumatic incidentespecially since the issues of the past are so clearly tied to the issues were still dealing with todayshe also experienced such joy and pride writing about Greenwood and about the Black Tulsans who defended it against the marauders.

Like Colbert, Balzer + Bray executive editor Jordan Brown learned of the Tulsa Race Massacre as an adult. It wasnt just that he hadnt learned about it in any high school history class, he said, but its story and erasure paint a much more damning and complex portrait of the history of race in our country than what I was taught as a teenager. Black Birds felt like a vital subject for nonfiction aimed at readers whose ideas about our country are still being formed, he added. When the proposal for this book arrived in my inbox, we couldnt sign it fast enough.

One of the most intriguing challenges in producing such a book, Brown added, was that the consensus history students typically are taught in school had to be completely flipped to more accurately represent the events leading up to the massacre.

By placing BIPOC people at the center of the narrative, Brown noted, the history of Oklahomas statehood becomes a story about the injustice of land runs and the genocide and forced displacement of Native Americans. The history of the press in the early 20th century becomes a story about Black-owned newspapers and the counterpoint they provided to mainstream media coverage that often supported white supremacist groups and ideas.

Brown maintains that an accurate history of the Tulsa Race Massacre required a voice and an eye typically absent from this type of nonfiction. Fortunately for those readers who want to know what really happened that weekend, he added, Colbert is a writer more than capable of bringing a sure journalistic hand to the book while consistently reconfiguring whose perspectives and experiences are centered in discussions of history.

An earlier version of this story mischaracterized Jewell Parker Rhodes's 1997 novel, Magic City, which is a novel for adult readers.
Ingram Content Group is central to the contemporary publishing ecosystem, but the Tennessee-based, family-owned company is known for keeping a low profile. On the opening day of the U.S. Book Show, company chairman John Ingram and author Keel Hunt sat down with PW editorial director Jim Milliot to give publishing professionals a rare glimpse of the inner workings of the distributor, printer, and wholesaler.

Hunt, a former spokesperson for the company and author of The Family Business: How Ingram Transformed the World of Books, said that the companys quiet approach within the trade was part of an ethic created by John Ingrams father, Bronson, who founded the company and insisted on keeping it family-owned.

One of the chief reasons [he kept the company private] was that it would enable what I think was corporate patience, Hunt said. Without the demands of investors, he explained, the company was able to invest in initiatives that took time to develop.

Working in the company warehouses packing books from a young age, Ingram said he grew up observing how that patience benefitted the growth of the companys wholesale distribution business. Those experiences led him to believe that, when confronted with either-or situations in business, the best approach was to think in terms of either-and.

No aspect of the companys growth in the last two decades is more emblematic of embracing the either-and ethic than the rise of Lightning Source, Ingram Content Groups print-on-demand service. While the publishing industry was gripped in the 2000s by the idea that e-books would eradicate printan either-or situationIngram felt that Lightning Source could help publishers develop e-books while also printing on demand.

For seven years, the company endured losses that would have forced Ingram to abandon the idea if the business were publicly held. We took some real lumps there, he said. Today, however, Lightning Source is a central part of Ingram Content Groups success. Following the murder of George Floyd last June, increased demand for anti-racist titles led to widespread industry shortagesand as a result, during that month, Lightning Source printed 400,000 books. 50% of The New York Times bestseller list for softcover was basically supplied by us through print-on-demand, Ingram said.

While the company will continue to be quiet about its significant place in the trade, Ingram did share one glimpse of whats to come: the company plans to expand its global reach by opening a joint venture in the United Arab Emirates.
The pandemic has significantly accelerated the publishing industrys switch to working remotely, with publishing houses closing their offices seemingly overnight and employees acclimating to the digital workplace. Now, as mass vaccinations and Covid-19 rates decline, many are wondering: do we return to the office?

In the U.S. Book Show's opening professional panel, hosted by John Maher, news and digital editor at Publishers Weekly, experts discussed the many concerns surrounding the future of the publishing office, the best practices to help bring them back safely, and how the business has changed in an age of remote work.

[Surveys suggest that] 87% of employees want to retain the work flexibility found in the digital/work-from-home dynamic, said Tsedal Neeley, a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School and the author of Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding From Anywhere (HarperBusiness), while "68% want to return to in-person office spaces in some capacity. The disparity exists, but Neeley stresses that there is no one-stop solution: Choosing one or the other is easy, but the answerand futureis more complex. It is hybrid.

As a result of this change, there is an intense amount of pressure on publishers in terms of how they will pivot as the workplace of the past becomes increasingly challenged, if not obsolete. Flexibility is definitely the word of the moment, confirms Adrienne Vaughan, executive director and COO at Bloomsbury US. Enforcing a sense of flexibility will lead to balance.

Before the pandemic, the industry had already been questioning what the future of the office would look like; the acceleration of the virtual office due to Covid-19 has inadvertently aided in what would have been the industrys slow but eventual adoption of a more hybrid workplace model. Its a fantastic and exciting time to be in publishing, said Thad McIllroy, principle of The Future of Publishing. [Hybrid models] give the industry a chance to reach out to wider talent pools outside of the New York publishing landscape. The change wont happen quickly, but in two to three years, we are going to see changes.

Among those hybrid changes is the increasing popularity of hot desking, a system in which workers use whatever work space is available instead of having an assigned space. Employees bring their laptops and work in different locations, storing their stuff in a locker, explained Lorraine Shanley, president of Market Partners International. This idea has been in practice in various corners of the tech and advertising industry for years, In fact, hot desking was once called hoteling and, Neeley said, the practice goes as far back as 1976. Such publishers as HarperCollins will move toward a hot desking office model going forward, staggering employee in-office shifts to meet new Covid-19 related precautions and norms.

The advantages to a virtual and/or hybrid workplace for publishers is starting to come into a clear focus, with new advantages and opportunities to grow working relationships and implement management programs [to manage workplace culture], McIllroy noted. Still downsidesincluding the fear and anxiety that stems from sudden and drastic changeremain.

We are in the middle of a global pandemic, Neeley warns. Employees take the intensity into the workplace.

Though some groups are more affected than others, Neeley observed, the biggest concern is professional isolation, which affects staffers of all levels. Employees have less contact with the outside world. They become out of sync and out of touch, she said. An worry, she added, is employee burnout: On average, employees are working 6.8 hours more per week. The time saved on their commute is being replaced by work.

To the dispassionate eye of the employer, this might appear at first to be a good thing. But Neeley offered a disclaimer: this extra work is not good for the mental health of employees. Were working too much and were burning out, she said. We need to recalibrate. Hyperproductivity is productivity gone wrong.

The issue, the panelists agreed, is the ease with which boundaries between life and work are blurred. To combat this, companies need to step up and be more proactive. Human resource people have said that they have never talked to as many employees at a personal level as they have in the past year, Shanley said. And managers, Neeley added, specifically need to pay more attention to how their employees are doing.

When you have a distributed workforce, a hybrid workforce, you need to be a stronger leader, Neeley said. This is not the era for mediocre or ordinary leaders. She suggested, for instance, that managers actively check in on the mental health of those who directly report to them and consider it while assigning them tasks.

Another major question is that of "face time." The book business is built around personal working relationships, and networking between professionals from all sectors of the business is crucial. But has the pandemic put the final nail in the coffin of the famed three-martini lunch? And is that hurting staffers trying to get ahead?

For her part, Vaughan said that she has actually had richer conversations during the pandemic than before. But that, she said, is because she took such a proactive approach to networking and connecting with her staff to counteract the physical remoteness. We have to learn to adapt and build our empathy with new muscle, she said. We have to build an arsenal of networking skills that work both virtually and in-person.

The future of the publishing office, the panelists agreed, looks brighter than one might think considering the concerns. In fact, Neeley noted, decentralizing the office actually opens up more optionsboth to publishers and to those who would like to work for them.

The pipeline problem is a fallacy, Neeley says. Its about looking at the right pipes. If we are not wedded to a building or city, we can look for excellent and diverse talent, allowing them to thrive in their existing communities. And economically it helps too.
Two agents and two editors took up the subject of political books in the post-Trump era at the U.S. Book Show on Tuesday. Moderated by Jimmy So, editor of Columbia Global Reports at Columbia University, the wide-ranging conversation provided an in-depth look at perhaps the most heated issue in publishing in 2021.

The panel was held during a period featuring a growing backlash against the acquisition and publication of books by conservative leaders, including books by former Trump Administration officials that were rewarded with high advances. Senator Josh Hawleys book contract was rescinded by Simon & Schuster following the January 6 Capitol Riot, and contracts for former Vice President Mike Pence and presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway have drawn fire.

But the panelists were quick to widen the definition of political books. Simon and Schuster v-p and executive editor Eamon Dolan noted that the day the panel was held marked the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, and argued that readers needs for deeper understandings of political issues are widening.

Tanya McKinnon, principal at McKinnon Literary, said: I think people want political books because political books help them understand how those political forces are impacting their everyday lives and how were going to respond to some of these forces that feel very nefarious to us. That need for understanding is driving a broader interest in what McKinnon called the unprocessed history of the country.

Given the backlash against many of the new and forthcoming titles by former Trump administration officials and supporter, Keith Urbahn said that he has seen a shift in how publisher advances and contracts are being administered, especially given the events of January 6. The Javelin literary founder and president, who formerly served as chief of staff for Donald Rumsfeld when the latter was Secretary of Defense, has represented a number of conservative authors and said that those who insist on supporting the so-called Big Liethe falsehood that the election was stolen by Joe Bidenare finding it much harder to land contracts.

You cannot just get away, with a major publisher from the Big 5, with just telling your side of the story, Urbahn said. For those who were in the Trump administration, theyre being pressed in ways they werent before about confronting a culture of deceit and conspiracy theories.

Broadside Books v-p and editor Eric Nelson cautioned that when major publishers deplatform books by figures like Hawley, they may inadvertently fuel sales for those books while driving their authors toward fringe publishers that may not rigorously fact-check their books. (As a rule, fact-checking is not an industry standard, even for nonfiction titles published by major houses.) Referring to an unnamed earlier book by Donald Trump that was published by a major publisher, Nelson said the quality was comparatively high because he didnt write it and a professional editor edited it. Its much harder to write a whole book of craziness and get it past a mainstream publisher.

Nelson said that much of his work at Broadside, the HarperCollins conservative imprint, is about distinguishing between credible authors he wants to publish and ones who are not credible. While acknowledging that many of his colleagues do not share the views of his authors, he insisted that they agree with that approach. They understand that theres a difference between, Oh, I dont like [conservative commentator] Ben Shapiro and, oh, [conservative commentator] Candace Owens invents things daily. (The Poynter Institute's fact-checking service PolitiFact has fact-checked one comment by Shapiro and four by Owens; all five comments were deemed false.)

Dolan reflected on similar experiences in editing Pope Francis. While personally disagreeing with some of the Popes beliefs, Dolan said, they were able to craft a respectful and productive working relationship based around the truth and a willingness to edit and revise. Dolan also spoke to his own personal views about why he believes S&S should publish a forthcoming memoir by former Vice President Pence but not Hawley's book.

There is potential value in Pences status as an eyewitness, Dolan said, pointing to the fact that Pence was one of the few administration officials to serve out all four years with Trump. Im eager to see what were able to draw from that book, he added. By contrast, Dolan said that Hawleys response to the January 6 riot was a cause for serious concern: Whether he intended to incite violence is an open question, but many took it as such.

Regardless of the ethics, space has clearly opened up for political books in the marketplace, especially by conservatives. This is because, Nelson noted, books that informed whether or not Trump would be impeached are no longer being published, and because books by prominent Democrats are not filling the void.

So much of book buying demand depends on who is in the White House, Urbahn added in agreement. The Joe Biden approach is not lending itself to a lot of interest on the Democratic side. When you contrast it with the sugar high that was Donald Trump, it makes for less compelling reading.

McKinnon said that she believes books about the pandemic, and climate change, will be a draw for readers going forwardalong with the historical-political narratives she sees readers gravitating toward. Those books, she added, are a corrective to misunderstood events that people are eager to make sense of. Other panelists were in agreement, pointing in particular to the re-assessments of 9/11 that continued to be published for more than a decade after the terrorist attacks.

But as exposes continue to emerge about the Trump years, Urbahn said he expects books on the administration to continue to rise to the top, offering a deeper understanding of events that occurred at too-rapid a pace for people to process them. Just think about the last year, Urbahn said. A pandemic. Donald Trump almost died at Walter Reed 3 weeks before the election. You can only process that with hindsight, and you can only process that with a good guide.
Publishers Weekly has named the L.A.-based indie bookstore Eso Won Books its Bookstore of the Year. Simon & Schuster sales rep Toi Crockett has been named PW Sales Rep of the Year. The announcement was made the afternoon of May 25 during the inaugural U.S. Book Show.

In nomination letters from their colleagues in the publishing industry, Eso Won and Crockett were hailed not only for a mastery of their respective trades but their tireless and successful work in support of the American literary scene and those who sustain itfrom authors and booksellers to readers, schools, publishers, and literary organizations.

"Its truly a great honor to be named the bookstore of the year," said co-owner James Fugate who cofounded Eso Won with Tom Hamilton in 1990. The two accepted the award from their store's back office, surrounded by newly arrived books.

Crockett thanked her colleagues at S&S for their support. Its absolutely a group effort and without them and my family and friends, I wouldn't be here," she said

Cultivating Readers and Authors

Eso Wons place in the pantheon of American bookstores is difficult to overstate. The Black-owned independent bookstore has been a stop for authors including Spike Lee, Toni Morrison, and Isabel Wilkerson, and has made a practice of nurturing authors at the very beginning of their careers. In 1995, a young Barack Obama read at Eso Won from Dreams From my Father in front of an audience of five people. Obama never forgot Fugates willingness to host him "back when nobody knew who I was, or could pronounce my name."

Obama has made the store a priority stop ever since, and Hamilton praised the example he has set. "The fact that he keeps reading and trying to learn, I think thats what you want to show the public," Hamilton said. "You keep learning all your life, [and] you set a great example."

The stores selection as Bookstore of the Year comes on the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, to which Fugate referred in his remarks. "It is sort of bittersweet when you think that so many people saw what we have been talking about for years and years with the murder of George Floyd," he said. "But it made a tremendous difference at our store, and we thank you for honoring us this way.

Ellen Adler, publisher at the New Press, referred to the civil rights movement that followed Floyds murder when she told PW that Eso Won has long been one of the countrys preeminent Black-owned bookstores and, of course, was indispensable this past year. But thats nothing new: it has long been indispensableas those who are lucky enough to count it as their local bookstore or who have made the pilgrimage and had a visit well know.

Earlier this month, Fugate told PW how the bookstore has carved out its place at the heart of L.A.s intellectual and literary community. We have worked with local bookselling groups, been a part of the L.A. Times Book Fair, and done events to make sure that Eso Won was seen as not just a Black bookstore for Black people, but a Los Angeles bookstore in which everyone is welcome, Fugate said.

Fugate and Hamilton said they almost did not make it to 2021, thanking remainder dealer Powell's Books Chicago and the publishers Africa World Press, Black Classic Press, and Penguin Random House, all of which helped see the store through a challenging time 14 years ago. "We were really struggling, and those publishers really stuck by us," Fugate said.

A Sales Rep to Fight For

Simon & Schuster's reorganizations of its sales force in 2014 and 2018 sparked an outcry from bookstore accounts in the East. They did not want to lose Toi Crockett, a sales rep with 15 years of experience they said they could not bear to lose. While most of her accounts shifted west, a few stores' calls were heeded, with Crockett continuing to work with such East Coast stores as [Words] Bookstore in Maplewood, N.J.

In a PW profile earlier this month, the bookstores managing principal, Jonah Zimiles, called Crockett, consistently outstanding, and credited her honesty, integrity, and exceptional understanding of bookstores needs in boosting the bottom line at [Words] through increased sales and savings. Barbara Peters, owner of the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Ariz., told PW that Crockett has mastered the supply side, adding: She catches my errors, she suggests opportunities, and she seems to work 18/7 days.

For Crockett, books run in the family. Her late grandfather owned a bookstore on Chicagos South Side, and she grew up in a house full of books. To this day, she said, she is never not reading a book.

At the end of the awards presentation, there was even time for some conversation about books. Fugate said the book he was most looking forward to is Nikole Hannah-Jones's The 1619 Project (One World, Nov.), a book-length expansion of The New York Times project of the same name.

In signing off, Hamilton took a moment to thank the people who he said are most important in the ongoing success of the store, reserving his greatest praise for "all the great customers who have come in for many, many years."
While demand for TVs underwent a slowdown in China and Europe due to the onset of the cyclical downturn, quarterly TV sales in North America reached a historical high in Q1, according to research from TrendForce.

The analyst puts the quarterly trends down to the proliferation of the stay-at-home economy and US government-issued economic stimulus plans, such as the March 2021 handout of $1,400 cheques to most US citizens.

TV sales in North America propelled global TV shipment for Q1 to 49.96 million units, a 24.2% quarter on quarter decrease but an 11.5% year on year increase.

The gradual rise of TV set costs means companies are finding it difficult to offer peak season discounts. TrendForce is therefore revising its forecast of TV shipment for 2021 down to 221 million units.

The extended lead times for TV panels and other TV set components this year resulted in discrepancies in the supply of various materials for TV brands and ODMs/OEMs. As such, lead times for TV sets were extended, causing some shipments to be deferred to Q2. In this light, TrendForce is revising its forecast of TV shipment for Q2 up to 52.38 million units, a 4.8% quarter on quarter increase.

However, as prices of TV panels have been skyrocketing for the past year, most brands are finding their line-ups of mid-sized and small-sized TVs (43-inch and under) unprofitable. Brands have thus begun focusing on larger-sized and therefore more profitable products instead since the start of Q2.

TrendForce also believes that even though brands have been adjusting their offerings in this way, most of them lack killer products that are capable of significantly improving these brands shipment performances in the peak season. Hence, TV shipment for H2 is expected to undergo a 6.7% decrease YoY. TrendForce is revising its forecast of TV shipment for 2021 from 223 million units down to 221 million units, with the latter figure representing a 2% increase year on year, which is 0.8% lower than previously forecasted.
Coronavirus

Berks at 190,000 residents with at least 1 shot

About 190,000 Berks County residents so far are part of the COVID vaccination process
Reading

Pagoda crackdown

Reading will fine and arrest people gathering at Pagoda if they break the law
Crime

Man arrested after multicounty crime spree

Suspect stole several vehicles in a 1-afternoon multi-county crime spree, state police say

He had been sought last week by police in Bethel Township
In the middle of March 2020  dark times, never to be forgotten  most governors made a fateful error. In the midst of a disease panic, leading to political panic, fueled by media pressure, and pushed by a scientific elite voracious to try out a new experiment on the human population, governments decided to scrap basic rights and liberties to control a virus.

The virus did its thing anyway, and we are now left with the carnage one would expect from a draconian shutdown of normal life functioning.

Politicians are unskilled at admitting error. After all, the dominant message throughout their career is usually that they know better than you how to manage life on earth. Why else would they be in charge? A recognition of a massive blunder, followed by an apology, conflicts with that message. Plus admitting error means taking responsibility for the enormous collateral damage of lockdowns. That they cannot do.

Some governors got fed up early and dialed it back, without much explanation. Others took more time. Only one, Ron DeSantis of Florida, openly acknowledged the enormous error. Most of the rest have cited vaccines and improved case conditions as the reason for scrapping stringencies such as capacity limits, crowd limits, and mandatory masking.

The major problem from early on in this pandemic has been how to undo the calamity while saving face. There never was an exit plan. Emancipating people from tyranny introduces a risk that people will start asking fundamental questions about why any of this needed to happen. Thus does one need to craft an excuse extremely carefully.

This is especially true of the Centers for Disease Control, which has been responsible for a messaging mess from the very beginning. There are people there who believe in the eliminationist strategy, which implicitly discounts the efficacy of both natural immunity and vaccines, on grounds that total suppression is better. It is because of them and others in this camp that Dr. Fauci and so many others continued to mask up even after being vaccinated. Anything to keep the panic alive.

But pressured by an angry and confused public  whats the point of immunity if we still cant be normal?  the CDC on May 13, 2021, suddenly reversed course. Its easy to see why in retrospect. Too many states had already eliminated the mask mandate without severe consequences. Cases and deaths kept declining, even more dramatically without masks than with them. The CDC had to act to save face.

How did the CDC do this without embarrassment? In allowing people to remove masks, they carefully distinguished between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated  clean and unclean, touchable and untouchable. Outdoors or indoors, the masks can go for those who took the jab. Everyone else  dont talk about natural immunity  must stay masked.

The next day, even Dr. Fauci was speaking confidently about the ability of the jabbed to live a normal life. It was an amazing switch, coming only a month or two after we had been told to double mask and never risk travelling or being in indoor public settings.

An odd feature of this new directive of course was that we have no national proof of vaccination. Most states will not go there. Such passports have been banned in state after state given the threat to privacy and the basic principle of universal rights. The CDCs announcement, then, almost immediately led to a national demasking. Not in all places but most. The entire country began to decompress from its year-long hell.

But there was a huge problem with the excuse for all of this. There is no vaccine for children, whose risk of severe outcomes from Covid is close to zero. Nor is there evidence that children commonly spread the disease to adults. There simply is no case for their masking. Still, thats what they did for the better part of a year. Kids were denied the ability to look at each others faces. They were being denied a normal life, in ways that I feel sure will shock future historians.

So given the CDCs directive, can the kids take off their masks? Recall the excuse for demasking: the vaccine. Such is not available for children nor is it obvious why there should be. Still, given that, and in order to stay consistent with the CDCs thinking on this, they ended up in a preposterous place. Adults in the community went mask free while the children were still forced to mask up, all so the adults at the CDC could remain consistent with their directive.

Two days following the new CDC mask guideline, the agency announced the following: CDC recommends schools continue to use the current COVID-19 prevention strategies for the 2020-2021 school year. If prevention strategies are strictly adhered to, K12 schools can safely open for in-person instruction and remain open. Further from Dr. Fauci: The children do [need masks] when theyre out there playing with their friends, particularly in an indoor situation, they do.

That announcement was a bridge too far. School board meetings had already come to be dominated by parents furious at the masking requirement. Those parents and kids were featured on evening news shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight. Also, many governors cried bullocks. Texass governor issued an executive order banning masks in school  a direct poke in the eye to the medical bureaucracy. Iowa did the same. Moves along those lines are afoot in Arkansas, Florida, and South Carolina.

If your kids are still masked up in school, along with all the attendant frustrations and confusions, you can thank the CDC  not its scientific reasoning but rather its political positioning. Only the vaccinated can take off the mask. There are no vaccines for children. Quod erat demonstrandum.

On a personal note  and I do wonder if you agree  Ive felt a sense of heartbreak for a full year, whenever I am shopping or out and about and see young children masked up. What message are they getting from this protocol? That people are pathogens, their breath is potentially poisonous, the world is a terrifying and dangerous place, that their very presence in the world is a health threat to everyone.

I just cannot imagine what it would be like to be a young child having lived through the last year. Kids are robust and recover from awful things but I do wonder what kind of lifelong trauma this past year introduced to their lives.

The CDCs directives on masking kids is a paradigmatic example of cruelty wrought upon the most vulnerable by virtue of intellectual pretension, political maneuvering, and a face-saving unwillingness to admit past error. Those who would sacrifice the well-being of kids to save their own pride have no business purporting to guard public health.
EQS Group-Ad-hoc: Medacta Group SA / Key word(s): AGMEGM

Medacta announces the results of today's Annual General Meeting



25-May-2021 / 19:00 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Press Release

Medacta announces the results of today's Annual General Meeting

CASTEL SAN PIETRO, 25 May 2021 - Medacta Group SA ("Medacta", SIX:MOVE) today announced that its Shareholders approved all proposals made by the Board of Directors at today's Annual General Meeting ("AGM").

Today's AGM was held without the physical participation of Shareholders, in accordance with the provisions as stipulated in the Ordinance of the Federal Council of Switzerland on the policies for combatting the coronavirus (COVID-19 Ordinance 3). Shareholders were asked to exercise their voting rights by giving a power of attorney and related instructions to the independent proxy, either by returning the proxy form or by exercising their voting rights online.

The meeting took place at Medacta's headquarters in Castel San Pietro (TI) in the presence of the independent proxy Fulvio Pelli, Medacta's Chairman, Dr. Alberto Siccardi, Medacta's CEO, Francesco Siccardi, and the Secretary of the Board, Donato Cortesi. A total of 17'766'606 shares were represented by the independent proxy, corresponding to approximately 89% of Medacta's share capital.

At this year's AGM, Dr. Alberto Siccardi, Maria Luisa Siccardi Tonolli, Victor Balli, Riccardo Braglia and Philippe Weber were each re-elected as members of the Board of Directors for one-year term of office and Dr. Alberto Siccardi was re-elected as chairman of the Board. Medacta's Shareholders also re-elected Philippe Weber and Riccardo Braglia as members of the Remuneration Committee for a term of one year.

Further proposals by the Board of Directors that were approved at today's AGM included the following:

- The approval of Management Report, the Annual Statutory Financial Statements and the Consolidated Financial Statements for the financial year 2020;

- The approval of Remuneration Report for the financial year 2020;

- The approval of the appropriation of available earnings as of 31 December 2020 of Medacta Group SA for the financial year 2020;

- The discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Management;

- The re-election of the independent proxy and the auditors;

- The maximum aggregate compensations of the Board of Directors and the members of the Executive Management.

The minutes of the 2021 AGM will be available in due course at:

https://www.medacta.com/EN/agm.





Contact

Medacta International SA

Gianna La Rana, Head of Investor Relations

Phone: +41 91 696 14 95

investor.relations@medacta.ch



About Medacta

Medacta is an international company specializing in the design, production, and distribution of innovative orthopaedic products, as well as in the development of accompanying surgical techniques. Established in 1999 in Switzerland, Medacta is active in joint replacement, spine surgery, and sports medicine. Medacta is committed to improving the care and well-being of patients and maintains a strong focus on healthcare sustainability. Medacta's innovation, forged by close collaboration with surgeon leaders globally, began with minimally invasive surgical techniques and has evolved into personalized solutions for every patient. Through the M.O.R.E. Institute, Medacta supports surgeons with a comprehensive and tailored program dedicated to the advancement of medical education. Medacta is headquartered in Castel San Pietro, Switzerland, and operates in over 40 countries.
Traverse City, MI (49684)

Today

Cloudy in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High near 80F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Palm Beach County: additional cases and more deaths. The county now has confirmed cases and deaths, including non-residents.

Broward County: additional cases and more deaths. Broward has a known total of cases and deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The death tally includes non-residents.

Miami-Dade County: additional cases and new deaths. The county now has confirmed cases and deaths, including non-residents.
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 91F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly before midnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 79F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Two police officers were transported to the hospital after suffering medical emergencies while conducting a search of a vehicle that was impounded at the Hinsdale Police Department. Hinsdale police Chief Charles Rataj told the Reformer the two officers have been medically cleared to return to duty.
We want to have a blockbuster there every week. Thatll help us pay the rent. And to stay true to our roots, we want to have a foreign film there, an American independent and a gay film, von Hausch says, crediting senior program director Bonnie Adams for checking a lot of the boxes on opening weekend.
Beckley, WV (25801)

Today

Thunderstorms likely in the morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms before midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Liz Cheney caught Republican hell for doing one good thing.

The Wyoming representative earlier this month was ousted from her perch in the partys leadership for daring to suggest the election was not rigged against former President Trump. In the weeks leading up to the vote to strip her of her standing as the third-most-powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, Cheney was attacked by her former allies, from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) saying hed lost confidence in her during a hot-mic moment on Fox News, to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) flying to Wyoming to hold an anti-Cheney rally in front of her own constituents. (This was before news broke that Gaetz is under federal investigation for sex-trafficking a 17-year-old.)

The attacks scored Cheney some points with the anti-Trump crowd, but lets review what actually happened here: She cleared the extremely low bar of acknowledging the legitimacy of a legitimate presidential election.

What Cheney is not willing to do is protect the legitimacy of the next election. Specifically, shes not willing to oppose a spate of GOP-backed proposals that are exploiting Trumps massive lie about 2020 to make it more difficult to vote in every election thereafter.

During a recent appearance on Axios on HBO, Cheney attempted to insulate this legislation from Trump by refusing to draw any connection between the former presidents drive to convince Americans their election systems are rigged and the ensuing rash of Republican bills to make it more difficult for people to vote in Georgia, Texas, and dozens of other states.

I think you have to look at the specifics of each one of those efforts, she said when Jonathan Swan pressed her on whether there was a connection. I think everybody should want a situation and a system where people who ought to be able to vote and have the right to vote can vote, and people who dont, shouldnt.

.@jonathanvswan presses @RepLizCheney on her defense of restrictive voting laws. Swan: You don't see any linkage between Trump saying the election's stolen and Republicans rushing to put in place these restrictive voter laws? #AxiosOnHBO pic.twitter.com/gN0pS0baqu  Axios (@axios) May 23, 2021

Republicans trying to ensure that the people who ought to be able to vote represent their own interests is nothing new, but in the wake of the 2020 election theyve been selling new, restrictive voting bills largely by claiming Americans no longer have faith in their voting systems. This lack of faith has been brought about, of course, by Trumps repeated claims that these election systems are rigged.

As Swan points out, even Georgias Republican lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, admitted that the states new voting legislation didnt pick up steam until Rudy Giuliani started railing about how the election was fraudulent. This is really the fallout from the 10 weeks of misinformation that flew in from former President Donald Trump, Duncan told CNN of the voting bill. I went back over the weekend to really look at where this really started to gain momentum in the legislature, and it was when Rudy Giuliani showed up in a couple of committee rooms and spent hours spreading misinformation and sowing doubt across, you know, hours of testimony.

Cheneys interview with Axios serves as a reminder that even though she expressed regret for voting for Trump last November, theres probably a reason she only chose to stop supporting one of the most destructive presidents in American history when it became clear he was on his way out of office. Former Rep. Justin Amash, one of the only Republicans to break from Trump during his term, stressed this point during a recent interview on the Axe Files podcast. We had four years where she could have stood up and said, Theres a problem here. What Donald Trump is doing is wrong,' Amash said. I think this effort to turn her into some sort of hero is a bit misguided.
DANBURY  City police say they are cracking down on illegal motorcycle and ATV riders following the arrest of two local men over the weekend. Police made another arrest earlier this month in a similar situation.

Now, the city itself could create tougher penalties for those who drive ATVs, mini bikes and similar unregistered vehicles on Danburys streets, Mayor Joe Cavo said.

For the health, safety and welfare of our public, were going to have to step in and do something about it, he said.

At City Councils meeting in June, Cavo plans to ask the council to reappoint an old committee that had looked at creating an ordinance to deal with this problem.

Complaints have increased recently as the weather has warmed, but this has been an issue thats waxed and waned in various pockets of the city over the years, he said.

Youre not going to see somebody joyriding a mini motorcycle on Main Street in the middle of December, Cavo said. Its the time of year. Its the temperature. Its the sunshine. Its springtime.

As the former council president, Cavo headed this committee himself about five years ago, but the groups work stalled when members waited for sample ordinances for other communities, he said. The new committee will study what other towns and cities in Connecticut and other states have done, he said.

The arrests over the weekend involve a 24-year-old Horseshoe Drive resident and 18-year-old Thorpe Street resident, police announced Sunday.

In both incidents the operators were observed riding wheelies, police said. It was unclear if the two men were arrested together or in separate incidents.

Both were charged with reckless driving, riding without a motorcycle endorsement, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle. The 24-year-old man was also charged with driving with a suspended license.

Police said they are continuing to crack down on large groups of illegal motorcycles and ATVs being operated on city streets in the downtown area.

Cities around the state have reported concerns about large groups of riders on dirtbikes and ATVS, which are not registered or designed to be ridden on the street.

In Connecticut, legally riding a motorcycle on public roads requires an endorsement on the riders drivers license. Like many states, the process involves a safety course and knowledge and skills tests.

All-terrain vehicles need to be registered with the state unless theyre being driven only on the owners private property. ATVs are prohibited from being ridden on the street except to cross public roads.

In Bridgeport, city police attached to the state police gang unit have targeted riders on bikes and quads illegally riding on city streets. During an arrest of a group of riders, police said one of them fled and then came back to curse at police and driving recklessly on city sidewalks attempting to draw their attention. The rider was also allegedly captured standing on a Bridgeport police cruiser, police said.

In New Haven, groups of riders on dirt bikes and quads routinely turn out, pulling wheelies and riding on sidewalks around street traffic. The city alders passed an ordinance with fines of up to $2,000 for repeat-offending riders last year. The local rule also includes penalties for service station owners who sell riders gas.

Staff writer Julia Perkins contributed to this report.
LITCHFIELD  While life is filled with unpredictability , there is a staple in the borough of Bantam  the American Legion Tyler Seward- Kubish Post 44s Veteran of the Month Program.

Through the program, which is not federally funded, Post 44 holds a ceremony that has been taking place the first Saturday of every month since 1989, in person and including throughout the pandemic.

The purpose of the ceremony is to honor deceased veterans for their service. The programs slogan is We do not mourn their deaths. We honor their lives.

World War II U.S. Army Sgt. Robert J. ONeil will be honored in the 380th Veteran of the Month Ceremony at 10 a.m. June 5at the All Wars Memorial in front of the Bantam Cemetery on Route 202. After the service, there will be a coffee and social hour at Bantam Borough Hall. The public is invited.

While the ceremony is usually only held outdoors from April to October, at the beginning of COVID-19, it was outdoors every month, according to Morris resident John Lilley, 80, Post 44s second vice commander. Lilley, a veteran himself who served two tours in Vietnam, got involved with the ceremony with the programs original group of founders.

Honoring veterans

When families express interest in honoring a veteran, they complete an application through Post 44, and submit information.

We have a team of investigators and writers who then research and interview others who may have known the veteran, and we develop a story, Lilley said.

When a veteran is then honored, the 40-minute ceremony is, for the most part, the exact same one created by the programs founders. It begins with a military bugle call, there is a pledge of allegiance, and a burial flag hanging on the pole from the veteran honored the prior month is lowered. When the flag comes down, a tribute to the veterans life is read.

We tell his story  where he was born, who his parents were, where he went to school, what type of education he had, at what point he entered the service, where his training was, and when he was discharged, Lilley said.

While the veterans service is what the event is about, its not the full story of the veteran, according to Lilley.

A individual is what he made of his life after, Lilley said. That individual served his time. He was a young man, he was 18 years old, hes invincible. He goes off and fights a war and comes home. Then hes got to get real. He gets a wife and three kids, he gets obligations. How did he handle that and what did he do? Lilley said. That story is what makes it interesting.

Aside from the service, at every ceremony theres also a history table devoted to the veteran being honored, where items that belonged to him are displayed.

Each veterans burial flag flies for 30 days in front of Bantams Our Lady of Grace Church and Bantam Public Cemetery on Route 202, before being returned to the care of his family.

The veterans write-ups are placed in a book, which is kept by Post 44. The ceremony is currently booked through March of 2022.

For the past seven years, with the exception of 2020, members of Litchfield High Schools National Honor Society attend the ceremony and help at its coffee hour.

Lilley said he finds young people get a lot out of the service.

They are amazed with the veterans and their stories of what they gave up, of what they committed to, of what they did. The education system doesnt tell them that a whole generation had to set aside its lives to fight World War II, Lilley said. Its something that broadens their perspective on history, their family and their community that isnt taught in school. Its something you have to absorb by being there.

While veterans from all over the U.S. have been honored in the ceremonies, in most cases, the veteran has usually lived in the Litchfield area at one time.

Those who fly in for the ceremony usually have their family reunion tied into it, according to Lilley, and stay in the area for some time  catching up with one another.

Program history

The Veterans of the Month Program was initially established around the deceased veterans flags.

From the Civil War on, the flag was returned to the family. Its the only remembrance they had of the deceased one, Lilley said. The flag was folded in a tri-fold or put in a bureau drawer or a trunk, and generations forgot about it. Then, when it time to clean the attic, they went to the dump.

But an original member of Post 44 came up with the idea of reactivating the flag, to retell the veterans story and honor him one more time, Lilley said.

The original group of founders was very committed and worked very hard to make the ceremony happen each month, according to Lilley.

It became the center or focus of the Post 44 American legion post, he said. It became the region the post exists and the mainstay of the veterans organization in Bantam.

Bantam's Memorial Day Parade

The Bantam Memorial Day Parade will step off with the sound of Cannon fire as the First Litchfield Artillery sounds the call at 1p.m. on Sunday May 30. Forming on Doyle road, the parade will proceed to the All Wars Memorial at Bantam Cemetery where Tyler Seward Kubish Post 44 of the American Legion will hold a memorial service.

The keynote speaker will be Connecticut 66th District Representative David T. Wilson. Bantam hospitality follows as marchers are treated to all American hotdogs, soda and Arethusa ice cream at the Bantam Borough Hall.

sfox@milfordmirror.com
WASHINGTON (AP)  The federal government will issue cybersecurity regulations in the coming days for U.S. pipeline operators following a ransomware attack that led to fuel shortages across much of the Eastern Seaboard.

The Transportation Security Administration, which oversees the nation's network of pipelines, is expected to issue a security directive this week that will address some of the issues raised by the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

The directive will include a requirement that pipeline companies report cyber incidents to the federal government, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not yet been publicly released.

It addresses, to an extent, the ransomware attack that led to the shutdown of the pipeline this month, but it also reflects a broader Biden administration focus on cybersecurity after a series of damaging intrusions by overseas hackers.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm any specifics of the pending directive, issuing a statement that said TSA and another component of the agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, are working with private companies to address cyber threats. The Biden Administration is taking further action to better secure our nations critical infrastructure, it said.

The directive, first reported by The Washington Post, is expected to prompt concern, if not outright opposition, from private operators wary of increased government regulation.

The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and gas industry, said in a statement that its members are working with the administration to develop reporting policies and that any new regulations should include reciprocal information sharing and liability protections.

Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and former executive director of the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission, said federal officials have told him the pipeline order will have two stages.

The first will immediately mandate that any cybersecurity incidents are reported to the federal government, while the second, coming later, would require that pipeline companies complete a self-assessment of their cybersecurity systems for known vulnerabilities.

Its a good step, Montgomery said. But we need this applied more broadly so that all our national critical infrastructure is at a higher level.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, speaking earlier at a news conference about the recovery in domestic air travel as the pandemic eases in the U.S., did not mention the security directive but said his agency was working with the private sector to improve cyber hygiene to prevent attacks and ensure that businesses can more easily withstand them if their defenses fail.

I have spoken well before the pipeline cyber attack that ransomware is one of the greatest cyber security threats that we face in the United States," Mayorkas said.

There are more than 2.7 million miles of pipeline transporting oil, other liquids and natural gas around the U.S. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the potential risk to this network, which has grown in recent years with increasing reliance on computerized systems and electronic data that are vulnerable to cyber attacks and intrusion.

The extent of the risk became apparent when Colonial Pipeline was targeted in a ransomware attack that prompted the company to shut down a system that delivers about 45% of the gasoline consumed on the East Coast. The halt to fuel supplies for nearly a week led to panic-buying and shortages at gas stations from Washington, D.C., to Florida.

The company, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, later disclosed it paid a ransom of $4.4 million to retrieve access to its data from the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems.

The FBI has linked the ransomware to a Russian-speaking criminal syndicate known as DarkSide. President Joe Biden has said the administration has strong reason to believe the criminals are living in Russia.

While the Colonial Pipeline attack shows there is much more work to be done to protect the nations pipelines and other critical infrastructure from cyber attacks, this TSA security directive is a major step in the right direction towards ensuring that pipeline operators are taking cybersecurity seriously and reporting any incidents immediately," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee.

-

Associated Press writer Alan Suderman contributed from Richmond, Virginia.
She said Cernech was recruited for the job because he is excellent at what he does and she wont be surprised if he leaves, because of the current climate on the commission. There are people who seem to be gunning for him, she said of her colleagues.
VERNON  Officials are trying to locate a vehicle involved in a Sunday night crash that resulted in a man sustaining serious injuries, according to police.

Officials responded to the Sunday crash on Route 83 around 11:13 p.m., according to a release from Vernon police. Police say an initial investigation showed a vehicle hit a blue Toyota Corolla, which was heading northbound, from behind.
3 1 of 3 Contributed / Waterbury Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed / Waterbury Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





WATERBURY  Police are asking for the publics help to locate a city woman who allegedly struck another woman with her car after a fight, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

Waterbury police said they have obtained an arrest warrant charging the driver, 35-year-old Stacy Edwards with first-degree criminal attempt at manslaughter and reckless driving. Edwards, who has not been apprehended by authorities yet, also faces charges of evading responsibility, third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace, police said.
NORWALK  As investigators search for the culprit behind last weeks fatal shooting at Colonial Village, police are taking steps to increase security at the public housing complex.

More than a dozen officers in recent days have been assigned to patrol the streets surrounding Colonial Village, which is located off Connecticut Avenue, according to a department log tracking police activity in the city.

Police have been a near constant presence in the area since 19-year-old Timothy Cantey was shot just after noon on Thursday in the 100 block of Suncrest Road. Cantey, a South Norwalk resident, died the next morning at Norwalk Hospital.

On Monday, officers from the police departments community policing unit toured the complex with housing authority officials to discuss potential security upgrades, according to Adam Bovilsky, the authoritys director.

As a result of the meeting with police, Bovilsky said the authority plans to install surveillance cameras and additional lighting to help deter criminal activity. He said the cameras will be directly accessible by police.

The recent events in Colonial Village are of grave concern to the Norwalk Housing Authority, Bovilsky said. We are hoping that these are isolated incidents and that there's no continued criminal activity on the property.

A police department spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

Police have released few details about the shooting, but in a statement last week, a spokesperson for the department described it as a targeted attack.

The investigation, now a homicide investigation, is active and ongoing. Detectives believe that the attack was not random, but targeted, and continue to follow all possible leads, Norwalk police said in a statement on Friday.

Police have not offered a motive behind the shooting, and no one has been charged in connection with Canteys death.

The shooting marks at least the third time police have been called to Colonial Village for reports of gunfire in the last year.

Last December, a man in his early 20s was shot in the leg. At the time, police described the mans injuries as minor. In August, several vehicles at the complex were damaged in an apparent drive-by shooting, but no one was injured.

Colonial Village, which was built in 1951, is undergoing a major renovation. The housing authority is in the process of upgrading each of the existing 200 units with new kitchens, bathrooms and porches.

As soon as next summer, the authority will begin expanding the housing complex onto a nearby plot of vacant land. The latest plans call for the construction of a new community center and 69 apartments, including 18 one-bedroom units. The expansion, Bovilsky said, is aimed at alleviating Norwalks housing shortage.

Last year, as the housing authority sought city approval for the planned expansion, some Colonial Village neighbors suggested more low-income housing in the area would lead to an uptick in crime.

But Bovilsky noted the expanded housing complex will feature on-site management and a mix of deed-restricted workforce housing, affordable apartments and market-rate units.

When you deconcentrate poverty, there's all kinds of positive outcomes, he said. And one of those can be a reduction in crime.

richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com
We would love for you to join us to share your memories of Daryl with family and friends. Daryls full obituary can be view at http://www.myersmortuary.com/ A celebration of life will be held from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on 2021-06-27 at Fraternal Order of Eagles , 2140 N Lebanon St, Lebanon, IN 4
At the end of his visit to FEMA, Biden addressed agency employees and thanked them for their efforts in recent months. In addition to natural disasters, FEMA is playing a central role in the federal governments effort to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in hard-to-reach areas of the country. The agency in March was also called to help support the processing of the surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S. southern border.
Tradition tells us that, come the midterms, the presidents party loses seats in the House. If this tradition holds in 2022, that could be bad news for Democrats, whose House majority now stands at only nine seats.

But history of late doesnt seem to be commandeering the drivers seat. Right after Joe Biden turned Georgia blue, Politico confidently stated that to win the states two Senate runoffs on Jan. 5, the Democratic Party will have to defy a long track record of failure in overtime elections. So everyone believed, Democrats included. Everyone was wrong.

Special elections tend to produce low turnout, and former president Donald Trump wasnt on the ballot to motivate Democrats to show up. But while Trump wasnt on the ballot, he was in voters heads. Democrats took both seats.

And that was the day before Trump sent his goons on a rampage at the Capitol. Rather than outrightly condemning that violent attack on the democracy, Republicans are trying to downplay a horror Americans saw with their own eyes. Rather than evict the man who incited it from party leadership, Republicans have doubled down in demanding servile obedience to the toxic figure now walking the corridors at Mar-a-Lago.

As a result, Trump will still be in the voters heads come Nov. 8, 2022. And the party-turned-personality cult seems to be ignoring how unlovable most voters find its object of adoration. Or perhaps it doesnt know.

The National Republican Congressional Committee recently withheld internal polling showing weak Trump support in key swing districts. His unfavorable ratings were 15 points higher in these districts than his favorable ones. (Recall also that Trump left office with an approval rating below 40 percent, the lowest for a first-term president since Jimmy Carter.)

One imagines that as the 2022 election approaches, Republicans in swingable districts will say the party has moved beyond Trump. The evidence so far says otherwise.

A Gallup poll from February found that Americans favorable opinion of the Republican Party had fallen to 37%, while 48 percent saw the Democratic Party in a positive light. It also reported that a record-high 63% of Republicans supported a third party, as opposed to 46% of Democrats. And though 68% of Republicans wanted Trump to remain party leader, only 47% of Republican-leaning independents  less than half  felt that way.

Meanwhile, the midterm tradition isnt unbreakable. In 2002, the party of then-President George W. Bush took another eight seats in the House and two in the Senate. Those elections took place about a year after the trauma of 9/11. The next midterms are scheduled about a year after another national trauma, the COVID-19 pandemic, the end of which President Joe Biden will have presided over.

In 2022, Democrats will be defending only seven House seats in districts Trump won. No Senate seat in a state that voted for Trump will be up for grabs. And the economy is expected to continue booming.

Republicans had a way out with Liz Cheney, a rock-ribbed conservative from Wyoming willing to condemn Trump for his efforts to cancel the will of the voters and for stoking the insurrection. But no, the cult turned Cheney into the enemy rather than a path for renewed respectability.

Some Republican operatives may hope that the voters will have relegated the Jan. 6 outrage to the past. Good luck with that. A leadership that, six months after the election  four months after the riot  still wont concede that Trump lost will have a hard time rewriting that vivid history by next year. In any case, Trump wont let them. And neither will Democrats.

(Harrop is a writer for

Creators Syndicate)
Frankly, Ive never understood why face masks were such a big deal. Theres a deadly viral disease abroad in the land; it spreads through aerosolized particles emitted when people talk, sneeze or breathe heavily, particularly in crowded, indoor spaces. It seemed only a matter of common sense and common courtesy to wear a mask at the grocery store.

I dont like wearing socks, either. But if they protected me, the people I love and Maggie the Kroger pharmacist from intensive care or the graveyard, Id wear two pairs at a time. What persuaded me was that in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks were still hard to find, Maggie sewed them for the whole pharmacy staff. Id already learned to trust her judgment.

Possibly the dumbest non-Trump moment during the whole COVID-19 saga (ingested bleach lately?) was when a crowd of fools in Idaho made a spectacle of themselves burning face masks to express their vigilant opposition to ... well, to what? The existence of viruses? The reality of the pandemic? The tyranny of public health departments?

Politicians prating about lost liberty over face mask requirements struck me as similarly childish. The government also requires me to wear pants in public. Is that an infringement of my First Amendment right as an American to exhibit my posterior?

Nowhere near as dumb, because essentially harmless, are the many Americans who vow to continue wearing face masks pretty much forever. Theres a meme going around on Facebook asking people if they plan to ditch the fool things in the wake of the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (admittedly clumsy) pronouncement that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need them.

See, the datas in: The vaccines work.

So far, more than a million fraidy-cats affirm that they plan to go masked indefinitely: MAGA hats for Democrats. Ever in search of ratings-building controversy, CNN news personalities have taken to pretending that the CDC guidelines are deeply confusing and potentially dangerous.

No, theyre not. And yes, even the most dedicated worrywarts will gradually shed their masks in coming weeks, as wearing one makes you look like a hopeless dork and CNN moves on to the next damned thing.

Even my wife  a worrywart if ever one was  will eventually lose every mask she owns and neglect to replace them. Well be finding them in couch cushions and under ottomans for months. She forgot her mask at our favorite (outdoor) pizza place the other night, and I said nothing. See, Id accidentally left mine in the car.

Everybody at our table was long-vaccinated, so what was the point?

But Ill keep going masked into the Kroger store for as long as they ask. So will everybody else. Its no big deal. Thats why all this TV chatter about a one-size-fits-all national policy is beside the point. We live in a strong blue enclave in the deep-red state of Arkansas. Locally, compliance with commonsense mask mandates has been strong.

Out in the boondocks, however, its a different story. The New York Times interactive coronavirus tracker tells me that rural Perry County, where we lived until fairly recently, is at high risk for infection. Our friend Maurice says that nobody but him wears a mask at the filling station/feed store that serves as a community hub. As a former college professor, people expect him to be eccentric.

However, there have also been no COVID deaths and no new cases countywide for several weeks running. So you can almost understand why only 30% of citizens there have been vaccinated. Most residents of the county are cows.

Vaccine hesitancy doesnt shock me. Apparently misled by Walter Winchell  the Tucker Carlson of his day  my own sainted mother refused to let me be vaccinated against polio. She had a superstitious nature and mistrusted expertise of all kinds. I finally got the shot after joining the Peace Corps.

Back here in town, masking customs have been evolving steadily since the vaccine arrived. For months, protocol at outdoor restaurants has been to wear one until you sit down, and then remove it. Pretty much the same custom now prevails at indoor restaurants that have recently reopened. Call me reckless, but I have never worn a mask during our daily dog park outing, merely kept my distance, as most people there do.

Dogs, not so much.

Compared to most people, dealing with the pandemic has been fairly easy for my wife and me. Ive worked at home for many years, and shes retired. Weve always preferred each others company to anybody elses. We both read a lot, and I watch ballgames on TV. Since getting our shots last February, weve been plodding along like two box turtles emerging from hibernation.

Take a few steps, pause, and then take a few more: the only national masking policy we really need.

(Lyons is a writer for

United Feature Syndicate)
POTTSVILLE  A group of former parishioners and continuing supporters of the closed Mary, Queen of Peace Roman Catholic Church has submitted an appeal to keep the church as a worship center.

The appeal was submitted in person to the chancery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown on Friday. The diocesan Communications Director Paul Wirth confirmed that the appeal was received and will be reviewed.

During the weekend of May 1-2, it was announced the church would be permanently closed on May 14 and put up for sale. The former parish was merged into St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in 2008 when the diocese consolidated many parishes due to lack of priests and declining members.

Since the merger, the building was only used for the celebration of Mass on the patronal day of Aug. 15. It was also used if requested for the funeral Masses of former parishioners. Due to lack of Mass requests for funerals, the decision was made by the diocese to close the building permanently.

All sacred images, furnishings, vessels and altars will be removed and preserved for use by St. Patrick Parish. All proceeds from the sale of the building, or of any items such as stained-glass windows, will be retained by St. Patricks.

The cost of maintaining the building is rising and can no longer be borne by the parishioners of St. Patrick, according to Monsignor Edward OConnor, St. Patrick pastor.

This is the second time that former parishioners filed an appeal with the Congregation for the Clergy in the Vatican. The congregation in 2011 ruled that the suppression and merger were upheld of the parish, but did order that the church must be used for sacred use at the discretion of the pastor.

One of the supporters of both appeals is former parishioner Robert Antonini. He said much of the work in getting things together in preparation for the appeal was group member Beth Boyer.

The last time I was there I saw them changing the locks, Antonini said.

Antonini said getting the appeal ready started shortly after the closing announcement.

We did appeal, helped by a canon law attorney, and it was signed by five past parishioners, Antonini said. Basically, we want to keep the church open and use it more, even if we have to help with funding. I brought this up a few times in the past, but was denied each time. We would help with costs and maintenance. We would either individually or through different committees and organizations help out with the maintenance, such as painting and fixing things, and then come up with funds so we can help offset some of that cost.

He added, I would like to settle at the diocesan level if possible before involving Rome. At this point, I really cant do or say much more until they (diocese) make their decision.

For more information, there is a Facebook page entitled Friends of Mary Queen of Peace Church, Pottsville, PA.
Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced that all capacity restrictions would be lifted effective Monday, May 31.

Im glad that many of the business restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic will be eliminated on Memorial Day. This will allow all businesses and employers, particularly in the hospitality and tourism industries, to move forward and begin to regain some of their financial losses.

This is a much-needed step in the right direction. However, we cannot forget the damage and loss of revenue these restrictions caused. Many of my colleagues and I wrote a letter to the governor saying that to maximize the financial boost in revenue, he should move up the date for these restrictions to be lifted by three days  from Memorial Day (May 31) to the Friday before Memorial Day (May 28).

This date change would allow businesses to have a full holiday weekend to begin to recover the financial losses they suffered during the pandemic. Ive not seen any medical evidence or data that suggests moving this timeline up several days would present any serious risk to the health and well-being of our constituents. Taking that into consideration, and after speaking to business owners in my district, I feel having the entire holiday weekend open for business could be the start of a successful summer of financial recovery. I will keep you informed when the governor responds to our letter.

Continuing on the subject of devastation caused by COVID-19, restaurants, bars and other food establishments that suffered operational losses due to the pandemic and shutdown orders may be eligible for funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

Businesses are eligible for up to $10 million and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as the money is used for eligible purposes no later than March 11, 2023.

The program was established under the federal American Rescue Plan. Applications will be accepted until funds are exhausted.

(Knowles represents the state Houses 124th District)
The contestants of Rohit Shettys Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 have begun shooting for the show in Cape Town, South Africa. Nikki Tamboli, who is also going to be a part of it, had become the target of trolls as she had jetted off for the same just some days after her brothers demise. Nikki penned a message along with her recent post. She wrote that she took her time, recharged, healed, and came back stronger. Through the hashtags, she penned that she wishes to stay focused, strong, and fearless. In the photos, Nikki posed amid a beautiful location in Western Cape. She sported a white tube top and teamed her outfit with a pink jacket and shorts. She left her hair naturally open.

Nikki says she healed and came back stronger

Nikki Tamboli's brother, Jatim Tamboli, had breathed his last on May 4. After the actor had started sharing glimpses of her new venture, many had slammed her getting back to work so quickly. On May 9, she hit back at her haters. "Some people are messaging me and commenting on my pictures that my brother has just passed away a few days back, don't you feel shame you are enjoying, so let me tell you, that I also have my life, I also deserve to be happy if not for myself for my brother as he loves when I stay happy and these people who have no work but only have time to comment and spread negativity I would request you to go and achieve your dreams it will make you and your parents and your loved ones happy too," she had penned.

Meanwhile, the Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 contestants have taken the internet by storm as they keep posting glimpses of their whereabouts on social media. Nikki shared an adorable portrait with Abhinav Shukla and Aastha Gill and went on to call them her best friends. Meanwhile, Arjun Bijlani, Divyanka Tripathi, Vishal Aditya Singh, Sana Makbul, Anushka Sen, Shweta Tiwari, Rahul Vaidya, among others, also keep sharing pics with each other. Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 starting date is yet to be revealed by the makers.

(IMAGE: NIKKI TAMBOLI'S INSTAGRAM)

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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday had chaired a key COVID-19 meeting with the Group of Ministers. During his interaction with the minister, the health minister spoke briefly about the ongoing issue of Mucormycosis or black fungus. Dr Harsh Vardhan informed that several states in India are currently witnessing cases of black fungus. However, he also assured that the Centre has taken action regarding the infection with relevant advice from the experts.

Black fungus cases in India

The Health Minister informed that India has reported 5,424 cases of Mucormycosis from 18 states and union territories. In addition, he also revealed that among these 4,556 patients have a history of COVID19 infection. Moreover, 55 per cent of the patients also had diabetes. Giving out the numbers of the cases from states, the Health Minister informed that Gujarat had 2,156, Maharashtra - 1,188, Uttar Pradesh - 663, Madhya Pradesh - 590, Haryana - 339, and Andhra Pradesh - 248.

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan chairs the 27th Group of Ministers Meeting on #COVID19



"Till now, 5,424 cases of Mucormycosis reported in 18 States/UTs. Out of 5,424 cases, 4,556 patients have history of COVID19 infection. 55% of the patients had diabetes," he says. pic.twitter.com/ryc6zkmI7p  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2021

We have been warning, issuing advisories and, through our experts, it has been communicated that indiscriminate use of steroids must be avoided and diabetes must be treated thoroughly and meticulously as best as possible, he had added.

Speaking on the availability of Amphotericin B, the drug most effective against Mucormycosis, Harsh Vardhan informed that the Centre has already imported 9 lakh vials of the drug. In addition, he also revealed that 50,000 have been received by the country. Moreover, he also added that the Centre expects more vials to be available in a week through the import mechanism.

"Already 9 lakh vials of this drug have been ordered. Among these 50,000 have been received by the country and in another 7 days from now, we expect that around 3 lakh vials would be available through this import mechanism," Dr Harsh Vardhan added.

What is Black Fungus?

According to the Union Health Ministry, mucormycosis is a fungal infection that mainly affects people who are on medication and reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens. Sinuses or lungs of such individuals get affected after fungal spores are inhaled from air and it may turn fatal if not cared for. Symptoms of Black Fungus include nose obstruction, swelling in the eyes or cheeks, and black crusts in the nose.
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the opening of a new consulate in the Maldivian city of Addu, in reflection of the importance India attaches to its ties with the strategically located island nation.

The government said the opening of the consulate will help augment India''s diplomatic presence in the Maldives and make it commensurate with the "existing and aspired level" of engagement.

India''s decision to expand its diplomatic presence in the Maldives comes amid China''s consistent efforts to increase its influence in the island nation.

"The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the opening of a new consulate general of India in Addu City, Maldives in 2021," an official statement said.

Maldives is one of India''s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a central and special place in the prime minister''s vision of SAGAR -- ''Security and Growth for All in the Region''.

Currently, India is developing projects worth USD 2 billion covering a large number of areas like ports, roads, bridges, water and sanitation systems as well as socio-economic development

It said the momentum and energy in the bilateral relationship reached "unprecedented levels" under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and President Ibrahim Solih.

The government described the decision to open the new consulate as a "forward-looking step" in pursuit of India''s national priority of growth and development for all.

"This is also a forward-looking step in pursuit of our national priority of growth and development or ''Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas''," it said.

The government said augmenting India''s diplomatic presence will in that country, inter-alia, provide market access for Indian companies and bolster Indian exports of goods and services

"This would have a direct impact in augmenting domestic production and employment in line with our goal of a self-reliant India or ''Atmanirbhar Bharat''," it added.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic while solidarity outpouring from the world, an aircraft from Russia comprising of more than 9 tons or 225 thousand packs of anti-COVID19 medication including Remdesivir vials amongst other vital medicines arrived in India today.

This holds relevance while several states in India are whining about the dearth of COVID-19 vaccine quota as a result, the third phase of their vaccination drive is deferred in a few. Russia has previously dispatched consignment consisting of life-saving medical aid too. The first batch comprised 1,50,000 doses of SPUTNIK V, while the remaining batches would comprise more than 3 million doses which is due this month.

             @NKudashev: Russia is one of the leading Indian partners in the field of anti-#COVID19 cooperation, which is also intensively maintained on vaccine track as well as in various multilateral formats, where we are likeminded. https://t.co/lDZyMNU7qk pic.twitter.com/66odLomG8x  Russia in India  (@RusEmbIndia) May 25, 2021

"India one of the world leaders in terms of the capacity of medicine production"

Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev established Russia's intentions to stand by India during these harrowing times. He took to Twitter saying,

According to the decision of @GovernmentRF, humanitarian assistance was delivered to India today, comprising of more than 9 tons or 225 thousand packs of anti-#COVID19 medicationhttps://t.co/YuY4JNndzy@mfa_russia @MEAIndia @IndEmbMoscow pic.twitter.com/6dYz7QgSYD  Nikolay Kudashev  (@NKudashev) May 25, 2021

Russian Deputy Envoy to India Roman Babushkin said to ANI, "Our continuous humanitarian assistance shows how strong our is solidarity with the Indian people facing unprecedented COVID19 challenge. Were also closely cooperating in the framework of multilateral formats like WHO, G20 and BRICS."

Speaking of the newly assented COVID-19 vaccine, SPUTNIK Light, the Russian Envoy to India said

Roman Babushkin said, "SPUTNIK Light vaccine is undergoing through 3rd phase of clinical trials & we believe that it's supplies to India & production here because India is one of the leaders in the world in terms of the capacity of medicine production is a matter of shortest time."

Developed by Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and supported by the Russian sovereign wealth fund, SPUTNIK V has arrived in India too.

Support for India

Exponential hike in COVID-19 infections across India since the inception of the second wave has evidently overburdened Indian production sectors, the medical infrastructure, and thousands of frontline medical staff in the country. While COVID-19 management and curbs have been harder for India to attain, solidarity has been an outpouring from numerous countries. Amid ascending COVID-19 figures in India, media reports, and gutting images of collapsing medical infrastructure, several countries have been outpouring solidarity with India's ordeals. Previously, Ukraine, Israel, Netherlands, Romania on behalf of the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China, Singapore, Bhutan amongst few that have come forward in providing assistance to India in procuring tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, transporting mobile oxygen plants, drugs, and vaccine to cater as requirements against the destructive COVID-19 second-wave.

Recently, the White House stated that the US has provided over USD 500 million in COVID-19 assistance to India.
Even as he faces the prospect of being extradited to India, fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi went missing in Antigua and Barbuda on May 23. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he has been accused of allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

Those holding Antigua and Barbuda passports enjoy visa-free travel to 132 countries, including the UK, Singapore, and countries in the Schengen area. Speaking to Republic TV, his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal mentioned that Choksi had gone out for dinner in the Antigua island on Sunday but didn't return. While his vehicle was discovered in Jolly Harbour later, there was no trace of him. Claiming that his family members have no idea about his whereabouts and are worried, Aggarwal added that the local police is investigating the matter.

Mehul Choksi's lawyer issues statement

"Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. The family is in the dark and worried about his safety," Mehul Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal stated.

In August 2018, India formally sought Choksi's extradition underlining the principle of reciprocity, the principle of dual criminality, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to which both countries are signatories. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne was quoted as saying that the citizenship of Mehul Choksi will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery as a media report suggested that he is fighting revocation of his citizenship in a civil court. But his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal rubbished this claim and maintained that the PNB scam accused remains a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi goes missing in Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda: Local media reports  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 24, 2021

UK court orders Nirav Modi's extradition

Pronouncing the extradition verdict on February 25, District Judge Samuel Goozee of the Westminster Magistrates Court ordered the extradition of Nirav Modi to India citing that a prima facie case of money laundering is established. Noting that the Letters of Understanding had been issued between 2011 and 2017 without being entered in the CBS system of the bank to mislead authorities, he did not accept that the accused was involved in a legitimate business. Expressing satisfaction that Nirav Modi could be convicted, the judge also rejected other arguments made by the defence counsel.

For instance, the court dismissed the claim that Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had tried to influence the case. Dismissing concerns about Nirav Modi's mental health, it contradicted the allegation of overcrowded prisons in India. Maintaining that Barrack 12 of Arthur Road Jail is far more spacious than the current prison where he is being held, the judge made it clear that the Indian government doesn't need to provide further details of healthcare that will be provided to the accused. Moreover, the judge said that there is no evidence to suggest that the fugitive diamond merchant will not receive justice if he is extradited to India.
Jim was so incredibly proud of the business he and I built together, his wife said in a statement. It showed in his passion for moving the business forward each and every day from the most important strategic initiatives right down to the simplest of tasks, like stocking the water bottles or making the shipping boxes. No job was too big or too small for Jim Dunn and I look forward to continuing on his legacy.
Mehul Choksi Flees To Cuba Owing To Fear Of Extradition To India In PNB Scam Case: Report

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has fled to Cuba from Antigua and Barbuda owing to the fear of being extradited to India in the PNB scam case, a media report claimed. Caribbean news outlet Associate Times quoted his close aide Govin as saying that he left the island nation a few days ago and is currently living in a safe house at an undisclosed location in Cuba. Claiming that the PNB scam accused also holds the citizenship of another Caribbean country, he attributed Choksi's latest move to the government of Antigua and Barbuda initiating the process to revoke his citizenship.

Read full story here

COVID-19: COVISHIELD Dose Interval Based On 'scientific Evidence', Asserts Govt Panel Head

The increase in the COVISHIELD dose interval is based on "scientific evidence", National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation chairman Dr. NK Arora asserted. Speaking to the media on Monday, he quashed the speculation that the Centre decided to increase the gap between the two doses of COVISHIELD to 12-16 weeks owing to a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. According to him, the purpose of this move was to leverage the body's immune response and the vaccine's immune-stimulating so that the best protection is provided to people.

NTAGI head Dr. NK Arora remarked, "For COVISHIELD, the interval has been increased from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks, i.e 3-4 months. This has been based on scientific evidence. We got real-time data from the UK which suggested that if a single dose is given and the interval before the second dose is given, the protection provided is between 65-88%. We certainly want our population to be well protected and immunization is a key intervention."

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WB CM Mamata Banerjee Calls MHA's Advance Relief Money For Cyclone Yaas 'discriminatory'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Union Home Ministry of discrimination with West Bengal over the advance relief compensation for Cyclone Yaas which is expected to make landfall soon in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

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Roches Antibody Cocktail To Treat COVID-19 Now Available In India: All You Need To Know

Widening the arsenal of drugs to combat COVID-19, a Switzerland-based drug maker, Roche has received approval from India's Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) for use in emergency situations for treatment of COVID-19. Roche India and Cipla on Monday announced the launch of their Antibody Cocktail -- 'Casirivimab and Imdevimab' for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients in India. The first batch of the Antibody Cocktail has been made available in India and has been priced at Rs 59,750 per dose. Another batch is excited to be available in India by June.

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Ryanair Plane Diversion: Joe Biden Welcomes EU's Call For Sanctions On Belarus

US President Joe Biden on April 24 welcomed the European Union's call for sanctions against Belarus over the Ryanair flight's emergency landing and he has instructed his administration to curate options to hold Minsk responsible.

"I welcomed the news that the European Union has called for targeted economic sanctions and other measures and have asked my team to develop appropriate options to hold accountable those responsible, in close coordination with the European Union, other allies and partners, and international organisations," Biden said in a statement.

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Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has fled to Cuba from Antigua and Barbuda owing to the fear of being extradited to India in the PNB scam case, a media report claimed. Caribbean news outlet Associate Times quoted his close aide Govin as saying that he left the island nation a few days ago and is currently living in a safe house at an undisclosed location in Cuba. Claiming that the PNB scam accused also holds the citizenship of another Caribbean country, he attributed Choksi's latest move to the government of Antigua and Barbuda initiating the process to revoke his citizenship.

Speaking to Republic TV subsequently, Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal rubbished this claim and asserted that it was not possible for him to leave Antigua and Barbuda owing to the Red Corner Notice issued against him. This comes even as the local police have launched a manhunt for the fugitive who purportedly went "missing" after going out for dinner in the Antigua island on May 23. While his vehicle was discovered in Jolly Harbour later, there was no trace of him.

Speaking to the media earlier, Aggarwal claimed, "Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. The family is in the dark and worried about his safety".

Mehul Choksi's legal woes

Mehul Choksi is under the scanner of both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he has been accused of allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

India formally sought Choksi's extradition in August 2018 underlining the principle of reciprocity, the principle of dual criminality, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to which both countries are signatories. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne was quoted as saying that the citizenship of Mehul Choksi will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery as Aggarwal maintained that the PNB scam accused remains a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.

Spelling more trouble for him, Nirav Modi's extradition to India was ordered by the Westminster Magistrates Court on February 25. District Judge Samuel Goozee expressed satisfaction that Modi can be convicted and dismissed concerns about the mental health of the accused. Moreover, the judge said that there is no evidence to suggest that the fugitive diamond merchant will not receive justice if he is extradited to India.
Fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi hasn't fled to Cuba, his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal told Republic TV in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. Reiterating that the family is in the dark about his present location, he stated that the local police and CID have launched an aggressive manhunt for Choksi. The PNB scam accused purportedly went "missing" after going out for dinner in Antigua island on May 23 and could not be traced even though his vehicle was traced in the Jolly Harbour later.

Aggarwal added, "The police has found out from his CCTV footage his last whereabouts at 5.15 pm and after that there has been no contact with him". Rubbishing the reports that his client has left the island nation, he maintained that this was not possible due to the Red Corner Notice issued by Interpol on India's request. He claimed, "My instructions are that these reports are false. I also saw it on a website and when I accessed it again, they had removed this news. There is no way he could have left the country. Otherwise, the police would have traced him".

Moreover, the lawyer asserted that he had no legal issues in Antigua and Barbuda. "Because for him, we had taken a stay even on the processing of the extradition request sent or to be sent by the Indian government by challenging the virus of the Antiguan Extradition Act as well as the Citizenship Act. So legally he had no issues staying in Antigua," he elaborated.

Denying the notion that he is a fugitive in India, he clarified, "On his fugitive proceedings, we have obtained a stay from the honourable Bombay High Court. There is a stay operating in Mehul Choksi's favour. His fugitive proceedings are still pending."

Mehul Choksi faces the prospect of extradition

Mehul Choksi is under the scanner of both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he has been accused of allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

India formally sought Choksi's extradition in August 2018 underlining the principle of reciprocity, the principle of dual criminality, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to which both countries are signatories. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne was quoted as saying that the citizenship of Mehul Choksi will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery as Aggarwal has stressed that the PNB scam accused remains a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.
The hunt to nab missing fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi is on with all hands on deck. As per the latest information, sources have said that the CBI has entered the fray and is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for an official confirmation in the case. The CBI is seeking more information from the Embassy about the fugitive's last known whereabouts and is also coordinating with Interpol to find out if he has entered any other country, sources said.

Mehul Choksi missing

Earlier today, Caribbean news outlet Associate Times reported that Choksi has fled to Cuba from Antigua and Barbuda and is currently living in a safe house in an undisclosed location. His decision to flee Antigua and Barbuda came after the Antigua government initiated a process to revoke his citizenship. In 2019, PM Gaston Browne had announced that the PNB scam accused's citizenship will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted.

Speaking to RepublicTv, his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal mentioned that Choksi had gone out for dinner in the Antigua island and went missing after. "Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. The family is in the dark and worried about his safety," Mehul Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal stated.

Antigua Police releases statement

Meanwhile, the Antigua Police has also launched a manhunt to nab the PNB scam accused. It has registered a Missing Person Report and has recovered a vehicle from Jolly Harbour, last used by Mehul Choksi before he was reported absconding. According to the Antigua Police, Mehul Choksi was last seen on May 23, 5.15 PM. Citizen assistance has also been sought to nab him.

Owner of Gitanjali jewellers, Choksi along with his nephew Nirav Modi is accused of duping the Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs 13,500 crore, siphoning off the money using letters of undertaking. A UK Court has already ordered the extradition of Nirav Modi to India on February 25, citing that a prima facie case of money laundering is established.
BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Monday accused China of conspiring against India alleging that the second wave of COVID-19 was a part of China's 'toolkit' against the country. Addressing a programme in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, Kailash Vijayvargiya stated that the second COVID-19 wave had been sent by China in attempts to 'malign India and PM Modi's image' worldwide. He also questioned why neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, or Afghanistan were safe from a second wave.

"This second wave of COVID, whether it has come or has been sent is a matter of discussion. Because if anyone in the world has challenged China, it was India and Modiji. The second wave has swept through only India. Neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, or Afghanistan haven't been affected. That's why I feel China is out to trouble India," said the BJP leader.

Global demand to investigate origins of COVID

The United States has become the latest country to join the global chorus that is demanding a proper investigation into the origins of Coronavirus. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki issued an official statement on Monday saying, "I have to say, I think the family members of the loved ones whose lives have been lost and deserve accurate information data, not jumping to a conclusion without having the information necessary to conclude where the origins are. What we do share, everyone in this country is a desire to know how this started, where it started, and prevent it from ever happening again. That's something we all share."

The demand to look into COVID's origins grew after a military document titled 'The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons' came to the fore. This document highlighted the Chinese military's alleged plans to utilise a bioweapon that could cause the "enemy's medical system to collapse".

Noted British science writer Nicholas Wade's papers also added to the discourse on whether the deadly virus was doctored and developed in a Wuhan lab.

Another recent report in The Wall Street Journal has stated that several researchers at the Wuhan lab had become sick in autumn 2019, months before the country disclosed the existence of the COVID-19 virus.

India which has been particularly hard hit by the second wave of Coronavirus recorded 1,96,427 new cases on May 24 and added 3,26,850 recoveries and 3,511 deaths.
In a first, scientists in Europe and the US have been able to partially restore the eyesight for a blind man who suffered photoreceptor disease nearly 40 years ago. Employing the technique known as optogenetics, which involves altering cells such that they manufacture the light-sensitive proteins, scientists were able to get the vision back for the 58-year old patient. Now, he can recognize people, do the counting, locate and touch different objects.

Scientists used the optogenetic techniques and administered several injections in the blind mans eye for several months. They used the stimulation with light-emitting goggles that transformed the visual objects into the light pulses projected into the patients retina. Goggles also analyzed changes in contrast and brightness. Although the man still cant see completely without the goggles, scientists say that he is advised to wear them for several hours per day and that his vision has continued to improve in the two years since his injection. The study was published in the Nature Research Journals on May 24.

[Ophthalmologist Jose-Alain Sahel. Credit: Twittter/@iGEM_Pasteur]

Milestone towards #genetherapy that could #restoreVision now published @NatureMedicine: Clinical study with #optogenetic gene therapy proves partial vision restoration in a blind human. https://t.co/PIrqUyIgwW  IOB.ch (@IOB_ch) May 24, 2021

This is the first successful clinical application of a technique called optogenetics, which uses flashes of light to control gene expression and neuron firing, the study revealed. The clinical trial was run by GenSight Biologics, headquartered in Paris, which enrolled people with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative disease that diminished the eyes photoreceptor cells. Photoreceptors detect light and send electrical signals to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which then transmit the signal to the brain, scientists explained. GenSights optogenetic therapy used a virus that delivered the light-sensitive bacterial proteins into the blind mans RGCs. They then tested his vision.

Ophthalmologist Jose-Alain Sahel of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, who led the study, said that the main challenge for the scientists was regulating the amount and type of light entering the eye. A healthy retina uses a variety of cells and light-sensitive proteins to see a wide range of light. No protein can replicate what the system can do, he said.

Meanwhile, John Flannery, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Berkeley said that the clinical therapy Its a big step for the field. He added, The most important thing is that it seems to be safe and permanent, which is really encouraging.

Using a protein found in algae, a new technology partially restored the sight of a completely blind man. He can now locate, identify and count objects using the treated eye while wearing specialized goggles. Pitts Jose-Alain Sahel led the research: https://t.co/k2Akw5HQwl pic.twitter.com/C9aZyn0Bve  University of Pittsburgh (@PittTweet) May 24, 2021

Images detected by brain 'accurately'

According to scientists, the human eye retina contains around 100 times more photoreceptors than RGCs, and hence, the resolution of images detected by RGCs will never be as good as natural vision. But the brain is able to interpret images accurately. Its interesting, but its an N of 1, says Sheila Nirenberg, a neuroscientist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. She added that some patients who were injected with higher doses of the protein had similar results. Neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth from Stanford University in California, who co-developed optogenetics as a laboratory technique, said that the study is important because it is the first time that its effects have been shown. After the therapy, the patient was able to locate a notebook as well as touch it while it was placed on a table in front of him with up to 92 percent accuracy.
Ahead of the withdrawal of its final contingent of troops from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison informed on Tuesday that Australia will close its Kabul embassy in three days.

In a joint statement, the Australian PM and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said, "Our residential representation in Afghanistan and the Australian Embassy in Kabul will be closed at this time."

"In light of the imminent international military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Australia will, as an interim measure revert to the model of visiting accreditation for our diplomatic representation to Afghanistan, which we used from the opening of diplomatic relations in 1969 until 2006," the statement added.

Morrison and Senator Payne informed the embassy building would close on May 28, and further said, "The departure of the international forces and hence Australian forces from Afghanistan over the next few months brings with it an increasingly uncertain security environment where the government has been advised that security arrangements could not be provided to support our ongoing diplomatic presence."

The statement further added, "It is Australia's expectation that this measure will be temporary and that we will resume a permanent presence in Kabul once circumstances permit. This form of diplomatic representation is common practice around the world. It does not alter our commitment to Afghanistan or its people."

Australia Withdraws Remaining Troops From Afghanistan

On April 15, Australian PM Scott Morrison had announced that he would withdraw all remaining 80 troops from Afghanistan by September this year. This announcement marked the end of Australias troops involvement in the Afghan conflict, which began when US forces launched their military offensive in response to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The Australian PMs announcement had come after US President Joe Biden announced his decision to end Americas longest-running war. Over 39,000 Australians were deployed and 41 of them were killed during the decades-long conflict.

(With ANI Inputs)
Australia on Tuesday announced that it will close its embassy in Afghanistan "in light of the imminent international military withdrawal", the federal government said in an official joint statement. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said the embassy building will be shut down on Friday this week over an increasingly uncertain security environment in Kabul as the US troops and armed forces from other countries begin to pull out from the conflict-ridden region.

"DFAT officials will visit Afghanistan regularly from a residential post elsewhere in the region," the statement read.

Morrison stressed that the embassy will be non-operational as an interim measure on May 28. His decision comes as Afghan forces and the elected government remain fragile in their fight against the hardline Islamist faction Taliban that captured 40 kilometers (24 miles) to the west of the city to launch deadly terror attacks. As the United States forces are expected to end the 20-year long mission and head for the door by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the Al-Qaedas terror attack on US twin towers and US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Australia military contingent [backed by US forces] also begin to pull out.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Statement on Suspension of Australian Embassy in Kabul



May 25, 2021

----------------------------https://t.co/b0OmEhPBXl pic.twitter.com/MJXfAgqM9I  Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Afghanistan  (@mfa_afghanistan) May 25, 2021

The government has been advised that security arrangements could not be provided to support our ongoing diplomatic presence, Australian PM Morrison said as Australian military personnel prepared to exit.

Further in the statement, he said, It is Australia's expectation that this measure will be temporary and that we will resume a permanent presence in Kabul once circumstances permit. Morrison stressed that Australia remains committed to the bilateral relationship with Afghanistan, and will continue to support the stability and development in the region. Australia did not disclose where it plans to relocate the diplomats. Australian troops will join the United States armed forces for safe withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[Credit: AP]

"Commanders have said they will monitor threats from over the horizon, to ensure that terrorists cannot again use Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks against the US. The risk is high," Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command had told reporters from The Associated Press and ABC News, traveling with him to the Middle East.

US Army General issues 'warning' to Taliban

As Afghan capital was on "high alert, US Army General Scott Miller warned of any untoward actions on part of the Taliban on the exiting troops. "Make no mistake, we have the military means to respond forcefully to any type of attacks against the coalition and the military means to support the [Afghan] security forces," Miller said at a presser. The warnings by the commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan came after Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the US foregoing the May 1 deadline as promised by former President Trump would mean that "this violation in principle has opened the way for [Taliban fighters] to take every counter-action it deems appropriate against the foreign occupying forces".
Health authorities in Australia's state of Victoria were racing to contain a virus outbreak that has grown to five cases. Four cases of community transmission were recorded late on Monday and another case was detected on Tuesday in metropolitan Melbourne. Victoria state Acting Premier James Merlino announced restrictions will be reimposed, which include limiting home visitors to five people, and public gathering to 30. Masks will also be required at indoor gatherings.

Merlino said schools and workplaces remain open. Meanwhile, New Zealand said it was halting quarantine-free travel with Victoria for three days from Tuesday evening. Health officials said they were taking a cautious approach as there were several unknowns about the outbreak. New Zealand and Australia opened a quarantine-free travel bubble last month. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to visit New Zealand on Sunday for the first time since the pandemic began.

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When Abdeslam El Afaki got home last Monday, his sons had heard rumours that the border between Morocco and the Spanish city of Ceuta was open, after more than a year closed due to the pandemic.

Surprised by the news, and fearing they would try to cross, their father instructed them not to leave their town of Fnideq, on the Moroccan side, and reminded his 15-year-old that he needed to go to school.

They didn't listen and were among roughly 1,500 young people who made it to the Spanish enclave in North Africa.

They did it by swimming around a breakwater or climbing over a fence, after Morocco relaxed its border surveillance in an apparent retaliation against Spain for hosting a Sahrawi leader.

The eldest who is 18, eventually returned, but Soulaiman, the 15-year-old didn't.

After many days worrying about his fate, El Afaki was finally able to reach him through intermediaries, and found he was being held in a temporary center for young migrants in Ceuta.

"I was defeated," his father told AP from his home in Fnideq. "I fell to the ground."

A week after an unprecedented number of irregular crossings  more than 8,000 people in 36 hours  Spanish authorities are now faced with a complex and delicate issue: What to do with the hundreds of unaccompanied teenagers and children from Morocco, now in their hands?

At least 800 minors have been identified so far and are sleeping in several temporary centers set up in Ceuta, including in gymnasiums and warehouses.

But there are more minors sleeping in the streets, hiding from authorities and fearing deportation.

The existing shelter for unaccompanied minors was already at its full capacity - with 300 teenagers - before the massive border breach on 17 May.

The Spanish government said it will transfer 200 of them to other parts of mainland Spain to make space for the new arrivals.

In normal circumstances, migrants under 18 who enter Spain irregularly cannot be deported and become the responsibility of the local regional government until relatives are found or until they become adults.

But many of the young migrants who have recently crossed have parents desperate for their sons and daughters to be returned.

Save The Children, an international non-profit, has urged Spanish authorities to analyze each case individually and to base repatriation decisions on the child's best interest and safety, which may not necessarily mean sending them back to their parents in Morocco.

Soulaiman for example doesn't want to go back, much to his father's dismay.

"My children have started to drift away, they want to go to Europe, they say that they cannot live in Morocco," the father said.

Despite the sadness and heartache caused by the departure of his son, El Afaki says he understands why the boy prefers not to come back.

There are no jobs in his town for young people, even those with an education and a degree, pushing many young men into drugs and crime.

"We need our children here, in our country. They must be in this country, we educate them in our country but unfortunately there is no work or studies (education)" he said.

The 60-year-old father of four wants at least to have the chance to leave a house for his children "I want to buy a land for them (his children) or a house, that is what I hope for them, to be calm when I die and to leave a house where they will stay".

But It will take time for authorities to decide about Soulaiman's future and if he will return to his family in Morocco or not.

The Spanish authorities are going through the cases of each minor currently in Ceuta, and will assess whether each teenager and child should be repatriated or remain in Spain.

(Image Credit: AP)

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Instead of looking to the heavens, perhaps we need to look inward and how we treat each other. Can we take one giant leap against hate? Race, gender, ideology, immigration and the Mideast all create such discord that a giant leap is necessary. I pray we can. Do you? Let each of us take that step together responsibly and start there, rather than point fingers and require it only of someone else. JFK would have said that we can.
Turkey and Poland have signed a deal for the sale of Turkish-made combat drones, making Poland the first NATO and European Union member country to purchase Turkeys Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

The agreement was signed during Polish President Andrzej Dudas three-day visit to Turkey.

Under the deal, Poland is set to receive 24 armed drones, ground control stations and data terminals, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The first drone is expected to be delivered next year.

We are one of the best countries regarding unmanned aerial vehicles, Erdogan said during a joint news conference. We feel great pleasure in sharing our experience, capability and potential with our NATO ally, Poland.

Erdogan said: With the document that was just signed, Turkey will, for the first time in its history, be exporting UAVs to a country that is a member of NATO and the EU.

Turkey previously sold drones to Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Qatar.

The Bayraktar TB2 drones played a prominent role in Azerbaijans victory over Armenia during the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh last year. Turkey is known to have used the drones in its cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq.

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As the search for fugitive former diamantaire Mehul Choksi continues, Antigua & Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne spoke exclusively to Republic TV and noted that his country was determined to have the former extradited and repatriated to India. Speaking exclusively to Republic TV's Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy on Tuesday evening, Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne claimed that he was surprised that Mehul Choksi was absconding and noted that they had no reliable information of the PNB Scam-accused fleeing the country. Mehul Choksi purportedly went "missing" after going out for dinner in Antigua island on May 23 and could not be traced even though his vehicle was traced in the Jolly Harbour later.

Antigua PM Browne speaks to Republic as Mehul Choksi goes

Speaking to Republic TV, Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne said that a missing person report had been filed after Mehul Choksi did not return home on Sunday and added that they were unable to locate him. The Antigua & Barbuda PM added that the law enforcement agencies had activated the intelligence agencies in order to get information of Choksi's current whereabouts. PM Gaston Browne said that Antigua was pursuing Mehul Choksi's litigation and vowed to extradite him if he was found on the island, as per due process of law. He also expressed confidence in Mehul Choksi losing his appeal against extradition and said that he would be repatriated after he had exhausted all his appeals.

"This is very unfortunate. He (Mehul Choksi) has created some reputational damage. Apart from Choksi, the bilateral issue is going good with India on multiple fronts," Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne told Republic TV.

Responding on the claims that Mehul Choksi has fled to Cuba, PM Gaston Browne was dismissive, stating that he had information that Choksi hadn't fled via any airport under his jurisdiction and so would have to have travelled by boat if indeed he had intended to go to Cuba. However, it was too quick a timeframe for him to have reached in such a manner.

#LIVE | I don't know how he could be in Cuba. We know for sure he didn't leave via any airports here, he'd have had to go via boat to Cuba if at all, and it's too soon for him to reach there: Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne https://t.co/rGQJsiKgt2 pic.twitter.com/0BTLZGToEY  Republic (@republic) May 25, 2021

Gaston Browne was also very grateful to India for the supply of 5 lakh vaccine doses and hailed his own friendship with PM Modi.

Earlier on Tuesday, a police officer from Johnson Point police station (the precinct near where Choksi has a home) told Republic TV that a missing complaint had been filed by his family. The officer said that the statement of Mehul Choksi's wife had been recorded after she lodged the missing persons complaint and that there were no details of whether the fugitive diamond merchant had fled to Cuba. Noting that precise information about Mehul Choksi was still unknown to the Police, the Antiguan cop told Republic that his car was spotted in the Jolly Harbour area at a distance from his residence.

Mehul Choksi faces the prospect of extradition

Mehul Choksi is under the scanner of both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he allegedly siphoned off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

India formally sought Choksi's extradition in August 2018 underlining the principle of reciprocity, the principle of dual criminality, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to which both countries are signatories. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne said that Mehul Choksi will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery as Aggarwal has stressed that the PNB scam accused remains a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.
Egypt's chief diplomat met on Tuesday with his Qatari counterpart in Cairo, as ties between the two nations improve gradually after Egypt and three Gulf counties ended their dispute with energy-rich Qatar.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Cairo.

They discussed Egyptian-Qatari ties and regional and international topics.

Al Thani arrived in Cairo late Monday from a visit to Khartoum where he met with Sudanese officials.

He also travelled to Libya earlier this week. Egypt and Qatar have been backing opposing sides in Libya.

In January, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain ended their dispute with Qatar, which started in 2017 and included the four countries severing their diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar.

The Egyptian foreign minister told a television program on Friday that there were positive signals in the implementation of the declaration that ended the rift.

That declaration was signed in January between the four nations in Saudi Arabia's ancient desert city of Al-Ula.

The four countries that jointly boycotted Qatar were hoping their embargo and media blitz would pressure it to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran.

The boycott failed to change Doha's stance, however, instead buoying its young ruler domestically as patriotic fervor swept through Qatar in support of his resolve.

It also pushed Qatar closer to Turkey and Iran, which rushed to assist the ultra-wealthy Gulf state as it faced medical and food supply shortages in the first days of the embargo.

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US President Joe Biden on May 24 called Egypts President Abdel-fattah al-Sisi and thanked him for successful diplomacy and coordination with the US to end the hostilities in Israel and Gaza. According to a press release, the two leaders discussed strengthening the Gaza ceasefire, urgent humanitarian aid to the strip and international reconstruction efforts. They also consulted on the urgent need to support rebuilding efforts in a manner that benefits the people in the region and not the militant group Hamas.

Biden and Sisi discussed ways to revive the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. The US President made clear his countrys determination to work to restore calm and restore conditions as they were in the Palestinian territories. The two leaders also spoke about coordinating efforts with all international partners to support the Palestinian Authority as well as reconstruction.

The statement read, President Biden thanked Egypt for its successful diplomacy and coordination with the United States to end the recent hostilities in Israel and Gaza and ensure violence does not reoccur.

It added, President Biden said he has asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit the region for follow up on these urgent needs.

Biden, Sisi discuss bilateral relations and regional issues

It is worth noting that Mondays call was Bidens second phone call to Sisi. apart from the Israel-Hamas conflict, the two leaders discussed the bilateral relations and some regional issues, including Iraq and Libya. As per the press note, Biden and Sisi exchanged views on the giant Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile and Egypt sees as an existential threat.

The statement said that they both agreed to strengthen diplomatic efforts during the coming period in order to reach an agreement that preserves water and developmental rights for all parties, including Sudan, who is concerned about the dams safety and about regulating water flows through its own dams and water stations. Biden acknowledged Egypts concerns as well about access to Nile River waters. He underscored the US interest in achieving a diplomatic resolution that meets the legitimate needs of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Further, Biden and Sisi also discussed human rights in Egypt and their commitment to engage in a transparent dialogue. The US President underscored the importance of a constructive dialogue on human rights in Egypt. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a strong and productive US-Egypt partnership.

(Image: AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday the appointment of David Barnea as the new head of the country's spy agency, the Mossad.

Barnea, a former longtime Mossad operative, will succeed Yossi Cohen as head of Israel's intelligence agency on June 1. Cohen has served as Israel's spymaster since taking office in 2016.

Netanyahu said Barnea's appointment will allow the Mossad and the state of Israel to continue in the path of accomplishments to ensure the security of Israel," adding that the top mission is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Outgoing Mossad chief Cohen has acted as Netanyahu's close confidant and informal envoy. He helped orchestrate the normalization agreements Israel signed with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco last year.

Earlier this month, Cohen visited Bahrain and met with the heads of the Gulf states intelligence agency to discuss regional security.

On his watch, Israel's storied intelligence agency succeeded in seizing a large archive of Iranian nuclear documents in 2018. Netanyahu claimed they proved that Iranian leaders covered up a nuclear weapons program before signing a deal with world powers in 2015. Numerous other operations against Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists have also been attributed to Israel.

At a ceremony Monday, Cohen said the Mossad executes innumerable operations that bring essential intelligence to the state of Israel, thwart unconventional weapons, thwart terrorism and espionage, and blaze new paths to peace and regional cooperation.

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In view of the ceasefire declared with Hamas, Israel decided to reopen its crossings with Gaza on Tuesday to allow fuel and humanitarian aid to enter the coastal enclave for the first time in over two weeks. All crossings between the two territories were completely shut down two weeks ago when Hamas launched rockets at Jerusalem and initiated 11 days of gruesome exchanges.

An Egypt brokered ceasefire was reached between the two sides on May 21.

According to the Israeli liaison to the Palestinians, Israel has decided to resume crossing with Gaza to allow fuel and humanitarian aid, The Times of Israel reported. Sporadic exemptions for foreign journalists and few aid convoys were granted since hostilities ceased on Friday morning. Starting morning of May 25, however, Erez Crossing will open for humanitarian cases- such as Gazan who seek medical treatment in Israel - and for foreign journalists and aid workers.

The office acting as liaison to the Palestinians, commonly known by its acronym COGAT, said, "The Kerem Shalom commercial crossing will reopen for fuel and humanitarian aid.

1550 arrested & 277 Palestinian Residents Died

PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pledged that Hamas would witness a much tougher Israeli stance and that any future rocket fire from Gaza would be encountered with "a whole new level of force". At Tel Aviv, PM justified the retaliation and reiterated Israel's right to defence.

He said, "Israel didnt initiate this conflict. We were attacked in an unprovoked manner by the Hamas terrorist organization that fired 4000 rockets into our capital and into our cities. No country will sit aside when its attacked in such a criminal fashion. Israel is no different."

Meanwhile, Israeli police in a statement confirmed around 1550 people have been arrested since May 9, when the clashes broke out. Palestinian Health Ministry claimed that at least 277 Palestinian residents died in the latest conflict escalation with Israel. On the other hand, around 12 Israeli have lost lives, as per Al Jazeera.

The war-like situation arose on May 10 after Gaza militants fired barrages of rockets at Israel in protest to the Israeli measures in East Jerusalem. A tit for tat trade of fire broke out, where Israeli fighter jets carried out hundreds of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Israel said that it targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and other militant groups in the enclave.

(With ANI inputs)
Dozens of protesters angry over firings and the poor economy of Oman marched through a major city Tuesday, marking a third day of demonstrations in the typically subdued sultanate.

The protests took place in Sohar, a city some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Muscat, which has become a flashpoint for the demonstrations.

Videos on social media showed protesters gathered by an underpass and a long line of riot police. The images corresponded to known landmarks around Sohar, the first major city people enter in the sultanate after crossing the border from neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Other videos showed demonstrators out late Monday night in Salalah, a city some 850 kilometres (525 miles) southwest of Muscat.

Videos also showed arrests being made Monday by nightstick-wielding police.

The Royal Oman Police has not acknowledged making any arrests.

The Gulf Center for Human Rights and the Omani Association for Human Rights said those arrested had seen their mobile phones confiscated by authorities.

The activists also said media outlets in Oman, which are tightly monitored, were warned by authorities not to report on the demonstrations.

"The Omani government should immediately end the policy of silencing and restricting public freedoms, including freedom of peaceful protest and freedom of the press," the groups said.

Oman's state TV on Monday afternoon acknowledged that jobless people had been coming to Labor Ministry offices to "expedite the treatment of their conditions."

It also showed an image from one of the peaceful protests.

Oman's Information Ministry and the Omani Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

The demonstrations mark the first major unrest for Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, who took over in January 2020 after the death of the long-ruling Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

State media on Monday referred to employment as "among the most important priorities" of Sultan Haitham.

Oman faces billions in looming loan repayments, including from China, and needs even more money as its youthful population wants jobs and its government cannot afford the cradle-to-grave benefits given in other Gulf Arab nations.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Russian officials have defended Belarus' use of military jet to divert passenger plane carrying a dissident, termed by Western leaders as an act of "state terrorism". While, the European Union has agreed to levy new sanctions on Minsk, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov has said that the country treated the incident with an "absolutely reasonable approach", as reported by Ruptly after Lavrov and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendiasc held a joint press conference after bilateral talks in Sochi on May 24. Belarusian authorities detained journalist Roman Pratasevich on Monday, a staunch opponent of President Alexander Lukashenko, after coercively diverting his flight. The incident has triggered massive critic from the western states.

Meanwhile, addressing media reporters in Moscow, Lavrov asserted that Minsk was ready to act on the issue in a transparent manner and to follow all international rules. Calling upon western states to act in the same manner, the Russian lawmakers asked the global community to "soberly assess the situation". It is imperative to note that Belarus' state-controlled media has reiterated that the authorities had no other alternative than to redirect the Ryanair Flight flying from Athens to Vilnius.

On the other hand, the European Union has stood firms on its criticism on the matter. In the latest round of meetings, the 27 member bloc has banned Belarusian carriers from flying over its airspace. US President Joe Biden also welcomed the EU's call and has instructed his administration to curate options to hold Minsk responsible.

Ryanair Plane Incident

According to the Minsk National Airport's press service, a Ryanair flight en route from Athens to Vilnius (Lithuania) was forced to make an emergency landing in Minsk, Belarus. According to the Russian news agency, Roman Protasevich, the operator of a Telegram channel that Minsk has designated as extremist, was detained during the stopover at the airport. On May 23, the plane was cleared to take off from Minsk and arrived in Vilnius at 18:27 GMT.

It was carrying 171 passengers and was abruptly rerouted to the Belarusian capital shortly before it was about to exit the countrys airspace. However, then Belarusian air traffic controllers notified its pilots of a potential security threat onboard and directed the plane to divert to Minsk, the Ireland-based airline said in a statement. Belarusian officials said a MiG-29 fighter jet had been scrambled to escort the airliner to Minsk following a bomb scare, which they later conceded was false.

Image: AP
STORY: Argentina Virus AstraZeneca - Argentina gets delayed AstraZeneca vaccines

LENGTH: 02:20

FIRST RUN: 0155

RESTRICTIONS:

TYPE: Spanish/ Natsound

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORY NUMBER: 4327549

DATELINE: 24 May 2021 - Buenos Aires

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

GOVERNMENT TV

Buenos Aires - 24 May 2021

++ NIGHT SHOTS ++

1. Arrival of a cargo plane with AstraZeneca vaccines from the United States

2. Various of workers offloading AstraZeneca vaccines

3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Manuel Castelli, Argentina Health Assistant Secretary:

"We are at a very important moment for Argentina, receiving the first 843,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The active component of these doses has been developed in the country and was packed in Mexico and in the United States, and has just arrived at the Argentine Republic. This is part of the 3,960,000 doses that, according to Health Minister Carla Vizzotti, were committed by AstraZeneca and that will be promptly distributed throughout the country to continue advancing the vaccination campaign."

4. Various of Sputnik vaccines being downloaded

STORYLINE:

After three months of delay and during a COVID-19 wave, Argentina received on Monday the first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine for a total of 22.4 million doses signed with the laboratory.

As the production has experienced delays, the vaccination campaign is slower than expected by the Argentine government.

Authorities said Argentina expects 3.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine during the following weeks, which will help to accelerate immunization.

Only 2.4 million had received the necessary doses for immunization.

The vaccines arrived at the Ezeiza international airport, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, on a LATAM Cargo flight from Miami, United States. Another flight on Monday, carried Sputnik V vaccines.

AstraZeneca produces the active ingredient of its drug in a laboratory located in the province of Buenos Aires and sends it to be bottled to Mexico and the United States.

Logistics problems in that first country recently forced to search for laboratories in the United States to package and start shipments of the vaccine.

The new vaccines arrive to Argentine as a coronavirus outbreak has heavily stressed the healthcare system.

Some intensive care units has said to be operating near full capacity, which, added to the increase in the number of deaths in recent days, pushed the authorities to order a strict quarantine.

Argentina has so far recorded 3.5 million infected and close to 75,000 deaths from COVID-19.

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STORY: Colombia Unrest - Colombian protest demands DefMin resignation

LENGTH: 01:31

FIRST RUN: 0101

RESTRICTIONS:

TYPE: Spanish/ Natsound

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORY NUMBER: 4327547

DATELINE: 24 May 2021 - Bogota

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bogota - 24 May 2021

1. Hard hats laid on the ground, representing deaths during national protests

2. Sign with the number of victims during protests

3. Banner asking for the resignation of Defence Minister Diego Molano

4. Various of hard hats sitting on crosses with the name of victims

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) No name given, demonstrator:

"In Congress is being promoted a Motion of Reprobation (resignation and trial) of (Defence Minister Diego Molano), due to the crimes committed by the public (armed) forces against the Colombian people. This is something we find sensible and have been asking for a time. Not only a Motion of Reprobation, but a public resignation and trial against Diego Molano, who is one of the most responsible for the murdered people, women being raped, of those massacred, violated and mutilated by the anti-riot police and national police."

6. Various of cyclists with wreaths

7. Demonstrator speaking with a microphone

8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jhon Salamanca, Demonstrator:

"We have a genocide by this narco-paramilitary dictatorship, and this trial should not be held only against to the terrorist and genocidal (Diego) Molano, but against all these people (in the government)."

9. Demonstrator holding wreath chanting as demonstrators chant back UPSOUND (Spanish): "And where are the disappeared!; the State killed them!"

STORYLINE:

Demonstrators protested outside the Colombian Senate on Monday, demanding the representatives dismiss and put on trial Defence Minister Diego Molano, arguing that dozens of people were killed in anti-government protests.

Molano was scheduled to appear before the Senate on Monday, as he faced a Motion of Reprobation. He is further set to appear in Congress on Tuesday.

The protests started in late April after President Ivan Duque proposed a plan to increase taxes that would have affected millions of people whose incomes have decreased during the pandemic.

They have since turned into a general outcry against growing poverty and inequality in Colombia, where the unemployment rate doubled last year.

The demonstrations have included dozens of marches through large cities that have sometimes been met with police violence.

In some parts of Colombia, protesters have also organized roadblocks that have recently led to fuel shortages, increased the prices of food, and forced some factories to shut down.

Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch say that the death toll since the protests began has risen to 55 and that in at least 15 cases, the alleged aggressors were police.

The Defence Ministry said last week that 15 civilians had died amid the protests and 11 more cases were being verified.

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The coronavirus situation is improving, but it is not yet the time for Malaga's Film Festival to return to the streets. Instead, the organisers have opted for "prudence" and dropped its traditional format, for the second consecutive year, and will prioritise the films over social events.

The event, which runs from 3 to 13 June, will dispense with the red carpet and any other acts that may generate crowds to guarantee a "friendly and safe" 24th edition.

The 2021 edition will be the longest festival in its history and will span 11 days to accommodate all the planned screenings, as well as complying with the health measures including the disinfection of the theatres after each show and the 50 per cent capacity limit with the separation of a seat between audience members.

The big screen of the Cervantes theatre will screen 23 titles over the course of the event and, between the Official and Zonazine sections, some 42 per cent of the films are directed by women.

The Malaga Festival unveiled its 24th edition at the Cervantes theatre with the usual script: a massive presentation attended by political authorities and sponsors in a show of strength and support for Spanish cinema. Along with the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre (whose administration contributes the most to the event, with 1.8 million euros), were representatives from the Junta de Andalucia, and sponsors Atresmedia, the La Caixa Foundation, Cervezas Victoria and Starview Style.

As the official media partner for the event, SURs editor in chief Manuel Castillo congratulated the festival "for maintaining the pulse and defence of culture" in a complicated situation and he reiterated the newspaper's commitment to the contest so that it "remains a great festival of Spanish cinema".

Tickets for the annual film festival have gone on sale this Tuesday, 25 May, and the team is already working on the 2022 Malaga film week when the event will celebrate its silver anniversary on its regular date, in the second half of March.
India on May 25 responded to an emergency request by Sri Lanka Navy and deployed multiple assets to douse the fire on MV X Press Pearl off Colombo. According to a press release, the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka informed that the nation dispatched Vessels Vaibhav, Vajra and Samudra Prehari by Indian Coast Guard and Tug Water Lilly by Director-General. Additionally Dornier aircraft for aerial reconnaissance has also been deployed.

Help on way! Responding promptly as ever to the request by #SriLanka, #India dispatches #ICGVaibhav, #ICGDornier and Tug Water Lilly for fighting the fire on MV X Press Pearl off Colombo.@MFA_SriLanka pic.twitter.com/x9D9XyrkyJ  India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) May 25, 2021

In the wake of an onboard explosion on the Singapore-flagged MV X Press Pearl, Sri Lankan Navy had sought Indias assistance for firefighting as well as pollution control on Tuesday. The Government of India then immediately deployed assets. As per the press note, the Dornier aircraft reached Colombo around 4:00pm on May 25 and the first Vessel reached around 7:00pm.

The press release read, India has the tradition of being the first responder during crises in Sri Lanka.

The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Pollution Preventive Ship with firefighting capabilities is scheduled to arrive at the scene of action by nightfall. The Dornier aircraft, on the other hand, is carrying fire extinguishing agents and oil- dispersants to respond to the event of an emergency. According to PTI, the 25 crew members of the Philippine, Chinese, Indian and Russian nationality on the ship have been rescued. Official sources said at least five Indians have been rescued.

MV X Press Pearl explosion

Meanwhile, the fire broke out in the forecastle area of the MV X Press Pearl, a container ship anchored 9.5 nautical miles northwest of the Port of Colombo. The fire is spreading to the quarterdeck where the bridge is stationed and it was exacerbated by strong winds due to changing weather conditions. The crew of the ship and members of the emergency response team of the Salvor have, however, been safely brought ashore as of now.

The cargo vessel was carrying a consignment of chemicals and raw materials for cosmetics from Hazira in Gujarat to the Colombo Port. It caught fire on May 20 after which a major operation was launched to extinguish the flames of the ship. A special team of the Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Marine Environment Protection Authority reached the fire-hit container ship on May 21.

Due to the rough seas caused by the prevailing bad weather, the ship is tilted to the right. As a result, around eight containers on board have tumbled into the sea and some of which are believed to have sunk in waters. As the ship was carrying chemicals, the Marine Environment Pollution Authority warned the public not to touch or open any material or packages from the ship that could be floating around the western coastal areas of Colombo and Negombo.

Tug boats have been deployed to reduce the heat surrounding the container. The Sri Lankan Air Force was pressed into service with a helicopter. According to PTI, two offshore patrol vessels  Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Sagara, Sindurala  and a fast attack craft are using dry chemical powder to contain the fire.

Situation Update: Latest pictures of the "X-PRESS PEARL" vessel which is presently engulfed in flames. Pictures were captured by the SLAF Bell 212 this morning. pic.twitter.com/XRWO42Xi5Z  Sri Lanka Air Force (@airforcelk) May 25, 2021

(With inputs from PTI)
India on Monday hailed the role of United Nations (UN) peacekeepers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which posed severe challenges to peacekeeping and said that it has delivered 200,000 doses of Made in India COVID-19 vaccines for vaccinating all uniformed personnel deployed in various field missions.

India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, addressed a UN Security Council open debate.

#IndiainUNSC



Protecting the Protectors should be our primary objective.



DPR @NagNaidu08 speaks at the UNSC Open Debate on @UNPeacekeeping: Improving safety and security of #peacekeepers@MeaIndia pic.twitter.com/g3gsTbCwjZ  India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) May 25, 2021

Naidu said, "COVID-19 pandemic has posed severe challenges to peacekeeping missions and peacekeepers. We are pleased to note that peacekeeping missions are putting in place a series of mitigation measures to promote the safety, security and health of UN personnel while maintaining continuity of operations."

Ahead of the International Day of Peacekeepers observed on May 29, Naidu said in the debate, "We have also delivered 200,000 doses of Made in India COVID-19 vaccines for vaccinating all uniformed personnel deployed in various field missions and are pleased to note that close to 140,000 field personnel have already been vaccinated using the same."

'India proud of UN Peacekeeping Missions'

Speaking at the open debate, Ambassador Naidu stated India proud contribution to the UN's peacekeeping missions. He highlighted that India has contributed over 2,50,000 troops pertaining to 49 missions over the years which is cumulatively the largest contribution from any country so far.

He also mentioned how Indian forces are engaged in an ongoing rescue operation in Goma as Mount Nyiragongo volcano that overlooks the border city has bubbled into a deadly eruption. Citing the recent instance, Ambassador Naidu highlighted the Indian forces that led rescue operations in Goma as part of the United Nations peacekeeping missions. As per reports, actions by the Indian forces contingent in the face of imminent danger facilitated a smooth evacuation and protection of civilians and other UN personnel in Volcano-affected Goma Town.

Bringing light to India's international attempts directed towards the UN peacekeeping mission, Naidu stated, "Towards the end, during the pandemic, India readily answered the Secretary General's call by upgrading its hospitals in UNMISS or United Nations in South Sudan and MONUSCO or the United Nations Organisations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo."

The Indian envoy urged for the infusion of appropriate technology that can play a significant role in improving the safety and security of peacekeepers. Naidu also updated the Council on the development of a mobile technology platform to aid peacekeepers.

Naidu said, "Use of field-focused, reliable and cost-effective new technologies in peacekeeping operations that are driven by practical needs of end users on the ground is the need of the hour."

"India in partnership with the UNDPKO Department of Operational Support has been working towards the development of mobile tech platform- UNITE AWARE, this helps increase situational awareness and provides terrain-related information to the peacekeepers," he said.

India has so far contributed USD 1.64 million towards the project and hopes to launch it under August Presidency last year, read an official release.
As the search for fugitive former diamantaire Mehul Choksi continues, Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne lauded PM Modi for his act sending over 5 lakh 'Made in India' Covishield vaccines to the Caribbean nation. Speaking exclusively with Republic TV's Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy, Antigua & Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne called PM Modi his and the Caribbean region's 'great friend' and termed his contribution one of the most 'benevolent' to the region in its history.

As a part of its vaccine diplomacy, India in March this year had shipped half a million COVID-19 vaccines destined for over 4 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) countries and Suriname. Sharing the development on Twitter, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that the move came as part of India's commitment to the Caribbean community.

'PM Modi made the most benevolent contribution among any leader': Antigua & Barbuda PM

Speaking exclusively to Republic, Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne reiterated his praise for his counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi and went on to say that PM Modi made the most benevolent contribution to the Caribbean among any leader in the last century. "Prime Minister Modi is a personal friend and he is going to be a great friend of the Caribbean region. He has assisted the Caribbean region with resources to transition into green energy obligation to mitigate and duck the effects of climate change and recently he made the most benevolent contribution among any leader in the last century, by giving 500,000 vaccines. We appreciate Prime Minister Modi for reaching out to the Caribbean nation. I can say that he and his govt is well respected," said Antigua & Barbuda's PM.

#LIVE | At one point we had 400 cases; now we have 16 and I don't think we have anyone in hospital, which is in large part thanks to the vaccines from India. 36% of the population has got the first dose, 6% overall: Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne @AntiguaOpm pic.twitter.com/ITuXSYlIF2  Republic (@republic) May 25, 2021

Mehul Choksi is under the scanner of both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he allegedly siphoned off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

Mehul Choksi has created some reputational damage- Antigua & Barbuda PM Browne

During the interaction, Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne said that a missing person report had been filed after Mehul Choksi did not return home on Sunday and added that they were unable to locate him. The Antigua & Barbuda PM added that the law enforcement agencies had activated the intelligence agencies in order to get information of Choksi's current whereabouts. PM Gaston Browne said that Antigua was pursuing Mehul Choksi's litigation and vowed to extradite him if he was found on the island, as per due process of law. He also expressed confidence in Mehul Choksi losing his appeal against extradition and said that he would be repatriated after he had exhausted all his appeals.

#LIVE | We've been working very closely with Indian authorities to have him re-patriated, and ultimately we feel once he has exhausted all his legal appeals, he (Choksi) will be repatriated: Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne https://t.co/rGQJsiKgt2 pic.twitter.com/moa1w30den  Republic (@republic) May 25, 2021

India's Vaccine Maitri earns international applause

Emphasizing its 'neighbourhood first' policy, India began sending millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccines as grants to friendly to SAARC member nations, after its two vaccines were approved by the DGCI. To date, India has supplied its 'Made in India' vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Seychelles Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Mauritius.

Later, the nation broadened its ambit by supplying vaccines to distant countries with friendly ties such as Brazil, Ghana and several other nations in the Caribbean and the Middle East.

The nation has also won global praise for its Vaccine Maitri programme which aims to aid poor countries amidst the global pandemic. WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also personally expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and India for sharing the COVID-19 vaccines remarking how its commitment was helping more than 60 countries to start vaccinating their health workers and other priority groups.

(Image Credits: @AntiguaOpm/Twitter)
Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Monday announced that a recent study carried out by Argentina's Institute of Virology of the National University of Cordoba and the Government of Cordoba has confirmed the neutralization effectiveness of the Russian two-dose Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine against the Manaus variant originated in Brazil. The vaccine inoculation also gives an overall strong immune response after vaccination with Sputnik V.

The study specifically praised the immunity generated through Sputnik V as the study confirmed it. Moreover, the variant can also get neutralized with one dose as well as on people inoculated with two doses of the vaccine. The study further demonstrated the following.

99.65% of subjects induced IgG antibodies to COVID-19 on 42nd day after receiving the 2nd dose.

85.5% of subjects induced IgG antibodies to COVID-19 on 14th day after receiving the 1st dose.

"The study carried out in Argentina has confirmed high efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine against new strains and variants of coronavirus. Argentina was the first country of Latin America to start vaccinating the population with Sputnik V. Now we see that the use of the Russian vaccine helps to protect the population not only against known strains, but also new variants, including the Manaus one, with strong immune response generated after receiving just one dose of the vaccine." Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund was quoted in PTI report.

Sputnik V efficiency

Russia's Sputnik V is said to have 97.6% efficacy and the effectiveness was determined based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020, to March 31, 2021. Developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years. The COVID-19 vaccine is used for two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination.

Sputnik V in India

On Monday, Domestic pharma major Panacea Biotec started Sputnik V production in India in collaboration with Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF. The two partners have agreed to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V in India. In total, there has been an announcement of 750 million dose production of Sputnik V in India with six domestic vaccine makers. The vaccine approval gave major hope to India which is grappling with COVID-19 surge and shortage of home-made COVID-19 vaccines.
Bolivian President Luis Arce was given the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus on Monday as the country fights a third wave of the virus outbreak.

Arce said he wanted to send a message to the population to go to vaccination centers, some of which looked empty.

The inoculation campaign is running with delays, according to experts.

Bolivia has so far vaccinated 1.3 million people with one and two doses of the Sputnik, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sinopharm vaccines.

The Ministry of Health expects to vaccinate 7.5 million people.

The third wave has led to the saturation of hospitals and their intensive care units. The families of the sick and doctors are complaining of lack of medicines.

Bolivia has also reported various COVID-19 variants.

The increase of cases have prompted the government over the weekend to put in place rigid quarantine in four of the nine regions of the country.

Bolivia has registered 349,653 cases and 13,857 deaths, according to official figures.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The Pakistan High Commission in London was attacked by Afghanistan protestors on Tuesday. According to reports, Afghanistan protestors also pelted stones and bottles at the Pakistan High Commission building. In addition, it is also being reported that the London Police has foiled the protestors' attempt to trespass into the High Commission. Even so, the high commission has requested the authorities to beef up security. According to reports, the Afghan nationals were protesting against Pakistan's involvement in the ongoing peace talks.

Pakistan High Commission requests London Police to beef up security

This comes amid the ongoing Afghanistan peace talks. According to reports, the same group of Afghan nationals had earlier protested near the Qatar embassy for their involvement in the Afghan peace talks. Following Tuesday's incident, the Pakistan High Commission has reportedly asked the authorities in London Police to beef up and enhance the security detail of the high commission premises.

Earlier on Monday, former Afghan President, Hamid Karzai in an interview hit out at Pakistan and alleged that the neighbouring country was eyeing to exert its strategic influence in Afghanistan through the Taliban. In addition, he had asserted that dominating Afghanistan will not work for Pakistan, as it did not work for other powers throughout history. Karzai remarked that dominating Afghanistan did not work for the British, for the Soviets, United States.

"Pakistan will not succeed either," said Hamid Karzai.

Karzai has therefore urged Pakistan to 'be reasonable' and instead forge a civilised leadership among the two neighbours.

US and NATO to withdraw troops by September 11

The United States has committed to a complete withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan by September 11. However, violence still brews in Afghanistan as the earlier deadline of May 1 was missed by the US. Therefore, the US and NATO have pledged to withdraw their troops from the country. The withdrawal has already commenced after 20 years of war. Earlier this week, American troops left the southern Kandahar Air Base, where some NATO forces still remain. The base in Kandahar was the second-largest US base in Afghanistan, after Bagram. While the Taliban has avoided engaging with US troops, they have not stopped attacking the Afghan government forces. Violence persists in Afghanistan as a major attack last week killed over 90 people. Among those, many of them were pupils leaving a girls school when a powerful car bomb exploded. However, the Taliban has denied its involvement.
As military leaders grapple with how to carry out President Joe Bidens order to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by September, the Pentagon insists the U.S. commitment to the region is not wavering.

"Just because we are removing our troops and our and ending our military mission in Afghanistan doesn't mean that we're walking away from the region," Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

Last week, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said negotiations with Afghanistan's neighbors for overflight rights and troop basing are moving forward but will take time.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Pakistan's chief of Army staff, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. The Pentagon didn't get specific about what the two military leaders discussed, other than to says they talked about "shared regional interests and objectives."

Commanders have said they will monitor threats from over the horizon, to ensure that terrorists cannot again use Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks against the U.S. But they have acknowledged that the U.S. does not yet have any agreements for basing or overflights from any of the neighboring countries.

"There's still going to be a robust United States presence in the Middle East, in the Central Command area of responsibility," Kirby told reporters.

"There's absolutely going to be no diminution of our commitment to our allies and partners in the region," he said.

On a separate matter, Kirby told reporters there are no plans to leave a quick reaction force made up of National Guard troops to boost protection at the U.S. Capitol.

After being deployed to help quell the Jan. 6 insurrection, National Guard troops are returning home after nearly five months and turning over security of the area to Capitol Police.

"The thousand or so that are still in the capital region are preparing for departure," Kirby said.

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that President Joe Biden dispatched Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Middle East to discuss the way forward after 11 days of violence between Israel and Hamas, including rebuilding Gaza.

Admitting that the ceasefire, "is holding, but we are continuing to watch it," Psaki said part of Blinken's mission is to press the Israelis, Palestinians and regional players to and strengthen it.

It will be the Biden administrations highest-level in-person meetings on this month's crisis.

Blinken will not meet anyone from the Hamas militant group that runs Gaza and was responsible for most of the recent rocket attacks on Israel.

Psaki was asked about the state of U.S. sanctions against the Venezuelan government. She said the Biden administration was considering its "global relations" with many countries but declined to go into details.

The Biden administration is now allowing eligible Haitian nationals residing in the U.S. to apply for a new 18-month designation for temporary protected status, reversing a Trump administration effort that had sought to end the special consideration.

In a statement Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas cited security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty and other problems in Haiti for the decision.

DHS says a foreign country may be designated for temporary protected status, or TPS, because of conditions that temporarily prevent the countrys nationals from returning safely or because the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately.

While a person with TPS cannot be removed from the U.S., DHS notes that it is a temporary benefit that doesnt lead to lawful permanent resident status or give any other immigration status.

"Certainly the president is aware of the plight of many people across the world, Hondurans and others," Psaki said, but did not preview any other TPS announcements.

On Iran talks, Psaki said the United States was continuing to plug along on the path to diplomacy, even though the talks were indirect.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the Middle East to press the Israelis, Palestinians and regional players to build on last week's Gaza cease-fire by laying the groundwork for an eventual resumption in long-stalled peace talks.

President Joe Biden announced Blinken would depart on Monday for a short visit to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan and Egypt for what will be the Biden administration's highest-level in-person meetings on the crisis that erupted earlier this month.

Blinken's primary goal will be to shore up the cease-fire in the hope that it will hold, discuss an urgent infusion of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, stress the need for an end to intra-communal violence within Israeli cities and lay the preliminary groundwork for a return to peace talks, according to a senior State Department official.

While Blinken will meet with the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan, he will not see anyone from the militant Hamas movement that runs Gaza.

"Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and there can't be any direct contacts with them. It's always difficult," said Matthew Lee, a Diplomatic Writer for the Associated Press.

The Biden adminstration is also likely to face pressure from international donors who have given billions of dollars of assistance into rebuilding Gaza's infrastructure only to see it destroyed in the following conflict.

"We're in a very early stage where you have to rebuild trust and confidence on both sides. And it is going to be incredibly difficult because there isn't any on either side," Lee added. "In order to get to a point where not only donors feel confident, but the Israelis, Israeli people, and the Palestinian people themselves feel confident that, you know, this just isn't a losing gambit that is going to end up for naught once again because it has so many times before."

Blinken will meet with leaders of the Palestinian Authority, overseen by the head of the splintering Fatah party Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbass administers less than 40% of the West Bank and his presidential mandate expired more than a decade ago. His forces have no presence in Gaza, and with the elections cancelled, are unlikely to return anytime soon.

"There is a crisis of legitimacy on the Palestinian side as well as maybe not a crisis, but very serious questions about the leadership on the Israeli side," Lee said. "Prime Minister Netanyahu is embroiled in legal troubles of his own. He was unable to form a government after the last Israeli election. And Israel may be headed to new elections so far. So, you know, there are a lot of factors here that complicate the situation. And it's going to be a real tough, a real tough slog for the Biden administration to overcome them."

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The Pentagon on May 24 said that the security assistance to Pakistan that was suspended by the previous Trump administration remains to be the same. While speaking at a press conference, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby informed that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed shared regional interests and objectives. However, he also said that at this time, the US security assistance to Pakistan is still suspended.

Kirby responded to a question if the Biden administration has reviewed the policy in this regard of the previous Trump administration and if there are any changes in it or was this issue on the table during talks with the Pakistani leadership. It is worth mentioning that former US President Donald Trump, back in 2018, had suspended all security assistance to Pakistan. Trump had argued that he was not satisfied with the latter's cooperation and role in the fight against terrorism.

On Monday, Kirby said, At this time, the US security assistance to Pakistan is still suspended. I will not get into speculating one way or another about if or whether that will change going forward.

US-Pak discuss regional dynamics

Meanwhile, Austin spoke with Pakistani General Bajwa and reiterated his appreciation for Pakistans support to the Afghanistan peace negotiations. He expressed his desire to continue to build on the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship. According to a statement, Austin and Bajwa also discussed regional dynamics and shared interest in security and stability in the region.

Today I had the chance to speak with Pakistans Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. I reiterated my appreciation for the U.S.  Pakistan relationship and my desire to continue to work together to further regional security and stability. pic.twitter.com/wYq3oLaiNZ  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) May 24, 2021

A day earlier, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met his Pakistani counterpart in Geneva. Spokesperson of the National Security Council Emily Horne said that the US and Pakistan discussed a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. They even spoke about ways to advance practical cooperation and agreed to continue with the conversation.

(With inputs from PTI)
A 50-year-old woman will face a court in Malaga this week accused of intentionally starting seven fires in Mijas in less than a month. The Public Prosecutors office is calling for an 18-year prison sentence for the arson incidents.

The fires happened between 19 July 2015 and 14 August of the same year. According to the prosecutor the Spanish woman used flammable materials, including alcohol and fire lighters to start the fires, all of them in the Calanova area of the town.

The flames affected urban plots owned by the Riviera International company and, at that time, the land was scrubland, but very close to plots that were already built on, according to the prosecutor.

The first of the fires took place on 19 July and affected an area of approximately one hectare. Seven hours later, the defendant apparently acted again, where the fire burned an area of about 200 square metres.

The next fire attributed to the woman was registered on July 25 that affected one hectare of land.

At the end of July, on 31st, another fire was started but neighbours who who saw the flames at around 9.30pm proceeded to smother them, so the affected area was very small.

Between 4 and 10 August two more fires were registered in Mijas, which affected half a hectare and twenty square metres of land.

The last of the fires was recorded on 14 August and was the largest of all those attributed to the accused, burning an area of two hectares and causing the evacuation of the Tropical Hills residential development due to the proximity of the fire.

The suspect was arrested immediately after this last fire.

The Public Prosecutor's office considers that the woman is guilty of arson crimes and, in addition to an 18-year prison sentence, is calling on the court to order her to compensate the Junta de Andalucia some 13,459 euros for fire-fighting expenses.
The White House is condemning the actions of the Belarus government after it forced the diversion of a passenger jet to the capital of Minsk in order to arrest an opposition journalist.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration condemns "the Lukashenko regime's ongoing harrassment and arbirtrary detention of journalists simply for doing their job."

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through Belarus airspace on Sunday and ordered it to land.

A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane. Belarus authorities then arrested passenger Raman Pratasevich, a 26-year-old activist, journalist and prominent critic of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Psaki called it "a shocking act" which she said "constitutes a brazen affront of international peace and security by the regime."

She said the administration is demanding an "immediate, transparent and credible investigation" of the incident.

Psaki also said the White House and the Kremlin are moving forward on plans to arrange a summit between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Switzerland in June.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan is meeting with his Russian counterpart in the proposed host city of Geneva this week to finalize details.

Regarding reports that raise questions about the origins of COVID-19, Psaki said the White House has been "pressing for several months" for an international investigation in coordination with partners around the world.

But she cautioned against jumping to conclusions based on media reports, insisting the world doesn't have enough information to reach a conclusion yet.

The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that three researchers from China's Wuhan lab sought hospital care in November 2019, just about a month before China reported its first cases of COVID-19.

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Overcrowded conditions are leading to mass outbreaks in the facilities, the groups say.

A woman checks her temperature at a screening point before entering at the Central Market in Phnom Penh, May 24, 2021.

Cambodia should immediately release inmates who are most at risk from the coronavirus and pre-trial detainees eligible for bail amid the risk of mass outbreaks in the countrys overcrowded prisons and detention centers, a rights group said Monday.

While the coronavirus made few inroads into Cambodia in 2020, the countrys latest outbreak in February has led to nearly 180 deaths and the number of people infected with COVID-19the disease caused by the virushas climbed to nearly 25,800.

The drastic rise in infections recently led Prime Minister Hun Sen to issue crippling lockdown measures as part of a bid to curb the spread of the virus. While such measuresin addition to increased testing and vaccinationshave helped to protect the public, rights groups on Monday warned that a recent rash of COVID-19 cases in prisons in the capital Phnom Penh and Sihanouk province shows inmates are particularly susceptible to infection and current mitigation efforts are inadequate.

The authorities should immediately reduce the prison population in line with international human rights standards and World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, and ensure that all those in detention have equitable access to hygiene supplies, as well as tests, treatment and vaccines for COVID-19, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Londons Amnesty International (AI) said in a joint statement.

The two groups noted that in December, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Cambodia and on the right to physical and mental health issued a joint communication to the Cambodian government calling for prisons to be urgently decongested in the context of the pandemic, but that no significant measures have yet been undertaken.

Earlier this month, Cambodias Department of Prisons revealed that 34 inmates at Preah Sihanouk Provincial Prison had tested positive, and that hundreds of additional prisoners have since tested positive, although the government has not released official figures. Additionally, the groups said they had received reports in mid-May of hundreds of positive cases in the Phnom Penh Jail, and more than a dozen cases in CC1the countrys largest and most overcrowded prison.

We call on the prison authorities to act with greater transparency and to immediately publish complete information on the number of positive cases recorded in prisons, and to take immediate action to protect the lives and health of people in detention, including by urgently reducing overcrowding in all prisons across the country, the groups said.

The Cambodian authorities should immediately release all pre-trial detainees across the country who are eligible for bail, as well as prisoners who are most at risk from COVID-19. They should also provide for the early, temporary or conditional release of prisoners convicted of misdemeanors or non-violent offences.

Cambodias prison population totals around 39,000 and the countrys prisons have an average occupancy above 300 percent of capacity. Some 35 percent of all prisoners are being held in pre-trial detention.

WHO needs injection of political courage

In a separate statement, Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director for HRW, called out the WHO for remaining silent when the Cambodian government ignored its recommendations on prisoner releases during the pandemic.

Everyone saw a potential outbreak coming and measures to prevent or mitigate its impact on prisoners should have been implemented long ago by the Cambodian government, he said.

The WHO Cambodia office clearly needs an injection of political courage and commitment because it is baffling that when they speak, they only seem able to congratulate the government on its rights abusing COVID-19 responses.

Robertson said that WHO Cambodia should call on the government to ensure that rolled out vaccination plans of prisoners are voluntary and based on informed consent, while nationwide prisoner releases are expanded and sped up.

The government needs to move much faster if they want to prevent what might become an uncontrollable outbreak in the prisons, he warned.

Government reaction

Department of Prisons spokesman Nuth Savana on Monday dismissed infection numbers in the joint statement from HRW and AI as speculation and suggested the groups were caus[ing] confusion and suspicion about our transparency.

He said that the government had already vaccinated more than 12,000 inmates in three prisons in Phnom Penh and a prison in the city of Sihanoukville and is working extremely hard to prevent viral spread.

We have no plan to request the release of inmates to reduce the population, he said. However, we do not rule out that option if the spread becomes too big to handle.

But Soeung Senkarunaspokesperson for the Cambodian rights group Adhoctold RFAs Khmer Service that inmates have already been deprived of their liberty and must not be deprived of their right to a safe environment amid the pandemic.

The government should not turn a blind eye to civil societys requests for attention to the well-being of inmates, he said. They need to take immediate action to save them. A stitch in time saves nine.

Unions call for shutdowns

Also on Monday, Cambodias unions called for government shutdowns of garment factories amid a recent surge in infections among workers.

Cambodian Labour Confederation President Ath Thun told RFA that the rate of positive COVID-19 cases in factories will only worsen if authorities do not take immediate action to close down infected facilities.

He insisted that the government also intervene to ensure that employers do not cut wages or take away employee benefits.

There will be effects on the orders, as well as the transfer and the transportation of goods, he said.

The workers will have no money because of factory shutdowns, so it is important to close down only the factories that are affected by COVID-19.

While Cambodia struggles with its latest outbreak, reports of new cases and death in other parts of Southeast Asia suggest that the spread of the coronavirus is far from over in the region.

In neighboring Laos, which has recorded only two COVID-19 deaths and 1,822 infections, hundreds of workers fled Bokeo province for their home villages through the weekend after demanding special travel documents from authorities while the province struggles with the countrys second-worst infection rate after the capital Vientiane with 475 cases.

A member of Bokeos Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control told RFAs Lao Service that despite relatively high rates of infection, the spread of the coronavirus is now under control.

Two weeks ago, we saw up to 100 cases a day; last week there were 40 to 50; and this week, there has been no infection at all for the last two days, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, we cant let our guard down and we will continue to monitor the situation.

The taskforce member said that most of the 600 people who had fled over the weekend were workers from banana and bean plantations in Bokeos Tonpheung district, and that they had all been tested for COVID-19 before they were allowed to leave.

Local residents queue before casting their ballots for National Assembly members at a voting station in Hanoi, May 23, 2021. AFP

Death toll increase

In Vietnam, health officials announced the countrys 44th COVD-19 death on Monday, marking the ninth case in the past 10 days.

The latest death came as health officials also confirmed that a new coronavirus variant was leading to more critical cases in the countrys latest outbreak, which began on April 24. Local media cited leading health experts as saying that the new variant was not only causing serious complications in patients with underlying diseases, but also young people.

As of Monday, Vietnam has recorded more than 4,500 cases of COVID-19 infection. The number of recorded cases since last months outbreak was first discovered is now 1,472.

Reported by RFAs Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese Services. Translated by Sok Ry Sum, Max Avary, and Anna Vu. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Taiwanese documentary film-maker Wood Lin curated a series of films about the 2019 Hong Kong protest movement at this year's Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival (TIDF).



Lin kicked off the festival with a screening of "Inside the Red Walls", a frontline account of the 12-day standoff that ensued when riot police besieged the campus of Hong Kong's Polytechnic University (PolyU), prompting students and protesters to build barricades and fight back with makeshift weapons including petrol bombs.



His decision to screen the films came after a screening of "Inside Red Walls" was canceled by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society following strident criticism from the pro-China media in the city.



Lin spoke to RFA's Cantonese Service about a sense of solidarity between the people of Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan in their struggles against state violence and authoritarian rule.



"The function of a documentary is to remind us not to forget, and to reflect on the future," said Lin, who lives in a country that made the transition from authoritarian dictatorship under the Kuomintang to a fully democratic society in the 1990s.



"There are complex and ambivalent political relationships between China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Hong Kong and Taiwan have been through a lot together," Lin said, citing the ultimately successful Sunflower Movement that occupied Taiwan's parliament in protest at closer ties with China, and the Hong Kong protest movements, as well as the 1989 student-led democracy movement on Tiananmen Square.



"Their experiences complement each other," Lin said, adding that Taiwanese audiences haven't had much opportunity recently to see in-depth work that "reflects the fears and anxieties of the people of Hong Kong over the past two years."



"We seldom look at the [2019] protest movement from within, through its own eyes," he said. "We usually see it viewed through the lens of the media or from a more neutral and objective perspective."



"These films are an in-depth record of what the protesters feel when faced with the dangers they were in, and concerns about the future," Lin said.



"For example, the fact that remaining in the protest movement could bring down even more severe state violence down on your head."



"On the other hand, quitting looks like abandoning your comrades, and yet you have no idea how the government will retaliate against you in the future," Lin said. "It's an in-depth look at the mood of the protesters; the whole protest movement in Hong Kong from 2014 to now is worth looking at."



Documentary as historical archive

"You don't get this so much in European and American films, because they basically follow the traditional story arc of resistance, in which they know they have to keep fighting for their rights," he said. "But Hong Kong had no such precedents to follow."



According to Lin, a documentary functions in much the same way as a historical archive, or a secret file that will be released to the world at a later date.



"In a situation where you have no freedom, it's like a file that will one day be made public, and subjected to interpretation," Lin said.



Asked if there is any creative space left for film-makers who remain in Hong Kong, where a city-wide crackdown on peaceful dissent and political opposition is being waged under the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s National Security Law for Hong Kong, Lin thought for a while, then replied: "I don't know."

The title of "Inside the Red Walls" refers to the red brick walls of the PolyU campus, where some 1,300 people were arrested during the siege, while around 300 people were sent to hospital with injuries related to water cannon blast, tear gas, and rubber bullets,



Rights groups hit out at the Hong Kong police for 'fanning the flames' of violence as desperate protesters were trapped for several days inside the campus, while hundreds more waged pitched battles with riot police in Kowloon.



The U.S.-based group Human Rights in China condemned police action in and around Poly U, "trapping students, journalists, and first aiders, and reportedly handcuffing the latter group."



Small groups of protesters continued to make desperate bids for freedom throughout the siege, many of them only to end up being arrested and beaten bloody by police.



Police deployed tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets against a crowd trying to push through towards Poly U from Jordan district, with hundreds forming human chains to pass bricks, umbrellas, and other supplies to front-line fighters.

Reported by Man Hoi Yan for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Each Pyongyang household must report the number of TVs they own, and they face stiff punishments for hiding them.

North Korea has ordered residents of the capital Pyongang to report the number of televisions in each household to stop them from watching banned shows from prosperous, democratic South Korea, sources in the country told RFA.

In North Korea, access to media from the outside world is strictly controlled, and TVs and radios are manufactured to only pick up domestic channels and must be registered with the authorities. But residents do find ways to access South Korean signals, either by using foreign televisions or modifying domestic ones.

Getting caught during routine inspections with a TV that can pick up illegal signals is a punishable offense. Residents with more than one television hide their illegal TVs during inspections, only to bring them out again to watch Seouls latest hot drama or variety show, former residents told RFA.

Authorities are aware of the deception and have issued a directive that every household in the city declare to their local neighborhood watch unit how many televisions they have.

Residents are trying to hide them, but the judicial authorities are trying to find them. They are looking for TVs that can get South Korean TV channels in addition to the official channels, said a resident of Pyongyang, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Everyone knows that in Pyongyang, South Korean TV signals can be picked up in various areas, the source said. He mentioned the Mangyongdae and Rangrang districts in the center of the city of 2.8 million.

In these areas the residents have been known to have two or three televisions in their homes, so they can watch the legal channels during inspections and watch South Korean broadcasts in secret, the source said.

The source said that residents have developed clever ways to hide their illegal TVs.

There will soon be a fierce game of hide-and-seek between law enforcement and the citizens of Pyongyang. They put them in cabinets, closets and wardrobes to make it difficult for the police to find, the source said.

No matter how strict the authorities are during this crackdown, itll be difficult to stop people from watching South Korean channels. If youre able to afford two or more televisions, youre either an official or very rich. How can the authorities hope to crack down on these people? said the source.

Another source, a Pyongyang official, said that illegal signal tuning was rampant in the city, which lies 100 miles (160 km) from the border with South Korea.

I know that people these days freely discuss South Korean TV broadcasts with those they trust. They like to see the free-spirited lifestyles of South Koreans living in abundance. They can live vicariously through the people they see on TV to forget the frustrations of their own reality, the second source said.

The number of households that have purchased one or two extra televisions have increased, so the police have instructed each neighborhood watch unit to accurately report the number of televisions in each household, the second source said.

Severe punishments are in line for people who fail to report accurately.

They shall be kicked out of the party, removed from their posts, or sent into internal exile. But most of the powerful officials and the rich have multiple televisions, and they know how crackdowns are conducted.

Not everyone in Pyongyang is able to access South Korean broadcast signals because the frequencies are jammed, according to Kim Seung-chul, a North Korean escapee who is now president of South Korea-based North Korea Reform Radio.

I dont know if it is possible in the center of Pyongyang, but I know they do it on the outskirts, Kim told RFA.

Kims organization conducted a survey of North Korean refugees in South Korea about their access to foreign media when they lived in North Korea. Many said they were able to watch South Korean TV, especially those living near the coast or the Demilitarized Zone that divides North from South.

Those who live near North Koreas border with China are able to watch South Korean content broadcast on Chinese channels.

A 2015 report circulated by South Koreas Ministry of Unification said that North Koreans living near the border with South Korea own more than one TV set specifically to watch Souths programs, some of which enjoy global popularity that have generated significant soft power for the South.

In North Korea, South Korean broadcasts are watched after 9 p.m. They cover the windows with blankets so that the television light cannot be seen from the outside, the report said.

The skyline of Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 7, 2016. Credit: AP

Capitalist cultural invasion

North Korean authorities revised the Criminal Law in 2015, raising the maximum sentence to 10 years in prison for capitalist cultural invasion, a vague term that refers to watching or listening to media from outside North Korea.

The countrys leader Kim Jong Un in 2017 personally ordered the destruction of non-socialist phenomena.

The Rodong Shinmun, North Koreas official newspaper, warned youth in May 2020 not to view foreign media, saying, If you cannot remain vigilant against a single movie or a song, and imitate it, the national culture will gradually become discolored, and the rotten lifestyle of materialism will prevail.

South Koreas GDP is 54 times the size of the Norths, while its population of 51 million is twice that of North Korea.

In June 2020, RFA reported that a specific sarcastic phrase uttered in a South Korean drama that authorities saw as disrespectful to Kim Jong Un had become popular among North Koreans of all ages, and that the government was scrambling to find ways to eliminate the phrase.

A 2019 report in the Washington Post said South Korean media is considered dangerous to North Korean authorities because it encourages North Koreans to escape. Sources in that report said that K-pop and American pop music has had an instrumental role in undermining North Korean propaganda.

The report also cited a survey by South Koreas Unification Media Group (UMG) of 200 North Korean escapees living in South Korea, in which 90 percent said they consumed foreign media while living in the North, with 75 percent saying they knew of someone who was punished for it.

More than 70 percent said they believed that it became more dangerous to access foreign media since Kim Jong Un took power in 2011.

Media from South Korea and other countries usually enters the North from across the porous Chinese border, and is distributed on USB flash drives and SD cards.

Reported by Jieun Kim and Yong Jae Mok for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Militia members attend a training led by Karen National Union (KNU), in Karen State, Myanmar April 9, 2021 in this still image obtained by Reuters from a video on April 26, 2021.

After seeing how Myanmars military used deadly force to crack down on peaceful protests against the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the countrys democratically elected government, a young man from the countrys central Bago region answered a call for volunteers to join a newly forming local militia. He went into the Bago Yoma mountain range with other like-minded citizens, many of whom were youth like himself, and began training for armed combat.

RFA Myanmar Service reporter Aye Aye Mon conducted a telephone interview with the young man, who identified himself as Yoma Tiger. He said that he and others in the Bago Peoples Defense Army have had enough of the military dictatorship and are waiting for the right moment to fight back.

The militia has made contact with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) made up of lawmakers deposed by the coup, and they hope to one day fight alongside other regional militias and ethnic insurgent groups as part of the NUGs Peoples Defense Force (PDF). Even though the military is better equipped and trained and outnumbers the resistance, Yoma Tiger believes that the junta cannot win because the people of Myanmar do not support it. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

RFA: Please tell us why you decided to take up arms against the junta.

Yoma Tiger: We were holding peaceful protests and government employees staged their Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) but the military used deadly force to crush unarmed civilians. They used violence in the past, and they are still using violence in 2021. That's why we decided to risk our lives with this armed movement.

RFA: You were living comfortably with your family and now everything is different in your mountain hideout. What are some of the difficulties you encounter out here?

Yoma Tiger: We never had dreams of holding guns or fighting in combat. Young people like us have never had military training before and didnt know how to use guns or grenades. After we got here for military training, we encountered so many difficulties. Living conditions were rough and the food was not good. But after a month or so when we heard about how the people support us, we found the situation tolerable.

RFA: Malaria is the biggest problem in the Yoma region. Have any among your group fallen ill?

Yoma Tiger: We have seen cases of dysentery and diarrhea. And insect bites are also a problem.

RFA: Some people are saying that you cannot win because the other side is a strong, well-armed military. What do you think of that?

Yoma Tiger: Well, they said they have a 500,000-strong army. But we found out from recent defectors that a lot of the soldiers in the military are only there only because it is their job. We do not need 100 or even 50 people to launch an attack on a police station of about 20 policemen. Except for the one or two officers in charge, the rest will not hesitate to raise a white flag once under an attack. Thats why we believe we can win.

RFA: What do you expect from the people?

Yoma Tiger: People all over the country have been actively opposing the military regime and I think this is the time to take a stand and put an end to the military dictatorship. Our strength is in the people. Even if they dont take up arms and join the CDM thats still a strength for us.

But among our ranks there is even a 50-year-old man taking his military training seriously. We will soon be getting modern arms from the NUG and information from the people. Information and intelligence are very important. Even if people are not themselves taking up arms, they are sending us food supplies. This is also very encouraging, and I want to urge them to continue to give us support.

RFA: You and your comrades have formed the Bago Yoma Defense Force but the NUG has formed what it hopes is a national-level People's Defense Force. Have you had contact with them?

Yoma Tiger: We formed the Bago Division of the PDF on May 15, and we pledged to work under the NUG banner. We now have contact with them. Of the 28 townships in Bago region we have contact with about 20 of them.

RFA: Revolutions call for a lot of sacrifice. You said you are even ready to give up your life. What would be the ultimate sacrifice to you and your colleagues?

Yoma Tiger: Our elders may think our ideas are extreme but we, the young people, believe this is the time to put a stop to the military dictator. This is the time for the final showdown. We are trying not to make mistakes. We now have the support of the ethnic minority groups and other organizations, and our main strength is the people. That is why we believe we are going to succeed.

RFA: Some say that you should not reveal to the media what you are going to do because they are worried it could be used as evidence against you later. What do you want to tell them?

Yoma Tiger: We really appreciate their concern. We live in the era of mass media, and we must use the might of the media. The military is broadcasting a lot of psywar programs on various media platforms. They have taken down all the satellite dishes in Bago region because the media can be as strong as a bullet. We are not putting our faces out on the media just to show off. The media is one of the main components of our Spring Revolution.

RFA: What else do you want to tell people in the rest of the country?

Yoma Tiger: We have established contact with the NUG. We will be armed very soon, and we are now having discussions with the armed ethnic groups. Before we can launch an offensive in unison, we will still be launching attacks, guerilla-style. We understand the frustration of the people, and I would like to tell them to give us a little more time. We are running through six-month training courses in just a couple of months. I also want to urge those in the CDM to hold on, and those in the armed forces to join the CDM.

Reported by Aye Aye Mon for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanoi flew home fishermen within a couple of months of their detention, Jakarta said.

UPDATED at 8:20 p.m. EST on 05-24-2021

More than 500 Vietnamese fishermen are stranded in Indonesia as Vietnam has not repatriated any since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian officials and the detained fishermen told RFA and its affiliate BenarNews.

The detainees are scattered in detention centers near ports across the country, said Pung Nugroho Saksono, an official at Indonesias Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

The number has reached more than 500 people, because it has been almost a year since they have not been sent home, he said, adding that only ship captains are charged.

So far, our effort has been to inform the Vietnamese by sending a note complete with a list of fishermen who have not been subject to legal proceedings. However, there has been no response at all from the Vietnamese side.

Before the pandemic, Hanoi repatriated fishermen arrested for trespassing in Indonesian waters within two months, said Ahmad Nursaleh, spokesman for Indonesias Directorate General of Immigration.

The Director General of Immigration has communicated with the Vietnamese side every time there are additional Vietnamese detained, Ahmad told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Their number keeps increasing and there is no clarity about their return.

Vietnam, the flag country of the seized boats, is responsible for repatriation, he said.

We also cant enforce their countrys policies. The important thing is we make an effort to coordinate with all related parties, Ahmad said.

When asked if President Joko Jokowi Widodos and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had discussed the fishermen during their meeting last month at the Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java, Indonesian officials said they did not know.

Ahmed said that Indonesia would prefer if the Vietnamese fishermen went back.

Basically, we want them to return home immediately, but the current situation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, does not allow them to return to Vietnam because Vietnam itself is still on lockdown. There havent been any flights there yet, Ahmad said.

In mid-December 2020, Indonesian authorities said 225 fishermen had been detained that year  but 199 of them were cleared to return to Vietnam at any time.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Jakarta did not respond to at least three BenarNews requests for comment.

Hard life

Meanwhile, some of the fishermen said that, because they have been housed in detention centers in Indonesia, they have not been able to support their families back home in Vietnam.

One Vietnamese fisherman who has been held at Tanjung Pinang detention center in the capital of Indonesias Riau Islands province since March 2020 told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that he had not been able to provide for his young children and his parents who are in their 70s.

His parents continue to work so they can send him about U.S. $45 a month so he can buy food, he said.

All of us at the detention center are having a hard life. Many are often hungry as we are provided with only a half bowl of rice each meal. We all want to return to Vietnam to live and earn money to support our families. Its miserable here, said the fisherman, who asked that his name not be used because of security concerns.

Nugroho Saksono, the Indonesian Fisheries and Marine Resources Ministry official, said the fishermen had enough to eat.

We feed them and there are quite a lot of them. Nobody is hungry, they can eat between three and four times a day, he told BenarNews.

In Vietnam, a woman who asked to be identified as Ms. Vy, and whose younger brother has been detained in Tanjung Pinang, said that her family had contacted her local Department of Foreign Affairs office many times.

The Department of Foreign Affairs here said that they had sent all [the related documents] to the embassy [in Jakarta], Ms. Vy told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

When I contacted the embassy, they said that we should wait. Weve been waiting for over a year but havent heard back from them.

She said many families have reached out to an unscrupulous broker to assist in efforts to free their kin.

I heard that around 100 families of the detainees had to borrow money, some even had borrowed money from evil gangs or banks to pay the broker, she said.

Many are now worried that the broker has been cheating them.

In December 2020, detainees at Tanjung Pinang sent videos of themselves to RFA to highlight their poor living conditions.

An inmate, who asked to be identified as Mr. Bien, said the Vietnamese officials had visited the detention center before the lunar New Year in early February 2021, to collect information after the videos had been published.

Before Tet, the Vietnamese Embassys staff came to interview us in person. I did ask them to help all of us to return and reunite with our families soon, he told RFA.

The Embassy staff said they would try their best to facilitate it at the earliest possible, but so far, we havent seen any progress.

In addition to Tanjung Pinang, Vietnamese fishermen were also being held at facilities in Pangkal Pinang, off the east coast of Sumatra; in Pontianak, West Kalimantan; and in the Natuna islands, according to Nugroho Aji, director of enforcement at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. The Vietnamese Service of Radio Free Asia contributed to this report.
Do Le Na, wife of a jailed 'unapproved' candidate for election to the National Assembly, said that election workers came to her home, urging her to vote.

Election workers in Vietnams capital Hanoi have put a sight-impaired woman on report for failing to vote in this weekends election for members of the countrys National Assembly and local Peoples Councils, with all candidates pre-approved by the countrys ruling Communist Party.

Do Le Na, wife of independent candidate Le Trong Hung who was arrested March 27 when he put himself forward for election, was told by a visiting team on Sunday evening that she would either have to go to the polls to vote or be put on report, though voting is not compulsory in the one-party communist state.

Nas local election council had previously sent messages every day reminding her and other members of the public to cast informed votes on May 23, Na told RFAs Vietnamese Service in a phone interview on Monday.

But I was only given a voter card, so how could I vote in an informed way? she asked, adding that she had only been provided with a list of candidates at 10:00 a.m. on election day.

The candidates should have met with voters ahead of time to introduce their action plans and explain what they would do if they were elected, Na said.

In their written record of their visit, Election Team No. 4 said that Na had been provided with materials explaining the election for National Assembly and Peoples Council members at all levels of authority to serve during the 2021-2026 term of government.

However, being visually impaired, Na was unable to read these, she said.

They agreed with what I saidthat there should be this and that. However, I was never invited to any meetings and had no opportunity to see any of the candidates, she said.

Reached for comment, a staff member of the Peoples Committee of Hanois Thanh Luong Ward said that she could not answer questions over the phone, telling the reporter to come to the Committees offices with a letter of referral.

Others also decline

Reports were also issued in other cases documenting voters refusals to participate in Sundays election, in which an estimated 95.65 percent of Vietnams eligible voters cast ballots, according to National Election Council figures.

Dinh Van Hau, a resident of Ninh Hoa hamlet in Lam Dong provinces Duc Trong district, posted a photo of a document which said that he had refused to cast a vote even when the ballot box was brought to his home.

Political dissident Phan Van Bach, who had nominated himself as a candidate for the previous 2016-2021 term of government, also refused to cast a vote, barring election workers from his home on the excuse that he was afraid of the spread of COVID-19.

Though Vietnams government has shown greater openness amid its shift from central planning to a market economy in recent decades, the ruling Communist Party still retains a tight grip on the countrys rubber-stamp parliament and media, and tolerates little opposition to its policies.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
An Armenian soldier was killed on May 25 in a border shootout with Azerbaijani forces, the Armenian Defense Ministry said, amid tensions after last year's war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

However, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry accused Armenia of deliberately fueling tensionsin the border zone by disseminating lies.

The Armenian ministry said that the situation was now "calm" after the skirmish at the Verin Shorzha border point in Armenia's Gegharkunik district.

The area borders a region that was retaken by Azerbaijan in the war.

"One serviceman has been killed as a result of a shoot-out that followed the opening of fire by Azerbaijani troops" at a border position in eastern Armenia, the ministry said in a statement.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since the early 1990s.

A long-simmering conflict over the region erupted into full-blown war in late September, with some 6,000 people killed in six weeks of fighting that ended in a Moscow-brokered cease-fire deal.

Under the cease-fire, a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces.

The agreement also resulted in the deployment of around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers and provided for an exchange of POWs and other detained people.

Several prisoner exchanges have taken place in recent months.

Last month, hundreds of relatives of POWs and missing soldiers protested in Yerevan and other parts of Armenia.



Earlier this month, Armenia accused Azerbaijan's military of crossing the southern border in an "infiltration" to "lay siege" to a lake that is shared by the two countries, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian saying that up to 600 Azerbaijani troops remained on Armenian territory.

Azerbaijan has rejected the claims.

The United States and France have called on Azerbaijan to pull back its forces.
From Monday, 24 May, British travellers - along with those from Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Israel, South Korea, Thailand and Rwanda, which are now considered safe non-EU countries - were allowed back into Spain without the need for PCR test or quarantine.

However, the decision did not have the approval of the director of the countrys Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), Fernando Simon, who has called for prudence in the face of the arrival of foreigners: "We have to lower the tone of euphoria."

The problem is euphoria and we should tone it down, because it seems that we are saying to everyone who wants to come, Spain is open, and I would prefer it to be quieter."

During a press conference on Monday, the epidemiologist said that he felt heard, but my voice is not the only one. I understand that the weight of the health argument ceases to be the same after a year or so and other voices are taken into account. I'm not the only one who has a say."

Simon said he anticipated that the impact of re-opening to international tourism will begin to be seen from mid-June, although the situation will be different then, because with each day that passes the percentage of people immunised in Spain increases.

The health expert also said the decline of the pandemic indicators in Spain, notable during the last two weeks, is "slowing down", and blamed this on the end of the state of alarm, just over two weeks ago, which has caused a increase in social contacts and movement.

Last Monday Simon spoke that "in not many days" the Ministry of Health was going to rethink a more flexible use of the mask outdoors, but this Monday he warned that people, especially the young, must respect "important measures" to avoid risks.

"We have to continue to be prudent until we have greater vaccination coverage," he said.
More airlines have announced a suspension of their flights over Belarusian airspace after the country diverted a passenger plane to Minsk and arrested a dissident journalist.

Air France, Finnair, and Singapore Airlines were among the latest carriers to suspend flights over Belarus on May 25, a day after European Union leaders called on the bloc's aviation industry to avoid the Eastern European country's skies and moved to ban Belarusian airlines from EU airspace and airports.

The EU move came in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius by Minsk on May 23 and the detention of one of its passengers, independent Belarusian journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich -- in what Western officials denounced as "state hijacking" and "state piracy."

Also on May 25, the Ukrainian government said the country's airlines were no longer allowed to transit Belarusian airspace and that flights to and from Belarus would be banned from May 26.

"This means that it will not be possible to fly from an airport of Ukraine to an airport of Belarus and Ukrainian airlines to transit through the Belarus airspace," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement.

Air France said in a statement it had "taken note" of the conclusions of the EU summit and had suspended flights over Belarus "until further notice.

Planes already in the air will have their flight plans modified, the French carrier, which is part of Air France-KLM, said.

Its Dutch stablemate KLM stopped flying over Belarus on May 24.

Singapore Airlines said it was also rerouting flights "that are bound for Europe to avoid the Belarusian airspace" and would continue to "closely monitor the situation.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority," a spokesperson told AFP.

Finnair said its decision to reroute planes affects three flights a week.

Scandinavian airline SAS, Germany's Lufthansa, and Latvian-based regional airline airBaltic made similar announcements on May 24.

Lithuania said on May 24 it wouldnt authorize any departing or arriving flights that cross Belarusian airspace.

Britain also issued instructions for British aircraft to avoid the country's airspace.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
The father of independent journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich told Current Time on May 25 said that he had no information about his son's whereabouts. Dzmitry Pratasevich also said he had no reason to trust a video published online in which his son purportedly "confesses" to crimes, saying he saw clear signs of a beating. Raman Pratasevich was detained after Belarus forced a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in its capital on May 23.
MINSK -- The body of a Belarusian activist who died in prison last week was handed over to relatives with his head wrapped in bandages, a family friend told local media.

Vitold Ashurak, 50, died on May 21 while serving a five-year term for participating in anti-government protests. He was sentenced in January.

According to a state medical report the Ashurak family was given on May 25 along with his body, the cause of death has yet to be determined. Relatives said they were told he had died of a heart attack. Ashuraks wife told media earlier in the week that her husband had no previous heart issues.

Family friend and journalist Volha Bykouskaya told media that Ashurak was wrapped in bandages from the top of his head to his nose and only his mouth was visible.

The Ashurak family has declined to speak with journalists about the condition of Ashurak's body and will not seek an independent autopsy.

Belaruss Investigative Committee published a video later on May 25 purporting to show Ashurak collapsing twice while in his prison cell. Guards can be seen applying a bandage to the prisoners head after the first fall.

RFE/RL could not immediately confirm if the prisoner in the video is Ashurak.

Zmitser Karol, a Belarusian surgeon who watched the 55-second video, said the prisoner appears to be very weak from malnutrition. Karol questioned why authorities would leave such a prisoner alone in his cell after the first fall if he was having heart problems.

Andrey Bandarenka, a human rights activist who served eight months in the same prison in Shklov in eastern Belarus, told RFE/RL that the person in the video is in a punitive detention cell for those accused of violating penitentiary rules.

In a Facebook post on May 16, Bykouskaya said she had received her first letter from Ashurak since he was jailed. She said he said he was holding on, even though his imprisonment was difficult.

Bykouskaya said Ashurak and other political prisoners in Shklov had to wear yellow tags to differentiate themselves from other prisoners.

Ashurak, 50, was a member of the Belarusian Popular Front opposition party and a coordinator of the For Freedom movement.

He took active part in the wave of peaceful protests following the August 9 presidential election that the opposition says was rigged in favor of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarusian authorities responded to the demonstrations with a violent crackdown, detaining tens of thousands of protesters over the ensuing months.

Human Rights Watch said Belarusian police subjected hundreds of protesters to torture and other ill-treatment, including holding them in inhuman and degrading conditions. Several protesters died as a result of police actions.

At a closed-door trial in January, a court found Ashurak guilty of gross violations of public order and violence against police.

He was one of more than 400 political prisoners jailed following the presidential election, according to local rights groups.

Exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said earlier in the week that she was "devastated" to hear Ashurak had died and lashed out at authorities.

"People are not just suffering, people die because of the regime in Belarus," she said in a post to Twitter.

The European Union and the United States have sanctioned Lukashenka and dozens of officials and businessmen with asset freezes and visa bans over the brutal treatment of the protesters.
MOSCOW -- It bore all the hallmarks: the emotionless expression, the monotone delivery, the nondescript backdrop, the tightly clasped hands.



And the method of its dissemination was another sign: It spread on pro-government social-media channels before state TV picked it up and cited it as evidence of the dissident's guilt.



When Belarusian blogger Raman Pratasevich appeared in a video on May 24 and admitted to inciting mass unrest, the day after he was snatched from a commercial flight forced to land in Minsk, relatives, friends, and fellow activists had little doubt that it was the kind of forced confession they had all seen before. (RFE/RL has decided not to publish or link to the video.)



Pratasevich's father, Dzmitry, alleged that marks on the blogger's face were evidence he had been beaten into submission.



"In the video, the traces of beatings are clearly visible and he is noticeably nervous," Dzmitry Pratasevich told Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, on May 25. "He is not speaking in his own words."

The words, in any case, are suspiciously formulaic. The 26-year-old blogger, who fled the country fearing arrest in 2019, states that Belarusian law enforcement acted in "a totally lawful and adequate way," and pledges to provide "confessional statements" relating to anti-state activities.



From Vilnius, where Pratasevich was headed from Athens when the Ryanair flight he was on was diverted and escorted to Minsk by a Belarusian warplane, exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya told RFE/RL that the blogger was a "hostage" of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime.

Tsikhanouskaya has had personal experience with the tools the state is accused of deploying to extract forced confessions. Two days after the disputed August 2020 presidential election that sparked Belarus's political crisis, and which Tsikhanouskaya's supporters say she won, she appeared in a grainy video reading a text that called on Belarusians to cease protests and seemed to endorse the official result of the election by saying that "the people have made their choice" -- a baffling reversal from her earlier claims that the vote, in which Lukashenka claimed a landslide victory, was rigged.

A close aide and fellow opposition figure, Maryya Kalesnikava, said shortly afterward that Tsikhanouskaya had made the statement under duress while being kept behind closed doors for several hours at the Central Election Committee building, where she had gone to file a complaint about alleged vote-rigging.

Kalesnikava, who is now jailed and faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted on extremism and coup plotting charges that the United States has called a fabrication and an outrage, said that Tsikhanouskaya had been held in a room alone with two security officials, and that her colleagues and lawyer had been unable to contact her.

Tsikhanouskaya has never explained the exact circumstances behind the video, but has said that threats made against her and her family convinced her to leave for Lithuania shortly after that visit to the Central Election Committee.

"They can use both psychological but also physical pressure in order to force you to say what they want," Tsikhanouskaya told RFE/RL. "We don't know what is happening to Raman, but we can't exclude he might be tortured there."



In his own statement, Pratasevich gives assurances similar to the protagonists of other video confessions released on a regular basis by law enforcement organs in Belarus, Russia, and other countries where authoritarian governments use them to persuade viewers that arrestees are unharmed and that they harbor regrets about their alleged actions.

Instances of forced confessions have been recorded around the world, and some coerced defendants have secured release from prison and even compensation for the treatment that led to their false statements under duress, with many cases citing the right to fair trial endorsed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.



In the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states the practice was widespread, with written statements by defendants extracted by intelligence operatives and interrogators. The methods involved were most famously put to use in the so-called Moscow Trials of the 1930s, when perceived enemies of dictator Josef Stalin were placed in the dock and pleaded guilty to working against the state.



After the collapse of the Soviet Union, some of the republics that emerged as independent countries maintained political systems heavily influenced by the security services. In some cases, they kept not only their old practices but also the names that had become synonymous with arbitrary justice and the suppression of dissent.



The agency that spearheads that campaign in Belarus -- ruled since 1994 by Lukashenka, who has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator" -- has not changed its Soviet-era name, the State Security Committee (KGB). Government critics and human rights groups say that it has also maintained a focus on forced confessions as part of its modus operandi.



"It's horrible to imagine what they must do to a person, and what threats they must make for him to agree to record something like this," Kira Yarmysh, a Russian opposition activist and spokeswoman for imprisoned Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny, wrote on Twitter, describing the Pratasevich video as "heart-wrenching."



In Russia, Belarus's ally and longtime patron, forced confessions were used to particularly chilling effect during a recent series of crackdowns against associates and supporters of Navalny, the most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin.



In just one example from January, a state TV channel in Nizhny Novgorod released a video statement in which Navalny ally Roman Tregubov renounces the opposition leader and urges Russians to boycott anti-government protests.

Tregubov later told RFE/RL that the clip had been recorded under duress in police custody.

Tregubovs lawyer, Aleksandr Karavayev, later wrote in a Facebook post that his client had received a visit from police and officers of the Federal Security Service, who "scared him with a whole mess of felony charges and described the horrors they would visit upon his future."

Just five days before Tregubovs arrest, Russian investigators had published several videos featuring apologies and acts of contrition from protesters accused of assaulting state officials during protests on January 23. In one video, popular blogger Konstanti Lakeyev looks into the camera and vows never again to raise a hand against the police.

Pratasevich remains in pretrial detention and appears to have had no opportunity to retract his words or confirm that they were recorded under pressure.



But the video, published by Minsk-based social-media accounts and later broadcast on state TV channels in Belarus and Russia, has become a key element in Lukashenka's effort to shape the narrative around the events of May 23, when Belarusian authorities cited a later disproved bomb threat as they scrambled a fighter jet to escort the Ryanair flight to the Minsk airport and promptly took Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, into custody.



"This is the very same technique they used to get fake confessions out of people during the Stalin rule," Kira Tverskaya, a Moscow-based journalist working in the video game industry, wrote on Twitter. "It happened to my great-grandfather, and seeing it in action in 2021.... No words."
An adviser to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya says that she or any of her colleagues could have been in the same situation as activist Raman Pratasevich. He was detained after his flight was forced to land in Minsk by the Belarusian authorities. Franak Viacorka also said the Belarusian KGB could be operating in neighboring countries where opposition activists have sought refuge. He was speaking to Current Time's Igor Sevryugin on May 24.
MAHILYOU, Belarus -- Belarusian opposition politician Paval Sevyarynets has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a regional court in the eastern city of Mahilyou on a criminal charge of "organizing mass unrest."



Six pro-democracy activists and bloggers also received prison sentences ranging from four to seven years on similar charges in connection with unsanctioned political and civic activities.



They include European Belarus civil campaign activists Maksim Vinyarski, Andrey Voynich, Paval Yukhnevich, and Yauhen Afnahel, as well as Telegram channel administrator Iryna Shchasnaya and blogger Dzmitry Kazlou.



All have been recognized by international human rights groups as political prisoners.



The sentences, issued by Judge Iryna Lanchava on May 25 following a two-week trial behind closed doors, are the latest in a series of Belarusian court rulings that have accompanied a brutal crackdown directed by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka against his political opponents.



Unlike the trial, the 15-minute sentencing hearing on May 25 was opened to relatives of the defendants and to journalists, though they were not allowed to record the judge reading out the sentences.



RFE/RL's Belarus service reported that after Judge Lanchava delivered her ruling, the accused chanted from within the defendants' cage: "Belarus will be free!"



Sevyarynets declared that "there was no trial." He also led a chant with the other defendants: We believe! We can! We will win!

Sevyarynets, a co-chairman of the unregistered opposition Belarusian Christian Democracy party, was one of dozens of activists and politicians during opposition rallies last June in Minsk and other cities across Belarus.



He and others at those rallies had been collecting signatures ahead of the August 2021 Belarusian presidential election in order to register candidates to run against the authoritarian incumbent.



Lukashenka, who has ruled the country since 1994, was declared as the winner. But the official vote tally was widely viewed as being rigged in his favor.



Thousands of citizens have taken to the streets since then to protest the results. They say Lukashenka's challenger, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, actually won the vote.



Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus for Lithuania shortly after the election for security reasons.



Lukashenka's postelection crackdown has resulted in some 30,000 arrests along with widespread allegations of torture -- with hundreds beaten and several people killed.



Journalists covering the anti-Lukashanka street demonstrations also have been targeted in the crackdown.
An Iranian couple allegedly confessed to drugging and dismembering the man's adult son and discarding the remains in trash cans west of Tehran, in a chilling case that has shocked the country.



The arrest of 81-year-old Akbar Khorramdin and his wife for the killing of Khorramdin's 47-year-old son, Babak, a filmmaker, led to admissions that they had also killed a missing daughter and son-in-law.



The tragedies cast light on grave domestic crimes seemingly fueled by perceptions of honor and sexual propriety in Iranian society, as well as on laws eroding protections for potential victims of violence by a legal guardian.



The elder Khorramdin reportedly cited the "moral corruption" of his children and indicated they would have killed two surviving siblings if they hadn't been apprehended.



Shahram Mokri, who once taught Babak Khorramdin at Iran's Young Cinema Society, said the contradiction of the ghastly crimes and the outward normalcy of the Khorramdin family has horrified many Iranians.



"People see similarities between themselves and the characters involved in this case," Mokri told the semiofficial ISNA news agency.



No Remorse



Local reports say the parents have expressed no remorse for the killings.



"I don't have a guilty conscience for any [of the killings]," Khorramdin told reporters in a video posted online by Iranian news agencies, adding, "Those I killed were highly morally corrupt."



His wife said the two had plotted together to kill their son, daughter, and son-in-law.



"I'm not sad at all. I suffered a lot because of them," she said. "We both [planned it]."



"My husband said it and I said, 'OK,'" she said.



Babak Khorramdin was killed in the family home in Tehran's Ekbatan housing complex, according to the account published by Iranian media.



His father said that they first sedated their son using sleeping pills. He said his son was half-conscious and that he had to tie his feet with a bootlace before stabbing him in the chest. The couple then took their son's body to a bathroom, where they dismembered it and stashed it in a suitcase and several bags that they later dumped in their neighborhood.



The police were called when remains were found on May 16.



Khorramdin's mutilated body was identified through fingerprinting.

The parents reportedly confessed after the police went to their home and found evidence of the crime.



Khorramdin said they often argued with their son, an assistant professor who lived in London for several years before returning to Tehran. He said he and his wife didn't have a day of peace because of his "harassment."



He also reportedly said that he had killed his daughter Arezou three years ago and said she had been corrupt, including using drugs and bringing her boyfriends home. Khorramdin said he told acquaintances that Arezou had moved to Turkey.



He also allegedly confessed to killing his son-in-law, who he said was a drug trafficker, some 10 years ago with the help of his daughter Arezou and his wife.



The head of Tehran's criminal court was quoted by the Hamshahri daily as saying that the three murders had been conducted in a similar fashion.



Both parents are in custody as the investigation continues.



Three Shocking Murders



The cold-blooded Khorramdin killings follow close on the heels of the killing of a gay Iranian man earlier this month.



Twenty-year-old Alireza Fazeli Monfared despaired over difficulties he faced due to his sexual orientation and was preparing to flee his native Iran for Turkey.

He was allegedly killed by family members before he could leave the southwestern province of Khuzestan after they accused him of dishonoring the family.



A half-brother and cousins reportedly killed Monfared and dumped his body before telling his mother where to find the corpse.



Less than a year ago, in another high-profile case, a 14-year-old girl was reportedly beheaded by her enraged father after trying to elope.

The father of Romina Ashrafi was said to have consulted with a lawyer to learn what punishment he would face before beheading her.



She had reportedly tried to elope with her boyfriend before being arrested by police and sent back to her family.



Light Sentences For Fathers Who Kill Their Children



Iran is among the world's leading executioners for crimes ranging from murder to drug trafficking or crimes against the state. It also routinely hands out harsh punishments for sexual misconduct and homosexuality.



But Islamic laws enforced in Iran suggest that Khorramdin could face as little as three years in prison for killing his son and his daughter.



He is exempt from what is known in Iran as "retribution" law -- the death penalty -- since under Iran's Islamic Penal Code, fathers and grandfathers are considered legal guardians. But if he is convicted of killing his son-in-law, he could face the death penalty, Tehran-based lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.



"Regarding their son-in-law, if someone files a complaint and calls for retribution, [if he and his wife are convicted they likely] will be sentenced to [capital punishment]."



The head of the psychiatric department of the General Directorate Of Forensic Medicine of Tehran Province, Mehdi Saberi, has said those experts have not yet made a determination on the mental status of the alleged killers.



He said the two had undergone initial questioning but more testing was needed to determine their psychological state.



Sociologist Mostafa Eghlima told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the reasons for the gruesome murder should be identified to prevent such acts in the future.



"They say, 'Kill him.' What would that solve? We created these people. They weren't [born] killers. This is a reminder for us to see what we've done is wrong that makes some reach such a point," Eghlima said.



Tehran-based psychiatrist Hessam Firouzi suggested the heavily patriarchal behavior within Iranian households could be an echo of official actions with respect to public executions and other harsh punishments, as well as a notoriously nontransparent court system.



"When [leaders] issue sentences without holding public trials, execute citizens, or kill several hundred people, a father who suffers from personality disorders can believe he has the same right," Firouzi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.



Outpourings On Social Media



Many Iranians -- including several of Khorramdin's former students and friends -- have posted about their grief on social media, trying publicly to cope with the brutality of the case.



"The family institution is the most important refuge for Iranians," analyst Abbas Abdi tweeted. "So everyone has been horrified by the brutal murder of Babak Khorramdin."



Filmmaker Mokri said: "When we read about a murder that is far from us geographically, culturally...we consider it more like fiction. But, at least to me, this case was notable because I thought it is very similar to the situations we live in: a son who is a university professor, he's successful, calm; and a father and mother who are like other fathers and mothers."



"I can't believe it, why you Babak?" Babak Rokni wrote on Twitter. "You were my professor and I was honored with your friendship. Why Babak? How could someone do this to you? "



London-based film critic Parviz Jahed said he used to meet Khorramdin in cultural and film circles in London.



"I heard that he missed his family and [so he] returned to Iran. And now I saw this horrible news. I can't believe it," Jahed wrote on Instagram. "How can a father be so brutal?"

Written by Golnaz Esfandiari based on reporting by Mahtab Vahidirad and Mohammad Zarghami
An Iranian hard-line constitutional watchdog has approved seven candidates to run in next month's presidential election, leaving out several high-profile hopefuls allied to outgoing President Hassan Rohani.

The Guardians Council selected Ebrahim Raisi, Mohsen Rezai, Saeed Jalili, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, Abdolnasser Hemmati, Mohsen Mehralizadeh, and Alireza Zakani, the Interior Ministry announced on May 25, triggering the start of the campaign season ahead of the June 18 vote.

As notable for those on the list is those who were left off.

Ali Larijani, a prominent conservative voice and former parliament speaker who later allied himself with Rohani, was eliminated from the race, along with current Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, a reformist, and hard-line ex-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

The decision by the Guardians Council, which did not explain why candidates were included or excluded from the list, puts Raisi, a hard-line cleric in charge of Iran's judiciary, in a dominant position for the upcoming election.

He's the best-known candidate of the seven hopefuls, has close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and ran against Rohani in the last presidential election, in 2017.

Some 590 would-be candidates had registered for the vote, a spokesman for the council of clerics and jurists said earlier.

The Guardians Council has in the past disqualified many moderate presidential hopefuls.

Rohani, a relative moderate whose government is taking part in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, cannot seek reelection after having served two consecutive four-year terms.

There were few signs of enthusiasm about the upcoming vote amid rising discontent over steep rises in consumer prices and high unemployment as the Iranian economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. economic sanctions reimposed after Washington three years ago pulled out of the nuclear accord, which lifted international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

In response, Tehran steadily overstepped the accord's limits on its nuclear program designed to make it harder to develop an atomic bomb -- an ambition Tehran denies.

Iran and the United States have engaged in indirect talks in Vienna since April to revive the accord.

With reporting by AP
Russian prosecutors have called a ban on two Instagram advertisements for the Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana that show same-sex couples kissing.

The press service for the St. Petersburg courts announced that the Oktyabrsky district court had received a claim from the prosecutor's office asking for the move against one of the Dolce & Gabbana Instagram ads because two women are shown kissing in it.

According to the plaintiff, the video "contains information that rejects family values and propagandizes nontraditional sexual relationships."

The press service said the prosecutor's request included a second Dolce & Gabbana Instagram image showing two men kissing.

The complaints were filed by Mikhail Romanov, a member of the ruling United Russia party who sits in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.

Dolce & Gabbana has declined to comment on the case.

The two short videos under fire were part of its global Love Is Love campaign in the run-up to Valentine's Day on February 14.

While same-sex relationships are legal in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has promoted a "traditional values" agenda, including by adopting in 2013 a law criminalizing "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors."

The legislation has caused many members of Russia's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community to leave the country.

The prosecutor's claim has not progressed yet because it had not fulfilled certain administrative requirements, including providing documents supporting the claim, according to the press service for the St. Petersburg courts.

It said information on the case will next be updated on June 7.

With reporting by Reuters and TASS
Russia's lower house of parliament has approved the second reading of a bill that would ban supporters and members of "extremist" organizations from being elected to any post.

Under the draft bill passed on May 25, leaders and founders of organizations declared "extremist" or "terrorist" by Russian courts will be banned from running for elective posts for a period of five years.

Other members or employees of such organizations will face a three-year ban.

The proposed legislation that was first passed in the State Duma on May 18 barred individuals involved in the activities of an organization that has been recognized as "extremist" or "terrorist" from running in elections for the lower house only.

The measure appears aimed at neutralizing the foundation of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, which Russian authorities are seeking to have declared "extremist" ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

His Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has already been declared a foreign agent, a punitive designation under a separate law.

Vladimir Putins regime aims to fully purge vocal critics from the civic space, Natalia Zviagina, the Moscow director for Amnesty International, said after lawmakers gave preliminary backing to the draft legislation. The main target of this latest, particularly brazen, attack is the movement led by Aleksei Navalny.

Having unjustly imprisoned its archfoe, the Kremlin is now targeting all those who had the nerve to support him, Zviagina said.

The ruling United Russia party is facing polls showing its support at some of the lowest levels ever.

Navalny is currently serving a prison sentence on embezzlement charges that he says were trumped up because of his political activity.

The 44-year-old has been in custody since January, when he returned to Russia following weeks of medical treatment in Germany for a nerve-agent poisoning in August that he says was carried out by operatives of the Federal Security Service (FSB) at the behest of Putin. The Kremlin has denied any role in the poisoning.

Since his jailing, the Kremlin has stepped up its campaign against Navalny and his associates.

With reporting by TASS
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
A Russian court has issued fines against Facebook and Google over their failure to delete content deemed by Moscow as illegal.

U.S.-based social-network giant Facebook was fined 26 million rubles ($353,000) by Moscow's Tagansky District Court on May 25. That case involved eight reports about material posted on Facebook that Russian authorities wanted Facebook to remove.

The same court on May 25 also levied three separate fines totaling about $82,000 against the U.S. technology giant Google. The court said Google was found guilty of "administrative offenses" and was ordered to pay 2 million rubles -- or about $27,000 -- for each offense.

The charges concern posts that Russia says encouraged minors to join unsanctioned protests in January, when people across the country took to the streets to support Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny after he was detained.

The fines come amid a wider dispute between Moscow and Google.

Russia's communications watchdog on May 24 threatened that it could eventually slow down Google's Internet traffic in the country if it fails to delete content that is prohibited by Russian authorities.

Russia has already imposed a punitive slowdown on the U.S. social network Twitter for refusing to delete content banned by the Russian government.

In April, a court issued three separate fines against Twitter totaling about $120,000 over accusations it had failed to delete banned content.

TikTok has was fined for similar offenses this year.

Moscow claims it is trying to rein in Western tech giants and bolster what it calls its Internet "sovereignty."

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says three new criminal cases have been initiated against him.

Navalny said in a May 25 post on Instagram that he learned about the cases from an investigator who visited him in prison the day before.

He said one case accused him of "stealing" donations to his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), while a second case "accuses me of encouraging citizens to refuse to perform their civic duties."

The third case against the 44-year-old Kremlin critic is for insulting a judge.

"So don't think that I'm just sitting here in my cell, drinking tea and messing around," he said wryly in the post.

"My powerful crime syndicate is growing. I commit more and more crimes. More and more investigators are busy with me, and not with such nonsense as murders, robberies, and kidnappings. We thought that for this we need the Main Investigation Department and its 'investigators for particularly important cases,'" he added.

Navalny is serving a prison sentence on embezzlement charges that he says were trumped up because of his political activity.

The 44-year-old has been in custody since January, when he returned to Russia following weeks of medical treatment in Germany for a nerve-agent poisoning in August that he says was carried out by operatives of the Federal Security Service (FSB) at the behest of President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin has denied any role in the poisoning.

Since his jailing, the Kremlin has stepped up its campaign against Navalny and his associates.

Russia's lower house of parliament on May 25 is holding the second reading of a bill that would ban Navalny supporters and members of "extremist" organizations from being elected to any post.

They are already seeking to have his foundation and two other of his civil organizations declared "extremist" ahead of parliamentary elections in September. A court hearing on that issue is scheduled for June 9.

The ruling United Russia party is facing polls showing its support at some of the lowest levels ever.
MOSCOW -- Court bailiffs have again come to the offices of RFE/RLs Moscow bureau and Current Time -- photographing computers and other editorial equipment theyve threatened to seize over unpaid fines imposed under Russias controversial foreign agents law.

The move on May 25 came less than two weeks after Russias Federal Court Bailiffs Service initiated enforcement proceedings against RFE/RLs Russian branch over a portion of unpaid fines amounting to 5 million rubles, or about $68,000.

The total amount of fines RFE/RL already faces under Russian court orders is more than 80 million rubles -- just over $1 million.

Altogether, Russias media regulator Roskomnadzor has accused RFE/RL of some 520 violations of labeling rules under the foreign agents law.

Once all are adjudicated by Russian courts, they are expected to result in fines of $2.4 million.

RFE/RL has called the fines a state-sponsored campaign of coercion and intimidation, while the U.S. State Department has described them as intolerable.

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has called on the Russian government "to stop targeting journalists and blocking the Russian people's access to information."

Earlier this month, RFE/RL representatives filed a complaint against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights.

The "foreign agents" law is increasingly being used against Russian-language media outlets in the country, including RFE/RL. The European Union has called on Moscow to repeal the law.

Peter Stano, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, describes the legislation as stifling. Stano says Russia should respect its international obligations on freedom of association, assembly, and expression.

Such actions have the clear intention to hamper RFE/RLs operations in Russia as part of a wider trend to stifle independent media and critical voices in the country, Stano says.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Russia to unfreeze the bank accounts used by RFE/RL and to stop labeling media outlets as "foreign agents."

Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, says news outlets are being fined and harassed for alleged violations of what she calls an unjust piece of legislation that should be repealed.

The legislation -- repeatedly modified since it was adopted in 2012 -- is one of several Kremlin-backed measures aimed at restricting foreign-funded activities in Russia.

It requires foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations to be registered and identify themselves as foreign agents if they are deemed by Russian authorities to be engaged in political activity.

Such organizations also must submit to audits by Russian authorities.

Later modifications of the law targeted foreign-funded media, including RFE/RLs Russian Service, six other RFE/RL Russian-language news services, and Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.

It has been further expanded to include individual journalists.

A parallel measure known as the undesirable organizations law has forced the closure of nongovernmental civil society groups in Russia, mainly from Europe and the United States.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Russian Service and Current Time
The Moscow City Court has ruled that an extension to July 7 of the pretrial detention of former journalist Ivan Safronov, who is accused of treason, is legal.

Safronov's lawyers had challenged the extension in court, but judges on May 25 rejected the defense's complaint.

The 30-year-old Safronov, who has worked since May last year as an adviser to the head of Russia's space agency Roskosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, is a prominent journalist who covered the military-industrial complex for the newspapers Kommersant and Vedomosti.

He was arrested on July 7, 2020, amid allegations that he had passed secret information to the Czech Republic in 2017 about Russian arms sales in the Middle East.

Safronov has rejected the accusations and many of his supporters have held pickets in Moscow and other cities demanding his release.

He and his defense have argued that investigators did not communicate to Safronov when and to whom he had allegedly passed the classified information or what it contained. All case materials are classified.

One of Safronov's defenders, lawyer Ivan Pavlov, became a suspect this spring in a separate criminal case on the disclosure of data from the journalist's case.

Human rights organizations have issued statements demanding Safronovs release and expressing concerns over an intensifying crackdown on dissent in Russia.
MIFFLIN -- The historic downtown Mifflin Inn has kicked-off another chapter on the establishment's remarkable journey, officially housing Chuy's Tacos and Margaritas, the area's newest authentic Mexican restaurant.

Michelle Hicks and Jesus "Chuy" Davalos opened the restaurant on April 29 in the historic building. However, this is not Davalos's first rodeo; the restauranteur has ties with multiple locations including Mansfield's El Campestre and Los Mayas, as well as Tito's Cantina and Grill in Lexington.

Davalos also owns Pancho's Tacos in Mansfield. He has been building his career in the restaurant management business for the majority of his life, in pursuance of what he branded his "American dream."

I have other restaurants and I try to be a little bit different with each one," Davalos said. "When you own (a restaurant) by yourself, you can do more.

We have different flavors, and that is why people started loving it."

Davalos enjoys experimenting with unique and traditional flavorings and seasonings to create one-of-a-kind dishes.

Hicks and Davalos have known each other for over a decade. Four years ago, Hicks became affiliated with Pancho's Tacos.

We were looking for a place to open in Ashland, but we could not find one that fit our needs," Hicks said. "So, when this (location) became available, we were like, OK, lets do it!

We have people coming from everywhere. We are close to Mansfield; we are close to Ashland; were close to Butler, Loudonville etc.

Chuy's Tacos and Margaritas features an outdoor seating area and can occupy over 100 patrons. The site has a rich historic background; it even saw the likes of Johnny Appleseed, who was known to sleep at the location during the 1800s.

The original structure burned down in 1940, but was quickly resurrected in 1941.

Chuy's Tacos and Margaritas menu showcases a multitude of delicacies including authentic Mexican cuisine. The bar also has several Mexican beers on tap as well as approximately 15 different flavors of margaritas including jalapeno and mango habanero.

Hick's father, Frank, is not too fond of Mexican food, so the restaurant even added a burger on the menu named after the man.

Davalos commended Hicks and the staff's hard work in laying the foundation to what he believes will be a successful eatery.

We can be a team," said Davalos. "We need to help each other and finish altogether.

"If someone is behind, help them. That is what will make us successful.

Chuy's Tacos and Margaritas is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. The restaurant is located at 35 Main St. in Mifflin.
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP -- A 37-year-old Galion man sustained serious injuries Monday evening during a motorcycle crash, according to the Mansfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Dustin M. King was riding a 2012 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic northwest on Ohio 603, just east of Ohio 545, at 10:02 p.m., troopers said, when he failed to negotiate a curve.

King traveled off the right side of the road, struck a culvert, and overturned, the patrol said.

King, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash and was transported to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital by Franklin Township EMS.

The Franklin Township Fire and EMS assisted at the scene. The crash remains under investigation, according to the patrol.
SHELBY  The story's always the same.

Seven hundred tons of metal a day. Now you tell me the world's changed, once I made you rich enough to forget my name.

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan quoted these words from Bruce Springsteen's "Youngstown" to the workers seated in front of him at the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 3057 union hall in Shelby on Monday.

"It's on the back of the middle class that won the wars, that built the economy, that built the big cities. And then when times changed we forgot who everybody was," Ryan said. "I'm running because it's time this country remembers your hard work."

Ryan represents Ohio's 13th district, including the song's namesake city. But he visited Shelby on Monday as part of his campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Monday's stop at the union hall, plus a tour at ArcelorMittal, was part of Ryan's "Workers First Tour" to hear from workers in every corner of the state about the challenges they are facing.

"If you're out there busting your rear end to try to make ends meet for you and your family, to try to contribute to society, you should have a pension, healthcare, good schools for your kids," Ryan said. "Are we really asking for too much?"

Ryan, 47, launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate in April, the first Democratic candidate in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who announced in January he would not be seeking a third term in 2022.

"This is a tough time to be in public service," Portman said in a statement, citing hyper-partisanship in Congress.

Ohio's second Senate seat is filled by Democrat Sherrod Brown, who won reelection in 2018.

So far, the Republican field for Portmans seat features former state treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party Chairperson Jane Timken, Army veteran and EMS pilot Michael Leipold, and businessmen Mike Gibbons, Mark Pukita and Bernie Moreno.

Ryan is currently serving his 10th term in Congress. He briefly competed for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, and attempted to unseat then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2017.

With the upcoming 2022 Senate race the first major election in a post-pandemic world, Ryan emphasized his campaign's message of putting workers front and center. He asked that unions work with businesses to hire more people, and let workers "in on the action" to resuscitate the middle class.

"I think this campaign in Ohio is going to be ground zero," Ryan said. "Where do workers go in Ohio when they get a choice between a Tim Ryan/Sherrod Brown, worker-based candidate, and a bunch of people who want to talk about Dr. Seuss and every other crazy issue that is irrelevant to the needs of the vast majority of the people in this state?"

Ryan, who serves as co-chairman of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus, comes from a working class family. He spoke of his grandfather working as a steelworker, yet still having time to be an active member of his community.

"He was treasurer of the union, head usher for the church, and ran the beer tent at the church festival every year, because he wasn't working seven days a week, 18 hours a day to try to make ends meet," Ryan said. "He had a good job where he worked hard and did it right, and he still had time to participate in the other things important to all of us."

This resonated with Norm Shoemaker, United Steelworkers Local #3057 president and president of the Mid-Ohio Area Labor Council representing seven counties, including Richland. Shoemaker said most people in the room had the same problem, working a seven-day a week operation, because of the labor shortage.

"We can't find workers, and for most places that need electricians and other laborers, we can't find skilled workers. We need training," Shoemaker said. "We need people to get back to work. We've got a backlog like we've never had; we're booked at least eight months out, and we don't have workers to do the job."

Ryan said he wanted to reset the politics of and the economic positioning of the middle class in the United States as the world comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's a reason our stop in this county is in the union hall, because it's going to start here and we'll build it out from here," he said. "I'm not bullshitting you, I need your help. We're not going to do this without you."

ADJACENT ISSUES

Dustin Beck, a member of United Steelworkers in Marion, said he first heard of Ryan after his headline-making speeches recently given on the House floor.

"It's good to see a Democrat with a little fire, not afraid to speak out. I'm pretty committed to you after some of the things you've said on the floor," Beck said. "My thing is gun rights - I couldn't support someone who's not for the second amendment."

Ryan said he did not want to take guns from law-abiding citizens, and supported basic background checks for firearm owners, noting he wanted to keep firearms "out of the hands of bad people."

Susan Gentille, president of the Richland County Democratic Womens Caucus, asked how Ryan might support workers by also supporting women in the workplace.

"Women were hit hardest during the pandemic," Ryan said. "We need make sure working families can afford childcare...and wages should be high enough where if a parent wanted to stay home, you're making enough money that someone could actually stay home.

"If we want to build an economy on family values, what's more important than taking care of our kids?"

Alan Koser of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, asked Ryan about his stance on immigration. Koser shared that his wife immigrated here legally, but it cost about $3,000 for her to become a U.S. citizen.

"I suspect a lot of people can't afford to become a U.S. citizen," Koser said. "I want people to do it legally, but why would we not want people to come to this country?"

Ryan said he supported new technology-based border security to keep "criminals and terrorists" from coming into the country. He also supported a streamlined way for people to become citizens - especially those who have overstayed their visas.

"Then we can start to unionize a lot of these workers and get wages up," Ryan said. "Who benefits most from undocumented workers? The businesses. When we have a system that's actually working, we can start driving wages up."
Management at The Oaks Course is dedicated to growing the game of golf. One segment of the population that is a focus is junior golf. The Oaks regularly hosts junior events where young players can develop the future of the game and have fun. On Friday, June 11, The Oaks hosted a US Kids Golf Click for more.
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High around 80F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
(WINC) - Welcome to edition 350 of WINC,

IDMA's Weekly Internet News Collection - May 22, 2021

Dear IDMA members and industry colleagues!

As you most likely know, the diamond and jewelry trade has been rather bothered by the recent announcement by Pandora and its decision not to use diamonds any longer in its fashion jewelry lines. Of course, many feel that we have talked about this enough, but an opinion piece in Rough & Polished by the British industry consultant - and former De Beers executive - Richard Chetwode caught my eye.

I liked Chetwodes emphasis on our business being a peoples business, which makes the lives of countless others throughout our supply pipeline better.

He concludes his article with this:

People involved in the natural diamond business, so many of whom are in the developed world, arent just faceless numbers, they are real people with hopes and dreams and fears just like all of us and you havent just stopped buying their product to have a cheaper version made in Europe and the US; you unfairly risked damaging their future. Maybe a phrase to remember might be that people who make cheap shiny trinkets shouldnt throw stones at people in the developing world because they can make more profit.

Warning: its a long read, but I urge you to take some time, read it yourselves, and draw your own conclusions.

Before signing off, Id once more like to call upon our industry members to lend a helping hand to our Indian colleagues and their people. The Covid-19 pandemic is hitting beautiful India harder than ever before, and our hearts ache for the countless families who are battling the virus and mourning their deceased.

We are also greatly concerned about the well-being of our Israeli friends and colleagues. Lives were lost on both sides, and every life lost is a true tragedy. We do hope that hostilities will not resume and that reason will prevail soon.

Meanwhile, stay healthy, stay safe and stay tuned!

Ronnie VanderLinden,

President
AP Photo/Jessica HillA Beluga whale is transported at Mystic Aquarium after arriving from Canada, Friday, May 14, 2021 in Mystic, Conn. A total of five Beluga whales from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada will be moved to the aquarium. The whales will be leaving an overcrowded habitat with about 50 other whales and will be at the center of important research designed to benefit Belugas in the wild.
Peterborough - Eva H. Sacharuk died, peacefully, at her home in Peterborough, N.H. on June 1, 2021. Before moving to Peterborough in 2019, she was a long-time resident of Wenham, Massachusetts where she raised her family with her husband Serge since 1960. Eva is survived by her loving husban
Members of the National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol at sunrise in Washington. Threats to members of Congress have more than doubled this year, according to the U.S. Capitol Police, and many members say they fear for their personal safety more than they did before the siege. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Open burning has been banned in 26 counties including Lee due to hazardous forest fire conditions, according to a news release from the N.C. Forest Service

The ban, which went into effect Monday and continues until further notice, includes Lee, Moore and Harnett counties. Under the ban, open burning is prohibited, existent burning permits are canceled and the issuance of new permits is suspended.

The recent dry and hot weather has contributed to the risk of wildfires, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in the news release.

These conditions coming during spring wildfire season when wildfire activity and fire risks are already elevated make this burn ban necessary to protect life and property in North Carolina, Troxler said.

Assistant County Ranger Zach Prevette agreed, saying,In the last month and a half, we have had very little rain. And with the trees greening up, they pull what moisture is in the ground, theyre just sucking it right out of the ground. With these higher than normal temperatures, everythings dried out extremely fast.

Prevette said there has been an increase in fires since the start of the year.

Throughout the whole state, theres been more fires so far in 2021 than there was in all of 2020, and were only in May, he said.

Open burning includes burning leaves, branches or other vegetative material. Campfires are also prohibited under the ban. People can still use their grills or portable gas stoves. Burning materials like trash, lumber, or non-plant material is illegal in all cases.

Anyone violating the burn ban faces a $100 fine plus $183 in court costs, the release stated. A person responsible for setting a fire may also be liable for expenses related to extinguishing the fire.

Local fire departments and law enforcement officers are assisting the N.C. Forest Service in enforcing the burn ban, the release stated.

To report a wildfire or a person who has intentionally started a wildfire, call 911. Visit resistwildfirenc.org for more information about wildfires.
SANFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

Michaela Sadella Norris, 26, of 3750 Meadow View Road, Lumberton, was cited at 7:55 p.m. Sunday in the 3300 block of N.C. 87 on a misdemeanor charge of larceny.

Break-in and property damage reported at 3:59 p.m. Sunday in the 100 block of North Steele Street.

Jesse Blue Mills, 18, of 6305 Reeves Drive, Sanford, was arrested at 3:56 p.m. Sunday in the 1400 block of South Horner Boulevard on misdemeanor charges of assault with a deadly weapon and resist/delay/obstruct an officer.

Tyrese Marquel Wicker, 18, of 448 Trotter Drive, Sanford, was arrested at 2 p.m. at his residence on misdemeanor charges of failing to appear in court and resist/obstruct/delay an officer.

Theft of three Bud Light beers reported 10:59 p.m. Sunday at Circle K at 2062 S. Horner Blvd.

Albert Lewis Jones, 46, of 1108 Walden St., Sanford, was cited at 10:50 p.m. Sunday in the 200 block of South Fourth Street on misdemeanor charges of possessing stolen property, simple possession of a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Danielle Marie Antlitz, 26, of 762 Cameron Road, Broadway, was cited at 5:49 a.m. Sunday in the 1900 block of South Horner Boulevard on misdemeanor charges of possessing marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon.

Damage to vehicle reported 11:43 p.m. Saturday on Thornwood Drive.

Theft of 10 Ivory soap bars reported at 7:53 p.m. Saturday at CVS Pharmacy, 1802 S. Horner Blvd.

Walter Junior Bethea, 48, of 2217 Lee Ave., Sanford, was arrested at 3:15 p.m. Saturday at his residence on misdemeanor charges of communicating threats and second-degree trespassing.

Theft of $15 reported at 3:16 p.m. Saturday reported at Subway, 1813 S. Horner Blvd.

Johnnathon Rashid Fulmore, 20, of 428 San-Lee Drive, Sanford, was cited at 2:54 p.m. Saturday at his residence on a misdemeanor charge of communicating threats.

Damage to vehicle reported at 2:39 p.m. Saturday in the 2800 block of Carver Drive.

Theft of a black 2019 Ford Fiesta SE reported at 6:44 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of Carthage Street.

Robert Dewey Adams, 48, of 207 E. Main St., Sanford, was cited at 1:39 p.m. Saturday at his home on misdemeanor charges of hit and run leaving the scene or property damage and no operators license.

Damage to window reported at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1500 block of Winslow Drive, Sanford.

Isabel Rodriguez, 23, of 409 W. Raleigh St., Sanford, was cited at 11:24 a.m. Saturday on a misdemeanor charge of simple assault.

Rasheed Rakim Wilson, 23, of 3504 Hiawatha Trail, Sanford, was cited at 9:18 a.m. Saturday at his residence on a misdemeanor charge of injury to personal property.

Damage to vehicle reported at 12:15 p.m. Saturday in the 2800 block of Carver Drive.

Theft of a Springfield XDM 40-caliber pistol reported 12:24 a.m. Saturday in the 900 block of Cobb Court.

Andres Antonio Hernandez, 27, of 66 G W Oquinn Drive, Lillington, was arrested at 9:10 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of South Horner Boulevard on a misdemeanor charge of failing to appear in court.

Sanford residents Jonathan Matthew Porter, 30, of 97 John Rosser Road, and Kimberly Michelle Porter, 48, of 5410 Bridle Path, Sanford, were arrested at 9 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of South Horner Boulevard on charges of forgery and uttering.

Jeffrey Scott Taylor, 60, of 3511 Longview Drive, Sanford, was cited at 5:07 p.m. Friday in the 1400 block of South Horner Boulevard on a misdemeanor charge of simple assault.

Tyrone Davis Moore, 47, of 2417 Jefferson Davis Highway, Sanford, was arrested at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of Advancement Center Road on a charge of bringing a controlled substance on the premises of a penal institution or local confinement facility.

Edward Lewis Burch, 35, of 167 Lightwood Lane, Sanford, was cited at 11:05 a.m. Friday at his residence on a misdemeanor charge of injury to personal property.

Damage to a pillar reported at 6:50 a.m. Friday in the 500 block of Frazier Drive.

HARNETT COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

William Joseph Carroll, 24, of Steel Bridge Road, Sanford, was arrested at 4:11 p.m. Friday on Seventh Street in Sanford on a Harnett County charge of injury to property to obtain non-ferrous metals.

Bobby Earl Lawrence, 28, of 1114 McDougald Road, Lillington, was arrested at 11:21 p.m. Friday on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle and possessing a stolen motor vehicle.
Close

Iceland's newest volcano is set to be used as a testing site for a drone to be used on future Martian missions.

On 60 Minutes, Bill Whitaker, renowned journalist, traveled to Iceland's Geldingadalir valley. The valley has recently recorded over 30,000 earthquakes that shook southwest Iceland in March. Some were small and lasted a few seconds, while others clocked at 5.4 on the Richter scale.

World's Newest Volcano Burst to Life

On the 19th of March, volcanologists studying the valley reported the birth of the world's newest volcano. The eruption is the first time a volcano erupted on the island in the past 800 years. Scientists hurriedly scrambled to reach the area, only 20 miles from Reykjavik, Iceland's capital.

Its location made it perfect for researchers to gather samples and collect data that, often than not, would prove extremely hazardous in remote volcanic eruptions. Christopher Hamilton, an associate professor of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona and an adjunct professor at the University of Iceland was in the right place at the right time and saw the opportunity to unlock the planet's secrets and beyond.

He explains that the eruption hosted the perfect opportunity to study other planets. Saying that the barren vegetation and landscape of the valley are similar to what can be seen in the Martian environment.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk on Mars Colonization: "Good Chance You'll Die"





Martian Drones--The Future of Martian Explorations

After receiving a grant from NASA valued at 3 million dollars, Hamilton developed a unique drone that will one day fly on the Red Planet. The RAVEN, or Rover-Aerial-Vehicle- Exploration-Network was tested in the difficult environment provided by the world's newest volcano. He explains that Iceland hosts the perfect substitute environment due to its barren vegetation, rugged volcanic landscape, enormous lava fields, and constant volcanic activity.

In April, parts of NASA's 2020 Martian missions, the Ingenuity helicopter was able to successfully test powered flight on the Red Planet. The helicopter had two cameras for navigation and imaging. It accompanied the Perseverance rover, and together, tested whether it was possible for a rover and helicopter to co-exist and work together.

Hamilton explains that he is testing the same revolutionary technology on Iceland's unforgiving landscape.

The RAVEN drone is designed to accompany a rover and will fly ahead feeding data to its four-wheeled counterpart in order to generate 3D maps of Mars. In addition, it is slated to assist the rover in exploring previously inaccessible areas on the Red Planet. Additionally, the RAVEN will be equipped with claws that would be able to pick up samples of rocks and Martian soil which then will be delivered to the rover.

Hamilton tells 60 Minutes that the RAVEN drone has revolutionized fieldwork. The ability to send a drone with an attached claw or drill to acquire samples provides a new paradigm for exploring the most rugged and unforgiving landscapes of Mars that haven't been explored from the ground.

The RAVEN drone is scheduled for a three-year project. Hamilton and his team hope that prototypes could be tested by 2022, subsequently, to publish technological recommendations by 2023 for NASA.

RELATED ARTICLE: Extraordinary New Images Show the Largest Canyon in the Solar System

Check out more news and information on Life on Mars on Science Times.
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BEIJING (AP)  China on Tuesday denounced plans for a peoples tribunal in Britain on allegations of genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim people in China's Xinjiang region.

The spokesman for the northwestern regions government, Xu Guixiang, said China condemned and despised the hearings, which are expected to draw dozens of witnesses when they begin in early June.

The tribunal, which does not have government backing, is to be chaired by prominent lawyer Geoffrey Nice, who led the prosecution of ex-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and worked with the International Criminal Court.

This is a total violation of international law and order, a serious desecration of the victims of real genocide, and a serious provocation to the 25 million people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, Xu told reporters at the latest in a series of briefings in Beijing intended to counter growing criticism of China's policies in Xinjiang.

The region has become a major foreign policy headache for China, which is accused of locking up more than a million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other minority groups in re-education camps where they are forced to denounce their traditional culture and swear fealty to Chinas ruling Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping.

Women from the region have also testified that they have been forced to undergo contraceptive measures, children have allegedly been taken from their incarcerated parents and claims of forced labor have prompted multinational companies to cut ties with Xinjiang's key cotton industry.

China says it has merely been providing job training and counseling to de-radicalize those influenced by jihadist propaganda following years of violent outbursts against Chinese rule in the region.

While the tribunals judgment is not binding on any government, organizers hope the process of publicly laying out evidence will compel international action to tackle the alleged abuses in Xinjiang.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared before he left office that Chinas policies against Xinjiangs Muslims and ethnic minorities constituted crimes against humanity and genocide. His successor, Antony Blinken, reiterated the statement on his first day in office.

The Associated Press reported last year that the Chinese government was systematically forcing sterilization and abortion on Uighur and other Muslim women, and sent many to camps simply for having too many children.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The District of Columbia has sued Amazon, accusing the online retail giant of anticompetitive practices in its treatment of sellers on its platform. The practices have raised prices for consumers and stifled innovation and choice in the online retail market, the DC attorney general alleges in an antitrust suit.

The suit filed Tuesday in the District of Columbia court maintains that Amazon has fixed online retail prices through contract provisions and policies it applies to third-party sellers. It alleges these provisions and policies prevent sellers that offer products on Amazon.com from offering their products at lower prices or on better terms on any other online platform, including their own websites.

We filed this antitrust lawsuit to put an end to Amazons illegal control of prices across the online retail market, DC Attorney General Karl Racine said in a conference call with reporters. We need a fair online marketplace that expands options available to (District of Columbia) residents and promotes competition, innovation and choice.

Racine said Amazon, the worlds biggest online retailer, controls 50% to 70% of online market sales.

The suit seeks to end Amazon's use of the allegedly illegal price agreements as well as unspecified damages and penalties.

Amazon rejected the allegations, saying the relief Racine is seeking would force Amazon to feature higher prices to customers, oddly going against core objectives of antitrust law."

The DC attorney general has it exactly backwards  sellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store," the Seattle company said in a prepared statement. Amazon takes pride in the fact that we offer low prices across the broadest selection, and like any store we reserve the right not to highlight offers to customers that are not priced competitively. 

Founded by Jeff Bezos, the world's richest individual, Amazon runs an e-commerce empire and ventures in cloud computing, personal smart" tech and beyond.

Its third-party marketplace, with independent merchants listing millions of their products on the site, is a huge part of Amazons business. It has about 2 million sellers on its marketplace, and the company has said that more than half the goods sold on Amazon.com come from third-party sellers. Amazon also makes money by charging third-party sellers fees, bringing in $24 billion in revenue in the first three months of this year, up 64% from the same period in 2020.

Like its Big Tech counterparts Facebook, Google and Apple, Amazon faces multiple legal and political offensives from Congress, federal and state regulators and European watchdogs.

A congressional investigation threw a spotlight on complaints by merchants that sell products on Amazon's platform about the kinds of practices that the District of Columbia suit focuses on. Officials in California and Washington state also have been reviewing the practices.

European Union regulators filed antitrust charges in November accusing Amazon of using its access to data from sellers that use its platform to gain an unfair advantage over them.

Bezos is stepping down this summer as CEO, to be replaced by Andy Jassy, who runs the cloud-computing business. Bezos will become executive chairman.

__

AP Retail Writer Joseph Pisani in New York contributed to this report.
VIENNA (AP)  World powers opened a fifth round of talks with Iran aimed at bringing the United States back into the landmark 2015 nuclear deal meant to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining an atomic bomb, with both sides expressing hope Tuesday that it might be the final series of negotiations.

The talks in Vienna came the day after the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, struck a last-minute agreement with Tehran for a one-month extension to a deal on surveillance cameras at Iran's nuclear sites. The issue wasn't directly related to the ongoing talks on the nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, but if Iran had not agreed it could have seriously complicated the discussions.

The U.S. is not directly involved in the talks, but an American delegation headed by President Joe Biden's special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, has been in the Austrian capital. Representatives from the other powers involved  Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China  have shuttled between the Americans and the Iranians to facilitate indirect talks.

Following a Tuesday afternoon meeting of the so-called Joint Commission, Russian delegate Mikhail Ulyanov, who has consistently been the most optimistic about the possibility of an agreement that would get the U.S. to rejoin the nuclear deal , suggested a resolution was in sight, calling it the fifth and probably final round of the Vienna talks.

The participants expressed readiness to do their best to resolve the remaining outstanding issues and to complete negotiations successfully as soon as possible, he tweeted.

Irans delegate to the talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, told Iranian state television as he headed into the session that following good progress in the last four rounds of talks he hoped the fifth would be the last.

There are still important issues that need to be fixed, he said. "We hope that we will be able to reach a final solution during these several days of negotiations.

Malley was more non-committal as he headed back to Vienna, tweeting that the previous round had been constructive and saw meaningful progress.

But much work still needs to be done, the U.S. envoy wrote. On our way to Vienna for a fifth round where we hope we can further advance toward a mutual return to compliance.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement unilaterally, saying it was not broad enough and needed to be renegotiated. As part of a maximum pressure campaign, Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran in an effort to bring Tehran back to the table.

The sanctions crippled Iran's economy, but the Iranian government refused to renegotiate and instead retaliated by slowly and steadily breaking the restrictions on its nuclear activities laid out in the JCPOA. The move was designed to pressure the other parties involved, thus far unsuccessfully, to come up with incentives to offset the U.S. sanctions.

Biden, who was vice president when the original deal was negotiated, has said he wants the U.S. to rejoin but that Iran has to return to complete compliance. Iran has insisted that all American sanctions imposed under Trump be dropped, including measures that were taken in response to non-nuclear issues.

In Jerusalem on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the decision to re-engage with the Iranians and said the U.S. has kept Israel and other partners informed throughout the process. Israel, a close ally, has opposed efforts to revive the nuclear deal, saying it does not have adequate protections to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

What have we seen since we pulled out of the agreement? Well, Iran has stopped abiding by some of the critical constraints in the agreement. And as a result, it is far closer today to the ability to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons in short order than it was even before the deal was reached. And certainly, during the dependency of the deal itself."

Iran's violations since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal include a significant increase in the purity and quantity of uranium it has been enriching, effectively reducing the so-called break-out time to produce an atomic bomb. Iran says it does not want to build an atomic bomb, insisting that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.

On Monday, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Irans civilian program, said Tehran had stockpiled 5 tons of uranium enriched up to 5% purity, 90 kilograms (198 pounds) enriched up to 20% and 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) up to 60%  still below weapons-grade levels of 90% purity.

Though the West fears it could be used to help Tehran potentially obtain an atomic bomb, U.S. intelligence agencies have said they assess that Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities... necessary to produce a nuclear device.

Despite Iran's violations of the JCPOA, the other nations involved have stressed that the agreement was still important as it allowed International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to continue their surveillance of Iran's nuclear facilities.

The continuity of that surveillance was threatened until the agreement negotiated by the IAEA with Iran on Monday.

Under a confidential agreement called an Additional Protocol with Iran, the IAEA collects and analyzes images from a series of surveillance cameras installed at Iranian nuclear sites. Those cameras helped it monitor Tehrans program to see if it is complying with the nuclear deal.

Irans hard-line parliament in December approved a bill that would suspend part of U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities if European signatories didn't provide relief from oil and banking sanctions by February.

Speaking at a news conference Monday in Vienna as the deal was due to expire, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told journalists Iran had agreed to a one month extension, though his agency still cannot access the images taken by the cameras for the time being.

Id want to stress this is not ideal, Grossi said. This is like an emergency device that we came up with in order for us to continue having these monitoring activities.

___

David Rising reported from Berlin. Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Amir Vahdat in Tehran contributed to this story.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday the appointment of David Barnea as the new head of the country's spy agency, the Mossad.

Barnea, a former longtime Mossad operative, will succeed Yossi Cohen as head of Israel's intelligence agency on June 1. Cohen has served as Israel's spymaster since taking office in 2016.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico on Tuesday took its first major regulatory steps toward legal production of recreational marijuana, publishing lengthy proposed ground rules for cannabis businesses that outline future licensing fees, quality controls, audit requirements and criminal background checks for producers.

The state Regulation and Licensing Department announced the start of a public comment period that will culminate with a June 29 hearing as the agency asserts control over the recreational marijuana legalization effort. The proposal would allow larger marijuana crops per business  nearly three times the current 1,750 plant limit for medical cannabis growers.

Todays proposed rules dont mean the conversation is over," agency Superintendent Linda Trujillo said in a statement. "Through public comment, public hearings and ongoing conversations, we will continue to strengthen these rules to ensure the best possible outcomes.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the legalization bill last month. It authorized recreational marijuana sales no later than April 1, 2022.

The law beginning June 29 will allow people age 21 and over to possess up to 2 ounces (56 grams) of marijuana. By April 2022, people will be allowed to grow up to six plants at home, or 12 per household.

The state faces a Sept. 1 deadline to begin issuing licenses to marijuana producers. That should allow time for growers to scale up production so they can meet initial market demand.

The proposed rules would apply to large-scale cannabis producers, tiny marijuana microbusinesses and specialized growers of medical cannabis.

Applicants must provide proof they have valid water rights, describe any past criminal convictions and provide assurances that their businesses will operate at least 300 feet (91 meters) away from schools or daycare centers.

Regulators would have discretion over what constitutes a disqualifying criminal conviction. The proposed rules specifically cited fraud, deceit, embezzlement and drug trafficking.

Local governments would have the power to limit the locations of marijuana business and their hours of operation under zoning ordinances, though current medical marijuana dispensaries will not have to relocate.

The Albuquerque City Council already is considering a proposal to bar cannabis businesses from the historic city center, the Route 66 corridor and within 300 feet (94 meters) of areas zoned for residential or mixed use.

The proposed state regulations would increase the cap on the number of plants per producer to 4,500 under a tiered licensing system.

The largest producers that grow more than 3,500 mature plants at a time will pay a slightly higher annual per-plant fee of $22, versus $18 for lower-level industrial farms.

Production caps under the states medical marijuana program, founded in 2007, have been a constant source of legal challenges and criticism by patients who complain of high prices and limited supplies.

Regulators are seeking authority to intervene in the event of a medical marijuana shortage with a set-aside quota of up to 25% of crops, 10% of retail inventory and reduced licensing fees on medical pot plants. Under the new legalization law, taxes are waived on sales of limited quantities of medical marijuana, bringing the commodity in line with other medication.

Microbusinesses that grow up to 200 plants would fall under a separate fee and oversight arrangement.

The licensing requirements for pot producers represent only the first round of regulations for the industry as the state sets up the permit process for cannabis servers, licenses for cannabis-industry training programs and more by the start of 2022.

The agency talked with established medical marijuana producers to develop the regulatory framework for recreational marijuana producers, Trujillo said.
MOSCOW (AP)  The Russian military said Tuesday it has deployed three nuclear-capable long-range bombers to its base in Syria, a move that could strengthen Moscow's military foothold in the Mediterranean.

Russia's Defense Ministry said that three Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at the Hemeimeem air base, located in Syria's coastal province of Latakia and the main hub for Moscow's operations in the country.

The ministry said bomber crews would fly a series of training missions over the Mediterranean. The Tupolev Tu-22M3, code-named Backfire by NATO, is a supersonic twin-engine long-range bomber which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad's government to reclaim control over most of the country following a devastating civil war.

The Russian ministry said the runway at Hemeimeem had been extended to host the heavy bombers and a second runway has been modernized.

Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.

As part of President Vladimir Putins efforts to beef up Russia's military amid tensions with the West, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.

The bombers deployment marks the first time since Cold War times that Moscow has stationed heavy bombers in the region.

About 60 Tu-22M3s are estimated to remain in service with the Russian air force, and some have flown bombing missions to strike militants in Syria from their bases in Russia.

Russian media reports said that the Tu-22M3 could be modernized to carry the latest hypersonic missiles.
SZIGLIGET, Hungary (AP)  Fishermen in small, wooden boats drift among the reeds and placid waters of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe and one of Hungary's natural treasures.

Like many of the villages dotted along the shoreline of what is popularly known as the Hungarian sea, the quaint village of Szigliget has against the odds maintained and nurtured its traditional character for centuries.

Its towering fortress, whitewashed peasant homes and small vineyards on gentle slopes have remained virtually unchanged despite two world wars, 45 years of Communism, and Hungary's transition to a market economy.

New and formidable threats are looming, however. Real estate speculation, clearance of the countryside to improve access for tourists and climate change are combining to cast a shadow over this whole area.

Many of the lakes settlements have already fallen prey to speculative property development. The mayor of Szigliget, Daniel Balassa, says a recent surge of construction makes him fear his villages idyllic atmosphere could soon make it the next target.

We dont need huge buildings here, or for the whole shoreline to be built upon. We have a beach and a marina, we dont need anything else, Balassa told The Associated Press beside a reed bed on the lakeshore.

The lake is nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) long and has 120 miles (200 kilometers) of shoreline. With its silty bottom and shallow waters  the average depth is only about 10 feet (3 meters)  the lake is home to a delicate ecology that provides a seasonal destination for a variety of migratory birds.

But Hungarys government views the lake as a potential goldmine for domestic and international tourism.

In 2016, it designated the region as a priority tourism development area, and earmarked 365 billion forints ($1.27 billion) of Hungarian and European Union funds for railroad improvements, roads, marinas and the renovation and construction of hotels and guesthouses.

According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, 232 such projects have been undertaken in 56 settlements in recent years.

There is huge destruction of the environment. Trees are being cut and good quality reeds are disappearing, threatening the whole ecosystem, Angela Badzso, co-chair of citizens action group Unity for the Balaton, told the AP.

The reeds serve to maintain a healthy balance in the water and ensure a vibrant habitat.

As the reeds are disappearing, they are less able to filter Lake Balatons water. This is one of the reasons why algae growth is higher and fish die, Badzso says.

Zoltan Kun, a conservationist and environmental protection expert, said that while Balatons water quality has significantly improved since the 1990s, the decreased reed coverage threatens to throw the complex ecosystem into imbalance.

The unfortunate truth in Hungary ... is that we measure the success of development in the square meters of concrete, rather than the number of certain birds or square meters of reeds around the lake, Kun said.

After Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his ruling Fidesz party took power in 2010, the government dissolved the countrys environmental protection ministry. Kun says that significantly reduced the states ability to look after its natural resources.

The conservation regulations that do exist are often selectively enforced, Kun said, or involve meager fines only after damage has already been done.

Istvan Boka, chairman of the Lake Balaton Development Council and a governing party lawmaker, contends that existing environmental regulations are enough to prevent the destruction of untouched portions of the lake.

Recent developments, he says, have all taken place on shoreline that is already developed.

During Hungarys socialist era, Lake Balaton was a popular getaway for many workers who could enjoy vacations subsidized by their labor unions. Citizens of both East and West Germany could also visit the lake, making it a common meeting place for families with members living on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Since then, it has remained an affordable destination for Hungarians of nearly all economic backgrounds, though much of the infrastructure built during the socialist period has become dilapidated and requires renewal.

But now luxury accommodation is on the rise and plans are afoot to increase sailboat traffic on the lake, directed at wealthier tourists.

Balassa, the local mayor, said that while the magic of the lake and its villages makes a growth in tourism and development to some degree unavoidable, it should be conducted on a human scale that respects the area's natural and cultural integrity.

Not every new project is necessarily a terrible thing. You just have to find common ground that is satisfactory for everyone, Balassa said.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved the Clean Miles Standard, which will require rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to transition to zero-emission vehicles by 2030. (Lyft)
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With shrinking pool of lifeguards, towns struggle to staff swimming spots

Hannah Schroeder / Sentinel Staff The pool at Wheelock Park in Keene, shown here on Monday, is slated to open June 22. Hannah Schroeder / Sentinel Staff Contoocook Beach in Jaffrey, photographed Monday, is scheduled to open this weekend. But due to a lack of enough applicants to work as lifeguards, the season will start out with visitors warned they are swimming at their own risk, according to interim Parks and Recreation Director Sarah Hooper.

Finding lifeguards for area swimming spots was never easy. Local parks and recreation directors have often had to compete over the same pool of candidates, which is usually small to begin with.

But this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of qualified lifeguards in the Monadnock Region  and the nation  has been exacerbated.

This is exceptional, said Lisa Betz, Peterboroughs parks and recreation director. I havent had to sweat it like I am now. I havent had to potentially close [Cunningham Pond] to lifeguarding or put it at swim at your own risk because we may not have lifeguards.

There are a few reasons for the nationwide shortage, according to the American Lifeguard Association.

Lifeguards must be certified, which includes 30 hours of training and a swim test. Training and certification programs, however, have been backlogged because the pandemic resulted in class cancellations. And even when classes are available, the programs cost hundreds of dollars.

Travel restrictions have also limited the number of college and foreign-exchange students who are looking for lifeguarding work. Along with high-schoolers, they typically make up a good portion of the applicant pool.

Betz said she typically hires 19 lifeguards to staff Cunningham Pond and Adams Pool. On a normal day, she said, four would be on duty at the pool and two or three at the pond.

As of Thursday, Betz said three lifeguards had agreed to come back, and an additional nine had been hired. However, the new hires still need to complete their certifications.

The pond opens to the public this weekend, but lifeguards will not be staffing it, according to Betz.

Thatll be every weekend until we have the staff to do so, she said.

The pool is scheduled to open with lifeguards June 17, once local students get out of school.

In Jaffrey, Contoocook Beach  also slated to open this weekend  will start out with visitors warned they are swimming at their own risk, according to interim Parks and Recreation Director Sarah Hooper.

About nine lifeguards are typically hired, she said, but only two people had applied as of last week.

Normally by this time we already had our full staff, Hooper said. At this point we cant run the beach with two lifeguards.

Samantha Hill, Chesterfields parks and recreation director, said the town started offering to pay for recertification and new certifications to recruit more staff in 2019.

If you were becoming a lifeguard for the first time, wed pay for half of the session and wed pay for the rest of it if they come back, she said.

But unlike in other towns, Hill said hiring has been easier this year, in part because many people who worked as lifeguards before have returned.

This is also due to a slight change to how Wares Grove Beach on Spofford Lake will be manned, according to Hill.

Seven to 10 lifeguards were usually hired to work from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but Hill said its difficult to get staff to stay for that long, especially when theyre high-school or college students.

To help with that, the beach will be without lifeguards from Memorial Day to June 21, when lifeguards will start staffing the beach Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Any other time, visitors will be swimming at their own risk, Hill said.

Because of this, she said, Chesterfield needed to hire only four people for the beach.

Keene is also offering to pay for certifications for lifeguards at its public pools  at Wheelock and Robin Hood parks  according to Andy Bohannon, parks and recreation director.

You gotta go out and pay anywhere between $300 and $400 to become certified, and think about it  when you were 15 or 16, did you have $300 or $400 in your pocket? he said. ... So we gotta find ways to gain good employees.

Keene usually hires about 17 lifeguards for its pools, and has already had trouble in years past with recruitment since its competing with places like the Keene Family YMCA and local country clubs.

Its hard when you have ... a very small area that is competing against itself for one particular employee, Bohannon said.

As of last week, about 11 people had been hired so far this year, which he said is enough to staff one of the pools.

Can we open two pools? If we cant properly staff them, the answer is no, Bohannon said. And then do you flip from one pool to the other? But then operational costs become a consideration.

He added that the nation is also facing a chlorine shortage, so that could also affect whether both can open. At the very least, Wheelocks pool will open June 22, Bohannon said.

It provides a challenge, he said, but we all seem to be able to do it.
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Alameda County prosecutors have charged a suspect in three stabbings, two of them fatal, in Hayward during a three-week period in March and April, authorities said Monday.

John Regan, 42, who also goes by Sean Carsetti, was charged by the District Attorneys Office with two counts of murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other weapons charges in three separate cases, according to a news release from the Hayward Police Department. His parole was also revoked.

The first attack occurred March 18 when police responded to a report of a man down on the 22000 block of Main Street. Responding officers found a 47-year-old man suffering from stab wounds, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

About two weeks later, on March 31, police responded to a report of a woman who was seen covered in blood yelling for help at a public parking garage near Watkins and B streets, officials said. Responding officers found a 53-year-old woman suffering from stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A few days later, on April 3, police responded to a report of a stabbing on the 1000 block of A Street. Officers found a 53-year-old woman suffering from stab wounds. The woman was transported to a hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.

Police said they found Regan a short distance away from the incident and took him into custody after identifying him as the suspect in the stabbing.

An investigation subsequently connected Regan to the two stabbing deaths in March, police said. Officials said they do not believe any other suspects were involved in the incidents.

In 2019, Regan, going by Sean Carsetti, was arrested for nearly stabbing a woman to death with an ice pick in the South Market neighborhood of San Francisco.

Anyone with more information about the incidents is asked to call Detective Green or Detective Navas at 510-293-7176.

Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vanessa.arredondo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @v_anana
A California woman is accused of filing stimulus check claims for $145,200 using stolen personal information from more than 9,000 people that was obtained by her son, a San Quentin State Prison inmate, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Francisco.

Sheila Dunlap, 50, of Modesto was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. She faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison and fines up to $500,000 for both charges. She was arraigned in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Thursday.
On a recent sunny and windy Wednesday, I had a lunch date with retired Chronicle columnist Leah Garchik at the Boulangerie. I write this not only because it gives me the chance to name-drop, but because she told me to meet her at the Octavia Green.

The part of me that is male refused to ask for directions. But other than a guess that it was near Octavia Street, I had no clue where to go.

Siri was no help, telling me about movies with Sydney Greenstreet. So, I found a parking spot on Hayes Street and walked until I found trees. A sign read Patricias Green, and it must have been the right place because Leah Garchik showed up, big as life and twice as elegant.

San Francisco is a patchwork of neighborhoods sewn together to fit into 49 square miles. Those neighborhoods choose their names and are rarely the ones you see on the map.

When Brian and I first moved to the city, we lived in the Mission above Guerrero Street, but the Realtor called it Liberty Heights. My friends who live in the Inner and Outer Parkside call their neighborhood the Avenues.

One of my friends, Crazy Mike, lives in Visitacion Valley. His son has tried calling it Upper Vis, but it hasn't caught on just yet.

This fall, for the first time in six years, Zane and Aidan will go to school on the same block (Frida Kahlo Way), in a neighborhood that I just found out is called Sunnyside, not to be confused with the much sunnier Sunnydale to the right.

Ask any three people on Market Street where Lone Mountain or Little Hollywood is, and you will get a blank stare.

This is not just a San Francisco issue. My co-worker, also named Brian, reluctantly told me that the recognized name for his district in Oakland is the Bottoms, which is ironic only if you know his lifestyle.

Which brings me to the mysterious outer, outer, outer, outer Excelsior. One reader, Amy Nachman, read the clues over the years and tracked down our blue bungalow, discovering the area real-estate agents call Crocker-Amazon.

Now, Ive got nothing against Charles Crocker, and God knows I love Amazons. But theres no poetry to that name. Butchertown and Dogpatch resonate, but not Crocker. Besides, he never actually lived in the neighborhood, but rather was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad, a robber baron nabob for which Nob Hill was named. His mansion was on the land that is now occupied by Grace Cathedral.

The outer, outer, outer, outer Excelsior deserves its cachet. Let us name it, not the robber barons. We live in the one neighborhood in San Francisco devoid of tourist sites: No Painted Ladies, cable car turnaround or Jazz Center. All we have are a cow on a roof, an armadillo in a box and the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. We also have a mural on the side of Cordova Market & Deli, titled A Neighborhood Inspired by History and Champions, with images of Giants, 49ers and the Amazon Theatre. Sohel, the manager there, runs the only corner store where you cant get rye bread, but you can get aesthetic appreciation (and Mitchells Grasshopper Pie ice cream!)

So, whats in a name? I grew up in South Ozone Park, named after an inorganic molecule famous as a respiratory hazard. But we called it the Block, and what made it a neighborhood was Sadie Caddens soda bread, Jeannie McCormicks pool and Nurse Vivian.

Its the same with us. Excelsior means ever upward, and so we live in the outer part of the upward. We live with Susans sourdough bread, Uncle Quentins piano playing, Nonas pancit and all the little kindnesses that bind our community together.

And the thing is, you, like the artists who painted that mural, can make any quarter into a neighborhood inspired by history and champions. A neighborhood of kindness.

Kevin Fisher-Paulsons column appears Wednesdays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com
Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Sunday Bakeshop, the nostalgic Asian American passion project from the Sunday Family Hospitality Group, is officially serving its hit hojicha-chocolate croissants and chewy matcha cookies in Oaklands Rockridge neighborhood.

Starting this week, the College Avenue bakery will be open Friday to Sunday before adding hours on Wednesday and Thursdays along with preorders. People have been lining up during weekend previews for chef Elaine Laus playful creations like ube-coconut snickerdoodles, sweet-savory Chex Mix coated in salty nori and squishy, cream-filled red bean buns reminiscent of classic Chinese bakery versions.
Belcampo Meat Co., the Bay Area-born sustainable meat hit that champions meat you can trust  transparency from start to finish, acknowledged Tuesday that outside meat products were improperly sold at its Santa Monica location. The company known for selling beef, poultry and other meat from its own farm added that it was an isolated incident that didnt impact Belcampos San Mateo and Oakland locations.

Allegations surfaced on social media on Sunday from a former employee claiming that the Santa Monica store was selling non-organic, corn-fed beef and chicken and turkey from other companies as Belcampo products. Word quickly spread, sparking online outrage among fans of a brand with cult favorite status for its highly conscious meat ethics.

Co-founder Anya Fernald said in an emailed statement that the Santa Monica location failed to follow strict protocols for sourcing and communicating to customers where non-Belcampo products come from. She said it was limited to a small amount of product and did not extend to Belcampo products sold at other locations, online or in grocery stores. She did not provide details on how the meat sold fell short of Belcampos protocols; the meat sold by the brands shown in the Instagram videos range in quality from mass produced to pasture-raised.

The individual butcher shop locations have a small degree of autonomy when it comes to sourcing products for their local customer base or when there are supply shortages on certain items. We have strict protocols in place for any products purchased from other suppliers that includes making sure these meats are clearly labeled at the point of purchase or in the meat case, Fernald said. The preliminary results of our investigation show that unfortunately protocols both for sourcing and communicating product origin to customers were not being followed in our Santa Monica location.

In a separate statement posted on Instagram, the company suggested it was due to supply chain issues.

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While we order from wholesale suppliers for our brick and mortar butcher shops/restaurants when were unable to source a specific cut from our own farm or partner farms, or when weve had a short term Covid-related disruption to our supply chain, we always ensure the production standards as close as possible to Belcampo Farms own offerings: grass-fed and finished, certified humane and certified organic, the statement reads. Typically this ordering represents a tiny fraction of our total volumes.

The former employee, who Belcampo said was terminated last week, posted videos to Instagram on Sunday showing boxes of Marys Organic Chicken and Pasturebird chicken labeled Belcampo at the Santa Monica store. The video also showed cuts of beef from National Beef Packing Co. and Cape Grim Beef in Australia. The prices were marked up and sold as Belcampo products, said Evan, who asked to be identified by his first name only.

A representative for at least one of the companies shown in the Instagram videos denied supplying meat to Belcampo. Svante Johansson, president of ThinkCulinary Inc., which oversees West Coast distribution for Cape Grim Beef, said he was surprised as anyone when he saw the Cape Grim branded beef in the Instagram videos.

We do not, nor have we ever sold Cape Grim Beef to Belcampo Meats, he wrote in an email to The Chronicle, though he said it was possible that Cape Grim sold beef to a food service distributor, which then sold it to Belcampo. We are very proud of the fact that our Cape Grim beef comes from Tasmania Australia and would never misrepresent it as Local California grown to any of our customers.

Paul Greive, co-founder of Pasturebird, also said most of his companys sales are through distributors, so we dont always know who is using our products, but if we find out anyone is misrepresenting our pastured and regenerative practices, we will take swift corrective action. But he defended Belcampo as a leader in the ethical meat world.

We see greenwashing in the meat industry every single day, but I encourage everyone to reserve judgment on Belcampo until we learn more, Greive said in an emailed statement.

Marys Chicken, which describes its poultry as free-range and certified organic, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Fernald started Belcampo in 2012 and has since created a mini empire of butcher shops and restaurants in Northern and Southern California. Belcampo champions the companys full control over every step of the meat production process, from raising cows and pigs on a 30,000-acre farm in Mount Shasta to butchering them in holding pens designed by Temple Grandin, a renowned animal behavior expert and consultant to the meat-processing industry. The San Mateo and Oakland restaurants serve grass-fed lamb burgers, dry-aged beef tartare and organic bone broth.

While the vast majority of Belcampo meat comes from the Mount Shasta farm, the company also sources from a network of carefully vetted, certified producers in California, Oregon and Uruguay, the company website reads.

Evan, the former employee, worked as a butcher at Belcampo in Southern California for 2 years before he was let go. He said he didnt have any qualms about the company until the fall, when he returned from an injury and started noticing the outside products. He took the videos at the Santa Monica store several days before he was let go, he said.

The facade is beautiful. People are so distracted by their whole branding and their influencer culture, he said. I got tired of seeing people be lied to.

After his videos spread on social media, people took to Belcampo and Fernalds Instagram profiles to question the companys values and demand an explanation  and, in some cases, refunds. Comments on both Instagram pages have since been disabled.

Fernald said the Santa Monica store is back to selling 100% Belcampo and partner farm products. The company is implementing careful retraining and education around our protocols and accountability for our employees and leadership to ensure this does not happen again along with additional oversight, she said.

Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
Marin County may be better prepared than any other place in California for the states June 15 reopening.

In three weeks, more than 75% of the countys total population will be fully vaccinated, health officials say  thats even taking into account children under 12 who arent authorized for the shots yet. Marin has among the lowest rates of new coronavirus infections in the country, averaging under 2 cases per 100,000 people a day. On Thursday, the county reported the death of an unvaccinated resident  its first COVID-19 fatality in more than a month.

But Dr. Matt Willis, the county health officer, remains wary of lifting nearly all public health restrictions on June 15. Some of the most vulnerable residents remain in the shrinking pool of people who arent vaccinated. When everything from churches to grocery stores returns to full capacity and most people stop wearing masks indoors, he worries the virus will find those at risk.

Were leaning toward just following the state guidance. If any county is ready (for June 15), certainly its Marin County, Willis said. But I was surprised to see that there was so little by way of guidance from the state. It feels a little like going from A to Z.

California will drop capacity and social distancing orders on its reopening day, including the mask mandate for vaccinated people in almost all settings. When the state revealed its specific plans Friday, many public health officials said they were taken aback by the near-total lifting of restrictions.

Crowds of all sizes will be allowed, inside and out, although so-called mega events of more than 5,000 people indoors will require that attendees show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. Only unvaccinated people will be required to wear face coverings indoors, but the state will not be charged with enforcement  which means that in many situations, masking may depend on the honor system.

Whether the Bay Area will revert to pre-pandemic normal overnight remains to be seen  but many local health officials hope not. Some may keep in place certain restrictions, and most others plan to ask residents to practice restraint until more people get fully vaccinated.

That could mean asking that grocery stores and other businesses keep in place mask mandates for a while, or requesting that churches and other gathering spots encourage participants to keep crowds limited and spaced apart. Theres also the question of just how comfortable most people will feel going back to business as usual in just three weeks.

The last 14 or 15 months have been transformational. Were still in the middle of that transition, and were not sure what the next normal is going to look like, Dee Dee Myers, director of the Governors Office of Business and Economic Development, said in a news briefing last week. This is going to be in progress for quite some time.

Most Bay Area counties said they intend to adopt the states reopening plan entirely, even if officials have reservations. A few counties havent yet committed. Several say they expect some workplace restrictions  including indoor masking  ordered by the state occupational safety board to remain in place.

Theyre also awaiting more guidance from the state for certain high-risk settings like hospitals, jails and shelters. And they expect more recommendations to come for families with young children who cant be vaccinated yet, and who may face a long summer wondering how best to keep kids safe while everyone around them drops their guard.

San Francisco officials said they would reveal their own reopening plans sometime this week. In previous interviews, officials have seemed especially hesitant about allowing big crowds, such as for July Fourth fireworks celebrations along the waterfront.

Reopening to a large degree comes down to a shift in responsibility  from government and health authorities to businesses and individuals, public health experts say. And for the most part, even officials like Marins Willis who are feeling some concern say California is probably ready to move into this chapter of the pandemic.

Essentially what the governor is saying is its on us, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, vice dean for population health and health equity at UCSF. Given that California has the lowest rate of community transmission in the country, and we have among the highest vaccination rates, I think that theres strong rationale for reopening fully.

That said, she shares concerns many public health officials have expressed around vaccine equity. Although California has overall high vaccination rates  61% of the eligible population is at least partially vaccinated  uptake hasnt been equal. About 60% of Black and Latino residents are not vaccinated at all, compared with 42% of white residents.

That means when the state fully reopens, Black and Latino communities that already have had a higher burden of disease will be at greater risk once again. Counties should focus on those communities over the next three weeks and get as many of those residents vaccinated as they can, public health experts say.

We need to lower the bar as much as possible  knock on doors, make it easy for employees to get time off to get vaccinated, and for recovery if they have side effects. Making sure these vaccination efforts are available not just during business hours, but weekends, said Dr. Maria Garcia, a UCSF physician who focuses on health disparities.

We have a very effective vaccine, Garcia said. At this point, any death from COVID would be an excess death.

Local public health officials mostly have echoed Garcias agenda for reaching vulnerable communities. Theyve shifted away from mass vaccination sites to mobile operations that bring shots to neighborhood hangouts like schools and shopping centers. They are indeed knocking on doors.

Every couple weeks matters a lot right now as far as increasing vaccination rates, said Dr. Curtis Chan, deputy health officer for San Mateo County.

Hes urging residents to maintain indoor masking past June 15, to give the county more time to vaccinate hard-hit communities. Hes also urging businesses to keep requiring masking of their employees and customers.

Several national chains  including Target, Costco and Trader Joes  have said they wont require vaccinated customers to wear masks in states that drop mandates. But public health experts along with retails workers worry that unvaccinated customers will also stop wearing masks and put themselves and others at risk.

Stores still have the ability to protect workers and protect shoppers after June 15, even if its just for another month or two, Chan said. Wearing masks indoors should be a collective approach, a social compact, while we get everyone vaccinated.

Similarly, Willis said hes planning to meet with churches and other groups in Marin to talk about how they can protect people once the state reopens. That may mean asking them to encourage face coverings, especially for high-risk groups like older people or families with young children.

Our concerns about faith-based gatherings is we know that demographically, some are more vulnerable groups, Willis said. Theyre gathered indoors, theyre singing. And theyre often together for an hour or more. So theres risk there. But that risk is going to be taken on by that congregation and those individuals, and not controlled by the local health department.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
In the year since George Floyd died, Bay Area cities have started to launch ambitious police reforms to rethink the role officers play in public safety.

Some critics say the process has been too slow, allowing abuses to continue, while others fear the reforms will go too far and make the area more dangerous.

Tension over the future of policing remains, with a central question still unanswered: To what extent can cities redirect money and energy away from traditional policing while keeping communities safe?

Some reforms were quickly adopted in the Bay Area. San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and BART police have all moved to replace officers with counselors to respond to some mental health or homeless calls.

But promises of massive cuts to police budgets have been slow to materialize. Leaders in Berkeley and Oakland vowed to cut their departments budgets in half, but have found the reality more complicated as cities like Oakland saw a spike in homicides.

Even when theres broad support, changes take time.

This is uncharted territory, said Hans Menos, vice president of law enforcement initiatives at the Center for Policing Equity. The reforms we are talking about  involve a seismic shift in how public safety is addressed.

City leaders acknowledge progress has been slow in some areas, but say the momentum is there.

Reform is coming to America whether some people like it or not, said Regina Jackson, chair of the Oakland police commission.

The Chronicle talked to city leaders and police officials in four major Bay Area cities to get a picture of where reforms stand and what kind of work is yet to be done.

San Francisco

Last June, amid protests over police brutality, San Francisco Mayor London Breed laid out a road map of reforms. They included removing sworn officers from homeless and mental health calls, directing funds to Black communities, and rooting out abusive officers from the force.

While some proposals were already planned, supporters say the national movement helped speed them up.

In November, the city launched its first police-free street crisis teams  experts who respond to non-criminal calls about people in distress. The teams were long planned as part of Mental Health SF, an overhaul of the system, but are gaining momentum now.

City officials are now sifting through other types of calls  minor traffic violations or a dog on the street without a leash  that may be better suited for civilian responses. But the process is deliberate and time-consuming.

Its really like building the Bay Bridge while were still using it, said Ivy Lee, a policy adviser to Breed. Were being really careful because we want to make sure that were doing this right, no one gets hurt.

Other efforts include weeding out racial bias among the ranks by retooling police tests and background checks.

The city has also begun choosing how $120 million in law-enforcement funds will be invested into the Black community over the next two years, with early education, job training and housing programs in the mix.

Some anti-police violence advocates say the initiatives dont go far enough. John Crew, San Francisco resident and retired police practices expert for the ACLU, said the department has yet to adopt programs that teach bystander officers how to intervene when a colleague uses excessive force, and doesnt practice enough de-escalation on an ongoing basis.

SFPD, when push comes to shove, has been very reluctant to make the sort of changes that are needed to really change the culture, Crew said.

But San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said last years movement inspired the department to step up our game in completing reform recommendations handed down by the Justice Department in 2016 following the police killing of a mentally ill man.

Scott said, the department has submitted 253 of 272 recommendations for review and was found in compliance with 183 of them.

What it did was it added a sense of urgency, said Scott, who applauded Breeds initiatives. All that really pushes us forward.

Oakland

Last summer, Oakland leaders committed to slashing the police departments budget in half, by about $150 million. As city leaders began a process to re-imagine police, Oakland experienced a surge in violent crime, including more than 102 homicides last year and more than 50 homicides so far this year.

Support for a strong police presence remains high. A recent survey of residents found that 78% of respondents said they want the same or more police patrolling their neighborhoods and responding to 911 calls.

Steve Heimoff, president of the Coalition for a Better Oakland, a group that wants more police, said he no longer feels safe in the city.

Oakland seems to be experiencing a historic crime wave and it just is mind boggling that anybody would be talking about putting any limitation on the number of police that we have, he said.

But leaders say the investment in social services will address the root causes of violence.

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, one of the co-chairs of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force, said creating strong family neighborhood support, housing, jobs, education, health care will cut down on violence.

Meanwhile, the council agreed to prioritize 12 task force recommendations as it determines the budget. Those priorities include a pilot program to send counselors and paramedics from the Fire Department instead of rather than officers to mental health crises. The recent survey found nearly 60% of respondents supported removing police from nonviolent situations and mental health calls.

Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said his department is open to reforms and is listening to the community as it prioritizes de-escalation tactics.

The Oakland Police Department has continued to accept the call of this moment where people are asking for different policies, he said.

The police commission is also changing policies, banning the use of neck holds and piling on top of people while theyre restrained. In addition, the commission approved requiring officers to try to de-escalate a situation when facing an armed, but unresponsive person, a result of the 2018 police killing of a homeless man.

Berkeley

Berkeley committed last summer to slash its police budget in half to $36 million by this summer, but leaders concede that such a drastic cut likely will take longer.

Mayor Jesse Arreguin said while Berkeley advanced that goal as a benchmark to evaluate, we are not there yet.

The citys Reimagining Public Safety Task Force is expected to make recommendations to the council in August.

Meanwhile, the council ordered a plan for reforms such as the elimination of police stops for low-level offenses, including failing to wear a seat belt or driving with expired license plates.

People will not be stopped for such offenses, Arreguin said. But police will stop for reckless driving and speeding.

The city also plans over the next few years to create a transportation department to enforce some traffic laws but details arent yet clear.

In addition, the city hopes to launch specialized care units to respond to mental health calls.

Some changes already have been implemented, Arreguin said. Police are required to get written consent before searching people and can no longer ask people their probation or parole status.

Bigger structural changes do take time, Arreguin said. Some of them require changes in law, negotiating with the police unions.

Those who advocate for reducing police spending often argue for replacement programs that dont exist yet, said Dan Lindheim, a member of Berkeleys task force and professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy.

Reducing police spending will take time, said Lindheim.

The Berkeley Police Department declined to comment for this story.

San Jose

Last June, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo laid out a plan for tackling police accountability, but stopped short of supporting defunding the department, arguing that it was already understaffed.

The city has since made some changes  voters approved an independent police auditor having broader review over use-of-force incidents  while others stalled. Officials are still negotiating with the police union over whether an independent agency can oversee misconduct allegations.

Weve had some success, said Liccardo, adding, Id like to believe were on the right path.

Sajid Khan, a deputy public defender in San Jose, said the proposed reforms seemed to have little impact on day-to-day policing. Khan highlighted a controversial police shooting in January , months after the Floyd protests.

From my vantage point, I havent seen or noticed any reform, or any tangible difference, Khan said.

Sarah Ravani and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani @meganrcassidy
Downtown Livermore has a 13-screen movie theater, a $22 million performing arts center, an ACE train station and pleasant, flat streets lined with shade trees, trellises, fine restaurants, boutiques and wine tasting rooms.

But unlike other Bay Area downtowns that have been successfully revived in recent years, central Livermore lacks the ingredient widely seen as key to vitality: new housing.

Now that is starting to change  and not everybody is happy about it.

While construction is well under way on the Legacy Livermore, a 222-unit luxury complex at a former downtown car dealership, a proposed 100% affordable development next door to that project has divided the city, leading to accusations of racism and raising questions about what kind of city Livermore wants to be and who gets to live there.

At the center of the fight is a 130-unit affordable project proposed for a flat dirt 2.5-acre parcel fronting Veterans Park, near the southeast corner of Railroad Avenue and L Street. The city-owned lot has been designated for affordable housing since 2007. The developer, Eden Housing, was selected in 2018 and has received $14.4 million in bond funding from Alameda County for the project.

On Tuesday the Livermore City Council is slated to vote on the project. While the Planning Commission supported it 4-1 in April, the deliberations made headlines when Commissioner John Stein suggested that it would turn the neighborhood into a ghetto.

I really dont want to see the downtown become a ghetto of affordable housing, he said at the April 20 hearing. I think it should be distributed throughout the city and if we see high-density housing downtown, it should be market rate with maybe 20% affordable rather than entirely affordable.

While Stein later apologized for the comment, Eden Housing President Linda Mandolini said the comments were shortsighted and really disappointing.

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Affordable housing has come so far and Eden has been working in Livermore for more than two decades, she said. It was unbelievable  we were all staring it at our screen saying, Did he really say that?

At the eastern edge of the Bay Area, across the Altamont Pass from the Central Valley, Livermore straddles two worlds. It retains a strong agricultural character, with more than 50 wineries and working ranches. The city is also home to the Livermore Stockmens Rodeo Association, which claims to be the worlds fastest rodeo. The downtown Stockmens Park, which lies next to where the Eden project would go, has the cattle brand marks of prominent Livermore ranchers etched in concrete.

Yet its also an expensive Bay Area bedroom community, with a burgeoning restaurant and wine scene that draws local tourists. As home to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, it has long had a strong community of scientists. The city is diverse  about 20% Latino, 10% Asian, and it is home to Shiva-Vishnu Temple, the largest Hindu temple in California.

Mandolini said that the need for affordable housing in the Tri-Valley area has soared in recent years. Homes in the city now average more than $1 million and have increased 27% since the start of the pandemic, according to Redfin. Livermore has 120 homeless children in its school district and the Eden project has 13,000 Alameda County families on its waiting list, Mandolini said. Forced out by rising rents and home prices many Livermore workers live in Stockton or Tracy and commute over the Altamont Pass.

There is a three-year wait for anything in the Tri-Valley area, she said. Its not like you can build workforce housing out by the wineries. If we dont build it here, where is it going to go?

Opposition to the project is led by Joan Seppala, who owns the Livermore Independent newspaper. Her group, Save Livermore Downtown, has spent upwards of $2 million to turn public opinion against the development.

The group fighting the project says the development would increase traffic and that the income requirements are too low to allow public servants  such as teachers, firefighters and police officers  to qualify. It would harm the open feeling of Livermores historic downtown, they say.

Ruth Gasten, spokesperson for Save Livermore Downtown, said Livermore residents are clearly upset with the current plan. She argues the city should move the affordable housing north of Railroad Avenue, allowing the lot slated for the Eden project to be a beautiful central park. The alternate site could accommodate 230 affordable units rather than 130, the group said. They would also like to see it target more moderate income families who earn too much to qualify under the current plan.

We strongly believe, because there will be more affordable housing if it is moved slightly north, that all current funding will be retained, Gasten said. This is just one option. There may be others. Where theres a will, theres a way, and the will of the voters of Livermore is for the City Council to seek those alternatives immediately.

Brittany Hosea-Small/Special to The Chronicle

Former Livermore Mayor John Marchand, who served from 2011 to last year, said that the opponents seem to have a double standard: They didnt oppose the market-rate Legacy project but are against the Eden plan.

The people who will live there are the people who serve you your food and teach your children, Marchand said.

Marchand characterized the opponents as a small group of wealthy elite. Moving the project across the street would likely delay the production of affordable housing by at least five years and likely kill it altogether.

There is no alternative plan, said Marchand. That is a fantasy. There is no financing, no traffic analysis, no public input. They dont own the land and its not for sale. There is a drawing. That is it.

He said some public servants would qualify. The units would be reserved for people and families earning less than 60% of Alameda Countys area median income  that means to be eligible a single person could earn no more than $54,840, while a four-person family could earn no more than $104,400, according to the county.

For some context, a fully credentialed Livermore Valley Unified School District teacher with about five years experience but no graduate degree earns between $54,000 and $68,000.

Adam Van de Water, who heads up Livermores Office of Innovation and Economic Development, said there are now 93,500 average daily commuters on the Altamont Pass headed to the Bay Area from San Joaquin County. New residents buying in Livermores new gated communities are increasingly high-income tech or finance workers who commute into San Francisco or Silicon Valley. Meanwhile the waiters, carpenters, clerks and warehouse workers who earn a Livermore paycheck are commuting from Tracy, Lathrop or Stockton.

Even employers with traditionally well-compensated positions like those at the labs are working on relocations of new employees to homes in the Central Valley, he said.

People always ask why it takes so long and costs so much to build affordable housing, said Daniela Ogden, a vice president with Eden. This is a pretty good example of why. We have to turn people away every day and the cost of living is only going up.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
The video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes one year ago Tuesday galvanized people across the country for months of protests and calls to defund the police. In Oakland, the city council faced pressure to cut the police department's budget. In response, it set up the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force to develop alternatives to policing that would cut the OPDs budget in half.

On Cecilia Leis inaugural episode as host of the Fifth & Mission podcast, she interviews John Jones III, a community activist, third generation East Oakland resident and one of the members of the task force. Jones III talks about what has changed since the police killing of George Floyd, and why protesting and police reform are not enough.

Listen to the episode by clicking on the player above, and scroll down to read an edited transcript of Cecilia Leis conversation with John Jones III.

Here is a partial transcript of Cecilia Leis interview with John Jones III, edited and condensed for clarity.

Cecilia Lei: After last summer's protests, there were all these calls and attention raised to what it means to defund the police or to abolish the police. There are so many discussions around that, and we saw a cause to cut the Oakland Police Department's budget in the city, set up a Reimagining Public Safety task force, which I know you were appointed as a member of last year. What did that mean to you? And did that feel like actionable change?

John Jones III: I think it's important to start with what I call the historical context, as well as the institutional memory of any given issue. So starting with the police: the background or the context of this issue was the fact that we were experiencing an increase in gun violence in Oakland at a time where it had been declining for years. And the unwillingness to incorporate that, because that is a public safety issue.

So many people who I was in contact with in East Oakland, there was alarm when they heard that there is more movement toward reducing the budget by 50 percent. They didn't see for themselves what safety means for them, right? So for me, I felt it was important to really understand that once again, with violence in the 80s and 90s, when it reached its apex in Oakland, the call for more policing actually came from Black and brown residents who live in the neighborhoods most impacted by crime and violence. So it was frustrating to watch a process that did not truly include their voices.

And then additionally, as it relates to terminology, to semantics, Defund the Police was confusing to many people. And I think that's partly due to the fact that different people have their own philosophies. For example, if you're an abolitionist, then your worldview does not see room or a role for policing. Many people in East Oakland don't adopt that philosophy. We see what's happening, and folks want to feel safe. And in fact, what I was hearing was two primary things. One: the police to stop harming and killing us. And number two: they want them to actually show up and do their job. So long story short, there should have been room built in for authentic and robust engagement with those residents. And quite frankly, that process did not happen.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Cecilia Lei: Some people may say the result of the George Floyd movement and protests created a shift in culture so that these kinds of discussions center around real solutions that center the experiences of people who actually live these issues that we're talking about. Do you think that cultural shift happened because of this movement?

John Jones III: Not only did that cultural shift not happen, what it did was further cement what COVID exasperated: the existing lack of authentic engagement with impacted people. That's always been a real thing. And now with the digital divide, the ability of people to access council meetings, or even task force meetings. The ability to share the word. ... Many folks who were involved in outreach, were sharing that due to COVID, it was difficult for them to do outreach.

So one thing I always say is that for those who come into the community, we have a level of access that's predicted just by the phone, right? We socialize, we network, we shop in our own community. And when you see the elevation of the voices of the privileged, as opposed to those who actually live in these communities, that's why it has created talking points like, with people saying things like, the police is the most harmful thing. Not if you live in a community where bullets are literally flying through your home and where elders and children are being murdered.

Cecilia Lei: Do you feel hopeful that meaningful solidarity can be built? Looking now, a year after George Floyd's death and this sort of reckoning that many people have gone through, what does solidarity mean to you now and what does it authentically feel like?

John Jones III: Great question. To be clear and sure, all things are possible. I operate on the principle of faith. I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning if I didn't think change was possible. And I think it's important to note that we stand on the shoulders of our elders and ancestors.

True solidarity is real. Now, I think the real answer and the real question relates to how do we get there, right? And really, it starts with humility. People have to humble themselves and understand that you only know what you know. And the verse I always share is, you don't know what you don't know. We have to speak truth to power.

Here's an example of that: so last year when I did see some of the protests, I saw a lot of white people holding signs saying, I can't breath. That deeply disturbed me and grieved me in my spirit. My first initial reaction was, white people, this is not happening to you. You don't have to center yourself. Humble yourself and also educate yourself, because that burden should not fall on communities of color to have to always educate that, because that's an extra burden and trauma. Really educate yourself and then educate those around you.

And I really believe that everyone in this country is capable of hearing a complex truth. In fact, I have many white people thank me for sharing when I was sharing. Some people view that as disruptive. There's a false sense of racial solidarity in Oakland that doesn't really exist. It might not be as explicit as it is, for example, in Southern California or the East Coast, but it's very real. And we are seeing that now with the egregious attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. We have to stop using tokenized talking points that make us feel good. That gives us a fuzzy, warm feeling, doesn't center our own privilege, or censor those who don't have that privilege to say everything is okey dokey.

Cecilia Lei: I'm glad you mentioned that. I mean, I think one thing that I observed, through this time and up until now, after a year later, is that sometimes a lot of these acts around showing solidarity or being aligned with racial justice might come from a place of personal guilt. Or not being able to reconcile your own privileges. And I do hope that at the very least, you know, this is at least an uncomfortable confrontation, that the country, or at least people who have started to engage with it, will continue to confront their own discomforts.

And, for you, what's next? Where do you go from here, you know, as a Black man, as an activist who is doing the work of bridging the gaps in the community? What what does the next year or couple of years look like for you in terms of where your priorities lie in the work that you do?

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

John Jones III: It definitely lies with being part of a process to help develop the leadership of empathic people. Transformation can only occur from close proximity. What does that really mean? I believe in order for injustice and oppression to exist, one must first dehumanize the impact population. Because it's easier to oppress someone that you don't see as a human being. So in order to reverse that, it takes censoring these human beings with those experiences.

For example, I'm not just formerly incarcerated. I'm also Black. I'm also male. And we know these issues impact every demographic. I'm mindful of the people I can reach. But most importantly, when I share things like I'm formerly incarcerated, that means I have a level of expectation that people would give me a certain amount of grace to look beyond my record. We've got to do that with each other. I'm a firm believer of that.

And moreover, when people talk about resilience, impact, that people have dealt with a plethora of issues that has toughened our skin. I think people have to stop being so sensitive and stop feeling like they're the smallest people in a room, or the only people in a room. No one is going to agree on every issue. The thing I think we should agree on is that we're not each other's enemies. Let's agree on the objectives. You might disagree how you get there, but let's make sure we're not intentionally or unintentionally creating more roadblocks and exclusion for others, specifically those who are personally impacted.
The Biden administration and Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced a joint effort to bring offshore wind energy to the Pacific Ocean along the California coast.

Officials said theyve designated two areas that can support sea-bound wind turbines: one 399-square-mile section northwest of Morro Bay and a smaller area off the North Coast near Eureka.

The two offshore wind zones  which would have turbines 20 miles from shore  could generate as much as 4.6 gigawatts of clean energy, or enough to power 1.6 million homes each year, officials said. People can only see a few miles out to sea, so the turbines would not be visible from shore.

Newsom joined leaders from President Bidens Interior and Defense departments in making the announcement, which they framed as part of a broader effort to fight climate change and develop more renewable energy infrastructure. The White House has set a nationwide goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy generation by 2030.

I believe that a clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States, but it will take all of us, and the best-available science, to make it happen, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on a conference call with reporters. Its not an either or decision: We can address our climate crisis and build a sustainable economy at the same time.

Haaland said the next step will be an intergovernmental task force meeting on June 24 and that officials were not going to prejudge the process. After the meeting, the California coast offshore wind zones will be finalized and undergo environmental analysis, with the goal of a lease offering in 2022.

The Atlantic Ocean already has two offshore wind farms, off the coasts of Rhode Island and Virginia, and the Biden administration recently signed off on another project to install up to 84 turbines in the waters near Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Newsom said the opportunity along the California coast is even greater, with the zone near Morro Bay able to accommodate as many as 380 turbines.

Given Californias longtime leadership in clean energy and combating climate change ... its only fitting that California is totally unwilling to let the expansion that were witnessing on the East Coast leave California behind, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters.

But bringing turbines to Californias pristine coastline will require new technology because the ocean gets much deeper much faster in the Pacific than it does in the Atlantic. Federal officials noted that theyve already invested more than $100 million into researching and developing equipment suited to the task.

Nancy Rader, executive director of the California Wind Energy Association, said Tuesdays announcement was a major breakthrough but also a huge challenge.

Offshore wind development off the coast at Morro Bay and Humboldt will require a major port facility in each area to construct the floating platforms and assemble the turbines that will require continued proactive planning by the state and federal governments, Rader said in an email. This is how offshore wind can create high-quality jobs and support local economies.

The Pacifics deep waters will require floating platforms tethered to the ocean floor and a different turbine design than the one in use on the East Coast, Rader said.

Offshore wind power is also seen as a key opportunity to help California meet its goal of getting all of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045.

California prides itself on really trying to lead the nation in changing the way we produce and consume energy, Newsom said on the conference call with reporters. This is one of those critical components in advancing our low-carbon goals.

Newsom said the state would accelerate the environmental review of offshore wind projects and has already heard from other countries with businesses interested in developing turbines for the Pacific Ocean. He framed offshore wind as a crucial way for the state to compensate from the loss of its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, which is scheduled to close in the coming years. Its also notable notable because ocean wind turbines wont impact low-income communities that are often exposed to energy infrastructure projects.

Were talking about a game-changing investment in a green energy future that is not an investment in power production near communities that are traditionally underserved  that are usually the burden, not the beneficiaries, of large-scale power production, Newsom said. The environmental justice implications here are big.

The agreement also required the blessing of the Defense Department, which uses the waters off California for training and missions. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters that the Pentagon worked with the state and other government agencies to ensure the projects wouldnt interfere with the militarys activities, which include fleet exercises, weapons testing and space launch support.

We got to a place where we think that any negative effects were mitigated and certainly balanced against the imperative of moving in a clean energy direction, Kahl told reporters. We at the Defense Department are satisfied that theres not a trade off between the clean energy goals of this endeavor and our military readiness.

Various politicians and environmental advocates expressed strong support for the offshore wind announcement, both as a climate-friendly energy advancement and a job creator.

Offshore wind must play a critical role in Californias path to 100% clean energy, said Laura Deehan, state director for Environment California, in a statement. In a state where the devastating consequences of climate change are already unfolding all around us, we dont have moment to lose in investing in the clean energy technologies that will help California avoid the worst impacts of global warming, and todays announcement will help to jump start this future.

Jeff Hunerlach, district representative at the Operating Engineers Humboldt County union, said in a statement that putting wind turbines in the Pacific Ocean will create thousands of career-track jobs in manufacturing and construction in communities that currently lack these opportunities.

Californias agreement today with the federal government is a key step to delivering these job opportunities, and comes at a key moment as our state builds back from this economic downturn, Hunerlach said. Now, its time for the state of California to move full-speed ahead toward development.

Tuesdays announcement is not the only effort to bring offshore wind farms to California. Assembly Member David Chiu, D-San Francisco, has spearheaded legislation that would set specific targets for producing offshore wind power by 2030 and 2045. The bill is headed to the Assembly floor after passing the chambers appropriations committee last week.

San Francisco Chronicle Washington correspondent Tal Kopan contributed reporting.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
At the beginning of the year, California was hitting pandemic record after record in the midst of a terrible winter coronavirus surge.

Now, the state is setting records again, but in a much more reassuring direction.

According to state data, a new 7-day average coronavirus positive test rate of 0.8% was reported Monday. That was the lowest positive test rate on record for California.

The rate indicates the percentage of total tests that come back as positive for coronavirus infection. Its a key indicator of coronavirus transmission level in the community.

The low last year was 3%, reached Oct. 8-10. The pandemic soon began an alarming spike, with the state hitting its peak 7-day average positive test rate of 17.1% on Jan. 1-2. But then it took a U-turn, starting a sharp descent as vaccinations ramped up and the surge waned.

The rate hit 3% again on Feb. 23 and has been declining steadily since, first dipping below 1% on May 17, at 0.9%.

Asked about the significance of the latest positive test rate, the California Department of Public Health said, Mitigation and vaccination efforts have been effective at reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Robert Siegel, a professor of virology and immunology at Stanford University, said the rate puts California in a good place right now.

It means that the prevalence is low and everybodys risk has dropped, and that includes vaccinated breakthrough cases, it includes immune-compromised people, it includes unvaccinated individuals, he said. It also means the measures weve used to try to lower it have been effective.

He said the state is in a phase now where it can conduct more screening, effective contact tracing and targeted vaccination to groups with low coverage rates.

It doesnt mean we should stop worrying about the pandemic; it means we should worry about it in a new way to drive the rate even lower, Siegel said.

Shannon Bennett, chief of science at the California Academy of Sciences, said its great to see both the positive test rates and daily new case rates so low. Also, she said, the current effective reproduction number (R-effective) of 0.78 means the spread of COVID-19 is likely decreasing. The R-effective indicates the average number of people an infected person is likely to pass the virus on to.

We are definitely seeing a drop in transmission, she said. Anything below 1 means the epidemic is declining...This is a great sign, but the lower the number the faster the decline, so we still have much room for improvement.

So will the positive test rate continue to drop, especially with California's economy expected to fully reopen June 15?

The state health department said that as long as Californians continue to get vaccinated and maintain mitigation efforts such as physical distancing, masking and testing particularly for unvaccinated individuals, we anticipate positivity rates will continue to decrease.

Siegel said things look really promising right now and everything is going in the right direction, but when everything reopens, more people will be at risk.

We should be sprinting now until June 15 to drop the rate as low as possible, he said. If the prevalence is low, then everybody is protected. ...Everything we do now until then is icing on the cake.

Bennett said an R-effective number below 1 is definitely a good sign, but that only 56% of the state population has received at least one vaccine dose, so many more people still need to be fully vaccinated.

Siegel said he doesnt think just having a low positive test rate is good enough, and that the state should push to reach zero.

But hes not sure thats possible.

I dont think we can get down to that rate, just because its hard, he said. Its expensive, and some people ... will never get vaccinated. But if we remain vigilant then it will continue to go down.

Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang
Applause echoed around the lobby of the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco on Monday morning as staff, from cooks to janitors to managers, lined up to welcome the first batch of guests the hotel has seen since the pandemic forced it to close 14 months ago. A group of four from Arizona entered from the back of the lobby under television screens emblazoned with the San Francisco skyline that flashed Welcome Back. The group posed for photos with staff who formed their hands into hearts before being rushed by no less than three television news crews for interviews.

A passerby could easily have mistaken the scene as one for a visiting dignitary or celebrity, which for a few minutes is how Les Lovett, Dawn Belzer, her son Justin Belzer and his girlfriend, Alessandra Davi of Phoenix were treated as the first guests to enter the hotel since the earliest days of the pandemic.

Davi, an accounting student at Arizona State University, said it was her first time in San Francisco. Visiting Ghirardelli Square and Oracle Park were on her agenda and a trek to North Beach might be in order.

Tourism dollars are crucial to the citys economy, and hotel occupancy rates have plummeted since the depths of the pandemic last year amid shifting state and local business shutdown orders.

The Hilton Union Square is one of the largest hotels on the West Coast with close to 2,000 rooms and also has one of the largest conference venues in the city. The return of convention gatherings this summer will be critical to restarting the economic engine for the hospitality industry and the city.

Cindy Ramesh, director of sales and marketing for the Hilton, said about 40 to 50 people are expected to arrive as the hotel initially reopens, but that filling its three towers will require more than leisure travelers. She said its staff is anxiously awaiting the June 15 reopening date when thousands of people will be able to gather for large conferences like Dreamforce put on by Salesforce.

The hotel, like other Hilton locations, has also expanded its cleaning protocols, using Lysol to sanitize room touch points such as light switches and telephones in between guests and sealing rooms with paper labels that crack open when the next guest enters.

But not all of the hotels 1,200 to 1,400 employees will be coming back immediately, with just two of the hotels three towers open for guests  although a full reopening is planned.

About 10 of the housekeeping staff have returned to the hotel, according to Guadalupe Chavez, who has worked at the hotel in housekeeping for four decades and recently returned to work for the reopening. Her union, Unite Here Local 2, estimates that during normal times an average of 90 housekeepers have work on a given day with more during conventions.

Chavez, speaking Spanish through an interpreter, said with the new cleaning protocols in place the work is harder because housekeepers only have a certain amount of time for the expanded cleaning routines.

Chavez said with the small cleaning staff and few dozen guests, shes concerned about her job security as well as her health care plan, which she said her union helped her and others keep through November of last year.

Even with the hotels reopening, there is still uncertainty in the hospitality industry, which has been adding jobs in California but is still far short of employment levels from early 2020. Statewide, more than 60,000 jobs in leisure and hospitality have returned in March and April of this year, according to the states Employment Development Department.

Another housekeeper at the Hilton, Yolanda Chen, has so far not returned to work. Chen doesnt have the seniority to make the cut and said she is on unemployment benefits that are set to run out in September. She said she switched to her husbands health care coverage and choked up when talking about how her daughter had to turn down an offer to attend a school in the University of California system and opt for community college instead to save money.

She knows her mom (lost) her job and (doesnt) know when (she can) go back to work, Chen said.

Last month San Francisco made permanent a right to re-employment for some workers laid off during the pandemic, but its not clear if hotels like the Hilton will hire back the full complement of staff they once had.

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta told investors during an earnings call in February that the company wants to create labor efficiencies in areas like housekeeping, and food and beverage to create higher margins and require less labor than before the pandemic.

Visitors arent streaming to other hospitality businesses in Union Square area, yet.

One block over from the Hilton on OFarrell Street, Alice Park was working the front desk at the Orange Village Hostel. She said travelers mostly had not returned, although the summer might offer more promise.

The area is visibly coming back to life in some ways, but businesses like the nearby Tilden Hotel remain boarded up. Meanwhile, the rental car businesses that dot the storefronts on OFarrell Street across from the Hilton had customers inside. And the Glide Memorial Church Tenderloin Community Resource Hub was in full swing, with workers and volunteers handing out meals on the closed off stretch of road.

Community activist Liza Murawski stood in front of the Glide Womens Center booth, decrying the citys policies around transitioning people out of temporary housing in shelter-in-place hotels, some of which are just blocks from the Hiltons triple towers.

Its a disgrace Murawski said of the chances many residents of the temporary housing had of getting into more permanent housing of equal or better quality.

The city has promised not to force anyone out the temporary rooms who entered them before Nov. 15 and has spent millions purchasing the Granada hotel on Sutter Street. But many have refused to move from the temporary lodgings with their private bathrooms to go to the recently renovated hotel, where residents would have communal bathrooms and will be charged 30% of their income as rent.

Back at the Hilton lobby around noon, the clapping staff now gone, two more travelers rolled their suitcases through the mostly empty lobby, the latest sign that the citys heart is starting to beat once more.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
Oaklands arts and culture sector contributes to the local economy in many ways, but budget writers dont always seem to appreciate that, many artists say.

Activists and artists are hoping to change the dynamic this year, arguing that the $1 million allocated for arts grants, fairs and festivals in Mayor Libby Schaafs proposed budget is not enough. They will host a virtual town hall Tuesday evening to talk about ways to shape the budget for the citys arts and culture department, making the point that the arts sector is an important part of economic recovery.

Theres a lot of money that comes from just the arts and culture sector and a lot of times it isnt factored into these budgets, said Kev Choice, an Oakland musician and vice chair of the citys Cultural Affairs Commission. More people are out doing things  going to festivals, going to events. That boosts the economy.

The commission is co-hosting the virtual town hall, Artists in Action, with two Bay Area organizations that advocate for artists and social change: the Center for Cultural Power, and Community Arts Stabilization Trust. The meeting seeks to galvanize and strategize as the arts and culture community, said Choice.

With California on track to reopen June 15, allowing more businesses to operate at or close to 100% capacity, the arts and culture sector will be crucial in helping cities economic comeback, he added.

The mayors proposed budget also designates $700 million, or 18% of the overall spending plan, to the Oakland Police Department. Activists who have urged cutting the police budget in half criticize the plan, saying a reduction in police spending would free up money to reinvest in city services.

Artists themselves are often first responders, Choice said, because they use their art and other strategies to help communities heal. He cited the murals painted by Bay Area artists and community members on downtown Oakland boarded-up storefronts after the death of George Floyd a year ago, an action taken in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Favianna Rodriguez, an artist, activist and president of the Center for Cultural Power, wrote on Instagram: Art brings healing, supports youth, jobs, public safety, and the economy.

The time is NOW to demand that arts and culture be a priority in our citys budgeting process! she wrote.

Choice said artists will also discuss how they can continue to help their communities after a year of race-based violence, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the economic inequalities it exacerbated.

They plan another meeting following the City Councils vote on the final budget June 30.

The town hall is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. To learn more details and to register, visit the Eventbrite webpage.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
MBABANE  Government has let us down!

This assertion was made by the Mpolonjeni Umphakatsi and community following the continuous killings tainting the image of the area. There has been three recently publicised spine-chilling murders of residents in the area. The first was of a manager of Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF) Sifiso Ndaba, who was kidnapped while at his home at Mpolonjeni on the outskirts of Mbabane, later murdered and his body dumped at Sigombeni. The incident happened in December 2018.

Break-In

Ndaba is said to have found his unexpected visitors inside his house, who had awaited him following a break-in through a back window. Another incident which occurred in October last year, was that of a woman who was murdered with her four-year-old son. The woman was identified as Sithembile Mtsetfwa, an employee of ESWADE. ESWADE is an acronym for Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise. Mtsetfwa and her son were brutally murdered, allegedly by a man believed to be her boyfriend, who is a South African national. Recently, a 63-year-old woman was reportedly attacked, killed and buried in a shallow grave and was identified as Thembi Mkhaliphi.

A contingent of police officers led by the Regional Crime Branch (RCB) Officer, Sikhumbuzo Fakudze, and residents combed the homestead in search of the elderly woman. This was after she was reported missing by relatives. Upon arrival at the homestead, the police searched everywhere until they were drawn by a recently cultivated area under an avocado tree, where they started digging and confirmed their suspicions. After digging about one and a half metres, they stumbled on clothes belonging to the elderly woman and eventually her body which was bruised, while her ankles were chained. No one has been arrested in connection with the murder.

Chairman of the Inner Council (Bandlancane) at Mpolonjeni, Obed Dube, said the police post in the area did not have a car. Dube said the car, which was marked Mpolonjeni Police Post, was parked in Mbabane. This, he said, was a great concern to them, adding that they were forced to fetch the police officers with their private vehicles whenever there was an incident or crime happening in the area. Just last week, I had to fetch police officers following a suicide in the area. Police told me that the vehicle had no lights, he claimed.
A climate scientist said he is cutting his affiliation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory because of its decision to host a seminar this week by Steven Koonin, a New York University professor who regularly downplays the severity of the climate crisis and claims climate science is flawed.

On Monday, atmospheric scientist Ben Santer, whose work establishing the human role in climate change has guided public policy, posted a public letter saying he would cut ties with the lab over the issue following his retirement this fall. The letter denounced a virtual talk the lab is hosting Thursday in which Koonin will discuss his new book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesnt, and Why It Matters.

Santer said Koonin is not an authoritative voice on climate science and that having him talk would give a platform for his incorrect views on climate science.

It is simply untrue that professor Koonin is confronting climate scientists with unpleasant facts they ignored or failed to understand, Santer wrote. At LLNL, we routinely consider whether uncertainties in models, observations, and natural climatic variability call into question findings of a large human influence on global climate. They do not.

A professor of Information, Operations & Management Sciences at NYU, Koonin was undersecretary for science at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Obama administration and previously a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech.

In the introduction to his new book, Koonin writes, Yes, its true that the globe is warming, and that humans are exerting a warming influence upon it. But beyond that  to paraphrase the classic movie The Princess Bride: I do not think the science says what you think it says.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory confirmed that Koonin is speaking Thursday.

Differing technical opinions are part of the scientific process. Throughout its history the lab has invited guest speakers whose opinions differ from those of the lab and its workforce. It does not mean the lab endorses those opinions. The lab has a long and distinguished history in groundbreaking climate research  the lab continues to advance and stand by that research, said Lynda Seaver, public affairs director at the lab.

Santer, who has worked at the lab since 1992, studies what are called human fingerprints in climate records. His research contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change conclusion in 1995 that the balance of evidence showed human responsibility for global warming.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan
PHOENIX (AP)  A Republican-led hand recount of ballots cast in Arizona's most populous county resumed Monday after a weeklong hiatus.

Counters returned to a former basketball arena where contractors working for the state Senate GOP are reviewing Maricopa County's handling of the 2020 election.

The recount is taking far longer than expected, and counters had to vacate the facility for high school graduations last week. More tables and counters were added this week, but the operation has still not reached its full capacity.

Journalists observing the operation were told that Senate liaison Ken Bennett, a former Republican secretary of state, will no-longer be answering questions about the process. Reporters were directed instead to former Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen.

Senate Republicans issued a subpoena to take control of 2.1 million ballots, voting machines and election data from the state's largest county after former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that his loss in Arizona and other battleground states was marred by fraud. Republicans hired several firms led by Cyber Ninjas, a small Florida-based consultancy with no election experience before this year, to audit the materials.

The recount resumes after a week of tense back-and-forth between legislative Republicans, the auditors they've hired and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Auditors claim an election database was deleted, a charge county officials have vociferously denied.

The review won't change the outcome of the election, but some Trump supporters believe it will turn up evidence to support his narrative of fraud. Voting-rights advocates and election administrators say the 2020 election was conducted well and worry the Arizona GOP review is using slipshod procedures and investigating far-fetched conspiracy theories.
More Information

Brianna Noble, 26

Equestrian and owner of Mulatto Meadows in Briones. Last year, Noble rode her horse, Dapper Dan, a large Appaloosa gelding, through downtown Oakland during a Black Lives Matter demonstration.

"I was scrolling through social media. Angered and sickened, I initially kept scrolling. I had to mentally prepare myself to take in what I knew I was going to witness," she said about George Floyd's death. "We all just want the world to be a better place than it was yesterday. History tends to repeat itself. How do we change that?"

Dwayne Davis, 18

Senior at McClymonds High School in Oakland, student organizer, and advocate and participant in last year's Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

"I saw small clips and read small articles about the trial, but I purposely chose to avoid watching the trial as it would've angered me to witness people in that courtroom defend the assassin of an innocent black man. My reaction to the verdict was nothing short of victorious. I reminisced on all of the millions worldwide that posted, marched and tried everything in their power to receive justice for George. Even though it seems like an eternity has gone by since George's death, I'm still glad that George received the accountability from the officer that decided to murder him. It angers me to see that Derek (Chauvin) wants to appeal the verdict and still refuses to take accountability for his actions."

Orion Camero, 28

Executive director of SustainUS, a youth-led climate justice organization; projects convener of Placeholder Magazine, an arts collective and local publication; and participant in last year's Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

"While I was initially relieved that Derek Chauvin was convicted, I ultimately felt angry that we had to collectively fight and argue so hard to achieve this - and that the corrupt "injustice system" made it so that this outcome wasn't expected. ... My reaction to the verdict was that we deserve more. And that I would not be satisfied until Black and brown communities can feel fully liberated out of these white supremacist structures, especially when instances of violence like these continue to happen."

Josiah Jacobs, 20

Junior political science major at Howard University, co-host of The Black Lotus Podcast and a co-organizer of last year's George Floyd Solidarity March in Oakland.

"My hope for the future is that cops are held more accountable for their actions by the law. ... I also hope that the Black community can take the unity that we displayed last summer and bring this into other aspects of the community, including our health, relationships and financial decisions. We are extremely powerful, but to some degree, we have yet to realize our true value and importance."

Akil Riley, 20

Co-organizer of the George Floyd Solidarity Marchwho aspires to attend Howard University in the fall.

"I don't think this is a win in the grand scheme of things. If his family is happy with the outcome, then so be it. It's accountability, which should happen more in this system. If we're just happy with accountability, then I guess it's a win. It's not a start at all. The system is twisted and the same things will still happen without real change. I believe that he might not have been convicted if: 1. It didn't get the social media attention and commercial attention it did; and 2. There wasn't a possibility of massive property damage. Many people say it's a start ... but what is it a start to? We cannot continue to let white people in positions of power decide our state of well-being."

Nadia Brooks, 20

Senior majoring in public affairs at UCLA and a participant in last year's Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

"I hope for Black liberation. For a world eradicated of systemic racism and all institutions that uphold, encourage and promote it. For no more Black children, elders and adults to experience brutality from not only the police, but from schools and workplaces also, to name a few. I dream of community healing and care, restorative justice and longevity of life in our communities. I hope for genuine solidarity between communities and, someday, unity in each of our communities and with each other."

Michael Blue, 20

Sophomore at Contra Costa College, co-host of The Black Lotus Podcast, and co-organizer of the George Floyd Solidarity March.

"I learned a very long time ago that you cannot rely on others for your own success, so why do we rely on the government, on society, to provide us with solutions? The civil rights movement never came from outside of our community, (it) came from within. It is on us to make sure our kids have strong morals and why we should stand united as a Black society. I hate to sound like white Republicans, but honestly they have a point: We don't need special treatment from the United States. We built this nation. Although we deserve it, it should be by our own means that we liberate ourselves."
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian lawmakers on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that bars members of groups designated as extremist from running for public office, a measure intended to prevent allies of opposition leader Alexei Navalny from seeking parliament seats.

The Kremlin-controlled lower house, the State Duma, quickly endorsed the bill in a crucial second reading. After three readings, it would need to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law.

Lawmakers are considering the bill while Moscow prosecutors have moved to designate Navalnys Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his regional offices as extremist groups. Navalny and his allies have denounced the proceedings as a move to stifle critical voices before September's parliamentary election.

Navalny's regional headquarters, as his team called them, have been instrumental in implementing the Smart Voting strategy  a project designed to promote candidates who are most likely to defeat those from the Kremlins dominant United Russia party in various elections.

The new bill that received the tentative approval Tuesday is widely seen as part of Kremlin efforts to keep any Navalny associates and allies from September's ballot.

Navalny, who is Putin's most adamant critic, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin  accusations that Russian officials reject. In February, Navalny received a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as politically motivated.

In remarks posted Tuesday on his Instagram account, Navalny said Russian investigators had told him about three new criminal probes against him. He ridiculed the accusations, which he said lacked any basis.

My powerful criminal syndicate is growing, he said in acerbic comments, noting that 21 investigators have been assigned to investigate his alleged wrongdoing.
Regarding  Handmaids Tale turns up torture in season 4 (May 23): Carla Meyer criticizes The Handmaids Tale (the Hulu series about a misogynistic dystopia based on Margaret Atwoods 1985 novel) for its repeated depictions of violence against women and suggests that season 4 intensifies torture porn.

On the contrary, the series depicts the exact brutality that has targeted, and continues to target, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, Black families and other marginalized groups.

Handmaids are subjected to regular and ritual rape, just as marital rape continues with impunity globally today. Children escaping the oppressive Gilead regime, terrorized by searchlights, echoes unaccompanied minors crossing the southern U.S. border today. The public hanging of a gay university administrator deemed a gender traitor reminds us of the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard.

The way panicked soon-to-be handmaids are forced like cattle into cages is not unlike how Japanese Americans were forced at gunpoint into World War II prison camps.

The dystopia of Gilead is a powerful allegory to American slavery where incredible violence against Black families was required to maintain a horrifically unjust society.

Meyers statement that The Handmaids Tale is made up may be true for a lucky few but, for far too many of us, this is a devastating piece of nonfiction.

Emily Murase, San Francisco

Speed bumps are needed

Regarding Too many speed bumps (Letters, May 20): The author complained about speed bumps being created on residential streets in San Francisco and he claims that they are redundant in that stop signs slow drivers down.

This is not the case, at least in the new normal year of pandemic and post-pandemic continuing, many drivers, especially in residential neighborhoods, are ignoring stop signs and blazing right through. I live at a residential intersection with a stop sign at all four streets.

My apartment is on the first floor at one of the corners. I have lived in fear during the past year of the inevitable crash that could easily involve my living room and myself. The speed they are going indicates that they are not observing the stop signs all along the four streets.

Speed bumps are absolutely welcome in this neighborhood and Im guessing all over the city.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, San Francisco

Bring downtown to As

The Oakland Coliseum has a lot of history and authenticity, which a new stadium will not have. If the Oakland As want a downtown ballpark, they could present a plan to bring downtown to the Coliseum.

Showcase a stadium village with gridded streets, a mix of buildings, transit and a grand entry to BART. Invest in the existing stadium and make it better. I dont build a new house when I have a plumbing problem. I fix it.

Daniel Levy, Oakland

Bill hurts solar use

Regarding Debate heats up over states solar program (Front Page, May 20): AB1139 would discourage the use of solar by 1) decreasing payment for excess power generated by rooftop solar and sold back to the utility, 2) charging solar users a large monthly fee ($50-$85 plus per month). Essentially this disincentivizes rooftop solar use.

We need to encourage solar use for everyone to increase our essential and mandated path to clean energy, to enable savings based on a universally available resource, and to allow people more independence from the power companies when they cut power due to wildfires and emergency conditions.

Perhaps it is no surprise that the biggest benefactors of this legislation will be the investor-owned utilities (Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in our case) and shareholders.

It will do nothing for the furtherance of clean energy, the solar rooftop user, wildfire resilience, social and economic justice or job creation in an emerging field.
Its no secret that Google, Amazon, Facebook and other big players in the technology industry have a paucity of Black people and other people of color in their leadership positions and employee ranks. Many companies in the world of Big Tech have openly acknowledged this diversity failure. And, to their credit, they have attempted to address racial disparity by starting corporate diversity programs.

Perhaps the most notable of these efforts came in 2017, when Google partnered with Howard University to launch Howard West, a program that sent computer science students from the historically Black university to companys Mountain View campus, where they received a Google education immersion as credit toward graduation.

Initially, many students were elated to participate. They considered Howard West not just an educational opportunity, but a head start toward a job at Google upon graduation. A news release claimed Howard West would produce hundreds of industry-ready Black graduates. Follow-up media articles touted the effort as a potential tech world diversity game-changer.

Not so fast.

Participating students complained almost immediately about Google instructors lacking sensitivity in their interactions with African Americans. Even after a year in Howard West, many students found the programs objectives to be unclear. What was Howard Universitys role? The pathway to future employment with Google was also fuzzy. Capricious changes in the curriculum, faculty and a program name to Tech Exchange resulted in uncertainty and frustration.

Yes, some students were hired by Google, and others gained invaluable exposure to the tech industry culture. But Howard West didnt produce the promised hundreds of Black computer science graduates needed to impact industry underrepresentation.

Other industry efforts have fared similarly. The reality is that preparing Black students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, hasnt proven simple, easy or straightforward for any industry, university or organization.

But the tech industry can and should learn from these attempts. A robust effort is necessary to push back against persistent inequity. Ive been a computer science professor at Howard for 28 years, and if my observations have taught me anything, its that we need tech companies to muster the will and resources to disrupt the unproductive status quo.

They just need a better game plan.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities need support. But so do their pipelines. Big Tech needs to devote sustained attention toward precollege students.

The tech industry prides itself on disruption. Well, heres an opportunity.

Disruption is helping ensure that Black students arrive at their first semester of college with basic programming skills and the preparation to successfully complete calculus. Disruption is investing in alumni from historically black colleges and technical professionals to mentor precollege underrepresented students for STEM competitions, college admissions exams, entrepreneurship and college prep. Disruption means directly engaging underrepresented youth to innovate in open, proprietary or hybrid technology ecosystems. Disruption means competing with the street by giving youth the chance to access the financial rewards of technical innovation.

Many Black youths use smartphone apps and play video games but have zero understanding of their creation. Technology companies should work with these young people to instill a how to improve this device mentality. This can start with enhanced support of science fairs, hackathons and game jams.

Nurturing computational thinking for problem solving during precollege years is vital preparation for any collegiate STEM program. Its self-initiated investigations that lead to students striving to understand STEM fundamentals.

Financial incentives for participation would certainly help to develop this mentality. Young people will be all in for a STEM program that allows them to make money creating smartphone apps and programming robot behaviors, games and more.

STEM minority underrepresentation can be resolved within a decade if industry, government and communities collaborate to motivate young people to embrace STEM preparation. By challenging young people to improve commercial products and visibly rewarding them when they succeed, the tech industry can inspire kids to keep studying, thinking and creating  because next time the reward may come to me.

Todd Shurn, Ph.D., recently completed his 28th academic year at Howard University, where he is the longest-tenured computer science faculty member.
For Disneyland fans, theres good news, and theres bad news.

The good news: Orange Countys recent elevation to the yellow tier means capacity at the nearly sold-out parks can increase immediately, and new guidance about the end of capacity restrictions next month means it will be much easier to get a ticket to the "Happiest Place on Earth," even for out-of-state guests.

The bad news: Wait times for rides and attractions are already getting to be a problem, and this increased capacity  without the return of FastPasses or single-rider lines  means those waits are going to increase exponentially in the next month.

On May 21, California released new guidance on the planned reopening of the state economy. As of June 15, California will completely abandon social distancing and capacity mandates, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said during that press conference. We will not have capacity restrictions, he confirmed.

That means that physical distancing in ride queues at Disneyland, and limits on the number of guests, could soon be a thing of the past.

But theres another twist: Proof of vaccination or of a recent negative COVID-19 test could soon be required by the parks. Under that new guidance, Disneyland has been classified as a mega event, defined as having 10,000 people in attendance outdoors or 5,000 indoors. For the indoor events, negative test results or proof of vaccination is required by the state. For the outdoor events, its recommended, largely because, per the guidance, participants and attendees are spending extensive periods of time physically close to large numbers of people they don't usually interact with.

Disneyland classifies as an outdoor mega event, which means that, as of now, proof of vaccination likely wont be required. Ghaly, though, made it clear that the guidance will continue to shift between now and June 15. There will be some guidance  specific to the various settings, Ghaly said. We know that it will be shifting over the next few months.

Proof of vaccination has already been a sticking point when it comes to theme parks. Though the resort has been allowed to bring back vaccinated out-of-state parkgoers since April 19, Disneyland has not changed its rule about only allowing California residents yet. Universal Hollywood and SeaWorld, among many others, have already made that change. It seems likely that once the proof of vaccination mandate is dropped next month, out-of-state guests will be allowed back at Disneyland.

Disney, however, has not made immediate changes to its offerings following new guidance in the past. Walt Disney World is still not operating at full capacity, despite being allowed by Florida to resume full operations last September. After the CDCs new mask guidance was released, Walt Disney World and other Florida theme parks like Universal Orlando removed mask mandates outdoors, but not on rides or indoors.

Disneyland already received a boost in capacity when Orange County moved into the yellow tier May 19. When the park increases capacity, days that have been long sold out on the Disneyland park reservations calendar will show more availability, but fans quickly scoop up those spots. As of press time, the first day that single-day Disneyland Park tickets are available is June 28.

Every time the park has increased its capacity since reopening last month, the wait times have gotten longer, and the ride queues have grown to take up even more of the open space at the park. This past week, guests were commenting on social media that wait times and availability for mobile food ordering and ride queue wait times were high.

Its so disheartening seeing the wait times at Disneyland get longer with each day, Twitter user @Edogg24 tweeted May 20.

Theme park data tracking account @ThrillData tweeted May 24 that over the past week, wait times had gone up an average of 11 minutes per ride at Disney California Adventure, and that May 22 saw the highest wait times at that park since reopening.

Disney blog TheDisInsider.com analyzed wait times over Disneylands first three weeks of being reopened and found that Disneylands average wait time increased 108% over that period, while California Adventures average wait time increased 158%.

If youre increasing park capacity you should be increasing ride capacity and park hours as well, Twitter user @Darkest_Star tweeted May 22. The wait times are increasing every day.

On one hand, increased capacity seems as though it will make wait times even more of an issue than they currently are if Disneyland doesnt bring back some kind of ride management system, either by reintroducing FastPasses or allowing single rider lines. On the other hand, the park will also be allowed to raise capacity on rides themselves, no longer having to leave several rows of empty seats between parties. It also means rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will no longer have to abbreviate its 18-minute show to fit Californias guidelines, and that Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye could theoretically revert back to a physical queue rather than the new virtual one it recently debuted, now that guests are allowed to wait in line indoors.

One thing is clear: Changes are on the horizon. Whether they will improve the park experience is anyones guess.
Four of the seven members of the federal Commission of Fine Arts, a generally low-key, earnest design advisory group that became embroiled in battles over architectural style during the Trump era, have been told by the Biden administration to resign or face termination, according to the commissions chair.

All seven members of the commission were appointed by former President Donald Trump; four were appointed Jan. 12, just days before Trump left office.

The commission offers advice on matters of design and aesthetics, as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nations capital, according to its website. Trump thrust architecture into the culture wars late in his presidency when he signed an executive order establishing classical architecture as the preferred style for new federal buildings, over the opposition of prominent architecture and preservation groups, which bristled at any attempt that could be seen as trying to impose a national style.

The commissions chair, Justin Shubow, who was a driving force behind the push to promote classical architecture, said that he and three other members of the commission  architect Steven Spandle, artist Chas Fagan and landscape architect Perry Guillot  had been asked to resign. He noted that the commissions members are appointed to four-year terms and said that seeking their removal would break a long-standing precedent.

The administrations actions constitute an attack on classical architecture, a style that is beloved by the vast majority of the American people, Shubow said in an email, adding that he hoped the administration did not intend to bring back the ugliness of Brutalism or any other dismal styles.

Spandle, Fagan and Guillot did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Shubow declined the request to resign, according to email correspondence reviewed by The New York Times. The emails showed that he had received a formal letter from an assistant to the president requesting his resignation Monday. The letter said that if the White House did not receive his resignation, his position with the commission would be terminated effective 6 p.m. the same day.

In the Commissions 110-year history, no commissioner has ever been removed by a president, let alone the commissions chairman, Shubow wrote in an email response. Any such removal would set a terrible precedent.

A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Shubow, who was chosen as chair of the commission in January, shortly before Trump left office, noted that all four of the Trump administrations late-term appointments had replaced members appointed by former President Barack Obama as he was about to leave office.

The classical architecture issue proved divisive among architects. The order Trump eventually signed, titled Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture, established classical architecture as the preferred style for new federal buildings but stopped short of banning other styles.

The American Institute of Architects called on the Biden administration to reverse the order. Philip Kennicott, the art and architecture critic for The Washington Post, wrote in February that President Joe Biden should remove the members of the commission, describing them as less distinguished than their predecessors.

Biden revoked the architecture order soon after he took office.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
As Hawaii sees more visitors headed its way, Maui is contemplating more fees and limits for travelers, said Maui Mayor Mike Victorino.

The mayor made the comments in conversation with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a Facebook Live session last Wednesday.

Maui could see new beach and parking fees for visitors, as well as extending a current limit on commercial activities on Sundays to other days, such as Saturdays. A reservation system could also be put in place for some areas.

We will charge our visitors that come in, and limit the number of people that come in every day. [Well] have a day off for clean-up...maintaining the properties, maintaining the resources is very important, Victorino said.

The mayor said it was critical for places to be able to close entirely so they are not being taxed beyond their means.

Residents would be exempt from fees. Fees for our residents would be always exempt from using our beaches; whereas visitors who are here for just a short time. They dont have to pay real property tax, they dont pay a lot of the fees that our residents pay, Victorino pointed out. They would share a little cost in maintaining our environment and our resources. So the burdens going to be on the visitor  not our residents.

The proposal would bring an already existing system in eastern Maui to other regions, including south and west Maui.

A reservation system for Waianapanapa National Park, near the end of the Hana Highway in east Maui, began in March, with non-Hawaii residents required to purchase entrance and parking reservations to enter the park.

The entrance fee is $5 per person, with children 3 and younger free, and the parking fee $10 for non-commercial vehicles. For commercial vehicles, such as those in tours, it can range between $25 to $90 depending on the number of passengers. Hawaii residents, on the other hand, can enter and park for free with a valid ID, and some parking spaces are designated for resident use.

The system came into place to protect the popular park from the perils of overtourism, an issue that Maui, like the rest of Hawaii, has been struggling with.

The pandemic offered a long reprieve, but last weekend alone saw approximately 98,000 visitors arrive to the island state, with 27,874 of those visitors arriving in Maui, according to the state's travel dashboard. That means that visitation numbers are rapidly approaching pre-pandemic levels.

Managing tourism is a multi-faceted approach, Victorino noted. Were going to make sure that our visitors come in, have a wonderful time, but not tax our resources, and that our residents are protected and that they are healthy.
SOLOMONS, Md. (AP)  Two pets were saved from a veterinary medical center when a fire broke out at a southern Maryland strip mall on Monday night, State Fire Marshals said.

Firefighters dispatched around 10:45 p.m. for a building fire found the strip mall in Solomons ablaze. Fire departments from Calvert, St. Marys, and Charles counties responded to bring the fire under control, officials said.
MANZINI - Will the inquest into the death of Thabani Nkomonye be public?

This is one of the questions that could cross ones mind after learning that the media was barred from covering the registration process of people who wanted to make submissions regarding his death. Following a public notice that was issued by the Coroner, Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini, yesterday, whereby she informed the public that the inquest into the death of Thabani would commence yesterday, this publication was among other media houses that went to Matsapha Correctional facility to cover the registration process. In the notice, the coroner said anyone who might have information regarding Thabanis death, was urged to register with the clerk between 9:30am and 2pm. She said members of the public could register in person at Matsapha Correctional facility or via WhatsApp at 7678 6080.

However, when this reporter arrived at the facilitys main gate, he was asked about his visit. In response, he said he was going to work at the inquest and was told to go to the Correctional facilitys college. Upon arrival at the college, an officer found there said he wanted to inform the relevant authorities. However, after a while, a call was made to Senior Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini, who is the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS). She told this publication that they were still finalising something regarding the inquest. Later on, the HMCS mouthpiece said she was informed that for now, the media was not supposed to be there. She said they were still going to meet with the relevant stakeholders regarding the inquest.

Register

Afterwards, she said if this publication wanted an interview with the coroner, it should register like those who wanted to make submissions. The PRO was asked if the inquest would be public for the media to cover it when the public made submissions. She said she believed it would be public. On the other hand, Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini said the hearings would be public. He said any further details would be announced by the coroner. This publication asked him why was the media not allowed to cover the registration process. In response, he said; Hearings have not yet started. The coroner will duly provide a schedule for hearings and the necessary details. The hearings will be open to media coverage as this is a judicial process, he said.
WEST JEFFERSON, Ohio (AP)  The bodies of three men and a woman were found after a shooting at a home on a dead-end street in central Ohio, police said.

Officers responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m. Monday after a passerby called 911, police said. One man was found Monday just outside the door, and the others were inside the residence in the village of West Jefferson, roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of downtown Columbus, West Jefferson police confirmed Tuesday.
PRAGUE (AP)  The Czech Republic on Tuesday lost its fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic struck last year.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the current office-holder Petr Arenberger called him in Brussels, where Babis is attending a summit of European Union leaders to announce his resignation.

Arenberger, the director of Pragues University Hospital Vinohrady, was only sworn in by President Milos Zeman on April 7.

He has been recently under fire from the media because of alleged irregularities in his tax returns. He declared he owned more assets and had a higher income after he became a government minister than in the preceding years.

It also emerged that he was renting one of his undeclared properties to the university hospital. That deal was signed before he was appointed its director.

Babis said Arenberger and his family were under pressure and that's the main reason for the resignation, Babis said.

I do not think that it is necessary for my family, friends, colleagues and patients to be exposed to this escalating unpleasant pressure during my work for public health," Arenberger said.

I am convinced that the change at this stage will not affect the further successful solving of the pandemic or the strategic steps of the ministry, he said.

Babis said he planned to reappoint Adam Vojtech, who was health minister when the pandemic hit the country in March 2020, to the post.

The presidential office said Zeman will swear him in on Wednesday.

Arenberger took office after his predecessor, Jan Blatny, was fired over his handling of the pandemic, including imposing strict conditions for the use of experimental drugs to treat COVID-19 patients and his refusal to accept Russias Sputnik V vaccine, which hasn't been approved the European Unions drug regulator.

Blatny had taken over the job on Oct. 29 to replace epidemiologist Roman Prymula, who was dismissed after he was photographed visiting a restaurant that should have been closed as part of the countrys restrictive measures.

Prymula had replaced Vojtech in the post on Sept. 21, to enable a different approach to the pandemic amid surging infections.

Infections are falling in the Czech Republic. The day-to-day tally of new cases dropped to 695 on Monday, down from almost 17,000 in early March.

The nation of 10.7 million has registered almost 1.7 million confirmed cases, with more than 30,000 deaths.

___

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  Operations are back to normal at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport after the terminal was evacuated as a precaution while a threat was investigated, airport officials said Tuesday.

The airport posted the evacuation notice on Twitter at about 12:45 a.m. It later posted tweets that law enforcement and police dogs conducted security sweeps. Employees and passengers were returning to the building, according to a tweet posted at 1:30 a.m., and airport operations were resuming.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif.  Each time the power goes out, frustrated Californians look for someone to blame.

That could spell trouble for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will appear on a recall ballot during another hot and dry season and as California voters brace for electricity outages around the state.

It could be a major issue, said Dave Gilliard, one of the Republican strategists leading the effort to recall Newsom. People will ultimately hold him responsible for the state of California, and if they cant turn their lights on right around the time theyre voting, theyre going to be thinking about that.

The states three largest investor-owned utilities expect to de-energize hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses this year to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires during high-risk weather conditions, and state officials have also warned that heat waves could stretch electricity resources across the West.

The problems arent new for California or Newsom, who has pushed his administration to offset the potential effects on the public and pointed to climate change and mismanagement of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as the driving causes of the states electricity problems.

Yet as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, possible summer and fall outages mark another test for a governor whose first term in office has been defined by emergencies beyond his control and whose political survival is likely to hinge on how voters view his leadership in times of crisis.

This current governor has been dealt a hand of disaster cards that no governor has ever been dealt, said Daniel Zingale, a former adviser to Newsom and former Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis. People know that.

Zingale said Newsom was energized by big challenges and  after COVID-19, an economic downturn, wildfires and other disasters that have hit California over the last two years  the governor wouldnt be singularly judged on power outages.

People dont like power shut-offs, Zingale said. Having said that, most people understand that, when its necessary, a power shut-off is preferable to a wildfire. In this case, we know were going into a very rough summer of drought and bad conditions.

So-called public safety power shut-offs have become common practice in California to prevent disaster as climate change drives record-setting wildfire seasons.

Electrical utilities turn off power circuits when weather forecasts predict that strong winds and dry conditions could pose an extreme fire threat. The companies consider fire potential, wind models, the condition of their lines and other factors to assess the need to de-energize their equipment in specific areas.

The use of intentional outages has been a thorny political issue for Newsom since he took office in 2019.

Shut-offs are a key tool to protect Californians and their homes from the threat of utility-caused blazes. But the practice creates other risks to public safety and problems for people who rely on electricity for medical needs. Prolonged outages also aggravate residents as basic services and simple luxuries, such as a cold refrigerator and an air-conditioned home in the sweltering summer heat, are taken away.

Newsom referred to shut-offs in October 2019 as the new normal and a necessary alternative to catastrophic wildfires when PG&E began cutting power to more than 1 million Californians nearly a year after the companys equipment sparked the deadliest blaze in state history.

But as the outages dragged on and public anger swelled over poor notification and planning by the utility, the governor quickly changed his tone and lashed out at PG&E. He called the companys actions unacceptable and pledged to hold PG&Es feet to the fire and ensure the utility was meeting safety requirements and obligations to cut back trees around power lines.

The governors administration has pushed the states public utilities to reduce the scope, duration and frequency of power shut-offs to prevent wildfires, resulting in shorter shut-offs last year and hopes for fewer such events this year.

The utilities have added more weather stations and cameras to improve surveillance of conditions on the ground, more sectionalizing devices that divide lines to limit outages to fewer customers, and improved access to backup sources of power, said Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the Wildfire Safety Division of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Theyre continuing to build upon everything that they did last year to continue that reduction effort in public safety power shut-offs, Thomas Jacobs said.

Southern California Edison reported a 13% increase in the number of customers who lost power but a 33% reduction in the average duration of shut-offs in 2020 compared with 2019, according to a report the company filed with the state. Edison predicts additional reductions in the duration of outages this year.

Pacific Gas & Electric, which provides service to the northern two-thirds of California, has told state regulators that its similarly working to lessen the effects of shut-offs on customers in 2021.

State Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said PG&E had made progress in deploying diesel generators to substations in some communities most affected by the shut-offs but still had a long way to go with its vegetation management program.

The Public Utilities Commission reprimanded and increased oversight of the troubled utility this year after an audit discovered that PG&E prioritized vegetation clearing around its equipment in low-priority areas, largely leaving trees and shrubs around lines in its high-fire-threat districts untouched in 2020.

Gavin Newsom has held PG&E accountable more than any other governor that Ive seen in my lifetime, McGuire said. Hes taken it personally. We just have an incompetent dance partner with PG&E.

The dissatisfaction isnt limited to PG&E customers, according to Claudia Bill-de la Pena, mayor of Thousand Oaks.

Southern California Edison shut off electricity to more than 110,000 customers in its service territory in January when high Santa Ana winds and low humidity levels posed a significant wildfire threat. Nearly 5,000 Edison customers lost power without prior warning during the shut-offs, according to a report filed with the state.

In Thousand Oaks, Bill-de la Pena said the outages disabled one-third of the traffic signals and backup power failed. She said tens of thousands of homes in her city lost power, and local leaders  who bore the brunt of public anger  couldnt get answers from Edison on when the company would turn the power back on.

People were understandably frustrated, and I felt helpless as the mayor of Thousand Oaks, Bill-de la Pena said. They were frustrated that the city couldnt do anything. We tried to explain to them that this is completely out of our hands.

Although weather can be unpredictable, officials expect shut-offs to continue through the fall as drought conditions worsen in the state  potentially overlapping with the recall election, which most political observers predict will take place in late summer or autumn.

The governor declared regional states of emergency affecting 41 counties, accounting for 30% of the states population, over the last month due to drought.

If the fuels are dry, an ignition from a wind event is more likely to be catastrophic, said Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. The most dangerous time from a wildfire perspective is late summer into the fall.

Regulators have also warned of the potential for an electricity shortage.

The California Independent System Operator, which runs the electric grid for most of the state, applied rolling blackouts affecting more than 800,000 California homes and businesses over two days in the middle of a heat wave last August. Temperatures soared 10 to 20 degrees above normal in the West, increasing demand for electricity.

CAISO is required to carry energy reserves under federal law, and when those reserves were insufficient, blackouts were ordered to conserve electricity and prevent larger uncontrolled outages, officials said. Subsequent investigations determined that a series of factors, including the unexpected weather, insufficient reliability planning and market practices, caused the problem.

At the time, Newsom pleaded with Californians to conserve electricity, and his administration worked quickly to reduce the demand on the grid to limit the outages.

The leaders of the state Public Utilities Commission, CAISO and the California Energy Commission detailed their efforts to procure more energy and reduce demand to avoid a repeat of last years rolling blackouts at a state Capitol hearing last week. But Elliot Mainzer, president and chief executive officer of the CAISO, said that didnt mean California was in the clear.

The most significant risk factor for grid liability remains extreme heat, particularly heat that spreads across the wider Western United States and continues to get hotter every year, Mainzer said, noting he has guarded optimism that the state is in a better position than it was last summer. We are noticing extreme heat-wave events are becoming more frequent and intense. As a result, the grid will continue to remain vulnerable to high loads and decreased imports during a broader West-wide heat wave event like the one we saw last year.

Zingale believes Californians understand that climate change and the decisions of investor-owned utilities are responsible for the states outages, which their governor has little control over. But history shows people look for someone to blame.

Then-Gov. Davis slow response to the 2000-2001 energy crisis in California, which triggered rolling blackouts across the state, helped pave the way to low approval ratings and ultimately to his recall in 2003.

To many voters, Davis appeared incapable of managing and delivering an essential service for millions of residents. Evidence surfaced later of illegal market manipulation by Houston-based Enron Corp. and other energy companies that took advantage of Californias decision  made before Davis took office in 1999  to deregulate the utility industry.

Although the blackouts that led to Davis recall nearly two decades ago are very different from the outages Newsom is dealing with this year, the governors political fortunes could be similarly tied to decisions that are all but out of his control.

California regulators told state legislators this week that they would ask consumers to conserve energy this summer to prevent blackouts.

Its great if people do what we want them to do, said Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda. But its a big if and one of the most unreliable aspects of this to me.

The situation could mean Newsom will have to rely on Californians to limit their electricity usage and, if outages occur, not to point the finger at him.

Hes been governor now for 2 1/2 years, Gilliard said. The fact is, the governor is the top guy.



(Los Angeles Times staff writer Phil Willon contributed to this report.)
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is expected to name former senior State Department official Tom Nides to serve as ambassador to Israel, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Nides is currently the managing director and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley. He previously served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources under Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2013. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet-to-be announced pick, said Nides has already been formally offered the position.

The president is expected to soon announce the pick, though exact timing remains unclear, according to a second person familiar with the deliberations. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, added that Biden had made his choice for the Israel ambassadorship and vetting was underway.

The White House declined to comment on Nides' forthcoming nomination.

Robert Wexler, a former Democratic congressman from Florida, was also receiving serious consideration for the high-profile post, officials said.

Getting an ambassador in place in Israel has become a high priority for the administration after this month's 11-day war between Israel and Hamas that killed more than 250 people mostly Palestinians  and displaced tens of thousands from the Gaza Strip. The fighting marked the most significant clashes between Israel and Hamas since 2014.

Israelis complained in the weeks following Bidens inauguration in January that he was slow to name his envoy and to reach out to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some Israeli officials worried that the relative early silence forecast a chillier relationship between the two close allies after former President Donald Trumps warm embrace.

Biden, who spoke to Netanyahu for the first time about four weeks after his swearing in, had put off his first call with Netanyahu, in part, because he first wanted to speak with key European allies as he weighed his steps on reviving the Iran nuclear deal hatched during the Obama administration and shelved by the Trump White House. Netanyahu strongly opposes the deal.

But the official said that the Biden administrations diplomatic efforts with Israel even before this month's fighting had been complicated by Israels own chaotic politics in the leadup to the fourth round of elections there in March.

Nides launched his Washington career in 1986 working for Rep. Tony Coelho, the Democratic majority whip. He also worked for Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley early in his career. During the Clinton administration, he served as chief of staff to the United States Trade Representative Mickey Kantor. Barack Obama nominated him in 2010 to serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources.

In addition to his work at Morgan Stanley, Nides has also done stints as a top executive at Fannie Mae, Credit Suisse First Boston, Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group, and the global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.

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This story was first published on May 25, 2021. It was updated on May 26, 2021, to correct Nides began his career in Washington in 1986, not in 2006.
BANGKOK (AP)  Police in Thailand said Tuesday that 28 assault rifles intended for defense volunteers are missing in the countrys deep south, which has been wracked by a Muslim separatist insurgency for the past 17 years.

The Russian-made AK-102 rifles were supposed to be in the possession of a unit of Narathiwat provinces Territorial Defense Volunteers, a paramilitary force that assists in security operations.

Police Col. Supakorn Phuengros, chief of the provinces Muang district station, said an investigation was started after a local official reported the guns missing, but it was still unclear when and how they disappeared.

Narathiwat, along with Yala and Pattani, are Thailands southernmost provinces and are the only ones with Muslim majorities in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

Since 2004, the provinces have been the scene of a Muslim separatist insurgency that has led to the deaths of 7,215 people, according to Deep South Watch, a think tank that studies the conflict. It says 32 of the deaths occurred in the first three months of this year.

Muslim residents of the area have long charged that they are treated like second-class citizens. Heavy-handed crackdowns have fueled the discontent.

Col. Watcharakorn Onngern, a deputy spokesman for the regional office of the militarys Internal Security Operations Command, said the guns did not all go missing at the same time.

There was one gun missing last year, so we set up a committee to investigate and found more guns have disappeared, he said. He said some of the missing firearms might be related to the insurgency and some might not.

Peace talks have been held for several years under the auspices of the Malaysian government between Thai officials and Mara Patani, an umbrella body representing several southern insurgent groups. In January 2020, Thai officials held their first formal meeting in recent years with representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, the major rebel group operating in the Thai south.

There have been no recent reports of progress in the talks.

The various insurgent groups have not issued a consensus demand and are a shadowy mix of veteran separatists and often loosely led groups of violent young militants. Their goals range from greater autonomy to independence, with little sign that they are related to jihadist movements that are active in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia and the Philippines.
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts woman charged with causing a high-speed car crash that killed a married couple in their 70s should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, her attorney said.

Sheri Anne Vazquez faces multiple charges including two counts of manslaughter at a jury-waived trial that started Monday in Superior Court in Fall River, The Enterprise of Brockton reported.
LOBAMBA  Members of Parliament (MPs) have been called to an urgent sitting this morning.

This was announced by the office of the Speaker, Petros Mavimbela, who issued the Order Paper yesterday. Top of the Order Paper is a statement to be made by the Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, who is expected to make a ministerial statement. Although the contents of the acting PMs statement are unknown, speculation among MPs who were in Parliament for other business yesterday was to the effect that the acting PM wanted to address the ongoing issue of #JusticeforThabani. Some of the MPs said they would not be able to attend the sitting as it fell on a Tuesday, which was a day reserved strictly for meetings at their constituencies.

Conference

Why is the acting PM now needing us in order for him to address the House, why isnt he calling a press conference like he normally does ? asked one of the MPs. The House of Assembly has not been sitting for about three weeks as the Speaker adjourned the House sine die. Mavimbela said this was to give way to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sittings, which are ongoing. He further dismissed reports that the House sittings had been suspended as there were allegedly motions which some MPs wanted to be moved, which the Speaker was avoiding. Meanwhile, also on the Order Paper is the tabling of regulations of the Water Tarrif Increase Regulations, 2021 and the Construction Industry Council Regulations, 2021 by the minister of Natural Resources and Energy and minister of Public Works and Transport respectively. It was further reported that Senate would also be sitting this afternoon where Masuku is also expected to present the same ministerial statement.

On a similar note, Chaiperson of the PAC Phila Buthelezi yesterday revealed that as MPs they were being threatened by unknown people. He said they were receiving international calls from South Africa and Zambia asking them about the Thabani Nkomonye issue. He said the PAC members must switch off their phones because they would be distracted by the messages coming from some of their constituents who were mostly asking them why they were not being vocal on the #JusticeforThabani issue.

Phones

I ask that you switch off the phones because you will be tempted to respond to the messages which the people are sending, said the Matsanjeni North MP.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Australia is shutting its embassy in the Afghan capital later this week, citing security concerns ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops in what U.S. President Joe Biden has called the end of America's forever war.

Australia announced the temporary closure on Tuesday, and it is to take effect at the end of the week. A number of other embassies in the beleaguered Afghan capital have sent home non-essential personnel, warned their nationals against travelling to Afghanistan and urged those already in the country to consider leaving.

Several embassies contacted by The Associated Press declined to give details of their plans, but many are reported to have scaled back non-essential personnel. That includes the U.S. Embassy, which last month ordered home its non-essential workers.

The last of the 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops and 7,000 NATO allied troops will be gone by Sept. 11, generating fears that their departures could increase the chaos and insecurity already plaguing the capital. Violent attacks, many of them unclaimed, have targeted journalists and in many cases the country's minority Shiite Muslims. The U.S. blames those attacks on an upstart Islamic State affiliate.

Embassies in the Afghan capital are located in a so-called Green Zone, considered the most heavily protected. Giant blast walls, barbed wire and steel gates hide the embassies from public view. Streets in the capital have been closed to traffic to protect the buildings.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday it was committed to providing the embassies with securit. But there is a widespread concern about the ability of the government to provide that protection in a city overwhelmed by lawlessness, criminal gangs and insurgent activity.

Australian government lawmaker Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, said the reasons for the embassys closure were temporary and really related to the ability to secure our staff and personnel when our defense contingent leaves.

Whatever we need to do in the short term to protect our people, of course I support, but longer term I think this is a relationship we should and must be in for the long haul, he said in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Australia has 80 soldiers still in the country but at its peak there were 15,000 Australian troops deployed to Afghanistan. Australia's military has been embroiled in allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan and Australia has established an investigative agency to build criminal cases against special forces suspected of committing crimes from 2005 until 2016.

Obaidullah Baheer, a political analyst in Kabul, was critical of Australia's decision to close and of other embassies to scale back, saying it undermined faith in the abilities of the Afghan government to provide security.

Such a move will be seen as a sign of the Australian governments lack of faith in the republic to defend itself against the Taliban," he said.

However Taliban's political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press it would not harm diplomats and would cooperate to ensure their security.

They should not have any concerns, he said.

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Associated Press Writers Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia and Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report
CLACKAMAS, Ore. (AP)  The Clackamas High School principal on Monday found the front doors of the school plastered with Donald Trump stickers and defaced with beans, a derogatory symbol against Latinx people.

In a letter to families and students Monday, principal Nate Munoz said the vandalism appears to have started as a prank, which included throwing toilet paper on trees and writing on sidewalks, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

But he said the vandals also defaced the front doors with beans, stickers and other signs supporting the former president, who made multiple racist comments toward and about Latinx people.

In a video posted to Clackamas High Schools Instagram page, Munoz condemned the hate crime, expressing concern for how it would impact the schools students and families of color.

Families, students, staff  Im sorry. This is not something you should ever have to deal with, he said. That type of rhetoric is not welcome at Clackamas High School, ever.

In the follow-up letter to families, Munoz said the school is investigating the incident, and plans to file a report with the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office.

Matt Utterback, superintendent of the North Clackamas School District, also sent staff a message, stating that the district has a zero-tolerance policy for racism, and asking employees to stand against such acts.

Munoz said the school would hold forums to hear students voices on the incident and continue teaching students about the impact of hate speech.
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP)  The body of a 12-year-old boy who was missing for more than a week was recovered from a river in northwestern Indiana, police said.

Kyrin Carter, who was autistic, disappeared from a Hammond hotel on May 15. He was from Kansas City, Missouri, and was in the area to visit relatives.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Two brothers who were sentenced to die in 2002 for four killings known as the Wichita massacre are back before the Kansas Supreme Court seeking to have their sentences commuted to life in prison.

The court heard arguments Monday from attorneys in the cases of Jonathan and Reginald Carr, The Wichita Eagle reports. Their attorneys continued to argue that their death sentences should be overturned because the two brothers had a joint hearing when jurors considered their punishments.
DENVER (AP)  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making the state a leader in the nationwide effort to ban legacy admissions at public colleges and universities.

Prateek Dutta, Colorado Policy Director for Democrats for Education Reform, who brought the bill idea to state lawmakers, said Colorado is the first state he has found to have enacted such a law.

The bill prohibits public higher education officials from looking at legacy preference, or familial relationships to alumni of the institution, in their admissions process.

Just because your parent or grandparent went to one of our colleges in Colorado, that doesn't mean that you automatically get in, Polis said. Because that could take the spot of somebody who is more worthy of that spot.

Legacy admissions can disproportionately harm Coloradans who are first-generation college students, people of color or those who are living in the country illegally, he added.

In Colorado, nearly 63% of White students and 67% of middle- to high-income students enroll in a bachelors degree program right after high school compared with only 42% of Latino students and 47% of low-income students who enroll directly from high school, according to the bill's text.

This bill will help move us in a direction where our higher education institutions are moving towards being meritocracies  meaning that you have to earn admission because of who you are and what you can do and what your potential is. Not who your parents or grandparents were, Polis said.

While several states have tried to ban affirmative action based on race, Colorado seems to be the first to ban affirmative action for the rich, aka legacy preferences," said Richard Kahlenberg, director of K12 equity and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a progressive, independent think tank.

Several universities are considering ending their practice of legacy admissions, following behind Johns Hopkins University which made its announcement in January 2020. Texas A&M University made the decision to abolish its legacy program in 2004.

In October 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law requirements for colleges to disclose whether they give preferential admissions to applicants related to donors or alumni. The bill came in response to the college admissions scandal that revealed dozens of wealthy families paid bribes to get their children into elite California universities.

Polis also signed a bill Tuesday lifting requirements for public colleges in the state to consider SAT or ACT scores for first-time freshmen, encouraging what he called a more equitable and holistic approach to the admissions process and access to education.

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Nieberg 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.
DENVER (AP)  A 22-year old man accused of fatally shooting 10 people in March at a Colorado supermarket made his second court appearance Tuesday, and a judge scheduled a September hearing to review evidence in the case.

The hearing for suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa lasted about two minutes and did not include any substantive discussion about the case, including his defense team's claim the Alissa suffers from an unspecified mental illness.

At Alissa's first hearing the week of the March 22 attack in Boulder, defense attorney Kathryn Herold said the defense legal team needed two or three months to evaluate his mental illness and evidence collected by investigators before proceeding. She did not provide more specific details about his mental health at that time.

A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting previously said that the suspects family told investigators they believed Alissa was suffering from some type of mental illness, including delusions. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

It was not surprising that Alissa's mental health was not discussed at this point in the proceedings because he has not been asked to enter a plea to the charges yet, said Karen Steinhauser, a criminal defense lawyer and former Denver prosecutor. If the judge decides he should stand trial at the September hearing, Alissa's lawyers could then raise arguments about what his mental health was on the day of the attack as part of his defense, she said.

The separate issue of competency  whether or not defendants can currently understand court proceedings and help their lawyers defend them  is another issue that can be raised at any time, said Steinhauser, noting that many mentally ill people would be capable of assisting in their defense. If Alissa's lawyers were concerned about his competency now, she would have expected them to raise that issue before going ahead with more proceedings.

In the case of the 2012 Colorado theater shooting, James Holmes' lawyers first raised concerns about his mental illness within a month of the attack. But the judge did not accept a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity offered by his lawyers until nearly a year after. Under Colorado law, that meant he admitted committing the attack but believed he was not responsible because he couldnt tell right from wrong. His lawyers later said he committed the attack in the throes of a psychotic episode.

The courtroom was closed to the public because of coronavirus public health safety restrictions, with video of the proceedings aired online.

Photos from the lone media photographer allowed inside showed Alissa wearing an orange-and-white jail uniform and a white mask. He said nothing during the hearing as he sat by himself in the courtroom's jury box, a few feet from his attorneys.

Alissa is accused of killing nine shoppers and workers inside and outside the store and one of the first three police officers who entered the store.

Alissa has also been charged with attempted first-degree murder for allegedly firing at 26 other people, including 11 law enforcement officers. He is also accused of unlawfully possessing 10 high-capacity ammunition magazines, devices banned in Colorado after previous mass shootings.

Investigators have not released a possible motive for the attack. District Attorney Michael Dougherty has said there was no indication that Alissa, who was from the nearby suburb of Arvada, had ever visited the supermarket before.

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Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (AP)  A 76-year-old man paroled from an Illinois prison after serving time for the 1972 murder of a teenage boy is now considered a fugitive by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The department lists Ray Larsen as an ``absconder, meaning parole officials dont know where he is. Larsen was sentenced to 100 to 300 years in prison after confessing to killing Frank Casolari, 16, in the Schiller Woods Forest Preserve near Chicagos OHare International Airport on May 17, 1972.
MANZINI  Those partaking in the #JusticeForThabani movement have taken advantage of social media to engage their Members of Parliament (MPs) on their silence about the issue.

On Sunday, some of the protesters were said to have created a WhatsApp group wherein they added some legislators. They engaged the MPs individually and sought their stance on their quest for #JusticeForThabani.

The protesters also contacted some of the politicians through phone calls where they sought their input in the call for the said justice. Worth noting is that government has appointed a coroner to lead the inquest of what befell deceased University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Law student  Thabani Nkomonye. What set tongues wagging was the fact that after the deceased was reported missing, the police could not disclose that the vehicle Nkomonye was driving was within their premises from the day of the accident.

Engaged

Furthermore, when towing the vehicle, the police could not locate the body of the deceased until six days later. Subsequent to this, students through their union  Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS)  engaged in a protest march which ended in pandemonium. They were later supported by three legislators in their fight for justice against the purported police brutality. These legislators are: Siphofaneni Constituency MP Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, Ngwempisi Constituency MP Mthandeni Dube and Hosea Constituency MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza. Seeing that other elected MPs were not publicly engaging on this issue, the protesters set up the group wherein they engaged them on the topic. The people behind the group were questioning the silence of the legislators, while also seeking answers on what they were doing in dealing with some of the challenges experienced by the electorate  who sent them to Parliament to voice out their concerns.

This, it is said, was one of the many means employed by the electorate to raise their concerns over alleged police brutality. In some of the responses by the said legislators they noted that they were waiting for the right platform to engage on the issue, while others relayed that it would be proper to engage on the merits of the purported police brutality once the inquest was completed. In an interview with some of the MPs, they acknowledged to have received messages and calls from the students from Sunday night and continued to get them even yesterday.
LONDON (AP)  Europe's top human rights court ruled Tuesday that British mass surveillance and intelligence-gathering practices breached human rights laws, in a partial victory for civil rights groups that had challenged the practices exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights upheld a 2018 ruling by the court's lower chamber that found some aspects of British surveillance activities violated provisions in the European Convention on Human Rights aimed at safeguarding Europeans rights to privacy.

The court's 17 judges unanimously agreed that wasnt enough independent scrutiny of processes used by British intelligence services to sift through billions of calls, emails, text messages and other data and digital communications intercepted in bulk, resulting in violations of the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

The court noted that while the U.K. had independent oversight and a judicial body set up to hear complaints from people whose communications had been intercepted, "those safeguards had not been enough to offset shortcomings in the regime," according to a press summary of the judgment.

A majority of the judges gave a thumbs-up, however, to British laws governing the sharing of intercepted electronic intelligence with foreign governments or intelligence agencies.

Sufficient safeguards had been in place to protect against abuse and to ensure that U.K. authorities had not used requests for material from foreign intelligence partners" to get around U.K. laws, the court said.

Five judges dissented on that point.

Judge Pinto de Albuquerque wrote that the ruling didn't go far enough and has just opened the gates for an electronic Big Brother in Europe."

Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, a British privacy campaign group that led the legal challenge, said the ruling vindicated Snowden's revelations in 2013 detailing government surveillance programs.

Mass surveillance damages democracies under the cloak of defending them, and we welcome the courts acknowledgement of this," Carlo said, adding that the ruling also was a missed opportunity for the court to prescribe clearer limitations and safeguards."
SEATTLE (AP)  People in Washington state can now get a COVID vaccination on the ferry.

The state Department of Transportation and Peninsula Community Health Services are offering shots aboard the Seattle-Bremerton ferry runs from Tuesday until Thursday.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Personal finance technology company Credit Karma will create 600 new jobs in North Carolinas largest city by putting its East Coast headquarters in Charlotte, the company announced on Tuesday.

Credit Karma, which is best known for offering free credit scores, already has an employment presence in Charlotte. It now plans to invest over $13 million to create an engineering hub there, Gov. Roy Coopers office said in a news release.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  An explosion occurred Tuesday on a ship anchored near Sri Lanka's capital on which a fire had been burning for several days, prompting the crew's evacuation, officials said.

The container vessel MV X-Press Pearl was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of Colombo and waiting to enter its port when the fire erupted four days ago, the Sri Lankan navy said.

It said it believes the fire was caused by chemicals being transported on the Singapore-flagged ship. The ship was carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals which it loaded at the port of Hazira, India, on May 15, it said.

The vessels 25-member crew includes Philippine, Chinese, Indian and Russian nationals.

Navy spokesman Capt. Indika de Silva said crew members and salvage and firefighting experts evacuated the ship after the explosion. Several containers also tumbled into the sea, he said.

Aerial photos released by Sri Lanka's air force showed the vessel engulfed in flames and thick smoke. High winds intensified the blaze, Silva said.

Five tugboats were engaged in firefighting efforts and a navy ship was anchored nearby to help them, Silva said.

X-Press Feeders, which owns and operates the ship, confirmed the crew was safe and said it would work closely with Sri Lankan authorities and emergency services to extinguish the blaze and save the vessel and its cargo.

Specialized firefighting equipment which arrived from Europe last night will join the salvaging operations, it said in a statement on its website.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Dave Muhlbauer, an Iowa farmer and a former county supervisor, on Monday became the first Democrat to announce he is running for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's seat.

In a campaign video that shows farm scenes and small towns, Muhlbauer says onetime rural Democrats just feel like Democrats are leaving rural areas high and dry. He portrays himself as vested in the future of struggling rural America as a fifth-generation farmer.

It's who me and my family are, and that drives me to want to make Iowa the best it can be for everybody, he says in the video.

Muhlbauer's candidacy marks a shift in strategy for Democrats, who havent won a Senate or governor's race in Iowa in more than a decade. While Republicans in the state frequently put forth rural candidates, Democrats in recent years have tended to choose people from more urban backgrounds. The move also comes months after Republican Donald Trump carried the onetime presidential battleground of Iowa for a second time by posting larger vote totals and winning margins in the states vast rural tracts.

Grassley, a powerful seven-term senator, is 87 and has said he will announce whether he plans to run again by autumn. At 37 and a half century younger, Muhlbauer provides a stark generational contrast, though he has little name recognition statewide.

Muhlbauer, the former vice chair of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview with The Associated Press that bringing more rural Americans back to the Democratic Party will require not just someone who speaks to them, but also someone who can tie economic and environmental policy together with authority.

Farmers, at the end of the day, watch the bottom dollar," Muhlbauer said. When you can create conservation as a commodity, they'll jump on board because it's best for them to enhance their farm, and that ripples through rural Iowa."

Grassley, a longtime farmer, co-owns 750 acres (3 square kilometers) of corn and soybean farmland in northeast Iowa. He has long campaigned as an Iowa farmer.

And yet, as Democrats have tried to connect with rural Iowans, Tom Vilsack was the last rural Democrat elected statewide. In 1998, the then-state senator from Mount Pleasant was elected to his first term as governor. He was reelected four years later.

Since then, Democrats mainly from Des Moines but also smaller metros have fallen short. Last year, Democrat Theresa Greenfield, a Des Moines developer with a family farm background, lost her challenge to Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. In 2016, Democrat Patty Judge, a former state agriculture secretary, lost to Grassley.

Whether it works or not, hes going to be able to talk about farming in a way that is going to connect with rural Iowa," John Norris, a former Democratic candidate for governor and rural policy expert, said of Muhlbauer. You cant keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, thinking youre just going to win it in the suburbs.

Despite his relative anonymity, Muhlbauer is the scion of a rural Democratic political family  his father and grandfather are former state legislators.

His profile caught the attention of top-shelf national Democratic operatives. The video released Monday was produced by The Win Company, led by Bill Hyers.

Hyers, who has worked for decades with President Joe Biden's campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon, made the memorable fall presidential campaign ad featuring scenes of empty chairs representing Americans who had died from the COVID-19 pandemic.
SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A Kentucky whiskey maker has announced a $25,000 annual scholarship for Kentucky State University's master of agriculture sciences in environmental studies program.

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey hopes to promote diversity in the industry with the gift to the historically Black university, the company said in a news release.

The scholarship is on top of a $10 million commitment that parent company Diageo North America announced earlier this year. That money is to be used to fund permanent endowments at 25 historically Black colleges and universities. Kentucky State received $1 million of that donation, the largest in the school's history, the Bulleit release said.

The Bulleit grant will provide $25,000 to support students in the program annually for the next five years.

With this partnership we're helping remove a financial barrier that prevents students from getting across the finish line, Kentucky State President M. Christopher Brown II said.
SALEM, N.H. (AP)  A motorist has been accused of driving while intoxicated in a wrong-way crash with a box truck on Interstate 93 in Salem, New Hampshire.

Police said the driver, identified as Anne Bell, 26, of Albany, New York, was traveling in the wrong direction on the northbound Exit 1 off-ramp at about 2:50 a.m. Tuesday and collided with the truck.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  An environmental group is suing the U.S. Forest Service claiming it unlawfully approved the removal of burned trees in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

The Klamath Forest Alliance's lawsuit accuses the agency of improperly categorically excluding the Slater Fire Safe Re-entry Project from environmental analysis, Capital Press reported.

The complaint alleges that logging trees along 146 miles (235 kilometers) of roadsides without an environmental assessment or a more rigorous environmental impact statement violates the National Environmental Policy Act.

The project is expected to generate about 30 million board-feet of timber  enough to fill 6,000 logging trucks  which is larger than intended for a categorical exclusion based on repair and maintenance, the environmental group said.

The Slater Fire started in September 2020 in southern Oregon and spread over 157,000 acres.

Removing the trees will also mean eliminating some habitat for the threatened northern spotted owl, the complaint said.

Even though the Forest Service acknowledges the treatment is likely to adversely affect the spotted owl, it hasnt consulted with other agencies on the impacts, as required under the Endangered Species Act, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff has asked a federal judge to overturn the projects approval and halt its implementation until the Forest Service has proven it complies with environmental laws.

Capital Press was unable to reach a representative of the Forest Service for comment.
HONOLULU (AP)  A former Honolulu police lieutenant must report to prison next week to serve a three-and-a-half year sentence in Hawaii's biggest ever corruption case after a U.S. judge denied his request to remain free while he appeals his conviction.

A judge denied Derek Wayne Hahn's motion at a hearing Tuesday, said his defense attorney, Victor Bakke.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP)  A former leader of the Salvation Army in the Black Hills has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.

Investigators seized 46 electronic items during a search this month at the Salvation Army's Black Hills Camp, officials said. The Salvation Army says it has fired Moreno and is cooperating with the investigation.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  A wildland firefighter was critically injured while fighting a wildfire on private land in southwestern New Mexico near the U.S.-Mexico border, state officials said Tuesday.

The firefighter works for the U.S. Forest Service and was injured Monday while fighting a fire in the Animas Mountains in Hidalgo County, the Forestry Division of the state Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department said in a statement.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  A Florida company that advertised and sold outlawed large-capacity gun magazines in New Jersey violated state consumer fraud laws and must pay a $150,000 fine, a judge has ruled.

The ruling also permanently prohibits 22Mods4All from selling the magazines in New Jersey.

The ruling issued Monday in state Superior Court in Essex County stemmed from a lawsuit filed in late 2019 by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal against the Longwood, Florida-based company and another Florida company, Elite Aluminum of Holly Hill. The state reached a settlement with Elite Aluminum in January, according to the attorney general's office.

The state sent both firms cease-and-desist letters earlier in 2019 after they sold the outlawed magazines to an undercover state investigator, Grewal said at the time. New Jersey banned sales of magazines of more than 10 rounds, down from 15, in 2018.

22Mods4All, described in court documents as a family-owned business with about 10 employees at the time of the lawsuit, complied with the cease-and-desist order but failed to hand over more information about earlier sales despite subpoenas, according to Monday's ruling.

The company claimed it was not aware that New Jersey had changed its laws, according to the ruling.

The company acknowledges an unconscionable commercial practice of selling LCMs to New Jersey consumers, thereby exposing those consumers to criminal prosecution, without disclosing that the product was illegal to possess, state Superior Court Judge James Paganelli wrote Monday.

Phone messages were left Tuesday with the company and with an attorney representing it in the lawsuit.
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ga. (AP)  A former sheriff's major in middle Georgia has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge after stealing cash held as evidence.

WMAZ-TV reports that Twiggs County court records show William Chip Stokes pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing less than $1,500.

Stokes, formerly a major with the Twiggs County Sheriff's Office, may serve his six months' sentence on probation.

He avoided mandatory jail time because Twiggs County Superior Court Judge Jon Helton sentenced Stokes as a first offender.

As part of his plea bargain, Stokes is giving up his law enforcement certification and agreeing not to seek reinstatement as a police officer in Georgia or any other state.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Stokes on Jan. 26, the day after he was fired, accusing him of taking more than $1,500 that had come from a suspect in a December traffic stop and had been stored in the evidence room after being counted and packaged. The money turned up missing in January.

Because the amount was more than $1,500, that was a felony theft charge. Stokes was also charged with violating his oath of office.

Its unclear why Stokes was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor. Assistant District Attorney Peter Fred Larson declined to comment.
NEW YORK (AP)  Lawyers for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are urging a judge to toss out a rewritten indictment against her, saying prosecutors just want to blame her for the sex crimes of former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. But prosecutors say their complaints that the government acted in bad faith are not true.

The papers, dated May 7, were filed publicly Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. They are among numerous approaches  so far unsuccessful  that defense lawyers have taken to try to nullify charges alleging their client recruited teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 for Epstein to sexually abuse.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty and awaits a November trial from her jail cell, where she has remained since her arrest last July. Three efforts to get her freed on bail, twice with a $28.5 million bail package, have been rejected by a judge. A federal appeals court has also refused to grant bail.

In the newly released document, defense lawyers brought up many of the same challenges they raised when she was first indicted, including that a non-prosecution agreement Epstein signed with federal prosecutors in Florida in the late 2000s protects her as well.

But they said the rewrite of the indictment that adds a fourth accuser and extends the span of the indictment from 1997 through 2004 demonstrates just how far the government is willing to go to 'get' Ms. Maxwell and disingenuously blame her for the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

No longer content to charge a 25-year-old case based on purported conduct in the 1990s, the government now sweeps in the 2000s through the allegations of one personAccuser-4, they wrote, using a pseudonym in place of the actual identity.

They said the woman's allegations were known to prosecutors after the woman made her accusations more than a decade ago and yet Maxwell was not charged or named as a co-conspirator when authorities in Florida pursued cases against Epstein.

In a filing of their own late Tuesday, prosecutors defended their superseding indictment, saying they did not get a chance to speak to the fourth accuser by video until last summer and in person until January.

The defendants argument that the Government acted in bad faith  to the extent she is making such an argument  is based on no evidence whatsoever, and for good reason: it is not true, they wrote in a document dated last Friday.

They said the woman was interviewed only once by federal prosecutors in Florida in the 2000s and was not asked any questions about Maxwell.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges. He took his own life a month later in a Manhattan federal jail.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a global technology leader headquartered in Switzerland, is supplying Andritz Hydro with state-of-the-art technology for grid connection and stabilisation for a unique pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, under construction in the Hajar Mountains in the UAE.

The Hatta pumped-storage power station, a first-of-its-kind project in the Arabian Gulf region, is being developed by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa). When commissioned in early 2024, it will provide up to 250 MW of clean, renewable and flexible energy, said the statement from the global technology giant.

Leveraging its extensive know-how in grid connections and power electronics, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will deliver two AC excitation systems, based on power electronic converters. The systems will ensure variable speed operations of the reversible rotating units.

The Swiss group will also supply an integrated solution to connect the plant to Dewas 132 kV network.

The pumped-storage hydroelectric power station comprises of a lower reservoir near the Hatta (Al Hattawi) dam with 1,716 million gallons of water capacity, and an upper reservoir built into the mountain about 300 m higher with up to 880 million gallons of water storage capacity, said the statement from Hitachi ABB Power Grids.

During off-peak hours turbines will pump water about 4 km from the lower to the upper reservoir, using power drawn from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park.

Stored water will then be released to the lower reservoir during peak-load hours, driving turbines to quickly generate electricity to meet peak demand, it stated.

This strategic project will help to diversify the energy mix in the UAE in line with goals set out in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy.

"We are honoured to be part of the development of the Arabian Gulfs first hydropower plant, said Dr Mostafa AlGuezeri, Managing Director of Hitachi ABB Power Grids in the UAE, Gulf, Near East and Pakistan.

"The state-of-the art technology provided to Andritz Hydro, uses a PCS8000 converter for the AC excitation, enabling the machine to run at variable speed," he noted.

This ensures optimal operational efficiency and variable power operation in pump mode without compromising transient behavior of the machine, said Dr Al Guezeri.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Republicans in Nevada are calling for an investigation into a vote last month to censure the GOP secretary of state after allegations emerged that the balloting was swayed by activists with ties to the far-right Proud Boys extremist group.

The Clark County Republican Party, representing Las Vegas and the most populated part of the state, along with Republicans in the state Senate, called for a review of the vote after a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal alleged the Nevada Republican Party added about 40 people, including activists with extremist ties, to its membership the day of the censure vote to ensure the measure passed.

News reports that state party leaders may have formed a relationship with members of the organization known as the Proud Boys to sway the censure vote of a public official is profoundly concerning, Senate Republicans said in their statement. If there is a determination that any member or employee of the Nevada Republican Party conspired with these individuals or had knowledge of any wrongdoing in the party vote, Senate Republicans call for their immediate removal and resignation.

They called for the Nevada Republican Party to review and disclose who attended the censure vote of Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske.

The Nevada Republican Party disputed the allegations and the statements made by their fellow party members as slanderous lies."

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald told the newspaper that he was not involved in the censure and did not recruit anyone to participate in the vote. He also said he was unaware of and did not condone any hateful messages.

When reached Monday, McDonald declined to answer questions from The Associated Press and referred them to the state partys attorney Brian Hardy. Hardy did not immediately return a message left with his office.

Cegavske was censured at a meeting of the state party's members on a 126-112 vote for failing to investigate election fraud and for her public statements dismissing allegations of fraud in the November election lodged by her own party.

She has repeatedly defended the election results as reliable and accurate despite attacks from President Donald Trump and other Republicans. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the Western swing state by 2 percentage points, or nearly 34,000 votes.

Cegavske declined through a spokeswoman to comment.

At a news conference Monday morning, Clark County Republicans announced they had barred seven activists, including some of those alleged to have participated in the censure vote, from becoming county party members because of their reported ties to the Proud Boys and a social media account that posted anti-Semitic and racist content.

Ive worked very hard to have a very open and inclusive group, Clark County Republican Party Chair David Sajdak said. We welcome everyone that is reasonable and (a) decent human being that treats each other with respect. I will never tolerate racist or hateful speech in attacking other people and human beings in this nature.

Stephen Silberkraus, vice chair of the Clark County Republican Party, said the activists had made attacks online against female elected officials, including Cegavske.

He said the county party had permanently barred anyone involved in the Proud Boys from membership, along with anyone who traffics in intolerance or hateful, anti-Semitic and racist ideology.

Silberkraus said the county party also canceled a Tuesday night meeting, citing concerns that members of the Proud Boys planned to disrupt it and harass party members.

The Proud Boys are a male-only group of neo-fascists who describe themselves as western chauvinists, and have been known to incite street violence with counterprotesters.

Some of the activists barred from membership filed a lawsuit against the county party and state GOP last week seeking to block the meeting and challenge their denied membership.

Attorney Adam Fulton, who is representing the activists, said he was collecting information about the claims made against his clients. He declined to comment on whether his clients had ties to the Proud Boys.

Though the state GOP was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, McDonald issued a statement sympathetic to the activists, saying they had made serious allegations of discrimination against the county party.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Ritter contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Senate Republicans revived negotiations Tuesday over President Joe Bidens sweeping investment plan, preparing a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal that would be funded with COVID-19 relief money as a counteroffer to the White House ahead of a Memorial Day deadline toward a bipartisan deal.

The Republicans said they would disclose details of the new offer by Thursday, sounding upbeat after both sides had panned other offers.

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki declined to address the new plan, but said: "We expect this week to be a week of progress.

Talks over the infrastructure investment are at a crossroads as Biden reaches for a top legislative priority. The White House is assessing whether the president can strike a bipartisan deal with Republicans on his American Jobs Plan or whether he will try to go it alone with Democrats if no progress is made in the days ahead.

Yet the administration and the GOP senators remain far apart over the size and scope of the investment needed to reboot the nation's roads, bridges and broadband  but also, as Biden sees it, the child care centers and green energy investments needed for a 21st-century economy. They also can't agree on how to pay for it.

Biden had dropped his $2.3 trillion opening bid to $1.7 trillion, and Republicans had nudged their initial $568 billion offer up by about $50 billion late last week, but talks teetered as both sides complained the movement was insufficient.

The Republicans have uniformly rejected Bidens plan to pay for the investments by raising the corporate tax rate, from 21% to 28%. Instead, the GOP senators want to shift unspent COVID-19 relief funds to infrastructure, which may be a nonstarter for Democrats. Republicans also want to rely on gas taxes, tolls and other fees charged to drivers to pay for the highways and other infrastructure.

The Republicans said their new proposal would be aligned with what they discussed with Biden in their first Oval Office meeting almost two weeks ago.

We are anxious to have a bipartisan agreement, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who is leading the group of GOP negotiators.

A GOP aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks said the price tag would be $1 trillion over eight years, paid for by tapping funds that have been allocated as part of COVID-19 relief but not yet spent. The aide said about $700 billion remains in unspent virus aid.

Psaki declined to comment on the forthcoming GOP proposal, but Democrats on Capitol Hill were quick to rebuff dipping into coronavirus relief funds, particularly money that had been sent to the states and local governments that now seems less urgent as some jurisdictions reported better-than-expected balance sheets.

The White House is expecting the Republican counteroffer by Thursday and doesnt want to prejudge whats in there. But a GOP plan to tap into rescue funds, aides believe, doesnt work because much of that money has already been exhausted, and it could also diminish the COVID-19 response.

My view is that we gave that to the cities and states and counties with the understanding that it may take a little time for them to spend it, said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a longtime congressional budget expert. I think itd be a big mistake to try to claw that back."

As talks hit a stalemate late last week, it's unclear if this latest GOP offer will be enough to put negotiations back on track.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who tapped Capito to lead the GOP effort, gave a nod to the latest offer, saying the idea of repurposing the COVID-19 funds was good advice from Larry Summers, a Harvard professor and Clinton-era treasury secretary. Summers suggested as much in a recent op-ed as some economists warn of rising inflation with the government spending.

But Republicans and the White House are eyeing each other warily in a high-stakes negotiation with far-reaching political ramifications whether they succeed or fail. "We are now very far apart," said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, a member of GOP leadership.

The Republican senators and aides have made no secret of their displeasure with the White House staff in this and other negotiations.

Publicly and privately, the Republicans say that while Biden appears willing to negotiate with the senators, his staff often changes course. They point to a similar dynamic during coronavirus aid talks when Biden seemed to agree with a group of GOP senators, only to have staff behind him shaking their heads no.

The Republicans are eager to publicly disclose Biden's comments to them as they make the case for their new offer ahead of the Memorial Day deadline.

Among Democrats, it's not lost on them that McConnell has said repeatedly that 100% of my focus is on stopping Bidens agenda.

Adding to the mix, a bipartisan group that includes Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is quietly working on other proposals, as a backup, he said.

This is going to feel like a tightrope walk all the way until it gets to Bidens desk, said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank.

The administration is signaling that its important not just whether Biden can push his infrastructure and other proposals into law, but also how he does it. By this reasoning, voters  and some moderate Democratic lawmakers  are more likely to be on board if Biden at least tries for bipartisanship.

The West Wing believes its bargaining position is strong. Aides point to Bidens high poll numbers and the popularity of his proposals, all while believing that they have the option of muscling the infrastructure plan to passage under special budget reconciliation rules that require only a party-line vote.

But there is a growing sense of urgency within the White House and among Democrats. After a burst of legislative accomplishments, including the COVID-19 relief bill, the pace has slowed dramatically. And the future may hinge on a few select senators.

Psaki insisted no decisions had been made on whether the administration will go it alone as it awaits a counteroffer from Republicans. Were not quite there yet, she said.
BOSTON (AP)  Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday signed a $400 million spending bill to finance construction of a new Holyoke Soldiers Home to replace the facility that was the site of one of the deadliest coronavirus outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the nation.

The new facility would replace a building that dates to the 1950s, which some said contributed to the deaths last spring of 76 veteran residents who contracted COVID-19, Masslive.com reported. A 77th resident died of the disease in December.

As you know, it is imperative that the reconstruction of a Soldiers Home in Holyoke take place as soon as possible. Massachusetts veterans need and deserve a home that fully provides for their health, safety and comfort, Baker wrote.

Baker vetoed language designed to favor union contractors.

This requirement threatens the viability of this project by limiting fair competition and disproportionately reducing opportunities for minority, women and veteran-owned businesses, the veto letter reads. It will also raise the overall cost of the project precipitously and may result in a labor shortage, putting the project and project timeline in jeopardy.

Legislators, who also added $200 million in funding for long-term care for veterans across the state, will have an opportunity to override Bakers veto.

The new facility, scheduled for completion in 2026, would be an eight-story building with 235 beds, mostly private rooms and bathrooms, more open spaces, an adult day health center and other upgrades.

The bill was signed a day after a legislative oversight committee released a report that found a crisis of leadership at the home that preceded the pandemic by years.

The committee found that the causes were both immediate, including inexplicable decisions made by the homes leadership in the days and weeks preceding the outbreak, and long-standing, including systemic issues that left the home mismanaged, understaffed, lacking sufficient oversight, and ill-equipped" to protect residents.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home Coalition, a group of residents' family members and others, issued a statement Tuesday thanking Baker for signing the bill.

Todays bond bill signature achieves our most important mission, and all citizens of our Commonwealth should be proud of this day," the statement said.

As for the committee's report, the coalition said it agreed that a confusing command-and-control reporting structure contributed to a breakdown in communication and certainly contributed to poor response times during the pandemic, which exacerbated the outbreak and contributed to loss of life."

The deaths led to criminal charges against two top former administrators and the resignation of the state veterans affairs secretary.

An independent investigation found that management made baffling decisions that likely contributed to the death toll.

Facility leadership countered that requests for help from the state were rejected.
BEIRUT (AP)  The leader of Lebanons militant group Hezbollah said Tuesday any violations of Jerusalem and the sites holy to Muslims and Christians would lead to a regional war.

Speaking for the first time since the cease-fire ending the 11-day war between Hamas and Israel, Hassan Nasrallah said Gazas militant groups have proved that no one can sit idle when Israel attacks the holy sites or tries to undermine the Palestinians' right to the city.

Even from besieged Gaza and with limited capabilities and home-made rockets, Hamas and other groups responded to what he called Israeli violations and attacks outside of territory it controlled, Nasrallah said. He described it as a great victory that paralyzed the Israeli state.

The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site revered by Jews and Muslims.

The site has seen several outbreaks of violence between Israelis and Palestinians over the years. The protests were directed at Israels policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers

The Israelis must understand that breaching the holy city and al-Aqsa mosque and sanctuaries wont stop at Gaza resistance, Nasrallah said during his 100-minute speech.

Nasrallah was speaking on the 21st anniversary of Israels withdrawal from southern Lebanon after a protracted war, characterized by roadside bombs and sniper attacks.

Hezbollahs shadow loomed large during Israel and Hamas 11-day battle in Gaza, with the possibility it could unleash its arsenal of missiles  far more powerful than Hamas  in support of the Palestinians. But the Iran-backed group remained on the sidelines.

Daily protests, including by members of Hezbollah and Palestinians in Lebanon, took place along the frontier with Israel in solidarity with Gaza. One Hezbollah member was killed when Israel opened fire to push back against protesters who tried to break through the volatile frontier.

Nasrallah added: Jerusalem means a regional war. All the resistance movements cannot stand by and watch this happening if the holy city is in real, grave danger.
BEND, Ore. (AP)  A COVID-19 outbreak at a central Oregon high school that required nearly half its students and staff into quarantine has prompted school officials to send students back to online learning for nearly two weeks.

As of Friday afternoon, 15 staff members and students from La Pine High School had been diagnosed with COVID-19, The Bulletin reported.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The Idaho Supreme Court has agreed to allow the state Legislature to intervene in two lawsuits that challenge the same restrictive voter initiative law, meaning taxpayers will pay for two separate legal teams in each case.

The state will be represented by the Idaho attorney generals office in both cases, and in addition, the Legislature will be represented by private attorneys led by William G. Myers III of the firm Holland & Hart, the Idaho Press reported.

State lawmakers approved an additional $4 million in taxpayer funding for the Legislative Legal Defense Fund, which is split between the House and Senate. The House portion this year had dropped to a zero balance. But the Idaho Press reported that public records show Myers is being paid $470 an hour. It is unclear how much the state has paid him so far.

However, officials said the attorney generals hourly rate for legal representation through the statewide cost-allocation system is about $58 an hour. If the office contracts with outside attorneys, its $88.

The money is separate from the state's Constitutional Defense Fund, which is used to pay attorney fees for lawsuits the state lost, officials said.

I think its important to realize that the Legislature is the body that passed the legislation, and therefore it has the greatest interest in it, Republican state Senate President Pro-Tem Chuck Winder said, adding that the attorney generals office will focus on different aspects of the law in its defense.

The law requires signatures from 6% of registered voters in each of the state's 35 legislative districts to qualify an initiative or referendum for the Idaho ballot. Currently, the law requires 6% from 18 districts.

Reclaim Idaho, one of the groups suing over the new initiative law, is arguing the change gives residents of a single legislative district veto power to prevent any future measures from qualifying for the ballot, eliminating the constitutional rights of everyone else. The group also opposed the Legislature's motion to intervene in the case.

The Attorney General is vigorously representing the respondents and defending the constitutionality of the statutes challenged here, Attorney Deborah Ferguson said. As a practical matter, the Legislature may be better served by having the Attorney General defend the statute.

A separate lawsuit challenging the same law was filed by Michael Gilmore, a retired former deputy Idaho attorney general, who filed his lawsuit as an individual, the Idaho Press reported.

Democratic state House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, an attorney, said it was frustrating" to see taxpayer dollars being used twice.

Winder defended the decision, saying Myers is highly qualified and it's worth the price as long as you win.

Myers is the former solicitor for the U.S. Department of Interior and has previously worked for the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Justice.

___

This story has been updated to correct that in both cases, the Idaho Attorney Generals Office will represent the state and a private law firm will represent the Legislature.
NEW YORK (AP)  A rural New York man convicted of threatening the life of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota wont have to participate after all in a program in which hed hear stories about Muslim refugees, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the unusual special condition in the sentence for Patrick Carlineo was too vague to be appropriate because it might give too much authority to Probation Department officials to enforce the sentence.

In early March, Carlineo was freed after completing a one-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in late 2019 in Rochester federal court to threatening to kill the Democrat and a weapons charge.

Prosecutors said Carlineo called Omar's Washington office in March 2019, when a member of her staff recalled him calling her a terrorist and saying somebody ought to put a bullet in her skull. Authorities said Carlineo also threatened to do so.

His sentence required him to participate after his prison term in a program that would allow Carlineo to listen to stories about Muslim refugees or people who suffered from violence (for) being Muslim."

But the appeals panel said the special condition was vague and impermissibly delegated authority to probation authorities to dictate the terms of the sentence.

The resident of Rathbone, a rural Steuben County town 100 miles south of Rochester, received support prior to sentencing from Omar, a Somali refugee who is one of the first Muslim women to be elected to serve in Congress.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., she had urged leniency and a restorative justice approach at sentencing, writing: The answer to hate is not more hate; it is compassion.

She said a lengthy prison term or a burdensome fine would only increase his anger and resentment while restorative justice would let him make amends and seek redemption.

Lawyers in the case did not return messages seeking comment.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianas attorney general argues in new legal filings that the governor is wrongly trying to use the courts to expand his powers with a lawsuit challenging the authority state legislators have given themselves to intervene during public emergencies.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb asked a judge last month to block the new law passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature following criticism from many conservatives over the statewide mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions that Holcomb imposed by executive orders.

Attorney General Todd Rokita, also a Republican and past Holcomb rival, claims in court documents filed late Monday that he is within his legal authority to turn down Holcombs request to take the dispute to court after the Legislature overrode the governors veto of the new law. His offices court filing repeatedly calls the governors lawyers unauthorized counsel in asking for them to be removed from the case.

A lawsuit by the Governor against legislators to invalidate a law enacted over the Governors veto amounts to a demand for a super veto via the judiciary, the attorney generals court filing said. It is no small thing for one branch of government to drag another branch of government to account before the third branch of government. No constitutional provision secures to officials of any branch such extraordinary power.

Holcombs lawyers argued last week that Rokita was making absurd arguments that he alone has the legal authority to represent the state in court and can decide whether the new law is constitutional.

John Trimble, Holcombs lead lawyer with the Indianapolis firm Lewis Wagner, referred questions Tuesday to the governors office, which didnt immediately reply to a request for comment.

The governor and some legal experts maintain the state constitution doesn't allow the new process under which legislative leaders could call the General Assembly into what it calls an emergency session. The governors lawsuit argues that the Legislature is usurping a power given exclusively to the governor under the state constitution to call lawmakers into a special session.

The Marion County judge handling the case hasnt yet set any hearings or indicated when a ruling might be issued.

Rokita sought the Republican nomination to run for governor in 2016 but lost to Holcomb and is widely seen as wanting to succeed the term-limited governor after the 2024 election. He said during last years election campaign that he supported curtailing the governors emergency powers and he didnt defend Holcomb from criticism of his coronavirus restrictions.

The attorney generals latest filing renewed the argument that Holcombs against legislators isnt allowed to proceed now under state law because the General Assembly technically is still in session despite concluding its regular business for the year on April 22. Thats because lawmakers extended the deadline for this years legislative session from April 29 until Nov. 15 because of delays in receiving census data so they can approve new congressional and legislative election districts.

Rokitas office is asking the judge to delay the case for at least 30 days after the Legislature adjourns even if it is allowed to proceed.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianas governor is traveling to Israel in the wake of the cease-fire to the 11-day war between Israel and Gazas militant Hamas rulers.

Gov. Eric Holcombs office announced Tuesday morning he would be in Israel Tuesday and Wednesday at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
IO21, the Dubai-based technology company that provides innovative solutions, has been selected as a finalist for the Women Tech Founders Programme in the Middle East and North Africa.

The US Department of State, through the Providing Opportunities for Womens Economic Rise (POWER) initiative and Embassy Abu Dhabi, has partnered with Googles Women Techmakers to host the Women Tech Founders Programme. Over the course of four weeks in May and June 2021, the programme will provide skills training for 50 female tech entrepreneurs from the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. It includes technical skills training from Googles tech and start-up experts, helping them to build a network of future tech change-makers in the region.

IO21 is co-founded by Hailey Yoon (25), who serves as the Chief Technology Officer to lead the companys long-term technology vision, and who is responsible for building new software products such as artificial intelligence, mobile applications and other software products.

At its inception in June 2020, the company provided only development services such as software, mobile app, website and e-commerce, but has now expanded to offer full-spectrum technology consulting and on-site and remote operation support.

The company has also conducted numerous pro-bono projects and is actively involved in global mentorships and seminars to contribute to society.

Commenting on being announced as a finalist in the programme, Yoon says: I am thrilled that IO21 has been selected as a finalist for the Women Tech Founders Programme in the Middle East and North Africa, and am honored to be a part of this meaningful initiative of empowering and supporting women in tech. Im looking forward to the training sessions conducted by Google experts and to connect with other women tech entrepreneurs from across the region and the US.

Women Tech Founders Programme finalists will receive training on a series of tech and business development concepts such as Design Thinking, Machine Learning, product development and Objective-Key-Results (OKR) workshops.

Sessions will be tailored to participants skillsets to enable them to leverage technology in expanding their businesses, connect with counterparts in the United States, and collaborate with other leading women in tech.

As a finalist, companies will receive equity-free support, exclusive invitations to technical boot camps hosted by Google, personalised mentorship and technical support from Google experts, the opportunity to provide feedback to Google product teams, long-term Women Techmakers community support and involvement for empowering women in tech.

According to women-in-tech statistics for 2020, women hold a mere 20% of positions in the tech world. Yoon is a firm believer that women in tech will drive a new generation of entrepreneurs and business opportunities, as diversity generates more revenue and women offer new perspectives, thereby generating more role models and a fresh perspective.

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Im often mistaken for administrative staff, and it is evident that women are paid less than similarly educated men at every level of education.Working as a female engineer in the Middle East has been interesting and rewarding despite the challenges that this role inherently carries. Thanks to this programme, I am excited to share my experience and contribute to a supportive community in the Mena region where all women can thrive in tech, says Yoon.

Yoon is currently a part-time student at Stanford University, completing her Postgraduate in Artificial Intelligence. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Computer Science (Honors Degree) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and also completed the ExEd, Leadership & Innovation for Technology Professionals Programme at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). -- TradeArabia News Service
ROME (AP)  A Rome judge on Tuesday ordered four high-ranking members of Egypts security forces to stand trial for the abduction, torture and killing in Cairo of an Italian doctoral student.

Judge Pierluigi Balestrieri set Oct. 14 as the date for the opening of the trial, the LaPresse news agency reported after a closed-door preliminary hearing. It is widely expected that the suspects will be tried in absentia.
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP)  Authorities are searching Joshua Tree National Park for a 20-year-old San Diego County man who began a hike more than a week ago.

The search for Joseph John Alvarez Espinosa of Oceanside began Sunday when staff became aware he may be in the park, a National Park Service statement said Monday.

A family member dropped Espinosa off for a hike on May 16 and he was last seen approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Twentynine Palms on State Route 62 as he walked south into the desert, the statement said.

He was wearing a dark shirt with Matthew 4:4 on the back, black cargo pants and black shoes. He carried a canteen.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol are also involved in the search.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration is appealing a judge's order directing it to release in its entirety a legal memo on whether President Donald Trump had obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. But it also made public a brief portion of the document showing that senior Justice Department leaders concluded that the evidence could not support an obstruction prosecution.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson earlier this month ordered the Justice Department to release the March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization. She said the department, under Attorney General William Barr, had misrepresented the purpose of the document in arguing that it was legally entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

In a motion filed late Monday, the deadline for deciding whether it would comply with the judge's decision or appeal it, the Justice Department said it continued to believe that the full document should be exempt from disclosure. The lawyers asked Jackson to put her order on hold while it appeals the ruling to a federal appeals court.

CREW President Noah Bookbinder said the group was deeply disappointed by the Justice Department's decision and called the government's position legally and factually wrong.

The Department of Justice had an opportunity to come clean, turn over the memo, and close the book on the politicization and dishonesty of the past four years," Bookbinder said in a statement. Last night it chose not to do so.

At issue is a March 24, 2019, memo from the head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and another senior department official that was prepared for Barr to evaluate whether evidence in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation could support an obstruction of justice prosecution of the president. Barr has said he looked to that opinion in concluding that Trump did not illegally obstruct the Russia probe.

The Justice Department turned over other documents to CREW as part of the group's lawsuit, but declined to give it the memo. Government lawyers said they were entitled under public records law to withhold the memo because it reflected internal deliberations among lawyers before any formal decision had been reached.

But Jackson said those arguments were disingenuous because the memo was prepared for Barr at the same time as a separate Justice Department letter informing Congress and the public that Barr and other senior department leaders had concluded that Trump had not obstructed justice.

She said the memo could therefore not have been predecisional in nature if the Justice Department had already decided that there would be no obstruction case.

In its motion Monday, Justice Department lawyers said the government never meant to mislead the court but acknowledged that some of its language could have been clearer.

The department said the decision before the attorney general was not whether to prosecute Trump since the indictment of a sitting president is precluded by longstanding Justice Department policy. Rather, the question that the memo set out to address was whether the facts gathered by Mueller could merit a criminal case.

That question, the government says, was a genuine decision that had to be made.

The Attorney Generals determination on that point  and on what, if anything, to say to the public about that question  undoubtedly qualifies as a decision, even if it could not have resulted in an actual prosecution of the sitting President, Justice Department lawyers wrote.

There was no legal bar to determining that the evidence did or did not establish commission of a crime, a determination the Attorney General made and announced," they added.

The brief portion of the memo that the department agreed to disclose shows that two senior Justice Department leaders advised Barr that, in their view, Muellers evidence could not support beyond a reasonable doubt the conclusion that Trump had obstructed justice.

The officials who wrote the memo  Steven Engel, then the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, and Edward O'Callaghan, the principal associate deputy attorney general  recommended that the Justice Department take a position on whether Trump had obstructed justice even though Mueller had pointedly chosen not to.

Although the Special Counsel recognized the unfairness of levying an accusation against the President without bringing criminal charges, the Report's failure to take a position on the matters described therein might be read to imply such an accusation if the confidential report were released to the public," the memo stated.

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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  The state-controlled board that oversees Kansas City's police department has voted to initiate legal action over city leaders' decision to change how some of the department's budget gets spent.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners voted in a closed meeting on Monday to initiate legal action to enforce its authority over the department's budget. Two commission members who are attorneys, Nathan Garrett and Cathy Dean, will work with outside lawyers to discuss the board's legal options.

The vote comes after Mayor Quinton Lucas and eight city council members voted on Thursday to reallocate about $42 million of the department's budget to a new fund that would emphasize social services such as community engagement and mental health programs. The department's budget was about $238 million in the last fiscal year.

Those votes came only hours after Lucas publicly announced the proposals, and infuriated the board of commissioners and council members from suburban Kansas City who said they were not notified ahead of time.

The ordinances would require the city manager to negotiate with the police board over how the money in the new fund is spent. The department also would receive about $3 million more to fund a police recruit class.

Opponents charge the change is a roundabout way to defund the police department. Lucas has rejected that characterization, saying the ordinances will actually increase the department's budget when the $3 million is added for the recruiting class.

Under state law, only the board of commissioners has authority over the police department. Other than the mayor, board members are appointed by the Missouri governor. The arrangement began in 1939 when state officials were trying to uproot corruption in Kansas City from the Tom Pendergast political machine.

The state's control of the city's police department has caused tension for years. The tension has grown since local protests following the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd last year and since local activists' calls for Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith to resign or be fired that stemmed in part from his handling of the protests.

Seven civil rights organizations held a news conference Tuesday to support Lucas and the proposed changes, and to repeat calls that Smith leave the police department.

The Rev. Rodney Williams, president of the Kansas City branch of the NAACP, said the mayor's bold action would help ensure minority voices are heard.

Not only is this a radical move in the right direction. It is also a smart one, Williams said. It is smart because it is not defunding the police department. Rather, it raises the level of accountability for the police department to operate, because as it stands in the present moment, our police department is operating without any accountability to the citizens that pay taxes, or to any other entity."

Lucas was the only member of the police board to vote against litigation, but he has said he would welcome a lawsuit over the proposed budget changes.

He argued the current arrangement might violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that people be treated equally under the law, The Kansas City Star reported.

Diminishing voices of people of Kansas City, diminishing the ability for the people of Kansas City to actually have some role in how budgetary decisions are made...is fundamentally unfair, Lucas said. I think its fundamentally unconstitutional and I am perfectly willing to argue that in a state or federal court. I think Kansas Citians have grown frustrated enough to argue that.

Garrett told KCUR that the commission would have preferred to discuss the matter before Lucas surprised members with the announcement.

But once those ordinances passed, the fuse was lit and we are in a time-crunch to address swiftly lest we are unable to fund Department operations, Garrett said.

Two Kansas City-area state lawmakers, Rep. Doug Richey, an Excelsior Springs Republican, and Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, said they will consider filing legislation during the next session to stop such police budget changes in the future.

Luetkemeyer also has said Gov. Mike Parson should consider calling a special session to address the issue.

Parson has not committed to a special session but criticized the proposed changes during an interview Monday on a Kansas City radio station.

I think that if youre trying in a round about way to say, OK, Im going to try and be a little bit clever on how Im defunding police, you gotta be careful with that, Parson said. I think people are smart enough to see through that.
MISSION, Kan. (AP)  A Kansas woman who alleges consensual sex with a friend in his college dorm room turned into a terrifying assault took matters into her own hands when prosecutors declined to bring rape charges. She called a citizen grand jury, relying on a 134-year-old state law.

Madison Smith, 22, collected the hundreds of signatures necessary to empanel the grand jury after the county prosecutor resolved the case by allowing Jared Stolzenburg to plead guilty to aggravated battery and receive two years probation.

Smith, who graduated earlier this month from Bethany College in Lindsborg, about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) north of Wichita, is part of a generation of women emboldened to go public with their stories due to the #MeToo movement.

This happens nationwide, worldwide that victims and survivors are minimized by the prosecutors who dont believe them, she said, And that is not OK because rape culture is so prevalent, and we need to get rid of it, and one of the ways to do that is to get our stories out there.

Kansas is one of six states that allow citizens to petition for grand juries. The 1887 law was rarely used until anti-abortion activists began using it to force grand jury investigations of abortion clinics. It has since been used to go after adult bookstores and to challenge former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobachs right to appear as the Republican nominee for governor.

But Smiths case, which will be considered in September, is believed to be the first time that someone claiming sexual assault has used it, said Kathy Ray of the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.

This case has a lot of issues within the criminal justice system, and sometimes victims feel they have no other choice but to go public, she said.

The process of seeking a grand jury wasn't easy. Smith had to stand in a parking lot telling her story over and over again to strangers to collect hundreds of signatures, and then do it again when the first petition was rejected on a technicality.

Some of the strangers she approached snatched the pen from her hands just a few minutes after she began speaking, hugging her and whispering into her ear so others nearby couldnt hear that they had been sexually assaulted in the past themselves.

They were very thankful that I was fighting, just fighting the justice system and trying to make a change in the world because they were too scared to fight back, she recalled.

But Smith said she felt it was the only way she could get justice for the February 2018 attack.

McPherson County Attorney Gregory Benefiel told Smiths mother in a recorded conversation that the case was challenging because Smith didnt verbally withdraw consent during the encounter. Smith said that's because he was choking her.

I think anybody could realize that if you cant breathe, you cant speak," she said.

Smith said the attack happened after she ran into Stolzenburg while doing laundry and went back to his room at Bethany College, where they had sex. It initially was consensual, but then he began slapping and strangling her, leaving her gasping for air, Smith said during Stolzenburgs sentencing hearing in August 2020.

I really thought that he was going to kill me, and the only way I was going to leave that room was in a body bag, said Smith, who is working at a nursing home before she begins to study nursing in the fall.

He would strangle me for 20 or 30 seconds at a time, and I would begin to lose consciousness," she said.

Stolzenburgs Bethany College transcript shows that he was administratively withdrawn in March 2018, said Amie Bauer, the schools general counsel. She wrote that the college had no further comment.

Defense attorney Brent Boyer said during the sentencing hearing that Stolzenburg and his family had been threatened and that Stolzenburg wanted to move forward. A woman who answered the phone in Boyers office said that Boyer didnt participate in media interviews and hung up. Stolzenburg doesnt have a listed phone number and didnt immediately respond to a message on Facebook.

Benefiel said in an interview with The Associated Press that sex crimes cases are extremely challenging to prosecute because jurors are looking for that CSI type of evidence. He said he couldnt comment on the specifics of the case but added that he believed that he and Smith both wanted the same thing  truth and justice.

There is a disagreement on what it looks like in this case, but I think everyone has the same goals, he said.

But Julie Germann, a former Minnesota prosecutor who reviewed the Kansas law for the Smiths and determined that the attack qualified for a rape charge, said prosecutors need to look at the totality of the circumstances.

This idea that because she consented then anything that follows is acceptable, that is a very dangerous precedent to set, said Germann, who consults and teaches about sexual assault.

Justin Boardman, who trains police and prosecutors to investigate sex crimes, said defense attorneys often try to argue that the victim had consented not just to sex but to rough sex. However, in that lifestyle, there are typically a lot of check-ins and discussions before sex starts, he said.

If it is just a surprise, it is assault, he said.

A court services worker said during the sentencing hearing that Stolzenburg told her he should have communicated better and does feel sorry for the victim.
OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP)  The lawsuit surrounding the death of a woman who was accidentally buried alive on a Maryland beach by a tractor has been dismissed from federal court.

The Daily Times reports that attorneys representing Ocean City and the victim's mother filed a joint motion Tuesday stipulating the dismissal of the claims with prejudice. It doesnt say whether there was a settlement, but documents filed earlier this year stated both parties had made substantial progress toward resolution and were hopeful the matter could be resolved soon.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  A lawsuit that led to a system for Mainers with print disabilities to cast absentee ballots online is being settled in an agreement that formalizes a requirement for a system for those plaintiffs to vote online in private, without assistance, from their homes.

A federal judge must sign off on the agreement.

Lynn Merrill, who in the past could not cast a private absentee ballot because she's blind, called the settlement monumental.

"The idea is its not only for people experiencing vision loss, but also for people with other print disabilities: Dyslexia, muscular dystrophy, a number of medical conditions, she told the Kennebec Journal.

Merrill did not feel comfortable voting in person in the June primary election because of the pandemic. She also was not satisfied with the option of having someone help her fill out the absentee ballot and a second person to sign off that the vote wasnt under duress. So she didn't vote at all.

I did not feel safe going to the polls for the election, and I refused to give up my right to a private ballot by having someone else do it for me, she said.

Disability Rights Maine brought the lawsuit on behalf of Merrill and three others in July. The secretary of state's office responded by putting a system in place before the November election.

The online system is intended for voters with vision impairment, physical dexterity limitations, learning disabilities or cognitive impairments. Voters also have access to a polling place system that allows them to mark their ballot independently using a touchscreen, a controller pad or audio inputs.

Kristin Aiello, managing attorney for Disability Rights Maine, said the lawsuit during the pandemic was necessary to "ensure our clients could vote equally, safely and effectively. The settlement was filed Friday.

This is assuring our fundamental right to cast a private and independent ballot, Merrill said.
POLIZIA/AP

MILAN (AP)  Authorities in Brazil have arrested one of Italys most-wanted fugitives, a drug boss inside the Calabrian ndrangheta organized crime network who escaped a prison in Uruguay two years ago, Italian officials said Tuesday.

Rocco Morabito, who has been wanted by Italy since 1994, was arrested in northern Brazil following a two-year investigation involving multiple agencies, the Italian Interior Ministry said in a statement. Another person suspected of drug trafficking, identified as Vincenzo Pasquino, was arrested along with him.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Businesses around Maine are spending the early part of the week adopting new mask rules in the wake of new guidance from the state.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills lifted mask requirements for most of the state Monday. However, businesses are still allowed to require them if they want to.

In Portland's leafy North Deering neighborhood, businesses greeted the guidance with mixed rule changes of their own. Some shops were continuing to require the masks, while others put up signs saying masks appreciated. Shaw's supermarket, one of the major retailers in the area, put up a sign asking that residents who are not yet vaccinated against the coronavirus wear a mask in the store.

Hannaford Supermarkets, which has dozens of locations in Maine, is taking a similar approach, and is recommending masks for people who are not fully vaccinated. The company is not verifying vaccination status of customers or workers.

Mask wearing by unvaccinated associates is a safety protocol that associates are expected to follow, company spokesman Eric Blom told the Portland Press Herald. We do not ask for verification, but it is an expectation of them.

In other pandemic news in Maine:

THE NUMBERS

New cases of the virus are continuing to trend downward.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 303.86 new cases a day on May 9 to 166.14 new cases a day on Sunday. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 0.71 deaths a day on May 9 to 2.71 deaths a day Sunday.

The AP is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 824 people in the state have died of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. There have also been more than 67,000 positive cases of the virus.

More than half the state is fully vaccinated against coronavirus. The state has one of the highest percentages in the country.

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SPORTS GUIDELINES

Maine officials have withdrawn the state's coronavirus safety guidelines about youth sports.

The state decided to retire its COVID-19 prevention checklist system and transition to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Maine Department of Economic and Community Development spokesperson Kate Foye told the Portland Press Herald.

The Maine Principals' Association has used the state guidelines to inform how youth sports are played in the state. The association's executive director, Mike Burnham, said the association will communicate with the state about the end of the guidelines.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has announced its newly-defined corporate purpose: Together, innovating aluminium to make modern life possible.

By fulfilling its purpose in the years and decades to come, EGA will also achieve its new mission to generate value from mining to metal, the company said in a statement.

EGA is the worlds largest producer of premium aluminium, with smelters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, an alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi, and a bauxite mine and export facilities in the Republic of Guinea.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, EGAs Chief Executive Officer, said: "We sum up our new purpose in eight simple words: Together, innovating aluminium to make modern life possible. Fulfilling it over the decades ahead will require us to transform our operations and make step-changes in how we contribute to the world and the societies in which we operate, as well as for our people. Becoming an organisation united by a single purpose will enable us to further improve our performance and generate value for our shareholders.

"We have a legacy of more than 40 years of success, and there is much more we can and must do. We are aiming to address some of the biggest opportunities and challenges our industry faces. This is not the work of a year or two; it is the work of a lifetime. And our purpose requires that we see it through. In the coming months, I look forward to detailing some of the bold aspirations for the future we have as a 7,000-strong team."

EGA was founded as Dubai Aluminium in 1975 by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum as part of an audacious ambition to transform the prospects of the people of Dubai, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for the development of the UAE.

In the generation since, EGA has taken the UAE from a country that produced no aluminium to the fifth largest aluminium-producing nation in the world.

EGA, and the aluminium industry around it, today accounts for 1.4 per cent of the UAEs economy and 1-in-100 UAE jobs.

In Guinea, EGAs Guinea Alumina Corporation was the largest greenfield mining investment in 40 years and in production it contributes some 5.5 per cent of Guineas economy.--TradeArabia News Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  A collision between two light rail trains in Kuala Lumpur that injured more than 200 people was caused by a train driver's negligence, according to a preliminary investigation, Malaysia's transport minister said Tuesday.

A fully automated metro train carrying 213 passengers collided Monday night with a vacant train that was being driven manually in a tunnel near the Petronas Towers, the worlds tallest twin towers. It was the first major crash for the 23-year-old metro system.

Pictures on social media after the collision showed bloodied passengers, some lying on the floors of carriages strewn with shattered glass.

Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said the driver of the vacant train was going the wrong way.

Preliminary investigations found that the accident was caused by the negligence and carelessness of the train driver ... who was driving in the wrong direction, he said.

He said 21 people remained hospitalized Tuesday, including six in critical condition and three requiring ventilator support. Others with minor injuries were discharged.

Wee earlier said one train was traveling at 20 kilometers (12 miles) per hour and the other at about 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour when they crashed, throwing some passengers out of their seats.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin pledged a full investigation. Police earlier said they suspected a miscommunication from the trains operation control center.

The crash affected one of three light rail lines connecting Kuala Lumpur and surrounding suburbs. Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, a government-owned company that operates the metro system, said train service resumed Tuesday morning.

The metro system normally carries over 350,000 passengers a day, although ridership has been reduced to ensure social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Afiq Luqman Mohamad Baharudin, 27, told the national Bernama news agency that many people were flung from their seats by the impact. He said the train had stopped for 15 minutes just before the crash.

We had only moved for a few seconds when the crash happened and the impact was so strong that I suffered injuries to my head, left leg and chest, he was quoted as saying.
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP)  A Virginia man left his rape trial while jurors were deliberating his fate, but surrendered two days later, after the jury convicted him.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that John Irvin stood trial last week for allegedly raping a woman inside her Chesterfield County home last June. As jurors deliberated, they asked the judge if they were allowed to sentence Irvin. After that, Irvin  who was free on bond  left the courthouse and didn't return.
CLEVELAND (AP)  A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges in the death of a sleeping 6-year-old girl shot in a Cleveland home during a slumber party.

A county judge in Cleveland sentenced Raysean Howard Jr., 23, to life in prison with parole eligibility in 23 years after he entered his pleas. Before sentencing, Howard turned and apologized to the family of Lyric Lawson.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  A man who pleaded guilty to stealing from a memorial fund established to aid survivors of a slain Alabama police officer was sentenced to more than three years in prison Tuesday.

A federal judge sentenced Devonte Lemond Hammonds, 27, of Birmingham three months after he pleaded guilty to fraud in the theft of money from the Billy Clardy Memorial Fund, news outlets reported.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Maryland's chief judge is updating COVID-19 health measures for courthouses and judicial facilities to enable vaccinated people to enter them without face coverings next week.

Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera issued the orders Tuesday in response to modified protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan lawmakers unveiled bipartisan bills Tuesday that would require updated use-of-force policies and make changes designed to hold police accountable for misconduct a year after the slaying of George Floyd in Minnesota.

The Senate legislation would, among other things, let a state agency revoke the license of an officer who has used excessive force causing death or serious injuries. The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards also would be required to develop guidelines for independent investigations of officer-involved deaths.

Each law enforcement agency would have to adopt a use-of-force policy that emphasizes de-escalation techniques unless they are not feasible, includes a continuum of proportional responses and requires an officer to exhaust all other alternatives before using deadly force.

Bills targeting police misconduct did not advance last year despite global protests and a racial reckoning in the wake of Floyd's murder at the hands of a white officer. But proponents expressed optimism, citing many months of bipartisan work.

We think it will actually not just help keep the community safe but also help keep officers safe, said Sen. Stephanie Chang, a Detroit Democrat who announced the package with Republican Sen. Roger Victory of Hudsonville. They are the ranking members of the GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, which will begin hearings on the legislation.

It really speaks to a lot of the things that are needed to bring about some change around accountability and transparency, Chang said. While some agencies already have policies in place, we need to make it consistent across the state to hopefully prevent future injustices.

Other bills would restrict the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and require law enforcement agencies to have written policies stating that officers have an affirmative duty to intervene to stop excessive force by fellow officers.

I believe we all have the shared goals of improving policing, community interactions and public perceptions while supporting the many courageous police officers who keep our families safe, Victory said in a statement.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has backed changes such as those outlined in the legislation, having called for similar bills last June.

I look forward to working with the Legislature and passing these policing and criminal justice reforms into law, she said in a statement that marked Floyd's death. She said while justice has been served in the case  a white officer was convicted last month of murdering the Black man  our march is far from over.

Earlier this month, Republicans who lead the House proposed an $80 million funding increase for law enforcement, including to help recruit and retain officers. Asked his openness to policy reforms, House Speaker Jason Wentworth, of Farwell, said Republicans were solely focused right now on supporting our men and women in uniform."

Incentives would include maximum $2,000 signing bonuses for new officers, up to $20,000 in tuition assistance to attend police academies and maximum $4,000 stipends during recruits training. Other funding would incentivize the use of body cameras and increase mental health support.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
BRUSSELS (AP)  Human rights lawyers said Tuesday that they have launched legal action against the European Unions border and coast guard agency at the blocs top court, accusing Frontex of violating the rights of people trying to seek asylum and other breaches of international law.

The case was filed at the European Court of Justice by Front-Lex, a legal hub challenging EU migration policies. It concerns a woman from Burundi and a Congolese teenager who tried to apply for international protection on the Greek island of Lesbos last year.

The lawyers said its the first time that Frontex has been taken before the Luxembourg-based ECJ in its 17 years of operations, and that they plan to hold the agency to account and reinstate the rule of law over EU borders."

They claim that the two migrants were violently rounded up, robbed, abducted, detained, forcibly transferred back to sea, collectively expelled, and ultimately abandoned on rafts with no means of navigation, food or water.

They said the two were victims of other push-back operations during the attempt to find protection in the EU. Under EU and international refugee law, people fearing for their lives or fleeing persecution can apply for asylum and must not be pushed back, that is, sent back to where they may face further danger.

Frontex, which has repeatedly denied allegations of pushbacks and other claims of abuses, rejected the move as a masquerade.

This is not really a legal case. Its an activist agenda pretending to be a legal case, whose aim is to undermine the EUs resolve to protect its borders, Frontex spokesman Chris Borowski said.

In their submission, the lawyers said the 15-year-old boy was among a group of migrants whose phones, bags and money were allegedly confiscated by masked members of the Greek coast guard in the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece in May 2020. Migrants were loaded onto a rubber raft in Turkish waters.

The incidents were one of several involving the boy, according to the documents. Witness testimony, media reports and other evidence suggest that he and the woman allegedly suffered further abuses in late November. As of February, both remained in Turkey and still hoped to reach Greece to apply for asylum.

Frontex coordinates search and rescue and border interception operations on behalf of the 27 EU member countries. However, the country on whose territory the operation is happening  in this case Greece  has command over what goes on.

"We trust the Court to hear the victims, to see what everyone sees, to hold EU border agency to account, and to restore the Rule of Law over EU lands and seas," lawyers Omer Shatz and Iftach Cohen from Front-LEX said in a statement.

Frontex has come under heavy fire, accused of involvement or complicity in pushbacks, often in the Aegean Sea, but the agency denies the allegations. An internal probe this year found no evidence that Frontex was involved in pushback reports made public by a media consortium last October.

The European Parliament has launched its own investigation and is expected to release its findings in coming months. The EUs anti-fraud agency has also been probing allegations of mismanagement at Frontex.

In a letter to the lawyers, seen by The Associated Press, Frontex Director Fabrice Leggeri rejected any claim of wrongdoing.

I am confident that the Agency has undertaken its activities in strict compliance with the applicable legal framework, including fundamental rights obligations, he wrote.

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Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
AVALON, Mo. (AP)  A northwest Missouri man died after a collision occurred while a woman was blowing grass of a highway with a leaf blower, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

The patrol said Charles Plummer, 75, of Hale, was on a stopped utility vehicle Sunday night on Route JJ about 1.5 miles north of Avalon. Susan Bachman, 63, of Chillicothe, was standing in front of Plummer's UTV blowing grass off the highway.
DRIGGS, Idaho (AP)  An eastern Idaho judge had to declare a mistrial in a three-year-old rape case after 11 people failed to show up for jury duty.

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce declared the mistrial on Monday, EastIdahoNews.com reported, after just 38 out of 60 potential jurors called for jury selection showed up for duty. Some were excused by the judge before the selection process began, and several more were dismissed because they knew some of the people involved in the case or felt they couldn't be fair for other reasons.
A universal international exhibition titled White City of Ashgabat opened at the Expo Center of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan. Marking the 140th anniversary of the capital city of Turkmenistan, it brought together more than 90 exhibitors, including representatives of foreign companies.

Featuring the achievements and development prospects of Ashgabat, the large-scale exhibition presented the thematic sections such as urban planning, management systems, transport, communications, industry, social infrastructure, utilities, ecology and landscaping.

Construction companies, enterprises of transport, communications, service, textile industries and agro-industrial complex demonstrated their achievements and potential in the halls and open spaces of the exhibition center. The exhibition also displayed products from companies operating in the area of growing seedlings of various plants, production of park fences, decoration materials, furniture, kitchen utensils and household glass products.

At the exhibition, visitors can also get acquainted with the tourism potential of Turkmenistan. Ahead of the summer holiday season, the exhibition provides information about various types of recreation activities in the country.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
ATLANTA (AP)  More than five months after a man was shot to death in an apartment outside Atlanta by officers serving a warrant targeting someone else, his family wants to know what happened, their lawyer says.

Johnny Bolton, 49, was lying on a couch in the living room of the apartment in Smyrna where he lived when officers serving a no-knock warrant burst through the door early on Dec. 17, attorney Zack Greenamyre said Tuesday.

We know that Johnny was unarmed and simply stood up in response to a huge crashing noise from the door being taken and then was shot at least twice and died, Greenamyre said in a telephone interview.

The Cobb County Sheriff's Office asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the shooting. In a press release on the day Bolton was shot, the GBI said preliminary information indicated that members of a drug task force and sheriff's office SWAT team deputies executed a drug search warrant at the address about 4:40 a.m.

During entry into the residence, a SWAT team member discharged his firearm and an occupant of the apartment was struck, the GBI release says.

The GBI has completed its investigation and turned it over to the Cobb County district attorney's office on March 16, spokeswoman Nelly Miles said. The district attorney's office is still investigating, Executive Assistant District Attorney Latonia P. Hines said.

As in all officer involved shootings, we will be presenting it to a grand jury, Hines said in an email Tuesday.

The Cobb County Sheriff's Office is cooperating with the investigation, spokeswoman Saba Long said. Upon taking office in January, Sheriff Craig Owens called for a review of all internal policies and procedures to ensure the Office follows best practices.

Very little information has been provided to Bolton's family, but the warrant has no mention of his name, Greenamyre said. The subject of the investigation, who was suspected of selling drugs, lived at another address where another warrant was served about the same time, Greenamyre said.

The two-bedroom apartment where Bolton lived functioned as a sort of informal boarding house  a woman and her teenage daughter rented one bedroom, another woman rented the other bedroom, and Bolton had been sleeping on the living room couch for several months, Greenamyre said. People who lived there said it was purely residential and no drug sales were happening there, he said.

A search warrant application for the apartment where Bolton lived says the man suspected of selling drugs who was the target of the investigation was confirmed to be at that apartment during a surveillance period in December and also told customers he was there. During this time surveillance observed multiple short stays which corroborated information on several drug deals that we received information on from the reliable confidential source, the warrant application said.

But the search warrant application for the second apartment makes clear that that apartment, which is not where Bolton was living, was the home address of the target of the investigation and says officers saw him coming and going from there at all times of the day.

Bolton worked at a car wash near the apartment where he lived and was well-liked by his co-workers and friends, Greenamyre said. The apartment where he lived had previously been used as a music studio, and he liked to record music in his spare time but was shy about performing. He's survived by his sister, his grown son and daughter, and his granddaughter, and they want to know what happened that night, the lawyer said.

The goal is we want more information," Greenamyre said. We do not know why they claim, or even if they claim, that it was necessary or proper or justified to shoot Johnny Bolton.
WEST JEFFERSON, Ohio (AP)  At least three people were found dead Monday at an Ohio home following an apparent shooting, police said.

Authorities responding to the scene at about 5:30 p.m. found multiple gunshot victims inside and outside of a duplex residence in West Jefferson, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The newspaper said West Jefferson Police Chief Christopher Floyd told reporters at the scene Monday evening that three victims were found dead inside the home, but he would not say how many were found dead outside.

None of the victims were immediately identified. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were killed, or whether any victims survived.

There was no suspect information available early Tuesday.

Floyd told the news outlet Monday that investigators weren't sure if it was a robbery gone bad or what it was.

This is a dead-end street, he said. It curves around to a business. There no other way in or out, so its not like theres a car randomly driving down the street.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Madison County Sheriffs office are assisting West Jefferson police at the scene, The Dispatch reported.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP)  The Navajo Nation on Monday reported two new confirmed COVID-19 cases but no additional deaths.

Tribal health officials said the latest figures pushed the total number of cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago to 30,780 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
NEW YORK (AP)  New York prosecutors have convened a special grand jury to consider evidence in a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's business dealings, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The development signals that the Manhattan district attorneys office was moving toward seeking charges as a result of its two-year investigation, which included a lengthy legal battle to obtain Trumps tax records.

The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The news was first reported by The Washington Post.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into a variety of matters such as hush-money payments paid to women on Trumps behalf, property valuations and employee compensation.

The Democratic prosecutor has been using an investigative grand jury through the course of his probe to issue subpoenas and obtain documents. That panel kept working while other grand juries and court activities were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The investigation includes scrutiny of Trumps relationship with his lenders; a land donation he made to qualify for an income tax deduction; and tax write-offs his company claimed on millions of dollars in consulting fees it paid.

The new grand jury could eventually be asked to consider returning indictments. While working on that case, it also will be hearing other matters. The Post reported that the grand jury will meet three days a week for six months.

Trump contends the investigation is a witch hunt.

This is purely political, and an affront to the almost 75 million voters who supported me in the Presidential Election, and its being driven by highly partisan Democrat prosecutors," Trump said in a statement.

Vances office declined to comment.

The new grand jury is the latest sign of increasing momentum in the criminal investigation into the Republican ex-president and his company, the Trump Organization.

Attorney General Letitia James said last week that she assigned two lawyers to work with Vances office on the probe after her civil investigation into Trump evolved into a criminal matter.

James, a Democrat, said her office also is continuing its civil investigation into Trump. She did not say what prompted her office to expand its investigation into a criminal probe.

In recent months, Vance hired former mafia prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to help run the investigation and has been interviewing witnesses, including Trumps former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Vance declined to run for reelection and will leave office at the end of the year, meaning the Trump case is likely to pass to his successor in some form. An election next month is all but certain to determine who that will be.

Trump said in a statement last week that hes being unfairly attacked and abused by a corrupt political system. He contends the investigations are part of a Democratic plot to silence his voters and block him from running for president again.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court buoyed Vances investigation by clearing the way for the prosecutor to enforce a subpoena on Trumps accounting firm and obtain eight years of tax returns and related documents for the former president, the Trump Organization and other Trump entities.

The documents are protected by grand jury secrecy rules and are not expected to be made public.

Vances investigation has appeared to focus in recent weeks on Trumps longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. His former daughter-in-law, Jen Weisselberg, is cooperating with both inquiries.

Shes given investigators reams of tax records and other documents as they look into whether some Trump employees were given off-the-books compensation, such as apartments or school tuition.

Allen Weisselberg was subpoenaed in James civil investigation and testified twice last year. His lawyer declined to comment when asked Tuesday if he had been subpoenaed to testify before the new grand jury.

A message seeking comment was left with Jen Weisselbergs lawyer.

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Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Amid pressure from some parents and teachers, public schools across New Mexico have rejected tens of millions of dollars in state funding for extra learning days.

Each no vote from local school boards is a blow to the state Legislatures signature education initiative.

Based on years of research about how best to improve academic outcomes for children and narrow the achievement gap for struggling students, the plan takes aim at the three idle summer months that hold back many students. The research found that extending the school year with the same teacher is more effective than summer school.

The measure would add 25 more days to the elementary school calendar which lawmakers hoped would boost dismal reading and math scores.

But even parents of children who are behind opposed additional learning time, demanding that their summer be kept long.

Until this year, extended learning programs were voluntary, and parents could decide if they wanted their kids to participate.

Now, parents like Lisa McCutchen, 33, of Carlsbad, feel like the state is tying my hands as a parent and saying, we know better than you what your kids need.

The struggle to reimagine New Mexico's education system has been further complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and what many have referred to as a lost year of learning.

In a weeks-long debate, Democratic legislative leaders considered making all extra days mandatory for children in all districts for the post-pandemic year. They compromised by dropping a statewide mandate and instead requiring participation by all students only at those schools that opted in.

The results are mixed: around twice as many children are expected to participate in programs this year, according to statistics from the Public Education Department. But many children will be left behind, regardless of how badly they need support.

Superintendents have cited various barriers to extending the school year.

Teachers like to have their breaks. Teachers need that break, to be able to replenish themselves to get ready for next year, said West Las Vegas Schools Superintendent Christopher Gutierrez, whose district opted to use federal funding for summer school and pass on state funding for extended learning.

In Carlsbad, the districts 3-2 vote against added learning days left $15 million in state funding on the table at a time when officials are preparing for a steep decline in enrollment. Fewer babies born in the past decade will mean fewer students in the next one. And families in rural southeast New Mexico have left the state as oil and gas revenues continue declining. Meanwhile, proficiency rates have dropped even lower that pre-pandemic rates, when only 37% of students were proficient in reading and less than one-quarter were proficient in math.

Superintendent Gerry Washburn used the metaphor of a child in a wheelchair trying to get into a building. He said extra learning days for elementary students is one of the few opportunities that we have to create a ramp for them to move forward.

While McCutchen, in Carlsbad, said she can move her two sons forward by helping them at home, she acknowledged that not all families are as supportive due to job constraints, substance abuse, and other issues. McCutchen has a flexible schedule working with her husband. Together they run a construction business and a ranch.

She fears that adding school days this year could lead to year-round school in the future. She said a shorter summer also would interrupt plans to take her kids to the family ranch in Colorado where theyll be learning on a working farm.

The ones that are invested into their kids' lives and education, theyll be okay, said Carlsbad school board member Simon Rubio, adding that other kids not represented by parents at a recent meeting dont have a voice.

Calls from parents and teachers opposed to extended learning have not only been louder, they've been more frequent.

Albuquerque Superintendent Scott Elder said the majority staff and community voted against adding more days.

Some parents support the extra time in an effort to reverse the summer slide.

We dont need a three-month summer. They just need some time off and then they go back, said mom Rebecca Baca-Green, a solar saleswoman in Albuquerque in favor of a year-round school year. I think there is a loss of learning that happens during the summer.

She was able to send her 12-year-old to a college prep charter school with a longer calendar, but she fears for low-income families with less secure jobs who often juggle swing shifts and gig work.

New Mexico's education system routinely ranks last in the U.S. About 80% of its students are covered by a court ruling that found education falls short of constitutional standards, while two-thirds of its third graders are not proficient in reading and a similar fraction is behind in math.

Those statistics are expected to worsen due to the pandemic, as legislative analysts highlighted that students are behind anywhere from six weeks to nearly 30 weeks depending on the subject.

New Mexico schools already have fewer in-class days than many other states, in part because some districts have adopted a four-day model in an effort to attract teachers.

The Legislature passed the changes for extended learning with only weeks left for districts to poll parents and plan accordingly.

Jeannie Oakes, an expert at the Learning Policy Institute who has published research on New Mexico schools, said the state should give districts a full year to plan extending the learning year.

The state also offers a program targeted at older kids to add 10 days to the school year.

The Santa Fe district added 10 days  five at the beginning of the school year and the rest sprinkled throughout. Superintendent Veronica Garcia called it fairly painless" but noted that it was late notice for some parents who had already put down deposits on summer programs.

If I were queen for a day, I would just add (the 10 days) to compulsory education and slowly incrementally move this forward, she said, urging New Mexico to increase the number of school days to that of high-performing countries. Internationally, kids go to school 10 months out of the year.

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Attanasio 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 under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  A New Hampshire House committee split evenly along party lines Tuesday on a proposal to prohibit most businesses from asking customers or employees whether theyve been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The committee on executive departments and administration voted 9-9 on amending a Senate-passed bill to add several vaccine-related provisions favored by Republicans. It reached the same outcome on a Democrat-backed amendment, meaning both versions will go to the full House next month with no committee recommendation.

Under the GOP-led amendment, businesses could not inquire about someones vaccine status or require employees to be vaccinated against the virus, with some exceptions for hospitals and long-term care facilities. It also would give the Legislature control over whether schools could require students to receive any future vaccines.

If theres one thing weve learned through this last year and a half its that having one person in charge of what we do, where we go and when we do it is not a good idea, and extending that to what we put in our childrens bodies is even worse, said Rep. Terry Roy, the amendments sponsor.

As for businesses, he argued that allowing them to require or inquire about vaccinations would open the door to further intrusions, such as requiring workers to fall within a certain range for weight or body mass.

If we allow businesses to decide what people have to do to their body to be employed or to be customers, we have to look at other things, said Roy, R-Deerfield. Theres no limit to what businesses could do to citizens who need a job, or a place to shop or to eat. We have to draw a line in the sand that people, their bodies, are autonomous.

Democrats argued that public health officials, not lawmakers, should decide which vaccines should be required for school enrollment and that businesses should be allowed to make decisions based on public safety.

Rep. Peter Schmidt, D-Dover, said he got many emails from opponents of vaccine passports, but that isnt on the table. And he pushed back on what he called a frequently expressed comparison between public health officials and Nazi Germany.

For Gods sake, this is a respiratory disease. If theres anything human beings need to do, it is to breath on a very, very frequent basis, he said. I believe that businesses have a right to protect themselves, their employees and the public.

Under the GOP-led amendment, businesses could not inquire about someones vaccine status or require employees to be vaccinated against the virus, with some exceptions for hospitals and long-term care facilities. It also would give the Legislature control over whether schools could require students to receive any future vaccines.
NORTON, Kan. (AP)  A Norton man was sentenced Tuesday to more than 43 years in prison for killing his wife in 2019.

Damien Shields, 44, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Lori Shields, 38. She was found dead in her home in Norton in April 2019. She had worked as an elementary school secretary in Norton.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Military and federal authorities said Tuesday they were probing the cause of a fighter jet crash that killed a civilian pilot but did not injure anyone on the ground in a residential area near Nellis Air Force Base.

The Dassault Mirage F-1 that crashed Monday afternoon was owned and operated by Florida-based Draken US, a military contractor providing adversary air support during aerial war games flown from Nellis into restricted air space over central Nevada, a statement from the base said.

The pilot was Nicholas Hunter Hamilton, 43, of Las Vegas, the Clark County coroner said. He was the only person aboard the French aircraft, which records show was built in 1982.

In Reno, where he grew up, Hamilton's family released a statement calling him Nick and describing him as a devoted, kind husband, father, son and brother who held a black belt in taekwondo and was an accomplished violinist.

His death has left a large void in our lives, and we are all shocked and heartbroken," Aaron Damon, a family spokesman, said in the statement to the Reno Gazette Journal.

Damon did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press.

Hamilton graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2000 and was a fighter pilot for 20 years, including multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, the newspaper said. He retired from the Air Force in March 2020 to fly for Draken International.

His dedication to his family and his country will never be forgotten, said the statement on behalf of his wife, their two young sons and other family members.

Words cannot express our loss," it said. "A nickel on the grass. We need time to mourn this great loss and appreciate the respect given to our privacy in this tragic time.

In Las Vegas, homeowner Jose Villanueva told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he escaped injury when the jet slammed into his yard and his uncles adjacent yard. Attempts by AP to reach Villanueva by telephone were not successful.

It was a really, really, really, really strong noise, he told the newspaper.

The National Transportation Safety Board joined military officials in the investigation. Agency spokesman Eric Weiss said Tuesday it was too early to report on a cause of the crash.

Preliminary findings will be released within two weeks, Weiss said, and findings and a final report could take up to two years.

Draken spokeswoman Christina Childs said the company, based in Lakeland, Florida, was cooperating with federal, state and local authorities including the NTSB.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people and families affected by this event, the company said a statement.

Draken provides tactical aircraft, adversarial support, electronic attack or customized rotary wing training, and pilots including former U.S. military personnel, for combat training at Nellis and other sites.

We train the next generation of fighter pilots which is a crucial aspect of our national security, Childs said in an email.

She did not immediately respond to messages about Hamilton's military history.

In August 2016, not far from Nellis, a Draken pilot with more than two decades of experience received minor injuries when he ejected before the Douglas A-4K Skyhawk he was flying crashed in the desert near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Investigators later said it appeared that debris entered the engine of the Vietnam War-era attack jet, causing a loss of power.
The state of Ohio and the U.S. Census Bureau asked a judge on Tuesday to place on hold their court fight over when data used for redrawing congressional and legislative districts will be released.

As part of a settlement agreement, the Census Bureau promised to release the redistricting data no later than Aug. 16  a date it had previously picked for releasing the numbers in an older format. The bureau also agreed to provide Ohio with twice-monthly updates on its progress toward meeting that deadline.

Ohio will drop its lawsuit against the statistical agency once the redistricting data is released on that date, according to the agreement.

Ohio sued the Commerce Secretary earlier this year after the Census Bureau said it would be unable to meet a legal deadline to release the redistricting data to the states by March 31 because of delays caused by the pandemic. The bureau said in February that the data would be available in an older format in mid-August and in a more user-friendly format by the end of September. A federal judge dismissed Ohios case and the state appealed, saying the delay threatened its ability to meet redistricting deadlines approved by voters and set in its state constitution.

Last week, an appellate panel said Ohio had standing to sue the Census Bureau and sent the case back to the lower court to come up with a solution.

This administration tried to drag its feet and bog this down in court, but Ohio always had the law on its side and now the federal government has finally agreed, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. Its time to cough up the data.

Ohios constitution requires, for the first time, an independent commission to finish redrawing legislative districts by Sept. 1. It sets a Sept. 30 deadline for the states General Assembly to complete a new map of congressional districts.

A similar lawsuit was filed by the state of Alabama, with the added twist that the Cotton States case also challenges the Census Bureaus use of a statistical method to protect peoples privacy. Alabama and other critics claim it will result in inaccurate numbers. A three-judge panel could issue a decision any day.

The method called differential privacy adds mathematical noise, or intentional errors, to the data to obscure any given individuals identity while still providing statistically valid information.

After the redistricting data is released in August and September, the Census Bureau also plans to release other data sets derived from the 2020 census, including tables on housing, family relationships in households and the age and sex of household members in areas as small as neighborhood blocks.

A scientific advisory committee to the Census Bureau on Tuesday recommended that the statistical agency delay releasing these other data sets not used for redistricting in order to spend more time testing and assessing the risks of using the privacy technique.

The Census Bureau is making final decisions next month on how differential privacy will be implemented.

Taking the time to bake the cake is important, Allison Plyer, chair of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee said during a virtual meeting.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
Caitlin McLennan Receives UW Outstanding Graduate Honor

Caitlin McLennan

After transferring from a school in Boston to the University of Wyoming, Caitlin McLennan, of Monterey, Calif., worked several jobs in the Laramie community. Those positions enabled her to meet several people but, more importantly, guided her to build and engage community networks that began her work in helping others to better their communities.

Those efforts have earned McLennan the Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri Award as UWs outstanding graduating student. The award recognizes students for exhibiting the finest leadership, academic integrity and citizenship qualities.

McLennan recently graduated with a B.S. in environment and natural resources, and political science, with a sustainability minor. Her accomplishments in academics, service to the UW community and professional milestones highlight McLennans commitment to environmental responsibility, food security and community. She adds that her experience is diverse, yet focused on citizenship, character and outreach for public good.

My sustainability minor merged with my political science major to spark a passion for change, for building a future better than the present I arrived in, she says. Through my commitment to academic excellence, I seized every opportunity to make change for the better on our campus.

Strengthening the UW campus community has been the forefront of her studies, and project-based courses such as Campus Sustainability and Food, Health and Justice gave her the chance to tackle food insecurity along with promoting other sustainability advocacy efforts. Her service to UW is merged in her academics and started with the Sustainability Coalition, a student organization built on shared leadership.

The UW Food Security Task Force might be the greatest change-making accomplishment I had a part in, defining my time at UW to be one of collaboration among staff, faculty, students and administrators, she adds. I only hope to continue the great work Ive been given the opportunity to start at graduate school next academic year.

Melanie Matthews, a UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources senior project coordinator, had been McLennans adviser for three years. She says McLennan plans to use the experiences she gained at UW to work with communities to build urban environment and urban food systems that are resilient, intentional and sustainable.

Caitlin is extremely accomplished academically and outside of the classroom, and I believe that much of her success comes from strength of character. She is passionate, open-minded and definitely driven, Matthews says.

Another nominator, Christine Porter, the Wyoming Excellence Chair in the Division of Kinesiology and Health, says McLennan combined humility, empathy, tenacity and transformational strategy in her UW leadership and academic career.

In all of her work, Caitlin bridges and respects difference, while never losing sight of reaching change goals at the cross-sections of equity and sustainability, Porter says. She also has brought what seems to be infinite and tireless energy to every component of it.

Rachael Budowle, an assistant professor in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, served as McLennans instructor in all three of the core sustainability and project-based, community-engaged courses she teaches.

While I always feel happy and proud with a tinge of bittersweetness when outstanding students move on to pursue the next steps in their professional and academic careers, I am hit particularly hard with Caitlins graduation and departure from UW, Budowle says. In terms of academic excellence, leadership, good character and contributions to the university, she is irreplaceable. She has already made my life as a teacher and mentor, our university, our community and this world immeasurably better.
WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP)  An Oregon woman was arrested last week, after arriving in Hawaii because she violated travel quarantine rules meant to protect the islands from the spread of coronavirus, police said.

After arriving on a flight from Seattle, Kelsey Newcomer, 36, of Portland, did not have a negative pre-travel COVID-19 test from an approved facility and she did not have approved lodging where she could complete a mandatory 10-day travel quarantine, Maui police said.
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Police have made an arrest in the hit-and-run death earlier this month of a woman on Interstate 35 in West Des Moines.

Frank Alan Davidson, 19, of Earlham, was arrested late Monday on charges of vehicular homicide while under the influence, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death of 38-year-old Stephanie Waddell, of Oskaloosa, police said.
WARREN, R.I. (AP)  A Rhode Island man struck his mother in the face with a hammer, sending her to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Kevin Mendes, 34, of Warren, was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of domestic assault with a deadly weapon.
ROME (AP)  Pope Francis has decided to move a youth seminary outside Vatican City, taking action before the Vaticans criminal tribunal renders a verdict in a sex abuse trial involving a former seminarian and an ex-rector.

The Vatican made no mention of the ongoing trial in its announcement Tuesday that the St. Pius X pre-seminary would relocate somewhere in Rome starting in September. The facility serves as a residence for altar boys ages 12-18 who serve at papal Masses in St. Peters Basilica.

The Vatican did not say why Francis made the decision. It said the move had been under study for some time and would also put the boys closer to their schools and recreational activities in Italy's capital.

The presence of the residence inside the Vatican city-state's walls posed a legal headache for the Vatican after a former seminarian came forward in 2017 to accuse a more senior one of having sexually abused his roommate in their dorm room.

Vatican criminal prosecutors opened an investigation, and the trial started last year. Prosecutors have accused the seminarian, now a priest, of sexual assault against L.G., and the rector of covering it up. They have denied the charges.

Some former seminarians have testified about a homophobic environment in the residence during the time they were there and about younger boys being bullied. Others, however, have testified that the boys were happy and that the rector checked the dorms at night and never heard or saw any abuse.

Vatican City is a sovereign state, meaning its own law enforcement officials were responsible for investigating any potential crime in the seminary. But the residence itself was run by a religious order of the diocese of Como, Italy, complicating the chain of responsibility.

By moving the residence into Italian territory, the Vatican can distance itself from any future responsibility about what goes on in the seminary.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  The splashy, $6 million Illinois tourism campaign Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled this month, Time for Me to Drive, an anthem set to the 1970s REO Speedwagon mega-hit and touting hot spots from historic Galena to the Shawnee National Forest, ignores a key factor: The state's price for gas is among the highest in the country.

AAA reports that the average price per gallon in Illinois Tuesday was $3.22. While lower prices in the past have sent lawmakers scurrying to special session to take action, Pritzker seemed unconcerned that the current price might leave summer road trips off the to-do list for some families when asked about it last week.

But so, apparently, are tourists. Despite a national average that tops $3 per gallon for the first time since 2014, AAA estimates that 34 million people will travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, down about 8% from the 37 million who took to the road in 2019, but up by more than half from the number packing the hatchback during the deadly early throes of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

It's even taken on a name: Revenge travel, said AAA spokeswoman Jeanette McGee.

People have pent-up demand, they have discretionary income saved up, and they have the time off... McGee said. People are going to continue to travel this year, regardless of gas prices.

Pritzker was unfazed by the price hike's impact last week when he announced the annual road program, folded into his ongoing $51 billion Rebuild Illinois plan adopted in 2019, which relies in part on a doubled motor fuel tax that will hit 39.2 cents per gallon July 1. He defended the tax as a fair, improved-roads user fee and said gas-price fluctuations are tied to outside public markets when asked whether families would embrace his Time to Drive campaign with gas so costly.

Its Time for Me to Drive, Pritzker corrected, and its a great song by REO Speedwagon from Champaign. I hope everybody will get out this summer and drive.

The Time for Me to Drive title is a take-off of the 1978 hit by REO Speedwagon, formed at the University of Illinois in 1967. Time for Me to Fly was written by frontman Kevin Cronin, who explained in a 2017 interview that it's a simple redux on a painful breakup with a high school sweetheart which sent him escaping to Colorado.

No word on whether he drove. But those who do this summer will have to roll with the changes.

Jane Carrington of Petersburg said she took her camper last weekend to her son's home in eastern Illinois and parked it there for the summer for regular visits with her grandsons, ages 6 and 1.

Usually, I bring it back and forth," she said. "Not now with these gas prices!

Ironically, the per-gallon price hovered at $2 statewide in June 2000 when then-Gov. George Ryan called a special session of the Legislature to ease taxpayers pocketbooks by removing the states 5% sales tax on fuel for the second half of that year. Illinois is among only a few states to charge sales tax as well as a motor fuel tax.

While price spikes rarely discourage travel, tourists do scale back, McGee said. They dont go as far, they take in more free activities, they eat out less.

Tricia Sprague and husband Doug of Decatur postponed a planned camping trip to Florida earlier this spring because of the Sunshine State's chilly temperatures. When gas spiked, they considered going west, then east, and encountered the same high prices. Now planned for 15 days in late June and early July, they'll haul the camper at 8 mpg, rely on a camping association membership that allows for parking along the way, and stay in Florida's panhandle just four days.

Well just kind of zigzag around, depending on what looks interesting, and where theres good weather, Sprague said. And were planning on driving about only four or five hours a day, so were kind of justifying the price of gas by making the travel part of the trip.

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AAA gas prices: https://bit.ly/3hWj8yu

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Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Two West Virginia police officers who shot and wounded a Black man wielding a knife will not face any charges, a prosecutor has said.

A review of body camera video and reports determined the Charleston Police officers did not commit any crimes in the shooting of Denaul Dickerson on April 30, Kanawha County First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Don Morris told news outlets on Monday.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Puerto Rico ended a nightly pandemic curfew Monday after more than a year in force and will allow vaccinated visitors to enter the island without a negative coronavirus test result.

The island has been under a curfew since March 2020, when the first coronavirus case was reported. Even when the curfew was sometimes changed, it mostly stayed between midnight and 5 a.m.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoed bills Monday that would require the state to manage Omaha Public Schools' troubled pension system and expand eligibility for food and heating aid.

Ricketts has previously signaled his opposition to the pensions bill, calling it a slippery slope that could eventually Nebraska on the hook for the district's bad investment decisions. The bill's sponsor has said that isn't the case.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  The board that oversees Virginias community colleges has asked two schools to reconsider their decisions to keep names that honor people who owned slaves or advocated for segregation.

The Roanoke Times reported that the State Board for Community Colleges, which has authority over the institutions names, requested last July that the 23 schools evaluate the names of their colleges and buildings.

Five honor slaveholders, confederates or segregationists, according to the newspaper. While three of them have started the renaming process, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and Patrick Henry Community College told the board they planned to keep their names.

Dabney Lancaster was a longtime educator who advocated for white and Black teachers to earn equal pay, according to the newspaper. But he also supported school segregation following the U.S. Supreme Courts 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

When you look at his activities and his positions during that time, its not a profile in courage, Richard Reynolds, a board member and former member of the state House of Delegates, said.

Most members of the Clifton Forge colleges local board, comprised of white and Black members, said Lancasters contributions to education outweighed his efforts to prevent integration.

Ingrid Barber, who is Black, was not passionate about renaming the college but said it was important to create a comfortable learning environment.

John Rainone, Dabney Lancasters president, told the board May 19 that the decision to keep the name resulted from discussion and a survey of students, faculty and staff.

Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville said it will hold more meetings to discuss renaming after telling the state board it planned to keep the name.

Members of the governing body said a hyphen could possibly be inserted between Patrick and Henry in an attempt to differentiate between Virginias first governor who owned slaves and the two counties the school serves.

But state board member Dana Beckton said the two counties are named after Patrick Henry, the Founding Father who famously declared Give me liberty, or give me death at the second Virginia Convention in 1775.

Putting a hyphen in does not automatically or clear up the convention behind the name, she told the newspaper. I dont want us to get stuck on a hyphen and think the hyphen will cure it.

The board approved requests to remove the names of three slaveholders  John Tyler, Lord Fairfax and Thomas Nelson  from other community colleges. The institutions will bring new names to the governing body this summer.
UW Alumni Association to Host Second Womens Panelist Event

The University of Wyoming Alumni Association (UWAA) will debut its second prerecorded womens panelist event today (Tuesday) via its YouTube channel.

The panelist event is moderated by UWAA board member Anne Fish (B.A. 89). It highlights four UW alumnae who discuss their career pathways, their keys to success, and any obstacles they faced and how they overcame them. The event is sponsored by the UW College of Engineering and Applied Science and UniWyo Federal Credit Union.

Kim Krieger, Jody Levin, Carissa Moffat Miller and Susan Lewellyn Pamerleau are the panelists for the second UWAA womens event.

We are pleased to host our second womens panelist event, says UWAA Executive Director Keener Fry. These remarkable UW alumnae will share their career experiences and offer valuable insight for UW students and alumni looking to advance in their career fields.

Kim Krieger

Krieger earned a bachelors degree (1996) in petroleum engineering from UW, and she is a graduate (2017) of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program.

She is the chief operating officer at BPX Energy, BPs U.S. onshore shale subsidiary, where she is accountable for the safe and environmentally responsible delivery of 300,000 barrels per day equivalent production and $1 billion in annual operating cash.

As part of the BPX executive team, Krieger is delivering on a shared vision to disrupt U.S. onshore operations with rapid innovation and game-changing technologies. Embracing BPs mission to accelerate the energy transition, she has engaged her organization with a strategic plan to reduce emissions from operations year on year while continuing to generate operating cash to fund new low-carbon businesses within the BP portfolio.

Before joining BPX Energy in 2014, Krieger held several leadership and engineering roles with BP in Alaska, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Jody Levin

Levin earned a bachelors degree (1996) in agricultural communications and a masters degree (1997) in agricultural economics, both from UW.

With over 20 years of experience, she has an accomplished background in government affairs and public policy. Her career has spanned policy work for the late U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, two Wyoming governors, private industry and nonprofit entities.

She is the president of Levin Strategic Resources, a government and public relations firm she launched in 2009 when she realized opportunities to climb the corporate ladder meant leaving Wyoming. Levin offers clients strong, proven leadership in managing state and federal government affairs; advising corporate strategy; enhancing community identity; and growing philanthropic relationships.

She has a passion for civic engagement, serving on numerous boards, including two at UW. Levin co-chairs the Deans Advisory Council for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and she recently joined the UW Art Museums National Advisory Board. In 2018, she received the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Outstanding Alumna Award.

Carissa Moffat Miller

Miller earned a bachelors degree (1992) in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; a masters degree (1999) in sociology from UW; and a Ph.D. (2009) in education from the University of Idaho.

She is the CEO of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), where she works with state education chiefs to ensure all students have the opportunity to graduate from high school prepared for college, careers and life. A first-generation college graduate, Miller was named head of CCSSO in 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the 93-year-old organization. With a deep understanding of education policy at the state and national levels, she leads CCSSOs efforts to help states deliver equitable education opportunities to every student.

Before joining CCSSO, she served as a deputy superintendent at the Idaho Department of Education and led the implementation of statewide online testing for the Idaho Board of Education.

Susan Lewellyn Pamerleau

Pamerleau earned a bachelors degree (1968) in sociology from UW; a Master of Public Administration degree (1978) from Golden Gate University; and an honorary doctorate (1998) from Phillips University. She attended multiple professional schools, including advanced executive courses at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Harvard Universitys John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a graduate (2014) of the FBI National Executive Institute.

Pamerleau serves as the 33rd U.S. marshal for the Western District of Texas, having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate Aug. 28, 2018, and sworn in Sept. 17, 2018. Pamerleau leads the second-largest district in the U.S. Marshals Service. Her responsibilities entail leading and directing operations, including security of the United States courts, fugitive apprehension, executing federal court orders and other law enforcement activities. Before her appointment, Pamerleau was the 38th Bexar County sheriff, leading the 11th-largest sheriffs office in the nation.

She served 32 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a major general. She commanded the Air Force ROTC and the Air Force Personnel Center. After retiring from the Air Force, she served as senior vice president at USAA, an insurance and financial services company.

For more information about the panelist event, call the UWAA at (307) 766-4166 or email uwalumni@uwyo.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee officials say almost all construction-related highway lane closures will be paused for Memorial Day weekend.

According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the lane closures will be on pause for interstates and state routes from Friday through early next Tuesday.
BILOXI, Miss. (AP)  Thick swarms of termites are appearing nightly throughout south Mississippi, signaling that their mating season is underway.

The winged insects  often called swarmers  are likely Formosan termites, The Sun Herald reported.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed Monday to sign a bill that will thwart efforts by cities to reduce or reallocate police budgets, the latest of a string of actions he has taken to restrain local authorities.

Abbott took to Twitter Sunday night to weigh in on a shooting in the capital Austin, arguing that the police were "incapable" of responding swiftly, due to recent budget cuts.

"This is what defunding the police looks like," the Republican governor wrote. "Texas won't tolerate this. We're about to pass a law - that I will sign - that will prevent cities from defunding police," he added.

The governor responded to a tweet by the Austin Police Association President Kenneth Casaday, who wrote Sunday that it took 16 minutes for Austin police officers to arrive on the scene after a 911 call was placed, which resulted in a man being shot in the head, according to local media reports.

The Austin Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the shooting or the governor's remarks.

According to CBS Austin, the incident was related to a disturbance between two drivers and a bystander was reportedly critically injured.

On Monday, Abbott reiterated his promise to sign the bill that requires a municipality or county to hold an election before a local government is allowed to make any reduction or reallocation of law enforcement funds as a percentage of its total budget, reducing the number of officer positions or the budget for recruitment and training of new officers.

The bill also known a the "Back the Blue Act" also states that if the Texas comptroller's office determined a local government had cut funding without an election, the municipality could not raise property taxes for the following fiscal year. It was passed by the state's Republican-controlled Senate, but was postponed by the House Monday.

"We always #BacktheBlue. Which is why I made legislation preventing cities from defunding the police an emergency item this session" Abbott wrote on Twitter.

The initiative comes amid a nationwide, thorny debate over police reform following the death of George Floyd last year when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd, pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while he gasped for air.

Floyd's death sparked marches and demonstrations across the nation and prompted calls for major changes to policing, and for lawmakers to "defund the police," which often meant to reinvest law enforcement money in other social services including housing, food and mental health programs.

The Texas governor has been a fiercely opponent of any local efforts to defund cities' police departments.

In a news conference in January, Abbott said the state's Legislature must "step in" and forbid cities from cutting police budget, saying Texas "is a law-and-order state and we are going to ensure that we keep it that way."

In recent months, he has pushed several controversial attempts to prevent cities from slashing police budgets, including the inability to annex land and to consolidate Austin's police force under the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to local media reports.

He also pushed for a law that would withhold sales taxes from cities that have made cuts to their police budgets.

Austin, one of Texas's largest cities, slashed its law enforcement budget last October, though most of that decrease came from an accounting shift and it was used to fund other items, including housing, public health and emergency response, the Texas Tribune reported.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler has defended the decision saying the city does not believe in defunding the police, but rather in "searching for new ways" to keep the city safe.

"We are showing the country how reinvestments from the police budget can actually make many people's lives so much better and safer," said Gregorio Casar, an Austin city council member who helped passed the budget cuts, according to the Guardian. "This will build momentum for changes to police budgets across the country."

Following Austin's budget cuts Abbott called on Texans and candidates for public office to sign a "pledge" against defunding police departments, arguing "it would invite crime into our communities and put people in danger," .

"That is why I pledge to support any measure that discourages or stops efforts to defund police departments in Texas," reads the pledge.
NEW DELHI (AP)  Tens of thousands of people were evacuated Tuesday from low-lying areas of two Indian states and moved to cyclone shelters to escape a powerful storm barreling toward the eastern coast.

Cyclone Yaas is set to turn into a very severe cyclonic storm with sustained wind speeds of up to 177 kilometers (110 miles) per hour, the India Meteorological Department said. The cyclone is expected to make landfall early Wednesday in Odisha and West Bengal states.

The cyclone coming amid a devastating coronavirus surge complicates India's efforts to deal with both just 10 days after Cyclone Tauktae hit Indias west coast and killed more than 140 people.

Thousands of emergency personnel have been deployed in coastal regions of the two states for evacuation and possible rescue operations, said S.N. Pradhan, director of Indias National Disaster Response Force. Indias air force and navy were also on standby to carry out relief work.

Fishing trawlers and boats have been told to take shelter until further notice as forecasters warned of high tidal waves.

In West Bengal, authorities were scrambling to move tens of thousands of people to cyclone shelters. Officials said at least 20 districts in the state will feel the brunt of the storm.

Last May, nearly 100 people died in Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm in more than a decade to hit eastern India, including West Bengal state. It flattened villages, destroyed farms and left millions without power in eastern India and Bangladesh.

We havent been able to fix the damage to our home from the last cyclone. Now another cyclone is coming, how will we stay here? said Samitri, who uses only one name.

In Odisha, a state already battered by coronavirus infections, authorities evacuated nearly 15,000 people living along the coast and moved them to cyclone shelters, senior officer Pradeep Jena said.

In a televised address Monday, the states chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, appealed to people being moved to cyclone shelters to wear double masks and maintain social distancing. He asked authorities to distribute masks to the evacuated people.

We have to face both the challenges simultaneously, Patnaik said.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  A Tunisian navy frigate rescued 100 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa early Tuesday as their inflatable dinghy foundered in the Mediterranean Sea.

The 82 men, 10 women and eight infants had pushed off from Libya and were rescued some 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the coast of the Tunisian town of Zarzis, Tunisia's Defense Ministry said. Passengers told authorities the group was trying to get to Europe.

It was the latest incident this month involving people who were rescued, drowned or disappeared off Tunisia's coast. Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese visited the North African country last week to discuss migration.

Of the 13,358 migrants who arrived in Italy this year, nearly 9,000 had come from Libya and over 3,000 from neighboring Tunisia, Lamorgese said.

The Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights, a non-governmental organization, said at least 153 people have been found dead in Tunisias waters and on its beaches and dozens of others disappeared since the start of the year. It has criticized Tunisian authorities for doing the police work of Europe in the Mediterranean instead of focusing on other priorities.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
ROME (AP)  One night in early 2019, Rome street artist Alessia Babrow glued a stylized image of Christ she had made onto a bridge near the Vatican. A year later, she was shocked to learn that the Vatican had apparently used a reproduction of the image, which featured Babrow's hallmark heart emblazoned across Christs chest, as its 2020 Easter postage stamp.

Babrow sued the Vatican city-state's telecommunications office in a Rome court last month, alleging it was wrongfully profiting off her creativity and violating the intent of her artwork. The lawsuit, which is seeking nearly 130,000 euros ($160,000) in damages, said the Vatican never responded officially to Babrows attempts to negotiate a settlement after she discovered it had used her image without consent and sold it.

I couldnt believe it. I honestly thought it was a joke, Babrow told The Associated Press in an interview, standing steps from St. Peters Square. The real shock was that you dont expect certain things from certain organizations.

The Vatican is home to some of the greatest artworks ever made, and it vigorously enforces its copyright over everything from the Sistine Chapel to Michelangelos Pieta. But now the tables have turned, and the Vatican stands accused of violating the intellectual property rights of a street artist.

The Vatican stamp office declined to comment on the lawsuit, said its chief, Massimo Olivieri. The Vatican press office also declined requests for comment.

Copyright lawyers familiar with the case say it is an important benchmark for Italy and evidence of the increasing appreciation for Banksy-style street art. They say it underscores that even anonymous graffiti or guerrilla art deserves protection against unauthorized corporate merchandising, or, in this case, church merchandising.

Massimo Sterpi, whose Rome firm has represented Banksys Pest Control agency in copyright cases, said intellectual property law in much of Europe and the United States protects artists rights even if a piece was created on public or private property illegally.

The law considers it irrelevant if the work is made on paper, canvas or a wall or a bridge, Sterpi said. People who commercialize street art without making good-faith efforts to find the artist and negotiate use of the image do so at their own risk and peril, he said.

The artwork in question is a 35-centimeter-high (13.8-inch-high) printed picture of Christ styled on the famous work by the 19th-century German painter Heinrich Hofmann. On Christs torso is Babrows telltale tag: An image of a human heart with the words JUST USE IT written graffiti-style across.

The work is part of Babrows Just Use It project, which began in 2013 and has included similar hearts on Buddhas, the Hindu deity Ganesha and the Virgin Mary that can be found on walls, stairwells and bridges around Rome. A huge version also graces a palazzo scaffolding.

The concept of the project, Babrow says, is to promote the intelligence and the brain of the heart in a holistic, non-judgmental way. Lawyer Mauro Lanfranconi argued in the lawsuit that by appropriating the image to promote the Catholic Church, the Vatican irrevocably distorted Babrows message that there are no universal truths.

The Vatican printed an initial 80,000 stamps of the Christ at 1.15 euros apiece, according to the lawsuit. The stamps and a commemorative folder were still on sale at the Vatican post office last week and were prominently featured at the cashiers desk as a promotional item for sale.

Babrow says she created the Christ image on Feb. 19, 2019, and glued it soon thereafter onto a travertine marble wall just off the main bridge that leads to the Vatican, one of a dozen or so pieces of poster art she put up that night around central Rome. The work bears her scripted initials inside the heart.

She found out it had been used as the Vatican stamp when a well-known Rome street art photographer saw it and immediately recognized it as Babrow's handiwork.

Olivieri, the Vaticans numismatic chief, has told an Italian journalist that he took a photo of the Christ when he saw it while riding his moped one day and decided to use the image for the Easter stamp in an apparent attempt to appeal to a new generation of stamp enthusiasts.

In comments reported by the journalist in the online arts blog Artslife.com, Olivieri said he feared Holy See higher-ups might resist using a hip, graffiti-style stamp for Easter.

Instead, the acceptance was immediate and convinced, he was quoted as saying.

Babrow's lawyers sent a registered letter and an email to the philatelic and numismatic office identifying Babrow as the artist, the lawsuit says, but there was no written response to her request to negotiate terms of use, prompting her to sue.

I thought they were acting in good faith, that it was true they were looking for me, like had been written in the papers," she said. Only it seems it wasnt that way because they never wanted to meet with me.

Babrow stressed that the lawsuit wasnt an attack on the Catholic Church or Vatican, but rather an attempt to protect her rights and make sure her artwork wasnt being used to finance things outside her control.

Copyright lawyers said the Vaticans status as a sovereign state likely wouldnt protect it from an Italian courts jurisdiction, given the commercial activity and alleged damage to Babrow occurred in Italy.

The case is somewhat surprising, given the Vatican is well-versed in intellectual property rights and has shown its eagerness to protect its own copyright over everything from the popes words to its vast art collections.

Years ago, the Vaticans publishing house demanded royalties from journalists who wrote books reprinting Pope Benedict XVIs homilies. The Vatican Museums has long required media covering news events in the museum to agree to turn over the copyright of their images, lest anyone try to reproduce a Raphael without the pope's authorization.

Enrico Bonadio, professor of intellectual property law at the University of Londons City Law School, said street artists can use those same protections for their own creations.

The law does not discriminate, Bonadio said in a phone interview. Copyright laws do not subject the protection of an artwork to the fact that it is in a gallery or a museum.

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A previously version of this story corrected the spelling of the German painter to Hofmann, not Hoffmann.
SEATTLE (AP)  The Washington Attorney General's Office on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Court to uphold a new tax on big banks, a year after a lower court judge sided with the industry in finding it unconstitutional.

The 1.2% business and occupation surtax  a tax added on top of other taxes  was passed by the Legislature in 2019. It applies to banks that make more than $1 billion in annual profits, but it is assessed only on their economic activity in Washington state.

Lawmakers said they designed the measure, along with a similar surtax on big tech companies, to begin to fix Washington's regressive tax system by raising revenue from businesses most able to pay.

But the Washington Banking Association and the American Banking Association sued. The industry's attorneys, including former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, said the tax discriminates against interstate commerce  in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the right to regulate trade among the states and generally bars the states from hindering interstate commerce.

McKenna is also representing groups suing over Washington's just-inked capital gains tax, another effort by Democrats in Olympia to make the state's taxation more progressive.

McKenna told the justices that of the 153 financial institutions that had to pay the tax during the first quarter of 2020, 150 were based out of state. Out-of-state entities paid more than 99.7% of the $34 million collected during that period, he said.

The surtax targets out-of-state banks that participate in interstate commerce, McKenna said. Referring to comments made by then-Seattle Democratic Rep. Gael Tarleton, he added: Legislators were assured by the bills sponsor on the floor ... that only out-of-state banks would pay it.

King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson sided with the banks last May, ruling that while the bill had a discriminatory effect on interstate commerce, even though as written it would apply equally to big banks based in Washington state or outside it.

Washington Solicitor General Noah Purcell told the justices such reasoning would lead to absurd conclusions. He gave this example: If states couldn't approve taxes that are written neutrally but which wind up affecting more out-of-state businesses than in-state ones, Washington wouldn't be able to tax tobacco.

In-state entities and out-of-state entities are treated exactly the same, depending on their profit, Purcell said. Any bank with less than a billion dollars in profit can operate here without owing the surtax, no matter where theyre based.

The case drew a friend-of-the-court brief from labor and community activists, including the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance, who argued that the tax was a legitimate way for lawmakers to target Washington's tax system, which disproportionately burdens low-income people. The state's middle class and poor residents pay two to six times as much of their income in taxes as the wealthy do, lawmakers found.

The justices did not say when they would rule.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  As more companies start selling tickets to space, a question looms: Who gets to call themselves an astronaut?

Its already a complicated issue and about to get more so as the wealthy snap up spacecraft seats and even entire flights for themselves and their entourages.

Astronauts? Amateur astronauts? Space tourists? Space sightseers? Rocket riders? Or as the Russians have said for decades, spaceflight participants?

NASAs new boss Bill Nelson doesnt consider himself an astronaut even though he spent six days orbiting Earth in 1986 aboard space shuttle Columbia  as a congressman.

I reserve that term for my professional colleagues, Nelson recently told The Associated Press.

Computer game developer Richard Garriott  who paid his way to the International Space Station in 2008 with the Russians  hates the space tourist label. I am an astronaut, he declared in an email, explaining that he trained for two years for the mission.

If you go to space, youre an astronaut, said Axiom Spaces Michael Lopez-Alegria, a former NASA astronaut who will accompany three businessmen to the space station in January, flying SpaceX. His $55 million-a-seat clients plan to conduct research up there, he stressed, and do not consider themselves space tourists.

On Tuesday, Axiom Space announced a second flight for next year that will be led by the companys Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut whos spent 665 days in space, more than any other American. Her No. 2 will be businessman-turned-race car driver John Shoffner, of Knoxville, Tennessee, whos also paying around $55 million. Ive asked Peggy to throw the book at me in training. Make me an astronaut, he said.

Theres something enchanting about the word: Astronaut comes from the Greek words for star and sailor. And swashbuckling images of The Right Stuff" and NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts make for great marketing.

Jeff Bezos rocket company, Blue Origin, is already calling its future clients astronauts. Its auctioning off one seat on its first spaceflight with people on board, targeted for July. NASA even has a new acronym: PAM for Private Astronaut Mission.

Retired NASA astronaut Mike Mullane didnt consider himself an astronaut until his first space shuttle flight in 1984, six years after his selection by NASA.

It doesnt matter if you buy a ride or youre assigned to a ride, said Mullane, whose 2006 autobiography is titled Riding Rockets. Until you strap into a rocket and reach a certain altitude, youre not an astronaut.

It remains a coveted assignment. More than 12,000 applied for NASAs upcoming class of astronauts; a lucky dozen or so will be selected in December.

But what about passengers who are along for the ride, like the Russian actress and movie director who will fly to the space station in October? Or Japans moonstruck billionaire who will follow them from Kazakhstan in December with his production assistant tagging along to document everything? In each case, a professional cosmonaut will be in charge of the Soyuz capsule.

SpaceXs high tech capsules are completely automated, as are Blue Origins. So should rich riders and their guests be called astronauts even if they learn the ropes in case they need to intervene in an emergency?

Perhaps even more important, where does space begin?

The Federal Aviation Administration limits its commercial astronaut wings to flight crews. The minimum altitude is 50 miles (80 kilometers). Its awarded seven so far; recipients include the two pilots for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic who made another test flight of the company's rocket ship Saturday.

Others define space as beginning at an even 100 kilometers, or 62 miles above sea level.

Blue Origins capsules are designed to reach that threshold and provide a few minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth, By contrast, it takes 1 1/2 hours to circle the world. The Association of Space Explorers requires at least one orbit of Earth  in a spacecraft  for membership.

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation honors all those who sacrificed their lives for the U.S. space program even if they never reached space, like Challenger schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe and the test pilot killed in a 2014 Virgin Galactic crash. Also on the Space Mirror Memorial at NASAs Kennedy Space Center: X-15 and F-104 Air Force pilots who were part of a military space program that never got off the ground.

The astronaut debate has been around since the 1960s, according to Garriott. His late father, Owen Garriott, was among the first so-called scientist-astronauts hired by NASA; the test pilots in the office resented sharing the job title.

It might be necessary to retire the term altogether once hundreds if not thousands reach space, noted Fordham University history professor Asif Siddiqi, the author of several space books. Are we going to call each and every one of them astronauts?

Mullane, the three-time space shuttle flier, suggests using astronaut first class, second class, third class, "depending on what your involvement is, whether you pull out a wallet and write a check.

While a military-style pecking order might work, former NASA historian Roger Launius warned: This gets really complicated really quickly.

In the end, Mullane noted, Astronaut is not a copyrighted word. So anybody who wants to call themselves an astronaut can call themselves an astronaut, whether theyve been in space or not.

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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.
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  Zimbabwes president on Tuesday unveiled a towering bronze statue in the center of Harare, the capital, honoring a 19th-century Black anti-colonialist heroine who was hanged for leading a rebellion against white occupation.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa vowed to press for the return of her skull from Britain.

Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana, more widely known as Mbuya (grandmother in Shona) Nehanda, was hanged in 1898 for leading an anti-colonial rebellion. She was an influential spirit medium who rallied people to fight against the seizure of their land by colonialists.

After her death, Nehanda became a symbol of resistance and inspiration for the 1970s bush war that brought an end to the white-minority ruled country of Rhodesia and led to majority rule and the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980.

Mnangagwa presided over the unveiling of the statue, more than 3-meters high, at a major intersection in Harare, close to the place where Nehanda was hanged. The event was held to mark the Africa Day holiday.

The statue of Nehanda is a declaration that we stand proud of our history and identity, said Mnangagwa.

Nationalists still say her name to evoke a spirit of patriotism and a major road and the maternity wing of one of the southern African countrys biggest hospitals in the capital, Harare, are named after her.

Zimbabwe, like some other African countries, has been trying to get European museums to return skulls and other items shipped there as part of war trophies during colonialism.
JORDAN MEAD is News Editor for The Vidette. Contact her at jnmead@ilstu.edu. Follow Mead on Twitter at @meadjordan19

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By Eli Walsh

Bay City News Foundation

Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined his proposal Monday to spend $2 billion on wildfire and emergency preparedness with the expectation of worsening climate change.

The funding, included in Newsom's revised budget proposal, would include nearly $50 million to add 12 helicopters and seven air tankers to Cal Fire's air fleet, $143.3 million to hire 30 more firefighting crews and $708 million to maintain and improve forest and landscape health.

The $2 billion would be the most the state has ever dedicated in its budget to wildfire preparedness, according to Newsom.

"None of us are naive about the challenges that this state faces; for that matter, the entire western United States," Newsom said Monday during a briefing at McClellan Air Force Base outside of Sacramento.

State legislators already approved $536 million of that proposed $2 billion last month as an early action funding package for wildfire prevention and preparedness as the state plods into worsening drought conditions and sweltering summer months that could lead to large and deadly fires.

The state has already seen 1,000 more fires this year than at this time last year, which Newsom and Cal Fire Director Thom Porter noted was a record-breaking year itself in terms of the number of recorded fires.

"We are resilient, we have remarkable grit and capacity," Newsom said of the state's efforts to limit wildfire growth and damage. "And now with historic investments, we'll have more resources as well than at any time in California's recent history."

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.
A man who refused to wear a mask on a Southwest Airlines flight out of Oakland earlier this year faces a $9,000 fine, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday in a statement.

The man was on a plane bound for Houston on Feb. 20 when a crew member asked him to pull up his face mask to cover his nose. The passenger allegedly refused and the flight attendant gave him a new mask that he threw onto the ground.

The flight attendant explained that masks are required on airplanes by the Centers for Disease Control and the Transportation Security Administration and asked the passenger to acknowledge what she was saying, according to the statement.

The man continued to refuse to comply and asserted that face-mask wearing would not be enforced in Texas.

The cabin crew alerted the captain of the incident and the captain arranged for police to meet the plane upon arrival in Houston.

The FAA said in the May 24 statement that it's proposing civil penalties ranging from $9,000 to $15,000 against four other passengers for misconduct. In the most extreme incident, a female passenger on a Feb. 22 JetBlue flight from Miami to Los Angeles seated in the main cabin followed a male crew member into the first class section where she assaulted him, hitting him with her body and nearly pushing him into the lavatory.

"The enforcement actions announced today are part of the FAAs zero-tolerance policy for unruly and dangerous behavior by passengers," the FAA said.

The FAA has seen an alarming increase in passenger misconduct amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and since Jan. 1, the agency has received about 2,500 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal facemask mandate. This compares to the typical 100 to 150 formal cases of bad behavior from passengers the agency sees in a typical year, according to NBC News.
NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Travel to Mexico is booming, but recent reporting by Reuters suggests a potential snag in air travel between the U.S. and its southern neighbor. The Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly on the verge of downgrading Mexico's aviation safety rating. The move, which is expected to be announced as soon as this week, is being attributed to the lack of legal authority, training and compensation for the country's safety regulators.

While the FAAs downgrade wont stop Mexican carriers from flying between the two countries, it may have indirect consequences for travelers. At a time when demand  and ticket prices  are rising, the change in status prohibits Mexican airlines from adding U.S. flights. Mexico has been the number one international destination from the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the country continued to welcome tourists even as many other countries, including the U.S., closed its borders to non-essential travel. Last month alone, 2.3 million passengers traveled from the U.S. to Mexico, according to CNBC. The country with the second highest number was the Dominican Republic, with just a third Mexicos incoming of U.S. tourists.
A Southwest Airlines flight attendant lost two teeth in a physical attack by a passenger on a plane out of Sacramento, Calif., last weekend, according to a letter the flight attendant's union sent to the airline.

The union is calling on Southwest Airlines to take steps to help crew members control unruly passengers as the number of misconduct incidents rises amid the pandemic. The union said there were 477 misconduct incidents by passengers on Southwest Airlines aircraft between April 8 and May 15.

"Todays traveling environment requires a new level of firmness in both tone and direction to ensure proper control in the cabin of our aircraft as the attitudes and behaviors of the flying public have, unfortunately, declined," the union said. "It must be noted that Southwest Flight Attendants are doing all they can do to ensure compliance while creating a safe environment for all passengers and crew, but they also need the support and tools required to prevent injury to ourselves and others. We ask for your help in directing Management to support Flight Attendants as they work to maintain order on the aircraft by giving them the benefit of the doubt."

The airline confirmed in a statement that a flight attendant was physically assaulted by a passenger on Flight 700 from Sacramento to San Diego on the morning of May 23.

The passenger repeatedly ignored standard in-flight instructions, such as refusing to put the tray table in an upright position and not wearing a seat belt, and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing, Southwest said.

Police met the flight upon arrival in San Diego and the passenger was taken into custody.

MediaNews Group/East Bay Times v/MediaNews Group via Getty Images

"We do not condone or tolerate verbal or physical abuse of our Flight Crews, who are responsible for the safety of our passengers," Southwest Airlines said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that airlines have reported 2,500 incidents of unruly passengers this year, including 1,900 cases in which passengers refused to wear face masks, which are required by federal rule. The FAA provided those numbers as it announced it was seeking civil penalties totaling $54,500 against five passengers for behavior ranging from refusing to wear a mask to assaulting flight attendants.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Courtesy of Southwest Airlines

Airline ticket prices are rising fast as we head into summer, but beloved budget airline Southwest just dropped a Memorial Day fare sale that puts them back within reach, with one-way fares starting at $49.

For Bay Area travelers, there are a number of jaw-dropping deals throughout the summer and early fall. Those flying out of SFO will find nonstop round trip flights for $98 to Southern California (Burbank and LA) and Denver for $242. With stops, there are flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for $322 round trip and Los Cabos in Baja California for $325 in September.
Sharon, PA (16146)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm after midnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
With the one-year anniversary of George Floyds death at the hands of Minneapolis police, which sparked large-scale racial justice protests across the country, some in Connecticut are reflecting on the states own efforts to reform policing.

But driving from New Haven to Chicago recently, the Rev. Steven Cousin Jr. had something else on his mind.

Every time I talk to my family, theyre telling me to obey the speed limit, be careful, take care of yourself. You still have this fear. You dont know if you get pulled over, if youll make it out alive, said Cousin, pastor of Bethel AME Church in New Haven.

For Black men like Cousin, we dont have to wait for an anniversary to feel anxiety or concern.

We feel it every single day, he said.

In the wake of Floyds death, Connecticut set out to make systemic changes to how law enforcement operates here. The result  a wide-reaching police accountability bill passed last summer  was hailed by supporters and advocates as a big legislative win.

One year after Floyds death, it remains to be seen whether Connecticuts ambitious legislation will translate to better policing as advocates have called for or remain just that  a lofty endeavor.

An accountability bill isnt going to make us feel any safer, Cousin said. You just hope there will be more responsibility and consequences for officers actions, but that fear doesnt go away.

While Cousin said hes hopeful the law can lead to meaningful change, he also thinks of the legacy of civil rights and voting rights laws passed in the 1960s.

Were still fighting to preserve voting rights and our civil liberties, he said. You may have the laws in place, but if you dont have the right people to enforce those laws, then they look good on paper but never look good in practice.

Gov. Ned Lamont, asked to comment on the reform measure in light of the anniversary of Floyds death at his afternoon coronavirus briefing Monday, said he is proud of how Connecticut responded.

I saw parents  white, Black, brown  often with police, taking a knee, arm and arm, saying were shocked and outraged by everything that was represented by the murder of George Floyd,Lamont said, emphasizing, and it was a murder.

Though, the governor indicated there is more to do.

We continue to learn every day how we can make sure this is a more perfect union and a better state and nothing like that can ever happen, Lamont said.

Connecticuts law goes into effect in phases, starting last October with provisions prohibiting police from asking motorists for permission to search their cars during routine traffic stops and requiring officers who witness one of their colleagues employing unreasonable, excessive or illegal use of force to intervene and report the incident.

Some of the most controversial aspects of the bill take effect later on. That includes removing qualified immunity for police officers who commit wrongdoing, allowing citizens to file lawsuits in state court.

State lawmakers also gave police departments and local municipalities more time to fulfill mandatory body and dashboard camera requirements. Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chair of the General Assemblys Judiciary Committee, said lawmakers are discussing the possibility of increasing funding available for municipalities to pay for this equipment in the new two-year state budget.

A nine-minute, 29-second video taken by a bystander showing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck was the central piece of evidence in Chauvins murder trial. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

In 2021, should we be talking about the kinds of public shootings, killings, lynchings in modern day that we were talking about 100 years ago, said the Rev. John Selders, leader of the social justice coalition Moral Monday CT and pastor of Hartfords Amistad United Church of Christ.

This is kind of ridiculous to me  and yet here we are, Selders said. It took a young woman who had the presence of mind to record nine-plus minutes of George Floyd losing his life underneath the knee of a police officer.

State lawmakers also delayed the implementation of new standards on the use of deadly force, after they made changes to the law passed last summer to incorporate concerns from law enforcement.

But Republicans like House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford want to make other changes to the law.

Candelora said hed like to see a better balance on the tighter restrictions on police searches, which he feels put officers at a disadvantage from carrying out their duties.

What I hear anecdotally from police departments is their officers are very frustrated and feel that theyre hands are tied, he said.

Lawmakers passed the accountability bill at a polarizing time Candelora said. Now, with a cooling off period, theres opportunity for a reasonable debate to balance some of the provisions of the bill.

Asked what impact the legislation was having thus far on police operations, a State Police representative said by email that State Troopers have been sworn to protect the citizens of Connecticut since 1903. That commitment has not wavered under the new law.

State Police is seeing a roughly 20 percent decrease in applicants, but the representative said that is likely due to the pandemic given troopers were unable to actively recruit at events and schools as they usually do, and the next recruitment process will be a better barometer.

At the federal level, negotiations are ongoing on national police reform legislation, and in a joint statement Monday, U.S. Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Cory Booker D-N.J., and Karen Bass, D-Calif., who are working closely on crafting the legislation, said the anniversary of Floyds death serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change.

While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal, the senators said.

In Connecticut, many are taking a wait and see approach before calling the legislation a success.

For Cousin, that means strengthening communal ties with law enforcement, a return to community based policing, with officers living in the area theyre employed, and instilling trust in citizens that the officers will do right by the communities that theyre serving

That also means holding officers accountable for wrongdoing, Selders said.

Weve had some big wins, Selders sad. But the jury is still out on how those big wins will actually lift up and signal the change that we want to see.

julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
On Wednesday, May 12, 11 area high-school students were honored for outstanding achievement at the 25th annual Michigan Education Association (MEA) Academic All-Star award ceremony and banquet.

This year's event was held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Educators, parents and family members from across the region were invited to the Zoom event to support students from Mason County Central Schools, Mason County Eastern Schools, Ludington Area Schools, Manistee, Bear Lake, Hart, Kaleva Norman Dickson, Onekama, Pentwater, Shelby and Walkerville schools.

MEA Region 13 retiree Jim Cunningham again served as the MC for the evening.

Selection of the students was made by the MEA members in each school district. This year, the awardees were:

 Morgan Ahlfeld of Mason County Central High School;

 Jessica Smith of Mason County Eastern High School;

 Sophia Cooney of Ludington High School;

 Leah Nelson of Bear Lake High School;

 Rigoberto Rangel of Hart High School;

 Alexis Tracy of Kaleva Norman Dickson High School;

 Olivia Smith of Manistee High School;

 Jenna Bromley of Onekama High School;

 Shelby Brown of Pentwater High School,

 Claire Peterson of Shelby High School; and

 Mykaela Berumen of Walkerville High School.

Criteria for selection of the award included students' scholarship, leadership, character and service. The award recipients were each presented with a certificate of achievement recognizing them as Academic All-Stars for 2021, a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card, and gift certificates to local businesses, chosen by the students, to help pay for a celebratory meal.

This is the third year the 13-B Coordinating Council voted to honor one of the winners with an additional $500 scholarship. Representatives from each local union spoke on behalf of their nominee, and this years winner of the special scholarship was Kaleva Norman Dicksons Alexis Tracy.
Ludington, MI (49431)

Today

Cloudy in the morning followed by isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 74F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 55F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Page Content

Although many COVID-19-related guidelines have been relaxed at the federal level, California workplaces are still subject to various state and local rules. HR professionals will play a critical role in updating COVID-19-related workplace policies and managing employee expectations as the state prepares to reopen the economy.



"We are experiencing another wave of rapidly evolving and inconsistent COVID-19 direction and guidance from city, county, state and federal agencies," said Mark Terman, an attorney with Faegre Drinker in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently lifted many of its COVID-19 safety recommendations for people who are fully vaccinatedincluding mask and social-distancing guidelines.

"That caused confusion in many California workplaces," Terman said, noting that the state, as well as some local governments, still require fully vaccinated people take these measures. "Employers and their HR teams have their hands full keeping up with regulatory and guidance changes."

Mark Phillips, an attorney with Reed Smith in Los Angeles, said employers should be prepared to act quickly regarding workplace safety and should consult with legal counsel as the rules change.

"HR professionals should help employees to understand the distinction between CDC guidance, on the one hand, and state and local guidance and ordinances on the other," he suggested. "Communicate the employer's policies and practices as they relate to guidance and requirements."



SHRM Resource Hub Page

Coronavirus and COVID-19



Multiple Sources for Rules

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced on May 21 that many businesses "may return to usual operations" on June 15the state's target date for reopening the economy after more than a year of COVID-19-related restrictions.

In addition to monitoring guidance from the CDC and state officials, however, private employers must look to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Healthwhich is known as Cal/OSHA.

"Employers are subject to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), if applicable to them," the CDPH stated in the announcement.

Terman noted that employers must still follow all Cal/OSHA mask, social-distancing, hand-washing and other protocols.

The Cal/OSHA website is the first place employers should look for updates, explained Allyson Thompson, an attorney with Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck in Los Angeles.

Historically, Cal/OSHA's standards have been aligned with state orders, she noted, but even when Cal/OSHA's standards are updated, employers should look for industry-specific rules that may be more restrictive.

"California employers also have to look at local rules," Thompson said. For example, both the city and county of Los Angeles have their own COVID-19-related rules, and so does San Francisco. Santa Clara County recently issued new rules about wearing masks indoors and requiring employers to inquire about workers' vaccination status.

HR should take the time to wade through the applicable regulations and work with employment counsel or their general counsel to update policies, she added.

Looking Ahead

Cal/OSHA recently scrapped proposed changes to the ETS that were expected to be voted on and take effect this month, explained Aymara Ledezma, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Los Angeles.

The agency is expected to make a new proposal with a targeted effective date of June 15. The changes will address vaccinated individuals in the workplace. Ledezma mentioned that the new proposal might line up with the latest guidance from the CDC and statements from California officials on loosening mask requirements for fully vaccinated individuals, but Cal/OSHA's changes have not yet been announced. "Until then, employers must continue to enforce face coverings for all employees in the workplace."

Employers should note that local changes might happen quickly. "We anticipate that the interplay between state rules and local ordinances will be dynamic and call on employers to make tough decisions in the short term," Reed Smith's Phillips said. "Employers in many instances will continue their own additional safety protocols that may not be mandatory but are intended to safeguard both employees and the public."

Businesses can keep their mask requirements in place for their employees and customers if they wish to do so, and effective communication is key. HR is generally the employer's first line of defense in terms of communicating clear guidelines to employees, Ledezma said.

"CDC guidance is important to stay on top of, but particularly in California, HR should ensure that it is on top of any changes to state and local orders and guidelines and Cal/OSHA's requirements as well," she explained. "A good rule of thumb is that employers must generally follow the most restrictive requirements for their workplace."


Page Content

In an unexpected turn of events, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board announced that it will not move to adopt the proposed revisions to the existing Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS).

Instead, the Deputy Chief of Cal/OSHA has asked that the Standards Board hold off on voting and allow the state safety agency the opportunity to present a new proposal at a future meeting with a targeted effective date of June 15. Here's what this dramatic and unexpected development means for California employers.

Why the Sudden Change of Course?



Workplace law observers across the state were all but certain that California state workplace safety officials would move to adopt the proposed revisions. But given the fluid and ever-changing environment in which we've all operated since the start of the pandemic, it perhaps shouldn't be such a shock that state regulators would pull the rug out from under our feet so abruptly.

It appears that, in light of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) updated guidance for fully vaccinated individuals and the California Health & Human Services Agency secretary's announcement that California intends to adopt the CDC's masking guidance on June 15, additional revisions to Cal/OSHA's ETS are likely underway. However, on the other side of the equation, labor officials and worker advocates are pushing back against adoption of the loosened masking guidance for fully vaccinated individuals.

What Should Employers Do?

Depending on which stakeholders are most persuasive in the coming days and weeks, the dramatic development could be good news. It could result in more flexibility for employers while offering much-needed consistency, as state rules could fall closer in line to track the loosened federal CDC guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. However, things could easily go in the opposite direction and create heightened restrictions for California employers.

For now, while we wait for new proposed revisions to Cal/OSHA's ETS, it is important to remember that California employers are still under the current safety standardwhich makes no accommodation for fully vaccinated employees when it comes to masking. The only loosened restriction that California employers may currently follow is the updated guidance easing quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated asymptomatic employees in non-healthcare workplaces.

Benjamin M. Ebbink is an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Sacramento. Hannah Sweiss is an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Los Angeles.  2021 Fisher Phillips. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
He also said in 2021 alone 420 employees have tested Covid-19 positive.

Chennai: Five workers have died and about 850 have been infected with coronavirus at Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd since last year, said a top leader of Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS).

The Renault Nissan Automotive is a joint venture car manufacturing plant of French auto major Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Company.

"All our workers are young and they are dying. There is no social distance maintained at the factory. We had suggested reducing the number of cars produced per hour. This in turn would reduce the number of workers per workstation. But the management didn't agree," K.Balaji Krishnan, President RITS told IANS.

There are about 3,580 permanent workers, about 2,000 staff, about 2,000 contract workers and about 1,000 apprentices at the Renault Nissan Automotive factory near here.

If one takes into account the family members of the workers and those working in the vendor companies then the total number of persons at risk will run into a couple of Alakhs.

According to Krishnan, the Union had requested the factory to be closed till the workers are vaccinated or the demand for beds at the hospitals come down.

Though the automobile and the component makers did not function during the March 2020 lockdown, they are allowed to operate with the state government bringing them under the continuous process industries.

A worker said the paint shop and the foundry is classified as a continuous process and hence the automobile factories are classified as a continuous process industry.

"The paint shop and the foundry can be kept alive without production happening. But the companies are agreeable for that," industry workers told IANS.

Krishnan said the Tamil Nadu government's order classifying automobile manufacturers as Public Utility Service ended this February.

According to Krishnan, Renault Nissan Automotive has taken out an insurance policy covering Covid-19 for a value of Rs1,00,000 per worker and not their dependents.

"There is the usual health insurance cover for Rs 2,00,000 for workers and their dependents but the coverage is insufficient as the hospital expenses incurred for Covid-19 are very high," Krishnan added.

The union has filed a case in the Madras High Court against the Tamil Nadu Government and Renault Nissan Automotive challenging the former's order classifying the units that are continuous process industries.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)


In industry parlance, a GI certified products corresponds to a specific geographical location of origin.

New Delhi: In a major boost to export of GI (geographical indication) certified products, India on Monday exported the season's first consignment of 'Shahi Litchi' from Bihar to United Kingdom via the air route.

"The phyto-sanitary certification for exports of 'Shahi Litchi' was issued from newly established certification facility at Patna," an official statement said.

"Because of short-shelf life of litchi, there is need to explore exports opportunities for the processed and value-added products."

According to the statement, 'Shahi litchi' is the fourth agricultural product to get GI certification from Bihar after 'Jardalu' mango, 'Katarni' rice and 'Magahi' paan.

"Muzzafarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Champaran, Begusarai districts and adjoining areas of Bihar have favourable climate for growing 'Shahi Litchi'."

At present, India is the second largest producer of litchi (Litchi chin) in the world, after China.

The translucent, flavoured aril or edible flesh of the litchi is popular as a table fruit in India, while in China and Japan it is preferred in dried or canned form.

Currently, Bihar tops in terms of production of litchi in India.


Washington, May 24 (IANS) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recently issued guidance for vaccinated people to forgo masks. However, in a new study, the agency has reinforced the message saying that Covid-19 spreads less in schools where teachers and staff wear masks, the media reported.

The latest study comes from Georgia and compares Covid-19 infection rates across 169 K-5 schools, the NPR.org reported. Some schools required teachers, staff and sometimes students to wear masks; some did not.

The researchers found that, between November 16 and December 11, infection rates were 37 per cent lower in schools where teachers and staff members were required to wear masks. The difference between schools that did and did not require students to wear masks was not statistically significant.

This is one more study showing that masking, among other mitigation efforts, "can reduce infections and ultimately save lives," Sean O'Leary, Professor of paediatrics at the University of Colorado was quoted as saying.

O'Leary pointed to a previous CDC study, of schools in Florida, that also found "a strong association with student mask requirements and lower rates of infections in students."

Many states including Texas, Iowa have announced a ban on masks in schools. But, public health experts have flagged concerns, the report said.

"All along in this pandemic, we have seen the tragic consequences when politics start to play a role in public health decisions. And to me, this kind of manoeuver smells like politics -- to ban the requirements that are ultimately there to save lives," O'Leary said. "The body of evidence shows us that masks work."

Aaron Milstone, Professor of paediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, has likened the banning of mask mandates to having a variable speed limit.

While the CDC recently scaled back its masking guidance for fully vaccinated people, it also reiterated that schools should continue to require universal masking, at least through the end of the current school year, the report said.

Milstone said it's simply too early to talk about schools without masking. "Until vaccines are eligible for all children, it's hard to abandon the practices that we know work the best to prevent the spread of Covid," he noted.

--IANS

rvt/ash
In a letter written to the Information and Broadcast Minister Prakash Javadekar, the Tamil Nadu Government has sought a ban on The Family Man 2. The letter read that the series is loaded with insults and insinuations against the sacrifices of the Tamils in the long draw out democratic battle.

"I would like to bring to your notice the condemnable, inappropriate, and malicious contents of "The Family Man-2" Serial in Hindi- which depicts the Eelam Tamils in a highly objectionable manner. The Trailer of the above said serial which was released on the Social Media Network is aimed at discrediting and distorting the historical struggle of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka. The sacrifices of their long drawn out democratic battle has been intentionally undermined and it could not, by any stretch of imagination considered merely as a Serial with any value for Tamil Culture. Moreover, a serial which is loaded with insults and insinuations against the glorious Tamil Culture could never be considered as the one having any broadcasting value", read the letter.

The letter also added that casting Tamil actress Samantha as a terrorist is a direct attack on the pride of Tamils.

" For example, branding Tamil Speaking Actress. Samantha as a terrorist in the serial is directly an attack on the pride of Tamils living around the world and no one will tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign. The trailer of this Serial has already evoked strong and widespread opposition from the people of Tamilnadu as well as from the political parties in the State. While our brethren Eelam Tamils are struggling for decades to enjoy the fruits of equality, Justice, Peace and dignity in the island nation, it is highly unwarranted for an organisation like Amazon Prime to undertake this kind of smear campaign against the Tamils-who are the builder of India as well as many nations across the globe. I would like to state that the above serial has not only hurt the sentiments of Eelam Tamils but also the feelings of the people of Tamilnadu on large scale and if allowed to broadcast, it would be prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony in the State.

In the circumstances, I request you to take immediate action either to stop or ban the release of "The Family Man-2" in OTT, Amazon Prime not only in Tamilnadu but also across the Country", read the letter to the Minister.



Already, Tamil activists and politicians like Seeman and Vaiko have sought a ban on the series.
In the gunfight in which Shekau was apparently slain, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (Iswap) was the victor. Mobile columns of the Iswap fighters had travelled from their strongholds along Lake Chad, and cornered Shekau at his base in the Sambisa forest. What happened thereafter is a matter of controversy.

According to the Nigerian news website HumAngle, after his bodyguards were killed or captured, Shekau surrendered, and tried to cut a deal with Iswap. But after he was asked to issue a humiliating surrender statement, Shekau blew himself up, detonating a suicide vest that he was wearing. All people present during the negotiations were also instantly killed.

However, the AFP news agency reported that when Shekau reached the point of no return, after being surrounded by Iswap fighters, he shot himself in the chest and fell on the ground. While he was bleeding profusely, he was whisked away to an unknown destination by some of his surviving loyal fighters. Nigeria's Vanguard News says that most of Shekau's rival fighters were aged between 12 and 30. "They are actually children of some Iswap members killed over time," one of the sources who was quoted said.

For Iswap the final battle with Boko Haram in its lair is a turning point, paving the way to its unrivalled leadership in Nigeria, and probably beyond. The group was already on a high having vanquished in 2018, the Al Qaeda which was once the dominant force in the Sahel-the area between Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south.

The rise of Iswap can partly be attributed to Boko Haram's excesses. Under Shekau, Boko Haram used children and women as suicide bombers. Some Iswap pioneers consequently broke away from Boko Haram to start their own outfit. The weakening of Boko Haram on account of joint operations mounted in 2015 by the armed forces of Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad and Niger further encouraged defections into the emerging new outfit.

Over time, Iswap developed its moles inside Boko Haram. Local media reports say that information provided by these insiders helped to green-light the final assault by Iswap on the Boko Haram base.

With the expected capture of Boko Haram's armoury, Iswap is likely to have further beefed up its military muscle. A psychological threshold may have also been crossed. Iswap's image as a group, on the rise, is now expected to attract more Jihadi fighters into its tent.

Considering the big picture, the Islamic State's profile may now be covering an arc starting from northeast Nigeria, weaving through strongholds in Chad, all the way to Libya in the north, covering thousands of miles. IS affiliates are also making their presence felt in East Africa, especially in the resource rich areas of northern Mozambique. The question that does arise is that after their exit from Syria and Iraq, is the IS now regrouping and eyeing Africa as its consolation prize? Once armed with its vast resources, is the dream of establishing a new Caliphate still alive?

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative/




The ministry also announced seven more fatalities, taking the death toll in Kuwait to 1,741, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,081 to 286,199, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Kuwait City, May 25 (IANS) The Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported on Monday 1,240 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 300,455.

A total of 12,515 Covid-19 patients are receiving treatment, including 145 in the intensive care units, it said.

At a meeting of Kuwait's government on Monday, Minister of Health Bassel Al-Sabah said the recovery rate in the country has reached 95.3 per cent along with a drop in daily deaths.

Meanwhile, the government urged citizens and residents of the country to continue taking precautions such as avoiding crowds and receiving vaccines.

On Sunday, restaurants and cafes in Kuwait started to receive dine-in customers from 5 a.m. until 8 p.m. local time. After 8 p.m., only takeaway and home delivery orders are permitted.

--IANS

int/rs
Amid the pandemic and the rapidly changing regional China-driven geopolitical contours, the importance of smaller regional blocs which until now remained dormant has come to the fore, analysts said.

"The rekindling of BIMSTEC, somewhat, had started around 2018 before the outbreak of Covid 19 but with the pandemic is likely to give it a further push. Covid 19 induced issues such as health, education besides social factors must be taken up by the BIMSTEC bloc," Nazneen Ahmed, Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) told India Narrative.

"Instead of one step backward, we can now take one step forward by focusing on the commonalities among the countries. Taking up the softer issues and enhancing exchange of knowledge and know-how on various health related issues would help in reviving BIMSTEC," Ahmed said, adding that complex issues relating to trade could be kept aside for the time-being.

A study by the East West Center underlined that the pandemic has brought up the need to strengthen regional cooperation in the public health sector and related services in the region while enhancing trade facilitation to augment supply chain resilience, and restoring economic growth. "The key message is that measures to mitigate Covid-19-related challenges must serve to reduce the costs of the pandemic in the region," the study noted.

BIMSTEC, which started as an economic bloc between Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation was later rechristened Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation after the entry of Nepal and Bhutan in 2004.

According to the Observer Research Foundation, despite many concerns that plague the BIMSTEC, there are grounds for optimism with the resurgence of strategic and economic interests besides the thrust on Indo Pacific, the bloc has gained salience as a promising sub-regional grouping.

The recent resurgence of strategic and economic interests in the Bay, as part of a larger maritime strategic space, namely, the Indo Pacific, has helped BIMSTEC gain salience as a promising sub-regional grouping. the bloc can become an important relay for the development of new supply chains that exclude China. Already India, Japan and Australia--comprising the Indo-Pacific core--have started a dialogue of building new post-Covid supply chains, which could leverage the strengths of BIMSTEC members along the way forward.

An analyst said that the post Covid world will present a different picture with the thrust on regional factors. "Many had written obituaries of BIMSTEC but the region has suddenly become the focus with geopolitical contours changing," he said.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative/
ICICIdirect, a virtual financial supermarket offering investment, protection, and loan products, on Monday announced the expansion of its Global Investments facility to new markets like the UK, Japan, Germany, and Singapore.

ICICIdirect's Global Investment customers can trade in securities in these markets, in addition to the US.

This facility is offered in association with Interactive Brokers LLC, a US-based online brokerage firm with multi-asset and multi-geography trading capabilities, the firm said in a statement.

The entire customer journey, from on-boarding to buying and selling of securities, will be completely digital.

"Since the encouraging response to our Global Investment facility for the US markets in August 2020, customers have been demanding for other markets too. We are happy to launch five new markets on the platform, with which our 5.5+ million customers can now avail of investment opportunities in these matured and well regulated market, and also further de-risk their portfolio from geography concentration point of view," said Anupam Guha, Head - Private Wealth Management, ICICI Securities.

Investors can participate in the opportunity through the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), and can now invest across stocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Mutual Funds (non-US) and fixed income products upto $250,000 per annum.

Some of these markets, like the US, offer unique advantages like no minimum ticket size and fractional ownership of shares, so even small retail investors can build a portfolio effectively.
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Smaller tenants are leading the post-pandemic charge into new offices.

Elevated leasing activity in sub-1000 square metre spaces is a cross-country trend in the first quarter of this year, according to Colliers Australia.

The Botanicca Corporate Park in Cremorne. Credit:

About 67 per cent of non-CBD deal activity was recorded in the sub-1000 sq m category, compared to 54 per cent of deals in the CBD markets, Colliers said. But even that level of small deals in CBD centres is elevated compared to previous periods.

Agent Rob Joyes attributes the heightened activity in the sector to nimbler small-to-medium sized businesses making decisions to move to new premises more quickly than their cumbersome corporate cousins.
Trilogy Funds Management has swooped on a 657 sq m office and 4603 sq m high-clearance warehouse, paying $10,025,000. The warehouse at 118 Colemans Road, leased to Tempur Sealy International Inc with 5.3 years remaining on the lease, sold on a 5.5 per cent yield. Tempur was paying rent of $552,198 a year with 3.5 per cent annual reviews, said Cushman & Wakefields Andrew OConnell and Robert Colaneri .

A 42.82 hectare land parcel at 343 McGlone Road sold to a national developer for an undisclosed price in the vicinity of $14 million. Real Properties Joe Catanese said the concept masterplan allowed for a net developable area of 31.67 hectares within less than a six-minute drive of Drouin town centre.

Dandenong South

Ten bidders pushed the yield for a factory at 6 Capital Drive to a low of 4.26 per cent amid strong demand. CBREs Tim Homes, Lachlan Ferguson and Ned Murphy steered the auction, which closed when the hammer fell $710,000 above the reserve, at $3.21 million. The property has a five-year lease to Windsor Engineering Group.

Sandringham

Off-market sales are coming back. An investor paid $950,000 for a Sandringham cafe in a deal brokered by Teska Carsons George Takis. The 222 Bay Road property, within the Sandy Hill 445 resort-style apartment complex, was a strata-titled retail shop with a five-year lease and five-year option.
Bitcoin is already a barbarous relic in fintech time. It has failed to make the grade as a daily means of exchange after 12 years of agitation, bar money-laundering, cyber extortion and Iranian sanctions-busting.

It has not progressed beyond the stage of a speculative asset. It is captivating but is not what the evangelists promised.

Some of the other 8000 cryptos may acquire social utility. Goldman Sachs says Ethereum could muscle into financial contracts, becoming the Amazon of information. Fixed stablecoins may find a profitable role, though they still have an umbilical cord to dollars, euros, or yen and import their credibility from a central bank exchange peg, and therefore are not currencies at all.

The popularity of digital coins has set off a stampede by governments to create all-enveloping digital currencies. Credit:Chris Ratcliffe

But one thing that cryptomania will certainly not achieve is to create a Hayekian catallaxy of denationalised free currencies that break the fiat monetary control of established states, and this surely was the original purpose after the Lehman debacle. The rebels are more likely to bring about the exact opposite: yet greater concentration of power in the hands of overmighty central banks and the digital oligarchy, the robber barons of our time.
Last week, polling by News Corp showed that the Upper Hunter electorate was split down the middle on whether the regions future lies in protecting coal jobs or in building a plan for transition. There is no city versus the regions in this, people in places like the Upper Hunter arent homogenous and none are fools. Labor reducing its approach to pro coal or no coal offers nothing.

For cooler heads, it was empirical proof that NSW Labors decision to abandon its leadership on climate change is a dead end in regional seats, and likely electoral poison in the cities and suburbs.

When the Labor vote crashed, Fitzgibbon was straight back on the horse, threatening to leave the party that has sustained him for a quarter of a century and arguing the only problem was that the campaign lacked conviction.

After months of calling for Labor to reject credible climate change policy, Labor head office handed Joel Fitzgibbon everything he wanted at last Saturdays Upper Hunter byelection. There was a former miner candidate, an embrace of all things coal, a patchy honesty about the economic changes coming the Hunters way and some old-fashioned dog whistling about climate change-obsessed inner-city elites.

On one of the big questions for the region, how the power of government would be used to intervene to protect communities from inevitable economic change, Labor had very little to say, the cupboard was bare. Leadership, an orderly plan, funding, training and some well-crafted industry policies are needed to ensure the Hunter prospers deep into the 21st century. Labor may need to use some muscles that have calcified in these years of narrow pro-market policy, but its time to flex them again. This is core business and there was no excuse for Labor being bereft of this for the byelection. Throughout the campaign, John Barilaro did better than Labor at articulating support for coal workers alongside acknowledgment that change was coming and the region needed to prepare.

NSW Labors approach did not deliver votes in a key coal seat, but equally importantly continues to undermine Labors chances of winning support across the Australian community.

The ANUs Australian Electoral Study showed that climate change was one of Labors greatest vote attractors at the 2019 federal election. This was confirmed by the Emerson-Weatherill review of the partys federal election performance. Across the country, voters swung to Labor on climate but away on other policy issues. Blaming a principled approach to climate change for a myriad of other campaign and candidate problems is self defeating.

Labor believes in climate action. We are a party of reform that recognises the science of climate change and is committed to ensure communities like the Hunter are not left behind. This is not the easy path. The easy path is taken by the Liberals to our right and the Greens to our left. Because we believe in climate action, we must act like it. To think the millions of Australians who worry about climate change will continue to support us just because of past leadership is dangerous. We risk looking very old-fashioned and devoid of belief.
Hot and frothy political news: one of Parliament Houses most cherished institutions is under threat of competition.

Aussies cafe is a crucial parliamentary meeting place where the service can be as bitter as the coffee. Owner Dom Calabria is so influential that previous disputes about his licence with the Department of Parliamentary Service, which runs Parliament House, have hit the media and even come up in Senate estimates hearings.

Dom Calabria and Scott Ryan Credit:John Shakespeare

Calabria took over the cafe from his father and, for a long time, the licence was not subject to a competitive tender. In 2017 Calabria clashed with the department when it came asking for data on Aussies turnover so it could set a fair licence fee, and then recommended raising the rent by 70 per cent. It also tried to foist a gagging clause on Calabria as part of a new agreement. Can you imagine?

Now Senate President Scott Ryan, who oversees parliamentary operations, has flagged widespread changes to the retail and food and beverage arrangements. This time around on the food front, the department will keep running the parliamentary staff cafeteria (charmingly known as The Trough), the public Queens Terrace cafe, the private members dining rooms, and the two coffee carts. The coffee cart stationed in the press gallery wing was converted into a permanent kiosk, at an eye-watering cost of $420,000.
The five remaining trusts managing Sydneys cemeteries - including the Catholic and general trusts at Rookwood - will be axed and merged into one to save the sector from financial collapse.

It is the final step in a decade-long restructuring process by the NSW government that resulted in 17 cemetery trusts being reduced to five. Advisers recommended in 2012 and then earlier this year that they be cut to just one to increase efficiency and cut costs.

NSW Water, Property and Housing Minister Melinda Pavey said on Tuesday the decision implemented recommendations from a review that found Sydney was running out of burial space and had unfunded liabilities of more than $300 million.

Undertakers at Rookwood. Credit:Louise Kennerley

It would also support consistent, transparent and affordable pricing for consumers, she said.
Police are still on the hunt for a man accused of performing a string of sexual acts on buses in Sydneys CBD and inner west earlier this year.

A man police want to question after a string of sex acts were performed on Sydney buses. Credit:NSW Police

New images of a man police want to question over the alleged sex acts have been released as investigations into at least four incidents continue.

Just after 2pm on February 5, a man performed a lewd act on a bus between Enmore and Redfern in front of a passenger before getting off on Cleveland Street, Redfern, police said.

The matter was reported to police and officers from the police transport command started an investigation.
NSW Police officers were hired as gatekeepers to a Liberal branch meeting chaired by powerbroker Joe Tannous, with a state executive among several party members denied entry in what has been labelled a factional war.

Senior party sources say the police and private security guards stationed at the Lakemba branch annual general meeting on May 19 were there to protect attendees following threats against the safety of branch president Mohammad Zaman, who was re-elected that night.

Police stationed outside White Castle Receptions, where the branch meeting took place.

But in a complaint made to the partys state director, Chris Stone, Mr Zamans challenger Rashid Bhuiyan alleged the party colleague he invited to scrutinise the vote was barred from entry at the Lakemba venue, White Castle Receptions. An adviser to Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was also refused.

In his complaint, accompanied by several statutory declarations seen by the Herald, Mr Bhuiyan alleged intimidation tactics had been used to deny his supporters  including executive member Christian Ellis  entry to the meeting, which had not been conducted in a fair and just manner.
A central Queensland coal-fired power station that caught fire and exploded is not expected to be operational for days as investigators work to determine the cause of the blaze.

Up to 400,000 people across Queensland, including as far south as Brisbane and the Gold Coast, were impacted by the major power outage at Callide power station in Biloela, about 145 kilometres north-west of Bundaberg, where a turbine caught fire causing several units to trip.

The Callide power station in Biloela, Queensland.

The fire caused chaos across the state from Rockhampton to the Gold Coast, after both units of Callide C tripped just before 2pm, causing instability on the grid.

Instability on the grid also resulted in operating units at Callide B and Stanwell and three units at Gladstone also tripping.
A woman has been rushed to hospital after a bicycle and truck crashed on the Gold Coast.

Emergency services were called to Casino Drive at Broadbeach about 12.40pm on Tuesday.

The woman in her 30s who was riding her bicycle was taken to the Gold Coast University with head, pelvic and leg injuries.

She was in a serious but stable condition and was transported with the high acuity response team on board.
After finding themselves homeless, underpaid, out of work and with little to eat during the pandemic, international students have established a hub in Sydney to support each other.

The new International Student Hub, backed by the City of Sydney and the Sydney Alliance coalition of community groups, unions and religious groups, was launched in Surry Hills on Wednesday as the first collective of its kind to be run by students.

Erika Katalbas and Abhishek Singh at the new International Student Hub. Credit:Edwina Pickles

University of Sydney business school lecturer Stephen Clibborn, who is on the hubs advisory committee, said it would provide much needed community support and advice to students about their legal rights and entitlements to minimum wages.

Dr Clibborns research has identified systemic underpayment of international students who were more likely to be mistreated at work and at risk of exploitation in overcrowded accommodation.
A man accused of fatally stabbing a tradesman near a Melbourne train station will stand trial for murder, but two other young people have pleaded guilty to lesser offences.

Carpenter Cam Smith, 26, was killed when he was stabbed in the chest with an edged weapon, allegedly by Jack Ledlin, during an altercation near the Seaford train station about 6.55pm on November 25 last year.

Cam Smith, 26, died after he was stabbed near Seaford train station.

Police also allege two other males, Liam Casley and a 17-year-old boy, kicked Mr Smith as he lay on the ground bleeding after he was stabbed. Mr Smith died at the scene.

Mr Ledlin, 20, on Tuesday appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court, via a video link from prison, and pleaded not guilty to murder. He waived his right to a substantial pre-trial hearing where evidence is given.
New restrictions came into effect from 6pm on Tuesday, mandating the wearing of face masks indoors, including at high schools, workplaces and hospitality venues (when not eating or drinking). Gathering limits of five visitors a day were introduced for private homes and public gatherings were limited to 30 people. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The outbreak, which as of Tuesday evening totalled nine cases, threw the AFL fixture into doubt as the league awaited updated health advice on crowd caps, which one source said could be as low as 50 per cent. The ladder-leading Western Bulldogs were forced into isolation on Tuesday because a club staffer had attended the Highpoint Shopping Centre exposure site on Thursday evening. A match scheduled for Saturday night at Optus Stadium in Perth was expected to go ahead, despite all arrivals into WA from Victoria being required to quarantine until they returned a negative coronavirus test. New Zealand has paused quarantine-free travel with Victoria for 72 hours in response to the outbreak. University of South Australia biostatistics professor Adrian Esterman, a former World Health Organisation adviser, said he was concerned the northern suburbs cluster was the first significant outbreak of the Indian variant of coronavirus to be seeded in Australia.

Loading It is making me quite nervous because at this stage we arent 100 per cent sure just how much more transmissible this variant of the virus is, he said. All we know from evidence is that this variant is more transmissible and this is the first time we have had an extended number of cases of this variant. If we see another bunch of cases tomorrow, I think it is unfortunately lockdown time. A senior Andrews government source, speaking on the condition on anonymity, said the government was expecting to receive further updates from health officials on Tuesday evening. A routine meeting of cabinet ministers was held on Tuesday afternoon, but no decisions were taken.

Late on Tuesday night, the Department of Health also announced new exposure sites in Epping, Lalor, Mill Park and Thomastown taking the number of exposure sites across Melbourne connected to the outbreak to 31. Genomic sequencing has confirmed the cluster is linked to a Wollert man who picked up the Indian variant in South Australian hotel quarantine before returning home to Melbourne earlier this month. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it was still unclear, however, whether the initial case had passed the virus directly to the new case revealed on Tuesday morning, a man in his 60s who lived in the same area, raising the possibility of a missing link in the chain of transmission. The man in his 60s became symptomatic on May 17, but was tested only on Monday as he was a close contact of one of four cases revealed that day. As a result, he was unknowingly infectious for more than a week, although Professor Sutton said the mans movements were mostly small, contained interactions.

Loading Later on Tuesday, Victorian authorities revealed four new infections had been detected, all household contacts of the man in his 60s. Eighty-four of 168 identified close contacts of cases in the cluster had tested negative by Tuesday afternoon. That number of close contacts, who have all been asked to quarantine for 14 days, was expected to grow on Wednesday. We have to be alive to the possibility that more of those will be confirmed positive. Primary close contacts are in quarantine now, Professor Sutton said. Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, said the five new cases reported on Tuesday showed there had already been at least four generations of spread and it was possible other cases were yet to be detected.

Those people were positive and likely infectious before they were quarantined, she said. Weve had potentially at least five days of exposure and thats the worry. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Professor Bennett said it was too soon to say if Victorians would be plunged into another lockdown and argued the state governments restrictions were proportionate to the current risk. Despite the likelihood of multiple new close contacts and exposure sites linked to Tuesdays new cases, Professor Sutton was optimistic when asked if further restrictions would be necessary on top of those announced on Tuesday morning. No. Well review with further information tonight and tomorrow, as we do every day, he told ABC radio. But at the moment, it just relates to four primary close contacts whove tested positive.

Almost 11 months since Victoria began its 16-week second-wave lockdown on June 30 last year, La Trobe university epidemiologist Hassan Vally said Melbourne was hovering in an unknown zone and it was really hard to predict how this will unfold. It is triggering, I think, for people in Melbourne because we are heading into colder weather and it is reminding us all of being in lockdown last winter, said Associate Professor Vally, who anticipated more cases in the coming days. Acting Premier James Merlino said the government was considering further advice on large events such as AFL matches at the weekend and Rising Festival, which starts on Wednesday. Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra warned the mask-wearing edict would inevitably cause Victorians to work at home rather than the office.

We know that when face masks are required to be worn in the office and the workplace, attendance rates plummet and there is a large proportion of people who elect to work from home, he said. Wait times exceeded two hours at testing sites across Melbourne on Tuesday. Credit:Jason South Given the COVID-19 journey that Victoria has been on, there is also understandably some nervousness around catching public transport or attending the office when outbreaks occur. Testing centres across Melbourne were swamped from 8am on Tuesday as they struggled to keep up with demand. One at the Northern Hospital in Epping closed 20 minutes after opening, while the Royal Showgrounds site reached capacity five minutes after accepting visitors, with people waiting for more than two hours in their cars to get tested. Vaccination clinics also reported an upswing in demand: Antony Tobin, chief medical officer at St Vincents Hospital, which is overseeing the clinic at the Royal Exhibition Building, said there had been a lot of walk-ins.
Constantine Arvanitis admitted he would tell women he loved them early on in a sexual relationship, sometimes several at the same time.

It was when those women found out about each other, he told the County Court on Tuesday, that they tried to destroy him.

Selina Holder leaving court on Tuesday. Credit:Joe Armao

As part of his defamation trial against his former partner, to refute claims he is a sex addict, Mr Arvanitis was asked to explain whether he was leading his lovers on by expressing such devotion.

He was shown several pieces of evidence by Barrie Goldsmith, the lawyer representing Mr Arvanitis ex-girlfriend Selina Holder, the defendant in the case.
The spokesman for Aishwarya Aswaths parents has accused Premier Mark McGowan of not fully reading the report on the seven-year-olds death, and furthermore of demonising Australians of Indian origin.

Family representative and Ethnic Communities Council of WA president Suresh Rajan said Mr McGowans comments published in the states only daily newspaper on Saturday meant he clearly had not read the body of the report.

Premier Mark McGowan is facing questions over the report into the death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath.

Mr Rajans comments came hours before 1000 nurses and doctors rallied in support of Perth Childrens Hospital staff who were there on the night in question.

The Premiers comments Mr Rajan referred to came from a press conference on Friday where Mr McGowan said there were inconsistencies in the report itself and its recommendations.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

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Clear to partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
The family of a man who died shortly after being Tasered into unconsciousness by police during a seven-minute struggle at East Perth Officeworks wants the coroner to release the footage of the minutes before his death.

Distraught relatives wept as the video was aired in Perth Magistrates Court during the first day of the coronial inquest into the death of 39-year-old Mr Riley, whose first name is not published for cultural reasons, on Tuesday.

The footage, from onlookers mobile phones, shows Mr Riley grunting and yelling as up to eight police officers attempted to subdue him in the carpark of Officeworks in East Perth on May 12, 2017.

Mr Riley, a Noongar man from Coodanup, can be seen pinned facedown, yelling let me go and help. He then loses consciousness and paramedics scramble unsuccessfully to revive him.
Police are investigating 15 claims of misconduct involving federal politicians or their staff, including sexual assaults, as investigators prepare a brief of evidence about former staffer Brittany Higgins allegations she was raped in Parliament House.

The Australian Federal Police has received 40 reports relating to 19 incidents of possible misconduct involving federal MPs and their staff after Commissioner Reece Kershaw wrote to politicians advising them all serious incidents should be referred to authorities.

AFP boss Reece Kershaw says the police investigation into Brittany Higgins allegations is reaching its final stages. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The AFP has referred 15 of the allegations to state and territory police, while the other four matters have been closed with no offences found.

The criminal investigation into Ms Higgins allegation that she was raped by a colleague in a Parliament House ministerial office in March 2019 is reaching its final stages, with police to hand a brief to the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions within weeks.
A defiant Labor leader Jodi McKay is adamant she will remain the partys leader, insisting no one has expressed a lack of confidence in her or threatened to challenge her position.

However, within an hour of Ms McKays press conference announcing her intention to stay, Treasury spokesman Walt Secord quit her frontbench.

Labor leader Jodi McKay and deputy leader Yasmin Catley say Ms McKays leadership is safe. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Ms McKay said she waited 48 hours after the disastrous Upper Hunter byelection to gauge whether any other caucus member had the support of their colleagues to challenge her.

She said it was clear on Tuesday morning that she was still the only MP with majority support.
NSW Labors transport spokesman Chris Minns has quit the frontbench, describing his position in the opposition cabinet as completely untenable.

Speaking outside his home in Sydneys south on Wednesday morning, Mr Minns said he has no plans to make a leadership challenge but will be talking to colleagues in the coming days.

Im here today to tell you I cant serve in the shadow cabinet. I think that speaks for itself, he said.

Ill be going to the backbench to fight for my community and fight for Labor.
People arriving in WA from Victoria from 6pm Tuesday night will be required to be tested for COVID-19 and self-quarantine until they return a negative result.

Premier Mark McGowan said all arrivals from Victoria must be tested within 48 hours of landing in Perth and quarantine at a suitable premises.

Cars line up outside a drive through COVID-19 testing facility at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Credit:Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

I hope this additional testing regime is all we have to do, he said. But I will do whatever it takes to keep West Australia safe and we wont hesitate to put in place additional border controls, if that is what the health advice recommends.

Those who have visited an exposure site in Victoria must go into 14 days of self-quarantine and undergo testing on day two and day 11.
Moscow: Europeans gasped when the Belarusian authorities scrambled a military jet and forced a Ryanair flight bound for Vilnius to land in Minsk in order to detain a journalist.

However, for Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since that reporter, Raman Pratasevich, was born, it was just another move to cow his opponents in the face of an underwhelming response by the West to his regimes staggering atrocities.

Western nations last year imposed economic sanctions and visa bans on some Belarusian officials but they did nothing to deter Lukashenko, whose recent attacks against civil society show an utter neglect for international law.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko: impervious to sanctions. Credit:AP

The country made international headlines last year when Lukashenko, deeply unpopular after 26 years in power, was handed a suspicious landslide at the presidential elections, triggering the countrys biggest protests since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Apia: Samoas ousted prime minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, has accused the countrys Supreme Court of aligning itself with the opposition, the FAST party, in an angry tirade delivered amid a political and constitutional deadlock.

As he was talking, the elected FAST party and its leader, Fiame Naomi Mataafa held a lunch and prayer meeting, unable to get into the parliament for a second day to start the business of governing.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was Samoas prime minister for 22 years before the election defeat. Credit:AP

Fiame said her party would forge its own way out of the constitutional crisis.

We are trying to see our way through this, utilising Samoan institutions and laws, although they have been knocked around a bit, Fiame said on Tuesday afternoon.
Vizsla Discovers New Vein With EM Geophysics, Generates New Targets Near Napoleon At Panuco

Posted by Publisher Internet

Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSX-V: VZLA) (OTCQB: VIZSF) (Frankfurt: 0G3) (?Vizsla? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/vizsla-silver-corp/ ) is pleased to provide an update on geophysical surveying completed at the?Panuco?silver-gold project (\Panuco\ or the \Project\) in Mexico.

Highlights

Fixed loop electromagnetics (?FLEM? or ?EM?) has been trialed and detects massive sulphide hosted mineralization on the Napoleon Vein. This mineralization contains very high grades of silver, gold and base metals and extends south beyond the current limits of drilling.

Multiple new targets generated along the Napoleon and Cinco Senores Vein Corridors.

Drill testing one target (Josephine Vein) hits massive sulphide in a new vein with three holes proving the success of the technique.

Vizsla is planning a property wide airborne EM survey to generate targets that directly detect the best-known mineralization style in the district.

Vizsla President and CEO, Michael Konnert, commented: ?The trial electromagnetic survey has proven to be extremely successful and adds the ability to directly target the best parts of veins within the district. The high grade, massive sulphide mineralization at Napoleon is not common in epithermal deposits and direct detection with electromagnetics is incredibly rare.? Vizsla is currently drilling along four separate vein corridors, and adding this technique to our successful geological targeting, will help the Company demonstrate that Panuco can host a globally significant silver resource.?

Massive Sulphide Mineralization

The Napoleon and Cinco Senores vein corridors host multi-episodic, quartz-carbonate veins that host multiple pulses of mineralization.? One phase of this mineralization is a sub-massive to massive sulphide phase that contains up to 5,080 g/t silver, 199 g/t gold with up to 25% combined lead and zinc (Figure 1).

This style of mineralization is rare in epithermal deposits and represents a strongly metal rich fluid that has undergone very rapid precipitation to form bands of massive sulphides.? The connected nature of the metal allows it to conduct electricity which in turn allows for direct detection using electromagnetic techniques.

Fixed Loop Electromagnetic Survey

FLEM detects massive sulphide mineralization by running a current through a large loop of wire laid on the ground to induce a magnetic field in the earth.? As the weakening magnetic field moves through the earth it sets up a circulating electrical field in the shape of any massive sulphide bodies that it passes through. ?This new electrical field in turn weakens, setting up a secondary magnetic field that is measured on surface.? Geophysicists with modern computer programs can back calculate the shape of the conducting massive sulphide and model a 3D ?plate? representing the source of the anomaly.

A test survey was completed by Zonge International was undertaken in April and May at Panuco and the results showed EM plates fit with mineralization drilled at the Napoleon discovery (Figure 2).? In addition, five new priority conductive trends were modelled along with many more subtle anomalies.

Mineralization at Tajitos is not related to massive sulphides and was not detected with FLEM.

Drilling has been completed on one of the new EM targets and three holes have intersected massive sulphide mineralization in holes NP-21-132, NP-21-137 and NP-21-139.? This vein has no known surface expression and represents a new vein, named the Josephine Vein, that runs parallel to the west of the main Napoleon trend.

The remaining targets will be tested in the coming weeks.? Targets exist parallel to the Napoleon vein and at Cinco Seniors they coincide with an area of known workings where Vizsla has sampled high grades trend to the north and south of the historic resource defined by Silverstone on the flat lying La Colorada Vein.

Based on this success the Company has commenced planning for a property wide airborne electromagnetic survey to detect additional anomalies across Panuco.? Any newly generated anomalies will allow the Company to recognise new veins across the district and aid prioritizing the best zones along known veins for drilling.

Drone Magnetic Survey

In April, a drone magnetic survey was also completed over the Napoleon and Cinco Senores Corridors.? The Napoleon vein is clearly shown as a linear magnetic low due to the epithermal fluids demagnetising the host rocks while the Tajitos vein occurs on a linear break between magnetic host rocks in the footwall and non-magnetic host rocks in the hangingwall (Figure 2).

The technique shows multiple similar linear features, some coinciding with mapped veins and a structural geological interpretation is underway to support mapping and to generate and prioritize new drill targets.? The planned airborne EM survey will also extend the magnetic survey across the entire Panuco district.

Unlocking the Greater District

Drilling is currently underway on four vein corridors, Napoleon, Cinco Senores, Cordon del Oro and Animas.? The current resource drilling areas of Napoleon and Tajitos represent a very small subset of the known veins at Panuco and exploration is continuing in conjunction with resource drilling to find new orebodies.?

Strong drilling results have been returned from each vein corridor (Figure 3) and the Company continues to explore for both virgin zones of mineralization and continuations of known mineralization beneath mine workings.? With over 123 know recorded mines and prospects, the Company prioritizes larger volume targets to most efficiently define resources across the district (see news release dated December 17th, 2021 for more details on the exploration strategy).

Adding direct detection of massive sulphides with geophysical techniques to a systematic geological ranking approach makes for a powerful combination to unlock one of Mexico?s largest epithermal districts.

Note: All numbers are rounded.? Silver equivalent is calculated using the following formula: Silver-equivalent = ((Au_g/t x 52.48) + (Ag_g/t x 0.5289) + (Pb_ppm x 0.0013) + (Zn_ppm x 0.0013)) / 0.5627.? Metal price assumptions are $17.50 oz silver, $1,700 oz gold, $0.75 pound lead and $0.85 pound zinc, recoveries assumptions are 96% gold, 94% silver, 78% lead and 70% zinc based on similar deposit types.

About the Panuco project

Vizsla has an option to acquire 100% of the newly consolidated 9,386.5-hectare Panuco district in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, near the city of Mazatlan. The option allows for the acquisition of over 75 kilometres of total vein extent, a 500 ton per day mill, 35 kilometres of underground mines, tailings facilities, roads, power and permits.

The district contains intermediate to low sulfidation epithermal silver and gold deposits related to siliceous volcanism and crustal extension in the Oligocene and Miocene. Host rocks are mainly continental volcanic rocks correlated to the Tarahumara Formation.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Drill core and rock samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico and in North Vancouver, Canada for sample preparation and for analysis at the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver.? The ALS Zacatecas and North Vancouver facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Silver and base metals were analyzed using a four-acid digestion with an ICP finish and gold was assayed by 30-gram fire assay with atomic absorption (?AA?) spectroscopy finish. Over limit analyses for silver, lead and zinc were re-assayed using an ore-grade four-acid digestion with AA finish.

Control samples comprising certified reference samples, duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company?s quality assurance / quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

The Company?s disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Martin Dupuis, P.Geo., Vice President of Technical Services for Vizsla Silver. Mr. Dupuis is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain ?Forward?Looking Statements? within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and ?forward?looking information? under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words ?anticipate?, ?believe?, ?estimate?, ?expect?, ?target?, ?plan?, ?forecast?, ?may?, ?would?, ?could?, ?schedule? and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of Panuco, including drilling programs and mobilization of drill rigs; future mineral exploration, development and production; and completion of a maiden drilling program.

Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Vizsla, future growth potential for Vizsla and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management?s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management?s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizsla?s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect Vizsla?s respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company\-\-s dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company\-\-s mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company\-\-s management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company\-\-s inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company\-\-s interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company\-\-s ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption ?Risk Factors? in Vizsla\-\-s management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.
New Telephone System, Additional Lines and Social Media Presence at the Driving & Vehicle Licencing Department (DVLD)

Government announces the introduction of a new telephone system, consisting of five lines to answer all DVLD related enquiries. The telephone number is 20051603 and is available Monday to Fridays between the hours of 08:15 to 15:30.

There are a number of options to select depending on the service required. The public needs to ensure to select the right option in order to be transferred to the correct department section.

A new DVLD Facebook business page has also been launched. The page will share information and the updates regularly, including new services, new legislations and much more.

www.facebook.com/DVLDGIB

The public are also reminded that the DVLD conveniently offers many of their services online and is continuously releasing new services. To access these, go to www.gibraltar.gov.gi/ecounterservices

Services currently available as follows:

 Apply for Compulsory Basic Training

 Apply for an International Driving Permit

 Apply for a Driving Licence

The Minister for Transport, the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP, said: The introduction of the new phone system with additional lines will improve the service immensely. Our new Facebook page will make it easier for the public to interact with the Department and I also look forward to making an announcement on the Opening of DVLD counters in the next few weeks.
Fury Drills Top Five Intercept To Date  23.27 g/t Gold Over 7.09 Metres  Outside of the Defined Resource at Eau Claire

Posted by Publisher Internet

Fury Gold Mines Limited (TSX: FURY, NYSE American: FURY) (?Fury? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/fury-gold-mines-ltd/ ) is pleased to announce results from its ongoing resource expansion and exploration drill program at the Eau Claire deposit located in the Eeyou Istchee Territory of the James Bay region, Quebec. Drill hole 21EC-022 intersected 23.27 g/t gold (Au) over 7.09 metres (m) in the southeast margin of the defined resource further demonstrating the potential to significantly expand the resource down plunge to the east (Figures 1 and 2). This intersection represents the fifth best result drilled, in terms of grade and width, from over 900 holes drilled at Eau Claire to date. Given this result, Fury?s technical team plans to continue drilling east of the deposit focusing on the 220-metre gap between the known resource and the Target A panel (Figure 1).?

Preliminary results returned from Target A, located 200- to 350-metre down plunge east of the deposit, highlighted high-grade gold intervals of 7.1 g/t gold over 0.5m and 4.05 g/t gold over 0.5m that intersected a 5- to 20-metre wide zone of alteration with stacked quartz-tourmaline veins and associated quartz feldspar porphyry dykes along the Eau Claire deposit structure (Figure 2). With only three drill holes drilled into a 200-metre by 250-metre area, the Company believes additional drilling is required to obtain a representative view of grade distribution within this area of highly prospective geology. Drill results for the resource expansion holes and the Target A panel are presented below (Table 1).?

?It?s exciting to drill an all-time top five drill hole at Eau Claire, a high-quality project that has steadily improved since we started drilling in late 2020,? commented Mike Timmins, President and CEO of Fury. ?We are eagerly awaiting several pending holes, many of which contain coarse visible gold and we are looking forward to starting our regional program, the planning of which is near complete. Quebec is arguably one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world and we are fortunate to be developing this high-grade district opportunity.?

?The exploration program is tracking well with our first 12 drill holes east of the deposit demonstrating the expansion potential 700 metres down plunge. The drilling at Snake Lake suggests a size potential to rival the Eau Claire deposit and includes the discovery of a new mineralized structure between Snake Lake and Eau Claire. We believe that these initial holes highlight the prospectivity of the 5km deposit trend and the likelihood of offering a significant resource expansion potential,? stated Michael Henrichsen, SVP, Exploration of Fury.???

Eastern Expansion and Target A Results

To date Fury has drilled four holes targeting the eastern extension of the lower eastern margin of the resource that is currently defined as 204,000 ounces at 11.81 g/t gold (2.5 g/t cut-off grade)1. The Company is impressed with the continuity of high-grade mineralization with all three holes returning high-grade results as follows: 23.27 g/t gold over 7.09m, 11.56 g/t gold over 6.04m, 59.3 g/t gold over 1m, 8.87 g/t gold over 3m and 4.89 g/t gold over 2.94m (refer to news releases dated April 30, 2021 and March 1, 2021). These results confirm Fury?s belief of the potential to expand the deposit to the east.

The results from the three drill holes into the Target A panel and the previously reported four drill holes into the Target B panel of 2.59 g/t gold over 3m, 15.3 g/t gold over 1m and 8.89 g/t gold over 1.5m (refer to news releases dated March 30, 2021 and January 25th, 2021) over an area of 600m by 400m on the Eau Claire deposit structure show the potential to expand the deposit 700m down plunge to the east. In particular, the presence of multiple stacked quartz-tourmaline veins and alteration over widths up to 20m in the Target A panel demonstrate a strong fluid pathway that requires additional drilling to fully understand the distribution gold grades within this portion of the Eau Claire deposit structure.

Eau Claire Technical Disclosure

Analytical samples for the Resource Expansion Drill Program were taken by sawing NQ diameter core into equal halves on site and sent one of the halves to Bureau Veritas (BV) lab in Timmins, ON (ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility) for preparation and analysis. Preparation included crashing core sample to 90% < 2mm and pulverizing 1000g of crushed material to better than 85% < 75 microns. All samples are assayed using 50 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (BV code FA450) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (BV code MA200). Where FA450 results are greater than 5 ppm Au the assay is repeated with 50 g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (FA550-Au). QA/QC programs using internal and lab standard and blank samples, field and lab duplicates and re-assay indicate good overall accuracy and precision. Analytical samples from the 2020 and 2021 Exploration Drill program were taken by sawing NQ diameter core into equal halves on site with one half being sent to Actlabs in Val d?Or, QC for preparation and then to Actlabs in Thunder Bay, ON for analysis. All samples are assayed using 50 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (1A2B-50) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (1F2). Where 1A2B-50 results were greater than 5 ppm Au the assay were repeated with 50 g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (1A3-50). QA/QC programs using internal standard samples, field and lab duplicates and blanks indicate good overall accuracy and precision. Historical drill samples were taken by sawing NQ diameter core into equal halves on site with one half being sent to ALS Chemex in Val D?or, QC for preparation and analysis.? All samples were assayed using a 50 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (Au-AA24) and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS61).? Where Au-AA24 results were greater than 5 ppm Au the assay was repeated with 50 g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (Au-GRA22). QA/QC programs using internal standard samples, field and lab duplicates and blanks indicate good overall accuracy and precision. 1 See the technical report entitled ?Technical Report, Updated Mineral Resource Estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Eau Claire Gold Deposit, Clearwater Property, Quebec, Canada? (the ?Eau Claire Report?) dated effective February 4, 2018, prepared by Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, Antoine Yassa, P.Geo., Andrew Bradfield, P.Eng., Allan Armitage, Ph.D., P.Geo., which can be found on Eastmain Resources Inc.?s profile at www.sedar.com. David Rivard, P.Geo, Exploration Manager at Fury, is a \qualified person\ within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this press release. About Fury Gold Mines Limited Fury Gold Mines Limited is a Canadian-focused exploration and development company positioned in three prolific mining regions across the country. Led by a management team and board of directors with proven success in financing and developing mining assets, Fury will aggressively grow and advance its multi-million-ounce gold platform through project development and potential new discoveries. Fury is committed to upholding the highest industry standards for corporate governance, environmental stewardship, community engagement and sustainable mining. For more information on Fury, visit www.furygoldmines.com.

For further information on Fury Gold Mines Limited, please contact:

Salisha Ilyas, Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: (844) 601-0841

Email: info@furygoldmines.com

Website: www.furygoldmines.com

Forward-Looking Statements and Additional Cautionary Language

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be \forward-looking information\ or \forward-looking statements\ within the meaning of applicable Canada and United States securities laws (\forward-looking statements\), which relate to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as \plans\, \expects\, \budget\, \scheduled\, \estimates\, \forecasts\, \intends\, \anticipates\, or \believes\, or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results \may\, \could\, \would\, \might\ or \will be taken\, \occur\, \be achieved\ or \has the potential to\. Forward-looking statements are statements that include implied future performance and/or forecast information. Forward-looking statements in this release reflect management\-\-s current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events. Specific forward-looking statements contained in this release include information relating to: Fury\-\-s exploration drill programs at its Eau Claire deposit, including with respect to pending deposit drill hole results and the prospectivity of the Eau Claire deposit; and the future growth and development of Fury\-\-s mineral properties.

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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date such statements are made and are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable at the time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Such assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect, include: general economic and industry growth rates; the Company\-\-s budget, including expected costs and the assumptions regarding market conditions; the Company\-\-s ability to raise additional capital to proceed with its exploration, development and operations plans; the Company\-\-s ability to obtain or renew the licenses and permits necessary for its current and future operations; and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements were reasonable at the time such statements were made, there can be no assurance that such assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different (either positively or negatively) from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including risks relating, but not limited, to: the COVID-19 pandemic; the future price of minerals, including gold and other metals; and the success of the Company\-\-s exploration and development activities. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company\-\-s Annual Information Form and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2020 and subsequent continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and the Company\-\-s Annual Report on Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent the Company\-\-s expectations as of the date of this press release or the date indicated. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities law.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Mining Disclosure

The mining and technical disclosure throughout this release is made in accordance with applicable Canadian law and the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The Company\-\-s descriptions of its projects using applicable Canadian law and CIM Standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Tommy Ashley, 36, of Eubank, passed away Friday, June 11, 2021 at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. Arrangements are pending and will be announced later by Morris & Hislope Funeral Home. Condolences may be expressed to the family at: www.morrisandhislope.com.
Nearly three weeks into overtime and after three back-to-back nights of debate, Iowas 2021 legislative session is over.
In this episode of Inside Pitch, sports columnists Jeff Gordon and Ben Frederickson break down Tony La Russa's success despite controversy in Chicago and ponder what might have been different if the Cardinals would have kept Lance Lynn around. Then the conversation shifts to Texas, where for
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Sarah Williams is a third-year student at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and is part of the Advanced Community Justice Project Clinic.
Eastern Airways Starts Services to Gibraltar

Eastern Airways operated their inaugural service from Southampton, UK to Gibraltar on Monday 24th May.

The new service is operating twice weekly, year round, on Mondays and Fridays and flown with Embraer E170 and E190 jets.

The Minister for Business, Tourism, Transport and the Port, the Hon Vijay Daryanani was at the airport to welcome the flight, along with teams from Gibraltar International Airport and the Gibraltar Tourist Board. Arriving passengers were presented with Visit Gibraltar branded gifts.

Minister Daryanani said, Today we see the culmination of my hard work, with the full support of the Government, in achieving a new carrier for Gibraltar. We warmly welcome Eastern Airways new service, opening up another catchment area for Gibraltar. The service will be another boost to our tourism and business communities. We look forward to working with the airline on more opportunities for the future.
In SE Minn., legal dispute over an old cemetery raises questions about who owns the past
PROSEUCTOR'S OFFICE

Pemberton man sentenced to state prison for possessing and distributing child pornography
None of bottom three Fulham, West Brom or Sheffield United managed to reach 30 points this season - a first for the competition.

This season saw a new low bar set for Premier League survival as none of the bottom three reached 30 points. Fulham's 28 points was the lowest ever total for the third relegated team and they, West Brom and Sheffield United combined for only 77 in total  just one point more than the lowest on record. Here, the PA news agency examines whether this season's relegated teams should be viewed as the worst of the Premier League era.

Survival line

Despite some encouraging performances at times, Fulham managed only five wins and were relegated with three games to spare.

Thirteen draws took them to 28 points, the worst performance by an 18th-placed Premier League team  with Burnley's record of 30 having stood since 2010.

That was already the worst by a significant margin  every season in the Premier League era besides those two has seen a team relegated with at least 33 points  so this season stands out as a futile effort by the bottom three.

Combined points

Then-manager Jan Siewert reacts to Huddersfield's relegation in 2019 (Isabel Infantes/PA)

The Blades' final-day win over Burnley took them to 23 points  Albion finished with 26  and lifted the trio past the relegated teams from 2018-19 to barely escape another new low.

That season saw Huddersfield finish bottom with 16 points, while Fulham  in the first of two recent single-season visits to the top flight  had 26 and Cardiff 34.

Their total of 76 remains the lowest for the three relegated teams, one point worse than this term with the next lowest being 79 in both 2005-06  when Sunderland finished bottom with 15 points  and 2009-10, when the Clarets' then-record low 18th-placed total was matched by Hull but bottom club Portsmouth managed only 19.

Derby's 11-point season in 2007-08 escapes the cut as Reading went down on goal difference with 36 points and Birmingham were just one behind in what was, the Rams aside, a thrilling relegation battle.

Earliest ending

All three relegation places are confirmed pic.twitter.com/OtSqUGnPUo  Premier League (@premierleague) May 10, 2021

With the Blades long since down, Fulham and Albion were both condemned to the drop with three games remaining to end the relegation battle earlier than ever before.

In every previous season, at least one team has still been mathematically able to get out of trouble even with two games to go.

With the lowest survival line, the earliest confirmation and within a point of the lowest combined total, this term's relegated trio are firmly destined for a place in the Premier League's hall of shame.
A look at how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men have made it to Gdansk.

Manchester United take on Villarreal in the Europa League final on May 26. Here, the PA news agency looks at their route to the Gdansk showpiece. Champions League group stage (third place, eliminated)  2' Angelino  13' Haidara  69' Kluivert  80' Bruno Fernandes 82' Pogba Leipzig  Manchester United #UCL pic.twitter.com/iRRtMKBamR  UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 8, 2020 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side got a tough-looking group off to a dream start as Marcus Rashford fired them to a memorable victory at Paris St Germain once again. A 2-1 triumph against last season's Champions League finalists was followed by substitute Rashford scoring his first hat-trick for the club in the 5-0 thumping of RB Leipzig. However, a shock loss 2-1 at group whipping boys Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey knocked them off their stride. Winning the reverse fixture 4-1 meant United would qualify if they avoided defeat in one of their final two Group H games, yet they lost 3-1 to PSG at Old Trafford before falling 3-2 at Leipzig and bowed out.

Last 32: Real Sociedad (won 4-0 on aggregate)

Having dropped out of the Champions League, United started their Europa League campaign off with a bang. Coronavirus travel restrictions meant the first leg had to be switched from Spain to Italy, where Bruno Fernandes netted either side of half-time in a 4-0 win. Rashford and Daniel James completed the victory at Juventus' Allianz Stadium. Solskjaer named a surprisingly strong line-up for the second leg at Old Trafford, where the match ended 0-0.

Last 16: AC Milan (won 2-1 on aggregate)

Paul Pogba celebrates scoring Manchester United's winner in Milan (Fabrizio Carabelli/PA)

The draw paired United with a fellow European heavyweight. Eighteen-year-old half-time substitute Amad Diallo opened his United account in style by scoring a superb improvised header, but Simon Kjaer's stoppage-time header secured a 1-1 draw and potentially problematic away goal. But United progressed with a professional 1-0 win at San Siro, where Paul Pogba scored three minutes after his half-time introduction on his return from injury.

Quarter-finals: Granada (won 4-0 on aggregate)

Edinson Cavani fires home in the second leg against Granada (Martin Rickett/PA)

The first leg was the biggest match in Granada's history, but the Red Devils spoiled the hosts' 90th birthday celebrations by triumphing in Andalusia. Rashford shook off injury concerns to open the scoring and United looked set to return to Old Trafford with just one away goal for their domination  and without Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay and Luke Shaw through suspension. But Fernandes' late spot-kick secured a 2-0 triumph  a scoreline matched on home soil as Edinson Cavani volleyed home and Jesus Vallejo scored a late own goal.

Semi-finals: Roma (won 8-5 on aggregate)

Solskjaer was part of the United side that memorably thrashed Roma 7-1 in 2007 and this time masterminded a famous victory. Fernandes got April's first leg off to a dream start at Old Trafford, only for Lorenzo Pellegrini to swiftly level and ex-Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko to give Paulo Fonseca's side a shock half-time lead. But United have dug deep to bounce back time and again this season, with Cavani inspiring this latest comeback when smashing home a superb leveller just minutes into the second half. The veteran put Solskjaer's men ahead after an error by substitute Antonio Mirante before Fernandes added a penalty and Pogba headed home. Mason Greenwood came off the bench to add the gloss, with the 6-2 scoreline rendering United's 3-2 second-leg loss immaterial. Cavani put United into a half-time lead in Italy, where quickfire goals from Dzeko and Bryan Cristante turned things around. David De Gea produced some fine saves as Roma pushed the wobbling visitors before Cavani grabbed his second of the night. Teenage debutant Nicola Zalewski's deflected effort eventually sealed Roma's victory on the night, but the damage was done the previous week.
2021 Gibraltar Spring Visual Arts Exhibition

The Gibraltar Spring Visual Arts Exhibition is organised by Gibraltar Cultural Services on behalf of the Ministry of Culture. A total of one hundred and fifty-four entries by seventy-nine artists have been submitted.

International artist Javier Machimbarrena carried out the judging in the painting, sculpture, photographic and video categories. The Minister for Culture, The Hon Prof John Cortes presented the awards at a prize giving ceremony held at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery on Monday 24th May at 6.30pm.

The Prize winners are:

The Ministry of Culture Award - 3,000

Leslie Gaduzo - In Hong Kong

Painting, Drawing, Prints & Digital Painting Award - 750

Leslie Gaduzo - In Hong Kong

Sculpture Award - 750

Tyrone Anthony Vera - Size 6

Photography Award - 750

Daniel Ghio - The Beauty Within

Video Award - 750

Alan Perez - Confinement Boogie

Best Gibraltar Theme

The Gibraltar Cultural Services Award - 1000

Karl Ullger - 4 Hospital Steps

Best Young Artist

Sovereign Art Foundation Award - 1000

Naomi Duarte - Masculinity?

The following received Highly Commended Certificates:

Zulaika Vallance - A Fresh Start

Timo Canessa - El Habanero

Rina Devine - Retribution

The exhibition will be open to the general public from Tuesday 25th May to Saturday 5th June 2021, weekdays from 10.30am to 6.30pm and Saturdays from 10.30am to 1.30pm.

Gibraltar Cultural Services would like to thank all artists for their participation.
Canary Islands, May 25, 2021 (SPS) - The president of the Town Council of Fuerteventura, Sergio Lloret Lopez, received today, Tuesday, May 25, the delegate of the Frente POLISARIO in the Canary Islands, Hamdi Mansor, on a visit made to shed light on the current situation of Western Sahara with the island institution and strengthen collaboration for future projects to support the Saharawi people. The first vice president, Lola Garcia, the Minister of Education and Youth, Maria Saavedra, as well as the delegate of the Saharawi People in Fuerteventura, Larbi Mohamed, also participated in the meeting.

For the Island it is essential to strengthen support for the Saharawi people. During the meeting the content of humanitarian aid projects that are subscribed by the Development Cooperation area of the Town Council, led by Jonathan Gil, was addressed.

For his part, Mansor thanked the warm and fraternal reception by the Town Council and Fuerteventura, and expressed his desire to maintain this cooperation with future awareness programs and humanitarian aid.

The delegate of the Frente POLISARIO also highlighted the "serious situation that the Saharawi people have suffered for forty years and that has intensified with the end of the ceasefire last November." SPS

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Connecticut offers both cityscapes and shoreline, country scenery and quintessential suburbia. These diverse settings might be the very reasons the state is seeing an influx of movies filming in the area  at least, thats what director of Connecticuts Office of Film, TV & Digital Media George Norfleet thinks.

I think weve kind of got it all, he said. Anything you want, you can find it here in Connecticut in a fairly compact space.

In the first few months of 2021 alone, Connecticut has seen several productions use the state as a backdrop: the Netflix production of the Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain movie, The Good Nurse filmed in Stamford; another Netflix production, "Call Jane" starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver used Hartford as its setting; Hallmark filmed a movie with Chad Michael Murray in Mystic; and Netflix utilized New Canaan for a Christmas movie with This is Us star Justin Hartley.

For Norfleet, this film crew traffic in Connecticut also might have something to do with the states proximity to New York City.

We actually share our film crew workforce with New York, and the union crews have a three-state jurisdiction: Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, he said. So it doesnt hurt at all to be next to New York, and certainly when you can jump on the train in Grand Central Station and be in Stamford in 40 minutes, it makes shooting in that area of the state extremely appealing.

Also appealing to production companies are the tax incentives offered. The state offers tax credits for both digital animation and motion picture productions in Connecticut, both of which offer up to 30 percent in tax credits for qualifying production expenses incurred in the state.

For digital animation productions made in the state, the tax credit is available to state-certified digital animation production companies that engage in digital animation production activities on an ongoing basis, according to the states website, and have a studio in the state that employs at least 200 full-time employees in Connecticut.

The motion picture production tax credit is available for a production that either spends $1 million or more in post-production cost in Connecticut, conducts at least 50 percent of principal photography days within the state, or expends "at least 50 percent of postproduction costs within the state, according to the states website.

That is extremely competitive compared to what New York and New Jersey offer in terms of their [tax credit] for film, television and digital media production, Norfleet said. But it doesnt do you any good to have great incentives if you cant get the right look for your production. We offer them both, and were happy to be able to do that.

With about five or six productions currently in progress in Connecticut, according to Norfleet, there is still a chance for more to come in 2021. As production companies scout in more than one state at a time for the right location for their project, Norfleet said his office is what helps bring them into Connecticut.

We are constantly in communication with various studios and production projects, he said. The work of the film office is to try to help them find the right place to shoot, make sure they can access crew and equipment and things of that nature...so we try to help people understand why they would want to be here in the state of Connecticut.

Some requests take months to turn into actual production plans, Norfleet said, while others materialize on extremely short notice. Regardless of how long it takes to confirm a films production in Connecticut, its important for his office to keep as many irons in the fire as possible to accommodate projects.

With several productions in the works, Norfleet said the increased attraction to the state might also align with a heightened demand for TV and film during the pandemic.

The future looks good  we feel very good about the fact that we're getting an increased amount of production here, he said. I think that might be in conjunction with the demand for content that has been generated over the past year and a half or so by being more located at homeWe were happy to let everyone know that's in the business that we are here and we are in business and we love to host their production.
A national trend points to pets adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic being returned to shelters, but in Connecticut, it seems pandemic pets have found permanent homes with their new owners.

Last year, pet adoptions rose 12 percent nationally, according to The Hill, and in 2021, some pet shelters and rescue organizations around the country are seeing many pets surrendered or returned to their shelters. In fact, PetPoint  which records industry metrics on pet intake to and adoptions from 1,100 shelters in the U.S.  reported that between April 2020 and April 2021, the number of owners who surrendered cats or dogs increased year over year.

In Connecticut, however, shelters and animal welfare organizations are not seeing previously-adopted pets back behind their walls. For Rachel Amenta, assistant animal control officer with the Town of Wallingford, having an animal returned post pandemic has been a rarity.

We have actually only had one dog who was adopted in the beginning of COVID returned to us, due to the fact that both of her adopters had to return to working in-person, she said in an email. Unfortunately they both worked out of state, which left the dog home alone for an extended period of time.

What Rachel Amenta has seen stands out when compared to national statistics. However, this national data might show that the increased number of surrenders is relative to the increased number of adoptions. PetPoint reported a year-over-year increase in adoptions for both cats and dogs in April 2021 (cat adoptions increased by 52 percent and dog adoptions increased by 30 percent). Overall, data seems to show a stabilization in the number of adoptions and returns in the past year nationally, or that numbers are merely returning to the levels reported before the pandemic, according to The New York Times.

At the Connecticut Humane Society, executive director James Bias has seen surrender rates at the three state locations hold steady.

CHS has not seen the returns pick up now that the state is lifting pandemic restrictions, he said in an email. The return rate is on par with rates of past years.

Only five months into 2021, Bias said there is still potential for returns to occur.

We are preparing for that to possibly happen because we know the pandemic has turned so many lives upside down, he said. But we hope and believe that with people having had so much time to spend with their pets over the past year, they have formed a strong bond with their animals and want to work through any issues that may come up.

More Living Living After pandemic pet boom, CT vets see heavy workload

At locations in Newington, Waterford and Westport, Bias said thus far, the pets that have been surrendered have been returned for typical reasons, such as an owner with health issues that can no longer care for their pet or an owner is moving to a new home where pets arent allowed.

Those returns are also spurring future adoptions. The one dog that Rachel Amenta saw returned to the Wallingford Animal Shelter didnt stay at the facility for long.

We just placed her again and are very confident that this will be a permanent placement, she said. We are very thorough with our adoption process and will not place an animal unless were confident the adopters will be 100 percent committedso I dont expect we will have many more returns.

At the Danbury Animal Welfare Society, director of operations Gina Amenta has seen a steady stream of adoptions and no adopted pets returned to their facility; the only pet surrenders she has seen are from owners who could no longer keep their pet due to unforeseen circumstances.

Our community, like the rest of the world, has faced many challenges associated with the pandemic, such as job loss, she said in an email. Residential changes such as downsizing to an apartment may not permit a pet. Sadly, we also took in some dogs and cats due to pet owners directly affected by COVID-19, or in some cases loss of life with no one left to care for their pet.

With in-person work resuming, new pet owners might be facing the challenge of getting their pet adjusted to this newfound separation. For Bias, the goal is to work on those behavioral concerns before pet owners start leaving the house again for extended periods of time instead of returning the pet altogether.

Leave your pet home for small increments of time and build up, he suggested. When you leave your pet, provide them with a special toy or treat they only get when you are out.

Gina Amenta suggested making the pivot back to in-person work less about the pet owner and more about the pet.

As we are the voice of our animals, you should look at this from your pets viewpoint, she said. You have been a constant presence for a long period of time and suddenly, they are alone. Make sure you have interactive toys for them. Set a schedule, so they know what to expect and when to expect it. Take time after the workday to interact with them. It will be a stress reducer for you as well.
BOSTON (AP)  Investigators were preparing to seek an arrest warrant for a defrocked Roman Catholic priest long considered a suspect in the 1972 killing of a western Massachusetts altar boy shortly before his death last week, a prosecutor said Monday.

Incriminating admissions Richard Lavigne made in a series of recent interviews while in a medical facility further implicated the longtime suspect in 13-year-old Danny Croteau's death, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni told reporters.

Gulluni said his office was prepared to prosecute Lavigne for Croteau's killing, but he died Friday at the age of 80 before he could be arrested.

Lavigne indicated in interviews this year with investigator that he had brought Croteau to the riverbank, physically assaulted him, left him there and returned sometime later to see the boy floating in the river, Gulluni said.

I just remember being heartbroken when I saw his body going down the river knowing I was responsible for giving him a good shove," Lavigne said in one snippet of the interviews played for reporters.

On Friday, before learning about Lavigne's death, Gulluni had authorized investigators to present the evidence to a magistrate judge in order to obtain an arrest warrant for Lavigne, the prosecutor said.

Based on the accumulation of evidence, and in particular those admissions, as a prosecutor I believe that I was fulfilling my ethical duties by moving toward the charge of murder against Richard Lavigne ... and I believe we could prove it," Gulluni said.

Lavigne, who always insisted he was innocent, never admitted in those interviews to killing the boy, Gulluni said.

Joe Croteau, Danny's brother, said his family is disappointed that Lavigne will not be brought to justice, but believe there's a higher power and he will face that higher power now.

Lavigne, the Croteau family's parish priest was the only named suspect in the killing of the boy found dead in Chicopee, miles from the family's Springfield home. But a lack of evidence left the case unsolved for decades.

Lavigne had a close relationship with the Croteau's family and often hosted the boy for overnight visits. Days after Croteau's body was found, Lavigne asked authorities: If a stone was used and thrown in the river, would the blood still be on it?"

One of Croteau's other brothers told authorities a man called shortly after the boy's death and apologized for what happened to Danny, saying it was an accident and that the boy had seen "something he shouldn't have. The caller would not identify himself and hung up, but Croteau's brother said he recognized the voice as Lavigne's.

Speculation over Lavigne's involvement intensified after sex abuse allegations against the priest emerged years after Croteau's death.

The priest pleaded guilty in 1992 to molesting young male parishioners. He was sentenced to 10 years' probation and seven months of mandatory sex-offender counseling. He was defrocked in 2003.

Croteau was last seen alive on April 14, 1972. His bludgeoned body was found the next day on the banks of the Chicopee River miles from the family's home in Springfield. An autopsy concluded the boy had been killed with a rock.

Croteaus family had said they believed the priest abused their son and killed the boy to stop him from reporting it.

Bishop William Byrne of the Springfield diocese said in an emailed statement that Gullunis announcement brings sad closure to a tragic event that has hung over the community for decades.

It is incredibly disheartening to learn that a priest, a person ordained to care for Gods people, would have committed such an evil crime and then not taken responsibility for his actions, he said.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the district attorney's last name is spelled Gulluni, not Gullini.
Freedom of Information Act Comes into Force Next Week

Freedom of Information legislation, unanimously approved by the Gibraltar Parliament, will come into force in Gibraltar for the first time ever next week.

The legal and administrative framework that the legislation will bring about will be open to evaluation and amendment as the practical effects of the operation of the new law are monitored going forward.

Requests for information will be open to any Gibraltar resident who is aged 18 years or over. An initial charge of 10 will be levied per request. There will be no additional cost for tracing, compiling and supplying the information where this is calculated to be 100 or less.

A Freedom of Information portal will be added to the e-services section of the Government website www.gibraltar.gov.gi

The portal contains a copy of the Act, of the application forms, and the relevant guidance notes for anyone who may be eligible to request information and who wishes to exercise that right. This allows the system to operate electronically as information requests, replies and payments can all be submitted via the new gateway. The email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. has been established to deal with any queries.

In addition to this, the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) will be the point of contact for anyone who requires assistance in person with the operation of the electronic portal.

The responsibility for the disclosure or not of the information requested will rest with individual Government departments, agencies and authorities. The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) becomes the Information Commissioner under the law, will be responsible for the oversight of the implementation of the legislation and serve as an appeal body from decisions taken by Government departments and other public authorities.

The Act will initially only apply to those public authorities that are listed in the Schedule. The first three departments of Government to be listed will be the Department of Education, the Human Resources Department and the National Archives. The staff in those three departments have received training conducted by the GRA in order to familiarise themselves with their duties and obligations under the law. The number of public authorities added to the Schedule will increase slowly as the appraisal of the workings of the system progresses. The legislation already provides for the Information Commissioner to submit an annual report to be laid before Parliament on the administration of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Government already publishes more unsolicited information online on its website than ever before. This includes detailed statistical information across many areas of public administration. The three departments which will commence this pilot, will additionally be making available a publication scheme on-line which sets out as much information as possible relating to their respective functions. Those intending to submit a request should check and establish whether the information that they seek is already publicly available elsewhere. Clearly, information which is already in the public domain cannot be the subject matter of a freedom of information request.

Moreover, the mechanism for answers to press questions, which are received and replied to on a daily basis, and that for answers to Parliamentary questions, expected to now continue on a monthly basis, will remain unchanged and unaffected by this legislation

The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia, who took the legislation through Parliament, explained:

It needs to be understood that this Act and the administrative practices created under it are not set in stone. Far from it. The Information Commissioner will be monitoring the application of the legislation throughout, including during this first phase, and the Government will be open to addressing any issues or concerns that may surface as we move along what is a new pathway for Gibraltar.

The Government has made it abundantly clear, in Parliament and elsewhere, that we intend to proceed slowly and with caution in order not to repeat the same mistakes that were made elsewhere when this type of legislation was first introduced. A major consideration will be to ensure that the public sector is fully aware of and becomes accustomed to the practical procedures and the requirements of the law before the obligations it contains are extended to them.

Therefore this is an important first step forward but there is still some way to go. There were a number of factors outside the control of the Government which delayed the legislative and administrative procedures for the creation and implementation of this legal framework but gladly we have now reached the point of commencement. I am very grateful to all those who have contributed to this, in particular the GLO, the GRA, the staff in my office, the Governments digital services and colleagues on both sides of Parliament.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living. She is also chair of Cardinal Dolans pro-life commission in New York. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.
Amy Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 1,400 stations. She is the co-author, with Denis Moynihan and David Goodman, of the New York Times best-seller Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America.
GHA Completes Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis on Saturdays COVID-19 Case

The GHAs COVID Laboratory has for the first time completed whole genome sequencing analysis on a current active Gibraltar case of COVID-19.

The sequencing test was run on the positive case of COVID-19 confirmed on Saturday. The results have confirmed that this case is from the Kent variant (B.1.1.7),* a variant already established in Gibraltar for a number of months. According to a study from Public Health England, two doses of the Pfizer vaccine provides 93% effectiveness against this B.1.1.7 strain.

The GHAs COVID Laboratory will share these results with the UK genome sequencing consortium based at Cambridge University, contributing to global knowledge of COVID variants and transmission patterns.

Minister for Health, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, said: Having this genome sequencing service available to us in Gibraltar has meant that we have identified the exact strain of COVID-19 of Saturdays positive case within 72 hours. This gives us an important advantage in reducing risk and tracking and managing transmission.


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Ashtabula, OH (44004)

Today

Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later at night. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
On 25 May 2021, the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, welcomed approximately 3,650 registered participants from 160 WCO Member administrations to the 5th WCO Global AEO Conference. The Conference is being hosted by Dubai Customs and the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with support from the Korea Customs Service.

Under the theme AEO 2.0: advancing towards new horizons for sustainable and secure trade, the Conference brings together 80 prominent speakers from Customs administrations, international organizations, academia and the private sector who are engaging virtually to share collaborative input that will help shape the future of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes. This is the first time that the Global Conference has been organized in the WCOs North of Africa, Near and Middle East region.

The Conference was opened by His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chief Executive Officer of DP World and Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zones Corporation, on behalf of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed-Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Emirates Group. He delivered an inspiring message on the importance of innovation and collaboration among Customs and other government agencies (OGAs) to support resilient recovery for global supply chains. He congratulated the WCO for providing the international community with a discussion platform on topical issues of interest and highlighted the need for renewed trust and commitment to preserving sustainable and secure trade.

In his welcome address, Dr. Mikuriya highlighted that in 9 years since the holding of the first Global AEO Conference held in Korea, the number of WCO Members implementing AEO programmes had increased substantially, from 45 to 97, while the number of Mutual Recognition Arrangements/Agreements had risen exponentially from 17 to 91. Dr. Mikuriya underlined that this demonstrates not only the success of the SAFE FoS but also the importance of monitoring implementation of AEO programmes.

Secretary General Mikuriya offered food for thought regarding the possible next steps to ensure that AEO programmes more effectively support supply chain recovery as the world moves into a post-COVID-19 pandemic environment. These steps may include ways of inviting more economic operators to take part in AEO programmes, strengthening cooperation between Customs and OGAs, and leveraging disruptive and transformative technologies for the benefit of AEO programmes. Finally, consideration should be given to the role played by training and capacity building in making the AEO concept a key tool at the centre of resilient and sustainable supply chain recovery.

Dr. Mikuriya also commended Dubai Customs and the FCA for their strong commitment and generous support towards making this event an immense success. He further acknowledged the backing provided by regional entities as well as other partners, sponsors and exhibitors, who have all contributed to ensuring that this event will be a remarkable and memorable experience for all.

During his opening remarks, His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs, said that this Conference provided the UAE with the perfect forum for sharing information on innovative work pushing the boundaries of Customs. He added that it would be an opportunity for everyone to learn more about Dubais experience of building up Customs to form one of the pillars of the Emirates development and prosperity.

The Conference will continue on 26 and 27 May with discussions on topics including emerging supply chain security threats; the role of technologies in promoting supply chain renewal; risk management; best practices; and partnership and capacity building activities. More information can be found on the event website
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The Bosch Group, leading global supplier of technology and services, concluded the fiscal year 2020 with consolidated sales worth nearly 2.2 billion RON (448 million euro) in Romania, an increase of approximately three percent compared to the previous year, shows a press release of the country sent on Tuesday to AGERPRES.

According to the results on the previous year, the total net sales, worth 68.8 billion RON (1.4 billion euro), including the sales of unconsolidated companies and internal deliveries to affiliate companies, remained at a level similar to the year 2019, Agerpres informs.

Over 2020, Bosch invested in its capacities in Romania approximately 487 million RON (approximately 100 million euro), especially to continue to develop the production units for mobility solutions in Cluj and Blaj.

Furthermore, the electronic auto components plant in Jucu (Cluj County) increased its production and storage capacity, investing over 85 million euro, last year. Additionally, the Blaj Plant opened in November 2020 its own Bosch Medical Center, in collaboration with medical services provider Elisa Med, the first Bosch medical unit in Romania that offers health services.

According to the quoted source, in 2020, the Cluj Engineering Center and the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca opened a new master's degree programme titled "High performance calculation and analysis of large volumes of data," while in Blaj the Bosch Academy was launched, a programme developed in collaboration with the University in Targu Mures, which offers students a wide perspective regarding the newest trends in the auto industry.

"Furthermore, the Bosch plants in Cluj and Blaj inaugurated inspirational study spaces, which stimulate collaboration in education institutions such as the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, the December 1, 1918 University of Alba Iulia and the George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures. Additionally, the Bosch production unit in Cluj continues its collaboration with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca through the fitting of a Industry 4.0 laboratory, facilitating thus the formation of qualified personnel for the future. Moreover, approximately 500 pupils received since 2013 a professional education oriented to the market, being prepared in domains specific to the Bosch production units in Blaj and Cluj, in dual school system. Bosch Service Solutions recently launched the Controlling Academy, an intensive paid programme for masters students in the finance, management, accounting, and informatics domains," the quoted release shows.

The Bosch Group has been present in Romania for 27 years and had, on December 31, 2020, over 8,160 employees in five entities.
The delegation of the Culture and Media Federation FAIR-MediaSind presented during negotiations at the Labor Ministry on the amendment of the Wage Law its proposals for fixing wage discrepancies in the Culture and Mass Media sector, the organization said in a release.

"The changes proposed by FAIR-MediaSind, resulting from consultations with representatives of the affiliated unions, consist in: eliminating discrepancies regarding the basic wage for public sector staff who perform the same activity, hold the same position, grade and rank, discrepancies found unacceptable under Constitutional Court Ruling No.794/15.12.2016, the elimination of the demotion of certain show and concert institutions introduced in the current law, reintroducing certain execution positions required for the functioning of art and performance institutions, increasing wage indices, a fair ranking of executive and management positions in cultural and media institutions, eliminating existing wage inequities between cultural institutions," the statement reads.

Also, FAIR-MediaSind requested the amendment of Annex III to Law No. 153/2017, with the redesign of the grading of positions specific for performance and concert institutions, so that the basic wage matches the professional training required, the importance of the position in the institution's activity, as well as the related level of responsibility.

The Labor Ministry representatives promised that they will carefully analyze the proposals received and that there will be further meetings of the Working Group, including with the representatives of the Culture Ministry.
he Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, on Tuesday received Marco Giungi, the Ambassador of the Italian Republic, in a farewell visit, the two officials appreciating the fact that, despite the multiple challenges and restrictions caused by the pandemic, bilateral economic and sectoral cooperation remained at "remarkable levels."

According to a press release of the MAE (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Minister Aurescu and the Italian ambassador evoked the very good level of the bilateral relationship, defined by the Consolidated Strategic Partnership between Romania and Italy.

The head of the Romanian diplomacy voiced his appreciation for the very good collaboration he had with the Italian ambassador during his term in Bucharest, as well as for the significant contribution that the Italian diplomat had to the development of the bilateral relationship, Agerpres informs.

Both sides welcomed the fact that, despite the multiple challenges and restrictions caused by the pandemic, bilateral economic and sectoral cooperation remained at "remarkable levels."

"The head of the Romanian diplomacy welcomed the level of bilateral exchanges, which in 2020 amounted to 13.85 billion euros, as well as the substantial volume of mutual investments. Minister Bogdan Aurescu also evoked the significant development of bilateral sectoral cooperation in areas such as the economy, defence, home affairs, justice, labour and social affairs," the statement said.

At the same time, Minister Aurescu voiced Romania's interest in resuming bilateral inter-governmental meetings, an interest also confirmed by the Italian side.

"He also mentioned the opportunity to update the Consolidated Strategic Partnership Declaration, to reflect the current priorities and realities of the bilateral, European and global agenda. In this context, they mentioned the very good results of Minister Bogdan Aurescu's visit to Rome on April 7, 2021, following the invitation addressed by his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio, the consultations between the two officials giving a significant new impetus to the bilateral cooperation," according to the same source.

During the discussions, the head of Romanian Diplomacy underscored the importance of the presence on the territory of Italy of the largest Romanian community abroad, which represents a special, positive aspect of the bilateral relationship and a foundation of the Consolidated Strategic Partnership.

Both sides noted that Romanians in Italy "are very well integrated into Italian society, valued in the communities in which they live and make an important contribution to the Italian economy, including through the development of their entrepreneurship spirit."

In the same context, Minister Aurescu and Ambassador Giungi mentioned the importance of close coordination at the level of the European Union and within NATO, given the common interest of Romania and Italy in strengthening the role of the EU and NATO globally.

The high Romanaian official said that, in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe, as well as the NATO Summit in June, the two states can contribute, including through joint efforts, to promoting their visions on the most important issues on the European agenda.

Ambassador Giungi also thanked Romania for its solidarity during the pandemic, including by sending a medical team to Italy in 2020.

Last but not least, the head of the Romanian diplomacy used this occasion to express his condolences as a result of the collapse of a cable car, in the recent days, in northern Italy, an accident in which 14 people lost their lives.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, welcomed, on Tuesday, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) headquarters, the Secretary General of the Community of Democracies (CoD), Thomas Garrett, who is on a working visit to Bucharest, in the context of the periodic consultation of the Romanian Presidency of the CoD with the organization's secretariat.

According to the MAE, during discussions, Minister Bogdan Aurescu emphasized the renewed commitments of Romania to support the activity of the CoD and to promote democratic principles and values at the global level, in the context of the decision to expand by one year the mandate of the Romanian Presidency, assumed initially in the 2019-2021 period, until September 2022.

The head of Romanian diplomacy discussed with the Secretary General of the CoD the opportunities generated by the preparation of the tenth ministerial meeting of the Community of Democracies, as well as the second edition of the CoD Youth Forum, which will take place in New York, on the sidelines of the high level segment of the 76th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in September, Agerpres informs.Aurescu and Garett agreed upon the necessity to connect the CoD to efforts to protect and promote democracy, including from the perspective of granting support to the organization of the Global Summit of Democracies, announced by the US President, Joe Biden. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also emphasized the importance of continuing efforts in view of increasing the role and profile of the Community of Democracies. In this context, he made reference to the importance of increasing democratic resilience, mentioning that Romania established the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Center (E-ARC), which will comprise in its domain of action aspects correlated to this objective.In his turn, Thomas Garett expressed satisfaction towards the "excellent" cooperation with the Romanian side and gave assurances that the Permanent Secretariat will continue to support the good conduct of the Romanian mandate as Presidents of the CoD.The program of the visit of the delegation of the Community of Democracies led by Secretary General Thomas Garrett also included a working meeting with State Secretary for Global Affairs and Diplomatic Strategies, Cornel Feruta, as well as applied discussions with the specialty departments within MAE.The tenth ministerial meeting of the CoD will take place on the sidelines of the high-level meeting of the 76th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in September. The event was scheduled to take place in Bucharest, in June 2020, to mark 20 years since the adoption of the Warsaw Declaration, the founding act of the CoD, yet it was postponed due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Romania's climate diplomacy pilot network was launched on Tuesday, following an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), including, in a first stage, 18 diplomatic missions of our country, the most active in the field of climate diplomacy.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, stated that the objectives of the network are structured around four pillars: identifying and implementing bilateral projects of common interest and stimulating cooperation in terms of know-how, technology; promoting national priorities and perspectives on climate issues; supporting the objectives agreed at the level of the European Union; supporting the implementation of the national policy for international development cooperation.

"It is a pilot network, because in the long run we aim for all Romanian missions to be part of this network. We are currently witnessing the effects of increasingly acute climate change, with a negative impact on the environment. Many of the changes observed are unprecedented: the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, snow and ice quantities have declined, sea levels have risen, and there are effects that we see in our daily lives that have a major impact on our quality of life," the Romanian minister said, according to Agerpres.

The Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Barna Tanczos, who celebrates his birthday on Tuesday, stated that the launch of the climate diplomacy network is a real gift for him. He stressed that an "ambitious climate policy is the only solution to reduce climate risks".

Alexandra-Maria Bocse, state councilor for climate and sustainability, mentioned that the Presidential Administration has pleaded in recent months for the need of Romanian institutions to adapt to the intersectoral challenge posed by climate change, but also for increasing the number of experts in the field.

According to Romania's ambassador in London, Laura Popescu, the world's economies are increasingly aware that the impact of climate change on international security is "a pressing issue that requires appropriate intervention." She pointed out that the United Kingdom is at the top of the world's leaders in combating climate change and said she was convinced that its experience would contribute to Romania's goals in the network.

Romania's ambassador in Copenhagen, Alexandru Gradinar, said that Denmark is a country "with great ambitions in terms of climate", having organized its diplomatic offices in a green network since 2019, and within the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs there is a department dedicated to climate diplomacy.

According to Cornel Feruta, Secretary of State in the MAE, the pilot network currently brings together the following Romanian diplomatic missions: Brussels - EU, Brussels - NATO, Romania's Permanent Mission in New York, Romania's Permanent Mission in Geneva, the embassies in Nairobi, Kuwait, London, Copenhagen, Rome, Bern, Stockholm, The Hague, Vienna, Paris, Warsaw, Oslo, Islamabad, Washington
Klaus Iohannis attended the extraordinary European Council meeting in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday,context in which he underlined Romania's support for EU involvement in strengthening the security and stability of Eastern partners through all the European instruments and policies, and in particular the Eastern Partnership, shows the Presidential Administration.

At the meeting, European leaders invited the High Representative and the European Commission to present a document containing policy options on future relations with the Russian Federation, ahead of the June European Council meeting.

"President Klaus Iohannis has expressed support for a united and solidarity-based approach to the Union, built on the five previously agreed guiding principles. The President of Romania also supported the need to develop a strategic document of the Union, containing policy options on the future approach of relations with the Russian Federation, appreciating the need for Union involvement to strengthen the security and stability of Eastern partners, through all European policies and instruments, and, in particular, the Eastern Partnership," says the Presidential Administration, according to Agerpres.

President Klaus Iohannis, along with European leaders, condemned the hijacking of the Ryanair flight to Minsk and the detention by the Belarusian authorities of journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner and called for the urgent launch of an international investigation to determine the circumstances of the plane crash. Moreover, the Romanian president called for the identification of firm response measures, the Presidential Administration further shows.
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Tuesday that the ministers failing to make reforms at loss-making state-owned companies will not receive extra funds at the next budget revision to cover expenses throughout the year, given the deficit target set earlier this year.

"Reform of state-owned companies: I have included in the national budget money for certain loss-making companies, assuming that they will undergo reform and reduce expenses; it is June soon. (...) Nothing like that has been done. I am telling my colleagues in the government that they will not receive that money at the revision to have expenses covered throughout the year, unless they carry out reforms. It is almost June; they must come up with the reforms, because the funds do no exist, there is nowhere we can get it, and the deficit is the one I unveiled at the beginning of the year," Citu told Radio Guerrilla private broadcaster on Tuesday.

At the same time, the prime minister said once again that he asked the ministers to reform institutions, to start with a simple streamlining."I reorganised the Ministry of Finance last year (...), I managed to reduce the number of directors general at the Ministry of Finance, which also means savings for the budget and the ministry was able to go very well, collecting (...) So, you can reform, reduce the number of directors general, merge directorates and so on, so this can be done, the simplest reform, that's why I am encouraging them, then I will ask the ministers to carry out the streamlining of ministries. So far I have not received a reorganisation of the ministries to do what I did, namely reduce the number of director general positions, for example, none have come in. Now I am encouraging them, then I will ask them, otherwise they cannot reduce expenses," Citu said.He pointed out that the government should not be afraid of reforms, considering that "Romania has postponed reforms for 30 years.""We don't make them because the European Commission or the IMF or anyone else tells us to. The results are beneficial to Romania, that's why we make them, not because we are somehow crazy. When you make these reforms, linking performance to income in the public sector (...) should already exist, so I should not come up now to say that. Cutting down on public money waste at state-owned companies, again, I shouldn't come up to say that, it should have been normal to do so until now, it should have not taken 30 years for me to say now that is a new thing," said Citu.Regarding the evaluation of the ministers' activity, the prime minister reiterated that it takes place continuously and when he makes a decision he will announce it."I have told you that I assess continuously and only the decisions are announced publicly. First I announce a decision to the coalition colleagues and then, as it happened last time, I announced publicly," said Citu when asked when the assessment of the ministers will take place.He added that by 2024 there will be a decrease in staff spending, due to the dynamics in Romania's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)."Staff spending will decrease as a percentage of GDP by 2024. I said in the fiscal strategy it decreases by one percentage point every year, because the GDP dynamics will outpace staff spending. It's a simple, statistical thing. What I want from the public apparatus, what we all want, in fact, is for it to be efficient," added Citu.
The New York Times, The Atlantic si Reuters se numara printre castigatorii premiilor Pulitzer, cu articole despre George Floyd si pandemie
President Klaus Iohannis has attended, Monday and Tuesday, the extraordinary meeting of the European Council, taking place in Brussels, context in which he emphasized Romania's support for the "fast" and "unitary" implementation of Digital COVID Certificates at the European level.

According to the Presidential Administration, in his intervention, President Klaus Iohannis reaffirmed Romania's support for maintaining the coordinated approach, at the level of the EU, both in regard to the current management of the health crisis, as well as with regards to the demarches to gradually relax restrictive measures introduced by member-states. The head of state also emphasized the particular importance of continuing the vaccination campaigns at an accelerated rate, together with increasing the efforts regarding the production and ensuring sufficient reserves of vaccines at the European level, Agerpres informs.

"President Klaus Iohannis hailed the finalization of inter-institutional negotiations regarding the Digital COVID Certificate and emphasized our country's support for the rapid and unitary implementation of these certificates at the European level. The President of Romania insisted on the fact that the use of this certificate mustn't affect the exercising of the citizens' fundamental right to freedom of movement," the Presidential Administration shows.

The head of state also emphasized the importance of solidarity at the international level, context in which he reaffirmed Romania's support for the operationalization, as quickly as possible, of a European mechanism to donate vaccines to third-party countries, especially the partners of the Union in the Eastern Vicinity and the Western Balkans. In this context, President Iohannis mentioned that Romania donated to the Republic of Moldova over 300,000 doses and will donate to Ukraine 100,000.
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Tuesday that ministries must propose reforms in a Government meeting, stressing that he has not received any reorganization proposals regarding state-owned companies, agerpres reports.

"We must have the reforms approved in the Government meeting. Ministries should come up with proposals in the Government meeting. (...) We do not have proposals on companies yet. In the Government meeting there have not been made yet any reorganization proposals in the direction that I said at the beginning of the year, namely to reduce the number of general managers, for example, to reduce the personnel criteria (...), to merge departments and so on," said the prime minister.

He said there was money for salaries until the end of the year."The ministries have money for salaries until the end of the year, it was about other expenses. (...) There is money until the end of the year for salaries and pensions. There is no problem there, but it was about subsidies. I said very clear that I will not subsidize losses anymore if they do not come up with a credible reform program that shows those companies will become profitable in one to three years," Citu said.
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Tuesday that reforms are needed in the pension system, as they are already presented in the fiscal-budgetary strategy and will be transferred to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and the Government "repairs what Social Democratic Party (PSD) has ruined in recent years."

Asked about the elimination of the early retirement pension, Citu said: "You take fragments from the discussions. We do not have a broad plan presented so far. There was no discussion about the early retirement or other pensions. The reform of the pension system is discussed, and the objective for this system is sustainability".

"We know very well that not only in Romania but at EU level there is a problem with the sustainability of the pension system, which, in a few years - in 10, 15 years - could have a sustainability problem. Thus, we need these reforms, there is nothing new, these reforms are already presented in the fiscal-budgetary strategy that is public, in the convergence program, which is also public and will be transferred to the PNRR," the prime minister added, before the meeting of the National Liberal Party (PNL) leadership.Citu mentioned that "the Government is repairing what the PSD has damaged in recent years"."There are country recommendations in the 2019-2020 convergence plan for previous governments, what this government is doing today is repairing what the PSD has ruined in recent years, but also in the past year, when no reforms have been made. That is what this reform program is doing today," the prime minister specified, asked if these reforms were recommended by the European Commission.On Friday, PSD chairman Marcel Ciolacu accused the Citu Government of having pledged to the European Commission not to increase pensions, to abolish early retirement and to increase the retirement age.
National chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu says PSD will go on a parliamentary strike, unless Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) on Wednesday is a "separate item on Parliament's agenda."

"Citu and Orban want to block the whole of Europe. They do not want to come to Parliament to present the PNRR, as is normal. Poland, Spain, Italy and France presented their PNRR in their parliaments. If tomorrow the presentation of the PNRR is not a separate item on Parliament's agenda, PSD will go on parliamentary strike," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

He said "Romanians need to find out the truth" on issues such as "freezing" state pensions, wages and allowances."Why do Citu and Orban want to hide PNRR? How will they explain in Brussels stymieing the entire Europe just because they are not able to have a public presentation of a plan that will affect Romania for the next five years? Romanians need to know the truth about the freezing of pensions, wages and allowances, the increase in rates and taxes on companies, as well as the fact that the Romanian agriculture will receive ... zero penny for irrigation!," wrote the PSD leader.
Romania has registered, in the last year, almost 6,000 complaints regarding child disappearances, according to a press release sent by the Save the Children Organization to AGERPRES.

According to the data supplied by the Criminal Investigation Direction within the the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (IGPR), during the period of April 30, 2020 - April 20, 2021, there were registered 5,924 complaints regarding minors who disappeared from home, "a dramatic stocktaking report", given that 206 of them are aged up to 10 years old, 1,453 are aged between 10-14 years and 4,263 are over 14 years old.

During the same period of time, according to the same source, 5,821 minors were found, namely 203 with ages to up to 10 years old, 1,430 with ages between 10-14 years old, 4,188 older than 14 years.

Currently, there are search and identification activities carried out in the case of 377 minors.

"Save the Children Romania" intensified efforts in order to offer psychological support to parents and children, through both the phone lines, as well as online, during this period of social restrictions, when children were exposed to both online harassment, as well as domestic abuse. It is vital to observe their behavior and to promptly intervene," explained Gabriela Alexandrescu, the executive chairman of Save the Children Romania.

In the last 5 years, the number of complaints regarding child disappearances has almost tripled, in 2015 being 3,736 complaints, and currently there are 9,924 complaints, Save the Children specifies
Minister of Labor Raluca Turcan declared on Tuesday that the increase of the retirement age has not been discussed and "it is absurd" to circulate the idea of 'the increase of the 15-year minimum contribution period, mentioning that she rejects any speculations in this sense, and "the amateurism of some politicians, who either use working documents or follow the old technique of disinformation."

"First of all, I would like to clarify some information that has appeared in the public space. In the PNRR [the National Recovery and Resilience Plan] there are two major reform components - on pensions and the pay system in the public system. These reforms are being worked on at the Ministry against the clock and we have different versions. For both components of the reform, after the Ministry comes up with its own vision, the result of the social dialogue, we will also call on specialized consultancy, so that the final version responds to some principles that we have assumed," said Turcan, in Parliament, after the meeting of the National Liberal party (PNL) leadership, agerpres.ro confirms.

She mentioned that the important principles are those of equity and sustainability of the pension and pay system.

"It seems natural to us, since we keep talking about reform, then two fundamental public systems should removed from decision makers' hands and have a predictable calculation system, including as a weighted share in GDP. These are the components we are talking about and based on which we are relaying all the data to Brussels. We reject any kind of speculations and especially the amateurism of politicians who either use working documents or follow the old disinformation technique and simply try to instil a state of tension among the people, essentially those most affected and who are deserving of these reforms," Turcan added.

She said there was no discussion about raising the retirement age, but about the option of staying in the working life, which is "totally different".

"By basically looking at the numbers that we have, we see that over 100,000 people over the age of 65 prefer to stay in the working life. We have thought about leaving this option. And it's a very important matter, including from the perspective of reform," the minister mentioned.

"Regarding the contribution period, it is absurd to say or someone to go out in the public space and spread the idea of the increase of the 15-year minimum contribution period, given that now the maximum contribution period is 35 years. So, there are some whoppers that you wonder how much more they can roll them the public space," Turcan added.

The Labor Minister specified that, including in the documents of the European Commission, the Government assumed that the reform measures will be completed towards the end of 2022.
The National Weather Administration (ANM) issued on Tuesday a Code Yellow warning for unstable weather valid until Wednesday in 29 counties, as well as a bad weather warning that will expire on Thursday evening.

According to meteorologists, between May 25, 15:00hrs - May 26, 11:00hrs under Code Yellow in Banat, Crisana, Maramures, Transylvania, northern Moldavia, as well as in western and northern Oltenia, spells of unstable weather will include thunderstorms, storms, hail and torrential showers. Precipitation will exceed 25-30 l/sq.m.

Wind will pick up speed in the mountains, especially at high elevations in Southern Carpathians, with gusts that will exceed 80-90 km/h.The counties under the Yellow Code warnings are: Alba, Arges, Arad, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Brasov, Buzau, Cluj, Caras-Severin, Covasna, Dambovita, Gorj, Hunedoara, Harghita, Iasi, Mehedinti, Maramures, Neamt, Prahova, Sibiu, Salaj, Satu Mare, Suceava, Timis, Valcea and Vrancea.Between May 25, 15:00hrs and May 27, 20:00hrs, the unstable weather will start in the western and northwestern parts of the country, while in the evening and at night it will reach the southwest, central and northeast parts, then mainly the south, centre and east.Torrential downpours, frequent lightning, hail and short-term wind gusts are expected.Precipitation will exceed 15 - 20 l/sq.m up to 30- 35 l/sq.m sparsely.Weather will remain generally unstable in the second half of this week as well.
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MEXICO CITY  A Mexican federal judge ruled against a request by the National Farm Council to freeze a government plan to ban genetically modified (GMO) corn and the widely used herbicide glyphosate by 2024, the national science council said on Monday.

Judge Martin Adolfo Santos Perezs ruling allows the executive order issued by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador late last year that outlines the planned ban to proceed.

If the ban is implemented, it would dramatically upend the current grains trade between the United States and Mexico, including some 16 million metric tons of U.S. exports of yellow corn to its southern neighbor, which is nearly all GMO.

The National Farm Council (CNA) said it regretted its legal loss in a statement later on Monday, and warned that if the bans go into effect, food prices will jump and farmers will become less productive.

The CNA said it is most concerned that "radical and unscientific interpretations" of the planned bans will stoke uncertainty, but did not go into detail, and pointed to approvals over many years from government agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency backing the safe use of glyphosate.
EDWARDSVILLE  The leader of a Facebook vigilante group that poses online as teenage girls to expose men the group believes are sexual predators was indicted this month in Madison County.

A grand jury on May 6 indicted Kyle Swanson, 30, of Wood River, on charges of obstructing justice, unlawful restraint and assault.

Swanson runs KTS Predator Hunters, a Metro East group with a Facebook following of more than 49,000.

The group is known for messaging men with decoys on social media or dating sites claiming to be underage and then planning meet-ups for confrontations they livestream or film.

The charges stem from a sting on Jan. 12, court documents say. Swanson is accused of luring a man to his car under false pretenses, threatening to hit him and refusing to let him leave the car.

The sting interfered with a police investigation by prompting the man and a woman to erase digital evidence of crime contained on a phone.

The case was investigated by Illinois State Police and brought to the grand jury by the office of Madison County States Attorney Thomas Haine.
A Chillicothe, Missouri, farmer has been sentenced to probation for helping his friend and employer perpetrate one of the biggest and longest-running frauds in the history of American agriculture.

Steven Whiteside, 57, pleaded guilty in December to signing a document that allowed Randy Constant to misrepresent conventionally grown crops as higher-priced organic grain.

Federal prosecutors recommended that Whiteside serve one year in prison, the maximum under the sentencing guidelines, followed by a year of supervised release and pay a $55,000 fine for his role in Constants long-running scheme that the government maintained had undermined consumer confidence in the organic food industry.

In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Whiteside would be getting off easy with only a year in prison because in a very real sense the loss figure used to calculate Defendants total offense level understates the harm caused by Defendants conduct. Whiteside received $177,000 for grain that Constant resold to animal feed producers at a high price because it was supposedly organic.
The highway shooting happened about 10 p.m. About an hour later Terry and Simpson shot and killed Goodkin on Delmar Boulevard in University City, and just after 11:30 p.m. they killed Zacharev in Brentwood, authorities have said.

Goodkin and her husband were shot while inside a car. Her husband survived the shooting. Zacharev was shot while waiting for an Uber outside of a Bonefish Grill, and the two suspects stole his satchel, according to court documents.

Robbery was the motive in all three shootings, according to court documents.

In all, Terry and Simpson are each charged in St. Louis County with two counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of armed criminal action, two counts of assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and robbery.

Authorities are still unaware of any connection the suspects have to St. Louis County, Bell said Monday.

Before his capture, Terry was seen Sunday afternoon running into woods in Richburg, South Carolina, about 50 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Officers then surrounded the area and closed roads to prevent Terry from slipping away.
But the plaza owners sued to block the subpoenas. As part of a mediation agreement to renegotiate the terms of the lease, the council withdrew the subpoenas.

After a closed-door session, the committee returned to vote to give Mercy and Western Anesthesiology time to voluntarily provide the information. Harder, the committee chairman, could not be reached after the meeting.

Fitch said the committee decided to ask for the information voluntarily, as it had requested of Page.

Nothing to hide

An official with knowledge of the closed-door committee meeting alleged Fitch, a former county police chief, admitted to the committee that he was paid for consulting work while chief.

The charter also includes provisions that require other county officials, including the police chief, counselor and prosecuting attorney, devote their entire time to the office.

Fitch, who retired as chief in 2013, told the Post-Dispatch that he was paid for once-a-year work for CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a private accreditation program used by police agencies, including St. Louis County.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The authoritarian president of Belarus on Monday signed a law sharply restricting news media activities and allowing them to be shut down without a court hearing.

The move by President Alexander Lukashenko came a day after the arrest of a prominent opposition journalist whose commercial flight was forcibly diverted to Belarus because of an alleged bomb threat. The arrest and flight diversion was condemned by Western countries and drew new attention to Belarus crackdown on media since widespread protests against Lukashenko arose last year.

Under the new law, news media are banned from making live reports on unauthorized mass gatherings. It also allows the Information Ministry to order a media outlets closure; previously media closures required a court decision.

Other strictures include prohibiting publication of the results of opinion polls that aren't authorized by the government.

This is the most repressive media law in Europe, which turns the work of journalists in Belarus into a minefield," said Andrei Bastunets, president of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
The new version also attempts to assist business owners and some nonprofits that received the federal forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans and other government assistance to keep employees hired during the pandemic. State law prevented PPP recipients from treating loan proceeds as business expenses that could be deducted, leaving an otherwise higher tax burden that business owners say would impair their recovery. The House passed legislation that would allow the deductions, resulting in smaller tax bills.

The Senate GOP tries to address that monetary loss instead by creating a program that would set aside $1 billion of North Carolina's share of American Rescue Plan funds to send grants automatically to any entity that received PPP loans or awards from four other business relief programs. These grants would be based on aid received but capped at $18,750.

Newton said the grant proposal would benefit as many as 400,000 businesses, or potentially double what the House plan would assist.

We believe that its a better alternative, he said. It also gets legislators who received PPP loans out of the uncomfortable position of voting for a law that would directly reduce their company's taxes.
The massive effort to create a pep-rally atmosphere comes only weeks after the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine was approved for younger adolescents ages 12 to 15. Administrators want to get as many shots in students arms as possible and hope it will pave the way to return to regular classes in the fall.

So far, about 14% of the nations 15 million kids ages 12 to 15 have received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 7.5 million teens ages 16 to 17, that number goes up to 34%, and about 22% have had both shots, according to the latest figures released Monday. The doses are scheduled about three weeks apart.



TOKYO  Tokyo officials were quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan will have an impact on Olympians.

Japan is determined to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to open on July 23. The U.S. cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan. Most metro areas in Japan are under a state of emergency .
He was sentenced to 10 months in custody for his guilty plea in March to conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer; to pay about $14,825 in restitution for company time investigating the attempted intrusion and turning the case over to the FBI; and three years of federal supervision if he remains in the U.S. or returns from abroad. He will remain in custody until he leaves the country.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged after Kruichkovs arrest in August in Los Angeles that the company had been the target of what Musk termed a serious effort to collect company secrets. Federal authorities had said Kriuchkov was heading to an airport to fly out of the country.

Tesla has a massive factory near Reno that makes batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage units. Company officials did not immediately respond Monday to messages seeking comment/

The judge put the amount Kriuchkov offered to pay the unidentified employee at $500,000. She did not address previous reports that the bribe amounted to $1 million.

Federal authorities credited the employee with reporting Kriuchkov's overtures to company officials.
How about a photo of the Tesla charger at Culvers here in Jefferson City? Will this cutting-edge technology be as useless as a Betamax by the time the capsule is opened 25 years from now? Should we put modern-day images and letters on a thumb drive? That might be a cruel trick to challenge a future society to find an equally antiquated computer to open the files.

One thing is for sure: We dont want what happened in Derry, New Hampshire to happen here. They recently opened a time capsule from 50 years ago and it was empty. No one seems to know whether it was raided or if anything was put into it in the first place.

The deadline to submit to the time capsule is Aug. 10, Missouri Statehood Day. All Missouri- based profit and nonprofit organizations are eligible to contribute three items: one to represent their past, one to represent their present and a note to future Missourians. Items should measure no larger than 8.5 x 14 inches  i.e., no larger than legal size paper  and combined be no more than a quarter-inch thick. All submissions need to be in printed form and not electronic.

An online registration form on missouri2021.org is required for all submissions and items should be mailed to: The State Historical Society of Missouri, Attn: Time Capsule, 605 Elm St., Columbia, Missouri, 65201.
One year after pandemic low point, Louisiana has added 127,400 jobs, officials estimate

Louisiana had about 1,837,000 residents working in nonfarm jobs in April, according to preliminary data adjusted for seasonal workforce trends the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said the data indicated the state has added about 127,400 jobs since the pandemic low point of April 2020. The unemployment rate fell from 13.1% to 7.4% during that time, according to the LWC.

Leisure and hospitality has gained about 62,400 jobs over the past year, more than any other business sector, the LWC said.

The state is projected to gain almost 71,000 jobs over the next four quarters, according to Gary Wagner, a business economist at UL-Lafayette who compiles a quarterly economic outlook report. About 45% of COVID-19-related job losses have been recovered, according to his latest report.

Insurance commissioner: Consumer hurricane complaints yield $41M

The Louisiana Department of Insurance has received 1,497 complaints concerning the three hurricanes that hit the state last year and recovered more than $41 million on behalf of those consumers as of April 30, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said.

Hurricane Laura accounted for $37.8 million of that total. Consumers have accused insurers of delaying payment for valid claims and not paying enough to satisfy their claims.

About 77% of complaints relate to homeowner policies. State Farm has racked up the most homeowner complaints with 275, though the company has a below-average complaint index once its large market share is taken into account, according to the insurance department.

New airline launches $6.6M, 261-job operations center at New Orleans airport

Breeze Airways, a newly launched airline, plans to create an operations base at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, government and company officials announced Friday.

The company expects to invest $6.6 million and employ 261 people with an average salary of $65,000 plus benefits.

Breeze plans direct flights between New Orleans and Charleston, South Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; Bentonville/Fayetteville, Arkansas; Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Akron/Canton and Columbus, Ohio; and Huntsville, Alabama. The airline will launch its first flights to Charleston starting July 8, with other connections launching July 15 and 16, officials said.
Opponents charge the change is a roundabout way to defund the police department. Lucas has rejected that characterization, saying the ordinances will actually increase the department's budget when the $3 million is added for the recruiting class.

Under state law, only the board of commissioners has authority over the police department. Other than the mayor, board members are appointed by the Missouri governor. The arrangement began in 1939 when state officials were trying to uproot corruption in Kansas City from the Tom Pendergast political machine.

The state's control of the city's police department has caused tension for years. The tension has grown since local protests following the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd last year and since local activists' calls for Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith to resign or be fired that stemmed in part from his handling of the protests.

Seven civil rights organizations held a news conference Tuesday to support Lucas and the proposed changes, and to repeat calls that Smith leave the police department.

The Rev. Rodney Williams, president of the Kansas City branch of the NAACP, said the mayor's bold action would help ensure minority voices are heard.
Take a moment of silence at 3 p.m., local time, for the National Moment of Remembrance. For at least one minute, send thanks, love and prayers to active soldiers, veterans and the many men and women who died serving our country.

The Friday before Memorial Day is considered National Poppy Day. Red poppies are worn as a sign of remembrance on Memorial Day. While red poppy pins can be purchased at a store, its also possible to make your own. Pinterest has loads of ideas and instructions for creating poppy pins. Or simply wear red on Memorial Day. Search for and then read the poem In Flanders Field by John McCrae. Go further and read the history of Flanders Field and the poppy.

It also helps to pause and think about all of the frontline workers who have sacrificed so much for all of us during the past year. For the unvaccinated, this would be a good time to pay tribute by getting the shot.

Here is my most radical and, dare I say it, patriotic suggestion: Perhaps for just one day, Memorial Day, refrain from saying, tweeting or posting anything disparaging or divisive about the other side. Let us, rather, think of each other as only Americans. Even if for only one day.

National holidays, especially Memorial Day, can call all Americans to a common purpose and serve as a reminder that all of our communities have sacrificed, and that we are more alike than we think.
The anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement gained momentum during the recent two-week battle between the Israeli military and Hamas in Gaza  boosted in part by Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of St. Louis. Bush has been outspoken in her support of the movement, drawing less-than-fair accusations from pro-Israel groups that she and other BDS supporters are anti-Semitic. That label, similar to calling someone racist, is so loaded with historical baggage and hurtful to the accused that it deserves to be deployed with extreme caution.

Although Bush has made her share of outrageous statements, we can find nothing to indicate she is anti-Jewish. Just because she joins others in criticizing Israel for its Gaza campaign  in which more than 100 women and children were killed during indiscriminate Israeli bombings of residential buildings  doesnt necessarily mean such critics are anti-Semitic or support the Islamist Hamas militia that rules Gaza.
From January through October of every year, tennis star Sloane Stephens is in a different city competing. Based out of Florida, she visits her mother in Los Angeles as often as she can  and also checks in on the Sloane Stephens Foundation, which utilizes education and tennis to uplift vulnerable children. I honestly dont remember where exactly (my first tennis tournament was), but I do remember that I had a lot of fun and met friends that I grew close to and continued to see at tournaments, Sloane said from Paris, where she was competing in the French Open. That positive first experience with tennis is why I stuck with it. That is the type of environment we create with the kids at the Sloane Stephens Foundation. We give you all the tools to take tennis as far as you want, but the most important thing is that you are finding a pathway to be healthy, happy and have a positive experience. Stephens  who serves on the WTA Players Council  stays in touch with fans on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sloanestephens/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/SloaneStephens) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Sloaneposts).
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
In early 2021 a recently refurbished Russian frigate, the Shaposhnikov, test fired a Kalibr-NK cruise missile. The test did not go well as the Kalibr flight control system failed and the missile veered off course and crashed into the sea not far from the frigate. While the Kalibr has been in use since 1994, and numerous upgrades and modifications have been made to the original design, it has proved less reliable than equivalent Western missiles. There have been embarrassing failures of exported Kalibrs, in particular the ones sold to India for use in their Kilo-class diesel electric submarines bought from Russia and upgraded during a refurbishment to use the torpedo-tube launched version of Kalibr. Several of these missiles failed during test firings and India refused to accept or pay for the refurbished Kilo until the Kalibr problem was fixed. That took a while but eventually the updated sub-based Kalibr worked satisfactorily. Russia has had similar problems with other new missile designs as well as recently built ships and submarines.

An example of the problems with shipbuilding and maintenance, consider ships like the refurbished Shaposhnikov, which is actually a 35-year-old 7,500-ton Russian destroyer which underwent a three-year long refurbishment and upgrade that turned the Cold War era destroyer into a 7,900-ton multi-use frigate. The new Shaposhnikov underwent sea trials in mid-2020 after refurbishment that saw about 20 percent of the structural elements of the ship repaired or replaced. The engines and other mechanical components were refurbished or replaced and electronic systems upgraded. Weapons systems were also upgraded, to include sixteen VLS (vertical launch system launchers Kalibr missiles and eight launchers for Kh-35 anti-ship missiles. There were also VLS cells for 64 SAMs (surface to air missiles). The refurbishment took longer than expected because of a fire in 2018. Russian shipyards have proved better at building and refurbing smaller ships. The Shaposhnikov was at the upper limit of current yard capabilities and the refurb was considered a success.

In most navies a destroyer is considered ready for the scrap yard after 30 years, but the Russian warships that entered service in the 1980s spent much less time at sea after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. During the 1990s the navy could not afford to send many ships, even new ones, to sea very often.

By 2006 the Shaposhnikov, which entered service in 1985, was one of only two Udaloy Class ships that still regularly went to sea. At least half a dozen Udaloys did so regularly during the 1990s. With no money for upgrades or even shipyard maintenance, most of these ships eventually became unable to leave port.

For long distance cruises the Udaloy Class destroyers were usually accompanied by a supply ship and a sea going tug. During the Cold War this was standard practice when units of the Russian fleet deployed, and has on occasion proven useful. Pictures of Russian surface ships or submarines being towed back to port were common. The tugs still accompany Russian warships on long voyages.

There were other problems during the 1990s. For example, the Russian Navy experienced a severe shortage of spare parts for the gas turbine engines common in destroyers and frigates. Decades ago, the Soviets put the factory for these engines in Ukraine and, in the 1990s, independent Ukraine began charging serious bucks for spares. The Russians built their own plants to ease the problem but that took time. After the 2014 invasion of Ukraine Russia was cut off from any military equipment manufactured in Ukraine. This made the maritime turbine situation worse.

Twelve Udaloys entered service between 1980 and 1991. Three more were under construction in 1991 but two were scrapped before completion and the third one was finished and entered service in 1999. The other operational Udaloy is currently out of action and awaiting refurbishment, which is expected to be completed in 2023. Three of the first twelve have been scrapped and Russia hopes to refurbish five Udaloys and keep them in service for another decade or so.

The 7,500-ton Udaloys were originally called destroyers and were meant to emulate the popular and numerous (35 built) American 8,000-ton Spruance class ships. Most of these were retired after 30 years and replaced by the current Burke class, which is still being built. These 8,100-9,500-ton ships were very effective and there will eventually be 82 of them.

Like the Spruance and Burke class ships, the Udaloys were armed to handle anti-ship, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine operations. With a top speed of 65 kilometers an hour and a crew of 300 the Udaloys were similar in capabilities to the Spruances, but not the Burkes. The last Spruance retired in 2005 and the Russians hope to upgrade six of the Udaloys to near-Burke capabilities. These will be the last Russian destroyers for a while because Russia cannot build a new class of destroyers. Most new construction consists of smaller frigates and corvettes. The newly built frigates are not much more than 5,000 tons and the corvettes are less than half that.
FILE PHOTO: A logo of the Exxon Mobil Corp is seen at the Rio Oil and Gas Expo and Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 24, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes/File Photo

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

(Reuters) -BlackRock, Exxon Mobil Corp's second largest shareholder, is backing several of upstart hedge fund Engine No. 1's candidates to join the company's board, in a blow to the energy giant, according to people familiar with the matter.

With the annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, Exxon has been scrambling to win the backing of major institutional investors for its directors in its toughest boardroom battle in recent history. Exxon has faced mounting criticism for its reluctance to invest more in renewable energy and for years of weak financial performance.

BlackRock, the world's largest fund manager, has a 6.7% stake in Exxon, and its vote illustrates how frustrated shareholders have become after years of having the company dismiss concerns about its strategy. Investors have grown much more serious about fighting climate change.

BlackRock did not respond to a request for comment.

Exxon declined comment until after voting results are disclosed on Wednesday. Other sources have told Reuters the top U.S. oil producer has been calling shareholders, including Vanguard and State Street, to garner support for its slate of 12 directors. Preliminary results will likely be announced Wednesday morning after the meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Engine No. 1 has a stake worth only about $50 million in Exxon, a company with a market capitalization of about $250 billion, but the hedge fund has pushed publicly for Exxon to move faster to reduce its carbon footprint. The traction it has gained with shareholder advisory firms and BlackRock underscores the importance investors are giving to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors.

The sources requested anonymity because BlackRock does not publicly disclose how it casts its vote ahead of time.

The final vote could turn on Exxon's three largest investors - Vanguard, State Street and BlackRock. Vanguard owns about 8.2% of the Exxon's stock while State Street owns 5.7%. Vanguard will not disclose its decision before the meeting, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

BlackRock has been more willing than Vanguard and State Street to back dissident investors, analysts have said. Its decision could prove critical to securing one or more seats for Engine No. 1's nominees.

Engine No. 1 proposed four directors - Gregory Goff, Kaisa Hietala, Alexander Karsner and Anders Runevad - with expertise in energy, technology and regulatory policy. BlackRock supported all but Runevad, the people said. Exxon has said the four do not have the expertise needed for its board.

BlackRock also extended an olive branch to management and voted for CEO Darren Woods and for lead independent director Kenneth Frazier. Last year BlackRock voted to split the chairman and CEO roles that Woods holds and voted against Frazier.

California-based Engine No. 1 won the backing of three large pension funds and other investors dissatisfied with Exxon's efforts to chart a clean energy strategy. Exxon's past dismissal of governance and climate concerns also cost its support, investors have said.

Three proxy advisory firms that guide how investors vote backed the hedge fund's slate. Institutional Shareholder Services recommended three of Engine No. 1's candidates while Glass Lewis backed two of the hedge fund's candidates.

Exxon pledged on Monday to add two new board members with energy and climate expertise within 12 months. Exxon's share price has climbed 45% since the start of the year. Its stock was off 2% at $58.30 at midday on Tuesday.

Exxon's returns have lagged its global rivals, losing about 15% over the past five years.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said investors should stop funding new fossil fuel projects if they want to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

(Reporting by Svea-Herbst Bayliss in Boston with additional reporting by Jennifer Hiller in Houston and Ross Kerber in BostonEditing by Greg Roumeliotis and David Gregorio)
Integrating a spread spectrum clock generation circuit (*1) and housed in the industrys smallest (*2) package, it is ideally suited to advanced automotive camera modules

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ABLIC Inc. (President: Nobumasa Ishiai, head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter ABLIC) today launched the S-19914/5 Series of low EMI step-down switching regulators for automotive use.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005006/en/

The S-19914/5 Series of Ultra-small Step-down Switching Regulators for Automotive Use with Low EMI that Reduces Conducted Emission to 1/3 of Previous Levels (Graphic: Business Wire)

The new product launched today, the S-19914/5 Series is a step-down switching regulator with low EMI and integrates a spread spectrum clock generation circuit (*1) that reduces the conducted emission and radiated emission generated by the IC. Specifically, it reduces conducted emission to 1/3 of our previous model. The S-19914/5 Series is housed in the industrys smallest (*2) HSNT-8(2030) package (2.0 x 3.0 x t0.5mm) making it a product that will contribute to the downsizing of camera modules and meet the current market need for automotive devices.

Moreover, it is PPAP (Production Part Approval Process)-capable and also meets the AEC(*)-Q100 Grade1 (* Automotive Electronics Council) quality standard for automotive ICs.

(*1) Technology for adjusting the oscillation frequency to suppress emission peaks generated by specific frequencies (for example, 2.2MHz or higher frequencies).

(*2) A DC-DC converter with 36V operation and 1A output. Based on our research, as of May 2021

Major Features

Reduces conducted emission to 1/3 Industrys smallest class! Housed in an ultra-small HSNT-8(2030) (2.0 x 3.0 x t0.5mm) package Fast transient response PWM control, PWM/PFM control selectable Low ripple 36V input/45V rating

Application Examples

Automotive camera modules

For automotive use (engine, transmission, suspension, ABS, EV/HEV/PHEV and other device applications)

S-19914/5 Series Product Details

https://hub.ablic.com/en/products/s-19914-19915

Website

https://www.ablic.com/

ABLIC Inc. became a wholly owned company by MinebeaMitsumi Inc. as of April 30th, 2020.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005006/en/

ABLIC Inc.

Masae Onuma

pr@ablic.com

https://hub.ablic.com/en/pr-inquiry?rf=support

Source: ABLIC Inc.
First peer-reviewed publication to document partial visual recovery in a blind patient with late-stage inherited retinal disease

GS030 treatment combining gene therapy with light-stimulating medical device enabled patient with 40-year history of retinitis pigmentosa to regain ability to perceive, locate, count and touch objects

Electroencephalographic (EEG) readings during visual tests suggest task-related activity in the visual cortex

Video showing patient successfully performing visual tests available on www.gensight-biologics.com

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

GenSight Biologics (Paris: SIGHT) (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, today announced that the highly-regarded journal Nature Medicine has published the first case report of partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient with late stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The subject is a participant in the ongoing PIONEER Phase I/II clinical trial of GenSight Biologics GS030 optogenetic therapy. Published in the May issue under the title Partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy, the paper* is the first peer-reviewed documentation of visual recovery after a blind patient was treated with optogenetic therapy.

These are truly groundbreaking findings that move the promise of optogenetics another step from therapeutic concept to clinical use, commented Bernard Gilly, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GenSight. These could not have occurred without the close collaboration we enjoyed with our partners at the Institut de la Vision, the Institute of Ophthalmology Basel and Streetlab. We are especially grateful to the patients who are participating in our trial, whose experiences and input will help us design the next stage of GS030s clinical development. We will now accelerate the GS030 program to make it our second product to reach the market after LUMEVOQ.

Optogenetic therapies combine cellular expression of light-sensitive opsins with light stimulation using a medical device. GS030 uses an optimized viral vector (GS030-DP) to express the light-sensitive opsin ChrimsonR in retinal ganglion cells and proprietary light-stimulating goggles (GS030-MD) to project the right wavelength and intensity of light onto the treated retina. GS030-DP is administered via an intravitreal injection.

It was breathtaking to witness the first recovery of some visual function in a blind patient, commented Dr. Botond Roska, MD, PhD, last and co-corresponding author and a pioneer in the field of optogenetic vision restoration. Dr. Roska is Founding Director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) in Switzerland and a Co-Founder of GenSight. We have worked on optogenetic therapy in the lab for 16 years and now seeing the proof of concept in a patient is a unique experience, he said. I am most grateful to have shared this long journey with Jose Sahel, a fellow founder of GenSight; the dedicated team at GenSight; and our other collaborators.

The subject in the case report, who had been diagnosed with RP 40 years prior to enrollment, had such low visual acuity that prior to receiving GS030, he could only perceive light. His gene therapy injection was followed four and a half months later by training on the use of the GS030-MD device. Seven months after the start of his training, he began to report signs of visual improvement. Visual function tests showed he acquired the ability to perceive, locate, count and touch objects when his treated eye was stimulated with the GS030-MD goggles. Without the goggles, he could not perform the tasks.

While the patient performed vision-oriented tasks, recordings were taken using extracranial multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive technique that provides a readout of neuronal activity across the cortex. The EEG signals suggest that the act of carrying out the visual perception tests was accompanied by neurophysiological activity in the visual cortex.

In addition, the patient also reported significant improvements in his ability to conduct day-to-day activities such as navigating in outdoor and indoor environments and detecting household objects and furniture.

Watching a patient benefit for the first time from this trial using optogenetics to treat blindness has been a uniquely rewarding experience, commented Dr. Jose-Alain Sahel, MD, PhD, lead and co-corresponding author, Co-Founder of GenSight, and Founder of the Institut de la Vision (Sorbonne-Universite/Inserm/CNRS), Paris, France. Dr. Sahel is also Director of Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire FOReSIGHT, Paris, France, and Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), USA. He added, Being able to take part in bringing this new scientific approach to the clinic reflects the long-term collaboration with Botond Roska, the scientists of the Vision Institute, our clinicians, the Streetlab and psychophysics teams, and GenSight.

A video of the patient performing the tests, which was submitted as supplementary material to Nature Medicine, can be viewed at www.gensight-biologics.com.

Key Opinion Leader Webcast: June 4, 2021 at 2:00 PM CEST/8:00 AM EDT Dr. Sahel and Dr. Roska will discuss the case report on a KOL webcast dedicated to Optogenetics and GS030 and hosted by GenSight Biologics. Details will be announced at a later date.

Context

RP is the leading cause of inherited blindness and is caused by mutations in more than 71 different genes.a By using gene therapy to induce light sensitivity in unaffected retinal ganglion cells, GS030 overcomes the challenge among genetics-based treatments of exclusively addressing a specific underlying mutation and thus offers a treatment that is independent of the underlying pathogenic mutation.

PIONEER is the Phase I/II first-in-human, multi-center, open-label dose-escalation clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of GS030 in subjects with late-stage RP. A total of 12 to 18 subjects are planned to be enrolled. Three cohorts with three subjects each will be administered an increasing dose of GS030-DP via a single intravitreal injection in their worse-seeing eye. An extension cohort will receive the highest tolerated dose. A Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) reviews the safety data of all treated subjects in each cohort and makes recommendations before the next cohort is enrolled. The primary outcome analysis will be the safety and tolerability at one year post-injection.

In line with the PIONEER protocol, the subject received the lowest dose (5.0E10 vector genomes) of GS030-DP in his worse-seeing eye. Four and a half months after injection, the patient began systematic training at Streetlab, a specialized visual rehabilitation facility, to learn how to use the light-stimulating goggles. The timing of the training was based on the estimated time it takes for the expression of light-sensitive opsin to stabilize in foveal ganglion cells.

Highlights of Visual Function Findings from Case Report

In the first visual test, the subject was asked to perceive, locate, and touch a single object placed in front of him on a white table. The subject had no success without the goggles. When the subjects treated eye was stimulated by the GS030-MD goggles, his ability to perceive, locate, and touch an object depended on the size of the object, with a significantly higher rate of successful trials with a large object (a notebook; 92%) than with the smaller object (a staple box; 36%). The success rate was similar for objects at different contrasts, suggesting that even objects at lower contrasts generated enough retinal activity for perception. Finally, the success rate was similar for the different tasks of perceiving, locating, and touching, suggesting that once the object was perceived, the patient could coordinate his motor system with the percept.

The second visual test required the subject to perceive, count, and locate two or three tumblers of different contrasts placed in front of him on a white table. As in the first test, the subject had no success without the goggles. When the subjects treated eye was stimulated by the GS030-MD goggles, the patient perceived, correctly counted, and located the objects in the majority (58-63%) of the trials. As in the first test, the success rate was similar for objects of different contrasts.

In the third visual test, the patient had to assess the presence or absence of a tumbler on a white table. The success rate with the goggles stimulating the treated eyes was statistically significantly higher than without the goggles (41% vs. 6%; p

Highlights of Safety Findings from Case Report

In-depth ocular examinations were performed regularly before and after injection, and potential intraocular inflammation was monitored according to international guidelines of the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) Working Group.b Both eyes of the subject showed no intraocular inflammation and no changes in the anatomy of the retina; there were no ocular or systemic adverse events over the 84 weeks of assessment.

The subject tested the light-stimulating goggles three times before being injected with the gene therapy. On each of these occasions, he reported no change of vision or photophobia.

Detailed findings can be found at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01351-4.

*About the paper:

Partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy

Authors:

Jose-Alain Sahel1,2,3,4, Elise Boulanger-Scemama3,4, Chloe Pagot5, Angelo Arleo1, Francesco Galluppi6, Joseph N Martel2, Simona Degli Esposti7, Alexandre Delaux1, Jean-Baptiste de Saint Aubert1, Caroline de Montleau5, Emmanuel Gutman5, Isabelle Audo1,3, Jens Duebel1, Serge Picaud1, Deniz Dalkara1, Laure Blouin6, Magali Taiel6, Botond Roska8,9

Affiliations:

1 Sorbonne Universite, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France 2 Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA 3 INSERM-Centre d'Investigation Clinique 1423, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, France 4 Departement d'Ophtalmologie, Fondation Ophtalmologique Rothschild, Paris, France 5 Streetlab, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France 6 GenSight Biologics, Paris, France 7 NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom 8 Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, Basel, Switzerland 9 Department of Ophthalmology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

References:

https://sph.uth.edu/retnet/sum-dis.htm Jabs, D. A., Nussenblatt, R. B., Rosenbaum, J. T., & Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) Working Group. Standardization of uveitis nomenclature for reporting clinical data. Results of the First International Workshop. Am J Ophthalmol 140, 509516 (2005).

About GenSight Biologics

GenSight Biologics S.A. is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight Biologics pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, the Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics, to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases. GenSight Biologics lead product candidate, LUMEVOQ (GS010; lenadogene nolparvovec), has been submitted for marketing approval in Europe for the treatment of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare mitochondrial disease affecting primarily teens and young adults that leads to irreversible blindness. Using its gene therapy-based approach, GenSight Biologics product candidates are designed to be administered in a single treatment to each eye by intravitreal injection to offer patients a sustainable functional visual recovery.

About GS030

GS030 leverages GenSight Biololgics optogenetics technology platform, a novel approach to restore vision in blind patients using a combination of ocular gene therapy and tailored light-activation of treated retinal cells. The gene therapy, which is delivered via a single intravitreal injection, introduces a gene encoding for a light-sensitive protein (ChrimsonR-tdT) into retinal ganglion cells, making them responsive to light and bypassing photoreceptors killed off by diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Because ChrimsonR-tdT is activated by high intensities of amber light, a wearable medical device is needed to stimulate the treated retina. The optronic lightstimulating goggles (GS030-MD) encode the visual scene in real-time and project a light beam with a specific wavelength and intensity onto the treated retina. Treatment with GS030 requires patients to wear the external wearable device in order to enable restoration of their visual function. With the support of the Institut de la Vision in Paris and the team of Dr. Botond Roska at the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel, GenSight is investigating GS030 as therapy to restore vision in patients suffering from late-stage RP. GenSights optogenetics approach is independent of the specific genetic mutations causing blindness and has potential applications in other diseases of the retina in which photoreceptors degenerate, like dry agerelated macular degeneration (dry-AMD). GS030 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the United States and Europe.

About Optogenetics

Optogenetics is a biological technique that involves the transfer of a gene encoding for a light sensitive protein to cause neuronal cells to respond to light stimulation. As a neuromodulation method, it can be used to modify or control the activities of individual neurons in living tissue and even in-vivo, with a very high spatial and temporal resolution. Optogenetics combines (1) the use of gene therapy methods to transfer a gene into target neurons with (2) the use of optics and electronics (optronics) to deliver the light to the transduced cells. Optogenetics holds clinical promise in the field of vision impairment or degenerative neurological disorders.

About Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a family of orphan genetic diseases caused by multiple mutations in numerous genes involved in the visual cycle. Over 100 genetic defects have been implicated. RP patients generally begin experiencing vision loss in their young adult years, with progression to blindness by age 40. RP is the most widespread hereditary cause of blindness in developed nations, with a prevalence of about 1.5 million people throughout the world. In Europe and the United States, about 350,000 to 400,000 patients suffer from RP, and every year between 15,000 and 20,000 new patients with RP lose sight. There is currently no curative treatment for RP.

About the PIONEER Phase I/II trial

PIONEER is a first-in-man, multi-center, open label dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of GS030 in 12-18 subjects with late-stage retinitis pigmentosa. GS030 combines a gene therapy (GS030-DP) administered via a single intravitreal injection with a wearable optronic visual stimulation device (GS030-MD). Eligible patients in the first three cohorts are those affected by end-stage non-syndromic RP with no light perception (NLP) or light perception (LP) levels of visual acuity. The extension cohort will include patients with hand motion (HM) and counting fingers (CF) levels of visual acuity.

As per protocol, three cohorts with three subjects each will be administered an increasing dose of GS030-DP via a single intravitreal injection in their worse-seeing eye. An extension cohort will receive the highest tolerated dose. The DSMB will review the safety data of all treated subjects in each cohort and will make recommendations before a new cohort receives the next dose. The primary outcome analyses will be on the safety and tolerability at one year post-injection. PIONEER is being conducted in three centers in the United Kingdom, France and the United States.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005878/en/

GenSight Biologics

Chief Financial Officer

Thomas Gidoin

tgidoin@gensight-biologics.com

+33 (0)1 76 21 72 20

LifeSci Advisors

Investor Relations

Guillaume van Renterghem

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

+41 (0)76 735 01 31

RooneyPartners

Media Relations

Jeanene Timberlake

jtimberlake@rooneyco.com

+1 646 770-8858

Orpheon Finance

Retail Investors

James Palmer

j.palmer@orpheonfinance.com

+33 (0)7 60 92 77 74

Source: GenSight Biologics
UPDATE

SHREVEPORT, La. - The Caddo Parish Coroner's Office has identified a teen shot and killed Sunday morning.

According to the coroner's office, Antonio Roberson of Shreveport, 15, was shot and killed just after 12:40 a.m. in the 2100 block of Portland Ave. Roberson was pronounced dead at the scene just after 12:50 a.m.

The teen was positively identified through a fingerprint comparison.

Roberson's death will remain under the investigation by the Shreveport Police Department.

---

SHREVEPORT, La. - Shreveport police responded to the call of a shooting at the 2100 block of Portland Ave. just before 1:00 a.m. to find one 15-year-old boy had been shot multiple times.

According to officers, three boys were walking along Portland Avenue when someone got out of a silver car that pulled up behind the boys and started shooting at them and hitting one 15 year old multiple times.

Police estimated around 15 to 20 fired shots.

Police say there is no suspect, the investigation is ongoing.

-----

If you have any information on this shooting or the suspects involved, call Crime Stoppers at 318-673-7373.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Technip Energies (PARIS: TE) (ISIN:NL0014559478) has been awarded two contracts(1) by Neste for work on the development of their renewables production platform in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as part of the existing Partnership Agreement between Neste and Technip Energies.

The first contract covers Engineering, Procurement services and Construction management (EPCM) for the modification of Neste's existing renewables production refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to enable production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The modifications to the refinery, an investment of approximately EUR 190 million, will enable Neste to optionally produce up to 500,000 tons of SAF per annum as part of the existing capacity.

The second contract covers the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) for Neste's possible next world scale renewable products refinery in Rotterdam. This contract is part of Nestes preparations to enable a final investment decision by its Board of Directors, targeted for the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022.

The production process is based on Nestes proprietary NEXBTL state-of-the-art technology, which allows the conversion of waste and residue feedstock into renewable products like renewable diesel, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and renewable solutions for the polymers and chemical industry.

Marco Villa, Chief Operating Officer of Technip Energies, stated: These awards reinforce our long-standing relationship with Neste, which started with the delivery of two world-scale renewable fuels units in Rotterdam and Singapore and followed up in 2018 with the Singapore Expansion project. We are proud of the partnership signed with Neste in 2019 targeting the quest for renewable fuels by means of Nestes leading-edge technology. This confirms the commitment by both parties to contribute to the energy transition supported by todays market trend.

(1) The sum of these two contracts is worth between 50 million and 250 million.

To know more about Technip Energies capabilities in Biofuels:

Our engineering and end-to-end project management expertise applies directly to the biofuels market, particularly for biofuel refineries. We offer a wide range of services and proprietary and partnership-based technologies, including biodiesel and biojet production technologies as well as ethanol first- and second-generation processes. We have extensive experience in the design and construction of bioethanol plants.

Learn more: https://www.technipenergies.com/markets/biofuels

About Technip Energies

Technip Energies is a leading Engineering & Technology company for the energy transition, with leadership positions in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen and ethylene as well as growing market positions in blue and green hydrogen, sustainable chemistry and CO2 management. The company benefits from its robust project delivery model supported by extensive technology, products and services offering.

Operating in 34 countries, our 15,000 people are fully committed to bringing our clients innovative projects to life, breaking boundaries to accelerate the energy transition for a better tomorrow.

Technip Energies is listed on Euronext Paris with American depositary receipts (ADRs) trading over-the-counter in the United States. For further information: www.technipenergies.com.

Disclaimers

This release is intended for informational purposes only for the shareholders of Technip Energies. This press release is not intended for distribution in jurisdictions that require prior regulatory review and authorization to distribute a press release of this nature.

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. Forward-looking statements usually relate to future events and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows or other aspects of Technip Energies operations or operating results. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words believe, expect, anticipate, plan, intend, foresee, should, would, could, may, estimate, outlook, and similar expressions, including the negative thereof. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on Technip Energies current expectations, beliefs and assumptions concerning future developments and business conditions and their potential effect on Technip Energies. While Technip Energies believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting Technip Energies will be those that Technip Energies anticipates.

All of Technip Energies forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are significant or beyond Technip Energies control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from Technip Energies historical experience and Technip Energies present expectations or projections. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

For information regarding known material factors that could cause actual results to differ from projected results, please see Technip Energies risk factors set forth in Technip Energies filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which include amendment no. 4 to Technip Energies registration statement on Form F-1 filed on February 11, 2021.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date they are made. Technip Energies undertakes no duty to and will not necessarily update any of the forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events, except to the extent required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005744/en/

Investor relations

Phil Lindsay

Vice-President Investor Relations

+44 203 429 3929

Phillip Lindsay

Media relations

Stella Fumey

Director Press Relations & Digital Communications

+33 (1) 85 67 40 95

Stella Fumey

Jason Hyonne

Press Relations & Social Media Lead

+33 1 47 78 22 89

Jason Hyonne

Source: Technip Energies
TORONTO, May 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ayr Wellness Inc. (CSE: AYR.A, OTCQX: AYRWF) (Ayr, Ayr Wellness, we, us, our, or the Company), a vertically-integrated cannabis multi-state operator (MSO), today announces the planned launch of its Origyn premium concentrate line in Florida. Origyn will be the first of many Ayr brands to launch in Florida, bringing Ayrs strong product lines from other markets to expand product offerings at Liberty Health Sciences (LHS) and enhance the Florida customer experience. LHS possesses the 4th largest retail footprint in Florida with 35 operating dispensaries, in a state with more than 560,000 active medical cannabis patients, according to the Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU)1.

Sales of Origyn concentrates will begin on or around June 1, 2021. Initial offering will include Wax, Crumble, and Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), and Shatter will be added later this year. Origyn is also sold by Ayr in Massachusetts, where it has quickly become one of the states top selling concentrate brands, reaching over $2.2 million in monthly sales in March according to BDSA. The company also plans to launch Origyn sales in the Pennsylvania market over the summer.

Jonathan Sandelman, CEO of Ayr, said, Since we completed the acquisition of Liberty Health Sciences in late-February, our team has been hard at work improving the operation and bringing it up to Ayr standards. That process has included a lot of improvements and retrofits to the Gainesville cultivation and production facility, but also means bringing some of our most popular brands in from other states. Origyn has done very well in Massachusetts since its launch, and were very excited to bring these quality concentrates to the Florida medical market. This is just the beginning of what patients can expect to see in terms of quality and selection coming to the LHS stores as we continue to improve operations.

Florida has one of the largest and most dynamic medical cannabis markets in the United States, with over 560,000 patients, 338 licensed dispensaries and 22 licensed cultivators1. Annual statewide cannabis sales are expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2022, with concentrates encompassing roughly one quarter of total sales, according to BDSA2.

1 According to OMMU report for the week ended May 21, 20212 BDSA Market Forecasts, 2022

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as target, expect, anticipate, believe, foresee, could, would, estimate, goal, outlook, intend, plan, seek, will, may, tracking, pacing and should and similar expressions or words suggesting future outcomes. This news release includes forward-looking information and statements pertaining to, among other things, Ayrs future growth plans. Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause the actual events and results to differ materially from the estimates, beliefs and assumptions expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: anticipated strategic, operational and competitive benefits may not be realized; events or series of events, including in connection with COVID-19, may cause business interruptions; required regulatory approvals may not be obtained; acquisitions may not be able to be completed on satisfactory terms or at all; the completion and success of our new cultivation facilities; and Ayr may not be able to raise additional debt or equity capital if required. Among other things, Ayr has assumed that its businesses will operate as anticipated, that it will be able to complete acquisitions on reasonable terms, that its new cultivation facilities will be completed on time and on budget and will be successful, and that all required regulatory approvals will be obtained on satisfactory terms and within expected time frames. In particular, there can be no assurance that we will complete all pending acquisitions in or enter into agreements with respect to other acquisitions.

About Ayr WellnessAyr is an expanding vertically integrated, U.S. multi-state cannabis operator, focused on delivering the highest quality cannabis products and customer experience throughout its footprint. Based on the belief that everything starts with the quality of the plant, the Company is focused on superior cultivation to grow superior branded cannabis products. Ayr strives to enrich consumers experience every day through the wellness and wonder of cannabis.

Ayrs leadership team brings proven expertise in growing successful businesses through disciplined operational and financial management, and is committed to driving positive impact for customers, employees and the communities they touch. For more information, please visit www.ayrwellness.com.

Company Contact:

Megan KulickHead of Investor RelationsT: (646) 977-7914Email: IR@ayrwellness.com

Media Contact :Robert VaniskoVP, Corporate CommunicationsEmail: robert.vanisko@ayrwellness.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Brian PinkstonMATTIO CommunicationsT: (703) 926-9159Email: ir@mattio.comEmail: IR@ayrwellness.com

Source: Ayr Wellness Inc.
Company announcement no 5 2021



Danske Bank A/S

Holmens Kanal 2  12

DK - 1092 Kbenhavn K

Tel. +45 45 14 00 00











25 May 2021

Danske Bank appoints new Chief Risk Officer



Danske Bank has appointed Magnus Agustsson as new Chief Risk Officer (CRO). He will become part of Danske Banks Executive Leadership Team and join Danske Bank by 1 December 2021 at the latest.

Magnus Agustsson will succeed Carsten Egeriis, who was appointed CEO on 19 April 2021. The interim head of the Group Risk Management organisation, George Anagnostopoulos, will continue in that role until Magnus Agustsson takes over.

Magnus Agustsson holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Iceland. He comes from a position as CRO of SEB in Sweden, where he has held various positions over the past 12 years, all within risk management. Prior to this employment, he held similar positions with companies in the financial sector in Germany and Finland.

I am really pleased that Magnus Agustsson will be joining Danske Bank, where he will contribute with deep professional insights, experience in risk management and comprehensive strategic knowledge of this area after many years at a high level in the financial sector. He also brings a thorough understanding of each of the Nordic markets and a broad familiarity with our core markets. At the same time, I would like to thank George for stepping in and delivering a strong effort in this transition period, until Magnus joins, says Carsten Egeriis, CEO of Danske Bank.

I am very happy to join Danske Bank, which I know as an ambitious and competent organisation, especially within the risk area, says Magnus Agustsson.



Danske Bank

Contact: Stefan Singh Kailay, Head of Media Relations, tel. +45 45 14 14 00





Attachments
TORONTO, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (the Company or PharmaTher) (OTCQB: PHRRF) (CSE: PHRM), a clinical-stage psychedelics biotech company, is pleased to announce that it has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to receive Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for ketamine to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease with a life expectancy of only two to six years after diagnosis. Currently, there is no known cure for ALS. ALS affects approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. and Europe, with over 5,000 new cases diagnosed annually. As ALS advances, upper and lower motor neurons die, causing the brain to lose its ability to control muscle movement. ALS patients experience progressive loss of voluntary muscle action as an effect of the disease, resulting in the inability to speak, eat, move and, eventually, breathe. The FDA approved only three pharmaceuticals for the treatment of ALS: riluzole, edaravone, and Nuedexta (dextromethorphan HBr and quinidine sulfate). These drugs are effective against disease mechanisms of ALS but fail to have measurable effects on attenuating disease progression or improve survival. Therefore, there is an imperative need for new pharmacological therapies that can stop or slow the muscle decline associated with ALS progression and extend the life expectancy of the ALS patient. Peak sales for a new drug to treat ALS has the potential to achieve over USD $1 billion.

The rationale for ketamine as a potential treatment for ALS

Ketamine has the potential to effectively increase the life expectancy of those with ALS at any stage and slow the progressive loss of muscle associated with poor outcomes of the disease. The University of Kansas Medical Center researchers and inventors of the potential use of ketamine to treat ALS, Dr. Richard J. Barohn, M.D., John A. Stanford, Ph.D., and Dr. Matthew Macaluso, D.O., have made the promising discovery that ketamine can be administered as an effective treatment for ALS. Unpublished and patent-pending preclinical research has shown that the administration of ketamine preserves muscle function in advancing ALS and increases life expectancy when given in the early stages of muscle decline.

Ketamine works by blocking the action of the ionotropic glutamate receptor, the NMDA receptor. Unlike other inhibitors of NMDA receptor function, such as riluzole, ketamine dampens NMDA receptor-related glutamate excitotoxicity indirectly. Further, ketamine can lower D-serine concentrations intracellularly and also partially activates dopamine receptors. Collectively, these mechanisms of ketamine contribute in part to the drugs neuroprotective effects, which may extend to the motor neurons targeted in ALS.

PharmaTher previously announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with The University of Kansas for the development and commercialization of the intellectual property of ketamine in the treatment of ALS.

Fabio Chianelli, Chief Executive Officer of PharmaTher, said, Ketamine has tremendous potential for not only mental illness and pain disorders but also for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. Our FDA orphan drug application for ketamine to treat this life-threatening disease complements our patent portfolio that aims to protect the proposed method of use and dosage claims of ketamine for ALS. Although patent protection or market exclusivity could last beyond 2040, our intention to seek orphan drug designation is to leverage the expedited regulatory and clinical development incentives offered by the FDA for repurposed drugs in treating rare diseases. We are working with our clinical and regulatory advisors in preparing our clinical development plan and study protocol while leveraging our recent investigational new drug application approved by the FDA for Parkinsons disease to proceed with a potential phase 2 clinical study in ALS patients this year.

The Orphan Drug Act grants special status to a drug or biological product to treat a rare disease or condition upon request of a sponsor. This status is referred to as orphan designation (or sometimes "orphan status"). The FDA grants orphan status to products that treat rare diseases, providing incentives to sponsors developing drugs or biologics. The FDA defines rare diseases as those affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States at any given time. The incidence of ALS is well within the limit of 200,000 for orphan indication status. Orphan drug designation would qualify ketamine for certain benefits and incentives, including seven years of marketing exclusivity if regulatory approval is ultimately received for the designated indication, potential tax credits for certain clinical drug testing costs, activities, eligibility for orphan drug grants, and the waiver of the FDA New Drug Application filing fee of approximately $2.4 million.

About PharmaTher Holdings Ltd.

PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (OTCQB: PHRRF) (CSE: PHRM) is a clinical-stage psychedelics biotech company focused on the research, development and commercialization of novel uses, formulations and delivery methods of psychedelics to treat mental illness, neurological and pain disorders. PharmaTher is currently conducting an FDA approved phase 2 clinical study with ketamine to treat Parkinsons disease and is developing a novel microneedle patch for the intradermal delivery of psychedelics.

Learn more at: PharmaTher.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For more information about PharmaTher, please contact:

Fabio ChianelliChief Executive OfficerPharmaTher Holdings Ltd.Tel: 1-888-846-3171Email: info@pharmather.comWebsite: www.pharmather.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "potential", "aim" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (the "Company") current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by the Company at the date of the information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Company's management's discussion and analysis for the period of February 28, 2021 ("MD&A"), dated April 28, 2021, which is available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory 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, province, territory or jurisdiction.

Source: PharmaTher Holdings Ltd.
Paris, May 25, 2021

PRESS RELEASE RELATING TO THE CAPITAL INCREASE

FOLLOWING THE ORDINARY SHARE ALLOCATION TO THE MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OF NATIXIS

-

2017 PLAN OF FREE ALLOCATION OF PERFORMANCE SHARES

-----

Press release published pursuant to

the provisions of Article 221-3 of the General Regulations of the French Financial Market Authority (AMF - Autorite des Marches Financiers), pursuant to article 1 sections 4 i) and 5 g) of the European regulation (EU) n 2017/1129 dated June 14, 2017

ISIN Code: FR0000120685

-----



FRAMEWORK OF THE OPERATION

Authorization of the operation

In its resolution Nineteen, the combined General Shareholders Meeting of May 24, 2016 authorized the Natixis Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the Company) to carry out, in one or several occasions the allocation of new or existing shares of the Company, to the benefit of beneficiaries belonging to the categories it will define among the staff members of the Company or of companies or entities related to it, or of corporate officers.

Duration of the authorization conferred by the Shareholders Meeting

38 months starting from the combined General Shareholders Meeting of May 24, 2016.

Maximum number of Natixis ordinary shares that may be allocated

The maximum number of shares that may be allocated pursuant to resolution Nineteen of the combined General Shareholders Meeting of May 24, 2016 may not exceed 0.2% of the capital of the Company at the date of the decision of their allocation by the Board of Directors, a sub-ceiling of 0.03% of the share capital at the allocation date is being provided for the allocations to executive officers.

Decisions of allocation

The Board of Directors of May 23, 2017 (i) decided to carry out the allocation of a maximum number of 79,369 shares to the members of the Company Senior Management Committee (including the Chief Executive Officer in office at that time), pursuant to the provisions set in Articles L.225-197-1, et seq1. of the French Commercial Code, leading (if the terms and conditions are met at the end of the vesting period) to capital increases by capitalization of reserves, profits or issue premiums, at the end of the vesting period through the issuing of the allocated shares, (ii) drew up the list of beneficiaries, (iii) set the duration of the vesting and holding periods and (iv) determined the 2017 Program of Free Allocation of Performance Shares (hereinafter referred to as the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan).

Terms and conditions of the operation

The Board of Directors decided under the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan the allocation of free Natixis shares to the members of the Company Senior Management Committee (hereinafter referred to as Beneficiaries).

The shares may only be delivered after the end of the vesting period set in the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan (hereinafter referred to as a Vesting Period), provided that the terms and conditions set by the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan are met.

Beneficiaries will become owners of the shares at the end of the Vesting Period provided that they met the vesting terms and conditions set by the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan (hereinafter referred to as the Final Vesting).

At the end of the Vesting Period, the shares will be delivered to Beneficiaries, but they will be non-negotiable and they will have to be held partially by the latter during a period determined by the Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the Holding Period).

Reasons for the allocation of free shares

The Board of Directors decided to allocate free shares as part of the implementation within the Company of long-term compensation plans in favour of the members of the Natixis Senior Management Committee.

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE ALLOCATION PLAN

Beneficiaries and number of shares allocated by the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of May 23, 2017 decided to allocate a total maximum number of 79,369 shares of the Company to the concerned Beneficiaries, in relation to the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan.

The free shares allocated to Beneficiaries will be either new shares or existing shares.

Duration of the Vesting Period

Subject to the compliance with the share vesting terms hereinafter described, the allocated shares will be transferred in full ownership to Beneficiaries at the end of the Vesting Period.

The Vesting Period runs from the date the shares are allotted by the Board of Directors and expire on May 22, 2021 included.

Pursuant to the terms of Article L. 22-10-59 of the French Commercial Code, the rights resulting from the allocation are non-negotiable and non-transferable until the end of the Vesting Period, subject to some exceptions defined in the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan.

Terms of Final Vesting

The transfer of ownership of the shares is submitted to the compliance with some specific conditions, including, in particular:

to be a member of Natixis staff or any of its affiliates or the Groupe BPCE during the Vesting Period, apart from some exceptions as set forth in the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan;

to comply with some performance conditions as set in the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan.

Duration of the Holding Period

The shares will be subject, partially, to a mandatory Holding Period in the following conditions:

30% of the shares that will be delivered to the members of the Senior Management Committee at the end of the Vesting Period will be subject to a retention obligation until the termination of their functions within the Company Senior Management Committee.

30% of the shares that will be delivered to the Chief Executive Officer at the end of the Vesting Period will be subject to a retention obligation until the termination of its corporate mandate or any other executive function within the Company.

Rights attached to shares

At the end of the Vesting Period, the shares delivered to each Beneficiary shall entitle to the exercise of the same prerogative powers as ordinary shares of the Company. They will be subject to all bylaws provisions and all decisions of the Shareholders Meeting will be enforceable against Beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries will be entitled to the right of participating in Shareholders Meetings and of voting, to the communication right and to the dividend right.

At the end of the Vesting Period, Beneficiaries will have the right to sell the shares. During the sale of these shares, the Beneficiaries will have to comply with the compliance rules set within Natixis and with the restrictions under Article L. 22-10-59 of the French Commercial Code.

QUOTATION OF FINALLY VESTED SHARES



Final Vesting

It has been decided on May 23, 2021 that the shares to be definitively vested under the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan will be new shares.

The final nominal amount of the share capital increase of Natixis that occurred on May 23, 2021, amounts to EUR 88,478.40 corresponding to the number of shares allocated to Beneficiaries fulfilling the terms and conditions set in the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan (i.e. 55,299 shares definitely allocated multiplied by the par value of one Natixis share (i.e. EUR 1.60).

The final list of Beneficiaries as well as the final amount of the share capital increase and the number of issued shares has been set on May 23, 2021.

The Article 3 of the Companys bylaws relating to the capital will be consequently updated.

Admission request with Euronext Paris

The new Natixis shares issued as part of the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan will be subject to the Euronext Paris trading admission request starting from May 23, 2021.

Specific provision

The information contained in this document is delivered as information for Beneficiaries and summarizes the terms of the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan. In the event of discrepancy between information in this document and in the rules of the 2017 LTIP SMC Plan, the latter will prevail.

Contact:

Investor Relations

Damien Souchet +33 1 58 55 41 10







1Some of which are now codified in articles L. 22-10-59 and L. 22-10-60 of the French Commercial Code.





Attachment
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Kuya Silver Corporation (CSE: KUYA) (OTCQB: KUYAF) (FSE: 6MR1) (the "Company" or "Kuya") announces that as a result of a recent review by the British Columbia Securities Commission ("BCSC"), the Company is issuing the following news release to clarify its prior scientific and technical disclosures.

NI 43-101 Technical Report

The technical report on the Bethania Silver Project (the "Bethania Property") with an effective date of July 31, 2019 (the "Technical Report") on the Bethania Property was not compliant with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). The Company confirms that all estimates of the quantity, grade, and metal or mineral content which it has made in respect of its Bethania Property are historical estimates under NI 43-101, as such estimates have not been verified as a current mineral resources or reserves and were prepared before the Company acquired the Bethania Property. The Company confirms that it is not treating such historical estimates as a current mineral resources or reserves.

To address these deficiencies the Company will file an amended NI 43-101 Technical Report and an amended Annual Information Form in the applicable reporting jurisdictions.

In the Technical Report the Company disclosed the following historical estimates:





Figure 1



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5945/85192_kuya1.jpg









Figure 2



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5945/85192_kuya2.jpg

Notes to the above table in accordance with Section 2.4 of NI 43-101:

Historical mineral resources and reserves for the Bethania Property were estimated by Dionicio Milla Simon (Geological Engineer), as documented in a report entitled, "Mina Santa Elena Estimacion de Recursos y Reservas Minerales", dated March 2016. The historical mineral resources and reserves were calculated using simple block modelling for ore stopes and larger resource blocks, using the data collected through drifting and significant rock sampling from within the mine workings. The historical Bethania Mine has more than 6,000 metres of horizontal development among seven different veins. In addition, there is vertical development in the ore reserve areas between production stopes. Mineral reserve estimates considered mineralized material that was immediately accessible by existing mine workings and was calculated exclusive of mineral resources. The vein and ore development were methodically and consistently sampled for silver, lead and zinc, as well as the thickness of each vein sample and location recorded. Copper was assayed only intermittently and more sampling is required in order to include copper in any future mineral resource or mineral reserve estimates. No cut-off grade was provided but a specific gravity (density) of 3.0 and a dilution factor of 5% were applied. The historical estimates were completed using the categories set out in sections 1.2 and 1.3 of NI 43-101 and following the guidelines of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, as adopted by CIM Council August 20, 2000, and amended in 2014. There are no recent estimates or data available to the Company. Verification of the historical mineral resource and reserve estimates would require sampling of mineralization at surface and underground (drill holes and on-vein sampling in mine workings) to generate a statistically significant number of samples of the historical resource and reserve blocks.

A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Investors should not rely on the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves until they have been verified and supported in a technical report in accordance with NI 43-101.

The Company will include the above disclosure in its re-filed amended Technical Report to be filed within 45 days.

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Scott Jobin-Bevans, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person for the Company under the definitions established by NI 43-101.

Additional Technical Disclosure on Social Media

In addition, the Company wishes to clarify disclosure in its social media platforms as it relates to the Bethania Property. The Company understands that through previous social media postings the Company has discussed and posted short video clips taken from larger interviews that disclosed a current mineral resource on the Bethania Property. The Company would like to clarify that there is no current mineral resources on the Bethania Property and that there is currently only historical estimates as noted above. Any previous clips or videos posted by the Company have been removed from the Company's social media platforms and to the extent any 3rd party sites currently host such videos the Company would like to make clear that the disclosure should not be treated as a current mineral resources as noted above.

Further, the Company will update its website and its corporate presentation to ensure that all references to the historical estimate at the Bethania Property comply with NI 43-101.

About Kuya Silver Corporation

Kuya is a Canadianbased silverfocused mining company that owns the Bethania Project, which includes the Bethania mine, located in Central Peru. The Bethania mine was in production until 2016, tollmilling its ore at various other concentrate plants in the region, the Company's plan is to implement an expansion and construct a concentrate plant at site before restarting operations. The Bethania mine produced silverlead and zinc concentrates from the run of mine material, until being placed on care and maintenance due to market conditions and lack of working capital.

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Kuya Silver Corporation

Telephone: (604) 3984493

info@kuyasilver.com

www.kuyasilver.com

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada 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/85192
Field work to commence in June

Follow-up diamond drill program to commence this summer

Further testing of new Cu-Au Bench zone to take place

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 25, 2021) - Mountain Boy Minerals Ltd(TSXV: MTB) (OTCQB: MBYMF) (FSE: M9U)("Mountain Boy" or the "Company") announces that field work will soon commence on the American Creek Project and will include a fully funded drill program focused on the Company's namesake historic Mountain Boy silver mine.

The American Creek Project is a 2,600-hectare property located 20 kilometres north of Stewart. The project is road accessible and a high voltage transmission line passes 5 km to the south.

Initial fieldwork, set to commence mid-June, is intended to refine follow-up drill targets around the High-Grade zone at the Mountain Boy silver mine.

Drilling last year demonstrated that the shallow structures intersected in drill holes are base metal rich and likely represent one of several mineralizing pulses in the epithermal system. This season's drilling will target steeper cross structures and localized ore shoots and will be guided by additional mapping. A detailed structural mapping and 3D modelling initiative will take place before an initial phase I drill program of up to 1500 metres commences.

In 1999 and 2000, 51.6 tonnes of material were extracted from the High-Grade vein and sent to the Cominco smelter in Trail, BC. The documented grades of 13.6 tonnes of this material is 18.854 kilograms per tonne silver, 1.1% zinc and 2.5 % lead (Assessment Report 29066). The exceptional grades demonstrate why this is still such a compelling target.

The current program will include follow-up and channel sampling on the Wolfmoon zone. Bedrock sample 71545 was taken two-kilometers to the north-northwest of the Wolfmoon zone and returned 1,488 grams per tonne silver, 1.14% lead, 0.54% zinc and 3.05 grams per tonne gold, demonstrating the potential for considerable strike length to this style of mineralization (see February 24, 2021 news release).

The Bench zone will also be examined. Mapping and channel sampling of this zone will attempt to determine whether it is part of the epithermal mineralization or a separate mineralizing event. Last field season, surface samples returned gold and copper values including sample 71681 at 4.8 grams per tonne gold, 4.5% copper, and 32 grams per tonne silver (see February 24, 2021 news release).

About Mountain Boy Minerals

Mountain Boy has six active projects spanning 604 square kilometres (60,398 hectares) in the prolific Golden Triangle of northern British Columbia.

The flagship American Creek project is centered on the historic Mountain Boy silver mine and is just north of the past producing Red Cliff gold and copper mine (in which the Company holds an interest). The American Creek project is road accessible and 20 km from the deep-water port of Stewart. On the BA property, 178 drill holes have outlined a substantial zone of silver-lead-zinc mineralization located 4 km from the highway. Surprise Creek is interpreted to be hosted by the same prospective stratigraphy as the BA property and hosts multiple occurrences of silver, gold and base metals. On the Theia project, work by Mountain Boy and previous explorers has outlined a silver bearing mineralized trend 500 meters long, highlighted by a recent grab sample that returned 39 kg per tonne silver (1,100 ounces per ton). Southmore is located in the midst of some of the largest deposits in the Golden Triangle. It was explored in the 1980s through the early 1990s, and largely overlooked until Mountain Boy consolidated the property and confirmed the presence of multiple occurrences of gold, copper, lead and zinc. The Telegraph project has a similar geological setting to major gold and copper-gold deposits in the Golden Triangle.

Mountain Boy is funded for the coming field season and plans to advance these projects, including drilling on select project(s).

The technical disclosure in this release has been read and approved by Andrew Wilkins, B.Sc., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Lawrence Roulston

President & CEO

For further information, contact:

Nancy Curry

VP Corporate Development

(604) 220-2971

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.

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84857
NORFOLK, Va., May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of Mid Atlantic Maritime Academy ("MAMA") as one of 27 Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE). The CoE designation recognizes community colleges and training institutions that prepare students for careers in our nation's maritime industry. These academic institutions are in 16 states and one U.S. territory.

"When the United States has as its foundation a strong Merchant Marine service, all components of the economy and national defense benefit greatly" said Capt. Ed Nanartowich, MAMA's president who received the award on behalf of the company. "MAMA brings great credit to Virginia as a significant contributor toward enhanced maritime training and enabling Virginians to work in a dynamic and growing industry aboard ship and boats locally and upon oceans."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pointed out that "Our collaboration with these institutions represents an important expansion of MARAD's role in supporting maritime education and will help form pathways to good-paying American jobs in our nation's maritime industry."

MARAD will now embark on working with the Mid Atlantic Maritime Academy and the other designees to enter into cooperative agreements to help advance recruitment of students and faculty, enhance facilities, award student credit for military service, and potentially receive assistance in the form of surplus equipment or temporary use of MARAD vessels.

Authorized under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018, the CoE program is designed to assist the maritime industry in gaining and sustaining a well-trained labor force while enhancing diversity and inclusion in the industry.

"The CoE designations recognize the high standard of maritime education and training provided by the designated community and technical colleges and maritime training centers. These institutions play vital roles in our nation's maritime industry by providing the training and skills students need to begin and advance careers afloat and ashore," said Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.

Information regarding the training opportunities for mariners and prospective mariners can be found on the Mid Atlantic Maritime Academy website www.mamatrains.com.

Media Contact Ed Nanartowich757-227-5702 310620@email4pr.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marad-designates-mid-atlantic-maritime-academy-as-center-of-excellence-301298051.html

SOURCE Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy
WASHINGTON, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, May 24, The 1776 Commission met at Hillsdale College's Washington, D.C. campus to discuss civic education curricula, state civic education reform efforts, pending federal legislation and executive actions, and future activity of the Commission.

The 1776 Commission met at Hillsdale College's D.C. campus to discuss civic education and the future of the Commission.

Following the meeting, The 1776 Commission issued the following statement (PDF here):

We are grateful for the widespread support of the work of The President's Advisory 1776 Commission, and we commend the many efforts, some new and many long established, underway to advance the principles and address the concerns voiced in The 1776 Report.

The restoration of American education can only be grounded in a history of America and its principles that is accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling.

This decades-long restoration will only succeed through the great efforts of the millions of good-willed, intelligent, and patriotic Americans, who long, as all human beings long, to know the truth.

There is no more powerful force than parents' love for their children, and this restoration will depend on mothers and fathers demanding that their children are no longer taught false narratives or fed hateful lies about our country. We affirm, as a bulwark for the protection of American principles, the core constitutional principle that parents have the natural right to direct the education of their children.

All those concerned about education in America should organize and run for school board and vote in school board elections. Through that and other means they can restore the natural sovereignty in education of the school, the place where students, parents, and teachers are united in the sublime work of helping children to grow.

Parents and local school boards will be strengthened in this effort by greater choice and variety in curriculum at the state and local levels. We reaffirm the role of the states and localities in overseeing the nation's K-12 public educational system, and commend those states and localities that have reformed or are considering reforming their curricula to sustain our common principles and teach our true history to America's children.

We are concerned that the U.S. Department of Education's Proposed Rule defining priorities for the American History and Civics Education programs, whether as Critical Race Theory or under the misleading name of "anti- racism," actually encourages and seeks to direct federal funds to the teaching of racial discrimination in America's elementary and secondary school systems. This Proposed Rule should be withdrawn, and individual states should oppose any such race-based pedagogy as part of their curricula, especially if that curricula is imposed by the federal government.

The Constitution leaves education to the states and localities and denies the federal government any authority to impose national curriculum standards. The federal government should not circumvent this obstacle by using federal funding to entice states and localities to adopt what it wants taught in the nation's schools. We learned from the failed Common Core experiment that one-size-fits-all national models are a blueprint for trivializing and mechanizing learning.

Instead, we encourage a genuine civics education that will rebuild our common bonds, our mutual friendship, and our civic devotion and eagerly look forward to the forthcoming release of curricula designed in the true spirit of 1776.

Lastly, recalling the long history of citizen participation in our civic life, we call on states, counties, and local communities to form their own 1776 Commissions to advance this great work of American renewal as we prepare for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in July 2026.

The meeting was hosted by Chair Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College; Vice Chair Carol Swain, retired professor of law at Vanderbilt University; and Executive Director Matthew Spalding, vice president for Hillsdale College's Washington, D.C. operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government.

"History is complete and cannot be changed," said Arnn. "These controversies about history can only be resolved by looking at the facts. To help the young know this history is the work of the commission, and its importance has not diminished since inauguration day."

All media inquiries go to Emily Stack Davis, Hillsdale College, at pr@hillsdale.edu. A PDF of The 1776 Commission's May 24 statement can be found here. Photos from the meeting can be found here. Headshots of commission members can be found here. The 1776 Commission's letter to the Department of Education can be found here.

About The 1776 CommissionThe 1776 Commission was established in 2020 to prepare for the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and to combat false narratives about the American Founding, like those proposed by the "1619 Project." Its first overview document, The 1776 Report, was submitted to the President and released as a public document on January 18, 2021. The President's Advisory 1776 Commission was abolished by an Executive Order of the next President on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021. The 1776 Report, which was removed from the White House website on inauguration day, can be downloaded here.

About Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 5.6 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.

CONTACT: Emily Stack Davis517-803-3745 PR@hillsdale.edu

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meeting-of-the-1776-commission-301298063.html

SOURCE Hillsdale College
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers looking to take a break and recharge are invited to find their Zen in Miami Beach this summer. Travelers can choose from a host of feel-good offers created to connect the mind, body, and spirit at destination hotels, restaurants, and fitness studios. Wellness activities include sunrise yoga, non-traditional cryotherapy treatments, healthy gourmet cuisine, and more.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8903151-miami-beach-visitor-convention-authority-mbvca-wellness-haven-vacationers-summer/

"It's been a tough year for most of us, and we can all use a recharge," said Steve Adkins, Chairman of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). "Miami Beach is the ultimate wellness destination, and we're inviting travelers to discover experiences, rituals, and mantras that will allow them to return home with a sense of renewal and inner peace."

According to Expedia, 64 percent of Americans currently deem themselves 'vacation deprived,' proving the growing demand for travel. Travelers can escape to Miami Beach, a city like no other place in the world, and discover a number of activities, amenities, and eateries that can help align their chakras this summer, including:

Third Street Beach Yoga : Discover a new morning routine that can help strengthen, detox, and exhilarate the body and mind at 3rd Street Beach Yoga. Become one with nature by focusing on awareness, learning breathing techniques, and practicing stillness while watching the sunrise and listening to the relaxing sounds of crashing waves. Classes start at 7 a.m. daily and, while sessions are free, donations are encouraged.

Discover a new morning routine that can help strengthen, detox, and exhilarate the body and mind at 3rd Street Beach Yoga. Become one with nature by focusing on awareness, learning breathing techniques, and practicing stillness while watching the sunrise and listening to the relaxing sounds of crashing waves. Classes start at 7 a.m. daily and, while sessions are free, donations are encouraged. Carillon Miami Wellness Resort : Rid yourself of fatigue, chronic pain, and inflammation and boost the immune system through advanced cryotherapy treatments at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. For an invigorating full-body experience, visitors can book the Whole-Body Cryotherapy treatment to balance the nervous system and stimulate metabolism. To combat stress and help improve respiratory health and hygiene, visitors can take advantage of the Halotherapy and Infrared Sauna at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort.

Rid yourself of fatigue, chronic pain, and inflammation and boost the immune system through advanced cryotherapy treatments at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. For an invigorating full-body experience, visitors can book the Whole-Body Cryotherapy treatment to balance the nervous system and stimulate metabolism. To combat stress and help improve respiratory health and hygiene, visitors can take advantage of the Halotherapy and Infrared Sauna at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. Miami Spa Month : Starting July 1st  August 31st, 2021, visitors can indulge in luxury spa treatments from destination hotels, including The Setai, Miami Beach, and Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Locals and visitors can receive up to 50 percent off and choose from a host of pampering options. The complete list of participating spas will be available starting June 1st.

Starting July 1st  August 31st, 2021, visitors can indulge in luxury spa treatments from destination hotels, including The Setai, Miami Beach, and Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Locals and visitors can receive up to 50 percent off and choose from a host of pampering options. The complete list of participating spas will be available starting June 1st. Plnthouse : Choose from various options, including the SBX Burger, Everglades Tomato Gazpacho, and Ceviche  a gluten-free favorite. Visitors can choose to dine in the light and airy interior or on the beachfront deck, taking in unlimited views of sand and surf.

Choose from various options, including the SBX Burger, Everglades Tomato Gazpacho, and Ceviche  a gluten-free favorite. Visitors can choose to dine in the light and airy interior or on the beachfront deck, taking in unlimited views of sand and surf. Anatomy at 1220:Beach-goers can take fitness to a new level at Anatomy on Miami Beach, a destination fusing all aspects of fitness and offering services like age management, chiropractic care, IV nutritional therapy and beauty, group fitness, personal training, and both hot and cold recovery areas. This integrated health and wellness community allows visitors to connect, sweat, and recover.

"We look forward to welcoming locals and visitors for a relaxing summer getaway," said Grisette Marcos, Executive Director, MBVCA. "Visitors are welcome to dip their toes in the sand, enjoy our destination spas and restaurants, and return home rejuvenated after their unforgettable escape to Miami Beach."

Wellness-seeking travelers can look to Miami Beach all year long and stay up-to-date by following @ExperienceMiamiBeach on Facebook, Instagram and @EMiamiBeach on Twitter, and downloading the Miami Beach App at http://www.miamibeachapi.com/app/.

Contact: Elisabeth Denil Elisabeth.Denil@hkstrategies.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/miami-beach-a-wellness-haven-for-vacationers-this-summer-301299067.html

SOURCE Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority
BIELEFELD, Germany, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NTT DATA Business Solutions AG, formerly itelligence AG, has been awarded as the winner of two 2021 SAP Pinnacle Awards in recognition of its outstanding achievements as an SAP partner: Global Platinum Reseller of the Year and Partner of the Year for SAP SuccessFactors Solutions (Midmarket). In three other categories, NTT Data Business Solutions reached the coveted finalist positions: SAP S/4HANA Movement, Delivery Excellence and Intelligent Spend Management (Midmarket).

SAP presents these awards annually to the top partners that have excelled in developing and growing their partnership with SAP and helping customers run better. Winners and finalists in 28 categories were chosen based on recommendations from SAP, customer feedback and performance indicators.

"Our partners are key to turning the Intelligent Enterprise into reality," said Christian Klein, CEO of SAP SE. "Despite challenging times, our ecosystem has once again demonstrated its innovation power, dedication and excellence in helping our customers unlock new ways of running their business. Together, we continue to deliver quality solutions, services and experiences, allowing our customers to thrive and succeed with SAP solutions."

Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions, commented: "Winning two SAP Pinnacle Awards and being recognized as a finalist in three categories just after itelligence was rebranded as NTT DATA Business Solutions makes me very proud. This confirms once again that NTT DATA Business Solutions is a leading SAP partner worldwide for small and medium-sized enterprises. And we stand by our promise to do our utmost to help our customers succeed by deploying leading SAP technology and our own solutions. Identifying digital trends and applying SAP solutions means: 'We Transform. SAP Solutions into Value.'"

These 2021 SAP Pinnacle Awards extend the long and successful track record of NTT DATA Business Solutions. Under its previous name of "itelligence" the company was named Partner of the Year 16 times in the past 18 years. This ongoing success underscores once again the close ties that NTT DATA Business Solutions has to SAP as one of its most capable partners when it comes to implementing innovations and supporting the digital transformation of its customers.

For descriptions of the awards, visit https://www.sap.com/partner/find/award-winners.html

SAP Pinnacle Awards shine a spotlight on distinguished partners to acknowledge their dedication to teamwork, exceptional innovation and capacity to help customers achieve their goals.

About NTT DATA Business Solutions

NTT DATA Business Solutions designs, implements, manages and continuously enhances SAP solutions to make them work for companies and their people.

Through extensive in-depth SAP expertise, it connects its clients' business opportunities with the latest technologies. As part of the NTT DATA group and with close ties to SAP, the company gives clients and prospects access to innovative solutions and developments, and thus makes an important contribution to innovation and long-term business success. NTT DATA Business Solutions employs some 10,000 people in more than 30 countries.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA  a part of NTT Group  is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo. We help clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, digital & IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA enables them, as well as society, to move confidently into the digital future. We are committed to our clients' long-term success and combine global reach with local client attention to serve them in over 50 countries around the globe. Visit us at nttdata.com.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices.

SAP Forward-looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

Media contact international

Head of Corporate CommunicationsSilvia Dicke NTT DATA Business SolutionsKonigsbreede 133605 Bielefeld, GermanyT: +49 (0) 521 / 9 14 48 - 107E-mail: silvia.dicke@nttdata.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516033/Norbert_Rotter_NTT.jpg

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SOURCE NTT DATA Business Solutions
SAN DIEGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- May is National Bike Month. In an effort to support the industries they serve, employees of Preferred Employers Insurance, a Berkley company, biked to their favorite small businesses throughout this past month.

"This time last year, we were able to see images of a smog-free Los Angeles", says Dennis Levesque, President of Preferred Employers Insurance. "As we inch back towards normalcy," he continued, "we should not stop the environmental progress Californians have made within the last yearespecially regarding carbon emissions."

Eric Hansen, Vice President of Claims at Preferred Employers Insurance, was one of the participants in this company-wide effort. He said, "The environment needs our help and small businesses do too. By biking to get my morning coffee, I contribute towards both of these efforts."

In addition to these actions towards lowering pollution levels, Preferred Employers Insurance has also produced information for their customers on earth-friendly material. This includes printing on paper made from hops for their Brewery customers, as well as seeded paper for their Agricultural clients.

Preferred Employers Insurance, a Berkley company, was founded in San Diego, CA in 1998. It is known for serving its customers with the best combination of price, workplace risk management, and medical provider services available in California. Preferred Employers Insurance Company is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, the global rating agency of insurer financial strength.

Please contact your insurance broker to access the workers' compensation insurance products and services of Preferred Employers Insurance in California.

Products and services provided by one or more insurance company subsidiaries of W. R. Berkley Corporation. Not all products and services are available in every jurisdiction, and the precise coverage afforded by any insurer is subject to the actual terms and conditions of the policies as issued.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/preferred-employers-insurance-supports-small-businesses-during-national-bike-month-301298945.html

SOURCE Preferred Employers Insurance
TICKERS: NSR; NSRXF

Source: Streetwise Reports (5/25/21)

The deal terms, the asset's characteristics and the ways the transaction will benefit Nomad Royalty Company are outlined in a BMO Capital Markets report.



In a May 13 research note, BMO Capital Markets analyst Rene Cartier reported that Nomad Royalty Company Ltd. (NSR:TSX; NSRXF:OTCQX) acquired a 0.28% net smelter returns (NSR) royalty on the Caserones copper-molybdenum mine in Chile for US$23 million in cash and 2 million warrants. The transaction went into effect on May 1, 2021.

"Overall, we estimate the NSR royalty as accretive to our [net asset value] estimate with resource extensions and exploration representing further upside," the analyst added.

To pay the US$23 million in cash to Appian Capital Chile, Nomad will draw on its revolving credit facility, Cartier noted. The royalty/stream company is expected to make its first payment in August 2021. As for the warrants, each will be priced at an amount equal to US$1.085 for 3 years.

Cartier highlighted that the Caserones open-pit mine is currently producing, and production there has increased steadily over its five years of operation. Minera Lumina Copper Chile, a subsidiary of JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corp., owns and operates Caserones, located in an established mining jurisdiction.

The mine is estimated to have a life of 19 years and an average annual payable production of about 148,000 tons of copper equivalent, based on reserves. BMO expects production to increase slightly in the near to medium term and then decrease later in the mine's life.

"We have not extended production estimates beyond the expected reserve mine life, though this represents future upside potential," Cartier wrote.

The analyst presented the benefits of the Caserones royalty acquisition, which affirms Nomad's ability to get deals done. The royalty provides immediate cash flow to the Quebec-based company, offers it copper exposure and further diversifies its asset portfolio. Further, future successful exploration and resource expansion at Caserones would add upside.

BMO has an Outperform rating and a CA$1.70 per share target price on Nomad, the current share price of which is about CA$1.11.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Nomad Royalty. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases.

Disclosures from BMO Capital Markets, Nomad Royalty Company, May 13, 2021

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Analyst's Certification

I, Rene Cartier, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views about the subject securities or issuers. I also certify that no part of my compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed in this report.

Analysts who prepared this report are compensated based upon (among other factors) the overall profitability of BMO Capital Markets and their affiliates, which includes the overall profitability of investment banking services. Compensation for research is based on effectiveness in generating new ideas and in communication of ideas to clients, performance of recommendations, accuracy of earnings estimates, and service to clients.

Analysts employed by BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and/or BMO Capital Markets Limited are not registered as research analysts with FINRA. These analysts may not be associated persons of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and therefore may not be subject to the FINRA Rule 2241 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account.

Company Specific Disclosures

Disclosure 1: BMO Capital Markets has undertaken an underwriting liability with respect to Nomad Royalty Company within the past 12 months.

Disclosure 2: BMO Capital Markets has provided investment banking services with respect to Nomad Royalty Company within the past 12 months.

Disclosure 3: BMO Capital Markets has managed or co-managed a public offering of securities with respect to Nomad Royalty Company within the past 12 months.

Disclosure 4: BMO Capital Markets or an affiliate has received compensation for investment banking services from Nomad Royalty Company within the past 12 months.

Disclosure 6A: Nomad Royalty Company is a client (or was a client) of BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., BMO Capital Markets Corp., BMO Capital Markets Limited or an affiliate within the past 12 months: A) Investment Banking Services



For Important Disclosures on the stocks discussed in this report, please click here
A general officer and a dozen soldiers in an Illinois-based Reserve unit face disciplinary action for mishandling sexual harassment and sexual assault reports while not properly implementing a service program to respond to such incidents, according to an Army investigation released Tuesday.

We must ensure every member of the Army Reserve team is valued and treated with dignity and respect at all times, said Maj. Gen. Greg Mosser, deputy commander of the Army Reserve Command. We're committed to eradicating these destructive actions from our ranks as we work together and move forward in a unified effort.

In the wake of the investigation, the Army Reserve Command has begun training and educating its 190,000 soldiers and 11,000 civilian employees on proper procedures and bystander intervention in cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault, Mosser said.

The 416th Theater Engineer Command, headquartered in Durian, Ill., came under scrutiny about 15 months ago when Amy Braley Franck, a civilian hired as a victim advocate, released documents to The Associated Press that revealed at least two sexual assault complaints were not sent to criminal investigators, but were instead dealt with internally  a violation of military policy and federal law. The news report outlined other allegations that the unit was not following requirements for managing sex-crime cases nor was it properly implementing the Armys Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, known commonly as SHARP.

Maj. Gen. Miyako N. Schanely, the units former commander, failed to properly implement the SHARP program and received a general officer memorandum of reprimand from Gen. Joseph M. Martin, the Army vice chief of staff. She was previously suspended from command over the issue, the Army said.

Martin also took administrative action against two other senior leaders for their performance failures, though the Army did not reveal their rank or position in the service.

Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, commander of Army Reserve Command, took administrative action against 12 other officers, noncommissioned officers, and Army civilians based on the investigation. Three additional civilian actions are still pending.

Mosser declined to name the ranks or positions of the 12 soldiers facing discipline or the actions for which they were being held responsible. Seven of the disciplined soldiers will receive general officer memorandums of reprimand and the remaining five will receive adverse counselling statements, he said.

Following the APs reporting last year, Illinois Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, both Democrats, called on the Army to conduct the administration investigation, known as a 15-6. In a joint statement, they said the pervasive problems of the unit are unacceptable within the military.

The Army Reserves completed investigation makes clear that the Army is working to improve how it handles allegations of sexual assault, but more must be done. In Congress, we will continue to support programs that improve the military justice system, increase training for command leaders, and offer support for sexual assault and harassment survivors. Service members cannot be silenced or abandoned for seeking justice and accountability. We look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Defense on this important issue, Durbin and Duckworth said in a prepared statement.

The Reserve investigation focused mainly on the processes of the SHARP program to find any gaps in reporting or information, Mosser said. A redacted version of the 268-page report was released publicly Tuesday.

The investigation revealed numerous shortfalls and found various individuals and units improperly handled reports of sexual assault and harassment, Mosser said.

Despite this finding, he said victims received all the support and care that they needed in terms of medical support, legal support [and] counseling support.

When I say that the victims themselves were taken care of, it had to do with all those other support needs outside of the process of investigating the complaint, Mosser said. Those needs include emotional and physical support.

The investigation also found the unit had challenges in resourcing and properly complying with SHARP program regulatory requirements for several years, had failed to monitor annual training requirements, had multiple SHARP program staffing gaps, and lacked effective procedures to hire credentialed, trained civilian program personnel, Mosser said.

However, Braley Franck, who first spoke to the AP and has been on paid administrative leave since November 2019, said she does not believe its accurate to say that all victims have received proper care. Some are still awaiting financial reimbursements such as medical pay or reimbursement for traveling to case proceedings.

I just don't know what kind of shenanigans they're trying to pull, she said.

Spc. Sara Joachimstaler, a member of the 416th who reported being assaulted by a sergeant, said the idea that she and other victims were properly taken care of downplays her actual experience.

They dont take care of their victims at all, she said.

After Franck was suspended, Joachimstaler said she did not have a victim advocate until she was quoted saying so in a news report. Then the newly appointed victim advocate told her that the case would be dismissed if the soldier didnt respond to communication.

With her enlistment ending, the 25-year-old said she does not think she will re-enlist.

Its degrading to your life, Joachimstaler said. Instead of doing your job, youve got to work to defend yourself. Youve got to work not to get caught in someones lie.

Thayer.rose@stripes.com

Twitter: @Rose_Lori
A photo from the burial service of Navy Radioman 3rd Class Thomas E. Griffith, 20, of Dayton, who was killed during World War II, at Arlington National Cemetery. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

DAYTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service)  After nearly 80 years, U.S. Navy Radioman 3rd Class Thomas E. Griffith has been laid to rest.

Griffith, 20, is a Daytonian who was killed during World War II. No longer unknown, he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said.

On Dec. 7, 1941  the day of the surprise attack against American naval forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii -Griffith was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, the agency said.

The Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused the ship to capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Griffith.

Thomas E. Griffith (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

Over the next two-and-a-half years, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were then interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu cemeteries in Hawaii.

In September 1947, the American Graves Registration Service entered the story.

Tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the service disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks, in Oahu, Hawaii.

The laboratory staff confirmed the identifications of 35 men from the Oklahoma at that time. The service then buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

In late 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as "non-recoverable," a classification that for a time included Griffith.

But then, 66 years later, between June and November 2015, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency personnel exhumed the remaining unknowns from the Hawaii cemetery for further analysis.

By April 2020, mitochondrial DNA analysis played a key role in the identification of Griffith's remains, the agency said. The mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA are passed from mother to child.

Griffith was buried Friday at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., the agency noted in a Facebook post.

"Welcome home Radioman 3rd Class Griffith. You are not forgotten," said one Facebook user, Phyllis Springfield. "Thank you DPAA for continuing to bring home our heroes."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Sean Everette, a spokesman for the DPAA agency, said Griffith family members contributed DNA family reference samples to the Navy to assist in the task of identification.

A Navy office coordinated the collection of DNA, which was sent to an laboratory for safekeeping in a database.

The work is painstaking. Everette said that even if the service is able to extract DNA from recovered soldiers and sailors, it still must have DNA reference samples on file for comparison.

One factor that sets this case apart is the time that has elapsed since Griffith's death, Everette said. "His sister is still alive, and she attended his funeral on Friday."

Betty Jo Price, 87, Griffith's sister, was 7 when her brother perished in the Pearl Harbor attack. She lives today in Ashland, Kentucky.

"I remembered him from a child's eyes," Price told the Dayton Daily News on Monday. "He was a wonderful person to be around."

Her brother's full name was Thomas Edward Griffith. The family called him "Eddie."

Price had three brothers who fought in World War II. After Eddie Griffith was killed, two other brothers joined the Army, she said. Both came home after the war.

She has indistinct memories of the time around Pearl Harbor, recalling only that it was a difficult time for her family.

She's appreciates the DPAA's work.

"It was very much appreciated, everything that they've done," Price said. "The people were so nice, and I got answers to a lot of things. And it does give me some closure."

"They're all pretty amazing," Everette said of the work that leads to resolutions in these matters.

(c)2021 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WASHINGTON  The Department of Homeland Security is moving to regulate cybersecurity in the pipeline industry for the first time in an effort to prevent a repeat of a major computer attack that crippled nearly half the East Coasts fuel supply this month  an incident that highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to online attacks.

The Transportation Security Administration, a DHS unit, will issue a security directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cyber incidents to federal authorities, senior DHS officials said. It will follow up in coming weeks with a more robust set of mandatory rules for how pipeline companies must safeguard their systems against cyberattacks and the steps they should take if they are hacked, the officials said. The agency has offered only voluntary guidelines in the past.

The ransomware attack that led Colonial Pipeline to shutter its pipeline for 11 days this month prompted gasoline shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States, including in the nation's capital. Had it gone on much longer, it could have affected airlines, mass transit and chemical refineries that rely on diesel fuel. The Colonial chief executive has said the company paid $4.4 million to foreign hackers to release their systems.

The cyber attack spurred DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other top officials to consider how they could use existing TSA powers to bring change to the industry, said the officials.

"The Biden administration is taking further action to better secure our nation's critical infrastructure," DHS spokeswoman Sarah Peck said in a statement. "TSA, in close collaboration with [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency], is coordinating with companies in the pipeline sector to ensure they are taking all necessary steps to increase their resilience to cyber threats and secure their systems."

That TSA handles pipeline security at all is an artifact of the post Sept. 11, 2001, reorganization of the federal government. Originally, the Department of Transportation oversaw pipelines, which were seen as a mode of transportation  whether conveying fuel, gas or chemicals. Then in 2002, responsibility for pipeline security was moved to the newly-created TSA, which was given statutory authority to secure surface transportation. DOT, however, still is in charge of safety of the actual pipes  or ensuring they don't fail.

TSA, though, mostly focused on physical security of pipelines, safeguarding them against terrorist attacks or sabotage. It was only in 2010 that the first set of cyber-related guidelines were issued. They were updated in 2018, but are still far short of what many experts say is needed.

Most critical infrastructure sectors  whether dams, health care or wastewater systems  don't have mandatory cyber standards. A handful do, including bulk electric power and nuclear plants. But congressional efforts to institute mandatory requirements  notably in 2012  failed in the face of strong U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposition.

TSA's new security directive will require pipeline companies to report cyber incidents to TSA and to CISA and to have a cyber official  like a chief information security officer  with a 24/7 direct line to TSA and CISA to report an attack. It will also require companies to assess the security of their systems as measured against existing cyber guidelines; fixing any gaps is currently voluntary.

"This is a first step, and the department views it as a first step, and it will be followed by a much more robust directive that puts in place meaningful requirements that are meant to be durable and flexible as technology changes," said a senior DHS official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the department.

The new rules, expected in the coming weeks, will require companies to correct any problems and address shortcomings or face financial penalties, officials said. They will represent a marked shift for TSA, which has relied on collaboration with, rather than mandatory requirements on, pipeline companies.

The current TSA guidelines lay out security measures, such as reviewing remote network connections periodically. A preferable approach, experts say, would be "performance-based," specifying for instance, that the goal of reviewing such connections is to ensure a hacker can't break into an industrial control system. The idea is to specify key objectives for the company, allowing it to innovate and keep up with technology to accomplish the goals, experts said.

The regulatory push comes amid growing debate over how the government should hold companies accountable for securing critical pieces of U.S. infrastructure against cyber threats. Since the attack on Colonial Pipeline, the Biden administration and members of Congress have openly criticized the lack of strict cybersecurity regulations for gas and oil pipeline operators, while industry representatives have argued for a cautious approach to new regulations.

TSA's plan to make cybersecurity standards mandatory could mollify some critics who have argued that voluntary standards failed to incentivize companies to invest adequately in security. The TSA's planned rulemaking, however, likely will draw criticism from some lawmakers who say the agency lacks the expertise and resources to take on a bigger policing role that is more suited to the Energy Department.

In particular, the patchwork of federal regulations overseen by disparate agencies, including the Energy Department and Coast Guard, is likely to become more intricate with TSA joining the mix. Already Energy oversees cyber regulations for bulk electric providers, and DHS enforces rules for physical and cybersecurity in chemical plants. So now, a pipeline carrying chemicals, or a utility company that owns natural gas pipelines and electric plants, could be required to obey two sets of cyber rules.

"Any cyber standards that we implement must be harmonious with the other security regulations currently applicable to industry," said Brian Harrell, the DHS assistant secretary for infrastructure protection until last August. "Let's not have six sets of books that regulate one way on Monday, and another way on Tuesday."

There are more than 2.7 million miles of pipeline in the United States. Roughly 216,000 miles carry hazardous liquids including crude oil, diesel fuel, gasoline and jet fuel. Currently there are more than 3,000 pipeline companies.

Concern has risen over the years about the pipeline system's vulnerability to cyber attacks. A major campaign of cyber intrusions against natural gas pipeline companies in 2011 and 2012 spooked the industry, and led to efforts by TSA and industry to update the standards.

But their voluntary nature meant, for instance, that a company could decline TSA's offer to review its security regime. In 2018, the agency began conducting "validated architecture design reviews,'' an effort to increase the effectiveness of companies' cyber response capabilities. The reviews were created in partnership with CISA and the Idaho National Laboratory.

One challenge TSA will face as a regulator is a lack of trained staff to handle audits and enforcement. In 2014, its pipeline security division had dwindled to one staffer and in 2019, officials testified, it still had only five. To rectify that, DHS is planning to have CISA, the department's cybersecurity agency, work with TSA to enforce the new rules, officials said. They are also planning to hire more staff: 16 at TSA and 100 at CISA.

"The TSA is a great organization that has kept the flying public safe over the years," Harrell said. "However, the TSA does not currently have the expertise or resources to manage a robust mandatory pipeline security compliance regime."

Congress, he said, needs to "step up to the plate" and give TSA the resources it needs to be an effective regulator.

Industry has for some time seen the regulatory writing on the wall. In anticipation, some groups, such as the American Gas Association and American Petroleum Institute, have collaborated on voluntary standards to prime their members, industry representatives said.

The Colonial Pipeline attack made the prospect of regulation all the more likely.

In the incident's wake, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Richard Glick, called for mandatory cybersecurity standards. FERC, in coordination with the private sector North American Electric Reliability Corporation, has enforced mandatory cyber standards for the bulk electric system. "It's time," he said, for the pipeline sector to have similar standards.

"Simply encouraging pipelines to voluntarily adopt best practices is an inadequate response to the ever-increasing number and sophistication of malevolent cyber actors," he said.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently testified that mandatory cyber rules for pipelines may be needed. And last week, AGA's board of directors approved a resolution to support "reasonable" cybersecurity regulations.

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have argued that the Energy Department, not TSA, is the best agency to oversee pipeline security, and recently reintroduced a measure they said would strengthen the department's ability to respond to physical and cybersecurity threats.

But counterparts on the House Homeland Security Committee argue that TSA knows pipelines, while Energy does not. They reintroduced a measure that would make clear that TSA oversees pipeline security. Moreover, they note, TSA, unlike the Energy Department, already has the authority to set and enforce mandatory rules.

The Washington Post's Douglas MacMillan contributed to this report.
School of Art & Design Offers Studio Experience

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Paducah School of Art and Design (PSAD) is offering its Pre-College Summer Art Program to provide high school students with a two-week studio experience July 12-23.All materials for the two-week program are included in the $185 tuition fee, with lunch available for purchase from the Kitchens Cafe located at 905 Harrison Street.Students can take home finished works from the Pre-College Summer Art Program in screen printing, oil painting, digital photography and/or sculpture. Morning and afternoon sessions will be offered for each discipline either from 9 am to noon or 1 to 4 pm. Students can take both classes each week, either in the morning or afternoon.The program is limited to 18 students, with nine students per morning or afternoon class to help maintain social distancing and studio seating capacities. Early registration is encouraged. Masks are required for participants who are not vaccinated.JULY 12 -16Screenprinting2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison StreetPSAD Adjunct Printmaking Instructor Erich Neitzke will introduce students to the basics of screen printing as a fine arts medium. Participants will learn to prepare images using hand or digital positives, coat screens, register and print multiple color images.Oil Painting2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison Street PSAD Painting Instructor Tanya Neitzke will teach students wet-on-wet as well as overglazing techniques working from still life arrangements and photographs. Course work will also cover basic color theory, how to mix color and how to set up the palette.JULY 19-23Digital Photography2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison Street PSAD Director Paul Aho will introduce the students to the basics of digital photography using digital single-lens reflex cameras, Adobe imaging software and Epson professional printers. Participants will produce a selection of finished fine art prints.SculpturePSAD Sculpture Building, 919 Madison Street Through the investigation of form and space, PSAD Sculpture Instructor Evin Dubois will teach students to apply the conceptual principles of 3D design to create a variety of objects that communicate ideas and imply narratives. Traditional and mixed media will be explored through plaster, wood and metal.Students who register for the Pre-College Summer Art Program and ultimately enroll in college classes at PSAD will receive a WKCTC tuition waiver during their first semester for one, three credit-hour art class.Register for the classes online at https://ws.kctcs.edu/westkentucky and select Paducah School of Art and Design. Registration can also becompleted by calling 270-534-3335.
This photo provided by Department of Special Collections, McFarlin Library, The University of Tulsa shows crowds of people watching fires during the June 1, 1921, Tulsa Race Massacre in Tulsa, Okla. (Department of Special Collections, McFarlin Library, The University of Tulsa via AP)

TULSA, Okla.  On a recent Sunday, Ernestine Alpha Gibbs returned to Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Not her body. She had left this Earth 18 years ago, at age 100. But on this day, three generations of her family brought Ernestine's keepsakes back to this place which meant so much to her. A place that was, like their matriarch, a survivor of a long-ago atrocity.

Albums containing black-and-white photos of the grocery business that has employed generations of Gibbses. VHS cassette tapes of Ernestine reflecting on her life. Ernestine's high school and college diplomas, displayed in not-so-well-aged leather covers.

The diplomas were a point of pride. After her community was leveled by white rioters in 1921 -- after the gunfire, the arson, the pillaging -- the high school sophomore temporarily fled Tulsa with her family. "I thought I would never, ever, ever come back," she said in a 1994 home video.

But she did, and somehow found a happy ending.

"Even though the riot took away a lot, we still graduated," she said, a smile spreading across her face. "So, we must have stayed here and we must have done all right after that."

Not that the Gibbs family had it easy. And not that Black Tulsa ever really recovered from the devastation that took place 100 years ago, when nearly every structure in Greenwood, the fabled Black Wall Street, was flattened -- aside from Vernon AME.

The Tulsa Race Massacre is just one of the starkest examples of how Black wealth has been sapped, again and again, by racism and racist violence -- forcing generation after generation to start from scratch while shouldering the burdens of being Black in America.

All in the shadow of a Black paradise lost.

"Greenwood proved that if you had assets, you could accumulate wealth," said Jim Goodwin, publisher of the Oklahoma Eagle, the local Black newspaper established in Tulsa a year after the massacre.

"It was not a matter of intelligence, that the Black man was inferior to white men. It disproved the whole idea that racial superiority was a fact of life."

___

Prior to the massacre, only a couple of generations removed from slavery, unfettered Black prosperity in America was urban legend. But Tulsa's Greenwood district was far from a myth.

Many Black residents took jobs working for families on the white side of Tulsa, and some lived in detached servant quarters on weekdays. Others were shoeshine boys, chauffeurs, doormen, bellhops or maids at high-rise hotels, banks and office towers in downtown Tulsa, where white men who amassed wealth in the oil industry were kings.

But down on Black Wall Street  derided by whites as "Little Africa" or "N-town"  Black workers spent their earnings in a bustling, booming city within a city. Black-owned grocery stores, soda fountains, cafes, barbershops, a movie theater, music venues, cigar and billiard parlors, tailors and dry cleaners, rooming houses and rental properties: Greenwood had it.

According to a 2001 report of the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, the Greenwood district also had 15 doctors, a chiropractor, two dentists, three lawyers, a library, two schools, a hospital, and two Black publishers printing newspapers for north Tulsans.

Tensions between Tulsa's Black and white populations inflamed when, on May 31, 1921, the white-owned Tulsa Tribune published a sensationalized report describing an alleged assault on Sarah Page, a 17-year-old white girl working as an elevator operator, by Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old Black shoeshine.

"Nab Negro for Attacking Girl in Elevator," read the Tribune's headline. The paper's editor, Richard Lloyd Jones, had previously run a story extolling the Ku Klux Klan for hewing to the principle of "supremacy of the white race in social, political and governmental affairs of the nation."

Rowland was arrested. A white mob gathered outside of the jail. Word that some in the mob intended to kidnap and lynch Rowland made it to Greenwood, where two dozen Black men had armed themselves and arrived at the jail to aid the sheriff in protecting the prisoner.

Their offer was rebuffed and they were sent away. But following a separate deadly clash between the lynch mob and the Greenwood men, white Tulsans took the sight of angry, armed Black men as evidence of an imminent Black uprising.

There were those who said that what followed was not as spontaneous as it seemed -- that the mob intended to drive Black people out of the city entirely, or at least to drive them further away from the city's white enclaves.

Over 18 hours, between May 31 and June 1, whites vastly outnumbering the Black militia carried out a scorched-earth campaign against Greenwood. Some witnesses claimed they saw and heard airplanes overhead firebombing and shooting at businesses, homes and people in the Black district.

More than 35 city blocks were leveled, an estimated 191 businesses were destroyed, and roughly 10,000 Black residents were displaced from the neighborhood where they'd lived, learned, played, worked and prospered.

Although the state declared the massacre death toll to be only 36 people, most historians and experts who have studied the event estimate the death toll to be between 75 and 300. Victims were buried in unmarked graves that, to this day, are being sought for proper burial.

The toll on the Black middle class and Black merchants is clear. According to massacre survivor Mary Jones Parrish's 1922 book, R. T. Bridgewater, a Black doctor, returned to his home to find his high-end furniture piled in the street.

"My safe had been broken open, all of the money stolen," Bridgewater said. "I lost 17 houses that paid me an average of over $425 per month."

Tulsa Star publisher Andrew J. Smitherman lost everything, except for the metal printing presses that didn't melt in the fires at his newspaper's offices. Today, some of his descendants wonder what could have been, if the mob had never destroyed the Smitherman family business.

"We'd be like the Murdochs or the Johnson family, you know, Bob Johnson who had BET," said Raven Majia Williams, a descendant of Smitherman's, who is writing a book about his influence on Black Democratic politics of his time.

"My great-grandfather was in a perfect position to become a media mogul," Williams said. "Black businesses were able to exist because they could advertise in his newspaper."

Smitherman moved on to Buffalo, New York, where he opened another newspaper. It was a struggle; eventually, after his death in 1961, the Empire Star went under.

"It wasn't a very large office, so I'd often see the bills," said his grandson, William Dozier, who worked there as a boy. "Many of them were marked past due. We didn't make a lot of money. He wasn't able to pass any money down to his daughters, although he loved them dearly."

___

After the fires in Greenwood were extinguished, the bodies buried in unmarked mass graves, and the survivors scattered, insurance companies denied most Black victims' loss claims totaling an estimated $1.8 million. That's $27.3 million in today's currency.

Over the years, the effects of the massacre took different shapes. Rebuilding in Greenwood began as soon as 1922 and continued through 1925, briefly bringing back some of Black Wall Street.

Then, urban renewal in the 1950s forced many Black businesses to relocate further into north Tulsa. Next came racial desegregation that allowed Black customers to shop for goods and services beyond the Black community, financially harming the existing Black-owned business base. That was followed by economic downturns, and the construction of a noisy highway that cuts right through the middle of historic Greenwood.

Chief Egunwale Amusan, president of the African Ancestral Society in Tulsa, regularly gives tours around what's left. Greenwood was much more than what people hear in casual stories about it, he recently told a small tour group as they turned onto Greenwood Avenue in the direction of Archer Avenue.

Interstate 244 dissects the neighborhood like a Berlin wall. But it is easy for visitors to miss the engraved metal markers at their feet, indicating the location of a business destroyed in the massacre and whether it had ever reopened.

"H. Johnson Rooms, 314 North Greenwood, Destroyed 1921, Reopened," reads one marker.

"I've read every book, every document, every court record that you can possibly think of that tells the story of what happened in 1921," Amusan told the tour group in mid-April. "But none of them did real justice. This is sacred land, but it's also a crime scene."

No white person has ever been imprisoned for taking part in the massacre, and no Black survivor or descendant has been justly compensated for who and what they lost.

"What happened in Tulsa wasn't just unique to Tulsa," said the Rev. Robert Turner, the pastor of Vernon AME Church. "This happened all over the country. It was just that Tulsa was the largest. It damaged our community. And we haven't rebounded since. I think it's past time that justice be done to atone for that."

Some Black-owned businesses operate today at Greenwood and Archer avenues. But it's indeed a shadow of what has been described in books and seen in century-old photographs of Greenwood in its heyday.

A $30 million history center and museum, Greenwood Rising, will honor the legacy of Black Wall Street with exhibits depicting the district before and after the massacre, according to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. But critics have said the museum falls far short of delivering justice or paying reparations to living survivors and their descendants.

Tulsa's 1921 Black population of 10,000 grew to roughly 70,500 in 2019, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate; the median household income for Tulsa's Black households was an estimated $30,955 in 2019, compared to $55,278 for white households. In a city of an estimated 401,760 people, close to a third of Tulsans living below the poverty line in 2019 were Black, while 12% were white.

The disparities are no coincidence, local elected leaders often acknowledge. The inequalities also show up in business ownership demographics and educational attainment.

Attempts to force Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma to take some accountability for their role in the massacre suffered a major blow in 2005, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear survivors' and victim descendants' appeal of a lower federal court ruling. The courts had tossed out a civil lawsuit because, justices held, the plaintiffs had waited too long after the massacre to file it.

Now, a few living massacre survivors 106-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107-year-old Viola Fletcher, and 100-year-old Hughes Van Ellis  along with other victims' descendants are suing for reparations. The defendants include the local chamber of commerce, the city development authority and the county sheriff's department.

"Every time I think about the men and women that we've worked with, and knowing that they died without justice, it just crushes me," said Damario Solomon-Simmons, a native Tulsan who is a lead attorney on the lawsuit and founder of the Justice for Greenwood Foundation.

"They all believed that once the conspiracy of silence was pierced, and the world found out about the destruction, the death, the looting, the raping, the maiming, (and) the wealth that was stolen  that they would get justice, that they would have gotten reparations." Solomon-Simmons said.

The lawsuit, which is brought under Oklahoma's public nuisance statute, seeks to establish a victim's compensation fund paid for by the defendants. It also demands payment of outstanding insurance policies claims that date back the massacre.

Republican Mayor G.T. Bynum, who is white (Tulsa has never had a Black mayor), does not support paying reparations to massacre survivors and victims' descendants. Bynum said such a use of taxpayers' money would be unfair to Tulsans today.

"You'd be financially punishing this generation of Tulsans for something that criminals did a hundred years ago," Bynum said. "There are a lot of other areas of focus, when you talk about reparations. People talk about acknowledging the disparity that exists, and recognizing that there is work to do in addressing those disparities and making this city one of greater equality."

State Sen. Kevin Matthews, who is Black and chairs the massacre centennial commission, said no discussion of reparations can happen without reconciliation and healing. He believes the Greenwood Rising history center, planned for his legislative district, is a start.

"We talked to people in the community," Matthews said. "We wanted the story told first. So this is my first step, and I do agree that reparations should happen. Part of reparations is to repair the damage of even how the story was told."

___

Among the treasured keepsakes that came home to Vernon AME was a certificate of recent vintage that recognized Ernestine Gibbs as a survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

But for Gibbs and her family, the real pride is not in survival. It is in surmounting disaster, and in carrying on a legacy of Black entrepreneurial spirit that their ancestors exemplified before and after the massacre.

After graduating from Langston University, Ernestine married LeRoy Gibbs. Even as she taught in the Tulsa school system for 40 years, Ernestine and her husband opened a poultry and fish market in the rebuilt Greenwood in the 1940s. They sold turkeys to order during the holidays.

Carolyn Roberts, Ernestine's daughter, said although her parents lived with the trauma of the massacre, it never hindered their work ethic: "They survived the whole thing and bounced back."

Urban renewal in the late 1950s forced LeRoy and Ernestine to move Gibbs Fish & Poultry Market further into north Tulsa. The family purchased a shopping center, expanded the grocery market and operated other businesses there until they could no longer sustain it.

The shopping center briefly left family hands, but it fell into disrepair under a new owner, who later lost it to foreclosure. Grandson LeRoy Gibbs II and his wife, Tracy, repurchased the center in 2015 and revived it as the Gibbs Next Generation Center. The hope is that the following generation -- including LeRoy "Tripp" Gibbs III, now 12 -- will carry it on.

LeRoy II credits his grandmother, who not only built wealth and passed it on, but also showed succeeding generations how it was done. It was a lesson that few descendants of the victims of the race massacre had an opportunity to learn.

"The perseverance of it is what she tried to pass on to me," said LeRoy Gibbs II. "We were fortunate that we had Ernestine and LeRoy.  They built their business."
A judge on Monday declared a mistrial in the case of Tevin Biles-Thomas, who was charged with murder and other charges in a 2018 New Year's Eve party shootout that left three people dead. (Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com/TNS)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Tribune News Service)  A judge on Monday declared a mistrial during the third day of jury deliberations in the case of a U.S. Army soldier charged with murder in a 2018 New Years Eve party shooting that left three men dead.

Jurors on Monday told Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg that copies of legal briefs from prosecutors and Tevin Biles-Thomas attorneys somehow ended up among the trial evidence the court gave the jury to consult during its deliberations.

The briefs included a debate between prosecutors and defense attorneys over whether Biles-Thomas might have acted in self-defense.

The legal paperwork included a request from Biles-Thomas attorney, Joe Patituce, for Synenberg to instruct the jury on self-defense and tell them that they could find that Biles-Thomas committed the shooting but was acting in defense of his cousin. Synenberg denied the motion, and Patituce told jurors during closing arguments last week that Biles-Thomas did not have a gun at the party.

Synenberg, on Monday afternoon, brought the jury into the courtroom and asked if the information they read in the briefs influenced their decision in any way. All 12 jurors answered yes.

It was unclear on Monday how the briefs ended up among the evidence in the trial that began May 11. Patituce told assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutors Greg Mussman and Kevin Bringman that he and fellow defense attorney Catherine Meehan did not print any paperwork during the trial and used only electronic copies.

Mussman and Patituce could not comment on the development on Monday because Synenberg previously imposed a gag order preventing the attorneys from discussing the case in the media.

A new trial is set to begin Wednesday with jury selection.

Biles-Thomas, 26, is charged with multiple counts of murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and one count of perjury in the shooting deaths of his cousin, Devaughn Gibson, and DelVaunte Johnson and Toshaun Banks.

Biles-Thomas is the brother of gymnast and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, and his August 2019 indictment garnered national headlines for that reason. He spent three months jailed on a $1 million bond set at his September 2019 arraignment before Syneberg reduced his bond to 10 percent of $100,000. He has been free since December 2019.

The shooting came just before midnight on Dec. 31, 2018, at an Airbnb party that started small but grew larger and louder as people invited friends who in turn invited friends.

Prosecutors said Johnson grabbed Gibson by the collar and pushed him up against the refrigerator during the party, and Biles-Thomas overreacted by producing a pistol and opening fire on Johnson. Johnson returned fire before Biles-Thomas shot and killed him and Banks. Both Johnson and Biles-Thomas shot Gibson, but Johnsons shot was the fatal one, prosecutors said.

No physical evidence tied Biles-Thomas to the shooting. Prosecutors instead relied on statements from two witnesses. One of the witnesses, who suffered a gunshot in the arm, said she never saw the shooters face and could not identify Biles-Thomas as the shooter.

The other, who testified as part of a deal with prosecutors in which they reduced a felony charge to a misdemeanor in exchange for his testimony, tripped up during cross-examination and said he didnt see Biles-Thomas shoot.

Both witnesses identified Biles-Thomas by the clothing he was seen wearing while walking into the party on security video that police detectives played for them. However, both also gave different descriptions of the jacket that the shooter was wearing.

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Tasha Clark, who suffers from long-haul COVID, sits on the steps of her home in Milford, Conn., on May 3, 2021. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg)

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Tasha Clark tested positive for COVID-19 on April 8, 2020. The Connecticut woman, now 41, was relieved that her symptoms at the time  diarrhea, sore throat and body aches  didn't seem particularly severe. She never got a fever and wasn't hospitalized. So she figured that if the virus didn't kill her, within weeks she'd go back to her job and caring for her two children.

She significantly miscalculated. More than a year later, she's a textbook example of a COVID long-hauler.

Clark suffers from an array of disabling symptoms including blowtorch-like nerve pain and loss of sensation in her arms and legs, spine inflammation that makes it difficult to sit up straight, brain fog, dizziness and a soaring heart rate when she stands. She takes steroids and nine other prescription medicines, including twice-monthly infusions of immune therapy at a Yale University clinic to treat the neurological complications.

When her front-desk job at a physical rehabilitation center couldn't accommodate her disability, Clark had to take a lower-paying medical billing position. Her life outside of work is a never-ending odyssey of medical appointments, scans and lab tests. "I never in a million years thought that a year later my life would be reduced to what it has been," says Clark, who lives with her husband and two school-aged girls in Milford. "Not knowing if I will ever recover is scary."

The scope of the mysterious lingering symptoms triggered by COVID-19 is emerging more clearly, based on cases like Clark's. But more than a year into the pandemic, what's causing the symptoms and how best to treat them is anything but clear. Making research especially difficult is that there is such a wide range of health issues involved  from brain fog to cardiovascular problems to rare cases of psychosis  and there's no agreed-upon metric for who qualifies as a long-haul patient.

"There is no consensus on how to define, diagnose or measure this syndrome," Steven Deeks, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told the House Energy and Commerce Committee's health panel on April 28. "Everyone is using different definitions and the state of the art is a mess."

While estimates vary widely, the data suggests that COVID may leave a legacy of consequences after the pandemic is over. A British government survey found that almost 14% of people with COVID reported symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks. In another study from the University of Washington, one-third of those diagnosed with mild COVID cases still had symptoms about six months later.

Further, non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had a 59% increased risk of dying in the six months after contracting the disease compared to those who didn't get it, and suffered from conditions such as blood clots, diabetes, stroke and nervous system problems, according to findings published in April in the journal Nature.

"We don't understand what is happening with their biology," says Serena Spudich, a Yale University neurologist treating post-COVID patients. "It is really, really unknown at this point." While the patients' symptoms are clear, brain MRI scans and other tests are often unrevealing, making it tough to determine the cause of the symptoms, she said.

To get a better grip on the problem, the National Institutes of Health is spending $1.15 billion to research long-term COVID and will focus on assembling a giant cohort of tens of thousands of post-COVID patients, who will share data from mobile apps and wearable devices. It has already received 273 research proposals and will announce funding in weeks, NIH director Francis Collins told Congress.

Tasha Clark's medications for long-haul COVID symptoms are assembled in Milford, Conn., on May 3, 2021. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg)

Answers can't come too soon for Eddie Palacios, a 50-year-old commercial real estate broker in Naperville, Illinois. A month after getting a mild case of COVID last September he began forgetting words. One day, he couldn't remember where he was after climbing onto the roof to clean the gutters; his son had to help him down.

"There is definitely memory loss, and headaches that won't go away," says Palacios, who is in cognitive rehab at Northwestern Medicine and takes the prescription stimulant modafinil, used to treat narcolepsy, to boost his alertness.

Still, he must take extensive notes during conversations with clients, something he never used to do. He says he's fortunate that he can do his job from home. "If I were a 9-to-5 guy, I'd be unemployed," he says.

What makes people long-haulers? There are at least three possibilities. One leading theory is that the battle with the virus sets off an autoimmune reaction that persists long after the actual virus. This may be what has happened to Clark. The theory is that "the immune system is cranked up" during the initial illness but once the virus is gone, it doesn't come back down, says Avindra Nath, a researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Another possibility is that fighting COVID-19 leaves behind a detritus of viral particles that sets up a generalized cycle of inflammation long after the pathogen itself has departed. This may help explain why some people continue to test positive long after their infections appear to have cleared.

A third theory is that the virus may find hiding places in human tissues, allowing it to emerge weeks or months later when immunity weakens. Other viruses such as HIV and herpes simplex are known to hide out inside the body for years. If there is such a viral reservoir "it's probably very difficult to get at, it could be very deep in some tissues," said Akiko Iwasaki, a Yale University immunologist.

The hidden reservoir concept, while unproven, is consistent with the fact that some long-haulers initially have milder symptoms, and could also explain anecdotal reports that vaccines provide relief for long-haul patients.

While researchers hunt for answers, major medical centers such as Northwestern Medicine in Illinois and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have opened clinics to manage patients' myriad symptoms, providing help to those lucky enough to get it. Yale's neuroCOVID clinic was set up this past October and has treated about 100 patients, including Clark.

Clark's husband, Richard Zayas, a 47-year-old carpenter, came down with COVID in early April 2020. A few days later, she developed a horrible taste in her mouth, unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

The first neurological symptoms came a week into her illness, when she burnt her arm taking something out of the oven because she didn't notice the hot pan touching her. A few weeks later, just as her sore throat and cough were subsiding, she began losing sensation in her legs. Coming home from a drive, her legs gave out and she had to pull herself up the steps to her house by her arms. Though she suspected it was a complication of COVID, doctors at the local emergency room said a lot of things could be causing the symptoms and sent her home without extensive tests, she says.

A skin biopsy later found signs of nerve damage, and doctors put her on gabapentin for the pain. But her symptoms worsened, and by July she was diagnosed with peripheral polyneuropathy. Over the summer, she fell multiple times going up and down the stairs in her house, or walking in the yard. This winter, burning pain in her feet was so bad that several times she went outside and stood barefoot in the snow or on bare concrete to numb the pain.

"My skin feels like someone is holding a blowtorch to it," she says.

Since getting sick, Clark says she has had more than 50 doctor visits, and numerous procedures including two lumbar punctures, MRI scans of the pelvis, cognitive tests and multiple sleep studies. In addition to neuropathy, she's been been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune-related arthritis of the spine, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which produced rapid heartbeat and a light-headed feeling upon standing.

Doctors "think my immune system went in overdrive when I got the virus and since never shut off," she said. "It has basically been attacking my body ever since."

When other treatments didn't fully improve her symptoms, Yale doctors early this year put Clark on infusions of intravenous immune globulin, a costly antibody infusion. Lindsay McAlpine, a neurology resident at Yale's neuroCOVID clinic, says they only give immunoglobulin to post-COVID patients whose symptoms have a clear autoimmune link.

After being away from her front-desk job for eight months, Clark went back remotely in December but said she had to quit when her bosses insisted she return to the office. She found a medical billing job that can be done from her armchair. But it pays $1.47 an hour less, meaning she has to work overtime to keep up. She is so exhausted after work she can't do much at home. The scariest part for Clark is not knowing how long the symptoms will last. When she contracted COVID more than 13 months ago, "I thought maybe two or three weeks tops and I would be back to my old self," she says. "I have been sick every day since."
Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine on Tuesday brought an antitrust complaint against Amazon, alleging that the e-commerce giant wields monopoly power that has resulted in higher prices for consumers.

Racine's office accused the company of fixing prices through contract provisions with third-party sellers who peddle their products on its platform. The attorney general said that Amazon prevents sellers from offering their products at lower prices or on better terms on any other online platforms, including their own websites, and that prohibition results in "artificially high" prices across e-commerce sales. (Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

"Amazon has used its dominant position in the online retail market to win at all costs," Racine, a Democrat, said in a statement. "It maximizes its profits at the expense of third-party sellers and consumers, while harming competition, stifling innovation, and illegally tilting the playing field in its favor."

Amazon pushed back against the lawsuit's claims, saying in a statement that the suit would force the company to feature higher prices.

"The DC Attorney General has it exactly backward  sellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store," spokesman Jack Evans said in a statement. "Amazon takes pride in the fact that we offer low prices across the broadest selection, and like any store we reserve the right not to highlight offers to customers that are not priced competitively."

The suit follows years of Washington antitrust scrutiny of Amazon and comes as consumer advocates have called on the Biden administration to bring federal antitrust charges against the company. Biden recently nominated one of the company's key critics, Lina Khan, to the Federal Trade Commission.

The latest legal salvo highlights the critical role attorneys general are playing in checking tech giants' power, following years of little action from the federal government. Last year, groups of state attorneys general brought two antitrust lawsuits challenging Google's dominance in search and advertising. A separate group of 48 attorneys general filed a landmark antitrust suit against Facebook, seeking to break up the social networking giant.

Racine said his office did not coordinate with any federal regulators in bringing the complaint and that it had not coordinated with other state attorneys general.

Tuesday's lawsuit was filed in D.C. Superior court under D.C. antitrust laws, rather than federal antitrust laws, which could limit the scope of any judgment that comes from the action, said Herb Hovenkamp, an antitrust professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

"It's not nearly as direct as a federal case," Hovenkamp said. "In this case, we've got one party suing in one state court, so if they win it's going to cover D.C. and that's pretty much it."

The complaint takes narrow aim at agreements that Amazon imposes on sellers on its marketplace, known as "most favored nation" clauses. Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and a top critic of Amazon, said the suit gets at the heart of one way that Amazon undermines competition, but that there are many others.

Mitchell said she hoped that other state attorneys general and the FTC were looking at other competition concerns related to Amazon, and she said Congress needs to pass legislation to address the company's dominance. She said far more drastic action is needed.

"To have a truly competitive e-commerce market, you have to break up Amazon," she said. "There's a fundamental conflict of interest when you own the infrastructure and you also compete on that infrastructure."

The lawsuit comes as the tech industry finds itself at the center of an antitrust reckoning in Washington. The Justice Department last year brought an antitrust suit against Google, while the Federal Trade Commission brought a case against Facebook. Lawmakers have also eyed competition concerns with Apple's App Store, which is currently the subject of litigation.

The top antitrust panel for the House of Representatives completed a sweeping, 16-month investigation last fall, finding that Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook engaged in anticompetitive behaviors. Amazon competes with some of the smaller merchants that sell products on its marketplace, the investigation found, which "incentivizes Amazon to exploit its access to competing sellers' data and information, among other anticompetitive conduct."

Amazon responded to the investigation at the time in a lengthy blog post, calling the investigation "flawed" and defending its relationship with smaller merchants as "mutually beneficial."

The case could be an uphill battle for the D.C. attorney general, Hovenkamp said, because Amazon is a huge platform but not necessarily a market leader in every product it sells.

"This is a big problem with Amazon," he said. "Amazon is big, everyone knows it's big. However, when you start taking apart its individual products  other than e-books  it generally doesn't have a dominant share."

Amazon is also being sued for allegedly violating antitrust law by working with big book publishers to fix e-book prices. The suit, filed by a law firm in federal court in New York, is seeking class action status.

Racine's suit comes as lawmakers from both parties are seeking to update decades-old competition laws to ensure they're addressing the growing sway of tech giants.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington is seen as National Guard members pass by on Thursday, May 20, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana/AP photo)

WASHINGTON  Health care coverage for National Guard members and reservists would be expanded under a bill introduced Tuesday, as calls to make benefits more equitable for these service members is gaining traction in Congress.

The bill from Reps. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Trent Kelly, R-Miss., would allow all National Guard members and reservists to sign up for TRICARE Reserve Select, a premium-based health care plan, without additional fees or copays.

Now, only those who are called to active-duty status for more than 30 days are eligible for coverage. The Healthcare for Our Troops Act aims to expand access to affordable health care for about 130,000 members, or 16% of the Guard and Reserve, who lack private health insurance.

Kelly served as a combat engineer in the Mississippi Army National Guard for 35 years before his promotion to major general in December. The congressman said he has been pushing for four years to bring benefits and pay allowances for Guard members more in line with active-duty troops.

It's just not fair to ask them to put their lives on the line and not have the same coverage and same benefits as their active counterparts, Kelly said.

Kim said affordable care would be one small way to repay service members who kept him safe during his time in Afghanistan where he worked as a strategic adviser before being elected to Congress.

We owe it to them. Were constantly calling upon them at a moments notice, the congressman said.

Last year, National Guard soldiers and airmen logged more than 10.9 million days of service to support missions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, extreme weather events, and civil protests and riots. It was more than four times as many days as Guard troops served in 2019, according to recent comments from Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Amid a year of unprecedented levels of support from Guard members, Hokanson has been vocal on Capitol Hill about support for expanded health care coverage for troops.

Lawmakers have also raised alarm bells over gaps in medical eligibility for service members who go on-and-off duty orders in less than a month.

Last week, Hokanson testified at a Senate hearing that his No. 1 legislative priority this year is to get free health care for all Guard members.

We always want the family members and the service members to know that no matter what we ask them to do, because we ask them to be ready at any time, that they're medically ready, he said during a subpanel hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Another concern has been the ability for these troops to retain the same medical provider when going on and off orders.

By having a standardized process in coverage, they could keep that same health care provider through all of it, which we think is really important, Hokanson said.

Greater access to mental health care or counseling for members who do not have health insurance could also decrease the number of suicides in the National Guard, the general said.

The number of deaths by suicide in the National Guard rose from 90 in 2019 to 118 at the end of 2020, according to the Defense Department.

Hokanson first raised concerns over the issue of health care at a House hearing earlier this month.

He asked members of a subpanel of the House Appropriations Committee: If [Guard members] dont have health care, what happens if they get sick or injured when they come off orders? Theyre doing the same job as their active or Reserve counterparts. Why are they treated differently?

Kelly said he is in contact with Hokanson, as well as retired Brig. Gen. Roy Robinson, president of the National Guard Association of the United States, to look at what benefits will bring parity to the National Guard.

Budgetary concerns have caused a similar provision in the past to be held up in the Senate, but Kelly said lawmakers overwhelmingly agree these troops deserve the same benefits as other service members.

A previous measure from the congressman passed as part of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which sets annual spending and policy priorities for the Pentagon, made TRICARE Reserve Select eligible for all federal employees and National Guard federal technicians starting in 2030.

The provision was projected to save the government $1.6 billion in ten years, Kelly said, citing an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.

Kelly said he also expects the latest bill to save the government money, and it makes [the Guard] more ready and more ready to deploy, especially in light of all the missions that we're called upon and asked today.

Especially in light of the pandemic, Kim said: Its good for our national security if we have healthy people in uniform. ... It just makes sense across the board.

cammarata.sarah@stripes.com

Twitter: @sarahjcamm
Attorney General William P. Barr, left, speaks during a news conference hours before releasing a redacted version of the Mueller report on April 18, 2019. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein is behind him at right. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  The Justice Department has released part of a key internal document used in 2019 to justify not charging President Donald Trump with obstruction, prompting a federal judge who wants to disclose the entire document to offer more blistering criticism of former attorney general William Barr.

Two new court filings  one late Monday night and another made public Tuesday  offered details about how Barr ended a possible obstruction case against Trump, and how the department's handling of that politically explosive question has drawn the ire of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson.

The ongoing fallout from the handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's findings is likely to fuel and frustrate Trump's biggest critics, particularly Democrats who have long argued that Barr stage-managed an exoneration of Trump after Mueller submitted a 448-page report describing his investigation into whether the 2016 Trump campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the election, and whether Trump tried to obstruct that investigation.

The central document at issue is a March 2019 memo written by two senior Justice Department officials who argued that aside from important constitutional reasons not to accuse the president of a crime, the evidence gathered by Mueller's team did not rise to the level of a prosecutable case, even if Trump were not president.

Portions of the memo that remain sealed contain brief factual and legal analyses of at least some of the incidents of possible obstruction that Mueller found. The memo concludes that each did not meet the threshold the Justice Department would need to file a criminal case, even if doing so had been possible, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the document is sealed. The analysis focused at least in part on the lack of a precedent for building an obstruction case around instances of the president using his executive power in ways that would normally be allowed, such as the firing of James Comey as FBI director in 2017, these people said.

Earlier this month, Jackson issued a scathing opinion saying that she had read the memo and that it showed Barr was disingenuous when he cited the document as key to his conclusion that Trump had not broken the law. On Tuesday, in response to the Justice Department's filing overnight, Jackson ordered public release of the still-secret portions of her opinion.

"The suggestion that the Attorney General's advisors were helping him make a decision about whether to initiate or decline a prosecution is contrary to the very memorandum at issue," Jackson wrote in a newly unsealed section. "So why did the Attorney General's advisors, at his request, create a memorandum that evaluated the prosecutive merit of the facts amassed by the Special Counsel? Lifting the curtain reveals the answer to that too: getting a jump on public relations."

Jackson concludes that rather than weigh legal issues, the memo shows Barr's Justice Department "was girding for a preemptive strike on the Mueller report instead."

Justice Department lawyers had sought to ease the judge's anger by releasing part of the memo publicly, but not its detailed discussion of the evidence against Trump, saying they would ask an appeals court to keep that section secret.

"In retrospect, the government acknowledges that its briefs could have been clearer, and it deeply regrets the confusion that caused. But the government's counsel and declarants did not intend to mislead the Court," the Justice Department lawyers wrote in asking the judge to keep the rest of the document under seal while they appeal her ruling.

This fight over the document emerged out of a lawsuit filed by the watchdog group Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, whose president Noah Bookbinder said the department's decision to appeal "is legally and factually wrong and that undercuts efforts to move past the abuses of the last administration."

Parts of the memo released Monday night offer a clearer view into why the judge was angry  and they indicate the decision not to accuse Trump of a crime had been the subject of previous conversations among Justice Department leaders.

The memo written by Steven Engel, then head of the department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), and Edward O'Callaghan, then a senior department official closely involved in supervising the Mueller investigation, was addressed to Barr, then the attorney general.

"Over the course of the Special Counsel's investigation, we have previously discussed these issues within the Department among ourselves, with the Deputy Attorney General, and with you since your appointment, as well as with the Special Counsel and his staff. Our conclusions are the product of those discussions, as well as our review of the Report," the lawyers wrote in the newly public section.

For decades, Justice Department policy has held that sitting presidents could not be charged with a crime. But the memo to Barr went beyond that constitutional position, arguing "certain of the conduct examined by the Special Counsel could not, as a matter of law, support an obstruction charge under the circumstances. Accordingly, were there no constitutional barrier, we would recommend, under the Principles of Federal Prosecution, that you decline to commence such a prosecution."

The memo also argued that the Justice Department should make a decision whether Trump broke the law  even though Mueller had very carefully avoided answering that question, citing Justice Department policy against charging a sitting president.

"The department should reach a conclusion on whether prosecution is warranted," the memo said. "The department either brings charges or it does not . . . That principle does not change simply because the subject of the investigation is the president."

For that reason, Engel and O'Callaghan urged Barr "to determine whether prosecution would be appropriate given the evidence recounted in the Special Counsel's Report, the underlying law, and traditional principles of federal prosecution."

David Laufman, a former senior Justice Department official, said the portion of the memo unsealed so far shows "the integrity of this legal analysis is suspect," noting it's unusual for the Office of Legal Counsel to opine on whether evidence in a case is sufficient to launch a prosecution. Laufman also said the fact that O'Callaghan, a senior political appointee outside the OLC, helped write the memo "creates the impression that this was simply a results-oriented product intended to benefit President Trump."

Barr ultimately made public arguments that closely tracked those in the memo.

Barr and Engel declined to comment for this article. O'Callaghan did not respond to requests for comment.

Jackson's opinion noted that Barr told Congress that he and his deputy reached the decision that Trump should not be charged "in consultation" with the Office of Legal Counsel and other department lawyers. Barr testified about the deliberations after Mueller wrote a private letter complaining to the attorney general that his description of Mueller's report before its public release had led to misunderstandings about what the investigation found.

"The Attorney General's characterization of what he'd hardly had time to skim, much less, study closely, prompted an immediate reaction, as politicians and pundits took to their microphones and Twitter feeds to decry what they feared was an attempt to hide the ball," Jackson wrote.

The OLC is a critical but little-known part of the federal government, providing legal advice to presidents and their administrations. Democratic and Republican administrations often cite OLC memos as the legal justification for controversial policy decisions, but the contents of such memos are usually closely held secrets within the government.

In the case of the memo on whether Trump could be charged, the judge concluded that, rather than Barr following OLC advice, his decision and the memo "were being written by the very same people at the very same time," working "hand in hand to craft the advice" that the office supposedly delivered to Barr.

"Not only was the Attorney General being disingenuous then, but DOJ has been disingenuous to this Court with respect to the existence of a decision-making process that should be shielded by the deliberative process privilege," Jackson concluded, writing the memo "was expressly understood to be entirely hypothetical" and that prior redacted versions of the document "deliberately obscured this fundamental aspect of the exercise."

The judge found that claims made by the department to try to shield the memo from public scrutiny "are so inconsistent with evidence in the record, they are not worthy of credence," and said the department sought to "obfuscate" that it had set out to create a legal justification for a decision Justice Department leaders had already made  to not accuse the president of a crime.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., unveiled a massive plan Tuesday to extend disability benefits to veterans of all eras who suffer the effects of toxic exposure, with a particular focus on veterans who served in overseas conflicts since 1990.

The legislation, titled the Comprehensive and Overdue Support for Troops of War Act of 2021, would create a fast track to Department of Veterans Affairs benefits for veterans who served overseas during the past 31 years and developed a respiratory illness or cancer. It would automatically grant eligibility for VA health care to about 3.5 million veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In addition, it would reform the VAs current process of handling claims of toxic exposure.

The effort includes older veterans, too. The bill calls for presumptive benefits for Vietnam War veterans who have developed hypertension because of exposure to chemical herbicides, as well as veterans who served in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Guam or American Samoa during certain periods of the 1960s and 1970s and were potentially exposed to herbicides.

Decade after decade, our service members have returned home from war only to be met with a piecemeal process as they try to cobble together health care and disability benefits theyve earned, Tester said on a phone call with reporters. Im proud to unveil my comprehensive and overdue support.

Tester is anticipating pushback on the bill because of its cost, which remains unknown but is likely significant. The Congressional Budget Office, which provides cost and economic information to Congress, has not yet shared its cost estimate for the legislation.

Tester said hes willing to make some changes to the bill based on feedback from the VA and other senators. However, he said multiple times Tuesday that lawmakers need to acknowledge this a cost of sending service members to war.

I dont know what this costs, Tester said. But Im going to tell you how I approach this: We have to make this thing work financially.  We have an all-volunteer military. If we expect people to step up, we have to make sure we hold up our end of the deal and ensure promises are kept.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, which Tester leads, will consider Wednesday whether to advance the legislation to the Senate floor for a vote.

Also Wednesday, the House Veterans Affairs Committee is planning to unveil its own bill directed at veterans suffering from toxic exposure. The House version, the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2021, will be introduced during a ceremony outside the Capitol building.

Comedian Jon Stewart is expected to speak at the event. Stewart became a fierce advocate for 9/11 responders who developed illnesses from the toxic fumes at the destroyed World Trade Center, and he recently turned his attention to veterans suffering from diseases caused by exposure to burn pits and other toxic environments since the Gulf War.

The two bills are not identical, and Tester said hes willing to work with House lawmakers to reconcile the differences. Lawmakers hope to pass a bill through Congress by the end of the year.

Its a very high priority for me, Tester said. There are going to be times its not going as fast as I want it to be. But Ive instructed my staff to push, push, push, push, push, and theyre going to do it.

wentling.nikki@stripes.com

Twitter: @nikkiwentling

Buy Photo Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., makes his opening statement at a hearing on Capitol Hill, June 27, 2018. (Stars and Stripes)
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
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
Baptist Health Lab Praised for Resourcefulness

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Baptist Health Paducah lab is receiving praise for its resourcefulness during the pandemic.In the spring of 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert about a shortage of viral transport media (VTM). The substance is used to preserve clinical samples for testing and storage. The intense demand for the critical component necessary for COVID-19 testing had overwhelmed manufacturers.Along with the alert, the CDC also published a recipe for VTM that used a few basic ingredients."I thought it looked simple enough to do," said Lorne Childress, lab director at Baptist Health Paducah, so he ordered the ingredients. "I jumped on it pretty quick because I knew we needed to do something so that testing wouldn't come to a screeching halt because we didn't have any media."After putting together the first batch, Childress and his staff put the "homemade" solution through a validation process to ensure that it was effective. When it proved to be good, he shared the recipe with lab staff at other Baptist Health facilities."The recipe makes a large amount, so when Baptist Health Madisonville was running low, I sent them part of a batch with our courier," he said.Childress said before the pandemic, it was easy to take certain necessary supplies for granted."It's good to know that we could make it again if we needed to," he continued.
Bay of Plenty providers of relief and support to sufferers of sexual and family violence are backing plans in the recently announced Budget.

The Government has announced total funding of $131.9 million over four years with a significant emphasis on prevention and community leadership.

Budget 2021s investment will not only extend the capacity and capability of a number of successful prevention programmes running in our communities, says Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Minister Marama Davidson.

It will also help develop integrated and coordinated systems to ensure we have a solid government framework for addressing family and sexual violence.

We are already seeing how these community prevention programmes can have a real, practical impact  improving the experiences of those needing the services and changing how people and communities think and act.

Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support offers 24-hour support services in the Bay of Plenty for adults, teenagers and children who have been sexually assaulted.

Tautoko Mais societal change leader Julie Sach is pleased to hear that the new funding is aimed toward prevention of sexual violence, rather than just focusing on after the fact support and treatment.

While responding is important, at Tautoko Mai our longer-term goal is to eliminate sexual violence in Aotearoa, she says.

Without prevention work we will never be able to achieve this.

Two years ago, we expanded our reach to include prevention and education work. We currently deliver an ACC funded programme, Mates and Dates, across many secondary schools in the Bay as part of our prevention work.

Mates and Dates is a healthy relationship programme for secondary school students which aims to reduce sexual and dating violence.

In June, Tautoko Mai are also holding a summit aimed at the business world to discuss how to prevent and respond to sexual harm in the workplace whilst in September a programme aimed at educating bar staff to identify risky situations is also being launched. All are about prevention of sexual harm, rather than reaction to it.

The $131.9 million over four years will go toward initiatives including expanding whanau-centred facilitation by kaupapa Maori providers, working with communities and whanau to support parents and reduce risk, sustaining and developing existing safety responses with communities, building partnerships and collaboration, strategic coordination of data and extending early support to stop people using violence.

Tauranga Womens Refuge manager Hazel Hape is also pleased to see prevention, and community involvement, having such a large focus in the Governments investment plan for family violence.

The statistics of violence, abuse and trauma experienced primarily by women and children is unacceptable in this country, she says.

Even with all the government and legislative policies and initiatives women and children continue to be murdered, beaten, assaulted, raped, sodomized, strangled by people who are supposed to love and protect them.

It is hoped that the investment towards prevention of family violence via community awareness and engagement strategies across all facets of societal strata helps us to eliminate the need for crisis and ambulance at the bottom of the cliff services and support.

However, she also makes it clear that until such a time crisis services remain pivotal.
An Omokoroa family are desperately searching for their beloved family dog, Bonnie.

The Airedale terrier has been missing, presumed stolen, from Stephen Prebbles Prole Road home since Wednesday, May 19.

Stephen says her absence has had a big impact on the family and he believes she was taken between 4am and 6am that morning.

Bonnies curly coat is mainly tan with a black/dark grey neck and back, she has dark brown eyes.

Stephen says Airedale terriers are quite a rare breed and they make great family pets.

She was put outside for the night around 10.30pm on May 18; Bonnie wears a collar for the hidden fence they have, which prevents her from going outside of the boundary.

Usually she is waiting at the front door for breakfast, early in the morning, says Stephen.

She doesnt wander, she always stuck close to home, so were pretty sure she's been stolen, he says.

The family didnt hear any barking and Stephen says normally, she would bark if there was a car stopped outside, or someone walking down the semi-rural road.

There was no barking at all. We just got up and shed disappeared.

He believes someone has enticed Bonnie with food or knows how the hidden fence works, and has taken her.

The six-year-old dog is a huge part of the Prebble Family and Stephen says he, his wife Karmenne and their four children are all really feeling the loss.

Its like one of our kids has gone. You go outside to the ranch slider and expect her to be there. We really miss her presence.

The family are offering a reward for her return, or information that leads to it. The incident has been reported to the police and Bonnie is microchipped.

People can contact police by calling 105 or visiting the website quoting file number 210520/4187.
The University of Waikatos Tauranga campus is continuing to to experience growth across all areas of its development, including campus, students and staff.

This is despite a challenging year with Covid-19.

The Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust met this month to receive its annual report from the University of Waikato.

The Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust is made up of the three key funders of the Tauranga campus development, including TECT which contributed $15 million, Bay of Plenty Regional Council which contributed $15 million, and Tauranga City Council which donated the land on Durham Street.

It was a successful first full reporting year, with a number of highlights covered in the Universitys report to the Trust.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the University of Waikato responded swiftly, moving teaching and learning from traditional campus-based delivery to online and blended delivery while maintaining strong student support systems in this new environment.

The University also surveyed students during and after lockdown, and in the middle of B Trimester, to help inform decisions related to delivery of papers and programmes moving forward.

The campus won a number of architecture awards in 2020, notably the 2020 Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Education Award and at the 2020 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards, winning the Greenstone Group Education Property Award.

The campus also received a top Australasian award for its innovative learning environment design, winning the 2020 New Construction/Entire New Educational Facility Category at Learning Environments Australasias 12th Annual Awards for Excellence in Educational Facilities.

There have also been wins for the campus in terms of enrolment numbers, going beyond enrolment predictions with steady growth each year.

In 2018, prior to the CBD campus, the University had 813 students studying in Tauranga.

After opening in 2019, student numbers increased by 30 per cent to 1057 students and in 2020, numbers increased again by 30 per cent to 1200 students.

A range of scholarships awarded in 2020 also worked to encourage students to participate in a university education here in Tauranga.

A total of 22 Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust scholarships  across First in Family, Returning Student, and Research Masters Scholarship  were offered, with 20 of these taken up. Three further Tauranga-based scholarships were awarded by the Acorn Foundation.

In 2020, the University continued to increase the number of papers, as well as qualifications, on offer in Tauranga.

For example, Tauranga students can now complete the first year of the mechatronics major for the Bachelor of Engineering.

As programmes have grown, so have staff numbers at the campus.

There are now four professors based in Tauranga, and recent appointments include an Associate Professor in Environmental Psychology and an Associate Professor in Early Childhood.

There are also big plans for the future. The University continues to invest in key land locations to future-proof a connected and vibrant campus precinct within the Tauranga CBD.

This includes the investment in establishing an undergraduate science and engineering laboratories adjacent to the University in Durham Street, and purpose-built student accommodation on Selwyn Street, which is due to open next year.

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alister Jones, says the campus has made exceptional progress during one of the most challenging periods of the Universitys 57-year history, much of which is down to the strong support within the University, and from the wider community.

We are proud that the campus is cementing its place in Tauranga and wider Bay of Plenty, and we thank the Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust for their continued support of our staff and students, and the future direction of the University.

TECT General Manager Wayne Werder says the Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust is pleased to see the Annual Reports results.

It has been a challenging year with Covid-19, but it is fantastic to see the Tauranga campus thriving, both in the progress of the campus development, and in the learning happening within its walls.

Seeing student numbers rise, qualification and paper offerings expand, and plans in place for campus growth, we know that the Tauranga campus will continue to contribute successfully to our regions economic and social development.
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First 'Southside Spruce Up' Event Next Week

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Paducah's Southside Rise & Shine Neighborhood Spruce Up events begin next week, visiting eight different neighborhoods each week through July.The City of Paducah says Littleville will be the focus June 1 - 6. There will be a Sunday Celebration and ice cream social on June 6 from 1 until 4 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, 1625 Bloom Avenue.During each neighborhoods week, This is Your Week signs will be posted, and the Public Works Department will place yellow garbage rollouts and dumpsters around the neighborhood. Each neighborhood is encouraged to dispose of garbage and beautify their homes and yards.Bulky items including tires and appliances can be placed in front of a home next to the street for free collection by Public Works. Each week-long cleaning event will end on Sunday, from 1 until 4 p.m., with litter collection and a neighborhood ice cream social.Visit the Southside Rise & Shine webpage for the schedule of neighborhoods, celebration sites and dumpster locations. For those uncertain of the name of their neighborhood, there is a link to a neighborhood map searchable by address.Also, several resources are linked including volunteer guidelines, information about abandoned/inoperable vehicles, property maintenance and code enforcement, and a handout about the proper disposal of garbage, appliances, tires, and brush.Neighborhood Schedule:June 1-6  LittlevilleJune 8-13  Walter JettonJune 15-20  Kolb ParkJune 22-27  UppertownJune 29 - July 4  River ParkJuly 6-11  Dolly McNuttJuly 13-18  Ella MunalJuly 20-25  Farley PlaceOn the Net:
A coalition of NSU students and recent graduates is seeking to relocate the Statue of Forgiveness, which the group says misappropriates Indigenous culture. From left are: Jessica Frazier, Emily Barnett, Katie Smith Henshaw, and Treybeinne Pritchett.
Gas Leak Closes Section of Coleman Road

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A section of Coleman Road in Paducah is closed due to a gas line breach.The road is closed between the railroad overpass near County Park Road on the north end and near Coleman Crossing Circle on the south end by Hinkleville Road.The Paducah Fire Department is on the scene as a precaution while ATMOS Energy works to repair the line.
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Florida Department of Health has ended its daily reports of COVID-19 activity and has shuttered its dashboard that had provided a visual account of cases, deaths, testing and other information since March 2020.
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You think its bad now! It hasnt even started! After Gov. Greg Abbott signs this bill, which will not take effect till September, certain peo
McCracken Relay For Life Meeting Thursday

By West Kentucky Star Staff









PADUCAH - The Relay For Life of McCracken County will hold its monthly committee and team captains meeting this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall at Heartland Worship Center.If you would like to participate in the American Cancer Society's biggest fundraiser of the year, please make plans to attend this meeting. More teams are needed, as well as those who can volunteer their time as a committee member.Pizza, soft drinks and dessert will be provided.This year's Relay will be held at McCracken County High School at a date to be determined.For additional information, contact Cindy Malray at 270-441-5325.On the Net:
A spokesman for the Texas Rangers released the name of the man killed in a north Killeen shooting Thursday.
NG_EV BHPian

Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 40 Thanked: 78 Times

Would you share your data & allow tracking for insurance discounts?



The question that the host asked was as EVs are mostly connected cars and have a lot of smart technology in them, how much of your data are you willing to share and what do you expect to get in return? Are you ok with discounts such as offered by Rivian?



These discounts are not new in insurance industry. Apollo Munich was offering a discount of up to 8 or 9% if an app was installed and that app allowed tracking of the user physical activity.



My answer to this question would be no. I do not want a discount in exchange for tracking. I am okay with minimal connected car experience. When I purchase an EV, the only thing I want monitored is battery health. Some companies offer remote battery health monitoring and alert users if there is anything wrong with the pack. I feel that such information should be available on-board the car itself and should not require any remote monitoring.



What are the community's opinions on this? Please do reply.



Podcast link





https://www.evnewsdaily.com/



Rivian insurance news



https://www.greencarreports.com/news...rance-business I was listening to an EV podcast where the host asks a question weekly. 2 weeks ago, he asked a question regarding data sharing and discounts. This was as there was a discussion going around Rivian offering insurance on their own. According to an article, Rivian states that this will allow shorter turn around times and, a lower premium than third party insurance. In addition to this, Rivian also offers discounts to those customers who opt in and use "driver aids". But these driver assistance features are through connected car services and require that the company tracks how often these features are used.The question that the host asked was as EVs are mostly connected cars and have a lot of smart technology in them, how much of your data are you willing to share and what do you expect to get in return? Are you ok with discounts such as offered by Rivian?These discounts are not new in insurance industry. Apollo Munich was offering a discount of up to 8 or 9% if an app was installed and that app allowed tracking of the user physical activity.My answer to this question would be no. I do not want a discount in exchange for tracking. I am okay with minimal connected car experience. When I purchase an EV, the only thing I want monitored is battery health. Some companies offer remote battery health monitoring and alert users if there is anything wrong with the pack. I feel that such information should be available on-board the car itself and should not require any remote monitoring.What are the community's opinions on this? Please do reply.Podcast linkRivian insurance news
Big under-the-hood changes are coming to Googles original Nest Hub, even if most users wont ever be aware of whats happening.

Starting today, the open-source Fuchsia OS will start rolling out to first-gen Nest Hub displays, according to 9to5Google. In the works since 2016, Fuchsia will land first on Nest Hub devices enrolled in Googles Preview Program, before arriving more widely on non-Preview Program displays.

Dont expect the user experience to change much, though. 9to5Google notes that the look and feel of Fuchsia OS-powered Nest Hubs will be essentially identical to what it was before.

OK, so whats the big deal about Fuchsia, then? Its a new, open-source OS thats decidedly not based on the Linux kernel, as Android and Chrome OS are. Instead, Fuchsia is based on Magneta, which (as we described it back in 2016) is combination microkernel and set of user-space services and hardware drivers with a physics based renderer that can power graphical user interfaces.

Because its an open-source project, Fuchsias existence has been well publicized over the years, although its purpose has been harder to fathom; out in the open yet shrouded in mystery is how we aptly put it.

With its arrival on the original Nest Hub, Fuchsia is taking its first tentative steps out of the lab and into the hands of actual users, even if those users arent aware of the new OS.

Whats next for Fuchsia? Who knows. As 9to5Google points out, Fuchsia is perfectly capable of running on desktops and smartphones, as well as on smart devices like the Nest Hub. Whether it will eventually land on, say, your Pixel phone or your Chromebook is an open question.
Elon Musk has invited people to help develop Dogecoin and submit their ideas via GitHub or Reddit's r/dogecoin, alongside announcing his recent conversation with Bitcoin's North American miners. The NA region that mines Bitcoin (BTC) has already committed to going renewable with its energy consumption, hinting that it still holds on to the cryptocurrency.

Dogecoin and Bitcoin back-to-back on Tesla and Elon Musk's portfolio? It may be coming soon, or it may not. Still, the recent tweets of the CEO show his continued support for cryptocurrency, stirring up the market.

Musk is known to be the supporter of most things digital, from the NFTs to social media, and the technology of his vehicles, along with cryptocurrency.

In recent times, the Tesla CEO has showcased different tweets which express his opinions and claims with regards to different cryptocurrencies, especially after finding out about Bitcoin's coal mining energy source. It has caused a massive drop for the crypto market, which is now bordering below $40,000, one of its lowest for the year.

Read Also: Dogecoin Drops to 6th Spot, Replaced by Tether, Cardano in Cryptocurrency Charts-Who Are They?

Elon Musk Invites People to Develop Dogecoin

In the recent series of tweets by the Tesla CEO (@elonmusk), he has suggested the public help develop Dogecoin ($DOGE) as it aims to bring changes to the cryptocurrency's current stature.

Musk even provided links that led to GitHub development, Reddit's forum of r/dogecoin, and tagging Dogecoin developer's Twitter account.

Someone suggested changing Dogecoin fees based on phases of the moon, which is pretty awesome haha  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2021

This shows how much Elon Musk supports cryptocurrency, especially as he includes it on his schedule to accommodate the different talks about the blockchain with concerned parties and the public. Additionally, the CEO shared that the Dogecoin development suggestion shows the idea of changing the coin's valuation to that of the moon's phases.

Tesla, Elon Musk Bitcoin Comeback?

On the other hand, Elon Musk has expressed another cryptocurrency update. This time, it was dedicated to Bitcoin ($BTC), which was initially suspended by Tesla due to its coal energy usage. Here, Musk mentioned that the North American region miners of the coin are committing to the use of renewable energy.

Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2021

The CEO believes that this was the coin's first step to clean energy commitment and hopes that the NA region shares it with miners worldwide. This also suggests that Musk and Tesla are still holding on to their BTC faith and investments and not letting go of the coin they poured millions into.

Related Article: Elon Musk Won't Sell His $DOGE Despite Cryptocurrency Plunge

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Florida, under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, has signed the law that goes against "de-platforming" or censoring politician's social media accounts and keeping them off the platforms. This means that it is possible that Facebook and Twitter would lift the ban on several known blocks which it has done in the past years.

Getting censored and blocked on social media platforms may mean that a person has done grievous things to gain that kind of ban in a place where all people can connect and learn from one another. This might mean that the blocked person has spread misinformation or brought a lot of violations against the "Community Guidelines" of said social media networks.

Read Also: Delete Facebook | Samsung Phone Users Can't Get Rid of the App Prompting Privacy Concerns

Florida Governor De Santis Signs Law Against 'Deplatforming'

In the recent press release by Governor DeSantis at the Florida International University of Miami, the state has now passed on the SB 7072 bill that prohibits de-platforming on social media by Big Tech companies. The Florida governor said that this is against those in Silicon Valley which controls much of the digital world, especially as they mostly have stakes as owners of these platforms.

The Florida Attorney General can bring action against tech companies that violate the Big Tech law, and if found guilty of violating Florida's antitrust law, can be blacklisted from contracting with any public entity.  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 25, 2021

This campaign of Florida and Gov. DeSantis is to "Stop Big Tech Censorship" and provide people a free and reachable social media platform, despite not being a politician or stakeholder in massive corporations.

Moreover, Gov. DeSantis also said that Florida will hold a fine over social media companies which will ban people for $250,000 daily. The statement means that for every day that a person is banned, a $250,000 fine would be added until they are allowed back on the platform.

Floridas first-in-the-Nation Big Tech Bill will fine social media platforms $250,000 a day for deplatforming a statewide candidate for elected office. pic.twitter.com/jiohyGLccj  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 25, 2021

What Does This Mean for Blocked Politicians in Facebook, Twitter?

Currently, the law is effective on Florida and its constituents, meaning that this would only apply to native or relocated citizens of Florida, and this requires years of living in the state. In the case of former President Donald Trump, he could either ask for help under Florida's jurisdiction or wait for his home state to adopt the same laws.

For Florida's citizens, it could mean that their block or ban from social media will soon return to the reestablishment of their accounts, or else Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms would have to endure the quarter of a million fine.

No other states have expressed their intent to follow the footsteps of Florida to go against the Big Tech companies like Facebook or Twitter, amidst this issue which is gaining notice from various people. However, with states or even SC Justices that share the same belief, it would not be long for them to catch up and create the anti-deplatforming or censorship bill.

Related Article: Facebook, Twitter Shut Down Reposts from Trump's Blog, But Florida Will Go Against this Censorship with New Law

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Screenshot From Commons.Wikipedia.org) China COVID-19 Vaccine May Not 'Last for 6 Months' | Health Experts Suggest People Get a 3rd Dose

China COVID-19 vaccines third doses are being rolled out by Beijing officials. These shots have now been dogged by a lot of doubts regarding their efficacy. The question is, will the third wave of doses make the vaccine more effective?

China COVID-19 Vaccine Risk Factor

The Washington Post reports that health experts in China state that protection coming from the vaccines may not last after six months and that people with a high risk of getting COVID-19 should get themselves a third dose. Even the Chinese state-run media outlet now suggests that Beijing is finally on board with the suggestion and is currently preparing to offer the third doses.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain stated last week that they would offer a third wave of the China COVID-19 Vaccine Sinopharm in order to boost protection, according to SCMP. UAE is currently offering extra shots to anyone who finally got vaccinated either six or more months ago. Bahrain is now offering a third wave of doses to high-risk groups.

mRNA Based Vaccines: Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech

According to the article by arsTechnica notes that the China COVID-19 vaccine Sinopharm and Sinovac are now made with a whole, inactivated the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The inactivated virus vaccines now have the advantage of starting to make things relatively easy.

They could, however, come with a potential drawback of providing weaker protection compared to other target vaccine approaches like the mRNA-based vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Those vaccines reportedly take aim at just a particular key element of the virus as a whole, the spike protein.

Sinovac 50% Efficacy Rate

Sinopharm reports a 79% efficacy rate for the inactivated vaccine. It hasn't, however, released the full data supporting that particular estimate. The China COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac might have a 50% efficacy rate according to the trial data that came from Brazil.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention head George Gao acknowledged the problem last month stating the efficacy of the China COVID-19 vaccine is "not high," according to The Washington Post. Gao said at a conference in Chengdu that Beijing is now "formally considering" other possibilities in order to solve the problem that the efficacy of the current vaccines are not too high.

Read Also: Bill Gates Predict COVID-19 Until 2022 if Smaller Countries are Left Behind-Summer 2021 will be Worst Episode of Pandemic!

Chinese Expert Confirms

The possibilities now include increasing the number of doses that people receive or altering the individual doses. The Chinese social media quickly censored the comments and The Washington Post reports that at the time, Gao's statement had been hyped up.

Although experts have been raising questions about the China COVID-19 vaccine efficacy since the data-less release, the need for boosters is not really avoidable. Anthony Fauci, US infectious disease expert, noted that immunity to the common coronavirus is not too long-term. He also predicted that people given the very highly-efficacious mRNA vaccines might need a booster "within a year or so."

Related Article: Elon Musk COVID-19 Vaccine: Suggests EpiPen for Allergic Reaction, Prefers J&J, BioNtech, Moderna

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Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
"Pokemon GO" will be bringing Sylveon this week. The latest Eevee evolution pokemon has been on the lookout for some time, as players wait for its arrival in the up-to-date Pokemon video game. Starting on May 25, you can now obtain this Fairy-type Pokemon through "Eeveelution."

For the first time, let's take a look at what's ahead of the end-of-May event. Here's also a little bit of information about the name trick that you can do to achieve this cute Pokemon who loves throwing Moonblast.

'Pokemon GO' End-Of-May Event Kicks Off

According to a report by SlashGear, you can now have Eevee as your companion, and after you obtain 70 Buddy Hearts, the silhouette of its Stage 2 fairy evolution will appear for a reason--a guaranteed Eeveelution!

On the same day on Tuesday, May 25, you will also encounter a Shiny Galarian Zigzagoon. "Pokemon GO' fans have anticipated the coming of this Gen VIII Zigzagoon variation, and it will take only a few hours before they obtain this tiny raccoon in their own hands. For now, they can enjoy catching it until the event expires.

If you want more challenge in finding this small Pokemon, you can also roam in the wild in search of one-star raids for this "Pokemon GO" end-of-May event.

On the starting date of the event, you will also have a chance to take a special bundle for free. Just visit the shop of "Pokemon GO" and you will see it right there. In addition, the rare bundle could potentially hand you a free remote raid pass, and you can achieve it for the following week, as well.

Read Also: 'Pokemon GO' Xerneas: Is this Fairy Legendary Pokemon Worth it?--Best Movesets, Raid Tips, and MORE

You can also witness glimpses of Shiny Galarian Ponyta until the end of this month. Other Pokemon that you can encounter in raid battles are Mega Altaria, Mega Houndoom, and Mega Ampharos. On Wednesday, May 26 at 6 PM local time, you can engage in a Yveltal Raid Hour.

On weekends, a special event called "Partnered Weekend" will happen beginning on May 29. For those "Pokemon GO" players who reside in the US, Japan, or Mexico, you will have three Unown variations: Unown V, Unown Y, and Unown S which correspond to Verizon, Yoshinoya, and 7-Eleven.

To acquire Unown V, you first need a Verizon special ticket to access the event. You can enter using your ticket by going to the Verizon app on your phone linked to it.

'Pokemon GO' Sylveon Evolution Name Trick

Previously, we already covered the successful Eevee evolution on its way to becoming Umbreon and Espeon. This time, we could similarly have the same process for the Eeveelution--but through a name trick for Sylveon in "Pokemon Go."

You can possibly evolve Eevee into a fairy-type Pokemon without going through the collection of Buddy Hearts. Simply, just type Kira as the nickname to make this happen, Dotesports reported.

If you have already Eevee in your party, rename it to Kira, and a silhouette of the Stage 2 Pokemon will be displayed in the Evo slot. For this process, you need to have 25 Eevee Candies. Anytime, you can still stick to the old technique of Eevee evolution if you find it hard to gather the requirements.

Related Article: 'Pokemon GO' end-of-May Shiny'Pokemon GO' Sylveon: Luminous Legends Y to Debut 'Fairy' Eevee in the Platform, But When is it Coming?

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Written bty Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is currently working on a new system that will help it address and mitigate the current rising climate change.

The space agency's new Earth System Observatory can provide key information.

This data will help efforts made by independent companies and government organizations to address climate change. These include natural disasters, such as forest fires and tsunamis.

Aside from these, the new Earth System Observatory will also improve real-time agricultural processes.

To give you more idea, here's how NASA's new space system works.

NASA's New Earth System Observatory

The international space agency's innovation will allow new satellites to work together to create a 3D, holistic view of Earth. These complementary satellites will take images that show the Earth's 3D appearance from its atmosphere to its bedrock.

Also Read: NASA Hubble Discover 'Deep Space' Radio Signals, FRBs From Distant Galaxies Which Are Still Forming

"I've seen firsthand the impact of hurricanes made more intense and destructive by climate change, like Maria and Irma," said Bill Nelson, the space agency's administrator via NASA Gov's latest report.

"The Biden-Harris Administration's response to climate change matches the magnitude of the threat: a whole of government, all-hands-on-deck approach to meet this moment," he added.

On the other hand, Nelson also claimed that all the things that people know about Earth's climate change were provided by NASA's innovations, such as research labs and observatories.

And now, NASA's new Earth System Observatory is expected to expand its current works. This means that it can provide the world an unprecedented understanding of the planet's climate system.

On the other hand, researchers and other experts also claimed that NASA's new space system can provide next-generation data, which critical to mitigate and address climate change.

Earth System Observatory's Areas of Focus

Cision PR Newswire also reported the areas that NASA's new space system will focus on. Here are some of them that you should know:

Surface change and deformation

Aerosols

Geology and surface biology

Mass change

Convection, cloud, and precipitation

For more news updates about NASA and its upcoming space technologies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: NASA Says 'Armageddon' Movie Plot Unlikely to Happen: New Simulation Reveals How to Destroy Giant Asteroid

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft Security Intelligence discovered a new STRRAT malware that can infect Windows devices using compromised email accounts.

Also Read: Microsoft Backs Out of Blockchain Technology by Pulling Out Azure Services | Why?

The team of security researchers explained that this new Java-based remote access trojan, or RAT, is popular for its ability to fake ransomware attacks and other advanced data theft capabilities. On the other hand, Microsoft's security researchers previously explained in a series of tweets that this new STRRAT malware can be a pretty massive email campaign. They added that it can spread fake ransomware payloads easily.

STRRAT malware can do this by using various compromised email accounts. However, the involved security experts didn't confirm if the malware's developers are the ones who hacked these emails, or if they bought them from other cybercriminals.

To give you a better idea, here's how the new STRRAT malware works.

Microsoft Says STRRAT Malware Uses Infected PDF

According to the National Cybersecurity News' latest report, the new STRRAT malware will send PDF attachments using the compromised emails. Since these are not fake accounts, they can easily lure many victims into accessing the malicious files.

Once the unsuspecting users click the malicious PDF files, their Microsoft Windows devices will get infected by the new STRRAT malware.

"The emails contained an image that posed as a PDF attachment but, when opened, connected to a malicious domain to download the STRRAT malware," explained Microsoft Security Intelligence.

"This RAT is infamous for its ransomware-like behavior of appending the file name extension .crimson to files without actually encrypting them," added the team of security experts.

Furthermore, Microsoft said that this new malware is serious because it is designed to fake a ransomware attack while stealing its victim's data in the background.

Identifying an Infected Email Message

Since the new STRRAT malware can't infect your Windows device unless you open the infected PDF attachment, the best thing you can do is check the email message and the account sender before opening their message.

College of Engineering provided the things you need to check before you access any file sent by an unknown contact. Here are some of them that you should know:

If an email encourages you to follow a link, there's a high chance it is an email scam.

Always check the information verification.

Check if the email account's name is familiar. If it doesn't match an expected address for a company, it probably has malware.

Check if the email account has the "Undisclosed-recipients/unlisted-recipients" tag.

For more news updates about STRRAT malware and other new computer viruses, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Microsoft Outlook Bug Brings 'Email Visibility' Problems to Users:Here's How to Solve this Issue

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Huawei's Harmony OS will be replacing Google's Android in its smartphones starting June 2. It is meant to lift the China-based company from the sanctions that the United States has imposed.

Harmony OS or Hongmeng OS in its home country is set to rival Android OS, the company announced on Weibo on May 25, GizmoChina reports. The said launch is also reportedly unveiling new devices from Huawei, which includes the MatePad Pro 2 and the Watch 3 series.

However, it is uncertain if Harmony OS will be available on its existing smartphones as well. Reuters also reported that the company did not state the timeline of the rollout.

Huawei and the Western Market

Huawei--once the leading smartphone maker globally--will be rolling out its operating system for its smartphones. In hindsight, the Chinese company once harvested the majority of the market, starting with trampling Apple in August 2018.

Then, it snatched the top spot from Samsung in July 2020 for the first time, at least as worldwide numbers are concerned. However, about 70% of Huawei's buyers are from China, CNBC reports. As of now, Huawei only ranked 6th across the globe, and only 4% of the whole market is in its hands, Reuters said in the same report.

In the western market, at least, the Chinese phone maker is becoming a has-been--and it is attributed to the ban that the Trump administration has made, as it cited the company as a "threat" to the U.S. security.

Huawei, on the flip side, has denied it. As such, Google could no longer provide support and services to Huawei's devices. The latter will have to stop relying on the American company.

Read Also: Huawei: US to Blame for Global Chip Shortage That Could Trigger Economic Crisis

Harmony OS: the Android 'Replacement'

Despite the effects of sanction, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei is unstoppable, and urged its staff, in a memo first seen by Reuters, to "dare to lead the world." He plans to take on an "open source" approach in hopes attract more software innovators elsewhere.

As a response, it will now be updating the Harmony OS to being a full-fledged mobile system ready to take on Google.

The said OS launched as a beta in December 2020 in some of Huawei's smartphones and tablets.

Related Article: New Huawei P50 Leak Says it Will Come by May or June 2021; Rumored Specs, Colors and MORE

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Chia mining, despite not really being as profitable as the likes of Ethereum, is still one good option for crypto miners these days. But if you're using a typical 500GB SSD, then you'll need to replace that more often than you think.

TweakTown reports that a typical 500GB SSD, be it an NVMe M.2 or a 2.5-inch SATA drive, will get absolutely destroyed in as little as six weeks if you use it to mine Chia. That's barely over a month of usage. Go up the capacity to 1TB, and it's going to last 80 days, and a 2TB will last you for around four months.

And we're not talking just a massive drop in the performance of the storage device here; we're talking about inevitable hardware death.

Mine Chia on any type of SSD, and it will die in basically no time.

The information comes from a Chinese language website called MyDrivers, according to a TechRadar report. They say that the main reason is how write-intensive Chia mining is on the disk. And as every tech enthusiast knows, even super-fast SSDs have a limited amount of write before they start breaking down.

Looks like not a lot of people thought about how demanding Chia mining can be on hardware, huh?

Read also: Crypto Mining GPU With RGB? ASUS Has You Covered

Chia Mining: What Is It, Exactly?

Chia just started getting clout pretty recently: in fact, it didn't become tradable until May 3. It's fairly new in the cryptocurrency mining market and quite different because you mine it using storage devices like SSDs and HDDs. However, miners mostly use SSDs because they're just faster.

While still not as popular as other alt coins like Ethereum, Chia is still getting cryptocurrency mining enthusiasts on board because of the lower power requirements. And it's easy to see why: running 100 SSDs in a crypto mining rig is far more power-efficient than running the same amount of high-end graphics cards.

Created with the goal of promoting "sustainable" cryptocurrency mining, Chia works by using a "proof of space and time" model, as reported by PCGamer. What this means is that the alt coin should be farmed on unused storage space, which graphics cards don't have.

Storage Makers Being Vigilant

GPU makers are doing what they can to keep their products from landing into crypto mining rigs, and with the existence of Chia, storage manufacturers are forced to do the same too.

It's worth noting that close to the end of April, GALAX warned potential cryptocurrency miners that mining cryptocurrency on their company's SSDs will void the item's warranty. And perhaps GALAX was right to try something like this, because it wasn't really known how hard Chia mining can be on the hardware.

With the current GPU shortage, it seems like even crypto miners themselves are finding it hard to get graphics cards for their rigs. Chia presents an opportunity to do it in a different way, while not worrying too much about the power bill. But then again, SSDs won't last too long in a mining rig, so maybe having to buy new storage devices every few weeks will put a massive dent into anyone's bottom line.

Does this mean SSDs will also become horribly expensive? If the hype for Chia catches on, then sadly, yes. But it still remains to be seen because right now, Ethereum is still on top.

Related: Elon Musk Invites People to Develop 'Dogecoin' on GitHub, Reddit-Cryptocurrency Mining Commits to Renewable

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Written by RJ Pierce

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Facebook whistleblowers claimed that the social media giant will soon control its users' posts even more. However, they clarified that FB will only censor those posts that promote vaccine hesitancy.

The anonymous insiders said that this action will help prevent discouragement of COVID-19 vaccines, which is one of the current goals of the giant social media firm. Moreover, the Facebook whistleblowers also revealed two new documents, including an internal memo explaining the "Vaccine Hesitancy Comment Demotion."

They claimed that the main goal of the new memo is to drastically reduce the exposure of users who posts about vaccine hesitancy. If you are one of them, this means that your friends will not see your posts on the top of their Facebook feeds.

To give you more idea, here are other details of the two new leaked Facebook documents.

Facebook Leaked Documents' Details

According to Fox News' latest report, the anonymous Facebook insiders explained that while the first document shows the new memo, the second one reveals the social media's new "Borderline Vaccine Framework." They explained that this focuses on how to classify such content with another.

The insiders further added that its main goal is to identify, and rank the categories of non-violating content, specifically those that discourage vaccines in certain contexts.

Also Read: Delete Facebook | Samsung Phone Users Can't Get Rid of the App Prompting Privacy Concerns

"We have tiered these by potential harm and how much context is required in order to evaluate harm," said one of the Facebook whistleblowers.

"Facebook uses classifiers in their algorithms to determine certain content... they call it vaccine hesitancy," added the other insider.

Facebook's alleged new action is not new since it already previously made some efforts to prevent COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and other related online activities. Recently, the social media giant even removed 14 million Facebook deceptive COVID-19 related posts.

Other Issues Faced by Facebook

Aside from fighting COVID-19 misinformation, Facebook is also facing another issue as hundreds of thousands of users signed a petition to urge the social media company to delete an Instagram for kids.

USA Today reported that the involved groups announced on Tuesday, May 25, that they plan to submit their petitions to Facebook before its annual shareholders' meeting, which is expected to happen this coming Wednesday, May 26.

For more news updates about Facebook and its other plans against COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Facebook Dynaboard, Dynascore Test if Humans Could Fool an AI Through Language Processing Models

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are getting a Whitechapel chip, but exactly does it do?

Rumor has it that Google will equip both its upcoming gadgets, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, with a custom processor it is making in collaboration with Samsung. For all purposes, the new Pixels are expected to abandon the previous Qualcomm's SoCs for a Google chip codenamed Whitechapel.

Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro's Whitechapel chip

Some details about the mysterious silicon have appeared all thanks to the tipster Max Weinbach, and other leaker named Yogesh.

Weinbach, who went on as a guest on Mobile Tech podcast, said that Whitechapel is a 5nm chip and that its performance would stand somewhere between the Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 865.

Elaborating on the information, Yogesh posted on his personal Twitter account and revealed that the Whitechapel's current performance is equivalent to the Snapdragon 870, which itself is an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 865 Plus.

Also Read: Huawei P50 and Google Pixel 6 to Have Sony's 1-Inch IMX800 Sensor; Will P50 Pro and Pro+ Get It Too?

Yogesh also claimed that Google is not trying to match the Snapdragon 888. Instead, Google is focusing on perfecting Machine Learning and AI processes, something that is right up its alley.

Since Google does not have an in-house mobile graphics division, the tipster stated that Whitechapel will use a Mali GPU. Unfortunately, there are no additional details that are available about it.

Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro display specs

In addition to outing information about Whitechapel, Weinbach also touched upon some specs on the recently leaked Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

Weinbach stated that the standard model will feature a Full HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, according to Pocket Lint.

Meanwhile, the Pro is expected to feature a QHD+ screen with the same high refresh rate. Pixel phones have not breached the 90Hz refresh rate mark until now, so a 120Hz screen would be a first for any Google phone.

The larger Pixel model may also come with a 5,000mAh battery, Weinbach claims.

It looks like Google is once again targeting the flagship market with these premium specs and features. Fans will have to wait and see how it will all come together, especially since the public do not know much about the camera features, or the pricing of the new Pixels.

Rumored Release Dates

Google usually reveal its Pixel device in the latter half of the year, usually in October. During this year's I/O Developer Conference, Google stated that it is aiming for the Pixels reveal this fall, so fans can expect that it will be released in October, unless the company makes any changes or delays.

In terms of the price, the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 4, and the Pixel 4 XL all sat in the same price bracket as flagship smartphones.

The Pixel 5, on the other hand, was targeted at the mid-range in terms of price.

However, it is not currently clear what Google will do in terms of price this year, though it would not be surprising to see the Pixel 6 around the same price as the Pixel 5, with the Pixel 6 Pro having a slightly higher price tag.

Related Article: Google Pixel 6: Price, Release Date, Features and MORE!

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google will soon be updating the first-generation Nest Hub to a Fuchsia OS. It will be the first time that the said system will be available on a publicly used device.

Google Fuschia OS will be replacing the Linux-based "Cast OS" on the 2018-released Nest Hub, the company told 9to5Google. However, the said update will not be noticed by the naked eye. Hence, the functionality of the said device will still be the same, and the changes will only be under the hood.

The new OS is reportedly made from scratch; it is not a Linux-based operating system. While Fucshia is based on Zircon, instead of on Linux, it could still run applications from the latter, and Android as well. It is the challenge that Google has to face.

As such, Fuchsia is expected to run, in laptops and martphones aside from smart home devices, .

Google Fuchsia OS: Its First-Ever Release

While some developers have run the new OS in a Pixelbook, it is the first official release in a Made by Google device that Fuchsia will have, 9to5Google said in the same report.

It confirms that the scratch-based system is finally ready to be used.

The update on the Nest Hub for it to run Fuchsia will be rolling out in the next few months, but there is no exact date yet. And, as mentioned, the overall experience of users will be unhampered. Hence, the first rollout, as it turns out, will be subtle -- as the transition will be a complex update.

Read Also: Google Nest 2 'Sleep Sensing Feature' Can Measure Micromovements Like Chest Movement While You are Asleep

Google Fuchsia OS: an Android and Chrome Replacement?

On February 20, a leak revealed that the new OS of Google will combine both the Android and Chrome OS in the future. It comes after the latter has surpassed Apple macOS as the second-largest PC operating system, at least globally. It would mean that Fucshia will soon be seen across both smartphones and laptops of Google as well.

Furthermore, Google has not officially announced replacing both Android and Chrome OS. However, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome/OS, hinted that phones and desktops will be needing Fucshia soon, 9to5 also reported.

Separately, Samsung is also helping Google develop Fuchsia, as per SamMobile. The South Korean company was seen to have contributed code to the new OS.

SamMobile also suggested that Samsung may plan to produce devices to run Fucshia, as it becomes active in developing it. With that, it could be expected that more devices will be carrying Fucshia in the long run.

Related Article: Google Nest Hub Will Launch Ten New Games, Making It More Than Just YouTube Screen- Games Lobby Coming!

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tehachapi, CA (93561)

Today

Mostly clear. Low 49F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Mostly clear. Low 49F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Men Who Fled Paducah Traffic Stop Arrested

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Two men who were sought after allegedly fleeing the scene of a southside Paducah traffic stop turned themselves in to authorities on Wednesday.The McCracken County Sheriff's Department said 25-year-old Lavance Davenport, Jr., was driving a vehicle on John Puryear Drive that was pulled over for speeding early Saturday morning. He and 20-year-old Jordan Harmon reportedly fled the scene on foot, abandoning the vehicle, which had guns inside it.Deputies say both men turned themselves in to the Sheriff's Department Wednesday afternoon after arrest warrants were issued.They were both charged with fleeing or evading police on foot. Davenport was additionally charged with speeding 26 mph over the speed limit, fleeing or evading police (motor vehicle), possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and reckless driving.They were lodged in the McCracken County Jail.
Comer Calls For Investigation of COVID Origin

By West Kentucky Star Staff

WESTERN KENTUCKY - During an appearance on the Greg Dunker Show Tuesday, Congressman James Comer called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.According to Comer, recent credible intelligence indicates that employees at the Wuhan Institute of Virology suffered from COVID-19-like symptoms before the world was aware of the virus.He said the information has left many conservatives questioning China's role in the creation of the virus."This is a big deal. This cost many Americans their lives, and it cost our economy trillions and trillions of dollars. If China is responsible for this, and they lied about this, and the world health organization tried to cover this up for China, then all these people need to be held accountable," he said.The possibility that it was created in the Wuhan lab has left Comer with a lot of questions."That lab was a deal where pharmaceutical companies invested in research and development to come up with vaccines." He continued, "So were they trying to create a virus so they could come up with a vaccine to cure it, or were they trying to create some type of terrorism there?"Comer said China should allow the United States and allies to send medical teams to the Wuhan lab to inspect and question people."We need to hold China accountable. This is code red, and I think there needs to be an international team in there," he said. "There's enough evidence now to warrant a full-scale investigation. This is a bad situation, and I'm afraid it's going to get worse."Comer and Congressman Steve Scalise have called for a full committee hearing on the issue. Comer encouraged the public to contact their legislators and demand that Congress hold public hearings on the matter.You can listen to the entire interview below.
In this undated photo, journalist and former Telluride resident Dan Fenster, left, works at Diggity Dog. Fenster was detained Monday by Burmese authorities at the Yangon International Airport, where he was to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur en route to visit his family in the United States. The managing editor of an independent Myanmar magazine called Frontier Myanmar, Fenster had been living in Yangon and working as a journalist at the time of his arrest. (Photo courtesy of Audrey Mosher)
The latest edition of the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, reveals a stark contrast between conditions on the Front Range and the Western Slope. (Courtesy image)
You know you're in an authentic Italian eatery when conversations behind the counter are in Italian.

And that's how the talk flows at Anthony's Italian Deli, where Marco Saia easily switches from Italian to English and back again.

Though he was born in Baton Rouge, Saia's first language was Italian, taught to him by his parents, Anthony and Maria Saia, who opened Anthony's Italian Deli in 1978 after moving to the Capital City from their native Italy. Anthony was born in Sicily; Maria in Bergamo, north of Milan.

Along with their native tongue, they passed down their recipes that go into making the deli's sandwiches, sauces and pasta dishes.

Marco Saia shares ownership with his mom and his sister, Margaret Cedatol, but he's the one you're most likely to find behind the counter at the 5575 Government St. location, opened in 2015.

When they came to Louisiana, Marco Saia said his parents didn't know any English and stayed with his dad's uncle, who owned a produce stand on Perkins Road.

They each worked through several jobs, including a stint at Paul Lopedote's Europe Restaurant, before setting out to open their own place. Lopedote taught them the ins and outs of the restaurant business, Marco Saia said, along with his recipes.

After opening the deli in 1978 on Florida Boulevard, Anthony Saia tried running a restaurant but soon realized that wasn't what he wanted to do.

"My mother kept the deli open the whole time my dad ran the restaurant," Marco Saia said. "He closed the restaurant, and they just ran the deli."

Quickly, Anthony's Italian Deli amassed a loyal following. Anthony Saia died two years ago, but his customers continue to stop by with requests for the eatery's most popular item, the muffuletta. Or, as it's spelled on the deli's menu, the New Orleans Style Muffoletta.

"Our muffuletta is by far our bestseller," said Marco Saia of the large sandwich made on thick, round bread and stuffed with several layers of meats and cheeses and olive salad. "We press it flat in a panini style. I feel that it's easier to eat for some people. A lot of people love it. We also use our homemade olive mix on it. I make it from scratch with a bunch of vegetables. We throw it all in, we mix it all up and we grind it up in very small pieces. It's my father's recipe."

The bread also is made from a recipe Anthony Saia brought over from Sicily. As the deli grew to need more and more bread, it hired Jumonville Bakery in Gonzales to make it from his Anthony Saia's recipe. There's also a vegetarian muffuletta, made with mozzarella and provolone cheese topped with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, marinated onions and olive dressing.

Marco Saia sticks to the menu and recipes passed down by his dad, whose picture is prominently displayed.

"Well, you know what they say? If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said. "It's true, and I have to tell a lot of vendors that too, because they come in wanting to sell us different products of meat and stuff like that. We've been dealing with the same product for 40 years, and customers expect it."

But the deli did do a little "fixing" in 2015 when it relocated from Florida Boulevard to Mid City.

"We outgrew the place on Florida Boulevard," Marco Said said. "We just decided to embark on a newer kind of deal, and I believe we did good by everybody. Our customers were scared, thinking that our product was going to change, but our product stayed the same. And people were starting to realize that we're still the same old Anthony's that used to be on Florida."

And, while the walls are new, they are filled with photographs, art, Italian flags and a large map of Italy brought over from the original location. A wall next to the counter is dedicated to 1970s era postcards sent by the Saias' relatives in Italy.

There are more tables in the new place, but even they look the same, covered in red and white checked tablecloths.

In addition to the muffuletta, Marco Said said customers also clamor for the lasagna, a recipe created by Anthony Saia and Lopedote with a creamy bechamel sauce made from scratch.

Also popular are pressed sandwiches "Italian Lover," made of capicola, Genoa salami, ham, mortadella and provolone cheese topped with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, marinated onions and Anthony's special dressing; and "The Marie," named for Marco's mom, combining Genoa salami, ham and provolone cheese topped by romaine lettuce, tomatoes, marinated onions and Anthony's special dressing.

And then there's the rave-inducing meatballs and spaghetti sauce, made in-house.

The deli also sells meats, cheeses and other items imported from Italy.

Mid-interview, Marco Saia stopped to take a phone order, then repeats it in Italian to his worker behind the counter.

"This gentleman came from Italy," he explained as he hung up. "He saw us out on Facebook, and he lives in Livonia. He drives back and forth from Livonia, and though it's a long drive, he loves it here. He says there's not a lot of Italians around that still speak Italian, but we do here."
All expungement fees will be waived for the more than 100 defendants whose pending drug charges were recently dismissed because their cases required testimony from two Baton Rouge narcotics detectives accused of criminal misconduct.

The Baton Rouge NAACP is partnering with several other local organizations and agencies  including prosecutors and public defenders  to facilitate expungement for those defendants, the groups announced at a news conference Tuesday morning outside City Hall. The groups are hosting an event June 5 where the defendants can come for help getting their charges expunged for free.

That means avoiding the roughly $550 fee required to get anything expunged from the record, including arrests that never result in formal criminal charges. The money goes to various public agencies involved in expungement, including the law enforcement agency that made the arrest, Louisiana State Police, local prosecutors and the clerk of court.

After BRPD corruption probe halts 100+ cases, will narcotics officers change who they arrest? After local prosecutors dismissed more than 100 cases involving two Baton Rouge police officers recently accused of misconduct, the sheer numb

Officials said Tuesday those agencies all agreed to waive the fees in these cases  which resulted in pending criminal charges against more than 100 people whose arrests involved the two disgraced BRPD narcotics detectives, Jason Acree and Jeremiah Ardoin. East Baton Rouge prosecutors decided to review ongoing cases where either officer was named on the subpoena list. Most of them have since been dismissed, a process the District Attorney recently called "a s--- show" for his office.

Both detectives now face their own criminal charges.

Ardoin was issued a misdemeanor summons in December after investigators found evidence he tried to buy suspected stolen electronics. Shortly after his arrest, Ardoin penned a memo accusing his colleagues and supervisors of even more egregious misconduct, saying detectives planted drugs on suspects, stopped people without probable cause and used prostitutes to set up drug dealers.

Ardoin also accused Acree of stealing marijuana out of the evidence room. Investigators soon corroborated that claim and Acree was booked into jail on possession with intent to distribute and malfeasance in office. He has since been arrested twice more in recent weeks on additional charges, including, most recently, obstruction of justice.

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Prosecutors dropping charges in cases involving arrested BRPD narcotics detectives Baton Rouge prosecutors have quietly started dropping charges against some defendants whose pending cases hinge on testimony from two detectiv

Alaina Bloodworth, social justice chair for the Baton Rouge NAACP, said waiving expungement fees represents a collective effort to make these defendants "as whole as possible." She said it demonstrates agreement about the seriousness of the allegations against the detectives, which have prompted a larger corruption probe into the entire BRPD narcotics division.

"Having a felony on your record can literally change the trajectory of your life," she said, noting barriers to employment, housing and more.

"What about attorney fees, bonding fees  jobs lost, families torn apart?" asked Ron Haley, a lawyer representing Ardoin. "Yes, these expungements are a good first step, but not the final step in getting these innocent people full restoration."

Alleged corruption in BRPD narcotics unit includes stolen drugs, illegal searches, planted evidence After a Baton Rouge police officer was accused of purchasing stolen electronics several weeks ago, he sat down and drafted a memo alleging wid

The expungement event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 5 on the sixth floor of Baton Rouge City Hall.

The following people and groups were involved in getting the fees waived: state Rep. Ted James, the Baton Rouge NAACP, the Baton Rouge Housing Authority, Voice of the Experienced, Employment BR, the YWCA of Baton Rouge, Martinet Legal Society, East Baton Rouge Office of the Public Defender and MetroMorphosis.
Shell started marketing its Convent refinery in July 2020, but moved into shutdown mode several months later. Now the refinery is in the "final steps of the preservation process and will soon be a fully idled and preserved asset," with options still being evaluated, according to the company.
Woburn, MA (01801)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Mayfield Man Arrested on Burglary, Fleeing Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

Whitt was also served with two active arrest warrants. One warrant was an indictment warrant out of Graves County for t rafficking in m

ethamphetamine, tampering with physical evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia. The second warrant was a bench warrant out of Carlisle County for probation violation on the original charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.



Whitt was lodged in

the McCracken County Regional Jail.

MAYFIELD - A shoplifting complaint led to a Mayfield man's arrest Tuesday on numerous charges.The Mayfield Police Department responded to a local business on a report of a shoplifter. When officers arrived at the store, 31-year-old Levon Whitt fled on foot. Officers were able to apprehend Whitt and placed him under arrest on charges of 3rd degree burglary and 2nd degree fleeing or evading police.
A Baton Rouge man accused of fatally shooting someone over an alleged bicycle theft has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 25-year prison sentence.

Johnnie Ulises Santiago, 44, had been charged with second-degree murder  punishable by life in prison  in the August 2019 slaying of Guillwane Kaufman, 36.

+2 In bike theft slaying, Baton Rouge man indicted on murder charge A 42-year-old Baton Rouge man accused in a fatal shooting over an alleged bicycle theft was indicted Thursday on a second-degree murder charge.

In the moments leading up to the shooting, Kaufman took a bike from outside an Airline Highway convenience store and started to ride off, police said. Santiago left the store and started chasing him, then pulled a gun and shot Kaufman.

An arrest report says Santiago shot Kaufman in the head, stood over him and then walked away, "leaving him for dead" on the side of Victoria Drive. Santiago lived on Victoria.

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Kaufman died in the hospital several days later.

+2 Man killed over alleged bike theft was McKinley grad, talented pianist: 'We need to value lives more' The man killed over an alleged bike theft last month was a talented pianist and singer who grew up in Old South Baton Rouge and graduated from

One of Santiago's attorneys, Joshua Newville, declined comment Tuesday on the negotiated plea.

State District Judge Fred Crifasi presided over the case.
Houses stood as islands along an Ascension Parish community Monday as ibises and other waterfowl amassed in flooded yards, while residents shuttled supplies using boats and kayaks across the floodwater.

Some parts of the Baton Rouge region saw a sudden rush of water seep into their homes last week during a deluge that dumped more than 13 inches of rain in some places. But the flooding in the Bluff Swamp area happened more slowly as water form overflowing creeks and bayous accumulated.

A week later, the water now has nowhere else to drain, and it could take weeks before the ground dries unless the vast pools are pumped out

"We're stuck because the water can't go anywhere," said Catherine Zeringue, 66, who lives along Bluff Road, on the edge of the Spanish Lake Basin.

+5 AquaDams can stay up on Bayou Manchac amid flooding fight, state Supreme Court says Iberville and Ascension parishes have prevailed, at least temporarily, in a dispute with East Baton Rouge Parish over portable dams that were 

Many of her neighbors' homes, including her own, suffered significant damage from the 2016 summer floods. It took about a month before the water receded from that flood.

Several miles north, many homes along Bayou Paul Road near St. Gabriel were in a similar situation. Floodwaters there were still encroaching on sandbagged homes Monday morning as residents pumped water that seeped through the temporary barriers.

Zeringue, whose family has owned the land she built her home on since the late 60s, said they haven't experienced floods until 2016 and this past week. She pointed to a waterline on a tree from nearly five years ago, just a few inches above where the pooling water remained Monday morning.

Though residents in the area still have electricity, many homes haven't been able to use their plumbing because they rely on septic systems that could become backed up and create an even bigger mess.

Susan Breaux, who also lives off Ridge Road, said she worries about her 88-year-old mother, who lives with her. High water still surrounded her home Monday, and she joked it resembled a moat.

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Were just stuck, said Breaux, 63. "Hopefully, it doesn't rain more this week."

She and other residents credited Iberville Parish for inflating their AquaDams near the Spanish Lake Basin last week, saying that the flooding would have been considerably worse for people in the area.

The inflatable devices have been a long source of contention between local leaders, leading to a renewed legal battle about their use.

+9 Evacuation order issued after high waters breach Iberville Parish AquaDam at Bayou Sorrel Louis Pete Kelley was sitting in his chair outside his home near Bayou Sorrel Friday morning when he heard a loud pop followed by gushing water.

Iberville and Ascension parishes prevailed, at least temporarily, in a dispute with East Baton Rouge Parish over the portable dams when the Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Baton Rouge judges earlier ruling that the dams needed to come down.

Iberville Parish leaders say the devices are crucial to protecting residents on the east side of the Mississippi River from floodwater that flows from Baton Rouge. Meanwhile, East Baton Rouge Parish lawyers argue the barriers push water back across parish lines into homes.

While the legal fight continues to lumber along in court, frustrated residents in still-flooded areas say the regional parish governments need to collaborate on fixing the problems and studying the impacts of commercial and residential development that could be worsening flooding.

"They need to work together," Zeringue said, adding that she would be open to accepting a state or federal buyout of her property. "If they want to make this a retention pond for EBR and Ascension drainage, then we'll get out of here.
The leaders of three teacher groups said Tuesday they are disappointed and angry that Louisiana lawmakers have backed off $1,000 pay raises after signaling last month that the hikes were all but certain.

"I think the Legislature and the governor once again sold out teachers," said Keith Courville, executive director of the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, or A+PEL.

"They have enough money," Courville said of legislators. "They have tons of money. It is politicians. They spread it out to get every single vote they can."

The Senate Finance Committee on Monday approved its version of the state's nearly $37 billion operating budget, including $800 pay raises for teachers and other certificated personnel and $400 pay boosts for support workers, including cafeteria employees and school bus drivers.

The action marked a turnaround from April 28, when Senate Education Committee Chairman Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, said House and Senate leaders were getting behind raises of $1,000 per year, more than double Gov. John Bel Edwards' proposal to boost pay by $400 annually.

Louisiana lawmakers plan $1,000 pay raises for K-12 teachers, doubling previous proposal Louisiana lawmakers intend to give K-12 public school teachers a $1,000 pay raise next year, more than double the amount proposed by Gov. John

The budget next faces action in the full Senate, likely Thursday.

However, the $800 teacher pay raises match the increase approved earlier by the House, which means it is unlikely to change before adjournment on June 10.

Tia Mills, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, said $800 pay raises would be disappointing.

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"There was a commitment to get us there," Mills said of the $1,000 benchmark.

"And while there are some individuals who are making every effort to make sure our educators get what they need some are backpedaling now on those promises."

Neither Fields nor Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bodi White, R-Central, could be reached for comment.

Teachers in Louisiana were paid an average of $50,923 per year for the 2018-19 school year compared to $54,930 across a 16-state region covered by the Southern Regional Education Board.

The 2018-19 figures are the latest available for comparisons.

Cynthia Posey, director of political and legislative affairs for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, said the fact raises will be $200 less than expected is a surprise and disappointing.

"LSU did a study last year of superintendents and principals in the state and they cited pay as the number one reason that teachers left or students were not majoring in education," Posey said.

She said Louisiana spends $9 billion per year on tax credits or exemptions, with little oversight.

"I would say 'Where are the legislators' priorities?' "It is obviously not on education and our students."
Grappling with a volatile topic, the Louisiana House on Monday night approved a bill that would require high school students to get instruction on the Holocaust and World War II but rejected efforts to add a list of Black historical figures to the new teaching requirements.

The legislation, House Bill 416, won House approval on a largely partisan 66-32 vote and next faces action in the Senate.

Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs and sponsor of the measure, said the change is needed because students and young people are woefully under educated in how the German persecution of Jews resulted in six million deaths.

Hodges said rather than limiting instruction on World War II and the Holocaust to a single semester students should instead study the topics over four years "so that when they graduate high school they have a thorough understanding of what the Holocaust was."

"There are some things that are so important we cannot ignore it," she said.

Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, chairman of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, offered an amendment to ensure that high school students learn about significant figures in Black history, including Homer Plessy, a New Orleans resident who sparked the infamous "separate but equal" U. S. Supreme Court ruling, civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and former U.S. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell.

James said that, while he understood the aims of the Hodges bill, historical figures in Black history deserve more attention too.

Hodges opposed the amendment, and a wide range of other efforts to change her proposal, because she said she wanted to keep the focus on the suffering of Jews and World War II.

The James amendment failed 44-52.

The debate was sensitive because of controversy surrounding an earlier effort by state Rep. Ray Garofalo, R-Chalmette, aimed at preventing colleges and public schools from teaching "divisive concepts," including the idea that Louisiana and the United States are inherently racist.

House chairman removed from position after comment on 'the good' of slavery; speaker disputes Chalmette Rep. Ray Garofalo, whose comment about slavery ignited anger among some of his colleagues, said Tuesday he has been ousted as chairm

Garofalo's bill, and his comment about the need to teach "the good, the bad, the ugly" of slavery, sparked an uproar that has roiled the House Education Committee, and led Garofalo to say he has been removed as chairman of the panel.

Bill that sparked 'the good' of slavery comment accused of coming back 'in disguise' Tensions flared again Wednesday in the Louisiana House Education Committee, including charges that a proposed amendment was a replay of a cont

Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, a history and civics teacher, urged the House to back Hodges' bill.

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Bagley said that, when he was elected to the Louisiana House, his college age son, who carried a 3.8 GPA at LSU, was unclear what his job as a legislator entailed. "We need to change the course of where we are headed in education," Bagley said.

Others said it would be a mistake for the Legislature to dictate curriculum, especially knowing that the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is in the process of updating social studies standards.

"This is for those developing the curriculum, the educators, the parents," said Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge and a former top official of the state Department of Education.

Rep. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, and others argued that key parts of Black history are being ignored.

Duplessis quizzed Hodges on whether she was familiar with The Middle Passage  the hauling of millions of slaves from West Africa, sparking millions of deaths.

Hodges said she was not familiar with the events.

The House also rejected an amendment by Rep. Malinda White, D-Bogalusa, that would expand what is taught about the history of women's suffrage.

"If you look around today we have not come very far but we are here," White said, a reference to the male-dominated House.

White's amendment failed 44-47.

Hodges is the sponsor of a second measure  House Bill 352  that would spell out new topics public school students should learn in American history and civics.

Debate on that measure is scheduled for Wednesday.

Voting to require instruction on the history of World War II and the Holocaust (66): Speaker Schexnayder, Reps Adams, Amedee, Bacala, Bagley, Bishop, Bourriaque, Butler, Carrier, Coussan, Crews, Davis, Deshotel, DeVillier, DuBuisson, Echols, Edmonds, Edmonston, Emerson, Farnum, Firment, Fontenot, Frieman, Gadberry, Garofalo, Geymann, Goudeau, Harris, Hilferty, Hodges, Hollis, Horton, Huval, Illg, Ivey, M. Johnson, Kerner, Mack, McCormick, McFarland, McKnight, McMahen, Miguez, G. Miller, Muscarello, Nelson, Orgeron, C. Owen, R. Owen, Pressly, Riser, Romero, Schamerhorn, Schlegel, Seabaugh, St. Blanc, Stefanski, Tarver, Thomas, Thompson, Turner, Villio, Wheat, White, Wright and Zeringue.

Voting against HB416 (32): Reps Brass, Brown, Bryant, Carpenter, Carter, G., Carter, R., Carter, W., Duplessis, Freeman, Freiberg, Gaines, Green, Hughes, James, Jefferson, Jenkins, T. Johnson, , Jordan, LaCombe, Landry, Larvadain, Lyons, Marcelle, Miller, D., Mincey, Moore, Newell, Phelps, Pierre, Selders, Stagni and Willard.

Not Voting (7): Reps Beaullieu, Cormier, Cox, Glover, Jones, Magee and Marino.
Rep. Aimee Freeman, D-New Orleans, spoke about her bill that would remove the notarization requirement on a temporary restraining order. The health and safety of women has emerged as a significant theme in the 2021 legislative session, and five bills, two House resolutions and one Senate resolution dealing with these issues advanced on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
The U.S. hit a milestone in its vaccination push Tuesday with over 50% of adults now fully vaccinated, according to the White House. But as th
Police: Substance Sent to Paul's Home is Non-Toxic

By The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - A Kentucky sheriff's office says a suspicious package sent to the home of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul appears to contain a non-toxic substance.The Kentucky Republican tweeted that he takes any such threats immensely seriously.The FBI says it's providing forensic and technical assistance in the investigation.The Warren County Sheriffs Office says it was contacted by Capitol Police on Monday regarding a suspicious package delivered to Pauls home in Bowling Green.The sheriff's office says the package was taken to the local fire department, and a preliminary analysis identified the substance as non-toxic.
Billionaire Sanjeev Guptas business empire has moved a step closer to shoring up the financial future of the Whyalla steel mill, with his Australian steel business progressing talks with key creditor Credit Suisse.

As part of the negotiations, Mr Guptas businesses are planning to sell a large steel plant in the north of England to help it pay of its debts to Credit Suisse.

GFG Alliances Sanjeev Gupta and workers at Whyalla can breathe a little easier after reaching a standstill agreement with creditor Credit Suisse. Credit:Joe Armao

The refinancing deal will allow Mr Guptas suite of businesses to put the fallout from the collapse of financier Greensill behind it.

Before its April collapse, London headquartered and Australian-owned Greensill provided a service known as supply chain financing, where it purchased invoices owed by big companies to smaller suppliers. Greensill, which counted former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop as advisers, then bundled those invoices up into notes that were then sold by Credit Suisse to clients.
Victorias royal commission into the James Packer-backed casino giant heard on Monday that suspected money laundering had been identified in 14 new bank accounts that were not examined in last years damning Bergin inquiry. Credit:Scott McNaughton

Perhaps it looked like things couldnt get much worse after last years Bergin inquiry prompted NSW to suspend the licence for its new Sydney casino and triggered a mass exodus of senior executives and directors.

Crown Resorts must have abandoned any hopes that Victorias royal commission into its sprawling Melbourne casino will be relatively painless.

Having been galvanised by the scorching heat of Commissioner Patricia Bergins 18-month inquiry, surely the new and improved Crown would easily slip through Ray Finkelsteins speedy Victorian probe?

Counsel assisting Meg OSullivan answered that definitively on Monday, when she revealed that some of the most damning evidence that prompted Ms Bergin to find Crown unfit to hold a licence in NSW could be just the tip of the iceberg.

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Ms Bergin spent weeks looking at how Crown enabled money laundering in two Crown bank accounts which patrons used to deposit money (often large bundles of cash, just below the $10,000 limit that would have notified authorities) to gamble at its Melbourne and Perth casinos (or, potentially, have Crown transfer back to their own bank account, ostensibly as clean winnings from a lucky night at blackjack).

We learnt on Monday that Crown ordered a review of all its patron bank accounts in February this year - a hasty seven years after its banks first warned they were being used for money laundering, and almost two years since this masthead reported it was happening.
The Biden administration in the US has, however, embarked on a far more aggressive and expansive spending program than Chinas, and now that a recovery in Europe seems to be gaining traction, other major economies are now adding to the swelling demand for the raw materials of industrial activity. Chinas cant address its contribution to the demand side of the supply-demand equation without slowing its economic growth rate, although it can fiddle at the margins. China and other commodity-consuming economies might not like it but the only obvious threat to continuing strong demand and prices for the key commodities in the next few years is another sharp global economic downturn. It has proposed raising export tariffs and removing export tax rebates on some steel exports and temporarily eliminating duties on some pig iron and steel scrap imports to try to increase domestic supply of raw materials and to exert some downward pressure on prices. Its efforts to rein in credit growth and deflate asset bubbles and leverage will also dampen activity, growth and demand for commodities at the margin.

Commodities supply is, however, relatively constrained. Since the last commodities boom peaked a decade ago there have been no major net additions to the supply of the key commodities because the big resource companies have curtailed their capital expenditures and been very disciplined in terms of volume growth. The only obvious threat to demand for commodities is another economic downturn. Credit:Bloomberg Supply chains have also disrupted by the pandemic and global demand continues to strengthen, keeping the balance of supply and demand tight and in the producers favour. Thus the targets outlined at the weekend meeting appear to be related more to speculative rather than real activity.

After 2010, when BHPs Marius Kloppers shifted the nature of iron ore pricing from annual negotiation to index-related market pricing, deep derivatives markets have developed that enable the steel mills, and traders, to hedge their expected purchases against the volatility of spot prices. The dramatic increase in the iron ore price might have caused companies and traders to hedge their expected future commodity purchases against the risk of further price rises. Loading There may also have been an element of insurance against any action by the Chinese authorities that reduced supply at a time when steel margins have been at record levels and mill profitability has been very strong. The iron ore price has, given Australias dominance of Chinas seaborne supply and Chinas trade sanctions on Australian products, triggered a lot of conjecture about the measures China might take to reduce its reliance on Australian ore, which might have caused mills and traders to stockpile  hoard  ore.

Soaring iron ore prices have vastly outweighed the impact of Chinas sanctions on other products, undermining its efforts to damage the Australian economy for the impertinence of our politicians on issues like the investigation of the origins of COVID-19, or the ban on Huaweis participation in the 5G roll-out or criticisms of Chinas treatment of Hong Kong. In any derivatives market there is also an element of speculative activity  betting on future price outcomes  and the financialisation of hard commodities means derivatives linked to iron ore or copper prices can be traded like gold or oil futures. Chinas building boom helped its economy rebound quicker than its peers from the pandemic, but has made it more dependent on commodities. Credit:Getty In China, with its capital controls, theres the added appeal for traders of gaining US dollar exposures, given that most commodities are priced in US dollars. It is that kind of financial market activity where the attempt by the Chinese authorities to take some of the hot air out of commodities markets might have some impact.

It is, of course, conceivable that Chinas efforts to dampen credit growth and de-leverage its economy might cause its economy to slow and its demand for raw materials to weaken, although the authorities will be very mindful that they wont want to tighten conditions too much and risk abruptly throttling growth. With cash costs per tonne in the low teens in US dollars , the other big seaborne supplier Brazil handicapped by production issues and no significant new production volumes entering the market until the latter years of this decade at the earliest, there is a floor under the iron ore price. It may be sub-$US200 a tonne but it is most unlikely to be trading at the sub-$US90 tonne levels it sank to during the first phase of the pandemic a year ago. Loading Similarly, copper supply growth is constrained by the absence of new developments while demand is underwritten by the global economic rebound and the longer term, rapidly accelerating, impacts of the technologies that support reductions in carbon emissions and increases in automation.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra has posted its biggest surplus in more than a decade as some of the states leading arts companies defied predictions of financial peril to emerge from lockdown in the black.

JobKeeper assistance, government rescue money, an agile shift to digital performances, staffing cutbacks and support from philanthropists and patrons delivered surprisingly healthy bottom lines, the companies annual reports show.

Simone Young will lead the Sydney Symphony Orchestra back to the Sydney Opera House in 2022. Credit:Nic Walker

Sydney Symphony Orchestra posted a $7.8 million surplus in 2020, its biggest since before the Global Financial Crisis, after a year in which it asked musicians and staff to take a collective $1.5 million pay cut and box office revenue plunged 92 per cent.

Belvoir St Theatre also posted a million-dollar surplus before depreciation but warned the arts sector recovery was fragile and easily undone by a COVID-19 third wave.
At first blush, Peter Duttons crackdown on rainbow dress-ups in the Australian military is a groan-worthy storm-in-a-teacup. But look closer, and youll see the teacups bobbing on deeper political currents.

In case you blinked and missed it, the Australian Defence Force last week held a morning tea marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia  the acronym, IDAHOBIT, is just as catchy  to which staff had been encouraged to wear rainbow clothing in support of the cause. This prompted the Minister for Defence, and Morrison governments chief cultural warrior, to ban events involving particular clothes in celebration.

Peter Dutton met soldiers in Townsville last month. Credit:ADF

Ive been very clear to the chiefs that I will not tolerate discrimination, said Dutton. Our task is to build up the morale in the Australian Defence Force and these woke agendas dont help.

The ADF must focus on national security at all times and must not be putting effort into matters that distract from this.
Stan Drydan on National Sorry Day, followed by Lord Mayor Ivan Deveson. Credit:Heath Missen

Canberra - The Prime Minister yesterday stood firm in his refusal to make a formal national apology to the Aboriginal stolen generations, as thousands of Australians attended Sorry Day ceremonies around the country.

One year after the stolen generations report, politicians continue to argue over whether to say sorry.

Thousands say sorry, but not PM

First published in The Age on May 27, 1998

State and federal MPs, academics, students, church groups and others apologised for the practice of removing Aboriginal children from their parents.

In a conciliatory gesture, the Federal Government said donations to the Stolen Childrens Support Fund would be tax deductible. It also pledged to continue tackling the problems of disadvantaged Aborigines by offering practical solutions.

But divisions within coalition ranks about how to respond to the landmark stolen children report were evident. While the Victorian Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, offered a formal apology, the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, continued his refusal to apologise on behalf of the Government.

The Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Senator John Herron, also said it was illogical for every Australian to say sorry when 40 per cent were not first-generation Australians.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the release of the report on the inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children from their families.
Millions of Australians could receive their Pfizer shots from GPs, in pharmacies and Commonwealth run respiratory clinics after a crucial decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to allow the vaccine to be stored in regular refrigerators for up to a month.

It comes amid fresh community transmission of COVID-19 in Melbourne, with a further five coronavirus cases reported there on Tuesday, bringing the cluster to nine.

Melburnians line up for their COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, as the citys cluster grew to nine. Credit:Wayne Taylor

Previously the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needed to be stored at temperatures of -70 degrees, limiting its distribution to vaccination hubs with special cold storage facilities. It can now be kept for up to 31 days at between between 2 and 8 degrees after being taken out of deep-freeze conditions.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the TGAs ruling on Monday night regarding Pfizer being stored at refrigerator levels was an important development.
Scientists have fired high-powered X-rays at gypsum, to gain greater understanding of how earthquakes occur, and maybe lower the cost of houses while they are at it.

Gypsum is a soft, naturally occurring mineral used for a range of purposes, from fertiliser to building materials, including being added to cement and as the major ingredient in gyprock boards.

QUT researchers Christopher Schrank (right), Oliver Gaede and colleagues have discovered a previously unknown property of gypsum when it is under huge pressure found in plate tectonics. Credit:QUT

Researchers from QUTs School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences wanted to test how gypsum dehydrated under pressure.

Materials science expert Christoph Schrank said that was because gypsum was found in the ground, and could give insight into what happened to rocks when they were placed under great pressure, such as on the boundaries of tectonic plates, where earthquakes were common.
The ladder-leading Western Bulldogs have been forced into isolation while the AFL is bracing for further fixture upheaval and crowd reductions after the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Melbournes northern suburbs.

Essendon players and staff must meanwhile return negative COVID-19 test results before being allowed to play against West Coast in Perth on Saturday night as part of the Western Australian governments response to the emergence of nine positives in Victoria over the past 48 hours.

The Bulldogs are in isolation and awaiting negative test results. Credit:Getty Images

Well-placed sources are yet to be informed of the specifics of likely crowd limits for round 11 matches, with ticket sales having been paused on Tuesday morning.

Dogs players and staff members were forced into self-isolation after a staffer attended Highpoint, a coronavirus exposure site, last Thursday night.
This undated photo provided by Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar shows Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. She was shot when detectives serving a no-knock warrant busted into her apartment on March 13, 2020. Taylor's boyfriend fired at the officers, believing they were being robbed. (Photo provided by Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar via AP) PHOTO:Photo provided by Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar via AP

Search Warrant Task Force Holds First Meeting

By Kentucky News Network

Attorney General Daniel Cameron formed the task force after the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by Louisville Police who were serving a warrant at her home last year.

The group will review and examine how search warrants are secured, reviewed and executed.

The 18-member task force is expected to make recommendation for improvements and is set to conclude its work by the end of the year.

FRANKFORT - A task force considering possible reforms to search warrants in Kentucky held its first meeting Monday.
A writer of history, Brad Dison earned his masters degree in the subject from Louisiana Tech University. He has written four history books and has been published in newspapers and scholarly journals. Keep up with the column through the Facebook group Remember This? by Brad Dison. For more real stories about real people with a twist, listen to Brad Disons podcast Remember This? at http://www.BradDison.com. Disons book Remember this? is available for preorder on that site.
FAIRFIELD BAY-Fairfield Bay began the process of bringing its ambulance service back into operation after a City of Fairfield Bay Mayor Linda Duncan called a special meeting of its city council Friday afternoon.

The service is expected to resume May 17.

At the meeting, Duncan outlined the forthcoming process for reopening the service. After which the council approved a resolution  to life the temporary suspension of Fairfield Bay emergency medical services.

The service had been suspended last May 5 due to what Duncan continues to refer to as a personnel issue.

In her statement, Duncan read that the Human resource inquiry is still ongoing but is at the point we can open EMS back up. A meeting was planned for 1 p.m. May 17 for the opening. Duncan had tried to open the service up that Friday, the day of the special meeting, but principles with the EMS service were not able to meet with her that day. The time delay meant the service could not be opened before Monday since Friday evening would be too late for state notification.

EMS Co-Captain Tim Hallett, who was one of the principles Duncan called, said during the public comment of the special meeting that he did not agree to the Friday meeting because he did not want to make Duncan look good, by her being able to announce the service reopening Friday.

Duncan said the city had to first put a new EMS captain, a temporary head per the resolution, in place before it could reopen, confirming that previous Co-Captain Andrea Notz had been suspended.

Once a Captain is in place the city will need a five-step process in order to resume operations. These steps are:

Notify the State who the City has hired and get State Approval to reopen Meet the requirements by law regarding the DPS building regards to access by the Police Chief. Notify the police department to reactive entry cards provided to EMS for building access Notify and Thank Medic One for providing coverage Make the needed administrative changes so we are compliant with future legislative audits.

On the final point, Duncan said she and City Recorder Treasurer Rose Owens would meet with the enter EMS team to go over the needed changes in policy to meet future legislative audit requirements.

Approval by the state is also required prior to Fairfield Bay EMS service resuming, which is expected to be a formality once notice is given to county ambulance service Medic One.
Van Buren, AR (72956)

Today

Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 74F. Winds light and variable.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis replaces his mask after speaking during a news conference at a COVID-19 testing site, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
Voters are seen at the polling place Nov. 8, 2016, in Bedford, New Hampshire.
Staff Reporter

Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times.
File-This Nov. 10, 2020, file photo shows Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks with reporters in Nashville, Tenn. Lee has tweeted that his wife has mild symptoms of COVID-19 after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Republican governor said Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, that he has tested negative for the virus but will be quarantined at the Governors Residence out of an abundance of caution. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) PHOTO:AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File

TN Bans Teaching Critical Race Theory in Schools

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE - Tennessee is the latest state to ban teachers from discussing certain aspects of race and racism in public schools.Teachers risk losing valuable state funding if they violate the new measure.Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law Monday after it generated impassioned debates inside the GOP-controlled General Assembly. Lee argued that students should learn about the exceptionalism of our nation, not things that inherently divide people.Black Democratic lawmakers warned that it would make teachers fearful about telling students anything about how race and racism have shaped the nations history.Tennessees new law is similar to laws enacted in Idaho and Oklahoma.
Staff Reporter

Tim Gruver is a politics and public policy reporter. He is a University of Washington alum and the recipient of the 2017 Pioneer News Award for Reporting. His work has appeared in Politico, the Kitsap Daily News, and the Northwest Asian Weekly.
A mostly cool April, wrapping up with a little heat wave, reminds us that summer awaits on the other end of May. While I have not forgotten that summers heat and humidity is barreling towards us, I do seem to have forgotten just how brilliant the dogwood blossoms are every year. Were they this pretty last year? I think they were, but photos and memories just cant replace the real thing. Get out for a walk and enjoy them while they last. Read more
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TN Secretary of State Warns of Business Scam

By West Kentucky Star Staff

NASHVILLE - Tennessees Secretary of State is warning business owners to be aware of a scam that uses a fake mailer.KYTN reports that Secretary of State Tre Hargett said the scam has recently resurfaced from a fake company, that goes by the name Tennessee Certificate Service and TN Certificate of Existence Filing Company.Hargett says the misleading mailer is titled 2021 Certificate of Existence Request, and requires all businesses to send in a fee of either $83.00 or $175.50, for the completion of the Certificate of Existence, on behalf of the business.He said business owners are urged to not fall for the scam, as a Certificate of Existence can be acquired directly from the Secretary of States office for $20, by phone, mail, or online.
Searcy, AR (72143)

Today

Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 93F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
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RENSSELAER - Mary Ellen Murin, of Rensselaer, formerly of West Oneonta, passed away on Thursday, June 10, 2021. She was 88 years old. Mary Ellen was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She graduated from Linden High School, Linden, New Jersey in 1950. She attended Trenton State Teachers College i
Roof, Gerald

Gerald Thomas Roof, of Paducah, KY surrounded by family and friends passed away peacefully on May 24 ,2021 at the age 82 at the Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center of Mercy Health Hospital, Paducah, Ky.

He was predeceased by his parents, Sylvester Roof and Elizabeth Lattus Roof, his three brothers, Adrian, Louis and infant James Roof.

Gerald is survived by his beloved wife of sixty years Patricia Wurth Roof; one son Dale Roof (Patty) of Dallas TX; one daughter Lisa Roof Black of Paducah; four granddaughters, Taylor Roof, Mikayla Roof, Kaya Roof of Dallas, TX and Kelly Black of Paducah, KY; his six brothers, Phil Roof (Linda), Paul Roof (Alice), Rev. Frank Roof, Charlie Roof (Marilyn), David Roof (Sally), Gene Roof (Marianne) all of Paducah, KY and one sister Mary Sue Roof McLaughlin (Dennis) of Myrtle Beach, SC; two sisters-in-law, Barbara Roof and Judy Roof both of Paducah; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Gerald was born in McCracken County, KY and was a member of St. Johns the Evangelist Catholic Church. Gerald graduated from St. Johns High School in 1957. He enlisted in the US Army in 1958 and was stationed at Fort Gordon, GA and served in the 439th Kentucky National Guard during the Bay of Pigs Cuban Crisis in 1961 under President Kennedy. Gerald married Patricia Wurth Roof October 15, 1960 and together they built a family, traveled the world, enjoyed a full and meaningful life together and took great comfort and happiness being surrounded by family.

He enjoyed being involved in all activities at church including lector, usher, extraordinary minister and fund raiser for the 2006 renovation of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. He also was awarded the Sophia award from the Diocese of Owensboro which celebrates a senior citizen from each parish who exemplifies stewardship in their life. He was also a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

Gerald was a lifelong member of Knights of Columbus for almost sixty years. He was a Fourth Degree Knight Faithful Navigator and chaired nearly all Knights of Columbus offices. He served at the highest state level as the Kentucky State Deputy from 2004 to 2006. He enjoyed working Bingo, food drives, fund raisers for the new Knights of Columbus hall, fish fries, BBQ on the River and was the Tootsie Roll chairperson for the Intellectual Disabilities Drive. Gerald was honored as both a Kentucky Colonel and a Duke of Paducah.

He was a co-owner of Modern Business Systems in Jefferson City, MO which covered twelve states for a period of 22 years. He sold the company in 1984, then became President of Gradco Peripherals in Irvine, CA for 3 years and later founded Advanced Business Concepts in Paducah, Kentucky.

He will be missed by all who know him and appreciated for the joy he brought to every conversation, the interest he had in the lives of all with whom he came in contact and the warmth, energy and caring that so defined his life.

The family is very grateful for the kindness of the many caregivers at Superior Nursing Home and the Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center who supported Gerald during his illness.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with Fr. Brad Whistle and Fr. Frank Roof officiating. Burial will follow at St. John Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah, 120 Memorial Drive Paducah, KY

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be sent to and Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center of Mercy Health Hospital, Paducah, KY 42003 or to the Knights of Columbus Council #10962, at 6725 Hwy. 45 South, Paducah, KY 42001.

You may leave a message of sympathy and light a candle at www.milnerandorr.com

During this difficult time, you may show your support by joining the "Hugs from Home" program by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, 2021, where your message will be attached to a balloon in the chapel to remind the family of your love and support. Please go to www.milnerandorr.com to send a hug.

You can send a message to the family and light a candle at www.milnerandorr.com.
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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National

AP

Floyd's death laid bare the 'Minnesota Paradox' of racism

George Floyds death under a white police officers knee severely tarnished Minnesotas reputation as a progressive state on matters of race

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  George Floyd's death under a white Minneapolis police officer's knee severely tarnished Minnesota's reputation as a progressive state on matters of race. Many Black residents say it was never deserved in the first place.

The state's seemingly polite exterior, exemplified by the nickname Minnesota Nice," has long concealed some of the countrys worst racial disparities  especially when it comes to employment, housing and education. As the state on Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of Floyds death, residents are still debating whether anything has changed  or will.

Marvin Anderson, 81, an activist working to revive the historically Black neighborhood of Rondo in St. Paul, endured explicit acts of racism while living in the Deep South, then returned to his native Minnesota, where he and other Black residents were subjected to less-confrontational slights and microaggressions. He saw Floyd's tragic death a year ago as an opportunity to repair the mildew and rotting timber of America's foundation, but now questions whether Minnesota  despite its progressive reputation  will be able to lead the way.

Minnesota has the capacity, the skill, the intelligence to do better, and thats what hurts more than anything, Anderson said. "If theres one state where you might be able to solve these problems and set an example that other states could follow, it would be Minnesota.

Samuel Myers Jr., director of the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the University of Minnesota, has spent years documenting what he calls The Minnesota Paradox.

The state boasts high levels of educational attainment, world-class medical care such as the Mayo Clinic, shopping magnets such as the Mall of America, a vibrant arts scene, and big philanthropy-minded employers like 3M, Best Buy, General Mills and Target.

All that helps make Minnesota a great place for white residents. But Myers has also documented how different it is for many Black residents:

 The graduation rate for high school students hit a historic high of nearly 84% in 2019. But for Black students, it was below 70%. And while two-thirds of white students met state reading proficiency standards, only a third of Black students did.

 Minnesota had the highest rate of home ownership in the nation at nearly 73% according to a 2013 report. For U.S.-born Black Minnesota residents, it was just 26%.

 The median household income for Minnesota in 2019 was $77,000 for white households and about $42,000 for Black households.

When they say a Minnesota that works for all of us, theyre not talking about me. Theyre not talking about people that look like me, said state Rep. John Thompson, 40.

Thompson, like many Black Minnesotans, can recount stories of being stopped by police for no good reason. It happened when he was 18, he said, when he and three friends  also Black  were stopped by officers and frisked when they left a family barbecue and walked down an alley to buy chips. More recently, he said, he was handcuffed by an officer after demanding his money back at a car wash that had malfunctioned  and after Thompson said he himself had called police.

Thompson eventually became an activist after the high-profile killing of another Black man, his friend Philando Castile, by a police officer in 2016 in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. As he fights for police accountability and economic equity in the Legislature, he said he has even been accused of racism by some white lawmakers.

How on earth can you call a Black man racist for calling out racism?" he said.

Walt Jacobs, who chaired the African American & African Studies department at the University of Minnesota before becoming the social sciences dean at San Jose State University, edited a collection of essays on racial dynamics after Floyd's death that was published this month. Its title: Sparked: George Floyd, Racism, and the Progressive Illusion.

The whole thing of Minnesota Nice  we talk about the weather and other surface level things, but its harder to talk about those bigger issues that might be divisive, he said. Youre expected to be polite, to not have any hostility to folks who are different from you, but youre not going to tackle these potentially explosive issues, not going to get to know people outside your immediate circle of family and friends.

Thats been changing since Floyds death and former police Officer Derek Chauvins conviction, he said, with ordinary Minnesotans starting to have those conversations.

Change will come out of this, Jacobs said. The question is how much change? What will the extent of the change be?

The Rev. Sarah Campbell, a minister at Mayflower Church in Minneapolis, said Floyd's death caused deep soul searching within her progressive but mostly white faith community, part of the United Church of Christ. She said it opened some people's eyes to privilege, hidden bias and unfairness in the state's economic and educational systems.

Mayflower was already politically active, but Floyd's death and the protests that followed have led to something new, she said.

What feels significantly different now is that were not just doing political organizing, turnout, education, she said. It feels like its really going to another place... our psyches, our souls, our spirits.

Anderson spends his time these days trying to make change happen by working to restore the citys Rondo neighborhood, where he grew up, a community ripped in half by the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960s. For Anderson, it was all the more painful because he and others saw Rondo as a respite from a hostile and oftentimes racist world.

What made Rondo so unique was that it provided a haven where it was kept to an absolute minimum, Anderson said. It was a nurturing place where people were called mister instead of boy, he said, where children heard stories from their elders in the barber or beauty shops that prepared them for the racism of the world outside.

Thompson and other Black state lawmakers elected after Floyd's death don't see today's Minnesota as such a haven. They have only to look at the fate of police accountability legislation, which stalled out this year amid Republican opposition.

Democratic freshman Rep. Cedrick Frazier, of suburban New Hope, sought to ban police officers from affiliating with white supremacist groups. During one contentious negotiating session, Frazier angered a powerful white senator after Frazier told him, We live in the same Minnesota, but I gotta tell you, I do absolutely experience this Minnesota differently than you do, and a large part is because of my skin color.

He said the testy reaction showed how defensive Minnesotans can get.

My colleagues who dont look like me and live in a different ZIP code, they need to acknowledge it, Frazier said. Were absolutely not there yet.

Associated Press reporter Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this story.

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 21:09:33|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that the development of U.S.-ROK relations will be conducive to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, instead of being detrimental to the interests of the third parties including China, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Monday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks in response to a joint statement issued after a recent meeting between Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden, which said that the two countries will strengthen their alliance. The statement also mentioned the issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Zhao said the Taiwan question is purely internal affairs of China concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and brooks no external interference.

"We urge relevant countries to be cautious in their words and deeds on the Taiwan question and not to play with fire," Zhao said.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, he said the fact is that all countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, and relevant countries are well aware of it.

On the international order, Zhao stressed there is but one system in the world, which is the international system with the UN at its core; there is but one set of rules, namely, the basic norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter.

No country has the right to define the international order, still less the right to impose its own standards on others, Zhao added.

The spokesperson also reiterated China's opposition to an exclusive clique with other countries as the target, such as the Indo-Pacific strategy, and the Quad, which groups the United States, Japan, India and Australia. Enditem
18 Cases of Heart Inflammation After COVID-19 Vaccination Reported in Connecticut

A single state has recorded 18 cases of myocarditis in people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. All of the cases in Connecticut required hospitalization.

Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Deirdre Gifford told reporters during a virtual press briefing on Monday that the cases have been rare and mild.

But she added later when asked how many of the patients were hospitalized, All of the cases that were reported to us were individuals that were hospitalized, the vast majority for a couple of days.

One individual that were aware of is still hospitalized. The other 17 have been sent home and theyre doing fine, she said.

No other state appears to have publicly reported concrete numbers of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, among those who got a COVID-19 vaccine after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was investigating reports of the condition.

The Washington State Department of Health said in a statement on Monday that it was aware of reports of a small number of cases of myocarditis or pericarditis in some patients, post-vaccination, adding, Further investigation is needed to determine if these cases are connected in any way to COVID-19 vaccines.

Health care providers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon have been notified about the issue so they are prepared to quickly identity symptoms if more cases occur.

Symptoms of myocarditis include chest pain, an abnormal heartbeat, and shortness of breath.

In a May 20 notification, the Oregon Health Authority told health care providers that there were at least six recorded cases of myocarditis in the state following vaccination, the Salem Statesman Journal reported. All six required hospital care.

The authority did not immediately return a request for comment.

The CDCs vaccine safety work group announced last week that it was presented with myocarditis in persons who received shots produced by Moderna or Pfizer. The group said it concluded there are relatively few reports of myocarditis to date and that the cases predominately occur in adolescents and young adults within four days after vaccination.

Most cases appear to be mild, the group added. Experts in the group were following up on the cases.

A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Dayton, Ohio, on Feb. 10, 2021. (Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images)

The group was collecting information in part from gleaning reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a passive reporting system that allows anybody to submit reports about adverse events following vaccination.

As of May 25, 155 reports have been submitted regarding myocarditis among people who received a COVID-19 jab.

Pfizer and Moderna have said they are aware of the reports.

Youth are largely at little risk of death or severe illness after getting infected with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19. But some experts are urging the young to get a shot to better protect those who are more vulnerable, including the elderly.

European regulators are also probing reports of post-vaccination myocarditis.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the CDC, told a virtual briefing last month that there was no link seen between COVID-19 vaccines and myocarditis after the Pentagon reported over a dozen cases among service members and their families.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association said in a joint statement on May 23 that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the rare, possible risk of heart-related complications, including inflammation of the heart muscle, or myocarditis. The associations are still recommending all adults and kids over the age of 12 get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 77,000 children under the age of 12 have received at least one shot as of May 24, according to the CDC. Another 2.1 million between the ages of 12 and 15 have gotten at least one jab.

Our health and medical experts still continue to convey that it is the right step for 12 to 15 year olds to get vaccinated, that these are limited cases, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday. And that, obviously, the risks of contracting COVID are certainly significant, even for people of that age.
The 2021 Census night lies on August 10, which marks Australias 18th census. (Facebook of the ABS)

38,000 Jobs Available to Help With the 2021 Australian Census

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has announced it will be seeking 38,000 short-term roles, including 20,000 field officers, to help deliver the 2021 Census of Australia, which will start on August 10.

The ABS is looking for people who are familiar with their local communities, those who can speak a language other than English, as well as those with experience working with diverse population groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability, people experiencing homelessness, older Australians, and youth.

We want to recruit motivated people who are keen to tell their communitys story through the successful collection of census data. Previous experience isnt a requirement, and training will be provided prior to commencing the job, Andrew Henderson, the census executive director, told news.com.au.

Australia holds a census every five years, with the collected data helping governments, businesses, and not for profit organisations to make decisions.

Its not just about counting people and households,  Henderson said. The Census does so much more.

Every stat tells a story. It shows a communitys strengths and whats needed to help them continue to grow. Transport, schools, health care, roads and buildings are just some of the services Census data helps.

There are about 7000 roles available in NSW and Canberra, over 5000 in Victoria, just over 4000 in QLD, over 2000 in WA, around 1500 in SA, almost 600 in Tasmania, and just over 200 in the NT.

The duties of the role include delivering Census instructions and forms, visiting households, promoting Census participation, answering questions, and helping those who need special support to complete the Census. The ABS notes that the working hours are flexible and include weekdays, weekends, and evening

Paying $24.80 per hour, including 25 percent loading and superannuation, the positions will be contracted between July and October.

The ABS is also hiring people for a range of other census roles, including both field jobs and office-based roles, with salaries ranging from $29.51 to $48.30 per hour, plus loading and superannuation.
Southwest Flight Attendant Loses Teeth in Alleged Assault by Passenger: Union

A Southwest Airlines flight attendant allegedly was assaulted by a passenger during a flight and lost several teeth, according to the president of the Southwest Airlines flight attendants union.

TWU Local 556 President Lyn Montgomery said that over the past weekend, one of our flight attendants was seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth.

She issued the letter in a bid to highlight misconduct incidents that have occurred on Southwest flights over the past several months.

I write to you today because we cannot tolerate our beloved cohearts (sic) being abused in such a manner, and because I am asking for your help and leadership in ending these travesties, her letter stated. One tool to better utilize would be the Southwest Airlines restricted travelers list, it added. The flying public needs to understand that egregious behavior will result in being banned from flying with Southwest Airlines.

Montgomery did not elaborate on the alleged assault where a flight attendant lost their teeth. Southwest Airlines issued a statement, however, that the attendant was assaulted on a flight from Sacramento, California, to San Diego, California, on Sunday.

The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing, Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz told news outlets. Law Enforcement Officials (LEOs) were requested to meet the flight upon arrival, and the passenger was taken into custody.

Mainz said that Southwest doesnt condone or tolerate verbal or physical abuse on its flights.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday that it is proposing enhanced fines of $9,000 to $15,000 against five passengers who allegedly interfere with flight attendants.

The enforcement actions announced today are part of the FAAs zero-tolerance policy for unruly and dangerous behavior by passengers. Since Jan. 1, 2021, the FAA has received approximately 2,500 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal facemask mandate, according to the FAA.

And earlier this month, FAA chief Stephen Dickson, warned about a spike in dangerous and unruly behavior among passengers and reiterated a zero tolerance policy.
This aerial photo taken on May 17, 2021 shows a cargo ship loaded with containers leaving a port in Haikou in China's southern Hainan province. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

After Crippling Hong Kong, Beijing Wants to Turn Hainan Island Into a Free Trade Port

In June last year, while pushing its national security law in Hong Kong, China announced a master plan to build Hainan, the countrys southern island province, into a free trade port by 2025.

Local authorities released a progress report recently, claiming that the institutional framework of a free trade port system has been basically established, and Hainan will become another Hong Kong when the facilities become more mature.

Hainan Free Trade Port Must Adhere to Socialism

When announcing the master plan at a press briefing on June 8 of last year, Liu Cigui, the Party chief of Hainan, stressed that unlike many existing free trade ports in the world that are under a capitalist system, the Hainan port would be under the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

From any ideological perspective, we will not allow any moves that jeopardize national security or hamper [Chinas] socialist construct, Liu said.

Hainan Cant Become Another Hong Kong

Chinese authorities also formulated 60 key policies to attract foreign investment. However, China experts pointed out that the regimes plan to turn Hainan into another Hong Kong is just a pipedream.

Current affairs commentator Liu Ruishao told The Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP ) is repeating its past mistakes.

The Hainan Free Trade Port is actually not much different from the free trade zones promoted by Beijing in the past. In a place that lacks the rule of law, it is almost impossible for a free trade port to grow. What has happened with the Shanghai and Shenzhen Free Trade Zones? Neither has become a success, Liu said.

Frank Xie, a professor of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, believes that the Hainan Free Trade Port is a joke, as it is in no position to reproduce the success Hong Kong experienced before the former British colony was strangled by Beijing.

In an interview with The Epoch Times Professor Xie pointed out that Hainans trade policies are basically in line with those of Hong Kong, such as no tariffs being charged on imports or exports. However, for a free trade port to be successful requires a lot more than zero tariffs.

Hong Kong was successful because Hong Kong once had a well-established legal system, he said. The SAR used to enjoy freedom of speech, and judicial independence, which was a very successful social system left behind by the United Kingdom. The Chinese Communist Party has basically destroyed Hong Kong, destroyed its status as a free trade port. And now it plans to build another free trade port [in Hainan]. Isnt that a joke?

According to Professor Xie, Hainan will be separated from the rest of the country, which means residents from other provinces will have to pass customs to enter the island. But despite the separation, there are several issues with the CCPs plan to turn Hainan into a free trade zone, he said.

What kind of legal system will be adopted in Hainan? Who will arbitrate if there are legal disputes? Does Hainan have independent arbitration rights? If there is a dispute awaiting judgment at the Hainan Supreme Court, will the local supreme court have the final say or can the lawsuit be further taken to Chinas Supreme Court? If the latter is true, Hainan is still a province of China, not a free port, Professor Xie said.

Another potential problem is currency, Professor Xie said.

If products from all over the world can be freely imported and exported, which currency should be used for trading? he asked.

If Chinas yuan is used and allowed to be freely converted into other currencies, Hainan will become a money laundering paradise for the CCPs senior officials, Professor Xie said.

In that case, the yuan will undergo a rapid and substantial depreciation. The current exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Chinese yuan is about 1:6. But we may see the yuan depreciate to 1:30 or even 1:60. China will have to adopt two exchange rates and a dual track system, he added.

Professor Xie pointed out that the decision makers involved are very ignorant as they try to reproduce Hong Kongs success in Hainan without understanding what had made Hong Kong so successful.

In conclusion, Professor Xie said: The key prerequisite for Hong Kongs prosperity was an independent judicial system, including a fair legal system for trade. The CCP is unclear of this basic fact, nor is it willing to recognize it. It thinks a free trade zone is as simple as reducing tariffs. I would say they are dreaming and talking nonsense.
A building on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on April 24, 2019. (Gary Bai/The Epoch Times)

Alberta Tells Universities to Suspend Pursuit of Partnerships With China

Albertas advanced education minister has sent a letter to four of the provinces universities asking them to pause their pursuit of new or renewed partnerships with organizations linked with China or the Chinese Communist Party.

A ministry spokesman said in an email that Demetrios Nicolaides has also asked the four comprehensive academic and research institutions to thoroughly review their relationships with entities that are potentially linked with the Peoples Republic of China and its governing party.

The letter asks that the review ensures these ongoing partnerships follow stringent risk assessments and due diligence.

I am deeply concerned about the potential theft of Canadian intellectual property and further concerned that research partnerships with the Peoples Republic of China may be used by Chinese military and intelligence agencies, Nicolaides said in a statement.

More needs to be done to curb foreign state infiltration into our research and innovation centres, including our post-secondary institutions.

The universities have 90 days to submit a report with the requested information to Albertas Advanced Education Ministry.

The University of Calgary said in an email that it has received the letter and is reviewing it, but isnt able to comment at this time.

The University of Alberta acknowledged that it, too, received the ministers letter and will be responding. It also referred to a statement made earlier this month by Walter Dixon, interim vice-president of research and innovation, which said the school has asked the federal government for guidance on the issue.

Dixon said the university looks forward to guidelines expected late next month from a working group of the federal government and universities thats dealing with national security as it relates to funding and research partnerships.

A consistent national response on security matters and international engagement is necessary and we are fully committed to working with all levels of government to ensure that Canadas core security interests are protected and advanced, Dixon said in the statement on May 4.

A policy statement from Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada in March warned members of the research community, particularly those involved in COVID-19 research, to take extra precautions to protect the security of their work.

Canadas world-class research, and its open and collaborative research environment, are increasingly targeted by espionage and foreign interference activities, the policy statement said, although it did not name a particular country.

Nicolaides said his priority is to work with post-secondary institutions to protect Canadian intellectual property, and to make sure they dont enter agreements that would undermine Canadas core national interests.

He also said the province would welcome a comprehensive national framework from Ottawa on these serious pressing issues, noting that national security and intelligence are primarily the federal governments domain.

Dixons statement from earlier this month noted that international partnerships are important, and the University of Alberta has agreements with partners from over 80 different countries.

International partnerships, which include research projects, teaching and mobility agreements, and international learning opportunities are what allow the academy to provide students, post-docs, and faculty with the experiences needed to ensure that knowledge flows around the globe, he said.
At Least 5 Killed in Apartment Shooting Near Columbus, Ohio

At least five people were found dead from a shooting on Monday afternoon around 5:30 p.m. in West Jefferson, Ohio, a suburb of the states capital and largest city, Columbus, according to local media.

Two Columbus-based television stations said at least three people were found shot to death in an apartment building, with more victims dead outside at the same location, though a precise number of casualties was not immediately confirmed.

Both TV stations, WSYX and WCMH, cited West Jefferson Police Chief Chris Floyd as the source of their information. But Floyd could not immediately be reached by Reuters, and a dispatcher answering calls for West Jefferson said she had no information.

Floyd added that the shooting took place on a dead-end street, which led him to believe that the victims had been targeted, WSYX reported.

WCMH said the crime scene was a home in West Jefferson, a town of about 4,000 residents about 15 miles west of Columbus.

Police were alerted to the shooting by a passerby who called the emergency number 911, according to WSYX. Officers secured the scene and began looking for a suspect and evidence, the station reported.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Madison County Sheriffs Office were reportedly assisting West Jefferson police in the investigation.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese speaks at a news conference after a tour of the Kwinana Nickel Refinery on March 4, 2021 in Kwinana, Australia. (Richard Wainwright-Pool/Getty Images)

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese Denies Blue Collar Votes Collapsing

Australias national Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has rejected suggestions that blue-collar workers have turned their backs on the Labor party following a loss in the Upper Hunter byelection over the weekend.

This comes as Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon warned that Labors primary vote in regions like the Upper Hunter had collapsed to existential levels and that its brand as the blue-collar party was in jeopardy.

The Upper Hunter byelection loss should act as a wake-up call, he said. They (voters) say we talk the talk but dont walk the walk, he told reporters.

Fitzgibbon has threatened to quit the left-wing party, concerned that voters did not trust the party to protect blue-collar or mining jobs as it focussed on inner-city progressives.

Fitzgibbon, whose electorate shares similar characteristics to the Upper Hunter, resigned from the shadow cabinet halfway through last years term due to having opposing views on climate change.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison held similar views, saying Labor had lost touch with blue-collar workers.

In response, Albanese downplayed the loss, saying the Upper Hunter has classically been a Nationals seat for over 90 years.

He told ABC radio that Labors recent state election victories in the resource-rich states of Queensland and Western Australia proved otherwise.

Albanese also pointed to the popularity of independent candidates and minor parties at the Upper Hunter byelection.

Lets get some perspective here. Theres been a lot of very short-sighted analysisahistorical analysisbehind this byelection, he said.

When asked if he was losing the blue-collar base, Albanese said: The evidence is there that thats not the case.

He pointed the finger instead at the national Coalition government of presiding over an increasingly casualised coal-mining workforce and the use of labour-hire firms.

The current government does not stand up for miners, doesnt stand up for any workers, and is undermining the pay and conditions of those miners, he said.

I wont cop this idea of Scott Morrisonthe party of WorkChoicessomehow being the friend of the workers. Its just nonsense.

He then noted that for any Labor representatives to adopt the Coalitions rhetoric undermined the Labor party, and they should advocate for the working class instead.

The Upper Hunter byelection was triggered by sexual assault allegations against former state Nationals MP Michael Johnson. His successor Dave Layzell managed to hold the seat with a two-party-preferred swing towards the Nationals.

Labor faces a challenge to win the next federal election, as it must win back seats in resource-rich Queensland electorates while holding on to the Hunter Valley electorate, where it suffered major swings against it at the last election.
A team led by Professor Subha Rao has developed two new drugs that could protect unvaccinated people against COVID-19. (AAP Image/Supplied by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute)

Australian Researchers Develop New Drugs to Prevent and Treat COVID-19

Researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia have developed two new drugs which can protect people from spreading COVID-19 and prevent those who are infected from developing severe disease.

A team led by Professor Sudha Rao, senior researcher and head of QIMR Berghofers Gene Regulation and Translational Medicine Group, has developed two peptide-based drugs, which are now being tested in hamsters at IDMIT, a pre-clinical and clinical research facility in France.

The early results showed that the drugs are not toxic and have few side effects.

The drugs are also stable and can be stored at room temperaturewhich would make them easy to distribute, the Institute said in a statement.

These are the first drugs we are aware of that can operate on dual fronts, Rao said.

We hope, if the clinical trials are successful, that the first drug could be given as a therapy alongside vaccination to prevent the virus binding to cells and taking hold, while the second peptide could be used to stop the virus replicating in already-infected patients.

Vaccines are slower because they rely on human bodys own immune system learning to mount immunity, Rao told Australian Associated Press (AAP).

Our drugs are a very rapid fix. So basically, if someone is exposed, if someone believes that theyre exposed, then these drugs work very quickly to prevent the virus from replicating or entering, Rao said. Whats important here is that in this pandemic, COVID-19 is here to stay and were going to need multiple tools in our toolbox.

The drugs could also be significant for people who havent been vaccinated or who are unable to get vaccinations due to allergies or illness.

We know that many, many people will not be able to take the vaccine, so this is one essential part of the arsenal for those sorts of people, She said. For people whove been vaccinated, if they know that theyve been suddenly been exposed to this virus, what this [drug] does is it allows us to help boost the efficacy of the vaccine.

Professor Nabila Seddiki, who is currently testing the drugs at IDMIT, said the development was an exciting step in fighting against the virus.

Many of the drugs being developed around the world to treat COVID-19 are targeted at people with severe disease. However, these peptide-based drugs are aimed at preventing infection in the first place, and at reducing the severity of the disease before it really takes hold, Seddiki said.

These drugs could also be very important because they may provide the protection we need for emerging variants and be used to protect the small group of people who cannot be vaccinated.

The study findings were published on Nature Cell Discovery on Tuesday.

AAP contributed to this report.
Australians Dont Want Critical Race Theory in Classrooms

Most Australians do not support the presence of Identity Politics in classrooms, a poll reveals, as concerns grow the newly proposed national curriculum will inject critical race theory into schools.

The Critical Race Theory Poll (pdf), commissioned by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), asked 1,121 Australians four questions and found 82 percent disagree with the statement that students should be forced to apologise for their skin colour.

Around 86 percent also disagree that schools should make boys feel ashamed of being male, and 69 percent do not think schools should be teaching children that Australia is a racist country.

The 25-34 age group saw the largest number of people agreeing with each question, while respondents over 55 had the most disagrees. One-quarter of the 25-34 age group agreed that students should learn that Australia is a racist country.

Further, 85 percent of those surveyed agreed that students should be taught that all Australians are equal regardless of skin colour, race or religious beliefs.

It is encouraging that mainstream Australians are overwhelmingly rejecting identity politics and Critical Race Theory in our classrooms, IPA Director Bella dAbrera said. No parent wants their child to be humiliated in the classroom, as we recently saw at Parkdale College where boys were told that they were oppressors for being white and Christian.

In another school, boys as young as 12 were forced to stand up in a school assembly and apologise to girls for sexism and assault on behalf of their gender.

The IPA has opposed the new curriculum changes by the Australian Curriculum Assessment And Reporting Authority (ACARA) since they were first released to the public over concerns that it would force students to consume identity politics and turn them into political activists.

The think tank believes the polling shows that mainstream Australians also overwhelmingly do not support this ideology in classrooms.

Australians are rightly saying no to Critical Race Theory. They are egalitarian and do not support divisive ideologies in the classroom, dAbrera said. We need to make sure that it stays out of the classroom.

She said that while the study of Indigenous history is important, the radical curriculum proposal inserts it throughout every learning area and also teaches historical lies, such as the dark emu version of history.

The dark emu version of history refers to a theory that claims indigenous Australians were not hunter-gatherers. They were instead sophisticated in the ways of food production, aquaculture, and land management and lived in large towns in permanent dwellings.

This radical curriculum will brainwash children with the green-left language of colonisation and invasion and will teach them to hate Australia, dAbrera said.

However, ACARA CEO, David de Carvalho has said that the changes to the curriculum will encompass all of Australias cultural heritage.

The Rationale in the proposed Australian Curriculum in Civics and Citizenship for Years 710, which sets out the overarching framework within which the content should be interpreted, states the Australian Curriculum recognises that Australia is a secular nation with a culturally diverse, multi-faith society and a Christian heritage, Carvalho said.

He said it also emphasises the federal system of government, derived from the Westminster system, and the liberal democratic values that underpin it, such as freedom, equality and the rule of law.
Beyond the Beach: Mexicos Many Charms

Were only a few minutes from the heart of town, just a short car ride south, down the flowing arteries of one of the worlds largest cities. But here? Everything feels like a village. The sidewalks are shaded by palm trees, the fronds swaying almost silently in the breeze. The stone houses lining the streets, once home to the countrys elite, are now studios, galleries, and museums. Rounding the corner on a cobblestone lane, I find a hidden plaza. A fountain flows in the middle, locals all around, sitting on benches and reading books and enjoying this oasis in the middle of a sprawling megalopolis.

The Parish of San Juan Bautista in Coyoacan, Mexico City. (Kamira/Shutterstock)

Im in Coyoacan, literally place of the coyotes, one of the oldest quarters in Mexico City, and a truly excellent place for a walk. While many tourists never actually make it to the Mexican capital at all, fewer still venture past the restaurants and shops in the Zona Rosa and the Zocalo. But Mexico is like that: a place that rewards those with the inclination to wander. On several visits south, Ive found a small fortune of experiences, places Ill never forget, in many instances just a few steps off the main tourist trail.

Almost unimaginably huge, with some 22 million people residing in one massive, rambling metro area, Mexico City somehow manages to feel even bigger. Its a place made for exploring. Hopping into a ride-share, or just meandering out the front door of my hotel, I find all sorts of fun. Hole-in-the-wall joints ladling up steaming bowls of tortilla soup. Open-air markets where you can find food trucks selling rich, savory tacos el pastor. Even a visit to Central de Abasto, perhaps the largest food market in the world, covering hundreds of acres and welcoming some 300,000 people every day. Sampling along endless aisles offering (what seems like) every food item imaginable, more than once I just barely step out of the way, almost clipped by busy vendors pushing handcarts, whooshing past.

A fruit vendor at the Central de Abasto wholesale market in Mexico City on Dec. 19, 2017. (ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)

And then, the best haircut of my life. While most people prefer the safety and assurance of visiting a regular stylist (I dont blame them), Ive always seen haircuts as a potential cultural experience, and have gotten a cut in a couple dozen countries. I arrive on foot at the barbershop, a busy local favorite called Paris Merinne, in Polanco, a swanky district a few blocks from where Im staying. Sliding into the old-timey chair for a trim, Im told that this place has been in operation since 1968.

And then Im offered the option of a manicure, at the same time. And with things just underway, they roll out the drink cart. With the mustachioed barber working away on my mane, regaling me with a few funny stories about the characters who come through this place, a technician works on my left-hand nails. And with my right, I swill a smooth, smoky glass of mescal, angling the tumbler to keep the clear liquid free of my falling hair, with limited success.

But its not just the big cities that offer cultural finds and quirky escapes. The beach town of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast welcomes millions of sun-seekers every yearwith many of these arrivals content to order a margarita, pull up a deck chair, and call it a day. Just a small fishing village before tourists started flocking here in the 1960s, the Zona Romantica, its oldest district, retains the towns original charm.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the Bay of Flags (Bahia de Banderas) along Mexicos Pacific coast. (Diego Grandi/Shutterstock)

Wander the labyrinth of lanes here in the morning, and youll be drawn to food stands serving the local favorite for breakfast, birria, a goat stew marinated in adobo spices. These simple little carts sell them for 10 pesos a piecefirst thing in the morning, until theyre gone. I grab one, wandering through the nearby shops, places selling everything from bright, local scenes splashed onto canvas, to sculptures, to handmade jewelry, a rainbow of paper flags strung between the buildings and flapping overhead.

And soon, I decide to get out of town for a day (or two), too. I spend time at a roadside tequileria south of the city, trying that famous blue agave spirit, which can only be made here in the state of Jalisco. While sipping, distillers tell me the creation legend, that it was once considered a gift from the gods, and impart the difference between blanco (Mexican moonshine) and extra anejo (the good stuff).

The small coastal town of Yelapa. (zstock/Shutterstock)

Later in the week, I roll to the east, climbing into the Sierra Madre Mountains and exploring the town of San Sebastian del Oeste. Established in 1605 and once a center for gold mining, its prosperity is still evident in the 19th-century stone haciendas and a handsome old baroque church, right in the middle of town. And I visit Yelapa, a hillside village set on a big crescent of sand, with no roads. Only accessible by boat, I motor out about 45 minutes across the Bay of Banderas on a water taxi, sleeping the night at Verana, a hotel nestled into the rainforest, without walls. Awakening in the morning, cool breezes roll in, right off the Pacific, the endless blue water pulsating way down below.

And just an hours drive to the north, the many pleasures of the Riviera Nayarit, a region dotted with villages that stretches across 185 miles of rugged coastline. Passing the high-rise resorts of Nuevo Vallarta, I arrive for lunch in the charming town of Sayulita, hungrily setting upon a steaming plate of super-fresh, mesquite-grilled red snapper at unpretentious Don Pedros, right on the beach. Small, quaint, and beautiful, with most of the streets ending in the sea, theres plenty to keep me in town, from galleries with Huichol artwork, to the waves themselves, perfect for surfing or paddle-boarding.

Colorful flags in the streets of Sayulita. (Patricia Chumillas/Shutterstock)

But all that can wait. What Im looking for tonight? A little polo. Navigating just up the road to the small village of San Pancho, I encounter a curious sightmen in tight pants and collared shirts getting ready to climb atop their horses and line up on the pitch. A well-dressed crowd, sipping white wine and Champagne, looks on.

The Wall Street Journal has called La Patrona Polo Club polos best-kept secret. Getting the chance to chat with one of the players, named Carlos, just before the beginning of the match, he tells me that while many spectators come here for a fun diversion from the usual resort routine, for him, this is serious business. We play hard, he tells me. We want to win.

And Carlos gets his wish. As I join the crowd, and my glass is quickly filled with Pinot Gris, La Patrona slaps their first point through the goalposts, followed, soon, by another. The home side eventually takes home the winhandily soand the players and horses trot off the pitch just as the sun sets, the whole scene bathed in sepia. Making my way to my hotel in Sayulita, everything feels a little surreal, but nonetheless wonderfuland while it was tempting, Im very pleased that I didnt just spend my afternoon snoozing by the pool.

Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, hes tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North Americas largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 01:15:09|Editor: huaxia

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ANKARA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained on Monday at least 22 suspects over their alleged relations to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

Eight suspects were detained in the northwestern province of Edirne while they were planning to illegally cross into Greece.

A total of 14 other suspects were detained in simultaneous operations across 17 cities over an investigation launched by prosecutors in Balikesir province.

The suspects included active-duty military staff and dismissed soldiers, the agency reported.

They are accused of being members of the "Gulen Movement" which the Turkish government accuses of infiltrating into the state bureaucracy and then attempting a coup on July 15, 2016.

Ankara says U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the coup attempt, in which 250 people were killed.

The Turkish government has launched a massive crackdown on suspects with links to the network in the aftermath of the coup attempt. Enditem
President Joe Biden walks on the Ellipse to board Marine One in Washington on May 22, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Biden Orders Options to Hold Belarus Accountable for Diverting Plane With Journalist

President Joe Biden on Monday ordered his administration to develop options to punish the strongman regime in Belarus for diverting a Ryanair flight in order to detain an activist journalist.

I welcome the news that the European Union has called for targeted economic sanctions and other measures, and have asked my team to develop appropriate options to hold accountable those responsible, in close coordination with the European Union, other allies and partners, and international organizations, Biden said in a statement.

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through Belarus airspace Sunday and ordered it to land. A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane in a brazen show of force by Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for over a quarter-century.

Belarus authorities then arrested the 26-year-old activist, journalist, and prominent Lukashenko critic. Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were taken off the plane shortly after it landed, and authorities havent said where theyre being held. Ryanair Flight FR4978, which began in Athens, Greece, was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania.

Biden condemned the move and joined international calls for an investigation and for the release of Pratasevich.

Belaruss forced diversion of a commercial Ryanair flight, traveling between two member states of the European Union, and subsequent removal and arrest of Raman Pratasevich, a Belarusian journalist traveling abroad, are a direct affront to international norms, the president said.

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms both the diversion of the plane and the subsequent removal and arrest of Mr. Pratasevich. This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Pratasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press.

The European Union agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc, amid fury over the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist.

We wont tolerate that one can try to play Russian roulette with the lives of innocent civilians, said EU Council chief Charles Michel, who presided over the EU meeting.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday strongly condemned the detention of Pratasevich during a call with Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, according to a call summary released by the White House. The statement concluded with a warning that the U.S. will work with allies to hold Belarus accountable.

Mr. Sullivan cited the U.S. demand for the immediate release of Mr. Pratasevich and all political prisoners in Belarus, as well as the need for free and fair elections under OSCE observation to resolve the current crisis, the statement said. Finally, Mr. Sullivan made clear that the United States, in coordination with the EU and other allies and partners, will hold the Lukashenka regime to account.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden (L) shakes hands with then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 10, 2011. The pair are set to meet in Geneva in June 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Biden, Putin to Meet in Geneva: White House

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Switzerland next month, the White House confirmed on Tuesday.

The leaders will convene in Geneva on June 16 to discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the U.S.-Russia relationship, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a brief two-sentence statement, a day after she declined to confirm reports of the upcoming meeting.

The Kremlin said in a statement that the leaders would discuss bilateral ties, problems related to strategic nuclear stability, and other issues, including cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 and regional conflicts, Reuters reported.

The summit will be the first face-to-face affair between Biden and Putin since the former entered office in January.

Biden and Putin have spoken several times over the phone since then, including during Bidens first week in Congress. During an April 13 call, Biden proposed a summit meeting in a third country, according to a White House readout.

Biden has been confrontational with Putin and Russia, bringing up in the calls U.S. claims that Russia interfered in the 2020 election and questionable intelligence that alleged Russia offered bounties for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

He also voiced concerns over Russian military build-up in Crimea and on the borders with Ukraine, and broached the SolarWinds hack, which Russia was accused of facilitating.

President Joe Biden steps off Marine One on the ellipse in Washington on May 23, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin waves while walking along Red Square after a military parade on Victory Day, in central Moscow on May 9, 2021. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Biden imposed new sanctions on Russia in mid-April over malicious cyber activities against the United States and expelled Russian diplomats, prompting Russias expulsion of 10 U.S. diplomats. The Biden administration levied sanctions on Russian persons and entities in March after the Kremlin allegedly tried to kill opposition figure Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent. But the administration also waived sanctions on Russias Nord Stream 2 pipeline, drawing criticism from Republicans.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said recently that ties between the United States and Russia are worse than during Cold War times. In addition to the sanctions, Russian officials grew upset when Biden agreed with a news host this year that Putin is a killer.

Putin challenged Biden to a live debate, which he declined. Bidens team later doubled down on the killer assertion.

Former President Donald Trump met with Putin in July 2018 in Finland. Trump was friendly to Putin before, during, and after the meeting, but he and supporters noted that his administration was tough on Russia with actions like shutting down the Russian consulate in San Francisco, withdrawing from a nuclear missile treaty the Russians were not adhering to, and arming Ukraine.

Biden told State Department employees in Washington in February that he would present a different face to Russia.

I made it clear to President Putin, in a manner very different from my predecessor, that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russias aggressive actionsinterfering with our elections, cyberattacks, poisoning its citizensare over, Biden said.

We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our vital interests and our people. And we will be more effective in dealing with Russia when we work in coalition and coordination with other like-minded partners.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi (R) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken before their meeting in Jerusalem, on May 25, 2021. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken Pledges US Support to Rebuild Gaza, Prevent Return to War

JERUSALEMU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on a Middle East mission on Tuesday that Washington would rally support to rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to bolster a ceasefire between its Hamas terrorist rulers and Israel.

But Blinken made clear that the United States intended to ensure that Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organization, did not benefit from the humanitarian aida potentially difficult task in an enclave over which it has a strong grip.

Blinken began his regional visit in Jerusalem, where he held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader, speaking to reporters with the top U.S. diplomat at his side, threatened a very powerful response if Hamas renewed cross-border rocket strikes.

The truce, brokered by Egypt and coordinated with the United States, began on Friday after 11 days of the worst fighting between Palestinian terrorists and Israel in years. Now in its fifth day, it has been holding.

We know that to prevent a return to violence we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges, Blinken said.

And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild.

The United States, he said, would work to rally international support around that effort and make its own significant contributions, to be announced later in the day.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi (2nd-R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, on May 25, 2021. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

We will work with our partners, closely with all to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance, Blinken said about the group.

Blinken will be in the region through Thursday, and will also travel to Egypt and Jordan. In tandem with his visit, Israeli authorities allowed fuel, medicine, and food earmarked for Gazas private sector to enter the territory for the first time since the hostilities began on May 10.

Blinken, who said he hoped to rebuild relationships with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority, was due to meet Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank later in the day.

Negotiations between Israel and the Authority collapsed in 2014, and U.S. President Joe Bidens predecessor Donald Trump cut aid to the Palestinians while promoting a plan that would leave Israel in control of many of the settlements it has built in the West Bank.

Two States

But while Biden has said a two-state solution was the only answer to resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict, U.S. officials have suggested it was too early for wider peace talks.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he departs to visit Israel and West Bank, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on May 24, 2021. (Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)

Israel is in political flux after four inconclusive elections in two years, and the Palestinians are divided by enmity between Hamas and Abbas, who holds sway in the West Bank.

Blinken said he and Netanyahu discussed other steps that need to be taken by leaders on both sides to set a better course for Israelis and Palestinians.

As President Biden said, we believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely, to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity, and democracy, to be treated with dignity, Blinken said.

At least 253 people were killed in Gaza and more than 1,900 wounded, Palestinian health authorities said, during the fighting that saw hundreds of Israeli airstrikes.

The Israeli military put the death toll in Israel at 13, with hundreds treated for injuries after rocket salvoes caused panic and sent people as far away as Tel Aviv rushing into shelters.

Commercial buildings, residential towers, and private houses across the Gaza Strip, where 2 million people live, were damaged or destroyed by the time the ceasefire was announced.

In Gaza, Palestinian officials estimated reconstruction costs at tens of millions of dollars. Israel has blockaded the territory since 2007, in what Palestinians condemn as collective punishment. Egypt also maintains restrictions on its border with Gaza. Both countries cite security concerns for the measures.

A ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, controlled by the Palestinian Hamas terrorists, on May 15, 2020. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)

Family and friends, including Israeli soldiers, mourn over the flag-covered coffin of Israeli soldier Omer Tabib, who was killed during cross-border fighting with Gaza, at his funeral in Eliakim, Israel, on May 13, 2021. (Avishag Shar-Yashuv/Reuters)

Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians, including members of Abu Hatab family, who were killed amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, during their funeral near the remains of a building destroyed in Israeli airstrikes, at the Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, on May 15, 2021. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Israel says airstrikes hit legitimate military targets and that it did its utmost to avoid civilian casualties, including giving prior warnings when it was about to strike residential buildings that it said also had a military use.

The hostilities were set off in part by Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and clashes with Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Violence between Arabs and Jews also erupted in some Israeli cities, and Blinken said he discussed the inter-communal unrest with Netanyahu.

Healing these wounds will take leadership at every level, Blinken said, echoing Bidens condemnation of what the secretary of state called a shocking eruption of antisemitic attacks in the United States itself.
Plastic containers containing packages of methamphetamine are seized at Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego County, Calif., on May 18, 2021. (Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Border Agents Seize $2.5 Million Worth of Meth in Shipment of Watermelons

Over 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine that were hidden inside a shipment of watermelons in California were seized by border officials, authorities said.

The drug bust happened on May 18 at Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego County and was the second significant seizure discovered by officials within the same week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a press release.

CBP officers arrested a 47-year-old Mexican man for allegedly smuggling the narcotics in the truck he was driving.

The man was taken into custody after agents screened his truck and found the drugs. Officials said the estimated street price of the narcotics confiscated totaled a value of approximately $2.5 million.

Methamphetamine seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego County, Calif., on May 18, 2021. (Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

During the exam, a CBP canine team screened the tractor-trailer and alerted to the shipment of watermelons, the agency said. CBP officers searched the cargo and discovered a combination of 193 wrapped plastic containers and packages of methamphetamine concealed within the watermelon crates.

The driver of the truck has since been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations.

He is facing federal charges and has been transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego, authorities said.

CBP officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility discovered more than 1,100lbs of meth hidden within a shipment of watermelons on May 18 after a canine team alerted to the shipment. The estimated street value of the meth is approximately $2.5M. Read: https://t.co/F1eklDeBup pic.twitter.com/YpYr66kdTn  CBP (@CBP) May 24, 2021

We dont frequently see seizures of this size, but they are certainly a risk in the cargo environment, said Anne Maricich, acting CBP director of field operations in San Diego. Stopping over 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine is a critical act for the security and health of our nation.

In addition to the arrest and the narcotics that were seized, CBP also confiscated the tractor-trailer.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), methamphetamine is readily available on the streets of U.S. cities and is largely smuggled across the southwestern border with Mexico.

Former President Donald Trump and his administration made opioid addiction and the monitoring of emerging drug threats a priority during his presidency.

Flanked by lawmakers and first lady Melania Trump, President Donald Trump participates in a bill signing to dedicate more resources to fight the opioid crisis during an East Room event at the White House on Oct. 24, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also introduced the Methamphetamine Response Act last August, requiring the Office of National Drug Control Policy to designate methamphetamine as an emerging drug threat.

For years, meth has taken lives and destroyed families across America, particularly in the Midwest, Grassley said. Though this drug is not new, drug traffickers are finding new and harmful ways to increase meths potency and distribution, spiking overdose rates.

Feinstein stressed that the methamphetamine problem should be addressed by a whole-of-government plan to best combat the emerging threat.

Masooma Haq contributed to this report.

From NTD News
In this image from Myawaddy TV, a photograph shown during a news report showing the appearance of deposed Burma leader Aung San Suu Kyi, former President Win Myint, sitting 3rd from right, and former Naypyitaw Council chairman Dr. Myo Aung before a special court, shown while a report about Suu Kyi's case is read by a news presenter in Naypyitaw, Burma, on May 24, 2021. (Myawaddy TV via AP)

Burmas Suu Kyi Makes First In-person Court Appearance Since Coup

BANGKOKAung San Suu Kyi, the ousted leader of Burma (also known as Myanmar), appeared in court in person on Monday for the first time since the military arrested her when it seized power on Feb. 1.

Burma state television MRTV broadcast on its evening news program the first photo of Suu Kyi, 75, since the coup. It showed her sitting straight-backed in a small courtroom, wearing a pink face-mask, her hands folded in her lap. Alongside her were her two co-defendants, former President Win Myint and Myo Aung, the former mayor of Naypyitaw, Burmas capital.

One of their lawyers, Min Min Soe, told The Associated Press by phone that the three were able to meet with their defense team for about 30 minutes before the hearing began at a special court set up inside Naypyitaws city council building.

Suu Kyis only previous court appearances have been by video link and she had not been allowed to meet in person with any of her lawyers.

Min Min Soe said Suu Kyi wanted to tell Burmas people that her National League for Democracy party will stand by them.

She said that since the NLD was founded for the people, the NLD will exist as long as the people exist, Min Min Soe said after the hearing. She appeared to be referring to the ruling juntas threat to dissolve the party.

U.N. special envoy for Burma, Christine Schraner Burgener, called the militarys attempt to ban the NLD unacceptable.

I also hope the NLD will survive because this is the will of the people, she told a virtual press conference at U.N. headquarters in New York, noting that the NLD received 82 percent of the vote in Novembers election.

Khin Maung Zaw, head of Suu Kyis legal team, said she seems fit and alert and smart, as always.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is always confident in herself, and she is confident in her cause and confident in the people, he said, using an honorific for a respected older woman.

Thein Hlaing Tun, a lawyer representing Myo Aung, was arrested after the hearing on a charge of spreading information that could cause unrest.

Mondays hearing was largely procedural. The defense lawyers said their discussions with Suu Kyi involved all the charges against her. State television said the hearing concerned the charge against all three defendants of spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest.

Suu Kyi also faces two counts of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly violating COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign; illegally importing walkie-talkies that were for her bodyguards use; and unlicensed use of the radios.

The most serious charge that Suu Kyi faces is breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment, but that is being handled by a separate court.

Suu Kyis supporters say the proceedings are politically motivated and are meant to discredit her and legitimize the militarys seizure of power. If convicted of any of the offenses, she could be banned from running in the election that the junta has pledged to hold within one or two years of its takeover.

Also Monday, an American journalist working for a Burma news magazine was detained at Yangons airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Malaysia. Frontier Myanmar said it does not know why its managing editor, Danny Fenster, was detained. The junta has arrested about 80 journalists, roughly half of whom remain detained awaiting charges or trial.

The military ousted Suu Kyis government after her party won a landslide victory in a general election last November that would have given it a second five-year term in office. Before the start of democratic reforms a decade ago, Burma was ruled by the military for 50 years.

The junta claims it was justified in taking power because of alleged widespread election fraud, especially irregularities in voting lists. The Asian Network for Free Elections, a non-partisan poll watching organization, in a report issued last week rejected the militarys allegations of massive fraud, saying the results of the voting were representative of the will of the people.

The junta has accused Suu Kyi of corruption and presented on state television what it said was evidence that she took bribes, but has so far only said it intends to pursue charges for that offense. Her lawyers dismiss the allegations.

Several cases are also pending against other senior members of Suu Kyis party.

According to Burmas Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been keeping a detailed tally of arrests and deaths since the coup, almost 4,300 people are in detention, including 95 who have already been sentenced.

Resistance to military rule is widespread. About 100 young people gathered Monday in a lightning protest in Yangon, the countrys biggest city, carrying banners and chanting pro-democracy slogans before hurriedly dispersing.

Flash mobs have replaced the mass demonstrations that were held in February and March because of the deadly response of security forces.

According to the Assistance Association, 818 protesters and bystanders have been killed by security personnel since the coup.

Junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said in an interview last week with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television that the death toll had been exaggerated and was actually about 300, and that 47 police had been killed and more then 200 injured..

Most resistance to the junta is still non-violent, particularly in a boycott of public schools, but armed resistance appears to be growing.

There are reports virtually every day of small homemade explosives being set off in Yangon and elsewhere, and of some killings of alleged informers and local administrators appointed by the junta.

Reports on social media over the weekend said there was heavy fighting between security forces and members of a grassroots anti-junta Peoples Defense Force in Kayah statealso known as Karenni statein eastern Burma. Such reports, especially in remote areas, are difficult to independently verify.

As many as 40 members of the security forces were killed in joint attacks launched by the Peoples Defense Force and ethnic Karenni guerrillas, online news services The Irrawaddy and Myanmar Now reported. The Irrawaddy also said four civilians were killed when artillery fired by government forces hit a Catholic church in Kayah.
The facade of the headquarters of the African Union (AU) is pictured in Addis Ababa on March 13, 2019. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

China Expands Influence in Africa by Building Government Facilities, West Starting to Counter

In mid-May, China invested $35 million in Kenya to build a new foreign ministry building. Its the latest in a series of investments and grants given by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to African countries, which allows the regime to expand its political and economic influence in the continent.

Chinas investment offers, mainly through its Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI), have been widely criticized for setting up debt traps for recipient countries, along with accusations of espionage and infiltration. The West has now started to take counter measures.

Southern China Morning Post noted on May 23 that the CCP has been focusing on funding and building government buildings for African countries, which has aroused suspicion from the international community.

Currently, the $80 million new headquarters for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is funded by China, is under construction in the south of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Despite the U.S. governments warning in February 2020 that a China-funded and constructed CDC will be used by the regime to steal African genetic data, construction started in December 2020.

According to The Heritage Foundation, China was involved in the building of more than 186 government buildings across 40 of 54 African countries. Even the African Union (AU) headquarters, located in Ethiopia, was fully financed and built by China.

In 2018, French newspaper Le Monde first revealed that AU technicians discovered that between 2012 and 2017, the Chinese-built African Union headquarters had been transmitting AUs confidential data to Shanghai daily through the buildings IT network using servers provided by Chinese company Huawei.

Despite that, in 2019, AU signed deals with Huawei to expand the use of its technology and equipment in building 5G networks, artificial intelligence and cloud computing, and others.

China has developed 70 percent of Africas 4G networks, and even built sensitive intra-governmental communications networks for 14 African countries.

In recent years, Chinas communist regime has lent billions of dollars to African states while building roads, railways, ports, power stations, internet networks, government buildings in an effort to bring the continent under its influence, according to UK media reports. The regime has also been building military bases in Africa, such as in Djibouti.

Chinese Peoples Liberation Army personnel attend the opening ceremony of Chinas new military base in Djibouti on Aug. 1, 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Image)

The Chinese loans are mostly offered through BRI, which is Chinese leader Xi Jinpings grand foreign policy project that he launched in 2013. It aims to extend the CCPs economic and political influence to countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa by recreating ancient Chinas silk road and maritime silk road for trading in the 21st century. The BRI invests Chinese capital in the construction of various high-cost infrastructure projects in more than 60 participating countries.

At least 28 African countries have signed a BRI agreement with China, according to Chinese state-run media Xinhua.

Recently, the United States and its allies have started to take measures to counter Chinas expansion in Africa. In a Group of Seven (G7) meeting of foreign ministers in early May, Western countries highlighted the CCPs ambitions and security threats for the nations of Africa and Latin America, and suggested that the West extend partnerships to the countries with concrete offers of cooperation.

On May 22, a group of telecommunications companies funded by a U.S. foreign-aid agency and led by the U.K.s Vodafone Group won the contract to build 5G network for Ethiopia, beating Chinese state-owned companies Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp.
Police officers perform a new goose-stepping march, the same style used by police and troops on the Chinese mainland, at the city's police college during an open day to mark the National Security Education Day in Hong Kong on April 15, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

China Picks Wolf Warrior Diplomat to Oversee Hong Kongs Foreign Affairs

Former Chinese Ambassador to Poland Liu Guangyuan was recently appointed by Beijing to be special commissioner in Hong Kong, replacing Xie Feng, who will be the new deputy foreign minister of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Chinese state media claimed that Liu in his new role will continue to resist external pressure and sanctions as a top CCP official in the special administrative region (SAR)a former British colony beset with political turmoil due to Beijings interference.

A position specifically established within Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the special commissioner in Hong Kong is responsible for handling foreign affairs related to Hong Kong.

According to the HKSAR special commissioners official website, Liu has served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1986. He served as the CCPs deputy consul general in San Francisco from 2000 to 2002, as the Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the United States from 2007 to 2010, representative of the United Nations Environment Programme and permanent representative to the U.N. Human Settlements Programme from 2010 to 2014, Director of the Foreign Security Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2018, and the Chinese Ambassador to Poland from 2018 to 2021.

Chinese diplomats have increasingly been taking an aggressive and confrontational approach in recent years in an attempt to defend the CCPs interests. The style has been dubbed Wolf Warrior diplomacy, modeled after the popular Wolf Warrior movie that eulogizes the CCP and its fighting spirit. Liu is known as one of the most aggressive Wolf Warrior diplomats.

During his tenure as Chinese ambassador to Poland, Liu frequently defended the CCPs handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and 5G programs when facing criticism from the U.S. Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher.

For instance, in an opinion piece for Onet in March 2020, the largest news portal in Poland, Mosbacher criticized the CCP for concealing the outbreak of the pandemic and later shared his remarks on Twitter. Liu launched an attack on the United States by penning his own article for Onet, claiming that Mosbacher was spreading a political virus.

In July 2020, Mosbacher reposted articles by U.S. State Department officials on Twitter, saying that CCP-controlled telecom companies cannot be trusted to tell the truth or protect the interests of others and should not be trusted with the vital security of 5G networks.

In response, Liu immediately posted 17 tweets, fiercely berating Mosbacher and the U.S. government.

Shortly after Liu was appointed as the new special commissioner in Hong Kong, Chinese authorities stated through an official channel that Liu will continue to resist foreign pressure and sanctions, so as to safeguard the interests of the Chinese Communist Party.

Li Yanming, a current affairs commentator in the United States and an expert on China issues, told The Epoch Times that the CCP picked Liu because he had served as a diplomat in the United States before and had openly confronted the United States.

The CCP is counting on Liu to implement its Hong Kong policies to destroy the citys democratic system, force the SAR government to completely comply with the central government, and resist the U.S.-led Western countries from exerting influence on Hong Kong, Li said.
Chinas Snub of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Is Our Problem, and Beijings

Commentary

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has repeatedly requested, since Bidens presidency, a meeting with Chinas top military officer, only to be rebuffed, according to information revealed by U.S. defense officials in a May 21 Financial Times report. Beijings snub of Mr. Austin is being interpreted by some, optimistically, as a petty bureaucratic rivalry. However, the dispute indicates dangerously self-defeating behavior on the part of both Beijing and Washington D.C., just as military tensions are increasing between the United States and allies on one side, and China and its allies, on the other.

The United States is showing weakness by seeking military meetings with China, and China is broadcasting aggression through its imperious approach to Americas leading defense official. The combination sets conditions for a Chinese overstep, and American militarized response.

Tensions with China include those over Taiwan, the South and East China Seas, Chinas territorial transgressions against India, Myanmar (Burma), and Bhutan, Chinas kidnapping of foreigners, including the approximately 900-day illegal detention of Canadas Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uyghur genocide, and continued intellectual property theft from the United States valued as high as $600 billion annually. Xi Jinping appears particularly focused against Taiwan, whose air defense identification zone (ADIZ) suffered a record number of Chinese military incursions in March. This year, Chinas air force simulated attacks on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier.

The list of U.S. and allied grievances with Beijing is so high as to increase frustration significantly in Washington, and in particular at the Pentagon. The U.S. militarys strength, along with its commitment to human rights, a system of free and independent nation-states, and international law, give it a special responsibility to protect Americans and world order, which it has been attempting to do against would-be dictators from Joseph Stalin in the 1930s to Saddam Hussein and the Taliban in the 21st century.

China should be jumping at the chance to engage with Bidens top defense official, if nothing else to gauge his level of frustration and the risk of war. Yet, Beijing is not only skipping the opportunity to meet Mr. Austin, but humiliating him and his team, including President Biden, publicly.

Mr. Austins imbroglio indicates that Xi Jinping is not reversing his belligerent course. Since Biden became president, Xi has publicly threatened war against Taiwan, and against the United States in an only slightly more veiled manner. The public nature of Xis threats is relatively new, though according to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, he made a private threat against the U.S. ally in 2017.

According to the Financial Times, Secretary Austin made three requests to speak directly with General Xu Qiliang, Chinas most senior military official. Three individuals briefed on the matter said China refused to engage. A U.S. defense official told the FT, The Chinese military has not been responsive to requests for an Austin-Xu meeting. Instead, the regime offered Mr. Austin a lower-ranking officer, Wei Fenghe, who does not sit on the 25-member ruling politburo.

Chinese vice chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang attends the opening ceremony of the National Peoples Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2016. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also not spoken to his counterpart since early January, just before Joe Biden was sworn in as president.

Chinas bureaucratic protocol issues with meeting U.S. military officials appears to be a persistent problem. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Heino Klinck told the Financial Times that agreement on protocol for meetings with China was always challenging. Klinck, who has eight years of experience living and working in the Asia-Pacific area, attributed the bureaucratic impasse to the different military structures of the two countries. I disagree.

More likely, China is attempting to intimidate, or assert symbolic dominance over, the United States by withholding its top leadership from meetings with the top leadership of the United States and other countries. By doing so, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seeks to establish that the United States and other countries are subordinate, not equal, to China. Exceptions are made when countries are particularly submissive, in which case Xi Jinping and his top lieutenants might grant an audience. Exceptions can also be made towards powers seen as dangerous or highly necessary to China.

That domineering approach would be consistent with Chinas historical view of itself as the central kingdom (zhongguo, ) ruling over all under heaven (tianxia, ). There is a blurring of the concept of the Chinese state, and the world, here, that clashes with Western notions of the clearly-demarcated system of Westphalian states, but does not clash with the imperialism that, since the early-to-mid 20th century, the United States and allies have rejected.

The terms Chinese and China are also subject to a historical fluidity that unfortunately allows intellectually for China to claim new territories and peoples, for example Tibetans and Uyghurs, and turn them into Chinese living in China. Americans and other liberal Westerners have done the same in their own territories, for example against Native Americans in the 19th century, but less so in and after the 20th century.

Conversely, Xi Jinping appears to still be living in a 19th-century world in which might makes right, and in which he has a chance at avenging past wrongs against China by returning the country to its rightful place as the central kingdom of a global empire. Beijing does not seem to demonstrate equal respect for other members of the international system, especially its neighbors, and is using incrementalism (the salami slicing tactic identified by Thomas Schelling) to take their territory. Chinas recent protocol issues with the Pentagon are indicative of the Xi regimes imperialistic mindset.

But the CCPs snub of Mr. Austin is also a mistake of our own making. The Secretary should never have sought a meeting in the first place. Neither should former Secretary of Defense James Mattis have done so in 2018, when he managed to meet Xu Qiliang in Beijing. The Pentagons readout of that meeting notes that Secretary Mattis acknowledged potential areas of cooperation, including shared interest in the denuclearization of North Korea. There was no mention of a like interest in cooperation by Mr. Xu.

U.S. secretaries of defense who placate foreign enemies with meetings broadcast weakness, and open themselves up to compromise. Mr. Mattis, for example, is now working for Cohen Group, which is led by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. The group opened two offices in China in 2006 and 2007. Mr. Austins apparent desperation to meet with Chinese officials could be seen by Xi Jinping as a similar attempt at obtaining personal gain.

The better American military approach to the Xi regime is to leave diplomacy to the State Department, and if China gets too close, prepare for battle. This is the image we need of our military. Aloof and dangerous. Thats the only way to retain the CCPs respect and keep it at a distance. When they come asking for a meeting, refuse.

Against a highly aggressive adversary like Beijing, projecting strength includes inspiring fear in the enemy. Xi understands the tactic only too well. As should be clear from the recent snub of Mr. Austin, Beijing is starting to use it against us.

Anders Corr has a bachelors/masters in political science from Yale University (2001) and a doctorate in government from Harvard University (2008). He is a principal at Corr Analytics Inc., publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, and has conducted extensive research in North America, Europe, and Asia. He authored The Concentration of Power (forthcoming in 2021) and No Trespassing, and edited Great Powers, Grand Strategies.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yuan Longping, who is lauded in state media as the father of hybrid rice, poses for a photo at a hybrid rice planting field in Changsha city, Hunan Province, on June 20, 2006. (Guang Niu/Getty Images)

Chinese Regime Detains Detractors of the Hybrid Rice Hero

Last weekend, while social media platforms across China were flooded with posts mourning the death of Yuan Longping, lauded as Chinas father of hybrid rice, some dissident voices did not escape from the Chinese regimes clutches.

Chinas top agricultural expert Yuan, who is praised in state media for developing the worlds first high-yield hybrid rice strain, died of organ failure in a hospital in the southern city of Changsha on May 22. He was 91.

Yuans death prompted a spate of coverage in state media, and Chinas social media platforms were also overwhelmed by tributes. But at least five people were arrested in a day for posting remarks against Yuan on Chinas social media platforms. In addition, Chinas Twitter-like Weibo shut down 64 accounts for insulting comments, according to an official account.

On May 22, Beijing authorities announced that a netizen, who goes by the user name nanwanshanxia, was detained due to disrespectful comments posted in a WeChat group.

An 18-year-old man surnamed Jia, who posted three critical comments on Weibo at around 2 p.m. and then deleted them 8 minutes later, was arrested by police officers in the eastern Rizhao city of Shandong Province, later that day.

Police in the port city of Tianjin in northern China said a 38-year-old man surnamed Li was detained for posting insulting remarks on his WeChat Moments.

Later, police from the port city of Xiamen in the southeast and Jiangsu, an eastern province, made similar announcements.

These local authorities alleged that netizens comments had caused bad impacts on the society, although they werent widely circulated since the accounts were shut down soon after.

The statement said there would be no tolerance for voices criticizing national heroes and martyrs, and the authorities would deal severely with those comments.

Since May 2018, a new law that criminalizes anyone deemed to have defamed the reputation and honor of the ruling partys canon of heroes and martyrs in violation of public security has come into effect. Furthermore, the enactment of the law bans questioning the narrative about the revolutionary martyrs or their heroic deeds or spirits.

Last year, a 19-year-old Chinese citizen was charged with defaming heroes and martyrs by Chinese police for questioning the death toll during the June 2020 China-India border clash on social media platforms.

According to the state media China Daily, the agriculture scientist Yuan had been in the hospital since March after falling at a research base in Sanya city of southern Hainan Province. He was transferred to a hospital in Changsha in April.
Donnie Claycomb, 27, of Limestone, West Virginia., who has been mining for 6 years, stands in front of an American flag prior to an event with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt at the Harvey Mine in Sycamore, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 2017. (Justin Merriman/Getty Images)

Climate Change and the Energy Transition Demand a US Mining Revolution

Commentary

Today, the data shows a looming mismatch between the worlds strengthened climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals that are essential to realizing those ambitions, says Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Yet, the United States and the world are in the midst of a great energy transition to fight climate changeone intended as a complete transformation of our energy sector, from production to transportation to utilization. We are told that this journey will help us move away from oil, coal, and natural gas to a world dominated by windmills, solar panels, and electric cars.

This will surely be a herculean challenge: oil, coal, and gas meet over 80 percent of Americas current energy needs, while wind and solar supply just 4 percent. The United States has over 270 million cars that run on oil; it has just 2 million that use electricity.

The hard truth: an energy system powered by these green technologies differs enormously from one fueled by traditional hydrocarbon resources. It goes routinely unmentioned, for instance, that the energy transition will require an immense mining revolution for the raw materials needed to manufacture green-energy technologies.

Renewables and electric cars are far more mineral-intensive than their conventional counterpartsso much so that many green-energy advocates have been forced to contradict their own positions because they opposed large-scale mining and mineral extraction.

The IEAs new report, The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions (pdf), explains all this quite clearly. The IEA notes that a typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car, and an onshore wind plant requires nine times more mineral resources than a natural gas-fired power plant. Demand for a long list of minerals is already starting to surge as clean-energy transitions gain momentum.

The types of minerals required vary by technology. In terms of improving performance, longevity, and energy density, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite are key to the batteries used in electric cars and the backup-storage systems needed to compensate for the natural intermittency of wind and solar power. The 17 listed rare-earth elements are integral for permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric car motors. More quietly but just as importantly, these critical materials are also ingrained in the technologies that enable the U.S. national security apparatus.

Since 2010, the average amount of minerals needed for a new unit of power generation capacity has increased by 50 percentand thats just to bring wind and solar to a 10 percent share of the worlds electricity (and 4 percent of all energy).

The changes needed for the world to meet net-zero carbon by 2050 are simply staggering. Per the IEA:

By 2030, the world must add more than 1,000 gigawatts of wind and solar power capacity annuallyonly slightly less than the entire electric power system in the United States uses today.

Electric passenger cars must reach 60 percent of new sales by 2030, while half of heavy trucks purchased by 2035 must be electrical.

Indeed, a global energy transition like the one President Joe Biden insists upon will send the need for critical materials skyrocketing by 2040:

Lithium: +4,200 percent

Graphite: +2,500 percent

Nickel: +1,900 percent

Rare-earths: +700 percent

The United States is setting itself up for major geopolitical risk: according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, China provides more than 85 percent of the worlds rare-earths and holds 67 percent of the global supply of scarce metals and minerals. The United States itself imports some 80 percent of its rare-earths from China.

China also controls the supply chains, utilizing its widening Belt and Road Initiative that now encompasses 45 countries (more aptly termed partners). We have already seen the devastation that such Chinese supply dominance can bring. If we dont start thinking more strategically, we are on a path toward cartel dependence. Given the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this is a possibility that we simply cannot afford.

Americas energy transition must therefore center on a domestic mining revolution.

Since 2008, the shale revolution has demonstrated how quickly we can transform energy markets through advanced technologies. As RealClear showed in October, expanding our mining capabilities enjoys bipartisan support. The United States has far more stringent environmental regulations and standards for ethically responsible mining than our competitors. Congo, for example, the worlds main supplier of the cobalt critical for electric cars, uses child labor. China uses forced labor for the production of solar panels.

Thus, a U.S. mining and manufacturing revolution for renewables and electric cars should be strongly promoted by private firms like BlackRock, and by foundations and NGOs that claim to care so much about environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) (pdf).

Biden has linked his American Jobs Plan to green energy, but his vision wont materialize without the necessary raw materials. It has been projected that the United States has access to $6 trillion$7 trillion in mineral resources, but we need a more streamlined permitting process.

For example, large lithium resources have been identified in Arkansas, California, Nevada, North Carolina, and Utah. The IEA wants the United States to start massive domestic development now: todays mineral supply and investment plans fall far short of whats needed to transform the energy sector, raising the risk of delayed or more expensive energy transitions. Higher costs will erode public support. Renewables are already confronting input issues from various angles.

Extracting the raw materials and manufacturing the technologies here at home must become a non-negotiable pillar of Americas energy and climate goals. It is a project that deserves the support of both Democrats and Republicans.

From RealClearWire.

Jude Clemente is the editor at RealClearEnergy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 01:19:44|Editor: huaxia

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Rescuers prepare to transfer passengers injured in a metro train collision in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 24, 2021. Over 200 people were injured, including 47 suffering serious injuries, as two metro light rail trains collided in a tunnel in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, media reports said. (Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 200 people were wounded, including 47 suffering serious injuries, as two metro light rail trains collided in a tunnel in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur on Monday, media reports said.

The accident happened around 8:30 p.m. local time as an empty train collided head-on with another one carrying 232 people on the Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit (LRT) line at an underground section near the KLCC station outside the Petronas Towers, media reports quoted Malaysian transport minister Wee Ka Siong as saying.

The minister told a press conference at the station that 166 people suffered light injuries while 47 where seriously injured, adding that some of the injured were sent to hospital.

The empty train was on a test run, the minister said.

He said the incident was the first of its kind in the LRT's 23-year history, adding that a special panel will be formed to probe the collision.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on social media that he was informed of the accident and that security and emergency officers are on the scene.

The prime minister said he has ordered an investigation into the accident. Enditem
Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 6, 2021. (Matt York/AP Photo)

Company Involved in Maricopa County Ballot Audit Departs After Contract Expired: Audit Spokesman

A technology company that assisted in the Maricopa County, Arizona, ballot audit has departed, although state Senate President Karen Fann said the firm completed its obligations under their contract. Officials said a new tech company based in Arizona has now taken up the responsibilities.

The contract with Wake Technology Services Inc. (Wake TSI), a company based in Pennsylvania, ended May 14, the original completion date for the hand count. The firm chose not to renew the contract, said Andy Pullen, an audit spokesperson and former Arizona GOP chairman, told The Arizona Republic.

They were done, he said of Wake TSI, without elaborating. They didnt want to come back.

Several days ago, reports said that Wake TSI previously carried out an audit in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, at the request of Republican state Sens. Doug Mastriano and Judy Ward. The lawmakers had asked county officials to allow Wake to conduct the rural Pennsylvania countys audit, according to Ward, who told the Arizona Mirror that she passed their request to county officials on Mastrianos behalf. Mastriano notably was heavily involved in November 2020 in pushing the state Legislature to make a bid to overturn Pennsylvanias election certification in favor of former President Donald Trump.

Pullen added that Scottsdale, Arizona-based company StratTech Solutions has taken over Wake TSIs hand count process and is using Wake TSIs procedures.

Fann, a Republican, suggested that the move was routine and said the firm completed its obligations under its contract with the state.

They finished up with their contract, so they dont need to be there anymore, she said, according the Republic.

The GOP-led state Senates liaison for the audit, Ken Bennett, said earlier this month that Wake TSI probably [has] two to 300 people that are under their employ or volunteers. Pullen responded to Bennetts statement on Tuesday and said that many of the same people will work under StratTech Solutions, according to the paper.

Wake TSI, StratTech Solutions, Fanns office, and Bennetts team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The news about Wake TSIs departure came as workers in Maricopa resumed their audit of 2.1 million ballots that were cast in the county during the Nov. 3, 2020, election. Approximately 500,000 ballots from the nearly 2.1 million cast in Maricopa County in the presidential election have been reviewed by the audit team, which was hired by the state Senate.

The Arizona Senate has control of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix through June 30 to complete the audit, according to an agreement obtained by The Epoch Times.

We have a lot more tables and people that they trained during the one week off, and so we think the throughput is going to pick up significantly, Bennett had told The Epoch Times. We have the coliseum this last week of May and all of June, so were confident that we can get it done during that time.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

Note: The headline and lead paragraph were updated for clarity to reflect that another company, StratTech Solutions, is now taking Wake TSIs responsibilities. The Epoch Times regrets any confusion the original headline may have caused.
Two U.S. Marshals stand on a building as they look out toward the city in a file photo. (Illustration - Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock)

Connecticut State Senator Surrenders to US Marshals in Campaign Fraud Case: Feds

A Democratic Connecticut state senator and a former Bridgeport Board of Education chairwoman surrendered to the U.S. Marshals Service and were charged with wire fraud in a bid to allegedly obtain tens of thousands of dollars in campaign grants, officials said.

Dennis Bradley Jr., who was elected to the state Senate in 2018 and had served as the Democrats Deputy Majority Leader, and Jessica Martinezhis former campaign treasurersurrendered on federal charges to the Marshals Service in New Haven, according to a federal indictment (pdf) that was unsealed on Tuesday. Martinez had previously served as the citys Board of Education chairwoman.

Dennis Bradley Jr. and Jessica Martinez surrendered today to the U.S. Marshals Service in New Haven. An indictment is sealed pending their court appearances this afternoon, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Connecticut, Tom Carson, also confirmed to Fox61.

An eight-count federal indictment charged both Bradley and Martinez with conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements to fraudulently obtain or attempt to obtain nearly $180,000 in campaign grants. They pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In his 2018 campaign for State Senate, said DOJ prosecutors, Bradley, and other[s] entered into a conspiracy and scheme to defraud the Connecticut State Election Enforcement Commission, the Citizens Election Fund, and the State of Connecticut by making misrepresentations concerning Bradleys compliance with state election law and the Citizens Election Programs statutory restrictions and requirements in order to fraudulently obtain or attempt to obtain $179,850 in campaign grants.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney removed Bradley from his Senate committee assignments, he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Based on the current available information regarding Senator Bradley, I have taken a first step to protect the integrity of the State Senate, Looney, a Democrat, said in the statement.

Bradley had served as the Senate Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, Looney noted, and he named state Sen. Cathy Osten, a Democrat, to head the committee.

According to the DOJ, one of the co-conspirators was described as a senior Bradley campaign staffer who started in February 2018, another was described as a volunteer for his campaign, and the others were named as consultants who joined his campaign in February and March of 2018.

Bradley and Martinez were released on bonds in the amount of $300,000 and $250,000, respectively, said the DOJ.

Martinez was removed as the chairwoman of the Bridgeport Board of Elections in March 2020 but still serves on the board, reported the Connecticut Post. Bradley previously served as the chairman of the Bridgeport Board of Education from 2015 to 2019, resigning in 2019.

Bradley also worked as a lawyer for the Bradley, Denkovich, and Karayiannis Law Group. He represented Martinez in a case last year on unrelated charges involving a dispute with her boyfriend and was dismissed after she completed a 20-week pretrial domestic violence education program, the Post reported.

The Epoch Times has contacted Bradleys office for comment.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives before signing into law Senate Bill 7072 at Florida International University in Miami on May 24, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

DeSantis to Critics of CRT Ban: Florida Students Will Learn Historical Fact, Not Non-Empirical Ideology

Now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has banned Critical Race Theory from public schools, his critics are on notice that Floridas students will learn historical fact, not non-empirical ideology.

Gov. DeSantis critics often claim that his initiative would stop students from learning about racial discrimination in our states history, Executive Office of the Governor Press Secretary Christina Pushaw told The Epoch Times. Their claim is false. For illustration, last year, Gov. DeSantis signed legislation to include the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots in required instruction on African American history in Florida schools.

The bill, signed into law by DeSantis nearly a year ago, directs the Commissioner of Educations African American History Task Force to determine ways in which the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots will be included in required instruction on African-American history and encourages district school boards to assess naming opportunities for naming school facilities in recognition of victims of the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots.

The Ocoee Massacre, which took place in Ocoee, Florida, on Nov. 2-3, 1920, was the largest election-related massacre, resulting in over 50 deaths.

The Ocoee Election Day Riots are historical fact, Pushaw said, worthy of inclusion in the curriculum. By contrast, CRT is an unsubstantiated and non-empirical ideologythe opposite of factual.

Civic education can acknowledge dark moments in our nations history, while rejecting the premise of CRT, that America is a fundamentally evil, racist country, Pushaw emphasized. CRT advocates relentlessly focus on the negative aspects of American society and history but ignore any positive aspects.

Pushaw noted that DeSantis has made it clear that teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money.

The Florida Board of Education guides the implementation of policy around public K-12, community college and state college education in our state, Pushaw explained. The Department of Education will release more detailed information about plans to ensure that Florida schools are not indoctrinating children with destructive ideologies like CRT.

Using $106 million of Floridas portion of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund provided through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act, the Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative is the governors proposal to make Florida a national leader in civics education.

The Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative that Gov. DeSantis announced in March ensures that Floridas curriculum will expressly exclude CRT, Pushaw added.

The new program will reward Florida teachers who complete training and earn the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement with $3,000 bonuses.

Florida civics curriculum will incorporate foundational concepts with the best materials, DeSantis said during a March 17 press conference, and it will expressly exclude unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory and other unsubstantiated theories.

Teacher Gets Fired

A Duval County, Florida, teacher was recently terminated from her position as a Language Arts teacher at Robert E. Lee High School for refusing to comply with the governors ban of CRT by having what Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran described as an entire classroom memorialized to Black Lives Matter.

Governor DeSantis has made clear his position on CRT, It is divisive, irrational, and has no place in our classrooms, Pushaw said. CRT is rooted in Marxism, an anti-American ideology that has caused untold suffering and death everywhere it has been implemented.

Moreover, CRT teaches discrimination based on ethnicity and racial background. The governor has zero tolerance for state-sanctioned racism.

According to Rule 6A-10.081 of Floridas Administrative Code, teachers shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement, and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each student is protected from harassment or discrimination.

Concerns Over Textbooks

The governor is now considering ways to deal with textbooks that contain CRT, which have already been adopted in many Florida school districts for use when school resumes this fall.

Pushaw assured The Epoch Times she would follow up on the questions of how the governor will address the matter of the textbooks when those details become available in the next few weeks.

Florida Citizens Alliance is a volunteer-run 501c3 that advocates parental choice and K-12 education reform in Florida.

Im hopeful we can get the governor and Corcoran to recognize that simply saying theyre banning CRT isnt acceptable. Parents are smarter than that and theyre going to see through that pretty quickly. Its going to be a major embarrassment to the governor if they continue to proceed down the road with all of these school districts buying these books, founder Keith Flaugh told The Epoch Times.
District of Columbia Sues Amazon for Alleged Antitrust Violations

The District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against online retailing giant Amazon, accusing the Seattle-based company of using its market power to harm consumers.

Amazon is the worlds largest online retail platform. As of May 25, the company had a market capitalization of $1.63 trillion, and according to The Wall Street Journal, was close to completing a deal to acquire MGM, the Hollywood movie-making studio.

Amazon unlawfully uses price agreements to stifle competition, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Amazon has used its dominant position in the online retail market to win at all costs. It maximizes its profits at the expense of third-party sellers and consumers, while harming competition, stifling innovation, and illegally tilting the playing field in its favor, he said.

We filed this antitrust lawsuit to put an end to Amazons illegal control of prices across the online retail market. We need a fair online marketplace that expands options available to District residents and promotes competition, innovation, and choice.

The legal complaint in District of Columbia v. Amazon.com Inc. was filed May 25 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Civil Division, according to Racine.

Since Amazon was started, founder Jeff Bezos made it clear the company planned to forgo short-term profitability and instead expand its market share. Amazon now has an estimated 50 to 70 percent market share of online retail sales. The next two largest retail platforms, Walmart.com and eBay, each control only about 5 percent, according to the complaint.

Amazon controls an even larger market share of multi-seller online retail platforms, like Walmart.com and eBay. Amazon is, by far, the most-visited website for online retail shopping, with 2.6 billion visits in a single month. Sixty-six percent of consumers start their search for new products on Amazon, and a staggering 74% go directly to Amazon when they are ready to buy a specific product. Given its ubiquitous presence in the online retail sales market, Amazons business practices and decisions have an outsized effect on the U.S. economy.

The complaint alleges that Amazon is liable for four counts of violating the District of Columbias Antitrust Act. Specifically, the company is accused of forming both a horizontal agreement and a vertical agreement in restraint of trade, attempting monopolization, and illegally maintaining a monopoly. The D.C. government asks the court to order Amazon not to engage in anticompetitive conduct and to impose structural relief, which could include breaking up the company.

The complaint states that instead of enabling consumers to obtain the best products at the lowest prices, Amazon instead causes prices across the entire online retail sales market to be artificially inflated, both for products sold on Amazons online retail sales platform and on its competitors online retail sales platforms.

For years, Amazon has required that third-party sellers (TPSs) who want to sell their products on Amazons online retail sales platform execute its Business Solutions Agreement (BSA). Until at least 2019 in the United States, the BSA included a clause that explicitly prohibited TPSs from offering their products on a competing online retail sales platform, including the TPSs own website, at a lower price or on better terms than the TPS offered the products on Amazon. This prohibition was called the price parity provision (PPP), the complaint states.

By means of this anticompetitive restraint, Amazon suppressed competition from other online retail sales platforms, such as eBay, Walmart, and even the TPSs own websites and artificially raised the price of goods to consumers across the online retail sales market, because TPSs were forced to incorporate Amazons high fees and costs into their product prices not only when selling on Amazon, but also when selling across the entire online retail sales market by virtue of the PPP.

The resultant higher prices hurt competition and consumers as well as reduced consumer choice, innovation, and competition among online retail sales platforms, as other online retail sales platforms were not able to use lower product prices to lure buyers and sellers to their competing online retail sales platform and capture some of Amazons dominant market share.

Amazon removed the PPP clause from its BSA in March 2019, replacing it with a similarly worded fair pricing policy. The policy allows the company to punish third-party sellers if they offer their product for a lower price on a competing website.

Amazon told The Epoch Times that Racine is mistaken.

The DC Attorney General has it exactly backwardssellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store, a corporate spokesperson said in a statement.

Amazon takes pride in the fact that we offer low prices across the broadest selection, and like any store, we reserve the right not to highlight offers to customers that are not priced competitively. The relief the AG seeks would force Amazon to feature higher prices to customers, oddly going against core objectives of antitrust law.
The seal of the United States Department of Justice is seen on the building exterior of the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, N.Y., on Aug. 17, 2020. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

DOJ to Appeal Court Ruling to Release Memo Related to Trump Obstruction Decision

The Justice Department told a federal court on Monday that it intends to partially appeal a ruling requiring the release of a legal memorandum prepared by the Trump-era Justice Department for then-Attorney General William Barr to assist in his decision on whether to prosecute then-President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice during the Mueller special counsel investigation.

DOJ attorneys on late Monday filed a Notice of Appeal and a request to partially stay the court order while the case plays out. In their request, the attorneys said they were willing to release the entirety of the first page and a section of the March 24, 2019, internal memo but asked for the other redacted portions to remain hidden from the public.

The attorneys explained (pdf) that the department may have incorrectly described the nature of the decisional process that Barr was engaged in when he referred to the memo in their filings, adding that it was the imprecision in its description of the decisional process is what led to the court to determine that the memo should not be protected by the deliberative process privilege.

The department withheld the March 24, 2019, memo, claiming that it should be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act because it contained the private advice of lawyers and was produced prior to any decisions that were made.

A DOJ Office of Legal Counsel special counsel Paul Colborn said in a declaration in the court that the advice and analysis is predecisional because it was provided prior to the Attorney Generals decision in the matter, and it is deliberative because it consists of advice and analysis to assist the Attorney General in making that decision.

But U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, an Obama appointee, rejected the argument, saying that at the time Barr received the memo, he and the writers had a shared understanding over the decision not to prosecute Trump, and, therefore, the document wasnt predecisional.

The redacted portions of Section I reveal that both the authors and the recipient of the memorandum had a shared understanding concerning whether prosecuting the President was a matter to be considered at all, Jackson wrote (pdf), referring to the memo she had reviewed in private.

The review of the document reveals that the Attorney General was not then engaged in making a decision about whether the President should be charged with obstruction of justice; the fact that he would not be prosecuted was a given.

She also concluded that the memo represented strategic, as opposed to legal advice and would fall outside the scope of the exemption.

The judgment comes in a case brought by the nonprofit organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which had filed a public record request for information Barr had reviewed prior to his public announcement concerning special counsel Robert Muellers report on allegations that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

CREWs request was made after Barr told Congress on April 18, 2019, that the evidence produced by Mueller couldnt sufficiently establish that Trump had committed an obstruction of justice offense. Barr said at the time that he made the decision after carefully reviewing the facts and legal theories outlined in the report, and in consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel and other Department lawyers.

The organization was seeking the documents used in those consultations with department lawyers.

If the court rejects the request, the DOJ is also seeking to allow the redacted portions of the memo to remain hidden until the D.C. Circuit Court rules on a potential request to stay the district courts ruling pending appeal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, on May 25, 2021. (John Thys/Pool via AP)

EU Leaders Agree to Donate 100 Million Doses of Vaccines

BRUSSELSEU leaders agreed Tuesday to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations by the end of the year as supplies steadily rise across Europe.

Gathered in Brussels for a two-day summit, the 27 leaders backed a text in which they pledge to continue efforts to increase global vaccine production capacities in order to meet global needs.

Leaders also called for work to be stepped up to ensure global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and reiterated their support for the UN-backed COVAX program. COVAX aims to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 shots for low-and middle-income countries.

The program suffered a major setback last week when its biggest supplier, the Serum Institute of India, announced it would likely not export any more vaccines until the end of the year due to the COVID-19 crisis on the subcontinent.

Leaders acknowledged that vaccination has finally picked up across their continent following a painfully slow start compared with the successful drives in the United States, Britain, and Israel. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen presented data to the leaders suggesting that 300 million doses will have been delivered in the region by the end of May, with about 46 percent of the adult population in the bloc of 450 million getting at least a first dose of vaccine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, on May 25, 2021. (John Thys/Pool via AP)

But as vaccination campaigns continue to progress in the Western world, poorer countries are struggling to acquire supplies. During a health summit in Rome last week, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said that nearly 1.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered in over 180 countries worldwide. Yet only 0.3 percent were in low-income countries, while richer countries administered around 85 percent.

In addition to the donation of shots, leaders pledged to help countries in need to develop vaccine production locally.

It was unclear which vaccines from the EUs portfolio would be donated. Coronavirus vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency, the blocs drug regulator, include Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson.

The agreement came after the United States said earlier this month it will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world on top of a prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Leaders also welcomed the compromise found last week with European Union legislators for launching COVID-19 certificates before the height of the summer holiday season, a move aimed at boosting travel and tourism following the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.

The EU plans to have the trans-border passes up and running by July 1. They will be delivered to EU residents who can prove they have been vaccinated, as well as those who tested negative for the virus or have proof they recovered from COVID-19, and should serve to avoid quarantines and more testing upon arrival.

By Samuel Petrequin
F9 Actor John Cena Apologizes to China in Chinese for Calling Taiwan a Country

John Cena, a star in the newest Fast & Furious movie, published a video apologizing in Chinese, hours after Chinese state-run media criticized him for calling Taiwan a country.

Im really, really sorry! You must understand that I love and respect China and Chinese people, Cena said in Mandarin in a video posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo on May 25.

He said after being criticized, he was asked by many people to say sorry to the Chinese people using Mandarin, because I made a mistake in one interview.

Taiwan is the first country [in the world] that will screen Fast & Furious 9 (F9), Cena said on May 8 when he was interviewed by Taiwanese TVBS.

On May 24, the Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times posted a screenshot of the interview on Weibo and asserted that self-ruled Taiwan is a province of China.

Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution. But the Chinese regime claims the island as its own and has threatened to unify it by force in recent years, also utilizing psychological warfare tactics.

Chinas threats to invade Taiwan greatly undermine security across the Indo-Pacific region, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) told The Epoch Times in reaction to Cenas apology. Americans should recognize Taiwans autonomy instead of bowing to a country that has blatant disregard for international law and order.

(L-R) Sung Kang, Vin Diesel, Ludacris, John Cena, and Tyrese Gibson speak onstage during Universal Pictures Presents The Road To F9 Concert and Trailer Drop in Miami on Jan. 31, 2020. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Universal Pictures )

Apology

Cena offered an apology on May 25, but didnt mention Taiwan or discuss the details of his mistake.

I must say now that I did a lot of interviews for F9  Im very, very sorry for my mistake, Cena said. I must say now, [its] very, very, very, very, very important that I love and respect China and Chinese people.

Cena repeated the same sentence twice without mentioning Taiwan.

Cenas apology wasnt approved by some of his Chinese fans, who asked him to say Taiwan is part of China, and commented that you have to choose only one between the Chinese market and the Taiwan provincial market, I dont accept your apology.

The latest Fast & Furious movie premiered in China on May 21 and earned $59.1 million on its opening day, with nearly $136 million over the weekend.

The movie was planned to release in Taiwanwhere the movies director Justin Lin was bornon May 19, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Taiwanese media.

However, Vin Diesel, another F9 star actor, told another story.

Diesel told Chinese fans in English at the F9 China press conference on May 18: Early this year, we asked our studio to do something that they have never done before. We asked the studio to open Fast & Furious 9 in China first  That is our way to say Thank You, China for always being a part of the family.

Vin Diesel attends the premiere of Sony Pictures Bloodshot in Los Angeles on March 10, 2020. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Hollywood in China

China has the worlds largest movie market, but it isnt open to all movies. Any movie that wants to be released in China must pass strict censorship rules from the communist regime.

The rules require the movies story, footage, music, actors, and directors not to oppose the CCPs propaganda system.

The best picture winner of the 93rd Academy Awards, Nomadland, was censored in China because the movies Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao told Filmmaker magazine in 2013 that her home country was a place where there are lies everywhere when she was growing up.

Hollywood film producer Chris Fenton wrote in his book Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business that the end of the 2013 movie World War Z included scenes that promote communist China out of concern the movie wouldnt pass the Chinese regimes censorship rules.

But despite Fentons expectation, World War Z wasnt allowed to be released in China even after the distributor Paramount removed all China-related clips. It may be because the original story that the movie is based on is a 2006 zombie novel where a plague from China causes a global pandemic.

Pen America published a report in August 2020 titled Made in Hollywood, Censored in Beijing. James Tager, the lead author, wrote: The influence of Chinese [regimes] censorship has seeped into the U.S. filmmaking industry, imposing a threat to the kinds of films that can be made and the stories that can be told.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Facts Matter (May 24): Maricopa County Lawyer Demands All Documents Be Preserved, May File Lawsuit

The Arizona election auditors have returned to the Phoenix coliseumand it looks like they nearly doubled the number of inspection tables.

A lawyer representing Maricopa County sent a letter to the Arizona Senate president, demanding that all documents pertaining to the audit be preservedimplying that Maricopa County might be filing a lawsuit very soon.

Three days ago, Oregon became the first state in the nation to require people to show proof of vaccination if they want to take off their masks in businesses, workplaces, or churches.

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A tribute for 6-year-old road-rage victim Aiden Leos is displayed on the Walnut bridge overpass above the 55 Freeway in Orange, Calif., on May 24, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Family of Boy Killed in Road Rage Shooting Seeks Justice

The family of a 6-year-old boy killed during a road rage shooting on the 55 Freeway in Orange, California, say an outpouring of support is keeping them motivated to find justice.

Aiden Leos died May 21 after the car he was traveling in was shot; the bullet penetrated the cars trunk and fatally wounded the boy. His mother, Joanna Cloonan, had been driving the car northbound when the gunman opened fire.

Aiden was then rushed to Childrens Hospital of Orange County, where he was pronounced dead.

Since the shooting, the family has received an outpouring of support from the community, raising more than $217,000 between two GoFundMe pages. The donations will help pay for a number of items such as a replacement car for Cloonan, therapy for the trauma, burial expenses, and more.

Christin Corona-Phelps, the aunt of Aidens half-sister, said that Cloonan has been overwhelmed with an abundance of love and support from the community.

Joanna was crying to my mom saying that she cant believe how many people care about her and her son during this time and that is giving her motivation to keep going for Aiden because so many people cared about him and honoring him, Corona-Phelps told The Epoch Times.

Its almost hard for [Joanna] to even speak, its hard for her to stand, hard for her to talk, but shes reading these comments and she starts wailing, crying, but its like a comfort to her that so many people care, Corona-Phelps said. So the comments matter, the prayers matter. The support is whats keeping her going.

Aidens family plans to offer a reward on information that leads to the arrest of the person who shot him, Corona-Phelps said, which will come from a portion of the money raised. She added that while some media has said this will be $50,000, the exact amount has not been determined. Police have instructed the family to wait a bit longer before they decide on an official amount.

Memorial items for 6-year-old road-rage victim Aiden Leos line the Walnut bridge overpass above the 55 Freeway in Orange, Calif., on May 24, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Theres hundreds of people that were on that freeway that morning, and the fact that someone could pull out a gun outside their window and shoot into another car and no one saw anything is very hard for us, Corona-Phelps said. We need that justice for Aiden, and we need that closure for [his family]. So were just begging that if anyone has any detail to please come forward.

She described the young victim as innocent, kind, gentle, and playful.

Theres no other way to describe him, she said.

He was your normal sweet little 6-year-old that just wants to live and have fun and comfort mommy whenever shes sad and she doesnt have that right now, and she needs her baby, so were just trying to get her through that right now.

California Highway Patrol said theres no new information on the matter as of the morning of May 24.

The gunmans car is believed to be a white Volkswagen sedan.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the CHP tip line at 714-567-6000 or email santaanachptipline@chp.ca.gov.
A red (COVID-19 positive) intensive care unit is shown at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Canada, on Dec. 8, 2020. (Mikaela MacKenzie/The Canadian Press)

Feds to Deploy Manpower, Testing Capacity to Aid Manitobas COVID-19 Surge

Ottawa announced it would send a range of support including epidemiologists and increased testing capacity to Manitoba in response to the premiers call for federal help to cope with the provinces surging COVID-19 cases and overflowing intensive care units.

A critical part of our fight against COVID-19 is the support we have provided to provinces and territories, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said in a statement Monday. Today, departments and agencies across the federal government have again come together to support our fellow citizens in Manitoba.

Specifically, human resources from federal health, medical staff through the Canadian Red Cross, and support from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will be deployed to the province, Public Safety Canada said in a news release on Monday.

The province reportedly had 594 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths on May 21, the day Premier Brian Pallister requested assistance from the federal government, reported the Canadian Press. The five-day test positivity rate was at 14.1 percent provincially and 16.1 percent for Winnipeg.

Pallister said the province would need up to 50 critical care nurses, 20 respiratory therapists, and up to 50 contact tracers from Statistics Canada (StatCan), which Public Safety Canada has since confirmed StatCan will provide the necessary manpower to the province.

This is going to be, we hope, a temporary thing and a short-term thing, but the sooner we get a little bit of backup help here the better, the premier said at the time.

There are 74 patients who either have or are recovering from COVID-19, the disease the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus causes, a spokesperson for Manitobas Shared Health told CTV. Of the 74, 11 are under 40 years old.

As of Monday, 14 Manitoba ICU patients infected with COVID-19 have been transferred to Ontario, reported CTV.

Patients were transported to North Bay, London, Ottawa and Windsor. All facilities are participating in the Ontario Critical COVID-19 Command as an extension of an agreement made with Ontario Health North, the spokesperson said.

Public Safety Canada said it is also prepared to send epidemiologists, public health capacity, laboratory technicians and increased testing capacity from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada (HC) to respond to needs identified by Manitoba.

The CAF is currently supporting vaccine rollout in up to 23 reserve Indigenous communities in Manitoba until the end of June, but Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the forces stand ready to work alongside provincial governments to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Pallister has also reached out to U.S. President Joe Biden, requesting that surplus doses of COVID-19 vaccines be shipped to Canada, but as of May 22, he has yet to receive a response, reported the Canadian Press.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 02:49:36|Editor: huaxia

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Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) meets with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Amman, Jordan, May 24, 2021. Jordan and Egypt on Monday underlined the necessity for sustaining the ceasefire in Gaza and ending the Israeli violations against the rights of Palestinians, according to a statement of Jordan's foreign ministry. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

AMMAN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and Egypt on Monday underlined the necessity for sustaining the ceasefire in Gaza and ending the Israeli violations against the rights of Palestinians, according to a statement of Jordan's foreign ministry.

At a press conference in Amman held by Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, the two sides reiterated the ongoing coordination to "counter illegal Israeli violations that undermine the peace process."

The two diplomats also discussed efforts to find a political solution towards relaunching an active international action to end the occupation, and achieve a fair and comprehensive peace that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Safadi said the two countries agreed that there would be no just and comprehensive peace unless the occupation ends and the two-state solution is achieved.

Reaffirming that the Israeli side has no right to displace the residents of Sheikh Jarrah from their homes, Safadi warned such movements would "push the situation to explode again and amount to a war crime that the international community should prevent." Enditem
Finding Identity, Beauty, and Quirk in the Former Yugoslavia

Its beautifuland maybe a little bizarre. Everything in the heart of this national capital is grand. A statue of Alexander the Great dominates the main square, the global conqueror astride a bucking horse, his sword drawn, fountains gushing all around. Entering the square, I pass through a soaring gate, itself reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Nearby, pedestrians stroll across the Art Bridge, over the Vardar River, a span lined with 28 tributes to national heroes, poets, playwrights, authors, and composers.

The Art Bridge in Skopje. (trabantos/Shutterstock)

I feel like Ive arrived in Rome, or Athens, or some other ancient place. But while Skopje has a history dating back thousands of years, everything around me is new, all of it built and unveiled less than a decade ago, as part of a $700-million building initiative to stir passion and stoke pride. Up next? A few lessons about the struggles of small nations, and one of the most controversial languages in the world.

Im in the capital of Macedonia, one of six former republics of what was once known as Yugoslavia. The country is officially called the Republic of North Macedoniaits a long story, but the recent name change resolved a three-decades-long dispute with its southern neighbor, Greece. In this part of the world, identity is a tricky thing. As I travel through Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, I encounter time-honored culture, and an active search for those things that divide, as well as unite.

Bled, one of the most famous tourist resorts in Slovenia, with its old castle above the Bled lake, under the Kamnik Alps. (Hrvoje Polan/AFP)

The Balkans, of course, are known for war, most recently a series of conflicts through which each of these six carved their own autonomy, from 1991 to 2001. Once, these lands were Ottoman and Habsburg, but when the victors dissolved those vast, multi-national empires after the First World War, leaders created a new state bringing together the southern Slavic nations. They remained together as Yugoslavia until 1992, part of the Soviet sphere of influence, but always a little more removed from Moscow than other countries in the Eastern Bloc.

In North Macedonia, leaders have sought a collective identity by making Alexander the Greatthe man who wept, because there were no more worlds to conquera national hero. The biggest problem with that: Greece claims him wholly as their own, pointing out that he actually spoke an ancient form of Greek, and hailed from an ancient city near Thessaloniki. The whole issue provoked political tensions so profound that the country changed its name from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to North Macedonia, and took Alexanders name off the international airport in Skopje (which is pronounced, Scope-eeya).

And then, theres the language. Macedonian is a Slavic tongue, much different than the language actually spoken by Alexander. But Bulgarians insist, rather strongly, that its not a language at alljust a dialect of Bulgarianleading to hot academic debate and even diplomatic issues between Skopje and Sofia.

I see it all, this path to identity, at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, just opened in 2011, a palatial building on the banks of the Vardar. There, a young guide leads me through the various eras of recent history, from armed resistance to the Ottomans dating as far back as the 16th century, to revolutions and uprising in the 20th. All of the well-designed exhibits basically emphasize one thingthat the Macedonians are a small nation, with a distinct history and identity.

And while North Macedonia may provide the most focussed example, I see versions of this historical cross-pollination all across the former Yugoslavia. In Slovenia, a tiny, picturesque country wedged between Croatia and Italy, I encounter Venetian, German, Italian, and Croatian food and architecture and other cultural elements. Montenegro, too, was a crossroads of cultures, and theyve incorporated them rather handsomely into a small nation that feels like a hidden kingdom, mountains meeting the sea. Belgrade is big and broad-shouldered and still feels like the capital of a larger country, a city thats both proudly Serbian and not afraid of its scars, where theyve fought more than 100 wars, and had their homes razed more than 40 times.

Evening fog falls over Sarajevo. (Andocs/Shutterstock)

But if one city is infamous for the complexities and conflicts of peoples, its Sarajevo. Suffering one of the longest sieges in modern history, from 1992 to 1996, I expect a place still mired in sadness. Yes, some of its buildings still bear bullet holes and big craters from exploding mortar shells. And the soaring hillsides, backed by white-capped mountains, are lined with the graves of some 14,000 people killed during the siege, some of the markers overlooking the now-disused Olympic village from the 1984 Winter Games. I walk through part of a half-mile Tunnel of Hope that ran under the airport, and served as the citys only link to the outside world, afterward watching news footage of those horrific days.

But I also encounter a city on the rise, a skyline that brings together minarets and domes and church spires. A valley where east meets west, where Islam and Judaism and two forms of Catholicism have coexisted for centuries, where Bosnians, Serbs, Croatians, and Muslims (known as Bosniaks) continue to live as neighbors. In the vibrant Bascarsija, the old town, which was built by the Ottomans, I walk little lanes that feel distinctly Turkish, strolling from mosque to cathedral, the cooking smells of filo dough and roasted chestnuts and mince-meat sausages drawing me to a simple little sidewalk restaurant for an unforgettable meal.

Dubrovniks medieval buildings on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. (Edwardwexler at English Wikipedia)

And in Croatia, which has had perhaps the greatest economic success of all the former republicsits fine beaches and islands and truffles and seaside cities becoming major tourist destinationsIm reminded that identity, above all, is personal. First, at the Love Stories Museum in Dubrovnik, which brings together items of sentimental value from all over the place, weaving together surrounding narratives, from the local tales and myths of old Dubrovnik, to intensely individual stories from around the world.

And then, at the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatias landlocked capital. I had low expectations for this city, perhaps (very unfairly) judging it only by its name, a collection of hard, ugly consonants. But what I find is a lovely place, where history dates back to the Romans, with the oldest part of the city divided between upper and lower towns. Big parks and broad streets below, and a rambling, medieval, and gothic labyrinth above, crowned by the bright, vibrant, 13th-century St. Marks Church, the citys most-photographed landmark.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Zagreb. (Dreamer4787/Shutterstock)

Its in Upper Town, in a former palace, where I find the museum. Again international, the stories arent just CroatianI find contributions from across Europe and North America. The objects themselves are meaningless. Here, a black stiletto shoe (just one), there, a wristwatch, or a hairdryer. But the narratives, how these innocuous things determined a lifes path for not just a single soul, but rather two people, illustrate the comedy and tragedy of our days, and how we define ourselves.

I leave contemplativeand hungry. Winding through the warren of lanes, I determine that I will pair a good, local wine with a steaming plate of something, the options coming from both the east and west, pasta, dumplings, stews. All while reflecting on identity, in this part of the world where cultures come together.

Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, hes tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North Americas largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail.
Finding Old Florida

Florida is a magnet for tourists and vacationers, known for the speed of its development and the bustle of its urban centers. But beyond hotspots like Miami and Orlando remains a state very much in touch with its long history (St. Augustine was Americas first city, after all!).

The allure of old Florida remains, hidden among all the modern-day vacationery, winking from around the corners. Quirky, unapologetic, and delightfully kitschy, remnants of old Florida speak to a time when the state was in a different sort of heyday, a time when Florida first began to establish its reputation as Americas lovably weird wild card.

Here, we celebrate a few of the places where you can still find old Florida hiding in plain sight.

Cedar Key

A brown pelican in Cedar Key. (Thomas ONeil/Shutterstock)

Where can you traipse around a tiny island town that measures two square miles, featuring homes and businesses built almost entirely on stilts? Why, just off the west coast of Florida, of course.

Cedar Key is old Florida at its most endearing, with a slow pace matched nowhere else in the state and a population thats never topped 1,000. Stroll the idyllic multi-level fishing village, perusing art and murals, and when you work up an appetite, stop for fresh Gulf seafood at any of the islands on-the-water restaurants. Clams are another one of Cedar Keys claims to fame.

Weeki Wachee

Floridas long been a place where dreams come true, so why wouldnt the Sunshine State give life to fantasies and draw mythical creatures into existence? Head to Weeki Wachee and youll hardly believe what your eyes are seeing: real-life mermaids twirling and dancing beneath the stunningly clear, beautifully blue waters of Weeki Wachee Springs (the bottom of which, for the record, have never been foundthats one deep cavern).

The Weeki Wachee mermaids have been an icon of funky Florida since the 1940s, when a former Navy man who trained the frogmen of World War II to swim underwater came up with a genius new business ideaand a way to breathe underwater with an air hose to give the appearance of needing no breathing apparatus. The first show at the Weeki Wachee underwater theater opened in 1947; by the 1950s, Weeki Wachee was a hit.

The Florida Keys

A Florida Keys flats guide idles away from the dock during the dawn of a new day in Islamorada, Fla. Featuring an angling diversity found in few saltwater sportfishing destinations, Islamorada is known as the Sportfishing Capital of the World. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

The Florida Keys remain an enduringly popular tourist attraction today, but that doesnt detract from the charm of the island chains old-Florida kitschof which you can find plenty, as long as you know where to look. Beginning in Key Largo and extending all the way south to Key West, Floridas historic funkiness is on full display in the Florida Keys.

Case in point: roadside attractions, a relic of Americana, never went out of style in the Keys. In Key Largo, make a pit stop at Shell World to browse 18,000 square feet of pure Florida Keys goodness in the form of every souvenir you can think of and then some. Its not merely a gift shop but a national treasure, and while there are tacky items aplenty, theres also every kind of shell (rare and common) you can imagine. The founder originally opened the shop in a gas station across the street in 1972, dubbing it Jimmys American Gas and Gifts at the time; by 1977, it had evolved into Shell World and the rest is history.

But Floridas longtime quirkiness doesnt end there; keep driving south. By the time you hit Islamorada, youll be ready again to pull over for one of the Keys most famous locals, a giant lobster affectionately nicknamed Big Besty. Marking the entrance of the delightfully funky Rain Barrel Village, Big Betsy lays claim to the title of worlds largest lobster and makes selfies very hard to resist.

Roosters on Duval Street. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Drive the Florida Keys and while you will undoubtedly encounter sunscreen-slathered crowds who share your same desire to break from reality for a bit, youll also see glimmers of the state Florida once wasand still very much is. Even tourist-clogged Key West holds hundreds of years of fascinating history, much of which it has preserved to this day for visitors to enjoy (head straight to the Hemingway House or take an Old Town Trolley Tour to see what I mean).

Drive all you want and stop where you please, but whatever you do, dont pass Mrs. Macs Kitchen in Key Largo without indulging yourself a slice of the best key lime pie your mouth may ever meet.

Mrs. Macs Kitchens famous key lime pie. (Courtesy of Mrs. Macs Kitchen)

The Coral Castle

Coral Castle. (photravel_ru/Shutterstock)

If youre driving to the Keys from Miami, add another old-Florida stop to your road trip itinerary: the Coral Castle could be the eighth wonder of the world if it werent so quirkily Floridian.

Created by an eccentric Latvian-American who single-handedlyand secretlycarved over 1,100 tons of coral rock between 1923 and 1951 under cover of night, the Coral Castle is a mystery, a modern marvel, and one of those must-see-to-believe old Florida landmarks.

Ocala National Forest

A boardwalk in the Juniper Springs area of Ocala National Forest. (Rafal Michal Gadomski/Shutterstock)

For a peek at the Florida thats truly never changed, venture into the Ocala National Forest and explore the same lands where generations of Native Americans also once roamed.

For a peaceful yet adventurous day, head to any of the springs in the Ocala National Forestthere are more than 600 springs, lakes, and ponds hereand spend the day at an old-fashioned swimming hole. The waters may be a frigid 72 degrees year-round (if that for some reason sounds warm to you, I can assure you its not) but on a hot summer day, theres nothing better than diving into their mind-blowingly crystal-clear waters.

The four major springs in the forest, which are among Floridas most popular, are Juniper, Alexander, Silver Glen, and Salt Springs. Pick any of them for a day full of swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and kayaking amidst some of Floridas most wild and pristine beauty.

Everglades City

Everglades City Airboat Tours is a third-generation family-owned business. (Courtesy of Everglades City Airboat Tours)

Theres a reason Everglades City isnt a tourist hotspot, but there are even more reasons you should visit nonetheless. With just a couple of hotel options, a few restaurants within walking distance, and not much else going on, you might wonder why you should bother, but if old Florida is what you seek, thats exactly what youll find in remote Everglades City. Its one of the few places in Florida that makes no attempt to be anything other than exactly what it is: a tiny Everglades town just doing its thing, as it has year after year and will continue to.

Theres one weekend a year that the city shakes alive, however, and thats when the annual Everglades Seafood Festival comes around in February. Go for a few days of fun (and fish) and take an airboat tour of the Everglades while youre at it. Youll leave with an authentic taste of Florida on your palatethanks to a place simply minding its own business and existing in harmony with the nature surrounding it.

Skye Sherman is a freelance travel writer based in West Palm Beach, Fla. She covers news, transit, and international destinations for a variety of outlets. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and Twitter @skyesherman.
A "We are hiring!" sign is seen in front of the Buya restaurant in Miami, Fla., on March 5, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Becomes 23rd State to End $300 Unemployment Benefit Boost to Ease Business Hiring Woes

Florida officials announced an end to the $300 weekly federal pandemic unemployment compensation supplement on May 24, making the Sunshine State the 23rd state to opt out of the jobless boost in a bid to encourage people to get back to work amid a labor shortage and a booming economy.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), the states employment agency, made the announcement in a release, with people no longer eligible to receive the $300 weekly supplemental Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payment starting June 27.

While Florida is ending the $300 supplement, it is maintaining its participation in other federal unemployment programssuch as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensationwhich expire in September. An early end may be in store for Floridas participation in these programs, too, the employment agency suggested, as officials carefully monitor job posting and industry hiring trends.

The decision to withdraw from the jobless boost was in part prompted by April labor market data, which showed that total private-sector employment in Florida increased by 18,800 jobs, with nearly half a million job postings available in the state for job seekers.

Floridas economy has bounced back tremendously with over 460,000 jobs available throughout our state and the strongest economic conditions in the nation, Dane Eagle, DEO secretary, said in a statement. Floridas employers are also seeing employment growth, as more Floridians, including some who completely left the workforce, are now eagerly reentering the workforce.

Transitioning away from this benefit will help meet the demands of small and large businesses who are ready to hire and expand their workforce.

Florida business leaders have been sounding the alarm on hiring difficulties.

Even though our industry is open for business, we are facing a dire labor shortage, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association President and CEO, Carol Dover, said in a statement. Strong demand, coupled with this staffing shortage, has left many businesses forced to limit operating days and hours in addition to reducing capacity in both food service and lodging.

Ending the supplemental $300 FPUC payment will help the industry regain pre-COVID levels.

With the move, Florida joins 22 other Republican-led states in dropping the $300 weekly federal jobless benefit boost sometime this summerall in a bid to encourage employment amid sky-high levels of job openings and business hiring woes.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming all plan to end the $300 boost, while 19 of the states also plan to opt out of the other federal unemployment benefit programs.

The degree to which the federal weekly unemployment boost is creating a disincentive for people to take jobs has become a matter of heated debate. Business groups and Republican leaders argue that the payments are having a substantial impact, while members of the Biden administrationincluding President Joe Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellenargue that their impact is negligible.
Students throw their caps in the air at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England, on July 14, 2009. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Graduate, 88, Makes Cal State University History

An 88-year-old college student made history in the California State University system after walking the commencement stage May 24 to receive two bachelors degrees.

Maria Manning walked with the rest of the class of 2021 in two separate commencement ceremonies after completing liberal studies and Spanish public services degrees at California State UniversityDominguez Hills (Cal StateDominguez Hills).

For those people that say theyre too old to go back to school, [youre] never too old, Manning told The Epoch Times.

Manning has been taking courses at Cal StateDominguez Hills since the 1990s. But as a result of dealing with her own medical issues and caring for her husband, she said she was unable to complete her studies all at once.

At one point, she had to drop a semesters worth of classes after having surgery.

Nevertheless, Manning said she was determined to finish her degrees to avoid her previous efforts from being wasted.

While attending university, Manning participated in various courses including music and choir classes.

The college graduates educational journey is not over yet. Manning said she plans to continue her schooling by taking music classes to learn the piano.

Manning is the oldest graduate in the California State University system to receive two college degrees.
People participate in a demonstration against the city's plans to reopen an autonomous zone known as George Floyd Square, outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 17, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Gunshots Fired at George Floyd Square on Anniversary of Death: Reporters

Witnesses and journalists at the intersection where George Floyd died exactly one year ago reported dozens of gunshots, prompting them to shelter in place.

According to The Associated Press, there were no reports of injuries at the corner of 38th and Chicago streets, which is unofficially called George Floyd Square and features a makeshift memorial.

We heard a few dozens sounds of what appear to have been shots fired on this block, tweeted Philip Crowther, an AP reporter. Everyone sheltered in place. Lots of running. No apparent need for medics. Will update.

Crowther noted that a storefront window was apparently hit with gunshots.

Consensus among reporters here at George Floyd Square was that we heard anywhere between a dozen and two dozen shots fired, Crowther also wrote, as he posted a video of people sheltering in place after the shots were reportedly fired.

Very quickly things got back to normal, he said in the AP report. People here who spend a significant amount of time, the organizers, were running around asking, Does anyone need a medic? It seems like there are no injuries.

According to Fox News reporter Garrett Tenney, the incident sounded like an exchange of gunfire with around 10 shots, prompting his crew to evacuate the area.

A Los Angeles Times reporter, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, confirmed the shots.

One volley, then two, then three. Many bystanders. People couldnt tell if it was fireworks at first. It was right in the square, she tweeted.

Floyd died in police custody on May 25, 2020, sparking protests, riots, and arson attacks in Minneapolisand later across the United States. Last month, fired officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three counts, including second-degree murder.

Earlier this month, video footage appeared to show a man wielding an ax trying to destroy the makeshift memorial for Floyd before fleeing the scene.

After Floyds death, the intersection has seen Black Lives Matter protesters and organizers congregate.

Some have criticized it as being akin to a so-called autonomous zone, similar to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protestor Capitol Hill Autonomous Zonethat was set up in Seattle last summer. In one instance last year, a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in CHOP, leading to the zones eventual dissolution.

Similar autonomous zone-like areas were set up last year by Antifa types and activists in Portland, Oregon. One was also set up, albeit briefly, in Washington, D.C. last summer near Capitol Hill.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Minneapolis Police Department for comment.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) speaks during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 19, 2021. (Susan Walsh/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

House GOP Leaders Call on House Democrats to Launch Investigation Into CCP Virus

Two House GOP leaders are calling on their Democrat colleagues to launch a full and complete investigation into the origins of the CCP virus.

The call came from House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who is the ranking member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee.

We shared evidence that the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] obscured the virus[s] origins, manipulated the World Health Organization (WHO) to cover up the severity of the initial outbreak, and leveraged the crisis to steal American medical research, among other things, Scalise and Comer wrote in their letter dated May 24.

The letter was addressed to James Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee.

Beijings initial responses to COVID-19a disease caused by the CCP virus that is commonly known as the novel coronaviruswere a litany of missteps. The most noticeable ones were its decision to silence whistleblower doctors who tried to warn the public of an unknown pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan city in December 2019, and failing to acknowledge that the virus was contagious until Jan. 20 last year.

Now, more than a year after the onset of the outbreak, Beijing has still refused to be transparentit refused to provide raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led investigation team that conducted groundwork in Wuhan earlier this year. In March, Peter Ben Embarek, who led the team, said during a press conference that the team didnt do a full investigation or audit of any lab in Wuhan.

WHO team members Peter Daszak (R) and Marion Koopmans (L) are accompanied by Peter Ben Embarek (C) as they leave their hotel in Wuhan, a city in central Chinas Hubei Province on Feb. 10, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The WHO teams findings concluded that the possibility of the virus originating from a lab leak was extremely unlikely. That conclusion has since been challenged by many critics, and the issue was further brought into scrutiny when the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care with COVID-19 symptoms in November 2019. The WSJ report was based on an undisclosed U.S. intelligence report.

The WSJ report was consistent with details announced by a State Department fact sheet released in January. The department stated that it had reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.

The fact sheet also stated that the WIV researchers had been conducting experiments on bat coronavirus starting at least as far back as 2016.

In light of new evidence [from the WSJ], and your ongoing refusal to acknowledge legitimate questions related to the CCP, we are writing to renew our long-standing request for a full investigation of Chinas liability, Scalise and Comer wrote.

The two lawmakers pointed to previous failed efforts by the Republicans to push House Democrats into taking actions to hold China accountable for the spread of the virus. For example, Scalise and four other Republican House lawmakers sent a letter (pdf) to Clyburn in May 2020, calling for a similar investigation on China over COVID-19.

Repeatedly, we called for a full investigation to address those questions. Repeatedly, you ignored our requests, they stated.

They continued: The House Democrat majoritys refusal to follow the science, listen to the experts, and investigate the origins of COVID-19 raises serious questions about the credibility of the Select Subcommittee because we are uniquely positioned to find the truth, and seeking those answers is squarely within our mandated jurisdiction.

In their letter, Scalise and Comer also quoted several senior Biden Administration officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, and how they also called for an impartial investigation.

Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told a Senate hearing on May 11 that he was in favor of a full investigation to determine whether the virus came from lab accidents. On the same day, he told PolitiFact that he is now not convinced that the virus developed naturally.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks to members of Congress during a hearing in Washington on March 18, 2021. (Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images)

The Chinese regime has denied that the viruss origin was linked to the WIV and has pushed a natural zoonotic hypothesisthat the virus was transmitted to humans from an animal host. Beijing has also blamed other countries, including India, Italy, and the United States, for the pandemicas well as contaminated foreign food imports, such as European salmon.

In short, there is evidence the CCP started the pandemic, covered it up, and is responsible for the deaths of almost 600,000 Americans and millions more worldwide, Scalise and Comer concluded.

As of May 24, there were over 33.1 million infection cases in the United States, with over 590,530 deaths related to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll now stands at over 3.47 million.

On Monday, the White House renewed its call for a transparent international investigation into the origins of the virus, during a press briefing by press secretary Jen Psaki. She added that there should be an expert-driven evaluation of the pandemics origins that is free from interference or politicization.

Critics have denounced the WHO investigation to Wuhan earlier this year as lacking independence.

The call for an impartial international investigation also came from the Senate on Monday.

The United States & the world must demand a full, impartial investigation into COVID-19 origins, with a special focus on the Wuhan labs, wrote Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ariz.) on Twitter, calling on the WIV and the Wuhans Center for Disease Control to open their doors & databases for a full audit of their research.

Cotton added: The CCP needs to stop obstructing investigators, destroying evidence, and telling ridiculous lies.
Hungary PM Viktor Orban (2nd L) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (2nd R) lead their delegations in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Feb. 13, 2014. (Rolex Dela Pena/AFP via Getty Images)

Hungary Embraces Chinas Belt & Road, Undermining Efforts to Curtail Human Rights Abuses

News Analysis

As the free world unites to condemn and penalize the human rights violations and aggressive expansion of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), one European country is moving against the tide.

Hungary has demonstrated a firm pro-CCP stance in a series of recent events, after the European Union, the United States, the UK, and Canada announced sanctions against China over the genocide of Uyghur Muslims on March 22. The Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the sanctions of being pointless, self-aggrandizing, and harmful. Of the 27 EU members, Hungary was the only country that voted against the sanctions.

Three days later, Budapest hosted Chinas defense minister for an official visit. Between March and May, Hungary blocked the EUs efforts to sanction and condemn the CCP four times.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping was so pleased with Hungarys defense of China that he personally called Prime Minister Viktor Orban on April 29 to commend his great contributions to maintaining the China-Europe relationship.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Feb. 10, 2019. (Bernadett Szabo/Reuters)

Orban deserves the favor. He has embraced Xis signature Belt & Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road), the backbone of Chinas road map to global hegemony. Hungary signed a BRI memorandum with China in 2015, the first European country to do so.

Since then, Hungary has willingly taken in almost every item that BRI sells, from a high-speed railway, machinery, chemical manufacturing, and transportation, to Chinese education, movies, and even CCP virus vaccines, and much more. By April 2019, China had invested $4.5 billion in Hungary, the highest in Europe, according to Orban. The official BRI site fondly calls Hungary the pioneer of Belt & Road.

A crane transferring a container to a train of the China Railway Express to Europe in the Chinese border city of Erenhot, Inner Mongolia Region, on April 18, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Of course, the BRI is no charity. The CCP has invested heavily in Hungary for more practical reasons than friendship. The heavy loans, the growing reliance on RMB, the labor supply, and the local employment have made Hungary increasingly dependent on China. The education programs and universities imported from China will seed and nurture communist ideology in the country.

To the CCP, the benefits of controlling Hungary are clear. Hungarys location makes it a good springboard for China to penetrate the European market from an economical point of view. China also uses Hungary to acquire high-tech and know-how from European countries. Financially, by bringing an RMB clearing service into its border, Hungary is helping accelerate the globalization of RMB.

But what pleases the CCP the most is probably the political gains. Hungary just proved itself a loyal ally to the CCP in the recent vetoing of the EUs sanctions on China, regardless of Chinas long track record of atrocity that the rest of the world is trying to stop. Hungarys support was broadly reported by Chinese media to convince the Chinese people that the sanctions are malicious conspiracies against China and that the persecution and genocide were mere rumors.

BRI Debts Weaken Sovereignty

The total amount that Hungary borrowed for BRI projects is unknown, but what has been announced is already quite alarming: $2.4 billion for the railway update; $1.6 billion for the construction of the Fudan University Budapest campus; $426 million to the Hungarian Electricity Company in 2021; and $121 million for the Kaposvar photovoltaic power plant. In 2016 and 2017, Hungary issued $310 million worth of RMB bonds in China.

Hungarian critics say the loan on the railway project will generate interest of between $500 and $800 million. It will take between 130 and 2,400 (!) years to make the project profitable for Hungary, said Zoltan Voros, assistant professor at the University of Pecss Department of Political Science and International Studies. Voros also pointed out that Hungarian businesses are excluded from most of the procurement process.

The high BRI debts are concerning for many reasons. In April 2021, when the small nation of Montenegro approached the European Union for help paying off a nearly $1 billion loan to Chinas Export-Import Bank (EXIM), borrowed to finance the construction of a large highway project, alarm bells were raised across Europe, said Jennifer A. Hillman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The debt for the BRI project was 103 percent of Montenegros GDP.

Montenegro was not the first country that fell into the BRI debt trap. China has lent $461 billion to BRI projects since 2013, likely excluding an equal amount thats not publicized. Most of Chinas BRI loans have gone to high-risk countries like Pakistan, Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela as if credit rating was not even taken into consideration in Chinas lending decisions.

Defaulting on BRI debts can be a catastrophe for these countries, as demonstrated by Sri Lankas fiasco: When the island nation was unable to meet its debt obligations to China for the $5 billion BRI loan, Sri Lanka had to hand over to China a 70 percent share of its deep seaport at Hambantota for 99 years for $1.12 billion. Fearing similar consequences, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Burma, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone have all subsequently decided to cancel or downsize their BRI projects.

Since the CCP virus hit, more countries are likely to default. China has received a wave of applications for debt relief from crisis-hit BRI, according to the Financial Times.

Corruption poses another concern. Hong Kongs former home affairs secretary Patrick Ho Chi Ping was sentenced to three years in jail in March 2019 for paying off top officials in Uganda and Chad to support BRI projects. Ho allegedly offered a $2 million bribe to Idriss Deby, the president of Chad, in 2014 to obtain valuable oil rights from the Chad government. The $2 million cash was concealed in a few gift boxes, which were offered to President Deby at the end of a business meeting. Ho also allegedly wired a $500,000 bribe to Sam Kutesa, the minister of foreign affairs of Uganda, and schemed to pay a $500,000 cash bribe to Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda. Hos case begs scrutiny over how other risky BRI projects were approved.

Major Acquisitions Help China Gain Industry Dominance

Over the past decade, China has provided billions of dollars of subsidies to state-owned companies to acquire Western manufacturers and build factories abroad, according to The Wall Street Journal. The acquisitions not only allow China to roil the global market with low-price goods but also to dodge anti-dumping tariffs in the West. In Hungary, China made several big acquisitions, including the $246 million purchase of Invitel, Hungarys second-largest corporate communications provider.

The chemical industry is one of the pillars of Chinas global expansion strategy. MDI is a chemical broadly used in architecture, automotive, appliance, and apparel manufacture. China had long coveted the market due to the high profit and broad market, but the technology was a challenge.

In 2011, Chinas Wanhua Chemical Group acquired Hungarys BorsodChem (BC) for $1.6 billion and surpassed Dow and BASF to become the worlds largest MDI supplier.

Chinese media depicted the acquisition as a big favor to BC and Hungary. CGTV, the English branch of the CCP mouthpiece Xinhua, quoted the local mayors adviser saying, If Wanhua as an investor did not come to this city, then this would have caused a big problem for this city.

The truth is that Wanhua imposed the acquisition on BC. When BC was deep in debt due to the 2008 global financial crisis, Wanhua sought to purchase the company, but BCs owners Permira and Vienna Capital refused the acquisition.

Wanhua would not back off, because the acquisition was an important step for pushing Belt & Road to the world through Europe. By purchasing BCs mezzanine debts and obtaining BCs equity and calling options, Wanhua eventually acquired BCs full ownership.

Chinese propaganda has complimented Wanhua as the Huawei of the chemical industry for its size and its ambition to dominate the industry globally. Wanhua now makes 24 percent of the worlds MDI and is now trying to expand into U.S. territory. Its initial attempt to build facilities in St. James Parish, Louisiana was thwarted by local residents heated objections in 2019, but the company said it still has aspirations for a U.S. MDI facility.

Education Partnership Invites Communist Ideology

While BRI is mostly known for its infrastructure projects, China built in a soft power pillar to promote communist ideology in BRI countries through Confucius Institutes and talent exchange programs.

In Hungary, this was taken to the next level. Hungary opened its fifth Confucius Institute (CI) in November 2019 following a wave of closures of CIs by colleges around the world. In the United States, the number of has CIs shrunk from over 100 to less than 50 in the past couple of years. Many European countries followed suit, including Denmark, Sweden, France, and the Netherlands.

Local district Mayor Krisztina Baranyi stands at the site where the construction of a top Chinese university, the Fudan campus, is planned, in the 9th district of Budapest, Hungary, on April 23, 2021. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)

As if to protest, Hungary signed an agreement with Shanghai-based Fudan University on April 27 to set up a campus in Budapest. The campus is expected to hold 5,000 to 6,000 students and about 500 professors. Hungary is taking a $1.56 billion loan from Chinas state-owned China Development Bank to pay for the construction, following the typical BRI funding model. The campus will be built mostly by Chinese companies and Chinese workers.

All Chinese schools are tightly controlled by the CCP and are under strict CCP censorship. Various Hungarian politicians including Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony raised concerns that bringing the Chinese state university to the country will be a national security risk.

First BRI Project Still Pending 8 Years After Announcement

The first BRI project in Hungary was the BudapestBelgrade 220-mile high-speed rail line. The $2.98 billion project was said to be the first stage of the planned BudapestBelgradeSkopjeAthens railway that connects the China-run Piraeus port in Greece with the heart of Europe.

The plan has since changed several times without much explanation. When Hungary and China announced the project in 2013, the plan was to complete the construction and upgrade in 2018. In 2017, China Daily reported that the rail line construction would start in November 2017, and complete in around two-and-a-half years.

Nothing happened. Then in April 2019, Hungary announced that a contract would be signed by May 25 for the upgrade of the countrys section. The project was now reduced to a 100-mile upgrade, only 45 percent of the previously announced length. The cost went down, but was only reduced by 3 percent to $2.8 billion, and the duration was extended to five years, with expected completion in 2025. The portion thats funded through Chinese loans remains 85 percent. No further update has been made since then.

Pingping Yu has been a writer, translator, and researcher for The Epoch Times since 2007. She covers a variety of topics related to China, with a strong focus on human rights, economy, and business.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Salmon are born in clear-running streams and rivers in summer and fall, overwinter in freshwater, migrate to the ocean the following spring, and return four years later to spawn where they were born. (Wesley Aston/shutterstock)

Kings of Fish: In Alaska, Salmon Means Life

Each summer, billions of salmon return from the ocean to their ancestral spawning grounds, continuing the generations-old relationship between the fish, the land, and the people

Standing dead, Don Honea tells me.

He laughsNative humor is very drybecause he is standing, clearly not dead, in the dim light of a Yukon River salmon smokeshack, holding up a five-foot cottonwood log that is indeed dead. Its the only wood they cut to smoke their salmon catch, and the gnarled, musty aroma of generations of cottonwood fires seeps from the pores of the smokeshack timbers and varnishes the tin siding. The precision of Honeas smoke-wood prescription reflects not just how deeply held this tradition is, but how important salmon is in the vast natural empire known as Alaska.

But while Honea has a concrete answer regarding the best wood, he sidesteps a perennial debate about which salmon is best. Alaska has five kinds: king, silver, sockeye, pink, chum; all have their virtues and fans, and this is their global homeland.

The Honea family has operated a summer salmon camp on the Yukon, upriver from the tiny village of Ruby at a spot called Big Eddy, for generationsmaybe for millennia, as Interior Alaskas Athabaskan people have been here since time immemorial. Human life has thrived along the salmon-bearing inlets and riverways of the North Pacific for more than 10,000 years.

Each summer and fall, the fish return, billions of them, fat and large, from the ocean and migrate upstream to ancestral spawning grounds. Brawny and inexorable, the fish match the rivers they swim. Spinning in the clear amber waters, they are an evocative sight in their vermilion and chartreuse spawning coats, natures expressionist canvas.

And each year, this return has fed countless harvesters for the winter ahead. Not just humans: Bears, eagles, and seals all rely on salmon, as does the forest itself, fertilized by the fish carcasses the animals discard.

The worlds largest remaining single salmon run, ranging from 30 to 62 million fish a year, is in Bristol Bay, southwest of Anchorage in the Bering Sea. Here, salmon allowed people to survive crises, even in modern times.

I believe that salmon went to places and people followed them knowing that if salmon were there, they could make a life there, said Melanie Brown, a Bristol Bay fisherman of Yupik/Inupiaq ancestry. She works a permit area established by her great-grandfather in the early 20th century. While the regions Native population was decimated by the 1918 flu pandemic, her ancestors made it through with salmon, which isnt only high-calorie but high in wellness benefits. Brown spent some of her downtime during this pandemic making a video for Slow Food USA about her great-grandmothers fish-head stew recipe.

Melanie Brown, a Bristol Bay fisherman of Yupik/Inupiaq ancestry, with a photograph of her great-grandmother and great-grandfather. (Misha Dumov, MB Commercial Photography)

For me, I truly believe that I would not be here today if not for salmon, and how they provided for my great-grandparents after they were orphaned in the 1918 flu, said Brown.

David Montgomery, University of Washington professor and author of a seminal book about salmon, King of Fish, observed as much.

The salmon and the landscape evolved together. Then people arrived and relied on the salmon, he said. Each is part of the others in a deep and fundamental way.

A Sustainable Superfood

Salmon are so numerous in Alaska that all can enjoy them. Up to 5 billion a year ply the North Pacific. Carefully managed by state fisheries scientistssustainable fisheries are prescribed in the Alaska Constitutionas many as 1 billion are caught by commercial fishermen, an industry that is worth $500 million to $1 billion a year.

The majority of the harvest, by fish numbers and value, is sockeye; chinook is the fish most common on fine dining menus; and silver salmon are fondly regarded by anglers. Every restaurant in the state has salmon on the menu, and vast portions of the commercial fresh harvest are flown south each summer to fill grocery store cooler shelves and restaurant menus in the Lower 48.

Salmon are born in clear-running streams and rivers in summer and fall, overwinter in freshwater, migrate to the ocean the following spring, and return four years later to spawn where they were born. Grown in those rich North Pacific waters, these fish are packed with protein, a superfood thats also divine to eat. Omega-3s lard their fat; immune boosters such as B vitamins are thick; and antioxidants are numerous.

The deep persimmon color of fresh salmon is one of natures finest hues. Properly preparedthat is, cooked through but not a half-minute moresalmon is moist, flavorful, enriching, and enticing. Roast it, grill it, fry it, smoke it, steam itno need for sauces or embellishments. Theres no wrong way to cook it, unless you over-cook it.

The deep persimmon color of fresh salmon is one of natures finest hues. (Andrey Starostin/shutterstock)

Once, a friend and I were perusing the menu at a long-gone New Age bistro in Juneau, and could only gawk at the waitress when she described the nights special.

A half sockeye salmon? Poached in duck fat?

The waitress nodded. Yep. For two.

We ordered it. This was the single richest dish I have ever had, anywhere in this world. We shouldnt have eaten it all, but we did.

If I were a condemned man, my last meal would be fire-roasted sockeye salmon (with cherry pie and fresh corn). The occasion would deserve a blessingfor the fish. Heres one Alaskans have used for centuries to welcome the summers first salmon, from commercial fisherwomen Emma Teal Laukitis and Claire Neaton, the Salmon Sisters. They adapted it from a book on Native culture by Hilary Stewart, who in turn adapted it from a traditional Native prayer.

Now I will go and lay you down on this mat

which is spread on the floor for you, Swimmer.

This is your own saying when you came

And gave a dream to my grandfathers.

Lasting Bonds

Though the humansalmon bond is ancient, it thrives today. I often joke that every Alaska household has two freezers, one for salmon and one for moose (many Alaskans never tasted beef until they came to the Lower 48 to attend college). Each Alaska resident is entitled to harvest up to 25 salmon per year for personal use, and most do just that.

Our fish freezer is currently full of salmon, rockfish, halibut, yellow eye, and ling cod, reported Dee Buchanon, an Anchorage business executive who came to Alaska when she was 5 and has been fishing ever since.

The moose freezer is unplugged because we didnt get one last yearso we traded some fish for moose with our neighbors. It is illegal to sell any wild-caught or harvested wild game, so the barter system is strong in Alaska. We have a new executive assistant at my office who moved up from North Carolina. She asked us, Where do I buy salmon? We all looked at each other with blank stares on our faces. I said, Youre an Alaskan now. You dont buy salmon. Ill bring you some.

Fish and life in Alaska are perpetually intertwined, generation after generation, Buchanon explained.

I reckon the debate over which kind is best dates back as many generations as the harvest. As Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun.

Once, at a fundraising dinner for salmon conservation, I was seated at a table with six Alaska women, all of whom were commercial fishermen. While perusing the menu (surprise: salmon!), I posed the question of which type is best.

Boy, Eric, you like to live dangerously, observed one of my companions.

Even so, I replied. Your favorite? Above all?

The six cleared their throats, eyed each other cautiously, and declaimed their choices. Three picked sockeye; three king.

Guess youll have to break the tie, Melanie Brown told me.

So I did.

RECIPE: Melanie Browns Salmon Soup

Salmon Smarts

Five kinds of salmon ply the North Pacific in incredible numbers, up to 5 billion a year. Each kind has at least two common names:

Chinook, aka king or spring, are the biggest, ranging from 15 to 100 pounds. They are usually first to return in summer.

Silver, aka coho, are lean, lengthy fish up to 25 pounds. Anglers love them for their flashing, aerial runs when hooked.

Sockeye, aka red, are fatty and flavorful and range up to 12 pounds. Their spawning colors are the most vivid of all salmon.

Pink, aka humpy (for the spawning hump they develop), throng home streams so thickly the water can seem like its half fish. Usually these are canned, though when fresh, pinks are excellent eating.

Chum, aka dog or keta, are large, muscular fish whose flavor is muskier than that of the other kinds. Rarely seen in stores or on menus, they have been traditionally used as food for Alaska sled dogs, and considered by some the best for smoking.

The keys for salmon shoppers: Freshness is paramount, so ask when the fish came in, and from where; the brighter the color and firmer the fish, the fresher they are; and although fresh-frozen is fine (that is, salmon that was frozen immediately after it was caught, shipped, then often defrosted for sale), it simply isnt as good as fresh, period. And Alaskans fervently favor wild salmon: Friends dont let friends eat farmed salmon, argues a ubiquitous bumper sticker.

Eric Lucas has visited Alaska more than 50 times. Author of six Michelin guides, including one that covers the Great Land, he is a retired associate editor at Alaska Beyond Magazine. He lives on a small farm on a remote island north of Seattle, where he grows organic hay, beans, apples, and squash.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on Feb. 24, 2021. (Leigh Vogel/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchin, Sinema Announce Support for Jan. 6 Commission

Two moderate Democratic senators on Tuesday announced their support for a congressionally-appointed commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Calling the events of that day horrific, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said that a bipartisan commission to probe what happened is a critical step to ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again.

We implore our Senate Republican colleagues to work with us to find a path forward on a commission to examine the events of January 6th, they added.

The House of Representatives on May 19 approved a bill that would create such a commission. The 10-member body, appointed by Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, would be granted subpoena power if the bill passes the Senate and is signed by President Joe Biden, who supports the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the bill will be brought up for a vote.

But even with all 48 Democrats and two Democrat-minded independents in the upper chamber supporting a commission, at least 10 Republican votes are needed to pass the bill.

Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) said they back the legislation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Tuesday that she supports it as well.

A number of GOP senators, though, have come out against a commission, at least for now.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz. walks on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 11, 2020. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

I think its too early to create a commission, and I believe Republicans in the Senate will decide that its too early to create that commission, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate GOP leadership, said on Fox News Sunday.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate Democratic whip, told reporters in Washington this week that changes to the bill are possible to garner additional Republican support.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is among the Republicans who have signaled they could be swayed to support an amended bill.

I think we could address concerns and make it a lot easier for folks to support it, he told reporters on Capitol Hill.

One major concern is the possibility staffers on the committee are all Democrats. A House Homeland Security Committee aide told The Epoch Times that staffers can only be hired with Republican approval.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that he feels the bill the House passed was pretty partisan. He said hed like to wait for a report due to be issued next month by the Senate Rules and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees and see what it says.

I dont think Ill support the commission. Let the Congress and the Senate issue their reports. This things just got politics written all over it, unfortunately, added Sen. Linsey Graham (R-S.C.).
A sign near the main gate of Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nev., is shown on April 3, 2020. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Military Aircraft Crashes, Kills Pilot After Take Off Near Nellis Air Force Base

An aircraft operated by a military contractor has crashed after takeoff from Las Vagass Nellis Air Force Base, according to officials.

The air force base said in a statement that the crash occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Monday outside the southern edge of the base. The pilot of the plane has since been reported dead. No other people were on board the plane. Authorities did not say whether the crash had resulted in injuries of people on the ground.

The Clark County Fire Department told local media that it is still unclear whether the pilot had died in or after the crash. Multiple federal and local first responders were at the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

The aircraft was owned and operated by Draken US, a Florida-based company contracted to provide adversary air support to Nellis Air Force Base, the statement said.

Draken has received news of a downed aircraft out of Nellis AFB and the tragic loss of one of our pilots. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people and families affected by this event, Draken US said in a statement.

We are doing everything in our power to assist them in this time of need, and we are working closely with federal, state and local authorities. Draken US is also cooperating with investigating agencies to determine what led to this tragic accident.

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 05:25:17|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for measures to ensure the safety and security of UN peacekeepers.

UN peacekeeping operations represent an important means for the maintenance of international peace and security and peacekeepers are an important asset to international peace. While peacekeeping cannot be risk-free, there is a need to minimize security risks, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

In recent years, the United Nations has continued to attach increasing importance to the safety and security of peacekeepers. It is necessary to increase input and ensure that the relevant considerations be reflected in the implementation of action plans, he told the Security Council in an open debate.

"We should continue to scale up risk assessment in light of the actual situation of each mission, incorporate it into all aspects of decision-making and take effective measures. It is necessary to improve the equipment of peacekeeping missions in a targeted manner, improve the quality of peacekeeping personnel, and strengthen the situational awareness, emergency response, and emergency rescue capabilities of peacekeeping operations (PKOs), so as to increase PKO resilience to various security risks," he said.

Zhang asked for efforts to concentrate optimal resources on resolving the key and difficult issues facing peacekeepers in safety and security.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a new challenge to safety and security. China calls for the early completion of vaccination for all peacekeepers. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have again become a major cause of casualties among peacekeepers this year. China expects the UN Secretariat to submit an independent strategic assessment report on PKOs' response to the threat of IEDs. The development and use of new technologies are changing rapidly, and peacekeeping operations should not be left behind. It is imperative to enhance communication and coordination among the United Nations, the troop- and police-contributing countries and the host countries, and actively study how to use new technologies to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers on the basis of full respect for the sovereignty of the host countries, he said.

Zhang said partnerships should be strengthened to create favorable conditions for improving the safety and security of peacekeepers.

The Security Council should formulate realistic, clear, and operable mandates for PKOs and avoid needless sacrifice due to inappropriate mandates. The Fifth Committee of the General Assembly should provide sufficient resources to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers. All member states should pay their peacekeeping budget dues on time and in full. Utmost efforts should be made to investigate attacks against peacekeepers and to bring the perpetrators to justice, said Zhang.

"We should keep abreast of the times and continue to identify and address new challenges to the safety and security of peacekeepers. While the world is changing, so are the risks faced by peacekeepers. We should keep up with the developments and stay ahead of risks as much as possible, incorporate safety precautions into all aspects of decision-making, training, equipment, and management, and reduce casualties among peacekeepers through preventive action," he said.

For more than 30 years, while actively participating in PKOs, China has attached great importance to the safety and security of peacekeepers, he said.

China has promoted the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2518, the first resolution on the safety and security of peacekeepers, as well as its followups. China has provided financial support to the UN Secretariat for formulating action plans. China, together with other member states, has also established the Group of Friends on the Safety and Security of UN Peacekeepers, in a bid to enhance communication and information sharing, promote policy coordination, and improve capacity building. China has also actively provided other troop- and police-contributing countries with security training, funded the UN Secretariat's workshop on safety and security issues, and decided to donate 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to peacekeepers, he said.

China stands ready to continue to work with other Security Council members and the international community in contributing to the protection of the blue helmets, said Zhang. Enditem
Moderna Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is 100 Percent Effective in Adolescents

Moderna on Tuesday said its COVID-19 vaccine was shown to be 100 percent effective in children between the ages of 12 and 17.

No cases of COVID-19 were observed in clinical trial participants who received two doses of Modernas shot, the Massachusetts-based biotechnology company said in a press release.

Moderna announced the results because it met its primary endpoint, which was a match to the vaccines ability to provoke an immune response seen in its trial among adults.

The phase two/three trial of children also showed an efficacy of 93 percent in seronegative participants 14 days or more after the first dose using the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) secondary definition, which requires one COVID-19 symptom and a nasal swab or saliva sample testing positive for the virus that causes the disease.

The trial, dubbed TeenCOVE, enrolled more than 3,700 participants between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States. Moderna plans to submit the data to a peer-reviewed publication at some point and to regulators around the world next month, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates vaccines and drugs in America.

We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. It is particularly exciting to see that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, Stephane Bancel, Modernas CEO, said in a statement. We will submit these results to the U.S. FDA and regulators globally in early June and request authorization. We remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna said its vaccine, known as mRNA-1273, was generally well tolerated in trial participants. The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in terms of severity, with the most common being injection site pain, headache, fatigue, myalgia, and chills. Full data, including a breakdown of adverse events, was not provided.

Moderna did not respond when asked whether any participants developed myocarditis, or heart inflammation. The CDC is investigating cases of post-vaccination myocarditis, primarily among youth.

All trial participants will be monitored for one year after their second shot to assess longer-term protection and safety. Participants are located across 18 states, according to the trial record. Approximately two-thirds of participants received Modernas shot; the rest got a placebo. They self-reported symptoms or lack of symptoms over the phone and logged entries in an e-Diary about any symptoms.

Walid Gellad, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburghs School of Medicine, said the trial results were good news.

But important to see these data, not just press release. Also important to note there were only four cases in the placebo group, he wrote in a tweet.

Pfizer, which makes one of the other COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States, said in late March that a trial showed its vaccine was safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12. The FDA on May 10 expanded the emergency use authorization for Pfizers shot to children between the ages of 12 and 15.

About 88,000 kids in that age group have since received two Pfizer jabs. Another 2.1 million have gotten one dose of the shot.
Michele Holbrook holds a photo of her son, Chandler Cook, who died of an overdose, at her home in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Mother Warns of Lockdown Impact After Losing Son to Overdose

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla.Despite her bright smile, a deep pain smoldered behind Michele Holbrooks eyes. She had experienced one of the most agonizing experiences a mother can havethe loss of her son.

Chandler Cook, a towering young man at 6 feet, 5 inches tall, died last April of an accidental overdose at the age of 28. Unbeknownst to him, his street-bought heroin had been spiked with fentanylan ultra-potent synthetic opioid of which just two to three milligrams can kill.

Thats my son, Holbrook told The Epoch Times, pointing to a framed photo of her son and herself in her living room. There were more photos on her bedroom wall, and in a photo album she later brought out as well.

I remember that feeling inside of me, just wanting to run, run as fast as I can, just to get awaythat it was a dream, she said of the day she learned about Cooks overdose. It was the hardest day Ive ever had in my life.

After shoulder surgery during his teen years, Cook was prescribed OxyContin, a strong opioid prescription pain medication to which he became addicted. Later, he began taking heroin and other drugs.

However, Cook had started to turn his life around in early 2020, when he got a job in the restaurant industry following a positive experience at a rehab facility. His mom was overjoyed that he was getting up in the mornings daily and going to workhe was finally clean from drugs.

Then, the pandemic hit.

Isolation

Like many, Cook lost his job because of lockdowns imposed in response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. He was living alone in his apartment at the time, and the isolation ended up taking a heavy toll on his mental health.

Before the pandemic, he was going to work every day, he was learning to bartend at the restaurant he worked atthey loved him up there, she said. He would make you laugh at the drop of a hat.

Cook had some level of depression before the pandemic, according to his mother. The lack of daily structure and steady income due to the shutdowns just made it worse for him.

You cant go anywhere, youre concerned about seeing your parents, youre concerned about seeing your loved ones  and he turned back to heroin, she said. I think he was honestly trying to numb that feeling of being isolated.

Michele Holbrook looks at photos of her son Chandler Cook, who died of an overdose, at her home in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Michele Holbrook looks at photos of her son Chandler Cook, who died of an overdose, at her home in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Zoom meetings arent helpful for those dealing with addiction, Holbrook said, noting that such individuals often dont have access to computers or the internet. Over 13 percent of respondents in an August survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP virus.

Holbrook was furious over the fact that liquor stores were deemed essential businesses, while Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings werent. Those struggling with mental health issues and addiction had nowhere to turn to for help during the pandemic.

People that dont understand this disease feel you can just walk away from it at the drop of a hat. And I know you cannot, she said. I saw it firsthand with Chandler. He didnt like it, it wasnt something he enjoyed.

Studies and reports have indicated that loneliness has a more specific effect on younger people. A national survey conducted in October of last year by Harvard University project Making Caring Common found that 36 percent of all respondents reported serious lonelinessthat is, feeling lonely frequently or almost all the time or all the time in the four weeks prior to the survey. Of those who felt this, a staggering 61 percent were young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.

Michele Holbrook sits at her home in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

As a mother, when your child is a hostage to addiction, its a difficult thing to go through, Holbrook said, noting that she has learned a lot through this whole process.

I can tell you, at times, his dad and I screamed, she said. We cut things out, we wouldnt give him moneyor maybe gave too much money, loved him too much. Because when youre in the throes of it, you dont know how to act sometimes.

Fentanyl

Holbrook wants to warn others of the dangers of opioids, and particularly fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and has spread throughout America like wildfire, sparking an overdose epidemic.

Theyre placing fentanyl in these drugs nowadays, and it will kill you, she said. I mean, it takes a very tiny, tiny amount of fentanyl in your system to kill you immediately.

Deaths attributed to fentanyl have been rising for years. A 2017 presidential memo noted that fentanyl is currently manufactured almost exclusively in China, and it is either shipped into the United States or smuggled across the southern border by drug traffickers.

China is the largest source of illicit fentanyl in the United States, a November 2018 report by the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission stated.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl has been approved in treating severe pain and is prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges and can be diverted for misuse and abuse in the United States, according to the CDC. But most of the cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the United States are linked to illicit fentanyl sold through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect.

An illustration of two milligrams of fentanyl powder, a lethal dose, next to a one-penny coin. (DEA)

Michele Holbrook looks at photos of her son Chandler Cook, who died of an overdose, at her home in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Holbrook said her son was unaware there was fentanyl in his drugs.

I dont think he knew that, she said. In the heat of the moment, he did it not knowing what he had picked up off the street, and it killed him. He had fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin in his system, [according to] his death certificate when they did the autopsy.

Fentanyl is often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination productwith or without the users knowledgeto increase its euphoric effects, the CDC says.

While Mexico serves as a primary conduit for fentanyl to reach the United States, the purity level of it entering from the southwest border is approximately 7 percent. Yet fentanyl arriving directly from China through express consignment and international mail facilities is nearly 90 percent pure and is far more lethal, according to a 2019 CBP report.

In August of last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) put out a warning about the sharp increase in overdose deaths connected to fentanyl. Officials warned that other drugs are increasingly being laced with fentanyl.

Michele Holbrook in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

This alarming uptick demonstrates that dealers continue cutting various illegal drugs with fentanyl and now more than ever its a recipe for death, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. The public needs to be aware of the danger of using any controlled substance even if packaged like a harmless medicinal pill.

Im urging you to share this potentially life-saving message with your loved ones today.

Pain

There isnt a day that goes by that Holbrook doesnt think about her son.

He knows how much I love him and I miss him every day, she said. I miss that smile. I miss not being able to talk to him and I think I struggle with that as a parent, thinking, Oh, I wish I could pick up the phone and call him today. Oh, I wish I heard his voice. But one day, I will.

On some of her most agonizing days, she visits a local park and sits on a bench made in memory of her son that her friends purchased and the city had installed. Children play in front of it on a playground.

Michele Holbrook sits on a bench in memory of her son, Chandler Cook, at a local park in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. The bench was bought by her friends and put up by the city. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

A bench in memory of Chandler Cook at a local park in Fernandina Beach, Fla., on May 19, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

The day he overdosed, Holbrook recalled getting a text from a friend of her son, telling her that something was wrong. She ran to her car with her husband and drove to Cooks apartment, which was located in Jacksonville, Florida. But they were too late.

I felt like I couldnt put one step in front of the other, she said.

Holbrook described her son as one of the most kindhearted people she has ever known, saying that he would give away his last $5 if someone needed it.

In early 2020, when Cook got off drugs, his mother interviewed him on camera about his journey, as he was keen to help others struggling with addiction. She recently posted that interview on YouTube.

He was so passionate about helping others, she said. He wanted to help others because, as he states, its a step by step [process] and it is a struggle every single day of your life.

Holbrook says those struggling with addiction need to push themselves to seek help.

You can choose to continue to press forward and go and get the help that you need, she said. Or you can continue to just stay where you are and then its going to do nothing but spiral down.

One thing I used to tell Chandler all the time  if you continue to press forward and look forward, youre going to continue to better yourself. Never look back, because thats only going to end up hurting you.

If the government doesnt put more resources in place to prevent addiction and help those struggling with it, Holbrook believes, there will be another pandemican addiction pandemic.

Its going to be the death of our young people, she said.

Holbrook herself struggles with another pain. She lives with neurofibromatosis, a rare condition that causes tumors to continuously form on her bodys nerves. Every year, she needs surgery to remove them. But what gets her through it is her faith in God.

Im very strong in my faith. I love the Lord, she said. I can remember one time just thinking, Oh my gosh, I wish I could just get a break sometime, and the one thing I remember is Gods going to bless me abundantly.
NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at a Chinese New Year celebration in Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand on February 19, 2020 (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

New Zealands Shift on Beijing Too Subtle to Notice: China Expert

A China expert says the New Zealand (NZ) government has been too subtle in its approach to recalibrating its relationship with Beijing, which has opened it up to criticism from allies, partners, and commentators who havent noticed.

Anne-Marie Brady, a political science and international relations professor from the University of Canterbury, says the NZ government has sought to pursue an independent foreign policy while readjusting its China policies as it seeks to maintain a positive relationship with the communist regime.

Beginning in 2018, the Ardern government managed a cautious, case-by-case recalibration of the New Zealand-China relationship, passing new legislation and making quiet policy adjustments, all the while stating that any changes are country agnostic or else avoiding mentioning that a change has occurred at all, she wrote in a May update (pdf) to her 2017 paper, Magic Weapons: Chinas Political Influence Activities Under Xi Jinping.

Brady said the problem with the Ardern government following such a quiet strategy on dealing with Beijings foreign interference is that it has been perhaps a bit too subtle and therefore has been overlooked and underreported.

Anne-Marie Brady, associate professor in political science at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, speaking on Xi Jinpings ideology campaign at the Wilson Center in Washington on April 2, 2015. (Gary Feuerberg/ Epoch Times)

The Ardern government needs to issue a new, whole-of-government China strategy, one that reflects current realities and steers the way for balancing economic versus security risks, she said.

Bradywho is also a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Australian Strategic Policy Instituteacknowledged recent missteps by the NZ government on foreign policy. This included comments by Trade Minister Damien OConnor who in January suggested that Australia should show respect to Beijing if it wished to emulate the mature relationship between NZ and China.

However, she said since the release of her 2017 Magic Weapons paper, the NZ authorities have stepped up action to counter foreign interference and bolster national security, including banning Huawei from its 5G network, tightening money-laundering laws, increasing engagement in the South Pacific, and holding its first parliamentary inquiry into foreign interference in 2019.

NZs domestic spy agency, the Security and Intelligence Service, has also taken a more proactive and public role in addressing foreign interference issues.

However, Brady warned that Beijings monitoring and intimidation of the Chinese community in New Zealand was difficult to fix.

The CCP adopts a carrot-and-stick approach to the Chinese diaspora: financial opportunities and honours for those who cooperate; harassment, denial of passport or visa rights and detention for family members living in China for those who do not.

A dragon lantern is displayed in a fountain during Auckland Lantern Festival at Albert Park in Auckland, New Zealand on February 22, 2008 (Sandra Mu/Getty Images)

Bradys paper comes as NZ-China relations faced scrutiny in recent weeks.

In April, Foreign Minister Mahuta delivered a speech to the New Zealand China Council, outlining what the countrys contemporary relationship with China looked like. In her speech, she warned of the need for exporters to diversify trade away from China while raising concerns about Beijings soft power push into the South Pacific region.

However, it was her comments on the Five Eyes that raised eyebrows from democratic allies.

We are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes, she told reporters. We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests.

The Five Eyescomprising Australia, NZ, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United Stateswas formed in the 1940s as an intelligence-sharing network. In recent years, the group has been leveraged to discuss other issues including the economy, defence, and foreign relations.

In response, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne spoke of the importance of the grouping before a meeting with Mahuta. While UK MP Bob Seely said NZ was in a hell of an ethical mess.
NSW Govt Announces Cemetery Overhaul, Catholic Church Feels Turned Against

Sydney cemeteries will be undergoing a major management overhaul by the New South Wales (NSW) government much to the disapproval of religious leaders.

Five cemetery operators on Crown landsfour government and one catholicwill be consolidated into a single operating entity, OneCrown, following a recommendation by an independent review that warned Crown cemeteries would soon run out of burial space.

A spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney told The Epoch Times that they were puzzled as to why NSW Property Minister Melinda Pavey seemed to have turned against the church.

After suggesting we would be able to play a major role in the future, she has stopped our construction of two much-needed cemeteries for which weve gained hard-fought approvals, the spokesman said, referring to the halted construction work at Macarthur Memorial Park, a new cemetery with a total of 136,000 planned burial plots.

He said their mission, which has continued for over 150 years, was to bury the dead in a dignified way while keeping with the cultures of different faiths.

The State Government was reminded of this at several meetings with our Archbishop, who was assured that our work would continue to be appreciated, the spokesman said. Leaders of other faiths also requested we continue in that not-for-profit role and have said so to the Premier.

Smoke haze is seen over Clovelly cemetery on December 10, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The 11th Hour: Solving Sydneys Cemetery Crisis report (pdf) from the review found that some operators were facing financial problems and that by merging them into one, it would reduce existing inefficiencies by around 30 percent.

Significantly, by 2038 it will have generated excess capital of approximately $600 million, the report said. Over time, it will potentially develop into a multi-billion dollar asset for the state.

It also found that Sydney was running out of space for burial grounds and would soon be unable to meet burial demand if new cemetery land is not purchased and developed.

Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park (ESMP) is estimated to exhaust its burial space by at least 2023. Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries NSW Chief Executive Isabelle Meyer, the operator of ESMP, said they were considering the option of reusing land.

While the law allows it in NSW, its not very common and what were saying is that a potential solution to the lack of burial space, particularly in inner Sydney, might be to look at options for limited tenure and reusing gravesites, Meyer told Yahoo News Australia. If the community arent accepting of it, then were not going to proceed, but if people express interest, we would probably set up dedicated areas at both of our cemeteries.
Sea lions are treated at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. (Courtesy of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.)

Pacific Marine Mammal Center Celebrates 50 Years of Caring for Sea Life

From a small three-person rescue team rehabilitating seals in a bathtub to a leader in marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation and scientific hub and education center, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center is this month celebrating its 50th anniversary.

In 1971, Jim Stauffer, Dr. Rose Ekeberg, and I started a small group known as the Friends of the Sea Lions, John Cunningham said in a press release. With the help of a handful of Laguna Beach high school students, our mission was to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick and injured seals and sea lions along the Orange County coast.

Today, 50 years later, I am so proud to still be a part of whats become a world-class non-profit now known as the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is celebrating its anniversary with 50 Days of Giveaways in June. Supporters can follow Pacific Marine Mammal Center on social media or register online. The center is also holding an anniversary gala Nov. 7 at the Festival of Arts grounds in Laguna Beach.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center spokesperson Krysta Higuchi told The Epoch Times that the center has had a lot of special cases this past year, many due to entanglement in fishing line, trash, and other hazards to sea life such as face masks. After a year of pandemic shutdowns and operational restrictions, it seems fundraising efforts are more important than ever.

Humble Beginnings

Founded prior to the Marine Mammal Protection act of 1972, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center was the first rehabilitation facility in California of its kind, beginning as the Friends of the Sea Lion in 1971.

As the story goes, in spring of 1971, a young girl approached Newport Beach lifeguard Jim Stauffer and told him she had just seen a seal on the beach and she thought it looked like it was in distress.

Stauffer immediately went to investigate in his lifeguard jeep and soon came upon a young Pacific harbor seal.

When he attempted to put the seal in the back of his jeep it would leap right out, so after a few tries, Stauffer gave up, thinking it must be healthy and just needed to rest, so he reluctantly returned to his post.

Later, after his concern for the pup nagged at him all day, Stauffer went back to check on the small seal.

This time he picked it up and it didnt resist, so he took the animal to the Dover Shores Animal Hospital where it was found to have lungworms.

With advice from the vet, Stauffer nursed the harbor seal back to health and released him back into the ocean after a full recovery.

News of Stauffers success with the pup spread, and soon lifeguards were contacting him whenever they found a sick or injured seal or sea lion on the beach.

Within only a few weeks, Stauffer was caring for a California sea lion. Another lifeguard, John Cunningham, began helping.

During the school year, Cunningham taught at Laguna Beach High School and in 1972 developed a marine science class with a requirement for students to volunteer at what was now being called the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

Dr. Rose Ekeberg of Laguna Canyon Animal Hospital provided medicine and medical advice to Stauffer and Cunningham and housed some of the animals at her clinic, and they began the tradition of giving each animal its own name.

The Department of Fish and Game issued the first permit of its kind in California, and Stauffer was allowed to temporarily house seals and lions at his home. The organization grew quickly, and a facility bigger than Stauffers home and pool became necessary.

At that time, the local SPCA was using a barn owned by the city of Laguna Beach, and when they relocated in 1976, the city offered Stauffer the building as a home for Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

With the help of volunteers, they renovated the barn, which still functions today as the centers rehabilitation hub.

Im so proud to continue to see the community get behind this important mission, said co-founder Jim Stauffer. Its been great all these years to watch it grow all for the benefit of these precious marine mammals.

To date, Pacific Marine Mammal Center has rescued more than 10,000 federally protected marine mammal species. Annually, the center educates tens of thousands of students and hosts up to 50,000 patrons at its visitor center in Laguna Beach.

The majority of patients at the center are pups under a year old who are stranded in the springtime on Orange County beaches, suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.

The center is also hosting a Summer Fish Drive Kickoff on June 4 to celebrate its anniversary.

Fish drive ticketholders will get a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the animal hospital and meet some of the current recovering patients. The event will feature live music, a meal by California Love Drop, and a goodie bag.

To allow for social distancing, 20 fish drive guests per hour will be admitted to the event and all attendees will be entered to win a semi-private boat ride to experience the release back to the wild of a center patient.
Opposition blogger and activist Roman Protasevich, who is accused of participating in an unsanctioned protest at the Kuropaty preserve, arrives for a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, on April 10, 2017. (Stringer/Reuters)

Plan Needed to Tackle Outrages by Gangster Regimes: Ex-defence Chief

Britain needs a long-term plan is tackle criminal outrages by gangster regimes, a former military chief has said.

Lord Stirrup made the call at Westminster as he argued that the egregious act of Belarus forcing the diversion of a passenger jet to arrest a journalist and prominent government critic was not an isolated incident.

The independent crossbencher, who led the armed forces as chief of the defence staff from October 2006, highlighted the murderous attacks with vile poisons on UK soil as well as cyber interference in the nations political processes, which have been blamed on the Kremlin.

Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died in 2006 after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210, while the Salisbury chemical weapons attack in 2018 killed Dawn Sturgess.

Lord Stirrups comments came after the detention of Roman Protasevich following what has been branded a state-sponsored hijack.

He was on board a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius when it was forced to change course to head for the Belarusian capital, Minsk, after a reported bomb scare, escorted by a MiG fighter jet.

Protasevich subsequently appeared in a video released by the authorities in which he appeared to admit he was involved in organising mass protests in the country last year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has described the footage as deeply distressing and called for his release.

Speaking in Parliament, Lord Stirrup said: Does the minister agree that this egregious act is not just an isolated incident but is part of a wider pattern of criminal outrages perpetrated by gangster regimes, which in this country alone has included murderous attacks with vile poisons and electronic attempts to subvert our democracy?

What is required now is not just a strong immediate response to the Belarus incident but a longer-term strategy to counter such regimes and to thwart their malign purposes.

Responding, Foreign Office minister Lord Goldsmith of Richmond said: Our approach to tackling these escalating problems in Belarus, which go far further than events over the last couple of days, is part of a broader approach that we take.

The UK and EU have issued new sanctions against Belarus in light of the arrest.

Alexander Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the post was established in 1994 and won re-election for a sixth time in 2020 with 80 percent of the vote, in a ballot deemed neither free nor fair by the European Union.

Since winning the disputed election last August, Lukashenko has cracked down on dissenting voices, with many opposition figures arrested and others forced into exile.

Independent crossbencher Lord Russell of Liverpool said he had been part of a team monitoring the parliamentary election in Belarus and witnessed the 64-year-old president appoint his 22-year-old mistress, an ex-Miss Belarus, as an MP.

That is his definition of democracy, said Lord Russell.

He urged the UK Government to work with other trading partners to hit Belarus where it hurts.

Leading lawyer and Labour peer Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws pressed for the use of targeted sanctions to be extended to more individuals.

She highlighted a hugely rich oligarch living in London who is funding Lukashenko up to his ears.
Vials labelled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" and a syringe are seen in front of the Pfizer logo in this illustration taken on Feb. 9, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Queenslands Mass CCP Virus Vaccination Plan

The Queensland government is preparing for mass CCP virus vaccinations in the last quarter of this year when Pfizer vaccine supplies are expected to increase by opening 14 hubs by the end of July.

Four hubs have already been stood up in the Wide Bay and Mackay regions, at Central Queensland University City Campus (Mackay), Bundaberg TAFE, Hervey Bay TAFE, and Maryborough City Hall, the state government, said in a press release on Tuesday.

A further three vaccination hubs will be ready in southeast Queensland in the coming weeks, and an additional seven hubs will progressively follow.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk looks on at a press conference at Parliament House in Brisbane, Australia, on April 1, 2021. (Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the hubs would coincide with increased Pfizer vaccine supplies announced by the federal government.

The state government announced that members of the general public aged 40-49 who may want to receive a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccination would be able to register for vaccination.

Our job so far has been to vaccinate the 1a and 1b groups that include our workforce in hotel quarantine, health, police, and other emergency services, Palaszczuk said.

Queensland Health has sufficient Pfizer stocks to continue that work and open up to the 40-49-year age group who may want to register to be vaccinated.

We do not want an ounce of vaccine to go to waste, she said.

Health Minister Yvette DAth speaks after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a three-day lockdown for the Greater Brisbane area in Brisbane, Australia, on March 29, 2021. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Queensland Health Minister Yvette DAth said the community hubs would assist the states rollout, which was recalibrated after the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in April confirmed a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and cases of blood clots with low blood plateletsthrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

Since then, the TGA has confirmed 21 cases of TTS linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, out of a total of 2.1 million doses of that vaccine administered. A further three cases are considered probable.

Since the TGAs advice regarding AstraZeneca, Queensland has had to adapt its approach to the vaccine rollout, DAth said.

Were making the vaccine as accessible as possible and maximising our vaccine administration capacity.

Already, we have stood up Pfizer hubs at hospitals in every [Hospital and Health Service] across Queensland to provide greater vaccine accessibility.

The Palaszczuk Government will ensure that our vaccine rollout is accessible as possible, and these community vaccine hubs will further assist Queenslanders, no matter where they are, to get access to the vaccine, the health minister said.
A family takes pictures in front of a mural of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 28, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Refunding the Police: Major Cities Backtrack on Police Budget Cuts After Crime Surges

Following calls last summer from groups such as Black Lives Matter to defund the police, a number of city officials are now walking back statements to go through with cutting funding to law enforcement due to surges in crime levels.

The Minneapolis City Council several months ago voted to approve $6.4 million more in funding to the police department, coming after a number of councilmembers last year pledged to completely abolish the department.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, announced in May that hes pushing to increase funding to the citys police departmentcoming about a year after George Floyds death in police custody, which sparked the Black Lives Matter protests, riots, and arson attacks across Minneapolis.

The violence needs to stop; its unacceptable, he said earlier in May during a news conference, which came amid a massive spike in violence in the city.

People deserve to feel safe in their neighborhood, they deserve to be able to send their kids out to the sidewalk to play and to recreate without bullets flying by. Thats unacceptable. We should be holding these perpetrators accountable.

Frey blamed activists calls to defund the police.

When you make big, overarching statements that were going to defund or abolish and dismantle the police department and get rid of all the officers, theres an impact to that, he said.

A police officer stands amid smoke and debris as buildings continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Last year, during a protest in Minneapolis, Frey was admonished by Black Lives Matter supporters because he refused to abolish the citys police forcein a scene that some compared to struggle sessions during the Chinese Communist Party-led Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. The mayor, however, said he wanted a structural revamp of the citys police force.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, announced this month that his city is building a police precinct in Queens to deal with a spate in rising crimecoming months after he pledged to cut $1 billion from the NYPDs budget. The city has cut far less from the police department than the pledged $1 billion.

In late April, the mayor said stimulus funding from the federal government will allow for the construction of a new NYPD precinct in southeastern Queens.

This is something that for decades the community asked for, de Blasio said at a press briefing last month. The 116th precinct building was something that could not happen in that environment, because of  trade-offs, he said. It was one or the other, which was the choice in 2020. We leaned into the investments in young people. Now, thankfully, we have the resources to address both these issues.

This comes in the midst of a historic increase in shootings, murders, and other violent crimes. According to NYPD data, there was a 76 percent increase in shootings in March 2021, as compared to March 2020.

People are arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge after about a dozen Black Lives Matter protesters briefly shut down the bridge in New York City, on July 15, 2020. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

While Democrat Mayor Eric Garcetti and some members of the Los Angeles City Council pledged to cut funding last year, they reneged on that commitment last week.

The council approved more funding to the Los Angeles Police Department to hire 250 more officers, which comes within the backdrop of rising crime in Los Angeles.

Garcetti, separately, is proposing a 3 percent increase in the LAPDs budget from $1.71 billion to $1.76 billion. Last year, the city cut about $150 million from the departments budget.

In Baltimore, a city that has historically had a high crime rate, the citys spending board in mid-May approved a budget with a $28 million increase to the police department. In 2020, the city cut about $22 million from the police departments budget.

The defund the police movement has also seen its support plummet since last summer, according to various polls. A recent survey in March showed that just 18 percent of Americans support the cause.

Some Democrat members of Congress, after the Nov. 3 election, also panned the movement. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who won a close race, reportedly panned Democrats messaging during the last election cycle.

The number one concern that people brought to me in my race that I barely rewon was defunding the police, she told other Democrats. And Ive heard from colleagues who say, Oh its the language of the streets, we should respect that. Were in Congress. We are professionals. We are supposed to talk about things in the way where we mean what we are talking about. If we dont mean we should defund the police, we shouldnt say that.
Samoan Prime Minister Elect Fiame Naomi Mata'afa speaks during the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand on April 18, 2013 (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Samoas Constitutional Crises: PM-Elect Locked out of Parliament

The outgoing Samoan government on May 24 blocked Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mataafa from entering Parliament House to be sworn in, pushing Samoa into its biggest constitutional crisis in decades.

May 24 was the last day Fiame and her incoming governing party, Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST), could legally be inducted into power under the Samoan constitution, which gives 45 days for the change of government to occur.

Despite being locked out, Fiame held a swearing-in ceremony on the lawn outside the Parliament, without the head of state, judiciary, and opposition MPs, the New Zealand Herald reported. But the Samoan attorney-general declared the ceremony illegal.

Caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has accused Fiame, who was his former deputy prime minister, of treason and staging a coupthis is despite the Supreme Court declaring FAST the legitimate winner after it gained more seats than Tuilaepas Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP).

This is treason and the highest form of illegal conduct, Tuilaepa said.

Tuilaepa called the FAST a mafia-like organisation and accused them of being mentally unstable and of misleading the public. He also indicated that he would not relinquish his hold on power, saying that the people of Samoa calling for him to step down will need to come to us and beg.

Meanwhile, FAST also described their being blocked from being sworn in inside Parliament to a coup and Fiame has faced court over the ad-hoc ceremony.

Tuilaepa is one of the worlds longest-serving prime ministers, governing the island for 22 years, while HRPP has been in power for 39 years.

This attempt by HRPP to maintain their hold on power comes after FAST won the election by a narrow margin of one seat after HRPP and FAST both won 25 seats in the Parliament. One independent MP sided with FAST, giving them the majority.

HRPP then declared that they had not met the countrys 10 percent quota for female MPs and appointed an additional female MP, taking its numbers to 26equaling FAST. However, the Supreme Court ruled that HRPPs action was improper, clearing the path for FAST to claim an electoral victory.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, Samoas head of state, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, cancelled the Parliamentary sitting without explanation. The Supreme Court then overruled his decision and ordered Parliament to be convened on May 24 to swear in Fiame and her new government.

Fiame recently made international headlines when she stated she would scrap a US$100 million Chinese-backed port development, saying it is excessive for the small Pacific island already saddled with major debts to Beijing.

This marked a change in the direction of the previous administration under Tuilaepa, which had been increasingly pro-Beijing.

Speaking to RNZ Pacific on Tuesday Fiame said that Tuilaepa accusation of treason was not a serious threat and that the incumbent Prime Minister had made similar threats in the past.

So I think he just likes to stoke the fire and throw in big words like treason. I dont think that [his accusation] is very serious.

Fiame said Tuilaepa was getting to the end of a long career and suggested he was having trouble letting go.

The thing that really happened, first and foremost, is that he was getting to that point in that long and distinguished career where he thought he was, you know, omnipotent and could now do whatever he liked. Now, hes gone from being chosen by God to setting himself up as very god-like.

Samoas Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall Of The People in Beijing, China on Sept. 18, 2018. (Lintao Zhang/AFP via Getty Images)

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement on Tuesday saying the UN stands ready to provide support to Samoa if called on.

The Secretary-General has been following the developments since the 9 April General Elections in Samoa, the spokesperson said. He urges the leaders in Samoa to find solutions to the current political situation through dialogue in the best interest of the people and institutions of Samoa.

A concerned New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, also spoke about the political instability on TVNZ Breakfast on Monday and called on all parties to uphold democracy.

Here in New Zealand, we have complete faith in Samoas institutions, and that includes its judiciary, which has been playing a very strong role in interpreting its view on what needs to happen after the election, Ardern said.

We also support Samoas democracy, and we would call on others to do the same. Obviously, now this is a very big crossroads. this is a big change for Samoa over whats been occurring over the past 20 years in their elections. But our call would be to just maintain and uphold the rule of law and that democratic outcome, she said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne told The Epoch Times on Tuesday that Australia values its close friendship with Samoa but that it was important that all parties respect the rule of law and democratic processes.

We have faith in Samoas institutions including the judiciary, Payne said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne (R) and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pose for a photograph in Auckland, New Zealand on April 23, 2021. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

International Support for Fiame

Despite the questions over the legality of her swearing-in, Fiame and FAST have received support from the Pacific community.

The Federated States of Micronesia supported Fiames right to lead the country, writing on Twitter, The Federated States of Micronesia Recognizes the Legitimacy of Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa.

@vaiala The Federated States of Micronesia Recognizes the Legitimacy of Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa: https://t.co/xnxhQUC643 pic.twitter.com/9Pv5eDfO7b  Federated States of Micronesia Public Information (@FSMPIO) May 24, 2021

Likewise, Fijis Women Forum has also congratulated Fiame, stating that she is a strong advocate for women.

Mataafa is a strong advocate for womens development and participation in politics and one of Samoas first female members of Parliament, they said.

The validation of Mataafas victory by the Supreme Court and her leadership of her new party, against a decades-long incumbent Government, is inspirational and paves the way for all female politicians, and young women with political aspirations in the Pacific region, they said
Senators Move to Close Security Loophole on Chinese State-Backed Firms

A bipartisan bill aims to bar Chinese state-linked firms from exploiting a security loophole to enter U.S. technology markets.

The Secure Equipment Act of 2021 (pdf), introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), targets major Chinese telecom providers, including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, and Dahua Technology Company. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has flagged all five as a threat to national security.

Under the act, the FCC, which oversees all interstate and foreign communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable, would cease reviewing or approving any product or services from the named companies.

The Chinese Communist Party subsidizes these companies and exploits loopholes in our laws to allow malicious actors to sell compromised equipment and services in the U.S., Rubio said.

By loopholes, Rubio was referring to regulations that the FCC adopted last year mandating U.S. telecom carriers to remove and replace gear from Chinese entities deemed to be a national security risk. The rules, however, didnt apply to equipment purchased with private funding.

An FCC review found that Huawei alone has seen more than 3,000 of its applications approved since 2018, including on network equipment and tracking devices, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said ( pdf ) on March 30. The FCC similarly greenlighted Hikvision and Dahua applications for video surveillance and facial recognition equipment.

Surveillance cameras are seen near the headquarters of Chinese video surveillance firm Hikvision in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on May 22, 2019. (Reuters)

The status quo is dangerous, and we need to act now to strengthen our national security and protect our critical infrastructure, Rubio said.

Markey called the legislation a commonsense proposal.

In todays increasingly connected world, we must animate our technology with our values, especially in the 5G networks that are critical to our future economic prosperity, he said. The bill will make sure all of our devices and equipment are safe for consumers and secure for the United States.

Carr welcomed the gesture in a May 24 statement, saying it was a quick and decisive action necessary to safeguard our national security.

It is time to close this glaring loophole, he said. Once we have determined that Huawei or other gear poses an unacceptable national security risk, it makes no sense to allow that exact same equipment to be purchased and inserted into our communications networks.

The presence of these insecure devices in our networks is the threat, not the source of funding used to purchase them.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 06:00:58|Editor: huaxia

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Palestinians are seen at a destroyed house in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on May 24, 2021. Calm is returning to Gaza as the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has held since it went into effect on Friday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Calm is returning to Gaza as the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has held since it went into effect on Friday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday.

Routine life is being restored throughout Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas. Some of the main roads have been made passable, and the authorities are fixing damaged electrical lines, water and wastewater networks, said OCHA.

It is critical that all parties work to maintain the cease-fire, it said.

Unimpeded humanitarian access is critical to ensure an effective response in Gaza. Humanitarian personnel must have freedom of movement to undertake their functions. Humanitarian personnel and objects used for humanitarian relief operations must also be protected and respected, said OCHA.

A flash appeal for Gaza will be launched on Thursday, it said.

Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, spent two days this past weekend in Gaza, speaking with people who she said endured unimaginable suffering over the 11 days of hostilities, according to OCHA. Enditem
Stay Tuned: Trump Says New Social Media Website Will Be Rolled Out Soon

Former President Donald Trump suggested that his new social media platform will be launched soon, while noting that mainstream media outlets misreported traffic to his website.

Several weeks ago, Trump rolled out a social media-like section on his website called From the Desk of Donald J. Trump that allows him to post statements.

Describing his website as a temporary way of getting his message out, Trump noted that it is a place where everyone can see my statements, issued in real time, and engage with the MAGA Movement.

This is meant to be a temporary way of getting my thoughts and ideas out to the public without the Fake News spin, but the website is not a platform, according to Trumps statement. It is merely a way of communicating until I decide on what the future will be for the choice or establishment of a platform. It will happen soon. Stay tuned!

The Washington Post, Trump added on his website on Monday, also incorrectly reported about my DonaldJTrump.com website viewership.

We have not yet launched our own social media platform, but even the very basic site we have to post our statements has received 36.7 million views over the past month alone, and were getting more traffic to our website now than in 2020, an Election year, he continued to say.

Twitter, Facebook, and other big tech platforms suspended Trump in January following the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. Twitter executives have indicated that Trumpwho had about 90 million followers on the platformwill remain suspended indefinitely, while Facebooks Oversight Board ruled earlier this month to uphold his ban but set a time limit on it.

After Trump rolled out his Desk website, Twitter suspended accounts that were tweeting links to his statements.

As stated in our ban evasion policy, well take enforcement action on accounts whose apparent intent is to replace or promote content affiliated with a suspended account, a spokesperson for Twitter told news outlets in early May. Reports said that the account referenced by Twitter wasnt created by Trump or any of his subordinates.

The former commander-in-chief said that if he wasnt banned, his website traffic would be even greater if we were still on Twitter and Facebook, but since Big Tech has illegally banned me, tens of millions of our supporters have stopped using these platforms because theyve become boring and nasty.

Separately, Trump adviser and spokesman Jason Miller in late March said their social media site will be operational in three to four months, meaning in June or July.
Police officers separate opposing Palestinian and Israeli supporters during a demonstration against the fighting in the Gaza Strip, in Toronto on May 15, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

Straight-Out Jew Hatred: Canadas Jewish Community Shaken By Antisemitic Incidents

Since the recent escalation of fighting between Israel and Hamas, violence against Jews by anti-Israel activists during protests as well as vandalism and online threats have rocked Canadas Jewish community.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in every major Canadian city have included attendees holding hate-filled signage and violent outbreaks. At Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on May 15, chants were heard of death to the Jews and we will finish what Hitler started.

For the first time since the Holocaust, it is now socially acceptable again to be a Jew-basher, said educator Richard Bass, author of the book Israel in World Relations and director of the organization For Critical Thinkers.

Bass said in an interview that he believes this has come about because people have become emboldened by the intolerant liberal left ideologies that have gained more and more momentum.

Noting that a group of protestors bearing a Palestinian flag swarmed and brutally assaulted a small number of pro-Israel demonstrators at the Toronto protest, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and three other Jewish advocacy organizations condemned such violence as a threat to Jews, saying that the instigators threaten the very fabric of Canadian society.

[These] alarming incidents  make it clear anti-Israel activists are seeking to use the current violence in the Middle East as an excuse to target Torontos Jewish community for intimidation and hate, the groups said in a May 16 press release.

Every time something happens in the Middle East, antisemitism rises, says Agnes Imani, director of Jews Against Antisemitism Canada.

Imani spearheaded a road rally down Torontos Bathurst St. on May 13 in support of Israel. It was followed by a rally at Earl Bales Park, the site of a large Holocaust memorial, attended by 3,000 people.

The road rally saw a few incidences of pro-Palestinian activists physically harassing bystanders along the route.

Whenever were in bad times, war, politically, or corona, the Jews get blamed, regardless of what we do, Imani told The Epoch Times.

In Nazi times, Jews were blamed because the economy was bad. Today, they turn anti-Zionism into antisemitism and again blame the Jew. Its political, now, because the state of Israel exists, she explains.

My conclusion is, its not about a battle for the land. Its about straight-out Jew hatred. They want to eliminate Jews, and the state of Israeland we are one and the same for them. They hide their hatred of Jews in the hatred of Zionism.

Glorifying of Violence and Dehumanization

A press release issued on May 19 by the CIJA and the Montreal-based Federation CJA said there has been an alarming number of provocative incidents targeting Jewish Montrealers. They include hateful language on signs at an anti-Israel rally, vandalism on the Israeli Consulate building, rocks thrown at a peaceful pro-Israel gathering, anti-Israel activists driving through Jewish neighbourhoods and yelling antisemitic slurs, and online threats against members of the Jewish community.

In a May 18 Facebook video, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather expressed concern for Montreals Jewish community, saying the level of hate that has been created because of events in the Middle East is something that we cannot tolerate in Canada.

Daniel Koren, executive director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada, an organization that educates students about Israel, notes that advocating for Israel and fighting antisemitism become one and the same these days. All too often we see demonization of Jews and anti-Israel discrimination.

One example of how these hatreds intersected, he said, appeared on a recent TikTok video produced by two students at Wilfrid Laurier University. The young women, while dancing and celebrating, burned a paper Israeli flag and encouraged stabbing Jews.

The glorifying of violence and dehumanization against Jews and Israelis is fuelled by hatred, Koren said in an interview. Its not a matter of lets make peace and discuss.

Still, he thinks its possible that some of these kinds of videos exist due to naivete.

These are children. A lot of times theyre trying to be cool, fashionable, have shock value, be flashy. But theyre foolish. But what happens [is that] it will fuel more hatred, discrimination, vandalism, and violence, making Jews even more unsafe.

Jonathan Allen, executive director of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, which is an arm of Jerusalems Holocaust educational institute, also believes that at times people are acting out of lack of knowledge.

There are those who truly hate Jews, and there are those who participate in antisemitism because they are ignorant of the issues and get their information from biased or incorrect sources, both through traditional and social media, he said.

Education is the only answer with those who deep down do not hate, but are misinformed.
Students Military Dad Couldnt Make It to Her GradThen the MC Makes an Unexpected Announcement

A high school graduation ceremony was made even more memorable for an Ohio student when someone unexpected showed up for her big moment.

At first, Grace Macke didnt have high hopes that her dad, Air Force master sergeant Drew Macke, who was deployed in the Middle East, would make it home for her big day.

The ceremony took place on May 16 at Cincinnatis Xaviers Cintas Center.

Little did she know, sergeant Macke had made a secret return and was planning a big surprise for her.

During the ceremony, the Kings High School MC played along with the ruse.

Her dad deployed early in the school year and she has not seen him since, the MC began. There was hope that he would be able to return for graduation, but it did not work out.

He announced that sergeant Macke would appear on the arenas video board to offer a message of congratulations to his daughter.

Then, when the video appeared to malfunction, the MC declared they had no other option but to welcome sergeant Macke onto the stage, in person, to congratulate his daughterwhich he did.

They embraced at length in a tearful reunion, which was captured on video and later posted on the schools social media.

The rest of the family then joined in to welcome home the father and husband.

We wanted to make this special event happen for Grace, the MC added. Its an amazing effort that Mr. Macke made, and once again lets thank him for his service to our country.

(Courtesy of Kings Local School District)

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Study Projects $9.3 Billion in New Union Income Under PRO Act

Labor unions could see a huge boost in revenues, estimated at $9.3 billion in dues from workers, if the Senate passes and President Joe Biden signs the House-approved PRO Act, according to a new study.

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO) was approved in March by the House of Representatives and is now being considered by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Biden has promised to sign the measure if it comes to his desk.

The PRO Act vastly expands the power of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to use its regulatory authority to reinforce organized labors efforts to expand its membership after decades of decline.

It would also nullify the 27 state right-to-work laws presently on the books, and enable unions to collect mandatory dues from employees who dont wish to join a trade organization.

If enacted into law, the PRO Act will likely result in increases to the private union member rate. This will increase the number of dues-paying members who fund labor organizations, increasing labor organization receipts and enabling unions to increase their disbursements, noted a study by the Institute for the American Worker (IAW).

The IAW is a conservative nonprofit that advocates for free market reforms and shouldnt be confused with the AFL-CIOs Working for America Institute.

If the private sector union membership rate returns to where it was within the last several decades, this could conservatively mean an increase of $9.3 billion in dues receipts within the universe of labor organizations that file [LM-2] reports with [the Department of Labors] Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), the study stated.

This would allow unions to increase their disbursements for everything from politics to landscaping, expanding their power and influence greatly.

The studys projections assume union membership would either be increased to levels not seen since 1983, when, according to DOLs Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the nationwide total was 16.8 percent of all private-sector workers or since 2000, when the rate was 9 percent.

Currently, 6.3 percent of all private-sector workers are union membersthe lowest level in many decadesbut still the source of $11.1 billion in annual dues revenues, according to BLS data cited by the study.

If labor union membership increases to the 2000 level, dues revenues would increase to $13.5 billion, while an increase to the 1983 level would produce a $9.3 billion increase.

The two assumptions are necessary because, as the study explains, most, if not all, labor observers believe that enacting the PRO Act will lead to an increase in the private sector union membership rate and those required to pay fees. This has been widely accepted in public comments on the pending legislation. How much the union membership rate will increase, however, is subject to debate.

Labor unions spent $791 million on political campaigns and activities in 2020, almost exclusively on Democratic candidates and causes, according to IAW. Such spending would spiral to $961 million under the 2000 assumption and to more than $1.5 billion under the 1983 assumption.

The steady decline since the Reagan era in union membership has resulted, in part, due to the spread of right-to-work laws passing in a majority of states and, in part, because of aggressive efforts during President George W. Bushs eight years in the Oval Office to enforce the LM-2 financial disclosure requirements.

Continuing convictions of union leaders for serious offenses has also damaged the credibility of labor organizations with workers. In just the first four months of 2021, 10 union officials have been convicted or indicted in such cases, including:

United Steelworkers Union Local 1731 President Trey Huffy pleaded guilty to stealing more than $37,000 from the union.

Former Ironworkers Local 470 Treasurer Scott Merritt took $50,850 from the union for his personal use over a seven-year period.

Salvatore Tagliaferro, president of the Local Chapter 926 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America took more than $70,000 in bribes in return for union memberships. More than half of those members never received work assignments.

Former National Association of Letter Carriers Union Local 274 Vice President Joseph Whitbeck was indicted on a kickback scheme in which he filed false worker complaints of violations of overtime rules by postal service managers. Whitbeck is accused by federal prosecutors of then directing settlement funds to members who agreed to kick back a portion of them to him.

Brenda Walters, then secretary-treasurer of the Muskogee (Oklahoma) Local Area 7 of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, embezzled more than $95,000 in union funds.

Jeffrey Phillips, former secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 836, stole more than $57,000 from the union. His lawyer told the court that Phillips didnt recall what happened to the money, due to a medical condition.

Dorothy McBride, the former president of a Communications Workers of America local in New Jersey, was indicted for allegedly embezzling more than $600,000 from the union and using the funds to pay off her American Express and other credit cards.

Former United Auto Workers Local 1320 Financial Secretary Brian Rittenhouse is charged with embezzling $500 in union funds that were labeled as intended to purchase T-shirts.

Linda Rogers, former secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Union, and her daughter, Jennifer, were convicted of embezzling $40,455 from the locals checking and savings accounts.

Scott Rogers, president of Postal Mail Handlers Local 314 was indicted for embezzling an estimated $80,000 from the unions bank account. The locals former treasurer, Yvette Luster, was indicated on the same charge.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be contacted at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc.
U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. speaks onstage during A Conversation With Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. at Temple Emanu-El in New York City on Sept. 24, 2019. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center)

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Says Law Is Way of Limiting Power

The chief justice of the Supreme Court told graduates of Georgetown University Law Center on Tuesday that the law is a way to limit power.

Resolving disputes according to reason embodied in the law can involve a lot more work than leaving it all up to power, Roberts said in four-minute virtual remarks from the court in Washington. But limiting power through reason is a rare and special thing in the world, and worth the work.

Supreme Court justices rarely appear in public and Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, is no exception.

But he accepted an invitation from Georgetown for the second time, 15 years after he addressed graduates on Healy Lawn.

Roberts joked that he was likely asked back because his speech that day was so forgettable that no one remembered it.

He then told graduates that the profession theyd chosen to enter does not always offer the most interesting work.

As Daniel Webster put it, if you would be a great lawyer, you must first consent to be a great drudge,' he added, without cracking a smile.

Roberts relayed a story from former Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson of stonemasons piling bricks on top of one another, applying mortar over and over again. When a passerby asked them what they were doing, one stonemason said he was earning a living, while the second said he was following a pattern.

The third put his trowel down, looked up to the sky, and said I am building a cathedral,' Roberts said.

His point was simple: you have to recognize that the craft, the calling you have chosen is infused with a higher purpose. To borrow Jacksons famous phrase from the Nuremberg trials, it is through the law that power pays tribute to reason, he added.

Reason is the lawyers tool, whether negotiating a legal document, seeking a result from an agency, or arguing in court, the justice said.

Never forget that you are not just earning a living, you are not just following someone elses instructions, Roberts said. You are building a cathedral.

Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, standing from left: 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 via Getty Images)

Roberts touched briefly on the theme in 2006, after telling graduates that they accomplished something very important.

Your graduation today with your law degree, you are now recognized as learned in those wise restraints that make men free. You are knowledgeable in the manner in which power pays tribute to reason through law, he said.

Speaking less than one year after he was confirmed as chief justice, after never having served on the nations top court, Roberts noted that some commentators wondered whether a chief justice could do anything to reduce divisions among fellow justices.

Roberts frequently quoted others, including Justice William Rehnquist, recalling how when he clerked for the judge that he called the idea that a chief justice could bring about harmony on the court misguided.

Broad agreement among justices, though, is best because it makes it more likely that a decision is on the narrowest possible ground, Roberts said.

Its when the decision moves beyond whats necessary for the case that the justices tend to bail out. If its not necessary to decide more to dispose of a case, in my view, it is necessary not to decide more. In Felix Frankfurters words, a narrow decision helps ensure that we Not embarrass the future too much. The rule of law is strengthened when theres greater coherence and agreement about what the law is, he said.

In my view the important point is that the key to achieving this broader consensus on a collective and collegial court does not rest with any individual member, chief justice or not, but with the court as a whole. It is the obligation of each member on the court to be open to the considered views of the others. We are a collegial and collegiate court not simply because we act after voting, but because we work together to function as a court in deciding the cases and crafting the means, he added.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 18, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty Images)

Texas Bill Allowing Unlicensed Carrying of Handguns Heads to Governors Desk

A Texas bill allowing people to carry handguns without a license headed to the governors desk on Monday after approval by the states House of Representatives.

Lone Start State Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) has said he intends to sign the bill, which was approved by the state Senate earlier this month.

Texas is the 21st and largest state to allow the unlicensed carrying of firearms, a concept Second Amendment supporters refer to as Constitutional carry.

This bill is a strong Constitutional Carry bill that will restore the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun without a license for the defense of themselves & their loved ones. Next, the Governors desk! state Sen. Charles Schwertner (R), the bills sponsor in the Texas Senate, wrote on Twitter.

A number of amendments were added to the bill to address concerns brought forth by law enforcement and lawmakers. Those include enhanced penalties for carrying a handgun illegally and for convicted felons caught in possession of a weapon. The bill also levies a five-year prohibition from carrying a weapon for those convicted of certain violent misdemeanors or reckless use of a firearm.

Opponents of the bill had argued that the licensing process currently in place had a number of safeguards that the bill would remove if enacted.

We wont have that filter anymore without the license, Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D) said prior to the passage of the bill in the Senate in early May.

Others said the bill would make it more convenient to carry firearms, including by those prohibited from doing so.

HB 1927 would merely make it easier to carry a firearm legally in public, including by persons who should not, Sen. Judith Zaffirini said.

The bill would have no impact on people prohibited from owning firearms by either state or federal law.

People who are prohibited from possessing a handgun will still be prohibited from possessing a handgun under this bill, Schwertner said earlier this month. Nothing in this bill regarding possession is changed.

Iowa and Tennessee also recently enacted their own versions of a Constitutional carry law, both of which will go into effect on July 1.
Cole Hill on his ranch in Kinney County, Texas, on May 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Texas Ranchers Live in Fear as Encounters With Illegal Aliens Increase

'They're banging on the walls, everything,' one ranchers wife said in a frantic phone call earlier this year

KINNEY COUNTY, TexasLiving on a ranch in the middle of nowhere is the epitome of the American dream for many Texans. They keep to themselves, help their neighbors, and work hard.

But in the past few months, ranchers have been getting unwelcome visitors who destroy their property, steal their vehicles, and scare their families.

Theyre the illegal immigrants, usually adult males who have evaded Border Patrol and are heading to a large city where its easier to disappear.

Cole Hill, his wife, and their three children, ages 9, 7, and 5, live on a ranch in Kinney County, about 35 miles north of the U.S.Mexico border. The property also flanks a Border Patrol highway checkpoint, and those who want to evade capture tend to walk a wide berth around it.

Hill said hes dealt with illegal aliens traversing his land for years, but only around 25 people a year, on average; sometimes, months would go by with no activity.

Im going on about six weeks straight now with illegal [aliens] on my property on a daily basis, or multiple groups a day, he said during a local meeting on May 22.

His house is set way back in the middle of nowhere, he said. We could have a full-blown gunfight on our front porch, and nobody would know about it.

Hills first encounter with illegal aliens this year took place on Jan. 20, when his dog alerted him to a man on the front porch dressed head-to-toe in camouflage clothing.

It obviously alarmed me. Ive had plenty of encounters with illegal aliens over the past 10 or more years, but Ive never had one that close to the house, Hill said. I stopped him. I told him to backtrack and get away.

He also called Border Patrol but doesnt know whether they caught the intruder.

That was just kind of the beginning of this giant snowball thats occurring, he said.

I keep getting told that this isnt a new problem that were dealing with. Obviously, we all know illegal immigration has been going on forever. But to me, in my setting, at my house, at our ranch, this is certainly a new problem.

The next encounter happened about three weeks later, when Hill and his oldest son were working out on the ranch and his wife called to tell him that a group of illegal immigrants had surrounded the house.

Theyre looking into windows, theyre at the back door, theyre at the front door, theyre banging on the walls, everything, Hills wife told him.

He raced home and found one man on the front porch, while the rest had hidden as his truck approached.

I made it pretty quickly to the individual on our front porch, I got him off the porch, and I promptly escorted him out of the yard, Hill said. He eventually cleared the rest of the group out of his garage and sent them away.

Again, he called Border Patrol, but it took agents more than an hour to get there.

I live about 12 miles from the checkpoint. On a good day, they can be at my house in about 15 minutes, Hill said.

I hate to think of what five men could do if they wanted to do harm to my family and they could get into my house as quick as they possibly could have.

After that encounter, the Hills kept their normally free-range kids closer to home, unless they were outside with them.

After that happened, we dont even want our kids playing outside in the yard anymore, Hill said. He kept the kids mostly in the house for a few weeks, but let them run loose as he tackled some yard work one Saturday.

I didnt get halfway done mowing my front yard and the kids are all playing in the backyard  and sure enough, here comes five more dudes  slipping out of the brush, and theyre hitting a jog on the way to my house, coming straight to my house.

I shut the mower down, I holler for the kids to get inside, I start yelling at these guys to stay back, I run inside and grab a firearm, and as soon as I came back out, they stopped, they changed their course and they took off.

Hill again called Border Patrol, but it was more than an hour before they responded.

Yesterday morning was the fifth group that Ive had at my house since January 20 this yearand this was at 3:30 in the morning, he said at a local meeting on May 22.

Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II said Border Patrol is stretched thin.

We are currently apprehending an average of over 900 migrants during this seven-day period in the Del Rio Sector, Skero told The Epoch Times via email.

Due to this 433 percent increase in apprehensions over last fiscal year to date, agents are frequently occupied with transport, processing, and detention duties.

This has absolutely impacted our ability to respond quickly to illegal activity on private property. We are doing the best we can and will respond to every call prioritizing emergency situations.

Record Numbers

Kinney County, with a population of 3,400, shares just 16 miles of the international border with Mexico, but its on a direct smuggling route from the Del Rio area to San Antonio. On April 21, it was the first of 28 Texas counties to declare a local disaster over the border crisis.

The county sits within the Del Rio Border Patrol sector, which is experiencing record levels of illegal alien apprehensions.

Over four days starting on May 20, Del Rio Border Patrol apprehended more illegal border-crossers than the population of Kinney County. On May 20, May 21, and May 23, agents apprehended more than 1,000 illegal aliens each day in the sector, according to Customs and Border Protection.

Law enforcement officials told The Epoch Times that people are currently paying Mexican smuggling groups $2,200 per person to cross the river into the United States. Thats $2.2 million per 1,000 that cross.

The number of those who evade Border Patrol is also increasing. More than 42,000 illegal aliens evaded capture along the whole southern border in April.

We dont know who they are, where theyre from, or what their intentions are, National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd said.

On top of those that Border Patrol knows have evaded arrest, its very fair to say that theres a large number of people that are able to get away that we dont even detect, Judd said.

Hill said hes had plenty more encounters with illegal aliens while hes out on the ranch working alone.

I do everything that I can to try to subdue them or hold them down for Border Patrol, he said, but its getting more difficult.

Sure, theres probably some good apples in there as well. But I dont think the good apples are 35 miles off the river trying to evade every law enforcement they can as aggressively as they are.

The damage to his property is also increasing. In the past few months, hes had his perimeter fence cut seven times, most of the time from top to bottom, and in three cases, an entire section was pulled out.

Hills water troughs and pipes are also getting damaged.

Next thing you know, I got 100 head of cows that are out of water just like that. And that can turn into a pretty terrible crisis in itself, Hill said.

He blames the Biden administration for the border surge and the spillover impact its having on Texans. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security didnt respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment.

I feel like theres only two ways that this problem is going to get solved. And its either going to be We the People or the people up top. I sure dont like to think about We the People taking care of it, but, who knows, he said.

I do know that we need to do everything that we can and contact our elected officials and try and do this the right way.
Voters stand in line to cast their ballots during the first day of early voting in the U.S. Senate runoff, in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 14, 2020. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

The Coming Un-Silent Majority Will Bring Victory to GOP in 2022 and 2024

Commentary

I dont know if Niels Bohr, Nostradamus, Samuel Goldwyn or Yoga Berra was the first to use the phrase Predictions are difficult, particularly about the future, or one of its many variants, but I think most of us would agree that they all have some validity.

Nevertheless, Im going to go ahead and make a big one and, yes, it involves that other hoary proverb about it always being darkest before the dawn, since we seem to be in a very dark period, but here goes

The Democratic Party is headed for epochal electoral disasters in 2022 and most probably 2024. They will be trounced by a renewed GOP.

And Im saying that even factoring in what many on the right believe with increasing justificationa lot of cheating has been going on.

Yes, it will still be there in those years, but not as much because the number of people watching is going up exponentially.

America is poised for a big reaction. And Im not a Pollyanna well, not completely. Im just a one time high school physics student who remembers Newtons third law about action and reaction.

The big winner in those coming elections will be the Trump-DeSantis party, in whatever order emerges, and among the big losers, besides the Democrats, will be the thirty-five House Republicans who voted for a Jan. 6 investigation, however few of them are left after primary season.

Due to the overwhelming majority of the media (which few pay attention to anymore), the academy (a self-immolating problem I will get into in a moment) and their own extreme leftwing, the Democrats are losing contact with the American people on a daily basis.

In their gigantic, seemingly endless, spending programs, they ignore the obvious, spoken aloud by Bill Clinton in his 1996 State of the Union and not really contradicted since: The era of big government is over.

But didnt it come back with COVID? Not much apparently.

In a new Rasmussen poll voters prefer small to big government by the significant margin of 55 percent to 37 percent. They also, in a poll only a week or two before, prefer capitalism to socialism by more than three to one65 percent to 18 percent. (Yes, Rasmussen tilts Republican but his record has historically been among the most accurateand these arent close calls.)

Critical Race Theory

At the same time, the American peoplewhite ones anywayhave been informed by leftists, people of color who believe those same white people (a significant percentage of whom came from societies where they were oppressed themselves) are oppressing them, the media, and the academy that they (read: all whites) are unremittingly racist.

Whites were, in Lady Gagas words, born that way. Only by being anti-racistwhatever that means; its constantly changingcan they possibly be reformed. And even then its moot.

Most whites (and a number of non-whites too, Id wager) started by just nodding their heads or changing the subject when this idiotic nonsense came up, hoping it would go away.

It didnt. It got worse. Now we have critical race theory to deal with, an idea so evil in its conceptionso straight out of Goebbels despite its intellectual pretensionsyou couldnt devise a better way to create racism where it didnt exist, beginning in kindergarten. Good-bye Martin Luther King and judging us all by our characters. Hello, you are your skin color.

Not to mention the sudden appearance of that old canary in the coal mine, anti-Semitism, that is now raising its wretched head in practically every Democrat-controlled big city out there, crazed Hamas supporters demanding to know the ethnic background of innocent LA sushi diners, bombs going off in the Diamond District of New York.

Reaction

Enter Newtons third law: action begets reaction. Only in this case the reaction will dwarf the initial action. More people than you can imagine have about had it with the American left in its present incarnation and are ready to explode.

These folks used to be called the Silent Majority, but theyre suddenly becoming not so silent anymore. That those who are still have a secret ballot is just icing on the proverbial cake.

Over the last few years, many were afraid to express their opinions in public, for fear of work or social repercussions. This is diminishingand surprisingly rapidly.

Here in Tennesseeand from reports many other states as well, almost all red states (the majority)we are seeing an incredible amount of grass roots organizing especially against critical race theory, largely by mothers who are appalled by this evil ideology being inculcated into their children from the age of four.

People are rallying against the crypto(well, actually not so crypto)Marxist educational system all across the country. Do what you want, but stay away from our kids. Thats their red line, in more ways than one.

I have never seen so much of this kind of organizing on the right. The Democrats and their media friends made a critical mistake supporting CRT, just as they have made a mistake in not separating themselves from Antifa and BLM violence.

Some of them realize thisits so obvious; how could they notand for this reason as well as to distract from the ongoing electoral fraud investigations in multiple states, the Democrats have put so much effort into magnifying (and investigating) Jan. 6.

But this is not stopping the electoral investigations that are going forward in those states, nor is it stopping something that will surprise you that I bring up at this late datethe John Durham-led investigation into the Trump-Russia collusion fraud.

Durham Investigation

Most had given up on it in its entirety. I had myself at times. But looked at from afar, the later (i.e., the closer to 2022) this is delivered or indictments are made the better.

Just the other day, George Papadopoulos (remember him?)a man with a more than a passing interest in this investigationpopped up in an interview with Jordan Conradson of The Gateway Pundit (a website some thought at one point over the top in its criticisms of the Left, but that has become increasingly vindicated in its accuracy).

George: My opinion is that Durham is very real . I know who he has interviewed in October 2019. Specific guys with the U.S. intelligence community that should not have been meeting with me, this infamous Australian diplomat. We know hes spoken to the Italians, to various governments. He has been working non-stop since 2019 where I think he got all the juicy info back then. Then Barr appoints some special council a month before Biden goes to the White House, and now Durham is simply, in my opinion like I said, I dont talk to Durham, hes waiting for the right moment to expose what he has learned and I think it is going to be tantamount to conspiracy in the Obama administration. I truly believe that. I think he is incredibly real and I would actually put my entire reputation on the line saying this . Its going to be very interesting to see when and how that information comes out, how the media tries to deflect or cover it up.

Conradson: Do you have an estimate of when that information might come out?

George: I think by this summer were going to have a final conclusion on Durham. [Yes, weve heard that one multiple times before, but stilled.] This thing cant last forever but I just think hes giving Biden over 100 days to start really dropping what he has. And if he has nothing, Im on the record of saying I put my reputation on the line regarding Durham.

And Im putting mine on record regarding the elections of 2022 and 2024. Its up to those reading this to prove me right. (Dont let me down.)

Roger L. Simon is an award-winning novelist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, co-founder of PJMedia, and now, editor-at-large for The Epoch Times. His most recent books are The GOAT (fiction) and I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasnt Already (nonfiction). He can be found on Parler as @rogerlsimon

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Jewish Lobby Versus the Israel Lobby

Commentary

Why is the Israel lobby attacking Ilhan Omar? and other Americans who are critical of Israels conduct in the recent IsraelGaza war, The Week asked.

Talk of the Israel lobby resurrects accusations that Jewish organizations in the United States are acting against the best interests of the United States. The Israel lobby, as defined in the explosive 2007 book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, is made up of a uniquely powerful loose coalition of individuals and organizations who actively work to steer U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction.

The Israel lobby certainly is powerful, as Rep. Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Israels many other current critics correctly claim. It includes not only Jewish NGOs such as AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, and Zionist Organization of America, but also Jewish billionaires such as Michael Bloomberg and Miriam Adelson, and a long list of prominent Jewish individuals such as Alan Dershowitz, who has written numerous books on Israels legitimacy, Dennis Prager, whose PragerU videos have amassed 5 billion views, and journalist Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire, one of Americas largest conservative news sites.

But contrary to the 2007 books assertion that the bulk of the lobby is comprised of Jewish Americans, Jews dont represent the bulk of this lobby.

Non-Jew Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who led the recent effort in the U.S. Senate to muster support for Israel, and non-Jew Ron DeSantis of Florida, who dubs himself the most pro-Israel governor in America, are among the majority of non-Jewish Republican lawmakersalmost 90 percent among senatorswho champion Israel as an indispensable ally of America. Republican Jews are all but invisible among the 535 members of the U.S. Congress, which has but two Jewish Republican members in the House of Representatives and no Jewish Republican senators. The Israel lobby also includes the politically powerful Christian evangelicals, 75 percent of whom champion Israel.

The small number of Jews in the United Statesthey account for about 2 percent of the populationdont dominate the pro-Israel lobby. Non-Jews do.

By contrast, Jewish Americans do dominate the anti-Israel lobby. Human Rights Watch, one of the worlds largest human rights organizations, has long had Israel in its cross-hairs, most recently in a report that concludes that Israels actions against Palestinians are so severe that they amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution. Human Rights Watch is led by a Jew, Kenneth Roth.

NGOs J Street, led by Jeremy Ben-Ami, a Jew, and Americans for Peace Now, led by Hadar Susskind, a Jew, are go-to groups for anti-Israel Democrats. Mondoweiss, the leading news blog dedicated to IsraeliPalestinian issues, and considered by many to be anti-Semitic, was founded by and edited by a Jew, Philip Weiss. Noam Chomsky, the Jewish MIT professor known as the father of modern linguistics, has arguably been Israels fiercest critic over the decades, so much so that Israel in 2010 banned his entry.

Jews are also major funders of the anti-Israel lobby. Foundations controlled by George Soros, a Jew, donated $100 million to Human Rights Watch and tens of millions more to a raft of other anti-Israel organizations (pdf). The Sanger Family Foundation, run by Deborah Sanger, a Jew, was the early backer of J Street. The Unz Foundation, headed by Ron Unz, a Jew, has funded high-profile critics of Jews and of Israel. The Foundation for Middle East Peace, a funder of anti-Israel advocacy, is run by a Jew, Lara Friedman. Jewish-run organizations also fund anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian politicians such as Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

In Congress, no Jews in the Democratic leadership condemned their colleagues demonization of Israel as it defended itself against Gazas launch of 4,000 missiles against Israeli civilians, even though the U.S. government itself designates Gaza a terrorist state. Rather, a Jew, Bernie Sanders, led the condemnation of Israel in the U.S. Senate.

The mainstream mediaoften characterized as controlled by Jews in the Israel lobbyis anything but. Pro-Israel coverage can reliably be found on Fox News, where non-Jewish anchors such as Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, and Shannon Bream are employed by the non-Jewish Murdoch family. And in The Wall Street Journal, which is also Murdoch-owned, and where non-Jewish Paul Gigot is editor of the editorial pages.

By contrast, none of the major Jewish-owned or Jewish-run media organizations can be considered pro-Israel: CNN (run by Jeff Zucker, its Jewish president), ABC (owned by Walt Disney, which is run by Bob Iger, a Jew), ViacomCBS (chaired by Shari Redstone, its controlling shareholder and a Jew), and NBC and MSNBC (owned by Brian Roberts, a Jew, through its parent, Comcast).

The New York Times, which is owned by the Jewish Sulzberger family and which in many ways sets the tone for the rest of the media world, cast Israel as the villain in its war with Gaza and has in its stable Peter Beinart, a Jew who advocates the end of Israel as a Jewish state, and Thomas Friedman, a Jew who characterized congressional support for Netanyahu as bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.

The United States has a very influential Jewish lobby that confronts a very influential Israel lobby. Conflating these two adversarial groups leads to confusion of the type The Week exemplified when it asked why Omar came in for criticism. Theres no need for confusion.

Anti-Israel Democrats side with the Jewish lobby, which endorses Omars belief that Israel committed an act of terrorism when airstrikes to take out Gazas missile launchers inadvertently killed civilians.

Republicans, and independents, too, according to a Morning Consult Poll, side with the overwhelmingly non-Jewish Israel lobby.

Lawrence Solomon is a columnist, an author, and the policy director of Toronto-based Probe International. @LSolomonTweets LawrenceSolomon@nextcity.com.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Return of Summer Travel

Everyone knows that COVID forced a screeching halt in the way of the world as we knew itand that beyond our day-to-day routines, the cancellations and adjustments included our celebrations, extracurricular activities, and vacation plans, too.

We have traveled to Maui every August for the last eight years, except last year, said Keri Baugh, who runs the family travel blog Bon Voyage With Kids. When celebrating our 10th anniversary there in 2010, we made a promise we would absolutely celebrate our 20th there as well; last year, we were uncertain until the last minute if we might be able to squeeze Maui in, but due to the states closures, we were unable to travel there. The 20th anniversary we had planned and expected to celebrate in Maui for the last 10 years was not to be.

Sadly, Baughs example isnt uniquemillions of people around the world were in her same shoes over the past year and were forced to postpone celebrations, cancel plans, miss out on visits with family, and more.

But with the widespread rollout of vaccines and travel restrictions loosening, this summers travel plans are looking up. Like many others, Baugh plans to get back out there and make up for lost time and missed memories. We decided this year, we needed that do-over so we could have the 20th-anniversary celebration we had hoped for, Baugh says.

Michelle Weigold, an artist, teacher, and travel blogger at Great Wide Somewhere, has a similar story of interrupted travelbut is determined to find the silver lining.

Last spring [March 2020], I had a babymoon planned with my husband to go to Puerto Rico to explore Old San Juan and El Yunque rainforest, she shares. That trip proved impossible. I was upset, given it was our last chance to travel without children, but such is life. Now, a year later, we are going to try again to go to Puerto Rico, but this time we will have a 1-year-old baby with us. We debated going to Mexico instead, but figured with the ease of not needing a COVID test to get back into the United States, Puerto Rico was easier.

Resuming or Making Up for Ruined Plans

Baugh and Weigold are part of a larger trend: resuming COVID-interrupted travel plans. Such actions are contributing to the swift return of summer travel. With increased flexibility career-wisemany employers are extending work-from-home policies for the foreseeable futureas well as the personal reckoning many have experienced at the hand of the pandemic, priorities are changing and travel is resurging as a result. Some adults are taking gap years between COVID-lost jobs or implementing more remote, travel-focused lifestyles after a forced rearrangement of their personal priorities.

Booking sites have seen a major uptick in reservations this summershort-term rental site Mint House says that in Nashville alone, rooms sold for summer 2021 are already 15 percent higher than summer 2019and many destinations have launched campaigns to encourage travelers to make up for missed milestones from the past year. Visit Californias Dreaming On In California initiative, for example, is an opportunity for travelers to resume postponed plans during a weeklong celebration (June 2125) with epic experiences across the state.

Summer Travel Is Hot, but Desires Have Shifted

Summer travel is resuming, on tiptoes but with a vengeance, and the market isnt blind to this trend. While travels forthcoming recovery is good news overall, the flipside is that the formerly rock-bottom prices we saw during the pandemic are increasing to match the demand.

Increased prices arent the only summer travel trend; travelers are looking for added layers of security when setting out this summer. According to a survey by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), nearly half of travelers (44 percent) are more likely to use a travel adviser after the pandemic, and people who always or often used travel advisers are more ready to travel within the next three months (72 percent) compared to those who dont use travel advisers (47 percent).

Where people desire to go has shifted, too, according to the ASTA: Nearly two-thirds of travelers (62 percent) desire a vacation in the United States, nearly half (45 percent) would like to go to Europe, and 44 percent are hoping to visit the Caribbeana pretty stark contrast to a similar survey from January 2020, when 75 percent of travelers planned to take a trip within the United States and 17 percent had Europe on their itinerary. Unsurprisingly, only 29 percent of those recently surveyed said they want to visit a big city.

People seem eager to explore and try new things, according to some indications. A survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of online RV rental platform Outdoorsy found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans (59 percent) want to try something new for the very first time during their vacation this summerthings like trying different foods, bungee jumping, camping, or even cross-country road trips to see friends.

Road Trips, RVs, and the Great Outdoors

Road trips and RVs are another major trend this summer: The same Outdoorsy survey found that two-thirds of respondents said they feel more inclined to rent an RV or camper van now than before the pandemic started, and when it comes to travel options that Americans consider safest, driving topped the list at 44 percent followed by cruising (37 percent) and flying (33 percent). In fact, 81 percent reported that due to the pandemic, they feel the need to find alternative travel destinations or an alternative form of travel, compared to their usual routine.

Survey results from Morning Consult suggested the samethat a car is currently the preferred method of transit, as 57 percent of Americans currently feel safe renting a car and 73 percent feel comfortable taking a road trip.

People also are gravitating toward the great outdoors, as 62 percent would rather spend their vacation surrounded by nature this summer, which seems to be a natural reaction to the past year of lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing requirements.

As we head into the summer months, the desire and the demand to get out of the house is at an all-time high, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO Jen Young said in a release. Were seeing more and more people seek out alternative ways to travel that allow them to stay away from crowds and be in a location where fresh air and open space are their closest companions.

If youre considering a road trip this summer, you might want to plan to do so within driving distance of your home so you dont have to rent a car: Pricelines National Road Trip Day survey found that the majority of Americans (59 percent) are interested in renting a car for their summer road tripbut demand is so high that rental rates have soared by 30 percent (compared to 2019 pricing).

What About Cruising?

Cruising has been mostly on pause since the pandemic struck. According to a cruise industry analysis by Gene Sloan of The Points Guy, as summer approaches, cruising will begin resuming in a bigger way, mostly in the Mediterranean. Sloan says that more than a dozen cruise ships are scheduled to restart operations in the Mediterranean between May and August as European countries open back up to tourists.

In the United States, however, its a different story. While a few lines plan to start cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean in the next couple months out of non-U.S. ports such as Nassau, there might not be any cruising out of U.S. ports until the late summer, Sloan said. Thats in large part because the CDC continues to block cruise lines from sailing out of U.S. ports due to worries about the spread of COVID-19.

According to Sloan, the outlook for summer cruising out of U.S. ports is currently in flux. In recent weeks, cruise lines have grown more optimistic about a mid-July restart of cruising out of U.S. ports thanks to recent, more upbeat communications with the CDC, he said. But with new requirements issued by the CDC, this means cruise lines will have to meet to restart operations out of U.S. ports that has some executives saying a mid-summer restart is now unlikely.

While interest in cruising remains complicated and so do ship restrictions, its likely that road trips and time in nature will be the MO this summer, rather than setting sail.

Whos Traveling?

Even (and perhaps especially) the older demographic is making plans to travel this summer. Ann Shannon, vice president of customer and public relations at Overseas Adventure Travel, which caters to travelers over 50, says theyre resuming international travel on more than 25 adventures by land and sea starting in July. Our reservations are up 30 percent compared to earlier this year, she said. Travelers tend to be in their 60s and 70s, even 80s. Many are solo women travelers.

Some of those older travelers will likely jet off with their families, too. Intel from luxury travel company Black Tomato suggests that multi-generational travel is another big thing this summer. When it comes to whos traveling, multi-generational travel and honeymoons are leading the trend, respectively, a company spokesperson shared. We saw a 70 percent increase in bookings for multi-generational travel, and specifically, many families.

They add that interestingly, travelers are now willing to spend more and stay longer, likely due to saving money by traveling less in 2020 and having a renewed appreciation for the freedom to explore.

Theres a 55 percent increase in average spend per family trip, the company added. These folks are spending more money and staying for longer in their chosen destinations, indicating a slower form of travel that lends itself nicely to getting under the skin of a destination without relying on many interior flights and transfers.

If youre ready to set out this summer, youre not alone. Make plans and make up for lost time.

Skye Sherman is a freelance travel writer based in West Palm Beach, Fla. She covers news, transit, and international destinations for a variety of outlets. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and Twitter @skyesherman.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 06:42:45|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said Monday that peacekeepers continue to operate in complex environments, where they face an increasing number of attacks by hostile actors.

Since the beginning of this year, 15 UN peacekeepers have lost their lives due to malicious acts, he told the Security Council in an open debate on the safety and security of UN peacekeepers.

"One peacekeeper lost continues to be one too many. As our missions strive to implement their tasks, it is important to stress that attacks against peacekeepers can constitute war crimes; are a huge impediment to the pursuit of peace and an added constraint for the effective implementation of UN Security Council mandates," said Lacroix.

In addition to hostile environments and direct attacks, issues related to peacekeeper safety, such as vehicle accidents and illnesses, are also causing fatalities, and can significantly affect the ability of peacekeepers to deliver on their mandated tasks, he said.

Wherever possible, the United Nations is seeking to address such challenges. The UN Secretariat is planning on doubling up its efforts on peacekeeper safety and security going forward, he said.

However, many factors continue to impede the safety and security of peacekeepers on the ground. Ensuring a high level of robustness and capability for all uniformed personnel remains a challenge, and gaps in leadership, mindset and preparation continue to hamper safety and security. In addition, peacekeeping intelligence, situational awareness and early warning need to be strengthened, particularly at the operational and tactical levels. Disinformation campaigns are gaining prominence in some theaters, putting peacekeepers at greater risk. The impact of COVID-19 on safety, including occupational health, also continues to be a major concern, he said.

Lacroix called for coordinated action by UN member states and the Security Council to better address continuing gaps and shortcomings that persist in the field.

He underlined the importance of deploying uniformed personnel without caveats, particularly undeclared caveats; and called for support in providing personnel with the requisite mindset and leadership skills.

There is also a need for adequate equipment, particularly armed and utility helicopters, aero-medical aviation resources, quick reaction companies, forward medical teams, equipment against improvised explosive devices. Qualified military intelligence personnel and military public information personnel are also needed. Deploying more female peacekeepers, where available, is also critical to strengthening overall mission performance, he said.

Political engagement with host countries and stakeholders, including for countering disinformation and hate speech, would greatly contribute to enhancing safety and security in high-risk theaters. Political and technical support to ensure accountability for crimes against peacekeepers is also needed to pursue justice for past crimes and deter future attacks on peacekeeping missions. Avoiding budget cuts will ensure continuity of UN efforts to strengthen the safety and security of peacekeepers, he said. Enditem
A small boat used during a suspected human smuggling operation sits on La Jolla beach in San Diego, Calif., on Thursday, May 20, 2021. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo)

Three Men Appear in Court Accused of Smuggling Migrants to UK Aboard a Yacht

Three men have appeared in court accused of attempting to bring migrants illegally into the UK aboard a yacht.

The three suspects, who appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates Court, have been charged in connection with the incident between March 17 and 19, 2020.

Jean-Pierre Labelle, 44, of Ashey Road, Isle of Wight, is charged with two counts of assisting unlawful immigration to a member state contrary to section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971.

The second charge relates to an incident of allegedly illegally bringing migrants across the Channel in a small boat before being intercepted by the French authorities in a joint operation with the South East Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) and the National Crime Agency.

Stephen Redhead, 47, of High Street, Shanklin, and Christopher Barber, 54, of Landguard Road, Shanklin, were charged with one count of the same offence in relation to the March incident.

All three defendants were bailed to appear at Newport Crown Court on July 12, according to a SEROCU spokesman.
President Donald Trump speaks at an event in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on March 22, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Trump Urges Court to Dismiss Swalwell Lawsuit, Claims Absolute Immunity Over Jan. 6 Breach

Former President Donald Trump said in court filings that he has absolute immunity against a lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who alleged Trump bore responsibility in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Trump, via his lawyers in a filing (pdf), called on a federal judge to dismiss Swalwells lawsuit against him and argued statements that he made while he was president were beyond the reach of the court.

The claims against former President Trump directly contravene the absolute immunity conveyed on the President by the Constitution as a key principle of separation of powers, his lawyer, Jesse Binnall, wrote in the filings.

Swalwell in March filed a suit accusing Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) of inciting protesters on Jan. 6. The Democratic lawmaker also alleged that they conspired to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden as president.

But Swalwell, according to Trumps lawyers, has failed to plausibly plead any viable or plausible conspiracy theory against Defendants and has continued to repeat his steady diatribe of the same baseless and misleading allegations rejected by the Senate during the second impeachment effort against Trump earlier this year.

Impeachment Manager Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) speaks on the second day of former President Donald Trumps second impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 10, 2021. (congress.gov via Getty Images)

Swalwell comes to this court directly attacking First Amendment doctrines which lie at the heart of the uniquely American traditions of free speech, free assembly, and freedom to petition the government without fear of reprisal, Binnall wrote. His allegations stem from political statements (often taken out of context) made by Defendants on social media, to the press, and at a political rally.

In bringing this suit, the attorney continued, the Congressman asks this Court to wade into turbulent political waters to decide what controversial speech should be favored, which should be firmly rejected by the court.

The legal brief also said the suit against Donald Trump Jr. should also be dismissed.

The Epoch Times has contacted Swalwells office for comment.

The horrific events of January 6 were a direct and foreseeable consequence of the Defendants unlawful actions, Swalwells March complaint against Trump stated. As such, the Defendants are responsible for the injury and destruction that followed.

The suit, meanwhile, accused Trump, Brooks, Trump Jr., and Giuliani of making false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft and appeared to cite news reports that used anonymous sources.

Those with knowledge claimed that during this moment of national horror, Trump was delighted and was confused about why other people on his team werent as excited as he was. Others described Trump as borderline enthusiastic about the unfolding violence, according to his suit, which did not provide named sources for the claim.
When the Tustin Veterans Outpost initially opened in 2016 with eight apartments and veteran-specific services, the goal was to give veterans a hand up. (Courtesy of Jim Palmer)

Tustin Nonprofit Expands With Help of Mystery Millionaire

An anonymous $4 million donation has helped a Tustin, California, nonprofit expand a facility that helps homeless veterans get off the streets.

Orange County Rescue Mission began working to expand its Tustin Veterans Outpost site last year after that mystery donation allowed it to realize a long-held dream of growing the center.

We started talking to the veterans, and their needs were not just shelter, but to have a complete program to be able to address PTSD, health care, and being able to live in a community with other veterans, Orange County Rescue Mission President Jim Palmer told The Epoch Times.

Center expansions, which were completed in mid-May, increased capacity from 26 veterans to 71. Oltmans Construction Company provided full service and materials for the project.

As well as providing housing, the extended facility provides additional services, including for those attending vocational training or college. Family units are also available to support veterans with families.

Our goal is to see them transformed from their current situation of brokenness and homelessness to being whole, healed, and functioning again in the community on their own, Palmer said.

When the Tustin Veterans Outpost site initially opened in 2016 with eight apartments and veteran-specific services, the goal was to give veterans a hand up. Occupants of the shelter said they considered it to be a safe haven.

It has provided a safe place for my child and I to live, Navy veteran Andrea Alexander told The Epoch Times. Its given me a family, a stable home, a place to unwind.  It feels like a home.

Alexander has resided at the outpost since early 2020, and said she has taken advantage of the services offered to help her advance to the next step in her life.

This program helped me feel like Im a person againlike I have a purpose, she said.

Additional services offered at the center in partnership with other programs include child development, legal services, medical services, vocational training, case management, counseling, and more.

Theres no time limit for veterans to stay at the facility, but the time frame averages between 18 to 24 months.

The OC Rescue Mission is 100 percent privately funded.
Gunners from the Royal Horse Artillery distribute COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to local residents in Bolton, England, on May 24, 2021. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

UK Accused of Introducing COVID-19 Local Lockdowns by Stealth

The UK government has been accused of bringing in local lockdowns by stealth after issuing guidance urging people in hotspots of the Indian CCP virus variant to restrict their socialising and travel.

The updated advice encourages people in eight areas in England including Bolton, Leicester, Kirklees, and the London Borough of Hounslow not to meet indoors in a bid to halt the spread of the new variant, also known as B1617.2, which some experts say could be 50 percent more transmissible than the Kent variant.

The advice was published on the government website on May 21, but local health chiefs said they were neither consulted nor informed about it.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused the government of behaving in an utterly shameful fashion by not informing people in areas affected.

Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies, he said.

Labours shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called on the government to withdraw the new advice.

During an urgent question in the House of Commons, Ashworth said many of the areas involved had borne the brunt of the crisis these last 15 months and felt abandoned by Westminster.

So can the minister understand how upsetting it is, can he understand how insulting it is, to have new restrictions imposed upon us? asked the Leicester South MP.

Local lockdowns by stealth, by the back door, and the Secretary of State [Matt Hancock] doesnt even have the courtesy to come and tell us.

No 10 stressed that the guidance was not statutory and that the government wanted to move away from top-down edicts as lockdown eases.

Defending the governments position in the Commons, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson still intends to take a national approach to lifting restrictions.

As the prime minister said, we want the whole country to move out of these restrictions together and were trusting people to be responsible and to act with caution and common sense as they have done throughout this pandemic and to make decisions about how best to protect themselves and their loved ones, he said.

Since May 17, pub and restaurant-goers have been permitted to eat and drink inside and foreign holidays have been allowed.

Under the governments roadmap out of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus lockdown, all legal COVID-19 restrictions are expected to be lifted on June 21.

But new figures show a slight rise in weekly registrations of deaths involving the virus in England and Wales.

In Bolton, one of the hotspots of the Indian variant, the hospital said its emergency department saw one of its busiest ever days on Monday and that it was braced for continued pressure.

PA and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Long March 5B rocket, which carries China's Tianhe space station core module, lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, in southern China's Hainan province on April 29, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Uncontrolled Chinese Rockets May Also Target the Moon

Commentary

China apparently plans to cause recurrent waves of panic by launching uncontrolled rockets that threaten people on Earth, and soon, also on the Moon.

At first, Chinese space officials thought that the countrys 20-ton Long March-5 booster stage would impact in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 9, causing concern in Israel, but it instead crashed in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon was asked if it had plans to shoot it down.

At least three more Long March-5 space launch vehicles (SLVs) will be used to complete Chinas space station, another three will be needed to launch planned probes to the Moon.

There is also the prospect that China will subject future inhabitants of the Moon to the same potentially deadly drama. In both cases, it may be the lack of power or launch capacity of Chinas SLVs that requires compromises that put others in danger.

Chinas Long March-5 SLV can only lift about 25 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and the Tianhe space station module launched on April 29 weighed about 22 tons. It did not use a second stage to achieve orbital velocity so the large first stage had to perform this mission, but it was not equipped for controlled deorbit, meaning its descent could endanger people on Earth.

Between 2025 and 2030, China is expected to use its new 921 Rocket which reportedly can put 27 tons into Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI), or transport to the Moon.

As Chinas next-generation manned spaceship configured for lunar missions weighs about 21 tons, this means that China will require two 921 Rockets to send the manned spaceship and the manned Moon lander to rendezvous in lunar orbit.

At a major space conference in 2018, and more clearly at another in September 2020, Chinese military-space officials revealed some configurations for a manned Moon lander, an initial Moon shelter, and a large manned Moon rover that can also serve as a shelter.

While these may not be final designs, they seem to share a characteristic derived from the former Soviet Unions aborted manned Moon program. As the Soviets large N-1 SLV could only put 23 tons into TLI, and it had to carry both the manned spaceship and Moon lander, the latter had to be lightweight.

One solution was to devise a special rocket stage called Block D that would decelerate and descend its 5.5 to 6.5 ton LK (Lunniy Korabyl, Lunar Craft) manned Moon lander to about 2.4 miles (4 kilometers) above the Moon. At that point, the Block D would detach from the LK and crash into the Moon.

The expendable Block D did not require the additional weight of landing legs. By comparison, the contemporary U.S. Apollo program Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) weighed 15 tons, but its descent stage made a controlled landing on the Moon.

The LKs internal Block E engine complex would complete the landing and later return one Cosmonaut to a spaceship orbiting the Moon. China is reported to have purchased the designs for the Block E engines from their Ukrainian designers. It is likely they also gave China insights into the integral Block D engine complex.

We can infer this possibility because the Chinese manned lunar lander, shelter, and rover concepts revealed to date also employ a detachable stage just like Block D, apparently also designed to crash into the Moon.

But by the 2030s, the Moon could become a crowded place, with the United States and its Artemis Moon program partners likely building multiple Moon Bases. Based on revealed Chinese estimates, China may build up to 10 Moon bases that it will require 60 of its super heavy-lift Long March-9 SLVs between 2030 and 2035.

Furthermore, early Moon exploration and Moon Base building for the United States and China will be concentrated at the South Pole of the Moon, where there are higher concentrations of lunar ice water. This means that U.S. and Chinese Moon bases may sometimes be in close proximity.

While Chinas Long March-9 super heavy SLV could put up to 50 tons into TLI, meaning larger and safer Moon lander designs could be accommodated, there remains the possibility that China could also require scores of 921 Rockets using Block D-like decent stages to build an early presence at choice South Pole lunar locations.

So, in addition to having to endure added drama from the potential danger of more Long March-5 SLV booster stages hitting populated areas of the Earth, early Moon explorers may also have to endure the danger of Chinese Block D descent engines impacting near or on their Moon Bases.

A Chinese refusal to modify its Long March-5 SLVs for controlled and safer descents to Earth would not bode well for a willingness to similarly modify their Block D Moon descent stages.

Without such modifications, it would be logical for U.S. space planners to consider both passive and active defenses for Moon Bases, like lunar laser weapons. This would violate current treaties and conventions against militarizing the Moon, but the alternative would be to subject U.S. government, and allied and private sector Moon personnel to the danger of Chinese Block-D bombs.

China, however, may desire this outcome, as it would justify the militarization of their Moon Bases already controlled by its Peoples Liberation Army, making them ready to assert Chinese claims to Moon territory and wage battles for eventual control of the Moon.

Richard D. Fisher Jr. is a senior fellow and policy analyst 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.
Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesnt, And Why It Matters, by Steven E. Koonin

Commentary

On Jan. 8, 2014, at New York University in Brooklyn, there occurred a unique event in the annals of global warming: nearly eight hours of structured debate between three climate scientists supporting the consensus on manmade global warming and three climate scientists who dispute it, moderated by a team of six leading physicists from the American Physical Society (APS) led by Dr. Steven Koonin, a theoretical physicist at New York University. The debate (pdf), hosted by the APS, revealed consensus-supporting climate scientists harboring doubts and uncertainties and admitting to holes in climate sciencein marked contrast to the emphatic messaging of bodies such as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

At one point, Koonin read an extract from the IPCCs Fifth Assessment Report released the previous year. Computer model-simulated responses to forcingsthe term used by climate scientists for changes of energy flows into and out of the climate system, such as changes in solar radiation, volcanic eruptions, and changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmospherecan be scaled up or down. This scaling included greenhouse gas forcings.

Some forcings in some computer models had to be scaled down to match computer simulations to actual climate observations. But when it came to making centennial projections on which governments rely and drive climate policy, the scaling factors were removed, probably resulting in a 25 to 30 percent over-prediction of the 2100 warming.

The ensuing dialogue between Koonin and Dr. William Collins of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratorya lead author of the climate model evaluation chapter in the Fifth Assessment Reportrevealed something more troubling and deliberate than holes in scientific knowledge:

Dr. Koonin: But if the model tells you that you got the response to the forcing wrong by 30 percent, you should use that same 30 percent factor when you project out a century.

Dr. Collins: Yes. And one of the reasons we are not doing that is we are not using the models as [a] statistical projection tool.

Dr. Koonin: What are you using them as?

Dr. Collins: Well, we took exactly the same models that got the forcing wrong and which got sort of the projections wrong up to 2100.

Dr. Koonin: So, why do we even show centennial-scale projections?

Dr. Collins: Well, I mean, it is part of the [IPCC] assessment process.

Koonin was uncommonly well-suited to lead the APS climate workshop. He has a deep understanding of computer models, which have become the workhorses of climate science. As a young man, Koonin wrote a paper on computer modeling of nuclear reaction in stars and taught a course on computational physics at Caltech. In the early 1990s, he was involved in a program using satellites to measure the Earths albedothat is, the reflection of incoming solar radiation back into space. As a student at Caltech in the late 1960s, he was taught by Nobel physicist Richard Feynman and absorbed what Koonin calls Feynmans absolute intellectual honesty.

On becoming BPs chief scientist in 2004, Koonin became part of the wider climate change milieu. Assignments included explaining the physics of man-made global warming to Prince Philip at a dinner in Buckingham Palace. In 2009, Koonin was appointed an under-secretary at the Department of Energy in the Obama administration.

The APS climate debate was the turning point in Koonins thinking about climate change and consensus climate science (The Science). I began by believing that we were in a race to save the planet from climate catastrophe, Koonin writes in his new book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesnt, And Why It Matters. I came away from the APS workshop not only surprised, but shaken by the realization that climate science was far less mature than I had supposed. Unsettled is an authoritative primer on the science of climate change that lifts the lid on The Science and finds plenty that isnt as it should be. As a scientist, writes Koonin, I felt the scientific community was letting the public down by not telling the whole truth plainly. Koonins aim is to right that wrong.

Koonins indictment of The Science starts with its reliance on unreliable computer models. Usefully describing the earths climate, writes Koonin, is one of the most challenging scientific simulation problems. Models divide the atmosphere into pancake-shaped boxes of around 100km wide and one kilometer deep. But the upward flow of energy from tropical thunder clouds, which is more than thirty times larger than that from human influences, occurs over smaller scales than the programmed boxes. This forces climate modellers to make assumptions about what happens inside those boxes. As one modeller confesses, its a real challenge to model what we dont understand.

Inevitably, this leaves considerable scope for modelers subjective views and preferences. A key question climate models are meant to solve is estimating the equilibrium climate sensitivity of carbon dioxide (ECS), which aims to tell us by how much temperatures rise from a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Yet in 2020, climate modelers from Germanys Max Planck Institute admitted to tuning their model by targeting an ECS of about 3 Centigrade. Talk about cooking the books, Koonin comments.

The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating. Self-evidently, computer projections cant be tested against a future thats yet to happen, but they can be tested against climates present and past. Climate models cant even agree on what the current global average temperature is. One particularly jarring feature is that the simulated average global surface temperature, Koonin notes, varies among models by about 3C, three times greater than the observed value of the twentieth century warming theyre purporting to describe and explain.

Another embarrassing feature of climate models concerns the earlier of the two twentieth-century warmings from 1910 to 1940, when human influences were much smaller. On average, models give a warming rate of about half of what was actually observed. The failure of the latest models to warm fast enough in those decades suggest that its possible, even likely, that internal climate variability is a significant contributor to the warming of recent decades, Koonin suggests. That the models cant reproduce the past is a big red flagit erodes confidence in their projections of future climates. Neither is it reassuring that for the years after 1960, the latest generation of climate models show a larger spread and greater uncertainty than earlier onesimplying that, far from advancing, The Science has been going backwards. That is not how science is meant to work.

The second part of Koonins indictment concerns the distortion, misrepresentation, and mischaracterization of climate data to support a narrative of climate catastrophism based on increasing frequency of extreme weather events. As an example, Koonin takes a shockingly misleading claim and associated graph in the United States governments 2017 Climate Science Special Report that the number of high-temperature records set in the past two decades far exceeds the number of low-temperature records across the 48 contiguous states. Koonin demonstrates that the sharp uptick in highs over the last two decades is an artifact of a methodology chosen to mislead. After re-running the data, record highs show a clear peak in the 1930s, but there is no significant trend over the 120 years of observations starting in 1895, or even since 1980, when human influences on the climate grew strongly. In contrast, the number of record cold temperatures has declined over more than a century, with the trend accelerating after 1985.

Notes Koonin, temperature extremes in the contiguous U.S. have become less common and somewhat milder since the late nineteenth century. Similarly, a key message in the 2014 National Climate Assessment of an upward trend in hurricane frequency and intensity, repeated in the 2017 assessment, is contradicted 728 pages later by a statement buried in an appendix stating that there has been no significant trend in the global number of tropical cyclones nor has any trend been identified in the number of U.S. land-falling hurricanes.

That might surprise many politicians. Over the past thirty years, the incidence of natural disasters has dramatically increased, Treasury secretary Janet Yellen falsely asserted last month in a pitch supporting the Biden administrations infrastructure package. We are now in a situation where climate change is an existential risk to our future economy and way of life, she claimed. The sacrifice of scientific truth in the form of objective empirical data for the sake of a catastrophist climate narrative is plain to see. As Koonin summarizes the case: Even as human influences have increased fivefold since 1950 and the globe has warmed modestly, most severe weather phenomena remain within past variability. Projections of future climate and weather events rely on models demonstrably unfit for the purpose.

Koonin also has sharp words for the policy side of the climate change consensus, which asserts that although climate change is an existential threat, solving it by totally decarbonizing society is straightforward and relatively painless. Two decades ago, when I was in the private sector, Koonin writes, I learned to say that the goal of stabilizing human influences on the climate was a challenge, while in government it was talked about as an opportunity. Now back in academia, I can forthrightly call it a practical impossibility.

Unlike many scientists and most politicians, Koonin displays a sure grasp of the split between developed and developing nations, for whom decarbonization is a luxury good that they cant afford. The fissure dates back to the earliest days of the U.N. climate process at the end of the 1980s. Indeed, its why developing nations insisted on the U.N. route as opposed to an intergovernmental one that produced the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances. The economic betterment of most of humanity in the coming decades will drive energy demand even more strongly than population growth, Koonin says. Who will pay the developing world not to emit? I have been posing that simple question to many people for more than fifteen years and have yet to hear a convincing answer.

The most unsettling part of Unsettled concerns science and the role of scientists. Science is one of the very few human activitiesperhaps the only onein which errors are systematically criticized and fairly often, in time, corrected, Karl Popper wrote nearly six decades ago. That condition does not pertain in climate science, where errors are embedded in a political narrative and criticism is suppressed. In a recent essay, the philosopher Matthew B. Crawford observes that the pride of science as a way of generating knowledgeunlike religionis to be falsifiable. That changes when science is pressed into duty as authority in order to absolve politicians of responsibility for justifying their policy choices (the science says, were repeatedly told). Yet what sort of authority would it be that insists its own grasp of reality is merely provisional? asks Crawford. For authority to be really authoritative, it must claim an epistemic monopoly of some kind, whether of priestly or scientific knowledge.

At the outset of Unsettled, Feynmans axiom of absolute intellectual honesty is contrasted with climate scientist Stephen Schneiders double ethical bind. On the one hand, scientists are ethically bound by the scientific method to tell the truth. On the other, they are human beings who want to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climate change. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest, Schneider said.

Being effective helps explain the pressure on climate scientists to conform to The Science and the emergence of a climate science knowledge monopoly. Its function is, as Crawford puts it, the manufacture of a productpolitical legitimacywhich, in turn, requires that competing views be delegitimized and driven out of public discourse through enforcement of a moratorium on the asking of questions. This sees climate scientist gatekeepers deciding who can and cannot opine on climate science. Please, save us from retired physicists who think theyre smarter and wiser than everyone in climate science, tweeted Gavin Schmidt, NASA acting senior climate advisor, about Koonin and his book. I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, a chair of a university earth sciences department tells Koonin, but I dont dare say that in public. Another scientist criticizes Koonin for giving ammunition to the deniers, and a third writes an op-ed urging New York University to reconsider Koonins position there. It goes wider than scientists. Facebook has suppressed a Wall Street Journal review of Unsettled. Likewise, Unsettled remains unreviewed by the New York Times, the Washington Post (though it carried an op-ed by Marc Thiessen based on an interview with Koonin) and other dailies, which would prefer to treat Koonins reasoned climate dissent as though it doesnt exist.

The moratorium on the asking of questions represents the death of science as understood and described by Popper, a victim of the conflicting requirements of political utility and scientific integrity. Many scientists take this lying down. Koonin wont. For his forensic skill and making his findings accessible to non-specialists, Koonin has written the most important book on climate science in decades.

From RealClearWire.

Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow of the RealClear Foundation and author of Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex and the report The Climate Noose: Business, Net Zero, and the IPCCs Anti-Capitalism.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Afghanistan's TOLOnews director Lotfullah Najafizada speaks after receiving the Kate Webb prize given to his television station in Hong Kong on Jan. 12, 2017. (AARON TAM/AFP via Getty Images)

US Troop Withdrawal by Sept. 11: Exclusive Interview With the Director of Afghanistans Biggest News Channel

NEW DELHILotfullah Najafizada, 33, director of Afghanistans biggest news broadcaster, TOLOnews, has seen things up close in his war-torn countrydeath threats, deaths, injuries to his employees, and accolades for fearless journalism.

The Epoch Times spoke with Kabul-based Najafizada by telephone about his thoughts on the current situation in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden declared the drawdown of U.S. troops by Sept. 11.

I think Afghans are pro-engagement, pro-partnership, where the U.S. and the Afghan leaders are saying that there is going to be a new chapter in the partnership with the U.S., Najafizada said, about what Afghans would like to communicate with Biden at this point.

We dont know how the new chapter is going to look. Its not really explainedexplained well. But I think the Afghan people are for partnership, not with just the U.S. but with everyone.

Because weve seen the cost of isolation, and that price is very, very high.

Without a consolidated Afghanistan, its peopleparticularly its younger generationwill be isolated from the rest of the world, according to Najafizada, who comes from a family of journalists.

And for that, we need to work together, we need [to work together] with everyone at the global stage. And Afghans are, I think, quite determined about it, he said. We have a say because we are one side of the table. and I think our say is very simple. We are fighting on behalf of ourselves and for the security of the world in one of the most difficult areas of the world.

The terrorists arent just targeting Afghans but want an opportunity to attack people beyond the borders, according to Najafizada.

These people who are here, they are enemies of India, enemies of China, enemies of Russia, enemies of the U.S. and the West. And enemies of Iran, he added, noting that Afghans will play their role in case of a fight.

Relatives mourn the victims of May 8 explosion during a mass funeral ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 9, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

The China Angle

When asked if the new situation in Afghanistan will lead to a new Great Game, with China replacing the former Soviet Union, Najafizada said he doesnt see anybody replacing the support being offered by the United States.

I dont think that China is really that aggressive when it comes to their Afghanistan policies. Only $4 [billion] to $5 billion a year is needed to fund the Afghan security forces, another $3 [billion] to $4 billion are given to the civilian budget, mostly by the U.S., he said. I know that the U.S. troops are leaving, but that support continues until 2024.

While the United States and China are two big global powers and have competing interests, he said he doesnt think Afghanistan is their top region of competition.

I dont see any power in the region or beyond to be able to either afford it or be willing to do that too, even if they have the money, he said.

By the time the U.S. troops leave by September, the region must decide collectively whether it wants to deal with a civil war next door, or all of us join hands and then we make peace.

Chinas international English-language cable TV news service CGTN, reported that Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a recent conversation with the Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar, expressed Beijings willingness to help Afghanistan strengthen its anti-terrorism capacities.

But Najafizada said he doesnt envision Chinese troops inside Afghanistan.

I dont think the partnership or collaboration with China is that strong. I dont think that it will be at any time in the near future.

Afghans have concerns about the reports about human rights violations inside Xinjiang, he said.

We are unhappy about it as Muslims, as human beings. I think Afghans have been quite vocal about it, of all the reports and violations of human rights that we hear in that part of China, which is neighboring Afghanistan, by the way.

Afghans stand near a mosque after a bomb exploded in Shakar Dara district of Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 14, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

Regional Issues and Influences

Najafizada said the conflict is a problem of Afghan people first but since the persisting issues are regional, the country needs regional and global support for the resolution.

There are many international terrorist organizations that we fight, not just for ourselves, but for the security of all members of the international community, India included. So, for that, we need regional support and international support, he said.

I mean, this is an unfortunate case of conflict, with regional reasons and roots for a very long time. So, this is first a problem for Afghans because we pay the ultimate price. Then its a problem for the region, then it is a problem for the world.

No one should be able to use Afghan soil to plan a 9/11 ever again, said Najafizada.

Nobody should feel threatened by the Afghans. For that, we need collective efforts for peace.

Afghanistan shares a border with Pakistan, including the disputed region of Gilgit-Baltistan that Pakistan controls and India claims, and through which China is building the China Pakistan Economic Corridor Project. It also shares borders with Iran, the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and a short border with Xinjiang.

Najafizada said all countries that share borders with Afghanistan have some influence over the situation in the country.

I think all regional countries, including Iran, including Pakistan, are quite influential; you cannot rule that out, he said when asked if there are Iranian proxies inside Afghanistan.

I cant go into the extent to explain or provide evidence that there are proxies, as you said, in the government, or elsewhere in society, of course, were neighbors. With all of these countries, we will have ties, Najafizada said.

We share language, religion, and there are similarities. And then there are common interests. And then there are gestures and goodwill, emotional connections, those are there. And these are powerful countries.

Since the regional powers are involved and have influence over the situation inside Afghanistanthat should be leveraged for peace, he said.

Because they know they will benefit from peace more than they benefit from war. Especially now that the international troops are leaving. So this is a window of opportunity for all of them, for Iran, for Pakistan, for India, for Russia, for China. For all of these big, big players, just next door, Najafizada said.

He said the region includes historical adversaries and Afghanistan has to make sure that it isnt used against any of its neighbors.

Thats the message to all immediate neighbors and far neighbors. So I think that is quite visible that that principle had not been hurt, he said, referring to reports about an India-Pakistan rivalry heating up inside Afghanistan.

File image of U.S. special representative for Afghan peace and reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad (L) gestures as he speaks during a forum with TOLOnews Director Lotfullah Najafizada (R), at the Tolo TV station in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 28, 2019. (WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The Afghan Narrative

The Epoch Times asked Najafizada about Afghanistans own narrativeas a country ravaged by war, dependent on aid, and currently facing instability due to the impending U.S. troop withdrawalamid trending regional and global opinions.

I think the Afghan narrative is that the country has to figure out, solve problemsfind solutions for it, he said, noting that the Afghan people are very resilient and have demonstrated it in the past 40 years of conflict.

We have not separated as a nation. We have not! Weve paid a huge price. Powers have come and gone and abandoned and intervened and invaded us. But I think the Afghan nation as a whole  has been quite persistent.

Najafizada said hes speaking from the perspective of someone in Kabul, who has been raised here, and who has seen it all.

Im quite optimistic. It doesnt mean its not going to be difficult. Im not saying how Afghanistans history is going to judge the U.S. intervention, he said.

Or how the world will see the last 20 years from a Western perspective, because thats a Western issue. But the Afghan issue is that weve seen a lot of ups and downs. I think this year is going to be very, very critical. Hopefully, we can make a political settlement with the Taliban, and that will be a positive thing.

If not, Im afraid that it will be more bloodshed and fighting.

Najafizada said the Afghans are determined to do what they can for peace. He said the war isnt good, it has been going on for so long, and it must end.

This is not good. This is  quite frustrating, said Najafizada. Its very difficult for people. The past two or three generationsall theyve seen is violence and bloodshed.

He said he has personally experienced ithis earliest childhood memory is of the early years of the 1990s when a rocket landed on his family home in Kabul, and while growing up, his family moved around to different Afghan cities to flee the conflict.

He said hes not trying to paint a rosy picture, but trying to emphasize that theres no other option but to work for peace. He said he dreams of a democratic Afghanistan thats capable of playing a positive role in the global arena.

We fight for Afghanistan [to] be a democratic country, a very constructive player on the globalist stage; friendly relationships with the rest of the world. Prosperous at home, where girls, children, women, minorities, have equal rights, he said.

And this is the Afghanistan that we envision and we work tirelessly to get there. We have come a long way in the past 20 years. We will continue to do that. So thats why Im here and thats why we do what we do.

This article is the second in the series Afghanistans Changing Situation Amid U.S. Troop Withdrawal, in which The Epoch Times speaks with global analysts, lawmakers, thought leaders, and ordinary citizens within Afghanistan to gather a wider perspective on the situation inside the country. The first article may be read here.
A general view of the Perth Children's Hospital in Perth, Australia, on Apr. 20, 2020. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

WA Hospital Staff to Rally After Girls Death as Unions, Govt Battle

Doctors and nurses are banding together to rally in front of Perth Childrens Hospital in Western Australia (WA) following the tragic death of a 7-year-old girl on Easter Saturday.

Aishwarya Aswath died at the hospital after waiting close to two hours to receive treatment, sparking outrage over the hospitals failure to timely administer treatment for the ill patient.

Aishwaryas father, Chavittupara Aswath, had said that while waiting, the staff had seemingly not expressed concern towards the ill patient.

I think some of the staff were ignoring us they didnt even pass on the message to their superiors so they could decide, he said.

Aswath Chavittupara, father of Aishwarya Aswath, at a press conference outside their home in Perth, Australia, on May 13, 2021. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

Unions have called for the rally in hopes of tackling systemic problems in hospital care, understaffing in particular, amid a stoush with the Western Australian Labor Government.

WAs Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHC) had referred the two nurses involved to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for review following a report into the death of Aishwarya Aswath.

The decision angered the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF), prompting the AMA to retaliate by reporting both the hospitals chief executive, Aresh Anwar, and WA health department director-general David Russell-Weisz.

We dont shy away that there could have been problems at all levels, AMA State President Andrew Miller told reporters on Sunday.

But what we dont want to see is the powerless junior staff being the only ones who are looked at closely, particularly by their professional regulator.

The report found a few missed opportunities by nurses but that the overall staff-to-patient ratio was adequate.

ANF State Secretary Mark Olsen disagrees, suggesting that hospitals being short on staff was an ongoing trend with nurses raising concerns as far as back as December.

They said to the hospital executives, this is going to take a catastrophic event before you do something about it, and when that catastrophic event occurs, youre going to throw the nurses under the bus; they are going to be your scapegoats, Olsen told 6PR.

If you dont have enough staff, then, of course, you are not going to be able to do the checks you would normally perform, he added.

Both the AMA and the ANF accused Health Minister Roger Cook of inaction and of not addressing previous concerns raised with the government.

However, Premier Mark McGowan defended Cook, revealing that an extra doctor was present on the day.

In effect, it was a very high staffing to patient ratio at that point in time, he said.

Ordinarily, on a Saturday night, there are 12 doctors on duty after 6 oclock; on this night, there were 13 on duty.

The girls parents had reportedly pleaded for doctors to take a look after her eyes went cloudy and hands became cold. Aishwarya died of sepsis a few hours after she was seen by doctors.

Following the ordeal, Cook apologised sincerely in parliament to the grieving family.

I wish to apologise unreservedly for this failure and for the heartbreak and devastation Aishwaryas death has caused her family and her community, he said.

On behalf of the McGowan Government, Child and Adolescent Health Services, and all the health community, I say to Aishwaryas family  I am sorry.

AAP contributed to this report.
A migrant camp situated 10 miles from the U.S. border, fills up with Central American migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, on Dec. 2, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Watchdog: US Forced Some Deported Parents to Leave Kids Behind

Former President Donald Trumps administration forced some illegal immigrants to leave the United States without their children, according to a new watchdog report.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), removed at least 348 parents after June 2017 without documenting that those parents wanted to leave their children in the United States, the DHS Office of Inspector General said in the new report.

In fact, ICE removed some parents without their children despite having evidence the parents wanted to bring their children back to their home country, the office said.

Trump administration officials previously disputed accusations that illegal immigrants were removed without their children if they wanted their kids removed with them.

Every parent had the choice to bring the child back with them when they were removed. The ones who did not bring the children with them made the choice not to have the child accompany them, then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told members of Congress during a Dec. 20, 2018 hearing.

There was no parent who has been deported, to my knowledge, without multiple opportunities to take their children with them, she added during a congressional hearing about three months later.

Nielsen cited parents conversations with the U.S. officials effecting their removal, communications between the parents and their home countrys consulate or embassy, and court orders requiring the government to confirm the parents decisions regarding their children.

Elsewhere, officials indicated there was a process to determine whether immigrants who were being removed wanted to take their children with them.

Then-ICE Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations Matthew Albence told members of Congress in mid-2018 that ICE policy dictates how reunification may occur and that officials could go into each file and see the records that are there, enabling them to make a note that the parent declined reunification.

Around the same time, DHS said in a fact sheet ICE will seek to reunite verified family units and link their removal proceedings so that family units can be returned to their home countries together.

But DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, a Trump nominee, found that ICE did not have clear guidance to include any prescribed process or procedure requiring officers to ascertain, document, or honor parents decisions as to whether to leave their children in the United States when they were removed.

Immigration officers arrest illegal aliens during a targeted enforcement operation in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2018. (ICE)

The agency does not require ICE officers to ask whether parents want to bring their children with them to their home country or to honor parents requests when the parents express that they want to bring their children.

Among the cases where ICE documented a parents choice in leaving a child behind in the United States, some of the records are significantly flawed, the new report said, suggesting that not all parents who purportedly waived reunification did so knowingly and voluntarily.

ICE referred The Epoch Times to DHS, which said in an email: This reports findings are a tragic reminder of how parents and children were cruelly separated by the prior administration.

We are working tirelessly to reunite separated families and rebuild our immigration system so our laws are administered fairly and humanely. We concur with the recommendations in the Office of Inspector Generals report and will continue to take actions to build on the progress we have made, the DHS spokesperson added.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that the report showed the Trump administrations zero-tolerance immigration enforcement policy has earned the dubious distinction of being one of the meanest, most shameful chapters in our nations immigration history.

The Trump administration separated family units at the border in an attempt, officials said, to comply with federal law. The administration ramped up criminal prosecutions of illegal border crossers in July 2017, according to the inspector generals report, through July 2018, when a federal judge ordered the administration to provide reunification notice to parents.

The American Civil Liberties Union, representing the plaintiffs in the case, previously said it found the Trump administration deported hundreds of parents without their children.

In a statement to news outlets, Lee Gelernt, the lawyer with the union, said the report is consistent with the horrifying facts we discovered in the litigation: that parents were deported without the opportunity to bring their children with them.

Throughout the litigation we learned that some parents were even told their child would join them on the plane only to have the plane take off without the child, he added.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. May 24, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

White House Says Biden Will Sign Bill Allowing Cruise Ships to Return to Alaska

WASHINGTONWhite House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden will sign the Alaska tourism bill on Monday, allowing cruise ships to return to the state this year.

This law will allow large cruise ships to visit Alaska this year, a critical step toward returning to normal in a state where one in 10 jobs is in the tourism industry, Psaki said.

By Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 08:52:08|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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WASHINGTON -- The biggest COVID-19 vaccination gap in the United States isn't based on race or partisanship, but based on class, reported The New York Times on Monday.

Republican voters and racial minorities are two groups that are reluctant to get a COVID-19 shot, according to the report.

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GENEVA -- The 74th World Health Assembly kicked off on Monday to stress the urgency of ending the current COVID-19 pandemic and preventing the next one by building a healthier, safer and fairer world.

More than a year into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cases worldwide have rose 40-fold to more than 160 million, while the number of deaths has increased 11 times to more than 3 million, according to World Health Organization statistics.

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MOSCOW -- Russia confirmed 8,406 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, taking its nationwide tally to 5,009,911, the official monitoring and response center said Monday.

The national COVID-19 death toll rose by 319 to 118,801 over the past day, while the nationwide recoveries grew by 6,450 to 4,624,212.

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ADDIS ABABA -- Ethiopia registered 293 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its nationwide tally to 269,194 as of Sunday evening, the country's health ministry said.

Meanwhile, eight new deaths were reported, bringing the national death toll to 4,076, the ministry said.

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ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia registered 630 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 53,100, the country's heath ministry said Monday.

The ministry said that the latest cases were local infections and that 5,849 samples were tested in the past day across the country.

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BOGOTA -- Colombia reported 496 more deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the nationwide death toll to 84,724, the country's ministry of health and social protection said Sunday.

The ministry said 21,669 new infections were reported, bringing the national tally to 3,232,456.

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SAO PAULO -- Brazil reported on Sunday 860 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 449,068, the Ministry of Health said.

A total of 35,819 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 16,083,258, the ministry said. Enditem
Red Hook Seafood Boil celebrates its grand opening June 10 in South Norwalk, offering Cajun-style seafood boils and a full bar. The new restaurant, with a nautical motif, is at 19 North Water Street, directly across from the Maritime Aquarium.

The boils, the main attraction of the menu, start with your choice of seafood, including lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp and crab legs in half-pound or whole pound portions. Customize your meal by choosing a sauce, with a range of spice levels, and then sides.

The cooked-to-order boil arrives at the table in a plastic bag. Go ahead and eat with your hands, since plastic bibs and gloves are provided for the messy meal. The menu also features salads, sandwiches, burgers and even ramen, made with the broth of the boils. A vegetarian boil option is also available.

The restaurant comes from Ockyheon Byeon, who is also the owner of the RoundK coffee brand in New York City. The team also features chef Ben Wang and general manager Spencer Wawak, who also serves as beverage manager.

With nicer weather upon us and people able to more safely dine together, Im looking forward to introducing lower Fairfield County to Cajun-inspired seafood boils, where the goal is to gather, eat and have a good time, Byeon said in a press release.

The bar, specializing in Japanese whiskey, will offer beer, wine, nautically-inspired cocktails and custom milkshakes, as well as drinks integrating coffee from RoundK.

My goal for our restaurant is to become a fun, delicious and inviting gathering place for families with children visiting the Aquarium, co-workers over lunch and friends looking to grab a late night drink, said Byeon.

Future plans for Red Hook include a brunch menu, grab-and-go options and catering, both on and off-site.

Other seafood boil restaurants have popped up around Connecticut in recent months, including Crab du Jour at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, which also has an express version in Bridgeport and two more sit-down restaurants planned for Hamden and Manchester. SoNo Boil opened recently on Washington Street in Norwalk, and More Than Just Lobster opened a second location in downtown Hartford this month, joining its original restaurant in New Britain.

Red Hook Seafood Boil will be open Monday to Wednesday from noon to 10 p.m., Thursday, noon to midnight, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information, visit redhookusa.com or find the restaurant on Facebook (@ redhooknorwalk ) and Instagram (@ redhooknorwalk .)
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  In perhaps the strongest evidence yet of an attempted cover-up in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, the ranking Louisiana State Police officer at the scene falsely told internal investigators that the Black man was still a threat to flee after he was shackled, and he denied the existence of his own body camera video for nearly two years until it emerged just last month.

New state police documents obtained by The Associated Press show numerous inconsistencies between Lt. John Clarys statements to detectives and the body camera footage he denied having. They add to growing signs of obfuscation in Greenes death, which the white troopers initially blamed on a car crash at the end of a high-speed chase and is now the subject of a federal civil rights investigation.

The highly secretive case has drawn national attention since last week when the AP began publishing graphic body camera videos that showed troopers repeatedly jolting Greene with stun guns, putting him in a chokehold, punching him and dragging him by his ankle shackles. And like George Floyd's death a year ago, it once again highlighted the importance of video as key evidence in police misconduct cases.

Video doesn't lie, and the best way to protect the integrity of law enforcement agencies is with body camera footage, said Rafael Goyeneche, a former prosecutor who is president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a New Orleans-based watchdog group.

But Clary, the highest-ranking officer among at least six state troopers at the scene of Greene's May 10, 2019, arrest, told investigators later that day that he had no body camera footage of the incident  a statement proven to be untrue when his 30-minute body camera video of the arrest emerged last month.

Clary, who arrived at the scene just seconds after troopers stunned, choked and punched Greene to get him into handcuffs, told investigators that Greene was still, yelling and screaming ... and he was still resisting, even though he was handcuffed. He was still trying to get away and was not cooperating.

Investigators wrote in a six-page report filed less than three weeks ago that Clarys description of Greene's demeanor after he was cuffed on a dark roadside near Monroe was clearly a mischaracterization. Though they did not state it explicitly, the false statements were apparently intended to justify further uses of force by troopers against the prone Greene that included dragging him facedown by his ankle shackles and spraying him in the face with pepper spray.

The video evidence in this case does not show Greene screaming, resisting or trying to get away, Detective Albert Paxton wrote in the new report. The only screams revealed by the video were when Greene responded to force applied to him."

The report added that Clarys own video, published last week by the AP and later released by the state, shows Greene lying on the ground, face down, handcuffed behind his back, leg shackles on his ankles, uttering the phrases, Im sorry, or Im scared or Yes sir or Okay.

Clarys video shows troopers ordering the heavyset, 49-year-old Greene to remain facedown on the ground with his hands and feet restrained for more than nine minutes  a tactic use-of-force experts criticized as dangerous and likely to have restricted his breathing. Greene can be seen on Clarys footage struggling to prop himself up on his side.

Dont you turn over! Lay on your belly! Lay on your belly! Trooper Kory York yells before briefly dragging Greene by the chain that connects his ankle shackles.

Lt. Clarys video clearly shows Greene to be suffering, Paxton wrote in the new report, adding that the handcuffed man can be heard gasping for air.

Though what happens to Greene next cannot be seen on the video, investigators wrote that Greenes eyes are squeezed shut as he shakes his head back and forth moaning in pain, movements consistent with having been sprayed in the face with (pepper) spray."

The records noted that around this time Trooper York asked Greene if he has his attention now and a local deputy assisting in the arrest added, Yeah, that sh-- hurts, doesnt it?

Another false statement noted in the report was when Clary told investigators that his troopers sat Greene up and immediately held his head up so he could get a clear airway.

Clary's video, however, showed troopers saying they didnt want to sit Greene up because they were afraid he would spit blood on them.

Then dont do that, Clary tells them.

Even after Greene became unresponsive and troopers sat him up, his head was slumped down on his chest and they did not make a move to lift his head to make a clear airway for nearly six minutes.

The officers have the duty and obligation to ensure that he is capable of breathing ... and they chose not to do that, said Andrew Scott, a former Boca Raton, Florida, police chief who testifies as an expert in use-of-force cases.

When he was in handcuffs, he was completely compliant. The only thing he wanted to do was turn over onto his side, Scott added. He couldnt resist. He was incapable of resisting.

Clary, who has been with the Louisiana State Police for 31 years, has not faced any discipline for his role in the Greene case. He did not return phone and text messages seeking comment Monday.

State police spokesman Capt. Nick Manale said internal reviews are ongoing to determine why the Clary video was not identified during the original criminal investigation.

Union Parish District Attorney John Belton, who is pursuing a state investigation of the troopers' actions, told the AP he only became aware of Clary's footage recently.

Clary cannot claim he was unaware his body camera was recording, the investigators noted, citing a moment on his video when he points to his own camera in an apparent warning to one of his troopers at the scene of Greenes arrest. At another point, the records say, a trooper pointed out that Lt. Clarys body camera was recording, causing Lt. Clary to immediately turn it off.

The concealed video is only the latest anomaly in the law enforcement response to Greenes death. Troopers initially told Greenes family he died in a car crash, and later the state police issued a brief statement acknowledging there was a struggle with officers and that Greene died on the way to the hospital. There was no mention made of any use of force by troopers.

State police also did not open an administrative investigation into the troopers use of force until 474 days after Greenes death. And Louisiana officials from Gov. John Bel Edwards on down repeatedly refused to publicly release any body camera video of Greenes arrest for more than two years, until last week after AP began publishing videos it obtained.

The AP last week also obtained a 10-page autopsy report that shows state police failed to turn over to forensic pathologists even the most routine documents relating to Greenes arrest, including police reports, collision details or emergency medical records.

The lack of transparency reeks of a potential cover up, Goyeneche said. If the Louisiana State Police were vigilant and on top of its game, there would have been discipline and terminations years ago in this case.
NORWALK  With the citys public libraries set to reopen next week, the Board of Trustees wants to implement a type of vaccine passport system requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry.

However, city spokesperson Josh Morgan said Tuesday a verification system is 100 percent not a possibility.

Board of Trustees Chairman Alex Knopp said the passport system he had in mind would likely allow non-vaccinated residents to use the library on specific days or at certain times.

While New York has launched a voluntary vaccination passport system, Gov. Ned Lamont said he does not see the demand for that type of program in Connecticut. Health experts have said a verification system would be a valuable tool, but would be a challenge to implement.

No proof of vaccination will be required for library entry when the Norwalk buildings reopen June 1, Knopp said. However, like city hall, all patrons and staff will be required to wear masks.

Our goal is to make sure everybody who comes into the library is protected, Knopp said. Our plan is to ask the city for assistance to see if we can design a plan that meets legal requirements and health requirements and would be protective of individuals who have not been vaccinated, too.

Both library branches have been open throughout the pandemic in varying degrees, implementing curbside book pickup, and later, requiring appointments for entry. However, June 1 will mark the first time the buildings will be fully open to patrons.

While restrictions have been lifted across the state, we will still require that masks be worn by both employees and visitors, Morgan said. We are being extra cautious in our reopening approach to keep everyone safe. We will be watching our case numbers and public health metrics closely and change and adjust policies as appropriate.

Many of the existing safety precautions employed throughout the pandemic will remain in place at the library, including social distancing, masking and having computers and chairs spaced at least six feet apart, Director Sherelle Harris said. Residents will still be required to reserve 45-minute slots to use the librarys computers.

Harris said the library board will reevaluate the safety measures at the end of the summer.

The five-floor main library branch on Belden Avenue will be limited to 10 people per floor, while the South Norwalk branch on Washington Street will accommodate five patrons per floor at a time, Harris said at the May 13 library board meeting.

All of our precautions are for safety, Harris said. We will use the summer to watch the COVID-19 numbers and to gauge how Norwalk residents want to use the public library.

As precautions remain in place, so do some of the new library programs developed during the pandemic. Reference and virtual programming will continue with reopening and the library is creating streaming capabilities, Harris said.

Sidewalk service, which was put in place during the pandemic and our equivalent of drive-thru window service, will remain with a few tweaks now that the public can come into the building again, Harris said. This way, once we begin in-person programs again, we can offer hybrid attendance. We can have some residents attend in person and others attend virtually.

For the summer, no events will be held indoors and participants at outdoor events will be required to wear masks, Harris said.

Fines and fees, paused during the librarys closure, will be reinstated upon reopening, according to a library statement.

We are excited to welcome residents back in-person at the library next week, Morgan said. We are also incredibly proud of our staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and came up with new, creative ways to serve the public.

As part of reopening, the libraries will have new, shortened hours. The main branch will be open Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The SoNo branch will be open Tuesday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
Editors note: This is part of a series highlighting sites on the National Registry of Historic Places throughout the area.

It passes over the countrys most popular river on what was once the countrys most treasured highway.

In order to go through St. Louie on the way to Joplin, Missouri  and all destinations if you planned to motor west  along historic Route 66, one crossed the Mighty Mississippi on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in Madison County, Illinois.

Its such unique structure. Theres so much interest around the world, and with Route 66, Anne Milford, spokesperson for the Great Rivers Greenway, said. People come from all over the United States to see the bridge.

Today its a place for bike riders, walkers, and eagle watchers, but in days gone it was a segue to adventure, whether you were traveling from Chicago to LA or looking to see if Oklahoma City really was  as the Nat King Cole classic goes  mighty pretty.

READ PART I: The Lucy Haskell Playhouse

READ PART II: McPike Mansion

READ PART III: Alton Military Prison

Built in the late-1920s, and opening in 1929, there wasnt much pomp and circumstance for the new bridge passing over the chain of rocks Mississippi Riverbed formation, according to documents provided by the Madison County Historical Society.

In fact, in the heyday of steamers traveling up and down the river, it was the chain of rocks that caused many shipwrecks, National Great Rivers Museum Director Allison Rhanor said. It was the lucky ones  perhaps even a boat piloted by a young Mark Twain  that made it through.

It wasnt until 1935 when everything changed.

Route 66 was re-routed and now crossed the Chain of Rocks Bridge. For the next three decades, it would be one of the many sites to see on what became known as, The Mother Road.

At one time there were tolls on the bridge, and atop the overlooking bluff was a grand amusement park.

Ownership of the structure has always been in the hands of the small community of Madison, Illinois, as told by the MCHS. When the sun began to set on this scenic thoroughfare in the late-1960s because of increased traffic and automobile design, a new Chain of Rocks Bridge opened and eventually became part of Interstate-270.

The Old Chain of Rock Bridge went on life support for some time after closing in 1970. Information from the MCHS indicates that everything from a hotel to a flea market to implosion to selling for scrap were all several fates the bridge faced. It had become a financial burden for the City of Madison.

Some may have even thought that the 1981 motion picture, Escape from New York, starring Kurt Russell and Ernest Borgnine, using the bridge as a film site, was a last hurrah for the bridge. The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge served as the 69th Street Bridge in the movie.

But the years went by and nothing happened  fruition just didnt seem to accompany the many ideas so many people put forth. That is until the bright idea of making the bridge part of a scenic trail came along.

The Gateway Rivers Greenway links many bike and walking trails throughout the region and one of them takes enthusiasts looking for adventure across the Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge. Just scenic as it was in the glory days of Route 66, it has a more romanticized feel as everyone moving along can stop and take in all the beauty that surrounds.

Its a popular destination, Milford said. People use it to connect to both banks of the river.

And yes, those wanting to use the bridge for film still come calling.

We do get requests from time to time from people who are shooting a commercial or a movie, and theyll come and shoot a couple scenes on the bridge, Milford said.

In 2006 the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was cemented into history when it was finally added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Over its more than 90 years of existence, one element has always remained the same. Whether you traveled in a classic car to get hip to the timely tip for your California trip, or youre leisurely making your way between two states on foot or bike, when it comes to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, Milford said, Its for the people.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world's crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo.

While no country has claimed the Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the 5.6-kilometer (3.5 mile)-long island years ago links back to the United Arab Emirates.

Officials in Yemen's internationally recognized government now say the Emiratis are behind this latest effort as well, even though the UAE announced in 2019 it was withdrawing its troops from a Saudi-led military campaign battling Yemen's Houthi rebels.

This does seem to be a longer-term strategic aim to establish a relatively permanent presence, said Jeremy Binnie, the Mideast editor at the open-source intelligence company Janes who has followed construction on Mayun for years. It's possibly not just about the Yemen war and you've got to see the shipping situation as fairly key there.

Emirati officials in Abu Dhabi and the UAEs Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, called the base "a reminder that the UAE is not actually out of Yemen.

The runway on Mayun Island allows whoever controls it to project power into the strait and easily launch airstrikes into mainland Yemen, convulsed by a yearslong bloody war. It also provides a base for any operations into the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and nearby East Africa.

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. obtained by The Associated Press showed dump trucks and graders building a 1.85 kilometer (6,070-foot) runway on the island on April 11. By May 18, that work appeared complete, with three hangars constructed on a tarmac just south of the runway.

A runway of that length can accommodate attack, surveillance and transport aircraft. An earlier effort begun toward the end of 2016 and later abandoned had workers try to build an even-larger runway over 3 kilometers (9,800 feet) long, which would allow for the heaviest bombers.

Military officials with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which the Saudi-led coalition has backed since 2015, say the UAE is building the runway. The officials, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity as they didn't have authorization to brief journalists, say Emirati ships transported military weapons, equipment and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks.

The military officials said recent tension between the UAE and Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi came in part from an Emirati demand for his government to sign a 20-year lease agreement for Mayun. Emirati officials have not acknowledged any disagreement.

The initial, failed construction project came after Emirati and allied forces retook the island from Iranian-backed Houthi militants in 2015. By late 2016, satellite images showed construction underway there.

Tugboats associated with Dubai-based Echo Cargo & Shipping LLC and landing craft and carriers from Abu Dhabi-based Bin Nawi Marine Services LLC helped bring equipment to the island in that first attempt, according to tracking signals recorded by data firm Refinitiv. Satellite photos at the time show they offloaded the gear and vehicles at a temporary beachside port.

Echo Cargo & Shipping declined to comment, while Bin Nawi Marine Services did not respond to a request for comment. Recent shipping data shows no recorded vessels around Mayun, suggesting whoever provided the sealift for the latest construction turned off their boats' Automatic Identification System tracking devices to avoid being identified.

Construction initially stopped in 2017, likely when engineers realized they couldnt dig through a portion of the volcanic islands craggy features to incorporate the site of the island's old runway. The building restarted in earnest on the new runway site around Feb. 22, satellite photos show, several weeks after President Joe Biden announced he would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led offensive against the Houthis.

The apparent decision by the Emiratis to resume building the air base comes after the UAE dismantled parts of a military base it ran in the East African nation of Eritrea as a staging ground for its Yemen campaign.

While the Horn of Africa has become a dangerous place for the Emiratis due to competitors and local war risks, Mayun has a small population and offers a valuable site for monitoring the Red Sea, said Eleonora Ardemagni, an analyst at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. The region has seen a rise in attacks and incidents.

The Emiratis have been shifting from a power-projection foreign policy to a power-protection foreign policy, Ardemagni said. It increases "their capacity to monitor what happens and to prevent possible threats by non-state actors close to Iran.

The expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was said to run a similar operation on a cargo ship long stationed nearby off Yemen before being apparently targeted by an Israeli attack.

Mayun, also known as Perim Island, sits some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) off the southwestern edge of Yemen. World powers have recognized the island's strategic location for hundreds of years, especially with the opening of the Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

The British kept the island up until their departure from Yemen in 1967. The Soviet Union, allied with South Yemen's Marxist government, upgraded Mayun's naval facilities but used them only infrequently, according a 1981 CIA analysis. That's likely due to needing to bring water and supplies onto the island. That will affect the new air base as well as Mayun has no modern port, said Binnie, the Janes analyst.

The base still may interest American forces, however. U.S. troops operated from Yemen's al-Anad Air Base running a campaign of drone strikes targeting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula until the Houthi advance forced them to withdraw in 2015. The Defense Department later acknowledged on-the-ground American troops supported the Saudi-led coalition around Mukalla in 2016. Special forces raids and drones also have targeted the country.

The U.S. military's Central Command did not respond to a request for comment. The CIA declined to comment.

___

Associated Press writer Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
SPRINGFIELD  Three Republican state Senators allege Gov. J.B. Pritzker is using a procedural maneuver to allow his Prisoner Review Board appointees to continue serving without undergoing the constitutional required confirmation process.

State Sens. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, Steve McClure, R-Springfield, and Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, on Monday said four unconfirmed Prisoner Review Board members have served for more than two years.

What we have here is an intentional tactic by the governor to skirt the process in an effort to hide these individuals from scrutiny, and the Senate Executive Appointments Committee is covering for him, said Plummer.

How much longer are we going to allow these individuals to serve without ensuring that they go through the appropriate and constitutionally required process? Plummer asked. With just days left of session, the Chair of the Committee must schedule a hearing immediately.

In March and April 2019, Pritzker appointed four people to the Prisoner Review Board. Under the Illinois Constitution, the appointees are to be confirmed by the state Senate within 60 session days of their appointment.

Instead of the Senate Executive Committee taking up the individuals, Pritzker withdrew their nominations and then reappointed them days later  resetting the 60 session-day clock.

This week the Senate Executive Committee is slated to hold its 11th committee hearing since the Prisoner Review Board appointments were made. The Senate Executive Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 25 at 8:30 a.m. None of the Governors Prisoner Review Board appointees are scheduled to testify.

Since their Prisoner Review Board appointments, 98 other state appointees have been nominated and confirmed to various boards and commissions. Another 82 have appeared in front of the committee and are on the Senate Calendar; 44 more are scheduled to appear in committee on Tuesday, May 25.

These appointees are making life-altering, serious, and potentially dangerous decisions and have been for over two years  all while never testifying before the Committee and never being confirmed by the Senate, said McClure. We have an obligation to uphold our constitutional duty. We must take up these individuals before leaving Springfield at the end of the month to prevent them from serving unconfirmed for another one or even two years.

Legislation has been filed to require Prisoner Review Board members are confirmed by the Senate in a timely fashion.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 09:22:56|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- A youth-centered radio station in Botswana has built an outdoor gym for Gaborone West (G-West), one of the oldest communities in the capital.

Kelly Ramputswa, manager of Yarona FM Station, said that community development is important because it provides a foundation for a city to improve the lives of its citizens.

"It creates strong, diverse communities that are able to attract and keep talent, start and grow businesses, and overcome issues that arise. The importance of community service lies in the fact that it connects us to the community by improving it, and making it a better place for all of us to live in," said Ramputswa.

She said communities which participate in sport and recreation develop strong social bonds and people who live in them are generally healthier and happier than places where physical activity isn't a priority.

Gaborone City Mayor Thata Father Maphongo officially opened the gym and encouraged the G-West residents to utilise it. Enditem
With a commitment to the health and safety of all those it serves, MidMichigan Health has announced that it will offer an incentive to its employees, physicians, students, volunteers and contractors who have received the COVID-19 vaccine by June 25.
A Shepherd school board member who stepped down as vice president over remarks he made announcing a football game plans to tell a judge on Fri
In response to the governor's latest reopening plan, Mt. Pleasant Public Schools' administration has lifted its limits on tickets for the Class of 2021's graduation ceremony.

In a letter sent out Friday, Superintendent Jennifer Verleger said that because the ceremony is scheduled for June 6 and because outdoor capacity limits are set to expire June 1 that graduates are no longer limited in the number of people they can bring.

"Graduates are encouraged to invite all immediate and extended family members, along with their friends, to celebrate this momentous occasion!," the letter read.

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The letter goes on to say that graduates will still process around the stadium, and asks people to spread out around the entire stadium, allowing photo opportunities. Guys and Dolls Photography will provide every graduate with a photo.

Gates will open for the ceremony at noon on June 6, and graduates need to report to their spot at 12:30 p.m.

READ MORE:

Showers are likely throughout the week A chance of showers are expected throughout the week.

Mid Michigan hosts multiple Memorial Day events to honor the those fallen in the line of duty With the Memorial Day coming soon on Monday, May 31, Mid Michigan has a plethora of events to honor military personnel who have passed on.

Clare County Sheriff's Department warns of attempted child abduction The Clare County Sheriff's Department reported a complaint of a possible attempted child abduction at the Harrison City Park around 2 p.m. Sun
Five elementary students and three high school students are among two school-related COVID-19 outbreaks reported this week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The five elementary students were reported as part of an outbreak at Mary McGuire, an elementary school that is part of the Mt. Pleasant Public Schools. The district itself reported four students at the school on its latest COVID-19 snapshot, published on May 10. It referred to it as a "possible outbreak."

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The outbreak involving three high school students took place at St. Louis High School, according to state records.

Outbreaks of the disease in K-12 schools were rare during the fall semester. Public health officials credited aggressive implementation of plans by school administrators.

During the most recent outbreak, however, they became more common as the number of cases involving school-aged children increased. They are now among the age groups with the fastest-rising number of cases, even as that outbreak continues to show signs of ending.

While some of that might have been driven by the arrival of the B.1.1.7 variant, believed to have originated in the United Kingdom and which may be more likely to cause disease in children, people in high-risk age groups have are also the highest percentage of people fully vaccinated.

All three vaccines authorized for use are highly effective at preventing death and serious illness, and effective at preventing illness of any kind.

Just 16 new cases were reported across Isabella, Gratiot and Clare counties on Tuesday.

Nine of those cases were in Isabella County, bringing its cumulative total to 5,354, with 89 deaths; four of them were in Gratiot County, bringing its cumulative total to 3,203, with 114 deaths; and three of them were in Clare County, bringing its cumulative total to 2,031, with 79 deaths.

Elsewhere in mid-Michigan, one deaths was reported, with new and cumulative cases and deaths as follows:

In Gladwin County, one death was reported for a total of 54 and an additional four cases were reported for a cumulative total of 1,906;

In Mecosta County, an additional six cases were reported for a cumulative total of 2,991, with 31 deaths;

In Midland County, an additional 10 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 6,778, with 85 deaths; and,

In Montcalm County, an additional 23 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 5,375, with 108 deaths.

Statewide, 66 new deaths were reported for a total of 18,953 and another 739 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 885,319. Of those 66 deaths, 33 were discovered during a review of death certificates.

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VFW seeks help placing memorial flags at Alma cemetery Volunteers are being sought to help place flags on the graves of veterans in Alma on Wednesday in preparation for the Memorial Day holiday.

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+2 CMU prof honored for student success in fashion design Central Michigan University Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty member Michael Mamp has been named a recipient of the Mid-American Confe

Mt. Pleasant lifts crowd limit for high school graduation In response to the governor's latest reopening plan, Mt. Pleasant Public Schools' administration has lifted its limits on tickets for the Clas
Some of the 500 flags placed on the graves of U.S. military veterans at Riverside Cemetery in Alma last year in observance of Memorial Day. (Photo courtesy of Alma VFW Post 1454 via Facebook.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 11:14:08|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that nearly 1,500 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast over the past week.

"In the period of May 16-22, 1,489 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," the UN migration agency said, adding that 9,659 illegal migrants, including 678 women and 424 minors, have been rescued and returned to Libya so far this year.

The agency said that 173 illegal migrants have died and 459 others gone missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route so far this year.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African nation a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal migrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Enditem
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Cloudy with occasional showers for the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Oya gbalu nmadu ama a.k.a. the ailment that gave you advance notice.

Behold the main architect of Fulani expansionism in Nigeria.

He did not come into power to help you, but to finish you off for expansionists to take-over.

Imagine.

He has saddled your country with humongous debts that you cannot pay off in your lifetime.

Yet he is not done. He is still borrowing.

Mark you there will be no more oil windfall.

Where will Nigeria get the money to pay off the debts, he is saddling y'all with?

When you cannot even leave your house for fear of foreign Fulani kidnappers, without oil, how can you generate internal revenue sufficient to pay off your country's debts?

The mighty and influential International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued an advisory, advising all nations to stop investments in fossil fuels immediately to save the planet.

If heeded, there will be no new oil refineries, no new LNG plants, no coal stations.

The rage now is solar, wind and electric vehicles. In the next 5-10 years gasoline cars will start being phased out.

Is your country Nigeria ready?

You will never be, because you will still be debating between ranching and open grazing, that the world left behind a century or more ago.

Not when your leader is investing in a refinery in LA Republique du Niger, building a pipeline and planning to import fuel from there.

He has appointed his own Fulani bredrins and sistrens, qualified or unqualified, to fill all key positions in his Administration.

Your brothers and sisters, sons, and daughters, are not Nigerian enough to him, to merit appointment under his Administration in the name of One Nigeria, but your ancestral lands merit to be shared and given out for free under that same name.

He has diverted resources from your country Nigeria to La Republique du Niger, his ancestral home.

But he now wants foreign Fulani to take possession of your ancestral homelands for free.

Ancestral lands that even you as free born indigenous citizens mustpay for before they are allocated to you, even in your own hometown.

Are you going to yield to him in the name of One Nigeria?

I pity you. I truly do.

Seriously I do because you will soon start weeping.

Remember when you were advised two to three years ago not to re-elect this man?

The headstrong person that yall are, you went ahead and re-elected him.

Name one promise he made to you then and in 2015 that he has kept.

Just name one.

You think he cares a hoot about your welfare?

Someone who would not even pay the memory of his late Chief of Army Staff, and fellow Muslim at that, the respect of his physical presence or that of his deputy, at his untimely burial?

If you like, go and be shouting one Nigeria.

You and your traditional ruler in your hometown will soon startdoing "rankadede," power greeting of abject obeisance, to a Fulani emir right there in your hometown.

Your daughters will soon start wearing hijab before your own eyes.

Your sons will soon start claiming they are Fulani before they can get common clerical positions in your own local government.

You will soon start having Fulani state governors, commissioners, local government chairmen and councilors in your home state.

Sit down there as an elite and be preaching One Nigeria under the prompting of expansionists who only practice it in the breach.

Ask yourself, are the Hausa not one of the three most populousethnic groups in Nigeria besides the Igbo and the Yoruba?

Today there are at least six Yoruba state governors in Nigeria.

Today there are a minimum of five and a maximum of seven Igbo State Governors in Nigeria depending on your mode of counting.

How many ethnic Hausas are State Governors in Nigeria today?

Three? Or two? Or one? Or none?

The Fulani are a minority in Nigeria.

How many Fulani are State Governors in Nigeria today?

Ten? Or twelve? Or fourteen? Or sixteen?

Do the math yourself.

Statistically does that not tell you something?

Does it not tell you that something unusual and abnormal goes on, wherever the expansionist Fulani are able to implant themselves?

Note that not all Fulani are expansionists, but all expansionists in Nigeria are Fulani.

Is your tribe or ethnicity more populous than the Hausa?

Does that not tell you that your tribe may soon end up like the Hausa, always present but never seen if care is not taken?

Okay stay there and be parading yourself about being PDP or APC.

Let me tell you, what is at stake transcends PDP or APC.

Stay there and fold your arms as an elite and do nothing. Be there on WhatsApp or Instagram, debating about Prince Harry, his wife Meghan, and the Queen of England.

But if you know what is good for you, start bombarding your state governors and Houses of Assembly members right now with queries regarding why they have not yet passed the Ban on Open Grazing bill in your State.

Forget about implementation for now, get them to pass the Bill into Law first before you start talking about implementation.

We shall cross that bridge when we get there.

You cannot implement what does not exist.

If you like do nothing today.

Just like you stupidly reelected a man who does not know that a promise is a debt.

A man who serially accumulates debts that he knows will never be paid- off in his own lifetime.

You think he cares, how much debts he accumulates?

In all likelihood, as an elite, you are probably moaning had I known today.

All the flashy cars you accumulated; you cannot drive them down to your own village to show off, for fear of foreign Fulani kidnappers.

You are probably moaning inwardly and getting your Plan B ready.

If you fail to register your implacable opposition to Fulani expansionism today, by demanding a speedy ban of open grazing in your state, so too will your children and your children's children moan, had our father known then, in the nearest future.

But we all know that this is the time to identify Ndi-efulefu (the lost and damned), Ndi-nzuzu (the fools and idiots), and Ndi bu ewu (the stupid goats), from Ndi-nweisi (the smart and intelligent) people.

Ndigbo have a saying "Oya gbalu nmadu ama, adi-e egbue." The ailment that gives someone advance warning and notice, that it is on its way, ought not to kill that person.

Will the expansionist Fulani ailment that has given indigenous Nigerians more than enough warning, still manage to kill them off?

We are watching....

Anthony Chuka Konwea, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, MNSE, FNIStructE, MNICE.
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What national duty was so pressing or urgent that President Buhari and or his vice, Yemi Osibajo, could not be physically present at the funeral of General Ibrahim Attahiru, the Chief of Army Staff and ten other military officers killed in a plane crash in the line of duty? The funeral was at the military cemetery in Abuja, close to Aso Rock, the seat of power. This was the commander of the Nigerian army, duly appointed by Mr. President, who died carrying out his mandate to win victory for Nigeria in her war against terrorism and insecurity. What message was the absence of the Commander-in-chief at the burial of his army commander sending to the troops in the field? Can you imagine Joe Biden or even the unorthodox Donald Trump being absent at the funeral of the US chief of army staff of their government dying in the line at Arlington National Cemetery?

Yes, the President was represented by the Defence Minister. But that was grossly insufficient. And the presidents actions since the funeral seem like an afterthought in my book: cancelling Federal Executive Council and Police Council meetings; giving the military a day off work. These measures are good. The national flag flying at half-mast is what these warriors deserve. But these actions could have still been done with the President attending the funeral.

Actions are symbolic. Moreso, in leadership-related matters. While Buharis presence at the funeral would not have brought the officers back to life or removed the grief of their loved ones, it would have sent a definite message that our President cares; that the sacrifices of our uniformed men and women touches their C-in-C; that he is working assiduously to take care of them as they put their lives on the line for Nigeria.

A short historical perspective my help readers appreciate what is at stake here. During the US civil war from 1861-65, a widow called Lydia Bixby lost five sons who died on the side of the Union forces. The Union forces may be equated with the Nigerian military during Nigerias own civil war while the Confederates approximate the Biafran secessionists.

Note: none of Bixbys boys was an officer. Yet, on learning of this sacrifice, the Union President, Abraham Lincoln, wrote a letter to the woman expressing the national grief and appreciation of her sacrifice. The letter was written on November 21 1864 and delivered to Mrs. Bixby on November 25.

Let Buhari and other Nigerian leaders show that they appreciate so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom by our uniformed men and women. The line in quotes is from the letter.

Henry Chukwuemeka Onyema is a Lagos-based author, teacher and historian. Email: [email protected]
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As part of the activities marking Africa Day, (historically celebrated May 25), the Russian Association for International Cooperation (RAMS), the Russkiy Mir Foundation and the Association for Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS) held a snapshot videoconference under the title, "Russia - Africa in the Mirror of the Media" at the offices of TASS News Agency.

The roundtable discussion was devoted to mapping out strategies on how to inform effectively the African public about Russia and the Russian public about Africa. Nearly all the participants acknowledged the important role media can play in strengthening economic and cultural cooperation between Russia and Africa.

With Russia speedily entering a new phase in consolidating multifaceted relations with Africa, the participants noted that Russian state media needs to make more efforts in getting information to the African public and Russian authorities have support also African media representatives broadly interested in Russian affairs.

For a successful return of Russia to Africa, it is necessary to expand information cooperation in order, among other things, to destroy negative myths on both sides, and prospects of information interaction between the media in the coverage of Russia on the African continent and Africa in Russia. The media can and indeed must be a decisive factor in building effective ties.

Over the years, many experts and academics have said, during different meetings, conferences and forums, that in African countries as a whole, in the local media market, there is an acute shortage of information about Russia. As a result, this task could be facilitated by the creation of the Association of Russian-speaking journalists and bloggers in Africa.

But this media cooperation, in practical terms, has not been prioritized by authorities. European and Western media brands, such as British Broadcasting Corporation, Cable News Network, Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Press, Quartz, Al-Jazeera, Bloomberg, Xinhua News Agency et cetera, are active with their African partners, while the Russian media are largely invisible.

Besides the roundtable fixed in the building of TASS News Agency, other participants spoke about culture and education related topics, on how to tackle existing challenges as well as the continent's media landscape from Morocco, Egypt, Mauritania, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Nigeria via video communication.

Over the years, many experts and researchers have offered their observations and made several recommendations. Russia has all the institutional tools, such as Russia Today, Sputnik, Voice of Russia, Interfax Information Service and TASS News Agency and many others, to create its own positive image in Africa.

In addition, the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds the responsibility for accreditation of foreign media. It has granted accreditation to only two African media from Morocco and Egypt. Within the foreign policy in Africa, without doubt, North Africa is highly considered a strategic region for Russia. In practice, Russia has been critical on western media in Africa, often speak about anti-Russia propaganda and information war.

That however, the prospects for collaboration in the information sphere in Africa, in November 2018, the State Duma, lower house of parliamentarians, called for an increased Russian media presence in sub-Saharan Africa.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of the State Duma, told Ambassadors of African countries in the Russian Federation, "it is necessary to take certain steps together for the Russian media to work on the African continent. You know that the Russian media provide broadcasting in various languages, they work in many countries, although it is certainly impossible to compare this presence with the presence of the media of the United States, United Kingdom and Germany."

In an email conversation a decade ago, Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal 'Russia in Global Affairs ' and Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, wrote "Soft power has never been a strong side of Russian policy in the post-Soviet era. Russian media write very little about Africa, economic and political dynamics in different parts of the continent."

"Russian media write very little about Africa, what is going on there, what are the social and political dynamics in different parts of the continent. Media and NGOs should make big efforts to increase the level of mutual knowledge, which can stimulate interest for each other and lead to increased economic interaction as well,"according to him.

As far back as in 2014, Olga Kulkova, Research Fellow at the Centre for Studies of Russian-African Relations, noted that "in the global struggle for Africa, Russia is sadly far from outpacing its competitors." In terms of stringency of strategic outlook and activity, Russia is seriously lagging behind key global players in Africa.

Kulkova further argued: "Africa needs broader coverage in Russian media. Leading Russian media agencies should release more topical news items and quality analytical articles about the continent, and on-the-spot TV reports in order to adequately collaborate with African partners and attract Russian business to Africa."

Professor Vladimir Shubin, from the Institute for African Studies , explained in an interview with me ten years ago, that political relations between Russia and Africa as well as the economic cooperation would attract more and more academic discussions, and such scholarly contributions, in essence, would help deepen understanding of the problems that impede building solid relationship or partnership with Russia.

In order to maintain this relationship, both Russia and Africa have to pay high attention to and take significant steps in promoting their achievements and highlighting the most development needs in a comprehensive way for mutual benefits using the media, according to the academic professor.

"African leaders do their best in developing bilateral relations," he added. "Truly and passionately, they come to Russia more often than ten years ago, but a lot still has to be done; both Russian and African media in this case have a huge role to play."

While highlighting the key obstacles facing the development of Russia-African ties at a session at Urals-Africa economic forum in Yekaterinburg, the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Mikhail Bogdanov, assertively remarked: "One must admit that the practical span of Russian companies' business operations in Africa falls far below export capabilities, on one hand, and the huge natural resources of the continent, on the other."

According to him, one major obstacle has been insufficient knowledge of the economic potential, on the part of Russian entrepreneurs, needs and opportunities of the African region. "Poor knowledge of the African markets'structure and the characteristics of African customers by the Russian business community remains an undeniable fact. The Africans in their turn are insufficiently informed on the capabilities of potential Russian partners," Bogdanov stressed.

In recent decades, marked by a noticeable re-activation of the whole complex of relations between Russia and Africa, Professor Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, explicitly noted in an exclusive interview with me in May 2016.

The media should more actively inform Russians about the prospects for the development of the African continent, its history and culture. Unfortunately, the Russian man, in the street, does not know much about Africa. There has to be an active work in the information sphere with the African Diaspora in the Russian Federation.

For Africans, so far, Russia is associated with the Soviet Union, although majority of Africans still have very warm feelings towards Russia. But in general, and the Russian Federation in Africa, and Africa in the Russian Federation are very poorly represented in the media, according to Abramova.

"It is a direct challenge  to move from declarations to deeds by bringing together government, diplomatic, scientific, economic and financial resources in order to promote Russian business on the continent. I think and will strongly suggest that Russia should take the lead in preserving the balance of interests on the African continent as it seeks cooperation on the full range of African issues," she added in remarks.

On the other hand, Professor Abramova explained that Africans are poorly informed about the possibilities of Russian partnership. Interest in quality enhancing economic ties, including the line of private enterprises, with a tendency of growth. To do this, first of all, to establish an effective exchange of information in the investment potential of the business, to focus efforts on expanding various partnerships.

A number of Moscow- based African ambassadors and senior diplomats have also acknowledged in separate interviews with me that the weak media connectivity between the two regions is one of the deep cracks or potholes in the post-Soviet diplomacy, most especially now when Russia is making efforts at strengthening its relations with the continent. Admittedly, Russians always refer to Africa as a priority region.

In their objective observations, despite prospects for strengthening relations, even as outlined during the first Russia-Africa summit held in 2019, African media and their representatives are hardly supported, and encouraged to work in the Russian Federation. The second Russia-Africa summit is planned for 2022.

Kester Kenn Klomegah is a versatile researcher and a passionate contributor, most of his well-resourced articles are reprinted elsewhere in a number of reputable foreign media.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 11:17:13|Editor: huaxia

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File photo taken on Aug. 31, 2017 shows tributes in honor of late Princess Diana outside the Kensington Palace on the 20th anniversary of her death in Paris after a car crash, in London, Britain. The BBC Board on May 24, 2021 announced a review of the corporation's editorial and whistle-blowing policies amid mounting pressure following an inquiry into BBC's 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The BBC said it accepted the inquiry report, which said the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over its interview with Princess Diana. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Amid mounting pressure, the BBC announced Monday a review of its editorial practices and governance after an inquiry into its 1995 interview with Britain's Princess Diana unveiled damning failings at its heart.

Reiterating its apology, the BBC Board said it fully accepted the inquiry report, which found the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over its interview with Princess Diana.

Only the apology came a quarter-century too late. The BBC failed not only the British royal family but the public across the globe.

"Trust is the foundation of the BBC. We're independent, impartial and honest." This bold BBC "values" declaration now rings not only hollow but almost hilarious.

According to the inquiry, former BBC reporter Martin Bashir acted in a "deceitful" way and faked documents to secure the interview with Princess Diana, while the BBC's own internal probe in 1996 into what happened was "woefully ineffective."

Indeed, Bashir's conduct, by any ethical standards, was deplorable. Using fake documents for materializing the interview is indefensible. But the BBC's problem turns out much more disgraceful than this.

Michael Grade, who was BBC chairman between 2004 and 2006, said the BBC's "cover-up" had been worse than the behavior of Bashir, who later got lauded and promoted in the BBC.

"It's taken 25 years to get the truth," Grade said. "It raises the question in your mind, how many more cover-ups are there in the files of BBC journalism that we haven't been told about?"

He also accused the BBC of "arrogance" in the cavalier way in which it behaves. "It starts with their default position, whenever challenged, that they are not and cannot ever be wrong."

In a debate Monday afternoon at the House of Commons, lower house of the British Parliament, lawmakers slammed the BBC for its attempts to cover up the scandal as well as for the promotion of Bashir after the interview.

But for many, the BBC's fall from grace did not come as a surprise: the BBC's lack of integrity is not simply confined to its covering of the royal stories.

In its recent fiasco alleging "systematic rape" in China's Xinjiang, the BBC sourced only dubious, one-sided verbal claims, including those from sources who have given contradictory statements, without any credible confirmation or corroborating evidence.

Earlier this year, the "new compelling evidence" uncovered by the BBC alleging "forced labor and assimilation" in Xinjiang has proved to be old clips from China's national broadcaster, which the BBC manipulated to suit its own cause.

In another bid to distort truth about China, the BBC cooked up so-called "human-rights violations" in the Chinese city of Wuhan with a video of an anti-terrorism drill.

"It is no use arguing that Bashir was just one 'rogue' reporter -- the corruption of journalistic ethics (of the BBC) went right up to the top," said The Spectator, a weekly British magazine.

Following the crisis, the BBC's current director general Tim Davie offered "a full and unconditional apology." Former BBC director general Tony Hall, who was director of news at the time of the Diana interview, resigned as the National Gallery's chairman.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed grave concern over the BBC scandal; and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he will "consider whether further governance reforms are needed."

The Metropolitan Police said it will assess the contents of the inquiry to see whether there is "significant new evidence" to support a criminal investigation.

For the BBC, it takes much more than just an apology to restore the fundamental pillars of accountability, public trust and confidence. Enditem
A trial date has been rescheduled for the case against a man accused of killing a Waterford woman and starting a fire in her house in 2019.

Jury selection is expected to begin Aug. 2 for the case against Adonis Drey Wilson, 37, charged with open murder, mutilation of a dead body and arson in the death of Stefanie Steinberg, 54.

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Firefighters discovered Steinbergs body when called to her home on North Lynn Street to extinguish a smoldering fire. She had been stabbed.

Wilson is also charged with second-degree cruelty to animals due to injuries Steinbergs dog suffered in the fire, which melted the plastic crate it had been left in. The dog managed to escape from the crate, but a piece of the plastic melted into its back, requiring veterinary care.

Wilson was identified early on as a person of interest in the case. Less than a week after the slaying, he was jailed in Pennsylvania on a traffic violation, and a few days later the Oakland County Prosecutors Office issued a warrant for his arrest. He was extradited to Michigan that December.

Wilsons trial date has been rescheduled a number of times due to COVID-19 restrictions at the courthouse. The August date is subject to change based on infection rates, but for now the trial is expected to move forward then.

The case is assigned to Judge Jeffery Matis.

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Andaman coast to make UNESCO bid

THAILAND: Preparations are underway to nominate Andaman Marine Protected Areas as a World Heritage Site at a World Heritage Committee session in July, in the hopes of helping stimulate the economy post-COVID-19 while promoting a sense of pride among Thai people.

COVID-19environmentmarinetourismwildlife

By National News Bureau of Thailand

Tuesday 25 May 2021, 03:30PM

Photo: Bangkok Post.

The Thai government is preparing to add Andaman Marine Protected Areas to its tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage at the upcoming 44th session of the World Heritage Committee on 16-31 July.

The decision was reached in a virtual meeting of the national committee on the World Heritage Convention, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, and attended by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Varawut Silpa-archa, and the Minister of Culture Ittipol Khunpluem.

The nomination process involves the inclusion of the Andaman Marine Protected Areas on Thailands tentative list, which will later be presented to the World Heritage Center.

The government anticipates this nomination will help promote a sense of pride in local heritage sites, while promoting the sites as learning and tourism attractions, which help attract more tourists and should stimulate the economy once the COVID-19 situation abates.

This effort to achieve world heritage nomination is also considered to comply with the National Reform Strategy on Natural Resources and the Environment.

Thailand has been elected to membership of UNESCOs World Heritage Committee in the Asia-Pacific Group, valid for the 2019-2023 term.
Hungarian man found dead at Patong condo

PHUKET: Police do not suspect any suspicious circumstances were involved in the death of a 56-year-old Hungarian man whose body was found in a condo south of Patong yesterday (May 24).

deathpatongpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 25 May 2021, 11:59AM

Police and rescue workers at the condo building south of Patong yesterday (May 24). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Police arrived at the scene, The Haven Condominium on Sirirat Rd, at the southern end of Patong, at about 1pm to find the body of the man* collapsed on the floor of the bathroom in the condo.

Officers from the Patong Police reported they had found no signs of assault and no evidence of theft from the room.

Police believe the man died three to four days before his body was found.

The officers checked the buildings security CCTV and confirmed that the man had not left his room for four days before his body was discovered.

The man also had no visitors during that time, police confirmed.

Staff had not entered the room before police arrived, officers reported. They had noticed a foul odour emanating from the room and notified the Patong Police.

The police report did not note whether any further examination of the mans body was to be conducted, though that is standard practice in order for doctors to issue a death certificate so that the body can be released to relatives.

* The Phuket News is withholding the mans name until it has been confirmed that his relatives have been notified of his death.
Second AstraZeneca dose after 16 weeks

THAILAND: The government has decided that the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines will now be administered 16 weeks after the first dose, as opposed to 10 weeks, insisting the delay wont have any negative effect on the immune response against COVID-19.

CoronavirusCOVID-19Vaccine

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 25 May 2021, 08:57AM

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gets his second shot of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine yesterday (May 24) at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute in Nonthaburi province. He received his first jab on March 16. Photo: Government House.

The move came following reports that several hospitals have suspended inoculations with the AstraZeneca vaccine amid a shortage in Thailand.

Permanent secretary for public health, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, said the Public Health Ministry has readjusted its vaccine distribution guideline to accommodate the changing outbreak situation in the country, saying the focus now is giving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines to as many people as possible.

As a result, those who are scheduled to receive their first vaccine in June will receive their second shot around October, said Dr Kiattiphum, before adding that the government has ordered 3 million vaccines from Sinovac, which will start to arrive next month.

Dr Kiattiphum made the remarks after a number of hospitals announced that they wont be able to administer the second shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine to those who have received their first shot in time.

Chulabhorn Hospital, for example, announced it will be postponing inoculations with the AstraZeneca jabs until it receives more doses, as it only has the Sinovac jabs left in stock.

Similarly, Vachira Hospital also said it will be suspending vaccinations with the AstraZeneca jabs indefinitely, until more supplies arrive.

The announcements stirred speculations that the government is running out of vaccines to meet domestic demand.

A spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, Rungrueng Kitphati, yesterday admitted that some areas have run out of the AstraZeneca jabs, while others are quickly running out, as the demand for the vaccine was very high.

The ministry will supply vaccines to areas which have reported shortages as best as it could, he said.

Despite the snag, the spokesman urged the public to have confidence in the national vaccine rollout, saying one dose of COVID-19 vaccine alone is enough to provide protection against new infections, severe symptoms and death.

The second dose, he added, is just a booster intended to prolong the bodys immune response against the disease.

Dr Rungrueng said those who have received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are not advised to receive the Sinovac vaccine for their second shot, since they were of a different type.

The public is advised to complete their vaccination rounds with the same vaccine before seeking a vaccine from another manufacturer, he said.

Despite the decision to delay the administration of the second dose for the public, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday received his second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, 10 weeks after his first shot on March 16.

The premier said the nations vaccine distribution plan might be adjusted according to the pandemic situation in each area and called on people to rely on vaccine information from the Public Health Ministry to prevent confusion.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he is confident that AstraZeneca will deliver its vaccine on schedule in June and confirmed that there would be enough vaccines to inoculate the public against COVID-19 from June 7, when the national rollout is expected to get into full swing.

If the shots made in Thailand are not ready, the company is bound to find them from somewhere else to fill our order as stipulated in the contract, he said.

The government has not revealed the content of the contract despite numerous calls from opposition parties.

Mr Anutin said the company was well aware of Thailands vaccination schedule, implying it would be prepared to fill the order regardless of whether the local production facility is ready.

Director-general of the Disease Control Department, Opas Kankawinpong, said the CCSA will meet to adjust the countrys COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan based on the amount of vaccines available, current population numbers and the local outbreak situation.

So far, Thailand has received 117,600 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which arrived on Feb 24. Six million locally manufactured AstraZeneca does will be delivered to the government in June.

Between June-December, the government is expected to receive 61 million locally produced AstraZeneca doses.
WHO nod for Sinovac vaccine expected this week

WORLD: The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to approve Chinas Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine later this week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday (May 24), as he assured that everyone in the country will be inoculated against the disease sooner or later.

ChineseCoronavirusCOVID-19Vaccine

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 25 May 2021, 12:17PM

Photo: Bangkok Post.

The prime minister made the remarks after receiving his second shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine along with several cabinet ministers at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute yesterday.

Gen Prayut, who received his first dose on March 16, was found to have slightly elevated blood pressure prior to the injection.

According to the premier, the WHO is set to announce its approval of the Sinovac jabs on Friday, though he did not elaborate further when asked about the decision.

While Sinovacs vaccine has yet to get the go-ahead for use by the WHO, it has been approved and used in 45 countries across the globe, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously said.

The vaccine passes the WHOs efficacy threshold as it was found to have a 50% efficacy rate against infections, the FDA said, adding the vaccine has been proven to be able to prevent fatalities by 100%, and hospitalisation from severe symptoms by 77.9%.

Gen Prayut urged the public to have confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in Thailand, namely AstraZeneca and Sinovac, saying the Public Health Ministry has already certified both of them in terms of safety and efficacy.

Some side effects have been reported in the country but no one has died from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine here, he said.

To ensure everyone in Thailand will receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Gen Prayut said the government will review and adjust its vaccine distribution plans to reflect the constantly changing outbreak situation.

He admitted there are still some problems in the governments vaccination programme, which may result in a number of appointments being rescheduled, but he insisted that everyone will get the vaccine sooner or later.

While waiting for more vaccines to come, he said, people living in areas with no COVID-19 cases must continue to wear face masks, frequently wash their hands and practise social distancing as ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When asked about the discovery of coronavirus strains first detected in India and South Africa, Gen Prayut said the countrys healthcare system is still capable of dealing with patients infected with the new variants.
RIDGEFIELD  There was perhaps no better venue to recognize Ridgefields achievement as the first town in the state with a designated cultural district than outside The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

Last Friday, as he addressed the small crowd of dignitaries there, First Selectman Rudy Marconi made mention of the museums founder, Larry Aldrich, who opened the institution in 1964, making it one of the oldest contemporary art museums in the country.

Marconi explained that it was the foresight of Aldrich and other thinkers over the years that created and sustained Ridgefields thriving arts community so that residents and visitors alike could enjoy its eventual cultural district.

This has been a multitude of years in the making, and we're reaching the goal line, Marconi said. We are here, fortunately, in our time to carry that ball across the goal line, and it is a tremendous honor.

Gov. Ned Lamont visited Ridgefield on May 21 to recognize its approval for a cultural district, which the Connecticut Office of the Arts defines as a walkable area of a city or town that features numerous cultural facilities, activities and/or assets.

The program originated in Ridgefield with former state Rep. John Frey, who proposed the initial law to allow designation of cultural districts in October 2019. Shortly after, an advisory council comprised of a diverse mix of businesses and organizations organized to oversee Ridgefields application.

A handful of council members spoke at Fridays news conference lauding the designation while citing Ridgefields rich history. They also noted the positive impacts the designation would have on the town.

Allison Stockel, executive director of The Ridgefield Playhouse, said the achievement rests with past and present residents. She pointed to the founders of The Ridgefield Theater Barn, which dates back to 1965, and to the group of prominent townspeople that came together in 1994 to create the Playhouse  the same building that famed conductor Arturo Toscanini performed in back in the 40s.

It is the townspeople of Ridgefield and their love for the arts who organically created this incredible village of arts and culture, she said. The arts  add to the character of our community, not to mention the importance and vitality of the economics of our town.

Hilde Grob, executive director of the Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, acknowledged the significance of having not one but three museums contained in Ridgefields newly-designated cultural district. She spoke of the advances the center was able to make despite the pandemic and how the designation would further enrich its mission.

We have re-dedicated ourselves to speaking truth to history by giving voice to the people whose stories have, thus far, not been told. This includes our sites Black history and indigenous people who lived at this land long before the European settlers arrived here, she said. We will continue to be an important cultural and economic driver for Connecticut's prosperity, (and) I hope we will soon see many other cultural districts across the state that speak to (its) rich heritage.

Christine Carnicelli is the co-owner of The West Lane Inn, an 1849 historic home situated on the southwest side of the cultural district. It has operated as an inn for more than 30 years.

The Inn was vacant for the first three months of the pandemic, Carnicelli said, but bookings surged as surrounding cultural venues, such as the Aldrich and the Playhouse, welcomed visitors back.

Guests love to understand the history that's in this town, she added. They visit our libraries and our museums and enjoy many, many activities this town has to offer. We feel that the cultural (district) designation will greatly increase traffic to our town ... and everyone here will hopefully see the benefits to that.

Ridgefields cultural district comprises downtown Main Street and surrounding areas. It stretches from Keeler in the south through Ballard Park and the Ridgefield Library in the north, and a half mile east to the Ridgefield Theater Barn and Guild of Artists.

For a virtual tour of the district, visit https://vimeo.com/509357299.

alyssa.seidman@hearstmediact.com
SEATTLE (AP)  Despite recent guidance from federal and state officials, the top health official in Washington's most populous county urged people Thursday to keep wearing face masks in public, indoor settings.

King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin issued a directive strongly recommending that residents age 5 and up wear face coverings whether or not they are vaccinated until 70% or more of the county's residents 16 and older are fully inoculated. The agency projects the county will reach the threshold in late June.

About 57% of those residents in King County  home to Seattle  were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to the directive. The county is home to about 2.26 million people.

The directive applies to public indoor spaces including grocery and retail stores, government buildings and anywhere else members of the public can enter freely  unless a state-approved method of checking vaccination status is implemented. It does not apply to outdoor places.

Last week, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings and give up social distancing.

Gov. Jay Inslee later said Washington state would immediately adopt the new guidance from the CDC. Inslee also said businesses would retain the right to require customers to wear masks, and that, as the CDC said, masks would still be required in hospitals, schools, airplanes, prisons and on public transportation.

Duchin said Thursday he thinks there was uncharacteristically poor planning by the CDC regarding their rollout in communication of that guidance, which took him and many others by surprise.

It has led to unnecessary and avoidable confusion and frustration, he said.

With some people wondering why they should wear a mask inside if they're vaccinated, Duchin said it's because there's no easy way to know who is vaccinated and it's impractical for businesses to determine that.

If unvaccinated people do not wear masks, the risk for COVID-19 spread increases," he said. "From a practical and community health perspective, the most reliable way to ensure everyone is safe is for everyone to wear a face mask in indoor public spaces for a few more weeks, until we get vaccination rates higher and disease rates lower.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates in the county have been decreasing but are still at elevated levels that show the county is just turning the corner on a fourth wave of infection, officials said.

Duchin also said the county's relatively high rate of vaccination is not seen equally throughout the county's population, because the majority of vaccinated people are older adults. Vaccination rates for people of color and in certain geographic locations are lower, as well, and Duchin said without a mask mandate the virus will continue to spread in those communities.

King County, like all counties in the state, is in a reopening phase that allows businesses such as restaurants, bars and gyms to operate at 50% indoor capacity. Last week the governor said businesses can open fully once 70% or more of residents age 16 and up statewide have received at least one vaccine dose.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the city has had low virus death rates, cases and hospitalizations because it has relied on local public health experts and scientists.

"We know masking in indoor public spaces will continue to allow our community to have the highest level of protection, she said.

There have been nearly 392,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases plus another nearly 33,000 probable cases in Washington state and 5,673 deaths since the pandemic began.
Salem, MO (65560)

Today

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 87F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 11:45:08|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed deep concern over Sunday's apparent forced landing of a passenger aircraft over Belarus and the subsequent detention of a Belarusian journalist on board.

The UN chief called for "a full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident" and urged all parties concerned to cooperate with the inquiry, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement.

The flight, run by Irish airline Ryanair, was heading from Athens to Vilnius before it received notice from Belarusian authorities of "a potential security threat on board" and was "instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk," Ryanair said in a Sunday statement.

Belarusian Transport Ministry Aviation Department Director Artem Sikorsky told reporters on Monday that the country had received a bomb threat. Enditem
It has been a year and three months since I have been able to see a film critic screening in St. Louis. I have been forced to review movies on HBO, Starz, Amazon Prime and Netflix. I am going to my first theatrical screening this week at Ronnies.

I am so excited. From now on, most of the movies I review will be shown in theaters.

My Spy is an Amazon Original movie that was released last summer but it just came to my attention when my sister saw it and said it was cute and funny. She was right. My Spy is a delight.

When a hardened CIA operative, JJ, fails his mission, he is given a new partner, Bobbi, that he doesnt want. Bobbi is a computer genius, but she has not been trained as a spy which is her fervent desire. To further punish JJ, the head of the CIA, David Kim, (Ken Jeong), sends the pair to Chicago to spy on the family of a suspected international criminal. The 9- year-old daughter, Sophie, immediately discovers the agents. JJ finds himself at the mercy of the precocious child breaking all the CIA regulations.

Ex-wrestler Dave Bautista plays JJ. He is the homeliest leading man I have ever seen but he does a great job as a fish out of water kind of guy escorting a little girl around Chicago. Chloe Coleman who plays Sophie is darling and steals the show. Chloe was 11 when the movie was filmed but she already has more film credits than most actresses twice her age. I see a bright and shining career for this young actress.

I loved the character Bobbi played by Kristen Schaal. Bobbi so wants to be like JJ and is jealous, angry but heartbroken as he teaches Sophie how to be a spy and leaves Bobbi the boring job of watching an empty apartment all day. No comedy would be complete without a love interest. Parisa Fitz-Henley plays Sophies mother, Kate, and JJs eventual love interest.

The script opens with violence to give it the PG-13 rating but can be enjoyed by the entire family. The clever script was written by Jon and Eric Hoeber. My Spy was directed by Peter Segal.

I enjoyed this film. It is a sweet film that is very light-hearted and will make you smile. Its a great film when you want to watch something fun. My Spy is rated PG-13. I give it 4 stars.

Movie critic Mary Cox lives in Wood River and studied film at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has worked in L.A. with various directors and industry professionals. Contact Mary at mary.cox@edwpub.net.
WOOD RIVER  For the second straight day, the Madison County Health Department has reported fewer than 10 new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases.

The MCHD reported only nine new cases on Monday, one day after reporting only eight. The figures are the lowest numbers of cases reported for any one day since four cases were reported on June 22.

The MCHD reported 333 tests on Monday and just seven COVID-19 patients in Madison County hospitals, one on a ventilator.

On Tuesday the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 197,387 COVID-19 vaccinations so far in the county. IDPH officials said 96,644 county residents  or 36.54% of the countys population  are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

The MCHD no longer releases daily COVID-19 vaccination numbers. The Telegraph will continue to report Madison County vaccination data as released by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Several COVID-19 vaccination clinics are planned by the MCHD through June 9. 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.

The MCHD will accept walk-ins at the vaccination clinics, but appointments are requested. Vaccinations are available for people 12 and older.

As of midnight Monday 10,990,171 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 79,485 doses.

More Information Vaccinations Total: 197,387 Fully: 96,321 (36.42%) Source: IDPH COVID-19 cases by county Madison - 30,242 (499 deaths) Jersey - 2,645 (50 deaths) Calhoun - 524 (5 deaths) Greene - 1,386 (48 deaths) Macoupin - 4,922 (113 deaths) Montgomery - 3,763 (73 deaths) St. Clair - 28,038 (517 deaths) Clinton - 5,774 (90 deaths) Bond - 2,077 (24 deaths) Monroe - 4,363 (94 deaths) Randolph - 4,141 (84 deaths) Washington - 1,648 (25 deaths) Source: IDPH & MCHD See More Collapse

On Tuesday the IDPH reported 35.66% of the residents in Jersey County were fully vaccinated according to the IDPH. Other fully vaccinated rates were 30.07% in Calhoun County, 34.42% in Macoupin County and 26.20% in Greene County.

No COVID-19 related deaths were reported Monday by the MCHD, leaving the county total at 499. On Tuesday, the IDPH reported no additional COVID-19 related deaths in Madison County.

To date, Madison County has recorded 30,242 cases and 326,433 tests.

The IDPH on Monday reported 808 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 17 additional COVID-19 related deaths statewide. To date, the IDPH has reported 1,377,249 cases, including 22,650 deaths.

Statewide there were 1,419 COVID-19 patients in hospitals on Monday night, including 350 in intensive care units and 180 on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 18-24 was 2.1%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity for the same period was 2.7%.

The MCHD on Monday reported a three-day positivity rate of 2.81%, a seven-day rate of 2.58% and a 10-day rate of 2.72%.

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  The leader of a predator hunter group targeting alleged sexual predators is himself facing several felony and misdemeanor charges relating to a Jan. 12 incident.

Kyle P. Swanson, 30, of Wood River, has been indicted on charges of unlawful restraint and obstructing justice, both Class 4 felonies, and assault, a Class C misdemeanor.

Swanson was indicted May 6, but the indictments were suppressed until May 20.

The charges are ridiculous and my lawyer and I are not worried about the outcome because we know they have no lead to go on, he said.

Swanson is the public face of KTS Predator Hunters LLC, a group known for independent sting operations where they often confront and record people they accuse of attempting to meet up with under-aged victims.

While the groups efforts have resulted in charges in other counties, Madison County officials have been at odds with the group over its methods. At least one lawsuit had been filed against them after the subject of one of their operations lost his job.

The grand jurys decision here reflects the fundamental idea that when members of a community decide to take justice into their own hands, even for laudable purposes, they can place themselves and others in danger and damage potential cases, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said in a prepared statement. We have tremendous law enforcement agencies in Madison County, and the public needs to let them do their job.

The case was presented by the Illinois State Police after an investigation.

According to court documents, on Jan. 12 Swanson detained and threatened a man he enticed into his vehicle, and then tried to destroy evidence in the form of cell phone videos. Swanson posted a $40,000 bond; a preliminary hearing is set for 10 a.m. June 11 before Associate Judge Ron Slemer.

Swanson has organized a GoFundMe page to raise $80,000 for his legal defense. The page calls the charges ridiculous and said they were hoping for enough money to hire a top-tier lawyer to defend him.

As of early Monday evening it had raised $1,496 from 41 separate donors.

Some local law enforcement officials were critical of the group last year in part because of the risk of violent confrontation, and also because of procedural issues.

In July the KTS and the Madison County Sheriffs Department became involved in a dispute over an incident in a Walgreens parking lot. Both Alton and Madison County law enforcement officials said they received either no or haphazard information prior to the actual incident.

During the dispute, the sheriffs department made several postings in response to the incident on its Facebook page, but eventually took them down because of the confrontational nature of the groups responses, according to department officials.

At one point Swanson also posted on the groups public Facebook page that he plans to run as a write-in for Madison County Sheriff in 2022 just to show Im not  around.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 13:32:03|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed deep concern over Sunday's apparent forced landing of a passenger aircraft over Belarus and the subsequent detention of a Belarusian journalist on board.

The UN chief called for "a full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident" and urged all parties concerned to cooperate with the inquiry, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement. (UN-Belarus-Forced Landing)

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BAMAKO -- The Local Transition Monitoring Committee in Mali demanded on Monday "the immediate and unconditional release" of Mali's transitional President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

N'Daw and Ouane were taken by force to the Kati military camp following the transitional president's announcement of his appointment of members of the government on the proposal of the prime minister. (Mali-Release-President)

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GAZA -- The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip that ended on Friday has reached 253, medics said on Monday.

In an update on the death toll, the health ministry in Gaza said that 253 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children, 39 women and 17 elderly people, and 1948 were injured, including 20 in critical conditions. (Israel-Gaza-Death)

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CANBERRA -- Australia is to close its embassy in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, where the Australian troops are scheduled to withdraw later this year.

According to a joint media statement on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that the embassy building will be closed on May 28. (Australia-Embassy Closure-Afghanistan) Enditem
Illinois Supreme Court Justice David K. Overstreet will be installed as 2nd Vice President of the Illinois Judges Association during the annual meeting on June 4.

The Illinois Judges Association, which represents 1,250 active and retired Illinois state court judges, was founded in 1972 to provide services, support, and education to its member judges and raise public understanding of the Illinois judicial system.
ST. LOUIS  New barge designs are moving more cargo with less space.

FreightWeekSTL returned for the fourth consecutive year, with a virtual panel discussion on Monday 24 highlighting the global connectivity of the St. Louis regions rail and inland waterway system and continuing infrastructure investment.

A highlight of the opening day session was an update on the latest container-on-barge (COB) advancements, and how the innovation has resulted in the debut of a new barge specifically designed to transport containerized cargo with efficiencies not yet seen on the inland waterways.

We were excited to try to design and promote something new on the river, Arcosa Marine Products Executive Vice President Neal Langdon said. Our new, specially-designed barge can carry 40 more 40-foot containers in that same space. That makes it a lot more efficient to move more containers in the same space in barge tows.

He said the development was triggered by increased investments in inland waterway operations and container ports.

Langdon said they looked at the normal river tows typically made up of 200-foot-long and 35-foot-wide hopper barges. They then designed a barge that is 200-foot long by 70-foot wide, so it would take the same amount of space as two barges in a tow of 15 to 30 or even 40 barges. The unique design allows them to get more containers in that same space with the single 200-by-70-foot barge than could be accommodated on two 200-by-35-foot barges.

The new barge design could be especially important for the St. Louis region, which is already ranked as the most efficient inland port system in the nation because of its geographic advantage on the Mississippi River and the cost effectiveness of the rail barge connectivity along the river.

Barge to rail modal flexibility is significant in a number of ways for the St. Louis regions manufacturing and logistics industries, said Ron Tindall, president of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis.

First and foremost, it provides shippers with options in order to find the most efficient and cost-effective means of getting their products to their eventual destination, he said. aving both a land and water transportation option gives shippers the flexibility to make those decisions that are best for them and makes St. Louis an attractive place to do business.

The container-on-barge (COB) service that launched at Americas Central Port in 2020 is providing more flexibility for shippers looking to route freight through the St. Louis region. The COB service currently is bi-weekly and mostly returning empty containers to the gulf, but the goal is to ultimately be shipping the containers full with any variety of products that are suited to container shipping.

Americas Central Port Executive Director Dennis Wilmsmeyer expressed interest in exploring the additional advantages that could result from Arcosas new barge being integrated with the COB service SCF Marine is operating at ACP.

Tindall said the region is known as the Ag Coast of America, based on a section of its port system having the highest capacity along the inland waterways system in the nation to transport agricultural and fertilizer products. He sees the agricultural industry as a growth opportunity for the St. Louis rail and barge industries. Much of the agricultural business is driven by price in certain places around the globe, he said, giving the region a competitive advantage.

He added that advantage exists because of continued infrastructure investment in the region, something that is extremely important to ensure the freight network can accommodate future anticipated growth.

Tindall, however, warned the region cant wait until its infrastructure fails. He cited the Merchants Bridge as an example. Even though the original structure still has a couple of decades of useful life remaining, TRRA is replacing it now to avoid significant outages later.

Keeping infrastructure in a state of good repair  as we say in the rail industry  is tantamount to an increase in capacity, he said. By reducing the outage time required to maintain aging infrastructure, you can eliminate up to 15 hours a week where rail traffic is at a standstill and instead allow traffic to keep moving. If you look at the course of the year, thats a tremendous capacity improvement.

Wilmsmeyer provided an overview of other infrastructure improvements begun at three ports in the region, which jointly received a U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant in 2020.

The St. Louis region received $25 million dollars for upgrades and making improvements to the river harbor and terminal facilities, in order to increase efficiency, said Wilmsmeyer. Most of that is going to be rail track investment, putting more rail track on the ground, allowing more opportunities to bring in unit trains and to unload those on a quicker basis. He added future additions such as new cranes and a tilter for loading product are also planned.

What really played well here was two sides of the river, two states and three separate counties, and three port districts coming together to make this grant application work, Wilmsmeyer said. Thats vital to the Maritime Administration. Theyre looking for a lot of collaboration.

The panelists agreed the continued focus on increasing efficiency and capacity in the St. Louis region is creating an environment that is attractive to freight forwarders, site selectors and the manufacturing and logistics industry, all of whom want to reduce shipping time and shipping costs. It is particularly appealing to the agriculture industry, which Tindall said is generally not as time sensitive as some other products might be.

They want to make sure theyre putting a company in a location where theres certainty. And the great thing about St. Louis is we have four navigable rivers, six class I rail roads and the incredible interstate highway system; all in the heart of the country, said Wilmsmeyer. And thats a big piece of what people are looking for, especially manufacturers, to get raw materials in and finished product out. Its that certainty.

Langdon said his company is looking at how to be more innovative on the river from the barge and tugboat standpoint. Arcosa is investing in technology to further streamline operations and facilitate communications with rail providers and ports so they know what is coming up and down the river and when it is going to get to the ports, so the ports can be more active and more efficient, helping everything flow smoother, he said.

The St. Louis region has the geographic advantages of being located in the center of the U.S.  the most strategic location on the Mississippi River and at the crossroads of the Class I railroads, said Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multi Modal Enterprises at Bi-State Development. But that doesnt always guarantee a supply chain or logistics network will continue to be successful.

The secret to success is what we heard today, she said. Someone needs to invest in the infrastructure like the Merchants Bridge or the improvements that include the Build Grant for three ports in two states. Someone needs to take risks. Someone needs to try new routes and try new ways of transporting freight, and a barge designed to specifically carry containerized cargo does just that.

FreightWeekSTL 2021 continues virtually through May 28 featuring industry experts and leaders in freight, logistics and transportation. The week-long event is being delivered by St. Louis Regional Freightway, The Waterways Journal and Bi-State Development. For more details visit www.freightweekstl.com.
Scranton School District buildings need $304.8 million in repairs, according to a draft of the facilities report presented to school directors Monday night.

The necessary improvements in the report, which include new roofs, upgraded heating systems and making buildings accessible for students or staff, are part of the larger discussion of how to consolidate schools and best use and update remaining facilities.

It is extremely important that our facilities are healthy and safe for our students, Chief Recovery Officer Candis Finan, Ed.D., said. Its really important our facilities support our educational needs and our educational programs.

The comprehensive report by DHuy Engineering of Bethlehem also gives the district an option to complete the most necessary capital improvements, make schools compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensure occupant comfort  such as heating, cooling and ventilation. That option would cost $209.7 million and could take 10 years or more to complete, depending on how quickly the board wishes to progress.

While the 16 schools in the district are well-cleaned with floors that often sparkle, many of the larger problems went neglected for years, partially due to a lack of funds, officials said.

For the $209.7 million option, schools in need of the greatest renovation include:

West Scranton High School, $56.9 million

Northeast Intermediate, $30 million

South Scranton Intermediate, $28.3 million

West Scranton Intermediate, $20.5 million

Neil Armstrong Elementary, $9.7 million

Frances Willard Elementary, $9.3 million

McNichols Plaza Elementary, $8.1 million

Robert Morris Elementary, $8.1 million

In the coming weeks, the school board plans to discuss how to prioritize the repairs needed in the nearly 2 million square feet of school buildings and will host virtual meetings targeting different sections of the city to gather community input. The board, which plans to vote June 7 on whether to permanently close George Bancroft Elementary School, will also consider how the report affects efforts to consolidate and reconfigure schools. The report identifies at least $6.6 million in work needed at Bancroft.

Some of the work outlined in the plan is already underway. The study serves as a guide for the comprehensive capital improvement plan, for which the district has already borrowed $30 million.

This is a plan we can use going forward with great confidence, said Director Ro Hume, chairwoman of the operations committee. It is soundly based on data, and to me, that is very comforting.

The district plans to have a full proposal to the board in August.

Director Sean McAndrew questioned how much of the necessary repairs are related to items under investigation by the state, including the broken ventilation units at Bancroft. District leaders have not provided details of the inquiry in the ongoing, wide-ranging corruption probe, but Superintendent Melissa McTiernan said she would try to provide the board with information on the items in question.

Contract costs

In advance of a planned vote next week by teachers on the best and final contract offer by the school district, state-appointed financial consulting firm PFM gave projections on offers from both the union and district.

With teachers soon completing their fourth year under an expired contract, the recovery plan calls for any raises to be funded from savings within the contract.

A proposal by the union, which includes retroactive salary and yearly step movement, would cost about $24 million over three years, according to PFM. The cost would be equivalent to an annual tax increase of 24 mills  or $240 for every $10,000 in assessed value, officials said.

The districts offer, which includes two or three years of step movement and retroactivity for this school year only for teachers hired before the 2017-18 school year, is fully funded through cost-savings from the contract.

The largest savings comes from a change to health insurance and the way claims are processed, explained Sara Picard, president of Millennium Healthcare Group, the districts health care consultant.

Employees will no longer have a network, and instead, medical providers would submit a claim to Performance Health. The claim would then be audited by ELAP, which uses reference-based pricing to control costs. If patients receive a bill with a balance, they submit the bill back to the company for resolution. The district, which is self-funded, assumes any liability for a balance, Picard said.

Union leaders have expressed many concerns about the change, including whether some providers would accept the plan or how an outstanding bill could impact credit ratings.

Picard assured directors that employees would keep the same level of benefits and not be liable for any payment disputes.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Moses Taylor Hospital filed against an insurance company that refused to settle a lawsuit because the claim for damages was too speculative.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson said the hospital did not present sufficient facts to support its claim that the insurance companys conduct financially harmed it. She granted the hospital permission to file an amended complaint to correct the deficiency.

The hospital filed suit in 2019 against Coverys Insurance in connection with a lawsuit that David and Michelle Kellock filed against Moses Taylor, Wilkes-Barre obstetrician Dr. John Frye, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and related entities. Initially filed in Lackawanna County Court, the lawsuit was later transferred to federal court.

That suit alleged Frye failed to properly interpret fetal heart tracings, causing their daughter, Sophia, to suffer catastrophic brain damage in the womb. Moses Taylor was faulted for care it provided after the infant was transferred there. Frye and General Hospital settled claims against them for $11.5 million, according to court records.

The suit against Coverys alleges it refused a $6 million settlement offer against the hospital. The case went to an arbitrator, which resulted in a $7.75 million judgment. Coverys paid $6.75 million of the total. The balance was paid by other insurance.

Although Coverys paid most of the judgment, the hospital alleged it was harmed because the amount counts against its policy limits. After the Kellock payment, it had just $500,000 to cover future medical malpractice claims.

That limits its ability to negotiate settlements in other lawsuits. Had Coverys accepted the settlement offer, it would have $2.25 million left on the policy limit, the suit says.

In dismissing the suit, Wilson noted Pennsylvania law requires plaintiffs in civil cases calculate the financial harm suffered to a reasonable degree of certainty. Wilson said Moses Taylors claim that it could potentially suffer future damages did not meet that standard.

The complaint only alleges that the remaining coverage may affect additional existing and/or future cases,  Wilson said. The court has no information regarding the nature of any existing or future suit, whether the suit(s) will settle, let alone whether any judgment amount would exceed the remaining policy limits.

In a response to the ruling, the hospitals attorney, Michael Perry, recently filed an amended complaint that identifies at least one pending lawsuit that could be affected. Attorneys in that case, which involves allegations a physicians negligence left a young boy sterile, are seeking $17.5 million in damages, Perry said.

Attorneys for Coverys will have a chance to reply to the new complaint and/or seek another order dismissing it.
Super students

Local Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students were among more than 100 nursing students who received their pins on May 1 during an in-person nursing pinning ceremony in Haas Center for the Arts on campus.

The students include Guilianna Alberti of Mountain Top; Bryan Cumbo of West Wyoming; Anjli Dalsania of Clarks Summit; Victoria Juhasz of Lake Ariel; Rachel Langan of Dallas; Brenda Noonan of Drums; Erin Sloane of Hawley; Lauren Thoryk of Kingston; and Daniel Zink of Lackawaxen.

The first nursing pin or badge in the United States was presented to the class of 1880, according to the university. It symbolizes vigilance, mercy and relief of suffering. ...

... Local psychology students were among nine of their peers from East Stroudsburg University recently accepted into Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology.

The students include Alissa Tressler of Lake Ariel, a sophomore psychology major, and Demarese Demi Burley of Scranton, a senior psychology major.

Psi Chi is the largest student psychological organization in the world. The ESU chapter was founded in 1980. ...

... Local University of Scranton students were among 20 of their peers inducted into Mu Kappa Tau, the national honor society for marketing.

Students inducted include Nicholas DeAntonio of Lake Ariel, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree in marketing and finance; Samantha Gurn of Brackney, a junior pursuing a marketing degree; and Audrey Zielinksi of Honesdale, a junior pursuing a marketing degree.

The national honor society was founded in 1966 to recognize scholarship and high academic accomplishment among marketing students, according to the university, whose chapter was established in 2016. ...

... Telena Jones of Scranton was inducted into Cedar Crest Colleges Theta Chi chapter of Phi Epsilon Kappa.

Phi Epsilon Kappa is a national professional fraternity and was founded in 1913. Cedar Crest inductees are pursuing exercise science as a major or minor, are members of the exercise science club and have earned a GPA of 3.25 or higher, according to the college in Allentown. ...

... Julianna Penetar of Scranton was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society.

Penetar was initiated at the University of Delaware and is among about 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into the society each year. ...

... Lebanon Valley College student Paige Vennie of Hawley was recently inducted into Delta Mu Delta, the business and economics department honor society.

Vennie, a graduate of Wallenpaupack Area High School, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and sociology.

Membership in the society is open to those with junior or senior status, a department GPA of 3.4 or higher and a college GPA of 3.25 or higher, among other qualities. ...

... Western Governors University Teachers College student Kristin Agostini of Scranton earned an Award of Excellence.

The award is given to students who perform at a superior level in their coursework.
Pennsylvania could really use some work on its cleanliness and hygiene, at least according to one study.

That study, conducted by Zippia, claims that the Keystone State is one of the grossest states in the nation. Not exactly a list you want to rank toward the top of.

Pennsylvania was found to be the fourth-grossest state, behind only Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina in the ranking. The not-so-scientific study did use a number of factors to determine its list, including air quality, the spread of illness and the percentage of each state that is landfill.

The study even took into account some Google search history, seeing which states had the most interest in some gross subjects like mayo recipes and Croc wearing.

What is the least gross state in the country? That honor went to Alaska.

Here are the top 10 grossest states, according to the study:

Virginia South Carolina North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas New Jersey Connecticut Georgia Delaware New York

2021 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A team of scientists announced Monday that they had partially restored the sight of a blind man by building light-catching proteins in one of his eyes. Their report, which appeared in the journal Nature Medicine, is the first published study to describe the successful use of this treatment.Seeing for the first time that it did work  even if only in one patient and in one eye  is exciting, said Ehud Isacoff, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study.

The procedure is a far cry from full vision. The volunteer, a 58-year-old man who lives in France, had to wear special goggles that gave him the ghostly perception of objects in a narrow field of view. But the authors of the report say that the trial  the result of 13 years of work  is a proof of concept for more effective treatments to come.

Its obviously not the end of the road, but its a major milestone, said Jose-Alain Sahel, an ophthalmologist who splits his time between the University of Pittsburgh and the Sorbonne in Paris.

Sahel and other scientists have tried for decades to find a cure for inherited forms of blindness. These genetic disorders rob the eyes of essential proteins required for vision.

When light enters the eye, it is captured by photoreceptor cells. The photoreceptors then send an electrical signal to their neighbors, called ganglion cells, which can identify important features like motion. They then send signals of their own to the optic nerve, which delivers the information to the brain.

In previous studies, researchers have been able to treat a genetic form of blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis, by fixing a faulty gene that would otherwise cause photoreceptors to gradually degenerate.

But other forms of blindness cannot be treated so simply, because their victims lose their photoreceptors completely.

Once the cells are dead, you cannot repair the gene defect, Sahel said.

For these diseases, Sahel and other researchers have been experimenting with a more radical kind of repair. They are using gene therapy to turn ganglion cells into new photoreceptor cells, even though they dont normally capture light.

The scientists are taking advantage of proteins derived from algae and other microbes that can make any nerve cell sensitive to light.

In the early 2000s, neuroscientists figured out how to install some of these proteins into the brain cells of mice and other lab animals by injecting viruses carrying their genes. The viruses infected certain types of brain cells, which then used the new gene to build light-sensitive channels.

Originally, researchers developed this technique, called optogenetics, as a way to probe the workings of the brain. By inserting a tiny light into the animals brain, they could switch a certain type of brain cell on or off with the flick of a switch. The method has enabled them to discover the circuitry underlying many kinds of behavior.

Sahel and other researchers wondered if they could use optogenetics to add light-sensitive proteins to cells in the retina. After all, they reasoned, retinal cells are nerves as well  an extension of the brain, in other words.

For Ed Boyden, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who helped pioneer the field of optogenetics, the quest to use these proteins to cure blindness took him by surprise. So far, Ive thought of optogenetics as a tool for scientists primarily, since its being used by thousands of people to study the brain, he said. But if optogenetics proves itself in the clinic, that would be extremely exciting.

Sahel and his colleagues recognized that the optogenetic proteins created by Boyden and others were not sensitive enough to produce an image from ordinary light entering the eye. But the scientists could not beam amplified light into the eye, because the glare would destroy the delicate tissue of the retina.

So the scientists chose an optogenetic protein thats sensitive only to amber light, which is easier on the eye than other colors, and used viruses to deliver these amber proteins to the ganglion cells in the retina.

Next, the researchers invented a special device to transform visual information from the external world into amber light that could be recognized by the ganglion cells. They created goggles that scan their field of view thousands of times a second and register any pixels in which the light changes. The goggles then send a pulse of amber light from that pixel into the eye.

The researchers reasoned that this strategy might be able to create images in the brain. Our eyes naturally dart around in tiny movements many times a second. With each jump, many pixels would change light levels.

Still, it was an open question whether blind people could learn to use this information to recognize objects. The brain has to learn a new language, said Botond Roska, an ophthalmologist at the University of Basel and a co-author of the new study.

After testing their gene therapy and goggles on monkeys, Roska, Sahel and their colleagues were ready to try it out on people. Their plan was to inject gene-bearing viruses into one eye of each blind volunteer, then wait several months for the ganglion cells to grow optogenetic proteins. They would then train the volunteers to use the goggles.

Unfortunately, they only managed to train one volunteer before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the project. After years of preparation for the study, it was now stuck in limbo.

But then the one volunteer they had managed to train got in touch. For seven months, he had been wearing the goggles at home and on walks. One day he realized he could see the stripes of a crosswalk.

When the pandemic subsided in France over the summer, the scientists managed to bring him into their lab for more training and tests. They discovered that he could reach out and touch a notebook sitting on a table, but had less luck with a smaller box of staples. When the scientists set out either two or three tumblers in front of the volunteer, he managed to count them correctly 12 out of 19 times.

During some of the trials, the volunteer wore a cap with electrodes that could detect brain activity through his scalp. When the goggles sent signals to his retina, it activated parts of the brain involved in vision.

It is a major achievement from a scientific point of view, and most importantly for blind people, said Lucie Pellissier, a neuroscientist at the University of Tours in France who was not involved in the study.

Sahel and his colleagues founded a company called GenSight to move their technique through clinical trials with the hopes of getting it approved by regulators. Theyre not alone. Isacoff and his colleagues have founded a similar company called Vedere Bio that was acquired last October by Novartis.

It will take many more positive results from clinical trials before optogenetics can become a standard treatment for some forms of blindness. For now, Sahel and his colleagues are bringing in the other volunteers for training, as well as testing higher doses of the virus and upgrading their goggles to thin spectacles that would be more comfortable while also delivering more information to the retina.

Isacoff and his colleagues have carried out experiments of their own that raise the possibility that other optogenetic proteins could make retinal cells sensitive enough to detect light without the help of goggles. I think its going to perform quite well, he said.

For all the time that Sahel has put into his own system, he hesitated to guess how far it could improve. Until you have a patient tell you what they are seeing, you really cant predict anything, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
HARRISBURG  After refusing to release details about wasted coronavirus vaccine, citing a decades-old disease prevention law, the Wolf administration has reversed course and made public how many doses have been discarded by providers and why.

The data shows just 0.18% of more than 10 million doses given to hospitals, pharmacies and other providers through May 21 were not used.

Of the 18,644 discarded doses, providers reported spoilage as the cause in more than 37% of cases. Spoiled vaccines typically include those that have expired or those that were not stored at the correct temperature due to conditions like equipment failure, state health officials said.

The new data claims a state prison in Schuylkill County spoiled the most doses  2,695  out of the 624 providers listed. But when contacted by Spotlight PA, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said there had not been any spoilage at the facility, SCI-Mahanoy.

The information was submitted prematurely and the corrections department is working to amend the health departments report, said the spokesperson, Maria Bivens.

The confusion stems from an April 5 issue with a backup generator, causing a refrigerator storing vaccines to lose power for several hours, Bivens said. A report was submitted to the health department; however, Johnson & Johnson, the vaccine manufacturer, reviewed the incident and determined that the vaccines were viable.

Valley Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy in Luzerne County, spoiled 1,130 doses, the second-highest number listed in the report.

Owner Sandip Patel said he had been asking the state for doses since February when demand was high and many of the pharmacys customers were eager to get the vaccine.

But the pharmacy didnt receive its first shipment of vaccines until May 2, he said.

Since then, the pharmacy has administered what it could  about 200 doses  but hasnt had enough demand to administer the more than 1,100 Pfizer doses it received, Patel said.

The pharmacy wasnt penalized for spoiling the vaccines, but Patel said he has stopped ordering them. Sending it in smaller quantities might make it more manageable for sites experiencing decreased demand, he said.

Most of the people already had either received the vaccine or didnt need it anymore, or they refused it, he said.

The release of the data comes two months after the state Department of Health initially denied Spotlight PAs public records request for the information, citing a 1955 law the Wolf administration has used throughout the pandemic to obscure the finer details of its response.

The Disease Prevention and Control Law gives the state wide authority to keep information related to contagious diseases, including details that could identify individuals, confidential. But it has been used more broadly over the past year to withhold all kinds of information.

Like the wasted vaccines, state health officials initially cited the law in refusing to release the number of COVID-19 tests the state was conducting and the number of cases in specific nursing homes. After criticism, the Wolf administration reversed course in both instances.

On its website, the Department of Health reported another 6,731 doses were wasted for reasons listed as other, and 4,002 doses were wasted because a vial was opened but not administered.

The rest were wasted because of a broken vial or syringe (686 doses), a vaccine was drawn but not administered (263), or doses were lost or unaccounted for (13). Wasted doses differ from spoiled ones because they come from an open vial.

Among the providers that have wasted or spoiled the most doses: the Allegheny County Health Department. It spoiled 636 Pfizer doses allocated to county vaccination sites over three separate days  April 21, April 24, and May 9  after officials started to thaw vaccines but then experienced a sudden and unexpected drop in filled appointments, said Chris Togneri, department spokesman.

That drop coincided with expanding vaccine eligibility to all Pennsylvania residents 16 and older.Over a three-week period, our vaccination appointments went from 100% full to 50% full to 25% full, Togneri said.

Another 309 vaccines were wasted after vials were opened but doses were not administered or after various issues like faulty syringes, contaminated needles, or other human error, Togneri said.

Since the start of the vaccine rollout, the Allegheny County Health Department has held about 400 vaccine events and administered more than 129,000 doses, Togneri said.

Central Outreach Wellness Center in Allegheny County, Grove City Medical Center in Mercer County, and ACMH Hospital in Armstrong County  all located in the southwestern part of the state  also reported a high number of wasted or spoiled doses. None responded to a request for comment about why those doses went unused by Monday afternoon.

Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for free newsletters at spotlightpa.org/newsletters. WHILE YOURE HERE, if you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Borough police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing woman.

Shelli Prynkiewicz, 32, who lived on South State Street before recently moving to Philadelphia, was last seen Wednesday in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, Police Chief Chris Yarns said.

She left behind all of her personal effects, including her phone and identification, he said.

Yarns, whose department has been in contact with Philadelphia police, said it's possible Prynkiewicz may try to contact friends in the Clarks Summit area.

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to call borough police at 570-587-3026 or the Lackawanna County Communications Center at 570-342-9111, he said.
Timothy Seth Bryant Pennington was born on January 30, 1988 in Corbin, Ky. He departed this life on June 3, 2021 to be with his Lord and Savior, whom he accepted as a young boy at his church, West Corbin Baptist. Seth was assured of his salvation and knew where he would spend his eternity. S
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 16:15:06|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- Another batch of the COVID-19 vaccine in bulk produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived at Indonesia's Soekarno Hatta Airport Tuesday morning, a senior Indonesian official said.

"Today we witnessed the arrival of 8 million bulk doses of the COVID-19 Sinovac vaccine," said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, adding it means that Indonesia has so far received a total of 83.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, both in bulk and ready-to-use.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia's COVID-19 tally rose to 53,734 after 634 new locally transmitted cases were recorded over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mongolia recorded two more deaths and 608 recoveries in the same period, bringing the respective national tallies to 268 and 47,356, said the ministry in a statement.

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NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally reached 26,948,874 with 196,427 new cases registered in the past 24 hours, confirmed the federal health ministry on Tuesday.

This is the first time in one and a half months when the single-day spike has been below 200,000-mark.

- - - -

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentina reported 22,651 new COVID-19 cases, taking the national tally to 3,562,135, the Ministry of Health said Monday.

The ministry said that 417 more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 74,480.

- - - -

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil reported on Monday 790 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 449,858, the Ministry of Health said.

A total of 37,498 more infections were detected, taking the nationwide tally to 16,120,756, the ministry said.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The biggest COVID-19 vaccination gap in the United States isn't based on race or partisanship, but based on class, reported The New York Times on Monday.

Republican voters and racial minorities are two groups that are reluctant to get a COVID-19 shot, according to the report.

- - - -

GENEVA -- The 74th World Health Assembly kicked off on Monday to stress the urgency of ending the current COVID-19 pandemic and preventing the next one by building a healthier, safer and fairer world.

More than a year into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cases worldwide have rose 40-fold to more than 160 million, while the number of deaths has increased 11 times to more than 3 million, according to World Health Organization statistics. Enditem
London, KY (40741)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High near 85F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mainly clear early, then a few clouds later on. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
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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When you are a City watchdog, its hard to win. The Financial Conduct Authority has rightly been excoriated for being missing in action over Woodford, London Capital and Finance, and Greensill.

Now it is being criticised for being too tough with Amigo, the sub-prime lender. The FCA argued a scheme to compensate mis-selling victims was too miserly and a judge agreed.

Amigo had said that if its proposals were not accepted, it would go bust and borrowers would end up with nothing.

The Financial Conduct Authority is being criticised for being too tough with Amigo after arguing a scheme to compensate mis-selling victims was too miserly and a judge agreed

I have some sympathy with the FCA for trying to obtain a better deal for customers. In coming days we will find out whether it was right to call Amigos bluff.

One question is where additional money will come from. The FCA and the court believe more cash can be found behind a sofa, despite Amigos arguments to the contrary.

It seems unlikely shareholders will stump up more, given that around 100million has been wiped off the market value in the last couple of weeks, taking it down to 40million after the court ruling yesterday.

Any notion that there are rich City investors to be tapped is wide of the mark. A quirk of the Amigo share register is that it is dominated by 8,000 private investors, with just two large institutions: Bybrook Capital, with around 12 per cent, and Abu Dhabis Mubadala Investment Company, which has around 6 per cent.

If a settlement scheme cannot be reached, insolvency is a real possibility.

Shareholders would be wiped out and the Amigo loan book and any other residual assets would probably be bought for a song, perhaps by private equity. Borrowers would receive no redress.

That can still be avoided, but it very disappointing that the company and the regulators could not agree a solution before reaching this point.

The debacle shines a light on the wide and dangerous gap in the market for borrowers who cannot obtain loans from the mainstream banks.

Many people fall into this category. Amigo has 500,000 customers and the same number of guarantors. If it leaves the field, along with firms such as Provident Financial, which has proposed a similar run-off scheme, these borrowers have few options.

The FCA notion that friends and family will step in is laughable. Officials seem to think Britains most quintessentially middle-class financial institution  the Bank of Mum and Dad  flourishes in poor communities.

In Amigo country, people have barely enough money to support themselves, let alone bail out relations.

Those of us fortunate enough not to need them may feel the activities of the UKs sub-prime lenders are distasteful, but they fulfil a need.

If the FCA wants to provide a real service, it should clamp down harder on unscrupulous claims management companies, which charge large fees for a job customers could do themselves at no cost.

There is no situation so bad they cannot make it worse. They truly are the carrion crows of the financial services industry.

New deal for steel

The sell-off of Sanjeev Guptas UK steel assets brings fresh urgency to government plans to put the industry on a sustainable footing. Over the past 30 years steel has lurched from one crisis to another.

Government policy, whether Conservative or Labour, has been reactive and ineffectual. Ministers have, through sheer expediency, unfurled the welcome mats to undesirable owners, including the Chinese.

The current approach is two-pronged. First, help the industry to decarbonise. Second, Brexit brings a real opportunity to revolutionise public sector procurement, now there is no longer a requirement to advertise contracts across the EU.

It would be crazy, at a time when we are planning a vast green recovery programme, if we did not source the bulk of the steel from the UK.

Nationalisation of Guptas interests should be, as Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says, a last resort, but there could be imaginative solutions involving the private sector.

Three years ago BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Babcock teamed up to backstop loans to keep Sheffield Forgemasters, a supplier for military submarines, from falling into Chinese hands.

Perhaps Forgemasters is a template, or at least the germ of a plan. But the false notion steel should be left entirely to the free market no longer holds sway.

Every government in the world subsidises its steel industry, the only question is the most effective way to do it.
Holidaymakers who are desperate for a sunny break could face bills for thousands of pounds if disaster strikes while they're abroad.

Earlier this month, ministers revealed a new traffic-light system to clarify where it was safe for families to travel. But far from clarifying the rules, it has sparked widespread chaos.

Green-list countries are fine, if you are allowed in and take the necessary tests. Red-list countries are a no-no. But amber-list countries, such as France, Spain and Italy, are murky territory.

Sunshine dreams: The Government has said families should not travel to amber-list countries on holiday but this hasn't deterred hundreds of thousands of Britons from booking trips

It is legal to travel to these destinations, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson says families should not be visiting them on holiday - only for pressing family or work reasons. And if you do travel, you face strict quarantine rules on your return.

Yet Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, says this hasn't deterred hundreds of thousands of Britons from booking trips to amber-list countries in recent weeks.

But hopeful holidaymakers should be warned that their travel insurance may not pay out if they do choose to go.

Regardless of what the Government's traffic-light system says, you must check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website as this is what can impact your insurance.

Most insurers will typically refuse to cover anyone travelling to a destination the FCDO advises against visiting. And its current recommendation is that you should avoid most amber-list countries to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

A handful of travel insurers, including Staysure and Avanti, are allowing customers to purchase an add-on to their policy for as little as 5 to cover travel to Europe against FCDO advice. This also applies to Morocco, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.

As well as usual medical and baggage cover, you will also be protected if you fall ill with Covid while away  providing you have had both vaccinations.

But if the Government recommends you return home early, you must. You will also not be covered for trips to amber-list countries outside of Europe such as Canada.

Some insurers, such as CoverForYou, Cedar Tree and Outbacker, will also cover you providing you are travelling to an amber-list country for an essential reason.

This could be for work or education purposes, or to visit someone who is dying. You will not be covered for holidays disrupted by coronavirus.

Just to add to the confusion, some popular destinations on the amber list, such as the Canary Islands and Barbados, are not included in the FCDO warning. So in this instance you would need to check with your travel insurer.

At present, most insurers will not cover you if you want to cancel your trip because the destination has changed from green to amber since you booked.

Flight risk: Hopeful holidaymakers should beware that their travel insurance may not pay out if they do choose to go

Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance insight consultant at rating site Defaqto, says: 'With holiday firms allowing bookings to amber countries, the FCDO not publishing warnings about all amber destination restrictions, and the Government telling people not to travel to these places, it has never been more important to check with the insurer before you book any holiday to ensure you would have cover in place.'

There is also no guarantee of a cash refund from the airline. Almost all holiday providers will cancel the trip and refund you if FCDO advice changes.

British Airways says if the status of the country changes you can swap the date or destination with no additional fees, or request a voucher, as part of its Book With Confidence policy.

However, you will need to pay more for flights if the prices increase.

TUI customers can only fly to countries on the green and amber list where FCDO advice allows.

If the destination moves to the red list or quarantine restrictions are introduced on arrival, TUI will cancel the flight.

You will then be offered a cash refund, date change or alternative holiday. TUI is also offering free date changes 14 days before travel for anyone due to fly before the end of August.

If Virgin Atlantic flights to an amber or red country are still scheduled to operate but you are unable to travel, you can change date or destination with no service fees until April 30, 2023. You can also change the name of one traveller for free, or request a travel voucher.

If you have booked a Virgin package holiday and the destination moves from green to amber you can amend your booking, accept a voucher or transfer the holiday to another person for free. But for a cash refund you face a penalty of up to 100 pc of the cost of the trip.

Ryanair flights bought between June 10 and June 30 for travel before October 31 can be changed twice without fees. You must make the changes at least seven days before the departure date.

EasyJet says if your trip is impacted by a lockdown travel ban or hotel quarantine this summer, you can request a refund or voucher, or move your flight for free up to two hours before departure. This applies to changes made up to and including September 30, 2021.

Rory Boland, from Which?, says: 'I would be wary of flexible booking policies from airlines as you could end up paying much more when you choose alternative flights. And if you do not pay the extra you could lose the trip.'

Some holiday firms offer much more protection.

For example, Trailfinders states you can get a refund if a country moves to the amber list.

Explore and HF Holidays do not operate to amber countries so they will cancel and refund you. Kuoni Flex Plus allows you to claim a refund up to ten days before departure for any reason.

a.murray@dailymail.co.uk
British Airways has backtracked after demanding customers cover the cost of an error that saw Greek holidays handed out at half price.

A blunder on the airline's website meant stays at a five-star resort in Corfu were advertised at 50 per cent of the real price.

The firm then insisted that those who had already booked pay thousands more for their trips or cancel  and only backed down when Money Mail intervened.

A blunder on BA's website meant holidays at a five-star resort in Corfu were advertised at 50 per cent of the real price

Charles Bennett, 51, was one of the 58 customers whom BA wrote to last week. The father-of-one booked his week at the Domes Miramare in December last year.

He paid a 350 deposit for the 3,328.25 week-long stay in a private suite for himself and his wife Emma, 54, in July.

But then BA wrote to say the holiday would actually cost him 6,318. He was offered a 500 voucher to put towards the new price.

His holiday would be cancelled if he did not agree to pay, and he would only receive the voucher and his deposit.

Charles, who lives near Hitchin, Hetfordshire, says: 'I feel let down by BA and have been put off using it again.'

When he wrote back, an employee responded by pointing to a clause in its terms and conditions, which read: 'On rare occasions of an incorrect price bookable we reserve the right to cancel bookings.'

But consumer law specialist Gary Rycroft says: 'Mr Bennett has signed a legally binding contract with BA and if he still wants to go on that holiday for the price that he signed up to then he can.'

After Money Mail put Mr Rycroft's comments to BA it agreed to honour the original bookings of all 58 customers affected.

A BA spokesman says: 'We pride ourselves on providing industry-leading customer service and that means putting things right if they go wrong.'

It is not the first time BA has advertised prices too low by mistake. In 2018 more than 2,000 flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv were advertised for 1, plus airport taxes.

f.parker@dailymail.co.uk
Nearly half of investors are concerned about 'greenwashing', where companies dress up their environmental credentials to mislead people wanting to combat climate change.

Investments not being what they claim to be was cited by 44 per cent of investors as their biggest worry about putting money into 'environmental, social and governance' (ESG) products.

Some 42 per cent are bothered about whether such investments would have higher fees and costs, according to research by financial services firm Quilter.

Greenwashing: Are your investments really environmentally friendly or are you being misled?

Meanwhile, 38 per cent were uneasy about whether they would perform better than investments that do not take account of ethical issues.

But 56 per cent of investors said they were likely to start considering responsible investing more than they do now.

There is sustained demand for ESG investments, according to Quilter, which surveyed 1,500 people aged 35 and over across the UK who have 60,000 either invested or available to invest.

But it notes: 'Investors have become increasingly sensitive towards the effects of greenwashing, where companies exaggerate their green credentials to capitalise on growing demand for environmental products, as concerns around climate change have increased.

Greenwashing threatens to undo all the good work and progress that has been made so far in responsible investing Eimear Toomey, Quilter Investors

'The Treasury Select Committee group of MPs recently argued the Financial Conduct Authority should be handed powers to tackle greenwashing as part of an effort to cut carbon emissions.'

Separate research recently revealed that two out of three investors bear ethical issues in mind while the rest focus solely on financial returns.

But investing jargon around 'environmental, social and governance' goals tends to baffle investors, with most admitting they have little to no understanding of the terms often bandied around by the finance industry.

Just a quarter were confident they knew what 'greenwashing' meant, while the rest were unsure, had no idea or had never heard of it, according to the research by Close Brothers Asset Management.

It surveyed 2,000 adults who currently hold a general investment account, a stocks and shares Isa, a self-invested or managed pension, or a share dealing account.

Close Brothers defined greenwashing as: 'Conveying a false impression or providing misleading information or a misleading narrative about how a company and its products are environmentally sound or positive.'

What does responsible investing jargon mean? How do you tell ESG from SRI and impact investing, and spot greenwashing. Baffled by the jargon? Read more here.

Quilters research found investors fit broadly into four categories:

- 42 per cent know what responsible investment means and will include investments of this type as part of their portfolio;

- 33 per cent of investors know what it means but are not actively making investments of this type now;

- 14 per cent are currently not interested in responsible investment as part of their portfolio;

- 11 per cent are fully aware of what responsible investment means and investments of this type need to be or already are a major element of their portfolio.

Eimear Toomey, head of responsible investment at Quilter Investors, says: 'The explosion in popularity of ESG investments has been well documented, but it is encouraging to see investors are not simply seeing it as a fad and want to make a real difference.

'These investors want companies to act in a more responsible way and it is clear that words will not be enough to placate them.

'Greenwashing threatens to undo all the good work and progress that has been made so far in responsible investing. It is crucial that fund groups invest in the way that they say they will, so it is important investors hold them to account on this.

'We are going to continue to see a proliferation in ESG investments, and as such it is vital investors do their homework and understand what it is they are investing in.

'Doing the research and finding out how your managers are investing responsibly, what they are holding and how this could make a difference will allow you to make an informed decision and give you the confidence to invest in a responsible manner.'

>>>How to invest responsibly: What to check when choosing a fund to ensure it aligns with your goals
The Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into Astrazeneca's $39billion (27.5billion) deal to buy US rare diseases specialist Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

The watchdog is concerned that the mammoth takeover - the biggest ever by Astrazeneca - could harm competition in the UK or elsewhere, and is inviting comments from any interested parties up until 3 June.

The drugs giant and Covid vaccine maker, which agreed to take over Boston-based Alexion in December last year, seemed confident that the CMA will clear the deal.

Probe: The CMA is concerned Astrazeneca's takeover of Alexion could harm competition

'The commencement of the UK CMA's formal review is another important step towards closing of the proposed acquisition, which we continue to expect will be in the third quarter of 2021,' a spokesperson said.

The proposed takeover was approved by Astrazeneca's shareholders earlier this month, and has already been given the green light by regulators in the US as well as in other countries including Canada, Brazil and Russia.

Acquiring Alexion would allow Astrazeneca to add immunology and rare diseases expertise to its arsenal and diversify the group.

The CMA inquiry comes just weeks after AstraZeneca's boss Pascal Soriot suffered a shareholder backlash over his pay.

At the drug maker's annual general meeting, almost 40 per cent of votes were cast against an 18million package handed to boss Soriot. Although the pay plans passed, the results brought Astra close to defeat.

Soriot, who received 15.4million last year, is one of Britain's top-earning executives but claims he is underpaid compared to the bosses of other big drug makers.

Astra is also facing political pressure over its coronavirus vaccine, with a legal battle launched by the European Union over a supply row, while there have also been blood clot concerns over the jab.

Protesters also staged a demonstration at its Cambridge headquarters earlier this month, calling on the group to share its Covid-19 vaccine technology.

Shares in FTSE 100 listed Astrazeneca were down 0.7 per cent to 80.96 in early trading on Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 17:01:52|Editor: huaxia

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A health worker prepares a dose of China-donated COVID-19 vaccine in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 25, 2021. Bangladesh began administering the China-donated COVID-19 vaccines to its medical students on Tuesday. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh began administering the China-donated COVID-19 vaccines to its medical students on Tuesday.

About 1,000 medical students from the country's four top leading medical colleges, namely Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mugda Medical College, took their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine thanks to a second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines.

The final-year students from the medical colleges based in the national capital Dhaka received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine following a ceremony held at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday morning attended by Health Minister Zahid Maleque and other officials.

Bangladesh's drug regulator in late April authorized the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the Asian country.

According to a statement of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka last week, the Chinese donation was made after Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen on the evening of May 21.

The Chinese embassy's announcement of the donation came nine days after the arrival of China's first donation in Bangladesh.

The Chinese embassy has expressed hope that the arrival of the second batch of Chinese vaccines will help the Bangladeshi government and people build a strong line of defense against the coronavirus epidemic.

Amid uncertainty over timely arrival of the next COVID-19 vaccine shipment from India, the Bangladeshi government halted administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine across the country on April 28.

Nearly 6 million people have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Bangladesh. Enditem
Amigo Holdings is teetering on the brink of collapse after a judge refused to approve its customer compensation scheme.

The lender, which hands loans to customers with a poor credit score if they have a friend or family member willing to repay the debt if they cannot, had warned it would go bust 'in short order' if its plan did not get the green light.

But the Financial Conduct Authority cast doubt on Amigo's claims in a last-minute intervention before last week's hearing at the High Court  and in a judgment published yesterday, Mr Justice Miles sided with the watchdog.

On the brink: Amigo hands loans to customers with a poor credit score if they have a friend or family member willing to repay the debt if they cannot

Amigo shares crashed 55 per cent, or 10.31p, to 8.32p. Doorstep lender Provident Financial, which is trying to put together a similar compensation scheme of its own, also fell more than 6 per cent.

Reacting to the court ruling, the FCA said: 'This is an important judgment and any firm considering a scheme of arrangement should take it into consideration.'

Gary Jennison, Amigo's chief executive, said he was 'incredibly disappointed' with the judge's decision. He added: 'We are currently reviewing all our options and will provide an update at the earliest opportunity.'

Amigo is creaking under a pile of compensation claims from its customers after rules around affordability checks were changed last year.

Close to 1m borrowers and guarantors, encouraged by claims management companies, tried to claim redress from the lender, saying that they should never have been handed Amigo's high-cost loans.

Estimating that it could be forced to pay out up to 151million in compensation, Amigo realised that it did not have the money.

So it set up a scheme which would see all customers get a part of the redress they were due  but this could be as little as 10p for every 1 they were owed.

Amigo urged customers to approve the plan, warning them it would go bust if it was forced to pay all redress in full. If it did collapse, the firm cautioned, most borrowers would get nothing.

The scheme was put to the vote, and 95 per cent of Amigo customers who took part gave it the thumbs-up.

But they only constituted 8.7 per cent of the borrowers who could have voted, as the rest did not make their feelings known.

But the FCA said the scheme was unfair, and Amigo's shareholders should put some money in and share the burden of the compensation scheme.

Jennison said this was unlikely  Amigo has just two major institutional shareholders and the rest of its stock is held by around 8,000 individual investors.

Many were enticed into buying stock by the presence of Amigo's founder and former boss James Benamor, who frequently interacted with shareholders on Twitter.

But he sold down his entire 61 per cent stake last year after his attempted comeback failed.

Despite the lack of deep-pocketed shareholders, the FCA said in court documents that the 'allocation of burden and benefit' between Amigo investors and customers was 'unfair' and 'disproportionate'.

While borrowers would get just 10 per cent of their redress, shareholders would still be left with their entire holding. It said customers may have simply agreed to the compensation scheme because they didn't think they had another option.

In his judgment, Mr Justice Miles agreed with the FCA and urged Amigo to come back with a better offer.

He said: 'The court's refusal to sanction the scheme will probably not lead to the imminent insolvency of the group.

'There is no evidence of any immediate (or even medium-term) liquidity crunch, and the directors will doubtless wish, if possible, to preserve the value of the enterprise for its various stakeholders.

'The FCA expects the directors to continue to explore and promote a restructuring which fairly allocates the benefits and losses among the various stakeholders.'
The new Fire Safety Act failed to protect all leaseholders from cladding repair costs and the head of the committee that scrutinises Government housing policy is not holding back about who needs to pick up the bill.

Chairman of the Communities and Local Government committee, Clive Betts MP, spoke exclusively to us about the cladding situation in Britain and why he believes more needs to be done to help flat owners affected.

We asked him about what the solution is to Britain's cladding crisis, how much it will cost to sort out, and whether all leaseholders should be prevented from picking up the bill.

Since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, concerns about cladding have become a national issue

Mr Betts' interview comes after the Fire Safety Bill became law last month, following a parliamentary battle over who should pay to fix fire-trap flats after the Grenfell disaster.

Controversially, some leaseholders are still legally liable for the cost of fixing unsafe cladding and other fire safety defects.

Taxpayer funding was more than trebled in February to 5.1billion. But the cash is only for those living in buildings above 60ft with unsafe cladding.

We asked Mr Betts about how long he thought it was going to take to resolve the cladding crisis as leaseholders continue to live in unsafe homes.

Many flat owners still don't have a timetable in place for the works or a final bill, and in the meantime have no option but to continue living in unsafe flats.

He said: 'All of them face the situation now where the property they live in is unsafe and they can't afford to make it safe.

'There is the double worry of having the insecurity of an unsafe home and the possibility of having debt they cannot afford to repay. It is a horrible position to be in.'

What do you think the solution is to Britain's cladding crisis?

We spoke to Clive Betts MP about the cladding crisis

Mr Betts said: 'The answer is for the Government to realise that this is a responsibility they are going to have to take on in the first instance.

'We could wait for action to be taken against the architects, the contractors and subcontractors but even if that is successful, that could take years. Some developments have been sold on to other organisations, while other developers are out of business now.

'We are going to resolve the problem by the Government taking responsibility, but that responsibility should be shared with the industry, both the constructors and product suppliers. A levy or a tax is good idea. But in the first instance, the Government has to get on and make the buildings safe.'

What measures do you want to see in the Building Safety Fund to protect leaseholders from repairs bills?

He said: 'What I would like to see in the Building Safety Fund is money made available not only to cover cladding but all safety defects, and not just those buildings over 18 metres. We need to sure all multi-storey buildings are safe. Tenants should not have to pay either.

'While waiting to make it safe, you could pay thousands of pounds a month in waking watches.'

What is stopping the repair work from being carried out and the Government paying for it?

Mr Betts said: 'Our best estimate was 15billion, but at this stage, even the Government doesn't know the scale of this. It is not just buildings that have cladding, but those that have a fire risk.'

How do you see this unfolding and what will it take to resolve this?

He said: 'Eventually, the Government is going to have to accept responsibility. The horrible thing that worries me is that will it take another disaster. There needs to be continued pressure on MPs as many will have affected properties in their constituency.

'They need to speak out. The more we can get people talking about their first-hand experience, the more we can get the message across that these are ordinary families who bought their first home, who want to start a family, or who are in retirement - and they have acute anxiety and are under enormous pressure.'

Do you think this will be resolved in the next 10 years?

'Yes, I think it has to be and that it will be. As a rich and civilised country, in 2021, we should not be seeing people live in unsafe homes,' he concluded.
Participants in the dedication ceremony for Edwards Hall at ABAC included Dr. Jennifer Huang, ABAC President David Bridges, Rosalyn Donaldson and Dr. Susan Roe. The portrait of Dr. Ernest Edwards will hang in the lobby of the building named in his honor.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 17:13:19|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines expects delivery in September of two of the six T129 attack helicopters it bought from Turkey, a Department of National Defense spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Arsenio Andolong said in a statement that two more units are due for delivery in February 2022, while the remaining two are expected to be delivered in February 2023.

According to Andolong, the defense department purchased the six helicopters for a total contract price of 269.38 million U.S. dollars from Turkish Aerospace Industries through a government-to-government procurement deal signed last year.

Andolong said the acquisition of the six attack helicopters would boost the Philippine military's capability to fight terrorists. "It will bring more airborne firepower to our arsenal," he added. Enditem


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Dorothy Eleanor Mercer passed away on June 9, 2021 at Archbold Memorial Hospital. She was born on December 18, 1932, in Pavo to the late Early Byrd Wood and to the late Nellie Deen Wood. She was married to Eugene Mercer who precedes her in death. Survivors include her children, Leon David Mc
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.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 17:28:32|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to prioritize conference tourism in order to boost the hospitality sector, a senior government official said on Monday evening.

Najib Balala, cabinet secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife told journalists in Nairobi that the country's tourism sector has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Balala observed that the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market is a resilient sector because it involves meetings of people from diverse sectors of the economy and can help the country reduce its dependence on beach and safari tourism.

The world's MICE segment has been forced to adapt to the pandemic, with some events shifting online and others being deferred amid global travel restrictions, social-distancing protocols and prohibitions on mass gatherings.

Jacinta Nzioka, CEO of state-owned Kenya National Convention Bureau (KNCB) said that Kenya will position itself as the ideal destination for regional and international meetings.

Nzioka said that Kenya's strategic location and regional aviation hub status should help drive the meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment to play a more prominent role in the tourism sector.

According to KNCB, conference tourism has the potential for generating huge returns to the country because of its high impact on local host communities. Enditem
Why Biden is likely to fail on North Korea
A woman wears a face mask to protect from the spread of COVID-19 ahead of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 15, 2021, in Baltimore.
Thompson Finch Farm in Ancram, Columbia County has been passed down through the women of Marnie MacLeans family for five generations. When MacLean and her husband, Don, moved from Vermont to take over the family farm they realized that maintaining the land as a working agricultural area would be financially challenging.

Farmers don't get paychecks at the end of the week. They make money as they do, MacLean said. There was a struggle every generation to hang on to this farm of about 200 acres, mostly because of taxes. The taxes are incredibly high.

Land value in the Hudson Valley has put a strain on farmers in the area who are finding themselves faced with the difficult prospect of subdividing and selling portions of their land to developers in order to pay bills. With the help of the Columbia Land Conservancy, Dutchess Land Conservancy, Scenic Hudson, and Equity Trust, the couple was able to preserve the working farm by obtaining a conservation easement on a large portion of the land.

Like a financial trust that dictates who can touch an asset and how it can be used, conservation easements preserve land for a proscribed use, with the added perk of lowering the landowner's overall tax burden. Increasingly, they are being used to reduce the financial strain on local farmers who can then invest in farm infrastructure and continue to grow food while protecting the areas as agricultural land for the future.

Is the land worth more than the food grown on it?

Maintaining an active, small farm has never been an easy profession. Now, a pandemic-infused migration from cities and a dramatic increase in demand for housing in the area has put pressure on real estate. In the Hudson Valley, where agriculture was once prevalent, many farmer-landowners are realizing that maintaining generational farms is financially unfeasible.

In an area like the Hudson Valley,  the price of land exceeds its agricultural value, said Terence Duvall, the agricultural programs coordinator for the Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC). As some farmers look for ways to pay off debts, this leaves farmland at risk of being sold to developers, non-farming real estate investors, or affluent people looking for a second home in the country.

To ensure that farmland remains farmland, land trusts or conservancies  not-for-profit organizations that protect land and the natural resources that exist there  partner with farmers to help them through the process of protecting their land and obtaining a conservation easement. Often, land trusts hold the easements for farmers or even buy the land from farmers and hold the development rights in perpetuity, ensuring that the areas will continue to be used for agriculture, or in some cases for public use.

Most of this money comes from local, state, and federal grants intended to protect land that holds a public good, whether environmentally or as farmland. New York State has been actively investing in initiatives like the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants (FPIG) Program to help farmers hold onto their land.

In 2015, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo invested $20 million in the Hudson Valley Farmland Protection Program. The program has helped land trusts and conservancies throughout the state protect farms from Westchester to Columbia County. Earlier this year, a record $52.5 million has been offered to aid land trusts and local municipalities in conserving NYS agricultural land.

Through March 2021, the States Farmland Protection Implementation Grant Program has preserved more than 86,000 acres of New York farmland through completed conservation easement projects on 328 farms, said Hanna Birkhead, spokesperson for NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, in an email statement to Times Union: Hudson Valley.

In the case of Thompson Finch Farm, CLC and the MacLeans raised the money from the local community and allowed CLC to buy the farm. Then, the conservancy provided a 99-year ground lease on the property to the MacLeans, who still own their home and farm structures. Not only do they retain equity in their home and farm investments, the arrangement lowers their financial burden on the property itself, so they can continue to farm and offer pick-your-own organic strawberries to the community.

In trying to keep with my family's generational tradition of not breaking up the farm and doing anything you can to hold on to it, we couldn't do that because we didn't have the money, MacLean said. This is really good farmland and it will provide a lot of food for the local community.

The conservation easement on the land was obtained and is held by a different land trust, Dutchess Land Conservancy (DLC), which ensures that the land will continue to be used as a farming operation even after the MacLeans retire.

When a farmer is ready to retire or move on, they work with the land trust to find the next generation farmer who will also receive a 99-year lease, Duvall said. They have the security of knowing that they can spend their whole career on a single farm, which allows them the confidence to invest in things like infrastructure.

Thompson Finch Farm

They (farmers) use the money to drill wells, to better access their growing fields, build new barns, or greenhouses, adds Karin Roux, director of land projects at DLC. The long and short of it is that they invest in the land and in their farm operation in a way that is just going to help them more efficiently manage their farm, as well as expand.

It becomes a win-win situation for everyone. The farmers reduce the pressure on themselves to sell land to pay off debt. Land trusts and conservation groups can feel secure knowing the land will not become a commercial property or housing development. And both parties can take pride in knowing that the land will continue to be operated by people who want to grow food and steward the property in environmentally conscious ways.

Conservation easements are not a catch-all solution for every farm, though. Each easement is unique to the specific property and farmer, but the common thread is that easements prevent anyone from changing how the land is legally used. Oftentimes, this can reduce the value of a piece of land because the right to develop on the property is restricted.

Not only does an area of farmland become less valuable as a real estate asset but the process of getting a conservation easement is often lengthy and complicated. It requires appraisals, lawyer fees, and lots of patience in working with multiple organizations and levels of bureaucracy.

We usually tell landowners it can be between two and three years to complete a project and close the easement, said Erin Hoagland, senior land projects manager at DLC. It really is a big commitment on the part of the landowner and sometimes things just change in that period of time where they decide it just doesn't make sense for them.

More often than not though, landowners who start the process see it through, said Hoagland.

Currently, the DLC holds about 400 conservation easements in Dutchess County but the organization also works with the CLC to connect farmland with potential new farmers. The two organizations have been working in conjunction on the Farmer-Landowner Match Program. The program matches landowners looking to sell or lease their farmland to potential farmers looking to maintain productive agricultural areas.

According to a 2018 CLC report on the program, it has assisted more than 400 farmers and landowners and facilitated 71 land matches over its first nine years.

Land trusts and conservancies are hoping to maintain productive farmland in the Hudson Valley because it protects both the ecology of the area as well as the identity. Not only that but agricultural land conservation also provides food grown by regional producers who are connected to the local community.

It's a shared goal of many land trusts throughout the Hudson Valley, to not just look at land conservation as this one avenue of purchasing, receiving or holding conservation easements, Roux said. But a multi-faceted, multi-pronged effort to protect our natural resources which food security is a part of.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets offered $525 million in farmland protection funding. The correct amount is $52.5 million. It also referred to the Dutchess Land Conservancy as the Dutchess County Conservancy in one instance.
The diversion of a Ryanair flight to Lithuania by Belarus, leading to the arrest of an opposition journalist who was a passenger, has sparked international outrage and calls for tough sanctions against the former Soviet nation.

Here is a look at what happened in the sky over Belarus and its aftermath.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FLIGHT?

Ryanair Flight FR4978, traveling Sunday from Athens to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, was in Belarus airspace about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Lithuanian border when it changed direction and turned toward the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the pilots that there was a bomb threat against the jetliner and ordered them to land in Minsk. The Belarusian military scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet in an apparent attempt to encourage the crew to comply with the orders of flight controllers.

Once the plane landed, Belarusian security agents arrested Raman Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that helped organize mass demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus authoritarian leader. They also removed from the plane Pratasevich's Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who studies at a Vilnius university.

Agents with dogs then checked the plane and the passenger luggage, and let the flight continue to Vilnius hours later.

Ryanairs CEO Michael OLeary described the move as a case of state-sponsored hijacking  state-sponsored piracy.

WHY DID BELARUS DO IT?

To arrest Pratasevich, a 26-year-old activist and journalist who left Belarus in 2019 and faced charges there of inciting riots. He was a blogger and co-founder and editor of Nexta, a popular channel on the Telegram messaging app that was a key factor in organizing protests in Belarus after a presidential election in August 2020.

Lukashenko, who has run the nation of 9.3 million with an iron fist for over a quarter century, was declared the winner by landslide, but the opposition and some election workers say the vote was rigged. Months of protests followed, representing the strongest challenge to Lukashenko's rule since he took over in 1994 following the demise of the Soviet Union.

The Belarusian authorities have unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrations. More than 34,000 people have been arrested since August, including opposition activists, and thousands have been beaten and abused by police to try to stem the protests.

Pratasevich was charged in absentia with inciting mass riots, and he faces 15 years in prison if convicted. But the Belarusian state security agency, which still goes by its Soviet-era name KGB, also has put him on a list of people suspected of involvement in terrorism, a sign he could face more serious charges. Terrorism is punishable by death in Belarus, the only country in Europe that still has capital punishment.

A brief video clip of him in custody was shown on Belarusian state television Monday night. He sat at a table with his hands folded in front of him and spoke rapidly, saying he was in satisfactory health, and that his treatment was maximally correct and according to law. He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.

WHAT'S THE INTERNATIONAL REACTION?

In unusually swift action, the European Union agreed to impose sanctions against Belarus, banning the country's airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc.

The EU leaders also urged all EU-based carriers to avoid flying over Belarus, decided to impose sanctions on officials linked to Sundays flight diversion, and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to start an investigation.

They also urged Belarus to release Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who was taken off the plane with him.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it amounted to a hijacking, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a state-sponsored terror act.

The bloc summoned Belarus ambassador to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities and said the arrest was yet again another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country.

U.S. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue in his call with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She added the U.S. was in touch with NATO, the EU, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, among others about next steps.

Briitain barred Belarus national airline Belavia from operating in the U.K. and instructed British carriers to avoid Belarusian airspace. Latvian airline airBaltic said it would avoid Belarusian airspace, and Lithuanias government instructed all incoming and outgoing flights to avoid Belarus starting Tuesday, without waiting for the EU decision.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered officials to move to cut the air link with Belarus and ban Ukrainian flights via the neighbors airspace.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for Pratasevichs release and supports calls for a full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Belarus can rely on its main sponsor and ally, Russia, which has provided political support and financial assistance to Lukashenko's government amid the protests.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 17:48:30|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Laos recorded a trade deficit of 64 million U.S. dollars in April, according to the latest information from the Lao Trade portal website.

Laos' exports in April totaled 427 million U.S. dollars and imports totaled 491 million U.S. dollars, according to the report.

The country's major exports included copper ore, banana, gold bars, cassava, clothing, coffee, sugars, rubber, along with pulpwood.

The major imports included land vehicles excluding motorcycles, electrical equipment and appliances, steel and steel products, diesel, vehicle spare parts as well as fertilizers.

China remained the top exports destination for Laos, followed by Vietnam and Thailand, while the major source countries for Laos' imports were Thailand, China and Vietnam, according to the report.

The trade figures did not include earnings from the export of electricity. Enditem
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday appointed Missouri Eastern District Appeals Court Judge Robin Ransom to be the first Black woman to serve on the state Supreme Court.

Ransom will replace Judge Laura Denvir Stith, who was the second woman appointed to the high court. Stith retired in March.

Ransom marks a new first for the court as Missouri's only Black female Supreme Court judge. Shes the third Black judge, and shell join Chief Justice George Draper as the second Black judge currently serving on the high court.

Her appointment is especially poignant in a state known internationally for the 2014 fatal shooting of unarmed, Black 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white Ferguson police officer. Brown's death sparked months of sometimes violent protests, and Black communities continue to call for fair treatment by police and in the courts.

Ransom told reporters gathered at the Capitol that she grew up in North St. Louis, a primarily Black area near Ferguson. She said her father worked at a segregated fire station.

I can't cure all of the social ills and injustices that are out there, and this appointment won't do that, Ransom said. What this appointment does show is that this governor has the courage to make such an appointment, that he has great vision for this state, and he knows how great this state is and what this state can be.

She also emphasized that she is defined by more than her race.

I have never lived by a label or by any identity that anyone's tried to put upon me, she said. When I look in the mirror, Ive always been Robin. And Ive always lived my life to be kind to everyone and to be the best person that I can be.

Parson noted the historic appointment but said the hard work she's done is what earned her the position.

She was the best qualified candidate for the Supreme Court," Parson said, "and thats why she was chosen for the position."

Parson said it helped that he previously met Ransom when he appointed her in 2019 to serve as an appeals court judge. He said he wasn't sure what day she will leave her position on the Eastern District Court of Appeals and start work at the Supreme Court in Jefferson City.

Former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt first appointed Ransom to serve as a St. Louis County circuit judge in 2008.

She was one of 25 applicants for the Supreme Court vacancy.

In Missouri, a panel of lawyers, citizens and the chief justice review Supreme Court applicants, then submit three finalists for the governor to choose from.

Unlike U.S. Supreme Court nominees, Ransom's appointment does not need state Senate confirmation.
North Elba

State forest rangers were busy with Adirondack and Catskills wilderness rescues over the past week including one in which a woman lost consciousness in the High Peaks, apparently from dehydration, and with a number of back-to-back calls on Saturday.

One rescue began on the evening of May 18 when a ranger assisted a 20-year-old Troy woman who had lost consciousness in the High Peaks Indian Falls area, possibly due to dehydration.

When the ranger arrived, members of her hiking party were helping her re-hydrate after she regained consciousness. The ranger arrived at 10:15 p.m. and walked the woman back to the Adirondack Loj, which is the trailhead, at 12:48 a.m. The hiker declined further help at that point.

The day before, a pair of rangers helped a 21-year-old Buffalo woman off Whiteface Mountain after she injured her ankle on the trail. A ranger walked her out to the trailhead by 3:37 p.m. The woman declined medical treatment, stating she would seek medical attention on her own.

And on May 19 at 1:38 p.m., Franklin County 911 transferred a call to dispatchers that a hiker with an ankle injury was near the summit of Ampersand Mountain. Six rangers responded to assist. At 4:30 p.m., the 30-year-old hiker from Rochester was assisted off the mountain by Rangers using a wheeled litter. Once back at the parking lot, the hiker advised that she would seek further medical assistance on her own.

One May 21, Greene County 911 told DEC dispatchers that two hikers from Rochester were lost in the Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness area of the Catskills.

Rangers reached one of hikers at 10:30 p.m. The hiker said she was unable to continue as she was experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion. She given basic first aid until she was able to continue. The hiker reached the trailhead at 11:45 p.m., and was reunited with her companion.

The next day, May 22, Washington County 911 contacted dispatchers at 12:20 p.m. advising of a 28-year-old woman from Rensselaer with a non-weight-bearing ankle injury on the trail for Sleeping Beauty Mountain in the Lake George Wild Forest Area.

Two rangers responded and members of the West Fort Ann and Bay Ridge fire departments, along with Fort Ann EMS, responded. The woman was transported with a wheeled litter then to an ATV. She was eventually taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

Later in the day dispatchers at 6:46 p.m. received a report of a 25-year-old woman from Kinderhook missing from the Upper Works trailhead in the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

She was last seen by a passing hiker four hours earlier approximately four miles from the trailhead. Two rangers responded, along with two fire/rescue personnel and the Lake Colden Caretaker.

One of the fire/rescue people said they found the missing hiker and escorted her back to the trailhead where she was reunited with her hiking party.

At 8:44 p.m. that evening dispatchers got a call from a group at Indian Falls on the Mount Marcy trail reporting that a member of their party had a weight-bearing upper leg injury. They expressed concern because they didnt believe their light batteries would last long at the rate they were hiking.

After further interviewing the group, a ranger learned they had last seen the injured hiker above the Hopkins Junction trail to Mt. Marcy. One member hiked back up and located the injured hiker one mile above Indian Falls. The subject reported that he needed water but would slowly continue down the trail.

The Marcy Dam caretaker continued up the trail in their direction with supplies, while a ranger brought an UTV, or utility vehicle, to Marcy Dam. Once at Marcy Dam, the 22-year-old man from Catskill received a ride out of the woods via UTV and was reunited with the rest of his hiking group. The subject refused further medical assistance.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Nashville's top prosecutor said Monday that he will not enforce a newly enacted law that requires businesses and government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multiperson bathrooms and other facilities associated with their gender identity.

I believe every person is welcome and valued in Nashville," Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk said in a statement. Enforcement of transphobic or homophobic laws is contrary to those values. My office will not promote hate.

Funk's office clarified that this refusal to enforce transphobic or homophobic laws specifically included the first-of-its kind measure signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee earlier this month.

The move, along with the flurry of other anti-transgender laws approved by Lee, has sparked alarm among LGBTQ advocates. Many have decried the latest measure as discriminatory and said the required signs are offensive and humiliating. The law will go into effect July 1.

However, questions have remained about how specifically it will be enforced.

Republican Rep. Tim Rudd, who sponsored the legislation, told a legislative committee in March that the bill does not provide any fines or penalties at this point, and the amended version passed by that committee became law. Rudd has also said that the law could be enforced by people filing lawsuits or district attorneys asking a judge to force businesses to comply.

Yet Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference President Amy Weirich argued that the language in the new law doesnt speak to anything having to do with enforcement."

The way its written, I dont see anything that allows or provides me the responsibility or right to go to civil court and ask a judge to enforce it, said Weirich, Shelby Countys district attorney.

Lee did not have a strong reaction when pressed by reporters Monday on Funk's refusal to enforce the bathroom sign law.

I think his decision will be his own," he said. "I signed the law; it's his decision how he wants to respond to it.

Lee's response was markedly different than when Funk announced in September he would not enforce a new law that required abortion providers to tell their patients it may be possible to reverse the action of abortion medication half-way through the procedure. Funk said at the time he believed the law was unconstitutional.

Without naming Funk, Lee's office tweeted that, A district attorney purposefully disregarding current, duly enacted laws by the legislature is a grave matter that threatens our justice system and has serious consequences.

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise contributed to this report.
ALBANY  New York will "encourage" but not require children aged 2 and older to wear masks in child care settings such as summer camps following days of protests about the directive, including from county officials who pledged they would not enforce the mandate.

The state health department and the Office of Children and Family Services issued a joint statement late Monday saying they had agreed to "revise guidance allowing child care providers to continue the practices and protocols that have been in place since the start of the pandemic by encouraging, not requiring, children aged 2-5 to wear masks, effective immediately."

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin is among a multitude of county leaders who have issued public statements in recent days indicating they would buck the directive and urging the state to reconsider.

"Children have not been required to wear a mask during the first year of the pandemic, a move rooted and common sense and recognition of research showing children are less susceptible to COVID-19," McLaughlin wrote in a letter to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo earlier Monday. He added that children experience less severe symptoms of the infectious disease and that requiring them to wear masks, sometimes for up to nine hours per day, would be a hardship.

"It was too far-reaching. These kids are in activities and now they're outside this time of year; it just didn't make any sense," said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. "A lot of parents were up in arms. ... It was really more of an outrage on this one than anything else I've seen over the past 12 months."

Last week, a group of county leaders in the lower Hudson Valley  from Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan, Rockland and Orange counties  wrote a similar letter to Cuomo urging him to abandon the new directive. They also said that children could not be "reasonably expected" to wear masks for hours in childcare and summer camp settings.

"This mandate was never based in science or simple common sense, especially at a time when (the governor) was signaling that mask-wearing will soon be a thing of the past for many adults," state Senate Republican Leader Robert Ortt said in a statement after the rule was rescinded. "It caused unnecessary frustration and confusion for providers and parents alike, and Im glad to see it lifted."

Dutchess County Executive Marc J. Molinaro, head of the state association of county executives, also commended the state for swiftly rescinding the directive.

"We trust this will extend to all children in these safe settings," Molinaro said. "Like too many decisions coming from the executive's offices, forcing young children to wear masks never made any scientific sense."

State officials said the "safety of the children in child care programs is of paramount importance" and that they are encouraging "any remaining child care staff who have not been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible to prevent the spread of COVID."

Cuomo, at a news conference earlier Monday, said the state is moving to require coronavirus vaccinations from students in school settings as they had done two years ago for measles vaccine amid an outbreak of that disease. But the state cannot mandate someone be vaccinated unless the vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, which has not formally approved the vaccines being given to millions of U.S. citizens.

The governor noted that the mandate requiring measles vaccinations for children attending schools led to some people pulling their children out of schools.

"It was very controversial," Cuomo said. "Were going to set a statewide policy which will govern all school districts. Now, September is relatively a long way away and we follow the science, we follow the data."
ALBANY  A domestic abuser who served almost two years in state prison for knifing a woman in a Clinton Avenue home in 2013 is headed back to prison for five for 10 years for stabbing a man to death on the same street last year.

Francisco Rosario, 27, of Albany pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree manslaughter for causing the death of 27-year-old Joseph Galindez on April 19, 2020.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough, who accepted Rosarios guilty plea Tuesday, will impose the defendants sentence on July 16.

At the time of the slaying, Rosario, also known as Rubio, was at the home of the woman who he stabbed in 2013. An order of protection issued in September 2014 by Judge Peter Lynch barred Rosario from the womans residence.

But Rosario went there and became involved in a confrontation with Galindez, who has children with the woman, whom Rosario brutally attacked in 2013. In that incident, Rosario stabbed the woman in the back, repeatedly kicked her and broke her arm, requiring she receive a permanent titanium plate and eight screws in her elbow, prosecutors said.

On April 19, 2020 police discovered Galindez on Clinton Avenue, near Henry Johnson Boulevard, with a stab wound to his torso.

Rosario was charged with second-degree murder, which carries 25 years to life upon conviction, and second-degree criminal contempt, a misdemeanor.

Rosario's attorney, Matthew Hug, later asked Albany County Judge William Carter, who has since retired, to dismiss the case or prevent police from testifying at trial. Hug argued prosecutors did not turn over the personnel records of police involved in the case as required under New York state evidence-sharing reforms that took effect on Jan. 1, 2020. Carter, meanwhile had been asking prosecutors to provide personnel files on police officers who might be possible prosecution witnesses -- even if that information was unrelated to the current case.

All digital files of police internal affairs were lost in a March 30, 2019 ransomware attack on the city. The case was transferred to McDonough.

Assistant District Attorney David Szalda and Executive Assistant District Attorney Jennifer McCanney prosecuted the case.
Here are more rescue dogs from pet owners in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley and their stories.

From Joe LaLumia of Hudson: Buddy was adopted from the Berkshire Humane Society in September 2007. He had been there for many months. He was found on the streets of Pittsfield with two broken legs and after he healed, lots of people wanted him, but none took him home. Our former furry companion had died in July, and I had been to shelters and rescues looking for a new companion. Couldn't seem to find the right one. One day the phone rang, it was our veterinarian. "Go to the Pittsfield Shelter, Mary ( his wife ) found your dog for you." I said, "I don't know, I've looked and looked and haven't found the right one." His response. "Shut up, get in the car, and go get the dog." He was right, We brought him to his forever home three days later. I have never regretted it for a second.
Police in the United States kill about 1,000 civilians every year, about 33 for every 10 million people. Thats far less than in, say, El Salvador or the Philippines, but far more than in any wealthy Western nation, including all of Europe.

Killing someone is the gravest action a police officer can take, and while a badge may grant an officer that authority, it is not an unconditional license to do so. There have always been some constraints on that power.

Now, amid a national conversation on race and justice that began in earnest one year ago today with the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, its entirely appropriate that lawmakers are asking whether those constraints are enough, including in New York.

Predictably, police and law-and-order-type politicians are bristling at legislation to more tightly define what constitutes appropriate use of lethal force. Police, they warn, will end up second-guessing whether killing someone is the right thing to do.

In a word: Good. Police officers should be thinking at least twice before assuming the role of judge, jury, and executioner.

The existing standards seem quite lax. Since Gov. Andrew Cuomo empowered the state attorney generals office to review the deaths of unarmed civilians in encounters with police, no officer has been convicted. More often, the cases prompt talk of reforming law enforcement in some way, not holding officers accountable for the questionable taking of a life. Its either the suspect or some nebulous system thats to blame.

Legislation proposed by Attorney General Letitia James and sponsored by Assemblyman Nick Perry and Sen. Kevin Parker, both Democrats from Brooklyn, would set some clearer guidelines. Officers using lethal force would have to have probable cause to believe the suspect committed a felony involving death or serious injury, that they are armed with a deadly weapon, that they would cause death or serious injury if not immediately arrested, and that there are no practical nonlethal options.

The head of New York Citys largest police union quickly issued the usual dire warnings when police accountability comes up  the proposal is too complex for crisis situations, police will avoid dangerous confrontations, criminals will kill more cops and civilians. We heard similar cries of anarchy when New York reformed a bail system that long incarcerated people simply because they were too poor to buy their way out of jail before trial.

Its important to stress that were not talking about clear life-and-death situations. We understand, and so would the law, that there are times when police need to use lethal force to save other people or themselves.

Rather, were talking about shooting or otherwise killing fleeing suspects, people already handcuffed, unarmed individuals, mentally ill people causing little more than a civil disturbance, and people suspected of crimes that wouldnt even merit jail time, like a traffic infraction or selling cigarettes without collecting sales tax.

Situations, that is, in which police officers have more than enough time to ask, Is there a better way to handle this than ending a persons life? We need a law that demands police officers more fully consider whether the answer is, indeed, yes  before they pull the trigger.

This editorial has been updated to reflect that the legislation on lethal force was proposed by Attorney General Letitia James.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 17:48:52|Editor: huaxia

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The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Monday refused to include a proposal on Taiwan's participation in its agenda.

Chen Xu, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said in a statement at the meeting that the Chinese delegation firmly supported the recommendation by the General Committee of the 74th WHA to not include the Taiwan-related proposal in the agenda.

Noting that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Chen said: "The UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 provided the legal basis for WHO to abide by the one-China principle, and recognized Taiwan as part of China. The Taiwan-related proposal is in violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, runs against the WHO's Constitution and the WHA's Rules of Procedure, and is illegal and invalid."

The Taiwan region's participation in the WHA must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle and through cross-strait consultations, he stressed.

Before the assembly, more than 150 countries have, through diplomatic channels, and over 80 countries have, through sending letters to the WHO, expressed their adherence to the one-China principle and their opposition to Taiwan's participation in the WHA, according to Chen.

"Facts have repeatedly proved that making Taiwan-related proposals is unpopular," he told reporters after Monday's meeting, adding that any secessionist attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" is doomed to fail.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Yokohama has announced that it is to move its company headquarters from Tokyo to its production facility in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, 35 miles southwest of the capital.

A spokesperson for Yokohama explained that the move will allow the company to facilitate speedier decision-making by having management, planning, production, sales, research and development and logistics staff all in the same area, enabling Yokohama to respond more flexibly to the dynamic changes in our operating environment. It also said that the move will achieve more efficient use of management resources and secure financial flexibility.

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The proceeds of the sale, in conjunction with the recent sale of its Hamatite sealing and adhesive materials business, will, it says, be used to support aggressive investment in strategic domains.
A judge has dismissed an indictment against Steve Bannon over the objection of prosecutors who say it should stand despite ex-President Donald Trump's decision to pardon his former chief strategist
For the second time in recent weeks, a Florida prosecutor is granting DNA testing for a death row inmate who has maintained his innocence for more than four decades
Police say at least three people have been found dead at an Ohio home following an apparent shooting
[May 25, 2021] 20-Year-Old Exploits and TikTok Flows Threaten Enterprise Security, Finds New Cato Networks SASE Report

Extensive analysis of 200 billion flows across 850 enterprise networks worldwide uncovers high risk from age-old cyber defense weaknesses and leading consumer video sharing application TEL AVIV, Israel, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cato Networks, the provider of the world's first SASE platform, announced today the results of its quarterly analysis of global enterprise networks. The Cato Networks SASE Threat Research Report found that popular preconceptions of enterprise security and network usage are often inaccurate. While exotic attacks and nation-states such as Russia and China grab headlines, the most prevalent enterprise cybersecurity risks in Q1 came from unpatched legacy systems, attacks from the US, and consumer applications, such as TikTok. "Cato's converged SASE solution enables us to pull together security observations with network analysis from live traffic. During Q1, we saw how enterprise security leaders can't focus on newly discovered vulnerabilities at the expense of older, more mundane risks," says Etay Maor, senior director of security strategy at Cato Networks. "Threat actors constantly scan for unpatched, EOL (end of live) and legacy systems, vulnerabilities that are two to nearly 20 years old. And while several governments have raised privacy concerns with TikTok, and ultimately banned this application from their networks and devices, too many enterprise networks continue to carry TikTok flows." Legacy Security Defenses Fail as Old Exploits Form Most Common Threat While the industry focuses on exotic attacks - like the SolarWinds breach  the real risk to enterprises comes from older exploits, some as much as 20-years old. "While organizations always need to keep up with the latest security patches, it is also vital to ensure older system and well-known vulnerabilities from years past are monitored and patched as well," says Maor. "Threat actors are attempting to take advantage of overlooked, vulnerable systems." Our research showed that attackers often scanned for end-of-life and unsupported systems. Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE) identified by Cato were exploits targeting software, namely vSphere, Oracle WebLogic, and Big-IP, as well as routers with remote administration vulnerabilities. Patching may address the problem but enterprises find that staying on top of patching is challenging, and legacy security systems are often insufficient to stop threats. Furthermore, threat actors are constantly changing their signatures and characteristics to avoid detection.



Application Vulnerabilities Expose Many Businesses to Attack During its analysis of network traffic, Cato identified several security risks. Microsoft Office and Google continue to dominate, but widespread use was seen of remote access software, such as Remote Desktop Protocols (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), and TeamViewer.

If not properly secured, these applications can be targeted by threat actors with disastrous results, as was made apparent by the recent attacks on the Florida water supply system, Molson Coors, and Colonial Pipeline. "The prevalence of remote access software is troubling from a security perspective. Many attacks on critical infrastructure involved attackers exploiting vulnerabilities and weak passwords in these verry package. If organizations need to run such software, special care must be taken to ensure their security," says Maor. Enterprise networks also continue to be populated by consumer applications, with the most popular being TikTok that had millions of more flows than Google Mail, LinkedIn, or Spotify. In recent months Cato also saw a significant increase in Robinhood and eToro transactions  likely driven by the recent GameStop-Reddit-Wall Street. The data transmitted to these trading applications surpassed more popular applications such as CNN, The New York Times, and CNBC. "The increase in consumer applications not only consumes bandwidth but poses a security risk to enterprises," Maor said. "As the type of data flow and applications changes, so does the way in which threat actors exploit vulnerabilities, and in turn, the way enterprises secure their networks must change as well." Threats Originate from Countries Other Than Russia or China To keep in front of attackers, enterprises will often block traffic from certain countries, such as Russia and China. Such an approach is ineffective. Cato's analysis shows that during the first quarter of 2021, most threats did not originate from China or Russia. In fact, more malware attacks originated from the United States than any other country. "Blocking network traffic to and from 'the usual suspects' may not necessarily make your organization more secure," Maor said. "Threat actors are hosting their Command & Control servers on 'friendly' grounds including the U.S., Germany, and Japan." Machine Learning Algorithms Spot Network Characteristics of Security Threats To get a proper understanding of network and cybersecurity trends for its report, Cato Networks analyzed nearly 200 billion network flows from more than 850 enterprises worldwide on the Cato global private backbone between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021. Approximately 16 billion security events were identified and fed to the Cato Threat Hunting System (CTHS). This proprietary machine learning platform identifies threats through contextual network and security analysis. By understanding and identifying the network patterns of cyberattacks, CTHS alerts on security threats often undetected by legacy cybersecurity software. In all, CTHS identified 181,000 high-risk flows, which led to 19,000 threats verified by the Cato security team. The highlights of this analysis were captured in this report. To learn more, download a copy of The Cato Networks SASE Threat Research Report at https://go.catonetworks.com/SASE-Threat-Research-Report.html. About Cato Networks Cato is the world's first?SASE platform, converging?SD-WAN, network security, and?Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?into a global, cloud-native service. Cato optimizes and secures application access for all users and locations. Using?Cato Cloud, customers easily migrate from MPLS to SD-WAN, optimize connectivity to on-premises and cloud applications, enable secure branch Internet access everywhere, seamlessly integrate cloud datacenters into the network, and?connect mobile users with Cato SDP?client and clientless access options. With Cato, the network, and your business, are?ready for whatever's?next. Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516354/Cato_Networks_1_Infographic.jpg

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1516353/Cato_Networks_2_Infographic.jpg

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[May 25, 2021] $414 Billion in Profits can be Gained by Using Cloud for Business Growth: Infosys Research

- Improving speed to market and the ability to discover new revenue streams through cloud can increase profit growth by up to 11.2 percent YoY - But to realize these financial gains, at least 60 percent of systems need to be in the cloud BENGALURU, India, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today unveiled the Infosys Cloud Radar 2021 which has revealed the links between enterprise cloud usage and business growth. The independent study shows that enterprises in the 6 regions surveyed can add up to $414 billion in net new profits, annually, through effective cloud adoption. The Cloud Radar 2021 survey was conducted by the Infosys Knowledge Institute (IKI), a research arm of Infosys, with over 2,500 respondents from companies across U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. It covered a range of business performance goals related to cloud and found specific links to competencies such as speed to market and capabilities. A strong profit link was identified when using cloud to rapidly bring new solutions and services to market. These investments provide a foundation to leverage AI & automation and build cloud based new sources of revenue. The study found specific links between business profit growth and the use of cloud to rapidly develop and launch new solutions and bring new functionality to market. Cloud's ability to generate new value from data and discover new revenue sources also links to profit growth. Specifically, these benefits are derived from business' ability to accelerate time to market, enhance business capabilities and build a competitive edge. The study found that the highest performing businesses had annual profits growth that correlated with using cloud in six ways. Speed up how they develop and launch new solutions Add new functions to software in use Expand processing capacity Foster collaboration Unlock value from data via AI Discover new revenue sources. Superior Cloud performance requires high levels of adoption and orchestration Cloud-fueled profit boosts can be attained by companies in any region or industry. However, they only kick in when businesses have at least 60 percent of their systems in the cloud. To benefit from AI on cloud, the bar is even higher. Businesses must have at least 80 percent of their business functions  such as cross domain business applications  in the cloud for AI to boost profit growth. Our research describes four distinct performance cohorts  minimally effective, effective, highly effective, and exceptional. Businesses can benchmark themselves against each cohort by exploring the cloud radar digital experience and learn how to improve their cloud strategy and performance. Exceptional performers (16 percent) use a larger mix of cloud service providers and more frequently employ hybrid cloud arrangements.

Highly effective performers (19 percent) have shifted nearly as many business functions to the cloud as exceptional performers. They are motivated to use cloud for accelerating deployment of new solutions and services.

Effective performers (33 percent) have rapidly shifted business functions to cloud but started with fewer business functions in cloud to years ago. This cohort is more focused on cloud for cost savings than better-performing peers.

Minimally effective performers (32 percent) are least likely to use public cloud and have the least certainty in estimating cloud expenditures.



Despite acceleration in cloud adoption, only a fraction of large companies reached the highest level of performance and adoption. The Cloud Radar study found that nearly 1 out of 6 companies achieved exceptional cloud performance. In cloud adoption terms, fewer than one in five have crossed the 60 percent threshold to reap the profit benefits. By 2022, more than 40 percent of enterprises surveyed plan to shift over 60 percent of systems into the cloud, from 17 percent today. Companies delivering exceptional performance in the cloud show a strong motivation to use cloud for business growth, namely, increasing speed to market, adding capabilities, and increasing scale. These exceptional performers also demonstrated greater confidence in terms of cloud spending and were more likely to engage with three or more cloud service providers, giving them the capability to place workloads optimally. They also more frequently utilize a hybrid multi-cloud arrangement  combining the best features of private and public cloud.

Ravi Kumar S., President, Infosys said, "Effectively leveraging cloud is a transformational pillar in digital journeys. Where early cloud ,was a tool for allowing companies to rapidly scale, modern cloud allows companies to rapidly innovate. Today's cloud creates a network effect across processes, data, content, experience and more. This network effect keeps enterprises relevant in a rapidly changing new digital age. The findings from the Infosys Cloud Radar 2021 comprehensively show that growth and profitability can be correlated to superior enterprise cloud adoption and orchestration." Explore the Infosys Cloud Radar 2021 Digital Experience here To know more about Infosys Cloud Radar 2021, please visit our website here View a short video on the Infosys Cloud Radar 2021 study here Methodology Infosys commissioned independent market research company Feedback Business Consulting to undertake a study to understand: Enterprise progress to the cloud

Performance of business tasks in the cloud

Motivations, goals, and concerns in the cloud

Revenue and profit growth levels A total of 2,500+ business executives were surveyed across the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. The respondents were senior executives representing both technology and business functions. Based on their enterprise performance, progress and profitability, Infosys Knowledge Institute was able to distil performance competencies that are shared by companies with higher levels of profit growth. Other competencies, such as scale, security and resilience did not show direct or indirect links to year-over-year profit growth. Find out more by visiting the Infosys Cloud Radar 2021 digital experience. For more information on how Infosys Cobalt is helping leading global companies improve speed to market and enable new revenue streams, please visit: www.infosys.com/cobalt About Infosys Ltd. Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov . Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/414-billion-in-profits-can-be-gained-by-using-cloud-for-business-growth-infosys-research-301298665.html SOURCE Infosys

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[May 25, 2021] ADA Announces USD 60 million Strategic Investment from SoftBank Corp.

SoftBank will form business alliance to make ADA the core of its digital and data marketing arm

New investment will enhance ADA's data, AI, and marketing solutions to brands and enterprises KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ADA, the largest independent analytics, data, and AI digital marketing business in the region across 9 markets in South and Southeast Asia (SEA) announces USD 60 million investment from SoftBank Corp. (SoftBank).



Established in 2018, ADA has seen tremendous growth in its services in designing and executing integrated analytics, data, and AI digital marketing solutions, serving over 1,300 clients in the region.

ADA in South Korea works closely with its regional solutions and local experts around SEA. The local office has helped major Korean global brands grow their global marketing and eCommerce enablement in the SEA marketplaces. ADA's uniqueness lies in proprietary technology IP of data processing, data ingestion, and consumer AI models; gleaned from 375 million consumer profiles on a monthly basis. Supporting this is ADA's diverse talent of over 600 data scientists, digital media gurus, industry experts, and management consultants. SoftBank will make ADA the core to its digital and data marketing arm, and leverage their network of portfolio companies, creating huge synergy globally. This alliance allows SoftBank to expand their footprint in the region by bringing its customer data platform (CDP), 'Treasure Data'; and the consumer base of its communication app, 'LINE' for the benefit of brands and marketers. With this funding, ADA will continue development of AI models, focusing primarily on precision targeting for the marketing industry; investing in content analytics and automation of content creation; and creating data platforms to deliver consumer insights, predict consumer mindset, and help business decisioning. Find out more: https://ada-asia.com/korea/ About ADA ADA is a data and artificial intelligence company that designs and executes integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions. Operating across nine markets in South and Southeast Asia, ADA partners with leading brands to drive their digital and data maturity, and achieve their business goals. We are anchored on the following main services: Providing business insights, data enrichment, and advanced analytics

Understanding the consumer mindset and designing data-driven creative marketing strategies

Executing end-to-end digital marketing solutions for growth hacking, funnel optimisation, and goal optimisation ADA complements its unique digital expertise with deep proprietary data of 375 Million consumers. SOURCE ADA

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 18:28:39|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KABUL -- Eleven militants were killed in an airstrike by the Afghan Air Force targeting a group of Taliban militants on Monday night, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The airstrike launched in Badpakh district of Afghanistan's eastern Laghman province also destroyed a large number of weapons and ammunition of the militants, the ministry said in a statement. (Afghanistan-Taliban-Airstrike)

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HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's food safety authority decided on Tuesday to suspend the import of poultry meat and products from bird flu-affected area in Poland.

The Center for Food Safety of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said that the decision was made in view of a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Nidzicki District of Warminsko-mazurskie Region in Poland. (Hong Kong-Avian Flu-Import)

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COLOMBO -- Sri Lankan authorities on Tuesday rescued 25 crew members onboard a foreign ship which was engulfed in flames off the Colombo Harbor, while the Navy said an explosion had been heard within the vessel earlier in the morning.

The container ship X-PRESS PEARL registered under the flag of Singapore, was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from the port of Hazira, India, on May 15, according to the Navy. (Sri Lanka-Foreign Vessel-Fire)

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NEW DELHI -- One child was killed and seven others were missing after two boats capsized in a river in southern India, officials said Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Sileru river along Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border on Monday night. (India-Capsizal-Death) Enditem
[May 25, 2021] AMP and Xcite Technologies Announce Innovative Two-Company Partnership

KITCHENER, ON, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Xcite Technologies, Inc. led industry veterans by Bill Roberts, CEO, Xcite Technologies and Erik Dowel, CEO Aesthetic Management Partners (AMP) is excited to announce their recent partnership. Xcite is an Ontario-based innovator in energy-based technologies for Canadian aesthetic practices, physicians, and medical spas has partnered with AMP in Western Canada. AMP strengthens Xcites presence in Western Canada and together they will product lines that will help aesthetic practices continue to provide new procedures with its carefully curated innovative technologies and clinical support leading to excellent clinical outcomes. "AMP is excited to work with Xcite technologies in Canada," says Dave Tupniak. "Their diverse range of devices, talented team, and dedication to what they do will make for a great partnership for years to come."



Xcite, likewise, is energized by the potential for growth presented by this partnership. "We welcome opportunities to better serve our customers by increasing the accessibility of our products for Western Canada" says an Xcite Sales director Erin Mclean. "AMP has an outstanding track record in bringing profitable and highly effective solutions to its customers throughout the US and we are excited to work with a company like Xcite so we can help provide the same level of innovation to our customers in Western Canada says AMP Canada director Dave Tupniak. The Partnership will deliver its solutions to the Canadian Aesthetic market to help their Medical Aesthetic customers deliver exciting, innovative, and highly demanded solutions to their clients with zero downtime. About Xcite: Xcite Technologies offers an extensive range of light-based technologies to Canadian aesthetic practices, physicians, and medical spas. Their product range has been globally sourced to provide practitioners with the most advanced aesthetics equipment and options on the market. Xcite is committed to helping Canadian aestheticians and physicians grow their practices and create new revenue-generating opportunities.

For more information about Xcite Technologies, please visit: https://xcitetech.com/ About AMP: Aesthetic Management Partners, Inc. (AMP) is a newly formed business accelerator for leaders in the aesthetics industry looking to innovate the way they grow their business. AMP provides a comprehensive ecosystem of business support to help clients from physicians to manufacturers grow their practices and operations. For more information about AMP, please visit: https://aestheticmanagementpartners.com/ SOURCE Xcite Technologies, Inc.

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[May 25, 2021] Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Expands Commitment to Fighting Food Insecurity with $450,000 Support to Two Missouri Hunger Relief Organizations

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri announced today $450,000 support of Southeast Missouri Food Bank and Aging Ahead that will help acquire more food and organize more distribution events for the many families in southeast Missouri and the St. Louis area facing hunger. Nearly one in six Missouri residents lacks reliable access to healthy food - according to data available at "Close to Home," a social driver of health information tool available through Anthem, Inc., the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. "Anthem has been connected to the Missouri community for nearly 90 years and is committed to doing our part in improving the communities in which we operate," said Neil Steffens, President of Anthem's Medicare Central Region. "We know that food insecurity can be one of the most significant barriers to a healthy life, especially given the challenges related to the pandemic. We will increase the impact of our work by collaborating with Southeast Missouri Food Bank and Aging Ahead in their efforts to help individuals in need." Southeast Missouri has long had some of the highest rates of hunger and poverty in the state, and the pandemic only made a dire situation worse. At the height of the pandemic an estimated 30 percent of children and 20 percent of adults were considered food insecure, meaning the family didn't have the resources to acquire enough healthy food. The food bank now serves about 70,000 individuals monthly. Funds from Anthem's support will be used to acquire 36,000 pounds of food, translating into 30,000 meals annually distributed throughout the food bank's 16-county service area. "Partners like Anthem play a critical role in providing reliable resources for us to acquire and distribute enough food to vulnerable families in our area who temporarily need a helping hand," said Southeast Missouri Food Bank Chief Executive Officer Joseph Keys. "Accessing nutritious food is important to the overall health of the population we serve." By addressing both social isolation and food insecurity through their partnership with Aging Ahead, Anthem will help ensure individuals and their caregivers in St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin counties are not forgotten. The three-year agreement will provide over 7,500 meals annually to homebound older adults, virtual and in-person programming, newsletter distribution, and social media outreach to thousands. "For nearly 50 years, we have been supporting older adults remain healthier and independent by giving them access to quality programs, services and resources that meet their health needs," said Lisa Knoll, CEO from Aging Ahead. "We are grateful for partnrships with organizations like Anthem because we simply would not be able to fully meet the needs of our communities without their generous support."



This latest financial commitment from Anthem is part of the company's ongoing efforts to address food insecurity, which includes a three-year commitment to St. Louis Area Foodbank that helps the foodbank deliver more than 1.5 million meals to St. Louis area residents. For more information on how to get connected with food assistance services or to donate and support the food banks' programs, please visit www.semofoodbank.org and www.agingahead.org.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield In Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area) Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc. (RIT), Healthy Alliance Life Insurance Company (HALIC), and HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates administer non-HMO benefits underwritten by HALIC and HMO benefits underwritten by HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates only provide administrative services for self-funded plans and do not underwrite benefits. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS and on Facebook (News - Alert) at www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield. About Southeast Missouri Food Bank The mission of Southeast Missouri Food Bank is to end hunger and leverage the power of food to build healthy communities. The food bank provides food to 143 charitable and disaster relief programs in Southeast Missouri. These member agencies include food pantries, soup kitchens, domestic violence and homeless shelters. Southeast Missouri Food Bank also holds regular mobile food distributions and provides monthly boxes of food to 5,350 senior citizens and weekend backpacks of food during the school year to nearly 1,200 students in 32 school districts. The food bank's 16-county coverage area includes Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, and Wayne counties. Those interested in helping can do so by making a tax-deductible contribution, donating food, or scheduling a time to volunteer. Visit SemoFoodBank.org for more information. About Aging Ahead Aging Ahead's mission is 'supporting individuals through the journey of aging' and as one of 10 Area Agencies on Aging in Missouri has been providing supportive services in St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson counties since 1973. Adults 60 and older count on Aging Ahead to provide nutritious meals, connection to resources and supportive services like Meals on Wheels, Senior Centers, Caregiving Support, Healthy Living Programs, Case Management and much more. Our Community Options Specialists supported 11,379 individuals and their caregivers in 2020 and our nutrition program delivers over 3200 daily meals to homebound seniors struggling with food insecurity. To learn more about Aging Ahead and how to get involved, donate and support us, please visit www.agingahead.org Every journey is unique and we are here to support yours. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005032/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Artmarket.com: real paintings by blue-chip artists remain the super-stars of the art market, says Artprice

PARIS, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Art Market seemed to have forgotten its past and all of its reference points after the online sale of Beeple's NFT Everydays (which sold for $69 million at the beginning of March). But the major New York spring sales showed that blue-chip artists (Picasso, Basquiat, Monet, Warhol, etc.) remain the real pillars of the international art market. Artprice reminds us that the fundamental principles underpinning the price levels of artists and artworks are still very much alive and relevant in 2021. thierry Ehrmann, President and Founder of Artmarket.com and of its Artprice department: "The Art Market's switch to digital  which substantially accelerated a little over a year ago  has not shaken the foundations on which this market has been developing for three decades. Its stable and rational structure quickly re-emerged as soon as Western countries began to emerge from the health crisis." Over $1 billion in three days Whereas London's sales were postponed by several weeks and were partly weakened by the implementation of Brexit, New York's prestige sales were the first major art market rendezvous for over a year. This unique concentration of Modern, Post-War and Contemporary masterpieces, all offered in just a couple of days, rapidly reassured the market and its followers. The first lot hammered by Christie's on 11 May, Night Vision by Alex da Corte (1980), doubled its estimate to reach $187,500. Artprice has published an analysis of the results of this absolutely crucial week, which saw the first auction result above $100 million in two years: www.artprice.com/artmarketinsight/over-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art-sold-in-new-york-this-week Demand is both strong and selective Christie's and Sotheby's both offered  just two days apart  canvases by Gerhard Richter, both titled Abstraktes Bild and both dated 1992, and almost of the same dimensions. The first sold for just under $7 million (below Christie's $9-12 million estimate) while the second, from the collection of Mrs. John L. Marion, reached $23.3 million at Sotheby's. The substantial price differential between these two works, which have very similar technical characteristics, is extremely reassuring to Artprice, which sees it as an indication that demand is strong but attentive to the intrinsic quality of each piece as well as to their origin; a demand that is capable of adjusting its intensity and defying estimates. Top 10 price hikes in New York (11-14 May 2021)

Salman Toor, The Arrival (2019): $867,000 (est. $60,000 - $80,000)

Lynda Benglis, Knot / Hat B (1993): $201,600 (est. $15,000 - $25,000)

Hernan Bas, Loving Nobly (2004): $94,500: (est. $9,000 - $12,000)

James Ensor, Untitled (1888): $143,750 (est. $15,000 - $20,000)

Rashid Johnson, Anxious Red Painting (2020): $1,950,000 (est. $200,000 - $300,000)

Frank Stella, Polar Co-Ordinates III (1980): $47,880 ( est. $6,000 - $8,000)





Le Buveur d'Eau (1967): $378,000 (est. $ 50,000 - $70,000)

Dana Schutz, The Fishermen (2021): $2,970,000 (est. $400,000 - $600,000)

David Hockney, Home-Made Prints (1986): $963,800 (est. $150,000 - $200,000)

Kees Van Dongen, Robert de Saint-Loup (1946-47): $143,750 (est. $20,000- $30,000) After Beeple's 'freak wave' in March, the ranking of the best performing artists at auction in 2021 has returned to its usual population of great masters. Beeple has now left the top 5 in favor of Claude Monet and Andy Warhol.

Top 10 artists by auction turnover (1 January 2021 - 15 May 2021)

1. Pablo Picasso - $252,155,000

2. Jean-Michel Basquiat - $217,287,000

3. Claude Monet - $129,984,000

4. Andy Warhol - $108,030,000

5. Sandro Botticelli - $93,538,000

6. Banksy - $83,540,000

7. Beeple - $69,346,000

8. Vincent Van Gogh - $63,253,000

9. Zao Wou-Ki - $57,529,000

10. Roy Lichtenstein - $55,613,000 Images:

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2021/05/image1-auction-price-evolution-picasso-basuqiat-artprice.png] [https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2021/05/image2-monet.jpg] Copyright 1987-2021 thierry Ehrmann www.artprice.com - www.artmarket.com Don't hesitate to contact our Econometrics Department for your requirements regarding statistics and personalized studies: econometrics@artprice.com

for your requirements regarding statistics and personalized studies: econometrics@artprice.com Try our services (free demo): https://www.artprice.com/demo

Subscribe to our services: https://www.artprice.com/subscription About Artmarket: Artmarket.com is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF. Discover Artmarket and its Artprice department on video: www.artprice.com/video Artmarket and its Artprice department was founded in 1997 by its CEO, thierry Ehrmann. Artmarket and its Artprice department is controlled by Groupe Serveur, created in 1987. See certified biography in Who's who :

imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2019/10/biographie_oct2019_WhosWho_thierryEhrmann.pdf Artmarket is a global player in the Art Market with, among other structures, its Artprice department, world leader in the accumulation, management and exploitation of historical and current art market information in databanks containing over 30 million indices and auction results, covering more than 770,000 artists. Artprice Images allows unlimited access to the largest Art Market image bank in the world: no less than 180 million digital images of photographs or engraved reproductions of artworks from 1700 to the present day, commented by our art historians. Artmarket with its Artprice department accumulates data on a permanent basis from 6300 Auction Houses and produces key Art Market information for the main press and media agencies (7,200 publications). Its 4.5 million 'members log in' users have access to ads posted by other members, a network that today represents the leading Global Standardized Marketplace to buy and sell artworks at a fixed or bid price (auctions regulated by paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article L 321.3 of France's Commercial Code). Artmarket with its Artprice department, has been awarded the State label "Innovative Company" by the Public Investment Bank (BPI) (for the second time in November 2018 for a new period of 3 years) which is supporting the company in its project to consolidate its position as a global player in the market art. Artprice by Artmarket's 2020 Global Art Market Report published in March 2021:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2020 Index of press releases posted by Artmarket with its Artprice department:

serveur.serveur.com/press_release/pressreleaseen.htm Follow all the Art Market news in real time with Artmarket and its Artprice department on Facebook and Twitter:

www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom/ (over 5 million followers)

twitter.com/artmarketdotcom

twitter.com/artpricedotcom Discover the alchemy and universe of Artmarket and its artprice department https://www.artprice.com/video headquartered at the famous Organe Contemporary Art Museum "The Abode of Chaos" (dixit The New York Times): https://issuu.com/demeureduchaos/docs/demeureduchaos-abodeofchaos-opus-ix-1999-2013 L'Obs - The Museum of the Future: https://youtu.be/29LXBPJrs-o www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999

(4.5 million followers) https://vimeo.com/124643720 Contact Artmarket.com and its Artprice department - Contact: Thierry Ehrmann, ir@artmarket.com SOURCE Artmarket.com

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Ascolta Wins Spot on GENEDGE CMMC Contract

Ascolta, a software development and security compliance consulting firm, announced today it has been awarded a contract with GENEDGE Alliance, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to assist small and mid-sized manufacturers with Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance.

GENEDGE provides a variety of services to manufacturing and industrial companies across Virginia and the District of Columbia. It is one of 51 centers affiliated through cooperative agreements with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP).

"The contract provides cybersecurity services for GENEDGE clients as they implement cybersecurity controls in compliance with CMMC requirements. Ascolta's expertise in cyber security will enable customers to achieve CMMC Good Cyber Hygiene raing, Level 3 certification quickly to support their government contracts," said Wayne Hall, President and CTO of Ascolta. "Instead of starting from scratch hardening your infrastructure to meet CMMC requirements, Ascolta provides NIST SP 800-171 compliant secure cloud environments, designed to protect customer data to DFARS standards. Our environments are CMMC ready and will meet Level 3 requirements for contracts involving CUI. We provide our customers with the secure environment and necessary security documentation to include policy templates and completed Systems Security Plans."







About Ascolta

Ascolta, a subsidiary of ViON, focuses on delivering secure and compliant cloud enclaves, software development, integration and DevOps services. Ascolta's expertise and experience in cybersecurity, system integration and DevOps enables our clients to rapidly implement secure and compliant solutions in a public or on premise cloud.

For more information about Ascolta, please visit www.ascolta.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005306/en/
[May 25, 2021] Aternity Democratizes DEM Across the Enterprise with New Digital Experience Index

Aternity, the enterprise-class Digital Experience Management Company, today announced the Aternity Digital Experience Index (DXI). Powered by the Aternity DEM platform, DXI automatically identifies the digital experience hot spots across the enterprise impacting employees and customers, provides actionable insight into those hot spots, and sets organizations on a path to action and continuous improvement. Aternity (News - Alert) DXI enables the entire business to collaborate on digital experience management (DEM) by providing actionable insights into investments that make a meaningful impact across the organization including IT, HR, and the C-Suite. The digital experience of employees and customers is more important than ever, but there is no "one size fits all" approach, and most organizations do not know where to begin their DEM journey. Aternity DXI enables organizations to tailor their digital experience goals based on their business and measure success against industry benchmarks. Key benefits of Aternity DXI include: Real-time Digital Experience Goal-Setting - Customizable analytics enables customers to tailor the scoring model to their individual priorities and the technology goals that drive the most value for the business.

Customizable analytics enables customers to tailor the scoring model to their individual priorities and the technology goals that drive the most value for the business. Define "What Good Looks Like" with Dynamic Industry Benchmarking - Scores can be compared against the industry standards across all verticals within minutes to drive internal enterprise digital experience objectives.

Scores can be compared against the industry standards across all verticals within minutes to drive internal enterprise digital experience objectives. Continuous Improvement for Employee and Customer Experience - IT can cotinually improve the digital experience of all users with granular measurements to drive performance and productivity.

IT can cotinually improve the digital experience of all users with granular measurements to drive performance and productivity. Proactive Suggestions to Drive Business Outcomes - Recommendations for improvement can be leveraged across departments including HR, IT, and the C-Suite to determine the overall business impact.

Recommendations for improvement can be leveraged across departments including HR, IT, and the C-Suite to determine the overall business impact. Maximize Business Performance of Every Critical Applications - Monitor every click in any application including all business-critical apps, thick client, and virtual apps.



Aternity's Global Remote Work Productivity Tracker recently detailed how applications can achieve different levels of performance when used in the office and remotely. With Aternity DXI, organizations can tailor their digital experience goals based on their business-critical applications to measure the impact of their transition to a hybrid workforce and identify a path to continuous improvement as the hybrid workforce becomes permanent. Aternity's Global Remote Work Productivity Tracker recently detailed how applications can achieve different levels of performance when used in the office and remotely. With Aternity DXI, organizations can tailor their digital experience goals based on their business-critical applications to measure the impact of their transition to a hybrid workforce and identify a path to continuous improvement as the hybrid workforce becomes permanent.

"Aternity is the only DEM vendor to give business or IT professionals actionable insights into their key business processes that directly affect business outcomes," said Bill Hewitt, CEO, Aternity. "With Aternity DXI, businesses can now sense and respond to changes in their environment in real-time, improving the digital experience for every end-user and the enterprise as a whole. DEM will be the new driver for optimizing business performance." Aternity DXI is available for Aternity customers today. For more information on Aternity DXI visit: www.aternity.com/solutions/continuous-service-improvement/ or read the blog post Hybrid Work Productivity: A Decision-Making Guide. About Aternity

Aternity, the leader in Digital Experience Management, transforms the employee experience in the digital workplace, with enterprise-scale analytics for every application, all transactions, any device, and all users. The Company's AI-powered visibility and self-healing control help IT optimize business application performance to improve employee productivity and customer satisfaction, mitigate the risk of IT transformation, and drive down the cost of IT operations. Aternity is a Thoma Bravo backed company, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with offices globally. Learn more at Aternity.com. Aternity and any Aternity product or service name or logo used herein are trademarks of Aternity, LLC. All other trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005143/en/

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[May 25, 2021] BBC Global News Chooses Taboola as its Exclusive Content Recommendations Provider

NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Taboola , a global leader in powering recommendations for the open web, helping people discover things they may like, today announced a new deal with BBC Global News , the home of the BBC's award-winning commercial international news, sport and features content, in which it will become the renowned publisher's exclusive content recommendations provider. BBC News is the world's most trusted international news broadcaster and reaches 438 million people around the globe each week across TV, online, apps and social media. BBC.com saw record reach over the past year, with 145 million unique browsers each month. Taboola Feed , a seamlessly integrated feed that provides readers with personalised content for a more engaging experience, enabling monetisation of below-article placements, will be integrated into BBC.com - the home of BBC ews and BBC Sport - in all markets outside the UK, where the publisher is commercially funded. Its aim is to drive revenue while keeping UX and the integrity of the brand intact, as well as to grow engagement and audiences across the site.



Errol Baran, BBC Global News SVP, Business Development and Innovation, Global Advertising and StoryWorks, said: "As our readership grows and changes, we constantly seek out technology companies like Taboola which can help us keep pace. Our robust standards for data and quality are paramount and we have chosen to work with Taboola because of the adaptability of their recommendation platform and their understanding of our requirements. We are very much looking forward to forming a fruitful relationship going forward." Adam Singolda, Founder and CEO, Taboola said: "We are very pleased to be the exclusive content recommendations provider for BBC Global News. To take on this role, we needed to earn the absolute trust of the BBC that we can meet their requirements. As a result, we have built a true partnership and we cannot wait to further innovate together. This fits perfectly with our focus on premium publications and brands, and we're confident our products will help grow revenue across the BBC's sites."

About Taboola

Taboola powers recommendations for the open web, helping people discover things they may like. The company's platform, powered by artificial intelligence, is used by digital properties, including websites, devices and mobile apps, to drive monetisation and user engagement. Taboola has long-term partnerships with some of the top digital properties in the world, including CNBC, NBC News, Business Insider, The Independent and El Mundo. More than 13,000 advertisers use Taboola to reach over 500 million daily active users in a brand-safe environment. The company has offices in 18 cities worldwide, including New York and Tel Aviv. Taboola is going public via a merger with ION Acquisition Corp. 1 Ltd. (NYSE: IACA), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. For more information visit: https://www.taboola.com/press-release/taboola-goes-public. Learn more at www.taboola.com and follow @taboola on Twitter. About BBC Global News

BBC World News and BBC.com, the BBC's commercially funded international 24-hour English news platforms, are owned and operated by BBC Global News. BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 450 million households and 3 million hotel rooms. The channel is also available on over 180 cruise ships, 53 airlines, including 13 distributing the channel live inflight. BBC.com offers up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features, including BBC Worklife, BBC Culture, BBC Future, BBC Travel and BBC Reel, for PCs, tablets and mobile devices to more than 145 million unique browsers each month. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bbc-global-news-chooses-taboola-as-its-exclusive-content-recommendations-provider-301298515.html SOURCE Taboola

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[May 25, 2021] Boku completes first mobile operator integration to Google Standard Payments with Kcell

LONDON, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boku Inc., (AIM: BOKU ), the world's leading provider of mobile payment and identity solutions, and Kcell, the largest mobile operator in Kazakhstan, have announced the launch of the first-ever mobile operator integration into the new Google Standard Payments platform, which enables a number of payment types on a global basis. This integration will allow mobile subscribers to pay for digital goods through Googles Play Store, using their mobile phone number.

Mobile Operators are required to complete the upgrade to the latest payment specifications in order to take advantage of new functionality, including an upgraded synchronous payment API, real-time account updates, API-based settlement, and real-time fraud notifications. These upgrades will increase payment conversion rates whilst reducing fraud, resulting in greater profitability for both mobile operators and Google, with lower back office costs, thanks to upgraded settlement reporting. With extensive experience integrating mobile operators into Google payments infrastructure, Boku ensures both that the integration is expedient, painless, and optimized for ongoing success. Boku supports mobile operators on the Google Standard payments platform with marketing, customer support, and program optimization services, along with business intelligence and reporting capabilities. Were thrilled to have completed the first mobile operator integration to the Google Standard Payments platform, said Mark Stannard, Chief Business Officer, Payments, Boku Inc. Mobile subscribers around the world need access to carrier billin so they can purchase apps through Google Play, and were happy to make that possible.







Yuri Kharlamov, CEO, Kcell JSC, We are excited to be the first mobile operator in the world to complete the integration to Googles new payments platform. Simplifying payments for nearly 80% of our customers using Android devices in the Google Play Store and beyond represents another opportunity for us to deliver more value to subscribers. Boku was the clear choice to complete this integration due to their experience and expertise with mobile payment connections to the biggest digital marketplaces in the world. Enquiries:

CCgroup for Boku, Inc.

US: Amanda Triest, Amanda.Triest@ccgrouppr.com , +1 801 425 0827

UK: Daniel Lowther, Daniel.lowther@ccgrouppr.com, +44 774 763 6687 IFC Advisory Limited (Financial PR & IR)

Tim Metcalfe / Graham Herring / Florence Chandler

+44 (0)20 3934 6630 About Boku

Boku Inc. (AIM: BOKU) is a fintech pioneering the worlds first global, mobile payments network. With 45% of global consumers using mobile payment methods to buy goods online, compared to 18% using credit cards, the future of commerce is mobile-first. Bokus technology platform helps the worlds most demanding merchants attract, convert, and retain customers using mobile payments. By turning payments infrastructure into a source of sustainable competitive advantage, Boku safely activates a range of new merchant business models - from bundling to subscriptions. Bokus platform is used in over 70 countries with more than a billion verified transactions in 2020, contributing $8.5 billion to the digital economy. Customers that trust Boku to simplify sign-up, acquire new paying users and prevent fraud include global leaders such as Apple, DAZN, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, Sony, Spotify and Tencent. Boku Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is headquartered in London, UK, with offices in Brazil, China, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the US. To learn more about Boku please visit: https://www.boku.com About Kcell

Kcell provides mobile voice telecommunications services, messaging services, value-added services (VAS) such as multimedia and mobile content services, as well as data transmission services including internet access. It has two brands: the Kcell brand, which is targeted primarily at corporate subscribers (including government subscribers), and the Activ brand, which is targeted primarily at mass-market subscribers. The Company offers its services through its extensive, high quality network, which covers substantially all of the territory of Kazakhstan. The Company intends to continue to invest in the deployment of its 3G/4G network to expand coverage and to introduce high quality services. Kcell aims to maintain high standards of service in the market by offering its products and services at competitive prices, expanding its offering of products and services, maintaining the quality of its network and enhancing its brand value.



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[May 25, 2021] Break Through Tech DC Announces Nonprofit Leader as Inaugural Director

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Donna White has been selected to lead the DC site of Break Through Tech , a national initiative aimed at achieving gender equality in tech. Earlier this year, Break Through Tech expanded to the DC metro area to propel more women and underrepresented groups into tech education, careers, and leadership in partnership with George Mason University and the University of Maryland, College Park . White, who started as director of Break Through Tech DC on May 25, 2021, brings more than two decades of experience leading initiatives that focus on women and girls, with a particular emphasis on introducing tech tools in classrooms to create a more engaging, inclusive, and individualized learning experience. Her skills include scaling programs, developing curricula, and nurturing talent. "Donna has successfully overseen tech education programs and built relationships with industry partners throughout the country to expand opportunities for young women in tech," said Debbie Marcus, senior director of Break Through Tech. "I am excited for her to work with the exceptional teams at both George Mason Unversity and the University of Maryland to build deep cross-university partnerships, reinforce the universities' connection to the local tech ecosystem, and inspire more women to study computing and enter tech careers."



As director, White will play a critical role in developing the growth strategy for and leading the execution of Break Through Tech programs at Mason and UMD. She will serve as public spokesperson for the DC initiative, with a focus on developing and deepening Break Through Tech's relationships with corporate and academic partners and volunteers. "Break Through Tech is a crucial step in increasing opportunities for women earning computer science degrees and their future positions as leaders," White said. "I firmly believe diversity is critical to ensuring equity in the tech field from entry-level developers to creating decision-makers as senior leadership, founders, and investors."

White comes to Break Through Tech from Black Girls CODE , a nonprofit committed to increasing the number of women of color in the digital space, where she served as regional program director. Prior to Black Girls CODE, White worked in education and youth leadership development with the AnBryce Foundation. "Intentionally creating meaningful opportunities has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of my approach in driving effective programs," White said. "I've spent my career working to ensure students from varied backgrounds have the level of accessibility that promotes change, not just checks a box. Young people who understand and know early in their education journey that they are valued and their experience is appreciated and supported seem to have better outcomes." White received an M.S. in urban studies and nonprofit administration from Georgia State University, as well as a B.A. in international studies from Emory University. About Break Through Tech

Launched at Cornell Tech, with support from Pivotal Ventures, Cognizant U.S. Foundation, and Verizon, Break Through Tech provides curriculum innovation, career access, and community building for women in tech. The program originated in 2016 as a program called Women in Technology & Entrepreneurship New York (WiTNY), created at Cornell Tech in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) and a broad set of industry partners. Now Break Through Tech is replicating the highly effective ecosystem model originated in New York City to increase women's representation in computing graduates across the United States. To date, the program is in New York City, Chicago, and the DC Metro Area. About Cornell Tech

Cornell Tech is Cornell University's groundbreaking campus for technology research and education on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Our faculty, students and industry partners work together in an ultra-collaborative environment, pushing inquiry further and developing meaningful technologies for a digital society. Founded in partnership with the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the City of New York, Cornell Tech achieves global reach and local impact, extending Cornell University's long history of leading innovation in computer science and engineering. About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, DC, Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit gmu.edu . About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students,10,000 faculty and staff, and 297 academic programs. As one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners and 58 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.1 billion operating budget and secures more than $1 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit umd.edu . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/break-through-tech-dc-announces-nonprofit-leader-as-inaugural-director-301299237.html SOURCE University of Maryland

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[May 25, 2021] Building Transparency and Financial Data Exchange Engage Trevelino/Keller to Drive Reputation and Thought Leadership Position

Trevelino/Keller, an integrated PR, marketing and creative agency, today announces new partnerships with Building Transparency and Financial Data Exchange (FDX). Building Transparency is an organization that provides free and open access data and tools that help reduce embodied carbon emissions and foster a better building future. With the White House's recent Climate Crisis focus, Building Transparency is well-positioned to provide resources and education to support the implementation and execution of low carbon procurement policy. Established in January 2020 and achieving 501(c) nonprofit status in December 2020, Building Transparency recognizes reducing embodied carbon as a significant opportunity to positively affect climate change, especially as the building and construction industry is responsible for nearly 40% of global greenhouse emissions. The organization's Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring its programs are effective, ethical and serve its mission in the public interest. This includes the management and development of Building Transparency's cornerstone tool, the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator, incubated by the Carbon Leadership Forum with input from nearly 50 building industry partners. EC3 is a free and easy-to-use tool that allows benchmarking, assessment and reductions in embodied carbon per material category. The tool and its subsequent effect on the industry is driving demand for low-carbon solutions and incentivizing construction materials manufacturers and suppliers to invest in disclosure, transparency and material innovations that reduce the carbon emissions of their products. "Global new construction creates more than 3.7 billion metrics tons of embodied carbon emissions annually, which is equal to 950 coal-fired plants," says Stacy Smedley, Executive Director of Building Transparency. "Recognizing this, it's critical that the building industry makes significant impacts in reducing embodied carbon emissions as we continue efforts to reverse global warming. At Building Transparency, we are intentional in providing free and open-access data and tools for significant change to take place. And with more than 13,000 EC3 tool users, it's clear that the industry is ready to consider embodied carbon in the fight against climate change." Launched in 2018, FDX is a nonprofit organization operating in the US and Canada dedicated to unifying the finacial industry around a common, interoperable and royalty-free standard for the secure access of user permissioned financial data, through the FDX API. FDX's international membership includes financial institutions, financial data aggregators, fintechs, payment networks, consumer advocacy and industry groups and other stakeholders in the user permissioned financial data ecosystem.



The organization exists chiefly to promote, enhance and seek broad adoption of the FDX API technical standard and is dedicated to five core principles of user permissioned data sharing: control, access, transparency, traceability and security. The board of directors includes organizations from across the financial industry and all tiers of membership participate in the development, growth and industry acceptance of the FDX API and other objectives through working groups. "FDX's common and interoperable technical standards are paving the way forward for the financial industry to rapidly shift to API-based data sharing and are evolving the very notion of open banking," said FDX Managing Director Don Cardinal. "Our latest adoption metrics show 16 million North American consumer accounts are now using FDX API for open banking and open finance data sharing, thus cementing our standards as the quickest way to deliver secure financial data sharing to the marketplace."

Trevelino/Keller brings nearly 18 years of experience in brand reputation and media strategy to each of these partnerships. Other work related to Building Transparency includes a partnership with Interface, a worldwide commercial flooring company and global leader in sustainability, and Pilot Lead Sponsor of Building Transparency. Additionally Trevelino/Keller brings fintech industry experience including work with development through an engagement with GT Software and ongoing support for Fintech South. "We are drawn to partnerships with organizations dedicated to promoting a better way forward for their industry. Building Transparency's commitment to fostering a better building future resonates deeply with Trevelino/Keller as a purpose-built agency," explains Genna Keller, Principal at Trevelino/Keller. "Similarly, FDX's commitment to providing common, industry-led technical standards is changing the financial data landscape and the overall speed to innovation. We are excited to bolster each organization's efforts." About Building Transparency Building Transparency is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides open access data and tools that support broad and swift action across the building industry in addressing embodied carbon's role in climate change. Formed in 2020, Building Transparency hosts, manages and maintains the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool, which provides thousands of digitized EPDs in a free, open-source database. Building Transparency strives to provide the resources and education necessary to promote adoption of the EC3 tool, including through the official materialsCAN program, and works with global policymakers to shape a better building future. Learn more about Building Transparency at www.buildingtransparency.org. About FDX Financial Data Exchange, LLC is a non-profit organization operating in the US and Canada that is dedicated to unifying the financial industry around a common, interoperable, royalty-free standard for secure and convenient consumer and business access to their financial data. FDX empowers users through its commitment to the development, growth, and industry-wide adoption of the FDX API, according to the principles of control, access, transparency, traceability, and security. Membership is open to financial institutions, fintech companies, financial data aggregators, consumer advocacy groups, payment networks and other industry stakeholders. FDX is an independent subsidiary of FS-ISAC. For more information and to join, visit www.financialdataexchange.org. About Trevelino/Keller Trevelino/Keller is a 360 reputation marketing firm. It helps companies differentiate themselves utilizing the most efficient digital public relations and marketing capabilities. Successful across B2B and B2C, it has a diversified base of experience in technology, healthcare, financial services, franchising, environment as well as more mainstream segments like food and beverage, retail and consumer goods. Groovy Studios, its creative brand, delivers brand identity, graphic design and web services. Headquartered in Atlanta, the firm ranks as the year's 12th fastest growing, second in Atlanta, with national rankings in nine industry segments. For more information, visit www.trevelinokeller.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005031/en/

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[May 25, 2021] CAGW Releases Issue Brief on the Folly of Government-Owned Networks

Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released a new Issue Brief, "The Folly of Government-Owned Networks," co-authored by CAGW President Tom Schatz and CAGW Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Deborah Collier, which details how government-owned broadband networks are wasteful, anti-competitive, and costly for taxpayers. Tom Schatz and Deborah Collier issued the following statement: "When the COVID-19 pandemic forced tens of millions of Americans to work, socialize, and attend school from home, the networks that support access to the internet were faced with an unprecedented challenge. The resiliency of broadband in the U.S. during the pandemic flourished compared to other countries and internet traffic grew more than projected. High broadband investments and lght-touch regulations through the private sector has given the U.S. significant leads in broadband adoption, deployment, and infrastructure. Even with all this success, there are several bills that have been enacted into law and new proposals that dramatically increase the government's "investment" in broadband. The American Jobs Plan proposes $100 billion for a single technology (fiber) with a preference for government-owned networks. This would be 14 times larger than the $7.2 billion for broadband under the Obama-Biden stimulus, which was rife with wasteful spending. And some states, like Montana and Vermont, are using some of the money they received out of the $220 billion provided in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for broadband. In Vermont, it is enough to reach all underserved communities. The use of ARPA funds for broadband, along with the tens of billions of unspent dollars from prior initiatives, would seem to mitigate or eliminate the need for any more money from the federal government to build or expand broadband in underserved or unserved areas of the country. And if that money is walled off for GONs, it could lead to some of the worst wasteful spending for any program in U.S. history. Instead, Congress needs to stay out of the way of the incredible progress that has been made in broadband service and reach and let the private sector continue their success."



CAGW is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005700/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 19:41:23|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

ISTANBUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has vaccinated 14.5 percent of its population against COVID-19 with two doses, the health ministry's data revealed on Tuesday.

Over 12 million Turkish citizens have received both doses, and 16 million people have got their first jabs since the nationwide vaccination program started in mid-January, the data showed.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged citizens on Twitter to get their jabs. Earlier, he said everyone over the age of 20 would be vaccinated in June.

With a population of 83 million, Turkey launched the program with China's Sinovac vaccine and recently included the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The daily count of COVID-19 cases has been steadily dropping after the government launched a full lockdown for nearly 20 days until May 17 to curb the spread of the virus.

The positivity rate in daily tests has dropped to 4 percent, the lowest figure in six months, according to media reports.

Turkey recorded 7,523 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the total infections to 5,194,010, and the death toll rose by 178 to 46,446, according to the health ministry. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] Controlant's Cold Chain as a Service Selected As Finalist In The Pandemic Response Category Of Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards

REYKJAVIK, Iceland and SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Controlant, the provider of cold chain logistics and supply chain monitoring and visibility solutions that is leading the digital transformation of the Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences and Food & Beverage industries, today announced its solution, Cold Chain as a Service, was acknowledged as a Finalist in the Pandemic Response category and an honorable mention in the AI & Data, Established Excellence, and General Excellence categories of Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards. The Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards honors the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving global concerns. Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 33 winners, more than 400 finalists, and more than 800 honorable mentions  with Health and Wellness, AI & Data for which Controlant received Honorable Mention, among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries. "We feel honored to have Controlant's Cold Chain as a Service acknowledged by Fast Company in the Pandemic Response, and other categories, for our team's achievements in leading the digital transformation of cold chain logistics and supply chain monitoring, that enale our customers to deliver, with integrity intact, the critical medicines, vaccines, foods and products that save and improve lives," said Gisli Herjolfsson, Co-founder and CEO of Controlant.



"There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it's important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020." About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

About Controlant

Controlant is a leader in real-time supply chain monitoring and visibility for heavily regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals & life sciences and food & beverage sectors. Using Controlant's IoT, cloud-enabled advanced analytics, API connectivity, and cost-reducing operational services, customers are achieving an annualized ROI and, in many cases, millions of dollars in savings, reducing material losses, and enhancing the reliability of their operations. Controlant is empowering Fortune 500 and world-leading enterprises, as well as their supply chain stakeholders, to achieve greater efficiency by automating their business processes and optimizing communication through technology. Contact:

Heidi Holman

Director Of Marketing

press@controlant.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/controlants-cold-chain-as-a-service-selected-as-finalist-in-the-pandemic-response-category-of-fast-companys-2021-world-changing-ideas-awards-301296974.html SOURCE Controlant

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[May 25, 2021] Corvias Foundation Awards College Scholarship to Child of Corvias Employee

Corvias Foundation, a private foundation founded by Corvias CEO John Picerne to support education opportunities for military families, today announced it awarded a college scholarship worth up to $50,000 to high school senior, Kymia Jacquelyn Collins from Laurel, Md. This scholarship program runs alongside the organization's program that provides college scholarships to children of active duty service members. This year marks the 16th class of Corvias Foundation scholarship recipients, each of whom, including Kymia, will be attending a four-year institution of their choice. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005735/en/ Corvias Foundation scholarship recipient, Kymia Jacquelyn Collins, will attend North Carolina Central University where she plans to study mass communications and journalism. (Photo: Business Wire) "This past year has been especially tumultuous, as state and institution budgets, as well as family finances, have been severely affected by the pandemic, and students are now, more than ever, in need of support," said Maria Montalvo, excutive director of Corvias Foundation. "We are grateful we can continue to provide our scholars with this aid."



The scholarships provide the recipients with dependable and recurring financial assistance for each of their four academic years. Students receive a portion of their total scholarship amount per year to pursue their higher education degrees at institutions across the country. "I am beyond ecstatic and forever appreciative to be selected to receive this scholarship," said Kymia. "In addition to the financial support, I am excited to be connected to a community of scholars and mentors that will motivate me, hold me accountable, and celebrate all that life has to offer over the next four years."

Corvias Foundation scholars also receive beyond-the-dollar support including, conference and internship opportunities, mentoring, and a dedicated network of other scholars and alumni. All of these offerings revolve around the same goal: to inspire college-bound students to reach higher. "Receiving the Corvias Foundation's scholarship has been an absolute blessing for Kymia and our family," said Kimberly Collins, Kymia's mother and Operations Director at Howard University. "As a single parent, it has greatly reduced the financial burden. The most rewarding benefits of Corvias Foundation's generosity include the sense of community and mentorship that will continue over the duration of her years at North Carolina Central University, the renewable award and expectation to maintain academic excellence, which will help push and motivate her to the finish line. It is also a mere testament of what it looks like for an organization to invest in her future, which will inspire her to give back for years to come." "Giving back to others and providing students with support to help them achieve their academic goals is all part of Corvias Foundation's mission," said Picerne. "I am grateful to have the opportunity to provide these scholarships not only to military-connected students, but to the impressive and inspirational children of Corvias employees. I look forward to welcoming Kymia into the Corvias Foundation family and following her journey." Since 2006, Corvias Foundation has awarded nearly $15 million to military children, spouses, and children of Corvias employees across 13 Army and Air Force installations. The group of students selected for this year's scholarship will be studying a wide variety of topics such as biology, computer science, and accounting, to name a few, at a number of different institutions located across the country. Scholarship Recipient Kymia Jacquelyn Collins is an ambitious senior at Laurel High School in Laurel, Maryland, as well as an accomplished young poet, public speaker, community activist, junior graphic designer and entrepreneur. After studying abroad in Anguilla, Kymia developed a passion for graphic design, videography and public speaking, which sparked her interest in her chosen field of study. She will attend North Carolina Central University, where she plans to study mass communications and journalism. About Corvias Foundation

Corvias Foundation is committed to inspiring students, college and university campuses, and military families to reach higher. Founded in 2006 as "Our Family for Families First Foundation," our work increases access to educational, internship, mentoring, and volunteer opportunities so that those we touch are empowered to pursue their dreams and to make a greater impact in service to their communities and their nation. We strive to create ever-increasing opportunities by providing the resources and networks needed to help our scholars and partners surpass their goals. We achieve this through a commitment to education, community engagement and high-impact charitable giving. To learn more, please visit: corviasfoundation.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005735/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Curative Biotechnology, Inc. Files 2021 First Quarter Financials and Issues Letter to Shareholders

Boca Raton, FL, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Curative Biotechnology, Inc. (OTC: CUBT) (Curative Biotech or the Company), a development-stage biomedical company targeting novel treatments for rare diseases, filed its Q1 quarterly report for the period ending March 31, 2021. The Q1 report can be viewed in its entirety at:

https://backend.otcmarkets.com/otcapi/company/financial-report/284975/content. Highlights of the Company's first quarter, 2021 include: Increase in Cash on Hand from $160,607 to $564,546

Reduction in debt from $528,893 to $75,373

Conversion of Series B Preferred shares to Common

Conversion of Series A Preferred shares to Common In addition, our chairman, Paul Michaels, released the following Letter to Shareholders: To Curative Biotech shareholders: In the past 15 months since we began building a clinical development enterprise, we have made great progress in assembling an experienced management team supported by a stellar Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board. I have spent four decades in biotech identifying value in promising biotech assets and attracting the attention of joint venture partners, completing transactions that influenced companies such as Celgene Corporation, Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals, Nobelpharma Co., Ltd, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Gilead. Strong Management Team Our first hire was Richard Garr as CEO & General Counsel who brings over 17 years of experience as a Director and Chief Executive Officer and President of Neuralstem Inc. (now Seneca Biopharma, Inc.) where he had the responsibility and oversight for all operations of a world leading regenerative medicine company, including worldwide business development, joint ventures, and licensing. Ronald Bordens, Ph.D., joined the management team as our Executive Vice President of Technical Operations and Manufacturing. Ron is an industry veteran scientist with over 40 years of deep experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. His pharmaceutical industry experience includes drug discovery, drug development and research technology with a focus on bioanalytical research, biomarkers, and leadership development during his 26-year career at Schering-Plough Research. Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board We have assembled a world class Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board to help oversee the development of our three first in human therapeutics. Michael Grace, Ph.D., Chairman of the SAB has over 30 years of executive and technical experience in both research and development of protein therapeutics and peptides within the biotechnology industry at Schering-Plough, Bristol Myers Squibb, NPS Pharma and Advaxis Inc. He has contributed to or personally led the development to commercial approval of nine (9) drugs by FDA and EMA including PEG-IntronTM, OrenciaTM, NulojixTM, YervoyTM, GattexTM and NatparaTM. His experience encompasses all aspects of drug development from discovery, process development, and analytical development, to quality control and regulatory affairs. Our Company recently announced the additions of Dr. Kapil Bharti and Dr. Dimiter Dimitrov to the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board. Kapil Bharti, Ph.D., from the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the lead inventor on the U.S. and Worldwide patent applications licensed exclusively to Curative Biotech to repurpose Metformin into an eye drop to treat degenerative eye diseases including both wet and dry macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and Stargardts disease. Dr. Bharti earned his Ph.D. from J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, graduating summa cum laude. He did his post-doctoral work at NIH, where he published numerous papers on pigment ell biology, transcription regulation and the developmental biology of the eye. Dr. Bharti has won a number of awards including the first Earl Stadtman Tenure Track Investigator at NEI, NIH Directors award, and NEI Directors Dr. Karl Kupfer Visionary award for his pioneering research on developing ocular cell therapies. From his seat on the Advisory Board Dr. Bharti will be able to help direct the clinical development of his invention.



Dimiter Dimitrov, Ph.D., earned his degrees at the University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria, and subsequently joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1990. He left for the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 to start the Center for Antibody Therapeutics, where he serves as director. Dr. Dimitrovs major long-term goal is the development of clinically useful therapeutics and vaccines based on human monoclonal antibodies in different formats including engineered antibody domains, chimeric antigen receptors, bispecific antibodies and antibody drug conjugates. He has authored or coauthored more than 370 articles, several books, and is the inventor or coinventor of more than 100 inventions, patent applications or patents. Dr. Dimitrov is the lead inventor on the Antibody Drug Conjugate patent exclusively licensed to Curative Biotech from the National Cancer Institute to treat glioblastoma. From his position on the Advisory Board, he will be able to help direct the clinical development of his invention. Promising Drug and Therapy Pipeline

The Company has three primary therapeutic development programs, with the first being acquired from Mid-Atlantic BioTherapeutics, Inc. (MABT) and including worldwide rights for the development of IMT504, a novel, patented immunotherapy to treat symptomatic rabies. IMT504 is being developed to treat patients whose disease has progressed beyond the stage where it can be treated by the existing approved rabies vaccines. IMT504 has been granted orphan drug designation in the US, which can provide significant benefits including tax credits, market exclusivity and waiver of certain FDA fees. Rabies is one of only a small number of diseases which qualify for the FDA Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program that is granted to sponsors of approved tropical disease product applications that meet certain criteria. This program has the potential to assist Curative Biotech and MABT in advancing IMT504 to the marketplace. The second program was acquired from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for use of a novel monoclonal antibody (mAB) drug conjugate to treat brain cancer (glioblastoma). In January 2021, we executed an Exclusive Patent License Agreement to practice inventions contained within a number of patent applications with the National Eye Institute (NEI), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the repurposed use of Metformin to treat Retinal Degeneration (RD)without the necessity of eye injections. This potential therapy holds great promise for multiple indications. With decades of safety data from the approved drug, Metformin, we may be eligible for the 505 B 2 pathway at the FDA, specifically created to accelerate development for new formulations and/or routes of administration of already approved drugs. We are working on this reformulation, and expect to file an IND with the FDA to begin human trials by the end of the year. Significantly, this License Agreement also contains worldwide rights. Launch of New Corporate Website and Corporate Name and Trading Symbol Change In support of our recent corporate name and trading symbol change, we launched a comprehensive website to support our efforts in the biotechnology industry and provide information to our shareholders, prospective patients and other stakeholders. From press releases to periodic updates through the "CEO's Blog", https://CurativeBiotech.com/news-and-media/ceos-blog we expect to be more active in shareholder updates as we progress towards clinical development of our pipeline and build upon our potential partner network. Move to Fully Reporting Status In Q1 we have retained a PCOAB audit firm, Daszkal Bolton LLP, to fulfill the regulatory requirements to file with the SEC to become a "Fully Reporting" company and expect this process to be completed in the near future. In summary, I am very pleased with the significant progress we have achieved over the past year. We have a pipeline of promising treatments in three distinct therapeutic categories--cancer, degenerative eye disease and late stage rabies. Curative Biotech has attracted the attention of significant partners: Mid-Atlantic BioTherapeutics, the National Eye Institute of the NIH, and the National Cancer Institute. We have been successful in expanding our Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board to include world renown researchers and leaders in their fields. Their involvement will be crucial in optimizing our pathway to begin clinical trials. The management team at Curative Biotech is looking forward to continuing to keep all of our stakeholders updated on a continuing basis as we progress in all of these areas. Regards, Paul Michaels

Chairman & President

Curative Biotechnology Inc.

About Curative Biotechnology, Inc. http://CurativeBiotech.com

Curative Biotechnology is a development-stage biomedical company focusing on novel treatments for rare diseases. Curative Biotech is focused on therapies with potentially accelerated development paths as a result of either the disease, the nature of the therapeutic itself, or the stage of clinical development. At the heart of the Company is a clinical product development engine that rests on our unique S.O.A.R. filter (Science, Opportunity, Acceleration, Rare Disease.) At Curative Biotech, we envision a world where all patients have a therapeutic option. 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. CUBT is not yet generating revenues. Although forward-looking statements in this release reflect the good faith judgment of management, forward-looking statements are inherently subjected to known, unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements, including but not limited our ability to generate sufficient market acceptance for our products and services, our ability to generate sufficient operating cash flow, and general economic conditions. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in our reports filed with OTC Markets from time to time which attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release. Contact:

Curative Biotechnology, Inc.

ir@curativebiotech.com

866-890-CUBT (2828)

SOURCE: Curative Biotechnology, Inc.



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[May 25, 2021] Deakin joins with Indian partners to support response to pandemic

NEW DELHI, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Deakin University has announced it will provide financial support to the unfolding COVID-19 crisis in India and encourage its community and partners to do the same. Following the Federal Government's $37.1 million Budget commitment to support the Indian response, Deakin's contribution will directly support non-governmental organisations and government hospitals by resourcing wards and Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Organisations can make donations through Tata Trusts*, one of Deakin's long-time partners, through their new initiative 'One Against COVID-19'. Funds will go to the areas most in need, specifically to aid with: Repairing/upgrading facilities

Staff training, and

Expert project management to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the health response Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said the University's relationship with India had been an integral part of its identity for more than 27 years. "Our Indian students, staff, partners and alumni are a precious part of our community and have contributed immeasurably to our University and its achievements, as well as to Australia's prosperity," Professor Martin said. We have been shocked and saddened to see the tragedy take place in India, and our thoughts are with all those affected. These funds will go to the people and public services in most need, providing immediate relief during this challenging time. We call on our many organisational partners to contribute if they can", he added



The severity of the Indian COVID-19 outbreak means hospitals urgently require additional ward and ICU beds and critical equipment to treat patients, including pathology lab, diagnostic and blood, and other storage equipment. Deputy Vice President (Global) and CEO for South Asia Operations at Deakin University, Ms Ravneet Pawha said, "that in all of these years of engagement in India, these are perhaps the toughest times we have faced and the impact of the pandemic has been overwhelming."

"Through Deakin University's longstanding presence in India, we stand committed to our undivided support, not only through this contribution, but accelerating our engagement to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic, with a strong resolve to reinvent or reimagine the potential of the local communities we serve towards realizing our best future together", she added About Deakin University Established in 1974, Deakin University successfully combines excellence in teaching, research and effective partnerships with industry and government to deliver high-quality courses and undertake research that makes a difference to the domestic and international communities it serves. Deakin's South Asia operations commenced in 1994 in New Delhi, India, making it one of the first overseas education provider to set operations in this region. Here, Deakin engages with the government, industry, and academia to share its vibrant culture of education and research. For more information on Deakin University, please visit: www.deakin.edu For more information on Tata Trusts 'One Against COVID-19': https://www.tatatrusts.org/our-work/disaster-relief-and-rehabilitation/one-against-covid *Tata Trusts complies with India's Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and does not charge any fees or commission to utilise funds: 100% of funds go to the cause. Contact

David Das, david

das@deakin.edu.au

+91 9811180725

Associate Director (South Asia), ETP Services Private Limited Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713572/Deakin_University_Logo.jpg

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[May 25, 2021]

DOE awards IACMI $1.5 million grant for innovative uses of South Appalachian Coal Resources

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has tapped the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, or IACMI  The Composites Institute, to develop and deploy new technologies for manufacturing coal-derived products using coal resources near distressed South Appalachian coal communities.

Developing technologies to produce critical minerals from coal resources in the South Appalachian Basin of TN, GA and AL

The $1.5 million grant awarded to IACMI will assist in the development of technologies to extract and produce critical minerals from both coal and coal ash in the South Appalachian Basin of east Tennessee, northwest Georgia and northern Alabama. Production of critical materials essential for clean energy projects, such as electric vehicle batteries, resilient buildings and infrastructure, can create jobs in coal and power plant communities.

The two-year Southern Appalachian initiative is part of 13 projects totaling $19 million recently announced by DOE in traditionally fossil fuel-producing communities across the country to support production of rare earth elements and critical minerals vital to the manufacturing of batteries, magnets, and other components important to the clean energy economy. Facing persistent shortages in domestic supply, the U.S. has been forced to rely on imported materials, leaving clean energy technology production at greater risk of disruption.

"This IACMI project will assess the Southern Appalachian Basin's coal resources and identify strategies for developing technologies to cost-effectively produce valuable non-fuel, carbon-based products from coal resources," said John Hopkins, IACMI Chief Executive Officer. "Project success in the South Appalachian Basin could revitalize distressed South Appalachian coal communities, reduce reliance on foreign imports, and create good-paying advanced manufacturing jobs producing coal-derived products."

Hopkins said rare earth elements are present in varying degrees in some coal waste. These elements have potential product applications in the automobile industry, particularly in the emergence of electric vehicle manufacturing. The southeast is home to a strong base of automotive manufacturers and suppliers who are transitionin assembly plants to electric transportation. Vehicle electrification is anticipated to drive unprecedented growth in the demand for carbon fibers and critical materials, both of which can be potentially made from coal at a lower cost than conventional materials.







Coal-derived products can also be factored into the development of a more resilient infrastructure that can withstand natural events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods that frequently occur in the Southeastern United States.

IACMI's diverse and experienced member network, including founding members and core innovation partners the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), positions the Institute to lead critical project components accounting for economics analysis, market demand, technology, supply chains, infrastructure, workforce and national security.

Initial product priorities include methods to extract critical materials from the region's high volume of coal ash, as well as carbon fibers and graphite made from coal. The project is guided by Charles Sims, Director of the Energy and Environment program at UT's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and associate professor in the Department of Economics in UT's Haslam College of Business.

For this project, IACMI will leverage a consortium network, including UT, ORNL, Southern Company, State Geological Surveys of Alabama and Tennessee, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Roane State Community College, and several other stakeholders that are informally supporting the project.

About IACMI  The Composites Institute

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation's energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI's partners. Learn more at IACMI.org. Follow @IACMIhq on Twitter, or LinkedIn, or @IACMI on Facebook.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/doe-awards-iacmi-1-5-million-grant-for-innovative-uses-of-south-appalachian-coal-resources-301298655.html

SOURCE IACMI - The Composites Institute
[May 25, 2021] Dura Software Acquires Workforce Optimization Software Company DVSAnalytics, Inc.

SAN ANTONIO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dura Software, specialists in acquiring and operating hyperniche software products, announced the acquisition of DVSAnalytics, Inc., an industry leader in developing workforce optimization (WFO) solutions designed for contact centers. The acquisition moves Dura Software into the contact center space of the telecommunications industry, heightened by the work-from-home movement of the past year. "Dura is thrilled to add DVSAnalytics to our operating group of software products. We believe our business model will enable the DVSAnalytics team to accelerate the development and growth of its workforce optimization platform," says Paul Salisbury, CEO of Dura Software. "Their highly reliable solution and strong reputation for delivering great customer outcomes across multiple industries gives us the confidence that DVSAnalytics can not only win in its category, but it can become a market leader," says Salisbury. Since 1983, DVSAnalytics WFO solutions provide essential tools to contact centers, including interaction recording, interaction data and analytics, speech analytics, performance management, agent engagement, and workforce management. With this acquisition, Dura Software looks forward to supporting DVSAnalytics as it continues to build strategic partner relationships and serve customers spanning across all industries, including Financ, Banking, Healthcare, Higher Education, Government, and more.



Positioned to lead the Company in evolving the product, expanding the customer base, and furthering partner relationships, Chris Williams has been named the CEO of DVSAnalytics. With over 25 years of experience, Williams is a veteran of the telecommunications industry, primarily focused on Customer Experience and Unified Communications solutions. "DVSAnalytics has a proven record of developing workforce optimization solutions that improve the performance of contact centers and advance the customer experience," says Williams. "With the support of Dura, I look forward to leading the initiative to accelerate growth and build on DVSAnalytics' long tradition of providing exceptional products and support to customers and partners."

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, DVSAnalytics, Inc. will move its headquarters to San Antonio, while all employees will remain in their current locations. To learn more about Dura Software and its portfolio of companies, visit https://www.dura.software. About Dura Software Dura Software is an expert in acquiring, owning and operating "Hyper-Niche" software businesses. Over the coming years, Dura will continue to expand by acquiring additional great businesses and by generating sustained profitable growth from business operations. Dura Software operates out of downtown San Antonio and currently owns 6Connex, Moki, NordicIT, Lane Technology Solutions and Vertex Systems. Media Contact:

Paul Salisbury

Dura Software

(210) 201-2053

paul@dura.software Related Images dura-software.png

Dura Software

Dura is an entirely new type of software company that acquires and operates Hyper-Niche software product businesses with the intent to never sell them. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dura-software-acquires-workforce-optimization-software-company-dvsanalytics-inc-301298231.html SOURCE Dura Software

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[May 25, 2021] Dynatos expands operations in the Nordics with the acquisition of ENTIQ AS

UTRECHT, The Netherlands, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynatos, a leading strategic partner for optimizing and automating financial business processes, strengthens its position in the Nordics with the acquisition of ENTIQ AS. The Norwegian company will continue as Dynatos AS and will be part of the Dynatos Nordics region, next to the existing subsidiary in Denmark. "With a new subsidiary in Norway we can serve our customers in the Nordics better, and it enables us to market our broader solution portfolio," said Gert-Jan de Vries, CEO of Dynatos. "Through the acquisition of ENTIQ AS, we serve over 350 customers and partners in the Nordics in total . We notice that the Nordics region is a frontrunner in digital transformation, our customers and partners are looking for the next step in financial process automation and have a high adoption of cloud solutions". "ENTIQ has a strong customerportfolio of both local and international companies. Just like in our other regions these customers are using financial process automation solutions consisting of Kofax and ReadSoft technology. In our other regions our customers are using integrated solutions inside SAP for Purchase-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash automation. We believe this is a value add for the ENTIQ customers and the Norwegian market, as many of the SAP users might not get the most out of their SAP system. Also, we see a strong demand for enhancing the existing solutions with solutions such as sourcing, procurement and e-invoicing. With this demand and automation potential, we truly believe the Nordic market is a perfect fit with the Dynatos solution portfolio and expertise, Gert-Jan de Vries continuous." "Making use of the team and expertise of Dynatos, we can support the Norwegian customers and the Norwegian market with a broader, state-of-the-art solution and software offering. We have strategic partnerships with market-leading financial automation software providers such as Coupa Software, the leading Business Spend Management platform fo Source-to-Pay and Procurement processes. We are a platinum reseller and Master VAR for Kofax in Europe, where we combine Kofax technology with our own software, Routty, for electronic invoicing and processing in order to drive digital transformation. We have a complete portfolio for financial process automation and related services, with a strong focus on SAP. Besides automation, we focus on financial process optimization, through our partner agreement with Minit for process mining. We have developed plug and mine packages that are compatible with Kofax solutions for SAP. It enables us not only to automate processes but also to discover optimization potential."



The Dynatos Norway team will led by Vlad Alexandru Stoian, working for years within the software industry, previous for Basware and Kofax. The Norwegian team has over 25 years of experience with the implementation of financial process solutions and SAP. "We strive for the best expertise in financial automation and are excited to onboard the Norwegian team," said Gert-Jan de Vries. Vlad Alexandru Stoian, VP Operations Norway, says, "I look forward working with the Dynatos team and expanding our operations further within the market. We strive to make our customers achieve their targets by working smarter and efficiently through digitalization and competence. Together with the expertise of Dynatos, we can serve a complete portfolio of financial automation solutions and services which enables us to be a true strategic partner," Vlad Alexandru continuous. "Together with the other Dynatos experts in the Nordics, we have the experience and knowledge to create value within financial process automation and to serve the complete Nordic region."

Jesper Tinggaard Rasmussen, VP Operations Nordics, added, "Together with the team from Norway, we have a great asset in the Nordic market. We notice a growing demand for financial process automation, and we have a lot of International customers and partners in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. With the acquisition of ENTIQ, we incorporate lots of additional knowledge in our software offering and industry." "With the start of Dynatos Norway, we are delighted by the continuous growth of Dynatos in EMEA and the Nordics. We look forward to growing the current operations in the region and expanding our National and International footprint of value-adding automation services together with our customers and our valued partners," Gert-Jan de Vries closed. Dynatos is a leading expert in optimizing and automating financial processes. With over 700 international customers and offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Norway, and Denmark, Dynatos helps customers streamline all aspects of the financial department, making repetitive tasks obsolete giving employees more time to work on value-adding activities. With Dynatos' solutions and approach, it aims for a long-term partnership as a trusted advisor. Dynatos is a rapidly growing worldwide certified solution provider for Financial Process Automation solutions. For more information, please visit www.dynatos.com and www.dynatos.no. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dynatos-expands-operations-in-the-nordics-with-the-acquisition-of-entiq-as-301298835.html SOURCE Dynatos

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[May 25, 2021] Esri Publishes Children's Book Introducing Site Selection to Youth Audience

Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, today announced the publication of The Playground Problem. Finding their favorite playground closed forever, what are David and Emma to do? With the help of their neighbor, Kayla, and her dog, Blazer, they set out to solve this problem. Thinking spatially, they apply introductory mapping and basic spatial analysis to solve several puzzles and narrow the best place for siting a new playground. In the end, after experiencing a number of challenges, they partner with others in their community to present their proposal to the town council. Large, brightly illustrated pages laid out in comic-book style invite readers into the story. In-book activities make them part of this group of problem solvers. Appropriate for grades 1 through 5, The Playground Problem teaches basic mapping, distance, direction, spatial pattern analysis, and overlay skills. The Playground Problem is available in print (ISBN: 9781589485686, 40 pages, US$14.99). Both editions can be obtained from most online retailers worldwide. The print edition is also available for purchase at esri.com/esripress or by calling 1-800-447-9778. If outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.



About Esri Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com.

Copyright  2021 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, The Science of Where, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products or services mentioned herein may be trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of their respective mark owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005812/en/

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[May 25, 2021] The First Luxury NFT wallpaper by Labodet features rare Niloticus crocodile leather and 68 grams of 18k gold.

PARIS, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ -- Labodet, a luxury accessories brand for tech, reveals its Non-Fungible Token (NFT)  the first of its kind luxury mobile phone wallpaper. The original physical item for the wallpaper was handcrafted by an expert artisan from rare exotic two-toned Niloticus crocodile leather and decorated with a hand-polished, satin-brush finished, numbered 68 grams 18k gold plaque. The NFT is a high-resolution photograph taken at a studio in Paris. It showcases the full beauty of genuine fine materials. Watch the creation: https://youtu.be/XXOk5K64l_g . Labodet drew inspiration for the NFT wallpaper from its handcrafted leather tech accessories. The NFT we created is characterized by three factors: traditions of fine French craftsmanship, usability on any mobile device, and the emergence of NFT as a way to sell digital assets. The wallpaper makes any standard mobile device, new, old, or even vintage, into a luxury accessory that can be showcased in real life. This luxury NFT wallpaper links material luxury goods to the new class of lxury goods  non-fungible digital accessories.



The wallpaper will be available for an auction as a one-off piece at opensea.io from 24 May till 3 June 2021. An exclusive unlockable version of the wallpaper will be available to the winning bidder. This version contains an extra visual component to amplify the status of the asset owner. The highest bidder receives a download link for the set of .jpeg files, compatible with any smartphone model or tablet. To learn more about the release, visit www.labodet.com/labodet001 and follow Labodet on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

This release is the first edition from an upcoming Labodet luxury NFT accessories collection. More luxury NFT accessories for a variety of devices will be released in the forthcoming months, including collaborations with renowned jewelers and craftsmen. Press images are available at the link . About Labodet Labodet is a Parisian luxury brand. While the production atelier is located in Paris, France, the company's innovations and digital concepts stem from the office in Silicon Valley, California. This geographical diversity is reflected in the brand's vision to create premium high-quality items for the modern tech-savvy world. Labodet's portfolio includes physical luxury accessories for Apple devices, small leather goods, and non-fungible digital accessories, which are first physically crafted and then turned into NFTs. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-first-luxury-nft-wallpaper-by-labodet-features-rare-niloticus-crocodile-leather-and-68-grams-of-18k-gold-301298015.html SOURCE Labodet, LLC

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[May 25, 2021] Fort Hunter Liggett Partners with Ameresco to Install Resilient, Secure and Sustainable Microgrid Project

Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced the upcoming groundbreaking of its electrical distribution microgrid at Fort Hunter Liggett. To support USAG Fort Hunter Liggett's goals to achieve Net Zero Energy, while also attaining U.S. Army Directives to achieve Critical Mission Resiliency, the $21.6 million project will include the design and installation of a secure, islandable and autonomous microgrid with controls and interconnection for new and existing generation and storage systems at the 165,000-acre U.S. Army Reserve training center. Construction groundbreaking of the project marks a significant step forward for the Army base and works toward its goal of reaching net-zero energy use by 2022. The new microgrid system will improve energy security for Fort Liggett by separating it from more vulnerable external systems in the event of a loss of utility grid power. It will also enable the base to only deploy as much energy as is needed thanks to the addition of the system's 3.75MW photovoltaic generation, 5MWh batteries, and Microgrid Control System. Ameresco will upgrade the existing customer distribution system that includes automating medium voltage switches, so Fort Hunter Liggett's facility managers can easily and efficiently control energy intake at various buildings at the facility. "Working with the team at Fort Hunter Liggett has been an immensely rewarding experience as the improvements implemented at their base set a precedent for future green resiliency enhancements at Federal Army bases across the country," said Nicole Bulgarino, executive vice president of Federal Solutions at Ameresco. "We're eager to continue building on this success by utilizing the most current energy technologies available and creating a cleaner and sustainable future." The start of the microgrid project "is the culmination of more than a deade of projects, development and planning," said Col. Charles Bell, FHL Garrison Commander. "The idea began here, and was not tasked to us from higher up. It shows how forward-thinking our team is to generate DoD-wide projects at the grassroots level. It is a huge win."



The installation is recognized as a leader in its energy, waste, and water resiliency and sustainability programs, and has won several Army awards. In the past decade, FHL has eliminated the need for fuel oil, reduced energy consumption intensity by 63 percent, severely reduced propane use, and has incorporated ground source heat pumps. This was accomplished by replacing inefficient boilers, furnaces, and lighting, replacing them with modern high-efficiency equipment. The groundbreaking event will take place on Thursday, May 27th, at 10 a.m. local time. The event will be live-streamed on the FHL Facebook (News - Alert) page: https://www.facebook.com/FortHunterLiggett.

About Ameresco, Inc. Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions delivered to clients throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Ameresco's sustainability services in support of clients' pursuit of Net Zero include upgrades to a facility's energy infrastructure and the development, construction, and operation of distributed energy resources. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com. About Fort Hunter Liggett Fort Hunter Liggett is recognized as the military's premier Total Force Training Center. Along with its sub-installation Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, it offers excellent training opportunities to all U.S. military components and those of allied nations. At 165,000 acres, Fort Hunter Liggett is the U.S. Army Reserve's largest training installation, and it is well suited to large-scale joint exercises. The announcement of a customer's entry into a project contract is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue from such contract, of the company's overall revenue for any particular period or of trends in the company's overall total project backlog. This project was included in our previously reported contracted backlog as of March 31, 2021. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005551/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 19:48:24|Editor: huaxia

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Hu Yan (L), Co-Founder and Managing Director of Moringa Technology Industry, is seen with Nnaniki Makwinja, Assistant Minister of Basic Education and Member of Parliament for the Lentsweletau-Mmopane Constituency, at his new moringa farm in Mmakanke Village, Kweneng District, Botswana, on April 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Sharon Tshipa)

A Chinese moringa farmer and manufacturer of moringa products is promoting moringa farming in Botswana. His efforts to ensure that about 500,000 trees are planted within the Greater Gaborone Area have attracted both the young and old from across the country.

GABORONE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The morning was wet, cold, and misty. The light drizzle that had Hu Yan's windscreen wipers frantic promised a full day of rain, and yet, the seemingly unfavourable weather conditions on the last day of April did not deter farmers from congregating at the Mmakanke Village kgotla.

Addressing the gathering, Hu, the Chinese moringa farmer and manufacturer of moringa products delivered the good news he had already shared in two other villages within the Lentsweletau-Mmopane Constituency a week earlier.

While he spoke, the crowd was profoundly curious and attentive.

Diligently, he briefed them on the limited availability of moringa tree yields such as the leaves and pods that he needs to produce moringa oil, nuts, noodles, powder, tea, pills, pasta and instant porridge, a few products that he has already stocked up by various shops and pharmacies locally.

"I want farmers to start planting moringa trees so they can supply our manufacturing company," said Hu Yan, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Moringa Technology Industry, adding with the help of the Botswana Investment and Trade Center, he hopes the company can start exporting moringa products to Europe and the U.S. by August this year.

To meet the international demand, Hu needs at least 50 tonnes of moringa to start, hence he has been training local farmers on growing moringa trees and giving them seeds to get started.

Moringa products are showcased at a moringa farmers' gathering in Mmakanke Village, Kweneng District, Botswana, on April 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Sharon Tshipa)

His efforts to ensure that about 500,000 trees are planted within the Greater Gaborone Area have since attracted both the young and old from across the country.

"I have always been interested in farming and manufacturing in general, but I wanted a product that has not saturated the market and can give me good money. My research led me to Hu's moringa factory," said the 32-year-old Bonno Kgengwenyane who has a farm in Borolong Village and wants to start farming immediately.

In order to get started, he joined the growing moringa movement, and travelled to Mmakanke Village so he can consult with Hu.

With this opportunity, he believes his dreams can finally be realized.

While Kgengwenyane is looking into commencing, other farmers like Baganetsi Mmolawa, the Vice President of the Botswana Organic and Natural Foods Association, have already planted the trees and look forward to selling the harvest to the Moringa Technology Industry.

"What attracted me to this plant is that it is planted organically, and I was looking for moringa product manufacturers when I found Mr Hu," said Mmolawa, who has since become one of the leading voices of the Moringa Association of Botswana, which was officially registered on May 18, 2021.

Among other objectives, the Moringa association will promote the development of the moringa industry by engaging with the government and other relevant authorities and institutions on matters that affect the moringa industry, while facilitating the development, capacity and training of members and other stakeholders.

Hu Yan (R, Front), Co-Founder and Managing Director of Moringa Technology Industry, puts moringa oil on a villager's hands during a briefing in Mmakanke Village, Kweneng District, Botswana, on April 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Sharon Tshipa)

What pulls farmers to moringa is the fact that the plant requires little water to thrive and requires little security and attention, making it an ideal plant as the semi-arid Botswana has been battling recurring climate change incensed droughts, heat waves and rising temperatures for over a decade.

The droughts that worsened human and wildlife conflicts also resulted in livestock and crop losses, leaving traditional farmers destitute. Consequently, farmers abandoned or resorted to selling their farms.

"We know times are hard, but don't sell your land. You will not benefit anything in the long run. That kind of money does not last," said Nnaniki Makwinja, Assistant Minister of Basic Education and Member of Parliament for the Lentsweletau-Mmopane Constituency wherein Mmakanke Village is located.

Rather than selling, Makwinja encouraged the congregated farmers to consider growing moringa trees in their farms.

"Moringa is one of the three projects we have since chosen in the socio-economic development of our cluster of villages. It is a project you can undertake and benefit from quickly," she said.

"It has the potential to improve your lives greatly," she said, adding that farmers should consider moringa as their green "diamond." 
[May 25, 2021] Global Financial Leader Mamta Patel Joins Delos as Chief Financial Officer

Delos, a wellness real estate and technology firm, has announced that global financial leader Mamta Patel has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Mamta brings more than 20 years of experience in accretive audit, controllership and chief financial officer capacities, with a proven track record of successfully leading, building and scaling financial organizations and developing financial strategies to help companies drive transformation. As CFO, she will lead Delos' finance and accounting teams, with a focus on further scaling the company's systems, controls and reporting. "I'm pleased to welcome Mamta to Delos as we continue to expand globally and execute our growth strategy," said Paul Scialla, founder and CEO of Delos and founder of the International WELL Building Institute. "Her unique combination of financial expertise, operational orientation and commercial acumen will be invaluable assets as we build upon our global leadership position in improving health and well-being in the built environment." After graduating from the University of Southern California, Mamta joined PwC, gaining private and public accounting and audit foundations in addition to becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). After leaving PwC in 2004, she joined General Electric (GE), erving for many years in progressively senior Controller roles, including as a Global Business Controller. She was elevated to CFO for GE's Water & Distributed Power business segment in 2016, and then joined Suez Water Technologies & Solutions as its CFO following GE's sale of its water business segment. Mamta returned to GE in 2019 and most recently served as CFO of Corporate Operations.



"I am excited to join Delos and be part of a company that is transforming how we think about health, well-being and safety in the spaces where we spend our time," said Mamta Patel. "Delos is an impressive organization with compelling growth opportunities, and I look forward to partnering with the leadership team to deliver strong operational and financial performance." About Delos

Delos is a wellness real estate and technology company guided by the mission to be the world's leading catalyst for improving the health and well-being of people around the world by improving the indoor environments where they live, work, sleep and play. Informed by more than seven years of research and rigorous analysis of environmental health impacts on people, Delos and its subsidiaries offer an array of evidence-based technology and solutions for residential, commercial and hospitality spaces. Delos is the founder of the WELL Building Standard, the premier standard for buildings, interior spaces and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure features that support and advance human health and wellness. Its subsidiary, the International WELL Building Institute, administers and continues WELL's development and drives market adoption. Delos' advisory board is comprised of leading professionals across real estate, government policy, medicine and sustainability. For more information about Delos, please visit www.delos.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005610/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Graf Acquisition Corp. IV Announces Closing of $150 Million Initial Public Offering

Graf Acquisition Corp. IV (NYSE: GFOR) (the "Company") today announced that it closed its initial public offering of 15,000,000 units. The offering was priced at $10.00 per unit, resulting in gross proceeds of $150,000,000. The units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") and commenced trading under the ticker symbol "GFOR.U" on May 21, 2021. Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one-fifth of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. Only whole warrants will be exercisable. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the shares of common stock and warrants are expected to be listed on the NYSE under the symbols "GFOR" and "GFOR WS," respectively. Led by James Graf, Gus Garcia, Lewis Silberman, Anantha Ramamurti, Anthony Kuznik and Sabrina McKee, the Company expects to focus on all industries that meet its business combination criteria and that leverages the management team's relationships, experience and insight, including without limitation, targets in industries such as mobility, technology, transportation, new energy, software, infrastructure, consumer, defense and cybersecurity, business and real estate services, financial and data services, healthcare, diversified industrial manufacturing, technology, distribution and services, as well as companies that help to address evolving environmental, social and governance ("ESG") related issues. J.P. Morgan and Oppenheimer & Co. acted as book-running managers for the offering. The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day optio to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any.



Of the proceeds received from the consummation of the initial public offering and a simultaneous private placement of warrants, $150,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit sold in the public offering) was placed in trust. An audited balance sheet of the Company as of May 25, 2021 reflecting receipt of the proceeds upon consummation of the initial public offering and the private placement will be included as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) "). The offering was made only by means of a prospectus. copies of the prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained from J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attn: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (telephone: 1-866-803-9204), or by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Attn: Syndicate Prospectus Department, 85 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004, or by calling (212) 667-8055, or by emailing EquityProspectus@opco.com.

A registration statement relating to these securities was declared effective by the SEC on May 20, 2021. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, 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. Forward Looking-Statements This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with respect to the initial public offering and search for an initial business combination. No assurance can be given that the proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration statement and prospectus for the initial public offering filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005908/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Insurors Indemnity Companies Chooses OWIT Global's Solutions to Provide Excellent Customer Experience to their MGAs and Agents

OWIT Global (OWIT), a provider of insurance-specific microservices architected solutions for the global insurance industry, is pleased to announce Insurors Indemnity Companies (Insurors), a provider of property & casualty insurance and surety bonding, is working with OWIT to automate its manually-intensive MGA bordereaux consumption. Insurors will begin by leveraging OWIT's Bordereaux Management Solution to consume data from its legacy policy administration systems and translate the data for its reporting and GL system. Next, Insurors will engage with OWIT's new offering, BDX-Central, the industry exchange for bordereaux management, to consume, cleanse, transform and load incoming MGA and TPA bordereaux data to its back-end systems, including Applied's EPIC Premier. OWIT will be working with Insurors' current MGAs, to connect them to BDX-Central with the option to leverage the solution for other carrier relationships, current and future. Insurors and its MGAs will leverage OWIT's no-code environment to manage its data files without vendor dependency. "We have been managing the bordereaux data manually for some time, taking in data, reviewing it, and entering it into our GL and various databases for review. After spending time with the OWIT team to understand the offering and the no-code, qick-to-market opportunity, we were excited to get the project going," said Dave Talbert, president, and CEO of Insurors. "We love how OWIT's insurance-specific microservices projects are done in stages that extend our legacy systems."



OWIT's microservices solutions, include bordereaux management, rules, rating, portal configuration, point-of-sale, document generation, and in the future, transactional services. The solutions can be leveraged by insurance companies, MGAs, and MGUs as a full replacement for legacy core administration solutions or implemented in stages to improve automation. In addition, OWIT's reusable microservices minimize the development and IT-maintenance costs common to insurance organizations who can't engage with customers in new digital ecosystems due to the pain, which typically accompanies an enterprise rip-and-replace initiative. "We took the time needed with Insurors to ensure both teams were comfortable with the approach," said OWIT's Wendy Aarons-Corman, CEO and president of North America. "Insurors was a perfect fit, taking the projects in stages for the small wins. Our insurance-specific offerings help both carriers and MGA/MGUs fill the gaps around their existing system investments. And, we continue to tout our years of insurance expertise that will help Insurors with checks and balances on product roll-out and best practices."

About OWIT GLOBAL OWIT Global (OWIT) is an insurance technology company specializing in solutions built on a unique suite of reusable insurance-specific microservices. OWIT's solutions include Bordereaux and Binder Management, Business to Business/Consumer Portals, User and Point of Sale Portals, Rating, Document-lite Generation, Insurance Data Transformation (News - Alert) , and Policy Administration. Each OWIT solution is built on a collection of microservices that allow for unprecedented reusability to deliver an array of additional solutions to solve pressing pain points for both immediate and longer-term business benefits. OWIT's solutions can be deployed standalone or integrated with a Broker's, Carrier's, or MGA's existing environment to maximize investments. To see the power and flexibility of the OWIT catalog of cloud-based microservices, visit www.owitglobal.com. About INSURORS INDEMNITY INSURANCE Based in Waco, Texas, Insurors Indemnity Companies is a regional insurance group contracted with over 350 independent agents who market the groups A- A.M. Best rated Property & Casualty and Surety products in Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. In addition to the commercial and residential products Insurors writes, the group markets additional insurance products through its general agency, Insurors Indemnity Underwriters and premium financing is offered through its subsidiary - Roadrunner Premium Finance Company. The companies focus on commonsense underwriting coupled with fast and friendly service which underpins its approach to offering innovative and competitively priced insurance products. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005161/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Intermedia Named to Inc. Magazine's Annual List of Best Workplaces for 2021

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Intermedia Cloud Communications, a leading provider of cloud communications and collaboration solutions to businesses and the partners that serve them, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual list of the Best Workplaces for 2021. Published in the May/June 2021 issue, 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. Intermedia was selected as one of this year's Best Workplaces after collecting data from thousands of submissions. Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, on topics including management effectiveness, perks, and fostering employee growth. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine the company's overall score and ranking. "We have a great team of talented, hard-working, and passionate individuals, and we prioritize providing a supportive, inclusive, collaborative, and fulfilling culture that people want to be a part of," said Michael Gold, CEO of Intermedia. "This recognition from Inc. magazine validates all of the hard work we have done, and continue to do every day, to keep our employees engaged and fulfilled, and we are very honored to join this impressive list of organizations." "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 year's list is even more important as it reveals organizations that continue to enrich the lives of its employees amid a pandemic." About Intermedia Cloud Communications, Inc. Intermedia is the cloud communications company that helps over 12,000 businesses connect better  through voice, video conferencing, chat, contact center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security, archiving, and more  from wherever, whenever. We strive to eliminate the need for multiple communications service providers with a seamlessly integrated portfolio of communications and collaboration solutions  all delivered through one highly reliable and secure platform. With month-to-month contract options, one monthly bill, one intuitive point of administrative control, and five-years running J.D. Power-certified 24/7 technical support, Intermedia is committed to providing enterprise-grade products to businesses of all sizes through a simple, Worry-Free Experience.



As a partner-first company, Intermedia goes to work for over 7,000 channel partners by providing a comprehensive set of programs, resources, and support to help them grow their revenue and maximize their success. Programs include our Customer Ownership Reseller (CORE) model  which enables partners to resell, package and manage Intermedia's solutions as if they were their own, while benefiting from highly attractive economic terms and maintaining ownership of their customer relationships  as well as agent models. Intermedia is also proud to be the exclusive cloud communications platform provider for NEC, a leader in global market share for unified communications with an estimated 80+ million business phone users worldwide. For more information about Intermedia, visit www.intermedia.com.

Contact:

Darcy Mekis

Intermedia

650.946.1998

PR@intermedia.com Tammy Olson

Hotwire for Intermedia

619.308.5222

IntermediaUS@hotwireglobal.com About Inc. Media The world's 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 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. J.D. Power 2020 Certified Assisted Technical Program, developed in conjunction with TSIA. Based on successful completion of an audit and exceeding a customer satisfaction benchmark for assisted support operations. For more information, visit www.jdpower.com or www.tsia.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intermedia-named-to-inc-magazines-annual-list-of-best-workplaces-for-2021-301298600.html SOURCE Intermedia

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[May 25, 2021] Iodine Software Acquires Physician Engagement Platform Artifact Health

AUSTIN, Texas, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Iodine Software, a leading healthcare AI company, today announced it has acquired physician engagement platform company Artifact Health. The acquisition brings together two industry leaders and expands Iodine's clinical predictions and insights platform beyond clinical documentation improvement (CDI) teams to directly engage physicians through Artifact's HIPAA-compliant mobile platform. Iodine experienced rapid growth over the last decade by applying its CognitiveML Engine to solve mid-revenue cycle leakage  a problem that costs healthcare systems billions in lost revenue due to resource-intensive, highly manual clinical documentation workflows. More than 500 hospitals and health systems using Iodine report significant improvements to quality scores and increase earned-revenue capture. Today's acquisition announcement signals Iodine's commitment to expand its machine-learning technology to broader healthcare workflows. Artifact Health is a pioneer of physician-centric CDI and coding workflow solutions. In 2016, Artifact collaborated with Johns Hopkins Medicine to help develop a cloud-based mobile platform that makes it faster and easier for healthcare providers to respond securely and compliantly to questions about patient documentation. Artifact seamlessly integrates with core healthcare systems, including all major electronic health record systems, to ease administrative burdens on healthcare providers and give them back valuable time for patient care. Artifact's mobile platform is currently deployed to more than 80,000 healthcare providers at more than 200 hospitals. "Artifact allows us to immediately improve the documentation experience for physicians," said William Chan, CEO and co-founer of Iodine Software. "The acquisition also allows us to realize our vision of delivering a broader set of our machine-learning predictions directly to physicians."



Iodine selected Artifact for its flexible technology, mobile delivery and seamless EHR workflow integration, which produce demonstrably better physician satisfaction and engagement. By adding Artifact's mobile-based platform to Iodine, healthcare organizations can now automate physician queries and other administrative tasks that require more complex clinical judgment while delivering them directly to physicians' mobile devices. Together, Iodine and Artifact deliver a powerful mid-revenue cycle solution that improves documentation integrity and ensures proper reimbursement so healthcare systems maintain long-term financial resiliency. "Over the past seven years, Artifact Health has built a solid reputation for streamlining and standardizing the physician query process with efficient, convenient and easy-to-use technology that physicians find enjoyable to use," said Marisa MacClary, CEO and co-founder of Artifact Health. "Iodine and Artifact share the same mission to design innovative healthcare technologies that improve patient care by reducing administrative burden. We are thrilled to join an outstanding company with superior technology and an amazing team."

The full Artifact team will join Iodine immediately. Moving forward, the combined Iodine-Artifact team will continue delivering innovative machine-learning predictions that engage caregivers at their convenience. Ultimately, the combined companies will help healthcare organizations achieve their desired financial, operational, and quality outcomes. Artifact CEO Marisa MacClary will join Iodine as Executive Vice President, Artifact, and will lead the Artifact platform. About Iodine Software

Iodine Software is a healthcare AI company that has pioneered a new machine learning approach  Cognitive Emulation  to help healthcare finance leaders build resilient organizations. Founded in 2010, Iodine's technology unifies clinical concepts, evidence-based medicine, and deep machine learning to power revenue cycle solutions that maximize revenue capture and data accuracy. To date, the Iodine AwareCDI Suite has helped more than 500 hospitals recognize $1.5 billion in additional appropriate reimbursement annually. To learn more, visit iodinesoftware.com. About Artifact Health

Artifact Health provides the first mobile platform that streamlines the physician query process so hospitals can improve the quality of patient records and ensure full reimbursement for services. Already in use by thousands of physicians, Artifact simplifies a traditionally time-consuming, multi-step process, allowing physicians to respond to queries anytime, anywhere in seconds. By shortening average physician response time to queries by 20x, Artifact helps CDI specialists and coders receive more accurate responses faster, which can translate into millions of dollars in revenue for hospitals. Visit www.artifacthealth.com to learn more. Press Inquiries: e-mail info@iodinesoftware.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iodine-software-acquires-physician-engagement-platform-artifact-health-301298525.html SOURCE Iodine Software

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[May 25, 2021] It's Time to Celebrate the Students! Nevada Virtual Academy Class of 2021 Never Stopped Moving Forward

After a school year like no other, Nevada Virtual Academy (NVVA), an online public school serving 6-12 students throughout the state since 2007, will celebrate its graduates with a drive-thru commencement ceremony. The drive-thru ceremonies will be Thursday, May 27th and Friday, May 28th. In this age of COVID, the school will schedule individual time slots for students to be recognized by staff in-person. There is no requirement or obligation to attend. "While other schools may have struggled with online learning throughout the year, NVVA never missed a day of instruction, which kept our students motivated, excited, and moving forward," said NVAA Head of School Dr. Yolanda Hamilton. "Their achievements deserve to be widely celebrated, and we're happy to provide a range of solutions to help all our NVVA families." This year, NVVA will graduate 221 students. Collectively, the graduating class reports it has been accepted to colleges and universities across Nevada and beyond, including University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Nevada, Reno: College of Southern Nevada; and Arizona State Universty.



Prior to the pandemic, students enrolled in virtual school for a number of reasons-some were looking to escape bullying, some may have fallen academically off track, and others were looking for an alternative to the traditional classroom setting. NVVA students access a robust online curriculum in the core subjects and a host of electives and attend live virtual classes taught by state-certified teachers.

NVVA are inviting all families and friends worldwide to join the celebration. Details of the graduation ceremonies are as follows: WHEN: Graduation Ceremony - Thursday, May 27th and Friday, May 28th, 2021 CONTACT: For any questions about the celebrations, please contact Janine Calhoun at 702-407-1825. For media inquiries, please contact Ken Schwartz at kschwartz@k12.com. About Nevada Virtual Academy Nevada Virtual Academy (NVVA) is an accredited, full-time online public charter school authorized by the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority that serves students in grades 6 through 12. As part of the Nevada public school system, NVVA 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. For more information about NVVA, visit nvva.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005002/en/

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[May 25, 2021] IVF Life the first clinic group in Europe to use Artificial Intelligence to non-invasively assess the genetic integrity of embryos

ADELAIDE, Australia, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IVF Life Group, a leading group of IVF clinics across Spain, UK, and Germany, will be among the first in Europe to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to non-invasively assess embryos to determine their genetic integrity. The AI product Life Whisperer, developed by global healthcare company Presagen, uses images of embryos to assess their quality to assist with embryo selection, and ultimately improve IVF outcomes for patients. Currently, PGT-A genetic testing is one of the most used techniques that requires careful removal of three to five cells from an embryo to analyse its genetic integrity. As the procedure is still not available in some countries, and is quite invasive, Life Whisperer and its AI technology can also assist with this assessment. Life Whisperer Genetics, which tis month received CE Mark in Europe, requires only standard camera images of embryos to assess their genetic integrity. In a US study simulating 91,500 individual patient embryo cohorts, Life Whisperer Genetics ranked the genetically normal (euploid) embryo top in 82% of the patient cohorts. Furthermore, in 96% of the cohorts Life Whisperer Genetics ranked the at least one genetically normal embryo in the top two embryos.



Presagen's first product Life Whisperer Viability assesses the same images of embryos to determine their likelihood of leading to a pregnancy, and is already in use in IVF clinics globally. Founder & President of IVF Life Group, Dr. Jon Aizpurua said "For the next two months, IVF Life will offer all patients, at no additional cost, the use of both Life Whisperer Genetics and Life Whisperer Viability. Although patients may still elect to use PGT-A testing, Life Whisperer offers an important pre-screen to help us select the best embryos for further genetic testing, transfer, or freezing."

Presagen CEO, Dr Michelle Perugini said "We are excited to be working with IVF Life to enable patients across Europe to access the latest AI technology to help improve their chances of a healthy pregnancy, whilst reducing treatment costs." Life Whisperer is already authorised for sale in the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, Thailand, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. SOURCE Presagen

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[May 25, 2021] The Jakarta EE Working Group Releases Jakarta EE 9.1 as Industry Continues to Embrace Open Source Enterprise Java

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Jakarta EE Working Group , hosted by the Eclipse Foundation, one of the worlds largest open source software foundations, today announced the release of the Jakarta EE 9.1 Platform and Web Profile specifications and related TCKs. This release, the first incremental release for Jakarta EE, marks an acceleration in innovation for open source enterprise Java, as it makes Jakarta EE compatible with Java SE 11 and already has five compatible implementations from the global leaders in the Java ecosystem.

The Jakarta EE 9.1 release provides users with new multiple new updates and options, enabling enterprises building cloud native Java applications to: Develop and deploy Jakarta EE 9.1 applications on Java SE 11, the most current LTS release of Java SE, as well as Java SE 8

Take advantage of new Java SE 11 features, added since Java SE 8, in their Jakarta EE 9.1 applications

Leverage new technologies that support Java SE 11 in their Jakarta EE 9.1 applications

Move existing Jakarta EE 9 applications to Java SE 11 without changes

Migrate existing Java EE and Jakarta EE 8 applications to Jakarta EE 9.1 using the same straightforward process available for migration to Jakarta EE 9

This latest release for Jakarta EE is really indicative of the community momentum were seeing in Jakarta EE, said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. With EE 9.1 following only a few months after EE 9, the Jakarta EE community is now delivering a regular cadence of releases. With the recent big bang namespace shift of Jakarta EE 9, the momentum building in certified Jakarta EE-compatible products, as well as a deep interest in firms that want to move their existing Java applications into cloud environments, the enterprise Java industry is experiencing a renaissance. The 2020 Jakarta EE Developer Survey has shown Java SE 11 usage growing from 20% of respondents in 2019 to 28% in 2020. By delivering Jakarta EE 9.1 support on Java SE 11, the Jakarta EE WG is providing more choices and flexibility for the Jakarta EE community to mix and match technologies for their specific application development requirements. With upwards of 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500 running enterprise Java apps in production, Jakarta EE 9.1 and future releases will build on these advances to deliver continuous innovation for this massive installed base. The specifications were developed under the open, vendor-neutral Jakarta EE Specification Process , which replaces the Java Community Process (JCP) for Java EE. Jakarta EE 9.1 has five compatible implementations, including: IBM Open Liberty

Eclipse Glassfish

Apache TomEE

Red Hat WildFly

ManageCat ManageFish

The Jakarta EE community welcomes contributions and partcipation by all interested parties. As the Jakarta EE WG continues to build towards the release of Jakarta EE 10, including new cloud native functionality, this is the ideal time to join the community and have your voice heard. To learn more and to participate, all are welcome to connect with the global community at the following page: https://jakarta.ee/connect/



Companies that value enterprise Java and would like to help shape its future can join the Jakarta EE Working Group. Membership in the working group allows enterprises and other organizations to support the sustainability of the community, participate in marketing programs, and engage directly with the community. Learn more about the benefits and advantages of membership here: https://jakarta.ee/membership/ . For those organizations interested in learning more about how Jakarta EE can benefit them, the Jakarta EE WG has published a white paper on the features and capabilities of Jakarta EE. These capabilities can help companies accelerate time-to-market for commercial offerings, increase the efficiency of software development, and transition to a cloud native future. Download it here: https://outreach.jakartaee.org/white-paper-java-applications .

Quotes from Jakarta EE Working Group Members IBM The release of Jakarta EE 9.1 and its support for Java SE 11, marks another milestone in its evolution as the platform for cloud-native Java innovation. Enterprise Java continues to have an exciting future! said Melissa Modjeski, IBM VP of App Platform and Integration, IBM Automation. Open Liberty is fully certified as a Jakarta EE 9.1 compatible implementation. Our IBM Liberty architecture allowed us to certify both Jakarta EE versions (9.0 and 9.1) using the same version of Open Liberty (21.0.0.3-Beta), supporting both Java SE 8 and 11 runtimes. Jelastic Jakarta EE 9.1 is already available for a try within Jelastic PaaS, said Tetiana Fydorenchyk, vice president, marketing at Jelastic. We believe that fast implementation of the most recent version helps to speed up a new jakarta.* namespace adoption and further innovations using cloud-native technologies. As a result, this is a win-win situation for the Java-oriented vendors, customers and community in general. Oracle "Oracle is committed to the evolution of Enterprise Java, supporting the Eclipse Foundation, and the Jakarta EE standard, said Tom Snyder, VP of Engineering, Enterprise Cloud Native Java, Oracle. Oracle is proud of its continued leadership and staff contributions across a wide landscape of Jakarta EE specifications and implementations. We look forward to the continued evolution of Jakarta EE toward an efficient, stable, and compatible platform for both on-premise and cloud based development and deployment. Payara Payara are excited by the release of Jakarta EE 9.1 as this paves the way for innovation in Jakarta EE 10, said Steve Millidge, Payaras founder. We support running Jakarta EE 9.1 applications now in Payara Platform 5 and will soon release Payara Platform 6 alpha 1 as a Compatible Implementation. Congratulations to all on this significant milestone. Red Hat Red Hat has been actively involved in the delivery of the Jakarta EE 9.1 because we see it as an important step forward, said Mark Little, vice president, engineering at Red Hat. It is critical that Jakarta EE remains a stable evolutionary platform for the industry in general and Red Hat customers in particular. Jakarta EE 9.1 maintains stability with continued support for Java SE 8 while adding support for Java SE 11. Red Hat plans to deliver Jakarta EE 9.1 compatibility with a WildFly Preview. Tomitribe After six months of work, this release reinforces Jakarta EE dynamics driven by community and diversity in implementations that unleash the horizon for Jakarta EE 10 and beyond, said Jean-Louis Monteiro, Tomitribes director of engineering. This, along with the incredible sprint done by the Apache TomEE community to accomplish 9.1 compatibility, proves one more time that the ecosystem is more vibrant than ever and willing to keep paving the way toward the future. VMware Spring Framework 6 will move to Jakarta EE 9+, adopting the jakarta.* namespace in all applicable packages. A first milestone is scheduled for Q3 2021, with a 6.0 GA release (and a corresponding Spring Boot 3.0 GA release) to follow in 2022, said Juergen Hoeller, VMwares senior staff engineer and Springboot Framework project lead. Our primary interest is in individual infrastructure specifications such as Servlet, WebSocket, Persistence and Validation, evolving our long-standing integration arrangements within the Spring programming and configuration model. We expect common open source libraries (as included in Spring Boot's dependency management) to move to the jakarta.* namespace in the same timeframe. About Jakarta EE and the Eclipse Foundation The Jakarta EE Working Group, hosted by the Eclipse Foundation, is the home of open source, cloud native, enterprise Java innovation. Through Jakarta EE, the worlds leading technology vendors with large installed bases of customers running Java workloads including Fujitsu, IBM, Oracle, Payara, Red Hat, and Tomitribe, are collaborating on advancing enterprise Java technologies in the cloud. With the release of the Jakarta EE 9.1, Jakarta EE has provided a new baseline for the evolution and innovation of enterprise Java technologies under an open, vendor-neutral, community-driven process. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @JakartaEE or visit jakarta.ee. The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organizations with a mature, scalable, and business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. The Foundation is home to the Eclipse IDE, Jakarta EE, and over 400 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, distributed ledger technologies, open processor designs, and many others. The Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 330 members, including industry leaders who value open source as a key enabler for their business strategies. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn, or visit eclipse.org. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Media contacts Schwartz Public Relations for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL

Julia Rauch / Sophie Dechansreiter / Tobias Wei

Sendlinger Strae 42A

80331 Munich

EclipseFoundation@schwartzpr.de

+49 (89) 211 871  43 / -35 / -70 Nichols Communications for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL

Jay Nichols

jay@nicholscomm.com

+1 408-772-1551



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[May 25, 2021] jCyte Announces Appointment of John Sholar as General Counsel

jCyte, Inc., a biotech company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with retinal degenerative diseases, today announced the further expansion of the company's executive management team with the appointment of John Sholar as General Counsel. Mr. Sholar brings to jCyte more than 20 years of industry experience, serving as the head of North American legal for a large publicly traded pharmaceutical company, in private practice as a law firm partner focused on intellectual property development and pharmaceutical patent licensing and litigation, and in the military as a Naval Officer leading teams in new mission areas around the globe. Prior to becoming an in-house counsel, Sholar was a partner at Husch Blackwell, LLP, an AmLaw 100 firm, where he led trial teams in patent disputes and counseled numerous multinational brand and generic pharmaceutical clients on FDA regulatory issues surrounding product launches and intellectual property exclusivities. He subsequently joined Santen Pharmaceuticals as the head of North American legal, while simultaneously serving as global head of legal and Corporate Secretary for Santen's early-stage biotechnology investment vehicle, Santen Ventures, where he helped analyze the intellectual property estates of clinical stage biotech compnies and execute licensing deals and equity investments. At Santen, he also supported the global research and development organization, overseeing all legal issues surrounding clinical trials and product launches in the Americas region. John is a past editor of the licensing and valuation chapter of a treatise on intellectual property law and has taught academic and continuing education courses on intellectual property and trial law. John earned his juris doctorate magna cum laude from the University of Illinois where he served as an editor of the Law Review and subsequently completed a federal appellate court clerkship in Washington, D.C.



"The addition of Mr. Sholar brings to jCyte a skilled, business savvy attorney with unique experience advising both high growth and established companies developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products. Of particular note is John's significant experience on the intellectual property front, where his expertise representing both large multinational brand and generic pharmaceutical companies and his prior work shaping biotech patent law at the Federal Circuit will provide jCyte with unique insight into how to protect and further develop our valuable global intellectual property estate. He joins a group of highly skilled professionals with decades of experience to ensure we successfully deliver our transformative cell therapy to the many patients in desperate need who currently have no treatment options," said Dr. Shannon Blalock, Chief Executive Officer, jCyte. jCell is a first-in-class investigational treatment for RP which has received FDA Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation. In addition to RMAT designation, jCell has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency ( EMA (News - Alert) ).

About jCyte, Inc. jCyte, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing its first-in-class regenerative cell therapy, jCell, for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and other retinal degenerative disorders. The treatment is minimally invasive and given as an intravitreal injection. There are currently no FDA approved therapies for RP. The Company is pioneering a new era of regenerative therapies to address the significant unmet medical needs of patients suffering from a broad set of retinal degenerative diseases. For more information, visit www.jcyte.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005121/en/

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[May 25, 2021] For Lakeland Associate Carmen Smith, "There is Room for Everyone to Develop & Grow at GEICO"

GEICO looks to add to its robust workforce in Lakeland by hiring as many as 500 new associates as soon as possible in the fields of claims, customer service (including bilingual individuals) and sales (including bilingual individuals), among others. GEICO just increased the starting salary in its Lakeland office and offers competitive pay and great benefits. For Lakeland associate Carmen Smith, while the benefits are important, what has kept her at GEICO for 25 years has been the people, including "the friendships I have made and the mentors who have invested their time into my development," said Smith. Smith, who attended Kathleen High School, had a lot of odd jobs in early adulthood, working at a sub shop and wholesale picture frame company, among other places. She found the job at GEICO after seeing a hiring advertisement in the Lakeland Ledger and started in the sales department with limited sales experience. "Before starting at GEICO, I had never sold a thing in my life! But, that's the beauty of this place. No matter what position you start, GEICO will train you to excel," Smith said. As a promote-from-within company, GEICO provides several different pathways for associates to gain knowledge and experience. Smith took advantage of GEICO's tuition reimbursement to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration from Florida Southern College. "I'm a first-generation college graduate because of GEICO," Smith remarks proudly. While she attended school, worked full time and raised a blended family with five kids, GEICO was there to support her. "My coworkers and leadership team supported my career goals and offered advice on how to balance all things well." With her degree in hand, Smith quickly worked her way up the ranks, earning a supervisor role just 3 years after starting at GEICO - and being promoted to a managerial role just 3 years after that. "There is room for everyone to develop their personal career plan and find opportunities within the GEICO family - either in Lakeland or any of our other offices," Smith said. In fact, her husband, Christopher Smith, a U.S. Air Force veteran, has worked at GEICO for 35 years, and her brother, Norman Hunt, a U.S. Army veteran, has gone from Lakeland to Washington, D.C. over the course of his 25 year-career at GEICO. "I've watched Lakeland grow exponentially. I'm thankful GEICO helped me and my family grow at the same time," added Smith. Smith's viewpoint is shared by many of her Lakeland collagues, according to Regional Vice President Angela Rinella. "Lakeland is thriving - new businesses are coming here every day. At the same time, it's great to see our Lakeland office able to hire new people and promote current associates to open up these opportunities we're hiring for," said Rinella.



A member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies, GEICO is a stable company that was founded more than 80 years ago. The company's Total Rewards benefits package includes health, dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and holidays, parental leave, and continuing education and tuition reimbursement. When asked what she tells people about GEICO, Smith answered: "The Lakeland office is a great place because of the culture of diversity and so many associates with different backgrounds-we are all uniquely ordinary people doing extraordinary things!"

Applications are being accepted now at GEICO.jobs/Lakeland. GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies, GEICO employs more than 43,000 associates countrywide. GEICO constantly strives to make lives better by protecting people against unexpected events while saving them money and providing an outstanding customer experience. Along with personal auto insurance, commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available. Homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft, term life, and more coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Visit geico.com for a quote or to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005622/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 20:46:13|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW -- The reaction of Western countries to the recent Ryanair diversion incident was "hysterical" and it is essential to analyze all the data before jumping to conclusions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Tuesday.

There were forced landings initiated by the West, including "when citizens of third countries were illegally transported from one country to another," which were seen by the West as absolutely "normal" and "routine," Zakharova said in an interview on Vesti FM. (Russia-Ryanair incident)

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BAMAKO -- The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) demanded Monday evening on its Twitter account the release of Malian transitional President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, who were taken against their will to the Kati military camp after announcing the list of new government members.

"We are following events closely and remain committed to supporting the Transition. We call for calm and demand the immediate and unconditional release of the President and the Prime Minister," the UN mission said on Twitter. (Mali-situation-president)

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CANBERRA -- Australia is to close its embassy in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, where the Australian troops are scheduled to withdraw later this year.

According to a joint media statement on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that the embassy building will be closed on May 28.

"Our residential representation in Afghanistan and the Australian Embassy in Kabul will be closed at this time," they said. (Australia-Embassy Closure-Afghanistan) Enditem
[May 25, 2021] The Lisa Foundation Appoints New Executive Director to Continue Leading the Fight Against Brain Aneurysms

NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lisa Foundation  the leader in the fight against Brain Aneurysms  announced today that Debbie Bogle will assume the role of Executive Director, effective immediately, taking over the position from the organization's founder, Todd Crawford. In 2018, Debbie's life forever changed when she suffered a ruptured Brain Aneurysm while working out. She is the first survivor to take over a leadership role for an organization in the Brain Aneurysm industry. "As a Brain Aneurysm survivor, I deeply connect with the fears and uncertainties that our members feel when trying to understand this diagnosis and how it will impact their lives," said Debbie, whose recovery and experience led her to her first role at The Lisa Foundation as a Board Member. "I am truly honored to continue Todd's mission of advocating and being a voice for the Brain Aneurysm community. During the early days of my recovery, I leaned on The Lisa Foundation for resources and support, and am delighted to have this opportunity to help others who share my experience." Debbie brings a strong background working in nonprofit to her new role at The Lisa Foundation. For more than 30 years, she has been involved with United Way, served as the President of United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois for nine years. She is involved with many community organizations and has held multiple board positions, including Economic Development Corp., Boys & Girls Club of Decatur, and Decatur Area Arts Council. Debbie also is a consultant for Development Systems Inc. assisting non-profits fundraise. "Leading The Lisa Foundation these past six years has really been a labor of love, and I am tremendously proud of all of our accomplishments that have driven better outcomes and saved the lives of so many by expanding awareness of Brain Aneurysms," said Todd, who founded the organization in 2015 after his beloved wife, ABC News television journalist Lisa Colagrossi passed away from a Brain Aneurysm rupture while on assignment. "I recruited Debbie with the hope of someday having her take on this role. Debbie is the right person to steward the organization and lead our next chapter, as she brings a unique combination of proven nonprofit leadership and the very personal experience of tose for whom we advocate. We could not be in more capable hands and I look forward to her further bringing our mission to life in innovative ways that will reach even more people and drive greater impact."



The Lisa Foundation is the first and only organization largely devoted to raising the critical awareness and providing the necessary education needed to help the public and medical community diagnose and treat Brain Aneurysms. The initial focus for many of its awareness and education programs is for the signs, symptoms and risk factors for Brain Aneurysms as well as identifying those who are most at risk. During the last six years, The Lisa Foundation has achieved a number of key industry milestones, including:

Launching the industry's very first national PSA. First PSA was launched nationally in 2016 and was voted runner up as best nonprofit PSA of the year by PR News and the second PSA featured Whoopi Goldberg and was released in 2018





First PSA was launched nationally in 2016 and was voted runner up as best nonprofit PSA of the year by PR News and the second PSA featured Whoopi Goldberg and was released in 2018 Developed first set of animated icons representing signs and symptoms . The icons represent the most common symptoms experienced including worst headache of life, sensitivity of light, stiffness of neck, sharp pain behind an eye, blurred or double vision and others





. The icons represent the most common symptoms experienced including worst headache of life, sensitivity of light, stiffness of neck, sharp pain behind an eye, blurred or double vision and others National retail healthcare partnership . The foundation has partnered with CVS Pharmacy during the month of September to raise awareness in retail locations across the U.S.





. The foundation has partnered with CVS Pharmacy during the month of September to raise awareness in retail locations across the U.S. Tapping the best minds . The Lisa Foundation Scientific and Medical Advisory Board (SMAB) is composed of leading neurosurgeons and healthcare professionals from institutions across the U.S. who provide scientific and clinical expertise to guide the planning and implementing of the foundation's various awareness, education, research and support programs for patients, their families and caregivers, and healthcare professionals.





. The Lisa Foundation Scientific and Medical Advisory Board (SMAB) is composed of leading neurosurgeons and healthcare professionals from institutions across the U.S. who provide scientific and clinical expertise to guide the planning and implementing of the foundation's various awareness, education, research and support programs for patients, their families and caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Bringing the industry together. The Lisa Foundation's annual gala, A Cerebral Affair, is the premier charity benefit for the Brain Aneurysms industry, attracting the major players from across the country in this industry to discuss awareness, prevention, and earlier treatment. For more information, please visit http://www.lisafoundation.org. About Brain Aneurysms

A Brain Aneurysm is a weakness or thinning of the wall of a blood vessel in the brain that gradually bulges outward. Eventually, the bulging blood vessel may leak or rupture causing bleeding into the brain. A ruptured aneurysm quickly becomes life threatening and requires prompt emergency treatment. Brain Aneurysms affect 1 in 20 people, or 15 million, in the U.S. There are an estimated 40,000 ruptures each year with over 75% of all ruptures resulting in death or permanent neurological disability. Women between the ages of 40-60 are 50% more likely to develop one and African Americans are roughly 30% more likely. About The Lisa Foundation

The Lisa Foundation, a 501(c)(3), is a private funder of Brain Aneurysm initiatives that directly or indirectly support awareness, education, research and survivor support in the US. Specifically, we develop awareness and education programs that are innovative, cutting-edge and reach millions of people at the same time. We are the only Brain Aneurysm foundation to be featured by national news programs including Fox & Friends, Good Morning America, Dr. Oz and others; we launched the industry's first sustained, national public relations campaign to drive awareness for the condition; we have developed the industry's premier charity benefit held in New York City each September; we also were the first to launch the industry's very first public service announcement in homes across the U.S. in 2017. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-lisa-foundation-appoints-new-executive-director-to-continue-leading-the-fight-against-brain-aneurysms-301297704.html SOURCE The Lisa Foundation

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[May 25, 2021] Minerva Intelligence, in Partnership with 4DM, to Design a New National-Scale Hydrographic Data Model for Natural Resources Canada

VANCOUVER, BC, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Minerva Intelligence Inc. (TSXV: MVAI) ("Minerva" or the "Company"), an artificial intelligence company focused on knowledge engineering, in partnership with 4DM Inc. ("4DM"), is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with Natural Resources Canada ("NRCan") to design an updated Canadian hydrographic data model to enhance essential water resource information. This project will mark the first major update to the National Hydro Network ("NHN") since 2004, as outlined in NRCan's public request for proposals. The National Hydro Network is the only pan-Canadian geospatial data product that details Canada's inland surface waters. While the original implementation of the NHN was designed to support a variety of scientific and engineering applications, it became evident that a significant gap existed between the product's intent and user needs. With this in mind, NRCan began steadily collecting feedback from stakeholders, and solicited expertise to complete that engagement process and redesign the data model, resulting in a contract recently awarded to Minerva with 4DM. "NRCan is pleased to retain the services of Minerva Intelligence to update the National Hydro Network," said Eric Loubier, Director General of the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation. "This key foundational geospatial data product describes Canada's inland surface waters and underpins many applications helping Canadians manage and monitor fresh water, drinking water supply, watershed levels, or floods." With a deep understanding of geospatial data standards and water-related software applications, Minerva and their partner 4DM are uniquely positioned to design the new NHN data model. By applying knowledge engineering principles, the team will generate an effective data model that can be easily applied to a variety of technical applications at a national scale. "Designing the data model in a logically-consistent manner will empower NRCan to deliver a higher-value data product to its diverse user-groups," said Minerva's Natural Hazards Section Head, Gioachino Roberti. "By adopting modern geospatial data standards and focusing on user needs, the NHN data model will be plug-and-play for modern data analysis and tools such as AI algorithms and IoT sensors for flood hazard and environmental data analytics." Steven McArdle, President of 4DM, added: "The modernization of NHN data model to the community of practice in water resource sector will lead to improvements in hydrotechnical modeling and intelligence based systems such as flood forecasting tools to improve our situation awareness with respect to floods." Minerva (in partnership with bbwater Consulting) is currently completing a project to create a National Flood Hazard Data Layer, which represents the largest flood-hazard database ever compiled for Canada. The successful harmonization of Canadian flood data under a single standard speaks not only to Minerva's superior knowledge-engineering approach and software tools, but more importantly to NRCan's resolve to address flood risk challenges across Canada.



The significance of being awarded this contract was not lost on Minerva CEO Scott Tillman. "This new engagement with NRCan further emphasizes that Minerva's unique approach to geospatial data modelling can be effectively applied in multiple domains," said Tillman. "We are excited to partner with 4DM to deliver a new hydro network that will open up endless possibilities for the public to access and analyze Canadian water resource data." About Minerva Intelligence, Inc.

Minerva Intelligence Inc. is a knowledge engineering company based in Vancouver, Canada, with a subsidiary office in Darmstadt, Germany. Their proprietary evidence-based decision-making software is bringing the benefits of artificial intelligence technology to industries dependent on reasoning with complex technical and scientific data. Although Minerva's applications currently focus on earth science-related domains including natural hazards and mineral exploration, their technology has application in diverse industries and domains. Minerva's common shares are currently listed on the TSX Venture (symbol MVAI). For further details, please refer to their website (www.minervaintelligence.com). About 4DM, Inc. 4DM is a geo-Intelligence company using sensor technology, data science, machine/deep learning and numerical modeling to enable visual mapping solutions for clients in science and engineering area. Services include project base consulting activities and service support arrangements to help our clients to achieve sustainable solutions for their business objectives. Our domain experience includes activities in water resources, energy, environmental, transportation, disaster mitigation, infrastructure mapping and security intelligence. Over the past 20 years, the 4DM team has worked with a range of clients that include international organizations, Canadian government departments, municipalities, First Nations communities and businesses. Innovation and commitment to our clients have been key to our success. For more information see www.4dm-inc.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Forward Looking Information: This news release includes certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information". Forward-looking information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. All information in this release, other than information of historical facts, including, without limitation, the availability of financing to the Company are forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such expectations are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information include changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes, delays in receiving approvals, and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities in?Canada. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For more information on the?Company and the risks and challenges of our business, investors should review our continuous disclosure filings which are available at? www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE Minerva Intelligence Inc.

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[May 25, 2021] MXC to Support India in the War Against Covid-19

SINGAPORE, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZEXPRWIRE, MXC , a Singapore-based exchange, hopes to give back to the community by providing essential items to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The first Coronavirus case was discovered in December 2019 and continues to escalate as data shows global cases have exceeded 160 million.

Furthermore, the rapidly spreading disease has taken a toll on many people by disrupting their everyday lives. We recognized the goals MXC has at making a change in India amidst the Covid-19 outbreak using a charity task force designed to distribute essentials such as masks and food. Another essential aspect we noted was that the task force will be situated in various Indian cities, including Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, to mention but a few. This initiative puts MXC at the forefront as a crypto platform that instills social responsibility to society. MXC will also make an effort to film the entire charity process through pictures and videos. Rumors in the region state that MXC is working on a potential collaboration with Pentagon's founder, trying to potentially enable distribution of medical supplies from Singapore to India. Crypto Relief, an initiative started by Sandeep Nailwal - CoFounder at Polygon has also reached out to the Singapore-based company in order to join forces to bring everything possible to the Indian people impacted by Covid-19. Polygon, which is a platform for developing blockchain networks and also one of MXCs most important strategic partners, was one of the collaborators which brought additional strength to the effort initiated by MXC Charity task Force. By joining forces with several key opinion leaders from India, Crypto Relief is trying to offer the basics and most importantly, they are searching to bring back hope to those impacted by this pandemic. To quote Lucky Salunke from Madhya Pradesh, India, one of the MXCs angels who has supported the initiative: Thanks to MXC Global Exchange, I have managed to deliver a decent number of ration-kits to the needy from my city. The thankfulness and the appreciation from their eyes made it a privilege for me. I would like to gracefully thank MXS exchange for their humanity and support  the world needs more people like you.



MXC has reached out and they even have the support of popular Influencers in India, which have been more than open andwilling to assist MXC in the distribution steps. One such example of an influencer from India is Ashish Sharma. In Ashishs latest public statement, he shared a little insight of the communitys overall feeling on MXCs implication so far: as they say, the sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. Id like to thank you for your recent donation from the MXC Covid Task Force. During this tough time, we are humbled by the generosity shown by the MXC team. Your gifts have helped make a huge difference. From all of us from Indian community, Thank You!



Benefits of the Charity Task Force Usually, MXC Exchange formulate a special task force designed to deal with an ongoing problem. MXC's charitable task force encourages a satisfied population of Indians who will have access to the basic needs they lack, such as face masks.

News on India's Covid-19 status continues to surface across the internet since it has over 25 million cases, making it the second country with the highest number of cases, with the USA being the first. As such, massive support is needed to reduce the spread. MXC's impactful step will further empower other individuals or platforms to make donations that uplift another person's living standards. Moreover, the MXC platform will enlighten Indian citizens about what it offers in the crypto space when the charity task force interacts with them. Above all, once the medical supply plan comes to life, India's healthcare system will improve to counter the deadly virus. An Overview of MXC Founded in 2018, MXC is a centralized exchange that employs a high-performance mega-transaction matching technology. The CEX platform is run by a team of professionals with extensive financial industries and blockchain technology experience. MXC has the following features: Trading Fees MXC trading fees are relatively cheaper as it offers users a 0.2% charge for every transaction, a rate in line with the overall average cost of 0.25%. Deposits do not attract any fees; however, withdrawal charges are present and continue to change depending on a cryptocurrency's block situation. Staking Feature Crypto staking is an income-generating method whereby users acquire a cryptocurrency and hold it on a digital wallet. MXC enables users to leverage its PoS staking tool, which comes in a stake and save option. The two options operate differently since the staking option has a lock-up period that restricts a user from depositing or withdrawing before the set timeline. Saving also holds a trader's crypto funds, but it eliminates the concept of a lock-up period. All the same, MXC users receive lucrative incomes when employing either of the options. Spot and Margin Trading Spot trading involves purchasing or selling a crypto asset for immediate submission into the market. This trade takes place on a particular spot date. Margin trading, on the other hand, entails using brokerage loans to obtain cryptocurrencies. MXC offers both features to its users together with the 300+ digital assets it currently supports. SpaceM SpaceM is MXC's launchpad solution which seeks to support initial exchange offerings of new crypto projects. This feature boosts the crypto projects with an ecosystem they can use to raise funds using the newly issued digital tokens. We note that the noble initiative by MXC will benefit not only Indian residents but also governments and authorities who will implement a strategic plan that will cater to those in need. Media Contacts - Contact name  Alexander Wayne

Email  Media@mxc.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f8a3f1ce-6c21-46ae-a628-120fd7adeb31



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Peiffer Wolf: 23andMe  and Who? Mother Takes Legal Action After Daughter Uncovers "Fertility Fraud" by Manhattan Ob Gyn Now Living in Miami Area

A New Jersey mother took action today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York after learning of the "medical rape" committed by a former Park Avenue Ob Gyn doctor now living in Aventura, a luxury enclave outside of Miami. The new lawsuit is the latest in a series of fertility fraud cases being handled nationwide by Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway (Peiffer Wolf).

The suit by the mother, Bianca Voss of New Jersey, names Dr. Martin D. Greenberg (NY License No. 143933), who maintained an Ob Gyn practice in Manhattan. It is not yet known how many patients of Dr. Greenberg are victims of his misconduct or how many children are the result of his fertility fraud.

In 1983, Bianca Voss wanted to be a mother and she visited the offices of Dr. Greenberg for fertility services. She paid Dr. Greenberg to procure the sperm of an anonymous donor to be used to impregnate her in an intrauterine insemination procedure. Dr. Greenberg indicated he would obtain the sperm from an anonymous donor; he never disclosed that he would insert his own sperm into Ms. Voss. The State of New York has sanctioned Greenberg for "dishonorable, unethical, [and] unprofessional conduct," although public records are unclear as to what this conduct entailed. In 2010, he was barred from performing surgery in New York State.

Roberta Voss was born in 1984. In September of 2020, she took a 23andMe home DNA kit test, which clearly identified Dr. Greenberg as her father. As the lawsuit filed today explains: "Upon receiving the devastating news of Greenberg's shocking conduct, Ms. Voss' daughter reached out to Greenberg via 23andMe.com and email. She did so because she wanted to obtain her family medical history (i.e., Greenberg's medical history). Aware (News - Alert) that Greenberg's son unfortunately passed away at an early age, she wanted to know if she may have inherited a concerning medical condition. She also wanted to know if she may have passed on such a condition to her own chld. However, Greenberg did not respond."







In the last seven years, Peiffer Wolf has handled hundreds of IVF/genetic material cases that have involved well over 1,000 people. In 2019, the firm spearheaded the Peiffer Wolf push for national legislation to rein in the abuses of IVF and fertility clinics. Commenting on this case, attorney Joseph Peiffer said: "Dr. Martin D. Greenberg secretly inserted his own sperm into his patient, Bianca Voss. He did so without her consent and against her wishes. Some people call this horrific act 'medical rape.' But regardless of what you choose to call it, Greenberg's heinous and intentional misconduct is unethical, unacceptable, and illegal. Unfortunately, the Voss family is among thousands like it across the United States where an epidemic of fertility fraud is now underway. We have to do whatever it takes to rein in this rogue industry run amok."

Bianca Voss, the mother, said: "In 1983, I reached out for help to what I assumed was a reputable doctor. I put my faith in the hands of this person who then violated both my trust and me in an unspeakable way. This situation has upended my life and my family and the damage it is doing and the emotional scars that it is creating may never heal. I want Dr. Greenberg to have to answer for what he did. He needs to be held accountable for his actions."

Roberta Voss, the daughter, said: "Until a few months ago, I thought I might learn something interesting by taking the 23andMe home DNA kit. I did not expect to find that my mother was violated by her doctor. Now, I am haunted by the idea of a medical rapist being my father and the enormous deceit that went into my own conception."

The United States is in the midst of uncovering thousands of fertility fraud cases, in which IVF/Ob Gyn doctors have abused their position of trust and authority by secretly inserting their own sperm when carrying out fertility treatments. Most instances of fertility fraud happened between the late 1970s and 1990. This was the period when inseminations became more common, but before at-home DNA testing was on the horizon. Some unscrupulous fertility doctors thought that they could get away with it without being caught. That is why most child victims who discover fertility fraud are 30 years of age or older today.

The U.S. fertility industry has fewer regulations than barber shops or nail salons. Without common-sense regulation, the "Wild West" nature of the multibillion-dollar fertility industry leaves the door open for instances of fertility fraud and other fertility clinic disasters, like those recently experienced in Cleveland and San Francisco. Doctors who inserted their own sperm into their patients-without their consent-violated their patients. And they violated the law. Patients can file civil lawsuits against their physicians for this misconduct. Some states have criminalized the act of a doctor using his own sperm to impregnate his patients without their explicit consent. But there is no federal law that prohibits fertility fraud.

In August 2019, Peiffer Wolf published The Fertility Center Regulation Crisis in the U.S., a report calling on Congress to impose a system of tight and highly transparent IVF clinic oversight. In addition to identifying several glaring weaknesses and the general lack of regulatory oversight of the IVF/fertility centers in the U.S., the Peiffer Wolf report identified the much tougher government standards in the United Kingdom as an excellent model for this nation.

ABOUT PEIFFER WOLF CARR KANE & CONWAY

The law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cleveland, St. Louis, Austin, and New Orleans. In addition to handling numerous fertility fraud cases, Peiffer Wolf has handled a multitude of cases in which medical professionals and facilities were accused of either destroying or losing eggs, embryos, and other genetic material.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The time-stamped court filing, a related news release, and a streaming version of the May 25th news event will be available later that same day at https://lostembryos.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005853/en/
[May 25, 2021] The Power of Scale: Pivotal Planning Group, LLC of Long Island, NY Merges with CT-based Procyon Partners

CT-based Procyon (News - Alert) Partners today announced that they have partnered with leading independent advisory firm Pivotal Planning Group, LLC. Both Procyon Partners and Pivotal Planning Group, LLC are members of the Dynasty Financial Network of independent advisors. The two firms are merging under the Procyon Partners' brand. The combined entity will have 24 employees in four offices in Shelton, CT, Melville, NY, New York City, NY, and Virginia Beach, VA. Pivotal Planning Group, LLC, a New York-based private wealth management firm with an additional office in Virginia, manages $400 million in individual and 401(k) assets. Pivotal Planning Group, LLC has a total of six professionals including four advisors: Based in Melville, New York office: John Marchisotta, CFP  , ChFC, AIFA  is the Managing Partner of Pivotal Planning Group, LLC.

is the Managing Partner of Pivotal Planning Group, LLC. Michael J. Desmond CIMA (News - Alert)  , AIF  is a Partner and the Director of the firm's Retirement Plan Services division. With over 25 years of experience, he is a Senior Financial Advisor & member of the firm's Investment Policy Committee.

is a Partner and the Director of the firm's Retirement Plan Services division. With over 25 years of experience, he is a Senior Financial Advisor & member of the firm's Investment Policy Committee. James P. Diver, CFP is a Partner and the Director of Technology and Operations at the firm. He is a Senior Financial Planner, Investment Advisor & member of the firm's Investment Policy Committee. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia office: Michael Kelly (News - Alert) , CFP is a Partner and the Director of the firm's Virginia Beach, VA office. With over 21 years of experience, he is a Senior Financial Advisor & member of the firm's Investment Policy Committee. According to Mr. Marchisotta, "We met Phil and his team over two years ago at Dynasty's annual summit in South Carolina. Over time, we realized that our two firms fit together culturally and professionally. Procyon has strong leadership, a comprehensive offering, and multiple areas of strength, including a robust private client and institutional business that our clients will immediately benefit from. We believe that our clients will no receive all the benefits of a large institution with reduced conflicts, while enjoying a boutique client experience."



"We were both at a point in the growth of our firms that we had to consider bringing in additional staff and resources to continue down the paths that we were on," said Procyon Partners' CEO Phil Fiore. "At Procyon, we pride ourselves on bringing in very talented people who can add value to the services and resources we provide to clients - not expanding for the sake of expansion. I am thrilled to welcome John and the entire Pivotal team to Procyon Partners. Their deep planning and family office expertise will significantly expand the services and resources that Procyon's private wealth group specializes in." Mr. Desmond added, "At Pivotal, our sweet spot was retirement plans from $3 million to $50 million. The merger allows us to move up market and become competitive with larger institutional plans. Procyon has a great offering and executes well in this space."

Shirl Penney, President & CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners, said, "This is the ultimate partnership of three firms - Dynasty, Procyon Partners and Pivotal Planning Group, working together to create an RIA with approximately $4.5 billion in assets, powered by Dynasty. Dynasty's vision remains the same in powering large scale successful RIAs that take great care of their clients while building significant enterprise value in their RIAs. Given the strength and closeness of our Dynasty Community, it's only natural that succession planning and M&A would occur between Network members. We congratulate both Procyon and Pivotal on this transaction." Dynasty's M&A team provided support to both Procyon and Pivotal in connection with the merger. Based in Shelton, CT and New York City, Procyon Partners is an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with a dual focus on retirement plan/participants and private clients. Procyon Partners is a Dynasty Financial Partners Network firm.? Pivotal Planning Group has been a fiduciary advisory firm for over 20 years. The firm has two distinct service groups: One group serves high-net-worth families seeking comprehensive financial planning and investment management including retirement planning, tax planning, cash flow planning, estate planning, risk management and family office services. The second group serves small to mid-sized businesses with less than 1000 employees, where Pivotal acts as a fiduciary advisor to their company retirement plan.

About Pivotal Planning Group Pivotal Planning Group, LLC is a SEC (News - Alert) Registered Investment Advisor and Fiduciary to high-net-worth families and retirement plans. The firm is dedicated to helping individuals, plan sponsors and trustees achieve their goals through education, prudent planning, and unbiased advice. About Procyon Partners Based in Shelton, CT and New York City, Procyon Partners is an independent Registered Investment Advisor with a dual focus on retirement plan/participants and private clients. On the institutional side, the firm helps companies and organizations design, manage, and enhance their retirement plan offerings while also educating plan participants on how to effectively prepare for their retirement. As a private wealth advisor, Procyon helps high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners identify and implement the most effective financial strategies for managing their investments and achieving their financial goals. For more information, please visit www.procyonpartners.net. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005016/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Pri Mar Petroleum Selects iRely for Its New ERP System

FORT WAYNE, Ind., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iRely, LLC, an innovative partner providing enterprise software for petroleum distributors and convenience stores, announces Pri Mar Petroleum has selected iRely as its partner of choice for its comprehensive front and back office solution. Pri Mar manages multiple lines of business in Michigan, including home heating fuel and oil deliveries, farm and industrial fuel and lubricants, and 13 company-operated convenience stores. Pri Mar is now using several of iRely's Financial and Petroleum solutions today and plans to add more modules in the near future. Pri Mar underwent an extensive Business Process Review (BPR), discussing goals, evaluating workflows, and documenting critical day-to-day processes to identify the right solution for their orgnization. Working with iRely, Pri Mar identified improvement opportunities and compared them to industry best practices to design the ideal software and implementation program.



"The BPR process really kept us on task and enabled us to adapt the software to better meet our specific needs," said Sue Woodrick, VP of Finance for Pri Mar. "Among other improvements, we can post and un-post transactions, saving time and making data entry easy. iRely's platform is so adaptable and user-friendly that we can make smarter business decisions and increase profits." "We are thrilled that Pri Mar chose iRely over other ERP software options" stated George Olney, President of iRely. "They are the type of multi-line customer who can best utilize our contemporary, integrated solution that is flexible enough to evolve as their business continues to grow. The Financials package provides comprehensive reporting options for data-driven decisions while the Petroleum module will enable them to streamline fuel deliveries, tax form integration and much, much more."

Pri Mar is one of several petroleum and C-store organizations recently added to the growing iRely customer base. About iRely:

iRely is an innovative global provider of enterprise software for petroleum distribution, C-store and propane organizations. Our solutions help companies simplify core business processes within a single, easy-to-use system customized to their requirements. Software highlights include streamlined accounting processes, forecasting, risk exposure, fuel delivery mapping, e-document and inventory management systems. iRely has over 35 years of experience in the petroleum industry. It is a privately-owned company with a long-term ownership plan, and it will be here for decades to come. iRely Contact:

David Foster

iRely

Phone: +1-800-433-5724

Email: david.foster@irely.com

Web: www.irely.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pri-mar-petroleum-selects-irely-for-its-new-erp-system-301298096.html SOURCE iRely, LLC

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[May 25, 2021] Propy Auctions World's First Real Estate NFT with Ownership Transfer

Propy, the real estate transaction platform, will auction a real estate-backed NFT - an apartment in Kiev, Ukraine, that previously made history as the first-ever blockchain-based real estate sale. The apartment will be put up for public auction and won by one history-making bidder. The NFT that transfers real ownership of the property will be auctioned over a 24h period with the initial listing starting at $20k. Details for the NFT sale are available here and will be continuously updated to include property information, FAQ's, and more. In 2017, this property was sold using blockchain technology to Michael Arrington (News - Alert) , founder of TechCrunch and Arrington XRP Capital. The international transaction took place entirely via smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain using cryptocurrency, and was the first-ever property sold and transferred on blockchain. Propy is backed by blockchain investor Tim Draper, and has helped thousands of agents and homebuyers make offers and complete over $1bn worth of transactions via their easy-to-use and secure online platform. "This NFT will go down in history. For Propy it is a major milestone in leveraging the promise of blockchain technology and non-fungble tokens (NFT) to achieve self-driving real estate transactions. Real estate as an asset class will become a part of the decentralized finance economy." - Natalia Karayaneva, CEO of Propy.



This unique collectible NFT includes: Access to ownership transferred paperwork

Apartment picture

Digital art NFT by Kiev graffiti artist, Chizz (a physical painting of the artwork is painted on one apartment wall ) The process works like this: the seller signs proprietary-developed legal papers for NFTs to transfer ownership to a future buyer, carries out an NFT auction, and receives payment in cryptocurrency. The auction winner becomes the owner within a minute, after filling out KYC details (name).

"It is very exciting to push the innovation and use cases around blockchain technology and real estate. This NFT proof of concept can continue to develop even larger utility inside the DeFi realm, to enable collateralized loans and p2p mortgages." - Michael Arrington, Founder of TechCrunch and Arrington XRP Capital. Details for the NFT auction are available here. About the Property Located in the popular Svyatoshino neighborhood in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, this studio apartment features a full kitchen and bathroom. This real estate-backed NFT is a prime collectible asset with transferable digital ownership rights. About Propy Propy is a leading innovator in the real estate industry, building self-driving transactions. Propy makes property purchase transactions easier by bringing agents and consumers together in a secure environment. Propy Offers help agents and consumers win offers; and Propy Transaction Platform enables agents, consumers and title companies to easily manage all phases of a sale online. Purchase offers, payments and deeds are processed on the immutable blockchain. Worldwide, the company has assisted in over 1,000 real estate transfers. Closing deals via NFT-ing property ownership can ease the life of the consumer and the agent and unlock the equity liquidity. Learn more at Propy.com About NFT Artist, CHIZZ CHIZZ is a Ukrainian street art and mural artist. His clients include Pepsi, Lays, M17 the Contemporary Art Center, Ukrainian Premier League, Silpo & more. He has also sold NFTs on Foundation. One of his most famous is a short video depicting the mural painting: https://foundation.app/Chizz/swimming-is-prohibited-26909 His current works may be seen on Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005839/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Scale Computing Delivers Highly Available, Efficient, Scalable IT Infrastructure to Educational Institutions

Scale Computing, a market leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions, today announced ongoing momentum with customers in education, as its HC3 platform enables educational institutions of all sizes to optimize operations with self-healing, automated infrastructure for all applications in the classroom, the campus, and beyond. "Educational institutions require powerful systems that can run workloads with efficiency and speed. HC3 allows you to manage any workload of any size, while leaving more resources available for learning," said Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder of Scale Computing. "With the new American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, education leaders at every level will have federal funding available to invest heavily in new technologies in preparation for greater online learning, summer programming, and the 2021-22 school year. Scale Computing's HC3 platform combines servers, storage, and virtualization into a single solution to make IT infrastructure easier for schools and universities of every size." Educational institutions continue to face tremendous challenges from the past year with the growing demands and pressures of remote learning. Scale Computing's award-winning HC3 uses self-healing and automation to simplify management, maximize application uptime and performance, and protect data. Scale Computing also celebrates three recent wins in the education sector with new partnerships with Hood College, Virginia Tech, and Community High School District 218. Auburn University earns its reputation as a premier public institution in part for how it embraces information technology. Like most institutions of higher education, each college within Auburn Univesity functions autonomously from one another with the respective dean deciding how best to appropriate their respective budgets and staff various departments in the interest of its students and programs. Scale Computing's HC3 platform brings storage, servers, virtualization and management together in a single, comprehensive system. With no virtualization software to license and no external storage to buy, HC3 products lower out-of-pocket costs and radically simplify the infrastructure needed to keep applications running. HC3 products make the deployment and management of a highly available and scalable infrastructure as easy to manage as a single server.



Joel Beckum, IT Coordinator, Auburn University noted, "Scale's HC3 solution does everything that I need it to. It simplifies my network infrastructure so that I can be an expert. I was a desktop support guy who's now a system admin. Scale Computing makes me look like a pro. As far as my users know, I'm a genius." The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation is a public school district and has operated as a separate governmental unit since 1956, enrolling approximately 12,000 students in pre-kindergarten through high school programs, and employing more than 1200 full-time personnel. When the school district needed to support immediate work from home solutions in response to COVID-19, they turned to Scale Computing. Leveraging virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technology, Scale Computing packaged two virtual machine images customers can download for free, and put together a how-to video and trained technical support staff to assist them in deploying the remote work technology solution. The VDI Connection Broker, Gateway (News - Alert) , and Agent provide easy, intuitive configuration and management for the Scale Computing HC3 environment, whether using remote access, only on-premise access, or a combination of both. No additional devices or services are needed to get organizations up and running quickly.

As Chris Bowers, IT Manager at The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation, said, "When the work from home order was delivered the administrative offices needed connectivity and access, but many of the staff did not have a computer at home. Purchasing laptops was not going to happen in such a short time frame, and we did not want the security risk of opening up VPN connectivity to devices we do not manage." Bowers continued, "Luckily, we did have Chromebooks on hand and we issued those to people who needed them, but critical applications were a mix of web-based and internally-hosted applications. Scale Computing had emailed their customers with details for a fast solution, and it met our needs. The message claimed deployment would be in an hour or less, and honestly we didn't really believe it. But it was true - we timed it and we were able to finish deployment in just under an hour. We had the school staff up and running, working from home, and we haven't received a single support call since. It all just works." Willard Public Schools, an award-winning public school system in Willard, Missouri, has been relying on HC3 since 2011 for its long-term, future-proofed IT infrastructure to power its educational institutions. After its 2011 implementation, Willard Public Schools decided to replace all of its remaining legacy infrastructure with Scale Computing, creating an all-in-one hyperconverged solution with reliability, maximum availability, and ease of use. With HC3 as its IT foundation, Willard Public Schools has a future-proofed, efficient, high-performing IT infrastructure. Simplifying its entire IT infrastructure allows Willard's IT team to focus on more strategic projects. Willard Public Schools' technology director Scott Wooldridge noted, "With nine schools spread out across the district, we needed an IT infrastructure that didn't require us to devote additional time or resources to manage the technology. With HC3, we found a solution that checked all the boxes and allowed our IT team to focus on more strategic projects. Not only is it self-healing and reliable, but it actually does what it says it will." To learn more about Scale Computing's award-winning HC3 platform, please visit https://www.scalecomputing.com/hc3-virtualization-platform. About Scale Computing Scale Computing is a leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions. Scale Computing HC3 software eliminates the need for traditional virtualization software, disaster recovery software, servers, and shared storage, replacing these with a fully integrated, highly available system for running applications. Using patented HyperCore technology, the HC3 self-healing platform automatically identifies, mitigates, and corrects infrastructure problems in real-time, enabling applications to achieve maximum uptime. When ease-of-use, high availability, and TCO matter, Scale Computing HC3 is the ideal infrastructure platform. Read what our customers have to say on Gartner Peer Insights, Spiceworks, TechValidate and TrustRadius. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005072/en/

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[May 25, 2021] SkipQoo: Online Ordering Gives Hope to F&B Sector Amid Partial Lockdown

SINGAPORE, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Singapore heightens its safety measures to curb the negative effects of Covid-19, many businesses, namely those of the F&B sector, have been forced to transform just to make ends meet. Some have seen online sales nearly doubled from pre-Circuit Breaker levels. From one in ten sales in January last year being made online, to one in five sales in September, the trend shows no signs of reversing. SkipQoo, a Singapore company focusing on website Ordering & restaurant management system, provides its insights on this trend: This industry overhaul is being propelled by increasing adoption of technological solutions to mitigate the effects of plummeting sales. During the Circuit Breaker, Singapore's first lockdown, F&B owners struggled to make sales as they were vastly unprepared. Many were not listed on delivery platforms, and others lacked social media presence. Since then, the F&B landscape has evolved for the better. However, Singapore's Health Ministry, a multi-ministry task force set up to ensure public health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic, has announced new measures during "Phase 2 (Heightened Alert)". This was implemented in response to rising community Covid-19 cases. Among these are measures such as no dining in at F&B establishments, social gathering groups reduced from 5 to 2, and Work From Home (WFH) being the default for employers. This has led some F&B owners to draw similarities to the first Circuit Breaker lockdown, with many wondering if they can cope with another month of reduced sales just as they were getting back on their feet. Fortunately, not all hope is lost. There are many more F&B owners who have continued to utilise their digital solutions after adopting them in 2020. Over the years, the Singapore government has encouraged businesses to adopt digital solutions to increase efficiency and improve adaptability. In 2017, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Sim Ann told Parliament that the Singapore government set a target for 50% of all F&B outlets to adopt digital service solutions by 2020, such as QR codes for payment. Following that, in March 2021, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran recognised that Singapore's digital future is underpinned by "competitive enterprises that leverage digital technologies to innovate and grow", among others. Mr. Iswaran went on to say that "This will help more enterprises access innovative solutions and accelerate the deployment of digital innovation at scale." He also brought up future programmes in the pipeline that will "equip firms wit the capabilities and talent to accelerate their digital transformation journey."



The years-long drive towards digitalisation has reached a tipping point, with Covid-19 being the catalyst. Service providers which help F&B businesses to adopt QR code ordering and digital menus are now experiencing increasing demand. For F&B owners, these may be the solutions they have been looking for. Consumers have heightened their health consciousness and thus have developed a preference for more hygienic practices. Touching a physical menu that has been palmed by tens of people prior is seen as less acceptable now. This demand drives F&B owners to adopt such technologies.

Singaporean consumers are thus more inclined to browse a restaurant's menu through a QR code, rather than by flipping the pages of a worn-out physical menu. Their preference for cleanliness and sanitation has developed into a necessity. Many companies have stepped forward to address this need. One such company that provides digital ordering solutions for the F&B sector is SkipQoo. The company presents itself as an expert in F&B marketing and empowers businesses to manage their orders more efficiently. They target common pain points in the F&B industry, one of which is the high staff turnover rate, the highest among all Singapore industries. This makes it costly for businesses as managers have to invest significant amounts of time to retrain new staff. With digital ordering systems, less manpower is needed. Mundane tasks such as taking orders, keying them into the POS, and relaying them to the kitchen, are now automated. This reduces the burden on managers and allows staff to focus on executing their tasks more efficiently. The tangible benefits of digital ordering are made clear in the case of dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan. The chain saves three to five man-hours daily thanks to the adoption of automation processes, including a QR code ordering system that allows customers to order dishes online, which will then send these orders directly to the kitchen for preparation. A spokesperson for Tim Ho Wan said that "workers have generally reacted positively, giving feedback that the project has significantly increased staff efficiency and reduced work-related stress." On top of this, older supervisors, cooks, and service crew have seen a pay raise under the scheme, "as a result of gain-sharing." Tim Ho Wan is one example of how an F&B chain can not only maintain a high level of revenue, even during a lockdown, but also save up by eliminating unnecessary operational processes. While lockdowns can indeed devastate unprepared businesses, as can be seen over the past year when the pandemic hits, businesses are now much more prepared. Even if they have not made any changes thus far, they are now more open to going digital. As Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) is a less severe version of the Circuit Breaker, businesses are now able to pull through easier. However, those who have yet to adopt digital solutions or create an online presence will find it hard to compete with those who have upskilled and made themselves more appealing to consumers. This is why CEO of SkipQoo Darren Goh has been vocal about his belief that "digital ordering systems are one of the biggest trends coming into the food space currently." His company is constantly innovating new solutions for F&B owners to increase their revenue. His mission has taken on a new sense of importance in 2021, as customers start to go back to restaurants and dining outside. However, for many F&B owners, revenue is still below pre-Circuit Breaker times. President of Restaurant Association of Singapore Vincent Tan Chor Khoon commented that many members of the association told him that their business revenue dropped by about 50% to 80%. It has also been reported that F&B sales fell by 53% in April last year. This is precisely what drives Darren to never lose sight of his goal. "We work to eliminate costs, not just reduce them. Our thinking is - why mitigate a problem when we can solve it?" Darren went on to comment about his interactions with F&B owners. "Most of the existing widespread solutions in the market are a nightmare for restaurant and cafe owners, the technology simply has not caught up with demand." Many adoption milestones have yet to be reached in the digital ordering scene. Darren predicts that his company, SkipQoo, will go on to leapfrog its way into restaurants all across the island. In 2020, the company experienced an increase in traffic on their website and in the number of inquiries about their services. To learn more about SkipQoo and how they innovate industry processes, visit their website at skipqoo.io. Understanding how QR code ordering and digital menus work is key to seeing high adoption rates of this new technology. Trends in the F&B industry show that digital literacy is rising among restaurant owners, bar managers, and hawkers. The F&B industry still has a long way to go to reach pre-Circuit Breaker levels of revenue. New companies with a drive to provide solutions for the F&B industry's headaches present a fresh hope for revival in the sector in 2021. With continued government support, F&B owners can easily find the right solution for them and reap gains in efficiency and profitability. They are also better prepared and can more easily adapt to any unexpected changes in the F&B industry. About Skip Queue Digital Ordering System Skip Queue Digital Ordering is a leading, cost-effective, scalable Website Ordering & restaurant management system, trusted by hundreds of restaurants worldwide, developed by SkipQoo, a Pre-Approved Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) vendor under Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) SMEs Go Digital Programme. It is an end-to-end Digital Ordering & restaurant management solution that fits all restaurant models, including casual dining, quick service restaurants, kiosks, food trucks and drive-thru, and addresses all order types walk-in, dine-in, take-away and home delivery. If you would like more information about this topic, please drop us an email at hello@skipqoo.io Website: https://www.SkipQoo.io SOURCE SkipQoo Pte. Ltd.

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[May 25, 2021] Sunshine Biopharma's Adva-27a Destroys Cancer Cells Expressing P-glycoprotein, a Marker Present in Over 50% of All Cancer Types

MONTREAL, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunshine Biopharma Inc. (OTC PINK: SBFM), a pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of oncology and antiviral drugs, today announced that it has elucidated the mechanism of action of Adva-27a, the Companys flagship anticancer drug candidate. Adva-27a has been found to have two activities: (i) evasion of P-glycoprotein, and (ii) inhibition of Topoisomerase II. P-glycoprotein is the most often encountered transmembrane efflux protein responsible for multidrug resistance in over 50% of all cancer types. By escaping the efflux pump of P-glycoprotein, Adva-27a is able to accumulate inside cancer cells and destroy them by inhibiting Topoisomerase II, a DNA unwinding enzyme preferentially used by cancer cells to multiply.

Multidrug resistance is by far the biggest challenge in cancer therapy and P-glycoprotein is the major culprit. A plethora of anticancer drugs that are central to chemotherapeutic regimes are susceptible to the P-glycoprotein efflux activity. Among these are the vinca alkaloids (vinblastine and vincristine), the taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel), the anthracyclines (doxorubicin and daunorubicin), the topoisomerase inhibitors (topotecan and etoposide), and the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (dasatinib and gefitinib). Sunshine Biopharmas P-glycoprotein evading small molecule, Adva-27a, represents an effective alternative to all of these drugs. In addition, it has been recognized that most cancers consist of a heterogeneous population of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells. During the course of current chemotherapy regiments, drug-sensitive cells are selectively destroyed and resistant cells become the dominant cancer cell population, leading to recurrence and metastasis. Unlike existing chemotherapy drugs, Adva-27a is able to destroy both populations of cancer cells resulting in more complete eradication of the cancer being treated. The implications of this development are vast in the context of cancer therapy as a whole, said Dr. Steve Slilaty, CEO of Sunshine Biopharma. We are excited to soon have a new drug available for cancer sufferers around the world, he added. About Sunshine Biopharma Sunshine Biopharma is focused on the research, development and commercialization of oncology and antiviral drugs. In the area of antiviral drugs, Sunshine Biopharma is currently engaged in he development of an oral treatment for COVID-19. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of COVID-19, the ongoing pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 3.4 million people worldwide since it first appeared in December 2019. There are currently no drugs that can effectively arrest replication of the virus in people who have contracted the illness. Sunshine Biopharma has completed the synthesis of four potential inhibitors of PLpro and subsequently identified a lead compound, SBFM-PL4. On February 1, 2021, Sunshine Biopharma entered into an exclusive license agreement with the University of Georgia for two Anti-Coronavirus compounds which the University of Georgia had previously developed and patented. The Company is currently advancing the development of these two compounds in parallel with its own SBFM-PL4 by conducting a transgenic mice study in collaboration with the University of Georgia, College of Pharmacy. The mice being used in the study have been genetically engineered to express the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transmembrane protein in their lungs making them susceptible to lethal infection by SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses the hACE2 receptor to gain entry into human cells to replicate. The goal of the study is to determine if these protease inhibitors will protect the hACE2-transgenic mice from disease progression and death following infection with SARS-CoV-2. Should these mice studies prove successful, Sunshine Biopharma plans to submit the results to the FDA for authorization to conduct testing on actual COVID-19 patient volunteers in a Phase I clinical trial setting.



In addition, to working on the development of a treatment for COVID-19, Sunshine Biopharma is engaged in the development Adva-27a, a unique anticancer compound. Tests conducted to date have demonstrated the effectiveness of Adva-27a at destroying Multidrug Resistant Cancer Cells, including Pancreatic Cancer cells, Small-Cell Lung Cancer cells, Breast Cancer cells, and Uterine Sarcoma cells. Clinical trials for Pancreatic Cancer indication are planned to be conducted at McGill Universitys Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. Sunshine Biopharma is owner of all patents and intellectual property pertaining to Adva-27a.

Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues statements related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to general stock market conditions. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our expansion of our existing as well as new service lines noting there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. Additional service offerings may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s) based upon the various geopolitical locations we will be providing services in, the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. For Additional Information Contact:

Camille Sebaaly, CFO

Sunshine Biopharma Inc.

Direct Line: 514-814-0464

camille.sebaaly@sunshinebiopharma.com

www.sunshinebiopharma.com



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ATS/Mallinckrodt Research Grant on COVID-19 in underrepresented minorities awarded

(New York, NY) - May 25, 2021 - Neelima Navuluri, MD, of Duke University has been awarded the ATS/Mallinckrodt Research Grant on COVID-19 in Underrepresented Minorities.

The $50,000 award will help fund Dr. Navuluri's research study, "Prospective Study of Racial Disparities in Pulmonary and QOL Outcomes Among COVID-19 Survivors."

"This study will identify targets for future implementation studies to improve health equity among Blacks," wrote Dr. Navuluri in her application. "It will provide preliminary data for career development award applications focused on racial and ethnic disparities in pulmonary disease.

"The work proposed by Dr. Navuluri will further our understanding of how recovery from COVID-19 is impacted by social factors," said Neeta Thakur, MD, chair of the ATS Health Equality and Diversity Committee. "By focusing the work on upstream factors, we will not only identify targets for intervention but put the focus where it needs to be--on the underlying sources for racial and ethnic respiratory health disparities."

"As a patient-centric company, we believe that advancing research to further address existing health disparities will help lead to better outcomes for all patients," said Steve Romano, MD, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Mallinckrodt. "As we continue to learn more about the impact of COVID-19, we are proud to support Dr. Navuluri's study as she investigates the pulmonary effects of COVID-19 in underrepresented minority groups."

Learn more about the ATS/Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Research Grant, and additional grant opportunities on our website.

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This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Woodville, AL (35768)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms late at night. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms late at night. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 21:04:22|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Tuesday said that floating toxic or poisonous material or packages from the burning and abandoned ship "X-Press Pearl" may reach the shores of the country and warned people to stay away from beaches.

In a statement, Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) strictly warned people from touching or opening the packages or materials and requested them to contact the Sri Lanka Navy or the police upon the sight of any such items.

The container ship "X-Press Pearl" registered under the flag of Singapore, was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from the port of Hazira, India on May 15, according to the Sri Lanka Navy.

The vessel sent out a distress call as it approached the Colombo Port on May 20, and soon caught fire, resulting in the Sri Lankan Navy dispatching vessels to bring the fire under control.

By Tuesday morning, eight cargo containers had fallen into the sea and the vessel was reported to be unstable, the MEPA said.

The Sri Lanka Navy said it had rescued 25 crew members from the ship. Two injured Indian nationals among the rescued had been hospitalized for treatment.

The distressed container ship had crew who are Philippine, Chinese, Indian and Russian nationals.

By Tuesday evening, the Sri Lanka Navy said the fire was now spreading to the quarterdeck. The fire was being exacerbated by strong winds due to changing weather conditions.

The navy further cautioned the fishing community to avoid the sea area where the vessel was burning. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] Swander Pace Capital and Mighty Spark Announce Partnership

Mighty Spark Food Company ("Mighty Spark"), an innovative, all-natural protein brand on a mission to impact food insecurity, announces a partnership with an investor group led by Swander Pace Capital ("SPC"), a leading private equity firm specializing in consumer products' companies, and its strategic partners in Branch Brook Holdings ("Branch Brook"), which includes United Natural Foods, Inc., the largest distributor of health and specialty food products in the U.S. and Canada, and Jefferson Capital Partners. In conjunction with the strategic partnership announcement, Mighty Spark is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer, Sean Reid. Sean brings over 30 years of industry experience and most recently served as Executive Vice President of Sales at Jack Link's and Chief Consumer Officer at Hillshire Brands. "I am excited to welcome my new partners and a new CEO to our Company to leverage their experiences with other high-growth, innovative food brands and those businesses that positively impact their communities," explains Mighty Spark's Founder Nick Beste. "I'm thrilled our partners have embraced our mission, as well as our commitment to product quality and innovation. Going forward, I will focus my efforts exclusively on our meal donations and community impact, and I look forward to driving meaningful change as we help people in need." "Mighty Spark has quickly developed a loyal and passionate following due to its ability to consistently satisfy consumers seeking healthier protein alternatives, great-tasting products, environmentally-friendly packaging, and a real commitment to giving back," says Rob DesMarais, Chairman of Mighty Spark and a Managing Director at Swander Pace Capital. "Mighty Spark has incredible growh potential and the talent and capabilities to realize it. We are thrilled to form this new partnership and welcome Sean Reid to lead the team."



"I am excited to lead a talented and ambitious organization that is winning with its consumers and retailer partners," explains Sean Reid, Chief Executive Officer at Mighty Spark. "Going forward, we will work hard to continue to innovate with better-for-you proteins as we respond to emerging consumer trends while staying true to our give-back commitment." In connection with the partnership, Mighty Spark proudly announces the addition of three proven leaders to its Board of Directors, Kerry Collins, Eric Eddings, and Diane Kull. Ms. Collins most recently served in various senior roles for Applegate, including Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Eddings currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Oregon Ice Cream, which owns Alden's (No. 1 market share organic ice cream brand in the U.S.) and Chief Executive Officer of Branch Brook Holdings. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Sahale Snacks. Ms. Kull currently serves as the Vice President of Technical Services at Bragg Live Food Products (No. 1 market share apple cider vinegar brand in the U.S.) and previously held senior positions at Applegate, including Vice President of Quality Assurance, R&D, and Animal Welfare.

"We are very enthusiastic to join forces with an incredibly talented team at Mighty Spark and to work in a collaborative and respectful way as we chase our ambitious goals," explains Eric Eddings, Vice Chairman of Mighty Spark. "We are also here to support Mighty Spark's mission to address food insecurity and continue to innovate for our consumers and retail partners." Mighty Spark Food Company Mighty Spark is an all-natural protein brand that delivers exciting flavors and convenient packaging to make meals healthy and easy to prepare. Mighty Spark has donated more than 10 million meals to date and is working every day to impact food insecurity. Through the simple act of purchasing a package of Mighty Spark's protein patties or grinds, or three snack sticks, our consumers are donating a meal to someone in need. For more information, visit https://mightysparkfood.com/. Swander Pace Capital Swander Pace Capital ("SPC") is a private equity firm that invests in companies that are integral to consumers' lives. Representative investments include Applegate, Bragg Live Food Products, Oregon Ice Cream (Alden's), Merrick Pet Care, Kicking Horse Coffee, ReNew Life, Liberte, J.R. Watkins, Monistat, Totes-Isotoner, Reef, Voortman's, and other leading food and beverage brands. The firm partners with management teams to help build companies to their full potential. With offices in California, New Jersey, and Ontario (Canada), SPC has invested in more than 50 companies and raised cumulative equity commitments of approximately $1.8 billion since 1996. For more information, visit www.spcap.com. Branch Brook Holdings Branch Brook Holdings ("Branch Brook") represents a strategic partnership formed in 2012 between Swander Pace Capital, Jefferson Capital Partners, and United Natural Foods, Inc. to make investments in organic, natural, and specialty consumer product companies. For more information visit www.branchbrookllc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005309/en/

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[May 25, 2021] A Time to Celebrate the Students! Arizona Virtual Academy & Insight School of Arizona Class of 2021 Ready to Move Forward

After a school year like no other, both the Arizona Virtual Academy (AZVA) and Insight School of Arizona (ISAZ), two online public school serving students throughout the state, will celebrate its graduates online with a commencement ceremony for AZVA on May 26 and one for ISAZ on May 27. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005003/en/ The virtual ceremonies will begin at 6 PM for AZVA and 4 PM for ISAZ by following the links below. The theme for AZVA seniors this year is "This is My TimeTo Work Hard, To Learn, To Achieve, To Grow, To Prepare, To Have Joy in my Accomplishments" and all seniors have all created their own unique "This is My Time" quote. AZVA has been helping Arizona families since 2003 and ISAZ since 2012. "While other schools may have struggled with online learning throughout the year, both AZVA and ISAZ never missed a day of instruction, which kept our students motivated, excited, and moving forward," said AZVA Head of School Charles Woods. "Their achievements deserve to be shouted from the rim of the Grand Canyon, and we're happy to provide a range of solutions that helps all our Arizona families." This year, AZVA will graduate nearly 215 students and ISAZ will graduate over 260. Approximately 72 AZVA seniors will graduate with at least a 3.5 weighted GPA. The AZVA Class of 2021 has earned over $1.1 million dollars in scholarships already. For ISAZ, over $50,000 in scholarships and multiple grants have been awarded. Collectively, the graduating class reports it has been accepted to colleges and universities across Arizona and beyond, including Northern Arizona University, Dixie State University, Eastern New Mexico University, and Colorado Christian University. Giangelo (Gino) Santilli is AZVA's Valedictorian and ISAZ wil feature Florie Rush. Santilli plans to attend vocational school in the fall and go into real estate. Florie plans to continue to work at DeCesari Equestrian in Tucson to prepare her for her future goal of becoming a veterinarian. The Salutatorian is Katie Finn for AZVA and Alyssa Kleber for ISAZ. They will attend Northern Arizona University & Estrella Community College respectively. The keynote speaker will be Kimberly Yee, State Treasurer of Arizona and the first Asian-American ever elected to the Arizona Legislature.



"This year was a whole new kind of struggle and we all couldn't have gone through it without the continued support of our teachers at AZVA & ISAZ," said Santilli. "I'll forever be grateful that they helped me move onto the next level of my education." Prior to the pandemic, students enrolled in virtual school for a number of reasons-some were looking to escape bullying, some may have fallen academically off track, and others were looking for an alternative to the traditional classroom setting.

Both AZVA and ISAZ students access a robust online curriculum in the core subjects and a host of electives and attend live virtual classes taught by state-certified teachers. Details of the graduation ceremonies are as follows: WHAT: Arizona Virtual Academy 2021 Graduation Ceremony WHEN: Wednesday, May 26th, 2021, 6:00 PM Info can be found here. WHAT: Insight Academy of Arizona 2021 Graduation Ceremony WHEN: Thursday, May 27th, 2021, 4:00 PM Info can be found here. CONTACT: For any questions about the celebrations, please contact Adrienne Meeker at ameeker@k12.com for AZVA and Erica Young at eyoung@k12.com for ISAZ. For media inquiries, please contact Ken Schwartz at kschwartz@k12.com. About Arizona Virtual Academy Arizona Virtual Academy (AZVA) is an AdvancED-accredited, full-time online public charter school that serves Arizona students in kindergarten through 12th grade. As part of the Arizona public school system, AZVA 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. For more information visit azva.k12.com. About Insight Academy of Arizona Insight Academy of Arizona (ISAZ) is an AdvancED-accredited, full-time online public school that serves Arizona students in grades 7-12. As part of the Arizona public school system, ISAZ 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. For more information about ISAZ, visit az.insightschools.net. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005003/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Untangle Taps Brainworks Computer Technologie GmbH To Grow SMB Security Distribution in DACH

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Untangle Inc. , a leader in comprehensive network security for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and distributed enterprises, today announced it has partnered with Brainworks Computer Technologie GmbH to deliver its successful award-winning SMB security solutions to German-speaking countries. With this strategic partnership, Untangle now empowers a new market of SMBs with protection, visibility and control across the entire digital attack surface from headquarters to branch offices at the edge. According to a recent survey , 78 percent of SMB employees are temporarily working remotely with an anticipated 56 percent suggesting some positions will be permanently remote moving forward. This means the attack surface for these SMBs will continue to grow and be at risk if not properly secured. With over 30 years of experience selling and marketing innovative products for IT infrastructure and software solutions in DACH, Brainworks has a pulse on the SMB market. Now, with the Untangle partnership, customers can benefit from a robust product stack that offers comprehensive security with deep analysis and insights, network orchestration, reliable connectivity and network performance "We are proud to be partnering with a robust partner in the DACH region," said Heather Paunet, Sr. VP of Product and Marketing at Untangle. "Brainworks brings deep knowledge of needs and trends in their region and will enable Untangle to build best in class features tht are tailored specifically with those needs in mind."



The Untangle NG Firewall provides network security through a single, modular software platform that adapts to the evolving needs of a business. Thanks to the flexible software architecture, Brainwork customers now have the option of installing the solution in virtualized environments, or on manufacturer or Brainworks hardware. With the option of using cloud-based NG Firewall instances, the partnership successfully rounds off the Brainworks product portfolio in the on-premises and MSP area. With the SD-WAN product line from Untangle, Brainworks partners can offer a homogeneous, professional solution for SMEs with multiple locations. "We are pleased about the partnership with Untangle, one of the most interesting IT security companies from Silicon Valley," said Derk Steffens, Managing Director of Brainworks Computer Technologie GmbH. "The multiple award-winning Next Generation Firewall and SD-WAN products ideally complement our portfolio and enable us to establish enterprise-class technology with an excellent price-performance ratio in our German-speaking SMB market."

By partnering together, Brainworks and Untangle share the same commitment to supporting SMBs and distributed organizations against cyber attacks. To learn more, please visit www.brainworks.de , or email info@brainworks.de About Brainworks Computer Technologie GmbH

As a value-added IT distributor, brainworks from Munich has been offering innovative IT technologies, in-depth market knowledge and expertise on the cutting edge since 1989. Flexible, high-performance and platform-independent - whether modern Smart Working solution with video conferencing, file sharing, chat, e-mail, calendar and task scheduling, VoIP telephone system with web-based meetings and communication plug-in for easy customer contact via the website, as well as firewall solutions, SD-WAN solutions, high-performance WLAN, guest hotspot or seamless integration and management of mobile devices such as tablets, notebooks or cell phones and stationary client PCs - brainworks works with selected and multiple award-winning vendors such as GFI Software, Kerio, IceWarp, Wildix, Cambium and Untangle. Offerings in new business areas, such as support for managed service providers or SaaS and cloud-optimized technologies make the product range sustainable and future-proof. The coordinated and focused product portfolio, technically experienced support, sales staff with in-depth product knowledge, informative webinars and a store with direct manufacturer connection and license configurator are the basis for successful, future-oriented and trusting cooperation with customers and trading partners.



About Untangle

Untangle is an innovator in cybersecurity designed specifically for the below-enterprise market, safeguarding businesses, home offices, nonprofits, schools and governmental organizations. Untangle's integrated suite of software and appliances provides enterprise-grade capabilities and consumer-oriented simplicity to organizations with limited IT resources. Untangle's award-winning network security solutions are trusted by over 40,000 customers around the world. Untangle is headquartered in San Jose, California. Untangle Media Contact

Lumina Communications on behalf of Untangle

Untangle@LuminaPR.com

408-963-6418 Brainworks Computer Technologie GmbH Media Contact

Paul-Heyse-Str. 28

80336 Munchen

Tel.: +49 89 326764-0

info@brainworks.de

www.brainworks.de View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/untangle-taps-brainworks-computer-technologie-gmbh-to-grow-smb-security-distribution-in-dach-301298395.html SOURCE Untangle

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[May 25, 2021] Winegard and SpectraRep Give Students Without Broadband Easier Access to Remote Learning

BURLINGTON, Iowa, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last year, Winegard and SpectraRep have been working together to make remote learning easier during the COVID-19 crisisespecially for those families without high-speed broadband access. All through the power of datacasting technology. Datacasting turns a portion of the public television spectrum into a secure wireless data network. A solution to remote-learning equity that few people even knew existed.

"Datacasting turns a portion of the public television spectrum into a secure wireless data network," says SpectraRep President and CTO Mark O'Brien. "It's a reliable and cost-effective solution that leverages powerful TV signals to deliver computer data. First responders, from local police and fire services to the Department of Homeland Security, have been using datacasting for two decades. Now underserved kids can use it too. "SpectraRep has been working in the datacasting sphere for more than twenty years. But it's probably fair to say this technology is still unknown to the general public. Datacasting is a natural fit for the unique and critical need to deliver teacher-created content to students who don't have reliable broadband access. That's what makes EduCast so exciting." A wireless data network delivered through a TV antenna.

EduCast lets any teacher use their local public television station to broadcast instructional content or educational resources directly from their computer to a sudent's Chromebook or tablet.



It eliminates the need for a home router or a monthly data plan. Once students are set up with a SpectraRep receiver, a quality antenna, and a PC, laptop, or tablet, they can access school files through the cloud-based EduCast platform. "When our public television station partners came to us with the idea to expand datacasting to support remote learning," says Mark O'Brien, "we were in a great position to provide the necessary cloud technology, content management, and receivers. All that remained was gaining a reliable supply of high-quality antennas. Which is why we turned to Winegard."

Bringing remote learning beyond the school bus hotspot and straight into the home.

"From mid-2020 onward, we deployed high-performance routers on school buses here in our hometown of Burlington and across the nation," says Grant Whipple, Winegard President and COO. "But that could only ever be one part of the solution to broadband equity, especially for rural America. Students deserve to have at-home access to reliable distance-learning resources whenever they need them. Not just any time there's a school bus nearby. "When SpectraRep came to us with the idea of using our FlatWave Amped indoor TV antennas to deliver network connectivity across the country, we jumped at the opportunity. It's inspiring to see how EduCast is leveling the educational playing field." The start of something even bigger.

"The EduCast revolution has touched thousands of students across the nation," says Mark O'Brien. "We continue to deploy the technology to even more kids in need, and I truly believe it's the start of something big. "This whole initiative has brought a fundamental change to the field of datacasting. More people know what it is, and with public television's support and the infrastructure now in place, the potential is limitless. Even as the country emerges from the pandemic, there is a continuing need to help students without internet access. Schools use their online platforms, such as Google Drive, Canvas, and Schoology, to communicate with students and post assignments and grades. "Datacasting enables students without broadband to access these same resources. EduCast can significantly reduce the learning and homework gap that many educators have been worried about for a long time. I can't wait to come back in a few years and report on the kinds of experiences we'll be helping teachers deliver." To learn more about datacasting and EduCast, head over to SpectraRep's dedicated page. About Winegard Company

Winegard's mission is to create the world's most innovative, reliable, and easy-to-operate Smart Wireless Solutions. Our products for the home, RV, marine, and industrial markets are designed to foster harmony by erasing the lines between technology and human experience. Customers should have the right tools to live, work, and play wherever and however they want. Learn more at Winegard.com. About SpectraRep

SpectraRep is the leading provider of datacasting solutions, applications, and systems for education, public safety, law enforcement, homeland security, and mass media sectors. SpectraRep partners with public television stations throughout the US and uses their datacasting solution to provide a robust wireless one-to-many data delivery network supporting multiple simultaneous use-cases. For more information, visit SpectraRep.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/winegard-and-spectrarep-give-students-without-broadband-easier-access-to-remote-learning-301298049.html SOURCE Winegard Company

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[May 24, 2021] Homegrown e-commerce Startup SHOPLOOOH Receives RM 2.4 Million in ECF Funding

BATU PAHAT, Malaysia, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SHOPLOOOH , an upcoming homegrown e-commerce platform and lifestyle content incubator, have successfully raised RM 2.4 million from 417 investors in just three weeks, surpassing its minimum target amount by more than two times. Malaysia's leading equity crowdfunding platform, MyStartr , facilitated the funding, raising the minimum target amount of RM 1 million within the first day of the campaign. Established in 2013 as an apparel brand that provides high-quality casual wear for ladies, SHOPLOOOH has grown exponentially and has quadrupled its first-year earnings of RM 37,000 to RM 152,000 in 12 months. Commenting on the funding achievement, Garrick Tan, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SHOPLOOOH,



Couple Garrick and Audrey founded SHOPLOOOH after quitting their careers due to a life-changing event to focus full-time on developing the platform. Since then, SHOPLOOOH's revenue has risen more than 100 times to a staggering RM 3.9 million and has a fully operational store in Sunway Pyramid shopping centre that started with a RM 500,000 investment.

SHOPLOOOH has also built a strong following with over 230,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. Active user conversions have reached 45,000 and customer repurchase rates have hit 60%. The brand also marked a new milestone with sales of RM 150,000 in a single day in December 2020. "SHOPLOOOH is more than just a fashion brand. Ultimately, the goal is to become an incubator of lifestyle content. SHOPLOOOH matches users' unique personalities and identities to high-quality products and services. We think this will be a winning combination that will create not only a great Malaysian e-commerce brand but also the first Malaysian e-commerce fashion brand to go to IPO," said Co-founder & Managing Director, Audrey Ng. The team uses social media and their years of experience in production and marketing, along with their industry connections, to develop high-quality merchandise. For example, a new Street Wear series was launched to uniquely showcase Malaysian fashion. Business goals made possible with MyStartr The brand's long-term plans are made possible with crowdfunding platform MyStartr, which the country's Ministry of Finance backs through the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF). Administered by the Securities Commission of Malaysia, MyCIF is a fund that co-invests in equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer campaigns with a ratio of 1:4. MyCIF has benefitted about 1,196 Malaysian micro, small and medium enterprises by the end of 2020. About SHOPLOOOH Malaysia-based SHOPLOOOH is a homegrown e-commerce apparel brand and upcoming lifestyle and fashion incubator. First established in 2013, SHOPLOOOH's goal is to bring high-quality, fashionable casual wear for every woman that allows them to express their personality. SHOPLOOOH has accumulated revenue of RM 3.9 million with 230,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. Visit http://shoploooh.com/ for more information. SOURCE Shoploooh Sdn Bhd

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[May 24, 2021] ABLIC Launches the S-19914/5 Series of Ultra-small Step-down Switching Regulators for Automotive Use With Low EMI That Reduces Conducted Emission to 1/3 of Previous Levels

ABLIC Inc. (President: Nobumasa Ishiai, head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter "ABLIC") today launched the S-19914/5 Series of low EMI step-down switching regulators for automotive use. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005006/en/ The S-19914/5 Series of Ultra-small Step-down Switching Regulators for Automotive Use with Low EMI that Reduces Conducted Emission to 1/3 of Previous Levels (Graphic: Business Wire) The new product launched today, the S-19914/5 Series is a step-down switching regulator with low EMI and integrates a spread spectrum clock generation circuit (*1) that reduces the conducted emission and radiated emission generated by the IC. Specifically, it reducs conducted emission to 1/3 of our previous model. The S-19914/5 Series is housed in the industry's smallest (*2) HSNT-8(2030) package (2.0 x 3.0 x t0.5mm) making it a product that will contribute to the downsizing of camera modules and meet the current market need for automotive devices.



Moreover, it is PPAP (Production Part Approval Process)-capable and also meets the AEC(*)-Q100 Grade1 (* Automotive Electronics Council) quality standard for automotive ICs. (*1) Technology for adjusting the oscillation frequency to suppress emission peaks generated by specific frequencies (for example, 2.2MHz or higher frequencies).

(*2) A DC-DC converter with 36V operation and 1A output. Based on our research, as of May 2021

Major Features Reduces conducted emission to 1/3 Industry's smallest class! Housed in an ultra-small HSNT-8(2030) (2.0 x 3.0 x t0.5mm) package Fast transient response PWM control, PWM/PFM control selectable Low ripple 36V input/45V rating Application Examples Automotive camera modules

For automotive use (engine, transmission, suspension, ABS (News - Alert) , EV/HEV/PHEV and other device applications) S-19914/5 Series Product Details https://hub.ablic.com/en/products/s-19914-19915 Website https://www.ablic.com/ ABLIC Inc. became a wholly owned company by MinebeaMitsumi Inc. as of April 30th, 2020. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005006/en/

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[May 24, 2021] Italian Solar Inverter Manufacturer FIMER to Power Asia's First Automatic Frequency Control Initiative

FIMER has partnered with Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE)-listed smart energy conglomerate Tatung (Tatung:2371) to supply battery energy storage systems (BESS) for Taiwan Power Company (Taipower)'s automatic frequency control (AFC) initiative.

FIMER will supply its PVS980-58BC bidirectional converter to stabilize the grid which is exposed to the intermittent nature of renewable energy.

FIMER's UL 1741 certified PVS980-58BC bidirectional converter fulfills the UL 9540 Energy Storage System (ESS) requirements, having undergone a stringent stress-testing process at its labs in Finland and Italy before being deployed. TAIPEI, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Taiwan accelerates its adoption of renewable energy, Taipower, an electricity supplier to Taiwan's main and offshore islands, is set to launch Asia's first automatic frequency control (AFC) initiative through the application of battery energy storage systems (BESS). The initiative has been likened to a "virtual power plant" which in addition to significantly reducing carbon emissions, will generate 15MW (megawatts) of electricity per second, offer a rate of frequency control three to five times faster than that of large-scale generator and bring greater stability to Taiwan's power supply. In collaboration with TSE-listed smart energy conglomerate Tatung (Tatung:2371), Italian solar inverter manufacturer FIMER has been selected to provide its BESS solution, which will help the power grid accommodate fluctuations resulting from renewable energy generation. While renewables such as solar and wind energy significantly reduce the amount of carbon emissions, final total power output is often subject to varying natural conditions such as the weather. To accommodate a high penetration of variable renewable energy, FIMER's PVS980-58BC helps increase grid flexibility and improve the integration of renewable resources. It will play an instrumental role in stabilizing the grid to minimize energy fluctuations. Upon receiving a command from the Energy Management System (EMS) in the event of an unplanned generator outage, the PVS980-58BC will minimize power disruptions by fully performing power charging and discharging within 20 milliseconds (ms) of transfer time. "We are honored to partner with Tatung in delivering our energy storage solutions across various locations in Taiwan as part of Taipower's initiative. FIMER's UL 1741 certified PVS980-58BC bidirectional converter fulfills the UL 9540 Energy Storage System (ESS) requirements, having undergone a stringent stress-testing process at our labs in Finland and Italy before being deployed. It is engineered to power utility-scale projects safely and reliably even under the harshest weather conditions, whether in sub-zero temperatures or extreme heat," said FIMER Taiwan Managing Director Vincent Wu. "We are proud to provide high quality bidirectional converters (Power Conversion System, PCS) to enhance Taipower's AFC initiative and help customers comply with the recent major electricity consumer regulation. With Taiwan fast ramping up the adoption of renewables, FIMER stands ready to support the market in attaining its goal of generating 20% of its domestic electricity through renewable energy by 2025."







 UL 1741 refers to Standard for Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use with Distributed Energy Resources

About FIMER FIMER is the fourth largest, tier one, solar inverter supplier in the world. Specializing in solar inverters and mobility systems, it has over 1100 employees worldwide and offers a comprehensive solar solutions portfolio across all applications. FIMER's skills are further strengthened by its bold and agile approach that sees it consistently invest in R&D. With a presence in 25 countries together with local training centers and manufacturing hubs, FIMER remains close to its customers and the ever-evolving dynamics of the energy industry. For further details, visit our website www.fimer.com and follow our social channels. For more information please contact: FIMER Taiwan

11F., No. 482, Sec. 5, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110043 Chen Minming

Regional Marketing Communications Manager, APAC

e-mail: chen.minming@fimer.com SOURCE FIMER

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[May 25, 2021] India's Premiere Technical Training institution Nettur Technical Training Foundation, (NTTF) Opens Training Centre in Trichy

BANGALORE, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NTTF, a well-known brand in the Vocational Education field serving the society for the last 61+ years, is now opening a Technical Training Centre in Alundur at the premises of M/s J R Polytechnic, situated in Trichy. Trichy Training Centre(TyTC) NTTF Technical Training Centre, (J R Polytechnic College Campus) Soorakudipatti, Trichy-Viralimalai Road, Trichy. Trichy being the hub of reputed schools and colleges, NTTF has strategically located its new campus of vocational training for the benefit of young learners to make them employable. The Centre will have state of the art, Infrastruture with CNC machine, 3D printing (Stratasys), Industrial Robots (Fanuc), etc., to provide best in class training to students. NTTF would be soon commencing its most popular and Internationally accredited Three Year Diploma Program in "Mechatronics Engineering & Smart Factory" at this new Centre for Class 10 and Class 12 students. The state-of-the-art Training facility would be installed by NTTF to run the industry recognised Mechatronics course. The students would also be getting additional certificates every year upon successful completion of the assessment conducted by NSDC/ SSC as per NSQF standards. Additionally, NTTF Diploma students may also pursue concurrent International Diploma program and on successful completion of the assessment they will get an additional International Diploma by NOCN, UK, which will open up doors for pursuing higher education overseas. As more businesses advance their technologies and turn to sophisticated intelligent systems and robotics, Mechatronics Engineering will continue to grow in demand. At the intersection of mechanics, electronics, and computing, mechatronics specialists create simpler, smarter systems. The multidisciplinary skills and knowledge gained in mechatronics engineering technology will give the students the olid base to solve complex engineering problems especially in the Industrial automation field.



The institution has an enviable track record of industry placement of its technicians and engineers with attractive salaries, both in India and abroad. ITI qualified students would be enrolled under lateral entry scheme to complete the Diploma program in just two years.

About NTTF NTTF - an educational foundation established in the year 1959 - is the living symbol of Indo-Swiss co-operation; aimed at promoting purposeful Technical Education for the youth of India. NTTF assists industries, through its special collaborative initiative for producing quality skilled manpower, by establishing training Centre in partnership with industry associations. NTTF is an IMS Certified Training Institute ("ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & BS OHSAS 18001"). NTTF today operates in more than 60 locations pan India and employs 800+ faculty members and has delivered core training programs for over 55,000 students who are readily employable and well qualified trainees. All the courses and related curriculum are Industry-focused and updated based on the advice by a council of eminent personalities representing Academics and industry. NTTF has a state-of-the-art infrastructure for training. Besides the conventional and the latest CNC Machines, NTTF has an expertise in setting up "Centre of Excellence in Automation" and also the "Centre of Excellence in industry4.O, Industrial IOT, Additive Manufacturing/ 3D Printing". NTTF prepares the final year students - to face interviews, learn industry etiquette, gain self-confidence and makes them the true citizen of India through holistic training methodologies. For more than 61 years, NTTF has transformed the lives of many youth into industry leaders, entrepreneurs. NTTF provides its students a deeply transformative experience - intellectually, socially and personally, that will prepare them for a life of citizenship and leadership. NTTF training is designed to make the youth "Future Ready". It offers benefits like Career & job readiness, Deep technical knowledge/ Professional skills, Design thinking & Problem solving skills, Hands-on skill-oriented training and supports overall personality development. All the Programmes at NTTF are job-oriented. Every year the students are placed directly at reputed industries through the campus selections hosted by NTTF. All these programs are delivered with 65% practical training and 35% classroom training. NTTF Brand name is very popular in the industries especially in the Manufacturing, Automation, Electronics, Mechatronics, Information Technology and Computer Engineering sectors. Trainees are exposed to the latest emerging technology Skills such as Industry 4.0, courses, #RPA, iOT, ML, AI and many more, in association with M/s BOSCH, CISCO, Intel, SIEMENS, FANUC, AWS Educate, UiPath, etc. Interested students with Class 10/ Class 12/ ITI qualification can apply online at www.nttftrg.com for the Three-Year Diploma in Mechatronics & Smart Factory" program. Trichy Training Centre(TyTC) NTTF Technical Training Centre, (J R Polytechnic College Campus) Soorakudipatti, Trichy-Viralimalai Road, Nagamangalam Post Alundur, Tiruchi-620 012. Toll Free: 1800 103 6883 Media Contact: Ramanathan.S, CIO, NTTF

ramanathans@nttf.co.in



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[May 25, 2021] LTI Launches Operational Technology Transformation Solution with ServiceNow

Designed for manufacturing industry, the solution improves visibility, security & service of Operational Technology assets MUMBAI, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Larsen & Toubro Infotech (BSE: 540005), (NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, has launched ServiceNow based Operational Technology Management solution for the manufacturing industry. The solution aims to address the latent demand of the industry to have digital workflows for Operational Transformation (OT) Service Management. The solution leverages LTI's tech and domain expertise along with digital workflow enabling capabilities of ServiceNow, to deliver a scalable and secure solution for manufacturing operations using the Now Platform. This will help manufacturers embrace the concept of OT Management, in addition to IT Service Management (ITSM) practices. The solution also secures critical infrastructure from potential external threats and attacks, by helping ensure the foundational elements of OT cybersecurity. With insights from this solution, manufacturers can derive business benefits such as assured systems availability and rapid resolution of issues through a common service data model for manufacturing operations. Key features of the solution include: OT Visibility: Enabling digital view of all OT assets along with location, configuration and health

OT Service Management: Improved response time to OT service requests

OT ecurity and Governance: Reduction in risk and improved compliance



Nachiket Deshpande, Chief Operating Officer, LTI, said, "At LTI, we firmly believes there are exponential opportunities in the convergence of physical and digital worlds. This shift is accelerated by demands of the new economy that largely operates in a virtual mode, enabled by cloud. We are confident that this pioneering solution developed in partnership with ServiceNow will transform operations management for manufacturers worldwide." Binoy Gosalia, Global Head of Industry Partnerships at ServiceNow, said, "LTI's expertise in Factory Floor and Enterprise Operations Management combined with ServiceNow's continued innovation across the Now Platform helps ensure that OT Management addresses all of the current needs for manufacturers. Our combined collaboration will improve overall visibility, response times and security across the entire manufacturing value chain."

LTI is an elite partner of ServiceNow with implementations across Fortune 500 companies and expertise across ITSM, ITOM, ITBM, HRM, CSM, IRM, SecOps, and platform management services. In its recent report, Information Services Group (ISG) has named LTI a Leader in ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners across all services in their 2021 ISG Provider LensTM report for the US. About LTI: LTI (NSE: LTI) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 400 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 31 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation with LTI's Mosaic platform enabling their mobile, social, analytics, IoT and cloud journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unparalleled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 35,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations and deliver value to their customers, employees and shareholders. Follow us at @LTI_Global Connect with LTI : Read our News and Blogs

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn

Like us on Facebook ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1044154/LTI_Logo.jpg

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[May 25, 2021] Kioxia Earns 2021 Invention Prize from the National Commendation for Invention

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, announced today that it was awarded the 2021 Invention Prize from the National Commendation for Invention of semiconductor flash memory extension-of-life-span technology (patent no. 4461170). Dating back to 1919, the National Commendation for Invention is a Japanese program dedicated to promoting science, technology and industry that recognizes outstanding inventions, ideas and designs. Awardees (all Kioxia SSD Division employees): Kazuya Kitsunai, Specialist

Shinichi Kanno, Chief Specialist

Hirokuni Yano, Group Manager

Toshikatsu Hida, Chief Specialist

Junji Yano, Chief Specialist Kioxia's award-winning technology provides a breakthrough method for extending the life of flash memory in SSDs, which is increasingly needed in data centers to meet the rowing demand for high-capacity, high-reliability storage.



In contrast to conventional wear-leveling technology, which equalizes the number of times data is erased in each memory cell, the new technology minimizes data-erasure intervals that can shorten flash-memory life. Kioxia's technology secures a certain period of erasure intervals across memory cells by distributing data to areas that have been empty longer, which prevents over-load to one specific area. Additionally, the technology classifies long-existing data as cold data, which is unlikely to be rewritten, and transfers that data to empty areas where erasures are relatively frequent, thereby preventing rewriting from being concentrated in specific areas over short periods. Kioxia's breakthrough technology also earned an Invention Encouragement Prize from the Local Commendation for Invention of Kanto in 2020. In addition, Kioxia received the 2020 Imperial Invention Prize, the program's highest-ranking award, from the National Commendation for Invention for a high-density 3D flash-memory device and related manufacturing technology.

Kioxia, guided by its mission of uplifting the world with memory, is committed to research and technology development that brings value to people across the world. About Kioxia Kioxia is a world leader in memory solutions, dedicated to the development, production and sale of flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). In April 2017, its predecessor Toshiba (News - Alert) Memory was spun off from Toshiba Corporation, the company that invented NAND flash memory in 1987. Kioxia is committed to uplifting the world with memory by offering products, services and systems that create choice for customers and memory-based value for society. Kioxia's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, SSDs, automotive and data centers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005891/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 21:32:26|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

SINGAPORE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The United States and China must learn to cooperate with each other for the benefit of the world, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.

The impact would be felt broadly should relations sour between the two countries, Lee said, speaking virtually last week at the inaugural Global Forum on Economic Recovery hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"You are going to have a state of tension -- anxiety at the very least and conflict possibly -- all over the world," Lee said.

Both America and China are countries with huge economic power, high-tech and nuclear capabilities, and modernized armed forces, he pointed out.

"So if the two countries clash, everything is to be lost," he said.

Both countries must accept each other as they are, work together and find common ground for cooperation, the prime minister added.

Opportunities for cooperation include climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, and public health, Lee said. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra to Keynote at 2021 COMPUTEX Forum on Memory and Storage Innovation

TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) announced today that Sanjay Mehrotra, President and Chief Executive Officer of Micron, is invited to be the opening keynote speaker at 2021 COMPUTEX Forum. This digital keynote will be on Wednesday, June 2, at 9:00 AM (GMT+8), with the theme "Innovation for the Data Economy: Why today's infrastructure innovation brings data to life, powering insights for all." Mehrotra will share Micron's vision for how data is transforming modern life and creating new opportunities for memory and storage innovation. "At the heart of the reimagined world is data, creating opportunity for new computing use cases and demanding new hardware infrastructure capability to enable breakthrough applications," said Micron President and Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Mehrotra. "We're pleased to speak at COMPUTEX 2021 and share how storage and memory innovation is fueling the data economy, turning data into intelligence with unprecedented speed to enrich life for all." This year's COMPUTEX Forum, with the theme of "The New Era of Intelligence" focusing on 5G, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and electric vehicles, will dive deep into business strategies in the post-pandemic era. "Technology and innovation help us all respond to these rapidly changing times," said James Huang, TAITRA Chairman. "We look forward to hearing from Sanjay's keynote as he highlights how Micron is working with other industry leading partners to address some of the world's biggest data transformation opportunities to move our industry forward." Raj Hazra, senior vice president and general manager for Micron's Computer and Networking Business Unit will also keynote at the COMPUTEX Forum on Wednesday, June 2, at 4:00 PM (GMT+8). Hazra will discuss how Micron's memory and storage innovations will enable pervasive and scalable artificial intelligence innovation in his session titled, "Memory Is at the Heart of AI Innovation." Every year, COMPUTEX presents invaluable informatin on the worldwide technology ecosystem and trends. This year, the global audience will have a front row seat to discover and see the latest technology. All COMPUTEX Forum sessions will be livestreamed on the official #COMPUTEXVirtual platform on June 2 and June 3. For more 2021 COMPUTEX Forum details, please check the official websites:



COMPUTEX website: https://www.computextaipei.com.tw/en/index.html #COMPUYEXVirtual platform: https://virtual.computextaipei.com.tw/events

About COMPUTEX TAIPEI (also called COMPUTEX): Established in 1981, COMPUTEX is one of the leading global ICT, IoT, and startup tradeshows with a complete supply chain and IoT ecosystems. Co-organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taipei Computer Association (TCA), COMPUTEX, based upon Taiwan's complete ICT clusters, covers the whole spectrum of the ICT industry, from established brands to startups and from ICT supply chain to IoT ecosystems. With strong R&D and manufacturing capabilities and IPR protection, Taiwan is a strategic destination for foreign companies and investors looking for partners in global technology ecosystems. Follow COMPUTEX on its website at www.computextaipei.com.tw and Twitter (News - Alert) @computex_taipei using the hashtag #COMPUTEX. About COMPUTEX 2021: As a pioneer in technology, COMPUTEX has been at the forefront in embracing digital transformation. As the event organizer, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) introduces AI computing capabilities to the exhibition to shape COMPUTEX 2021 as a global model and aims to deliver an exceptional exhibition experience by presenting the online platform - #COMPUTEXVirtual. About TAITRA: Founded in 1970, TAITRA is Taiwan's foremost nonprofit trade promoting organization. Sponsored by the government and industry organizations, TAITRA assists enterprises to expand their global reach. Headquartered in Taipei, TAITRA has a team of 1,300 specialists and operates 5 local offices in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as 63 branches worldwide. Together with Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) and Taiwan Trade Center (TTC), TAITRA has formed a global network dedicated to promoting world trade. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005901/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market Share 2021, Development by Companies Outlook, Growth Prospects and Key Opportunities By 2027

Dallas, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Expansion of web trafficking in the course of recent years, particularly because of a fast expansion in video content traffic, increasing preference of customers toward top quality screens, the interest for top notch video web based has expanded essentially, excellent video requires high transmission capacity, video-based traffic additionally changes with day and time and video-based traffic are the major factors that are contributing to the expansion of the Global MPLS and SD-WAN market over the forecast time frame The rise in businesses and startups has prompted the developing organization of versatile individual gadgets, for example, cell phones, journals, and tablets to get to corporate networks, are also creating opportunities for the expansion of the global MPLS and SD-WAN market over the coming years. The officeholder IT foundation is feeling the squeeze to arrange these gadgets in a hearty way while fulfilling consistence guidelines and standards. Get a sample of the report from https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/5205954 MPLS and SD-WAN Market Leading Players  Nokia

Lavelle Networks

VMware

Oracle

Singtel

IPTP Networks

Tata Communications

Nexon

Huawei

Vodafone The interest for SD-WAN arrangement is developing across each line of organizations to deal with the perplexing and assorted network framework for a minimal price. SD-WAN improves on the network intricacies including design, the board, and enhancement lined up with WAN networks. MPLS and SD-WAN Market Breakdown by Type MPLS

SD-WAN MPLS and SD-WAN Market Breakdown by Application Healthcare

BFSI

Retail

Manufacturing

Government

IT and Telecommunication

Other End Users The ascent of such tremendous versatile datasets calls for equal preparing on various workers and consistent interconnections. This, thusly, has invigorated a consistent interest for extra network limit and more modern network arrangements. While transporter and server farm players face the overwhelming errand of scaling their networks to incredible sizes, SD-WAN puts on a show of being a promising arrangement. Also, rising adoption of new and advanced technologies is also contributing to the expansion of the global MPLS and SD-WAN market over the coming years. SD-WAN is a trend setting innovation, yet some networking specialists recommend other type of transmission is as yet required for solid nature of administration. SD-WAN can distinguish bundle misfortune and jitter and pick the best way for the parcel, be that as it may if all ways are terrible, SD-WAN can't ensure nature of administration. Viable execution of SD-WAN can fundamentally decrease the organization's reliance on the MPLS; in any case, SD-WAN is probably not going t supplant MPLS totally soon.



For more Information or Any Query Visit https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/5205954 In reference to the regional landscape, the Global MPLS and SD-WAN market is segmented into Sweden, Chile, Indonesia, China, Egypt, Australia, Malaysia, UAE, Netherlands, India, France, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, USA, Switzerland, Europe, Thailand, South UK, China, Columbia, Poland, Germany, Nigeria, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Canada, United States, Philippines, Chile, Turkey, Korea, Australia, and rest of the world

MPLS and SD-WAN Market Table of Content 1 MPLS and SD-WAN Introduction and Market Overview 1.1 Objectives of the Study 1.2 Overview of MPLS and SD-WAN 1.3 Scope of The Study 1.3.1 Key Market Segments 1.3.2 Players Covered 1.3.3 COVID-19's impact on the MPLS and SD-WAN industry 1.4 Methodology of The Study 1.5 Research Data Source 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Market Overview 2.1.1 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market Size, 2015  2020 2.1.2 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market Size by Type, 2015  2020 2.1.3 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market Size by Application, 2015  2020 2.1.4 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market Size by Region, 2015 - 2025 2.2 Business Environment Analysis 2.2.1 Global COVID-19 Status and Economic Overview 2.2.2 Influence of COVID-19 Outbreak on MPLS and SD-WAN Industry Development 3 Industry Chain Analysis 3.1 Upstream Raw Material Suppliers of MPLS and SD-WAN Analysis 3.2 Major Players of MPLS and SD-WAN 3.3 MPLS and SD-WAN Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis 3.3.1 Production Process Analysis 3.3.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure of MPLS and SD-WAN 3.3.3 Labor Cost of MPLS and SD-WAN 3.4 Market Distributors of MPLS and SD-WAN 3.5 Major Downstream Buyers of MPLS and SD-WAN Analysis 3.6 The Impact of Covid-19 From the Perspective of Industry Chain 3.7 Regional Import and Export Controls Will Exist for a Long Time 3.8 Continued downward PMI Spreads Globally 4 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market, by Type 4.1 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Value and Market Share by Type (2015-2020) 4.2 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Production and Market Share by Type (2015-2020) 4.3 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Value and Growth Rate by Type (2015-2020) 4.3.1 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Value and Growth Rate of MPLS 4.3.2 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Value and Growth Rate of SD-WAN 4.4 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Price Analysis by Type (2015-2020) 5 MPLS and SD-WAN Market, by Application 5.1 Downstream Market Overview 5.2 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Market Share by Application (2015-2020) 5.3 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate by Application (2015-2020) 5.3.1 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of Healthcare (2015-2020) 5.3.2 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of BFSI (2015-2020) 5.3.3 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of Retail (2015-2020) 5.3.4 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of Manufacturing (2015-2020) 5.3.5 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of Government (2015-2020) 5.3.6 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of IT and Telecommunication (2015-2020) 5.3.7 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Consumption and Growth Rate of Other End Users (2015-2020) 6 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Market Analysis by Regions 6.1 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions 6.1.1 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Sales by Regions (2015-2020) 6.1.2 Global MPLS and SD-WAN Revenue by Regions (2015-2020) 6.2 North America MPLS and SD-WAN Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) 6.3 Europe MPLS and SD-WAN Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) 6.4 Asia-Pacific MPLS and SD-WAN Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) 6.5 Middle East and Africa MPLS and SD-WAN Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) 6.6 South America MPLS and SD-WAN Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020).continued Browse Full Report at https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/covid-19-outbreak-global-mpls-and-sd-wan-industry-market-report-development-trends-threats-opportunities-and-competitive-landscape-in-2020 About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.

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[May 25, 2021] Lynk Files for FCC License to Enable Global Mobile Connectivity

Lynk Global Inc., the world's only independently verified space-based mobile network connectivity provider, today announced that it has filed for a commercial operator's license with the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC (News - Alert) ). Commercial service is expected to begin around the world starting next year upon FCC approval. The startup's patented technology will eventually allow anyone with an existing cell phone to stay connected, anywhere in the world, at all times. Most importantly, Lynk's system requires no changes to the phone. The existing phone in your pocket will work. Charles Miller, CEO of Lynk, "Lynk is introducing a brand-new, never-been-done-before service-satellite-direct-to-standard-phones. As an American company, we are fortunate to have the FCC, whose process is trusted by officials around the world, to license our satellites. We believe that being good corporate citizens means at every point in the process you must be rigorous-whether it is eliminating harmful interference or minimizing orbital debris. Because using cellular frequencies from space has never been done before, we believe that being licensed by the FCC will help regulators worldwide embrace this groundbreaking technology." Lynk's initial commercial license application intentionally uses the FCC's new streamlined process for up to 10 small satellites to accelerate the license. Previous applications suggest this strealined process will take 10-12 months, allowing Lynk to begin global service next year. This is the first step in Lynk's plans for a larger constellation that will grow to several thousand satellites to begin continuous global service in 2025.



Ultimately, Lynk's full constellation will reach 5,000 satellites to provide broadband speeds to your phone. Using a low-risk development approach, Lynk will integrate some of the most advanced space sustainability methods today to prevent and mitigate orbital debris and is actively advocating within industry and government to develop stronger orbital debris mitigation approaches for tomorrow. In February 2020, with the help of NASA and mobile network operators (MNO), Lynk sent the world's first text message from a satellite in orbit to a standard mobile phone on the ground. Lynk has also signed contracts with the U.S. Air Force and the U.K. Space Agency to support development of the Lynk system.

To date, Lynk has signed dozens of testing agreements with MNOs. Miller noted, "There is a huge amount of interest in Lynk's service  we actually have too many testing partners at this time. To manage this demand and ensure the highest quality testing protocols and commercial service, we are implementing a "Flagship Carrier" program. Under this program, we will be limiting initial commercial services to, at most, a dozen mobile network operators globally." In partnership with mobile network operators, Lynk will provide a global service for the 5.2 billion existing cell phone users globally. Further, many of the 2.5 billion people currently without phones will be connected to global society and economy, materially improving their lives. Lynk will provide an instantaneous backup emergency communications layer everywhere on Earth. We have seen cellular systems destroyed worldwide due to hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and terrorism. Lynk will enable people to receive emergency alerts and contact 911 for help even when the ground network is not operating. Emergency responders will benefit from increased resiliency to coordinate their efforts, saving lives everywhere. About Lynk: Lynk Global Inc. is a mobile technology company focused on providing universal connectivity for mobile phones and the world's only independently verified space-based mobile network provider. The company's patented technology allows standard mobile phones to be connected virtually anywhere via the organization's low-earth-orbit satellites without any change to hardware or software. Headquartered in Falls Church, VA., Lynk's leadership, and engineering teams are comprised of experts in aeronautical engineering, space flight and policy, and wireless technologies. Follow us at www.lynk.world or via LinkedIn (News - Alert) . View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005197/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Government of India selects Chandigarh University as GATI Charter Institution to promote Gender Equality in Science and Technology

Chandigarh University becomes the only private University of India to become Charter Institution under GATI pilot project launched by DST CHANDIGARH, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Department of Science & Technology (DST) under the aegis of Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India (GOI) has selected Chandigarh University as GATI Charter Institution (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions) for the promotion of gender equality in the field of Science & Technology. A total of 30 Universities and Institutions have been selected by DST for the GATI pilot project and Chandigarh University is the only private sector university of India to be selected by the GOI. Amongst the Institutions selected for the GATI pilot project in the government sector include Delhi, University of Kashmir, BHU Varanasi. While giving details about the GATI pilot project being run by DST, Dr. Sanjeet Singh, Dean Research, Chandigarh University, said, "The project is aimed to improve the enrolment of female students in higher education institutions in the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) and also to promote women participation in scientific laboratories, research and patents". Dr. Sanjeet further added that the GTI program is a part of KIRAN division (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing) under which charter institutions/universities are selected after a rigorous selection criteria which includes female: male ratio in students enrolment, female : male ratio in faculty appointed, contribution of female students & faculty in research and entrepreneurship. Chandigarh University is also a partner Institution of DST under INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) program which is used to attract talent from schools towards science, and university conducts INSPIRE camps at its campus every year where meritorious students from Punjab undergo practical hands-on training on projects so that their interest can be developed in the field of science and they choose their career in STEMM subjects.



Dr. S.S Sehgal, Registrar, Chandigarh University said, "Chandigarh University is already taking number of initiative to improve the gender equality in all the programs offered. Currently the female enrolment in STEMM subjects is 46.9 % while the number of female faculty in STEMM subjects is already 51.4 %". The University had filed a total of 900 patents out of which 30 % patents have been filed by female faculty and students while out of the total 108 start-ups incubated at CU-TBI (Technology Business Incubator) has 47 % start-ups established by female students, he added. "It is a matter of great pride that Chandigarh University has been selected for the GATI pilot project and we as a part of Higher Education Institution fraternity of India are playing our role in improving the gender parity that exists specially in the field of science and technology. Under the GATI project we are committed to adopt gender parity principles in our policies, practices, action plan and institutional culture so that a significant improvement can be achieved in this regard, said Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University.

About Chandigarh University Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and an autonomous educational institution approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC. Photo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1517821/Chandigarh_University_Campus.jpg Contact:

Prabhdeep Singh

prabhdeep.singh@cumail.in

+91- 8360473392

Chandigarh University

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[May 25, 2021] Global WholeHealth Partners Corp (OTC: GWHP) and AAJ has Partnered Together and Agreed to Open a Facility in the Philippines Under the Name Global Wholehealth Philippines, as Filed in 8k on May 21, 2021

SAN CLEMENTE CA, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Global WholeHealth Partners Corp (OTC: GWHP) and AAJ has created the best line of products for the Philippines and the surrounding countries. Both companies realize that the ability to carry FDA GMP products assembled in the Philippines will make Global WholeHealth Philippines extremely competitive in the marketplace in the Philippines and other Pacific Rim countries. The products that are planned on being sold in the Philippines are the COVID Antigen, COVID Antibody, Dengue Fever, TB, Malaria, and Influenza A & B. Coronavirus Cases: 1,184,706 Deaths: 19,983 Dengue Fever cases; 42 584 In 2019, the Philippines had the highest TB incidence in Asia with 554 cases per 100,000 people, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. Approximately, 74 Filipinos die of TB every day and are among the top 10 causes of death in the country. https://doh.gov.ph/press-release/DECLINE-IN-REPORTED-TB-CASES-AN-EFFECT-OF-THE-PANDEMIC-DOH#:~:text=Using%20a%20projection%20modeling%20based,commitment%20by%20almost%20300%2C000%20cases. Dengue outbreaks are occurring in many countries of the world in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/areaswithrisk/around-the-world.html In 2021, and as of week 16, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported 273 495 suspected, probable, and confirmed dengue cases and 65 associated deaths, in the Americas region. The five countries reporting the most cases are: Brazil (204 373), Peru (14 601), Nicaragua (12 444), Colombia (9 767), Paraguay (9 229). All four dengue virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4) are currently circulating in the Americas, which increases the risk of severe cases. The figures for each country of the Americas can be found on the PAHO Health Information Platform https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/dengue-monthly



Global WholeHealth Partners Corp. (OTC: GWHP) offers one of the largest line of COVID 19 tests. Globals WholeHealth Partners Corp (OTC: GWHP) states that the Antibody IgG/IgM tests that they offer is capable of detecting all the current identified SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The strains identified in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), and Brazil (P.1) strain contains multiple mutations, most reflected in the S gene, which encodes the spike protein, Global understands the need to be ahead of the virus to conquer the virus. Now, with the vaccine, Global is offering one of the largest lines of products to fight this virus. Global understands that this is a war on COVID 19 and we are expanding our line of products to be able to fight. With a facility in the Philippines, Global will be able to fight the COVID War better by taking the fight to some of the regions of the world which have not been serviced.

Global WholeHealth Partners recognizes that there is a crucial need for faster testing and faster results when it comes to fighting the COVID. Global WholeHealth Partners knows that the quicker the test results can be reviewed by a Front-Line Healthcare Worker, the quicker we can stop the spread of this disease. With results in minutes versus hours or days with other diagnostic kits, the more lives that can be saved with the only FDA authorized COVID-19 POC serology Point of Care Test. With the new fingerstick test, healthcare providers can prick a patients finger and get results in minutes without having to wait for venous blood. Global WholeHealth Partners will be able to distribute these tests to more urgent cares, hospitals, and  to help curb the spread of CoViD19 SARS2. As a third surge of the coronavirus threatens much of the United States, public health experts across the country say there still arent enough tests available to keep the virus under control. With the continual mutation of the virus, Global is keeping up with demand and keeping up with the continual changes of the virus in the R & D of the tests. Global Wholehealth Partners Corp. provides cutting edge technology using In-vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Real-Time PCR Machines for detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies in human serum, plasma, or whole blood. It has led the fight against vector borne terminal diseases such as Ebola, ZIKA, Dengue, Malaria, Influenza and Tuberculosis, Corona Viruses, and among other vector borne diseases. The company was founded on March 7, 2013, and is headquartered in San Clemente, CA. GWHP develops, manufactures, and markets in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for OTC, or consumer-use as well as professional rapid diagnostic point-of-care (POC) test kits for hospitals, physicians offices, and medical clinics in the US and abroad. Notably, Global offers 56 products FDA approved and many are Approved for OTC use, and 9 POC products approved by the FDA. The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. Media Contact:

Name: Charles Strongo

CEO, Global WholeHealth Partners Corp.

Email: Sales@gwhpcorp.com

www.gwhpcorp.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements. Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, (ii) negative clinical trial results or lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device industry from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, (vi) product malfunctions, (vii) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on subcontractors for assistance, (viii) insufficient or inadequate reimbursement by governmental and other third party payers for our products, (ix) our efforts to successfully obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system in both the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, (xi) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, (xii) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain and (xiii) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



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[May 25, 2021] Nokia launches world's first AI use case library on public cloud for telecoms providers

Press Release Nokia launches worlds first AI use case library on public cloud for telecoms providers Nokias AVA AI use case library is now delivered as a service on Microsoft Azures public cloud, combining telco grade security and instant web scale architecture scalability.

Accelerates communication service providers (CSPs) digital transformation, increases efficiency, reduces energy consumption and improves customer experience.

CSPs around the world can now inject AI into their networks nine times faster compared to using private cloud.



25th of May 2021

Espoo, Finland  Nokia today announced the worlds first deployment of multiple AI use cases delivered over public cloud, through collaboration with Microsoft. By integrating Nokias security framework with Microsoft Azures digital architecture, communications service providers (CSPs) can securely inject AI into their networks nine times faster than using private cloud and scale fast across their network. AI use cases are essential for CSPs to manage the business complexity that 5G and cloud networks bring, and will help accelerate digital transformation. Nokia AVA AI as a service allows CSPs to deploy AI use cases quickly and securely, completing data set-up in four weeks. By integrating Nokias security framework ith Microsoft Azures digital architecture, deployment is much faster while concerns around data sovereignty and security are eliminated and global regulations respected. Azures platform enables Nokias AI deployments to be delivered fast and enables CSPs to scale fast across multiple clusters.



After the initial data set-up, CSPs can deploy additional AVA AI use cases within one week and ramp-up or ramp-down resources as needed within one day across multiple network clusters. The Nokia security framework on Azure ensures data is segregated and isolated to provide the same level of security as a private cloud. Australian mobile operator TPG was the first commercial adopter of Nokia AVA AI on public cloud, using a local instance of Microsoft Azure. This means TPG can deploy and scale additional AI use cases fast and has been able to optimize network coverage, capacity and performance, for instance by:

Detecting network anomalies with great accuracy.

Reducing radio frequency optimization cycle times by 50%, allowing them to be performed more frequently and at lower cost.

Decreasing CO2 emissions by eliminating drive-testing.



Declan ORourke, Head of Radio and Device Engineering TPG, said: Nokias AVA AI as a service utilizes artificial intelligence and analytics to help us maintain a first class, optimized service for our subscribers, helping us to predict and deal with issues before they occur. Friedrich Trawoeger, Vice President, Cloud and Cognitive Services, Nokia said: CSPs are under constant pressure to reduce costs by automating business processes through AI and machine learning. To meet market demands, telcos are turning to us for Telco AI-as-a-Service and this launch represents an important milestone in our multi-cloud strategy. Operators can achieve significantly faster implementation times and can access a library of AI use cases remotely to improve network performance, lower costs, and reduce environmental impact at the same time. Rick Lievano, CTO Telecom, Media & Communications, Microsoft said: Nokia AVA on Microsoft Azure infuses AI deep into the network, bringing a large library of use cases to securely streamline and optimize network operations leveraging open source compliant services managed by Microsoft Azure. Nokia AVA is a clear proof point that public clouds are ready to help service providers drive AI closed-loop automation while increasing speed, agility, and scalability. Additional Resources Website: Nokia AVA analytics services



About Nokia We create technology that helps the world act together. As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world. Media enquiries Nokia Communications

Phone: +358 10 448 4900

Email: press.services@nokia.com



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[May 25, 2021] Chia Raises $61 Million to Scale Global Deployment of Green Financial Services Infrastructure

Chia Network Inc., a company built around a new energy efficient decentralized blockchain and smart transaction platform founded by Bram Cohen, has secured a $61 million Series D Preferred equity investment led by Richmond Global Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from True Ventures, Slow Ventures, Cygni Capital, Breyer Capital, Naval Ravikant, Collab+Currency and DHVC. As a part of that transaction, David Frazee from Richmond Global Ventures will join Chia's board. The proceeds from the financing will accelerate Chia Network's mission to operate a more energy-efficient, secure and user-friendly payment system for governments, financial institutions, corporations and consumers worldwide. Bram Cohen (News - Alert) , Founder and CEO, said: "We are excited to welcome such a prestigious and proven group of investors who support our mission to radically improve global financial and payments systems. The market is ready for an eco-friendly and more decentralized blockchain, and Chia Network is the only platform capable of delivering this vision at a global scale." Chia is differentiated from other cryptocurrency platforms: Built on a new blockchain with radically different features and enhanced security, Chia's network will transform trust and transparency for monetary, financial and commercial applications, including by streamlining secure and auditable cross border payments, smart contracts and financial transactions as well as by facilitating lending, escrow payments, institutional custody and distributed identity. Gene Hoffman (News - Alert) , President & COO, added: "The adoption of Chia in global commerce has just secured the needed resources to rapidly accelerate the build-out of our financial services infrastructure around the world. Chia Network's blockchain and smart coin platform will solve the urgent need to replace existing outdated financial technology, which so often works only within just a few jurisdictions. The adoption of Chia's smart money will break new ground with enhanced levels of security, trust, transprency and functionality."



David Frazee, Managing Partner at Richmond Global Ventures, said: "Chia redesigns Bitcoin from the ground up, taking everything that is right and addressing all its issues with energy usage, security, regulatory compliance and ease of use. Bram Cohen is the world's leading decentralized network architect, and he has created a platform that will finally make the blockchain a secure and regulatorily compliant tool for governments, monetary authorities, multinationals and financial institutions." Katie Haun, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, added: "In the last few years we've seen increased demand for a modern store of value that is secure, durable, portable and censorship-resistant. What makes Chia stand out is its promise to deliver this new digital alternative while being energy efficient and highly decentralized."

About Chia Network Chia Network, Inc. was founded by Bram Cohen, the inventor of BitTorrent (News - Alert) . Chia Network is a state-of-the-art open-source decentralized blockchain, digital currency and smart transaction platform. Using the first new secure Nakamoto consensus algorithm invented since Bitcoin, Chia aims to operate an eco-friendly, more secure and user-friendly payment system for cross border payments, issuing financial assets, lending, escrow payments, institutional custody and distributed identity. Chia's "Proof of Space and Time" based blockchain reduces waste in "Proof of Work" based blockchains. Built to run Chialisp, the company's newly developed smart coin language, Chia's blockchain allows its users to build and execute secure "smart coin" transactions. Chia Networks believes that "digital money" should be easier to use than cash, harder to lose and nearly impossible to steal. The Company is funded by leading venture capitalists, including Richmond Global Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Slow Ventures, True Ventures , Naval Ravikant, Galaxy Digital, Greylock, Cygni Capital, Breyer Capital, MetaStable, Stillmark, DCM (News - Alert) , Collab+Currency, DHVC and others. The Company's Advisors include Dr. Dan Boneh, Research Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and Applied Cryptography Professor at Stanford University; and Dr. Krzysztof Pietrzak, Cryptography Professor of IST Austria; and Katie Haun, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. For more information, visit chia.net and connect with us on Twitter (News - Alert) (@chia_project), Facebook, GitHub, Reddit, and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005261/en/

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[May 25, 2021] HID Global Supplies Republic of Estonia With Next-Generation ePassport Solution

HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, today announced it has delivered a redesigned ePassport booklet and document issuance software to Estonia's Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). The European country, known worldwide as a pioneer of electronic identity and services, recently issued the new passport booklet, making it possible for citizens renewing their travel documents to receive the new ePassport. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005184/en/ Redesigned by HID Global, Estonia issues a unique and improved ePassport booklet. (Photo: Business Wire) "HID is proud to meet the rigorous quality and technical ePassport specifications required by the government of Estonia, which is widely renowned for providing high-caliber electronic identity documents and services to its citizens," said Craig Sandness, Senior Vice President and Head of Secure Issuance and Citizen ID Solutions. "The new booklets and supporting software solution simultaneously enhance the country's ePassport document with industry-leading security features, while capturing the essence of Estonia's national identity." Document holders benefit from various forward-looking features included in Estonia's unique and improved ePassport. The document's polycarbonate datapage incorporates optically variable inks, two laser images and a window in the shape of Estonia for strong protection against fraud. Additional visual components that reflect the country's identity include visa pages that showcase six native animals found in Estonia's natural habitats and UV and embossed features that depict the local climate. "Estonia took a significant step forward with the new passport project, introducing the identity document which binds the history, present and future of Estonia as a cohesive design and tells the story of stonia in the world," said Eliisa Sau, chief expert of the PPA Identity and Status Bureau. "With the project not only was the design changed, but the first ever polycarbonate datapage was introduced together with new technology and semi-automated personalisation process."



HID's personalization and quality assurance software modules seamlessly integrate into Estonia's existing issuance system and enable polycarbonate datapage personalization, secure chip encoding, encryption, and help ensure the condition of the ePassports. For additional security, the PPA is able to track each booklet from the manufacturing facility to the conclusion of the personalization process with HID's inventory software module. The Estonian government issues seven types of travel documents to citizens that are valid for up to 10 years.

Click here to download the case study. For more information on HID's citizen identity solutions, click here. Stay Connected with HID Global Visit our Media Center, read our Industry Blog, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. About HID Global HID Global powers the trusted identities of the world's people, places and things. We make it possible for people to transact safely, work productively and travel freely. Our trusted identity solutions give people secure and convenient access to physical and digital places and connect things that can be accurately identified, verified and tracked digitally. Millions of people around the world use HID products and services to navigate their everyday lives, and billions of things are connected through HID technology. We work with governments, educational institutions, hospitals, financial institutions, industrial organizations and some of the most innovative companies on the planet. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID Global has over 4,000 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID Global is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit www.hidglobal.com.  2021 HID Global Corporation/ASSA ABLOY AB. All rights reserved. HID, HID Global, the HID Blue Brick logo and the Chain Design are trademarks or registered trademarks of HID Global, ASSA ABLOY AB, or its affiliates(s) in the US and other countries and may not be used without permission. All other trademarks, service marks, and product or service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005184/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Intermountain Healthcare, UTHealth in Houston and Rush University Join PhysIQ's Study to Develop COVID-19 Digital Biomarker

Digital health leader, physIQ Inc., recently announced that Intermountain Healthcare Utah, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and Rush University Medical Center have joined the NIH-funded DeCODe study to develop an AI-based COVID-19 digital biomarker. These institutions will serve as recruiting centers and key partners in the Phase II validation stage of this study. Realization of this biomarker may provide early detection of a rapid clinical decompensation in high-risk COVID-19 positive patients. Intermountain, a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, and a medical group of 2,600 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, that serves patients in Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, has evaluated over 125,000 COVID-19 patients, since the pandemic began. Intermountain is one of the country's first healthcare systems to use innovative data analytic tools and algorithms to help predict whether COVID-19 patients are at risk for being admitted to the ICU, or if they're at high risk to develop COVID-19 hyper-inflammatory syndrome. They are a leading enroller in the ACTIV4b trial of antithrombotic therapy in patients with COVID-19 recovering at home. "We are thrilled to join this groundbreaking study that physIQ has started," said Joseph Bledsoe MD, Emergency Medicine Director of Research at Intermountain Healthcare. "With all of the advances in AI and wearable sensors, this study can help give healthcare workers the tools needed to proactively address their patient's COVID-19 acute illness." UTHealth will provide expertise in recruitment, enrollment, and implementation of this study. The university, the most comprehensive academic health care system in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, established the UTHealth COVID-19 Center of Excellene early in the pandemic and opened the first post-COVID-19 clinic in Houston in September 2020.



"This study has potential for a monumental impact on our healthcare system. With proactive and personalized medicine, like what physIQ enables, we have the opportunity to improve outcomes from the pandemic," said Bentley Bobrow, MD FACEP, Professor and Chair and John P. and Katherine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair of Emergency Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. "PhysIQ will play an essential role in how we manage COVID-19 patients and how we fight the pandemic as a whole." Rush University Medical Center is a leading academic health system dedicated to improving the health of the people and diverse communities in Illinois. They value innovation, collaboration and excellence, which made them a perfect fit in this study.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality of our patients. It is imperative that we are able to detect a patient's clinical decline before it is too late," said Yanina A. Purim-Shem-Tov, MD, MS, Senior Medical Director of Clinical Practice and Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at Rush Medical College. "Rush University Medical Center is proud to participate in the DeCODe study. Through this worthy research, we are another step closer in fighting the pandemic." The DeCODe study, along with other physIQ-led projects, will help identify the earliest signals of an inflammatory response specific to an individual. "This work has huge implications well beyond just improving the care of individuals suffering from COVID-19, but anybody experiencing, or at risk for, an inflammatory reaction including those due to all infections, autoimmune conditions, and resulting from a range of therapeutic interventions from vaccines to cancer therapies," said Steve Steinhubl, MD, physIQ's Chief Medical Officer. As a result of DeCODe's Phase I success, physIQ was able to apply for a portion of the $1.5 million federal government initiative to study COVID-19 patients with long-term symptoms (also known as long haulers). Because of the vast enrollment numbers of COVID-19 patients in the DeCODe study, there is a high likelihood that some are long-haulers. Intermountain, UTHealth and Rush will also partner with physIQ on this study. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N91020C00040. About physIQ PhysIQ is the leader in digital medicine, dedicated to generating unprecedented health insight using continuous wearable biosensor data and advanced analytics. Its enterprise-ready cloud platform continuously collects and processes data from any wearable biosensor using a deep portfolio of FDA-cleared analytics. The company has published one of the most rigorous clinical studies to date in digital medicine and are pioneers in developing, validating, and achieving regulatory approval of Artificial Intelligence-based analytics. With applications in both healthcare and clinical trial support, physIQ is transforming continuous physiological data into insight for health systems, payers, and pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.physIQ.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Intermountain Healthcare Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, a medical group with 2,600 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. About UTHealth Established in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is Houston's Health University and Texas' resource for health care education, innovation, scientific discovery and excellence in patient care. The most comprehensive academic health center in the UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, UTHealth is home to Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing, John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School, and schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, and public health. UTHealth includes the UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center, as well as the growing clinical practices UT Physicians, UT Dentists, and UT Health Services. The university's primary teaching hospitals are Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, and Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. For more information, visit www.uth.edu. About Rush University System for Health Rush University System for Health brings together the brightest minds in medicine, research and academics. Driven by discovery, innovation and a deep responsibility for the health of our communities, Rush is a national leader in outstanding patient care, education, research, community partnerships and empowering a new generation of health care providers. Rush comprises Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Copley Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital, as well as an extensive provider network and numerous outpatient care facilities. Rush University Medical Center is ranked among the top hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The Medical Center was also ranked No. 1 in the nation by Vizient and named a Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005198/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Longtail local search is dying. ReviewTrackers announces their new Local Listing solution.

CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ReviewTrackers, the leader in extracting consumer and competitor insights from feedback and reviews, is now putting a major focus on aiding brands in future-proofing their businesses with their essential approach to managing local business listings alongside their online reputation. A simplified and affordable Local Listings solution that guarantees accuracy, quality and impact. Learn more about ReviewTrackers' essential approach to Local Listing management, and take advantage of their offer here: https://www.reviewtrackers.com/lp/local-listing-management/ "An affordable local listing solution will open the doors for brands to reallocate budget to areas that will actually drive impact and revenue." Chris Campbell, ReviewTrackers CEO says. 63.6% of consumers check reviews on Google alone before they visit a business. This shows Google's majority position as the top choice for consumer research. In addition to that, zero-click Google searches rose to 65% in 2020, indicating that consumers trust Google as a top irectory.



An analysis conducted by ReviewTrackers supports this position as well. Brands that work with ReviewTrackers on average see the following results: 73% of business reviews are left on Google

6% of business reviews are left on Yelp

3% of business reviews are left on Facebook

3% of business reviews are left on TripAdvisor For brands, the overwhelming majority of new and returning customers comes from only a handful of top directories (Google, Facebook, Yelp and TripAdvisor). So why has the narrative around local listing management been to manage, monitor, and pay for hundreds of longtail listing sites that don't actually drive traffic or revenue to a business?

The idea that brands must manage every single directory on the internet is becoming increasingly outdated as Google is gaining more market share year over year. In addition to the fact that longtail listing sites are becoming irrelevant, the more sites that a listing management company has to manage for their clients, the more expensive, and less accurate that service becomes. ReviewTrackers prides themselves on the accuracy, and scalability of the product, and has identified a more impactful way to deliver value to businesses of all sizes. The solution intentionally ignores overly complicated, and irrelevant features that undermine tool's quality. ReviewTrackers is offering their local listings solution at a competitive rate of just a few dollars per location to empower brands to spend their budget on tools to digitize and transform their operations to create customer experiences that drive loyalty. "Our proprietary Natural Language Processing engine has allowed us to build an insights tool that is lightyears ahead of others in the space. Our goal has always been to help businesses easily and effortlessly understand customer feedback to enhance internal operations to drive growth. We are proud to say that we are doing this today while also helping brands fulfill the inevitable need of managing and maintaining their online listings." Chris Campbell, ReviewTrackers CEO. About ReviewTrackers

ReviewTrackers empowers over 140,000 business locations to understand their customers better through advanced customer feedback analytics. ReviewTrackers solutions allow for analyzing, amplifying, and maximizing customer feedback to accelerate acquisition and improve retention strategies while driving more authentic connections with customers. Contact: marketing@reviewtrackers.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/longtail-local-search-is-dying-reviewtrackers-announces-their-new-local-listing-solution-301297817.html SOURCE ReviewTrackers

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 23:29:28|Editor: huaxia

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses a virtual global roundtable on transforming extractive industries for sustainable development at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 25, 2021. Guterres on Tuesday called for a transformation of extractive industries to support sustainable development and a transition to a green economy. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a transformation of extractive industries to support sustainable development and a transition to a green economy.

"We have all heard talk of the resource curse. Our shared responsibility is to ensure that the benefits of mineral resources reach all people in society, not just elites, while safeguarding the natural environment today and for future generations," Guterres told a virtual global roundtable on transforming extractive industries for sustainable development.

"Mineral resources are one of Earth's great endowments. Their extraction plays a dominant role in the economies of 81 countries," which account for a quarter of global Gross Domestic Product, half the world's population and nearly 70 percent of people living in extreme poverty," Guterres noted.

Guterres noted the growing dependence less developed countries have on extractive industries.

"Of the world's 72 low- or middle-income countries, 63 have increased their dependence on extractive industries over the past two decades. These industries generate large amounts of foreign exchange earnings, foreign direct investment and government revenues. They have the potential to drive economic growth and poverty reduction," he added.

"Yet, extractive industries are also potentially associated with a litany of ills -- corruption, exploitation, colonialism and racism; environmental degradation, worsening climate change and biodiversity loss; armed conflict, gender-based violence, population displacement, cultural harm and human rights violations," he said.

Guterres stressed the "need to improve extractive resource governance through more effective rules and enforcement related to environmental sustainability, transparency, inclusive decision-making, accountability, access to information and respecting and protecting human rights."

He asked countries to reduce dependence on revenues from extractive industries and invest in a low-carbon future. In this context, there is a "need for greater regional and global coordination to manage shocks and ensure a smooth, just and sustainable transition process."

Guterres said a COVID-19 recovery provides a chance to bolster support for environmental protection and sustainable development.

"We need all hands on deck to address the triple threat of climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution and to promote equitable, inclusive development where no one is left behind," Guterres said.

"The extractives sector, which operates at the crucial juncture of resources, ecosystems and people, has an essential role to play in advancing sustainability and equitability," he added. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] Global Cheque Scanner Markets, 2021-2028: Single-feed Cheque Scanners and Multi-feed Cheque Scanners - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Cheque Scanner Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type (Single-feed Cheque Scanners and Multi-feed Cheque Scanners) and Applications (Banks, Enterprises and Financial Institutions)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global cheque scanner market was valued at US$ 721.52 million in 2020 and is projected to reach US$ 1,079.55 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2028. The cheque scanner market is anticipated to witness a continuous growth in the future. At present scenario, irrespective of availability of different online platforms for sending/receiving money, large proportion of enterprise depends on cheques. This aspect is creating need for cheque scanner to quickly and efficiently clear lumpsum cheques without any human error. The cheque scanner is heavily used by financial institutions, banks, and credit unions to enhance productivity and boost revenue in an automated manner. The demand for cheque scanner is surging due to rising need to enhance operational efficiency in banks. Cheques are still considered as a primary way for sending/receiving money in various enterprises. Therefore, banks & accounting firms are installing cheque scanners at their branches to effectively manage cheques clearance. In addition, stringent rules from regulatory authorities are evolving the banking system globally, which is contributing to the market growth. Governments of countries such as the US, the UK, India, and Brazil are setting rules for making cheque process easy. Also, with ongoing wave of digital transformation of banking sector, the scopeof using remote deposit capture will continue to rise in the forthcoming period. In addition, the emergence of mobile deposit services and innovative cheque scanners for standalone kiosks or virtual desktop environment would propel the adoption of cheque scanner in coming years.



U.S. Bank (US), KeyCorp (US), Savings Bank of Mendocino County (US), the Cottonport Bank (US), State Bank of India (India), ICICI Bank (India), NatWest Group (UK), Banco Bradesco (Brazil), and Banese (Brazil) are among the prominent banks across the world using cheque scanner for the effective management of cheque clearance process. For instance, the Cottonport Bank has deployed cheque scanner with an aim to reduce the overall delivery lead time. PANINI S.p.A., Epson Corp, Canon (News - Alert) Inc., Digital Check, ARCA, MagTek, NCR Corporation, Eastman Kodak Company, RDM Corporation, and Lagona are among the key market players profiled during this market study.

Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 4. Cheque Scanner Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 4.3 Ecosystem Analysis 4.4 Expert Opinion 5. Cheque Scanner Market - Key Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Rising Need to Achieve Operation Efficiency 5.1.2 Push from Regulatory Authorities 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 Cost Associated with Cheque Scanner 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Opportunity for Continuous Innovations 5.4 Market Trend 5.4.1 Trend Towards Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Cheque Scanner Market - Global Analysis 6.1 Cheque Scanner Market Global Overview 6.2 Cheque Scanner Market - Global Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 6.3 Market Positioning - Five Key Players 7. Cheque Scanner Market Analysis - By Product 7.1 Overview 7.2 Cheque Scanner Market, By Product (2020 and 2028) 7.3 Single-Feed Scanner 7.4 Multi-Feed Scanner 8. Cheque Scanner Market Analysis - By Application 8.1 Overview 8.2 Global Cheque Scanner Market Breakdown, By Application, 2020 & 2028 (%) 8.3 Banks 8.4 Enterprises and Financial Institutions 9. Check Scanner Market - Geographic Analysis 10. Cheque Scanner Market- COVID-19 Impact Analysis 11. Global Cheque Scanner Market-Industry Landscape 12. Company Profiles PANINI S.p.A.

Epson Corp

Canon Inc.

Digital Check

ARCA

MagTek

NCR Corporation

Eastman Kodak (News - Alert) Company

RDM Corporation

Lagona For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/equcij View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005569/en/

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[May 25, 2021] bp Extends its Partnership with Diebold Nixdorf to Support its Retail Site and Payment Technology Globally

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ -- Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD), a global leader in driving connected commerce for the retail and banking industries, has expanded its strategic partnership with bp to provide an integrated solution comprised of hardware, software and managed services. bp extended its multi-year, managed services agreement with Diebold Nixdorf and will leverage DN AllConnect ServicesSM globally to drive its transformation journey as it looks to reduce the operational complexity associated with managing thousands of retail sites. bp will rely on Diebold Nixdorf's comprehensive service integration to ensure optimal availability of its site systems at more than 17,000 locations worldwide. As part of the managed Services agreement, bp also sought to make its payment channels more agile, efficient and fully integrated with the digital experience by deploying AEVI's global payment platform (AEVI Motion) at thousands of locations across key European markets. bp can consolidate its payment infrastructure into a single solution and move to a cloud-based payment platform. Marco Ryan, senior vice president, Digital Customers & Markets, at bp said: "Diebold Nixdorf's managed services enable us to bring greater automation to our retail sites across the globe. Their integrated solutions, combined with their expertise in the fuel and convenience industry, make them the ideal partner to help drive our transformation journey. We look forward to collaborating with them further to accelerate and underpin our consumer centric journeys, innovation and operational excellence." Hermann Wimmer, senior vice president, Global Retail, at Diebold Nixdorf said: "Our objective is to equip our customers with innovative, consumer-centric solutions that meet the unique demands of the fuel and convenience industry. We're proud to continue our partnership with bp as we help them advance their offerings to simplify processes across multiple countries and enhance the consumer experience at their fuel and convenience stores." Martin Stefan, senior vice president, AEVI Motion, at AEVI said: "We are glad to join bp and Diebold Nixdorf on this transformational journey by helping to simplify and digitalize the payment experience across channels and countries." About bp

bp's purpose is to reimagine energy for pople and our planet. It has set out an ambition ?to be a net zero company by 2050, or sooner and help the world get to net zero, and a ?strategy for delivering on that ambition. Partnering with countries, cities and corporations ?to provide innovative energy, mobility and decarbonization solutions as they shape their ?paths to net zero is a core part of this strategy. For more information visit bp.com.



About AEVI

AEVI, provides merchant-facing businesses  banks, acquirers, PSPs, ISOs, ISVs and others - with a platform that enables merchants to run their business smarter by giving them easy access to any payment technology and business solution for the best in-store customer experience. AEVIs cloud-based platform empowers them to upgrade to more agile and data-driven propositions, driving greater efficiency, more innovation, and an improved customer journey across all channels. aevi.com AEVI operates across Europe, Australia, and the Americas with offices in London, Prague and Paderborn. AEVI was formed through a carve-out in 2015 as a subsidiary of WINCOR NIXDORF International GmbH prior to the acquisition of the former Wincor Nixdorf AG by Diebold (now Diebold Nixdorf). Mastercard, HPE Growth Capital and Schroder Adveq completed minority investments in AEVI.

About Diebold Nixdorf

Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce. We automate, digitize and transform the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world's top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, our integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information. Twitter: @DieboldNixdorf

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/diebold

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DieboldNixdorf

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dieboldnixdorf DN-R ### View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bp-extends-its-partnership-with-diebold-nixdorf-to-support-its-retail-site-and-payment-technology-globally-301298723.html SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated

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[May 25, 2021] Verituity Announces $10 Million Series A Funding to Accelerate Its Digital Payments Platform

Verituity, the verified digital payments platform that modernizes banks treasury services and connects banks, payers and payees to first-time and on-time digital payouts experiences, announces the closing of a $10 million Series A funding co-led by ForgePoint Capital and Ardent Venture Partners. Verituity plans to use the funds to expand its go to market efforts and enhance its cloud-based verified digital payout platform. Don Dixon, Managing Director at ForgePoint Capital, and Phil Bronner, Co-founder and General Partner at Ardent Venture Partners, will join Verituity's board of directors. "As the demand for secure and reliable digital payouts continues to surge, our mission is to extend a bank's ability to offer innovative digital solutions to their business clients that power first-time and on-time digital payouts. By making it frictionless for banks to connect to our platform, banks can modernize their treasury services, reduce their payout and compliance risks, lower operating costs, and rapidly launch new revenue streams," said Ben Turner, CEO and founder of Verituity. The growth of digital payouts is surging as more and more businesses seek to digitize their payouts to their customers and suppliers. Verituity empowers banks to take advantage of this shift by enabling branded and differentiated digital payout solutions for their business clients. Verituity's cloud-based, bank grade platform integrates and automates identity verification, payment choice, payment account validation, risks and data compliance, and verified digital payment orchestration into a unified web and mobile experience. These experiences provide the bank and payer with confidence that they are paying the right payee and the right payment account on the first time and on time. "Verituity sits at the intersection of identity verification, fraud prevention, and successful digital payouts. The company's platform is a transformative soltion that places verification at the core of digital payouts to extend the value of banks' treasury services and enables them to compete with fintechs more effectively. We are excited to partner with Verituity and help them lean into growth as they solve a critical problem in payments," said Don Dixon, Managing Partner at ForgePoint.



Phil Bronner, Co-founder and General Partner at Ardent Venture Partners, added, "We look to invest in innovative companies like Verituity that drive value through automation and intelligence. Whether it's insurance companies paying claims, businesses paying their suppliers, or merchants issuing refunds, Verituity's platform leverages automation and intelligence to connect banks, payors and payees to verified digital payouts." About Verituity

Headquartered in McLean, Va., Verituity is a powerful cloud-based platform that modernizes bank treasury services and connects banks, payers and payees to first-time and on-time digital payouts and pay-by-anything experiences. Verituity's bank-grade platform places verification at the core of digital payouts by seamlessly unifying and automating identity verification, payment choice, payment account verification and verified payment orchestration so payors and payees can make or receive digital payments with confidence. For more information, please visit: verituity.com. About ForgePoint Capital ForgePoint Capital is the premier cybersecurity venture fund investing in transformative companies protecting the digital world. The firm is one of the most prolific investors in early and growth stage cybersecurity companies with over 40 global cybersecurity investments. The team brings more than eight decades of company building and value creation experience, drawing upon the largest network of trusted cybersecurity industry experts and customers to support entrepreneurs who are building great companies. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the firm partners with exceptional cybersecurity entrepreneurs worldwide. For more information, please visit www.forgepointcap.com or follow us @ForgePointCap. About Ardent Venture Partners Ardent Venture Partners is a Washington DC-based early-stage venture fund investing in companies located in growing tech hubs that transform the way we work. AVP sectors include vertical applications that leverage an automation driver such as AI/ML, robotics, marketplaces, or low code/no code; Future of Work; and Security. AVP GP and CEO partners are located in the Mid-Atlantic (New York to Washington DC), Atlanta, and Boulder Denver. www.ardent.vc View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005269/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Despite the Global Semiconductor Shortage, the PC Market Continues to Surge with Expected Growth of 18.1% in 2021, According to IDC

Despite ongoing concerns around semiconductor shortages the PC market continues to be one of the many consumer technology markets that is thriving. According to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, shipments of PCs are expected to grow 18.1% in 2021 with shipments of just over 357 million units. While IDC (News - Alert) still expects PC growth to drop slightly in 2022 (-2.9%), the overall five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) remains positive at 3%. "We continue to get an abundance of questions about the growing semiconductor shortage and its impact on PCs, but it is important to peel back the onion because there is a lot happening underneath the PC supply chain," said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. "We don't debate that the overall semiconductor market is constrained right now, but for the overall PC market it is a very different narrative than the years leading up to the pandemic. Prior to 2020, the market was undergoing CPU shortages and to a lesser extent tight memory and panel supply. Now the focus is around lower-priced components like notebook panel driver ICs, audio codecs, sensors, and power management ICs (PMICs). Nonetheless, without 100% of the parts; a finished system will not ship, so a bottleneck is a bottleneck." "There is a common denominator across the parts in short supply (auto ICs, sensors, PMICs, display drivers), which is that they use the same technology of 40nm or older nodes," said Mario Morales, program vice president, Semiconductors. "Mature technology nodes account for more than 50% of all the capacity in the semiconductor industry and suppliers are only gradually increasing capacity as they prioritize on the largest segments of their business and invest more on mainstream and leading-edge nodes. IDC expects that shortages will begin to ease by the end of Q3 this year. A broader upstream balance of the industry is not expected until the first half of 2022." As things progress there is some common ground among the three major segments in the PC marke: consumer, education, and commercial. All of these are in desperate need of inventory. From IDC's perspective, the consumer segment has the biggest upside looking forward compared to pre-pandemic levels, followed by education, and then commercial. Most regions around the world are still carrying channel inventory that is well below normal and cancelled orders are not part of today's discussions. Demand remains high and supply remains constrained.



"As the component shortages continue into next year, we anticipate at least some of the buyers will settle for desktops in place of notebooks as the urgency of demand for any kind of PC remains quite high," said Jitesh Ubrani research manager for IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. "Longer term, the consumer refresh cycle is also expected to be pulled in slightly as the pandemic has raised the profile of PCs and consumers continue to spend more time and dollars on PC gaming and content consumption." A graphic illustrating IDC's 2020-2025 PC forecast by market segment (commercial, consumer, and education) is available by viewing this press release on IDC.com.

Note: PCs include Desktops, Notebooks, and Workstations and do not include Tablets or x86 Servers. Detachable Tablets and Slate Tablets are part of the Personal Computing Device Tracker but are not addressed in this press release. IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker gathers data in more than 90 countries and provides detailed, timely, and accurate information on the global personal computing device market. This includes data and insight into global trends around desktops, notebooks, detachable tablets, slate tablets, and workstations. In addition to insightful analysis, the program delivers quarterly market share data and a five-year forecast by country. The research includes historical and forecast trend analysis. For more information, or to subscribe to the research, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com. About IDC Trackers

IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly Excel deliverables and on-line query tools. Click here to learn about IDC's full suite of data products and how you can leverage them to grow your business. About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005221/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Digital Shift Sharpens Disconnect Between Marketing, Sales Strategy and Customer Engagement, According to Survey by Copper

Copper, the leading CRM platform for relationship-based business growth, today released its 2021 Marketing and Sales Relationships Survey, which uncovers a strategic disconnect between marketing and sales actions and results. While 70% of the sales, marketing and advertising executives surveyed report that they have invested more in professional relationship-building within the past year, only half built new customer relationships and 88% continue to maintain or increase cold emailing efforts. Thirty-seven percent report sending cold emails more often during the pandemic without seeing better return on investment. A combined 63% say they receive the same response as before the pandemic (including no response) or receive a worse response. Roughly half (52%) of respondents report that they have built new relationships during the pandemic, while 14% report having lost relationships. Amid a shift to a more virtual environment, 63% state they have good relationships with customers and prospects. However, 30% report they only have good relationships with customers, not prospects, highlighting a gap between relationship development for existing and new business. Older generations of respondents report stronger customer and prospect relationships despite less of a prioritization on networking and cold outreach tactics. Seventy-eight percent of Baby Boomers report having well-developed relationships with clients and prospects, compared to 68% for Gen X, 62% for Millennials and 60% for Gen Z. But 50% of Millennials and 51% of Gen Z report sending cold emails more often, compared to 37% of Baby Boomers and 34% of Gen X. Forty-one percent of Millennials state they have sent more cold emails since the beginning of the pandemic, the highest of al generations.



"The forced shift to a digital-first environment over the past year was a prime opportunity for marketing and sales teams to redefine how they engage buyers and develop new and stronger relationships. What we found is that this opportunity is still there for the taking," said Dennis Fois, CEO of Copper. "The average industry response rate for a cold email is abysmally low, and despite this not changing over the past year, the tactic continues to proliferate. It's no surprise that the generations we surveyed who focus less on cold emailing - Baby Boomers and Gen X - say they have the strongest relationships with customers and prospects. Strong, personalized and even 'old-school' relationships lead to sustainable businesses." Marketers Brace for the Death of Third-Party Cookies

The impending end of third-party cookies is worrying marketers, with 40% feeling concerned about the change. Fifty-one percent say this change will impact their marketing strategy, with 13% further stating they have to rework their entire marketing and advertising strategy. As a potential alternative, 82% of respondents classify their use of first-party customer data as "good." The current environment has also impacted the way marketers manage their own data, as 65% report they're using their CRM at least the same amount or more during the pandemic. Optimism on the Horizon Despite lingering customer engagement issues related to the virtual environment and end of third-party cookies, the survey found that marketers and salespeople are overwhelmingly optimistic about their own businesses going forward. Eighty-eight percent of respondents believe their business revenue will be stronger in 2022 than it was in 2019, and 73% expect to increase the size of their sales and marketing teams in the coming year. To read more about Copper's 2021 Marketing Relationships Survey, visit here. Methodology This CARAVAN survey was conducted by ENGINE INSIGHTS among a sample of 501 adults ages 18+ who are employed full time and currently work in a sales or marketing/advertising department. This survey was live on April 22-30, 2021. About Copper Copper is a Google (News - Alert) -recommended CRM for Google Workspace users, loved by over 25,000+ businesses globally. Designed for businesses that drive lasting revenue through strong relationships, Copper functions seamlessly in the background so customers can spend time on what matters: people. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Toronto, the company has raised $100M in venture capital financing to date. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005285/en/

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[May 25, 2021] MEDITECH's 2021 Nurse Forum: Setting the Pace

As we all begin transitioning to the post-vaccination phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are once again taking the lead in showing us healthier, safer ways of caring for each other during uncertain times. Clinicians from across the globe will be sharing their strategies and inspirational stories during MEDITECH's virtual 2021 Nurse Forum: Setting the Pace, on June 16-18. "Throughout the pandemic, nurses have been there for all of us in our most vulnerable moments. This event will honor the ways the nursing community has gone above and beyond over the past year and a half, both on the frontlines and behind the scenes," said Cathy Turner, BSN, MBA, RN-BC, Associate Vice President, MEDITECH. "I look forward to hearing their accomplishments and sharing our latest offerings as we mutually move forward." Keynote presenters include motivational speaker and best-selling author Jody Urquhart, who will discuss strategies for feeling good while still caring for others. In addition, President and CEO of Healthcare Excellence Canada Jennifer Zelmer, PhD, will explore universal patient safety and quality issues that arose during the pandemic, and what new opportunities we now have for achieving healthcare excellence. In the final keynote, HCA Healthcare's CNE Jane Englebright, PhD, RN, CENP, FAAN will talk about delivering on the promise to heal the healthcare system, with a focus on reusing data and reducing documentation burdens. Attendees will also hear from nurses and MEDITECH executives about how Expanse Patient Care, Surveillance, and other solutions can support nurses and their organizations. Sessions will cover a wide range of timely topics including health equity, maintaining efficiency, patient engagement, and genomics. MEDITECH has applied for nursing contact hours for this event.*



"At the Nurse Forum, I'm always excited to see what everyone else is doing. Because we all have challenges in common, as well as issues that are unique to us, and we all tackle things a little bit differently," said Alicia Brubaker, RN and Director of Clinical Informatics (News - Alert) at Valley Hospital (Ridgewood, NJ). "There are always great takeaways to bring back to our organizations. And especially this year, we've all been going through this pandemic together, so now we'll all be moving forward together." Learn more about MEDITECH's 2021 Nurse Forum and Nursing Solutions.

* This activity has been submitted to American Nurses Association Massachusetts for approval to award contact hours. American Nurses Association Massachusetts is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. About MEDITECH MEDITECH has driven EHR innovation during every stage of the industry's evolution. Today we're helping healthcare organizations around the world expand their vision of what's possible with MEDITECH Expanse, a web-based EHR that's setting new standards for usability, efficiency, and clinician satisfaction. Our software is used by a quarter of all hospitals in the U.S., nearly half of all Canadian hospitals, and healthcare organizations in 23 countries. We help power the best care possible in every care setting, from acute centers and ambulatory practices, to home health agencies, long-term care facilities, patients' homes and beyond. Expand your possibilities and see why KLAS rates MEDITECH Expanse the #1 EHR in three categories, and the #2 Overall Software Suite. Visit ehr.meditech.com and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005136/en/

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[May 25, 2021] MobileSmith Health Announces New Addition to Executive Team

RALEIGH, N.C., May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MobileSmith Health (OTCBB: MOST), a leader in the digital health and mobile development sector who is changing traditional healthcare patient engagement and adherence management, today announced the appointment of Dr. Jay Steinberg as clinical advisor. As a Board-Certified Cardiothoracic Surgeon for over 15 years, Steinberg brings with him a background in designing and implementing health programs in large health systems throughout the Northeast U.S. where engagement with clinical, administrative and support services were critical to ensuring success.

We are excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Jay Steinberg as clinical advisor for MobileSmith Health, said Jerry Lepore, MobileSmith Health CEO. Dr. Steinberg has led the creation and development of innovative programs that have significantly benefited patients nationwide utilizing artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to enhance compliance, reduce risk, and ultimately improve outcomes. We look forward to working alongside Dr. Steinberg as he joins us to further the mission of MobileSmith Health. As surgery caseloads are geared back up to pre-COVID-19 levels, hospitals are quickly looking to address the persistent challenges of patient medical adherence that in turn drive high day-of-surgery cancellation rates, contribute to high readmission rates and disrupt a medical teams ability to operate at peak efficiency. In his role as clinical advisor, Steinberg will help address these challenges by offering guidance based on first-hand clinical experience that will impact perioperative program product integration and mitigating barriers to entry for hospitals. Having been a surgeon, researchr and educator for over two decades, I am thrilled to bring my expertise to MobileSmith Health, expressed Dr. Steinberg. Working with individual patients and playing a role in improving each of their lives is a reward in and of itself. Im thrilled to have the opportunity to continue those efforts on a larger scale with this incredible organization that continues to be a leader in the digital health sector as they continue to develop innovative ways to improve cost effectiveness of health care delivery.



Dr. Steinberg currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of CMTx-Biotech, a Long Island based company specializing in repurposing drugs, which is positioned to evaluate in clinical trials a modified tetracycline in the treatment of COVID-induced lung injury. He also continues to remain intricately involved with the implementation of global initiatives that ultimately impact a larger patient population. Steinbergs medical path includes earning degrees from renowned programs and universities including an undergraduate degree in biology from Lehigh University, a masters degree in physical therapy from Colombia University, Doctor of Medicine from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his general surgery training at State University of New York in Syracuse, a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Penn Milton Hershey Medical Center and an endovascular fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. About MobileSmith Health

MobileSmith Health (OTCBB: MOST), a leader in the digital health and mobile development sector, is connecting healthcare providers to their patients and their patients to their health to improve clinical outcomes and the overall patient journey. The companys health technology ecosystem is an intuitive and patient-friendly way to gain visibility and efficiency throughout pre- and post-procedural adherence via embedded EMR integration and adherence tracking dashboards, thus reducing cancellations and complications across episodes of care. MobileSmith Health has helped more than 200 hospitals meet their healthcare consumers where they are  on their mobile devices  to extend a providers ability to modify behavior with apps that remind, educate, track, and engage the patients that use them.

For more information, visit www.mobilesmith.com and connect with us at @TheMobileSmith, on Facebook and LinkedIn. Media Contact:

Tom Testa

617-872-0184

tom@andersoni.com



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[May 25, 2021] Medolife Rx Reports First Quarter 2021 Financial and Operational Results, Schedules Conference Call with Investment Community

BURBANK, Calif., May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Medolife Rx, Inc. ("Medolife"), a global integrated bioceutical company with R&D, manufacturing, and consumer product distribution, which is a majority owned subsidiary of Quanta, Inc. (OTC PINK: QNTA), announced today financial results for the first quarter ending on March 31, 2021, and provided an operational update. First Quarter 2021 Highlights: Total revenue generated was USD $318,807;

Gross margins remained above 90%;

Cash on hand at the end of the quarter was over USD $300,000, a substantial increase when compared to the same period in the prior year;

Various positive updates on preclinical studies completed on its lead drug candidate Escozine demonstrating safety and efficacy of the product;

Preparation for response to Pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA);

Expansion of first-of-its-kind scorpion reservation and research facility in the Dominican Republic (DR), preparing for demand created by product registration of Escozine in the region;

Rebranding efforts on nutraceutical product lines focused on major markets such as beauty, wellness and nutritional supplements; The first quarter of 2021 was the first period in which I was at the helm of our company, which proved to be not only a successful one, but also a pivot quarter for aligning the company for greater success, said Medolife CEO Dr. Arthur Mikaelian. Weve been doing tireless work on all fronts, including: cleaning up legacy financial issues left from the previous management team, furthering our clinical research in both the U.S. and the DR, as well as establishing and expanding our supply chain of direct-to-consumer nutraceutical products. As a whole, the quarter was extremely momentous in positioning the company to move forward concurrently in each of these areas. We are continuing to build out in a strategic way, designed to not only unlock shareholder value, but to change the way the world perceives health and wellness. Great things do not happen overnight, but we accomplished a lot of goals during the period and have continued that momentum in the second quarter. Dr. Mikaelian and Quanta, Inc. Chief Financial Officer Clemente Pascarella will hold a conference call with the investment community on Tuesday, May 4, at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. They will present on the Companys milestones achieved in the quarter, as well as the future positioning of the Company. Additionally, the two will take questions from the investment community at the end of the call.



To register for this call, please use the below web link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gfcQmH6PQCujWCOQjIRwyA

About Medolife Rx Medolife Rx, Inc. is a global biotechnology company with operations in clinical research, manufacturing, and consumer products. Medolife Rx was created through the merger of Medolife, a private company founded by Dr. Arthur Mikaelian who pioneered the unlaying polarization technology that makes the Companys portfolio of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products so effective, and Quanta, Inc., a direct-to-consumer wellness product portfolio company. The Companys lead clinical development programs include Escozine , a proprietary formulation consisting of small molecule peptides derived from Rhopalurus princeps scorpions, which is amplified by the Companys polarization technology and is being researched as a treatment of various indications, including COVID-19 and cancer. The Company has completed preclinical safety and efficacy research on Escozine  and is pursuing product registration and drug approval in various countries, including the United States and throughout Latin America. Through its subsidiary QuantRx, Medolife manufactures and distributes consumer wellness products in high-impact consumer areas such as pain relief, beauty, and general wellness. QuantRx products are designed using Dr. Mikaelians polarization technology, which applies advances in quantum biology to increase the potency of active ingredients. Ultimately, Quanta's mission is to deliver better, more effective ingredients to elevate product efficacy, reduce waste, and facilitate healthier, more sustainable consumption. Beyond its own clinical and consumer applications, the polarization technology used by Medolife and its subsidiaries has many potential applications. From potentiating bio-ingredients, to producing more-effective carbon-trapping plants, to transformative anti-aging solutions, Medolife has the opportunity to upend how commercial and pharmaceutical products are made and increase their benefits, while decreasing their chemical concentration. Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature which express the beliefs and expectations of management including statements regarding the Company's expected results of operations or liquidity; statements concerning projections, predictions, expectations, estimates or forecasts as to our business, financial and operational results and future economic performance; and statements of management's goals and objectives and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "continuing," "ongoing," "expect," "we believe," "we intend," "may," "will," "should," "could," and similar expressions. Such statements are based on current plans, estimates and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors and additional information are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and statements in this release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Although we believe that these statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we cannot guarantee future results. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Contacts:

Tom Nelson

https://ir.quantrx.com/

818-659-8052 Kyle Porter

medolife@cmwmedia.com

858-264-6600



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[May 25, 2021] INVESTIGATION REMINDER: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm

The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. ("ReconAfrica" or "the Company") (OTC: RECAF) for violations of the securities laws. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. ReconAfrica is the subject of an article published by National Geographic on May 11, 2021, titled: "Oil company exploring in sensitive elephant habitat accused of ignoring community concerns: Namibians allege ReconAfrica disposed of wastewater unsafely, without permits, and ignored concerns about potential impact of oil drilling on water and wildlife." The article claims that "ReconAfrica, a Canadian company eploring for oil and gas in Namibia upstream of a world-famous UNESCO World Heritage site that's home to elephants and other wildlife is disposing of wastewater without permits, according to a government minister." The article continues, "drilling for the first test well began in January, and waste fluids are being stored in what appears to be an unlined pond, where they could leach into the ground and contaminate the water supply in this desert region," and "Namibia's minister of agriculture, water, and land reform, the agency responsible for water-related permits, told National Geographic in a written statement that ReconAfrica does not yet have permits approved to extract water to use in its drilling operations nor to dispose of the waste water."



If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005621/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Online virtual event focuses on mental health in schools--free CPDs!

LUTZ, Fla., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic put mental health issues in the forefront of the American consciousness, and students, teachers, and staff will continue to feel the effects of COVID-19 when they return to school this fall. Their job will not be easy. PARtalks: Mental Health Amid a Pandemic is a FREE daylong virtual event that brings together authors, subject matter experts, and thought leaders to equip school professionals with the information they need to do what they do besthelp students. PARtalks will take place online on Thursday, June 3. Designed for a target audience of school psychologists, psychologists, counselors, and social workers, PARtalks is aimed to help professionals prepare for the return of in-person schooling. "The pandemic has caused schools to rethink the way they deliver services while facing an increase in the number of students who need services," said Kristin Geco, PAR CEO. "PAR has been able to bring together the foremost experts in the field to present the latest information on issues of stress, trauma, student evaluations, and teleassessment as well as resilience and healing. School mental health workers will leave these sessions armed with valuable tools and actionable insights to bring back to their school and help students to thrive."



The event kicks off with a welcome by Greco followed by the keynote address "Healing Together: Mental Health, Trauma, and Resilience in the Wake of a Global Pandemic," presented by Kirby Wycoff, PsyD, NCSP. Afterward, three sessions, each worth 1 NASP CPD, address aspects of a post-pandemic return to school. Sessions include: The Neuropsychology of Stress and Trauma: How to Develop a Trauma-Informed Assessment

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, DEd, and Terri Sisson , EdS

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, DEd, and , EdS Learning Disability Evaluations During and After a Pandemic

Presented by Peter K. Isquith , PhD, and Theo Miron , PsyS, NCSP

Presented by , PhD, and , PsyS, NCSP Ethics in Psychological Tele-Assessment with Children

Presented by A. Jordan Wright , PhD, ABAP, and Carrie Champ Morera , PsyD, NCSP, LP Learn more about PARtalks or register for this important event.

Founded in 1978, PAR is a leading publisher of psychological assessment instruments, software, and other related materials. Over the past four decades, PAR has earned a reputation for providing customers with innovative assessment solutions and unparalleled customer service.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/online-virtual-event-focuses-on-mental-health-in-schoolsfree-cpds-301297420.html SOURCE PAR, Inc.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 23:39:35|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, May 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold their first summit in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, the White House said on Tuesday.

"The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the U.S.-Russia relationship," the White House said in a short statement.

It will be Biden's first in-person meeting with Putin as president. Biden said earlier this month that he expected to meet with Putin during his trip to Europe in June, when he would attend the Group of Seven Summit in Britain and then the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium.

The Kremlin also confirmed the meeting in a separate statement.

"We intend to discuss the state of and the prospects for the further development of Russian-U.S. relations, strategic stability issues, as well as topical issues on the international agenda, including interaction in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the settlement of regional conflicts," said the Kremlin statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Iceland last week in a move that was widely perceived as part of the preparation for the summit.

The two officials have expressed willingness to cooperate while admitting "serious differences" amid tense relations.

On Monday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held consultations with his Russian counterpart Nikolay Patrushev in Geneva. The White House said in a joint statement that their meeting was "constructive" despite "outstanding differences."

"The sides agreed that a normalization of U.S.-Russian relations would be in the interest of both countries and contribute to global predictability and stability," according to the joint statement.

Relations between Washington and Moscow have been adversarial in recent years. The two sides have obvious differences on issues related to Ukraine, cybersecurity, human rights, and U.S. election interference.

The Biden administration noted it seeks "a more predictable, stable relationship" with Russia.

The much-anticipated Russian-U.S. summit in a third country was first proposed by Biden during a telephone conversation with Putin on April 13, according to the Kremlin. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] California's Fifth-Largest City Selects Integrated ERP Solution from Tyler Technologies

Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today that the city of Fresno, California, has signed a multi-year software-as-a-service ( SaaS (News - Alert) ) agreement for Tyler's unified Munis enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. Fresno selected Tyler because the company can enable streamlined processes for city staff by providing robust financial management, human capital management, utility billing, and time and attendance tracking all in one integrated system, while also providing community access to city services via user-friendly applications. "Out of all the solutions that we reviewed, we felt Tyler was the best suited for our needs," said Bryon Horn, CIO for the city of Fresno. "We were at a crossroads with our current ERP solution, and we needed to tackle a major upgrade just to maintain the same functionality we already had. We realized we were outgrowing our current ERP solution and desired one that could bring many functions together in a more streamlined way for our staff," said Dennis Jones, systems and applications manager, city of Fresno. "We are excited to work with Tyler to increase efficiency in our office with the implmentation of their solutions. This new technology will bring a new level of transparency and modernization to our office, which will allow us to better serve our constituents."



The city will use Tyler's Munis solution to manage all aspects of its accounting, procurement, human capital management, and utility billing needs. Munis enables fast access to information, simplified reporting, and efficient workflows, which will help Fresno ensure accountability among its staff, make informed decisions, and increase financial transparency in its office and with the community it serves. With Munis Human Capital Management, Fresno will be able to simplify its human resources (HR) and payroll processes, integrate all employee data in one system, and manage documents completely electronically, reducing paper and storage costs. In addition to managing financials and HR processes, the city will also benefit from comprehensive time, attendance, and scheduling tracking from Tyler's ExecuTime solution. Staff will be able to easily manage time-off requests, automate payroll software integration, and track a variety of pay codes all at once. The integration between Munis and ExecuTime will help eliminate dual entry between timekeeping and payroll and address the common challenges associated with managing multiple sets of security.

"We're pleased to bring an integrated ERP solution to the city of Fresno to streamline and modernize their back-office processes and aid in their community engagement," said Chris Webster, president of Tyler's ERP Division. "With more than 130 Munis clients in California, we are well-equipped to bring a robust and comprehensive ERP solution to Fresno to meet their growing software needs." Fresno is located in central California and is the fifth-largest city in the state. It has a population of approximately 540,000. About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert) , Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) provides integrated software and technology services to the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 27,000 successful installations across more than 11,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. Tyler has been named to Government Technology's GovTech 100 list five times and has been recognized three times on Forbes' "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, an S&P 500 company headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005047/en/

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[May 25, 2021] LeaseLock Adds Kevin Huss to Enterprise Sales Team

LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LeaseLock , the world's leading insurtech platform for real estate, today announced that Kevin Huss has joined as VP of Enterprise Sales Northeast. In his role, Huss will focus on driving the implementation of LeaseLock Zero Deposit, the rental housing industry's first and only fully integrated lease insurance product. Huss brings 15 years of multifamily revenue management experience to LeaseLock after spending more than seven years at Harbor Group Management Co., where he most recently served as Vice President of Revenue Management. Huss previously worked in the same role for Resource Residential and served as Revenue Manager for Simpson Housing. "Kevin knows how to drive NOI through his wealth of experience in revenue management and operational processes," said Ed Wolff, CRO of LeaseLock. "His unique understanding of the shortcomings of security deposits  from a property management perspective  will help us further educat the industry on the NOI benefits of lease insurance."



Huss' experience with LeaseLock Zero Deposit was what prompted him to make the move from operator to supplier partner. "Never in my career have I witnessed a solution with such an immediate and tremendous impact on leasing," said Huss. "There is no other product that can create exponential real value. The vision of LeaseLock is pioneering in our industry."

As the only AI-driven financial technology platform for rental housing providers, LeaseLock deploys through native property software systems and back-office workflows to integrate into the online resident leasing process. Operators market their communities as Zero Deposit, creating an affordable, seamless resident experience and conversion lift  while protecting their properties with $5,000 in rent loss and damage coverage on every new lease with the standard coverage plan. NMHC Top 50 operator LeaseLock clients include Greystar, Cushman & Wakefield, Avenue5 Residential, LMC, and RKW Residential. Top ownership clients include Goldman Sachs, ColRich, GoldCor, Olive Tree, TruAmerica, White Oak, Trinsic, Strata Equity Group, Goodman Real Estate, and Elevation Real Estate and Management. About Us

LeaseLock is the world's leading insurtech platform for real estate. Our flagship lease insurance product leverages artificial intelligence to eliminate security deposits from enterprise operating infrastructurepowering a faster, simpler, more affordable rental transaction. LeaseLock seamlessly deploys within the native online leasing checkout, resulting in significant conversion liftwhile instantly generating industry-leading coverage for the property on every lease. LeaseLock has insured over $1 billion in leases backed by insurance rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. Our global investors include SoftBank Ventures Asia, Wildcat Ventures, Westerly Winds, Vertex Ventures US, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, American Family Ventures, Moderne Ventures, and Mucker Capital. Media Contact:

LinnellTaylor Marketing

Marlena DeFalco

Account Director

(303) 682-3943

marlena@linnelltaylor.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leaselock-adds-kevin-huss-to-enterprise-sales-team-301298826.html SOURCE LeaseLock

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[May 25, 2021] True Beacon Goes Global

BENGALURU, India, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikhil Kamath and Richard Pattle, Co-founders of True Beacon, the Indian asset management company, today announced the launch of the first operational Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). True Beacon Global, a Fund for international strategic investors, will provide access to Indian capital markets with high levels of transparency, coupled with zero management fees and a globally competitive tax regime. True Beacon serves over 250 ultra high net worth and high net worth individuals in India, and is headquartered in Bangalore. The company's flagship Fund, True Beacon One, delivered a 32% outperformance of the Indian equity index, NIFTY50, in 2020. True Beacon Global will mirror the flagship Fund's strategy for global institutional and individual investors. True Beacon Global is based in GIFT City, a special economic zone in Ahmedabad, offering zero taxation on derivative gains, wit a single unified regulator equating it to global financial hubs such as Dubai and Singapore.



Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder and CIO, said, "The establishment of True Beacon Global in GIFT City is an exciting new chapter for us, building on our investment track record." Richard Pattle, Co-founder and CEO, said, "India is one of the most compelling investment destinations for ultra high net worth individuals and institutional investors globally. The company looks forward to playing its part in attracting foreign investment into the country."

About True Beacon True Beacon operates hybrid funds for strategic investors investing into the Indian capital markets. The flagship fund is open-ended, with zero management fees and a 10% annual performance reward on gains achieved by the company. True Beacon is creating a community of ultra high net worth and high net worth individuals in India and overseas, driving strategic value through global deal flow, co-investment opportunities, philanthropic initiatives, and next generation educational programmes. About Nikhil Kamath

Nikhil dropped out of school at 14 to play chess for India and started equity trading 3 years later. In 2010, he co-founded Zerodha, which is now India's largest retail brokerage accounting for 15% of the daily equity volume in India. The company has a valuation of over 2 billion USD and is wholly owned by Nikhil and his brother, Nithin. The brothers recently pledged 100 million USD to climate change. Nikhil is the youngest member of Forbes India's Rich List, 2020. About Richard Pattle LVO

Richard has been travelling to and working in India for the past 30 years. He spent 18 years as a combat helicopter pilot in the British military, including a year on exchange with the Indian Armed Forces. He worked for the British Royal Family from 2004 to 2014 as Equerry then Master of the Household to Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Before co-founding True Beacon, Richard was Vice Chairman of Standard Chartered Private Bank for 5 years, covering 250 ultra high net worth families globally. Contact:

Kudrat Khalon

info@truebeacon.com

https://truebeacon.com/ View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/true-beacon-goes-global-301298828.html SOURCE True Beacon

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[May 25, 2021] New MissionKeeper and MissionCaster Video and Data Streaming Tools Help Remote Experts Solve Problems Faster

LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KSI Data Sciences, leader in delivering live video and telemetry data from drones and other IoT devices, today announced upgrades to their MissionKeeper and MissionCaster products. Created to simplify the process of collecting and sharing field-based video and data, KSI's MissionKeeper and MissionCaster duo gives project teams the power to solve problems using live content streams from anywhere across the globe. MissionKeeper, KSI's live streaming software and user-interface for professionals, shares video and telemetry from drones, ROV's, submersibles, robots, and other IoT devices with multiple users in near real-time. Its latest key features include: Extremely low latency feeds. Data and video are delivered securely to all mission participants at once

Ability to view remote "missions" from any smartphone or computer using MissionKeeper's sleek UI

No user limits. Add new unlimited new users at any time without hitting a paywall, with the option to bring in subject matter experts for a portion of a mission or for multiple projects

Automatic, secure cloud storage for later review and training opportunities KSI's proprietary MissionCaster box is a hardware solution that enables network connectivity and live streaming in remote locations from nearly any device. MissionCaster's latest features include: Live HD video and sensor data broadcasting to the cloud over ethernet, WiFi as WAN, and LTE with multi-carrier failover

Simple, intuitive operation via a 7" touchsreen

Accepts virtually any feed that can deliver HDMI input

Rechargeable 5-hour battery, plus auxiliary battery for easy swap in the field



Alaska . She can grant her global colleagues, vendors or regulators access to the live feed, or easily share prerecorded content to support a thorough remote inspection. MissionKeeper and MissionCaster are outfitting organizations with a completely new set of tools that save time, save money, and save lives. "Whether you're a firefighter searching for a stranded citizen, a plant pathologist studying crops, or an engineer inspecting a wind turbine, KSI can streamline your intel gathering, storage, and analysis workflows," said KSI Data Sciences CEO and founder, Jon Gaster.

The launch comes on the heels of significant increases in enterprise use of UAVs, IoT devices, body cams, field-based video and dramatic global increase in teleworkers. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global commercial drone business was valued at USD 1.6 billion in 2019, but is expected to climb to USD 8.5 billion USD by 2027 with an expected CAGR of 25%. KSI's new releases are particularly impactful in the public safety, energy, inspection, transportation, and agricultural industries, where data systems automation and UAV infrastructures are just beginning to boom. KSI is positioned to support this burgeoning industry with efficient, secure, accessible data streaming and storage solutions. Today, MissionKeeper and MissionCaster help power the robust commercial and government streaming programs at AT&T, FDNY, LAFD, FlyNex, iSight, and more. KSI is AT&T FirstNet listed and a partner of Microsoft Azure, DRONERESPONDERS and a multitude of national security agencies. For more information or to view a demo, visit www.ksidatasciences.com. ABOUT KSI: KSI Data Sciences was founded in Los Angeles, CA in 2015 by a group of entrepreneurs with rich histories in video technology, digital asset management, and data processing. KSI's products streamline the process of gathering intel from remote sources like drones and IoT devices and sharing it with worldwide teams of experts for real-time analysis. KSI's MissionKeeper software and MissionCaster hardware securely deliver the field-based data organizations need to make immediate, informed, decisions. MEDIA CONTACT:

Blake Nyman

blake@ksidatasciences.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-missionkeeper-and-missioncaster-video-and-data-streaming-tools-help-remote-experts-solve-problems-faster-301298242.html SOURCE KSI Data Sciences

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[May 25, 2021] Hyro Raises $10.5M in Series A Funding to Replace Chatbots and IVR Systems with Adaptive Communications

NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hyro , a leader in conversational artificial-intelligence (AI) solutions, today announced that it has closed a $10.5 million Series A funding round led by Spero Ventures, with participation from the leading cloud communications platform Twilio Inc. and Mindset Ventures, bringing the companys total funding raised to date to $15 million. Existing investors Hanaco Ventures, Spider Capital and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator are all participating as well.

Hyro will use the capital raise to hire top talent across all departments as it continues to build out its Adaptive Communications Platform to enhance its customers web, mobile and call center solutions, while also expanding its presence across key industries where it is already experiencing strong traction. The investment from and partnership with Twilio reflects the flexibility and scale for which Hyros platform can impact organizations across any vertical. The company also plans to increase the size of its team by 50% in 2021. Already widely adopted across healthcare, real estate and governmentincluding clients like Mercy Health, Novant Health, Carroll, and Contra Costa County, CAHyro is well-positioned for significantly increased market share and client acquisition as enterprises seek to automate key processes and messaging across their most valuable platforms, services and channels using natural language. Over the past year, Hyro has grown its customer base by over 500%, offering adaptive solutions as COVID-19 exposed the vulnerabilities of siloed data sources and inflexible processes in the context of enterprise communications. Hyros ability to quickly launch and expand context-elastic experiences has positioned them as the go-to solution for organizations looking to meet customers and employees in any conversational setting without expending heavy business resources. Hyro is pushing the reset button on chatbots and IVR systems. Were reinventing the way companies and their customers interact by offering adaptive communications, as opposed to intent-based solutions that often break. Chatbots have become a mainstay within customer engagement, but because many are intent-based, they constantly need to be retrained and have limited ability to scale, which forces the enterprise to slow down while also alienating its customers, said Israel Krush, Co-Founder and CEO of Hyro. Ths funding round enables us to further establish ourselves as the leading Adaptive Communications Platform in high-growth sectors looking to automate valuable interactions at scale. Im also excited to add Twilio, the leading cloud communications platform, as an investor in our fresh approach to conversational AI, and Im looking forward to a partnership rooted in better, more adaptive solutions for enterprises and their customers.



Hyros Adaptive Communications Platform ensures easy bi-directional communication, through text, touch and voice capabilities, between its clients and their end-users. As opposed to rigid intent-based chatbots and IVRs which need thousands of examples (conversations and utterances) to generate a simple response, Hyros platform is both linguistics and knowledge-based, meaning that their conversational AI learns human language first and then continuously layers use cases on top of that understanding engine. Providing those conversational interfaces with such a strong lingual foundation allows for large enterprises to keep pace with ever-changing content, datasets and customer demands. As data is added or adjusted across websites, databases, CSVs, APIs and other sources, Hyro automatically updates their knowledge graph so that the information provided to end-users remains accurate. Hyro is firmly established throughout the healthcare sector as a result of the innovative product offerings it rapidly developed to help patients seeking COVID-19 information . At the onset of the pandemic, as healthcare providers were overwhelmed with questions surrounding COVID-19, Hyro quickly developed a free AI-powered virtual assistant to eliminate misinformation while saving millions of dollars for healthcare organizations in COVID-19 outreach and process management. Additionally, as vaccines became available, Hyro built and deployed automated call center solutions to handle mass vaccination scheduling, in some cases offloading over 85% of patient inquiries. In total, Hyro has helped over four million patients in the U.S. with COVID-19 concerns. The crisis demonstrated the platforms adaptability and speed to implementation, as well as its industry-leading ability to engage patients, reduce churn rate and increase profitability.

We are thrilled to back the Hyro team whose technology will fundamentally change customers expectations of the organizations they interact with, said Spero Ventures Sara Eshelman. Why is it that I still spend 20 minutes on hold to find and schedule an appointment? Hyros plug-and-play infrastructure enables companies to automate those tasks in a matter of hours, unlike traditional intent-based systems that require extensive training and time-to-launch. As early users through Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC, Hyro initially felt like magic to us. Thats the effect of adaptive communicationsand were betting that soon, people everywhere will expect the same. ABOUT HYRO

Hyro is the worlds first Adaptive Communications Platform. Featuring plug & play conversational AI and natural language automation, Hyro enables enterprises to streamline their processes and messaging across their most valuable platforms, services and channelsincluding contact centers, chat solutions, SMS and more. Headquartered in New York, Hyro delights clients like Mercy Health, Novant Health, Carroll and Contra Costa County with conversational technologies that are quick to deploy, easy to maintain and simple to scaleconserving vital resources while generating better conversations, more conversions, and revenue-driving insights. Hyro was founded in 2018 by Israel Krush, Rom Cohen and Uri Valevski. Learn more at Hyro.ai. Media Contact:

FischTank PR

hyro@fischtankpr.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c652b0c4-f16f-4fc7-ad9b-28788f4d6b4e



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[May 25, 2021] ProEst and Procore Offer New Levels of Product Alignment and Integration

SAN DIEGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ProEst executives have announced significant enhancements to their product's integration with Procore, enabling users to transfer, synchronize and manage construction project data in both platforms. The latest enhancements to our integration mean that users can add sub-jobs and integrate automatically with commitments to create purchase orders and subcontracts. Contractors will also have the ability to transfer plan documents from ProEst and update existing project costs without leaving the Procore platform. The development, part of the company's 2021 Q1 release, is part of an ongoing effort to align ProEst and Procore technology to meet a growing demand for data integration. "We listen carefully to our clients," said ProEst CEO Jeff Gerardi, "and increasingly, we're seeing requests for greater integration with Procore. Our goal is to acively partner with other technology leaders to provide the kind of end-to-end solution construction companies are looking for, and our collaboration with Procore is yielding huge benefits for contractors everywhere."



Procore and ProEst have a very large, shared user base of forward-thinking business leaders. As construction professionals, their input is invaluable, and with growing demand for integration of the two platforms, we're doing everything possible to make it happen. ProEst was a construction industry pioneer, moving their estimating platform fully to the cloud and partnering with other cloud-based technology providers to create integrated business solutions that improved accuracy and workflow efficiency. ProEst now maintains offices in the United States, Canada and Australia and serves the needs of more than 8,000 industry professionals.

Clients include: Turner Construction

Blach Construction

Astroturf

CCI

School Construction Authority NYC and other large commercial and civil construction firms across the globe. Contact: Jeff Gerardi, CEO, ProEst

Phone: 800.255.7407 x104

Email: jeff@proest.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/proest-and-procore-offer-new-levels-of-product-alignment-and-integration-301298559.html SOURCE ProEst

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[May 25, 2021] Optiv Researchers Rally Technical Community to Enhance Understanding of Offensive and Defensive Cybersecurity at Inaugural Source Zero Con Event

Optiv Security, an end-to-end cybersecurity partner delivering advisory, deployment, and operational services and solutions, today kicks off its inaugural Source Zero Con to guide the security industry's future leaders in operationalizing their security programs through research-backed and outcome-based best practices. With a focus on offensive and defensive security tactics and techniques, attendees will connect with peers and technical experts to explore innovative concepts and capabilities through virtual presentations and interactive workshops May 25-27, 2021 from noon - 4 p.m. ET. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005687/en/ The free event builds on the success of Optiv's technical thought leadership community, Source Zero, to turbo charge technical collaboration, innovation, and research around technology and security. "The big breach in the news may get all the attention, but the true, long-term solutions are realized at the technical level by those doing the work," said Todd Weber, chief technology officer, Optiv. "Participation in our Source (News - Alert) Zero technical community shows there's a real appetite for highly technical discussions. By expanding to a conference venue, we hope to further drive collaboration and innovation on topics like EDR hooking, mobile device management, and threat hunting, to name a few, so we can all better protect organizations from critical infrastructure to startups." Over the course of the three-day virtual event, attendees will receive in-depth educationranging from beginner to advanced sessions from Optiv's Source Zero research and innovation team on topics like:



Remaining Invisible in the Age of EDR

MDM: The Blindspot You Didn't Know

Security Impact of Rapid Growth of IoT

Deep Dive Android (News - Alert) Analysis

Open Source Forensic Threat Hunting Attendees will also earn CPE credits and have the opportunity to tune into presentations from event sponsors, including AppOmni, Crowdstrike, Hackthebox, Onapsis, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint (News - Alert) , Semperis, Snyk, and Valid.Network. "Source Zero Con is an avenue for industry collaboration," said Bill Young, vice president, threat management, Optiv. "We look forward to having impactful conversations and continuing to drive innovation in attack and penetration, application security, digital forensics, incident response, and more."

For more about Optiv events, please visit https://www.optiv.com/company/events. Follow Optiv

Twitter (News - Alert) : www.twitter.com/optiv

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/optiv-inc

Facebook (News - Alert) : www.facebook.com/optivinc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OptivInc

Blog: https://www.optiv.com/explore-optiv-insights/blog Optiv Security: Secure your security.

Optiv is a security solutions integrator - "one-stop" trusted partner with a singular focus on cybersecurity. Our end-to-end cybersecurity capabilities span risk management and transformation, cyber digital transformation, threat management, cyber operations, identity and data management, and integration and innovation, helping organizations realize stronger, simpler and more cost-efficient cybersecurity programs that support business requirements and outcomes. At Optiv, we are modernizing cybersecurity to enable clients to innovate their consumption models, integrate infrastructure and technology to maximize value, achieve measurable outcomes, and realize complete solutions and business alignment. For more information about Optiv, please visit us at www.optiv.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005687/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Instacart Releases New "Plant Power" Trends Report Examining The Mainstream Consumer Migration To Plant-Based Products

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart, the leading online grocery platform in North America, today released its "Plant Power" report , a new data-driven examination of the mainstream consumer migration to plant-based alternatives. According to Instacart sales data, one in three Instacart customers has purchased a plant-based meat or milk product. Further, according to a recent Instacart survey conducted by The Harris Poll, when asked about the grocery and food habits adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic that they'll keep for the long term, 30% of survey respondents said they plan to continue eating healthier by preparing lighter, plant-based meals. "Plant-based food has grown from a niche category into a grocery staple over the past two years," cites Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart's Trends Expert and Senior Product Manager. "Searches for terms like 'plant -based,' 'meatless,' vegetarian,' and especially 'vegan' took off on Instacart as consumers looked for healthy at-home meals during 2020 lockdowns. And this trend is turning into a long-term lifestyle  search popularity has been growing even more in 2021." In the report, Instacart analysts looked to search and purchase data to track the growing popularity of meat and milk alternatives, paint a portrait of plant-based customers, highlight trending plant-based brands, map milk alternative preferences across the country, and highlight the next big plant-based product that vegans and meat eaters alike will be barbequing this summer. The report explores five key themes:

1) MEAT & MILK ALTERNATIVES GO MAINSTREAM Over the last three years, two plant-based categories in particular captured the attention of Instacart customers: the grill-friendly "faux meat" category saw major sales growth on Instacart last year, with 42% YOY growth in 2020; and plant-based milk alternatives also experienced a noted jump, with adoption rates increasing by 27% throughout 2020.

The fastest growing plant-based meat brands on the Instacart marketplace in 2021 include: 1) Impossible Foods; 2) Alpha Foods; 3) Franklin Farms; 4) Sweet Earth; and 5) Earth Grown.







and 5) Earth Grown. The fastest growing plant-based milk and creamer alternatives on the Instacart marketplace in 2021 include: 1) Laird Superfood; 2) Simply; 3) Nutpods; 4) Planet Oat; and 5) Mooala Organic. 2) A PORTRAIT OF THE PLANT-BASED CUSTOMER Anonymized purchase data reveals several key characteristics about plant-based customers on the Instacart marketplace:

They tend to be younger, except when it comes to soy milk : Plant-based customers on Instacart tend to skew younger when compared to regular meat and milk buyers, with more than one in three between the ages of 30-39. In the dairy aisle, oat milk buyers tend to be younger than regular milk buyers, with a majority of them younger than 35 years old, while soy milk buyers tend to be older than conventional milk buyers.







: Plant-based customers on Instacart tend to skew younger when compared to regular meat and milk buyers, with more than one in three between the ages of 30-39. In the dairy aisle, oat milk buyers tend to be younger than regular milk buyers, with a majority of them younger than 35 years old, while soy milk buyers tend to be than conventional milk buyers. Many are meat eaters : Nearly half (43%) of Instacart customers who buy plant-based meat also buy conventional meat.







: Nearly half (43%) of Instacart customers who buy plant-based meat also buy conventional meat. Plant-based purchasing is growing fastest in the South and East: Consumers living in western metros like Portland , the San Francisco Bay Area , Los Angeles , and Seattle buy the most plant-based meat and milk products by volume. When we measure by growth of sales, southern metros like Southwestern Florida (+11%); Atlanta, GA (+8%); Orlando, FL (+8%); Tampa, FL (+8%); and Hampton Roads, VA (+7%) dominate 2021 milk alternative growth rankings. In the meat aisle, Pittsburgh, PA (+55%); Orlando, FL (+22%); Hampton Roads, VA (+20%); Jacksonville, FL (+18%); and Atlanta, GA/span> (+18%) are buying plant-based meat at the fastest clip in 2021.



3) WHAT'S IN MY CART: KALE OR COLA? Instacart compared the carts of customers who buy only plant-based ground meat to those who buy only conventional ground meat to reveal what else more likely to be in their carts:



Customers who buy only plant-based ground meat are more likely to buy: tofu (11.8x more likely), kale (3.4x), kombucha (3.2x), sardines (1.6x), avocados (1.5x), hand sanitizer (1.5x), dental floss (1.4x), lip balm (1.2x), bubble bath (1.2x), and wet cat food (1.2x).







Customers who buy only conventional ground meat are more likely to buy: gravy mix (3.9x more likely), canned pasta (2.5x), donuts (2.4x), pastry dough (2.3x), toaster pastries (2.2x), juice boxes (2.2x), cola (2.2x), chocolate milk (2.2x), iceberg lettuce (2.1x), and disposable plates (1.8x). 4) TEAM OAT OR ALMOND? THE PLANT-BASED MILK WAR IS RAGING Almond milk easily dominates plant-based milk sales on the Instacart marketplace and is also the product that first-time plant-based customers reach for the most in the digital aisles:

If 100 Instacart customers add a plant-based item to their cart for the first time: 20 choose Almond milk, 17 choose dairy-free cheese, five choose tofu, five choose veggie burgers, four choose oatmilk, three choose dairy-free yogurt, three choose almond butter, and two choose coconut milk. However, a growing list of other milk alternatives is starting to challenge almond milk's lead in the plant-based milk war, depending on where you live:

In the West and Southeast, consumers buy more pea milk than the national average, whereas coconut milk stands out in the Pacific Northwest, and oat milk trends in the Northeast. In the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and part of the South, consumers are buying more soy milk and almond milk than the national average. 5) JACKFRUIT: THE NEXT BIG CROSSOVER? Instacart data reveals that plant-based customers have also been eyeing another meat alternative  jackfruit. Instacart customers adopted jackfruit at a 50% faster clip in 2020, and the popular meat stand-in's growth continues into 2021. "We expect consumers will diversify their summer grills with more plant proteins this year," says Romaniuk. "If jackfruit adoption rates continue to grow at the rate they did during the pandemic, a lot more consumers will be pairing pulled jackfruit with their vegan sausages and plant-based burgers this barbeque season." Methodology:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Instacart from February 25  March 1, 2021 among 2,038 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact press@instacart.com . Instacart analyzed anonymized, aggregated search and purchase activity across our marketplace to understand what products and categories are trending. For year-over-year measurements, Instacart compared searches and sales from January 1, 2019  December 31, 2019 to activity from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. For 2021 year-to-date measurements, Instacart measured search and sales activity between January 1, 2021 and May 10, 2021. All year-over-year and indexed data is normalized to account for customer growth. About Instacart

Instacart is the leading online grocery platform in North America. Instacart shoppers offer same-day delivery and pickup services to bring fresh groceries and everyday essentials to busy people and families across the U.S. and Canada. Instacart has partnered with more than 600 beloved national, regional and local retailers, including unique brand names, to deliver from more than 55,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Instacart's delivery service is available to over 85% of U.S. households and 70% of Canadian households. The company's cutting-edge enterprise technology also powers the ecommerce platforms of some of the world's biggest retail players, supporting their white-label websites, applications and delivery solutions. Instacart offers an Instacart Express membership that includes reduced service fees and unlimited free delivery on orders over $35. For more information, visit www.instacart.com . For anyone interested in becoming an Instacart shopper, visit https://shoppers.instacart.com/ . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/instacart-releases-new-plant-power-trends-report-examining-the-mainstream-consumer-migration-to-plant-based-products-301298228.html SOURCE Instacart

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[May 25, 2021] ZOLL Accelerates EMS Participation in New York State Data Exchange Incentive Program

ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that its Data Systems division has helped more than 60 emergency medical service (EMS) agencies in New York state improve patient safety by adopting ZOLL Care Exchange. ZOLL Data Systems' technology enables EMS agencies to exchange information in real time with partner hospitals to enhance continuity of care in emergent situations when every second counts. The push toward greater interoperability between EMS and the hospitals to which they transport patients has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states are even incentivizing EMS agencies to obtain technology to facilitate electronic data exchange. The Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) Data Exchange Incentive program (DEIP) launched in 2018 is one such example. The New York State Department of Health (DOH), with support from Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS), established the DEIP to help reduce healthcare costs, improve healthcare coordination, and increase the quality of care for patients by increasing health information exchange (HIE) for Medicaid. To date, ZOLL Data Systems has supported more than 60 EMS agencies statewide by implementing ZOLL Care Exchange, which enables connection to regional HIEs and provides both paramedics and hospital-based providers with access to patient information. The shared information supports medical decisions and ensures that the most appropriate treatment is delivered as quickly as possible to ultimately save more lives. ZOLL Care Exchange facilitates interoperability between emergency medical services, hospitals, and vendors. Onset (News - Alert) times, procedures, medications, outcomes, and insurance coverage originating from any EMS electronic patient care record, hospital electronic medical record, and other healthcare providers are shared seamlessly, in near real time. Provider access to this data at any point throughout the patient's care journey results in closer coordination and improved quality of care. Patients are able to decide which providers are grated access to their records.



"Despite its incredible value, EMS data has historically been invisible to clinical providers and care management organizations for use in better understanding patterns of patient care and EMS services provided without transport. ZOLL Data Systems' collaboration with innovative HIEs like Rochester RHIO enables frontline emergency crews to access critical patient data and to contribute information about emergency services provided to the patient record. That makes a significant difference in people's lives, including the more than 1.5 million residents we serve across the Greater Finger Lakes Region in Upstate New York," said Jill Eisenstein, president and CEO of the Rochester RHIO (Regional Health Information Organization). "ZOLL Data Systems' goal is to utilize data to help our customers save more lives. For many years, EMS has existed as a satellite operating outside the broader healthcare system that includes hospitals, outpatient clinics, and skilled care facilities. From the patient care perspective, we believe there's a better way," said Alex Moghadam, President of ZOLL Data Systems. "We are committed to delivering interoperability solutions that enable seamless collaboration between EMS, hospital, and community healthcare providers because patients benefit when everyone works together as a team."

ZOLL Data Systems is a healthcare software solutions provider that empowers hospital, EMS and Fire, and billing/accounts receivable teams to deliver more - from better patient outcomes to operational efficiencies and greater revenue capture. ZOLL Data Systems leverages decades of clinical expertise, relentless customer focus, and a powerful cloud-based platform to help tackle the unique challenges of healthcare from EMS dispatch to facility discharge and AR optimization. ZOLL Data Systems exists to help save more lives through data-driven innovation and interoperability, opening new pathways for its customers to achieve the highest levels of care, collaboration, and reimbursement. About ZOLL Medical Corporation ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and cardiac monitoring, circulation enhancement and CPR feedback, supersaturated oxygen therapy, data management, ventilation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, as well as lay rescuers, improve patient outcomes in critical cardiopulmonary conditions. For more information, visit www.zoll.com. About Asahi Kasei The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber business, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 40,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com. Copyright  2021 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. ZOLL is a registered trademark of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005213/en/

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Red Hat Brings JBoss Enterprise Application Platform to Microsoft Azure, Easing Shift to the Cloud for Traditional Java Applications

Red Hat (News - Alert) , Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (JBoss EAP) on Microsoft Azure, enabling organizations to tap into the benefits of a cloud-based architecture for modernizing their existing Jakarta EE (previously Java EE) applications and building new ones on Azure. Today, JBoss EAP is available as a native offering in Azure that comes fully configured and ready to run, and will also be available soon as a fully supported runtime in Azure App Service that is managed by Microsoft (News - Alert) .

Java continues to be an immensely popular programming language, with an estimated 8 million developers worldwide and steady growth in the use of Jakarta EE to accelerate application development for the cloud. As a leading open source Jakarta EE-compliant application server, JBoss EAP offers Java developers powerful management and automation capabilities designed to improve productivity, and a lightweight architecture for building and deploying modern cloud-native applications.

By bringing JBoss EAP to Azure, Red Hat is easing the shift to the cloud and giving organizations greater choice and flexibility in how they plan for the future. Customers can bring existing applications to Azure-including JBoss EAP applications running on-premises or other Jakarta EE applications running on different application servers-choosing how they want to manage business critical, Java-based applications in the cloud.

With JBoss EAP on Microsoft Azure, customers can:

Develop modern Jakarta EE apps. Using JBoss EAP with Azure's broad and complementary services, customers are able to create cloud-native applications that are flexible, scalable and more secure. They can build these on JBoss EAP and take advantage of support through Red Hat Runtimes.

Using JBoss EAP with Azure's broad and complementary services, customers are able to create cloud-native applications that are flexible, scalable and more secure. They can build these on JBoss EAP and take advantage of support through Red Hat Runtimes. Run JBoss EAP in the environment that best meets their needs. Available as both a hosted and customer-managed offering, customers can run applications with JBoss EAP on Azure virtual machines (VMs) through the Azure Marketplace, or adopt a hosted JBoss EAP offering through Azure App Service (public preview), with flexible, on-demand pricing. For customers looking for container-based solutions, JBoss EAP is also supported on Azure Red Hat OpenShift.

Available as both a hosted and customer-managed offering, customers can run applications with JBoss EAP on Azure virtual machines (VMs) through the Azure Marketplace, or adopt a hosted JBoss EAP offering through Azure App Service (public preview), with flexible, on-demand pricing. For customers looking for container-based solutions, JBoss EAP is also supported on Azure Red Hat OpenShift. Cost savings opportunity. Shifting Java applications to the cloud can help reduce costs associated with managing on-premise data centers, including IT infrastructure, operating systems and storage. In doing so, it can help shift large, upfront capital expenses to more predictable operational expenses.

Shifting Java applications to the cloud can help reduce costs associated with managing on-premise data centers, including IT infrastructure, operating systems and storage. In doing so, it can help shift large, upfront capital expenses to more predictable operational expenses. Have greater confidence. JBoss EAP on Azure combines the open source expertise of Red Hat and the public cloud strength of Microsoft, and is jointly supported by both companies.

Supporting Quotes

Rich Sharples, senior director, Product Management, Red Hat

"Red Hat and Microsoft have long been strategic partners. Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Applcation Platform continues to be the cornerstone of Red Hat's commitment to enterprise Java, and Red Hat is the trusted leader in both open source and Java. By offering JBoss EAP on Azure, we are combining the best of our areas of expertise and enabling customers to successfully choose how they want to manage applications on the cloud."







Martijn Verburg, principal group manager, Microsoft

"As two of the biggest names in enterprise software, it just makes sense that we have such a strong relationship with Red Hat. Bringing JBoss EAP to Azure customers means not only faster time to market and remaining competitive, but also yields more options for building, deploying, and managing a security-focused cloud environment that meets business needs today while adapting for future change."

Additional Resources

Connect with Red Hat

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat is the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company or its parent International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM (News - Alert) ) may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Red Hat, the Red Hat logo, and JBoss are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005305/en/
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 23:47:59|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Major ports on India's east coast are on guard against incoming cyclone Yaas, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon bringing heavy rainfall.

India's minister of state for ministry of ports, shipping and waterways Mansukh Mandaviya Tuesday was briefed by chairpersons of the major ports about the measures they have taken to deal with the situations that may arise due to cyclone Yaas, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry has set up a control room that will work in coordination with the control rooms of the navy, coastguard and ministry of petroleum and natural gas.

An advisory has been issued to shipping companies and operators so that they can take necessary protective measures for the vessels in the area.

"Entire port operational area has been cleared of port users and workers," the ministry said. "Arrangements made for securing all shore cranes, various equipment/machineries, items at project sites, locomotives and rakes, lowering of high mast lights etc."

The ministry said it has also initiated an action plan to suspend railway, road movements in the port area.

Meanwhile, the Inland Waterways Authority of India has issued directions to all inland water transport barge, cruise operators, shipping agents, exporters to stop the movement of all kinds of vessels in India-Bangladesh protocol routes and national waterways until further orders.

India Meteorological Department said the cyclonic storm Yaas is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, storm surges from 3 to 4 metres and wind speed gusting up to 185 km/ph.

Authorities in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha have evacuated people from low-lying areas to safer locations and shelters.

Last week cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc, killing many people in rain-related incidents in Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and Maharashtra. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] The Legendary Keyboard Evolves with the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers (Hong Kong Stock Code: 1337), today announced the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed keyboard, delivering the perfect mix of wireless freedom and functionality in a compact form factor. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005276/en/ BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed - it's compact and wireless, while still retaining the essential keys for both gaming and everyday use. (Photo: Business Wire) Designed for gamers wanting a sleek, minimalist look or those needing to save desktop space, the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed is a feature-rich, 65% gaming keyboard with full-height keys, arrow and navigation keysets for maximum usability, and Razer HyperSpeed Wireless. By retaining functionality and adding fast HyperSpeed Wireless for seamless, low-latency wireless connectivity in a compact form factor, the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed is the ideal gaming and all-round use keyboard for both clutter-free, and limited space set-ups. "Since its launch in 2010, the BlackWidow range has set the benchmark for gaming keyboards and has been continuously evolving with community feedback," says Alvin Cheung, Senior Vice President of Razer's Peripherals Business Unit. "Since the launch of the Razer Huntsman Mini, we've been getting requests for a compact wireless keyboard, which resulted in the Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed - it's compact and wireless, while still retaining the essential keys for both gaming and everyday use." Freedom Through Form With its space-saving compact form-factor, the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed retains the most frequently used keys outside of the standard alphanumeric layout, with a cleverly designed, compact key layout, minimizing space. By keeping a dedicated arrows key set and moving the navigation group to the side of the keyboard, users easily access the most frequently used functions of a full-sized keyboard, with all other full-sized function available through secondary keys.



To meet the demands of minimalistic, wire-free set-ups the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed uses Razer's new HyperSpeed Multi-Device Dongle, allowing a compatible Razer HyperSpeed keyboard/mouse combination to be connected to the PC, all via a single dongle. With support for the HyperSpeed Multi-Device Dongle already built into a wide range of existing HyperSpeed Wireless enabled products, the new dongle further helps to reduce desktop clutter and frees up an all-important USB port. The BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed is also Bluetooth enabled, allowing seamless switching between up to 3 paired devices. A USB-C cable completes the connectivity options, allowing for use and charging at the same time, with each full charge lasting up to 200 hours of use.

Packed with Gaming Tech Designed as a compact keyboard, the BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed still packs in Razer's renowned industry-leading switch technologies. Available with either silent, linear Yellow Switches with newly improved sound dampeners, or clicky, tactile Green Switches for that satisfying sound. The keyboard also features individually Razer Chroma RGB lighting per key, sturdier Doubleshot ABS (News - Alert) keycaps with legends that will never fade, and extra-thick side walls, giving maximum durability and longevity with a premium typing experience. With lag-free HyperSpeed Wireless gaming in a sleek, 65% form-factor, the Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed is the perfect wireless gaming keyboard for any space, and versatile enough for all setups and daily use. ABOUT THE RAZER BLACKWIDOW V3 MINI HYPERSPEED Razer HyperSpeed Wireless Technology

Razer HyperSpeed Multi-device Support

Connect via Razer HyperSpeed Wireless (2.4 Ghz), Bluetooth, or USB-C

Razer Mechanical Switches designed for gaming

Doubleshot ABS Keycaps

80 million keystroke lifespan

Razer Chroma RGB customizable backlighting with 16.8 million color options

Hybrid On-Board Memory and Cloud Storage - up to 5 profiles

Razer Synapse 3 enabled

N-key roll-over

Fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording

Gaming mode option

1000 Hz Ultrapolling

Aluminum construction For more information, please see here. PRICE & AVAILABILITY $179.99 USD / 189,99 MSRP Razer.com: May 25, 2021 Authorized resellers: May 25, 2021 PRODUCT ASSETS Please find the Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed press kit here. ABOUT RAZER Razer is the world's leading lifestyle brand for gamers. The triple-headed snake trademark of Razer is one of the most recognized logos in the global gaming and esports communities. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardware, software, and services. Razer's award-winning hardware includes high-performance gaming peripherals and Blade gaming laptops. Razer's software platform, with over 125 million users, includes Razer Synapse (an Internet of Things platform), Razer Chroma RGB (a proprietary RGB lighting technology system supporting thousands of devices and hundreds of games/apps), and Razer Cortex (a game optimizer and launcher). Razer also offers payment services for gamers, youth, millennials, and Gen Z. Razer Gold is one of the world's largest game payment services, and Razer Fintech provides fintech services in emerging markets. Founded in 2005 and dual-headquartered in Irvine (California) and Singapore, Razer has 17 offices worldwide and is recognized as the leading brand for gamers in the USA, Europe, and China. Razer is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 1337). Razer - For Gamers. By Gamers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005276/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Keysight Technologies Acquires Quantum Benchmark

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced today it has acquired Quantum Benchmark, a leader in error diagnostics, error suppression and performance validation software for quantum computing. Based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Quantum (News - Alert) Benchmark was a privately held company backed by venture funds VanEdge Capital and Quantonation. Quantum Benchmark provides software solutions for improving and validating quantum computing hardware capabilities by identifying and overcoming the unique error challenges required for high-impact quantum computing. "Joining forces with Keysight is a strategic and timely opportunity to accelerate the development and delivery of our industry-leading solutions," said Joseph Emerson (News - Alert) , Ph.D., Quantum Benchmark CEO, Founder and Chief Scientist. "Together, we bring the world closer to achieving the break-through applications of quantum computing including the design of energy-efficient materials, the acceleration of drug discovery, the promise of quantum machine learning, and so much more." Quantum computing is an emerging technology that is expected to simulate real-world systems and tackle problems that are otherwise intractable with conventional computing. Quantum systems use qubits (quantum bits) to process data. As quantum computing technology evolves, the ability of quantum computers to perform meaningful computations is determined by the number of qubits, as well as by the quality of those qubits. Performance-limiting errors invariably arise in qubit hardware and present the key challenge to large-scale quantum computing. Quantum Benchmark's technology improves the quality of the qubits across all quantum hardware platforms and delivers solutions at both ends of the quantum market. It helps quantum hardware makers design better qubits and helps quantum end-users stabilize the performance of those qubits or their specific use-cases.



Quantum Benchmark's technology is based on years of research by several of the world's leading experts in quantum computing at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing. The acquisition of Quantum Benchmark supports Keysight's goal to deliver a comprehensive quantum portfolio addressing customer needs across the physical, protocol, and application layers. Quantum Benchmark represents Keysight's third acquisition in the quantum space after Signadyne in 2016 and Labber Quantum in 2019. "As the quantum ecosystem continues to form, Keysight is committed to providing customers with a full suite of solutions for the overall quantum stack. We are pleased to announce the addition of Quantum Benchmark to our portfolio, providing unique capabilities for solving complex qubit error and validation challenges," said Kailash Narayanan, president of Commercial Communications at Keysight. "The talented Quantum Benchmark team will be a valuable addition to Keysight and will further our mission to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world."

About Quantum Benchmark Quantum Benchmark is a leading software solution provider that enables error characterization, error suppression, error correction, and performance validation for quantum computing hardware. Quantum Benchmark is led by a team of the world's top research scientists and engineers in quantum computing with the mission of enabling quantum computers to solve real-world problems. More information is available at www.quantumbenchmark.com. About Keysight Technologies Keysight delivers advanced design and validation solutions that help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's dedication to speed and precision extends to software-driven insights and analytics that bring tomorrow's technology products to market faster across the development lifecycle, in design simulation, prototype validation, automated software testing, manufacturing analysis, and network performance optimization and visibility in enterprise, service provider and cloud environments. Our customers span the worldwide communications and industrial ecosystems, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor, and general electronics markets. Keysight generated revenues of $4.2B in fiscal year 2020. For more information about Keysight Technologies (NYSE: KEYS), visit us at www.keysight.com. Additional information about Keysight Technologies is available in the newsroom at https://www.keysight.com/go/news and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Source (News - Alert) : IR-KEYS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005748/en/

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[May 25, 2021]

OFC 2021 to Showcase Industry-Leading Products and Innovations in Telecom and Data Center Optics in Enhanced Exhibition

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2021 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC), being held 06  11 June 2021, will feature pioneering companies in the industry showcasing the optical and data networking innovations, technology and research powering communications networks worldwide.

OFC exhibiting companies draw executives, technical experts, academia, media and analysts in search of groundbreaking solutions to global challenges. This year's all-virtual exhibition, held 07  11, June 2021, will enable participants to reconnect with colleagues, interact with exhibitors, make new connections and discover the latest technological developments.

OFC is the only global conference and exhibition representing the entire ecosystem, from research to the marketplace.

EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS

Prominent industry corporations will use OFC to unveil their latest new products and research in areas such as 400ZR/400G, 800G, AI architecture, cloud edge solutions, co-packaged optics, diode lasers, disaggregation, embedded optics, networking automation, open optical networking, photonic integrated circuits, pluggable coherent optics and passive optical networks. OFC 2021 exhibitors include II-VI, ADVA, Broadcom Inc., Ciena, Cisco Systems, Corning, EXFO, Go!Foton, Infinera, Intel, InnoLight, Juniper Networks, Lumentum, MACOM, NeoPhotonics, OFS, OptoTest Corporation, Samtec, Source Photonics, Synopsys, Inc., Viavi Solutions, VPI Photonics and Xilinx, Inc.

Select exhibitors join industry analysts Alan Weckel, 650 Group and Tim Munks, OMDIA to share their insights into this year's event and why it is more critical than ever. OFC 2021 exhibitor news announcements are posted to the OFC Newsroom .







"OFC 2021 is once again shaping up to be an important show for the industry," said Weckel. "There will be significant product announcements and innovation as the market moves to higher-speeds and supports AI/ML, edge computing and 5G networks around the world. We are looking forward to visiting this year's exhibitors and attending sessions in a virtual environment."

PLENARY SESSION

On Tuesday 07 June 2021, from 08:00  10:00 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC-07:00), visionaries Nancy Shemwell, COO, Trilogy Networks, USA; Young-Kai Chen, program manager, Microsystems Technology Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), USA; and Yiqun Cai, vice president, Alibaba Group, China will present compelling technical content on edge cloud support and applications in rural territories, advances in photonics and artificial intelligence and the evolution of networking driven by cloud computing.

BUSINESS PROGRAMS

More than 25 presentations by experts from major global brands and key industry organizations will provide high-level takes on hot topics and market trends, including the state of the industry, emerging technologies and recommended courses of action to tackle today's most demanding business challenges. Sessions will be presented virtually and recorded for on-demand viewing.

EXHIBITS PASS PLUS REGISTRATION: There is no charge to visit the exhibits and participate in show floor programs, special events and workshops. Register for the free Exhibits Pass Plus here.

MEDIA REGISTRATION: Media/analyst registration for OFC can be accessed online.

View the OFC website for upcoming announcements on schedule updates and more.

About OFC

The 2021 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) is the premier conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. For more than 40 years, OFC has drawn attendees from all corners of the globe to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and move business forward. OFC includes dynamic business programming, an exhibition of global companies and high impact peer-reviewed research that, combined, showcase the trends and pulse of the entire optical networking and communications industry. OFC is co-sponsored by IEEE Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc), IEEE Photonics Society, The Optical Society (OSA) and managed by OSA. OFC 2021, an all-virtual event, will take place 06  11 June 2021. Follow @OFCConference, learn more at OFC Community LinkedIn, and watch highlights on OFC YouTube.

Media Contact:

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for OFC

703-907-0010

leah@wilkinson.associates

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SOURCE The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC)
Jobvite Announces Return of The Summer to Evolve

Jobvite (www.jobvite.com), the industry-leading talent acquisition suite, announced today its second annual The Summer to Evolve program, this year entitled "The Summer to Evolve: Road Trip." The series delivers a summer full of educational programming designed to help recruiters and talent acquisition professionals improve their skills, tactics, and strategies.

Launching June 8, 2021, and running for eight weeks, The Summer to Evolve: Road Trip will feature three free sessions per week full of educational content and thought leadership designed specifically for talent acquisition (TA) and recruiting professionals. Adapting recruiting strategies to meet increased hiring needs, establishing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) goals, automating recruiting processes for efficiency, and positive candidate communications are just some of the topics aimed at helping attendees improve existing processes, and inspire new ideas from some of the greatest minds in talent acquisition.

"Rethinking recruiting strategies is especially crucial during this time of massive job market change, when many recruiters are struggling to fill open roles," said Pete Lamson, CEO of Jobvite. "That is why we are so excited for the opportunity to gather the talent acquisition and HR community together again to provide free education surrounding relevant topics that will improve hiring success in 2021. With multiple sessions each week, topics such as building talent pools to support rapid hiring post-pandemic, identifying key TA metrics to drive business outcomes, and leveraging recruitment technology will provide attendees with clear and actionable ways to find and hire top talent faster."

The Summer to Evolve offers a variety of programming throughout the summer. Sessions include:

Two Talented Tuesdays: Moderated insightful discussions between TA influencers and TA practitioners.

Moderated insightful discussions between TA influencers and TA practitioners. Working Session Wednesdays: Fast-paced training sessions taught by Jobvite instructors. These sessions are designed to jump right into the latest in TA, leaving attendees with actionable takeaways and best practices to share with their teams.

Fast-paced training sessions taught by Jobvite instructors. These sessions are designed to jump right into the latest in TA, leaving attendees with actionable takeaways and best practices to share with their teams. Walk-Thru Thursdays: Feature weekly product knowledge takeaways for talent teams. Jobvite Solutions Engineers will provide deep dives into aspects of the Jobvite TA Suite that will help improve candidate quality, employer brand, and TA success.

The sessions will allow attendees to hear from notable analysts and influencers from the TA space, including:







"I'm excited to be a part of this roster of talent - there is truly a session for everyone," said Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. "Our research shows that talent acquisition teams are, and have been, operating in unforeseen recruiting territory, and there is so much for us to learn and discuss with our peers right now. I'm looking forward to hearing the discussion along with studying and growing together."

Registration is now open at www.jobvite.com/summer. To learn more about Jobvite and its solutions, please visit www.jobvite.com or find Jobvite on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Jobvite

Jobvite is leading the next wave of talent acquisition innovation with a candidate-centric recruiting model that helps companies engage candidates with meaningful experiences at the right time, in the right way, from first look to first day. The Jobvite Talent Acquisition Suite weaves together automation and intelligence in order to increase recruiting speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Jobvite is proud to serve thousands of customers across a wide range of industries including Ingram Micro (News - Alert) , Exelon, and Premise Health.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005865/en/
[May 25, 2021] Malaysia Data Center Market Size to Reach Revenues of USD 1.4 Billion by 2026 - Arizton

CHICAGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Malaysia data center market report. Malaysia data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% during the period 2020-2026. Malaysia data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 23 existing data center and 5 upcoming facilities spread across 5 locations. Key Highlights Offered in the Report: Within Malaysia , Cyberjaya is the most developed data center market with around 14 unique third-party data center facilities accounting for over 70% of the existing power capacity. Other locations such as Kuala Lumpur , Johor , Shah Alam , and Penang will witness increased investment in 2021-2026. The wholesale colocation market in Malaysia will grow with existing providers and new entrants targeting hyperscale data center development catering to cloud service providers entering the market i.e., Microsoft, AWS, and Google. Owing to land constraints in Singapore for data center development, investments have started spilling over to Malaysia , which will be another reason for increase in investments during the forecast period. The Kulai Iskandar Data Exchange (KIDEX) has over 700 acres of industrial land allocated for data center development, and access to around 600 MW of power. In 2020, the major colocation providers in Malaysia were AIMS Data Centre, Keppel Data Centres + Alpha Data Centre Fund, NTT Global Data Centers, Regal Orion, and VADS. The Malaysian government plans to add 20% renewable energy to its power generation mix by 2025, from the current level of 2%. To achieve this, around USD 8 billion is being invested in the renewable energy sector through public-private partnerships and private financing. Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Malaysia

Facilities Covered (Existing): 23



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 5



Coverage: Cyberjaya & Other locations ( Kuala Lumpur , Johor , Shah Alam, & Penang)

, , Shah Alam, & Penang)

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Malaysia by revenue and forecast (2020-2026)

by revenue and forecast (2020-2026) Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics  Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants  List of 10 IT infrastructure providers, 10 construction service providers, 12 support infrastructure providers, and 6 data center investors Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.om/market-reports/malaysia-data-center-market-size-analysis



Malaysia Data Center Market  Segmentation Cloud-service providers, BFSI sectors, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, and professional services are the top demand generators in the Malaysian data center market, increasing the demand for servers and promoting procurement of high-performance infrastructure solutions. With the increase in deployment of big data, artificial intelligence, and IoT technology, the demand for mission critical and high-performance server systems are likely to increase in the market.

Most large data centers operated by VADS, and NTT Global Data Centers are using 2N/N+1 redundant power infrastructure solutions for UPS systems, especially owing to grid instability. Keppel Data Centres' Johor data center is installed with UPS systems with a redundancy of N+1.

data center is installed with UPS systems with a redundancy of N+1. Keppel Data Centres + Alpha Data Centre Fund facility in Johor, Malaysia have installed N+1 redundant cooling system to support CRAC units, hot and cold aisle designs, and cold aisle containment for high-density cooling requirements and directional perforated floor tiles to direct cool air into the racks. Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer, Switches & Switchgears

Rack PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure Market Segmentation by General Construction Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Market Segmentation by Tier Standard Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV Malaysia Data Center Market  Dynamics The Malaysian government aims to achieve 50% cloud adoption by 2024, wherein the focus in 2021 will be the implementation of cloud-first strategy in the public sector. Hybrid cloud dominates the cloud market in Malaysia and is the preferred form of deployment by enterprises and will continue to be a major revenue generator during the forecast period. Alibaba is one major cloud providers that currently has a physical presence in Malaysia. In addition, in 2021, Microsoft plans to launch its first data center region in Malaysia. In February 2021, the Malaysian government gave conditional approval to Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Telekom Malaysia to build hyperscale data centers and cloud services in the country. In 2013, Intel and the YTL Communications partnered to create a national learning cloud as a new model for the world and signed MoU to provide Intel-based integrated 4G devices for the education sector in Malaysia. Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth: Growing Demand for Big Data Rises Data Center Investments

IoT Adoption Increases Data Center Investments

Increased 5G Deployment in the Country

Smart Cities Enhances Edge Data Center Deployments Malaysia Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers Existing Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity)

in the country (Area and Power Capacity) Cyberjaya & Other locations ( Kuala Lumpur , Johor , Shah Alam, & Penang) List of Upcoming Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity) Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/malaysia-data-center-market-size-analysis Key Market Participants IT Infrastructure Providers Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Fujitsu

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Inspur

Lenovo

NetApp

NEC Corporation Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors Asima Architects

AVO Technology

B-Barcelona Consulting

DSCO Group

ISG

NTT Facilities

Nakano Corporation

Powerware Systems

S5 Engineering

Shaw Architect Support Infrastructure Providers ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Fuji Electric

HITEC Power Protection

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

Vertiv Group Data Center Investors AIMS Data Centre

Bridge Data Centres

Keppel Data Centres

NTT Global Data Centers

Regal Orion

VADS Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry. Read some of the top-selling reports: Indonesia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

India Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Australia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Netherlands Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026 About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Mail: enquiry@arizton.com Call: +1-312-235-2040

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[May 25, 2021] Government of Canada awards facility management services contract for Canadian High Arctic Research Station, providing opportunities for Inuit businesses

CAMBRIDGE BAY, NU, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, where research and science programs will be conducted for decades to come, and to ensuring economic development of Inuit in Nunavut through procurement opportunities. Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced a $33.4-million contract for facility management services that was awarded on April 30, 2021, to Nunavut Arctic Services, in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, operating as a joint venture. Under the contract, the firm will take on the role of facility management service provider, delivering an extensive suite of services to support the wide range of unique and specialized operational needs of the CHARS campus. The competitive process was limited to Registered Inuit Firms, as required under the Agreement Between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (the Nunavut Agreement). As part of their proposal, Nunavut Arctic Services provided an Inuit Benefits Plan committing to employ Inuit labour, engage Inuit professional services, use Inuit suppliers, and provide on-the-job training or skills development to Inuit staff. The firm will also meet the Nunavut Benefits Criteria, including the presence of their head offices, staffed administrative offices or other facilities, as well as any offices or subcontractors, within the Nunavut Settlement Area. Work to transition facility management services to the new service provider will take place through the spring and summer of 2021 and will be complete by September 30, 2021. Quotes "This contract was designed to ensure full participation of Registered Inuit Firms, in line with the Nunavut Agreement and the government's directive for procurements conducted in the territory. The services provided under this new contract further contribute to economic development and capacity building of Inuit firms and individuals." The Honourable Anita Anand

Minister of Public Services and Procurement "The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of supporting Inuit firms and employees in awarding contracts that will generate regional economic development as well as training and employment opportunities for Nunavummiut. This facility maintenance contract will ensure that the local economy benefits from the investment and that the CHARS campus continuesto provide state-of-the-art facilities and services in the years ahead."



The Honourable Dan Vandal

Minister of Northern Affairs "This contract provides the Canadian High Arctic Research Station campus with the stable, high-quality facilities management needed for cutting-edge Arctic research year-round. At POLAR, we're looking forward to more research collaborations with Indigenous knowledge holders and researchers across Canada and abroad."

Jennifer C. Hubbard

President and Chief Executive Officer, Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) Quick facts This new contract was the result of a competitive procurement process that was conducted according to the Nunavut Agreement and the Government of Canada's directive for procurements conducted in the territory. The contract was limited to Registered Inuit Firms to ensure their full participation in the process. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is committed to ensuring that the services provided under this contract by the new provider and their subcontractors will contribute to economic development and capacity building of Inuit firms and individuals.

directive for procurements conducted in the territory. The contract was limited to Registered Inuit Firms to ensure their full participation in the process. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is committed to ensuring that the services provided under this contract by the new provider and their subcontractors will contribute to economic development and capacity building of Inuit firms and individuals. PSPC is working with Indigenous Services Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to increase opportunities for Indigenous businesses to bid on and win government contracts. Our objective is to award at least 5% of federal contracts to businesses that are owned or led by Indigenous Peoples. The federal government spends about $22 billion per year; therefore, achieving this target will provide significant economic benefits to Indigenous businesses.

per year; therefore, achieving this target will provide significant economic benefits to Indigenous businesses. The CHARS campus serves as the headquarters for Polar Knowledge Canada. It includes offices, research labs, spaces for knowledge sharing and community engagement, a maintenance garage, equipment storage space, as well as accommodations for visiting scientists and researchers.

The campus was designed for gold-level certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Work is proceeding to achieve certification in spring 2022.

Inuit culture and traditions played a central role in the design of the campus.

A fairness monitor was engaged to provide objective, third-party and expert oversight to all stages of the procurement process. Related products Link to Backgrounder

Link to News Release in Inuktitut

Link to News Release in Inuinnaqtun

Link to Backgrounder in Inuktitut

Link to Backgrounder in Inuinnaqtun Associated links Canadian High Arctic Research Station (Polar Knowledge Canada) Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Facebook SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

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[May 25, 2021] Alertus Technologies to Bring IoT Technology Hub for Safety and Security Industry to Downtown Baltimore

Alertus Technologies, a leader in emergency mass notification solutions, today announced plans to bring its Beltsville, Maryland corporate headquarters to 10 N. Charles Street in Downtown Baltimore. Alertus acquired the approximately 40,000 square-foot building, former home to the Johns Hopkins University Business School and widely recognized for its ticker facade, to develop its state-of-the-art Alertus Center for Intelligent Buildings. Alertus' Center for Intelligent Buildings will feature the industry's leading systems for security and life-safety, building technologies, and enterprise IT and network communications, all unified by the Alertus Mass Notification and Internet of Things (IoT) platform in a real-life showcase setting. The building will be designed as an immersive destination for safety and business continuity professionals to experience the convergence of smart building technologies, which include mass notification, surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, gunshot detection, fire systems, building controls and sensors, AV, and digital signage - all interconnected for critical incident automation. "We are proud to continue Alertus' growth in Maryland and invest in transforming this landmarkbuilding into a concept building of the future," said Jason Volk, CEO of Alertus Technologies. "The new Center for Intelligent Buildings will demonstrate the possibilities for integrating historically disparate systems into a critical incident ecosystem to protect people and assets during an active shooter incident, tornado, and other threats. The innovative facility will serve as both a proving ground and model for professionals seeking to enhance security and IoT applications for campuses, corporate, and industrial spaces by creating the next generation of smart and intelligent buildings. We look forward to sharing the future Center for Intelligent Buildings with the safety and security industry for years to come." Alertus' new building, planned to open Winter 2022, will also house technology labs, corporate executive and employee offices, as well as extensive meeting and auditorium space, which will be available for regional and national industry training programs as well as community usage.



Positioned near the inner harbor at the intersection of Charles Street and Fayette Street, the AIA Award-winning 10 N. Charles Street was designed by Ziger/Snead, prominent Baltimore-based architects. Johns Hopkins University constructed the facility in 2001 as a high-tech educational facility, and the Alertus Center for Intelligent Buildings will deliver its next chapter as a technology-driven hub for educating global safety and emergency management professionals. Founded in 2002 out of the University of Maryland, Alertus engineers innovative emergency communications systems for colleges and universities, K-12 schools, corporations, medical centers, military bases, and government organizations. The Alertus System is trusted worldwide by thousands of organizations to keep their people safe during emergencies, including armed shooter incidents, severe weather-related events, terrorist threats, chemical spills, health outbreaks, and many more.

Alertus is a deeply rooted Maryland-based organization committed to supporting commercial development in the city of Baltimore. "We are excited about the future of Downtown Baltimore, which will offer our regional and national visitors easy accessibility by all modes of transportation and provide our employees with proximity to excellent amenities," added Volk. About Alertus Technologies Alertus Technologies is a pioneer and market leader of emergency mass notification systems for large-area, high occupancy facilities. Since 2002, Alertus has engineered groundbreaking solutions for unified mass notification, in-building notification, outdoor notification, and personal notification. Alertus solutions have been implemented worldwide by thousands of organizations in multiple industries for any number of emergency situations. For more information about Alertus Technologies and additional educational resources, visit www.alertus.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005891/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Addressing California's Digital Divide: PG&E Supports Oakland and Statewide Initiatives to Boost Technology Access for Young Students

At a time when access to technology and tech support has never been more critical, Pacific Gas and Electric Company ( PG&E (News - Alert) ) is continuing its ongoing commitment to digital access in education. Today, PG&E announced two charitable contributions totaling $1 million: funding for #OaklandUndivided to purchase computers and internet hot spots and provide tech support for students; and funding for Closing the Digital Divide, a California Department of Education initiative including an innovation challenge and technology literacy programs. "PG&E is committed to empowering underserved communities and advancing social justice," said Patti Poppe, PG&E Corporation Chief Executive Officer. "These contributions are helping to ensure that students and families in diverse communities, including in our new headquarters hometown of Oakland, have the necessary technology and the literacy to use it. Our goal is to help them succeed in a world where computers and connectivity are as essential as the gas and electric service that we work so hard to safely and reliably provide every day." "PG&E recognizes that it is critical to seize this moment to address an inequity that has always existed but has been exacerbated by the pandemic. #OaklandUndivided has increased access to technology for low-income students from 12% pre-pandemic to 98% today. We have proven that when the community comes together we can overcome any obstacles. But we are not done yet-we are grateful for PG&E being one of the first to commit to investing in phase 2 of #OaklandUndivided to keep our students connected into the next school year. We hope that more will follow their lead and join our movement to close the digital divide for good," said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. "There is no question the investments we choose in this moment must help our schools urgently and immediately to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The conditions of this past year have exacerbated long-standing inequities that existed in public education. It is critical that we provide the resources and opportunities to accelerate learning and address the learning gaps that have disproportionately impacted our students of color and low-income students, and that means continuing to address the digital divide by connecting students to devices and broadband so they can equitably access 21st century learning. I commend PG&E for their continued partnership in this area and thank them for the commitments made to providing a brighter future for all students," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Ongoing Investment in #OaklandUndivided This year, PG&E will build upon The PG&E Corporation Foundation's past investment in #OaklandUndivided, an effort to ensure every student in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) who needs technology at home has a computer, internet connection and technology support across multiple languages. In 2021, PG&E will contribute $500,000 to phase 2 of #OaklandUndivided to buy computers for students and families to use at home along with internet hot spots and technical support. This investment will not only directly serve students and families across Oakland, but lso encourage other partners to join PG&E in investing in phase 2 of #OaklandUndivided to meet a $6 million gap to keep all students in need connected in 2021-2022 before the next phase is officially launched on July 1. For more information on #OaklandUndivided or how to get involved, visit oaklandundivided.org.



In 2020, The PG&E Corporation Foundation made an initial investment in #OaklandUndivided, in partnership with the Oakland A's Foundation, to support Parker Elementary School. #OaklandUndivided has provided more than 28,000 computers, 10,000 hot spots, and responded to more than 10,000 requests for tech support in a year that has increased access to computers, internet and tech support from 12% pre-pandemic to 98% today for African American, Latinx and students from low-income backgrounds across Oakland public schools. #OaklandUndivided is a collaboration among OUSD, the City of Oakland and Mayor Libby Schaaf, Tech Exchange, the Oakland Public Education Fund, and Oakland Promise. Continued Funding for California Closing the Digital Divide

PG&E also is contributing $500,000 to the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation (CDEF) to support the new California Department of Education (CDE) Digital Divide Innovation Challenge and various technology literacy programs. Launched earlier this year by CDE, the challenge is a competition that will award $1 million to the best proposals to expand high-speed internet access to all Californians. Interested applicants can email innovationchallenge@cde.ca.gov. CDE's Digital Literacy Family Engagement program and Digital Literacy Professional Development program will serve vulnerable communities, delivering to educators, students, and families critical digital literacy skills. This contribution builds on PG&E's $500,000 contribution to the CDE Foundation in September 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many students started school last fall in distance learning, but did not have computers or internet connections needed to succeed. At the recommendation of the CDE Foundation, PG&E's 2020 grant to Humboldt County served low-income students in some of the most remote portions of its service area. The funds were used to purchase 1,000 computers and internet hot spots for students. Support for Nonprofits Promoting Social Justice PG&E is also empowering its 25,000 employees to support organizations dedicated to elevating diverse voices. From May through June, employees who make individual contributions to select nonprofits that advance diversity, equity and inclusion, will receive a contribution match from The PG&E Corporation Foundation, up to $100,000. This is one of several matching donation programs the company offers its employees each year. Charitable contributions made by PG&E and by The PG&E Corporation Foundation are not funded by PG&E customers. About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news. About #OaklandUndivided #OaklandUndivided is a public-private partnership whose vision is to close the digital divide led by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, The City of Oakland, Oakland Unified School District, Oakland Promise, Oakland Public Education Fund, and Tech Exchange. Its mission is to ensure every Oakland public school student has access to a computer, Internet connection, and technology support and #OaklandUndivided has distributed over 28,000 devices and increased connectivity from 12% to 98%. To learn more about our city-wide movement or help us launch phase 2 to keep our students connected, contact Dsilver@oaklandca.gov, Director of Education for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf or go to oaklandundivided.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005900/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Nexa3D Brings Its Entire Suite of Ultrafast Additive Manufacturing Solutions to TCT Asia

At the event, Nexa3D's booth will feature its NXE400 Industrial 3D printer along with a new class of functional polymers that increases printing productivity by 20X. Visitors can also experience Nexa3D's expanding range of intelligent post processing solutions and witness the unveiling of its XWash automated washing station. The company also plans to demonstrate its recently introduced XCure station, designed to work seamlessly with the NXE400 and NXD 200 to ensure optimal curing of all photoplastic-based resins. The company will be showcasing some of its most recent customer success in dental, medical, automotive, aerospace and industrial applications. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005936/en/ Avi Reichental and the Nexa3D team (Photo: Business Wire) As Nexa3D continues to expand into China's rapidly growing 3D printing market, TCT Asia provides an opportunity to personally connect with Chinese manufacturers, as well as to demonstrate live how its additive manufacturing solutions serve more like time machines than 3D printers. At TCT Asia, the company is excited to team up with leading technology distributor VSTECS, which boasts vast experience in the Asia Pacific market. VSTECS will be joining Nexa3D on the booth, to provide support for interested designers, engineers and manufacturers. "At Nexa3D, we are passionate about digitizing the supply chain sustainably," explained Michele Marchesan, CRO at Nexa3D. "Our technology takesthe speed of additively manufacturing plastic parts from dial-up to broadband, opening the aperture to a new range of functional polymers."



"China is one of the largest and fastest growing manufacturing markets in the world and is currently witnessing a digital transformation throughout its entire industrial ecosystem," added Chen Tao, vice president of machine and peripheral product business group at VSTECS. "Participating in this important event with Nexa3D is a great opportunity to demonstrate our joint commitment to solving the most pressing challenges facing Chinese industrial businesses. Manufacturers are under huge pressure to provide greater design agility and vastly reduce lead time for high volume plastic part production that meets or exceeds the quality of injection molding." Based in California, Nexa3D manufactures the world's fastest polymer 3D printers. Its mission is to shatter traditional productivity barriers and it already produces technology capable of printing up to eight liters per hour. The company is also committed to the circular economy - its machines and materials minimize process waste and reduce energy consumption per part, helping industries reduce their carbon footprint.

To see the 3D printing revolution in action, visit Nexa3D at booth K49. If you're not in Shanghai this month, you can still visit Nexa3D at its virtual showroom here. Want to know about Nexa3D and its product range? Visit https://nexa3d.com/, like it on Facebook, or follow on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. About Nexa3D Nexa3D is passionate about digitizing the world's supply chain sustainably. The company makes ultrafast industrial grade polymer 3D printers affordable for professionals and businesses of all sizes. The company's photoplastic printers are powered by its proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) while its thermoplastic printers are powered by Quantum (News - Alert) Laser Sintering (QLS), both of which increase print productivity by 20X. The company's partnerships with world-class material suppliers unlocks the full potential of functional polymers that are tailored for production at scale. The company's NexaX proprietary software platform optimizes the entire production cycle through process interplay algorithms to ensure part performance and production consistency, while minimizing material usage and waste reducing energy and carbon footprints. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005936/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Alaska Airlines and Airspace Intelligence announce first-of-its-kind partnership to optimize air traffic flow with artificial intelligence and machine learning

SEATTLE, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and Airspace Intelligence announced today the signing of a multi-year contract for the use of Flyways AI, an industry-changing platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to assist dispatchers in making flight operations more efficient and sustainable by optimizing routes and improving the predictability and flow of airline traffic. Alaska is the first airline worldwide to adopt the technology. The use of an AI-powered flight monitoring and routing platform that aids in critical decisions is a first in the U.S. air transportation industry. It allows the airline and its employees to plan the most efficient routes by giving dispatchers new tools to make informed decisions quickly. Using machine-learning models of the National Airspace System, Flyways predicts future scenarios and manages exceptions network-wide by processing millions of data inputs quickly and with even greater precision. "Flyways AI has transformed how Alaska Airlines approaches route planning and optimization, enabling our highly skilled dispatchers to work even smarter to deliver the safest and most efficient routes to our pilots, saving time and carbon emissions, mitigating congestion and creating a better experience for our guests," said Diana Birkett Rakow, vice president of public affairs and sustainability for Alaska Airlines. "Airspace Intelligence is a true partner in implementing Flyways to deliver results in Alaska's operating environment for innovation, safety and sustainability." "We are so grateful that Alaska is the first airline customer to deploy the Flyways AI platform," said Phillip Buckendorf, CEO of Airspace Intelligence. "Alaska's commitment to innovation and partnership these past two years made the organization a perfect fit as a foundational airline and launch partner." The commitment to a continued partnership comes after an initial six-month trial program, during which Alaska's dispatchers used the new AI-powered flight prediction information to help them plan, monitor, and make recommendations for rerouting flights to avoid issues like congested airspace and bad weather. Flyways found an opportunity to reduce miles and fuel use for 64% of mainline flights, of which dispatchers evaluated and accepted 32% of the Flyways recommendations. "Artificial intelligence and machine learning are among the top drivers of technology today and, for the first time, have been applied to the airline flight planning environment," said Pasha Saleh, flight operations strategy and innovation director for Alaska Airlines. "Alaska's use of Flyways in just six months, even with significantly depressed flying due to COVID-19, enabled us to save 480,000 gallons of fuel and avoid 4,600 tons of carbon emissions." The challenge of flight route planning

Safely planning the most efficient route for each flight is an operation performed by dispatchers, who work in the airline's Network Operations Center. Dispatchers work with pilots to ensure the safe routing and operation of a flight. When planning a route from origin to destination, dispatchers consider the curret and predicted weather, reported air turbulence, aircraft performance, safety policies, air-traffic-control compliance and traffic volume. It is an incredibly complex workflow.



Existing airline computer systems don't have the ability to compile all of the various information and evolving conditions into one cohesive source or map. Those systems do not take other flight traffic into account, give limited insights into future conditions, and are without predictive capabilities. About the Flyways AI Platform

Flyways AI is a 4D mapping, predictive and recommendation platform for commercial air operations that relies on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The system autonomously evaluates the operational safety, ATC compliance, and efficiency of an airline's planned and active flights. When it finds a better route around turbulence or a more efficient route, it provides actionable recommendations to flight dispatchers. The dispatcher then decides whether to accept and implement the recommended solution. Dispatchers always make the final call, in accordance with existing FAA protocols. The system looks at all scheduled and active flights across the U.S., scanning air traffic systemically rather than focusing on single flights. It treats air traffic more like the way mapping applications look at ground traffic  as a dynamic and constantly changing ecosystem of moving objects. By applying machine learning, Airspace Intelligence created prediction models of the U.S. air space that allow the platform to predict how weather, traffic and other constraints impact flights. This kind of predictive modeling allows Flyways to provide its airlines partners with the ability to "look into the future," as far as eight-plus hours ahead. The system helps the operational decision-makers streamline traffic flow, thereby reducing fuel burn and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. This supports Alaska's path to reducing carbon emissions and reduces fuel cost. In addition, Flyways offers the user a powerful, streamlined experience, presented as a dynamic and coherent 4D map that is easy to understand. "Our mission is to help our customers improve the predictability of their highly complex and dynamically changing flight operations in the United States National Airspace System (NAS)," said Buckendorf. "We do this by applying the latest advances in artificial intelligence. Our AI platform gives enhanced levels of predictive situational awareness, to augment the quality, speed and precision of human decision-makers." Flying with Purpose

Flyways is part of Alaska Airlines' investment in efficient and innovated technologies to reduce its climate impact and meet the airline's goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040. A foundational step in this journey is using technology to optimize flight routes for emission savings. Learn more about Alaska Airlines climate goals at blog.alaskaair.com . About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. On March 31, 2021, Alaska became the 14th member of oneworld. With the global alliance and Alaska Airlines' additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com . Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). About Airspace Intelligence

Airspace Intelligence is a software-first aerospace company based in Silicon Valley that supports customers with the worlds' most complex air operations and missions by deploying machine learning models of the U.S. national airspace and prediction services to support traffic flow optimization at scale. For more information, visit www.airspace-intelligence.com . Media can reach out to media@airspace-intelligence.com ### View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-and-airspace-intelligence-announce-first-of-its-kind-partnership-to-optimize-air-traffic-flow-with-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning-301299238.html SOURCE Alaska Airlines

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 00:01:00|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects the Ningbo-Zhoushan port, a major transit area for bulk commodities in China, in Ningbo City, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 24, 2021. Li made an inspection tour to the city of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province from Monday to Tuesday. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

HANGZHOU, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has underlined efforts to further advance reform and opening-up, strengthen market vitality and actively deal with changing domestic and external situations for pushing forward the country's stable and sound economic development.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his inspection tour to the city of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province from Monday to Tuesday.

When inspecting the Ningbo-Zhoushan port, a major transit area for bulk commodities in China, Li called for paying close attention to the cyclical changes in the world economy and commodity price fluctuations in the international market.

China should expand opening-up, further promote the facilitation of customs clearance and conduct free and fair trade, he said, adding that the country should give full play to the advantages of the port and use market-oriented methods to improve the import, storage and trading of bulk commodities.

Li spoke with managers of several manufacturing enterprises to learn about the impact that upstream price changes in raw materials had had on their businesses.

He said that rising commodity prices would not only bring excessive pressure to large and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises but also affect the small, micro and individual businesses, adding that consumption activities downstream would also be affected.

Li called for making good use of policies, such as tax and fee cuts and inclusive financing, to support market entities, and ramping up market regulation to slow down the transmission of rising costs to the downstream sectors.

Enterprises should also pay attention to tapping into their potentials and drawing on innovation to relieve cost pressures and improve competitiveness.

During his visit to a government service center in the city, Li stressed that the country should relieve the pressure on enterprises, continue improving its business environment, and create a fairer market for competition.

He also inspected a talent resource market to learn about the local employment situation. While visiting a local company, he encouraged it to develop more new products enjoyed by consumers. Enditem
[May 25, 2021] Chamberlain University and LCMC Health Launch First-of-its-Kind Tuition-Free Nursing Program to Combat Nursing Workforce Shortages

As the nation faces a projected shortage of half a million nurses by 20301 and burnout continues as a result of the pandemic, hospitals and healthcare systems are facing critical staffing challenges and decreased patient care readiness. As a result, Chamberlain University and LCMC Health have established an innovative program that addresses the need for more nurses by expanding access to a tuition-free education. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005934/en/ The Chamberlain University and LCMC Health alliance announcement was made by Chamberlain University President, Dr. Karen Cox (News - Alert) , and Greg Feirn, CEO, LCMC Health. They were joined by - Ashley Robinson, a Chamberlain University graduate who works with LCMC Health. (Photo: Business Wire) The Called-to-Care Scholars Program, which is open to applicants nationwide, proactively addresses healthcare workforce shortages and community health needs in the region served by LCMC Health, a healthcare system that is dedicated to delivering high-quality healthcare services. LCMC Health has six hospital locations and is deeply focused on clinical excellence, education, technology and research. The partnership with Chamberlain University, the largest nursing school in the country and part of Adtalem Global Education, will support patient care readiness by: Expanding educational opportunities: LCMC Health will fund 100% of tuition costs for up to 90 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN degree) students per year for up to three years through this alliance with Chamberlain University, in exchange for the students committing to work for LCMC Health for up to three years after graduation and passing the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. Creating a nursing pipeline to support regional and employer needs: The Called-to-Care Scholars Program aims to build a robust talent pipeline in support of LCMC Health's efforts to establish a more sustainable, long-term healthcare ecosystem. Graduates of the tuition-covered program will obtain their BSN degree and gain valuable experience in the community in exchange for fulfilling their employment pledge. Maximizing community impact by scaling healthcare excellence: With more practice-ready nurses available to serve the community through the Called-to-Care Scholars Program, the region benefits from quality healthcare that supports more equitable access to preventive disease measures and healthcare supports. "We are proud to launch this industry-leading solution that addresses critical workforce needs through the creation of a talent pipeline of nurses," said Kathy Boden Holland, Group President, Adtalem Health, "We are dedicated to scaling access to quality healthcare education through innovative approaches that offer workforce solutions and could not be more pleased that LCMC Health has selected Chamberlain for this program." More than a quarter of qualified applicants to pre-licensure nursing programs in the stateof Louisiana were not admitted last year due to limited capacity in nursing programs2. The Called-to-Care Scholars Program offers a targeted approach to expanding these opportunities and strengthening the pipeline of nurses in the state. It also aligns with priorities outlined in the National Academy of Medicine report The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity.



"Nurses are vital contributors to the health and well-being of our communities, and this innovative alliance with Chamberlain University and LCMC Health allows us to collectively recognize the dedication and service of nurses everywhere by proactively investing in them," said Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FACHE, FAAN, president of Chamberlain University. "As the largest nursing school in the country, we are excited to launch this program and continue to leverage the scale and breadth of our footprint as we replicate this approach for more hospital systems and aspiring nurses across the United States." Chamberlain is committed to graduating extraordinary nurses who transform healthcare in their communities and worldwide, and LCMC Health is dedicated to bringing extraordinary health, care, and education to the community. This program seeks to produce compassionate nurses who are ready to make a positive impact on the patients they will serve.

"This is truly an investment in people, as our nurses are often the magic ingredient in providing healthcare with heart," said Greg Feirn, CEO, LCMC Health. "Their dedication and compassion represent that one-of-kind care that comes from one-of-a-kind people. What better time to announce this life-changing program than during National Nurses Month, as we celebrate and recognize our amazing team." In the first year, up to 90 students will be split across three sessions in September 2021, May 2022 and July 2022, offering opportunities for students to start when it is most convenient for them. For more information about this program, visit https://www.chamberlain.edu/called-to-care-scholars-program. About Chamberlain University Chamberlain University is a part of Adtalem Global Education (NYSE: ATGE). Chamberlain University's mission is to educate, empower and embolden diverse healthcare professionals who advance the health of people, families, communities and nations. Chamberlain is comprised of the College of Nursing, which offers a three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and flexible post-licensure programs such as the RN to BSN option, Master of Science in Nursing degree program, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program and graduate certificates, and the College of Health Professions, which offers Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work degree programs. Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission www.hlcommission.org, a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. To learn more, visit chamberlain.edu. About Adtalem Global Education The purpose of Adtalem Global Education is to empower students to achieve their goals, find success, and make inspiring contributions to our global community. Adtalem Global Education Inc. (NYSE: ATGE; member S&P MidCap 400 Index) is a leading workforce solutions provider and the parent organization of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, Becker Professional Education, Chamberlain University, EduPristine, OnCourse Learning, Ross University School of Medicine and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. For more information, please visit adtalem.com and follow us on Twitter (@adtalemglobal) and LinkedIn (News - Alert) . About LCMC Health Established in 2009, LCMC Health is a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system serving the healthcare needs of the Gulf Coast region. LCMC Health currently manages Children's Hospital New Orleans, East Jefferson General Hospital, New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, and West Jefferson Medical Center. 1 https://www.chamberlain.edu/media/15701/us-registered-nurse-workforce-report-card-and-shortage-forecast.pdf 2 http://www.lsbn.state.la.us/Portals/1/Documents/AnnualReport/AnnualReport2020.pdf View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005934/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Twelve Startups to Compete for at Least $1 Million in the 25th Anniversary Finals of Chicago Booth's New Venture Challenge

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is pleased to announce the 12 teams selected to compete in the finals of the 25th annual Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge (NVC), one of the nation's oldest and richest student startup accelerators. Founded in 1996 at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the NVC has graduated nearly 370 companies that remain active today, including household names such as Grubhub, Braintree and Simple Mills. They have raised more than $1.2 billion and achieved $8.5 billion in mergers and exits. On June 3, the 2021 finalist teams will present their business plans to a panel of judges and investors for a chance at investment. This year's investment pool is at least $1 million, on track to be the largest in the contest's history. The prize pool got a significant boost thanks to the Rattan L. Khosa, '79, First Place Prize, introduced four years ago, and has kept building since. "The NVC has experienced great growth over the past decade, both in the competitiveness of the teams and the interest of investors," said NVC cofounder Steven Kaplan, Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Kessenich E.P. Faculty Director of the Polsky Center. "Just five years ago the investment pool was $285,000, so to exceed $1 million now is a true testament to the program's success." The finalists were selected from a cohort of 29 teams that participated in the NVC, which is a credit-bearing MBA class at Chicago Booth as well as a business plan competition. The NVC has consistently been ranked as a top seed accelerator, alongside Techstars and Y Combinator, which is unique for a program focused on students. "We are super impressed by the depth and breadth of the businesses of our 12 finalists," said Mark Tebbe, an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth. "In these challenging circumstances, the teams have made substantial progress in building those businesses. We are looking forward to an exciting 25th anniversary final." The finals will take place virtually from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 3. Registration is free and open to the public.



The finalists are: Aina , a simple mobile application and easy-to-integrate web API that turns any room into a fitting room. Leveraging cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) technology, Aina empowers shoppers to try on apparel anytime and anywhere, allowing them to see how a particular item fits their body in real-time, accurate down to size level.

, a simple mobile application and easy-to-integrate web API that turns any room into a fitting room. Leveraging cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) technology, Aina empowers shoppers to try on apparel anytime and anywhere, allowing them to see how a particular item fits their body in real-time, accurate down to size level. Andes STR , a modern property management company that offers young professionals a turnkey solution to manage their properties in the short-term rental market, providing customers with more flexibility and higher returns than long-term tenants.

, a modern property management company that offers young professionals a turnkey solution to manage their properties in the short-term rental market, providing customers with more flexibility and higher returns than long-term tenants. Annuity Risk , a SaaS (News - Alert) company focused on the indexed annuity market. Its product is designed to help firms manage their liability management operations, with a focus on hedging optimization and customer data insights.

, a SaaS (News - Alert) company focused on the indexed annuity market. Its product is designed to help firms manage their liability management operations, with a focus on hedging optimization and customer data insights. deetz , a mobile app for people to find out what's happening in their community in the moment and for businesses to promote specials and events.

, a mobile app for people to find out what's happening in their community in the moment and for businesses to promote specials and events. ML Tech , a high-frequency trading (HFT) platform that connects experienced researchers with institutional capital. The platform leverages cutting-edge AI solutions and allows researchers to produce new strategies at an industry-leading pace.

, a high-frequency trading (HFT) platform that connects experienced researchers with institutional capital. The platform leverages cutting-edge AI solutions and allows researchers to produce new strategies at an industry-leading pace. PainNavigator , an evidence-based pain management app that uses a proprietary, adaptive learning algorithm to integrate and customize first-line, holistic therapies to help users improve their pain and function. It caters to those with non-surgical pain and healthcare providers looking to implement CDC-recommended treatments for their patients.

, an evidence-based pain management app that uses a proprietary, adaptive learning algorithm to integrate and customize first-line, holistic therapies to help users improve their pain and function. It caters to those with non-surgical pain and healthcare providers looking to implement CDC-recommended treatments for their patients. Phlaxis , which seeks to prevent and treat food allergies by developing a state-of-the-art technology called inverse vaccination.

, which seeks to prevent and treat food allergies by developing a state-of-the-art technology called inverse vaccination. Ping , a smartwatch for seniors that captures their health data and alerts their family in real-time on abnormal measurements.

, a smartwatch for seniors that captures their health data and alerts their family in real-time on abnormal measurements. Resette, which custom blends makeup and skincare into one product, dubbed "skinwear," to simplify routines and offer personalized beauty with benefits.

which custom blends makeup and skincare into one product, dubbed "skinwear," to simplify routines and offer personalized beauty with benefits. SHEVOLVE , which redefines how Gen X and Boomer women engage with nutrition supplements to help them thrive through menopause and beyond.

, which redefines how Gen X and Boomer women engage with nutrition supplements to help them thrive through menopause and beyond. StoryEasel , a SaaS-based storytelling solution designed exclusively for preserving users' heritage and culture. The centralized platform allows users to create, share, and preserve precious family stories and memories plus invite family and friends to help expand and enrich their story.

, a SaaS-based storytelling solution designed exclusively for preserving users' heritage and culture. The centralized platform allows users to create, share, and preserve precious family stories and memories plus invite family and friends to help expand and enrich their story. Vetted, which provides pet parents with peace of mind by supplying trustworthy, affordable, and convenient preventative pet care through its subscription service and mobile application with preventative care services, 24/7 at-home tech monitoring, and accessible, centralized pet medical records. Since its early days as a pioneer of student startup accelerators, the NVC has grown to include five distinct tracks. The Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge is open to all graduate students at the University of Chicago. The College New Venture Challenge (CNVC) is for University of Chicago undergraduates. The Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) is for executive MBA students at Chicago Booth's Hong Kong and London campuses as well as Chicago. The John Edwardson, '72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) is for nonprofits or startups focused on a social mission. And the Alumni New Venture Challenge (ANVC) is open to all University of Chicago alumni.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the accelerator, the Polsky Center launched a podcast series featuring interviews with notable alumni of the NVC. About the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation applies world-class business expertise from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to bring new ideas and breakthrough innovations to market. With a 60-person professional staff, the Polsky Center drives the creation of new ventures and commercial partnerships at the University of Chicago and beyond. As a global leader in entrepreneurship education, the Polsky Center is home of the Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge, one of the top accelerator programs in the nation. The Polsky Center provides training for aspiring entrepreneurs and those seeking a career in private equity, venture capital, and entrepreneurship through acquisition. Learn more at polsky.uchicago.edu and follow updates on Twitter (News - Alert) @polskycenter. Fill out the "Get Started with the Polsky Center" online form to access our resources and subscribe to our newsletters. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005992/en/

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[May 25, 2021] UBIQUITI SHAREHOLDER ALERT By Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors With Losses in Excess Of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Ubiquiti Inc. - UI

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until July 19, 2021 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Ubiquiti (News - Alert) Inc. (NYSE: UI), if they purchased the Company's shares between January 11, 2021 and March 30, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased shares of Ubiquiti and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ui/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by July 19, 2021.



About the Lawsuit Ubiquiti and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On March 30, 2021, post-market, Krebs on Security reported that the Company's January 2021 data breach was "catastrophic," and more extensive than portrayed by the Company, wherein the attacker(s) accessed "privileged credentials that were previously stored in the LastPass account of a Ubiquiti IT employee, and gained root administrator access to all Ubiquiti AWS [ Amazon Web Services (News - Alert) ] accounts, including all S3 data buckets, all application logs, all databases, all user database credentials, and secrets required to forge single sign-on (SSO) cookies." On this news, shares of Ubiquiti fell $50.70, or 14.5%, to close at $298.30 per share on March 31, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume. The case is Molder v. Ubiquiti Inc., et al., No. 1:21-cv-04520. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking to recover investment losses due to corporate fraud and malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525006010/en/

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[May 25, 2021] Samsung Display's laptop OLED Achieved First in the Industry Certification for Low Chemical Emissions

SEOUL, South Korea, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung Display's OLED panels for laptop has achieved UL's GREENGUARD Gold Certification for low chemical emissions for their components for the first time in the industry. Global safety science leader UL certified that Samsung Display's nine laptop OLED panels, ranging from 13.3-inch to 16-inch, met the GREENGUARD Gold Certification standard, UL 2819 GREENGUARD Standard for Electronic Equipment. The panels were featured in Samsung's latest Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360. GREENGUARD Gold certification is awarded to products including electronic and medical equipment that meet its volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particle emission standards. As the pandemic sees the demands for electronic devices including latops soaring, Samsung Display released the low chemical emissions laptop OLED panels which minimized the use of plastic substrate sheets, which can be a main source of VOC emissions. Among the LCD components, the backlight can be a major origin of VOCs for its use of multiple plastic substrate sheets. According to tests conducted by the company and UL, Samsung's OLED panels reduced the emission of VOCs to about half of LCD's emission, thanks to its self-illuminating structure which does not use the backlight. "Low-chemical-emitting equipment is an important criterion for users when choosing IT devices," Doug Lockard, vie president and general manager of UL's retail and consumer products division said. "We congratulate Samsung Display for the achievement of their first GREENGUARD Certification for their Samsung OLED for laptops, and for taking a meaningful step in their pursuit of more sustainable products."



Samsung Display says people look for eco-friendly products as they spend a lot more time indoors during the pandemic. The company adds it is happy to provide safer and healthier products with industry-first GREENGUARD certification to consumers. Samsung Display's OLED panels were also certified by SGS as Eye Care Display by reducing blue light emission by up to 6.5 percent, which is the lowest in the industry. The new technology that adjusts the wavelength of blue light from OLED reduces the portion of the harmful blue light from its entire light spectrum.

About Samsung Display

Samsung Display Co., Ltd. is a global leader in the display panel market, with OLED and LCD technologies and products. Samsung Display has seven production facilities and five branch sales offices worldwide. The company specializes in high-quality displays for consumer, mobile, IT and industrial usage, including those featuring OLED (organic light emitting diode) and LCD technologies. As a total solution provider, Samsung Display strives to advance the future with next-generation technologies featuring ultra-thin, energy-efficient, flexible, and transparent displays. For more information, please visit www.samsungdisplay.com or http://global.samsungdisplay.com/ Media Contact

Jihyun (Jessica) Kim

Samsung Display Communication Team

jh326.kim@samsung.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/samsung-displays-laptop-oled-achieved-first-in-the-industry-certification-for-low-chemical-emissions-301299316.html SOURCE Samsung Display

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NashvilleAttorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is joining a coalition of 47 Attorneys General in urging congressional leaders to support the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act. The act, comprised of the Stop Senior Scam Act and Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2021, will assist stakeholders in training employees to recognize the warning signs of elder fraud and to prevent irreversible damage to elderly victims.

Seniors lose billions of dollars every year to financial scams, said General Slatery. The Tennessee Attorney Generals Office is committed to reducing that number and

The Fraud and Scam Reduction Act will help by providing education and resources to older adults and those who care for them.

The act, H.R. 1215, is bipartisan legislation that will provide innovative ways to combat the financial exploitation of senior citizens. The legislation will establish the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group that is accountable to the Federal Trade Commission. The group will collect data generated by stakeholders such as retailers, financial services and wire-transfer companies to help educate employees on how to identify and prevent scams that target seniors. The group will develop training and educational materials for those employees best suited to identify the warning signs of elder fraud.

The act also establishes the Office for the Prevention of Fraud Targeting Seniorshoused in the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the FTC. The office will complement the efforts of the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group by:

Monitoring emerging scams that target seniors through the internet, mail, robocalls, telemarketing and television;

Disseminating information on common fraud schemes; and

Sharing information on how to report suspected senior fraud scams to a national fraud hotline and the FTCs Consumer Sentinel Network.

The FTC will also work with the U.S. Attorney Generals Office to log and track complaints from victims and relay the information to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

To read the letter, click here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2021/pr21-21-letter.pdf

To learn more about scams and how to avoid them, click here: Scams, Schemes & Swindles (tn.gov)

Attorney General Slatery joined the attorneys general from the following states: Florida, New York, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

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#21-21: AG Slatery Urges Congress to Fight Scams Targeting Seniors
NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurances (TDCI) Securities Division highlights recent disciplinary actions taken by the agency related to a former Franklin-based investment executive who was recently sentenced to federal prison for stealing from elderly clients.

Fredrick M. Stow, 66, of Franklin, Tennessee, was sentenced in U.S. District Court on May 13, 2021 to five years in prison for stealing $933,500 from two elderly clients. In a separate but related action from 2020, TDCI demonstrated that Stow violated state law by stealing from his clients accounts a total of 74 times. As part of his punishment, Stow was ordered by an Administrative Law Judge to pay a total civil penalty of $125,800 in addition to the revocation of his insurance producer and securities broker-dealer agent licenses.

This individuals punishment should serve notice to others like him that our Department will work tirelessly with federal and local law enforcement agencies to pursue action against those who would seek to exploit and financially harm any elderly individual, said TDCI Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Bowling. Our senior citizens are a valuable and important segment of Tennessees population who deserve to be treated with dignity in their golden years. I encourage all families and caretakers to learn the red flags of suspected elder financial abuse and report them to our team or to law enforcement.

According to court records, beginning in 1982, Stow acted as the registered representative for three brokerage accounts owned by a client who was a retired airline pilot and WWII era veteran. Stow changed investment firms several times and the client elected to move his accounts with Stow each time, ultimately transferring his accounts to Raymond James when Stow joined the firm in 2013. Over time, Stow inserted himself into the financial affairs of this client and in the later years of the clients life, he visited him at his home.

Relatives testified that the client died believing that his dwindling investment accounts were caused solely by stock market activity.

In October 2015, Stow began misappropriating funds from this clients IRA account by forging wire transfer letters of authorization to permit transfers from the clients IRA account to a SunTrust Bank account that Stow owned jointly with his wife. To accomplish the transfers, Stow sold securities in the clients IRA account.

At the time of this clients death at the age of 98 in March 2018, Stow had made 74 unauthorized transfers and had stolen more than $900,000 from him. Within weeks of this clients death, Stow stole $32,000 from another elderly brokerage customer, by transferring money from the customers brokerage account to another SunTrust bank account that Stow owned.

In an effort to help raise awareness among Tennesseans about financial exploitation, TDCI shares the following warning signs of financial exploitation

Significant withdrawals from the vulnerable adults accounts.

Sudden changes in their financial circumstances.

Valuable items or cash missing from their home.

Increase in junk mail soliciting purchases or payments for sweepstakes money.

Neglect of the victim, such as no food in the home and needed maintenance or repairs of the home are ignored.

Additionally, TDCIs Securities Division reminds consumers about the Senior Financial Protection & Securities Modernization Act, enacted as Public Chapter No. 424, which aims to safeguard senior adults (age 65 or older), and others at increased risk of diminished capacity or other cognitive impairment, by providing the securities industry with greater tools to help detect and prevent financial exploitation.

Individuals with suspicions of possible senior investment fraud or financial exploitation should contact: Tennessees Securities Division by calling 615-741-5900 or visiting tn.gov/securities, local Adult Protective Services agencies, FINRA or the SEC.

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Again, this morning, we're confronted with the hope that armed criminals will start obeying stricter rules.

Context . . .

Gun violence is surging. Gun control advocates say background checks are "critically necessary" to fight it A record number of gun sales along with the disruption to normal life by the coronavirus pandemic have contributed to a 25% surge in homicides and non-suicide-related shootings in 2020, according to a gun control advocacy group.

And more suburban violence that suggests crooks don't often willingly comply with po-po . . .

Homicide investigation leads to pursuit, crash in Olathe KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A homicide investigation in Overland Park led to a pursuit and crash in Olathe Monday. According to Olathe police, the department was called around 9:15 p.m. to assist Overland Park in the 800 block of North Hamilton. Overland Park was questioning a person about a homicide.

Developing . . .
Check an upcoming legal battle started by Mayor Q that has the potential to completely transform Kansas City police governance.



To wit . . .



TKC TOLD YOU SO!!! THE LEGAL BATTLE OVER POLICE "DEFUNDING" AND LOCAL CONTROL IS NOW UNDERWAY!!! READ CLOSELY: MAYOR Q WANTS TO PUT THE SYSTEM ON TRIAL!!!



Here's what so many of our newsie friends might be forgetting . . .



Those same police union dudes and law enforcement supporters decrying Mayor Q's 'defunding' brought this on themselves when they endorsed then-councilman Quinton Lucas for city hall top job not so long ago.



Po-po reps endorsed future Mayor Q in 2019 to be exact.

And so . . .

Mayor Q's backstabbing of Kansas City police might be the the greatest betrayals in modern, local political history and it certainly should affirm the skepticism of promises the politicos offer on the campaign trail.

Check-it . . .

Kansas City police board votes to look at legal standing of funding changes KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Board of Police Commissioners is weighing its legal options. Mayor Quinton Lucas is a member of the police board. It follows the fast-tracked funding changes he championed for the police department last week. On Monday, the board went behind closed doors where the board decided to not move forward with the mayor's plans yet.

Kansas City mayor welcomes possible lawsuit to defend KCPD funding plan Moments before joining a Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners executive session meeting Monday, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas defended a plan released last week that would restructure the police department's finances to put more money under local control.

Developing . . .
This public post from the Kansas City Fraternal Order Of Police deserves a second look if only because the numbers they're claiming are even bigger than what has been reported AND they're also lamenting rising crime on their watch.



Here's the world . . .



"Bold move by some to intentionally defund the Kansas City Police Department by 54 million dollars in just three weeks. The equivalent of 450 positions will need to be cut if that decision isnt reversed.



"Businesses are looking to find a place to settle and people are searching for a place to raise families. In the middle of all of that Kansas City is one of the most violent in the country and 9 people voted to strip 54 million from a budget needed to protect our citizens.



"Defunding police departments has become popular in major cities, but so has rising violent crime and citizens moving out of those cities. Most cities in our metro are growing and hiring officers, on the other hand Kansas City chose to ignore tax payers needs. In a world where defunding polls at about 12 percent, ignoring 88 percent of the rest of the city cant be good for re-elections."

##################



Check the links . . .

KCPD budget debate: Where will community engagement money be spent? KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Ever since a supermajority of Kansas City's city council members passed two ordinances Thursday to reallocate a portion of the police budget, opponents have expressed concern it that it will lead to fewer officers in patrol or investigations.

Missouri Republicans Take Aim At Kansas City Mayor's New Police Budget Plan Some Missouri Republicans, including Gov. Mike Parson, are criticizing Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas's new police budget plan as "defunding the police" and said they are working on upending it. At least one Kansas City-area Republican said he has asked the governor for a special session in hopes of swatting the plan down.

Developing . . .
Quick guide to this debate . . .

The second that MSM and social media in support of Mayor Q can convince opponents to stop using the term "defunding the police" . . . THAT is when they've won.

However . . .

TONIGHT NORTHLAND COUNCIL MEMBERS REBUKE MAYOR Q WITH AN UPCOMING TOWN HALL ARGUING AGAINST THE DEFUND POLICE MOVE WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT!!!



Check the announcement . . .



The money line and a hint regarding the tenor of the discussion . . .



"Ordinance 210466 introduced & passed May 20th cut the KCMO police budget by $42 Million without public input"



Accordingly . . .

We can debate the merits of police funding governance but there's no denying this controversial move excluded voters from the conversation.

Developing . . .


Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 00:23:04|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Tuesday pledged to provide financial and technical support to Cameroon to help implement reforms and development projects in the country's restive English-speaking regions.

AfDB Central African Director General Serge N'Guessan made the pledge during a meeting with Cameroon's Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.

"We are going to push for decentralization. It's a big ambition for the country and the African Development Bank will help the country to realize the decentralization," N'Guessan told reporters after the meeting in the capital, Yaounde.

"We are going to sit down with the government and see what type of strategy the African Development Bank can put in place so that all our investments in those regions are fast-tracked and impactful for the population," he added, stressing that an agreement to construct a major road in the Northwest, one of the troubled regions will be signed next week.

Last year, Cameroon President Paul Biya announced a reconstruction and development plan for the regions that have been ravaged by separatist violence since 2017.

Armed separatists in the Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest are seeking to break away and create an independent nation they call "Ambazonia." Enditem
Laurie Gayda, a vaccinator with Rescue Inc., gives Lola McGinnis, 12, of Bellows Falls, Vt., the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as her sister, Lola, 12, waits for her shot on Monday, May 24, 2021.
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm in the afternoon. High 94F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low around 70F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 00:26:59|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Tuesday said unless unprecedented solidarity by countries in the fight against COVID-19 was promoted, the hope of defeating the pandemic will remain a pipe dream.

"It is our conviction that unless the world applies unprecedented solidarity and act in a way that leaves no one behind, the hope of defeating the pandemic remains a pipe dream," Kennedy Malama, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary in Charge of Technical Services, said in remarks delivered at the 74th World Health Assembly, according to a release.

He said it was unfortunate that the access to COVID-19 tools accelerator, a well-intended initiative that assures equitable access to vaccines, diagnosis, and therapeutics was being undermined by "vaccine nationalism".

He has since appealed to member states to support the efforts of the World Health Organization in thwarting the catastrophic effects of COVID-19 and commended the collaboration between the WHO and the African Union in responding to the pandemic.

Zambia, he said, was in full support of the development of the WHO pandemic treaty. Enditem
Canton, GA (30114)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 00:35:17|Editor: huaxia

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YEREVAN, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Armenian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that an Armenian soldier was killed near the border with Azerbaijan.

The soldier was killed in a fire attack from the Azerbaijani troops at the border section of the Verin Shorzha village in Armenia's southeastern Gegharkunik Province, said the ministry on its official website.

Meanwhile, the ministry said the situation is still under control.

The Azerbaijani defense ministry denied the accusation, saying their troops did not open fire and had nothing to do with the alleged death of the Armenian soldier on the border.

The incident occurred amid a mounting tension on the southern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan recently.

Earlier this month, Armenia accused Azerbaijani troops of crossing the southern border and advancing more than three kilometers into Armenia's Syunik region, which the Azerbaijani side had denied.

Both countries said they will try to resolve the dispute by peaceful negotiations. Enditem
Hello - the CDC recently approved the at home test kits for re-entry into the US as long as done alongside a virtual consult and certification of results. We purchased the rapid antigen tests from Abbott to bring with us for our return to the states.

However, I was looking online and saw an alert on the Belizing website that home tests are illegal in Belize and will be confiscated. Considering they accept the Abbott rapid test for entry into the county, I am confused and want to make sure we are following the protocols correctly. Since we have young children, we thought the at home tests would be easier.

Has anyone had experience with this or can help direct me to the right information? I did not see anything about this on the official Belize tourism website.
Greetings,

My fiance and I will be traveling to Belize for our 2-week honeymoon between September 12th and September 25th. I have a few questions about the preliminary itinerary Ive planned out. Some of these questions may have been addressed on other threads, so apologies in advance if this has already been covered, but Im thinking some things may have changed since Covid.

Our plan is to stay in 3 places: Placencia, San Ignacio (or nearby in Cayo), and Ambergris Caye. We have some idea of the things we want to do in each place, but also want to leave ample unscheduled time to just relax.

Our itinerary so far is this:

Land at BZE at 11:15 AM on 9/12 and catch a 12:30 flight to Placencia on Maya. As of today that flight is $103, which seems like it actually may be cheaper (or about the same) as a shuttle. From what Ive read on the forums, this should be enough time to get through customs and to the short connecting flight.

In Placencia, we were hoping to do the Monkey River tour and possibly a trip to Cockscomb Basin, but otherwise just relax and hang out on the beach. -- Does anybody have any thoughts on the day vs. night tours in Cockscomb Basin?

Depart for San Ignacio via shuttle on 9/16 (and stay in Cayo until 9/21). In SI, wed like to go to the ATM caves, possibly one other cave/river float (you dont float during the ATM tour do you?), and visit some Mayan sites.

This is the part that is tripping me up. Wed really like to go to Tikal, and based on what Ive read in the forum, staying overnight so that you can take an early morning tour is the best way to go. However, Im having trouble wrapping my head around the logistics.

Most shuttles/buses leave for Tikal early in the morning, right? So wed get there mid-day, check in to our hotel in the park, maybe explore a bit in the late afternoon/early evening, but see it in earnest via an early morning tour.

The way back seems difficult since well be going all the way to San Pedro. I had seen in some guidebooks that you can fly on Tropic from Flores to Belize City and/or San Pedro, but that seems to be no longer the case? What do you think the fastest way to San Pedro from Flores would be these days?

I am aware that the border had been closed for a while, but it sounds like it will be opening back up by the time we are there. Still, has covid made crossing take significantly longer ( i.e. showing proof of vaccination)?

I guess Im just stressing about having to pack up from the hotel in SI and move to a 4th hotel in the park if there is no convenient way back to San Pedro (were really looking forward to that part of the trip too and I worry that it will be too much travel time and eat up most of the day if we are touring Tikal early in the morning and then have to make our way to SP)

I know Ill ultimately have to decide this for myself, but do you think given the circumstances, it would be easier to just stay in SI for the whole Cayo portion of the trip and wait and see if Tikal seems doable for a day trip (rather than overnight)? If not we could always go to Caracol instead.

Depart for San Pedro on 9/21 via shuttle (or seeking feedback on fastest option), stay until 9/25 and catch a boat or flight back to BZE

Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any feedback.
Lychee from Guangdong, China appeared on landmark screens in North America, Southeast Asia, Middle East and other regions.
One of the biggest challenges to rebuilding our post-pandemic economy is getting people back to work as quickly as possible. Yet there are significant barriers to employment for individuals with criminal records. One in three Americans has an arrest or conviction record, and as a result they struggle to access jobs, housing and education.

The petition-based expungement system  which is costly, complicated and time-consuming  creates a big hurdle for those who have fulfilled their justice system obligations. A felony conviction can have an adverse impact on a persons employment prospects and in terms of cost to the economy as a whole, its a loss of about $78 billion to $87 billion in annual GDP.

Connecticuts Legislature is currently considering Clean Slate Legislation, SB 1019, which would automatically remove eligible criminal records for individuals, so long as they remain crime free for a certain period of time. This legislation presents an invaluable opportunity to jump-start the states inclusive economic recovery and reduce recidivism at the same time.

An estimated 273,000 people are eligible to benefit statewide from automatic record clearing, according to research by Santa Clara University. Recent research by the University of Michigan and University of Chicago law schools showed increased annual earnings in Michigan of nearly $4,500 in the year following record expungement, which could potentially deliver roughly $1.2 billion in increased annual earnings for Connecticut citizens with records. That is a much-needed boost to our communities.

The legislation will also help reduce recidivism. Stable employment is a meaningful factor when predicting whether a person will reoffend. By automatically clearing eligible criminal records, we remove barriers to employment, reduce the likelihood of recidivism and make our communities safer. In fact, the Michigan study suggests that people who have had their records expunged pose a lower crime risk than the general population as a whole.

Clean Slate also expands the available talent pool, which helps drive business productivity. Studies show that employees with criminal records tend to have higher retention rates, and lower turnover benefits both workers and companies. Moreover, 82 percent of managers say the value that second chance employees bring to their organization is as high as, or higher than, that of workers without records, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Managers.

For years, JPMorgan Chase has broadened its talent pool to include individuals with criminal records, including more than 2,000 people in 2020  which represents about 10 percent of new hires in the U.S. last year  whose backgrounds had no bearing the job they were hired to perform. Last month, JPMorgan Chase joined a group of 30 major companies to launch the Second Chance Business Coalition, co-chaired by Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, to expand hiring and advancement practices for people with criminal records within their companies.

Connecticuts proposed Clean Slate legislation is also crucial to driving an inclusive recovery. In this country, and in this state, Black and Latinx individuals are more likely to be arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced for crimes. In Connecticut, Black individuals are 9.4 times more likely to be incarcerated than white individuals. Due to the barriers a criminal record creates, this disparity exacerbates economic inequality and the racial wealth gap. Through Clean Slate legislation, we can help the disproportionately large number of Black and Latinx individuals impacted by the justice system get back on their feet.

Streamlining the existing complex and costly record clearing process is long overdue. While individuals with criminal records can currently apply for pardons in Connecticut, the current application procedure is so slow and complicated that only 3 percent of eligible people receive relief. Meanwhile, a recent poll found that 85 percent of Connecticut voters believe individuals should be given a fair opportunity to move beyond their records. Bureaucracy shouldnt deny them the second chance they deserve.

Clean Slate is common sense reform. By passing it we can reduce recidivism, strengthen communities, and drive more inclusive growth. We believe people are more than their mistakes and should be given a fair opportunity to get their lives back on track. Clean Slate legislation is an opportunity to do exactly that.

Monica Nation is a managing director and regional director of banking in New York North & Connecticut for JPMorgan Chase. State Sen. Gary Winfield is co-chair of the Connecticut Senate Judiciary Committee and co-sponsor of SB 1019 Clean Slate legislation.
Writer and performer Kyle Hernandez of Trinidad is receiving death threats, following a performance he did on local television station WESN, where he seemed to insult not only Tobagonians but the national bird of the island.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 00:51:02|Editor: huaxia

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TIRANA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Health Ministry has decided to close all regional hospital wards dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients as new coronavirus cases in the country have dropped significantly, Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu said on Tuesday.

Manastirliu made the remarks while visiting the regional hospital of Elbasan, central Albania.

According to the minister, all intensive care wards opened in regional hospitals to treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19 will be closed due to the improvement of the epidemiological situation across the country.

"The epidemiological situation is under control. The fact that we are shutting down wards (dedicated to COVID-19) in regional hospitals and gather all patients in one hospital, shows that it is time to review the current pandemic-related measures," Manastirliu said.

Manastirliu told reporters that the Technical Committee of Experts on the coronavirus situation in Albania is planning to reassess the current pandemic-related measures.

According to the Health Ministry, the number of citizens vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country so far has exceeded 725,000.

On Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported 14 new coronavirus cases and two COVID-19-related deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases in Albania to 132,229, with 2,447 fatalities. Enditem
On Monday, the Russian occupiers used an anti-tank missile system against civilians in eastern Ukraine.

The attack was launched in the direction of the village of Shumy (41km north of Donetsk), where security guarantees for repair and restoration works on both sides of the contact line have been in effect since mid-May, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

As noted, such actions by the occupiers are aimed at provoking the Armed Forces of Ukraine into firing back to further accuse them of violating the ceasefire in the area with mirror guarantees for safe conduct of works.

As a result of the shelling, one of the missiles hit a garage cooperative, the other  a house in the village of Pivnichne (44km north-east of Donetsk).

Marking on the remnants of missiles indicates that these ammunitions were made in Russian and confirms the direct participation of the Russian Federation in waging aggression and committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC promptly verified the shelling and informed the OSCE SMM through the established coordination mechanism.

In total, over the past day, May 24, eight ceasefire violations were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area.

The enemy fired 120mm mortars near Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) and Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk); hand-held anti-tank and under-barrel grenade launchers  outside Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); grenade machine guns and heavy machine guns  in the suburbs of Pavlopil (25km north-west of Mariupol) and Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); small arms  near Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk).

Ukrainian defenders fired back in response to enemy shelling.

Ukrainian troops sustained no losses.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC informed the OSCE SMM about the violations.

As of 7 a.m. on May 25, no ceasefire violations were reported. Ukrainian service members continue to control the situation in the Joint Forces Operation area.

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Ukraine is interested in expanding cooperation with Germany in the energy sector, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

He said this at a meeting with representatives of the German government, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Government portal.

We have already made significant work in this area. In August last year, Ukraine and Germany signed a joint statement on establishing an Energy Partnership. It provides for in-depth cooperation in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, decarbonisation and climate change, hydrogen economy, and transformation of coal regions, Shmyhal said.

The prime minister also stressed that Ukraine's priority goal in the energy sector is to join ENTSO-E. According to him, the synchronization of the Ukrainian energy system with the European network in 2023 is a vital step for Ukraine, which the government is currently actively working on.

According to Shmyhal, Ukraine has 61 coal regions that depend on mono-enterprises. He thanked Germany for its assistance in promoting a fair transformation of coal regions in Ukraine.

"This year we are launching two pilot projects in mines. This reform will help create new jobs and promote decarbonisation. Ukraine firmly adheres to the principles of the European Green Deal," the head of government stressed.

The PM emphasized the importance of Germany's support in counteracting Russian aggression and the German side's involvement in the Crimean Platform initiative.

In addition, Shmyhal noted that Germany ranks first among Ukraines trade partners in the EU. He added that Ukraine seeks to further use the common potential to expand cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations.

As reported, ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, represents 42 electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) from 35 countries across Europe. ENTSO-E was established and given legal mandates by the EUs Third Legislative Package for the Internal Energy Market in 2009, which aims at further liberalising the gas and electricity markets in the EU.

In 2017, a memorandum was signed providing for the synchronization of the unified power system of Ukraine with ENTSO-E in 2023.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry discussed energy security, as well as cooperation in renewable energy and green transition.

The Head of Government pointed out the importance of strategic cooperation between Ukraine and the United States and expressed hope that it would also include cooperation in curbing climate change, the Government portal informs.

The PM stressed that Ukraine had set itself large-scale goals to combat climate change.

"Ukraine is responsible declaring its climate goal. As part of the development of Ukraines second Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement, the ministries, business, and the public engage in active discussions as we are striving to make a commitment that is ambitious but also realistic and achievable," the Prime Minister said.

According to him, achieving climate neutrality requires simultaneous projects in infrastructure, education, landscaping, waste management, etc. He added that Ukraine was ready to work with the United States on various projects related to climate change and the development of a green economy based on new technologies.

In addition, Shmyhal and Kerry raised the issues of energy security. The Head of Government noted that dozens of coal mines had already been closed in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories avoiding environmental procedures, which threatened the security of the region. He stressed that some facilities had a risk of radiation-contaminated water entering the drinking water horizons and through the river system into the Sea of Azov.

"IAEA experts need to be sent to inspect this area. Such an observation mission is a contribution to the security of the region. After all, there were almost 1,200 sources of ionizing radiation in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Shmyhal said.

At the same time, he noted that a new economy based on climate neutrality could be created in eastern Ukraine.

"This area is rich in raw materials, qualified personnel. A cluster of modern productions can be created there. The Government is already developing a strategy aimed at creating special incentives for investors," the Prime Minister stressed, adding that U.S. participation in these projects could set an example for the world.

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Revenues to local budgets from the effective management of land resources transferred to communities may increase significantly, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

He stated this in his speech at the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Land" in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"As of today, the average rent for public land is about 7%. The successful experience of land auctions in previous years shows that the average rate after such auctions can be 18% of the regulatory and monetary valuation of land. That is, the potential for an increase in revenues to local budgets from the effective management of land resources transferred to communities is up to UAH 12 billion," Shmyhal said.

According to him, it is the local authorities that will be responsible for documentation and urban planning within a settlement. The transfer of these functions of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadaster to the local level will ensure the sustainable development of both the agricultural sector and Ukrainian villages in general. Any rent will go exclusively through transparent auctions, which will help avoid corruption risks. Communities have been empowered to independently organize and receive maximum revenues from their budgets, which is also critical for them," Shmyhal said.

"Land reform is, first and foremost, about restoring historical justice, stimulating agricultural development. It's about decentralization and increasing the role of communities in making important decisions. The launch of the land market will allow the Ukrainian agricultural sector to become a real driver of economic development," he said.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law amending the Land Code of Ukraine and other legislative acts to improve the system of management and deregulation in the field of land relations.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Germanys Alliance 90/The Greens Co-chair Robert Habeck discussed the negative impact of the Nord Stream 2 geopolitical project on security and stability in Europe.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

What worries us most is that Nord Stream 2 poses numerous security challenges. There is no doubt that once the construction is completed, Russia will use this project as a tool to advance its geopolitical interests, including in the context of the Normandy format efforts and in the Trilateral Contact Group. And it's not only about the threat to the security of Ukraine, but also of the whole of Europe," Kuleba said.

The minister stressed that international partners should step up their efforts to oppose the completion of the construction of Nord Stream 2.

In turn, Habeck expressed solidarity of the Green party with Ukraine on this issue. The German politician said that the party is aware of the risks of the project for Germany and Europe as a whole and opposes its implementation.

The interlocutors separately discussed security in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

Kuleba noted that Russias withdrawal of a certain number of troops from Ukraines border partially reduced the level of tension, but did not lead to de-escalation. In this context, he told Habeck about the efforts that the Ukrainian side is making to promote a political and diplomatic settlement. The minister stressed the importance of close cooperation between Ukraine, Germany and France in order to force Russia to fulfill its obligations within the Normandy format.

Kuleba thanked the German Green party for supporting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

As Ukrinform reported, on May 24, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Germanys Alliance 90/The Greens co-chair Robert Habeck the risks associated with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

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Deputy Minister of Economy  Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka took part in an online business forum entitled "Ukraine - Czech Republic: Opportunities for Cooperation between Ukrainian and Czech Business amid Global Changes."

Among the speakers of the May 25 event were also representatives of Ukrainian and Czech diplomatic missions, relevant ministries, the leadership of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the two countries, and business circles of Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

"For Ukraine, one of the important issues of integration with the European Union is the conclusion of an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA), the so-called "industrial visa-free regime". An important aspect for this is the establishment of direct B2B contacts and industrial cooperation between Ukrainian and European companies. We have successful long-term cooperation with Czech companies and strive to deepen business ties in both industrial and other sectors of the economy," Kachka said.

He noted that the Ukrainian government is making every effort to support business ideas and projects developed in partnership between Ukrainian and European companies, including Czech ones. In addition, Ukraines priority is intergovernmental cooperation to strengthen interaction in the industrial sphere and promote Ukrainian industrial goods to European markets.

The participants also discussed the state, short-term prospects and priority areas of Ukrainian-Czech economic cooperation, as well as investment, export potential and business climate of both countries.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to work out a decision to stop direct flights between Ukraine and Belarus and close Belarusian airspace for flights to and from Ukraine, the presidential press service has reported.

According to the report, this issue was discussed at a meeting attended by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputies Heads of the President's Office Yulia Svyrydenko and Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

"Given the current situation, the president instructed the government to work out a decision to terminate direct flights between Ukraine and the Republic of Belarus and close the airspace of Belarus for flights from Ukraine and to our country," the President's Office said.

According to the report, the participants in the meeting analyzed the situation with a Ryanair passenger plane, which made a forced landing at Minsk airport on May 23.

On Sunday, May 23, Belarusian security forces detained the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, Roman Protasevich, after they forced a Ryanair plane, on which he was traveling from Athens to Vilnius, to land in Minsk.

The Belarusian opposition said that in general, two Belarusian citizens and four Russian citizens did not fly to Vilnius after the plane landed in Minsk. Among them were Protasevich and his girlfriend.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Germanys Alliance 90/The Greens co-chair Robert Habeck the risks associated with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Welcome to Ukraine, Alliance 90/The Greens co-chair Robert Habeck. Grateful for the attention to the Donbas problem and the intention to visit the contact line. Discussed the risks posed by Nord Stream 2 construction. Touched upon Germanys support for the European integration course of Ukraine, Zelensky posted on Twitter.

The President thanked Germany for its continued support for Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Presidents Office informs.

Volodymyr Zelensky and Robert Habeck also discussed Ukraines European integration. In particular, the President noted the importance of Germany giving a political signal regarding the European prospect of Ukraine.

In turn, Robert Habeck praised Ukraines efforts to implement the European integration course and noted the readiness of his political force for constructive cooperation in this direction.

The parties stressed the inadmissibility of Russias aggressive actions which pose a threat to peace and stability in Europe, including the recent increase in the number of Russian troops on Ukraines borders.

The President informed about the security situation in Donbas and the risks caused by the concentration of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. He also spoke about the steps Ukraine is taking to achieve peace. The President welcomed Robert Habecks decision to visit the contact line in the east.

I highly appreciate your decision. You will be able to see with your own eyes the real picture of Russian aggression against Ukraine. I hope that what you saw in Donbas will help strengthen the position of your political force in support of Ukraine, the President said.

The interlocutors discussed the risks of the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project. Volodymyr Zelensky and Robert Habeck agreed that this is a geopolitical project, not an economic one.

During the discussion of cooperation in the field of energy, the parties expressed mutual interest in the implementation of joint projects in support of the European Green Deal, as well as in the framework of the Energy Partnership between Ukraine and Germany.

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Ukraine will terminate flights with Belarus from 00:00 on May 26.

The Cabinet of Ministers made such a decision at its extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, May 25, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on his Telegram channel.

"Ukraine will terminate flights with Belarus from 00:00 on May 26. At its extraordinary meeting, the government has just instructed the Ministry of Infrastructure, the State Aviation Service and UkSATSE [Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise] to take the necessary measures," Shmyhal wrote.

According to him, Ukrainian airlines and aircraft will be banned from flying over Belarus. The State Border Guard Service has also been instructed to stop the registration of passengers traveling from or to Belarus at airport customs checkpoints.

"The situation with the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk is a violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The decision by our government is aimed at ensuring the safety of flights and passengers," Shmyhal said.

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The Kokomo School Corporation Board of School Trustees has appointed one of its own as superintendent.

Tonight, Kokomo school board members approved a three-year contract for Dr. Michael Sargent as superintendent. DSargent begins his duties at Kokomo Schools July 1 with an annual salary of $141,500.00. Board President Crystal Sanburn noted that after an extensive search, the board believed the best fit happened to be right here in Kokomo Schools.

Dr. Sargent is a Kokomo High School graduate and has spent his entire professional career working for the Kokomo School Corporation, Sanburn said. We were searching for someone who could carry on the innovative programs that have been introduced and implemented during Dr. Hauswalds 11-year tenure. And who better than the assistant superintendent who has been profoundly involved both with the planning and implementation of many of those programs? This Board is confident that Dr. Sargent is ready to lead Kokomo Schools.

Current Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald, who has accepted a superintendent position with the Monroe County Community School Corporation, effective July 1, 2021, believes the board made a good choice.

The hiring of the superintendent is one of the core responsibilities of the Board of School Trustees, Dr. Hauswald said. Now, as the outgoing superintendent, it is incumbent on me to work assiduously to create a smooth transition; one that provides the necessary support, communication, and preparedness which creates the conditions that help Dr. Sargent lead this district in the way he best sees fit. Personally, having Dr. Sargent as a colleague these past 11 years, I am confident the district is in great hands. I wish Dr. Sargent and the entire Kokomo School community much continued success in the coming years.

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The new superintendent noted that he was both honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve his home community in this new capacity.

I appreciate the boards professionalism, leadership, and integrity throughout the selection process, Dr. Sargent said. We have much to be proud of in Kokomo Schools. The Kokomo School Corporation provides parents and students with school choice through the expansion of preschool options, the creation of academic programs, and the enhancement of a wide range of learning experiences for students.

Sargent has spent his entire professional career working for Kokomo Schools. He began in 2002 as a special education teacher at Maple Crest and then at Kokomo High School before joining the administrative team as assistant principal, and then principal, at Bon Air Middle School, and as principal at Central Middle School.

After one school year as interim principal at Kokomo High School, Sargent moved to the district administration in 2014 as Director of Student Programs and Evaluation before serving the past six school years as Assistant Superintendent.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 01:17:01|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported 4,938 new COVID-19 cases, raising the nationwide caseload to 1,176,980.

The ministry also confirmed 27 new deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 16,241, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 4,279 to 1,090,891.

A total of 10,206,732 tests have been carried out in Iraq since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 45,719 done during the day, the ministry said in a statement.

It also said that 27,543 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 during the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses administered in Iraq to 549,969.

Iraq has been pushing forward its vaccination drive since the drug authority approved the emergency use of China's Sinopharm vaccine and other COVID-19 vaccines.

Since the early stage of the pandemic in 2020, the Chinese government has sent medical aid to Iraq and donated two shipments of Sinopharm vaccines to the country. Enditem
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhen Yenin met with Ambassador of Malaysia to Ukraine Dato' Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah in connection with the completion of his diplomatic mission.

This was reported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on May 24.

Yenin thanked the Malaysian diplomat for his efforts and personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Malaysian relations, Malaysia's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as cooperation in investigating the downing of flight MH17.

The deputy foreign minister noted the important role of the Malaysian ambassador in the planned opening of the ASEAN Center at the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, designed to become a unique cultural, educational and social center for the development of contacts between Ukraine and the ASEAN member states.

The interlocutors separately discussed steps to intensify the political dialogue between Ukraine and Malaysia, and events of bilateral cooperation that will take place in the near future.

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OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid will visit Ukraine this week for meetings with high-level Ukrainian officials and travel to the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area, according to a report on the OSCE website.

"Schmid plans to hold talks with senior-level officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Dmytro Razumkov. The talks will focus on the crisis in and around Ukraine and on ways to strengthen co-operation between the OSCE and Ukraine," the report reads.

During her visit, the Secretary General will also meet with staff members from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU). She will also meet with representatives of international humanitarian organizations, as well as civil society representatives and youth activists.

Schmid also plans to visit eastern Ukraine to see first-hand the situation in conflict-affected areas and the work being carried out by SMM and PCU on the ground.

Earlier, during the Berlin Security Conference on May 18, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid announced her visit to Ukraine.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that Ukraine's decision to stop flights to Belarus was motivated by political and safety considerations.

He told this to the Dom television channel, according to Ukrinform.

He said the Belarusian authorities "have crossed another red line in relation not only to their citizens, but also to citizens of other countries and to international law."

"Of course, such actions cannot go unanswered, because if we let it go now, Alexander Lukashenko will go further tomorrow and do something even more brazen and cruel. Therefore, the answer must be very principled," Kuleba said.

He added that this ban means that planes will not be allowed to fly from Ukrainian airports to airports in Belarus and Ukrainian airlines will not be allowed to transit through Belarusian airspace.

"Why was this decision made? At first glance, it may seem political, and it is one. But it also concerns safety, because the actions of the Belarusian authorities are unpredictable, and we cannot assess in advance all the risks of being in Belarusian airspace. Therefore we have to care about the safety of Ukrainian citizens," the minister said.

He also noted that the European Union had made a similar decision. Therefore, Belarus will not receive transit funds from airlines, he said.

"I also want to emphasize that this decision will lead to a certain increase in revenues to Ukraine, because airlines of the European Union and other countries that previously flew over Belarus and paid respective funds to its budget will now fly through Ukraine and, accordingly, pay transit costs. But first of all, in this situation, of course, we care about the protection of our citizens and we want the Belarusian authorities to come to their senses, stop their arbitrariness and begin to respect human rights and international rules," Kuleba said.

The Cabinet of Ministers decided at an extraordinary meeting that Ukraine would suspend air travel with Belarus from 00:00 on May 26.

On May 23, Belarusian security forces detained the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, Roman Protasevich, after they forced a Ryanair plane, on which he was traveling from Athens to Vilnius, to land in Minsk.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko strongly condemn the violation of the rights and freedoms of media representatives by the authorities of Belarus.

"Continued persecution of journalists, attack on freedom of speech and life of journalists continue contrary to the requirements of the democratic world and international obligations of Belarus. By usurping the Belarusian information space, Minsk is deliberately and unscrupulously trying to establish total information control and fill it exclusively with pro-government propaganda, which cannot be done in modern world," the statement reads.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy call on Ukrainian journalists, representatives of human rights organizations, and civil society activists to refrain from traveling to Belarus, given the threat and unpredictability of actions by its authorities.

"We demand that the Belarusian authorities must immediately release Raman Pratasevich and other political prisoners, end repression against independent media, and restore respect for human rights and freedoms," the statement says.

As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a decision to suspend air travel with Belarus from 00:00 on May 26.

The decision was prompted by the detention of Raman Pratasevich, one of the founders of the opposition Nexta Telegram channel after an emergency landing of a Ryanair passenger plane en route from Athens to Vilnius due to an alleged bomb threat report in Minsk on May 23.

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Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia to NATO headquarters on Tuesday, May 25, to discuss preparations for the NATO Summit on June 14, as well as Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the actions of the Belarusian authorities.

This was said in a press release published on the NATO website.

"The Secretary General and the Prime Minister addressed the situation in Ukraine. Mr Stoltenberg said that while Russia has pulled back some troops, tens of thousands remain in and around Ukraine, as well as significant amounts of weapons. He added that Russia continues to restrict navigation in the Black Sea, including near the Kerch Strait. According to the Secretary General, this is part of a pattern of aggressive actions, which raise serious concerns," the report reads.

Stoltenberg added that NATO will remain vigilant, continue to strengthen its deterrence and defence, and support its partners.

During their meeting, the two leaders also discussed the situation in Belarus. "The forced landing of a passenger flight by Belarus was dangerous and unacceptable," said the Secretary General. The North Atlantic Council will address this issue later today, he said.

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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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba discussed with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu preparations for the Crimean Platform summit.

Dmytro Kuleba expressed gratitude to the Turkish side for its firm position of non-recognition of the Russian Federations attempts to legitimize the temporary occupation of Crimea, as well as for Turkeys strong support for the Crimean Platform initiative, the Ministrys press service informs.

Ukraine is grateful to Turkey for its principled stand in the issue of Crimea. Kyiv and Ankara are united by the understanding that Crimea is Ukraine. It has been and will be Ukraine. Attempts to legitimize Russias temporary occupation of the peninsula are doomed to failure," Kuleba said.

Cavusoglu reaffirmed Turkeys unconditional support for Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders and assured of Turkeys readiness to take part in the Crimean Platform summit on August 23 this year and its further activities.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey stressed that the support for Ukraines territorial integrity and the non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia was not only a long-standing and consistent policy of Ankara but also a matter of principle for Turkey.

The parties discussed the implementation of agreements reached by the heads of state at the 9th meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council of Ukraine and Turkey in Istanbul on April 10.

A separate topic of conversation was the preparations for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and the international Ukraine Reform Conference, which will be held in Vilnius on July 7-8.

The chief diplomats of Ukraine and Turkey paid special attention to the security situation in the Middle East. The Ukrainian minister noted the important contribution of Ankaras diplomatic efforts to halting the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The diplomats stressed the need for further consolidated efforts by the international community to prevent bloodshed and ensure a lasting settlement of the conflict in the Middle East.

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The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service (SBGS) expects an increase in passenger traffic on Ukraine's border with Belarus due to the cessation of flights to this country, SBGS spokesperson Andriy Demchenko has told Ukrinform.

"A certain increase in passenger traffic on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border is not ruled out due to the cessation of flights," he said.

Demchenko noted that passenger traffic at this section of the border was not critical and has decreased significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, if there is a significant increase, the Ukrainian border agency is ready to increase the number of patrols, he said.

Demchenko said that more than 190,000 people crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border over the first four months of 2021.

According to him, passengers traveling to Belarus by air are currently registered at the airports of Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhia. About 6,000 people were registered last week (for entry and exit), and the vast majority of them were foreigners, Demchenko said.

The Cabinet of Ministers decided at an extraordinary meeting on May 25 that Ukraine would stop flights to and from Belarus from 00:00 on May 26.

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The Fulbright Program recently announced that Professor Anna M. Klobucka (Portuguese) is the recipient of a Fulbright research fellowship for residence in Portugal during the winter and spring of 2022. Klobuckas research project, titled Among Women: Cultural Agency, Sociability, and Sexuality on the Margins of Portuguese Modernism, will examine cultural production and agency by Portuguese women who were active during the period of canonical Portuguese modernism in the early 20th century by focusing on structures of collaboration and sociability among them.

As a naturalized citizen of the United States whose work has addressed Portuguese-language literatures and Lusophone cultural history, I am proud and delighted to be able to represent US academia as a Fulbright Scholar in Portugal. With this project, I seek to tell a different story of Portuguese modernism, one that attends comprehensively to the unprecedented flourishing of womens participation in the countrys male-dominated cultural and literary sphere in the first decades of the 20th century, said Dr. Klobucka.

To highlight and problematize the multifaceted activity of women as cultural agents in early twentieth-century Portugal, Klobucka seeks to uncover and map historical evidence of cultural work by Portuguese women who loved women. In her research, she has found that many of these women are little known despite having led extraordinary lives and part of her research will be directed toward biographical reclamation. Klobucka aims to draw out diverse narratives of individual womens engagements with the opportunities of modernity and the challenges of patriarchal and heteronormative regimes governing Portuguese society.

Klobucka will visit Portugal during the first half of 2022 and will explore a wide variety of primary sources, such as periodicals and unpublished correspondence, held in both public and private collections. The product of this research will be a published book manuscript in English with a Portuguese translation.

At UMass Dartmouth, which she joined in 2001, Klobucka teaches primarily Portuguese and Lusophone African literatures and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies. She is the author or editor of several books on various cultural and historical issues in Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world. Her articles have appeared in Coloquio/Letras, Luso-Brazilian Review, Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies, Slavic and Eastern European Journal, and SubStance, among other journals. She served as Vice-President (2003-04) and President (2005-06) of the American Portuguese Studies Association and currently serves as editor of the Portuguese Language Textbook Series and co-editor of the journal Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies, both published by Tagus Press/Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass Dartmouth, and as co-editor of the Journal of Feminist Scholarship. Klobucka holds an MA in Iberian Studies from the University of Warsaw (Poland) and a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University.

The Fulbright Scholar Award program is one of the most prestigious research fellowships in the world. Since its inception in 1946, over 400,000 Fulbright scholars from more than 160 countries have researched a multitude of disciplines. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
05/25/2021

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu





LOWELL, Mass.  Biotech and medical-device entrepreneurs preparing to test their innovations in clinical trials will gain insights into that process during free programs presented by the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center ( M2D2 ).





The Clinical Trial Program Series, which begins next month via Zoom, will unite entrepreneurs with industry and government leaders to share best practices, challenges, funding issues and a road map for successful clinical trials. M2D2 is a joint venture of UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School in Worcester. The center assists entrepreneurs with all aspects of moving new products and technologies from the drawing board to the marketplace.





Each program in the three-part series will focus on a different topic and feature a variety of leaders in this sector.





This series is a great opportunity for people to learn about clinical trials from true experts; even those with strong experience in the field will find insights from our speakers. I look forward to leading the session on June 9 about investors and financial strategy, which are two of our most popular educational topics, said M2D2 Co-Director Dr. Nathaniel Hafer, director of the UMass Center for Translational Science and assistant professor of molecular medicine at UMass Medical School.





M2D2 operates lab-based business incubators in Lowell and Worcester and provides networking opportunities, pitch competitions and other programs for startups. The clinical trials series is the latest contribution to these efforts.





We look forward to introducing series participants not only to the clinical trials process but to all M2D2 has to offer them, said Brennan Fournier, the centers program manager.





Participants may attend any or all of the programs. More about each events speakers and registration information is available via the links below. The events include:

Medical Product Development 101 , Wednesday, June 2, noon  This session will help entrepreneurs understand the best market for their product, along with how to plan for and design their clinical trials. The program will be moderated by Eric Claude, vice president of product development, MPR Associates Inc. For more, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/medical-product-development-101-tickets-146652815519.

, Wednesday, June 2, noon  This session will help entrepreneurs understand the best market for their product, along with how to plan for and design their clinical trials. The program will be moderated by Eric Claude, vice president of product development, MPR Associates Inc. For more, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/medical-product-development-101-tickets-146652815519. Investor and Financial Strategy , Wednesday, June 9, noon  Budgeting, risk mitigation, company partnerships and how to raise capital will be among the topics addressed in this session, which will be led by Hafer. For more, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/investor-and-financial-strategy-tickets-146655391223.

, Wednesday, June 9, noon  Budgeting, risk mitigation, company partnerships and how to raise capital will be among the topics addressed in this session, which will be led by Hafer. For more, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/investor-and-financial-strategy-tickets-146655391223. Key Considerations and Best Practices, Tuesday, June 15, noon  This session will explore the most effective ways to conduct clinical trials and how to engage with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, among other issues. The programs moderator will be Rachel Rath, Johnson & Johnson Innovations director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority alliance. For more, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/key-considerations-best-practices-tickets-146657557703.

M2D2 has vetted more than 250 medical-device and biotech ventures for inclusion in its programs and provided support to more than 100 startups since the center was founded in 2007. In total, M2D2 resident companies have secured more than $150 million in external funding for their innovations.





About M2D2
Are you a refugee or asylum-seeker looking for a way to study at a university or pursue other forms of higher education? Click here to browse scholarship opportunities and academic programmes.

Our vision is a future where all refugees are included in the communities that host them. Where refugees are able to participate in education and employment and become not only self-reliant but vital contributors to local economies.

Expanding access to secondary and higher education for refugees is central to achieving this vision which is at the heart of both the Global Compact for Refugees and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet, right now, gaining access to higher education is still a battle against the odds for refugees with only 3% enrolled in higher education.

This is why in December 2020, we launched Aiming Higher, a campaign to change this through funding scholarships for talented refugees.

Private and Government funding has already contributed 68% of funds needed to reach our target of 9,200 scholars enrolled and studying.

Now, Aiming Higher is calling on companies, foundations and individuals to help raise the further $23 million needed by 2023 to bridge the funding gap and ensure that 1,800 refugee scholars are not left behind.

The difference you can make

Aiming Higher is a call to invest in the best chance we have for a collective future  smart, dedicated young minds.

Higher education for refugees not only helps the scholars but their whole community. It paves the way for employment and realizes their potential to actively contribute to their local economies; whether refugees are hosted in a country of asylum, have been resettled or have returned home.

Esther, South Sudanese scholar studying Commerce in Uganda "UNHCR's Refugee Scholarship (DAFI) has turned my life around, socially and academically. My family has hope that things will change for them. They are waiting for me to graduate, then they will send my younger siblings to university. They will walk in my footsteps."

Were calling on you and your companies, organizations, foundations and employees to help raise the $23 million needed by 2023 to get 1800 refugee students like Esther into higher education.

Make a personal donation

Provide a young refugee scholar with the opportunity to attend higher education. Or make a contribution towards the cost of books, transport and living costs

Donate today

Engage your organization by setting a challenge to raise funds for refugee scholars

We can support you and your team to create a memorable experience for employees or members and raise funds for refugee scholars. Please contact Paula Holloway ([email protected]) for more information.

Support Aiming Higher through your company or foundation

Your company or foundation can ensure that refugee scholars can become the leaders of tomorrow. For more information please contact Simon Jackson ([email protected]).

The UNHCR Refugee scholarship programme

UNHCRs Refugee Scholarships Programme (DAFI) is the longest-running and largest standalone higher education scholarship programme for refugees. Right now, there are students in 53 countries. Over its 28-year history, it has supported more than 18,500 young refugee women and men to pursue their undergraduate degrees.

Are you a refugee or asylum seeker who is looking to obtain a scholarship? Search the range of scholarship opportunities here

Monther Alhoshan from Syria, studying law on a UNHCR scholarship "I was accepted in the programme in 2014. I cannot even describe how I felt that day. I was getting my hopes and my dreams back. Education is everything in my life. Eventually, I want to go back to Syria and serve our people there, by using my skills and my knowledge."

Help students like Monther with your donation

The many challenges that refugees face do not stop refugee scholars from excelling in their chosen disciplines. In 2020, only 1% of DAFI students had to repeat an academic year and the programme has an extremely low dropout rate of less than 3%.

The UNHCR Refugee Scholarship programme is:

Cost-effective: on average a scholarship costs just $3200 per year. This includes tuition and fees but also associated costs like housing, transport and food.

Fair and inclusive: the programme actively ensures there is equal and inclusive access.

Focused on career readiness: though improving the preparedness and employability of students. This includes career readiness trainings, skills training, internships and mentoring as well as volunteering and networking opportunities.

What we have achieved so far

In the first five months of the campaign, Aiming Higher has raised over $4 million dollars through the generous investments of corporations and individuals, making it possible for 1250 scholars to complete one full year of their higher education.

Bahati Hategekimana from Rwanda recently completed a Nursing degree on a UNHCR refugee scholarship "Thank you for being there for me and for supporting me when the doors of opportunity would open. Passing this exam means that I am finally a registered nurse!"

When you multiply that with the communities and people who experience the ripple effect of that education, the impact is almost impossible to fathom.

And this is only the beginning. With the help of Aiming Higher, the UNHCR scholarship programme is poised to see ever-larger numbers of graduates becoming part of the global refugee scholarship alumni family.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 01:17:11|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- In Finland, residents can now download or print their national COVID-19 certificate free of charge directly from the online health record system Omakanta, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

The STM has issued a decree stipulating that residents may do so if they have received a COVID-19 vaccine; have a recent negative COVID-19 test; or have immunity based on recovery.

The decree that took effect on Tuesday does not specify where the certificates can be used. The new measure is widely seen as aimed at facilitating tourist travel.

The Omakanta service can be accessed by using either a digital ID issued by the Finnish banking industry or by a national ID card.

The new service will be introduced in stages. As of May 26, a national COVID-19 vaccination certificate will be made available, which will include information about the vaccines administered. From July, the system would also issue the European Union's (EU) digital COVID-19 certificate, which will include vaccination details, negative test results and proof of recovery, the STM said.

The STM reiterated on Tuesday that Finns should continue to refrain from non-essential travel as the pandemic is still far from over. Travelers should check their destination countries' official websites for information, it said.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Finland have yet to decide on the adjustment of entry regulations for foreign nationals. According to a draft government bill, people arriving in Finland would have to provide reliable proof of COVID-19 vaccination, a negative test result or proof of recovery. Otherwise they should get tested upon arrival and again three to five days later. Enditem
Residents pick up the remains of their destroyed homes from the smouldering lava deposited by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 23 May.  Reuters/Olivia Acland

Following the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 22 May, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is assessing the needs of affected communities in the city of Goma.

Thousands of people fled their homes on foot on Saturday night, carrying mattresses and other belongings as lava flowed towards Goma, burning down villages on the way. Many of them were welcomed by host families in Goma and surrounding areas, while several thousand fled across the border into Rwanda.

According to authorities, 32 people died in incidents linked to the eruption, including seven people killed by lava and five asphyxiated by gases.

Led by the Red Cross, a significant effort is underway to reunite several hundred children who were separated from their families as they fled.

The lava flow stopped on Sunday, but there have been repeated earthquakes since the eruption and the lava lake in the volcanos crater appears to have refilled, prompting fears of new fissures opening or another eruption.

The Mount Nyiragongo volcano last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and making more than 100,000 homeless. It is among the worlds most active and dangerous volcanoes and its activity continues to be closely monitored.

Most people who fled on Saturday have returned home, including the majority of those who fled to Rwanda. UNHCR stands ready to continue supporting the Rwandan authorities in addressing the emergency needs of people who have not yet returned to the DRC following the eruption.

UNHCR participated in a joint evaluation to assess the damage on Sunday, together with the government of the DRC and other humanitarian agencies. From the air, the eruptions path south from the volcano is clear. Two villages on Gomas northern tip were destroyed and two others were almost completely covered by lava. Our staff have heard testimonies from families who lost their homes, and from others who lost children and other loved ones. Entire neighborhoods have been left without any electricity and there are fears of water shortages.

The road leading to northern parts of North Kivu province is also damaged by lava, which will hamper the transport of food and goods to the area around Beni, where some 280,000 people displaced by conflict and insecurity since January 2021 rely on humanitarian aid. Beni is some 240 kilometres north of Goma, and other access routes have been blocked by closed borders since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

UNHCR is preparing to assist those in need of shelter and relief items in the Goma area in coordination with other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, and in support of the governments emergency response. Funding is urgently needed to help us assist those affected. UNHCR has received just 17 per cent of the US$204.8 million needed for our operations in the DRC.

This latest disaster comes on top of the over 2 million people already displaced by brutal violence in North Kivu province, of which Goma is the capital. This year alone, 450,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. UNHCR continues to work with the government, local communities, and other partners to help the internally displaced, offering shelter, core relief items and support for local protection activities, as well as protection monitoring that serves the whole response.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
LGBTQ Oregonians, and the families and neighbors that support them, are invited to a communi

About the authors

Jenny Kalvaitis has a masters degree in public history and she has worked in informal education and museum education for over 10 years.

Kristen Whitson has a masters degree in library and information science and she has worked in digital preservation, community and indigenous archives, and LGBTQ+ archives.
Octogenarian Ex-CM defeats coronavirus for 2nd time in two months 12 Jun 2021 | 9:43 AM Shimla, Jun 12 (UNI) Octogenarian and six times former chief minister Virbhadra Singh has defeated COVID-19 for the second time in the last two months. see more..

Land being prepared for revolution in Horticulture under Shiva project 12 Jun 2021 | 9:43 AM Hamirpur, Jun 12 (UNI) The Department of Horticulture has started a drive to make Hamirpur district as a pioneer district in field of Horticulture and work for creating thirty-five demonstration plots was in full swing these days. see more..

District Ayush officer handed over packets of Ayush Kwath kadha to the SP 12 Jun 2021 | 9:43 AM Hamirpur, Jun 12 (UNI) The Department of Ayush has sent another consignment of Ayush Kwath kadha for the victims of corona infection and the corona warriors and frontline workers who are continuously giving duty during the corona period in various parts of the state. see more..

COVID-19: MPs body count rises to 8,510 12 Jun 2021 | 3:31 AM Bhopal, June 11 (UNI) The fatality figure owing to the millennium scourge rose to 8,510 on Friday in Madhya Pradesh where 35 fresh demises were reported even as the infected tally touched 7,87,572 with 397 more instances being detected during analysis of 79,261 specimens.

A Health Services Directorate bulletin issued tonight said that the incidence rate has dropped to 0.5 per cent and the active cases number below 6,000. Indore District continued to have the dubious distinction of spawning the highest 117 new sufferers; Bhopal 97; Jabalpur 34; Gwalior and Betul eight; Ratlam, Harda and Khargone seven each; Raisen and Rajgarh six each.



The silver lining is that 7,73,615 individuals recuperated; including 1,240 on this very day. see more..
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International students are in panic mode. Can they get back to US in time for fall term?
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 01:39:04|Editor: huaxia

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BAKU, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Azerbaijani government on Tuesday said most of the COVID-19 restrictions would be relaxed in the country starting from the end of the month, as the number of new cases has been declining in the past weeks.

Speaking at a press briefing of the Operational Headquarters for COVID-19 prevention and control, Shahmar Movsumov, an assistant to the president, said people will no longer need to wear a face mask outdoors from May 31.

"In addition, the Baku metro and inter-city public transport will resume its work," he said.

However, wearing a face mask indoors and in public transport is still mandatory.

He said that from June 10, large shopping centers, places of worship, gyms and health centers will also reopen across the country but with certain restrictions on the number of visitors.

Movsumov also revealed the government's plans to introduce COVID passports.

"At the first stage we plan to make COVID passports mandatory for those wishing to visit a gym or a health center. In the future, these passports will allow citizens to visit cinemas, theatres, and also receive other advantages, like holding a wedding ceremony, for example," he added.

The country registered 284 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing its total to 332,894, according to the Operational Headquarters.

A total of 2,021,371 people have received jabs in the country so far, of them nearly 863,000 fully vaccinated, health authorities said.

Most of the air traffic in and out of the country still remains suspended, with the exception of a limited number of special, private, and charter flights. Enditem
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 03:15:52|Editor: huaxia

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Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia James Swan (on the screen) briefs a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Somalia at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 25, 2021. The top UN envoy in Somalia, James Swan, on Tuesday called on leaders in the country to negotiate in good faith to break the current political stalemate caused by delayed elections. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The top UN envoy in Somalia, James Swan, on Tuesday called on leaders in the country to negotiate in good faith to break the current political stalemate caused by delayed elections.

"I once again urge Somali leaders to find solutions in good faith, and to demonstrate the leadership the country requires of them at this historic moment," he told the Security Council in a briefing.

Prime Minister Mohamed Roble is convening a new summit between the Somali federal government and federal member states, in a welcome return to dialogue after the earlier period of confrontation, said Swan, the UN secretary-general's special representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia.

Following a series of closed-door confidence-building meetings, discussions are now centered on resolving the outstanding issues related to the implementation of the Sept. 17 of 2020 electoral agreement, he said.

So far, a positive atmosphere prevails, and all sides report progress being made in the discussions. It appears the parties are very close to an agreement, he said.

The signatories to the Sept. 17 agreement must now commit to a clear way forward with the holding of elections. Without this, progress on key national priorities will continue to be hampered, or worse, reversed, in critical areas, including in the security, economic and development sectors, he warned.

Swan said the security situation in Somalia continues to be of grave concern. Al-Shabaab remains a serious threat manifesting the ability to plan and execute complex attacks on a range of targets across Somalia.

The humanitarian situation is still dire, with 5.9 million Somalis -- or more than one-third of the population -- are in need of humanitarian assistance this year. Of these, over 3 million are in acute need of life-saving assistance, he said.

While 80 percent of the country is impacted by drought conditions, heavy rains are at the same time causing seasonal flash flooding in some riverine areas. Erratic climatic shocks have led to greater displacement and increased food insecurity, he said. Enditem
KINGSTON  Emily McLellan is excited about starting freshman year at the University of New Hampshire in the fall, but shes been worried that her aging 1996 Toyota Corolla might not be able to handle the regular commute.
Earlier this month, voters in Salem and Windham anted up $6.1 million to guarantee access to something theyve never needed in the past  water from Manchester.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 05:01:34|Editor: huaxia

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HAVANA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Cuba reported 1,291 new daily COVID-19 infections and 11 more deaths, reaching 135,499 cases and 901 deaths, the Ministry of Public Health said on Tuesday.

Havana registered another 570 new cases and continues to have the highest incidence rate in the country, the ministry's director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran said during his daily COVID-19 report.

The official also announced a series of new measures effective as of June 5, due to the increase in imported cases in the last few weeks, especially among Cubans traveling to the Varadero beach resort and the keys north of the center of the island.

Cubans who return to the island through the airports at these points will have to quarantine for seven days in tourist facilities.

Meanwhile, the health ministry has been carrying out a mass vaccination campaign in seven of the capital's municipalities for almost two weeks, which continues in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba and the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud.

The most advanced Cuban vaccine candidates, Soberana-02 and Abdala, are being used, and the country has three other vaccine candidates, Soberana-01 and Soberana Plus, as well as Mambisa, in different phases of clinical trials.

So far, more than 770,000 Cubans have been vaccinated. Enditem
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
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 05:12:27|Editor: huaxia

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Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Somalia at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 25, 2021. Zhang Jun on Tuesday called on parties in Somalia to strive to break the current political deadlock over delayed elections. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on parties in Somalia to strive to break the current political deadlock over delayed elections.

Somalia's situation is at a critical juncture, and the political deadlock over delayed elections is still continuing, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Leaders of the Somali federal government have reiterated their commitment to the electoral consensus reached on Sept. 17, 2020, and once again convened a dialogue among parties in Somalia. China fully recognizes such efforts, he told the Security Council.

"To break the current political stalemate serves the common interests of parties and people in Somalia. We encourage parties in Somalia to put the interests of the country first, strengthen unity and cooperation, make necessary compromises, rebuild political trust, swiftly agree on electoral arrangements, restore Somalia's political stability so as to provide favorable conditions for the security transition and national reconstruction."

Zhang expressed concern over the dire security situation in Somalia and commended the efforts of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMSOM) in this regard.

China welcomes the mandate extension of AMSOM by the African Union Peace and Security Council and takes note of its efforts toward AMSOM's reconfiguration, he said.

The European Union has provided important funding support for AMSOM. China expects the bloc to continue its strong support so as to make new contributions to the maintenance of security and stability in Somalia. The international community should step up assistance to help Somali security forces gradually take over security responsibilities, said Zhang.

Somalia has long been in a deep humanitarian crisis. Lagging development, COVID-19, droughts, the locust plague have further compounded the plight of Somalis. The international community should provide more assistance in areas such as the fight against COVID-19, post-pandemic reconstruction, debt relief, food security, and poverty reduction, he said.

China has long supported Somalia's peace and reconstruction within its capacity. China has helped Somalia build infrastructure and enhance capacity building. It has recently donated COVID vaccines to Somalia. China will work with the international community to make greater contributions to lasting peace and sustainable development in Somalia, he said. Enditem
Milledgeville, GA (31061)

Today

Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High around 90F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Union Springs, AL (36089)

Today

Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly in the morning. High 91F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
The San Gabriel and Angelina residence halls, located at 951 Moore St., are the dormitories the Office of the President announced will be named after Black/Latinx distinguished individuals.
About the Wellness Center

The UNO Wellness Center includes programs and services offered by Campus Recreation, the Nebraska Medicine UNO Health Center, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Wellness Center Hours of Operation

Summer hours are happening now at the UNO Wellness Center.

Monday-Friday from 6 A.M. to 8 P.M.

from 6 A.M. to 8 P.M. Saturday-Sunday from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Memberships

All current UNO students taking on campus, online, or remote classes have access to the Wellness Center. If you are not taking any classes, there are options available by month or semester.



Faculty and Staff can choose from full or block membership by month or semester.

Nebraska Medicine UNO Health Center

Your health doesn't take a break over the summer. Neither does the Nebraska Medicine UNO Health Center. The UNO Health Center is open for in-person and telehealth care depending on your needs.

Summer Hours

Monday-Friday: 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. (Wednesdays are telehealth only)

8 A.M. to 4 P.M. (Wednesdays are telehealth only) Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Counseling and Psychology Services (CAPS)

CAPS Services are available to ALL enrolled students regardless of modality (i.e. in person or online classes). Please call 402.554.2409 to schedule an appointment. Limitations may exist for students who are currently living outside of the state of Nebraska, and the counselor will discuss alternative options if this is the case.

Resources for Faculty and Staff

As part of the Faculty and Staff Employee Assistance Program (FSEAP), UNO has contracted with Best Care Employee Assistance Program to provide confidential counseling and referral services to benefit-eligible Faculty and Staff and their eligible dependents.
Chairman CPEC Authority Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa here on Tuesday said that China would bring more investment in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Chairman CPEC Authority Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa here on Tuesday said that China would bring more investment in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said investment of around US $13 billion had already been made in various sectors under the mega project while an additional investment of US $ 12 billion was in the pipeline.

He made these remarks while addressing the media after visiting a textile mill established by a Chinese company "Challenge Group".

Expressing satisfaction over the establishment of the factory of international standard by the Challenge Group, he said the owner of the company was now keen to establish his own Special Economic Zone in Pakistan that would be exclusively an export oriented zone and all the goods produced by that SEZ would be exported to other countries.

He said a number of more Chinese were lining up for investment in Pakistan's industrial sector and soon all would be accommodated.

Asim Bajwa said the visa date was also being extended for the Chinese investors as the period of visas was being increased from three months to two years. He said CPEC was bringing economic revolution in Pakistan and its benefits could be witnessed clearly in Gwadar port city.

He said there was no limit of cooperation with China as it was ready to cooperate with Pakistan in every field. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan himself was leading issues related to agriculture livestock sectors.
French media and social networks were abuzz Tuesday with speculation about a mysterious offer to influencers and YouTube personalities asking them to publicly denigrate the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in return for money

Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :French media and social networks were abuzz Tuesday with speculation about a mysterious offer to influencers and YouTube personalities asking them to publicly denigrate the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in return for money.

Those targeted by the campaign, who are active in the health and science fields, said they had received an email from an apparently UK-based communications agency offering them "a partnership" on behalf of a client with "a colossal budget" but who wanted to remain anonymous and also to keep any deal secret.

"Strange. I've received a partnership proposal which consists of slamming the Pfizer vaccine in a video," tweeted Leo Grasset, whose popular science channel has nearly 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube.

"Colossal budget, client wants to remain incognito, and I'd have to hide the sponsorship." He added: "Incredible.

The address of the London agency that contacted me is fake. They never had a presence there, it's a laser surgery centre. All staff have weird LinkedIn profiles." The profiles he found had now disappeared, but not before he noticed that "everybody there has worked in Russia".

Sami Ouladitto, a comedian with nearly 400,000 subscribers, reported a similar approach, as did Et Ca Se Dit Medecin (And They Call Themselves Doctors), a hospital intern with 84,000 followers on Instagram.

"This is pathetic, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible and it's not going to work," French Health Minister Olivier Veran told the BFMTV channel on Tuesday.

French people are mostly in favour of getting vaccinated and "I don't think that any attempt to turn them away from vaccines will work," he said, adding he had "no idea" whether the supposed offer might have originated in Russia.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 05:22:18|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock on Tuesday called for an end to the use of explosive weapons in urban areas and to attacks on medical care.

When explosive weapons are used in urban areas, almost 90 percent of the people killed are civilians. That compares with less than 20 percent when these weapons are used in rural areas, he told a Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

These weapons also inflict a devastating toll on essential civilian infrastructure, he added, calling on fighting parties to change their choice of weapons and tactics.

Medical personnel, transportation and facilities continue to come under attack. Doctors and nurses are threatened, abducted and killed. Facilities and medical transport systems, including ambulances, are destroyed and damaged. The wounded and sick are denied access to care, said Lowcock.

Last year, attacks on health care across 22 conflict-affected countries killed 182 health workers, with the highest numbers losing their lives in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Syria, he said.

Lowcock called on states to ensure that military targets are far from medical facilities; take precautions, including through the issuing of warnings on military action; refrain from using medical facilities to support the military effort; ensure that military rules of engagement respect international humanitarian law.

"States can improve the training of their forces, they can modernize policies to avoid civilian harm, they can adopt a more consistent approach to tracking and recording civilian casualties, they can investigate incidents when they occur, and they can hold those guilty of violations to account," he said.

Lowcock emphasized the crucial importance of accountability. "If war crimes go unpunished, things will get worse. Accountability for violations must be systematic and universal, because what is not punished is encouraged," he said. Enditem
(@FahadShabbir)

Another batch of the COVID-19 vaccine in bulk produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived at Indonesia's Soekarno Hatta Airport Tuesday morning, a senior Indonesian official said

JAKARTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Another batch of the COVID-19 vaccine in bulk produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived at Indonesia's Soekarno Hatta Airport Tuesday morning, a senior Indonesian official said.

"Today we witnessed the arrival of 8 million bulk doses of the COVID-19 Sinovac vaccine," said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, adding it means that Indonesia has so far received a total of 83.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, both in bulk and ready-to-use.

Besides Sinovac vaccines, Indonesia also received vaccines produced by British company AstraZeneca and vaccines produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, according to the official.

Specifically, the Sinopharm vaccine is used for vaccination programs with a mutual cooperation scheme locally called "gotong royong" initiated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where companies or institutions provide COVID-19 vaccines for their employees for free.

Indonesia, with a population of nearly 271.35 million people, is targeting the inoculation of 181.5 million people to create herd immunity.
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 25th May, 2021) DUBAI, 25th May, 2021 (WAM)  General Electric (GE) and the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) have announced a partnership to explore the role of digitisation, lean manufacturing, and workplace safety to support the transformation of manufacturing and economic regeneration both in the UAE and globally.

Through joint thought leadership and knowledge-sharing activities, GE will collaborate with the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit to support manufacturers in deploying digitisation, lean processes and safety protocols to improve efficiencies, eliminate waste, lower costs, increase productivity and uptime and enhance employee satisfaction.

To be held at EXPOs Dubai Exhibition Centre from 22nd to 27th November, the fourth edition of the Summit (GMIS2021) offers a unique international platform to share lessons and explore opportunities around these three crucial enablers, as leaders from the global manufacturing and technology communities engage in discussion and debate to shape the future of manufacturing and industrialisation.

"GE has a 130-year manufacturing heritage with operations across the globe in the critical sectors of energy, healthcare and aviation, and complemented by expertise in digitisation and additive manufacturing," said Nabil Habayeb, Senior Vice President, GE and President & CEO of GE International Markets. "We are pleased to be a partner to GMIS2021 in supporting its role to transform manufacturing and drive economic progress."

GE operates more than 1,000 manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in 130 countries.

The summit is a joint initiative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.

With the event coinciding with Dubai Expo, GMIS2021 will position industrialisation at the centre of the global dialogue, reinforcing the sectors important role in driving economic growth and global prosperity. The theme for GMIS2021 is "Rewiring Societies: Repurposing Digitalisation for Prosperity".

Badr Al Olama, Head of the GMIS Organising Committee, said, "Together, GMIS and GE will leverage their network and expertise to drive digitisation, industrialisation and thought-leadership to deliver insights and support to the global manufacturing community across every line of business  from factory floors to the deployment of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies."

"As manufacturers across the world move towards the next level of industrialisation by tapping into advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, internet of Things, Blockchain and other transformative innovations, this partnership will be a key enabler in shaping the future of the global manufacturing industry," Al Olama added.

The lean methodology has been championed at GE by company Chairman and CEO Larry Culp, who has prioritised lean across the organisation as a way to foster continuous process improvement. By eliminating these unproductive elements and streamlining operations, manufacturing teams can reduce costs, improve quality, shrink turnaround times, and deliver better value.

Safety, the third manufacturing enabler, is GEs number one priority. "Our employees are our most important assets. So we are very clear about this one simple focus: keeping our people safe," Habayeb said in conclusion.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 25th May, 2021) DUBAI, 25th May 2021 (WAM) - H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of the Dubai International Financial Centre, today officially inaugurated the DIFC Innovation Hub located in the Gate Avenue. The facility is part of the new Dubai Future District announced in January 2020 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed said: "The establishment of the DIFC Innovation Hub is an integral part of the strategic roadmap for realising HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoums vision for innovation-driven growth in Dubai. The new facility is a key initiative aimed at generating new economic value by fostering the development of innovation, enterprise and talent across sectors, especially in future-oriented industries. This initiative supports Dubais aspiration to become a leading global player in shaping the future of vital sectors and creating a thriving international innovation hub in Dubai."

"The DIFC Innovation Hub is also a testament to Dubais emphasis on creating strong partnerships with players across the financial services value chain, ranging from large global corporations to promising small and medium enterprises and start-ups. Dubai seeks to constantly enhance its hard and soft infrastructure for innovators, investors and entrepreneurs from across industries to transform ideas into ventures that create enduring value. Amidst the unprecedented changes that the world is currently seeing, Dubais leadership continues to place a high priority on creating new models for growth and development, discovering solutions for turning crises into opportunities and advancing the horizons of technology to help usher in a bright new post-pandemic world," he added.

Sheikh Maktoum commended DIFCs management for contributing to Dubais sustainable development and economic diversification and establishing the Centre as the regions foremost source of financial innovation. DIFC is recognised internationally as a leading global centre for FinTech, and the Innovation Hub is set to play a key role in driving collaboration between early-stage and growth start-ups, tech unicorns and big tech firms to accelerate success. Members of the Hub will benefit significantly from being part of DIFC, the regions largest ecosystem of financial services related companies that are collectively shaping the future of the industry.

H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed approved the expansion of the DIFC Innovation Hub, which will increase its size four-fold to over 315,000 sq. ft. In just two months, the current 80,000 sq. ft. space is being fully utilised. Over the next two years, the expansion will include the development of an additional tower linked to the existing DIFC Innovation Hub. Accommodating up to 1,500 businesses, the building will have fitted offices, co-working spaces and light F&B outlets in the concourse and fine dining outlets at the rooftop level.

Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, and Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, briefed His Highness on DIFCs comprehensive innovation proposition before touring the Innovation Hub to meet talented entrepreneurs, unicorns, visionaries, FinTech pioneers and creators within the Innovation Hub.

Essa Kazim said: "Technology and innovation are strong drivers of Dubais transformational growth, cementing its reputation as a global centre that attracts capital and talent. With a strong focus on promoting promising start-ups and innovative ventures, DIFC is accelerating the strategic and sustainable development of the economy to be future-ready. The DIFC Innovation Hub is the regions dedicated zone for innovators and investors to leverage the extraordinary potential of new generation technology."

Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, said: "Dubai has created a global model for accelerating technology innovation and promoting a culture of entrepreneurship that fosters the development of a new ecosystem of opportunities for tech innovators and investors. As the nation prepares for the Next 50, it is strategically imperative that we create robust platforms that support digital-first, innovative ventures that contribute value to the future economy. DIFC Innovation Hub serves as the definitive destination for nurturing the next unicorns from our region, while helping build a strong FinTech sector and creating new jobs for talented professionals.

"

The regions leading FinTech-focused ecosystem, the DIFC Innovation Hub is a major part of the Dubai Future District in 2020 with over 350 FinTech and innovation firms. The Innovation Hub will strengthen and enrich the DIFC ecosystem significantly by providing FinTechs at all stages of their evolution with unparalleled access to a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and experts.

Tenants range from early to growth-stage start-ups such as YAP, Beehive, Tabby, Xpence, Stake, Rain and Bayzat as well as Thunderbird school of Global Management, part of Arizona State University, Other established tech companies include Ebury, Huawei and Amazon.

FinTech and innovation businesses in the Hub can connect and collaborate with many of the worlds top financial institutions based in DIFC. Following 2020s record performance, more than 2,919 businesses, of which 915 are financial and innovation firms, are active in the Centre.

DIFC academy continues to accelerate the countrys economic growth by developing much-needed local talent. As part of the Centres vision to develop human capital and the skills needed for the future, DIFC Academy has launched the Future Campus, a knowledge platform that offers over 400 online degree programmes, practical skills-based training courses and education opportunities to UAE nationals and residents from leading global academic institutions. The Future Campus, which can serve up to 25,000 students a year, offers programmes that focus on skills and knowledge for the future.

In addition to the broader ecosystem for innovation, DIFC has developed several key initiatives to realise its goal of nurturing innovation and driving the future of finance. Led by the DIFC FinTech Hive, this programme includes its FinTech Accelerator, which recently closed submissions for the first of its two 2021 sprints. The Accelerator provides its participants, of which there have been nearly 130 to date, a programme that includes access to potential partners and investors, as well as workshops, events and co-working spaces within the new Innovation Hub.

DIFC also recently initiated the third edition of its AccelerateHer mentoring programme, which supports gender diversity within the financial community. This career mentoring programme ensures DIFC is actively encouraging the next generation of female business leaders by providing hands-on mentoring and career development support for up to 15 candidates selected every year.

DIFC recognises the importance of enabling start-ups and entrepreneurs to establish, test and scale their innovative businesses within its world-class regulatory and legal framework. To facilitate this, DIFC offers a selection of cost-effective operating and regulatory licenses suitable for businesses of all sizes. For example, the DIFC Innovation License offers a subsidised commercial license for up to four years, enabling a quick and fully digital business setup for non-regulated FinTech and Innovation companies, while the DFSA Innovation Testing License offers a Launchpad for cutting-edge technologies to prove themselves within a regulatory sandbox.

Access to funding remains a key challenge for many start-ups. Not only does the DIFC Innovation Hub connect with a wealth of commercial partners, but it also actively delivers financial initiatives to provide funding. DIFCs own USD 100 million FinTech Fund was established to bridge the funding gap for growth stage start-ups in the region and has successfully financed seven companies to date, including Sarwa, Beehive, NOW Money, FlexxPay, Rise, Rain and Clara.

Meanwhile, given DIFCs track record in successfully fostering new FinTechs and innovations, the new Hubs residents benefit from increased profile amongst Venture Capital (VC) firms looking to identify the next generation of tech unicorns. DIFC also provides greater access to funding from VC firms which are encouraged to join the Centre through its tailored framework for streamlined setup. FinTech firms based in DIFC have now raised more than AED 1.1 billion ($298.8 million). The Innovation Hub will continue to provide financial as well as practical support in delivering the future of finance.
Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :US President Joe Biden slammed Belarus on Monday for the "outrageous" act of forcing a flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk where a dissident journalist onboard was arrested.

"This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Pratasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press," Biden said, using an alternative spelling of the activist's name, after Belarusian tv broadcast video of Roman Protasevich "confessing" to charges of organizing mass unrest.

"I welcome the news that the European Union has called for targeted economic sanctions and other measures, and have asked my team to develop appropriate options to hold accountable those responsible," Biden added in his statement.

Belarus's strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko sparked international outrage by dispatching a fighter jet Sunday to intercept the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying Protasevich, 26, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega.

EU leaders agreed Monday to cut air links with Belarus, and the bloc said it would adopt further "targeted economic sanctions" against Belarusian authorities to add to the 88 regime figures and seven companies already on a blacklist over a crackdown on opposition.

The TV footage showed Protasevich -- who could face 15 years in jail -- with dark markings on his forehead, saying he was being treated "according to the law.""The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners who are being unjustly detained by the Lukashenka regime," Biden said.

The White House added that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had spoken to exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to convey "the United States' strong support for the demands of the Belarusian people for democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms."
Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :President Joe Biden marks the anniversary Tuesday of the police murder of George Floyd by hosting the African American man's family -- but without being able to celebrate hoped-for national police reform.

Floyd's daughter Gianna, his mother, sister and brothers will be among those attending private talks with Biden at the White House, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

"The courage and grace of his family, and especially his daughter Gianna, has really stuck with the president," she told reporters. "He's eager to listen to their perspectives." The choking to death of Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 last year and subsequent conviction of the officer, Derek Chauvin, who'd knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, were seen as seminal moments in the long US struggle for racial equality.

After the killing during Floyd's arrest outside a store, protests and riots erupted across a country already crackling with tension from the election battle between Biden and then president Donald Trump.

In the wake of the verdict this April against Chauvin, who faces sentencing next month, Biden sought to build on political momentum by urging Congress to pass a far-reaching police reform bill in time for the first anniversary.

Americans must confront the "systemic racism" revealed by Floyd's killing "head on," he declared.

However, the ambitious deadline comes with only the House having passed the bill, known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, while the Senate continues to wrangle over key details.

The bill seeks to reform what critics say have become ever more violent and unaccountable police forces around the country.

Opponents argue that police are being unfairly blamed when they are simply trying to operate in a dangerous and often heavily armed society.

However, Biden and reform proponents say that a culture of impunity and underlying racism have made incidents like Floyd's death increasingly common.

- Personal impact on Biden - Among other measures, the bill would ban potentially fatal restraint techniques used on suspects, like chokeholds.

It would also end so-called "no-knock warrants," when police are authorized to burst into a suspect's house unannounced -- a volatile situation that led to the accidental killing of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020.

The most far-reaching of the measures that senators are still debating would be to end current legal protections that block civil lawsuits against police accused of misconduct.

Psaki put a brave face on chances of success, saying "the president is still very much hopeful that he will be able to sign the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act into law." While nothing is easy to get through the heavily divided Congress, Biden hopes that the energy unleashed in the wake of Floyd's death will "help move this legislation across the finish line." Confirming that there's still hope for the bill, House Democrat Karen Bass, Senate Democrat Cory Booker and Republican senator Tim Scott issued a joint statement on Monday citing "progress." "This anniversary serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change. While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic," they said.

For Biden himself, hosting the Floyds for a "real conversation" will be a moving moment, Psaki said.

George Floyd's death was "a day that certainly impacted him personally and impacted millions of Americans."
NEW DELHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :- As India battles a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, a large number of cases of a deadly fungal infection called mucormycosis, or "black fungus," has triggered a new health challenge in the populous South Asian country.

Mucormycosis, which mainly affects people with weak immune systems and can lead to the loss of eyesight and the surgical removal of the nose and jaw bone to stop it from spreading, is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from COVID-19, which has created a cause of concern among people.

"The situation is alarming," Dr. Hemant Deshmukh, dean of the government-run King Edward Memorial Hospital in the financial capital Mumbai, told Anadolu Agency.

"Right now, if you ask me the numbers, it is something like earlier there were five cases in 25 years, and now you are seeing 25 in five days...Such is the situation." While the government, which is battling the second wave of the pandemic, has not released detailed data about the severity of the infection, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda last week wrote on Twitter that approximately 8,848 cases were reported across the country.

Dr. Randeep Guleria, director of the New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, said that while the number of infections being reported is increasing, it is not a communicable disease.

"It does not spread from one person to another like COVID-19 does," he said during a briefing, adding most of those getting infected are found to have been either diabetic or taking steroids during COVID-19 treatment.

"This infection is seen very rarely in those who are neither diabetic nor taking steroids," the top doctor added. "The diabetic patients are at a huge risk." The states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have reported nearly half of the cases, according to official data.

According to Dr. Hemant, of the total 237 cases reported in Mumbai city in Maharashtra, 62 patients of mucormycosis had been admitted to the hospital as of Monday.

"Most of them have moderate to severe disease," he said.

The situation is worrying in other states as well, where doctors say that the large number of cases has further strained the healthcare sector.

"The cases this year are 10 times higher than last year. We are doing three surgeries a week as compared to one such surgery in a year," Dr. Bulbul Gupta, an ENT specialist at the New Delhi-based Fortis Hospital, told Anadolu Agency, while terming the situation "quite bad."Gupta added that there has also been a shortage of the treatment drugs of the deadly infection, which has made treatment more difficult.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th May, 2021 ) :High Court of Justice in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) recalled its earlier order of freezing and attachment of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) offshore assets which pertained to an appeal of Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) regarding enforcement of award in the Reko Diq case.

The development was confirmed by the Attorney General for Pakistan office on Tuesday which through a text message apprised the media persons about the latest outcome in favour of Pakistan.

The message said "A short while ago judgment was announced by British Virgin Island High Court. Great legal victory for PIA and Pakistan. The order was passed earlier on the request of TCC which was seeking enforcement of Reko Diq award. All orders passed against PIA earlier are now recalled by the Court.

Receiver removed from Roosevelt hotel, NY and Scribe hotel, Paris. Cost of litigation also awarded."PIA on its official twitter account posted, "Justice prevails! By the grace of Allah and with the prayers of all our countrymen, courts in BVI decide in favour of PIA, releasing all hard earned assets i.e., Roosevelt NYC & Scribe Paris. Great victory for PIA and Pakistan."According to details, BVI High Court Justice Gerhard Wallbank, on December 10 last year, had issued an order in favour of attachment of offshore assets of PIA. The case was moved by the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) which was seeking enforcement of Reko Diq award granted by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on July 12, 2019.
Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :European Union leaders on Tuesday condemned the "kidnapping" of Mali's civilian leadership and warned of potential sanctions against those responsible.

"What happened was grave and serious and we are ready to consider necessary measures," EU chief Charles Michel told reporters after a summit of the 27 national leaders.

Earlier, the west African country was plunged once again into political crisis when soldiers detained President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

Michel said the EU leaders endorsed calls from the African Union and regional body ECOWAS for a return to a transitional, civilian-led government.

And the summit host described what had happened in Mali during the previous hours as "The kidnapping of the president and the prime minister".

A statement on the conclusions of the EU summit said the bloc was "ready to consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition".
Qamishli, Syria, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Hundreds of Iraqis were repatriated Tuesday from a Kurdish-run camp in northeast Syria in the first such round of departures, two officials with the Kurdish administration told AFP.

"On Tuesday 94 Iraqi families, or 381 people, left the Al-Hol camp, under Iraqi army escort," said a Kurdish administration official on condition of anonymity.

The transfer came as part of an agreement between the Iraqi government and the multinational coalition battling the Islamic State group, he said.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Iraqi government.

The families "will be transferred to a camp in Iraqi territory," the official added without specifying its location.

He said the departures mark the "first wave" of Iraqi families to leave the Al-Hol camp which is home to more than 60,000 people, including relatives of IS fighters.

Iraqis make up nearly half of Al-Hol's total population, according to the United Nations.

"The families, escorted by the Iraqi army, left the camp and are now heading for the Iraqi border," a security official at the camp told AFP, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear if and when a second transfer would take place.

In February, Kurdish forces handed over 100 suspected Iraqi jihadists to Baghdad, according to an Iraqi security source.

Some 1,600 Iraqis suspected of having fought for IS were still being held by Kurdish forces, according to a UN report published in early February.

Since the fall of IS's self-styled "caliphate" in March 2019, Syria's Kurds have repeatedly urged the international community to repatriate foreign nationals held in northeast Syria.

But these calls have largely fallen on deaf ears with only some, mostly children, allowed to return so far.
Mexico City, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Mexico will shortly begin exporting AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines to other Latin American nations, the government said Tuesday, under a joint production agreement with Argentina hit by a series of delays.

Following the deal struck in August to supply around 150 million shots, the Argentinian firm mAbxience is supplying the active component and Mexico's Liomont is responsible for bottling the vaccines.

A first shipment of 800,000 doses will be sent to Argentina this weekend, while Mexico will also receive its first batch, the government said, after delays blamed on a shortage of packaging supplies.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters that it had been a "long and complicated" process.

Once final authorization is given by AstraZeneca, which is expected this week, the plant will start supplying Mexico, Argentina and "many Latin American countries," he said.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Mexico -- one of the worst-hit countries with an official Covid-19 death toll of nearly 222,000 -- was committed to helping nations that do not have enough vaccines.

President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, which is facing a surge in coronavirus cases, said by video link that joint production would make Latin America less reliant on other regions for vaccines.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 05:33:31|Editor: huaxia

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MEXICO CITY, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez on Tuesday affirmed their commitment to supplying Latin America with vaccines against the novel coronavirus disease, with both having contracts with international pharmaceutical firms to produce domestically.

In a video call, the two leaders underscored their bilateral agreement to produce the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine, in cooperation with the Mexican Carlos Slim Foundation, for the benefit of Latin America, praising it as a reflection of regional solidarity and integration.

"This is the perfect picture: two fraternal countries, the northernmost in Latin America and the southernmost in Latin America, joined together" to "achieve this goal" of promoting immunity in the region without needing to rely on outside help, Fernandez said in remarks that were broadcast during Lopez Obrador's daily press conference at Mexico City's National Palace.

According to Lopez Obrador, the bilateral initiative "is beginning to bear fruit," with the first batch of vaccines about to be shipped from Mexico to Argentina.

"There are no borders, we are united ... in the same cause: seeking the well-being of our peoples," Lopez Obrador said.

Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced at the conference that this weekend Mexico will ship Argentina 800,000 AstraZeneca vaccines packaged domestically. An equal amount will remain in Mexico as per the agreement.

Argentina develops the active substance of the vaccine, and Mexico completes and packages the doses, according to Ebrard. Enditem
San Jos, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Six presidents of Latin American and Caribbean countries called Monday on the international community for equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, asking those countries with the most doses to share them.

"We strongly appeal to countries which have a surplus of doses or which have already vaccinated their populations at risk, to implement measures so that these surpluses are distributed equitably and immediately," said a joint statement issued by Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado.

The appeal was signed by Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Bolivian President Luis Arce, Ecuador's Guillermo Lasso and Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou.

Of the 1.3 billion doses of vaccines already administered worldwide, more than half have been administered in five countries, which account for 50 percent of global GDP, according to official data.

"No one will be safe until we are all safe. Coping with and recovering from the pandemic will only be possible when vaccines reach vulnerable populations around the world," the leaders said.

"In total, low-income countries received only 0.3 percent of global doses," they added.

The appearance of "new and more dangerous variants of the Covid-19 virus highlights the fact that isolated vaccination, by country, is an ineffective strategy for getting out of the acute phase of the pandemic," they added.

Latin America is home to five of the 10 worst-hit countries worldwide with the most cases detected per 100,000 inhabitants in the past two weeks: Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Colombia, according to data collected by AFP.

World Health Organization boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have already made similar calls for equitable access to vaccines.
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Kolkata, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :A powerful cyclone headed for eastern India Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of nearly two million people just a week after another huge storm claimed at least 155 lives on the west coast.

Cyclone Yaas in the Bay of Bengal is expected to slam into West Bengal and Odisha states around midday on Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department said, and could bring winds of up to 165 kilometres (100 miles) per hour.

Experts say the warming of ocean waters due to climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of such storms.

Nearly two million people living along India's east coast are being moved to shelters, officials said Tuesday, and the storm has also disrupted efforts to combat the country's devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

"This cyclone is a terrible blow for many people in coastal districts whose families have been struck down by Covid-19 infections and deaths," West Bengal Sundarbans development minister Bankim Chandra Hazra told AFP.

"Nearly half a million people are being evacuated from their homes in the (West Bengal) coastal region and it's a big challenge to provide them shelter (while) maintaining social distancing."Some vaccination centres in districts under threat as well as the capital Kolkata would suspend operations, officials said, and efforts were under way to ensure the supply of oxygen and medicines to hospitals during the storm.

Some 1.4 million people were moved away from coastal districts in neighbouring Odisha, with thousands of disaster and relief personnel deployed, local media reported.
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Commissioner Hazara Division, Riaz Khan Mehsood on Tuesday inaugurated a special vaccination center at Jalal Baba Auditorium here

ABBOTTABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Commissioner Hazara Division, Riaz Khan Mehsood on Tuesday inaugurated a special vaccination center at Jalal Baba Auditorium here.

Special counters have been established for senior citizens, physically challenged people and ladies at the vaccination center.

RPO Hazara, Mir Wais Niaz, DC Abbottabad, Captain  Nadeem Nasir, DHO Dr Shehzad Iqbal, officer of district administration, doctors and paramedic staff were present on the occasion.

The new center would also provide vaccination to the people above the age of 30 while other vaccination centers at Ayub Teaching Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital would also remain functional.

The center, jointly established by the district administration and District Health Officer would remain open from 08 a.m. to 08 p.m. for the general public. Eight counters have been set up at the center that would directly be monitored by the officers of district administration and District Health Office.

The Commissioner Hazara on the occasion inspected different sections of the vaccination center.

Later, talking to the media he said that people of Hazar must avail this opportunity and vaccinate themselves against the coronavirus free of charge. He said protection from coronavirus was linked with observance of prescribed SOPs.

He said this was the province's first vaccination center that was providing pre vaccination registration and post vaccination safety measures. He said on a daily basis around 15000 people would be vaccinated at this center and if needed, its capacity would further be enhanced. The reason behind establishing this vaccination center was to provide a maximum vaccination facility to the people.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday reaffirmed the highest priority accorded by the government to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the firm commitment to expeditiously complete its projects, which would open up tremendous opportunities for increased economic growth and development in the region and beyond

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday reaffirmed the highest priority accorded by the government to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the firm commitment to expeditiously complete its projects, which would open up tremendous opportunities for increased economic growth and development in the region and beyond. The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with China's Ambassador in Pakistan Nong Rong, who called on him here.

The subjects covered during the meeting included Pakistan-China bilateral relations, including CPEC, 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, vaccine cooperation and high-level bilateral exchanges. The prime minister highly appreciated the Chinese leadership, and conveyed his warm greetings for President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

Emphasizing the time-tested "All-Weather Strategic Co-operative Partnership", Imran Khan reaffirmed Pakistan's deep commitment to further enhance and broaden ties with China.

The prime minister recalled his telephonic conversation with Premier Li Keqiang on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, which was the reflection of excellent cooperation between Pakistan and China. The Chinese ambassador extended President Xi Jinping's invitation to the prime minister to participate in the 'CPC and World Political Parties Summit', to be held in July.

The prime minister graciously accepted the invitation to attend the virtual event. Ambassador Nong Rong reassured that China would continue to firmly support Pakistan in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It accorded high priority to help address Pakistan's requirements. he added. It was agreed to continue with the momentum of high-level bilateral exchanges to further solidify strategic cooperative gains between the two countries.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday adjourned hearing till June 9, on appeals in graft references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members pertaining to Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Avenfield Property and Flagship Investment

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday adjourned hearing till June 9, on appeals in graft references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members pertaining to Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Avenfield Property and Flagship Investment.

A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani heard the appeals filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar Awan. Maryam Nawaz, her husband Captain (retd) Safdar, Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzafar Abbasi and prosecutor Jahanzeb Bharwana appeared before the court.

During the course of proceeding the NAB prosecutor requested the bench to dismiss the appeals of former prime minister against his imprisonment sentences due to non pursuance and absence. Jahanzeb Bharwana prayed the court to hear the appeals of Nawaz Sharif on merit and give the judgment in his absence.

Justice Aamer Farooq instructed the senior lawyer Azam Nazir Tarar to assist the bench on the point that how the proceedings on appeals could be forwarded in absence of the accused.

Tarar suggested the court to turn down the appeals of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif due to non appearance. He said that the situation could be different if a representative was appointed for court in presence of the accused.

He further argued that usually, the courts used to adjourn appeals for indefinite time in such circumstances. There were also precedents that the appeals were dismissed in absence of the accused and later these were reopened after the appellants surrendered before the concern courts.

He said that the petitioner could give application to the court after surrendering for restoration of his dismissed appeals.

Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that this bench was not going to pass any order currently. The bench, however, instructed the two sides to assist the court regarding legal points in light of court decisions of top courts in similar cases.

Maryam Nawaz's lawyer Amjad Pervaiz couldn't appear due to engagements in Lahore and requested the bench to grant one-day exemption from hearing.

It may be mentioned here that Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt. (reted) Safdar had filed appeals against their sentences in Avenfiled reference while former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had challenged his imprisonment sentences in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfiled property cases. However, the NAB had challenged the acquittal of Nawaz Sharif in Flagship Investment reference and also pleaded to extend the imprisonment sentence of Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.

The former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was handed a total of 11 year imprisonment sentence and slapped 1.3 billion fine while his daughter Maryam Nawaz was sentenced eight year jail along with a fine of Rs335 millions in Avenfield Apartment reference by the accountability court. Capt (retd) Safdar has been given one-year sentence without any fine.

Similarly, Nawaz Sharif was awarded seven year jail along with Rs1.5 billion and US $25 million fine in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Muhammad Usman Dar on Tuesday said there had been marked upsurge in economic activity across the country as 10,000 new businesses had been launched under Kamyab Jawan Programme (KJP)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Muhammad Usman Dar on Tuesday said there had been marked upsurge in economic activity across the country as 10,000 new businesses had been launched under Kamyab Jawan Programme (KJP).

Addressing the KJP's certificate and loan distribution ceremony at the National Skill University, he said an amount of Rs 8 billion had been disbursed among 10,000 young people under the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES) of KJP.

He said 170,000 youth were being imparted trainings in traditional and high-tech trades under the 'Hunarmand Pakistan' (Skill for All) programme which was another component of the KJP.

The SAPM noted that around 37,000 young people had completed their six-month courses in traditional and high-tech trades under its first phase, while training of another batch of 55,000 youth was underway.

He said that National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) would soon enroll the rest of targeted youth for the various trainings under the programme.

Usman Dar said the youth, trained under 'Ustad-Shagird' model, were being provided Recognition of Prior Learning certification which would eventually help them get jobs in local and overseas markets.

Mentioning another programme of the KJP, he said 20,000 students were being empowered under its apprenticeship initiative.

As regards the YES, he said the banks associated with the KJP were making brisk preparations to expedite the process for provision of soft loans to the youth.

He said clean lending was being offered to the youth under the first tier of YES. Under tier-1, loan limit was from Rs100, 000 to Rs1 million, for which mark up rate was only 3 per cent, he added.

Usman Dar said the government was planning to add another tier of Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000 by June end as most of the applications were received for this type of loans under the YES. The mark rate for such type of loans would be only two per cent, he added.

For success of this tier, he said micro-financing institutions would be engaged to reach out the youth in the less developed areas such as Balochistan, tribal areas and others.

The SAPM urged the National Skill University students to apply for loan under the YES, vowing to make a dedicated dashboard for them.

He said an application was being developed in collaboration with the National Information Technology board to ensure two-way communication between youth and the teams of Kamayab Jawan Programme and the associated banks.

Usman Dar said a virtual job portal had been developed to facilitate the youth in exploring employment opportunities both domestic and international. It would enable both the applicants and employers to interact with each other, he added.

He said the portal was being run by the NACTTC on test-run basis.
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LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2021 ) :Provincial Law Minister Raja Muhammad Basharat has said that Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Punjab elect Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan could not take oath due to legal obstacles.

Speaking at the floor of the House during the Punjab Assembly session here on Monday he said different petitions were filed against Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for his failure to take oath of his office despite a lapse of three years, adding that it was not about assembly rules regarding powers of the Panel of Chairman to administer oath to a new member in the absence of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

Earlier, Punjab Assembly session started 2 hours 10 minutes behind its scheduled time of 2 p.m. with Panel of Chairman Abdullah Warraich in chair. The session resumed after a two-day break which pertained to question and answers on Mines and Minerals department.

The day was conspicuous as MPA elect Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had turned up after a lapse of three years to take oath. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was elected as an independent candidate from PP-10 (Rawalpindi) in 2018 general elections.

The opposition benches raised slogans of turncoat (lota) when the dissident Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Ghayas-ud-Din entered the assembly chambers.

Speaking on a point of order, Provincial Minister Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering (HUD&PHE) Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed said there were many turncoats sitting in the opposition benches, adding that many opposition benchers had switched loyalties multiple times and such slogans did not suit them.

During general debate on Agriculture department, Minister Agriculture Hussain Jahania Gardezi said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government has introduced revolutionary reforms in the agriculture sector, soon after assuming power, to improve plight of the farmer, adding that new agriculture policy was introduced in 2020.

He said the government launched 'Kissan Card' to transfer subsidy to the farmers from all sectors, adding that billions of rupees were being spent for the welfare of farmers in the province.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also met Secretary Punjab Assembly Muhammad Khan Bhatti who sought two-day time to ensure whether the honorable high court had granted any stay on the petitions filed against Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's failure to take oath soon after his election in 2018.

Secretary PA Muhammad Khan Bhatti told that two petitions each had been filed in Lahore and Rawalpindi High Court against Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's inordinate delay in taking oath as MPA. He said Chaudhry Nisar will be administered oath in the light of the legal opinion.

The Panel of Chairman Abdullah Warraich adjourned the PA session till May 26 (Wednesday) at 2 p.m.
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President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday telephoned the families of the security personnel, martyred in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan and paid tribute to their sacrifices

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday telephoned the families of the security personnel, martyred in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan and paid tribute to their sacrifices.

The president talked to the families of Captain Faheem Abbas, Sepoy Naeem Shah and Sepoy Shafiullah and prayed for the souls of martyrs for their elevated ranks in heavens.

He also prayed to Allah Almighty for grant of patience to the families of martyrs.

The security personnel were martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists in theDosalli area of North Waziristan tribal district earlier this month.
Germany's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has opened an investigation into Google over anti-competitive practices,wielding a new law that has already been used to scrutinize other US tech giants

Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Germany's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has opened an investigation into Google over anti-competitive practices,wielding a new law that has already been used to scrutinize other US tech giants.

The Federal Cartel Office will investigate European units of Google in Germany and Ireland, as well as its parent company, Alphabet, in California, it said in a statement.

The investigation will probe whether Google is considered to be "of paramount significance for competition across markets" due to the breadth of its digital products, Cartel office head Andreas Mundt said.

"Google's business model relies to a very large extent on processing data relating to its users," Mundt said.

"Due to its established access to data relevant for competition, Google enjoys a strategic advantage." A key question in the probe was "whether consumers wishing to use Google's services have sufficient choice as to how Google will use their data", he said.

Google spokesman Ralf Bremer said the tech giant would cooperate fully with the investigation.

"People choose Google because it's helpful, not because they're forced to, or because they can't find alternatives," he said, adding,German consumers are offered "simple controls to manage their information and limit the use of personal data".
Azerbaijani troops on Monday shelled positions of Armenian soldiers near the border, the Armenian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Azerbaijani troops on Monday shelled positions of Armenian soldiers near the border, the Armenian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"At about 14.20 (10:20 GMT) on May 25, an incident was registered with the use of firearms at the border area near the village of Verin Shorzha of the Gegharkunik region.

In particular, the enemy fired in the direction of the Armenian positions. The circumstances of the incident are being specified," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry has confirmed that one Armenian soldier was killed during the incident.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-26 06:51:33|Editor: huaxia

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SANTIAGO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Chile on Tuesday began vaccinating people under the age of 30 as part of the country's mass inoculation campaign against COVID-19, which has immunized 50 percent of the target population so far.

According to the Ministry of Health, 15,200,840 people, or 80 percent of the country's total population, will be inoculated by June 30, including about 23 percent between 18 and 29 years old.

In an event to kick off this new stage, Minister Secretary General of the Government Jaime Bellolio highlighted that more than 9 million people have been vaccinated with their first dose and over 7.5 million with their second dose, although he warned that "it does not mean that measures should be relaxed, but that progress has been made in recovering our freedoms."

Meanwhile, experts are concerned about the increase in mobility of vaccinated people, given that COVID-19 cases have risen in the last few days, warning that this was not the "epidemiological moment" for greater mobility since it could provoke a significant resurgence.

Chile on Tuesday registered 4,188 new infections and 37 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 1,339,421 cases and 28,585 deaths. Enditem
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Australia will close its embassy in Kabul on May 28 during the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a joint statement on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Australia will close its embassy in Kabul on May 28 during the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

"In light of the imminent international military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Australia will as an interim measure revert to the model of visiting accreditation for our diplomatic representation to Afghanistan ... Our residential representation in Afghanistan and the Australian Embassy in Kabul will be closed at this time. We will close our Embassy building on 28 May 2021," the statement, published by the Australian foreign ministry, read.

The country expects that the measure will be temporary and the mission will be able to reopen as soon as circumstances allow. In the meantime, Australian diplomats from other countries of the region will visit Afghanistan regularly, the statement added.

"This form of diplomatic representation is common practice around the world. It does not alter our commitment to Afghanistan or its people," the officials noted.

Commenting on the embassy's closure, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it took note of the Australian government's decision and respected it.

"We remain grateful to Australia's reaffirmed commitment to continue its support and assistance to Afghanistan and acknowledge that the realization of these pledges play a significant role in the fight against terrorism, ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan, and continuation of strategic cooperation between the two countries," the ministry said in a press release.

Last month, Washington announced that all US forces would be removed from Afghanistan before September 11, with the gradual pullout starting in May. In response, NATO pledged to begin withdrawing its troops in coordination with the United States starting May 1.

In mid-April, Morrison supported the pledge, saying that the remaining 80 Australian troops would be fully withdrawn from the Central Asian country by September.
MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Belarusian airline Belavia announced it was suspending flights to London and Paris for the period between May 25 and October 30 following decisions by the governments of the United Kingdom and France to suspend flight permits.

"Due to the decision of the UK and the French governments to suspend Belavia flights to/from the UK and France, we are forced to cancel flights to London and Paris from May 25 to October 30, 2021," Belavia said in a statement on Tuesday.

The airline expressed regret over the "situation that it cannot change" and noted that passengers could refund the full price of tickets without any penalty or to change the departure date after contacting the place where their tickets were purchased.
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ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2021) Cyprus has recorded the first blood clot death in a person who was given the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, the national Phileleftheros newspaper reported on Monday, citing the State Health Services Organization (SHSO).

According to the media, the victim is a British woman, 39, who was hospitalized in critical condition in Nicosia. She received the vaccine in Paphos in early May.

Charalambos Charilaou, the SHSO spokesman, said that the EU drug regulator will determine whether the death was linked to the vaccine.

He added that another woman, 40, had post-inoculation blood clotting. She is currently in good condition and is receiving treatment in Nicosia.

Cyprus has administered over 500,000 shots against COVID-19. Around 356,000 people have received at least the first dose, while more than 155,000 have been fully immunized
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Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced on Tuesday that a package of EU measures against Belarus in light of the Ryanair incident would soon be adopted

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced on Tuesday that a package of EU measures against Belarus in light of the Ryanair incident would soon be adopted.

In her comment for Sky news, Simonyte expressed the belief the decision should be made right now.
Half of all US adults will have received full Covid-19 vaccines on Tuesday, the White House said, marking another huge milestone in the fight against the pandemic

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Half of all US adults will have received full Covid-19 vaccines on Tuesday, the White House said, marking another huge milestone in the fight against the pandemic.

"Today, the United States will reach 50 percent of American adults fully vaccinated," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

More than half a million Americans have died from the coronavirus but the country is now a world leader in rolling out vaccinations.

The US has reached almost 50 percent of its population of 332 million with at least one dose, but its vaccination campaign is slowing in the face of hesitancy.

President Joe Biden has set a target of having 70 percent of adults vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4. The current figure is almost 62 percent.
Three countries Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece are likely to file a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the incident of the arrest of a co-founder of a Poland-based Telegram channel that had a role the post-election protests in Belarus after his flight had to make an emergency landing in Minsk, Pierre d'Argent, an international law professor at the UCLouvain university in Belgium, told Sputnik

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2021) Three countries Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece are likely to file a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the incident of the arrest of a co-founder of a Poland-based Telegram channel that had a role the post-election protests in Belarus after his flight had to make an emergency landing in Minsk, Pierre d'Argent, an international law professor at the UCLouvain university in Belgium, told Sputnik.

On Sunday, a flight by the Irish airline Ryanair from Athens to Vilnius was grounded in Minsk over a bomb threat which later turned out to have been false. Among the passengers was Roman Protasevich, one of the founders of the Telegram channel Nexta, who was detained by the country's law enforcement during the stopover. His 23-old female companion, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, was reportedly detained alongside him. The incident caused an international uproar with some calling for ICAO to intervene.

"A complaint will certainly be lodged by Ireland (it was a Ryanair flight), by Lithuania, the country of destination and even by Greece, the country of departure of the flight," d'Argent said, adding that ICAO will investigate the complaint and likely condemn Minsk, which can try to overturn the agency's decision at the International Court of Justice.

The expert has also not ruled out the European Union imposing new sanctions on the country's officials, but questioned their effectiveness.

This opinion has been echoed by his UCLouvain colleagues.

"Do not expect very severe sanctions from Europe. The EU has chosen the approach of graduated, progressive responses, which gradually hamper the power in place in Minsk. It is therefore likely that the sanctions to be decided on this evening will again be limited to personal sanctions on a series of Belarusian decision-makers in the entourage of President [Alexander] Lukashenko and his government," Pierre Vercauteren, a UCLouvain professor of political science, told Sputnik.

According to UCLouvain political science professor Michel Liegeois, for EU sanctions to have any real impact they have to target the country's economy, which risks "punishing oneself for the countries concerned."

Protasevich's Nexta is designated as extremist by Minsk for allegedly facilitating civil unrest in the country in the aftermath of the August presidential election.

In November, the Belarusian Investigative Committee filed a request with the Polish Justice Ministry through the Belarusian Prosecutor General's Office to extradite Protasevich and another Nexta co-founder, Stepan Putilo, to Belarus for criminal prosecution for their Telegram channel's role in those events. In February, Warsaw said it was reviewing the request.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden will discuss the fight against the pandemic and the settlement of regional conflicts in Geneva on June 16, the Kremlin said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden will discuss the fight against the pandemic and the settlement of regional conflicts in Geneva on June 16, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

"It is meant to discuss the state and prospects of further development of Russian-US relations, strategic stability issues, as well as topical issues on the international agenda, including interaction in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the settlement of regional conflicts," the statement says.

Earlier, Biden offered the Russian leader to hold a summit in a third country. It was expected that this could happen in June in Europe, where Biden would attend NATO summit and also visit the UK.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, by the end of the month, the talks were planned before the Ryanair incident but Lukashenko will anyway be able to brief Putin on the reasons behind the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"The meeting is indeed planned for the end of the month. We will tell you when exactly and where it will take place. It was planned before the Sunday's events. If it takes place, President Lukashenko will certainly have an opportunity to inform the Russian head of state in detail about the circumstances and the reasons behind the incident," Peskov told reporters.
The Taliban on Tuesday pledged to provide a "safe environment" to foreign diplomats, after Australia announced it would shutter its embassy over security concerns

Kabul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :The Taliban on Tuesday pledged to provide a "safe environment" to foreign diplomats, after Australia announced it would shutter its embassy over security concerns.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan assures all foreign diplomats and staff of humanitarian organizations that (we) will not pose any threats to them," Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem told AFP. "We will provide a safe environment for their activities."
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Mali is experiencing increased military activity in the capital Bamako amid reports that the military has conducted a coup and US citizens are advised to avoid travel in the city, the US Embassy in Mali said on Monday.

"The US Embassy has received reports of increased military activity in Bamako. US citizens are encouraged to avoid non-essential travel inside the city at this time, and monitor local media for updates," the mission said via Twitter.

Mali's interim government resigned earlier in the month, with the country's interim President Ba Ndau, having instructed interim Prime Minister Moctar Ouane to form a new government.

The two were arrested earlier on Monday by soldiers and transported to the nearby Kati military base, according to reports.

Instability in Mali began in August of 2020 when rebels announced the arrest of then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. Later, the president announced his resignation and the dissolution of the country's parliament and government.

Former defense minister Ba Ndau was then appointed to be interim president and former foreign minister Moctar Ouane became interim prime minister after the parties agreed to an 18-month transition period.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 23:54:37|Editor: huaxia

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FREETOWN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamadi Gobeh Kamara said Monday that her government is appreciative of the support of China for the development of Sierra Leone.

She made the remarks while receiving the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone Hu Zhangliang. The deputy minister thanked China for the support provided to Sierra Leone in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that China was one of the first countries to provide such support.

She assured Hu that the ministry will provide the necessary support needed to ensure a successful commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, while thanking the Chinese ambassador for his efforts in ensuring the speedy conclusion of the country's Diplomatic Academy project. Enditem
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday called for the logic and urgency of a war economy to increase coronavirus vaccine production and ensure poor countries are not left behind in pandemic recovery efforts

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2021 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday called for the logic and urgency of a war economy to increase coronavirus vaccine production and ensure poor countries are not left behind in pandemic recovery efforts.

In declaring that the world was at war with a virus, he described vaccines as our weapons and urged wealthier countries to play their part in bolstering manufacturing capacity.

In a video message to the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of UN agency WHO, Guterres warned against the dangers of a two-speed global response, a concern he has frequently expressed.

Sadly, unless we act now, we face a situation in which rich countries vaccinate the majority of their people and open their economies, while the virus continues to cause deep suffering by circling and mutating in the poorest countries, he told the Assembly which is meeting at WHO's headquarters in Geneva.

Further spikes and surges could claim hundreds of thousands of lives, and slow the global economic recovery, he added.

The UN chief called for coordinated action in three areas that will pave the way to recovery and a sustainable future for people and the planet, starting with solidarity to stop the virus.

World leaders must urgently step up with a global plan for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments, he said, emphasizing the need to fully fund established mechanisms for equitable vaccine distribution.

Adding that we are at war with a virus, Guterres reiterated his appeal for G20 nations to establish a Task Force able to deal with the pharmaceutical companies and other key stakeholders.The goal would be to at least double vaccine manufacturing capacity through means such as voluntary licenses and technology transfers.

For his second point, Guterres focused on boosting Primary health care and universal health coverage.

COVID-19 cannot be seen in isolation from the fundamental problems with our health systems: inequality, underfunding; complacency, neglect. With the right primary health care systems in place, we will recover more quickly from this pandemic, and prevent the next before it takes hold, he said.

But while robust health systems are a start, they are not enough, he added, and countries must prepare for the next global health emergency.

The Secretary-General underlined support for the recommendations made by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness, which this month called for overhauling the current warning systems.

He said high-level political commitment is needed to transform the existing system, and that the World Health Organization (WHO) must be at the centre of global preparedness. The agency also must have adequate resources and be fully empowered to do its job.

In his address to the Assembly, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that there have been more COVID-19 cases so far this year than in the whole of 2020.

Almost 18 months into the defining health crisis of our age, the world remains in a very dangerous situation, he said.

On current trends, the number of deaths will overtake last year total within the next three weeks. Regardless of vaccinate rates, no country should assume it is out of the woods, he added. And although none of the COVID-19 variants has significantly undermined current vaccines, the virus is constantly changing.

Tedros said every country can do more, including in increasing surveillance and testing, protecting health workers, and fighting against misinformation. They can also implement national vaccine programmes, and donate excess doses to the global solidarity initiative, COVAX.

He described the ongoing vaccine crisis as a scandalous inequity that is perpetuating the pandemic as most doses, or 75 per cent, have been administered in just 10 countries.

There is no diplomatic way to say it: a small group of countries that make and buy the majority of the worlds vaccines control the fate of the rest of the world. COVAX has shipped roughly 72 million doses to some 125 developing nations, but those vaccines represent barely one per cent of their combined populations.

Tedros pushed for countries to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the global population by September, with a drive to reach 30 per cent by December.

Sprinting to our September goal means we must vaccinate 250 million more people in low- and middle-income countries in just four months, including all health workers and the most at-risk groups as the first priority, he said.

The WHO Director General also highlighted a proposal by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world's people by the end of the year, and 60 per cent by 2022. Discussions are underway on how to make these goals achievable.

Tedros also welcomed countries commitment to donate doses, including announcements made by G20 nations at their health summit last Friday.

But to achieve the goals for September and the end of the year, we need hundreds of millions more doses, we need them to go through COVAX, and we need them to start moving in early June, he said.

Tedros urged vaccine manufacturers to ensure countries can quickly share their doses through COVAX. They should also give the mechanism first right of refusal on new volume of vaccines, or to commit 50 per cent of their volumes to COVAX this year.

Both the Secretary-General and the WHO chief dedicated parts of their speeches to pay tribute to the world's health workers.

Tedros opened his remarks with stories of some of these professionals, who have stood in the breach between life and death. WHO estimates around 115,000 health and care workers have also died while working to save lives and serve others.

Health and care workers do heroic things, but they are not superheroes. They are humans like the rest of us, Tedros said, noting that many feel frustrated, helpless and unprotected in the pandemic.

We owe them so much, and yet globally health and care workers often lack the protection, the equipment, the training, the decent pay, the safe working conditions and the respect they deserve."
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 88F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Catholics were sheltering in the church due to fighting between the military and the People's Defense Force.

By Robin Gomes

Myanmars military on Monday fired artillery shells at a Catholic Church in eastern Myanmar, killing four civilians sheltering there.

Sacred Heart Church in Kayanthayar Parish near Loikaw, the capital city of Kayah state, a Catholic area was the target of the attack in the early hours of May 24.

All those killed or wounded were Catholics. According to a local resistance member, 8 others were wounded. The Irrawaddy News said the military immediately removed the dead bodies. The roof, ceiling and cross of the church were damaged.

More than 300 people from at least 60 families had taken refuge in the church compound due to fighting over the weekend between the military and an anti-coup resistance group known as the Karenni Peoples Defense Force (PDF).

Father Soe Naing, a spokesperson for Loikaw Diocese, said all those sheltering in the church had fled by the time church officials checked the damaged building on May 24 morning. He said thousands of people have taken refuge at churches, priests centers and nuns convents because they thought they were safe.

The Church is responding to humanitarian assistance, but its a challenge for us as the number of internally displaced persons is increasing as a result of more fighting, Father Soe Naing told UCA News. Catholics took to social media to condemn the church attack.

Fighting intensifying

Fighting is also raging in ethnic areas such as Karen, Kachin and Chin states, which have large Christian populations, as the military steps up its offensive against ethnic guerrillas and anti-coup resistance groups by deploying fighter jets and heavy artillery. Kachin is home to about 116,000 Catholics among a population of 1.7 million.

Around 10,000 people have been displaced in Kachin, while more than 42,000 have been displaced in Karen state, and thousands have fled Mindat town in Chin state due to hostilities that have escalated since May 12, according to the latest UN report. Many of the displaced have sought shelter in neighbouring countries.

The coup

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the elected government and detained its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Protests and a civil disobedience campaign of strikes against the coup have paralyzed parts of the economy.

The military regards the overwhelming victory of Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party in the August 2020 elections as fraudulent. A slew of other charges have been brought against here. Suu Kyi, appeared in a special court in the capital, Naypyitaw, for the first time since her arrest. Her only previous court appearances have been by video link.

Fear of civil war

According to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), an NGO which documents and compiles casualties of Myanmars protests, 824 people have been confirmed killed by the security forces as of May 24.

Meanwhile Christine Schraner Burgener, the United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar, warned on Monday that the southeast Asian nation risked a possible civil war. She told a virtual press conference that people, frustrated with the military and its huge scale violence, are starting to arm themselves against the junta and are shifting from defensive to offensive actions, using homemade weapons and training from some ethnic armed groups.

Christians are a minority in the predominantly Buddhist country, accounting for 6.2 percent of the 54 million population. Areas occupied by the Kachin, Chin, Karen and Kayah ethnic groups, who have been facing oppression and persecution at the hands of the military for decades, are largely Christian.

An estimated one-third of Myanmars territory  mostly the border regions  is currently controlled by 20-odd armed rebel outfits. The military has been fighting these groups.

Democracy under siege

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has suffered long under the rule of an oppressive military junta from 1962 to 2011. During the nearly 5 decades, almost all dissent was suppressed with gross human rights abuse, drawing international condemnation and sanctions. A gradual liberalization began in 2010, leading to free elections in 2015 and the installation of a government led by Suu Kyi the following year. The Feb. 1 military coup has rolled back Myanmars progress on the road to democracy. (Source: UCA News)
On Tuesday morning, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with State, met with Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, the United Kingdom's Minister of State, who spoke to Vatican News about the many issues the British government and the Vatican have a joint interest.

By Vatican News staff writer

The meeting of Archbishop Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with State, with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, included discussions focusing on current global challenges, ways to deal with them and also together where possible.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who is the UK Minister of State and the Prime Minister's Special Representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, also met with the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini.

Vatican News' Devin Watkins met up with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who granted this interview.

Q: How are your meetings going at the Vatican, and what kind of topics are you covering?



It's not my first meeting with the Vatican. The United Kingdom through Her Excellency Ambassador Sally Axworthy enjoy a very strong relationship with the Vatican. We have a very constructive dialogue over a range of issues.

On this particular trip my focus has been on important issues of freedom of religion or belief. Also, issues involve my role in preventing sexual violence in conflict and also issues of media freedom, which is quite relevant to our discussions today.

I think the Vatican, the Holy See, has a profound role to play, both not just in terms of the strength of its symbolism on the world stage, but the interventions that can be made by the Catholic Church on resolving and perhaps challenging parties to conflict to actually come to the negotiation table and actually bring people in communities together.

And if I may say so, it was best illustrated recently by the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq where we saw a real bridging of the divisions of communities, a real healing and reconciliation taking place. It was an important meeting, and I think even if I can reflect personally, no words were needed. What you saw was the strength of faiths coming together, leaders importantly of those faiths coming together in friendship and reconciliation. I think that's a very strong message, and the role of His Holiness Pope Francis and the role of the Catholic Church is an important one on the world stage.

Part of our relationship being through our Ambassador, through the direct ministerial engagement, is exactly to see how we can further complement our work in this area.

Q: How can the Vatican and the British government work together to promote media freedom in the world?



When we look around and see media freedom, and indeed the freedom of journalists to report, you don't need to go further than the current conflicts we are facing. Often the first victim of any conflict is media freedom. Where you see journalists rights being usurped, where you see media freedom or indeed journalists being targeted, agencies being shut down, newspapers being shut down, you can be absolutely sure that other human rights abuses are taking place.

Two years ago, the United Kingdom along with Canada launched what was known as the International Media Freedom Coalition, a global coalition to stand up for the rights of journalists. Now, as a person in public life, as a politician, the media is not always our best friend, but it's important that we stand up for the rights for journalists to exercise their media freedom and then report freely on situations around the world.

In this regard, on your specific issue of the Vatican, your communications that you have, your different channels you have, the languages in which you operate again are demonstrable about the importance to communicate to people. Often the most vulnerable, the most marginalized communities, regrettably, across the world are those of minority faith communities.

The United Kingdom has led on spearheading a campaign to stand up for Christian persecution, but also the rights of all communities, faith communities, and others in light of the suppression they face. But, at the front line, you will find journalists seeking to report the reality of what we have seen. With the strength of social media now we have seen a total change, an evolution or even some would argue a revolution in how conflicts are reported, the situations, the suppression of democracy, the suppression of human rights, and in this respect it is absolutely important.

We have seen the Media Freedom Coalition, this formal coalition, grow from about 26-27 founding members to close enough to 50. And, certainly, I hope in due course the Vatican will consider being very much part of that Media Freedom Coalition we're getting very strong support for. I think it would be more than just a symbolic gesture, but it would be an important contribution if indeed the Vatican joined that important coalition.

Q: You spent many years in the banking and financial sector in the City, how can the financial sector, banks, and corporations in general work to prevent sexual violence in conflict? Is there any relationship, or way they can help there?



Well, I think the whole essence of what banks do, banks are often the lifeblood of any economy; they are the backbone of strengthening economies, and they have a role to play in terms of responsible lending, to looking at their own lending book to see who they are lending to, what are the supply chains of those corporates they lend to.

So, it is not just an issue of one element within the broad range of human rights. It's important that corporates, that the banks that support those corporates, also look at their respective supply chains. So, whether it's tackling those who abuse and cause issues of sexual violence and conflict, but equally those who abuse, and we call out egregious abuse of human rights.

It is important also that it is not just a government resposibility; it's not just a Church responsibility; it's the responsibility of everyone in society.

The business community has an important role to play, and in this respect when it comes to banks the whole issue of ethical lending, the whole issue of protecting the environment, the whole issue of corporate social responsibility.

Banks have an important role to play that they help people in need, but equally in their own corporate client base, they are actually scrutinize how are they lending, who are they lending to and reminding those they lend to and assist of their corporate and social responsibilities to communities.
When Corey Summers was in his early 30s, his biggest regret was getting out of the military after enlisting in the Air Force at age 20  and he decided he didnt want to live with regrets.

Summers enlisted in 2011 in the Air National Guard and continues to serve in security forces at Grissom Air Force Base. Getting back in the military, he said, has been fulfilling. In the last 10 years, hes been deployed twice, and the perspective hes gained while living in other countries has been life-changing.

Its very eye-opening. You go over there and see it firsthand, and it's rough. Youre either rich, or youre poor. Youre drinking and eating out of the same water that theres animals in, and some of these people are living in tents in the middle of the desert at 140 degrees, Summer said. So Im very humbled and blessed to know that we live in the best country in the world, and to be able to see that firsthand and interact with that is definitely humbling.

During his deployments, Summers took every opportunity he could to get to know the natives, and hes still in contact with one of them to this day.

From July 2014 to January 2015, Summers was deployed to Qatar where he did aircraft security. He visited around nine counties while conducting aircraft security, including Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq. He took a flag with him each time on the aircraft and received certifications with the date and times in which that flag was on those particular planes. Collecting those types of items was special to him.

He also helped fly Jordanian troops back to Jordan from Afghanistan and received patches from the commanders. He also was able to get money that had Saddam Hussein on it. After the fall of Hussein, his face never would appear on currency again.

In the military, patches and coins are a big thing, so coins you get either from higher commanders or generals. The Jordanian Army and British, they give coins, so Ive got all different things from different ethnic backgrounds, which is kind of cool too when you come back, he said.

Following that deployment, Summers served in Kuwait from January 2019 to August 2019. While there, he conducted security for the airport and served as the master of ceremonies for two commanders who were coming in.

That airport held a lot of history.

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The airport we were at was the airport that got invaded when Desert Story hit off in Kuwait, so theres a lot of history there. Not to be morbid, but they have the nooses that the Kuwaitis hung the generals from inside the hangars. It was kind of surreal to be able to see that, he said.

During that deployment, when Summers wasnt on his shift, he would go into town and eat the food, walk around, and visit with the natives. He received training on how to interact with the natives and whats proper. A typical handshake there, he said, could be seen as disrespectful. During Ramadan, eating in front of the natives wasnt allowed.

For the most part, it was easy to connect with the different cultures, he said.

Talking to the people of Kuwait, interacting with those people, thats a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Kuwait isnt a place you want to go vacation or Iraq or Afghanistan or any of those places, but to be able to interact with those people there, for the most part, they love us. Youve got some people that arent too fond of us being over there, but these people, theyre like us. Their circumstances, theyre just a little different, he said.

While there, Summers visited the souks, or Arab marketplaces, and it was at one of those where he met a native who hes still in touch with today.

Summers enjoyed getting to know the culture and appreciated the architecture. Every mall, he said, was at least the size of Mall of America.

Theyre just absolutely huge, and its just like something out of a movie. Castelton Mall or Circle Center or Markland Mall would look like dollar stores over there, he said.

Thanks to Wi-Fi and FaceTime, Summers could keep in touch with his family during both deployments, which helped him through, he said, adding that he has so much respect for veterans who went before him who didnt have access to that kind of technology.

Its the small things that we take for granted, just like being able to contact your kids and family and friends via FaceTime instead of letters. And unfortunately some of them (soldiers) didnt make it home, and their letters did before them, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 00:51:47|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Scientists on Monday called for reduced use of pesticides for the management of pests and diseases for sustainable livelihoods and food security in Africa at a virtual commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Stockholm Convention in Kenya's capital Nairobi.

Invasive pests such as the fall armyworm on maize and the recent migratory swarms of locusts in East Africa have resulted in a significant increase in the use of synthetic pesticides, which are likely to pollute environments and emerge as a major threat to biodiversity.

"The use of nature-based solutions from biodiversity can help mitigate against persistent pests and the effects of climate change," said Segenet Kelemu, director-general for the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE).

Kelemu cautioned that a lot of care is required in Africa since it is one of the major biodiversity reserves with eight out of the 36 biodiversity global hotspots.

She said a rapid decline in food choices contributes to other diverse constraints including biodiversity loss, increasing system fragility due to global challenges such as climate change, invasive species, and soil degradation.

Beatrice Khayota, the principal research scientist at the National Museums of Kenya, said Africa has the opportunity to coordinate and harmonize policies to foster the implementation of biodiversity projects, especially those that concern migratory species.

Kyayota called on the African government to adopt innovative ways of funding biodiversity programs, as she isolated the use of carbon credits and payment for watersheds as some of them.

Carlos Martin-Novella, deputy executive secretary Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention Secretariat, said that Stockholm Convention negotiations were initially unbelievable but looking back, a lot has been achieved following bans and elimination of the products by countries.

He called on countries to adopt innovations and technologies that could help in the reduced use of chemicals that are detrimental to human health and the environment.

The Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact for long periods and accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health and on the environment.

It was adopted in May 2001 in Stockholm Sweden by the conference of parties to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants.

ICIPE is a Stockholm convention regional center on nature-based solutions from biodiversity for mitigation of POPs. Enditem
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Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his wish to elevate the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership during an online talk with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on May 25.

Morrison affirmed that he attaches importance to advancing the bilateral relationship, and lauded achievements Vietnam has recorded in COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as socio-economic development and foreign affairs over the past time.

In reply, Chinh affirmed his willingness to closely coordinate with Morrison in developing the strategic partnership effectively, intensively and pragmatically.

He suggested Australia continue its technical support to Vietnam and further facilitate Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products' access to the Australian market.

The PM called on Australia to encourage its firms to step up investment in Vietnam, and funnel its official development assistance (ODA) into infrastructure projects, agricultural development, poverty reduction, climate change response and high-quality personnel training in the Southeast Asian nation.

Chinh also noted a hope for stronger collaboration in military medicine and peace-keeping operations, and proposed Australia continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community and students in the country.

He used the occasion to thank Australia for committing 40 million AUD (31.04 million USD) to support Vietnams COVID-19 vaccine procurement, pledging to closely cooperate with the Australian side to fruitfully implement the aid package.

The PM appealed to Australia to help Vietnam access the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in the country as soon as possible.

The two Government leaders consented to set higher targets in investment and trade links, towards sustainable recovery after the pandemic, soon complete and sign the Vietnam-Australia Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy, forge collaboration in science and technology, and effectively implement the Vietnam-Australia Innovation Partnership for 2022-2025.

The two countries will also strengthen their cooperation at regional and international mechanisms and forums.

Praising Australias active role in ASEAN and Mekong Sub-region mechanisms, Chinh suggested the country implement tripartite cooperation with Laos and Cambodia, focusing on practical sectors that would improve socio-economic situation and personnel training.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two PMs affirmed the significance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, peacefully settling disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and effectively and fully realise the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards reaching a substantial and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long (front, right) receives donations from businesses on May 25 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - The Ministry of Health (MoH) on May 25 received 125 billion VND (5.4 million USD), 1 million USD, and 1 million vaccine doses donated by enterprises for the COVID-19 vaccine purchase and inoculation fund.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that since secured financial sources are of critical importance for carrying out strategies to achieve the fastest and most widespread access to COVID-19 vaccines, financial support from enterprises is very much necessary.

Describing the precious aid from businesses as an effective contribution to the fight against COVID-19, he called for continued assistance for the healthcare sector and the country as a whole in this regard.

Long also highlighted the Politburos view of mobilising every resource in society to help Vietnam access vaccines as fast as possible and ensure the broadest possible vaccine coverage, so as to bring the pandemic under control and have life return to normal.

Initiated by the Prime Minister, the COVID-19 vaccine fund was established to ensure finances for vaccine access. However, since vaccines are relatively expensive and have strict storage requirements, their transportation, storage, distribution, and use require major efforts from the healthcare sector, according to the minister.

Apart from seeking vaccine supplies from foreign sources, the country is also developing its own COVID-19 vaccines. The MoH has been working actively with partners and engaging some businesses in vaccine production, with a view that Made-in-Vietnam vaccines will be available by 2022.

The ministry has also coordinated with relevant units to discuss cooperation in vaccine development and manufacturing, Long noted, adding that it has successfully negotiated with AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, and the COVAX Facility.

By the end of 2021, Vietnam will have received about 110 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, but the MoHs task is to secure 150 million doses between now and then to provide inoculations for 75 percent of the population, as ordered by the Politburo and the Government, he said.
Lenders are more likely to try and capitalise on overseas experience. Photo: Le Toan

In April, Japanese financial institution Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group  which is the parent of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)  successfully acquired 49 per cent in Vietnams largest consumer finance company FE Credit in a $1.4 billion deal  the largest financial merger and acquisition (M&A) deal in Vietnam.

Accordingly, FE Credits valuation is estimated to be around $2.8 billion, which is higher than mid-sized banks in Vietnam such as VIB, HDBank, SHB, and OCB.

According to an integrated service provider of financial data FiinGroup, FE Credit has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of nearly 22 with a price-to-book (P/B) ratio at 3.4, which is nearly 40 per cent higher than the average transactions involving consumer finance companies in the past few years. The price is higher than the valuation of other bank stocks which have average P/E and P/B ratios of 16 and 1.79 respectively.

FE Credit is currently the market leader in Vietnams consumer finance industry and currently accounts for half of the market share, far surpassing the other 15 competitors.

Due to the pandemic, companies are recording lower earnings and higher bad debt. However, FE Credit still posted good financial results higher than the market average during the crisis. Its operating income reached VND18.23 trillion ($789 million) in 2020, down more than 3 per cent. Meanwhile, its after-tax profits stood at VND2.97 trillion ($129 million), a 17 per cent decrease.

VPBanks chairman Ngo Chi Dung said that there were two plans for share sales including an initial public offering (IPO) or selling to strategic partners. In case of an IPO, FE Credit could be valued up to $4 billion.

FiinGroup believed in the short term, the cash will flow into the financial company at $154 million as VPBank has increased charter capital for FE to VND10.9 trillion ($470 million) before the transaction was announced. More than money, the billion-dollar deal will add more synergies into the firms future potential.

With cheap capital from Japanese banks, FE Credit can mobilise new capital or restructure mobilised capital to improve cost, net interest margin, and profit. Indeed, financial companies with investment from Japanese partners such as HD Saison, Mcredit, or JACCS have adopted the strategy, FiinGroup said.

SMBCs big bet on FE Credit is part of the groups medium-term strategy in expanding its franchise in Asia. SMBC expected the investment will generate synergies in two ways: sharing its business know-how with and absorbing business know-how from its partners.

SMBC is one of the three largest megabanks in Japan  together with Mizuho and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation  with total assets of over $2.1 trillion as of last year. SMBC has compelled its retail banking, corporate banking, and investment banking businesses across over 40 countries.

FE Credit recorded an impressive profitability, even when the pandemic has taken a serious toll in the global economy, with its return on equity of over 20 per cent, compared to nearly 30 per cent of previous years. SMBC also highly appreciated FE Credits efficient system and wide network, with a capital expenditure ratio of approximately 30 per cent. The consumer finance firm boasts 20,000 business points and branches, as well as 13,000 staff.

Other consumer finance companies are also eager to tap into foreign funds. SHB Finance of commercial bank SHB, for example, said it would need an additional $25-30 million in capital to diversify business channels as well as ensure sound financial sources with an affordable cost.

Dinh Trong Thinh, senior lecturer at the Academy of Finance, cautioned that it is getting intrinsically difficult to obtain a license for consumer finance company establishment. Therefore, savvy foreign investors might see mergers and acquisitions as the most cost-effective and quickest approach.

Foreign acquirers often look for smoothly-run consumer finance companies to pour cash in. Due to the large existing customer base and vast experience of local companies, they would easily penetrate into the local market, instead of starting from scratch with a brand new entity that is both time-consuming and difficult to gain customers trust, explained Thinh at a VIR-led consumer finance seminar.
Many e-wallet groups are teaming up with other platforms in order to reach more customers

With more than 40 e-wallets, the market in this country has become a crowded one in the last few years. Meanwhile, China with its much larger market scale is dominated by the two main providers, Alibabas AliPay and Tencents WeChat Pay.

In the race for market share, many Vietnamese e-wallets have chosen to partner with e-commerce platforms to increase the rate of returning users as well as customer loyalty.

However, no single e-wallet has been able to completely dominate the market. Instead, about 90 per cent of e-wallet transactions are processed through the platforms of MoMo, ZaloPay, and Moca, according to a report by Q&Me Vietnam Market Research.

MoMo is the most used e-wallet with 20 million individual users by the end of 2020 but does not own any community or ecosystem. Although Zalo has more than 60 million users, ZaloPay has not won over the hearts of its community. Similarly, Indian payment gateway provider AirPay is failed to dominate the market despite its close cooperation with platforms like Shopee  the largest e-commerce site in Vietnam today.

Meanwhile, ride-hailing apps have been partnering with e-wallet providers such as Be with MoMo and SmartPay, Gojek with WePay, and Grab with Moca.

As none of the services shines through unique selling propositions, e-wallet services are forced to constantly offer promotions and introduce attractive services and utilities to retain customers, which is the reason why many of them have incurred losses in the last few years.

Currently, MoMo and ZaloPay spend the most money on marketing and promotion activities, seemingly without any fear of big losses. Despite being among the most popular e-wallets in Vietnam, with its user numbers increasing four-fold since the end of last year, ZaloPay recorded a loss of $9 million, according to the companys consolidated financial statements for Q1 of 2021.

MoMo also reported a loss of around $37 million in 2019, while Moca also accumulated losses of more than $8.6 million.

The second unicorn in Vietnam, e-payment provider VNPAY, is also expected to have a hard time because of its constant promotional offers. However, the company has achieved close-knit partnerships with 40 banks and more than 20,000 enterprises, showcasing promising development.

While some of these services are seemingly burning money to stay ahead, others can profit from their partnerships with e-commerce platforms. AirPay, thanks to cooperation with Shopee, has made profits for several consecutive years. In 2019, this e-wallet provider reported a profit of $1.2 million.

VietUnion, the owner of the Payoo e-wallet, has also erased accumulated losses from 2018 due to targeting corporate customers and becoming a payment intermediary connecting bill service providers for electricity, water, and school tuition. Profit after tax at Payoo increased from $2.6 million in 2018 to $5 million in 2019.

MoMo vice chairman Nguyen Ba Diep said, No-one is actually foolish enough to burn money, but innovation investments take a lot of time to achieve the targeted scale.

Before reaching the desired scale and profits, e-wallets decide to accept large expenditures in the early stages to bring customers over to their platforms. To not invest in marketing would mean to drastically reduce costs and improve profits right away but could also negatively affect market share.

To solve this problem, many providers have chosen one of two solutions: take advantage of the growth of e-commerce in the context of the pandemic, or conduct mergers and acquisitions with foreign businesses with strong financial potential.

In 2019, Lazada officially integrated the eMonkey payment method into their e-commerce business. Shopee also applied many attractive promotional policies for users when making payments via AirPay wallet, while Sendo offers similar promotions for SenPay wallet and Tiki cooperates with MoMo.

In 2020, MoMo promoted the merchant solution with dozens of big brands, and in return for its user base, the brand will offer promotions including discount cards and gifts.

ZaloPay also promoted cooperation with 269 new partners in the past year, in addition to strategic partners such as Lazada, Baemin, Tiki, Sendo, and Circle K.

Moca has sold its shares to Grab, while AirPay sold 30 per cent of shares to Sea Ltd., which has WeChat operator Tencent as a major shareholder. Standard Chartered Private Equity, Goldman Sachs, and Warburg Pincus hold most of MoMos charter capital, while Thailands True Money owns 90 per cent of 1Pay.

VNLIFE, the parent company of VNPAY, was reported to secure $200 million in its next fundraising round taking place next month. Previously, the company received an investment totalling $300 million from Japan-based Softbank Vision Fund and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC.

According to Nguyen Hoa Binh, chairman of Nexttech Group, the e-wallet market is beginning to see refinement. The similar e-wallets and fintechs will have to find new directions and build so-called super apps.

I think that 80 per cent of e-wallets will disappear within the next five years. The market will only have about five wallets with different products that generate high usage rates, Binh commented.
How would you assess the potential of Vietnams consumer finance market and why is the sector attractive to overseas investors?

Masataka Sam Yoshida, head of the Cross-border Division of RECOF Corporation and CEO of RECOF Vietnam Co., Ltd

Consumer finance in Vietnam has been increasing strongly since around 2013 on the back of rising affluence amid strong economic growth. However, consumer finance remains relatively new to the majority of Vietnamese people, and like many emerging markets, the country presents major growth opportunities for modern consumer finance.

According to publicly released data, consumer loans accounted for 15-20 per cent of all Vietnamese total loans in the last few years, while this rate is more than 35 per cent in neighbouring countries such as Thailand, and between 40-50 per cent in developed countries.

If excluding real estate loans, consumer credit represents approximately 9 per cent of the countrys total loans, far below the 15-35 per cent seen in regional countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and South Korea. Vietnam has around 97 million inhabitants, 69 per cent of whom are unbanked and 10 per cent are underbanked. Although commercial banks provide various financing solutions, the majority of consumers are still underserved or not served at all. Hence, we believe the market for consumer finance in Vietnam still has significant room to grow.

Given attractive growth prospects, the market share of major players like FE Credit, Home Credit, and HD Saison have been strained due to the fierce competition from younger players such as Shinhan Finance, Lotte Finance, Mirae Asset, Mcredit, and FCCOM. Despite the competition, we notice two major trends among those consumer finance companies that may leave opportunities for any new entrants aiming to penetrate the market.

Firstly, market players are focusing on cross-selling and upselling to existing customers with validated credit history rather than new customers, to mitigate credit risks. Secondly, they likely lack the appropriate lending infrastructure and credit-risk models. As such, we believe the foray into this market should certainly include foreign investor participation for taking advantages of technology-enabled business models and transferring know-how in developing risk and operational processes.

Do you think the SMBC-FE Credit deal is overpriced, and how could this deal impact both sides as well as the market as a whole?

According to FiinGroup research, the price paid by SMFG is almost double the market on price-to-book basis and almost 40 per cent over the average of the market. But on whether the deal has actually been overpriced or not, I would like to refrain from making specific comments.

The main reason for this is that, in such a transaction, the pricing is defined between the concerned parties as a result of lengthy and meaningful negotiations and based on the strategic value of the business specific to the existing and new owners. I have a strong belief that anyone outside the deal is not entitled to refer to it as being overpriced.

Although RECOF could only close one transaction in this sector which was in 2014, we have been involved in a number of potential consumer finance transactions in Vietnam during the last 6-7 years and we are well aware of the value of FE Credit. At least for SMFG, this transaction will help them widen their coverage of the Vietnamese markets by being able to have multiple approaches.

With regard to the know-how in consumer finance businesses that Japanese companies may be able to help with, it is said that the credit assessment and customer scoring system is a focus. However, from the fact that the credit scoring of the Japanese consumer credit companies rely much on the credit information of individuals available in the database of industry-wide institutions in Japan, their expertise may not be readily applicable in a market like Vietnam, where the environment is different.

Debt-collecting businesses are to be banned in Vietnam as part of local government action to protect customers rights. However, this is considered a strict approach, with a majority of consumer finance customers underbanked or unbanked. How would this move affect such companies in Vietnam?

We understand banning debt collection services has resulted from the fact that many debt collection agencies for many years have used all possible tactics, whether legal or not, to collect debts. The advantages of using such agencies include fast and high debt recovery ratios.

Putting a stop to the operation of debt collectors obviously poses challenges to lenders or creditors where their collection performance will be affected. Consumer finance companies need to make changes to meet these evolving regulatory requirements. This will be inconvenient, time-consuming, and expensive at first but at the same time creates an opportunity for the consumer finance companies to rethink their collections strategies and operations.

We might also see an increasing trend of selling or trading the debts from those who are not enough strong in debt collection to those who have the time, expertise, and resources required. In fact, debt sales can be an effective tool for certain accounts, especially those with low expected recoveries.

However, it might be better implemented if policies and procedures for debt sales could have clearer guidance from the government.
Collecting samples for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - The northern province of Bac Giang, Vietnams largest COVID-19 hotspot at present, had logged over 300 new infections as of the afternoon of May 25, the Ministry of Health (MoH)s special taskforce in the province said.

All are workers staying in a sealed off area.

The MoH has held an urgent meeting with the special taskforce in Bac Giang and the provinces Health Department.

The cases were detected after an acceleration of testing conducted jointly by the MoH, local authorities, and relevant agencies over the last three days at all industrial parks (IPs), factories, and worker dormitories in the locality.

Associate Professor Dr Tran Nhu Duong, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said that either factories in the IPs or the dormitories are the source of the infections. Both are high-density areas and the virus spreads quickly in the air.

The MoH has asked its special taskforce to immediately block off all worker dormitories and ensure strict compliance with quarantine regulations, especially in high-rise buildings accommodating a large number of workers, and apply regulations at quarantine sites in these areas.

Relevant agencies must not allow people to leave these areas or their rooms, and must conduct regular testing and disinfect workers residential areas.
Nestle Vietnam donated nutritional products to support frontline workers in the COVID-19 fight

In recent days, the resurgence of COVID-19 cases has become a growing complication for Vietnam. As the whole country makes efforts to battle the pandemic, Nestle Vietnam has quickly launched a new campaign to support frontline workers and healthcare personnel.

The company has granted nearly 60,000 beverage and nutritional products such as Nescafe Espressoda, Nescafe Viet, Nestea, and Nesvita worth more than VND1.5 billion ($65,220) to frontline medical staffs, doctors, and workers involved in pandemic prevention.

Tran Minh Dien, director of the National Children's Hospital, said that, "The necessities have arrived at the right time to support the medical staff and doctors at National Children's Hospital, who are striving to serve the patients to ensure the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to acknowledge and thank the company for accompanying and supporting the hospital during this difficult period."

Binu Jacob, managing director of Nestle Vietnam, said, I believe that with the highest determination of the government and the unanimous cooperation of organisations, individuals, businesses, and communities, we will together reduce the spread of the pandemic."

The neccessities have arrived at the right time to support the medical staff and doctors

In addition to frontline medical workers, Nestle Vietnam also supported border guards and functional forces in charge of the COVID-19 prevention and control activities across the southern border with 7,500 portions of nutritious food and beverage products under the Maggi, Nescafe, and Nestea brands with a total value of VND270 million ($11,740). Thus, in total Nestle Vietnam has donated a total value of nearly VND1.8 billion ($78,260) to frontline forces.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Nestle Vietnam has set five priorities to help overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including 1) Ensuring the safety and welfare of employees, 2) Optimising supply, 3) Optimising distribution channels, 4) Adapt flexible consumer-brand approach, and 5) Supporting the government and the community.

In the past year, Nestle Vietnam and La Vie, a member of Nestle Group, have donated VND40 billion ($1.74 million) in products, cash, and 88,000 medical masks to aid Vietnams COVID-19 fight. The company has also offered support to small business partners affected by the pandemic like small restaurants, small eateries, and school canteens to overcome challenges with gifts of a total value of VND22 billion ($956,520).

The company has closely followed regulations on pandemic prevention in light of the governments guidance and disseminated these regulations to all employees. Measures like wearing face masks, using hand sanitisers, measuring the body temperature of workers before entering the company, giving priority to online meetings, and increasing distancing in production areas, among others, have been observed meticulously.

On April 7, Nestle Group has announced a CHF2 million ($2.15 million) donation to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to support COVAX, the global facility for the procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. This builds on the group's ongoing efforts to support communities around the world during the pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 02:10:45|Editor: huaxia

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Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (R) and Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed attend a press conference in Rabat, Morocco, on May 24, 2021. The two ministers decided to convene in the near future the High Joint Commission in order to develop economic ties on Monday, said official news agency MAP. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua)

RABAT, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani received on Monday in Rabat Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, with both sides pledging to foster cooperation and promote bilateral ties.

Morocco will work with Mauritania to promote cooperation in such fields as education, economy, trade and investment, El Otmani told reporters after the talks, according to official news agency MAP.

For his part, Ahmed expressed the hope that the High Joint Commission, chaired by the heads of government of both countries, will be held soon to push forward important cooperation projects.

Ahmed was received earlier by his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita. The two ministers decided to convene in the near future the High Joint Commission in order to develop economic ties, said MAP. Enditem
Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, according to authorities, owes $7.6 million in taxes. Photo: Le Toan

A long list of companies, including a slew of real estate services providers, was made public last week as an important initiative of local authorities to put tax-debt cases under review.

Hanoi Tax Department under the General Department of Taxation published the list of over 2,000 taxpayers with debts, especially land tax under the law on non-agricultural land-use tax.

The figure is roughly estimated at VND6.39 trillion ($278 million), including 1,500 taxpayers with potential tax debt collection of VND5.748 trillion ($250 million), and 530 taxpayers with soured debt tax amount of approximately VND638 million ($27.7 million).

State-owned Shipbuilding Industry Corporation is one of those not fulfilling its tax obligations, with VND175.5 billion ($7.6 million) tax debt. Lilama Hanoi JSC also owes VND138.2 billion ($6 million).

Domestic property developer Song Da-Thang Long JSC topped the list with the largest debt of over VND384.6 billion ($16.7 million).

Many names were outed in the past and continue to be listed as they have yet to pay up. For example, World Gems Co., Ltd. owes land use fees for more than five consecutive years for its Ruby Tower Dinh Cong project, previously known as AZ Sky Dinh Cong.

World Gems still owes more than VND142 billion ($6.2 million), and many residents have also been requiring legitimate certificates of house/land use rights.

Dong Thap JSC, developer of a residential project in the capitals Hai Ba Trung district, is reported to owe VND32.5 billion ($1.4 million) in non-agricultural land use tax, land rent, and late payment of land use levy.

For the tax debts of Dong Thap JSC, we will apply a coercive measure to notify the invoice that is no longer valid for this company. Moreover, we will take further coercive measures in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Tax Administration if the company still fails to pay tax obligations on time, Hanoi Tax Department noted.

Ha Huy Phong, managing director of Inteco Law Firm explained, Besides tax debt, investors often owe land use levy, leading to ineligibility for land use right certificates. As a result, homebuyers could not be granted house and land ownership certificates.

In January, Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department announced that collectible tax debt as of November 30 reached VND12.25 trillion ($533 million), up 25 per cent compared to the end of 2019. The major issues in the rise lay in corporate income tax (CIT) and taxed land of enterprises operating in the real estate sector.

The total debt of land and water surface rents in 2019 in the city was VND3 trillion ($130 million), up 7.44 per cent on-year.

In terms of the collection of levy on land use rights and land administration fees, the total debt was VND1 trillion ($43.5 million), down 3.86 per cent compared on-year.

For real estate groups CIT, the figure reached VND327 billion ($14.2 million), equivalent to an increase of 20.22 per cent on-year. There are 29 enterprises that owe tax of over VND5 billion ($218,000) with a total CIT debt of VND295 billion ($12.8 million), accounting for 90 per cent of all CIT debt in real estate businesses.

Duc Khai Corporation  another property business  reportedly owes VND441 billion ($19.2 million). Duc Khai is known as the developer of residential projects such as The Era Town. Last year, a number of Era Town apartments were put on auction as a part of BIDV and TPBanks plans to sell collateral assets to recover their soured loans.

In January, property developer Thu Duc House in Ho Chi Minh City was fined VND451 billion ($19.6 million) due to its tax arrears. Since then, the municipal authorities have taken stronger coercive measures involving suspension of the companys invoice usage.

Director of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department Le Duy Minh signed a tax promulgation at the end of March, citing that the company owed taxes for more than 90 days and did not comply with the decision to sanction administrative violations on tax management.

The government last month issued Decree No.52/2021/ND-CP on extension for payment of VAT, CIT, personal income tax, and land rental fee in 2021, which aims to provide a much-needed foundation to help cash-strapped companies weather financial difficulties endured in recent times.
These contributions expressed SCGs relentless commitment as a good corporate citizen to different communities in Vietnam.

Provided by SCGP (the packaging business of SCG), these paper innovations have been delivered timely to aid the government and communities in their battle against the pandemic.

Specifically, to ensure health during the national election campaign, SCGP has presented 100 premium paper partitions produced by its subsidiary Alcamax Packaging Vietnam Co., Ltd. to keep a safe distance and limit the spread of the pandemic during the voting in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

An additional 300 sets of paper partitions, subsequently, will also be transferred to the Centre of Disease Control Binh Duong (CDC), Dong Nai Department of Health, and Hai Duong province to support pandemic prevention at government and health offices.

Suwat Phadungsinlapasathaporn  managing director of Alcamax Packaging Vietnam Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SCGP  presenting partitions for the Centre of Disease Control in Binh Duong

Besides, SCGP also immediately produced and delivered 100 paper beds to the field hospital in Bac Giang. These beds have already proved successful in supporting the pandemic fight in Bac Giang province. These paper beds, made entirely of recycled paper, were built to provide comfort and safety and are easy to transfer and install for both patients and medical workers.

Provided by SCGP, these paper innovations have arrived timely in Vietnam to aid the government and societies in different battles.

As a responsible corporate citizen, SCGP has deployed several necessary initiatives to support the local communities in Vietnam during this challenging time. With our innovative paper products, we hope to assist the Vietnamese government and authorities to protect peoples well-being, helping people to get back to normal life soon, said Sompob Witworrasakul, general director of Vina Kraft Paper Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SCGP.

During the last outbreak of COVID-19 in northern provinces, SCGP has donated to Hai Duong province 10,000 premium quality paper boxes to transfer provisional contents to the lockdown zone, and 100 paper beds made from paper.

Providing timely support at critical touch points

Not solely supplying innovative applications, SCG and its subsidiaries have also joined hands to donate plentiful necessities in response with the needs at critical pandemic touch points. In the hot spot Bac Giang province, SCG Vietnam has donated 1,000 face shields to protect medical teams.

Paper partition innovation helps ensure safety for the medical workforce while checking the health of patients, preventing the spread of COVID-19

Prior to this, as the pandemic situation remains unpredictable, to support the borderland security, SCG Vietnam Co., Ltd. has teamed up with Tin Thanh Packing JSC (BATICO), another SCGP subsidiary, to donate 25,000 masks to the border patrol forces.

Along with this, Prime Group, another subsidiary, coordinated with Lac Viet Friendship Hospital to organise sample checking for 850 officials and employees in five business units to improve local testing capacity, contributing to the tracing and preventing COVID-19. Other SCG subsidiaries, including Prime Group, SCG Cement-Building Materials Vietnam, and SCG staff also utilised their resources to share with Vietnamese people through this difficult time of the pandemic.

Paper beds made entirely of recycled paper, transported to field hospitals in Bac Giang to support the pandemic fight

As the leading regional sustainable business, SCG has always been at the forefront to support different communities in Vietnam. In the past year, the company has mobilised and contributed billions of Vietnamese dong (hundreds of thousands US dollars) to the fight against COVID-19 in various parts of Vietnam.

Besides, SCG has also led the way in circular economy by being one of the first enterprises in Vietnam to join a public-private cooperation (PPC) with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to apply circular economy in plastic waste management.
In 2020, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the EAEU reached $5.2 billion, up 6.5 per cent compared to 2019

According to Decision 17 of the Trade Policy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) dated March 5, Vietnam will no longer enjoy the GSP of the EAEU from October 12. This change is expected to strongly impact businesses whose goods exports are enjoying GSP to the EAEU.

Enterprises are recommended to pay attention to this deadline to adjust their export activities accordingly. Plus, they are recommended to take advantage of tariff preferences from the Vietnam-EAEU Free Trade Agreement, replacing the GSP regimes that will be terminated shortly.

The EAEU (consisting of five countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan), has removed 75 developing countries and two least developed countries from the list of countries entitled to GSP preferences because they no longer match the criteria for enjoying economic support from the EAEU as prescribed in Decision No.47 dated April 6, 2016, of the council of EEC.

The EAEU's GSP preferential tax regimes should have ended as soon as the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EAEU took effect in 2016. However, the EAEU has approved for Vietnam to continue to enjoy GSP for another five years after this agreement entered into force.

Apart from Vietnam, the EAEU also excludes several other countries from this list such as China, Korea, India, Singapore, and Brunei.

In 2020, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the EAEU reached $5.2 billion, up 6.5 per cent compared to 2019. Of this, exports from Vietnam reached about $3.1 billion, up 7.2 per cent compared to 2019; imports from the EAEU about $2.1 billion, increased by 5.5 per cent compared to 2019.
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son held phone talks with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on May 25, during which he affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to further promoting and deepening the strategic partnership with Germany.

Both sides expressed their delight at the strong, comprehensive, and effective development of bilateral ties since the establishment of a strategic partnership a decade ago.

Agreeing on measures to enhance economic-trade-investment, science-technology, renewable energy, vocational training, and medical cooperation, the two vowed to soon build the Vietnam - Germany strategic action plan for the 2022-2023 period, with a focus on the exchange of high-level visits, boosting dialogue mechanisms and collaboration.

Maas spoke highly of Vietnams efforts to contain COVID-19 and the close cooperation between the two countries to address the crisis.

Son congratulated Germany on its important achievements in vaccine roll-out and pandemic control. He thanked the country and the EU for providing vaccines to Vietnam via the COVAX facility.

He suggested Germany facilitate Vietnams access to vaccines and vaccine production technology, as the latter is expanding its vaccination programme to achieve the dual goal of fighting the pandemic and restoring the economy.

The German minister hailed Vietnams role and position in realising Germanys policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific to boost bilateral links in economy, trade-investment, sustainable development, and national defence-security.

The Vietnamese minister heralded Germanys active and constructive role in the region and thanked it for actively supporting Vietnam - EU cooperation, especially in stepping up the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. He also proposed the German Government and legislature accelerate the approval of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement.

The two sides highly appreciated their close liaison and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially in 2020 when the two served as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Vietnam undertook the role of ASEAN Chair and Germany was rotating President of the EU in the second half of the year.

On regional and global issues, they upheld compliance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the sake of peace and stability in the region and the world.

They spotlighted ASEANs central role and supported the promotion of dialogue and efforts to seek sustainable solutions for peace in Myanmar.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating reports of heart inflammation among adolescents and young adults who have received Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Several cases of myocarditis potentially linked to mRNA vaccines were presented at a Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) session held on May 17.

Myocarditis is defined as inflammation of the heart muscle that can affect the ability of the heart to pump and cause abnormal heart rhythms, according to Mayo Clinic. Possible etiologies include viral infections and a reaction to a drug. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), more commonly, myocarditis is a result of the bodys immune reaction to the initial heart damage.

In an interview with Reuters, Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, stated that vaccines are known to cause myocarditis. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines create a protein that triggers an immune response in an infected person.

VaST discovered that the cases mostly seemed to occur in adolescents and young adults, with more men than women affected. The symptoms typically showed up after the second shot, and usually within four days of vaccination. The agency noted that there were relatively few reports of myocarditis and that most cases appear to be mild.

Within CDC safety monitoring systems, rates of myocarditis reports in the window following COVID-19 vaccination have not differed from expected baseline rates. However, VaST members felt that information about reports of myocarditis should be communicated to [healthcare] providers, stated a CDC report of the session.

In an April 27 press briefing held by the White House COVID-19 response team and health officials, a press reporter asked about the Department of Defenses (DoD) reports of 14 cases of myocarditis among service members and families who were vaccinated through the military healthcare system. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky replied that the agency will be working with the DOD to understand what is happening in those 14 cases, and that it is a different demographic than we normally see.

As of May 14, 288 incidents of myocarditis or pericarditis have been reported in individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccine predominantly in the U.S., according to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) with data sourced from the CDC and Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Of the 288 cases, 158 occurred after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination, 110 occured after Moderna vaccination, and 19 occurred after Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccination. While myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, a fibro-serous, fluid-filled sack that surrounds the muscular body of the heart, according to teachmeanatomy.

According to CDC data, over 130 million people in America have been fully vaccinated. More than 1.6 million 16 to 17-year-olds have been fully vaccinated, or about 1.4 percent of the fully vaccinated. More than 8.1 million 18 to 24-year-olds have been fully vaccinated, or about 6.8 percent of the fully vaccinated.

Lawsuit against vaccinating children

Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS), a non-profit, non-partisan organization, recently filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, seeking a temporary restraining order against the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) granted to COVID-19 vaccines for use in children under the age of 16. On May 10, Pfizer had announced that it received EUA from the U.S. FDA to inoculate children aged 12 to 15 years.

Dr. Simone Gold, the founder of AFLDS, stated that the vaccine was not a vaccine but an experimental biological agent. In a statement, she said, We insist that the EUA not be relinquished prematurely; certainly not before trials are complete  October 31, 2022, for Moderna and April 27, 2023, for Pfizer.

We are shocked at the mere discussion of this, and will not be silent while Americans are used as guinea pigs for a virus with survivability of 99.8% globally and 99.97% under age 70 Under age 20 it is 99.997%  statistical zero There are 104 children age 0-17 who died from COVID-19 and 287 from COVID + Influenza  out of ~72 million. This equals zero risk.

Reports in Israel and Europe

In April, The Times of Israel reported on an unpublished study conducted by the Israeli Health Ministry on the side effects of Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine. More than five million people have been inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine in the country, and at least 62 individuals have reported cases of myocarditis. Most of the cases occurred after the second jab in men under age 30, and 60 patients were hospitalized. Two people died, including a 35-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman who were reportedly healthy prior to getting vaccinated.

There is specific concern regarding the frequency of the occurrence observed in men under 30 in the days immediately after the second shot At this stage, according to initial findings that still need to be verified, there is an impression that the number (of cases) is higher than would be expected, especially for those under 30, the media outlet quoted from the report.

In a May 7 report, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) acknowledged that they are aware of cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the membrane around the heart) mainly reported following vaccination with Comirnaty. According to the WHO, Comirnaty is an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer Europe MA EEIG.

With reporting by Jonathan Walker.
British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail for a seven-month-long voyage to Asia. During a recent visit to Portsmouth Naval Base in the southern English coast, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the deployment will show our friends in China that Britain believes in the international law of the sea.

The 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will carry 10 U.S. Marine Corps F-35 and eight British F-35B fighter jets onboard. It will have a 1,700 member crew, including 250 U.S. marines.

The carrier will lead a flotilla that includes two frigates, two destroyers, two support ships, and a submarine. It will also be joined by a frigate from the Dutch Navy and a destroyer from the U.S. Navy. The flotilla will carry 3,700 personnel and 32 aircraft in total.

We dont want to antagonize anybody, but we do think that the United Kingdom plays a very important role, with friends and partners, the Americans, the Dutch, the Australians, the Indians many, many others, in upholding the rule of law, the international rules-based system on which we all depend, Johnson said to reporters aboard the carrier.

The journey will span 26,000 nautical miles and last for 28 weeks, during which the Carrier Strike Group will be in contact with over 40 nations. It will pass through the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean to make way towards Asia where the Group is expected to sail through the South China Sea, many parts of which are (contentiously) claimed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and contested by neighboring nations.

I dont expect to see aggression from China when UK forces with their allies are going about activity in a very legal and clear manner. Weve got to put an onus on these countries to behave responsibly. Were behaving responsibly and we will expect other nations to behave responsibly as well, Admiral Tony Radakin, First Sea Lord said to The Telegraph.

Although the British naval fleet is an important power globally, it is not as strong as it used to be. As of January, the Royal Navy has a modest 79 commissioned ships.

During World War II, Britain was able to send over 900 warships on D-Day 1944 across the English Channel. During the Falkland Wars in 1982, Britain was able to quickly scramble 115 ships.

Despite plans to sail through the South China Sea, HMS Queen Elizabeth will not sail through the Taiwan Strait.

Admiral Lord West, former First Sea Lord, whitewashed the decision to not challenge communist China in comments to The Telegraph, I think its enough of a statement by going through the South China SeaYou dont need to rub peoples faces in it by travelling through the Formosa Strait.

The CCP claims that its nine-dash line that encompasses a major portion of the South China Sea is the real international border. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) declared that Chinas territorial claims inside the nine-dash line carries no legal validity. Beijing has rejected the judgment and is in subsequent conflict with neighboring countries like Japan, Vietnam, and Philippines.

In April, the EU criticized China for sending ships to the Whitsun Reef, which the Philippines consider to be part of their exclusive economic zone. In a statement, the EU accused Beijing that its actions were endangering peace and stability in the region, reported Reuters.

More recently, Beijing complained about U.S. Navy activity in the South China Sea, accusing Washington of intruding into the waters surrounding the Paracel region that is also claimed by Vietnam, reported AP News.

The CCP was defensive about the presence of destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur, and claimed the Peoples Liberation Army Navy warned and expelled the ship from the waters.

The Communist Partys claims were debunked by the U.S. Navy, however, The PLAs statement about this mission is false. USS Curtis Wilbur was not expelled from any nations territory. USS Curtis Wilbur conducted this FONOP (freedom of navigation operation) in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters, a statement from the U.S. fleet said.
Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Tuesday it is clear that Raman Pratasevich, the journalist arrested Sunday after the passenger jet he was traveling on was diverted and forced to land in Minsk, has been beaten in detention.



Pratasevich appeared in a video posted online Monday, apparently filmed by Belarusian security services. He confessed to organizing anti-government protests. His supporters say marks on his face show he has been beaten.



Speaking from Vilnius Tuesday, where she lives in exile, Tsikhanouskaya said that lawyers had not been allowed to see Pratasevich.

I think many have already watched the video with imprisoned Raman. He said that that he is being treated lawfully but he is clearly beaten and under pressure. There is no doubt that he may be tortured, Tsikhanouskaya said. He was taken hostage like 421 political prisoners, and thousands of people who have not yet been recognized as political prisoners but are behind bars.



The incident has been described as state-sponsored hijacking by Western leaders, and many European airlines are now avoiding Belarusian airspace, a key route from Europe to Asia.



Twenty-six-year old Pratasevich was detained Sunday, after the Ryanair Boeing 737 passenger jet he was travelling on was forced to land in Belarus as it flew over the country en route from Greece to Lithuania. There were 171 passengers and crew on board. Pratasevich was visiting Athens at the same time as Tsikhanouskaya, who met several Greek government officials.

Belarusian state media have reported that President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered the flight to be intercepted. The United Nations aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has said the incident may have violated the foundational treaty governing international civil aviation, the 1944 Chicago Convention.



Pratasevich and his Russian companion Sofia Sapega were arrested on the ground in Minsk. At least three other passengers also disembarked the plane and are believed to be security agents who were tracking Pratasevich.

European Union leaders expressed outrage over the incident following a summit in Brussels Monday evening. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, outlined the blocs initial response.



This is an attack on freedom of expression and this is an attack on European sovereignty. This outrageous behavior needs a strong answer, therefore the European Council decided that there will be additional sanctions on individuals that are involved in the hijacking but this time also on businesses and economic entities that are financing this regime, von der Leyen said at a press conference in Brussels Monday evening.



The former British ambassador to Belarus, Nigel Gould-Davies, welcomed the ratcheting up of sanctions against the Belarus government. I think given the escalation of Belarus' outrageous activities, the point is now to correspondingly escalate the sanctions and move from a situation where we're just imposing restrictions on individuals to a broader approach to putting pressure on the regime, Gould-Davies told the Associated Press.



And that means, among other things, going after the financial flows, the various ways in which Belarusian state companies are dependent on access to Western finance and Western markets. These are the money flows that help sustain the regime, he added.

The European Union urged airlines to re-route around Belarus. Lufthansa, KLM, SAS, Air France, LOT and Singapore Airlines were among carriers that announced they would stop flying over the country Tuesday. Belarusian airlines will also be banned from EU airspace and airports.



However, Europe has limited options in seeking to retaliate, says analyst Alex Titov of Queens University Belfast. Ultimately, thats not going to move Lukashenko, because hes got his man now, Titov told VOA. The European Union in particular, but the United States as well, dont really want to completely antagonize Belarus or lose it altogether and push it into Moscows arms.



NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg echoed the condemnation Tuesday. The forced landing of a passenger flight by Belarus was dangerous and unacceptable, Stoltenberg told reporters. This is a state hijacking and demonstrates how the regime in Minsk attacks basic democratic rights and cracks down on freedom of expression and independent media. I welcome the additional measures agreed by the European Union. There must be an urgent international investigation. And journalist Pratasevich and his companion Sofia Sapega must be immediately released.



Bill Browder, the financier and political activist who has campaigned for sanctions against human rights abusers in Russia and elsewhere, said it is critical that the West responds forcefully.



I think it sends a horrific message to every enemy of every dictatorship around the world - that you can literally be plucked out of the sky no matter where you are. And it's unprecedented, this type of thing, you have an internal EU flight that was basically grounded with fighter jets by a dictator. And there has to be harsh and serious consequences, Browder said Tuesday.



Pratasevich fled to Poland in 2019 and claimed political asylum. He ran the popular Nexta and Nexta Live channels on Telegram but recently switched to an alternative opposition social media platform.



Since the protests began in August 2020 after a disputed election, Belarusian authorities have arrested an estimated 35,000 people. There is widespread evidence of torture.



The operation to arrest Pratasevich was likely personally ordered by President Lukashenko, says analyst Alex Titov.



The thing about the Belarusian protests is that there was very little structure and clear leaders and organization around them. So, the Telegram channel by two very young journalists in exile in Poland already suddenly became that sort of lynchpin seemingly, which was directing all the protests, Titov said.



U.S. President Joe Biden has asked his advisers to come up with options to hold those responsible for the forced landing of the Ryanair plane to be held to account. The United Nations called for a full, transparent and independent investigation.
Uganda hosts Africa's largest population of refugees, and psychologists say the rate of attempted suicides among them has jumped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reporter Halima Athumani looks at efforts to help those who fled physical danger only to suffer from deadly mental trauma.
Relatives of the late former President Robert Mugabe say they will defy a village court order to exhume and rebury his remains in accordance with local traditions. In an exclusive interview, Leo Mugabe, who is the former presidents nephew, said Chief Zvimbas order would be taken to the highest court in Zimbabwe if the matter is not resolved at village level. He speaks with VOA Zimbabwe Services Gibbs Dube about this and other related issues.

Gibbs Dube (GD): Whats going on here Mr. Leo Mugabe as your family has been ordered to exhume the former presidents remains from his homestead?

Leo Mugabe (LM): Sure, we have not seen the judgment but I have heard a number of people calling me, and telling me that there is a ruling that we must exhume the body, by the 1st of July. So that ruling, to us, you know, the ruling against the widow. The widow has got nothing to do with the burying of her husband. It was the Mugabe immediate family, immediate family who are responsible  the people that made that judgment, that decision to bury him where he is buried. So this judgment, its irrelevant, if you ask me. In any case, Chief Zvimba is not the chief who presides over Kutama (area). Chief Peperere is the one who presides over Kutama, with Chief Shorai as his headman, Kutama as his associate. So, to jump all these people as if he is the paramount chief, and theres nothing that is called a paramount chief, according to the Traditional Leaders Act. Therefore, you know, if that is their belief, while they are talking between themselves as chiefs, that is their talk. But the law does not provide for the paramount chief.

GD: So now you haven't received, you haven't received the judgment itself from the village court?

LM: No, they just put it on social media.

GD: So, what are you going to do because there's a deadline here, you know, for the government to move in? What are you going to do?

LM: No, our government is a responsible government. It has to talk to us the immediate family. Failure which, we simply go to court.

GD: And in this case the government, I believe, actually assisted in the burial of the late president, former president.

LM: Exactly, and there was no argument with the government. The delays were caused by the disagreements that were within the family itself, not with the government. The government had accepted when we said we are burying him in Zvimba, they accepted and they assisted. And on the day of the burial, Chief Peperere was there, at the burial. Now, if you, if you read The Independent (weekly newspaper) of last week, you then find that, you know, there was a meeting sometime in September, the chiefs went to the president (Emmerson Mnangagwa) and presented the matter that we want to exhume him and bury him properly. And the president asked them a question, that, how are you going to deal with the people? The reaction of the people and things like that. And he warned them to think twice about this.

GD: OK.

LM: So, all they want to do is to be relevant to President Mnangagwa. To say you know, your wish that you wanted him to be buried at the (National) Heroes Acre, we are now going to facilitate that wish, be fulfilled. It is irrelevant.

GD: But as the Mugabe family, you are saying no.

LM: No. We are saying no.

GD: So, is there any way that you can block the government if it wants to move in, exhume the remains and rebury them somewhere?

LM: No, the government cannot move in without talking to us. They cannot move in. They will need a court order, you see  they will need a court order to do that. They are not stupid. Yes, they will need a court order to do that. Since when does the government listen to a chief? Moreso to a chief who is presiding over a matter which is not in his area.

GD: Why is this chief interested in this matter, and I understand he is part of the Mugabe family as well. Why is he interested?

LM: No he is not. He is not. He is not a Mugabe. You know in the Zvimba dynasty, there are three families. Three families. Chidziwa family which is the youngest, which is the dynasty which we originate from ourselves. Then there is the Peperere dynasty, which is where the chief is from. Then the Chambara dynasty, which does not have chiefstanship, because Chief Zvimba presides over that area. We have a headman, you see. Because if they had given Chambara the chiefstanship, he would have had no area to preside over. When this whole thing was rearranged, it was rearranged in such a way that he would still have an area where you will preside over and be able to (ripisa vanhu) and things like that. But as we stand now, the chief who presides over Kutama is Chief Peperere.

GD: So now, why do you think Chief Zvimba is interested in this matter and why is he targeting the former first lady?

LM: Because they did not see eye to eye during the funeral.

GD: Why:

LM: They were the ones who were pushing for the Heroes Acre. You see? They are the ones pushing for the Heroes Acre, and the immediate family was saying no we must follow the late presidents wish. You can not bury him at the Heroes Acre against his wish. So that is where it originates from. At the actual funeral, the actual funeral, Chief Zvimba did not attend. He did not attend. So he wants to be relevant, to be seen to be attending the one that he had wanted to happen.

GD: And you are saying that's not going to happen?

LM: Its not going to happen.

GD: Yes, and tell us a bit about the former First Lady  she did not attend the court, the village court. Where is she?

LM: She is not in the country. She's out of the country and I understand she is not well also . even if  you get summons, you find that the person is not around, so, you see. This case should have gone to the kraal head first, you know, instead of going to the Supreme Court. Its like, you send a case to the Supreme Court at the first instance, and after the Supreme Court you dont go anywhere. Lets follow the hierarchy of the courts. They should have gone to a kraal head, then to a headman, then to Chief Peperere That would have been the right thing to do. So, they didnt do that. So the chief is, even if he was the right chief to do it, his judgment is not final. Theres still the magistrates court, the High Court, and the Supreme Court. If its a constitutional matter, which I think it is, because he has got no jurisdiction, we would go to the Constitutional Court.

GD: And you are ready to challenge the Chiefs decision?

LM: We are ready to take him on.

GD: So tell me tell me a little bit about this rumor that Mr. Mugabe was buried with a certain important ornament  a specter or something?

LM: No, thats all rumors, theres nothing like that. No, there's nothing like that. These are people who are just speculating, you know, that he had (tsvimbo). But who would have given it to him.

GD: So he didnt have the tsvimbo?

LM: Yes, he didnt have. If he had been given a tsvimbo and they know who gave it to him, they must go and source another tsvimbo from the same person. You are talking to  this man (Mugabe) was just a Roman Catholic, was a Christian. He did not believe in all this tsvimbos and things. And they all know it. Even the government, they know it.

GD: So then what's going on if he didn't have the tsvimbo and all these things. Whats going on? You know, Mr. Mugabe, I think you are one person that is very honest with this issue. What's going on here?

LM: I think there are people who are trying to be relevant  those who are bringing up the tsvimbo issue. I understand its been brought up in some political circles and they actually believe it exists. Then there is the side of the chief who are trying to be relevant, to be seen, to say to Mnangagwa, no we are not bitter with you for removing our relative, and therefore to show you that we are not bitter, we are prepared to exhume him and rebury him at Heroes Acre. So they are being, you know, this chief is trying to be relevant in the eyes of the president. And thats it.

GD: And at the same time, Mr. Mugabe, hes talking about the late former presidents property. Where is the property and why should it be brought to one place? Have you shared it, you know, whats going on with the property?

LM: We have already shared  weve already shared. Weve done all that. The other responsibility of a nephew, a muzukuru like me, you get my point? Thats where I come in, and we did it. Its done. Finished. We dont call these people, anashe, distant people, you only call close relatives. You only call close relatives. I have some clothes that used to be his, that were shared on that particular function.

GD: And even some immovable property, right?

LM: Immovable  some of those things were left for the kids, for his children. So basically, its normal. Its normal. Movable things, you know clothes, this  they were all shared, we shared all that.

GD: And normally, what we know in our culture, or let me say in some cultures, the mzukuru then takes over the wife. Did you do anything?

LM: No, I didnt. The Gushungos might first try and if they failed the mzukuru will try his luck.

GD: The last question is on the five cattle, you know, five cattle and one goat. Are you going to give him, this guy?

LM: No, but you see, what he is doing is taking somebody who was married in a family, and he is saying now, you the widow, you must pay. Because, you see, he is suing the wrong person, and this person that he is suing, will then say, you know we are going to take the cattle from the deceaseds cattle. Who are you punishing? Who are you punishing? The children? Who? People who you didnt  people who you did not invite to any hearing, are the ones you are saying, go and pick up  because if the cattle were given to the kids, the children, you are now saying go and get the cattle from the children. These children are above 18. They should be cited in many court papers in their own right.

GD: Your last word, Mr. Mugabe?

LM: I think this whole exercise is an exercise in futility, right here in. It will not yield the required results. It will just mess us up as a country, our image and the image of the government and everyone else, because it is not necessary. All this is not necessary.
South Sudans National Task Force on COVID-19 is sending back 72,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the COVAX facility for use in other countries before the doses expire.

South Sudan received 132,000 doses in late March from COVAX, a global coalition that works to ensure fair and equitable access of coronavirus vaccines worldwide.

The ministry decided to give back the doses after discussing the matter with the World Health Organization, said South Sudans Health Ministry undersecretary, Dr. Mayen Machuot.

We dont want to run the risk of [the drug] expiring here in our hands. It will be accounted for, so we are committing back an amount of 72,000 doses so that they are used by someone who can deploy these doses in one week and then once we finish with our 60,000, Machuot told reporters at a Juba news conference.

The COVAX facility wrote back to the government, saying it was happy with the arrangement, as the doses will not go to waste.

Machuot said South Sudan failed to use its doses because of a slow, initial response from health care workers to get vaccinated, delays by parliament to approve the vaccines use, and a lengthy time to train vaccinators.

We are struggling economically and this means it is labor intensive. It is an emergency vaccination, thats why we have problems of funding the deployment itself. We are actually tightening our belts and thats why hopefully in the next two weeks, the 60,000 we have will be dispersed all over the country, said Machuot.

Dr. Angelo Goup, director for emergency preparedness and response at the health ministry and a COVID task force member, said after health workers and the elderly were prioritized, the team opened vaccinations to the general public but many people were still reluctant to get the jab.

One of the major challenges that is raised by citizens are these negative videos on social media. We have assembled those videos whereby some people say this vaccine is not a vaccine, its just a genetic material for the virus, it doesnt protect people, Dr. Goup told VOAs South Sudan in Focus program.

He said the task force is doing its best to dispel those kinds of myths and educate the public about the importance of taking the vaccine. He urged people 16 and above to get vaccinated for their safety. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 14:19:38|Editor: huaxia

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Mohamed Noman Galal, Egypt's former ambassador to China, displays a book written by him on the Egyptian-Chinese relations during an interview with Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, March 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is a "party of achievements," which has liberated China from colonialism and poverty and led the country to prosperity and economic growth, said Mohamed Noman Galal, Egypt's former ambassador to China.

"The CPC has made many achievements during its struggle since its establishment in 1921, the most important of which is the reform and opening-up that helped the Chinese economy grow into the second largest one in the world," Galal told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The CPC celebrates its centenary on July 1 this year.

Galal, who is also a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, praised the success of the CPC in managing and overcoming the COVID-19 crisis in a record short period of time.

He stressed that "the Chinese economy has not been halted despite the COVID-19 pandemic," describing the Chinese people as earnest, persistent, hardworking and patient, which helped with their nation's fight against the epidemic.

The former Egyptian diplomat said that China has made successive five-year plans for economic reform.

He continued that Chinese President Xi Jinping added to the Chinese experience the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which Galal considered as one of the most important initiatives in the world.

China launched the BRI in 2013, with the aim of pursuing mutual benefit among participating countries.

Galal said that through the initiative, China has established win-win partnerships with other countries and contributed a lot to the development processes in Africa including Egypt.

"China is not and will not be an exploitative country, because the Chinese civilization is based on cooperation and joint construction with other countries," the former diplomat added, stressing that among the basic governing principles of China are the pursuit of peace and opposition to aggression.

"The idea of colonialism is rejected in the Chinese society and civilization," Galal emphasized.

Gala said he had many Chinese friends when he worked as Egypt's ambassador to China, and he has recently written a number of books on China and the Egyptian-Chinese relations, highlighting the strong ties between the two peoples and civilizations.

"What I liked most about China is the principle of punishment, which means that whoever makes a mistake is punished without reluctance, even if he is an official," the former Egyptian ambassador said.

Galal expects the CPC to continue leading China toward more accomplishments.

"I expect that the economic progress with Chinese characteristics will go on, the Chinese people's standard of living will further increase and China will continue being the world's factory," he said. Enditem
Zimbabwes Chief Justice, Luke Malaba, whose extended term of office was nullified recently by the High Court, is back at work.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Malaba returned to work after a notice to appeal against the High Court decision was filed at the Supreme Court by the government last Monday.

The newspaper quoted Judicial Service Commission secretary, Walter Chikwanha, as saying Malaba is currently executing his judicial functions. Chief Justice Malaba has always been at work since the day the government filed a notice of appeal against the decision of the High Court. Its by operation of the law. Once the appeal was filed the order of the High Court was in effect suspended until the determination of the appeal.

Justices Justices Happias Zhou, Edith Mushore and Jester Charewa declared as null and void Malabas extended five-year term of office.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended Malabas term of office as per some provisions of the Zimbabwe Constitution Amendment (Number 2) Act, which was recently passed into law.

The Act stipulates that judges have the option to serve until the age of 75 as long as they are mentally and physically fit.

Musa Kika of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Young Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe, a war veteran and others, filed a High Court application challenging the extension of Malabas term of office.

They are now demanding minutes of meetings held by the president, the Judicial Service Commission and other relevant authorities before Malabas term of office was extended. They are also demanding to see Malabas application letter seeking an extended term.
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At least three people were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting Sunday outside a bar in Youngstown, Ohio, police said.

Chief Carl Davis of the Youngstown police department said gunfire was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday in the area of the Torch Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown.

Davis said three people were dead of apparent gunshot wounds and at least three others were wounded, one in critical condition.

None of the shootings occurred in the bar but they stemmed from an incident which began there, he said.

Arriving officers rendered first aid to victims near the establishment and officers from nearby departments were called in to help due to the large crowds in what he called a chaotic and tragic event.

Authorities said no one was in custody but they were talking to several individuals. Police declined comment on how many weapons were used or other details.

Police were processing evidence from two shooting scenes near the bar as well as a traffic accident reported at about the same time. It wasn't immediately clear what relation the accident had to the shooting.

WKBN-TV reported dozens of casings in front of the bar as well as in a parking lot two doors down, where a house was also struck by gunfire.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said that, as a father of four, unnecessary violence involving young people just continues to pull at my heart."

It is not easy for me to get the call in the middle of the night from the chief or one of his team to tell me about incidents like this, and it pains me," he said.
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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Virginia Beach (54.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sharp initiation followed be 5 seconds of rumble | 7 users found this interesting.

Hampton (24.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Weak shaking, loud bump on roof. Sounded like something fell on it | 7 users found this interesting.

Poquoson, VA (18.3 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : One single jolt that I could feel under my feet. Things around my desk rattled. It felt like the whole house moved in that one jolt. | 6 users found this interesting. I'm on Bull Island too and felt one loud thud and shake. Thought it might be a sonic boom from the jets at Langley. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

16.1 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Felt like an explosion that was not close. Windows rattled and house trembled. It did not wake my sleeping mother. | 2 users found this interesting.

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Load boom then heavy shake | 4 users found this interesting. Felt 3 times. Felt the same as other people. Sounded more like a crash or something falling rather than a boom. The vibration moved from east to west like a wave. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

230.3 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : A slite shaking that woke me up. | 2 users found this interesting.

Newport News VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : My room moved and the sound was compared to a high wind gust, except there's no wind, I was on the 2nd floor, sewing room. | One user found this interesting.

16.1 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Felt like an explosion that was not close. Windows rattled and house trembled. It did not wake my sleeping mother.

Yorktown va (12.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : Like a gust of wind hitting the house. | 2 users found this interesting.

Newport News / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : It was loud. | 2 users found this interesting.

28.9 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I heard a loud boom and the house shook. Ran upstairs. Thought that maybe someone was cutting down trees and it hit the house. Very eerie. I remembered the last quake we had. It wasn't that severe but it was scary. I live close to LAFB. Thought that maybe they were deactivating a bomb. I live in Foxhill area. | 2 users found this interesting.

Hampton, va / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : At approx 11:07 am I heard a loud boom and I was on the third floor of my house and I felt like my house had been hit by a Mack truck it shook so hard both my pets were extremely alarmed | 2 users found this interesting.

Poquoson, Virginia / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Sudden boom and vibration. Thought a tree hit the house. I went outside to look. | 2 users found this interesting.

Hampton (22.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Bed swayed slightly for approximately 2 seconds | One user found this interesting.

HAMPTON / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Light rumble, house creaked. I thought a branch fell on my house but there was nothing when I went out to look.

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : Loud boom and shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Heard very loud boom and light shake. | One user found this interesting.

Va beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Also felt an after shock very quick | One user found this interesting.

32nd St., Virginia Beach, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : Heard and felt a loud boom. | One user found this interesting.

At home in kitchen in Buckroe Beach, VA (25.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : While sitting in the kitchen I heard a load boom and the entire house shook and windows rattled. Short duration, 1-2 seconds at most. Very similar to the sonic booms we feel from jets at nearby AFB. | One user found this interesting.

Hampton, Virginia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Sounds and felt like a very loud boom. | One user found this interesting.

Virginia Beach, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I feel like it was a three part short shaking fairly volatile boom.. my ears popped, the initial jolt was not unfamiliar more like a big truck passing that went immediately into a sizable boom with a small aftershock letdown sensation. I felt it in my chest and thought perhaps it was a sonic boom but it was more complicated and had shakes and air pressure moments on either side. I immediately thought earthquake based on similar feeling from Mineral VA explosion yers ago.. except I was at home to | One user found this interesting.

HAMPTON / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : It felt like there was an explosion somewhat close, or like a car hit the house. There was a sound, and I felt a second or two of shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Virginia Beach. 23454 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Sitting on sofa and the whole mobile home felt like it was rocking | One user found this interesting.

Virginia beaxh / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short : First felt at about 11:05am with a boom in distance, again about an hour later and then another 20min after that. | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Loud crack/bang, brief movement. | One user found this interesting.

12.2 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Heard a faint sound and a pressure shift and another faint sound. It felt like when someone opens and closes the heavy front door but no one was home except me. | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Felt like one really large boom. Knocked over some items on my desk. | One user found this interesting.

56.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : doors and windows and windows rattling. VERY loud boom and about 5 minutes later another loud boom. Felt like sonic boom of fighter jet or some naval ocean experiment | One user found this interesting.

Poquoson, Virginia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Not sure if it was an earthquake or a sonic boom. It was one, brief, hard thud. I thought a tree fell on the roof or something huge flew into the side of the house. It wasn't shaking like the earthquake felt here in 2012 (?). | One user found this interesting.

60.6 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Working at oceanfront heard loud thud like something dropped and vibrational shaking | One user found this interesting.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Felt movement like a rumble - but jets are flying this morning so I assumed it was navy jets... | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / very short : Felt the house shake. Sounded like a large door behind slammed. | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown, VA 23693 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Felt entire house jolt similar to a sonic boom. | One user found this interesting.

In my apartment / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : We live on the second floor of an apartment building and it felt like someone below us slamming their doors out of anger but with a definitive intensity and our front door sounding like someone very heavy fell into it. The floor shook. | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : More heard than felt | One user found this interesting.

Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Thought maybe an explosion far away or a building collapse. House shook. | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Felt like a very swift that hit the house. | One user found this interesting.

At the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach (58.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Very brief event. Thought it might be a sonic boom from US Navy fighter jets exercising out of OCEANA NAS in Virginia Beach. | One user found this interesting.

Bay Island, VA Beach, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Heard a rumble type noise and felt horizontal movement of 2nd floor exterior facing wall | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / very short : It felt like someone threw something or something big fell over. It spooked both our dogs. | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown, Virginia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / very short : Felt like something heavy fell on the roof of my home | One user found this interesting.

183.3 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Vibrating rumbling sounds | One user found this interesting.

Norfolk / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Scared me alot | One user found this interesting.

Yorktown, VA (14.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I felt the house shake and the windows and items in the house were rattling.

Bonney rd virginia beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

Bow Creek Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Was cool!

57.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Noticeable vibration.

VIRGINIA BEACH (67.5 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : i thought something fell over or a tree limb hit the house; odd and unidentifiable noise. ps; people all around virginia beach shore area commented on it as loud bang and things falling. feeling it is questionable and therefor unanswerable.

Hampton, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

57.2 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Didnt feel it

Virginia Beach, VA near Dam Neck Base (63.8 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : Felt a little like something crashed into a nearby house.

Bow Creek Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Was cool!

Norfolk va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

52.3 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Large "thud" or "boom". Felt rolling wave travel approximately East to West. Duration 3-4 seconds.

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : house shook..pictures vibrated on walls

Hampton, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

23456 / not felt

45 km SSE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I thought it was just my house, my desk shook

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Felt like something crashed

Virginia Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Glen Allen, Va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Short duration of a shake and heard a noise with it.

Hampton Va, / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Having felt the earthquake in Charlottesville, this one was the same shaking motion but but with lessor duration and intensity. r mucg r

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Like a sonic boom. My dog went and hid behind the chair.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Like a sonic boom. My dog went and hid behind the chair.

25.2 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Quick jolt .. thought it was construction related but no noise preceded the jolt/shake precisely at 11:09

184.5 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Nothing

Newport News, Va. (11.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Laundry / not felt : Nothing

Glen Allen, Va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Short duration of a shake and heard a noise with it.

45 km SSE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I thought it was just my house, my desk shook

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Assumed it was sonic boom followed be 5 seconds of rumble. Guess we'll never 'really' know.

21.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Roof popped, windows rattling, light covers cracked.

Virginia Beach (55.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : Loud boom and house shook for several moments

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Hubby thought it was the wind but we heard a loud noise like the front of our house was getting a lot of wind

Hampton, Virginia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Hsmpton va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Newport News (12.9 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : felt like a gust of wing

11.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

23452 / not felt

Newport News / not felt

Virginia Beach, va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Rumbling for a very short period. Thought someone was on the roof at work.

Virginia beach va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Felt like a sonic boom as the whole house rattled. Friends at VA Beach oceanfront and near Chesapeake bay also felt it. We are in the Littleneck peninsula of Virginia Beach.

Hampton (23.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Norfolk, Virginia USA / not felt

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Nervous

22.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Home Phoebus section of Hampton, Va. / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s : A very strong and loud hit like a tree fell on my house. Very weird, our dog was scared and all the birds were quiet.

Norfolk, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : Weak enough that I didnt think of the possibility of an earthquake.

Wythe inHampton / not felt : Felt nothing here

Hampton / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

Newport news shipyard (16.3 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Franklin VA (63.3 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : I was at Corolla Beach last week. (Thursday and Friday) I felt a total of 3 minor tremors. My mother felt 1 as well after I mentioned I had felt the first one. She and I together felt the second one. I later felt a 3rd o e but was not near anyone to ask if they had felt it as well.

183.3 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Vibrating rumbling sounds

23452 (51.2 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : Shook the whole house. Windows rattled. Pets freaked out.

Virginia Beach, Virginia (58.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Felt like the house shook about two times this morning. Thought it was just me or the dredging going on nearby. Interesting a good amount of other people felt this too.

Newport News, 23602 (2.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : I was outside working in my yard at 148 Nottingham Trail at the time of the "quake". I felt nothing but I did hear some loud noises/booms. I attributed them to the fighter jet (Raptor?) that I saw fly over my location. It appeared from the ground that I was on the eastern edge of a circle that a jet flew around my location at least twice. Or perhaps it was more than one jet and each jet flew over me on the same flight path a minute or two apart. Each time I saw a jet fly overhead it came from th

Virginia Beach, VA (60.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Felt almost like a sonic gust of air if that makes any sense. I was seated and my coworker was standing. Very loud noise and a singular wave of pressure hit us horizontally, making our building feel like it swayed to the side. Windows rattled and I saw some of my wall pictures shake against the wall. Was on the 2nd floor of a WWII era basic military grade building.

Bayview Norfolk / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt almost as if when the oceana jets are flying right over and the shaking from the engines, but at 1st a thud then rattle shaking. Just wasn't any jets!!! Nor jet engines

Norfolk / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Newport News / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : It was quick

Virginia Beach (20.9 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : My mother and I heard a loud Bang and felt my entire Condo shake, I live on the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach at Rudees Inlet.

Newport News (1.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Myself and the dog both heard the office door rattle once and again sometime shortly after; maybe 10 minutes.

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Felt a boom and shaking on third floor.

6.2 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Virginia Beach, VA (60.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Felt almost like a sonic gust of air if that makes any sense. I was seated and my coworker was standing. Very loud noise and a singular wave of pressure hit us horizontally, making our building feel like it swayed to the side. Windows rattled and I saw some of my wall pictures shake against the wall. Was on the 2nd floor of a WWII era basic military grade building.

Yorktown, va 23693 (10.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : It was as if a guest of wind went through the house and rattled the windows and doors. There wasn't sweating or vibrations. It was just of moment of unease.

5.9 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : I fell down the stairs landed on my cat he died in the event of the earth shaking and also I broke my spine and Im parrelized from waist down

Northern Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Very light, short shaking and my ears popped. I looked around the room, but nobody else seemed to notice...

603 pilot house drive, Newport News, va (8.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : building shook for about 3 seconds

Virginia Beach, VA 23451 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

Hampton, Virginia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I felt like the apartment building could fall down

Hampton,VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Like a short rumble

60.6 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Working at oceanfront heard loud thud like something dropped and vibrational shaking

Chester, VA (87.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt Didn't feel anything (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Originally thought it was a couple of sonic booms or the military base doing training. Our house rattled and the dogs were scared afterward

15th Street, 23451 / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

2512 George Mason Dr 23456 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : I was at my desk and got so dizzy I felt like I had vertigo and had to sit down Everything tipped on its side in my perspective Had to put my head on my desk Turns out there was an earthquake maybe?!

23451 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach (53.2 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I was in history class and I thought it was just wind blowing overhead. guess it was a quake

407 Midlothian Square Hampton Va (22 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Felt like a large branch fell on the roof or a big tree hit the ground nearby

Hampton, VA / not felt

23.8 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Virginia Beach, BS / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : I was sitting in my backyard and heard a boom. I didnt think much about it because I was in the Navy and stationed in jet squadrons and familiar with sonic booms.

1493 Trading Point Lane, 23452 (48 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Hampton Virginia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt stainless steel counter shake while bartending

Front royal / not felt : What's the chances I'll feel it

Virginia Beach / not felt

Hampton VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : I felt the house shake. Thought a tree or something had hit the house.

Poquoson / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : It was very quick the house felt like something hit it from outside. I asked my daughter if she noticed anything and she described to me the same thing that I felt. I didnt hear any booms or other noises at the time of this happening.

Norfolk / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Scared me alot

Poquoson Virginia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Yorktown, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Hampton va (24 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : Light shaking similar to other earthquakes Ive felt

Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Scottsville, VA (188.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating : Several objects on my window sill began to rattle in place against the window, with increasing intensity, then lessening. Nothing was displaced, just rattling.

60.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : House shuddered for a brief instant

virginia beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Oceanfront Va Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Oceanfront, Virginia Beach VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Scottsville, Virginia / not felt : I heard what I thought was a large truck in my driveway but when I went to look there was nothing there. The sound lasted 2-3 minutes. My husband was in his office in the basement and said he heard it too and things on his windowsill rattled.

Portsmouth / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

23.8 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

12.8 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Virginia Beach oceanfront / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I thought a large truck might have crashed into a tree or a building. Felt the house shake and heard a loud sound. Got up to look outside to see if there had been a crash nearby.

Virginia Beach / not felt : Didn't feel any significant movement but have definitely heard very loud booming sound 4 or 5 times through the early to late morning. Could "feel" the sound but not so much as a movement. Thought it was military operations.

york county virginia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : A strong directional roll from one direction to another (E to W)it only lasted approx 2 sec but shook the entire house in the same direction as if someone was on top of the house running across

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Like a sonic boom. My dog went and hid behind the chair.

Hampton va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Virginia Beach,Va (45.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I felt it!

Hampton, VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Ceiling fan and computer monitor started shaking, didn't last longer than 5 seconds.

Great Neck Middle School (50.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Door knobs and doors rattled. Other teachers reported also on same floor(2nd floor).

58.4 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Loud noise and the house shook abruptly. I walked around to figur out if something fell. There was a dumpster outside I hadnt noticed befor and I thought they might have dropped.

Hampton, VA 23663 (24.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : Large jolt, thought tree had fallen on house.

Hampton VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : House shook like a tree fell on it. (But it didnt)

virginia Beach, va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Havelock NC / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Mild tremors

Stafford / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s : I felt the quake in Stafford, VA around 3:10 PM. It was barely noticeable, but I did feel it. Feeling the quake prompted me to search online about earthquakes in VA and that is how I found this page/survey.

Virginia Beach Northside / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Hampton VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : House shook like a tree fell on it. (But it didnt)

Costco / not felt : Nothing.

Newport News / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Doors and windows rattling

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Heard boom felt shaking for few seconds on 2nd floor of house. Went outside to see if there was evidence of explosion in area

Newport News / not felt

Hampton VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : A quick hard thump.

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV)

virginia beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

211 61st Street Virginia Beach, VA (56.8 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I heard a boom and then some shaking. Both dogs jumped up and looked scared. I had to adjust some pictures in the wall.

Virginia Beach, va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Hampton, Va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : There was a slight shaking of the house. I assumed it was LAFB.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Virginia Beach Virginia (47 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Like a sonic boom. My dog went and hid behind the chair.

23 23rd street Virginia beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Heard loud boom,, sounded like sonic boom from jet or an accident nearby... then felt shaking and windows rattle, it upset my dogs they were running in circles and scared.

4654 haygood road, virginia beach, va / not felt

23454 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Samdbridge, virginia beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Sounded like a rumble with vibrating and shaking

Chesapeake, VA 23322 / not felt : I did not feel anything. People from VA Beach were contacting me asking if I felt the "earthquake"?

15.2 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s

Virginia Bch / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Felt like a bump and a muffled sound, like something happened outside.

Virginia Beach. Doug Speight / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I was outside walking my dog around 11:05am EST when I heard a loud distant boom as though bomb went off in the very distance and I felt the ground vibrate. I live in Ocean Park neighborhood of Virginia Beach

Hampton Virginia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Felt the house sway. I'm near Buckroe Beach and Fort Monroe

virginia beach, VA (56.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : my house shook very briefly

Va beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : Heard a boom and and slight vibration

Fort story / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Thought it was EOD demo

1853 s Woodside lane / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : Felt my house bump

At home in the Cape Henry area of northern Virgini (49.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Not like earthquakes I experienced growing up in New Mexico. Felt more like the effects of a large explosion. If explosion occurred underground, its effects could have been widely transmitted if the concussion waves travelled along a stratigraphic boundary, such as the top of the Yorktown Formation.

VIRGINIA BEACH / not felt

Norfolk Virginia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Yorktown / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / very short

56.9 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Hampton, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Just small and subtle but wanted to contribute to information regarding the topic.

Hampton, VA / not felt : Nothing at all

Princess Anne Memorial Park / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Heard a loud boom then the building and windows started to shake. A minute later it happened again.

Virginia Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Shaking accompanied by loud noise

Virginia Beach, VA (58 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : At first I thought there was an explosion to the northwest. Then I was sure it was a small earthquake. More muted than an expo.

Virginia Beach , VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : Heard a thud felt a shake but with jets flying around , it was hard to determine what it was.

Chesapeake va / not felt

poquoson (18.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Hayes (29.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

First Landing State Park off of Shore Drive / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Noise

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Sounded more like a sonic boom

Va Beach (64.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : I heard a huge boom and a small shake. I thought something fell in the house went running around looking

Newport News / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Front door rattled like the wind caught it/slammed it.

Virginia Beach / not felt

VA Beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Newport News (5.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Tabb / not felt

1853 s Woodside lane / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : Felt my house bump

121 sampson creek road, chesapeake, va / not felt

Suffolk, VA (42.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Nothing.

Chesapeake / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : I thought it was a big truck

Lynnhaven pkwy 23452 (54 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : I was stationary at desk. I heard the large windows rattle and crackle a bit, i looked up and saw the wind blowing hard. I assumed the rattling was attributed to the powerful breezes.

Hampton / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

virginia beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Last kin rd Virginia Beach (58.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Sitting at kitchen table . Felt rattle and vibration.

Virginia Beach 23451 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Heard a boom...thought it was a planevfron Oceana...felt brief entire house shaking

Hampton, VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Whole house shook, windows rattled. My location: 207 60th Street, block and a half from the ocean. Wasn't sure if it was a Sonic boom from military jets.

500 55th st, Virginia Beach VA / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / very short

VIRGINIA BEACH, 23452 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bow Creek Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Was cool!

Yorktown VA 23693 / not felt : I felt nothing

Virginia Beach, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I heard a loud rumble and some minor shaking while out walking in my neighborhood. I thought it may have been heavy equipment/construction-related or military maneuvers.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Very loud, shaking

Ashburn, va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Brief but strong vibration for a second or so. Initially thought it was a blast occurring in a new construction area nearby

Buckroe beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short

Hampton, VA (23.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

hampton / not felt : didnt feel it

Lori Zukerman, Hampton, home (21 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Like something big fell. Hear bedroom door unlatch

Hampton VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

hampton, va / not felt

23452 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach, VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

23455 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

42.3 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

8602 ocean Front Avenue Virginia Beach VA 23451 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

23661 (21.2 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Thought someone was knocking on the front storm door, got up to look and nothing!

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Originally thought it was a couple of sonic booms or the military base doing training. Our house rattled and the dogs were scared afterward

Virginia Beach (56.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s

Hampton Virginia / not felt

Severn, md / not felt

Poquoson / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Just felt like someone dropped something

Yorktown, VA 23693 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : I did not feel shaking but I heard an unusual sound, like a vibration, that I thought was the garage doors rattling or something hitting a window in the house.

hampton, va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : I thought the wind slammed our front door and it shook the house. Then I realized I was alone and it was doors slamming from the shake.

57.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Virginia Beach Oceanfront Norfolk Ave / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Elizabeth City, NC / not felt

25.7 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : Was standing on 3rd floorof our Chesapeake Bay front home and felt house move front to back with just 1 distinct movement

Hampton, virginia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Felt a sudden boom, dogs went crazy, the kids came running to find me. We thought something fell over, but couldn't find anything.

Virginia Beach (57.2 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

7.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Virginia Beach oceanfront / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I thought a large truck might have crashed into a tree or a building. Felt the house shake and heard a loud sound. Got up to look outside to see if there had been a crash nearby.

Yorktown, va (12.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach, Virginia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : Sounded like far off thunder, and the sliding glass door did a quick rattle

Virginia Beach (50.5 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

183.3 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Vibrating rumbling sounds

Norfolk / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Virginia Beach, VA (59.1 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Didnt feel anything however we live between 2 Navy bases and the jets are actively flying today.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Very loud, shaking

Williamsburg, VA / not felt

Yorktown / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

10.6 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : felt/sounded like a heavy truck passing by, but there were no trucks nearby.

Hampton, va / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : Just felt a shaking vibration that rattled the windows

Poquoson, va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Quick shaking of about 1 second.

Hampton VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Virginia Beach Oceanfront / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Virginia Beach 321 26th Street / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Shook my front door. Felt very strong. Scared my animals.

Virginia Beach VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : I was sitting when I heard a loud boom which caused my home to vibrate.

Hampton virginia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : Felt couch move and was very confused

Yorktown / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

31.6 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : VIRGINIA BEACH

Hampton, Virginia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Yes, house vibrated.

Buck roe beach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

9 Teresa Drive Hampton, Va / not felt

Yorktown / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Felt like something fell on roof or through garage

Yorktown, VA 23692 (11.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Did not detect

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Hampton Virginia / not felt

East Williamsburg, VA (15.7 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Felt what was like a giant boom. Could feel the vibration, but no real shaking.

Buckroe Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Sounded like a sonic boom but much shorter.

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake

25 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Hampton, Va Fox Hill / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Storm doors shook, house felt shaky for a second. I assumed a strong gust of wind or a wreck had happened in front of my house.

Hampton, va / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short

110 A 55th st, virginia beach, VA 23451 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

HAMPTON / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Thought it was an explosion. Very brief.

Yorktown VA (9.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Sounded like someone was coming through my garage door and slamming the door. Dog was alarmed

ASHEVILLE N.c / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Felt like a big truck hot and Felt it at my feet But thevr7mble/roar got me a little bit nervous

Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Virginia Beach (56.5 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

At home in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach. / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Navy jets having been flying all day. If not an earthquake, perhaps a sonic boom? My daughter was downstairs. We both heard the boom sound, but she didn't feel the shake like I did--I was upstairs. Sonic boom was my first thought as well / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Williamsburg / not felt : Im 15 minutes from the point of origin. Did not feel anything at my location.

Yorktown, VA (Tabb) / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : One quick shift of the house from South to North.

13.5 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 1-2 s

Hampton (21 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Williamsburg, VA / not felt

Hampton, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Yorktown, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Windows rattled, walls creaked.

Hatton Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : House and objects in room shook also heard rumbling sound .

Virginia beach va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Yorktown, Virginia / not felt

Hampton / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / very short

Norfolk / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

52.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Hampton. / not felt : I did not feel anything.

Virginia Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short : I thought a truck had hot a tree outside my house.

23662 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Hampton (25.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Single shake. Initially thought of a strong gust or like a vehicle struck the house.

Hampton va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Yorktown / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : The door shook. Thought it was my son.

Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Hampton, Va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Poquoson, Virginia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short

Newport News, VA / not felt

Newport News backyard / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

yorktown, va (13.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

newport news, va. i didnt feel it but at work the / not felt : My neighborhood in whythe is reporting activity if an earthquake

Williamsburg / not felt : Didnt notice it

Poquoson / not felt

24.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : The house shook and heard a loud jolt.

12.8 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Hampton, Va / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

23693

Virginia Beach, VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Yorktown / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : A very quick shake

VIRGINIA BEACH (49.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Yorktown / not felt

Virginia beach, va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Yorktown, va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Yorktown / not felt

Hampton VA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Virginia Beach, va / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : one rumble, lasting less than a second. one table shook slightly

Newport News, VA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Hampton, Va / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Felt like a burst of wind shook the house but there was no noise also sounded/felt like a tree fell on the house

Newport News / not felt

55.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

newport news,va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : It was a rumbling like when a heavy truck goes by. Windows rattled

Norfolk / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Newport News, Va / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : House shake

virginia beach,va / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : rumble/shaking of the house for a few seconds

Hampton / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : YES

59.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : My whole house shook side to side for about 3 seconds

Virginia Beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Hampton, VA (24.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Very quick. Felt like someone slammed a door, but the whole house shook.

Hampton, VA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : Brief rumble, walls shook slightly.

Hampton, inside house. (24.2 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : Windows and floor shook. Three neighbor houses also experienced

25.2 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Quick jolt .. thought it was construction related but no noise preceded the jolt/shake precisely at 11:09

Hampton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

poquoson / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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96.4 km SSE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : This tremor was bigger than what I felt in the past few days in Kigali. This morning there were small frequent tremors and the last one was bigger in that I could see objects on my table moving distinctively, and the building shaking, I contemplate hiding under a the table but then it stopped. | 2 users found this interesting.

Musanze / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s : Severally felt light pendulum like movements from first floor followed by a heavy shake that lasted about 1 sec. | One user found this interesting.

Kigali (83.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : This followed a serries of smaller ones that we felt since saturday 22/05/2021 following the eruption of Mt. Nyiragongo.

Goma / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : The walls of the house shook with a noise of crumpled sheets accompanied by a low rumbling. | 2 users found this interesting.

84.2 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : Shaking floor | One user found this interesting.

Gisenyi (15.6 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s : Frequent earthquakes with short duration, its the Third day Gisenyi | One user found this interesting. Is this normal in Ruwanda? Either way keep a glass of water or liquid close;it's an Ancient Detector of Earthquake! / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s

Bujumbura / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : WyilenI was leing down the bed start to slightly shake horizontay the time I try to realise what happening I se the reflection in the TV shaking with the same intensity. Stay Safe Over there Everyone!!! / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Light shake that persisted for a short time about 5 seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Kimironko, kigali (89.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Weak and short aftershocks

I was in kigali (135.4 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was worried for my life and for those who are living in RUbavu and Goma.

18.8 km WSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Nyarutarama (0.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

21.2 km WSW of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating

Kigali (92.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s Building and windows shaking (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kigali (86.9 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

82.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Kigali (85.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kigali (85.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

GISENYI / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : THINGS ARE GOOD HERE

Kimironko / Light shaking (MMI IV)

GISENYI / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake : Crachment

Bujumbura, Burundi / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Gisenyi town (19 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : A 2kg chunk of cement, about 4-metres above the ground, broke out and fell from the building I was about to enter. Several cracks in nearby roads appeared or widened, other buildings in the area showed cracks, causing some shops to be evacuated and one street closed by police. Some shop facades partially collapsed. / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Ruhengeri / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Musanze / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Light shaking of the house

KIGALI / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kamonyi district/ Rwanda / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Huye District , Southern Rwanda / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

kigali / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Chairs on the floor where shaking a little bit

Rugando, kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kigali, Nyarugenge / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : 3-4 seconds shake

Kigali / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

BUJUMBURA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Nyaruturama, Kigali, Rwanda / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Nyaruturama, Kigali, Rwanda / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s
Moderate mag. 4.4 earthquake - Rutsiro District, 10.3 km southeast of Gisenyi, Western Province, Rwanda, on 25 May 11:41 am (GMT +2) -

Moderate magnitude 4.4 earthquake at 10 km depth

25 May 10:27 UTC: First to report: EMSC after 46 minutes.

25 May 11:15: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 2.0 km (from 6.2 to 1.2 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 2.2 km (1.4 mi) towards W.

25 May 14:18: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 2.0 to 10.0 km (from 1.2 to 6.2 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 1.1 km (0.7 mi) towards E.

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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

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Magnitude Depth Location Source 4.4 10 km RWANDA EMSC 4.4 10 km 10 Km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda USGS 4.4 10 km Rwanda: Lake Tanganyika Region GFZ

User reports for this quake (4) User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Contribute:

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Send your own user report! Bujumbura (178.9 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Mon lit a bouge er le temps que je me rend compte jai vu le reflet sur la TV qui bougeait aussi.. mais cela a dure 3 seconde max 84.5 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s Felt a bit like floating on a swing (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s Goma, DRC / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 20-30 s Kigali / Weak shaking (MMI III) : On s'est demande s'il n'y avait pas de risque si on reste a linterieur de l'Immeuble ou on travaille!

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Master of None Moments in Love, Chapter 3 Season 3 Episode 3 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Netflix

When Chapter 3 begins, its snowing in New York and a white couple is walking through our protagonists country home with a Realtor. As it turns out, Alicia (Naomi Ackie) made good on her promise to leave, and now Denise (Lena Waithe) is left to deal with the remnants of their life together. The home is semi-empty, noticeably cleared out of half the life that lived there. Artwork is missing and bookshelves are cleared. Denise is truly in the house alone.

When relationships end, the instinct is to conduct a post-mortem. Why did they fail? What went wrong? But for Denise and Alicia, theres more of a reckoning. Theyve both made mistakes, but theres a fundamental difference in what purpose they each thought their relationship should serve in their lives.

Its safe to assume that months have passed since we last saw these two, because Alicia comes over with divorce papers for Denise to sign. Shes formal and polite but loses her temper when Denise insists they talk first. Even after all this time, shes hung up on the idea of not breaking up when they were both unfaithful, but Alicia sets her right: She didnt leave because Denise cheated. She left because Denise made her into nothing more than a signifier of her own success. She was a prop in her wifes life, and she was sick of being merely someone elses decoration. Shed had her own dreams once, and she set them aside for Denise. But now, shes exhausted, and she doesnt want to do it anymore.

Denise relents and signs the papers before Alicia storms out, freedom in hand. Once shes alone in the cold house she can no longer afford, Dev (Aziz Ansari) comes over to commiserate, and we finally see Denise register what shes done with her life. She apologizes to Dev for leaving him behind when her career took off and admits that the failure shed been working so hard to avoid has found her anyway. Shes screwed it all up and she cant take it back. In the episodes final frames, Denise packs up the house, then calls her mother for comfort. Catherine (Angela Bassett) tells her that despite this low point, things will be okay. After all, its just a valley.

As with the two before it, this episode takes its time to make its point, but it sings when it gets there. Alicia is out and has no interest in looking back, but Denise has no option but to sit with herself and examine her choices. She loves Alicia, but she didnt treat her like a partner or an equal. She treated her, in some ways, like a child she was obligated to keep happy. Alicias wants and needs were an inconvenience to her.

This is as good a time as any to talk about Waithes and Ackies performances. Waithe relies on her physicality to convey the meat of Denises unintentional aloofness, but it works. Tall, slouched, and masc of center, her body tells the story of the things she wont or cant articulate. Denise feels like she did her part by providing the life they enjoyed together, but she doesnt seem to get that they were supposed to enjoy it together. Instead, she left Alicia to her own devices, forced to find a way to make meaning out of her days alone. Now that everything shes built is crumbling, shes trying desperately to cling to the one thing she thinks can be fixed.

But Ackie plays Alicias well-earned rage like a dramatic violin trill. Faced again with Denises yearning, she winds up and unleashes, setting the pot of her still-simmering resentments to high. Her accent  English by way of the West Indies  drips with scorn and condescension. Its a far cry from the muted role she played in 2016s Lady Macbeth. Ackie makes Alicias frustrations explicit and demands that Denise understand why their love is irreparable. Being a trophy made her feel small. Waiting for Denise to come around to the journey she wanted to take in their lives together positioned her as the supporting character in her own story. And when she finally got what she wanted, it was tainted by her wifes glaring reluctance to participate.

The flipside of gay marriage is gay divorce, and Master of None lays out a fine blueprint of how deeply painful that experience can be when the failure feels not just personal, but representational. In trying to keep the treadmill of her success going, Denise wore it out. And she didnt even notice until things had already fallen apart. Its a burden that feels unfair, but also necessary.

The swift collapse of this marriage calls to mind Insecures relationship between Issa (Issa Rae) and Lawrence (Jay Ellis) in that shows early seasons. We met them when they were unhappy and initially only got to see how things disintegrated. But eventually, we witnessed them reconnect and find happiness together. They were older, more whole people. And they didnt need to rely on each other to be fulfilled. Master of None makes you root for a similar ending for these two lovebirds. As they hit their lowest point, its hard not to hope they get it.
Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed a bill into law banning the use of so-called vaccine passports in the state.

The law, which went into effect immediately, prohibits any government entity from issuing vaccine passports while blocking businesses from requiring any such documentation.

"I am supportive of a voluntary vaccine and by signing this bill into law, I am only further solidifying that conviction," Ivey said in a statement after signing the legislation. "I made the choice to get the COVID-19 vaccine and glad for the peace of mind it brings. I encourage any Alabamian who has not gotten their shot to roll up their sleeves, and if you have questions, consult with your health care provider."

The legislation, which cleared the state Legislature earlier this month, defines vaccine passports broadly as "documentation of an immunization."

Schools in the state "may continue to require a student to prove vaccination status as a condition of attendance only for the specific vaccines that were already required by the institution as of January 1, 2021, provided that the institutions give an exemption for students with a medical condition or religious belief that is contrary to vaccination," according to the text of the law.

Alabama is just the latest state to put restrictions on requiring proof that a person has been immunized against Covid-19.

Some health experts argue that such proof of vaccination can be the ticket back to normalcy, saying it could reward people for getting vaccinated by allowing them into a crowded concert or ballgame, as well as offer the vaccinated peace of mind that the person next to them has been immunized, too.

But critics have stressed privacy concerns and characterized vaccine passports as an overreach by authorities.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis cited freedom of choice as a reason for signing legislation banning vaccine passports earlier this month, saying, "In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, in a video posted to Twitter, argued that "government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal private health information just to go about their daily lives." The Republican last month issued an executive order prohibiting government-mandated proof of inoculation in his state.

On the national level, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in March there will be "no centralized universal federal vaccinations database, and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential. ... We want to encourage an open marketplace with a variety of private sector companies and nonprofit coalitions developing solutions."
When Ford unveiled the all-electric F-150 Lightning at an event in Dearborn, Michigan last week it marked a key moment for one of the most American of American products: Pickup trucks -- Ford pickup trucks, no less --- had gone zero emissions.

'Obviously, they're not the only company looking into this, but they are probably the most important,' Kelley Blue Book editor Allyson Harwood said.

The three top-selling vehicles in America are all big trucks, she noted. But when it comes to pickup trucks, the Ford F-150 is the unquestioned king. The F-150 has been, for 44 years, the best selling truck in America and the full F-series line of trucks is the best selling vehicle, of any sort, in the United States. It is also the pickup truck with the longest heritage.

Ford sold 7.4 million F-series trucks in the past decade, according to Cox Automotive data, including the larger F-250 and F-350 heavy duty pickup trucks. The Chevrolet Silverado pickup was the nation's second best-selling vehicle, but a distant second, with 5.3 million sold during that time. General Motors has already announced it will also make a fully electric truck.

The rise of the suburbs

Ford introduced the first factory-built pickup with a steel cargo bed, a version of the Model T Runabout, in 1925.

There are older Ford trucks, including the heavy-duty Ford Model TT introduced in 1917, but they were mostly sold without cargo beds. Other companies added those. Henry Ford had resisted building complete trucks with factory-installed beds for fear of angering the many firms that relied on making these customizations, according to the book 'Classic Pickup Trucks' by Mike Mueller.

Trucks became so important to Ford that, following World War II, as the company transitioned from building bombers and Jeeps to making passenger vehicles again, its first new product was the 1948 Ford F-1 pickup, the start of today's F-series line.

'If you read the brochure for that vehicle, it reads just like it reads today,' said Ted Ryan, Ford's archive manager, 'The bed, the towing capacity, the cab comfort, all those were stressed in the 1948 brochure with the F-1.'

The F-series was launched just as major changes were happening in America. Government-backed mortgage programs, benefits for veterans, higher paying jobs and new construction techniques created vast new housing developments outside of big cities. These areas weren't rural exactly, but they weren't urban, either. They were suburban.

Suburbs weren't new, of course. Areas of separated -- but not too separated -- homes surrounded by lawns, bushes and fences, had long existed. But this confluence of changes and incentives accelerated their growth.

In 1940, 13.4% of Americans lived in suburbs, according to data from the Census Bureau. By 1970, 37% did. By 2010, the trend had continued to the point that half of Americans lived in the suburbs. This created new markets for pickups in a number of ways, some experts said, as well as changes in the trucks themselves.

In rural America, pickups had been a transportation staple as they are still today.

In the suburbs, though, homeowners with lawns to care for and houses to fix found they needed pickup trucks, too, said B. Mitchell Carlson, an expert on classic pickups.

'Now I got to go to the hardware store and I need to get grass seed and I need to get fertilizer,' he said.

With a growing number of two-car households and two-car garages, pickups could work as a second errand-runner next to the family sedan or wagon, said Carlson. Around this time, pickups also started getting a bit nicer, too.

More 'creature comforts'

'They were starting now to actually have, like, dual sun visors and everything like that,' he said. 'They were starting to get more creature comforts.'

Trucks started to look more refined. The Chevrolet Cameo Carrier, which was made by GM in 1955, 'easily deserves credit for introducing this country's first truly classy pickup,' according to Mueller's book. Sleek and car-like, the smooth-sided Chevrolet lacked the bulging rear fenders that had long been standard on pickups.

Andy Weise, who teaches American urban history at San Diego State University, is skeptical of the notion that pickups would have made big inroads into middle class suburban garages. No matter how well-equipped or nicely designed, trucks would simply have been too declasse for most upwardly mobile Americans in the 1950s to want to park at home, he said.

But, he said, the rise of the suburbs created a new class of entrepreneurs who could earn a living fixing the homes and sprucing up the yards of their wealthier neighbors.

'My sense of the pickup truck in the suburbs is very much connected to class,' Wiese said, 'and I think the people who would have had trucks in the suburbs would have been working class people who did so much of a work on the bigger properties, especially.'

Cotten Seiler, who teaches American Studies at Dickinson College and who wrote the book 'Republic of Drivers: A Cultural History of Automobility in America,' pointed out that suburbanization didn't just pull people from the cities. Urbanization and high-paying union jobs also pulled people from rural areas into suburbs and they brought their trucks with them.

'In terms of social mobility, those people didn't trade in their pickup trucks for sedans, they traded in their pickup trucks for nicer pickup trucks,' he said.

And as their descendants, who continued driving trucks, moved upward economically, trucks became still nicer and more luxurious, Seiler said. Around the same time, pickup trucks got special protections that helped seal their identification as purely American products, Seiler said.

The all-American truck

He was talking about the 'chicken tax,' which was instituted in 1964 in retaliation for French and West German tariffs on American poultry. The Johnson administration placed a 25% tariff on imported trucks that remains in place to this day. With a protected market, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler -- today part of Stellantis -- made their trucks cultural statements in addition to just transportation.

'There was a Chevy ad like 'This is our country, this is our truck' and, in some ways that sort of crystallizes that sense of the identification of the nation with this protected... product,' said Seiler.

Today, Toyota and Nissan offer full-size pickups, as well as smaller mid-size trucks. Honda sells the Ridgeline, and Hyundai recently unveiled the Santa Cruz, both smaller, car-like trucks, which are being built in the United States, thus avoiding the tax. Still, the traditional American full-size truck manufacturers dominate the market like half-ton gorillas.

Even GM and Ford now offer smaller 'mid-sized' trucks, like the Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger, that are designed to appeal to those who use trucks more for play than work. They also appeal more to people in dense, urban areas where large trucks can be a challenge to drive and park. Ford executives have been open about plans for an even smaller truck than the Ranger for the American market.

Ford, in particular, deserves credit for making bold technological leaps rather than resting easy in its position as Lord of Trucks, said Kelley Blue Book's Harwood.

In 2011, Ford introduced a turbocharged V6 engine option in a truck market dominated by big V8s. In 2015, a redesigned F-150 arrived with an all-aluminum body, something once unthinkable in a product when relatively heavy steel had long been associated with durability. And just last year, Ford began selling the first fully hybrid pickup.

So when Ford recently revealed the F-150 Lightning, the first fully electric full-sized pickup truck, it showed the genius of Ford's penchant for innovation, Harwood said. Ford did this by focusing on the actual needs of truck buyers, like a 10,000-pound towing capacity and a bed designed to work with accessories purchased for other F-150 trucks, rather than flashy stuff like the Lightning's zero-to-60 acceleration.

'What Ford is really doing is they're taking people along on their innovation journey,' she said. 'They're saying, 'We're going to push this. We're going to go a little bit further with it,' but what they're doing that's great is they're creating solutions that people want.'
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 16:04:52|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday marks Africa Day, a day when African people commemorate their united stand against imperialism and colonialism, defending national sovereignty and independence and striving for national liberation.

During the South African people's anti-apartheid struggle, the story of the Communist Party of China (CPC) leading the Chinese people to carry out a revolution influenced and inspired many South Africans, including Nelson Mandela, the first post-apartheid president of South Africa.

Mandela mentioned his inspiration drawn from the CPC-led revolution many times in his autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom." He said that after reading "Red Star over China" written by Edgar Snow, he had a deeper understanding of the CPC, the Chinese revolution and the Long March.

In 1964, when he was imprisoned on Robben Island in Cape Town, Mandela kept reading the English version of the "Selected Works" of Mao Zedong in his cell, and from time to time compared the liberation movements of South Africa and the African continent with the Chinese revolution. The freedom fighter once said, "China is the spiritual pillar, which helps me survive the days in Robben Island prison."

"The revolution in China was a masterpiece, a real masterpiece," Mandela said in a dialogue with his old friend Richard Stengel, who collaborated with him on his autobiography, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

"If you read how they fought that revolution, you believe in the impossible. It's just miraculous," Mandela added.

Historically, the African National Congress, the Communist Party of South Africa and the Congress of South African Trade Unions jointly fought against apartheid. In 1994, the three parties formed a ruling coalition in the nation's first non-racial democratic election, where Mandela was elected as South Africa's first black president.

After his election, Mandela actively promoted the establishment of diplomatic ties with China.

In May 1999, before the end of his presidency, he managed to visit China as South Africa's head of state. Meeting with Chinese leaders, Mandela said that he felt sincere gratitude for the Chinese government and people, as China had offered great support to the South Africans' struggle for independence and against apartheid. Enditem
A Falkville man arrested for the January 6 capitol riot will stay locked up.

A federal judge in Washington D.C. just issued a 24 page order denying Lonnie Coffman a pre-trial release.

Image from the U.S. Department of Justice's legal documents dealing with Lonnie Coffman Image from the U.S. Department of Justice's legal documents dealing with Lonnie Coffman

Authorities took Coffman into custody after weapons and molotov cocktails were found in his pickup truck in the nation's capitol that day.

This new order revealed even more as investigators raided his Alabama home and interviewed family members.

On January 6, capitol police officers were sweeping a secured perimeter two blocks from the capitol when they spotted weapons in the front seat of Lonnie Coffman's red truck.

Officers discovered a plethora of weapons. According to the order, none of these weapons were registered to Coffman.

Notes were also discovered in his truck. One listed names and contact information from Sean Hannity and Senator Ted Cruz.

Once Lonnie Coffman returned to his truck and was arrested, officers took his wallet. According to the order, Coffman had a piece of paper with two Texas militia group's information inside it.

One group was called Camp Lonestar. They patrol the border for illegal immigrants. In 2014, the FBI identified Coffman as a participant in Camp Lonestar.

The documents revealed more about what happened prior to January 6. A GPS tracking device found in his truck revealed Coffman attempted to drive to Senator Ted Cruz's home on December 11. That same day he called the senator's office.

A staff member for Cruz's office explained he seemed, "unbalanced" and "not 100% there" during the call.

Following the riot, on January 26, law enforcement officials raided Coffman's home in Falkville. During the search, officers recovered an additional set of liquid filled mason jars with hole punched lids, matching the ones found in Coffman's truck.

They also discovered multiple rifles and ammunition and documents related to another militia group, South Desert Militia.

Additionally, offers found a handwritten list titled, 'use white pages to locate people'. In it, it listed people with descriptions. For example - "Ex dem. senator, traitor".

During the investigation, officials talked with Coffman's family. His family revealed he was an army veteran who served two tours during the Vietnam war. The order stated he often spoke about the difficulty he had dealing with the experiences from the war."

It also said he dealt with depression. Another family member said he became a "hermit" after he separated from his wife. His ex-wife revealed Coffman would leave the state at random times for extended periods without telling his family where he went, why he left, or what he was doing.

The judge added these additional details like his ties to militia groups and the additional weapons found in his home all show he poses a danger if released.
A Birmingham man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for taking money from a memorial fun establishes for murdered Huntsville Police Officer Billy Clardy III.

Devonte Lemond Hammonds also must pay more than $12,000 in restitution.

Devonte Lemond Hammonds Devonte Lemond Hammonds

Also on Tuesday, he was sentenced to five years probation, during which he must go through drug rehabilitation and vocational programs.

In February, he pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud and one count of wire fraud.

This was for his role in a scheme in December of 2019 to fraudulently obtain money from the Billy Clardy III Memorial Fund.

Clardy was killed in the line of duty the same year. After his death, a memorial fund was set up to help his family.

The plea agreement says Hammonds used the identity of another person to open a bank account and transfer funds from the memorial fund for his own use. He also used the U.S. Postal Service website to reroute mail from customers to addresses in Birmingham.

Personal identifying information was taken from those customers and used to pay bills, make purchases and open new accounts.
The Sheffield Police Department says inmate Brett Cockrell fled from custody of the jail about 4:40 p.m. Monday.

Cockrell ran north from the jail and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, white T-shirt and black and red shorts.

If you see Cockrell, contact the Sheffield Police Department at 256-383-1771 or call 911.
Space Camp is back!

500 campers started camp on Monday.

Space Camp is planning to operate at 50% of its pre-pandemic capacity. Many campers and counselors that were supposed to participate last year, are participating this year instead. In 2020, the camp only operated at 20% capacity, from the end of June until August.

It kind of came as a surprise, if Im being honest because I had submitted the application a year and a half ago, said Samantha Menikheim, working now as a Mission Specialist for her group.

Students from all over the country are traveling to Huntsville for this hands-on experience.

There was one kid I was talking to when we got here from Texas, and that was kind of cool, getting to talk to people all over the place, said Menikheim.

A year ago, the camp only held students from a 500-mile radius.

William Alsobrook is currently working as ISS Commander of his group. He said attending Space Camp is the most normalcy hes felt since the pandemic began.

My family and I have wanted me to do this for years, said Alsobrook.

After a quiet year, Robin Soprano, the Vice President of Space Camp, said it's overwhelming to welcome so many students to Space Camp.

Just to hear the sounds of voices and laughter, its just heartwarming, said Soprano.

Space Camp, Aviation Challenge, and US Cyber Camp, all returning programs.

We had to revamp some of our activities, but its been amazing to be able to offer that same experience, said Soprano.

The camp usually runs for 50 weeks. Before the pandemic, hundreds of new campers would come in from all over the world. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center said theyre still trying to determine whether international students will be able to attend programs in the Fall.
Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 92F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 70F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 16:32:40|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and seven others injured when a fuel tanker exploded in a road crash in Ghana, officials confirmed late Monday.

The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said the tanker loaded with diesel traveling from Kumasi to Tepa skidded off the road in a sharp bend at Onyina Nofo, a community in Ghana's southern Ashanti region.

NADMO officials said the tanker exploded and burst into flames upon hitting the ground, resulting in deaths and injuries.

"A lot of houses have been burnt. Three people died, including the driver and his mate, as well as a two-year-old," Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, the director-general of NADMO, told media.

The organization was responding immediately with relief items for the displaced residents of the community, Agyemang-Prempeh added.

Desmond Ackah, spokesman for the Ghana National Fire Service in the Ashanti region, put the number of nearby houses razed by the fire at 10.

The bodies of the dead had been deposited at a morgue of a nearby hospital and the seven injured were also receiving treatment at the same facility, said Ackah. Enditem
Nobody injured in incident in Rome's Torpignattara suburb.

Two cars ended up inside a large chasm after part of a street collapsed in the Torpignattara suburb of Rome.

There was nobody injured in the incident which took place at around 10.30 on 25 May, reports Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The street affected is Via Zenodossio, between Via Dulceri and Via Casilina, involving an area of road and pavement measuring about 20 metres long and four metres wide. The reason for the collapse is believed to be a major water leak in a garage below the street, according to La Repubblica.

It is far from the first time that such an event has occurred in Rome, with the city experiencing a sharp rise in the number of sinkholes in recent years, according to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research.

ISPRA says the main cause of the collapses is Rome's underground tunnels, sewers and ancient quarries, resulting in a maze extending hundreds of kilometres under the city, with the location of many cavities either unmapped or unknown.

Cover photo Tersigni/F3PRESS
Lyceum academic programme to be named after retired Classics teacher at St Stephen's School.

St Stephens in Rome has received a major donation in support of the school's Lyceum programme which offers students International Baccalaureate courses in Classical Greek and Latin languages as well as Classical Greek and Roman studies.

A group of alumni, parents and former staff members have pledged $675,000 towards the signature project in what is the biggest contribution to an academic programme in the history of St Stephens, an American international school located near the Circus Maximus in the Aventino area of Rome.

The school describes the donation as "a transformational commitment that will allow generations of students to benefit from the teaching of the Classics on campus."

Modelled after Aristotles idea of university, the Lyceum involves an inclusive and interdisciplinary approach, combining the study of ancient Greece and Rome with science, art and technology.

Field trips

The project also allows students to join day and weekend field trips, from studying Ovids poetry at his birthplace in Sulmona to examining Roman architecture at Herculaneum and Pompeii.

The Lyceum co-sponsors the original publication Remus, the sourcebook for the Sandra and Grenville Craig City

of Rome Course, a required class that enables students to "use Rome as a living laboratory for their study of the city, its monuments, buildings, and physical spaces."

The programme is to be renamed as the Dr Helen Pope Lyceum at St Stephens School, in honor of the Lyceums founding faculty member, Dr Helen Pope, who retired recently after more than three decades of teaching Classics.

It is named and endowed thanks to the lead gift from Christina and Jeff Sagansky, whose daughter Summer Sagansky was taught by Dr Pope as part of the Class of 2012.

The Big Dig

In 2021 the Pope Lyceum will bring to fruition the Aventinus Minor Project (AMP), a ground-breaking partnership with The American University of Rome.

Known affectionately as the "Big Dig", the project is an interdisciplinary collaboration among Classics, history, science, mathematics and the arts to excavate the Aventine Hill, "right in St Stephens backyard."

The school says the dig will "help students gain critical knowledge of archaeology, the methodologies of excavating and archaeological drawing, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, 3D laser scanning and printing, archival studies, record-keeping, iconography, cartography, topography and photography."

Classical legacy

The school says the Lyceum is at the core of its mission "to engage new generations with our Classical legacy."

The Pope Lyceum Founding Donors are:

Donna Bachle and Thomas Aden, Class of 1968

Sandra and Grenville Craig

William Gruy

Teodolinda Barolini, Class of 1968

Duncan Pollock

Nigel Redden, Class of 1967

Danna and Harvey Stone

Christine and Jeffrey Sagansky

Wheelock Whitney III, Class of 1968

St Stephen's is a non-profit and non-denominational, co-educational, American international day and boarding

IB World School. It enrolls students from ages 14-19 in grades 9-12, plus an optional postgraduate year.

For more details about the school, and the Pope Lyceum, see St Stephen's website. Photo Herculaneum.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 20:36:58|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Egypt offered to cut its compensation claim down to 550 million U.S. dollars against the impounded Ever Given vessel that blocked the Suez Canal in March, the canal authority chief Osama Rabie said on Tuesday.

"We reduced the value of the required compensation by 40 percent from 916 million U.S. dollars to 550 million U.S. dollars after we obtained the estimated financial value of the goods on the ship," Rabie said in a statement.

In April, an Egyptian court ordered the owners of Ever Given to pay 916 million U.S. dollars in compensation.

"The court's decision was taken based on estimating the initial value of the goods on board at 2 billion U.S. dollars," he explained, adding that the shipowners claimed that they did not possess a statement about the financial value of the goods.

"After the owners of the ship estimated the costs of the cargo loaded to be around 775 million U.S. dollars, we respected this and reduced the compensation claim to 550 million U.S. dollars," he said.

Egyptian authorities seized Ever Given in April. The 400-meter-long, 200,000-ton giant container vessel ran aground across the canal on March 23 and halted the traffic for six days.

Linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal lost between 12 to 15 million U.S. dollars in daily revenues during the blockage, according to statistics of the canal authority. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 23:05:09|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday urged leaders within the Lake Chad region and international development partners to wake up to the need for peace and stability to be restored in the region.

Buhari spoke in Abuja at the opening of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission(LCBC) convened to discuss the recent developments in Chad after President Idris Deby Itno died on the frontline while defending the territorial integrity of his country.

"Our region is faced with difficult, several challenges that need the support and engagement of all to overcome," said the Nigerian leader, who declared the one-day summit open in his capacity as the Chair of leaders of LCBC member countries.

He said while transnational crimes and rebellion cutting across the region continue to evolve in scope, the attendant conflicts also continue to retain their distinct form of inflicting untold hardship and difficulty on the lives of the citizens.

"The threats by the Chadian rebel groups, who are clamoring to overthrow the government, must be viewed with all the seriousness they deserve because the consequences of a destabilized Chad to the sub-region cannot be imagined," Buhari said.

According to him, the flow of refugees and displaced persons from the country, the unrestrained flow of arms, drugs, and other harmful substances into Lake Chad and Sahel regions, which are already challenged by terrorists seeking to establish parallel systems, would further compound the security and stability of the areas and neighboring countries.

The Nigerian leader called on other leaders in the region to rise to the existent challenges and not allow the enemies of the region to succeed in their quest to destabilize the area.

"It is, therefore, our collective duty and in honor of the memory of the men and women that have died in search of peace in the region, to rise in unison as leaders of the region to ensure that peace, stability, and security are not disrupted in Chad and in the entire region," he said.

"These challenges, which are fuelled by an interplay of poverty and the loss of sustainable means of livelihood due to climate change, have been further exacerbated by the direct consequence of the complete breakdown of law and order in Libya," Buhari said further.

The Libyan conflict, he noted, has increased fragility in the region with debilitating security implications across Lake Chad and the larger Sahel region, typified by increased circulation of illicit arms and ammunition, narcotic substances as well as a refugee crisis that continues to threaten the security of the region.

"We must reinvigorate our collective will and commitment towards eradicating terrorism and entrenching democratic rule and good governance in Chad and in our region," he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 20:41:32|Editor: huaxia

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A COVID-19 patient receives medical treatment at a hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on May 24, 2021. A total of 628 new COVID-19 cases were registered in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, the highest daily increase this year, bringing the country's tally to 66,903, said a statement of Public Health Ministry on Monday. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 01:17:32|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said here Monday that his government accords the highest priority to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects for economic prosperity in the country.

In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, Khan reaffirmed the commitment to expeditiously complete CPEC projects, which will open up tremendous opportunities for increased economic growth and development in the region and beyond, according to the Prime Minister Office and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

During the meeting, issues of mutual interest including Pakistan-China bilateral relations, the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, vaccine cooperation, and high-level bilateral exchanges were discussed.

Pakistan appreciates the great achievements that China has made in the past decades under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Khan said, adding that Pakistan hopes to learn from China's experience in poverty alleviation and urbanization.

Emphasizing the importance of the time-tested all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan's deep commitment to further enhance and broaden bilateral ties.

On the occasion, the Chinese envoy said that China will continue to conduct vaccine cooperation with Pakistan and join hands with the country to promote the high quality development of the CPEC, forging a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era. Enditem
Brian Gregory Robling of Washington, 23, passed away Monday, June 7, 2021. Brian was born July 11, 1997, in Washington, to Amber (Robling) Whiteman and Michael Bernard. He graduated from Washington High School in 2016. Brian is survived by his parents; his son, Zyler Mehrer of Washington; da
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 09:50:51|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Australia is to close its embassy in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, where the Australian troops are scheduled to withdraw later this year.

According to a joint media statement on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that the embassy building will be closed on May 28.

"Our residential representation in Afghanistan and the Australian Embassy in Kabul will be closed at this time," they said.

"It is Australia's expectation that this measure will be temporary and that we will resume a permanent presence in Kabul once circumstances permit," the statement said.

"The departure of the international forces and hence Australian forces from Afghanistan over the next few months brings with it an increasingly uncertain security environment where the Government has been advised that security arrangements could not be provided to support our ongoing diplomatic presence," the statement added.

Morrison announced in April that Australian troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September this year.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the embassy has been open since 2006. Enditem
Afterpay co-founder and Australias youngest self-made billionaire, Nick Molnar, is busy tipping some of his estimated $2.2 billion personal fortune into Australian startups, including online checkout platform Fast, social media startup Linktree and trading app Superhero.

Company searches show the co-founder of the ASX-listed buy now pay later (BNPL) juggernaut and his wife Gabrielle Molnar, after coughing up around $45 million for their home and an adjacent block of flats in Bondi, have turned their attention to fast growing local startups.

The majority of the couples wealth is held in Afterpay stock, which has dropped more than 20 per cent this year to $91.89 a share. The latest round of investments has been made directly by Mr Molnar rather than through Afterpays venture arm Afterpay Ventures.

Billionaire Afterpay co-founder Nick Molnar is investing directly in Australian startups. Credit: Eamon Gallagher

Wayne Baskin, co-founder of share trading platform Superhero, which raised $25 million from investors including Mr Molnar in April, said the Afterpay co-founders involvement has delivered a significant boost to Superhero.
Eurovision Song Contest organisers say the lead singer of Italian glam rock band Maneskin has tested negative for drug use, putting an end to speculation that had tarnished the bands victory.

We consider the matter closed, the European Broadcasting Union, which produces the annual kitsch-filled song festival, said in a statement on Monday.

Damiano David performs with Maneskin at Eurovision. Credit:EBU

EBU said it came to the conclusion after it reviewed all the available footage of the TV broadcast on Saturday night and saw the negative results of Maneskin singer Damiano Davids voluntarily drug test.

Rumours had swirled on social media  and were raised at a Eurovision news conference  that David had snorted cocaine when he was seen leaning awkwardly over a table during the live TV broadcast. David immediately rejected the claim, saying he never uses drugs and that he was leaning over because his guitarist had broken a glass.
Wednesday nights super blood moon might be Australias best astronomical event of the year  and its happening in prime time.

On Wednesday afternoon, a huge full moon will slowly rise into the sky before turning a light copper-red as the Earths shadow crosses its face.

Super blood moons represent a rare coming together of supermoon and lunar eclipse  and it could be several years before we see one so clearly again.

The eerie glow of the super blue blood moon as seen from Kew, in this pic from Melbourne Express reader Joseph. Credit:Joseph Hsu

Most good stargazing happens in the early hours, but the super blood moons peak viewing time will be a little after 9pm (Eastern Standard Time), and it will be visible across the city, no telescope needed.
You can be very unlucky with a case who is particularly infectious, has been to lots of places and transmits to lots of people. But, you know, even in highly vaccinated United Kingdom, this variant has taken off in those who are unvaccinated. And its infectious, its really infectious. The virus spreading in Melbournes north is the Indian variant, B.1.617, which Professor Sutton said was at least as infectious as any other variant of concern thats been reported. Professor Sutton said of 168 primary close contacts of the five cases detected by Tuesday morning, all were self-isolating and 84 had returned negative tests. We have to be alive to the possibility that more of those will be confirmed positive, but primary close contacts are in quarantine now. If they test positive, they generate their own primary close contacts that we need to follow very closely, he said.

Professor Sutton was optimistic that restrictions beyond those announced on Tuesday morning would not be necessary in response to the four additional cases revealed in the afternoon. Loading No. Well review, you know, with further information tonight and tomorrow, as we do every day. But at the moment, it just relates to four primary close contracts whove tested positive. We need to interview all of them and understand exactly where theyve been. However, Professor Sutton said the fifth cases movements were mostly small, contained interactions. He has been out and about, there arent really extensive exposures from the interviews with him thus far ... but yeah, he was obviously infectious, hes passed it on to household members.

Masks back as new restrictions introduced from 6pm Tuesday It comes as the government imposed renewed social distancing restrictions for Greater Melbourne and testing sites were overwhelmed when they opened on Tuesday morning. From 6pm on Tuesday face masks will be required indoors, including at high schools, hospitality venues (except while people are eating or drinking) and in workplaces. The number of visitors allowed in homes will be reduced to five. Professor Sutton said the new coronavirus social distancing restrictions for Greater Melbourne would be in place until at least June 4.

He said a government panel was meeting on Tuesday to discuss how large, ticketed events, such as AFL matches and RISING festival, which starts on Wednesday, would proceed. There have been no changes to restrictions in retail and hospitality venues and health authorities again urged everyone to check in using QR codes. Professor Sutton said private gatherings had been limited to five because of the higher risk of transmission in an unregulated environment. Obviously these restrictions are in place as a precautionary measure. We know that doing what we need to do now will save us in the long run. The easiest measure is wearing a mask, he said. All of those other behaviours were talking about  getting tested and isolating  will do the heavy lifting here. But those other restrictions, really relate to the fact that transmission happens in private settings, in indoor settings and in close gatherings, especially for protracted periods of time.

Broadmeadows Hospital deep cleaned A section of a hospital in Melbournes north has also been closed for deep cleaning after a person with coronavirus visited the facility on Friday. The section of Broadmeadows Hospital that receives scheduled appointments was shut and planned visitations were moved to other hospitals in the area. The rest of Broadmeadows Hospital remains open. Broadmeadows Hospital on Tuesday. Credit:Justin McManus A spokesman for Northern Health confirmed the exposure at Broadmeadows Hospital on Friday and said one section had been closed as a precaution, without confirming which section it was.

Broadmeadows Hospital is open with elective surgery continuing as planned, he said. As a precaution one section of outpatients has been deep cleaned with some clinics relocated or conducted via tele-health. The spokesman did not respond to questions on how many patients or visitors might have come into contact with the positive case on Friday. The Victorian Health Department has not announced Broadmeadows Hospital as an exposure site, which a spokesman said was because the department has access to records of everyone who attended the hospital.

The department is closely managing this site and public health actions are under way, the government spokesman said. Exposure sites updated Health authorities have added a McDonalds store in Melbournes inner north and a CBD restaurant to a growing list of over 20 coronavirus exposure sites. Health Minister Martin Foley said authorities expect the list of exposure sites to grow in coming days. There are now 21 exposure sites listed in Melbournes suburbs. Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Tuesday. Credit:Simon Schluter

Mr Foley said people should monitor the list of exposure sites closely given there are several exposure windows that require people to isolate immediately and get tested. The Health Department said a positive case had visited the Queens Parade McDonalds in Clifton Hill on May 22 between 6pm to 7pm and the Bamboo House in the Melbournes CBD on May 21, between 11am and 11.50am. Both sites are considered tier-one, meaning anyone who visited either restaurant during those times noted must get tested for COVID-19 and go into isolation for 14 days. Health authorities also updated their advice for Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbournes north-west, naming five stores within the huge complex that were visited by a person with coronavirus on May 20. The five outlets have been listed as tier 1 exposure sites, meaning anyone who visited Smiggle (level 3) between 5.55pm and 6.30pm, Kidstuff (level 2) between 5.20pm and 5.55pm, Ishka (level 2), between 5.45pm and 6.20pm, Lush Cosmetics (level 2) from 6.05pm to 6.35pm and Toyworld (level 2) between 5.30pm and 6.20pm, must isolate for 14 days and get tested for COVID-19.

Anyone who visited level two or three of the centre on May 20 between 5.15pm and 6.35pm (but not the five tier 1 stores) is required to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result. Other new sites include indoor soccer facility Futsal Brunswick on May 23 between 9am and 10am, BT Conor Reserve in Reservoir on May 21 between 8pm and 11.30pm and Coles Express in Reservoir on May 18 between 3.15pm and 4.15pm. A Futsal centre in Brunswick was listed as a new Victorian exposure site on Tuesday. Credit:Justin McManus They join sites identified on Tuesday morning and Monday afternoon, including Nandos Epping, the Urban Diner Food Court in Epping, Jump! Swim Schools in Bundoora and Epping North Shopping Centre. The Health Department separately added new exposure sites in Brunswick, Reservoir and Epping overnight.

Long queues at testing sites Testing sites were inundated with people on Tuesday morning and many stopped accepting visitors almost as soon as they opened. Staff were redirecting the public to nearby testing centres as they worked through long lines ahead of reopening later in the day. The Epping testing site at Northern Hospital closed after reaching capacity just 20 minutes after it opened, according to Nine reporter Christine Ahern. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The Royal Showgrounds testing site reached capacity after being open for five minutes, with authorities predicting a two-hour wait to receive a test.

Real estate agent Ashleigh Phillips took the day off work to get tested after both of her roommates were at the Highpoint exposure site during the hours the positive case was at the shopping complex. Even though the 20-year-old doesnt have any symptoms, she wanted to make sure to pre-emptively get a test, but wasnt expecting the wait at the Maidstone site to be so long. Ive barely moved, maybe a couple of hundred metres, she said late on Tuesday morning. The line is quite long. Ashleigh Phillips spent hours waiting for a COVID test on Tuesday morning at Maidstone, near Highpoint Shopping Centre, where the queue stretched for more than a kilometre. Credit:Jason South Ashleigh said she had arrived at the site at around 10.20am but, despite the wait, she was determined to stay upbeat.

Im hoping they speed up the turnaround process with getting the tests back, but Im not sure they have, she said. The Chief Health Officer said the government would look to boost testing capacity in response to the sudden uptick. Its an indication people arent turning up to get tested when they are symptomatic in normal times, Professor Sutton said. I hope that will change from now ... Im sure well stand up some more.
The ex-wife of former West Australian treasurer Troy Buswell says she did not see it coming when he allegedly punched her in the jaw after a fun night out at a private party in Dunsborough.

Police officer Melissa Hankinson, 46, told Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday her face felt numb after Mr Buswell allegedly punched her jaw with his fist at his mothers house in Vasse, three weeks before the couple married.

Former WA Treasurer Troy Buswell is approached by media outside a hearing into allegations he assaulted his ex-partner. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola

On the second day of a trial into allegations the former politician assaulted her several times during their marriage, Ms Hankinson said she did not hit Mr Buswell back, but just shut up to try to stop it that way.

The couple had attended a party at the house of what defence lawyer Thomas Percy QC described on Monday as one of Perths most well known citizens before the alleged punch.
The lawn next to Perth Childrens Hospital was rammed with nearly 1000 nurses and doctors on Tuesday afternoon calling for change, after a young girls death highlighted problems staff said they had raised for years.

The rally was a boiling point for tensions between the government, hospital administration, staff and the unions that have been building since Aishwarya Aswath died waiting nearly two hours for medical attention at the hospital.

On Tuesday, angry staff from hospitals across the state booed and blew deafening horn blasts as Health Minister Roger Cook repeated previously announced promises to boost staffing, and add 500 beds, over the next four years.

But there were wild cheers when he said he would proceed with requests from the Australian Nursing Federations 10-point plan and put an extra 16 nurses in the childrens hospital emergency department, including boosting triage with a separate resuscitation team.
Payroll jobs and wages fell following the end of the federal governments $90 billion wage subsidy scheme with smaller businesses recording the biggest hit to staffing levels.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Tuesday shows there were 1.5 per cent fewer payroll jobs for the fortnight to May 8 than at the end of March, when JobKeeper came to an end. However, the May jobs result was 1.5 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.

JobKeeper was introduced at the height of the coronavirus pandemic as people losing their jobs queued outside Centrelink. Credit:Janie Barrett

Smaller employers were the most affected over the two weeks to May 8, with firms that hire less than 20 people recording a 3.3 per cent decline in total employment size. This was down 1.4 per cent between March 14 and May 8. Across all businesses there was a 0.5 per cent reduction over the latest fortnight and a 1.5 per cent increase since the middle of March.

The ABS has put caveats on the accuracy of those figures as business-level figures often face significant revision, particularly for smaller employers, and the payroll and wages figures are not seasonally adjusted as they have not been collected by the official statistics bureau for long enough.
After failing attempts at college twice, Brad Carney never dreamed a degree from an Ivy League university was possible. Now, more than a decade later, Carney is pursuing a second Ivy League diploma.

The 2006 Kokomo High School graduate and former Army Ranger earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Dartmouth College this spring and will begin law school at Harvard University in the fall. But Carney's path in life wasnt always so clear.

Following graduation from KHS, Carney enrolled at Delaware State University for one semester before transferring to Delaware Technical Community College. Carney said he failed at both institutions, which prompted him to consider the military.

I didnt have a clear idea of who I was or what I wanted to do with my life, Carney said. I decided to try something new.

Carney visited an Air Force recruiter and chose to become a Tactical Air Control Party Specialist, which embed with Army and Marine units on the frontlines and were responsible for calling in an airstrike on the right target at the right time.

My parents had a hard time with this and wanted me to choose something safer, Carney said. I was set on doing this job, and subsequently, I was kicked out of the house.

For a brief time, Carney was homeless and had no money, so he needed to figure out his next steps and fast. Carney called a U.S. Army recruiter who helped him choose a job similar to Tactical Air Control Party Specialist. The recruiter fast-tracked the paperwork so Carney could start Basic Training quickly. In the Army, Carney became a Joint Fire Support Specialist, with his training focused on learning how to call for fire from artillery and mortar systems onto an enemy location.

Carney was given the chance to attend Pre-Ranger Training at Fort Bragg for a spot at Ranger School, an Army leadership course that anyone can attend. He went to Pre-Ranger Training and quit.

I was in excellent physical shape, but I quit because it was hard, Carney said. I wasnt mentally prepared for the experience. Shortly after, in 2010, I left the Army for the first time with dreams of success in the civilian world. I gained too much weight and was depressed as the reality of being a quitter hit me hard every day. One day I decided I was going to re-join and try out for the Army Special Forces or Rangers. I felt a bit crazy, and I think my family thought I was a bit crazy, too. I did it anyway.

After he was back in the Army, Carney called the Ranger recruiter and asked about joining. Carney received orders for the eight-week selection course and was off to try to earn a spot in the special operations unit.

The eight-week course was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life, Carney said. Physically, it probably was the hardest thing I have done because the expectations were much higher. The Ranger creed isnt just words on a page; you actually are expected to run farther, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier."

During his time in the Army, Carney served as a team leader in the Armys premier direct action special operations unit and maintained $300,000 worth of radio equipment for a small team in austere conditions while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Carney also maintained crucial radio communication with aircraft and ground forces in support of training missions with South Korean Special Operations Forces.

As Carney's Army contract came to an end in 2015, he was either going to try out for another special operations unit and spend a career in the Army or go back to school. Carney settled on returning to school, and he chose his destination through an internet search.

I Googled Ivy League schools and veterans because I knew Ivy League schools were considered good, but I wasnt familiar with anything in the world of academia, Carney said.

During his internet search, Carney discovered the Posse Veterans Program, which identifies, trains, and supports veterans interested in pursuing bachelors degrees at top colleges and universities. Candidates for the scholarship and mentoring program participate in a three-stage interview process to identify veterans who can succeed at highly selective colleges.

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The Ranger creed isn't "The Ranger creed isn't just words on a page; you actually are expected to run farther, faster, and fighter harder than any other soldier."

Carney nominated himself for the program and was selected for a spot in the 10-person cohort attending Dartmouth College.

I was in disbelief that someone like me could attend such a great school, Carney said. The opportunity to be around so many accomplished students was rewarding and scary at the same time. I felt like everyone was the top student at their high school and had near-perfect test scores. I had to play catch up with respect to my reading and writing abilities. My professors expectations were not lowered because I was an older veteran.

Carney was able to survey different courses before declaring a major, but philosophy won his heart. The veteran fell in love with the topic after taking a class called Ethics of Freedom. Developing a philosophical framework, Carney said, required the ability to read critically, think analytically, and develop sound argumentation.

Philosophical thinking demands clarity of thought because of the complexity of ideas and systems, Carney said. How many innovations happened because someone asked not just how to do something but why something is done? Philosophy demands that we think about our assumptions. What I learned has helped me in business, sports, and life.

Outside the classroom, Carney became involved in Dartmouths campus life. Dartmouths campus speakers were a highlight for Carney, allowing him to meet, and speak with, public figures like Hillary Clinton and James Mattis.

Carney served as president of Dartmouth Powerlifting, where he grew the organization from 12 active members to 20 and enhanced the teams competitiveness by introducing a new weightlifting program for team athletes.

From 2017 to 2018, Carney also was president of Dartmouths Student Veterans Association. In this role, Carney led bi-weekly meetings related to the enhancement of student veterans experiences on campus. Carney helped secure the first veterans' lounge in Dartmouth College history by lobbying the college administration on behalf of the student veteran population. Carney continues to work with the organization Service to School, where he serves as an undergraduate mentor helping veterans with essays and admissions planning.

These public service activities were important to Carney.

I think the true mark of success will be how much I have done to help those who need support, Carney said. I love working with veterans because they are like an extended family. I think veterans have a unique set of issues, some of which can be addressed only by other veterans.

Carney's college internship required him to work on behalf of another population. The Dartmouth alum spent the summer serving as an academic research intern for the New Hampshire Parole Board. In this role, Carney gathered parole criteria from 48 state statutes and extracted quantifiable data to evaluate policies and measure efficacy in reducing recidivism. At the end of the internship, Carney had produced a 10-page report that provided recommendations for a revised parole process that was fairer and more transparent.

The internship was great because I was able to do real work to help inform future prison policy, Carney said. One of the key takeaways is that reform is hard, and multiple interests need to be balanced. In short, few easy answers exist to complex policy problems.

That experience will help Carney as he begins law school at Harvard University. While he was unsure whether he will continue work in the field of prison policy, Carney could see himself helping a nonprofit with legal research during his career.

Carney's law school experience will shape his future plans as a litigator, but he has a few possibilities in mind.

I hope to pursue intellectual property litigation, general corporate litigation, or bankruptcy law because I enjoy negotiation and conflict, Carney said. I also am interested in education policy, and I hope to use my legal experience to make educational opportunities more accessible to all citizens.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 11:21:28|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on May 25, 2021 shows part of the city skyline in Singapore. Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry announced on Tuesday that the country's economy expanded by 1.3 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2021. It, meanwhile, maintained the GDP growth forecast for the year at 4 to 6 percent. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)

SINGAPORE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on Tuesday that it maintained the GDP growth forecast for 2021 at 4 to 6 percent, in view of the heightened uncertainties in the economic environment, characterized by both upside and downside risks, especially arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry said in the Economic Survey of Singapore First Quarter 2021 that it would review the forecast again in the next quarter, when there is more data, and greater clarity over the global and domestic economic situations.

MTI said that countries were experiencing recurring waves of infections, with the emergence of more transmissible strains of the virus, the easing of safe management restrictions, and delays in vaccinating populations. These resurgences, as well as the countries' public health responses to them, will inevitably affect their economic growth.

"Given the experience of the last 15 months, there is hope that even if outbreaks flare up again, countries will be able to avoid repeated blanket lockdowns and their high economic cost, but this is far from certain," it said. "As these countries include some of our major economic partners in our region, the uncertainty in their outlook also affects Singapore."

Domestically, while COVID-19 is generally well under control, and Singapore is making good progress in vaccinating the entire population, there remain significant risks and uncertainties in its own COVID-19 situation. These non-economic risks can have a major impact on Singapore's GDP growth this year, the ministry added.

The ministry also announced that the Singapore economy expanded by 1.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the advance estimate of 0.2 percent growth that was released in April. On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted basis, the economy expanded by 3.1 percent, compared to the advance estimate of 2 percent growth.

In the previous quarter, the Singapore economy contracted by 2.4 percent year on year and expanded by 3.8 percent quarter on quarter. Enditem
On the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, Delaware state Senators introduced legislation Tuesday focused on amending the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) and the Use of Force policy in Delaware to increase transparency and accountability when it comes to misconduct.

"This is the one year anniversary of the killing of George Floyd, which set off a year of a lot of reflection and grappling for our whole nation, and us as Delawareans included in that, of course," said Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth Lockman. "In the wake of this day last year, we began to talk about police reform. We certainly began to talk about disparities for Black Americans and Black Delawareans, and what we could do, and the part that we could play as legislators to get us to a healthier place."

Three bills introduced Tuesday have a broad scope of focus, from tracking and making public misconduct complaints against officers who violate public trust, to creating an objective standard for Use of Force standard, and expanding Use of Force subject to review to the Delaware Department of Justice.

Lockman's focus with Senate Bill 149 was on giving greater access to the public, and the media, who might be interested in monitoring officers disciplinary records, something the state of Delaware has never offered before.

"The bill that I'm introducing today does have a little bit of a quite broader scope. In addition to being amended to add transparency, and access for defense counsel, there is of course also and an element that would provide public access to records of misconduct as well," she said. "Shining a light into records that have heretofore been completely inaccessible...Delaware is in a minority of states that bar public access to these records--and we are the only state in the country with a specific confidentiality clause. And that's what we hope to change--what I hope to change--with this bill."

In a release detailing the bills, officials said:

Currently, police misconduct records are only available to a civil plaintiff alleging an officer caused injury through a breach of their official duty. Criminal defense attorneys cannot access them to show an officer has engaged in a pattern of misconduct and the public cannot inspect them to determine whether a law enforcement agency is holding its officers to a high standard of conduct.

Dover Police officer acquitted of assault off the police force The City of Dover has negotiated a settlement to part ways with a police officer acquitted i

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They pointed to Dover Police Cpl. Thomas Webster, who avoided scrutiny for much longer than perhaps he should have, with 30 use-of-force reports against him before finally being caught on camera kicking a suspect in the face, breaking his jaw.

"This bill is an important step towards increasing transparency and accountability in our law enforcement community," said Assistant Public Defender Misty Seemans. "For too long, police misconduct records have been secret. We are the great First State, but we are the last state in the country with a specific confidentiality clause in our LEOBOR."

Senate Bill 147 and Senate Bill 148, filed by Secretary of the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus Sen. Marie Pinkney, respectively create an objective Use of Force standard as has been done in 43 other states, and expand the power of the Delaware Department of Justice's Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust to review Use of Force incidents that result in serious physical injury, not just death.

"Delaware is one of only three states that currently uses a subjective standard for Use of Force," Pinkney said. "One of the things that we recognize is that that does not allow for true accountability. It does not allow for really recognizing the state of mind and that entire situation that is going on when force may or may not be necessary. So I am introducing legislation today that will officially make Delaware recognize an objective, reasonable standard of Use of Force."

The murder of George Floyd "put an exclamation point on centuries of racism, discrimination, and violence," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings, and these bills may face obstacles moving forward, but it was time for Delaware to become a more equitable state and hold deserving officers accountable.

"Today is not the end of that process [for change,] but it is a huge step forward. The bills that are being announced today are the culmination of a call that many of us made on the steps of Legislative Hall nearly a year ago," Jennings said. "We knew it was going to be an uphill fight. As we say at the Department of Justice, hard things are hard. But it is a fight worth having. These bills are important, meaningful reforms that will enhance accountability and transparency."

All of the bills will next head to the Senate Judiciary Committee for deliberation.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 14:41:07|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities on Tuesday rescued 25 crew members onboard a foreign ship which was engulfed in flames off the Colombo Harbor, while the Navy said an explosion had been heard within the vessel earlier in the morning.

The container ship X-PRESS PEARL registered under the flag of Singapore, was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from the port of Hazira, India, on May 15, according to the Navy.

The vessel sent out a distress call while being close to the Colombo Port on May 20, and soon caught fire. The Sri Lankan Navy dispatched vessels to bring the fire under control.

By Tuesday morning, eight cargo containers had fallen into the sea and the vessel was reported to be unstable, the Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) said.

The Sri Lanka Navy said it had rescued 25 crew members from the cargo ship. Two injured Indians among the rescued had been hospitalized for treatment, according to the Navy.

The distressed container ship had a crew who are Philippine, Chinese, Indian and Russian nationals.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) said it had deployed Bell-212 helicopters to drop dry chemical powder on the X-Press Pearl to douse the fire.

While these operations were ongoing amid inclement weather, the MEPA urged citizens in capital Colombo to avoid going to the beaches and touching any floating objects in the water as they might be chemicals from the burning fire.

The MEPA has launched a probe to assess if there has been any environmental destruction due to the fire. Enditem
FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2021 file photo, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb delivers his State of the State address virtually, in Indianapolis. Indiana's attorney general Todd Rokita took aim Friday, May 1, 2021, at Gov. Holcomb's attempt to block a new law giving state legislators more authority to intervene during public emergencies declared by the governor. A lawsuit filed by the Republican governor on Tuesday, April 27, 2001, challenged the law enacted over his veto two weeks ago giving legislative leaders the power to call the General Assembly into what it calls an "emergency session." (AP Photo/Darron Cummings File)
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Grants could help small businesses rise from pandemic

As of this week, some of Wisconsins small businesses are eligible to apply for a Wisconsin Tomorrow Small Business Recovery Grant to help them in their bounce back from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and this has area leaders pleased.

The application window for the Wisconsin Tomorrow Small Business Recovery Grants opened at 8 a.m. Monday and runs through 4:30 p.m. on June 7.

The program will award $420 million to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program is intended to support businesses that are hardest hit by the pandemic and are key to Wisconsin making a strong recovery, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. said in a statement. The program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in collaboration with the WEDC and is funded with money received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act. The grants will provide as many as 84,000 Wisconsin small businesses with annual gross revenue between $10,000 and $7 million, with a flat award of $5,000.

As we have throughout the pandemic, we have been quick about sharing this information with our business community, Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland said Monday afternoon. We communicated the availability of these grants this morning via social media and our community partners, and will continue to be of support to our business community as we work toward and through recovery.

McFarland said Watertowns small businesses are what sets the community apart from others, and the city wants to ensure it supports them in every way it can.

We prioritized them early on in the pandemic by providing a small grant through non-taxpayer, city funds and were encouraged to see this opportunity for them as well, and are here to make sure they have the information they need about funds they are eligible for, she said.

And McFarland is not alone.

Every little bit helps right now, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Director Jen Pinnow said Monday of the availability of the grants. We need to recovery from the pandemic and this is a great opportunity.

Pinnow said the City of Jefferson has been fortunate that the community has been supportive of its small businesses through the pandemic. She said she has heard about the support from chamber members, but witnessed it herself, as she has traveled around the city. She said that, from the beginning of the pandemic, the community rallied around Jefferson businesses and that support has been consistent throughout the crisis.

Ive seen it personally. To the best of my knowledge, we have lost no restaurants in the pandemic and that is amazing, Pinnow said. This grant is a cog in the road to recovery. I know some businesses are struggling, but we are coming out of this and this grant could be the little bump that a lot of small businesses need.

Watertowns Main Street Director Melissa Lampe also said she was pleased to hear of the pending aid for area small business.

While these grants have proven to be competitive, they are still worth the effort of applying, Lampe said. Many of our businesses are still in recovery and such funding can help provide a stronger path forward.

The grant money can be used for any businesss operating costs, including, but not limited to, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages, and inventory, and/or for health and safety improvements.

An individual or entity that operates a business may apply if the business started operating on or before Dec. 31, 2020, is still operating in 2021, and suffered an economic loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. An economic loss may be from lost revenue or increased expenses as a result of the pandemic.

They may apply if the individual or entity filed its 2019 federal and Wisconsin income or franchise tax return, has more than $10,000 and less than $7 million in annual revenues, and at least 75% of the businesss value of property owned, rented and used by the business is located in Wisconsin. They may also apply if at least 75% of the amount of the businesss labor costs are incurred by individuals performing services for the business in Wisconsin.

Gig workers and other independent contractors are eligible.

Grants amounts are expected to be $5,000 per eligible applicant.

The application may be found at: https://tap.revenue.wi.gov/WITomorrowGrant/. Questions on the grants may be directed to WIBusRecoveryGrant@wisconsin.gov, or 608-266-2772.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 15:22:02|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine troops killed five suspected rebels in a clash in central Philippine Bohol province early Tuesday, the military said.

The military said the firefight erupted around 5:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday when troops clashed with at least 11 New People's Army (NPA) members on the outskirt of Bilar town. A soldier was wounded, the military added.

The military said troops recovered an M16 assault rifle, a pistol, a bandolier, a grenade, and 30 rounds of ammunition after the hour-long fighting.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte restarted the talks to end the decades-old insurgency when he came to power in 2016, but the negotiations faltered.

The NPA rebels have been fighting the government since 1969. They concentrate their attacks in rural areas and small-scale skirmishes with the military. Enditem


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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.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 15:44:34|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Another batch of the COVID-19 vaccine in bulk produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived at Indonesia's Soekarno Hatta Airport Tuesday morning, a senior Indonesian official said.

"Today we witnessed the arrival of 8 million bulk doses of the COVID-19 Sinovac vaccine," said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, adding it means that Indonesia has so far received a total of 83.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, both in bulk and ready-to-use.

Besides Sinovac vaccines, Indonesia also received vaccines produced by British company AstraZeneca and vaccines produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, according to the official.

Specifically, the Sinopharm vaccine is used for vaccination programs with a mutual cooperation scheme locally called "gotong royong" initiated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where companies or institutions provide COVID-19 vaccines for their employees for free.

Indonesia, with a population of nearly 271.35 million people, is targeting the inoculation of 181.5 million people to create herd immunity. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 19:36:56|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives will impose a curfew in all islands under monitoring over COVID-19, local media reported here Tuesday.

The SunOnline report citing Director-General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru as said that all islands under monitoring over COVID-19 will be placed under a curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. There are currently 72 islands in the Maldives under the monitoring state.

Under the order signed by Aboobakaru on Tuesday, individuals on the involved islands can not go outdoors or visit other households during the curfew hours. Meanwhile, salons and gyms will be closed in areas under curfew, and cafes and restaurants banned from dine-in services.

On Monday, the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) announced the curfew in the national capital Male will be extended for four hours, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. beginning May 26 for a period of two weeks. The local residents should not violate the curfew without a pass, authorities said.

The archipelagic country has seen a surge in COVID-19 infections in May. Data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed it has recorded 57,341 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Enditem
Today

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Partly to mostly cloudy with an evening shower or rumble of thunder possible.

Tomorrow

Clouds, some sun, and a few showers or a thunderstorm possible later in the day and overnight; much of the day remains dry.
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A wave of construction around Central Europe's largest lake in recent years has led some to worry about the future of Hungarys Lake Balaton. The government views the popular lake as a potential goldmine for domestic and international tourism. It has earmarked more than $1 billion for railroad improvements, roads, marinas and the renovation and construction of hotels and guesthouses. But activists and conservationists say the lake's delicate ecosystem is in jeopardy, with disruption of its extensive network of reeds causing an imbalance in water quality. Others say the proliferation of luxury hotels threatens to make the so-called Hungarian sea a playground for the rich.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 20:14:54|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan army soldiers take part in a military operation against Taliban militants in Aqcha district of Jawzjan province, Afghanistan, May 25, 2021. In Jawzjan province, 27 Taliban militants were killed and 12 others wounded during the ongoing military operation in the Faizabad and Aqcha areas over the past three days, Hanif Rezai, spokesperson for the army's 209th Shaheen Corps based in the region, told Xinhua. (Photo by Mohammad Jan Aria/Xinhua)

KABUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- A key divisional commander of the Taliban was killed in a clash with the government forces in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province on Monday night, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Qari Jabar was killed during fightings with Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in Qata Qeshlaq village, Khwaja Sabz Posh district in Faryab last night and another local Taliban leader Bashir alias Hamza was also wounded in the same clashes," the ministry said in a statement.

The two Taliban commanders were responsible for conducting scores of subversive and terrorist attacks in the district, where the provincial capital Maimana is located, according to the statement.

In the neighboring Jawzjan province, 27 Taliban militants were killed and 12 others wounded during the ongoing military operation in the Faizabad and Aqcha areas over the past three days, Hanif Rezai, spokesperson for the army's 209th Shaheen Corps based in the region, told Xinhua.

The ground forces were supported by the Afghan Air Force and the operation will continue in the areas to get rid of the militants, he said.

Violence lingers in the Asian country as Taliban militants have been attempting to seize small towns or districts through launching hit-and-run ambushes against Afghan national security forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 21:18:44|Editor: huaxia

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KUNMING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Law enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand joined forces Tuesday for the 105th Mekong River joint patrol.

Four Chinese vessels departed from Jingha Port in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province for the patrol.

Law enforcement officers from the four countries plan to navigate over 600 km of the river over four days and three nights to strengthen patrols of pivotal waters of the Mekong River.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping.

China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been carrying out joint patrols on the Mekong River since December 2011. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 10:47:12|Editor: huaxia

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SARAJEVO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Monday agreed to rebuild the cross-border roads and further facilitate the exchanges of people, goods, and capital.

The two sides made the pledge during talks between visiting Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic and Zoran Tegeltija, chairman of BiH's Council of Ministers.

"We agreed on two priorities today. The first one is to improve the road connection via Scepan Polje border crossing, which is in a bad shape," said Krivokapic.

The second priority is to improve cross-border flow of people, goods, and capital between the two countries, he said, inviting BiH citizens to spend holidays in Montenegro and promising a warm welcome.

BiH is dedicated to repairing the 25-km-long bumpy road between Foca, some 80 km southeast to Sarajevo, and Scepan Polje border crossing, within the next two or three years, said Tegeltija.

The two countries also agreed to lift the toll on the expressway between Trebinje, a border town some 200 km south of Sarajevo, and Montenegrin city Niksic, he said.

The two sides also discussed the European Union integrations and the COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem
The Hope Theatre in Islington has announced details of the shows it will relaunch with this summer.

The 50-seat pub theatre, which has been closed since March 2020, plans to reopen on 29 June at full capacity, in accordance with the government's roadmap.

The first production will be The Boy with the Bee Jar by John Straiton, which was long-listed for the 2019 Bruntwood Prize. Directed by Philip Wilson, it will play until 17 July (press night 1 July).

The play centres on a swarm of bees that attract an environmentally-minded schoolboy on a North London estate.

Also playing from 29 June in the late evening slot is Hope Box from Blue Grass Theatre, a week of comedy "celebrating live theatre and the artists that create it", with a line-up of up-and- coming comedians, sketch artists, comedy actors and alternative acts.

The Hope will then host a series of shows encompassing sketch and stand-up comedy, drama, new writing and drag as part of the Camden Fringe during August.

The theatre, which opened in 2013 as a sister venue to the nearby King's Head, will present an in-house production for four weeks in September, with full details to be announced.

Kennedy Bloomer, artistic director since January 2020, said: "We're absolutely thrilled and grateful to be able to plan to re-open in June. The Hope hasn't been able to open since March 2020 and although we've managed to create online we can't wait to be back open to a live audience again. Freelance artists need our support now more than ever and we're as committed as ever to our Equity house agreement and supporting paid opportunities."
Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing during the afternoon. High 91F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-25 20:40:13|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday launched large-scale operations against narcotics across the country and detained scores of suspected drug dealers, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.

Police units backed by special forces raided some 630 addresses belonging to over 570 suspects who reportedly grow cannabis to produce marijuana, Anadolu said.

The exact number of detained suspects was not immediately clear.

The teams in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul simultaneously raided numerous locations in five central districts, including the busiest Kadikoy on the Asian side and Besiktas on the European part.

During the raids, the police tracked the raided addresses from the air with the help of drones, while anti-narcotic dogs detected the cannabis, according to the agency.

Over 3,600 security forces with more than 110 sniffer dogs took part in the operations, Anadolu added. Enditem
NEW YORK (AP)  New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, who has drawn fire for not voting in city elections and for having a second home upstate, was mocked as a tourist by some people on social media Monday for naming Times Square as his favorite subway station.

To Yang, the choice was a simple one. That's the stop closest to his Manhattan home.

Its my stop, so Times Square," Yang said in an interview with the comedian Ziwe on her Showtime program, to which the comic reacted with more than a little disbelief.

Yang replied, It's big. Its cavernous. There are entertainers there. Sure, whats not to like?"

People who don't like Yang pounced on social media, with some questioning how much of a New Yorker he could really be. Real New Yorkers, they said, stay away from tourist-choked Times Square if they can.

But Yang's campaign and his family saw something else in the comments: Racism.

Its hard to tell what offends them more  that his family has lived near that subway stop for 25 years or that hes an Asian American," Yang's communications director, Alyssa Cass, said.

One political cartoon showing Yang emerging from the Times Square subway station while a bystander quipped The tourists are back, outraged Evelyn Yang, the candidates wife.

I can't believe my eyes," she said on Twitter. To publish this racist disfiguration of Andrew Yang as a tourist, in NYC where I was born, where Andrew has lived for 25 years, where our boys were born, where 16% of us are Asian and anti-Asian hate is up 900%."

Yang, the former presidential candidate, is among the leading candidates in the Democratic primary for mayor. Voting ends on June 22.

Unlike most of the other leading contenders, he has never held a job in city government before and isn't part of the city's political establishment.

That status as an outsider has helped Yang among some voters, but he's also been the subject of criticism for his lack of experience, and for spending time at his family's house in the Hudson River Valley village of New Paltz, New York, after the pandemic struck, and for failing to vote in the city's last four mayoral elections.

Being a native New Yorker hasn't counted for much in recent city elections.

Huge numbers of voters in the city weren't born there. The most recent holders of the job, Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, grew up in the Boston area.
Broadway shows are still a few months away from opening, but the Wilton Library is bringing the sense of Broadway to town with a virtual visit from Caseen Gaines, author of the book titled: Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way, on Tuesday, June 1, 7 to 8 p.m. Gainess account captures the triumphant story of the all-Black Broadway musical that changed the world forever.

Footnotes recounts how Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, along with comedians Flournoy Miller, and Aubrey Lyles, overcame poverty, racism and violence to harness the energy of the Harlem Renaissance, and produce a runaway Broadway hit. The show launched the careers of many of the twentieth centurys most beloved Black performers. Born in the shadow of slavery, and establishing their careers at a time of increasing demands for racial justice and representation for people of color, Sissle, Blake, Miller, and Lyles broke down innumerable barriers betw ee n Black, and white communities at a crucial point in American history.

Gaines, who is also a pop culture expert, leads the audience through the glitz, and glamour of New York City during the Roaring Twenties to reveal the revolutionary impact one show had on generations of Americans, and how its legacy continues to resonate today.

From the publisher, Opening night was going better than any of them could have expected, but the performers knew the rapturous applause was obscuring the truth: there was a good chance someone was going to get killed at any moment, and it was likely to be one of them. When the curtain rose on Shuffle Along in 1921, the first all-Black musical to succeed on Broadway, no one was sure if America was ready for a show featuring nuanced, thoughtful portrayals of Black characters  and the potential fallout was terrifying. But from the first jazzy, syncopated beats of composers Sissle and Blakes inspired musical numbers, New York audiences fell head over heels for Shuffle Along, which was unlike anything they had seen before.

Before Hamilton, before The Wiz, and before Porgy and Bess, there was Shuffle Along, an unforgettable theatrical achievement that paved the way for innumerable Black actors, dancers, musicians and composers and left an indelible mark on our popular culture and our lives.

Gaines, who is also a journalist, has written for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and NY Mag. He holds a graduate degree from Rutgers University in American Studies, focusing on racial representations in popular culture.

The event is a virtual author talk. Registration is required.

An email link will be provided to all registrants a few days before the event.

Books are available for purchase through elmstreetbooks.com. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Wilton Library. The media sponsor is GOOD Morning Wilton.

Visit www.wiltonlibrary.org for program details, and to register.


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BRUSSELS (AP)  Belarus isolation deepened Tuesday as commercial jets avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and officials expressed concern for the welfare of an opposition journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a plane that was diverted to Minsk in what the West called a state-sponsored hijacking.

The Ryanair plane with registration number SP-RSM, carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich which was traveling from Athens to Vilnius and was diverted to Minsk after a bomb threat, lands at the International Airport outside Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, May 23, 2021. The presidential press service said President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered that a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the Ryanair plane carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich and traveling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania to the airport in the capital Minsk. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

BRUSSELS (AP)  Belarus isolation deepened Tuesday as commercial jets avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and officials expressed concern for the welfare of an opposition journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a plane that was diverted to Minsk in what the West called a state-sponsored hijacking.

The dramatic developments put a spotlight on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkos iron-fisted rule and suppression of dissent  but it was not clear what effect more sanctions or other measures would have.

Additional sanctions? Will this be sufficient? I absolutely cant say today, said French President Emmanuel Macron. But, he added: The unacceptable character of what happened  justifies them.

After his detention, opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich was seen in a brief video clip on Belarusian state television late Monday, speaking rapidly to say that he was confessing to some of the charges authorities have leveled against him.

The spokesperson for the U.N.s human rights office, Rupert Colville, said Pratasevich's appearance likely was not voluntary and that he seemed to have bruising to his face, although it was difficult to tell from the video.

Asked about the video, German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it was worrying and disturbing and makes the EU demand for his release all the more urgent.

And we will use all channels at our disposal to do this, she added.

The 26-year-old journalist and activist was arrested Sunday after Belarusian flight controllers ordered the Ryanair jetliner he was aboard to land, telling the crew that there was a bomb threat against the flight. A Belarusian fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane to Minsk, just before it was to land in Vilnius, Lithuania, from Athens, Greece.

In an unusually swift response to the arrest and flight diversion, EU leaders agreed Monday to ban Belarusian airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc and impose sanctions on officials linked to the diversion.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks during her news conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. On Sunday, a Ryanair jetliner flying from Greece to Lithuania was ordered to land in Belarus escorted by a Belarusian fighter jet and then Belarus authorities detained 26-year-old journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend who were aboard the plane. The European Union has imposed sanctions over the Belarus actions in forcing the diversion of a passenger jet. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

The measures of restricting flights in particular  are extremely biting on the Belarus system," Macron said.

The EU demanded Pratasevich's release and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to investigate the diversion, while recommending European carriers avoid Belarus' airspace. Polish carrier LOT and Baltic airlines began bypassing the country, while Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and others said they will follow suit.

Belarus has defended its actions. Its Transport Ministry said Tuesday it has invited international aviation, U.S. and EU authorities to investigate the diversion.

In the wake of the brazen move, Belarus' first post-Soviet leader, Stanislav Shushkevich, urged the West to introduce even tougher sanctions.

Belarus has become a black hole of Europe with repressions reaching a catastrophic scale and its dictator scrambling fighter jets and threatening the entire world, Shushkevich told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The West must understand that only increasing pressure and really tough sanctions could impact Lukashenko and limit repressions.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will introduce more sanctions targeting "businesses and economic entities that are financing this regime.

Added Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte: We know that in this country, the major state companies make the money. This is going to hit them and everything is targeted towards making them feel the sting..

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Lukashenko's action "is hard to beat in terms of perfidy.

The lives of more than 170 passengers were endangered here to arrest a journalist. Its a threefold attack -- an attack on the safety of air traffic, on press freedom and the European citizens on board, he said.

Lukashenko has faced unprecedented pressure at home with months of protests triggered by his reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. But he has only doubled down on repression, and more than 35,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, with thousands beaten.

Some say more sanctions will do little to alleviate the situation and will only push Belarus even closer to its main sponsor and ally, Russia, and reduce the influence of the EU and others.

Lukashenko will become an increasingly easy prey for the Kremlin, said Alexander Klaskouski, an independent Minsk-based political analyst. As a pariah country, Belarus will find it much more difficult to fend off the Kremlin demands for the introduction of a single currency, the deployment of air bases and access to lucrative Belarusian economic assets.

Even as the West condemned Belarus, the crackdown continued Tuesday. Pavel Seviarynets, the leader of the opposition Christian-Democratic Party, was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots.

Most leaders of Belarus political parties have been either jailed or forced to flee the country, said Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights center. Belarus is facing an acute human rights crisis ... amid unprecedented political repressions.

Pratasevich, who left Belarus in 2019, has become a top foe of Lukashenko with a popular messaging app he ran playing a key role in helping organize the huge protests, and authorities have increasingly tried to limit his influence.

The Telegram apps Nexta channel that he co-founded has been labeled extremist by Belarusian authorities. Stsiapan Putsila, another co-founder of Nexta, told AP that he and his colleagues have received thousands of threats in the past to blow up their office in Warsaw.

Pratasevich had been charged in absentia with staging mass riots and fanning social hatred. Those carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, and some fear Pratasevich could face more serious charges, including some that carry the death penalty.

Colville, the U.N. human rights official, said Pratasevichs appearance on Belarus state TV was not reassuring, given the apparent bruising to his face, and the strong likelihood that his appearance was not voluntary and his confession to serious crimes was forced.

Pratasevichs 23-year-old Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who also was removed from the flight and detained, spoke in a video from custody shown on state TV. In it, she said she had been working as the editor of a Telegram channel that revealed personal data about Belarus security officers amid the protests. Her lawyers had said earlier in the day that she has been jailed for two months, pending an investigation.

The main opposition candidate in the last election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who left the country immediately after the vote under official pressure, said she urged the U.S. to move to suspend Belarus' membership in the ICAO and Interpol.

Tsikhanouskaya also pushed for the G-7 to invite a Belarusian opposition delegation to its summit in London next month and thanked Macron for supporting her bid. But Max Blain, a spokesman for the British prime minister, said "the invite list for G-7 is already set and wasn't aware of any request from Macron to invite the opposition.

The France-based media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with the prosecutor generals office in Vilnius against Lukashenko and any other persons the investigation would identify as liable for instigating or committing the crime. It noted that under Lithuanian law, the use of force against a civilian aircraft to force it to change its route under the false pretext of a bomb threat constitutes the crime of hijacking.

Karmanau reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Samuel Petrequin and Lorne Cook in Brussels, Jill Lawless in London and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden announced Monday that he's doubling U.S. emergency spending to help communities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather events, while launching a new effort at NASA to better understand and track the impact of climate change.

President Joe Biden, with first lady Jill Biden, waves as they walk from Marine One upon arrival on the Ellipse at the White House, Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Washington. Biden is returning from Camp David. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden announced Monday that he's doubling U.S. emergency spending to help communities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather events, while launching a new effort at NASA to better understand and track the impact of climate change.

The $1 billion in spending is a small fraction of what the U.S. spends on weather-related disasters. Last year alone, the nation endured 22 weather and climate-related disasters with losses greater than $1 billion each. The disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and snowstorms, had a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion.

2021 has already had significant winter storms that caused a deadly blackout in Texas and other states, and officials expect an ongoing severe drought in the West to fuel another destructive summer of wildfires following one of the worst fire years on record in 2020. Forecasters predict a busy hurricane season along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, but perhaps not as severe as 2020s record-shattering year.

"We all know that the storms are coming, and were going to be prepared," Biden said during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Washington headquarters. "We have to be ready."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last week that the hurricane season, which runs from June through November, will likely see 13 to 20 named storms, including at least six that will become hurricanes and three to five categorized as major hurricanes with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kilometers per hour).

Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator, and Ken Graham, director of NOAA's National Hurricane Center, talk about preparations for the upcoming hurricane season, Thursday, May 13, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Biden, during his visit to FEMA, received a briefing on this years outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season.

As climate change threatens to bring more extreme events such as increased floods, sea level rise and intensifying droughts and wildfires, the White House said it is the government's responsibility to better prepare and support communities before disasters occur, rather than simply respond afterward.

FEMA will provide $1 billion for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC program, which helps states, local communities, tribes and territories to develop projects to prepare for and reduce risks from disasters and natural hazards.

President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Were going to spare no expense, no effort, to keep Americans safe and respond to crises when they arise," Biden said. "And they certainly will."

The White House also said it will develop a new NASA mission concept for an Earth System Observatory that will forecast and monitor natural disasters. The Earth System Observatory will deploy advanced technology in space to improve understanding of interactions between Earths atmosphere, land, ocean and ice, helping determine how climate change will play out in the near and long term.

The steps announced Monday are part of Biden's pledge to elevate climate change as a major priority. Biden has set a target to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by up to 52% below 2005 levels by 2030. He also has said he expects to adopt a clean energy standard that would make electricity carbon-free by 2035, along with the wider goal of net-zero carbon emissions economywide by 2050.

President Joe Biden talks to employees at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Just last week, Biden directed federal agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy to identify and manage financial risks to government and the private sector posed by climate change. An executive order he issued Thursday calls for concrete steps to mitigate climate risks and could result in new regulations on the banking, housing and agriculture sectors, among others.

At the end of his visit to FEMA, Biden addressed agency employees and thanked them for their efforts in recent months. In addition to natural disasters, FEMA is playing a central role in the federal government's effort to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in hard-to-reach areas of the country. The agency in March was also called to help support the processing of the surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S. southern border.

"Ive asked you to do an awful lot since I became president," Biden said.

Dan Kaniewski, who served as FEMAs deputy administrator for resilience during the Trump administration, hailed the funding announcement, which significantly expands a program begun under President Donald Trump.

"BRIC was a shot in the arm for communities throughout the country, but this will be an early second dose, said Kaniewski, now a consultant at Marsh McLennan.

The new funding should help more communities receive needed funding to build climate resilience, he said.

AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed to this report.
OTTAWA - A military officer is facing charges after allegedly urging other members of the Canadian Armed Forces to disobey their orders by not helping with the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

OTTAWA - A military officer is facing charges after allegedly urging other members of the Canadian Armed Forces to disobey their orders by not helping with the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Department of National Defence says Officer Cadet Ladislas Kenderesi has been charged with one count of persuading another person to join in a mutiny and one count of behaving in a scandalous manner unbecoming of an officer.

The charges follow a speech at an anti-lockdown rally in Toronto in December in which a man appeared in full military uniform and spoke out against what he called "killer" vaccines.

The man, who is introduced as Kenderesi and is wearing a name tag with that surname in a video of the speech posted on YouTube, calls on other military members to disobey their orders and not distribute the vaccine.

"I'm asking military right now who are serving  truck drivers, medical, engineers, whatever you are  do not take this unlawful order in the distribution of this vaccine," the man says to cheers from the crowd.

The man also says that while he might get in trouble for his comments, "I don't care anymore."

The Defence Department says Kenderesi was relieved of his duties as a reserve cadet instructor in Borden, Ont., in December and charged by military police on May 12.

Defence officials say Kenderesi, whose military uniform was seized in December, is the first service member charged with a mutiny-related offence in at least 20 years.

A request for comment sent to Kenderesi's military email address did not receive a response on Tuesday.

The organizer of a GoFundMe page set up to support Kenderesi's legal defence said the officer cadet had been instructed by his lawyers not to comment.

The Canadian military has been playing an instrumental role in the federal government's vaccine rollout campaign, with service members helping ship shots from overseas locations and distribute them across the country.

The Defence Department said last week that more than 85 per cent of military members have received at least one vaccine dose. The high level of uptake stood in contrast to concerns about vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. military.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2021.
Moderna said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S.

FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2020, file photo, Pat Moore, with the Chester County, Pa., Health Department, fills a syringe with Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before administering it to emergency medical workers and health care personnel at the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester, Pa. Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12. The company released the preliminary findings Tuesday, May 25, 2021, based on testing on more than 3,700 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Moderna said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S.

With global vaccine supplies still tight, much of the world is struggling to vaccinate adults in the quest to end the pandemic. But earlier this month, the U.S. and Canada authorized another vaccine  the shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech  to be used starting at age 12.

Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month.

The company studied more than 3,700 12- to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults, and the same kind of temporary side effects such as sore arms, headache and fatigue.

There were no COVID-19 diagnoses in those given two doses of the Moderna vaccine compared with four cases among kids given dummy shots. In a press release, the company also said the vaccine appeared 93% effective two weeks after the first dose.

While children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19, they represent about 14% of the nations coronavirus cases. At least 316 have died in the U.S. alone, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

With plenty of vaccine supply in the U.S., younger teens flocked to get Pfizer's shot in the days after FDA opened it to them, part of a push to get as many kids vaccinated as possible before the next school year.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun testing in even younger children, from age 11 down to 6-month-old babies. This testing is more complex: Teens receive the same dose as adults, but researchers are testing smaller doses in younger children. Experts hope to see some results in the fall.

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.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka has received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine donated by China as the Indian Ocean island nation faces severe shortage of vaccines amid a recent rise in infections.

Airline employees sit after receiving the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be sure of no side effects at the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka has received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine donated by China as the Indian Ocean island nation faces severe shortage of vaccines amid a recent rise in infections.

The vaccine stock that arrived early Wednesday is the second donation from China, following a shipment of 600,000 doses in March.

Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of vaccine after the producer in neighboring India failed to provide the promised Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine stocks. The government on Tuesday agreed to buy 14 million doses of Sinopharm from China.

The current vaccination program is focused on Sri Lankas Western province, which includes the capital of Colombo and its suburbs. It is where the majority of the countrys coronavirus cases have been.

Workers wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 do group exercises at a park in Beijing, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Sri Lanka so far has reported 167,172 coronavirus cases and 1,243 deaths from COVID-19.

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 Mascots, prizes rally students to get vaccinated at US schools

 Moderna says its COVID-19 shot works in kids as young as 12

 Japan says US travel warning for virus wont hurt Olympians

A medical staff wearing a face mask walks outside a vaccination center in Kepong on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Malaysia unexpectedly imposed a one-month lockdown through June 7, spooked by a sharp rise in cases, more-infectious variants and weak public compliance with health measures. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

 Volunteers in One Good Thing keep on giving a year later

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

HONOLULU  Hawaii is no longer requiring people to wear face masks outdoors as the number of coronavirus cases drops and more people get vaccinated.

Gov. David Ige said Tuesday that he will maintain a requirement that people wear masks indoors, whether or not someone is vaccinated. He also says he will encourage people who are in large groups outdoors to continue to wear masks.

Ige says that starting June 1, he will allow ocean sports competitions like surfing contests and canoe paddling races to take place.

From left. Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Jonathan Van Tam, Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency Dr Jenny Harries take part in a coronavirus media briefing in Downing Street, London, Wednesday May 19, 2021. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

The governor says 57% of Hawaiis residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine while just under half the population has been fully vaccinated.

PORTLAND, Ore.  For the first time in months, restaurants in Oregons most populous county  home to Portland  will open for 50% capacity for indoor dining after meeting vaccination goals.

Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that half of Oregons counties, including Multnomah County, will move to the lower risk level Thursday.

This category allows a significant reduction in pandemic restrictions  allowing 50% capacity for indoor dinging, theaters, gyms and other indoor entertainment spaces. It also expands indoor gatherings to 10 people and retail store capacity to 75%.

Currently, more than half of Oregons eligible population who are 16 or older have received at least a first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Youths carry home food donated from the Covid Without Hunger organization in the Jardim Gramacho slum of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, May 22, 2021. Poverty  defined as households living on less than one minimum wage  spiked in the first quarter of 2021 to its highest level in at least nine years, after plunging last year, according to Marcelo Neri, director of the Getulio Vargas Foundation's social policy center.(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations humanitarian chief says that despite last years U.N. call for global cease-fires to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, many conflicts never stopped, including in Syria, Yemen and Congo and new ones erupted.

Mark Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that this has made it more difficult to control the spread of the coronavirus and care for infected people in many countries. He cites multiple reports of atrocities against civilians caught in conflicts during the pandemic.

Lowcock says insecurity, sanctions, counter-terrorism measures and administrative hurdles are hindering humanitarian operations. And he says the pandemic has made aid deliveries worse because of suspended flights, border closures, quarantine measures and lockdowns.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BATON ROUGE, La.  Gov. John Bel Edwards is scrapping nearly every remaining coronavirus restriction in Louisiana and lifting the statewide requirement that students must wear a mask in the classroom and at school events.

A health worker administers Covishield, Serum Institute of India's version of the AstraZeneca vaccine to a woman as people are inoculated against COVID-19 at a park in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

The Democratic governor announced Tuesday that hell keep the statewide public health emergency declaration in place. But Louisiana will have almost none of the rules governing businesses and behavior over the last 15 months of the pandemic.

Edwards cited the wide availability of the coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana.

Masks still will be required on public transit, in health care facilities and in prisons. Schools, businesses and local government officials can decide if they want to mandate masks.

WAILUKU, Hawaii  Police in Hawaii say an Oregon woman was arrested last week because she violated travel quarantine rules meant to protect the islands from the spread of coronavirus.

Maui police say 36-year-old Kelsey Newcomer didnt have a negative COVID-19 test from an approved facility when she arrived on a flight from Seattle. Police say she also didnt have approved lodging where she could complete at 10-day mandatory quarantine.

FILE - President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. The White House says the United States on Tuesday will reach 50% of American adults fully vaccinated for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

She was taken to a police station and later agreed to leave the island of Maui and return to Oregon. Travelers to Hawaii must comply with the states pre-travel testing program, even those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

She couldnt immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

HARTFORD, Conn.  A judge has upheld Connecticuts requirement that children wear masks in schools, rejecting a challenge by some parents who say mask wearing can be harmful and education officials exceeded their authority.

A Superior Court judge in Hartford released his ruling Monday in response to a lawsuit filed by the CT Freedom Alliance and several parents and their children. The decision affirms the legitimacy of mask requirements in schools this academic year but does not give guidance for the next school year.

The CT Freedom Alliance says it will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying they can cause students distress and falsely claiming they are not useful despite assurances from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts that masks help prevent spread of the coronavirus.

High school freshman Jeff Eseroma, 14, is vaccinated at a school-based COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students 12 and older in San Pedro, Calif., Monday, May 24, 2021. Schools are turning to mascots, prizes and contests to entice youth ages 12 and up to get vaccinated against the coronavirus before summer break. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

DENVER  Colorado will have a weekly lottery for five residents to win $1 million to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday that the state is setting aside $5 million of federal coronavirus relief funds that would have gone toward vaccine advertising for five residents to win $1 million each. The drawings will take place every week starting June 4 until July 7.

Every resident who has been vaccinated by the end of May will be entered in the first drawing. In order to be eligible for the drawing, residents need to be at least 18 years old and have received at least one dose of the approved coronavirus vaccines.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas will be giving lottery tickets and gift certificates for hunting and fishing licenses to people who get the coronavirus vaccine.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says $20 scratch-off lottery tickets or $20 Game and Fish gift certificates will be offered to residents who get the first dose of the vaccine starting Tuesday.

High school water polo team member Marc Bugarin, 15, is vaccinated at a school-based COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students 12 and older in San Pedro, Calif., Monday, May 24, 2021. School districts from California to Michigan are offering free prom tickets and deploying mobile vaccination teams to schools to inoculate students 12 and up so everyone can return to classrooms in the fall. They are also enlisting students who have gotten shots to press their friends to do the same. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The incentives will be available starting June 1 at local health units or special events around the state.

Arkansas has had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and Tuesdays announcement follows efforts in other states to offer incentives.

WASHINGTON  White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt says we need to get to the bottom of the origins of the pandemic pathogen and the World Health Organization and China need to do more to provide definitive answers for the global community.

The precise origin of the virus remains undetermined and speculation has reigned about whether it jumped from animals to humans or whether it could have escaped from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan, the city that saw the first outbreak.

We need a completely transparent process from China, Slavitt said at Tuesdays coronavirus task force briefing. Full assistance from the WHO is needed, and we dont have that now.

FILE - Then-Acting Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Andy Slavitt speaks at a news conference at the Treasury Department in Washington, Wednesday, June 22, 2016. Slavitt, the White House coronavirus adviser, said Tuesday, May 25, 2021 we need to get to the bottom of the origins of the pandemic pathogen and the World Health Organization and China need to do more to provide definitive answers for the global community. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)

Dr. Anthony Fauci said many of us feel like it was a natural occurrence, but we dont know 100% and it is imperative to investigate.

MEXICO CITY  San Diego County and private businesses have donated 10,000 coronavirus vaccines to vaccinate workers at U.S.-owned border assembly plants in Tijuana.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard says the program is aimed at helping equalize vaccination rates at closely connected points along the U.S.-Mexico border.

This is the first cross-border agreement we have had. This is surely going to grow a lot, Ebrard said. We plan to replicate this all along the border.

The vaccines are being administered by medical personnel from the University of California, San Diego, at the San Ysidro border crossing. The program started Monday with about 150 to 200 shots administered per hour.

A health worker picks syringes as seniors get vaccinated with the first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at the newly-opened mass vaccination program for the elderly at a drive-thru vaccination center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Mexico has had a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, and has received only about 34.2 million doses for a population of 126 million. Since most vaccines require two doses, Mexico has only vaccinated about 15% of its population so far.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland held its first of 40 consecutive $40,000 lottery drawings on Tuesday for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one of several states using lottery prizes to encourage people to get inoculated.

The Maryland Lottery says the first winner lives in Baltimore County. There will be 39 more drawings for $40,000 in the $2 million total promotion, which ends with a $400,000 drawing prize on July 4.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 68.3% of Maryland adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Larry Hogan is hoping to reach 70% by Memorial Day.

Marylands statewide COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped below 2% for the first time during the pandemic. The state is reporting 160 new confirmed cases, the lowest number since March 26, 2020. Hospitalizations from the virus reached a seven-month low with 442, the lowest level since Oct. 19.

Nurses hold a minute of silence in memory of coworkers who have died of COVID-19 during a protest for more medicine, supplies and employees for hospitals to face the COVID-19 pandemic in Asuncion, Paraguay, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

ATLANTA  Gov. Brian Kemp says public agencies in Georgia cant require people to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Republican governor issued an executive order Tuesday banning vaccine passports and saying state immunization records cant be shared with any private company aiming to create such a record.

A number of Republican-led states have moved to ban vaccine passports, even though they are not in widespread use in the U.S. Kemps order mostly doesnt apply to private businesses.

Spokesperson Cody Hall says the move wont ban prisons, mental hospitals or juvenile justice facilities from asking whether inmates or patients have been vaccinated.

The order doesnt ban the state from including an entry for COVID-19 vaccines on the standard immunization record for children entering childcare or school. The forms dont currently have an entry.

Unidentified women comfort family members of a person who died of COVID-19, at a crematorium in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. India crossed another grim milestone Monday with more than 300,000 people lost to the coronavirus, while a devastating surge of infections appeared to be easing in big cities but was swamping the poorer countryside. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

The University System of Georgia already announced it wont mandate vaccines for students or staff.

SAN DIEGO  A growing number of U.S. public schools are using mascots, food trucks and prize giveaways to encourage students to get vaccinated before summer vacation.

The massive effort to create a pep-rally atmosphere comes only weeks after the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine was approved for younger adolescents ages 12 to 15. Administrators want to get as many shots in students arms as possible and hope it will pave the way to return to regular classes in the fall.

So far, about 14% of the nations 15 million kids ages 12 to 15 have received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 7.5 million teens ages 16 to 17, that number goes up to 34%, and about 22% have had both shots, according to the latest figures released Monday. The doses are scheduled about three weeks apart.

TOKYO  Tokyo officials were quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan will have an impact on Olympians.

Japan is determined to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to open on July 23. The U.S. cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan. Most metro areas in Japan are under a state of emergency .

Those areas are expected to remain so through mid-June because rising COVID-19 cases are putting pressure on the countrys medical care systems. That causes concern about how the country could cope with the arrival of tens of thousands of Olympic participants if its hospitals remain stressed and so few of its population vaccinated.

About 2% of people in Japan have been vaccinated. No international fans are allowed at the Tokyo Olympics.

NEW YORK  U.S. health officials say coronavirus cases in fully vaccinated people remain rare.

The CDC on Tuesday issued a report on these breakthrough cases through the end of April, when 101 million Americans were fully vaccinated. Of those, about 10,300 breakthrough infections were reported  thats about 1 infection in every 10,000 fully vaccinated people, based on the available data.

Nearly two-thirds were women, and the median age of all cases was 58. About 25% of the infections involved people who didnt have symptoms. About 10% were hospitalized and about 2% died.

The report is based on voluntary reporting by 46 states and territories and isnt considered a complete tally of all breakthrough infections that may have occurred. Health officials say no vaccine is perfect and infections were expected in some vaccinated people.
Adam Entous in The New Yorker:

During the final weeks of the Trump Administration, a senior official on the National Security Council sat at his desk in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across from the West Wing, on the White House grounds. It was mid-November, and he had recently returned from a work trip abroad. At the end of the day, he left the building and headed toward his car, which was parked a few hundred yards away, along the Ellipse, between the White House and the Washington Monument. As he walked, he began to hear a ringing in his ears. His body went numb, and he had trouble controlling the movement of his legs and his fingers. Trying to speak to a passerby, he had difficulty forming words. It came on very suddenly, the official recalled later, while describing the experience to a colleague. In a matter of about seven minutes, I went from feeling completely fine to thinking, Oh, somethings not right, to being very, very worried and actually thinking I was going to die.

He fell to the ground before he reached his car, and realized that he was in no condition to drive. Instead, he made his way to Constitution Avenue, where he hoped to hail a taxi. He managed to open the Lyft app on his phone, and ordered a driver, who took him to the hospital. When he arrived at the emergency room, the official thought, Im probably not walking out of here. He approached the reception desk. Are you on drugs? a doctor asked him. The official shook his head. He was led to an examination room. Hospital staff found his White House identification card in his pocket, and three cell phones, one of which they used to call his wife. They thought he might be having a stroke, but an MRI ruled it out. Blood tests also turned up nothing unusual. The official, who was in his mid-thirties, had no preexisting conditions. The doctors were at a loss, but told him they suspected that he had suffered a massive migraine with aura.

It took about two hours for his speech to begin to return. When he checked out of the hospital, the next day, he still had a pounding headache, but was soon able to go back to work. Several days later, a colleague called him to discuss suspected cases of the Havana Syndrome, a mysterious ailment that had first affected dozens of U.S. officials in Cuba, and which now appeared to be spreading. The N.S.C. official didnt think that he was suffering from the Havana Syndrome; it seemed outlandish that someone would be struck while on the grounds of the White House. But, as his colleague described some of the more severe cases that had been reported, it occurred to the official that this might be his problem. Look, this is probably nothing, he told his colleague, but what you described sounds kind of like what happened to me.

More here.
PRAGUE (AP)  The Czech Republic on Tuesday lost its fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic struck last year.

Member of Czech Parliament Adam Vojtech poses in Parliament building in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. Czech Health Minister Petr Arenberger will resign and he will be replaced with former minister Adam Vojtech who stepped down last year, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has told journalists on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (Vit Simanek/CTK via AP) SLOVAKIA OUT

PRAGUE (AP)  The Czech Republic on Tuesday lost its fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic struck last year.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the current office-holder Petr Arenberger called him in Brussels, where Babis is attending a summit of European Union leaders to announce his resignation.

Arenberger, the director of Pragues University Hospital Vinohrady, was only sworn in by President Milos Zeman on April 7.

He has been recently under fire from the media because of alleged irregularities in his tax returns. He declared he owned more assets and had a higher income after he became a government minister than in the preceding years.

It also emerged that he was renting one of his undeclared properties to the university hospital. That deal was signed before he was appointed its director.

Babis said Arenberger and his family were under pressure and that's the main reason for the resignation, Babis said.

I do not think that it is necessary for my family, friends, colleagues and patients to be exposed to this escalating unpleasant pressure during my work for public health," Arenberger said.

I am convinced that the change at this stage will not affect the further successful solving of the pandemic or the strategic steps of the ministry, he said.

Babis said he planned to reappoint Adam Vojtech, who was health minister when the pandemic hit the country in March 2020, to the post.

The presidential office said Zeman will swear him in on Wednesday.

Arenberger took office after his predecessor, Jan Blatny, was fired over his handling of the pandemic, including imposing strict conditions for the use of experimental drugs to treat COVID-19 patients and his refusal to accept Russias Sputnik V vaccine, which hasn't been approved the European Unions drug regulator.

Blatny had taken over the job on Oct. 29 to replace epidemiologist Roman Prymula, who was dismissed after he was photographed visiting a restaurant that should have been closed as part of the countrys restrictive measures.

Prymula had replaced Vojtech in the post on Sept. 21, to enable a different approach to the pandemic amid surging infections.

Infections are falling in the Czech Republic. The day-to-day tally of new cases dropped to 695 on Monday, down from almost 17,000 in early March.

The nation of 10.7 million has registered almost 1.7 million confirmed cases, with more than 30,000 deaths.

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Bidens infrastructure plan is hitting roadblocks. A policing overhaul after the killing of George Floyd is up in the air. Even a seemingly bipartisan effort to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol faces the blockade of Republican opposition in Congress.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, second left, receives a tour of an underground tunnel for the expansion of the HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport plane train tunnel at the HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Bidens infrastructure plan is hitting roadblocks. A policing overhaul after the killing of George Floyd is up in the air. Even a seemingly bipartisan effort to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol faces the blockade of Republican opposition in Congress.

It's a pivotal time for many aspects of Biden's ambitious agenda. Rounding the first quarter of his presidency, the White House and Congress have been unable to meet key Memorial Day deadlines set by the administration on crucial priorities.

While lawmakers quickly approved Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package and senators confirmed the top ranks of the administration with Biden's nominees, the next legislative priorities on the White House's agenda will be a longer slog.

The sweeping infrastructure investment, in particular, faces a crucial moment: The White House is assessing whether the president can strike a bipartisan deal with Republicans on his American Jobs Plan, a top domestic priority, or try to go it alone with Democrats if no progress is made over the next week. Biden's allies in the House and Senate are preparing for all scenarios.

"This is going to feel like a tightrope walk all the way until it gets to Bidens desk, said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank.

Presidents are often judged not only by the goals they achieved, but whether their proposals were popular with the public and the leadership in trying to muscle the bills into law. The White House appears to be taking those factors to heart as Biden makes his case to the public and conducts extensive outreach for his agenda on Capitol Hill.

The administration is signaling that its important not just whether Biden can push his infrastructure and other proposals into law, but how he does it. By this reasoning, voters  and some moderate Democratic lawmakers  are more likely to be on board if Biden at least tries for bipartisanship.

President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is left. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The White House said Monday that Biden is awaiting an infrastructure counteroffer from Senate Republicans after a core group of GOP negotiators rejected his latest $1.7 trillion proposal, leaving the fragile talks on a compromise at a standstill.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president is eager to engage" and would welcome more talks with the senators. But she said the Republicans have a ways more to go to find common ground. Biden dropped $500 billion from his initial $2.3 trillion offer, and Psaki said the Republicans raised their $568 billion offer by about $50 billion. Republicans have rejected Biden's plan to pay for the road and broadband spending with a corporate tax increase.

The ball is in the Republicans' court, Psaki said at the White House briefing.

At the same time, key congressional negotiators are working behind the scenes on a bipartisan police overhaul in response to a nationwide reassessment of law enforcement practices sparked by Floyd's death a year ago Tuesday in Minneapolis. Biden had hoped to have the legislation ready by the anniversary.

In a rare joint statement Monday, negotiators Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Ca., said, "This anniversary serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change. While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal.

But other priorities on gun violence, voting rights and immigration law face long odds with the narrowly split Congress and robust opposition from Republicans. Democrats hold only a slim majorities in the House and evenly divided Senate, and much of Biden's agenda would require broader support to reach the 60 votes under the rules to advance past a Senate filibuster.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said repeatedly that 100% of my focus is on stopping Bidens agenda.

The West Wing believes its bargaining position is strong. Aides point to Bidens high poll numbers and the popularity of his proposals, all while believing that they have the option of muscling the infrastructure plan to passage under special budget reconciliation rules that require only a party-line vote.

But there is a growing sense of urgency within the White House and among Democrats. After a burst of legislative accomplishment, including the sweeping COVID relief bill, the pace has slowed dramatically. And the future may hinge on a few select senators.

After Biden was elected on the heels of a campaign promise to work with Republicans, the White House has been quick to defend his bipartisan record of accomplishment.

Aides have pointed to how quickly the president's Cabinet was confirmed  one choice, Neera Tanden, withdrew after it was clear she would not get support.

Along with Bidens chocolate-chip cookie diplomacy  inviting lawmakers to the White House, treating them with sweets on the way out  the administration has been conducting vigorous outreach to Capitol Hill. The White House has had nearly 1,000 phone calls or meetings with lawmakers or their staffs, including more than 200 with Republicans on the jobs plan and the related American Families Plan  the president's stalled proposal to invest in preschool, child tax credits and other so-called human infrastructure.

Still, the partisan tensions are stark, showing the limits of Biden's ability to bridge the divide.

This week, legislation passed by the House to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is likely to face a filibuster by Republicans in the Senate. GOP leaders argue the panel is unneeded as they try to move past the deadly riot by supporters of Donald Trump who laid siege to the Capitol in a failed effort to overturn Bidens election.

As the administration assesses next steps on Biden's infrastructure proposal, White House aides have not thrown in the towel on landing a bipartisan agreement with the GOP senators, but their optimism cooled, according to Biden advisers. The group led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., rejected Bidens counteroffer in a sharply-worded statement late last week.

Psaki insisted no decisions had been made on whether the administration will go it alone as it awaits a counteroffer from Republicans. Were not quite there yet, she said. We're eager to see their proposal and see what they have to offer.

The GOP senators have not said if they were preparing another proposal, but kept the door open late Monday.

"Im not ready to call it quits," Capito told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being accused of overseeing a chaotic government whose failure to act quickly against the coronavirus caused thousands of unnecessary deaths.

FILE - In this Saturday May 23, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aid Dominic Cummings arrives back at his home, in London. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being accused of overseeing a chaotic government whose failure to act quickly against the coronavirus caused thousands of unnecessary deaths. The allegations come from Dominic Cummings, the volatile adviser who until late last year was Johnsons most powerful and trusted aide. On Wednesday May 26, 2021, he plans to make the claims in person, testifying on live television to lawmakers investigating Britains handling of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being accused of overseeing a chaotic government whose failure to act quickly against the coronavirus caused thousands of unnecessary deaths.

The allegations come not from opposition politicians but from Dominic Cummings, the volatile adviser who until late last year was Johnsons most powerful and trusted aide.

In recent days, Cummings has directed a torrent of criticism at Johnsons Conservative government in an ever-lengthening string of Twitter posts. On Wednesday, he plans to make the claims in person, testifying on live television to lawmakers investigating Britains handling of COVID-19.

Cummings accuses the government of sticking with a policy of herd immunity  allowing the virus to spread through the population while protecting the most vulnerable  until it was too late to prevent draconian lockdowns and many deaths.

The U.K. has recorded almost 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe, and had of the deepest recessions in the world when lockdown shut down much of the economy. A mass vaccination campaign started in December has brought infections and fatalities down sharply.

On Twitter, Cummings has alleged there was total & utter chaos in government as the virus swept Britain in early 2020. He claims a controlled outbreak leading to herd immunity was the official plan until early March 2020, when the government realized that would lead to catastrophe.

He tweeted: If wed had the right preparations + competent people in charge, we wd probably have avoided lockdown1, (asterisk)definitely(asterisk) no need for lockdowns 2&3.

The government denies Cummings allegations. The prime ministers spokesman, Max Blain, said herd immunity from infection has never been government policy.

Cummings critics are not surprised he is causing a fuss. The self-styled political disruptor has long expressed contempt for the civil service, many politicians and much of the media.

He was one of the architects of the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, credited with coining the powerfully simple slogan Take back control. He also hired a firm linked to Cambridge Analytica, which detractors say unleashed the poison of data-harvesting and social-media manipulation into the British political bloodstream.

When Johnson, co-leader of the Brexit leave campaign, became prime minister in 2019, Cummings was appointed his top aide, a powerful post that saw him dubbed Boriss brain. He slouched around Downing St. in sweatpants and T-shirts and spoke of his desire to radically reconfigure government. He irked many politicians, who grumbled about unelected advisers wielding undue influence.

Cummings was thrust from the shadows into the spotlight in May 2020, when newspapers revealed he had driven 250 miles (400 kilometers) across the country after contracting COVID-19, despite a nationwide stay-at-home order. His defense  that he was seeking childcare help from relatives in case he got sick  rang hollow to many Britons who had made sacrifices and endured isolation to follow the rules.

Johnson resisted calls to fire Cummings for flouting rules the government had imposed on the rest of the country. But a few months later, Cummings quit, walking out of 10 Downing St. with a box full of possessions after losing a power struggle inside the prime ministers office.

He kept out of the public eye for several months, before unleashing his Twitter storm in recent weeks ahead of Wednesdays testimony to Parliaments health and science committees.

Sam Freedman, who worked with Cummings as an adviser at the Department for Education, told Sky News that Cummings wanted to distance himself from decisions, even though he was at the heart of government when they were made.

He is a very acute analyst of problems, but he often doesnt apply that analysis to his own behavior, Freedman said.
AKSU, China (AP)  A backlash against reports of forced labor and other abuses of the largely Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China's cotton industry, but it's unclear if the pressure will compel the government or companies to change their ways.

A worker watches as a machine processes cotton yarn at a Huafu Fashion plant, as seen during a government organized trip for foreign journalists, in Aksu in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. A backlash against reports of forced labor and other abuses of the largely Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China's cotton industry, but it's unclear if the pressure will compel the government or companies to change their ways. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

AKSU, China (AP)  A backlash against reports of forced labor and other abuses of the largely Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China's cotton industry, but it's unclear if the pressure will compel the government or companies to change their ways.

Li Qiang, general manager of the Huafu Fashion yarn factory in Xinjiang, told reporters that even though the company lost money in 2020 for the first time in its 27-year history, it bounced back by shifting to domestic orders.

This is now in the past, Li said. Weve turned things around in the first quarter of this year.

Li blamed a sharp fall in foreign orders, as customers including Adidas and H&M cut ties, on fake news" in a 2019 Wall Street Journal story that said brand name apparel makers and food companies were entangled in Chinas campaign to forcibly assimilate its Muslim population. Huafu also cited U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.

In a crackdown since 2017 after a series of militant attacks, the Chinese government has detained a million or more people in Xinjiang, a major cotton-producing region in Chinas northwest that is home to the Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. Critics also accuse it of torture, forced sterilization and cultural and religious suppression.

Apart from cotton, much of the worlds polysilicon for photovoltaic cells comes from Xinjiang. The U.S. is now weighing sanctions over the alleged use of forced labor in the production of solar panels.

Xinjiang officials deny the charges and brush off Western criticism. They recently took about a dozen foreign journalists to the sprawling Huafu complex in Aksu city, where 780,000 spindles churn out 100,000 tons of colored yarn annually for sportswear and other items.

The company said in a preliminary estimate last month that it earned 120 million-150 million yuan (about $20 million) in the first three months of this year, after a 405 million yuan ($63 million) loss in 2020 as sales fell 10 percent.

Evidence of forced labor comes from people who have left China and government documents, but it is difficult to prove definitively at specific factories since human rights experts and others are unable to investigate freely. Diplomats and journalists traveling independently to Xinjiang are followed, and most residents, wary of getting in trouble, are unwilling to talk critically.

A car is driven past a billboard showing machines harvesting cotton outside a Huafu Fashion plant, as seen during a government organized trip for foreign journalists, in Aksu in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. A backlash against reports of forced labor and other abuses of the largely Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China's cotton industry, but it's unclear if the pressure will compel the government or companies to change their ways. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The government doesnt want information flowing out of the region and theyve done a good job of making that difficult, said Scott Nova, the executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium in Washington.

An ethnic Kazakh woman from Xinjiang who fled to Kazakhstan said she was forced to work for a week sewing uniforms in a factory in 2018 after spending almost a year in detention.

Dina Nurdybai ran a clothing business with 30 employees before she was detained. She said the factory work was not voluntary. She was released after authorities realized she was not on a list of long-term detainees.

If they say they are taking you to a factory, you say yes, " she said. If you dont go, theyll say you have problematic thoughts and persecute you.

Others also have said they or their relatives were coerced to work in factories.

The government says such testimonies are fabrications. One worker, Paziliya Tursan, said above the hum of spindles at Huafu that reports of forced labor are nonsense. As officials listened in, she said people at the factory stick together like pomegranate seeds, echoing a metaphor used by President Xi Jinping to describe ethnic unity in China.

The U.S. decided last year that the evidence was strong enough to ban imports of clothing, cotton, hair products and computer parts from about a half dozen companies. In January, it expanded the ban to all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang, which produces processed foods such as tomato paste and about one-fifth of the world's cotton.

U.S. customs denied a request this month from Japanese retailer Uniqlo to release a shipment of men's shirts that had been stopped at a southern California port under the sanctions.

Guixiang, a Communist Party spokesperson in Xinjiang, said companies may lose customers in the short run but eventually become stronger as they and their employees work harder and find new markets. In some sense, the stress can be transformed into a driving force for the companies, he said.

China has a huge domestic market and demand is growing in Southeast Asia, the Mideast, Africa and Eastern Europe, said Peng Bo, a senior vice president at Founder CIFCO Futures, a financial derivatives firm in Beijing. Chinese manufacturers also have gained market share as the pandemic hobbled competitors in other countries.

Though the international market is important to domestic brands, it is not irreplaceable, particularly the European and American markets, he said.

On top of import bans, the U.S. Commerce Department has blocked the sale of U.S. technology and parts to more than two dozen companies linked to human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including Huafu. That adds to pressure to stop dealing with the company.

Technology companies have also been targeted. Commerce added Nanchang O-Film Tech, whose customers have included Apple and Lenovo, to the blacklist last July. The company has employed Uyghur workers brought to Nanchang from Xinjiang, some 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) away, under restrictive conditions.

Its parent OFILM Group said it lost 1.9 billion yuan ($300 million) last year because overseas customers dropped contracts. It did not say which customers.

The forced labor allegations extended to cotton picking late last year with a BBC story and a report by U.S.-based researcher Adrian Zenz. His study, based largely on publicly-available Chinese government documents, found strong indications of coercion and concluded that it must be assumed that any cotton from Xinjiang may involve coercive labor, with the likelihood of coercion being very high.

China accused Zenz and the British public broadcaster of anti-China bias. Foreign journalists were taken to a 40-hectare (100-acre) cotton field that was being planted by machine, and officials said mechanization has eliminated the need for most workers.

Picking cotton is more difficult than planting it, though, and where it is mechanized in Xinjiang, it often depends on American technology in the form of John Deere machines. Deere said in a statement that U.S. sanctions have affected its business but declined to provide specifics.

The government says 70% of harvesting is mechanized, but that varies from place to place. Use of machine picking is more common in the north. In southern Xinjiang plots tend to be smaller and more scattered, with 53% of total acreage harvested by machine in 2020, up from 35% in 2019, according to the government. It acknowledged that farmers still plant and harvest by hand in many places.

Nova of the Workers Rights Consortium said companies should not buy from Xinjiang because of the substantial risk of forced labor at any factory and the inability to conduct a proper inspection.

A Uyghur worker cannot speak freely and candidly about forced labor, particularly if they are a victim of forced labor, he said. And so when youve got a combination of risk and the inability to manage that risk via labor rights due diligence, the only responsible approach . . . is not to source from that particular place.

Si Chen in Shanghai contributed.
BERLIN (AP)  Staff at a logistics company in Germany threw cocaine with a street value of up to 1 million euros ($1.2 million) in the trash, not realizing that the packages they'd found inside banana crates were drugs, customs officials said Tuesday.

BERLIN (AP)  Staff at a logistics company in Germany threw cocaine with a street value of up to 1 million euros ($1.2 million) in the trash, not realizing that the packages they'd found inside banana crates were drugs, customs officials said Tuesday.

Authorities said that a fruit logistics company in Erding, near Munich, called police on May 10 to report that workers had discovered at least 4.5 kilograms (almost 10 pounds) of cocaine in organic waste bins on their premises.

Police determined that the drugs had been dumped there a day earlier by subcontractors who gave no thought to the foreign objects they found wrapped in tape inside the banana crates before discarding them.

The Munich customs office said the crates had been shipped from Ecuador via the Netherlands. No further packets of the high-grade cocaine were found.
DETROIT (AP)  General Motors now says it will support efforts by the United Auto Workers union to organize employees at two U.S. electric vehicle battery factories that it's building in Ohio and Tennessee with a joint-venture partner.

FILE - This Jan. 27, 2020 file photo shows a General Motors logo at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Hamtramck, Mich. General Motors now says it will support efforts by the United Auto Workers union to organize employees at two U.S. electric vehicle battery factories that it's building in Ohio and Tennessee with a joint-venture partner.The company's statement Tuesday, May 25, 2021 about the plants departs from its past stance that the joint venture, called Ultium LLC, would decide on a bargaining strategy. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

DETROIT (AP)  General Motors now says it will support efforts by the United Auto Workers union to organize employees at two U.S. electric vehicle battery factories that it's building in Ohio and Tennessee with a joint-venture partner.

The company's statement Tuesday about the plants departs from its past stance that the joint venture, called Ultium LLC, would decide on a bargaining strategy. But it falls into line with President Joe Biden's promise to create good-paying union jobs in the transition from combustion vehicles to electric.

It also comes after the UAW has made strong statements that Detroit-based GM and crosstown rival Ford have a moral obligation to pay top union wages at joint-venture battery plants. Experts say the union's future could be imperiled if it can't represent workers at the plants and get a top UAW wage of about $31 per hour. Those jobs will replace work that will be lost at combustion-engine and transmission factories.

However the conflict is resolved, its likely to chart the course of American manufacturing wages into the next decade.

GM will build on a long history of supporting unions to promote safety, quality, training and well-paying jobs for American workers, the statement said. Both GM and Ultium Cells LLC respect workers right to unionize and the efforts of the UAW to organize battery cell manufacturing workers.

GM spokesman Dan Flores would not comment beyond the statement about the battery plants in Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, which combined will employ about 2,300 workers. The other partner in Ultium LLC is South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution.

The statement said that the UAW has a historic and constructive relationship with the auto industry, and would be well positioned to represent the workforce.

Last week Ford announced that it would form a joint venture and build two North American factories to make batteries for roughly 600,000 electric vehicles per year by the middle of this decade.

The deal with battery maker SK Innovation of South Korea set up the same confrontation that the union has with GM over UAW representation and union wages at the plants.

The UAW and Biden have advocated for union jobs in new factories as the country transitions from gasoline-burning vehicles to those powered by electricity. The issue almost certainly will be part of negotiations on a new UAW national contract in 2023.

In a statement Tuesday, UAW Vice President for GM Terry Dittes said the union looks forward to discussions so workers will have a voice at the table in order to create good paying union jobs and benefits.

Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid said the GM stance is not surprising because workers at previous joint-venture factories have always been represented by the union.

GM probably didn't support the union at first in order to pressure it to take lower wages at the joint-venture plants.

When the Lordstown plant was announced in 2019, GM CEO Mary Barra said worker pay would follow GMs component-manufacturing strategy, where workers are paid less than top union wages. She said the plant would have to be cost-competitive.

At a GM plant assembling batteries in Brownstown Township, Michigan, the union agreed in 2009 to $15 to $17 per hour wages to assemble battery packs for the now-canceled Chevrolet Volt hybrid gas-electric vehicle. GM also pays about $22.50 per hour at union-represented parts manufacturing plants.

Biden wants to replace all internal combustion vehicles with battery-electrics, and he plans to spend billions to offer tax credits and rebates to get people to switch. The strategy is a key component of his plan to fight climate change by cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030, as well as create good-paying union jobs in a clean-energy economy.

But the UAW, which represents about 150,000 U.S. workers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler), fears that automakers will try to use joint ventures to pay lower wages.

Currently auto companies contract with parts suppliers to make electric vehicle batteries, and those factories pay far less than what top UAW workers make at auto plants. Union workers fear that as the country moves to electric vehicles, thousands of jobs making gasoline engines and transmissions will be replaced by lower-paying battery work.

The union also says government electric vehicle incentives should be tied to U.S. jobs with access to unions.

Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker deferred to previous company statements about its joint venture, called BlueOvalSK. Ford said the labor strategy would be determined by the joint venture when it is set up later this summer.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Major Israeli news outlets Tuesday called on Facebook and Twitter to halt what they said were social media posts inciting violence against journalists after a rash of attacks and death threats targeting reporters.

JERUSALEM (AP)  Major Israeli news outlets Tuesday called on Facebook and Twitter to halt what they said were social media posts inciting violence against journalists after a rash of attacks and death threats targeting reporters.

In letters sent to the social media giants, over a dozen newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations said journalists have become a target for incitement, which has put them in clear and present danger."

Israel has gone through a tumultuous month that included heavy-handed police crackdowns against stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, mob violence between Israeli Jews and Arabs and an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Bystanders attacked journalists covering the unrest in Israeli cities, and news anchors and reporters covering the fighting in Gaza faced intense verbal attacks and death threats online.

There have been countless tweets calling for physical harm to Israeli journalists or labeling them as traitors or enemies of the state in a manner that encourages or justifies violent action against them, the letter sent on behalf of 14 Israeli news outlets said.

The posts and tweets highlighted include calls for sexual assault and murder and accusations of treason.

Since the Gaza war erupted on May 10, the Union of Journalists in Israel said it has documented at least 14 cases of verbal and physical attacks on journalists by police, officials and members of the public. At least two people have been charged for assaulting TV reporters in Tel Aviv.

Veteran Channel 12 reporter Rina Matsliah said in a televised monologue this month that while press criticism is necessary, whats happening now isnt criticism ... Whats happening now is an assassination attempt."

The station hired bodyguards to protect Matsliah and several other journalists after they were threatened.

Last week, the journalists union and Israel Democracy Institute issued a similar call to the countrys attorney general and Facebook. They said violent calls that started on social networks have progressed to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and private Facebook groups, leading to physical attacks on journalists.

Earlier this month, a Telegram channel displaying the emblem of a Jewish ultranationalist group swelled from a few hundred members to more than 6,000 in just a few days. It was used to mobilize mobs of Israeli Jews to flashpoints, including the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam, where a crowd pulled an Arab man from his car and beat him severely.

Facebook and Twitter said they were both committed to cracking down on incitement.

While we allow criticism of public figures, such as journalists, we dont allow people to threaten or harass them, and we remove this content whenever we become aware of it, Facebook said.

Twitter said it has a clear policy in place which prohibits people from issuing violent threats against others on the service.

"Where we identify clear violations, we will take robust enforcement action, it said. This work is constantly evolving as new challenges emerge and we recognize we have to work hard to stay ahead of those who intend to undermine the public conversation.

Dozens of ultranationalist Jewish activists in Israel, including the wife of lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, said Tuesday that they had been blocked from using Facebook's WhatsApp messaging app.

Opponents of Ben-Gvir accuse him and his allies of inciting followers to violence.

In its 2020 report, advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said that journalists in Israel are exposed to open hostility" by politicians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial for corruption charges, routinely accuses the media of being on a witch hunt against him. Critics say he has done little to stop supporters from harassing or threatening journalists.

Anat Saragusti, a union official in charge of press freedom, told The Associated Press that there has been a precipitous rise in online hate speech directed at journalists in Israel.

She said that much of the atmosphere that enables hostility toward reporters is generated by politicians, including Netanyahu.

While Netanyahu has not explicitly called for violence against reporters, the longtime Israeli leader has repeatedly blasted what he calls a biased media that distorts facts.
PHOENIX (AP)  A former nurse charged with sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman who later gave birth at a Phoenix long-term care facility has lost a bid to throw out DNA evidence that authorities say links him to the crime.

FILE - This undated photo provided by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows Nathan Sutherland, who is charged with sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman who later gave birth in 2018 at a long-term care facility in Phoenix. A judge on Monday, May 24, 2021, rejected Sutherland's bid to throw out DNA evidence that authorities say ties him to the sexual assault. Sutherland has pleaded not guilty to the charges. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

PHOENIX (AP)  A former nurse charged with sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman who later gave birth at a Phoenix long-term care facility has lost a bid to throw out DNA evidence that authorities say links him to the crime.

A judge on Monday rejected Nathan Sutherlands claim that investigators made a misrepresentation when saying in a request for a court order that 36 male Hacienda Healthcare employees whose DNA was being sought had direct access to the victim. Sutherlands lawyer argued police were unaware of the job duties of the 36 men or whether they had contact with the then-29-year-old victim.

The victim had been in a vegetative state since the age of three," Judge Stephen Hopkins wrote. It was a very logical deduction that one of the male employees/agents who were present at the facility would be the father.

The judge also rejected Sutherlands characterization that police had a casual approach to the investigation. Hopkins said there was no evidence to suggest, as Sutherland has, that a routine order to collect evidence was signed by a court official to save face politically in a high-profile investigation.

Its unknown whether Sutherland will appeal the ruling. His attorney, Edwin Molina, didnt immediately return a phone call and email Tuesday morning seeking comment on the decision.

The pregnancy was discovered in December 2018 when an employee at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix was changing the garments of the victim and noticed the patient was in the process of delivering a child. Employees told police that they had no idea the woman was pregnant.

Sutherland, a licensed practical nurse, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult. He was fired by Hacienda after his arrest and has since given up his nursing license.

Police have said Sutherlands DNA matched a sample taken from the womans son. The victims mother is the boys guardian.

The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated, and prompted the resignations of Haciendas chief executive and one of the victims doctors.

It led to a lawsuit from the victims parents that alleged Sutherland had cared for their daughter on hundreds of occasions from 2012 through 2018, despite promises from the state  which contracts with companies like Hacienda to provide services to people with developmental disabilities  that only women would tend to her.

An expert on behalf of her family has said many of Sutherlands encounters with the patient occurred overnight, when fewer staff members and visitors were around.

Lawyers for the family also said Hacienda missed dozens of signs that the woman was carrying a baby, pointing out that she had gained weight, had a swollen belly and missed menstrual periods in the months before the child was born.

They said the victim, who has a feeding tube and whose nutrition was reduced in response to her weight gain during the pregnancy, delivered the boy while severely dehydrated and without pain medications.

The victim lived at Hacienda for 26 years, until the childs birth. Her medical conditions stem from a brain disorder that caused motor and cognitive impairments and vision loss. She was also left with no functional use of her limbs.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos top diplomat said Tuesday that shipments of a long-delayed lot of AstraZeneca vaccines will finally be sent to Argentina this weekend.

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2021 file photo, a nurse prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said about 800,000 doses will be flown to Argentina in the last weekend of May 2021. Mexico will get a similar amount, and he expressed hopes that later shipments can be sent to other Latin American countries. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos top diplomat said Tuesday that shipments of a long-delayed lot of AstraZeneca vaccines will finally be sent to Argentina this weekend.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said about 800,000 doses will be flown to Argentina. Mexico will get a similar amount, and he expressed hopes that later shipments can be sent to other Latin American countries.

The effort to fill and finish the vaccines at a Mexican plant took almost three months longer than originally expected.

Ebrard acknowledged Tuesday it had been a long, complex, hazardous process," adding we now finally, at last have this vaccine available.

The vaccines were produced in bulk in Argentina and sent to Mexico for bottling. But the Mexican plant ran into problems, in part because it had difficulties in obtaining specialized filters.

The delay forced Argentina to look for another plant in the United States to perform the fill and finish operation. The first 843,000 doses from the U.S. plant arrived in Argentina on Monday.

Mexico, Argentina and other countries in Latin America were expecting millions of doses to start flowing in March, but probably wont be able to start using them until June.

Previously, the Liomont plant in Mexico had problems getting in special filters and other equipment.

They have fought a lot to obtain filters, inspection stations. They brought in very advanced equipment. That took time to be able to get them working, Ebrard said during a visit to the plant. The project is supported by a foundation run by business magnate Carlos Slim.

In February, Mexican officials had said they expected to get 10 million AstraZeneca doses in March, 15.7 million in April and the same number in May, for a total of 41.1 million shots. Instead, as of Tuesday, Mexico had received only about 6.8 million AstraZeneca doses from abroad.

Mexico already bottles the Chinese-developed CanSino vaccine at another plant, a process that went off with fewer hitches.
Nurses at the Howard County jail soon will be contractual nurses through a familiar company, as the jail will be switching to the use of only contract nurses.

Last week the Howard County Commissioners approved a request from Howard County Sheriff Jerry Asher to move the nursing positions currently at the jail under the blanket of the Quality Correctional Care (QCC) contract. The company provides medical staff to other correctional institutions around the state and also currently provides two other medical staff members at the Howard County jail.

By utilizing QCCs contract for nurses alongside the other medical positions, Asher said inmates will be able to get 24/7 onsite medical care, as QCC will have part-time nurses to backfill the jail as needed. It also will address the problem of nurses having to be called in.

So that means if theres not somebody on staff, one of my correctional supervisors has to contact a nurse to go, Hey, we need advice. What do we need to do? Asher said.

Currently, there are five nursing staff members at the jail: a nursing administrator, assistant nurse administrator, and three staff nurses, though the jail is short by one staff nurse, according to Asher. Two more staff members, a mental health therapist and a doctor, also are on staff on contract through QCC.

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Asher said QCC has agreed to hire the current nursing staff into the company to remain at the Howard County jail, though the decision to stay was ultimately up to the nursing staff.

According to Asher, so far this year nurses at the jail were called 450 times after their shifts had ended. In 2020, that number was 1,261 calls, though Asher said that number was higher likely due to COVID-19. In 2019, jail nurses were called 1,055 times after their shift had ended.

Additionally, Asher said that often individuals who are arrested in the afternoon or during midnight shifts have to wait in a holding cell before being processed into the jail due to nurses being off-duty.

Asher looked at 715 arrests in 2021 and examined during what shift they were brought into the jail. There were 161 in the day shift, 262 in the afternoon, and 292 in the midnight shift. That meant 554 inmates had to wait in processing before being evaluated by a jail nurse the following morning.

I just happened to notice on pulling some figures, 77.4 percent of my book-ins happen either in that afternoon and midnight time period when a nurse is not there, Asher said. So thats a significant number to me, where I know will have a medical person on staff there to be able to help out with those situations.

Asher expects the nursing staff to be contracted by QCC in July.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The government leaders of Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic held intensive talks Tuesday in an attempt to solve a years-long dispute that resurfaced recently over a Polish coal mine .

Cars drive slowly to block a border between Czech Republic and Poland near the Turow mine near Bogatynia, Poland, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. People in their cars protested against the decision of the European Union's top court on Friday, that ordered Poland to immediately stop extracting brown coal at the Turow mine near the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The government leaders of Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic held intensive talks Tuesday in an attempt to solve a years-long dispute that resurfaced recently over a Polish coal mine .

The Czech government says the brown coal Turow mine, located in southwestern Poland, near the Czech and German borders, is draining groundwater from communities and causing other environmental harm to Czech citizens.

It took the case to the top European Union court, which last week issued a temporary injunction ordering Poland to immediately halt coal extraction at the site pending the court's full ruling.

But Polish authorities are defying the order, saying they cannot close the mine because doing so would lead to power cuts for millions of Poles, suspend the operation of industrial plants and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. The mine directly fuels a power plant that produces up to 7% of Poland's energy.

The dispute underlines coal's potential as an irritant in relations among EU nations as the bloc seeks to reach an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Poland has made some progress toward developing green energy and closing coal mines, but the process has been slow and hampered by the country's historic dependence on coal to heat homes and power industry.

The Polish government recently extended the license for extraction of coal at Turow until 2044. Czech officials say Poland did that without consulting them or without assessing the environmental impact, a claim the Polish government denies.

The Polish decision to keep extracting beyond 2030 also means that the region around Turow will lose out on its share of the EU's multibillion-euro Just Transition fund, aimed at supporting communities which transition from coal to green energy.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis discussed the Turow issue during an EU summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, and other officials from their governments were negotiating elsewhere.

Theres no deal done yet (with the Polish side), but I expect to have it soon, Babis said Tuesday.

He insisted that, even then, the lawsuit will not be withdrawn, as hoped for by Poland.

Speaking at Turow, Poland's minister for state assets, Jacek Sasin, said Tuesday that a framework for an agreement has been worked out to address Pragues concerns and to secure joint funds for local environmental needs.

Media reports said Poland would invest some 45 million euros ($56 million) into environmental protection there and speed up construction of a drainage screen.

Sasin stressed there was no talk of closing operations at Turow mine, arguing that carrying out the EU court's order would be a disastrous blow for Poland's energy, for Poland's economy.

Some critics in Poland said the government has not done enough over the years to alleviate Prague's concerns about the mine and to prevent the Czechs from seeking the EU courts injunction.

Meanwhile, Turow miners held a protest Tuesday against the Czech complaint and the court injunction. They drove in dozens of cars with national flags and Hands Off Turow stickers on a road leading to the Czech and German borders to slow down traffic.

Poland argues it is not being treated fairly because the Czech Republic and Germany operate a number of lignite mines close to Poland's borders without facing conflicts.

Some 48% of Poland's energy comes from hard black coal and 17% from softer and more polluting lignite, or brown coal. Another 25% comes from various renewable sources and biofuels, and 10% comes from gas and other sources.

____

Karel Janicek in Prague contributed reporting.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Protests over mass layoffs and Oman's poor economy spread Tuesday to cities across the sultanate, underscoring the financial challenge ahead for this nation a decade on from its Arab Spring protests.

People walk near riot police cars in Sohar, Oman, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. On Tuesday, dozens of protesters angry over firings and the poor economy of Oman marched in Sohar, a city some 200 kilometers northwest of the capital, marking a third day of demonstrations in the typically subdued sultanate. (AP Photo)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Protests over mass layoffs and Oman's poor economy spread Tuesday to cities across the sultanate, underscoring the financial challenge ahead for this nation a decade on from its Arab Spring protests.

Oman already faced economic trouble with tens of billions of dollars of outstanding debts and trouble finding enough work for its young people. Then came the coronavirus pandemic and repeated lockdowns that followed, further depressing growth in this nation of 4.5 million people on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

It is, I think, such a huge challenge. Its not even about the government being incapable of solving things, said Cinzia Bianco, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations who studies Oman. Its just the challenges are huge and theres a global crisis going on so there isn't much else they can do right now.

The demonstrations Tuesday appeared largely peaceful in videos posted to social media and images shared by activists. Sohar, a city some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Muscat, remained a flashpoint as it was during the Arab Spring.

But unlike Monday, which saw tear gas fired and demonstrators arrested, police handed out bottles of water to what appeared to be over 100 demonstrators who sheltered from the hot sun under an overpass in the northern city. The protest turned into a sit-in, with demonstrators holding noon prayers there as well.

People and security forces talk under a bridge, in Sohar, Oman, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. On Tuesday, dozens of protesters angry over firings and the poor economy of Oman marched in Sohar, a city some 200 kilometers northwest of the capital, marking a third day of demonstrations in the typically subdued sultanate. (AP Photo)

Omanis shared videos of protests in the cities of Ibri, Nizwa, Rustaq and Sur as well.

The Gulf Center for Human Rights and the Omani Association for Human Rights said those earlier arrested had their mobile phones confiscated by authorities. The activists also said media outlets in Oman, which are tightly monitored, were warned by authorities not to report on the demonstrations.

The Omani government should immediately end the policy of silencing and restricting public freedoms, including freedom of peaceful protest and freedom of the press, the groups said.

State media did not acknowledge the protests, instead describing the situation Monday as the jobless coming to the Labor Ministry to expedite the treatment of their conditions. Oman's Al-Roya newspaper, however, published images of the demonstrations online for the first time Tuesday after columnists wrote broadly about the economic crisis the day before.

Omans Information Ministry and the Omani Embassy in Washington did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

On Tuesday night, Omani state television broke into programming to read an announcement saying Sultan Haitham bin Tariq had ordered 2,000 full-time government jobs be temporarily opened, as well as more part-time work hours be granted. Sultan Haitham's order also included stipends to create a planned 15,000 private-sector jobs for the next two years as well.

The demonstrations mark the first major unrest for Sultan Haitham, who took over in January 2020 after the death of the long-ruling Sultan Qaboos bin Said. State media on Monday referred to employment as among the most important priorities of Sultan Haitham.

The pandemic already saw many foreign workers lose their jobs and leave the sultanate, allowing Omanis to take over some work in the aviation, tourism and services industries. However, government statistics show 1.4 million foreigners still live in Oman.

Government debt, once 6% of Oman's gross domestic product in 2014, has spiked to 79%, according to the Fitch ratings agency. Sultan Haitham implemented value-added taxes of 5% last month like several other Gulf Arab nations, which once relied on their oil and gas wealth.

The social pressure resulting from the low employment rate of young Omanis is a risk to public finances and political stability, Fitch warned May 18. The economy and government budget revenues are still not diversified, despite ongoing structural reforms."

Kristin Smith Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, similarly warned: There are no easy solutions.

Sultan Haitham inherited an indebted state needing serious restructuring, both in its governing institutions and the broader economy, she said. The coronavirus pandemic has only made this worse severely hindering the global connections and investment the sultanate needs.

The protests so far haven't targeted Sultan Haitham directly, instead focusing entirely on economic issues. That's not to say it doesn't pose a risk. Demonstrations have taken place in areas that have festering grievances in the sultanate, including Salalah, which suffered through years of warfare in the Dhofar rebellion that ended in 1976.

The real danger is that short of a magic trick, the government cannot provide real quick and satisfying solutions to protesters," Bianco warned.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
LE PECQ, France (AP)  Social media influencers in France with hundreds of thousands of followers say a mysterious advertising agency offered to pay them if they agreed to smear Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine with negative fake stories.

FILE - In this March 29, 2021 file photo, a woman receives Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, west of Paris. Social media influencers in France with hundreds of thousands of followers say a mysterious advertising agency offered to pay them if they agreed to smear Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine with negative fake stories. The smear effort drew a withering response from French Health Minister Olivier Veran, who called it "pathetic." (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

LE PECQ, France (AP)  Social media influencers in France with hundreds of thousands of followers say a mysterious advertising agency offered to pay them if they agreed to smear Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine with negative fake stories.

French YouTuber Leo Grasset was among those contacted. He said Tuesday that he was offered a potentially lucrative but also hush-hush deal to make bogus claims that Pfizer's vaccine poses a deadly risk and that regulators and mainstream media are covering up the supposed dangers.

Grasset, who has 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube, says he refused. Other France-based influencers with sizable audiences on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms also said they were contacted with similar offers of payment for posts.

The person who contacted Grasset identified himself as Anton and said his agency has a quite considerable budget for what he described as an information campaign about COVID-19 and the vaccines offered to the European population, notably AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

Specifically, Anton asked for a 45- to 60-second video on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube to say that the mortality rate of the Pfizer vaccine is 3 times greater than the AstraZeneca" and querying why the European Union is buying it.

This is a monopoly and is causing harm to public health," Anton claimed of EU's purchases.

He refused in a follow-up email to divulge who is financing the disinformation campaign, saying: The client prefers to remain incognito.

Grasset shared the email exchanges with The Associated Press.

The smear effort drew a withering response from French Health Minister Olivier Veran.

It's pathetic, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible and it doesn't work," he said.

The person who contacted Grasset said he works for an advertising agency called Fazze. A website for Fazze used to give a London address but that had been scrubbed from the site on Tuesday. Companies House, where British firms are registered, has no record of Fazze.

The AP sent emails requesting comment to a contact address listed on the website and to the email address used by Anton. Neither elicited an immediate response.

Anton's emails included a password-protected link to a set of instructions in error-strewn English for the would-be campaign.

It said influencers who agreed to take part shouldn't say that they were being sponsored and should instead present the material as your own independent view.

Other instructions were that influencers should say that mainstream media ignores this theme and should ask why governments are purchasing Pfizer.

A trainee doctor in southern France with tens of thousands of followers who was also approached for the smear effort told French broadcaster BFMTV that he was offered more than 2,000 euros ($3,000) for a 30-second video post.

Grasset said that given the large size of his YouTube following, he possibly might have earned tens of thousands of euros (dollars) had he agreed to take part.

Instead, he wrote back that I can't work for a client that won't give its name and who asks me to hide the partnership.

Too many red flags, Grasset said in an interview with AP. I decided not to do it.

They wanted me to talk about the Pfizer vaccine in a way that would be detrimental to the Pfizer vaccine reputation, he said.

He said the disinformation effort drives home the need for people "to be super, super cautious about what they see online.

We creators on YouTube, on internet, Instagram, et cetera, we are at the center of something going on like an information war," he said. "We, as creators, need to set our standards really high because it's, I think, just the beginning."

AP journalist Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
SZIGLIGET, Hungary (AP)  Fishermen in small, wooden boats drift among the reeds and placid waters of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe and one of Hungary's natural treasures.

A pier surrounded by reeds in Balatonkenese, Hungary on May 18, 2021. Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe and one of Hungary's most cherished natural treasures. But some worry that the lake's fragile ecosystem and the idyllic atmosphere of the quaint villages dotted along its banks are in danger because of speculative developments. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh)

SZIGLIGET, Hungary (AP)  Fishermen in small, wooden boats drift among the reeds and placid waters of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe and one of Hungary's natural treasures.

Like many of the villages dotted along the shoreline of what is popularly known as the Hungarian sea, the quaint village of Szigliget has against the odds maintained and nurtured its traditional character for centuries.

Its towering fortress, whitewashed peasant homes and small vineyards on gentle slopes have remained virtually unchanged despite two world wars, 45 years of Communism, and Hungary's transition to a market economy.

New and formidable threats are looming, however. Real estate speculation, clearance of the countryside to improve access for tourists and climate change are combining to cast a shadow over this whole area.

Many of the lakes settlements have already fallen prey to speculative property development. The mayor of Szigliget, Daniel Balassa, says a recent surge of construction makes him fear his villages idyllic atmosphere could soon make it the next target.

We dont need huge buildings here, or for the whole shoreline to be built upon. We have a beach and a marina, we dont need anything else, Balassa told The Associated Press beside a reed bed on the lakeshore.

The lake is nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) long and has 120 miles (200 kilometers) of shoreline. With its silty bottom and shallow waters  the average depth is only about 10 feet (3 meters)  the lake is home to a delicate ecology that provides a seasonal destination for a variety of migratory birds.

A boat surrounded by reeds on Lake Balaton in Balatonkenese, Hungary on May 18, 2021. Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe and one of Hungary's most cherished natural treasures. But some worry that the lake's fragile ecosystem and the idyllic atmosphere of the quaint villages dotted along its banks are in danger because of speculative developments. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh)

But Hungarys government views the lake as a potential goldmine for domestic and international tourism.

In 2016, it designated the region as a priority tourism development area, and earmarked 365 billion forints ($1.27 billion) of Hungarian and European Union funds for railroad improvements, roads, marinas and the renovation and construction of hotels and guesthouses.

According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, 232 such projects have been undertaken in 56 settlements in recent years.

There is huge destruction of the environment. Trees are being cut and good quality reeds are disappearing, threatening the whole ecosystem, Angela Badzso, co-chair of citizens action group Unity for the Balaton, told the AP.

The reeds serve to maintain a healthy balance in the water and ensure a vibrant habitat.

As the reeds are disappearing, they are less able to filter Lake Balatons water. This is one of the reasons why algae growth is higher and fish die, Badzso says.

Zoltan Kun, a conservationist and environmental protection expert, said that while Balatons water quality has significantly improved since the 1990s, the decreased reed coverage threatens to throw the complex ecosystem into imbalance.

The unfortunate truth in Hungary ... is that we measure the success of development in the square meters of concrete, rather than the number of certain birds or square meters of reeds around the lake, Kun said.

After Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his ruling Fidesz party took power in 2010, the government dissolved the countrys environmental protection ministry. Kun says that significantly reduced the states ability to look after its natural resources.

The conservation regulations that do exist are often selectively enforced, Kun said, or involve meager fines only after damage has already been done.

Istvan Boka, chairman of the Lake Balaton Development Council and a governing party lawmaker, contends that existing environmental regulations are enough to prevent the destruction of untouched portions of the lake.

Recent developments, he says, have all taken place on shoreline that is already developed.

During Hungarys socialist era, Lake Balaton was a popular getaway for many workers who could enjoy vacations subsidized by their labor unions. Citizens of both East and West Germany could also visit the lake, making it a common meeting place for families with members living on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Since then, it has remained an affordable destination for Hungarians of nearly all economic backgrounds, though much of the infrastructure built during the socialist period has become dilapidated and requires renewal.

But now luxury accommodation is on the rise and plans are afoot to increase sailboat traffic on the lake, directed at wealthier tourists.

Balassa, the local mayor, said that while the magic of the lake and its villages makes a growth in tourism and development to some degree unavoidable, it should be conducted on a human scale that respects the area's natural and cultural integrity.

Not every new project is necessarily a terrible thing. You just have to find common ground that is satisfactory for everyone, Balassa said.
CALGARY - A decade-old corruption case involving a Canadian junior oil company that bribed officials in Chad to try to gain access to oil plays in the north-central African nation is making news again.

CALGARY - A decade-old corruption case involving a Canadian junior oil company that bribed officials in Chad to try to gain access to oil plays in the north-central African nation is making news again.

The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment against Chads former ambassador to the United States and Canada and Chads former deputy chief of mission for the U.S. and Canada, charging them with soliciting and accepting a $2-million bribe and conspiring to launder the bribe payment.

According to court documents, Mahamoud Adam Bechir and Youssouf Hamid Takane, respectively, engaged in the scheme between August 2009 and July 2014, while serving as diplomats based out of the Embassy of Chad in Washington

"These defendants allegedly engaged in a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme while in the United States and then used the U.S. financial system to launder the bribes to conceal their conduct, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid of the Justice Departments Criminal Division in a news release.

"The charges unsealed today demonstrate the departments determined commitment to investigate and prosecute corruption wherever it occurs and the officials who use our financial system to launder their bribes."

Canadian citizen Naeem Tyab, a co-founder of Calgary-based Griffiths Energy International Inc., is also charged in the indictment for allegedly arranging for the bribe to be paid to ambassador Bechirs wife, co-defendant Nouracham Bechir Niama, in early 2011 via a contract for consulting services that she never actually provided.

Tyab was arrested in New York in 2019 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He agreed to forfeit criminal proceeds of about US$27 million. The remaining three defendants remain at large, according to the Justice news release.

Griffiths Energy agreed in a Calgary courtroom in 2013 to pay $10.35 million in fines after pleading guilty to bribing the Chadian officials. It changed its name and was later acquired by another company.

It admitted it drafted an agreement to pay the Chadian ambassador to Canada  who lived in Washington at the time  $2 million in consulting fees in an attempt to have the deal approved. A new management team that took over at Griffiths Energy during the summer of 2011 reported the activity to authorities.

The four defendants named by the Department of Justice face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three  Bechir, Takane, and Niam  are also charged with money laundering, each of which carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison.

Niam is also charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison.

The indictment was returned by the grand jury in February 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2021.
HONOLULU (AP)  A judge on the U.S. Pacific island of Saipan on Monday ordered a Hong Kong company to pay seven Chinese construction workers a total of $5.4 million for forcing them to work long hours in dangerous conditions to build a casino, while they were denied medical care for injuries and threatened with deportation and death.

HONOLULU (AP)  A judge on the U.S. Pacific island of Saipan on Monday ordered a Hong Kong company to pay seven Chinese construction workers a total of $5.4 million for forcing them to work long hours in dangerous conditions to build a casino, while they were denied medical care for injuries and threatened with deportation and death.

Chief Judge Ramona Manglona of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, said she issued her ruling after Hong Kong's Imperial Pacific International repeatedly failed to comply with court orders to exchange information with the lawsuit's plaintiffs.

The award covers lost income and future lost income for the workers, payments for emotional distress, pain and suffering as well as punitive damages.

Imperial Pacific International did not immediately return a message seeking comment sent to an email address on its website.

The plaintiffs sued Imperial Pacific together with Gold Mantis Construction Decoration (CNMI) LLC and MCC International Saipan, Ltd. The latter two companies settled with the plaintiffs previously.

Separately in 2018, U.S. officials announced settlements requiring Gold Mantis, MCC and two other Chinese construction firms to pay 2,400 workers on the casino project $14 million in back wages and damages.

U.S. officials said the companies, who were contracted by Imperial Pacific, brought workers to Saipan on tourist visas, paid them less than required by law and failed to secure proper work authorization by exploiting a visa waiver program that allows Chinese citizens to travel to the Northern Mariana Islands.

In Tuesday's ruling, Manglona found plaintiff Tianming Wang suffered burns to his lower left leg when a spark ignited as he was cutting a metal barrel under the direction of his Gold Mantis supervisor. The supervisor told Wang he would be arrested if he went to the hospital and instead gave him two rolls of gauze. A doctor who later examined Wang said he suffered chronic pain and numbness and his left muscles had atrophied. Wang struggles to walk for more than 15 minutes and has been unable to work since returning to China, the judge said.

The judge said Imperial Pacific was deeply involved with selecting and supervising the contractors. She said Imperial Pacific knew its contractors' policies on work hours and punishments, carried out health and safety inspections, housed the workers and and transported workers to and from construction site.

The judge awarded the seven plaintiffs $5.9 million in damages from Imperial Pacific, but subtracted the amount Gold Mantis and MCC had already agreed to pay them from the total.
Sunday Frangi comes from a family of politicians. A life in politics makes this newcomer feel right at home.

Sunday Frangi comes from a family of politicians. A life in politics makes this newcomer feel right at home.

Last week, years of jumping hurdles and hard work resulted in a historic win. Frangi was sworn in as Brandons first Black city councillor.

SUPPLIED Brandon Coun. Sunday Frangi comes from a family of politicians.

In Sudan, his father was a politician, as are some of his extended family. When Frangi immigrated to Winnipeg from Sudan in 2004, he hoped to follow suit. First those hurdles: learning English, getting his high school diploma, studying at the University of Manitoba.

"When I moved to Canada, I didnt really have anything  it was tough to get into a new society," Frangi told the Free Press.

He got involved with the Liberal party in 2014, first as a volunteer and then as a member. In 2019, he moved to Brandon, where he worked with local grassroots organizations while staying involved with the Liberals. He ran in the Brandon West riding in the 2019 provincial election after being asked to run by the Liberal party while working as a campaign manager. He ended up losing the race to Progressive Conservative Reg Helwer, but he was undeterred.

"I was preparing myself for future elections, I thought this would be a great time to bring my thoughts to the community, so the community could get to know me," he said.

When health issues forced Brandon city councillor John LoRegio to step down in January, Frangi threw his name in the running for the by-election.

Frangi said he hoped the decision of voters sends a message to newcomers living in Brandon who may want to pursue the same path.

"Its going to change the face of this city, its going to change the way things are being done," he said. "Its going to give a lot of immigrants the opportunity, and the courage, to get involved in their community."

Brandon mayor Rick Chrest said Frangi is the only immigrant he can recall holding a city council position. It was a proud moment for council, and for the city as a whole, he said.

"I think that Coun. Frangi will help to blaze the trail for other new Canadians in our city to get involved in office," he said.

Chrest said the cultural makeup in Brandon is relatively similar to Winnipeg, owing in part to a boom in immigrants moving to the city in recent years.

"Not a lot of people throughout the province understand the level of diversity that Brandon has risen to over the last 20 years, weve had a very significant surge in newcomers," he said.

Frangi said he reached out to minority organizations in Brandon after moving to the city to get a feel of the community and was concerned to hear there werent many people of colour in politics.

Discussions on improving outreach from Brandon city council to marginalized citizens are already underway, Chrest said, noting the city had discussed translating its materials into more languages and working with local immigrant non-profit Westman Immigrant Services to improve the connection between municipal government and its newcomer constituents.

Even as he addressed city council, Frangi spoke about the importance of using their platform to open a dialogue for social issues in Brandon.

"I believe the more we talk about things, the better," he said. "As a city councillor now, I dont think anything is changing my perspective on how I see things, and I dont think anything will change the way I speak about issues. Its what I believe in."

Don Boddy, the manager of small centre support, for the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations has seen a small but notable shift in newcomers living outside of Winnipeg. According to the associations data, 5 per cent more newcomers immigrated to rural areas in 2019 than in 2015. Slowly but surely, he said, that shift will become more visible.

"I think part of the reality is that newcomers, and newcomer communities, need time to establish," he said. "You see it happening more and more throughout rural Manitoba, that theres more engagement."

"Integration means not only sitting at the table, but participating in preparing the meal," he said.

"So for communities to be welcoming, and to open up those places for integration, and not be always giving to the poor newcomer but allowing the newcomer to also participate in preparing the meal, and setting the table and having direction on what we eat  I think its coming, I see it changing very slowly."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
You cant break eggs without making an omelette/Thats what they tell the eggs, writer/editor Randall Jarrell mused in his poem A War. Political scientist Hannah Arendt, meanwhile, in The Eggs Speak Up (from Essays in Understanding), says, You cant make an omelette without breaking eggs suggests that authoritarian governments practise breaking eggs promising that an omelette will result simply by virtue of egg-breaking.

Opinion

"You cant break eggs without making an omelette/Thats what they tell the eggs," writer/editor Randall Jarrell mused in his poem A War. Political scientist Hannah Arendt, meanwhile, in The Eggs Speak Up (from Essays in Understanding), says, "You cant make an omelette without breaking eggs" suggests that authoritarian governments practise breaking eggs promising that an omelette will result simply by virtue of egg-breaking.

How aptly this understanding describes the creators of Bill 64, and the actions of its proponents.

If you make up a false story of disparagement, fault and blame and promise that you will create an "omelette" simply because you smashed those "eggs" beyond recognition, you can be sure that the end of the carnage is "All the kings horses and all the kings men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again."

Bill 64 smashes democracy (elected school boards), knowledgeable and experienced educational leadership (superintendents), professional collegiality (principal-teacher relationships), and parental supports (parent-school trust). In the process, it breaks public schools as we know them.

Thirty-seven school boards are replaced by two provincial advisory boards appointed by the government  37 elected corporate bodies responsible to local communities replaced by two corporate bodies answerable to the premier. Thirty-seven superintendents, local employees with educational credentials and vast experience in the system, are replaced by 15 government appointees who need not have either educational credentials or experience.

Principals, who now become solitary civil servants arbitrarily removed from their professional organization, are assigned the role of plant supervisors over teachers, who are also relegated to civil-servant status as employees of people they will never meet.

Teachers are subject to oversight by individual parents who have authority to weigh in on their hiring, their discipline, their curricular responses, their teaching strategies and their dismissal. Parents are again encouraged to form school advisory councils with ostensible increased powers, basically left to their own devices while charged with ensuring all childrens school success in addition to that of their own children.

And children are to be judged on their performance on tests produced by distant international corporations, with their schools reputations on the line depending on how they perform collectively, and their own achievements determined not on their individuality but on their comparison to others with vastly different personal circumstances.

Together, they create not a palatable omelette, but eggs so scrambled as to not be recognizable as once being eggs. Gone is a public school system, governed by the public for the sake of the public, preparing children to take their place in the public to continuously renew the public realm through democratic participation.

Other provinces have introduced or attempted virtually the same experiments, some already abandoning them as not working and contradictory to democratic values. Nova Scotia, after a short period without, has reintroduced elected school boards, recognizing that a centralized government could not provide the same level of responsiveness and accountability as locally elected trustees. Quebec, after consideration, rejected the elimination of school boards.

Alberta and Saskatchewan kept their school boards and took away their power to tax, but are seriously considering reinstating some means by which boards can raise finances more locally for local initiatives.

British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia principals tell horror stories about losing their jobs based upon singular complaints or changes in their directors, and about being constrained by instructions from above and obstructions from below, feeling disconnected from childrens education and making it impossible to be educational leaders in their schools.

In all heavily centralized authoritarian systems, teachers report not having anyone to turn to if they need assistance or support, unable to access unresponsive and indifferent centralized bureaucracies. Parents complain about the same, basically having no one to turn to under inflexible, but required, official procedures and lengthy communication hierarchies.

Perhaps the greatest casualties of Bill 64 are truth and trust. Even during the K-12 Education Review, goodwill and mutuality prevailed. If passed, Bill 64, based as it is on false premises and divisiveness, will result in predictable and endless contention with no positive end in sight. A common world sustained by a public education for all children will be simply a faraway illusion.

John R. Wiens is dean emeritus at the faculty of education, University of Manitoba. A lifelong educator, he has served as a teacher, counsellor, work education co-ordinator, principal, school superintendent and university professor.
Most people are now sold on the science of climate change. Some, like me, have been saying the same thing for over 30 years. Since July 1992 I have had a Free Press newspaper clipping pinned near my desk: the headline is Humans, environment on a collision course; it outlines five things we must do to reverse a trend toward vast human misery and mutilation of the Earth.

Opinion

Most people are now sold on the science of climate change. Some, like me, have been saying the same thing for over 30 years. Since July 1992 I have had a Free Press newspaper clipping pinned near my desk: the headline is "Humans, environment on a collision course"; it outlines five things we must do "to reverse a trend toward vast human misery and mutilation of the Earth."

Now Greta Thunberg, with her school strike and youthful sass, implores, "Why should we go to school when adults dont listen to those who are educated, when you dont listen to the scientists?" She has also stated, "The politics we need has not been invented yet." Well, maybe it has, and now it is time for the economics and the politics to catch up to the science in our long march to justice.

The greenwashing of green consumerism, or trying to buy our way out of the crisis, has not worked. Decades of oppression through the false narrative of jobs versus the environment have held us back. It is time to organize our way out. Time for the little sisters to get heard, time to realize Green Labour has been here all along.

I was raised by labour leader Al Cerilli. I grew up witnessing his tough love with the workers he represented and the management he negotiated with, and with initiatives such as the Manitoba Federation of Labour environment committee. I remember listening to Tommy Douglas records playing in the background at home.

I also grew up camping. There was never any false dichotomy of jobs versus the environment for me. I valued both equity and workers right to unionize, for equal pay for work of equal value, and for safe working conditions that expanded to include corporations being regulated to make it safe for communities by cleaning up pollution and not overconsuming resources.

Loving nature and feeling comfortable in the wild as part of nature is what kids learn from camping. We have respect and awe for the power of nature, rather than seeing wilderness as something to fear, dominate or exploit. These are the values I grew up with, and these are the values of Green Labour. I apply an anti-oppression lens to workers and to anthropocentrism  the idea people can dominate nature.

Green Labour moves beyond exploitation of people and the earth; there is no marginalization of the health interests of either, because their interests are the same. Combined with values and practices of community development, this is the approach I have cultivated throughout my career.

For example, when I was the MLA for Radisson  a constituency that includes New Flyer Industries  NFI began painting buses 24/7 across the street from homes on Pandora Avenue. Residents called complaining of health problems; it turns out they were breathing in the paint, which included volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

We met and organized a neighbourhood group. I also met with the company management and the workers on the NFIs workplace safety and health committee. The committee showed me pages and pages of workplace safety and health violations, which explained why NFI kept open the factory doors that faced the homes.

Meetings between the workers and the community residents revealed a solidarity. They cared for each other. In the working-class suburb of Transcona, residents knew families of NFI workers, and employees were connected to residents. They wanted both problems solved: safe jobs and a safe environment.

We negotiated solutions in the new environment act licence, including a provision for a community committee to meet regularly with the company. In Green Labour, this committee would include workers to also address the workplace safety and health issues. The VOC paint was replaced, and other improvements were made.

On May 26 at 7 p.m., the May Works Festival of Labour and the Arts has a session featuring more about how workers can organize for a just transition on our biggest challenge  climate change. It will require outside-the-box thinking  not just as consumers, but as producers and as workers. This is where our power lies to make the needed changes, within the next 10 years, to advert catastrophic climate outcomes and the economic and society impacts that go with them.

The session will explain principles of Green Labour and how to employ our hard-won labour rights to organize and advance a climate-justice agenda. My presentation will explain how we can build a labour movement that is a leading part of that agenda; it will feature social-innovation tools for knowledge translation and planning for sustainable development.

I will introduce my Green Labour Change Matrix, which outlines points of intervention on which labour unions must organize for sustainability and green jobs. To register, go to mariannecerilli.ca and click on the Green Labour banner. The full May Works calendar is at mayworks.org

We have less than 10 years to catch up to our grandchildren, including the ones not yet born.

Marianne Cerilli is a health educator, former MLA and community development consultant and aficionado.
In March, New Zealand joined a small handful of other countries, including India and the Philippines, in legislating paid bereavement leave in the event of miscarriage.

Editorial

In March, New Zealand joined a small handful of other countries, including India and the Philippines, in legislating paid bereavement leave in the event of miscarriage.

Under the bill, which was unanimously passed in New Zealands Parliament, mothers and their partners or spouses would be entitled to three days bereavement "following the unplanned end of a pregnancy by miscarriage or still-birth" at any point in the pregnancy.

The legislation has been hailed as compassionate and progressive. Too often, someone experiencing pregnancy loss would have to use sick leave  if they could use any kind of leave at all. But as Ginny Andersen, the member of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns Labour Party who introduced the bill to parliament, noted, "The bill will give women and their partners time to come to terms with their loss without having to tap into sick leave. Because the grief that comes with miscarriage is not a sickness. It is a loss. And loss takes time."

Now, Manitobas NDP is taking a cue from the island nation and is calling on the Progressive Conservative government to legislate paid bereavement leave for miscarriage in this province, which would make Manitoba the first in Canada to do so. Last week, Amanda Lathlin, NDP families critic and MLA for The Pas-Kameesak, introduced a bill that, like New Zealands, would allow parents to take three days of paid bereavement leave following a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The bill also adopts one of the most notable features of New Zealands legislation, which is that the leave is not pinned to gestational age as it is in many other countries. Australia grants unpaid leave if a pregnancy ends after 12 weeks, while Britain offers paid leave to parents who experience stillbirth after 24 weeks. In Canada, if a woman experiences a miscarriage, she is entitled to maternity benefits if the pregnancy ends after 20 weeks, or she can apply for employment insurance. (The recognition of the grief experienced by a partner or spouse is also a significant hallmark of both New Zealands legislation and that proposed by the NDP.)

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada estimates that 15 to 20 per cent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, usually within the first eight weeks. And yet, despite how common this heartbreaking experience is, miscarriage still isnt widely discussed outside of support groups and message boards  let alone at a policy level. Bringing these discussions into the open can help to normalize talking about pregnancy loss, as well as empowering women in the workforce to take the time they need to recover from a difficult experience that is both physical and emotional.

Many women feel shame around miscarrying; those who experience loss in the first trimester may be alone in their pain if they havent yet told anyone about their pregnancy. Miscarriage is too often a private, quiet tragedy.

Manitoba has an opportunity to be a progressive Canadian leader on this file, and offer grieving parents a bit of time to heal, physically and emotionally, without having to worry about their paycheques or employment status. Paid bereavement leave following miscarriage is a compassionate step at the policy level to acknowledge pregnancy loss in a way that will offer more support to the one in five parents who will experience this too-often-overlooked form of grief.
By this point in the pandemic, most people have figured out Premier Brian Pallister has a tendency to conjure grand acts of melodrama to divert attention away from his more pronounced shortcomings.

Opinion

By this point in the pandemic, most people have figured out Premier Brian Pallister has a tendency to conjure grand acts of melodrama to divert attention away from his more pronounced shortcomings.

But even for the Keystone province's master political thespian, the Saturday of this Victoria Day long weekend marked an absurdist performance of unparalleled magnificence.

With his province threatening to buckle under the strain of the worst COVID-19 outbreak in North America, Pallister lashed out against  of all people  U.S. President Joe Biden, accusing him of stopping border states from sending unused COVID-19 vaccine doses to Canadian provinces in desperate need.

The premier said he had trucks with onboard freezers standing by to go get the vaccine. "This is a call to arms," Pallister said several times.

Pallister even released a letter written on May 20, in which he asks Biden to immediately approve the shipment of vaccine to Canada to help with "our collective efforts to get our residents vaccinated as quickly as possible."

On the face of it, it's an intriguing story. However, Pallister's entire premise, along with the timing and the manner in which he made the request to Biden, tell a different story.

In short, this is a desperate lie told to Manitobans in what is easily our darkest hour since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

Let's first examine Pallister's letter to Biden.

There are many ways a man as important as Pallister could communicate something urgent to the so-called leader of the free world. But sending a letter addressed to Biden at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW is certainly not one of them.

Normally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would be involved or would task senior staff to talk with their counterparts in the White House. In many instances, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, would serve as the high-level go-between.

There is no evidence any of that happened.

Emailing a letter to the White House is a charade. Pallister might as well have sent Biden a gift basket of muffins with a note that said: "Thinking of you  call me when you get a chance."

Even if the letter somehow got in front of the president, it still raises the question: did Biden actually stop border states from sharing vaccines with Canada?

Back on March 1, the White House did rule out the possibility of sending vaccines to Canada and Mexico, given that supply at that time was tenuous. In April, with supplies more certain, Biden said he would share vaccines once he knew his own country had enough.

And then, one week ago  about four days before Pallister wrote his letter  the Biden administration confirmed it would share 80 million doses of vaccine with various countries around the world, including Canada. In fact, Canada has already received about 4.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with indications that more Pfizer will start flowing north shortly.

The lie about Biden stopping shipments to Canada is, lamentably, not the only fib in this charade. There is also no indication North Dakota wants to send us any of their vaccine supply.

North Dakota agreed to vaccinate 1,000 Manitoba truck drivers at a popup clinic on I-29 just south of the border. As generous as this gesture was, it's still more of a strategic move than an act of charity.

As a major conduit for commercial truck traffic, it is in North Dakota's best interests to ensure all truck drivers passing through the state have been fully vaccinated.

But does that act of strategic generosity suggest North Dakota would ship additional vaccine to Manitoba?

Not bloody likely.

With one of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy in the U.S., only 41 per cent of North Dakotans have received at least one shot. Now, compare that with 59 per cent of Manitobans who have received at least one dose.

Also, Manitoba does not seem to have a vaccine shortage on its hands. Currently, the province has more than 100,000 doses of vaccine stockpiled, with more arriving every week. North Dakota, for example, only has 55,000 doses in its stockpile.

Not surprisingly, there have been no news stories or press releases from Gov. Doug Burgum indicating North Dakota is even remotely interested in giving away its vaccine stockpile to Manitoba.

Finally, and most importantly, Pallister implied an expedited vaccine program will somehow dig us out of the pandemic nightmare we find ourselves in. It will not, and to suggest otherwise is the very pinnacle of irresponsibility.

Although vaccinations are the ultimate weapon against this virus, we are not anywhere near the levels of immunizations needed to stop it from spreading.

By the time these theoretical doses of vaccine from North Dakota arrive in Manitoba and get distributed through the province's capable but pokey immunization system, thousands more Manitobans will have been struck down by COVID-19.

In times of adversity, great political leaders are usually able to find the words and solutions that fit best with the challenges they are facing.

In Manitoba, faced with a raging wildfire of new infections, Pallister has given us histrionics and lies. And the worst part is that no one seems to be able to stop him.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Manitobas overwhelmed hospitals plan to transfer more COVID-19 patients out of the province and schedule urgent surgeries in the U.S. as the provincial health-care system bears the weight of the worst COVID-19 infection rate in North America.

Manitobas overwhelmed hospitals plan to transfer more COVID-19 patients out of the province and schedule urgent surgeries in the U.S. as the provincial health-care system bears the weight of the worst COVID-19 infection rate in North America.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Saskatchewan health officials said up to five Manitoba patients could be transferred to ICUs in that province, though not in Regina and Saskatoon. One patient at a time is expected to be transferred.

"Our hearts are with many families in Manitoba, and where we have capacity and where we can help, we most certainly are going to help our fellow Canadians in our neighbouring province," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said at a news conference.

MICHAEL BELL / THE CANADIAN PRESS Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe

Military medical transport teams have been called to help transport patients out of province. At least 18 COVID-19 intensive-care patients have been sent to Ontario hospitals, and health officials are in talks with North Dakota to find more ICU space. Each day, an average of four patients daily are transferred to Ontario hospitals.

Manitobans who are waiting for certain surgeries unrelated to COVID-19 could also be sent to other provinces or to the U.S., Shared Health officials said Tuesday.

At least 12 nurses, and as many as 50, are expected to be brought into Manitoba from other provinces that are emerging from their third wave.

"Our hearts are with many families in Manitoba, and where we have capacity and where we can help, we most certainly are going to help our fellow Canadians in our neighbouring province."  Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe

The news came as a group of experienced physicians called for the provincial government to impose a stay-at-home order and paid sick leave, saying people are dying or becoming paralyzed while they wait for surgery because of the strain COVID-19 is putting on health care.

Premier Brian Pallister and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin didnt answer those calls Tuesday; instead, they extended public-health orders until May 29. No gatherings or visitors, indoor or outdoor, are allowed, and only one person per household is allowed to shop or enter a business. There are exceptions for people who live alone or are sole guardians of young children.

Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer. (Winnipeg Free Press/File)

"We need Manitobans to know that our health-care system, right now, is at the brink, and we need to bring down these numbers," said Roussin.

Manitoba reported 259 new cases and six deaths on Tuesday, raising the pandemic death toll to 1,035.

On Tuesday, Manitoba had 140 ICU beds and planned to redeploy surgical nurses to open six more, putting ICU capacity at 146 beds  which could be reached within a day or two. There were 126 patients in the ICU as of Tuesday morning, 14 under the age of 40 and many of them younger and overall healthier than in previous waves of the pandemic.

Intensive care is not the only area to worry about, said Dr. Perry Gray, planning lead for the province's incident command and provincial lead of medical specialist services for Shared Health. He warned of the "invisible patients" who are waiting for surgery or missing out on important diagnoses because of the pandemic.

"We need Manitobans to know that our health-care system, right now, is at the brink, and we need to bring down these numbers."  Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin

Manitoba has asked its neighbours to free up hospital space as it contends with the highest per capita infection rate in North America.

"We are working with everybody who will work with us on a day-by-day basis," Gray said. He and Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa held a news conference to plead with Manitobans to follow public-health orders, but stopped short of calling for stricter measures.

SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dr. Perry Gray, planning lead for the province's incident command and provincial lead of medical specialist services for Shared Health: "We are working with everybody who will work with us on a day-by-day basis."

Every week, 900 to 1,000 Manitobans have their non-urgent and elective surgeries cancelled. Urgent surgery cancellations could be next, Gray said. He said he has already had talks with other jurisdictions, including in the U.S., to move some surgeries, including urgent spinal operations, out of province.

"There are patients in pain. There are patients (with whom) were worried about loss of function if we dont get to, and we are working very hard to prioritize those in the appropriate order, and... that risk has definitely been escalated in our minds over the last few weeks as the surgery has had to cut back, but the urgency of surgery is more of a continuum than an off/on switch," Gray said.

About 20,000 fewer diagnostic tests have been conducted in Manitoba compared with pre-pandemic figures, Gray said, but more people are having to call 911, leading to congestion in emergency rooms. He said hes worried about these "invisible patients."

"We've turned over every rock, is basically what I would say."  Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa

When asked how many Manitobans have died waiting for other treatments during the pandemic, Gray said he didn't know. Earlier Tuesday, Dr. Eric Jacobsohn told a news conference that six heart patients had died while waiting for surgery.

Shared Health later released a statement: "We can confirm that five patients who were on the wait list for cardiac surgery did pass away in recent months prior to their surgery being performed. While privacy laws prevent us from sharing the details of each case, one of the five patients may not have been ready for surgery."

Gray said he hopes people who don't believe in the dangers of COVID-19 will believe the virus is impairing other areas of the health system and will follow public-health orders accordingly.

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"Maybe you and your family are not afraid of COVID, but there isn't too many people in the health-care system who don't know somebody who needs the health-care system for non-COVID incidents, and that's where the strain is occurring," Gray said.

When asked why Manitoba didnt shore up critical-care staffing prior to the third wave, Siragusa said theyve asked retired nurses, recent graduates and students to fill in. They're also asking other health-care professionals, such as pharmacists and physiotherapists, to step in to critical care.

"We've turned over every rock, is basically what I would say," Siragusa said.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Hannah Chambers, a Metis woman working in a public facing job in Winnipeg, is hoping to get her second COVID-19 vaccine before her 23rd birthday in mid-June, but so far it looks like her odds are slim.

Hannah Chambers, a Metis woman working in a public facing job in Winnipeg, is hoping to get her second COVID-19 vaccine before her 23rd birthday in mid-June, but so far it looks like her odds are slim.

The now-frustrated bank teller has been showing up for in-person work every day throughout this pandemic, she said in a phone interview Monday, and has been trying to book her second dose of the Moderna vaccine. At every turn, however, shes been told no Moderna vaccine appointments are available in June, despite second doses opening for Indigenous residents on Monday.

Hannah Chambers said no public health officials could offer more than a very vague explanation for why she cant book her second dose, but as she waits she feels stuck.

"Im upset; I work with the public every day, I am Indigenous, give me my shot," she said. "Why are you increasing eligibility before you have the vaccine?"

Chambers got her first dose on May 4. Originally, she had been told she would get a shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata clinic, but when she sat down for her jab the plan had changed.

Chambers said the type of vaccine  Pfizer or Moderna  didnt matter to her, and she was just excited to be vaccinated at her earliest opportunity.

When the province announced last week that Indigenous Manitobans would be able to start booking second doses Monday, for dates 28 days after their first shot, she was eager to get in line.

"Obviously super excited, Im like heck yeah I can book a second dose," said Chambers.

First, the eager young Manitoban ran into difficulties with the online booking system, which did not show available bookings for Moderna vaccinations. Dates were available for those with Pfizer shots.

After several calls to public health, Chambers said she was told no Moderna doses were available in the city after her eligibility date on June 1. Instead, public health officials offered to book her into clinics in Steinbach or Portage la Prairie. Chambers said neither location would work, as she wouldnt be able to take time off work to travel out of town.

"I should be able to be in Winnipeg and get my second dose," Chambers said.

"Im scared to get COVID  I know so many people who have had it, some who were very mild and some who still cant taste or smell. Im scared, and I dont want to get it."

So far the province has received just over 214,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from the federal government, making up about a quarter of the provincial supply. Most doses in the province are Pfizer/BioNTech shots. No new vaccine shipments have arrived from the federal government in the last 48 hours, according to province.

Until new research is complete, the province is also only allowing second doses that match the first dose vaccine.

Chambers said no public health officials could offer more than a "very vague" explanation for why she cant book her second dose, but as she waits she feels stuck.

"Maybe Ill get a second dose for my birthday," she mused, but in the meantime Chambers said she just feels "so angry."

When asked for comment Monday, the province did not provide any reason behind the delay, referring instead to existing eligibility criteria.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
Manitobas pandemic stressed health care system is nearing the point where one in five of its COVID-19 patients in intensive care units have been shuttled out of the province to beds in Ontario.

Manitobas pandemic stressed health care system is nearing the point where one in five of its COVID-19 patients in intensive care units have been shuttled out of the province to beds in Ontario.

A spokesperson for Shared Health said Monday four additional Manitoba COVID-19 patients were sent to ICUs in Ontario on Sunday, for a total 14 patients in beds in Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Windsor and London.

As of Monday, there are a total of 74 COVID-19 patients currently in Manitoba intensive care units, 11 of whom are under the age of 40, the spokesperson said, for a record 88 Manitobans requiring critical care as a result of the virus. Approximately 16 per cent of those patients are now in out-of-province hospitals for care. Shared Health said further patients were expected to be transferred later Monday.

The province also recorded 353 new cases as of 9:30 a.m. Monday. Over the holiday weekend, 1,237 cases were added to the provincial count, for a total of 5,061 active cases.

Test positivity rates remain high in Manitoba, hovering at 14.3 per cent.

As cases continue to rise and health-care workers struggle to manage existing caseloads of severely ill patients, the Canadian Medical Protective Association (a legal group representing physicians) submitted a letter to Premier Brian Pallister and Health Minister Heather Stefanson Friday (before the latter stepped down for a medical leave) asking for triage protocol to navigate critical care surges.

A triage protocol, enacted by emergency order, would provide a framework allowing health-care providers to prioritize access to ICU beds, the letter said, stating not enough resources exist to treat everyone in need. The triage protocol would create a system to help decide which patients get beds, which patients are transferred out of province and which could recover in makeshift ICU beds.

"Without a triage protocol, health-care providers will not be able to take the necessary steps to minimize the number of people who will die as a result of ICU overcapacity," wrote Dr. Lisa Calder, CEO of the group.

"Manitoba is imminently facing the prospect of having insufficient ICU nurses and beds to manage the surge of patients with COVID-19, given the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases driven by new variants of concern."

Without a triage protocol, healthcare providers will not be able to take the necessary steps to minimize the number of people who will die as a result of ICU overcapacity.  Dr. Lisa Calder

Alberta and Quebec have already enacted similar protocols, the letter said.

Calder acknowledged the province has asked the federal government for critical care nurses and respiratory therapists, and has begun shuffling patients to Ontario hospitals, but noted the worsening situation has potential to further overwhelm the health-care system.

The Free Press obtained a copy of the letter, which Doctors Manitoba also forwarded to its members, reiterating the call for a triage protocol to "guide decision making" for critical care and ER physicians.

"In the absence of such a protocol, decisions are being made on an ad hoc basis, and that creates confusion and results in delays of care. Delays for intensive care, even just a few minutes, can have life-and-death consequences for critically ill patients," wrote Doctors Manitoba CEO Theresa Oswald.

In a statement over the weekend, Doctors Manitoba said the organization "is trying to work directly with provincial health officials to resolve physicians' concerns, including over this long weekend."

In the absence of such a protocol, decisions are being made on an ad hoc basis, and that creates confusion and results in delays of care. Delays for intensive care, even just a few minutes, can have lifeanddeath consequences for critically ill patients.  Doctors Manitoba CEO Theresa Oswald

The federal department for public safety and emergency preparedness released a statement Monday confirming Ottawa will send Red Cross medical staff, Canadian Armed Forces and federal health human resources to assist.

The government is also "prepared to deploy epidemiologists, public health capacity, laboratory technicians and increased testing capacity" as needed.

Provincial leaders are also considering new strategies to tackle vaccine hesitancy by floating a vaccination incentive program.

On Monday, the province unveiled a survey asking residents for their take on vaccine rollout, the vaccine experience, and what a possible incentive program could look like.

Among the offerings for those hesitant to get the shot: meal or grocery vouchers, free admission to local attractions, free items at bars and restaurants, retail discounts, draws for prizes, and financial incentives up to $100.

So far, the province has administered 748,270 vaccine doses, including 12,977 scheduled for Monday. More than 50 per cent of Manitobans over the age of 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
VICTORIA - Officials are continuing to urge British Columbia residents to follow COVID-19 health restrictions ahead of Tuesday's restart announcement.

People wear masks to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 while on the streets in downtown in Victoria, Friday, May 14, 2021. Officials are continuing to urge British Columbia residents to follow COVID-19 health restrictions ahead of Tuesday's restart announcement. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

VICTORIA - Officials are continuing to urge British Columbia residents to follow COVID-19 health restrictions ahead of Tuesday's restart announcement.

B.C. recorded 974 new cases of COVID-19 over the long weekend, for a total of 142,347 during the pandemic, as well as a drop in hospitalizations.

The majority of the cases occurred in the hard-hit Fraser Health Authority region, which accounted for roughly two-thirds of the new cases.

The province also reported 12 new deaths for a total of 1,679.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that they're asking residents to continue to follow COVID-19 health restrictions until tomorrow, when the province is due to unveil its restart plan.

More than 2.88 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in the province, of which 147,144 are second doses.

Mounties, meanwhile, say 103 cars were stopped and turned around at checkpoints that are in place to enforce non-essential travel protocols.

Two drivers also faces fines of $230 for failing to stop for police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2021.
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A growing cluster of COVID-19 cases and contacts in Newfoundland and Labrador's central region prompted officials to impose the second-highest alert level over a larger swath of the province on Monday as they try to curb the spread of the disease.

Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer of health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald smiles at St. John's public health nurse Ellen Foley-Vick as she puts a Band-Aid on her arm after giving her the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in St. John's, Nfld., on Decemeber 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A growing cluster of COVID-19 cases and contacts in Newfoundland and Labrador's central region prompted officials to impose the second-highest alert level over a larger swath of the province on Monday as they try to curb the spread of the disease.

During a virtual briefing Monday, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said communities along the Trans-Canada Highway from Gambo, N.L., to Badger, N.L., as well as some communities along a number of nearby provincial highways, will be under Alert Level 4 of the province's pandemic response framework.

The move involves tighter capacity limits on gatherings and businesses and takes effect immediately. It also follows the governments decision to place a span of the province stretching from Lewisporte, N.L., to Summerford, N.L., under the same alert level on Friday when the cluster was first announced.

"It's certainly not the May 24th weekend that we had all hoped for in some parts of our province," Premier Andrew Furey said during the Monday briefing.

Fitzgerald said there are a total of 32 confirmed cases associated with the growing cluster.

Residents now living in Level 4 areas are being asked to stay and home and limit socializing to their family bubbles.

Indoor dining will be prohibited at affected restaurants, and retail stores can open at 50 per cent capacity. Fitness facilities, arenas and dance studios will be closed under the new order, though personal services may remain open.

Health Minister John Haggie said the cluster in the northeastern part of the province, which still falls under the central health zone, may now have connections to some 300 people.

Sporting events and gatherings among family and friends that have taken place across the region seem to have played a part in the spread, he added.

"This is a young cluster, as far as we can tell," Haggie said. The average age of the group is 38 while the median age is 36.

The province, he said, has been vaccinating an additional one per cent of its population each day and is looking to pick up that pace once the federal government delivers more shots.

Fitzgerald said preliminary screening suggests the cases associated with the growing group don't seem to be connected to any of the variants of concern  those first identified in the United Kingdom, Brazil or South Africa  that have sent case counts surging around the world.

Furey said the current cluster also differs in other ways from a major outbreak in February that shut down much of Newfoundland's capital region and even forced the cancellation of in-person voting in the provincial election. Chief among them, he said, is the growing number of residents who have been vaccinated against the virus.

"We have been through similar situations before," the premier said. "We have the benefit of lessons learned, in addition we have the benefit of 50 per cent of our population being vaccinated with at least one dose."

Meanwhile, provincial health officials announced five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 provincewide on Monday. The active case count in the province now stands at 89.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2021.

 By Danielle Edwards in Halifax

- - -

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
TORONTO - Ontario reported its first death linked to a rare blood clot associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Tuesday as many who received a first dose of the vaccine faced challenges trying to schedule second shots.

Various groups use social distancing at Christie Pits Park in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, May 22, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

TORONTO - Ontario reported its first death linked to a rare blood clot associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Tuesday as many who received a first dose of the vaccine faced challenges trying to schedule second shots.

The province administered nearly a million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine before halting first shots earlier this month due to what it said was an increased risk of blood clots.

Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario's associate medical officer of health, said a man in his 40s who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the end of April passed away a few weeks later.

The death is still being investigated, but Yaffe said the man had vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, also known as VITT.

"The risks associated with this vaccine are rare, but they are real," she said, noting that those who received an AstraZeneca shot still made the right choice.

There have been 13 cases of VITT in the province so far, Yaffe said.

The Ontario death is the fifth fatal case of VITT in an AstraZeneca recipient in Canada. Experts maintain the syndrome is exceedingly rare and treatable in most cases.

News of the death came as the first cohort of Ontarians who received the AstraZeneca shot in March reported booking headaches and confusion after becoming eligible to schedule second jabs.

Those who got their first AstraZeneca shots between March 10 and March 19 during a pharmacy pilot project are being offered a second vaccine after a 10-week dosing interval as the province rushes to use of 45,000 doses expiring in roughly a week.

"I kind of feel that we're now being left in the lurch a bit," said Val Logan, an early AstraZeneca recipient.

Logan, 60, said she called the Toronto pharmacy where she got her first shot to ensure she was on a wait-list for the second, but was directed to call another location.

Pharmacist Barbara Violo arranges all the empty vials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines that she has provided to customers at the Junction Chemist which is a independent pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, on April 19, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

She said the new venue added her to their list, but advised her that people who got their first doses at that location would be prioritized.

"We took the advice that the best vaccine is the first one you're offered, and we're more than happy to take the AstraZeneca, but now I feel we might fall through a crack here," she said.

Others reported similar challenges while some said they were unsure where to call to book their second doses.

Sharon Saslove of Kingston, Ont., was considering a four-hour drive to Toronto for her second shot after learning her local pharmacy had no supply.

"Looking for a second dose is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," she said in an email.

The head of the Ontario Pharmacists Association said a handful of pharmacies received doses on Tuesday, but the "vast majority" would receive supply on Wednesday.

Justin Bates said pharmacists would reach out to clients directly.

Late in the day on Tuesday, the province published the list of 162 pharmacies administering soon-to-expire doses this week.

Bates said some of the 325 pilot locations were unable to participate due to the short window of time and other ongoing vaccinations.

Pharmacies are aiming to dispense the supply within five days to avoid wastage. The holiday Monday complicated some of the logistics, as many stores were closed, Bates said, and pharmacies are working to reach clients and manage the excess demand from eligible people.

"There's a lot to manage there from an administrative perspective," Bates said.

"Yes, it's going to be a challenge and we're up for it and we're going to do everything we can to hopefully achieve that success."

Approximately 90,000 people are eligible to receive their second AstraZeneca vaccine at the shortened 10-week interval, according to provincial data  about double the number of doses available.

Bates said more doses will be on the way once those expiring May 31 are used up.

For Paul Hogg of Brampton, Ont., the timing of his second dose is critical for managing his other health conditions and scheduling medications.

The pharmacy where he received his first AstraZeneca shot didn't have information on second doses on Tuesday, and other efforts to find a shot came up short, he said.

"I need a date, I need a time, I need a location," he said. "If I get that, then I can move on with our life."

Ontario's top doctor apologized for the confusion.

Dr. David Williams said the province is working to prioritize pharmacies in the Toronto, Kingston and Windsor areas  where the initial pilot ran  for the second doses.

He said people should talk to their pharmacists about eligibility and some might have to wait the original 12 weeks after the province has used up the soon-to-expire vaccines.

"I understand there's a bit of confusion there," Williams said. "The good point is that we have lots of people who are looking eager to get their second dose."

A spokeswoman for the health minister said many pharmacies and doctors would reach out to patients directly, and asked people to only contact participating pharmacies listed on the province's booking website.

The province has said those who got their first dose of AstraZeneca after March 19 will be able to book their second in the near future.

Another 10,000 doses of AstraZeneca expire next month, and the province has more than 300,000 doses in stock.

Ontario reported 1,039 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and 33 more deaths linked to the virus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2021.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas is poised to remove one of its last gun restrictions after lawmakers approved allowing people to carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that go with it.

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2019, file photo, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gives his State of the State Address in the House Chamber in Austin, Texas. Texas lawmakers have given final approval to allowing people carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that go with it. The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the measure Monday, May 24, 2021 sending it to Gov. Abbott. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas is poised to remove one of its last gun restrictions after lawmakers approved allowing people to carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that go with it.

The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the measure Monday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it despite the objections of law enforcement groups who say it would endanger the public and police.

Gun control groups also oppose the measure, noting the state's recent history of mass shootings, including those at an El Paso Walmart, a church in Sutherland Springs, and a high school outside Houston, though each of those attacks, the assailants primarily used assault-style rifles, not handguns.

Texas already has some of the loosest gun laws in the country and has more than 1.6 million handgun license holders.

Supporters of the bill say it would allow Texans to better defend themselves in public while abolishing unnecessary impediments to the constitutional right to bear arms. Once signed into law, Texas will join nearly two dozen other states that allow some form of unregulated carry of a handgun, and by far the most populous.

Texas already allows rifles to be carried in public without a license. The measure sent to Abbott would allow anyone age 21 or older to carry a handgun as long as they don't have violent crime convictions or some other legal prohibition in their background. But there would be no way to weed them out without the state background check currently in the licensing process.

The bill would not prevent businesses from banning guns on their property, and federal background checks for some gun purchases would remain in place. Texas has no state restrictions on private gun sales.

Texas has allowed people to carry handguns since 1995, and has been reducing the cost and training requirements for getting a license for the last decade.
The Winona Planning Commission has expressed overwhelming support for Winona State Universitys Carport Solar Site.

The site, which still needs approval of the Minnesota State College Board of Trustees, is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 25.4%, the summary presented to the commission states, as well as provide 1.4MW of solar energy on rooftops and carports. They will be installed in the parking lot of the universitys Integrated Wellness Complex.

The summary also states that the energy produced from the panels will meet WSUs on-campus energy needs.

City planner Carlos Espinosa said Monday that the project is part of a larger installation of solar panels on WSUs campus and that all the power created by the panels will be used by the university on-site.

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Espinosa added that the project meets all the regulations the city has related to accessory buildings, which the city views carports as.

In case there were any concerns about the panels creating a glare, Espinosa said the panels are being designed to minimize any type of reflection.

If approved by the Board of Trustees in June, the project is expected to begin work in late spring 2022, with construction itself beginning in summer 2022.
CHEER: To parents and families who are planning something super special for a Class of 2021 graduate in coming days. Now that masking and distancing requirements are eased for those vaccinated, gatherings can be held. For these students who have missed out of so many key moments and events for a year and a half, its time to celebrate like its 2021. They deserve it.

CHEER: To the stay at home employees who have been persevering through the pandemic. These are the folks who get up every day, get their kids ready for school, walk down their hallway and go to work, while maintaining some semblance of order in their household. They may be called back to the office soon, and their routine will change, but before that happens they deserve a cheer. Job well done.

CHEER: To the return of the Great River Shakespeare Festival, less than a month away in Winona. This year, the festival will be held outside at the Levee Stage and the Winona State University Green. Productions will include The Tempest, Great Expectations and Every Brilliant Thing, along with and apprentice and intern showing of Romeo & Juliet. Get ready. Its going to be amazing.
Were starting right here in Reedsburg with $220,000 going toward this critical project here at South School, which would provide a really versatile space to serve the Reedsburg community, which we know is vital to making sure that we are connecting the dots to make sure our communities bounce back in a good way, Evers said. A beautiful facility, as you can see, its been around a while but it is solid as a rock and its a great project for the community.

Reedsburg City Administrator Tim Becker thanked Evers for spotlighting South School.

Like many cities in Wisconsin, we are in dire need of housing. Specifically workforce housing and senior housing, Becker said to reporters. Were in need of child care and we need recreational space, so this checks all of those boxes.

The current structure, built in 1937, was closed in 2019.

To say theres a strong emotional attachment to this building is probably an understatement, he said.

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Things are on the upswing in America. States are ending their COVID-19-related mandates, the CDC has announced vaccinated individuals can return to their normal pre-pandemic life, and businesses are looking to open their doors and return to full operations. There is just one problem: President Biden is paying workers to stay home.

Many small businesses in southeastern Wisconsin have reached out to tell me that theyre hiring, but cant find workers. The primary hiring challenge echoed among these business owners is the $300-a-week bonus, as so many people are calling it, from the federal unemployment insurance program. These business owners believe this new federal unemployment bonus has incentivized people to say home.

You dont need to take their word for it though, just take a look at the most recent jobs report. It was abysmal. U.S. employers added only 266,000 jobs in April, falling short of the one million jobs economists had predicted. With President Bidens stay at home $300-a-week bonus, it is no wonder the latest report missed expectations.

In fact, the University of Chicago found in a study that 42% of people are making more on unemployment insurance than at prior jobs. In Wisconsin, the increased federal payment offers the equivalent of $16.75 per hour to stay home and not be employed.
7Qs for Academics Zukiswa Kota

Today we speak to Zukiswa Kota, Programme Head at the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) at Rhodes University

This is an ongoing series where we introduce some key researchers and academics getting to understand their work, their developing research interests as well as what keeps them engaged.

Explain the nature of your work and/or how it relates to inequality.

Inequality is as much about resources or wealth as it is about power - in all its guises. I work at an organisation that supports social accountability initiatives across six sub-Saharan African countries. My academic background is in environmental science which is also grounded in systems thinking. Social accountability broadly centres on the belief that progressive changes in governance to address inequality cannot happen in the absence of attaining real agency for civic actors and communities. This agency includes the right to hold officials and elected representatives not only accountable but answerable for their actions - or lack thereof - in tackling societal problems.

Why do you think inequality remains such an intractable social and economic problem?

The failure to transform state-society (power) relations in ways that place human rights at the centre is one reason. In other respects the result of too many decision-makers becoming desensitised to the sheer horrors of inequality and crippling disparity contributes to this stagnation. Accepting inequality and injustice as par for the course means change is less likely to occur at the urgent pace it should. And of course the role of unaccountable, captured interests cannot be downplayed.

What continues to keep you engaged in your work or areas of research?

Social accountability interventions are so varied and dynamic - there is no rest for the wicked - but the knowledge that there is progress towards a more just society is fantastic motivation. Then there is also the incredible community of activists, practitioners and researchers that constantly inspire and reinvigorate the mission.

What is one thing your field is not focusing on that it should?

The social accountability field is an intersection of many disciplines so this is a challenging question to answer succinctly. Perhaps one area that could be strengthened is the building of evidence on factors that enable reformers inside and outside the state to successfully effect progressive change. What does it take to achieve real and sustained change in regressive fiscal policy environments, for instance?

Who are some academics (in your field or otherwise) whose work you follow closely? Why?

It's an eclectic mix. In social accountability - Florencia Guerzovich has written impressively across many contexts including complex governance problems. Ann Blyberg was an instrumental guide in my exploration of human rights oriented budgeting. In environmental science and ecoliteracy - Sheona Shackleton and Michelle Cocks inspire me greatly.

What books are you currently reading?

(I often read multiple books at the same time...in the small gaps of luxury reading time)

Patterns of Commoning edited by David Bollier and Silke Helfrich, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Africa: Alter States, Ordinary Miracles by Richard Dowden,

(I have non-linear reading habits)

Complete the sentence: The first thing I do each morning once I get up is 

 hug two of the worlds most amazing dogs!
In order to get into the Preschool at the Jewish Community Center you must be buzzed in, have your temperature taken, and sanitize your hands. Physical distancing recommendations are posted just about everywhere, and all adults wear masks, but the recent decision by Governor Cuomo mandating preschoolers wear masks raised some eyebrows. Lynne Dembrow is the preschool director at the Jewish Community Center.

"One day it was this way, and the next day its this way, and because they were lifting all the mandates we thought things were moving forward, and it felt like we were stepping back," said Dembrow.

Last weeks mandate that preschoolers wear masks was lifted this week. This decision came as a relief to many parents and staff members that felt the school has been doing enough to keep the children safe.

"We have proven since July that this is effective. What weve been doing is effective. Weve had no outbreaks," she said.

The school is requiring that all adults wear masks, at least through the end of the school year. After that theyre going to rely on the science. The decision to lift the preschool mask mandate only days after requiring it now has some parents and staff members questioning the science.

"We did not see the science behind it, and thats all I ask for. You know give me the science behind this decision and well go with it," said Dembrow.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente thinks the preschool mask mandate was a flawed decision from the beginning, and the science supports the measures being taken without a preschool mask mandate.

"The protective measures that those places have taken are far and above everything else weve seen, and clearly the numbers have shown it, so if youre following the science, if youre following the data, and a little common sense as I said really goes a long way, and it really needed to be reversed," said Picente.

The latest recommendations say that face coverings should never be worn by children under age 2, or by a child unable to medically tolerate a face covering.
Notice regarding Robert 'Bob' Ransom Jr.

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Provost Peggy Agouris sent the following message to the campus community on May 24, 2021. - Ed.

Dear Colleagues,

Robert Bob Ransom Jr., a former Air Force band soloist, local bandleader, and Instructor of Jazz Trumpet at William & Mary, died on April 28th. He was born in Warrenton, NC, the eldest son of Robert Ransom, Sr. and Esther Ransom. He graduated from John R. Hawkins High School in 1951, and attended Howard University, majoring in Music. At Howard, he met and married Ruth Ransom on April 21,1954. In the same year, Bob joined the Air Force and spent the next 20 years playing with different groups across North, Central, and South America. The last 10 years of his military career were at Langley Air Force Base, where he was a featured soloist with the Tactical Air Command Band. He retired from the military in 1975 as a Senior Master Sergeant.

In 1980 Bob joined the faculty at Hampton University as the Assistant Director of Bands. There he headed up the sound engineering program and directed the universitys jazz ensemble for 16 years before joining the faculty at William & Mary in 1996. Bob also played with the Virginia Symphony, the Great American Music Ensemble, the Renaissance Big Band, the Roy Muth Jazz Band, and the Super Jazz Band. He retired from William & Mary in 2016 at the age of 82.

His wife, Ruth, pre-deceased him in 2019 after 67 years of marriage. A private funeral service was held on May 14 at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church where he was an active and dedicated member. Local musicians hope to soon honor his memory with a concert. Written condolences may be sent to O.H. Smith & Son Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, 2515 Marshall Ave., Newport News, VA 23607.

A lovely tribute to him can be found here: https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/portsmouth/local-pop-musician-and-educator-remembered-by-peers/

Sincerely,

Peggy

__________________________

Peggy Agouris

Provost
2 men arrested in Carbondale after police say one stabbed the other during a fight
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This afternoon, several veterans making a ride across the country stopped for a break in Wilson county. They were welcomed at the Wilson County Veterans Museum, to pay respect to the city's fallen heroes. Our Justin Beasley tells us why this trip is so important to them.
On Sunday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko mobilized military planes to force a Ryanair jetliner to land in Minsk as it transited through Belarusian airspace and detained several of its passengers, including 26-year-old journalist Roman Protasevich.

Lukashenko sent a MiG-29 fighter to force the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania to divert to the Minsk airport. There, Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, were marched off the plane and into detention. A death sentence awaits me, Protasevich reportedly told other passengers arrested by Belarusian authorities as their affairs were searched by sniffer dogs. Protasevich, Sapega and three others were ultimately taken away.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (Sergei Sheleg/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)

The arrest of Protasevich and all those kidnapped from the Ryanair jetliner is a flagrant attack on democratic rights. While Protasevich is a spokesman for a procapitalist, right-wing opposition, the forced kidnapping is directed against all opposition to the oligarchic government of Lukashenkoabove all, the growing opposition of workers throughout Belarus.

It should be noted that Lukashenko got the idea for his act of international piracy from the United States and European powers. The United States has repeatedly carried out extraordinary renditions throughout Europe, illegally snatching people without due process or trial, and in 2013 forced down the private aircraft of Bolivian President Evo Morales.

The NATO powers have responded to Lukashenkos blatantly illegal action, however, by escalating their own campaign of threats and military provocations targeting Belarus and its principal international ally, Russia. Last night, a European Union (EU) summit announced the blocking of investments in Belarus and the closing of EU airspace to Belarusian airlines, as well as rerouting EU flights to avoid Belarus and its airspace. In parallel to these attempts to cut off and isolate the country, NATO is intensifying military threats against Russia.

German Green Party President Robert Habeck has called for NATO to arm the far-right Ukrainian regime, installed in Kiev in 2014 in a NATO-backed putsch, against Russia. Even as the Kiev regime calls for military action to seize Russias strategic naval base at Sevastopol in the Crimea, Habeck insisted that Ukrainian demands for NATO weapons and support are justified and difficult to refuse. Speaking yesterday evening to Deutschlandfunk, he added that NATO membership for Ukraine should not be taken off the table.

While EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Lukashenkos actions a hijacking, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared them brazen and shocking. German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her part cynically denounced the Belarusian authorities unprecedented actions.

The NATO powers attempts to use Lukashenkos act of piracy to justify escalating their threats against Belarus and Russia are shot through with hypocrisy. Even as they denounce the kidnapping of Protasevich, Washington and London are imprisoning WikiLeaks Editor Julian Assange for exposing the truth about NATO war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.

Merkel denounced Lukashenkos supposedly unprecedented action as if she had forgotten the precedent that her own government and its NATO allies set for Lukashenkos thuggery. In 2013, several EU countries closed their airspace to a plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales, forcing it to land in Austria to be searched on suspicions that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was aboard.

The NATO powers have long trampled international law underfoot as they developed their own police-state regimes. Their diverting of Morales flight followed a decade over which they developed a system of extraordinary rendition, in which prisoners kept at a network of CIA and European black sites were shipped to dictatorships around the world to be tortured. The British polices seizure of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2019 at the Ecuadorian embassy in London and his continuing detention were carried out with contempt for international law.

The hypocrisy of NATOs criticisms of Lukashenko is so blatant that press outlets promoting the anti-Russian campaign have been forced to address it. This was the case of the New York Times  bellicose editorial, titled A State-Sponsored Skyjacking Cant Go Unanswered. While baldly stating that Deterrence  has failed, implying that some form of military action should be considered, the Times tried to address the crying contradictions undermining its threats against Belarus.

Fearing Morales would grant Mr. Snowden asylum and had taken him aboard his flight home, it wrote, NATO forced his plane to land in Austria. When officials determined that Mr. Snowden was not on board, Mr. Morales was allowed to continue. The outcry, especially from Latin America, was fierce. Much of the criticism leveled at the Obama administration at the time was warranted. But there is a difference between denying overflight to a plane and forcing a commercial jetliner to land over a false alarm, accompanied by a warplane.

This is a political travesty. Had US and NATO officials found Snowden aboard Morales plane, they would have seized and detained him to threaten him with imprisonment or execution for having revealed the mass electronic spying NATO powers have carried out on their own populations. Functioning with the same thuggish methods as Lukashenko, they have unclean hands as they seek to whip up a war fever against him.

Such bellicose propaganda is driven not by concern for democratic rights but by the pursuit of geostrategic advantage in the former Soviet Union and attempts to suppress growing class tensions at home. Over 1.5 million people have died of COVID-19 in the NATO countries due to their refusal to pursue a scientific policycalling instead to live with the virus, in the words of French President Emmanuel Macron. Social anger is reaching explosive levels.

It is not to endorse the various right-wing operations linked to Protosevich to state that in the final analysis, he is being targeted by Lukashenko for very similar reasons: to suppress mounting political opposition in the working class.

Protasevich is a former editor at NEXTA, a social media outlet of the pro-market Belarusian opposition headquartered in Poland, which came to prominence amid mass protests against Lukashenkos theft of the August 2020 presidential elections. The videos NEXTA circulated not only encouraged the protests but also triggered a mass movement of the Belarusian working class, intensified by anger at the European ruling elites indifference to the spread of COVID-19.

Strikes erupted in mining, automobile, chemical processing, health care and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in schools and universities.

Lukashenkos kidnapping of Protasevich is aimed not only at NEXTA and its work with right-wing, anti-Russian regimes such as those in Poland and Ukraine. Above all, it aims to block the reemergence of the working class into political life in the territory of the former Soviet Union, three decades after the Stalinist bureaucracy dissolved the USSR and restored capitalism in 1991 through the methods of police-state terror.

The Lukashenko regime is working to extort confessions from Protasevich that could justify his execution. Last years movement of the Belarusian workers was a spontaneous eruption of class anger at police repression, neither expected nor desired by the promarket opposition. Yet Belarusian authorities released last night a video in which Protasevich was forced to declare: I am continuing to cooperate with authorities tasked with the investigation, and I am making confessions regarding the organization of mass disturbances in Minsk.

In October, Belarusian courts ruled NEXTA guilty of extremism, a crime that carries the death penalty. Death row inmates in Belarus are executed at dawn, with a gunshot to the back of the head.

These events again underscore that the only constituency for democratic rights today is the working class, mobilized in an international struggle against capitalist governments that are all veering towards dictatorship and war.
Godzilla vs. Kong (directed by Adam Wingard) was released in theaters and online streaming services on March 31. It is effectively both a remake of the original 1962 film (King Kong vs. Godzilla) and the climax of producer Legendarys MonsterVerse film franchise. The MonsterVerse kicked off with Godzilla (2014), with each subsequent entry (Kong: Skull Island, 2017 and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 2019) sliding further into nonsensical spectacle and divorce from reality.

The estimated budget of each franchise film amounts to just under half a billion dollars, providing them all with a substantial quantity of computer-generated effects. Sadly, while Godzilla vs. Kong is yet another demonstration of the scale and complexity of modern film technology, its impressive visuals and astounding sound design cannot hide the absence of artistic value.

The MonsterVerse franchise appears to be substantially influenced by the original Toho Godzilla films (1954-1975) during the Showa era (which refers to the reign of Emperor Showa [Hirohito] 1926 to 1989). While the 1954 Godzilla and some of the other films dealt with serious themes, this series quickly devolved, turning toward childish themes and kaiju [strange beast or giant monster] battles, mostly lacking any depth or critical thought. Unfortunately, the worst elements of this era have come to embody what most viewers think of when hearing about the Godzilla franchise. Whether consciously created with this influence in mind or not, Godzilla vs. Kongand the rest of the MonsterVerse franchise succumb to the same mindless excesses.

Demian Bichir in Godzilla vs. Kong

In terms of its plot, the movie borders on the embarrassing. It takes incredible leaps in logic, conjures up baseless character motivation out of thin air and kills off antagonists, all with virtually no explanation. The film opens with Godzilla attacking the facilities of Apex Cybernetic (a fictitious tech corporation) for some unknown reason. Apex and its founder, Walter Simmons (Demian Bichir), are later revealed to be developing Mechagodzilla (a giant robotic copy of Godzilla) to exterminate the remaining monsters and protect humanity from future threats.

In Simmonss character lies the only semblance of a message or idea in the movie. In the presentation of Simmons as the symbol of out-of-touch humanity hell-bent on playing God and bending nature to its will and his ultimate downfall at the hands of his creation, the film paints a rather unsettling, Nietzschean picture. Other than this surface-level theming, Simmons and the rest of the Apex goons remain flat and often cartoonish. Yet, the nihilistic attitude becomes even grosser through the movies promotion of conspiracy theories held by the other human characters set up in opposition to Apex and Simmons. While used partially for comedy, the fact that the movie attempts to make individuals expounding on ignorant and right-wing conspiracies into its heroes is ridiculous at best and reactionary at worst.

Godzilla vs. Kong

While Simmons has no regard for the cost of human life and the social toll his operations create, the film itself seems to suffer from the same lack of focus. Both Godzilla and Kong lay waste to the sites they fight at, destroying hundreds of homes and likely killing and injuring thousands. Only short cutaway shots of panicked people stampeding into subways pay any attention to the rest of humanity. As the main cast of human characters is mostly insufferable or uninteresting, the lack of this general perspective results in an empty movie detached from reality. Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Kyle Chandler, Lance Reddick and a number of other talented performers are unaccountably on hand.

By comparison, in the significantly better 1954 Godzilla, the presence and brutality of Godzilla are both purposeful and expressed through the toll they take on humanity. The 1954 film takes a starkly political stance, creating in Godzilla a symbol of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US imperialism. After being revived and mutated by the detonation of nuclear weapons, the monster, an ancient sea creature, now radioactive and armed with atomic breath, directs its wrath against Japan. Numerous scenes of widespread carnage, eerily reminiscent of the American atomic bombings, unfold as Godzilla continues his assault, unfazed by every conventional military attack.

Godzillas devastation of Tokyo in the original film leads the researcher character Dr. Daisuke Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) to agree to utilize his findings as a weapon. Fearing his weapons success would result in its duplication and usage by other world powers, Serizawa burns all of his research. He ultimately decides to eliminate the creature and himself with the weapon, dubbed the Oxygen Destroyer for its ability to disintegrate oxygen atoms. This aspect of the 1954 film once again echoes the creation of the nuclear bomb, and the movie ends with the worry that another Godzilla could arise in the future.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Godzilla vs. Kong lacks all of the 1954 Godzillas depth and intrigue, which, while simple, remains impactful and thought-provoking. The MonsterVerse take on Godzilla removes much of the critical edge in Godzillas symbolism and origin, making him into a force of nature and a functional anti-hero. Gone is Godzillas mindless path of destruction in the 1954 film, replaced in Godzilla vs. Kong merely with a drive to block Kongs challenge to his position as alpha-predator and stop Apexs goal to destroy and replace him.
Boris Johnsons former chief adviser Dominic Cummings has confirmed the Conservative government planned for a herd immunity policy envisioning the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

A Public Health England (PHE) exercise revealed by Cummings worked out scenarios based on up to 800,000 people dying of Covid-19.

Cummings states that behind closed doors the architects of social murder in Downing Street worked on a Plan B, assuming over a quarter a million would die, in his words by choking to death, after being forced to discard their Plan A when told this would see over half a million deaths.

In this May 24, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aid Dominic Cummings leaves 10 Downing Street, in London. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

Cummings was central to all government pandemic decisions until the day he left office last November. Johnson hired him as his main adviser after Cummings oversaw the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He is giving evidence to Parliaments Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee, as part of a joint parliamentary committee inquiry into the lessons that can be drawn from the handling of the pandemic, and applied now and in the future.

Over the last week, Cummings has been as explicit as possibleincluding providing documentary evidencein declaring that the Johnson government implemented a herd immunity policy from the start of the pandemic and had carried out exercising envisaging mass deaths. This is revealed in a thread of tweets numbering 59 as of Monday evening.

Cummings is now providing details and confirming what was already known, that herd immunity was the official and publicly-declared policy by Johnson and his chief medical advisers, until the government was forced by public outrage to implement a lockdown on March 23, 2020.

One tweet states, Herd immunity wasn't a secret strategy, it was THE OFFICIAL PUBLIC EXPLAINED ON TV/RADIO STRATEGY! Halpern, on SAGE, literally explained it on radio explicitly, 11/3/20, as did others.

This is a reference to the statement by Dr. David Halpern, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), who told the BBC on March 11, 2020, that at some undefined point the government would want to isolate at-risk groups so that they basically dont catch the disease and by the time they come out of their cocooning, herd immunitys been achieved in the rest of the population.

On March 5, 2020 Johnson appeared on ITVs This Morning to explain, One of the theories is, that perhaps you could take it on the chin, take it all in one go and allow the disease, as it were, to move through the population, without taking as many draconian measures.

On March 12, 11 days before the government was forced into its first lockdown, Sir Patrick Vallance, the governments chief scientific adviser, was insisting, Its not possible to stop everyone getting it and its also not desirable because you want some immunity in the population to protect ourselves in the future. On March 13, Vallance told BBC Radio's Today programme it was beneficial 'to build up some degree of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease', and on the same day told Sky News, About 60 percent is the sort of figure you need to get herd immunity.

Among the documents Cummings refers to are slides presented to the governments Cobra emergency committee (COBR). He states in one tweet (number 38), Herd immunity by Sep' [September] was *literally the official plan in all docs/graphs/meetings* until it was ditched.

Tweet 46 shows an official Cabinet Secretariat document marked Official Sensitive, with Cummings stating, A COBR doc from week of 9/3/20 explains official thinking behind Plan A: ie. suppression [of the virus] either won't work or wd [would] lead to 2nd peak during NHS winter crisis, so the advised herd immunity approach was what [Department of Health and Social Care]/Cabinet Office described as 'single peak optimal strategy.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Michael Goves Cabinet Office belatedly understood herd immunity effects: 100s of 1000s choking to death + no NHS for *anybody* for months + dead unburied + econ implosion; so we moved to Plan B: suppression + Manhattan Project for drugs/vaccines + test&trace etc.

Tweet 40 states, In week of 9/3 [March 9], No10 [Downing Street] was made aware by various people that the official plan wd lead to catastrophe. It was then replaced by Plan B. But how 'herd immunity by Sep' cd [September] have been the plan until that week is a fundamental issue in the whole disaster.

Cumming continues in tweet 49, Jenny Harries told us, the same week [9/3/20] herd immunity was the official plan, masks are a 'BAD idea', 'we don't want to disrupt peoples lives, acting too early we will just pop up with another epidemic peak later. Harries was advising the government as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England. Referring to her subsequent promotion in April this year to the position of chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency and head of NHS Test and Trace, Cummings ends the tweet, So Whitehall [government] has promoted her, obviously.

Tweet 51 shows a COBRA document from early March in which the single words Deaths is written in a grey box next to a graph in which a 259,000 death toll and over 4,000 deaths a day is presented as the optimal single peak strategy. On the same graph, a do nothing line estimates that the death toll would be 510,000and up to over 14,000 deaths a dayif no measures were put in place. Cummings states of this document, It was in week of 9/3 that we started to figure out Plan B to dodge herd immunity until vaccines. Even AFTER we shifted to PlanB, COBR documents had the OPTIMAL single peak strategy graphs showing 260k dead cos the system was so confused in the chaos

Deaths on an even greater level were being actively considered in Downing Street. In tweet 31, Cummings reveals, There was a PHE exercise called Exercise NIMBUS in a hypothetical future 14/4/20 with mock COBR slides. The document front page is marked OFFICIAL SENSITIVE.

The tweet states that there would be an assumed peak week of May 13, 2020, and 33 million cases of Covid-19 in the population over a 16 week wave. He declares of this scenario that hospitals would be full by April 14, 2020 and that there would be more than 800K deaths and schools told stay open(!!) Cummings indicates that the PHE exercise happened in March 2020, i.e., before or around the time that the government was forced into imposing a lockdown.

Cummings is no doubt seeking to distance himself from a murderous herd immunity policy he is implicated in and now claims that virtually no deaths would have occurred in Britain with competent people in charge. The Sunday Times reported in March 2020 that just a few weeks earlier, at the end of February, Cummings had outlined the governments strategy at a private meeting, with one observer describing the policy as, herd immunity, protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad.

Cummings indicates that the Tory government could never have got away with its plans for mass murder had the media so much as questioned the denial by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, on March 13, 2020, who wrote in the Sunday Telegraph, We have a plan, based on the expertise of world-leading scientists. Herd immunity is not part of it.

In tweet 38 Cummings declares, Media generally abysmal on covid but even Ive been surprised by 1 thing: how many hacks have parroted Hancocks line that herd immunity wasnt the plan when 'herd immunity by Sep' [September 2020] was *literally the official plan in all docs/graphs/meetings* until it was ditched.

He does not say, however, that the government survived both the herd immunity agenda planned and the disastrous policies subsequently pursued thanks above all to the opposition Labour Partyfirst under Jeremy Corbyn and then his successor Sir Keir Starmer, who both declared a policy of constructive criticism. Indeed Corbyn revealed last August, after keeping this a secret for months, We were involved in meetings with the government throughout the spring of this year and [shadow health secretary] Jon Ashworth and I remember distinctly going to a meeting at the Cabinet Office, where we got a lecture about herd immunity.'

The Tories repeatedly returned to their preferred herd immunity policy whenever a decline in cases could be used to justify doing so, ending the first lockdown last summer, with the backing of Labour and the trade unions. Most workers were forced into factories, offices and shops.

It was during this period, at the end of October, that Johnson is reported to have blurted out in Downing Street, No more f***ing lockdown, let the bodies pile high in their thousands. A subsequent temporary and extremely limited lockdown had little or no impact, creating the conditions for a second wave of the pandemic in the months between December 2020 and February 2021 taking even more lives than the firsteven during a third lockdownwith 2,500 hospitalisations a day at its peak.

That lockdown has ended and the policy revealed by Cummings has been reinstated, to deadly effect amid the spread of the highly contagious Indian variant.
A nightmare scenario continues to unfold in India where, according to the official count, more than two people are dying from COVID-19 every minute.

On Sunday, the worlds second most populous country hit the grim milestone of 300,000 official deaths, joining the United States and Brazil as the only countries to surpass this figure. Last week, on May 19, India reached another somber milestone, when it officially recorded 4,529 COVID-19 deaths, surpassing the 4,475 deaths reported in the US on January 12 and setting a new one-day global record.

However, Indias actual death toll from the countrys devastating second wave, which has seen total cases rise by more than 14 million to 26.8 million since April 1, is estimated to be five to ten times higher than the official tally, meaning COVID-19 is currently killing tens of thousands of Indians each day.

Family members return after performing last rites of a person who died of COVID-19 at a crematorium that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) in New Delhi, India, Monday, May 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ishant Chauhan)

As hospitals fill up, hundreds of thousands of very ill people have no access to beds, antiviral drugs, and medical oxygen. Overwhelmed and understaffed hospitals have allowed relatives of patients to fill in for nurses, where they try to find oxygen, and when conditions become worse, another hospital with an ICU bed or a ventilator. The cramped conditions this entails have made even the best hospitals in India vectors for the transmission of the virus.

Doctors and junior trainee doctors are routinely faced with the grim task of determining which patients get access to IVS beds, oxygen, ventilators and life-saving drugsdetermining, in effect, who gets a chance to live and who dies. Rohan Aggarwal, a 26 year-old unvaccinated junior doctor who has been drafted to treat patients at the Holy Family Hospital, New Delhi, described the harrowing ordeal faced by doctors: We are not made for thatwe are just humans. But at this point in time, we are being made to do this.

Health care workers are working in extremely crowded hospitals, where there may be two patients to a single bed, and the patients who are refused entry die outside in trolleys. Doctors and nurses have been crying out for personal protective equipment (PPE), an urgent necessity to prevent infection and death for both patients and themselves.

Calls for basic, minimal protection for health care workers have gone unheeded by Indias far-right Narendra Modi-led government. Following an angry Twitter post declaring raincoats are not adequate, after his hospital provided raincoats instead of medical grade PPE, Dr. Indranil Khan, an oncologist in Kolkata was detained by authorities for more than a day, and only released after recanting his criticism.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has severely criticized the Modi government for failing to impose a nationwide lockdown and treating the economy as more precious than life, reported on May 22 that 420 doctors have died during the second wave which began in mid-February to early March. Just five days prior, the IMA had reported that there had been 244 deaths, highlighting the exponential arc of infection and death. The IMA says at least 1,150 doctors have died due to the pandemic over the past 15 months. The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially those who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, IMA President Dr. J.A. Jayalal told Business Today.

Doctors who are showing COVID-19 symptoms are expected to put their and their patients lives in danger by continuing to work, while waiting for test results. I am not able to breathe. In fact, Im more symptomatic than my patients. So how can they make me work? said Dr. Siddharth Tara, a postgraduate medical student at New Delhis government-run Hindu Rao Hospital. Were cannon fodder, thats all.

Tara said students receive each months wages two months late. Last year, students were given four months pending wages only after going on hunger strike in the midst of the pandemic.

Dr. Subarna Sarkar, who works at a hospital in the city of Pune in the western state of Maharashtra, told the Associated Press that he feels betrayed by the hospital administration: Why werent more people hired? Why wasnt infrastructure ramped up? Its like we learnt nothing from the first wave.

When the best hospitals in India are facing collapse, the situation confronting the ill-equipped, poorly trained, low paid, and relatively few health care workers in rural India is beyond desperate. For decades, the ruling class has starved the health care system of resources, with the Indian state spending the equivalent of just 1.5 percent of GDP on health care per year. In rural India, the shortages of doctors, medical equipment and drugs is especially acute. A 2020 Union government survey found that many of the countrys 5,183 community health centres (CHCs), which are supposed to be the rural equivalent of first-tier hospitals, lacked even regular supplies of essential drugs. This included 28 of the 57 CHCs in Bihar, the countrys third most populous state. Over half of all the CHCs, 2700, had no functional X-Ray machines.

As a result of the dearth of trained personnel, the task of caring for COVID-19 patients in rural India has largely fallen on Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). An all-female workforce of volunteer community health providers who have received rudimentary public health training, the ASHAs are being forced to perform demanding tasks that should be carried out by properly trained and remunerated medical professionals.

The ASHAs are paid Rs. 2,000 ($26.40) per month, to which a measly $13.20 has been added for additional duties related to COVID-19. These workers are responsible for going door to door to educate villagers about the pandemic, COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and quarantining.

The government pays us Rs.1,000 a month for putting ourselves at the frontlines of COVID-19 work. Thats how little our lives are worth, says Rohini Pawar, 32, a community health worker in Walhe, a village in Maharashtra. Instead of N-95 masks, they gave us two thick bed sheets to use as fabric, Jyoti Pawar told CNN.

The heavy toll falling on health care workers is not unique to India. In early March, Amnesty International released a report that put global deaths among health care workers from the pandemic at over 17,000. The organization admits that this is a significant underestimate as many governments have not collected official data or have done so only partially.

A previous Amnesty International report, published in July 2020, found shortages in adequate PPE in almost every one of the 63 countries monitored. Echoing the persecution faced by Dr. Khan, the report cited auxiliary staff and social care workers in a number of countries including Malaysia, Mexico and the USA facing reprisals, including dismissal and arrest, after demanding PPE and safe working conditions.

The March 2021 Amnesty report describes how as consequence of vaccine nationalism, where wealthier nations hoard vaccines and use them to pursue their predatory geopolitical interests, not a single health worker in over 100 countries had been vaccinated.

The current crisis facing health care workers and the worlds population was entirely avoidable. At every point during the past 15 months of the pandemic, safeguarding the wealth of corporations and the financial oligarchy has been prioritized over protecting the lives and livelihoods of workers. Rather than containing the pandemic and launching an equitable and rigorous global vaccination rollout, the worlds bourgeoisie has used the crisis to further increase its net wealth. The charity Oxfam reported that the combined wealth of the worlds 10 richest men has risen by $540 billion during the pandemic, even as hundreds of millionsincluding 230 million just in Indiahave been pushed below the poverty line, and as many as 10 million people, according to the latest WHO estimate, have lost their lives.

The continued spread of the virus is fostering the emergence of new more contagious and potentially vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variants, and contributing to the spread of diseases that primarily affect the poor, including tuberculosis and Black Fungus. Black Fungus, now declared an epidemic in some states in India, is spread from mold found in substandard housing. It attacks immune systems weakened by COVID-19 and has taken at least 90 lives in India as reported by CNN on May 21st.

As part of its homicidal drive to open schools, the ruling class in the United States has vaccinated 600,000 12- to 15 year-old children, while frontline workers, including doctors and nurses, in much of the world are fighting to save lives under horrendous conditions and without being vaccinated.

Capitalism and the system of rival nation states in which it is rooted are antithetical to a rational science-based response to the pandemic. If saving lives and suppressing a virus that knows no borders are to be prioritized over the pursuit of capitalist profit, the international working class must intervene as an independent political force to remove control of the response to the pandemic from the capitalist ruling elites and take it into its own hands.
A recent study by the ifo Institute (Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich e.V.) commissioned by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) envisages the loss of 215,000 jobs in the German auto industry by 2030. The study titled Effects of the increased production of electric powered autos on employment in Germany was published at the beginning of May.

Volkswagen Wolfsburg industrial plant (Source: Wikipedia)

According to the study, the transformation to electric motors will cost at least 178,000 jobs in the production sectors directly or indirectly dependent on the internal combustion engine during the next four years. Of this total 137,000 are workers directly involved in the auto industry. If the jobs of the 75,000 workers estimated by the ifo study due for retirement in this period are not replaced, that will still leave 100,000 jobs to be cut by 2025.

Taking into account 147,000 jobs expected to be lost through retirement by 2030, this still leaves the number of redundant jobs at around 70,000 out of the 215,000 expected job cuts in that time frame.

The newspaper Die Welt commented: However, this gap (i.e., number of jobs lost) could be significantly larger if the development towards electro-mobility accelerates. ... This could happen above all if the climate targets currently planned at European level, are tightened up once again.

The purpose of the study is to provide reliable figures for Germanys major auto companies, first and foremost VW, Daimler and BMW, but also suppliers such as Bosch, Schaeffler and ZF, and provide in turn the basis for massive job cuts.

In this study we analyse how production value, gross value and employment in German industry are linked to combustion technology and are therefore affected by the transition from combustion engines to electric motors, the authors state in the explanatory note to the study. A key question is whether age-related employment turnover will be able to absorb the foreseeable changes.

The workers affected and their livelihoods appear in the report as anonymous and superfluous numbers. At stake are the many tens of thousands of previously secure and well-paid jobs which will be destroyed, taking into account age-related employment turnover, in order to ensure optimal profits in the transition from combustion to electric motors.

The study also emphasizes the economic importance of the German auto industry, which is still heavily dependent on the internal combustion engine. In total, around 613,000 persons were employed making manufactured products linked to internal combustion engines in 2019, the introduction states. They manufactured products worth more than 149 billion euros. In contrast, the value of vehicles with purely electric motors was around 3.1 billion euros, and plug-in hybrid vehicles 4.3 billion euros in 2019.

The study also shows, however, that the switch to electric mobility is not the only reason for the assault on jobs and working conditions. Auto companies have long been looking for a way to further increase rates of profit at the expense of workers.

The study found that the auto industry performed much worse between 2015 and 2019 than manufacturing as a whole. Particularly from 2016 onwards, value added in the automotive sector fell considerably. The report states, The difference in development compared to the manufacturing sector in 2019 amounts to 10.7 percentage points. Responsible for this decline in the years 2016 to 2019 are the category of products directly dependent on the combustion engine.

Already in this period, a clear development away from the combustion engine could be observedan indication of the pressure to innovate in the auto industry. At the same time, there is a massive need to catch up in the area of information and communication technology (ICT). This is related to the fact that, in addition to the electrification of motors, the digitalisation and networking of passenger cars also represent major challenges for the industry.

The study concludes that the transformation process in the German auto industry has already gained momentum ... especially with regard to product range. Employment in the affected product groups, on the other hand, is reacting much more slowly, and productivity in vehicle manufacturing has fallen.

The authors attribute this to the fact that parallel (and thus less efficient) structures had to be established during this period to meet current demand. At the same time, capacities for alternative motors were created, which are of fundamental importance for the future market.

These duplicate structures must now be dismantled as quickly as possible. If one compares the jobs affected at respective times with the share of newly registered electric vehicles, then between 29 and 36 percent of jobs would be surplus by 2025.

The coronavirus pandemic years 2020 and 2021 have vividly shown the ruthlessness with which auto companies are carrying out the so-called transformation process at the expense of their workforces. Daimler and VW, Continental, ZF and Bosch have already cut thousands of jobs and announced the elimination of tens of thousands more jobs.

At the same time, production in car plants was quickly restarted after a brief pause in the spring of 2020, despite the fact that the coronavirus was spreading through factories and schools, causing tens of thousands of deaths.

Germanys biggest trade union, IG Metall, and its affiliated works councils have explicitly supported the companies, agreeing to forfeit any wage increases and suppressing all opposition in the factories. As a result profits have soared, and shareholders have been able to celebrate.

The Daimler group alone made a profit of 6.6 billion euros in 2020. Its management promptly decided to top up shareholder dividend from 90 cents to 1.35 euros, forcing even the right-wing conservative paper F.A .Z. to express its astonishment. That isaccording to longstanding practicea 40 percent profit, for every share priced at 3.39 euros.  As a result, taxpayers money, which should secure employment and prevent bankruptcies, is being passed onto shareholders in the form of profit, according to Lena Kampen of the citizens movement Finanzwende in the F.A.Z.

IG Metall is playing a central role in this frontal attack on the workforce. It makes its apparatus of thousands of well-paid functionaries and works councillors available as partners, advisors and ultimate enforcers of corporate interests. In recent months and years, tens of thousands of workers have fallen victim to austerity measures that IG Metall helped to devise. With the active assistance of the unions works councils, workers have been stripped of their jobs as quietly as possible through severance agreements, partial retirements and redundancy payments.

It therefore comes as no surprise that IG Metall expressly supports the latest study by the employers association. On the webpage Schaeffler - IG Metall reports, the union points out it commissioned similar studies long ago and came to the same conclusions.

From IG Metalls point of view, the concerns raised by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) are justified, the union declares on its website. Already in 2012 and 2018, the studies ELAB and ELAB 2.0 on the effects of electro-mobility on employment in Germany had been prepared on the initiative of the union.

The second study was drawn up by the auto industry and major auto suppliers together with representatives of both employer and employees, including representation from Schaefflers joint and group works council. The result was similar to the current study by the VDA and the ifo Institute: Without support from industrial policy, 75,000 jobs in the German auto and auto supplier industry could disappear by 2030 in the event of the full electrification of motors.

IG Metall has been intimately involved in this restructuring process since 2010. It is a member of the National Platform for Electro-mobility (NPE), which was founded by the German government to bring together representatives from politics, business and the trade unions.

The unions website reads: Since the founding of the NPEin early 2010IG Metall has been involved in electro-mobility because it is clear that the transition from the combustion engine to electro-mobility will also have an impact on employment.

It advocates a strictly nationalistic economic course. It calls for all stages of production to be brought to Germanyincluding cell production, which has so far taken place in Asia, according to a report on an NPE conference in June 2015 on the unions website.

Another section is titled Regain technology leadership. It says: In order for Germany to advance in electro-mobility and for employees to participate, the entire value chain, from the production of batteries to the electric motor, must be located in this country. This is what IG Metall demands.

This nationalist policy, guided solely by the profit interests of the German auto companies, could have stemmed from the program of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). It aims at dividing workers in Germany from fellow workers in Asia, America and Europe to prevent a joint international struggle.

A successful struggle against the decimation of jobs and conditions in the auto industry means breaking decisively with the nationalist policy of IG Metall. The defence of all threatened jobs can only succeed if autoworkers unite independently of the union and their works councils as members of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC).
Last week, in a chilling act of political censorship, the Associated Press (AP) fired new staffer Emily Wilder over her pro-Palestinian positions while a student at Stanford University, and for posts on social media critical of the government of Israel.

Emily Wilder (Twitter/@vv1lder)

The decision to fire Wilder came after the Stanford chapter of the College Republicans launched an online campaign to discredit the newly hired journalist. The campaign garnered support from a slew of right-wing figures like Ben Shapiro, Robert Spencer, and Senator Tom Cotton, who all called for her removal.

Wilder had started working for the AP on May 3. Just two weeks later, the Stanford College Republicans posted on Facebook and Twitter claiming to have exposed a supposed anti-Israel bias on the part of the AP by hiring Wilder. The posts denounced Wilder as an anti-Israel agitator for her participation in demonstrations by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a Jewish activist group that is opposed to Zionism.

The so-called exposure by the College Republicans was merely sharing photos of Wilders own social media account where she expressed excitement to start in her position at the AP, images of her at a JVP demonstration, and a handful of social media posts where Wilder, who is Jewish, criticized the Birthright Israeli citizenship afforded to people of Jewish descent while Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homes.

In one such post, Wilder explained why she would be attending a protest of a Birthright fundraiser where billionaire Sheldon Adelson, Donald Trumps largest single donor, was a participant. Wilder wrote, Why do I #ReturnTheBirthright? Because Millions of Palestinian Refugees and their descendants cannot visit or return to their parents or grandparents homes while Israel, funded by bigots like Adelson, spends millions to bring and indoctrinate hundreds of thousands of young Jews on lands from which Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and displaced less than a lifetime ago. In the same post, Wilder went on to say that she rejects ethnic nationalism and dreams of an end to national borders.

The post by the College Republicans was subsequently shared by Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the right-wing editor of The Daily Wire Ben Shapiro, and the anti-Muslim racist Robert Spencer. Senator Cotton went so far as to insinuate that the AP was linked to Hamas. In a post that linked to an article on Wilders hire by the far-right Free Beacon, Cotton commented: Not a surprise from a media organization that shared office space with Hamas.

Earlier this month, the Israel Defense Forces launched airstrikes and destroyed the AP offices, among others, in Gaza, claiming that the building was housing Hamas. Both the AP and the owner of the destroyed building deny that Hamas ever had any operations in the building. Israel has provided no evidence to support the claim that Hamas was using the site.

Spencer posted his attacks on Wilder to his sickening Jihad Watch blog, where he accused the recent college grad of engaging in numerous activities in support of the genocidal Palestinian jihad and also promoted the lie that the AP has links to Hamas.

In a statement posted to her Twitter after she had been fired, Wilder addressed the right-wing campaign against her and APs decision to terminate her on political grounds. Wilder writes:

...the Stanford College Republicans launched a smear campaign against me, attempting to expose my already-public history of activism for Palestinian human rights at Stanford University. I was transparent with my editors, and they reassured me I would not face punishment. I was told my editors were only hoping to support me as I received an onslaught of sexist, antisemitic, racist, and violent comments and messages. Less than 48 hours later, the AP fired me.

The AP has been mostly silent on Wilders firing. The official reason given for her firing was Wilders supposed violation of their social media policy. No example of the alleged violation was given. Wilder commented in her statement, it appears they took it as an opportunity to make me a scapegoat.

Wilder concludes her statement saying that the experience has been heartbreaking. She added, I have to ask what kind of message this sends to young people who are hoping to channel righteous indignation or passion for justice into impactful storytelling. What future does it promise to aspiring reporters that an institution like the Associated Press would sacrifice those with the least power to the cruel trolling of anonymous bullies? What does it mean for this industry that even sharing the painful experiences of Palestinians or interrogating the language we use to describe them can be seen as irredeemably biased?

Finally, she writes, While the last few days have been overwhelming, I will not be intimidated into silence. I will be back soon.

The firing of Wilder and the silence on behalf of the Associated Press has provoked a firestorm of opposition from the public, as well as Wilders former colleagues. On Monday, employees of the Associated Press wrote an open letter denouncing Wilders firing and demanding an explanation.

The open letter states, in part:

Wilder was a young journalist, unnecessarily harmed by the APs handling and announcement of its firing of her. We need to know that the AP would stand behind and provide resources to journalists who are the subject of smear campaigns and online harassment. As journalists who cover contentious subjects, we are often the target of people unhappy with scrutiny. What happens when they orchestrate a smear campaign targeting another one of us? Interest groups are celebrating their victory and turning their sights on more AP journalists. They have routinely made journalists identities subject to attack. Once we decide to play this game on the terms of those acting in bad faith, we cant win.

The AP journalists go on to defend Wilder and explain that the firing calls into question basic rights and protection for journalists, writing: The lack of communication since then about Wilders firing and the circumstances surrounding it gives us no confidence that any one of us couldnt be next, sacrificed without explanation. It has left our colleaguesparticularly emerging journalistswondering how we treat our own, what culture we embrace and what values we truly espouse as a company.

They conclude calling for clarity into the disciplinary process used to fire Wilder, a forum to explain exactly what violates the social media policy, a commitment to defending staff that come under attacks from harassment campaigns, and for the creation of a committee to develop a new social media policy.

At the time of this writing, over 140 AP journalists around the world have signed the letter. Signers include correspondents in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Cairo, Los Angeles, Moscow, New Delhi, and several other cities. More signatures continue to be added every hour.

While the AP has yet to publicly address the letter, on Monday evening The Intercept published a leaked memo from the executive staff of the AP to the editorial staff which was clearly an attempt at damage control. The memo states that the executive staff will listen closely to concerns, and, of course, consider them, and that the decision to dismiss a member of the staff was a difficult one; we did not make it lightly.

The Intercept report notes that outgoing Associated Press Executive Editor Sally Buzbee, who is taking a position as the executive editor of the Washington Post starting June 1, did not sign the memo. According to The Intercepts AP staffer sources, Buzbee is attempting to distance herself from the controversy.

The firing of Wilder comes at a time of immense opposition to the one-sided war being waged against the population of Palestine. Over the past month, there have been major international demonstrations protesting the bombing of Gaza by Israel and the financing of the attacks by the United States.

The AP has cowardly conceded to the most right-wing and reactionary elements in the ruling class who hope to squash the outpouring of international support for Palestinians by means of censorship and intimidation. The attacks on Wilder must also be seen in the context of the ongoing persecution of anti-war journalists such as Julian Assange and whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. Julian Assange remains imprisoned in Belmarsh prison for exposing US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan and Snowden remains exiled in Russia with the threat of execution over his head should he return to the US.
After participating in limited rolling stopworks for the past three months, public mental health workers in the Australian state of Victoria are due to hold a state-wide stopwork on May 26 over their poor pay and conditions.

They will meet in Melbourne and march to parliament in support of an overdue enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA), having not taken industrial action since 2016.

They are seeking a 4 percent annual increase over the life of a four-year agreement, a one-off immediate pay increase to bring them in line with other health workers, recognition of current skills and qualifications, and other improvements to conditions.

Mental health worker speaking to an immigrant mother and her child. (Source: Australian Association of Social Workers)

Health workers everywhere must support their fight. The Socialist Equality Party warns that the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), which covers these workers, is seeking to let off steam and push through the demands of Premier Daniel Andrews state Labor government.

For months, the workers, including nurses, allied health workers, patient services assistants and administrative staff, have taken two-hour stopworks, put bans on certain paperwork, refused to work in unpaid breaks and outside normal working hours, and imposed bans on non-clinical duties.

They are in dispute with the Victorian Hospital Industry Association (VHIA) the industrial body representing the Andrews government, which has falsely claimed to be determined to repair the broken mental health system in Victoria.

Health workers everywhere are being driven to take action over conditions and wages. In Western Australia, mental health workers walked out in March over the disaster in child mental health services produced by staff shortages. In New Zealand, nurses are about to strike over the Ardern Labour governments wage freeze.

The mental health workers log of claims was submitted in February 2020 and has languished since then. HACSU called on the Andrews government to intervene in the bargaining process, but the governments hand was shown in last weeks state budget, which seeks to limit public sector wage rises to 2 percent.

The governments guaranteed public sector annual base increase will be cut from 2 percent to 1.5 percent, bringing it into line with the New South Wales Liberal-National government.

With the consumer price index forecast between 1.75 percent and 3.5 percent until mid-2023, a 1.5 percent cap means a real cut to wages.

Treasurer Tim Pallas claimed this was for the overall wellbeing of the community and so we can have the capacity to provide the appropriate resourcing for the services the community needs. That is the mantra of big business governments everywhere.

The wages cap shows the real attitude of the Andrews government to the entire public sector workforce, including teachers, nurses, paramedics and firefighters, who have worked under dangerous and onerous conditions as essential workers during the 20192020 bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has intensified the mental health crisis to an alarming degree, coming on top of a 60 percent rise in hospital emergency department presentations since 2008.

Last July-August, during the partial lockdown in Melbourne, there was a 33 percent increase in young people presenting to emergency departments for intentional self-harm compared to the same period in 2019. There was a 10 percent increase in adults presenting for intentional self-harm, a 19 percent increase for urgent and emergency mental health services, and an 11 percent increase in people contacting inpatient or residential program care.

There was also a 29 percent increase in mental health support by telephone, and clinical mental health services saw increased presentations from people who had not accessed their services in five years.

While politicians, both Labor and Liberal, may clap and laud health workers for PR purposes, their real outlook is exposed by the low pay and unbearable conditions in the public health system.

In 2014 both HACSU and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) helped bring Andrews to office as premier, despite his record as health minister in the Brumby Labor government of 20072010, when he tried to eliminate nurse-to-patient ratios.

HACSU has overseen the chronic understaffing of the public mental health system, with 350 positions unfilled by the 2018 election, in which it supported Labors re-election.

Since the 1990s, when mental health treatment was shifted from psychiatric to mainstream hospitals, the situation has only deteriorated as revealed by the recent Royal Commission into Victorias Mental Health System, which the government called to deflect the growing anger of staff and patients.

Over the past two years, HACSU and the ANMF have engaged in a divisive demarcation dispute over coverage of nurses working in hospital emergency hubs for patients suffering a mental health crisis or alcohol/drug addiction. This wretched turf war is a diversion from the burning issue: the appalling conditions facing all health workers.

An adult mental health nurse, Peter, told the WSWS: You cant go around and do normal activities of daily living, because youre responsible for half the medication of the ward.

In the end you miss out on your patients needs. Unfortunately, you dont get the opportunity to have a sit-down conversation with them. A lot of the work is observation People may harm themselves if we arent always monitoring them

If there is one person who is at high risk of hurting themselves or someone else, they need speciallingone staff member to be with them the whole time. But you have a floor with 30 to 40 people and sometimes there is only one staff member. It is not realistic.

When you come to work, tension is a given for a mental health nurse. At the end of the day youre there to help people, but sometimes you cant. There is high attrition. In nursing generally, many nurses with burn-out leave before they have done nine years.

Then there are a lot of people in mental health calling in sick... We havent got the resources that we need.

The mental health workers face a decisive fight against the Labor government and the trade unions, which work hand-in-glove with it. Their urgently needed demands can be taken forward only by wrenching this struggle out of the hands of the unions and building rank-and-file committees to directly oppose the cost-cutting program of the Andrews government.
Sixteen months after COVID-19 was first detected, what is the state of the global pandemic? Theres no end in sight. Worldwide, more than 12,000 people die from COVID-19 every day, with more than 500 deaths each day in the US. New studies estimate that upwards of 10 million people have lost their lives to the virus so far. More Americans have now died from COVID-19 than in all wars of the 20th century combined.

As the pandemic goes on and on, new and ever more contagious variants continue to evolve, appearing first in one part of the globe and quickly spreading to others. The latest is B.1.617.2, the Indian variant, which is now ripping through the United Kingdom, 4,000 miles from where it was first detected.

Michigan was ravaged this year by the B.1.1.7 variant, which first appeared in the UK. It spread like wildfire through schools and factories throughout the state, where workers and youth are packed like sardines into badly ventilated classrooms and work areas all dayideal conditions for an aerosolized virus like the coronavirus. Hospitals and emergency rooms across the state once again overflowed with COVID-19 patients, this time including record numbers of children.

Yet in Michigan and all over the world, the ruling elite is pretending that the pandemic is over and abandoning any remaining measures to contain it. In the US, the daily death and case counts are no longer reported on the nightly news. The CDC says there is no need for vaccinated people to wear masks indoors anymore, absurdly relying on the honor system, while children can sit three feet apart in schools. Governor Whitmer has opened the floodgates, allowing retailers, restaurants, stadiums and other venues to open at 50 percent capacity, with no intention of enforcing compliance.

While there is massive opposition among rank-and-file workers and teachers to these deadly policies, the official trade unions are dedicated to reopening everything no matter how high the body count. On the same day that the CDC suddenly announced the end of mask mandates, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten said that nothing should stand in the way of fully reopening our public schools this fall and keeping them open, because parents rely on schools, not only to educate their kids, but so they can work.

Weingarten let the cat out of the bag: The real reason schools must be opened is so that working parents can be sent back to work. If schools were allowed to close just because they are incubating a deadly virus, a subsidized income would have to be provided to parents so they can quarantine safely at home with their children until the pandemic is really over. But this is completely out of bounds as far as the ruling class is concerned, because at the same time that millions of workers have died from COVID-19, the rich have increased their wealth beyond comprehension.

In the first year of the pandemic, the worlds billionaires expanded their wealth by a staggering 60 percent in the greatest acceleration of wealth in history, according to Forbes magazine. Weingarten herself is a millionaire and takes home a base salary of roughly $500,000 per year, paid for by the union dues of rank-and-file teachers.

When the pandemic first emerged, the would-be fascist dictator Donald Trump was president of the United States. Many workers hoped that the administration of Democrat Joe Biden would bring with it a more rational response. Instead, the same unscientific policies and manipulation of the CDC continue.

The main difference between the Biden and Trump approaches to the pandemic is that while Trump sought to mobilize armed, fascistic forces against the shutdown of schools and nonessential production, Biden is instead attempting to use the unions to divide and conquer working class opposition. In particular, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a pseudo-left faction within the Democratic Party, has been mobilized to expand the grip of Bidens state-controlled unions and stop workers from building new, independent organizations of struggle.

But having long since been integrated into the state and the corporations they were formed to oppose, the rotten organizations still called unions have not led a struggle in 40 years and now act as junior partners in the exploitation of the working class. Far from representing a preferable alternative to Trump and the fascists, the unions repeated betrayals of workers struggles will only create the conditions for the growth of the far right.

Despite these efforts to contain the class struggle, at schools and workplaces across Michigan opposition to the ruling class response to the pandemic is emerging outside of and against the unions.

In Grosse Pointe, educators organized a wildcat sickout independently of their union after the school board ignored their pleas to reduce in-person learning. Autoworkers in Detroit have stopped the line and even walked out to protect themselves after workers tested positive on the job. Teachers across the state are retiring in record numbers, and so many autoworkers, retail workers and food service workers have refused to work in unacceptable conditions that these industries are complaining of a labor shortage.

We, the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, are fighting to unite this opposition of rank-and-file educators and workers in Michigan and take control of the response to the pandemic away from the ruling elites and into our own hands. We demand the following:

 Stop all nonessential production and provide full income to workers until the pandemic is really contained, and it is safe to return.

 Close all K-12 schools for in-person learning.

 Fully fund high-quality virtual learning, including high-speed broadband access for all and expert technical support to train and assist educators.

 Subsidize income for parents who choose to stay home with their children.

While opposing the reckless reopening of schools, we recognize that in many cases teachers are being forced back in. Under these conditions, we will continue to fight for school closures while demanding that the following safety measures be universally implemented:

 Masks must continue to be worn indoors. We oppose the CDCs unscientific lifting of the mask mandate.

 For the immediate modernization of HVAC systems for all schools.

 Nurses must be employed at every school and provided the resources to conduct daily testing of students, teachers and staff.

 Full and accurate reporting of all cases among students, staff and associated households, along with robust contact tracing.

 Paid sick time for all those infected with COVID-19 and for those caring for them.

 Resources for those suffering from COVID-19-related physical, mental and/or emotional trauma.

Moreover, we are taking the struggle of Michigan educators and workers to the next level by connecting them to rank-and-file committees across the US and internationally. The pandemic is a global crisis requiring a global response. There are more than enough resources in society to protect and provide for everyone until the pandemic is contained, but in order to use these resources in a rational way, which prioritizes lives over corporate profits, workers need to build mass organizations that they actually control and that are connected globally.

That is why we are affiliated with the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee network, which since its founding in August of 2020 has built committees of educators in Alabama, California, Canada, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. We are also connected to the Autoworkers Rank-and-File Safety Committee network, which has built committees at auto plants in Michigan, Indiana, and Virginia.

And we enthusiastically endorse the formation of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC). As David North said in his May Day speech calling for the formation of this international alliance, The aim of this global initiative is to develop a genuine broad-based movement of the international working class and to encourage workers in all countries to break out of the prison-like shackles in which they are confined by the existing state-controlled and antidemocratic unions, staffed by right-wing pro-capitalist executives.

The main lesson of the last year and a half is that putting an end to the pandemic requires that workers build new organizations of struggle. Join the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee today, and take up the fight for the political independence of the working class!

Greetings to workers struggles around the world

The Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee sends revolutionary greetings to all workers engaged in struggle across the US and around the world, and in particular the following:

 Three thousand Volvo workers in Dublin, Virginia, who, under the leadership of our affiliated Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee, are demanding a 25 percent wage increase and more in a struggle against the toilet paper contract proposed by the United Auto Workers union (UAW).

 Reinstate victimized London bus driver David OSullivan, who was sacked for upholding workers rights to health and safety during the pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 60 bus workers in London. OSullivan is a member of the London Bus Rank-and-File Committee, which is leading his defense campaign.

 Two thousand five hundred Nexteer autoworkers in Saginaw, Michigan, who are fighting against a similar sellout contract that the same UAW is attempting to ram through, amid suspicions of ballot rigging.

 One thousand three hundred steelworkers in Pennsylvania and other states, who have been on strike for more than eight weeks at Allegheny Technologies Inc (ATI), where the United Steel Workers (USW) union has presented them with a contract that includes wage cuts and the continuation of the hated two-tier system.

 Eleven hundred miners in Brookwood, Alabama, on strike for seven weeks to fight unsafe and abusive working conditions and restore previous pay cuts. The United Mine Workers union (UMW) has isolated the striking miners and forced them to fight alone against Warrior Met Coal and the Wall Street investors who run it.

 Seven hundred nurses in Worcester, Massachusetts who have been on strike fighting for safe staffing ratios at St. Vincent Hospital for more than 10 weeks. Their union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), is not providing them with strike pay.

Hands off Gaza! No to imperialist war!

The Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee unequivocally condemns the US-Israeli onslaught against the people of Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people in southeast Michigan alone have family members in the Middle East and are directly affected by these atrocities.

The efforts of the Biden administration to strengthen the grip of the state-controlled unions over the US working class are an essential part of its far advanced plans to force the population into another major war with rivals like China and Russia.

Just as the working class of the world must unite to stop the global pandemic, workers in the US must unite with their class brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Russia, China and all countries in a global fight against imperialist war and for social equality.
The World Socialist Web Site is publishing more statements from New Zealand, the UK, Australia and Canada in support of the Pike River Families Committee, representing 23 of the 29 families of the men who died in the 2010 Pike River coal mine disaster in New Zealand. The families are fighting to overturn the Labour Party-led governments decision to end an underground forensic investigation of the mine. The government aims to prevent the recovery and examination of evidence that could be used in criminal prosecutions of those responsible for the disaster.

More than a decade after the explosions at Pike River, no one has been brought to justice. Successive governments, union bureaucrats, and state agencies have protected the companys executives and managers, whose negligence turned the mine into a death trap. The WSWS urges readers around the world to read and share our statement, Justice for the 29 miners killed at New Zealands Pike River! and send messages of support for this crucial fight.

To read previously published statements of support, click here.

Crosses with miners helmets by a roadside on the West Coast of New Zealands South Island. (Credit: Richard Healey, Facebook)

Clare Shaw, New Zealand:

Theyre almost there, the Government needs to spend the last few millions and let the recovery team get beyond the blockage to see if they can recover any of the Pike 29 and gather more evidence for prosecution of the mine management. Minister Little not only should protect the living but also should see justice delivered to the memory of the Pike 29 who were killed in what should have been a safe workplace.

Tracey, New Zealand:

This just does not sit right with me. Everyone deserves the right to know what happened in the mine and hold people accountable. This was no accident and could happen again. We need answers. To the families, my love and prayers are with you all. May justice be served!

Sarah, New Zealand:

Do not seal this mine. Let the truth be told, those men deserve the truth and so do their families.

Mishae Atkinson, New Zealand:

They deserve justice and answers!!

Graham Lindsay, New Zealand:

With my condolences, I support this for all concerned.

Jess McCarroll, New Zealand:

Stop this cover up now - justice must be served for those 29 men & their families!!

Olivia Moir, New Zealand:

Signed.

Courtney McMahon, New Zealand:

We need to know the truth.

Eva Vlaanderen, New Zealand:

Stand with Pike.

Malcolm Campbell, UK:

We are the parents of Malcolm Campbell, one of the 29 miners.

Johannah Pollock, UK:

My friends son is 12ft from where they have dug to so far. To stop now and leave any chance of justice buried is just cruel. They know the cost is less than what has been publicised and is a drop in the ocean for the government. What cost loved ones peace of mind?

Kelly, UK:

Give these poor families the answers & justice they need. Keep trying. 10 years of turmoil then to just shut it all down is cruel. Justice for the men of Pike River x

John McGlade, UK:

Please have a proper inquiry into this disaster as its the least you can do to get justice for the men lost and their families. Dont get a reputation like the UK government because if you do you will not be trusted. Do the right thing.

Martin Taylor, UK:

There should be no price on finding the truth. The investigation into the causes of the explosion must continue. The families need closure and justice. If the company has broken the law, those responsible need to be held to account.

All genuine workplace accidents need investigating to learn lessons, to prevent future loss of life or injury.

Carole Cameron, UK:

Politics and money should never get in the way of finding out the truth when so many innocent lives were taken. The families of the 29 are the living who all deserve justice for their loved ones.

David Webster, UK:

New Zealand government: Lets do the right thing for these miners and their families and stop stalling. To use finance as an excuse is deplorable especially considering the money wasted by governments every year on self promotion and furthering their own ends.

Alan Johnson, UK:

Put right this injustice for these miners and their families please.

Pat Fowler, UK:

Please support these miners families & demand an inquiry.

Andrew Davis, UK:

Justice for miners.

Rob Conway, UK:

Investigate the Pike River disaster.

Janet Browning, Canada:

This cover up is criminal and I roundly condemn it. The company, the union bureaucrats and the social democratic government of NZ must be stopped. The world working class is watching and supporting the Pike River mine workers families and the ICFI's campaign for justice for these workers whose blood was shed unnecessarily for corporate profit! Workers of the world, UNITE! Stop these attacks on workers! Expropriate the mines and all the means of production and put them under the democratic control of the workers!

Margaret Rees, Australia:

The cover up which has proceeded into the Pike River disaster has to be opposed. The families have fought determinedly to obtain justice for their loved ones, whose lives were sacrificed in the interests of private profit. Workers throughout the world should support their fight, which represents a struggle against corporate interests, government, and unions who are all complicit, and the pseudo left who have remained silent on this critical question.

Steven Pollock, Australia:

To the Pike River Families Committee:

I wholeheartedly support and am fighting for, around the world, your demand that the Pike River mine be re-opened and the necessary excavations carried out to recover the bodies of the 29 miners and establish the cause of the mining disaster of 2010. This is an urgent question for miners and workers internationally as, just recently, the New Zealand Labour Party-Greens government, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has said it is set to begin preparations to seal up and abandon the mine site as early as next week. This cover up must be exposed to millions around the world.

Workers everywhere must come to the defense of the Pike River Families Committee, it is a life and death question for the working class worldwide.

Christine Griffin, Australia:

The Families of the Deceased Miners deserve the respect of having their loved ones found. Or at least have closure by finding out as much as they can. They are so close now. They must NOT seal the Pike River Mine until all resources are exhausted. Bring The Boys Home for a decent Burial. No One on this Earth should Suffer as these Families have. God Bless them all.

Anna Nolan, Australia:

This has gone in too long, the Government need to step in again and get justice for the families by not sealing the mine until further investigations have been held.

Anthony Byrne, Australia:

This is not Victorian England!! Obviously numerous safety shortfalls have been identified and those responsible need to be held to account. This cannot be ignored.

Darren Owen, Australia:

Imagine if it was your family.

Troy Pegler, Australia:

Give the families some peace and justice for what shouldnt have happened.
This is the second part in a two-part series. Read part one.

While much of the manic rise in Teslas share values is driven by speculation, there is another basis for the companys money-makingthe brutal exploitation of its workforce.

The World Socialist Web Site recently spoke at length with a former Tesla worker who has documented the deeply exploitative and highly unsafe working conditions from his time at the companys flagship production facility in Fremont, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have changed the workers name to Howard in this article to protect his identity.

At the end of 2016, Howard began his new job at Tesla in the metal finishing department of the Fremont plant, optimistic at having secured a position at the much-celebrated company. Over the next three years he would experience relentlessly long hours and callous indifference to worker safety and management harassment, culminating in his termination in 2019 after getting injured on the job.

Tesla was playing fast and loose with worker safety from the very beginning of his employment. Instead of being provided careful training and given a review of safety checklists before being put on the line, all of Howards training was hands-on-only. On my first day I was stacking parts coming off the 5A line and on the second, working a dual-action sander until my wrists were throbbing in pain.

The same negligent management attitude toward safety persisted throughout his time at Tesla. About four months before I was fired, they laid off a bunch of workers and started reassigning those of us left throughout the factory, Howard said. My team got put on the small parts press 3A. There was only one worker actually trained on it who knew how to adjust the belt height for differently sized parts, but he was working on a different line. Without adjustments the belt could launch these pieces of metal right at you, as you can see in the video, and theres no real protection.

Video from Fremont factory

According to Business Insider, from 2017 through 2019, Tesla was cited by Cal/OSHA for 45 safety violations and received $277,955 in associated fines related to vehicle manufacturing, more than all the Detroit Big Three automakers combined, which themselves have increasingly undermined workplace safety with the assistance of the United Auto Workers union. In the same period, General Motors, logged six violations and $22,411 in fines; Ford had 18 and $90,162; or Fiat Chrysler, 23 and $90,797.

Safety problems werent just from a lack of training, Howard explained. They placed the station where we clocked in and out within three feet of this huge crane battery, right next to stacks of part palettes and an active forklift lane. You had to step over the caution tape on the ground just to punch in. Wed always joke whether today was the day wed get crushed by a palette or hit by an arc coming off the battery. We tried using other stations to clock in, but our supervisor insisted that this was his idea and we had to use that station.

A forklift left running while loaded

The entire situation with forklifts was a mess. They gave us training that consisted of driving an empty bin and stacking it on another. Then they gave us the answers for the written test, and we were certified. But we werent driving empty bins around, theyd have us double and even triple-stack them with these metal part bins. When you were overloading them like that it was easy to fall over while making a turn, but we were always told to go fast and make quota.

Forklifts are legally required to be inspected at the beginning of each shift and if any significant safety issues are found, they must be taken out of service. Nothing at the Fremont plant was organized like that, Howard said. No one inspected the forklifts. You can see in the pictures those frayed battery cables. It was also a free-for-all. If you needed to move a palette you just grabbed the closest forklift and took it. People left them running unattended all the time.

A frayed forklift battery cable

Howard described widespread homelessness among Tesla employees. When I started working at Tesla, I was sleeping in the parking lot. A lot of people parked their RVs in the Walmart parking lot next door. There was also the loft in the factory with couches. About 20 people would just sleep there every night.

Tesla factory workers, or production associates, make about $20 an hour according to Glassdoor.com. With a 40-hour work week, 50 weeks a year, this amounts to $40,000 a year or $3,300 a month, barely enough to cover the rent of a two-bedroom apartment in Fremont, where the factory is located.

The chaotic environment created a multitude of problems and dangers. The attitude of management was an accident wasnt an accident as long as you cleaned it up before anyone noticed. So, if you dropped a sheet of metal on the ground with all the oil and dirt, it didnt matter. Pick it up and toss it in the press. Then when parts started coming out with defects, theyd have us climb in the stacks of palettes looking for other defective pieces. It didnt matter if you wore protective sleeves or how careful you are, digging through that pressed metal youd get cut.

Some of the part stacks workers were asked to climb through looking for defects.

Those palettes werent designed for climbing either. They were supposed to interlock to form a steady structure but most of the time they didnt. I remember one time I was standing near a stack and a nearby forklift unbalanced it. It started tilting like it was going to fall and I thought I guess this is how I die. Luckily, the driver regained control. Another time, a forklift driver managed to knock over a whole set of those stacks like dominoes, and if we had been looking for defects at the time, that would be it.

This narrative suggests a multitude of violations of safety regulations and training requirements, and a blatant disregard by Tesla management for the well-being of workers.

In contrast to the dangerous practices described by Howard, typical forklift safety standards (although far from being universally enforced at other workplaces) include ensuring only balanced and secured loads are operated, maintaining safe speeds and distances, never allowing vehicles to be left unattended and running unless the wheels are blocked, and not allowing trucks to be driven near anyone standing in front of a fixed object such that the person could be caught between the truck and object (like placing an active forklift lane next to a clock-in station).

Howard also described an abusive work environment and an insidious cult of personality promoted around Elon Musk by management. Some of the managers would really push this creepy cult around Elon Musk. One of them would point to the cameras in the factory and say, Elons watching or He can read your emails. The desired goal was to speed the f**k up. Were worried that if were not working hard enough, this little tyrant is going to come over.

Musk himself, Howard said, is a demagogue who surrounds himself with yes men. All the talk of his intelligence, no, hes got a lot of money, and hes got people around him who want to make money and get his stuff done.

Managers also acted like royalty. Theyd call a team meeting and be late, but if you went back to the line after 10 minutes and they showed up, theyd start screaming at you.

The company would prey on whatever emotion or angle they can to get the most out of you. Saying how good it was to work to Tesla. It gets really tiring really fast, but it worked on me for a while.

Howard said supervisors would respond hostilely if workers pointed out safety problems, with the common refrain being, Hey, why are you preventing us from meeting our targets? Why are you taking money out of our mouths? Its just guilt trip after guilt trip.

They set things up so that if they wanted you gone, they could find a reason. Like clocking in. They had one station for our shift of 70 people. If you clocked in a minute late, they could write you up. If you clocked in too early, they could write you up. The whole thing was just so theyd have a reason to punish anyone they wanted to.

Tesla is leading the charge in the worst kind of way. Theyre an innovator, but theyre an innovator in psychological terror.

While Tesla currently produces a relatively small proportion of the automobiles manufactured in the US, it has a disproportionate share of workplace inspection cases among automobile manufacturers. These cases are primarily opened following a workplace accident or complaint. A search of all federal and state program OSHA inspection data involving the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for automobile manufacturing since the beginning of the year shows there have been 50 inspection cases opened. Tesla accounts for 12 of these inspections, or 24 percent.

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), commonly referred to as Cal/OSHA, has several ongoing inspection cases involving Tesla, the most recent was opened on May 5, related to an accident at a factory in Lathrop, California, about 50 miles east of the Fremont plant.

This also does not account for numerous incidents at other Tesla operations, such as battery manufacturing plants in Nevada. The Reno Gazette Journal recently published an expose that details the influence of Tesla over the Nevada state government and OSHA program following repeated accidents where workers had their fingers crushed.

The fact is that OSHA and related agencies nominally tasked with regulating workplace safety are beholden to the corporations. Even when egregious violations of safety regulations are found leading to death or serious injury, they often lead to nothing more than token fines, which are often waived on appeal.

In September of 2020, the federal OSHA issued its first COVID-19-related citations against the meat packing industry, after more than six months of inaction during which time 18,000 workers were infected and at least 203 died. The fines levied against JBS and Smithfield Foods totaled less than $30,000, or less than $2,500 per worker who died at the two plants that received citations. In 2019, after Cal/OSHA became aware that Tesla was routinely under reporting annual counts of workplace injuries, which are considered an important metric for assessing injury rates at worksites and across industry sectors, the state agency levied just a $400 fine against the company.

After Tesla reopened its Fremont factory in May 2020in open defiance of county public health ordinancesstate and county Democratic Party officials, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, gave Tesla free rein for its unsafe reopening plan.

This callous willingness to endanger human life to meet production targets is a major reason that Teslas stock is now soaring.

The case of Tesla demonstrates once again that workers rights to a healthy and safe work environment is incompatible with a system the subordinates the needs of the worlds working class to the profit interests of a handful of ultra-wealthy oligarchs. If the major automakers get their way, the transition to electric vehicles will bring the horrific conditions facing Tesla workers to the rest of the auto industry.

The WSWS urges workers at Tesla to contact us to discuss initiating rank-and-file safety committees, democratically controlled by workers themselves, and completely independent of and hostile to the Democrats, Republicans and trade unions such as the UAW, which itself functions as a bought and paid for tool of corporate management.

Rank-and-file committees, which have been initiated at a number of major plants, including the Volvo Truck plant in Virginia where workers recently overwhelmingly voted down a UAW sellout contract, will form lines of communication with like-minded workers across the auto industry and among their brothers and sisters in other sections of the working class. These rank-and-file committees must ultimately be linked with an international network to coordinate the fight for workers rights in the US and across the globe. To that end, the International Committee of the Fourth International, which publishes the WSWS, has initiated the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC).

These new workers organizations, in contrast to the pro-corporate trade unions, are taking as their starting point what workers really need, and not the profit imperatives of Tesla and billionaire oligarchs such as Musk. For Tesla workers to secure a safe workplace, sufficient pay and benefits, along with every other democratic and social right, the wealth of the corporate and financial elite must be expropriated and redirected to the working class, and the auto industry placed under workers collective control and ownership, as part of the struggle for socialism.
In recent weeks, far-right mobster Sedat Peker has released videos making detailed allegations of ties between the mafia and the Turkish political establishment. It is shaking President Recep Tayyip Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, already discredited by its politically criminal record in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Far right mobster Sedat Peker (Credit: Sedat Peker YouTube channel).

Peker began issuing these videos after the AKP launched police raids on April 9 to arrest members of his gang, detaining 52 people. The AKP also issued an Interpol order to arrest Peker, who has lived in Germany and the Balkans and is now reportedly exiled in Dubai. He claims that in his flight from Turkey, he had the blessing of Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who briefly offered to resign in April 2020 amid mounting public anger at his ministrys mishandling of the pandemic.

Social anger is reaching explosive levels among workers, and Pekers accusationswhich are plausible, as he is a high-ranking insider, and the Turkish ruling elite is well known to be hopelessly entangled in official corruption and organized crimehave circulated widely. His videos posted to social media have already received over 50 million views. The liberal Gazete Duvar went so far as to promote Peker, claiming that he seems to have already become an icon of protest.

In reality, while it is in the nature of operations launched from the criminal underworld that their political origins and goals are initially obscure, one thing is clear: Peker is neither a whistleblower nor speaking as a friend of the working class.

Convicted in 2007 of crimes, including abduction and forgery, and later of forming an armed terrorist organization in the 2013 Ergenekon trials, Peker is part of the milieu of fascistic mafia syndicates he claims to be exposing. Moreover, he helped organize NATO operations in the war in Syria and has boasted of close ties to US officials. He is not an opponent of the policy of boosting capitalists profits at the expense of lives, by keeping open schools and nonessential workplaces amid the mass spread of the virus.

In his first videos, Peker attacked Mehmet Agar, who was interior minister in 1996 amid a spate of extrajudicial state murders against the banned Kurdish-nationalist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Agar, who still has close ties to the AKP, came under suspicion of ties to drug cartels at that time. Peker claimed Agar owned five tons of drugs seized while en route from Colombia to Turkey and protected the factory in Izmir, which was to handle the drug shipment. He also alleged that Agar seized the marina of an Azeri businessman, and that his son, AKP deputy Tolga Agar, raped a Kyrgyz woman who was later found dead in her home.

Pekers later videos won a broader hearing by targeting AKP ministers, especially Soylu and Erdogans son-in-law, former Finance Minister Berat Albayrak. Addressing Soylu, Peker said: Wasnt it you who gave me my police guard? Wasnt it you who extended the duty term of the police guard? He is now intimidating me. He added, Didnt you turn me against Mr. [Berat] Albayrak? Didnt you say, I dont govern Istanbul, Berat does. They are preparing a file on Sedat Peker. I will inform you if there is anything dangerous.

In what appears to be an attempt to protect Erdogan, he added: Everyone knows you are undermining Mr. Erdogan.  You have surrounded big brother Tayyip, you have cut his contact with the world, saying that the country is growing and all.

The bourgeois opposition parties, unsurprisingly, have criticized the AKP. Republican Peoples Party (CHP) leader Kemal Klcdaroglu accused it of allowing Peker to escape Turkey: Didnt they know how guilty Sedat Peker was when he was going abroad? They knew. Did they give him a passport? Yes. Was he sent abroad? Yes. Mithat Sancar, co-chair of the Kurdish nationalist Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), demanded a parliamentary investigation.

The hypocrisy of these criticisms is apparent from the CHPs alliances with the HDP and the far-right Good Party, a splitoff of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) linked to the Grey Wolves. Good Party leader Meral Aksener briefly called Pekers accusations dire and a complete disgrace. However, Aksener served as interior minister from 1996-97 and is a former MHP leader. Indeed, Peker complained in one video that Soylu made me an enemy of Sister Meral.

What emerges from these accusations, in the aftermath of the historically unprecedented January 6 coup attempt by Donald Trump on the Capitol in Washington D.C., is the universal degradation of capitalist rule. All factions of the bourgeoisie in Turkey, deeply tied to imperialism and hostile to the workers, are connected to far-right mafia circles and incapable of establishing democratic rule. Their political criminality has been starkly exposed by the unanimous hostility of the Turkish bourgeois parties towards a scientific social distancing policy during the pandemic.

To assess the context in which Pekers operation is unfolding, one must recall that NATO recently supported a failed coup in July 2016 aiming to topple and murder Erdogan in retaliation for the AKPs pursuit of closer economic ties with Moscow and Beijing. Moreover, in December 2019, while he was still running as a presidential candidate, US President Joe Biden provocatively denounced Erdogan as an autocrat and pledged to seek his ouster.

While Biden felt compelled to publicly deny that he was calling for a coup, he nonetheless made his views clear. Biden called for a very different approach to [Erdogan] now, making it clear that we support opposition leadership.  He has to pay a price. Biden called on opposition parties to be able to take on and defeat Erdogan. Not by a coup, not by a coup, but by the electoral process.

In this context, it is significant that Soylu, currently the main target of Pekers videos, defended Erdogan and denounced Washington during the 2016 coup. Soylu, who was labor minister at the time, publicly declared: The United States is behind the coup. A month later, Erdogan named Soylu interior minister to run Turkeys internal police machine.

Soylu has responded to Pekers videos by bitterly denouncing them as a political operation. For months, I had been expecting that such a scenario would come to pass. This mafia jerk, who is operations personnel in the hands of certain individuals, has hurt so many people with threats and blackmail in this country. He called on Peker to return to Turkey to face prosecution.

He also attacked the bourgeois opposition, addressing Peker and saying, You have an elder brother like Kemal Klcdaroglu, anyhow. Soylu also alleged, implausibly, that the PKK supports Peker, a member of criminal far-right networks with a long record of violence against the Kurds.

Soylu is a widely hated right-wing figure, but the allegation that Peker is linked to NATO intelligence operations is no less credible than Pekers own allegations.

Peker has made no secret of his ties to Washington. In 2015, he helped the AKP send supplies to Islamist Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels in Syria. He boasts of this in his videos, showing his handwritten notes recording weapons sent to Syria. In October 2016, shortly after the failed NATO-backed coup against Erdogan, Peker said, In the early 2000s, I had a formal meeting with US embassy officers, CIA and DEA agents in the royal office of the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul.

The precise relation between Pekers videos and the NATO powers foreign policy operations remains unclear, however, particularly as his violent hostility to Kurdish nationalism somewhat cuts across US foreign policy, which has used Kurdish nationalist militias as proxies in Syria and Iraq. After the 2016 coup, he also helped the Turkish government send supplies to FSA forces while they were fighting US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

In 2016, Peker was acquitted in a trial for threatening the Academics for Peace coalition, who circulated statements opposing Turkish military operations against the PKK. Peker publicly told the group, which had over 1,000 members, We will shed your blood and swim in it!

Whatever uses the various imperialist or capitalist factions will seek to make of Pekers allegations, the decisive question is the independent and international mobilization of the working class. Only this force can impose a rational, scientifically guided policy against the COVID-19 pandemic and oppose the bloody legacy of imperialist wars and intrigue in the Middle East based on the unification of the working class in revolutionary struggle on a socialist program.
The University of Newcastle Students Association (UNSA) is currently holding a series of campus meetings, at which top university executives are being provided with a platform to justify sweeping cuts to staff jobs and courses.

Part of the May 12 UNSA-management meeting (WSWS media)

The UNSA campaign is one of the most graphic expressions of the role played by student unions across the country over the past year. They have worked closely with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), which covers academics and university staff, to stifle widespread opposition to a sweeping pro-business restructuring of the tertiary sector, accelerated by the pandemic.

The NTEU has struck regressive enterprise agreements at a host of universities, providing for the destruction of jobs and major cuts to conditions. By its own estimate, some 90,000 university positions were eliminated in 2020. The student unions, primarily led by representatives of the Labor Party, have echoed the management-union justifications for these attacks, while doing everything they can to prevent the emergence of a movement of students in defence of education.

The situation is particularly stark at the University of Newcastle, where UNSA has volunteered to play the role of a management public relations agency.

Leading representatives of the student association have made only a handful of mealy-mouthed statements since management announced a major restructure last August. They have bemoaned its impact on students and the broader Newcastle area in regional New South Wales (NSW). But UNSA has not organised a single action against the overhaul, or even pretended to be waging a campaign against it.

Instead, it has allowed management to press ahead. UNSA, together with the NTEU, did nothing but call for greater consultation as the university began implementing a course optimisation program at the end of last year. It is eliminating some 530 of 2,200 subjects, eight undergraduate degrees and 14 postgraduate degree programs, suspending four postgraduate degree programs in creative industries and consolidating five faculties into three. Management is also proceeding with plans to destroy at least 120 jobs, while threatening 400 more, as part of a bid to save some $35 million per year.

Now, with the impact of the regressive changes already being felt, UNSA has stepped in, calling five management consultation sessions and promoting them among students.

A UNSA email, announcing the first of the sessions on May 12, was indistinguishable from a management press release. It noted that the current change process that the University is undertaking, i.e., the decimation of entire departments and mass sackings, has been the cause of some concern and anxiety for our members. The meetings would be a fantastic opportunity to ask questions and respectfully voice any concerns you have.

UNSA is collaborating with the highest levels of university management. The forums have been addressed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Mark Hoffman, along with senior leaders from the Colleges.

The promotion of Zelinsky is particularly notable. He was installed as vice-chancellor in November 2018 to oversee continuous restructuring, of which the current cuts are only the latest expression.

Zelinsky is a prominent political figure. He was Australias Chief Defence Scientist from 2012 to 2018, when he collaborated closely with Labor and Liberal-National governments in a military build-up, including a major expansion of defence research on university campuses.

Zelinsky has been a leading figurehead of the nationwide assault on higher education. Last month, he was featured in the Australian Financial Review, where he called for an acceleration of the corporatisation of universities, including through greater research commercialisation, which would compel academics to develop marketable products and services.

At the May 12 meeting, UNSA representatives did not differentiate in the slightest from this representative of big business, or from management as a whole. Luka Harrison, UNSAs president, along with Jessica Philbrook, the unions vice-president of welfare and wellbeing presided.

Harrison introduced the speakers, before instructing students that they would have to adhere to the universitys code of conduct. He expressed his hope that students would find the answers they are looking for, which would address their anxiety, stress and concerns.

Zelinsky praised the UNSA executives for taking the leadership and organising this discussion today. The forum, he said, meant that students were involved in the decision making. Zelinsky proceeded to insist that the university had no alternative but to implement sweeping cuts, partly as a result of the substantial drop-off in international student numbers during the pandemic.

During a question and answer period, students voiced their hostility to the restructure, and asked for further information about its impact on different areas of the university. Philbrook stepped in to block any concrete discussion of the slated job cuts, insisting that it was necessary to respect the confidentiality of the backroom discussions between management and the NTEU for a new enterprise agreement.

In other words, students learnt nothing new from the briefing. Its sole purpose was to give Zelinsky an opportunity to justify the cuts, provide a fig leaf of consultation as the restructure proceeds, and promote the fraud that management will listen to student concerns.

Throughout the overhaul, the UNSA and NTEU have made limited criticisms of aspects of the restructure. But the NTEU has repeatedly declared its willingness to countenance measures that are proportionate to the universitys broader financial issues. The forums are themselves the outcome of appeals from the NTEU and UNSA for greater consultation over the cuts, by which they mean collaboration between management and the unions.

The UNSA has already made clear the content of such consultation. Last August, Harrison told the Newcastle Herald that the UNSA sympathise[d] with the university, i.e., management. Repeating almost verbatim Zelinskys line, he complained that the tertiary sector had been more or less abandoned by the federal government during the pandemic. If the federal government provided adequate support for universities, the University of Newcastle would not be in this situation.

It is undoubtedly true that the federal government is overseeing the onslaught on higher education. But the university managements are hardly idle bystanders in this process, as Zelinskys record makes clear. Harrisons comments, moreover, accepted entirely the framework of management. There was no suggestion of a struggle by students for free, high-quality university education, only of greater subsidies to the university management, which Zelinsky has said should be directed toward research commercialisation.

Harrisons reference to the current Liberal-National government alone was aimed at covering up the protracted and bipartisan onslaught on education. The UNSA president is an NSW Young Labor executive. He would thus prefer not to discuss Labors record. This included the abolition of free university education in the 1980s, a major deepening of the corporatisation of the sector under the Rudd-Gillard governments, and the introduction of the largest ever cut to university funding, when $2.3 billion was slashed in 2013.

The UNSA forums are a united front of management, the NTEU, the student unions, Labor, and the Greens, directed against students and staff.

The University of Newcastle International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) club is the only political organisation on campus opposing the restructure and fighting to mobilise students against it.

The IYSSE, the youth wing of the Socialist Equality Party, fights for the unity of students and staff across Australia and internationally, in opposition to the corporatised unions, which everywhere have become an arm of management. It defends the social right of all young people to high-quality, free public education, including at the tertiary level.

The IYSSE advances a socialist perspective, which rejects the subordination of the universities to the dictates of the corporate and financial elite. Billions of dollars must be allocated to education, as well as health, instead of the endless subsidies to big business and the massive sums being provided to the military. This requires the fight for a workers government and socialism, the reorganisation of society to meet social need, not the profits of the corporate oligarchy.
Management at the Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) coffee producing factory in Banbury, Oxfordshire, are determined to continue with the fire and rehire on inferior terms of almost 300 workers.

On May 17, JDE announced that this was the last day for their 291 employees to sign the new contracts and that 12-week dismissal notices would be sent out the following day. A company spokesman said: As part of the S188 legal process, the final sign up date with regard to the proposals is on May 17, 2021. This follows five weeks of full time, informal discussions with the union, a 45-day formal consultation and five weeks of individual consultations with impacted associates.

The companys intention to continue with its plan for mass firings was reported in the Banbury Guardian, a local newspaper. Instead of alerting his members to the gravity of the situation they faced, Unite union national officer for the food industry Joe Clarke, in a May 20 Unite press statement, reemphasised the unions priority of working out a deal with management: Before the dispute escalates throughout the summer and production grinds to a snails pace, the management needs to sit down with Unite to chart a constructive way forward.

JDE workers on the picket line on the first day of the strike (credit WSWS media)

Even the limited industrial action so farconsisting of two 24-hour strikes and a ban on overtime that began on May 1is costing JDE 50,000 an hour. There is speculation that heavy production losses could lead to a shortage of coffee brands produced at JDE, including Kenco, L'OR, Tassimo and Douwe Egberts. According to Clarke, the union estimated that strikes have so far lost the firm 600 tonnes in production which is the equivalent to six million jars of coffee or 300 million cups of coffee and inflicted a financial loss currently running at 18 million.

Every Saturday since strikes started on May 1, well attended demonstrations supported by the public have been held alongside the picket lines. On the May 15 protest it was noted that management had covertly filmed protesters and their families, including their childrena practice thought to be in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and that could be used to identify workers for future reprisals like blacklisting.

This is just the latest action by management to try to intimidate its workforce. Managers have already pressured individuals to accept the new contracts and threatened them with bans on summer holidays.

Industrial action is set to continue with a further 72-hour strike from Wednesday.

Ahead of the strike, Unite did everything to try to avoid it. The Banbury Guardian reported Monday evening that management and Unite officials had spent all that day in negotiations that had been sanctioned the previous week. The newspaper understood that Jacobs Douwe Egberts were to make proposals to Unite the Union over postponing issuing of 'fire and rehire' notices. It appears industrial action will continue as planned if JDE refuses to remove the fire and rehire threat. It is thought each side is considering the proposals and that JDE will be consulting its senior leadership in Amsterdam. The newspaper noted, Union officials wanted clear commitments that the fire and rehire notices would not be served on staff later, if Wednesday's strike were to be abandoned as proposed.

On Tuesday, it was reported that talks had failed and the strike would go ahead after the company refused to remove notices to dismiss the workforce.

Jacobs Douwe Egberts is part of the vast transnational enterprise JDE Peets, the worlds largest coffee and tea producer, with 19,000 employees in 30 countries and a supply chain across more than 100 countries.

Despite increasing production by 9.1 percent and operating profits to 933 million (net profits 367 million) during the pandemic, JDE Peet's intends to extract major concession from the Banbury workforce by restructuring production operations, introducing unsocial shift patterns, slashing conditions such as overtime rates and introducing unpaid breaks. Workers stand to lose up to 12,000 a year. Also planned is the termination of the defined benefit pension scheme and its replacement by an inferior scheme in July, which is estimated will cost workers far more and saving JDE millions of pounds a year.

In March last year, JDE Banbury Plant Director Rob Williams announced the firms intention to sack the workforce and re-employ them on worse pay and conditions. He threatened, Many of our shift patterns and processes have not changed in decades which means some modernisation is essential if we are to ensure coffee manufacturing stays in Banbury for years to come.

The firm has utilised the pandemic to press its demands, with Williams quoted in the Banbury Guardian in March as saying, there is an overwhelming need for change because our UK manufacturing operations are not competitive compared to our external UK competition and internal JDE factories.

Job losses have already been imposed at JDEs research and development (R&D) Unit. Last January, the Banbury Guardian reported that the section used to employ some 150 staff but that this has already been reduced to around 100 through a process of natural wastage. It reported JDEs plans for roughly another 60 R&D redundancies and that the remaining 40 jobs may be moved to the Netherlands and Malaysia.

JDEs action is part of an international wave of attacks on the jobs and living conditions of workers. Major companies are using the pandemic to restructure production and intensify exploitation. In Britain, companies are favouring the fire and rehire tactic, a procedure that is illegal in most European countries. Billion-pound corporations like British Airways, Tesco and British Gas have successfully employed at least the threat of fire and rehire to impose the exploitative conditions they want on their workforces.

The latest attack on workers conditions using a fire and rehire threat was concluded last week at the Go North West bus company in Manchester, following an 11-week strike. Go North West is owned by another giant transnational, Go-Ahead.

As explained by the World Socialist Web Site, Go North West did not have to carry out its threat to fire its nearly 400-strong bus driver workforce as it was able to reach a deal with Unite to get what it wantedincluding the introduction of unpaid meal breaks, a longer working day leading to job losses, and compulsory overtime if a bus runs late. At the outset of talks with Go North West, before it ever called a strike ballot, Unite offered the company 1 million in cuts from its members terms and conditions, plus a one-year pay freeze worth a further 200,000 to the company.

All Go North West had to do to get these concessions was to agree to withdraw the threat of fire and rehire and allow the union to fraudulently claim a huge victory. Unite has still not publicly released any of the contents of the rotten agreement.

Unite is using its victory at Go North West as part of its corporatist campaign to have the fire and rehire Section 188 legislation repealed, and the practise made illegal. They have pitched this toothless endeavour to the Tory government with stunts like sending boats down the Thames, manned by union bureaucrats and handful of Labour MPs, during the Queens Speech. With sellouts of workers such as those imposed at British Airways, SAICA, SPS Technologies, and now Go North West, the union bureaucracy is doing all it can to convince big business it does not need such legislation to impose its diktatsnot when the unions are specialists in acting as the corporatist arm of the employers to lower pay, cut terms and conditions and facilitate job losses.

Workers at JDE must learn the lessons of these disputes and understand the sellout implications of Unites overarching demand that JDE take the fire and rehire threat off the table in order to chart a constructive way forward.

To defend their pay, terms, conditions and livelihoods, JDE workers must break with Unite and organise their fightback independently of the trade union apparatus. This requires the formation of rank-and-file committees and making contact with JDE Peets workers internationally to carry out a unified offensive to secure the livelihoods of workers and not the profits of JDE Peets super-rich shareholders.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - It's still not clear when groundbreaking will happen on a new casino in Terre Haute.

The Indiana Gaming Commission discussed the project during a Tuesday afternoon meeting.

We've told you the casino is expected to be built on the east side of Terre Haute. Not too far from the I-70 and State Road 46 interchange.

On Tuesday, the commission tabled two things. It tabled approval of Lucy Luck's financing plan for the casino. It also tabled the renewal of the gaming licenses in Terre Haute and Gary.

The Gary casino will operate on an interim basis.

The commission said operator 'Lucy Luck' had missed deadlines for documentation. But recently, the commission did receive the management agreement with Hard Rock.

The commission also said a groundbreaking date was not reliant on its approval of these matters.

"Licensees dictate timelines based on the submission of information. Staff continues to prioritize and dedicate significant resources towards ensuring this project moves forward for the benefit of the local community," Sara Tait from the Indiana Gaming Commission said.

Tait went on to say, "Those exercise great restraint and Lucy Luck's status as the only applicant for the Terre Haute license is a factor in continuing to provide opportunities for achieving compliance. Since the submission of Lucy Luck's application, there have been few steps towards the opening of an operational casino over an entire year."

The commission did acknowledge Lucy Luck's progress in the last two months towards easing their concerns.

Next month's meeting is set for June 24.
VINCENNES, Ind. (WTHI) - A Vincennes man will face charges in connection to the January 6 incursion at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

The FBI says Jonathan Ace Sanders, Sr. was arrested at his home in Vincennes on Tuesday morning.

Sanders was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.

Two Greene County residents also face charges

In February, two Bloomfield women were charged in connection to the capital incursion.

The FBI said Dona Sue Bissey and Anna Morgan-Lloyd would face charges of Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority, and Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds.

LINK | Two local women charged in violence at U.S. Capitol

Other arrests

CBS News says earlier this month, 440 defendants had been arrested. Prosecutors have said this is likely the most complex investigation ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

The FBI is still looking for suspects.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met on Tuesday with the family of George Floyd exactly one year after he was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, told reporters the family had a 'great' meeting with the President and vice president and said: 'He's a genuine guy. They always speak from the heart.'

'We're just thankful for what's going on and we just want the George Floyd Policing Act to be passed,' Philonese Floyd told reporters at the White House.

He added: 'If you can make federal laws to protect the bird, which is the bald eagle, you can make federal laws to protect people of color.'

The meeting comes as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act -- legislation that would set up a national registry of police misconduct, ban racial and religious profiling by law enforcement and overhaul qualified immunity for police officers -- remains stalled in the Senate. Biden had set an initial goal of having the legislation passed by Tuesday, but the White House backed off that deadline to allow negotiations to continue in Congress.

Rodney Floyd, another one of Floyd's brothers, told reporters the family is thankful Biden and Harris showed 'great concern' for their family on the anniversary of his brother's death. He said the President and vice president asked them how they were doing and how they were taking care of themselves.

Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, said Biden told the family he wants to see the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed, but he wants to make sure it's the right legislation.

'He did let us know that he supports passing the bill, but he wants to make sure that it's the right bill and not a rushed bill,' Williams said, adding that the President said he wasn't happy that legislation wasn't passed by the initial deadline he had set.

One of the Floyd family attorneys, Chris Stewart, said Biden played with Gianna Floyd -- George Floyd's daughter -- during the meeting and that 'she had an absolute ball.'

Biden told reporters that his meeting with the Floyd family was a mostly personal visit and that he had spent more than an hour with the family, and discussed specifically time he spent with Gianna Floyd.

'The Floyd family meeting went incredibly well. We spent a long time together. I got a chance to spend a lot of time with Gianna and her family,' Biden said.

He added that Gianna had said she was hungry, so he got her some less than healthy snacks.

'She said, 'I'm really hungry.' She said to me, 'Do you have any snacks?' ' Biden said. 'My wife will kill me -- we gave her some ice cream, she had some Cheetos and I think she had a chocolate milk.'

Harris said in her own statement that the family continues 'to show courage, grace, and resilience' in the wake of Floyd's death.

'Mr. Floyd should be alive today,' Harris said. She called for Congress to act with a sense of urgency and pass legislation that would 'not bring back those lives lost, but it will represent much needed progress.'

In addition to meeting with the President, the Floyd family is set to meet with the lead negotiators for the police reform bill in the Senate, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott. They will also meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers at the US Capitol, including California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who led the charge to pass the police reform bill in the House of Representatives.

Biden wanted his meeting with Floyd's family to be private, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, 'in order to have a real conversation and preserve that with the family.'

'He has a genuine relationship with them,' Psaki told reporters on Monday during a White House briefing. 'And the courage and grace of this family -- and especially his daughter, Gianna -- has really stuck with the President. ... He's eager to listen to their perspectives and hear what they have to say during this meeting.'

Those that attended the meeting with the President also included Gianna's mother, Roxie Washington; Floyd's sister, Bridgett Floyd; Philonise Floyd's wife, Keeta Floyd; Floyd's brother, Rodney Floyd; Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd; and Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, according to Psaki.

Philonise Floyd said on CNN's 'New Day' Tuesday morning that since his brother's death, 'Things have changed. I think that it's moving slowly, but it's making progress.'

He said the police reform bill would be 'one of the best things that you can pass across America. People shouldn't have to live in fear.'

Scott has said that while he does not anticipate an announcement of a bipartisan deal on the police reform bill this week, 'We're starting to see a framework,' and added, 'I think we can see the end of the tunnel.' Booker echoed the optimistic sentiment and said, 'I think we're a lot closer' to reaching a deal.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden wanted to give the negotiators on the Hill space to do their work, and that he has been speaking with police reform advocates throughout these negotiations. She also would not put a new timeline on when the President expects to sign a police reform bill into law, but said Biden wants to sign the bill into law 'as soon as possible.'

'We have been closely engaged with the negotiators and a range of parties on the Hill. We have also been respecting the space needed for the negotiators to have these discussions about where they can find common ground and where they can find agreement,' Psaki said when asked what the President has been doing to try and push police reform closer to the finish line after his original deadline came and went.

When he spoke with reporters, Biden said he has spoken with the negotiators on Capitol Hill working on the bill and said he's hopeful there will be an agreement sometime after Memorial Day. 'I'm optimistic,' he said.

Biden has a relationship with the Floyd family and first met with them in June 2020 when he traveled to Houston to offer condolences ahead of Floyd's funeral. The President has spoken to members of the family on a few occasions over the past year, including last month after the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd's family announced on Tuesday that they are using $500,000 of their $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis to create The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund. The fund will offer grants to organizations and businesses that serve the community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis. The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue is where Floyd died.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP)  Workers are in the process of moving a Confederate monument in northeast Mississippi.

Crews spent part of the weekend taking down the monument that has statues of three soldiers.

It has been outside the Lowndes County Courthouse since 1912.

It will be put up near the graves of unidentified Confederate soldiers in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus.

Lowndes County supervisors voted last summer to move the monument away from the courthouse after protesters said it glorified slavery.

The vote happened as protests against racial injustice were happening across the U.S. after the killing of a Black man in Minneapolis police custody.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - A familiar administrator is returning to the Tupelo Public School District.

Trustees approved the hiring of Terry Harbin on Monday as the new principal of Milam Elementary.

He spent the past four years as principal at Itawamba Attendance Center.

Read Tupelo's announcement below:

Terry Harbin is returning to the Tupelo Public School District.

Monday in a special called Board of Trustees meeting, Harbin was approved as the new Milam principal. He replaces Paul Moton, who is now the districts new Director of Educational Enhancement and Innovative Design.

In addition to teaching fifth-grade math at Milam and serving as an assistant principal at New Albany Elementary, Harbin was Lawndales principal from 2006-12. He was also an adjunct professor at Ole Miss from 2010-2016 and was the Administration & Supervision Program Coordinator at Delta State from 2012-15.

In 2008, he became the fourth TPSD principal to be named Mississippis Administrator of the Year.

Harbin, a 1980 graduate of Tupelo High School, returns to his home district after spending the past four years as principal at Itawamba Attendance Center, where he guided the school to an A rating.

He and his wife, Angela, have been married since 1987. They have two children, Peyton and Sidney, both THS grads.

Im very excited to be returning home to my blue and gold roots, he said.
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Charleston, WV (25301)

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Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds light and variable..

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A few clouds. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.


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Morgantown, WV (26505)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds light and variable..

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Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Charleston, WV (25311)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Clarksburg, WV (26301)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center COVID unit charge nurse Kristen Hefenieder, right, and COVID unit nurse manager Dani Lovato place heart-shaped window clings on the windows of the hospital lobby Tuesday, May 11, 2021, in downtown Cheyenne. Staff members placed the hearts, which are meant to honor the dedication and heroism of the CRMC staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, on windows following a ceremony honoring the hospitals employees, patients and providers. Michael Cummo/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
The U.S. Capitol is seen as National Guard members pass by on Capitol Hill on Thursday, May 20. The House voted to create an independent commission on the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, sending the legislation to an uncertain future in the Senate.
An agent who oversaw the 2018 investigation into the disappearance of a University of Iowa student testified Monday that a shortage of Spanish-speaking officers delayed and hindered his ability to question the man on trial in her stabbing death.

Division of Criminal Investigation agent Trent Vileta said he wanted to speak with Cristhian Bahena Rivera after investigators linked him to a car seen on video driving near where Mollie Tibbetts disappeared while running in Brooklyn, Iowa.

But that took four days, in part because investigators knew they needed to question Bahena Rivera and his co-workers in Spanish, and we didnt have any Spanish speakers, Vileta said.

Vileta testified at the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport as the first-degree murder trial of Bahena Rivera entered its second week. Prosecutors rested their case Monday afternoon, and the defense is expected to begin calling witnesses Tuesday. Bahena Rivera, 26, faces life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors say Bahena Rivera followed Tibbetts while she ran on July 18, 2018, killed her after she threatened to call police then hid her body in a cornfield. They say Bahena Rivera led investigators to the body after making a partial confession on Aug. 20, 2018, and that Tibbetts DNA was a match for blood found in his trunk.

Vileta acknowledged Monday that investigators never found a murder weapon and do not have physical evidence proving Bahena Rivera killed her, only that her body was in his vehicles trunk. Bahena Rivera told police that he blacked out and couldnt remember how he killed Tibbetts.

Vileta said the evidence suggests Tibbetts was abducted on a road outside Brooklyn after 8 p.m., but that he does not know precisely where or when she was killed.

Data from Tibbetts cellphone provider shows her phone was moving at a running pace before accelerating to over 60 mph around 8:27 p.m. and eventually slowing down and stopping more than 10 miles away, FBI agent Kevin Horan testified. By 8:53 p.m., her phone went dark.

Story continues

Agents narrowed their focus to that rural area near the town of Guernsey, where her body was later found. Her cellphone and FitBit device were never recovered, Vileta said.

An autopsy determined Tibbetts died of multiple sharp-force injuries consistent with stab wounds from a knife with a single-edged blade, State Medical Examiner Dennis Klein told jurors Monday afternoon.

Tibbetts suffered up to 12 wounds to her head, neck, chest and other body parts, including one injury that penetrated her skull, he said. An injury to her right hand suggested she was trying to defend herself.

Bahena Rivera remained largely expressionless throughout the day. He watched as the medical examiner discussed several photos showing the wounds to Tibbetts body, which had decomposed by the time it was recovered.

After identifying Bahena Rivera as a person of interest Aug. 16, Vileta said he had to find Spanish-speaking officers to question the Mexican national and other dairy farm workers, describing that four-day gap as a nervous time.

Vileta noted that the  political environment  for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. was hostile in 2018, and said he worried that Bahena Rivera or others might flee if they knew they were being sought for questioning. Thats why investigators took DNA samples from Hispanic workers at the farm, so they could be identified if they later disappeared, he said.

Vileta said he asked Iowa City police officer Pamela Romero to question Rivera because she is fluent in Spanish, even though she had little interrogation experience.

He said he opted not to have Romero translate his questions for Bahena Rivera because doing so would make for a choppy and frustrating discussion, and had Romero continue the interview because Bahena Rivera seemed comfortable speaking with her.

Vileta said he and an FBI agent tried to manage the 11-hour interview by taking frequent breaks so they could be briefed on Bahena Riveras statements, but that it was difficult.

On cross-examination, Vileta recounted looking into Mollie Tibbetts boyfriend and other men who came under scrutiny for various reasons before Bahena Rivera came on their radar. That included a reserve deputy who lived on the property adjacent to where Tibbetts body was found, Vileta said.

Tipsters told police that the man had a torture room in his basement and had previously harmed women and children, Vileta acknowledged. Investigators went to the mans house, did not find such a room and never formally interviewed him, he said.

Seeking to rebut suggestions that someone else could have been responsible for Tibbetts death, prosecutor Scott Brown raised his voice to a shout as he asked Vileta whether anyone else had confessed or been linked to the death of Tibbetts by blood evidence. Vileta said only Rivera.

That person is the man seated here to my right, would you agree? Brown said, pointing at Bahena Rivera.
Military conflicts are expensive in many ways. They not only cost a lot in terms of money and resources, but they also often cost many lives. No country wants to send its citizens to fight and die, which is why technology like drones has become so appealing to the worlds superpowers. Russia is in the midst of a number of ongoing conflicts that require the threat of  and in some cases the application of  some measure of military force. Russias defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, is the man tasked with managing those conflicts, and rather than imagining what the future of warfare might look like, it seems Shoigu has been inspired by the past.

As Popular Mechanics reports, Shoigu recently appeared at a session of the Russian Geographical Society, and made some absolutely incredible statements that could be taken to mean that Russia is open to the idea of cloning humans for warfare. Even more jaw-dropping is the fact that Shoigu doesnt appear to want to clone everyday soldiers, but rather ancient warriors that did their fighting on horseback, long before advanced military technology or even firearms existed.

During the session, Shoigu reportedly expressed his excitement about archaeological sites where Scythian warriors were buried. The Scythians lived in present-day Siberia some 3,000 years ago and were a powerful force in the region for a span of several centuries. They were among the first groups to master mobile warfare on horseback, and the nomadic Scythians carved out their own empire thanks to their skill as fierce warriors.

Russias defense minister is apparently a fan of their work and has been following the discovery and recovery efforts at Scythian burial sites. Why? Because he might actually want to bring them back by using their DNA to clone them. If the plan sounds absurd, thats because it is.

Speaking at the meeting, Shoigu noted that it would be a big deal if scientists were able to recover genetic material from the remains of these long-dead soldiers. Of course, we would like very much to find the organic matter, and I believe you understand what would follow that, he said. It would be possible to make something of it, if not Dolly the sheep. In general, it will be very interesting.

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Interesting indeed. The mention of Dolly, the famous cloned sheep, reveals Shoigus line of thinking here, but cloning the Scythians is a long shot at best. Human cloning has never been done before, as far as we know. Cloning primates, which are the closest to humans that we can get, is a complicated process with many pitfalls and only a slim chance of success. Cloning humans would be equally difficult, if not even more so.

On top of that, what does Shoigu think hes going to get if he were somehow able to get a military cloning program off the ground in Russia? Scythian babies dont mature any faster than anyone else, which means a couple of decades of raising the cloned children before they could be useful in a military setting. Hes also seemingly counting on Scythians to be cunning warriors by default, ignoring the likelihood that Scythian soldiers were great at what they did because of intense training skills passed down over many generations.

To be fair, Shoigu didnt outright say that he plans on trying to clone ancient people, but he was strongly implying it. In any case, it would be close to impossible for such a thing to actually happen, and thats ignoring the intense international outcry that would follow any news of such a program being started. We probably dont have to worry about fighting wars against ancient super soldiers any time soon. Probably.

Today's Top Deals

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
The Justice Department late Monday notified a judge it would partially appeal an order that would have required it to release the full text of a memo used by former Attorney General William Barr to justify his decision not to prosecute former President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice rising from the Russia investigation.

DOJ officials released a small, previously redacted portion of the memo but said they would fight efforts to have any more of the document made public, based on the need to keep internal DOJ deliberations about prosecutorial matters private.

The move is likely to incense some Democrats who had called on the Justice Department to go along with an order earlier this month from D.C. district judge Amy Berman Jackson, who had accused Barr and former DOJ officials of not being candid in their interactions with the court about the internal memo, and had ordered for it to be made public in its entirety.

In Monday's late-night filing, DOJ lawyers said they would appeal any effort to disclose portions of the memo that dealt directly with Barr's decision-making process in deciding whether Trump could have been charged based on the findings of then-special counsel Robert Mueller.

MORE: Attorney General William Barr defends Justice Department against claims of politicization

The newly unredacted portion at the top of the memo shows the top official in the department's Office of Legal Counsel explaining the determination that Barr should make a public determination about whether Trump could be prosecuted based on the Mueller report. Department officials say the newly released material deals more with strategic deliberations among Barr and other attorneys rather than prosecutorial deliberations, which the department historically fights vigorously to keep shielded from public view.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr arrive to participate ceremony in the East Room at the White House on May 22, 2019, in Washington. (The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE)

In response to questions over his controversial handling of Mueller's findings in 2019, Barr told lawmakers his determination there was not sufficient evidence to charge Trump was made "in consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel and other Department lawyers." Subsequently, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) brought legal action against the department, seeking access through the Freedom of Information Act to any internal memo that Barr had based his decision on.

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After a portion of the memo was made public, Judge Jackson accused Barr and other top officials of misleading the Congress and the court by saying the memo was used in "predecisional deliberations" about whether to charge Trump, when Jackson said the record showed that Barr had already made up his mind not to prosecute him.

In its recent filing, the Justice Department, now under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland, said that its former briefs in the case "could have been clearer, and it deeply regrets the confusion that caused" -- but that there was never any intention on their part to mislead the court.

"To be clear, the government agrees that the Attorney General was not making a decision about whether to indict or prosecute, and we regret language that was imprecise in the government's brief and the confusion it has caused," Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Netter wrote in the appeal notice. "Rather, the declarations and briefs on the whole made clear that the decision in question was whether the facts articulated by Volume II of the Special Counsel's Report were sufficient to establish that the President had committed obstruction of justice, i.e., whether the facts constituted prosecutable conduct under the Principles of Federal Prosecution."

PHOTO: Attorney General William Barr waits to speak at an event in Detroit on Dec. 18, 2019. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images, FILE)

The DOJ argued that Barr's decisional process should remain a privileged communication and stood by Barr's argument that Mueller left it open for him to decide whether to move forward in prosecuting Trump -- while at the same time confirming that initiating an actual prosecution of Trump was never something Barr considered because of what are believed to be constitutional limitations on indicting a sitting president.

"The Attorney General's determination on that point -- and on what, if anything, to say to the public about that question -- undoubtedly qualifies as a decision, even if it could not have resulted in an actual prosecution of the sitting President," Netter writes. "There was no legal bar to determining that the evidence did or did not establish commission of a crime, a determination the Attorney General made and announced."

At the same time, the Justice Department says the government "regrets that its declarations and briefs did not state expressly what was clear from the Special Counsel's Report and the Attorney General's letter to Congress -- namely, that commencing an actual prosecution of the President was not an option the Attorney General was considering."

MORE: In rebuke of Attorney General Barr, judge demands DOJ let him review unredacted Mueller report

The newly-unredacted portion of the memo, which was sent to Barr from then-assistant attorney general Steven Engel of the Office of Legal Counsel, shows that officials believed Barr needed to make a public determination on whether Trump's conduct outlined by Mueller would result in criminal prosecution, separate from the constitutional limitations, given the severity of the conduct alleged by Mueller's investigators.

"Although the Special Counsel recognized the unfairness of levying an accusation against the President without bringing criminal charges, the Report's failure to take a position on the matters described therein might be read to imply such an accusation if the confidential report were released to the public," Engel wrote. "Therefore, we recommend that you examine the Report to determine whether prosecution would be appropriate given the evidence recounted in the Special Counsel's Report, the underlying law, and traditional principles of federal prosecution."

DOJ releases part of memo behind Barr's decision not to charge Trump for obstructing Russia probe originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
WASHINGTON  The family of George Floyd met with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional leaders Tuesday to mark one year since the killing of Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill let the anniversary of Floyds murder pass without coming to a deal on policing legislation in his honor, though they and the family used the solemn occasion to urge movement on a measure to hold law enforcement more accountable.

Floyd's family met with Biden and Harris behind closed doors for about an hour Tuesday afternoon. Those at the White House included Floyd's daughter Gianna, 7, and her mother, Roxie Washington; Floyd's sister Bridgett; and Floyd's three brothers and nephew.

Biden has maintained contact with Floyd's family since last summer during his presidential campaign. Like many Americans, Biden said the video of Floyd's murder personally affected him. After former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges by a Minneapolis jury, Biden called the family.

Gianna Floyd, the daughter of George Floyd, leads the chant "say his name" as members of the Floyd family talk with reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday.

"If you can make federal laws to protect the bird, which is the bald eagle, then you can make federal laws to protect people of color, Philonise Floyd said after the meeting at the White House, calling on Congress to pass policing legislation.

Biden said in a statement that the family "has shown extraordinary courage, especially his young daughter Gianna, who I met again today."

Floyd's brother Rodney said Biden and Harris offered their condolences.

They asked us how we were doing, he said. Are we taking care of ourselves ... and asked us all about how we're feeling and what's going on today about our brother. We're thankful that they showed great concern."

Harris, who as a senator introduced a bill in Floyd's honor, said in a statement that the video of Floyd's death "revealed to the country what Black Americans have known to be true for generations."

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"Congress must move swiftly and act with a sense of urgency. Passing legislation will not bring back those lives lost, but it will represent much needed progress," she said. "We must address racial injustice wherever it exists. That is the work ahead."

Before exiting the White House grounds, the family and their attorney held their fists in the air as Gianna said, Say his name.

George Floyd, they chanted in unison.

Floyd's family also met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill. Bass is a lead negotiator on a policing bill aimed at holding law enforcement more accountable, working with Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., both of whom the family planned to meet with Tuesday afternoon.

During a news conference at the Capitol, Pelosi spoke of the widespread social justice protests that erupted after Floyd's death.

"People around the world flooded the streets for days and weeks, nearly a year," Pelosi said. "Gianna said, 'My daddy will change the world.' And indeed, her prediction is coming true."

Members of George Floyd's family met with President Joe Biden and lawmakers to mark the anniversary of Floyd's death.

The lawmakers praised the family's fortitude over the past year and listened to Floyd's relatives call for passage of a policing bill as soon as possible.

"It's an honor to be here with the family, but I stand here to renew the commitment that we will get this bill on President Biden's desk," Bass said, promising it would be "passed in a bipartisan manner."

Biden had wanted a law by the anniversary of Floyd's death.

"And what is important is that when it reaches President Biden's desk is that it is a substantive piece of legislation and that is far more important than a specific date," Bass continued.

"We all said enough is enough. We need to be able to set standards and procedures in place," Philonise Floyd said at the news conference. "We need to be working together to make sure that people do not live in fear in America anymore. This is the land of the free, people fight to get here. Give them that opportunity to want to come here, not stay in places where they're having trouble."

A bill named after Floyd, which passed in the House this year, faces hurdles in the split Senate.

That bill was introduced last year by Bass, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Booker and Harris. It would ban police chokeholds, like the one used on Floyd, ban "no-knock" warrants that police can use to forcibly enter private property, expand the Justice Department's ability to subpoena police departments for investigations, provide funding for state attorneys general to investigate police departments and create a national public registry of police misconduct and abuse.

Negotiations are largely stalled around the issue of whether to end qualified immunity for police officers, which would allow civilians to sue officers for on-duty abuses.

"I'm comfortable with people I'm negotiating with right now," Scott, the only Black Republican senator, said of the negotiations last week.

"This anniversary serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change. While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal," Scott, Bass and Booker said in a joint statement Monday.

Though Biden has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the negotiations, allowing legislators to lead the bulk of talks, the White House said it is hearing input.

"We are very engaged with a range of groups around the country  civil rights groups, police reform groups and advocates  about what they think is going to work, and we have kept them abreast of what our strategy is," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday during a briefing.

Although he praised Democrats' and Republicans' good-faith effort on passing a meaningful bill, Biden called on Congress to get it to my desk quickly.

We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that were all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart, Biden said. At our best, the American ideal wins out. It must again."

Hundreds of protestors walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan in to Brooklyn May 25, 2021 on the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. The protestors closed off the Brooklyn bound side of the bridge.

Biden told the family he would be patient to make sure its the right bill, not a rushed bill, said the family's attorney Ben Crump.

I think George Floyd, in many ways, has given us an opportunity like I've never seen in my lifetime to get meaningful police reform," Crump later told reporters.

Crump accompanied the Floyd family to several meetings on Capitol Hill Tuesday, including with Sens. Scott and Booker.

We have to make sure we don't squander this opportunity, Crump said, emphasizing that both sides articulated optimism." He also told reporters Scott, the lone Black Republican in the Senate, had said the reformed legislation -- which has yet to be unveiled -- will still be named after George Floyd.

Booker told reporters his meeting with the Floyd family was encouraging because they touched on a number of the key basics within the police reform legislation.

They were really helpful today, Booker said. He continued that the family is most concerned about the substance of the bill -- will it be meaningful? Not around the edges, not window dressing. They want meaningful policing reform accomplished.

Philonise Floyd, brother of George Floyd, hugs House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as family members met with leaders at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

President Biden's promises on policing reform: What the administration has accomplished

On the anniversary of Floyd's murder, politicians renewed calls for racial justice.

"George Floyd was murdered one year ago today. Since then, hundreds more Americans have died in encounters with police  parents, sons, daughters, friends taken from us far too soon. But the last year has also given us reasons to hope," former President Barack Obama wrote on Twitter. "Today, more people in more places are seeing the world more clearly than they did a year ago. Its a tribute to all those who decided that this time would be different  and that they, in their own ways, would help make it different."

"Since George Floyds murder one year ago today, there have been hundreds of officer-involved deaths in the U.S. To stop this, we need to bring transparency and accountability to policing," Bass wrote on Twitter.

'I bring an equilibrium': Tim Scott steps into the spotlight as he tries to negotiate police reform for Republicans

More: Capitol Police union warns of departures after Jan. 6 riot and continued overtime strain

More: Infrastructure talks hit snag as Republicans reject Biden's reduced $1.7 trillion counteroffer

Reach Rebecca Morin at Twitter @RebeccaMorin_.

Follow Matthew Brown online @mrbrownsir.

Contributing: Savannah Behrmann

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Floyd's family meets with Biden on anniversary of murder
By Sharon Bernstein and Colleen Jenkins

(Reuters) - Two days after the school board in Johnston, Iowa, decided last week to keep requiring mask wearing in schools to prevent coronavirus transmission, the state's Republican governor signed a law that immediately prohibited such mandates.

The reaction in Johnston was swift and sharply divided, with some parents applauding the move to make masks optional for the waning days of the school year and others calling it dangerous given the continued threat from COVID-19.

"I just find it super disappointing and selfish," said local parent Sara Parris, who is still sending her two sons to class with face coverings.

The debate over masks in schools is yet another flashpoint for U.S. educators grappling with how to keep students and staff safe during the pandemic. Friction around returning to in-person learning has given way to heated disagreements over whether masks should be shed for good.

Iowa and Texas have banned school districts from requiring kids to wear masks on campus. Similar moves are under consideration in other states and local jurisdictions, spurred in part by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying on May 13 that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks in most situations.

With children under age 12 not yet eligible for vaccinations, however, the CDC recommends face coverings in educational settings at least through the end of the school year. While children are less likely to suffer severe COVID-19, they are not without risk and can readily transmit the virus.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said on Twitter that her state was "putting parents back in control of their child's education and protecting the rights of all Iowans to make their own health care decisions."

Responding to the governor via Twitter, Democratic state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott said: "I'm hearing from lots of parents reporting that their children are being bullied for wearing a mask. Are you going to stand up for their personal choice?"

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At the Johnston school board meeting last week, most parents spoke in favor of making masks optional, with one mother calling masking requirements for children abusive. Other parents emailed school officials asking for mask mandates to remain in place.

"Its been difficult to try to find the right balance," Justin Allen, president of the school board and a parent of two high school students, said in an interview.

"Just when you think you are in kind of a comfort zone and you think you can focus on education for awhile, something else emerges and you have another controversial issue to address."

CDC STUDY BACKS MASKS

In North Carolina, parents opposed to mandatory face coverings staged a protest in Wake County after Democratic Governor Roy Cooper lifted mask requirements in some situations but not in schools.

"Parents should determine if their child should wear a mask, not school systems or the governor," parent Nazach Snapp wrote in a letter to the Wake County school board.

Others urged the board to continue its mask requirement.

"Given that vaccines are not available yet for children under 12, I implore you to continue to require students in middle and elementary settings to wear masks," wrote parent Mimosa Hines.

A study https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7021e1.htm published by the CDC on Friday showed that in elementary schools that required masks, transmission of COVID-19 was lower by 37% than in schools where masks were optional. The study, which included 169 elementary schools in Georgia that were open for in-person instruction, also showed improved ventilation slowed virus transmission.

It advised increasing, not decreasing, the use of masks and ventilation in schools.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association, two unions that represent a total of about 5 million teachers and staff, have urged states to keep their mask requirements at least through the end of this school year.

While nearly 90% of AFT's members have been vaccinated against COVID-19, many of their students have not.

U.S. regulators earlier this month authorized use of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE for children ages 12 to 15. It is still being tested for use in younger children.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said Texas and Iowa "jumped the gun" in removing their mask requirements. Politics around masks, along with unclear guidance from the CDC, have left teachers in an awkward position, she said.

"Teachers don't want to become the mask police," she said. "It's time to let us actually teach."

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California and Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
A woman stands with a poster reading 'Where is Roman (Protasevich)?!'at Vilnius International Airport, on May 23, 2021. Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty

The EU moved to isolate Belarus after the government diverted a flight to arrest a journalist.

Roman Protasevich was on the Ryanair flight when it landed in Minsk due to a bogus security threat.

The bloc ordered EU-based airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and banned Belarusian airlines from its airspace and airports.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The European Union moved to isolate Belarus in light of the arrest of a journalist who was arrested after the government diverted a Ryanair flight on Sunday.

The EU ordered all EU-based airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and banned Belarusian airlines from entering EU airspace and landing in its airports. The move was announced Monday during a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels.

Journalist Roman Protasevich was taken into custody after the Lithuania-bound flight he was aboard was grounded in Minsk due to a bogus security threat. Protasevich is a vocal critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who gave an "unequivocal order" to ground the Ryanair jet in Minsk, according to state media.

Protasevich's arrest drew international outrage as EU leaders condemned the forced grounding of the flight and called for the "immediate release" of Protasevich and his partner, Sofia Sapega, who was also escorted off the flight. World leaders also demanded "their freedom of movement be guaranteed."

Read more: Don't let Ryanair ignore your right not to be kidnapped

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union's European Commission, said the "outrageous and illegal behavior of the regime in Belarus will have consequences."

"Those responsible for the Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned," von der Leyen said in a statement on Twitter. "Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also called the incident an "unprecedented act of state terrorism."

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"Hijacking of a civilian plane is an unprecedented act of state terrorism. It cannot go unpunished," Morawiecki said in a statement, adding that he would petition for sanctions against Belarus in light of Protasevich's arrest.

At the Brussels summit, Xavier Bettel, the prime minister of Luxembourg, described the incident as "madness," according to a report by The New York Times.

"It's like something out of a very bad movie," Bettel said. "It shows the state of the regime."

EU officials said few raised objections to the move to avoid Belarusian airspace - a rare occurrence as the bloc does not tend to come to a consensus on controversial issues so quickly and easily, The Times reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The FBI is investigating a suspicious package delivered to Senator Rand Paul's Bowling Green, Kentucky home, reports CBS Louisville affiliate WLKY. A large envelope containing what appeared to be a white powder arrived Monday.

Authorities are attempting to determine whether the envelope's contents are hazardous.

Paul, a Republican, tweeted about the package Monday night, saying he had been "a repeated target of violence."

"I take these threats immensely seriously," Paul wrote.

I take these threats immensely seriously. As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family. https://t.co/e1rQ6uwPdf

 Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 24, 2021

Paul and his family were threatened in 2018 while he was at a stop in Leitchfield, Kentucky. Paul said a man threatened to kill him and "chop up" his family with an ax. The year before, Paul suffered multiple broken ribs and damaged a lung when he was tackled by Rene Boucher.

The 2017 attack was described as having escalated from a dispute between neighbors.

Paul subsequently suffered from pneumonia and underwent multiple medical procedures, including a hernia surgery related to the assault.

Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and served a 30-day sentence at a federal prison in Illinois. Paul was awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses by a jury in 2019 after filing a lawsuit against Boucher.

Post-pandemic traumatic stress could last for years, mental health experts say

Maricopa County, Arizona elections official calls Trump's false claim about a deleted database "unhinged"

New York City announces return to full-time in-person learning as COVID-19 cases drop
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. CBS

Robert Gates told CBS on Sunday that traditional GOP values were "hard to find these days."

He said none of the presidents he served, including five Republicans, would recognize the party now.

He agreed that Trump's election claims gave enemies an opportunity to say the US is "a declining power."

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Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates rebuked the Republican Party on Sunday, saying none of the presidents he served would recognize it today.

"I worked for eight presidents. Five of them were Republicans. I don't think any of them would recognize the Republican Party today," Gates, a Republican, told CBS News' "Face the Nation."

"The values and the principles that the Republican Party stood for under those five presidents are hard to find these days," he told the host John Dickerson.

Dickerson also asked whether the Capitol riot and former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged gave "an opportunity to America's enemies to say America is a declining power," and Gates said he agreed.

But Gates said he didn't think many Republican lawmakers actually thought the 2020 election was fraudulent, calling the claim "political gaming rather than a real conviction."

He also praised Rep. Liz Cheney, who earlier this month was ousted from her congressional GOP leadership role for refusing to back Trump's election-fraud claims, saying she was a person "of real integrity."

Gates began his career with the CIA in the late 1960s and ended it as President Barack Obama's defense secretary in 2011. He had also served Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The 27-year-old Ashton Pinke walked with a cane (Courtesy of Ashton Pinke Family)

Police have killed at least 229 Black people among a total of 426 people of colour since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on 25 May, 2020. Each case is different, but many share core similarities: quick encounters, for low-level infractions, met with deadly force, leaving families and communities with unanswered questions.

At the apartment complex in Mesquite the air was suddenly filled with the sound of gunshots and then a womans screams.

When people looked outside, they saw a man lying on the ground. Later they would watch paramedics trying in vain to revive him.

The man, Ashton Pinke, had a history of mental health problems. Police had been called to the Audobon Park Apartments by his girlfriend, who dialled 911 before hanging up the phone.

A recording of the call made to the dispatcher on May 4 contains the sounds of a disturbance.

As it was, soon after police arrived, the 27-year-old ended up being shot dead by police, after he ran at them. Police say he was carrying a club and a knife, but his family insist the troubled young man was carrying a walking stick, and a craft knife.

There was a lady screaming and there was a guy laying on the ground and the paramedics looked like they were trying to resuscitate him, Rico Bell, a neighbour who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting, told NBC News.

Body camera footage recorded by one of the three officers called to the scene showed officers approaching the apartment where Mr Pinke lived with his girlfriend and his child with their weapons drawn.

They can be heard shouting several times at the young man, apparently standing in a doorway: Dont do it. It also records the man shouting in response: Shoot.

Justin Moore, a lawyer for the family told The Independent there was no reason for the incident to have ended as it did, and that officers had been told the man they were confronting had mental health problems. He says it is another case of white police officers showing little concern for the wellbeing of Black suspects, particularly those suffering from mental health problems.

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The two officers who responded to Mr Pinke have completely disregarded the fact that he was suffering from a severe mental illness, he says. And they also disregard the fact they had actually been trained to deal with someone experiencing those extraordinary circumstances.

He adds: I think it highlights the lack of concern when it comes to Black males and Black women who might be experiencing mental health issues.

The family said the young man had a long history of struggling with mental health issues. One uncle said he had been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia and took medication to help control the condition.

An aunt, Precious Wafer, told the local Fox News affiliate KDFW-TV that the officer ought to have been able to resolve the situation without the young man losing his life.

Why was deadly force used instead of the theories, the methodologies that we know are effective when dealing with people with mental illness, she said.

The city of Mesquite, which is located 15 miles east of Dallas, Texas, has a population that is 25 per cent African American. The previous police chief, Charles Cato, made an effort to hire more Latino, Black and women officers.

This year, the force, which was established in 1952, made history with the promotion of its first Black sergeant, Torrey Rhone.

I grew up in Los Angeles in the 80s and 90s and, you know, it was a very tumultuous time. I lived through Latasha Harlins being killed at the liquor store. I lived through the Rodney King incident. I lived through the 92 riots, Mr Rhone, who joined the force in 2007, told a local television channel.

As it was, the promotion of the Black officer came the same month as the fatal shooting of Mr Pinke, who was shot five times by officers who had more than 20 years experience.

Through their lawyer, the family declined to speak to The Independent and the city police force did not respond to enquires.

The force has claimed that the youngs mans carrying of a walking cane and a box-cutter knife gave adequate reason for officers to shoot with him live ammunition, rather than use the Tasers they were carrying.

The Taser is a useful tool to law enforcement in certain situations. In this incident, it was not, Lt Stephen Biggs said at a press conference.

The Taser is a less-lethal device. The suspect was wielding two deadly weapons, and were not countering two deadly weapons with a less-lethal device.

Mr Moore said police could have done much better. Yet he says the incident has its roots in an older, more deeply ingrained malaise within the nation.

Asked if this was a systemic issue, he said: I think its much deeper than systemic issues. I think it goes to problems with the soul of this country. For decades, Black people have been over-criminalised, they have essentially been condemned to criminality due solely to their blackness. And I dont know if its a system if its a systemic fix, or if its something that needs to happen in a much deeper way.

He added: Systems are only tools for people, right? So if the people still harbour these sentiments, you can change the system as much as we want, but the same consequences are going to occur, which is the death of Black males and Black women who have been condemned to criminality.

Read More

George Floyd anniversary: Family say Angelo Quinto died after police knelt on his neck but they have no video to prove it

George Floyd anniversary: Mario Gonzalez killed in a police hold that was like drowning on dry land

George Floyd anniversary: The death toll that shows little has changed since his murder shocked the world
Lisa Michelle OQuinn was charged with two felony counts of assault after allegedly running over protesters during an Andrew Brown demonstration. (Elizabeth City Police Department)

A woman in North Carolina was arrested on Monday after allegedly striking protesters marching against the police killing of Andrew Brown.

Two Black women who were peacefully protesting and exercising their constitutional rights were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Elizabeth City Police Department.

The suspect, 41-year-old Lisa Michelle OQuinn, was charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of careless and reckless driving, and one count of unsafe movement. Police are also considering whether to bring hate crime charges against her.

Her first court appearance is on 27 May.

Daily demonstrations  including Mondays incident, also on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the policing killing of George Floyd  have continued in the wake of the killing of Mr Brown, who was fatally shot by Pasquotank County sheriffs deputies on 21 April.

His death and a prosecutors decision not to bring charges against the deputies involved in the killing have revived national protests and debate about the lack of prosecutions for police and urgent demands for law enforcement reforms.

More follows...

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Anger at double standard as white man filmed driving away from police stop

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Police are asking for those who know who this woman is to come forward with information that can lead to her arrest (Woburn Police Department)

Police in Massachusetts are still appealing for information about a Dunkin Donuts customer who threw a coffee at an employee who forgot her whipped cream.

Woburn Police Department released video footage captured the moment that the customer assaulted Emma Dionne, 18, a shift manager at a branch of the coffee and doughnut chain.

She spoke to WHDH about the incident: I was like Oh Im sorry, let me put whipped cream on this for you, Ms Dionne told the news outlet at the time. She just starts cussing and says how we shouldnt be working here because of how rude we were.

In the video, you can see the customer grow increasingly more upset, aim and then throw the drink at Ms Dionne.

Ms Dionnes mother also commented on the incident. I mean who does that? Karen Dionne said. Just to know that someone even tried to harm your child  the feeling you get in your gut. Not only is it shocking and put you in disbelief but it makes you so angry.

The police are asking for anyone with information to bring her to justice to come forward.

Speaking to CBS Boston, Ms Dionne said that she was reluctant to go back to her job after going through such a harrowing experience.

Just to see her like physically grab the cup and aim for my head was very, very scary to watch, she said of her fear about returning.

Anyone able to help is asked to call Woodburn Police Department on 781-933-1212.
Belarusians living in Poland and Poles supporting them hold up a placard reading 'Freedom to Roman Protasevich' during a demonstration in front of the European Commission office in Warsaw on May 24, 2021. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

Protestors gathered in Warsaw, Poland, to demand the release of Belarusian dissident Roman Protasevich.

Protasevich, a vocal critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was taken into custody after the government diverted his Lithuania-bound flight to Minsk.

His arrest also drew international outrage as other world leaders said Belarus should be held accountable.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Residents in Poland as well as Belarusians living in the country joined together to protest the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich on Monday. Activists condemned the arrest after Belarus authorities grounded the plane citing a bogus security threat.

Belarusians living in Poland and Poles supporting them take part in a demonstration in front of European Commission office in Warsaw on May 24, 2021. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

Protasevich, a vocal critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was taken into custody after the Belarusian government forced his Lithuania-bound flight to land in Minsk.

A protester holds up a sign reading "Free Roman Pratasevich" (sic) during a demonstration in front of the European Commission office in Warsaw on May 24, 2021. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Insider

Pilots on flight FR4978 were ordered to "divert to the nearest airport," citing a potential bomb threat aboard the plane. Belarusian state media reported it was Lukashenko who gave an "unequivocal order" to ground the jet.

People hold banners during a protest against the detention of the Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich in front of the European Commission representative office on May 24, 2021, in Warsaw, Poland. Omar Marques/Getty Images

Source: Insider

Protestors used paper airplanes as a visual prop to symbolize the aircraft being diverted to Minsk.

Belarusians hang paper aircraft during a protest against the detention of dissident journalist Roman Protasevich in front of the European Commission representative office on May 24, 2021, in Warsaw, Poland. Omar Marques/Getty Images

Protasevich's arrest drew international outrage as EU leaders condemned the forced grounding of the flight and called for the "immediate release" of Protasevich and his partner, Sofia Sapega, who was also escorted off the flight.

A protester holds a sign that says "I'm gravely concerned" during a protest in support of the release of Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich in front of the European Commission representative office on May 24, 2021 in Warsaw, Poland. Omar Marques/Getty Images

Source: Insider

The European Union took action to isolate Belarus on Monday, ordering all EU-based airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace. The EU also banned Belarusian airlines from occupying the bloc's airspace and using its airports.

A demonstrator holds up a paper plane that says "Free Belarus" and "Free Roman Protasevich" during a demonstration in Warsaw, May 24, 2021. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Insider

The EU's move to sever Belarus air ties isn't the first time the bloc cracked down on the Belarusian government. Late last year, the EU imposed sanctions on several Belarusian officials - including President Aleksandr Lukashenko - in the wake of the contested presidential elections in August.

A woman holds a banner calling Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko a terrorist during a protest against the detention of the Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich in front of the European Commission representative office on May 24, 2021, in Warsaw, Poland. Omar Marques/Getty Images

Read the original article on Business Insider
CAIRO (AP)  Egypts president met Tuesday with Qatars chief diplomat amid improved relations since Egypt and three Gulf nations ended their dispute with the energy-rich country in January.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatars Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, meeting in Cairo, agreed on "intensifying joint consultation and coordination to boost bilateral ties between the two nations, el-Sissis office said in a statement.

El-Sissi also received an invitation from Qatars emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to visit Doha. It would be the first for the Egyptian leader to the Gulf state since he led the militarys overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013 amid mass protests against his divisive one-year rule. El-Sissi was defense minister at the time.

The Qatari chief diplomat also held talks with Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry that discussed the positive development in ties between the two countries, according to a statement by Egypts Foreign Ministry.

A January declaration put an end to a diplomatic crisis that began in 2017 with a rift between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other.

The four countries had jointly boycotted Qatar and hoped an embargo and media blitz would pressure it to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran. Egypt and the UAE view the support by Qatar and Turkey of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as a security threat. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were primarily concerned about Qatars ties with Iran.

The countries accused Qatar of cozying up to Iran and financing extremist groups in the region, though Doha denied the charges. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera was at the center of the dispute. The four nations demanded its closure among other measures, which Qatar rejected.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the ministers discussed taking further measures to promote the positive atmosphere in their bilateral ties. It did not elaborate on details.

Story continues

Shukry said in televised comments Friday that the implementation of the January agreement between the five nations would further accelerate restoring ties between Cairo and Doha.

Tuesday's statement by the Foreign Ministry said joint committees concluded a new round of talks and would continue discussing lingering issues to fully implement that agreement. It did not elaborate.

The two countries formally began rapprochement earlier this year, but it was not clear how far or how quickly, that would go, in real terms, said H.A. Hellyer, scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Cambridge University.

This latest visit confirms that there is indeed more than a simply signing of letters, as it was. The Egyptians and the Qataris want to move to another stage, which certainly impacts the existing geopolitical arrangements of the region, he said.

The two diplomats also discussed other regional topics, including a decade-long dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over a massive dam Ethiopia is building on the main tributary of the Nile River, the statement added. Egypt and Sudan deem the Ethiopian dam a major threat to their water security.

The Qatari foreign minister then left to Doha. He had arrived in Cairo late Monday from a trip to Khartoum where he met with Sudanese officials, his first visit to Sudan after an uprising led to the militarys ouster of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Al-Bashir, an Islamist, was an ally to Qatar.

The Qatari foreign minister also traveled to Libya earlier this week. He met with the newly appointed transitional government in Tripoli that has been struggling to unite the divided North African country before an election scheduled in December. Egypt and Qatar have been backing opposing sides in war-torn Libya.
Gov. Eric Holcomb is visiting Israel just days after the Jewish state and Hamas militants ended 11 days of fighting that killed more than 200 people, primarily Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

The governor's office did not provide advance notice of Holcomb's first trip abroad since September 2019 when Holcomb led an Indiana trade delegation to Japan, South Korea, China and India prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, the announcement of Holcomb's Israel trip came Tuesday after he already was in the Middle Eastern nation. He's due to return to Indiana on Thursday, according to the governor's office.

WATCH NOW: Mourners speak following death of Kyrin Carter

The Republican chief executive said he was specifically invited to visit Israel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he plans to meet with Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and other Israeli leaders during his whirlwind visit.

Holcomb also said he's proud to be the first U.S. governor to visit Israel in 2021.

"I stand in support of Israel and look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue forging an even stronger Israel-Indiana bond," Holcomb said.

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"We have a growing number of Hoosiers and Hoosier businesses that share strong cultural and economic ties with this country, so when I was invited, I did not hesitate to make this trip to meet in Israel during such an hour of need."

WATCH NOW: Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops: Monitoring LaPorte with Specialist Justin Dyer

Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, said he believes "it's poor timing" for Holcomb to travel to Israel so soon after the violence.

"I just feel like it's a bad time. But it's his choice to go," Taylor said.

The governor's office said Holcomb's Israel travel was paid for by Imagine Indiana Inc., a tax-exempt organization not required to disclose its donors that initially was established in 2016 to oversee Holcomb's transition to the governor's office.

Holcomb previously visited Israel on a 2018 trade mission under the auspices of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the state's commerce agency.

COVID-19: Hoosiers We've Lost
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Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 77F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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A few clouds from time to time. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
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During a search of Buschs wallet, the trooper said he found several business identification cards with the name of Corey Busch. He asked the driver if his name was actually Corey Busch, rather than Christopher Busch  and the driver admitted it was and he had active warrants out of Lancaster County.

Busch stated he said his brothers name on purpose so the trooper would not find out about the warrant, the affidavit of probable cause says.

During a search of the vehicle, marijuana and prescription pill bottles were found, court documents indicate.

Busch was facing a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison with nine months of post-release supervision.

The defendant rejected a probation offer the morning of the trial so the state will not be recommending probation, York County Attorney John Lyons told Judge James Stecker this week. He impersonated his brother in a crime involving possession. To put your brother in peril for your criminal activity is unconscionable. He put his brothers freedom and liberty at risk. We are asking for incarceration.
 Memorial Day services will be held at the Friesen Cemetery at 9 a.m., the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cemetery at 10 a.m. and at the Mennonite Cemetery at 11 a.m. Please note, no glass containers or gravel please. Flowers and other arrangements may be left at the cemetery for 10 days following Memorial Day, Any items left after June 10 will be disposed of. In the event of inclement weather, services will be canceled.

 Come be a part of Nebraskas history once again and enjoy a traditional Memorial Day at Farmers Valley Cemetery. The Memorial Day service will begin at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, May 31, when a 21-gun salute service will be presented by the Aurora American Legion, honoring the many veterans buried at the cemetery. At the conclusion of the service, guests have two options for lunch this year. Tables will be set up to enjoy food brought in for the potluck or guests are welcome to bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy with their families. Following lunch will be a time to share stories and visit with members of the Farmers Valley Cemetery Association. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy this celebration. Please bring your own table service, blankets, chairs and/or card tables. Electricity will be available for hot food. Just drive two miles west from the town of Henderson and turn south on Y Road. After crossing the Blue River, turn west on Farmers Valley Road, which will lead to the cemetery. If traveling from Sutton, head north out of town on the blacktop X Road. After following the curve to the east, turn north on Y Road, which will take you to Farmers Valley Road. Please join in this celebration to remember those who came before us while experiencing the beauty of Farmers Valley Cemetery. The book Memories of Farmers Valley will be available for purchase.
Several businesses are often years in the making before finally getting launched. This is partly due to entrepreneurs trying to find their path and offer a product or service they are truly passionate about. Once they find their direction, it can still take some time to get the company off the ground. Dr. Ary Krau explains why starting early gives you a strong advantage.

After you have a concrete business idea, you should take the time to develop a comprehensive business plan, according to Dr. Ary Krau. This is literally your companys blueprint and your step-by-step guide to building your business. Once you have a business plan, you might need more time to execute each section. When it comes market research, the internet and social media have made this easier than ever. Just dont take any shortcuts in this critical step; dive deep into the readily available resources to gather as much information as possible.

Dr. Ary Kraus next advice is to continue to tweak your product or service as you work on the above-mentioned items. Very, very rarely do entrepreneurs get this right the first time. It usually takes several iterations before your offering is ready to be deployed to customers. Some products can take years to perfect. Dont rush research and development, as the last thing you want to do is launch something before it is ready.

Lastly, according to Dr. Ary Krau, getting an early start in your business means you are preparing yourself for what the journey entails. While it might seem glamourous from the outside, entrepreneurship requires a lot of hard work. Get ready for long days, financial stress, dealing with customers, and solving problems as they arise. He advises that you learn everything you can about launching a business before you embark on this path.

Entrepreneurship isnt for everyone. For those who do find success in this path, it is due to getting a head start by preparing early. Rome wasnt built in a day; your business wont be either.

(Disclaimer- Brand desk content)
Luxury watches add panache and lend an impressive look to the wearer. No wonder people across the globe nurture an undying love for luxury watches. Experts at luxury watch aggregator Belal Life state that while theres a watch for everyone, there are brands that standout amidst a market flooded with timepieces. The company lists four such must-have luxury watch brands that every watch lover must own once in their lifetime.

Patek Philippe

Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe is one the oldest Swiss clock manufacturers in the world. The company boasts of a long list of patrons ranging from Queen Victoria, Leo Tolstoy, to Albert Einstein.

Audemars Piguet

This Swiss watch company was founded in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. In 1892, Audemars Piguet introduced the world's first minute-repeating movement for wristwatches. As per Belal Life, owning the brands Royal Oak collection is every watch collectors secret wish.

Rolex

The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer is based in Geneva, Switzerland and was founded by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in 1905. The company was originally founded as Wilsdorf and Davis, however, it got its present-day name Rolex in 1908. To date, Rolex is one of the world's top ten most expensive watches ever sold at auctions.

Richard Mille

Relatively a new entrant in the Swiss luxury watch market, Richard Mille was launched in 2001 by Dominique Guenat and Richard Mille. The company is based in Les Breuleux, Switzerland, and crafts timepieces inspired by Formula 1.

Known for housing the best collection of Swiss luxury watch brands, Belal Life believes in keeping an inventory that can cater to clients with diverse tastes. Which one are you picking?

(Disclaimer- Brand desk content)
New Delhi: Sunil Bansal, who headed the dairy business of Yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved, died of COVID-19, the company said on Monday, adding it had no "role in his allopathic treatment." Bansal, 57, who was Vice President in the Dairy Division of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, died on May 19.

A specialist in dairy science, Bansal joined Patanjali's dairy business in January 2018 when the company announced its plans to sell packaged cow milk and other milk-based products including curd, buttermilk and cheese.

"He died of COVID-19 on May 19 in Rajasthan Hospital, Jaipur where his wife is a very senior health official of Government of Rajasthan," the Haridwar-based firm said in a statement.

His death comes at a time when Ramdev is courting controversy over his comments about allopathic medicines and COVID-19. The statement too reflected that.

"Patanjali didn't have any role in his allopathic treatment which was largely coordinated by his wife," it said. "However we were concerned and used to ask for his well-being from his wife."

On Sunday, Ramdev was forced to withdraw a statement made in a viral video clip in which he is heard saying that "lakhs have died from taking allopathic medicines for COVID-19."

He is also heard questioning some of the medicines being used to treat the disease.

The statement was met with vociferous protests from the doctors' association, following which Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked him to withdraw the "extremely unfortunate" statement.

"It's very unfortunate to have lost a young energetic colleague who was taskmaster," Patanjali said in the statement on Bansal's death.

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New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices were hiked yet again on Tuesday as oil marketing companies decided to change fuel rates.

Petrol price on Tuesday was increased hiked by 23 paise and 25 paise, respectively, pushing rates across the country to record highs and that of petrol in Mumbai just 29 paise short of breaching Rs 100 a litre.

The price of per litre petrol and diesel in the capital city is Rs 93.44 and Rs 84.32, respectively. In Mumbai, per litre is now selling at Rs 99.71. Diesel in the financial capital of India is retailing at Rs 91.57 per litre.

Here is looking at the price difference of diesel and petrol in four metro cities on May 25, 2021.

City Petrol Diesel Delhi 93.44 84.32 Mumbai 99.49 91.30 Chennai 95.06 89.11 Kolkata 93.49 87.16

Rates had already crossed Rs 100-mark in several cities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and with the latest increase, price in Mumbai too was inching towards that level.

Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges. Rajasthan levies the highest value-added tax (VAT) on petrol in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Since March last year when the government raised excise duty on fuel to an all-time high.

Central and state taxes make up for 60 per cent of the retail selling price of petrol and over 54 per cent of diesel. The union government levies Rs 32.90 per litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs 31.80 on diesel.

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New Delhi: The government has held a meeting with all stake holders to discuss ways and means to address the issue of stability of edible oil prices.

The objective of the meeting was to coordinate efforts to ensure availability of edible oils at reasonable prices.

In a first of its kind meeting, held to discuss ways and means to address the issue of abnormal price increase of edible oil, Secretary of Department of Food & Public Distribution said Distribution said that it was important to understand the issues that are contributing to price rise and discuss the same with all the stake holders so that appropriate strategies can be formulated to address the issue of edible oil prices.

It may be noted that production and domestic availability of oilseeds in India is falls way short of needs of domestic demand of edible oil. A big volume of edible oil is imported each year. Changes in International prices of edible oil make an impact on domestic Indian price of edible oil.

The need to hold the meeting was also felt because Centre got concerned about more than proportionate rise in the prices of edible oil in India as compared with the rise in international prices of edible oil during the last few months.

Secretary Food & Public Distribution said that mission "Atmanirbhar Bharat" requires country to be self-sufficient in edible oils. Dependency of almost 60% on imports is not appropriate to the growth of edible oil industry in India. There is a need to strike a balance between short term measures to keep prices.in check and long-term measure of keeping India AtmaNirbhar in Edible oil production"

In the meeting it was felt that there was indeed a need to strike a balance between measures to keep high prices.in check and measures to make India AtmaNirbhar in the area of Edible oil production.

Secretary said that all the States and stake holders from the side of business must take all possible steps to soften the prices.

He added that suggestions presented in the meeting would help in arriving at wholesome solutions to address the issue in stability of edible oil prices and domestic growth oil seeds sector.

He asked the participants to mail the suggestions and other inputs as Centre makes efforts to ensure availability of Edible oils at reasonable prices

The virtual meeting was attended by producers of edible oil seeds, millers, stockists, wholesalers, various associations of the edible oil industry sector, senior officials of States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The meeting was convened by Department of Food & Public Distribution.

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Mumbai: "The Family Man" creators Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK say they respect the sentiments of Tamil people and have come up with "a sensitive, balanced, and riveting story" in the second season of the show, which is facing controversy over its alleged depiction of Eelam Tamils.

Fronted by Manoj Bajpayee, "The Family Man" season two was scheduled to return earlier this year on Amazon Prime Video but got postponed following controversies around the streaming platform's shows "Tandav" and "Mirzapur".

Now, the sophomore season, set in Chennai, is scheduled to be released on June 4.

It will see Bajpayee's Srikant Tiwari pitted against a new and powerful adversary, Raaji, played by South star Samantha Akkineni.

There have been calls for the boycott of the series in Tamil Nadu, with IT Minister T Mano Thangaraj writing a letter to the Centre over the show's depiction of Eelam Tamils in a "highly objectionable manner".

In their statement, Nidimoru and DK said they respect the sentiments of the Tamil people and stressed that assumptions should not be made based on the trailer.

"Some assumptions and impressions have been made based on a couple of shots in the trailer. We are very cognizant of the sentiments of the Tamil people and Tamil culture and have nothing but the utmost love and respect towards our Tamil people," the filmmaker duo said.

Nidimoru and DK insisted that they have presented a "sensitive, balanced, and riveting story", which they are hopeful the audience will appreciate.

"We have put in years of hard work into this show, and we have taken great pains to bring to our audiences a sensitive, balanced, and riveting story? much like we did in season one of the show.

"We request everyone to wait and watch the show when it releases. We know you'll appreciate it once you watch it," they added.

Thangaraj, in his letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday, claimed the show "intentionally undermined" the historical struggle of the Eelam Tamils.

"A serial loaded with insults and insinuations against the glorious Tamil culture could never be considered as the one having any broadcasting value.

"Branding Tamil speaking actress Samantha as a terrorist in the serial is directly an attack on the pride of Tamils living around the world and no one will tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign," he said.

Earlier, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) Founder Seeman has also demanded a ban on the show for portraying Tamils in a negative light.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mano Thangaraj has written to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javedkar to immediately ban or stop the screening of the "Family Man-2" web series on OTT platform Amazon Prime throughout the country.

The government in the letter on Monday said that the trailer of the series which was released recently depicts the "Eelam Tamils in a highly objectionable manner".

In the letter, the state minister said that the Manoj Bajpayee-Samantha-starrer not only hurts the sentiments of the Eelam Tamils but also the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu.

MDMK leader Vaiko had on Sunday made a similar plea to both Javedkar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. Naam Tamilar Katchi leader and actor-director Seeman had also called for a ban on the series.

Mano Thangaraj in the letter said: "Branding Tamil speaking actress Samantha as a "terrorist" in the series was directly an attack on the pride of Tamil population living around the world and no one would tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign."

He also said that the series has already evoked widespread opposition from the people of Tamil Nadu as well as from the political parties in the state.

The minister also said that while the Eelam Tamils were struggling for equality, justice, peace, and dignity in the island nation, Amazon Prime should not have undertaken such a smear campaign against the community.
New Delhi: The Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh has opened five more drive-in vaccinations for people in order to vaccinate more and more people amid the second wave of coronavirus COVID-19. With this, the total number of The Gautam Buddh Nagar district has opened drive-in vaccinations has risen to 10 in the district.

As per the latest guidelines, people above 18 years of age will also be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine jab at drive-in vaccination centres. This is the first such attempt in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district with the aim to make successful the inoculation program of Uttar Pradesh government.

People of age group from 18 to 44 can book an appointment at these centres through the Cowin portal and reach for inoculation at the allotted time, an official said.

As per a government statement, no booking is required for drive-in vaccination at DLF Mall of India (Noida), Omaxe CP Mall (Greater Noida), Shaheed Pathik Stadium (Greater Noida) for people of 45 years and above. Also, slot booking is not required for second dose of Covaxin at drive-in centre at GIP Mall, Gate No. 11 at Noida.

Also, drive-in through program is conducted from 10am-5pm for the first dose of vaccine for people of age group 18-44 at Gaur City Mall (Greater Noida), Pathways School (Noida sector 100), Millenium School (Noida sector 119), Cambridge School (KP 1, Greater Noida), Astor Public School (Greater Noida, J0-1 Delta-2), Pragyan Public School (Jewar).

In order to avail the program initiated by the District Officer, citizens will have to register themselves on the Cowin portal and book a slot at the designated places.

Citizens will be able to arrive at their designated place in their vehicle and get the first dose of the vaccine with ease. They will be able to leave for their home after staying inside their car for 30 minutes under the supervision of doctors.

Meanwhile, the district administration also appealed to the people to reach vaccination centres at the appointed time slot only for vaccination and not from the morning to avoid crowding.



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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj has said that most of the COVID-19 deaths in India have occurred among people under 45 -- who have not yet received even a single dose of the vaccine. He said that the BJP-led Central government lied to the people of India by stating that now states should invite global tenders for their vaccine procurement, whereas these companies have clearly informed the states that they cannot give any vaccines without the Centres approval.

"They can only deal with Central Govt like in other countries. The Central Govt knew this from the very beginning but just wasted critical time," said Saurabh Bhardwaj, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party demands that the BJP-led central government should immediately begin the vaccination program across India on a war footing by procuring vaccines from every possible Pharma Company.

Bhardwaj said that the BJP-led Central government only two companies to manufacture vaccines and sell vaccines in India. The two companies Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute have been provided monopoly to sell their vaccine to a huge population of 96 crore Indian Adult population and earn profits running into thousands of crores.

Chief spokesperson of the Aam Admi Party, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, After recovering from the Coronavirus, I am holding a press conference after a long period of time and I believed that efforts are made not to badmouth somebody and to only talk positive and somehow pull the country out of the grip of the Coronavirus. But today this press conference is being addressed to address a future disaster. Right now, we as a Nation are facing the second wave of Corona. Thousands and lacs of people lost their lives, the old, the young, and the children. The Governmental statistics are only giving you the numbers of the people dying in the hospitals."

"All those who in their homes, in the villages of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradeshs far away towns and villages are dying, they are not even being counted. The majority of them residing in remote towns and villages dont even know that they are dying of Coronavirus. The situation is so grave that there is no wood left to cremate the dead bodies. People have had to bury the dead. On the banks of the Ganga, bodies are being buried. Dead bodies are flown into Ganga," he said.

AAP's chief spokesperson said, Whenever we receive a message of someone's death on WattsApp, we write Rest in peace, condolences. But these words have become very hollow now. We are ashamed of even writing these words because we cannot understand the sadness of the mother who loses her young son. No one can understand that. The father of a daughter who dies leaving her children, no one can understand that grandfather's pain."

"Many children have lost their mother, their father, both their parents, we cannot understand the impact on the lives of those children. Nor can we bring them back. Who will pay their remaining EMIs is a question that stands to date. The brother who dies leaving the 3 unmarried sisters, who will marry them off is a question that still stands today. If you ask around, if you ask the doctors in the hospital, if you inquire in any colony, the maximum deaths are of those who are less than 45 years. The elderly are also dying. Within this, there is a huge majority who have died, from what I can understand, around 95%of the people or quite possible 99% people are those who have not been vaccinated," the AAP MLA said.

Saurabh Bharadwaj further said, Most of those who are dying or falling severely sick are those who were not vaccinated. Now the third wave is about to come, all our scientists are saying that the third wave will be even more dangerous. We dont know how many people will die in that. Some people are saying that the children will be worst affected, you think that there are so many small children in our country, how will we save them is the big question for all of us. For all the governments. Those who died could have been saved, and those who can die in the third wave, they can also be saved. The only solution is to vaccinate all."

Now the most common question that comes to our mind is why would Central Govt deliberately not give the vaccines to all?

Why would Central Government deliberately let its own people die? This is a crucial question, but we want to present certain facts on this question."

He said, I know that all across people have suffered because of the Coronavirus and people from all corners have died, irrespective of the Party you believe in, be it a Congress voter or a staunch supporter of the Bhartiya Janata Party. People are dying in every second house, even if you are a supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party. Everyone has suffered. Only on certain crucial questions, we want to present to you some facts and factual data and please do think about this."

Saurabh Bharadwaj said, Countries like America and the United Kingdom, starting May 2020 that is exactly about a year ago from today were communicating, investing and giving contracts beforehand to the vaccine making companies that they will buy millions of vaccines from them for their people. Why did our Central Government do nothing like this? Today if I am to tell you about the UK out of every 100 people 88 people have gotten vaccinated. In America, out of 100 people 84 have gotten vaccinated and in our country, India out of 100 only 13 people are vaccinated. This means that out of 100, 87 people are such who are completely vulnerable in the third wave of the Coronavirus.

He said, Now the question emerges that why did the BJP Government of our country did not administer the vaccines in the country or why did they fail to do so take any vaccine or any medicine, every type of vaccine, every type of medicine is usually available on the counter, from the Chemist. The government does not control this. In this situation, the Central Government permitted only two of the companies to manufacture and sell and use vaccines in India - Bharat Biotech can sell Covaxin, and Serum Institute can sell Covishield."

"The biggest Parma companies of the world like Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson were permitted in our country. The Central Government of India did not permit these big companies to sell or use their vaccines in India. They were not given the permission, however, only 2 companies  Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute were given the permission that only they could sell the vaccines to India and only their vaccines can be administered in India.

He added, Pfizer is being administered in 85 countries across the world but India has not permitted it. Moderna is being administered in 46 countries but India has not given it permission. Johnson and Johnson's vaccine is being administered in 41 countries but it has not been permitted by India. Why?

"So that only these two companies  Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute can earn profits in India and earn money as a monopoly. India is a very huge market. It is a country of 125 crore people. Out of 125 crores, 96 crores are such who are above the age of 18, who are to be vaccinated. You assume a market of 96 crores has been handed over by the Central Government to just 2 people, to 2 companies so that they can earn profits on it. And today, heavy profits are being made," he alleged.

"In todays date, the Delhi Government does not have vaccines to administer, but if you call a private hospital, the private hospital will give you the vaccine for 1200 rupees in some cases, 1400 rupees in the other. Approximately it can be assumed that a profit of Rs 1000 is being made on 1 vaccine. The vaccine that is being given at Rs 150 to the Central government, is being administered at Rs 1200 in the private hospital then it means that at the least a profit of Rs 1000 is being made on it by private players," he added.

According to Saurabh Bhardwaj, If we assume that 96 crore people need this vaccine and even half of them take it from Private Hospitals, then this becomes a profiteering of 96000 crores which is going to these two private Companies and some private players/Hospitals. This is very crucial data that I am presenting in front of you. You yourself think that the friends you lost, the family members you lost, the brother you lost, the children you lost, who is responsible for their deaths? Their lives could have been saved. Even today if the Central Government can carefully invite all the big companies of the world, then the lives can be saved."

Almost a month ago the Central Government started spreading a rumour that whichever state wants a vaccine can invite a global tender. The Central Government made a fool of everyone. Many State Governments communicated with these companies, the Delhi Government talked to Moderna, Pfizer, we wrote a letter and we received a response. The Maharashtra government invited global tender, the Punjab government invited a global tender and in every global tender what emerged was the fact that these big companies, firstly have not been given permission by the Central Government and they will only and only deal with the Central Government."

"In the entire world, every Central Government, National Government is buying vaccines for their people from these big companies. Not from today, but from May 2020. They have already vaccinated 85% of their population. We have been only able to administer to 13% of the population and now the Central Government has thrown the responsibility upon the state governments to buy directly and these big companies are telling us that we can only sell to the Centre and not the states," he added.

Did the Centre not know this?

"The Centre knew this from day 1. The Centre only to make a fool of the people, a fool of the state governments and to belittle them for another low-level politics, said that the states should take the responsibility and their 1 month got wasted in this.

Saurabh Bharadwaj said, I want to say this to the Central Government that they should not play with the lives of people. Understand your responsibility and call these companies and buy as many vaccines as possible from them and administer them on a war footing. The third wave will witness the deaths of small children and the nation would not be able to bear their deaths. This big disaster is looming large upon the nation. I think the Central Government should now wake up otherwise great destruction waits for us.

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Patna: Even as the uncertainty of CBSE and CISCE Class 12 board exams remains, the Bihar government has called out in favour of conducting the exams saying they are crucial for the future of the students.

Bihar Education Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Tuesday (May 25) said that both CBSE and CISCE board exams help shape the future of the students and hence should be conducted.

He, however, said that in order to carry out the exams, a favourable environment must be created for the safety of students and staff that take part in the exercise.

Choudhary requested the central government to announce the probable dates of board exams so that the students get appropriate time to prepare.

In response to a question, the minister said that if any teacher died due to COVID-19 while conduction the exams, suitable compensation will be given as per the rules.

Bihar has a provision to provide a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for those who die of COVID-19.

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted businesses and lives of people around the world, renowned American economist Professor Philip Kotler called for a need for companies to prioritise all stakeholders instead of just focusing on their shareholders.

Kotler said that in the post-pandemic world, businesses must not think just as profit machines but in terms of making the world a better place to live and sustain.

Earth, this planet, is our stakeholder and companies should focus on making this world a better place by bringing in transparency as part of their corporate social responsibility, said Kotler at the 17th international conference on Management Strategies: Retrieval, Resilience & Re-modelling in post-COVID World organised by Jagannath International Management School, Vasant Kunj on Saturday.

In a passionate plea, Kotler emphasised that the companies should think about how they can increase the well-being and happiness of the people in society. It is time that companies move from being shareholder-driven to stakeholder-driven, he said.

No doubt shareholders are very important to give a strong financial foundation to the business. It is important to think not just as profit machines but in terms of making the world a better place to live and sustain, to be able to pass it to the next generation, Kotler added.

He further said that the businesses that practice conscious leadership are those that ultimately grow and prosper, while failure to evolve brings them down.

The conference was attended by several academicians and business leaders with Mr. Rohit Khosla, EVP Operations, Indian Hotels Company Limited, as the chief guest.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Amit Gupta, Chairman, JIMS, underlined the need for innovation and providing a culture that supports it. He stressed the need for businesses to be agile and resilient.

An entrepreneurial mindset is indispensable at times like this, said Gupta, adding that preparedness for any kind of crisis is important.

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New Delhi: Amid the second wave of coronavirus in the country, the Centre on Monday (May 24, 2021) announced to give assistance of Rs 1,500 to each transgender person.

"Distressed calls and emails have been made by the members of the Transgender community seeking Government help and support in light of the current situation," the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment said.

The subsistence allowance has been provided as immediate support to meet their basic requirements.

"This financial assistance will help the Transgender community to meet their day-to-day needs. NGOs and Community-based Organisations (CBOs) working for Transgender Persons have been asked to spread awareness about this step," the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment added.

How to apply:

The Centre said that any transgender person or CBOs on behalf of the transgender person can apply for financial assistance after providing basic details - Aadhar and Bank Account number in a form https://forms.gle/H3BcREPCy3nG6TpH7.

This form is also available on the website of the National Institute of Social Defence.

"To ensure that the information about this reaches a maximum number of Transgender Persons, this form is also being circulated on social media with the help of NGOs and CBOs," the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment said.

Counselling services helpline:

A free helpline for distressed transgender persons for psychological support and mental health care has also been announced by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Any transgender person can connect with experts on helpline number 8882133897. This helpline will be functional from Monday to Saturday between 11 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 5 PM.
New Delhi: World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday (May 24, 2021) said that the ongoing COVID-19 vaccine crisis is perpetuating the pandemic and called it a 'scandalous inequity'.

Ghebreyesus stated that a small group of countries that make and buy the majority of the world's vaccines control the fate of the rest of the world.

During the World Health Assembly, he said, "The ongoing vaccine crisis is a scandalous inequity that is perpetuating the pandemic. More than 75% of all vaccines have been administered in just 10 countries."

The WHO director-general said that number of coronavirus vaccine doses administered globally so far would have been enough to cover all health workers and older people, 'if they had been distributed equitably'.

"We could have been in a much better situation," he expressed.

"Almost 18 months into the defining health crisis of our age, the world remains in a very dangerous situation. As of today, more cases have been reported so far this year than in the whole of 2020," he added.

He asked the countries to implement national vaccination strategies, vaccinate those most at risk, and donate vaccines to COVAX.

Ghebreyesus said that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and it will not be over 'until and unless the transmission is controlled in every last country'.

Globally, as per WHO on May 24, there have been 16,68,60,081 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 34,59,996 deaths. As of May 24, a total of 14,897,27,128 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
New Delhi: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Monday (May 24) wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi drawing his attention to the plight of horticulture farmers who have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as the prices of their produce has crashed.

Gowda urged the prime minister to ask the agriculture and horticulture departments in states to find a solution to help the farmers. He suggested the central government to actively participate in the process.

COVID reaching rural India is a worrying problem but crashing prices of horticulture produce is delivering a twin blow to rural masses and is affecting their small yet self-sustained livelihoods, wrote Gowda in the letter.

He pointed out that recently the farmers in Kolar were seen dumping their tomato produce because it did not fetch them a good price.

I have read similar reports of fruits, vegetables and flowers being either dumped, crushed or abandoned from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, he said.

The reason for prices to fall are varied but in general the market network is broken, access to market has been hindered due to lockdowns, he added.

I wrote to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi avaru yesterday drawing his attention to the price crash of horticultural products across India and how this has the potential to affect livelihoods of small and marginal farmers in rural India during the pandemic.@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/0pos0FOxw9  H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) May 25, 2021

Gowda stressed that the larger policy issue was that horticulture products are not served by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism.

He noted that horticulture products are perishable and there are no elaborate cold storage facilities.

Gowda further said that the states which are already burdened with procuring vaccines and building infrastructure to deal with the pandemic are left with little funds to help the small and medium horticulture farmers.

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New Delhi: West Bengal is preparing for Cyclone Yaas as it is likely to be more severe than cyclonic storm Amphan that hit the coastal state in 2020. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (May 24, 2021) said that her government has made all necessary arrangements in dealing with the aftermath of cyclone Yaas, which might affect 20 districts.

The TMC supremo stated that the state is targeting to shift over 10 lakh people to safer places in a bid to avoid any loss of life.

"Cyclone Yaas's impact is going to be much more than Amphan, according to the information we have received so far. This is going to affect at least 20 districts in West Bengal. The districts of Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur will be severely affected," Mamata said.

Cyclone Yaas may also leave an impact on districts of Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, Birbhum, Nadia, Paschim and Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Murshidabad, Jhargram, and Purulia.

The state government has banned all forms of tourism in the coastal areas as well as fishing activities in the sea. The district administrations and police have been asked to deal with violations strictly to prevent any loss of life.

Mamata Banerjee said that at least 51 disaster management teams have been readied, keeping in view the possible devastations predicted by experts.

The West Bengal CM also informed that ferry services at 13 places have been shut and assured that the state has sufficient stock of relief materials that are kept ready at the block level.

She said that from Tuesday, the state government will continue surveillance for the next 48 hours from the control room at the state secretariat.

"Extensive plans have been adopted for hospitals and vaccine centres," CM Banerjee said, adding that all types of medicines -- on diarrhoea, fever, snake bites -- have been asked to be kept ready.

Over 1,000 power restoration teams have been kept on stand-by and the West Bengal government has also asked the Army, NDRF, SDRF to be on alert.

"There is nothing to be scared of. We have taken all forms of precautionary measures. I will ask the people to cooperate and wear masks and maintain physical distance," Mamata said.

Several trains run by the South Eastern Railway have also been cancelled in the wake of the cyclone from Monday to Thursday.

As per the latest updates, Cyclone Yaas lay centred about 320km south-south-east of Paradip, 430km south-south-east of Balasore and is likely to move north-northwestwards, to cross north Odisha coast during noon of May 26 as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

SCS Yaas lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of today, about 320km SSE of Paradip, 430km SSE of Balasore, likely to move north-northwestwards, to cross north Odisha coast during noon of 26th May as a VSCS. pic.twitter.com/SV33nLgG8Z  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 25, 2021

Earlier, Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the deputy director at the Regional Met Centre in Kolkata, said that at the time of landfall near Balasore, wind speed will reach 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, along and off Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts in Odisha and in East Midnapore district of West Bengal.

The IMD stated that tidal waves of height 2-4 meters above astronomical tide are likely to inundate low lying low laying areas of Medinipur, Balasore, Bhadrak and about 2 meters above astronomical tide are likely to inundate low lying low laying areas of South 24 Parganas, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts around the time of landfall.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata port has suspended all operations from May 25 till the cyclone subsides.

The Kolkata airport authorities have also said that all precautionary measures are in place to deal with any eventuality in the wake of the cyclone.

The Calcutta High Court has also cancelled the hearing of all matters listed for May 26 and 27.

The utility issued emergency helpline numbers (033) 3501-1912/ 4403-1912 and 18605001912. State-run WBSEDCL that supplies power to the rest of West Bengal also issued helpline numbers 8900793503 and 8900793504 to report disruptions.

(With agency inputs)

Live TV
Bhubaneswar: Ahead the predicted May 26 landfall of cyclone Yaas in coastal areas of the Odisha, the state on Tuesday (May 25) issued a red alert warning for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts, which are likely to be affected with heavy rainfall.

Umashankar Das, Deputy Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar said, "A red alert, i.e. extremely heavy rainfall warning has been issued for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, and Balasore for today. The rainfall will exceed more than 20 cm."

The official said that an orange alert, i.e. heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda, and Puri today, news agency PTI reported.

"The rainfall in the district is expected to measure between 12-20 cm," Das said.

The IMD regional Deputy Director further said, "We are expecting wind speeds of 150-160 kmph gusting 180kmph over Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore tomorrow as landfall is expected by noon. We have issued the highest danger warning for Dhamra and Paradip ports."

Meanwhile, people have been evacuated by Balasore district administration and Marine Police Force in the Chandipur area, ahead of the cyclonic storm Yaas.

"We are focusing on the evacuation of people from low-lying areas. 1,200 centers to be used as shelters have been sanitized due to the Covid-19 situation. We have health teams deployed at these centers. Power restoration and road clearance teams deployed," District of Collector Balasore K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has directed the state`s home minister to reach Balasore today and remain there to monitor the situationIt has been predicted that the cyclonic storm Yaas is going to intensity into a `very severe cyclonic storm` in the next 12 hours.

Cyclone Yaas is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of May 26 as a `Very Severe Cyclonic Storm`.

Live TV
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday (May 25, 2021) predicted that Cyclone Yaas is going to intensify into a 'Very Severe Cyclonic Storm' in the next few hours.

As per a weather bulletin released at 2 AM, the Cyclonic Storm Yaas over East-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 10 kmph during the past 6 hours, intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm and lay centred at 2330 hrs of May 24 over East-central Bay of Bengal near latitude 17.6N and longitude 89.0E, about 390 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 490 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha), 470 km south-southeast of Digha (West Bengal) and 500 kms south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh).

"It is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 12 hours. It would continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach Northwest Bay of Bengal near north Odisha and West Bengal coasts by May 26 early morning," the IMD said.

The weather department also stated that Cyclone Yaas is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of May 26 as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

The intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm, lay centred at 1800 UTC of 24th May about 390km SSE of Paradip, likely to move north-northwestwards, to cross between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. pic.twitter.com/1MVR7TNxIz  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 24, 2021

Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the deputy director at the Regional Met Centre in Kolkata, said that at the time of landfall near Balasore, wind speed will reach 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, along and off Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts in Odisha and in East Midnapore district of West Bengal.

The IMD stated that tidal waves of height 2-4 meters above astronomical tide are likely to inundate low lying low laying areas of Medinipur, Balasore, Bhadrak and about 2 meters above astronomical tide are likely to inundate low lying low laying areas of South 24 Parganas, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts around the time of landfall.

Earlier on Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed preparations with the Chief Ministers of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh and the Lt Governor of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It came a day after a high-level review meeting by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shah specifically reviewed and re-iterated to the states and UT administrations to make adequate power backup arrangements in all COVID-19 hospitals, labs, vaccine cold chains and other medical facilities.

He also advised them to ensure adequate stocks of all essential medicines and supplies in hospitals, keeping in view likely disruption of the movement of vehicles.

The Union Home Minister also reviewed the impact of Cyclone Yaas on oxygen generation plants located in West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and advised them to make advance planning for keeping a buffer stock of oxygen for two days.

Shah said that a 24x7 control room is functioning in the MHA, which can be contacted at any time for any assistance by the states and the Union Territory.

He also informed that the Indian Coast Guard, the Navy, the Army and Air Force units have also been put on standby and surveillance aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial sorties.

Meanwhile, the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government said that it has rushed a large contingent of rescue and relief teams to Balasore district bordering West Bengal on Monday. Officials said that a massive evacuation drive has been launched in all low-lying areas and vulnerable storm-surge pockets and that the process of evacuation would be completed by Tuesday afternoon.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government is targeting to shift at least 10 lakh people to safer places in a bid to avoid any loss of life.

She stated that at least 51 disaster management teams have been readied, keeping in view the possible devastations predicted by experts.

The TMC Supremo also highlighted that ferry services at 13 places have been shut and that the state has sufficient stock of relief materials that are kept ready at the block level.

She also stated that over 1,000 power restoration teams have been kept on stand-by and once the cyclone subsides, they will start working.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also directed its rescue teams to ensure that the country's major medical oxygen generation plants based in Odisha and West Bengal are running and alive during Cyclone Yaas.

NDRF director general (DG) SN Pradhan said the force has earmarked a total of 149 teams for undertaking evacuation and rescue operations, of which 99 will be deployed on the ground and the remaining 50 will be available at its various bases across the country for quick airlift if required.

Pradhan added that all the states expected to face the fury of the 'very severe cyclonic storm' have been asked to not take any chance and evacuate each and every person from its likely path well in time.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: West Bengal and Odisha have evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas to safety as severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' is nearing the coast and is expected to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district on Wednesday (May 26) morning. Neighbouring Jharkhand has also sounded an alert and is preparing for the cyclone's impact. Andhra Pradesh Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also reviewed the preparations for Cyclone Yaas, including the need to make necessary arrangements for the safety of power plants and to ensure uninterrupted power supply to hospitals and health facilities treating COVID-19 patients.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that her administration has evacuated over nine lakh people to safe shelters. The Odisha government, on the other hand, said it has moved over 2 lakh people from vulnerable areas in coastal districts to safety.

'Yaas' to intensify into very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday evening

IMD Director-General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that 'Yaas' is likely to intensify into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) by Tuesday evening. He said the cyclone's impact will be severe for six hours before and after the landfall and Chandbali will witness the maximum damage. Dr Umashankar Das, a scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said that the landfall will most likely be between Dhamra and Chandbali in Odisha's Bhadrak district.

Cyclone Yaas: Bengal CM Mamata to stay at Nabanna to monitor situation

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said over 74,000 officers and workers and over 2 lakh policemen and civic volunteers have been deployed to mitigate the natural calamity in West Bengal. She said that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been deployed and Army's help will be sought if required. The chief minister said that senior IAS officers have been assigned to monitor the situation in different districts.

"The chief and home secretaries are in touch with the district magistrates. I have spoken with the DMs of South and North 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Purba Medinipur districts. I will be at Nabanna to monitor the situation throughout the night," she said.

Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha, P K Jena, said that over 2.10 lakh people residing in kutcha houses in low- lying areas have been moved to cyclone shelters.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has rushed Odisha's Minister of State for Home, D S Mishra to Balasore to monitor the situation in the northern parts of the state. Jena said the four coastal districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore are in the high-risk zone, while the impact of 'Yaas' will also be felt in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Dhenkanal, Angul, and parts of Puri and Khurda districts. He said large-scale destruction is anticipated in the coastal region during landfall.

'Yaas' is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a VSCS during the next 12 hours, the IMD said. The system has been moving north-northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph. Wind speeds will increase to 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph over northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off north Odisha and adjoining West Bengal coasts during landfall, it said. The system is likely to cause heavy rain over large parts of West Bengal and Odisha on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fishermen warned against venturing into sea

The weatherman advised fishermen against venturing out into the sea till further information. It warned of destruction to thatched houses, extensive damage to kutcha dwellings and some damage to pucca buildings in coastal and adjoining interior districts of West Bengal.

The MeT Department also warned of bending or uprooting of electric poles and disruption of railway services due to snapping of power lines and signalling systems.

The South Eastern Railways has announced the cancellation of several passenger special trains till Wednesday.

The cyclone is likely to hit the Kolhan division comprising East and West Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan districts, besides Bokaro and Khunti, Disaster Management Secretary Amitabh Kaushal told PTI.
NEW DELHI: Mehul Choksi, the fugitive diamantaire who is wanted in the country in connection with the Rs 13,5000-crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud case, has mysteriously gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda where he had been staying since January 2018.

Choksis sudden disappearance has raised a question mark over the Antiguan governments intention to help India in the case.

The Royal Police Force of the Caribbean island nation said in an official statement that it has launched a missing person operation along with the photograph of the businessman, seeking information from the public.

"The Police are investigating a Missing Person Report made Mehul Choksi of Jolly Harbour. Mehul was reported missing on Sunday 23rd May 2021 at the Johnson Point Police Station," the statement said.

Choksi, 62, was last seen on Sunday in his car which was recovered by the police following searches, but he could not be found, it said. The media reports say that Choksi, who had taken the citizenship of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, was seen driving in the southern area of the island on Sunday. Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal has also confirmed the reports.

Though unconfirmed, some media reports claimed that the fugitive diamond trader may have fled Antigua and could have landed in Cuba.

Why is Mehul Choksi wanted in India?

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted in the country for allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking.

What are the charges against Mehul Choksi?

Both Choksi and his nephew, diamantaire Nirav Modi, have been accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of defrauding state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs 13,500 crore in the issuance of letters of undertaking and foreign letters of credit.

While Nirav Modi is in a London prison after repeated denial of bail and is contesting extradition to India, Mehul Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 using the Citizenship by Investment programme, before fleeing India in the first week of January 2018. The scam came to light subsequently. Both of them have been charged by CBI and ED.

What are the legal hurdles in Mehul Choksi's extradition to India?

Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi reportedly left India in the first week of January and have not returned despite repeated summons from the investigating agencies and courts.

In 2019, Choksi was first traced to Antigua after the US authorities informed India about his travel to the Caribbean nation. Choksi, who owns Gitanjali Gems, became an Antiguan citizen under its programme that extends its citizenship in exchange for investment in the island nation. He has surrendered his Indian passport.

CBI then approached the Ministry of External Affairs, which in turn contacted the Antiguan authorities asking for Choksis extradition. It may be noted that India does not have an extradition treaty with Antigua and Barbuda. Despite that, the Antiguan Foreign Minister, EP Chet Greene, had then assured his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj that his government will cooperate with India on the extradition. However, he refused to set a timeframe for resolving the matter.

Later, India managed to secure an Interpol Red Notice against Choksi, further tightening the case for extradition.

Antigua and Barbuda had in past informed India that in the absence of a bilateral treaty, Mehul Choksi can still be extradited to New Delhi as both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Section 7 of Antigua and Barbuda's Extradition Act, 1993, raises hope for Choksi's extradition to India to face trial in the PNB loan case fraud. This was shared with the Indian envoy when he met the countrys Foreign Minister EP Chet Greene and solicitor general Martin Camacho to discuss the case.

The CBI has also initiated the process to extradite the fugitive businessman from Antigua and Barbuda. CBI had sent a formal request under the UN Convention against Corruption as both countries are part of the convention, seeking Choksis extradition to India. Both India and Antigua are members of the treaty due to which Antigua is legally bound to extradite Mehul Choksi.

What is the UN Convention against Corruption?

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. It covers five main areas  preventive measures, criminalisation and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, technical assistance and information exchange.

It also covers several other forms of corruption such as bribery, trading in influence, abuse of functions, and various acts of dubious deals in private sector. UNCAC aims at returning assets to their rightful owners, including countries from which they have been taken illicitly.

What does Mehul Choky say?

Choksi has maintained that due to the action of investigating agencies, which included the attachment of his assets by the ED, his brand value diminished due to which he could not settle his dues.

I lost my business and its brand value was destroyed; all my employees lost their jobs. I had not defaulted on payment of loans till my business was closed without preliminary enquiry. I could have settled all my dues had my business not been shut down in a matter of days, he had said.

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a fresh debate has started over the two methods of medical treatment - Ayurveda and Allopathy. The question is which of the two techniques is more effective.

Zee News Anchor Aditi Tyagi on Tuesday (May 25) explained the two medical systems, their history and the age-old conflict over their effectiveness.

This conflict between Allopathy and Ayurveda is very old. It is believed that the use of modern medicine in India i.e. Allopathy started in the 16th century. At that time there were no doctors. Rather Acharya, Vaidya, Rishi and Hakim used to treat people and the methods of treatment were also quite different.

It is said that during that time millions of people died due to numerous diseases spread. It was only due to these diseases that Allopathy found its way into our country and gained people's trust. Since then the conflict between Ayurveda and Allopathy started, which continues till today.

The recent debate kicked off after yoga guru Baba Ramdev raised questions over Allopathy. The Indian Medical Association expressed their displeasure over this. Ramdev later retracted his statement. But the controversy has not ended.

Doctors and scientists believe that modern medical practice should be called Evidence-based medicine. Their reasoning behind this is that in this method, any drug or treatment method has to undergo a long test. And the whole method is based on scientific research.

Allopathy is considered to have its origins in Greece about 2400 years ago.

Ayurveda, one of the ancient methods of treatment, is considered to be 3 to four thousand years old. It is made up of two words from the Sanskrit language Ayur and Veda. Ayur means life and Veda means science. That is, Ayurveda means the science of life.

There are 114 verses in the Atharvaveda which refer to treatment by Ayurvedic method.

Many major diseases have been described in the Atharvaveda such as fever, cough, abdominal pain, diarrhea and skin diseases.

Apart from this, 67 medicines are also mentioned in the Rigveda, 82 medicines are mentioned in the Yajurveda and in the Samaveda, some mantras related to Ayurveda are described.

While Allopathy is the modern method of treatment, Ayurveda is the ancient method of treatment. One of the major reasons for the conflict between the two is that Ayurveda is seen to be associated with religion.

The British were well aware that the expansion of Allopathy in India would not be easy. Earlier, when smallpox spread in India, it was treated by Ayurvedic method. But then in the year 1796 the smallpox vaccine was developed and the British started using this vaccine in India. This smallpox vaccine saved the lives of people and thus won the trust of people.

It is said that the Acharyas and Vaidyas opposed it, but the British suppressed this opposition.

Today there are a total of 69 thousand government and private hospitals across the country, while the number of Ayush hospitals is just 3600. These include 2 thousand 827 Ayurvedic hospitals, 252 Unani hospitals, 264 hospitals of Siddha system of medicine and 216 hospitals of Homoeopathy.

It is said that Allopathy saves 20 lakh people every year in the world and it is estimated that between 2000 and 2030, 7 crore deaths due to 10 diseases will be averted due to allopathic medicines. Apart from this, the market of Allopathy is also very big.

This is why today people want to become doctors but do not want to become doctors of Ayurveda.

While allopathic treatment has so far saved the lives of crores of people all over the world, yoga and Ayurvedic treatment have also taught people about having a healthy lifestyle.

Both are efficient methods for medical treatment. Every method has its own importance. The bitter truth is that there is a conflict between the interests of human beings regarding these systems.

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New Delhi: India's external affairs on Tuesday (May 25) met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, the first-ever physical meeting between the 2 after India took the non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council earlier this year. During the talks, at happened at United Nations Headquarters, the key focus was India's presidency of the council in the month of August during which India will be leading a number of events on Maritime Security, Technology, and Peacekeeping.

A tweet statement by EAM said, "Highlighted India's constructive role in UNSC and conveyed priorities of our Presidency in August." During the same meet, UN SG lauded Indian UN Peacekeepers' role in congo over the weekend in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption.

Indian Army Personnel are part of the MONUSCO or United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and played a key role in safeguarding civilians and UN Assets. India is also working with the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations for the development of a mobile tech platform  UNITE AWARE will be launched during India's August presidency. It will increase situational awareness and provides terrain-related information to peacekeepers, with India contributing $1.64 million towards the project.

During the meeting, EAM conveyed to Antonio Guterres that India will back him for his re-election for a second term as the UN Secretary-General. Elections will take place later this year to choose the tenth Secretary-General of the United Nations whose tenure will begin from 1st January next year.

The meeting expectedly saw a focus on the covid crisis, with EAM appreciating the efforts of the Secretary-General to facilitate Vaccines for All" and both sides discussing the need to ramp up global vaccine production through expanded supply chains. EAM's tweet statement said, "Discussed the Covid challenge, underlining the importance of finding urgent & effective global vaccine solutions".

There was a mention of the India South Africa proposal of covid vaccine patent waiver, which has seen increased global support ever since US President Biden administration extended support for it.

Other key issues were climate chain and 2 key regional issues, one on Afghanistan and another on Myanmar were part of the conversation. On climate change, EAM apprised the Secretary-General of Indias efforts to meet its Paris commitments, pointing out to its projects like the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

On Afghanistan, his statement said,"Shared our concerns about ensuring that the gains of the last two decades in Afghanistan are adequately protected."
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) will observe 'Black Day' on Wednesday (May 26) to protest against the government for not taking back three new farm laws, its leader Rakesh Tikait said on Tuesday. He said people can protest by putting black flags outside their homes.

"On May 26, the farmers sitting on the agitation will observe the Black Day. Farmers protesting on borders will hold black flags against the government, wear them on hands and put them on vehicles. The farmers will protest at the site. The protest is supported by the opposition parties," said farmers union spokesman Dharmendra Malik.

BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said that they will burn the effigy of the government while people can protest by putting black flags outside their homes, on their vehicles. "Is putting a black flag a crime? We are upset with somebody and we are using it as a sign (of protest)," he told ANI.

Asked if many farmers will march towards the national capital, Tikait said, "No, this is not true. Nobody is coming towards Delhi. Whoever wishes to protest will use a black flag and put it outside their home or on their vehicle."

According to the BKU leader, the protests will start around 9-10 am and will continue till 12 noon.Tikait said the farmers have been protesting for the past six months but the government has "not taken back its black laws".

He informed that they have written a letter to the Centre about their concerns. "We wrote a letter stating that if the government wants to talk, we are ready, since they said used to say 'we are a phone call away'. We wrote a letter as it can be documented," he said.

"If the government can bring in laws during the pandemic, it can surely revoke them also. We are not going anywhere, we will stay here. We have a lot of time," said Rakesh Tikait.

Talking about the COVID vaccination, Tikait said protesting farmers will take the shot if government sets up vaccination camp. "If the government has injections, they can set up a camp and we will participate," he added.

The farmers have been protesting since November 26 last year against the farm laws passed by the Centre including Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

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New Delhi: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case, has gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda.

In an exclusive statement to ANI, Choksi`s counsel advocate Vijay Aggarwal confirmed that he is missing in the island nation. His lawyer said, "Mr Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. Family is in the dark and worried about his safety."

There were media reports in Antigua that the police have launched a manhunt for Mehul Choksi. It was reported that Choksi left his home last evening to go for dinner at a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island and was never seen again. His vehicle was discovered in Jolly Harbour later in the evening, but no sign of him, said the ANI report citing Antiguan newsroom.

The Fugitive diamantaire has been involved in a legal battle to stop his extradition back to India to answer fraud charges against him. Police are yet to issue a statement on the matter, reported Antiguan newsroom.

Earlier, on the media reports regarding his citizenship revocation issue, his Advocate Vijay Aggarwal had clarified that "My client Mehul Choksi has clarified that he is very much an Antiguan citizen. His citizenship has not been revoked."

Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne had reportedly said that the citizenship of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi will be revoked and he will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted.

61-year-old is an Indian-born businessman, Choksi is residing in Antigua and Barbuda. Earlier, Choksi in an interview with ANI, had claimed that he is innocent and all allegations against him are false, baseless and motivated by political expediency.

Choksi holds Antiguan citizenship and is the owner of Gitanjali Group, a retail jewellery company. An arrest warrant for Choksi has been issued in connection with the alleged Punjab National Bank fraud case. He was allegedly involved in stock market manipulation in 2013.

In a recent ruling by a UK court, Choksi's nephew Nirav Modi was recently ordered to be extradited to India from the United Kingdom to face charges of conspiring to defraud PNB of more than a billion dollars.

(With Agency Inputs)

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NEW DELHI: Gujarats Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on Tuesday confirmed that Gujarat Secondary & Higher Secondary Education Board will conduct Class 12 exams as per the existing system from July 1.

The minister said that the full schedule of the exams will be announced soon.

The exams of science & general streams will begin on July 1. Part-1 of the science stream will have MCQs and descriptive writing in Part-2, the Education Minister said.

The Education Minister made the announcement on Twitter after a high-level meeting with ministers from the Central Government on pending board and entrance exams.

Gujarat Secondary & Higher Secondary Education Board will conduct Class 12 exams as per the existing system. Exams of science & general streams will begin on July 1. Part-1 of science stream will have MCQs &descriptive writing in Part-2: Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama pic.twitter.com/GlIooaqlC4  ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2021

However, the board is yet to decide on the mode of examination. The schedule of the HSC examination will only be announced after a meeting and consultation with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Such a plan should be taken to take full care of the health of the student and also to take care of his future. Gujarat will take Class 12 Science and other general stream examinations. The date and method will be decided after discussing with Hon'ble Chief Minister, the minister tweeted.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the increasing cases across the country, Gujarat had earlier decided on the mass promotion of Class 10 students.

It was Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who took up the decision keeping in mind the current situation in the state. This year, nearly 12 lakh students of Class 10 were expected to appear for the exams.

Amid the talks on conducting the exams in the country, the major entrance tests for undergraduate Engineering (JEE Main) and medicine (NEET UG 2021) will be conducted, it was reported.

The application form for JEE Main 2021 exam date and NEET 2021 will be released soon on the official site of NTA - nta.ac.in.

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New York: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday (May 25) had a "productive strategy session" with Ambassador of India at United Nations TS Tirumurti" ahead of meeting with senior US officials on COVID-19 agenda. The EAM Jaishankar, who began his five-day US visit on Monday, will meet the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today at 10 am Eastern Time (ET).

Jaishankar`s US visit is slated to last till May 28, the External Affairs Ministry said last week. He will also be meeting Cabinet members and Senior US officials of the Administration dealing with the bilateral relationship.

"A productive strategy session with @ambtstirumurti and our UN team in New York @IndiaUNNewYork. Confident that India will continue to shape the big debates of our times," EAM Jaishankar tweeted.

A productive strategy session with @ambtstirumurti and our UN team in New York @IndiaUNNewYork. Confident that India will continue to shape the big debates of our times. pic.twitter.com/Utv7RDDBJq  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 24, 2021

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is looking forward to meeting EAM Jaishankar to discuss various issues, including COVID-19 efforts and strengthening of Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad, according to the US State Department spokesperson.

"The Secretary looks forward to meeting Minister Jaishankar during his visit, and to discussing a broad range of issues, including COVID-19 relief, efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad, enhanced UN and multilateral cooperation, and a range of other shared regional security and economic priorities," the spokesperson said.

"External Affairs Minister will have two interactions with business forums on economic and COVID-related cooperation between India and the US," said the ministry statement.

India is engaged in talks with various US entities involved in Covid vaccines production and is looking forward to procuring and subsequently producing these vaccines. The issue of vaccine procurement is expected to be a key agenda item during Jaishankar`s interaction with US leadership and other stakeholders.

On Sunday, EAM Jaishankar landed in New York, as part of his weeklong US visit, to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday New York. Ambassador of India to the UN TS Tirumurti received EAM Jaishankar on his first visit to New York after India entered the UN Security Council.

"Privilege to receive External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on his first visit to New York after #India entered the UN #SecurityCouncil on 1 January 2021," Ambassador Tirumurti tweeted.

"External Affairs Minister will have two interactions with business forums on economic and COVID-related cooperation between India and the US," said the ministry statement.

India is engaged in talks with various US entities involved in Covid vaccines production and is looking forward to procuring and subsequently producing these vaccines. The issue of vaccine procurement is expected to be a key agenda item during Jaishankar`s interaction with US leadership and other stakeholders.

The US has already announced that it is going to distribute 80 million vaccines from its stockpile to countries in need. With India hit badly by the second Covid wave, efforts of New Delhi will focus on getting the maximum and also looking for tie-ups with vaccine developers to produce in India.

US has a stockpile 60 million Astra Zeneca vaccine doses and also Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. The US is playing a lead role in assisting India`s fight against the COVID-19 virus. It has already provided large oxygen plants, concentrators, critical medicines like Remdesivir and also raw materials for vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII), which is manufacturing Covishield.

US is also backing India sponsored proposal on TRIPS waiver at the WTO. The TRIPS waiver aims to increase global vaccine production in order to take on the challenge of vaccinating the poorest of the poor and save lives.

In October last year, India and South Africa, along with 57 members of WTO proposed a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS agreement for prevention, containment, and treatment of the coronavirus. EAM Jaishankar met his US counterpart Antony Blinken in early May in London during G7 Foreign Minister`s meeting.

(With ANI Inputs)
Noida: The Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital & Post Graduate Teaching Institute (SSPHPGTI) or Child PGI in Noida has started preparations to deal with the possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hospital has arranged 50 beds for the treatment of children, while 50 more beds will be arranged in the near future.

The beds have been equipped with oxygen supply, ventilators and infusion pumps. Oxygen will be delivered to all beds through the Central Oxygen System.

The organization said there is no shortage of oxygen as they have a four-layer oxygen system in place.

Moreover, an oxygen generation plant will be commissioned through CSR in one week. The hospital said that all oxygen concentrators have been funded through donations.

At present, no child suffering from COVID-19 is admitted in the hospital. 46 kids that were infected have made full recovery and have been sent to their homes.

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Mumbai: After a Central directive, the Mumbai civic body allowed pregnant women to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 at approved centres without prior registration.

Pregnant women can walk-in at the centres run by the Maharashtra government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) between Monday and Wednesday as they are now included in the list of the categories eligible for vaccination on the three days a BMC release said.

However, they have to do registration at vaccination centres.

The BMC cited the May 19 directive of the Union government permitting lactating mothers to take COVID-19 vaccines.

"While administering vaccines to lactating mothers, all the necessary guidelines will be followed. They will have to carry necessary documents about the date and place of delivery along with medical details. Pregnant women will have to produce a certificate written on the letterhead of gynaecologists from whom they are taking treatment along with a self-consent letter," the civic body said, according to news agency PTI.

A BMC spokesperson said pregnant women can also walk in for COVID-19 jabs between Monday and Wednesday.

At present, Mumbai has 321 active vaccination centres, and so far, 29,80,478 citizens have been administered COVID-19 vaccines including 25,211 inoculations on Monday.

As of Monday, Mumbai's COVID-19 tally stood at 6,98,867 while the overall death toll is 14,671.

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Kolkata: Hours before Cyclone Yaas is expected to strike West Bengal, the state administration has sprung into action to meet the challenge. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will spend the night at the state secretariat Nabanna to monitor the situation.

The state government has set up unified commands at block levels in various districts to immediately carry out restoration works.

A team comprising workers from Disaster Management Group, Civil Defence, PWD, Forest, Emergency & Fire Services, Electricity Supply Board (WBSEDCL) officials, civil administration, state police and a specialised team of NDRF is gearing up to carry out the relief activities.

A mock drill was conducted by the team to familiarise them with the local conditions and how are they going to respond post Cyclone.

These teams are armed with satellite phones in case if of a power breakdown. They have been stationed at strategic locations in blocks.

As a part of the immediate restoration work, they will be clearing the roads that are obstructed by uprooted trees and electricity poles.

A JCB will clear the big trees and put them on the side of the roads to facilitate transport. Similarly, the electricity lines will be restored.

Cyclone Yaas is likely to be more severe than cyclonic storm Amphan that hit the coastal state in 2020.

"Cyclone Yaas's impact is going to be much more than Amphan, according to the information we have received so far. This is going to affect at least 20 districts in West Bengal. The districts of Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur will be severely affected," Banerjee said.

Cyclone Yaas may also leave an impact on districts of Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, Birbhum, Nadia, Paschim and Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Murshidabad, Jhargram, and Purulia.

The state government has banned all forms of tourism in the coastal areas as well as fishing activities in the sea. The district administrations and police have been asked to deal with violations strictly to prevent any loss of life.

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New Delhi: Hours after two police teams raided Twitter's offices in Delhi and Gurgaon, the Congress party has called it an attempt to 'murder' freedom of speech. The main opposition party alleged that the "cowardly raid" on the microblogging site's offices by the Delhi Police "exposes lame-duck attempts" to hide a "fraudulent toolkit" by BJP leaders.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell had on Monday sent a notice to Twitter India in connection with the probe into a complaint about an alleged 'COVID toolkit', asking it to share information based on which it had classified a related tweet by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra as "manipulated media", officials said.

Two police teams also descended on the microblogging site's offices in Lado Sarai in Delhi and in Gurgaon this evening, with Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal saying the teams went to the Twitter office to serve a notice to Twitter as a part of a routine process.

Reacting to the development, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter, "Cowardly raid on @Twitter unleashed by Delhi Police exposes lame-duck attempts to hide the fraudulent toolkit by BJP leaders." Such attempts to "murder" freedom of speech lay bare the BJP's guilt, he said and tagged his video statement on the issue.

In the video statement, Surjewala alleged that the "subjugation of free speech, the attempts to stifle every voice that is a dissenting voice against this government and the state-sponsored fraudulent means to propagate and to instill fear continue unabated in Narendra Modi government".

Why is Modi govt raiding Twitter India offices both in Delhi & Gurgaon? The guilty people are sitting in BJP HQs & in the seats of power but you are raiding Twitter, what is the reason? The reason is BJP is running scared of its lies & fraud getting caught: Shri @rssurjewala pic.twitter.com/l4vcFtCpxI  Congress (@INCIndia) May 24, 2021

He alleged that the BJP forged documents to produce a "fake toolkit". The Congress leader claimed that after the toolkit was "exposed", the BJP and the Modi government, being scared of it, was "raiding" Twitter offices both in Delhi and in Gurgaon.

"Why the guilty people are sitting in BJP headquarters and in-seat of power, but, you are raiding Twitter's office in Delhi and Gurgaon, what is the reason thereof?" he said.

Surjewala alleged that the BJP is "running scared of its lies" and getting caught and being branded as manipulated and fraudulent by social media platforms.

The BJP had accused the Congress of creating a 'toolkit' that seeks to tarnish the image of the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the handling of the COVID pandemic.

However, Congress denied the allegation and claimed that the BJP is propagating a fake 'toolkit' to defame it. Last week, Twitter labelled as "manipulated media" a tweet by Patra on the alleged 'toolkit'.

Twitter says it "may label Tweets that include media (videos, audio, and images) that have been deceptively altered or fabricated".

In his statement, Surjewala said the intermediary rules, which give the power to the government to direct people to take off various posts, have not even come into play. "They come into play only on 25th May 2021 then why the action today? Under what provision of law notices are being issued?" he said.

Surjewala asked that when BJP leaders are being accused of fraud then why is the government standing in shelter thereof.

"None less than the IT Minister himself and half a dozen other ministers have also tweeted this manipulated and fraudulent media. Now they are scared that their lies are going to get exposed and the oath of the constitution that they took will stand annihilated and violated and that's why social media platforms are being targeted," he alleged.

"Please remember Prime Minister that free speech and right to express an opinion is our fundamental right in this country," Surejwala said. "You can't subjugate the constitution, you can't stifle free speech and you will not be able to suppress the voice of the young or voice of people of this country," he said.

The government had earlier asked Twitter to remove the 'manipulated media' tag as the matter is pending before a law enforcement agency and made it clear that the social media platform cannot pass judgment when the issue is under investigation.

BJP leaders, including Patra, have posted numerous tweets to attack Congress over the purported 'toolkit'. On May 19, the Congress lodged a police complaint seeking registration of cases against BJP chief JP Nadda, Union minister Smriti Irani, BJP general secretary B L Santosh and Patra over the alleged forgery of documents.

The Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress' students wing NSUI also lodged a complaint against Patra and former chief minister Raman Singh for allegedly "forging" the letterhead of the AICC Research Department and printing "false and fabricated" content on it.

On the basis of the complaint, a case has been filed against Patra and Singh at the Civil Lines police station in Raipur.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Dehradun: The second wave of coronavirus has changed the way we live our lives, every realm of our society has been affected by it. In a recent development, the Ministry of Education is also considering to conduct Uttarakhand Board Examination on an alternate arrangement. The board examination for class 12 can be conducted by June.

The Union Education Ministry sought suggestions from all the Education Ministers of the state. Our correspondent Rahul Mishra spoke to Uttarakhand Education Minister Arvind Pandey.

"We talked to our officials about the same, when the CBSE board's examinations will be conducted, there will be rains in addition to the corona pandemic, which will create a difficult situation for all of us. The schools in the mountain region will face extra trouble, schools in the plain will not be facing any such difficulty. Therefore it becomes necessary for us to know how many schools are there in the mountain district and how many students are there, if the CBSE decides to take the exam in the rainy time, it will be a problem for the children of the mountain." Arvind Pandey said.

He further added by saying that, "As far as the examination of the Uttarakhand board is concerned, we have instructed our secretary that the secretary of the board and his team should discuss whether to conduct the examination there under an alternative arrangement or any other arrangement can be made. We will decide on how to conduct the exam."

At present 1385 centres have been set up for the examination. 500 examination centres will have to be increased further for social distancing to be followed.

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New Delhi: Bigg Boss 14 fame Nikki Tamboli, who lost her 29 years old brother Jatin Tamboli on May 4, cannot stop missing her sibling.

The actress, who is currently in Cape Town shooting for reality adventure show Khatron Ke Khiladi 11, took to her Instagram stories on Monday (May 24), that is National Brothers Day, to share how much she misses her brother.

Sharing a picture with him on her stories, the 25-years-old wrote, #happybrothersday <heart emoji> you have no idea how much I miss you It's you all around me all the time I can feel you but the saddest part cant see you <crying emoji>.

Nikkis brother Jatin was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was also infected by tuberculosis and pneumonia. He succumbed to death on May 4, 2021.

Earlier, Nikki had shared that she will be participating in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 despite her personal tragedy as her brother was really excited about it. The actress also slammed the haters who accused her of enjoying post her brothers demise.

Nikki, who was very close to her brother, often posts about him. Nikki had also earlier contracted COVID-19 in March and had later tested negative for the disease.
The clothes we wear and the houses in which we live are all expressions of the people we are. For interior designer and fashionista Natalia Zubizarreta, the respective fields where she has made her name are unified by her creativity and her desire to help create a more beautiful and harmonious world.

Interior design will always be my first love, explained the 37-year-old from Spain. I lost my father to brain cancer when I was only eight, and I think that early tragedy ignited a desire in me to exert control over my environment and create a world where only beauty and harmony existed. Through interior design, it is possible to build that world.

As one of the hottest and most in-demand interior designers in Basque Country, Natalia has been hailed as an artist who keeps it simple, yet is not afraid to blend styles, and someone with a modern mindset but a classic touch. Like anyone who is extremely good at what they do, Natalia has a habit of making the complicated look effortless. However, shes the first to confess the amount of hard work that has gone into her chosen craft.

Hard work has characterized my life because I learned early on that anything worth having comes at a cost, but if youre passionate about something then youre more than willing to give your sweat, blood, and tears to pursue it. And if Im passionate about anything, its helping people design the sort of surroundings that complement their uniqueness and enable them to find inner peace, calm, and an appreciation of just how aesthetically pleasing their home can be.

Natalia Zubizarreta added, I believe the aesthetic sense is perhaps our most underrated and undeveloped sense. There are such beauty and wonder in this world but we often fail to fully appreciate it. My role as an interior designer is to unearth that beauty and wonder in peoples homes in a way that appeals to them as individuals. I pride myself on my empathetic traits. You need empathy in this job because if you didnt how would you be able to capture the personality traits and preferences that make a person unique and weave them into the very fabric of their home?

Natalia Zubizarreta added, I often think if I wasnt an interior designer Id be a psychologist. Both roles contain a degree of getting to the fundamental core of a client and introducing an element of light, balance, and well-being to their world.

(Disclaimer: This is a Brand Desk Content)
NEW DELHI: Controversial Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, who was earlier arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the violence during the farmers' tractor march on Republic Day, has now been booked by the Punjab Police for violating Covid-19 guidelines in Faridkot district.

According to reports, an FIR has been registered against him under Sections 188, 269 of the IPC & Epidemic Diseases Act for addressing a gathering in Jaitu and Matta village without a mask.

The FIR against Deep Sidhu was registered by the Punjab Police.

Punjab | Police booked actor Deep Sidhu for violating #COVID guidelines in Faridkot district. An FIR registered under Sections 188, 269 of IPC & Epidemic Diseases Act against Deep Sidhu. He addressed a gathering in Jaitu & Matta village without wearing a mask, says Police. pic.twitter.com/Dfjx3YTW43  ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2021

Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu has hogged the limelight for all wrong reasons. He was arrested by Delhi Police in February and April in relation to the violence during the farmers' tractor march against the central government's new farm laws on Republic Day.

Deep Sidhu was an aide of actor Sunny Deol when the latter contested from Gurdaspur seat in Punjab during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Deol, now a BJP MP, had distanced himself from Sidhu in December last year after he joined the farmers' agitation.

Born in Muktsar Punjab, Deep Sidhu made his movie debut in the 2015 release 'Ramta Jogi', playing the lead role in it. He was also a winner of Kingfisher Model Hunt after which he took part in Grasim Mr. India and became Grasim Mr. Personality and Grasim Mr. Talented.

Sidhu has walked the ramp for ace fashion designers such as Hemant Trivedi, Rohit Gandhi and others.

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Thiruvananthapuram: Unni Dev, the son of late actor Rajan P Dev on Tuesday was taken into custody and the arrest was made for the suicide of his wife Priyanka, early this month.

Unni Dev is also an actor who has acted in a few Malayalam films.

The Nedumangad police team, near here arrived at his home in Ernakulam district and took him into custody and after ensuring that he has become Covid negative, went ahead with the procedures.

His wife was found hanging at her home at Vattapara, near here on May 12.

The Vattapara Police station had then registered a case of unnatural death and they then admitted that a day before her death, she came and gave a complaint of domestic abuse.

Later the brother of Priyanka also filed a petition of the abuse she had suffered at Unni`s house.

The local police then began their probe and it got stuck after it was known that Unni was Covid positive and on Tuesday the police have found out that he has turned negative.

Unni`s father Dev was a hugely popular film actor. He passed away in 2009 after having acted in over 200 films.

Unni and Priyanka had a love marriage in 2019 and after marriage, she was working in a private school as a physical education teacher.

According to her relatives, initially, the marriage was going fine. However, after a while issues began cropping up and of late things had turned really bad and she decided to return to her home and the next day she ended her life.

The relatives of the deceased allege that she was suffering and they claim to have visuals of the same, while the family of Unni is yet to speak on the issue.
New Delhi: With the deadline on the provisions of the IT rules getting over, Facebook on Tuesday said it is working to implement operational processes and aims to comply with that. The provisions of the IT rules is coming into effect from tomorrow (Wednesday, May 26).

The social media giant, added that it continues to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government.

"We aim to comply with the provisions of the IT rules and continue to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government. Pursuant to the IT rules, we are working to implement operational processes and improve efficiencies," said a Facebook spokesperson.

Facebook remains committed to peoples ability to freely and safely express themselves on our platform, the spokesperson added.

Amidst growing concerns around lack of transparency, accountability and rights of users related to digital media and after elaborate consultation with the public and stakeholders, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 had been framed in February.

Among the several guidelines for social and OTT media, the IT rules called for provisions of Additional Due Diligence to Be Followed by Significant Social Media Intermediary:

Appoint a Chief Compliance Officer who shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act and Rules. Such a person should be a resident in India.

Appoint a Nodal Contact Person for 24x7 coordination with law enforcement agencies. Such a person shall be a resident in India.

Appoint a Resident Grievance Officer who shall perform the functions mentioned under Grievance Redressal Mechanism. Such a person shall be a resident in India.

Publish a monthly compliance report mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken on the complaints as well as details of contents removed proactively by the significant social media intermediary.

Significant social media intermediaries providing services primarily in the nature of messaging shall enable identification of the first originator of the information that is required only for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of an offence related to sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, or public order or of incitement to an offence relating to the above or in relation with rape, sexually explicit material or child sexual abuse material punishable with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years. Intermediary shall not be required to disclose the contents of any message or any other information to the first originator.

Significant social media intermediary shall have a physical contact address in India published on its website or mobile app or both.

Announcing the guidelines in February, it had said the new rules take effect immediately, while significant social media providers (based on number of users) will get three months before they need to start complying.

The three-month time period meant compliance by May 25.
Washington: Money Heist' fans rejoice! Netflix has officially revealed the release date of the fifth and final season of the thriller drama series with a spine-chilling teaser on Monday.

Netflix shared the official teaser of the much-anticipated season of the drama series on Twitter and informed that the final season will be released in two parts. "The final part of Money Heist arrives this year! Volume 1: September 3 | Volume 2: December 3. You can bank on it to be explosive," the tweet read.

The one-minute heart-thumping teaser shows the gang brawling with the cops who are trying to ensure the gang surrenders. The thriller teaser captures the emotions of every gang member in slow motion. The criminal mastermind who goes by The Professor is seen holding the fort from outside as the gang makes their way through the Bank of Spain.

What makes the teaser more exciting is the last visual that sees a person's hands tied to a chair leaving fans to wonder who managed to overpower whom and will the gang be able to take revenge on Nairobis sacrifice.

The insanely popular Netflix series Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) wrapped up their final shoot on May 15. Money Heist is Netflixs most successful Spanish series to date, and was its top non-English-language foray until the French series Lupin debuted in December, reported Variety.

The series focuses on a group of misfit con artists and robbers who convene under the guidance of the Professor to rob major banks in Spain. The series originated on Spanish network Antena 3 to lukewarm ratings before Netflix breathed new life into the program, transforming it into the biggest show to ever emerge from the Spanish market.

The streamer had in July last year given the go-ahead to the upcoming season of 'Money Heist'. The fifth season will mark the end of the gangs ongoing robbery at the Bank of Spain.

Pina is the executive producer and showrunner with Jesus Colmenar and Cristina Lopez Ferraz also set as executive producers of the show. Javier Gomez Santander (head writer), Migue Amodeo (Director of Photography) and Esther Martinez-Lobato are also co-producing with Colmenar, Koldo Serra, and Alex Rodrigo directing.

Netflix will premiere the first part of the series on September 3 and the second part on December 3, this year.
NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday withdrew its appeal from the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court order allowing house arrest of 4 Trinamool Congress leaders in the Narada alleged bribery case.

While hearing the Narada case, the top court said that a five-judge bench of Calcutta High Court is already hearing the Narada bribery case. The CBI and four leaders are at liberty to raise all issues there, said the top court.

Earlier, the central probe agency had moved the Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order. It may be noted that the Calcutta high court had on May 21 ordered the house arrest of two West Bengal ministers, an MLA and a former Kolkata mayor.

A division bench, presided by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, differed on the issue of recalling the stay on bail to the four accused. It decided to refer the matter to a larger bench of five judges and the hearing is scheduled at 11 am.

The central probe agency has challenged the high courts order and referring it to a larger bench.

West Bengal Transport Minister Firhad Hakim, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI last Monday in connection with the Narada sting tape case that is being investigated by the agency on a 2017 order of the high court.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee had on Monday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar for ''directly transferring the Narada case to the CBI'' and urged the states residents to file a complaint against him. Banerjee said that the governors action was against the Constitution.

Reacting to it, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he was left "stunned" on Sunday as TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee launched a tirade against him, claiming that it was at his behest the three TMC leaders and a former city mayor were arrested in the Narada sting operation case.

The sting operation was conducted by journalist Mathew Samuel of Narada News in West Bengal, showing a few TMC ministers, leaders and an IPS officer allegedly accepting bribes.

The stint operations tapes were released in the case to expose the accused persons before the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Live TV
Washington: Every piece of evidence points to a leak of coronavirus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), said US former state secretary Mike Pompeo, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must be held "accountable".

Pompeo`s remarks come after a US media reported three Wuhan lab staff sought hospitalisation after they fell ill in November 2019, weeks before China reported the first patient with COVID-19-like symptoms.

He claimed that the CCP has "done everything" to cover up and deflect blame.

"The CCP was actively engaged in viral research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Every piece of evidence points to a leak from this laboratory. The CCP has done everything to cover up and deflect blame, even blaming the U.S. Prove it. They must be held accountable," he tweeted.

The CCP was actively engaged in viral research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Every piece of evidence points to a leak from this laboratory. The CCP has done everything to cover up and deflect blame, even blaming the U.S. Prove it. They must be held accountable.  Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) May 24, 2021

A US State Department fact sheet released by the Trump administration in January said the researchers had become sick in autumn 2019 and displayed "symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illness.

"China reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) that the first patient with Covid-like symptoms was recorded in Wuhan on December 8, 2019."

The US government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illnesses," the report read.

Recently, Anthony Fauci, a top adviser to US President Joe Biden on the coronavirus pandemic said he`s "not convinced" the deadly virus developed naturally and has called for further investigations into where it emerged.

Fauci was asked during a Poynter event, "United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking," earlier this month about whether he was confident that Covid-19 developed naturally, Fox News reported.

"No actually. I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said.

"Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out. So, you know, that`s the reason why I said I`m perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus," he added.

Last month, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched a scathing attack against China for a lack of transparency during "the early stages" of the coronavirus pandemic and called for a more thorough investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

Blinken`s remarks came following the publishing of a joint inquiry by the World Health Organization and China in March. The inquiry did not conclusively establish how or when the virus began spreading and did little to address Western concerns that the Chinese Communist Party bent the investigation to its advantage.

The WHO report determined that the possibility the virus came from a lab was "extremely unlikely," noting there was "no record" any lab had closely related viruses.

The probe was criticised by the US, UK, and other governments over its limited access to "complete, original data and samples".

The organization was also accused of being overly deferential to China throughout the course of the study, which was co-authored by 17 Chinese scientists several of them from state-run institutions.
Beijing: As China is funding and building a growing number of government and parliament buildings, police headquarters and more in Africa to cement its relations across the continent, concerns have been raised over the potential of African nations to `pay back` Beijing.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), China is funding a building to house Kenya`s foreign ministry after a similar promise to the Democratic Republic of Congo in January this year.

The country is funding similar buildings in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Ethiopia, the latter of which generated protest from the United States.

There were also accusations that Beijing bugged the USD 200 million African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa that opened in 2012, funded and built by China, which have been denied by the communist nation.

SCMP, citing French media, reported that in 2018, anonymous AU sources said that data had been transferred nightly from computers in the building to Chinese servers for five years and hidden microphones had also been found.

As such proceedings continue, concern has emerged over how African nations would `pay back` China.

David Shinn, a professor at George Washington University`s Elliott School of International Affairs, said the facilities were being built by China under contract, while some were provided for free as `gifts`.

When such buildings were provided for free it inevitably created a conflict of interest and it also raised questions about the potential for the facilities being bugged, Shinn opined.

"Any sensitive structure, like a presidential palace or foreign ministry, built by any foreign government raises questions of listening devices," he said.

Despite accusations of debt-trap diplomacy by Beijing, Chinese companies are winning a majority of mega projects in Africa and account for a large chunk of the revenue of all the major international contractors in the continent.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) persistently warns African and other third-world countries that mounting debts to China are dangerous.

It stresses that Chinese creditors create some instability or vulnerabilities.

Economists have been urging African governments to ensure that they read the small print of the "conditionalities" defined by the Chinese.

In their views, it would avoid Beijing lay claim to some of their assets, as they are doing in Madagascar, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Washington: President Joe Biden on Monday (May 24) said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was a direct affront to international norms "and condemned the action as an outrageous incident."

Biden made the statement and joined calls for an international investigation as the European Union imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports in the 27-nation bloc in reaction to Sunday's forced diversion of the Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight.

The flight had originated from Greece, but was forced to land in Minsk.

Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Raman Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko, that aired on Belarusian state television Monday (May 24) night.

In the video clip, Pratasevich, 26, said his treatment in custody was maximally correct and according to law. He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.

"This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Pratasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press," Biden said in a statement.

The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners who are being unjustly detained by the Lukashenka regime.

Separately, the White House said that national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday (May 24) spoke with Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Sullivan told the opposition leader that the U.S. in coordination with the EU and other allies and partners will hold the Lukashenka regime to account.

Two U.S. Senators urged the Biden administration to prohibit U.S. Airlines from entering Belarus airspace because of the incident.

"We must protect innocent passengers from despotic regimes and stand in solidarity with dissidents who are being targeted," Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a joint statement.

The U.S. And the EU had already imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged.

More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands beaten.

"I applaud the courage and determination of Belarusians fighting for basic rights, including journalists like Raman Pratasevich and opposition leaders like Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski," Biden said in a statement.

"The United States will continue to stand with the people of Belarus in their struggle."

Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app's Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organize the anti-Lukashenko protests.
JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a Middle East visit in Israel on Tuesday, seeking to bolster its ceasefire with Gaza`s ruling Hamas group and help speed humanitarian aid to the devastated Palestinian enclave.

In tandem with Blinken`s mission, Israeli authorities said they were allowing fuel, medicine and food earmarked for Gaza`s private sector to enter the territory for the first time since 11 days of cross-border hostilities started on May 10.

Blinken was also due to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Cairo and Amman, with the United States harbouring "every hope and expectation" the ceasefire would continue to hold, a senior State Department official said.

"Our primary focus is on maintaining the ceasefire, getting the assistance to the people who need it," said the official, who spoke on Monday on the condition of anonymity. Egypt brokered the truce, in coordination with the United States.

Blinken, due to remain in the region through Thursday, planned to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah later on Tuesday.
WATCH NOW: Senate Democrats urge Indiana businesses to raise pay to attract workers

Senate Democrats have a message for Indiana business owners struggling to find workers to fill open positions  pay more money.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, four Democratic state senators said Hoosier workers have been exploited enough by companies whose every whim seemingly is granted upon demand by the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

"Hoosiers are not returning to their jobs because wages are simply too low," said state Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, a graduate of Purdue University Northwest in Hammond.

Going forward, they said Hoosier State businesses need to offer a living wage, good benefits, consistent advance work schedules and safe working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

"Indiana doesn't just need jobs, we need good-paying jobs," said state Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington. "A lot of Hoosiers have been working too hard, for too long, just to get by."

"Indiana has placed itself in a race to the bottom with other states to see who can undercut wages, who can cut benefits and corporate taxes the most. And that's not a jobs plan, that's a profits-for-a-few plan."

State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, said a good first step toward turning that around is increasing the minimum wage in Indiana above the $7.25 per hour federal rate last adjusted in 2009.

His Senate Bill 334, which never got a hearing during the regular legislative session, would boost the minimum wage to $10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2022, and by an additional $1 per hour every New Year's Day until the rate hits $15 per hour in 2027.

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It also would allow localities to set a minimum wage higher than the state rate to enable Northwest Indiana to better compete for workers with Illinois, where the minimum wage already is $11 per hour outside of Cook County, $13 per hour in suburban Cook, and $14 per hour in Chicago.

"Senate Democrats are following the data," Melton said. "Raising the minimum wage would improve our economy and create better life outcomes for working class Hoosiers across this entire state."

WATCH NOW: Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops: Monitoring LaPorte with Specialist Justin Dyer

The Democrats pointed out even a $15 per hour minimum wage generates just $31,200 in gross annual income for a full-time employee, barely enough to live on in many parts of Indiana  especially if the worker must pay for child care while at their job.

"The Republican Party is not respectful of the hardworking Hoosiers we know across our state who are paid wages that are far below what their work deserves," said Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis.

He said the General Assembly should immediately reconvene to address the Indiana worker shortage by enacting policies that improve Hoosier wages and working conditions.

Republican legislative leaders have no plans to call lawmakers back to the Statehouse until fall, and then only to complete the once-a-decade process of redrawing legislative district boundaries that was postponed this year due to coronavirus-related data delays.

Meet the 2021 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation
Press Release

May 25, 2021 SPONSORSHIP SPEECH

On the bill taxing POGOs

Committee Report No. 262 on Senate Bill No. 2232 (as delivered) By Senator Pia S. Cayetano

Chairperson, Senate Committee on Ways and Means Mr. President and distinguished colleagues, today, I rise to sponsor and seek your support for Senate Bill No. 2232, per Committee Report No. 262, which establishes the tax regime of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, otherwise known as POGOs. These online gaming facilities have become a growing industry in the Philippines, generating additional revenues for the national government in the past year. According to the BIR, POGO collections in 2020 amounted to P7.18 billion, which is 11.71% higher than the P6.42 billion collection in 2019 of the same industry. But considering the proliferation of POGOs in the country in recent years, the potential of this industry as a source of revenue for the government could have been much bigger. In fact, during our hearing, it was estimated that the government could have collected more than P38 billion in 2019 alone, a far cry from the actual collection of the BIR. The reason for this is because at present, nowhere under the National Internal Revenue Code, otherwise known as the NIRC, as amended, can we find explicit tax provisions pertaining to offshore gaming licensees, including gaming operators, gaming agents, and service providers. POGOs only started being regulated and taxed when the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, otherwise known as PAGCOR, provided the Rules and Regulations for POGOs on September 1, 2016 and, afterwards, the BIR issued Memorandum Circular (RMC) 102-2017 on Taxation of POGOs. Likewise, RA 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One, otherwise known as Bayanihan 2, mandated that POGOs shall be taxed with a 5% franchise tax on gross bets or turnovers. Unfortunately, these taxation and other regulations did not push forward, due to the Supreme Court's recent decision to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the said relevant provisions of Bayanihan 2, together with the other BIR revenue regulations and circulars concerning POGOs. Hence, the long-standing questions about the tax obligations of POGOs conducting business in our country remain unanswered and unaddressed, which means billions worth of revenue losses for our government. Having said these, it is high time that we clarify and establish the taxation regime of offshore gaming licensees, including gaming operators, gaming agents, service providers, and gaming support providers, and incorporate these entities in the Philippine taxation system. Mr. President and my dear colleagues, as your Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, we have reviewed the various bills, listened to government agencies, industries and other stakeholders. I believe that legislating the tax regime of the POGOs and incorporating the same to the NIRC is a step towards the right direction. It will not only plug the loopholes in our country's tax code that led to issues of confusion surrounding the operation of POGOs, but it will also prevent similar issues in the future, which could gravely undermine our government's power to impose and collect the right taxes. By addressing these gaps in our tax system, we can maximize the POGO industry's potential as a revenue source. In turn, we will have more resources in our country's coffers to fund programs that will improve people's lives and help us build back better following this global health and economic crisis. On this note, our proposed measure seeks to address the following issues on POGO taxation: Taxability of POGO Licensees: POGO Offshore-based Licensees claim that they are not required to register and pay taxes to the BIR since they derive income from sources not within the Philippines; this is based on the opinion of the Office of the Solicitor General. Thus, this bill now clarifies that ALL offshore gaming licensees, regardless of whether Philippine or foreign-based are considered doing business in the Philippines, and must pay 5% gaming tax on the gross gaming revenue or receipts derived from their gaming operations. This gaming tax will be in lieu of all taxes. Meanwhile, income generated from non-gaming activities shall be subject to the lower Corporate Income Tax rate, as provided in Republic Act No. 11534, otherwise known as the CREATE Act. Withholding Tax for Alien Individuals: Alien individuals employed by offshore gaming licensees and service providers will be subject to the 25% withholding tax rate, considering that they are not engaged in trade or business within the Philippines. The practice of most POGO entities to withhold and remit Withholding Tax on Compensation based on Section 24 of the NIRC, or the graduated income tax rates, instead of the 25% Final Withholding Tax will be corrected. As clearly stated in the bill, 25% final withholding tax based on gross income will be imposed on an alien individual, regardless of residency in the Philippines, term, and type of visa. Minimum Withholding Tax of Alien Individuals Employed by Offshore Gaming Licensees and Service Providers: The pervasive misdeclaration on the actual monthly salary of foreign nationals working in the POGO industry will also be addressed by the bill, as it provides a minimum final withholding tax due of PHP 12,500.00 for any taxable month from said person. VAT Zero Rating of Service Providers: As discussed during our hearing, offshore gaming licensees are considered as doing business in the Philippines. Consequently, the service providers which are servicing offshore gaming licensees cannot be subject to VAT zero-rating. This is also Consistent with RA No. 10963, otherwise known as the TRAIN law, in order to avail of the VAT zero-rating, the service must be for a business located outside of the Philippines and not doing business in the Philippines. As such, these service providers should be subjected to VAT. BIR as the Collecting Agent: In the Committee Report, we make it clear that the taxes due from offshore gaming licensees should be directly remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, as the agency mandated by law to collect the same. Third Party Auditor: In the Committee Report, PAGCOR and IPAs are mandated to employ a third party audit platform in order to ensure the proper taxes are due. In addition, periodic reports of the third party audit platforms should be submitted to the BIR for verification. With that, Mr. President, we submit Senate Bill No. 2232, per Committee Report No. 262, for the scrutiny of our colleagues. Thus, I ask for your support in the passage of this relevant and very timely measure. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, dear colleagues.
Press Release

May 25, 2021 SENATOR RONALD "BATO" DELA ROSA

Opening Statement

Hearing on HBN 7814

(Strengthening Drug Prevention and Control) A pleasant morning to everyone! Today we shall be discussing House Bill No. 7814, a measure that aims to strengthen the campaign against the proliferation of dangerous drugs by amending certain provisions of Republic Act No. 9165 otherwise known as the "Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002". We have witnessed more than 1.6 million Filipinos who surrendered in the government's war against illegal drugs since the start of the Duterte administration.[1] While this number may seem rather substantial, this all-out offensive action against drug abuse in any form will continue to do so as it is the State's duty to ensure the preservation of peace, and the maintenance of order in our society. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: World Drug Report 2020, there are 35.6 million people who suffered from drug use disorder. While the number of drug users are rising, drug markets are becoming increasingly complex. Plant-based substances have remained to be an option for drug users. Recently, almost 140 pots of full-grown high-grade marijuana were seized at a condominium unit in Taguig,[2] a residential area which children and their families consider as their safe space, not knowing that a marijuana greenhouse is right next door to their homes. And also I would like to inform the body that yesterday, we conducted our hearing on the misencounter between PNP and PDEA along Commonwealth Road in Quezon City, and it was found out that the drug lords are already becoming very good in their trade, and that compounds the problem. That really compounds the problem. We are no stranger to the immense lengths that these drug dealers and drug business entities are willing to pursue to further their demonic interests. Thus, we must continuously create improvements to our current legislations. We need to fight this problem on all fronts with the help of all relevant government agencies and every single local government unit - a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach. Personally, I welcome any legislation that will further strengthen our anti-drug laws and policies. However, we should all be conscious of the fundamental principle in a democratic country like ours that policies and laws should conform with our supreme law of the land - the Constitution. When House Bill No. 7814 was passed on third reading by the House of Representatives, many individuals and groups have expressed their opposition on the bill. They claimed that the new legal presumptions proposed in the House bill violate the provisions of the Constitution especially the Bill of Rights. While there are several oppositions in this proposed measure, this Committee in the conduct of this hearing, will hear both sides of every argument in order to come up with a legislation that will enhance our laws against illegal drugs taking into consideration and giving utmost importance to the basic constitutional rights of every Filipino which the State ought to protect. We look forward to the insights of our resource persons in this hearing. Thank you and good morning to everyone.
Press Release

May 25, 2021 Justice for Those Who Were Found

Sponsorship Speech of Sen. Leila M. De Lima

for The Foundling Recognition and Protection Act Good afternoon, dear colleagues. I speak to you today, as I always have in this chamber, in behalf of those who can't speak for themselves. When one of our colleagues, Sen. Grace Poe, ran for President on 2016, she shined a light on a class of citizens which would otherwise be invisible in the eyes of the law: the foundlings. This bill defines a foundling as "a deserted or abandoned child or infant with unknown facts of birth and parentage." For too long, we have ignored fulfilling our mandate in enacting legislation to address the needs of the foundlings in our country. As early as the 1934 Constitutional Convention, a discussion on the status of foundlings were made by the delegates. Delegate and Constitution Law author Jose Aruego said that "the Convention believed that the cases, being too few to warrant the inclusion of a provision in the Constitution to apply to them, should be governed by statutory legislation." Eighty-seven years have passed since. Today, we submit this piece of legislation that would establish under our laws, the status of these foundlings, and recognize their rights as natural-born citizens of this country. In the landmark case of Poe-Llamanzares v. COMELEC (G.R. No. 221697, 8 March 2016), the Supreme Court declared that "[f]oundlings are likewise citizens under international law. Under the 1987 Constitution, an international law can become part of the sphere of domestic law either by transformation or incorporation. The transformation method requires that an international law be transformed into a domestic law through a constitutional mechanism such as local legislation." The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in Art. 15 provides that 1) everyone has a right to a nationality; and 2) no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. The same principles were echoed in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration on 2012. Aside from the UDHR, the Supreme Court also cited the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Both instruments require State-Parties to register every child immediately after birth and recognizes the right of children to a name and to acquire nationality. According to the Supreme Court, "[t]he common thread of the UDHR, UNCRC and ICCPR is to obligate the Philippines to grant nationality from birth and ensure that no child is stateless. This grant of nationality must be at the time of birth, and it cannot be accomplished by the application of our present naturalization laws, Commonwealth Act No. 473, as amended, and R.A. No. 9139, both of which require the applicant to be at least eighteen (18) years old." The Supreme Court likewise adopted, for our guidance, as generally accepted principles of international law, Article 14 of the 1930 Hague Convention on Certain Questions Relating to the Conflict of Nationality Laws and Article 2 of the 1961 United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. While the Philippines is not a State Party to the said conventions, the Supreme Court ruled current legislation reveals our adherence to these principles. Under the Hague Convention, "[a] child whose parents are both unknown shall have the nationality of the country of birth. If the child's parentage is established, its nationality shall be determined by the rules applicable in cases where the parentage is known. A foundling is, until the contrary is proved, presumed to have been born on the territory of the State in which it was found." The 1961 United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, on the other hand provides, that "[a] foundling found in the territory of a Contracting State shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be considered to have been born within the territory of parents possessing the nationality of that State." According to the Supreme Court, "[a]dopting these legal principles from the 1930 Hague Convention and the 1961 Convention on Statelessness is rational and reasonable and consistent with the jus sanguinis regime in our Constitution. The presumption of natural-born citizenship of foundlings stems from the presumption that their parents are nationals of the Philippines. As the empirical data provided by the PSA show, that presumption is at more than 99% and is a virtual certainty." It is, therefore, not only equitable, but also constitutional that we provide a legal regime, through legislation, on the status of the foundlings in our country and recognize their full rights as natural-born Filipinos. It is a recognized principle in international law that each State has the right to determine who its citizens are, and, by its laws, establish standards that would confer nationality to its people. Through this bill, we address, once and for all, the dilemma of these children who suffered the misfortune for which they are not responsible. In this bill, we likewise mandate the appropriate agencies, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine Statistics Agency, and the Local Government Units, to extend all forms of assistance necessary to identify, register, nurture and protect the foundlings to enable them to fully realize themselves as a productive part of our country. I respectfully urge my colleagues in this august chamber to do another act of justice and kindness by enacting this piece of legislation. Thank you very much.
NTU Professor's achievements recognised with ASME's prestigious medal

As a child, Professor Gao Huajian, Distinguished University Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), would stare at aeroplanes and birds and wonder about the driving principle behind the flight of two seemingly different objects. This child-like curiosity would later drive much of his research as an academic.

Prof Gao never considered himself an exceptionally bright student, but his passion for all things science saw him securing a place in Xi'an Jiaotong University, China at the age of 15.

Over three decades of research, more than 500 published research papers, and numerous international honours and awards later, Professor Gao's research contributions are now recognised by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) with the prestigious 2021 ASME Timoshenko Medal, the highest form of recognition in his field of applied mechanics.

Prof Gao, who is from the NTU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is recognised for his "pioneering contributions to nanomechanics of engineering and biological systems, a new research field at the interface of solid mechanics, materials science and biophysics," said ASME.

The former Stanford and Brown University professor joins a distinguished list of 64 previous recipients of the ASME Timoshenko Medal, including NTU Singapore President and inaugural Distinguished University Professor Subra Suresh; Yuan-Cheng Fung, known as the 'father of modern biomechanics'; and Jakob Ackeret, one of the foremost aeronautics experts of 20th century.

Prof Gao said: "I am very honoured and humbled to be selected for the ASME Timoshenko Medal, the highest form of honour in my field of research, especially when there are so many great colleagues in the field who are equally, if not more deserving. This award recognises not just my contributions, but also that of my collaborators, post-docs, and students, and I share this recognition with them."

Prof Gao, who formerly headed the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Germany, also attributes his success to his child-like wonder.

"I'm like a kid with a lot of curiosity, working with my colleagues to make sense of some scattered data and tell a story that is consistent with all the data we have. That's the great thing about being a scientist. I always feel like I am learning new things, acquiring new knowledge, and that's what excites me. It's very rejuvenating, and it keeps me young," said Prof Gao.

Finding the unexpected in nature

An author of more than 500 scientific articles, including in renowned journals such as Nature and Advanced Materials, Prof Gao's multi-disciplinary research runs the gamut from finding new ways to make materials tougher, to studying ways to deliver nanomedicine into cells.

A big part of Prof Gao's research draws inspiration from nature, be it the natural 'glue' that give geckos their adhesive properties, the way insects change colour through altering their microstructure, or the biological makeup of bones and shells that give them their toughness.

He said: "I like to look at nature and find the unexpected and unanticipated. Materials found in nature are synthesised molecule by molecule and are optimised, having gone through evolution. We want to understand these materials, then do better than nature."

More recently, Prof Gao has been looking into solving problems arising from a hydrogen economy, such as storing hydrogen safely given that pipes, containers and vessels are currently designed to store natural gas, oil, and petroleum.

His drive to extend the frontiers of knowledge through science has earned him numerous honours and awards, including the Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 1995; the Rodney Hill Prize in Solid Mechanics from the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, both in 2012; and the 2015 Nadai Medal, the highest recognition of ASME's Materials Division.

He has also been elected to the US National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as to other prestigious academies around the world, including the Academies of Sciences in Germany and China.

Said Prof Gao: "Science is a big community, and I enjoy working with students and colleagues to find solutions and surprises together in our exploration. I want to continue asking the right questions, find a clever way to answer them, and hopefully my work will be applied or used in some way. This process is what I enjoy."

The formal presentation of the 2021 ASME Timoshenko Medal will take place at the Applied Mechanics Division Awards Ceremony during the virtual ASME Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition held from 1 to 4 November 2021.

###

Media contact:

Foo Jie Ying

Manager, Corporate Communications Office

Nanyang Technological University

Email: jieying@ntu.edu.sg

About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, established jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

Ranked amongst the world's top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world's top young university for the past seven years. The University's main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore's healthcare district.

Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.

For more information, visit http://www. ntu. edu. sg .

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Press Release

May 25, 2021 ANC Headstart Interview of Senator Win Gatchalian with Karen Davila on COVID-19 vaccination, Face-to-face classes, Malampaya sale and Bayanihan 3 COVID 19 VACCINATION PROGRAM Q: You tweeted the other day, actually yesterday that it may be time for a change in vaccines strategy in the sense that you said that the government should already allow the general public. So that's already A4 plus plus in NCR to be vaccinated as early as June. And you say we have enough vaccines to do it, I've asked this also myself, and yet it seems that you do have LGUs and also members of the IATF that are still bent on sticking it with A1 to A3 first, even if there's resistance. SEN. WIN: Well, Karen, we're now in the third month of our vaccination program, and from my observation, it's about time to move the general public up in the priority program as early as June. So meaning, allowing the general public, anyone who is willing to take their vaccine to be vaccinated as early as June and reason for that is by June of this year, we will have 21 million vaccines in inventory and if you do the simple math in the NCR cluster, that's about 26 million in population. And the clincher here is the recent SWS survey where it said that only 32 percent want to be vaccinated. The vaccine acceptance rate is only 32 percent. So if you multiply the 25 million by 32 percent you get about 8 million. So 8 million is less than the 21 million inventories so we have more than enough vaccines for people who want to be vaccinated. Q: So, Senator Gatchalian what you're saying, kumbaga basta willing, bakunahan na. Ganun sa America, basta willing bakunahan na, hindi nga tinatanong taga-saan ka, anong state ka, anong lungsod ka. Parang ganun, kung turista ka? SEN. WIN: Karen, I have a small anecdote and one time I was talking to Senator Sonny Angara and I mentioned to him about the vaccine hesitancy of our senior citizens. Ang sabi niya baka hindi marunong mag-text or mag-register. So in Valenzuela, we went house to house. We gave a schedule to all 58,000 senior citizens and the reply that we get is 'ayaw namin magpa-vaccine, gusto namin ayuda.' and true enough 20 percent of our senior citizens went out to get their vaccine so to wait for 80 percent to go out and get their vaccine, it will take time, while the rest of the public wants to get their vaccines already and to achieve the herd immunity by the end of the year, we have to start with the willing because they are ready to go. Q: I agree with that, start with the willing, because they're raring to go and ready to go. I want to ask you about the elderly, this is interesting, so do you believe a strategy, local government lang 'to that perhaps the local government will already detect which home have elderlies, hindi pa nabakunahan, dadalhin na lang ang bakuna doon at may kapalit na incentive that would mean ayuda, pwedeng bigas, pwedeng kahit ano. Do you believe that's a good change in strategy? SEN. WIN: For me, Karen, what's important is to allay the fears. If you look at the SWS survey number one, there is fear that it might cause injury to themselves. The fear of the unknown is actually the biggest problem, it's not the ayuda. They didn't say 'Oh, eto muna ang kapalit before I get vaccinated'. It's really fear that is the number one reason and my simple strategy for that is for the leaders to come out and promote vaccination. The top leaders, our president, our vice president, our Senate President, even Speaker of the House, and even media personalities such as yourself to go out and promote. I think, in my humble opinion, people will follow their leaders and people trust their leaders, and if they see their leaders are being vaccinated and promoting vaccination, people will follow. At this time, the hurdle that we have to overcome is fear of vaccines. Q: All right now, very quickly, there are suggestions for changes in strategies. So for example, Dr Tony Leachon said, since it's only Pfizer, that's allowed really for the young, and it's only limited, why not give it to students. He said we have Sinovac, a big inventory of it, why not give it to policemen and military since essentially they have to follow the chain of command and they can't say no. And then you specifically set aside Astra for seniors. What do you think of that? SEN. WIN: Any suggestion that is needed in the rollout is not a problem but my initial thoughts are even within the A4, for example, teachers, policemen, vaccine hesitancy among themselves is also quite high. So not because we prioritize that, say the A4, we still have a high vaccine hesitancy. Only 30 percent want to be vaccinated. So, instead of waiting for all of them to be vaccinated, my opinion is to really allow the general public. Q: Okay, if you allow the general public, do you agree with Malacanang's order not to announce what vaccine is being used at that moment in time for inoculation. The WHO just came up with a statement that they do support that because they said it's to be vaccinated that's important. SEN. WIN: Personally, my analysis, Karen, it would not help overcome fear, it will aggravate fear among our constituents. One of the things that will help them is knowing what type of vaccine that they will be injected with and a lot of our constituents, believe it or not, they do their research. When I go around Valenzuela and talk to our senior citizens, they even know about vaccine passports, even though the efficacy rate, they do their own homework, and by depriving them of the brand in advance, might create this notion of uncertainty, and that will not help them in terms of building confidence. Q: But then is that the solution to building confidence, I mean we do know that there's also a preference for Western brands. SEN. WIN: That's why my simple solution, and I've seen this in other countries also is for people, for personalities, people trust, our leaders, even media personalities to come out and promote the vaccine. We've seen this in some of our researchers in Valenzuela, they want their mayor and their counselors and the vice mayor to go out and promote and it will help, this is one solution but I think this is a common sense solution. ON FACE TO FACE CLASSES Q: How can we do face-to-face classes soon, I mean What's interesting is that even the CHED had already wanted at least college to be face to face. SEN. WIN: This is one thing I learned from this virus, it's quite uncertain and very difficult to predict. I remember when we had this interview, 400 LGUs were zero COVID at the time, nine months ago. But right now, there are only 78 LGUs that are zero COVID. Meaning 1,400 LGUs now have some form of COVID. So in other words it's quite uncertain and we are seeing surges around the country. So my analysis here is to let the school year, this school year, end. It will end by July. Hopefully by August, September for the new school, we will have a better situation, we'll have more people vaccinated, most important is that our teachers and this is a boost of confidence in the education sector. Q: But should there be a re-allotment of Pfizer? I do know that Secretary Galvez, I think they ordered 40 million doses of Pfizer. That will mean 20-20 but it says here 20 million by June, is this all Pfizer Senator? SEN. WIN: No, no, it's different. There's some Covax, there's some Sinovac, varying brands. Q: And I wanted to ask you if you believe that some Pfizer should already be set aside for students. SEN. WIN: I am in favor of that, looking at the trends in the US, that they really started vaccinating teenagers, and this is a good sign because, again, parents are very emotional when it comes to face-to-face classes and locating vaccines for teenagers will build that confidence up. As to when, I still believe that we allow the adults first, because the adults are susceptible, and when we vaccinate them they can go back. Then after the adults, we can now move in the teenagers. Q: How could the government improve its vaccination rollout policy, if there was one thing you can do to improve it? SEN. WIN: One of the things we need to hurdle is the vaccine hesitancy. At the recent SWS survey, only 32 percent want to get vaccinated. The rest are still hesitant or unsure so in other words, we need to overcome that by building trust. And like you said, the most immediate low hanging fruit is for our trusted leaders and personalities to go out and promote vaccination. ON MALAMPAYA SALE Q: Now being the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, you are asking the Department of Energy to justify the sale of Malampaya related companies to the Udenna group, headed by and owned by Dennis Uy, a business group known to be allied with the President. And do you see something questionable frankly with this sale? SEN. WIN: Karen, before I answer that, let me establish the importance of Malampaya. It talks about 6 million homes in our country, it is 20 percent of our power requirements. It powers about 35 percent of Luzon power requirements. So it's a very important asset. On top of that, it generates P22 billion to our revenues, to our government coffers. So it's no ordinary asset. In short, it powers about one in every five homes here. So it's important that we keep our lights on, it's important that we have a constant supply of gas. In order to do that, we need to have very competent and financially strong operators. This is where the question comes in because in the law, it's very clear that you can do the sale, but the government needs to approve that at the end. And the reason for that is the government needs to assure the public that the next operator is competent and financially strong. Q: When you say government, the DOE can do the sale. When you say the government must approve it, you are referring to the Office of the President? SEN. WIN: DOE. in this particular transaction, but DOE is the alter ego of the President. So, in other words, the government, through the DOE, needs to evaluate the transaction, making sure that it's legal, it's financial and technically compliant. It needs to approve and approval. Logic for this is that DOE needs to assure the public, all of us, that the next new operator is competent and has the capability of running Malampaya and supplying electricity to our homes. Q: My first question was, is DOE transparent with you or I know that you will hold a Senate inquiry regarding this matter on how much the sale was and the deal behind the sale. SEN. WIN: Yes, we will definitely call on the DOE. Q: They have not announced that clearly, right? SEN. WIN: In the first hearing that we conducted actually their statement is they're still in the process of evaluation. And it was not very clear to us, what are the sets of criteria, or the criteria that they will use in terms of evaluating this. It has to be very clear to the public, what are the criteria. And then number two, if the new company is competent, based on those cases. Q: But should you announce it first so other companies can actually bid for it, is my question. I mean, just to make sure the details are correct. So far, the DOE approved the sale. We're talking about the 45 percent non-operating stake of Shell and Chevron in Malampaya. That's correct? SEN. WIN: That's the first transaction, there are two transactions. The Chevron and the Shell's transaction. Q: Okay. There are two? SEN WIN: Yes, there are two transactions. The first transaction, you can call it as a passive investor or the investment is passive, meaning it's not operating. The Shell portion is the operator, whoever steps in to the shell will operate the trade, will supply gas to our homes. The second transaction is very critical, because it will now require technical competence, meaning the new operator should have experience in the past. Q: So did the DOE just choose to make a sale without actually going through certain requirements of the company to take over that sale. Like for example, let's be specific about Shell, are there requirements under the law, that the company must have experience in the past? SEN. WIN: Yes, in the law, it is very clear PD 87, the government needs to approve it. Prior to the closure of the sale, the government needs to approve it and the list of requirements are specified in many of the circulars that were promulgated by the DOE in the past. In other words, DOE has a list of requirements, and the list of criteria and this should be fulfilled before closing or before the government approves it before the private sector closes the transaction. Q: But then would the Udenna group be qualified based on the requirements? SEN. WIN: This is in the hands of DOE now. The mere fact that, personally, I made the statement, I have strong doubts personally. But we will let the process go through. DOE has a set of, like I said, DOE has a set of processes, and we will allow DOE to commence with the process but justified to the public as being the consumers, to be assured that the new owner is highly qualified. Q: Okay. And under the laws should other companies have been able to bid as well? SEN. WIN: This is a private transaction. So, Shell can invite other bidders and from my information they have. This is the only gas asset in the Philippines, so it's a monopoly, so to speak, in terms of Shell, from my information, they invited other bidders. That's their own prerogative but the government's prerogative is to assure the public that whoever steps in is highly qualified. Q: Or the government must prove that they chose the best bidder? SEN. WIN: Correct. Q: For the national interest of the country? SEN. WIN: Correct. In short because like I said, our 6 million homes are going to be affected. Q: Do you believe there was preferential treatment for the Udenna group? SEN WIN: I'll reserve my comment for now. The DOE now is in the process of evaluating and I'll reserve my comments on that but they said, I issued the statement because I also have some doubts in my mind and I want to be cleared up, not only as a Senator but also a citizen of this country. ON BAYANIHAN 3 Q: Okay, we don't have enough time. Actually I wanted to ask you more about tax cuts for our work from home employees, maybe we can do that at another time, Senator because that takes a longer period, but my closing is I wanted to ask you about Bayanihan 3. What are you seeing with Bayanihan 3 just generally, I mean I know you've all agreed to actually extend session time so that you can prioritize on certain measures, and Bayanihan 3 would be one of them. SEN. WIN: One of the things that we will be looking at is spending for the 2021 budget and Bayanihan 2 because there are some items that have not been spent yet. For example, we have a P300 million subsidy for students that hasn't been spent yet and in 2021. There's lot of unspent items. So my point here is let's spend 2021 and Bayanihan 2 first before we re-align. Bayanihan 3 in effect is realigning 2021 and the other budget but let's give the budget a chance first to be spent.
Press Release

May 25, 2021 SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON COMMITTEE REPORT No. 263 Mr. President, dear colleagues, with due respect for the time and for the other urgent bills of our colleagues, I will keep this short. It is my honor to sponsor on the floor Committee Report No. 263 which consolidates Senate Bill No. 56, filed by Senators Lito Lapid and Leila de Lima, and Senate Bill No. 221, filed by yours truly taking into account House Bill No. 7679. Mr. President, it is the duty of the legislature to protect the rights and welfare of all Filipinos - but most especially the least, the last and the lost. Foundlings - or deserted and abandoned children with unknown facts of birth and parentage -- would certainly fit into this category. This bill provides a legal regime and institutionalizes the status of foundlings in this country, drawing from the ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Poe-Llamanzares vs. COMELEC, in which the High Court ruled that our very own colleague is a natural-born citizen. The bill ensures our compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which mandate the right of every child to a name and nationality. The bill also lays down the process for the registration of foundlings and ensures that a Certificate of Live Birth will be issued without inordinate delay, and after searching and comprehensive inquiries have been made by the Department of Social Welfare and Development as to the parentage of the child. Further, it also seeks to protect children of Filipino parentage born abroad who cannot be registered in their country of birth. In many Philippine shelters in the Middle East for example, babies born out of wedlock to Filipino citizens and foreign nationals are stateless and their birth is considered the product of a crime. Further, proceeding from the principle that the best interest of the child shall be the primordial consideration, the bill also institutionalizes "safe havens," which shall allow parents who are really unable to care for their child to give her up in a manner than ensures the child's safety and protection. The "safe haven" concept, patterned after legislation in nearly all states in the United States and drawn from the legislative proposal of the late great Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, will hopefully reduce horrific stories of babies who are abandoned in creeks or dark alleys by parents who are afraid of criminal prosecution for abandonment. Mr. President, with this legislative measure already passed in the House of Representatives on third reading, it is truly my heartfelt hope that the 18th Congress is the Congress that finally shines the protective light of policy and the law on our foundlings.
Press Release

May 25, 2021 Poe: Speed up vaccine rollout, give Filipinos jobs Sen. Grace Poe stressed the need to vaccinate as many Filipinos as possible to allow them to return to work as she expressed alarm over a report by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) that the Philippines has the worst jobless rate in emerging Asia. "Jobs are best cure for poverty, just as jabs are our relief to the pandemic. In both situations, the urgency of the action is critical," Poe stressed. "We must take the fast action that will allow us to not just get through COVID-19, but more crucially, gain ground that will pave the way for our sustainable growth in the coming years," she said. According to the state planning agency, the country's jobless rate steadily declined reaching 7.1 percent in March. This is, however, still the highest among seven emerging Asian countries. The jobless rate in India was 6.7 percent in January to February 2021; it was 4.8 percent in February in Malaysia; and in Vietnam, it was 2.4 percent in March. In China, jobless rate was 4.2 percent in December 2020; in Thailand, 1.9 percent from October to December 2020; and Indonesia, 7.1 percent in August 2020. NEDA said returning to the pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in January 2020 remains a challenge. Poe pressed concerned government agencies to accelerate spending their budget to stir economic activity and create jobs to shore up the economy crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the fast implementation of targeted expenditures will go hand-in-hand with the vaccine rollout to get the economy back on track and deliver incomes for the people. With just a little over a month to go before the expiration of the Bayanihan 2 funds, Poe reminded agencies to act expeditiously to utilize their respective allocation aimed at helping the people cope with the impact of the pandemic. Congress extended the validity of the unspent money under the P140-billion Bayanihan 2 funds up to June 30 this year. The unused amount of around P110 billion under the 2020 General Appropriations Act will also remain accessible until Dec. 31, 2021. Failure to fully utilize these funds by the deadlines will revert the money to the National Treasury. "The cash aid and bag of groceries are needed, but will never be enough to sustain our people. Government programs must make opportunities for them to be productive and earn income again," Poe said. "The national budget and the Bayanihan funds should act as stimulus of the economy. They should be felt by the people, especially in areas badly-hit by the pandemic," she added. Poe said agencies should not be afraid to spend on endeavors that are according to their targets. "Every peso correctly allocated to a program means opportunities for people to go back to work, to earn income and to spend for their families. This is what the country's economic resilience should mean," she said.
Press Release

May 25, 2021 Villanueva: Doubling vaccination rate seen to cut PH joblessness rate Easing the joblessness rate hinges on the government's doubling its present vaccination rate of 162,513, which is the recent seven-day average, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. "The most effective employment formula is the more jabs we administer, the more jobs we create," said Villanueva, chair of the Senate Labor and Employment Committee. "If we can increase our vaccination rate to 325,000 doses a day, then we will be delivering 72 million doses from now until the end of the year," Villanueva said. "That 72 million is half of the 140 million doses for 70 million people required to achieve herd immunity," Villanueva said. However, the government's original plan was to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos by year-end with the expected deliveries of at least 140 million doses. "So yung sinabi po natin na 325,000 daily doses ay may 50 percent discount na doon sa assurance ng pamahalaan na 140 million doses ang parating sa taong ito," he said. A 325,000-daily jab rate, he said, "should be the minimum speed. However, it is still 'underspeeding'." He expressed optimism that this can be reached "once private companies get into the act," adding that "a successful vaccination program is one that is a public-private partnership" Philippine companies have pooled their resources to buy 20 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, with the first batch expected to arrive middle of next month. "The private side will kick into action once the vaccines they have ordered will arrive. Private sector efficiency is the booster our vaccination drive needs." Even if production disruptions, like the one India is facing, will delay the arrival of vaccines, "what is important is that we have set up the infrastructure for mass inoculation," he said. "It is like acquiring the muscle memory to undertake what will eventually become routinary for us," Villanueva added. Villanueva made the comment following the release by National Economic and Development Authority of a report showing the Philippines with the worst unemployment record among seven Asian economies. The country's 7.1 percent official joblessness rate in March was higher than the latest figures reported by India, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Indonesia. This report underscores the urgency of vaccinating our workers and other economic frontliners, or those in the A4 group in the government's vaccination queue, Villanueva said. "We should open more vaccination sites to more groups," he added. "Ten days ago, wala pa pong 9,000 na A4 ang nabakunahan," he said. "Our labor force should be vaccinated in large numbers. That is the key to economic recovery. Before our workers can roll up their sleeves to work, they must roll them up to get their shots," he said.
This is a new milestone in U.S.-Ethiopia relations. Washington has decided to impose sanctions against Ethiopian and Eritrean officials. First there will be visa restrictions, followed by heavy financial sanctions, including in the areas of security and economic assistance. The U.S. accuses officials in both countries of failing to take meaningful steps to end hostilities in the Tigray region, almost seven months after the war began. The Ethiopian government immediately retaliated.

American attempts to interfere in Ethiopias internal affairs are not only inappropriate, but completely unacceptable. The words of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are strong, after Washington announced that it would financially sanction the country for its management of the war in Tigray.

Sanctions that are useless and counterproductive, adds Addis Ababa, which assures us that it has done everything possible to cooperate with the Biden administration. However, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Ethiopian government has not taken meaningful steps to end the hostilities.

Washington will not only sanction Ethiopia bilaterally, but will also pressure the IMF and World Bank to freeze funding. This is a blow to the government of Abiy Ahmed and the already over-indebted Ethiopian economy, whose rating was recently downgraded by Moodys.

Faced with this treatment, which it considers unfair, Ethiopia has announced that it will be forced, no more and no less, to re-evaluate its bilateral relations with the American giant.

This decision could jeopardize Ethiopias future. It is the country in Africa that receives the most aid from Washington, with nearly one billion dollars per year.
Omani security forces Sunday dispersed and arrested a number of citizens protesting against job layoff and hard economic conditions, in the first major unrest since the ascendance to the throne of incumbent Sultan Haitham bin Tariq in January 2020.

Protests over jobs broke out in several cities of the Sultanate, reports say. Social media video showed Sunday Omani protesters in the north of the country can be seen fleeing as tear gas canisters fell around them on the streets near the labor ministry, Middle East Eye, MEE, reports.

Another video shows a convoy of armored vehicles on what appears to be the highway in Sohar, the London-based media notes.

Riot police reportedly made the arrest of an undetermined number of protesters in Salalah in the sultanates southern Dohar governorate. The demonstrations are the first major unrest facing the new ruler after the death of the long-ruling Sultan Qaboos bin Said. State media on Monday referred to employment as among the most important priorities of Sultan Haitham, AP reports.

The Gulf countrys economy contracted by 6.4 per cent in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund, with the coronavirus crisis and low oil prices putting a strain on the states coffers. It owes billions of dollars in the form of loans to lenders including from China.
Egypt secured Sunday a credit line worth 145 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to improve its railway system in the wake of a string of deadly train accidents.

The financing was signed between the Minister of International Cooperation Rania A. Al-Mashat, Kamel Al-Wazir, the Minister of Transportation and Malinne Bloomberg, AfDBs Country Manager in Egypt.

The credit per the agreement aims at improving efficiency and safety factors in the railway system by extending the authoritys main lines (Alexandria / Cairo / Assiut / Naga Hammadi and Benha / Port Said line) with 953 km controlled by the European Train Control System (ETCS-L1) to manage the course of the cars, Egypt Today reports.

It also provides an additional 100 wagons, using the ETCS, the media notes.

The Abidjan-based financial institution in April announced it would allocate a credit line of 145 million to help the country improve the railway system safety and to increase the network capacity.

The planned upgrades are expected to benefit low-income Egyptians, about 40 percent of the population, who rely on trains as an affordable mode of transport, the bank said in a statement.

The announcement came days after a deadly train accident in the southern governorate of Sohag, last month. A speeding passenger train collided with another that had suddenly stopped. The incident left dozens of injured and at least 18 people killed.

Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir blamed human error as the cause of the accident and authorities which promised tough sanctions for those responsible of the collision rounded up eight people.
Georgia condemns detention of opposition journalist Protasevich in Belarus

By Veronika Malinboym

On May 23, the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a comment in regards to the emergency landing of the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius and the detention of a 26-year old opposition journalist Roman Protasevich. In a post on its official Twitter page, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the forcible detention is completely unacceptable:We welcome the safe landing of the Ryanair flight to its original destination - Vilnius, Lithuania and are happy for the people onboard. All the passengers must enjoy the freedom of safe travel. Their forced detention is completely unacceptable, read the statement.On Sunday, the Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania with approximately 171 passengers on board was ordered to make an emergency landing in Minsk airport after being notified by Belarus Traffic Control of a potential security threat on board. Shortly after the flight has landed, Roman Protasevich was detained and escorted out of the plane by the law enforcement authorities.Roman Protasevich hosted Belarus of the Brain Telegram channel and previously worked as the editor-in-chief of NEXTA Telegram channel which covered the large-scale protests against President Lukashenko which erupted after the recent presidential elections in the country. Belarussian authorities added Protasevich to the list of individuals accused of conducting alleged terrorist activists, and the international wanted to list. Protasevich may be facing the death penalty in Belarus for the charges brought up against him.Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, whose team Protasevich is on, has already issued a statement condemning the detention of the opposition journalist and demanded his immediate release:The regime forced the landing Ryanair plane in Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich. He faces the death penalty in Belarus. We demand immediate release of Raman, International Civil Aviation Organization investigation, and sanctions against Belarus, Tikhanovskaya posted on her Twitter.The international community has also condemned the attack, including the US Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher who stated that Lukashenka and his regime today showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens, adding that faking a bomb threat and sending MiG-29s to force RyanAirto Minsk in order to arrest a Nexta journalist on politically motivated charges is dangerous and abhorrent.The EU has also expressed concerns over the incident and the President of the European Council Charles Michel has stated that the unprecedented incident will be discussed by the EU leaders and it will not remain without consequences.
An autopsy on the body of Somali-American businessman Mohamud Bashir Mohamed has revealed he was strangled to death.

Government pathologist Johannes Oduor led the postportem in the presence of two other independent pathologists, family lawyer Charles Madowo, DCI detectives, and a family representative.

The post-mortem took slightly over an hour at Umash Funeral Home on Monday, May 24.

The family lawyer Mr Madowo said Mohamud Bashir was tortured before he was strangled and his body thrown into River Nyamindi in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.

The body of the 36-year-old businessman also had burn wounds and injuries inflicted by a blunt object.

The immediate cause of death as per the post-mortem report is death by strangulation but there is also quite a bit of evidence of torture on his body. Theres trauma on the head consistent with being hit with a blunt object, burns on his body and torture on his toes and nails, said Madowo.

Samples were also collected from Mohameds body for further analysis at the government chemist.
Maximizing cancer survival, minimizing treatment side effects with AI

Computer scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago are developing a computational artificial intelligence system they hope will serve as a decision support tool for doctors prescribing treatment for head and neck cancer. The work is supported by a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

"Chemotherapy and radiation can have very serious side effects, so knowing more about when it makes sense to prescribe these treatments and at what time points is valuable information," said Liz Marai, associate professor of computer science at the UIC College of Engineering and principal investigator. "But most cancer treatment decisions are made by small groups of doctors during what is called 'tumor board' meetings where they discuss their patients and come up with treatment plants. We want to develop a scalable system based on real cancer patient data that can help guide physicians in how to treat specific patients."

Their AI system will also have the capability to determine treatments based on the longer-term data it has been given.

"Clinicians make decisions based on the information they have at that specific moment, and on physician memory of similar patients, for example, patients with similar tumor location or disease spread in their body. Our system will be able to take into account the impact of prescribed treatment on possible future decisions and make suggestions accordingly," said Xinhua Zhang, assistant professor of computer science and co-principal investigator.

The researchers hope their system -- which is being developed with physicians at the University of Texas and data mining specialists at the University of Iowa -- will be able to play out different scenarios to maximize efficacy and improve survival outcomes.

To develop the AI system, the researchers collected medical records data on head and neck cancer patients treated in Houston. Included in the data were information on symptoms, cancer stage, tumor type, tumor location, prescribed treatments, and medical images, such as PET and CT scans, for example.

"We processed this data repository to extract anatomical features and to train the AI system so that it can learn how patients responded to different treatments and what their outcomes were. That way, when a new patient arrives, the AI model can consult that knowledge and the new patient's data, and determine what treatments might work best, without having to rely on physician memory" Marai said. "The AI system is not meant to replace the physician's opinion, it is a decision tool to consult that could help improve patient survival while minimizing side effects from chemotherapy and radiation."

The researchers are now in the process of further developing their AI by testing it on "digital twin" patients -- simulated patients based on data collected from real cancer patients.

"We cannot test the system by directly applying AI-recommended treatment to real patients at this stage, so we are creating a simulation where we can safely evaluate how well the AI is learning and prescribing," Zhang said.

They are also developing ways to have the AI use only specific groups of patients in its computational analysis.

"If we can have the AI use only data from say, cancer patients who have the same type of tumor characteristics, that would be even more useful when consulting the AI on treatment for those types of patients. Tumor type, size, and previous treatment are all important to take into account," Marai said.

By providing more information from patient records into their computational system, such as location and spread of tumors and even reported patient symptoms, they hope to further improve its ability to serve as a valuable decision support tool for oncologists.

###

Marai and Zhang are using the computational resources at the University of Illinois Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory to develop their cancer treatment AI. Guadalupe Canahuate of the University of Iowa and Dr. David Fuller of the University of Texas are also investigators on the NIH grant (R01CA258827).

This story has been published on: 2021-05-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chief Justice Martha Koome received instruments of power on Monday, officially assuming office as the head of the Judiciary.

In her speech, CJ Koome pledged to ensure cases are dispensed within three years of filing. She said this would be a continuation of retired CJ David Maragas tenure which focused on reducing case backlog and ensuring that all cases above 5 years in all courts were concluded.

This is a target that is possible to achieve if we all embraced a case management system and the multi-door approaches that are now available to us such as the court users committees, court-annexed mediation, small claims court and alternative justice system, she said.

At the same time, CJ Martha Koome said she will work towards driving forward the reforms started ten years ago by retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga.

The CJ further pledged to work with LSK president Nelson Havi, who was opposed to her appointment because of an emergency ruling she handled in 2017 on the eve of the repeat presidential election.

CJ Koome additionally pledged to embrace the use of technology, as was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with the expansion of the electronic filing service as well as other ICT initiatives.

A decade after promulgation it is imperative that we expedite some of the promises of the 2010 Constitution so that Kenyans can realize the benefits. As an institution that generates almost Kshs. 3 billion shillings annually, this revenue can be an important first step in addressing some of the challenges we currently face, she noted.

We will continue to build the case for additional funding and a sustainable budget for these investments and judiciary functions based on our track record and the needs of Kenyans. My role is to advocate for the resources to ensure that the structures needed are physically and representationally present at every court station so that every player can enjoy the fruits of this system.

Koome also acknowledged the existence of corruption within the Judiciary saying there presently exist too many such cases pending in the courts.

even though there are some structures for curbing corruption, such as the establishment of the Office of Judiciary Ombudsman, we have not succeeded to effectively deal with these cases, she stated.

As noted by former Chief Justice Mutunga in 2016, when he stated that the Judiciary was under capture by agencies within government, the private sector and civil society. This continues to be an active threat to the independence of the judiciary.
The Ethics and Anti Corruptions Commission (EACC) says it has recovered corruptly acquired assets worth approximately Sh25 billion over the past five years.

EACC head of training, Gilbert Lukhoba, made the revelation on Monday in a speech he read on behalf of the commissions vice chair Sophia Lepuchirit during a media workshop in Nakuru County.

The commission has disrupted possible loss of public funds worth approximately Sh30.4 billion in the last five years, Gilbert added.

According to the EACC Vice-chair, the commission was pursuing forfeiture of unexplained wealth worth approximately Sh25.5 billion as part of its efforts to recover illegally acquired assets.

The official noted system reviews were taking place in 15 ministry and development agencies and 20 of the countrys 47 counties.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga spared some words of advice for his successor Martha Koome as she formally assumed office on Monday at the Supreme Court grounds in Nairobi.

Maraga reminded Koome she was taking up an extremely demanding office and she should tackle it with grace.

He advised CJ Koome to use the support she has from various stakeholders to deliver on her duties.

The Deputy Chief Justice and other judges have pledged to support you. The counsel has pledged to support you. There is really no worry whatsoever, you will be able to deliver. all you need to do is to cooperate with them, said Maraga.

The former CJ further challenged Koome to stick to her guns and remind other officials to respect the rule of law.

Madam Chief Justice, please keep reminding all of us that Constitutional power is constrained power so that everybody keeps to his or her lane, he said, adding: we will have a wonderful country.
The highly anticipated docu-reality series revolving around the lives of celebrity couple Wahu and Nameless premiere exclusively on Showmax Monday night.

The 13-part docu-reality series will highlight the duos timeless love, lives, and history, as well as the lessons they have picked up along the way. This Love will also follow Nameless and Wahu as they work on their first-ever joint album.

As we strive to do this joint album, we also want to share the story behind the music. We want to give insights on what inspires us, what drives us, our thought process, personalities, our shared and different perspectives and our different temperaments, the couple said.

This Love creator Eugene Mbugua said the docuseries will delve into whats happening in Nameless and Wahus lives in the present, while also taking viewers back to those moments that led them to where they are today.

Their story is also closely intertwined with that of the Kenyan music industry, and so the audience will get a window into some nuggets they did not know about their favourite stars both present and past.

Showmax East and Southern channel director Timothy Okwaro lauded the couple for being pioneers in the music industry in Kenya and for staying relevant for more than 20 years.

Its admirable how they (Nameless and Wahu) have managed to reinvent themselves and stay relevant even with the changing genres of the music industry in Kenya. We are happy to see them open up their lives to us for the first time, and most importantly, to have that happen on our platform, Okwaro said.

New episodes will be released weekly.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday presided over the re-opening of the refurbished Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) factory in Athi River, Machakos County.

The President applauded Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for reviving the commission saying the Governments decision to transfer the meat processor to the Ministry of Defence was aimed at salvaging the livestock sector which is a mainstay for millions of Kenyans.

As a key stakeholder and consumer of KMC products, the stewardship provided by the Ministry of Defence provided the Commission with economies of scale, predictable product demand, better focus on efficiency, and a diversification of its product lines, the President said.

Uhuru noted over half of the countrys population depends on the livestock sector for its livelihood and that the Government could not allow it to collapse.

As indicated earlier, the sector is the source of livelihood for millions of Kenyans and the market forces have not lived to our expectations especially in times of drought and therefore, it was necessary to get the government involved as a driver together with the existing private sector players, the President said.

The President expressed optimism that KDF will be able to pay farmers and other suppliers in time, saying that has been one of KMCs greatest challenge.

One of the greatest challenges that we had with this facility was taking in livestock but not paying the farmers for the same. Indeed, some farmers had waited for four years before they were paid.

I am keenly looking forward to you (KDF) maintaining your pledge that all farmers will be paid within 72hours of the delivery of their livestock to your facility, he said.

The meat processor, with an installed daily slaughter capacity of 1,250 large animals and 2,000 small stock, was transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture to that of Defence in September last year.

The President thanked KDF and the various agencies that were sourcing their meat requirements from KMC such as Kenya Prisons, Kenya Police Service Training Colleges, National Youth Service and Kenya Wildlife Service, and urged more institutions to make the meat processor their supplier of choice.

Besides the meat value chain, the President identified the leather sub sector as one of the greatest beneficiary from the revamped KMC saying the Government had a comprehensive plan to enhance the uptake of hides and skins from the factory by local tanneries.

He thanked KMC for establishing partnerships with existing abattoirs in major livestock rearing counties and urged KDF to prioritize the revival of Kibarani abattoir and Shimanzi meat depot to carter for the coastal region.

Further, the Head of State challenged KMCs new managers to leverage on regional and continental trade arrangements such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to put their products into the international market by obtaining appropriate export certifications.

Even as we set our eyes on Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Middle East for exports, a significant portion of our growth will be from emerging markets, many of which are right here in Africa, where the population is growing, and more consumers now enjoy improved purchasing power, the President said.

Earlier, President Kenyatta visited KMCs Ladhies Road Meat Depot in Nairobi County on his way to Athi River for the re-opening of the firms factory.

Machakos Governor Dr Alfred Mutua, Defence CS Dr Monica Juma and Chief of Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi also spoke at the re-opening ceremony.

General Kibochi assured the President of KDFs commitment to ensuring that KMC is fully revived for the benefit of all Kenyans.

Other speakers at the event, also attended by former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Narok Governor Samuel Ole Tunai and Cabinet Secretaries Peter Munya (Agriculture) and Farida Katoney (Lands), were KMCs Board Chairman Lt. Gen (Rtd) Joseph Kasaon and Managing Director Brigadier James Githanga.
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Buried Truths, the podcast based on an Emory course that most recently focused on the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, has won a prestigious award from the American Bar Association.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has awarded its distinguished Silver Gavel award to the latest season of Buried Truths, the podcast based on a course taught by Emorys Pulitzer Prizewinning professor and journalist Hank Klibanoff.

Season 3 focused on last years shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man pursued by three armed white men near the coastal Georgia city of Brunswick. The ABA selected it as one of six recipients of its 2021 awards recognizing exemplary work.

ABA President Patricia Lee Refo will present the award during a virtual ceremony July 13. The event is free and open to the public.

What matters most to me is that we got it right and were able to say it clearly, Klibanoff says. Its thrilling to be honored for having accomplished that in telling a story that is surrounded by complicated legal matters.

Working with five Emory undergraduates, writer Richard Halicks and the production team at public radio station WABE, Klibanoff unearthed the centuries-long roots of Arberys killing in a story told across seven episodes.

It marked the first time the podcast focused on a current incident. Students in Klibanoffs Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project course usually examine killings that took place in the modern civil rights era, roughly from 1945 to 1968.

Among the new details: the family histories of both Arberys killers, which include ancestors who enslaved people and fought for the Confederacy. They also uncovered Arberys link to one of the most well-known enslaved people in Georgia, Bilali Mohammed on Sapelo Island. Mohammed was the highly educated author of a manuscript on Islamic belief and rules discovered after his death in 1857.

Klibanoff discussed the latest developments in the Arbery case with WABE host Rose Scott in February, two months before the U.S. Department of Justice charged the accused with federal hate crimes. He may provide additional updates closer to trial dates in the case, which are expected by years end.

Buried Truths won a Peabody Award and Robert F. Kennedy Award in 2019 for its first season, focusing on a Black farmer, Isaiah Nixon, who was killed by two white men in 1948 for voting; and a national Edward R. Murrow Award for its second season, about the 1962 shooting of a Black teenager, A. C. Hall, by two white Macon police officers.

In the fall, Klibanoffs class will return to the civil rights era and examine the 1958 killing of James Brazier, who worked three jobs to buy a new Chevrolet Impala for his family.

The car drew the ire of Dawson, Georgia police at a time of escalated racial tension during desegregation. Brazier died at age 31 from a police beating, after asking an officer to stop striking his father during a traffic stop for suspected drunken driving  as the men returned from a day at church.

The case is planned to be the focus of a Season 4 for Buried Truths, which will be recorded sometime next year.
Oxford College graduate Hannah Kreuziger received the Virgil Y.C. Eady Sophomore Service Award during Commencement ceremonies, partly due to her leadership and initiative in establishing the Letters to Dad Foundation, an outlet to help students and faculty cope with grief.

When Hannah Kreuziger was a senior in high school, she lost her dad unexpectedly. And everything changed.

It was a very difficult time, recalls Kreuziger, who graduated from Emorys Oxford College on May 15. I was coming up on all the major milestones, like college acceptance, graduation, senior prom, my eighteenth birthday, all these events. And suddenly, her father was not there to share them.

A high school counselor, seeing Kreuzigers struggle with grief, suggested she start writing letters to her dad as a coping mechanism to, as Kreuziger puts it, get through it in a healthful way, a way to communicate with him. It really brought me a lot of solace.

The counselor also suggested that Kreuziger one day compile her letters and keep or publish them, but she had other ideas.

Kreuzigers letters to her dad have now become the inspiration for the Letters to Dad Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping students, faculty and staff grieve in healthy, helpful ways and form communities of support. The Letters to Dad Foundation is a multimedia outlet containing podcast episodes, blog posts, Instagram posts and events to help students and faculty cope with their grief.

I definitely knew I wanted to use the experience in a way that was applicable for other students and faculty who are going through what Ive gone through, she says. I always knew I was going through it for a reason, and that it would end up helping people.

That desire to help others began to take shape after arriving at Emorys Oxford College in fall 2019. Kreuziger says she loved coming to Oxford and Emory, but I did feel really alone in my circumstance, because it was rare that I met any other student who had just lost their dad before college.

That feeling eased somewhat after Kreuziger met other students and faculty who had experienced loss, who understood what I was going through because they were going through it as well, she says. So I knew that was something I wanted to pursue, creating a community for students, faculty and staff, to feel understood, heard and supported. I think that with grief, half the battle is feeling like youre not alone.

It was through Gary Glass, a counselor at Oxford, that Kreuziger connected with Oxford and Emory chaplains Lyn Pace and Greg McGonigle, who provided advice, financial support and connections that allowed her to develop the Letters to Dad website.

Kreuziger also has received support and advice from Emory senior Rohini Guin, who started Emorys Healing Through Art virtual gallery for members of the Emory community to share about grief, loss and other changes through creative expression.

The Letters to Dad Foundation began holding virtual contemplative practices and more online events beginning in March 2021.

We see the Letters to Dad project as a way to allow for more community building and interaction, says McGonigle, where people have the opportunity to write short letters and share what theyve lost as a way of making sense of it.

McGonigle echoes the sentiments of his colleague Glass in emphasizing that grief is not a mental illness; grief is the thing that happens to us when we lose someone or something that we really love.

At this years Oxford Commencement, Kreuziger was recognized with the Virgil Y.C. Eady Sophomore Service Award, bestowed on a student who has demonstrated outstanding and selfless service to the college community and the only student award presented during the ceremony.

In announcing the award, Oxford Dean of Students Joseph Moon said of Kreuziger in the citation: When you see need, or someone in pain, you have the motivation, integrity and sheer will to be part of the solution. Your proven leadership, scholarship and kind-heartedness suggest the kind of citizen you will be in the larger Emory community and beyond.

Kreuziger says she is so thankful to be the recipient of this high honor and appreciative that my efforts have been recognized as truly helping the Oxford and Emory community, because that has always been my goal. She looks forward to continuing her journey on the Atlanta campus this fall as she pursues a double major in psychology and German studies.
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Contributed Article: NFTs and Copyright: An Uncomfortable Conjunction?

In April 2021, Hollywood writer and director Kevin Smith announced that he was putting an unreleased film of his, Killroy Was Here, up for sale via NFT (non-fungible token). Hes auctioning this work off lock, stock, and barrelthat is, all of the digital files of which the film is composed and without retaining any copies or backups. Hes certainly aware of what he is doing, saying, What you get is the whole movie, with the hard-drive files, in the real world. The completed Killroy movie is the NFT. Youre a distributor, my friend. Or you can wheel and deal. They can take it to Netflix. Or someone can buy it and just put it on their shelf and never show it again. Thats a possibility (emphasis added). However, unless I am reading the redoubtable Smith wrong, nowhere has he said that he is transferring his copyright in this film as part of the deal. And that means that the wheeling and dealing is with the film as isno material changes, no sequels. It really is the whole movie, but only the movie.

Kevin Smiths is among the most recent in a series of high-profile auctions involving NFTs and creative works. What really catches my eye in these highly publicized, big-dollar auctions is the question I think most of the articles about them skip over (or dont deal with at all): What were the rights included? The traditional rules of copyright assignment and transfer, which have been encoded into law and practiced since the beginning of the republic, still work, and nothing in these digital arrangements changes anything in those. Right?

But lets back up a bit and describe in more detail what it is we are talking about.

A technological innovation created less than a decade ago, the NFT is briefly (and functionally) defined by The New York Times Josie Thaddeus-Johns: An NFT is an asset verified using blockchain technology, in which a network of computers records transactions and gives buyers proof of authenticity and ownership. The current boom is mostly for digital assets, including images, GIFs, songs or videos. Most importantly, NFTs make digital artworks unique, and therefore sellable. Signed lithographs also come to mind, back when Picasso and Dali were signing their lithographs and putting a number on each one to make them each unique (although they always were still copies). It is literally true that, in that signing and number process, the artists turned copies into originalswhich is what NFTs, in their way, do now.

Intriguingly, blogger Bill Rosenblatt recently compared NFTs to a decades-old concept, DRM (originally, digital rights management, but here, more specifically, the forms of digital locks for digital files used to either permit or deny access to the files, based on certain conditions, such as payment). Its a provocative angle, and it may indeed have a useful future (if intrinsic costs can be controlled for). The idea is that, since the distributed digital ledger carries its own chain of ownership information, no one in the process is able to pull a fast one. (I dont mean zero entities ever, I mean, hardly anyone, to a very high standard of measurement. Nothing technological is perfect, if only because nothing human is perfect.)

What makes this whole issue news is perhaps not simply that NFTs are sold to individuals by the creators of digital works, but that they are commanding very high prices indeed.

Now, outside of a small but enthusiastic cadre of crypto-enthusiasts (and hopeful high-dollar value creators with some goods to sell), many of us are struggling to see much social utility in the advent of NFTs.

Encryption comes into the process because digital files are notoriously easy to copy, and much of the colossus known as the internet is based on that very premise of perfect, limitless copyability. But a digital file that always knew where it had originated from and where it had been in the meantime? Thats newsand I think in the long term, its an attribute that might remain useful. In other words, using their encoded chain of title or distributed digital ledger encoding, NFTs are designed to give you something that cant be copied: ownership of the work (though the artist can still retain the copyright and reproduction rights, just like with physical artwork), writes Mitchell Clark in The Verge. To put it in terms of physical art collecting: anyone can buy a Monet print. But only one person can own the original.

But please dont get me wrong: We live in the 21st century, and I have no beef with anyone who can successfully make money out of nothing but electricity, encryption, computing power, and consumer attentionassuming they can accomplish that without wrecking any other part of the world. One mantra of digital capitalism might be restated thus: If your activities are legitimate, go ahead and make your way in the market, and let the chips (or tokens) fall where they may.

I hazard the guess that, even in a big-dollar NFT sale, copyright in the work is not commonlyand explicitlyassigned, and those rights therefore will remain with the creator. If that is the case, then it follows that the copyrightmeaning, among other things, the right to make and authorize others to make copiescant be sold further down the line by the buyer of the NFT. And thats because you cant (legitimately) sell what you never acquired in the first place, which might eventually come as a surprise to someone who shelled out a few million bucks for one of these things and still didnt get the rights. (Id log on to a pay-per-view to witness that moment live!) If NFT creative sales become common, copyright assignments associated with them may become common also. This is where a very old bureaucratic process would be helpful in creating a very new market otherwise founded (it would appear) entirely on technology.

From the perspective of more traditional applications of copyright, it might be useful to realize that these NFT transactions, at least based on public information to date, are less like outright copyright transfers and more like narrow-but-exclusive licenses. As the supposed buyer, what you are getting is an exclusive right to access and look at the NFT while you hold the license plus a right to transfer that license (for money) to someone else. There are definitely assets and a market there, but they may not be exactly those that occur to buyers at first glance.

Before wrapping this up, I want to put in a plug for a solid two-part series on this very topicon a much more detailed levelon the (reliably excellent; I recommend my fellow copyright mavens all subscribe to it) Kluwer Copyright Blog under the title, The Rise of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the Role of Copyright Law (Parts I and II).

A final word about Smith and the NFTing of his film: Its a bold move, and I hope he achieves his purposes with it. But shelve it such that it never sees the light of day? Yikes. Double-yikes, Batman. Shades of the return of the hidden Wu-Tang Clan album! And a question out of left field for the writer-director: Would the winner of this auction have the legal right to take the words A film by Kevin Smith off of it? Just curious, as the saying goes.

Dave Davis is a research analyst at Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). He previously held directorships in both public libraries and corporate libraries and earned joint masters degrees in library and information sciences and medieval European history from The Catholic University of America. Davis is fascinated by copyright issues, content licensing, and data. Also, rock n roll music.
Presidente @FSagasti: El demencial ataque terrorista no quedara impune. Estamos patrullando la zona de manera intensa. Seguiremos trabajando para combatir el terrorismo con la accion decidida de las Fuerzas Armadas. Tengan la seguridad que este crimen no quedara impune. pic.twitter.com/98LNqTuuwf
Nos dirigimos a la region La Libertad para entregar un nuevo lote de dosis de vacunas Pfizer y una planta de oxigeno movil. Tambien supervisaremos el nuevo Hospital Cesar Vallejo de Santiago de Chuco. Con estas acciones, fortalecemos el sector salud para una mejor atencion. pic.twitter.com/nA22aEUewk
In 2021-2023, the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council goes to Russia. Arctic.ru correspondent Kristina Khramtsova interviews Professor Lev Voronkov from the Faculty of Integration Processes at Moscows State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and an expert on modern Arctic geopolitical issues, on the possible impact of sanctions on Russias work within the Arctic Council.

Kristina Khramtsova: What are the advantages of the Arctic Council rotating chairmanship?

Lev Voronkov: The Arctic Council is not a traditional international inter-governmental organisation or an NGO. It was conceived and remains a high-level forum of international cooperation whose members work on and pass resolutions by consensus. The Ottawa Declaration, signed by representatives of the eight Arctic states, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, the Russian Federation, the United States, Finland and Sweden, set guidelines for Arctic Council activities and goals. Under the consensus principle, the Arctic Councils member states and the forums permanent members that represent the main organizations of indigenous Arctic ethnic groups cannot impose their will on other members. The Arctic Council members voluntarily fulfil the resolutions in ways that meet their national interests and within state sovereignty.

The Arctic Council members introduced the rotating chairmanship to avoid giving the chair country any advantage. As the Arctic Council has no system of agencies, bodies or institutions, the chair country is responsible for organizing the councils routine activities, including its task forces and expert groups, and to represent the council on the international scene. The Arctic Council Secretariat in Tromso works to assist the chair state in fulfilling its duties. The Arctic Council chair receives the right to promote the high-priority issues of its chairmanship and to focus the attention of all member states on them. However, the other forum members will support these issues to implement them more effectively.

Some time ago, Canada suggested establishing the Arctic Economic Council which currently facilitates cooperation between regional business communities. During the US chairmanship, the Arctic Coast Guard Forum was established on the initiative of the United States. It facilitates cooperation between member states border services in combatting threats to national security. This is largely because official Canadian and US documents regulating Arctic policies state expressly that, from now on, threats to their security include the hypothetical use of frozen Arctic Ocean expanses for organized criminal activity, weapons or drug trafficking and also for illegal migration. So cooperation between the Arctic countries border and coast guard services meets everyones interests.

In his remarks at the May 2021 Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Reykjavik, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for holding a summit of Arctic states, as suggested by Finland some time ago. He also suggested that the Arctic Council member states expand their positive relationship to the military side by resuming multilateral dialogue between the Arctic states general staffs. He drew attention to Russias proposal to digitalize the linguistic and cultural legacy of the indigenous ethnic groups, which was approved by all Arctic Council members. Moreover, Mr Lavrov suggested further expanding cooperation between the Arctic Council and the Arctic Economic Council. The Arctic Council members supported Russias action program that contains over 100 different events.

At the same time, at the Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Reykjavik the ministers approved the councils first strategic plan. Arctic Council members will be guided by this plan in their work during the next decade. The document reflects the common values and the joint aspirations of the eight Arctic states and six permanent representatives from among the indigenous ethnic groups.

It is important to note that, although certain member states are involved in anti-Russia sanctions, participants in the Reykjavik ministerial meeting have signed a joint declaration reaffirming the Arctic Councils commitment to maintaining peace, stability and constructive cooperation in the Arctic region.

Kristina Khramtsova: Will the anti-Russia sanctions somehow affect Russias activity in the Arctic Council?

Lev Voronkov: No anti-Russia sanctions related to the Arctic Council have been declared, although certain sanctions in other areas have indirectly affected Russias activities in the Arctic. You may know that Russia responded to the EUs sanctions with retaliatory sanctions, which is not exactly promoting cooperation between the EU and the Russian Federation. Of course, Russia would have responded to sanctions in the Arctic in a similar way, which, considering its role and authority in Arctic matters, would have resulted in a complete breakdown of the established system of managing Arctic affairs, and not a single Arctic country is interested in this.

Kristina Khramtsova: Do the sanctions somehow affect Arctic cooperation in general?

Lev Voronkov: Of course, the sanctions, especially the financial sanctions, are felt both indirectly and technologically. This is not easy for Russia or for international economic relations in general. All this will pass sooner or later when they (the West) understand that they wont succeed in imposing conditions for cooperation on Russia and making it act the way the West wants, that Russia is an self-sufficient power.

As far as Arctic matters are concerned, the Arctic countries continue to cooperate effectively. For example, even during the sanctions, the Arctic countries concluded important agreements like cooperation between coast guard services and on scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The Arctic Councils productive work as well as preparations for new agreements between the member states continues, something that was confirmed, in part, at the Arctic Council Ministerial conference in Reykjavik.

So, the public, ritual-like declarations in support of some common political policy of the West regarding Russia is one thing, but the real developments that are taking place among the Arctic states that have many common interests of a fundamental nature, specifically, the protection of their rights to the considerable hydrocarbon, mineral and biological reserves from encroachment by non-Arctic countries, is an entirely different matter; and these things undoubtedly, one way or another, help build up the potential for cooperation between the Arctic Council member states.
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Historian and archaeologist Hamlet Petrosyan (Yerevan State University) and Anna Leyloyan-Yekmalyan (State Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations, INALCO, Paris) have brought together archaeologists, architects, cultural anthropologists and many other experts to launch Monument Watch  a project dedicated to the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage in the parts of Artsakh which was captured by the Azerbaijani military during the course of the 2020 war, given the Azeri state-sanctioned destruction or distortion of the Armenian monuments documented on several occasions.

Both during and after the 2020 war, the Azeri authorities have deliberately targeted Armenian cultural and spiritual monuments. For example, the iconic Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in the city of Shushi was bombed twice during the war, and now many months since the fighting ended and the Azeris took control over the city, they started distorting the cathedral in what the Armenian foreign ministry described as manifestations of vandalism, aimed at depriving the Shushi Mother Cathedral of its Armenian identity.

The Armenian Church in Mekhakavan was also targeted, with Azeri authorities completely demolishing it  a fact proven by a BBC investigation.

Since the specialists at Monument Watch dont have the opportunity to inspect the monuments in-person, they will conduct the monitoring online on various platforms. It is clear that [our monuments] will either be demolished or distorted. The destruction of Armenian monuments is part of Azerbaijans government policy. They are trying to appropriate Armenian heritage also, Anna Leyloyan-Yekmalyan told ARMENPRESS.

The official website of Monument Watch lists the following goals: to map and inventorize (the condition before the war) the immovable cultural heritage, museums, cultural centers of Artsakh-Azerbaijani border zone and of those territories of the Artsakh Republic, which as a result of the 44 day war passed under the control of Azerbaijan; to ratificate the current state (destruction, alteration, reuse, deletion and modification of sculptures, images, inscriptions, use of new symbols, etc.), as well as; to introduce the changes to the international scientific and cultural community.

Leyloyan-Yekmalyan says there are more than 4000 monuments in Artsakh, and more than 1700 are now in danger.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Coronavirus-designated hospitals in Armenia are gradually returning to their previous operations because the number of infected patients seeking treatment in hospitals is decreasing, Head of the department of hospital medical care policy at the ministry of healthcare Liana Barseghyan told Armenpress.

As of the latest data, the number of COVID-19 infected patients in Armenia who are in serious condition is nearly 400, about 100 are in critical condition, 48 of whom are switched to ventilators. At the moment, nearly 800 patients receive treatment at hospitals.

Decline in new cases of COVID-19 is being observed also in the past days. Among the new confirmed cases the number of those who seek hospitalization is also declining, she said, adding that in such situation the medical staff has a little chance to take a breath, and mentioned also the role of the vaccines, which can play in this process. The more people get vaccinated, the sooner the results will be visible, she noted.

As of May 24, there are 13 coronavirus-designated medical facilities in Armenia, 9 of them are located in Yerevan, the others in provinces.

When we look at the pandemic spread rates, which has weakened, we consider returning two provincial hospitals back to their previous profile, those are the IRVING LLC and the medical center of Aparan. The hospitals of Spitak and Kapan will yet remain as coronavirus-designated centers. The free beds, which were for the coronavirus-infected patients, are also becoming more and more, therefore, leaving them such is nonsense, she said.

According to her, in case of necessity the medical centers will again be ready to become coronavirus-treating hospitals.

Interview by Anna Gziryan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian hosted today President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Perch Sedrakian, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The officials discussed the post-war challenges facing Armenia, the humanitarian problems and the border situation.

In the context of solving the national issues with joint efforts, the officials highlighted the necessity of re-valuing the Armenia-Diaspora relations and more effectively utilizing the capacities of the Diaspora.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is expecting more active and addressed response from the international partners and the international community to the ongoing encroachments of Azerbaijan against its territorial integrity, President Armen Sarkissian said at the meeting with new Ambassador of Montenegro to Armenia Dragica Ponorac, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President and the Ambassador of Montenegro exchanged views on the mutual cooperation prospects between the two countries, highlighted specifying the fields of common interest. In that respect they mentioned tourism and high technological as a priority directions for cooperation with a great potential.

President Sarkissian touched upon the post-war challenges facing Armenia, the humanitarian problems, in particular emphasized the need for quick return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives from Azerbaijan.

He also touched upon the ongoing encroachments by Azerbaijan towards Armenias borders and territorial integrity.

In her turn the new Ambassador of Montenegro stated that she is happy to represent her country in Armenia, noting that the two countries have traditional friendly relations and she in her turn will make all efforts to further strengthen those ties and promote the Armenia-Montenegro agenda.

The Armenian President conveyed his greetings to President of Montenegro Milo ukanovic, whose planned official visit to Armenia has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and expressed hope that the visit will take place as soon as possible.

The new Ambassador of Montenegro (residence in Kiev, Ukraine) presented her credentials to the Armenian President.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- R Auto, a premium new energy vehicle (NEV) brand of SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Co.,Ltd. (SAIC Motor PV), is about to tap into European markets, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Norway, according to a local media outlet.



MARVEL R; photo credit: R Auto



The first vehicle to be exported is the MARVEL R. Hitting the market on Feb. 7 this year, it is the second model and also the first SUV model under R Auto, priced between 219,800 yuan ($34,140) and 239,800 yuan ($37,245) after subsidies.

Overseas business is playing an important role in SAIC Motor PV's operations. For the first four months of 2021, the PV manufacturer sold over 87,000 new vehicles outside China, representing a year-on-year surge of 118%.

For the year of 2020, SAIC Motor PV's export volume surpassed 230,000 units, leaping 67% from a year ago.

With respect to oil-fueled vehicles, the company's vehicles all ranked high in the corresponding segments of Australia, Chile, and Egypt last year. To be specific, the export volumes of the MG ZS, the MG HS, and the MG 5 amounted to 62,000 units, 26,000 units, and 30,000 units respectively.

Regarding NEVs, by the end of 2020, the overseas sales of the MG EZS totaled 39,000 units, of which 25,000 units were sold in 2020. In addition, SAIC Motor PV announced in early December 2020 the launch of the MG EZS into Europe.

Moreover, SAIC Motor PV has to-day set up two innovation hubs, two car manufacturing plants, and three design centers outside China.
Bitcoin price advanced to reach a high of $39,944 on Monday after plunging to a low of $31,132 on Sunday. At the time of filing the report, Bitcoin price was 8.88 per cent up at $38,403.95. The recovery in the Bitcoin freefall was seen after a new Bitcoin Mining council, spearheaded by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and MicroStrategy chief executive Michael Saylor, held a meeting with Bitcoin miners in North America to appreciate their efforts towards making operations greener.

"Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising," Musk tweeted.

Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising. a Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2021

Saylor said miners have decided to promote energy usage transparency and boost sustainability, and has formed the Bitcoin Mining Council to promote green initiatives.

"Yesterday I was pleased to host a meeting between @elonmusk & the leading Bitcoin miners in North America. The miners have agreed to form the Bitcoin Mining Council to promote energy usage transparency & accelerate sustainability initiatives worldwide," he tweeted.

Two weeks ago, Bitcoin, which is the most popular cryptocurrency in the world, started freefall and lost 30 per cent to $31,000, as its most popular proponent, Musk, backtracked, saying Tesla will no longer accept payments in Bitcoin as its mining causes harm to the environment.

The rout wiped $500 billion from Bitcoin's peak market value. The coin is now down more than 50 per cent from its record level of almost $65,000 posted in April. Further positive statements by Musk have, however, helped Bitcoin recover some of its losses.

Bitcoin prices had gained momentum after Tesla announced in February its investment in the digital coin and agreed to accept payments for its cars and services in Bitcoin. As of now, while the EV maker has retained its Bitcoin holdings, it has stopped accepting Bitcoin payments.

ALSO READ: China bars financial, payment institutions from using cryptocurrency

ALSO READ: Bitcoin tanks below $40,000; here's why
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of Mongolia to Armenia Davaa Dulamsuren (residence in Moscow, Russia) presented his credentials to President Armen Sarkissian, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President congratulated the Ambassador on appointment and wished success to his mission.

The officials discussed the development prospects of the Armenian-Mongolian relations. Given that there are good cooperation traditions between the two countries in particular in the fields of education and science, they both emphasized deepening the mutual partnership in particular in the fields of information and high technologies.

The Ambassador said Mongolia is interested in developing the relations with Armenia and stated that he himself is ready to contribute to the deepening of the ties between the two countries with his activity.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Dutch parliament has adopted a resolution, calling on the government to make efforts so as the EU should demand Azerbaijan to immediately withdraw troops from the Armenian territory.

ARMENPRESS reports, citing the Armenian Embassy in the Netherlands, the resolution particularly runs as follows,  After hearing the debates, recording that Azerbaijani troops had invaded the Armenian territory, and aiming to prevent a possible escalation of the conflict, the Chamber calls on the government to insist in the (European) Council to join French President Macron's demand addressed to Azerbaijan for immediate withdrawal of troops.
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian issued a statement, referring to the renewed attempts of the Azerbaijani side to escalate the situation on the border with Armenia, urging the international community and all the interested states to be maximally intolerant and take tough measures for giving adequate assessment and condemning Azerbaijan's provocative actions, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents Office.

The Presidents statement runs as follows,  Today, after the prolonged illegal encroachments on the borders and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, Azerbaijan turned to a new provocation to escalate the border situation.

The Azerbaijani side opened fire in the direction of Armenian armed forces in one of the border sections in Gegharkunik Province. There is one victim from the Armenian side. I offer deepest condolences to the family and relatives of the killed servicemen.

I call on relevant state bodies to make all efforts and take the toughest measures against the threats to the territorial integrity of Armenia and border violations.

Condemning the provocative measures of Azerbaijan and steps to further escalate the situation, we call on the international community and all the interested states to be maximally intolerant and take tough measures for giving adequate assessment and condemning Azerbaijan's provocative actions.
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. A criminal case has been initiated against Azerbaijan for illegally crossing the Armenian border by Azerbaijani servicemen, violating the territorial integrity of the country and killing a servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Gor Abrahamyan, advisor to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, wrote on his Facebook page.

On May 25, 2021 at about 14:20 a group of armed servicemen of the Azerbaijani army illegally crossed the Armenian border in the area of Verin Shorja of Gegharkunik Province of Armenia in an act organized by their commanders and made calls for violence against the Armenian servicemen on duty in that area with an intent to violate the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, demanding them to leave that area without resistance.

During the quarrel, they deliberately fired at the servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces, as a result of which a contract serviceman of the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, junior sergeant G. Khurshudyan, 1989, received a gunshot wound in the abdomen. The soldier was taken to Gegharkunik garrison hospital, where his biological death was registered, Abrahamyan wrote.
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia issued a statement on the occasion of the death of an Armenian servicemen as a result of Azerbaijani shootings on Armenia-Azerbaijan border in Gegharkunik Province.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the statement runs as follows,

On May 25, Armenian serviceman, junior sergeant Gevorg Khurshudyan was fatally wounded by the fire of the military units of Azerbaijan in the direction of the Upper Shorzha of Gegharkunik region of the Republic of Armenia.

We strongly condemn the blatant armed encroachment against the sovereign territory of Armenia - the UN member state, which is a violation of the norms of international law.

Despite calls from the international community, Azerbaijan refuses to withdraw its armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia, by further escalating the situation and undermining regional security and stability. The hostilities carried out by Azerbaijan in the sovereign territory of Armenia give the right to the Republic of Armenia to undertake the necessary and adequate steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to ensure the security of its population.

Its noteworthy that Azerbaijan tries to cover up these illegal military activities in the territory of Armenia by disseminating disinformation. The Armenian side is ready to engage in an international investigation to find out all the circumstances of this fatal incident.
The normal four-hour flight took as long as 35 plus hours

The writer, during one of her flights. (Image by arrangement)

Covid does strange, surreal things. One of the strangest, most surreal things I did recently was take a shockingly long return-flight to Thailand from India.

The normal four-hour flight took as long as 35+ hours (including two huge layovers), and the ticket cost eight times the normal price.

Welcome to travel in Covid times. Or, should I say welcome to travel-bans, in Covid times?

It happened with the recent Covid-surge in India. Thailand suddenly announced a ban on flights from India, at very short notice. I was in Coimbatore, and had to pack up almost immediately, to beat the travel-ban.

But travelling in Covid times is not just about packing up and flying out.

Its about a whole new system of tests and documents, quite unsurpassed in the travel industry.

Every airline/country has its own set of rules and regulations, and one needs to carefully study them before one thinks of an overseas trip.

The regulations for entering Thailand are different from those observed to enter India.

So, if one is getting a return ticket, make sure you understand the rules of both countries.

The main thing to remember both ways, in Covid times, is that the ticket availability is decided, not by the airline, but by the respective embassy, and its they who enumerate the rules and regulations.

While its the Indian embassy in Thailand that gives the clearance for passengers travelling to India, its the Thai embassy in India that gives the COE (certificate of entry) to the passengers travelling to Thailand.

The passport and visa are basic documents, of course. But the important document, in Covid times, is the Covid test report or RTPCR Test Report, usually from 72 hours before departure (some airlines ask for 48 hours before departure).

Two other mandatory documents needed to enter Thailand, during Covid times, are an insurance policy for $100,000 (which costs about Rs 28,000), and an ASQ hotel (Alternative State Booking) for 14 days (which costs between 40,000 B and 100,000 B, including three meals a day).

I chose Bajaj Alliance for the former (there are others), and Hotel Belair Bangkok for the latter (there are many others, which can be found on the various ASQ websites. This hotel is popular with Indians, because its reasonably priced, and is noted for its good Indian food and service.). Both were very quick with their bookings. So was Pegasus Travels (Chennai), who did my Coimbatore-Chennai-Doha-Bangkok air ticket in record time.

However, I must admit that if I managed to get all these documents uploaded in the nick of time, it was because of the help and guidance from the Thai Consul in Chennai, Victor Phuangketkeow. I was also fortunate that he granted my COE in a few hours,which normally takes a few days. Another person who encouraged me to take the epic flight so that I would beat the travel-ban was former Indian Ambassador to Thailand and current foreign secretary Harsh Shringla.

First flight, Coimbatore-Chennai. I nearly missed this, thanks to Coimbatore being a silent airport. There were no announcements, I was half-asleep. Till suddenly, I was awakened by a desperate airline staffer who rushed me to the aircraft that was ready to take off. Thank God it was a small airport, and I didnt have to run very far.

The Chennai layover was 10 hours, and I kept myself awake with filter coffees and masala chais. Fortunately, the airport was not crowded (who on earth would travel, in Covid times?).

I was at the Qatar Airways counter three hours ahead of time, for my next flight to Doha, and it took nearly all that time to clear my documents.

In Covid times, there are no straight lines and queues, at airports. Only clusters of passengers and staff huddling together, to sort out documents.

I had all my documents, except one  my work permit. It was not on the official list, but I did not argue about it. Instead, I convinced the Qatar Airlines staff that I would have it delivered at the airport in Bangkok. There was no way anything could be delivered to Bangkoks airport, in Covid times, but I simply needed to board this flight, before the travel-ban.

Four-and-a-half hours to Doha. Comfortable flight, good service. But the aircraft was freezing, and I developed a bad cold.

Not a good thing to have in Covid times, especially with a 14-hour layover in Dohas enormous airport.

I realised I needed to rest, did not think of budget, and checked into Qatar Airways much-talked-about Al Mourjan Lounge. At $250 for 12 hours, it was not cheap, but I soon realised why it was rated one of the worlds best lounges. I took a shower, placed my luggage in a locker, tucked into buffet meals, sipped plenty of hot teas and coffee available at every corner, emptied all the tissues available (thanks to my drippy nose), and then rested in their quiet rooms  it was just what the doctor ordered for my knocked-out body. But it added to my expenses, of my epic journey, from India to Thailand.

No document-checking at this airport, but direct boarding of flight to my final destination.

A six-hour flight, which was comfortable because there were many empty seats (thanks to Covid), and I stretched out and had a welcome-sleep.

I woke up at 5 am with a huge sense of relief. Amazing Thailand at last. I reached in the nick of time, the day before the travel ban to India.

I was warned of the tough immigration officials at Suvarnabhumi airport. They looked imposing in their PPP outfits, but otherwise were pleasant, quick, efficient. Thorough scrutiny of documents, while the passengers were seated in socially distanced chairs. I was warned about needing several copies of the documents, and had a thick file of them. But the officials used only one set, and circulated those from hand to hand.

The last official seemed impressed with my two vaccination certificates that proved I had taken both doses of the Covid vaccine in India (a rarity in Thailand, where the vaccines are just coming in). But he stated that I would need to go through 14 days of quarantine (earlier, those who had taken both doses of the Covid vaccine needed to do only 7-10 days of quarantine, but now the 14-day quarantine has become mandatory for everyone.)

Future Indian tourists to Thailand might be interested to know that the country hopes to open out for tourism in July, in a phased-out manner. They call it sandbox tourism, where individual destinations, starting with the beach-island of Phuket, will be singled out to welcome vaccinated tourists. All the people involved with the tourism industry in Phuket (70 per cent of the population) will also be vaccinated by July.

If this works, the Sandbox Tourism method would extend to nine other destinations in the country.

I stepped out into the public area of the airport, where an official in PPP outfit held the placard of my hotel and let me to the hotel-car.

The driver sprayed my luggage with sanitizer, and I was soon on my way to the next phase of my long and expensive Covid journey from India to Thailand  the quarantine period.

Another strange and surreal experience  another story.
The sin of hubris has been a continuing theme that has captured the imagination of historians, philosophers and theologians alike

The Greeks had words for every personality frailty. In the present case three of these words are of relevance to us: (1) Hubris; (2) Hamartia; and (3) Narcissim. Hubris is described in the dictionary to simply mean excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance. Hamartia is usually an artifice in Greek drama as the inner quality that initiates a movement of spirit within the protagonist to commit actions which drive the plot towards its tragic end. Narcissism is the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of ones idealised self-image and attributes. The term originated from Greek mythology, where a young man named Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water. In the drama of Narendra Modi today, we see quite a bit of the hubris and overweening narcissism, both fatal flaws. The question before us now is whether this is the moment of hamartia which will drive the plot to its tragic end?

The sin of hubris has been a continuing theme that has captured the imagination of historians, philosophers and theologians alike. The Biblical saying pride cometh before the fall applies equally well to Ravan, the great king of the Rakshasas whose long years of penance secured him the favor of Brahma, who rendered him invulnerable to the gods and demons alike. We know what happened to him. We, the lesser Hindus, also know that its not necessary to be a tyrant in order to attract the malefic attentions of the gods. Bali, the celebrated Daitya, rose to such an eminence that Indra and the other gods had to seek the intervention of Vishnu, who once again obliged the devas by consigning Bali to patala, or the netherworld.

On April 19, 1959, Cubas Fidel Castro paid his first post-revolution visit to Washington and met then vice-president Richard M. Nixon for three and a half hours. Following this meeting Nixon appraised him thus: The one fact we can be sure of is that he has those indefinable qualities that make him a leader of men. Whatever we may think of him, he is going to be a great factor in the development of Cuba and possibly in Latin American affairs generally. In October that year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorised a plan to overthrow Castro.

The plan called for the landing in Cuba of a force of Cuban emigre fighters armed and trained by the CIA. This force was then meant to storm its way inland, releasing in its wake a popular upsurge that would topple Castro, just like he did the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Fortunately for Castro, Bay of Pigs, the place chosen for the landing, suffered from two crucial disadvantages. The beach was close to Castros favorite holiday home and hence had a Cuban military unit garrisoned on it. The shallow waters of the bay also concealed shoals that required the landing force to wade ashore from a great distance, making them sitting ducks. That is precisely what happened. As US warships watched helplessly, President John F. Kennedy realised that he was led up the path and the CIAs urgent pleas for US air strikes would strip whatever was left of the fig leaf of innocence donned by the United States. He abandoned the landing force to its fate. The few who survived ended up in Cuban jails. When asked what went wrong, JFKs national security adviser McGeorge Bundy replied: Hubris!

In February 1961, Robert McNamara, a brilliant Harvard MBA and a former head of Ford Motor Company, took over as the US defence secretary. He took with him an equally brilliant team of systems analysts who were to transform the way the US fought its wars in the future.

The systems analysts quantified everything. Every weapons system ordered was subject to a cost-benefit analysis. Even military results were quantified in terms of area pacified and body count.

When Clark Clifford, who took over from McNamara as defence secretary, toted up all the body count figures of the war, he found it had exceeded all intelligence estimates of enemy combatants by over half! When he asked: Why are we then still fighting?, President Lyndon Johnson knew that he too was led up the path. Some years ago I met Robert McNamara at a seminar on the Cuban missile crisis organised by Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government. I asked him how he had got it so wrong. He replied with one word: Hubris.

In 1987, Indian troops went into Sri Lanka at the invitation of the two warring parties to impose an agreement midwifed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. When the LTTE reneged on it, the then Indian Army Chief, Gen. Krishnaswamy Sundarji, assured the government that he would be able to eliminate or disarm the LTTE in just a few weeks. We know what happened. It continues to be sad chapter in the Indian Armys history. It even cost Rajiv Gandhi his life. The question that baffles is how is it that the Indian Army ended up fighting a group that was fostered and supported by the Indian government? And what made the Indian Army think that it would be able to wipe out its onetime protege in just weeks, if not days? Hubris?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on January 28 this year, virtually addressing the World Economic Forums Davos Dialogue, had declared India as one of the countries that had successfully controlled the coronavirus. He said: India took a proactive public participation approach and developed a Covid-specific health infrastructure and trained its resources to fight Covid. He went on to declare mission accomplished, very much like President George W. Bush had declared atop an aircraft-carrier off the coast of Iraq. He then went on the push his luck a bit further by claiming that India, as the worlds largest vaccine producer, would now assume the charge of saving the world! He even announced that this was a turning point in Indias economic history and that India was once again poised for greatness.

Was this his moment of hamartia? Will this take us to the denouement or the final part of a play, film or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are resolved and the theatre ends?

The writer, a policy analyst studying economic and security issues, held senior positions in government and industry. He also specialises in the Chinese economy.
Although both adversaries accomplished their immediate political goals, the fragile peace can collapse any moment

Americas President Joe Biden did well to stress that while the United States remains committed to Israels security, only the promised two-state formula can really solve the Arab-Israeli conflict in the long run. That might atone to some extent for what Arabs call the Nakba, or literally disaster, in which the Zionists destroyed over 600 Palestinian villages and forced their inhabitants into exile.

Nothing is to be gained by fawning on Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi tends to do. History, once written, cannot be erased, as I told the last Arab mayor of Jerusalem when he claimed that Israel was doomed because even the Crusaders kingdom did not last more than 80 years. In fact, Mr Biden would have done even better to emphasise that there can be no more effective guarantee of Israels security than a sovereign Palestinian state as envisaged in the 1991 Madrid Conference.

The ceasefire between Israel and the radical Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, ended 11 days of bitter fighting that killed about 250 people, mostly Palestinian civilians. Although both adversaries accomplished their immediate political goals, the fragile peace can collapse any moment. It is in their interest, therefore, as well as of the entire Middle Eastern region and the world at large to take advantage of this respite from violence to lay the foundations of a lasting settlement.

Such plain-speaking would certainly have denied the US President the thanks that Mr Netanyahu tweeted to some 25 governments, but would have ensured some respect for American diplomacy. India is not of course among the 25 recipients, but it would be a mistake to gloat over the seemingly fulsome thanks of Israeli and Palestinian diplomats for the speech by Indias United Nations representative, T.S. Tirumurti, at the Security Council debate.

All that their praise meant was that South Block once again passed off opportunism as diplomacy, a skill Indias leaders have raised to an art form during the long years of nonalignment, which the Americans called neutralism. New Delhi was at pains then to claim equidistance from Washington and Moscow.

Not that India, with limited resources and the geopolitical handicap of location, could have taken a lead role even if it had wanted to. An impoverished and grossly overpopulated Third World nation at odds with its western and northern neighbours, struggling desperately to battle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, should not even pretend to global authority. Even before events reduced his stature, Mr Modi was no Jawaharlal Nehru to be listened to when he spoke on global matters. Nothing in his background or career indicated any grasp of international affairs. Moreover, his bombastic style  demanding applause for saving humanity from a big disaster by containing the coronavirus effectively  hardly commands respect.

Indias rulers have always taken an ad hoc attitude to Israel. Only Jawaharlal Nehrus disgust with Egypts King Farouk, then heading the Arab League, prompted him to recognise Israel almost as tit for tat. Morarji Desai probably wanted to develop closer ties but dared not. P.V. Narasimha Rao finally did so under American influence. India wanted Israeli weapons but would not admit it. Israeli diplomats contemptuously attributed Indias pro-Arab stance to the Muslim vote at home.

Not that American policy was or is any more principled. When President Harry S. Truman reneged on Franklin D. Roosevelts commitment to the Arabs, his frank excuse was that his supporters included influential American Jews who were anxious for the success of the Zionist state. He did not have to placate a similar Palestinian lobby.

Such calculations also operate in West Asia. In the lead-up to Hamas rocket barrage, Prime Minister Netanyahu pursued a series of flagrantly reckless policies. Many believe that he deliberately provoked Hamas in order to prevent his domestic opponents from uniting against him and establishing a governing coalition. Israel has had four elections in the last two years, and if the Prime Minister fails to hold on to power, he might have to face corruption charges and a prison term. Yet, the war that he unleashed was more of a gift to Hamas than he bargained for. Hamas, too, needed a crisis to compensate for its declining reputation in the Gaza Strip, alienation from the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas, and the political confinement imposed by 14 years of the land, air, and sea blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Systematically weakened and humiliated by Israel, President Abbas could do nothing about the unlawful eviction of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem or the Israeli militarys attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque, which precipitated the conflict. Hamas exploited the two incidents as well as the leadership vacuum, in the process neutralising the blockade by demonstrating that it would not stand by while Palestinians suffered aggression.

For once Israels armed forces found themselves simultaneously engaged in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and  what probably worries Mr Netanyahu the most  in Israels ethnically mixed cities. The Israeli police stood by as well-organised Jewish militias attacked the Palestinians who retaliated against Jews and their synagogues. Not only did the violence revive painful memories of the killing of 13 Palestinian protesters in October 2000, it also intensified the communitys sense of disenfranchisement and discrimination that goes back to the Deir Yassin massacre of the Palestinians on April 9, 1948.

A mere ceasefire cannot address deep-seated grievances that are rooted in history. But atonement can be made for some evils of the past. Israels withdrawal to the borders that it enjoyed in 1967 and independence for the West Bank and Gaza, as specified in the Oslo accords, might achieve that. The United States can help to ensure that it happens. But instead of the Palestinians promising to respect Israels security, its the Israelis who must now undertake not to seize any more Palestinian territory or indulge in any other hostilities against the Palestinian state.
An internal memo suggests Huawei will mount an all-out push in the software sector

The head of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has called for an all-out push into software, an internal memo seen Tuesday says, as part of an accelerating product diversification aimed at weathering US sanctions.

CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei told staff the move made sense "because in the software domain, the US will have very little control over our future development, and we have much autonomy."

The 76-year-old Ren's instructions represent the latest sign of a major strategic refocusing prompted by pressure from the United States, which views Huawei as a potential security threat.

In April, Huawei announced plans to work with Chinese automakers to make intelligent vehicles and has vowed to ramp up development of its own smartphone operating system after being cut off from Google's Android platform by US curbs.

Huawei on Tuesday posted a separate short teaser on social media indicating that the operating system, called HarmonyOS, would be launched globally on June 2. It provided no other details.

The world's leading supplier of telecom networking gear -- and until recently a top-three smartphone supplier along with Apple and Samsung -- Huawei had earlier announced a diversification into enterprise and cloud computing, and business lines related to the advent of 5G networks.

It sold off its Honor budget smartphone brand late last year, but vowed to retain its flagship handset products while hinting at a greater reliance on the friendlier confines of the domestic Chinese market.

Saying "the best defence is a good offence", Ren outlined an ambitious plan to develop software that "adapts to and embraces the world".

- 'Ample resources' -

"At a time when the US is pulling back its 'net' and pursuing a closed-off strategy, we need to become more open and go open-source on an even greater scale," he said. "The company has ample resources to support you, so feel free to boldly invest materials and human resources during your work."

Story continues

The memo, provided to AFP by the company, was a compilation of discussions in April between Ren and Huawei technical staff.

Aside from passing mention of software leaders like Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, the memo offered few specifics on what types of software Huawei would venture into or who its competitors would be.

Donald Trump in 2018 launched an aggressive campaign to isolate Huawei when he was president, saying its networking equipment installed worldwide could be used by China's Communist Party government for espionage or sabotage.

The company was barred from the huge US market and cut off from global component supply chains, while Washignton has pressured allies to ban or rip out Huawei gear from their telecom networks.

China and Huawei fiercely reject the US security allegations, saying no evidence has ever been provided to support them.

Huawei's mobile phone sales, along with overall revenue growth, have sagged since last year.

The new US administration of Joe Biden has indicated it will maintain pressure on the firm.

The moves to deprive Huawei access to semiconductors have demonstrated strong US leverage in the hardware supply chain, and Ren said "objectively speaking, the only domain in which we can extend our roots deep is software".

He indicated a focus on the Chinese market but with sights also on Europe, Asia and Africa.

"And if American standards do not converge with ours, although we will be unable to access the US market, US companies will not be able to access ours, either."

dma/dan
An American has detailed a host of quintessential Australian things he had never heard of before moving Down Under.

Adam Foskey, from Georgia in the US, uploaded the latest in a series of videos on TikTok comparing life in his home country to Australia on Sunday.

Among things Mr Foskey found to be unique to Australia was the common cheer, "hip hip hooray", sung at the end of the classic happy birthday song.

"This is definitely something I can get behind, because it adds to the whole birthday vibe," he told his 17,000 followers.

Adam Foskey shared some key Australian things he never heard of in the United States. Source: TikTok/amfoskey

Superannuation was another formerly foreign concept to Mr Foskey, which he said appeared a far better option than his homeland's equivalent.

"In America we have something called a 401(k), however Australia's superannuation beats it by a country mile," he said.

A fine dining degustation menu, while a slightly less common feature of regular Australian life, was the next item on Mr Foskey's list.

"This is when you go to a restaurant and you're served anywhere from three to 14 courses just to be able to taste their menu" he said.

"It's full of flavour and it's amazing."

The iconic Australian ute was the final thing Mr Foskey had never experienced before moving.

He explained that in the United States they would be described rather differently.

"It's like a utility vehicle, or a pick-up truck with the truck bed in the back," he said.

The video received a hilarious combination of responses, some from Australians who were left stumped that birthday songs didn't end in a cheer.

"Wait, so what happens when you finish singing happy birthday? It just ends?" one person wrote in a comment.

Story continues

Another Aussie revealed how when you "level up" in Australia, you "get the responsibility of yelling the 'hip hip'".

"Imagine singing happy birthday and then having just silence after the song. So awkward," someone else wrote.

Other Americans have previously detailed an elaborate list of culture shocks they experienced after arriving in Australia.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
Govt-and-politics

topical

NEW YORK STATE

Sampson in Seneca County selected as site of first NY state veterans cemetery

Robert Harding, The Citizen The New York state flag flies near one section of the Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Seneca County.

New York's first state veterans cemetery will be in Seneca County.

A nine-member selection committee voted Monday to designate Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery as a state veterans cemetery. The vote was unanimous in support of the site in the town of Romulus.

The state Division of Veterans' Services recommended Sampson to the committee after receiving 11 responses to a request for information that was issued in February. The agency examined each of the proposed sites and released a report that endorsed Sampson to be the first state veterans cemetery.

Sampson emerged as the favorite because it is already operating as a veterans cemetery. The cemetery, which is located on land that was part of the former Sampson Air Force Base and Sampson Naval Training Station, opened in 2011. There are approximately 300 interments at the cemetery each year, according to the report released by the state Division of Veterans' Services.

The head start gave Sampson an advantage in many categories. Compared to other proposals, the cemetery serves the largest veteran population (131,254) within a 75-mile radius of the site. It has an actual budget  $132,872 for annual maintenance and operation expenses  instead of an estimated spending plan.

For cemeteries at other proposed sites, they could take more than a year to build and construction costs would be significant. Because Sampson was built in accordance with National Cemetery Administration standards, there wouldn't be any construction costs.

The cemetery's initial plan is to use 15 acres for 6,000 gravesites. More sections can be developed "at a minimal cost," according to the state Division of Veterans' Service's report. The 162-acre site has the capacity for approximately 80,000 gravesites.

'The ideal spot': NY recommends Sampson in Seneca County for first state veterans cemetery New York is on the verge of selecting the first state veterans cemetery, and it will likely be located in the Finger Lakes region.

Joel Evans, the acting director of the state Division of Veterans' Service, noted that the report issued by his agency was "advisory in nature." The final decision rested with the selection committee, which first met last week.

There was little discussion during the 22-minute meeting on Monday. Bob Becker, a Schenectady resident and Marine Corps veteran who was appointed to the committee, relayed questions about Sampson he received from a veterans group in Binghamton. The questions included whether Sampson is open (it is already operating), who will oversee operations (Seneca County would transfer ownership to the state) and who it would serve (it would be limited to veterans and their spouses).

Becker also inquired about how the state would fund the cemetery's budget. Evans wasn't sure if there will be a line item in the next state budget, but a Veterans Remembrance and Cemetery Maintenance and Operation Fund that was created in 2013 has about $500,000 that could be used for the site.

A motion to nominate Sampson as the first state veterans cemetery was approved by an 8-0 vote. One member was absent.

"By moving us one step closer to establishing a state veterans cemetery, the members of this committee have played a critical role in ensuring that our state's veterans will have an honored resting place alongside their fellow servicemembers  a place where their families and all New Yorkers can commemorate their service to our state and nation," Evans said.

With the selection committee's endorsement, the state Division of Veterans' Service will now apply for federal approval and funding. There are certain requirements that must be met before the state submits its application. Evans explained that they must determine the cost of operating a state veterans cemetery for 10 years, and the budget director and state comptroller must certify that there are sufficient funds to cover those costs.

Evans will then work with the state's Cemetery Management Board to file a pre-application with the National Cemetery Administration. The purpose of the pre-application is to seek federal funding for the state veterans cemetery.

The NCA, which is within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will review the application for a new state veterans cemetery. Evans said that there is a July 1 deadline for applications and if it's approved, the state will receive federal funds in September 2022.

While the selection committee's action is one step in the process, state and local leaders are celebrating the decision to choose Sampson as the site of New York's first state veterans cemetery.

Former state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, who represented Seneca County and is now chairman of the Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery Citizens' Committee, said it's the product of more than 25 years of work.

"This eternal commitment to our veterans is a dream come true and I am deeply thankful to Governor Cuomo and all those who have supported this important objective from the beginning and through to today's announcement," he added.
A 13-year-old girl killed in a stabbing Monday in Syracuse was from Auburn, police said.

The Syracuse Police Department on Tuesday said Naj'ee Wright was stabbed to death by 16-year-old girl from Syracuse, Xomara Diaz. The 16-year-old has been charged with first-degree manslaughter and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. She is being held at a juvenile detention facility in Erie County, and the investigation is continuing.

Wright was a student at Auburn Junior High School.

Syracuse police said they responded at about 5:55 p.m. to a call of a stabbing on West Onondaga Street. Wright was taken by ambulance to Upstate University Hospital, by AMR Ambulance, where she later was pronounced dead.

Auburn Enlarged City School District Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo issued a statement on the situation Tuesday afternoon.

"Our thoughts and condolences go out to the student's family, friends, and the entire school community," he said. "The district's crisis team will be available to offer support for students, families and employees. If you feel your child needs to speak to a counselor or another member of our crisis team, please do not hesitate to call the main office of your child's school to let us know."
Marc Molinaro won't run for governor again, but he is supporting the front-runner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Molinaro, who has served as Dutchess County executive since 2012, endorsed U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin for governor on Tuesday. Zeldin is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, in 2022.

With Zeldin quickly securing endorsements from Republican and Conservative party leaders, Molinaro faced an uphill battle if he decided to run for governor. He was the GOP nominee against Cuomo in 2018. Cuomo won that race by 23 points.

Molinaro told The Citizen in March that he was considering a second campaign for governor or a run for Congress.

"The truth of the matter is we need good people who will stand up and fight for ordinary New Yorkers, and Lee Zeldin not only understands that, but has done it as a congressman and has done it in the United States Armed Services," Molinaro said Tuesday.
"Under the leadership of (Stewart-Cousins), the state Senate is meeting these obligations. We are improving the lives of disabled New Yorkers in ways large and small, continuing the Senate's renewed commitment to the I/DD community. I never want to let the disabilities community down. Ensuring we have the policies, funding and proper supports in place to facilitate happy, meaningful and productive lives for all I/DD New Yorkers is one of my guideposts."

The other bills that passed the Senate on Monday include legislation introduced by Stewart-Cousins that requires owners of high-rise buildings to develop emergency evacuation plans for people with disabilities.

State Sen. Roxanne Persaud sponsored a bill that is similar to one of Mannion's measures. Persaud's legislation would replace the use of the term "mentally retarded" in state law with a new term, "individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities."

A bill introduced by state Sen. Joseph Addabbo would allow a support companion to be present when an individual with disabilities is in the hospital.
Tesla Inc., whose boss Elon Musk says he can develop a fully self-driving car without using laser-sensor technology, has a contract to use such sensors from Luminar Technologies Inc. for testing and development, according to people familiar with the matter.

A photo of a Tesla Model Y with a roof rack of lidar sensors posted to Twitter on Thursday stoked speculation that the companies were working together, sending Orlando, Florida-based Luminars shares up more than 10% that day. While similar images of Teslas with lidar sensors have popped up before on social media, it was unclear until now what the relationship is between Tesla and Luminar.

(Also read: Tesla now in trouble in Norway, may have to pay thousands in fine)

Luminar sold Tesla the sensors on that Model Y as part of an agreement between the companies, some of the people said, requesting anonymity because the information is private. In addition, Bloomberg News confirmed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles that the manufacturers license plate on the photographed vehicle belongs to Tesla. The same manufacturers plate has been spotted on other Tesla vehicles, including a prototype of the forthcoming Cybertruck.

Luminar shares surged in early trading Monday. A Luminar representative declined to comment. Multiple Tesla executives contacted by Bloomberg didnt respond to a request for comment. Tesla has disbanded its media relations department.

(Also read: Luminar strikes software deal to offer self-driving systems to automakers)

The Model Y with the sensors was spotted in Palm Beach, Florida, around 8 a.m. Thursday by Grayson Brulte, a consultant to the autonomous-vehicle industry who lives in the area. The photos he posted to Twitter fanned market speculation that Chief Executive Officer Musk might be hedging his claim that he can develop a camera-only self-driving system, without the radar and laser sensors embraced by competitors.

Luminars shares rose as much as 18% to $25.23 in pre-market trading on Monday. The stock had surged on May 20 to the highest level in more than three weeks and its ticker symbol, LAZR, was shared widely on Twitter in speculation that it had supplied the sensor suite.

Its not clear what Teslas intentions are with Luminars lidar, the people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Tesla engineers could be benchmarking their camera-centric self-driving system against lidar; they also could be testing lidar for future use. Any suggestion that Musk would change course to adopt lidar is unrealistic, said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst with Guidehouse Insights.

The more likely scenario is they are using the Luminar lidars to validate their camera-based FSD system," Abuelsamid said in an interview, using an acronym for full self-driving. If they made that change, it would effectively depreciate their entire fleet of vehicles. They are not going to retrofit one million vehicles."

Elon Musk suggested that Tesla is moving away from radar, lidar, and cameras, which are viewed as critical sensor hardware needed for self-driving vehicles. (File photo)

Key Technology

Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, is a key technology for the worlds leading automakers, tech companies and startups as they race to make fully autonomous cars a reality. Lidar uses lasers to build a three-dimensional image of the surrounding landscape, which is critical to how the vehicle perceives the environment, predicts the behavior of pedestrians and other vehicles, and plans how to safely navigate roads.

Musk has been a lone, and loud, voice saying that lidar isnt necessary. Lidar is a fools errand," he said during Teslas Autonomy Day" for investors in April 2019. Anyone relying on lidar is doomed." Luminar, which went public in a $3.4 billion reverse merger last year, has production agreements to supply lidar sensors to Volvo Car AB and the flagship R brand of SAIC Motor Corp., Chinas biggest automaker.

More recently, Musk has softened some of his public comments on lidar technology. In an appearance on the audio chatroom Clubhouse earlier this year, he admitted to talking smack" about lidar and said that SpaceX -- the rocket company Musk also leads -- developed its own internal lidar to aid the SpaceX Dragon capsule. Obviously if I hated lidar I wouldnt have done that," Musk said. However, for driving on real world roads you have to solve vision, understanding objects."

On an earnings call last month, Musk suggested Tesla is also moving away from radar, which, along with lidar and cameras, is one of the three technologies the industry has viewed as critical sensor hardware needed to reach a future of self-driving vehicles.

Analyst Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley called that a bold and risky move. Jeff Osborne of Cowen & Co. went a bit further: We continue to question Teslas approach to vehicle automation," he wrote in a note to clients. In our view this is unlikely to succeed." Tesla shares rose 0.5% in premarket trading to $ $583.62. As of the close Friday, the stock was down 18% this year.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
CHATSWORTH, Calif.Coinciding with the approach of International Sex Workers Day in one week, performer MelRose Michaels unveils Networthy, a new fashion brand by sex workers for sex workers.

The debut 15-piece collection features hoodies, T-shirts and crop tops bearing sex-worker-positive declarations like Your boyfriend buys my nudes and Theres a reason I look familiar.



Im a successful CEO of a sex work empire, and Im proud of what Ive built, Michaels said. This clothing line is a way for me to empower my community, and fight the societal stigma surrounding sex work. Not everyone can be 'out' safely, and I want to give a voice to those who are, while showing solidarity with those who cant be. I want people to understand that were your neighbors, your friends, and your family. I want people to understand that we pay taxes and that we vote in elections despite getting almost no representation for our billion dollar industry.



Michaels got her start in the adult industry as a cam model in 2011. She quickly rose to the top of the live webcam site MyFreeCams, breaking into the top 20 performer ranking in only her first month streaming online. She moved to FanCentro in 2018, where she served as brand ambassador and helped develop the Centro University educational curriculum.



From the beginning, Michaels was intent on creating a brand specifically made for sex workers by sex workers. The name Networthy references both the financial value of sex worker led businesses and sex workers' individual worth as human beings. Each item in the collection comes with a statement that embraces a sex worker identity, from sly nods to bold statements. After conceiving and designing the pieces, Michaels worked with an all-female team in Europe to ethically source and execute the collection.



Im already recognized in public by people who try to 'out' or shame me, yet in doing so, they are acknowledging how they know me, Michaels said. I learned early on that secrets can give people power over you. Networthy allows us to take back that power. It shows them were proud of who we are, and that we wont tolerate their shame.



While the inaugural collection of Networthy was designed entirely by Michaels, she sees the potential for collaborations with other sex workers in future collections. Most of the models for Networthy are sex workers with their own mainstream and adult businesses.



Networthy isnt a company, its an ethos. Its an unapologetic expression of who we are as a community, and a declaration that we live life on our own terms," Michaels professed. "Our net worth isnt defined by who we are or what we sell. Were entrepreneurs changing an industry, and shaping a global economy. Our work might take place behind closed doors, but starting with Networthy, our lives no longer have to!



To order Networthy clothing, visit ShopNetworthy.com, and keep up with the brand on Instagram.
I really want to emphasize that. It's really important that people take responsibility and do as much of this work as they can because we have pretty limited resources, Andreani told the Arizona Daily Sun. This is a public service, but we really need people to help maintain it and to rally their neighbors, rally their family members.

Andreani said the county will always be able to deliver additional pallets of cinderbags, or make those materials available, but a large portion of the work will have to be done by individual residents and neighbors helping neighbors.

And that kind of community assistance is what Ron Talbott and his wife are counting on to get the work done.

Talbott, who lives on the East Harmony cul-de-sac, said he has been covering his sandbag walls with tarps for most of the last two years, so the number of bags that need to be replaced is fairly small.

But when he does look to replace them, probably sometime in the next month, he is counting on help from other members of his church to assist him in fixing the walls, just as they helped him build the walls two years ago.
Under the deal, about 3,000 restaurants will be able to get permits to sell cocktails to go, Weninger said. They will be charged an administrative fee by state liquor regulators and for five years have to pay another fee that will go into a fund to compensate bar and grocery store owners.

Not all of those outlets will get the money. It will be dispersed through a lottery system.

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Restaurants will also be able to lease a license allowing them to deliver beer and wine.

But the bottom line is that consumers will be able to have a martini delivered with their steak or a margarita with their enchilada dinner.

This is one of the things that I've heard over and over from constituents that they thought was pretty cool, Weninger said in an interview. Secondly, my other constituents, which are bars and restaurants, want to do it and believe that they can derive revenue from it.

And, he added, the state gets some revenue too.

The deal shows that there are some good things, like the move to telemedicine, that have come from the pandemic, Weninger said.
The Senate agreed to pay Cyber Ninjas $150,000 in state money, but it is not clear how much more the audit will cost and who is paying for it. The pro-Trump One America News Network raised $150,000 in a single day in April and has continued to ask for donations. Byrne has also started a fundraising drive with a group that says it has raised $1.7 million with a goal of $2.8 million. Neither will have to disclose donors or account for how the money is spent, and Logan has declined to detail financial information.

Byrne's organization is also involved in recruiting volunteers. The audit's liaison with the Senate sent an email to local Republicans last week asking for more volunteers and referring them to the website of Byrne's organization's to apply. Byrne said his group simply refers volunteers to Cyber Ninjas for vetting. The email was first reported by The Arizona Republic.

Logan started Cyber Ninjas in 2013 in Indiana after working for two years for a cybersecurity firm called Cigital, according to his LinkedIn profile and Cyber Ninja press releases. He moved his firm from Indiana to Sarasota in 2014, according to the Cyber Ninjas website, which quotes Logan describing the firm as a Christian company. Last year, when Cyber Ninjas received $98,000 in federal COVID relief money, it claimed five employees.
In the last few years, Egypt has seen an exponential increase in funding for infrastructure. According to research by KPMG, transport  and in particular railways  have in the last few years become one of the main economic drivers.

In 2014 Egyptian National Railway (ENR) announced a ten-year investment of $10bn to upgrade the railway network, and ever since the country has kept on investing.

GlobalDatas February Rail Construction Projects  Middle East report shows investment in the Egyptian railway projects pipeline is around $50bn, with 45% of this funding being used to finance current projects.

Egypt is in the process of overhauling the countrys railways including the infrastructure, rail lines, and building new stations, reads the report. Works continue on the US$20 billion Cairo Metro Network, comprising six lines, and improving the quality and level of urban transport services in the city.

Cairo will not be the only city in Egypt to be involved in the upgrading plans, projects will start all over the country.

Below, we have a look at some of the biggest railway projects the Egyptian Government has embarked upon in the last couple of years.

Egypts first electric high-speed train

In January, Siemens Mobility signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian transport ministry for the development of the countrys first-ever electric high-speed railway.

With an initial order value of $3bn, the first 460km will connect the city of El-Alamein on the Mediterranean Sea to Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea at high speed, passing through New Administrative Capital, a new city that is being built 45km east of Cairo to relieve the pressure from the capitals metropolitan area.

We are delighted that the Ministry of Transport is seeking to put their trust in us to deliver this important project, said Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter. Our digital leadership and comprehensive turnkey services will bring an integrated and state of the art high-speed rail system, that will provide a technology boost for the country and create local jobs.

The projects initial phase will create 15,000 jobs as well as 2,000 permanent positions

In an interview with Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, Siemens CEO and president Joe Kaeser said that the projects initial phase will create 15,000 jobs as well as 2,000 permanent positions.

The contracts terms include design, installation as well as commission and 15-year maintenance, and 15 stations are expected to be completed in two years.

The 460km-connection is only the first part of the project, which aims to build a 1,000km railway system network worth $23bn.

We are honoured and proud to expand our trustful partnership with Egypt. By building a high-efficiency rail system for the country, we will support the Egyptian people with affordable, clean and reliable transportation, said Kaeser when signing the MoU in January.

Restructuring the Egyptian National Railways

The high-speed railway is not the only railway project the Egyptian Government has focused on in 2021.

In March the World Bank approved a $241.1m loan, which will go towards the restructuring of the ENR, including the modernisation of signalling on the Alexandria to Cairo and Beni Suef to Nag Hammadi routes.

The loans will also be used to improve passenger safety and punctuality, increasing the number of trains running on time from 75% to 90%.

Reforming Egypts railways is critical to meeting citizens travel needs

Modernising and reforming Egypts railways is critical to meeting citizens travel needs and boosting the overall economy, Railway Gazette reported Egyptian transport minister Kamel El Wazir saying.

Improving the service for millions of passengers per day is a priority, particularly because citizens depend on ENR to access jobs and do other tasks, including fulfilling personal errands.

Increasing freight transport is also a critical objective, which will increase the economys overall competitiveness.

Modernising railway, renewing metro

Intense modernisation works started in 2020 when the European Investment Bank announced in February that it would grant Egypt 2.7m for two railway projects, the upgrade of the railway line that connects the cities of Tanta and Damietta and the renewal of Cairo Metro Line 2.

Worth 1.5m, the project will involve a feasibility study  including an environmental and social impact assessment  as well as works to improve railway safety. Out of the 118km of modernisation works, 65km  which connect the cities of El Mansoura and Damietta  will undergo track doubling.

Other improvements will include the installation of a signalling system as well as a freight yard to Damietta port.

The current upgrade of Tanta  El Mansoura  Damietta railway goes in line with the EU policy which aims at improving living standards of millions of Egyptian commuters using this important artery through the implementation of an enhanced quality and safe transport system, EU ambassador to Egypt Ivan Surkos said.

A further 1.2m will be directed towards a feasibility study for the upgrade and renewal of the Cairo line 2, which will focus primarily on infrastructure and rolling stock  expanding the lines life expectancy for another 25 years.
Film exhibitor PVR has launched a holistic care package to help its employees deal with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm has announced that it will provide free COVID-19 vaccination to all its employees and their dependents. It had also announced multiple employee well-being initiatives over the last year in order to support its workforce during these difficult times.

PVR's care package to its employees will entail COVID-19 SOS medicines, vaccine registrations, 24x7 COVID helpline with an on-ground response team, plasma database, oxygen concentrators, doctor on call assistance, hospitalisation and ambulance services, and food deliveries for COVID-19 tested employees. "PVR assures full support to its 10,000 employees including their dependents across locations in 70 cities in India," read a PVR press release.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director said, "As an employee-first organisation, this pandemic's impact on the lives of our employees and their families is a personal crisis more than anything. Health and safety of our employees is of utmost priority, and therefore, we introduced the comprehensive employee support care package with free vaccine for all employees and their dependents. With government's focus on nationwide vaccination, conditions will improve certainly and being direct service providers, we need to ensure complete safety of the customers along with the employees. On immediate priority we are extending medical, logistical and financial support with an on-ground COVID response team at local levels."

"PVR Juhu has become the first cinema with 100 per cent staff being vaccinated. The need of the hour is "Empathy" and to stand with your employees, interact with them on a regular basis, make set-ups to bring the organisation together and uplift team spirit. Staying optimistic, giving hope and pragmatic in actions has been the basis of the strong foundation between the management and our people," he further added.

Each module in PVR's care package has specific protocols attached to it in order to ensure timely service Operations comprise of a round-the-clock call centre run by an on-ground COVID-19 response team at the local level. Cinema managers or duty managers are empowered with adequate resources. Regional directors and regional managers oversee the operation at clusters or zones.

In order to contribute towards COVID-19 relief, PVR has collaborated with ZIQITZA for ambulance services and LYBRATE for doctor on call.

Details of PVR's employee support programme are as follows:

Registration for COVID-19 vaccine: The firm's Regional Manager Operations combines the regional data on COVID-19 vaccination and updates the all-India database so that when employees connect with the round-the-clock call centre they are provided assistance on how to register for the COVID-19 vaccine via the CoWIN portal. PVR will reimburse the vaccination cost aims to ensure that 100 per cent of its staff fully vaccinated along with their dependents. Oxygen Concentrators (OCs): Across 10 cities, PVR provides assistance in procuring oxygen concentrators for employees who need them. These include Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi and Chandigarh. For this, the employees need to inform the call centre and submit a doctor's prescription of home quarantine and the reason for taking the OC. Employees will be allowed to use the OC for a maximum of three days. Medicine Bank: PVR's local COVID-19 Response Team (CTR) procures COVID-19 medicines in order to help its employees find crucial medicine in their cities. CTR provides medicines to PVR employees across 70 cities. Food Supply Assistance: PVR helps its employees in getting food delivered to COVID positive family members across 70 cities. In order to avail this service, PVR employees need to connect with the call centre. The call centre will then identify the nearest food provider and make arrangements to get home-cooked food delivered to the patient's location. Doctor on Call 24x7: PVR employees are provided assistance in connecting with a doctor at all times of the day. To avail this, the employee needs to connect with the call centre and a unique FOC ID code is given to the PVR employee. This is to ensure the connection between the PVR employee and the doctor using the 'Lybrate' app. Database on Plasma Donors: PVR also helps its employees find plasma donors for COVID-19 treatment. The call centre retrieves a list of plasma donors prepared by the HR department of PVR on a weekly basis. The call centre then gives the list to the PVR employee seeking a plasma donor. Assistance for Hospitalisation & Ambulance Services: PVR employees are provided access to emergency healthcare services including round-the-clock ambulance through 'Ziqitza' and other hospitalisation services nationally. To avail the same, the employee needs to connect with the local CRT.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine: Aarogya Setu app to display vaccination status of citizens
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Happy Birthday Wishes
Trusty said BCH is excited to try the InfoLoop, and that hopefully it will benefit some of their patients.

More likely, well set it up in one location that that will probably have the greater population of need for it, and itll just be in that one location, Trusty said. But it is very portable, so if we do need to move it, it can move very easily.

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Drewel said that roughly 42 Sertoma clubs are planning to donate over 120 InfoLoops to local hospitals and clinics this month, as well.

In addition, the Beatrice Sertoma Club donated $500 to Jim Krysl, a member of the Gateway Sertoma Club, and President of the Nebraska Sertoma Hearing Aid Bank.

Krysl said the mission of the Bank and Sertoma are to improve the quality of those for those impacted by hearing loss by providing education and support. He said the Bank is made up of three entities: The Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Barkley Speech Language and Hearing Clinic at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Sertoma Clubs of Nebraska.
I would house it, Loseman said. Kind of like how PetSmart, Petco has a document saying if you buy this animal from me, you have to bring it back if you do not want it. If the code said you could have a bearded dragon, I would house it for you for however long youre going. Id rather have that than someone just dropping it off somewhere or it dying.

What enforcement mechanisms do you guys suggest that you have that would essentially keep it out of my hair? Because I cant envision anything other than a snake gets out, cops get called, it comes across my desk, Rivera said.

Loseman said she has a document in place requiring customers to return the animal to her.

If someone did release it and I got wind of it, I would take care of it by taking them to court myself when that happens, because I have a document with their name and the description of exactly what they bought, the year, the weight, the length. You know exactly whats going out of the store, so when someone releases it, you know who bought it, Loseman said.

Loseman said she understands where all the councilmembers are coming from about changing the ordinance.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A man and a woman convicted in separate murders who fought the state of Nebraska for years for the right to marry each other will never have that chance after one of them died earlier this year.

The death of 40-year-old Nicole Wetherell in February also ended the court case she and 49-year-old Paul Gillpatrick had waged since 2014 before any precedent could be established.

Gillpatrick and Wetherell got engaged in 2011, but officials consistently denied their request to marry because the corrections department was unwilling to transport either of them to the others prison for a wedding ceremony. They were also not allowed to marry via video conference, because the law requires them to be physically in the presence of witnesses and a magistrate or minister.

A U.S. District Judge ruled in the couples favor in 2019, but that decision was put on hold while the state appealed.

They had met through a mutual friend in the 1990s, before they were imprisoned. Gillpatrick, who is in a Lincoln prison, was sentenced in 2010 to 55 to 90 years for second-degree murder in the 2009 killing of former Omaha firefighter Robby Robinson. Wetherell was serving a life sentence at a prison in York for first-degree murder for the 1998 stabbing of Scott Catenacci in Bellevue.
But Keldy was kept in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Paso, Texas, for a year and a half and then deported to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in January 2019.

She traveled back north and settled in Tapachula, Ascension and then Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, waiting for a chance to enter the United States. She got by with money sent to her by her kids, her sisters and her husband. She video messaged with her boys, and remembers with pain of missing graduations and other big moments.

Finally, last month, Linda Corchado, director of legal services at the non-profit Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, contacted her: Bidens task force was working to reunite families separated at the border. Keldy needed to get passport photos.

Keldy entered on May 4, in a car with Corchado, through the Bridge of The Americas, then flew to Philadelphia.

A video shows the family reunion on May 4 in the Philadelphia home of a niece, with Keldy crying while her kids hug her. Hola mi amor, amor mio (Hello my love, my love), she says, her face buried in the arms of her sons.

Keldy counts her blessing to be a family, free from death threats in Honduras and and pain of separation.
Yellowstone County District Judge Jessica Fehr sentenced a Ballantine man to five years with the entire time suspended, or served on probation, Tuesday, after he entered a plea of no contest to soliciting arson in a case that dates back to 2016.

Jimmie Richard James, 78, was sentenced but will serve no time in prison as part of a plea agreement with the state. He will be required to pay back $172,612 to his insurance company that paid out $168,000 to cover the total loss of his home at the time.

I did struggle with this one, said Fehr during the sentencing, alluding to the light sentence. Obviously, arson is a very serious felony. In the end, the judge agreed to accept the plea agreement and put the focus of the sentence on paying back the money lost by the insurance company.
As millions of people scramble to secure medicines amid the devastating second wave of coronavirus, Baba Ramdev seems to not think much about them. He called allopathy "stupid science" in a viral video, triggering a very strong response from the Indian Medical Association. He retracted his statements once Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan stepped in but continued to challenge the belief in allopathy. However, things escalated to such a point that IMA General Secretary Dr Jayesh M Lele asked the yoga guru to "shut up" during a television discussion.

Dr Lele also criticised Ramdev for keeping Coronil -- Patanjali Ayurved's immunity booster kit -- in the video frame during the interview with Aaj Tak. "Why are you advertising Coronil, remove it from the view, firstly," said Dr Lele. As Dr Lele continued to critique Ramdev, the latter interrupted in protestation. "Aap chup baithiye, you keep quiet," he said.

When the yoga guru interrupted for the second time, an irate Dr Lele said, "You keep quiet. You don't speak when I am speaking." "Who asked you to comment on allopathy? Did we ask you?" said Dr Lele. He called Ramdev's comments on people dying after taking allopathic medicines "nonsense" and said that he is being laughed at globally. "How much have you studied about allopathy and how much do you know?" he asked.

On Monday evening, the yoga guru had also posed 25 questions to IMA and the pharmaceutical industry. He asked if allopathy has delivered treatments for hypertension, and Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes. Ramdev asked if the pharma industry has a solution for arthritis, colitis, thyroid. He asked if allopathy had medicines for fatty liver and liver cirrhosis. "After All, allopathy is now 200 years old," he added.

Ramdev asked if the pharma industry has a solution to reverse heart blockage, and for management of cholesterol. "Does the pharma industry have treatment for migraine or treatment for constipation," he asked. The yoga guru asked if allopathy has any painless cure for infertility and to reverse ageing process.

"Doctors should not fall ill at all if allopathy is all powerful and 'sarvagun sampanna' (with all good qualities)," he said.

The yoga guru's indignant response comes after he withdrew his 'allopathy is stupid science' remark. In a letter to Vardhan, Ramdev said that he was not against modern medicine and stated that what was seen in the video was him reading out a WhatsApp message. He said if someone points out flaws in a branch of treatment then it should not be seen as an attack and definitely not as opposition to science. "One should always introspect. Similarly, allopathic doctors should also refrain from referring to Ayurveda and yoga as 'pseudo-science', as even that hurts the sentiments of many," he said.

It all began when the video went viral on social media over the weekend. The yoga guru said that medicines like Remdesivir and Favipiravir that were approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for COVID-19 treatment has failed. "Lakhs of patients have died because of allopathic medicines rather than a shortage of oxygen," he said.

Yoga guru claiming Allopathy as stupid science. This pandemic brings new shock every day. pic.twitter.com/1W9ojVOIGY  Subhasree Ray (@DrSubhasree) May 21, 2021

The IMA stated that Ramdev should be prosecuted for his statements. "The Union health minister who himself is a practicing modern medicine allopathic postgraduate and head of this ministry, should either accept the challenge and accusation of this gentleman and dissolve the modern medical facility or boldly face and prosecute the person for his words of arson on the sovereignty of the country and book him under the Epidemic Act to save millions of people from such unscientific utterances," the IMA said.

Also read: Ramdev's statement taken out of context, he believes allopathy is progressive science: Patanjali

Also read: Baba Ramdev puts 25 questions before IMA after allopathy foot-in-mouth episode
The Associated Press could not find a working telephone number Tuesday for Cowen's mother, Ellen Loomis, who moved from Minot shortly before Reachelle disappeared. In 2006, she said she was as baffled as police.

"I don't know the story," she said then. "I wish I knew  it would be a lot easier on me. I just want her found. That's all I want."

Cowen's body was found May 23, 2006, in a van in the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of Minot. Authorities said he died from carbon monoxide poisoning about 12 hours before his body was found, after running a hose from the exhaust inside the vehicle.

Police said Cowen did not leave a note to explain why he killed himself, or any clues on Reachelle's location.

Cowen was on probation for theft of property in Ward County and was being supervised in Fargo when he failed to report in as required. A warrant was issued for violating his probation and he was facing up to 18 months in prison.

Before Reachelle disappeared, Cowen had taken dozens of photos of her to take with him to prison, police said.

Cowen had told the child's mother that Reachelle was staying with his own mother. Police later learned that Cowen's mother had moved to Kansas and did not know the girl's whereabouts.
Hours later, Bouchard told the Star-Tribune that he impregnated the girl when she was 14 and he was 18.

So, bottom line, its a story when I was young, two teenagers, girl gets pregnant, he said in the Facebook Live video. Youve heard those stories before. She was a little younger than me, so its like the Romeo and Juliet story.

Bouchard told the Star-Tribune he legally married the girl when she was 15 and he was 19. He said he was never charged with a crime in connection with the relationship.

The Star-Tribune reached out to the Florida State Bar, Florida State University College of Law, the Florida attorney general, public defenders, current and former prosecutors, and multiple law firms, and none of them were able to offer substantial answers on Floridas laws concerning age of consent at the time.

On Friday, the U.K.s Daily Mail published the story that apparently prompted Bouchard to make the Facebook Live video. It cited an unnamed Republican operative who is in the Donald Trump faction of the party.
Boasbergs ruling allowing Dakota Access to continue operating came as a relief to North Dakotas oil industry, as the line has the capacity to carry about half of the states daily oil output to market.

State officials were thrilled with that part of the ruling. They feared a shutdown would have led to job losses in the Bakken oil patch and a hit to tax revenue collected from oil production.

We think the judge got it right, Seibel said. Were very pleased with the result.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem cited those economic factors in April when he made a pitch to Boasberg to allow the state to intervene.

The state argued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had abandoned its previously vigorous defense of the pipeline and could no longer represent North Dakotas interest in keeping the line operating. The Corps is tasked with permitting the lines Missouri River crossing just upstream of the Standing Rock Reservation.
The fire on May 7 not only took out the M&M Cigar Store, a Butte landmark, it also caused damage to neighboring Uptown Butte businesses.

The OMG Mongolian Grill suffered smoke and water damage. Owner Tom Cronnelly said once the M&Ms last wall is taken down, a structural engineer will be better able to assess the extent of damage to his building.

Right now, were in limbo until the rest of the M&M is brought down, Cronnelly said.

What the Butte businessman does know so far is the equipment on the roof, including the hood system for the grill and the air conditioning unit, are severely damaged.

The roof was compromised as well, with water leaking through the suspended ceiling into the dining room. Water seeped into the walls and the basement.

In addition, much of the supplies, along with the food truck and restaurant equipment, sustained extensive smoke damage.

As far as Cronnelly is concerned, though, it could have been a lot worse, and he's thankful to the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department.

They did an excellent job, said Cronnelly. I cant thank them enough.
Gray wolves, among the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. But in other regions of the U.S., gray wolves have dispersed naturally; the population in the lower 48 states now totals about 5,500.

The new study said that the presence of wolves, maligned by ranchers whose livestock suffer predation, also can save money by indirectly reducing deer-vehicle collisions. In 2008, a study for the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated those crashes cost more than $8 billion annually.

"Most economic studies of wolves have been negative, focusing on livestock losses," said Dave Mech, a senior research scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Minnesota, who was not involved in the new study and praised it. "But wolves also reshape ecosystems in many ways, although that's hard to measure economically."

Some studies have looked at tourism revenue generated by wolf-watchers in Yellowstone, but that money doesn't flow directly to communities living alongside wolves, said Jennifer Raynor, a natural resources economist at Wesleyan University and a co-author of the new study.
A federal grand jury has indicted the director of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes information technology department and an IT services contractor on three counts of bribery.

The May 12 indictment alleges Sven Schreiber accepted bribes of $5,000 or more twice in 2017 and once in 2019. He was arrested in North Dakota on a warrant issued in the U.S. District of South Dakota. The reservation straddles the Dakotas border. Officials ordered Schreiber to surrender his Swiss passport, court documents show.

Schreiber became director of the IT department in 2015. He served as the tribes primary contact with outside vendors on the departments bids, contracts and agreements, the indictment states. He was the point of contact with Arnaldo Piccinelli, who is listed on the LinkedIn professional networking site as the senior Java software engineer for the Florida-based company Hexagon Code Inc., which provided IT services to the tribe. The tribe made payments by check to Hexagon or Piccinelli directly at Schreibers direction, the document states.

Piccinelli offered and Schreiber accepted bribes in February and September 2017 and again in July 2019, the indictment alleges.
The Pfizer vaccine is federally recommended for people age 12 and older; the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for those 18 and older. U.S. regulators earlier this month expanded the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents. Moderna on Tuesday said its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S., according to The Associated Press.

North Dakota's rate of total coronavirus vaccine doses administered -- 79,438 people per 100,000 population -- ranks 33rd in the nation among states and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC tracking site. North Dakota earlier was one of the top states. But the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has reported that the state has some of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy in the nation.

Pharmacies, local public health departments and private health care providers all are offering vaccines. There are 411 enrolled provider sites in the state, including 69 in Burleigh-Morton. People can go to health.nd.gov/covidvaccinelocator or call 866-207-2880 to see where a COVID-19 vaccine is available near them.

A list of free COVID-19 testing offered by local public health units is at health.nd.gov/covidtesting. For more detailed information on coronavirus in North Dakota, go to www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus.

Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

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We just cannot accept this as it is, Carol Heckman, an attorney for Prairie Band, said in a court hearing last week. We're happy to keep talking about it, but Treasury would have to sweeten the pie.

The Miccosukee Tribe amended its lawsuit Wednesday to reflect the latest arguments.

The Treasury Department will avoid much of the problems it encountered with CARES Act funding in the distribution of the $20 billion for tribes under the American Rescue Plan Act. The department said it will use tribally certified enrollment figures to pay out $12.35 billion and tribal employment data for $6.65 billion.

Another $1 billion will be divided equally among eligible tribal governments, the Treasury Department said. Alaska Native corporations, which own much of the Native land in Alaska under a 1971 settlement, aren't eligible for any of the $20 billion in funding. The U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether the corporations will get a slice of the CARES Act money.

The Treasury Department set a Monday deadline for tribal governments to submit their enrollment information online for the American Rescue Plan funding. It acknowledged that no formula perfectly can capture the needs of tribes, which have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic.
North Dakota's Libertarian Party has expelled a longtime, frequent candidate who ran as a Democrat for Congress in 2020.

Libertarian Party members met Saturday in Bismarck for their annual state convention. "One necessary order of business was the vote to expel Roland Riemers for conduct unbecoming a libertarian," said a party statement issued late Monday.

Party Chairman Adam Heupel told the Tribune that Riemers was expelled "by a large majority" for "a long history of character concerns" and for running as a Democrat last year. He declined to expound. Riemers has the opportunity to appeal for reinstatement by a two-thirds vote of party leaders, Heupel said.

Riemers, 78, said he had not been informed of his expulsion when contacted by the Tribune on Tuesday. He said he planned to review the party's bylaws. He said he is still a member of the national party and called himself the state party's top vote-getter.

"It's kind of stupid," he said of the expulsion.

Riemers said he's had disputes with party leaders in the past over issues such as abortion, and the provision for expelling party members was "snuck in" years ago by party leaders who "wanted to get rid of me." Riemers has been involved with the party for 20 years.
There was an old Japanese gentleman on the street I had lived. He was short and a little stooped, wandered around always with a pair of slippers and a brown velvet bag hanging on one of his shoulders. Inside the bag was a wooden chess set with a folding board, everyone in our neighborhood was aware of that. He accosted whoever looked unoccupied to play chess with him. His Chinese was broken, just enough to communicate the basic ideas. But he was polite, probably too polite to be taken seriously.

I grew up in Changchun, the city had once been the capital of Manchukuo, a Japan-controlled puppet state in China before and during WW2. There were remains and traces of the Japanese occupation everywhere around us, the imperial palace built for the last Qing emperor at the northeast part of the town where I had never visited, the buildings with mixed Chinese and European style along the Freedom Boulevard and the New People Boulevard that had been mapped out for the Eight Major Bureaus of Manchukuo, the paved streets with shady elms across the city, the tramcars running on rail tracks. The Japanese made the go-around intersections up with small cobblestones of square shapes, just like the ancient streets in Prague or Paris. At the end of the New People Boulevard, it was the new palace that just had the massive foundation laid before the surrender of Japan. The rest of the building was finished in 1950s and became a landmark on a university campus. When I visited my friends' homes, very likely I might walk into a Japanese style apartment with tatami floor and shoji sliding doors.

Growing up in such an environment, it was strange that I had never had another thought on why we had Japanese people wandering in our neighborhood. Such questions had never entered my mind when I lived in Changchun. I was too young to know much about the brutal war and the infamous invasion. But we did learn history in school. The Sino-Japanese wars were the highlights in our curriculum. But for some reasons our teachers didn't make any connection between the history they taught and the real life we lived. They never pointed out that Changchun was once a pivotal site during the Japanese occupation, and never even bothered to bring us to the puppet palace for a field trip.

The chess guy to me was just a chess guy who could not speak Chinese well, who giggled like a child whenever somebody agreed to play with him. Actually, he was not the only Japanese there. Across the road from the apartment my family lived, there was a family that had a Japanese wife and a Chinese husband. Unlike the chess guy, you could hardly tell that the wife was a foreigner because she dressed like most Chinese women and spoke fluent Chinese. The couple had a daughter who loved to sing and dance. She became a kindergarten teacher after graduating from high school and moved to Japan with her mother in 1970s when the diplomatic relations were established between China and Japan. The two of them visited back three or four years later with a toddler boy whose remote control toy car attracted the children in our neighborhood. The husband stayed alone in Changchun for quite while and eventually moved to Beijing to join his son from his previous marriage.

I didn't notice when the chess guy disappeared from the street and had never gotten to know what happened to him. I only heard that he lived with his younger brother who taught Japanese in the university my father worked. The brother seemed having a family, a wife and children, and very busy. We rarely spotted him on the street other than his chess-loving older brother.

Why did we have Japanese men and women lingered in our city? I figured the whole ordeal out only years later. But the individual experiences of war and the vicissitudes of personal emotion became lost stories never told.

Medium Link
A major fire has broken out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) plant in Visakhapatnam. The fire department has reached the plant and efforts to douse the fire are currently underway. The fire has been brought under control.

DCP Aishwarya Rastogi has stated that the cause of the incident is yet to be determined. "As per information, a blast reported at Unit-3 plant in HPCL. Five fire tenders are present at the spot. More fire tenders are being rushed," Rastogi told ANI.

As per officials, an emergency alarm immediately went off following which all employees and workers quickly vacated the unit. HPCL sources said other workers have been moved to safety. Efforts to locate six HPCL workers who were at the spot when the fire started are taking place. No casualties or serious injuries have been reported yet

"A fire incident occurred in one of the crude processing units of HPCL's Visakh Refinery today. Safety measures & firefighting was activated immediately. The fire has been extinguished. There is no casualty & no risk to the public. Other Refinery operations are normal," HPCL told the news agency.

A team of experts from the Indian Navy has also reportedly reached the spot. They are taking stock of the situation and aiding the administration in their efforts.

The local administration is investigating the cause of the massive fire at the HPCL Visakhapatnam plant. Initial investigation has suggested that the fire was caused due to a blast in a pipeline in the crude distillation unit (CDU) of the HPCL plant. The CDU has been shut down following the accident, according to officials.
Milkshakes are like slices of pizza. You never really have a bad one.

And like pizza, they've gone beyond the traditional when it comes to flavors. Here are interesting takes on shakes, broken down by flavor category.

Choco-Crazy

Out of the three classic ice cream flavors  chocolate, vanilla and strawberry  chocolate may be the most popular. Here are some milkshakes that take chocolate to the next level.

The Fudge Brownie Freak Shake from Hertel Avenue Poutine and Cream ($8.25) is a chocolate lover's dream with triple chocolate brownie ice cream blended with chocolate fudge and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. Taffys Hot Dog Stand in Orchard Park is known for its more than 100 shake flavors. At Taffy's, they are called Moos ($5.45 regular, or $8.10 for a quart). The Samoan (chocolate-caramel-coconut) and the Chocolate Monkey (chocolate-banana-nuts) are two standouts in the chocolate department.
"We don't necessarily have to reinvent the wheel with everything we do," Gould said. "The culture of our current Sheriff's Office needs to change."

Gould said he developed crisis intervention training for Cheektowaga police, and he would invest in properly training deputies and corrections officers.

Carter said on his first day in office he would implement Cariol's Law for the Sheriff's Department, holding deputies liable if they fail to report instances of brutality and police misconduct.

He would have fewer deputies and hire people trained in mental and behavioral health and drug abuse counseling.

"The No. 1 reason people are committing crimes is because of poverty," Carter said.

Buffalo resident talks of 'nasty' treatment years ago from cop who wants to be sheriff The News has been gathering disciplinary records of sheriff candidates with law enforcement backgrounds now that those records are public documents in New York.

Miller-Beaty said she would lead by example.

"Leadership starts at the top," she said.

She said de-escalation training is needed to protect civilians, inmates and officers.

"You're better communicating with people and using your verbal skills," she said. "We need to do de-escalation training to prevent injury and to prevent deaths."

Gould, Carter and Beaty said there needs to be an alternative to solitary confinement.
Investigators say Bahena Rivera told them he blacked out and couldn't remember how he killed Tibbetts.

The first defense witness called Tuesday was forensic consultant Michael Spence, who agreed that Tibbetts DNA was found on blood stains in the trunk, but said there was also unaccounted for DNA in the trunk, including at least one unknown male and female.

Spence conceded that it would not be surprising to find other DNA sources in a trunk of a vehicle that had been used, and that there are many ways they could have ended up there.

Iris Gamboa, the mother of Bahena Rivera's daughter, testified Tuesday that she lived with him for four years before they broke up in 2017. She said he worked 12-hour days and only got two days off every two weeks.

She said he was a good father who paid $500 per month to support their daughter, was not violent toward them and never showed excessive anger. Bahena Rivera was also sending money back to his parents in Mexico and paying to build them a house, she said.

The defense showed jurors a photograph of a smiling Bahena Rivera and Gamboa with their young daughter at a family party in 2017. He was happy that his daughter was happy, Gamboa said. It was a good day.

Bahena Rivera's aunt, Alejandra Cervantes, said he was known as playful around the family and that children love him. She recalled going to the sheriff's office where Bahena Rivera was being interrogated but being unable to see him or get in touch with him by phone.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Unfortunately, the Times was referring to the fall of 2020. The damage in Buffalo has continued for another eight months after that.

Superintendent Kriner Cash announced last week that in-person learning will be available five days a week, but students will have the option of continuing remote instruction.

Its hard to fathom what Cash and the Board of Education must be thinking. A reasonable person might expect the district to focus on the development of an accelerated remedial curriculum to make up for lost time. It would also be reasonable to think they might try to supplement new curriculum with actual make-up time in the form of summer school and even evening classes. Of course, this would require a negotiation with Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore, but the windfall federal aid gives them the resources to get it done.

During Covid, at-risk inner city students throughout the country simply disappeared from the rolls. In Buffalo, for instance, The News reported that Black and Hispanic enrollment in pre-K classes dropped by 50% last year.
Concerned family and friends are asking if the news showing people fighting in the streets, bombs crisscrossing the skies, and Jews and Arabs hating each other is true. I always told them, no, of course not, or else why would I have chosen to live in Israel.

Susan Braun Svorai (copy) Susan Braun Svorai, a Buffalo native, is an adjunct lecturer at Gordon and Oranim colleges in Haifa, Israel.

But now some of the pictures are accurate, as rockets scream across many parts of the country, towns that have been models of peaceful coexistence are looted, and my Jewish and Arab students are afraid to travel because some of the roads are unsafe.

When considering the numerous political plans and hopes for peace in the Middle East, I wonder if the world leaders really understand what they are talking about. Tim Marshalls book, Prisoners of Geography, demonstrates how encompassing the conflicts in the region are, with ongoing struggles for power and domination between many countries well beyond the tiny border of Israel, a country about the size of New Jersey.

People have been led and some believe that Israel and the Palestinians represent the Middle East; that peace between them will lead to a less muddled region.
Representative Image

By Sahil Pandey

New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): COVID-19 vaccine COVAXIN's manufacturer Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said application for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of its vaccine has been submitted to World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, and regulatory approvals are expected between July and September.

The latest status of COVID-19 vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process' guidance document dated May 18 on the WHO website said Bharat Biotech submitted EOI (Expression of Interest) on April 19 and that more information is required.

"Regulatory approvals for COVAXIN are in process in more than 60 countries, including USA, Brazil, Hungary etc. Emergency use authorisations have been obtained in 13 countries and there are more to follow. Application for EUL has been submitted to WHO, Geneva. Regulatory approvals are expected Jul-Sept 2021," Bharat Biotech said in a statement.

The WHO has given approvals to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use on December 31. The AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine got its approvals on February 15, and the COVID-19 vaccine Ad26.COV2.S developed by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) was approved on March 12. Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine and China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine have also both been approved in the EUL. (ANI)
TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, May 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Sailfish Royalty Corp. (TSXV: FISH) (OTCQX: SROYF) (the "Company" or "Sailfish") is pleased to announce that it has filed a technical report (the "Technical Report") in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The Technical Report is titled, "CSA NI 43-101 Technical Report and Estimate of Mineral Resources, Gavilanes Silver Project, San Dimas Municipality, Durango, Mexico", dated May 14, 2021 with an effective date of April 1, 2021. The Technical report was produced on behalf of the Company by Matthew D. Gray of Resource Geosciences Incorporated and Derick Unger of Mine Development Associates.

Sailfish Royalty Corp logo - PRECIOUS METALS STREAMS AND ROYALTIES IN THE AMERICAS (CNW Group/Sailfish Royalty Corp.)

The Technical Report supports the results of an updated mineral resource estimate for the Company's Gavilanes Silver Project, located in San Dimas Municipality in Durango, Mexico.

The Company confirms that there are no material differences between the results announced in its May 18, 2021 press release, and the results set out in the Technical Report now filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and posted on the Company's website at www.sailfishroyalty.com.

About Sailfish

Sailfish is a precious metals royalty and streaming company. Within Sailfish's portfolio are three main assets on advanced stage projects in the Americas: a gold stream equivalent to a 3% NSR on the San Albino gold project (~3.5 sq. km) and a 2% NSR on the rest of the area (~134.5 sq. km) surrounding San Albino in northern Nicaragua; an up to 2.75% NSR on the Tocantinzinho gold project in the prolific Tapajos district of northern Brazil; and an up to 3% NSR on the multi-million ounce Spring Valley gold project in Pershing County, Nevada.

Sailfish is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "FISH" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "SROYF". Please visit the Company's website at www.sailfishroyalty.com for additional information.

Story continues

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Sailfish Royalty Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2021/25/c2606.html
A minke whale, the species which will be captured for the experiment

Norways plan to capture and subject minke wales to hearing experiments has been met with backlash as dozens of vets and scientists from around the world raised concerns.

The experiment, described as unacceptable, will see 12 juvenile minke whales caught in nets off Lofoten, Norway.

They will be held between two rafts for up to six hours to measure their hearing with electrodes under the skin before satellite tagging the whales after which they will be released.

The move by Norwegian researchers aims to increase understanding of how they hear, to better assess the impact of noise pollution from human activities.

But wildlife charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation has written to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on behalf of more than 50 experts, calling for the cancellation of the trials, warning they are completely unacceptable from a conservation, scientific and animal welfare point of view.

A statement of concern signed by the scientists and vets warns the tests have significant potential for causing injury and stress and could lead to capture myopathy  harm to or death of wild animals as a result of stress or exertions fighting capture and restraint.

The experts also raised concerns that the project risks the safety of researchers, while they say the potential emergency sedation of the whales is not acceptable.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority, which awarded the permit for the research by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, said it believed the results would benefit both minke and other whales as more would be learned about how noise pollution in the ocean can disturb the animals.

It also said it believed the consequences for animal welfare have been assessed carefully, and the procedure and decision to grant permission were justified.

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment said the study is funded by US oil and energy authorities, fishery authorities and the US Navy with a goal to protect animals from man-made sonar and seismic noise.

Story continues

Vanessa Williams-Grey, policy manager at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and one of the signatories, said: This experiment is both ill-conceived and unnecessary  we already know that human-made noise in our ocean damages and disturbs whales.

We have grave concerns about the animal welfare implications.

Read More

Fishing boss hits out at national embarrassment of failure to get Norway deal

Minke Whale stranded in the Thames near Teddington put down
The UK government said on Tuesday that it has kicked off preparations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, launching a 14-week consultation to seek the views of the public and business before formal negotiations begin later this year.

UK Trade Secretary Liz Truss said Britain wants a trade deal with India that pushes new frontiers and welcomes wide input from consumers and businesses across all sectors, which will help craft a deal that includes closer cooperation in "future-focused industries" such as science, technology and services, creating high-value jobs across the country.

"We're firing the starting gun on a free trade deal with India - the world's largest democracy, fifth-biggest economy, a nation of 1.4 billion people and a huge market for British goods like whisky, cars and services," said Truss.

"We want an agreement that pushes new frontiers in industries of the future and helps us build a greener, more innovative and more services-led economy that will deliver higher-paying jobs across the country," she said.

The UK says it wants a deal that slashes barriers to doing business and trading with India's 2 trillion pound economy and a market of 1.4 billion consumers.

This includes removing tariffs of up to 150 per cent on whisky and 125 per cent on British-made cars.

Indian industry welcomed the launch of the consultation, with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) describing it as a sign of urgency to add momentum behind the trade talks.

"Launch of the public and business consultation for the potential trade deal with India is very reassuring. The urgency illustrates the importance of India as a trading and investment partner to the UK," said Baroness Usha Prashar, Chair of the FICCI UK Council.

"It is encouraging to see that, as part of the agreement, emphasis will be on new frontiers in industries of the future. This will help the UK to build a greener, more innovative and more services-led economy that will deliver higher-paying jobs across the country," she said.

The UK also aims to make it easier for services firms to operate in the Indian market, boosting the UK's status as an international services hub.

India's growing middle-income population and highly connected youth will be the target consumers for the type of goods and services the UK excels in, according to the Department for International Trade (DIT).

"India is one of the world's fastest-growing economies and we share much in common, so we're natural partners," said Ranil Jayawardena, International Trade Minister.

"A trade deal will break down barriers, making it easier for British businesses to sell their wares in India - and secure more investment, better jobs, higher wages, more choice and lower prices here at home," he said.

Before negotiations start, the UK and India must complete a pre-negotiation scoping phase - a period of engagement with businesses and the public.

The public consultation, which runs through to August 31, includes a questionnaire that will gather information from participants about their experiences and priorities when doing business with India.

The DIT said it consults widely across a network of businesses, representative bodies and trade associations, working with partners as well as members of all the Department's Trade Advisory Groups, to seek the broadest possible range of views to inform our negotiating position ahead of launching trade talks.

The consultation follows the Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) agreed at the virtual meeting between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 4, where they launched a "2030 Roadmap" as a framework for UK-India relations over the next decade.

According to DIT figures, trade between the UK and India stands at around 23 billion pounds in 2019, which both countries want to double by 2030.

The UK government points out that the Enhanced Trade Partnership already creates immediate opportunities for British businesses in India across industries, such as food and drink and life sciences by improving market access.

Non-tariff barriers on fruit and medical devices will be reduced, allowing British businesses to export more of their products to India.

Also Read: Double vaccine shots effective against COVID-19 variant detected in India: UK health body
lens

Students Who Served

From military experiences to academics

The Case Western Reserve community includes students who have served in the military. Think spoke with six of them about their experiences and the impact on their lives and studies.

Photo: Roger Mastroianni

Megan Palko Grudzinski (NUR 18, 21), RN, served in the U.S. Army as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist in both domestic and overseas emergencies from 2001 to 2013. She graduated in January with a Master of Science in Nursing and works as a psychiatric nurse practitioner at a private practice in the Cleveland area. Above, Grudzinski holds a Bible her grandfather, Joseph Palko, carried during World War II and that she kept in a pocket over her heart during her service.

"I was stationed at the Kandahar Airfield and Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Afghanistan, and we would go to sleep to the sounds of gunfire on most nights. Some of us never got used to it; your body is always tense; you are waiting for the abnormal. It can be exhausting when you come back. I can see someone walking with an umbrella, and my body can react like it is a gun.

"When I came back and was dealing with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], I thought I was at the bottom of a well. But I finally realized if I got myself better, I could help other people get better too. I earned [a second masters degree to become] a psychiatric nurse practitioner, mainly because we have a need for much better mental-health treatment for veterans coming back."

Photo: Roger Mastroianni

Christopher Yesukevich graduates in May with a masters degree in medical physiology and aims to become a medical doctor. He served as a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman from 2004 to 2014. In Iraq, he stabilized and evacuated critically wounded soldiers from the battlefield by helicopter. Later, he deployed to Farah, Afghanistan, providing combat medical and civil affairs support. Below, Yesukevich holds a framed swath of canvas bearing a U.S. medical insignia that was retrieved from a damaged stretcher.

"During my last three years in the Navy, as an independent duty corpsman, I was directly responsible for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of a population of approximately 1,000 Marines, under indirect supervision and mentorship of my battalion surgeon. The ability of select enlisted members to practice medicine without a professional degree is unique to the military.

"My military experience contributes greatly to my success at Case Western Reserve. It sharpened my critical decision-making under pressure, improved my ability to navigate cultural divides and gave me hands-on primary care experience. Overall, the most valuable skills I learned from military service are the ability to plan best use of available time and to follow through to completion. After medical school, I plan to return to military service as a medical officer."

Photo: Roger Mastroianni

Christine Pokryfky, RN, was a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer from 2011 to 2015, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where she cared for a wide range of patients and worked as a sexual-assault medical forensic examiner. She graduates in May with a JD from the School of Law. Above, Pokryfky holds a photo from her Army commissioning ceremony of her and her grandfather, Petty Officer (ret.) Don Engeman, who served in the Korean War.

"One of the great things about the military is that it provides you with the opportunity to lose yourself in the service of others. My experiences in the Army allowed me to see how military medicine and the VA [Veterans Administration] function. Watching disabled veterans struggle to navigate that system is what pulled me in the direction of attending law school. I hope to work in health law, and want to ultimately help make positive changes for the veteran patient population that has made me who I am.

"Law school is obviously difficult, but not necessarily in the same way the military is. You have a very different point of view as to what a hard day really is. I learned in the Army how to do many things at once, and Im grateful to have that perspective."

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Martin

Ciera McCrary is finishing five years in the U.S. Navy and an online masters in biomedical engineering in May. A lieutenant, she lives in San Diego and works on the USS Howard destroyer, overseeing wide-ranging crew training from search-and-rescue missions to operating anti-air-defense systems. Below, McCrary holds a wooden doll that members of a Navy division she led aboard a ship in Japan gave her when she left the post. The dress is a scroll containing tributes and thanks from the enlisted sailors.

"Every day is something different in the military. You think youre going in one day to do 'this,' and then 30 other things come up. When I went to college, I used to stress about a test or three papers. Now, I know how to get through it all. The military has helped me with understanding, one: how to handle stress; and two: how to handle a multitude of problems coming at me at once.

"I have a different perspective than a lot of students. For a group project to develop a concept, on paper, for a biomedical engineering product to help people, we created a COVID diagnostic tester that was portable. The reason I suggested that product is that we had to work from the ship and people were worried about COVID and their families, but we still had a job to do. I had a different perspective from a lot of people who were staying indoors. I saw the day to day of how our engineering could impact people."

Photo: Roger Mastroianni

Andrew Mahall served in the U.S. Navy from 2012 to 2016. As a salvage petty officer working on beaches in the Persian Gulf and Kuwait, he was in charge of arriving Marines, as well as tanks, Humvees, and other cargo as they came ashore and had to be directed where to go next. He plans to complete his bachelors in civil engineering next year. Above, Mahall holds a Bible his mother gave him before boot camp containing notes and prayers from family and friends that he read daily.

"I didnt want to pursue an education before I served in the Navy, but I gained a newfound love of learning during my service. One of the most valuable things you learn from the military is how to adapt and overcomebecause thats the only option. From that, you gain a lot of confidence and knowledge that can be applied to all of lifes challenges.

"Case [Western Reserve] was a little bit intimidating at first, but after the first exams, I was able to figure out what I needed to do and adapt. I have also been very fortunate to have such a loving family supporting me through each chapter of life. In the Navy, you had to maximize your potential to give the most to your country. Thats the same [attitude] I bring to my education."

Photo: Roger Mastroianni

Lindsay Radisek served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2008 to 2017, mostly as a language interpreter. She was proficient in translating Pashto and Russian, served in military zones in Afghanistan and conducted foreign policy work in Washington, D.C., and throughout the Russian Federation. She plans to complete her MBA at Weatherhead School of Management next year. Below, Radisek holds a bottle of Russian vodka infused with horseradish, which reminds her of traveling to Siberia and getting to know everyday people.

"I changed a lot going in [the service] right after high school and so young. I quickly became more confident. I knew how I could contribute meaningfully and not just be a cog in the wheel. The confidence really helps you out after you get outespecially in school.

"Travel in Russia influenced me greatly. I often tell people how they need to always be open to different ways of thinking, and that we and other groups of people have much more in common than we dont. I love the Russian people, old Soviet jokes, great Russian cooking made by grandmas, the big city of Moscow, the friendliness of the people in Siberia. But then again, when I was in Afghanistan, I loved them too. Ive learned that most people are different from the national political interests."
The following individuals were arrested and charged after the events described below.

John Jeffery Rose, 50, to be held in Dunn County Jail on $10,000 cash bond. Charged with first degree recklessly endangering safety, two counts of bail jumping, battery use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct using a dangerous weapon.

Rebecca Sue Davis, 44, battery, two counts of bail jumping, disorderly conduct.

On May 19, 2021 a Dunn County Investigator and a Menomonie Police Investigator, both assigned to the West Central Drug Task Force, were completing a drive by of a residence in the Township of Dunn.

This residence is the same as where a homicide had occurred in November of 2020 and was known to law enforcement as a high traffic drug residence. As the Investigators drove by they observed a male subject, later identified as John Rose, retrieve a hatchet from a vehicle and run towards other subjects in the residence with the hatchet overhead in a threatening manner.
Israelis complained in the weeks following Bidens inauguration in January that he was slow to name his envoy and to reach out to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some Israeli officials worried that the relative early silence forecast a chillier relationship between the two close allies after former President Donald Trumps warm embrace.

Biden, who spoke to Netanyahu for the first time about four weeks after his swearing in, had put off his first call with Netanyahu, in part, because he first wanted to speak with key European allies as he weighed his steps on reviving the Iran nuclear deal hatched during the Obama administration and shelved by the Trump White House. Netanyahu strongly opposes the deal.

But the official said that the Biden administrations diplomatic efforts with Israel even before this month's fighting had been complicated by Israels own chaotic politics in the leadup to the fourth round of elections there in March.

Nides launched his Washington career in 1986 working for Rep. Tony Coelho, the Democratic majority whip. He also worked for Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley early in his career. During the Clinton administration, he served as chief of staff to the United States Trade Representative Mickey Kantor. Barack Obama nominated him in 2010 to serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources.
Church history is full of the wondrous works of God through men. For when God intends to save a people, he anoints and sends a man.

Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah Chapter 6 verse 8)

In the next few weeks, I will be writing about some West African generals of the faith.

The early years and calling of Apostle Ayo Babalola

The story of Apostle Ayo Babalola is one of absolute awe and wonder. He was born on the 25th of April 1904 at Odo-Owa, Ilofa, in present day Ekiti Local Government area of Kwara State, Nigeria. He was born to the family of Pa David Rotimi and Madam Marta Talabi Rotimi who were members of the Anglican Church.

Babalola started school at Ilofa and got as far as standard five but he left school to become a motor mechanic. He later joined the Public Works Department (PWD) where he worked as a Steamroller Operator.

It was while he was working as steamroller along Akure-Ilesha road in October 1928 that Babalola heard a loud voice telling him to leave his job. Some days later, he heard the same voice telling him to leave his job and start preaching the gospel. Babalola obeyed the voice and resigned from his job against the wishes of his boss.

Encountering angels

He was further instructed to seek the Lord in fasting and prayer. It was during this period of fasting that Babalola had an encounter with a man that appeared to him in a dazzling robe. The man told him of the persecutions he would face and assured him of Gods protection.

During this encounter, Apostle Babalola was given a bell and water. He was told that the bell would drive away evil spirits and the water was for healing. One of the hallmarks of Apostle Babalolas ministry was that he often prayed on water and people would receive their healing after drinking the water.

Culturally relevant

During one of his encounters, an angel appeared to him and gave him a big yam which he ordered him to eat. The angel told him that the yam was the tuber with which God fed the whole world. One may wonder why the angel illustrated the word of God using yam and not bread as seen in the bible. It is simply because of the culture and civilization of the region Babalola was called to evangelize.

We all know Jesus- the word is the bread of life, but the people he was to preach to knew little or nothing about bread; but explain the word being a tuber of yam and they would instantly understand that. This is testament to the truth that the gospel is not a European construct, and that God can meet different tribes of the earth where they are without westernizing the gospel.

The ministry of Apostle Ayo Babalola

Apostle Ayo Babalola was instructed by God to go to Odo-Owa, his hometown to preach the gospel and to call for repentance. He was instructed to arrive in the town on a market day and to cover his body with palm fronds and paint himself with charcoal.

He entered the town in October 1938 and was instantly taken for a mad man. He started ringing his bell as he preached and called the people to repentance. He told the people that evil beasts would enter the town to destroy them unless they repent. They responded by beating him up. The villagers later armed themselves with guns and cutlasses in anticipation of the invasion of wild beasts.

However, God told Babalola to tell the people that he would not bring beasts again but instead, he would bring an epidemic within forty-five days unless they repent. Just as Babalola prophesied, smallpox broke out and within 3 weeks, about 300 people died. Those who repented were saved. He went around praying for the sick and they were healed.

Oke-Oye revival

One of the hallmarks of Babalolas ministry was the Oke-Oye revival. This revival began when Babalola raised a dead child back to life. The news broke all over the town and people came to Babalola to hear the gospel and to be healed.

Within 3 weeks, one hundred lepers, sixty blind people and fifty lame persons were cured. Many lunatics were also cured. Many idolaters and Muslims gave their lives to Christ. The prophet prayed for a stream called Omi Ayo (Stream of Joy) and as many as drank from it were healed.

Babalola also took the revival to other cities and anywhere he went, souls were saved, the sick were healed and the oppressed were set free. In March 1932, he was sentenced to jail for six months in Benin City for preaching against witchcraft.

The prayer life of Apostle Ayo Babalola

Without doubt, it is intense prayer that births great revivals. If we do not tarry in the upper room, the wind of revival will not come. Apostle Ayo Babalola was a man of prayer. It was his custom to go up to the mountains to fast and pray for many days. According to some disciples, Babalola could pray non-stop for 7 days.

The life of a prophet

The life of a prophet is a strange one even to the prophet himself. Why would John the Baptist go into the wilderness? Why did he eat locusts? Why would God tell a prophet to prophesy to Israel naked?

The prophet is a fool to the world but a joy to heaven. He is bold, he sees possibilities where others only see failure, because he sees the end of a matter even from the beginning, he glides confidently like the eagle that he is, even through the storms of life.

Legacy

Apostle Ayo Babalola founded Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C). The C.A.C believes that the spiritual power bestowed on Babalola placed him on equal level with Biblical Apostles like Peter, Paul, and others.

He was one of the prophets that God gave the grace to know the date of his death. He slept in the Lord in 1959.

When darkness spreads upon a land, Gods answer has always been to send a man. Apostle Ayo Babalola was that man sent to Nigeria. For 30 years, he toured the nation and even went to neighboring nations such as Ghana. He came in the order of Elijah and fought gallantly against the prophets of Baal. I pray that God raises men of like zeal and authority across the earth.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The Miss Universe Canada organization has apologized to Filipino designers Michael Cinco and Rian Fernandez following a series of controversies about their work experience with the group.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, MUC aired its side about the issue and apologized to Cinco and Fernandez "for any damage these recent incidents have caused to them or their brand."

"We strive to ensure our designer partners such as Michael Cinco and Rian Fernandez are always aware of our gratitude for their tremendous support," it said.

"The Miss Universe Canada organization appreciates the relationships we have worked hard to build and maintain with designers all over the world. Like any organization in the pageant business, we enter into agreements with designers, in exchange for products we provide exposure and recognition to their brand," it added. "We recognize the significant contribution they make, not only with beautiful couture gowns, but also financially with work hours, time and shipping costs that they absorb.

Last week, Cinco belied the accusations of MGMode Communications, the team behind Miss Universe 2020 Nova Stevens, that the gowns she was supposed to wear for the pageant arrived late and may have sabotaged her chances in the international pageant.

Cinco stressed that the gowns arrived on time and it was him who even shouldered the photo shoots of Stevens while wearing his creations. He also said the gowns he made for Stevens should not be called "ill-fitting."

READ: Michael Cinco calls out Miss Universe Canada team for being ungrateful

MUC stressed that any statements made against Cinco in the past did not come from the organization.

It also condemned getting online messages "filled with hate, racism, and death threats" from other pageant critics.

Hours before MUC's statement, Stevens also publicly apologized to Cinco on Instagram, but stood by MGMode's claim that Cinco was not able to "deliver his end."

"As you all know, even in the best-intentioned deals, things can and did go wrong. In my case, the preliminary gown did not end up fitting perfectly. This was important because it affects scoring. So we made the decision to wear a different gown," Stevens said.

She, however, stressed that she has been thanking the Dubai-based designer publicly and in private.

Shortly after Cinco's revelations last week, Fernandez also shared his own "awful" experience working with MUC, noting that he had wanted Canada representative Siera Bearchell to wear a brown, high-slit gown to the finals of the 2016 edition of the pageant. But without seeing the brown dress, the candidate chose to wear a white serpentine gown which eventually received backlash online.

He also alleged that MUC's director Denis Martin Davila deceived him multiple times and did not return the gowns which he created. CNN Philippines has requested comment from Davila about the allegation.

Meanwhile, Bearchell expressed her support for Fernandez online, and said that they have remained good friends "after experiencing a lot of drama together." She bared that Fernandez even designed her wedding gown.

She added: "I don't know much about the current drama because I haven't been involved with MUC for a few years. So grateful to have this amazingly talented Filipino designer in my life!"
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The country received three new COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial applications, Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said Tuesday.

The vaccine developers that applied to conduct Phase 3 trials were the West China Hospital and Sichuan University, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., and Eubiologics Co. Ltd., Guevara said in a briefing.

The undersecretary said evaluation of the applications submitted by the West China Hospital and Sichuan University, as well as Shenzhen Kangtai is underway while Eubiologics is still completing some requirements.

Meanwhile, the Department of Science Technology is also waiting for the World Health Organization's release of its final protocol and list of COVID-19 shots for its Solidarity vaccine trials in the country. Guevara said WHO is expected to submit the documents by the end of the month.

Earlier, the Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to the COVID-19 vaccine trials of Johnson & Johnsons unit Janssen, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, and Sinovac Biotech.

Janssen's and Clover Biopharmaceuticals clinical trials are ongoing. Sinovacs clinical trial has not yet started, and FDA is awaiting the submission of their protocol amendment, Guevara reported.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25) The Philippine government has greenlighted the purchase of six T-129 attack helicopters from Turkey in a deal worth $269.4 million (about 13 billion), with two units set to be handed over by the third quarter this year, the Defense Department said Tuesday.

"Based on latest developments, we are expecting the first two units of T-129 attack helicopters for the Philippine Air Force to be delivered this September," DND Spokesperson Dir. Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.

The T-129 helicopters will be acquired from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) under a government-to-government deal.

It is expected to boost the fleet of light attack helicopters of the 15th Strike Wing of the Philippines Air Force, whose assets primarily provide close-air support to ground forces in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

The unit also announced on its Facebook page last Saturday that it has sent off a number of its pilots and crew to undergo over two months of training in the TAI headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.

The remaining four units of T-129 choppers are expected to be delivered in February 2022 and February 2023, Andolong said.
Lockdown was extended in Bihar and Himachal Pradesh on Monday till May end while Uttarakhand too decided to continue with the COVID-induced curfew, as several states said that the restrictions have led to an improvement in the pandemic situation. States and Union Territories started imposing restrictions from mid-April for varying periods as the deadly second wave of coronavirus hit the country and most of them have now extended the curbs till the end of this month to rein in the spread of infection and the mounting deaths which have crossed the three lakh mark.

The Union Health Ministry on Monday said a steady decline in daily new COVID-19 cases has been observed since the last 17 days in India. Fresh COVID-19 infections in the country dipped to 2,22,315, the lowest in around 38 days, pushing the total tally of coronavirus cases to 2,67,52,447, while the death toll climbed to 3,03,720 with 4,454 fresh fatalities, according to Ministry data updated At 8 AM on Monday.

India had registered 2,17,353 new infections on April 16. The active cases reduced to 27,20,716 comprising 10.17 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 88.69 percent.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,37,28,011, while the case fatality rate has increased to 1.14 percent, the data stated. The Nitish Kumar government extended till June 1 the lockdown that has been in force for nearly a month in Bihar.

"The lockdown has had a good impact and there has been a decline in the corona contagion. Hence, a decision has been taken to continue with the lockdown till June 01", Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tweeted after chairing a high-level meeting convened to review the pandemic situation in the state.

More than four lakh people have been infected and over 2,000 have lost their lives since April when the devastating second wave hit the state. The Uttarakhand government extended the COVID-19 related curfew period, which was to end on Tuesday morning, till June 1.

Himachal Pradesh government has extended the corona curfew in the state till May 31, an official spokesperson said. The decision to extend the curfew till six am on May 31 was taken in the state cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister Jai Ram Thakur here on Monday, he added.

With the COVID-19 positivity rate coming down to less than five percent in five districts of Madhya Pradesh, the state government has allowed "restricted relaxations" in the corona curfew in those districts from Monday, a senior official said. On the basis of the experience in these districts, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Khandwa, Burhanpur and Bhind, a strategy for implementing a graded unlocking process will be considered from June 1 onwards, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr Rajesh Rajora told .

The restricted relaxations have been allowed as the coronavirus positivity rate in these districts is less than five percent. The relaxations are applicable from May 24-31," he said. All government offices in these five districts will be allowed to operate with 100 percent strength of officers and 25 percent strength of other employees. Shops of essential commodities will be opened for the entire day in these districts.

The Chandigarh administration too decided to allow the opening of all shops, besides announcing to continue with night and weekend curfew in the city. "All shops will be allowed to remain open from 9 AM to 3 PM," said an official statement here. The decision was taken in the wake of declining COVID-19 cases and the demand by traders and shopkeepers who were suffering due to the closure of their shops.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that the daily infection rate has declined by 50 percent but till a single death takes place in the state, the war against the second wave will not be over. The government is making all efforts to save both "livelihood and life" and will soon decide on the lockdown which is scheduled to come to an end on May 27, he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Sunday announced that the ongoing lockdown in the national capital will continue for another week and said the process of "unlock" will start from May 31 in a phased manner if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline. The Rajasthan government, which extended the coronavirus lockdown by 15 days till June 8, had also said the state may allow some relaxations in commercial activities from June 1 in districts where the COVID-19 situation will show significant improvement.

Extending the lockdown till May 31, the Haryana government said the positivity and fatality rates have to be brought down further, though it did allow some relaxations in the curbs.

Here is a look at coronavirus-induced restrictions/lockdown imposed by states and union territories:

*Delhi is under lockdown from April 19 till May 31.

*Haryana, which was under lockdown from May 3, has extended it till May 31.

* Chandigarh administration has imposed night and weekend curfew restrictions till May 31.

*Punjab has extended all existing COVID restrictions in the state till May 31, including night curfew.

*Uttar Pradesh had extended the partial coronavirus curfew till 7 AM on May 31.

*Bihar on May 4 imposed a lockdown which has now been extended till June 1.

*Jharkhand had extended lockdown-like restrictions with stricter provisions till May 27.

* Odisha is under lockdown till June 1.

* West Bengal government announced a complete lockdown from May 16 till May 30.

*Rajasthan has extended lockdown till June 8.

*Madhya Pradesh has extended the 'corona curfew' in all 52 districts of the state for different durations up to May 31.

*Gujarat has extended night curfew in 36 cities of the state till May 28. However, daytime restrictions were relaxed and shops, shopping malls, business establishments and other business activities were allowed between 9 AM to 3 PM.

*Chhattisgarh government has asked authorities in all the 28 districts to extend the COVID-19 lockdown till May 31.

*Kerala has extended the total lockdown, which was to end on May 23, till May 30.

*Tamil Nadu has extended the lockdown, which was to end on May 24, by another week.

*Puducherry has imposed lockdown till May 31.

*Karnataka has announced an extension of lockdown for two weeks from May 24 to June 7.

*Telangana has extended the lockdown till May 30.

* Andhra Pradesh has extended the curfew till May 31.

*Goa government has imposed curfew till May 31.

*Maharashtra has extended the lockdown-like restrictions till June 1.

*Assam on May 12 ordered shutting down of all offices, religious places and weekly markets for 15 days in urban and semi-urban areas of the state. It has stopped all inter-district transport services and movement of people across the state for 15 days with effect from May 21.

*Nagaland has extended the lockdown till May 31.

*Mizoram has extended the lockdown, which was imposed in Aizawl and other district headquarters, till May 31.

* Arunachal Pradesh has imposed complete lockdown in Anjaw, Dibang Valley, Lower Subansiri, Lohit and Tawang districts and the Capital Complex Region till May 31.

*Manipur government has imposed curfew in seven districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Ukhrul, Thoubal, Kakching and Churachandpur till May 28.

*Tripura has imposed night curfew from May 19 till May 26.

* Sikkim government decided to clamp a complete lockdown across the tiny Himalayan state from May 17 to May 24.

*Jammu and Kashmir administration has extended the corona curfew till May 31 morning.

*Uttarakhand has imposed a strict COVID curfew till June 1.

*Himachal Pradesh has extended the coronavirus-induced curfew in the state till May 31.

Also read: Jharkhand facing severe COVID-19 vaccine shortage, two-three days stock left: CM
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25) President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered government agencies to resolve land disputes in Negros Oriental, Malacanang said Tuesday amid the reported killings in the area.

In his media briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte was "appalled" by the string of killings in the province, stressing that the government will continue to probe the incidents.

"Ang sinabi po ng presidente is he will be completely neutral pero gagampanan ng estado ang kanyang obligasyon na imbestigahan, litisin, at parusahan ang mga tao na pumapatay sa Negros Oriental," Roque said about Duterte's recent visit to Dumaguete City, where the chief executive met with the regional peace and order council.

"Inatasan po ng Presidente ang DENR na resolbahin ang mga conflicting claims to untitled land na pinagmumulan ng mga patayan," he claimed. "Ang sabi po ng presidente, everything else being equal, resolve these disputes in favor of the poor."

[Translation: What the President said was that he would be completely neutral, but the government will continue to perform its obligation to investigate, prosecute, and punish those behind the killings in Negros Oriental. The President ordered the DENR to resolve conflicting claims to untitled land that is the root cause of the killings. The president said, everything else being equal, resolve these disputes in favor of the poor.]

The Philippine National Police on May 16 reported that five persons were killed inside their respective homes in Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental. Initial police investigation showed the victims were "possibly suspected" by rebels as government informants.

Meanwhile, Duterte also tasked the Department of Agrarian Reform to expedite the distribution of land to farmer-beneficiaries, Roque revealed.

"Dahil sinabi ni Presidente na sa Negros ay talaga naman pong ang kawalan ng lupa ng mga magsasaka ay isang dahilan kung bakit nag-aaklas ang mga rebelde," Roque claimed.

[Translation: Because the President said that in Negros, land issues involving farmers are some of the reasons why the rebels have taken up arms.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The World Health Organization's solidarity trials in the country are likely to begin in June, according to the Department of Science and Technology.

"Sa kasalukuyan yung clinical trials na tinitignan natin ay yung tatlong ongoing, ito yung private companies. At inaasahan natin yung sa WHO solidarity vaccine trial baka by June na mag-umpisa yun," DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said at the Laging Handa briefing Tuesday.

[Translation: Currently, we are looking at three ongoing clinical trials, these are from the private companies. We are hoping the WHO solidarity trial will start in June.]

READ: 3 more COVID-19 vaccine developers apply for local clinical trials

She added that trials like these determine the efficacy and safety of vaccines, and give a chance to smaller vaccine manufacturers

"Yun namang WHO, nadecide na nila na imbes na yung...gagamiting bakuna ay galing sa malalaking kumpanya, nagdecide ang WHO na mas interesado sila na tulungan yung mas maliliit na companies na nagdedevelop ng vaccines." she said.

[Translation: With the WHO, they can decide that instead of vaccines from large companies, the WHO can decide they are more interested in the smaller companies that produce vaccines.]

Last week, the DOST said it is finalizing the equipment to be used, and has been coordinating with the WHO in the transport of the necessary equipment and the training of healthcare workers who will take part in the trials.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 26)  The National Task Force Against COVID-19 said it is set to release guidelines for vaccinating economic frontliners as the country gears up to vaccinate more Filipinos to achieve herd immunity by year-end.

NTF Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon also said during a briefing that once this is issued, immunization of essential workers, specifically those in the NCR and 8 other areas as approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, can start by June.

Earlier, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said they target to start inoculating members of the A4 and A5 (indigent sector) groups "after May," the time when vaccine supply is expected to stabilize. However, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the simultaneous vaccination of said clusters will initially focus on areas with number of COVID-19 cases, namely Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Pampanga, Batangas, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao, or the NCR+8.

As for the indigent group, Dizon said this will start with Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, but local governments may be given flexibility in determining vaccinees under this category to include those who are not part of the program.

Meanwhile, two senators are urging the government to fast track its immunization program and ensure that it will hit its target to vaccinate up to 70 million Filipinos by year-end to achieve herd immunity.

Mangangalahati na ang taon. Saan na pupulutin ang ipinagsisigawan nilang better Christmas kung ganyan kakonti pa lang ang nababakunahan sa buong bansa?... In this current scenario, 2023 pa natin maaabot ang herd immunity, Senator Risa Hontiveros Hontiveros said.

[Translation: It is almost the middle of the year. How will we see their declaration of a 'better Christmas' if only a few have been vaccinated in the country? In this current scenario, we will only achieve herd immunity by 2023.]

This is following a report by the national pandemic task force that said 4,097,425 Filipinos have been vaccinated against COVID-19, of which only 0.86% has received two shots. Average number of COVID-19 shots administered is 162,513 per day.

Hontiveros urged Health authorities to ensure adequate vaccine supply to attain daily targets and to hasten the process of granting emergency use authorization. The role of local government should also be strengthened to enhance their local inoculation programs, she added.

As for Senator Grace Poe, the urgent need to vaccinate more Filipinos will allow them to return to work.

We must take the fast action that will allow us to not just get through COVID-19, but more crucially, gain ground that will pave the way for our sustainable growth in the coming years,

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, unemployment rate in March was at 7.1%, translating to 3.44 million Filipinos out of work. This is lower than the 4.19 million jobless in February, equivalent to an 8.8% unemployment rate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  Five suspected members of the New People's Army died while an army soldier was wounded in a clash on Tuesday in Bohol Province's Bilar town, officials said.

"Encounter at around 5:30 AM between the troops (from) 47IB and NPA resulted (in) 5 dead from NPA and 1 wounded from the army," First Lieutenant Elma Grace Remonde, spokesperson for 47th Infantry Battalion in Bohol, said in a text message to CNN Philippines.

Remonde said 54 families from 42 houses were evacuated during the firefight, which lasted for about two hours.

The Central Command Public Affairs office in Cebu City also confirmed the encounter. It has yet to issue a statement on the details of the incident.

The army said the clash erupted after troops on patrol in the area encountered around 11 armed men.

Troops seized firearms from the suspected NPA rebels after the clash ended, the army added.

A clearing operation is being conducted by members of Philippine Armys 47th Infantry Battalion (Katapatan Battalion) to ensure the place is safe and families can go back to their homes, officials said.
These days, grocery shopping responds to the evolving preferences of shoppers for a safer in-store experience. At the start of the lockdown, groceries manually limited the total number of people allowed at a time, minimizing interactions with employees and other customers. Around the world, other supermarkets have become more drawn to tech-based approaches. Supermarket chains have pivoted to digital storefronts with 24/7 delivery. Brick and mortar stores come together in online-grocery apps like MetroMart and Coop Grocer.

What I had discovered on my next visit to my neighborhood supermarket  which I frequent for days when I wasnt going out mainly for groceries, but product discovery  is that they just had the Philippines first self-checkout counter.

Like most grocery shoppers, I have a rotation of two to three supermarkets. One of them welcomes me with a gigantic neon sign that reads LIVE to EAT. I like going here, primarily because of the shops near it  a Uniqlo and Mama Lous (their to-go is my go-to)  and they have my favorite Jules Destrooper biscuits that often escape me at the two other groceries I frequent.

Since physical distancing measures have been implemented due to the pandemic, supermarket chains around the world have pivoted to digital storefronts with 24/7 delivery. Photo by JULI SUAZO

Self-service has undoubtedly become a prevalent part of our world shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants are transforming their menus to be viewable by scanning QR codes. Banks encourage visiting clients to select the nature of their transaction through self-service terminals. Hotels are reinforcing self check-in when welcoming guests. Coffee shop chains are standardizing the practice of swipe-your-own payment methods. Now, the era of self-checkout has begun in the Philippines.

The self-checkout counter is simple to use. It follows an obvious three-step scheme: scan, pay, and pack. Photo by JULI SUAZO

The self-checkout counter is simple to use. It follows an obvious three-step scheme: scan, pay, and pack. The barcode reader is quick to pick up on serial numbers without any noticeable lag. Payment options (for now) include debit or credit cards processed through PayMaya in just a few taps. Paper bags of all sizes are available below the counter for bagging, with boxes available upon request.

Scanning, swiping, and bagging my purchases unaccompanied pardons me from any unwanted delays or socially imposed time pressure that come with a traditional staffed checkout. I enjoy my own company the most and more than a year of not being able to engage with other people face-to-face has deepened that. With the absence of any dependence on other peoples help, transacting my own groceries at a self-checkout counter reinforced the gratifying solitude and pleasure I found in doing things alone.

With these self-checkout counters, you can expect faster excursions to the grocery as you tend to your relatively short to-buy lists. On my second visit, I was in and out of the store in just 15 minutes, including the additional time it took me to fill out the online health declaration form. I completed my checklist of 10 items counting mangoes, kitchen towels, laundry detergent, liquid seasoning, antiseptic alcohol, AA batteries, and a few feminine care products in a completely contactless and unhurried manner.

Walking out, I watched people who arrived at the same time as me still lined up at the staffed checkout counters  which still remain, by the way, for the benefit of those who still lack the confidence to have a one-on-one transaction with technology, for now. Observing protocols, masked customers stood behind their own carts and baskets with enough space between them to fit another cart or two.

To people like my mother, self-checkout means letting go of the convenience of the trained assistance of cashiers and baggers. I understand her hesitation. For years, I have observed my mother during our weekly trips to the grocery giving watchful instructions at the checkout line. Most of the time, she is particular with what goes into boxes and what qualifies for paper bag packing (heavy items should be secured in boxes and lighter items can be bunched together in paper bags). Conditioned to this standard, I abide by the same principle so I can avoid unpacking squashed groceries at home: heaviest at the bottom, lightest on top. I find self-bagging to be a therapeutic act. Playing tetris with my own groceries as I listened to the latest Olivia Rodrigo album was a mindless part of my errand I most enjoyed.

Clear markings of each step for the self-checkout counter can be found in place. Photo by JULI SUAZO

While a large step-by-step summary is displayed on top of the counter, a more detailed guide is available right above the screen. Clear markings of each step can be found in place  START HERE, PROCEED TO PAYMENT AND SELECT TOTAL, PACK HERE. The self-checkout counters are also conveniently located in front of the customer service kiosk where nearby guards and staff are carefully monitoring the experience of customers. In front of me, a mother of two approached the self-checkout counter opposite the one I was using and clarified the instructions with the guard on standby, Do I just start scanning? The staff pointed to a bright green-coloured button labelled SCAN ITEMS and replied, Press niyo lang po tapos scan na po. The curious mother examined the screen for a quick second before hauling up her basket, filled to the brim, to the right surface of the counter.

Self-checkout counters do not aim to redesign grocery experiences, but it exists as an alternative option to do everything yourself, for people like me who would gladly opt out of inconveniencing others with my packing preferences compounded by the social obligation at a grocery store to hurry up. To a digital native and ambivert such as myself, a self-checkout counter made for a way more relaxed visit to the grocery (with an added layer of safety).

***

The AllDay Supermarket self-checkout counter is at the Evia Lifestyle Center branch in Alabang.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The country's COVID-19 death toll exceeded 20,000 on Tuesday, after 36 more people lost their lives to the disease, the Department of Health announced.

The DOH daily case bulletin counted 20,019 deaths, which is 1.68% of the total number of cases. The case tally is now at 1,188,672 with 3,972 new infections.

Of this total, 48,201 or 4.1% are active or currently sick cases, with 92.7% experiencing mild symptoms, 2.1% without symptoms, 2.1% with severe symptoms, 1.6% in critical condition and 1.42% in moderate condition.

Meanwhile, the recovery count is 1,120,452 or 94.3% of total cases, after 4,659 more people got better.

However, the total excludes data from ten laboratories that failed to submit their reports on time, the DOH noted. These facilities have contributed an average of 3.2% of samples tested and 5.5% of positive individuals in the past 14 days, it added.

The DOH also said ten survivors were reclassified as fatalities after validation and six duplicates were deleted, including three recoveries.

The daily positivity rate or rate of individuals that tested positive is 13.1%, based on 32,112 tests done as of May 23. The rate stayed at the 11 to 13% range which has remained since May 9 . The recommended rate is below 5% according to the World Health Organization as high rates indicate more undetected cases.

The OCTA research team noted that Metro Manila is showing "good indicators" of its COVID-19 situation improving, after finding a lower positivity rate at 10%, a lower seven-day average of 1,100 daily cases and a lower reproduction number or number of people infected by a case at 0.57. Experts said these developments mean that the government can begin considering easing restrictions in the National Capital Region.

However, they also recommended further monitoring of increases in Davao City, Puerto Princesa City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, and Cagayan de Oro City.

IATF-Visayas chief implementer Melquiades Feliciano, on the other hand, said they are closely monitoring Guimaras, Aklan, Iloilo Province, and Iloilo City. He noted that Guimaras and Iloilo City are under high-risk classification while Aklan and Iloilo Province are in moderate risk.

Feliciano explained that the community transmission of the virus and health protocol violations can be reasons for the surge in cases in the said provinces.

But basically sa ganitong mga cases, pagka bigla yung laki, its more on the community transmission already, he told CNN Philippines Newsroom Ngayon. Nandiyan na yung cases, so especially kung yung mga tao, hindi sila observant sa mga minimum health protocols, kagaya nung mga gathering, minsan nagpa-party, nag-iinuman.

[Translation: In these cases, when there is a surge, its more a community transmission already. There will be cases when people are not observing minimum health protocols, such as mass gatherings, parties, and drinking parties.]

Among Filipinos abroad, authorities recorded a surge of new cases reaching 143 and an increase of recoveries at 130. The Department of Foreign Affairs explained that the jump in infections and recoveries was due to an "updated report" from a country in Europe. Meanwhile, the death toll remained at 1,168 while 6,112 people are undergoing treatment.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The Department of Science Technology's study on the mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccine brands will also test boosters, DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said Tuesday.

Guevara said they will first study how a COVID-19 vaccine brand works with a different one before moving on to the booster shots.

"Yung una is 'yung first dose mo is one brand. Iyong second dose mo is another brand," she said in a briefing.

[Translation: During the first part of the trial, you will get your first dose from one brand and your second dose from another brand.]

"'Yung pangalawang part ng study ay ang tinatawag nating boosters. So kunyari, ineksyunan ka ng brand na pareho for dose 1 at saka dose 2. Ngayon magkakaroon ka ng booster or third dose na ibang brand," she added.

[Translation: The second part of the study is called boosters. So, for example, you were injected with two doses from the same brand, we will study what happens if you get a booster or a third dose from a different brand.]

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Pena reported about the study proposal on Monday. He said the main aim of the project is to combine Sinovac's vaccine with another brand "due to it being the most stable vaccine supply in the country."

Guevarra said the clinical trial, including the "exact combinations" of brands to be tested, is still awaiting clearance from the country's ethics board and drug regulator.

The DOST is seeking to conduct the mix-and-match trial from June this year until Nov. 2022.

Guevarra said they aim to find out if mixing brands could help address the issue arising from delays in COVID-19 vaccine delivery.

"We would like to answer this question na if there is a delay pwede ba mag mix and match para iyong nagkaroon na ng first dose, mabigyan sila ng second dose kahit ibang brand," she said.

[Translation: We would like to answer this question: If there is a delay [in vaccine delivery], can we mix and match so those who have received their first dose can be given a second dose, even if it is from another brand.]

She added they hope to answer this research question three months after the start of the clinical trial.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  The Quezon City government will file charges against the head of a homeowners' association in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon, where over 50 attendees of two separate "superspreader" events have tested positive for COVID-19.

The local government on Tuesday said another resident tested positive, bringing to 55 the number of residents who contracted the virus after attending a pool party on May 9 and a drinking session on May 11.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said among the 55 patients are senior citizens and minors. They are all currently recovering in the city government's isolation facilities.

"Ito ang nakakalungkot, since nag-GCQ tayo (This is what's saddening since we shifted to the general community quarantine), I think people got the wrong impression that we're okay," Belmonte told CNN Philippines.

RELATED: More gatherings, violators reported during 'heightened GCQ' - QC mayor

The homeowners' association head was later identified as Juancho Yusores. A show-cause order was already issued to Barangay Chairperson Feliciano dela Cruz last week following the incident.

Feliciano has denied knowledge of the incident, but Belmonte said he is still responsible because the area is under his jurisdiction. CNN Philippines is trying to get the comments of Yusores.

READ: 51 QC residents who attended pool party test positive for COVID-19

Meanwhile, the Interior Department and the Philippine National Police are also checking whether barangay officials and the police community precinct commander should be held liable for failing to stop the so-called superspreader events.

"We wish to remind the local government officials including the barangay and the Philippine National Police station commander that the President has spoken that you will be held responsible for any superspreader event that happens in your specific locality. You will have to continue monitoring all of these, you will have to act immediately," Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said in a briefing on Monday.

"Otherwise, the DILG will reassign you and remove you from office if you are the PNP precinct commander in that area. Or if you are the local government official or the barangay official, you will be facing charges of dereliction of duty and negligence," he added.

More than 600 residents were tested after the two incidents. Malaya added that the LGU will issue ordinance violation receipts to them for attending a mass gathering and violating health protocols.

CNN Philippines' correspondents Eimor Santos and Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)  A Social Weather Stations poll revealed that 63% of adult Filipinos prefer COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in the United States.

According to the national survey, China was chosen as the second preferred source of coronavirus shots with 19%. This was followed by Japan (13%), Australia (13%), United Kingdom (13%), Canada (12%), Russia (12%), Germany (8%), South Korea (6%), and India (3%).

Two percent chose all said countries, while 12% did not give their answer.

Per area, US-made COVID-19 shots were also most preferred, with 66% in the Visayas, 65% in Balance Luzon, 63% in Metro Manila, and 54% in Mindanao.

The same was also observed in terms of education level. Preference is highest among college graduates at 67%, followed by junior high school graduates (66%), elementary graduates (58%), and non-elementary graduates (55%).

When asked about the vaccine brand they prefer, 39% of the respondents chose Chinas Sinovac Biotech, followed by US Pfizer-BioNTech (32%), United Kingdoms Oxford-AstraZeneca (22%) and Johnson & Johnson (10%).

Other brands mentioned by respondents were Moderna (7%), CureVac (3%), Sinopharm (3%), Novavax (3%), Sanofi-GSK (3%), and Gamaleya (2%). Two percent, meanwhile, chose all brands, while 19% did not give an answer.

SWS also said that 76% of those who chose China also chose Sinovac, while 43% of those who preferred Pfizer and 41% of those who chose Sinovac prefer US as a vaccine source. Preference for AstraZeneca was also highest among those who chose UK as their source of vaccines, the poll noted.

Forty-four percent of respondents from the Visayas and Mindanao also said their top brand choice was Sinovac. Meanwhile, the China-made brand and Pfizer were equally preferred in Metro Manila with 37%.

Currently, the country has received over 7 million COVID-19 vaccines, most of which are Sinovac, followed by AstraZeneca, and Gamaleya. The initial 193,000 doses of Pfizers vaccine arrived on May 10.

The First Quarter 2021 survey was conducted from April 28 to May 2 through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide. The sampling error margins are 3% for national percentages and 6% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Coordinated evacuation efforts are on in West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to avoid loss of life and property in the wake of cyclone Yaas. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said the priority of his government at this point is to save every life as he requested all those residing in cyclone-prone areas to move to shelter homes and cooperate with the administration.

Cyclone Yaas is expected to cross the Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar islands around 12 noon on May 26 (Tuesday) as a very severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 155-165 kmph, the Met department said.

IMD tweeted, "CS YAAS intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm, lay centred at 1800UTC of 24th May about 390 km SSE of Paradip, likely to move north-north westwards, to cross between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm."





The CS YAAS intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm, lay centred at 1800 UTC of 24th May about 390km SSE of Paradip, likely to move north-northwestwards, to cross between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. pic.twitter.com/1MVR7TNxIz  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 24, 2021

As per the Met department, West Bengal districts like Purab and Paschim Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly will witness light to moderate rainfall along with heavy rains in one or two places on May 25.

Wind warnings have also been upgraded for the worst-hit districts-Kendrapara, Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jagatsinghpur. Wind speed will be between 150-160 kmph, going up to 180 kmph during the landfall of the cyclone. Meanwhile, normal life has been severely impacted in Odisha's Chandipur district due to severe rains and resultant waterlogging prior to the likely landfall of Cyclone Yaas at Odisha's Balasore coast.

#WATCH Rain lashes Odisha's Chandipur as cyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall at Balasore coast on May 26#Odishapic.twitter.com/YBh696l2eC  ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2021

Meanwhile, Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi has urged his party workers to provide all necessary assistance and ensure the safety of all those affected by Cyclone Yaas in West Bengal and Odisha. He further urged people living in these states to follow precautionary measures.

#CycloneYaas is moving towards Bengal and Odisha from the Bay of Bengal.



I appeal to Congress workers to provide all assistance ensuring safety of those affected.



Please follow all precautionary measures. pic.twitter.com/UaGi9PkcT2  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 25, 2021

Gandhi also shared a screenshot of Skymetweather's Cyclone Yaas tracker and tweeted, "#CycloneYaas is moving towards Bengal and Odisha from the Bay of Bengal. I appeal to Congress workers to provide all assistance ensuring the safety of those affected. Please follow all precautionary measures."

Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with agency inputs

Also read: Cylone Yaas likely to hit North Odisha on Wednesday noon

Also read: Cyclone Yaas: Depression to intensify into 'very severe storm' in next 24 hours; warning issued to Odisha, Bengal
(CNN)  Previously overlooked Chinese data on extensive screening of animals for coronavirus around the time the pandemic erupted is among several areas identified for further study by World Health Organization (WHO) scientists investigating the origins of COVID-19, a source close to the team told CNN.

The source said the records are contained in a nearly 200-page annex posted alongside the WHO panel's March report that received little attention among global experts at the time. But the data may add weight to calls from China's critics for more transparency and to the WHO team's desire to return to the country for further studies.

No date has been set for the team's return to China, but the source said any future visit to the country  where the virus emerged in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, in late 2019  may involve "smaller groups supporting specific studies first." A larger group, similar to the 17 international experts that visited in January, might then follow up, the source added.

The WHO report's annex contains multiple data points providing an intriguing insight into China's evolving knowledge of the virus and the likely timing of its emergence.

It provides details of China's storage and destruction of positive Covid-19 samples from humans; a significant influenza outbreak that emerged in December 2019, at the same time as the virus; and the revelation that the first people known to have contracted the virus had contact with a total of 28 separate food and animal markets in December.

Animal screening

The team hopes to clarify data in the WHO report's annex, the source said, including a striking reference to wide-scale screening by Chinese authorities on animals susceptible to the virus, dated the first week of December 2019. The first human case of the virus acknowledged by China became ill the day after this testing, on December 8 that year.

On page 98, the annex says that on December 7, 2019, samples were collected from 69 kinds of animals including macaques, forest musk deer, porcupines and bamboo rats. The samples were tested in February 2020 for the virus that would later be labeled SARS-CoV-2 and found negative, according to a statement from China's National Health Commission (NHC) in response to queries from CNN.

The existence of the samples had not been publicly disclosed before the WHO team's report. The source close to the WHO panel said the coincidental timing of the sample collection had led their experts to remark "this is strange."

The entry may have been poorly worded, the source added. The source said the WHO panel had accepted the Chinese scientists' explanation this was routine screening, but the panel wanted to examine the raw data, as these samples had clearly been stored.

In its statement, the NHC said the samples referred to in the annex were collected between February and December 2019, as "before the coronavirus outbreak, relevant departments had been actively monitoring major animal diseases in artificial breeding factories of wild animals in Hubei province." It is not clear from the statement if the samples tested in February 2020 were from December 7 alone, or from a wider period in 2019.

The NHC statement added: "As part of the active surveillance network, the wild animal samples were collected based on the wild animals' activity routines, and other than the regular collecting and testing, those samples were stored properly as required. After the coronavirus outbreak, researchers conducted retrospective testing to those samples."

Excess mortalities

The source close to the panel said one potentially revealing part of the March 2020 report that still requires further examination was the excess mortality data in China provided for January 2020  which could show the first fatalities from the virus.

"The excess mortality numbers popping up in the third week of January in Wuhan, and a little bit later in Hubei, date back those infections to somewhere in the second half of December," the source said. "That shows substantial undetected circulation in December in Wuhan and then later in Hubei."

The source said the data showed the infection likely began in the city of Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, and not in the rest of the province surrounding the city.

"You probably had already a few sporadic cases in November," they said. "But not in a substantial number  therefore starting spreading very slowly and then expanding very slowly."

China's decision to destroy early samples of the virus is also laid bare in the report's annex. On page 116, it says early tissue samples of virus cases from one key Wuhan hospital, Xinhua, were destroyed early on in the outbreak. The source said the panel had established the samples were destroyed in the spring of 2020 and this was "a pity, as with retrospective thinking these samples are not available."

The annex says Chinese privacy laws prevented the samples from being retained. The source close to the panel also accepted the Chinese rationale for not having "hundreds of thousands of potentially live samples, sitting around in hundreds of hospitals and clinics" at a time when their health care system "was struggling at the height of the outbreak."

The strains on the medical system are apparent in the annex, too. It says Xinhua Hospital had a 40% rise in "outpatient visits at fever clinics" in December 2019, compared with the same month a year earlier. Multiple data points in the report and its annex reveal a widespread influenza outbreak in Hubei province and surrounding areas in late 2019.

Leaked documents reported by CNN revealed the flu outbreak in December of 2019, showing a significant spike in Wuhan but also other cities in Hubei at the end of that year. The cause and consequences of the outbreak of influenza-like illnesses remains unclear.

The source said the spike showed "there was a large influenza outbreak happening more or less at the same time" as the emergence of the coronavirus. The simultaneous emergence of the influenza outbreak with the first cases of the virus "explains the difficulties of identifying Covid cases in December and early January," said the source. It remains unclear the impact the influenza spike had on detecting the first cases of the novel coronavirus.

Patient zero?

Significant details are also provided in the annex on the first known case of the virus  a person who is reported to have had onset of symptoms on December 8.

The annex gives, for the first time, greater details about the case: a man said to be an accountant working for his family company, with "no evidence for high-risk exposures (wild animals, mass gatherings, contacts with healthcare settings, contact with symptomatic individual, travel, etc.)"

He used public transport, but did not leave Wuhan, and had a relative working in health care. The annex says this first patient had no exposure to the Huanan seafood market, the animal trading hotspot thought to have played a role in the disease's first emergence. With further study, its centrality to the outbreak has become less clear, the annex reveals.

On page 178, the annex says only a third of the first cases had any exposure to the market, and about a quarter of the early cases which had any exposure to markets, had come into contact with a total of 27 other markets. The first patient had a relative who visited one "wet market," where live animals are traded. But the patient himself had no contact with any such "wet market," and in fact only visited an RT Mart  a common chain grocery store  in Jiangxia district, which was more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Huanan market.

The source said the increased details on how few early cases had exposure to the Huanan market made it harder to establish its role in the first spread of the virus, but it did not completely "exclude the market as being an introduction point into Wuhan," they said.

A key challenge for the investigation, the source said, was how in early December only severe cases of the virus would have been noticed  a small subset of the total people infected. "In early December, you must have had dozens, if not hundreds of cases, around the market that would never have been picked up," they said. "These could be the ones that would give us clues about the market's role in the city."

The source said the panel wanted greater access to the earlier cases and information about less severe, possible Covid-19 patients, if available. "It's been difficult to judge without having a clear understanding of the connection between all these cases. Some of them were friends or colleagues. And spending a lot of time together playing cards in between taking care of their shops. Others had nothing to do with each other."

In March, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin said China commended the WHO team's investigation. "China has always been a supporter for global scientific research on the source of the virus and its transmission routes," he added.

This story was first published on CNN.com "WHO coronavirus investigators pinpoint overlooked Chinese data for further study, source says"
(CNN)  US President Joe Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris met on Tuesday with the family of George Floyd exactly one year after he was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, told reporters the family had a "great" meeting with the President and Vice President and said: "He's a genuine guy. They always speak from the heart."

"We're just thankful for what's going on and we just want the George Floyd Policing Act to be passed," Philonese Floyd told reporters at the White House.

He added: "If you can make federal laws to protect the bird, which is the bald eagle, you can make federal laws to protect people of color."

The meeting comes as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act -- legislation that would set up a national registry of police misconduct, ban racial and religious profiling by law enforcement and overhaul qualified immunity for police officers -- remains stalled in the Senate. Biden had set an initial goal of having the legislation passed by Tuesday, but the White House backed off that deadline to allow negotiations to continue in Congress.

Rodney Floyd, another one of Floyd's brothers, told reporters the family is thankful Biden and Harris showed "great concern" for their family on the anniversary of his brother's death. He said the President and vice president asked them how they were doing and how they were taking care of themselves.

Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, said Biden told the family he wants to see the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed, but he wants to make sure it's the right legislation.

"He did let us know that he supports passing the bill, but he wants to make sure that it's the right bill and not a rushed bill," Williams said, adding that the President said he wasn't happy that legislation wasn't passed by the initial deadline he had set.

One of the Floyd family attorneys, Chris Stewart, said Biden played with Gianna Floyd -- George Floyd's daughter -- during the meeting and that "she had an absolute ball."

Biden released a statement after his Oval Office meeting with Floyd's family saying they had shown "extraordinary courage" over the past year, "especially his young daughter Gianna, who I met again today. The day before her father's funeral a year ago, Jill and I met the family and she told me, 'Daddy changed the world.' He has."

The President said he was hopeful the Senate would pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and "get a bill to my desk quickly."

"We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart," Biden said.

Harris said in her own statemen that the family continues "to show courage, grace, and resilience" in the wake of Floyd's death.

"Mr. Floyd should be alive today," Harris said. She called for Congress to act with a sense of urgency and pass legislation that would "not bring back those lives lost, but it will represent much needed progress."

In addition to meeting with the President, the Floyd family is set to meet with the lead negotiators for the police reform bill in the Senate, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott. They will also meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers at the US Capitol, including California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who led the charge to pass the police reform bill in the House of Representatives.

Biden wanted his meeting with Floyd's family to be private, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, "in order to have a real conversation and preserve that with the family."

"He has a genuine relationship with them," Psaki told reporters on Monday during a White House briefing. "And the courage and grace of this family -- and especially his daughter, Gianna -- has really stuck with the President. ... He's eager to listen to their perspectives and hear what they have to say during this meeting."

Those that attended the meeting with the President also included Gianna's mother, Roxie Washington; Floyd's sister, Bridgett Floyd; Philonise Floyd's wife, Keeta Floyd; Floyd's brother, Rodney Floyd; Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd; and Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, according to Psaki.

Philonise Floyd said on CNN's "New Day" Tuesday morning that since his brother's death, "Things have changed. I think that it's moving slowly, but it's making progress."

He said the police reform bill would be "one of the best things that you can pass across America. People shouldn't have to live in fear."

Scott has said that while he does not anticipate an announcement of a bipartisan deal on the police reform bill this week, "We're starting to see a framework," and added, "I think we can see the end of the tunnel." Booker echoed the optimistic sentiment and said, "I think we're a lot closer" to reaching a deal.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden wanted to give the negotiators on the Hill space to do their work, and that he has been speaking with police reform advocates throughout these negotiations. She also would not put a new timeline on when the President expects to sign a police reform bill into law, but said Biden wants to sign the bill into law "as soon as possible."

"We have been closely engaged with the negotiators and a range of parties on the Hill. We have also been respecting the space needed for the negotiators to have these discussions about where they can find common ground and where they can find agreement," Psaki said when asked what the President has been doing to try and push police reform closer to the finish line after his original deadline came and went.

Biden has a relationship with the Floyd family and first met with them in June 2020 when he traveled to Houston to offer condolences ahead of Floyd's funeral. The President has spoken to members of the family on a few occasions over the past year, including last month after the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd's family announced on Tuesday that they are using $500,000 of their $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis to create The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund. The fund will offer grants to organizations and businesses that serve the community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis. The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue is where Floyd died.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "George Floyd's family meets with Biden and Harris at White House."
Around this time last year, higher demand was seen at the Platte County Food Pantry, with the number of residents needing the nonprofits services having steadily increased day by day, The Telegram reported in April 2020.

With a decline in positive COVID-19 cases and widespread availability of vaccines, things have started to slow down at the nonprofit, 3020 18th St. Suite #13.

We've seen a drastic drop off with our numbers here  during the month of April (2021), Berry said, noting that things have gotten busier in May.

I'm just kind of assuming from what others have said here is that school will be getting out so all the kids will be eating at home instead of going to the school for their lunches. And so probably it will start picking back up a little bit more.

People in Platte County are still having trouble finding employment or otherwise continue to need food assistance, Berry said.

COVID did hurt a lot of people, there's still a lot of people out there that are still feeling the effects of it, Berry said. There are some places where the jobs no longer exist. Yes, Columbus does have a lot of job openings right now but sometimes it just doesn't fit or just doesn't work out, so there are people who still are in need.

Hannah Schrodt is the news editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at hannah.schrdot@lee.net.

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I just know he has a heart for people and ministry, McQueen said. So its neat for me to see as his friend all that come together. Its a joy.

Brown said he and his family have settled into Columbus nicely, noting they have a strong desire to get involved in the community. Hes working as an estimator for Central Confinement Service LLC, adding that working in agriculture has been a neat experience so far.

He said hes hopeful people  even those who do not attend Columbus Baptist  will come out and take away something meaningful from the service on June 6 or any date for that matter. His intention is to grow the church.

I am very passionate when I preach the Bible. Especially as it pertains to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving grace," Brown said. "We love our Bible, and our Lord Jesus Christ. But we love and care about people. We would love to invite anyone who would want to come and visit our church.

Although he has a love for Iowa and Omaha, Columbus is where the Browns feel they belong.

There is no doubt in any of our minds that Columbus feels more like home than any place weve been, he said. Its just amazing what God does 

Matt Lindberg is the managing editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at matt.lindberg@lee.net.

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Zoltan Kun, a conservationist and environmental protection expert, said that while Balatons water quality has significantly improved since the 1990s, the decreased reed coverage threatens to throw the complex ecosystem into imbalance.

The unfortunate truth in Hungary ... is that we measure the success of development in the square meters of concrete, rather than the number of certain birds or square meters of reeds around the lake, Kun said.

After Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his ruling Fidesz party took power in 2010, the government dissolved the countrys environmental protection ministry. Kun says that significantly reduced the states ability to look after its natural resources.

The conservation regulations that do exist are often selectively enforced, Kun said, or involve meager fines only after damage has already been done.

Istvan Boka, chairman of the Lake Balaton Development Council and a governing party lawmaker, contends that existing environmental regulations are enough to prevent the destruction of untouched portions of the lake.

Recent developments, he says, have all taken place on shoreline that is already developed.
HARRISBURG  A state House committee voted on party lines Tuesday to keep portions of the governors coronavirus disaster emergency in place until October but end fast-track contracting rules and other provisions.

The resolution, which requires approval from both legislative chambers but not from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, is designed to stop the use of no-bid contracts, require people on unemployment aid to look for work and end social distancing mitigation rules.

The State Government Committee vote came just one day after the proposal was introduced by the Republican House floor leader, Rep. Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County, and exactly a week after state voters passed a pair of constitutional amendments to give lawmakers greater authority over disaster declarations.

We had an election  the peoples voices were loud and clear, said the committees chairperson, Rep. Seth Grove, R-York.

Republican Rep. Russ Diamond, who has opposed mask wearing and other virus mitigation efforts, said he hoped to make changes to the legislation before a final vote. Diamond said voters in his Lebanon County district did not want any provisions to remain in place for months to come.
Theres another pattern that emerges if you start examining those who most often make this shopworn argument: Theyre white, privileged, and speaking from a position of great power. Thus, it behooves them to envision as limited an idea of political participation as possible.

That is a phrase that is uttered by people who, looking back on the sweep of American history, see themselves as safely at the center of the narrative, and typically they see their present privileges under threat, documentary filmmaker Astra Taylor told Slate in 2020. And so, they want to shore up the privileges that they possess, and theyre looking for a sort of historic hook.

Taylor points out that the United States has never really been a fully inclusive democracy  going back to the Founders who denied women and Black people the right to vote  and who didnt even count the enslaved as fully human. Still, the political pendulum of the last few years has been swinging away from that conceit to a view of American democracy, while not fully majoritarian, is nonetheless evermore diverse and inclusive.
By the time most of you read this, my son Gideon will have marched across the gymnasium floor and received his high school diploma.

I have brainstormed some sage advice for Gideons next phase and hope that his fellow grads nationwide can benefit.

Ill allow someone else to lecture 2021 graduates about following your dream, keeping a journal, subscribing to the local newspaper, formulating a career backup plan, paying it forward, starting retirement planning early, yada yada yada. I prefer to share tips youre unlikely to hear anywhere else.

First, be patient with your elders when they emit trite expressions such as Finishing high school already? Where does the time go? Refrain from exclaiming, When the baby takes its first step, you ask, Where does the time go? When you unbox the Christmas decorations, you ask, Where does the time go? Maybe if your generation wasnt always asking where the time goes, wed have a colony on Mars with a cure for the common cold by now! Buy a calendar!

Before you move too far away, make a point of thanking favorite teachers who inspired you. Dont procrastinate until you run across them in a retirement home. (Mr. Johnson, you were an amazing Drivers Ed instructor. Of course, that was back when you could still see above the stick shift)
And thats the beauty of music, Schunks said: It doesnt matter how old one gets, how creaky or how jaded, the music can connect people and make them come alive.

Music does that. I dont know how many times Ive gone to rehearsals feeling kinda, ugh and maybe I should have stayed home, but then you start and youre energized, he said. Thats the love of music, it gives that vibe, that passion. It has a way of bringing you back to life. Anybody who comes is going to be knocked out, because I get knocked out at every rehearsal. I walk out of there and I cant go to sleep until after midnight, Im so keyed up, Boy that was great!

Schunks said he thinks about that middle school student who was shocked by the notes she was hearing at Kicks Band rehearsal. He knows where her head was at.

I saw the Count Basie Orchestra when I was in college, this was about 1975. I saw them setting up, and they were kinda shuffling around onstage, Basie looked like he was 250 years old, and stooped, not moving very fast. I thought, Oh my. This is going to be sad hearing them, its going to be the shell of what the band used to be, Schunks recounted.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  A man whose 1998 murder of his girlfriends mother gained national headlines apologized in court Monday as his death sentence was reduced to life in prison.

Adam William Davis, now 42, told Judge Michelle Sisco not a single day goes by" that he doesn't think of the murder of Vicki Robinson and "how I wish I could turn back the clocks of time and change what happened.

Davis was being resentenced for the murder, which happened when he was 19. Prosecutors had decided not to seek the death penalty again after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out his sentence and others because the jury had not voted unanimously for the penalty. Davis' jury voted 7-5.

The murder became national news and was told on TV true-crime shows.

Ms. Robinson had so much light and love for the world and showed me kindness, Davis said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Her loss is a great tragedy that should never have happened. To her family and loved ones, I express my deepest sorrow for their loss.

Robinson had been trying to contain the behavior of her 15-year-old daughter, Valessa, when Davis, the girl and a third teen, Jon Whispel, decided to kill Robinson.
A steady decline in Covid-19 cases for the past two weeks have led to softening of high-frequency indicators of the economy, except for railway freight, which increased moderately on-week, rating agency CRISIL said in a report. Its estimate shows the daily cases have declined 22 per cent sequentially in the week ending May 23, which is faster than the 15 per cent fall the week before.

The data shows that retail and recreation, grocery and pharmacy, transit stations, workplaces, electronic toll collection, power supply and GST e-way bills have shown signs of improvement by May 17.

All indicators point towards the improving Covid-19 situation in the country, the report said. "While daily cases have dipped, testing continues to increase, growing 11% in the last week. Accordingly, test positivity rate (proportion of daily cases to samples tested) has dropped to 13.1% (from 18.8% a week earlier). Recovery rate improved to 88.7 per cent as of May 23 from 84.8 per cent the previous week," it said.

Also read: 2nd Covid wave closing in on rural India, impact visible in high-frequency indicators: CRISIL

The CRISIL report says the economic impact of the second wave of the pandemic on states will be determined by the covid caseload, nature of lockdowns, structural composition of output and pace of vaccination. The states lagging on these parameters will remain more vulnerable, it adds.

Vaccine availability is one of the major bottlenecks in India's fight against Covid-19. Due to high population, and production constraints, India's vaccine distribution is facing various roadblocks. As of May 23, daily vaccinations reduced to 980 per million people from 1,455 per million a week earlier. The world average is 3,564 per million, the CRISIL report said.

As the Covid-19 cases continue to fall and recoveries are rising faster, active cases over the week have declined for the first time since the second wave began, falling 17 per cent on-week. Based on this data, CRISIL said the country may have crossed the peak of the second wave on May 6, when daily Covid cases stood at 4.14 lakh cases.

Despite the improving Covid situation, states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Assam are still under a strong viral grip, with an increase in cases over the week, while Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan have seen some of the sharpest declines in Covid-19 cases.

Also read: Covid-19 second wave taking fizz out of Coca Cola, PepsiCo biz: Crisil
Vanuatu turns the Corner LETS USE THIS AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE FUTURE
Several of the recruits that will graduate on Thursday 20th May
Hit men killed one of her brothers in 2006, she said. He was a bus driver.

He had no money. The owner of the bus was the one who was supposed to pay, not him. He was just the bus driver. But they killed him, she said.

In 2011, her family and other families decided to try to buy some parcels of land to live on and grow crops. Gangs, however, did not agree with the purchase and threatened one her brothers, then killed him after he reported the threats to authorities. He was one of four siblings killed by gangs.

Keldy testified in open court against the killers. She received numerous threats and was told there was a price on her head.

The whole family fled to Mexico in 2013 but were deported by the Mexican government right away.

Back in Honduras, they fled to a rural mountainous area called El Naranjo in attempt to hide from the gangs. But in 2017, neighbors told her there were people asking about her schedule: When did she usually leave the house and when did she usually get back? The fear returned, and the family left for the United States.

She crossed the border with her youngest son Erick, now 17, and her middle child Mino, now 19, in the fall of 2017.
RICHMOND  Virginias U.S. senators, Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, are recommending three candidates to the White House to fill the vacancy at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that will be created when Judge Barbara M. Keenan assumes senior status in August.

In a letter Monday, the senators recommended U.S. District Court Judges Arenda Wright Allen and M. Hannah Lauck and Virginia Solicitor General Toby J. Heytens. The recommendations were based on their records, the assessments of an independent panel of attorneys and feedback from bar associations in Virginia, the senators offices said.

Theyre all extremely well qualified and have deep experience in the federal court system, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. With two women, one of whom is Black, the group is also diverse, a priority of the White House, Tobias said.

The 15-judge, Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is one of 13 federal appeals courts in the country. Since the U.S. Supreme Court takes up few cases, it is usually the court of last resort for the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina.
If you havent made your reservations for a beach trip or a mountain getaway, do so now. Some locations in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, for instance, report solid bookings through October.

Some particularly enthusiastic travelers are literally getting their final vaccine shot and coming straight into our retail locations to book a trip, AAA Mid-Atlantics Martha Mitchell Meade told us.

Consider these figures that portend a busier summer on Virginias roads.

The coronavirus continues to affect driving patterns in the U.S. Morning traffic is below prepandemic levels in most places, per The Wall Street Journal, as many people continue to work remotely.

Weekday afternoon traffic, however, is increasing  and is even heavier is some places than before the pandemic struck, according to Inrix, a transportation analytics company. An Inrix analysis shows that in more than 40 of the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., roads are more congested likely because of an uptick in afternoon shopping and leisure-type trips, as well as deliveries.
Highlights E-commerce platform Flipkart has hired 23,000 people in the past three months.

The company has revealed that people have been hired in various position primarily to strengthen the supply chain.

. The new additions will ease up the delivery process across the country.

E-commerce platform Flipkart has hired 23,000 people in the past three months. The company has revealed that people have been hired in various position primarily to strengthen the supply chain. The new additions will ease up the delivery process across the country. As per Flipkart, 23,000 people were hired between March and May 2021 across the country in various positions.

Talking about the new hires Hemant Badri, Senior Vice-President, Supply Chain at Flipkart, "At Flipkart, our top priority is to meet the needs of consumers through a safe and robust supply chain while ensuring the safety of our employees. The growing demand for e-commerce services across the country as people remain indoors to fight the virus has necessitated a ramp-up of our supply chain, creating thousands of employment opportunities. All new hires will be covered with our healthcare and wellness initiatives to ensure their safety during these testing times."

As people in India battle the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for e-commerce services has increased across the country. People now prefer ordering even the basic groceries from e-commerce platforms rather than stepping out to get it. The sudden surge in demand has led to the hiring of the people in the pandemic.

Apart from ensuring strict safety regulations and protocols across its warehouses to driving awareness of COVID safety behaviour, the company is also conducting training programs for its direct hires in various aspects of the supply chain. Flipkart is using the digital median as well the classroom training to enhance the understanding of the employees of supply chain management. The company said that these training are conducted through mobile applications such as WhatsApp, Zoom, and Hangout, along with Flipkart's own Learning Management System (LMS).

"These training sessions span customer service, delivery, installation and safety and sanitation measures along with the handling of hand-held devices, PoS Machines, scanners, various mobile applications and ERPs. They are also informed and trained in the safety regulations and protocols around COVID-19 to ensure their and customers' safety," Flipkart said in a statement.

Flipkart is undertaking grocery deliveries in major cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad. The company currently serves close to 64,000 orders a day, but the new additions to the supply chain will ramp up the no of deliveries.
The city council has a good plan. The narrower lanes will slow traffic.

Narrower vehicle lanes will make it too difficult for larger vehicles.

A separate pedestrian solution should be constructed away from any vehicular traffic.

Widening the sidewalk could work best if a barrier is put up between the sidewalk and vehicular traffic.

Vote

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West Bengal and Odisha: Indian Navy ramps up preparations, deploys rescue & relief teams

May 25,2021 | Source: The Times of India

The cyclonic storm is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during next 12 hours. It would continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach northwest Bay of Bengal near North Odisha and West Bengal coasts by May 26 early morning.



West Bengal: Ham operators to assist administration in Cyclone Yaas relief and rescue work



A team of ham radio operators of the West Bengal Radio Club (Amateur Club) has been involved by the South 24 Parganas district administration's disaster management section to assist the district administration in relief and rescue work. The severe cyclonic storm Yaas over east-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 9 kmph during past six hours and lay centred at 9 UTC of May 24 over east-central Bay of Bengal.



Red alert issued for 4 Odisha districts



Ahead the predicted May 26 landfall of cyclone Yaas in coastal areas of the Odisha, the state issued a red alert warning for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts, which are likely to be affected with heavy rainfall.



As many as 52 NDRF teams are designated for Odisha followed by 45 teams for West Bengal, which is the highest-ever number of teams deployed in Odisha and West Bengal.



Severe cyclonic storm Yaas is likely to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Odisha's Bhadrak district early on Wednesday morning.



INS Netaji Subhas is spearheading the Indian Naval's relief effort at West Bengal and is in close coordination with the State Government of West Bengal for preparations for Cyclone Yaas, which is scheduled to make landfall between Odisha and West Bengal coast on May 26, informed an official release by Indian Navy.



At 0830 IST, SCS Yaas about 280 km south-southeast of Paradip. To intensify further and cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island close to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, during noon of Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm.



People living in low-lying and vulnerable areas have started moving to the multipurpose cyclone shelter at Digha, East Midnapore.



Pre-emptive measures taken by West Bengal and Odisha ahead of Cyclone Yaas landfall.



Sea turns rough at Paradip ahead of Cyclone Yaas landfall



With Cyclone Yaas predicted to make landfall on the eastern coast on May 26 and likely to hit parts of Odisha and West Bengal, the Indian Navy said it has ramped up rescue and relief operations to minimise damages.



Cycone Yaas 320km away from Paradip



The cyclone is near latitude 18 degree north and longitude 88.6 degree east, about 320 km south-southeast of Paradip, 430 km south-southeast of Balasore, 420 km south-southeast of Digha and 470 km south--southwest of Khepupara, said the Tropical Cyclone Advisory of Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre of India Meteorological Department.



Orange alert -- heavy to very heavy rainfall expected in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda and Puri today.



People being evacuated by Odisha's Balasore district administration and Marine Police Force in Chandipur.



Red alert -- extremely heavy rainfall warning issued for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore for today and tomorrow.

 2021 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Bihar and Jharkhand: Cyclone Yaas becomes 'severe', alert

by Amit Chaturvedi

May 25,2021 | Source: Hindustan Times

The states on India's eastern coast are on alert ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Yaas, which has been brewing in the Bay of Bengal. It comes days after another powerful cyclonic storm Tauktae battered the country's western coast and killed at least 140 people. Cyclone Yaas, which intensified into severe cyclonic storm on Monday night, is expected to make landfall between Paradip and Sagar islands (in West Bengal) close to Balasore in Odisha early on Wednesday morning and could pack sustained winds of up to 165 kilometers per hour, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has predicted a tidal surge of 2-4.5 metres during the landfall of Yaas, according to officials. The massive storm comes as India is battling a second wave of Covid-19, complicating efforts to deal with both. Here are the latest on Cyclone Yaas:



1) The IMD has said that Yaas is likely to intensify into a 'very severe cyclonic storm' before it hits the coast. After crossing the coast on the afternoon of May 26, it will intensify further. The IMD had earlier said that Yaas would make landfall around Wednesday evening, but on Monday, it advanced the time.



2) Disaster relief teams have already been deployed in West Bengal and Odisha, which will face the brunt, and the coastal areas are being evacuated. The air force and navy said they have kept some of helicopters and vessels ready to carry out relief work.



3) In Odisha, the administration evacuated locals from their homes to shelter homes in Jagatsinghpur district. Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagastinghpur districts have been identified as high-risk zones along with Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.



4) In West Bengal, the wind speed in Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly will reach 70 kmph to 80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph on May 26, according to weather department. Coastal areas of North and South 24 Parganas will experience 90 kmph to 100 kmph wind speed, gusting to 120 kmph. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state government is targeting to shift at least 10 lakh people to safer places. She added that Yaas' impact is going to be much more than Cyclone Amphan's.



5) Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed preparations, including evacuation of people in vulnerable coastal areas and safe return of all ships and vessels as well as safety of Covid-19 facilities such as oxygen plants situated in the region.



6) At a video conference held with the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, besides officials of concerned ministries, Shah said a 24x7 control room is functioning in the MHA, which can be contacted by them any time for assistance.



7) The storm will lead to intense rain activity in states as far away as Bihar. The Patna Meteorological Centre (PMC) said on Monday that Cyclone Yaas is likely to trigger heavy to extremely heavy rain in the parts of the state in the next two to three days. It has also issued an orange-colour warning for May 27 and 28.



8) Bihar's neighbour Jharkhand has been placed under red alert category by the weather department. The IMD has predicted extreme rainfall in southern and central parts of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. The teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deputed in East Singhbhum and Ranchi districts.



9) The cyclone will also impact Bangladesh. The authorities there have asked all fishing boats and trawlers over the north Bay of Bengal and the deep sea to move closer to the coast ahead of Yaas.



10) Scientists say cyclones in India are becoming more frequent and changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense. Last May, nearly 100 people died in Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit eastern India in more than a decade. It flattened villages, destroyed farms and left millions without power in eastern India and Bangladesh.
Kerala: Govt allots Rs.2cr for Chellanam

May 25,2021 | Source: The Times of India

The state government decided to allot Rs 2 crore for implementing emergency coastal protection measures in the Chellanam coast before monsoon. Also, the ongoing projects along the coast will be completed in a time-bound manner. The decision was taken in the high-level meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram to discuss the difficulties faced by the residents of Chellanam. Vijayan Canal and Uppu Thodu will be desilted within a week to ensure free flow of water in case of sea flooding. Project worth Rs 45 lakh to repair seawalls and geobags will be completed by the first week of June. The Irrigation Design & Research Board (IDRB) has been entrusted with the responsibility to complete the tendering of the projects worth Rs16 crore that was earlier announced by the government. The meeting was attended by industries minister P Rajeev, fisheries minister Saji Cherian, irrigation minister Roshy Augustine, transport minister Antony Raju and MLAs K J Maxi (Kochi) and P P Chitharanjan (Alappuzha).



Additional chief secretary T K Jose, Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation Ltd (KSCADC) MD Sheik Pareeth along with senior officials of various departments attended the meeting. The meeting decided that a comprehensive solution will be implemented in Chellanam to stop sea erosion and to ensure basic infrastructure development in the coast. KSCADC has also been directed to submit a detailed project report on Model Village Project within one month. The minister will convene a meeting in Ernakulam on Thursday with the participation of elected representatives from various places.

 2021 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
I am excited to join Greater Albany Public Schools because GAPS is my community, Cervantes said. I have a passion and an expertise for the work of equity, diversity and inclusion and I know that many, many people in GAPS have that passion as well. All the potential partnerships and collaborations are truly exciting. All of this and getting to work with a committed leadership team that is dedicated to equitable outcomes for all students, inclusion of the various lived experiences that is embodied by the students and their families that attend GAPS, is something I want to be a part of. I am excited that I can be a contributor and collaborator.
REPUBLICANS on the HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE: Bidens policies have led to the highest gas prices in six years.  tweet Tuesday.

THE FACTS: Biden's policies aren't behind the price increases. Gas prices are up because of a rapid and unexpected bounce-back in demand, and because of lingering problems from the forced shutdown early this month of the Colonial Pipeline, which provides 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast.

McCarthys comparison to a year ago is also misleading. Gasoline prices didnt fall at the time because of the Trump administration, as Trump often claims; they plunged because of the coronavirus forcing people to abandon their offices, schools, business trips and vacations. Underscoring the connection to the pandemic shutdown, U.S. gas prices were at their lowest in April 2020 when people were staying home most but have mostly risen since then, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration, even when Trump was still in office.

In recent weeks, the biggest factor has been the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline. Even though it has been back in operation for nearly two weeks, many states, mostly in the South, still havent fully recovered.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  An adventurous young gray wolf that crossed into California from Oregon has not been documented since early April, spurring speculation that he may be dead.

Wildlife officials who track OR-93 through his radio collar said he stopped emitting pings April 5 in San Luis Obispo County, which is roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. But officials also have not picked up a mortality signal from the 2-year-old's collar, which indicates when a wolf has not moved for at least eight hours, the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend.

The wolf's radio collar could be broken or malfunctioning due to dead batteries, said Jordan Traverso, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He may be dead or running wild with a Central Coast pack that no one knew existed, she said.

Were trying to keep hope alive," she told the news publication.
Why on earth doesn't Hamas also have a "right to defend" themselves? Why is that right  like most other rights under Israeli Apartheid  reserved only for Israel?

Hamas was elected to govern the West Bank as well as Gaza, and they are trying to defend their constituents. Israel has been marching Palestinians out of their homes in Jerusalem's Sheik Jarrah district so they can march Jewish settlers right in. It's no surprise that the Palestinians objected to that, and then violent Jewish settlers attacked them, so Hamas was obliged to "defend Jerusalem."

The AP article's photos really show the "two unequal systems" of governance: Heavily-armed Israeli soldiers attack unarmed worshipers at Jerusalem's AlAqsa Mosque; in Gaza, Israeli bombs flatten entire Gaza high-rises, killing children & women, while the pathetic Hamas rockets merely make a 6 foot hole in one wall of an Israeli home.

The deaths are equally apartheid: Israel has 1 child killed of 7 deaths (14%), but Palestinians suffered 28 children + 15 women out of 109 fatalities (26%, or 39% if women are included).

The American Evangelical obsession with Israel as the "chosen land" has led to support for over-the-top Israeli violence against poorer, weakly-armed Palestinians (which is exactly the opposite of Christ's teachings about love of enemies).